Who We Are ~ A The Henry Stickmin Collection Fanfiction

Chapter III

     "Oi, you!"

Rupert, recently having gained consciousness, looked up to see a tall man standing on the other side of the prison bars.

     His long white hair was oiled up in a big floof in the front, covering up a large portion of his top hat. The hat was black, with a golden chain with a large dollar sign looped around it. He wore a brown fur-trimmed cloak and a black turtleneck sweater.

     His deep blue eyes shimmered as he stared down on Rupert. He recognized him immediately.

"You're free to go."

     Rupert didn't move. The man laughed. "Not really." The chain glistened in the dim light as he raised his head higher, making his seemingly attractive facial features look more noticeable.

     "Nice one, Stickmin," Rupert growled.

    "Learned it from the best," he replied sarcastically, mocking Rupert's past words.

     "I take it you've met our new addition to the Airship family?" Rupert shifted in his seat on the ground, looking away. "I've called her Bessie."

      Stupid name, Rupert thought, smirking but covering his mouth with his hand. 

     "We've grabbed many a intruder off the ground with her. And many out of the sky, too. Your stupid little friend's not quite safe either, is he?"

      Rupert's eyebrows furrowed. As much as he hated Charles' guts, he loved him too, in a way. It pained him to hear someone whom Charles had trusted so much insult him. He quickly pushed the thought away.

     There was a pause as Henry smiled down on him. "I know why you're here," he began.

     "Government mission, Stickmin," Rupert replied, gritting his teeth.

     "You are, I know, but you aren't. You're here for the security guard. The stupid one that let me escape back at the prison." Rupert's head shot up.

     "Don't you bloody dare insult him, you-"

     "Shshsh, my good fellow, we both know it's true anyway. I should have thanked him, put him in a luxury room while he's here, don't you think?" Rupert was silent.

     Henry crouched down. "But that's no fun!" he laughed. Smiling, he rose back up. "I made sure he got, how do I say this... special treatment."

     "WHERE THE HE** IS DAVE?!?" Rupert screamed, reaching through the bars and grabbing Henry's neck, lifting him up off the ground.

The Toppat leader kept his cool.

     "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, junebug. Chillax a bit." He snapped his fingers, and metal cuffs shot out from behind Rupert and grabbed him, pinning him to the wall.

     Henry adjusted his fur lining. "He's not, like, dead or anything." he continued coolly.

     "Although he probably wishes he was." he added, making Rupert squirm against the wall.

     "If you ask me, it seems that your memory is the only thing keeping him alive." He slowly paced in front of the bars, his hands behind his back. "He talks about you in his sleep. When he gets any."

     Henry stopped speaking and watched intently as Rupert struggled against the cuffs, seemingly enjoying the spectacle. Finally, Rupert stopped.

    "Just let me see Dave," he whispered, breathless. "Ha!" Henry's sudden outburst surprised Rupert, but not enough to make him jump. "If that's the one thing you really want."

      He paused, thinking.

     "I'll fulfill that request, but no more." His eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a devious smile.

     "It will be pleasing to watch you suffer together."

      He turned and began to walk away. "I'll throw in the idiot with headphones, too," he called back. "Two for one deal!" The large sliding doors slammed behind him.

     Rupert exhaled. He wasn't used to being the victim, to being helpless. He was always the savior, the leader, the one 'cool kid' in the government who was dark and mature and made everyone fear him by simply his presence.

     He sighed, and, with lack of anything better to do, lifted his head and looked about his quarters. He was in a narrow cell, with three sides being cement, two significantly shorter than the other, and one side being black steel bars. The walls continued out of his cell, limiting his view of any other cells nearby. About twenty feet ahead of him lay large sliding doors with square windows.

     He looked down at his green jacket and ripped jeans. His dull white crop top had... blood stains?

      S***, he thought. He licked his bottom lip and realized that it had been bleeding the whole time. He groaned and let his head drop. Wait was all he could do right now.

     At least he was waiting for something good.