Chapter Eleven: Portal

Baymax perked up as Hiro groaned in his sleep. He scanned the boy, noting his vital signs were still stable, blood sugar levels a bit low, but not like on previous occurrences. "Hiro?"

Without warning, Hiro gasped, sitting up from the bench seat. His eyes went wide like a fish, his hands grabbing at the frame of the impromptu bed. His chest heaved as he sucked in air like a man saved from drowning.

Hearing the boy, the Doctor sauntered over with his screwdriver. He ran the device around him, looking thoughtful. "They've broken the connection," he observed.

GoGo rushed to join the trio, resisting the urge to bite her lip, not sure what would happen next. Every time had been different. "Hiro? Can you hear me?" she asked, bending closer to the boy.

Hiro blinked a few times, then shook his head. "I had the strangest dream," he stated as he swung his legs to dangle over the edge of the cushions. "I was back in the portal and-"

"What portal?" The Doctor asked, interrupting him. He didn't recall hearing anything about a portal before. It could be literal or figurative. If it was from the boy's dreams, maybe it was just a representation. But if it was something else, a memory, perhaps, that was a different kettle of fish.

Rubbing at his eyes, Hiro leaned back against the seat. "The one Krei made," he answered. "Ugh. I feel so weak."

"What does he mean," Rose inquired. "The one Krei made? Who's Krei?"

GoGo straightened from her half crouch. "Krei is a businessman and leader in technology. A couple months ago, one of our professors stole a portal he'd created to allow instantaneous transport from one place to another. He tried to use it as revenge against Krei for sending his daughter through as a test pilot. She didn't come out and…"

"Hiro and I entered the portal to retrieve the patient," Baymax finished for her, sensing her stress levels rising at the telling.

Swallowing, GoGo nodded. "Hiro almost didn't make it back. Baymax… Baymax sacrificed himself so that both Hiro and Abigail could make it back out."

Rose glanced at the robot in confusion. "But he's right here. How could he have sacrificed himself if he's here."

"He left his chip," Hiro answered for her, swallowing hard. "I didn't realize it until later, though." He sat up again, head now bowed. "But when I did, I rebuilt his body. The original one, the one Tadashi made, is still floating around in there, somewhere."

The Doctor scrunched up his face in thought, one hand to his chin. He thought about it for a moment. "You mean to tell me that you went inside a portal that was meant to transport someone, or something, from one point of space to another?"

At his tone, Hiro looked up. "Well, yeah. Krei was working on a government contract, but something went wrong. The second portal was destroyed, trapping Callaghan's daughter inside. When we faced him later, Baymax found her and we brought her back."

Still making that funny face, the Doctor scrutinized them even further. "You mean to tell me that you went through a portal that basically slipped you between space? Please tell me you wore some kind of protective clothing."

"My gear?" Hiro responded, still feeling a bit groggy.

The Doctor rubbed at his face, shaking his head. "Not good. From what I've seen of your gear, it wouldn't keep out the radiation and other particles. Not a chance in a million. Not hermetically sealed. Skin exposed. Not good at all."

It was Rose's turn to look confused and a little scared. "What do you mean, Doctor? Surely you're not saying…?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, face long in expression. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

GoGo gave them both a look, tempted to tap her foot. "Just what are you saying?"

"I would also like to know," Baymax added. "I do not recall detecting any radiation or particles that might have harmed Hiro." Of course, at the time, he was rather distracted with finding Abigail and hadn't done as thorough a scan as he probably should have.

Both the Doctor and Rose looked grave, making Hiro feel more than a little uncomfortable. "Hey, guys, what's going on? What's so bad about that?"

The Doctor looked up at him with tired eyes. "That portal, the place you went, no mortal creature was meant to stay there long. In fact, no one's supposed to go there without some kind of protection. This Abigail you mentioned, was she in some kind of gear too?"

"She was in a sealed suit inside a space capsule," Baymax answered, not sure where this was all going. He detected an increase in respirations in all those around him, especially in Hiro.

Now sitting on the edge of the bench next to the boy, the Time Lord cupped his chin in his hand, thinking. "And no others were there? Excepting you?" He glanced at Baymax for confirmation. "About how long would you say you were in there?"

"I don't know," Hiro shrugged.

Baymax managed to look confused as he thought about it. "I cannot be certain," he admitted. "I would estimate no more than several minutes. We had to navigate around a field of debris before finding the patient. Then, on the way back, there were complications delaying our return. It may have been longer. I do not have any memory of what happened after I removed my healthcare chip." The others had tried to fill in the blanks for him, but that didn't help with estimating a time frame now.

The Doctor sat up straighter with that comment. "Complications?"

Hiro felt his chest tighten as he recalled that moment, his voice also tightening. "I didn't see it coming. Baymax moved to protect us both from the cement block. It destroyed half of his armor, including his thrusters." He swallowed hard, tears pricking at his eyes.

Both Baymax and GoGo reached arms around to give him a comforting hug.

Taking a deep breath, Hiro continued. "I managed to pull Baymax towards the capsule, but there was no way we could get enough momentum to make it all the way back. So… So Baymax used his undamaged rocket fist to send us back through." His chest heaved as he tried to not cry, remembering seeing his friend floating away as he rocketed towards safety. It was almost like losing Tadashi all over again.

Compassion mirrored on both the Doctor and Rose's faces as they watched the boy try to not fall apart. Despite having his robotic friend again, the event had obviously been tragic. Chances were good, if the Time Lord was remembering things right, that event had followed the death of his brother.

"What you did," the Doctor said quietly, "was something no one else, in my memory, has ever done." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, around GoGo and Baymax's arms. "When the TARDIS travels, it cuts through time and space. To keep things simple, it cuts through the space between, and no one's meant to go there, just cut through it. You were there for what could be considered an eternity without even realizing it. That's bound to have had an effect on you. In fact, I'm willing to bet that's the exact reason behind your subtle change of DNA."

Hiro seemed to jump at that, causing GoGo's arms to slip from his body. "What! When did that happen?" He glanced at Baymax, who looked away. GoGo did the same. "When were you guys going to tell me?"

GoGo messed with her hair while Baymax seemed to turn a light shade of pink near his face.

The boy's face fell as he watched them avoid answering. Why was it so hard? All they had to do was say something. Anything.

Rose watched Hiro as the corners of his mouth turned down. It was obvious that he was hurting. "Hey," she said, crouching to be at his eye level. "Don't think of it like that. It's not like they were purposely keeping it from you. It's been really hectic, you know?"

"I am sorry I did not inform you of this earlier," Baymax said quietly. "The changes are subtle and I was not made aware of them until the Doctor alerted me to their presence."

The frown didn't change, but Hiro's shoulders drooped further. "Thanks, I guess. I mean, I already felt like a failure. Now I feel like a freak too." He pushed away any comforting gestures as he stood and headed towards the TARDIS's door. "Just leave me alone."

GoGo reached out a hesitant hand, her stomach twisting with guilt. Her eyes widened when Hiro unbolted the door. "Wait!"

But the Doctor put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go. He won't go far."

Looking into the Doctor's serious face, she couldn't help but feel a bit of shock. "But we're still in space!"

The Time Lord shook his head. "Back on dry land," he informed her. "Not entirely sure where, just yet, but at least we're back in the city."

The door closed behind the boy, shutting gently as everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh.


Hiro leaned against the side of the brick wall, a good enough distance away from the TARDIS that he couldn't see it. The headache was back again, which he guessed wasn't too surprising. A lot had happened and he needed to process. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as he let his body drag him to the ground. He didn't even bother looking around. What was the point?

It reminded him of losing Tadashi all over again. The helplessness. The feeling of lose and betrayal. The rational part of him knew it wasn't on purpose, but it still hurt.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, holding them tight with clenched fists as he buried his head in his arms. Clenching his teeth, he tried to stave off the waves of emotion washing over him, but that didn't help either.

Footsteps sounded with the crunching of gravel, but he still didn't look up. He was so immersed in his anguish that he didn't feel the large hands grabbing him from above.


GoGo kicked at the floor. She'd seen that look on Hiro's face before, and it made her feel horrible. "We should have told him," she said, looking at the ground.

"I regret that we did not," Baymax added.

They all knew that an appropriate time hadn't come up, but it was news to the black-haired girl that Hiro had felt useless, at least to that extent.

Trying to give them a moment, the Doctor went back to his control panels, typing in commands. If possible, he wanted to trace the location of the second missile, since the first one had likely been from a temporary site.

Rose moved to give GoGo a hug. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know what it's like to have someone go through a hard time and not be able to do anything about it." She'd been there time and time again, with the Doctor and without him. "He'll be okay. He just needs some time to cool off."

GoGo turned to welcome her embrace, closing her eyes. She was tired, so tired.

"I have lost Hiro's signal," Baymax announced as he shuffled towards the door.

GoGo went ramrod straight as she looked towards the door. "What?" She all but ran to the door, throwing it open. She was the first out, looking around frantically.

They had landed inside a back alley in who knew what part of town. A dumpster sat next to them, all but empty of trash. Despite that, it smelled. The girl looked both ways, even going to so far as to run to the nearest visible corner to see if he'd simply wandered off.

Baymax shuffled onto the concrete, Rose behind him. "I still do not detect him," he informed the two women.

GoGo balled her fists as she returned to the TARDIS door. "I'm going to wreak havoc on whoever took him," she vowed.


Abigail started, hearing someone open her office door. Looking up from the floor, she almost felt relieved to see Alistair Krei staring at her.

"Abigail?" Krei moved further into the room. "What are you doing under there?" He moved the chair so she could climb out without incident.

Accepting his help, Abigail crept out and stood, placing a steadying hand on the desktop. "Sorry," she apologized. "I had a moment."

That was all it took for Krei to understand. He pulled her into a hug. Things had changed after the portal incident. With her father in jail, Krei had felt responsible, trying to take on the role of a surrogate for her. He wasn't sure if she appreciated it or not, but so far she hadn't complained. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, not really sure what she wanted. "I was back in the portal," she confessed. She didn't remember much of the incident that had led to being stuck in hyper sleep, just bits and pieces. She'd not been in the portal long before she'd blacked out.

"I saw the capsule," she continued, turning to grasp at Krei's wide shoulders as her body trembled. "But I wasn't inside it. There was someone else. A boy. I think it was Tadashi Hamada's brother. But I think he was dead."

Krei's eyes widened in surprise but he held on to the trembling girl as she sobbed into his shoulder. He didn't know what all had happened inside the portal, but he did know Hiro was the one who'd gone back in to save her. "Shh," he comforted, smoothing her hair. "It's all right. I'm sure Hiro Hamada's fine."

Abigail continued to shake, holding onto Krei's body like he was some kind of lifeline. "It was so real," she whispered.

"Tell you what," he straightened a bit. "Why don't I have some of my men look for him? Would that help?"

Abigail looked up, her face tear-stained as she nodded. "Yes. Thank you."


Alexander Thomas nodded from the observation platform suspended over the impromptu arena. Thanks to some strong encouragement, the R&D department had delivered. It was just a prototype, but it was glorious.

"Begin test," Thomas called out as he leaned over the railing, eager to see what their latest creation could do.

Down on the arena floor, the exoskeleton gleamed, the man inside visible through the domed helmet. Saluting, the man engaged the controls, sending the mechanical creation towards a brick wall, crushing it with ease.

Several more obstacles had been set up around the area, including giant chunks of cement, metal rods, and even a bit of fire. The exoskeleton'd man overcame each element with ease.

"We hope to install thrusters in the next round," head researcher Kim announced as she watched her creation with pride. "We're still working on discovering all the uses of this new metal, but so far it's pretty durable, as you can see."

Thomas watched the test pilot continue through the obstacle course. The suit didn't so much as have a scratch on it. The exoglass curved smoothly into the metal frame, acting as an extension of the man inside. "And everything functions?"

Kim nodded. "Life support is stable. Our man can stay in there for days if he has to. We're still working on adding in the weapons you requested, but should have that later on today."

"Good." Thomas turned to an assistant, glancing at the clipboard handed to him. "How soon can you have a dozen street ready?"

Kim pushed back her brown hair in surprise. Her dark skin contrasted with her unusually green eyes. "Street ready? We're still in prototype mode."

Signing whatever forms where on the clipboard, Thomas simply chose not to look at her. "I want a dozen units ready to go tomorrow. I don't care what you have to do."

Looking at the man, Kim's step faltered just a bit. "We'll do our best, sir."

"Good."


Hiro almost jumped out of his skin when a set of large hands grabbed him by the shoulders, all but hoisting him to his feet with ease. "Ah!"

"Take it easy, okay?"

His eyes went wide when he saw the man who had grabbed him, not sure if he should run, scream, or just stare dumbfounded. The man's hair reminded him of Tadashi's, only it was a bit lighter, though his facial structure was nowhere near his brothers, nor was his build. This guy was much more solid, and seemed to carry himself like someone with authority. The dark pea coat didn't help matters, reminding him of Professor Callaghan, even if reason dictated that this man was decidedly not the professor. He couldn't be that old.

"Name's Jack," the stranger introduced removing his hands from Hiro's shoulders. "Jack Harkness. Mind telling me what a kid your age is doing out in an area like this?" He looked down at the boy with what could only be called an admonishing look.

Hiro's mouth stretched, showing his gap-toothed orthodontics. Jack rather thought the boy might have an aneurysm if this kept up, seeing the panic trying to set in.

Looking over his shoulder, Jack made a snap decision. "Come on. I've got to get you out of here. It's not safe." Without giving the boy a chance to do anything, he grabbed his arm and forcibly led him away from the alley.

Hiro looked back towards the corner where the TARDIS sat, biting his tongue as he tripped on some loose rubbish. "Ah!" He didn't fall, though, as Jack's grip kept him upright, but he felt more than a little jerked around. His leg throbbed. "Wait!"

Looking forward once more, he noticed the man had some kind of wireless earpiece on and that he was talking into it.

"Area secure. Found a little lost puppy, but I'm moving him out of harm's way."

The boy couldn't hear whatever was said on the other end, but he was beginning to wonder if there hadn't been some kind of big misunderstanding. "Hey! Let me go! Baymax!"

Still not looking at the boy, just paying attention to where he was going, Jack only hastened his pace. "We've got to get you out of here. You don't want to be around when things start going down. Trust me on that one."

"Wait!" Hiro called out again, his voice fluctuating from the constant motion. "Baymax!" He dropped his weight, making Jack pause to readjust his grip. "Let me go and I won't press charges," he gushed, chest heaving.

Jack seemed to pull back at that comment. "Press charges? Are you serious?" He contemplated the boy for a moment. "I'm not into kids, okay?"

"Then who are you?" Hiro asked, grimacing at the strength of the man's grip on him. "Ow."

Realizing he was causing discomfort, Jack relaxed his grip just a little. "I told you, Jack Harkness." He paused to correct himself. "Captain Harkness to you. I'm with a specialized group sent to secure the area due to recent special activity."

"Wait. What?" Hiro pulled his arm free. "You're investigating the exploding asteroid? We are too!"

The time traveling captain checked the alley in both directions. "We? And how did you know about the asteroid?"

Hiro nodded emphatically. "Yes! Me and my team! And this weird guy called the Doctor…."

Jack's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the Doctor. "The Doctor? With the funny blue box? Makes a funny noise when it moves? That Doctor?"

"Yes!" Hiro massaged his arm where the indentation of Jack's fingers lingered. "Like I said, we're investigating that asteroid that blew up and he-"

Hiro didn't get a chance to finish as Jack whipped out some device on his wrist, frantically typing something on the mini screen inside. "Hold on tight," he commanded as he put an arm around the boy's middle.

"Ah!" Hiro almost bit his tongue again as beams of light engulfed them before they disappeared.