|Doppelgänger| Five Hargreeves

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖𝟔

 I immediately spit out the rubber in my mouth once my eyes opened and tears started streaming down my cheeks. My hands were shaking, gripping on the leather that kept my wrists in place as I tried to free myself. My breath was rapid and loud, I felt like I couldn't breath. I only fully understood what was happening once Five ran to me and helped me with the restraints.

_"What happened? What did you see?"-He asked, grabbing my shoulders once I was free so I'd stop struggling. I could only cry, no words came from my mouth. The effects of the forgotten trauma were hitting me deeply.

_"You murdered our brother!"-I heard Allison shouting at Reginald. She was already up and stared straight into his eyes, anger filling her. But she was shaken up too. We all were now.

_"And Jennifer."-Viktor joined him, his voice failing like he was close to crying. Five helped me up, I clinged to his arm for dear life. I felt sick. The scent of blood was still vivid in my mind.

_"Son of a bitch."-Diego muttered, his voice scarily low. He wasn't reacting emotionally, but it was clear he was growing more upset as he stared at Reginald.

_"Children. Whatever anger you may feel towards me is misdirected. May I remind you that it was the other Sir Reginald Hargreeves who committed this horrible act?"-The man spoke. But something felt wrong, even if he wasn't incorrect.

_"What are you going on about?"-Lila asked, confused about what was happening. I stepped forwards, Five refusing to let go of me.

_"The 'other' Hargreeves killed Ben and Jennifer when we were kids. When they were kids."-I said, glaring at the man. I wiped the tears in my eyes away.

_"And he had a perfectly valid reason for doing so."-Reginald said, making me scoff.

_"...Is that what you did to 'me' too? To Sparrow 'me'?"-I asked. It all made sense now. What he said back at the wedding party, how Ben never mentioned what had happened. He did the same thing. Both Hargreeves were the same.

_"Yes. And if you were left to your own devices, it would've set off a cataclysmic chain of events, leading to the extinction of all humanity, just like the other two."-Five's grip on me tightened upon the confirmation. He stepped in front of me, and Luther came closer to the older man.

_"You are no different than the other Hargreeves."

_"You're both fucking psychopaths!"-Diego raised his voice. A tear fell from his eye.

_"It's not his fault."-Abigail interrupted, defending her husband. She was supposed to be the nice one, and now I could simply not understand why she'd excuse his actions.

_"Reg is not responsible for what happened to your brother and that poor girl. I am."-We were all silenced by her confession. She was in none of our memories, it made us confused. We decided to listen as she continued to further explain.

_"Years ago, I synthesized a new element. The very essence of the universe."

_"The particle we know was marigold."-Reginald joined in on her explanation.

_"And at the same moment, unbeknownst to me, a second particle was created. Durango. When marigold and durango interact, they cause...a reaction, a physical reaction. Unstoppable, irrevocable. The extinction of everything we know."

_"The Cleanse."-Five muttered. The Keepers' theory.

_"By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late for our world."

_"You couldn't have known, darling."-Reginald comforted the woman. They shared a look of certain melancholy.

_"I...don't mean to be a dick and all, but what the fuck does any of this have to do with us?"-Lila asked, wanting more details. We still didn't know where the durango came up in the story.