Time And A Word| TUA

002

002: LIKE YOU LOVED ME IN THE JANUARY RAIN

༊*·˚

When the bus stopped, mid morning the next day, the Klaus Hargreeves and Harper Karpman who climb off it were not the same as the pair who vanished there the night before. 

Klaus was filthy, wearing his dog tags and ripped fatigues. The blood that coated his hands, as he slammed the briefcase against a bench over and over and over, matched the blood that was splattered over Harper's face, her hair now shorter, as she lowered herself to the ground, and sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, watching the ground as Klaus had his breakdown. 

They sat there for a long time. Until finally, Harper said she had to go home. 

Ten months, they'd been gone. Ten months of fighting in a war. Ten months of friends, or horror, of missing home. Ten months, and now they were suddenly back like nothing had happened.

She went home. She washed up. She listened to the missed call on her home phone that said that she had missed work. She then stood in the middle of the kitchen in her small apartment for twenty minutes, falling into memories. 

She wasn't sure exactly what had made her want to go find Klaus again, but she went to his father's house, anyway. She'd been with him so long, now, that it felt strange to be alone. 

She knocked at the door, but there was no answer. She knocked again, and there was no answer. So, against her better judgement, and due to the sick feeling in her gut, she pushed the door open, and made her way inside. 

It was huge. She knew who Reginald Hargreeves was - but every time someone said house or home, she thought of something cosy. This entrance way alone was huge, with walkways on either side, a large central staircase, two rooms on either side, bathed in sunlight from the windows. It certainly didn't feel like something in the middle of the city. 

"We bring this, hope they buy it." A young boy walked down the staircase, making Harper jump, briefcase in hand, and a large man beside him, well over six feet, with gloved hands and a large coat, but the pair froze when they saw her. 

"Uh . . . hello." The larger man said. "Can I help you?"

"No one answered the door, and it was open, I . . . I was . . . looking for Klaus." She said, twisting her fingers. It felt strange, speaking to people. 

"Klaus? Why Klaus? I didn't know he had friends."

The boy pointed at her, eyes widening. "Harper Karpman."

". . . Yes." She answered. "I just - Klaus said he'd be here."

"Good." He flicked his hand as he walked past her. "Who cares? Have you got a car?"

"Why?"

"We need a lift."

"Harper?" The larger one  looked at the younger. "As in Harp-"

"Yes. Now, drive." He made his way out of the house.

"I -" She sighed, as she followed him out onto the street. "I don't-"

"You know our brother." He climbed into her car, which she wondered about, since she knew she locked it. "So, you know us. Give us a lift."

"Is this to do with the world ending?" She asked, sighing as she climbed into the car. As strange as it was, she needed to keep her mind busy, or she'd think of the war. 

The larger man climbed in beside her, and glanced at her. "You know about that?"

"Klaus told me."

The boy sighed. "Of course he did."

As she followed their directions, they gave their names - the young one was Five, the larger one Luther - and she stopped the car midway down a long road, outside the city, with farmland around them. 

They filled her in on the plan - since Klaus had destroyed the real briefcase, they were hoping to play the pair who had it originally to think a normal case was theirs. She said she'd probably be able to help with it - since they probably knew she was one of the ones who took it. 

They saw the other car from a while off, and they stepped out onto the road to meet it. It parked further down, behind them, and they stood beside their car as the pair got out fifty or so metres away. 

"If this all goes sidesways . . . " Five put his hands in his pockets. "Do me a favour and tell Delores I'm sorry."

Five walked up to meet the masked pair halfway, but they took their masks off once he reached them. 

"You really know Klaus?" Luther questioned. 

"No. I made it up for some reason. Are you lot going to tell me where he is, now?"

"we have no idea."

Five walked back over to them, interrupting Harper before she could speak. "Now, we wait."

But before they could complain about waiting, a chime reached their ears that sounded oddly familiar, though she couldn't place it. they followed the noise to see an ice cream truck, coming the same was that the masks had. 

The chime was 'Ride of the Valkyries.'

"Is that her?" Luther asked as it got closer. 

But when the truck past, none other than Klaus and Diego Hargreeves were in the window, Klaus waving at them with a wide smile on his face, which turned to fake shock when he saw and pointed to Harper. 

Which was when the masks began shooting at them, and Luther put himself in front of Five and Harper, who put her hands to her ears, as the sound of screeching metal filled the air, the masks yelled as they were hit back by the car, and bullets hit the car beside Harper. 

"Five?" Luther looked around, as Harper looked at the masks getting to their feet. "Five?"

As the masks looked at him, he held up the fake case. 

"Come and get it!"

As one mask ran towards them, Harper took a deep breath, and tried to hide in the shadows again, as she was rendered almost fully invisible, and ran towards the ice cream truck, only to fall and become visible again when Klaus stumbled out of it and knocked her over, and Luther threw the case into a nearby field, the masks running after it. 

"Oh, hey!" Klaus smiled widely as he helped her up, and brushed dirt off her cardigan. "Harper! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't know." She took one of Diego's arms as Klaus took the other, helping him walk. "Your brother just got in my car."

"They do that." Diego said, as they ran towards Luther. 

"Get in the car!" Luther pulled open the back door, and Harper pushed the pair in, before climbing in after and over them to get to the front seat, ignoring their complaints.

Luther climbed in, and Harper could see the masks in the rear view mirror scrambling to get their guns and ammo, that were spread across the road.

"Drive!" Diego yelled from the back seat. 

"I am!" Harper started the car, driving away as fast as she could.  

She made the car go faster as the three boys started bickering, thankful that her hearing aids had broken in the 60s.