euphoria ➞ number five, tua [completed]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - RISKY BUSINESS

"He said 'you look crazy', thank you, baby. I owe it all to you."

-

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN — RISKY BUSINESS

"I must admit, in all the time I've been here, I've never met anyone like the two of you," the Handler strolled down the winding road as we weaved through trees and meadows. "Hazel and Cha-Cha, for example, are talented, certainly. But they can't see the big picture."

She wrapped her arm around Five and I shot her a glare. "Your spunk, your enterprising spirit, well reminds me a great deal of myself, if I may be so vainglorious."

"And you, Number Zero, your charisma, your flexibility, feels just like myself," she patted my shoulder in an affectionate manner.

I almost flinched.

"If things work out for you here, you could potentially a fine successor, both of you," she smiled.

"I'd like to discuss the logistics of my family's safety in your earliest convenience," Five got straight to business as we walked up the stairs of HQ. "As well as this body replacement."

"Such chutzpah, it's refreshing, I admit," the Handler almost seemed like she was flirting. "Slow down, Five, all in good time."

"In fact, now that you've finally agreed to work with us, we've got all the time in the world," she winked, leading us around the building.

"The Commission works in support of a delicate balance between the timeline of events and mankind's free will," the Handler explained as we walked past the briefcase room. "The briefcase is no longer a part of your kit, agents. Free your mind, your management now, one of us."

Soon, she'd led us up to the management level, leading us through corridors and past dark rooms.

"All the people on this floor are case managers, each one responsible for one major event at a time," she smiled as we peek through some doorways.

"So many of them," I commented.

"Impressive, isn't it," the blonde smirked. "Being a part of something so grand. Come along!"

I lingered slightly by the doorway, gazing into the room filled with row after row after row of desks.

"Whenever someone chooses a wrong path and the timeline is changed, the Commission gets a report from field agents on the ground. These field reports are sorted and assigned to a case manager. They determine if anyone needs to be removed from the equation to assure that their event happens as it should," The Handler further explained our jobs as we entered the Tube Room. "Based on that determination, the case manager sends instructions via pneumatic tube to temporal assassins like you formerly were, Number Zero and Number Five. Any queries so far?"

"Yeah," Five pursed his lips. "Who was the case manager handling us?"

"Ah," The Handler smiled, trailing a finger across Five's chin. "You mean the apocalypse."

I rolled my eyes at her, straining to not punch her in the face, "Who was it?"

-

-

"Zero, Five, meet Dot."

A dark-skinned lady beamed at us as she waved. "Oh, hi!"

"Dot is responsible for all apocalypse matters. In fact, it was Dot here who first flagged your appearance in 2019," the Handler rested a hand on Dot's shoulder proudly.

"No hard feelings," Dot continued beaming.

"Well, you certainly put us through a ringer," the Handler added. "Outsmarting two of our so-called best temporal assassins."

She continued in a louder voice, resting a hand on Five's shoulder. "If that doesn't spell leadership material-"

The entire room fell silent as Five glanced at me, his lips parting as if he would say something.

I grabbed Five's hand and pulled him closer to me.

"-I just don't know," the Handler giggled, slapping her hand on Five's shoulder as she breezed past us.

The typing resumed immediately

"I suspect, you both like a challenge," she walked over to two desks that were side by side and pulled out the chairs, tapping them. "Which is why I've given you two particularly complex first cases." 

She handed a red file to Five and a yellow one to me. "It's too bad Joseph Spah decided against sabotaging the fuel tank, it would've been so much easier."

She pointed at me, her lips widening into a Cheshire grin. "And I wish you haven't done something to father Hargreeves"

Five snapped his head at me as the Handler continued, "Anyhoo if you have any questions, I'll be right behind you!"

I avoided his glance as I sat down on the desk with my name on a plate and opened the case file.

Date: November 27th, 2005

Locale: The Umbrella Academy

Weather: Light rain

Damage: Extremely high

Sir Reginal Hargreeves was given a tube of pills by Zero Hargreeves, ie. the Static; Jeon Haneul served as an accomplice to the Umbrella Academy member, providing a poison for Sir Hargreeves and assisting in altering the family robot Grace's AI system. Ape-human mutant Pogo also contributed to the suicide/murder of Sir Reginal Hargreeves.

The file continued further into what I did and what happened to Dad.

I twirled a pen nervously, slamming the file shut and putting it aside.

"You okay?" Five looked over at me.

I nodded quickly, "Yup, I'm good."