Chapter 25: There, But For the Grace of God, Go I
Near the heart of San Fransokyo was a small, square building. Sharing the same Japanese architectural style as most of the city, not much stood out about the building besides the billboard that sat on the front of the roof, on which was painted a grinning, animesque fish and words declaring it "Takahito's Sushi Wonderland."
Inside the restaurant, Wasabi stood alone in the kitchen, busily sharpening knives, a troubled expression on his face. After a few moments, Takahito wandered into the kitchen, dressed in a white uniform identical to the one that Wasabi was wearing.
"Oh, hello, Darron," Takahito greeted, blinking in surprise as he caught sight of Wasabi, "I was not expecting to see you here so early."
"Good morning, Sensei," Wasabi replied, not looking up from his work as he spoke, "I….couldn't sleep, so I decided I'd come in early and get started on work."
"Couldn't sleep?" Takahito inquired, arching an eyebrow at the young man's back, "That doesn't sound like you, Darron."
"I guess I've just been...doing a lot of thinking lately," Wasabi mumbled as he set the knife he had been sharpening down.
"What's troubling your thoughts?" Takahito inquired as he walked up next to Wasabi.
"I take it you saw the news from last week?" Wasabi inquired, turning his head and looking at his teacher for the first time since the old man entered the room.
"Ah, you mean your fight with this…." Takahito paused, waving a hand around the side of his head as he fished for something in his mind, "What was the luchador's name again?"
"El Macho," Wasabi provided.
"El Macho," Takahito repeated, his eyebrows rising towards his hairline at this information, "I'm sure he's not compensating for anything."
"My back tells me that he wasn't compensating for a damn thing," Wasabi replied, grunting in pain as he gingerly touched his lower back.
"So, you are troubled that you lost?" Takahito inquired as he walked around the prep station Wasabi was standing at so he was across from the young man.
"No, it's….it's because I know I could have won that fight," Wasabi explained, his expression growing more troubled.
"Many warriors have thought the same," Takahito said with a sage-like nod, "But it does no good to spend your time dwelling on what might have been. The past is set in stone, and you should be happy that you will have another chance at this fight."
"That's what scares me, Sensei," Wasabi rebutted, his brow furrowed as he looked away from Takahito, "Because I'm not just dwelling on what might have been. I know I could have won that fight. Easily."
"How so?" Takahito inquired as he tilted his head quizzically.
"You know, despite what they show in the movies, it's easy for someone with a knife to kill an unarmed man," Wasabi explained as he picked up the knife he had been sharpening and pointed it at Takahito for emphasis, "And I had two."
"You're talking about those plasma blades of yours," Takahito observed, his wrinkled face lighting up in understanding, "But I saw you use them in the fight."
"I turned them on, sure," Wasabi agreed with a shrug as he lowered his knife, "But when it came time to use them, when I saw the opportunity to….to cut El Macho down….I hesitated. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough."
"Hesitation is your greatest enemy in a fight," Takahito confirmed with a nod before he looked at Wasabi with a sympathetic expression, "But I understand why you did."
"You do?" Wasabi questioned, blinking in surprise.
"Of course, I'm the one who trained you after all," Takahito replied, his wrinkled face taking on a hard, craggy appearance, "I taught you karate so that you could defend yourself and others. So that you could be confident in your own strength. I did not train a killer."
"I know, Sensei," Wasabi agreed with a solemn nod, "And I have tried to carry your teachings with me while I've….well, while I've been superheroing. But I keep running into the same problem."
"What problem is that?" Takahito inquired.
"My equipment," Wasabi explained as he looked down at the knife again, "My superpower, as it were, is deadly. All the others, they have abilities that can be used nonlethal. But those plasma blades? They can cut through almost anything, and they do it easily. If I'm not careful, I could dismember someone, if not worse."
"I can see why that would make you hesitant in a fight," Takahito agreed with a nod, "Could you ask your friend who made you the blades to make you a less deadly weapon?"
"I suppose so, but I'm not sure how much that would help me if I had to fight El Macho again," Wasabi said, his expression still troubled, "He's a master of his fighting style and he didn't exactly fight fair."
"And you expected him to?" Takahito scoffed.
"Well….I suppose not," Wasabi admitted as he blinked owlishly, caught off guard by Takahito's reaction, "But that's the way you trained me to fight."
"It's true that I trained you to fight in tournaments, which have rules and regulations," Takahito allowed before smirking at Wasabi, "But I would have thought you would know the difference between a tournament bout and a real fight. There is no such thing as fighting dirty in a real fight, because there's only one goal in such a battle. Survival."
"I suppose that's true," Wasabi agreed, his expression turning desperate, "But even if I fight dirty against him, he's still a better fighter than me. I could feel that when we fought."
"He did strike me as a skilled warrior," Takahito replied with a nod.
"And that's why I need to ask you for further training," Wasabi stated as he leaned across the prep table towards Takahito.
"Further training?" Takahito repeated in confusion.
"There must be something you can teach me," Wasabi pleaded, "Something you've been waiting to tell me about until I was ready."
"Is this the part where I tell you about the dangerous, forbidden technique that has been passed down to me through the generations?" Takahito inquired with a wry smile as he quirked an eyebrow at Wasabi.
"I….uh, I…." Wasabi mumbled, an embarrassed look crossing his features, "I….guess?"
"Darron, you're a black belt in karate," Takahito explained gently, "You reached that level because you have learned everything I have to teach you."
"But, I've never been able to beat you in a spar before!" Wasabi argued, "How can you have nothing more to teach me!?"
"The reason I can still best you has nothing to do with techniques," Takahito explained, "It's because I have more experience than you in fighting. Decades of it."
"So, you're saying that the only way I'm going to get better is with experience?" Wasabi questioned, crestfallen.
"Just like everybody else," Takahito agreed with a knowing chuckle.
"Not sure how that is going to help me beat El Macho if I ever go against him again," Wasabi commented glumly.
"Failure is a better teacher than success," Takahito said as he turned to go, "You'll know what to expect next time."
"Still, wish there was some way to gain experience right now," Wasabi replied pensively as he returned his attention to preparing the knives.
"Have you tried teaching?" Takahito inquired as he walked away.
Wasabi said nothing in reply, but slowly lifted his head and looked after Takahito with a pensive expression as the old man set to work preparing the day's food.
Later,
Deep within the bowels of Homebase, Go Go had managed to find the base's vehicle bay. She was currently dressed in a black tanktop, which partially displayed the nine-tailed fox tattoo on her shoulder and back, along with loose white cargo pants with one of the legs rolled up to accommodate the white cast that covered her foot. Work gloves covered her hands and sweat and grease stained her skin. Wireless earbuds were stuck in her ears, and the faint tones of a k-pop song could be heard emanating from them.
Sitting on a black metal mechanic's creeper, Go Go studied the bike sitting before her. It resembled a professional cyclist's bike, with a sleek metal frame painted yellow with black highlights. The most noticeable thing about the bike was that instead of having spoked tires, the wheels were metal disks the same colors as the rest of the bike. Also, instead of being directly connected to the rest of the frame, the wheel hovered a few inches away from it, a low hum coming from the spot where the two parts almost met.
Grabbing hold of one of the wheels, Go Go pulled it free with a sharp tug before placing it in her lap and examining it, her expression pensive. Then, noting a shadow on the floor that hadn't been there a moment before, Go Go glanced over her shoulder and found Helen standing over her, the older woman flashing her a friendly smile.
"Oh, uh, hey, Elastigirl," Go Go greeted as she quickly pulled her earbuds out and put them to the side.
"Hey," Helen replied with a nod of her head, "And please, call me Helen. We're colleagues now, after all."
"Yeah, I guess so," Go Go agreed with a chuckle, "Though it feels kind of weird to say though."
"You'll get used to it," Helen said with a shrug before she pointed at Go Go, "It's Yuri, right? Though I think Violet mentioned you go by Go Go."
"That's me," Go Go confirmed with a nod.
"How's the leg doing?" Helen inquired as she nodded to the cast.
"It's stiff and it itches like crazy, but it's better than it was," Go Go answered as she shot a dirty look at the offending cast, "I've hurt myself worse before and I'm sure I'll do it again. I just hope it will heal up in time for me to take another shot at that green girl."
"You mean Rollergrrl?" Helen asked with a quirked eyebrow, "She was just starting out when I had to retire so I never crossed paths with her. She seems like a tricky one though."
"No kidding," Go Go replied with a shake of her head, "But I've already got some ideas to even the odds with her next time."
"Should you really be working in here with your leg in a cast like that?" Helen questioned as she pointed at the limb in question.
"I'll be fine," Go Go replied with a dismissive wave of her hand before she patted the creeper she was sitting on, "I've got this thing to get around."
"I'm not sure the doctors would agree," Helen observed with a teasing smile before she turned her attention towards Go Go's bike, "So, what are you working on?"
"This is a project I've been fiddling with for awhile now," Go Go explained as she held up the wheel she had removed from the bike so that Helen could better see, "I'm using magnetic levitation for the axles. It removes the friction, which ultimately means the bike is faster."
"Man, wish you were around to help me back in my day," Helen commented, an impressed look on her face.
"You mean with the Elasticycle?" Go Go questioned as she looked at Helen with a gleam in her eye.
"You know about that?" Helen asked as she blinked in surprise, "I didn't think kids your age knew about stuff like that."
"I'll admit I was a bit of an Elastigirl fan when I was a kid," Go Go admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, "And your bike was the coolest. Same with your hair."
"Oh no, the mohawk?" Helen replied as she covered her face in shame.
"Hey, that haircut looked great!" Go Go argued with a laugh, "My mother had to hide her hair clippers to make sure I didn't do it to myself."
Helen could only laugh as well as she shook her head. As she did, Go Go placed the wheel back on the bike before pushing herself away from it on the creeper.
"Well, I think that's enough work for now," Go Go commented as she began scooting her way across the floor.
"Do you need some help?" Helen inquired, her expression concerned.
"Nah, like I said, I've got this," Go Go replied as she continued scooting her way towards the doors on the other side of the vehicle bay.
"So, you came out here by yourself?" Helen questioned as she glanced around the vehicle bay while walking alongside Go Go, "Where are your friends?"
"Wasabi decided to go into work today, Honey is working on some project of her own in one the science labs, Fred is off hanging out with your daughter and Baymax and the kids are up to something on their own," Go Go explained, "But it's fine. I'm a big girl and I don't need people to baby me."
"Getting some help from your friends is not being babied," Helen replied with a roll of her eyes, before letting out a frustrated sigh at Go Go's slow pace, "Here, let me help you."
"Really, I don't-" Go Go began to argue, but was interrupted as Helen extended one of her arms and wrapped it around the young woman's midsection before lifting her off the creeper and setting her down on her good foot.
"There, now just loop your arm around my shoulders and we'll limp along twice as fast as that thing could move," Helen instructed.
"So, you normally just ignore people telling you they don't need your help?" Go Go inquired with a wry smile.
"It comes from being a superhero and a mom," Helen replied with a grin, "Now, let me tell you about all the problems I had to deal with from getting that haircut."
Meanwhile,
In Home Base's large, open gym area, Violet, dressed in a red tank top and black basketball shorts, with her hair up in a ponytail and white sneakers on her feet, stood across from Fred, who was dressed in a orange and teal San Fransokyo Samurai's basketball jersey along with black sweatpants, red sneakers and sans his usual beanie.
"Okay, so form fists and hold them up so they're in parallel to your face," Violet instructed.
"Like this?" Fred questioned as he held his hands and arms up in a classic boxer's stance.
"Uh, yeah, though you shouldn't tuck your thumbs into your fists," Violet replied with a smirk, "If you do that, you might break your thumbs when you connect with a punch."
"Oh thanks," Fred said bashfully as he untucked his thumbs from his fists, "Sorry, I don't do much punching in the costume."
"It's no problem," Violet said with a reassuring smile as she held up her own hands, which were covered with black training pads, "That's why we're doing this training. Now, throw a punch like I showed you."
Nodding in reply and sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth in determination, Fred threw a quick, clumsy jab at the pad on Violet's right hand.
"Good, but don't be afraid to put a little muscle behind it," Violet said with a friendly smile, "I'm wearing the pads for a reason."
"Right," Fred agreed as he smiled back at her before he began throwing more force behind his punches, his clumsy blows hitting the pads with heavy thwacks.
In a different part of the gym, Riley, Tip and Margo stood side by side, all dressed in workout clothes with their hair pulled back. Slowly, Riley led the other two girls through some tai chi motions, Margo and Tip doing their best to follow along.
"You know, when you were beating up those bullies, this all looked a lot cooler," Edith commented from where she sat on the floor nearby, her elbows propped up on her knees and her chin resting in her hands, a bored expression plastered across her face. Agnes was nearby, holding a stuffed unicorn and dancing around Oh, who watched the girl with a confused expression on his face. Hiro stood nearby with Baymax as well, his eyes glued to the tablet in his hands.
"Well, you have to learn how to go slow before you can go fast," Riley replied with a smile as she continued through her motions. As Tip attempted to mimic Riley, she lost her footing and fell to the ground with a grunt.
"You okay!?" Riley exclaimed as she rushed over to Tip as the other girl pushed herself up into a seated position.
"I'm alright," Tip said with a frustrated sigh, "I don't think this whole tai chi thing is working for me though."
"But this is only your first lesson," Riley replied with a furrowed brow.
"Yeah, but, I don't know, I'm just not feeling this "going with the flow" stuff you keep talking about," Tip explained as she stood up, "It's just not my style."
"Well, I guess we should ask some of the others to see if they'll teach you," Riley said as she crossed her arms and shrugged.
"Why are you so desperate to learn how to fight anyway?" Margo inquired, "I mean, you're the one who pilots the cool, flying car, right?"
"Yeah, and during the last big fight, I got pulled out of it and was basically helpless," Tip replied, a bitter note to her voice, "It's not the first time it's happened either and every time it does, I become a liability to the rest of the team."
Hearing this, a troubled look came over Oh's face as Agnes stopped prancing around him and turned to watch as well.
"Tip, nobody thinks you're a liability," Riley said, a concerned expression on her face.
"I don't care if you don't think I'm a liability!" Tip snapped as she whipped her head around to glare at Riley, "The fact is that I am!"
Riley flinched back as she felt the anger roll off of Tip, before hissing in pain as images of both Tip being strangled by the Underminder and of herself drowning in Mezzmerella's illusion flooded her mind.
"Hey," Hiro said, suddenly right next to Riley, catching her as she stumbled backwards, "Are you alright?"
"Your heart rate is elevated," Baymax observed as he walked up next to Hiro, "Are you experiencing a flashback episode?"
"Yeah," Riley replied as she shook her head clear and leaned against Hiro for support, "With some of Tip's feelings mixed in."
"Aw geez, I'm sorry, Riley," Tip apologized, her expression turning pained.
"It's not your fault," Riley replied with a shake of her head as she steadied herself back on her feet, "You're not the one who did this to me. And you have every right to be frustrated about what happened."
"Still, maybe it would be a good idea if we took a break?" Margo suggested.
"Yeah," Hiro agreed with a nod while holding up his tablet for the others to see, "Besides, I think I found something you're all going to want to see."
Curious, everyone, including Violet and Fred, who had taken a break from their own training, crowded around Hiro as he held up his tablet.
"So, Fred and Violet had mentioned that they were wondering what the story was with Dr. Nefario," Hiro explained as he pulled up a file on his tablet.
"Why were you wondering that?" Margo inquired as she looked at Fred and Violet with a questioning expression.
"When we and Fred's dad bumped into you guys when you first got here," Violet explained, "It seemed like they had a history, in costume and out."
"What do you mean, "in costume"?" Agnes asked.
"My dad was the first Excelsior," Fred answered, "They fought each other."
"Should you really have just told them that?" Violet inquired as she quirked an eyebrow at Fred.
"Geez, we're not going to tattle on your dad or anything," Edith said as she rolled her eyes at Violet's comment.
"What information did you procures?" Oh inquired.
"Well, I did some searches on the Internet and then some digging into the AVL's files," Hiro explained.
"Are you allowed to do that?" Riley asked as she arched an eyebrow at Hiro.
"Well, maybe," Hiro admitted with a shrug and a look of chagrin, "I mean, they gave me access to part of the network, which basically like giving a guy like me permission to look at the whole thing, right?"
Riley's only response was to smirk and roll her eyes at Hiro.
"Anyway, I managed to find some info about Dr. Nefario," Hiro went on as he turned his attention back towards his tablet, which showed an image of a younger Dr. Nefario, with a full head of brunette hair and an upright posture, holding an out of date looking energy weapon, "He's got multiple degrees in engineering and physics, and invented the first functional laser gun."
"All sorts of research institutes and defense contractors tried to get their hands on him," Hiro went on as he pulled up another image, this one showing the young Nefario shaking hands with an equally young looking Stan, "but it was ultimately Stanley Lieber who recruited him and their combined genius is what made his company what it is today."
"If this guy was so important to my dad, why did I never meet him until recently?" Fred questioned in confusion.
"I'm guessing it had something to do with this," Hiro explained as he pulled up another image. This one showed a news clipping with another picture of a younger Nefario beneath a headline that read "Famous inventor's son kidnapped!"
"Someone kidnapped his son?" Riley whispered in horror.
"Wait, Dr. Nefario had a family?" Margo added in surprise.
"It says that a group of criminals led by a guy named Xerek kidnapped Nefario's kid in order to force him into building a weapon of mass destruction for them," Hiro read, "This was obviously something Nefario didn't want to do, so he went to Stan for help, since he was afraid to go to cops."
"Which unknowingly got Excelsior involved," Violet observed.
"So, what happened after that?" Riley inquired, "Was Stan able to save Nefario's kid?"
In response, Hiro pulled up a video file and began playing it. The video showed a news reporter standing in front of a warehouse that was surrounded by a police cordon.
"We are here live from the site where Excelsior is doing battle with the villain Xerek in order to rescue the kidnapped Nathaniel Nefario," the reporter stated, "Moments ago, police-"
Whatever else the reporter was going to say was suddenly cut off as an explosion rocked the warehouse, causing all of the windows to burst as flames leaped out into the open air. A moment later, a man dressed in a heavily armoured costume leaped out a window, cradling something in his arms as he did. The man hit the ground with a thud, landing on his back as he continued cradling the thing in his arms, which the others quickly recognized as a young boy.
"Excelsior!" a voice broke through as the footage depicted the young Nefario forcing his way through the police cordon and running towards the man, "You saved him! You saved my-"
Nefario stumbled to a halt next to Excelsior as the hero rose to his feet and lifted the boy so the other man could see him.
"He's not breathing," Riley whispered as she covered her mouth in horror, her friends wearing similar expressions.
"My….My boy," Nefario whispered, clearly trying to process what he was seeing, "My….boy."
Lifting his trembling hands, Nefario reached out and gently touched his son's face.
"My boy…." Nefario whimpered, his entire body shaking like a leaf as he reached out towards his son's limp form with both hands, "My boy."
"Jo-," Excelsior began to say, before cutting himself off and starting again, "Dr. Nefario, I-"
"My boy!" Nefario wailed as he pulled his son's body out of Excelsior's arms and clutched him to his chest, "My boy!"
Openly weeping, Nefario fell to his knees, still desperately gripping his son's limp form and rocked back and forth, while Excelsior looked down at him helplessly.
It was there that the video ended, and the only sound was Riley sniffling as she wiped a few tears from her eyes, while Margo almost unconsciously pulled her sisters closer to her. Glancing over at Fred, Violet noticed an expression of confused horror plastered on the young man's face. Reaching over, Violet took Fred's hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. Blinking in surprise, Fred glanced down at their joined hands, before looking at Violet in confusion. In response, Violet gave him a small smile before reaching out with her other hand and placing it reassuringly on Fred's arm.
"What happened next?" Tip questioned, breaking the silence.
"Things….got worse," Hiro explained as he swiped over to another video file, "Xerek escaped from that warehouse and I guess Dr. Nefario decided to take things into his own hands. By the time Excelsior caught up with Xerek, all that was left was a corpse with a laser hole in its head. Nefario was able to do the same to most of Xerek's men before Excelsior finally caught up with him at the San Fransokyo Pier."
With that, Hiro started the video, which showed the same reporter as the previous footage, this time standing at the end of a large pier. In the background, sounds of laser fire and people screaming could be heard.
"We are coming to you live from the San Fransokyo Pier where a fight has broken out between Excelsior and-"
The reporter was cut off as an explosion went off on the pier, sending debris flying and knocking the reporter to the ground. The cameraman, however, managed to maintain his footing and pointed his camera down the pier, where Excelsior was facing off with Dr. Nefario, who was now sporting a jet pack and a particularly large laser cannon, a pair of thick goggles obscuring his eyes.
"Stop this, Joseph!" Excelsior pleaded while gesturing at the few people who were cowering nearby, including an Asian man and a woman with platinum blonde hair who were huddling protectively around a young girl who appeared to be their daughter, "Innocent people are getting hurt!"
"Oh, so now you care about saving the innocent!?" Nefario demanded angrily, "Where was that compassion when you were supposed to be saving my son!?"
"I tried, Joseph!" Excelsior replied, "I'm sorry I didn't save your son! It will haunt me for the rest of my life!"
"That's not good enough!" Nefario roared as his laser cannon began powering up, "Maybe I'll give you something else to think about."
Aiming the cannon, Nefario pulled the trigger, sending a bolt of bright energy flying through the air. Seeing the attack coming, Excelsior raised both of his arms in front of himself. The attack struck Excelsior's armored gauntlets, partially reflecting it down into the pier while the force of the blast knocked the hero off his feet.
Crashing into a nearby food stand, Excelsior quickly recovered and bounded back to his feet. As he did, he spotted that the reflected blast had caused part of the pier to break loose from the rest, and it was swaying dangerously on a single pillar. To his horror, Excelsior saw that the couple and their young daughter were also stranded on the piece of pier, clutching each other in terror.
"Hold on!" Excelsior called as he raced towards the family, not noticing Nefario drop something onto the ground, "I'm-"
Excelsior was cut off as he was suddenly enveloped in an aura of energy that froze him in place, leaving the hero only able to move his eyes. Glancing around, Excelsior spotted a small device that looked like one of Nefario's laser pistols set up on a tripod. A beam of energy was emanating from the device, creating the aura that trapped Excelsior.
"You like my new invention?" Nefario questioned as he walked up next to Excelsior and grinned, "It fires zero point energy. Stops all molecular motion. Or at least, that's the theory, still working out the kinks."
As a loud crack cut through the air, Excelsior turned his gaze back towards the family stranded on the rapidly deteriorating piece of pier. Straining with all of his might, Excelsior fought against the zero-point energy's hold and with that effort, he found he could move his right thumb slightly.
"Now, you'll know what it was like for me," Nefario growled into Excelsior's ear, his gaze focused on the endangered family, "Now, you'll know how powerless I felt."
Excelsior's attention, however, was entirely focused on his thumb, watching as it slowly moved towards a hidden button on his glove, the entire force of the hero's will behind the appendage.
"Now, everyone will know the kind of false hero you-" Nefario continued, but he was interrupted as Excelsior pressed the button on his gauntlet, causing electricity to cover his costume in bright blue arcs. The surge of electricity was enough to disrupt the zero-point energy and in a flash, Excelsior was free. Spinning on his heel, Excelsior threw an uppercut at Nefario, his fist connecting with the doctor's jaw in a surge of electricity that knocked the villain off his feet.
Turning his attention towards the endangered family, Excelsior saw that the part of the pier they were on was mere moments from collapsing. Running as hard as he could, Excelsior flung himself at the family, reaching out towards the little girl as he did. Before he could grab her though though, the pier suddenly collapsed, sending the family plummeting to the water below. The little girl screamed as she fell, and Excelsior could only watch helplessly as she and her parents splashed into the water, his hand still outstretched as he lay on the broken planks of the pier.
Suddenly, Nefario's pained laughter filled the air and Excelsior pushed himself up enough to look over at the man as he lay on the ground a short distance away.
"Now you know what it's like, Excelsior," Nefario chuckled, "Now you know what it's like."
With that, the video ended and everyone was left in shocked silence.
"Oh my God," Margo whispered, "Those….Those people."
"Did Dr. Nefario go to prison after that?" Agnes questioned.
"Yeah, the last video I have is from his trail," Hiro replied solemnly as he pulled up another video and started playing it.
The video showed camera footage of the inside of a courtroom, with the younger Nefario standing before a judge, dressed in a prison jumpsuit with his hands and feet shackled.
"Doctor Joseph Albert Nefario," the judge intoned, their booming voice filling the otherwise silent courtroom, "The charges arrayed against you have been presented. How do you plead?"
Nefario said nothing in reply, his head bowed as he stared blankly at the floor.
"Dr. Nefario?" the judge questioned, "How do you plead?"
More silence as Nefario continued to stare at the ground.
"Dr. Nefario, if you do not enter a plea, this court will-" the judge began to say, annoyance in their voice.
"I did it, is that what you want to hear me say!?" Nefario demanded as he whipped his head up to glare at the judge, "I bloody did it! And you know what, you might say I'm guilty but I don't feel the least bit sorry about it. Those bastards who killed my boy got what was coming to them! And the rest were just collateral damage. So do whatever you want with me because it doesn't make a damn bit of difference!"
"That's enough, Dr. Nefario!" the judge shouted as they banged their gavel.
"I already won, don't you get it!?" Nefario continued, raising his voice to be heard over the banging, "I did what your cops, and your courts, and your heroes couldn't do! I got justice for my boy and showed the world what a facade your sense of order is. Not that they needed much convincing."
"Doctor, if you don't stop right now, I will hold you in contempt!" the judge roared.
"And what do you do when your heroes fail you!?" Nefario laughed, "You make new laws to try and preserve your precious order! But all you've got now is enough rope to hang yourself with! You think the AVL is going to stop what the supers couldn't!?"
"Bailiff, get him out of here!" the judge ordered.
"You all call me a villain now!" Nefario ranted as uniformed guards approached him, "Well, that's fine by me, since they're the only ones with any actual power anymore, and since the only one I had a grudge against is dead, I don't think I'd mind throwing my lot in with them."
"That's enough out of you!" one of the guards said as they grabbed Nefario and started dragging him away.
"So, if you're listening out there, and I know you are, know this!" Nefario shouted, looking directly into the camera as he was dragged by it, "Dr. Nefario is officially on the market! I'll make a weapon the likes of which no one has ever seen for anyone who breaks me out! And make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, the future of weaponry is designed by me! Built by me! And you'd better pray, not pointed at you!"
With that, Nefario was dragged out of the courtroom and the video came to an end.
"What happened after that?" Edith questioned.
"Someone took him up on his offer," Hiro explained as he pulled up an image on his tablet depicting a newspaper, with a headline declaring "Criminal mastermind Gru springs Dr. Nefario in daring jailbreak!"
"The rest, as they say, is history," Hiro finished as he shrugged and lowered his tablet.
"Nobody stopped them?" Margo asked in confusion.
"I'm guessing by that time the Supers Ban had gone into effect," Fred explained with a shrug, "My dad retired and there wasn't anyone else to stop them."
"I still can't believe Dr. Nefario did all of that," Margo muttered with a shake of her head, "That he….killed people."
"Yeah, I always just kind of thought of him as a weird grandpa," Edith added, "I never thought he was so hardcore."
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I need another break to process all of that," Violet said as she started making her way to the gym's exit, "Anyone want to come to the cafeteria with me?"
As the group all voiced their agreement, they all moved to follow Violet, with Hiro and Riley bringing up the rear. As they walked out of the gym, Riley couldn't help but notice the anxiety that was radiating off of Hiro.
"Hey," Riley said quietly, grabbing Hiro's attention, "Are you okay?"
"I'm not sure," Hiro admitted with a shrug.
"What's wrong?" Riley inquired, her expression morphing into one of concern, "Does this have to do with why you were looking into Dr. Nefario?"
"I guess," Hiro confirmed with a nod, "I did it because Fred and Violet asked but once I started, I kept digging for my own reasons."
"What reasons were those?" Riley pressed, her brow furrowing.
"It's….Enigma said something to me that's been eating at me since that night," Hiro explained with a troubled look on his face, "He offered to let me join the Syndicate and for like, half a second, I considered taking him up on the offer."
"Hiro, that….that doesn't mean anything," Riley argued as she blinked in surprise, "People have thoughts they don't act on all the time. That's what my therapist says."
"I know, it's just…." Hiro replied, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, "Don't you see the similarities between me and Nefario? What he did to that Xerek guy for killing his son was exactly what I wanted to do to Callaghan for what happened to Tadashi."
"But you didn't," Riley insisted gently.
"Only because the others stopped me!" Hiro argued, his tone frustrated, "Only because you talked me down! If it wasn't for that…."
Hiro trailed off as he looked back at his tablet, which showed an image of Nefario being led away in the courtroom, still shouting at the camera.
"I could have been just like him," Hiro all but whispered, "And that terrifies me."
A/N: Well, this chapter ended up being way longer than I planned! Had a lot of character beats I wanted to touch on, and not all of them even fit into this chapter! Still, I hope you all enjoyed it. As usual, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!