CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
even towers fall

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SNOWFLAKES FELL FROM the ceiling, dissolving right before they could touch Nadine's skin. She was lying back in bed in the guest bedroom she'd made her, creating a blizzard that was confined to one room—and her mind. The walls were now crystalized with snow, icicles hung in rows from the ceiling, and the floor had turned into a blanket of frost. It had taken around twenty minutes for her to craft this image from the bottom up, but it had been worth it. Although the illusion played out only on her sense of sight, she'd done such a thorough job that it was easy to imagine the bone-chilling cold this room might emanate—arms prickled with goosebumps, fingers and toes turning blue. She'd even made it so that whenever she exhaled, her breath escaped her in a cloud of smoke, reminiscent of what would happen on a winter's day.

This newest creation had spawned from the turmoil rolling through her, a fierce blizzard of its own. What had happened in the Umbrella Academy's basement had been yet another shove towards the edge of the cliff that it seemed Nadine had spent the week balancing on.

She hadn't wanted to leave with Vanya in the isolation cell. She'd seen the fear and betrayal clearly in her friend's eyes behind that soundproof door, especially when Luther had prevented her siblings from letting her out. Nadine knew enough about her to know that she'd always felt neglected by her siblings, but she doubted even Vanya had expected such treachery from them. Being ignored was one thing; being treated as a threat was a whole different one. So Nadine had kept fighting, because she didn't want Vanya to think that she'd abandoned her, too. Even after she'd cut Allison's throat.

Eventually, however, Nadine had known Luther wasn't going to budge, no matter what she'd done. Reluctantly, she'd left Vanya behind, making her way to the guest bedroom in order to formulate a new plan. Luther surely wouldn't stand down there all day—he was probably comforting Allison, who Nadine knew he was closest to. That meant that there would be nobody down there when Nadine snuck back down.

The only other potential problem was Pogo, who had apparently known Vanya had powers all along. Although Nadine knew that he wasn't a bad person (or... a bad chimpanzee?), he'd been raised by Reginald, perhaps from childhood. Back at the funeral, he'd said that he owed Reginald a life debt. He'd been indoctrinated to follow Reginald Hargreeves' commands, and although Luther wasn't his father, Nadine had a feeling that Reginald would've given the same order. To keep Vanya down there, to lock her away where she wouldn't pose as a danger. Maybe he'd even tell Allison to Rumor her again. To make her forget that she was anything but ordinary.

I can get through Pogo, Nadine told herself firmly. He was old; Nadine didn't know how long chimpanzees lived, but she wondered if whatever Reginald had done to him had expanded his lifespan. Still, he was the equivalent of a man in his late '60s, and Nadine knew she could get past him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she'd do it if she had to. She'd do anything to get back to Vanya.

Nadine sat up, clenching her fists. The snowfall lightened, and she swung her legs out of bed. The time was now. She couldn't wait around any longer. Not when every second that ticked past was another one that made Vanya Hargreeves feel even more alone.

But before Nadine could even get out the door, a sudden crash sounded, a disturbance that rattled the entire formation of the mansion. Nadine gripped at the doorframe, confused, pain spiking at her head, and was just making her way out into the hallway when the first explosion hit, reverberating through her bones and nearly knocking her off of her feet. It was quickly followed by two more, violent and unyielding, and a sick feeling lurched through Nadine's stomach as she watched dust rain down from the ceiling. Vanya.

She must've somehow broken out of the cell herself, yielding more power than Reginald Hargreeves had anticipated, and now she was crumbling the Academy to the ground, taking the people who'd abandoned her with it.

Again, Nadine Vidal had been too late. She was always too late. All she ever wanted was to help Vanya, but all of her efforts crashed down on her. Now, Vanya's powers were raging out of control yet again, and the chances of her family making it out of the Academy were far too slim for Nadine's liking.

She wanted to scream, wanted to rage at the universe and ask her what she'd done to deserve this week of Hell, but death was closing in on her, and if she wanted to escape the swing of the Grim Reaper's scythe, she needed to move.

Nadine hurried down the hallway, making for the stairs. She rounded a corner, and that was when she nearly crashed right into Diego and Klaus, who were both looking as panicked as Nadine herself felt.

"Nadine!" Klaus cried in relief. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Klaus." Nadine scanned the area, even as the ground rumbled beneath her feet. "Where are Luther and Allison?"

"Hopefully getting the hell out of here," said Diego. "Now, come on, we have to find Mom." He started forward, urging Nadine and Klaus to follow behind. "Mom?"

"Where is she?" Klaus asked, scanning the area as the mansion continued to shake around them. Nadine searched, too, remembering Grace's smiling sunny side up eggs. Her heart thudded sickeningly in her chest, and although she wanted nothing more than to find the closest window and make her way out of here, she couldn't leave Grace and the others behind. She owed them that much.

"Mom?" Diego called frantically.

The three of them had just made it over to the other side of the upper floor when the ceiling crumbled. Debris rained down upon them, and Nadine didn't have time to even think about getting out of the way before she was knocked off of her feet. As she slammed to the ground, her vision immediately went hazy. Pain exploded into her, an agony that ran through her like a stream. Her head ached dully, but it was her shoulder that seemed to have caught the brunt of the blow, as it screamed every time she attempted to move it.

Regardless of the pain, Nadine forced herself to roll onto her back, attempting to catch her breath. But as her vision cleared ever so slightly, she noticed the cracks spiderwebbing across the ceiling.

Blinking, with spots still dancing in her eyes, Nadine looked over to Klaus, who seemed mostly uninjured. He was trying to rouse Diego, who was face down and unmoving—he'd obviously gotten a blow to the head. As the cracks got bigger and more rubble tumbled down from the ceiling, Nadine agonizingly made her way over to Diego and shook his shoulders.

"Diego," she hissed. "Wake up, man."

The cracks got wider, and more rubble crumbled to the ground. Desperation filling her now, Nadine shook Diego harder. "Diego!"

That was when the ceiling fell right on top of them.

It seemed to fall in slow motion, almost gracefully. Nadine knew there was no chance of her moving, no chance of her getting away in time, so she just watched it, disappointment coursing through her. Her time had finally come. Although she'd known all along that it was exceptionally likely that today would be the day she died, she still couldn't help the terror that seeped into her. She'd thought she would at least make it to the end of the world.

Nadine's lips were just starting to form her final word when a hand latched onto her good wrist, pulling her to safety right before she'd be crushed. With black spots in her vision she still couldn't blink away, Nadine, groaning, her right shoulder in agony, looked up to meet the eyes of her saviour... only to find that there was no one there. The cold hand on her wrist had disappeared.

She turned to Klaus, who was gasping, his eyes wide. "Holy shit," he breathed, right as Diego finally stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

"Did you—" Nadine started, but before she could finish, Klaus was pulling her and Diego to her feet. Luckily, he'd grabbed onto her uninjured arm, but her shoulder still burned as she stood up straight. Nadine's gaze finally landed on it. A lump stuck out through the skin, unnatural and wrong. Her collar bones had gone taut under its weight, and her entire right arm was pretty much useless.

Nadine looked away from the deformity before she threw up.

"Come on," Klaus was urging them. "Come on, come on." He hooked an arm under Diego, who was evidently the most injured out of the trio, and moved to do the same to Nadine. She shook her head, still a little dizzy.

"No. I'm okay. "It's just—it's just my shoulder. I think... I think I dislocated it."

Klaus's face went even paler. "We'll get you help once we get out of here. We just... we really have to go."

Nadine nodded, but just as she was about to follow them, she paused.

"What about Vanya?"

"She'll be okay, Nadine! If she's the one causing all of this, then she'll make it out. But we need to get out of here! Come on!"

Finally, Nadine nodded, hurrying after Klaus and Diego as they headed to Five's room. With some difficulty, they managed to pull open the window that led to the fire escape. One by one, they climbed out, escaping the collapse with the skin of their teeth. Nadine was the last to go, and shot one final glance to the still-standing Academy. Then she hustled down the steps, pain still blooming in her injured shoulder and her head throbbing with a steady ache. As soon as she hit the ground, she, Klaus and Diego all hurried to the nearby alleyway to try to catch their breaths.

"You okay?" Klaus asked, breathing hard. "You okay?"

"Hey," Diego cupped Klaus's face with his hands, "you just saved our lives, man."

He did? Nadine didn't recall it having been Klaus who'd tugged on her wrist, pulling her out from under the collapsing ceiling, but she supposed it must've been. There had been nobody else there. So, along with Diego, she enveloped her friend into a hug, grateful for every new breath she was taking.

Then, "Shit. Mom. Mom!"

Nadine followed Diego's horrified gaze up to the Academy, where, sure enough, she found Grace standing at the window. There was a smile plastered on her face, and she seemed unfazed by the chaos, as if it was happening behind a television screen. Nadine's eyes immediately widened, and then she was yelling for the robot, her voice overlapping with Klaus's and Diego's.

"Mom! Get out of there now!"

"Mom, get out of there! Mom!"

"Grace, you need to leave! Get out of there!"

"I'm coming after you!" Diego shouted. He moved to run back into the crumbling mansion, but Klaus and Nadine both caught his arms, holding him back. Clouds of dust surrounded them, and Nadine coughed, tears streaming down her face.

"No, Diego!" Klaus cried. "Diego!"

"Diego, stay here!" clamoured Nadine.

"Please!" Diego had never sounded so desperate, his voice so full of emotion. "Mom!"

In the window, Grace blew them a perfect kiss.

"Get back!" Klaus shouted, as more explosions wracked the Academy. Nadine jerked Diego back, away from the carnage, and the three of them hunkered down, shielding their heads as detritus rained from the air. Cracks formed like lightning bolts in the old mansion's walls before they crumbled; windows shattered, spraying broken glass everywhere; and railings fell to pieces under the immense forces. In a matter of seconds, the Umbrella Academy became nothing but a pile of rubble. Amber fires bloomed on the discarded debris, the only light other than the moon in this apocalyptic wasteland. Still coughing, Nadine managed to stagger to her feet, staring at the place in horror. Although she'd known how much abuse and torment the Hargreeves siblings had endured in the Umbrella Academy, it had always seemed so great to her. So mighty. Too powerful to be knocked down.

But now, it was gone.

"Mom." Diego careened forward, towards the wreck. "Mom! Mom!"

He got down to his hands and knees, desperately digging through the bricks as if Grace would be buried beneath them, miraculously in one piece. "Klaus, Nadine, come here. Help me search."

"Diego." Klaus grasped at Diego's arm, trying to pull him away. "Just stop it. Stop."

"No, what—What are you—Let me go. What are you doing?"

"Stop. Stop." Klaus tugged him away completely. "She's gone. She's... she's gone, okay? She's..."

"What do you wanna do?" Diego snapped. "You wanna—wanna w-w-walk away from this?" he struggled to spit the last few words out, and Nadine caught the remnants of an old stutter in his voice.

"No," Klaus breathed. In the light of the fires, Nadine could see blood running down the side of his head.

"What about Pogo?"

"He didn't make it." A new voice entered their conversation, and Nadine turned to find Luther, closely followed by Allison. A powerful relief filled her, so much so that she almost lost balance. They were okay. They were alive. They'd made it out.

"What?" Diego asked, and Nadine was finally able to process what Luther had actually said.

Luther let out a sigh. "Vanya killed him."

Nadine's mouth opened. "She did what?"

Diego was shaking his head. "But Vanya wouldn't—"

"No, I saw it," Luther interrupted. "Just before we got out."

"Mom. Now Pogo." Diego sank down onto a piece of rubble as if the news had been too much to bear standing up. Nadine blinked, surprised to find her own eyes burning with tears. She knew it wasn't a fraction of the sorrow the Hargreeves siblings must've been going through, but the thought of Pogo and Grace dying—really dying—made her feel like a hole had been carved into her heart. She remembered how Pogo had been the one to let her into the Umbrella Academy on her first day, how Grace had made her breakfasts and always had that beautiful smile, and sank down beside Diego.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was hollow, empty of her usual spirit.

"Guys." Nadine turned, and there was Five, picking his way through the rubble. Nadine hadn't seen him since they'd been at Vanya's apartment, so it was a relief to find him here, alive. Even if his eyes were wild, his face white with panic. "This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today."

Luther started forward. "I thought you said it was over."

"I was wrong, okay?" Five held up a newspaper with trembling hands. "This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."

Diego shook his head, disbelieving. "No, that doesn't mean anything. The time could've been altered since that newspaper came out this morning."

"You're not listening to me. When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The Moon's still shining, the Earth is in one piece, but not the Academy."

Klaus swiped the newspaper from Five, unfolding it. "I'm confused."

"Then listen to me, you idiot!" Five hissed. "Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse. I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb. Vanya causes the apocalypse."

Nadine swallowed. "He's right," she said. The words came out croaky, partially from all of the dust that had ravaged her throat, and partially because she didn't want to say them. "He's right," she repeated, stronger this time. "I figured it out earlier. I don't want it to be true, but it makes the most sense. I couldn't understand how Harold Jenkins—even if he is a murderer—could've caused such an..." her brain, still not at its fullest strength, grasped for the word in English. "An... an Armageddon. But Vanya... her powers are incredibly strong. Certainly strong enough to bring the whole world down.

"Right now... she's out of control. She's full of nothing but emotion right now, and she won't be able to reign it back in. Not on her own." She took in a deep breath. "This is because of what you did, Luther. This is all your fault."

Luther, who'd been following her explanation up until now, scoffed defensively. "My fault? How is this my fault?"

"You were the one who locked her in an isolation cell to rot!" Nadine snapped, springing to her feet. Her shoulder was screaming at her for attention, but she ignored it for now. "You were the one who decided to treat Vanya as a weapon instead of a person. Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, if you'd actually helped her, none of this would've ever happened? Did you ever think that if you were a good brother to her, you might've actually saved the world? No. You didn't listen to me, or Klaus, or Diego, or Allison, and now look where we are. You've fucked everything up for us. For humanity. Their blood is on your hands!"

Luther's eyes narrowed. He seemed taken aback by the accusation, maybe even a little hurt, but his voice was as smooth as ever as he shot back a defence. "You can't be serious." He gestured around at the wasteland that had once been his home. "This is what Vanya's capable of! If we'd have gone your way, Nadine, we probably would've all been dead! I did what I had to do to keep us safe."

"No, what you did is give humanity its death sentence!"

Before Luther could make an angry retort, however, Five spatial jumped, appearing between the two of them as a makeshift barrier. "You two idiots can play the blame game later," he growled. "Right now, we have to figure out what to do next."

"We have to find Vanya," said Luther. Nadine crossed her arms.

"No shit, Sherlock!"

Just then, a bright light flooded Nadine's vision. Nadine blinked, looking up, and noticed a helicopter whirring over her head. Sirens wailed in the background, and the entire piece of rubble that had once been the Umbrella Academy was suddenly illuminated. Obviously, the destruction of the mansion had attracted some attention.

"We gotta go, now," Luther ordered. "Regroup at the Super Star. Go!"

At that, despite all of their qualms about Luther's leadership, the members of the Umbrella Academy dispersed, exiting the scene of the crime.

Nadine split from the others, still full to the brim with anger, and ran out into the night. She made her way down the quiet streets, not worrying about the prospect of Hazel and Cha-Cha discovering her location, her breathing uneven and sweat brimming at her brow. Eventually, the pain in her shoulder got too much to ignore, and she slowed to a stop.

She gritted her teeth, steeling herself. This was going to hurt.

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HAVEN: i had to look up what dislocated shoulders look like for this chapter... admire my dedication 😌

okay, seriously, though, this was a very intense chapter!! the academy is gone!!! luther gets on nadine's (and my) nerves!! nadine gets hurt for the 274746th time!! i hope you're all prepared for the next two chapters (because, holy shit, there are only two left), because they're about equally as stressful. we're super close to the end now, guys!!

thanks for reading :))