Chapter Text
Henry and Ellie had known they were playing with fire by going to the Hatter’s Casino. Anyone with ties to the criminal underground in Inkwell knew the Toppat Clan owned it, and the two thieves knew very well they’d given the clan plenty of reasons to hate them. Like many other reckless decisions they’d made, what ultimately convinced them to do it anyway was that it would be hilarious if they could disguise themselves and attend the casino right under the Toppats’ snobby noses.
Plus, Henry had reasoned, he could rewind if things got really bad, and if the timeline didn’t let him, then it was always meant to happen.
So they’d snagged some fancy-ass suits and hats by doing a favour for one of Ellie’s contacts, and let themselves in. If there was one thing they were both great at, it was BSing their way out of basically anything. After that, all they had to do was follow a few principles – always stick together, let Ellie do most of the talking, throw their games so they didn’t get too noticed – and the night was theirs!
Or so they had thought.
It’d just hit around 1 A.M. when someone discreetly called out from behind them. They turned away from their billiards to see the Toppat Clan’s second-in-command looming above them, tall and bulky. The first thing Henry noticed was that the rumours were true: Right Hand Man did have a cybernetic eye. In fact, the entire upper left portion of his skull was metal. Why, Henry didn’t know and didn’t want to know either. He was too focused on the eye’s red, menacing glint, visible even through Right Hand Man’s loosely-tied ginger hair. (He should tie it better, thought Henry idly, if it was getting in his face like this.)
“Who are you two?” Even his voice sounded a little robotic. Henry thought he could see metal on his throat, but he was too scared to look away from the eye. “Don’t think I’ve seen you ‘round here yet.”
His tone was friendly enough, but no way in Inkwell Hell was Henry trusting it. He just exchanged a glance with Ellie and got ready to rewind if needed.
“I’m Helen,” she said, “and he’s Ed.” Most of the time they just used really simple fake names, sometimes with the first letter of each other’s names or surnames.
Right Hand Man didn’t look like he believed them. He asked a few more questions – what division were they from, where were they living at the moment – which they (read: Ellie) lied out of their asses about, and then nodded and walked off, satisfied. A few other Toppats rushed up to him to talk about whatever, and Ellie and Henry cautiously went back to their billiards, until Ellie spotted something.
“Ed,” she said lowly while lining up her shot. “Chief’s on the floor.”
Henry walked around the table to Ellie’s side to line up his own shot and, indeed, there was Reginald Copperbottom, lounging on a chair, talking to Right Hand Man.
“Ready to run?” Asked Ellie in the same volume before stepping back. Henry nodded and sank the 8-ball, much to her chagrin. “Aw, dude, really?” She sighed and threw up her hands as Henry grinned. “Alright, fine, you win, I give up. Asshole.”
They put their pool cues and chalk and everything back in place and started slinking out, but halfway there, a hand landed on Ellie’s shoulder and they knew they were doomed.
“Well, well, well,” drawled Copperbottom, a pleased, crooked smirk on his face. Tall and thin, he towered over even Henry. “I wasn’t expecting to find the two of you here of all places. But then, I suppose you’ve never been predictable.”
Henry tried to rewind while Copperbottom talked, and to his horror, found he couldn’t. This was their fate? What a punch in the pants. They were so dead.
“No, no, no need to leave,” said Copperbottom at the first sign of either of them moving away, hand tightening subtly on Ellie’s shoulder. “Where would my hospitality be if I simply let you walk away, especially when you’ve both gone to the effort of coming so well-dressed?” He let go of Ellie and stepped back, motioning to the now quiet saloon. “Come, let’s play a game.”
Ellie and Henry exchanged a look. Was there literally any way they could get out of this?
“Unless you’d rather forfeit your lives here and now?” Added Copperbottom, his tone far too casual for the dangerous flash in his eyes. The two thieves hurried. There was that question answered.
Copperbottom sat at a poker table, and they followed, Right Hand Man standing behind his Chief, his right hand, which they could now see was also metal, resting on the back of the chair where Copperbottom sat, giving Henry and Ellie a predatory smile.
“Let’s play three rounds of poker, shall we?” He said, no question in his tone. He folded his sleeves up to his elbows as he continued, “best of three. Should either of you win twice or each win once, the Toppat Clan will let you out of here without harming you, this time.” He steepled his fingers and rested his hands on the table. “Should I win twice, I will have you both executed for all the grief you’ve given us.”
Henry and Ellie blinked.
“Uh, sure,” said Ellie. She pushed her sleeves up to her elbows too, and Henry followed. It was comforting to know they were at least gonna get their asses kicked fair and square.
And get their asses kicked they did. Copperbottom wiped the damn floor with them, won twice in a row, and Henry couldn’t even rewind to let them try again. Now they were screwed. The hell were they supposed to do?
“Okay, uh, listen,” said Ellie nervously as Right Hand Man took a step closer before Henry could try his usual methods. “Can’t we make it up to you somehow? We yoinked the three gems and half of what you had in your vaults, right? We, we still have the gems. Can’t we pay you guys back or something?”
There was silence for a moment, and then Copperbottom’s laughter, loud and mocking.
“Pay us back!” He exclaimed like it was the greatest joke he’d ever heard. He draped his upper torso over the back of his chair like a cat to look at his second-in-command. “What say you, Right Hand Man? Should we let them – ahahaha – pay us back?”
Right Hand Man smirked.
“Well, Chief,” he said, organic eye glinting with malice, “there are those suicide missions we didn’t really wanna send anyone on…”
Tilting his head, Copperbottom shared a predatory smile with Right Hand Man.
“My dear Right Hand, this is why I have you,” he said with wicked delight, then looked back at Henry and Ellie. “There are targets we’ve had in our sight for years, but have always been too dangerous to go after. But now, the two of you offer us an opportunity. Thomas, be a dear and fetch me pen and paper.”
A man snapped to attention.
“Yes, Chief!” He said, and hurried to comply with the order.
“Here is what you will do,” continued Copperbottom, smile finally fading into a cold look. “I will give you a list, and you will either kill every single person on that list, or die trying. Until you can immediately present irrefutable evidence of every death, all Toppats will have orders to kill you on sight.” He paused for a moment, letting the weight of it sink in. “If you do complete this task, you will be free of any animosity from us – unless, of course, you try to do us harm again, in which case you’re dead, no questions asked.” The man he’d called Thomas returned with a few sheets of paper, a pencil with an eraser, and a pen. “Thank you, Thomas. I also expect you to return the Tunisian Diamond, the Romanian Ruby, and the Norwegian Emerald at your earliest convenience.”
Henry and Ellie exchanged a look. That was way better than what they’d expected! All they had to was give the gems back and commit a few murders? It would hurt to part with the gems, but it was better than like, being Copperbottom’s handservants for eternity or something.
“Yeah, sign us up,” said Ellie as Henry gave a thumbs up. That Cheshire grin returned to Copperbottom’s face.
“Splendid.”