Henry had always admired the high guard, ever since he was a little boy. They were always so strong, so brave, and they always stood up for the right cause. The council picked only the best of the best to join the ranks, and Henry had been hoping for as long as he could remember to be one of them.

He had now been a member of the guard for several years now, and so far, it was everything he dreamed it to be. He was a friend and a leader among his fellow guard members. He didn't have any sort of special authority, but they all looked to him anyway. He was the kind of person who seemed like he should be in charge. His life was going how he had always dreamed it to.

He and a few others were assigned to track down a certain man who was causing trouble in a worse part of the city. Speaking against the government, causing destruction, and causing general mayhem. Henry had dealt with a similar situation recently, a man who had escaped from prison and was terrorizing a neighborhood. He guessed it would be fairly similar.

He and his team had the general location of where the man had been recently seen. Some of their people had managed to narrow it down to a small warehouse near the outskirts of town. Their plan was a simple one. They would have the element of surprise on their side, so they were all to barge in at once, weapons up, capture the man quickly, and drive him back to a prison somewhere. They planned on doing it at night, even though concerns were brought up that he would be gone during the night. But if they walked in and nobody was there, they would just have to try again some other time.

As they approached the warehouse, their odds didn't seem great. It was dark and quiet, and there didn't seem to be any activity around the building. But it was still worth a try. They had ultimately decided on the front door, and they all got into position. Henry was to lead the charge, and the darkness and stillness of the night around him seemed to penetrate him. As he looked at the door, the night seemed as peaceful as any. It really seemed a shame to disturb the perfect silence. But nonetheless, the mission was still a go, and Henry braced himself.

He opened the door and ran through.

Henry held up his baton, pressing a hidden button to fire up the electrical charge. He'd never actually used it before; it just gave off a menacing aura. He and his team rushed in and scattered around the warehouse in a loose circle, searching anywhere they could for the wanted man. Hopefully, they'd be done soon and he'd be home in time for a late dinner. He absently wondered what his wife has made tonight.

He found his attention diverted towards a scuffling noise on the upper level of the warehouse. Curious, he crept up the stairs and held his ballistic shield in front of him for protection. All decorative, of course, but one could never be too sure. Henry managed to reach the top of the metal staircase without any noise and stole his way down a long hallway, his heavy duty boots padding softly against the concrete.

At the end of the hall, there was a closed door made of what looked to be rotting wood. A wooden door in a warehouse primarily constructed of concrete and metal? He didn't think too deeply on it. Henry switched off the baton and slid it into the holster to free up his hand, then jiggled the smooth, rounded door handle, but it seemed jammed. He shrugged and took a few steps back, then positioned his shield in front of him and rammed it into the door at a run.

He fell forward into the room, not expecting the door to fall away quickly without much resistance. Henry landed on the floor with an 'oomph', groaning as the baton dug into his thigh, squished between his warm, soft body and the cold, hard floor. He pushed himself up onto his knees, before noticing what lay before him. His jaw dropped and a wail of anguish unwillingly escaped from his parted lips.

What he saw in that room would scar him for the rest of his life.

Someone had been standing in the room, and they'd evidently been carrying a sword. One that was pointed directly at Henry. He'd dropped his shield when he fell, and it was just out of reach. The sword dropped a bit as the figure said something, vaguely surprised. Henry used the opportunity to grab his baton and smack the sword to the side. He quickly got up, baton raised in a defensive position.

The sword had clattered to the side, and the person was making no move to pick it up. It had seemed to be just an average metal sword, no electricity or enhancements apparent. This person was clearly not very well off, if the only weapon they had was a plain metal sword.

"I found him! I need some backup up here!" Hopefully his voice would carry down the stairs enough for the others to hear. There was one light in the room, a small electricity lamp in the corner. It was sitting on a desk with papers and trinkets scattered about.

"Grasshopper? Why are you here?"

Now that put Henry on edge. Only one person had ever called him grasshopper. And that person was certainly not the type to hide in warehouses and use a plain metal sword.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who gave you that name. Now tell me again why you are here?"

"No, no, you did not give me that nickname. The person who did is long gone. I am here with the guard, and we're here to arrest you." Henry still couldn't see the man's face, there was so little light in the room, and it wasn't in a position for Henry to see much. But it definitely couldn't be... well, maybe this man had known him once. He must've talked about Henry then, if the man knew him this much. Maybe he had kept his promise. Henry had kept up his end, not a day went by Henry didn't think about him.

"What? No. No, how did they find me? I have to- agh. How much do you really know about our government? Grasshopper, you have to call them off-"

"Don't. Call me that. And don't get any closer. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm happy to knock you out until my reinforcements get here."

"Hen- Henry? Don't you recognize-"

The rest of his team burst into the room. Someone tackled the man to the ground, and another put handcuffs on him. He was struggling like his life depended on it.

"NO! HENRY, STOP THEM! AGH- I NEED-" He was cut off abruptly by someone shocking him, and he fell limp. Someone had brought a light in, and the room was much more visible. So was... merciful heavens. It was him.

Henry blacked out.

"Henry? Well, good morning, sunshine!"

Bright, bright, everything a blinding white, zero visibility. He was laying down, on... probably a bed of some sort. He blinked several times. There was someone in the room. What had happened? Last he remembered, he was on a mission, there was a warehouse, and a sword, and-

"THEO! WHERE IS HE, WHERE- Where... wait, where am I?"

"At least we know you can sit up! We need to get going soon, so try to be ready in the next hour."

"Alright, but where is this?"

The man he'd been talking to, Jon, had been walking towards the door, and said over his shoulder as he exited,

"You really should recognize it. Just give it a second to sink in."

Henry wasn't too sure he'd seen the place before. He was, in fact, sitting on a bed, and his boots had gotten a bit of dirt on the covers. Nana was going to kill him- ohhh no. The white, flowery wallpaper. The landscape paintings. Henry recognized it, alright.

"Jonathan Barnes, why are we in my grandmother's house?!"

He emerges! Have some gingersnaps, they're quite good." Jon was sitting at the kitchen table as if he owned the place, emptying the cookie jar that Nana had undoubtedly handed to him.

"I know how good the gingersnaps are, I don't need you to tell me. What I do need you to tell me, is why in the blazes are we at my grandmother's house?!"

"I'll tell you on the road, come on."

He stood up, stuck another cookie in his pocket, and sauntered over to the back door. He opened it, stuck his head out, and called,

"The gingersnaps were wonderful, Marie, I really should come over more often!"

"Oh, you're too sweet. Don't let Henry have too many, he's getting a bit chubby!"

Henry may have turned a bit red at that. He walked over and joined Jon at the door.

"Nana, you really do need to get a dryer, you're going to sprain something hanging it all on the line."

"Oh, I've still got some spring in me. And Henry, remember to eat your asparagus, it'll help with your intestinal issues-"

"Thank you, Nana! We'll just be going now!"

"I love you honey, make good choices!"

"Love you too, Nana."

Henry closed the door and turned around to see Jon grinning like an idiot.

"Intestinal issues, eh?"

"Not a word, Jon."

"Oh, I didn't say anything. But I suppose I'll have to keep you away from the cookies. We wouldn't want you getting chubby now, would we?"

"Ah, shut it, Barnes. Let's go."

"Jon, listen. You have to tell me what happened to Theo- ahem, the suspect. And how on Earth, did I end up at my Nana's house?" Henry jogged to catch up with Jon, who had started ahead without him while he bid goodbye to his Nana. Jon shot him a sideways glare, as if trying to telepathically shush him. "We have to get far away enough from the general population before I can tell you. Let's get to my car first." he muttered, his eyes darting around in case civilians were around.

Henry jiggled the passenger door handle of Jon's car impatiently, before Jon finally unlocked it and got in. The moment he buckled himself in, he turned to Jon eagerly. He could feel sweat building on his hands and wiped them on his trousers aggressively. "So. We tased the guy you found in the warehouse and brought him in for questioning. The captain assigned me to you to make sure you rest and recover well, and told me to relay to you that you're being relieved of your duties for a week. Basically, you're on vacation. For doing nothing!" Jon grumbled light heartedly, crossing my arms and rolling his eyes.

But Henry zoned out after Jon's first few words. He thought of Theo... no, that couldn't have been Theo. He must've been mistaken, dazed as he was in the moment. The man who was his kin, his blood, wouldn't do something so drastic. It was out of character. But, there was only one person who had ever called him 'Grasshopper', and he never mentioned it to anyone as far as he was aware. Okay, so it might've been his older brother, but he had been missing for years. Everyone knew that, at least.

And if, if , it was him, during his time of disappearance, did he just... become radicalised? Brainwashed by those barbarians that constantly raged against the government? They would never understand what those people in power have done for them. Or maybe they do, and they're just ungrateful. Theo had never been like that. He'd always been the smarter and quieter one of the two of them. Surely, he would realise that what the government does is in the best interests' of the people?

"...Yeah. And so, I remembered you mentioning Marie a couple months back during the summer break, and I thought it'd cheer you and her up if you came down for a little chit chat." Jon winked at Henry as he exited the depths of his mind and returned to the present. He pushed the troubling thoughts away and focused on the moment. "Great idea, Barnes. Just take my unconscious body to my Nana. Not worrying in the least." Henry deadpanned, watching as Jon turned the engine over with the press of a button under the dashboard. "Did anyone at least tell my family where I was?" "Of course, I paid them a special visit myself. The kids were pretty unbothered, if you ask me."

Henry sighed, leaning back in his seat. He wouldn't mind waiting a little longer before heading back to face the wrath of his wife and boredom of his children. But right now, the possibility that Theo was back played in the forefront of his thoughts the whole ride home.