Breakdown
Pale light, pristine walkways, rustling leaves and familiar gloom were all in tune with soft footsteps on grass. He'd been here before. He'd done this before and the second time round was a veritable breeze. Okay, so maybe the second time round was every bit as tricky and anxiety filled as the first. If there was one thing he'd learnt during all his loops it was that nothing, not even reliving the same events in time, was predictable. Having done everything before did, however, give him an edge he had not previously had. He neatly turned the corner and dodged the rose bush that had managed to prick him the last time round. Hah! Take that you stupid bush!
A few steps later he got up onto tiptoe and peered into an all too familiar dark room, a cocky smile already slipping into place. As expected, the interior was dark and abandoned. So far, so good. Everything was slipping into place exactly as it had in the previous time loop; including the tool he'd used break into Tadashi's lab once before. Lifting the device he pressed it to the glass and lined it up with the metal before using its inbuilt electromagnet to pop it open. Easy as pie!
Slipping the incriminating evidence back into his pocket, he pushed the window open, lifted himself up and slid into the darkness within. Remembering how the last attempt had ended, he made sure to enter feet first. The moment his feet connected with the ground, the room was filled with the soft sound of vinyl inflating. Baymax had just activated without his usual prompt. Turning to face the healthcare companion in surprise, Hiro moved to speak only to be left gaping when Baymax beat him to it.
"Hello, Hiro." Baymax greeted him titling his head to the side. "Why are we reprocessing this timeline again? Did we not succeed in our mission to save Tadashi from certain death?"
A pang of guilt coursed through Hiro but he pushed it aside. He had things to do and time was of the essence. "No, we just ended up making a bigger mess." Hiro admitted in a rush before hastily moving the topic of conversation away from dangerous territory. "We've got to go." He reached out to grab hold of the healthcare companion's hand. "Before fate decides to mess with me again by having someone catch us here. I probably won't be able to talk my way out of this one and if Tadashi finds out…" Oh, never mind. He'd looped right back onto dangerous ground. Hiro trailed off leaving the rest unspoken. If Tadashi found out he was busy stealing Baymax (again!), there would probably be hell to pay.
Baymax blinked, waddling after him as Hiro pulled him towards the window. "Did saving Callaghan's daughter not elevate Professor Callaghan's neurotransmitter levels and ease his distress?" Baymax asked in confusion.
Hiro shook his head. A sliver of regret coursed through him but he quickly shook it off. He didn't have time for this. Not right now. "Things are a little more complicated than that, buddy." Hiro pushed Baymax towards the window and lined him up with the narrow space. "The entire experiment is one big mess that we frankly don't have any real hope of cleaning up without some serious help." He pushed, moving to squeeze Baymax into the space all while continuing to speak in a rush; hoping to keep Baymax distracted long enough to prevent him from attempting to solve a problem Hiro was currently doing his best to ignore. "Baymax, you need to deflate so we can get you through the window." Oh the joys of denial. As they say, not just a river in Egypt.
Baymax complied silently processing Hiro's comments as he released air into the room with a soft hiss.
Hiro didn't give him enough time to complete the deflation process, let alone formulate a response. He shoved Baymax through the narrow space the moment he deemed him small enough, ignoring the air that flowed over his skin when he came close to the exit vents. Baymax landed on the grass with a soft plop, still in the process of deflating air. Hiro then grabbed Baymax's charging station and tossed it out before following after, landing gracefully on his feet. See, he could be graceful when he put his mind to it!
Baymax blinked up at the sky, hastily processing his change in state before switching the deflation process to the inflation one.
"Come on Baymax. Let's go." Hiro grabbed hold of Baymax's partially deflated arm and pulled, intending to pull Baymax up. He managed to get the healthcare companion all the way to his feet before suddenly finding himself buried in white vinyl as Baymax toppled right on top of him, taking them both to the ground.
"I have fallen." Baymax informed him.
"You think?" Hiro retorted on a whisper, his anxiety beginning to bleed through. He reached up and attempted to push the white vinyl off. "Baymax, get off me. We really need to go. There's more at stake than just Tadashi's life here and I need to figure out how on earth I'm going to fix this when I'm just one person without a clue as to what I'm doing here let alone an idea of how I am supposed to fix this." His walls were beginning to crack and the reality of the situation he was in finally hit him like a ton of bricks. "I can't do this. How am I supposed to fix the entire planet when I can't even fix myself? I mean seriously? What kind of idiot gives such an important mission to a mess of a teenager like me when all I know how to do is mess everything up, when everything I do just falls apart and… and…"
And all I can do is just stand by and watch Tadashi die. Again, and again, and again and…
"You are exhibiting the signs of emotional distress." The inflation process finally completed and allowed Baymax to stand. Hiro, however, remained on the ground, drowning in the panic and fear that was busy taking over his mind. "Your heart rate is elevated and your breathing is erratic. Suggested treatment includes taking deep and calming breaths and reassurance." Baymax reached down to pat Hiro's head. "There, there. It will be alright."
"I can't do this." Hiro repeated on a hoarse whisper, a shudder coursing through his slim frame. He lifted an arm and used it to cover his eyes. "I can't fix this."
"Not everything can be fixed." Baymax agreed. "But that does not mean we cannot try."
"I've tried." Hiro clenched his fists, the movement echoing the frustration that filled his tone. "I've tried so many times and all I've managed to do is make things even worse. I'm tired. I'm tired of coming back to this point in time, tired of thinking, tired of making plans, tired of fighting, tired of dying and most of all tired of watching Tadashi die. I can't do this. I can't do it anymore. I'm just one person and there is only so much I can do."
"Where one person fails, a team may succeed. Perhaps we should contact your friends?" Baymax suggested his chest lighting up to display five circles, four of which contained snapshots of his team, his friends and…
Oh no!
"No. No, no, no. I.. I… Don't do that." Hiro sat up and reached out to touch Baymax's chest. "We can't. They don't know me. Not yet." And maybe, if his current planned course of action failed, not ever.
Baymax reached out and wrapped his arms around Hiro.
Hiro reached up and returned the embrace, burying his face in Baymax's chest while he waited for the fear and grief to run its course. He didn't have time for this. He should already putting his next plan into action but he needed this. He needed this one moment, this one brief space in time to gather back his courage and what little remained of his sanity. "Thanks Baymax."
"You are most welcome." Baymax replied.
Withdrawing from the embrace Hiro moved to push himself up off the ground when he registered a soft sound that did not belong. Freezing in place, he strained to listen, his mind racing to make sense of it. "Baymax, is that…?" The incomplete question escaped him on a soft whisper as Hiro was once again made aware of their surroundings. He could hear whistling and the sound was getting louder with each moment that passed.
"Someone appears to be approaching our location." Baymax replied just as softly, confirming Hiro's worst fear. Of all the places to have a mental breakdown he just had to pick the grass right in front of Tadashi's lab, with Baymax still active, the white vinyl glimmering softly in the pale early morning light for all to see.
"Hurry, Baymax. You need to deflate." Hiro hissed, scrambling to his feet and running towards the charging station that lay not far off to his right. Grabbing hold of the casing he dragged it back towards Baymax. "We need to get out of here." He dropped the casing and grabbed Baymax's arm, maneuvering him into the station. "One foot in front of the other." He whispered, offering instructions in the hopes of speeding up the process.
Baymax obeyed. He stepped into the station and began to deflate. Hiro winced at the sound of deflating air, looking desperately around all while anxiously bouncing up and down on his feet as he was forced to wait for the deactivation process to complete.
Come on.
Hisssssssssss…
Come on, come on, come ON!
Hisssss….
Someone is bound to hear it and catch us and then Tadashi is going to find out and my plan is going to be ruined and everything I did is going to be for naught and…
Hiss… click.
Hiro's panicked thoughts were cut short by the soft click signifying the completion of the process. Reaching down he grabbed hold of the handles installed into the case and swung it onto his back with a soft groan. Who knew Baymax was so heavy? With his burden securely in place he began to walk, slipping in the darkness mere moments before the flickering lights on the walkways revealed the figure of a rather portly security guard.
- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 -
A/N: I know this chapter is a little short but this story needs switch to the next scene next so I am going to leave it here.
SnowGirl95: I live in the Southern Hemisphere XD. The seasons are switched around between the northern and southern hemisphere. I enjoy the rambling so don't apologize. I'm glad you like both the story and the chapter.
CrazyBlueOwl: I'll see what I can do to give you a glimpse of Tadashi's reaction... maybe write one of the future chapters from his perspective as a 'treat'. Brotherly fluffiness is always awesome!
WriterGreenReads: Glad is makes more sense now. I do like bacon but that is not why the chapter came out the way it did. Hiro's fixation on the bacon was his way of avoiding thinking about the sheer enormity of the burden that has just been placed on his shoulders.
Morgan K'Treva: Thank you XD
Secretsivekept: Hiro: I so agree. I mean, seriously, how am I supposed to know what I am supposed to fix when no one tells me anything?! Author: Hiro needs to figure it out for himself. Hiro: Would someone do something about this crazy author? I know I'm a genius and everything but seriously?!
Taura Fall: Today I gave been put on a long course of antibiotics that I have been trying to avoid and am missing both dance class and horse riding this week :(. I just finished watching Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and boy did I enjoy it! Edward and Alphonse Elric also have an amazing brotherly bond where they would do anything for each other! I'm glad you enjoyed Night Head Genesis but I won't watch it. I am basically a wuss and I really can't watch things that slip into horror. I am naturally paranoid and horrors just make me more so and tend to give me nightmares. I also avoid anything with gore factors for similar reasons though do occasionally manage to watch something that it would normally be out of character for me to watch (like Kabaneri... I watch that with my hand covering the screen half the time though). I do appreciate the recommendation and the vote of confidence though. I'm sorry I have to disappoint you. PS: 'He couldn't remember any of the time they spent together...' - I did not forget the S. This form is also correct as it refers to time as whole and not a collection of separate incidents as would be implied through the use of the word times.
Kiki Anderson: You may not have needed them but you loved them.
Guest: Me too. Only he doesn't know what the right thing to do is yet.