Twisted Reality (Henry Stickmin AU)

God Damn Liar

"Alright, Charlie. Tell me everything you uncovered." The general ordered with his hands clasped.

They were in his office again, seated across from one another. The pilot's mind was racing with thoughts of betrayal; he was angry- he was furious! His face remained stoic though and his eyes remained blank. Galeforce knew there was something wrong.

"I was unable to determine how many Toppats there were situated in the building." He informed solemnly. "I managed to recover a file titled 'Toppat Bios' however- I think it could be useful."

Charles retrieved the file from within the depths of his pocket as he spoke, placing it on the desk and sliding it across towards the general. It had become slightly crumpled however Galeforce didn't seem to mind too much. He raised an eyebrow, plucking the file and lifting out it's contents so he could briefly skim over it.

"Well, it's better than nothing." He murmured, pushing the file aside for later.

"Did you find anything else?"

Charles hesitated.

"No, sir."

The general's eyes bore into him, as if they were trying to unearth the truth. He knew he was lying.

"Charlie, did you find anything else?" He repeated, voice calm yet firm.

Charles bit the inside of his cheek. It should've been easy to rat out the disloyal thief- why couldn't he bring himself to do it? Why was this hurting him so much? His heart ached and his body felt lethargic, like a dying fire struggling to keep going. It was a strange, suffocating feeling.

"The Toppat leader was there, I ran into them." He mumbled, fidgeting restlessly with the sleeves of his jacket.

Galeforce leaned forwards, causing the pilot to freeze and stare back. He tried to keep his indifferent facade up. He was loyal to the government, but damn it if he was more loyal to the one that deceived him.

"Do you know the identity of the leader?"

"No, sir."

The general hummed, his muddy, brown eyes reflecting distrust. If it were any other mission, Charles would've been offended. He knows what he's doing is wrong and he blames Henry. It's his fault. Everything is the crooked thief's fault. Charles felt nothing but contempt for his former partner.

Yet here he was, protecting him.

"Alright Charlie, you're dismissed." The general mumbled, leaning back in his seat and reaching for the file.

"Thank you, Sir." Charles replied, nodding in courtesy as he heaved himself up.

---

Golden rays of sunlight beamed down onto the land that Charles walked upon, though his mind was cloaked in a veil of grey. He had his hands buried deep inside his pockets and his icy eyes fixated on the ground. How could the setting sun shine so brilliantly- how could the birds chirrup and sing so softly? Why was the world around him so cheery when there was nothing to be happy about? At least, not for Charles.

He'd been walking for almost an hour, dragging his feet and glaring at nothing in particular. There was no more rain yet the pilot felt like he had his own personal storm cloud looming over him. Today had been a rollercoaster of emotions and all he wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up. He knew that was childish. He's part of the military- he can't be having this kind of mindset. He needed to be strong.

'I need to forget about him.'

He released a deep sigh, absentmindedly kicking a stone that sat innocently in his path.