Chapter 5: Who to trust?
Hey guys. I just want to apologize for the long wait you guys have to go through for this story. It's been pretty busy with work and my sister just got married (praise God almighty! It's been eight whole years she and her fiance been together - bout time they got hitched!) Please enjoy the chapter and God bless you all so much!
Tadashi was at his wits end as he ran around the apartment, searching around for his brother. Once he got released from the hospital, Hiro began telling him all about his 'sleepwalking.' At first, the older Hamada didn't believe Hiro until, one night, he caught his brother walking out the room. He thought it was Hiro's usual sneaking out to go bot fighting but when he tried to stop him, Tadashi noticed the kid's eyes were dulled and unresponsive.
These glitches told the older boy that something was wrong with Hiro's system and he wanted to fix it, but that was difficult due to their situation, and the night glitches added to that.
However, now it was out of control.
Tadashi scolded himself for letting things get like this. "Maybe it was the fire that glitched him?" he murmured as he searched the garage for his brother. "Once I find that kid, I'm going to be sure to fix this." But how was he was going to do that without alerting the lad?
There wasn't time to figure out a solution when he heard his brother yelling for him. Rushing back into the apartment, the two knocked into each other. Unbothered by the crash, Hiro talked away about the masked man, rushing through every detail he could recall.
Not once did he pause.
Tadashi couldn't keep up with the boy's maddening pace. In an effort to calm the kid, the older brother placed a hand on the younger's shoulder and covered the other's mouth with the other. "Breathe, Hiro." He calmly urged before making the kid start over. "What was that again?"
Tadashi couldn't remember the last time Hiro gave him a hysteric look. Slower than before, Hiro told his brother everything that happened that night. Tadashi listened and silently wondered if what Hiro experienced was true or just those glitches getting worse. He believed it was the latter once Hiro told him about the 'dream' of them being kids. That was a memory Tadashi covered when he was coding Hiro's body…and it was a memory that Tadashi took great lengths to block out.
If Hiro was remembering things like that, then Tadashi believed his work was coming undone. As calm as he could, the older patted the younger's head. "That sounds like a wild dream you had, Hiro. Your sleepwalking's getting out of control but thank God that you're home again."
"It wasn't a dream!" the younger one protested. Shoving off Tadashi's hand, Hiro stated, "There's a psycho out there producing countless microbots. He attacked me!" Hiro was growing sick of that familiar smile his brother threw his way. It was the usually patient kind, but now he could see in the other's eyes that he was being taken seriously. "I was fully awake, Dashi." It was a pitiful plea but Hiro wanted his older brother to believe him. He didn't want the other one to look down on him as if he was a crazy person.
It was bad enough that he felt crazy himself.
Also, he wanted to find out WHY that masked man had his invention and what he planned to do with it. All Tadashi wanted however, was to fix his brother, and to block out those memories again.
'Along with those hallucinations.' He thought. "So, what do you want to do about it?" He questioned, playing along in hopes of softening his brother's anger.
There was no reply.
What could Hiro do?
He was a kid and it didn't matter how smart he was, kids don't get taken serious by adults. Hiro wacked his brain but nothing came up except for, "Stop the masked man." It was something, Hiro concluded, even if that something was grasping at any straws could. "We can catch the man and take back my microbots."
The look on Tadashi's face told him that the older one wasn't buying it but hearing his brother's words had the same impact the dream Tadashi's word had on him.
"Hiro, you're talking irrational right now." Those weren't the same words as in the dream, but they hurt nevertheless. In Hiro's mind, Tadashi wore the same, raged expression as the Dashi in the nightmare. They both wanted Hiro to but out of something…to stop being him.
It stung but unlike the toddler Hiro, the teenager prodigy didn't cry or beg or look down in pain. No, Hiro wouldn't allow that.
So he got angry.
"I'll get out of your life then, since I'm being crazy!" Red faced, Hiro stomped off, not bothering to listen to whatever Tadashi would say. His brother didn't believe him so what use would it be to convince Tadashi otherwise.
'There is no point.'
Maybe that was where the wedge started, coming between the brothers like a thin veil…Hiro wasn't sure at that moment. What he became sure of was that argument wasn't even the tip of the iceberg that sprang up in their lives.
That dream opened Hiro's eyes in a way. It made the boy more observant of his brother, caused him to watch the older teen's movement and, especially, his facial reactions.
Tadashi smiled – that wasn't anything new – but there were moments when that smile became more…fake. It appeared to Hiro more that the smile was some sort of mask; something that Dashi mastered, and it was almost always aimed at him. There's been another thing, Hiro noticed that made him almost scared to sleep.
His brother always watched him.
Maybe he couldn't complain about that, since Hiro began watching the older one first, so he thought, but that changed once he noticed how his brother always eyed him in old photos along the staircase. It was apparent that his brother always kept his eyes on him, with his mask in place, and an unreadable shine in his eyes.
His whole life, Hiro had no friends. Tadashi was his only friend that he felt comfortable to go to and talk with but that all changed and it left the lad feel alone. There was no body to talk to about the things he was finding out and even though he now had friend at college, the gang were Dashi's friends first so they couldn't be trusted.
After some time, Hiro began thinking that maybe he was crazy.
A part of him actually hoped he was crazy, but he couldn't be because he knew what he saw that night the masked man chased him, just like he knew what he saw in Tadashi's hand one night.
Hiro had jolted awake again but this time, it wasn't due to the sleepwalking. His mind kept racing, unable to shut down as dreams of lights and fights bombarded his brain. Then he had a dream of the masked man coming into the room from the window. The man crept in, slow, and reaching for him, wanting to take him away…then Hiro woke up, paranoid.
The masked man wasn't in the room, looming over him, reaching for him…but his brother was. Hiro wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was screaming or talking in his sleep like Tadashi claimed, he couldn't. He didn't feel safe with his brother soothing tones, not with the screwdriver the older boy held in his hand. Tadashi tried to keep it out of sight but Hiro saw and a genuine fear of his own brother struck his heart.
It was too scary to imagine what Tadashi was going to use that tool for and the wedge became bigger.
As much as Hiro could, he avoided his brother; helping his aunt serve customers and being around as much people in school as he could. His and Dashi's friend noticed this but whenever they asked the boy if something was wrong, Hiro dismissed them. The excuse was that Hiro had lots of work to do…with some other kids in his classes.
He knew the lie wasn't meant to last, but it brought some peace for the time being. It gave him some hours to sneak away to a place where he could be alone. A place where his brother couldn't find him and where he could brainstorm on some ideas to take down the masked man.
"Still no good." He huffed. The lad had drawn up various inventions that can take down a villain. They were based on the gang's personal inventions and he may have designed one based on Fred's fantasy to become a fire breathing dragon, but there was still one problem.
Hiro couldn't do this alone.
No matter what angle he looked at, fighting the man alone, wouldn't work. The man could control microbots and command them to do various jobs at once. "I need some people." But there was no one. Honey lemon, Go go, Wasabi…the only one Hiro could see believing him was Fred. "But what good can that do?" Shaking his head in defeat, the prodigy slouched, staring at his blueprints. "Maybe I should just fight bots with bots?"
He paused, his words ringing in his ears. 'That's it.' Lifting his head, he hastily got out a blank piece of paper. Sketching really fast, Hiro quietly cheered, "If I can't get people to help me, maybe I can get a bot to." Finished, Hiro took a moment to admire the designs he would soon make for the type of robot he had in mind. "Baymax."
Entering his last class of the day, Hiro felt lighter, and more able to breath now that he had a plan. He wanted the class to end as soon as possible so he could go home and get started on his projects – maybe even lock himself in the garage for the night. What made him happier was that Tadashi didn't share the same class as him at the end of the day. Hiro could enjoy this class that professor Callaghan taught and then rush home before his brother could find him.
It was a win – win.
Unfortunately those wins weren't in his favor.
Callaghan was also glad that the class he taught was the last one of the day and what made it sweeter was having the young Hamada there. Since the failed kidnapping, the elder man been pacing, keeping some tabs on the boy. It upset him to have failed capturing the bot but that didn't stop him from looking for future opportunities and it paid off.
The opportunity presented itself in a nice package of the Hamada's separation. Callaghan noticed that the brother who once were joined at the hips have become distance. Hiro's been off by himself, looking down, and stand offish from the rest of the world.
It gave the teacher the chance to be a good ear to talk to.
So that's what Callaghan did.
After class, when Hiro packed his bag to leave, Callaghan called him over. "I noticed you've been quite distracted, Hiro." He stated in a loving tone, much like a parent. He could see the boy's unease – the way Hiro eyed the halls with longing. The boy looked scared and Callaghan feared that perhaps the child figured out who he was.
"I just haven't been sleeping well, professor." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't a good excuse either, especially since Hiro didn't feel tired.
The old man nodded but beckoned the child to his office. "You can leave your bag here, we won't take long." He stated as he guided the boy out the classroom.
Once in the office, Callaghan closed his door before sitting at his desk. Hiro took the seat in front of the teacher and waited for the man to say something while he tried to think of a good excuse to get out of this predicament.
"So how are you enjoying college?" The conversation started light.
"It's been good."
"You're enjoying the classes?" Hiro nodded, anxious to get this over with. Not wanting to waste any time either, Callaghan took the dive. "You mentioned that you've been having trouble sleeping. Is there anything on your mind that may be causing that?" There were no answer.
On one hand, Hiro needed someone to talk to about his falling life and Callaghan was a good man, Hiro believed. He was the type of man who put things in perspective for Hiro and would patiently listen to the boy. Maybe it would be alright to tell Callaghan?
'Everyone would believe him.' It was a bitter thought but then he hoped 'or maybe Callaghan can help me with the plan. With his brilliance and the upgrade I'll give Baymax, this could actually work.' Then he wouldn't have to watch his back every ten seconds… the only problem left would be his brother.
He huffed, 'I'll deal with that hurdle once I cross this one.'
"Professor, how far can someone push the boundaries of robotics?" The old man blinked but gave away no emotions. Hiro, on the other hand, couldn't contain his expressions like the older one. He needed to know if he could trust the professor or not. Scratching the back of his head, the Asian boy quickly played it off as a hypothetical question. "Let's say someone made an advance robot but then it gets stolen by some ominous thief who hides his identity. You can go to the police because they won't believe and no one else would…how would you stop the man, if you could?"
His heart felt as if It was going up his throat. Hiro tasted the fear of the man not believing him; of being in this alone for good. The anxiety was so bad, he couldn't bring himself to look at the teacher. 'Maybe I should just go…'
That wasn't an option. "You know, Hiro, you remind me of my daughter." Chuckled the professor. "aside from bot fighting, my daughter also asked me a very similar question." He scratched his head, feigning a thoughtful look. He knew well how far robotics could be pushed; he's seen them pushed to a limit that stole everything from him.
"What did you tell her?" Pushing down the resentful memories, Callaghan answered the boy. He didn't bother to disguise the dark grimace. "I believe robotics can be pushed to whatever lengths a person takes them." As silent as he could manage, Callaghan took out a remote looking gadget from his pocket. As he tinkered with some buttons, he continued his charade. "However, it sounds like you believe someone is taking things too far."
"Well…" it was hesitant. "I kind of experienced a man using my microbots to attack me recently." He couldn't take it any longer. Once the top got out, everything gushed out of Hiro.
He spilled everything about the attack and about his fears at home with his brother. It was good to let it out – Hiro was close to the brink of insanity if this did not release itself. It was sad, however, that Hiro chose the wrong person to trust. He chose the wrong person to ask for help, not knowing how much it will cost in the end.
Callaghan was glad Hiro wasn't staring up to see his, all-too-pleased, sneer. He worried that the bot had figured out his plans but to hear the way he feared Tadashi – Callaghan gotten Hiro's complete trust.
Giving someone like him that kind of trust could get a person in trouble. "Just like my daughter." The sneer dropped as those words unintentionally slipped out. His mind played back the day where his own daughter had trusted someone too. She was young and wanted to help change the world. She was Callaghan's joy – he encouraged her to push the limits; to make a difference…but he didn't think she would place her trust in someone like Alister. "She trusted too easily too."
His blood boiled.
Alister had stolen his joy.
That man abused his daughter's trust and it cost her dearly. It was because of that man; Callaghan's life was a waking nightmare. "What made it worse was that Alister never paid for what he done."
With a final flip of a switch, Callaghan's device was ready. Th world became silent as the memories overcame Callaghan. He could hear nothing as Hiro peered up at him, calling to him. Callaghan watched as confusion morphed into a terror. He saw himself lung over the desk, striking the target head on, but it shifted between the past and present.
And then it was over.
Once more, the nightmare faded.
In its place laid Hiro, sprawled on the floor, and unable to move. If an outsider were to walk in on this, they would see a red-faced man looming over a lifeless body of a child. It was a chilling sight to behold – for someone other than the professor.
Placing the device back in his pocket, Callaghan took a few minutes calm his nerves. He counted back from ten as he breathed in, then out, before kneeling, down to the body. "Alister never paid for his crime," he repeated, staring down at unblinking eyes. Lifting the stiff humanoid up, professor Callaghan hummed, "But we're going to change that, aren't we – Hiro?"