☂ 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 || 𝙵𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙶𝚁𝙴𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚂 𝚡 𝙾𝙲 || 𝑩𝑲. 𝟐 ☂

03. HOLBROOK

After reading over the newspaper clipping that Elliot provided, Five learned that Diego has been apprehended and taken to Holbrook Sanitarium after a failed attempt at assassinating Lee Harvey Oswald. It would be the brother with the hero complex to attempt to carry out the deed.

Five waited in the lobby for them to call him after giving his brother's name to the front desk. He looked around the eerily white room with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face. His eyes wander around as it landed on a blurred wanted photo stapled next to the security window. It looked like a crude screenshot from a surveillance camera. How was anyone supposed to be identified from that?

"Hargreeves?" called out a gruff voice as a big man in white orderly clothes called out. "Patient's ready."

Five nodded and followed the orderly, passing by the security window as he did. He was led to a small blue room with closed gated windows. He sat patiently where a moment later a man, also dressed in white, was brought in. Diego's hair grew a fair amount, now stopping a inch or two above his shoulders and was now sporting a beard, giving him a look that crossed between Jesus and a caveman.

The corner of Diego's lip curled upward slightly. "Five." he greeted his brother, though he wasn't the visitor that Diego expected.

"Hey, Diego," Five greeted back, taking in his brother's appearance. "You look good in white." it was definitely a contrasting difference compared to his usual black attire.

The chair scraped against the floor as Diego took a seat. "About time you showed up."

"How'd you know I'd be back?" questioned Five.

"Because that's the kind of shit you pull," leaned in Diego, his voice coated with slight hostility.

"Where are the others?" asked the boy.

Diego eyed Five, he smirked with a knowing look that flashed briefly in his eyes. "They're not with you?"

Five nodded and looked away, not catching the expression. "We'll find them." he muttered softly. "How long have you been here?"

"75 days," Diego answered almost immediately, Five grunted at the response. "Landed in the alley behind--"

"Commerce and Knox." they both said at the same time.

Good, this meant that the alley was a focal point to the vortex.

"You?" asked the man.

"I got here this morning."

Diego nodded. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Five started to dig into his pockets. "Page 16," he pulled out the folded newspaper article as Diego turned his head, already knowing what it was about. "Disturbed man with multiple knives arrested outside 1026 N. Beckley," read off Five, pushing the article over to Diego for him to look at it. "That's Lee Harvey Oswald's house. Care to explain?"

Diego looked down at it with a slightly manic smile. "Let's just say Dallas Law Enforcement has not been supportive of my attempt to stop the assaination of..." he brought the tone of his voice low so the orderlies wouldn't overhear. "John F. Kennedy."

Five gave him an inconceivable expression. "Because it hasn't happened yet."

"And it's not going to happen," stated Diego. "Not on my watch. Look, I've been shaving down the bars in my room," this caused Five to lean in with narrowed eyes. "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." he finished with a delusional look in his eyes

"Listen to me very closely, you gibbering moron," Five said in a stern, quiet tone. "You are not going to do a goddamn thing."

"Why not?"

"Because we have to stop the apocalypse."

"No shit," answered back Diego. "But that doesn't happen for another 60 years."

"Not that apocalypse. This is a new one," Five looked away briefly before looking Diego in the eyes. "It followed us. I've seen it. Nuclear war, Diego, in ten days."

Diego couldn't help the soft uncontrollable laugh that erupted out of his throat hearing Five's words. Once again, the world was going to end, and it was all their faults. If only his sister could hear this.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "And I'm the one they locked up, huh?" this earns a scoff from the boy. "Fine, I'll play along. What causes it?"

"I don't know," snarked Five. "Maybe some looney-tuned asshole with a hero complex tried to save the president and screwed everything up." he threw at Diego.

Diego leaned in, selective hearing caught on to only one part of that sentence. "So you're saying it worked? I saved the president?" Diego let out a content growl, a crazed look in his eye as Five scoffed. "I knew I could do it. Okay, okay, I'll help you."

"Thank God--"

"After I save Kennedy. And then you swing us back a few decades so I can slit Hitlet's throat off with a butter knife."

He's lost it. Totally and completely lost his marbles.

Five stared at him for a second. "This is why you don't have any friends," he clicked his tongue. "You know what? Guard!" Five stood up. "My brother is plotting an escape. The bars of his room have been shaved down." he revealed to the guards behind Diego at the doorway.

Diego slammed his hands on the table as he tried to jump over it to get to the boy. "Piece of shit!"

The guards quickly grabbed him before he could reach Five and slammed his upper body on the table. "No! Here-- Alright, asshole."

"Look, this is for your own good, Diego." calmly said Five as he observed with his hands in his pockets.

"No, Five!"

"Listen, my brother is a very sick man. I only pray that he gets the help he so desperately needs." Five said innocently, a matching smile adorning his face as a nurse came in with a huge needle.

"No, Five! No!" he shouted, the corner of his eye catching the glint of the bevel of the needle. "No, please! Not the needle! No! I know! I know where Elaina is!"

Five's smug expression dropped instantly. "What was that?"

But it was too late as the needle was injected into Diego's arm, the plunger pushed in, releasing the sedative instantly into his bloodstream, taking him out.

"Wait, Diego, Diego," Five shook his brother to no avail as the man's eyes fluttered shut. "Couldn't lead with that, huh?" whispered Five harshly to the unconscious man's ear. "I'll be back later for you," he snapped. "Until then, nighty night." he smiled bitterly as he watched the guards lift away Diego's limp body.

~.~

Quick little chapter out. I think I'll upload on weekends, so expect chapter 4 out by this Saturday :)  I hope you guys are liking how this story is heading so far!