Counterstrike
As they flew through the air, Hiro marveled at the upgraded capabilities he'd built into Baymax when he'd rebuilt him. Beyond the super-capacitor battery he'd used in place of the lithium-ion battery that was in his original design, which lets him be active longer and fight harder, the enhanced strength was really coming in handy even now. Of course when Julian had made the comment about Baymax's 1000 lb. strength Hiro had chosen not to correct him about it now being more: the more people who think that Baymax is still the same robot his brother designed, the fewer people who will make the connection that he might be the Robot of Big Hero 6.
Hiro looked down when he heard Wasabi, who was riding in the basket made up of microbots Baymax was carrying along with all the other heroes save for Frozone and Julian, calling out through the static on the headset, "So Hiro, do we have a plan beyond the endgame Julian explained?"
"I think the plan should be much the same as it was before, only with the new additions factored in," Hiro told them, "You'll be on the roofs again with Fred, and Frozone will be working with you. GoGo, you will be on the ground again making sure that the citizens are off the streets and out of harms way, and Kid Lightning will be with you."
"You're pairing me with the runt?" GoGo asked him in irritation.
"What's the matter?" Kid Lightning asked her cockily, "Afraid you can't keep up?"
GoGo glared at the kid but said nothing more, and Hiro reprimanded them, "Knock it off, you two. We need to work together to end this positively. Honey Lemon, you'll be working with Elastilass and Transparengirl to keep the Chitauri from getting into the areas the citizens will be taking refuge in and harm them." As Hiro eyed the harness on Elastilass' back he added hesitantly, "Are you sure that you don't want to leave Changeling somewhere safe? I could have my microbots form a playpen for him."
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that even your microbots will be able to hold him, and I don't want to leave Jack-Jack alone or with anyone who won't be able to handle him," Elastilass responded, "I still feel guilty about what happened to Kari, and that was back when we thought he didn't have powers. Besides he'll be safer with me and Transparengirl than he would be elsewhere, and Julian assured me that the deflection forcefield he'd built into my harness will shield him from any stray shots."
"Yeah, we'll keep the kid safe, so don't worry," Honey Lemon assured him.
Hiro nodded his understanding, then he continued, "Meanwhile, Baymax and I will be working on taking out as many of these flyers and Leviathans before they can get low enough to pose much of a threat to the city, at least until such a point where we have enough of them here for us two to use the microbots to deliver the final blow."
"Guys, I'll help as much as I can, but I'm not a flyer," Mr. Incredible told them.
"That's okay, neither was the Hulk: he was just a strong hitter and jumper like you, and he managed to take down a good number of Leviathans just fine, many of them practically single-handed," Julian assured him, "You'll do fine, and if you need a boost to reach the heights you need we can help with that. Anyway, you all need to keep an eye open wide during all this. If any of you happen to notice anything unusual, like a sudden change in the enemy's tactics, be sure to let your team leaders know as it might be a sign for Hiro to set the endgame in motion. By destroying the mothership's nerve center we'll leave all the troops linked to it inert, and with the majority of them here on Earth he'll not have the resources to continue his campaign here, forcing him to try to find another way to exact his vengeance on the Avenger's Earth."
Hiro and the others nodded their understanding, then Hiro sent a mental command for his microbots following on the ground to come up and form zip lines attaching to the basket to get the groups quickly to their locations, saying as they climbed on, "Fight well, help each other out and we'll sin the day and all come back alive."
As Cass Hamada paced the shelter she'd been in since the invasion had first started, she stared at the phone in her hand in desperate frustration. Part of her wanted to just smash the infuriating thing on the ground since it hasn't even worked since shortly after this ordeal started. On the other hand, she held onto it with the hopes that it would start working soon, and she'd be able to find out if Hiro's alright.
The last time she talked to him was at noon, when she called him to find out if he had plans tonight, to which he'd responded that he didn't know yet. That was hours ago, and when he didn't show up at this shelter she tried calling, only to find out she (and everyone else she asked, apparently) had no reception whatsoever).
To make matters worse the televisions had went out the same time, around the moment when that stranger had blown up that huge creature that was about to swallow one of the heroes whole; the last image she'd seen before all reception went out was that man firing a lightning bolt into the hole in the sky.
Cass looked down at her phone again and despite seeing that it was still showing no bars she was tempted to try calling Hiro again. However, she stopped when she noticed someone familiar over by the drink cooler getting some water. Cass recognized Abagail Callaghan from the fact that the media had covered her rescue nearly as much as her father's arrest, which made sense since they occurred during the same incident and the same heroes who saved Abagail stopped her father from destroying the city. Of course Cass had some reservations about Abagail being named Headmaster of Hiro's school, considering that her father had only been a professor when he'd stolen the microbots Hiro had just invented and set the fire that killed Tadashi, but Cass conceded that Abagail was not involved in either act, and this was likely a publicity stunt anyway to counter the negative press the school was receiving due to Professor Callaghan's actions.
Cass walked over and got herself some water as well, asking as she did so, "Ms. Callaghan?"
"Yes?" Abagail responded, apparently familiar with her recognizability by now, though her tone indicated that she was uncomfortable with the negative connection people usually made with her.
"I'm Cass Hamada, Hiro's aunt," Cass introduced herself, "Please, can you please tell me what had happened to him? I've had no luck in contacting him since this thing started."
"Hiro? Last I saw, he was working on a project back at the lab," Abagail told her, apparently surprised at this course of discussion, "He told me that he'd call you to let you know before I left to see my father."
"This thing must have knocked out his phone too," Cass mused, then she said to Abagail, "I'm surprised you wanted to speak with your father, considering what he's done. I mean he stole from Hiro and killed his brother."
"I know, I read the papers," Abagail acknowledged, "But I needed to know why, to hear it in his own words. The father I knew would never have done such a thing, and I needed to understand what had happened to change him. I didn't get to talk with him before the trial as I was still recovering in the hospital at the time, and since he confessed the trial ended very quickly. Afterwards I had been kept very busy with my new responsibilities at the Institute, so I hadn't had the opportunity before now to visit him."
"I think I understand," Cass conceded, wondering how she herself would react if she'd learned that her parents had done something like this, or even her sister, before the untimely death of her and her husband left Cass the legal guardian of Hiro and Tadashi, "So did you manage to find out?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Abagail sighed, "The invasion started before I could get there, and the police officer who redirected me here told be that the prison would be under lockdown and visits would not be allowed until it's over anyway."
"I see," Cass said, "Well…"
The rest of what Cass was going to say as the white noise of the TV gave way to voices coming from it. When she looked, she saw that it was broadcasting again. It wasn't perfect, as the picture kept breaking up and the voice was still very staticy, but she was able to make out the image of the portal from before, and even more aliens were pouring out of it than before.
"Hello? Are we back on?" the voice of the newscaster was heard saying as the camera panned over the frightening image of their city under siege, "This is Iris Morgenstern, reporting for SFNN. Mere hours ago mysterious alien forces had begun their relentless assault on San Fransokyo without explanation. Although their assault was ruthless, many innocent lives were saved due to the concentrated efforts of the team of heroes who saved this city months ago from the assault of once-renowned Professor Callaghan. Along with the appearance of a mysterious new hero, they managed to turn back the assault and send the invaders back through the portal in which they appeared, though the effort apparently resulted in atmospheric interference that blacked out most modern forms of communication, including television and cellular phones, and even hardline phones have been unusable due to backlogged traffic. However, it seems as though the heroes efforts had resulted in only a temporary respite, as the weakening of the atmospheric interference moments ago has coincided with the return of the alien menace, and while the hostile forces have increased in number there's still no sign of….hold on…"
The camera panned to fix on the approach of the robot from that hero team the newslady mentioned, and it appeared he was carrying a large black basked with several other costumed individuals inside. The reporter recovered and continued, "Yes, it looks as though our local heroes have returned! And if I'm not mistaken, it appears that….Yes, it's confirmed! Mr. Incredible and his team of supers have come from Metroville to join us in this resistance! Wait….is that…?"
Cass gasped as she saw what the reporter noticed: the basket that was carrying the heroes was breaking up in certain areas even as black tendrils rose up to attach themselves to it, seamlessly melding with it. The way they moved reminded her of the demonstration Hiro held that horrible night they both lost Tadashi, and it seemed that she wasn't the only one to make that connection. "Ladies and gentlemen, not sure what to make of this, but it seems as though our heroes have somehow managed to get their hands on the robot swarm that Professor Callaghan used to attack the Krie Tech campus building," the reporter stated, "What this means for San Fansokyo's chances or for the world as a whole, I don't know, but I will continue to broadcast for as long as I can."
Cass understood the reporter's confusion. She, like many other people in this city, had believed that Hiro's microbots that had been stolen ended up destroyed when Callaghan's portal exploded. Had Hiro possibly made more? But why? Was he somewhere out there in all of this mess? And why did these heroes have them now? Cass looked down her phone again. It was still showing no bars, but she still had to try as she desperately attempted to call Hiro once again.
As they raced across the rooftops, Wasabi had to admire the skill with which Frozone used his skill to take out the aliens along the way, icing the end of one of their rifles so that it exploded in their face when thee tried to fire. On another he clogged the jet port of the thruster port of the aliens' flying sled, causing it to lose altitude and explode on the street below.
As Wasabi used his wrist blades to cut through the midpoint of a passing alien sled, resulting in both halves spiraling to opposite sides of the street and crashing into the buildings there, Frozone asked him, "So, I was wondering….you and that GoGo girl, are you two possibly a couple?"
"What?" Wasabi asked him and shock and surprise, "I ain't no cradle robber! She's like six or seven years younger than me."
"Really?" Frozone asked, surprised at this revelation, "It didn't seem that way to me."
"Yeah, she can seem rather mature at times, and she certainly drives much better than most people twice her age with specialized training," Wasabi explains, "but if she wasn't so smart that she graduated early, she would be a junior in high school now."
"Wow, imagine that," Frozone remarked in an impressed tone.
"Yeah," Wasabi agreed, "I value our friendship, I respect her skills, both in the lab and on the field, I even find her not unpleasant to be around most of the time. In many ways I think of her as a little sister, but there's nothing 'special' going on between us."
"Besides," Fred, who was really taking to his new codename of Triclops, added as he roasted a group of aliens bearing down on them with his fire breath, "it's Honey Lemon that Wasabi really likes."
"Fred! I swear…" Wasabi yelled at him before he trailed off in a growl, which he punctuated with a backward swing of his arm, the activated laser blade cleanly severing a pair of Chitauri's torsos from the rest of their bodies as the skiff sailed on.
"Really? You and the chem-queen?" Frozone remarked with a grin as he caused an ice stalactite to shoot up from the ground and grab a skiff overhead, the sudden stop causing the aliens to flip over the railing and nearly be pulled in half the wrong way by their safety tethers, before a second ice pillar slammed into the skiff and sent it somersaulting backwards into a group of fliers behind it, all of which erupted into a massive explosion.
"Look, there's no 'me and Honey Lemon', all right?" Wasabi protested. When both Fred and Frozone gave him what he interpreted as askance glances (though with their faces covered it was hard to tell, Wasabi continued, "Okay, it's true that I like her, but I haven't exactly told her. Understand?"
"You haven't?" Frozone asked him, "Why not?"
"As much as I like her, the two of us are completely different," Wasabi explained to him as he continued battling, "Don't know if you noticed, but I'm kinda uptight. I like precision, I have a place for everything, and prefer everything in its place. Honey Lemon, on the other hand, is a bit of a free spirit. She likes to experiment with all kinds of things and she doesn't mind if things get a little messy, or very messy as the case might be. Right now the two of us are good friends, and I like that. However, I'm afraid that if I take that next step to beyond friendship, and we prove to be as incompatible as I fear we may be, that we can't go back to being friends and what we had may end up lost forever."
"Man, does that take me back," Frozone commented nostalgically, and when both Fred and Wasabi looked at him Frozone continued, "It's just that back in the old days, before the events that necessitated the Superhero Relocation Program, I would never have betted on Bob and Helen becoming a couple, let alone getting married and having kids. I mean, Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible tying the knot? Forget it! Those two were as different as night and day. However, they defied the odds and managed to make it work. I won't say that you wouldn't be taking a risk in moving your relationship beyond where it is now, but the richer parts of life don't naturally rest within our safe, comfortable zones. 'The greater the risk, the greater the reward' is more than just a saying kid. If you never take the chance you might be missing out on so much, not to mention you could miss your chance with her, as someone is bound sooner or later to see how pretty she is and not be intimidated by her smarts. Therefore, my advice to you is to go for it, and sooner rather than later."
Wasabi considered it for a moment, then as he impaled one Chitauri on his blade and used the confiscated laser lance to blast a couple more skiffs out of the sky he said, "Thanks, Frozone. You're a pretty cool guy." He then chuckled and added, "No pun intended."
"That's okay. When you've been in the business as long as I have, you've pretty much heard them all," Frozone assured him. Holding his had out as he said, "Now what do you say we get back to putting these aliens on ice?"
Wasabi took the offered hand as he said, "You got it!"
"Alright!" Fred joined in, covering both of their hands as he added, "Beware the trio of fire, ice, and lightning!" When Wasabi looked at him askance, Fred amended, "Or, you know, laser-induced-plasma."
Frozone chuckled as he said, "Let's go," then the three of them leapt back into the heart of the fray.
Despite the irritation factor GoGo had in being partnered with little Kid Lightning here (who was indeed faster than her as he'd bragged, at least for now), she really felt that she was in her element here. Zooming through the streets of her home, finding pockets of people isolated by the fighting and guiding them to the different shelter locations, and running interference for the fleeing citizens by dodging laser blasts by mere millimeters and countering with tosses of her disks, made her feel alive like nothing else. Of course she had to admit that the Kid was able to do most of these things faster than she, and she felt slightly jealous that she didn't possess his inhuman reflexes at the very least.
On the other hand, this little hero didn't have the attack options she did, neither possessing her disks nor being big enough to use either the aliens' arm cannons or their laser lances, relying instead mostly on machine gun-fast flurry of punches. Of course the Kid was rather resourceful as well, forcing one alien to alter the aim of its arm cannon instants before it discharged, blasting one of its own instead of one of them. And GoGo got a kick out of watching one of the aliens frantically fumbling for one of the grenade-like things Kid Lightning had activated on its waist before it exploded, taking out an entire swath of the invaders with it.
Of course they were still ridiculously outnumbered, and it didn't seem as though the aliens really minded hitting each other so long as they got them (or perhaps they feared failing the one they served more). So it was a mere matter of time before something unfortunate happened. As GoGo had managed to leap up in the air and toss her disk, taking out a number of a group of the Chitauri as it ricocheted amongst them, a stray laser blast knocked off the disk on her right foot, the combined momentum of the leap and of the disk being ripped off sending her spinning into a painful crash landing. While she was gathering her senses, GoGo craned her neck to look up and saw one of the Chitauri standing near her, bellowing as it raised its laser lance in both hands to impale her…
…before a gigantic black fist slammed down from the sky, flattening her would-be executioner and a couple of its fellows before they could do her harm. Then it broke up into its component microbots that reconfigured into a wave that swept the street clean of aggressors before returning to the sky, and GoGo traced their flight path to a passing Leviathan, where she found she was just able to make out a number of figures fighting upon its back.
"Hiro," GoGo said with a small chuckle and a grin.
"Hey," Kid Lightning asked in concern as he raced up to her, "You okay?"
"Yeah, Kid, I'm fine," GoGo assured him, not looking at him nor losing her grin.
Kid Lightning followed her gaze, then he looked back at her with a sly grin as he asked her in a smug voice, "Ah, I see! You like that Hiro guy, don't you?"
"Huh?" GoGo said as her grin faded, now looking at Kid Lightning directly, "Hiro's just a good friend, that's all."
"Hah!" Kid Lightning exclaimed tauntingly, "You like him! You like him! You really, really like him!"
As the boy pranced around in his revelation, GoGo wasn't sure if she found his childish needling irritating or endearing, but she was glad they weren't broadcasting openly at the moment. She settled for giving him a lopsided grin as she glared at him and said, "I'm surprised your sister hasn't killed you yet, Kid."
"Oh, she's tried, but I'm just too fast!" Kid Lightning bragged proudly.
"I see, but keep in mind that I'm quite a bit faster than your sister," GoGo warned him, keeping her cockeyed grin as she narrowed her eyes dangerously, "So you best watch it, or we'll see if you can outrun both me and my disks!"
"Okay, okay! I was just kidding around, sheesh!" Kid Lightning told her as he raised both hands placatingly and backing up slowly. As she magnetically retrieved both lost disks and reattached them to her wrist and ankle, GoGo heard the Kid ask hesitantly, "So….I heard that you made those cool disks yourself? I was wondering, since I'm not going to be a jerk, embarrassing you in front of your friends or anything, I was wondering if you could possibly make one of those for m…"
GoGo gave Kid Lightning a real glare as she asked him, "Are you seriously blackmailing me, Kid?"
"What? No!" Kid lightning exclaimed, looking genuinely shocked that GoGo would come to that conclusion, "I'm no bad guy! It's just…I'm trying to be nice here, I was genuinely interested in those things, and I just thought that if I wasn't so irritating that…"
GoGo couldn't help it, she just burst out laughing. "Relax, Kid, I'm just messing with you, though you ought to work a bit on your presentation," she managed to get out between chortles, and after a bit Kid Lightning chuckled a bit himself. As the laughter died down, GoGo told him, "You know, Kid, you're pretty cool. Kinda like the little brother I never had….and admittedly never thought I wanted."
"You're not bad yourself, GoGo," Kid Lightning returned, "Certainly not as stuck up as my real sister."
"Thanks, but I'm sure that if your sister acts that way then it's likely that it's because she feels she needs to be the 'responsible one', being older and all," GoGo assured him.
As GoGo scanned the streets around them for signs of more invaders or other people needing help, she heard Kid Lightning ask again even more hesitant than before, "So, um, about that disk…?"
GoGo let out one small chuckle as she turned her head to look at him and say, "Tell you what, let's focus on this invasion problem for the moment, and if we and this city are still standing at the end I'll see what I can do."
Kid Lightning laughed in exhilaration as he said, "You got it! There's no way these slowpoke aliens can catch the two fastest heroes on this planet!"
GoGo smiled warmly at the young hero, feeling a bond of friendship forming between them, then a laser blast shooting past the two of them caused her to look back to see a new squad of Chitauri bearing down on them. "It looks like these 'slowpokes' are feeling a bit neglected," GoGo said as she got her throwing disk ready, keeping her eyes on the invaders, "What do you say we go and say 'hi'?"
"Yes, let's do it!" Kid Lightning agreed, then the two of them raced off to meet the charge.
As he continued his battle, Hiro had discovered that these Leviathans apparently served as some sort of living troop transporters. Using his microbots to bash, jab, bludgeon, and otherwise sweep off the invading troops who kept climbing up out of the Leviathan's sides to join him on its back, Hiro fought hard alongside Baymax (who kept calling out his attacks such as "back kick", "knife hand", and "roundhouse"), Mr. Incredible (who used his own impressive prowess to take on a large portion of the aliens, even as a laser hit in his shoulder caused him to cry out in pain), and Julian (who used electromagnetic force to rip off a section of the Leviathan's armor and swung it through the air to bash off the shooter). Mr. Incredible then grabbed the huge wedge of metal, then leapt and drove it through the armor in the Leviathan's head. Then Baymax leapt over all their heads and, with a cry of "hammer fist", drove that wedge deep into the gargantuan alien's head.
Hiro supposed that must have done the trick, as it finally crashed down into the street below. No more troops emerged from the Leviathan's dead form, and there was no universal cry of outrage like there was when Julian took the first one down, but Hiro supposed it was because they were expecting this kind of resistance this time. Instead, Hiro simply used the microbots to form a harness around Mr. Incredible and climbed on Baymax as he flew the three of them towards yet another Leviathan, Julian magnetically following along behind them.
In an alley that served as the entrance to the shelter closest to the point of invasion, Honey Lemon fought the Chitauri back to back along with Elastilass and Transparengirl, using her confiscated arm cannon to mow down the horde as the others bashed them with elongated limbs and invisible forcefields. As Honey Lemon had just about finished clearing the group in front of her, she was surprised when her weapon suddenly stopped firing. She wasn't sure if it had overheated or if it ran out of juice, but she supposed it didn't matter either way as the one remaining alien before her prepared to return fire. Then a twin pair of lasers shot past her shoulder and knocked the last alien down.
Honey Lemon turned to look and saw that the blast that saved her did not come from Elastilass or Transparengirl, who were not equipped to do so anyway and were busy mopping up the remainder of this wave of aliens, but rather from the eyes of young Changeling riding comfortably on his mother's back.
"Changeling?" Honey Lemon asked the young hero, uncertain as to whether to believe what just happened, "Did you just save me with laser vision?"
Changeling's response was to laugh in delight as he squealed, "Hon Lem!"
Honey Lemon could not help but laugh in return, both at the child's joy as well as in realization that, for all his tremendous power, this boy was still little more than a toddler. "Yeah, 'Hon Lem'! That's right!" Honey Lemon praised him.
Both Elastilass and Transparengirl, who couldn't help overhearing, turned to look, with Elastilass stretching her neck around to look at him on her back as she asked proudly, "Did I hear my little man did good? Who's my brave boy?"
"But how did he?" Transparengirl asked in confusion as she poked the space just in front of him, the invisible forcefield shimmering as it stopped her finger, "I thought that this shield was supposed to protect Jack-Jack from things like lasers."
"Well, Julian designed it, and he's figured out more about Jack-Jack and what he's capable of than we've ever imagined," Elastilass reasoned, "so maybe he designed it so that lasers are reflected outside the field, that way Jack-Jack doesn't accidentally hurt himself or…."
But Honey Lemon spotted something the others hadn't. Her pulse raced as she hurriedly punched in a formula on her chem-bag, Honey Lemon then caught the sphere it produced and hurled it just over Elastilass' head. Catching onto Honey's change of demeanor, Transparengirl and Elastilass watched as the sphere bursts in the face of a Chitauri who had been raising its lance for the kill, then they cringe at its cry of pain and rage as everything metallic about it (including its own cybernetic parts) dissolves in a poof of pink powder.
Elastilass looked back and forth fretfully with wide eyes between the moaning and pitifully handicapped alien and the innocent eyes of her son, then once her breathing slowed she nimbly twisted around in her harness in order to cradle her son protectively as she mused, "Maybe I should see if the NSA has someone qualified to watch over Jack-Jack during these things from here on out, at least until he's old enough to join us as Changeling."
"If they do then that's probably not a bad idea, but we will keep him safe today," Honey Lemon assured her while she confiscated a laser lance from one of the downed aliens, "We'll make sure these aliens don't hurt your son or anyone else."
"Hey Julian, Hiro? You guys reading me?" Honey Lemon heard Wasabi ask through the communicator built into her helmet.
Hiro, whose group was powering through a group of skiffs after taking down a second Leviathan on their way to a third, also picked up on the transmission as Wasabi continued, "I thought you said that the big mothership thing would not pass through the wormhole during this invasion.
Julian nodded as he confirmed, "The mothership is the linchpin that makes this invasion possible. It shouldn't come through so long as there's a possibility of it being destroyed."
"Well then I guess this Thanos feels this invasion's in the bag, because that thing is definitely getting closer!" Wasabi told them.
As he looked, Hiro saw his friend was right. The mothership definitely did appear larger than it had earlier when they saw it through the portal. He wasn't sure how big it really was or what armaments it carried, but he didn't want to wait to find out.
"Guess this is it, guys," Hiro told them in a brave voice even as he felt a shadow of the nervous tension from earlier returning, "now it's my turn."
Julian nodded in agreement, but Mr. Incredible looked at him in concern as he asked, "Are you sure that you want to do this alone? I can probably help."
Hiro shook his head no as he said, "You're not equipped to operate in the vacuum of space. I am, and Baymax is a robot, so he doesn't need to breathe, and I need him and his thrusters to take me and my microbots to take that alien ship out."
Baymax nodded as he confirmed, "Flying makes me a better healthcare companion."
Mr. Incredible nodded his understanding as he said, "Just take of yourselves out there."
Hiro nodded in return as he said, "And watch over our teams while I'm out."
Mr. Incredible nodded his understanding, then Julian grabbed him and slowly lowered them to the ground as the remaining microbots rose up to join Hiro. As the last of the microbots attached themselves to Baymax's arms in a black mass, Hiro told him, "Okay, let's go." Then Baymax flew towards the open wormhole.
A few of the Chitauri took potshots at them as they approached, but Baymax held the microbot shield in front of them, and so the blasts were harmlessly absorbed by the toughened devices and they were past in no time. One obstacle that was not so easy to get around was a Leviathan that was starting to emerge from the wormhole, but Hiro told Baymax to fly right at it as he sent a mental command to the microbots. As they entered its open maw, the microbots had reconfigured their formation into that of a giant drill that tore through the great beast's soft interior. Hiro lost track of how many disgusting, shattered parts flew past them (and thankfully Baymax didn't comment as to what they might have been) or how many surprised Chitauri faces they passed, but before long they burst through the other end and passed through the wormhole before the hollowed out Leviathan fell gracelessly to the ground below.
Despite the danger facing them and the fear of something happening to his friends while he was away, Hiro could not help but gasp in wonder at the sight around him. Though the force that still stood before him was huge, even that was just a speck compared to the vastness that surrounded them all. Hiro had seen the stars at night, of course, and he recalled being awed at how much clearer they had appeared the one time Aunt Cass had taken him and Tadashi to a cabin in the woods. However, here, free from any atmosphere whatsoever, they appeared even more brilliant and spectacular.
Then there was no more time for stargazing, as the Chitauri realized that what had passed through the wormhole was not one of theirs and they opened fire. Even through the microbot shield Hiro could feel the heat of the concentrated fire, though thankfully his creations were tough enough to take it as they recovered from being blasted off the front and rejoined him at the shield's base.
As they passed through, the Chitauri must have realized the threat Hiro posed as they altered course to follow them and continue their assault. As they were peppered with laser blasts unhindered by the microbot shield, Hiro hoped he had the chance to thank Julian for the improvements in their armor that thus far kept them free from harm. However, under this level of fire Hiro felt that it would not hold up forever, a fact Baymax confirmed in his analytical voice, "Hiro, I detect that our armor's integrity is down by 18%. Estimated time of failure: 4 minutes, 38 seconds."
"Keep going!" Hiro ordered him, "We have to get to that ship."
When they got closer to the ship, Hiro discovered that it had some impressive batteries of its own. Some of its blasts were even enough to punch holes through their shield, and even though most of the microbots recovered and rejoined them not all of them had. Thankfully Baymax's maneuvering kept them from being struck directly by the ships main guns, though the glancing blasts they got were still plenty harmful.
"Armor integrity has been reduced by 78%," Baymax announced, "Atmospheric breach estimated in 2 minutes, 10 seconds."
"We have to make it!" Hiro told him, "For our friends and everyone else back home!"
Once they were upon the ship itself, the remaining microbots reconfigured again into the giant drill formation, and Baymax drove it into the ship's side. Not content to let such an assault pass, the Chitauri concentrated all fire on the two heroes, and Hiro felt the heat of the blasts becoming painful.
"Armor integrity is now at critical levels," Baymax told him as they continued to bore through the ship, "Atmospheric breach is imminent."
"Almost….there…" Hiro grunted, urging him on as he struggled to hold on to consciousness. Then Hiro realized they must have struck some critical ship function as he heard a spark. Then a wall of flames rushed towards him, and everything went black.
Back on Earth, the heroes who'd gathered together for this final stand looked up as the explosion of the mothership shone through the wormhole and lit up the night sky.
"They did it!" Wasabi exclaimed, turning of his plasma blades and punching the air as the Chitauri collapsed all around them, "Hiro and Baymax did it!"
The citizens watching from their hiding places, as well as the law enforcement and most of the heroes all cheered at the announcement. And while GoGo also felt a sense of relief at this invasion's end she kept her eyes on the portal as the light of the explosion dimmed, asking aloud, "Wait, where's Hiro?"
GoGo's question sobered the heroes into silence, and the citizens followed suit as Mr. Incredible asked in concern, "They haven't made it back yet?"
GoGo's heart hammered at the thought Hiro might have been at the heart of that fireball, concerned about if even Hiro's armor would have been able to withstand it.
"Look! The wormhole's closing!" Honey Lemon's tense voice exclaimed. Indeed, GoGo saw that the aperture of the portal was getting smaller, and she began to fear that if Hiro and Baymax didn't come through now they never would.
"Come on, Hiro. You've got to make it back," GoGo whispered softly, almost as in a prayer, "You've got to!"
Then a small, black egg-shaped object shot through the portal before it closed completely, breaking apart as it did so to reveal the forms of Hiro and Baymax inside.
"Look, there they are!" Fred pointed out, and GoGo felt a sense of relief. As they continued to fall, however, that relief turned to dread as GoGo cried out, "They're not slowing down!"
"Honey!" Elastilass cried as she ran up to Mr. Incredible, who then grabbed her around the waist in one hand, then she put both hands straight over her head as he hurled her like a javelin. Before Hiro and Baymax could fall past the roofs of the nearest skyscrapers, Elastilass reached them and wrapped her elastic arms and legs around them, expanding her torso as she did so and becoming a living parachute. Even with Elastilass' help, however, they were still falling too fast, so Julian got beneath them and used his ability to generate a repelling electromagnetic field that slowed their descent even more, allowing them to settle safely to the ground.
GoGo's dread deepened when she saw that neither Hiro nor Baymax moved upon landing, and their cracked armor indicated they'd taken some serious damage. As she heard Frozone telling the gathered concerned crowd, "Please folks, back up! Give them some air!" GoGo gently disengaged him from Baymax's back and turned him over carefully. As she looked at his face, which looked as though he could be sleeping, GoGo whispered to him in a tremulous voice, "You did it, Hiro. You saved us all and made it back safely, so you can open your eyes now." When Hiro did not stir in her lap, GoGo's voice cracked as she said a little louder, "Come on now, you told us we'd all make it out of this thing fine, and the rest of us are okay, so now it's your turn." When Hiro still didn't respond she nearly screeched at him in her broken voice as tears streamed down her face, "DAMMIT! You promised us you'd make it back to us alive! You promised me! Now you open your eyes right now!"
GoGo heard the crackle of electricity behind her, and she turned her head and saw through her blurred vision that both of his hands were glowing with electricity as Julian told them, "Take off his armor."
Before the others could move to follow Julian's command, and before GoGo could bring herself to release Hiro to let them, Hiro suddenly lurched up from her lap and began to cough violently.
"Hiro?" GoGo whispered in a cautiously optimistic voice.
Once his coughing died down, Hiro croaked back, "I'm all right."
Suddenly GoGo didn't care who was watching. She embraced Hiro tightly from behind as her tears continued to flow. Thankfully she was spared a public display of affection as Honey Lemon quickly joined in their group hug, and the rest of their friends, both old and new, rubbed and patted whatever part of Hiro they could reach as the watching crowd exploded into cheers at this happy turnabout.
"The heck you are, Hiro Hamada," GoGo told him in a whisper the crowd couldn't possible hear over their own cheers, though her relief still showed in her voice and her smile, "I'm gonna make you pay for scaring me like that."
"Yeah, man. You gave us all a heart attack for a moment there!" Wasabi agreed.
As the others chuckled, GoGo heard the beeping sound she associated with Baymax's activation, then she saw the robot lurch upright and look around as he said, "Oh dear. It appears as though the shockwave from the ship's explosion had knocked me offline for a moment. Had I missed anything?"
Frozone chuckled as he said, "Only the salvation of the world as we know it."
Wasabi nodded in confirmation as he added, "And, judging by the sounds of those cheers, that today everyone is 'satisfied with their care'."
As GoGo saw the press crews start to arrive she helped Hiro to his feet, who grunted in pain as she did so, and Mr. Incredible told them, "Why don't you guys get on out of here? We'll handle the crowds and press for you today before we join you."
Hiro nodded in acceptance as GoGo helped him climb onto Baymax's back and Hiro commanded the surviving microbots to form a basket for his friends. Then Wasabi, Fred and Honey climbed in it while GoGo joined Hiro on Baymax's back, though she told the others she just wanted to make sure Hiro didn't fall off in his weakened condition, then Julian magnetically gathered the microbots that didn't respond to Hiro's command and they all took off, leaving the Incredibles and the cheering crowd behind.
Hiro and his friend were hard at work cleaning up the lab (which looked as though World War III broke out here) as they heard the news broadcast say in the background, "And so, as a new day dawns, the world was saved through the heroic collaboration of the Incredibles and our local heroes, Big Hero 6. Though it was obviously a team effort, Mr. Incredible has confirmed that it was through the heroic actions and near-sacrifice of Big Hero 6's team leader Constructor that the mothership was destroyed and the invasion stopped for good. Because they needed to recover after the battle, Big Hero 6 was not available for comment, but I just want them all to know that we, the people of San Fransokyo as well as the rest of us the world over, owe them all a debt of gratitude. This is Iris Morgenstern from SFNN, signing off. Back to you, Bill."
Hiro smiled, both at his new hero name and at the gratitude expressed by the reporter, but before he could talk to the others about it Abagail Callaghan came rushing through the door. Her worried expression turned to one of relief when she saw that all of them were here. "Thank goodness you're all right," Abagail told them all, focusing on Hiro as she said, "Your aunt and I were worried when none of you showed up at the shelter during the attacks, and she'd been trying to reach you all night. Then we saw those heroes using the robots you'd invented…"
"We're all right, really. We were stuck here when the invasion started," Hiro assured her, telling Abagail the story they'd carefully rehearsed, "It occurred to me that my microbots could help protect us from them, so I used our facilities to make them again, but before I could finish the aliens had broke in during the second invasion. If it wasn't for Big Hero 6 and the Incredibles I'm not sure what would have happened to us, and since they were going to fight the aliens anyway I just let them use my microbots to do so." Hiro then handed Abagail his broken phone as he added, "I'm afraid that cellular reception was down even before my phone got trashed, sorry."
Hiro smiled mentally as he recalled how much fun Fred had in fabricating the evidence as Honey Lemon altered the security footage to collaborate Hiro's story. Abigail then handed Hiro her own phone as she said, "Here, why don't you text your aunt and let her know you're okay, then the rest of you can take it easy. Consider this entire day a free period: I don't think that anyone will be wanting to come in for classes today anyway." As Hiro did as Abagail suggested, he saw her looking around at all of them, her eyes resting on the deactivated Baymax as she remarked, "You know, when he's resting in his charging station, Baymax kinda looks like a little brother of the robot that fights alongside Big Hero 6."
Hiro cringed mentally as he hastily improvised, "I suppose he does, but then again so does one robot I trashed during my early Battle Bot fighting days. Maybe the heroes are a fan of the fighting scene and took their inspiration from that."
"Maybe," Abagail conceded, then she sighed and smiled at Hiro as she said, "You know, perhaps one day when we have some free time, and are not facing imminent destruction, I could break out my old Battle Bot and see how it stacks up against yours. Just for kicks."
"Sounds like fun, Ms. Callaghan" Hiro told her truthfully, then he asked her, "Do you mind if I held onto this for a while, in case Aunt Cass calls back?"
"Of course. I'll get it back from you tomorrow," Abagail agreed, then she told them all, "You guys take care now, and I'll see you all in the morning."
Everyone returned her farewell, then when Abagail's footfalls receded down the hall and vanished, Hiro called out, "Okay, she's gone now."
There was a shimmer as Transparengirl deactivated her invisibility, and her family and friends (along with the hastily removed armor of Hiro and his friends) reappeared into view.
"That's a handy little trick you've got there," Hiro complimented her.
"Thanks," Transparengirl told him, "It took some practice, but I finally learned to incorporate my invisibility into my forcefield in order to let me vanish objects by touching them without them having to be made of a special material to do so."
"Still, you might want to look into making a hidden closet only you can access to hide your uniforms in," Mr. Incredible advised them, "The last thing you kids need is for another student to be looking for a tool and inadvertently stumble across your secret."
As they made preparations for the departure of their new friends, Hiro saw the gifts of appreciation his friends made for them. He saw Kid Lightning practicing with his new disk and magnetic wristband combo. He'd at first assumed that it was one of her old ones, until he noticed that this one was red with a yellow ring, which set it apart from any of hers and also matched the young hero's costume better.
"Now be sure to only use it on the bad guys, okay?" Hiro heard GoGo tell Kid Lightning, to which he'd responded, "I will! Thank you!"
Honey Lemon had made a plush toy for Jack-Jack that was practically indestructible, even when he pulled at it with super strength or he burst into flames, and the boy seemed pleased as punch with his new toy, which pleased his mother and sister in turn.
Wasabi had come up with a music player that can be hidden on Frozone's costume, is capable of withstanding extreme heat and cold, and can hold thousands of songs. Wasabi even had it loaded with some of his favorites, and it appeared that Frozone agreed with his taste in music.
As Hiro approached Mr. Incredible he told the famed hero, "I wish that there was something I could give you to thank you for helping us out there."
"Hey, it's nothing," Mr. Incredible assured him as his eyes scanned over the others, "Besides, you're the one who put everything on the line, even your own life, to ensure that we still had a world in which I can continue raising my family. I feel like I'm supposed to be the one thanking you."
"Still, I can't let you leave here empty handed," Hiro told him as he dug through drawers of old invention. After a moment he pulled out an old hand-held prototype of the communicator his team currently used and he handed it to Mr. Incredible as he said, "Here. Should you guys find yourselves in a jam and need a hand, give us a call."
Mr. Incredible nodded as he accepted it, then he reached into a hidden pocket on his uniform and held out a similar device to Hiro as he said, "Thanks. Same goes for you."
"Uh, Bob? It's the other one," Elastilass said as she walked up to them.
Mr. Incredible looked at the device in his hand in confusion for a moment, then he laughed in embarrassment as he pulled out a different boxy device and handed it to Hiro, saying, "Sorry about that. I was about to hand you the activator to the tracking devices embedded in our uniforms. I really ought to get Edna to take those out, or at least fix them so that they operate on silent. Those things really are a menace."
Hiro chuckled along with them, then once everyone was gathered he activated the cascading waterfall he'd set up in the middle of the lab (so that Julian didn't have to mangle any more faucets to create his portal).
"Are you sure we can't persuade you guys to stay a bit longer?" Hiro asked them.
"Thanks, but I really need to be getting back on my journey, and I promised to drop Mr. Incredible and his family off at home on the way there," Julian politely told them. As he spoke, Hiro noticed the gem set within a wristband Julian was wearing had begun to glow, and Julian smiled a wry smile as he added, "In fact, it seems my old friend Elsa is currently in need of some help, and from the feelings I'm reading from this it looks like I'll be facing quite the conflict when I get there."
"Well we don't have to go home right away, so we could come with you to help out," Mr. Incredible offered Julian.
"No, that's all right. It's not that kind of conflict," Julian declined, "It's more likely similar to the one you yourself faced when your wife came to rescue you from Syndrome, only to find that Mirage had already done so."
"Oh," Mr. Incredible said in realization, then he backed a step away as he continued, "You're probably right then. This situation is likely one you best handle yourself."
"Bob!" Elastilass said in protest as she hit Mr. Incredible in the arm, and he chuckled as he rubbed where she punched him. Then while Julian proceeded with activating the portal, Mr. Incredible turned towards Hiro and his friends and said, "Anyway, you kids are invited to come visit us in Metroville next month. We usually spend Christmas with our families, so instead the week before we always had a gathering of our close friends where we'd hang out and exchange gifts, and we'd love to have you there this year."
"Thanks. If we can, we will," Hiro told him gratefully, thinking he may have to invent a school ski trip for around then to tell Aunt Cass about.
"And Fred?" Mr. Incredible said as he and Frozone were about to follow the others into the portal, "Be sure to tell your dad Magnetron I said hi, and that he's invited this year too."
"Thanks, I will," Fred replied.
"What!?" Frozone exclaimed as he followed Mr. Incredible into the portal, "You're telling me that the whole time the kid's old man was…" Then as he passed through, the portal faded away, taking the sounds of the conversation with it.
Hiro and the others stared at Fred in shock for a few moments before GoGo broke the silence, saying, "Your dad knew Mr. Incredible personally?"
"Yeah, they both fought crime back in the old days, and they would occasionally team up when a situation needed it," Fred told them, as if it was no big deal.
"And you were planning to tell us about this when?" Hiro asked him.
"Hey, I recently found out myself when I stumbled upon his old lair hidden within the mansion," Fred defended himself smilingly, "Dad's been catching me up with his old pre-superhero relocation exploits since he found me in there after we stopped Professor Callaghan."
"Man, just when I thought I'd stopped being surprised by you…" Wasabi told Fred as he led him away with an arm around his shoulders. As Honey Lemon wandered off to look for a tool with which to make adjustments to her chem-bag, Hiro saw that GoGo was still standing there, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Before Hiro could ask her what was bothering her, GoGo asked him in an uncertain voice, "So….Hiro, that offer you made about going to see a movie: is it too late to accept instead?"
GoGo's words rooted Hiro in place out of shock. Before he could decide if he was still asleep or actually dead, a shadow of the old GoGo showed itself again as she pointed in his direction as she continued, "Now keep in mind that this is not a date, but after a day like yesterday a movie would be the perfect way to unwind. As friends, of course."
Hiro, still uncertain in his shock as to whether this was real or not, asked her, "Would the theatre still be opening today?"
"It should. We'd kept the fighting pretty far from that area, but even if it wasn't we could at least rent something," GoGo told him as she shifted from foot to foot, then she pointed in his face again as she added, "No sci-fi though!"
Hiro laughed in sympathy as he agreed, "Yeah, I think we've seen enough scary aliens for a while. How about that new comedy that just opened, the one about a pair of idiots who go on a road trip to find a daughter one of them apparently fathered years ago?"
"Yeah, sounds like fun," GoGo agreed with a smile.
Hiro smiled back, then he called out to the others, "How about you guys? You want to go?"
"Yeah man! Sounds great!" Wasabi told him, gripping Honey Lemon's hand as he did so, and Hiro saw Honey blush a deep crimson when that happened.
"Me too?" Fred asked them.
"Of course," Wasabi acknowledged, "You'll be buying the snacks."
As Hiro felt the warmth of the friendship in the room, he was surprised as GoGo gripped his hand in a very non-platonic way. Looking back and forth in confusion between her face and their entwined hands, Hiro asked in confirmation, " 'Not a date'?"
GoGo gave Hiro a curious smile as she answered, "Not today."
Hiro's heart felt ten times lighter then as he picked up Ms. Callaghan's phone to clear his afternoon plans with his aunt. Maybe GoGo wasn't comfortable with the idea of "dating" him now, but if the smile she'd given him was any indication, then perhaps when the age difference between them wasn't so great she'd have a different answer for him. For that, Hiro was willing to wait for as long as it takes.
On a rock floating in the void of space, an alien being kneeled and trembled before a larger one seated in a throne that looked as if it grew out of the asteroid's surface. As the throne's occupant glared down at the subjugant, his voice echoed around the space ominously as he said, "You told me that this world would be easy to conquer, and we could exact my revenge on the Avengers from there. Now I've lost a good deal of my forces due to your incompetence!"
"Forgive me, my lord, but that world seemed ideal for your needs, as their heroes were scattered and disorganized, and there was no Avengers there to stand in your way," the alien defended himself fearfully, "I really had no idea of the existence of this Julian, of that he'd be able to rally them to…"
The alien never got to finish what he was going to say, as Thanos' eyes flashed and the alien vaporized before another sound could come from his mouth. Then Thanos called out a name unutterable by human tongue, and as another masked alien similar to the one who just died responded, Thanos told him, "I'm now putting you in charge of finding a solution to the Avengers problem."
"It'll be my honor, my Lord," the alien responded with fealty.
"However, should you fail me as well, I will not be as merciful with you as I was with your predecessor," Thanos warned him.
"As always, my life is yours to do with as you will, Lord Thanos," the alien agreed with a bow before he departed. Once he was alone again, Thanos looked from the Infinity Gem, which was set once more within one of the six empty slots on the gauntlet he wore, to the microbot he held between the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. Despite his anger at being thwarted by a hero who was still more a boy than a man, he had to marvel at the youth's ingenuity. Who knew that something so small could actually be so dangerous?
As his eyes flared once again, the microbot joined the alien in oblivion, and Thanos swore that once he'd finished his business with the Avengers he'd return to this world, and when he did he'd show these heroes that Thanos was not someone you crossed and lived.
Julian will appear again in "Drago's Revenge"
Foreword:
I would like to take a moment to thank those who supported and encouraged me to continue writing this piece, as I had a lot of fun writing it (even if work did not give me a lot of free time to do so). Additionally, I had read how in some author's blogs and personal websites how they'd show the playlist of songs they'd listened to when working on a certain title. While it might not be very useful or interesting to the common reader, to those who are authoring stories themselves that information could be very handy, especially when they're experiencing a writers block cause a good tune can get the mental juices flowing again. So, without further ado, here is the playlist I utilized while writing this story. It's in no particular order (I usually have it on random play anyway) and there are songs I've also listened to that aren't included here, but these are the ones I listened to the most:
1.) Live and Learn by Crush 40 (Good action oriented song, sounds appropriately heroic in tone)
2.) Sugar Rush by AKB48 (great energy, plus the mixture of Japanese and English lyrics really feel like it fits the tone of the San Fransokyo setting of this story)
3.) Save World, Get Girl by I Fight Dragons (fun song with great energy, plus as you can tell by the title it's appropriately heroic in tone)
4.) The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth by I Fight Dragons (obviously because Big Hero 6 is entirely made up of them, and this is a fun and energized song)
5.) Let's See How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20 (sets the tone of people who are facing their end of days, yet are unwilling to lie down and take it, and its energized tone is good for action pieces)
6.) Maze of Life by Yumi Kawamura and Shihoko Hirata, composed by Soji Meguro (just because it's an awesome and energetic song)
and finally...
7.) Immortals by Fall Out Boy (for obvious reasons)
Hope you've enjoyed this story, and now I need to work on some of my other tales. Keep on writing, everyone.