Chapter Twenty Six: Notice A Pattern
Q stared at the two RC cars as they raced around the main foyer. Having nothing better to do, he'd condescended to join the less than epic race going on in the main hall. How the slouching slacker had convinced Worf to participate was beyond him, but at least it was mildly entertaining, not that he'd admit that to anyone, ever.
In fact it was even more entertaining because Worf wasn't facing Fred, but GoGo. The two were decidedly not well-matched, as the Klingon was still trying to get the hang of the controller. That meant GoGo was free to make her car do circles around the other one. And she did so with such ease and confidence that he almost applauded her, though he refrained. He didn't want to encourage her.
Hiro, on the other hand, clapped in amusement as he watched the display. Fred had been right about this being a great way to stay amused. And even though his own thumbs were too short to manipulate the controls, he didn't mind. He couldn't remember laughing this hard in some time, though he had to be careful not to have any more accidents. He wasn't wearing a diaper after all. And he didn't want to give them any excuses to force them back on him.
Then Fred decided it would be a good idea to add a few obstacles for the cars to navigate around. The fun was momentarily stopped while he set up a few random articles around the floor. He used a few books, a couple of vases his mom might kill him over if they broke, and something that was probably meant to be a doorstop but looked more like a miniature ramp.
Seeing the challenge, GoGo couldn't help but smile. "Oh yeah," she exclaimed as she set her car around the course, slowly at first, but with growing confidence as her car slid around the new obstacles with ease.
Worf, for his part, did try. He'd gotten the basic gist of how the thing worked and was able to at least go around the obstacles without hitting them. It was decidedly better than his previous attempts where the car kept starting and stuttering while he figured out the controls.
In a show of pure adrenaline junky enthusiasm, GoGo sent her car up the makeshift ramp at the highest speed. It flew up into the air, making a delicious arch across the main part of the foyer, right in front of Captain Picard as the man came down the stairs.
"What in the world?" the captain exclaimed as he saw the spectacle. He stared in incredulous shock at his officer not only condoning this childish behavior but also participating in it. Data was not far behind him, though his expression was unreadable.
Not sure how his superior officer meant the question, Data stepped forward. "I believe GoGo has applied the laws of-" he started but was cut off by a wave of Picard's hand.
Worf stood quickly, hiding the controller behind his back. "I was merely exploring the culture of our hosts," he stated, sounding slightly sulky. "I did not think you would mind."
Picard finished walking down the stairs. "We shouldn't be playing. We should be trying to figure out a way to get that man's power back!" He pointed at Q, who happened to be sitting on the bottom stair on the opposite staircase before the two merged into one at the bottom.
Q slowly stood from his seat. "Tut tut, Mon capitaine," he admonished, his hands pressed together. "While I agree that restoring my power is of monumental importance, is it not also important to find means to amuse oneself? Otherwise, what is the point of existing? We obviously have nothing to go on at the moment so why not lighten up and have a little fun?"
The captain's scowl seemed to fill the whole entryway with disapproval. "If we were actually doing what we are all supposed to be doing, we might have 'something to go on' as you put it," he retorted. "Worf, you should be gathering information on what is happening outside this house."
The Klingon hastily put the RC controller down on a small table with a flower vase. "Sir."
Turning his attention to the lounging Heroes, Picard almost wavered. "As for the rest of you, shouldn't you be finding something productive to do? You have means and resources we don't. Isn't it about time you used them?"
Deanna chose that moment to stand up for her new friends. "Captain, that's not fair and you know it. While it is true there are things that can be done, such as gathering more information, it is also important to allow for some down time. You, out of everyone here, should be aware that rest and relaxation have their purpose. A strained mind will only go so far."
Wasabi moved to stand by the counselor's side. "She's right," he agreed. "We've just been running around in circles like chickens whose heads have been cut off. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes it's best to just sit back and see what happens. Besides, until we have more information, which we seem unable to get, we can't formulate a plan to change things."
Honey pushed her glasses up her nose. The main point of getting the cars was to give Hiro something to do so he wasn't always brooding over what had happened. And that had worked. But she thought it useful for the others to join in the fun as well. "Why don't we take turns?" she suggested. "Some of us can go out and look for clues while the others rest for a while."
"Sounds good to me," GoGo said as she popped a gum bubble. "And since I'm sort of in charge of our group at the moment, I just want to say I think you were a bit out of line." She stared directly at Picard without looking like she was, pasting a rather bored expression on her face. But, to anyone who knew her, there was a scowl underneath her facade.
Data glanced at his captain. "She does have a point," he noted. "You were out of line."
Picard closed his eyes as he slowly exhaled. He hadn't expected for them to team up against him. But he supposed they did have a point. He was trying to insert himself as the official leader of the group as a whole when he was still just a guest. Even though the situation was annoying, it wasn't life-threatening. At least not at the moment. "I apologize," he said curtly as he opened his eyes and held gazes with GoGo. "You're right. We're all on edge at the moment and a little rest and relaxation isn't unwarranted."
Almost as if someone had cut a string, the tension in the room relaxed. "If anyone needs me," Picard continued, "I'll be in my room." With that, he turned on his heels and walked back up the stairs.
"That was close," Honey whispered under her breath.
Baymax, the closest to her, turned his head to glance her way. He blinked slowly. "I believe Captain Picard is expressing his frustration," he stated. "I detected high levels of stress hormones prevalent in my most recent scan."
GoGo moved away from her current position near the banister. She patted the robot on the shoulder as she walked by. "Yeah, well, he needs to just chill. We're all in this together." She paused, turning back towards the wide open space. "By the way, has anyone seen either of the Doctors lately?"
Fred straightened from his perch near Q. "Not since this morning," he admitted. "I think they were going to retrieve the other TARDIS."
"Would anyone care to explain to me what a TARDIS is?" Q asked, still looking rather displeased with Picard's abrupt insertion to their fun. "No one seems inclined to tell me anything."
His question, however, was ignored as Heathcliff entered the area and announced lunch was served.
"All right!" Fred exclaimed as he got to his feet. "There's nothing like a good meal! Am I right, little dude?" He glanced down at Hiro, who was only a step or two higher up than he was on the staircase.
Hiro just rolled his eyes. "Want juice," he announced. Over the past several minutes or so, he'd become more quiet. Whether this was because he was thinking about something or for some other reason was anyone's guess.
Noting the difference, Deanna strode over to Baymax. "You and I should have a little chat later," she said to the robot before continuing on towards the breakfast room. She hadn't failed to notice a significant change in the lad and wanted a second opinion before discussing it with anyone else.
The afternoon was pretty boring, all things considered. Following Honey's advice, several members of both groups teamed up to investigate the different disturbances in the area Data had discovered. They started with those closest to the Manor and moved out from there.
Data, GoGo, Wasabi, and Troi made up the first shift to go out. They were instructed to gather what information they could about the various incidents and determine their legitimacy. After all, it was always possible someone was just riding the wagon to cause extra chaos.
With a list in hand, part of which Data had found on the computer in the library, the small group headed out. There was still no indication of who had been researching the various incidents and the android had yet to get a confession from any of his companions that they were responsible. Either way, it was helpful.
Their first stop was at one of the local parks. Wasabi drove them over in his van. Once parked, they began to search the area for the structure rumored to have moved from one place to another. After some careful investigation, and a few scans from Data, they determined this was a man-made attempt to cash in five minutes of fame with the media.
The next turned out to be along similar lines. The third, however, involved the jogger who'd gone missing in front of the Lucky Cat Café. They finally caught up with him long enough for Data to scan him from a distance. Unfortunately, there was no residual energy on the man. And when they scanned the areas where he'd disappeared and reappeared, there wasn't much to find either.
After two more hours of investigating potential incidents, the team decided to call it a night. Most of the events seemed fabricated, especially the further out from the city's center they got. The second team would continue in the morning.
"Is anyone starting to notice a pattern here?" GoGo quipped as they drove back to the Manor. She hunkered down in the front passenger seat, arms crossed over her chest as she chewed her gum.
Wasabi kept a careful eye on the traffic as he drove. He seemed a bit tense, but was otherwise distracted by driving. "Not really," he said as he slowed at a crosswalk so various people could cross.
Deanna noticed his preoccupation. "Is something wrong?" she asked as she stared at his reflection in the rear view mirror. She'd chosen to sit in the back with Data. "You seem to be more tense than usual." She didn't need to scan his emotions to discover that much. It was more than obvious with his hunched shoulders and tight neck muscles.
Slowly starting to drive forward after several kids had finished crossing the street, Wasabi couldn't help but glance back at the question. His fingers tensed on the steering wheel. "No," he answered quickly. Then said," Yes," just as quickly.
"Which is it?" GoGo snapped. She tightened her arms across her chest as she stared out the front window. Whatever was putting Wasabi on edge was affecting her as well. It made her feel small and defenseless.
Wasabi looked through the windshield almost nervously. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I almost feel like something's going to happen."
As soon as he finished talking, Data sat up straight in his seat, his hands reaching for the driver's seat in front of him. "Look out!"
A car came barreling out of one of the side streets, tires squealing as whoever was behind the wheel turned the vehicle sharply to avoid a pedestrian who'd just started to cross in front of it.
Wasabi jerked the wheel without thinking, sending them towards the car in question. His foot slammed into the brakes as he stared in horror at the car careening towards them, still sliding out of control.
"Hit the gas!" GoGo yelled, breaking him from a fear-frozen staring contest with the driver of the other vehicle. She moved her arms as if to grab the steering wheel but didn't.
The engine revved as the van shot forward. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite fast enough. The other car clipped the back end like a missile, sending them swinging out into the middle of the street in a wide circle that pushed the other car out of the way. Airbags inflated with enough force to send both Wasabi and GoGo back against their seats like ping pong balls.
After several rotations, the car finally stopped moving, the engine silent. The tinkle of glass announced Data brushing off the remains of the window near his side of the vehicle. He shook his head like a wet dog before disengaging his seat belt. "Is every alright?" he inquired.
Deanna cradled her injured arm, which didn't seem to be any worse off, thankfully. She'd moved out of pure instinct to protect herself from further injury. "A little shaken," she admitted. He neck hurt a little from the sudden stop and whipping around it had caused.
Data reached towards the front of the car and popped the airbags holding both Wasabi and GoGo in place like they were nothing more than paper. "Are either of you injured?"
Wasabi stared out the front window with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" He kept saying over and over again. His breathing was more accelerated than usual. His complexion looked more than a little pale.
GoGo put one hand to the side of her head. She'd managed to hit it against the window, leaving a trickle of blood down the side of her face. "Ugh," she said as she blinked a few times to clear her vision. "That was so not cool."
A crowd began to form outside. Some were taking pictures with their cell phones. Others just stared in wide-eyed shock.
Wincing, GoGo turned to Wasabi, who continued to mutter. When he wouldn't stop, she smacked him across the face with her free hand. "Get a hold of yourself!" she ordered. His uttered words had started to slur together in an almost state of frenzy.
The force behind her slap seemed to wake Wasabi up and he took in several deep breaths, hands still clasping the wheel as if for dear life. "Guys, is everyone okay back there?" He wasn't sure if he dared move or not. His muscles were still tense and his knuckles were white.
From a distance came the sound of sirens. Various spectators moved out of the way as several cop cars showed up to create a barrier around the two vehicles, directing traffic around the accident.
"Not good," GoGo groaned. She turned to look at the two behind her, only to wince as her head throbbed. "They can't find out Data's an android," she hissed in pain. "No one's good enough to make one that convincing yet."
Data had pulled out his tricorder the moment he felt sure neither of the others in the vehicle were in any immediate danger. He scanned the area, making a few adjustments to his tricorder. However, when GoGo reminded them they didn't need anyone finding out about their unusual characteristics, he put the device away. "I will think of something," he said to try and calm her, more than aware of her volatile emotional state.
Only a matter of minutes later, several fire trucks arrived on the scene, with three ambulances not far behind. They had to pry open the other vehicle to get the unconscious driver out. His vehicle had taken the decided brunt of the impact, despite all the spinning Wasabi's van had incurred. The paramedics were quick to take him away in one of the ambulances.
By the time Wasabi and the others realized what was going on, their car doors had been pulled open. "Nice and easy," one paramedic said as she coaxed the dark-skinned driver to release the steering wheel. "That's it. You're going to be fine."
Data exited the vehicle on his own, refusing the services any of the emergency responders offered. "I do not require your assistance," he insisted. And since he seemed to be fine, they let him be, turning their attention to the other two in the van.
GoGo winced as one medic flashed a penlight in her eyes. She'd jerked her head to one side to avoid the bright light, which hadn't done her head any favors. At least the man attending her had cleaned the blood off her face. And, when asked to, she slowly got out of the car.
Deanna exited the vehicle when instructed to do so as well. She'd managed to get off with what they suspected was a mild case of whiplash. But when the medic attending her suggested she go to the hospital just to be sure, she refused. They might not find out about her alien heritage, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't either. She felt more comfortable letting Baymax observe any necessary treatment since he already knew about her mixed genes. At least they gave her an ice pack to place on the back of her neck to help reduce potential swelling.
All in all, it could have been worse. While one of the paramedics treated GoGo, Data took the liberty of borrowing her phone and calling Honey Lemon. Her number was the last on the call list and therefore easiest to find. Once the situation was explained, Heathcliff was dispatched to collect them.
Heathcliff showed up at the same time the wrecker trucks did. He somehow managed to find a place to park near the scene and walked over. After a bit more confusion, the paramedics released the four from Wasabi's van. They all had to sign a waiver stating they'd refused to be taken to a hospital and would seek treatment elsewhere.
Fred bounced over, more than ready to help his friends back to the Manor. He'd insisted on coming along, just in case someone had to pull clout. The others had stayed behind to wait on events. He noticed his friend sadly watch his car being towed away, shoulders slumped almost in defeat. "Cheer up," he tried to soothe his friend. "We'll get you a new one. At least this time wasn't any fault of ours."
Finally, they were all safely in the sedan Heathcliff had brought and were headed back to the Manor.
Hiro couldn't help but look up as his friends returned. He'd been doodling on paper in the command center. After a few close calls, he'd decided it would be wiser to move his activities there. But with two of his team members entering the medical room, something he saw from his station in the middle of the floor, he couldn't help but go check things out.
With Baymax trailing behind him, Hiro toddled forward. He blinked in surprise to see GoGo with a fresh bandage on her head and Wasabi looking like he'd gone a shade or two paler than usual. He moved closer and pulled on Troi's pants to get her attention, as she'd come in with the others. "What happen?"
Deanna knelt at Hiro's level with some difficulty. "We had a bit of an accident," she explained, then told him what had transpired.
By that time, Data had joined the party, along with Captain Picard, Fred and Honey Lemon. "If my scans are correct, there was a burst of random energy moments before the opposing car lost control," he informed everyone present. "I do not believe it to be a fault of the man behind the controls of the vehicle."
Baymax shuffled forward to scan all involved in the accident, offering treatment as necessary. For Deanna, he suggested alternating hot and cold packs, along with pain killer to relieve any residual pain. Wasabi was also urged to take some form of pain killer as his muscles seemed to have suffered the most from the trauma, probably because he'd tensed up at the moment of collision. Thankfully, he hadn't torn anything but would be sore for a good while. As for GoGo, he detected glass burn from hitting and rubbing up against the window, along with a mild concussion. Not detecting anything else that would cause concern, he advised her to rest for now.
Picard, not having heard the details, asked Data to explain while the others were being treated. Once finished, he stood back, a hand to his chin as he thought things over. "It would seem to me that several major incidents have occurred to or around your people," he observed.
Fred couldn't help but nod. "I think you're right," he agreed. "Maybe it has something to do with our being in close quarters or something. I don't know."
But the captain ignored the otaku's thoughts as he turned back to the android. "Mr. Data, how likely is it that these events are somehow related to a specific member of our party?"
Data contemplated that for a moment before answering. "It is possible," he admitted. "However, without more information, I cannot be certain. There are other incidents to take into account as well. Many of those incidents took place in areas we have not yet reached. And while some of the incidents we investigated today were unrelated, it is possible there are more out there that are."
"Not that knowing that's really helpful," Wasabi groaned as Baymax handed him an ice pack. The muscles in his back had started to act up, probably from being overly tense. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to bed." He moved around the rest of those in the room as he made his exit.
Hiro tugged on Fred's long shirt, knowing he'd gone with Heathcliff to retrieve their friends. "Whewe acc'dent?" he asked, his eyes wide.
Fred bent down. "Where did it happen?" When Hiro nodded to confirm the question, he told him. "You should have seen the mess," he added. "I thought Wasabi was going to cry as they towed his car away."
"Everyone's emotions were in turmoil," Deanna stated. It wouldn't do to let them make fun of someone not there.
Realizing she'd read his comment the wrong way, Fred straightened up. "I wasn't making fun," he defended. "But you gotta understand. Wasabi's van is like his baby, if he had a baby that is. So if anything happens to his van, it's like someone kicked him in the chest or something."
Honey and GoGo nodded. "It's true," the chemist confirmed. "It's almost like an extension of himself. I don't blame him for being upset."
While they were discussing this event, Hiro toddled off, heading back into the main command center. He had some research to do.