Sometimes there is no escaping the storm than to jump right into the deep ocean, for when the waters are wild on the surface the depth is where the calmness lies.
- (via rncpoems)
I.
A man with a weathered, red beard, bloodshot eyes and a tired back lumbered around the cabin of his forest home. With a long sigh, he held out his cup under for the lantern bot and watched on in disapproval as it dispensed a stream of coffee into his cup. Stiffly, he raised it up to his lips and surveyed the cloudy overhead. His head aching, a thought he'd rather not have ebbed at his mind.
He breathed in the deep aroma of the strong, black brew and he was just about to go sit and relax when the trill of the corded phone made him look down at the marble counter. Lifting a brow, he leaned over and picked it up. Pressing it to his ear, the man momentarily wished he had Caller I.D...
Outdated. Even basic technology frustrated and yet he still-
"Hello," he said, watching as one of his twin daughters walked into the room. She smiled, shrugged off her pullstring bag and laying down her report for him, went over to do stretches in the living room. As she had a dance class to attend later that day, he would have to strive to cook something.
"Rieter residence?"
Randolphus straighted, his back crying, "Excuse me? Who is this?"
"It's been a long time, son." The voice on the other end allowed.
"Yes, excuse me, I'm not sure how you got this number but-"
"I know you don't like being bothered where you are away from civilization..."
The man turned away from his curious daughter.
"I'd like to think that you'd take that into consideration before calling me."
There was a pause. "This is Dr. Hamada, I've seen the reports and, believe you me, it took some time to track you down. You're not active on social media even though you're known in anonymity."
A flash of anger rose in his chest. "As I've said before, I don't know how you've gotten my number and I don't know why you're calling me! Enough time has gone by and I will not have you dragging-"
"Enough time has gone by but, I'm afraid, not enough to forget your best friend's son."
Randolphus shook where he stood, gripping the table. "I've had nothing to do with the Hamadas."
There was a considerate pause on the other end. "Yes, but recently I've seen that one of your daughters has been getting closer to my grandson and my concerns are growing... You know, though Taku's half brother wasn't involved much over the years, he was seeing Hiro more recently."
The man wrinkled his nose. "YES. Your grandson, I might add, that you've had nothing to do with!"
"Dad," Sandra came closer, her eyes on the report of all they had gathered in the Hamada home.
He didn't have to look up to know that she was concerned.
"I have my reasons..." the voice on the other end finally said.
"There are no reasons to abandon your family!" Randolphous roared into the phone cord. "You did an excellent job of demonstrating that; you're like Hasaki was with their mother's family before that."
He slammed it down so hard in its cradle and nearly slammed his fist into the floating bot that was over the kitchen counter when his daughter neatly pulled it out of the way just in time, he slapped his face into his hands, ran them up and down his cheeks and then immediately went for his axe.
"Dad..." Sandra shielded it behind her back.
He looked at her witheringly beside the glass door, shoved it to the side and stepped out. With a long sigh, the girl went over to compose an email on their old analog computer to her sister. Oh...
What she wouldn't give for a flip phone.
...
"Can you see anything?"
Hiro and Baymax were practically soaring down the highway, heading in the direction that they had spent what was supposed to have been a fun afternoon out, now only a distant memory back to San Beijingdino. Hiro gazed out of the tinted window as Baymax stared backwards out his window.
"I do not see anything except the city lights but-"
"Working now, buddy?" He asked, the prospect of tinkering with Baymax was a risk.
What if whatever kept Baymax functioning was lost?
"I believe my scanner is working now," he said optimistically. His eyes flashing blue now.
Hiro saw his own vital signs appear on his best friend's chest.
"That's great!" Hiro said gruffly, "I knew that they were interfering with your signal."
"There is nothing that is following us and nothing that I scan ahead," Baymax patted his arm.
Hiro frowned, patting his hand. "That's the least of our worries."
Baymax squeezed. "But we are together.
"Practically on the run!" Hiro grinned over at him.
They watched suddenly as the image on the dash flickered and Fred's dad appeared.
"Hey, what's going on?"
The look behind Mr. Frederickson's eyes were unreadable.
"You too can't return back to the city right now," he said flatly, "City is swamped with RRC members looking for you; Krei had the right idea, you need to stay in San Ben right now, it's the only place they don't have jurisdiction." Baymax and Hiro looked at each other, obviously thinking entirely opposite.
"Is there something going on we need to help you with?" Hiro said suspiciously.
"If the RRC is infiltrating the city, you will need help," Baymax said... In a tone of urgency.
The teen gawked at him; letting his person-self slip more was more dangerous than Big Hero 6-
"Your job right now is to stay safe," Surprisingly, Krei was right next to him.
Stan nodded. "Losing you both is not a priority."
"Mr. Lee-"
"Honey, we're all alright," They passed the camera to Aunt Cass.
A sinking feeling dropped into Hiro stomach.
"You can't be serious!"
"All according to plan," Little Hiro," Yama snatched the camera away, "not to worry; they got away with all the incriminating evidence they could and are probably reviewing it right now to pile a case against you for harboring an illegal sentient bot BUT it's alright because I'm guarding our family to-"
"YOU'RE NOT FAMILY."
"Hiro, just for the time being," Aunt Cass came back on the camera and surprisingly Krei was with her again, apparently all in the penthouse... actually working together Hiro saw. "I'm going to be staying at Krei Tower for now, you and Baymax need to do whatever Ji tells you both to do, Honey."
"But-"
"He still has partial legal guardianship over you, Hiro." Baymax reminded him.
"So did you," Hiro said flatly.
"Hiro, the only people who have guardianship over you are your Aunt Cass and your brother."
"Half Brother," He said.
"So do as he tells you to," Aunt Cass told him in what it was distinctly an order.
He grinned a little sheepishly. "Yes, Auntie."
"I love you we both do," Baymax told her, apology evident in his voice.
Everyone was listening, even if they were pretending not to.
Hiro was sweating bullets.
"I know you do," she smiled at him warmly, "take care of each other," she told her nephew.
"Always," he barely got out.
The image faded.
"Well, now that's done," he grinned over at Baymax.
"Hiro?"
"I think it's time to set the mood..."
He leaned over, swirled something back between the features that controlled the radio and the air conditioner and they both watched as a neon green light lit up a giant H, appearing in the middle console. Baymax blinked, squeezing Hiro's hand as it started to flash. He looked at Hiro curiously.
"What is this?"
His best friend shrugged. "I made a made a few adjustments to Maxine Krei didn't know about."
Baymax blinked again.
"Hero mode," he told him the smile.
Suddenly, the car started to contort in and shift all around them. Baymax watched as piece by piece the shining, chromatic red folded over him and Hiro layer by layer unti itl covered them origami-style and there was nothing left but the two of them holding hands and flying in the clear, starry nightfall.
Hiro grinned over him and then swung himself on his back.
When Baymax try to grab him, Hiro slipped off and then flew towards the horizon.
Baymax blinked and sped up quickly.
The two of them weaved around each other like two bumblebees, almost dancing.
Smiling with love, Hiro reached out and Baymax took his hand as well.
There was an uncertain moment but Baymax gripped his fingers securely and Hiro nodded.
Together, leaving the past and city behind them, they fled to the only safe place there was for them.
For them to be together.
...
CRASH.
A stack of memory-erase cartridges fell to the floor.
"I should have known something was happening..."
Gogo's face was white as tried mummering his name.
Boom! Whack.
The plexiglass on the panel sustained a fist blow.
"Always behind my back; never used to be that way..."
"Ha-Jun," his cousin pleaded in an unusually soft voice, "we didn't-"
The man rounded on her, his face red and pinched.
"Just..." he waved his fists up in the air, "just say you're LYING!?"
Gogo had no words; she tried to open her mouth but there was nothing she could say.
They turned back to Mary Beth who had one finger laying along for cheek, watching.
"You know I don't lie," she drilled her eyes directly into Ha-Jun's.
Gogo wrinkled her nose at the absolute apathy in her voice.
And yet, it was that honest indifference that almost calmed her cousin.
"This is all your fault!" She heard him shout.
From where Gogo sat, she got up slowly as though she were a hundred years old.
"Jun, I told you..." she said in an almost choking voice, "we didn't know for sure..."
"How could you not know?!" he almost whirled back around and beat his fist into the panel, "how... how could you NOT KNOW where my PARENTS-?"
"I'll have to ask you to confide your break down to my quarters."
Again, Gogo shot her a venomous look when Ha-Jun started to leave in his fury.
"Where's my brother?" he asked numbly, beseeching his comfort.
The first time in her life, Gogo tried to look small.
"San Ben, Junny," Mary Beth told him calmly, refraining from rolling her eyes.
Gogo took a settling breath. "Ha-Jun, if I'd any-"
"I don't want to hear it!" He snapped at her accusingly, apparently remembering that time in the control room where she had intimidated him after he had hijacked Baymax. "I don't want to hear it."
With an air of the utmost unconcern, Mary Beth said, "She is your family, you might listen to her."
Ha-Jun shot her scathing look, "Yeah, so says the girl who rarely talks to her own family."
Mary Beth shrugged.
"Ha-Jun," Gogo suppressed a flare of irritation, "can't you direct your wrath on-?"
"What?! Wanna talk about life failures? At least Mary has a real career."
"True," she said.
"Do you..." Ha-Jun settled on Gogo to have somewhere to direct his anger, "do you have any idea what it was like? "When you went to that fancy genius school? I mean, you were just so smart..."
Gogo sighed patiently. "You know I had to."
"You left me, Ji and mom to deal with dad! You were always his favorite; then you go to that stupid school even though he wanted you to stay in the family! I'm so sorry, Gogo," he paused," that youre a genius! You go to cause you're a GENIUS and then Big Hero 6 and so anytime you could have been at home, helping, you... YOU!" At last, he finally sank into a chair...at last he covered his eyes and-
Gogo shakily uprooted her feet and came over, her hands starting to come forward...
"What are you going to do? HUG me?" Jun looked up immediately.
She froze there, her best friend's eyes on her back.
"What exactly are you doing, Leiko?" the girl asked, judging.
"You're not the only one who barely got out," Gogo told him.
Ha-Jun shook his head in disbelief. "You have no idea what it means to lose someone."
Then, as if speaking of reality was too great, he got to his feet and wheeled out of the room.
"Ha-Jun!" Gogo was brought to action, "Ha-Jun," she raced out toward the doors that were closing.
She met her just as she threw herself into them.
"Don't even worry about me," he said proudly, "just go back to your team!"
"Ha-Jun!" she started to cry out herself, "c'mon! Let's just talk about this!"
A disdainful noise.
"I gave up EVERYTHING for this family! Probotting, joining the Jet Force, and you just ran off-!"
"I-I!" she tried to justify the last two-and-a-half years.
"Have your own life, I know!" he said bitterly. "See you."
Gogo tried desperately to break free and finally slipped out.
"So I guess," Mary Beth strolled up and Gogo saw immediately that she had prevented the doors from closing on her leg, "that you're going to need some time to think about merchandising rights."
Gogo growled.
"I don't have time for this!" She snarled.
Her friend smiled. "So what about Big Hero 6?"
A beat.
"They're more important things right now."
Gogo started to run when she noticed that her friends were standing behind her, stricken in shock.
"Gogo?" Fred implored.
"What part of THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU, didn't you-?"
Wasabi closed the doors and before Fred and Honey could look up, Gogo had wrapped them in her arms, pulling them down to her. Wasabi came over and held them as close as possible to his chest; there was some comfort here, but they knew that they needed to get to San Benjiidino immediately.
To be continued...
A/N:
Yes, we actually go to Dan Ben for a couple chapters next chapter, lol