Different Path, Different Story Chapter 29: Just Epic, a henry stickmin collection fanfic

Henry stood perched upon a hill, one foot on his scooter and one on the damp grass, staring down at the building he'd read so much about. He'd left the news on in the background, as he usually did to keep some background noise, when the story of a giant on hundred and twelve-million-dollar diamond caught his attention. But Henry had seen that glimmering gem and there was nothing on this big blue earth that would–could–stop him, now.

Henry took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and grinned. He'd since taken off his hat and dressed in something more loner-rough-and-tumble worthy–his second favorite gray turtleneck and jeans–as he knew things may get nasty and he'd rather not scuff up his suit and hat. Much, anyway. He still had a few years of life ahead of him until he became as scrappy as Gremlin or The Scrapper. Besides, this was a loner mission, one of his own making. May as well dress for the occasion! …right?

Henry had a choice.

Henry swung around to the back of the museum, parked his scooter some distance away, and approached the wall. He looked up and then down. So, he could go up. Henry had obtained a few things that could help with that; Jumble Hoppers–a pair of white boots with red wings that held springs on the bottom–an antigravity cap–which fit like a helmet with a golden dial on the front–and his untrustworthy teleporter. Henry didn't exactly know why the teleporter was untrustworthy, but there was a deep feeling in his gut every time he looked at it. He still vaguely recalled how to use it but was not over fond of it.

Then again, if he didn't want to risk falling from an insane height, he could just go through the wall. A shrink ray was in his arsenal; another machine tested by Gadget Gabe who Henry followed religiously on social media. As there was a crack in the foundation, he might be able to crawl through and get in that way. He also had a liquidificator, which would probably be good if he wanted to turn into a liquid? And, of course, buried in his Purse of Holding, was a pickax.

Henry had a choice.

…honestly, what was wrong with the tried and true method: a pickax? Oh, right, because it was tried and true due to how old it was and how much work was required. So, Henry plucked a little gray device with a blue sliding button, a red dial, and a gray handle for grip. A paper attached to the back gleefully stated "LIQUIDIFICATOR" "Turn yourself into a liquid and bend your molecules around or through any object!" There were a few panels, with one behind a human with a bendy aura, the second a wall with a blob on either side, and the third with a perfectly okay looking human smiling. "10/10 It's fantastically easy to use' -Gadget Gabe" decorated the bottom above another few panels of instructions.

Henry turned the dial, of course to near its max because, as Ellie said, "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!" Henry could feel his solid form start to feel… hazy or soft or something of the sort. Before he could move to the wall, his entire body shifted not from flesh and bone, but to water and he splashed upon the ground. His body was supposed to be a liquid, not water!

What'd you think was going to happen?

Henry put away the device. As much as he'd love to turn into a liquid, was there anything stopping him from not being able to become a solid again? Well, as Henry didn't feel like going to the roof, and the shrink ray presented the same problem of "Who would turn him back?" Henry pulled out the old tool.

He hadn't been chipping away at the wall for a few seconds before a green, blocky monster rushed up behind him. He tried to turn and defend himself, but the monster–rather than charging into him or biting him or something–exploded. Henry was pushed into the wall, surprisingly alive but not without bruising, and into a hole that now seeped the chilly night air into the museum.

He blinked the dizziness from his eyes and looked around. WW II items and pictures decorated the scenery. A large bomb lay on the floor next to him, a plane propped up on the alter near him, and a gun in a case to his far right against the wall. There were two security guards, one Henry vaguely recognized though from where he wasn't certain.

Henry had a choice. Time, weirdly, didn't stop.

"…yeah, so, apparently there was something in that cake, and, uh, he used it to escape. And then I got fired," the second guard, younger than the first with a smaller, flatter hat simply stating his status as a security guard, said. Oh, now Henry recognized him! That was Dave!

…aw, fuck, that was Dave.

"Pretty lame, huh? Yeah, I don't really like this–what?"

"Ugh," the first guard, older with a taller hat that had a badge clipped to it, grunted and rolled his eyes. "Please. Shut up."

Henry pouted. Wow, okay. So, Henry might have gotten Dave kicked from the police force, but the guy had been genuinely nice to him when he was looking for his parents! No need to be so rude.

"Oh," Dave chuckled, a hand on the back of his neck. "I was just trying to have a conversation. You know? Since, I mean, we're partners so I just-just wanted to get-get to know each other a little bit." There was a pause. "You know?" Another even more awkward silence passed. "I just wanted to have a conversation. Just, you know, just to lighten things up, I mean… what's gonna happen in a museum? I mean really. Do you feel a draft, at all?"

The first guard stiffened and turned around. Both pairs of eyes found Henry and the first guard pulled out his gun. "Hey!"

Henry jolted. Wait, wha–

This conversation can't be THAT interesting.

"Oh," Dave chuckled, a hand to the back of his neck. "I was just trying to have a conversation. You know? Since, I mean, we're partners so I just-just wanted to get-get to know each other a little bit."

Henry picked up the bomb and threw it. Dave yelled as it landed on his foot, completely inert. The first guard whipped his gun around and shot Henry

Why would they keep live bombs in a museum?

Henry rolled out of the floor in the foundation and wall, grabbed the gun out of its case, and rushed to meet the security guards. They flinched and Dave ducked, weaponless.

Click! Click!

Henry looked down at the fake gun in his hands. The first guard gave Henry a flat look at pointed his gun at him. Henry blinked. Welp.

Quick! Pretend you were joking!

…Good one, right guys?

Henry grabbed the plane from its pedestal and threw it as hard as he could. The first guard barked as the buzzing machine hit him upside the head and kept moving. Dave, for some reason unarmed, bolted. "I-I've got to warn some–"

Unfortunately, the column he ran face-first into disagreed with the notion.

Henry passed the injured, unmoving guards and hid behind the column. A nightguard leaned a doorway straight into the exhibit. However, an upright sign pointed to the "Retro Room" across from Henry. The nightguard blinked and his head bowed. He caught himself asleep and jerked upright again, searching his surroundings. Unfortunately, his eyes went fuzzy and his head bowed again. He snapped himself awake, only to slip off again.

Henry had a choice.

Henry, seeing the nightguard slip off, bolted to the exhibit with the Tunisian Diamond.

The nightguard jolted awake upon seeing Henry, who froze. Okay, well maybe

Hm. Must be a light sleeper.

Henry looked from around the column at the dozing guard. He bolted into the Retro Room as quietly, yet quickly, as he could. The room was small but decorated with seemingly random items. He recognized the ocarina and flute on one table with a fancy looking conductor's wand, and then a spiked blue shell and a large golden puzzle piece on other displays. There was a crowbar on display, which would be great, as well as a green and white Goodball and giant yellow-and-red spotted mushroom. Henry checked out the door to see two security guards.

Henry had a choice.

Well, a crowbar would get rid of the guards long enough for him to snatch the diamond at the end of the room. The goodball and then what looked like a mushroom with legs encased a glass tube might work to fight them off. Weeeeell, the crowbar was probably going to be more reliable.

Henry approached the tool. When he reached his hand out, a cooing noise above him stopped him and Henry pulled his hand back. He looked up and around him, but no other entities lurked in the room and only a vent was above. He reached again, only for the noise to appear a second time, louder. Just as he went to grab the crowbar, the vent whipped open and dozens of giant, squishy looking crabs poured from the vent, landing in a haphazard pile on top of Henry. Henry, unable to breathe and slowly being crushed the more weight was added, struggled to get out. The cooing, chittering things didn't move.

Man, I HATE it when that happens.

Henry looked away from the crowbar, a weird feeling of disgust creeping up on him. As much as he'd like to take on two guards at once and probably others from around the building after they set out the alarm with nothing but a crowbar, that might not be a great idea. So, Henry approached the mushroom. He went to grab it, but his fingers slipped right through. The mushroom absorbed into his skin. Suddenly, the room was tiny, and his head nearly touched the ceiling. Henry grinned and busted himself through the wall. The two security guards whipped around and shot at him, but the bullets didn't hurt the now giant Henry. He stepped right past them, half shattering an egg as he did so. The little critter within–a flying creature, perhaps a dinosaur of some kind–cried and flew out. Somewhere nearby, one of the guards got a hold of, and turned, a canon. The dinosaur swooped down and grabbed another security guard nearby.

Henry smashed the case with the diamond and held it up. Okay, now to get out of–

A canon ball hit Henry square in the chest, and he was thrown back. He hit the corner and slumped down, the regular size of a human and the diamond out of reach. He pushed the canon ball off himself and looked around. Pieces of the building fell, blocking a doorway as Henry's grand entrance, and then hit to the wall, collapsed some of the ceiling. The angered dinosaur thing kept swooping down on people but didn't pick anyone else up.

The alarms of the museum wailed. Henry got to his feet and looked around. Okay, he could use the chaos to his advantage! All that he needed to do was grab the diamond and run. As long as nothing else significant happened to get in his way, he'd be good!

Something crashed through the roof and into the ground like a chaos seeking missile. A giant robot stood up, breaking an even larger hole in the roof. Henry watched on with wide eyes and an open mouth as the robot went on a rampage, destroying parts of the roof and laser cutting straight into the museum. He found the diamond, but also an exit. He looked between the two, finding the security guards that would have been after him now running or pinned by rubble and that squawking animal still flying about.

After another crash signaling wreckage falling closer to Henry, he bolted. Welp, bye diamond, have a nice life!

Henry was tempted to grab his scooter, but he'd need to go the other way around the museum as he bolted through the opposite side exit. He wasn't staying near that place a second longer than necessary, so down the road he ran. He stumbled as the ground shook beneath an explosion as the robot continued its rampage.

Eventually, Henry stumbled to a stop, huffing and puffing and resting his hands on his knees. Oh, Jesus Christ that took a lot out of him. He shut his eyes and bowed his head. Well, after all that, he didn't even get the–

Thunk!

Henry looked up. The diamond stuck in the ground, pointed end down, sitting at an angle. Henry looked back. The smoking rubble was void of the robot, finally. Henry grinned and rushed to his new treasure. He set a foot upon it and puffed out his chest. Welp. Not only was he up a diamond, but also a just plain epic story.