[✓] 𝐼𝑁𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝑈𝐷𝐸 | 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ

Word count: 3078

𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 gauze onto a shirtless Diego's stomach as the two rested on the couch, Valerie sitting on the couch opposite to them while Five paced behind their couch.

"So, what, you just let her go?" Diego questioned after Valerie and Five had finished recounting the day's events.

"Well, Vanya had a lot to process." Five shrugged, taking out the invitation that Valerie had found the night before from the inside of his blazer. He sighed and reassured them, "She'll come around. I know she will."

"What about the guys that went after her?" Diego asked as Elliott handed everyone mugs of coffee, him putting Five's mug on the coffee table.

"The Swedes?" Five clarified as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Diego nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, how do you know they won't go after her again?"

"We don't."

"Mm, any idea who sent them?" Lila asked as Five rounded the couch and went towards the coffee table.

"Oh" —Five gave her an irritated smile as he grabbed his mug— "I have my suspicions."

"But right now, our priority is finding Dad and getting answers," Valerie said with folded arms as Five sat down next to her, "'cause everything else depends on it."

"Which, for the record," Diego pointed out, "I found him already—"

"And then let him go," Five cut him off, "before we could have a meaningful conversation."

Diego stared at him for a moment, an incredulous expression on his face. "He stabbed me."

"I'm surprised he waited this long, Diego. We've all had the urge," Five said mockingly before taking a sip of his coffee.

Lila laughed. "Good one." She held her hand out for Five to high-five, but he ignored her as he put his cup down on the coffee table.

"Good thing we know where Dad's gonna be tonight," Valerie stated as she took the invitation from Five before handing it to Diego.

Diego sighed as he leaned back, his eyes analyzing the paper for a moment before he inquired, "Where'd you get this?"

"Found it at his office while he was busy stabbing you," Five remarked with a miffed smile.

Diego gave a sarcastic chuckle before reading out the invitation, Lila's head just next to his as she silently read it as well, "'Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas cordially invite you to a gala.'"

"Whoa, wait," Elliott spoke up, his voice slightly shaky. "Hoyt Hillenkoetter? Are you serious?"

"Do you know him?" Valerie questioned as she turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed.

Lila gasped, her eyes still on the invitation. "We should go. Says there's gonna be a seafood tower."

"No, Hillenkoetter is" —Elliott stepped towards them excitedly— "is one of the Majestic Twelve."

"The hell is the Majestic Twelve?" Diego asked, his nose wrinkled.

"It's a . . . a secret committee," Elliott explained as he put his mug down and rushed over to the desk behind them, rifling through stacks of paper. "Uh, scientists, military, uh, deep state. No one knows what they really do."

"Wait, so they're government?" Diego grunted as he sat up.

"Shadow government," Elliott corrected as he began to look through the cabinets. "Yeah, Kennedy was the first president to try to push 'em into the light, but these guys are not to be trifled with. Oh . . . Oh, here we go. Ah, right here." Elliott found what he had been looking for, and brought it over to them. He placed the photograph down in front of Five and Valerie, it being a black-and-white still of a group of serious-faced men. "This, uh . . . Oh, right here." He pointed to the man on the far left and told them, "That's Hoyt right there."