Note: If you're reading this without having re-read the first chapter, I'd suggest you do that. Some tweaks were made.
There'll be one more chapter in this one before I start on my next story. Unless otherwise stated, they will all occupy the same 'continuity'. Thanks for the reviews, and please enjoy! Comments, questions and suggestions are appreciated.
oooo
10:33 PM
A Year Ago
San Fransokyo Harbor – Warehouse #9
Black boots struck the concrete floor. The swirl of the trench coat cut a dramatic flair for the figure before Yama. Ironically, the elaborate mask on the figure did not. Despite being a powerful man with little restraint, something about the figure placed Yama on edge.
Or maybe it was the other rival gangs congregating in the warehouse. Each of them had been promised huge sums of money to help this 'Yokai' with his little project. The mountainous man's piggy eyes shifted left and right. The beautiful and deadly cyber-gangster Fujita sisters were to his left, the armor clad mecha-head Banzai Bombers to his right, and the eerily silent Warriors, derisively known as the San Fransokyo Ninjas, cloistered among the building's rafters overhead.
"As you are aware," Yokai's stentorian tones seemed to issue from the room around them rather than from the dark figure itself, "You all failed miserably in obtaining the equipment necessary to build what I needed."
"If it wasn't for sheer serendipity, I would have no recourse at all. Luckily for you, I've located other means for achieving my goals. More importantly, I've determined the cause of my problem."
The rustle of… something… issued from the darkness. Suddenly, the lights gun on, shining down on a diminutive man strapped to a table. "I'm sure you are all familiar with our good friend, Mr. Sparkle, who tried to undercut me and shanghai my plan into a power play of his own."
Mr. Sparkle, the stunted runt of a TV show host. The man had a hidden dark side and his pudgy little fingers in every pie of the underworld. His freakish game shows and childlike demeanor gave Yama the creeps. He had approached every one of the gangs in private, offering them legitimate enterprises for money laundering and fronts for illegal business if they would swear allegiance to him rather than Yokai. To Yama's knowledge, everyone had – Yokai was powerful, but not the most stable figure. The big man's face went blank. He was animalistic and cruel, but Yama wasn't entirely stupid. The time to run was coming soon.
Yokai's gloved hand slapped the unconscious figure, who woke with a start. He immediately started screaming and pleading, his hands working at the restraints. "Please, Yokai! I didn't mean anything by it… it's just I needed some assurance! You know we're always all about fun times! What harm was it to make sure that we were the ultimate benefactors of the side effects of your plan?!"
"The point is," Yokai said, his angry hiss coming from everywhere, "You overstepped your authority. This rabble answers to me, not you. But you'll be useful to me yet."
Another rustle. Dark shapes formed in the corner of Yama's eyes, and he could see the agitated expressions on the faces of the other gang members as an amorphous black shape rattled from nowhere, descending with an armored suit. Another with a strange helmet. Yet another with… a weird pink mascot costume?
"Courtesy of my friends at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology," Yokai explained as the rustling grow louder and the cloud of microbots descended on Mr. Sparkle. He immediately started to scream. The Fujita sisters laughed nervously. Yama could hear the soft whirl of the Bonzai Bomber's scout class pulsejets power up, normally silent save in large numbers. A rustle overhead. The Ninjas, enigmatic as ever, had already begun to file out quietly.
"I have no need for any of you anymore," Yokai stated flatly, letting the jittering morass of microbots fill the lit area.
"Are you reneging on your deal?" Yama bellowed. "Yama will not be cheated!" As concerning as these events were, Yama couldn't contain his rage. He did not broker disrespect, even if he was caught red handed. The Fujitas rolled back slightly, allowing him to take center stage.
"Yes," came the simple response, and a black pillar shot out of nowhere, grinding Yama to the floor. He let out a muffled shout of surprise and pain. The audible crunch of bone almost blotted out Yama's scream of pain as his arm shattered. "None of you are getting paid. In case any of you are interested in revenge, let me make it perfectly clear what will happen to you."
Yokai stepped back, the microbots swooping in to pull him away into the darkness. The sound of metal restraints tearing as the weird pink mascot costume stepped off of the table, wobbling, woozy. "A Kreitech military battle suit - nine million dollars. A behavior modification and transceiver unit, nine years and one point two million in grant money. One slightly used mascot suit – one hundred fifty and change."
"Mr. Sparkle is dead! Say hello to Professor Genki!" The mascot suit filled with TV host shrieked like a mush-mouthed banshee.
"Insurance against betrayal: Priceless."
"Here comes Super Murder Cat!" The fluffy pink paws rose up, twin machine pistols popping out of wrist holsters. The crazed cyborg immediately opened fire on the crowd, sending Bonzai Bombers into flight, Fujita sisters racing away, and Yama's gang to beat feat after the Warriors into the night air.
Yama followed after, his larger frame and broken arm slowing his progress considerably. He glanced behind him and immediately wished he hadn't. The nightmarish visage of the grinning cat head bore down upon them, massive green eyes gleaming like lanterns filled with burning nightmares as razor tipped paws tore through the room.
Yama grabbed one of the heavily armored Banzai mech suited thugs who was having trouble igniting his jet engines. With a mighty heave that dislocated his shoulder, he hurled the man square at Genki before turning to run. The howling shriek of torn metal mingled with cries of terror met his ears, but the sight never met his eyes as the lumbering gangster broke into a full run.
Yama only paused long enough to see Yokai's dark form supported by the whirling mass of microbots sweep out into the bay as the warehouse behind him exploded with a cackling laugh.
oo00oo
7:45AM
San Fransokyo Institute of Technology – Lab 6
Gogo woke up with a start, immediately regretting it. The light from outside of the lab shone in, stabbing her eyes, forcing them shut almost immediately. She was sore, tired, and felt like garbage. The sleep had helped very little. It had been restless, the result of absolute fatigue when she slumped on the floor after running the diagnostics on the deactivated Baymax.
She felt devoid of all emotion as she looked at the red storage pack that contained her handiwork. Baymax was finished.
She could do little else from the night before but work, trying to push the image of Tadashi's face from her mind. It was a losing proposition. Each time she picked up a part or slid something back into place, memories and things she had seen and heard rushed back like crashing waves. She had cried like a pathetic baby all night, and sworn and threatened Baymax into secrecy. The robot had promised to keep it patient confidential.
Gogo was filled with self-loathing for her weakness, but didn't have the energy to continue punishing herself. She was so spent and worn from turning everything over in her head over and over. What could she have said? Why had he been so dead set on making sure they were only friends? What would life have been like if he confessed? If she had? There were no answers, just a yawning void of emptiness.
They had been friends, though. Great friends. Maybe that's not what either of them had really wanted, but it was what they had. She wouldn't devalue it based on empty wishes and daydreams. It didn't make it hurt any less, though. She let out a shuddering sigh as she wrapped her arms around herself.
A bitter laugh escaped her as she stood tiredly. "Woman up, Gogo," she said looking at the seventy five pound package on the floor. With a grunt, she hefted Baymax back into his wagon. With luck, she could get him back home before anyone else ran into her, and then crawl into bed and die.
She passed the printer, eyeing the paper within with a melancholy stare. The paper lay face down and she reached out to pick it up, crumple it, throw it into a shredder. It had been in a fit of weakness that she had asked Baymax to print the picture out. Now she wasn't so sure she wanted it. A tentative hand reached out, hesitated, but eventually turned the photo over.
The resolution was crystal clear. It was a simple picture. Both of them had been peering at his latest Baymax prototype. A big smile of satisfaction was on his face. She had lazily thrown an arm around his shoulder, making a peace sign while wearing a mischievous smirk in a feigned attempt at being "cute" for the camera. It had been an image capture test. She felt her heart ache just looking at how happy the people in the picture were and wondered for the hundredth time if that was how things could have been.
The rock and the raging river. The tortoise and the hare. The acid tongued speed demon and the dry-witted lead-foot.
She slid the photo into a folder. She couldn't bring herself to take it, and she couldn't throw it away. The folder slid into a pile of papers on her desk.
A heavy sigh racked her frame one last time as she stepped out into the early morning air. The beautiful sunshine and clear weather did nothing to quell the emptiness she felt inside as she dragged the wagon behind her.
oo00oo
11:43AM
Lucky Cat Café
The Lucky Cat Café was the de facto hangout for the team, even with Cass and Hiro on vacation. Fred had even postulated that if there were an infinite number of alternative universes out there, each one of them had a Lucky Cat Café and barring some post-apocalyptic event where the café no longer existed, some version of their team would be hanging out there. This theory had been met with varying levels of response, ranging from 'stupid' from Gogo, to 'cool' from Hiro. Wasabi (who thought the theory was silly but whatever) sat with Fred and Honey (who thought the theory was 'a nice thought') as they shared pastries and caffeinated beverages.
"So you're gonna go see your dad on his island during Spring Break?" Wasabi asked, blowing lightly on his coffee. Furi Wamu, Aunt Cass's recent hire, did a serviceable job making coffee. It was nowhere near as good as Cass's, though. She always put too much almond milk in for Wasabi's taste.
"Yeah… I'd invite you guys, but it's sort of a special father/son bonding deal," replied the easygoing English major. Of course it was killing him to not tell them of the fact that his dad was a superhero, but he knew the rules. "How about you and Gogo, Honey? Don't you two usually go on some crazy road trip?"
The blonde laughed, shaking her head, "I guess it has been two years in a row now, huh? Usually we hit a racing event – we drive up and sightsee on the way there. I don't know about this year though. I think the whole 'being on the team' thing has thrown a monkey wrench into that plan." Honey nibbled on her croissant in thought. "It would be nice, though. Last year we went through Oregon and Gogo stumbled onto an orienteering competition. We came in third. Not bad for two city kids, no?"
Wasabi chuckled. "I wish I could say that was surprising, but that girl is scary competitive – emphasis on the scary."
"Crunchy scariness on the outside, exploding with the delicious fruit flavor that is caring on the inside," Fred clarified.
Wasabi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. Sometimes I feel like she picks on me like it's her job."
Honey mused over the rim of her teacup. "Well, I'm pretty sure she was acting out yesterday as a coping mechanism. I don't think she ever got over Tadashi's passing."
Everyone at the table grew quiet for a moment. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, so much as a pregnant one. Everyone at the table looked at one another, wanting to say something but hesitant to do so. Sensitivity or sentimentality created a block to communication that could only be breached tenderly.
Luckily, Honey Lemon was just the person to address the issue. "You… you both know that Gogo had feelings for Tadashi, right?"
Wasabi choked on his coffee, hacking as the hot liquid headed down the wrong pipe.
"Oh, Wasabi!" Honey's eyebrows knit as she rummaged in her purse to find a tissue or a handkerchief. "Are you okay?"
Fred patted him on the back as the boys traded furtive glances before they looked back at Honey Lemon. Wasabi nodded, gratefully taking the tissue offered him to wipe his mouth. "Yeah… sorry. Guess that uh, caught me off guard."
"Right, yeah. Me too, man," Fred chimed, scratching the side of his face and not making eye contact. "So like, what'd you mean?"
She laughed nervously. "It's not really my story to tell," Honey said, eyes shifting down to her half-eaten pastry before shifting back to the boys. "I mean, I shouldn't. But maybe if you guys knew what was going on…"
oo00oo
1:21AM
Just Over a Year Ago
Honey Lemon's House
Honey pressed her lips together in concentration as she raised the fabric up to the light to inspect the stich. Normally she'd be working to provide pieces for her online store but tonight it was purely a hobby piece, and it was coming together nicely: a little yellow cardigan with bee buttons.
It was a shock to her when she finally caught the time. She had been working on it for hours – ever since Gogo had left her house and gone out with that guy. What was his name again? Tommy? Teddy? She could never keep track.
The rumble of a motorcycle engine kept her from returning back to work, and she got up from her seat in her workshop over her parent's garage to peer out her window. Gogo often crashed at their house when she was out and about. Sure enough, she saw the familiar form of a small woman parking her yellow street racer in her driveway.
Honey Lemon waved from the window and went to unlock the door. She sat back down as she heard the heavy cycling boots thumping up the garage stairs. The industrial engineering student opened the door before removing her helmet and unzipping her cycling leathers. "Well, that was pointless," she announced flatly, hanging her armored jacket up next to a lab coat with sunflowers embroidered on it.
Gogo shook her head, running her fingers through her thick hair to deal with some of her helmet hair as Honey set her project aside. "The date went badly?"
The biker girl snorted as she kneeled by the mini-fridge. "If you could call it that. Rex's got this whole 'never serious' thing going on," she groused, pulling out a diet soda. "You want?"
"No thanks. Caffeine before bedtime gives me really weird dreams," replied the blonde. "What do you mean, 'never serious' thing?"
"Everything's one big joke for him. The daredevil thing was hot for a while. Now I feel like he's just having kicks just to have kicks. Dude's not going anywhere or accomplishing anything." The soda can popped, and the familiar hiss of the fizz escaping accompanied Gogo's quick sip to keep the can from overflowing.
"So why keep seeing him?"
"He's got cool toys," was the matter of fact response. "His uncle or something keeps him supplied. I dunno."
Honey smiled, shaking her head as she turned back to her project, placing the box of buttons nearby so she could attach them by hand. "One of these days, mija, you are going to get bored with all these one note pretty boys."
Gogo collapsed lengthwise on the comfy old couch specifically there for the purpose of guests and naptime, kicking her boots off. She took a long pull from her soda before flashing a predatory grin. "It's San Fransokyo, Honey. There's a lot to go through before I hit the bottom of the barrel."
Honey laughed. There was simply no stopping Gogo once her mind was made up. One of the things that made their friendship work was that neither of them tried to change the other. "Well, speaking of silly boys, did Tadashi manage to get a hold of you today?"
"No. Why?"
"Apparently he managed to work some equations out for your fixie," Honey replied, nipping thread with her teeth. "He wanted to talk to you in person. Wanted to know if you were free tomorrow afternoon to trade notes at that little hole in the wall ramen place. Monta?"
Gogo hummed, pushing back into the couch to stretch. Honey looked over the rim of her glasses, surprised at the lack of immediate, snarky response. Instead, the biker crossed her legs at her ankles, her heavy lidded gaze trained on the window. A small smile played on her lips, her fingers drumming on the soda can as she stared into space.
"So?"
"Hmm? So what?"
"What are you going to do when he asks you out?"
Gogo smirked, rolling her eyes. "Been hitting the telenovelas again? Or the K-Dramas? Trust me, he has no interest."
Cheerful, bubbly, sociable and fun. Those adjectives were usually what people thought of when they met Honey Lemon. Only her closest friends knew the truth – the girl had an intense dark streak that came out only when faced with a puzzle or challenge. Sometimes it was subtle. Something would catch her fancy and she would obsess over it for weeks if not months, deconstructing and analyzing it to death. Sometimes it was explosive, like her experiments. When her overpowering need to know the answer to 'what if?', or 'what happened?' took over, that demonic energy filled her psyche. This usually ended in what Honey liked to call 'happy disasters' and everyone just called 'Aiee!' or 'Run for your life!'.
Honey tilted her head so that the light caused a glare over the lenses of her glasses. A wide smile crossed her features. Gogo blanched in mid sip, caught like a deer in the headlights.
"It's funny you said it that way, that he has no interest, rather than you have no interest," Honey noted pointedly. "You in particular usually just make a face and say something nasty." Only a person as passionate as Honey could load her words with so much inference without actually saying what she was thinking.
Gogo's hand clenched on her soda can, her stare still meeting Honey's.
"How do you know he has no interest?"
"I just do." The response was hard, defiant. Gogo's iron gaze still met Honey's unnervingly fiery one. Cracks in the armor were starting to show – a slight motion in the biker girl's face. Honey knew one of Gogo's tells was when she started playing with her gum inside her mouth, often tucking it between teeth and cheek.
"The fact that you know he's not interested suggests that you tried and you didn't get the response you want."
"This is me, Honey. I always get what I want," Gogo's boast didn't carry the usual confidence Gogo was known for. Honey could hear it in her tone – more flippant than strong.
Honey's grin widened, eyes narrowing as she moved in like a shark for the kill.
"You like Tadashi, don't you Gogo?"
Honey could see the rage, the fury dancing behind Gogo's eyes as she set her drink aside to cross her arms in front of her. Defiance froze her face in a mask of threatening anger to Honey's beaming, almost taunting grin. The two friends sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, a Mexican standoff that could only occur between two polar opposite personalities that happened to be good friends.
It was Gogo that broke the gaze, casting her eyes to the floor.
"I knew it."
"Look, even if I do, did… whatever! Tadashi doesn't see me that way. He's like… permanently stuck in big brother mode or something," Gogo spat, flustered and exasperated. Her face was slightly red. Honey thought she looked adorable, but even she wasn't silly enough to broach that. Calling her cute was not a great way to continue a conversation with Gogo.
Sated with the response, Honey shifted back to her normal conversational tone, as if they had been talking girl talk the entire time. "So did you actually say or do anything…?"
Gogo seemed slightly embarrassed, shrugging slightly. "I dunno… I just… did what I always do. I've never really had a tough time getting guys to talk to me when I want. Shove 'em around a little. Give 'em a hard time and then let 'em follow." She paused, resuming her gum chewing. "I… every time I feel like there might be something there, he just… shuts off? Whatever. We're good friends – I should just be happy with that."
"Maybe he's a little more complicated than the usual imbécil you hang out with, no?"
A sigh. "Yeah, maybe. I figure he just likes girly girls." A short laugh. "I thought he was into you."
"Oh no. We're like oil and vinegar," Honey said with a laugh. "Shake us up and we go good with an 'everyone else' salad, but there's not a lot in common otherwise. You two, though – you're both applied science, good with your hands sorts."
"Mm. Maybe."
Honey waggled her eyebrows. "You should find out how good Tadashi is with his hands."
Gogo snorted, but then smiled lazily. "Well, if the neck rub he gave me just the other week was any indication…"
"Gogo!"
"You realize I will murder you in your sleep if you breathe a word of this to anyone."
"Yes, yes, details!"
oo00oo
12:33PM
Lucky Cat Café
"Dude," Fred exhaled, sitting back.
"Gogo's totally going to kill you now," Wasabi stated matter of factly.
Honey gave a nervous titter, chewing on the final bite of her croissant. "So… that's pretty much where it was. Then two months later, the accident."
"Talk about your unresolved issues," Fred stated the obvious. "That's some serious star crossed stuff."
"Star cr… what did you say, Fred?" Honey's face was drenched in dread. "Don't you dare tell me…"
"Entering excessive drama territory here, people," Wasabi's voice raised an octave as he gave Fred a warning glance. "I'm getting a wee bit uncomfortable talking about the weird relationship between our… passed… friend and our angry friend."
"Who's an angry friend?"
Everyone turned to look at the blank, emotionless face of Gogo Tomago. She popped her gum and stared with her thousand yard stare right back. While she looked normal to Fred and Wasabi, Honey could see the redness in Gogo's eyes, and the slight puffiness.
Honey bit her lip.
Wasabi coughed. Fred looked very interested in a rogue chocolate chip that had escaped a muffin.
"Um," started Honey.
"What's that noise?" Wasabi asked, looking at the window as a whistling sound grew louder and louder.
The building in front of the store exploded. The deafening noise and blast of smoke, glass and debris swallowed all the noise in the world. Thankfully, the explosion went straight up and down, sparing many of the adjacent buildings. The team scrambled, ducking and moving to protect the other patrons per their regimen of training. They avoided most of the rubble blown in from the explosion, but what they saw as they looked up through the swirling dust didn't give them any hope that the worst was over.
Two green balls of flame illuminated the grinning Cheshire cat grill of Professor Genki. The portly lab-coat wearing pink cat strode through the swirling particulate matter. Twin chainsaws popped from his billowing lab coat sleeves, roaring to life.
"Professor Genki comes for you," grated the bizarre pink figure, before switching to his nauseatingly cute voice. "Murder time, fun time!"
