Chapter 35

The room was quiet as Alice's words seem to sink in Bertrum's skull. The carts on his arms were swaying slowly back and forth while the rest of him was completely frozen. His eyes despite their hazy glazed over appearance seem to shine a little. His eyes that stared directly, well the best they could, at her and under a hypnotizing gaze. It was at that moment under it, she knew she had almost gotten him. He had noticed the bait, now she just had to get him to take it.

"By your sudden...reaction I'd say that you do know him."

"What name did you say?"

She pretended to look uninterested as if she was sharing some mindless gossip with others.

"Um?"

"The name, Alice."

"Oh that, Henry."

He spoke with lashings on his tongue.

"ALICE, I SWEAR IF YOU'RE MESSING WITH ME THAN I'LL-"

"Now Bertrum, IS THAT ANY WAY TO TALK TO A LADY?"

He was taken back for second before speaking again.

"You're no average lady."

"YOU'RE RIGHT, I'm an angel."

He huffed and tilted his head back. His arms rose up in sync with his head but didn't spin like before. They stayed stationary as he spoke.

"I don't have time for this."

"NEITHER DO I."

He glared at her but took a deep breath. Calming himself slightly he pushed onwards.

"...This Henry you speak of, is he that Henry?"

"His name is Henry, he kinda is a Henry."

"Not like that, who exactly is he?"

"He is well was- one of the studio's founders. If that's what you want to know."

"So, he is the one."

"I suppose."

"And."

"And?"

"Yes, what about Henry?"

"What about-WHAT ABOUT? IT'S HENRY FOR GOD SAKE."

"So."

"SO HE'S THE MAN WHO CREATED BENDY AND HELPED BUILD UP THE HORRENDOUS STUDIO WE'RE TRAPPED IN. I THINK THAT'S A BIG DEAL."

She was trying to keep her cool, but the carousel was pushing her buttons. To make matters worse he started to laugh and did for a few minutes.

"Oh Alice, you never cease to amuse me."

"EXCUSE ME."

"This is rich. Do you really think I care about some old washed up cartoonist?"

She didn't know what to say to that.

"Seriously, Did you'd think I'd get all riled up and just jump into action blindly. Only a petty fool would be hung on someone like that. But I guess that explains why you're out to dry."

"Watch it, Bertrum."

"Please, as if you could even do anything to me."

Her grip on the ax tightened as she watched him. Watched his arms start to move and rotate once more. All the while, she fought the urge to run out and cut off the bolts that held him together as a condescending smirk spread across his face. However, she had known that it wasn't going to be easy to hook him. It was time to start laying out the trap and increasing the bait.

"No, I can't really."

"Of course you can't, I'd crush you with just one hit. Splat you into a puddle of ink on and wall, and not a single drop would be able to reform."

"Certainly, certainly. I don't know what I was thinking about coming down here."

"You probably weren't thinking at all."

"I mean, I only got, you Henry. It's not like I got you that um...Mr. Drew guy you hate so much."

"No, he would've made a splendid safricifice."

"Oh well, that would've been swell. I mean, I don't really remember Joey but you did say he was one of the boses, right?"

Bertrum's tone and expression grew angry and grim.

"Yes, that fool was truly the bane of my existence. He was the worst man I've ever had to work for."

"That's horrible, that horrible that really is."

"It was, I designed everything for him you know. The idiot was nothing but a bunch of hot headed ideas, and only that. He'd come in and change plans willy nilly with things that couldn't be done. Whether it was because of our budget or because of technology at the time. Yet, he still pushed it onto us. We could never figure out a good work schedule, either. It was always something with him, a new idea to replace an old idea or just changing the theme of ridings completely. He'd but in all the time and ruin all our work like it was nothing. When is came to actual working though, he was an entering different story. For all his talk of making dreams come true, he sure as heck wasn't willing to work for them. I bet, if the man hadn't been partners with someone and couldn't shove his work onto others then he'd be on the streets right now. Heck, he'd probably make another man beg for his money."

"I see, I see. He does sound rotten. If we're lucky though, maybe Henry won't be such a bad boss like him."

He froze in shock at her words for a second before tilting his head down to look straight at her.

"What was that?"

"Oh, don't you know about Henry?"

"What about Henry?"

"If I remember correctly there were two bosses of the studio. They own everything and were in charge of everything. Henry was one of them."

"And?"

"AND HE STILL IS. I MEAN THE OTHER BOSS GUY IS PROBABLY DEAD NOW. EVEN IF HE'S NOT, I CAN GUARANTEE YA, OWNING A BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE MEANS EACH PERSON OWNS PART OF IT RIGHT?"

"In most cases yes."

"SO HENRY'S GOT TO OWN PART OF THIS JOINT THEN, RIGHT. WHICH MEANS HE OWNS SOME OF, IF NOT ALL, OF YOUR WORK."

His eyes grew wide at her statement.

"SO YOU SEE BERTRUM, I WAS GONNA GET HENRY DOWN HERE AS A GIFT TO YA. I MEAN, YOU PUT ALL YOUR SOUL INTO YOUR CREATIONS, IT'D BE A REAL SHAME IF SOME JERK GOT THEM JUST BECAUSE HE USED TO OWN THE PLACE OR SPILT IT WITH SOMEONE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'D DO WITH THEM ANYWAY."

She turned away from his face and pretended to look up thoughtfully.

"I GUESS HE COULD SELL THEM. YOUR MASTERPIECES CAN BE EVERYONE ELSE'S. I WONDER IF HE'D EVEN CREDIT YOU, THAT MR. DREW FELLOW WAS WILLING TO TAKE THE CREDIT FOR HIMSELF NOW AND HENRY WORKED WITH HIM."

She listened to his gears squeak and turn as his tongue remained silent. She only gave him a shrug though and talked while still not facing him.

"OH WELL, I'D THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO GET SOME REVENGE OR JUSTICE AT LEAST. IT SEEMS I WAS WRONG THOUGH. TO THINK, HERE I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T WANT THE GUY TO STEAL YOUR THINGS. BUT HEY, MAYBE HE'LL GIVE YA AN HONORABLE MENTION."

Alice took a step forward toward the door, and before she had time to take a second one his voice rang out.

"Wait."

She smiled to herself. He had taken the bait.

Author's Note- Hey guys! Few things to say here: First, thank you Okurdek for being an awesome review and keeping up with the story. I appreciate your concern. As for my family emergency, things are going the best that they be. I'll be okay, things are just really complicated at the moment. Anyway, thank you to all my readers and reviewers. Seeya, next Saturday!