The Henry Stickmin Collection: My AU part 1

Toughening Betrayal

Henry sprinted through the jungle, his heart hammering in his chest and a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. As he emerged from the dense foliage and into the open clearing, he saw what had become of their plan. The Toppat airship was soaring away, gunfire raining down from above. In its wake, the ground lay torn and broken – mangled bodies strewn in pools of their blood, limbs ripped off and tossed around like discarded toys. Henry's stomach churned at the gruesome sight before him. He took a deep breath to steady himself; there was still work to be done. Spotting an electric motorized scooter abandoned on the ground, he smiled wickedly. His best chance of catching up with the escaping airship, just waiting for someone to drive it.

Quickly mounting it, his phone already out, he dialed Reginald's number: "Reggie! I told you guys to stand down until I returned". Henry exclaimed as the scooter tore through the foliage.

"We thought we lost you out there. We weren't sure if you managed to stay safe," Reginald said, his voice filled with unease. Henry could feel a wave of apprehension rolling off of him, though he tried to ignore it.

"Can you give me enough time to get on board?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes, I can," Reginald replied.

A sinister smirk danced on Henry's lips as he pressed a button and the small handgun leaped up. He grasped the metal tightly, savoring the feeling of power coursing through his veins.

"Hey! That's the leader!" A soldier roared as Henry hurled by them. Feeling eyes sear into him, Henry wrapped his hands tightly around the gun and barreled forward. There was no time for fear. He must reach the airship. Bullets engulfed him from behind. Gritting his teeth, Henry whirled around and let loose a barrage at the advancing mob of soldiers. The gunfire echoed in each man's ear, ricocheting off the walls in a cacophony of destruction. Two of the men clapped their hands to their bellies, collapsing to the ground in agony as blood oozed out of them. Seeing his chance, Henry dived and nabbed the rifles of two downed soldiers before they had time to blink. Snarling ferociously, he opened fire again until the enemy forces ran out of bullets.

"Send in the artillery!" One soldier screeched into a radio.

"What's the reason?" A deep, raspy voice rumbled back.

"Code 7!" The soldier replied frantically. The man on the radio groaned in frustration.

"Hurry up! He's got one of our guns! He's mowing us down like crazy!" The soldier yelled out in fear and desperation. Henry knew he had to act fast, but his hands were shaking, panic and anxiety tightening around his chest. His heart hammered against his rib cage as he reluctantly raised the rifle and shot the man in the spine. The man hollered in agony. Blood rushed toward the floor. Henry felt a wave of nausea sweep over him as he slowly approached the fallen soldier and lifted the rifle again. He fired once and watched with torment in his eyes as the soldier fell still. He picked up the radio and turned it on, trying to disguise his voice as that of the soldier to buy them more time, all while secretly hoping that this would be enough to save their lives.

The man on the other side groaned. "C'mon, man! Make up your mind!" The grisly voice snarled with impatience. Henry grits his teeth, feeling a surge of guilt and resentment wash over him at having to take a life for his safety. He clenched his jaw, unable to shake off the feeling that he shouldn't have done what he did. But before he could wallow any further in his inner turmoil, rockets started heading towards the airship.

Henry hollered through the phone, desperately warning Reginald of the incoming artillery fire. Explosions thundered in the sky as they miraculously managed to intercept them, yet another round of missiles headed their way now. He twisted the scooter handle and roared off recklessly into the night - soldiers erupted from their hiding places, coming after him at the sound of his motor - until he saw a massive cliff looming ahead, near enough to at least give him a chance at boarding onto the airship if he could make it there alive.

Driving down an old dirt track, Henry heard some explosions behind him; turning around to look, three tanks came into view - M1 Abrams, ready to shoot him down with sheer power and raw strength that sent tremors through every fiber of his being.

Panic started setting in as they fired at him repeatedly, rocking the earth beneath him with each shot until finally, Reginald's voice tore through the chaotic uproar that Henry had caused: "Henry? Where are you?"

Time had run out--he had no choice left but to make a decision - fight or flight. Taking a deep breath, he stared forward toward the massive cliff--his only hope for survival--and charged full-speed ahead into what seemed like certain death.

"I'm just being followed by some tanks." Henry snarled, his voice dripping with malice. "Hold on a bit longer. I need to shake off the tanks!" Henry watched in abject horror as missiles bombarded the airship, releasing its own set of missiles in retaliation. A counterattack was all that was needed to survive long enough. Suddenly, Henry noticed that the enemy tanks had ceased fire for an unexplained reason.

"We're all out of shells!" A soldier whimpered in despair.

"Get on the small gun on the top of the tank! Fire at him!" Another soldier called out frantically. Before they had a chance to act upon this directive, gunfire erupted throughout the atmosphere from the barrel of Henry's rifle. He mercilessly gunned down both soldiers atop the tanks with each pulled trigger and a yell of anguish echoed through the air.

"Men down! Men down!" The sound of a comrade's agony filled the surrounding space as he witnessed two members of their team succumb to death before his eyes.

"Johnny! No!" Another soldier wailed, tears streaming down his face as he saw his friend lifeless on the floor. The tanks came to a halt and five remaining soldiers inside ran towards their fallen comrades without hesitation. But, without mercy or remorse, Henry lifted his rifle once again and fired shots into each body until not one remained standing alive. His chilling laughter resonated through the air as he drove towards the cliff, gaining momentum as he felt closer to freedom and safety with each passing second. He could smell the salty air that made up his escape route while laughing maniacally as he spun a dial on his scooter and sped away from the carnage he had just created. Henry drove over to the menacing ledge and drove off it. Reginald was waiting on a small deck on the airship and Henry jumped off his scooter. Reginald noticed Henry and grabbed Henry's hand.

"Henry! I'm not going to pull you up." Reginald said, his face twisting in disgust.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"Ever since you left for the hangar, I've regained control of the Toppat Clan. I just wanted to look you in the eyes as I took it all back." Reginald hissed as he released his grip on Henry.

"NO!" Henry screamed as he fell towards the cold ocean.