WHEN THEY GOT BACK, Diego was shirtless. Again. Sprawled across the sofa, awake now, oddly compliant as Lila changed his plaster. Jay and Five gave a brief rundown of all that had happened the night before and morning since. Jay sat in an armchair, head in her hand, half listening as Five paced back and forth behind her.
"So you just let him go?" Diego summed up.
"Yeah, well, Viktor had a lot to process." Five sighed. "He'll come around. I know he will."
"I can talk to him." Jay added. She wanted to talk to him.
"What about the guys that went after him?" Diego asked.
"The Swedes?" Five said.
"He'll be fine." Jay waved it off, accepting the cup of coffee Elliott handed her. He gave Lila one, then set two for Five and Diego on the table. Jay sipped her coffee. "He's rediscovered his powers and seems to be taking a lot better than last time. The Swedes are like if the Three Musketeers had really shitty, emo clones. They share a braincell between them and I already put a bullet in a couple of them."
"You know them?" Lila asked.
"Regrettably."
"Who sent them?"
"No one you'd know." Five said, picking up his coffee with a fake smile. "Right now, our priority is finding Dad and getting answers, 'cause everything else depends on it." He sat down on the arm of Jay's chair, sipping his coffee.
"Just for he record, I found him already." Diego said.
"And then let him go before we could have a meaningful conversation." Five said, crossing one leg over the other on habit. He wobbled on his perch. Jay leant her body into his by way of catching him.
"He stabbed me." Diego said, eyes dull and voice duller.
"I'm surprised be waited this long Diego, we've all had the urge."
Jay snorted into her coffee. Elliott chuckled. Lila laughed and raised her hand for a high-five. "Good one."
Jay frowned.
Five ignored Lila. "Good thing I know where Dad's gonna be tonight."
He produced a slip of paper. Diego held out his hand. Five handed it to Jay.
Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas cordially invite you to a gala.
Beneath it was a date, time, location, menu and things Jay didn't care about.
"This the thing you knicked from his office?" She asked, looking up at Five.
"The very same." Five nodded.
Jay handed the note to Diego. He took it with a sigh, showing Lila as he read it aloud.
"Whoa wait. Hoyt Hillenkoetter? Are you serious?" Elliott cut in.
"You know him?" Five asked.
Lila gasped. "We should go. Says there's gonna be a seafood tower."
"No Hillenkoetter is- is one of the Majestic Twelve." Elliott said.
"The hell is the Majestic Twelve?" Diego asked.
"Wait." Jay said, snapping her fingers rapidly. "It's comin' back. I know this. They're a shadow government, deep state group thing. I've done a couple things relating to them back in the Commission."
"Yeah Kennedy was the first president to try push 'em into the light but these guys are not to be trifled with." Elliott nodded, rifling through drawers in his Conspiracy Corner. "Oh! Oh here we go, ah, right here."
YOU ARE READING
Ruins (Five Hargreeves)
Fanfiction"You've ruined me, Five." Jay had spent what felt like her whole life at the Commission. She couldn't remember anything else, anything different. She didn't know how to do anything but follow orders and kill. She'd never leave, and she was okay wit...
