A/N: How is everybody doing? Good, I hope. I have a new chapter for y'all. Thanks for being patient. Things are starting to get interesting here, so I hope you're ready for it. I'm amazed at how many of y'all are reading this story from all over the world. I'm happy to see that people enjoy what I write (it feels good to have something you made be appreciated, right?) Thank you to everyone for the support, and I'll be sure to keep updating the story as much as I can. Once again, thanks for being here and enjoy the chapter!
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Chapter 6: Reunion
It was a bright and sunny day, and the green grass of Fred's lawn looked like sparkling pieces of emerald. Hiro was standing outside of Fred's mansion home with Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino next to him. Hiro had on his casual outfit consisting of a red shirt, blue hoodie, cargo capri shorts, and trainer shoes. Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino were all clean from their long trek after Aunt Cass had washed them down.
"Alright, I have everything, right?" Hiro quickly checked his backpack to make sure that he had everything with him. He saw his change of clothes for a few days, toiletries, and his passport. Hiro then checked his pocket for his phone and his wallet, both of which were present. Finally, Hiro looked at his right arm to make sure a new purple and red armband was in its place. Confident that he had everything he needed, Hiro put his backpack back on his back, picked up Rhino, and walked up the stairs to the front door. Bolt and Mittens followed.
Ding Dong. Hiro rang the doorbell and waited. A few moments later, a blonde guy with a beanies and a huge grin popped his head out of the door.
"Hiro! My man!" Fred greeted happily as he opened the door all the way. "Come on in! We have a lot to talk about."
"Good to see you, Fred." Hiro said as he walked in. Bolt and Mittens followed after Hiro. Fred raised an eyebrow at the cat and hamster, but didn't say anything. The group then went to Fred's room. It was still as bizarre as Hiro remembered it, with various posters, action figures, and statues everywhere.
"Alrighty, sit down." Fred motioned to the couch. Hrio sat down and placed Rhino on the table in front of him. Bolt and Mittens sat on the ground next to Hiro.
"So, what's your suggestion for me, Fred?" Hiro asked.
"Whoa, man. Slow it down just a little bit." Fred said cooly. "Priorities. First off, is that Bolt the same dog that appears on the TV show?"
"Uh..." Hiro hesitated for a moment. "Didn't I already tell y-"
"Amazing! Awesome!" Fred jumped up excitedly and grabbed a piece of paper and an ink pad. Before Bolt could react, Fred placed Bolt's paw on the ink pad and then onto the paper. Bolt's pawprint was visible from the ink. "Oh, how I've been blessed!" Fred fell on his knees and raised the paper into the air with Bolt's print on it. "I've had the honor of getting an autograph from a celebrity!"
"Wow." Mittens commented. "He's an even bigger fan of Bolt than you, Rhino."
"Impossible!" Rhino said. "I am and always will be Bolt's numero uno fan!"
"Fred?" Hiro asked. "Can we try and focus here? We need to get Bolt back to Penny as soon as possible."
"Oh, uh, right." Fred quickly put the paper on his desk and rejoined the others. "SO! What's the full situation?"
"Well, I need to get Bolt to Penny." Hiro explained. "But unfortunately, I can't get a ticket for an airline that allows pets; it's just too expensive and time-consuming to go through all the background checks."
"Mmmm. That is a problem." Fred said after giving it some thought. Then, a massive smile appeared on Fred's face. "But lucky for you, uncle Freddie has got you covered!"
"Uh, you do?" Hiro asked. "Did you find an airline that I could go on?"
"Yes!" Fred said proudly. "You'll be flying on the one and only Air Force Fred all the way to Florida with no problems at all!"
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Air Force Fred?"
"It's the name I gave my private jet!" Fred said while smiling. "Heathcliff is waiting outside right now for you to drive you to the airport, where you shall climb aboard the majestic machine and fly in glorious splendor!"
Hiro's brain tried to process everything he had just heard. Private jet. Fred was seriously going to let him fly on his private jet to Florida? Right now?!
"Dude, are you serious?!" Hiro finally asked.
"Dude, I'm totally serious! And my plane is special. It uses some of the latest technology in air travel and can go even faster than most commercial airplanes. You'll be able to get from here to Florida in just three hours!" Fred said with pride. "Anything for my good friend, Hiro! Besides, that's what friends are for!"
"Wow, thanks Fred! This is amazing!" Hiro said. He was excited at not having to deal with the long lines the airport usually offered.
Fred then sat back down. "Hey, Hiro. Do you think I could see the DNA locator? You've been cooped up for, like, a week working on that thing and didn't talk to anybody until recently."
"Oh, uh." Hiro sheepishly ran his hand through his hair. He knew how much Fred loved to see new tech. "It's...well, I… it's kinda..."
Hiro looked at Bolt, and Bolt looked back at him.
"I accidentally dropped it when I found Bolt, and I broke it." Hiro finally answered.
"Wait, so that means that..." Fred realized.
"Yeah." Hiro said. "No more DNA locator. Sorry."
"Oh, well, that's okay, I guess." Fred said while slumping into the couch. He looked at Hiro for a second, and then noticed something. "Hey, what's that thing on your arm?"
Hiro looked at what had piqued Fred's interest, and saw that it was his new armband.
"Oh, this?" Hiro asked. "It's something else that I've been working on for a while."
"Ooh!" Fred sat up again. "What is it? Knowing you, it's not just some fashion statement."
Hiro laughed. Fred could smell new tech like a bloodhound. "How about I show you?" Hiro then stood up and pressed a button on the armband. There was a small whirring, and then the armband began to glow slightly. The glow then began to spread across Hiro's arm, across his torso, and down his legs.
"Whoa..." Fred marvelled as he watched.
The glow had finally covered Hiro entirely, and then it faded to reveal Hiro now in his purple and black super suit.
"Amazing!" Fred said as he looked Hiro over. "You made this?! This is awesome, dude! Technology rocks!"
"Yeah, pretty cool, isn't it?" Hiro looked himself over. "I used some of the technology that I used when I made the microbots. I made the bots every smaller, and I can program them to form any shape that I want. The bots are stored in my armband, and when I need to put on my suit, I just push the button and they go over my body to form my suit. It's a better version, too. The old armor was meant just for riding on Baymax's back. But now, I added some extra parts so that it enhances my strength and has a new visor."
"Dude! When do I get mine!?" Fred was still in amazement at Hiro's latest invention.
"I'm working on it." Hiro said as he deactivated his armor. It reformed into an armband on Hiro's arm. "When I get back, I'll make sure to make one for all of you guys' armors."
"Dude! You're the best!" Fred exclaimed. Then, he remembered something important. "Oh yeah, did you tell Aunt Cass about this yet? Going to Florida?"
"Well, I told her about going to your house, but I haven't told her about the going to Florida part yet." Hiro then took out his phone and video called Aunt Cass.
"Hiro?" Aunt Cass appeared on the screen. "What's up, sweetie?"
"Aunt Cass, you know how I said I was going to Fred's house?" Hiro asked. "Well, he gave me a way to fly to Florida and bring Bolt back to Penny. I just wanted to let you know that I was going."
"Oh, is that why you took all that stuff with you?" Aunt Cass asked.
Hiro nodded. He was nervously waiting for Aunt Cass' response.
"Hmm..." Aunt Cass thought to herself for a moment. "Well, if I didn't know you any better, I wouldn't let you go. However, its break time and I think it would do us all some good if Bolt were back with Penny. Alright, Hiro. I'll let you go. Do you have everything you need for the trip?"
"Yeah!" Hiro said, excited at the answer. "Don't worry, Aunt Cass! I'll be back before you know it!"
"Okay, my little college man! Go and give your girlfriend her dog back!" She then winked at Hiro and abruptly ended the call.
"Wha-" Hiro was suddenly shocked by his Aunt's words. "Aunt Cass! Not you too!"
"Oooh. Hiro's got a girl?" Fred said with a grin.
"N-no! Why does everyone think this!?" Hiro's face threatened to turn red.
Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino all looked at Hiro with questioning looks.
"I'm just playing with you, man." Fred said while smiling. His phone suddenly buzzed. Fred looked at the screen and smiled. "Heathcliff's waiting outside for you. Go get 'em, tiger."
"Thanks, Fred. See you later." Hiro gathered up his stuff and picked up Rhino. Mittens and Bolt followed close behind Hiro. After a final wave goodbye, Hiro went out the front door.
"Greetings, Mr. Hamada." Heathcliff greeted. He was standing in front of a black car. "Master Frederick told me of your arrangement to fly to Florida."
"Good to see you, Heathcliff." Hiro greeted. "Thanks for giving me a ride."
"Of course." Heathcliff bowed. "Anything for one of Master Frederick's friends." Heathcliff then eyed Bolt and Mittens. Fred had already told him about the animals, so Heathcliff wasn't too surprised. After everybody had climbed into the car, Heathcliff began driving towards the airport.
"This is it!" Rhino said excitedly in Hiro's hands. "We're on our way!"
"You excited to see Penny again, Bolt?" Mittens asked.
"You know it." Bolt said happily. "Soon, I'll be back in Penny's arms and I'll never leave her again."
Mittens smiled.
'We're on our way, Penny.' Hiro thought to himself. 'Hold on just a little bit longer.'
"Okay people, let's move it to stage seven and do it for real." Mindy ordered. The last practice right before the shoot had just concluded. Penny had to act out with the Bolt look-alike. While the knowledge of Bolt being found had helped her a bit, the fact that she still had to film without him was painful.
"I miss him." Penny said sadly as embraced her mother.
"I know, honey." Mrs. Forrester said. "But chin up! Soon, Bolt will be back and you'll be able to have as much time together as you used to. Upper management said that this is the last episode of the season, so you'll have a long break from filming to spend with Bolt."
"That's good." Penny said. "I just want him to be here."
Mrs. Forrester's phone suddenly rang. She briefly let go of Penny and took it out of her pocket. Her eyes widened slightly. "It's Ms. Cassie!" She accepted the call.
'Ms. Cassie?' Penny wondered.
"Hey, Cassie. What's happened?" She listened closely. A smile then appeared on her face. "Really? That's great! I'll be sure to tell her. No problem. See you later!" Mrs. Forrester hung up the call and beamed at her daughter.
"What did she say?" Asked Penny.
"She said that Hiro is on the way to Florida right now!" Mrs. Forrester announced. "He'll be here in a few hours, and he's bringing Bolt with him!"
"Hiro's coming." Penny said to herself. She already knew that Hiro was going to come soon, but why did her heart feel like soaring when she heard that Hiro was coming again? A small blush appeared on her face.
"Hm? Thinking about your boyfriend again?" Mrs. Forrester noticed Penny's blush. "Are you going to tell him when he gets here?"
"Mom!" Penny's face was more pink than before.
"Penny, there you are!" Agent suddenly interrupted the conversation. "Why are you still here? They need you in makeup! Pronto!"
Penny suddenly realized that she was soon going to be late for makeup and costuming for the shooting later that day. Seeing Bolt and Hiro again was going to be great, but she had other things to worry about first.
"Sorry!" Penny then gave her mother one last hug. "See you later, mom."
"Take care, sweetie." Mrs. Forrester said. "Knock 'em dead!"
Penny waved behind her as she followed her agent.
It was an interesting experience for Hiro at the airport. Instead of going through the entrance most normal people would use, Heathcliff drove through a gate that lead to the area where there were several small planes. There were many different planes, but one particular plane stood out from the others.
'Fred said that I'm going to be flying in style. Is this what he meant?' Hiro looked at the plane. It was bright red with a black kaiju pattern on the right side of the fuselage. On the left side of the plane, a picture of Fred's super suit could be seen breathing fire. When placed next to all the other private jets, which were mostly modest in terms of color and livery, Fred's plane stuck out like a sore thumb.
"We have arrived." Heathcliff informed as he opened the door to the car. "Please board when you are ready."
"Thanks." Hiro said as he picked up Rhino and walked to the plane, which was lowering its door and revealing a staircase into the plane. Bolt and Mittens followed Hiro up the stairs.
"Wow." Hiro said as he looked around the plane's interior. It was very similar in look to Fred's room. There was a large flat-screen TV with a mini fridge next to it, a bed for sleeping in, a bathroom in the back with a shower, and a few chairs just to sit in and enjoy the flight. There were also several action figures and comic books on some shelves. All of the shelves had a sign that said, "Fred, do not touch! ~Fred."
"We shall be leaving shortly." Heathcliff said as he walked to the cockpit with another man, probably Fred's private pilot.
"Thanks, Heathcliff." Hiro said as he sat in a chair and tried to get comfortable. Mittens, Rhino, and Bolt sat on the ground next to Hiro.
"This is so awesome!" Rhino said excitedly as he rolled in circles. "We get to fly!"
"I've never flown before." Mittens said nervously. "Is it safe?"
The plane's door rose up and closed.
"Don't worry." Bolt assured. "I've flown a few times in my life, and it was perfectly safe!"
Mittens nodded, but still looked nervous.
Hiro felt the plane suddenly lurch as it started taxiing towards the runway. This was it. They were finally going to Florida to see Penny. Hiro's heart sang in joy at the thought of seeing his longtime friend again after so long.
"Don't worry, Penny." Hiro said to himself. "We'll be there soon."
"No, no, no!" The director fumed. "I said that there were supposed to be six torches, not ten!"
There was quite a bit of bustle going on in sound stage seven. Props were being set up, actors were being prepared for filming, and the director was already complaining about something.
"It has to be just as I told you! Do you want to keep your job, or what!?" The director was busy yelling at the stage crew while Mindy stood a little ways off. She shook her head and then walked over to the makeup room.
"Does anybody have contour number 4?" A makeup artist asked as she worked on Dr. Forrester's face.
"I need an eye contact colored green 17!" Another person said as he worked on Dr. Calico.
Mindy walked past rows and rows of actors being prepared until she found who she was looking for.
"Hey there, kid." Mindy greeted Penny as she was being looked at by a staff member. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah." Penny said while trying to stay still. The staff member put some dark color on Penny's face to imitate several days of imprisonment. "I'm okay."
"Good, cause we're going to need you to be in top-shape for today." Mindy said while looking through her phone. "I trust that nothing out of the ordinary will happen today? Especially anything involving Bolt?"
"I'll do my best, ma'am." Penny said. There was a slight tinge of sadness in Penny's voice, but it was overlooked.
"That's a good girl." Mindy said while smiling slightly. "I'll see you in a bit, alright?"
Mindy then walked out of the makeup room and prepared to head back to the networking station.
"What I'm saying, sir, is that today might not be a good day to film!" A staff member was talking with the director.
"?" Mindy paused to listen.
"What do you mean, 'today isn't a good day to film?!'" The director snapped. "We're filming today because today is the only day we can film! If we don't film today, we'll be behind schedule! And I don't think I need to remind you that our ratings have dropped far enough already!"
"But, sir!" The staff member protested. "The fire suppression system is offline today while maintenance checks out the system! And we're using actual fire in today's shooting. Even if it seems unlikely, if the stage were to catch fire, then we wouldn't be able to put it out!
"It'll be fine!" The director argued. "How many times have we filmed in this area and had a fire break out. Huh?! Tell me!"
"None, sir." The staff member replied. "But all those other times the fire suppression system was onli-"
"Blah, blah, blah!" The director interrupted while covering his ears. "I don't want to hear it! You're going to make sure that everything goes according to schedule, and you're gonna like it! End of line!" The director then stormed off leaving a mute staff member.
Mindy sighed and shook her head at what she had just witnessed. The director could really be a bit of a bonehead sometimes, but he was right about one thing. Sparkling Core Studios was known for its amazing track recording when it came to fires. In the many years of filmmaking, not one fire had broken out. Still, something didn't sit quite well with Mindy. She pushed it off to the side of her thoughts and tried not to think about it. It was the last episode, and she was going to make sure it didn't end on a sour note.
"Incoming!" A staff member motioned for several helicopter props to be attached to the ceiling.
Mindy decided that now was a good time to go back to the networking station. Right now, she was in the way of preparation.
After a seemingly short three hours of flight, A bright red plane touched down in the sunny afternoon of Florida.
"Ooooh, man." Mittens groaned as the plane lurched to a stop. "I'm glad that I didn't eat anything. Otherwise, there would have been a lotta hairballs around here. And I don't mean that in a fun way."
"We're here!" Rhino said excitedly. "We're in Bolt's home territory!"
"Oh, man!" Bolt said happily. "I almost back to Penny!"
"Are you guys not sick from that whole ordeal?" Mittens asked while trying not to retch. "I felt light-headed during the whole trip."
"What are you talking about, cat?" Rhino said while sticking his chest out. "I had a blast!"
"I've been on planes before." Bolt said. "It was fine for me, at least."
Mittens groaned. "I envy you and your immunity to air sickness."
Hiro got out of his seat and checked to make sure that he had everything with him. Heathcliff then walked out of the cockpit and opened the door to the plane.
"We are now going to depart for Sparkling Core Studios." Heathcliff said. "The car is waiting for us." He then descended the stairs.
Hiro climbed down the stairs of the plane and followed Heathcliff to a black car that looked suspiciously like the one Hiro rode in earlier.
Once the group had climbed into the car, they sped off to Penny's studio.
'This is it.' Hiro thought to himself, heart racing. 'You're going to see Penny in person for the first time since...uh...a long time! Don't mess this up, Hiro.'
"I'm coming, Penny!" Bolt was so excited, he could hardly sit still.
"Calm down there, Bolt." Mittens said. "I know you're excited, but try and keep it together, will you?"
"I'm finally going to meet Penny in person!" Rhino couldn't seem to contain his excitement either. "This is the best day ever!"
Mittens sighed. "Why are males always so excited about everything?"
"Positions, everybody." The director called out.
"Okay, hold still for me, sweetie." A staff member was putting a harness on Penny and tied her up with rope. The harness was connected to a cable hanging from the ceiling, and it gave the impression that Penny was hanging by the rope. After the staff member finished, the cable pulled Penny up.
"Fifteen, take one. Mark." A staff member said while clapping the clap board. The room was dimly lit, and there were several large statues with fire in their mouths.
"And, action!" Called the director.
A light turned on to reveal Dr. Forrester strapped to a chair that was flanked by two guards. A ding from behind him indicated that the elevator doors had opened. Dr. Calico strolled out with his two cats.
"Ah! Professor, I'd like to thank you for granting us access to that labyrinthian mind of yours." Calico casually leaned on the back of Dr. Forrester's chair.
"You know I'd never do such a thing." Dr. Forrester said in a low voice.
"Unless it was the only way to save your little girl's life!" Calico tilted the chair backwards to give Dr. Forrester a full view of Penny hanging from the ceiling.
"Penny!" Dr Forrester cried.
"Daddy!" Penny looked around frantically. "Bolt! Here, Bolt!"
Calico sneered. "Your dog is nowhere near-"
The sound of the elevator made Calico pause mid-sentence. He turned around to see Bolt suddenly burst through the doors of the elevator and bark angrily.
"Get. That. Dog!" Calico ordered.
The two guards that were flanking Dr. Forrester turned to Bolt and activated their taser gloves. The Bolt look-alike suddenly became afraid and started backing up.
"Go. Go. Go." A staff member tried to urge the dog forward.
"It's okay, boy. Come here." The padded man tried to grab the dog, but it back up too far and fell off of the platform, knocking over several torches in the process. The cans of lighter fluid sprayed their flammable contents all over the stage, and soon, a hungry fire began to spread.
"Fire. Fire, fire! There's fire!" A staff member shouted. A fire there was, indeed. The flames were spreading extremely quickly, and soon, most of the props were burning.
"We need to get out of here!" One staff member shouted. "Everyone stay calm and follow the exit pa-"
"RUN!" The director shouted. "Run or you'll DIE!" He then ran for the exit, tripping over several people on the way.
That sent everyone into full-on panic mode. Everyone raced for the exit without checking if everyone was present. Everyone managed to get to the exit...except for one person.
"Help! Please, help!" Penny cried as she tried to release herself from her straps. Unfortunately, her cries for help went unnoticed as everyone was trying to save their own skin.
The fire grew rapidly, and soon, smoke and heat filled the sound stage to almost unbearable levels.
"No, I told you!" Hiro argued with the entrance guard. "I'm here to see Penny Forrester! I know her personally, and I need to see her right now! It's an emergency!"
Hiro, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino had arrived at Sparkling Core Studios. The trip to the studio was relatively uneventful. Heathcliff had driven off to refill the gas tank and promised to return later. After being denied entry, Hiro had started arguing with the stubborn entrance guard.
"Look, kid." The guard replied flatly. "Unauthorized personnel are not allowed on the studio grounds. If you want to purchase a guest pass, you'll need to go to the front office. Even then, you'll need to wait until visitor hours before we can let you in."
Hiro continued to argue with the guard while Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino stayed nearby.
"This human is very irritating." Rhino grumbled. "Can I take him out?"
"I would love to say yes," Bolt said while glowering at the guard. "But I don't think that charging in without authorization is going to do us any favors."
"Well, that stinks." Mittens said. "Because I don't think we're going to get in this way anytime soon the way things are going right now."
"Why can't I get into the studio?!" Hiro asked in an exasperated tone.
"I just told you, kid." The guard said while pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're in the middle of a shoot right now, and guests are not allowed to enter the premises until the shoot has concluded."
"I'm gonna go right up to this guy's face," Rhino growled while balling his fists. "And then I'm gonna rip the flesh right off of his-"
"Shh!" Bolt suddenly shushed. He crouched low, as if he felt something.
"What is it?" Mittens asked.
"Mittens, be quiet." Bolt said as he stayed still.
"Bolt, I was just-"
"No, seriously." Bolt said. "Be quiet." His ear suddenly twitched.
"Do you hear something?" Mittens asked quietly.
"Not something." Bolt said. "Someone." He then raised his ear, and then a worried expression appeared on his face. "Penny."
RIIIIIIIIING! Right as Bolt said that, the fire bell went off. The smell of smoke suddenly became evident. Hiro and the guard stopped their arguing. Hiro, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino looked above the studio and saw black clouds of smoke suddenly start billowing out of a sound studio. Hiro's heart nearly stopped.
"Penny!" Bolt suddenly ran under the entrance bar and started running towards the fire.
"Bolt! What happened to not charging in without authorization!?" Mittens and Rhino started running after Bolt.
"Hey! Wait up!" Hiro started running after the trio.
"Hey, kid! Come back!" The guard yelled. "It's not safe!"
His words fell on deaf ears as Hiro ran towards the fire, fearing the worst.
Right as Hiro, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino made it to the sound stage entrance, several fire trucks rolled up and firefighters jumped out to try and combat the growing blaze.
Hiro looked around for Penny. "Penny! Are you here?!"
Bolt looked around for his person. "Penny!" He had a very bad feeling in his gut.
"Hiro?!" Hiro turned around, and there was Mrs. Forrester, looking extremely afraid.
"Mrs. Susan!" Hiro ran over and placed his hands on Mrs. Forrester's shoulders. "What happened?! Where's Penny?!"
"The stage caught fire during shooting!" Mrs. Forrester sounded ready to go insane. "And they can't find Penny anywhere!"
"Oh no." Hiro said as he continued to look around. "Hey! Has anyone seen Penny Forrester anywhere?!"
Bolt was next to Hiro and barking, hoping that Penny would hear him.
A small group of people suddenly came out of the stage entrance, coughing heavily. Hiro then ran over to them.
"Have any of you guys seen Penny?!" Hiro asked while trying to stay calm. It was rather difficult as a million possible scenarios ran through Hiro's head, most of which weren't very happy thoughts.
One guy coughed. He tried to say something, and then coughed again. Hiro then ran over to him and kneeled next to him. Bolt was next to him, hoping to hear an answer. Mittens and Rhino joined shortly after.
"I-I saw her..." The man managed to wheeze out.
"You did?!" Hiro asked. "Where?!"
The man coughed one more time, and then slowly lifted an ash-covered finger. When Hiro realized where he was pointing, he wanted to faint. He pointed directly to the burning building.
"No..." Hiro said, in shock of what he had just learned. Suddenly, Hiro fell on his knees while clutching his head as some old memories that Hiro had tried to forget resurfaced. A fire. Someone running into the blaze. A massive explosion. "No, NO!" Hiro suddenly shouted as he jumped back on his feet and activated his armband. His armor formed around his body in seconds.
"Bolt!" Hiro shouted. "Come on!" Hiro then ran towards the blazing sound stage entrance without a second thought.
"Come on!" Bolt said as he began to run to the stage entrance. Rhino and Mittens followed as fast as they could. "Just make sure I get inside that building."
Someone suddenly tripped over Bolt and made him stumble.
"Bolt?!" Agent looked behind him in surprise to see the white shepherd dog continue running to the stage entrance.
Hiro managed to make it into the sound stage area, but as soon as he ran in, an air vent suddenly threatened to fall and block the entrance.
"Coming through!" Rhino said as he managed to roll his ball under the air vent and prevent it from falling all the way. Cracks started to form on Rhino's ball. "It's a good day to die!"
"Not on my watch, rodent!" Mittens said while popping open the plastic ball and grabbing Rhino. Bolt suddenly slid under the air vent and made it in just in time. Rhino's plastic ball finally gave way and the air vent fell to the ground, blocking the entrance. Mittens and Rhino looked worried, not knowing what happened to Bolt.
Hiro and Bolt looked behind them to see several pieces of debris fall over the exit. The entrance was completely blocked. They would have to find another way out.
"Come on, Bolt!" Hiro said as he ran under several burning props. Bolt followed closely behind while barking for Penny to hear.
Penny stumbled as she tried to look for a way out. She had been exposed to the heat and smoke for a while now, and she was beginning to grow weak from asphyxiation. She coughed hoarsely as she tried to navigate the fire.
Bolt and Hiro weren't faring much better. Hiro was shoving several pieces of debris aside to clear a walking path while Bolt continued to bark. Hiro was starting to get dizzy from the smoke and heat, but he HAD to keep looking for Penny. He wasn't about to let another one of his loved ones perish by flame.
"Penny!" Hiro called out as Bolt barked again. "Where are you!?"
Penny coughed again. She thought she heard someone calling her name. Her mind must have been starting to get fuzzy from the fire.
"Penny!" The voice yelled again. Penny was sure she heard it clearly. Then she heard a bark. Her eyes widened. It came from behind her! She turned around, and her heart suddenly leaped for joy. There, a small distance away, was Hiro and Bolt!
"Hiro! Bolt!" Penny called as she began running towards them.
"Penny!" Hiro called back as he and Bolt began running towards her.
The two parties dodged burning debris and ducked under hanging props to run to each other. Bolt reached Penny first, and the two embraced in the tightest hug they could muster.
"I knew you'd come back." Penny said softly as Bolt nuzzled his head against her. Penny started to shed a few tears, and then she looked up.
"Hey." Hiro said. He was wearing some kind of armor. Just when Penny thought Hiro couldn't get any better. She then temporarily let go of Bolt and gave Hiro a massive hug, which he gladly returned.
"You brought him back to me." Penny whispered as a few tears escaped from her eyes. "Thank you."
Hiro patted her back, and then broke the embrace. "Let's get you out of here."
Penny nodded, and then she remembered something. "Hiro. Your armor. Why does it look so familia-"
"Great story for another time." Hiro interrupted. "But we really need to get out of here. I don't know how much longer until the building-"
A creak from above the group made them look up. A helicopter prop was hanging from the ceiling, and it was hanging by a few cables that looked ready to give way.
"Move!" Hiro said as he grabbed Penny's hand and started to run. Bolt followed close behind.
The helicopter suddenly snapped its last cable and fell to the ground, which created a blast wave of fire and hurled debris everywhere. It caught up with the fleeing trio and knocked them off of their feet.
"Ow." Hiro said as he stood back up. He looked around and saw Bolt getting on his feet as well. But where was Penny?
"Ah!" Penny cried.
Hiro whirled around, and what he saw made his stomach jackknife. Penny was on the ground, and her foot was trapped under a piece of debris. It wasn't crushing her foot from what Hiro could tell, but it was preventing her from moving. Hiro then looked up and saw another helicopter that looked ready to fall. Hiro didn't think twice and ran over to Penny, with Bolt barking in alarm some distance away.
"Rrrrrrrghhhh..." Hiro strained as he tried to lift the debris and free Penny's foot. Another cable holding the helicopter up snapped.
"Hiro!" Penny cried. "Don't worry about me! Get out of here while you can!"
"Don't be stupid!" Hiro said as he continued to try and lift the debris. His suit's motors groaned at the strain they were experiencing. "I'm not going to leave you here! We've come too far for that!"
Bolt barked as another few cables on the helicopter snapped. Only a few remained.
"RrraaaAAHHHH!" Hiro lifted as hard as he could, and a small gap just barely side enough for Penny's foot appeared. Penny then slipped her foot out and ran to join Bolt.
"Hiro, come on!" Penny yelled.
Hiro had just dropped the debris when the helicopter finally broke free and fell. Hiro looked up just in time to see the helicopter falling towards him. The helicopter landed, and it sent another blast wave of fire and debris that threw Hiro back quite some distance. Hiro was flung into a pile of burning props and then stopped moving. Hiro's suit was damaged from the impact, and the suit's nanites agitatedly retreated into Hiro's armband.
"HIRO!" Penny screeched as she ran over to her fallen friend. Bolt followed her closely behind. Penny reached Hiro and rolled him over. Penny's breathing became rapid as she looked Hiro over. Hiro was badly burned in several places, and his left arm was bent at a funny angle. On top of it all, he was unconscious.
"Hiro! No! Don't do this to me!" Penny cried as she shook Hiro's shoulders. "Why would you go and do that?! I told you to go without me!" Penny then started sobbing into Hiro's chest. Her heart couldn't bear to see her friend like this.
Bolt suddenly barked. Penny looked at him, and then remembered the situation. They needed to get out of the stage, fast. But how? Penny was trying to stand up while holding Hiro, but she could barely walk. Bolt looked at his person worriedly. Penny looked around for anything to help. She then spotted a piece of rope with a stick attached to one end of it. She then got an idea.
"Bolt." Penny said while holding out the rope. "Zoom-zoom."
Bolt understood immediately and grabbed the stick in his mouth while guiding Penny through the burning maze. Penny was stumbling from the extra weight she was carrying, but she wasn't about to let Hiro die from saving her. Hiro's quote suddenly replayed in her mind.
I'm going to make sure that Bolt gets back to you safe and sound, even if it kills me.
Penny nearly sobbed out loud. 'Please.' She thought as she looked at Hiro's unconscious face. 'Don't follow through with that promise. I need you here, Hiro. Don't go now. You can't go now!'
Bolt pulled Penny along as he continued to look for an exit. If they didn't get out soon, they would all be goners. Bolt looked around desperately, and then saw an air vent. That was it! That was the way out! Bolt pulled Penny over to the vent, but when they got right in front of it, Penny collapsed and dropped Hiro.
Bolt barked as he knocked the grate off of the vent and climbed in, but then he looked behind him to see Penny on the verge of losing consciousness. He walked back to his human and whined sadly.
"Bolt." Penny said weakly. She coughed several times. Extended smoke inhalation had finally taken its toll. "Bolt, just go on out."
Bolt sat down next to his human and whimpered.
"It'll be okay." Penny assured as she stroked Bolt's snout. "You're my good boy. I love you."
Bolt watched as Penny slowly turned to look at Hiro's face. She slowly reached out and grabbed Hiro's hand in her own.
"Thank you for everything, Hiro." Penny wheezed. "I love you, too. You were a great friend." As Penny said those words, she lost consciousness while still holding Hiro's hand.
Bolt watched the entire event. Why hadn't he seen it? Hiro was just as important to Penny as he was. In fact, Hiro might have been even more important. Bolt looked at where their hands met, and then walked over and lay down next to the union. He lay down and silently hoped for things to get better.
"Penny. Hiro." Bolt said to himself. "We're going to be alright. I know we will."
"Have you seen my daughter?" Mrs. Forrester frantically asked around. It had been a while since she had last seen Penny or Hiro. "Has anyone seen my baby?! Has anyone seen her friend, even?!"
A cough caught Mrs. Forrester's attention. She looked to see an ash-covered man waving at her weakly.
"Have you seen them?" Mrs. Forrester asked. She kneeled next to the man. "Have you seen any of them?" Mittens and Rhino were a small distance away, listening to the conversation.
"Your daughter." The man coughed violently. He continued in his wheezing voice. "She-we saw her still hanging from the ceiling when we evacuated. And the messy-haired boy. He ran in to try and find her."
Mrs. Forrester gasped. Penny was still in the building for all she knew, and Hiro was in there with her! But why hadn't anyone gone in to save them yet?
"Are all people accounted for?" A staff member called. "We're still missing one person."
"Well, if they've been missing for this long since the fire started, they're probably dead by now." The director said as he tried to brush soot off of his jacket.
At that, Mrs. Forrester broke down completely and starting sobbing hysterically. Her baby was...gone? It couldn't be! She was so young! She had her entire life ahead of her! And Hiro was in there with her! What was she going to tell Cassie?
"Ma'am, I'm sorry that this had to happen." A firefighter tried to offer his condolences.
Mindy watched from a small distance away. She then shook her head at what had just happened. Maybe the staff member from earlier was right. Maybe they shouldn't have filmed today. Sure, it would have cost some rating points, but some good people could have lost their lives. What was a few rating points compared to a human life?
More fire trucks came into the studio lot and joined the battle against the fire.
"?" Bolt heard the fire trucks' sirens coming from the vent. He looked up. He then experimentally yipped into the vent. A small echo was heard.
Bolt then yipped a little louder into the vent. A louder echo resounded. Bolt then remembered something Rhino had done on the journey to San Fransokyo. He got up from between Hiro and Penny, and then he crouched. He readied his front paw, and then his back. Taking in as much air as he could in the smoky atmosphere, Bolt reared back and then unleashed a thunderous bark.
Everyone working outside the studio paused.
"Hey, did you hear that?" One ambulance worker asked.
"Yeah." A firefighter replied. "What is that?"
"Quiet. Everyone be quiet." Another firefighter ordered. After a short amount of time, the bark could be heard again. It clearly came from one of the air vents.
"It's the superbark!" Rhino said excitedly as he clutched onto Mitten's arm and whooped.
"It's coming from over there!" The lead firman pointed to a door that lead into the stage area.
"Go, go, go!" Another fireman started running to the door.
"Come on, let's go!" A group of firemen ran towards the door as quickly as they could.
Bolt barked for the third time, and then he collapsed from exhaustion. A door could barely be heard being busted down, and fuzzy voices could be heard.
"All right, we got an RT coming through, people. Make a hole!"
Penny came to on an rolling bed that was headed for an ambulance. She coughed as she realized she had a breathing mask on her face. She then looked over slightly to the right to see another fireman carrying an unconscious soot-covered dog.
"Bolt." Penny said weakly. She then looked to the left and saw another rolling bed. It's occupant had messy black hair and also had a breathing mask on his face. "Hiro." Penny tried to reach out to Hiro, but her body refused to respond.
"I gotta get through. Sweetie!" Penny looked to see her mother pushing through the crowd. "You're okay. You gotta be okay. You're gonna be just fine"
"She's stable, but we're gonna take her to the hospital just to be safe." The ambulance crew brought Penny into the ambulance, and the fireman placed Bolt on Penny's stomach.
Penny looked at Hiro and saw him being loaded into another ambulance.
"I'm so sorry this happened." Mrs. Forrester looked relieved that her child was safe.
"I can't imagine what you must be feeling. No mother should ever have to go
through something like this," Agent climbed into the ambulance and looked at Penny. "But I promise you we're going to make this work for us. I'm talking cover stories, production deals, executive producer credit. This is so great!"
Agent was suddenly thrown roughly out of the ambulance and fell on the asphalt. His phone shattered from impact.
"We quit." Mrs. Forrester firmly declared.
"No, no! Wait!" Agent tried to pick up the pieces of his phone. "Let's not make any rash decisions. Let's put a pin in it."
Mrs. Forrester slammed the door of the ambulance shut, and they began to drive to the nearest hospital.
'Hiro.' Penny thought to herself as she pat Bolt on the head. She didn't remember the trip to the hospital. All she remembered was seeing Bolt and being happy, and then passing out again.
When Penny came to, she was being carted down a hallway. Bolt was no longer on her lap. She looked around to see several people in white clothes pushing her along.
"Don't worry." One person noticed Penny had awoken. "We had to move your dog somewhere else to make sure he's alright. We're going to do your examination now."
Penny nodded weakly. A pair of doors at the end of the hallway opened to reveal a room filled with all sorts of medical tools and equipment. A doctor came in and hooked Penny up to an IV drip and a heart rate monitor.
"Don't be afraid." The doctor did his best to smile behind his mask. "You're in good hands. It'll be just fine from here on out."
That was the last thing Penny remembered before losing consciousness once more.
And that's all for now! We'll be looking at what happens to Penny and Hiro in the hospital next. Hiro has bad luck with fire, doesn't he? I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. If you enjoyed it and want to see more, please consider leaving a comment to show your support for the story. I'll make sure not to keep you waiting for too long. Until next time, peace!
