As soon as Diego left, you and Klaus glanced at each other with a sigh, getting out of the car without even having to commune.

"So what exactly is the plan here, big guy?" Klaus asked when you found Diego at the top of the steps, stopping him from throwing a knife.

He sighed, not so much as glancing behind him.

"I told you to wait in the car."

"Yeah, but you also told me that licking a 9-volt battery would give me pubes."

You giggled, elbowing him.

"That's funny - he told me it would give me powers!"

"Whoa," Klaus said, snorting. "Low blow, dude. Or Lil Bro? Can I call you that now?"

Diego ignored his comment, turning to face both of you.

"We were eight."

Klaus tipped back his bottle, staggering forward, and Diego grabbed his shirt, pushing him back down the stairs.

"Uh-uh, uh-uh..."

"What? Come on," Klaus complained as they kept walking. You raised an eyebrow.

Forgot about me that easy, huh?

You crept into the horribly familiar motel room, refusing to look at the chairs you and Klaus had been tied up in. Instead, you grabbed a book off of the table, narrowing your eyes when you saw the cover.

It's Vanya's book - the one Allison told me about.

The TV played in the background, but you ignored it, stepping back outside to show Diego your discovery, only to find him about to kick the door in.

"Shit, Diego," you hissed, backing away from him. "The door was unlocked, idiot."

He rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"I told you to-"

A car engine revved, and you ran outside the room only to see a bullet flying for Diego's chest. Almost without thinking, you thrust the book forward, watching with wide eyes as it tore through the pages, slowing the bullet's momentum just enough that Diego had time to leap out of the way. 

However, one still managed to hit him in the upper arm, and more were flying for his head, but Klaus saved the day by pulling him behind a pillar. You ducked back into the room, breathing rapidly as Diego groaned and the car sped away.

"See?" Klaus asked, watching Diego clutch his arm. "You used to think I was an idiot."

Diego sighed, leaning against the railing.

"I still think you're an idiot. Both of you." He glanced around the pillar, stumbling back down the stairs hastily. "They're getting away."

"You're welcome," you said sarcastically, chasing them down the steps only to watch the car disappear.

Diego sighed, still holding his arm.

"Shit. Get in the car. Oh..."

"Yeah," you muttered as air hissed out of the tires. "These guys are good."

Klaus kicked the deflating tire angrily, and you became distracted, an idea forming in your mind.

"Hey, guys?" you called.

"Was this all part of your master plan?" Klaus asked Diego dryly.

"Hellooooo?"

"Shut up."

"Idiots! Over there!" you finally shouted, pointing to an ice cream truck not far from where you stood. "The drivers always leave their keys in there."

Klaus slowly smiled, walking over and putting an arm around your shoulder. 

"I like how you think, lil sis. Let's hop in."

Diego groaned, but not in pain, as you all boarded the vehicle.

"I'm driving," Klaus said, pushing Diego out of the way when he tried to get in first. "You are injured."

"And you are high," Diego fired back.

"I could drive," you offered, and the two men only stared okay you for a second before shaking their heads and hopping into the car.

"What?" you complained, throwing your hands in the air angrily. "Five drove!"

"Five's older," Diego reasoned, reminding you why he was your least favorite brother. "You can sit on the floor."

You grit your teeth, muttering hateful words under your breath as you climbed past him, making sure to step on his foot a little harder than necessary before settling on the ground in between the two boys.

"Now let's track down these bastards," Diego muttered, glancing down at a small hand-held device. A few minutes into the ride, Klaus burst out laughing.

"Anything you'd like to share with the group?" you asked, turning to face him.

"Ben just had the best idea - Eight, please turn on Ride of the Valkyries.

You grinned, shaking your head and pressing a few buttons.

"I miss him," you couldn't help but whisper.

"He misses you too," Klaus said after a moment, shockingly serious. "He talked to you a lot, you know. When you were asleep." He shrugged. "He says it's fine if you didn't hear him."

You felt hot tears pressing against your eyelids, and were grateful when Diego sat up, pointing with his good arm.

"There they are."

"You need to get that treated," you said, pointing to his bullet wound, but he just shook his head.

"No time. Drive faster, Klaus. I see Luther and Five."

You sat up immediately, eyes scanning the road. Sure enough, they stood side by side, Luther carrying a briefcase and Five with his hands tucked in his pockets.

You put a knee on Klaus' seat, leaning forward so that you could grin at the two boys along with him as you passed. Both of their brows were furrowed in confusion.

"What the hell are they doing here?" you heard Five ask angrily as Diego shouted at Klaus.

"GO FASTER!"

Gunfire suddenly echoed in your ears as Hazel and Cha-Cha began firing at both the truck and at Luther and Five. You spun in your seat to make sure they were ok as your torturers jumped out of the way, and then...

Conversation between Five and the Handler

Suddenly, it was as though time froze. Five peered out from behind Luther, ducking under his arm to survey the unmoving scene in front of him.

Hazel and Cha-Cha were jumping out from in front of the car, and Luther had his arms splayed protectively over where Five had just been, briefcase in hand. Five spun suddenly, searching the ice cream truck for (Y/N)'s face. Breathing a sigh of relief, he spotted her holding onto Klaus' arm tightly as she stared worriedly out the window, her head within full range of the bullets, at where he had just been.

"Neat trick, isn't it?" an oddly perfect woman with blond hair asked, pulling a thin veil away from her face and tucking it on top of her old-fashioned black hat. "Hello, Five."

Five didn't say anything, keeping his hands tucked in his pockets as he watched her from across the road.

"You look good, all things considered."

"It's good to see you again," Five said, keeping his voice reserved.

"Feels like we met just yesterday," the woman responded, her red lips stretching into a smile. "Course, you were a little bit older then. Congratulations on the age regression, by the way. Very clever. Threw us all off the scent."

Five rolled his eyes, turning his head to the side. 

"Yeah, well, I wish I could take credit. I just miscalculated the time dilation projections, and... Well, you know. Here I am," he said, smiling sarcastically as he slapped his hands against his sides.

"You realize your efforts are futile," the woman said, abruptly changing the topic. "So why don't you tell me what you really want?"

"I want you to put a stop to it," Five responded, placing his hands behind his back.

"You realize what you're asking for is next to impossible, even for me. What's meant to be is meant to be. That's our raison d'être." She waved her fingers in the air delicately as she spoke.

"Yeah?" Five responded calmly, leveling a gun at her chest. "Well how about survival as a 'raison'?"

"I'll just be replaced," she said, unsettlingly calm. "I'm but a... small cog in a machine. This fantasy you've been nurturing, about summoning up your family to stop the apocalypse... is just that. A fantasy." She strode closer, unbothered by the weapon pointed at her. "I must say, though, we're all quite impressed with your initiative, your... stick-to-itiveness, really quite... quite something. Which is why we want to offer you a new position back at the Commission, in management."

Five scoffed.

"Sorry, what's that now?"

"Come back to work for us again. You know it's where you belong," the woman said, drawing even closer.

"Well, it didn't work out too well the last time."

"But you wouldn't be in the correction division any longer. I'm talking about... the home office. You'd have the best health and pension, and an end to this ceaseless travel. You're a distinguished professional in... schoolboy shorts," she said, glancing down at his legs disapprovingly. "We have the technology to reverse the process. I mean, you... you can't be happy like this." She lowered his gun, and he surprisingly let it happen.

Five glanced back at (Y/N), tensing his jaw.

"I'm not looking for happy."

"We're all looking for happy," she said, stroking his cheek creepily with her fingers. "We can make that happen. We can make you..." She gestured at his body. "Yourself again."

He sighed.

"What about my family?"

"What about them?" she responded dubiously.

"I want them to survive." His tone had turned demanding, angry.

The woman let out a sigh, glancing coldly at the people surrounding her before turning back to Five once more.

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them," Five responded, glaring at her.

"Well," she said, putting her sunglasses back on. "I'll see what I can do. However..." She paused, walking over to the front of the ice cream truck, waiting for Five to follow. "I do have one more request."

"What is that?" Five asked, struggling to keep his voice even as his eyes flicked nervously to (Y/N).

"Oh, I think you know."

"You're not touching her," Five responded immediately, stepping closer and pressing the barrel of his gun to her chest. "So don't even ask."

"Well, we wouldn't be hurting her," the woman said with a laugh. "We would be hiring her, as we would you. I'm going to let you in on a secret, Five. One you already know. (Y/N) has powers."

"How do you know her name?" Five growled, his free hand clenching into a fist. "I was the only one she told."

She smiled eerily.

"I know many things, dear boy. Much more than you could ever hope to. Including what her power is. And just as your father wished to utilize it, so do I. She would be a distinguished member of the Collective, Five. We could transform her. Into somebody more... like you."

"She would never work for you," Five spit, his eyes fiery. "She would never kill anyone. She shouldn't have to change in order to get anyone's approval. I don't want her to be more like me. I don't want anyone to be more like me."

"Oh, but Five, she wouldn't have to kill anyone. In fact," she said with a small smile, tapping her chin lightly. "she would be preventing that from happening - defending her colleagues. And, as an added bonus, she would make it quite easy to keep you in line."

A muscle ticked in Five's jaw, and he he cocked the gun.

"No Eight, or no deal," he said in a low voice, never breaking eye contact with her.

The woman sighed like it was only a minor inconvenience.

"You do understand that we could take her whenever we wanted?"

"That's another part of the deal," Five said, smiling hatefully at her. "If I go with you, you don't touch her."

A long pause passed, in which the two stared each other down.

"I suppose that could be worked out," she said finally, sighing and flicking her hair back. "For now. Do we have a deal?"

Five relaxed slightly, cautiously lowering his gun.

"One more thing."

He grabbed Hazel and Cha-Cha's gun, dismantling it and throwing both pieces on opposite ends of the road. He then approached Eight, swallowing hard and hesitating for a moment, just staring at her. The woman checked her watch.

"I'll be back soon. And don't stick your head out the window when you're about to crash," he muttered, pushing her head back inside the window. Finally, he walked toward the woman again, preparing to shake her hand. "Mm, no." He walked back over to the bullet heading for Luther, moving it slightly down and to the right so it wouldn't hit him. "Ah."

At last, he walked over to the woman and shook her hand. With a whooshing, zapping sound, they disappeared.

...the ice cream truck slammed into Hazel and Cha-Cha's car, sending you lurching forward. At some point, you must have pulled your head back through the window. It was probably a good thing - you easily could have broken your neck otherwise. Still, slamming your shoulder into the headboard wasn't much fun either.

Diego groaned, holding his shoulder, and you turned to him.

"You should probably get that treated," you said.

"Good God," Klaus breathed, eyes wide. "Oh! Ow!"

"Five!" you heard Luther shout, and you quickly scrambled over Klaus and out the door. "Come get it!" Luther chucked the briefcase he was holding into the field, and Cha-Cha ran after it while Hazel ran for his gun.

Luther ran toward you as Klaus and Diego stumbled out of the car, and you frantically looked around.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?!" he asked angrily.

"Where's Five? Is he all right?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here," Luther said, him and Klaus half-carrying Diego to the car.

"We can't just leave without him!" you protested, spinning in a hasty circle.

"I'm pretty sure he left without us!" Klaus called back. "Now hurry up!" 

You sighed, running after them and opening the passenger's door.

"Ben's sitting there," Klaus warned. "I wouldn't."

You groaned, slamming the door and moving to the back door, trying to shove Diego.

"Uh, no," he said through grit teeth, clutching his elbow. "I'm not sitting between you two psychos."

"There's no time!" you hissed, but clambered over him anyway, collapsing against the seat. 

"Luther! Go! Go!" Klaus shouted as soon as you had sat down.

When the car started, he nudged you, and you turned to look out the back window, revealing your torturers staring after you hatefully.

Shooting a meaningful glance at each other, you and Klaus flipped them off as you sped away.