Chapter 7

Electricity wasn't available to all areas of the Institute, mostly to conserve the solar energy cells that were used to power the back-up generators. Fortunately the big, round window in the Hamada lab helped illuminate the room without lights. Being a high tech institute, the buildings also were designed to hold up through an earthquake, or three.

Unfortunately, without power, Hiro still had to take what he needed with him back to Fred's. He also had taken his super suit off before they came, which was good, because their friendly SFIT security guard team was back out in full force. No power also meant no door locks, and a lot more nervous guards.

GoGo leaned on a desk, chewing on a new piece of gum. She reluctantly watched the disgruntled robotics engineer place his brother's ball cap on a still upright cabinet, before lifting the toppled shelf off a pile of various parts on the floor. It was only a month ago that Hiro got Baymax fully functional again, so he still had many spare parts on hand in the event of any malfunctions. But when she tried to help him look, he had barked at her to stop. Hiro was definitely hiding something, the speedster decided. Even though he wasn't very forthright about many things, the genius rarely held back about talking about his projects. This piqued her concern.

"It still doesn't make sense that they tazed Baymax, but not the gang members." The young genius roughly pushed aside a large box on the floor, after dropping some wiring in it. "I mean, how come they didn't have any spare taser guns afterwards?"

He was clearly venting, so GoGo decided to not respond to that question right away. Instead, she just popped her gum, loudly.

"The guy he brought in was obviously in need of help!" Hiro paused, only long enough to scratch his head as he tried to figure out where something else was.

"Totally got to rework his armor. Make it so that it could transform down into a backpack whenever he's somewhere that he HAS to be 'non-threatening'... Like clinics. Recharge platform will also go with him, wherever he goes. I should have done that initially. And if I can modify the rockets, everything will be portable! Why didn't I think of that before..." Hiro was actually starting to run short on his breath, so he stopped talking for a while again.

GoGo sighed, crossing her arms. He was being much more on edge as the day had progressed. But from her past experiences, cornering him about it tended to make his temper flare. It was better to just let him come out with it on his own, if they could help it.

He caught her gaze briefly, as if he noticed her concern, but turned away while shaking his head.

"To be honest," GoGo started after popping another bubble. "I think those asswipes got there about when Baymax arrived. The guards probably jumped to conclusions –"

"But how is that supposed to make it better?" The younger Hamada shot back. "I never took Baymax bot fighting!"

"Wait, what does bot fighting have to do with this?" she stood up to face him. Was that a hint? She really did not expect bot fighting to come up, because all of them thought he was done with that.

"Everything else seems to be my fault, so why not!?" Hiro growled back her, waving a hand in the air.

"I was just pointing out what I noticed at the hospital," GoGo took another step closer, watching him intently. "But it does look like you are hiding something."

"What do you mean?" He returned her intense gaze with his own.

GoGo held her eyes on him, debating on how hard to push now. But since he asked, she felt she had to come out with it. "Just earlier, you told me to stop looking through your stuff. I just wanted to help you!"

"That was because I really didn't need your help!" Hiro raised his voice louder, triggering her anger as well.

"Don't be so f-ing ridiculous, Hiro! The way you're acting... you need help!" She held out her hands to stress her point.

The teen looked at her for a moment before he threw the items he was holding in haste into the box.

"I don't. So get out!" He stepped up to roughly push her toward the door.

"Stop it, Hiro." GoGo gripped his arms and braced against him as she held her ground.

"No, leave!" He still pushed against her with his arms.

"Hiro, stop. Stop." She firmly repeated herself as she looked at younger Hamada, trying to make eye contact. Even though he avoided looking at her, she noticed Hiro's eyes dart to the doorway before he turned away and kicked at some clutter on the floor.

GoGo turned to see Wasabi there at the door, just slightly speechless.

"Why do I keep walking into these?" He asked gingerly. Fred was shadowing behind him in the hall with a look torn between amusement and surprise.

"Lover's spat?" Fred boldly teased her.

"Don't.. go there," GoGo shot him a look, then walked out of the lab and closed the door behind her. She didn't want to stop and think about how much the others knew about her and Hiro, behind her back.

"Something's got him worked up," she sighed.

"No joke." Wasabi leaned on the cabinet size 3D printer sitting on a hand cart, something that Hiro requested from downstairs.

"How long should we wait?" Fred glanced back toward the Hamada lab, showing more concern about the situation. He held a box that contained sealed jugs of chemicals, along with Honey Lemon's chem-ball purse. Even though she couldn't be with them to help, she gave her teammates some formulas they could use in any future rescues that day.

"Five minutes," GoGo checked her phone, before pocketing it again. That should be long enough for Hiro to cool off, before they approached him again. It was early in the afternoon, and quite frankly, she was also starving. No doubt the others had to be just as hungry too since they had been going non-stop since this morning. "I got some energy bars back in my desk at the lab. We should grab some before going."

"Can't argue with that!" Fred grinned.


What's wrong with me?

Hiro paused to one side of his lab trying to clear the swirl of angry thoughts from his brain.

Why did I start yelling at her like that? Why does she make me so mad? I like her... why do we fight so much?

Did I just tell her I was bot fighting…?

The last two thoughts hit him with more guilt and the younger Hamada groaned in disgust with himself. Hiro took a few steps over to sit at his darkened computer desk in a defeated heap. He closed his eyes as he held his head in his hands, trying to push out those thoughts of despair again.

What bothered him most was his loss of control over his temper, his mood swings, and sudden bouts of anxiety. Why is it plaguing him now? What is he doing differently? Why?

No.. It's not her. It's me... she just triggers it. Not only fiery explosions trigger it, but so do earthquakes. And Baymax. And... angry hospital guards.

How the frag am I supposed to be a good leader if I keep freaking out?

He gritted his teeth and turned away from the desk on his swivel chair. Anything that involved fire and explosions were self-explanatory. PTSD. The first time he experienced it on a noticeable level, it was when they were helping the kids out of the burning orphanage a few weeks ago.

The earthquakes? That was a whole different thing. They have always freaked him out, for as long as he could remember. All those what-if rumors about the next big one from the San Andreas dragging the whole state of California into the ocean had never made it easy for him to sleep many nights after every earthquake they had. Tadashi thought he was just getting too much into those crazy doomsday reports. He couldn't help it. If they weren't so unpredictable, and so devastating, he might have had an easier time dealing with the shakers.

But this time, it was the first earthquake without his brother. No one else really knew about his little fear of them. That, coupled with everything else, it's a wonder he wasn't any worse today.

Everything's just been so damn unpredictable. It's the unknown variables that make it hard –

His thoughts were cut short by Fred's sudden voice over comm-link. "Heathcliff, the natives are getting restless. Prepare to pick us up ASAP!"

Hiro took that as clue to stop sulking and hurry up with finding the rest of the parts he needed.


Wasabi slid the lab door open again, telling the security guard that had followed them back up to not worry. They will be leaving. "Hey," he walked in first. "Everything good now, little man?"

"Maybe," came the muttered response. Hiro was sitting cross-legged on the floor by one of the box of parts he was going to take. He looked up from the smaller container full of fuses he was sorting through to acknowledge the two.

"Peace offering?" GoGo squatted down to give him a bag of gummies that she knocked out of the vending machine earlier (much to the guard's chagrin) and his favorite energy drink (that she took from him the day before).

Hiro looked over to her, then the gummy bears and the can, before taking them. "Sorry."

"S'kay," a smile played on her lips when she punched the nerd. "We're a team, and looking out for each other is what we do."

"Like now, we gotta roll. The guards are getting fed up with us being here." Wasabi remained in the doorway.

"Go ahead, we'll catch up." Hiro told him and just put the whole container of fuses in the box to pick through later. "Still gotta grab a couple more things."

Another short but jerky tremor hit, just as he and GoGo were picking up the boxes. Hiro ungracefully lost his balance and fell into GoGo. But as they were helping each other up, she noticed how clingy he was for a moment, and then he suddenly felt the need to tell her something.

"Sorryearthquakestotallyfreakmeout." The sentence was exhaled in one breath as a barely audible confession.

GoGo paused to look at him, before straightening up with her box again. "What was that?"

Her eyes met his, noticing that fleeting moment of anxiety, maybe even indecision, in what he wanted to say. "Earthquakes.. freak me out." Hiro told her, more slowly now.

"Earthquakes freak you out," She repeated as she kept her face unreadable, even though his reaction was so adorkable. She did appreciate what he was trying to say, but it also felt like a lame cover for something even more concerning.

"That's what's been bothering me." Hiro tried to explain as he picked up his box.

"Focus. Overcome. There is no illusion greater than fear." The speedster quoted as they walked into the hallway.

"It's not that simple!"

"Hey, do you want that to be your problem forever, or not?" She reasoned, only because she saw that Hiro at least had that determination to become better. Wasabi, on the other hand, he was so wrapped up in his OCD ways that it seemed like he would never get over his issues.

Hiro sighed audibly, getting her point as he followed behind. "Just.. don't tell anyone else."

GoGo volleyed another comeback for him, just because she felt he needed the reality check. "Hey, it's not like half the people in San Fransokyo are also scared shitless. Woman up, nerd boy. We're on a mission."

He was silent for another beat, most likely realizing she was putting the initial wish he had earlier right back into his mouth. That was to go back out and help look for others in the hardest hit areas. "Right."


The four of them sat facing each other on the leather covered seats in the passenger compartment of the black and gold Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. The deflated Baymax and his nested armor was stacked up on the seat next to the window to make room for the three large boxes of supplies sitting in the space in between their knees.

Hiro was still secretly fascinated by the helicopter, even though he also felt guilty at the same time for having easy access to such luxurious transport when so many other people in the city were struggling to get out.

"Okay, from the top again," Wasabi wanted to make sure their next steps were clearly stated. "Once we get to Fred's, Hiro is going to fix up Baymax. While he's doing that, we check out the news and reports to see which hard hit areas to go to next."

"And eat!" Fred interjected.

"Correct," Hiro said, glancing warily from Fred back to Wasabi. He took another gulp from his energy drink, thinking of anything else. "Might have to split up if we need too."

"I just have one question..." Fred paused in devouring his second protein bar to finally address a detail that had been bugging him. "My suit's not exactly equipped to do rescues, buddy. We were just trained to fight crime."

"Yeah, I realized that," Hiro scratched his head. "All of us need more upgrades to our suits, actually." Already, he was mentally listing what he needed to do to everyone's suits to better accommodate them for earthquake search and rescue work.

A few minutes passed before they finally landed on a concrete helipad adjacent to the detached hanger style garage apart from the Lee mansion. They unload and carry everything across the green manicured lawns back toward the house.

"Seriously, how come your place doesn't even look like there's been a gazillion earthquakes today?" Wasabi had to ask, once they got inside. Nothing looked out if place and the lights were operational.

"I guess it's also earthquake proof?" Fred mused. "That, or Heathcliff had started supergluing everything down. Just because are training sessions are that intense."

"Why do I find that last statement believable?" GoGo glanced at Wasabi.

"Why are you lookin' at me?" The big guy tried to feign innocence on that count.

"It could also be that there's this abandoned subterranean SHIELD base under the mansion." Fred shrugged, like it was nothing important.

"Uhm, what?"

"You were waiting until now to tell us this?" GoGo set her box down to look at him.

"Not exactly. Just a matter of circumstance." Fred turned stopped to open another door. "I just found out myself a month ago. My Dad's retired, so you know... he just doesn't use it anymore."

The others just exchanged glances, otherwise giving Fred that opportunity to seize the moment.

"But. I'm sure we could!"

"Is... that okay?" GoGo thought to ask.

"Should be..." Fred shrugged. "Remember that when I told him we were starting up a new superhero team, he said he would be glad to help if we needed anything."

Hiro suddenly found himself conflicted. He had to stay on track about getting Baymax repaired, but he also wanted to check this intriguing new place out. Maybe they could use it like a lab. "Is it powered with generators too?"

"We can find out!" Fred beamed, before turning to show them the way to where the hidden entrance was.


AN: Whoo. Sorry everyone! A thing called work changed around my schedule again, otherwise making timely updates difficult once more. And then there is summer, the kids are out of school too, looking for things to do! Yey! Right...

So, yes... Not much happened action wise this chapter, because I wanted to hit on more character development again. I like playing with the fact that Hiro is not much of a people person (kind of like me). I won't say anti-social though. It looks like he just has a hard time opening up about what is really bugging him, especially if it means more trouble to him and others.

And yes, more revealing truths are making themselves known. ;D

Please review, I like to know what you think! Things are only going to get more interesting with each chapter... A slow build, but it's getting there!