Invisible String | Five Hargreeves

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

"This is just like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit. There's no clear directives in here about crisis management." Five complains as the three walk up a set of stairs looking for this bunker. "You know, Lila, I shouldn't even be here. I was... I was out. I was done, and yet here I am, swept back into the chaos." he says, itching his neck aggressively. "Why can't I just escape this hellhole?" "Because you love it." says Lila. Five farts making you giggle. "My bad." he says looking back at the two.

"Face it, Five, apocalypse problems are the only things that get your heart pumping." she says as you continue walking. "I don't know why people keep saying that. I don't actually like chaos. I don't want disorder. I... I want retirement."

"Yeah, right. What? A normal life of of marriage, family, groceries and taxes? You would die of boredom." Lila says. Fives jaw clenches knowing she said that in front of you.

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly cut out for domestic bliss either." Five opens a door taking you with him. "Course I'm bloody not. Thank God! I mean, maybe it's a tone thing? I don't know, but you could really work on, like, the way you speak. It's very... It's irritating. I'm just saying it's something you can work on, you know? For the future." Five sighs smiling. "Why you smiling, you little pisspot?" "Cause of that." He points to the door with a neon sign that read 'operations bunker' on top. "Well, you could have led with that."

"Exsqueeze me." says Lila squeezing past you two and through the door. "You're excused." Five tells her. "Operations bunker." Lila goes to scan her eye hoping the door would open. The alarm buzzes denying her access. "We're screwed." "Unauthorized access." Says a female robot. "Five, are you ok?" you ask the sweaty, panting boy. He nods at you "Yeah." he mumbles. Lila turns around noticing the state of the boy as well. "Oh shit. Jesus. You're sweating like a dodgy shrimp on ice. What's wrong?" She asks. Five farts again.

Then it hits you.

"Hey, uh, Klaus?" "Yeah? Wait up a minute. Doppelgänger check. You feel anything strange? Uh, itching, sweats, gas, anything like that?"

Five walks up to the machine that previously scanned Lila and scans his own eyes, this time the alarms doesn't go off and instead the robot says "Access granted." as the door unlocks.

"I guess you're essential personnel." Lila tells him. "Wow." Lila says walking in. You couldn't even look at the room as your attention was on Five. He notices but doesn't say anything. Lila chuckles approaching a weird big tank machine. You catch up to her and see an old man inside. Looked like he was on the brink of death. "That's him, huh? The founder." "Looks like tinned beef. I was expecting more man and less..." She hits the machine. "...can." "Dude is literally in his death bed." you add making Lila chuckle. "How is he supposed to help us?" you ask looking up at Lila. She shrugs.

"It can't be." Five says approaching the machine and taking a closer look at the man. "What's wrong?" "What?" You and Lila ask.

"It's me."

Lila bursts out into a fit a laughter meanwhile you give Five a confused look.
"No way. This whole time you've been complaining about the Commission, and you're the one who founded it. Classic." Lila says in between laughs. "If I did, I have no memory of it." Says Five.

"So here I was thinking you were a maverick, but you're a company man, down to the bone. I mean, you... You literally cannot breathe without this place." Lila exclaims in between laughs. "Something's not right. I don't have paradox psychosis. I could feel it outside, but in here, it's... nothing." says Five. "Maybe the room is paradox psychosis proof?" you as unsure.

"Never were too bright, were we? She was always the smarter one. The operations bunker is in fact paradox-proof." says the old Five in a raspy voice as he strains to inhale.
"I constructed it as a panic room in case of a collapse in the time continuum. In this room, all permutations of yourself can exist. You must be here because of a... Kugelblitz." The man explains. "Is that like a cheese blintz?" asks Lila. "It's German for "ball of lightning. It's an extra kinky kind of black hole." says young Five. "The kind that can suck up entire timelines." "The one you created by jumping into my timeline." you add. "Bingo." "So, how do we fix it?" asks young Five. The old man chuckles chocking in between. "You don't." says old Five.

"What do you mean don't?" you intervine. The old Five looks at you. "You're the sparrow?" he asks. "How do you?" he nudged down to his body as his hand twitches you notice his left arm was gone but the other had a ring band on his ring finger. You and Five get married? "Glad i could...see you...one more time." He manages to say. Your breath hitches as you step back from him.

"Don't change the subject! if you created all of this, then you must have created a solution." Young Five says now furiously. The man wheezes and coughs "All that will be left is... oblivion." "Oblivion? What do you mean?" Lila leans forward unlatching the machine revealing the man's decaying body. "This is what you have coming." he says.

"Listen to me, you ass. I just spent the last 20 days running around saving the world from apocalypses, only to keep trying to save the world. Now I am stuck in this pubescent body, my hormones are raging," Five points at you making Lila snort. "and all I wanna do is go out and buy a 1970s Corvette Stingray."

"Take it easy on him, Five." Lila tries to calm him down."Lila, this is between me and myself, so stay out of it. Thank you." Five says infuriated, which you had never seen and needless to say it was intimidating. "Now, this Kugelblitz, it is not some tiny leak that we can simply fix by patching a couple of pinholes. It is a giant trash compactor which is grinding up the universe and consuming it whole. So tell me how you stop it!"

"Whatever you do..." You notice the heart monitor beeps speed up. 'Shit' "...don't save the world." the heart monitor beeps rapidly and the machine powers down. "What do you mean, don't save-" Your Five's voice trembles. "Five!" he yells as the place shuts down. "How do I fix this?" Lila checks the old man's pulse. "He's dead, Five." She says walking away. Five sharply inhales.

"Can I have the room?" Five asks. "Er... I don't think we should leave you two alone." Lila says. "Lila, I need the room." He says in a deep tone, closing his eyes in frustration" she takes her leave and you go behind her. A hand wraps around your wrist. You turn back to a defeated Five. "Not you," he says.

You sigh staying back. After Lila leaves Five stares back at his older self. Finally acknowledging the ring. "So marriage huh? Thought I wasn't one for the domestic bliss." he mumbles almost whispering. You let out a shaky breath. "Ben would kill me. Truthfully, all I got from that was that i'm going to inevitably die before you... again." Five tries to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "But I guess in the meantime, I'm still here." You rest your chin on his his shoulder wrapping your arms around his waist. He lets you embrace him as he looks down at the old man's body. "I'll wait for you outside, ok?" You tell him. "Mhm" You kiss his cheek and head out.

"Son of a bitch." his attention was now on a tattoo that was on the old man's chest. "What's this?" he asks himself. He pulls out a knife and begins slicing the skin.