Chapter 2: Getting a Message Through

Hiro sat in a comfy couch in what seemed like a lounge aboard a very large jet that Coulson kept referring to as 'the Bus'. After driving for what seemed like miles, the driver stopped at a hangar with where Coulson and the man named Fitz were waiting.

The plane itself was huge. It wasn't like an airliner, it was like the largest private jet Hiro had ever seen. Not that he had seen many private jets in his lifetime.

Coulson had told Hiro it would be about four hous before they lended in San Fransokyo, so he had decided to just stay put during that time. For whatever reason, he didn't feel like his curious self, and didn't explore the plane.

After about an hour of sitting around, Coulson walked into the room. He wasn't wearing his body armor now, because why would he? He was now wearing a charcoal suit, and he sat down in the chair across from Hiro's place on the couch.

"You doing okay?" he asked kindly. He seemed like a nice guy, always wanting to know whether or not Hiro was fine.

"Yeah," Hiro replied. "I'm fine." Coulson began to shift in his seat, looking like he was about to start talking about something else.

"Hiro, when they held you captive… what were they having you do?" he asked, looking at the boy curiously. "If you don't mind me asking that is."

"No it's… it's fine. They… were having me make microbots for them. I know you already know what those are. It's obvious S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been watching me for a while." Hiro's tone changed to an annoyed one at that last statement.

"You're right," Coulson said firmly. "We have been watching you, although we have very little intel on your microbots. Would you mind elaborating?" Hiro didn't feel like explaining his past to a man he only knew for a few short hours. But, he saved him from HYDRA, so it was the least he could do.

"At first… I made the microbots for a school project. They were going to get me into SFIT, and they did. Then," Hiro bit his lip, "there was this fire. I thought the microbots were destroyed, but my professor-"

"Robert Callaghan," Coulson finished. "Yes, we know about him. He's in our files. We know how he used the microbots for his own purposes. We're keeping tabs on him too."

"But, he's in prison."

"Well, you can never be too careful."

"Anyway, HYDRA had me making them millions of microbots every week, and I have no idea what for."

"We can only assume whatever they're doing with it, it's most likely not going to be in our favor. When we arrived to rescue you, none of the rooms had the microbots in them. Wherever they are, we have to-"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Hiro said smugly.

"Why would that be?"

"I built them their microbots, but what I didn't make was the neurotransmitter."

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The microbots are controlled by thoughts. The neurotransmitter sends those thoughts to the microbots, but I didn't build one. So, I basically made HYDRA billions of paperweights." Coulson smiled.

"Clever," he said. "You're just as smart as we thought you were."

"I've been told so," Hiro said.

"Well," Coulson said getting up, "we'll be landing in San Fransokyo in a few hours. Why don't you take a look around the Bus?"

"Maybe," Hiro said. Coulson walked through a door and out of the lounge. Hiro liked talking to him, it made him feel safe. Maybe that's how he was trained to talk to kids. It was very effective. None the less, Hiro decided to get up and explore. It wasn't everyday you got to ride on a private jet.

The hallways were long and filled with various doors, all of them locked of course. Then Hiro came across one that was wide open. It lead into a small room that looked like a kitchen. There was a young woman inside drinking a cup of tea.

"Oh, sorry," Hiro said. "I didn't know someone was in here-"

"No it's fine," she said. "You can get something to eat if you'd like." Hiro walked into the room awkwardly. This woman had a kind smile, but Hiro still didn't feel comfortable talking to a complete stranger. Sure, Coulson was a stranger, but he had had conversations with him. This was Hiro's first time meeting this woman.

"So," she said, "your Hiro Hamada?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah… yeah that's me. You?"

"I'm Jemma, Jemma Simmons, but you can just call me Simmons."

"Alright then Simmons," he said. "Is this like a kitchen?"

"Yeah," Simmons replied. "There's soda and juice and stuff in the fridge, and there's plenty of snacks in the cupboards."

"Sweet. Thanks." Hiro walked over to a cupboard and opened it. Jackpot. He found an entire bag full of gummy bears. Hiro quickly snatched the bag and opened it up. The gummy bears were becoming fewer by the second.

"Wow," Simmons said with a smile. "You were hungry." Hiro stopped munching on his gummy snack. He realized how rude he must have looked.

"Oh," he said with gummy bears in his mouth. Then he swallowed them. "Sorry, I kind of haven't eaten since, like, yesterday."

"No, I understand," Simmons said. "Fitz got those gummy bears but never eats them. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you eating them." Simmons was kind. She kind of reminded Hiro of his Aunt Cass, someone he'd soon be reunited with.

"Okay, thanks," Hiro said, putting another handful of gummy bears in his mouth. There was silence for a while, until Simmons decided to speak.

"Must've been horrible, what HYDRA did to you," she said. Hiro stopped eating his gummy bears. "I could only imagine the kind of hell they put you through. I've seen what they do to super powered people."

"Well," Hiro said, "it wasn't so bad. All they had me do was build microbots for them. They fed me and everything, and once and a while they'd let me watch TV. They said they were going to be making my stay comfortable, but I just thought it was creepy euphemism- Wait why did you bring up super powered people?" That was strange. She said it like Hiro was a super human.

"Oh," Simmons said, "I thought Coulson told you… nevermind. If Coulson hasn't spoken with you about it, then neither will I."

"Are you saying i'm a super human?" Simmons sighed.

"I didn't know about you until you were kidnapped, but when Coulson told me about you, he mentioned you were on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s superhuman list. Said, that it wasn't natural or even possible for a child as young as you to have so much knowledge. The human brain doesn't work that fast." Hiro was quiet for a few moments. Then, he started to laugh.

"Oh, oh, I get it," he said, still laughing a bit. "When S.H.I.E.L.D. finds someone who's smarter than any of them, they figure they must be a superhero or something."

"Well, that's just what I heard," Simmons said innocently. "If you ask me, someone can be intelligent without being a superhero. Just look at Tony Stark or Hank Pym."

"Yeah," but both of those people are superheros. I get your point though."

"So, I have another question. What made you stay and work for monsters like HYDRA." Hiro sometimes found himself wondering the same thing. HYDRA was a terrorist group, who talked of peace, but brings destruction wherever they go. Then he remembered his friends and Aunt Cass.

"Well… the only thing keeping me there was my friends and family. When I told them I didn't want to do anything for them, they showed me live feeds of my friends and Aunt Cass. They were willing to hurt, maybe even kill them to…" Hiro stopped mid sentence. HYDRA still knew where they were. They must know Hiro was gone. His friends and Aunt Cass… they were going to come for them.

"What is it Hiro?" Simmons asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I… I … I need to find Coulson," Hiro said shakily. "Where's Coulson?"

"I think I saw him pass by a little while ago, maybe he went to the command center just down the hall-"

"Okay, thanks," Hiro rushed out the door, dropping his bag of gummy bears on the floor. He was now running down the halls. He needed to tell Coulson what was happening. He needed to tell him that HYDRA was targeting Hiro's loved ones.

Hiro was getting lost. The hallways were like a labyrinth, keeping Hiro from escaping, and driving him crazy. Finally he walked into a room. To the left, there was another room enclosed in glass. Inside stood, Coulson, tapping away at some weird-looking table. Hiro didn't hesitate to run in.

"Coulson," he said, breathing heavily.

"Oh, hey Hiro. Did you get a chance to explore the ship-"

"Coulson, I need you to listen," Hiro said, not wanting to waste any time. "When… when you raided the base I was being held in, did you find someone who looked like he was in charge?" Coulson stopped tapping at the table. "Hiro what are you talking about?"

"His name… his name was Ansgar, Ansgar Teufel. He was like… in charge around there or something. Did you find him?"

"We… swept the entire base. No one seemed to be in charge there. We eliminated all of the HYDRA agents, rescued you, and then left. It seemed like a low level base that received orders via radio communication." Hiro could feel his heart pounding against his chest. The man who had threatened Hiro's friends and family was still out there. Surely he was aware that Hiro was gone, and was probably ordering his ground team to advance on Aunt Cass right now.

"We… we can't go back to San Fransokyo," he said.

"Hiro, Hiro, slow down," Coulson said, approaching the teen. "What's going on." Hiro tried starting from the beginning. He wanted to spend as little time explaining as possible.

"When… when I first woke up in the base, a man named Ansgar Teufel came in and told me to make HYDRA microbots. When I asked what would happen if I refused, he showed me live video feeds of my friends and Aunt Cass. He threatened to hurt them if I didn't do what he wanted. He knows i'm gone now Coulson, he's going to hurt them now!"

"Hiro, calm down, we've had eyes on them for a while now. If any HYDRA agents tried to harm any of them, they wouldn't make it within fifty feet before getting shot-"

"It didn't stop them from taking me," Hiro said angrily. Coulson stopped talking. "Just let me call them, and tell them to be prepared. They can protect themselves better than any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can, trust me." Coulson began rubbing his chin. Hiro hated when people did that. When people rubbed their chins like that, it meant that there was some good news and bad news.

"That might not be the smartest idea Hiro," he finally said. "HYDRA's constantly trying to intercept our communications. If you try to call your friends, or anyone else toward them, HYDRA would be on them at the drop of a hat. It's too risky."

"There has to be a way," Hiro said.

"Hiro, i'm sorry. But, calling them would alert HYDRA-"

"They're probably already going after them," Hiro interrupted. "If I don't do anything, they'll definitely go after them. Coulson, please." Coulson stared at Hiro for a minute, seeing the look of seriousness in his eyes."

"There… there is a way to stop HYDRA from intercepting a message, but only for a few minutes."

"A few minutes is all I need," Hiro said. He was going to get a message to his friends, and he didn't care if HYDRA knew.

Coulson had disappeared into a small room, and came out a few minutes later.

"I just talked to Skye," he said. "She should be able to block anyone from hacking into the phone you're using. You'll only have a few minutes, so think about who you're going to call, and what you're going to say." Hiro knew exactly who to call. Someone who always had her phone on her and never missed a call. He was going to call Honey Lemon.

"I'm going to call one of my friends," he said. "She should pick up the phone."

"Tell me Hiro, what exactly are you going to do after this call? You said you weren't going back to San Fransokyo."

"I… I don't know. I can't go back. The city will be the first place HYDRA looks for me. No matter how many agents you said would protect us, HYDRA won't let that stand in their way. They need me to build a neurotransmitter still, so they still need me. I… I don't know where i'll go."

"How about this," Coulson offered. "You can stay here with us, until we find this Ansgar guy. If we find him and take him into custody, we can tell him to cancel whatever order he's given to… advance on your friends and family." The idea sounded good to Hiro. He wanted to go back to his friends. He wanted to protect them. But, if he went back to San Fransokyo, he'd be handing himself over to HYDRA on a silver platter. They probably expected him to go back, but he wasn't about to play right into their hands.

"Sounds good to me," Hiro said.

A few minutes later, a woman, probably the same age as Simmons, walked out of a room with a phone in hand.

"Alright," she said. "The signal should be blocked from HYDRA for about four minutes. Whatever you want to say, say it fast." She handed Coulson the phone.

"Thank you Skye," he said. Skye looked at Hiro.

"So this is Hiro?" she asked, as if Hiro weren't even in the room.

"Yes he is," Coulson replied. "He's going to be staying with us for a while. There's a HYDRA commander looking for him, and until we bring him in, the only safe place for him is here."

" 'Sup," Hiro said waving his hand.

"Hey there," Skye said quickly. Unlike Coulson or Simmons, she didn't look like she wanted to have an in depth conversation with him. That was fine by Hiro. Skye walked away and into her small room.

"Okay," Coulson said, handing Hiro the cell phone. "Make it quick, make it count." Hiro nodded. He began to type in Honey Lemon's number, which he had burned into his brain by now. The phone was ringing, and it was dead silent in the room. The only sound Hiro could hear was his heart beating. It was probably going to jump out of his chest any minute. After hearing the phone ring a couple of times, someone picked up.

"Hello?" It was Honey Lemon's voice. Hiro was tearing up, he didn't know what to say. He was overjoyed to hear the voice of one of his best friends again. If that were the last thin HIro had to hear, he would be fine with that. Then he remembered he was on the clock.

"Hello?" Honey Lemon said again. "Is anyone there?"

"Honey Lemon," Hiro managed. There was silence for a while.

"Hi… Hiro? Is.. that-"

"Yes, Honey Lemon, it's me. Listen I know you have question, but I don't have time to answer them. I was kidnapped three months ago by a group called HYDRA, and now they're coming for you."

"Hiro," Honey Lemon said. Hiro could tell by the sound of her voice that she was in tears.

Honey Lemon I don't have much time. HYDRA is coming for you. You guys need the be alert. They could be coming for you any second. I need you guys to protect Aunt Cass too."

"Hiro, thirty seconds," Coulson said pointing to his watch.

"Okay, I have to go-"

"No, Hiro, wait-"

"Just, defend yourselves. And tell Aunt Cass I love her." With that Hiro hung up. He sat in his seat, staring at the floor for a while.

"You did the right thing," Coulson said. "I've heard impressive things about your team. From what i've heard, they should be able to defend themselves."

"Yeah," Hiro sighed. "I know. So, what do we do now?"

"Now," Coulson stood up, "we track down Ansgar. Is there any information you could give us about where he might be?" Hiro racked his brain. When he was being held captive, Ansgar would sometimes enter his room while he was on the phone. He wasn't sure what the phone conversations were about, but every time, Ansgar mentioned... Miami.

"Miami," Hiro said the instant he thought it. "Ansgar always talked about Miami."

"It seems like a stretch," Coulson said, "but at this point, it's the best we got." Coulson turned and picked up his radio. "May, change of plans. Turn the Bus around, we're going to Florida."

Hiro was going to find Ansgar. He needed to protect his friends, and his Aunt Cass. When Ansgar was caught, they would be safe. Hiro could feel the plane turning around. They were off to Miami, where Ansgar was waiting.

(A/N) Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you guys like it. Originally I was going to have Hiro meet Fitz, but I like the idea of him meeting Simmons better. I had a hard time writing this one, not sure why. I think I just got lazy. That's DaydreamDepartment out of your hair! )