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When Henry first heard of this ‘squip’ from Gabe's cousin, he thought that it was the stupidest thing ever.
A gray oblong pill with a quantum nano-technology cpu that implants into a person's brain after it is consumed that supposedly helps you in any plight the consumer may have sounded… a bit outlandish…but also very interesting.
Henry wants to get one, not because he has a use for it but rather to study it. He wants to see how it works. And that's why he's here in Payless Shoes.
At least, he's not alone in this endeavour. He has Gabe and Lanyon behind him, just in case.
“Soooooooo… your cousin said that this guy sells this pill straight from Japan and it can make someone ‘cooler’...Are we even sure this is legal?” Hastie Lanyon, the platinum blonde donning a green varsity jacket with complementary Jordans and jeans, asks the deadpan, dress code brown haired, normal looking Gabriel Utterson, who was wearing a long-sleeved polo and slacks with dress shoes…to the mall.
“I highly doubt it. We are getting it from a shoe store in a mall. If it does not work, then we have evidence for the police to handle it later. I don't know why he keeps selling this to the other people at school, especially that poor person in the bathroom from the last time I talked with him.”
Lanyon turns to him with wide eyes.
“He what-?”
“Guys focus!”
The smallest (but not by much) one of the group, Henry Jekyll, gets in between the two.
“We need to see if that pill works. Hopefully, we won't look so…suspicious to everyone else.” Henry plays with the sleeve of his purple knitted cardigan and looks around in oblong glasses.
“Ah, yes because we look so suspicious buying shoes from a store called ‘Payless Shoes.’ You will be fine Henry. We'll be out here if you need us.” Gabe puts a hand on Henry's shoulder to comfort him from his imaginary theater. Lanyon leans on the other shoulder to ground him.
“Yeah, HJ!-”
“Please don't call me that…”
“You got this! If nothing else, think of it as practice when we get to College. Trust me bro you need to build those social skills.” He says as he picks Henry up like a doll.
“Lanyon! Please put me down!”
Hastie ruffles Henry's raven nest of hair as laughter surrounds the trio before Henry inevitably enters the store to purchase his squip while the other two wait for his return by looking at shoes to act natural.
Minutes later, Henry exits the store with Gabe, Hastie, and the new squip in his hands are in the food court ready to test it out.
“Here we are! One purchase of mountain dew for the crew! Courtesy of Hastie Lanyon.”
Lanyon sits joyously as he gently hands the mountain dew to Henry who looks at the pill and mountain dew in his hands.
“I guess this is the moment where it all changes huh?” The grey oblong shimmers in temptation.
“...I wonder what it will do to me though.”
“Well, from my personal experience, you could be more of an ass.” Gabe answers laced in sarcasm and truth.
Lanyon gasps. “Gabriel Utterson, future graduate of Harvard Law, swearing?!”
Henry snickers, “Yeah who are you and what have you done with him?”
Gabriel rolls his eyes at his friends’ mockery with a smile. “I am glad you both are amused at my O.O.C. moment-”
“And using fanfiction slang in public?!-”
“Shut up, Henry. But anyways, I have to be going.”
“Awwww… so you're not gonna see what it's gonna do to Hen-Hen?”
“HEN-HEN!?”
“I'm afraid not, Hastie. I have an appointment at Spencer's Gifts. It's a worthy trade to make.”
“Ah, I see… well see you later then. We'll send you the findings later.” Henry waves his friend goodbye as he carries a paper bag to Spencer's Gifts.
The oblong pill glistens in the light of the food court. It's as if it was begging for Henry to take it. Lanyon pulls up his phone to record his friend's experiment.
“We're rolling for our absentee lawyer in 5…4…3…2…1…
Henry looks at the camera with some nervousness on his face. “Good afternoon, I'm Henry Jekyll. The camera man is Hastie Lanyon.”
“Hello!” Lanyon waves his hand infront of the camera before steadly filming once more.
“And this is a recording of me intaking a squip. This grey oblong pill from Japan is rumoured to travel into the bloodstream until it implants itself into the brain of the consumer and air quote “tell people what to do to be more cool.” This recording is for evidential and information purposes. To the other people watching this, please do not try this at home.”
Henry opens the mountain dew bottle. Its fizz fills the air.
“...Wish me luck.”
He quickly swallows the pill and washes it down with mountain dew. He became a coughing fit instantly.
“OH SHIT! DUDE ARE YOU OKAY?!”
“I'm fine!” Henry coughs a bit more. “I just drank too much. BLEGH! I forgot that I don’t like mountain dew...”
“So, how are you feeling, Henry?”
“I'm…not feeling anything weird actually.”
“Huh…maybe it needs time to implant itself into your head?”
“That…might be the case…”
“Maybe, if we get your blood pumping it will help!”
“That could work…”
“So… would you rather do 50 push-ups or hear how much alchemy is bullshit?”
“...WAIT WHA-”
Henry feels his head split and topples over. Lanyon abandons his phone camera to check on his friend.
“Henry! Henry! Come on! Speak to me buddy!” Lanyon shakes Henry's shoulders as his friend's mind shuts down in front of him. “HENRY!!”
Seeing as his friend would not respond as if he were just a corpse, Lanyon tries his best to get a response from him because if his best friend is dead because of him doing nothing then let him be damned to hell.
Meanwhile, Henry feels like he is floating in water. He hears words but they're muffled by the brain fog of darkness. He knows he can hear Lanyon but his mind can't process his words.
What it does process however, is a set of string commands which means one thing: his squip has activated.
“Henry Jekyll!” His squip calls out to him in the darkness. “Welcome to your Super Quadrant Unit Intel Processor! Also known as…”
A figure emerges from the darkness. Its cape flowing in the non-existent wind with its top hat seated upon a head of straw colored hair. It walks towards Henry in a familiar stride as it greets him.
“Your very own Squip!”
His squip smiles with its wide grin and pale yellow eyes. It's as if it was excited to meet him at last. Despite the old style of clothing the avatar was wearing there was one feature that Henry himself is curious about.
“Why…do you have my face?”
The squip blinks at him.
“This is my default mode! I can look like anything really! From the terrors hidden in the deep…”
It demonstrates by changing its appearance to something cthulhu-esque.
“...to something more kid-friendly…”
It shifts to a mouse in red shorts.
“...to even just a regular dude with a nondescript face.”
It shifts into a brown haired male with an orange polo and blue tie in a lab coat.
“Okay, I get the point. Just change back to the default please.”
The squip changes back to its default mode with Henry's face on it.
“But that doesn't explain why you have my face!”
“Oh that's a simple explanation! Your name is Henry Jekyll right?”
Henry feels like he's in an interview in his own mind.
“Yes…?”
“So did your parents name you after the character of the same name?”
Henry does not like where this is going.
“...yes?”
The squip smiles nonchalantly.
“That makes me your Hyde then, Jeky-boy!”
Henry did not like the sound of that at all.
“I didn't ask to be named this way. It's not my fault my parents named me this.” He repeats to himself like a mantra he has been saying all his life.
“So Jekyll! First order of business, you want to-”
“Can we please get out of my head first? I have a friend who is very worried about me.”
“Oh…okay.”
Henry snaps back to reality and Lanyon jumps in surprise.
“H-Henry?!” Hastie asks with tearful eyes.
“I'm okay, Hast-EH!!” Before he could even apologize, Henry gets a bear hug from his dear friend.
“I THOUGHT YOU DIED MAN!”
“Well, they say ‘what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.’”
“Say that to your fictional counterpart, Jekyll.”
His squip floats beside him like an annoying ghost.
“You shut up. I'm having a moment here.”
“Uh… Henry, who are you talking to?
Henry makes a mental note that only he can see his own squip.
“The Squip.”
“Ohhhh…wait, it's sentient?!”
“Well, more of a super intelligent A.I. that's based on the user's personality but you can't hear me say that so, Jekyll you're our bridge!”
Henry sighs and pinches his nose. “It's more based on my personality… except no inhibitions.”
“Soooo, it's your Hyde then-”
“No it's not my Hyde!”
“You can call me that to differentiate me from other squips ya know!”
‘SHUT UP! I'M NOT CALLING YOU THAT!’
Henry feels like this will be a long school year as the squip just laughed in his head as his real life friend comforted him. He really wished Gabe was here.