Phoenix under the Umbrella (Umbrella Academy AU) Chapter 6: Attack on the Eiffel Tower (Patreon)

[Third Person's PoV] 


A month had passed since 5's disappearance, an absence that still weighed heavily on all of them. But time waits for no one, and life moves on. 


Everyone stood in front of Reginald as he said, “There’s been an attack on the Eiffel Tower. You are all tasked to go and save it. I hope you’ve got everything you need, as we have a plane to catch.”


“Can I come along?” 7 asked, her voice tinged with hope.


“You are going there only as a spectator, Number 7. Don’t think otherwise. Stop making me repeat myself…” Reginald’s tone was cold and dismissive as they all put on their eye masks and followed him to the plane parked behind the house.


They rushed inside and strapped in. Pogo was in the driver’s seat, wearing a brown coat with headphones on, getting everything ready for takeoff. As the plane ascended, 2, who was looking out the window, turned to 8.


“Y-Y-You know how to fly, r-right? H-H-How does it feel to do it by yourself? Without any support I-Items” he asked, his curiosity evident.


“If I had to describe it in one word… freeing,” 8 replied, a small smile on his face. “I feel like nothing can stop me when I fly—like I’m free from shackles.”


“Cool…” 2 muttered, a smirk forming on his lips.


“You know, you should be able to fly as well…” 8 said, smirking.


“W-What?” 2 asked, surprised.


“With your trajectory manipulation, all you need is some real hard practice. You should be able to change the direction of air currents to lift you up. Hell, with your other ability to hold your breath indefinitely, you could go underwater, change the trajectory of the water currents, and create whirlpools if you wanted.”


Number 2’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. He stole a glance at their father, who was sitting by himself in a row, writing in his notebook.


“Even I haven’t thought of that. Good work, Number 8,” Reginald said, though his tone was devoid of any affection.


“Oh my gosh, just what I need, words of affirmation from my father. My life is complete. I can die happy now. Thank you, Father, thank you,” 8 said sarcastically, bowing mockingly towards Reginald.


Reginald simply ignored him and continued writing. The rest of his siblings suppressed their laughter, while 1 shook his head in disappointment.


…


It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Eiffel Tower in France. As they descended, they found bodies littering the ground, blood pooling everywhere while a crowd watched in horror.


Suddenly, they saw a figure plummeting down from the tower, only to be surrounded by a pinkish aura that slowly brought them to the ground.


“3,” 1 ordered, motioning towards the crowd.


“I heard a rumor,” Number 3 began, putting a hand to her mouth, “that there’s a never-before-seen sale in the Art Museum, and everyone is gathering there.”


The crowd’s eyes turned white for a moment before they rushed away from the area, leaving it abandoned.


As they cleared out, 8 rushed to the front of the group and created a protective dome around them with his psychic abilities. 


As the green energy beam shot out from the tower and hit the protective dome, 8 grunted slightly, feeling the immense force behind the attack. The dome rippled, straining against the energy blast. 8, with his arms outstretched, could feel sweat accumulating on his brow as he maintained the barrier.


When the beam finally ceased, 8 sighed in relief, just as 1 barked out orders, “Belts ready, spread out and attack!”


The team’s levitation belts activated, allowing them to glide swiftly through the sky, dodging more green energy beams that shot out from the tower. 


“Carry me!” 4 shouted as he grabbed onto 6’s back, who responded by shooting a tentacle from his stomach, latching onto the tower, and pulling them both up. Meanwhile, 8 casually flew higher, keeping an eye on his teammates.


“4, try to conjure an engineer from the afterlife and figure out how to turn this thing off!” 1 commanded.


8 flew around, deflecting the energy rays to protect the others. Suddenly, a massive beam shot out, forcing 8 to raise his hands to his forehead and release a concussive blast of psychic energy. The two beams clashed, lighting up the area with their intensity.


“4, you’re slipping!” 6 shouted as he felt 4 losing his grip.


“I can’t hold on for long! So you better think of something quickly!” 8 yelled urgently.


“Save your breath, 8! We’re all going to die!” 2 shouted, flying around in a panic.


“Waaaaaaaah! I’m too young to die!” 4 wailed, his voice cracking as he hung precariously from 6’s foot.


“You better think of something quickly, 1,” 3 added, fanning the flames of panic.


1 finally snapped, charging ahead and punching the tower with all his might, shouting, “Why don’t you all just shut up and let me think!!!”


The force of the punch sent the entire Eiffel Tower toppling, cracking the streets and ground below. Fortunately, 3 had already dispersed the crowd.


“Everyone to the control tower! I suddenly have a hunch!” 1 ordered, taking the lead as the others followed close behind.


8 lagged slightly behind with 2 and 4. “Did you two really have to mess with him like that?”


“Yup,” they both replied cheerfully.


“Nice,” 8 said with a grin, giving them both a high-five before catching up to 1.


Upon reaching the control center of the tower, 1 punched a large hole in the side for them to enter. Inside, they were greeted by a bizarre sight.


“Zombie-Robot Gustave Eiffel!” 1 exclaimed, staring at the man with a rotting green head and the body of a robot, who was manipulating the levers. “How are you still alive!?”


“Not for long!” 2 quipped, throwing a knife with alarming speed.


“Wait!” 1 and 8 shouted simultaneously, but it was too late. The knife embedded itself in the zombie-robot’s head, causing him to slump over onto the control panel. Red lights began flashing as the tower trembled and thrusters activated, lifting it back upright.


“H-H-How was I supposed to know this would happen!” 2 stammered, wide-eyed with shock as everyone turned to stare at him.


As they stood by the entrance, they watched in horror as the Eiffel Tower began to ascend into the sky, powered by the thrusters. 8 clicked his tongue in frustration, flying back a bit and extending his hands. His bright green eyes lit up as he exerted his telekinetic powers to hold the tower in place.


The team looked on in awe at 8’s incredible psychic abilities. Despite being only 10 years old, he was managing to hold the entire Eiffel Tower—though the strain was evident, and a drop of blood trickled down from his nose due to the immense pressure.


“I know I’m cute, but I can’t hold on to this forever! So stop staring and stop this thing! It’s heavy as hell!” 8 shouted, struggling to maintain his hold.


The others exchanged worried glances, seeing the toll it was taking on him. 4 cursed under his breath, “Goddammit, I hate doing this, but 8’s in trouble.”


He closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly, his hands glowing with a bluish light. “I’m calling to any inventor who can stop this!”


An ethereal figure materialized from the afterlife, moving towards the control panel. It gently pushed Gustave’s body aside and began adjusting the controls. Slowly, the Eiffel Tower began to descend, the resistance against 8’s powers easing until the structure finally landed and powered down.


8 let out a sigh of relief, dropping to one knee as he wiped the blood from his nose. The rest of the team gathered around him on the ground.


“Holy shit, did you guys see that? I summoned a ghost, and it didn’t even have to take over my body! I’m so awesome!” 4 boasted, grinning smugly.


1 extended a hand to 8, helping him to his feet. “Good work, Number 8. We would have failed the mission without you.”


Just then, Reginald appeared behind them, his tone as cold as ever. “Good work, everyone. You not only saved the Eiffel Tower, but you also saved France in the process.”


“What exactly is that thing?” 1 asked, eyeing the Eiffel Tower suspiciously.


“A rocketship,” Reginald replied nonchalantly. 


1 hearing this stared into the skies longingly, “I want to go to space… It sounds amazing…” he muttered


“Now then, everyone line up. The press is about to arrive and take your pictures.” Reginald ordered. 


“Can we get some ice cream afterward to celebrate?” 3 suggested.


“Oooh, I do deserve an award for being so awesome,” 4 said, still basking in his own glory.


“Damn, even I’m craving some ice cream right now,” 8 added with a smile.


Before long, the press arrived, and the team stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, posing together as cameras flashed, capturing their heroic moment.