Henry Stickmin:
The Novel
Chapter I: "Breaking the Bank"
It was a hot sunny morning, the time was around eight AM, the day was 27th August 2008, in the middle of the desert. Henry Stickmin stood tall, with his right foot sitting above a desert rock, he could see the bank in detail with his binoculars. This was it, this was his big chance, this is where he's going to make some BIG fat money. A large square shaped bank, that has features that resembled a medieval fort, with large walls and cylindrical towers in the edges, and a large concrete dome in the middle. It had a large gate at the front and a parking lot close to it. Located in the middle of nowhere, more specifically in the middle of a desert, this was his perfect robbery location. Too far away from any law enforcement for the cops to reach the bank in a reasonable time if there was a robbery. Two armed guards stood at the bank's entrance, guarding it. Both wore aviator sunglasses, very stylish, and they both wore their guard caps, which had a golden badge in the center. The one in the right had a moustache.
Odds were, if Henry wanted to break in, it probably wouldn't be through the front gate. Due to this, he quickly would begin his move to the west side of the bank, where the guards wouldn't see him, as the front wall would block their view. During his move, the morning sun was already scorching hot, and he was sweating heavily. Arriving at the scene, breaking the concrete wall would need some specialized equipment. Due to this, he had brought the said equipment needed with him. This equipment was:
A Shovel
Explosives
A Laser Drill
A Wrecking Ball Crane
A Teleporter
An Empty Money Bag
The Shovel
He had brought with him a trusty and good ol' shovel. He put down his duffel bag opened the zipper and took it. This was the same shovel he used to dig for treasure while younger, when he thought he would find one and become rich if he dug enough holes. He never did. He planned to dig down and into the bank, bypassing the wall altogether. He started digging, shoveling the sand out of the ground, again and again. In the middle of the process of digging the hole, he thought to himself, "Why am I doing this? All this effort to steal the money from this bank, taking the easy way out instead of just working an honest job like the rest of people. When did my life go in the wrong direction?" Henry was at the brink of giving up and leaving, but by then he had already done too much effort in digging this hole to give up by now, "Better end what I started."
After digging, for what? Two hours, he had struck upon something. "Have I struck a secret entrance?" A strange noise and smell emanated from whatever he had stricken, and there was something strange written on it. He made effort with his eyes to make out what was written, but he couldn't make up what was written due to the low brightness, as there was already considerable depth from the depth he was at to the surface. Fortunately, he had brought a lighter with him. And so, he lit the lighter, brightening the then barely readable text, and the words, written in white, were revealed. "Gas Main" was inscribed into the now obvious dark gray pipe. All his childhood memories and fond memories now flashed upon him in milliseconds as the gas ignited and the whole area he dug blew up, including him, in a massive explosion, which triggered the alarm of a car that was stationed in the front section of the bank. A large gas fire ensued after the initial explosion, generating a huge smoke cloud in the area.
A short investigation that was taken shortly after the incident and the efforts of stopping the gas fire, deemed that the explosion was caused by a single person, but they couldn't pinpoint who exactly, due to the extensive damage that was done on his body by the explosion and ensuing fire, likely trying to break into the bank. This was the end of the story of Henry Stickmin.
THE END.
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Explosives
Henry had brought explosives with him, his duffle bag was packed to the brim with them. He had also brought wiring to connect the detonator to the explosives. Carefully unpacking the duffle bag, and placing the explosives in a stack, adjacent to the wall. He was extra careful in the handling of the bombs, as his hands were sweaty due to the heat, and the explosives could slip off his hand at any time because of it. While in the process of hoarding the explosives, he imagined the pressing of the detonator and the *KABOOM* that would ensue. "It will be massive!" He thought.
He continued the hoarding, connecting the detonator to the explosives, while forgetting to place the detonator in a safe distance. Big mistake it was. While he placed the last batch of explosives, he put one round explosive adjacent to the wall, but as he placed another one it entered in contact with the round one, making it roll down the pile. Henry just observed it on its way down, as there wasn't much he could do, as his hands were full, and it all happened in a couple of seconds. Unlucky for him, the explosive fell in contact with the detonator, activating it, and then finishing its fall into the floor. Result: disaster.
Henry looked in shock at the detonator after the realization that it had been activated by the falling explosive. *KABOOM*. The blast blew him, the west side of the bank, away, with the other parts receiving considerable damage. The sheer explosive power that he had brought with him in that morning managed to create such a large explosion that the shock wave would be noticeable hundreds of meters from the hypocenter of the blast, and the smoke cloud that was generated could be seen from a kilometer away.
Later investigations conclude that it was a terrorist attack. The bank would take months to repair and rebuild the destroyed parts. The guards stationed at the bank would receive medium injuries, but they would survive.
THE END.
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A Laser Drill
He brought with him a Laser Drill. It was approximately the size of a guitar, albeit it was cylindrical, slightly larger. The machine, that seems to have come straight from a sci-fi movie, had two arms at the extremities, that would come close together in the pointy front of the drill and would launch a large beam from the point of contact. This seems to be the most logical of all the tools he could have brought. It beams out a large potent laser charge, that obliterates all solids objects on its way. He already has an idea of how he's going to use it. He's going to trace an opposite "U" shape, making the wall fall and retrieving the goods. Now let's see how well this is going to play out shall we? "I'm a genius!" He thought.
And so, he takes the drill, it is very heavy, but doable. He activates the laser, and handles it with effort, aiming it at the wall, in a way that forms an opposite "U" shape. Upon finishing the very quick maneuver, he feels very confident upon seeing that his maneuver worked, and a portion of the wall is now disconnected from the main wall. But that happiness was short-lived, as the disconnected section suddenly fell into him, as he was too close. He didn't even have time to react, and so, was crushed by the concrete piece.
Subsequent investigations deem that the equipment used in the attempted robbery was very advanced, but all mechanisms were crushed and couldn't be restored. As for Henry, he was identified and was buried, with his family present. The damaged hole in the wall was patched in a few days after the incident.
THE END.
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A Wrecking Ball Crane
Henry had brought a Wrecking Ball Crane. Yes, the madman really did it. He brought a Wrecking Ball Crane to the middle of the desert and was going to crush the wall with it. How he obtained a Wrecking Ball Crane in the first place? Well… Let's just say a construction worker got fired.
Upon driving the vehicle close to the wall, Henry felt confident, he was going to crush the wall and retrieve the sweet, sweet cash. While he was just about to move his arm to the lever to move the ball, one of the guards spots him and whistles to get his attention, the one guard that stays at the left side of the gate, whose name is Chad Hansen. Henry looks at the guard, and the guard makes a shoulder shrug, with a perplexed look on his face, and gestures with his hand for him to back off the bank immediately after. Henry:
Complies
Doesn't comply
Doesn't Comply
Henry refuses to back off, and quickly hits the lever to bring the ball back and hit the wall with full force. Hansen calls his fellow guard, Philly Collin, as he never had to deal with something like this, and due to being new to the job. The ball gets on its maximum distance from the wall and begins its approach the wall. Philly quickly approaches Hansen, and asks him "What the hell is going on?" "That guy seems to have brought a damn Wrecking Ball and is attempting to break in!" In a desperate manner. While this conversation was going, the ball hits the wall for the first time, and the wall collapses, making a high cloud of dust rise from the debris. Henry pulls the lever again, and the ball comes back again. "I'll take care of this." Says Philly, who was considerably more experienced than Hansen, as he had worked as a guard for five years, while Hansen was a freshman out of college. He takes his pistol from his holster. Philly carefully aims at Henry, who was a static object. The ball was about to hit the wall for the second time, when Henry notices the guard aiming at him, and desperately tries to back off, but by then it was too late. As the ball hits the wall for the second time, Philly pulls the trigger. *BANG*. The bullet hits Henry straight to the head. "Disaster averted." Said Philly. "How about the wall?" Says Hansen pointing to the clearly wrecked bank wall. "Meh they'll fix it." While shrugging. He continues "We have done our part of the job, that's what matters. Now you be more observant, this was only a dumb guy in a crane, imagine if it was a whole crew." "You're right, I'll toughen up." Henry's lifeless body lay in the crane.
The damaged wall is fixed up in a week. Investigations trace the crane back to a theft that had happened a few days earlier. Henry is buried with his family present.
THE END.
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Complies
Henry complies to the guard's order and starts backing off the crane from the bank. "What was he thinking?" Hansen thought to himself. "Why did he bring out a freaking Wrecking Ball Crane to the bank in the middle of nowhere?" Henry backed off and then turned, heading to the road leading up to the nearest city. Feeling defeated he drives the crane to the construction site returns it there during the night, while no one is looking.
Henry upon arriving at his apartment, decides he shouldn't go the easy way, maybe he should get an actual job, and follow the advice his parents always told him.
That day may have been a defeat for Henry, but it was a victory for other Henry, as can you imagine what could have happened to him had he went the criminal way? Its too risky, what are the chances something goes wrong, and he gets arrested? What are the chances he has his life taken away from him? Imagine how many people would be affected by his actions?
He changed. Something has been lit up inside him. How about he does the RIGHT thing, for once? And that's what he was going to do.
Continue the story (Chapter ?)
A Teleporter
He had brought a Teleporter device. It's quite a shady device, as he had bought it from a very shady tech dealer who supposedly sells "Emergent technology". But he has no guarantee it's going to work. It's a weird device at that, it looks like a rectangular remote control, but it has a big red button in the middle, and 3 green buttons, with 2 in the upper corner of the device's "screen" and the other one taking up all the lower half space. It had an antenna in the front, with a small yellow ball in the tip of it. The base of the device was made of metal.
This was the "Emergent tech" he was going to have to have to put faith in. It allegedly teleports you to a desired location. The thing didn't even come with a manual. So, he was going to have to take risks. Hopefully it would teleport him inside the bank, and then he would be able to use it to get back out, with the goods, and make big money.
He takes the controller, and hits the lower, top left and middle button in that order. It begins making some weird noises and he starts deforming and shifting places, but he can't see it. And then he gets teleported… But not where he wanted to. He gets teleported to the wall, inside of it, and half of his lower body gets stuck inside the building, and the upper half, including his head, and by extension his foot, gets stuck on the outside.
He gets desperate, he tries to escape, but he can't use the teleporter, as it fell on the other side. He's stuck here. And I don't think the process of getting him out of there is going to be easy, he shouldn't have done this.
THE END.
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An Empty Money Bag
Yes, it's just an empty money bag. "This is stupid, but it HAS to work." Thinks Henry. "There is a money truck, that goes from the town into the bank. It always takes this road. So, if the truck always takes this path, I can maybe disguise in this money bag, and throw myself into the ground, they will think they would have lost a bag. They will put me inside, afterwards I will be inside the bank, when they toss me out. And then I can make big cash."
While this seems like the lowest Henry has ever gotten with his brain power, this is clever. This might work.
Henry puts the plan to action. He is pretty nervous, he might get arrested in the spot if they figure out he's not actually real money. But he suppresses these thoughts and focuses on the action. He sees the truck arriving in the horizon. He Quickly wears the bag, and ties it from the inside, somehow making it look like it was tied in the outside. And throws himself into the floor. "Come on take me." He whispers to himself. The truck approaches, and then it stops. "Have I done it?" Then two men leave the truck. The driver, Ted McAdams, which wears rectangular glasses, says, "How did we lose one?" in a confused tone. The guard who usually uses a shotgun, and has a big moustache, whose name is Winston Davis and has been partners with McAdams for years, says, "I think we should throw it in the back, just to be safe?" in a deeper voice, as he pointed to the back of the truck. And so, Ted opens the back door of the truck, while Winston is carrying the bag, and then they both make combined effort to throw it in the back of the truck, they close to the door and move on with their route. "I did it!" Henry is celebrating, but quietly. As he cannot bring the attention of the two.
"You ever wonder, why there's a bank out here?" asks Chad Hansen, the guard stationed at the left side of the gates of the bank, to the other guard, Philly Collin, who stays at the opposite side. "Well… I think it's supposed to be like more of a vault, you know." While extending his arm forward, in response. "Oooh, that makes sense." Replies the less experienced guard, in a surprised manner, while pointing to Philly. But as soon as the truck arrives, they both get back in their formal positions. The bank door opens, and the truck goes right in.
Henry could hear the noise of the back door opening. And they began the process of unloading all cash from the truck. Eventually Henry could feel someone taking him and throwing him out. Then the noise of the vault door closing could be heard some minutes after. He had finally done it. He was in. He untied the knot he made on the outside and left the money bag. Upon leaving, unfortunately for him, he touched on a laser, as the vault was filled with those when the vault is not expected to have anyone on it. The alarms go off, and the gates are opened and the guards yell "Freeze!" While aiming at him. Henry, with an angry face unfortunately is forced to raise his arms, in a surrendering position. He got taken off by the guards and was cuffed, and subsequently arrested. "All this effort for this?" Were the thoughts in his head.
He was defeated this time, but he is determined to not let his story end here. Was this his end? Or was this only the beginning of his story? Only time will tell.
Continue the Story (Chapter II)
