Diego helped Katrine stand up and made sure she was okay to stand on her own. The two of them ran through the house as they did their best to avoid the explosions and debris falling. They rounded a corner and ran into their siblings and Pogo.
"What the hell is going on?" Diego asked with a frown.
Pogo glanced at the ground. "Vanya. We need to get to safety outside the Academy."
Diego, Klaus, and Katrine made their way to the door as Luther yelled from behind, "Don't forget Mom!"
✫--✫
Vanya walked through the Academy halls; the place that seemed like home, but ultimately became her prison. Vanya opened the door to Klaus's room and saw Klaus and Ben. They looked up at her and Ben frowned at her. "To go on a mission, Vanya, you have to have a power."
Klaus remained silent and Vanya destroyed the room.
She opened Diego's door and saw a teenage version of him sitting on his bed. He glared at her. "Vanya! What do you want?"
Vanya stared at him and closed the door. As she walked away, an explosion destroyed the room.
She came upon Allison's room and opened the door. Sitting on the bed, with their backs to the door, were Allison and Luther. Their faces were close. They looked back, hearing the door open, and jumped apart and turned to face her. "Just get out!" Allison yelled as Luther stood up to shut the door in her face. Vanya turned away from the room and it exploded.
She came upon Katrine's room. The little girl was coloring in her superhero coloring book. She looked up to see Vanya and her eyes brightened. "Hi, Vonnie! I'm coloring Batman! Do you wanna come help me?"
Vanya struggled with herself a moment. She didn't want to destroy Katrine's room. Her little sister was the only one who had been nice to her, but the anger she felt was consuming her, and pushing down the love she felt for her little sister. Ultimately, the anger won, and the room was destroyed. Her heart broke as her little sister's small figure dissipated.
✫--✫
Diego, Klaus, and Katrine ran to the loveseat to see if Grace was there, but it was empty. "Mom!" Diego cried.
Another explosion rocked the house and the three of them continued to call for Grace. The ceiling started caving and rubble fell from it. The rubble hit Diego and he passed out. Katrine tried to duck from the falling rubble, but didn't get out in time. She fell to the ground and saw nothing but darkness.
Klaus let out an annoyed groan. He pushed Katrine out of the way first because she was obviously lighter. He tried to move Diego as well, but he couldn't. Diego was too heavy, and he couldn't get both of them out of the way in time.
Klaus looked up at the ceiling to see that it was cracking. He didn't have much time before it would completely cave.
Once again, he tried to move Diego out of the way, but he was still too heavy. If only Diego could wake up a little more.
The ceiling creaked, letting them know that it was close to falling. Diego was pulled and Klaus figured Ben had to be helping him. There was no other explanation. He glanced over at Katrine to see that she was still unconscious. He picked her up and noticed fear in Diego's eyes. "Klaus, is she--"
Klaus looked up at Diego. "No, she's unconscious."
Diego let out a relieved sigh as they continued running from the falling debris. Klaus kept repeating to himself, "Come on. Come on, come on."
They reached the fire escape and Diego climbed down first. Katrine's eyes slowly opened and Klaus lifted her over the railing. Diego slung her over his shoulder and got her down. Klaus then climbed down.
Katrine shook her head slowly. "Ow. My head. Did we get Mom out?"
She didn't have to read their minds because she saw Grace standing in the window looking down at them lovingly. Katrine immediately ran towards the door but was pulled back by Diego. She started fighting him. "Diego, no! Mom! Mom!"
Diego started screaming for Grace along with his sister. Grace gave them a wave and one final kiss.
The building shook violently and Diego instantly shielded Katrine from the flying rubble.
Silent tears fell down Katrine's face and Diego's heart broke. Katrine was sobbing, but no sound was coming from her mouth.
The smoke cleared and the siblings stared in shock at the Academy. For years, it had been their home, and now it was gone.
Diego called out desperately for Grace. Katrine slowly walked to the front of the Academy and knelt in front of the rubble. She curled up, facing the Academy, and continued sobbing.
Klaus's heart broke as he watched both his siblings in pain. He was never as close to Grace as the two of them, but he was still hurting. Diego was stumbling around. Klaus attempted to calm him down, but couldn't. He made his way over to Katrine and wrapped her in his arms as she sobbed.
Diego swallowed his tears and embraced his little sister. He was hurting and sad, but so was she. He put his feelings away to help her.
Allison and Luther rushed towards the three of them and they looked at each other. Luther had a grim expression on his face and Allison's face radiated sadness. Luther let out a sigh. "Pogo didn't make it."
"What?" Klaus asked in disbelief.
Luther nodded. "Vanya killed him."
Diego frowned. "But Vanya wouldn't--"
Luther interrupted him. "No, I saw it. Just before we got out."
Katrine's eyebrows furrowed. Oh, Vanya. How do I help you?
Five caught their attention. "Guys!" He ran towards them, a newspaper in hand. "This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today."
Katrine let out a sigh. Five was right, judging from the newspaper and the thoughts running through his head. She knew she still had to protect her city, even at the expense of her own life.
Luther frowned. "I thought you said it was over."
Five shook his head. "I was wrong, okay? This newspaper. I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."
"No, that doesn't mean anything." Diego protested. "Time could have been altered since that newspaper came out this morning. Hell, Katrine was supposed to die several days ago. She's still here."
Five let out an annoyed sigh. "You're not listening to me. When I found it, I assumed this place came down with everything else. But here we are. The moon's still shining, the earth is in one piece; but not the Academy."
Klaus grabbed the newspaper from Five's hands. "I'm confused."
"Then listen to me, you idiot!"
Katrine frowned. "Five, you need to calm down right now. Emotions are high. We're all panicking and scared. Take a moment, Five."
Five followed his sister's motions and took a breath. "Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse. I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb. Vanya causes the apocalypse."
The whirring of helicopter blades and the wailing of sirens caught their attention. Katrine glanced up and squinted as bright lights threatened to blind her.
"We gotta go now. Regroup at the Super Star." Luther told them. "Go!" Katrine remained stationary, staring at the rubble.
Diego placed an arm around her shoulders and said, "Come on, Kat."
They headed to the Super Star Bowling Alley. Katrine frowned slightly, wanting to sit in a chair. Diego offered her his lap and she accepted. The sound of a family laughing caught her attention and she found herself glaring at them, wishing they could have as much fun.
She slowly turned to face Luther as he said, "Look. I hate to be the one to say this, but everyone needs to prepare."
"For what?" Diego asked rudely.
"To do whatever it takes to stop Vanya." Luther said, earning a glare from Katrine and a swat from Allison. "We may not have a choice, Allison."
Katrine sighed. "Who knew? Vanya has powers. And you must be crazy if you think we'll do whatever it takes to stop her. I know what you're thinking, and I don't approve in the slightest."
Allison suddenly seemed ashamed of something and Katrine frowned. "What is it?"
She wrote something down on her notepad. I rumored Vanya so she forgot she had powers. I rumored you so you wouldn't tell her. Dad's orders.
Katrine glared at the words. Allison wrote something else. I'm so sorry. Didn't mean to hurt her. Or ruin your bonding with Vanya.
Katrine scoffed. "Well, you have. Vanya and I bonded over music and I loved watching her soundwaves radiate through the house when she played." She took a moment to breathe. "Your neck. Did Vanya do that?"
Allison nodded. Tried to make her forget. My fault.
Katrine nodded and shifted slightly on Diego's lap. She gave Allison a small smile, but was still angry.
She could understand where Vanya was coming from. Her sister thought she was ordinary her entire life, and then suddenly found out that she had powers. Allison had tried to cover it up. Katrine could see why, but that didn't mean she agreed with it. Vanya was lashing out, and Katrine understood exactly why.
Katrine sighed. "Vanya is hurt. She's scared and is reacting to it. I don't blame you. It was a shitty thing to do, but I don't blame you. I blame Dad for forcing you to do such an awful thing. To both of us."
Allison smiled gratefully at her little sister. Katrine had always been wiser beyond her years.
Klaus picked up a newspaper from the table and started sifting through it. He came across a page that caught his attention and saw an ad that was advertising an orchestra concert. He realized it was Vanya's.
Luther looked at his siblings. "We need to find Vanya, and fast. She could be anywhere."
Klaus flipped the newspaper so they could see the ad. "Or here."
Diego's eyes widened. "That's right. Her concert is tonight."
A young woman, wearing a blue uniform, walked up to them. "Hello. I hate to intrude, but my manager says if you're not gonna bowl, you need to leave."
Katrine narrowed her eyes. "We're busy with some important business. Tell your manager we'll bowl when we're ready."
The woman frowned at her and Katrine returned her look. 'Walk away. Now.'
She walked away and Luther frowned at her. "What, now you're manipulating people's minds?" He tossed a ball onto the lane. It bounced a few lanes over before giving him a strike.
Normally, Katrine would applaud him for such a thing, but she was too busy fuming at him.
"You locked Vanya in a vault to stop her. She broke out and is now responsible for all of this. You're one to talk, Luther."
Katrine stood to size Luther up, and he stood up as he stared down at her. The other siblings might have laughed at the major height difference, had they not been worried about a fight breaking out.
Diego pulled Katrine down gently, knowing she would probably do something. Luther had high morals, but didn't always follow them in the right way. Katrine had high morals as well, but as a deputy, she and Luther often clashed with how to handle things. It'd been that way since they were kids.
Luther backed down and let out a sigh. "We're the only ones that can stop her. We have a responsibility to Dad."
Diego narrowed his eyes. "To Dad? No, I've heard enough about--"
Luther cut him off. "He sacrificed everything to bring us back together."
Katrine scoffed. "And you ruined everything by locking our sister in a vault."
"She killed Harold and Pogo. She destroyed the Academy. She nearly killed Allison!"
"I am aware, One. I don't agree with the way she's doing things, but I get why. She's hurting. She's scared."
Five avoided Katrine's eyes as he said, "I'm with Luther on this one. We can't give her a chance to fight back."
Katrine scoffed angrily. "This is such bullshit! What if this was me, huh? Would you idiots be acting like this?"
Five shook his head. "No. You know that, Kat. There are billions of lives at stake. We're past trying to save just one."
"Then why are you behaving this way with Vanya? She's our sister! You're giving up on her. I thought we never gave up on family."
Luther frowned. "She killed Pogo and Mom."
Katrine glared at him. 'Keep your mouth shut.'
Luther tried to speak, but couldn't, and glared at her.
Klaus noticed how angry Katrine was getting and decided to do something about it. "Hey, you know, guys, uh, maybe I could help."
Luther and Katrine continued glaring at each other before turning to Klaus. Katrine decided to allow Luther to speak. Though, she knew it'd be a load of crap. "Now's not the time."
Diego held his hand up. "No, let him finish. He saved my life today, as well as Kat's."
Klaus shuffled awkwardly as he said, "I took credit for that. For Diego, at least. But the real hero was Ben."
The siblings, excluding Katrine, narrowed their eyes. She just let out an irritated sigh. "Really?" Five asked.
Klaus nodded and launched into an explanation. "Listen. Listen. Today, he punched me in the face. And earlier at the house, he was the one who saved Diego's life. Not me. I saved Katrine."
"You are unbelievable, Klaus." Luther said in disgust.
Katrine scoffed. "Oh, like you're not. Suddenly you're acting like some patron saint? We all know you aren't."
Klaus frowned between them, wanting to break up the brewing argument. "You want proof? Is that it?" He looked at an empty space when Katrine supposed Ben was. "Alright, I'll give you proof."
Katrine made herself comfortable as she prepared for what Klaus was going to do.
He picked up a pink bowling ball and psyched himself up. "Alright, it's showtime, baby."
Klaus threw the ball to the empty space he'd stared at moments before. Ben tried to catch it, but he couldn't, and the ball hit the floor. Luther and Diego stared at Klaus with unimpressed looks while Katrine bit back a laugh. Klaus coughed awkwardly.
Luther frowned at Klaus and his voice took on a condescending tone. "Is there any way to silence that voice in your head that screams out to be the center of attention?"
Klaus glared at his brother, irritated that his trick hadn't worked. "You know, I liked you a lot better before you got laid." He then began to ramble. "Which was a complete...It--it wasn't his fault, cause he was ridiculously high, right? And--and the girl, she thought he was a furry."
"Stop!" Luther cried.
Allison got up as a look of hurt crossed her face and walked away. Luther called after her as he followed her.
Katrine didn't say a word, but rolled her eyes at Klaus. Sometimes he's a little too extra.
She sat down on Allison's empty chair and a woman walked up to them. "Excuse me, it's my son Kenny's birthday today, and, uh, wouldn't your son be happier playing with kids his own age?" She asked, glancing at Five.
The woman turned to Klaus and Diego. "Assuming it's okay with your two dads." She then looked at Katrine. "Or your big sister."
The three of them exchanged a confused look while Five glared at the woman. "I would rather chew off my own foot. And my sister is younger than me."
The woman's eyes widened and she glanced between Five and Katrine before dragging her kid back to their lane. Five walked away and Katrine sat as she watched Klaus and Diego argue.
Diego narrowed his eyes at Klaus. "If I were to date a man, you'd be the last man I would date."
Klaus scoffed. "You'd be lucky to get me."
Katrine started cracking up and her brothers looked at her. "God, that was hilarious! Apparently I'm now older than Five. Although, he is 35 years older than me age-wise as opposed to seven. Holy shit."
She frowned and looked around. "Speaking of Five, where did he go?"
Klaus shrugged and Diego asked them what was wrong. Katrine turned to him. "Five's missing."
Luther and Allison walked back to their siblings, both looking more relaxed. Katrine stood up and asked, "Have either of you seen Five?"
Luther's voice took on a questioning tone. "I thought he was with you."
Diego frowned. "He left."
Katrine rolled her eyes, seeing Luther's frown. "He was with us, and then he disappeared."
Luther began mumbling to himself. "Oh, for the love of...where'd he go?" He looked up at his siblings. "Well, we're not waiting around for him. The concert starts in 30 minutes."
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Diego questioned.
Luther was silent for a moment. "Well, I think that, uh...We go to the Icarus Theatre."
Diego rolled his eyes. "That's a location. Not a plan."
The boys started arguing and Katrine stepped between them. "We go to the theatre and support Vanya while trying to rescue her from herself. And we do it without maiming or killing anyone; especially her."
Diego gave her a small smile before looking back at Luther. "How does the baby of the family have a better plan than you?"
Luther frowned at him and their arguing resumed.
They were cut off as figures with red masks entered the bowling alley and started shooting. Katrine immediately pulled out her gun and shot back. She snuck through the alley making sure people were safe.
When she rejoined her siblings a few moments later, Diego grabbed her and pulled her behind a counter. "Are you crazy?!"
She smirked. "Maybe."
He frowned at her and the gunfire increased. People started screaming and Katrine shot back at the masked figures.
Luther and Diego started shouting about what they should do and more guys entered. Diego frowned and yelled, "Who the hell are these guys?"
Klaus, who was covering his ears, cried, "Maybe they're here for Kenny's birthday!"
The gunshots, by this time, were a dull noise to Katrine. A couple shots chipped the counters they were hiding behind. Luther picked up a bowling ball and threw it as hard as he could at one of the guys. Diego used his knives to take several out. Katrine continued using her gun. Along the line, her clip ran out. She always carried extra with her, so she took a few seconds to replace it.
Klaus grabbed the cake from the counter and chucked it at one of the figures. He fell to the ground. Felled by cake. Way to go, Four.
Katrine continued shooting at the guys as Diego knocked another masked figure down who fell into the record player. Almost instantly, the lights dimmed and music rang throughout the building.
♪ Saturday, hey. Saturday, hey. ♪
♪ Keep on dancin' to the rock and roll on Saturday night, Saturday night. ♪
Klaus noticed their situation and cried, "They're blocking the exit!"
Diego turned to Luther and yelled, "So, what's the plan now, Luther?"
♪ Dancin' to the rhythm with our heart and soul. ♪
Allison automatically pointed to the lanes and Luther nodded. "The lanes! Katrine!"
Still pointing her weapon, she turned to her brother. "Yeah?"
"Distract them. Just so we have enough time to escape."
She nodded and narrowed her eyes as she focused on seizing the minds of all the masked figures. "Drop the guns right now."
Katrine felt weirdly proud of herself. She hadn't taken control of a group of people's minds in a long time. The last time she'd done so was the night Lincoln died. God; that seems so long ago.
The guns were placed on the ground and Katrine ran across the closest lane. She dove through the bowling pin chute and Klaus grabbed her. "That was awesome!"
♪ Saturday, hey. Saturday, hey. ♪
The gunshots started up again and Katrine glanced back. "Let's go. We have a sister to save."
[Long chapter. Let me know if you got through it all.
Katrine is so done with Luther, but at the same time, recognizes that he's still her brother. They may disagree on everything, but they're still family, and that means something to her.]