8 ○ Umbrella Academy

On Mission Apocalypse... Again

I'd been visiting Diego twice a week for three months, at least when he was behaving. Not that I blamed him at all, but he'd had a lot of issues with the guards initially, sometimes I wouldn't be allowed to see him. He's gotten better, though, he'd had fewer outbursts as of late. Either this place actually helped him, or he'd gotten better at acting. Considering he acted as he normally would during our visits, my money was on the latter option. When I went to visit him today, seven days before Kennedy would be shot, I knew he'd appear more anxious in our visit. Every passing week Diego was more antsy than before to intervene.

I was his only visitor, so I was surprised I had to wait to get in my visiting time. Usually, Isaac, acting as Diego's attorney, would come with me if we had things to discuss about his discharge. He'd said nothing about needing to see Diego or coming along with me, so I was baffled on who could be here. I'd only been waiting for about five minutes when I could feel panic seeping through the metal link, quickly building before his mind became hazy. They'd drugged him, he was acting out again.

I sighed heavily and sunk into my chair. Whoever got in to see Diego just cost me my visit for today. I could feel a sharp pain in my left arm, trying to rub out the sensation as footsteps came down the hall, the thoughts belonging to them creating a heavy weight on my mind, a familiar weight. I looked up and the footsteps came to an abrupt halt, locking gazes with Five as a, "Holy shit," tumbled from his lips. I stared in shock a moment, glued to my chair as he took quick steps over to me. "Adelaide, what are you doing here?" he hissed. His voice was harsh but there was genuine concern about him. For what? I didn't know, I wasn't the one locked in an institution.

"I have two weekly visits with Diego, which you just messed up by the way," I spoke, standing and following him out of the ward. "When did you get here?"

"Today," he answered matter-of-factly. "How long have you been here?" Five had the same look about him he'd had when he first dropped out of a portal in the courtyard, his mannerisms of surveying the area for anything out of the ordinary had returned. He was hunting something again.

"Just over a year. I found Diego shortly after he dropped out of the sky. I can only assume the rest of us got dropped at random points in time, it was only after Diego showed up that I had a feeling everyone else dropped here at some point too. I just can't feel them out they way I can with you or Diego." Once we were outside the facility I led Five to the car Isaac loaned me, taking in the relief of Five's presence. If he were here, things would start moving again. We could find the rest of our siblings and go home.

"Things are going to get a lot less quiet for you," he warned, sliding into the seat beside me. "Turns out, we brought the apocalypse with us. We have ten days before nuclear war hits Dallas." I took a deep breath and rested my forehead against the steering wheel, sitting a moment to soak in all this new information. When I took a while to respond, I felt Five's hand on my shoulder. "You alright, Ada?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, lifting my head from the wheel and leaning back in my seat. "Yeah, I'm fine," I assured. "Just getting used to being around your head again. It's been real quiet on my own." I met his eyes and gave a one shouldered shrug. "I used to like it. Now?" I scoffed and didn't pick up where I left off, and while he couldn't understand I could tell he was getting the point. "What's your plan for this go around?" I inquired, leaning against the door.

"Once I've figured one out, I'll let you know," Five hummed, shifting his gaze out the window. I look him over a moment, assuring myself with his presence. If Five was here, our family would come together again. Of this I was confident.

"Where are you headed, old man?" I hummed, turning the key and starting the car, finally ready to get a move on. Any longer and I feared Five would blink away on his own cowboy mission.