Honey Lemon couldn't believe what she was seeing.
She had only just regained her consciousness and was able to sit up. The blast of the explosion had knocked her out and rendered her unable to move for far too long. It was only when she had heard Hiro scream that she managed to pull herself back. He sounded so desperate, she just knew that something horrible must have happened. And so she fought her way back up into a sitting position and tried to figure out what was happening. What she saw however made her heart ache and blood freeze.
Hiro was standing not too far from her, his whole body trembling and eyes fixed to Go Go and Wasabi. Obake and his robot children were standing amid them all, gun raised. Her eyes followed the barrel of the gun until she saw a body in a suit laying on the ground, not moving. She needed a moment to realize who it was, but when she did her heart missed a beat. It was Fred.
Fred had been shot. The realization set in and turned her whole body numb. If they didn't do something quick he might not be able to make it. She saw Go Go working on the wound in Fred's stomach and was more than thankful that Go Go was always able to keep her calm. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she watched her friends try to save Fred. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of something she could do to help … but there was nothing. Why was she so useless? Why was there nothing she could do to help?
But she didn't have much more time to think when Hiro suddenly collapsed in front of her. His knees buckled and he hit the ground with a gasp. Without having to think about it she was up and back on her feet within a second. She was dizzy but tried to push it aside so she could help her friends. Go Go and Wasabi were taking care of Fred, she needed to check Hiro to make sure he was alright. There was nothing more she could do at the moment. Or at least that's what she was telling herself.
"Stop."
Honey Lemon froze when Trina stepped between her and Hiro. He was cowering on the ground, shaking and crying. He seemed to be experiencing a panic attack, just like Tadashi once had, she thought. Seeing Fred get injured must have hit him hard, she could hear his flat breathing all the way over here. Trina pointed her rifle at her, keeping her frozen in place.
"You don't have to do this, Trina." Honey Lemon said quickly, the adrenaline keeping her up on her feet and steady as she spoke. She didn't know what she was doing, she just tried to follow her intuition. "Y-You and Hiro were friends, weren't you? Hiro needs help …" Trina glanced down at him and Honey Lemon thought she could see a hint of worry in the robot's eyes. "Stop this and let us go … This isn't the right thing to do."
"Shut up." Trina said and shook her head as if to rid herself of Honey Lemon's words. "My father knows what the right thing to do is. And I'll do anything I-" when Hiro cried out again Trina tensed and Honey Lemon could see that the robot had to fight the urge not to turn away from her and check on him.
She remembered how Hiro had told them about Trina. The girl his age that was at the botfights and that he was sort of mentoring. Back then they had all been furious with the boy for letting himself be dragged back into the botfighting world – but maybe it had been a good thing after all. Trina might have pointed a weapon at her right now but Honey Lemon could see the concern in the robot's face as they had to listen to Hiro crying and panting.
"Trina." Honey Lemon spoke up. She carefully took a step forward, careful as to not startle the girl. Maybe she would be able to change her mind. "You know just as much as I do that this isn't the right … Hiro isn't well. Fred is dying. This can't possibly be what you wanted to happen."
"I said shut up!" Trina said quickly, her voice a bit shaky. "I trust my father! No-one else!"
Honey Lemon saw Obake behind her turn around to face them. Her blood froze as she saw the mad expression on his face. The man seemed to have lost all control and all common sense. As Wasabi and Go Go worked on resuscitating Fred and stop his bleeding the man turned his back.
"Trina, listen to me." Honey Lemon hastily said. "You mean nothing to Obake. He'll scrap you for parts and throw you out just like he did with Baymax. You know he will. You're not his daughter, you're just being used as long as you're useful to him. Once you're of no use he'll-"
"Nonsense." Obake cut her off coldly and stood by Trina's side. "My only concern is the future of my children. And that includes Hiro."
Honey Lemon couldn't help but to let out an upset laugh and shake her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He's not yours and you can't possibly think that what you've done to him has been in his best interest. You made him forget his family!" Trina also looked upset at what she was hearing. "Just look at him! This is not what he needs!"
"Minor setback." Obake said and raised his gun. As he pointed it at Honey Lemon she froze and noticed Trina doing the same. Hiro didn't seem to hear them. "Once all triggers are eliminated, he'll be just fine. I shouldn't have stopped at his silly robot. You and your friends are next and once his aunt is gone as well he'll never be bothered again. He won't ever remember. Lucky for me I won't be bothered by his brother. That kid took care of himself." Honey Lemon felt anger rush through her veins. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This man, this horrible person, was speaking about Tadashi as if he was no-one and welcomed the fact that he had passed. She'd never thought that she could ever hate someone as much as she hated Obake right now.
It took all of her not to go for the gun. She knew that, even if she tried, he'd simply pull the trigger and she'd be done for.
When Obake placed his finger on the trigger and seemed to be just about to pull it, Trina suddenly intervened and said: "M-Maybe there's another way. You don't have to kill them."
But Obake ignored her and cocked the gun again. Honey Lemon had frozen in place and didn't know what to do. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. If he pulled the trigger there was no way she was going to get out of this.
However, when Trina suddenly moved everything seemed to stand still. Honey Lemon saw Trina go for the gun in slow motion, saw the robot girl's rifle fall to the ground. Trina wrestled with Obake for the gun for a moment before the shot went off and missed Honey Lemon by just an inch. She quickly caught herself and went for the rifle on the ground. But she wasn't the only one.
Hiro had reached for the rifle as well but was a bit too far away to get it. His face was reddened from all the tears and eyes bloodshot. She saw the fear in his face as Obake roared in frustration.
When Honey Lemon grabbed the rifle and armed herself she got back up just in time to see Obake push Trina off of him. Although she was a robot and much stronger than the man in front of her she seemed hesitant to hurt her so-called father. And that was probably why she was too slow to react when Obake pointed the gun at her and shot a bullet straight through her head.
Hiro gasped in shock as they had to watch electricity crackle and Trina's whole body implode in on itself. The expression on the robot's face was distorted in shock as she fell apart. Everything happened so fast that there was no time to react. Honey Lemon and Hiro had to watch as the remains of Trina scattered on the ground.
"T-Trina …" Hiro cried softly on the ground. He seemed numb with shock as he stared at the bunch of metal on the floor which had once been his friend.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way." Obake said and pulled the attention back onto him. "But I do not tolerate disloyalty. Hiro should know that."
Honey Lemon glared at him and pointed the rifle right at his face. "Don't worry, Hiro. We can fix Trina." She said. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw how Obake's other robot child, the burger, tried to join them but was held back by Wasabi. Go Go was still with Fred but judging by the look on her face she seemed to be making progress. Honey Lemon felt so thankful that Go Go was responsible enough to be up to date with all their emergency aid classes back at the university – she always had to skip them since she couldn't tolerate seeing blood.
When their eyes met Honey Lemon noticed Go Go signaling to her watch. She had to use the zoom feature on her helmet that Hiro had installed a while back. Luckily it was usable with tracking of eye movement so Obake wouldn't notice what she was doing. On the display she saw the tiny crest of the San Fransokyo department of police and felt relief wash over her – help was on its way. Obake was not getting out of this. They just had to keep him busy long enough.
"W-Why …?" Hiro suddenly asked and looked up at Obake. "W-Why are you doing this …? I trusted you …"
Obake raised a brow as he looked down at Hiro. For a moment the man seemed moved by the boy's words, but Honey Lemon quickly realized that she must have imagined it when the stern expression returned. "How touching." The man eventually spoke up, gun still raised and pointed at Honey Lemon. "But don't forget your role here, my boy. You're merely a means to an end. I need you to build something for me. Simple as that."
Hiro had frozen and seemed hurt by the man's words. Honey Lemon knew that Hiro didn't trust easily, but when he did, he trusted wholeheartedly and got attached. Hearing the man whom he had thought to be his teacher and mentor describe him as a means to an end must have been a shock. Especially after Obake had done everything he could to make sure that Hiro liked him. But this was only working in their favor, she thought. The more Hiro realized who Obake really was, the easier it would be for him to recover.
"Now," Obake spoke up again after a few moments of silence, "let's head back home."
"B-But-" Hiro was just about to speak but was interrupted by Wasabi's voice in the background.
"Yeah, Hiro. Let's head home." He had the burger robot pinned on the ground, unable to break free. Honey Lemon saw the little robot squirm and throw punches, but none of them hit. Wasabi seemed to have disabled the little one's weapons with his lasers. "And you're going to jail."
"It's over." Go Go said as she knelt by Fred's side. Honey Lemon's heart skipped a beat as she could see the bleeding in Fred's stomach had stopped. Go Go had wrapped a few cloths from Fred's suit and shirt around the wound. The clothes were soaked, but there was no more blood coming out. He was going to be alright, she thought.
When she glanced down at Hiro on the ground she saw that he had seen it, too. He was still trembling and shaking, but there was a smile spreading on his face as he looked at Fred. Honey Lemon couldn't help but feel like their luck was finally turning around. And she only felt even more encouraged when she could finally hear the sound of a chopper approaching – the police must have arrived.
Obake frowned and looked up at the sky just in time to see the large helicopter approach, the treetops budging under the strong gusts of wind. She could see the expression on the man's face darkening, he definitely knew that he was cornered and that there was no way out. It was over.
They finally had Obake just where they had wanted him – the rifle pointed at his face, Wasabi and Go Go cutting off his only way of escape and the police right above them.
When they heard the voice of the chief of police echo throughout the area, the sounds bouncing off the cliffsides, Obake seemed to get desperate. His long fingers were still gripping onto the gun, but he seemed more and more like an animal that was pushed into a tight spot. His knuckles had turned white and when the flashlight of the helicopter shone straight at him he got more upset.
"Well then." Obake eventually said and gritted his teeth, his eyes going from Honey Lemon to Wasabi, Go Go and ultimately to Hiro. "Looks like I need to change my plans."
"Don't do anything stupid." Go Go warned him from behind. "You're surrounded. One wrong move and you're done."
A grin spread on Obake's face as he listened to hear voice. The wind from the chopper was picking up more and more, making it harder to hear. And yet, when he spoke his voice echoed loud and clear over the cliffside: "Then I guess I'll need proper leverage."
Honey Lemon furrowed her brow as she tried to understand what he meant. She saw the confused expression on her friends' faces, too. However, when she caught a glimpse of Obake's eyes going back to Hiro on the ground it dawned on her – but it was too late.
The man moved so quickly that none of them had a chance to react. They were just a second too late. Honey Lemon dropped the rifle as she tried to reach Hiro before Obake could have, but it was no use.
Before they knew it Obake had grabbed Hiro and had his arm wrapped tightly around the boy's neck. Hiro yelped in shock and immediately grabbed onto Obake's arm as he was lifted off the ground, his feet dangling in the air. But the man was much stronger than Hiro and had no problem holding him up. When he pressed the gun against Hiro's temple he cried out in pain and Honey Lemon could see the wound open up again. She noticed tiny bits of blood dripping down his temple.
Hiro cried for him to let him go and struggled more and more, but Obake didn't budge. Instead he seemed to tighten his grip on Hiro's neck, causing the boy to gasp for air.
Honey Lemon heard the police order Obake to release Hiro immediately, but the man only laughed. "Move or I'll kill him!" he shouted at Honey Lemon. She was standing right between him and the cliffside. She hesitated, unsure what to do. If she moved there was no telling what the man would do. But if she didn't move there was no guarantee that he'd let Hiro live. He had shown time and time again tonight that, although she was sure that he cared for Hiro in some way, he wasn't above hurting him to get his way. And right now he was using him as leverage.
The police made a new announcement and pulled her back out of her thoughts. But this time it wasn't for Obake. It was for Honey Lemon. They ordered her to let him pass … and so she did.
All sorts of thoughts were racing through her head as she tried to understand what Obake was trying to accomplish with this. Was he trying to get away? Was he trying to take Hiro with him or was he going to leave him behind once he was in the clear? Or was this all just a suicide mission waiting to happen?
"Good girl." Obake chuckled lowly as he made his way past her, Hiro still held up in his tight grip. The wound was pressed tightly against his temple and Honey Lemon's heart broke when she saw all the blood soaking the boy's hair. Although it must have hurt, Hiro seemed to be in too deep of a shock to fully feel the pain. She saw him pulling on Obake's arm, trying desperately to break free and wished so badly to just help him.
"L-Let me go …!" Hiro cried shakily as Obake dragged him with him further to the edge of the cliff. "P-Please …!" heavy sobs were shaking his whole body as he continued trying his hardest to break free.
"Let him go, Obake!" Wasabi called and moved closer until he was standing next to Honey Lemon. He had his laser blades ready, but also didn't dare to move in too close. Out of the corner of her eyes Honey Lemon saw the burger robot on the ground, apparently shut off. There really was no-one left who could help Obake now. "There is no way you're getting out of this!"
"Oh, but I don't think you understand." Obake said with a chuckle. The spotlight of the chopper seemed to blind him as he moved further back towards the cliff. "A true man knows when he's beaten … and even I have to admit that it's over." He sighed and looked down at Hiro who was still struggling and gasping for air. "All I wanted was to build a better world for the future generation. And it was supposed to start with you, my dear boy."
Hiro coughed as he didn't seem to be getting enough air into his lungs. He glanced up at Obake and squirmed, his legs kicking back against the man's shins. But Obake didn't seem to be bothered.
"But this isn't the right way!" Honey Lemon gathered all her courage and shouted over the sound of the chopper that had finally landed. A few policemen left the machine and started gathering, weapons raised. Obake's eyes were moving from one person to the other and she thought that she could see his thoughts racing. "You can still build a better future for Hiro and all the other kids …! But not like this!"
Obake chuckled again and shook his head. "No, this isn't the right way. But it's too late now for a fresh start." He said and took another step back. His heels were almost over the edge of the cliff. Immediately the police stepped closer. A panic seemed to be just about to break loose. Hiro gasped when he noticed how close the cliff was and struggled more strongly, continuously calling out for help and for Obake to let him go. "Maybe you just weren't the right kid to start with." Obake said over the sound of Hiro's cries. "But don't worry, it'll soon be over. Because if I can't have my happy end," when he suddenly took a step back everyone froze for just a second, too shocked to react, "then neither should all of you."
Hiro's scream echoed over the cliffsides and rung in Honey Lemon's ears. The fraction of a second they all had frozen in shock had been enough for Obake to make his move. When Honey Lemon and everyone else rushed forward it had already been too late. They only saw Obake disappear as he had let himself fall off the cliff, his arm still gripping onto Hiro and dragging him down alongside him.
Honey Lemon screamed Hiro's name, panic having taken over. She kept hearing the boy's panicked scream in her head, it kept replaying over and over again. Her heart ached and breathing flattened as the realization of what had just happened washed over her – Obake had let himself fall off a cliff. And he had dragged Hiro with him. There was no way they were going to survive a fall like this.
There was no way … that Hiro would survive this.
Her heart hammered in her chest so hard that it hurt. She sprinted forward and was just about to jump after them when Wasabi held her back. He told her it was too dangerous and that they had to go down safely to look for Hiro. The calmness in his voice infuriated her, she didn't understand how he could stay this calm when their young friend had just been dragged down a cliff. Somewhere far away she heard Go Go's voice yell at the police, but it was like listening to her from behind a thick wall. Wasabi's voice reached her, but she couldn't really understand what he was saying.
Her eyes were fixed to the thick fog that spread just beneath the edge of the cliff. The ground couldn't be seen and she wasn't too sure whether there was water or land down there. With the cliff being so high … if they didn't land in water …
"Honey Lemon! Pull yourself together!"
She gasped when Wasabi suddenly shouted at her and shook her by her shoulders. She looked away from the fog and at her friend in front of her. When she saw the tears in his eyes her heart ached painfully.
"We have to get down there right now and look for Hiro, do you understand!?"
"Y-Yes …! Yes!" she needed a moment to recollect herself but when she did, she felt more confident than before. She couldn't let herself panic and lose control, not right now. Hiro needed them now more than ever. If the two of them had hit water down below the probability of survival was higher, but there would still be a significant risk of injury. And so Wasabi was right – there was no time to waste if they wanted to save Hiro's life.
And this time they would make sure that nothing would ever happen to him ever again.
*
