Hello, readers! I am alive, with another chapter - probably the only chapter this month, ever. Sorry about the absences, guys - a lot of things with school, my schedule next year, and other things, plus I got a major writer's block, so that didn't help a single bit. Unfortunately, this chapter probably won't completely compensate for the missing chapters, but... oh well. Thanks for your patience, and i really love your support! :) Now onwards!
"Where is the rest of the group?!" Baymax questioned loudly, still being dragged by Hiro.
"I don't know, and we have to get out of here as soon as possible!" he yelled, his eyes darting in and out, blinking at the glaring sun. An idea hit him. "Can you do a scan?"
Ten seconds later, Baymax blinked and said, "Wasabi and Fred are at the end of this path," pointing to the left. Hiro steered his way through the crowd, not stopping for anything.
"Wasabi!" he yelled, panicked. "Fred!" They loomed into view.
"What, Hiro?" Wasabi questioned, turning to face him.
"There's something after us and we need to meet up at the station as soon as possible!" he gasped. Both of his friends turned pale instantaneously. Nodding all in agreement, they turned back and dashed.
Squinting to see the familiar sign to the station, Hiro barely noticed Honey Lemon and Go Go pass them by.
"Woah, wait!" he called, backtracking quickly and dug his feet in to catch up to them. "Where are you going?!" Neither responded, but they clearly conveyed the message through panicked eyes and wide open mouths that failed to issue a word.
They ran, not looking back. Jumping over the block barriers, they dashed down the sunny streets. Without a word, Hiro, Go Go and Fred each came behind Baymax and forcefully pushed him - only having some wiring inside his vinyl design, along with the lightweight armour that would protect said vinyl design, he was very light and though he complained loudly, it was certainly better than waiting for him while certain doom loomed over their heads.
"Go!" one yelled - either Honey Lemon or Wasabi. They dashed into a forest, deep into the shadowed area.
Hiro lost track of time. The trees loomed over them, the crunch of twigs and branches making him wince. They ran for what seemed as forever, and he didn't dare look back to see if the mysterious person was behind him; he felt that if he did, he or she or it would be right on his heels, ready to knock him out.
When it appeared that no one could run anymore - which could have been a half hour to mere seconds - they slowed down, then stopped completely. Catching his breath, which was ragged and short, Hiro doubled over, half standing and half leaning on the trunk of the tree. The rest of the team did so too - except for Baymax, of course. He just sat down and began scanning a small ant hill.
When Hiro could speak again, he asked in a slightly raspy voice, "What did you guys see?" Go Go and Honey exchanged a look. Finally, both sighed.
"I was searching for Fred," Go Go said, looking exasperated. "With all the people, however, it was insane. My best bet was to head to the station. But the next thing I know, I'm being completely dragged all the way to a much less populated area."
"When I was looking for her," Honey spoke, "I found her being cornered by a figure - all dressed in black, in a flexible suit. The person was a girl, but I couldn't tell how old she was because of all the crazy action - could you, Go Go?" The other shook her head.
"The stranger had a katana - double bladed, etched in silver, a long black handle. Really nice sword, though. If Honey hadn't used a chem ball quick enough, however, I would have probably died," Go Go said quietly.
"Immediately, though," Honey continued, eyes going a little vacant, "the girl appeared to be amazingly quick, already moving before all the ice could have frozen her whole body. I didn't stop to look back, but it appears we have lost her. My chem ball may have not been enough to completely freeze her, but it did buy us some time."
"How are we gonna get to Biraben now?" Fred questioned, waddling around. "Find another train?"
"No, probably not," Wasabi said nervously. "If that girl managed to find us once, she could probably do it again."
"In that case, shouldn't we get going before she finds us again and tries to kill us?" Hiro helpfully suggested. Peering into the distance, he added, "In fact, she could be tracking us down as we speak."
She smiled. She knew she was dealing with geniuses, but sometimes they had not a drop of common sense in their bodies. After all, if they did, they would still be running. Away from her, that is.
Perched in the thick foliage of trees, their voices carried all the way up to her, discussing their next step in getting to Biraben. Clearly, they didn't plan on being kidnapped and taken hostage to get there.
Shifting, she felt the hard muscles in her legs tense - her feet itched, ready to take off at any moment.
Patience, she recalled, the words spoken from her master years ago. You might be training to be able to kill, but patience is the difference between professionals and amateurs.
It was hard to be patient when they were already right below her, like sitting ducks.
They began to walk quickly, almost sprinting - but to her, they might as well be carelessly strolling along.
Getting up from her perch in between the branches, she spotted the next nearest branch - taking almost a running start, she jumped. Landing on the wood, not even a slight tremor from her weight, she continued - jumping from one to another. It had been a while since the last time she had tracked someone down in a forest, and the oh-so-familiar of being airborne felt good.
It reminded her of when she was young - before the masters had taken her on, when she was little - maybe at about the age of 5. When her mother was young, beautiful, vibrant . . . alive.
Before she could do anything else, she blacked out.
The screaming was what woke her up. Smoke filled the room, and when she rolled out of bed, she couldn't see anything.
It suffocated her, getting into her lungs . . . stumbling into the hallway, she tried to find her mother's door, but kept tripping over the boxes. They had just moved into their 18th apartment again the week before, and still hadn't quite completely unpacked.
Before reaching it, a rough hand grabbed her arm - she remembered screaming, this time from her. It was shrilly, and it seemed like it was coming from another child, not her. She never screamed.
Lights flashed in and out. The unmistakable flames of burning fire flooded, tears pricking on the edge of her eyes. Collapsing to the floor, curled up in the fetal position.
A male voice, swearing. More hands, dragging her. Kicking, screaming, sobbing. The last thing she remembered was her mother - eyes locking with hers, the silky brown hair in knots and tangles, nearly black - colored pupils in fear. Nevertheless, she looked defiant as she dodged figures swarming her.
The next thing she knew, a man was sitting in front of her. He had dark hair and gray eyes that seemed . . . hungry.
He told her that their apartment had burned down - nothing left. He told her she was traumatized, that her memories of the incident were simply made up to cope with the loss.
When she asked what loss he was talking about, he replied, "The loss of your mother, of course."
Months passed. She stayed with these strange people, drifting around her small room. She was like a ghost.
Then her master came. After years of training, he eventually promised her that her name would be known across the globe.
And now, she was working to make that promise come true.
A soft rustle was behind Hiro - twisting back, he tensed, getting out his trusty weapon. Murmuring to it, this time skipping the first word and just saying the second, he felt his companions getting ready - even Baymax, who had been making complaints all the while they had been walking, shut up and looked ready to fight. Even if his suit wasn't working at all, he still had his fighting moves programmed into his system - plus maybe he could offer some of those nasty suckers. Those could probably kill a man.
He saw out of the corner of his eye everyone ready to attack : Honey had a chem ball in her hand, Go Go had her disks out, Fred and Wasabi in stance, green light pulsing, and the former had a crazed look in his eye. The trusty healthcare companion raised his arm in what was either a way you would to karate chop a board, or give a high five. Hiro was hoping the case would be called for the latter reason, but that was very unlikely.
A girl strolled out from behind a tree. Though she looked a little stunned, Hiro couldn't breathe.
Wearing a slim, sleek suit, it was clear she was very fit, in a finesse sort of way. On her feet were black flats of some sort, with rubber soles and treads. Like Go Go had said, she did hold a katana - though it was dark in the forest, it still seemed to reflect light, drawing attention to itself.
The other thing - they could have been related. She was about 14, and was only about an inch or two shorter than him. Dark, chocolate brown eyes glowed and her slightly unruly hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail.
The group faltered. Except for the two girls, who still looked like they were ready to start busting some sick moves, the rest seemed extremely reluctant to start attacking the - though very dangerous looking - young teen, who was smiling brightly. Her teeth were gleaming white and perfect.
"What do you want," he managed to whisper. Go Go looked at him like he was crazy, and before he could object, she dashed toward the stranger.
Before any of them could react, the girl calmly yet swiftly sprinted out of the way; when Go Go came back around, she efficiently swung her blade, separating all disks, which clattered to the ground. She slashed, cutting them to pieces. And she threw a swift punch, hitting Go Go unconcious. Hiro had a feeling that was only a small degree of power the stranger had.
All of this happened in less than 10 seconds.
The girl stood there, just staring at the group. Neither made to make a move, though Baymax blinked once.
". . . you gonna say anything?" Fred whispered nervously. The girl didn't move, and for a second, Hiro thought she was frozen. His friend lay on the ground, her armour crooked and eyes closed.
Hiro got a feeling he felt very rarely. It was uncertainty.
Normally, his gut told him what to do, since his brain was usually screaming in panic. Now, both were silent, and he hadn't the slightest idea what his next step should be.
This could go many different ways - actually, make that just three.
Fight.
Flight.
Or die.
Sorry, but the next chapter probably won't be posted until March. Please R&R, and see you then!
-DragonFire0102