Number Eight // Five Hargreeves

IV

Five's POV

"Uh guys, she doesn't look so good."

Right as Klaus says that, I see her knees buckle as I race out to catch her before she hits the ground. She falls into my chest and narrowly misses the hard wooden floor.

"She needs rest. Five bring her into the bedroom. I'll get her out of those wet clothes." Allison says. I pick her up bridal style with ease. Wow, she's extremely thin.  There's no way she's healthy.  What the hell was Dad doing to her?

I follow Allison and lay her frail body down onto the bed and quickly leave the room so that Allison can take care of her and get her dry.  She has got to be exhausted.  I mean, when I jump too many times, every muscle and bone in my body aches.  But she has three different abilities.  How was she even still standing?

"All those times we went back to the house to visit Pogo, he was running experiments on a TEENAGER?"  Luther yells as he flips an end table.  I think for the first time in Hargreeves history, we're all feeling the same thing.  Pissed off. 

"Listen I know Dad is a pretty terrible dude, but come on?  Do we really think that he could have hid a little girl for all these years?"  Diego asks us, still not entirely certain of his own words.  How can he not believe her?

"All I'm saying is, I want some kind of proof.  For all we know she could be some spy here to assassinate Kennedy and is just distracting us!"

"Again Diego?  Are you kidding me?  Not everything is about saving the president!  Can you take your ego down like 16 notches?"  I yell at him, pissed that he would even think she's making it up.  I hear Allison come back in the room.

"Fine.  Whatever.  But I think she's hiding something.  Allison, I want you to rumor her."  We all turn to him.

"Woahhh Diego, calm down.  I'm not rumoring her.  She's tired, and frightened-"

"And that could all be a cover!  Rumoring her won't harm her, it'll just let us know whether to trust her or not.  Either that or we throw her back out into the rain.  Your choice."  God I wish I could wipe that arrogant look right off of his face.  He can't possible be that insensitive.

"Fine.  I'll do it, if it'll make you shut up,"  Allison says, a look of annoyance spreading across her face. 

"You can't be serious,"  I say through gritted teeth.

"I don't agree with this either Five, but would you rather do that or find Diego slitting her throat at four in the morning?"  She says.  I really hate my family.

"Fine, but just do it now so she can actually get some rest later,"  I say.  I really don't want to wake her because I know she needs to sleep before she passes out again, but if we don't, I might have to physically take the knife out of Diego's hand.

"Woahhhh slow your roll Five.  Why do you all of a sudden know what empathy and basic human decency is?  Is it because she's cute?"  Klaus asks in a sing songy voice.

"No you idiot.  I just know what it's like to make a long jump, and I'll tell you, it isn't exactly a joy ride.  She may also be the only person here that doesn't have the IQ of a rock, because time jumping is very complex, so excuse me if I'm trying to savor that thought."  I say as I follow Allison into the bedroom.  I hear Klaus giggle and whisper something to Diego, not even caring what it is at this point. 

She's curled up under the blankets, sleeping peacefully.  Her breathing is rhythmic as I watch her shoulders rise and fall.  I look at Allison as motions for me to go wake her up.  I look at her for a few more moments, feeling sorry for what's about to happen.

"I'm sorry Tessa,"  I whisper low enough so the others don't hear.  I gently shake her awake until her eyes flutter open.  Stepping back so Allison can stand closest to her, I watch as she leans in a whispers into Tessa's ear.

"I heard a rumor that you tell us the truth about who you are."

With that, her eyes glaze over into the white creamy color that all of Allison's victims tend to have. 

"Diego this was your idea, you have to ask her a question."  Allison stepped back so we can all see Tessa while we surround the bed.

"How do you know who we are?"  He asks. She begins to speak in a robotic tone, almost as if she was reciting lines.

"You are the Umbrella Academy.  Mr. Hargreeves said you died 8 years ago.  During the experiment TR-8287, he told me of your abilities and how I would soon possess them."  We all sent an "I told you so" look towards Diego.  I usher him out of the way, wanting to get some answers of my own.

"How did you gain our abilites?"  I ask.

"Mr. Hargreeves begin experiment TR-8287 as a research project.  He recorded how I responded physically to different obstacles.  He then began injecting me with blood from each of the Umbrella Academy children.  Numbers 1,3,6, and 7 did not respond to my blood, ultimately failing in those trials.  The samples of Numbers 2,4, and 5 did respond, giving me the abilities that were identical of his children.  He then started experiment FN-2379.  This consisted of medieval nature tactics.  His primary goal on his official experimentation document was to 'push the human body to it's physical limit to connect a bond with nature'"

I look back at my siblings as they encourage me to ask another.  I think of my next question, mentally bracing myself for the answer.

"What did Mr. Hargreeves do to you?"

"Most experiments consisted of practices such as electroshock therapy, trepanation, submergence, and consumption of numerous poisonous botanical substances.  Trial #67 had a time of death of precisely 2 minutes and 43 seconds-"

"ALLISON ENOUGH" I scream as she whispers back into Tessa's ear.  I sit back, trying to wrap my head around the terrible things that that son of a bitch put her through.  I can feel the rage building inside of me, burning hotter than it ever has before.  The glaze from her eyes washes away as a look of terror takes over her face.

"What just happened?  What did you do to me?"  She whispers.  None of us answer.  Our heads hung low, too ashamed to meet her eyes.

"You told me that if I tell you the truth, that you would help me, and I did."  She says as a statement, not a question, her voice quivering.

"We just...needed to be sure."  I hear Diego say, barely above a whisper.  Who would've thought that a sixteen year old girl would crumble his ego. I look back up and meet her tear filled eyes, violation flashing over them.

"Oh so you just decide to file through my brain and find out for yourself?  Is that what you do to everyone you meet?  Poke through old memories and scars that are clearly not ready to be opened back up?"  She yells, the hurt emphasized on every word. All of us know she's right.  We all have our scars, and it would be like absolute hell to relive them.

"I'm sorry Tessa.  We just didn't want to hurt you.  Please, let us all start over. I promise you, we'll answer any questions you have now,"  I say reaching my hand out to rest on top of hers.  Surprisingly she flinches, but doesn't move away.  I look in her eyes, attempting to show her that we truly mean no harm. 

I watch as she contemplates her next answer carefully.  She closes her eyes and takes a few breaths.

"Promise you won't use your powers on me, any of you." she says looking at all of us.  We all nod and agree.  She takes a deep breath.

"How did you all end up in 1963?"  She asks. 

Well, this is going to be a long story.