Rai's Point of View
It was supposed to be a one-month undercover mission. Henry would go undercover with the Iannucci Mafia under the alias Hunter Hamilton, figure out when their next major get together was and we, meaning myself, the Thunder Twins, Lady Laser and King Quick. Yeah, I even got 4 members of the T Force behind me.
Anyhow, Henry had informed us, us being Charlotte, Schwoz, Jasper, Piper and I, that there was a wedding being held at an old reck centre just outside of Swellview. So here we were, stationed outside of the only entrance, yeah I know, the fact that they don't have a fire exit is appalling, waiting for Henry's signal, when finally-
"The wedding was great, but I've got to say, the cake was a little doughy."
"Doughy cake! That's the signal! Move! Move! Move!" I order. We barge in through the doors, only to find the place deserted.
"Wait what?" Phoebe exclaimed.
My heart seemed to freeze. Countless possibilities flooded through my head, we could have the wrong location, we might be in the wrong room, but there was only one possibility that scared me to my core.
"Henry, Henry come in. Over."
"Hey, Captain." Came his reply, something sounded wrong, it was Henry, but he was different somehow. "I guess you feel for it, huh?"
"Was this all some joke!" Max yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the deserted reck centre's gym.
"Henry where are you!" I yell through the com.
"Oh I'm long gone, you'll never find me." He replies. "But this whole friendship, it's been fun, really it has."
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. "Henry, let's talk this out, have you really thought this through?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. This can't be happening, this cannot be happening. He's just made a mistake, he's pulling some sort of sick joke. Plus, we'd need two minutes to trace his call.
"Nice try Cap, I know you need me on the line for at least two minutes in order for you to be able to trace the call when this is over. And don't bother with the tracker I know you injected into my arm, I cut it out." He sounded so different, not at all like the happy-go-lucky guy he normally is. Maybe they have something over him.
"Henry, whatever they have over you-"
"They have nothing but the promise of freedom, Captain. Now I'm as free as I was that time we watched sandpiper on a sandy beach."
"Henry!" I yell, hardly believing what I was hearing.
"It's Hunter Hamilton now. Bye Captain." He says, ending the communication. I hear something break before static.
"Captain Man, I don't understand, is this all a part of the mission?" Billy asked.
"No... NO! There has to be some mistake, this doesn't make sense!" I yell. I see Nora jump at my outburst. "Henry he- he wouldn't do this."
"Do what!" Phoebe yelled.
A lightbulb seemed to flick on behind Max's eyes. "Turn."
Phoebe seemed just as shocked as I am. "No, I know Henry, he wouldn't- he couldn't- right?"
"This has to be some sort of- of phase. That will pass in a day. He probably got cold feet. You know all about phases, don't you Max." Nora said. "I've met Henry before, he's the sweetest guy I've ever met."
"Yeah, but, and not to be the bearer of bad news, but my phase lasted years."
"This is just - it doesn't make sense," I whispered, but Henry sounded so off. Nothing like his normal self. That's when it all started to fall in line. Henry was so eager to do the undercover mission, he always kept his check-ins brief, he even mentioned once before that he was starting to question his position as a superhero. I'd laughed his worries off as nothing, saying that he was overreacting. Why didn't I pay closer attention?
"Rai? Why haven't you updated us? Do you have everyone in custody? Do you have Henry?" Charlotte asked me, her voice coming through the com.
"Henry- Henry he turned."
"Turned? Turned where?" Piper asked, not understanding the betrayal her brother just committed. Not understanding that as of right now, Henry Hart was not only wanted by Captain Man, but by the super equivalent of the FBI. That he was just as bad as Drex.
"He turned on us."
Henry's Point of View
One Day Previous
One Month of Being With The Mafia
Tomorrow, tomorrow is when it all would go down. I'd be talking to one of the Iannucci Mafia members, bring up that the wedding cake was a little doughy, and Rai's team of who knows how many superheroes will storm the place. And gods, this mission will be over.
I always imagined going undercover with some mafia would be the most exciting thing I'd ever do, but to be honest, it wasn't exciting, it was scary. There were always people around, questioning me, err I guess, Hunter Hamilton. I wasn't me here, I wasn't Henry Hart, sidekick to Captain Man, I was Hunter Hamilton, an ex-convict who still wants the life he was locked up for. The name thing was a little hard to get used to at first.
The mafia was extremely scary. They were always 'questioning' people, and those people were usually never seen again. They were always staring, seeming so threatening.
Schwoz had hacked the crime data place and gave me a criminal record of possession of dangerous drugs, but I got out on parole, a crime that didn't spark too many questions afterwards besides the drug type, heroin apparently. Schwoz even created a type of contact that I'd never have to take out that made my eyes green. Sure there were coloured contacts, but these were eerily similar. I was also forced to dye my hair dark brown. It looked really weird. To me anyway.
The only major question that was kind of hard to answer, is when anyone would ask about scars. Like how was I supposed to answer, "Hey Hunter, where'd you get that bullet scar? Oh, what about that giant burn on your back?" It was starting to get annoying, so much to the point that I would say that I'd rather not talk about them. It made me seem dark and mysterious.
I was just pulling a sweatshirt over my head when I heard a knock on the door. I look over to see Valeria Van Belle, the third wife of Antonio Iannucci, the leader of the mafia. I know Antonio has gone through two wives and that Val is his third. All I know is that each time, the wives would be about a decade younger than the last. She whistles as the sweatshirt falls fully over my stomach.
"I'll never get over that wicked set of abs, Hunter Hamilton."
I feel a blush creep up over my cheeks. It was kind of weird being hit on by Valeria, for one, she's married, second, she's about 25 and I'm 18. "Uh, thanks, Val." I awkwardly reply, rubbing the nape of my neck, a nervous habit I'd picked up from Charlotte. "What's uh, what's up."
"Antonio wants you, it's his daughter's wedding, so he wants everything to be perfect, and well, you're around Rosalia's age, so he wants your input on the final touches," Valeria replies, sounding disappointed that the subject had changed from my abs to the matter at hand.
"Ok, now?" I ask, looking longingly at my bed.
Valeria rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yes now!"
I sigh before leaving my room. I walk down the halls of the base before reaching the room of Antonio Iannucci. Even his door loomed fear over me. I raised my fist to knock on the door but even before my fist could make contact I heard the cold voice of Antonio Iannucci. "Come in Hamilton."
As I open the doors, I see him, looming over a desk. "You called sir?"
"Yeah, Hunter, I did. Ye've been with us f'r little over a month now, ya' seem like a good kid. Ya' work hard and ya' are familiar with drug distribution."
I clear my throat awkwardly. "Thank you, sir."
"I like you, Hunter, before, maybe I would have wanted my darlin' Rosalia to be marryin' you instead." He says.
"Before?"
"Yes Hunter, before. Before I found out you're not who you say you are."
I felt my heart speed up, I turn to see if I had anywhere to run, only for something to impact against my head, shattering, and I felt the ground embrace me.
- time skip -
I splutter and cough as I feel something cold crash against me. I feel water drip from my dark brown hair, running down over my chin.
"So, Hunter Hamilton," I hear a cold voice say, "who are you really?"
"My name is Hunter Peter Hamilton. I have no idea what you're talking about." I lie through my teeth, said teeth chattering with the cold. I go to wipe the water from my face only for it to be revealed that I was currently tied to a chair. That's unfortunate.
"Oh Hamilton, I'd hate to get you all messy before Rosalia's wedding. You're supposed to be a bride's man. I would hate for you to walk down that aisle with your face all cut up."
"I don't know what I did wrong Antonio," I say.
"Oh really? You don't know Hunter?" He sneers. "Let me refresh your memory. You've gone lied about your name, your past and your record. Ya' see Hamilton, I have a guy on the inside of Swellview Penitentiary, and he's been workin' there for 'bout 10 years. You claim you were arrested when you were 15 and got out last year. That's two years served out of 5. You would've gotten out at the ripe age of 17. The funny thing is though Hamilton, my buddy Stephan, he don't remember you. And Hamilton, he remembers everyone."
I felt fear rip through my heart. "I-"
"So Hamilton, why doesn't Stevie remember you!" Antonio yells causing me to flinch.
"I don't- I don't know. Maybe he forgot me."
"I don't think so!" Antonio yelled, backhanding me across the face. Now that he was so close to me, I could smell the gel in his hair, see the fire in his coal-black eyes. "So tell me who you are!"
I shake my head, trying to keep up my charade. "I don't-"
An agonizing scream rips through my throat as a taser is jabbed into my side. Tears pour down my face, accompanied by blood dripping down the side of my head and the water dripping from my hair.
"Ready to tell me?" He asks. I shake my head.
After several more rounds of unexplainable torture, I finally give. I was bleeding and sore, and I felt like I was going to die.
"Fine!" I yell.
"You'll tell me?" He confirms.
"Ye-Yes." I chatter. "My name is Henry Prudence Hart, I am the sidekick of Captain Man, Kid Danger." I wave my hand over my eyes three times, deactivating my contacts. "If you look closely at the roots of my hair, you can see they're reverting to blonde." I pant.
"How do I know ya' not lying?" He sneers.
"You don't."
"I'll be back Hamilton."
After about an hour of stewing in blood, water and regret, Antonio returns. "Your story checks out Hart, but here's the thing, now that I have your name, I have everything on you. I know your sister's name. Piper Ella Hart, is it?" I glare at him. "I'll take that as a yeah. So this is what you're gonna do. Ye'r gonna tell me what your big plan is, if not, I'm gonna have ye'r sister killed, and we don't want that, do we, Hart."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I ask him. He sighs before pulling out his phone and showing me a live feed of my sister eating a cinnamon bun.
"Ready to cooperate?"
"It's going down tomorrow, at Rosalia's wedding. Captain Man and a team of heroes are going to storm the place on my signal. You'll all be arrested." I felt my gut being twisted. I hate betraying Rai, but Antonio has Piper on watch, there's nothing I could do.
Antonio gnashed his teeth in anger before backhanding me again. I feel the painful sting ripple through my cheek. "You were going to let them ruin my Rosalia's wedding!" He yelled, spit hitting my now red cheek.
"I'm sorry!" I yell. To be honest, I was a little sorry. Rosalia is truly nothing like the rest of her family. She was a good person.
Antonio whipped around, grabbing my face and squeezing my jaw. "This is what you're gonna do Hart! You're going to go back up to ye'r room and stay there until the time of the ambush. Rosalia and Elliot are gonna go on an early honeymoon, ya' hear me?" I nod quickly. "Good. Tomorrow, you are gonna talk to ya' boss when the time comes, convince him ye've switched sides. If you don't, ya' sister's gonna get it. Ya' understand Hart?"
"Yes sir," I say, my voice trembling.
"Also, we did a scan of you, looks like you've some sort of tracking device in your upper arm, care to explain why you never told me about it huh?" Before I could even respond, he brandished his knife and stuck it into my upper arm. I screamed out in pain as he dug around before finally pulling away with a bloodied tracker. Blood ran down my arm, oozing from the horrific gouge in my arm.
"I'll have Valeria bandage you up Hart, but you will cooperate." I nod. "Good, I'll be back, and Hart? Ye'r on camera so don't try anything."
As he left, I could only think of one thing: what have I done.
- time skip -
After being dragged up to my room and locked in by two very large men, I could only sit in my room and think. After a little bit of sitting in my own blood, water and sweat, Val came and bandaged me up. She didn't speak to me besides the occasional comment on my physique. What could I do? If I told Rai what was truly going on, Piper would be killed. I had to find a way to tell Rai what was happening without it being too obvious.
When the time had come, I was escorted out of the room, my wrists handcuffed behind my back.
I was brought to Antonio's office, just like yesterday, only yesterday my sister's life wasn't in danger and I was still Hunter Hamilton.
"Ahh, Hart. Thank you for joining me. You know you hurt Rosalia's feelings real bad. Are you proud?" I wasn't. I didn't mean to hurt Rosalia, but it had to be done. "Now, I want you to begin. We found ye'r wire you were going to wear tonight, you will tell your Captain that you've flipped, or ye'r sister gets the chop."
"I understand," I respond numbly. When the wire is fully attached to me and the mic is turned on, I put on a straight face and calmly say into the mic, "The wedding was great, but I've got to say, the cake was a little doughy."
I feel as though my stomach had dropped out from under me. I felt terrible, how could I do this!
After a minute or two, I heard his voice and it almost made me want to cry. "Henry, Henry come in. Over."
"Hey, Captain," I respond. "Guess you fell for it, huh?" Please, don't fall for this.
In the background, I hear someone that suspiciously sounds like Max Thunderman yell about something being a joke.
"Henry where are you!" He yells. Gods, he sounds mad.
"Oh I'm long gone, you'll never find me," I reply, trying to sound cocky but in reality, I couldn't stop trembling. "But this whole friendship, it's been fun, really it has." It's been amazing and I wish I could just go home, to the Man Cave, and I would explain everything, you'd understand and it would be ok.
"Henry, let's talk this out, have you really thought this through?" He sounds so upset. I had betrayed him and he is upset. I'm no better than Drex in his eyes now.
After a firm glare from Antonio telling me I was taking too long, I respond with this. "Nice try Cap, I know you need me on the line for at least two minutes in order for you to be able to trace the call when this is over. And don't bother with the tracker I know you injected into my arm, I cut it out." They cut it out Rai, I didn't betray you.
"Henry, whatever they have over you-" He started.
That's when it hit me. "They have nothing but the promise of freedom, Captain. Now I'm as free as I was that time we watched sandpiper on a sandy beach."
If Rai could just listen to my words. We never saw any sandpiper, of course, that was all a lie. But maybe he would get it. We watched a sandpiper as in they're watching Piper. He has to understand, he just has to.
"Henry!" He yelled, he sounded desperate, he sounded mad and he sounded broken. I can't believe I have to do this.
With a stern look from Antonio, I finish. "It's Hunter Hamilton now. Bye Captain." As soon as I said those last two words, Antonio ripped the mic away from me and stomped on it.
I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I looked at the shattered pieces of my only communication with Rai and the others. I could hardly believe what was happening. I'd betrayed my friends, my sister. I betrayed the city I swore to protect. I'm a fugitive now.
- time skip -
One Month Later
Two Months of Henry Being With The Mafia
Rai's Point Of View
Things had gone quiet in the Man Cave in the wake of Henry's betrayal. Henry Hart, as horrible as it was to say, had been added to the T-Force Villain Data Base. Due to his connection to the Iannucci Mafia, he had been added to the Super Most Wanted List. So yeah, I'd say morale was down. Because Henry Hart wasn't Kid Danger, protector of Swellview, the light of the world anymore. He was Hunter Hamilton, a mafia member, criminal, fugitive, T Force most wanted, and my ex sidekick.
Charlotte was a mess. It was no secret that they were best friends. Sure it had always been Henry, Charlotte and Jasper, but it was clear that Charlotte and Henry were closer. She could hardly wrap her head around the fact that her best friend had betrayed them.
Jasper was no better. He seemed solum and depressed like he was embarrassed that he could have ever been associated with someone like that.
Schwoz had thrown himself into inventing, he only stopped when he ate or slept. He kept whispering, 'not again.'. Which I can only concur meant that he couldn't believe Henry had become another Drex.
But it was Piper who worried me most. She seemed inconsolable. I couldn't stop seeing her desperate, teary face when I'd returned without Henry. She kept trying to get me to tell her it wasn't true. That none of this was true. She would cry and scream, and beg me to go find him. How was I supposed to tell her that he'd made his choice? That if I did find him, I'd be required by the Super President to hand him over to the T Force. So instead, I would say that I'd find him, somehow.
As for myself, I was a wreck. How could he do this? He was like family to me. Gods, it was the kid, my greatest weakness. The person who could make me unravel on the spot. The one who could make me sign my soul over to the devil, as long as he made it out ok. But I guess I was wrong. I guess he wasn't the person I believed him to be, and gods if that didn't hurt. He was just like Drex. He tricked me. He made me believe he was good, that he was a person I could trust, but now... I don't even know who he is anymore.
Guess you fell for it, huh?
How could he have done this? He was my best friend. He might still be my best friend. I don't know anymore. How could I have fallen for this trick, this enormous lie? How could he betray me? His friends? Piper? His family? His town? It just didn't make sense to me.
But this whole friendship, it's been fun, really it has.
Had it been? Or was that some lie as well. Was our friendship for the past few years just a big act? How much of anything he said was actually true? How many times has he downright lied to me? How many times has he been slowly sabotaging the team? The times criminals got away, were they really accidents? Or did he purposely let them get away?
And don't bother with the tracker I know you injected into my arm, I cut it out.
He cut it out. The thing that saved his life so many times, and he cut it out. Anytime he was in danger, at least I knew I could always find him. Now that that assurance was gone, I felt cut off. I felt like he had broken everything we'd created over the past five years.
They have nothing but the promise of freedom, Captain. Now I'm as free as I was that time we watched sandpiper on a sandy beach.
Everything he said before made sense, it hurt, but it made sense. But not this. I have no idea what he meant. Now I'm as free as I was that time we watched a sandpiper on a sandy beach. That didn't make sense. As hard as I thought back, I couldn't remember watching a sandpiper on a beach. It didn't make any sense.
Sandpiper. Watching a sandpiper. I couldn't remember ever doing that.
"Charlotte?" I ask the girl. She looks up. "Did-" Saying his name out loud was harder than I imagined. "Did Henry and I ever watch a sandpiper?"
I could almost feel the tension weigh down on the room. Jasper and Charlotte looked tense. I could see a tear track down Piper's cheeks. Charlotte looked puzzled as if she had heard that wrong. "I beg your pardon?" She asked.
"Did Henry and I ever watch a sandpiper?"
"No." She replied, still sounding confused on why she was being asked this.
"That's what I thought," I reply, biting the inside of my cheek as I thought.
"Why?" Jasper asked, sounding just as confused as Charlotte.
"It's something Henry said."
"Oh?" Charlotte replied, sounding quite tense.
"Yeah, when, he, uh, tricked us, and we were talking, and uh-"
"Rai, just spit it out." Piper snarls.
"Right, sorry. When Henry betrayed us, when we were talking over the wire, he said something confusing."
"Why? What did he say?" Jasper asked.
"They have nothing but the promise of freedom. Now I'm as free as I was that time we watched sandpiper on a sandy beach. They, being the Iannucci Mafia. That doesn't make sense. I can't remember a time when we ever did that."
"Yeah, that sounds odd." Charlotte agreed.
After a moment of silence, Jasper broke it. "What if it's a code?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, the 'we watched' could be that someone is being watched."
"Ok, you might be on to something." Charlotte perked up. "Let's break this down. So the 'we watched' is someone is being watched. What about sandpiper? That can't be just a word he chose."
"Isn't it obvious?" Schwoz asked.
"Care to elaborate?" I ask.
"Sandpiper. Obviously, he means his sister, Piper."
"What if this was - oh gods - what if - what if we - oh gods-" I feel my breath hitch.
"What if Henry never betrayed us..." Charlotte whispered.
"Don't." A small voice said.
All eyes went to Piper.
"Piper?" Charlotte asked.
"Don't say it. Because if Henry never really betrayed us, and that he's innocent, we've condemned him to at least one month of being held hostage by one of the most dangerous mafias in the country." Piper whispered. "So don't."
"Piper, if he's innocent, we can try and find him so we can get him back," I tell her.
"Rai. We left him to die. We don't even know if he's still alive."
The reality hit me. All this time he's been gone, I've only thought about myself. How his betrayal hurt me. I didn't think of whether or not he was ok or not. I didn't think about the dangers he was in while being in the mafia. I didn't think about what would happen if he was caught.
"We have to find him," I announce.
Henry's Point of View
Two Weeks Later
Two Months and Two Weeks of Being With The Mafia
A scream rips through my throat as a crowbar made contact with my side. Antonio had made me his punching bag considering I had ruined his daughter's wedding. It's a miracle I hadn't died from my injuries already. At the moment, my abdomen felt like it was some sort of bag filled with broken parts. Most, if not all, of my ribs, were one hundred percent broken. The simple task of breathing had become nearly impossible. But none of the aches, the agony, the wounds inflicted one after the other, none of these hurt as much as the dawning realization that my friends, my family, hadn't cracked my message. That they just left me alone to die at the hands of the Iannucci Mafia. That they thought I had willingly chosen this life. That hurt more than I care to admit.
It had hit me about three weeks ago. Well, I think it was three weeks ago, time seemed to move differently while you're held, prisoner. There were no windows in the basement I was being held in. The room was dark besides the dim lighting. It was cold and damp. I hadn't eaten anything besides some sort of bread and a small amount of cold soup.
It felt weird realizing that I was probably going to die here when all my friends thought I was a criminal. At some point, my mind started to play tricks on me. My friends would show up and tell me they'd come to rescue me. That they had cracked my code. They would smile and tell me everything was going to be ok, and then I'd blink and they'd be gone.
Sometimes they weren't as friendly. Sometimes it was Rai in his Captain Man uniform, come to drag me to prison so I could die alone. Other times he would replace Antonio and he would be beating me.
"So, you ready to talk Hart?"
"I've told you everything!" I sob.
"Bullshit! Tell me the identity of Captain Man! I know you know! Ye'r his sidekick."
"I can't!" Not the answer he wanted. A quick slash to the cheek revealed that. A pained groan escapes my lips. As a repayment, a slash went straight through my eyebrow, extending to my temple. Really it was a miracle it didn't hit my eye.
"Tell me who Cap'n Man is or you'll live to regret it!" Antonio yelled.
"You have to know I can't tell you that!" I cry, tears spilling onto the floor.
Antonio laughed, for a moment he looked sort of manic. It would be slightly amusing if my whole body wasn't screaming for medical aid. It was amusing, but that stopped as soon as the mafia leader pulled out a gun.
"You think ye've bested me, don't you Hart!" He yelled, shoving the gun into my chest. I shake my head. "You think that 'cause you won't tell me who Captain Man is, you've some sort of advantage? Ye'r not in control here, I am!"
"FREEZE!" I hear someone scream, just as a shot rang out. All I could feel was pain. I didn't hear Antonio's laughter before he died. I didn't hear my rescuer's cries. I only felt pain. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die, but mine didn't. The only thing I saw was my sister. Her laughter echoed through my head.
I feel my body slump forward as the ropes are cut. I fall into someone's arms, they lower me to the ground.
"Henry!" Someone yelled. "No, no, no, no, Henry, come on, don't do this." The person holding me carded his hand through my sure to be greasy, wet, bloodied hair.
I must have shown some sort of life because the person holding me sighed with relief.
I squinted my eyes open to see a crying Rai. No, I can't do this again. I can't deal with any more hallucinations. Because none of this was real. Antonio had shot me and left me to die, and this was just my brain playing tricks on me as I go.
"Go 'way." I rasped. "'re not real."
"Yeah, yeah I am Kid." Fake Rai stroked his hand over my hair, he even pulled off his glove so I could 'feel' his hand against my head. I could have sworn he said something about a fever. "Doesn't this feel real?" He asked me.
I consider this. It did feel real. It felt real like someone was stroking my hair. But that meant that Rai was here to drag me off to Super Prison. "Come to... finish me off?"
"What? Henry no, why would you think that?" Possibly real Rai exclaimed. "I'm here to take you home. I'm so sorry I never figured it out sooner. How could it take us a month to crack your code? We're going to clear your name and you'll be fine."
I feel a tear escape my eye. "Knew you weren't real." I whimper. I was going to die here. All alone with Antonio.
"Gods, Kid." Fake Rai groaned. Silence fell over the room. Maybe fake Rai had disappeared. But when I opened my eyes again, he was still there and he seemed to be listening to someone. "Don't worry about it right now." He slid his glove back on. He pulled me up close to his chest. I let out a whimper as he stood. "He's burning up. I think he might have an infection. We can talk to him later when he can understand."
After that, I have no idea what happened. All I remember is waking up.
- time skip -
Rai's Point of View
"We took too long! How could you not tell us about the conversation you had with him over the wire!" Charlotte snaps.
"Oh come on, like his name wasn't practically forbidden!" I retorted. I know I messed up by not telling them the whole of the conversation before two weeks ago, but I'll be damned if I was going to admit that I was wrong.
"Rai the human body has 24 ribs, 21 of Henry's were broken! He was lucky the bullet didn't knick his heart! He's so severely malnourished that he needed to immediately go on a feeding tube. He had an infection and hundreds of bruises!" Piper exclaimed, angry tears gracing the edges of her eyes.
Henry had just been rushed into surgery with Schwoz as soon as we rescued him. The whole ride home he was whimpering. Begging me to listen to him, that he wasn't with the mafia. I kept trying to reassure him that I believed him, but he couldn't seem to understand. He just kept murmuring that he wasn't with the mafia. 'I'm not with the mafia. I'm not with the mafia.' Over and over.
"I know Piper! I was the one who found him!" I yelled back.
"But you weren't the reason he had to go through that! Were you Rai! No, you weren't. I was! The mafia had eyes on me and in order for him to make sure I didn't fucking die, he had to lie to us, make us think he'd flipped, only for him to be totally innocent! Rai, he was tortured for weeks! And guess what! It's all my fault!"
"Piper this isn't your fault. You had no way of knowing."
"Then why does it feel like I might have killed my brother?" She cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks. Seeing the poor girl in tears, I pull her in for a hug. She was just as small as Henry was when he first became Kid Danger. If it wasn't for the horror that was not knowing if my sidekick would make it out of this mission alive, this would be nice.
"He's going to be okay Pipes," I whisper as her tears soaked the front of my shirt.
"What if he's not." She cried.
No one answered.
- time skip -
One Week Later
"He's awake," Schwoz announced.
A sigh of relief swept through the group. Schwoz hadn't allowed any of us to enter the room because of the intensive care he was under.
"Can we see him?" Piper asks, a hopeful look on her face.
"Yes, just be gentle, he's still quite stressed out," Schwoz warned. "I haven't had a chance to talk to him since he woke up but he seems to know where he is and I think he thinks we're going to hand him over to the T Force. Either way, he won't be able to escape, with his extensive injuries and being in post-operation, there's no way he's moving, not that I think he would. He seems much too distressed to ever attempt it."
We follow Schwoz to the medbay where we find only one room. The room was only ever used by one person, and the room I hoped would never be used for such a serious reason.
When we entered the room, a very bandaged up Henry seemed to freeze like a statue. His cheek had two gashes that were stitched up, the rest of his cheeks were marked with purple and yellow bruises. He had a tight wrap around his torso to keep his ribs in place. He had a huge bandage covering his bullet wound and multiple bruises everywhere. He looked so pale and thin that he looked like a small breeze could knock him over. Who knows when he last had a proper meal.
"Let me explain. Just let me explain my side. I promise, I didn't betray you, I - they had eyes on Piper - please just listen." He rambled, desperation and fear tinging his voice. "They had eyes on Piper - I had no choice - I promise I didn't do anything illegal."
"Henry!" I say a little too loudly. Henry flinches back at the shout, panic in his big brown eyes. "Sorry, Henry, we know. We cracked the code. The watching the sandpiper, we figured it out."
"Oh." He whispered. "Oh, ok, that's good. I didn't want to go to prison." Tears well up in his eyes.
"Henry?" Piper asked, sitting beside him.
"I thought that you hadn't figured it out. I thought that you were going to find me and drag me to super jail. I'm so sorry."
"No Henry, we're the ones who should be sorry. It took us a whole month to crack the code, well mainly because Rai only told us about two weeks ago, but Henry, none of this is your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's Antonio Iannucci's fault. That and Rai's." Charlotte assured me.
"Hey, it's not all my fault!" I mock yell.
"I mean, you did send him on the undercover mission that would inevitably get him seriously injured, which lead him to contract a rather serious infection which caused hallucinations and a horrible fever, and you also withheld information for a month." Jasper pointed out.
I don't miss the slight wince Henry makes at mentioning the torture he endured, but I notice the smile at the light bickering between Jasper and me. Maybe everything will be ok.
Wow, that was a long chapter. It was really fun to write but also very hard. Also, for those of you wondering why it takes me so long to finish a one-shot you requested, I had a day of school yesterday and I spent it writing this, and I still only just got it finished tonight. Writing takes a while, and drawing up the plot is hard too. Yes, you give me an idea, but I have to write the dialogue, the plot, everything. It's not easy guys. So please, just be patient. Your request will come.
Drop a comment if you enjoyed it.
Cheers