In the Board room, Carol, Ahnoldt, and Albert were already there, chatting. Carol was as cool as normal. Henry could hear Ahnodlt clearly, even from across the room. Albert was a little more soft-spoken, but somehow bright even with Carol there. The three sat beside each other, Albert in the middle.
Dad Reginald sat in the middle of the table across from them, an empty seat to his left and two to his right. He gestured to the seat beside what Henry assumed would be Dad Right's. Henry sat down and looked around them. Carol spotted Henry and then looked at Dad Reginald. "Well, he's young, isn't he?"
"Yes," Dad Reginald confirmed. "He is."
Carol gave him a once over but didn't speak to him further and instead went back to her conversation. Mr. Macbeth and Sven walked in, Sven clinging to his clipboard and Mr. Macbeth throwing a gruff word at the blonde young man.
Finally, Dad Right arrived, not blinking at eye at Henry's presence.
"Now," said Dad Reginald, gaining the attention of those gathered. "I hope I've given you the appropriate time to think this plan over. Sven?"
Sven set the clipboard on the table and passed it to Mr. Macbeth, who passed it onto Dad Reginald. Henry craned his neck to look at the papers. He could see the words upon the page, but nothing further.
"The extra defenses for our base in South America have been completed, and the building will be underway. At the rate our construction workers and engineers work, the project should be completed by mid-winter. If all goes to plan, we will be in the air before Christmas." He flipped through a few pages. "However, a few things should be reiterated."
Carol prompted, "And how long will it take to get the entire Clan and all of our valuables in one place?"
Mr. Macbeth answered, "We should pull everyone together and prepare a caravan to the Dogobogo Jungle within a few months. By early-to-mid-December, accounting for delays."
Dad Reginald asked, "How are our emergency defenses, Ahnoldt?"
"Ready to go, Chief," Ahnoldt announced.
"Our forces?"
"Ready."
Then, Dad Reginald turned to Henry. "Henry, has Charles told you about any mission he might be going on?"
Henry jolted. "Oh. Well, uh, he normally doesn't tell me. He's a veteran pilot, so a lot of what he does is confidential. You know, for citizens like Ellie and I? He'll tell us if he needs to fly out for a while, though. He's on special missions only, so maybe if this is something really big, he could? But he told me the Toppats have always been a sore subject, and Captain Galeforce has been struggling to get any general to take his plans seriously concerning us. They technically have nothing to put on a warrant, after all."
Dad Reginald hummed. "And you are sure he wouldn't tell you?"
"The Captain doesn't normally tell him until pretty much the day of," Henry admitted. "So, he usually just sends a text straight before he flies out. The Captain allowed that after the first time he 'went missing' and Ellie and I–we found a way to hound his parents. Since he's technically fourth generation, now."
Henry and Ellie managed to track down Charles on their own, but these guys didn't need to know that, right?
Carol stated, "So if the government forces moved in on us, we'll have a few hour's notice? A day?"
"Probably," Henry said. "Charles told me it's just standard. The Captain knows Charles tells us everything."
Dad Reginald hummed. "Then we will need to be able to act on a few hours' notice. If Charles does tell you he's going on a very important mission, tell me immediately."
"Okay, Dad." Henry decided to speak no further. …maybe he should've kept his mouth shut. Poor Charles. If the government found out Henry had been using Charles for information, they'd probably do something to him. Not to mention Henry would rather do almost anything than take advantage of their friendship. Almost anything. If it was a choice between Charles and the Clan after all…
Henry shook the thought. Henry and Charles had known each other for thirteen years and they'd yet to ever take advantage of each other.
Dad Reginald removed a few papers from the clipboard and spread them out amongst them, even to Henry. Henry sucked in his breath, his eyes going round. On the paper before him was a rocket. More specifically, a space station. Little arrows with small writing labeled various parts of the construction. The chief went on, "Now, we have the rough outline of the rocket created as well as the blueprints. But there are still some things that require labeling, some parts that are required to go into motion, and at least one backup plan for the launch itself…"
Henry listened, focusing on Dad Reginald and then every other elite who chimed in or answered questions. Henry didn't talk very much, other than uttering an agreement of understanding. He did, near the end, ask about the ventilation system and trash chutes.
Dad Reginald asked, "And why would you need to know that?"
"The vents are the easiest places to move," Henry answered simply. "I escaped prison using the vents. There were a few times where an emergency cropped up and I was able to get from here to the Engine in a few seconds, or from the Bridge to the left storage area past the security room. Now, I don't know of too many other people who actually use the vent system, especially knowing how flimsy they can be at times. But if someone could get from, say, this hallway on the outer left edge–" Henry pointed to one of the floors below the solar panels. "–all the way to the Vault–" He dragged his finger to the Vault. "–they could get to the Vault and then through the Orion lounge and into some sort of escape vehicle before we could blink twice. I don't know about any thieves who would do that, and the government doesn't normally send in a thief to do their dirty work. But wilder things have happened."
Dad Reginald shook his head. "The vent system is already quite complex, and we have advanced defense systems that could spot and destroy hostile objects before they could get close to the station. Recreating the vent system would just add more time to an already tight schedule."
Eh, he tried. At least Henry would have a whole new vent system to explore. Due to the size of the station, he could be occupied for months.
PDHenry lay on his stomach in one of the hospital beds, head in his crossed arms. He winced as one of the nurses pulled off the second strip of bandages from his back, allowing the cool air to touch the still rather raw wounds directly. "So," he asked, keeping his tone casual. "When do–"
"Four and a half weeks." The nurse cut him off, inspecting the healing wounds on his back and shoulder. "Just a little over a month, if you keep these clean and allow them to heal. My answer is not changing no matter how many times you ask."
"Okay, okay," he grumbled. He thought for a moment. "What if I ask half a week from now?"
"I'll give you something to actually whine about," she stated, her voice quite stern.
"Aren't nurses or whatever supposed to be nice?"
The nurse started replacing the bandages on his back and shoulder. "I'll make you a deal: you stop being an impatient baby and I'll be nicer to you."
Henry scoffed. "I'm not a baby."
"You men," she sighed. "Now, how have you acclimated?"
"I can walk and use my arm," Henry said. "I can type with my left hand, but I need to be watching it and I mess up more. Uuuuh, I can hold stuff. I haven't fallen and I don't feel weak anymore."
She finished her job with the bandages and started scribbling something on a clipboard. "Still having ghost pains?"
"Sometimes."
"How severe?"
"Eh, nothing I can't handle. It's just annoying, really."
"Okay. Well." She finished what she was writing and turned her attention back to Henry. "Come back in two days or sooner if the wounds start feeling tender, overly warm, or if you start getting headaches, nausea, a fever. Your cuts shouldn't get infected–Dr. Vinschpinsilstien is a miracle worker–and I did clean you up well. But there's always the possibility and an infection will slow down your healing at best. Those ghost pains should taper out once your body is completely acclimated with your cybernetics."
By this point, Henry had already gotten up and thrown on his shirt. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!"
She hummed and waved her hand before going further into the medical ward.
As Henry walked back out into the halls, he started playing with the cuff of his left sleeve. If he did anything like turn his hand into a sword, he could tear the fabric. He really like this shirt. He also had wings, and those would rip through his shirt and jacket, if he were wearing one. He should probably invest in some way to maybe cut holes in his shirt without making them too obvious. He really liked this shirt, after all. His more expensive, fancy suits he actually wore to work would be absolutely useless if it came to a fight. Not that his suit was a great thing to fight in and not that he didn't get blood stains on his clothes, but two jagged gashes in the back of his clothes might be a little more difficult to repair than a bullet hole or cut from shrapnel.
Henry heard his phone buzz and took it out. He raised an eyebrow. Normally, his phone didn't alert him to e-mails. He leaned against the wall and opened it. Oooooh, it was from Dad Reginald, to all people on the ship. A new recruit welcoming ceremony. Tomorrow at 10 AM. Most of the recruits in the Airship Division had been transfers, though they did welcome Winston and Magnus not too long ago. Eh, it was nice welcoming new people to the Clan. A few extra hands never hurt.
"So," said Henry. "Have you heard who this new guy is?"
Howie shook his head. "Nuh-uh. All Ah know is it's a girl."
Katie perked up. "Oooh! Another lady on the ship! I could get used to this."
Henry chuckled. "Well, we'll need to introduce you to her first and foremost, huh? Where do you think she'll go? We could use more people for heists."
"Personally, Ah'd like to see another person or two in my department. But we're not exactly achin' yet."
Cool Katie shrugged. "Another person to help in the Bay wouldn't hurt."
Henry asked, "Isn't that a rotation job? If it wasn't for my arm, I'd have been there next week."
"Some people volunteer, like Benjamin, Matthew, and I."
Howie piped up, "Speakin' a' which, how's the arm?"
"Doing well!" Henry showed off his hand, flexing his fingers. "It's taking some time to get used to doing stuff without looking at it. Something about the brain knowing where your body is without looking. The chip in the back of my brain does something about making the body think this is my arm or something like that, I don't know the science."
Katie nodded. "I think my mom was talking about something like that. One of my cousins got in a car crash and that was part of the physical therapy, I think."
The noise of the crowd got louder. In the auditorium, most–if not all–of the Clan was gathered. Henry couldn't see above the sea of hats–especially tall ones, thanks Thomas and Rhounda–but he knew his parents would be near the front. So that's exactly where he headed. Some people showed a little annoyance at him, but stopped upon recognizing him, or at least seeing his very unique hat.
"Everyone, I'll like to welcome our new member," Dad Reginald's voice rang out across the quieting crowd. "She has shown great skill, bravery, and determination."
Henry managed to get to the front of the crowd. He first spotted Dad Right, holding a pale lavender top hat shaped almost exactly like Henry's with an indigo rose sewn into the base. Dad Reginald stood next to him. "Ellie Rose, welcome to the Toppat Clan."
Henry's eyes went wide as moons. He tipped his body farther forward. Ellie, dressed up in a quaint lavender suit, her fiery red hair brushed back and all the brighter in the concentrated light, knelt on the stage. Dad Right set the hat upon her head. The woman stood up, grinning. Dad Reginald said a few more words and then dispersed the crowd.
Henry climbed up onto the stage. "Ellie?"
Ellie, who'd been greeting Carol, looked at Henry. She gasped, "Henry? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I live here!" Henry laughed, running up so he could stand beside her.
"What do you mean you live here? You're a Toppat? How long have you been a Toppat?"
Henry slipped out of her grasp. "Ooooh, thirteen years."
"Thirteen years. You joined as a kid?"
"I was adopted."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Er, your mom wouldn't have liked that?"
Ellie hummed. "True. Just… you're here. How are you–is this why you couldn't leave? Though, that wouldn't make sense, in hindsight."
"I got injured, but it's fine. Come on, Ellie. Welcome to the Clan! This is about you!" He gave her a playful punch in the shoulder, careful to use his right hand. He turned to look back. "Hey, Howie! Katie! This is Ellie, she's the new recruit!"
Ellie looked past Henry. "Howie? You're a Toppat, too?"
"Yep!"
Ellie turned to Henry. "Are there any other Toppats I should know about?"
Henry thought for a moment. "…Joan. Joan Scone is a Toppat. She joined about four years ago."
"Shut. Up."
"Yep. That's all, I think."
"What the fuck, Henry? Is there anything else I should know?"
He grinned. "Well, you've already met my parents."
She raised an eyebrow. "I have? Who?"
Henry tipped his head to Dad Reginald and Dad Right, who were discussing something with Sven and Carol. "My dads." He lowered his voice. "Technically Carol's my adopted mother, but don't mention it to her."
Ellie put a hand to her head. "Holy shit."
Howie stepped forward. "Alright, li'l buddy. Let's give her some breathin' room. Ellie, it's nice ta meet ya again! This time as a member of the Clan!" He held out his hand for her to take.
She shook his hand. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, hey. Thanks." She took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"I'm Katie!" Cool Katie said, replacing Howie when he moved back. "I was raised here, too, but I wasn't adopted like those two. My mom was a Toppat before I was born."
"Hey, Katie."
Henry looked back and smiled. "Hey, Matilda! Hey, Ellie, this is Matilda and the Witch…"
Wow. Ellie Rose. A Toppat. One of Henry's greatest friends was now his Clan mate. Was this what the greatest day of one's life feels like? No more secrets, no more guilt, no more beading around the bushes with Ellie. She could know what he knew, finally.
…if only Charles could be there, too. But he was government. There was no changing that.
IROIn the Board room, Carol, Ahnoldt, and Albert were already there, chatting. Carol was as cool as normal. Henry could hear Ahnodlt clearly, even from across the room. Albert was a little more soft-spoken, but somehow bright even with Carol there. The three sat beside each other, Albert in the middle.
Dad Reginald sat in the middle of the table across from them, an empty seat to his left and two to his right. He gestured to the seat beside what Henry assumed would be Dad Right's. Henry sat down and looked around them. Carol spotted Henry and then looked at Dad Reginald. "Well, he's young, isn't he?"
"Yes," Dad Reginald confirmed. "He is."
Carol gave him a once over but didn't speak to him further and instead went back to her conversation. Mr. Macbeth and Sven walked in, Sven clinging to his clipboard and Mr. Macbeth throwing a gruff word at the blonde young man.
Finally, Dad Right arrived, not blinking at eye at Henry's presence.
"Now," said Dad Reginald, gaining the attention of those gathered. "I hope I've given you the appropriate time to think this plan over. Sven?"
Sven set the clipboard on the table and passed it to Mr. Macbeth, who passed it onto Dad Reginald. Henry craned his neck to look at the papers. He could see the words upon the page, but nothing further.
"The extra defenses for our base in South America have been completed, and the building will be underway. At the rate our construction workers and engineers work, the project should be completed by mid-winter. If all goes to plan, we will be in the air before Christmas." He flipped through a few pages. "However, a few things should be reiterated."
Carol prompted, "And how long will it take to get the entire Clan and all of our valuables in one place?"
Mr. Macbeth answered, "We should pull everyone together and prepare a caravan to the Dogobogo Jungle within a few months. By early-to-mid-December, accounting for delays."
Dad Reginald asked, "How are our emergency defenses, Ahnoldt?"
"Ready to go, Chief," Ahnoldt announced.
"Our forces?"
"Ready."
Then, Dad Reginald turned to Henry. "Henry, has Charles told you about any mission he might be going on?"
Henry jolted. "Oh. Well, uh, he normally doesn't tell me. He's a veteran pilot, so a lot of what he does is confidential. You know, for citizens like Ellie and I? He'll tell us if he needs to fly out for a while, though. He's on special missions only, so maybe if this is something really big, he could? But he told me the Toppats have always been a sore subject, and General Galeforce has been struggling to get any general to take his plans seriously concerning us. They technically have nothing to put on a warrant, after all."
Dad Reginald hummed. "And you are sure he wouldn't tell you? Didn't you get on the government's good side?"
"The General doesn't normally tell him until pretty much the day of," Henry admitted. "So, he usually just sends a text straight before he flies out. The General allowed that after the first time he 'went missing' and Ellie and I–we found a way to hound his parents. Since he's technically fourth generation, now. And, I'm not as much on their good side as just… not liable to get arrested on sight, anymore."
Henry and Ellie managed to track down Charles on their own, but these guys didn't need to know that, right?
Carol stated, "So if the government forces moved in on us, we'll have a few hour's notice? A day?"
"Probably," Henry said. "Charles told me it's just standard. The Captain knows Charles tells us everything."
Dad Reginald hummed. "Then we will need to be able to act on a few hours' notice. If Charles does tell you he's going on a very important mission, tell me immediately."
"Okay, Dad." Henry decided to speak no further. …maybe he should've kept his mouth shut. Poor Charles. If the government found out Henry had been using Charles for information, they'd probably do something to him. Not to mention Henry would rather do almost anything than take advantage of their friendship. Almost anything. If it was a choice between Charles and the Clan after all…
Henry shook the thought. Henry and Charles had known each other for thirteen years and they'd yet to ever take advantage of each other.
Dad Reginald removed a few papers from the clipboard and spread them out amongst them, even to Henry. Henry sucked in his breath, his eyes going round. On the paper before him was a rocket. More specifically, a space station. Little arrows with small writing labeled various parts of the construction. The chief went on, "Now, we have the rough outline of the rocket created as well as the blueprints. But there are still some things that require labeling, some parts that are required to go into motion, and at least one backup plan for the launch itself…"
Henry listened, focusing on Dad Reginald and then every other elite who chimed in or answered questions. Henry didn't talk very much, other than uttering an agreement of understanding. He did, near the end, ask about the ventilation system and trash chutes.
Dad Reginald asked, "And why would you need to know that?"
"The vents are the easiest places to move," Henry answered simply. "I escaped prison using the vents. There were a few times where an emergency cropped up and I was able to get from here to the Engine in a few seconds, or from the Bridge to the left storage area past the security room. Now, I don't know of too many other people who actually use the vent system, especially knowing how flimsy they can be at times. But if someone could get from, say, this hallway on the outer left edge–" Henry pointed to one of the floors below the solar panels. "–all the way to the Vault–" He dragged his finger to the Vault. "–they could get to the Vault and then through the Orion lounge and into some sort of escape vehicle before we could blink twice. I don't know about any thieves who would do that, and the government doesn't normally send in a thief to do their dirty work, aside from General Galeforce. But wilder things have happened."
Dad Reginald shook his head. "The vent system is already quite complex, and we have advanced defense systems that could spot and destroy hostile objects before they could get close to the station. Recreating the vent system would just add more time to an already tight schedule."
Eh, he tried. At least Henry would have a whole new vent system to explore. Due to the size of the station, he could be occupied for months.