Disclaimer: Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. All technology in this episode is owned by Krei Tech.
Chapter 2 - Anti-Hiro
Such strange people, these police officers were.
The woman peered down from the rooftop to look at the entrance to the police station. Even at this time of night, people went in and out on a consistent basis. Some were getting off their duties, no doubt. Others were just starting their very long overnight shift, mugs of coffee in their hands. She could even see a half-eaten box of donuts through the window.
Stereotypes. You have to love them.
In a way, she appreciated those officers. They made her job a lot more interesting. What would be the joy of getting away with things if there was no one around to try to stop you?
Not that they ever did. It was those Big Hero 6 brats that were giving her the hardest time lately. Especially that Hamada kid…
Momakase shook her head, breaking her gaze from the station. It wasn't enough that she had spent a lot of time with him over the past two days. She had to think about him now, of all times.
It was just as well; she had enough of surveying the building. It was time to head to her hideout for the night, and get a fresh start in the morning. Maybe one that didn't involve Big Hero 6.
The woman took the jump over to the next building effortlessly. It had been quite a long time since she had been given a challenge. Normally, she could pick and choose whatever she wanted, and she would just get it. But now...
Well, she could still get whatever she wanted. It just took a little more effort these days. Especially with-
SNAP!
The sound of something metallic latching onto her arm took her out of her thoughts. Looking down at her wrist, she saw a thin, purple ring around it, the innards softly glowing blue.
"Hmm." She tried to wrench it off to no avail. "This is a fashion accessory I do not particularly care for."
The sound of three more metal circles snapping onto her appendages came right after that.
"What in the-"
All of a sudden, she felt her body getting lifted off of the ground and toward the nearest billboard. In a flash, her arms wrapped behind her back around one of the supports, the two metal bracelets magnetized together. The two on her feet latched on near the floor.
"How interesting."
A large ring came out of nowhere and went around her waist and the support, completing her ensnarement.
"Someone has taken all of the necessary precautions to ensure that I do not get away. Clever." Momakase strained her arm, reaching for one of her pocket knives. "Too bad they didn't think ahead."
"Don't even bother."
The woman looked up to see another person on the roof. The familiar purple hood, googles, and gloves were a dead giveaway. The mystery guest pulled down their hood to reveal the messy bush of black hair and brown eyes piercing at her.
"I laced them with reinforced titanium. You couldn't cut it even if you wanted to."
Momakase couldn't help but smile. "You do fast work. I'm quite impressed."
Hiro squinted at her, his mind going back to his last rooftop encounter with a mercenary. "Well, I've had practice with this sort of thing. I had to be prepared."
"Are you seeing other people on the side, boy?"
"I'm not in the mood, Momakase." Hiro held up his hand, the palm glowing with energy.
"Awww, are you still mad that I forced you to work with me? Or because you had to lie to your dear friends about it?"
"Neither. I'm over all of that. My friends understood why I did what I did."
"Then this fancy get-up is for..."
Hiro adjusted the goggles on his neck, his frown not wavering. "I want to ask you about something."
"My dear boy, you could have just sent a post like a normal person."
Ignoring her comment, the boy genius completed the walk up to her and stared at her face. "You told me that if I didn't help you, you would tell Chief Cruz our secret identities."
Momakase leaned her head to the side. "Yes, I did."
"...What stopped you?"
"Beg your pardon?"
Hiro clenched his fist, the restraints around Momakase going even tighter. "At any point...at any time...you could have gone to the police. You could have given us up straight away. But you didn't. You could have been done with us, and you would have been free to do whatever you want. Why?"
The woman went quiet for a moment, trying to disguise the fact that she had gotten ahold of her knife. Unluckily for her, Hiro wasn't having it. Energy waves came from his glove, magnetically latching onto the blade and launching it into his hand.
"I told you I wasn't in the mood, Momakase," he said as he lowered the knife to his side. "I want an answer."
Momakase smiled at him. "Yes, you do...but I'm not quite sure it's the answer you want. Nevertheless..." She shifted slightly in her binds. She definitely wasn't going to get out of them; there wasn't enough slack in the metal rings. "I suppose I've grown quite fond of your team. Keeps my life exciting, don't you think? I haven't had to work this hard since I started out in the business."
Hiro continued to look at her, saying nothing.
"I remember when I was but a young woman starting out on my first heist." Momakase's head tilted back, trying to reminisce on the details. "It was simple enough. I was stealing jewelry from a museum. I managed to get in by sheer dumb luck, but then I was caught by none other than Boss Awesome. I was so awestruck by him that I didn't even put up a fight. I told myself from that day forward, I would be a better villain. One that that old man would respect."
"So that's why he had a file on you," Hiro muttered.
"He did? I'm flattered. Glad to know that I left an impression on him."
"You still haven't really answered my question."
Momakase leaned forward a bit, her face close to Hiro's. "My dear boy, an important part of being a thief is this. Never, ever be the center of attention. If the spotlight hits you, you're in the wrong profession. Whether it's that fool Obake, that crazy woman Liv Amara, or Chief Cruz...I let those people take the attention away from me."
Hiro's eyebrows piqued, one of the names she said gathering his attention. "Wait. That's why Liv knew who it was me. You told her."
She nodded.
His ears started to burn, his anger threatening to boil over.
"How is your friend doing, by the way? The scientist girl?"
"Don't you dare." Hiro pointed at her, his face red. "Don't act like you care."
"Ahh, but I do." Momakase was no longer smiling. "I willingly accepted my enhancements, as well as everyone else in Liv's employ. But that girl...she didn't deserve that. She was merely a child in the wrong place at the wrong time. I actually tried to talk Liv out of putting the chip in her, but she wasn't having any of it."
"You were perfectly fine with kidnapping her and putting her on Akuma Island to lure us out."
"Yes, and you saved her. Everything worked out in the end. Like I said, I was merely carrying out an order for a higher power. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."
Hiro was mad now. It wasn't just because Momakase wasn't making any sense; it was because she was talking about Karmi like she was nothing. Like she was just some thing to exploit. Which...Karmi had been at that point, but the truth didn't make him feel any better.
"For the record," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "She's fine. She got cured. No thanks to you."
The smile returned to the mercenary's face. "I'm glad to hear that. Truly."
The two went quiet, Hiro's eyes still glaring at her and Momakase's attention going to a plane flying overhead. It wasn't until about a minute later that Hiro spoke up.
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"You'll have to be more specific," she replied, her eyes still upward.
"Ruining people's lives. Only looking out for yourself. Not caring about anyone. Must be a great life you have," he spat out.
"Oh, Hiro Hamada..."
Hiro stiffened up at the mention of his name.
"You don't know a single thing about me. I don't blame you, really. But that's the life for one such as myself."
"I know that you had a family."
Momakase stopped, looking back at Hiro.
"You had people who cared about you. And you cared about them." Hiro took a step back. "I saw the way you looked at those swords. It was like you were desperately trying to hang onto something. A memory."
"My dear boy, you should really leave the psychoanalysis for someone else. Perhaps your speedster. You don't really have the tone for it."
He took a breath in. "I have one last question."
"I suppose I could entertain you one last time. It's not as if I'm going anywhere."
"What happened to them?"
"Hm?"
"To your family."
Momakase then did something that even took Hiro by surprise: her eyes went to the ground, a hint of sadness in them, and said absolutely nothing. No retort. No witty comeback. No light joke about the predicament. Nothing.
Hiro blinked once. "They're not around, are they? They're-"
"Oh, they're not dead," she mumbled. "I just imagine that I'm dead to them."
Her voice was so devoid of sound that he barely caught the tail end of her sentence. He didn't have any time to dwell on it, though; her gaze was back at him. "Is this what you wanted, Hiro Hamada? Some sort of revelation that you will use later to try to turn me to the path of righteousness?"
"I..."
"Let me tell you something, Hiro Hamada." Her green eyes blinked as she stared at him. "Not everyone is meant to be understood. Not everyone is meant to be saved. Sometimes, what you see is what you get. All I am is a thief. A villain. That's all who I will ever be."
Hiro recoiled. This was more than he was expecting. She seemed to be genuine in her remarks. The sadness in her voice was startling. He had never heard her sound like that.
"I don't believe that."
Momakase raised her eyebrow at him.
"I may not have been doing the hero thing longer than you've been doing the villain thing, but I've seen a lot in these past several months. There's more to people than just the surface. Even you guys. I hated Obake more than anything. But there was more to even him than he was letting on. I don't condone anything that he did, but...I understood him."
Hiro sighed. "Liv's clone was trying to save her from a disease she injected willingly. Going that far for the sake of science and discovery...in some other universe, I would understand. Again, none of it justifies the means, but it makes sense."
"And Chief Cruz?"
"To be honest...I don't know what his deal is. He's never given any indication as to why he hates us. But I'm going to find out. And I'm going to make him understand."
"How hopelessly naive of you. You're just like his daughter."
"You're wrong, Momakase. I'll show you just how-"
Wait. Hold on.
Hiro stopped himself. Something that she had said made his brain take a mental step back. The mercenary must have noticed as well, because her eyes widened at his expression.
"Something the matter, Hiro Hamada?"
"...How do you know he has a daughter?"
Momakase blinked.
Hiro blinked.
The seagull on the roof blinked.
Both humans turned to see the bird staring back at them. After a moment, apparently bored of the silence, it flew off into the night. The aviary distraction now behind them, Hiro's attention went back to the woman in front of him.
"He's only been in the city for a little while. He hasn't been around that long. So how on Earth do you know that he has a daughter?"
Momakase opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"You know him. From something that happened before."
She didn't look at him.
"Do you know his daughter, too? Do you know Megan?"
OK, now she really wasn't looking at him.
"You know both of them, don't you?"
The only sound now was the air whistling through the slats of the billboard she was stuck to. He could cut the air with a knife...and he still had hers in his hand if he wanted to.
"Well." She finally spoke up. "This has been quite the entertaining chat, but alas, I do have to get going. The early bird gets the painting, as they say."
"The worm," Hiro said. "It's the worm."
"Not in my profession, it's not."
He sighed, then raised his arms. His gloves started glowing again, and the restraints unclipped and returned to around his glove, snapping back into circles.
"Interesting little contraptions you got there," Momakase said, rubbing her wrists. "I don't suppose you could let me have some of those. Would make my job a lot-"
She realized that she was talking to an empty rooftop; the boy genius had already departed, leaving no trace of his presence.
"...Easier..."
Momakase saw the knife the boy had taken away was stuck to the roof, right where he was standing. She stepped forward and grabbed it by the handle, twirling it a bit before putting it back in its sheath.
"If you can still hear me, boy," she yelled out as she jumped to the edge of the roof, "Send that girl my regards. I meant what I said about her, regardless of whether you believe me or not. She is a lucky girl...to have someone like you on her side."
With that, she flipped off of the roof and out of sight. Content that she was actually gone, Hiro took off his goggles and turned off his invisibility, standing on the air conditioning unit in the corner. All he could do was stare at the place she had jumped, his head swimming with a whole new list of thoughts that he didn't have before.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My apologies for the lateness of this upload; I had a hard time writing and thinking of ideas. But better late than never, I guess.
For those of you who follow me on DevArt, I had a theory that I made before the new episodes started airing that there was something more to Momakase than she (and the showrunners) were letting on. I laid out the theory that Momakase was actually Megan's mom, driven away from her and Chief Cruz by her villainy and possibly other forces.
Now, it was just a theory, and it appears that will not be the case in the show. But what fun is that if I don't play up that angle a little bit? Besides, Momakase can possibly still know them from earlier in her career. Megan just doesn't have to be the link between them. And for the record, I think that she is hiding something about her family. What it is exactly I don't know. Maybe that'll get revisited in Season 3.
The latest episode will have already aired by the time this goes up, and luckily I already have a good idea. It involves Hiro and Megan and the struggles of secret keeping. And just to be on the sadistic side, we're going to have "KHeartsQT" show up.
And yes...the quotes are important.
Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.