//------------------------------// // 17) Henry gets his voice back // Story: The Experiments // by SapphireRose87 //------------------------------// {Henry} “Great!” Derek growled. “Now we have to wait for Leader Felix to get here- and I’m not looking forward to that! Thanks a lot, Snips and Snails!” “I thought I said that Leader Felix needs to know about the two people who completed the God Challenge!” Snails said defensively. “You’re a pain, you know that!” Derek snapped. “Would you two stop fighting?” Milton asked. “Honestly, you two are about as bad as Henry and Sarah! I just hope you don’t chop down a tree next, Snails!” Listening to this, I debated showing everyone what had happened to me back at Lab 14. I finally made up my mind. Now was the time to do it before Derek and I left to do our job. Derek turned around to the others when he saw the look on my face. “Guys? I think Henry has something he wants to tell you.” I nodded. Nobody was prepared for what I did next. I took my glove off and let it fall to the ground. When everyone saw this, they gasped. “So, that’s what happened to you at Lab 14!” Milton said with a look of horror. “No wonder you didn’t want to show us!” Jane looked at my hand and the bandages that I had been trying so desperately to hide from them this entire time. “There’s something else you want to show us, isn’t there?” I nodded, rolling up my sleeve. I took off the bandages, revealing the cut that Cora had made before she cut my fingers. The cut was starting to heal up but every once in a while it would bleed. When everyone saw that they gasped at it. Moria licked the cut on my arm and the stitches on my hand and I just about wanted to kill her because of the sting from it. “Sorry about that,” said Moria. “See, I told you guys if you stopped pushing he would tell you! And I don’t think he wants your pity, am I right?” Before I could respond, Milton came up and kissed me. When Sarah saw this, she laughed. “Why didn’t you tell Henry you had feelings for him?” Sarah asked after she stopped laughing. Milton looked down at the ground. “Well, you see…” “I know why,” said Martin. “When he first met Henry, Milton only saw him as a brother. It wasn’t until Derek gave Henry the kiss of true love to get Henry out of Fear Shock that Milton realized he felt jealous because of it. But, if you ask me, jealousy doesn’t mean love…” Milton sighed. “Martin’s right. It’s true. I just wanted to be sure before you guys left because I knew you weren’t going to come back anytime soon. And seeing that the kiss didn’t break my heart, that confirmed it.” “Confirmed what?” Sarah asked. Jane did a facepalm and shook her head. “You’re a real idiot, Sarah! How did you know you had feelings for Aria?” “I did…” Sarah paused. “Oh, I get it!” “Yeah, it’s true,” said Milton. “I don’t have feelings for him like I thought I did.” Derek raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?” Milton laughed, “Yeah I’m sure.” “Cause if you do, we could…” Derek didn’t finish his sentence because I was shaking my head rapidly. Milton smiled and then snorted. “Don’t worry, Henry, I’ll find someone sooner or later. Besides, I’m attracted to females too.” At that comment, I saw Jane smile with a twinkle in her eye. Derek saw it too and elbowed Jane in the shoulder. Milton titled his head. “Was it something I said?” “Oh, it’s nothing…” Derek smiled. “It’s nothing at all…” We were all startled when we heard Leader Felix clear his throat. “What a touching moment! And with a kiss added to it! What a lovely fairytale!” Leader Felix and Derek started laughing. Derek fell over on his back laughing. “Okay, all funny business aside,” said Leader Felix, “and seeing that I didn’t embarrass the guy that gave the kiss over here, I can’t pick on him for it. It’s a good thing I told Agent Derek and Henry to stay put because I have something that belongs to Henry that I think he’ll need to get his job done.” Leader Felix took out a small black box. He held the box in front of me and it glowed yellow. When Sarah saw this she grinned from ear to ear. Leader Felix looked at the box with curiosity. “I’ve never seen that happen before!" He looked at Sarah, who couldn’t contain her excitement. “I know what’s going on!” Sarah said. “I’m Henry’s sister, Sarah. The reason why the box is glowing yellow is that we figured out how to do magic as humans, too. It’s glowing yellow because that’s Henry’s light color!” Leader Felix raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” I nodded and, just like many other times before, I opened up my fist and showed my magic to him. “To add to that,” said Snips, “Henry and Sarah can also use their magic and turn it into weapons! Go ahead, Henry! Show him!” I moved my fingers around to make the shape of a circle and then stretched it out to create my shield. “Yeah!” Snails cheered. “That’s how Henry chopped that tree!” “And then Agent Derek followed through and drilled the hole into it!” Snips said. Leader Felix looked curious to see how we had been able to do that. “Interesting, From what we know so far, no one’s been able to chop down a tree and drill a hole into it! Henry and Agent Derek, would you mind showing me how you did it?” “Do I have to?” Derek asked. Leader Felix nodded. “Oh yes, you do. Sarah, can you hold Henry’s voice box for me?” “Yes, sir!” Sarah said. Sarah took my voice box from Leader Felix and then Derek and I followed him outside the tent. “Well,” said Leader Felix, “show me how you two did it.” Derek rolled his eyes. “The sooner we get this over with the better.” Just like with the first one I had sliced in half, I threw my shield at a nearby tree, and it did the same thing it had done before. My shield sliced the tree in half and after the top part of the tree fell over, Derek followed suit. Just like last time, his right hand glowed. First, it balled up into a fist, and then his hand was forced open. Next, the small beam of light shot out of his hand and drilled the hole into the stump. When Leader Felix saw this, he practically fell over in shock. “Well, I’ll be damned, you two!” Leader Felix said after he got to his feet. “That’s two trees chopped down and a hole drilled into them afterward! You guys do know what this means right?” Derek and I looked at Leader Felix and gulped because we weren’t sure that we wanted to hear what he was going to say next. “First of all, there’s no way I can keep this under wraps! The labs will definitely find out about this and will be chasing after you two big time! Second, if you can slice a tree in half and Agent Derek can follow suit by drilling a hole in the stump, that should make it easier to get your job done! I’m glad Lab 14 will finally be destroyed once and for all! Third, you two WILL- in capital letters will- be the two gods that will govern the In Between!” “What?” Derek gasped. “Please tell me you’re joking about that!” Leader Felix shook his head. “Nope, not joking!” From the look on my face, Derek could tell that I was feeling the same way he was. Me? I thought. A god? No way! I don’t want the job! No way! “What’s that look for, Henry?” Leader Felix asked. “I can tell when Henry’s terrified, Leader Felix,” said Derek. “He really doesn’t want the job and neither do I!” “Well, too bad!” Leader Felix said. “You guys are the ones that completed The God Challenge! Actually, I already knew what happened right after Snips and Snails told me about it. The Higher told me himself and said all of the gods agree that you two are the gods that will govern the In Between! I just wanted to see what you guys did for myself! Trust me, I didn’t believe what The Higher said. But I guess seeing is believing! And when you two go back to Lab 14 the only way you’ll get captured is if you allow it to happen!” I thought back to when I walked into a trap just to save Aria. I knew it was a trap before I walked into it and I allowed myself to be captured so I could possibly get her away from Lab 14. “Judging by that look on your face,” said Leader Felix, tilting his head, “you’ve already done that, haven’t you, Henry?” I nodded, confirming what Leader Felix had just said. “Is that why Discord helped you break out of Lab 14?” Derek asked. I nodded again. After I answered Derek’s question, his jaw dropped. “Why would you do that?” “My guess,” said Leader Felix, “it was probably to save someone. Because if that wasn’t the case, he would’ve stayed well away from Lab 14 and would still be on the run! And he would have run away from there without stopping or looking back.” “Is that true?” Derek asked. “Did you walk into Lab 14 to save someone?” I nodded again, and this time, Derek smiled at me. I tilted my head, looking at him in confusion. “You know something,” said Derek. “I did the same thing just to save someone.” “That’s just like you, Agent Derek,” said Leader Felix, “but I’m guessing you did that to keep people away from Lab 14’s Experiments themselves. That’s exactly what you did with Experiment Sebastian, isn’t it?” “Yeah,” Derek said, “I traded places to help someone out! I knew it was a trap going into it but I didn’t care because if there was a possibility to save that person that’s why I did it! I am wondering something- I was told that In Between is a universe and I don't know much about why considering this palace doesn't have planets and stuff attached to it. So if that's the case, why is In Between considered a universe and why does it need gods to govern it?” “Because the universes that are connected to here were built by gods,” explained Leader Felix, “and the In Between was built by several gods. They made it so that creatures from their universes can take up residency in the In Between. Every universe's main core has planets that surround it. It’s basically the home base for where that god lives. The gates are considered the planets that surround the In Between core. Where we are at right now is inside the In Between core. And since this place is considered a universe it needs gods to rule over it. It wasn’t until three centuries ago that the core of this place started to grow weak and it didn’t matter how much magic the gods put into the trees. I’m guessing that’s why the gods issued The God Challenge, hoping that they would find the person that would rule over the In Between. Ever since The God Challenge was issued, many creatures have tried to complete it, but all have failed. Now that you two have completed The God Challenge you will rule over the In Between. And in ruling over the In Between, you will have the power to grant other universes the ability to connect to this place or not.” “And why would we do that?” Derek asked. Leader Felix shrugged. “I’m not sure why that would happen. I’m guessing it’s for the same reason that gods continue planets in their universes every century or so.” “Okay, I guess that makes sense,” said Derek, “but why did Henry get his voice box taken out if he’s a god now?” “That’s probably because his powers weren’t completely developed,” answered Leader Felix. “If they were, then that wouldn’t have happened unless he allowed it to. And the same goes for whatever the experiments are going to have that the labs will use to chase after you. I think that’s enough of an explanation for now. We should give Henry his voice back- I think he’s tired of not being able to make a sound.” * * * When Derek, Leader Felix, and I got back into the tent, Sarah handed my voice box back to Leader Felix. After she did that, it looked like she realized something. Judging by the look of horror on her face, it wasn’t something good. “Oh, no!” “What is it, Sarah?” Derek asked. “This is going to be the most extreme thing that any of us, ugh, experiments can go through!” Sarah said. “I’ve had it happen a couple of times, but since Henry’s had it done more than that, I’m surprised it hasn’t fried his brain in the process! And it doesn’t get any easier every time it’s done- of course, nothing’s easy with Lab 14!” “Well,” said Leader Felix, “someone is going to have to hold him still!” I backed up and tried to run, but Derek yanked me by the shirt, Milton pushed me to the ground, and Sarah proceeded to sit on me. “Now,” said Leader Felix, “turn his head over so I can push the box back in!” “I can’t do that since I’m sitting on him,” said Sarah. “A little help here, please?” I kept struggling to get out from under Sarah and had half a mind to use my magic to get her off me. “It’s okay, Henry!” Derek said. “Just calm down, please!” Derek came over and turned my head so Leader Felix could see my stitches. “Okay,” said Leader Felix, “I’m going to count to three and push the box back in! Ready, one… Two… Three!” As soon as Leader Felix pushed the box back in, I instantly felt pain. The pain coursed through my body like I was being electrocuted by a surge projector box, over and over again. First, I felt my body going cold and numb. The next thing I felt was my body getting really hot as if I were being cooked alive. The pain in my body went from cold to hot along with the feeling of being electrocuted. It seemed to go on forever! Finally, the pain stopped, and I didn’t realize that I was laying on the ground because I had passed out before I could even touch it. * * * When I opened my eyes again Sarah, Martin, Milton, Jane, and Aria were looking at me in excitement. “Say something!” Sarah said. “If I must,” I said, trying so hard not to laugh. “Something! Happy now?” As soon as I said that, I covered my mouth in surprise. “That comes out of my mouth?” Sarah couldn’t help herself, she was laughing so hard that she couldn’t breathe, falling over backward in the process. “Huh,” said Derek. “I didn’t know you had a deep voice!” “Uh-huh,” I said, “I guess I do. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it!” “I never paid much attention to your voice, Henry!” Milton said with a small smile. “I hope this doesn’t mean you have feelings for him again?” Martin asked. Milton laughed, “No, like I said, the kiss confirmed it. I don’t like him like that. I just view him as a brother.” Once again, Sarah couldn’t help herself. She just had to laugh along with Leader Felix. “I’m not surprised that a god would have a deep voice!” “A god?” Sarah repeated. “Long story…” Derek said. “We’ll explain it to you when we get back from finishing our job.” “I’m not a god!” I said. “Last time I checked, I’m either a unicorn or a human! I’m not a god! I don’t want the job!” “I totally agree with Henry on that one,” Derek said. “Too bad,” said Leader Felix. “When the gods have agreed on something, it’s going to happen! They issued the God Challenge for a reason. And especially if they get The Higher involved in it to make it official!” “Hmm,” Moria barked, “I’ve never paid attention to your voice before, Henry! We were probably too busy saving people!” “Your point?” I asked. There was a twinkle in her eyes as Moria gave me a look that really creeped me out. “Your voice sounds dreamy!” Derek snorted. “Now a dog has feelings for you! Oh, that’s priceless!” “Hey!” Moria barked. “Just because I said something sounds dreamy doesn’t mean that I want to be its lover or something! Besides, I don’t date other species!” I doubled over in laughter and this time everyone could hear it. “Hey!” Snips said. “There’s laughter coming from your mouth now!” “Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, you two,” said Derek. He rolled his eyes. “You guys must be the definition of the word dumb!” “What?” Snips asked. “I was just pointing it out!” “Thank you, Captain Obvious!” I growled. “I got my voice box back, so of course I can make sounds now! Idiot! And you just had to tell Leader Felix about Derek and me. I totally agree with Derek- we should cook you two for food when we get done with our job! Maybe we’ll make a tasty stew out of you! We’ll probably have to add some salt to it. You two will probably taste bland because of your stupidity!” Everyone burst into laughter, and I joined in just to be spiteful. Leader Felix stopped laughing, although he really wanted to continue to do so. “Henry’s right, you know, all you had to do was leave the conversation after you told me that Agent Derek was gay. You just had to mention he had a lover, didn’t you?” I started to laugh again when Snips and Snails looked down at the ground, their faces turning red. “So,” said Snips, looking up at Leader Felix, “is Henry going to be an Agent of The Resistance now?” “Yup,” said Derek. “The definition of the word dumb! And you have a twin to match!” “What?” Snails asked. “Henry’s perfect for the job!” “What part of ‘The God Challenge is complete,’ do you not understand?” Derek said. He gave Snails an annoyed look. “And I do believe you two were the ones that said it!” “Yup,” said Leader Felix. “Henry and Agent Derek will not need The Resistance at all!” “What?” Everyone except Derek and I gasped. “Oh yes,” said Leader Felix. “The Higher contacted me too, making it official. The gods have decided Agent Derek and Henry are the two gods who will govern the In Between! Everyone from now on will have to refer to them as God Henry and God Derek. I’d never thought that I would be calling one of my agents god!” “How many times do I have to say I don’t want the job!” I snapped. “Too bad,” said Leader Felix. “It was decided as soon as you two took care of that tree! Funny thing is, the gods sent The Higher to tell you that you had been picked to take down Lab 14. It probably took them by surprise that the ones that they assigned for the job would become gods!” When Sarah heard that, she had a huge grin on her face. “Well, you should feel better about fighting those experiments that are after you now! And I’m glad it was you and not me!” “And why’s that?” I asked. “Because I don't want to be a god,” said Sarah, “any more than I want to be the leader of this group! I can tell you two are going to have loads of fun with this!” “Your brother is grateful for your confidence in him, Sarah!” I said with sarcasm. Derek rolled his eyes, “Just like Milton said. You’re a brat, Sarah!” “Hey!” Sarah said. “I was just giving him a pep talk!” “Just because you’re my sister,” I said, “does not mean I have a problem punching you!” “And I don’t think that was much of a pep talk!” Derek added. Sarah rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”