Chapter Text
BANG.
The gunshot echoed through the shooting range, hitting Henry’s target right in the forehead.
“Nice shot, ‘Enry,” Right Hand Man said approvingly, watching the policeman dummy flop over. “Let’s do some moving targets next.”
The Toppat shooting instructor hummed in acknowledgment and pressed a button on a small remote. Another dummy, this time dressed as a military guard, slid into view, attached to a metal frame on wheels that moved back and forth on tracks.
As Henry once again readied his handgun with a determined glint in his eye, Right leaned against the back wall with folded arms and inspected Henry’s form and technique for any sloppiness and general weak areas. He nodded in satisfaction when there were none and Henry’s next two shots were both direct hits.
Following Henry’s completion of the gun safety course and getting a bit older, it was time to start his practical firearm training. While the airship did have a small, heavily fortified space for shooting practice, it was designed to brush up skills that were already there, not to develop new skill, so the Toppats of the airship division had organized a system where everyone on board took turns taking Henry to the tundra base or jungle base division’s shooting range to hone his shooting skill, aptly called chauffeur duty. It worked well, and Henry’s marksmanship was already improving by leaps and bounds.
After the sixth shot blown into the dummy (with five more that missed), Right looked at his watch and called time, walking up to Henry and waving for the instructor and her team to start cleaning up.
“Your aim’s gettin’ better.”
Henry smirked and twirled the gun around his finger, looking rather pleased with himself.
Right snickered as they walked out the doors of the facility. “Don’t go thinkin’ you’re all that just yet, kid. You missed nearly ‘alf of those shots.”
Henry dramatically sniffed, crossing his arms and looking away with closed eyes.
Right couldn’t help but snort in amusement, shaking his head. “Don’t forget we ‘ave to meet with some of the team leaders ‘ere about the gove’ment raid before we go,” he reminded Henry, directing them towards the administration building. (That was why Right was there; it was actually supposed to be Geoffrey Plumb’s turn for chauffeur duty, but since Right needed to come to the tundra base division for the meeting anyway, they had switched.)
Usually Reg would have joined him for big meetings like this, but today he was busy leading a mission to bust a few captured Toppats out of prison after a jewelry store hit went bad. Apparently they hadn’t even checked for motion sensors and silent alarms before trying to sneak in. Idiots.
In any case, as right hand and second-in-command of the Clan, Right would be standing in for Reg at the meeting.
A moment later, they passed through the front doors of the admin building. The space immediately opened up into a spacious atrium with a tiled linoleum floor and high ceiling, with portraits of past Toppat Clan leaders lining the walls on either side. A few Toppats were milling around, either aimlessly or with a purpose. Right and Henry’s footsteps echoed as they strolled over to the large directory on the wall.
“Conference Room 4,” Right muttered, trailing a finger down the entries. “Conference—ah, there it is. Third floor, second door on the right.”
He led Henry to the elevator and they squeezed inside, trying not to squish the six other Toppats already in there. Right pressed the button for the third floor and fixed an intense stare at the elevator door, trying to ignore all the people crammed uncomfortably close to him.
After an elevator ride that felt like an hour but probably only took about thirty seconds, they finally made it to the right floor and stepped off, quickly finding the conference room and slipping into the nearest available seats at the large circular table. A few minutes later, everyone had arrived (including a little red-haired girl, for some reason) and Right called the meeting to order.
“Alright, everyone, today we’ll be discussin’ the gove’ment raid next week,” Right began, steepling his hands and sweeping his stolid gaze over everyone in the room. “Our mission is to get into the gove’ment complex out west to cause chaos and distract ‘em for the day so they don’t interfere with our own bank team’s raid on the Central Bank. Cross, you said you ‘ad an idea on ‘ow to avoid gettin’ shut down before we can get a proper distraction goin’?”
Carol Cross nodded confidently. Even though she was the Toppat Clan’s newest team leader, having only been promoted to head of covert ops a couple months prior, she had more than proven her competence and worth as an executive, with over a dozen successful missions already under her belt. As this particular mission was (apparently) in part a deception-based one, Cross would be leading it after getting approval from Right Hand Man, which was the purpose of the meeting.
“Yes. I know of a way we can get Toppats into the government complex to begin the distraction undetected—and, in, fact, welcomed with open arms.”
As the room filled with murmurs and glances at each other, Right raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s quite the strategy you got. Let’s ‘ear it.”
“It involves some children of the Clan.”
“Ah, so that’s why you asked me to bring ‘Enry,” Right said, looking over at the boy in the seat beside him, who looked back with a confused expression.
Cross nodded in affirmation. “It’s also why I brought along Ellie here,” she replied, gesturing to the little red-haired girl seated next to her, who smirked and waved at him. “This is Ellie Rose. She was recruited from an orphanage only a few months ago, but she’s got the stuff, I’ll tell you that. She and Henry would be teaming up as the ‘double agents’ for the mission.”
“Who else?”
“Just them.”
Right stared at her in disbelief. “You wanna send in a couple children as the only agents for a delicate gove’ment mission?”
“Well, just them at first,” Cross corrected.
Right cautiously nodded and motioned for her to continue.
“I know it sounds crazy, but just think about it,” Cross said in a rush, Ellie nodding along. “Ellie and Henry find the government complex. They’re just a couple of helpless little eight-year-olds, lost and alone. Of course the government will let them into the complex and try to help! Then they can sneak around the complex and scramble some machinery, set off small explosions—stuff like that.” The executive cracked a sanguine smile. “There’ll be a few adult field agents waiting just outside that will guide them with earpieces and join them in the distraction after the government is already running around like headless chickens. Then the adults will make sure Henry and Ellie get out safely when the time comes. There’s no way the government will be able to regroup fast enough to stop the bank team’s raid.”
Huh. That was…a pretty good idea, actually. He couldn’t find any immediate problems with it, anyway. Right raised his eyebrows. “You know, that might just work. Good plan, Cross. But ‘Enry gets the final say ‘ere.” He turned to Henry. “Whaddaya say, kid? You wanna go on your first real mission?”
Henry grinned wide and nodded ardently, looking every bit like he was about to vibrate right out of his seat in excitement.
“Alright then, Cross. Your plan is approved.”
Next to him, Henry left his seat (though not by vibrating) and ran over to Ellie, sticking out his hand.
Ellie grinned back at him and shook his hand. “Hey, I’m Ellie. And you’re Henry, right?”
Henry nodded again.
“Cool. Guess we’ll be paying the government a visit, huh? Let’s make ‘em regret ever seeing us!”
They high-fived, wearing twin evil smirks.
Right shook his head and smiled. He could already tell the pair would raise some hell for those government rats.