A hot, dry wind tumbled through the desert, shifting grains of sand and dust over the scrubby landscape. A lone trail wound through the dry field of sand and dust, its compact, cracked surface made lighter with sand. At the end of the road lay a parking lot with a few scattered cars sitting before a large, squat building. Four small domes decorated the corners with a slightly larger dome at the top. BANK glimmered in golden letters above the giant shutters that led inside.

Around the side where no road lay, nor car travel was Henry. He knew Dad Reginald would balk seeing Henry, either due to the outfit of a hoodie and worn jeans or the solo mission, but it was fine. He didn't need to tell Dad Reginald right away. After all, Henry had found the plans to this vault on his own. So, on his own dime and time was Henry willing to cash out on his brilliant plan.

Of course, as Henry stood beside the cement-brick wall weeks after the last time he saw his friends, the thought of how, exactly, he was going to get in occurred to him. He'd brought a few tools with him; a shovel as he knew the sand and dirt was dry and shifty, a laser that could burn through metal or stone, keys to a wrecking ball, a teleporter so new it was still in beta testing, quite a few explosives, and an empty bag of cash he managed to nick on the way there. He'd been rather disappointed to find it empty, but that would soon be rectified.

Henry had a choice.

The laser would be great… though Henry didn't know how to use it in a way that would determine where the rubble would fall. A shovel was good if he managed to avoid hitting a gas or water line. The wrecking ball would need a lot more time and it was very noisy. He could use the explosives, and he really needed to test out that teleporter. But explosives could potentially burn the money.

Hmm…

Henry took out the little gray box with a panel of three green squares and one big red button. An antenna, crooked at the end, with a golden bulb poked out the top. He'd read the manual on the way there–not an easy feat on a scooter, for the record–and the buttons corresponded with an x, y, and z axis. Of course, which button was which x or y or whatever was forgotten to him and the creators forgot to label it and Henry skimmed over 3D planes in math.

Okay, so, he knew the distance. It was, eh, ten yards? Well, ten yards would get him a little farther into the vault, but that's what he needed. The bags of money would prove difficult if he got stuck inside of them, so he needed to be cautious as to how high he went. Let's say… ten feet! Almost twice Henry's height. Even if he had to fall ten feet, he'd fall onto bags of money, right? Definitely! What was the x axis, again? …straight ahead, right.

Henry pressed a few buttons. Each green panel flickered with green light when he touched it. Finally, as he counted out probably thirty feet by ten feet by zero, he pressed the big red button on the center. Just pressing the button gave him a bit of a thrill. Who doesn't love pressing big red buttons, after all?

Then the world warped around him. It got smaller and bigger and then he was taken left and right and then the heat of the day was gone and–

Oh, no-no. The heat was still there, and he felt it. Henry opened his eyes to see the concrete wall of the bank close–really close. Also, his left leg wasn't so warm, nor his abdomen or the wrist holding the teleporter because almost half of his body was now encased in cement. He felt the cool air of the vault with his leg, which he could still bend at the knee, while the other foot felt the warmth of the noon sun. Weird, but okay. Strangely, he wasn't in pain. He just felt… compressed, as if wrapped up in a tight blanket. Well, he'd traveled about ten feet up and then thirty inches forward. So, he'd just do it again, this time going backwards at negative ten feet by negative thirty feet–which would be inches, obviously. All he had to do was… press the button… on the teleporter imbedded in the concrete. He tried to pull himself back, but unfortunately cement was more stubborn than his squishy body. He looked back the way he came. Help… wasn't coming any time soon.

It's emergent technology. I'm sure it will get better!

Henry stiffened and looked around. What… what was that? That sounded like… but, no. His angel had been a man, he knew that. He guided him when the Wall stole him as a child. He remembered his smooth voice and his calming presence and words of encouragement. Faintly, he recalled… events, happening. Then he would be there, not to guide him or even to help him, really, but support him. This voice sounded… feminine, sweet. That comforting presence when his angel was there but different. Not like a parent was there to hum encouragement to a little kid, but an adult, a person like him maybe even his age, one he didn't know and who, frankly, might scare him a little with her sudden appearance.

Henry shook his head and put away the teleporter. This was getting weird. Just find another option. He had explosives. Another emergent technology was a purse of holding, one of a few bits of technology into which Henry had sunk pretty much all of his funds.

Henry pulled out a stick of totally legitimately claimed dynamite and went to work setting up a grand array of explosives, tying the wicks together with thread and forming a neat pile pressed up against the wall. So, maybe he was going overboard, but Henry would be well away from it and he couldn't take chances with only blowing part of the wall out. He had one chance!

Henry set a bomb the size of his fist atop his growing pile of disaster when he got distracted. As he put down another stick of dynamite, he knocked his arm into the volatile explosive. It rolled and then clattered down to the ground. Something knocked it loose and suddenly it was no longer content with being inert. The explosion caused a band of fire and energy to burst and engulf the dynamite and bombs and grenades.

Handle with care.

Oh. That's why the presence felt different. She was that kind of friend. Friend? Hopefully. Well, something really bad had happened–he felt his blood go weird and warm and some fear huddled in the back of his mind–but he felt no fear in the voice. Just… sarcastic amusement. Almost like Ellie.

Anyway, what was Henry thinking? He couldn't use explosives; they would cause a lot of noise and even cause a collapse, rendering his entire operation moot. After all, even if it all went perfectly, he could accidentally burn the money in the bank and that would be completely counterintuitive.

So, how about a laser! A laser wouldn't burn through the money, it wouldn't explode in his face, and it wouldn't trap him inside a concrete wall!

This machine was a little bigger, so he had to carry it back from where he left his scooter some distance away. But, as he held the laser canon with both arms, he knew it was worth it. The laser went off, throwing Henry's aim and jerking up and then down in the rough shape of a drunken triangle before turning off. Some dust and dirt were scorched where the laser burnt the ground on either side of it, but otherwise it was a clean cut. Henry grinned, rather proud of himself. That was, until the cement wall decided to come down on top of him. Henry tried backing away, but the heavy canon and the even heavier wall, overjoyed to comply with gravity's pull, went down on him. Henry could hardly take a breath before the air and everything in him was crushed out of him.

Open Sesame.

No, no. He might damage something with a laser and cause an alarm to go off. After all, if it was able to cut through the concrete, where would it stop? The concrete in the other side of the building? An alarm?

Okay, so laser, teleporter, and explosives were a no go. He had a shovel and the keys to a wrecking ball. But knowing his luck, the noise of the wrecking ball would get him caught by any competent person with at least half their hearing left. But digging was still an option…! Actually, what if his shovel couldn't break through foundation?

Oh, well. Bag it was.

Henry sauntered down the road. He made it quite a ways away before deciding he was safely out of sight. Henry hopped into the bag and pulled it up over himself. Years of dares and stealth don't fail him now…

Henry managed to fumble with a red ribbon enough to tie it in a tight knot on the outside. Henry let go and flopped over. Wow, tying a knot through a bag was exhausting. Now he just had to wait!

…wait, when was the truck due to come by again?

The bag was hot and stuffy as, though the material was breathable, it was only just barely and the heat from the sun melted into it. Eventually, Henry felt the road beneath him rumble. A large dark blue van with a money bag painted on the side zipped past him. He heard the brakes activate and then the truck beeped as it backed up. The doors opened and two pairs of feet trod over to the full, limp bag of "money."

"Huh?" An older masculine voice appeared above him. "How did we lose one?"

A voice muffled a bit by a heavy mustache came in answer, "I think we should throw it in the back? Just to be safe?"

The first voice made a noncommittal noise. Suddenly, Henry was being lifted and then tossed. Henry winced and bit his wrist to muffle a noise of pain as he collided with the metal siding of the truck and the not-so-cushioned change and bills beneath him.

The truck rumbled to life and down the road they went, back to the vault. Henry, giddy with excitement and the absolute genius of his plan, waited not-so-patiently for the truck to stop, wait for the shudders to open, and then continue again. The back opened and Henry was up and out having been tossed onto more full bags. Change chinked as the rest of the truck was unloaded. Eventually, the truck started and moved out.

Henry waited in the cool and quiet for a few more minutes. He took a long, deep breath and pulled himself free. He popped his head out, clutching the lip of the bag. Unfortunately, the bank vault was, unsurprisingly, quite dark. Still, as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see some light slipping through from around the shutters.

Henry grinned and stood up with a silent whoop. Ha-ha! Take that co–

An alarm wailed and lights started flashing. A door opened and suddenly there were two security guards inside, guns loaded and pointed at him. Henry threw his arms up, jolting upon seeing the sudden entrance.

"Freeze!" yelled one.

"Don't move!" shouted the other.

After the shock wore off, Henry stared listlessly ahead, waiting for the security guards to grab him, cuff him, and then bring him out to wait for a police cruiser. He was a little grateful that he was kept inside until the cruiser came by, at which point he was told his rights and then stuffed into the back of the airconditioned car. Henry, having not said a word, watched the officer in charge of him talking to the security guard. It was then, as Henry sat in a constant source of light and the chill of the air conditioning washed over him, that he realized how bruised and sweaty and disheveled and thirsty he was. Yay.