How to Kill Time (Reader x Five Hargreeves)

Chapter 14

Y/N's Perspective

The sight of the barren road is replaced by the sight of greenery, trees and grass looming in the horizon and a mansion like building standing in front of me.

A pretty sight, but all I can think about is one thing: What the fu-

I feel a hand push from behind and I grab it without looking back and twist it with all the force I have. I hear a groan as I whip myself around, curling my hands into a fist before-

"Y/N!" I relax my force as I see the face of Five Hargreeves with his other arm covering his head.

"Oh. You." An awkward silence. Then, I feel motion and I hurl around and before I get to deliver a kick, Five pulls me away and I stumble onto the sidewalk. Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice a woman in a black trench coat with a veil as Five pulls me up.

"You are not punching or kicking anyone unconscious today, okay?"

"Yeah, I got that but where the fuck am I?"

"The commission." The woman beams at me and I feel my face cringing slightly at the fake smile.

"I'm guessing you're the Handler?" I ask.

"You catch on quick." The Handler flicks my cheeks and motions for us to follow her. I rub my face as I follow. "Just like your friend Five here." Her heels click on the sidewalk as we enter the building and I find my mouth gaping at the sight. Five is quick to snap my jaws shut with his hands, shaking his head at me. "You know, Five, I've never met anyone quite like you. Hazel and Chacha are talented, certainly, but... they can't see the big picture. Your spunk, your enterprising spirit, well, it reminds me a great deal of myself, if..." She pauses to flick off a peck of invisible dust on Five's uniform. "I may be so vainglorious." She places another one of her smile as she places both hands on Five's shoulder. "You know, if things work out for you here, you could possibly make a fine successor, Five."

Five brushes her hands away and crosses his arms. "I'd like to discuss the logistics of my family's safety at your earliest convenience." He pauses. "As well as this body replacement." He adds.

I frown. "I am still very confused at what the bloody he-"

Five groans, slapping his hands on his forehead. "Okay, to summarize, I traded the safety of my family for lifelong servitude in this place, okay? And you are also joining me in that." He winces. "Perhaps not the best way to put it, but accurate."

I look at him. "You know what, I'm not gonna ask.

"All parts of your agreement will come in good time. In fact, now that you decided to work with us, you got all the time in the world." The Handler replies as if the whole conversation didn't happen. We walk pass several rooms and Five glances at one next to him, labled Briefcase Room. "The Commission works in support of a delicate balance between the time line of events and mankind's free will." She notices Five staring and chuckles. "The briefcase is no longer part of your kit, Five. Free your mind. You're management now. One of us." She continues her way into another room "All the people on this floor are case managers, each one responsible for one major event at a time." She nods to the chamber with thousands of people in neat rows, each one typing into typewriter or scribbling into bright red folders.

"So many of them." Five remarks

"Impressive, isn't it?" The Handler smirks "Being part of something... so grand." She leans against the doorway before quickly starting to walk down the hall again. "Come along."

Whenever someone chooses the wrong path and the time line is changed, the Commission gets a report from field agents on the ground. These field reports are sorted and assigned to a case manager. They determine if anyone needs to be..." She pauses to find a kinder work than kill as she enters another hall "removed from the equation to assure that their event happens as it should. Based on that determination, the case manager sends instructions via pneumatic tube" She nods at the room with hudereds of tubes shooting out in every direction. "to... temporal assassins like you formerly were, Number Five." She pauses from moving as she turns around to look at us. "Any queries so far?"