The Henry Stickmin Collection: My AU part 1

Twisted Reunion

Henry landed the airship in a barren jungle location in the Amazon. It had been a long year since Henry had taken over the Toppat Clan and he had betrayed the government. He still missed Charles, but he got over it. He and the Toppat Clan had set their sights on the mythical diamond, a gem worth billions of dollars. If they get their hands on it, they will be unstoppable! Armed with weapons from top to bottom, Henry's crew reached the secret government base where the diamond was supposedly being held. Henry pointed at the strong hangar door that would not give way and smiled to himself before turning his attention back to his men.

Henry slid into a seat at the command center. The room was quiet and shadowed, lit by gloomy red lights that gave shade to everyone's faces. Reginald sat down next to him. Sitting next to him was his former Right-Hand Man who had been revived by cybernetic augmentations.

"Henry, we have an incoming code 22," Reginald said in a hushed voice as he peered over Henry's shoulder. Henry nodded and tapped on the console in front of him. Men and women and augments stood around the edge of the control center. A video feed from an unknown location flicked to life on the screen. A sleek military transport hovered above a concrete building with men stationed on the roof. Henry watched with icy apathy as the transport zoomed forward through heavy winds and darted too close to the building. The transport smashed into tiny pieces of shrapnel against a force field that sprang to life, wrapping around the entire building like a bubble. Two guards appeared from behind shield doors several meters away from each other. They approached carefully towards where they thought they'd find their target, raising their automatic rifles at just about everything they saw.

Henry ran with all his might towards the hangar, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He heard the loud bangs of rifles as he neared; bullets flew past him like bees. Without missing a beat, Henry lunged forward, grabbed one of the guards, and held a gun to his head. The other guard surrendered immediately, shaking in fear.

"Charlie! We have a Toppat in the hangar stealing the diamond! Get rid of him!" barked General Galeforce. Charles nodded and rushed straight for the hangar.

The two guards who tried to stop Henry lay sprawled on the ground in pools of their blood. With no time to waste, he quickly snatched up the legendary diamond and cackled maniacally at his success - only to be met with another sound: The deafening roar of a helicopter above him. A helicopter crashed into the hangar and Henry felt himself inside of a flying helicopter. Henry winced and he picked up his gun and pointed it at the pilot. Henry almost dropped his gun on the floor when he saw that the pilot was Charles.

"Charles, you don't have to fight me." Henry started.

"I'm sorry Henry, but you can't be trusted," Charles said, his voice quivering with emotion. Henry's heart raced as he realized the gravity of the situation. On the one hand, he was being asked to take a diamond from Charles — something he had sworn to do — but on the other, he didn't want to shoot Charles.

"Charles, I'd rather not hurt you," Henry pleaded, desperately hoping for a way out of this dire situation. Charles shook his head and ran full steam ahead towards Henry, leaving him no choice but to make a stand.

Something sharp jabbed Henry's side and he realized it was his gun. He picked it up and pointed it unsteadily at Charles, ready to fire. Charles ducked in time and the shot ricocheted off the helicopter's control panel. With a roar, the chopper hurtled toward the ground and crashed.

Henry awoke to find himself surrounded by flames and smoke, the heat so intense that he could barely breathe. Through the billowing smog, he saw Charles - curled into a ball on the ground. Henry looked down at his gun, then back at Charles. He picked up the gun and raised it, aiming at Charles' forehead. A voice inside him whispered to pull the trigger, but he just couldn't do it. The week of camaraderie they had shared meant too much for him to discard in such an act of violence. With a deep breath, Henry slowly dropped the gun and stepped forward towards Charles.

"We may be on opposite sides," he said, helping Charles to his feet. "But you will still be my friend."

Charles locked eyes with Henry in disbelief - his old ally had just saved his life! He felt a wave of warmth as Henry pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Henry," Charles said softly as tears began streaming down his cheeks. "You are truly a good man."

"No problem," Charles replied. "Just remember you'll always be my friend." The sun had set and the hangar was dark, lit only by a few airport lights from outside the building. Henry ran his hand along the rocket's smooth surface.

"Well, I have to return to the Toppat Clan," Henry said solemnly. Charles nodded slowly, understanding the predicament that Henry was faced with.

"You promise that we'll keep in touch?" Charles asked hopefully. Henry nodded as they embraced in a hug and Henry ran off toward the Toppat base.