Henry left the meeting and went straight to Ellie–after being given the go-ahead from Dad Reginald who told him that the rocket plan was currently very confidential, and not even Howie should be told about it. Henry found Ellie and Howie in the Records room. Ellie looked up at his approach. "Oh, hey H–what happened?"
Howie perked up. "Henry? Is everythin' alright?"
"Y-yeah!" Henry stuttered. "I'm just… Okay, so, I was just in a meeting."
Ellie tipped her head. "Is that a big thing?"
Howie's eyebrows furrowed. "Was it… an important meeting?"
Henry was barely aware he nodded. "Yeah. Dad Reginald took me into a meeting with Carol, Mr. Macbeth, Sven–a whole bunch of elites."
Howie let out a small gasp. "No."
"Yes!"
Ellie raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Is that some sort of mentorship program or something?"
Howie shook his head and then hesitated. "Well, sometimes. But in the real big meetin's, it's just the elites. The real high up executives. In smaller meetin's, like talking about new weapons or plannin' heists, it ain't uncommon fer an executive to bring along a younger member to show 'em the ropes. They don't normally participate. Did you?"
Henry nodded. "I got to give my input on a few things."
"Holy shit."
Ellie looked between them. "Whoa, wait, wait, wait. Does that mean you're a high-ranking member, now?"
"Well, I'm a high-ranking member of the field team in the air division. B-but I'm not an elite," Henry said. "I could only say that for certain if I was promoted, which I haven't been. With what happened recently, I don't know about that."
The gave him incredulous looks. Ellie puffed, "What?"
"Well, I failed to break into a bank vault, got caught, escaped prison–meaning I have a record, now–and then skedaddled back after taking a diamond someone else here had planned out a heist to get already," Henry explained.
Howie snorted, "And then ya did that stunt at the Wall. Ya haven't been here longer than two hours and people are already buzzing about getting back some people that have been locked up fer years now."
Henry shrugged. "Maybe, I guess. It just… feels weird." His voice lowered a little. "What if… someone starts thinking I'm getting special treatment for being the chief and his right hand's son?"
Howie prompted, "Do you think they're treatin' ya differently? That ya got promoted to the plannin' team in yer branch because they're bias."
"No. No, I think I earned it."
"That's yer answer. It'll do no one any good–least of all yerself–frettin' about what people might think. People'll believe anything fer all the wrong reasons and sometimes, there's not a thing you can do about it."
Henry smiled a little. "Okay. Yeah that… so. Ellie. You ready to be a Toppat?"
Ellie nodded. "Yep! We're having the ceremony tonight. I even got a fancy hat picked out. Oh, and I need to go shopping for a snazzy outfit. Are you coming?"
The first thought that came to his mind was "no." He loved Ellie and all, but shopping? For a suit? For clothes, for that matter, as Ellie would probably be needing new clothes. However, as her best friend and future clan mate and superior, it would probably be a good idea for him to go with her. "Eh, sure. Howie?"
"Ah've got stuff Ah gotta be doin'," he answered at once. "But Ah wish y'all a nice trip. Please don't get arrested by any more government or cops or the Wall again, would you?"
Henry smirked. "We won't. Probably. Talk to you later, Howie!"
Henry… wasn't as bored as he thought he'd be. Ellie went straight to the point, looking for formal outfits she hadn't needed to even look at since she left high school and applied for colleges. Henry had changed into something less formal as his better suit was now being dry cleaned. He considered getting a second one and then stopped considering and bought one himself. He'd been very lucky that his suit sustained repairable damage rather than large gashes. But he might not be so lucky next time.
As Ellie stayed in the changing room, Henry stood, idly waiting and watching the store. The occasional shopper passed, but no one paid him any attention. He was lucky to be here, especially with Ellie. Life was weird. But he'd survived it somehow, so far. Not only did he survive it, but he survived with all his family, friends, and limbs intact. Speaking of which, he hadn't visited Dave for a while. Not that Henry had much of an opportunity to do so, of course. Poor man must be bored out of his mind by now.
Henry shook the weighty thoughts as Ellie strode out of the changing room, new clothes draped over her arm. "What's next, Papa Hen?"
"Pay for it and hit the road?" Henry suggested. "Or… It'll be a little late by the time we get back to the airship. How about we go out for dinner first?"
"You know, I could go for some dinner. What do you want?"
"Burgers."
"You always say that."
"So, I'm predictable! You?"
"Italian. What do you think?"
"Sure!"
What Italian places did the two know in the United States, in the little city they wandered? Henry knew a little about some authentic restaurants or Mom and Pop ones everyone else enjoyed. The one Ellie suggested was one that Henry, Floyd, Harry, and Sal tried to go to after they finished a mission early. Sal had hissed like an angry rattlesnake until they went somewhere else, mumbling about "Americanized food" and how them even claiming to have a scrap of authenticity was insulting. So, without any real qualms as Henry "had no sense of taste"–a nice description from Sal, Paddy, and hypocritically Blueberry–Henry agreed. He didn't blame them, as Henry could eat almost anything, but the fact Blueberry said it was a little insulting. No one had ever seen the man eat anything but blueberries!
Well, the food was good, in his humble opinion, as were the breadsticks when soaked in soup. So, ha!
PD"Oh my God, Dave, you'll never believe who joined the Toppats."
Henry lounged in his chair while Dave stayed on the other bed, his tablet lying on the bed and charging. Dave brushed some still-damp strands of hair out of his eyes. "Oh?"
"Ellie!" Henry burst out. "My best friend! You remember me talking about her. I've known her since middle school!"
Dave raised his eyebrows. "I thought you said she worked with the government."
Henry shook his head. "No. Well, sort of. She worked with them when they paid her, but she wasn't affiliated with them. She could work with some normal Joe off the street if they paid her enough for the job."
The former security guard let out a quiet sigh. "Well, I'm glad you're happy. She sounds like a great friend."
"Is she ever!" Henry hummed and sat forward again. "Do you want to meet her?"
"Is that a good idea?" Dave ventured, his voice going quiet.
"Oh, definitely. She's my best friend, Dave. I've known her long since before she even knew about the Toppats. It'll be fine."
"Well, if you think so, then… sure."
"Sweet! Now, I'm not allowed to do much, but I can still walk. Do you want to go out onto the balcony?"
"Henry."
Henry turned to Dad Reginald as they left the cafeteria. "Yes, Dad?"
"I need you to come with us to a meeting," Dad Reginald stated.
Henry's eyebrows furrowed. "Uh, okay. When?"
"This afternoon; three. Meet us in the Board Room. Is that an appropriate time?"
"Y-yeah! Yeah, of course," said Henry. "I don't have anything at three."
"Good. Now, this meeting is very important." He fixed Henry with a very serious stare. "It concerns the future of the Clan–not just us, not even just the Air Division, but future generations of Toppats. So, be prepared appropriately. Understood? You will be representing yourself as well as us."
"Yes, Dad. Of course."
"See you then, Henry."
Henry slowed down, watching his dads make their way to the Bridge. Henry turned and walked in the opposite direction. His morning schedule consisted of helping at the Bay, and his afternoon fell to meetings both planning and revising already made plans for heists. But there was nothing scheduled for three. Except maybe to hang out with Howie during their mutual break. But life happens, and Howie knew Henry was busier than him.
So, at about two, Henry was tired of labelling and rechecking organization–though he'd much rather unload the shipments, honestly, that wasn't going to happen without the doctor's go-ahead–to the exhaustion of going to three meetings in a row for smaller heists. A quick sponge bath helped energize him. He couldn't take a real shower lest he mess with the bandages. He put on his suit and hat and started out the door of his bedroom. Though, as he reached out to open the door, he looked at his hand, his left one. It gleamed in the light, even after being dried off. He plucked a pair of navy-blue gloves off his desk and put them on as he walked down the hall.
Henry paused outside the door to the Board Room and fiddled with his hat and suit for the twentieth time. Important meeting. With Dad Reginald. With a deep breath, Henry pushed the door open and walked inside the Board Room.
In the Board room, Dad Reginald, Dad Right, 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 with Dad Right at his right, another empty seat beside the man. As he was talking with Dad Right, he caught sight of Henry fairly quickly. He gestured to the empty seat beside Dad Right. 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. Sven had a double-take upon seeing Henry, but said nothing, staying beside Mr. Macbeth on Dad Reginald's left.
"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 on the Dad Reginald. Henry craned his neck to look at the papers. He could see the words upon the page, but nothing further.
"The building is underway in South America. 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 much longer until we are able to draw our other divisions and wealth to South America?"
Mr. Macbeth answered, "We should pull everyone together and prepare a caravan to the Dogobogo Jungle within a few months. Most of the railroad tracks are already plotted and cleaned out. Our caravans are partially complete and most of our forces are almost, if not already, at the meeting points. By early-to-mid-December, accounting for delays, everything should be in place."
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 big authority 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, but these guys didn't need to know that, right?
Carol said, "So if the government forces moved in on us, we'll have a few hours' notice? A day?"
"Probably," Henry said. "Charles told me it's just standard procedure–at the very least for him, since the Captain knows Charles tells Ellie and I everything. Currently, Charles is stationed in… the northeast, I think. A few hours away from New York City. So, if something huge was going on in South America, he'd need a few days to fly and set up. Again, since he's very close to the Captain and an ace pilot, I doubt Captain Galeforce would want to start before he arrived. Especially if it's concerning us. Captain Galeforce is very focused on the Air Division." If they took out the chief, the rest of the Toppats should be easy.
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. Quite a lot of the station had been filled in. Another paper was an aerial view of the Toppat base in the Dogobogo jungle. 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 we need to look over the backup plan for our launch at least one more time…"
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–or could–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.
Though, he probably had a lot more to do if they were in space. Space!
IROHenry sat behind his laptop, headphones on and the front two legs of his chair off the ground. It had been a few months since Henry had come back, and all was looking well. Even better now that Henry had the ability to visit Charles and Ellie more often. The helicopter icon lit up. Henry fell forward again to concentrate on his computer.
"Hey! :D Just got back from work. How about you guys?"
The rose icon lit up. "Finally got out of bed. :P Gave the doctor an aneurism when I went to the gym."
"Ellie! D: You need to be careful! You got really hurt."
"Duh, I was there, I know how hurt I got. Besides, I wasn't doing any heavy work."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Was it that bad?"
"Meh. I tried to escape the Wall. Got a few fractured ribs and a sprained ankle. Some bleeding something-or-other and a bullet wound in the chest. Then I got frostbite because I made it out and fell into the ocean. Just a normal day's work. Don't' know wy it's taking so long to hea."
"Man, Ellie. :( Why did you go to the gym THAT hurt?"
Henry asked, "Ellie, are you sure you're okay?"
"I know my limits, guys. I don't' need you two breathing down my neck, either."
"Ellie, we're your best friends. 3 You always take it too hard."
Henry shrugged. "Pretty much. You reinvented the term 'all or nothing' you know."
"I know, I know. Hey, so, doc said if I stay down a few more days, I can use my foot again good as new. So, how about a good old friend reunion?"
"Oh! That's awesome! Yeah, I love that idea! Henry, did you go back to New York?"
"No, I'm still in the area," Henry reassured him. "Yeah, I'd love to meet up."
"Sweet!" typed Ellie. "You're still in Missouri right?"
"Yep! 3"
"Nice! I'll see if I can make it over there."
"Cool! I'll clean up and cook something up! :D"
"I'll scrounge up something to play."
"Me, too. Howie, Katie, and I haven't played cards in forever."
Ellie said, "Oooh! Practice on us and then show em who's boss when you get back?"
"You've read my mind, Ellie."
"BTW, are you bringing Monopoly, Ellie?"
"After last time?" There was a pause. "Sure."
Henry lay on his bed, tossing a ball up and then catching it again. Dave, wearing his security guard cap, paced. Henry sighed, caught the ball, and tipped his head to the side. "What's the problem, Dave?"
Dave stopped and glanced at Henry, but soon continued his pacing. "Yeah, um, a few things. Henry, are you okay?"
Henry tipped his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I found some expired medicine behind your mirror, in the bathroom," Dave explained.
Henry raised his eyebrows. "Why were you looking in the medicine cabinet?"
"Sorry, I just got curious. I didn't know you had a medicine cabinet, honestly," said Dave, his voice wavering and lowering further.
Henry waved off the question. "Sleeping medicine. When I was eleven, I got kidnapped by one of the prisoners. Had really bad nightmares, so the doctor prescribed some really light sleeping medicine. I haven't taken it since I was in middle school, even then I hated medicine, so it was pretty rare." He snorted. "I forgot it existed, actually. I thought about throwing it away, but memories, or something? Anyway, what else? Something looks like it's bothering you."
"Oh. Okay. It's just… Henry. You remember being at Red Mesa Penitentiary, right? All the hoops you went through before then as well?"
"Hard to forget, yeah."
"Through it all, you knew what was happening. They–we–told you. We told you what was happening and what was going to happen and what you were going to do," Dave went on.
Henry let out a quiet huff. "Yep. Sure did."
"I know that was bad, and you didn't like it," Dave went on. "But there was a certainty. You knew your sentence. You knew what was going to happen after. You knew that we would kick you out after, right?"
Henry's eyebrows furrowed and he sat up. "Yeah."
"I don't… I don't understand," Dave said finally, stopping his pacing. "I don't understand what my sentence is, when I'm going to finish it, if I do or if one exists, what will happen after. Is there going to be an 'after,' Henry? Or am I just here indefinitely? Do your parents want me here or did they just forget? Was I supposed to be here for a certain time, or until I did a certain thing or until they did a certain thing? The museum's gone, reduced to rubble. They haven't rebuilt yet. Dozens of people were laid off because they no longer had a place to work. The Tunisian Diamond is already gone." He gestured to the shiny gem sitting near Henry's computer. "I already told anyone who asked everything I know. So that can't be it. It's been months, they think I'm dead by now. They have to. So what use am I here?"
Henry sat up completely. "I don't know, Dave. The last prisoner we had kidnapped me and escaped. I mean, you could do the same thing, probably. Otherwise, I don't know."
Dave set a hand to his arm. "Henry. I know that you've done a lot for me, and it's unfair of me to ask. But please. I need to know what happens next. Even if they plan to kill me, I just need to know. I need to know what to do, what I did or could do or anything to just… not be in the dark."
"I'll try," Henry said, his voice a little slow. "But they don't trust me after what happened last time. I mean, I was a kid, but half my friend group are authority or work for them."
Dave nodded, staring in the direction of the wall opposite. "Okay. I understand. I just… need that certainty. I could do it myself, but it would be pretty hard."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just…" Dave took a deep breath and turned back to Henry. "Nothing. Just trying to think. You know? Was… was there something you wanted to do or something tonight?"