Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Five felt the cold, harsh air on his face as it drifted in from the subway entrance, nudging him awake. The soft glow of the kerosene lamp he’d recently salvaged from the small greenhouse gently illuminated his traveling companion’s face, casting a warm light over her caramel skin. He felt his tension ease. "She's here, everything’s fine." he thought.

Lila shifted slightly, rolling onto her other side in her sleeping bag, her expression content. Five smiled, reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, and let himself slip back into sleep.
When he awoke a few hours later, he noticed the lamp was still glowing softly, casting the same gentle light—but something in the room, something in the air, felt different…

He felt Lila's warmth beside him, her closeness pulling him fully awake. Only after a moment did he realize she had snuggled closer to him in her sleep. The full length of her back rested against his chest, and her chocolate-brown hair tickled his chin, where he’d instinctively rested it against the top of her head.
For a moment, he allowed himself to take in the quiet comfort of the moment, even as he regained his composure. Though they had often huddled together against the cold in their sleep, this felt different, a little closer. Carefully, he eased himself away and quietly stood up.

Five packed his sleeping bag quietly, careful not to disturb Lila, and checked the sparse supplies in his pack. "Not much; we’ll have to raid someone’s pantry again soon," he thought. He grabbed his flashlight, checked his gun and charger, and headed toward the subway steps, intending to get a sense of the situation outside.
They’d passed through this timeline enough times to know it well—though they still couldn’t explain why their train always seemed to stop here. The streets and alleys surrounding this station had become almost familiar. As he reached the last step of the long staircase, he stepped into a rainy, drizzly morning. The clock in the nearby square struck the hour with a hollow clang, echoing through the empty streets. Not a soul was in sight.
These parts of the city had been deserted for some time, a ghostly quiet lingering here, even though this world had not yet faced the apocalypse.

Suddenly, he froze, wincing as a woman’s desperate scream pierced the quiet. "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"

Lila, he realized. Without hesitation, he bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time, sprinting all the way to the end of the station. There, around the corner of one of the pillars, he found her—a woman with frizzy hair and a look of terror etched across her face, rocking back and forth.

As he approached, Lila looked up, her eyes wide and tear-streaked. Five rushed to her side, pulling her into a tight embrace. She was trembling, her whole body wracked with shivers, as silent tears continued streaming down her cheeks.

"I woke up, and you weren’t here. I was scared I’d lost you for good," Lila murmured miserably, pressing her tear-streaked face against his chest. Five froze, guilt tightening in his chest as he held her close. How much longer could they keep this up? Both of them were exhausted, starving, running on the last reserves of strength and sanity. They had to find a way home, and soon, or… they might just lose themselves entirely.

Lila nodded, wiping away the last traces of her tears before quickly pulling away from Five. A sudden chill hit her as her body left his warmth, but she steadied herself, taking a deep breath. Five watched her silently as she packed her sleeping bag and adjusted the fraying straps of her old backpack. She looked up at him, her eyes still a bit glossy, then slung the pack onto her shoulders and fastened a knife to her belt—the one she’d swiped from a bounty hunter in another timeline just last year.

Finally, with a determined breath, she managed a small nod, bracing herself. He’s still here. We’re in this together, even in this Shitville. "Okay," she said, mustering up her courage. "Let’s do this."

Chapter Text

Stepping out of the subway station, they were greeted by steady rain and a milky fog that blanketed the city. Fallen leaves skittered across the square's sidewalks, caught up in gusts of wind. The empty square, with its small park and towering clock, had an odd charm—beautiful yet unsettling, as both Five and Lila felt a strange chill in the air.

“Let’s check the houses we haven’t tried yet, on that street just past the square,” Lila suggested, gesturing ahead. Five hesitated but nodded, knowing she was right.

They’ve already combed through the houses by the square and the small kiosk countless times. It was time to look further, beyond the borders of safety. A mix of emotions flickered across Five's face, but he eventually agreed, "Alright, let's go. We’ll check a few houses and then bolt back to the subway."

Lila nodded and strode ahead, with Five following closely behind, casting careful glances over his shoulder several times before they entered one of the houses on the street they’d planned to explore. They spent the late morning searching through all the houses on this street, but luck wasn’t on their side. Some homes were nearly empty; it was hard to tell whether the residents had fled hastily, been evacuated, or if the places had been abandoned for years..

This timeline is strange, Five thought to himself as they moved through each house.

By the time they reached the last house on the street, desperation flickered across Lila’s face, barely hidden. He understood this wasn’t a good sign—they would likely have to move on and search for food in another part of town.

Stepping into the old brick house, a familiar stench greeted them—a sour mix of spoiled food and the damp, musty odor of aged walls. Five led the way, flashlight and weapon at the ready, while Lila followed with her knife, both in their usual formation for any unexpected encounters. If they could find anything here, they could finally return to the subway station, which was Five's only wish at the moment.

With each step, a deeper chill settled over him, sending shivers down his spine. They moved through a small hallway into the living room and checked the kitchen—no one there. Lila gestured to the basement door, and Five nodded. She automatically opened the door, while he aimed his weapon and flashlight at the stairs. The beam cut through the darkness, illuminating specks of dust floating in the air, but he saw no one and nothing. "There’s no one here," Five finally says.

Both of them caught the stench of spoiled food wafting up from the basement. Covering their faces with cloth, they descended the stairs. After a few moments, it became clear there was nothing down there except two expired cans of beans. Lila slipped them into her backpack and nodded toward the staircase.

"Let’s check the upper floor before I get sick from this smell," she suggested. He nodded silently, and they moved back into formation, heading up the stairs toward the first floor, just across from the bathroom. Five caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the sink and froze. After a few seconds, he realized it was only his own reflection.

Still, he stopped Lila and asked her to wait. He checked the bathroom, then moved down the hallway. Then they inspected the bedroom and the study together—everything seemed fine. At the end of the hall was the children’s room. It was empty as well, but Lila double-checked the large wardrobe and peeked under the bed, just to be sure. No unknown enemy.

But suddenly, she spotted something hairy under the bed.

She laughed and pulled out a discarded baby doll with a strange smiling face and dark, shaggy hair. “Haha, it looks like you,” Lila said to Five, grinning widely. “Very funny, but this is definitely…”

He paused in thought for a moment, then continued with a smile, “that is definitely little Allison trying to iron her curls, as she used to do, and her hair went crazy as hell,” Five uttered in response, pointing with his index finger at the baby doll.

But Lila wasn’t done. “Oh no, Mr. Five, take a good look at this twin of yours,” she teased, grinning. “Grumpy face, dishevelled hair, and way too young!” She laughed wholeheartedly.

“Fine, you win,” he conceded with a smirk, earning a genuine laugh from her. Somehow, despite everything, their humor remained intact, offering them a brief escape from reality.

After a moment, an idea flashed through Five’s mind, and he suggested to her, “I think we should explore more places for food in this timeline, we've already gone through all of it here.“ Five stood with his back to the window, but Lila was facing it directly. That was when she saw...bombed-out buildings in this part of the neighbourhood, and in the distance, a large metal bridge leading to the industrial zone with its warehouses.

“Look,” she said with enthusiasm, pointing, “there’s a big warehouse, and some other storage buildings around it, just past that bridge.”

Five turned to the window and pulled a pair of binoculars from his jacket pocket to see for himself. Lila was right. One of the warehouses even had a Walmart sign on it. “It looks promising. But we need to be careful, “he told her, though he couldn’t shake a strange feeling about it.

There was no food left in this part of the city, only two cans of the beans after warranty. He knew that this mission is necessary.

A rattling sound from her backpack pulled him from his thoughts. “Let’s at least have some breakfast,” she suggested, her tone encouraging. “We haven’t eaten since morning, and we did find something.

"Alright, let’s have a small breakfast before we move forward," Five agreed, stepping out of the room and into the hallway.

Reaching the staircase, Lila let out a hearty laugh. 'Small? I could go for something as big as Luther.' Her laugh was bright, but a shadow crossed her eyes; she missed them—all of them, even bossy Allison. Her heart ached for her children… but she pushed those thoughts aside. “You have to be strong,” Lila whispered to herself.”

They silently walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Five didn’t have the strength to respond to the jab about Luther. They spoke about family and the kids as little as possible, as if it were something that had always hung between them through the years lost in the subway.

Lila checked all the cupboards and the pantry but found nothing except two packages of rusks. “That's all I found in here,” she told him, disappointed. They ate the sardines with rusks, filled their water bottles, and left the house.

The street was eerily quiet, except for the patter of rain against the sidewalks and rooftops. Pulling their hoods over their heads, they stepped onto the sidewalk and took the path behind the houses, entering the bombed-out neighborhood. The scene felt all too familiar to Five, as if he were back in his own apocalypse.

They walked a mile before reaching the bridge, beyond which an industrial zone loomed, filled mostly with grey buildings and hangars. When they reached the other side of the bridge, Lila felt a strange sensation. It was as if she had been here before—a déjà vu, maybe? But déjà vu is just a delayed connection between what’s seen and the visual centre, nothing more, Lila reminded herself.

Their footsteps echoed loudly across the concrete floor as they entered the warehouse. Large pallets filled with cans, rusks, and bottles came into view, prompting a glance of quiet relief—a shared moment of victory amidst endless scavenging. Lila stepped closer, slipping an arm around Five’s shoulder as they took in the haul. The reassuring warmth of her presence reminded him he wasn’t facing this alone.

“Glad you’re here, Lila,” he murmured, then added with a slight hesitation, “Eh, glad we’re here...” Lila gave him a wide grin, her eyes bright. “Yes, of course. I’m your guide through the apocalypses.” her humour was as much armour as it was personality, a touchstone for both of them in a world that didn’t allow much space for laughter.

They filled their backpacks with cans of soup, beans, and Spam. At one point, Lila looked up and noticed a staircase leading to a glass-walled office. “Let’s head up there and settle in for a while.” she suggested, feeling the need to sit somewhere more sheltered.

Five wasn’t entirely convinced by her idea, but exhaustion weighed on him, and their clothes were soaked through. It would be nice to rest for a while until everything dries, he thought. After a moment, he gave her a nod. Together, they climbed the metal staircase, settling back into their usual formation.

An eerie silence enveloped the office as they stepped inside; not a soul was in sight. The entire place felt abandoned. Five moved past the filing cabinets and desk toward a large, tall cabinet, with Lila following close behind. Cautiously, he peeked behind it, finding only a small fold-out couch and a nightstand beneath the window. On the couch lay two small pillows and a few blankets.

She glanced out the window—no one in sight. The industrial zone lay quiet, raindrops pattering against the glass. That strange sense of familiarity washed over her again, an intense feeling, as if her mind brushed against something long ago experienced here, though she couldn’t recall when or how. Maybe it’s that sickness from all those timelines Jean and Gene talked about in their lecture, she thought.

Even though she hadn’t experienced it in all these years. Until...

Five also checked the view from the window, scanning the surrounding buildings through his binoculars. He felt a chill in his back, assuming it was just his soaked clothing. Turning to her, he caught her off guard with, “We should take our clothes off."

She looked at him, startled but not offended by his suggestion. Realizing how it must have sounded, Five cleared his throat, “I mean, so we don’t get sick.” Trying to mask his awkwardness, he turned around and began undressing.

He wrapped himself in one of the blankets, picked up another, and turned slightly, catching a glimpse of her as she undressed more slowly than he did. She was only in her underwear—not that he hadn’t seen her completely naked back at the Obsidian Hotel, but this felt different.

“Hand me a blanket,” she said, her long hair falling over a playful smirk as she noted his flustered expression. “Uh, right. Here you go,” he replied, stammering slightly. She took the blanket and wrapped it around herself.

They draped their clothes over a chair and the wardrobe door to let them dry, placing their weapons on the nightstand. Afterward, she smiled. “How about an early lunch, and then a game of chess?”

Five nodded silently, and they settled onto the couch, wrapped in blankets. Each took out a can of food, splitting a pack of rusks between them. In the quiet of their shelter, they ate. When finished, they set the empty cans on the nightstand, sitting in comfortable silence to rest. She turned toward him, propping her head on a pillow, while he leaned back, resting his head against the arm of the couch with his eyes closed.

After a few moments of peace, Lila broke the silence, saying, “How about we pull out the couch and have some dessert?” he lifted his head, blinking, and looked at her. She immediately laughed, “I mean chess, Five."

"Alright, get the chessboard,” he said in a serious tone, though a smirk tugged at his lips. Chess had become their only escape from the grim reality around them. She knew she’d dragged them both into this mess and felt grateful he had kept any resentment to himself over the years.

Even so, she never allowed him the satisfaction of an easy win. Far too competitive for that, and after all this time, he was the only opponent who could truly challenge her.

With a gleeful clap, she sprang up from the couch. While he unfolded it, she retrieved the chessboard and a small bag of makeshift pieces they had scavenged from the subway and various timelines.

After defeating him twice, she finally settled down, and they both drifted into sleep.

But a few hours into their peaceful rest, they were jolted awake by the deafening roar of a helicopter and a fighter jet. Then, an explosion shook the air...

Lila was in shock, watching as the warehouse’s window panes shattered around them, scattering glass in every direction. Despite the chaos, Five remained calm, his expression steady and unflinching.

Chapter Text

Five tried to regain his composure after the situation they’d found themselves in. He stood up from the couch, grabbing his gun and Lila's knife from the small table beneath the broken windows.

Thankfully, they were both unharmed, with just a few scratches from the scrap glass. Through the shattered window, he saw that the warehouse building across the street had nearly collapsed to the ground.

In the distance, a helicopter whirred as military transports rolled up to the rubble. When they halted, armed men in body armour and walkie-talkies, wielding long rifles, jumped out immediately.

Five spotted a small group of crouched survivors slipping around the warehouse ruins from the other entrance, moving toward the shelter where he and Lila had spent the night. The gunmen quickly spotted the movement and opened fire on their target.

At that moment, Five made a decision. Setting the knife beside Lila, he kept his gun in his right hand and gently placed his left on her shoulder. Her eyes met his, wide with fear, arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

“Lila… come on!” His voice held a rare note of desperation. “We have to escape. The building across the street was bombed.” He pointed toward the shattered windows with his right hand, still clutching the gun. “Please… let’s go.”

She looked deeply into his frightened, emerald eyes, and in that instant, she understood that cooperation was the only way forward.

Rising cautiously, Lila stepped around the scattered shards, reaching for the knife with one hand and her backpack with the other. Five swiftly grabbed his own pack, their movements tense but practiced. The room was cold as they slipped back into their shoes, feeling the chill of their damp clothes against their skin. Shivering slightly, they exchanged a determined glance, steeling themselves as the sounds of distant chaos urged them onward. Every second counted; there was no time to waste.

Once they were ready to face the dangers awaiting them outside, they stepped out of the office in their usual formation and cautiously made their way down the staircase.

They found themselves once again in the large hall with tall pallets of food stacked around them, but this time, they couldn’t see a thing in the darkness.
Silence surrounded them, yet they held their weapons firmly, ready to face the unknown. They were almost in the middle of the hall when, suddenly, gunfire erupted in their direction.

Lila shivered abruptly, as if sensing the presence of something familiar yet unsettling. She darted to her left, slipping behind a pallet, but couldn’t see Five behind her. The gunfire had stopped, leaving only the sound of her own breathing.

“Five, Five?” she whispered, stepping forward with the knife, moving past the pallet toward the exit. She didn’t understand what was happening to her—suddenly, a familiar chill washed over her mind, sending shivers through her body.

She heard a voice in her mind, “Lila, follow me.” It echoed in her head, yet it belonged to someone else. Somehow, she felt as though she had heard that voice before.
Drawn to the end of the hall as if something was pulling her there, Lila moved through the darkness, only realizing at the last moment that a wall loomed directly in front of her. A chill slid up her back, prompting her to turn.

The windows behind Lila suddenly lit up from the light of a landing helicopter, and that was when she noticed a woman, likely around her age, stepping out from behind the pallets. The woman's face was partially covered by a red and black scarf, and she gripped a GLOCK 19 in her hands.

Lila took in her blonde hair styled in two braids and her outfit—all black, with striking red boots. As the woman raised both arms above her head, gun still in hand, the edge of her black leather jacket lifted, revealing a tattoo in the shape of a lily bracelet on her right arm.

Lila heard quick, heavy footsteps... She looked at the woman, who raised her index finger to her lips, signalling Lila to stay quiet.

The woman placed the gun on the ground in front of her, but Lila kept her knife tightly gripped in her hand.

Fear gnawed at her as she weighed whether to attack the woman or follow her instructions. It was unclear who the real enemy was—the stranger with the lily tattoo or the others arriving by helicopter, bombing the city with a fighter jet.

At that very moment, the shot echoed through the hall; the woman ducked, and Lila followed suit.

The hall resounded with the shuffling of multiple footsteps, and suddenly, small flashlight beams partially illuminated sections of the warehouse.

Lila’s gaze fixed on the tattooed woman’s shifting eyes, from blue-green to a warm honey-brown, as if a strange magic were at work. The velvety voice echoed in her mind, blurring the lines between thought and speech: “Just calm down. They’re not going to attack us.”

Armed soldiers surrounded them, standing still, their expressions blank, weapons drawn but unmoving. The voice in Lila's head returned, calm and steady, "They believe they're chained by something. Don’t make a move…"

Her gaze fell to the soldiers’ vests, where a familiar insignia caught her eye. The sight sent a chill through her—an unmistakable mark from a timeline she knew all too well.

In this timeline, she had no doubt who held the reins.

Without hesitation, Lila snatched a Glock from the ground and fired at one of the soldiers, the shot hitting his thigh. In an instant, the soldiers snapped back to life. They surged forward, locking iron grips on her arms, forcing her and the woman out of the dark warehouse. The whirring of the helicopter grew louder as they were marched toward it.

The soldier Lila had shot grimaced but raised his radio, reporting, “We got them all. We got Berry Wilde, too.”

A smooth, British-accented voice crackled over the radio in response. “Splendid job.”

*******

When the first shots rang out, Five instinctively darted in the opposite direction, weaving through the pallets stacked around the warehouse.

After a tense moment, he stopped cold, realizing Lila wasn’t behind him. The darkness felt suffocating as he strained to catch a glimpse of her amid the shadows.

A sharp crack echoed—a shot from a Glock 19. He stiffened, recognizing the sound and pinpointing it to the far side of the warehouse.

Five moved swiftly down the left side of the building, slipping past pallets of food with an increasing sense of dread. He was helpless but couldn’t stop himself from calling out in a low, urgent whisper, “Lila? Lila, are you here?”

Reaching the end of the narrow aisle, his heart sank. Lying on the ground were her backpack, a knife, and a small, ominous pool of blood glistening in the dim light.

His gaze followed a faint trail of blood leading out of the warehouse. Outside, darkness cloaked the scene, but he could make out a black helicopter rising toward the sky, emblazoned with a large Hargreeves Enterprises logo.

Five knelt on the ground, his gaze following the faint footprints and scattered drops of blood. Looks like someone was dragged through here—maybe two people, he surmised grimly.

Please, don’t let Lila be hurt, he thought, a knot tightening in his chest. The fear of losing her entirely gnawed at him, but he shoved it aside, steeling himself.

I must save you, Lila. I’m not leaving this Shitville without you.

Twisting on his heel, he scooped up her knife along with both backpacks—his and hers—and strode toward the ruins of the bombed-out warehouse, determined to uncover any clue that might lead him to her.

As he surveyed the devastation around him, dread solidified into certainty. Only one person could have orchestrated this with such precision. His father had taken Lila.

Chapter Text

Five suppressed his anger toward Reginald Hargreeves. He tried to keep a cool head and stay rational, but after all the terrifying experiences in the subway, he was no longer sure of anything.

Across the street lay the building ruins, where he carefully maneuvered through chunks of concrete and twisted metal frames from the bombed-out warehouse. Lila’s backpack was strapped to his chest, his own on his back, while the knife was secured to his belt and the gun gripped tightly, ready for any hint of movement—another member of the secret police could appear at any moment.

The promise to her echoed in his mind: they would find a way out of the subway. And despite everything, an unsettling fear crept in—what if he couldn’t protect her?

A cold wind brushed across his back, giving him the feeling that something was guiding him in the right direction. It was as if, in that moment, someone was there with him, watching from afar. Just to be sure, he looked around and took out his binoculars, but in the light of the afternoon sun, everything seemed calm—no one in sight.

He passed through the most heavily bombed part of the warehouse, where beneath the remains of concrete, he could see the bodies of dead secret police members and civilians who hadn’t escaped in time. At the far end of the warehouse, he found remnants of a sturdier metal structure with a small gap between two concrete slabs. Here and there, a few light bulbs still flickered, but he couldn’t see clearly into the passage. Bending down to the opening, he shone his flashlight inside.

At the end of a narrow, rubble-strewn tunnel about a meter and a half long, a wooden table, a few chairs, and a board with a map came into view. Tucking the gun into his belt, Five carefully slid into the narrow opening. Crawling on his stomach with the flashlight clenched between his teeth, he reached the small room and stood up, though it took a moment to adjust to the flickering light of the bulbs.

On the board hung a map and several building plans, mostly warehouses, but one resembled a labyrinth or a prison—a layout that unsettled him, hinting at something deeper at work.

On the map, his eyes were immediately drawn to a circled warehouse near the bridge, highlighted in yellow marker—the exact spot where he stood. Nearby was a place marked as “Capitol” with the initials RH, and at its center, a massive estate boldly outlined in red pen. Tracing his finger along the map, he noticed an “SP HQ” designated in black ink just two blocks away. Although the city wasn’t particularly large, its streets formed a dense, tangled web. Squinting at the map’s scale, he calculated the distance between the warehouse and the Capitol. Maybe about a day’s walk, he thought.

He reached to pull the map off the board but paused, noticing a small inscription in the bottom right corner: Protectors. Next to the map was a detailed sketch of a building titled The Secret Police Headquarters, complete with instructions for navigating from a side entrance. Without hesitation, he tore down the sketch, folded it neatly, and slipped it into his pocket, then did the same with the map.

Suddenly, a feeling of déjà vu washed over him, as if he’d been here before. A chill ran down his spine, and soon he was shivering from the cold entirely. He recalled Jean and Gene’s lecture on the Umbrella Effect…

Glancing at the table, he spotted a layout labeled The Protectors—a resistance plan with a list of names. Five wasn’t entirely surprised. In this timeline, the apocalypse hadn’t struck, at least not yet, but old Reggie had, as always, taken everything he wanted.

He picked up the list, bringing it closer and squinting to make out the names. At the very top was his own—Five Hargreeves, followed by Lila Hargreeves. The third name, Berry Wilde, was unfamiliar, yet as his eyes lingered on it, a chill crept up his spine. Many names meant nothing to him, but about three-quarters down, familiar ones emerged: Sloane Hargreeves, Luther Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves, Ben, Klaus, Frei, Marcus, Allison, Alphonso, Jayme, and even Chris Hargreeves.

He finally folded up the list and carefully crawled back through the narrow concrete tunnel, emerging under a sky bathed in honey-gold sunlight. It’s as if the sun shines a bit more intensely in this timeline, he thought, taking in the stunning, vibrant scenery.

He set off immediately, rescuing Lila the only thought in his mind. He didn’t know why, but he felt his steps were leading him in the right direction.

Every so often, it seemed he could almost hear her behind him, each mile bringing him closer to the Capitol. He fought the urge to look back, though the feeling of being watched lingered with every step.

As the honey-gold sunlight began to dip below the horizon, he decided to find shelter for the night and resume his journey in the morning. After another careful check of the map, he spotted an old thread factory, just a mile and a half from his main destination.

Reaching the old, abandoned factory, he slipped cautiously through a side entrance. Darkness and silence filled the place, but he kept his gun loaded, gripping it tightly with both hands, the flashlight held steady beside it. After a careful sweep of the building, he felt confident he was alone and chose to spend the night in a small office. Inside, he found a desk, a chair, and a narrow but surprisingly comfortable cot.

He spread the map and the sketch out on the desk, opening a pack of dry biscuits to eat alongside a can of cold tomato soup he’d found in the warehouse, studying the map and layout carefully. A truly gourmet meal, he thought wryly. Lila would’ve enjoyed it, and a pang of sadness hit him. He’d grown used to her presence in the subway, to falling asleep together each night, supporting and protecting one another. He’d grown used to her always being there, sensing her presence beside him.

After finishing his meal, he tucked the documents securely into his pocket and laid out his sleeping bag on the cot. His gun and knife were placed within easy reach beside him. As he settled in, his eyelids grew heavy, and before long, he drifted off to sleep.

*******

When Five opened his eyes, he remained lying still, but he sensed the familiar chill and dry air of the underground. Darkness surrounded him, yet the faint scent of old leather, metal, and plastic lingered in the air nearby.

After a moment, he rose to his feet, but the darkness was impenetrable. Suddenly, he felt an abrupt shift, as though his center of gravity had changed.

As the train entered the next station, a warm honey-brown light illuminated the space. He turned—and there she was. Walking confidently toward him, her long, chocolate-brown hair falling over her face, and in her hands, she held his gun.

“Lila?” he asked, disbelief in his voice.

She lifted her head, smiled at him, and said, “Five, hold out your hands.” He obeyed, and the gun was placed into his hands.

“Five…” her voice was soft, almost tender, but there was a shadow in her eyes, as though their color was shifting.
Then, with more urgency, she spoke again, “Five, wake up. Wake up now!”

When he woke, his fingers were wrapped around his gun, with Lila’s knife resting beside his hand on the bed. It took a moment for him to grasp that it had only been a dream.

“Well, well, who do we have here,” a deep, raspy baritone voice called out, aiming the barrel of a gun at Five.

Five focused his gaze on two dark shapes standing in front of him. Something, however, felt off. Both figures wore colorful animal masks on their heads.

In that moment, he recognized them. “Cha-Cha?” he turned his gaze to the woman, then to the man who continued aiming his gun at him. “Hazel? You’re alive in this timeline?” he asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Both let out a deep, throaty laugh and pulled the masks from their heads—and there they were. Hazel and Cha-Cha, agents of the Commission.

“What did you mean by that? In this timeline?” Hazel asked, taken aback.

But Cha-Cha simply waved him off, pulled a gun from the back pocket of her black suit pants, and aimed it at Five. “The return of the lost agent,” she sneered. “The Boss will be pleased. You’re coming with us.”

Chapter Text

Cha-Cha smirked at Five lying on the cot, still aiming her gun at him. With her free hand, she reached into her other back pocket. Seconds ticked by as Five watched her intently. His eyes narrowed, his mind racing with thousands of possible ways to escape this unpleasant mess—though he wasn’t sure he had the strength left to pull any of them off.

"Put down the gun. Stand up and turn around slowly. And no funny business," she ordered, handing a pair of handcuffs to Hazel. "Here, cuff him!"

“Can’t believe we’re at it again with you, Five,” Cha-Cha muttered under her breath. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, the kind that comes only with a prey you can’t seem to catch, no matter how hard you try. “Every time, you’re the one that gets away…”

Her partner made a sour face—once again, it was up to him. He sighed, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and grabbed the cuffs, while Cha-Cha kept her weapon trained on her target.

"Don’t think I don’t know," she added more loudly. "I’ve seen your file. When you're cuffed, you can't blink," she said with a hint of victory.

Five dropped the gun, which landed on the bed right beside Lila’s knife. He stood up and turned his back to them, still calculating. The room wasn’t fully lit by the morning sun yet, and a dimness hung over the entire factory. He realized he might be able to use this to his advantage.

Hazel reached his large, bear-like hands toward Five’s slender frame. Five was quicker. In an instant, he struck Hazel in the chest just above the diaphragm with his right elbow, making him gasp for air. Then he turned slightly and punched him in the face with his left hand, hitting his cheekbone and right eye socket. Hazel staggered back a little.  

Cha-Cha fired her gun, but Five was already quicker. He dodged behind Hazel, pushing him forward, using the man’s bulk as a shield as he stumbled onto Cha-Cha. Her feet left the ground, her back hitting the floor with a heavy thud as Hazel landed on top of her, cursing.

At that moment, Five grabbed the gun and knife and dashed into the factory’s large room, hiding behind one of the machines. He had the advantage. The night before, he had scoped out the entire building, step by step, before deciding to stay there overnight.

While glancing around at the factory walls and large windows with rolled-up shades, he could hear the rumbling and cursing of both Commission agents coming from the office.

He looked at the wall about ten yards in front of him. Noticing a set of buttons and levers, he remembered from the night before that he’d seen a lever controlling the window shades.

“Five,” he heard her gentle voice in his mind. It was as if he was dreaming again.

Five shook his head. No - he couldn't afford to be distracted by her, not now. And yet the pain in his chest sharpened, as if her memory was gnawing at him.

A furious Cha-Cha burst out of the office, followed by Hazel, clutching the right side of his face. Both were determined to accomplish this mission. She scanned the factory cautiously, looking for any movement. Silence was everywhere, and the first rays of the morning sun began to filter through the large window panes.

Cha-Cha gestured with her hands, signaling for her partner to split up. He nodded and moved in Five’s direction. Five remained crouched in his hiding spot, gripping the knife in his right hand, the gun in his left, waiting. He listened to the footsteps, counting in his head, “5 yards, ….3, 2, 1.”

As Hazel rounded the corner, Five struck fast, slashing at the Achilles tendon of his left leg. Hazel's scream broke the silence and his body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Five sprinted past him toward the control panel on the wall. In one swift motion, he pulled a lever, and the factory filled with a deep, groaning sound as heavy shades slid down over the windows, plunging the room into darkness.

He tucked the knife into his pocket, fumbling for his flashlight, as Cha-Cha’s furious voice echoed across the space, “Five, you bastard. We’ll get you!”

He planned to move cautiously toward the side exit, but as he spun on his heel, he found himself staring down the barrel of Hazel’s rifle. “Not another step, or I’ll blow your face off.”

“Oga for Oga,” Hazel added furiously.

Squinting in the darkness, he grabbed Five by the collar of his jacket , just as Cha- Cha's voice reached them from the distance, "Hazel, she needs him alive!"

******************

Five barely breathed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins.

He had no idea where he was getting the energy to fight. The years in the subway had drained him. His body suffered from hunger, dehydration, and frequent infections.

He squinted a few times and found himself back in the dream. He could smell the familiar cold again, the scent of her proximity and the lingering smell of leather, metal and plastic. He was on a train.

He could see her in front of him, but this time she wasn't smiling.

“Lila…” he said softly, reaching out his hand to her. He could see her, yet he couldn’t touch her. She was only a figment of his mind.

Pain was etched across her face. He looked into her chocolate-brown eyes, filled with fear. She opened her mouth and spoke to him, pleading, “Five, please. Save me. You have to blink.”

Five’s throat tightened, and he reached out, trying to touch her. But she remained a ghostly vision, slipping through his fingers like mist. “I can’t teleport,” he murmured, his voice heavy. “I’ll end up back in the subway. I can’t risk losing you…”

Her voice dropped to a choked whisper. “Five, please. We need you. I need you!”

He knew the risk, knew he could lose precious time—but he couldn’t leave her behind. Not again.

Five nodded, focusing all his strength into a single point. He thought of her, trying to gather enough energy to jump through space. On her.

“Do it now, Five!” she urged, extending her hand as if showing him the way. “Cha-Cha is too close. Blink!”

Five concentrated, thinking of Lila. Of her smile, of the scent of her hair tickling his chin that morning, of the warmth of her body as she snuggled against him. He longed to be with her, to feel her presence again.

Five, what the...?" Hazel mumbled in confusion and squinted his eyes as the light of the concentrated energy completely blinded him. It was much stronger than that of the briefcase, as if Five had had a multiple dose of energy to jump with.

The entire factory was bathed in a blue-violet light, and poof - Agent Five was gone.

******************

Cha-Cha reached the spot just as the light faded, her face twisted in rage. “Fuck. We lost him. Where did he teleport?”

Hazel stumbled, but tried to steady himself. His leg burned and stung with pain, his head throbbed in agony - today was not his day. Holding his swollen eye, he turned to her. “The boss isn’t going to be happy about this,” he said through gritted teeth. “Another marigold gone…”

Finally, she fumbled in the dark for the light switch and illuminated the entire factory.

“Shut up, you idiot. Stop complaining,” Cha-Cha snapped, glancing around the now-empty space. But the panic in her eyes betrayed her. This wasn’t just another mission—they were skating on thin ice with the boss.

After a moment of silence, Hazel cleared his throat. “What if we try The Infinite Switchboard?” he suggested, his voice low. “We can find where he blinked. Last option we’ve got. After all, the last marigold’s with old Hargreeves.”

Cha-Cha clenched her jaw, the weight of failure sinking in. She stormed back to the office, returning with a black briefcase. “Fine. But we’re doing this quietly. If the boss finds out we messed up…”

His face paled, his bruised eye swollen shut as he muttered, “Yeah. We’ll end up like A.J.”

With a quick nod, Cha-Cha grabbed his arm. A faint, pale glow surrounded them, dimmer than Five’s burst of light. With a final glance at the empty factory, they vanished.