rollercoaster | five hargreeves

a really big gun

1.18

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐄𝐃 Five scribble one name on his wall and then got bored, so now she was continuing her reading of an old physics book. She was still upset at him. She knew his excuse of taking her with him back in time was just a lie.

Nini still didn't understand why she was so upset about Five leaving. She barely knew him.

'All objects, if hot enough, radiate a mixture of heat and light, with the intensity of colour changing with the temperatures. The tip of an iron poker left in fire will start to grow a faint dull red; as its temperature rises it becomes a cherry red, then a bright yellowish-orange, and finally a bluish-white. Once taken out of the fire the poker cools down, running through this spectrum of colours backwards until — '

"Delphini! Are you even listening?"

"No. What?" Nini looked up from her book. Her eyes went to Five, who had stopped his manic scribbling on his walls and was standing on his bed. "I definitely wasn't. Am I supposed to?"

Five huffed and rolled his eyes. "I think I finally got something."

The girl perked up and set her book aside. She hopped up on the bed next to him. "Is it good?

"Tenuous," he hummed in response, his eyes trained on the part of the wall that held the names. "But promising."

Her eyes scanned the equations. She tilted her head slightly to the side as she looked at him. He sighed. "I know you're smart enough to at least understand part of this, angel."

Nini nodded. "I do."

The floorboards creeked, drawing the duo's attention to Luther looming in the doorway. His eyes were slightly wide and and his mouth slightly agape. He glanced between the two teenagers. "What is all this?"

"It's probability map." Five uttered, refusing to turn and face his brother as he continued scribbling on the wall.

"Probablity map? Of what?"

Nini shifted over to Five's side as he explained his manic scribbles, "Of whose death could save the world. I've narrowed it down to four."

"Are you saying one of these four people causes the apocalypse?" Luther asked as he stepped closer. Nini tapped her nail lightly on a number that was missing something. Five acknowledged her with a slight nod.

He turned his head slightly towards Luther. "No, I'm saying that their death might prevent it."

"Oh." Luther muttered quietly. Five went back to writing on the walls, Nini watching silently beside him for any errors. "I'm not following."

Five huffed in frustration, spinning around to face his brother. "Time is fickle, Luther. The slightest alteration in events can lead to massively different outcomes in the time continuum. The butterfly effect. So all I have to do is find the people with the greatest probability of impacting the time lime, wherever they may be, and kill them."

"It's a complicated process." Delphini hummed as she nodded along. Five muttered something under his breath before jumping off the bed and reaching for the book on the side table.

Luther meandered around the end of the bed and ducked his head to read one of the four names scrawled on the slanted wall. "Milton Greene. So who's he, a terrorist or something?"

"I believe he's a gardener." Five uttered as he squinted at the names, writing them down in the pages of the book. Luther looked at him, bewildered, before he looked at Delphini. She simply blinked up at him.

"You can't be serious."

Five ignored him and crouched down. Nini peered over the edge of the bed curiously. Luther continued, "Wait, this is madness, Five. You — "

Five pulled out a very large case from under the bed. Nini's eyebrows shot up. "What is that?"

"Wh- where'd you get that?" Luther stuttered out.

"In Dad's room," Five stated simply, beginning to unzip the casing. "I think he used it to shoot a rhinoceros."

A really big gun, then.

Five pulled a large rifle out. He tucked it under his arm, looking down the scope. "It's similar to the model I used at work," he cocked it back, "Nice shoulder fit and highly reliable."

"But you can't — This guy Milton is just an innocent man." Luther argued.

"It's basic math. His death could potentially save the lives of billions. If I did nothing, he'd be dead in four days anyway. The apocalypse won't spare anyone."

"We don't do this kind of thing."

"We are not going anything. I am."

"I can't let you go and kill innocent people, Five. No matter how many lives you'll save. Nini, are you okay with this?" Luther looked over at her, desperation clear in his blue eyes.

Nini felt slight pity for him as she shrugged, "It's simple math, Luther. His death could potentially save the world. It's only one man, not a bus-load of kids or something."

The giant shook his head in denial. "No, but there has to be another way — "

"There is no other way, Luther." Five hissed.

"I can't let you kill an innocent man!"

"Well, good luck trying to stop me." Five spat as he begun walking away.

"You're not going anywhere." Luther snatched up the mannequin, Delores, by the neck and stuck her out of the window.

Five spun around and aimed the rifle right at Luther's forehead. Nini sighed and rolled her eyes, sinking further onto the bed to avoid being caught in the crossfire. His jaw clenched in fury. "Put. Her. Down."

Delphini had heard Five angry, but he had never sounded so deadly. Over a hunk of plastic.

"Put the gun down. You're not killing anyone today." Luther bargined. "I know she's important to you, so don't make me do this. It's either her, or the gun. You decide."

Nini sent a shadow beneath the mannequin. She knew how much it meant to Five. However, she didn't tell him. If he looked close enough, he would see the dark spot.

The tension was thick enough that Delphini could've cut it with one of Deigo's knives. She didn't understand why the brothers couldn't find a simple middle ground, but it also wasn't fair that Luther used Five's one weakness against him.

Luther let go of Delores and Five immediately spatial jumped to her aid, dropping the sniper rifle. So he didn't see it.

Luther rushed over and picked up the gun as Five brought Delores back inside. He spoke in a smug tone, "I can keep doin' this all day."

Five sighed and sank down onto the bed next to her feet. He held Delores' one hand and cradled its neck, adoration clear in his eyes. Nini watched him with soft eyes.

"I know you're still a good person, Five," Luther spoke up, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have risked everything coming back here to save us all. But you're not on your own anymore."

Nini sat up and rested a tentative hand on his shoulder. When their eyes met, she gave him a soft smile. "He's right. I'm your sidekick, remember?"

Five studied her face for a moment before he glanced between them both. "There is one way. But it's just about impossible."

"More impossible than what brought you back here?"

The oldest Hargreeves sighed and looked down at Delores, before his eyes shifted to Nini.

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