Chapter 4: Alley Ambush
The air in the alley was thick with the smell of damp concrete and refuse. Adam, seeking a moment of peace and a chance to clear his head, had slipped out of the mansion, only to be cornered by two figures in grotesque masks. Hazel and Cha-Cha. They were so much more intimidating in person than they were in the stories he'd heard. Hazel, with his calm, methodical threat, and Cha-Cha, with her twitchy, barely-contained rage. They blocked both ends of the alley, a physical manifestation of his worst fears.
"You're a long way from home, kid," Hazel said, his voice calm, almost bored. "The Handler wants her new toy."
Adam's panic turned into a desperate attempt to focus. He closed his eyes, the hum of the system a frantic pulse in his head. Okay, brain, remember the Drake? No, the… the Phasing Cat? Something! Not the raccoon!
His mental energy thrummed in his head, a hot, building pressure behind his eyes. He could feel his hands getting clammy, the heat from the struggle radiating from his palms. He tried to picture a creature, any creature, with teeth and claws and a healthy dose of territorial aggression.
The system message was urgent, a stark command that resonated with the fear in his gut. He pushed, he focused, he strained.
And then, with a flash of shimmering light, a creature materialized in front of him. A small, green-scaled beast with two tiny, vestigial wings and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It looked like a miniature dragon, about the size of a cat. A Young Drake.
"Is that it? A lizard?" Cha-Cha mocked, her voice a high, cruel cackle. She pulled a knife from her belt, its blade glinting in the pale moonlight.
Adam, gritting his teeth, felt a strange, protective fury rise within him. "He's a work in progress! Give him a minute!"
The drake, in response, let out a tiny, high-pitched squeal that sounded more like a tea kettle than a fearsome beast. It waddled forward, its little claws scrabbling on the concrete, and then tripped over a stray soda can, tumbling head over scaly heels. Hazel and Cha-Cha roared with laughter.
"Looks like this one's still on training wheels," Hazel said, a smirk in his voice.
The drake, embarrassed, scuttled behind Adam's leg, hiding. The metallic tang of gunpowder filled the air as Cha-Cha fired a warning shot into the brick wall above Adam's head, the sound of the gunshot echoing ominously.
In that split second, with the adrenaline of the gunshot coursing through his veins, Adam's mind went blank. The image of the useless drake, the cackling Commission agents, the terror of his situation—it all became a blur. His mental focus, already a shaky thing, shattered.
With a flash of light and a loud squawk, a new creature appeared. A parrot. A bright green and blue Mimic Parrot, its eyes beady and its beak slightly ajar.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Adam groaned.
"A parrot?" Cha-Cha shrieked, her rage now turning into baffled disbelief. "A parrot?! Is this a joke?!"
The parrot, completely oblivious to the mortal danger it had just been summoned into, bobbed its head and then, to Adam's profound horror, it opened its beak and began to speak. In a smooth, condescending voice, it perfectly mimicked The Handler.
"A parrot? How quaint," it squawked. It then landed on Cha-Cha's mask, its little claws scrabbling against the hard plastic. "You two should be ashamed."
Cha-Cha's shriek was less a sound of rage and more a sound of a woman being utterly humiliated. "Get this thing off me!" she screamed, flailing her arms, but the parrot just held on, its beady eyes staring at her from inches away.
The parrot then mimicked Hazel's calm, bored tone. "Nothing's ever easy with these people." It then mimicked the gunshot, a loud BANG echoing down the alley.
And then, another message, almost as if the system itself was confused: "Wait… that's not what I meant to do."
Just as the parrot began to cackle in a sound that was a bizarre mix of The Handler and a sick seagull, a series of knives whizzed through the air, one after another, their blades glinting in the moonlight. They landed with a sharp thwack, embedding themselves in the brick wall just inches from Hazel's head, a perfect, symmetrical pattern that formed the letter 'D'.
"Leave him alone!" a voice snarled from the alley entrance.
Diego Hargreeves stood there, a grim-faced protector, his hand still in the motion of throwing a knife. He was followed by Five, who was sizing up the situation with a cold, calculating gaze, and then Luther, Vanya, and Allison. The entire family had been alerted by the commotion.
Adam was stunned. He was expecting the knives, he was expecting the standoff, but he wasn't expecting the rush of warmth that flooded his chest. It was a strange, foreign feeling. It was a feeling of being defended.
"Who are you?" Cha-Cha demanded, her voice now a frustrated growl.
Diego didn't answer. He simply took a step forward, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists. Five, with his characteristic strategic paranoia, surveyed the two agents, his eyes darting between them and Adam.
"They're after him," he said, his voice quiet, but carrying. "And they're not from around here."
Hazel and Cha-Cha exchanged a look of shared surprise and confusion. They had been sent to acquire a single, defenseless target. Now they were facing the entire Umbrella Academy.
Love [ Umbrella Academy : Summoner ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ Umbrella Academy : Summoner ] with exclusive access to 35+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [Grimm, Teen Wolf ,blacklist,Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!