Black Scribbles
It was a quarter past three in the morning when Cass and Hiro finally came home from the San Fransokyo Children's Hospital.
An unexpected trip brought on by a tragedy that took place shortly after the showcase came to an end at the Exhibition hall around 8:30 pm, a tragedy that should have never happened had changed the lives of the Hamada Family, their friends and the staff of SFIT forever.
Everything had gone so well at the annual SFIT showcase, an event for all the up and coming geniuses to display their inventions.
Whoever had the best invention got an all paid acceptance into the school the following semester.
Hiro was one of those up and coming geniuses.
After graduating high school at 13, his brother Tadashi wanted so much for his baby brother to join him at the University.
Unfortunately, Hiro already had a career, in ILLEGAL BOT FIGHTING.
It was something Tadashi wasn't too keen or thrilled on having his little brother do for a living, so one night after getting arrested; he hatched a plan to convince Hiro to join him at SFIT by taking him to the Ito Ishioka Robotics Lab.
Upon seeing all the latest high-tech gadgets and gizmos and how state of the art the lab was, Hiro was more than convinced but yet, he still needed a way of getting into the prestigious school.
That's when Tadashi came home with a poster advertising the annual SFIT showcase and showed it to Hiro.
"Here's your chance Hiro. Every year the school hosts a student showcase. If you can come up with an invention that blows Callaghan away, you're in!"
Immediately Hiro set out to work on his creation, working nonstop around the clock.
By close to the end of spring, Hiro had about eighteen blue bins sitting in the Hamada garage, each filled to the max with his invention.
Now it was time for Hiro Hamada to step out into the world of robotics and make a name for himself at the SFIT showcase.
Nervous and just a little scared, Hiro did his Microbots presentation in front of the judges.
As the presentation went on, more and more people started to take notice of the kid and piled in front of the stage, amazed at the display as the Microbots did everything that was not possible in seconds from building an entire structure to walking on air.
"If you can think it, Microbots can do it! All you need is your imagination." Hiro declared as he finished his presentation with a bang. "Microbots!"
Within seconds, the entire Exhibition Hall burst with cheer and applause.
After giving a small bow of appreciation, Hiro jumped off stage and into the arms of Honey Lemon as she ran in to scoop him up for a hug.
"They loved you Hiro. That was amazing!" She declared, setting him back down on the ground just as Tadashi came in for a traditional Hamada Brothers' fist bump.
Wasabi, Fred, Gogo and Aunt Cass soon joined them to congratulate Hiro on a job well done as well.
"I knew you could do it little man!" Wasabi remarked. "Your tech is going to change the entire view on the world."
Alistair Krei couldn't help but overhear the conversation and intervene with a proposition.
"Yes, with a little more development your tech could be revolutionary."
Hiro stood in awe at the world-renowned entrepreneur as Gogo, Wasabi, Fred and Honey Lemon took a step back.
"Alistair Krei! W-wow, it's an honor to meet you." Hiro replied as he extended his hand out for a shake to which Mister Krei obliged.
"Likewise, Mr. Hamada. I was more than impressed with your presentation, so much so that I would like nothing more than to have your Microbots at Krei Tech."
Hiro's eyes went wide in disbelief, but before he could answer, Robert Callaghan joined in as well.
"Mr. Krei is right. Your Microbots are an inspired piece of technology. You can continue to develop them, or you could sell them to a man who's only guided by his own self-interest."
Hiro and Tadashi glanced at each other as they picked up the bitterness in Callaghan's voice.
Something wasn't quite right and everyone could feel the tension that spread throughout the air between the two men.
Alistair rolled his eyes and released a sigh before defending himself.
"Robert...I know how you feel about me, but this shouldn't in any way, shape or form affect this young man's decision."
Robert completely ignored Alistair's defense and continued focusing on Hiro.
"Hiro, you should know that Mr. Krei has cut corners and ignored sound science to get to where he is today. I wouldn't trust Krei Tech with your Microbots, or anything else for that matter!"
"That's just not true at all Hiro, in fact I'm going to offer you more money than any 14-year-old could imagine."
Upon hearing this, Robert slapped a hand to his face and shook his head in disbelief.
"Yeah...go ahead and butter up the kid with money. That's always your solution to everything isn't it?"
Everyone was silent now as all eyes were on Hiro to decide on his future.
Unsure of what to choose, he looked up at Tadashi once more for an answer.
"Do what you feel is right, Hiro." Tadashi asserted as he placed a hand upon his shoulder.
Hiro then looked at the two men who stood before him, one offering him a place at SFIT, the other a lot of money in exchange for his creation.
The offer was tempting, but Hiro thought deeper into what and who would use his Microbots and for what purpose if he should sign with Krei.
As Robert Callaghan said, Alistair was no Saint in the field of sound science as he's known to cut corners.
"I appreciate the offer Sir, but they are not for sale." Hiro declared after a few minutes.
Without another word, Alistair Krei walked away defeated, much to Robert's delight as he then turned to Hiro.
"I look forward to seeing you in class Hiro. Welcome to SFIT!" he said, shaking the young prodigy's hand as he handed him the acceptance letter.
With Tadashi's friends by their side, the Hamada family began making their way out of the building towards the parking lot.
Full of excitement and pride, Aunt Cass invited everyone over to the café for a celebratory meal.
"Yeah, nothing is better than free food!" Fred cheered as they neared Wasabi's vehicle.
"Aunt Cass...Hiro and I will catch up. We're going to stick around here for a bit and have a little brother time together." Tadashi spoke up just as they neared their own truck. "That way you guys can get the place all nice and festive for when we return."
"Sure! Oh, I'm so proud of you….both of you!" Aunt Cass squealed as the others began leaving to get things ready for the party.
"We'll follow you, Ok Cass?" Wasabi called as Tadashi motioned for Hiro to follow him away from the parking lot towards a nearby bridge which overlooked the Ito Ishioka Robotics Lab in the distance.
"Well, aren't you going to say, 'I should be proud of myself cause my baby brother is finally using his brain for something important'?" Hiro asked, trying his best to imitate his brother.
"No, no Hiro. I was just thinking that's all. We are now one step closer to making 'The Hamada Brother Robotics' a reality! Welcome to Nerd school, Nerd!" Tadashi announced as he wrapped his arms around Hiro, pulling him in for a hug.
"Yeah, well I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you so, thanks for not giving up on me!" Hiro replied, looking up to see his brother smiling at him. "Together we are going to change the UNIVERSE!"
All was silence around them as they let the moment sink in, but it wouldn't be for long when they heard a fire alarm go off somewhere nearby.
Letting go of Hiro, Tadashi ran towards the source; shocked to find the entire exhibition hall engulfed in flames.
Thick, black smoke billowed out of the windows high into navy blue sky above.
Not letting the shock get to him for long, Tadashi sprang into action.
He ran towards a woman who was stumbling and gasping for air as she made her way out of the raging inferno.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm OK but; Professor Callaghan's still in there!" She said, pointing towards the building as she regained her breath.
What happened next almost felt like a dream to Hiro as his eyes went wide with fear, watching as his brother headed towards the main doors.
"TADASHI, NO!" he screamed as he grabbed Tadashi's arm, holding on for dear life.
Tadashi looked at his baby brother, whose face was full of fear, plead and uncertainty before looking back towards the burning building, almost as if he was contemplating what exactly to do.
Deep down, he knew there wasn't much time left to contemplate anything.
If he was going to save his professor and mentor from certain death, he had to do it right there and then.
"Callaghan's in there." He spoke with calm in his voice, making up his mind. "Someone has to help."
Tearing away from Hiro's grip, he made his way up the stairs and into the flames that now shot out through the windows and doors.
Hiro began to panic as he watched his brother disappear, leaving behind his lucky cap that now sat upside down on the steps before him.
He ran over to retrieve it, glancing down before looking back at the building, determined to get his brother out there.
But before he could make one single step, Hiro felt a strong force of hot air throw him back as an explosion rocked the entire foundation.
The blast was so powerful that it shook the surrounding area and shattered several windows nearby.
That was the last thing Hiro heard before everything went dark.
Editors' Note: I apologize for the inconvenience when I first wrote this chapter...I was using a joke of a editing program called Hemingway to help me write this out but as it turned out, the first chapter came out as one person reviewed it as "a page full of one-liners' and they were right so I dropped using Hemingway and just wing it I guess. Again I hope this version of the story is OK and decent to read for I've made quite a few changes to what I originally had in store. To those who had reviewed, thank you. I hope to get the second chapter done as soon as possible.