A/N: Hey guys! Welcome back! Alright, I need you to buckle your seatbelts because from here on out, we're in the home stretch. Everything is going to start rolling towards our conclusion here and fast. Like really fast. I'm just hoping all the moments are worthy of the Superhero story that I set out to create! This is chapter 15 of 21. It's about to get real serious, real quick.
In this chapter, wary readers can spot a reference to another fandom. It is one that I didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole to but enjoyed nonetheless. Fred really shines in this chapter. Seriously, I love that character and not just because he's the "comedic relief." He's my favorite character from the movie because he's so much more than the token funny guy. I could talk for hours about Fred, spend pages and pages on why I love him to pieces. It all boils down to one thing really and that's the fact that I really think I have quite a lot in common with Fred. From his course of study in college to his personality, I identify with him the most. When someone like him can be a hero, it's a real confidence booster. Also, please forgive me if my portrayal of PTSD is inaccurate. I don't live with PTSD myself so I relied heavily on research to base Vera's reactions off of. It isn't perfect by any means and I do not mean to isolate anyone.
One last note! Last week Scientist hit over a hundred favorites and was added to a community! Thank you all so much for your support. You guys are awesome!
He knew that scream way too well. He'd become familiar with it in the labs of the underground compound that Hydra kept them at, it had pierced through the walls and into his lab. He'd woken up to it several nights in a row after he'd first moved into Vera's apartment those few weeks after escaping from Hydra. Yes, he knew that scream all too well. "Vera!" he called frantically as he stumbled into the family room.
Vera was still asleep, screaming bloody murder and thrashing on the couch. It took every ounce of him not to grab on to her shoulders and shake her awake. Even after all this time, that was Tadashi's first instinct. He'd learned not to shake her awake fairly quickly after he'd tried it one of the first times and Vera had nearly punched him out. "Vera! Vera! Wake up!" he shouted over her screaming and instead taking her hands in his.
Vera jerked awake, eyes flying open wide but one look was enough to tell him that she wasn't out of the nightmare yet. Her screaming became strangled noises in the back of her throat as her eyes flitted around the room, far away and terrified, looking for enemies that she wouldn't find. "Vera, look at me." he told her insistently. Her breathing was shallow and gasping. Panic still had a firm grip on her senses. "Look at me imouto."
Suddenly, she snapped around and met his eyes. Chest still heaving and face still white as a sheet, awareness finally came back into her eyes. "Chi...Chiune," she choked out.
Without a further sound, Vera launched herself at him. She tore her hands from his to throw them around his waist. Unlike when Hiro had tackled him earlier, Tadashi was ready for her. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her head, pressing one ear closer to his chest while blocking the other ear and her eyes with a constant reassuring pressure. He could feel Vera's wracking sobs against his chest as he purposely timed his own breathing. "Just breathe Vera. I've got you. Just breathe." he whispered into her hair.
"Respiration and heart rate have increased to unhealthy levels. My scans also indicate that brain activity has increased in areas the regulate fear and response to fear as well as overstimulation to the nervous system. Diagnosis, panic attack. Treatments include…" Baymax informed the room oh so helpfully as he started towards them.
"I've got it." he snapped Baymax more fiercely than he'd intended. He winced and waved Baymax back. "I've got it." he said again but this time much gentler.
"Order understood. I shall defer treatment to you, Tadashi." Baymax stepped back again. Vera's legs gave out underneath her so he lowered both of them to the couch again, never once letting go of Vera's head.
"You're safe. I've got you. Nothing's going to happen. You're safe. Just breathe. There you go that's it." he told her quietly as he felt Vera's breathing even out in time with his heart beat and his own breathing. Every so often Vera would give a shudder against his chest as another sob was wrenched from her mouth. The front of his cardigan was wet with her tears but he didn't really care. Slowly he stopped cradling her head so he could rub a small circle on her back. "It's alright." he assured her.
"Tadashi, does Vera suffer from a chronic anxiety disorder?" Baymax asked.
"Huh?" he responded in a not very helpful way. Tadashi looked up. He didn't think it was possible for a robot to look clinical and yet that was exactly the way Baymax looked and sounded as he continued to regard the scene through his sensors. That's when he also caught sight of Hiro and all the others.
Wasabi and Fred were ready for action with respective blades out and hood on. GoGo and Honey Lemon also looked as though they could defend the family room at the drop of a hat. Interestingly enough, Aunt Cass was holding a broom over her head but the look on her face made Tadashi think that she'd forgotten about that little fact when she saw him with Vera. As for Hiro… Hiro had been right behind him into the room. His hand was still clenched into a fist and he was staring straight at Vera's prone figure in Tadashi's lap. The look on his face was something of shock mixed with a hint of confusion. However, Hiro's eyes flashed upwards and met his for one brief second before darting back to Vera in a wide eyed and open jawed expression. It was if he was truly realizing and seeing something about Vera for the first time. He brushed off Hiro's look though.
Tadashi looked down at Vera. She'd stopped sobbing finally but was still shaking underneath his hand. However, she was aware enough to nod her head against his chest to give him permission to speak about her mental health. "She suffers from post traumatic stress disorder." he answered.
"I see. That would offer adequate explanations for some of my earlier scans regarding her abnormally high stress levels." Baymax replied sagely.
His hand froze over Vera's back. He frowned. Abnormally high stress levels? Baymax had to have had that wrong. He would've noticed if Vera was acting off. That's when he also recalled Vera's words to him earlier. You are absolutely adorable thinking I'm going to be a functioning human being tonight. I plan on spending the night in a drug induced stupor. He placed his hand against Vera's shoulder soothingly. "I thought you said you were going to take your medication tonight Vera?" he asked her gently.
Vera peeled her head away from his chest. The color still hadn't returned to her face but she managed to muster up a superb disgruntled look. "I don't have any on me. They're all at the safe house." she told him bitterly.
It was like someone had thrown ice water on him. "Why didn't you say anything!" he demanded.
Vera's only response was a subtle nod towards Hiro, Honey Lemon, Fred, GoGo, Wasabi, Aunt Cass, and Baymax. He looked up at them and suddenly felt like he was choking on his own guilt. Of course Vera hadn't said anything. He'd been too caught up in rediscovering his friends and family. Of course she would've kept silent, thinking that this was more important than she was. She hadn't wanted to ruin it. How could this have happened? How had he managed to get so wound up in himself that he'd neglected Vera? He was so stupid.
He had seen the signs, Tadashi realized. She'd mentioned a strong cup of coffee earlier probably because she knew she didn't want to fall asleep for fear of nightmares. Baymax had commented on her stress level. He'd even noted that her wrist was swollen from twisting her bracelet, her nervous tick to try and hide what she was feeling. She'd even asked, no demanded, that Coulson tell her exactly where her GPS reading was coming from just so she would know that it was actually working. Just so she knew that no one would lose her again. How had he been so blind? "Vera…" he said, deathly quiet, "I'm so, so, so sorry. I should've…"
"Chiune," Vera muttered as she turned her head back into his chest, fingers still twisted tight into the wool of his cardigan, "shut up."
Tadashi shut his mouth but the guilt still weighed hard on him. Someone touched his shoulder hesitantly. It was Hiro. "I… uh… I think I understand where she's coming from." Hiro told him haltingly. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously before taking a seat on the other side of him. "She let you have priority over her needs. I know you don't… I know you don't remember your life before the fire but you were always putting everyone else's needs before your own. You were always doing it for me. Always."
"I just thought after the last year of focusing on my scars and wounds that you ought to have the chance to focus on your own life." Vera whispered before falling silent. She let go of the front of his clothes and laid her head in his lap, pulling her arms up over her face and tucking her legs up on the couch. Tadashi laid a hand on her wrist and hand. She was absolutely freezing which wasn't uncommon for her after one of her panic attacks. Biting his lip he turned and reached for the throw blanket that was tossed over the back of the couch. He laid it over top Vera's head and torso, blocking everyone's view of her.
No one said anything for a long time. Hiro sat next to him on the couch, leaning against him in a silent show of support and for once didn't seem bothered or jealous of Vera's closeness. That was a good development despite all the mayhem that preceded it. Honey Lemon and Wasabi took a seat on the smaller adjacent sofa while GoGo perched herself on the arm rest. Fred chose to flop down on the ground. Aunt Cass stayed standing until she disappeared into the kitchen.
Tadashi found himself looking everywhere and anywhere else besides their eyes. His laptop that Vera had borrowed was still sitting open on the coffee table. Though it had gone dark with nonuse, Vera's notes were still spread around it. Various different tidbits about Dr. Callaghan, his daughter, Alistair Krei, Fox Labs, and Hydra were jotted down in a pattern that only Vera would be able to understand. It looked like she'd been trying to draw pieces of a puzzle together and had fallen asleep right there on the couch in the middle of it. He was certain that her work hadn't helped her nightmares any. "Is she, uh, gonna be okay?" asked Fred from his spot on the ground, obviously concerned.
Tadashi felt Vera nod her head even though the question hadn't been directed at her. "Yeah, she'll be okay."
"It just takes time is all." Hiro added quietly. Tadashi looked over at him and wondered if he was speaking from personal experience.
"Recovering from a panic attack can take up to several hours but may be helped by calming activities or relaxation techniques." Baymax chipped in.
Aunt Cass came back from the kitchen. In her hand was an extra tall mug, filled to the top, and steaming. Very carefully, she knelt down by Vera's head and touched her on the shoulder. "Vera dear, I made you some tea if you'd like it. It's chamomile."
Vera sat up, the blanket slipping down over her shoulders. "That would be great," she mumbled. "Thanks Ms. Hamada."
Aunt Cass handed her the mug and patted her on the leg. "It's Aunt Cass dear." she repeated her earlier words.
Vera smiled weakly before taking a ginger sip of her tea. Tadashi grabbed the blanket from around her shoulders and tugged it up over her head. No one really said anything for a few minutes as Vera sipped at the tea.
"So Vera," Honey Lemon said at length brightly, "New York huh? Living there must be exciting."
"I suppose," Vera shrugged, pushing back her hair from her face. "I'm always pretty busy with classes and everything."
"I thought you were like a spy or something." Wasabi pointed out in confusion.
Vera gave him a dry grin, "I was for awhile, among other things. I'm a second year criminal law student at NYU. Much more rewarding in my opinion."
"I can see it." GoGo told her as she turned her head to the side.
Before Vera had a chance to say anything in response her cell phone buzzed against the coffee table. It was perfectly timed with his own phone going off. Vera leaned forward out of his grasp to grab it off the table as he fished into his jean pockets for his own phone. "It's Coulson." Vera murmured as she looked at her own phone.
A stab of worry coursed through him. "Vera just leave it." he told her, half pleading. He didn't want her to put herself in anymore stressful situations for the time being.
"He has more information on Callaghan and the break in at Fox Labs." Vera said disregarding him.
"Wait! What about Callaghan and Fox Labs?" Hiro gaped at her. Then he abruptly shut his mouth and shook his head violently. "Forget I said that. It can wait."
"No, no. You're right." mumbled Vera as she pressed a few buttons on her phone and read through the message that Coulson had sent her. "We still owe you an explanation on Hydra and Callaghan as promised."
"Seriously, it can wait if you're not up to it." Wasabi insisted. Vera's eyes snapped up at him.
"Don't start with me please. I came to San Fransokyo to do a job. Now let me do it." she informed them all seriously. Tadashi winced at her tone. There was something about this somewhere that couldn't be healthy, throwing herself into work like this without any regard for her own mental health. He also knew though that there was no way to dissuade her. "The short version of explanation is that Hydra broke Dr. Robert Callaghan out of his supermaximum prison cell with the express reason of luring you, Big Hero 6, out into the open." Vera told them.
"I knew it!" GoGo growled. "I knew someone had helped him escape!"
"It wasn't just escape that Hydra helped him out with." Tadashi added. He tried, but utterly failed to keep the bitterness out his voice when he thought about the fact that Hydra had resurrected his hive drones and given them to Callaghan to use and abuse. He shook his head and continued, "Hydra also seems to given him a new focus. He had some half insane line about the world being broken and wanting to fix it that he gave Abigail."
"That makes absolutely no sense." Wasabi said with a skeptical look on his face. "And how could that be construed as only half insane?"
"You weren't there when he said it. Trust me. He didn't sound crazy when he said it." he explained.
"You were there?" Hiro gaped at him. "You were in Abigail Callaghan's apartment?"
He shrugged, "Well, yeah. She had all his research. I thought looking through it might help me find Big Hero 6, you guys."
Tadashi didn't think that was exactly an Earth shattering bombshell but the way that Hiro, Fred, Honey Lemon, and GoGo all went bug eyed at the news told him differently. The only one who didn't look at him as though he'd grown a second head was Aunt Cass and Baymax. Baymax, he was sure, didn't react because he was a robot and hadn't been designed to go bug eyed. As for Aunt Cass, she was only looking at them all in undisguised confusion. "Is there something that I don't know?" she asked before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Nevermind, forget I said that. There are many things I don't know nor do I want to know."
"You were in Abigail's apartment!" repeated Hiro.
"Dude!" Fred exclaimed loudly. "You were the one that posted that gif on our tip blog! The warning. Holy mother of Megazon! You used the hydra monster to literally warn us about Hydra! That is freakin' awesome."
He stared at Fred in confusion. What was he… oh yeah! "I did post that! That was me." he laughed.
"You rock man. You rock!" Fred told him reverently as he stood up and gave him a high five.
"King of the nerds." Hiro grumbled as he ground the heel of his palm into his forehead.
Vera gave a snort, "So he told me not to forget."
She got up without saying anything more as she read through the text that Coulson had sent the pair of them. Hiro's hand clenched around his arm. "You were there when Callaghan attacked Abigail." he whispered in horror.
"Yeah, that too." he winced at Hiro's mortified look. "I was hoping that some of his research notes would prove useful in helping me find you guys, more specifically Baymax. Between what I found and Callaghan showing up, I got way more than I anticipated."
Vera jerked to attention, twisting around to face him. "Oh my God," she whispered as a realization dawned on her, "It was you that threw Callaghan off his game. You were the reason that he went off script. He literally saw the ghost of his past come back to haunt him!"
A twisted smile spread across her lips and her eyes danced. "Can you please not act so excited about that fact?" he asked her bitterly and shooting a glare at her.
"You don't understand. This is a missing piece of the puzzle. Another tidbit to help us figure out what the he and Hydra are going to pull next." Vera said as she fell to her knees in front of the coffee table. She pulled all her notes around, grabbed a legal note pad, and began skimming through things like a demon possessed. Fred scooted closer to her and started reading over her shoulder.
"You said that Hydra gave him a new focus. Did they also give him more microbots or something because her apartment was torn to shreds. That Williams guy said that he made some improvements to my technology and wanted my input." Hiro asked him seriously.
"That would probably be the damned hive drones." he grumbled bitterly. "Nasty weaponized mini-robots operated through dual controls, neurocranial and programmable technology. Perfect for all your destructive and evil needs."
"Wow, bitter much?" GoGo commented.
He bit his cheek to keep himself from answering without speaking. "I have every right to be. I was forced to make them by Hydra. I thought everything relating to them was destroyed. Obviously not because someone managed to recreate them and then proceeded to update them." he said with tone that sounded just barely controlled to his own ears.
"Tadashi," Hiro's voice was quiet as he squeezed on his shoulder. Subconsciously, he wrapped his own hand around Hiro's. He couldn't really explain why but for some reason he found it easier to temper his rage as he clung to Hiro's hand. Easier to breath and think logically.
"I'm okay," he mumbled under his breath. He gave a heavy sigh before looking up. Vera was shooting him a furtive glance from over the top of her papers. Then there was the fact that he could feel Hiro's eyes boring into his back. He went to pull his hat down over his head but stopped short when he realized that it was still sitting on the kitchen table. Instead, he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm okay." he reassured them with a weak smile.
Vera looked down back at her notes and Hiro's hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Tadashi pulled his hand away from Hiro's before it got too awkward. "Why was Hydra so keen on us coming with them tonight?" asked Honey Lemon.
"They have an interest in 'making the unknowable knowable' or something like that." he answered as he looked at Vera with careful regard. He was not about to say the wrong thing and set her off again. She appeared to not even be paying attention but he knew better because he saw Vera take a deep breath in through her nose to steady herself. Her eyes never left the papers she was going through though.
"What's that even supposed to mean?" GoGo shook her head in confusion.
He started to answer but he faltered. How was he going to explain this. "Let's put it this way..." Vera said grimly, "Big Hero 6 used their brains and skills to give themselves Superpowers. Hydra loves Superpowers, everything about them. You guys are like fruit, ripe for the picking, to Hydra. They'd love nothing more than to leech off of you and use your abilities for their own gain."
"You're saying that they would try and force us to work for them?" Fred said. The skepticism was clear on his face as if he didn't think it was possible for him to be put up to anything he didn't want to do. Tadashi was about to tell him not to be so certain. Hydra had somehow managed to force him into doing their bidding despite the fact that he had no memory of who he was. However Vera spoke before he could.
"Or find a way to actually give you metahuman abilities." she said with a shrug.
"Can they even do that?" Wasabi raised his eyebrow, clearly uncertain.
"Wouldn't surprise me. I know they've come close in the past but their test subjects haven't always fared well after the fact. I wouldn't be surprised if they've rectified that in the last year seeing as how they managed to take away a metahuman's abilities."
He went pale and his eyes went wide. They were clearly in not good territory. "Vera," he started but Fred jumped in.
"No way! They took away someone's metahuman abilities?" he gasped.
"Like permanently?" questioned Aunt Cass with surprise.
Vera pressed her lips together into a thin line as she reached for her mug of tea. "So it would seem," she muttered under her breath before taking a long drink.
"Vera it seems as though your stress levels are rising..." Baymax started.
"Alright, new topic if you don't mind." Tadashi said quickly, cutting Baymax off as he eyed Vera from the corner of his eye. Though everyone seemed to be looking at her in confusion, Vera seemed to able to block it all out. Vera shuffled through some of her papers, handing some to Fred, before picking up her phone.
"Coulson said that he got away with… I can't even pronounce that and they make me learn latin law terms in school?" she read off her phone. Alright, at least Vera had moved away from the trauma that Hydra had inflicted on her.
Tadashi frowned as he looked at his own phone. Instantly he found the word that Vera meant. "It's Greek, for Poseidon… I think." he said as he stared at his phone with furrowed eyebrows. "Looks like he got away with quite a bit of it too, 30 milliliters... whatever it is. Coulson doesn't say what it is or what it's used for."
"Pity because that would actually be really useful information." muttered Vera as she shuffled through papers. She must not have been paying a lot of attention because she handed a couple of them over to Fred. Fred promptly began reading through them as well.
"Hey Honey Lemon, chemicals are your thing. Any idea what this Poseidon formula is or does?" Fred asked as he looked up at her briefly.
Honey Lemon shook her head apologetically, "Sorry, Fox Labs hasn't gone public with any of their latest research. They got a military contract not that long ago though. I don't know if that helps any but..."
"No worries. We'll figure it out." Fred assured her as he bent his head and continued reading. His eyebrows furrowed as he went through Vera's notes. "These two forces are definitely up to no good."
"Bit obvious don't you think?" GoGo snorted.
"And whatever they want this Poseidon formula is important enough to them that they sent Williams and his men out to be the distraction tonight." Vera agreed. She probably hadn't heard GoGo's retort.
"Whoa! Back up a minute!" sputtered Wasabi. "I thought you guys said that these Hydra people broke Callaghan out of jail to distract us."
"They did." Vera said simply.
"Only tonight, Hydra needed us busy otherwise we would have totally rained on their parade." Fred told them with a solemn nod before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He tapped Vera on her arm and motioned to her phone. She gave it up without a protest.
"Had word gotten out that Yokai was at Fox Labs, Big Hero 6 would've been right on his tail making it a living nightmare for him to get what he needed done."
"But word didn't get out." Aunt Cass pointed out in confusion. "The news only reported that there was a break in."
"It's a pure freaking miracle that Dr. Callaghan's involvement is still hiding underneath the rug." Vera acknowledged with a single nod. "Hydra couldn't take the risk though. They couldn't guarantee that their buddy would go unnamed in the public eye."
"Better to have people chasing us around then leave something like that up in the air." Fred said. "Besides, if they somehow managed to succeed in capturing us..."
"All the better for them." Vera finished.
"But why would they still need the Poseidon formula if they thought they could take us tonight?" Hiro asked as he raked a hand through his hair.
"Easy answer is that Hydra's plan involves you and the Poseidon formula in some way." Vera told them simply.
"Um, that doesn't exactly make me get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside." Honey Lemon pointed out with a nervous laugh.
"What could it be though?" mumbled Vera without hearing Honey Lemon. She stood up slowly and started pacing back and forth with her hand tucked on her chin.
"It would have to be something fairly big," Fred added as he stood up to join her. He stared at his phone, still scrolling on the screen, as he paced.
"But not necessarily something they would need to lure you guys out into the open with. It would have to be something that could function as a distraction and as whatever else Hydra has in mind."
"A flexible plan to say the least."
"Or adaptable."
"The military contract Honey Lemon mentioned Fox Labs winning looks like it was from the U.S. Army. No word on what exactly it's for though. Totally top secret and need to know basis only."
"Of course not. There are ways of getting around that though." Vera smirked. "Any mention in the local papers about strange happenings after Fox Labs picked up the contract?"
"No but certain city blogs say that there have been weird earthquake like tremors outside a well known Fox Labs' testing area recently. Some residents called Fox Labs' public relations department to complain but the representative just kept telling them that they were just working on some new compounds that they referred to as the... get this, the Earth-shaker formula."
"Earth-shaker," Vera paused, "correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that an epithet for..."
"Poseidon? Yeah... Do you think..." Fred's voice trailed off but Vera picked up on his train of thought.
"Do you?"
Fred scratched his chin thoughtfully. "It's too much of a coincidence. Can you see if your buddies at S.H.I.E.L.D. can confirm?"
"They're trying too but you know how government agencies are. No one likes to play nice and share information."
"Anyone else officially lost?" Wasabi asked as he looked around the room.
There was a chorus of nods and a couple of yeps from everyone but Fred and Vera. The pair were completely lost in their own swing of things.
"Shall we operate under the assumption that Earth-shaker formula and Poseidon formula are one and the same?" Vera continued.
Fred nodded, "Let's. With that in mind, the next question is…"
"What could this formula actually be? What's it's purpose?"
"As cool as it would be, I don't think it is actually mimicking an earthquake. Wrong kind of science."
All of a sudden, they both froze in place. They'd been facing away from each other but spun around quickly to exchange looks with wide eyes and open hanging jaws. "No!" gasped Vera in shock.
"Can't be that easy..." agreed Fred with an equally surprised look on his face.
Vera shook her head as a rather disturbing grin broke across her face. "But it is!"
"It isn't Callaghan's M.O. though." Fred pointed out but didn't sound all the way convinced.
"But it's Hydra's though. Quick, simple, and efficient."
"Will one of you please tell the rest of us what the Hell you two are talking about." demanded GoGo. However, it was obvious that Vera and Fred hadn't heard her.
"And it's sure to pull the heroes out into the open." Fred started to grin himself. There was something that wasn't quite right about that smile in Tadashi's opinion.
"It's brilliant." Vera smirked. Okay, there was something that definitely wasn't right about her smile either.
"It's ingenious." Fred smirked back at her.
"Horrible!"
"Unthinkable!"
"Despicable!" The shared conclusion was accompanied by an enthusiastic look that really didn't match the conclusion.
"What is!" yelled Hiro. He jumped to his feet in frustration. Both Vera and Fred turned to face him.
"A bomb," they both answered completely in sync with one another and so much so that it was scary.
"Okay! Now I swear that I've seen you somewhere before. Your level of awesome is way too great to escape notice." Fred said emphatically as he looked at Vera with a healthy dose of respect.
Vera rolled her eyes but said good naturedly, "Been through this before buddy, never seen you in my life but I thank you for the ego boost."
"Excuse me," coughed Aunt Cass, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand. Her face had gone as white as a sheet.
"Um, Vera... maybe you ought to calm down a little." Tadashi suggested as he cast a nervous glance over at his Aunt.
"I do not think that is possible. Both Fred and Vera have a large amount of norepinephrine in their systems. It will take some time for it to fully cycle out." Baymax stated as he looked between Vera and Fred almost curiously.
"Is she always like this?" Hiro asked him dryly.
He bit back a groan. "At times. You ought to see her when she's all fired up about metahuman and Superhero politics."
"They have a point." Honey Lemon said timidly. "The Poseidon formula could very well be explosive which is why people surrounding the testing area have reported tremors."
"I'll see if I can get Coulson to confirm it." Vera said as she grabbed her phone. She started typing out a text message to him.
Fred bent down and grabbed a few of her notes about Callaghan. "Where do you think he's planning on detonating?" he asked as he flipped a couple pages over.
"Are we seriously going with this bomb theory?" Wasabi interrupted them. He was twisting his ring around his finger as he looked around the room.
"Like Honey Lemon said and those two over there said, it would make sense." GoGo agreed, "Blowing something up would be a good way to get us to show up. Though, I think we're forgetting the simple fact that Hydra doesn't really need to invite us anywhere when they already know where they can find us most of the time. They didn't just randomly show up at SFIT. They knew where to find us once, they can find us again. In our own homes for that matter."
"That I'm sure we have Callaghan to thank for." Hiro muttered under his breath.
"The fact that Hydra hasn't come after you in your own homes is pretty telling. It probably wouldn't surprise me to know that they plan to use the bomb to help them abduct you or cover up your abduction." Vera said as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"I don't think I like that plan." Aunt Cass muttered darkly. Tadashi didn't blame her. Aunt Cass lived in a constant world or Superheroes and Supervillains but was completely powerless. Hiro got up off the couch and crossed the room to wrap his arms around Aunt Cass so tightly that she was nearly lifted off the floor.
Tadashi sent Vera a pointed look before saying, "No one is being abducted. Bomb or otherwise."
"Wasn't planning on going with those thugs tonight and I don't plan on going with them any other time." GoGo said grimly.
"Amen to that." Wasabi added.
"I do not have a full working knowledge of Hydra but I do not believe that their ideologies or principles have the best in mind when it comes to the physical and emotional health of any persons." Baymax said with the express purpose of reassuring Aunt Cass.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to us. We'll think of a way around it. We always do." Honey Lemon drove her fist into her palm in determination.
Aunt Cass parted from Hiro, a dry, tired smile on her face. She touched Hiro's cheek gently. "I know you guys will." she said at length. "I think though, that for my own sanity, I need to leave you guys to do your Superhero thing. I'm going to go to bed. Wake me up if the world is ending and you need snacks."
Aunt Cass pressed a kiss to Hiro's cheek before patting it. Then she crossed the family room and stopped in front of him. Tentatively, she reached up and brushed his bangs back over his forehead. "I've missed you so much Tadashi." she whispered as a few tears ran down her face.
It was weird. He had no clue how he could feel this stifling sadness that was constantly threatening to choke him but yet be so incredibly happy at the same time. Tadashi wanted to tell her that he'd missed her too, but he wasn't sure he had the right to say it. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her just as Hiro had and buried his face in the top of her hair. "Good night Aunt Cass. We'll see you in the morning I'm sure."
Very slowly she let him go but not before pressing a kiss on to his cheek. Nobody said anything until she was out of the room and out of earshot. "We need to figure out what Hydra and Callaghan maybe planning to blow up. Anyone got any ideas?"
"It would have to be large," Fred supplied immediately.
"And public." Vera agreed.
"He's still holding a grudge on Krei." he reminded them.
Wasabi shook his head, "Callaghan's already attacked Krei Tech though."
"And it didn't work." GoGo added.
"If Callaghan still has it out for Krei though…" Hiro started before breaking off to rake his hand through his hair. "We need to get him out of San Fransokyo."
"He isn't going to want to go." Honey Lemon frowned.
"Then you'll have to convince him." Vera said. "I'd also convince Krei to evacuate the entire building until we're sure that Callaghan and Hydra haven't rigged it to blow."
There was a muted buzz as Vera's phone went off. She picked it up and read the text that had just come across. A small smirk flickered over her face. "Coulson says he tired of getting the run around from Fox Labs and being a step behind Hydra. He's coming here personally with a group of field agents. They'll be on the ground here in San Fransokyo by late morning tomorrow."
"Thank God." he sighed in relief as he rubbed the back of his neck. Then he paused when he noticed the way Vera's eyebrows furrowed and the confliction that was playing on her face for all to see. "What is it?"
"He wants me on the plane and back in New York within hours of them landing." she said quietly.
Hiro's jaw fell open as the rest of his friends all looked at him with varying degrees of confusion, disappointment, and hurt. Hiro was the first to recover, pulling a broken smile on to his face. "I… I didn't realize that you were going to be leaving so soon." he said quietly.
There was something else behind his words. There was the disappointment, hurt, and sadness but there was a level of acceptance. That weak smile on Hiro's face told Tadashi that Hiro understood why he might need to leave again. He was so stunned that he forgot how to speak.
"Chiune's staying here. I'm the only one going back to New York." Vera answered for him. Her voice was only an inch away from monotone. He opened his mouth to say something to her but the look of shock on Hiro's face froze his tongue in place.
"I… I just thought that…" he stammered.
Vera looked at him. Her expression was understanding. "I get it, but the minute I knew the truth about Chiune and you… well, I knew that I was going to be losing my roommate. I've had him for the last year. He deserves to be with his family. Maybe you can help him regain his memories."
Hiro stared at her in continued shock, still not sure what to make of the situation. "I'm surprised that your bosses at S.H.I.E.L.D. don't want you on hand to help out with stopping Hydra and Callaghan." GoGo said critically.
"Especially seeing as you seem to have a specific skill set in butt-kickery. I mean c'mon! Having Wasabi slice off the top of the van and taking out Williams's vehicle by shooting his tires out…" Fred nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm not exactly fieldwork cleared if you hadn't noticed." Vera pointed out with just a hint of bitter in her voice.
"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be coped with and a normal life can be lead." Baymax told her comfortingly.
"Emphasis on normal. Nothing normal about the world of Superheroes and spies." she said shaking her head.
"You must have been amazing in the field." Honey Lemon said so quietly that it was almost inaudible.
Vera smiled thinly, "I was."
"Do you miss it?" GoGo asked, raising her eyebrow.
Vera didn't answer but it was answer enough. Her eyes went far away and that was the first time Tadashi realized just how tired Vera actually looked. Vera shook off whatever memory she was in and wandered to the couch, sinking down once more on to it.
Hiro turned to look at the rest of team. "If the bomb isn't at Krei Tech, we have to find the bomb or the Poseidon formula. We can't let something like that stay in the hands of either Callaghan or Hydra. We may be able to use their trap to trap them." a smirk began to spread across his face.
"Can we not do something rash and stupid." Tadashi said pleadingly.
"Nii-chan," smirked Hiro, "I'm seventeen. I don't do rash and stupid."
There was an open snort from more than one person in the room that was less than promising. He buried his head in his hands and sunk to the couch again with a groan. "What if after we clear Krei Tech we use ourselves as bait? Make Callaghan and Hydra come to us." Honey Lemon offered brightly.
Tadashi went to tell them just how ridiculously dangerous the idea was. It was too late though. Hiro, Fred, Wasabi, GoGo, Honey Lemon, and Baymax were already off on an in depth discussion of how they could somehow turn Callaghan's next appearance into the perfect moment to trap him or to somehow tempt him into coming to them. There was a light touch on his shoulder, supportive and calming. He looked over at Vera, who was once more nestled in the blanket and was leaning against the back of the couch only inches from his arm. On her face was a sympathetic smile. "Welcome to the world of Superheroes, robot boy." she told him quietly.
Sneak Peek at Next Week's Chapter:
"Blow Point"
"Did Williams send you here to kill me?" Vera growled.
"Tidy up… loose ends. Then rendezvous at blow point."
"Blow point? Do you mean the bomb?" Tadashi pressed.
"Where's the bomb?" Vera demanded.
Thanks again to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed!
Shoyzz: Glad you liked the chapter! Sometimes those slower moments are needed I think. Don't worry, there's a BIG Hydra/Callaghan/BH6 interaction coming. As for Hiro and Tadashi's relationship being resolved in a snap... it just didn't feel right or realistic no more so than Tadashi suddenly remembering everything. I know it's a story about Superheroes and whatnot but I was trying so hard not to fall into the overused cliches.
Tony18: You're very right about Hiro's jealousy potentially driving a wedge between him and Tadashi. A lot of Hiro's jealousy stems from the fact that he's hurt by the fact that Vera is now closer to his brother than he is. However, after witnessing Vera's PTSD, Hiro definitely now knows why they're so close and has a better understanding of their relationship. Their uniting factor is definitely Tadashi though and they would do just about anything to make him happy. Hiro and Vera's relationship, and how it develops, is one of my favorites in the story.
bukalay: I too would like to hope that Tadashi would eventually recover all his memories but it all just takes time. He's now got the most important piece that was missing, his family and friends. That I think is the most important to him at the moment. And if anyone is going to make it his life's goal to at least inform his brother of all the crazy shenanigans that happened in the past it would be Hiro. Incidentally, fire does trigger another memory for Tadashi. I'll leave you with that little clue ;)
UntitledJoy: Both Hiro and Tadashi are nervous around one another. Not in the sense that they're afraid of one another of course but Tadashi's worried that he's going to do something that puts his relationship with his long lost brother in jeopardy. However, I think the "brotherly instinct" so to speak is so much a part of Tadashi's character that it is second nature to him. It's the reason why he was so quick to risk his life to save Vera. I think as Hiro and Tadashi become more familiar with each other again, and more at ease, their close relationship will be restored. Some things though, such as what happened to Tadashi at Hydra, might not be something that he shares with Hiro for a very, very long time.
DaydreamDepartment: Vera is 100% mine. She was a character I created after I watched Pixar's Incredibles. Again she started off as a fanfiction insert but then I started to develop her own story. It's gone through several incarnations, becoming stronger with each one I think. At one point I started to write her story as part of NaNoWriMo but was forced to stop for reasons. After posting this fic, I plan on returning to her story and finally getting it down on paper in its entirety. I have you readers to thank for that :)
frostonthewindow: Nightmare, Vera was definitely having a horrible nightmare. With many nightmares, and especially those brought on by any anxiety disorders, Vera might not actually remember said nightmare. I really feel like she doesn't remember many of her nightmares at all. She just knows they terrify her and sometimes wishes she didn't have to fall asleep.
ColorQuill: No! No! I totally understood what you were saying about feels and being warm and fuzzy! I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you think there was a miscommunication. I just started rambling about words and meanings and definitions because I'm a giant nerd. I think I was trying to agree with you and say that I felt the same way. I forget so often that there are people who read this story that don't speak or read English as a first language. When I'm reminded it always astounds me because I couldn't even attempt to read anything in a language other than English. You multilingual folks have my utmost respect.
Falcrow-42: Vera is alright! At least physically. Mentally and emotionally, she's got a lot she's trying to work through. Writing PTSD is not my strong suit.
achmanno: A warm welcome to you from the United States! Thank you so much for all your compliments! They mean a lot to me. The relationship between Tadashi and Vera is my absolute favorite to write. Also, I'm more amazed that people who don't speak English as a first language read my story. I can hardly remember any of the Spanish I took in high school and I definitely couldn't read any fanfiction in Spanish when I did take it. You have my respect!
SanctuaryInMusic: Hearing people tell me that they like and enjoy Vera means a lot to me. Honestly, I was so prepared for everyone to hate her. Seeing the reaction be decidedly positive puts me beyond words. I'm also glad that you have fallen in love with the canon characters again. Personally, I feel like there are certain characters in this story that definitely don't have all the love they deserve. I wish I could have done more with almost everyone. Part of me wants to write other stories just for the purpose of exploring GoGo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Baymax, and Aunt Cass.
Ember Neutron: Hiro in the last chapter, as well all the chapters in which he knew her as "Delle," definitely didn't care for her. In Hiro's defense though, Vera has a few strikes against her. One being that she's closer to Tadashi than he is at the moment with really hurts him. Another being that she happens to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. which is an organization that has been breathing down Big Hero 6's backs for awhile now. That and she was also really rude to someone Hiro respects. As far as Vera not liking Hiro, she's just trying to give him and Tadashi a wide berth so they can reconnect.
Butterscotch 12: Yeah! January 13th birthday buddies! *offers you a high five*
sarafine-ecleips: Hiro's lack of knowledge about their parents was the most painful thing for me to write during that whole exchange. Followed closely by the fact that Tadashi was extremely closed mouth as to what happened to him at Hydra. Those were the two most painful things for me.
lilnightmare17: Wow! Best story ever? Thank you so much!
Espe Kuroba: Tadashi and Vera is definitely my favorite relationship to write. They are close, sweet, and fiercely loyal. Just wait until you see what happens between Hiro and Vera though. Tadashi is what brings them together.