ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ɴᴏᴡ | ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ

- 05 | 𝙬𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙨

[seventeen years ago]

"Nietzsche once said,  "Man is on a rope stretched between the animal and the superhuman. A rope over an abyss. It is a dangerous crossing, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting."" Sir Hargreeves says from his book. As he finishes all 6 kids who were once at the bottom of the stairs run once they hear the whistle blow.

"As much as you must strive for individual greatness, and strive you must, for it won't come to you of its own accord, you must also remember that there is no individual stronger then the collective." Hargreeves continues to read out as everyone is racing to the top.

"Why hasn't Number Zero gone?" Vanya asks as she looks at her sister who is just standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Give her a second, Number Seven, Number Zero is about to adapt." Sir Hargreeves tells her. 

"That's no fair, Five's Cheating!" Diego shouts as he continues to run. "He adapted." Once Five appears to be in the lead that's when Vanya looks down to see Althea. But to her surprise, She's gone. "Father, where is Number Zero?" and as soon she asks they hear a poof behind them. Vanya jumps back a little and Hargreeves turns around proud. 

"You're adapting well, Number Zero."  

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"The ties that bind you together make you stronger than you are alone."

Allison cries while Klaus holds onto her as he looks at his tattoo. Diego is sitting in the chair getting his done. Mom try's to grab his hand, but Diego moves his away to show he is brave while he groans in pain. 

"They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you." 

Sir Hargreeves walks up next to Grace and looks over at the rest who are nervous in their seats lined up. One, Six, and Five. Zero was there, Oh yes she was. But she sat there with a straight face waiting for her turn. When it was her's she sat their quietly not a sound came out of her. Hargreeves looked at her smiling while her siblings watch her surprised.  

"And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard."

It didn't stop Zero from crying in her room that night with Ben trying to comfort her to make her stop. Zero showed herself to everyone being strong and didn't show herself weak. Ben was the first and last to ever see her this weak. If she ever did show her weakness to someone she would be scared to see her father us them against her.  

No one wanted that.

 "It will be painful."

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"We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together."

Sir Hargreeves looks down at Number Zero with a look only real fathers would at their child. A look with care. That all went away once he stuck a brain wave cord onto the side of her head. 

"This is what creates trust."

That night Sir Hargreeves sat in his office recording his children's brain activity. 

"Together, you will stand against the reign of evil."

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[present]

Allison and I walk into the kitchen to see Five looking around. "Where's Vanya?" Allison asks. "Oh, she's gone." Klaus answers in a husky voice. "That's unfortunate." Five says. "Yeah." Allison agrees 

"I forgot to tell her bye." I whisper sadly taking a seat next to Klaus. 

"An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, nineteen bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee." Five says looking at us. "Dad hated caffeine." Allison answered. "Well, he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us" Klaus says and I join in laughing.