Origin Story
Tick, tick, tick, tick, pop.
The sound of Gogo's chewing gum popping broke the awkward silence that had descended upon the room following Fred's rather wild recollection of the information Hiro had shared with him. As promised, the Otaku quickly managed to gather his small group of friends together. Excluding Tadashi of course. The moment everyone was gathered in his room, he launched into his tale, spilling every incredible detail with typical Otaku flare, not even giving a moment's thought to how ridiculous it may sound to someone that was not quintessentially a little crazy.
To be fair, his audience was not exactly the best example of sanity. Wasabi was more than a little OCD, his obsession bordering on debilitative. He was afraid of change, always needed a plan to get him going and would often freeze when faced with something that was outside of his comfort zone. Gogo was reckless, more interested in speed than safety. Her devil may care impulsive attitude was a complete contrast to Wasabi's over cautious approach and she often got herself in way over her head. If Hiro didn't know any better, he'd have thought she was just a touch suicidal but that was neither here nor there.
If anyone was sane, it would be Honey Lemon. Honey Lemon was… well… Honey Lemon, eternally optimistic and fixated on capturing every moment of her life on film. It didn't matter what situation she was in. She was always ready with cheerful words, quickly followed by flashing light as she faithfully documented their lives, almost as if she needed evidence to prove that she really was alive.
Wait…
Prove that she really was alive?
Come to think of it, maybe there was more to Honey Lemon than Hiro had ever realized.
"You want us to do what?" Gogo's exclamation shattered what remained of the silence, pulling Hiro's thoughts back to the situation at hand, disappointment coursing through him with the realization that, as expected, she didn't believe a word Fred was saying.
"Become Super Heroes." Fred replied oozing confidence, a wide grin spread across his features.
"Of all the crazy ridiculous schemes your nit witted brain has come up with thus far, this one takes the cake." Gogo leaped to her feet and marched over to poke Fred in the chest. "You want us to just drop everything we're doing so we can become some kind of crazy vigilante super hero group of kids to fight some imaginary villain just because Tadashi's little brother, if that's who he really is in the first place," Hiro cringed at the glare she directed at him before continuing with her rant, "told you he's a time traveler and needs our help?!"
Fred nodded, completely unfazed.
"Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" Gogo demanded, taking a step back to cross her arms over her chest, alternating her glare between Fred and Hiro. The silence that followed her question only served to make her point for her.
Hiro bit his lip, his heart beating a rapid rhythm in his chest, fear and dismay coursing through him in waves. He knew it. This was a bad idea. What had he been thinking? It had been a bad idea to come here all along. There was no way any sane person would even consider what he was trying to tell them let alone believe it!
"That's it. I'm out of here." Gogo broke the silence once more, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. Turning heel she began to march towards the door radiating anger and displeasure for all to see.
Gogo didn't believe the story. To be fair, Hiro would not have believed it himself had he not lived it. Tadashi's friends, with the exception of Fred, were essentially scientists at heart and scientists didn't believe anything without some kind of hard evidence, be it formula's, replicable experiments or filmed documentation of unexplained phenomena that still required further investigation. No matter how he looked at things he needed some kind of proof and that was the crux of the entire matter. If he was being entirely truthful he would have to admit that he had no idea how the feat had been accomplished. He couldn't prove it mathematically and certainly couldn't replicate it. He couldn't even control it! And the idea of running around with some kind of camera just to record the phenomenon was even more ludicrous. How did one film their own death and then carry the evidence back in time with them when they no longer had a corporeal form with which to do it? It simply wasn't possible. The only way to potentially accomplish something like that would be to convert the data into some kind of wireless signal and send it back in time to a device that could receive and record it thus keeping it in… tact…
Wait…
Wait just one minute…
Data…
Camera…
Baymax!
Baymax had a camera and he too had somehow managed to travel through time, keeping the data he had acquired up until the various points at which he had been lost in the portal.
Maybe, just maybe…
Suddenly hopeful, Hiro turned and raced over to Baymax's charging station. Skidding to a halt beside the red case he opened his mouth and took a deep breath, preparing to activate the healthcare companion…
"Is wanting to save my friends life, really ridiculous?"
Only to stop dead once more. Fred's words echoed through the room, the enormity of his simple statement stopping Gogo dead in her tracks. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the Otaku.
Fred met her gaze, unflinching as he squared his shoulders and stubbornly lifted his chin, his cheerful demeanor gone. "Is wanting to save my friends life, really ridiculous?" He repeated, his tone echoing the challenge Gogo had thrown at him mere moments earlier.
Gogo frowned, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Who's life are we trying to save exactly?" She asked, the question cautious.
"Tadashi's." Fred opened his mouth to reply but it was not his voice that made the sound. The single word escaped Hiro's lips without his consent and filled the room with pain, anguish and grief. It was the first thing he'd said since the gang arrived, too afraid of the rejection he was now faced with to risk telling his tale himself, only he could remain silent no longer. Squaring his shoulders in a stance that echoed the one Fred had adopted, he raised his head and took a moment to really look at everyone in the room, opening himself up to their scrutiny in return.
"I'm asking you to help me save my brother's life." Hiro expanded, Fred's blind faith giving him back the courage he had somehow lost along the way. "I know you have no reason to believe me, let alone help me but you're all I have left. We were friends once and I hope that we can be friends again but even if we can't, even if our friendship is the price I have to pay… even if I lose everything I am and everything I will be, I want to save him. I want to save Tadashi and I can't…" Hiro paused to swallow back the tears that were gathering in the back of his throat. "I can't…"
I can't.
Although part of a sentence he had not yet managed to complete, those two words managed to echo through his mind, his failures in each timeline flashing before him. He'd tried. He'd tried everything he could think of to save his brother's life only to fail each time as the reality he was reaching for slipped ever further out of reach. He'd tried and failed and those two words seemed to only emphasize that failure even further only… only it wasn't over yet. He had one more chance, one more opportunity to do things differently and he wasn't going to waste it dwelling on his failures.
"I can't do it alone."
"Hiro, we want to help, but…" Honey Lemon looked around desperately, suddenly finding herself uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
"But this is just crazy." Wasabi interjected, picking up where Honey Lemon left off. "The concept of time travel, while scientifically plausible is just not realistically possible. No one has even come close to proving the theory let alone inventing something that could actually achieve it. Even if they did, it wouldn't be wise to change anything in the past. Just think of the ripple effect that would have on the very definition of existence itself. The dangers associated with such an act are simply mind blowing and it isn't something we should just casually consider messing with."
"I know." Hiro exclaimed, fighting the anguish brought on by Wasabi's words. Wasabi's caution was well justified. He knew that. His mind acknowledged it but his heart refused to accept it. He knew what messing with time could do but there had to be a reason for his presence here. There had to be a reason he had been sent back to this particular point in time with all his memories intact and the only tangible reason he could find was Tadashi. He was here, in a time where Tadashi was still alive and while he still had breath in his body, he refused to simply stand by and relive the tragedy that had occurred. "I know the dangers of messing with time more than you can even begin to imagine. I've lived it. I've been here before and each time done everything I could to change it only to have it all blow up in my face, over and over again but I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up on Tadashi and I'm not giving up on any of you."
I'm not giving up on you.
"You really are Tadashi's kid brother, aren't you?" Hiro blinked and turned to face Honey Lemon in surprise.
"What?"
"I'm not giving up on any of you." Honey Lemon quoted shifting forward in her seat. "That sounds like something Tadashi would say."
"That's cause…" Hiro glanced away and ran an awkward hand through his hair. "It is." He dropped his hand and faced everyone once more. "It's something he told me when I couldn't think of any ideas for the SFIT showcase."
"The student showcase? You're thinking of attending SFIT?" Gogo shifted her weight onto her right leg and crossed her arms over her chest once more. "It's not that easy to get in you know. You'd have to come up with something that really blows Callaghan away just to stand a chance. What's a pipsqueak like you going to come up with?" Her tone was laced with heavy skepticism.
Hiro shook his head. "I'm not planning on attending SFIT. Not this time round, anyway."
"Not this time round?" Gogo scoffed. "Are you trying to imply you attended SFIT in one of those alternate timelines you claim to have lived through?"
"I'm not trying to imply anything." Hiro snapped, Gogo's abrasive attitude finally rubbing him the wrong way. "I'm merely stating facts. Whether you choose to believe them or not is your problem."
"Fine. Prove it then." Gogo retorted.
"Prove what?"
"Prove that we were friends."
And there it was. The request for evidence. Hiro glanced at Baymax's case as he spent a moment in contemplation, wondering where on earth to even begin.
"He knows us." Fred interjected, suddenly offering up assistance. "The little dude came here looking for me even though I've never told any of my friends where I live. He even knew where my room was. He knew I like comics and that I want someone to turn me into a fire breathing lizard and unlike you guys didn't even stare or comment on any of my awesome stuff which means he's obviously seen it before."
"No offense, Fred but you're not exactly the most reliable source when it comes to these things." Gogo retorted, blowing a bright pink bubble and popping it in the pauses between sentences. "Anyone that knows anything about you knows you're obsessed with comics and it only stands to reason that you would have an accompanying collection." She ran her eyes pointedly over his action figures. "Given the right skill set," The pointed manner in which she emphasized the words clearly communicated what kind of skills she was referring to, "your address could probably be tracked down using an internet search and the same can probably be said for the layout of your..."
"You went through a really severe scene phase in your freshman year of high school." Hiro said, cutting off the rest of Gogo's statement. "You dyed your hair bright blue, attempted to get a tattoo and wore so much tartan that, how did you put it again…" Hiro paused taking a moment to think back to the phrasing Gogo had used before continuing, "Oh yeah, you wore so much tartan that it looked like a Scotsman had thrown up all over you." Gogo's jaw dropped open. "Honey Lemon doesn't want anyone to know but she actually loves twilight." Honey Lemon squeaked. "She has every book and is secretly on team Jacob." Hiro pulled a face. "Really I don't even see how that's a thing but," He shrugged. "Oh well. And even though he hides it very well, Wasabi actually has a secret passion for coo…"
"We believe you! We believe you!" Wasabi exclaimed waving his arms in front of his face in sudden panic. "You can stop now!"
"…king." Hiro finished, the interruption coming too late to prevent him from spilling Wasabi's guilty pleasure.
"You like to cook?" Honey Lemon asked Wasabi in surprise.
"I like to take good care of myself and what better way to ensure that I receive the correct nutrients than to prepare my food myself?" Wasabi replied.
"With your OCD, that must take hours." Gogo commented dryly before turning back to Hiro. "Nice try kid. All that information really proves is that you've done your research. You're good. I'll give you that but you could have obtained all of that information by simply speaking to our family. So unless you have something more substantial to show us…"
Something more substantial. Hiro glanced at the familiar red case once more, wondering if his theory would prove true. If he considered his current track record, he should probably not even be contemplating the risk he was about to take but he had nothing more to lose. Baymax was his last chance.
He took a large breath and held it, taking a moment to prepare himself for the consequences of his actions before releasing it with a soft. "Ow."
The air was filled with the soft all too familiar sound of inflation, filling the familiar white vinyl as Tadashi's friends watched on in disbelief.
"Is that…"
"Baymax?"
"Hello Hiro."
"Hey, buddy." Hiro greeted the healthcare companion before turning back to face everyone else. "Meet Baymax. Tadashi's brainchild and his greatest achievement." Hiro smiled up at Baymax, a mixture of fondness and awe etched onto his features.
"Why do you have Baymax?" Gogo demanded, marching over to Hiro's side. "That's Tadashi's final year project. There no way Tadashi would just let you take him out of the lab before his final submission date. That project is like his child, he barely lets it out of his sight to eat and sleep. If you think I'm going to believe he just let you borrow it you're sorely mistak…"
"I stole him."
"en." Gogo blinked, momentarily stunned into silence before roaring. "You WHAT? Tadashi is going to kill you when he finds out!"
"He's not going to kill me because he's not going to find out." Hiro retorted cockily.
"Of course he's going to find out." Gogo snapped. "Because; if he doesn't figure it out on his own; I'm going to tell him myself. Running off to go bot-fighting on your own is one thing but stealing your brother's final year project really takes this rebellious thing Tadashi claims is just a phase to a whole new level."
"Tadashi is not going to find out." Hiro repeated. "Because you're not going to tell him."
"And why, pray tell, am I not going to tell him?" Gogo demanded.
"Because you're going to help me save his life." Hiro replied softly, reaching out to rest a hand on Baymax's chest, externally exhibiting confidence he was far from feeling within. "Baymax, play back the moment we decided to create Big Hero 6." And with those words, he reached out for the last thread of hope that remained, silently praying that some proof of his relationship with the gang remained on Baymax's hard drive.
"We don't know anything about him."
"His blood type is ab-negative. Cholesterol levels are..."
"Baymax, you scanned him?"
"I am programmed to assess everyone's healthcare needs."
"Yes! Ha ha. I can use the data from your scan to find him."
"Uh, You'd have to scan everyone in San Fransokyo and that might take... I don't know, forever."
"No, no, no, no. I... I just have to look for another angle... Got it! I'll scan the whole city at the same time. I just have to upgrade Baymax's sensor... Actually, if we're gonna catch this guy, I need to upgrade all of you."
"Upgrade who, now?"
"Those who suffer a loss require support from friends and loved ones."
"Oh, oh, Okay, I like where this is heading!"
"We can't go against that guy! We're nerds!"
"Hiro, we want to help, but we're just... us."
"No. You can be way more."
"Tadashi Hamada was our best friend. We're in."
"Can you feel it? You guys, do you feel this? Our origin story begins. We're gonna be superheroes!"
- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 -
A/N: Hi Guys. I hope you can forgive the really late update. I have just been overwhelmed. The chaos caused by the renovations at home combined with the upheaval caused by the death of someone close to the family have simply drained me and left me struggling to normalize once more. I don't know when things are going to settle but I have not forgotten you guys or this story.
Guest (Chapter 26): Hope you don't mind but I worked your comment into the story and used your ideas for things Hiro could blurt out. Had to track down your review in order to do it.
Kiki Anderson: It's a worthy first mission for Big Hero 6, and one that should unify their disparate personalities nicely.
Interviner: I agree. It's really nice to see Hiro finally asking for help. It took a lot of growing to get him to this point as he is a very independent character that likes to think he can single handily save the world.
WriterGreenReads: Yeah, Fred really is special and he only served to prove that point again in this chapter.
Taura Fall: I don't need grammar lessons. I just need a BETA reader to catch my typos as I read right over them. Some are caused by typing too fast and others are caused when I delete part of a sentence to rephrase it. Thank you for taking the time to inform me about the ones you spot. Now onto the rest of your review: You are wrong - The expression is damsels in distress. Chrononaut is simply a reference to Fred figuring out Hiro traveled through time. Also, RUNS AWAY AND HIDES BEFORE I CAN GET KIDNAPPED, DUCT (not duck) TAPPED TO A CHAIR AND TORTURED INTO WATCHING ANIME! 3
buri: You forgot to add hearts after that chant. Here let me do it for you. Fred, Fred, Fred 3 3 3. I love the entire gang too. This movie remains really close to my heart and I am glad there are others that feel the same way. Don't worry your secret is safe with me. * Runs off to look for buri's dog. * Oh, buri's dog... I have something I need to tell you!
Jathagarth: I agree. It really is a good thing that Hiro is finally involving the rest of the team. I don't know if I ever will have Arishem explain himself fully. I'm considering simply letting him be, just like Thanos in GOTG or Stan Lee (Fred's father) in Big Hero 6. Will see how this story flows.
Hall of the Laughing King: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.
Lacila: Thanks love. Rereading your reaction really made me smile despite everything that's going on 3
4shl3y: Fred's easy acceptance of things that others consider to be impossible is what makes him so special. Hiro really has been through a lot and having someone believe in him is helping a lot. It may not be over but Fred's belief in him is giving him the strength and the courage he needs to continue.
LightSin24: Again, I apologize for the delay. And so their origin story begins! XD
Guest (Chapter 35): Thank you so much. You really don't know how much that means to me though if you don't mind my asking, what were you referring to when you said the hype is real? PS: I'm honored you chose to binge read my story.
cay-lare: They may be going Hiro's way for now but it won't be long before he once again has to face the consequences of his actions.
shadow7193: Thank you. I will try.