[I do not and never will own Big Hero 6, but I do own my OCs.]

Chapter 21: Callaghan Confesses [or, Forgiveness]

As soon as Big Hero 6 returned to Fred's mansion and changed out of their super suits, they encountered Professor Callaghan. "Why'd you do it, Callaghan?" Hiro said. "You owed me that much at least."

Callaghan sighed. "All right, Hiro." he said. "I'll come clean."

The team stopped, stared and listened.

"Well, you see," Callaghan explained, "Langstrom was the one who got me out of prison. He wanted me to help you to help him get the Nightmare Crown. I helped you to find the item's locations, but when I inadvertently disobeyed Langstrom's orders on Kikiwaka Island, he ordered me to keep the plan secret, so you wouldn't know what was happening. But I never expected him to betray us like that. It was all for you, Hiro. And, it was best for everyone in the city."

Hiro thought about what Callaghan said, and about when he found out he was the masked figure. He thought of Tadashi, and wanting to destroy Baymax, and then, the portal. Everything seemed to come together.

Then he became really worried in his thoughts. He wondered if he could save the city from Langstrom Krei, and the Nightmare Crown. Could he save them?

Suddenly, Hiro filled with rage. Callaghan had let Langstrom get the crown, and now, everyone in San Fransokyo would be in danger.

he felt so mad, he couldn't stop himself from taking his anger out on Callaghan, like when he'd found out his brother's death had been for nothing, and wanting to destroy him. Now, he felt that feeling all over again.

"This is all your fault!" Hiro shouted at his former idol.

"My fault?!" Callaghan said, shocked and angry.

"Yeah!" Hiro snapped. "You've endangered all of San Fransokyo because of your actions!"

"Hiro, That's not what I meant by that!" Callaghan argued. "I was just trying to help you!"

"You were just trying to help yourself!" Hiro yelled back. "I can't believe you sold us out to Langstrom Krei!"

Callaghan facepalmed. "No!" he said, "You're not listening! He was just a means to an end!"

"More like a liar, a faker, and a crook!" Hiro yelled. "You're a liar, a killer, and a selfish jerk! I have about 2014 reasons to kick you in the shin!"

"But it's not what you think, Hiro, I-"

"But nothing!" Hiro shouted. "You're nothing but a selfish jerk! You don't care about anyone but yourself! I was right all along from the beginning; I should never have trusted you! I should have had Baymax destroy you when I had the chance. You should have just stayed in prison where you belong!"

Then, what Hiro said next shocked everyone in the room. "You should have died in that fire at the showcase, not Tadashi, and then none of this would have happened!"

Robert's eyes became misty, and he looked down, then he spoke something Hiro never expected him to say. "You're right, Hiro."

"And what's more, I…" Suddenly, Hiro stopped. His expression changed from stern to surprised. "What did you just say?"

"You're right, Hiro." Robert said. Hiro's eyes popped wide with wonder. "What?" he said. "Are you thinking clearly?"

"Yes, Hiro. For the first time, I AM thinking clearly." Robert sighed sadly as he looked at Hiro and his friends. "You were right. In fact, you were right from the beginning, Hiro." he said sadly. "You should never have trusted me. You should have had Baymax destroy me when you had the chance. I'm not a good guy. I'm just a villain. A stupid, useless, pathetic, selfish villain." A small sob caught in his throat. "And that's all I ever am."

Robert dropped to his knees and broke down into tears. Hiro was very concerned and confused now. His former professor and idol has been through a lot of problems since his arrest. At the start, he thought he was getting redemption for his crimes, but now that Langstrom Krei, the big brother of Alistair Krei, the man who he thought was the cause for losing his daughter, had betrayed him, he felt like he was useless, no one to be bothered with. For the first time in ages, Hiro felt sorry for him.

He knelt down in front of the crying Callaghan, removed his helmet, and stared at him, putting his hands on his shoulders. Seeing his former idol in such a sorry state made Hiro feel sad, and even he couldn't help crying a little, too. It reminded him of how sad he felt at his brother Tadashi's funeral, and when he had to sacrifice the first Baymax in the portal.

Hiro wiped his tears away, and stared at Callaghan. "Professor Callaghan," he said, albeit quietly, "I… forgive you."

Robert looked up, his eyes filled with tears. "You… forgive me?" he said. He was surprised that Hiro would ever forgive him for what he'd done.

"Yes." Hiro said, standing up. "I forgive you." Robert's eyes widened. "Why?" he asked, surprised. "Why do you forgive me?

"Well, you see," Hiro said, "Some days after your attack, I was reading the paper in my aunt's café, when I discovered that you got sentenced to prison for your crimes. And then, somehow or other, I felt… sorry… for you. I didn't realize why I did at first, and neither did Baymax, or my friends. But when I rewatched that footage from that jump drive my friends brought back from Akuma Island, I realized why. And I also knew why you'd turned crazy and wanted to destroy Alistair Krei. It was because you wanted to save your daughter, Abigail, wasn't it?" Robert nodded sadly, as Hiro continued, "And, because you got arrested and sent to prison, you never got the chance to see your daughter alive and well." Robert stared blankly at him, before feeling sad again. Hiro stared at him. "You loved your daughter very much, Callaghan. You would've even dived into that portal to save her, wouldn't you?"

Robert silently nodded.

"So you see, Callaghan," Hiro said, "That's why I felt sorry for you. All you wanted was to have your daughter back. You know, Tadashi would have done the same thing if I'd ended up in your daughter's situation." Hiro paused. "And that's why I forgave you. I planned to visit you in prison and tell you all this, but since you escaped, I had to keep it a secret, in case you wouldn't believe me." He sighed. "You deserve to be forgiven."

At that statement, a few tears came out of Robert's eyes. He quickly broke eye contact, turned away, and sat down, hiding his face in his hands. "But I don't deserve it, Hiro." he muttered. "I don't deserve forgiveness, especially after what I've done." He sighed sadly. "I'm a fool."

Hiro sighed, before talking to him again, his voice now in a serious tone. "You're wrong, Callaghan, and you know it. I made a mistake before: and that was almost having Baymax destroy you. We all make mistakes, Callaghan. But remember this: Mistakes don't make things right. Only acts of goodness can do that."

Robert felt his eyes getting misty again. "But I'm no good guy," he said sadly. "I killed your brother, Hiro, and I didn't even know I had. I deserved to be locked up in prison. I did so many bad things. It's all my fault." He sighed. "I'm the one who should have died in that fire, not Tadashi." He buried his face in his hands and wept.

Baymax looked at him. "It is alright to cry. Crying is a natural response to pain." He said.

"Don't blame yourself, Professor." Honey said calmly.

Robert just sighed. "Who can you blame if you can't blame me?"

"Maybe you could blame Yama?" Fred joked. But a quick nudge from GoGo shut him up.

"Tadashi wouldn't want you like this, Professor Callaghan." Hiro said.

"Tadashi is gone!" Callaghan said angrily. "All because of me! I killed him!" He started to get tearful again. "He was my best student… and I killed him."

"Callaghan, a certain healthcare companion once told me that Tadashi is here." Hiro said, motioning to his heart. "Tadashi may have died in that fire, but we can still remember him. But what you need to do is stop beating yourself up over Tadashi's death."

"That's right." Wasabi added. "We got over Tadashi's death easily, but you need to just let it go, and move on from what happened."

"We can't blame you, especially after what happened to your daughter. You were just corrupted by your own grief and anger, and you didn't see the consequences." Honey said.

Callaghan sighed sadly. "I've been such a damn fool."

"Yeah. You have." GoGo said.

Callaghan showed remorse for his actions. He looked down, looking even sadder.

"But why did you betray us?" GoGo said.

"I did it to save you. Langstrom threatened to kill Hiro and his friends, and that includes you, if I disobeyed him again."

The team stared, then gasped. "Langstrom wanted to kill us?" Honey said.

Callaghan sighed, then nodded. "Yes, yes he did."

Fred nodded. "It's true, Hiro. I saw and heard everything."

Callaghan stared at Fred, then turned away. He sighed. "But now, everyone in San Fransokyo will suffer because of me. Hiro… I know it won't make up for everything, but..." He paused. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did… to you, to your friends, to Krei, to your brother… to everyone."

"It's okay, Professor Callaghan." Hiro said. "I forgive you." "So do I." Fred stated. "Me too." Honey said. "Same here." Wasabi added.

Then, all eyes turned to GoGo. "Fine." She sighed angrily. "I forgive you as well, Professor."

With that, Hiro and the team pulled their former professor into a hug, including Baymax. Callaghan smiled through his tears.

"You have a lot to do if you want to make amends for your past misdeeds." Hiro said. "You need to help us."

"How?" Robert said. "I just don't think I can redeem myself. Even if I could, it may be too late for me."

"It's never too late to change, Callaghan." Hiro said. "How do I do that?" Robert asked.

"Think." Hiro said. "Think of what you achieved when you helped us. That was because you believed you could be a good guy. You just need to believe it some more."

Robert uncurled himself from the fetal position, and stared up at Hiro, still confused. "I… don't… understand." he said. "Why would you and your friends help me… after everything I've done… done to everyone?"

Honey stepped up. "The same reason you helped us, Professor Callaghan." She said.

"That's what heroes do." Hiro added.

Robert's eyes widened. He looked down, and then… he smiled. "I understand now." He said to himself. "I shouldn't let my guilt over inadvertently killing Tadashi consume me. The past is in the past. You just have to let it go, and move on with what's happened."

He stood and smiled. "Thanks, Hiro." He shook his hand.

Hiro smiled too. It seemed that Callaghan's good side had now taken over. His idol was now a man full of humility.

Honey provided the memory stick she'd found earlier. "You might wanna look at this, Hiro." she said. " She played it onto a computer in the superhero lair, and images began to play: First, of Langstrom with the guards carrying an unconscious Callaghan out of prison, Then Callaghan being given the new microbot transmitter and the new kabuki mask, then Langstrom shaking Callaghan's hand. Then it showed Langstrom getting the crown. Then, pictures of Callaghan, Hiro, Baymax, and his friends, on Joker playing cards. Then Langstrom's evil plans were revealed: of him punching Callaghan in the face and knocking him out, and then using the crown to smash buildings in San Fransokyo.

A voice spoke; it was Langstrom's voice.

"Dear diary, It's the beautifully evil Langstrom Krei. "My plan was a success. I got Callaghan outta that prison with that sleeping gas I invented. Then, giving him a new transmitter and offering to give him his daughter back, and a new job… Hah! I can't believe he fell for it! Despite his disobedience, he helped me get the Nightmare Crown. And it worked. I've even played him, and Hiro Hamada and his friends for fools!"

The team gasped.

"Soon, all of San Fransokyo will be destroyed, and my revenge on my pathetic baby brother will be finalized. And then, the world will be mine! ...Not sure what I'll do with it, but I'll figure something out."

Hiro turned the clip off.

Callaghan's eyes widened. "I can't believe Langstrom lied to me. He said he was my friend. And he promised me everything I wanted once I helped him."

"He never was your friend from the beginning, Professor." Hiro said. "And you wouldn't have gotten what you wanted regardless if you'd helped him or not. You didn't know it, but you were putting yourself in danger from start to finish. He was just using you to get what he wanted. You instantly became his puppet. And once he got what he wanted, he would have destroyed you afterwards." He added. "Just like Baymax almost did…"

Callaghan frowned. "I can't believe how foolish I was to trust him."

"Don't worry." said Wasabi. "We'll stop him."

"Yes. Yes we will." GoGo said. She turned to Hiro. "And Hiro," she said. "I have something special for you."

Hiro went up to GoGo, and before he could ask her what it was, GoGo slapped him in the face! "Ow!" Hiro said, rubbing his face. GoGo grinned. "Consider that payback for abandoning us on Akuma Island." She said smugly.

The team grinned. Even Callaghan could help but chuckle slightly at that.

It's so nice to see that Callaghan actually IS getting redemption. Now he can right all the wrongs he's done.

The final battle won't be for another chapter or two.

I'm up to doing something else, first.

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