Chapter 32: Chapter 32: A Nice Tip
[Third Person's PoV]
The woman behind the counter gave Nathan a strange look as she overheard Five's snide remarks toward him.
"Kids, right?" Nathan scoffed, shaking his head and gesturing toward Five with his thumb.
"Difficult to raise, aren't they?" the woman replied with a sympathetic smile.
"Tell me about it," Nathan sighed. "The older they get, the more attitude they seem to develop."
"Ain't that the truth," she nodded in agreement.
Five stared at Nathan, his fingers twitching as if itching to strangle him. "You're making me regret bringing you along," he muttered.
The woman returned with coffee cups and utensils, setting them down in front of the two. She poured their coffee as Five watched, a small smile forming on his lips as the steam rose from the cup. He inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma.
"Nothing beats a good cup of Joe," Five said, blowing on his coffee before taking a sip.
"So, why didn't you bring Dolores back with you?" Nathan asked, curious since he knew how much Dolores meant to Five.
Five sighed, setting his cup down. "My powers protect my body and consciousness during time travel. Dolores... well, she's not that lucky. The trip would've made her atoms unstable, completely destroying her. I had to leave her behind."
"So, is this a divorce?" Nathan teased.
Five glared at him. "Don't even joke about that. I'm hoping to see her this time when she's younger. We'll pick up where we left off."
"Oh, so you're ditching the old version for the younger one? That's cold, Five. I thought I raised you better," Nathan said, smirking.
"You're never going to get tired of that joke, are you?" Five grumbled.
"Not in a million years."
"And for the record, I'm not ditching anyone. It'll still be Dolores. We're just... starting over."
As Nathan and Five sipped their coffee, a group of men entered the diner, their heavy weaponry glinting in the dim light. They surrounded Five, weapons raised, each one aimed squarely at him.
"Well, that was fast," Five said, not bothering to turn around. "I thought I had more time before you guys showed up."
"Five, don't destroy this place," Nathan said casually, still not looking behind him. "We loved coming here as kids, remember?"
Five chuckled. "Of course I remember. That's why I came here. We used to sneak out and eat donuts until we were ready to puke."
"Pretty sure Klaus actually did puke," Nathan recalled, smirking. "All over Allison, too."
The leader of the armed group stepped forward, gun still pointed at Five. "Let's keep this professional, yeah? On your feet. You're coming with us. They want to talk."
"I have nothing to say," Five replied flatly, sipping his coffee.
"It doesn't have to go down like this," the man insisted. "You think I want to go home with the memory of killing a kid on my conscience?"
Five tilted his head, eyes cold. "You won't have to worry about that... going home, I mean."
In a blink, Five vanished, reappearing on top of the leader, jamming a knife into his neck. The man crumpled as gunfire erupted. Bullets ricocheted through the diner, but Five blinked from spot to spot, staying one step ahead of the chaos.
Nathan, unfazed by the carnage, took another sip of his coffee. "This is quite good, actually. I can see why Five likes it."
The bullets heading toward Nathan froze midair, suspended in time. The waitress from earlier, Agnes, stood frozen in shock, her eyes wide with horror as she dropped the coffee pot. Before it hit the ground, it floated back into her hand, as if by an unseen force.
Nathan leaned over slightly, reading her name tag. "Agnes, could I get a refill?" he asked, holding up his empty cup.
Behind them, Five blinked in front of one of the men, stabbing him in the eye with brutal precision. The man screamed, firing his gun wildly and hitting several of his comrades. Five snatched the gun from his hand and disappeared again, the bullets intended for him striking the man he had just incapacitated.
Five reappeared on another man's shoulders, shooting him point-blank. He leapt off, blinking to the counter in front of Agnes, and fired off several more rounds, each shot hitting its mark with deadly accuracy. Not a single bullet missed as he continued to take out the armed men with ruthless efficiency.
Five blinked again, and bullets riddled the spot where he once stood. Before they could reach Agnes, Nathan stopped them mid-air with his telekinesis.
"Come on, Agnes, don't keep my refill waiting. I swear I'll leave a good tip," Nathan called out, his tone casual.
Agnes, trembling behind the counter, sobbed quietly amidst the chaos. Nathan sighed, clearly exasperated.
"At least give me the pot. You're killing me here, Agnes," he whined, as glass shattered and bullets thudded into the wood of the diner walls.
Using his telekinesis, Nathan grabbed the coffee pot himself, filling his cup and then topping off Five's as well. He set the pot down and leaned back against the counter, his coffee cup floating beside him as he surveyed the carnage. With a flick of his fingers, he effortlessly deflected the bullets still flying through the air, watching as bodies crumpled to the ground, leaving trails of blood and brain matter splattered across the floor.
When Five's gun clicked empty, he holstered it and blinked toward the butter knife embedded in a man's eye. There was only one man left, standing over the dead bodies, trembling. He dropped his gun and turned to run.
Five, unimpressed, didn't give him the chance. With a swift throw, the butter knife flew straight into the back of the man's head, dropping him to the floor with a heavy thud.
Nathan let the bullets he'd been holding clatter to the ground with a metallic chime. Five stood over the bodies, casually adjusting his blazer.
"Looks like I've still got it," Five smirked.
"Yeah, old man, you're really back in your 10-year-old prime," Nathan teased, sliding Five's coffee back toward his seat.
Five blinked into his chair, taking a sip. "Ah, a refill. Nice."
He took a deep breath, savoring the aroma of his coffee. "I tell you, Nathan, nothing beats the smell of fresh coffee after gunpowder and blood."
Nathan scoffed, "Alright, Grandpa Five, you want me to gather around the fireplace and listen to your glory days?"
"Glory days?" Five chuckled darkly. "These *are* my glory days."
Downing his coffee in one gulp, Five stood and set the cup down. "Alright, let's get moving. I'm looking for an address."
"Oh? An adventure?" Nathan grinned, quickly finishing his drink. "Count me in."
Five smirked, "Be sure to tip the waitress for the emotional trauma."
Nathan pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and tossed it on the counter. "Here, Agnes. Buy yourself something nice."
With that, both Nathan and Five stepped over the bodies littering the floor, utterly unfazed by the carnage behind them.
***********************************************
+15 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone