Back To You (Chenry)

Chapter 7

I repeatedly wiped my sweaty palms onto my pants the entire way there. The last time I remember being nervous like this was the first time Henry took me on a roller coaster. I had an irrational fear of heights back then. He wanted to prove that I can get over it, so he made me get on it. I was so scared, I almost broke into a panic attack right on that ride. But then, Henry took my hand. He held it the entire ride.

Let's just say, I'm not afraid of heights anymore.

We reached outside of Dr. Minyak's headquarters when Ray stopped us.

"Okay, guys," he began. "Let's go over the plan one more time."

"Ray and I going to distract Dr. Minyak and Nurse Cohort," Henry stated.

"And I'm going to sneak behind them to the control system, disengage the shockwave shooter, and connect the self-destruct remote to the system. I'll cue you guys when I'm ready, then I'll press the button and we run out of there," I said breathing unevenly. "And if I mess anything up, we die. So, just in case, bye guys." Of course, I didn't mean that last part. Well, kind of.

My heart was racing a marathon again. And not the good kind.

I was worried. Terrified. My entire body was shaking in fear and we haven't even stepped into the building yet.

"Hey," Ray said. "We're not going to die. At least, not if you believe we won't."

"Not helping," Henry said, laying a hand on the small of my back. I shrugged his hand off, but instantly regretted it. As much as I'd hate to admit it, Henry's consolation would be really helpful right now.

"Sorry," Ray apologized. "I'm going to head in first. Henry, you come in after me. Act as an element of surprise. After you come in, they won't expect anyone else to, and that's when Charlotte can get in there."

"Alright," Henry said.

"Good luck, Ray," we both said. Ray smiled and wished us luck, too. Then, he was off into the building.

"Charlotte," Henry said seriously, turning to me. "Before you interrupt me, hear me out first. I know you're mad. And I know I messed up big time. Like, really big, like humongously-" I couldn't help but let out a laugh at his goofiness. He smiled.

"That's not a word, but go on," I said. He rolled his eyes jokingly. Then, he took my hand and laced our fingers together. My heart started racing again. And the good kind, this time. Not in worry or in fear, but the kind you get when the guy you're kinda in love with holds your hand.

"You have every right to be mad at me," Henry continued, looking at our intertwined hands. "And when we get out of here, I promise I'll make it up to you. But I am really, really sorry, Charlotte." He looked up at me when he said this, his eyes and voice filled with sincerity. I had to look away, it was all too overwhelming, especially since we were about to risk our lives into this mission.

"I hope you will forgive me," he said finally. I sighed.

"And please be careful," he said suddenly, grabbing my shoulders. My eyes widened. "I. Cannot. Lose. You." He shook me and I laughed, despite the gravity of the situation. He didn't laugh, though.

"I'm serious, Char," he said. "I don't know what I would do without you."

I didn't know what to say. That's when I realized Ray's still waiting for Henry.

"Uh, you should go, you know, help Ray," I said awkwardly. "Be careful, Henry." I know we hadn't made up officially yet, but the thought of losing Henry dawned on me and I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist in a hug. He responded immediately, wrapping his strong arms around me tightly. I wanted to stay like that forever, but after a few seconds, we let go and Henry ran into the building.

I took a deep breath. "Okay, Charlotte," I told myself. "Stop worrying. You know what to do. You can hack into that system no problem. You got this." And with that, I ran into the building.

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"Oh, how nice of you to join us, Kid Danger! I was afraid you weren't going to make it."

Dr. Minyak had Ray under his foot.

"About time!" Ray said while gritting his teeth. I mouthed an apology before kicking Dr. Minyak, sending him backwards and letting Ray free. Ray then took on Dr. Minyak. I spotted Nurse Cohort trying to zap me with some machine. I knocked it out of her hands and pushed her into the wall.

Just then, I saw Charlotte come in. I nodded, letting her know it was okay for her to get to the system. She crawled over behind the numerous machines in the lab before getting to the control system.

You can do this, Char.

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I got to the system. I got to the system! I mentally patted myself on the back before resuming to what I really needed to do.

I typed in the password to Dr. Minyak's computer easily. It was THE Dr. Minyak. "The" being in all caps. I rolled my eyes.

I went through a mental checklist of what to do. First, disengage shooter. Finding the file labeled NISS by Dr. Minyak (I know, right, props to Dr. Minyak for being so discreet about his files), I set the timer for releasing the shockwave off, thus turning off the shooter.

"What was that noise?" I heard Nurse Cohort ask. I quickly ducked under the table under the control system. My heart quickened in fear. Then, I heard a loud crash.

"Oh, you mean the sound of you crashing into your own lab chemicals? Yeah, I love the sound of that," said Henry. I grinned.

Getting back up, I opened up the side of the PC. There were so many wires, I started to panic. Which one is for the power? I moved all the wires around to see which one would cause a reaction to the computer. After moving the blue one, the screen went black for a few seconds. Yes! I mentally cheered. Then I took out the remote from my pocket. Noticing the blue button, I slammed my forehead. Schwoz couldn't have made it any easier.

Opening up the back of the remote, I started to untwine the wires to connect them to the control system. Before I could connect them, I heard Dr. Minyak's voice.

"What are you doing with my system?!"

I heard a zap and felt a sharp pain in my head. Then, everything went black.

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Haha always love a good cliffhanger. xD I promise more of Henry's POV to come. Votes always appreciated! Thanks for reading, updating soon! :D