Replica [Umbrella Academy]

Trouble

"I wonder if Sleeping Beauty was as grumpy as you when she woke up."

Luther scowled at the voice. His mind was still groggy from the fight. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his vision. His eyes settled on the source of the voice, which was a person sitting on the foot of his bed.

Carena lazily picked her nails to pass the time. She noticed that Luther was conscious and gave him a second to pull himself together.

He was in shock from the sibling that sat before him. His mind blanked and reverted to the basics of human emotions: confusion.

"Carena?"

She glanced back at him and smiled warmly. He rubbed his eyes again in disbelief as he sat up straighter. He knew it wasn't his vision playing tricks on him again, but maybe it was something else. He reached his hand out to make contact with her face.

She swatted his hand away and lightly glared, "What the hell are you doing weirdo?"

His eyes widened, "I-I'm sorry...I thought I was hallucinating."

She scoffed playfully and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. He took a moment to take in her appearance before he scooped her up in his arms.

She grunted as her chest collided with his tough one. He squeezed her tight as relieved words spouted from his mouth in a frenzy.

"I thought I would never see anyone again!" he exclaimed, "Five didn't say anything about anyone else!"

She chuckled awkwardly and managed to bend her arm enough to pat his back. She moved her squished face an inch away, "Luther...super strength coming into play here."

His eyes widened more and he instantly let go. She fell back in relief and loosened her muscles. She rolled her shoulders as Luther caught sight of Vanya behind her.

He glanced at Carena inquisitively. She sighed and slapped her knees, pushing off of them to get up. She gestured for Vanya to take her spot as she grabbed a cold rag from the counter.

She handed it to her brother and leaned in close, whispering under her breath, "I'm giving you a second chance here. Make amends with Vanya and don't lie. If she's gonna hear the truth from anyone it should be you, considering you probably hurt her the most."

She leaned back and moved to walk out the door. Vanya called out her name, "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs. Someone's gotta deal with the thirteen year old asshole who scattered us across time."

She smiled again and shut the door. Luther and Vanya chuckled lightly.

"He is an asshole," he agreed.

"Such an asshole."

Vanya looked back to the closed door, "Carena's kinda sweet...in her own way, I suppose."

Luther nodded, "She's definitely expressive in a non-traditional sense."

Carena didn't hear their comments as she jogged down the stairs and back outside. She strolled over to Five, who was leaning against the side of the car.

"Why do I have a feeling you stirred up some trouble?"

She smirked, "Oh come on, Five...I'm always stirring up trouble. It's my default setting."

He sighed in frustration as she stood next to him. A minute later, a large chunk of brick came crashing down on the pavement from the second floor.

She sighed in content, "I believe that is the sound of trouble."

They stared at the brick hole and saw Luther's face peeking through. Carena waved nicely as Five pinched the bridge of his nose.

Vanya came storming out a few moments later. Carena nudged Five forward to deal with her. She stayed back by the car, hearing the conversation but not imputing any counter arguments.

As Vanya got in the car and started the engine, she pushed herself off the side and stepped back to give Vanya room to move. Five attempted his last point of reason but it wasn't enough. Vanya pulled off the side and drove away.

Her brother sighed in frustration and they both looked up to the brick hole. Luther's head still watched them from the top and he flipped them off.

Five scoffed, "Is it too late to be un-adopted?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You're stuck with us."

-

Carena handed a cup of coffee to her boyfriend as Five explained the current state of their problems. Nate gave up his seat for her to sit down across from Diego, who was getting his bandages changed by Lila.

"So you just let her go?" Diego questioned.

"Vanya has a lot to process. She'll be back when we need her."

"And what about the guys that attacked her? The Swedes? How do we know they won't come after her again?"

Carena scoffed, "Vanya basically made a crater in the last place where they tried to chase her. They're out of their minds if they go after her again."

Elliot set down the rest of the coffee cups on the table. Five redirected the conversation, "Right now our priority is finding Dad and getting answers, cause everything else depends on it."

Carena groaned and let her head fall on Nate's shoulder in distress. Diego rolled his eyes at the same time at the mention of their father.

"For the record," he pointed out, "I found him already."

"And he shanked your ass," his sister reminded.

His face fell in a scowl and he growled at her, "Thank you, for your observation Carena."

"I'm surprised he waited this long," Five added, "We've all had the urge."

Carena raised her hand, "More than once."

Elliot and Lila laughed. Nate smiled but didn't laugh because he was still intimidated by Diego. Lila held out a hand for them to high five but neither of the Hargreeves moved.

"Good thing I know where Dad will be tonight."

He handed Diego the slip of paper they found at the building from the night before. Diego read the invitation out loud,

"Hoyt Hillenkoetter and the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas cordially invite you to a gala event."

Lila got excited about the seafood tower mentioned in the invitation as Elliot gushed over the name mentioned.

"Hillenkoetter is one of the Majestic Twelve."

"The what now?"

He moved to grab something from his mess of a desk, "It's a secret committee. Uh, scientists, military, deep state, etc. No one knows what they really do."

"Area 51 type of stuff?" Carena guessed, "Shadow government and all that?"

Elliot nodded, rifling through his papers, "Kennedy was the first president to try and push them into the light, but these guys are not to be trifled with."

Elliot pulled out the item he was looking for. He came back over to the couch area and pointed to a specific person in the picture, stating that the figure was Hoyt.

"I only count eleven," Lila said.

"That's because they've only identified eleven," Elliot muttered.

"So who's the twelfth?"

The siblings all looked at each other in disbelief. Carena saw the look in Diego and Five's eyes, knowing that they all thought the same thing.

She sighed and rubbed her temple,

"Well, at least my hate for the man can now be justified."

---