A/N: Hey guys. Before you read, I have to give a trigger warning. If you are sensible to gun violence or
guns in general, then please, skip this chapter. I will explain what happened in the author's note below.

Take care of yourselves.

Chapter 18: The Sound Of Thunder

~ Authorial Narrator's PoV ~

He paced.

Paced through the large room, contemplating if what he was doing was right. His mission to frighten him was interrupted by these stupid kids who decided to play superheroes. They didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Just thinking about their 'leader' filled him with anger.

No, that boy wouldn't ruin what he had built. He wouldn't take this away from him.

When it first had been solemnly about the company, there still might have been a way out. Put the plans he found back where they had been, burning the suit he had bought just for this purpose alone. But the stakes were so much higher now with everything that had happened ever since and it didn't just concern the company. His priorities had changed. Plus, he was way too deep in it to back out now. He had to finish what he had started.

And this meant to get rid of the only threat to a happy life. A secure life.

He stopped with pacing, halting so suddenly, that even his own body was surprised by it and he almost doubled over. But he could catch himself before he fell.

No.

He had to go through with his plan, even after it had changed course. Nothing was now more important than this. Maybe after this was all over, he should leave. Leave this forsaken city, taking her with him. He didn't care anymore if this seemed suspicious. He was done with playing games – actions needed to be taken.

But before he could even fully decide on what was best for the future, he needed to end this job.

Yes, actions needed to be taken, indeed.

~ Hiro's PoV ~

We walked out of the building in which Mittens was living.

The last hour or so, we had been busy with going through his belongings to find any clue about where he could be hiding. The more frustrated I had been when we found nothing. So basically, we were back to square one.

»Where have you learned to break into an apartment like that?«, I heard how Wasabi asked GoGo but a look at her only told what I was anticipating. That she didn't care and wouldn't say a word. She even pulled her shoulders into a shrug and didn't answer Wasabi at all.

»So, what now? His apartment is clean and we didn't find any new clue to where this bastard had gone.«, she said instead and turned around, looking at us. I had no idea…

»You know, my beloved grandma used to say that if you are stuck with a problem and don't know where to go or how to solve it, then always go back to the roots and try a different approach. Though I never knew exactly how to go back to my roots.«, Fred told us and though I was sure that his grandma had meant it metaphorically, something lit up in my mind.

»Of course! Fred, you're a genius!« Several pairs of eyes – except Fred's – looked at me in confusion.

»Wow, I never thought to hear Fred's name and the word 'genius' in the same sentence.«, GoGo just exclaimed but I waved off.

»No, you don't understand. I think we should return where we had been looking first. Where we found the clues that led us to Mittens in the first place.« I looked at them but when they still didn't react, I just rolled my eyes. It was so obvious. »What I mean is to return to the lab and see if there are any clues left for us to find him.« I kept my eyes on them and I felt the excitement bubbling up in me. And though I didn't want to admit it of fear to be very disappointed in the end, I started to feel hope.

»But what if he has already cleared out his hideout? Don't you think he would be cautious, now that we know about this place?«, Wasabi voiced his concern but though I knew that he could be right and that the possibility was quite high, even, I still thought this to be a good idea. After all, this was the only thing we could do.

»Do you have a different idea? We don't know a different place nor have an idea what he's up to next. I think Hiro's idea is a good one. Considering the circumstances.« Honey shrugged at her words, looking at us. I turned to look at her and showed her a thankful smile.

After a sigh, GoGo just nodded.

»Sure. Maybe he has forgotten something in there. I'm sure he had been in a hurry, after taking Hikari.«

»Okay, then let's go. But this time, we can't let time go to waste.« And with these words, I glared at Wasabi and he gulped.

A quick flight with some deafening screams later, we found ourselves in front of the very door, we had been looking at when Hikari had still been with us. I tried to shake that awful feeling off of my shoulders in order to focus. It was important to keep a clear and sharp mind. There was simply no time to worry now.

»Here we go again…«, I mumbled to myself, stepping up to the entrance. This time our friend wasn't around to open the door without any issues, so we would probably need to get in forcefully. It would be obvious that someone had entered. But then… we weren't in stealth mode anymore. I didn't care if Mittens or Mr. Burakku knew that we were here. By now, I almost wanted that he knew that we were on his heels and the knew, no matter what, that we would find him. That there was no place to hide from me.

I stepped up to the door and though it may seem stupid, I gave the door a push – something I always did with locked doors. But this time, against my anticipation of not budging, the door swung open and I almost lost my balance due to having used more force than usual.

I blinked into the darkness of this hallway, my brain needing a moment to process what just had happened.

The door wasn't locked.

»It's open?«, I heard Wasabi pointing out the obvious and I nodded.

»I just don't know if this is a good or bad sign.« I set a foot inside the building, halting for a split of a second. I feared that if I moved any further some kind of signal or a booby trap would go off.

But of course, nothing happened, and I walked deeper inside. A wave of déjà-vu hit me while we were slowly making our way through this building.

»Are you sure that we should be here? I get a trap-vibe of this place…« I rolled my eyes at Wasabi's words. Of course, he was right but it didn't change the fact that we had to do this.

»Stop whining and woman up.« GoGo's catchphrase echoed through the hallway.

I turned to look at Baymax who had been silent this whole time.

»Can you scan if someone is in here?« Baymax looked down at me before he looked ahead again and for a moment, it seemed as he hadn't understood what I said.

»Unfortunately, the structure and substance of this building interfere with my enhanced scanner.« Dang it. I really should find a solution to this problem since it seemed like all the secret labs in San Fransokyo were made of the very same material. Perhaps, I should take a sample of the walls with me. I made a mental note in my head that this would become my next project.

So far, nothing strange had happened and everything was quiet as expected. But this could change immediately as soon as we would reach the underground. Last time, we met Mr. Burakku there. Who knew what or who we met this time.

»We should head directly to this special testing area. Maybe we find more information in that side room we saw in there.«

They all agreed and we discarded the surveillance room and walked directly to the elevator to reach the lower level. It was our lucky day since the doors of the elevator opened immediately and we got all inside. The ride took just a few minutes – one or two, tops – and was as smooth as during our last ride. We didn't waste any time and walked out of the cabin after the doors slid open again.

I looked at what was laying ahead of us. The hallway began straight but then many branch-offs led away from the main way.

Oh yeah… I forgot that this floor was like a maze.

»Hopefully, we find the testing room without getting lost. We don't have Hikari to guide us.«, Wasabi said my thoughts out loud and I couldn't agree more.

I started with walking, following the hallway. If I remember correctly, then we would need to follow this corridor until we reach the last branch, then we turned around the corner.

I glanced to my side when we passed the room in which we had found all the evidence the other day. The door was shut. But different than last time, now I had no interest in going in there since we already had checked it and found the evidence we had needed. Plus, I was certain that Mittens had removed them. The other room was way more interesting – first, we hadn't had the chance to check it out two days ago. So, there still could be some information left. Perhaps some about his goal.

Following the way which laid ahead, turning around the corner which I had remembered correctly, we reached the end of the corridor which would lead to our destination. I stopped, though. One of the doors was open.

A bad feeling formed itself in my stomach, though I didn't know why. The door was open, so what? Maybe the man had been in a hurry and forgot to close it when he left. Maybe it needed to air out. Who knew? There was no time to contemplate why this felt off and without thinking any further about it, I stepped inside.

I knew I made a mistake when I heard the door slam shut right behind me.

Immediately, I turned back around, finding what my ears had already considered: both doors were closed. A moment, I simply just glared at them, my mind processing what just had happened. And what it meant. Reaching out for the knob and trying to open it back up only showed me that it wasn't just closed. It was also locked.

»Hiro?«, I heard the voices of my friends through the radio in my helmet and I could tell that they sounded worried. The banging sound on the surface of the door only emphasized this. I didn't want to worry them any further and I activated the mic on my helmet to reply.

»I'm fine, guys. There is this different door on the opposite side of the room, remember? Maybe there is another way in. I'll stay here and wait for you guys.«

»Alright.«, GoGo answered. »But be careful. Something is off.«

»I will. Be careful yourself.«

I turned the mic off again before I sighed, removing the helmet to run my fingers through my messy hair. I was about to consider if staying here, waiting for my friends' arrival, or finding them on my own was better. But before I could even think about it properly, my non-existing thoughts got interrupted.

»Hiro Hamada. Didn't think you would return to this place. Not after you just had been here, that is.«

For a moment, I froze and my helmet slipped through my hands, the sound of it meeting the floor echoed through this large room. I knew this voice but I didn't think to ever hear it in this location.

Though, thinking about it, he owned this lab.

Turning around, I met familiar black eyes, and though his face still looked the same with dark eyebags, revealing how tired he was, I noticed that he had changed his attire. He was clad in black.

A black ninja suit, to be precise.

»Mr. Sunō. What are you doing here? It's dangerous, Mittens could be here.« And though this sounded like the only logical explanation – that he was here for the very same reason as us – I wasn't so sure anymore, if Gabriel Mittens really was behind the mask of Mr. Burakku. Though I kept grasping at every straw given to me, that would explain this situation without using the horrible fact that dawned on me.

He made a step closer to me and though he must be worn out, he had something ominous on him. Something dangerous.

»Don't worry about Gabriel. He won't disturb us.« He stopped in front of me and we looked each other in the eye. And I saw a glittering in his eyes. I took a deep breath.

»It wasn't Mittens. It never had been him, right? From the beginning, it had been you. You broke into your own company, you stole Kari's previous blueprints and hacked into her computer.« My breath hitched when it got clear to me. »And it was you who kidnapped her!«

With wide eyes, I looked at him, shocked that this was the truth. I couldn't believe that a father would kidnap his own daughter! Mr. Sunō started pacing, five steps to his left only to do the same in the other direction. I didn't let him go with my eyes.

»That's because you didn't let me any choice!«, he shouted and grasped a handful of his hair with both of his hands while his pacing only intensified.

I made a step back, surprised about his outburst. Lost was the collected businessman. Though, I was more concerned about the man the collected businessman left behind.

»It only had been about this project. Hikari's idea was a total breakthrough and would have helped the company. And I was certain that she would return once she realized that it's unnecessary to visit SFIT. But then, she had to meet you.« He stopped abruptly and his black eyes fixated mine, piercing through them, right into my soul. A shiver ran down my spine. His eyes were so cold that I made another step back. They reminded me of that glare Hikari had given me one or two weeks ago. But only his were more intense.

I gulped, I didn't understand what he meant. Did he know how mean I had been to his daughter? I parted my lips to reply something to this but no words came out.

»At first, I didn't think much about it. You didn't seem that close, and I thought that you would just plan your project before separating again. But you couldn't stay away, could you? You had to get involved, get to know her better, seeing her on a regular basis. You…-«

But I didn't let him speak further since it dawned on me what he was upset about. What bothered him. And it shocked me even more.

»You kidnapped her because she made a friend?! Mr. Sunō, I would never…-«

»Stop. Interrupting. Me! You are a threat to her. I won't allow that you take her away. It was the same with my wife, her mother. The moment she wasn't with me, she got ripped away from me, brutally murdered. They didn't even find a body, only her blood. So. Much. Blood! I wasn't attentive enough. I know that I could have kept her safe if I had been more attentive. And now you, dragging my daughter into dangerous missions, probably putting dangerous thoughts into her head. Hikari is all I have left. I won't allow it that you take her from me. Never. I won't lose my daughter. Not to death and surely not to a stupid boy who thinks to know how the world works.«

I had trouble following his flow of words since he got faster and faster with explaining but I managed to follow so far that it didn't leave me confused. And I got what the message was behind his rambling. I just looked at him. Partly, I understood. I never wanted to take Hikari with us. I knew that this had been a very bad idea from the get-go. But this had been her decision.

»Mr. Sunō. I would never allow that Hikari gets harmed. She only wanted to tag along since her computer had been hacked. And you should know her enough to know that she would want to find out who attacked her.« Slowly, I felt frustration build up in me. If it wasn't for him, his daughter wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.

But when I thought I saw the whole picture, the man in front of me just shook his head, a chuckle that almost sounded manic to my ears, left his throat. My hackles stood straight and I feared that Mr. Sunō would lose it completely.

»You don't understand my point! I won't let anyone take her away from me. Not a criminal or a boy. I can't lose her. Don't you understand? I just can't. She is all I have left.«

A second long, my mind was blank before the nail dropped and I fully understood. It wasn't about her being involved with Big Hero 6. It was her being involved with me.

»But you can't keep her from making friends!« This broke out of me when I realized how far his obsession with keeping her safe went. How toxic his behavior was. And not to forget how dangerous. »One day, Hikari needs to meet new people. You'll harm her if you…-«

»Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!« Mr. Sunō's voice got louder and louder and I winced, even covering my ears – his voice was echoing from every wall, filling this room.

He started with pacing again, mumbling words like 'I can't lose her' and 'She's all I got' over and over again and my concern about his mental health only grew. The death of his wife had a greater impact on him than I first thought.

I felt sorry for him, and I felt this pain of losing a loved one, one could only understand if they had made the same experience. My heart ached, knowing these feelings all too well.

»Mr. Sunō, I understand how you feel.« I wanted to comfort him and made a step closer, thinking sympathizing with him would solve this situation. I stopped dead in my tracks, though, when he broke off his pacing and cold, deadly eyes were looking at me. The silence before he raised his voice again was almost deafening.

»No.«

And before I could reply to that, I froze – not even a muscle twitched in my body, my eyes widening.

I stared right into the barrel of a gun.

~ Hikari's PoV ~

…ari… Hi…ari… Hik…ri…

Blissful darkness was surrounding me, filling my body with peace.

…ari… Hi…ari… Hik…ri…

I felt a pull and my first intention was to resist since I wanted to stay in this peaceful state. I didn't want to leave this comfortable darkness. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear. Everything was calm, I had no responsibilities nor any duties. But whatever was causing this pulling, it was relentless and in the end, I allowed it to take me to its destination.

And then, everything came crushing in.

My senses returned and I felt a soft underground beneath me – a mattress? – though I could feel some springs poking my back. This was anything else than comfortable and I regretted it immediately to have allowed the pull to take me to this place. I realized then, that this was not my bed.

But more bothering me was the headache I was experiencing and I groaned in pain.

»Hikari!«

My eyes snapped open at this voice and I met the alarmed eyes of Tadashi Hamada.

»Tadashi… what…?« My mind was still groggy from that nap – was it really a nap? – that it took me a moment to realize how bothered he looked.

»Take that transmitter off. Now!« I was shocked about his sudden outburst but I did as he said and grasped the tiara that I was wearing, taking it off from my forehead. My friend sighed in obvious relief.

I sat myself up.

»Tadashi, what's going on?« It was then that I noticed my whereabouts. It was a small room, nothing special, with a chair standing beside a small table, a sink to my left, and the bed I was currently sitting on. All furniture that wasn't mine. »And where are we?«

But he simply waved off.

»There is not much time for deep explanations.«, he answered my question and I gave him a non-approving look. I wanted answers. Real ones. My mind was so confused and disorientated that I needed at least something. The headache didn't help either. He sighed. »Fine. You are in the lab of SnowElectronic Industries and you have been kept captive for two days. It's the first time you were conscious enough for me to tell you to take that off.«

He nodded towards the transmitter in my grasp. And though his words explained my whereabouts, they didn't answer the other questions I had. My brow creased.

»Conscious enough, what?«

»The other times you started to stir, your mind got taken over again. In an instant. I didn't even have the chance to say a word.«

I blinked at him before my gaze dropped down to the transmitter in my grasp. Was something like that possible? Could it be that someone hacked into my system? But… I thought to have installed enough protection to prevent a foreign invasion. Had this been the reason why Mr. Burakku had stolen my plans? Had he planned to gain control over my mind and my body?

Without any further questions, I got up from the bed and hurried over to the door to check if it was locked. Grasping the doorknob, I turned it around, already anticipating it to not move an inch. But no, the door opened easily and I gave it a push, glancing at the hallway.

»Wait! What are you planning?« I heard Tadashi's voice as soon as I had made my first step out but I turned a bit to glance at my friend.

»Trying to find a way out. You said I was stuck here a couple of days. Everyone must be worried sick! I have to contact them – somehow.«

But Tadashi only shook his head.

»That's not necessary. My brother is already here.«

»What?« I turned around completely to look at him. »That's even better! I need to find him and get out of here, I…-«, I began but then I noticed the alarmed and worried expression on his face. I got a bad feeling and I felt how my heart sank.

»Is he in trouble?«

»…he's currently facing him.« He didn't need to voice who that was.

I was alarmed.

»Then I need to get to him. Urgently.« And without any more hesitation, I turned back around towards the hallway and started running.

»Hikari, wait! There's more!« But I didn't listen. I was too alarmed than to wait any longer. Hiro could be in severe danger.

At first, I didn't know where I was since the underground of this facility was huge but after a few wrong turns, I recognized where I was, hurrying through the various corridors. Call it female intuition, but I had a feeling that Hiro and my kidnapper were in the testing room. And even if not, I had to cross this room to reach the rest of this floor. There was no other way to the rest of this building, only some escape pods that would lead directly to the surface in case of an emergency.

Out of breath, I reached the door through which I would reach my destination and without stopping for a second, I opened it and stumbled onto the platform. From this position, I had a great look over the area – at the opposite was the large double door which would lead eventually to the elevator.

Wheezing, I leaned over the metallic handrail and glared down to observe. And though my body was in urgent need of oxygen from all this running, my breath got caught in my throat when I laid eyes on the happenings below.

I couldn't believe what I saw.

»Mr. Sunō, please. Lower your gun. This is no solution. I promise I won't inform the police about this if you just lower it.« Hiro's voice echoed through the room and I noticed how he was standing: His hands raised in a calming manner, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him.

My father.

»Don't. Tell. Me. What. To. Do.« The sound of my father's voice pulled me out of my frozen state and I jumped over the railing, ignoring the fact that a soft rumble went through my body as I made an impact with the ground – even though I had bent my knees and supported my body with a hand on the floor to prevent any joint or back injury.

I hurried over to the pair and I was glad that they were so distracted with their conversation that neither of them saw me coming. I ran right between them, turning around to face my father, standing protectively in front of Hiro.

Now he would be forced to lower his weapon if he didn't want to harm me.

»Dad, please stop.«, I gasped, my voice out of breath from the stunt I just had pulled off and I fixated him with my eyes.

»Hikari!«, Hiro exclaimed, obviously surprised to see me but I didn't let go of the man in front of me with my sight.

It dawned on me now that we had suspected the wrong guy. It hadn't been Mittens who did all these things. My father was responsible. He had hacked into my computer and it was him who had kidnapped me. I was shocked and felt disbelief in me before it got replaced with anger. A hot anger which burned in my body. I couldn't understand why he was doing these things.

How he could do this to me?! His own daughter! I felt like yelling after this realization hit me and if the situation had been different, then I might have done it.

Questioning him why he would do something horrible like this.
Why he had stolen my plans for my project.
Why he had seen the need to hack into my computer.
And why he had thought it was necessary to kidnap me.

But the gun in his hand, which he was still holding out, changed everything. I saw in his eyes that his mind wasn't stable. Yelling would only damage more than solve this situation.

»Hikari. Move. This isn't your business.«, he ordered, waving with his gun. But I stayed put. I wouldn't move, not a chance.

»No, Dad. I won't move. And this is clearly my business since you brought me here. So, please. Lower your gun and we can talk about this.«

»Please, Mr. Sunō. Listen to your daughter.«, Hiro behind me chimed in. But instead of calming him, his voice seemed to enrage our opponent.

»Shut up! Don't tell me what to do!« I winced when I heard my father shout and I looked over my shoulder to my friend.

»Let me talk.«, I whispered to him and he nodded, pressing his lips to a thin line to keep his lips shut. I turned back around to the man in front of us. The weapon in his hand trembled and his knuckles were white.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Whatever feelings – anger, disappointment – I had, these had to wait. I would deal with them later. It was more important to calm my father down now. To prevent something he would only regret.

»Daddy… please look at this situation we are in. This is obscure. Please, lower your weapon so that we can talk. Let us talk. Please.« Pleadingly, I looked at him, hoping he would understand.

»Hikari, you don't understand…I…-«

»Then explain it to me. I want to understand what drove you this far. I really do. But first… lower your gun.« I glared at him in his dark eyes, begging that he would listen to my words, and held my breath, waiting for what he would do.

And then, finally, he lowered his hand with the weapon and I breathed out, glad that he did for once listen.

Then, everything happened so fast but at the same time so slow.

I heard steps behind me and I felt safe enough to take my eyes away from my father. I watched how Hiro had stepped out of my shadow to the left to pick up his helmet and I wondered about this fact when I noticed a movement in my peripherical vision.

A clicking noise was heard and my body reacted before I could even comprehend what was actually happening.

I heard a voice – my voice? – screaming and I found myself back in front of Hiro who was visibly confused. He had been just about to straighten his back, not being aware of what was just about to transpire.

A deafening roar echoed, the large and empty room making the sound even louder, imitating the roar of thunder when I met eyes with my father.

It was like time had stopped. For a moment, even I was confused about what just happened.

But then I felt I sharp pain in my abdomen before it made place for a far worse burning and stinging sensation. Immediately and out of reflex, I reached with my hands for the hurting spot, pressing hard on it.

Something wet and sticky clung to my palms and fingers and when I took my hands away to look down at them, I saw that they were covered in blood.

My breath hitched.

I got shot.

My father just shot me.

I looked back up, horrified black eyes met mine and I could hear Hiro shouting my name. I wanted to turn around to him, to look at him. But I couldn't. My knees buckled and a greater force, a force I couldn't fight, pulled me down on them before I dropped to my side. My sight got blurry, and I couldn't focus on anything before black spots began to grace my vision.

I tried to fight the urge to just give in to the darkness which was about to conquer more and more of my view. It would be so easy to just give in and this thought frightened me. But I didn't want to give in and so, I tried my best to withstand it, though, in the end, I lost the battle.

My lids fluttered shut, cutting me off from reality.

From life.

A/N: Hey guys! I hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter - I enjoyed writing it and had a lot of fun, though I still think it could use some improvement.
I tinkered with it a lot already since I hadn't been very happy with it at first (the length is still bugging me a bit) but I didn't want to add too much, being
afraid that it would interrupt the pacing.

I'd really like to hear what you thought of it since I had been working so long to reach that point - I'm really eager to hear your opinions.^^

I want to thank all of you for reading and hopefully, we will see each other in the next chapter. Until then, stay safe!

Vanessa :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6 or any mentioned characters - except for OC's, they're mine. :D

Here's the short summary for those who skipped the chapter:

After Big Hero 6 found no evidence in Gabriel Mittens' apartment, they had decided to check out the lab again, hoping to find more answers. When they got there, Hiro got separated after he had entered the big testing room, he discovered that he wasn't alone in there and that Mr. Sunō, aka Mr. Burakku, had been the one to have done all those terrible things, including kidnapping Hikari.

But different than the other times, Mr. Sunō behaved oddly and wasn't the collected businessman he previously had met and while trying to calm the man down, he started to worry about his mental health. He realized that ever since Hikari's mother had died, his obsession with keeping his daughter safe turned into a toxic behavior. But when Hiro started to feel compassionate towards him for losing his wife, Mr. Sunō pointed a gun at him, since he felt the urge to get rid of anything that could endanger his obscure image of a happy life for him and his daughter.

Hikari, meanwhile, woke up from unconsciousness only to be told by Tadashi to take the transmitter she was wearing off, not allowing her to ask any questions. After that, he answered her questions of where she was (adding the number of days she was missing) and informed her that Hiro was here, facing off her kidnapper. But before he could elaborate on who this man was, she had already run off – she hadn't been locked up – to find her friend.

Finding Hiro and her father in the testing room, she immediately got in between them, using her body as a human shield, knowing that her father wouldn't harm her. She tried to calm him, persuading him to lower his weapon to talk about what was bothering him, and eventually, he listened to his daughter doing exactly that.

Unfortunately, he got triggered by the sight of Hiro, who had stepped out of the shadow of Hikari who pointed his weapon once again at the boy, pulling the trigger. Hikari had noticed his intentions and got hit by the pullet as she was shielding her friend to protect him. She immediately dropped down, while trying to fight the inevitable but lost the battle in the end and became unconscious.