The Underground Was Full of Hope

Whooooof, right. Leadership. Chief Sven was going to be a great leader. With Henry being the most focused and adamant about finding Dad Reginald and Dad Right, Chief Sven put him in charge of that while he looked after the rest of the Clan. In fact, Henry was now Chief Sven's second, taking all the responsibilities required to keep the ship up and running as a team. Henry did make it a point to spend time with Chief Sven, though the man was still rather aloof so they didn't actually talk very often.

He understood why Dad Reginald and Dad Right looked so tired at the end of the day. Well, he understood before, but first-hand experience really changes one's perspective far more than witnessing it. Not only did he have more work to do, more important work, but the Clan knew him as their deputy, Chief Sven's second-in-command. He wasn't the scrawny little kid from an orphanage in the middle of nowhere, anymore. He took on responsibility and it was his word they looked to. People older than him, some old enough to be parents, one even his technical mother though neither of them acknowledged it. Of course, not everything was wonderful, and it was Henry's youth and inexperience that gained him attitude, and downright insubordination, from some members. In fact, Henry's devotion to Dave was something some people had started to talk about in order to undermine Henry. Henry couldn't care less about rumors, but apparently leaders–even deputies–shouldn't allow themselves to be attacked in such a way. Henry needn't use violence. He just needed to bide his time. They didn't like him for his inexperience? Well, he would prove to them he was just as equally qualified as the other elites and deserved this position.

As a perk, no one really attacked Dave. After they learned what he did, how he tricked the government into sedation until it was too late and everyone was safe on board, he received far fewer disgruntled looks or pointed remarks. Dave was in no way finding himself in any position above a recruit at the moment but working in security and patrolling the ship made him happy and that made Henry happy.

Now, weeks had passed since the station was up. A few timid heists had all gone without a single hitch, the more dangerous ones led by Henry himself. Drop down, grab what needed to be grabbed, and then send an alert to a sentry up top to beam them aboard. If they wanted to hit Washington DC one morning and then London a few hours later, so be it. As long as they stayed in the right position in the station's orbit, they were good as golden. With Burt keeping track of communications and alerting the crew to incoming hostiles, they were safe as a poison dart frog. No one wanted to touch them, and those that did either couldn't catch them or couldn't hold them for long.

They'd had more than a few government agents accidentally beamed up. Those accidents were few and far between, and with their space station already up, there was hardly any reason to bother. So, most of the time, they were thrown back out, tied up and blindfolded as they had been after being found in the teleportation rooms. Henry liked to think he was decently unbiased, more so now that he needed to be in the position he was in. But that was not always the case.

A knock came upon the door to Chief Sven's office. Henry walked around his desk and opened the door, revealing Jacked Haughman. "Sir?" a pant weighed the man's voice. "We have another government prisoner."

"And?" prompted Chief Sven, much more dry than he was three seconds ago. Henry couldn't blame him. Did they have to run every single captured government through them personally?

"He says he knows you, Mr. Stickmin," the exhausted Toppat claimed. "We didn't know what to do with him, since we heard you do know someone in the military."

"Did," Henry couldn't help but correct. "I did know a government man. A pilot."

Jacked nodded.

"I'll take care of this," Henry said turning back to Chief Sven. "If that's alright?"

"Yes, yes. Hurry back, please."

Henry went on as they sped-walked from Chief Sven's office, "Now. What are you doing capturing a government pilot?"

Jacked, near to crying as he was again moving very quickly, wheezed, "It wasn't intentional. We just got done with another heist and some government met up with us. We used the pilot as a shield after his copter crashed and burned half our loot."

One elevator ride and another bout of walking later, Henry and Jacked met up with Holey Cap and Dave in front of one of the holding cells. They, having been talking to each other, stopped and looked back at him as they approached. Henry looked through the single viewing window in the door and immediately opened it.

Sitting on the bed, hands crossed on his lap and smile just as bright as ever, was Charles. His red headphones and outfit were scuffed, the sleeves torn in some places and blood crusting his abdomen. One shoe was gone. Still, he hummed and smiled up at Henry when he entered. "Finally going to–huh?" Charles' bright smile bordering on smug vanished. "Henry! Um… I'll uh, be honest. I thought they were bringing in the chief second-in-command."

"I am the chief's second-in-command," Henry pointed out.

"Oh. Uh… congrats. When was it?"

"After you arrested my family," He stated, unable to help the coldness bordering his tone.

"Oooh. Right. He.h Y-you know, I, um… I knew you survived," Charles said, smiling again though it was severely less smug and cheerful. "At first, no one believed me, not even Ellie. But I knew you'd live, ya'know?"

"Mhm. Now, what were you doing?"

"Uuuuuuuh… trying to stop some Toppats from stealing stuff?" Charles more asked than answered.

"Charles, his team broke into a museum. What were government people doing near a museum?"

"Guarding it, duh," Charles puffed, rolling his eyes. "You people target museums, vaults, and jewelry stores for the most part. We pretty much expect it, now."

Henry's eyes narrowed and he hummed. "Expected. Yes… that is a problem. If we're becoming predictable. Weird how you didn't predict this whilst we were on the airship."

"You guys changed," Charles admitted. "Ever since your division got captured. We figured it was because of the leadership change–both in the chief and probably a ton of people in charge of planning." Charles hesitated. "Wait. I'm not supposed to be telling you this. Aaaaagk." Charles groaned and set his face in his hands. "I'm such an idiot."

Henry sighed. "No, Charles, you're not. …hey, where's Ellie? Is she in the army now?"

Charles looked up at him. "Well… sort of. She's still a mercenary. But General Galeforce offered her a spot, and I think she's going to take it. We haven't heard from you in a long time, you know."

"The last time I talked with either of you was a few nights before the launch," Henry agreed. "I don't have time to play games with you two, anymore."

"You mean since your division got arrested?" Charles prompted. "You're not talking to either of us because of that. You could just say that."

Henry gave him a flat look. "It's repetitive and whiny. Besides, complaining won't bring them back, and it won't change what either of you think."

"What I think," Charles corrected. "Ellie and I are different people."

Henry scoffed. "Yeah, I know. But you agree with everything else she says. You two have so much in common, but she's still smarter and you still follow her like a puppy."

"I'm not a puppy!" Charles snapped, jumping to his feet. "I'm an adult who can think for myself! I think bringing down the Toppat Clan is important, I think arresting the airship was a good idea. I think you're a great person and you were my best friend and I still like you, but I don't like any of this. I can have my own opinion! I'm old enough and mature enough to!"

Henry blinked. That… was unexpected…?

Then, Charles deflated and sat back down. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking away. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"…well," Henry stated, scrambling to regain his composure. "I mean, I know you're old enough to have your own opinion. I never acted otherwise."

"You just called me a puppy."

"Because you follow her like one." Henry kept his tone neutral. "Not because I think you're stupid or immature. Just you're loyal and you think the same way and you're a nice person. But that still doesn't mean I'm changing my mind about a thing. I'm the chief's right hand. I have a responsibility to the Toppat Clan. They're my people. So now…"

"I'm not," Charles concluded, his voice even quieter were that possible. "Thanks, though. You're still a good person, Henry. And… thanks. For being honest."

Henry thought for a moment. "I know Ellie, and I know what she thinks. But those other soldiers?"

"What do you mean?"

"This didn't come from nowhere."

Charles hunched his shoulders. "I'm a good pilot."

"But not a good soldier," Henry finished.

Charles sighed.

Henry thought for a moment. The people he hung out with… the Buck twins, Liam… and a girl? July? June? August? Something like that. They could wake up tomorrow with clean houses, no? "Well, I think you're a good soldier, Charles, and a great pilot. That also means we're going to have to question you when I get the time and then kick you out. Nothing personal, just standard procedure."

Charles chuckled. "Okay. Cya, Henny."

"See ya, Charlie."

Now, Henry wasn't thinking about any heists nor the government agents they questioned and then tossed back into the dirt to be stumbled upon later. Right now, he was focused on his parents. Once he brought Dad Reginald and Dad Right back up, they were set. They'd strike a blow against government morale, boost their own morale, and get to work on the rest of the airship division. They'd already fired a test raid in a smaller prison and freed The Witch, Matilda, and Cool Katie. They escaped with injuries, but nothing life-threatening.

Henry turned and walked out of Chief Sven's office. Gloved hands behind his back, he made his way to an elevator and then down to Wing Seven. They had low-risk cells inside where there was a door and simple utilities, such as a bed and closed off toilet. High-risk cells were out in the wing, where a security camera, TV, emergency eject button, and two electromagnetic cuffs were implemented into the room. The cuffs hung from the short ceiling, with a security camera in the upper corner, half of the cell facing out being made of space-resistant glass, and the TV and buttons in the wall next to the airlock. The cell wasn't exactly made for long-term holding but rather a few hours, perhaps a day. High-security prisoners were dealt with by the end of the day, either by being guided to another cell or ejected from their cell in another way.

Now, Henry stood before the first cell. Howie joined him with Holey Cap and Fredrick Muenster, both armed and standing at ready on either side of the cell. There was no window looking into the cell. Henry pressed a button beside the door. The door split in half and opened with a quiet hiss. Hanging by the cuffs was a man Henry barely recognized. He was tall, muscular. A needle digging into his skin stayed taped to the middle of his forearm, currently disconnected from any lines. Dark hair had plastered to his head and neck and shoulder from sweat and time. A long-sleeved shirt, heavy for a shirt but nothing unnatural, and thick pants and furry boots dressed him. Ribs stuck sharply under his shirt, carving dark and light lines into the fabric. One dark eye, sunken from exhaustion, stared blankly in the general direction of his feet. He didn't twitch to acknowledge Henry's and Howie's presence.

The door shut behind the deputy and his best friend after they entered the already cramped room. Again, the prisoner didn't look up. If Henry didn't know better, if the man's lungs didn't move his chest and the machinery that had hung from him like an old spider's web hadn't beeped and whirred not an hour before, he might have thought the man dead.

…

"We don't have much time," Henry stated.

The man didn't move.

"I trust that you realize these past couple of weeks have been a mercy to you."

…

"Your silent treatment isn't going to piss me off, Afanasiy. You've been plenty quiet, especially around me." Henry couldn't help the small smile. "I still remember your voice. Years and years ago. It was so… warm, inviting. As a child, I couldn't help but like and trust you. You were kind to me, when you didn't have to be. You were patient. You were everything that people said you weren't. Then, I found out the hard way that this relationship I built with you, the image I had in my head of what you were, was a complete lie. I'll be honest, Afanasiy, I learned a good lesson that day. I learned trust shouldn't be freely given. I learned the Wall is nothing short of evil."

…

"Again, I understand that you don't want to talk to me, and that's fine. I can't force you to talk, just like I can't force you to eat. Doesn't mean the doctor couldn't." Henry glanced at the needle in the man's arm. "He's practically a miracle worker. Almost like Dr. Vinschpinsilstien. Though you don't dare mention her name around him. He has a temper to begin with but, heh, not very nice when you talk about his old college pal. She rescued me, though." Henry took off his left glove, allowing the faint green glow from the cuffs suspending Afanasiy to gleam off the metal. Light from outside of the station coming in was there, too, though most of it was blocked by the hanging prisoner. In all rights, the outside was gorgeous. Henry had gotten very used to it, sure, but the endless universe and the Earth far, far below was nothing short of stunning. Too bad Afanasiy couldn't see it with his back turned to the glass.

"Dmitri tried to kill me. But he couldn't do it. Oh, did he try. Multiple times, funnily enough. I always wondered how someone would willingly follow a man who, after being convinced he'd killed two little kids, walked away irritated that they had escaped in the first place. Do you want to tell me why, Afanasiy? When you claimed to have a little kid of your own. I recently found that it wasn't a lie. You do have a young man out there, a son in the Wall, brash due to his special treatment for being your son. Ryan Halberd."

Though slight, Henry managed to find a reaction. The man's mouth twitched but did not open. His blank stare hardened a little before being wiped of emotion.

"But we didn't do anything to him, if you're wondering," Henry went on. "I would never order someone harmed just because of what their family did. Now, Afanasiy, I know that no matter what you think we would do to you, you wouldn't tell us a thing. That's fine by me, because we don't need anything from you."

Henry's hand extended into a rapier and he pointed it at Afanasiy's chest before raising the man's head so his one dark eye was forced to meet Henry's bright blue ones. "We both are certain–the Clan, too, if I can be so bold as to say–that we wouldn't get a peep out of you of your own accord. Again, that's fine by me. I just want you to know that it didn't have to end this way. I'm going to go to the Wall. I'm not a child anymore, I don't fear monsters. We will not keep you here, either, waiting for you to find a way to break yourself out or to waste resources keeping you alive. But for what it's worth, I believed you were a nice person, once. Thank you for teaching me such a valuable lesson. I don't miss the nightmares that ensued, of course, but it ended up building character, huh?"

Henry lowered his sword, allowing Afanasiy's head to fall back down. His sword turned back into a hand. "Howie? Anything to say?"

"Ah've never met ya before," Howie admitted. "Honestly, Ah didn't miss much, Ah don't think. Yer not as scary without that big coat and hat and gun on ya. But yer lucky Henry's the one in charge here. Ah would've been far less merciful to ya."

Henry chuckled. "Oh, right. I forgot about that. Yeah, this is the last time you're seeing us. We'll send you back to your family. It's been interesting, Afanasiy. The first time I saw you, you tried to kidnap me. Now, the last time I see you, you're my prisoner." He looked to Howie, who nodded and pressed a button on the wall. The door opened.

As Henry left, he heard a quiet, dry voice croak behind him, "I was your fathers' prisoner, Гудчайлд."

Henry looked behind him. Гудчайлд. He hadn't heard that term, that nickname, in years. Afanasiy watched Henry with a sudden intensity.

Afanasiy went on, "And now they're the Wall's. Your fathers won't leave the Wall in any condition better than mine."

Henry clenched his teeth to stifle a glare but couldn't help the dark look he shot back at him.

"Dmitri did not jest when he told you that you would suffer, Гудчайлд."

Henry turned around. "What do you mean by that?"

"It is trap. They're waiting for you, Гудчайлд. But he's no fool. They're alive but may not be in one piece for long." He glanced to the side, toward Earth. "It has been some time, Henry. I'm surprised. I thought that if you truly cared about them, you would have found them earlier."

Henry bristled. "I'm not walking into a trap, and they wouldn't want me to. We're ready now, I'm not letting the Wall win!"

Afanasiy turned back to Henry. "Is that true, Гудчайлд? You know that by now they will not be able to lead."

"That's not true. Dad Reginald and Dad Right are strong people and great leaders. They're brilliant. No one can break them. They'll come back and then they'll heal and be able to lead again! They're better than I am, it would be selfish and arrogant to think otherwise!"

Afanasiy snorted. "I knew since you were a kid you were going to be a good leader. Kind, smart, talented, albeit naïve but that was just your age speaking. But you're a criminal, and you follow your own rules. You have no competition here, Гудчайлд. You may not be chief now, but that won't stop you, not for long. If you wait, or if you don't do your best, you will lose them. But how much of a loss would that be? They've outlived their usefulness, haven't they?"

Henry felt a pair of arms around him, tearing him back out of the cell. "Henry!" Howie's voice was stern, but quiet in his ear. "He wants ya to kill him. Don't take his bait."

Henry glowered at the shut door separating him and his Wall guard prisoner. He shut his eyes and spat, "Weren't you urging me to kill him?"

"No," Howie stated, his grip on Henry tight enough to hamper his breathing. One hand gripped Henry's mechanical wrist. His hand was gone, replaced by a laser blaster. "Ah never told ya that, Ah told ya he wasn't worth yer time. He still isn't."

Henry hissed something through his teeth, but no intelligible words came through. Still, he said nothing further. Eventually, Howie relaxed his grip. He only let go after Henry's laser blaster turned back into a hand. "Dammit," he mumbled, opening his eyes and pulled his glove on. "God dammit. Howie: get the mission together. Fredrick, Holey: stand guard until Dave and Manuel relieve you."

With that, Henry was walking. Howie stayed by his side until they got to the cabin, where they split up. He knew he shouldn't be alone right now. He couldn't be alone in the quiet, Afanasiy's words gnawing at his mind. The worst part about it all was… it was true, in a sense.

Henry had gotten used to this position of power. He loved his fathers, and he would never forsake them. He wanted to live in the Toppat Clan with Dad Reginald and Dad Right as his superiors. But of course there had to be that voice, that thought, in the back of his head. "What if they couldn't lead?" After all, he was right. No one opposed Chief Sven's regin, but if Henry was able to pull off a Wall breakout, no one would oppose Henry, even if Chief Sven somehow became a very short-lived leader. But if Dad Reginald and Dad Right came back, Henry and probably Chief Sven would be expected to step down. Of course he would, Dad Reginald was a wonderful leader and Dad Right was a great boss, but of course there was the question of "Could they stop him?" Terrence was overthrown for being reckless and endangering the Clan. Before him, Sir Wilford IV died in combat. Before him, Jaques Kensington was killed in a duel between him and Wilford. Jaques took over when Reynaldo the Brute went missing in combat. Reynaldo the Brute took over when Randy Radman stepped down peacefully. Dad Reginald's legacy would be similar; he got arrested and Chief Sven took over.

Henry shook his head, as if the motion could dislodge the foul thoughts worming into his mind.