ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴏꜰ ᴅɪᴠᴏʀᴄᴇ
'ᴏʀᴀɴɢᴇ ɢʟᴏᴡ'

The car was rather silent the entire drive out of the city, with small talk being passed between Viktor and Inanna to break the awkwardness every so often while the world around them deteriorated more with each mile.

Viktor had told Inanna a simple plan. He was going to take Harlan's powers back from him, like he had tried to do that day at the farm and then once that was done, the harder part of the plan would begin — To convince the Sparrows that Harlan deserved to live.

Viktor drove them to a diner which was seemingly left abandoned, minus a singular car which Allison sat on, watching over Harlan who sat against the wall of the diner with his headphones on.

Inanna followed Viktor out of the car, crossing her arms over her chest as she walked around the front of it.

"Hey" Viktor looked between Allison and Harlan. "You two getting along?" Viktor asked.

"Oh, yeah. Two peas in a pod" Allison responded, nodding her head over to Harlan. "How'd the others take you going AWOL?" Allison asked.

Viktor extended his arms out to his sides. "Wouldn't say I'm their favourite sibling right now" Viktor said, nodding his head.

"Noticed you brought a plus one" Allison pointed at Inanna with the cigarette between her fingers.

"Yeah" Viktor nodded glancing over at Inanna. "Inanna is our best chance at convincing the others to help us eventually".

"And why's that?" Allison asked flickering her gaze between Viktor and Inanna. Allison scoffed. "Oh, right" Allison began answering her own question. "Because Five will do just about anything you say, right?".

Inanna shook her head, choosing to ignore Allison as she looked over at Harlan. Viktor did the same, not wanting to be the one to split up a potential fight between his two grieving sisters who had a lot more in common than they realised.

"You okay, Harlan?" Viktor asked walking over to the older man.

Harlan didn't respond. He rubbed his trouser covered knees as he glanced over at his briefcase next to him which stored his tapes.

Allison jumped off the car and walked over to Viktor. Inanna stayed by the car she and Viktor had arrived in, keeping her distance from Allison for a moment.

"Mr. Conversation" Allison said stomping her cigarette out on the ground. "Doing all right?" Allison asked Viktor.

"Yeah" Viktor nodded. "I'm fine" Allison shook her head. "Things are getting really bad out there. There's not much time until everything falls apart" Viktor said as Allison looked towards the city which was partially up in flames.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Allison asked.

"Harlan-" Viktor gestured over to him. "-helps me figure out how to take his powers back".

"And... And if that doesn't work?" Allison asked, she looked between Viktor and Harlan. "Look, Viktor, I got your back, okay, but there's a limit. The others are right. We have to face this Kugelblitz".

"Yeah, I know" Viktor nodded. "I know...".

"You have till tonight. Otherwise, I swear, I'm gonna rumour your ass to come back with me, okay?" Allison said.

Allison tilted her head, waiting for a reply from Viktor. "Yes, yeah. Sibling swear" Viktor crossed over his heart.

"I'm serious" Allison shoved Viktor's shoulder lightly. "Don't mess with me, tiny".

Allison left Viktor, going round to the drivers seat of the car she had driven to the diner with Harlan. Viktor turned to Inanna, giving her a small smile which she returned before following Allison to the same car, knowing that there was a few things the pair of them needed to discuss between themselves without the input from others.

Allison didn't say anything when Inanna sat in the passenger seat, and Inanna took that as a good sign, but the car fell silent and stayed silent for a few minutes, with both Allison and Inanna staring straight ahead to avoid making accidental eye contact, while Viktor explained the plan to Harlan.

"Look" Allison started, wanting to break the silence. "I'm not sorry for trying to rumour you. So if you want an apology for-".

"I don't" Inanna muttered.

"Alright then" Allison scoffed.

Inanna rolled her eyes, playing with the sleeves of her shirt. "Ray's dead" Allison said, her voice cutting through the awkwardness that swallowed them. "I looked him up before going to see my daughter".

"I'm sorry" Inanna mumbled.

"For what?" Allison shook her head with a shrug. "Ray died after living a long life, so unless you killed our mothers, you have nothing to apologise for".

"For taking you away from him" Inanna said turning her head towards Allison. "You could have lived a long life with him".

Allison shook her head, regretting the words she had said to Inanna a couple days before. "You didn't take me away from him. You had no idea what we were coming back to. I had to choose between Ray and Claire, and I chose my daughter" Inanna nodded, turning back to look out the window again. "Did- did you ever look for your brother? He'd be in his twenties, right?" Allison asked, wanting to turn the conversation away from Ray and Claire, even if it was just for a moment.

Inanna shook her head. "He wouldn't know me. I'd only cause more damage. I'd rather never see him again than meet a stranger who looks like an older version of him".

Allison opened her jacket, pulling out a flask which had been hidden in her pocket. She twisted the lid off and held it out to Inanna, knowing exactly how Inanna felt.

"And you and Five?" Allison asked as Inanna took the flask from her.

"We're fine" Inanna muttered pushing the flask to her lips.

Allison's scoff turned into a quiet laugh. "You can fool the others, but i've been married more than once. I know that look".

"What look?" Inann squinted her eyes, feeling the alcohol burn slightly.

"The 'I'm pissed at my husband look'. In my first marriage, the wind didn't have to change direction for my face to get stuck like that" Allison shook her head at the memories of her marriage with Claire's father, Patrick.

"Things were much easier when it was him and I in the apocalypse and then Lila's mom fucked that shit up not once but twice".

"Care to explain?" Allison asked as Inanna passed the flask back to her. She knew she was pushing for answers, but neither of them had anything better to be doing.

"She employed Five and I at the Commission and then set me up to die but failed and now this happens" Inanna held her hand up, and she and Allison watched as it phased slowly in a ray dull of colours. "And Five didn't think it was important for me to know who had screwed me over".

"Five didn't tell you?" Allison asked. Inanna shook her head, dropping her hand back onto her knee. "Typical" Allison muttered.

Allison looked over her shoulder, hearing the familiar sound of Viktor's energy as both Harlan and Viktor powered up.

Inanna looked back, curiously wanting to see how Viktor was going to execute his plan, and watched as Harlan surrounded the both of them with an orange force field and Viktor hunched over with his hands on his head.

"Is this safe?" Inanna asked.

Allison didn't respond as she got out of the car and Inanna took that as 'No'. Inanna followed Allison out of the car and Viktor groaned in pain when Harlan hit him with small blasts of energy.

"Viktor?" Allison called her brothers name as they walked towards them. "Harlan stop" Allison said, her eyes flickering between the two men in front of them.

"Viktor, this doesn't seem safe" Inanna said taking another hesitant step towards them and the energy field.

"I can take it" Viktor said, struggling to stay on his feet as he breathed heavily.

Allison shook her head as Viktor continued to groan in pain. "Harlan, that's enough!" Allison shouted. "I heard a rumour you let him go" Allison's rumour echoed around the force field, never meeting Harlan's ears.

"Listen harder, Viktor! You have to listen!" Harlan shouted.

Viktor's body shook violently as he forced out his words. "I... can hear it" Viktor said.

"Focus on it. Let it flow through your body" Harlan shouted.

The forcefield grew when Viktor focused on the sound that Harlan told him to listen to and it pulled Allison and Inanna into it as they covered their ears to block out the high pitched whistles.

Inanna and Allison screwed their eyes shut, neither of them noticing the orange glow that was absorbed into their skin, turning their eyes a vibrant orange — the same as Harlan's.

"Allison!" Inanna screamed her name, unsure if the woman next to her could hear her as Inanna let go of her ears to press her hands against her chest, feeling as if her lungs were burning from the inside out.

"Harlan!" Allison shouted. "Harlan, stop! It's too much!" A sound wave left Allison's mouth as she rumoured Harlan without saying 'I heard a rumour', and her voice echoed throughout the forcefield, knocking Harlan unsteady.

The forcefield disappeared and Viktor fell forwards, landing on his face and stomach as Harlan stopped glowing orange.

Allison stumbled on her feet, looking at her hands as she realised she had rumoured Harlan to stop without saying the words she needed to say. "How the hell did I just do that?" Allison asked.

Inanna dropped her hands, balling them up at her sides as she breathed heavily, the burn in her chest fading.

"You had no right!" Harlan shouted at Allison "We were making progress".

"Progress? You were killing him!" Allison shouted her words as she walked over to help Viktor to his feet.

"You said we could try till tonight" Viktor said as he stood up slowly with Allison's help. "There's still time. You promised" Viktor said.

"You could have died Viktor" Inanna took a step towards him.

"You weren't even supposed to be here, Inanna" Viktor argued, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. "You voted against us, remember?".

"No" Inanna shook her head. "I chose my life, your life and everyone else's lives over his" Inanna pointed at Harlan. "I don't want you to die, Viktor".

Allison looked between the three, shaking her head as she turned to Viktor. "There's something else going on here. You wouldn't be risking your life like this" Allison lowered her voice and took a step closer to Viktor. "What ever it is, you can tell me" Allison said.

Allison waited for a response. Expecting Viktor to tell her what the problem was, but it never came. "You don't have to be here" Viktor said, before averting his gaze to Inanna, his words directed at both of them.

Allison nodded with a shrug. "Well, I don't have anywhere else to go. But i'm not gonna stand here and watch you try to kill yourself" Allison shouted.

Viktor looked to Inanna as Allison walked off, pulling the pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and Viktor shook his head, expecting an argument from Inanna.

"If you kill him" Inanna turned to Harlan as she nodded her head to Viktor. "I will cut your tongue out and feed it to you, you got it?" Harlan didn't respond and Inanna took the knife out of her pocket. "I'm gonna be in there" Inanna pointed at the diner with the knife.

Inanna was in the same situation as Allison, she didn't want to leave but she also didn't want to see Viktor die because he was too stubborn to realise the danger.

Viktor and Harlan started again, once Inanna was inside the diner and out of ear shot, though she was keeping an eye on them as she slid around the counter to enter the kitchen.

Inanna slid the knife into her back pocket as she pushed against the kitchen door. "Oh, come on" The door was locked and Inanna believed her day couldn't possibly get much worse.

Inanna pushed against the door again, and her eyes locked on a framed photograph of a young couple wearing 70s clothing, stood in front of the diner. "Really? The world is ending and you lock the kitchen?" Inanna glared at the couple in the photograph.

Inanna took a step back from the door, taking a deep breath as she thought over a plan to get into the kitchen. Inanna took the knife out of her pocket and sat it on the counter behind her, deciding that it wasn't exactly safe to keep it there.

Nodding her head, Inanna sized up the door before throwing herself at it in an attempt to shove the door open, but when it didn't budge, Inanna stumbled back from the door and grabbed her shoulder, muttering "Idiot" under her breath as she rubbed the aching muscle which had been slammed against the hard door.

Inanna glanced over her shoulder, wishing that Five would appear out of no where and blink her into the kitchen but she knew he wasn't going to and that she'd have to find her own way in.

Already irritated, Inanna slammed her shoulder into the door again, it hadn't worked the first time and it didn't work the second time.

Inanna slammed her body against the door more than four times, and with every painful hit, she became progressively angry at herself, the door and at Five for not being there to help her.

"I just want to see what's in your fridge" Inanna shouted each word as she kicked the door, leaving nothing but dirty shoe marks on the white paint.

With one final kick to the door, Inanna believed it had opened when she lost her footing but as she landed on her side, groaning in pain, Inanna realised that the door was still locked and she had lost the fight.

Inanna screamed, pressing her hands against her eyes to stop the angry tears from rolling down her cheek as they flooded her waterline, but as her brain betrayed her reminding her of her argument with Five, her button lip trembled and her throat burned painfully and the tears finally trickled from the corner of her eyes, running warm down her skin.

Inanna pulled her knees up to her stomach, tucking her hands underneath her chin as she lied on the cold and dirty diner floor, crying quietly to herself.

━━━━━

A rumble of thunder as the lights in the diner flickered on and off, made Inanna lift her head up from her knees. Inanna stood up slowly, letting her eyes wander across the dark car park outside of the diner which had been brightly lit less than ten minutes before by the sun.

"Oh, shit" Inanna wiped her tears away with her sleeve as she hurried around the counter.

Inanna pressed her hand onto the counter top, missing how her blue irises turned orange when she picked up her knife and ran out of the diner towards Viktor and Harlan who floated above the car park, surrounded by a blue and orange force field.

Inanna noticed Allison running towards them, coming from the other side of the car park, with a look of worry and fear on her face as she looked up at her brother and the dark clouds that blocked out the sun.

"Viktor!" Allison shouted, her voice going unheard.

Inanna stood by the cars, watching with shock as Harlan began painfully transferring his power back to Viktor — via strings of energy that came out of their chests and tangled together.

"Viktor!" Inanna's voice was further quietened by the car alarms that began blaring next to her.

"Viktor!" Allison shouted her brother again as she walked hesitantly around to Inanna, both of them feeling useless as Viktor struggled to take the power back.

Harlan shouted in pain as his forcefield disappeared, and with an echoing scream, Harlan's power left his body and was absorbed by Viktor.

A blast of blue energy from Viktor as his powers grew too much, knocked Allison and Inanna off their feet, sending them both tumbling to the floor while Viktor and Harlan dropped to the ground.

Allison was first to her feet, breathing heavily as the dark clouds blew away as if nothing had happened seconds before.

"Viktor!" Allison staggered to her feet and her black boots crunched against the floor as she ran over to her brother who laid almost unconscious on the floor.

Allison crouched down next to Viktor, shaking his shoulder as she repeated "Hey" to him and Inanna stood up, using the car next to her to pull herself to her feet.

Allison pulled Viktor onto her lap, supporting him with her arms and Allison looked over at Harlan as Inanna crouched next to him, wanting to make sure he wasn't injured from the long fall out of the sky.

Harlan smiled, looking at his hands and Viktor called his name, his voice showing how exhausted he was.

"It's gone" Harlan said to Viktor as he sat up slowly, using his hands to push himself up. "We did it" Harlan chuckled happily and Inanna stood back up, realising that Viktor had taken all the damage.

"He's okay" Allison whispered to Viktor as his eye lids fluttered open and closed. "Okay? Hey. Hey. He's okay" Allison repeated and Viktor's eyes closed.

firstly, i just want to say
i do not like s3 allison
at all. what she did to
luther is inexcusable.

and secondly, i feel like
this chapter kind of lost
it's flow towards the end
but i didn't want to put
harlan losing his powers
into a whole different
chapter because it would
be so short...