CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: MAYBE HE'S THE ANSWER

"Nothing hurts more than having flashback of all the things that broke you"

---

The sound of energy zaps was heard as Five and Hazel appeared on the same street but everything was different, it was more quiet and peaceful.

"Okay..." Five looked around "What the hell was that?" he looked back at Hazel "The end of the world, November 25, 1963" Hazel answered "'63..." Five said while looking around confused before he chuckled softly as he put his hands together, looking back at Hazel.

"You know, Hazel, I'm no history buff, but I don't recall there being a nuclear holocaust" he said "No shit" Hazel said as the two looked around "What about my family? What about Nat?" Five asked as he looked back at Hazel "Dead, like everyone else" Hazel answered "And where am I now?" Five asked "Dallas. Same street. 10 days earlier. Plenty of time to restore the timeline and save them" Hazel said before he sat down on a bench "Okay" Five whispered before he sat down next to Hazel.

"So where do we start?" Five asked "'We'? You're on your own, pal. I'm just here to keep a promise to Agnes" Hazel said "Is she...?" Five asked "Dead?" Hazel asked "Yeah" Five said and Hazel nodded "Cancer" he said as he remember the time he shared with the woman he loved "Took her quick. But we had 20 good years together. I guess forever just wasn't the cards" he said "I'm sorry Hazel" Five said with a voice that he actually cared and felt sorry for Hazel.

He knew how it felt, he just lost you.

"What about The Commission?" Five asked "I quit those assholes, remember? I don't owe them the fuzz off my peaches" Hazel said and Five looked forward and that's when he spotted three men walking towards them. The men had almost the same face, the same eye color and they had platinum blonde hair.

"Well then, who the hell are those guys?" Five asked as he got up and the three guys lifted up their guns, pointing them at Five and Hazel "Shit" Hazel said before he put something in Five's pocket "Run" he said and gave Five the briefcase and just as the men started shooting at them, Five blinked away while Hazel was shot multiple times in the chest causing pedestrians to start screaming.

Five appeared behind a car with a gasp as he was crouching down.

The sound of a electricity crackling was heard and Five looked at the briefcase to see that it was broken "How many times did I say 'Bulletproof briefcase'?" he said before he lifted his head to peek from behind the car.

But the three guys spotted him and they pointed their guns at the car causing Five to let out a gasp before he moved his head down again.

The three guys started shooting at the car, but Five reach to blink away before he appeared on a building's roof while panting.

Five grunted softly as he got to his feet before he blink away again, appearing by the alley, he landed in.

He looked back as he heard old-timey police siren wailing and he scratched the back of his head as he turned back and that's when he spotted someone quickly moving away causing the curtain to move a bit.

Then suddenly a feeling ran through Five, like it was telling him that you were close which was why he stopped before looking around.

"No, it can't be her. I have lost her" he said as he tried to hold back his tears "I miss you so much Nat, I really wish you were here" he whispered before he wipe away the tear.

He then looked up and spotted some antennas together with a camera right above the window on the roof.

He had a feeling that the person that was living there must know something, so he walked closer to the door.

'Morty's television Radio. Shipping & Receiving'

He looked at the door before he blinked into the building.

A few minutes earlier.

"Maybe I should have gone with her" Amy said as she was sitting on the couch "Emily is a strong girl, she can handle herself" Elliott said "Yeah, but what if she might be in danger. I just don't want to see her hurt" Amy said "You care a lot about Emily" Elliott said "Yeah, she is my best friend and there is just something in me telling me to protect her" Amy said "Well, she will be fine" Elliott said.

But then they heard multiple gunshot in the distance causing them both to look towards the window.

"Did you hear that?" Elliott asked as he got up from his chair "Yeah, I heard" Amy said and Elliott walked over to the window that was by the alley before he moved the curtains a bit to look out.

Elliott looked out the window and down the alley to see a young boy scratching his neck before looking up, looking right at Elliott.

"Shit" Elliott quickly got away from the window "What?" Amy asked "I think someone saw me" he said "Who?" she asked "A young boy. Wearing a uniform, looking a lot like that uniform that Emily described that she saw in a dream" Elliott said "So do you think that he's someone from her past, like a brother, a friend or a classmate?" Amy asked "I don't know. He look like the same age as Emily" Elliott said before he looked out the window again.

"He is still there, he is looking around" Elliott said as he panic a bit "What do we do?" he asked "Okay, I will take the other door and go out looking for Emily. She might be in danger, you take care of this" Amy said as she walked down the stairs.

"Wait, what I'm supposed to do?" Elliott asked "He is just a kid, you can handle him. Just don't tell him anything about Emily" Amy said "Maybe he is good" Elliott said "Or maybe he is a psycho. You can never know, just don't tell him about Emily" Amy said before walking out the door. 

---

You were standing in a crowd of people all looking at the crime scene.

"Emily" a voice said and you turned around to see Amy walking over to you "Are you okay?" she asked "Yeah, I'm fine. I heard gunshot and walked over here to see what was wrong" you said and the two of you looked at a dead body of an older man with glasses and in a suit.

The body had being shot multipel time "Poor guy" you said "Yeah, I wonder who did this?" Amy asked.

Then suddenly a feeling went through you causing you to blink a few times with your eyes "You okay?" Amy asked "Yeah, I just got a strange feeling in my body, it's like a part of me is trying to reach out for someone, like a magnet, or a thread and that someone is close" you said "Like a connection and a bond?" she asked and you nodded "But maybe it's nothing" you said.

But what you didn't know, that it was not just a feeling, it was your body telling that someone you care a lot about was close and that person was closer than you think, he was in the alleyway not far away, just around the corner. 

Five also got the same feeling when he walked into the alleyway which was why he stopped to look around. It was like he could feel you were close.

But he choose to ignore it before he blink into the building.

---

Five appeared inside the building by the stairs, he walked up the stairs and he looked down the hallway as he walked up to a door.

'MORTIMER GUSSMAN D.D.S'

He tried to look through the door's window where the blinds was, but he couldn't see anything. So he knocked on the glass.

The door next to him opened and Elliott peek out and looked at him.

"What do you want?" he asked and Five took a step forward, putting his hands in his pockets "Hi, I'm selling encyclopedias for my youth group. I was curious if--" but Five got cut off when Elliott closed the door in front of Five before he could finish the sentence.

But then Five blinked into the apartment behind Elliott causing him to turn around with a scream.

Elliott let out a shrieks as he started panting while looking for something in the kitchen drawer making cutlery clattering.

Five just tilted his head as he was staring at Elliott who grabbed a small butter knife before he pointed the knife at Five while panting "How'd you do that?" he asked as he was looking between Five and the door while holding the knife towards Five, hoping it would keep the boy away from him.

"Don't really have time to explain" Five said "You from the Pentagon? Huh?" Elliott asked and Five shook his head "Definitely not" he said "CIA? FBI? KGB?" Elliott asked and Five spotted some coffee standing on the kitchen table "Is that fresh?" he asked, pointing on the coffee pot before he blink over to the coffee causing Elliott to let out another scream while he continued panting "What..." he said, quickly moving the butter knife at Five again as he poured the coffee into the mug.

Five noticed that three empty mugs was standing by the table "Is there someone else here?" he asked "Yeah, just my daughters, they are staying with me at the moment" Elliott answered and Five nodded before he glanced at him as he grabbed his mug, glancing at Elliott again while he walked past him into the living room before taking a sip of the coffee.

When Five tasted the coffee, his eyes widened, it taste the same as the way you used to make for him, which caused him to miss you even more.

"Hmm" he said as he turned to Elliott "This Columbian?" he asked as the sound of machine beeps was heard nearby.

"No" Elliott said "This taste amazing" Five said "Well, it's my daughter's own blend" Elliott  answered as he was still pointing the knife at him and Five nodded before he scan the room.

A newspaper article hanging on the wall. 'STRANGE LIGHTS MAY BE SPACE VISITORS' was the line on it.

Five looked around the room at all the machines before looking back at more of the articles on the wall, reading the headlines to some of them.

'AMERICAN AIRMEN SIGHT A "FLYING SAUCER"'

'EYE-WITNESS SOTRY OF "FLYING SAUCERS" SEEN ALONG STATE BORDER AND COASTLINE'

Five then looked around at all the machines and it look like that Elliott was doing researched on something.

"You ever heard of, uh, Area 51?" Five asked as he walked farther into the living room before he turned to Elliott again.

"Roswell?" he asked and Elliot let out a scoffs before he chuckled as he shook his head, turning around in circles while he let out another scoff and a chortles before he threw the knife onto the table to the side causing to make a clatters noise "Hot damn!" he said with a smile as he was pacing excitedly.

"Whoo! See, I always knew we weren't the only ones. See, Eleanor thought my head wasn't screwed on tight, but...but it's all true, yeah? UFOs, crop circles..." Elliott said and Five took some steps forwards "Well, the truth is out there" he said with a smile and Elliott took some steps forward while moving his hands around slightly "No, no, no, no, no. The...The truth, it's...right here in front of us" he said as he was walking towards Five causing him to take a few steps back.

"Tell me, wh...why is it always an anal probe?" Elliott asked and Five leaned his head towards Elliott "Any closer, and I'll melt your brain" he said.

"He needs a little space. Yes." Elliott said before taking a few steps back "I'll be over here" he said and pointed on the couch behind him.

Five walked towards one of the machines "All those contraptions on the roof, you built those, right?" he asked and Elliott nodded while taking a few steps to the side, following Five "Oh, yeah, yeah, sure did. Yeah, I've been tracking anomalies in...in the atmosphere. Just waiting" he said "Waiting for what?" Five asked, looking at him "For you" Elliott answered before he glanced at the wall "For all of you. It all started in 1960, the year the Silvertone Omega was released. I was in the middle of a sale when something very...strange happened. I saw some light while hearing energy crackling outside, so I went up to the window and I look down to see someone falling from the sky and landing in the alley. So, for the past three years, I've witnessed six energy surges in that alleyway out back. Same thing every time. A bright blue light, then something appears" Elliott explain.

"Did you get a good look at any of them" Five said as he was looking at the picture that was trapped up on the wall. The indistinct picture showed people that have landed in the alley.

"Yeah, the first one. And then the big, sensitive one" Elliott asked and Five turned to look at Elliott as he furrowed his brows "'Sensitive'?" he asked "Yeah, cried a lot, kept coming back to the alley, sat around for hours calling a woman's name. Uh..." Elliott said, snapping his fingers, trying to remember "Allison" he said and Five turned to the pictures again "Luther" he said.

"Yeah, he...he wasn't the only one. Uh, the others came too, off and on over the years, looking for each other. Eventually, they...they stopped" Elliott said.

"So, my family is alive" Five said softly until he remember something painful as he still felt like a part of him was empty without you.

"Most of them" he said quietly as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Most of them?" Elliott asked and Five took a deep breath "Shit...I think I stranded them here" he said before he turned to Elliott "Now listen to me...." Five said before he started walking towards Elliott who panic as he started stumbling backwards, causing him to stumble over the couch as Five blink away.

"Elliott. Elliott. My name...My name's Elliott" he said, spluttering as he grabbed the table behind him to support himself as Five blinked in front of him "Whatever, all right?" Five said loudly and Elliott hit the back of his head on one of the lamps as Five pointed back on the pictures.

"I got ten days to find them and save the world" he said before he pointed back at Elliott "Now, I need your help to do that" he said and Elliott pointed at himself "You need...my..." he said and Five put his hands in his pockets.

"You know what? I, uh..." Elliott said before he put his hand on the handel on a draw and opened it before grabbing a newspaper "I always thought that this, uh, mugshot looked like arrival number five" Elliott said, closing the draw before he show the article to Five.

The article showed a mugshot of Diego that have being arrested.

'DISTURBED MAN WITH MULTIPLE KNIVES ARRESTED OUTSIDE 1026 N.BECKLEY' Five read at the headline.

"Diego" he said as he took the article from Elliott "So then, that's helpful?" Elliott asked "You have no idea" Five said.

Then the door opened and the two turned their heads to see Amy walking into the kitchen.

She stopped when she saw the boy in the uniform "Who is that?" she pointed at the school boy "He is from the blue light portal thing" Elliott said "And who are you?" the boy asked "Wouldn't you like to know that" Amy said and Five narrowed his eyes at Amy.

"Is she okay?" Elliott asked "Yeah, she is coming up in a bit" Amy said and Five glance between Amy and Elliott.

'Who is she?'

Five wonder who they were talking about but he didn't had time so he blinked away causing Elliott inhale sharply.

"Okay what the hell was that?" Amy asked "He can teleport" Elliott said "Yeah, I saw that" Amy said before she put her hands on her hips "You didn't tell him anything did you?" she asked "Only a little, but I didn't mention anything about Emily. But he told me that it was his family that fell through the blue thing. He said that most of them were alive" Elliott said "What did he mean with most of them?" Amy asked "I don't know, but do you think he was talking about Emily" Elliott said "He didn't came through the blue light did he?" Amy asked "No" Elliott said as he shook his head.

"Then he is not her friend, 'cause if he was, he would have being looking for her" Amy said.

"He also mention about something that he only have 10 days to find them and save the world" Elliott said "And you believe him?" Amy asked "You also saw him teleport. Anything is possible now" Elliott said.

Then you opened the door before you enter "Hey" you said "Emily, there has being another one here" Elliott said "What?" you asked as you enter the living room.

"Who?" you asked "A little guy, he was a kid like you, but just like you he didn't acted like one. He was more like an adult. He had short dark brown hair that look black and green eyes. He was wearing a school unifrom, the one that you described" Elliott said "Really?" you asked and the two nodded "Yeah, I saw him too" Amy said and you looked at her.

"Remember I told you two about those vision I have with a boy that look like the one you described?" you asked as you glanced at the two and they nodded.

"He might be someone from my past" you said "But he didn't came through the light" Amy said "But he did said that it was his family was the ones that came through the light and he said that most of them was alive and he look sad for a moment" Elliott said "Then maybe he could answer my questions, maybe he's the answer" you said "You haven't even seen or met him" Amy said "Where is he?" you asked "He said the name of two of the people and then I gave him that newspaper of the firth man who came september and he said his name was Diego" Elliott said.

"Did he say who he was?" you asked and Elliott shook his head "No" he said "Well, I don't trust him" Amy said "Do you guys think he will be back?" you asked "I don't know" Elliott said "Well, then all we have to do is wait" you said "Well, he was a bit weird" Amy said.

---

"Five" Diego said as he walked into a visit room in the psych ward to see Five sitting by a table "Hey, Diego" Five said and Diego sat down across from him.

"You look good in white" Five said, looking at his white clothes "About time you showed up" Diego said "How'd you know I'd be back?" Five asked "Because that's the kind of shit you pull" Diego said angrily as he leaned forward.

"Where are the others?" Five asked "They're not with you? Not even Talie?" Diego asked "She is gone. I couldn't find her" Five said as he tried to hold back his tears and Diego looked down in sadness.

"What about the others?" he asked "I'll find them" Five muttered quietly.

"How long have you been here?" he asked "Seventy-five days" Diego answered and Five grunted softly "Landed in the alley behind..."

"Commerce and Knox" Diego and Five said at the same time and Diego looked at him "You?" he asked "I got here this morning" Five answered "How'd you find me?" Diego asked and Five let out a gentle scoff before he pulled up the article "Page 16" he said before he unfolded the article while Diego leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes.

Five put the article on the table before he began reading from it "'Disturbed man with multiple knives arrested outside 1026 N. Beckley'" he read before he slide the article towards Diego. "That's Lee Harvey Oswald's house. Care to explain?" Five asked as he leaned forward.

"Let's just say. Dallas Law Enforcement has not been supportive of my attempt to stop the assassination of..." Diego started before he looked back up at Five "John F. Kennedy" he said quietly.

"Because it hasn't happened yet" Five said and Diego leaned forward "And it's not going to happen. Not on my watch. Look, I've been shaving down the bars in my room. Another day or two, and I'll be out of this place, then I'm gonna stop Oswald and save the president. You want in, say the word" Diego said.

"Listen to me very closely, you gibbering moron. You are not going to do a goddam thing" Five said softly "Why not?" Diego asked "Because we have to stop the apocalypse" Five said "No shit. But that doesn't happen for another 60 years" Diego said "Not that apocalypse. This is a new one. It followed us. I've seen it. Nuclear war, Diego, in ten days" Five said and Diego let out a quietly and softly laugh before he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arm in front of his chest.

"And I'm the one they locked up, huh?" he said with a smile and Five rolled his eyes with a scoffs as he looked at the window to his right "Fine, I'll play along" Diego said as Five leaned back in his chair before looking at him.

"What cause it?" Diego asked "I don't know. Maybe some looney-tuned asshole with a hero complex tried to save the president and screwed everything up" Five said and Diego leaned forward again "So you're saying it worked?" he asked and Five let out a softly scoffs "I saved the president?" Diego asked and growled softly "I knew I could do it. Okay, okay, I'll help you" he said "Thank God" Five said "After I save Kennedy. And then you swing us back a few decades so I can slit Hitler's throat off with a butter knife" Diego said "This is why you don't have any friends" Five said as they stared at each other.

"You know what?" Five said before he looked at the staff member "Guard" Five called out as he got up from his chair, letting out a sigh "My brother is plotting an escape. The bars of his room have been shaved down" he said and Diego got up quickly, trying to crawl across the table "Piece of shit!" he shouted at Five causing him to take a step back.

The guards grabbed Diego's neck before pressing him down on the table. "No! Here--All right, asshole" one of the guards said "Look, this is for your own good, Diego" Five said as he was looking down at Diego.

"No! Five!" Diego said as he was trying to get off the table and Five looked at the guards "Listen, my brother is a very sick man" he said "No, Five" Diego said "I only pray that he gets the help he so desperately needs" Five said as a nurse walked over to Diego with a needle before she stuck the needle into Diego's arm before squeezing the top of the shot making the liquid go into Diego's body "No, please! Not the needle! No! No! No!" Diego said.

Five then leaned closer down to Diego's ear "Be back for you later, okay? Just...Well, nighty night" he whispered before Diego lost consciousness.

---

Five was sitting in bar looking at a woman dancing on a stage when Luther came over to him before he bend down next to Five's ear "It's one woman not enough for you?" he asked and Five glanced to the side before looking back forward at the woman on the stage "Nice to see you too, Luther" he said.

"What do you want?" Luther asked "For you to stop hovering like an ambitious stripper and sit down with me" Five said, as he tilting his head back to look at Luther and Luther sat down next to him.

"How long have you been here?" Five asked him "A year, thanks to you" Luther answered "I'm sorry, Luther. I know that couldn't have been easy" Five said "I thought everybody was dead" Luther said but then he spotted a man talking to his boss "I gotta go" Luther said and was about to get up "Luther, wait" Five said, grabbing a hold on his arm causing Luther to look down at him.

"Look, I get it, okay? I know what it's like to be stuck in time...thinking this is how you're gonna live out the rest of your life. On the run, and not knowing if you're ever gonna see the people you love again, and to be in an unfamiliar world. But Luther, you're not alone. We have to find the others because the world ends again in ten days and I have no idea how to stop it" Five said.

There was a few seconds of silence before Luther spoke up "I don't give a shit" he said "What?" Five asked "You heard me" Luther said before he walked away but Five got up before he walked up in front of Luther before stopping, causing Luther to stop too.

"The hell is wrong with you, Luther?" he asked, pulling him a little bit to the side "I just told you the world's gonna end in ten days" he said "Yeah, well, you're always saying that" Luther said and was about to walk away but Five grabbed him again "And so far, I've been right" he said "Look, you want to save the world with your kids. Knock yourself out. All right? I already got a job" Luther said "Wait, so you actually work in this shithole?" Five asked.

 "Yeah. Well, my boss owns the place. I'm his body man" Luther said "What's that? Like a masseuse or something?" Five asked "Okay, you can make fun all you want, but I take good care of Mr. Ruby" Luther said "Wait, Ruby. The Jack Ruby, the gangster who shot Oswald?" Five asked "Yeah, the one and only" Luther said and looked over at Jack Ruby "It finally happened" Five said causing Luther to look back at Five.

"That gorilla DNA has taken over your mind" Five said "Hey, watch it, all right? Jack's a good friend" Luther said "And you're Number One. Número Uno. Remember?" Five asked "There is no Number One" Luther said and Five furrowed his brows "Not anymore. Not in 1963. Look, I've been stranded here alone for a year. What did you expect?" Luther asked and Five let out a sigh "I get it, all right? You watched Pogo die, the world exploded and I marooned your big dumb ass in time. I'm sorry, okay?" he said and sighed "But I'm asking for your help, Luther. The Umbrella Academy needs you" he said "It doesn't need me. It never did" Luther said.

"Luther, honey" a waitress said from behind Five "Jack's about to lose it on some half-wit. A little help" she said "Ah, shit" Luther said and was about to walk away from Five.

"Luther, wait" Five said, going after him and Luther turned around "Listen" he said angry "You're the genius who said we should jump. Right? You're the one who got us stuck here. And you're the one who brought Vanya. So if there is a doomsday coming, she's probably the cause. And if I was gonna do something about it, it sure as hell is not gonna be with you" Luther said before he turned around.

"Please do this for Nat" Five said and Luther turned to look at him "What?" he asked "Nat is gone, I couldn't find her. So just please do this for her" Five said as he was trying to hold back his tears.

"Listen I'm sorry about Talie, but that doesn't changed my mind" Luther said "You are lucky I haven't broken your bones for what you did to her" Five hissed "Hey, it's not my fault that she decided to put her own life at risk saving the world" Luther said "No, but it is your fault that she was injured and the chance of her dying was higher" Five said but Luther just rolled his eyes before he walked away.

Five sat back down by the counter with his drink and saw Luther dragging a guy away.

He took a sip of his drink before he put the glass on the counter "Dad should have left him on the moon" he said as his eyes followed Luther dragging the guy out.

Five then ran his fingers through his hair "I really wish you were here Nat, I'm so sorry for everything. I need you. I miss you. I miss you so much. The only thing that is keeping me from losing hope is the thought that I might see you again when I return to 2019" he said as he let out a sigh and a sob before wiping a tear away.

The only thing Five had of you, was memories and those pictures of you and him when you were kids that Pogo gave him.

"I really wish you were here with me Nat" he whispered before he took a deep breath "Pull yourself together Five, your siblings are idiots, but that doesn't mean that all hope is gone, if you stop the apocalypse and travel back to 2019, there is a big chance that you will see Nat again" Five said inside his head. 

He then took another deep breath before he got up, but then there was the sound of cloth tearing and he looked down to see where it was coming from. He put his hands in his pocket before he pulled out what look like a video tape.

DATE: 11/22/63

SUBJECT: FRANKEL FOOTAGE

Five remember that Hazel put something in his pocket before he died.

His eyes widened, Hazel must know something, otherwise he wouldn't have giving him that tape. There must be something on it and Five knew who could develop the tape, so he walked out of the bar.

"Revenge is like poison, it can take you over before you know it, turn you into something ugly"

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