Chapter Text
Henry sighed, holding his forehead in his hands frustratedly. After being arrested (and promptly escaping), he had decided that it was finally time to go clean. He had gone to job application after job application, only to get rejected due to his extensive criminal record. He even had to sell most of his gadgets just so he could make enough money to pay rent for last month.
Henry sighed again, turning his attention to the TV. He flipped it on, changing the channel to the daily news.
"As the mayor, I hereby declare the Tunisian Archaeological Exhibit open!" The mayor exclaimed, standing in front of what seemed to be a very expensive looking diamond.
Henry's eyes lit up. If I steal this diamond... then perhaps I could sell it and become rich! That way, I won't have to live in this shoddy apartment and pay rent to a shady landlord anymore. Henry sat up, his hand instinctively reaching out to grab the keys to his scooter.
Suddenly, Henry froze, his hand lingering over the keys ominously. Memories of his past failures flashed through his mind, his death flashing before his eyes again and again. I'd rather be poor then die horribly hundreds of times, he thought, slowly lowering his hand and sitting back down. Besides, I have another interview tomorrow. If all goes well, then I won't need to resort to stealing the diamond.
Three loud knocks suddenly resounded through the room, causing Henry to snap back into reality. With a sigh, he stands up and opens the door. There, standing in the doorway, was a young woman, her face obscured by the hood of her black hoodie. Henry blinked, examining the girl confusedly. Without a word, she shoved a piece of paper into Henry's hands and bolted down the hall. Henry reached out, watching the stranger disappear behind the corner.
Henry blinked, glancing down at the paper the lady had shoved into his hands.
"At 1:00 PM tomorrow, head over to the abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. Come alone.
- The Center for Chaos Containment."
Henry raised an eyebrow in confusion, slipping the note into his pocket. The Center of Chaos Containment? What was that? What did they want with him? Thoughts and questions swirled through Henry's mind. Do they know about me dying more than once? Doing his best to stay calm, Henry shut the door, panic rising in his chest. In any case, I can't leave this alone. 1:00 tomorrow, right? At the abandoned warehouse? I better go see what that's all about.
~ ~ ~
Henry glanced around nervously, hands shoved nervously into his sweatshirt's pockets. Quietly, he slunk into the abandoned warehouse, anxiety chipping away at his nerves. The warehouse was empty, the large space making Henry even more nervous than before. The lady he saw last night was nowhere to be seen. "Have I been tricked?" Henry asked himself, letting out a sigh in relief. Thank god.
Suddenly, a bright light filled the room. Henry covered his eyes with his arms, squeezing them shut. When Henry opened them, the warehouse was full of people, some wearing top hats, some wearing headphones, some with red hair and a ton that looked just like him. Henry swallowed, even more, confused than before. He had no idea what was going on, and judging by some of the other's reactions, they didn't know either.
"W-Wha?? What's going on? W-Why are they so many Henry's?" A young man asked, wearing a pair of red headphones and clinging to what seemed to be another version of Henry.
"Allow me to explain!" A bright and chipper voice called out, drawing everyone's attention to the entrance. Henry gasped. It was the girl from last night.
"Hello everyone, my name is Alana Wood, and I'm an agent for the Center of Chaos Containment. The reason I've gathered you all here is to save the multiverse and everything in it!"
"What do you mean by 'save the multiverse?'" A red-haired girl asked, wearing a light purple top hat with a golden chain wrapped it. She eyed everyone suspiciously, especially some the Henry's with top hats. Alana merely smiled and clapped her hands together.
"Allow me to explain!"