[✓] 𝑀𝑂𝑂𝑁𝐿𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇 | 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲. 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒. 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫

Word count: 2088

𝑊𝑒𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦. 8:15 𝐴.𝑀. (. . . 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛)

"𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄," Klaus spoke up as he raised a hand from his stool in front of the bar counter. "We all died fighting this thing the first time around. Remember?"

Everyone, save for Five and Vanya, were all situated around the bar counter in the living room, with Diego and Elizabeth leaning against the sink while the other three stood in front of the counter, facing them.

Luther and Elizabeth had decided on telling the family about the oncoming apocalypse, and they received it just about how anyone else would've—with fear and panic. 

Five was nowhere to be found, and worry built up inside of Elizabeth as each second passed by. Although, it didn't seem as though the others were feeling the same enthusiasm about saving the world that they were.

"Klaus, shockingly, has a point," Diego said as he tossed his knife in the air. "What gives us a win this time?"

Suddenly, electricity crackled overhead as the lights flickered. A blue wave warped above the bar counter, one that they had only seen once before. 

Diego stepped in front of Elizabeth, his knife now firmly clutched in his hand just as someone fell out of the wormhole.

"Je-Jesus!" Allison exclaimed as she took a step back.

Klaus, who had fallen back onto the couch, leaned himself up, his eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "You guys, am I still high, or do you see him, too?"

Five was laying on the countertop, although he had a thick briefcase underneath him, which he was holding onto tightly. His hair, face, and clothes were completely enveloped in dust and dirt, his hair looking as if it was in the process of greying from it.

"Five, where have you been?" Luther questioned just as Five tumbled off of the briefcase and towards the ground.

"Are you all right?" Allison asked as she used her free hand to grab onto Five's arm and help him stand, Luther doing the same with the other arm as he continued.

"Who did this?" Luther demanded. 

"Irrelevant." Five snatched the coffee cup from Allison's hand and took a big sip of it as he walked away.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as she noticed his limp, him favouring his left foot.

Five used his sleeve to wipe his mouth before turning towards them with a sigh. "So, the apocalypse is in three days." His tone was bitter as his eyes shifted from person to person. "The only chance we have to save our world is, well, us."

"The Umbrella Academy." Luther nodded.

"Yeah, but with me, obviously," Five said with irritation. "So if y'all don't get your sideshow acts together and get over yourselves, we're screwed. Who cares if Dad messed us up? Are we gonna let that define us? No. And to give us a fighting chance to see next week, I've come back with a lead." From his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper, which was completely wrinkled from corner to corner. "I know who's responsible for the apocalypse. This is who we have to stop."

Allison stuck out her hand and Five gave her the slip of paper. Everyone huddled around her as she opened it to reveal that it was an assignment from the Commission, meant to go to Hazel and Cha-Cha. And in the middle, read:

REASSIGNMENT: PROTECT HAROLD JENKINS.

"'Harold Jenkins'?" Allison read out loud with a puzzled expression, glancing up at Five before looking back down to the page.