Dysfunctional ~ F.Hargreeves

47} Meeting The Founder And Killing Family

Jenna slowly approached the tube while hiding behind Five.
"That's him, huh?" Five asked, "The founder."
"Looks like tinned beef," Lila frowned, "I was expecting more man and less..." She tapped the metal surrounding him, "...can."
"Holy shit," Jenna peeked out from around Five to look at the founder's face, "I knew something was wrong."
"It can't be," Five looked dumbfounded.
"What's wrong?" Lila asked.
"It's me," Five said with horror lacing his voice.
Lila broke out into hysterics while Jenna and Five stared in horror, "This whole time you've been complaining about the Commission, and you're the one who founded it. Classic."
"If I did, I have no memory of it."
"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."

"Something's not right," Five shook his head, "I don't have paradox psychosis. I could feel it outside, but in here, it's... nothing."
"Never too bright, were we?" The founder Five squeaked out, "The operations bunker is paradox-proof. 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," Jenna finished for him, "Yeah, I've pieced that together."
"Is that like a cheese blintz?" Lila questioned.
"It's German for 'ball of lightning'," Jenna explained, "I only know that because that was a nickname I got while I was over there on a mission. Basically, it's an extra kinky kinda black hole."
"The kind that can suck up entire timelines," Lila sighed.
"Bingo," Older Five replied, "You always were the smart one, Jenna. Even when I wouldn't admit it."
"So, how do we fix it?" Normal Five rolled on.

Older Five gave a raspy chuckle and cough, "You don't."
"If you created all of this," Five started to get angry, "then you must have created a solution."
"All that will be left is... oblivion."
"Oblivion?" Lila grabbed onto the side of the tank and accidentally opened it, "What do you mean?"
"This is what you have coming," Older Five warned his younger self.
"Where am I?" Jenna asked, tentatively.
"I have no clue," Older Five chuckled, "You wouldn't do this with me, and it made me forever grateful. But things can always change for the better with you guys."
"Listen to me, you ass," Five snapped and cut off Jenna's conversation, "I just spent the last twenty days running around saving the world from apocalypses, only to keep trying to save the world. Now I am stuck in the pubescent body, my hormones are raging, and all I wanna do is start a family again and go buy a 1970's Corvette Stingray because Jenna's always wanted one."

"Take it easy, Five," Jenna laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Jenna, this is between me and myself, so stay out of it. Thank you. 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..." Older Five's heart rate monitor went crazy, "...don't save the world. And Jenna? Tell him before it's too late. You could save us... from this. And get the tattoo, it's for us. Just don't save the world," Older Five's machine shut down as he died.
"What do you mean, don't save-" Five started freaking out even more, "Five! How do I fix this!?"
"He's dead, Five," Lila checked his pulse.
"Can I have the room?" Five pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Er..." Lila sucked in a breath, "I don't think I should leave you two alone."
"Lila, I need the room," Jenna started to walk out with Lila, but Five grabbed her arm, "You can stay."

"Son of a bitch," Five let out a breath he'd been holding and looked over his older body, "What's this?"
His older self had a large tattoo on the center of his chest along with a smaller one on his only wrist. The larger one had a weird symbol while his wrist contained a simpler one; just an F and J with a lightning bolt and hour glass respectively to their powers. He took a knife and cut both of them off, causing Jenna to look away due to all of the blood.