Henry didn't speak, nor did he sign. He sat there, shifting his body to a slouch, averting his friends eyes again. He seemed to be ... shaking ... his hands dug into his pajama pants, clawing at the skin of his legs underneath.
The room was eerily quiet, except for the weird toothpaste advertisement on the television. Then, Henry shot up onto his feet, still avoiding eye contact.
"It's getting late. I'm gonna go get dressed," he signed, nudging Ellie and Charles out of the way.
The pair just stared worryingly at Henry as he shuffled shamefully away back to his room. He quickly grabbed some clothes, a worn, grey hoodie, his dark blue bandana, a pair of brown shoes, and an old pair of jeans. Then, he quickly made his way into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
He leaned against the door, taking in a deep, shaky breath before taking of his top. Then, caught a glance of himself in the mirror.
The scars he had wasn't just limited to his arms. They were everywhere, from his collarbone all the way down to his ankles, some looking more painful then others.
He stared at his reflection, tracing his fingers on a large, jagged scar on his chest. Then he moved his hands down to his stomach, where large, lethal looking gashes seemed to bulge from his skin.
He quickly shook his head, snatching his clothes and putting them on as fast as he could so he didn't have to look at the scars again. Once the main outfit was on, he wrapped the bandana around his neck, tying it in the back. He took one last look in the mirror, took in a deep breath, and unlocked the bathroom door before leaving back into the living room.
It seemed like the others had gotten dressed already, with Charles wearing a dull red turtle neck and brown track pants, struggling to get his mossy green padded jacket on. Ellie was over on the sofa, in a white tank top with a smaller black tank top underneath, and a pair of deep blue ripped jeans. She was leaning over, putting on her tan boots.
She glanced up at Henry. "You sure you're up for going to the base today?" She asked. "You don't seem well."
Henry put on a fake smile and nodded, signing, "Im fine. I can handle it."
The look on Ellie's face made it obvious that she didn't believe him. Yet, she shrugged. "Alright, then." She stood up, her boots now on nice and tight. She turned to Charles. "You ready, Charles?"
"In a second!" Charles grunted, somehow managing to wear his jacket upside down "Dammit ..." He wiggled out of it and tried again.
They had arrived at the Government base, located in Dogobogo Jungle. A strange name, but perfect location.
This jungle was where the Toppats were preparing their orbital station. That is, until they were until Henry, Charles, and Ellie brought their entire operation down.
The base was filled with many tents over various sizes, some holding soldiers and other government officials, others stored weapons vehicles, and others were more secretive, with Henry not knowing what was in them at all. Each tent was sorted in beat rows, making the paths between them more like a small street. They arrived to aa forest green tent, it's flap rolled up, and the frontman himself, General Galeforce, could be found sitting at his desk, looking through different files.
"Good morning, you three," he greeted, smiling while setting down a file and standing up from his seat. His smile quickly faded when his eyes locked with Henry's. "Are you doing alright there, Henry? You look tired ..."
Poor Henry was taken completely off guard. How did the general know just by looking at him?
Is it that obvious?Henry quickly nodded, smiling and giving the general a thumbs up.
The general gave him one last suspicious look before looking away. "Alright, you three. There are no missions available for you today, so I have some jobs for you."
He pointed to Ellie. "Ellie, go to tent 5-B. Dr. Vinschpinsilstien will be needing your assistance."
Ellie nodded, and left the tent.
Galeforce then gestured to Charles. "We have some rookie pilots arriving soon, Charlie. I'll be with you soon."
Charles grinned and saluted enthusiastically. "Sir, yes sir!" He rushed away.
Then, the general looked at Henry. "Iwasgoing to send you to help out Rupert Price in training, but I don't think he's keen on the idea."
Of course he isn't, Henry thought.Rupert doesn't even like me.
Galeforce went on. "So I suppose I don't have a job for you today. Feel free to help anyone you feel like. I'll see you later on."
The general went to walk away, but Henry tapped him on his shoulder, then signed, "Wait, where are you going?"
"To go help Charlie," he replied. I'll be back here within an hour, so no need to wait here for too long." Then, he left the tent and disappeared out of Henry's sight.
Henry stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, then, took notice of the files on the general's desk.
The files were mostly lmostly just paperwork of funding, or the profiles of everyone that worked here, but one file got his attention.
A file labeled as 'Toppat Files', with a big red stamp in bols letters read 'CLASSIFIED'.
The general must have been reading into the Toppat Clan's recent raid. Without thinking, Henry stepped over to the desk and picked up the file.
He knew that the general wouldn't like him seeking around, but there was this ... but feeling inside of him. Despite his latest nightmare, he thought that the device that the clan stole could somehow help him.
He took in a deep breath and flipped the file open.