Chapter 2
"Oh, no," Honey Lemon whispered as Hiro and Baymax disappeared through the hole in the ceiling.
"Well, there goes our ride," Gogo stated.
"Wait! You mean we're stuck on this spooky island?" Wasabi asked in a rather panicked tone.
"No worries, dudes. I figured we might need a way to transport Yokai and the microbots, so I have Heathcliff on standby with the family chopper. All I have to do is call him and he'll pick us up toot sweet. That's Spanish for right away."
"Uh, it's really not," Honey Lemon pointed out.
"Do it. But I want to look around before we go," Gogo said.
"Wait, what? You want to spend extra time on the scary island? Why?" Wasabi demanded to know.
"Think about it. Someone had to turn on the power in here and why would Callaghan do it if all he was doing was stealing that portal? There has to be something else in here, maybe even the reason why he's doing this and what he's planned to do next."
The others exchanged looks.
"Well, it couldn't hurt to look while we're waiting for Heathcliff," Honey Lemon conceded.
"Yeah! Maybe this is his secret lair or something!" Fred enthused even as he grabbed his phone to send Heathcliff a text.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but fine, we'll do it your way," Wasabi reluctantly agreed.
"Good. First things first, I say we try and find a copy of that camera feed from earlier. Callaghan obviously didn't like that we were looking at it, so it might have some clues."
"Hey, should we try that door?" Fred asked as he pointed at a door with a red light positioned above it that was situated on the lower level of the room.
"Might as well. Let's go."
The door led to a long, branching hallway deep in the bunker. The lights were at full power and the room with its door standing open showed signs of recent habitation.
"Whoo! Jackpot!" Fred cried out as he pushed into what looked like a kitchen.
"Looks like a break room," Wasabi said as he noted the stockpile of food and tied off bags of trash.
"Uh, guys?" Honey Lemon said. She was looking at one of the two chairs standing at the room's single small table in dismay.
"Man, it looks like the professor was expecting some unwilling company for dinner," Fred stated.
"What's he planning on doing? Kidnapping Krei?" Gogo asked with a frown, smacking her gum.
"No," Wasabi stated bluntly. "There's been another person here. All of the food supplies and resulting trash say as much. It's too much for one person to have gone through since the fire."
"What?" Honey Lemon gasped in dismay even as she cast another look at the chair with chains attached to the legs and shuddered.
"An accomplice?" Gogo offered hesitantly.
"Ooh! Maybe they brain-washed Professor Callaghan to make him evil!" Fred suggested, only to wince when Gogo punched his arm.
"There's got to be more than this," she insisted. "Spread out and look around."
They went back to the hall and each one of them took a door.
"I've got a bedroom. Professor Callaghan's judging by the size of the clothes on the floor. He needs to do laundry," Wasabi stated.
"This one's locked," Gogo called from the door across from him.
"Empty storage closet," Fred announced from down the hall.
"Ooh! Workroom!" Honey Lemon enthused as she entered her room. She was already at the computer in the room and downloading the camera feed onto a USB stick when the others joined her.
"There! Silent Sparrow video downloading! Now to see if there's anything else... oh my god."
"What?"
Honey Lemon just shook her head and opened a video in reply. Everyone froze at what came up on the screen.
"This is Tadashi Hamada and it's been two weeks since I was kidnapped by Robert Callaghan. I'm putting this video with the information on Silent Sparrow in hopes that someone comes looking for it. I'm not entirely certain what he has planned for me but, just in case, tell my family I love them-"
"Wasabi! The locked door by Callaghan's room!" Gogo ordered as she sprinted from the room.
"Right!" Wasabi agreed as he ran after, Fred and Honey following. Once at the door, opening it was just a matter or cutting off the hinges. It was dark inside the room but the light in the hall allowed them to see someone flinch as the door hit the ground.
"Oh my god!" Honey Lemon gasped as she fumbled the room's lights on. "Tadashi!"
Blindfolded, gagged, and firmly bound to a medical berth, Tadashi Hamada nevertheless turned his head in Honey Lemon's direction and made a muffled noise before struggling against the straps holding him down.
"Hold still, man. I'll cut you free," Wasabi stated as he carefully brought his plasma-induced lasers into play.
"Yeah. We got you, dude," Fred added reassuringly even as Gogo removed the gag and blindfold. Tadashi winced visibly at the light and gasped once the gag was gone.
"Guys? You're here? Callaghan told me you were dead," Tadashi said, the hope in his voice enough to bring tears to any eyes that were still dry. Then he noticed what they were wearing.
"What're you... God, I'm hallucinating again, aren't I?"
"No! No, you're really not!" Honey Lemon quickly tried to reassure him even as they all helped him sit upright. Every single one of them kept a hand on his shivering form, as if they couldn't quite believe he was there, alive and in front of them. "We're here!"
"What are you wearing?"
"Super suits! Aren't they awesome?" Fred enthused as he struck a pose.
"Hiro made them," Honey Lemon added.
"Hiro? He's here?" Tadashi exclaimed as he pulled himself off the bed, only to sway dangerously before his friends caught him.
"Not anymore," Gogo explained. "He went after Callaghan."
"He wouldn't have gotten far, though," Wasabi insisted. "Baymax's advanced scanner was damaged. Hiro will have to fix it first."
Tadashi just looked even more confused.
"Your robotic nurse managed to scan Professor Callaghan when he donned a mask and tried killing us in a car chase," Gogo stated.
"My car's still in the bay," Wasabi lamented.
"Wait, that happened?! With you here, I thought... I thought he was lying."
"We're not that easy to kill," Gogo stated with a smile. "Now let's get you home to your little brother before he does something really stupid. Fred, where's that chopper?"
"Making a landing now. Ready when you are."
"Let me just grab that USB," Honey Lemon insisted as she ran to get it.
"I'm more than ready to leave. And maybe you can explain what the hell I've missed, because I've got to be dreaming this," Tadashi replied unsteadily.
"Of course. Come on. Let's get you home."
"Tadashi is here."
"Tadashi is dead!" Hiro shouted before breaking down, laying his head against Baymax's vinyl front. He brokenly whispered, "Tadashi's gone and he's not coming back."
"Tadashi is here," Baymax insisted.
"Hiro?"
Hiro's eyes popped open even as he froze. Slowly, fearfully, hopefully, he turned his head towards the garage door where he could see his big brother standing there like some sort of spirit. Except Tadashi hadn't looked like the ghost standing there.
The person standing in the garage entry was pale like he hadn't seen any sun in weeks and had dark circles under his eyes so big it looked like he'd taken a punch to the face. His hair was getting too long for it's current cut and the clothes didn't fit. The belt looked like it was barely holding on the pants and the sweatshirt was so old and ratty that it exposed most of one shoulder. Overall, he looked young and uncertain and vulnerable in a way Hiro had never seen Tadashi be and, even as Hiro stared, he shivered as if cold.
"Hiro?" he repeated and it was Tadashi's voice. Hiro found himself responding to that voice, taking one step towards the apparition and then another before Tadashi apparently decided to stop waiting and bridge the gap between them himself. Hiro found himself pressed into a hug against a warm, living, familiar body that trembled as it held him.
"Where... where were you?!" Hiro shouted between sobs as he clung to his brother because it was Tadashi. It was.
"Oh, Hiro, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Tadashi babbled in response, "I tried to leave but I couldn't get away. He... Callaghan, he wouldn't let me go. I should've tried harder. God, I never meant to leave you alone."
"Wait, what?" Hiro asked, pushing away to actually look at his brother before ordering, "Baymax, scan Tadashi."
"Scanning patient. Scan complete. Although currently experiencing elation and concern, neurotransmitter levels suggest the patient has been under intense, long-term stress. Other symptoms include signs of general malnutrition, especially a severe lack of vitamin D, a depressed immune system due to lack of proper sleep, as well as several contusions of varying age, particularly around the wrists and ankles. Patient also shows signs of tremors, although I am currently unable to determine if they are essential, physiological or psychogenic.
"Recommended treatment: making sure patient is safe, warm and comfortable and cold compresses for the bruises. Long-term care to include proper meals and adequate sleep at timed intervals and psychological treatment."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Tadashi admitted with a dry laugh before yelping when Baymax swept him off his feet and placed him on the couch. Tadashi immediately scrambled back to his feet, breathing harsh and fast.
"My apologies. I seem to have distressed the patient further," Baymax stated in a surprisingly worried tone for a robot.
"Ya think?"
Both brothers turned to the garage entry to see their friends.
"Guys! You- He's here! Tadashi's alive!"
"Who do you think found me, bonehead?" Tadashi asked with a breathless laugh even as he calmed.
"What? You guys... Wow. Uh, thanks."
"No problem. But next time, how about not leaving your team stranded on the spooky island?" Wasabi said with a smile. Hiro slapped his head.
"Oh god, guys, I'm sorry!"
"No problem, little dude. I had Heathcliff pick us up in the family chopper."
"Yeah, about that..." Tadashi began.
"He's rich," everyone echoed.
"Really?"
"Yep. And you should probably be sitting down," Hiro said as he tugged Tadashi back to the couch. "What was that anyway?"
"Ah. I, uh... Callaghan didn't exactly give me a lot of autonomy, especially after I punched him," Tadashi admitted even as he stubbornly refused to let Hiro sit him down on the couch. "Baymax moving me reminded me of Callaghan using the microbots to do the same."
"I shall make a note to try and obtain the patient's permission before attempting treatment," Baymax said.
"Go back to the bit where you punched Callaghan," Gogo insisted.
"Not much to say. He mentioned your car chase and said you were dead and I punched him for it, for all the good it did me. I pretty much wasn't allowed to move on my own after that," Tadashi admitted, giving a full body shudder even as his eyes took on a distant look, as if remembering something highly unpleasant.
"Would you like me to warm you?" Baymax asked.
"Huh? Oh. Sure."
Baymax wrapped himself around Tadashi from behind and started glowing. Tadashi melted into the embrace with a sigh and a pat on the robot's arm.
"Thanks, buddy."
"I don't get it," Hiro admitted as he paced. "We know Callaghan set the fire and stole my microbots, but why'd he take you, Tadashi? Heck, why's he doing any of this?"
"Because of Abigail," Tadashi replied before looking at Honey Lemon and asking, "Does that USB drive you grabbed have any of the Silent Sparrow footage?"
"That's pretty much all it is," Honey Lemon confessed as she produced the drive.
"Good. You guys need to see this."
"Oh, is it the magic hat video? Because that was pretty cool." Everyone gave Fred looks.
"Sort of," Tadashi conceded as he pulled away from Baymax to sit at the computer. He fast-forwarded to where Krei was demonstrating with the hat but pulled up a different feed, one where Callaghan was embracing the pilot before she headed for her pod.
"Wait, he was there?!"
"And who's the pilot? They looked really close."
"That is Abigail Callaghan," Tadashi stated as he paused on an image of the pilot, "Robert Callaghan's only child. She was my TA in Applied Aerodynamics my freshman year and we hit it off really well. So well that Callaghan apparently thought we were dating."
"Dude, aren't you gay or something?"
"Asexual, yeah, not that Callaghan wanted to hear that. He's convinced we were steps away from being father- and son-in-law.
"I don't know what he was thinking when he saved me from the explosion. Maybe that I'd help him get revenge against Krei. But he was also protective. Really protective. You can't get hurt if you're safely locked away," Tadashi stated bitterly.
"So he didn't have any plans for you? It was just some odd emotional attachment?"
"As far as I know. I know he didn't plan on killing me or anything, but he also didn't plan on letting me go. He kept trying to wear me down to make me more compliant and he once mentioned starting over as father and son," Tadashi admitted bleakly. "But not before he'd gotten revenge on Krei. He... he's planning on using the portal to rip apart Krei Tech's newest building at its grand opening."
"That's tomorrow," Wasabi pointed out.
"So we've got until then to come up with a plan to take him down," Hiro said confidently.
"Are you really going to take him head on?" Tadashi asked incredulously. "He's got to know I'm not on the island anymore and I know his plans! What if he changes them? Hell, I'm proof he's up to something! Why aren't we going to the police?"
There was a pause as everyone exchanged looks.
"I don't know how much good they'd do, but having the police as back-up's not a bad idea," Gogo pointed out. Hiro sighed as he ran his gloved fingers through his hair before shoving his helmet back on.
"Yeah, maybe. Look, why don't we discuss this upstairs? At least there we'll all have places to sit while we talk."
There were murmurs of agreement and they turned to head into the café properly only to stop when Tadashi froze.
"Tadashi? What's wrong?" Hiro asked, feeling alarmed by the expression on Tadashi's face.
"I just realized that Aunt Cass is going to freak when she sees me."
"Yeah, probably," Hiro agreed, relaxing and grinning at his brother. "Come on. Let's get it over with."
"Right."
Tadashi had been intellectually aware for the entire time he'd been help captive that his supposed death had to be killing his family, but coming face-to-face with Hiro's grief had been what really drove it home. He wasn't looking forward to Aunt Cass's reaction. At least it was late enough that the café shouldn't be too busy. In fact, the Closed sign was hanging in the door.
"Uh, Hiro? Is there a reason your aunt closed up early?" Wasabi asked as they approached the door so they could get to the side entry.
"No," Hiro replied in a worried tone as he fumbled for his house keys. Once he opened the door, Hiro hesitantly called out, "Aunt Cass?" There was no answer.
"Lights are still on in the café and kitchen," Gogo observed.
"Yeah," Tadashi agreed before glanced up at the darkened upstairs.
"Maybe she's in the bathroom?" Fred suggested but everyone could tell that even he didn't believe that.
"Okay, we'll start with the ground floor and work our way up. Stick together and try not to ruin the place. Okay, guys?" Hiro ordered.
"Right."
Tadashi paused as everyone trooped through the door that separated their apartment stairs from the café. Then he looked up. Despite being dark, he had the distinct impression that up was the way to go.
"Uh, guys?" he began.
"Stay there. We'll be back," Hiro ordered before heading through the kitchen doors, Baymax on his heels.
"And if anything happens, run," Gogo advised before following. Tadashi frowned as they all disappeared from view. He knew they were just trying to protect him and there was the fact that they all had weapons and he didn't, but their actions just made him angry. He'd been dismissed, commanded, and controlled for weeks now by his kidnapper and he wasn't about to let his friends and brother set him safely aside for his own good. Screw his own good!
Tadashi went up the stairs. Aunt Cass was there, sitting in a chair facing the stairs, hugging Mochi on her lap. Her eyes widened and one hand went to her mouth in shock at the sight of him. Then her eyes darted to their apartment's kitchen and back to him right before she shouted, "Run!"
The dark shadows in the kitchen moved. Tadashi was down the stairs and out the door in seconds only to pause when he was at the traffic light not far outside. No one had followed him out. His family and friends were in there and he couldn't bring himself to leave while they were in danger. Grabbing a random passerby, he ordered, "Call the police!" before he ran back inside.
The sound of footsteps thundering on the stairs made Gogo look up with a frown, aware of the others doing the same.
"Tadashi!" Hiro cried out as he ran for the door separating the kitchen area from the café. He didn't make it before the door burst open and a tidal wave of microbots swamped them. Gogo tried pushing back, to move away, but the space was too enclosed and there were too many microbots. They opened the freezer behind her and shoved her in, Honey Lemon landing practically on top of her. She'd barely managed to stand when Wasabi and Fred were shoved into the small space, making her feel claustrophobic. They Baymax was shoved in and there was literally no room to move as she was shoved up against the back of the freezer.
"Hiro!" Baymax called out just before the freezer door shut, locking them into the cold. The overhead light went dark.
"Watch your elbow!"
"Sorry, man."
"Ow! That was my foot."
"Sorry."
"The temperature in here is far too cold to be healthy in the long run. The longer we stay, the more likely you are to develop hypothermia. Activating heater."
"Great, Baymax, thanks," Gogo stated rather sarcastically as she was a bit far from the robot to actually appreciate any warmth he was radiating, as she was squished between a full shelf, the back wall, most of Honey Lemon, and part of Wasabi. She added, "Now, how about getting us out of here?"
"My arms are trapped to my sides by the shelves," Baymax calmly informed them, "And I do not possess enough room to attempt a kick."
"Great. Just great," Gogo muttered.
"Wasabi, man, can you cut us out?" Fred asked.
"Without harming anyone? The only safe place to cut would be the door and I'd have to somehow get past you and Baymax first."
"Right. Honey Lemon?"
"Sorry, Freddy," Honey Lemon said from where she was practically under a shelf as she hadn't quite made it upright before Wasabi had been pushed in, "I'm in an even worse position than Wasabi. The door really is the safest place to try getting out, what with the electrical work and freon and everything, and I can't even reach my purse right now."
"I might be able to reach the touchpad on your purse," Gogo offered.
"Could you catch the ball that comes out? Or get the right chemical combinations?"
Gogo winced and shook her head as she admitted, "Nope, sorry."
"Then that won't work," Honey Lemon stated dejectedly.
"Man, there's got to be something we can do," Fred insisted worriedly.
"While it will not help with the bulk of my armor, I can deflate," Baymax offered before warning, "I would need to turn off my heater first, which is not recommended."
"And I wouldn't recommend staying stuck in here," Gogo bit out.
"If it would give us the space we need to maneuver, then I say do it," Wasabi commanded.
"Very well. Please wait while I deflate."
Gogo hadn't realized how much a difference Baymax's heater had actually made until it turned off. She shivered, then grimaced at the high pitched whine that followed. Fred giggled.
"I'm gonna have words with Tadashi about your design once we're out of here," Gogo threatened.
The gauntlets of Baymax's armor thumped against the floor as he deflated and Fred shuffled forward into the space he'd gained.
"Fred, if you can crouch down, I should be able to climb on top of you and reach past Baymax to the door," Wasabi stated.
"Right. Oof! Man, you're heavy."
"Quit complaining and woman up."
It was beyond awkward and Gogo was fairly certain Wasabi managed to kick her in the helmet, although it was hard to tell in the suffocating dark of the freezer. Then Wasabi lit up a blade and wow, that had to be dangerous, what with his rather precarious position on top of Fred and a deflated Baymax. She was kind of proud of him attempting it at all.
Despite the odd, unfavorable position, Wasabi managed to cut through the latch, allowing them to spill out of the freezer and into an inferno. The Lucky Cat Café was on fire.
Notes: When Baymax is diagnosing Tadashi, his comment about the tremors is him saying he's not sure if they're the result of stress, sleep-deprivation, or if they're a psychosomatic response to what Tadashi's been through. All of the above can cause tremors, especially the last as many kidnap victims can experience post-traumatic stress syndrome aka PTSD. Figuring out the cause requires testing that Baymax wouldn't be capable of on his own.