No. 8 ; THE SIREN

Run Boy Run

----Flashback----

During extreme weather conditions a climber must possess the wisdom to determine when evacuation is inevitable.

Grace rung the bell that indicated that it was time for dinner, and one by one the Hargreeves children went down the stairs.

A controlled alpine descent begins with the girding of one's loins and the anchoring of the climbing rope to one's enemy, the mountain.

The children went to stand around the table, in the same order they always stood. Serena was standing behind the chair at the end of the table, awaiting her father's arrival.

The Dülfersitz rappel is the preferred method for descent when rope is the only available tool, but must be regarded as a last resort.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves entered the dining room, and he took a glance at the little girl at the other end at the table.

Begin by looping the rope...

"Sit," Reginald ordered. The children sat down simultaneously.

A screen anchor must be used if the rope is to be successfully retrieved from the face of the mountain.

Allison and Luther were eating while looking down at their meals, afraid of Reginald harsh stare.

Tightly knot the end of the rope.

Ben was reading while eating, Diego was carving something in his chair with one of his knives, and Klaus was getting high.

Once anchored, thread the doubled rope through the legs, front to back, and around the buttocks.

Vanya wasn't looking at anyone while she ate, she was probably afraid that even the slightest of contact with any of her siblings would not be approved by her father. Five wasn't eating, and Serena shot him a questioning look.

It is of utmost importance that the rope be drawn under the gluteal muscles, not through the crevice between the gluteus.

Reginald was sipping his drink, and it concerned Serena that Five kept staring at him like he wanted to strangle him.

Proceed by holding the rope diagonally...

Five slammed his knife into the table, causing Serena to jump slightly. He gave her an almost unnoticeable apologetic look before he turned to his father.

"Number Five?" Reginald warned.

"I have a question," Five said almost sarcastically.

Reginald Hargreeves barely even acknowledged the boy. He didn't look up when he spoke.

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson."

Five didn't seem to care. "I want to time travel," he stated.

Reginald didn't even look at him when he turned him down. "No."

"But I'm ready," Five angrily exclaimed. "I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said."

He stood up, and with his usual flash of blue, he jumped through space. He appeared next to his father. "See?"

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn."

Serena shot a few worried glances at Five. She knew him, and she knew her father. This was not going to end well. Five avoided her pleading eyes on purpose, knowing that she would be able to talk him out of it if he let her.