Chapter Thirty Seven: Hold On Tight

Something sounding very much like gunshots filled the air and Hiro couldn't help but cry out. His whole body trembled with remembered pain as he huddled under the blankets of his bed. What was going on? Why was someone outside firing a gun? Without realizing it, he let out an almost whimpering sound.

Fabric rustled from behind the screen separating his part of the room from his brother's. "Hiro?" came a rather sleepy call. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

The young teen wasn't sure how to respond to that, his entire body feeling as though it had been frozen in time. He could no more answer than he could make his body move.

More cracks and pops sounded outside, echoing around the buildings surrounding them. Why did they sound so much like gunfire? Was it gunfire? And why did it make his heart pound so hard it felt like it would jump right out of his chest? And, perhaps more importantly, why was he back home when he'd been somewhere else only moments before?

He tried to remember what had happened before waking to this but couldn't. Had he reached out and touched something? Had he been drugged? Or was he losing his mind?

A particularly loud boom filled the air and Hiro somehow managed to fall off his bed on the side furthest away from the outside window. He couldn't help but cry out in pain as he landed on his right side, sending a jolt through his body that felt far from pleasant, especially now that it brought to the front other pangs he didn't want to feel.

"Hiro? What's going on?"

Please don't let Tadashi come out and see me like this! Please don't let him come out! Hiro pleaded. Despite that, he knew his wish wouldn't be granted as he heard footsteps sounding against the carpet. It was kind of funny, in a way, that he could hear that slight sound, despite the general ambiance of the room. That and his whole body was shaking enough that he couldn't reasonably understand just how his ears had become so sensitive.

"Hey," Tadashi said as he knelt next to his brother's side, feeling the trembling of his body next to his. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

Tadashi's guess was thrown out the window as another explosion filled the air, causing Hiro to shudder even more. The older Hamada watched his brother with growing concern but he gently took him up into his arms. "Hey, it's okay. It's just some firecrackers someone's set off down the street."

Without thinking, Hiro buried himself into Tadashi's warm chest. "I thought I was going to die," he gasped, his breathing far from under control. It hurt to breathe. Why did it hurt to breathe? What was wrong with him? Flashes of gunfire seemed to streak out of the corner of his closed eyes and he flinched. He let out a cry as a phantom bullet slammed into his back. Or was it the feel of electricity exploded through his body as someone yelled "clear!"?

Not sure what was going on, Tadashi gently shook his brother. "Are you really awake?" He wasn't sure. Maybe his brother was stuck in a dream, or, more accurately, a nightmare. Maybe he was hallucinating. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, he moved one hand to press against Hiro's forehead.

Hiro's skin had broken out in a cold sweat. Despite that, his skin felt warm to the touch. And with the continued sound of firecrackers exploding, he huddled up into as small a form as possible in his brother's arms, going into fetal position. It was something he hadn't done in who knew how long.

Tadashi looked down in growing alarm, but not wanting to displace his younger brother, he simply stood instead of putting Hiro down. Moving slowly but surely, he headed towards the bathroom, flipping on the light with one hand, causing Hiro to cringe even more. With a sense of purpose, he leaned over the counter, propping Hiro up with one hand so he could reach into the cabinet and retrieve the thermometer.

Hiro felt the thermal thermometer press against his temple as he whimpered silently. The firecrackers were harder to hear in the bathroom than they had been back in the bedroom, but he could still hear the echoes they left behind. Three tell-tale beeps followed the longest few seconds in his life.

"Hmm," Tadashi mused as he looked at the numbers displayed. "That doesn't look good."

Before Hiro's brain could catch up with what was happening, he found himself back in bed, still curled up around his brother's body. It hurt to move. Something was wrong with his stomach but he couldn't put it into any kinds of words.

"Just try to sleep a little longer," Tadashi soothed as he ran a hand through Hiro's messy mop of hair. "Maybe the fever will break if you do."

Hiro felt himself being pulled back into a state of slumber, despite the pain in his gut. His brother's words were so soothing, and his touch so gentle. For the briefest of moments, he felt as though he was back in his mother's arms when he was much younger, being gently rocked back to sleep after a bad dream...

With a gasp, almost as if coming out of deep water, Hiro seemed to wake and found himself back in the Portal. But, wait. It wasn't the Portal. It was a representation of his mind. His hand released the filament of memory he'd just held, now connected into the fabric of his being. This particular memory had floated out from nowhere, almost as if it had been discarded, only to resurface after a breeze blew the clutter away. He had no idea what events led up to it or followed it. Without thinking, Hiro dropped to his knees and sobbed.

Baymax blinked as the car pulled up at the Whitmore Manor. After contacting Honey Lemon, she'd had someone send Heathcliff with the car to pick up both the robot and his Klingon companion. They'd had to wait some time. And during that time the TARDIS remained firmly closed to them.

"I do not like these turns of events," Worf complained as the car stopped and Heathcliff got out to open the Klingon's door. "I do not like them at all."

The floodlights lit up the drive as Honey Lemon, Picard, Wasabi, Data, and Troi went out to meet the two adventurers. They stood back as the walking marshmallow robot exited the vehicle, giving him as much room as necessary as he maneuvered around the low door of the sedan. Honey Lemon bit her lip as she waited to see what the two might tell them.

"Mr. Worf," Picard spoke up as he strode towards his security officer, "report."

Worf stood to attention, minus the salute, his shoulders back, chest slightly pushed forward. "Captain," he acknowledged before remembering he wasn't on the Enterprise and could relax. "I went in search of Q this morning. He left without my knowledge. While attempting to find him, I came across both Doctors in their blue box and was invited on board. However, when we arrived at the location where we thought to find Q, the two Doctors entered the other TARDIS, leaving us locked outside."

The captain did not look happy at this turn of events, his expression almost a scowl. "I wish you'd told me he'd gone missing before searching for him," he admonished his officer. "And did you find Q?"

Before the Klingon could answer, Baymax stepped forward, one hand raised, finger pointing upward. "I believe we did," he answered. "However, something was interfering with my scanner, which prohibited a positive identification. He was in the area. It is possible he was inside the second TARDIS."

Data took that opportunity to step forward. "Captain, if Q is with the Doctors, I believe we have no need to worry. They seem responsible individuals. I am sure they will return before too long."

Despite his officer's assurances, Picard wasn't convinced. With what he'd observed of the two Time Lords, he wasn't sure this was any better a situation than they were in previously. But at least he wasn't running around completely on his own. There was at least that small favor, even if he didn't like it.

"Perhaps we should all go inside," Deanna Troi pointed out. It wasn't that she feared unwanted attention from outsiders, but it was still a bit nippy this time of year. She shivered slightly, not wearing a long-sleeved shirt like some of the others. They were hard to put on over the brace she still wore on her arm.

Reminded of the overall comfort of those around him, Baymax began to waddle towards the back door. "Yes, that would be advisable," he agreed as he moved. "I would also like to take this opportunity to assess all of my patients to see how they are recovering."

Honey fell into step behind the robot. "I think Fred and GoGo are already taking care of each other's injuries," she pointed out. She'd peeked in on the two, long enough to see Fred replace GoGo's bandage. She'd left soon after. It looked like they might want some time alone and she was more than happy to oblige. At least something good was coming out of all this mess.

"I would still like to scan them for further injuries or complications," Baymax stated as he continued forward. The others slowly followed behind, listening in to his conversation, not that it exactly gave anything away, but anything was possible.

Picard glanced towards Deanna, wondering what she might be sensing. She had a rather interesting look on her face that he couldn't quite place. It almost looked pleased but confused at the same time. He sent himself a mental memo to remind himself to ask her about it later.

"What do you mean you might have had it wrong?" Q inquired as he stared at the blue-clad Doctor. He still hadn't quite gotten used to the whole flashing lights and odd noises the TARDIS made, but it was growing on him. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't mind taking a good look around, feeling as though the entirety was a lot larger than anyone was willing to admit. And there was decidedly something special about the whole thing. Maybe he'd been right about them somehow being related.

The Doctor in question ran up to the control panel, looking around at the various wheels, levers, and buttons. "There's really only one way to find out," he declared. "If we can find and retrieve the map Hiro made, maybe we can make better sense out of all of this."

His companion looked at him with a funny expression. "A map? " It took him a moment to realize what his older self was talking about. "Oh, right. Why didn't you just grab it before we left?"

Looking a bit sheepish, the blue-clad Doctor rubbed at the back of his neck. "To be honest, I didn't think about it. I'm still getting used to this whole working with my future incarnation thing. It is a bit odd, don't you think?"

Q rolled his eyes. "If you say there's a map, shouldn't we go looking for it? Especially if it will bring us closer to getting my powers back. I don't plan on staying human forever."

The two Doctors looked thoughtful as they turned to face the man. "You know," the bow-tied one spoke up, "he's got a point. Maybe we are looking at this the wrong way. There is one thing we should probably check, now that I'm thinking about it." Without another word, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and approached Q. The other Doctor did the same. "At the same time?" the first asked the other and they nodded as one.

"What are you doing?!" Q protested as the two Doctors began waving their devices around him, circling like sharks in the water. Their screwdrivers hummed with energy, one blue, one green. "Stop that! This instant!" He tried to turn to follow their progress, but with the two of them going in opposite directions, it was difficult.

Just as suddenly, the two left off scanning the other man. The bow-tied Doctor moved to the console and plugged his sonic into a slot before manipulating a bunch of controls. He took a moment to look at the data spat back at him, rocking back a bit on his heels. "Now that is interesting," he commented to his companion as the other Doctor moved in to take a look as well. "Very interesting," came his reply.

Q folded his arms, a full out pout on his face as he watched the antics of the two Time Lords. "What's interesting? Is someone going to please tell me what's going on?"

The two looked directly at Q, but it was the blue-clad Doctor who answered, while the other went back to manipulate some more controls. "Even though your powers are currently running rampant, there's enough of a residue for our technology to pick up on it. And, after a few enhancements, I think we can safely say you are definitely part of the problem."

Following some modifications from the bow-tied Doctor, the central part of the control area began to move, a rather funny noise coming from the whole. It was a noise Q had heard a few times now. Suddenly realizing what was going on, he reached for the nearest railing and held on. "What do you mean I'm part of the problem!" he demanded as the whole TARDIS shook.

"It's your energy," the first Doctor replied as he also held on to a railing. Though the TARDIS had already taken a maiden voyage, this was technically the first since she'd completed her new interior and things were bound to be a bit bumpy. "It's seventy-five percent identical to the Makt, the alien entity that contacted Hiro several months ago. Basically, we just confirmed what we'd previously theorized, though you weren't there to hear it. You're somehow related to the Makt."

Q wasn't sure if he followed all of this, or, rather, he wasn't sure he wanted to. He'd already assumed his energy was running around, messing with everything going on. And, probably, messing with Hiro as well. That still didn't explain why it kept going after the boy though. "And what about the other twenty-five percent?"

The two Doctors exchanged looks again. "The rest is very similar in structure to the organic energy that makes the TARDIS the TARDIS."

"Are you saying I'm somehow related to this thing as well?" Q couldn't help but look, not worried or confused, but somewhat appalled. He had felt a sort of kinship with the vessel. But to have it confirmed was something else entirely.

With a nod, the blue-clad Doctor confirmed it. "That and you seem to have a slight mutation in what would ordinarily be human DNA. You share a few characteristics, on an atomic level, with us. Which means you're also somehow part Time Lord."

Not sure how to handle all of this information, even if he'd suspected some of it; Q couldn't help but shake his head. He realized the one Doctor was still fiddling with things on the console and couldn't help but feel a sense of misgiving. "What are you doing now?"

The bow-tied Doctor gave a rather manic grin as he threw a switch. "Hold on tight! We're going to go check something out. Geronimo!"

With that, the TARDIS gave another violent lurch as it spun out into the stratosphere.