chapter twenty
After Prime spoke with Klaus, she went to check on Pogo. She wanted to ensure his wellbeing considering his emotional distress following Luther's tongue-lashing, and despite Prime's understanding of the reason for Pogo's lie, she felt he no longer had to maintain the charade.
Regardless of his mistreatment, Pogo had become appreciative of the life he now had.
Luther, who nearly died, may account for why Prime also felt indebted for their father. Her brother's miraculous survival was a sight to behold. However, the cause for their father sending Luther to the moon was apparent, as the emotional responses of anger and betrayal made sense in light of the situation.
For a period of four years, he remained stranded there, sending communications for nothing.
Prime knocked on the door to Pogo's room, and the door swung open upon her arrival. He glanced at her, unsure about her presence, then she smiled. "Hi, you always comfort me when I'm distressed, especially following Benny's death, so I thought I would come and see how you're doing if you're open to it."
He looked at her surprised by her unexpected arrival and opened his mouth to speak but closed it right away. "Pogo, I'm not angry at you, nor do I despise you," Prime reassured him.
"Ms. Prime, I would be most appreciative of your company," he said, his tone conveying genuine emotion.
He gestured her through the doorway, letting her inside his quarters. "Pogo, I understand that both of us have made questionable decisions, but I'm not here to cast blame solely on you. Please don't allow others to devalue you for your loyalty; you have worth beyond what they suggest." She settled onto his bed, letting out a sigh.
"Ms. Prime, you offer far more forgiveness than I deserve, considering the manipulation I subjected you to," he acknowledged. "I was aware of the discomfort the compulsion caused you, but I prioritized Mr. Hargreeves's orders," he added, his voice dropping with each word.
"I suspect that each family member harbored the opinion that father's instructions were imperative," Prime uttered, leaning back on a chair. "His reunion strategy was flawed, to say the least, but I suppose we all clung to the hope that he did genuinely care for us." She paused for a moment. "In spite of everything, I sometimes still hold the belief that he did cherish us."
"Mr. Hargreeves loved you all very much, each of you in equal measure," he reassured her.
"How can you say that? How can you be so sure?" I protested wanting to hear his answer
"I'm utterly convinced of my statement because I'm fully aware of how much he cared for all of you," he stated. "There was nothing more important to him than seeing you all prosper and be successful," he added, emphasising the last clause. Pogo rose from his chair and walked over to his closet, retrieving a small rectangular black box before extending it towards Prime. She regarded the object carefully as she reached for it, studying its exterior closely.
"Please open it," he instructed as Prime viewed him, inhaled deeply, and removed the lid of the box. She examined the contents, the expression on her face turning to one of confusion and perplexity. "What is this?" She questioned pulling out a needle filled with a blue liquid, and under it was a bunch of files.
"It's an antidote," he acknowledged, a tinge of relief and satisfaction evident in his voice. "It will eliminate the susceptibility to brainwashing Mr. Hargreeves implanted in your mind and thus remove its presence from your being entirely," he elaborated,"Your father, he created this, for you"
"Are you absolutely positive? Did he really make this for me? That means he..."
"He cared deeply for you, and he was similarly perturbed by Master Luther's unexpected alteration as a result of his serum," he confirmed. "In his research journal, which had gone missing, he had harboured hopes that you would follow in his footsteps to find a way to counteract the serum's effects. His fondest desire was that you and Five would lend a hand in the research that he had been unable to carry out."
"He really hoped for that?" Prime inquired interested.
"In that box, he placed countless items he anticipated would enable you all to collaborate effectively as a team, irrespective of your respective developmental stages," he elaborated. "He desired for the bond shared between family members to endure throughout your lives, even as you grew up," he added, highlighting the last phrase.
Prime laughed as I felt her eyes water due to the memory of their late father, who, despite his imperfections, provided them with a home, food, and shelter since their mysterious birth. Although they missed him, they acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding his departure were unusual. As a result, they concluded that most other women in a similar situation might not have done as much for them. Despite his shortcomings, their father had nonetheless given them a lot, and they were grateful for the little things, even if they tended to overlook his mistakes
"Truth be told, your father named you as 'No Number' because you never questioned a thing from a young age. You understood things for what they were, just like you quoted: 'you have worth beyond what they suggest' — you are more than that.' My advice to you, Ms. Prime, is that you follow your own advice for once."
Prime's soft chuckle signaled his pleasant surprise. "I find talking to you always helps improve my outlook. Especially now when Ben has passed, your kind words have become a lifeline. You always have the words to make me feel like there's a reason to keep going.'
His voice trembled as he spoke, filled with emotion."Indeed, it appears we hold similar effects on one another." Prime chuckled at the admission. "I must confess that our conversations have become my source of comfort as well. Our shared understanding and empathy has brought us closer." His voice carried a hint respect.
"Yes, it seems to be the case, Pogo. Our interactions have become a staple of my daily life. The rapport and empathy we share has only brought us closer."
...
Prime left Pogo's quarters and suddenly felt a firm tug on her wrist. She turned to see Five dragging her along behind him. "Um, Five? What's going on?"
"No questions"
"No questions?" she echoed, perplexed. Five didn't normally play it so secretive with her. He just walked straight to Klaus's room, knocking lightly before stepping inside, pulling her in with him.
"Hey. Get up, we're going" Five uttered and Klaus, lying upon his bed while unraveling a strand of yarn, became frustrated and glanced upwards.
"Where?"
"To save the world" Five elaborated
"Oh, is that all? Great" He answered nonchalantly
"So, You and Pogo said dad killed himself to get us all back together, right?
"Yeah, so?" Klaus and Prime responded together.
"So, it got me thinking, I had to jump to the future to figure out when it happened, but Dad, he can't time travel, so how'd the crazy bastard actually know to kill himself a week before the end of the world?"
"He's dad—do you ever question what he does?" Prime honestly prompted
"Truth is, our whole lives, he's been telling us we'd save the world from an impending apocalypse," Five said
"Yeah, but I always thought he just said that to scare us into doing the dishes," Klaus said falling back putting on his shoes on.
"Me too. But what if the old man really knew it was going to happen?"
Five questioned looking at her," Honestly" Prime said," Dad's intuition is quite fascinating, as he has shown a remarkable ability to sense things that'll happen before they do. We've seen him do it many times before. That's why Dad is very peculiar -- perhaps he has a special gift for understanding the world, allowing him to discern what's to come"
"You're suddenly on the dad is amazing wagon again? What happened Primey?" Klaus said as he was putting on his shirt
"I learned that father's vision for us was not to fight crime alone, but to create something greater together. Sadly, he didn't discover this until it was too late, but if only he had recognized this earlier, all of us would have come together sooner, working on this impending doom we are dealing within what? Two days from now?"
"Yes, two days, but the fact remains, his fakakta plan worked" Five approved
"You all came home and since we're here we might as well save the world," Prime said
"Oh yeah? What, like, the three of us?" Klaus announced hesitant
Five started to walk out as they followed," Uh, well, ideally, no, but gotta work with what I've got"
"Yeah, I guess so," Prime said and they saw Diego running in taking off his jacket and turning to his room," Where have you been?" She asked
"Jail" They all exchanged glances and turned towards him," Long story, where's Luther?"
"Haven't seen him since breakfast" said Five
"Yeah. Two days until the world ends, he picks a great time to drop off the grid" Klaus said casually
"Shit" Diego said clipping on his vest," Allison is in danger"
...
Klaus led them to a local pub, and as they entered they spotted their brother drinking, "Looks like he's been here awhile,' Klaus pointed out. They all strolled in."
"Trying a little hair of the dog, are we? Hm?" Klaus taunted
Luther sighed," Leave me alone"
"Give us a minute," Diego said
"Okay, come on maybe they'll brood each other to death," Klaus said as Prime walked to the side with him and Five.
"Look, Dad was wrong to lie to you," said Diego "To all of us"
"Not so sure about Prime," He said and Prime glanced up, feeling deeply wounded
"What?" Diego turned his head to her as Luther scoffed," Turns out our sister, knew about Dad, everything, did you know he killed himself to get us back together? Good ol' times"
"That's hardly fair, Primey was— Klaus defended
"Yeah? I bet it was a complete lie" Prime shut her eyes, trying desperately to hold back the tears that she felt threatening to spill over from his lack of trust.
She seemed baffled by his lack of trust. 'Do you think I'm lying? After all these years, when it was just us, I haven't done anything to prove I would lie to you. How can you think like that?'
She sighed as she realized how far off the mark he really was. 'Fine, be like that then.'"
Prime bit her lip as she tried to hold back her emotions. She pushed past Five and Klaus as she left, but could no longer contain herself. "You were the person I believed would understand, especially since dad saved your life. Despite sending you to the moon for no reason, I still stayed by your side and supported you. And this is how you repay me?"
She pushed the door open, ignoring her brothers' shouts,
Prime quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Allison. "Allison, where are you? Tell me now," she demanded.
Allison replied, "I'm en route to a cabin. I discovered her location."
Prime kept running on the path, urgently asking, "Where are you?"
Allison responded, 'I'm passing through the Arcadia Bookstore, currently a few blocks away. She said.
" I insist that you wait for me though. You're not heading off alone to deal with this."
"But—
Prime groaned and urgently called out to Allison, "Please Allison!"
Prime waited for a few moments before she saw Allison pull up in a car. She quickly hopped in and prepared to head to the cabin
"Let's go save our sister." Allison agreed, and after a few hours of traveling, the duo arrived at a desolate area where they spotted a massive, eerie-looking cabin. They both got out of the car and could faintly hear a violin being played
As Prime surveyed the area, she noticed the outside furniture being swayed by the wind. The wind chimes and lamp shades were also gently swaying, while the wood that comprised the cabin creaked.
'This place is ominous enough," she thought to herself.
Upon arriving in front of the door to the cabin, Allison raised her voice and shouted, "'Vanya?' Is that you?"
Prime pushed open the door and approached her sister, a smile of relief on her face. 'Vanya? There you are!" With those words, Vanya instantly ceased playing the violin, while the movement of the lights and other objects abruptly stopped as well
In response, Vanya quickly became slightly hostile, asking, "What are you doing here?"
Allison replied smoothly, "We came to find you. Are you okay?" Prime cautiously stepped inside as well, approaching her sister
She looked at them with a confused expression, but her tone of voice suggested otherwise. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.
"There's something...weird going on. What's causing it" Allison said and Prime looked at her
"Wh— Wait what? Allison are you serious?" Prime looked at her as she was genuinely confused
Vanya then proudly declared, "It's me."
"What do you mean, "me"? said Allision
"She made those happen, Allison, you, you don't remember?" Prime added
Vanya looked at her," What?"
"I—yeah
"Wait you knew?" Vanya said furrowing her brows," You knew I had powers?" She said and Allison cut her off
"Can we discuss this in the car?"
"Why?" Vanya questioned
"Leonard Peabody, his real name is Harold Jenkins, remember when I couldn't find anything in the library on Leonard? It's because Leonard Peabody doesn't exist. Harold Jenkins does. He was in prison for 12 years. He murdered his father when he was 13"
"This is...insane, his dad was an engineer—
Vanya said dismissingly but Prime spoke up," We have the police report in the car, Vanya. We can show you" Prime's tolerance for Vanya's dismissive attitude was reaching a critical level.
"I don't...I don't understand" said Vanya shaking her head
"Leonard, Harold, I know it doesn't make any sense, and I know it sounds crazy, but we were in his house. He has pictures of all of us with our eyes gouged out"
"Wh What? I—
"We promise we will tell you everything in the car, but it is not safe," Prime attempted to persuade Vanya through close proximity, extending their hand for contact. Vanya rebuffed the attempt, shifting away and placing herself on the chair.
"Look, um I can't imagine how hard it is for you to hear this how you feel right now, but We love you, and We just, wanna be here for you, as your sisters" Allison lowered herself to a kneeling position. Prime also followed her actions.
"There's just no way. I love him. This just doesn't make any sense. And this power I...I don't know. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what to do" Tears began to stream down Vanya's visage as Prime turned their attention towards her sister, observing the emotional outbreak.
Allison then spoke up "I understand now"
Prime gazed at Vanya, sighing. "When you were younger, your abilities were extraordinarily potent. Father incarcerated you in a vault in the basement because the strength of your powers was frightening. I became aware of this when I intruded and spied that he imprisoned you out of fear."
"He found me, and, you see, I had this power." Prime explained to Vanya about her powers, which he had given her, while Allisson was already aware of this fact because Prime had explained it to her during the car ride.
"Vunerable Brainwashing?" questioned Vanya and Prime nodded," Pogo, he, compelled me after Dad died, since it wears off when it does, and made me not be able to tell you about your powers, the words,"You mustn't compels me, and the words is absolute" Prime still had the serum to cure her of the powers, but she held onto it not finding the right time to use it.
"I remember now," Allison said," We were so young, he made me an accomplice, he made me use my powers to tell you that you think you're just ordinary, so you could use your powers" Allison ended
"Yes, she—
"You did this to me? And you knew?" She said, looking at them in disbelief and hurt.
"- I didn't realize," Allision said, but before she could finish, Prime cut her off and said, "We —
"You both knew this whole time? That I had powers?!" Vanya said as she stood up and started walking past her sisters. They both stood up as well and followed her while she glared at them, completely disregarding Prime's claim that she couldn't tell her and Allison's lack of comprehension.
"No, no! I didn't really understand until I came today until I saw it" Allision said
"V, I couldn't speak until Pogo uncompelled me today this morning and Luther hates me because
"Well, now it all makes sense. This is why you never wanted me around Allison, and why you always been nice to me Prime!"
"Wh— No V, I always wanted—
"You couldn't risk me threatening your places in the house, - your your dominance, your places!" She argued
"That is not true," Allison said exasperatedly
"You both! couldn't handle the fact that Dad might find me special" Vanya screamed at them
"You are special, with or without powers" Prime fought back but Vanya cut her off
"Don't Don't say that!!!!"
"We have a chance to start over" Allision claimed loudly
"You both destroyed my life!!" She yelled enraged
"Oh, please, Vanya. Everything is out in the open. We can move on!" said Allision irritated
"Oh, I'm moving on. But not with you, with Leonard—
Prime cut her off," with Harold, you mean—
"With Leonard! The only person who has ever loved me for me" said Vanya and Prime let out a dry laugh, as if Vanya's found his explanation pathetic.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you're not threatened now" Prime followed what she said as Allision spoke
"I don't wanna argue with you" The wind started to pick up
"Then go!!" She shouted as the sound of glass shattering was heard somewhere in the distance
"We're only trying to help you," Prime said calmly
"I don't want your help!"
"Vanya, I love you! We love you!" Allison said as her voice was shaking
"Stop saying that!!!" The sound of breaking glass continued to grow louder around them, the wind whistling through the trees outside. Everything was creaky, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"Are you— Are you okay?" Prime asked slowly as she saw Vanya shaking
"I said go!!!" She screeched loudly as the wind picked up
"Please don't make me do this." Prime turned to Allison and back to Vanya," I heard a Rumor— The scene suddenly slowed down as Vanya raised her hand and a beam of light flew straight towards them. Prime felt the impact of it hitting her eyes, piercing through them. Prime let out a piercing scream with sheer agony and terror.
Prime fell back onto the ground, hitting her head, as the pain was excruciating, and she could no longer see. Vanya's power destroyed her eyesight.
Prime was now blind. She felt the blood running down her face, but her physical mobility was hindered. She reached for Allison, but her body was shutting down from the impact on the back of her head and the blood gushing out of her damaged eyes.
"Allison!! Prime!" Prime heard Vanya shouting, but the sound was distorted. She yelled a second time, this time clearer, "Prime! Allison!!"
"Vanya — wait —" Prime tried to remain conscious, but she began to lose energy and the shouts became more distorted. She reached out to find Allison's hand and hold on to it as she eventually lost consciousness.
Outside the cabin in which Prime and Allison laid, was a car pulling up. The first to exit was Luther, who rushed in, followed by the other brothers. As he opened the door, he saw the wounded sisters lying on the ground, covered in their own blood.
"Allison! Prime!" Luther shouted, rushing over to the girls. He grabbed ahold of Allison, who was still conscious but just barely. Klaus then bent down and lifted out Prime, who was unconscious. Both injuries were noticed immediately – not only the back-head injury, but her eyes showed signs of considerable damage.
The brothers were all shaken. As Ben rushed over, he fell to the ground next to Prime, who was in Klaus's arms. "No, no, no!" he exclaimed. Klaus sobbed while holding her close. Luther cried while he was holding Allison. Diego and Five both seemed distraught while looking down at the girls.
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