ACT TWO
Thomas vomited, falling to the floor as he felt his body weaken. Reginald frowned in silent disgust as the matter splattered onto the floor, but despite the mess he said, "Yes.. it's a great shock. I'm sorry to have been the bringer of such bad news." Sniffing and trying to contain his fake tears, he placed his hat back on his head. Careful not to touch the icky body fluids, he went over to Thomas and attempted to place a gentle hand on his back. "I know you two were good friends and - " He stopped as Thomas flinched at the murderer's touch and turned his back from him.
"P-please sir. I'd... I... " He gulped and took a shaky but deep breath. Taking out a spare handkerchief from a pocket, he wiped his face and cleaned himself up. "Pardon me. How did it happen? And why?" The former he knew very well the answer. But the latter? That was harder for the man to understand. Why did Reginald drop Henry?
Reginald averted his eyes. The coward, trying to cover up his terrible crime. He himself took a breath and explained it this way: "He was shot down by those Wall guards as he flew on his scooter. He fell into the cold sea below. It seems that they are formidable opponents and don't easily miss their targets. On top of that, they not only have firearms, but also spears and other tools to capture criminals and lock them up tight - more than any other prison I know of. Apparently they've captured a number of our own members - both active and inactive."
Oh... no wonder Thomas recognized the name from before.
"As to the why... I couldn't tell you. These things just happen. You know that as well as I do. Sometimes things work out and sometimes things don't."
Toppats getting killed in the line of duty? Yes, Thomas understood that.
Throwing over a leader who made the Toppats invincible with his leadership and gifts, and not to mention the guts to follow through on his own merits and was almost always on the forefront of the action putting his own life on the line? No, Thomas did not understand that.
"But Henry was a good leader. He performed his duty well. Not as well as say Sir Wilford the Fourth but he did his job. But we must not be sad for long.
"Which is why," Reginald stood up and tried to slide back into his former position of power with grace but built himself as more tyrant than true leader to Thomas, "I must announce the horrible demise of our former leader, and I must take responsibility by leading the clan once again as we overcome this tragedy. But I'll make sure we go into a brighter direction than before - in honor of Henry!
And my first order is this: we need to retrieve our team, and rescue a number of the Toppat prisoners, and leave as soon as we can. So Thomas, I need you to gather your courage and - "
"NO!"
The echo emanating from Thomas' yell shocked even himself. He slowly looked up at Reginald. "I mean, no, I...I don't think I can do that now. I feel very sick right now, Reginald. Would...you mind if I retired to my quarters? I want some time to myself."
Although initially hesitant at first, he finally relented and nodded. "Alright. If that's what you need, I understand. Go and rest, but check in with someone at the medical bay to help you, just in case. And don't worry; I'll lead the clan in a brave new way, to bigger heights than ever before. In a way that Henry would have been in awe of."
Thomas could only nod, as a means to maintain calm over himself and fight the whirlwind of confusion threatening to give him a headache now. He took his time and slowly moved, as he still felt awful after he threw up. Thomas did not regularly experience nausea like other Toppats, but when he did, it was only through stressful or bad-newsworthy events. Unfortunately, this was one of those times that hit him twice as hard because it was stressful AND bad news.
Eventually Thomas reached the doors and he left behind the controls.
But Thomas made no effort to visit the medical bay. He trudged through each airship section, lost in a fog. Whenever he ran into a Toppat and they asked how he was or if he needed help, his reply was always the same: "I feel sick. No thank you. I'm on my way to my room to rest. I feel sick. No thank you. I'm on my way to my room to rest."
Before he registered his fast arrival, Thomas made it to his destination. His first thought drifted to his bathroom; he needed to clean and wash his face.
Although the bathroom was far from large, it still provided a sense of security and comfort, the gentle blues and greens on the walls working to soothe away his woes once he turned on the lights. Once he took off his morning coat, he took a deep breath, and rolled up his sleeves and removed his hat and twin monocles. He set this belongings aside and turned on the sink faucet. The water flooded down into the sink and set to a cold temperature. Thomas cupped his hands together, scooped up a generous proportion of water and threw the water onto his face. Rubbing the water over his face, he repeated this ritual again. Again. Again. And again.
He paused to grasp the sides of the sink and lean over it, taking in another deep breath and letting the water soak into his skin. He did not move from his spot.
He looked up and studied his reflection in the mirror. He still looked very ill, but at least he would not be throwing up again anytime soon.
"But what now? What do I do?"
What COULD he do? Tell the Toppat Clan about what happened to Henry? He didn't know. As far as he knew he was the only one to bear witness to Reginald's treachery, and if he were to go and expose his deed, Reginald would probably try to deny it. Or at least paint his own version of the story. But even IF Thomas succeeded in getting the truth out, how would the Toppats react? Would they believe his account and side with him, or believe he was a liar and side with Reginald?
And then what would happen? Total chaos amongst the Toppats? Total apathy, what? Would they launch a rescue party to bring Henry on board before he d-?!
Thomas realized he was getting far ahead of himself and willed his mind to slow down with all of the questions.
He sighed and resumed his ritual one more time, taking the biggest scoop of water he could take and splashing it all over his face and neck until he felt refreshed. And then he turned off the sink. He grabbed a towel from a rack and patted his face and neck dry of water. So good.
Alright, first things first: lock his door. He wanted no disturbances while he analyzed the situation and also wanted no one to worry about him. Then after turning off the bathroom lights, he grabbed his coat, hat and monocles and deposited them onto a small coffee table nearby. Finally, he took a seat onto his chair, a place of comfort and calm and where he could think in peace.
But attempting to think in peace alone was not going to work - not when Henry was out there in the waters and he could be-
Thomas chided himself. He had to stop assuming the worst happened to Henry. Henry was tough; he survived things that were worse than this. He WOULD find a way to keep afloat in the cold sea... right?
Right, Thomas told himself. So why was doubting Thomas so skeptical about his friend coming back?
He scowled at the dark thought. "NO. Henry is NOT dead. He is alive, fighting for survival. He has near superhuman abilities and a talent for getting out of trouble, all of which will NOT fail him."
The dark thought had been vanquished, but Thomas sobered up. "But just because he's had his share of scrapes and bruises does not mean he is without limits. He is not indestructible. And he has told me that sometimes he can't call on his abilities to help him. So..."
Thomas immediately needed to do something with his hands. He picked up one of his monocles and gave it a good shine with his eyeglass cleaning cloth. This habit helped to finally quiet his mind and free it of 'what-ifs' about Henry, Reginald and the Toppat Clan. And the first question he asked himself was one from before:
What would Thomas do?
Suddenly, a chime rang over the intercom. An announcement would be made.
"Attention, everyone. We are now leaving the Wall; we have succeeded in rescuing a number of our friends and family from the Wall. Unfortunately, we were not able to save Henry; he was shot down by the Wall guards in the line of Toppat duty and he fell to his death to the sea. Therefore, I ask that we hold a moment of silence on Henry's behalf." And Reginald paused in his phony tribute to Henry. Thomas closed his eyes and turned his head to the side in his mourning.
The silence was eventually broken after a minute.
"Because of this unfortunate event, I will resume leadership of the Toppat Clan. Henry gave his all and so I say that in honor of him, we will go on in our mission to be the best clan we can be! Henry's actions gave us Toppats a good name, which is what is needed in a leader! I will carry on what he accomplished in the name of the Toppat Clan to much greater heights and heists and beyond, and fight for him, for all the clan! Who's with me?!"
Outside of his room, Thomas could hear a number of Toppats cheering for Reginald and this false promise.
"Alright! Then let us get started! Everyone, come to the control room! I have important news I wish to share with you all in person. And a special surprise!"
Thomas heard footsteps drumming past his room, thieves excitedly rushing to see what their new - previously old leader - would reveal to them. But he did not go with them.
He felt anger well up inside of him. If that was the cover story Reginald would release to the Toppat public, then so be it. Thomas knew the truth. And he also knew what he would do next.
He put on his coat, monocles, and his signature top hat, and rose to the challenge.
Silently, he opened up the doors to the medical bay. He scanned the area for any living persons. But everyone was gone to the meeting Reginald organized. Good.
Thomas scavenged through various cabinets for useful medical items: gauze, blankets, water, aspirin, anything that he needed for what he was going to do. Pulling out a medical bag he swiped from the storeroom, he stuffed the items into the bag, shoving it all as much as the bag could hold. Thankfully it was large enough to hold even the largest of items like the two blankets he took.
He finished placing the last item into the bag and like a thief into the evening, he snuck out before anyone would realize he would be gone.
He retreated back to his room and checked off the handwritten list he made in his notepad. Medical supplies? Check. Some of his personal necessities in a small briefcase? Check. A handgun or two for protection? Check. A number of Henry's items from his room... Thomas debated with himself on that before finally scrapping the idea.
As much as he wanted to secure some of Henry's things, he discovered more cons than pros. Not only would they provide more weight than what he could carry with him on his voyage to the sea, but it would be hard to gain access into the room. Not with every Toppat who saw Thomas believed him to be resting after he said he was sick. If they spotted him inside Henry's room and taking his items away, suspicion would be cast upon him by the more observant Toppats. Not to mention that time was running out quickly for Henry, so there was no time to decide what items to bring along. And Henry was resourceful - he would find a way to get his personal items to his side.
With those concerns addressed, Thomas sighed and looked around his room. This... could very well be the last time he saw this place, so he wanted to absorb as much of his home in as he could take before leaving. It was hard; he served in the clan for a long time and he loved it. But Henry's life hung in the balance and with Reginald's true colors shown...
A big lie was something Thomas Chestershire would not stand for.
He peeked outside of his door... no one was around. Time to go. He picked up the luggage, turned off the lights and left the room.
And he hurried as he could to rescue Henry.
A/N: Thomas to the rescue! But the clock is ticking before Henry's time runs out. Will Thomas make it? Or will it be too late?
Tune in next time on the same bat channel! Or at least until I have another chapter for you all. But until then, I hope you like this chapter! I'm posting it today for a special reason. This week, I will be posting the latest chapters in all of my Henry Stickmin stories, including this one, in honor of the fourth anniversary of the final game in the Henry Stickmin Collection, Completing the Mission, with a focus on the 'Revenged' ending... or at least the transition from the "Betrayed" ending from Fleeing the Complex to the "Revenged" route.
Enjoy! :)