It was a race against death. As the group piled into two Hotel Obsidian cars, they struggled to race away from the kugelblitz. Not only did they have to worry about the orange ball sucking everything in its wake, but they also had to worry about the cracked roads and deep potholes with mouths wide open, attempting to swallow them whole. Dusk floored the accelerator as the orange rays got dangerously close to the vehicle.

"Dusk, hurry! It's catching up!" Viktor shuddered, trying to stay calm. "I'm going as fast as I can!" The raven assured. "We're almost there. Just a couple more blocks!" Without warning, she turned the wheel left, some of her siblings crashing into one another. "Luther, you're crushing me!" Diego smacked Luther's arm as it dug into his ribcage. "We're all cramped together, so you're gonna get squished one way or another!" Luther sighed.

After a few more painstaking and stressful minutes, Dusk finally pulled the car to the sidewalk, letting out a breath of relief. "Is everyone okay back there?" She asked. "We'd be much better if we got inside!" Lila retorted. Just as she helped everybody inside, the second car pulled into the lot, Sloane and Five got out, carrying Dahlia and Ben's unconscious bodies into the building. "Have they woken up yet?" The phoenix questioned as they set them down.

"Not yet, but Dahlia was talking weirdly in the car," Sloane answered. Dusk slightly raised an eyebrow. "What was she saying?" She inquired. The gravity girl explained it was mostly groans of pain, but she muttered words like Fei, Kugelblitz, and Oblivion. Oblivion? She looked down at the blonde and Squid Boy, noticing they were slowly waking up. "What's going on? Ow, my head..." Dahlia groaned as she sat up.

"D, Benny, you're in the Hotel Obsidian. We're safe," Sloane stooped down to their level. The blonde glanced around the room, a look of panic in her eyes. "Wha-where is Fei and Christopher?" She hyperventilated. "They... didn't make it," her sister stated. Dusk watched as Dahlia's eyes widened, but she could see she was doing her best to hide her emotions. "What is happening to this world?" she muttered.

"Clearly ending!" Victoria scoffed. "I wasn't talking to you, redhead, whatever your name is," Dahlia placed her head in her hands, scooting up against the wall. "So, how is it that we're still here, but the whole universe is going down the cosmic shitter?" Allison asked. "Maybe we're the last to get flushed?" Viktor suggested. Allison looked away, clearly trying to act like he didn't exist. The raven glared at her sister, silently saying, Do you want me to tackle you again?  But Allison did her best to ignore her too.

Luther looked around the room, wondering if anyone saw Dad or Klaus. "They'll be here," Diego assured. Ben scoffed at the Kraken's response, "Really, did they... hit traffic? Look people, we're alive because we're special. We're the only ones who can save this universe," he spoke. 

"Didn't we just try that and fail miserably?" Dusk crossed her arms. "Yeah, because his plan was stupid," The Kraken piped up. "I have a better idea. We go with the large hard-on particle accelerator. You guys do some science, and... we launch the kugelblitz into outer space," Dusk's face twisted into one of confusion. I think it's hadron. But A for effort, Diego.

That idea did not sit well with Ben, who insulted Diego for his mispronunciation, but Lila came to his defense, asking what he contributed. "Actually, this little shit blew up half his family!" Diego pointed out. "For once, an Umbrella speaks the truth," Dahlia muffled. Ben and Diego turned their attention, asking her to repeat herself.

"I said, he's right! Ben, all you've ever done is mess things up with your shitty plans! Look what happened to Jayme and Alphonso! And now, Fei and Christopher!" Dahlia repeated, a look of hurt and anger spreading across her face. "My plans are not shitty! They're way better than yours!" Ben protested. "Oh really? If your plans are sooooo good, then how did things turn out with me and Chris all those years ago, huh?"

What in the world is she talking about? Dusk glanced the pair up and down. Ben went silent as Dahlia continued to stare at him with her icy cold gaze. "You're gonna bring this up now, in front of everyone?" Ben hissed. "Why should you care if they know the story? You only care about yourself!" As things looked like it would turn into another fight, Five whistled loud enough to catch their attention.

"You guys done? I don't care to know the tensions between you two right now. The universe is disappearing outside. So, you can keep bickering and rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic if it makes you feel better. But the fact remains that we are too late," the time traveler said, walking away from the railing. Hearing him say that was so unlike Five, and most of the group was shocked by this.

"Five, come on. It can't be over," Luther reasoned. "It's over, we failed," He sadly nodded his head.  The Umbrellas tried to talk him into helping find a solution, but no matter what they said, Five would not budge. "We have to figure this out," Dusk pleaded. "How about we all take a step back and look at the big picture? Most of us have spent the last 28 days trying to stop the world from ending. What exactly have we accomplished?" Five questioned.

The room went completely silent. Some slumped back in their seats, while others just stared at the ground, knowing what the answer was. "Well, we made some friends along the way," Luther spoke up, briefly looking at Sloane. "Incorrect! You know what we've done? Nothing! We've made things worse every single time!" Five snapped but took in a breath so the temptation to blow up again was less severe. "When I went to the Commission, I had a conversation with my 100-year-old self. And my last words were, don't save the world,"

Don't save the world? "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Diego commented. "Is it? Whatever we're doing's not working. All we ever do is save the world for a day, pat ourselves on the back, and then everything goes to shit again," Luther realized. "Maybe we're the problem..." Viktor trailed off. As she considered her sibling's points, Dusk realized that maybe there was nothing they could do to save the world. And even if there was, something else would happen, some other big earth-destroying event. 

"So, you're saying our next plan is nothing? We accept whatever happens?" the phoenix asked. "Exactly! Maybe this is just what the universe needs. I say we embrace the apocalypse, see what's on the other side," Five nodded. "What if there's nothing?" Sloane questioned. He glanced down at the ground before looking at each of them, from Dahlia, who shook her head at the madness, to Victoria, who was petting Pennycrumb's back, and then back to his hesitant twin.

"Then, it's been nice knowing you all. Whatever's on your bucket list, I recommend you do it now," Five answered, taking a seat near the railing. They all sat there in silence, unsure of what to do. The only things on Dusk's bucket list were to spend the last few moments with the love of her life and make sure Victoria wasn't alone whenever the time did come.

She glanced towards the revolving doors, hoping to hear the familiar sound of Klaus's voice. But nobody else besides the group stepped through those doors. "Well... on that super happy note, we've got a little announcement to make," Luther smiled as he and Sloane stood up, holding hands. Let me guess, either Sloane's pregnant, or they're engaged. The couple looked at one another and giggled as the group looked at them, wondering what was going on.

"We're engaged!" They announced, Sloane showing her left hand to reveal the ring. Ben and Five rolled their eyes, muttering under their breath, while Allison blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Now?" She queried. "Look, we realize the timing is less than ideal. But obviously, it's now or never. Am I right, Five?" Luther called out to him. But the time traveler begged him not to drag him into this. His tired and depressed mood made Dusk concerned. She had seen it a few times since they arrived in the timeline, but now she was really worried.

"Whatever time we have left, we want to spend it with all of you. So, we're super pumped if you would join us in the banquet hall at 6 pm for a celebration of our love, and the official union of what's left of our two great families," Sloane grinned. The more Dusk thought about it, a wedding did seem like the perfect way to lighten the ominous mood. It could be the last hurrah before the end of the world. And this time, nobody would need to get exposed or cause a ruckus.

.

"Dress code is Creative Black Tie," Luther added, smiling as he looked down at his fiancée, kissing the top of her head.