As The World Caves In [Five]

Twelve

Apple or orange juice?

Emery got in the car with Five and Luther. The latter of which was already in the backseat, as if he knew Emery would be coming out with them. He subtly rubbed at his chest from where Emery had burnt him. Whether it was to evoke feelings of regret or simply to remind him that he was not forigiven fully, Emery did not know nor did he care. Luther was- after all- the one who had tossed him out the window.

Without a word, Emery slid into the passenger's seat and ignored Five's gaze as he started the car and moved them forward.

They rode in silence, little words exchanged among them but when they did speak, it was little things like "this doesn't seem ominous at all" or "watch out for the bird" and even at one point, when Emery had finally relaxed into his seat when he felt Five wasn't going to stop the car, pull a shotgun from his coat and shoot him dead, Emery had caught gazes with Five and the boy had asked. "Did you see?" He didn't need to specify what exactly but Emery knew all the same.

He nodded mutely and they continued in their way. Emery's thoughts plaguing him the whole way. Why and Five crossed his name off? Why hadn't he killed him with the gun then and there when he first brought him? He'd had the chance, multiple really. He could have let Luther drop him out the window. What the man said finally made sense. "I'd be doing you a favor." He'd said. So why hadn't Five let it happen?

Finally, when they rolled to a stop with nothing but scarce trees and prairie views to surround them, Five spoke. "You know, I never enjoyed it." He said.

"What?"

"The killing." Five glanced at Emery. "I mean, I was... I was good at my work, and I... I took pride in it. But it never gave me pleasure. It was all those years alone. Solitary can do funny things to the mind."

"Yeah, well, you were gone for such a long time. I only spent four years on the moon, but that was more than enough. It's the being alone that breaks you." Luther said, trailing off, gaze drifting to the suitcase that sat to Five's side. Something planned about a deal. Emery wasn't queued in on all the details but he'd gotten the gist of it.

"You think they'll buy it?" Luther asked. It was a fake, this much Emery could gather but it looked real enough to pass as such.

"Well, what I do know is that they're desperate. It's like a cop losing his gun. If the Commission finds out, they'll be in deep shit. Oh, not to mention the fact that they'll be stuck here until they get it back." Five said.

"Well, I should hold onto it."

"Hmm?" Five's voice was curious as he looked at the man in the back seat.

"In case they make a move on you."

"Okay, Luther," Five's voice was so sincere it nearly caught Emery off guard. He'd never heard such from the boy before. "but be careful" Five added. "I mean, I've- I've lived a long life, but you're still a young man. You got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it. Neither of you." He looked to Emery and the back out the front window, humming to himself as Emery and Luther both donned a similar look that screamed 'what just happened'. Five's mature-ness had leaked as well as his true age and Emery would have laughed if Five wasn't actually an old man.

"Company's here." Emery said after a moment when a car pulled up in front of theirs.

Five blew out a puff of air. "Here we go." He said.

They all got out of the vehicle and watched the car continue to move forward and pull to a stop.

"If this all goes sideways, do me a favor and tell Dolores I'm sorry." Five said, glancing at Emery who was looking not at the boy but at the advanceing figures that emerged from the car. Five paused, as if he were going to say something else but then he shook his head and started moving at a leisurely gate where he met the two masked figures halfway.