A/N: Another week, another chapter. First and foremost I want to say thank you to you all for your support especially when it came to writing Vera's PTSD. That was easily the most difficult thing I've ever written. I just have so little experience with it and I wanted it to be respectful. I didn't want Vera's PTSD to be "as plot demanded" so to speak so I tried to give little nods to it here and there. Also, we reached another milestone this week. We broke 200 reviews! I'm so excited. You guys are really the best!
I don't really have much more to say this week so please enjoy the chapter!
I start again and whatever pain may come,
Today this ends, I'm forgiving what I've done.
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become.
"What I've Done"- Linkin Park
"You didn't tell them about Dr. Callaghan stealing their research." Vera said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"No, after everything that happened last night it just didn't seem like the right time." he told her.
"Ahh," was the only response Vera gave him.
Absentmindedly, Tadashi ran his fingers over the brim of the black San Fransokyo's Ninja ball cap. Hiro had nearly stapled the thing to his head. He'd spent nearly five minutes chasing the kid around the house to get his Yankee cap back. Hadn't helped that his Aunt had played keep away too. It was only after Vera suddenly appeared, looking much more fresh faced than someone who'd barely slept had any right to be, and informed the group that if they were going to put their plan into action then they needed to get a move on.
Tadashi really didn't like the fact that his brother and his friends were going to purposely draw a villainous organization and a Supervillain into the open just so they could get the drop on them. He liked it about as much as he'd like knowing that Vera had been within breathing distance of Hydra at SFIT the night before. Not at all. He'd tried really hard to convince them to maybe wait, at least until Director Coulson showed up. In the end he knew it was a pointless argument. Hydra and Callaghan needed to be stopped and at least Big Hero 6 now knew that they were in Hydra's sights. They wouldn't be caught unawares again… hopefully. Tadashi took some degree of comfort in that fact as well as the fact that Coulson and the rest of the field team would be here in a few short hours to assist. It would also only be a few short hours and Vera would be back on a plane, bound for the relative safety of New York. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to sit still waiting for Hiro and the others to return so he'd willingly gotten in the cab with Vera to help her pack up her stuff at the safe house.
''Do you think I should've told them about the stolen research? Would it have helped them with their plan?" he asked. Suddenly he found himself wondering if by holding back that information, he was putting Hiro and their friends in even greater danger. However, Vera merely shrugged. It wasn't the most reassuring gesture but still.
"It's hard to say. Most likely not. If anything it probably would have made them even angrier and spurred them into a quick decision." Vera told him. Alright, that was a little more reassuring. He'd take that. "Try not to look so nervous Chiune. Your brother and your friends have been doing this thing for nearly three years. They have lots of experience. You've got to trust them. Besides, you gave them a really good reason to come back alive tonight. You came home."
"Everything seems so surreal." he murmured as he ran his hand over the Ninjas hat again. "Two nights ago I was complaining about not knowing who I was. Now I have more people than I ever imagined telling me about myself. I still have so many questions that I don't think anyone will be able to answer but I've already gotten so much more than I ever anticipated."
"Like… " Vera asked.
"Like how Hydra managed to even take me in the first place." he answered. "Do you realize how close they would've had to been to the showcase hall the night of the fire to capture me while still making it look like I died?"
"They would've had to be in the building while it was burning." Vera answered. Her face twisted as she started to stumble over the same confusion he had had when he'd realized the same thing.
"Which meant that they must have had some knowledge as to who I was and what I could do before they made the conscious decision to rescue me."
"You think they somehow planned for you to run into the fire to save Dr. Callaghan just so they could capture you and make you disappear?" Vera frowned as she thought about it.
"Or something like that." shrugged Tadashi with a sigh.
"You realize that the next logical assumption would be that either Callaghan was working with Hydra all along or that Hydra has eyes and ears at SFIT." Vera pinched the bridge of her nose before shaking her head. She looked at him seriously, "I would add this to the list of things to maybe hold off on telling your brother about. At least until Coulson can get an official investigation into it."
"I think you're right." he agreed full heartedly.
The cab they'd taken pulled up to the curb of the safe house. Vera handed the cabbie his fare and the two of them climbed out. "I don't want to get your hopes up Chiune," she told him as the cab drove away, "but if we ever get Williams in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody then Coulson might be able to get some of those answers."
"If I never see Williams again, I will be extremely ecstatic." he muttered under his breath. Vera gave a humorless laugh, apparently hearing him anyways.
"Come on. There's only a few more hours before I'm supposed to be on a plane. You can hang over my shoulder and make sure I remembered all my stuff." she teased him as she grabbed him by the hand and started to lead him up the stairs. That's when his phone went off, blaring some annoyingly upbeat pop song at the top of its speakers. Both of them stopped. A mischievous grin spread across Vera's face. He could literally see the snarky remark forming on Vera's tongue.
"Don't even start imouto." he told her threateningly as he jab his finger towards her. The grin didn't fade off of her face but she held up her hands placatingly. She shook her head and turned to head up the stairs by herself. Her entire frame shaking with laughter as she went. He hit the button to accept the call. "So, um, should I take a wild guess as to who is calling me based on the awesome new ringtone that's been programmed into my phone?" he said, a pretty good guess at who was on the other end in his mind.
"Aw c'mon Nii-chan. You always liked pop music before." snickered Hiro. Oh someone help him. Tadashi could hear the smirk on his face. Very briefly he wondered what exactly he was getting himself into with Hiro Hamada.
"I'm sure." Tadashi said rolling his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Listen, I just wanted to tell you that Krei is on his way to his company airport with a couple of his security guards. He's going to take a spontaneous vacation. We're helping the police and bomb squad to clear Krei Tech." Hiro told him with a certain degree of seriousness that took him by surprise momentarily. "I just thought that you might like an update... y'know so you didn't have to worry."
A small smile broke across his face. He still didn't like the fact that his little brother was involved with dangerous Superhero business. He was trying really hard to relax and trust that Hiro had the necessary skills like Vera was urging him to but his mind was still not entirely able to wrap around the thought. Tadashi had a feeling that was something and Aunt Cass could bond over.
"Thanks," Tadashi replied. "I appreciate it. Be careful and tell everyone to watch their backs."
Hiro laughed brightly on the other end of the phone. "Will do Tadashi. See you at home later on tonight."
"Yes, where we're going to have a discussion about you stealing my cell phone and changing ringtones."
A laugh was the only response he got before the other line clicked off. Tadashi sighed as he hit the end call button on his own phone. With a little smile on his face he shoved his phone into his pocket and put the Ninjas hat on his head. He had to admit that it felt like it fit his head perfectly. Tadashi shook the feeling off before climbing up the stairs to the safe house.
Vera had left the door open for him so he walked right in. "Vera!" he called.
"In the bedroom." she called back.
"That was Hiro. He said that Krei is on his way to the airport. They're sweeping Krei Tech for any trace of the bomb now." Tadashi informed her as he walked into the bedroom and found her bent over her suitcase. Despite the fact that there were closets and dressers in the safe house, neither he or Vera had really bothered to unpack their suitcases into them. Since they both hadn't planned on staying in San Fransokyo for very long it had just made more sense to live out of their suitcases.
"Good." Vera said simply without looking up from the wad of dirty clothes she was trying to shove back into her suitcase. "Why is it that these things never go back in as well as they came out?"
"Maybe if you tried folding the dirty clothes instead?" he offered.
"How am I supposed to know if they're clean or dirty then?" snorted Vera.
He gave a shrug. "Hey, do you think that they'll find anything at Krei Tech?"
"Hard to say." Vera told him apologetically. "There are hundreds of targets in this city. They might be able to narrow some of the possibilities down once the field agents get here. It wouldn't surprise me if Coulson already has a list to work off of when the Bus touches down. Hey will you go into the bathroom and grab my toothbrush and stuff?"
"Yeah sure. Not a problem." he told her. He turned towards the door again, walking past the bedroom's closet.
And then he found himself stopped abruptly and a sharp pain seared across the back of his head.
Vera screamed something. It might have been his name but he was so disoriented from the blow to the back of the head that the only thing he really understood was her fear. He stumbled but caught himself before he fell to the ground only to feel something wrap tightly around his neck. Tadashi gasped. The thing that was on his windpipe, an arm he realized as his senses started to come back to him, tightened harder against him. Tadashi clawed viciously at his attacker's arm, thrashing and kicking. Anything to get loose as black spots began to dance in his vision.
Then suddenly all the force that had been on his neck disappeared. Air rushed into his lungs as he took a gulping, gasping breath. This time he did fall to his knees on the floor. He managed to look up in time to see his attacker stagger backwards to avoid a roundhouse kick from Vera. Of course that meant that he barely had any time to scramble out of the guy's path. Tadashi found his feet as the attacker threw himself forward at Vera again. The guy threw a quick series of jabs at Vera's face that she managed to block with her raised forearms, wincing as the blows fell over top her arms.
Anger flushed through him. Anger mixed with fear. This was Hydra. There was no doubt in his mind about that fact. He had no clue how Hydra had gotten into the safe house or how they'd even found it in the first place. It didn't matter now because they were both under attack.
The Hydra footsoldier advanced on Vera, pushing her back with punch after punch. Nuh-uh. That was not acceptable. Tadashi jumped forward. The footsoldier wasn't paying attention to what was behind him and was repaid in his mistake with Tadashi's low, sweeping kick to the inside of his leg. The man cried out, more in shock than anything else, as he went down to one knee. Vera lunged forward and sent her fist into the footsoldier's middle before twisting her arm, body, and fist around to punch the man across the face.
The guy's head whipped around from the force of the blow and his entire body fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Vera pulled back, breathing heavy. Her stance was still wide and her fist was still raised to attack. She'd dropped the few articles of clothing she'd been holding to jump to Tadashi's defense. "Are you alright?" she gasped, looking at him with huge eyes.
He winced as he felt the pain again in the back of his head. Gently he ran his hand over the tender area. There was no blood on his hand when he pulled it away though. It just hurt like a son of a gun. "Yeah, I think so." he answered after a moment, fixing his hat as well.
"He just jumped out of the closet as you went past." Vera told him, still in shock. However, her stance relaxed and her fists dropped lower.
Tadashi bent down towards the man. Sure enough there was a Hydra symbol on the front of his clothes. Vera gave a wordless hiss. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has a security breach." he muttered under his breath.
"I'll say." she agreed as she joined him at the footsoldier's side. At that particular moment, the man stirred and gave a rather pitiful groan. "You still conscious buddy?" Vera asked grimly as she took hold of the guy's chin in her hand to twist his face to her's.
The only response she got was another groan. "How'd you find us?" she tried again.
"Just... the... girl..." the footsoldier moaned back. Both he and Vera looked up at each other in confusion.
"What do you mean just the girl." Tadashi asked as he moved into the footsoldier's line of view.
"Here... Williams said that you wouldn't be here. Just the girl." said the footsoldier. He was clearly so out of it that he didn't realize that he was talking to the enemy.
"Did Williams send you here to kill me?" Vera growled. Her fingers clenched hard enough around the man's chin to leave indentations of her nails.
"Tidy up… loose ends. Then rendezvous at blow point." he mumbled.
"Figures," hissed Vera under her breath.
"Blow point? Do you mean the bomb?" Tadashi pressed.
The man gave a grunt as his response. His eyelids were drooping lower and lower with each passing moment. He was passing out. Tadashi and Vera exchanged a quick glance. The same fear that was running through his mind was spread across her face. She quickly wiped it off though.
"Where's the bomb?" Vera demanded. The man gave another low moan. Vera cursed under her breath and shook the footsoldier's by the shoulders. "Not yet! Don't you dare pass out on me you rancid sack of... where's the bomb!"
"The plane... it's on Krei's plane." Then he promptly passed out.
"Dammit!" Vera spat.
Something cold ran down his spine. "Alistair Krei is on his way to his company's private airport." he murmured in horror.
"It's an ambush." she whispered in the same exact tone. "Somehow, some way, Hydra's going to try and get Big Hero 6 all together at that airport."
"How are they going to do that?" Tadashi asked, looking at her desperately.
"I don't know but we've got to stop them. Once Big Hero 6 is all there, Hydra will abduct them." Vera said scrambling to her feet. Tadashi followed her.
"They'll use the bomb to cover up the abduction. Everyone will think their dead. No one will go looking for them. Just like with the fire three years ago and me." he realized as the pieces started to fall into place. "Should we call Coulson? Maybe he can..." he left the idea hanging in the air.
"There's nothing he could do. Call your brother and warn him. Hydra's making their move and the final location is Krei Tech's private airstrip." Vera said stepping over the footsoldier and to the closet. What exactly was she going in there for.
He shook his head. "They'll go charging right in. They'll play right into Hydra's hands!"
Vera flung the closet doors open wide and started flinging hangers aside violently. There was a whole slew of ready made disguise outfits. Tadashi still had no idea what she was looking for in particular but she seemed to have a pretty good idea because she kept tossing outfit after outfit aside. "No, they won't." Vera replied. Her voice was as sharp as steel.
He rose to his feet again, looking at Vera in utter confusion. "Then what are we going to do!" he snapped as he raked a hand through his hair in frustration. That was a bit of a mistake. He could still feel the crack he'd taken to the back of his head. It still hurt really, really bad.
Vera didn't answer. She was still digging in the closet. Seriously, how could she be searching through a closet at a time like this? Couldn't Vera have possibly found a better time to do this. Say, when there wasn't an imminent disaster on the horizon that would result in the end of everything he'd suddenly found again. Big Hero 6, his long lost little brother and best friends, were inches away from walking into an elaborate trap set by Hydra. The least she could do was show a little more concern if not worry. Not to mention the fact that there was still an unconscious Hydra footsoldier on the floor of their safe house. But hey, who cared? She was busy throwing clothes that weren't hers around in the closet! "Vera!" he yelled.
Vera's hands suddenly froze over a garment. For a moment her eyes went far away and he suddenly panicked. He shouldn't have screamed at her. She'd had a panic attack the night before. She'd had a flashback. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he said quickly, jumping forward with his hands out towards her. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry."
"Remind me to kill Coulson after this is all said and over." Vera muttered under her breath as she yanked the article of clothing of the hanger. She turned to face him, draping the clothing over her arm as she did so. That was when Tadashi realized that he hadn't set her off at all. There was a cold, determined look on her face. Her eyes flashed with the same icy determination he'd seen when they'd first ran from Hydra. Her entire body was shaking but the most telling was her hands. She'd clenched them into fists to keep from showing it too much but it wasn't really working. Vera met his gaze evenly. "I'll tell you what we're going to do Chiune..." she started in a voice so quiet and deadly that even Williams would have to take notice of it, "We're going to get there before Big Hero 6 does and we're going cut off Williams's and Callaghan's plan off at the source."
"Wait... what?" he stared at her blinking.
"I'm not going to sit by and let this happen. If we move now, we can get to the airstrip before the others do. We can get Krei away and do something about that bomb. No bomb, no way for Hydra to cover up an abduction. Also evens the footing a bit don'tcha think?"
He wrapped his hands around her shoulders supportively, clutching them and trying to infuse every ounce of feeling into them as he could pull from his being. "Vera, you don't have to do this." he told her emphatically.
Vera reached up and grabbed one of his hands. Her nails left marks on him as she held him tightly. "Yes I do. I've been afraid for so long. It's held me back but it has to end right now. There are people in danger and we may be the only ones who can do anything about it. I made a lot of mistakes, mistakes that landed me in captivity a year ago, but I have to let go of what those mistakes have turned me into. What I've become because of this fear. They… they may have robbed me of my powers, but I'm still alive. I can still do something. I want to do something."
"Vera if this has anything to do with what Baymax said last night, about living a normal life. If you think that you have to do this, you don't." he started to assure her.
"Yes, Chiune, I do."
Before he could even come up with something to say, Vera had wrenched herself from his grasp and had thrown her arms around his middle. She gave him one quick squeeze before jumping back once more. "Get your brother on the phone. I'm gonna go change really quick."
"What about this guy?" Tadashi asked as he nodded pointedly to the downed Hydra footsoldier. He really didn't want the guy waking up and tipping his buddies off.
"I feel a little insulted. Sending what appears to be the bottom of Hydra's barrel to get rid of me." she muttered as she looked down at the footsoldier. Then, a smirk broke on Vera's face. "I have an idea." she told him simply. "Go! Hurry!"
She gave him a shove out the door before closing it behind him. Tadashi spared one last look at in her direction, slightly worried about what exactly Vera was planning to do with the footsoldier, but pulled out his cell phone anyways. He hit the redial button. There were three rings.
"Hey this is Hiro Hamada's cellular device. You know what to do and if you don't, well, I probably don't want to talk to you either." the answering machine was cheeky in only a way that Hiro could be.
Tadashi grit his teeth and hung up. Then he dialed again. After a few rings, he got the same response. The answering machine. Once more Tadashi didn't leave a message. He hung up before the message even got all the way through. "Come on, come on." he muttered under his breath as he dialed once more and pressed the phone to his ear. "Pick up. I literally just got off the phone with you."
On the third time dialing, Hiro's phone went straight to voicemail. "Damn it!" he growled, hitting the end call button once more.
He heard the bedroom door open once more behind him. "He isn't answering." he told Vera without turning.
"Do you have anyone else's number? Fred's? Honey Lemon's? Wasabi's? GoGo's?" she pressed.
"No, I..." Tadashi shook his head. Whatever else he was going to say was instantly forgotten when he saw Vera. He now knew exactly why she'd mumbled about killing Coulson. It was a dark hunter green, fitted shirt with a high neck and a matching pair of pants that molded around her muscles, all reinforced with flexible yet durable padding he was sure. She wore a royal purple leather jacket over the top of it for extra protection and the royal purple pair of boots rose all the way to her calves. Despite the fact that he'd seen an exact copy of the outfit buried in her dresser in their shared apartment, he'd only ever seen her wear it once before. The day they'd escaped Hydra. It was what they'd captured her in. Tadashi had never seen any pictures of Vera as her Superhero alter ego but he knew a Superhero's suit when he saw one. His mouth and throat went dry as he looked her up and down. Badass though she looked, he really wasn't sure how he felt about seeing her in Superhero gear. Probably about as good as he had seeing Hiro and the others leave in their own Superhero gear.
"Please tell me you didn't expect me to go out and tackle Hydra in an Armani suit." she teased him mildly.
"Where's your mask?" he asked her stiffly.
Vera patted the pocket of the leather jacket. "Give it a couple minutes and then try your brother again." Vera told him as she pulled a set of keys from the opposite pocket. "Let's get out of here."
"What about the guy?" he questioned as he looked over her shoulder.
"He'll be out for another few hours. I dosed him with sleep inducing drug." Vera explained as she held up her arm, pulling back the sleeve on her jacket to expose what looked like a square watch. Tadashi could only guess that it wasn't really a watch and housed some sort of chemical compound that could be injected some way. "And even if he does happen to wake up, he's going to find it hard to do anything handcuffed to the bed."
Tadashi blinked in slight surprise. He was about to ask where she'd found all this stuff, handcuffs and sleeping drugs. Then he remembered that he was in a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. It was probably loaded with hidden compartments in the silverware drawer for pity's sake. Hell, he wouldn't have been all that surprised if he'd been sleeping on a small armory of guns. "Let's get going then. Do you know where to find this private airport?" he asked her as they both started for the front door again.
"No, but the GPS inside one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s undercover vehicles will know." she responded simply. "Try your brother again. And let's hope he picks up this time."
X X X
"Are you really sure this is the wisest action?" Krei said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared over Hiro's shoulder at the wide array of emergency response vehicles now parked outside of Krei Tech. "Me going away I mean. I don't care if my company has been shut down for the day to comb for this bomb. I really don't. It's just that..."
He broke off short to shake his head and to wipe his face with his hand. "It's just that you don't think it's right to leave while everyone else is still here." Hiro supplied helpfully.
He knew Krei couldn't see the reassuring smile he was giving him through the tinted visor of his helmet but his tone was enough to fill in the gaps. It couldn't be easy for him, Hiro knew that. He was asking that Krei to hide while something he worked hard for and cared about was under siege… again. Had it been Hiro in the same position, he wouldn't have even considered it. He'd spent nearly an hour trying to desperately convince Krei to leave. Krei tugged on the sleeves of his suit jacket nervously. His eyes didn't leave the swarm of vehicles. Hiro subtly moved to the side, blocking off Krei's view. Krei gave a sigh and looked at him. "Some fearless leader I am." he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head.
"Trust me Mr. Krei, with what's going on, it might be legitimately safer for you to go away for a little bit. We have no clue where Callaghan planted this bomb but we know that he really still doesn't care for you."
"Think that might be a bit of an understatement, don't you?" Krei smiled dryly.
"Point is that you're the only potential target that we have real, tangible evidence for." Hiro explained, trying to logic the argument home in Krei's head.
"Suppose you're right. And maybe Vanellope Delle of S.H.I.E.L.D. had it right too. I guess a little vacation wouldn't be so bad right now. Only for a few days though."
Hiro only nodded. Shoot! He'd forgotten to tell Krei about Vera and Tadashi. It had kind of slipped his mind in the midst of "Hey! We think you could be in a boatload of danger. Time for you to get out of the city while we tear your company apart looking for some super powerful bomb planted by our favorite Supervillain!"
They had, however, made sure to tell Krei about Hydra. Granted he hadn't really grasped the concept of how dangerous they were but Hiro would worry about that later. Krei looked at him seriously, "If you find anything, I want you to call me. Immediately."
"Right! Of course! Not a problem." Hiro assured him with a bright smile. He grabbed Krei around the shoulders and turned him towards the car that was parked and waiting for him on the curb. Hiro really needed to join the search. It was time for Krei to go. Krei gave a groan as he looked at the two security guards waiting at the car. Hiro quirked his eyebrow up. "What?" he asked.
"These two lug heads." Krei said waving his hand in the security guards' direction. "They're new and absolutely no fun. Not a single ounce of a sense of humor to be had between the two of them. Can't believe you're leaving me with them."
Hiro rolled his eyes, "Yes because we as Big Hero 6 are sworn to keep you entertained as well as safe."
"See, your snarkiness, that's why I like you. Never too broody for a joke." Krei nudged him with an elbow. Then he leaned over conspiratorially, "Just between the two of us, those two probably aren't going to last. Did you see the black eye that the one has? Probably got into a bar brawl or something. I can't have security that goes fighting and has no sense of humor."
Hiro groaned. He would've pinched the bridge of his nose but he was wearing his helmet so he couldn't do that. "Just get in the car Krei before I throw you in there myself." he told him in exasperation.
Krei laughed and thumped him on the back. Then his hand became like an iron vice on his shoulder. "Hiro," he said so quietly that no one but the two of them would be able to hear, "please… be careful. You heard what Vanellope Delle said a couple of days ago in my office. With all this happening, the bomb and Callaghan and Hydra, I'm starting to think that she was on to something. So please, just be careful, alright."
The show of concern made warmth surge through him. Hiro grasped Krei's hand on his shoulder before letting go and raising two thumbs up. "Gotcha!" he told him brightly. "Don't worry about me. Try to enjoy your vacation."
Krei brushed off his look of concern and replaced it with his favorite winning smile. "Good luck Mr. Leader." he told Hiro with a small salute as he climbed into the back of waiting car.
Hiro waved a little as the car pulled away. He was about to turn back to the scene before him when something ignited in his chest. Krei's worry for him made him think of another who hadn't done as good of a job hiding the fact that he was freaking out horribly. Tadashi, though he'd tried really hard, still hadn't been able to brush off his worry. Hiro pulled out his phone. Touching base with Aunt Cass every so often in the beginning had really put her mind at ease. He dialled the number that Tadashi had programmed into his phone to get ahold of him. As it began ringing, he couldn't help but smirk at the look he envisioned on Tadashi's face as the current, most annoying chart topper blared from his phone, courtesy of Hiro of course.
"So, um, should I take a wild guess as to who is calling me based on the awesome new ringtone that's been programmed into my phone?" Tadashi asked when he picked up on the other end of the phone. Hiro could practically hear his brother smiling.
"Aw c'mon Nii-chan. You always liked pop music before." snickered Hiro. He couldn't stop the smirk that crept on to his face. This was just going to be part of the fun. Showing his brother just what he was getting into, or rather getting back into.
"I'm sure." Tadashi replied sounding unconvinced.
Hiro shook off the playfulness. Time to be serious. Act serious, get taken seriously. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you that Krei is on his way to his company airport with a couple of his security guards. He's going to take a spontaneous vacation. We're helping the police and bomb squad to clear Krei Tech. I just thought that you might like an update... y'know so you didn't have to worry."
"Thanks," Tadashi replied. "I appreciate it. Be careful and tell everyone to watch their backs."
Hiro gave a laugh before promising, "Will do Tadashi. See you at home later on tonight."
"Yes, where we're going to have a discussion about you stealing my cell phone and changing ringtones."
Hiro laughed again. Tadashi's irritation over the changed ringtone was one hundred percent Tadashi. He was still laughing as he disconnected. Another bout of surrealness hit him. He was laughing with Tadashi again. He was going to go home tonight and see his older brother again. Of course he didn't doubt that there was a good old fashioned Tadashi lecture coming his way but he wouldn't complain. He wouldn't complain about Tadashi's lectures ever again.
Hiro switched his phone to silent before sliding it back into his pocket. Then he turned back towards the giant congregation of firemen and police. The entire area around Krei Tech was cordoned off with yellow police tape. However, when you were one of the city's most well known heroes police tape didn't really stop you anymore. In fact, there wasn't a lot that could be done to keep Hiro out of a crime scene. Though that wasn't to say that nobody had tried.
"What's the word?" he asked as he came to stand beside Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Baymax, and the fire chief. Fred and GoGo were on the other end of the building, talking to some of the police officers.
"I was telling the rest of your team that we need work from the basement up. Unfortunately, with the size of the building as well as the fact that there are several lab spaces, we'd need a small army of searchers to clear the building…"
"Which if the bomb detonates…" Honey Lemon continued.
"Then serious bodily harm is imminent." Baymax finished, which he would know. It was his main programming.
"Can we use search bots to clear the building?" Hiro asked. Though the real question was, could they find enough search bots to use and people trained to use them effectively.
"That's what I suggested," Wasabi said, "but…"
"We don't know how much time we actually have and getting that technology here could take at least a half hour." the fire chief said with obvious frustration. "I have to send in a team."
"We can go in too." Hiro offered immediately. Honey Lemon cringed, raising her hand into the air. However, Wasabi beat her to whatever she was going to say.
"Yeah, no. We shouldn't do something that we aren't trained to do. Doing a thorough floor by floor, room by room search for a bomb isn't something that we're qualified to do."
Hiro scrunched his nose in irritation. He had his protest on the tip of his tongue. They were Superheroes. They couldn't just stand at the sidewalk, gaping up at building. It was also Krei Tech they were talking about. The very industry that belonged to the man who was one of their biggest supporters and confidants. They couldn't just let this happen. "Young man, I know that you're Superheroes but there comes a point where you have to realize that there are some things you just can't do. And that's alright." the fire chief told him.
Hiro bit his lip and forced himself to concede. He'd worked with the fire chief before during one of Big Hero 6's many exploits and he really had to give the man credit. He knew his job and he did it well. Hiro looked up at Krei Tech again, the glass plated sides reflecting the clouds and sun back. Then he looked back at those around him. Immediately his eyes landed on Baymax. A smirk tugged on the corners of his lips as an idea popped into his head. "We might not be trained to clear bombs from buildings… but we can help scan rooms for foreign objects that could be explosive."
"What are you thinking?" Honey Lemon asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
"We can use Baymax's scanners to help clear the room."
Wasabi massaged his temples, "We just said…"
"I know! I know!" Hiro said waving his hands in the air. The smile hadn't left his face. "We can't go in but Baymax can. Think of how much quicker the teams can clear a room. Or how many rooms we can clear using both the bomb squad and Baymax. What do you say buddy?"
"I think that it would be well within my coding parameters to use my scans to identify potentially lethal materials." agreed Baymax. Oh boy, if robots could smirk. Hiro held out his fist to Baymax. The robot made his strange "ba-la-la" sound as they shared a fist bump.
Hiro looked at the fire chief. He was smiling winningly, but the man couldn't see that of course since he was wearing his helmet. The fire chief touched his chin thoughtfully before giving a slow nod. "What would you need to get this plan working?" he asked.
"A computer to sync up Baymax's cameras and someone who knows more about searching for bombs to help me direct Baymax where to look hovering over my shoulder."
"I'll get someone to help you set up while I get the bomb squad in place." the fire chief said turning towards said group.
"I'll stay with you Hiro. I think I might be able to help identify certain chemical compounds scanned and tell you which ones could be explosive too." Honey Lemon said definitively.
"I'm gonna go and coordinate with some emergency responders to isolate the most potentially hazardous labs so when the squads get to them they know to take extra precautions." Wasabi said as he turned away.
"Uh Wasabi!" Honey Lemon called brightly, raising her hand into the air after him.
"I got it Honey Lemon. We'll add your's automatically." he replied without breaking stride. Honey Lemon laughed nervously. Hiro rolled his eyes as he thought about all the really flammable stuff in Honey Lemon's lab.
"Hey, will you check and see what the other two are going to do for me please?" Hiro called after Wasabi.
"Sure thing."
"Heard you guys needed some help syncing up a robot's cameras." a technician said as he walked up to them, a heavy gear bag over his shoulder. Standing beside him was one of the members of the bomb squad.
"And I'm here to do the hovering." the bomb squad member said giving a wave. The technician moved past him and began opening up his gear to set up. As he pulled an impressive array of computer equipment out of his bag the bomb squad member looked over at them. "First things first. If either of you have a cell phone on you, turn it off. I'm sure we're far enough away from the bomb to prevent accidental detonation but I'd rather not take the chance."
"Right," Hiro and Honey Lemon said together as they both moved for their phones. Hiro didn't even look at his phone as he pressed the power button. He vaguely remembered that there were some wireless signals that could cause bombs to go off.
"Alright I'm all ready for you guys over here." the technician called to them.
"C'mon Baymax," Hiro waved for Baymax to follow him. Honey Lemon came too and wordlessly began helping Hiro sync Baymax up to the technician's equipment. It was satisfying to watch the screen blink to life, mirroring the same images that Baymax was seeing through his cameras. It took a couple minutes to test and confirm the connection.. "You ready Baymax?" Hiro asked as Baymax finished swivelling his head from side to side.
"I believe so." Baymax nodded.
"Once you're inside the building, just listen for our instructions." the bomb squad member told him. "I'll relay them to you through your partner's communication link."
"I understand," said Baymax.
"Alright buddy, let's move you into position. Start off with the rest of the bomb squad members and then we'll have you split off once you're inside." Hiro told him as he stood in front of the computer monitor, ready to survey Krei Tech.
"Excuse me! Get out of my way! Do you people even know who I am?" snapped a female voice rather waspishly. Hiro and everyone else turned to look at the commotion. It was Ms. Stevens, Krei's personal assistant. She was dressed immaculately, ever present clipboard tucked under her arm, and her cell phone glued to her ear.
"Hey! What are you doing behind the police line? Get that cell phone out of here!" the bomb squad member called irritatedly as he pointed back towards the police line. Police officers were rushing towards them.
"Wait! It's just Ms. Stevens." Honey Lemon told them. The sound of Honey Lemon's voice drew Ms. Stevens attention directly to them.
"Oh thank God." she muttered under her breath before growling into the phone. "Keep your shirt on buddy. They're right here."
"Ms. Stevens what is it?" Hiro asked her, raising his eyebrow in confusion. It only made sense for Krei to leave his right hand woman behind supervise things. She was the only other person, besides Big Hero 6, that Krei trusted completely with his company. There was no reason that she'd break the police boundary other than absolute necessity. Hiro pulled away from the computer screen to meet her, wondering just what exactly her reason was.
"Here," she said as she shoved her cell phone at Hiro, "It's for you."
"For me?" he repeated. He was still confused by Ms. Stevens remained resolute.
"Some friend of Vanellope Delle's. He says it's important." she explained.
A friend of Vanellope Delle?
Tadashi!
Hiro's eyes went wide as he shoved the phone underneath his helmet to speak. The technician and the bomb squad member looked at him with exasperation. Honey Lemon looked concerned and Baymax would've as well if he'd been able to. "Tadashi?" he asked quickly.
"The bomb is on the plane! The bomb is on the plane!" cried Tadashi frantically and fast into the phone.
Hiro nearly dropped Ms. Stevens phone in shock. "What!"
"The bomb isn't at Krei Tech! It's on the plane." Tadashi said again. Somewhere in the background there was a concerning screech and squeal of tires. Hiro desperately tried to push the thought away and focus on Tadashi. He was still rattling off, rapid fire, a stream of information that Hiro had mostly missed in his shock. "Hydra setting the trap. They're making their move for you and the others, luring you guys."
"Tadashi!" Hiro yelled, "What plane?"
"Krei's plane!"
"Are you sure?" he questioned though he felt like he already knew the answer.
"Of course!"
His blood ran cold. He'd sent Krei off to the airport to fly off in a bomb laden plane. It suddenly occurred to him that this show here at Krei Tech was just another diversion meant to keep him and his team busy long enough for Hydra to put the finishing pieces of their trap together. Once Hydra was all ready for them they'd probably lead them on a wild goose chase straight to Krei Tech's private air strip. Hiro wasn't sure if the next thing that rose in his stomach was anger or nausea. Probably a little bit of both. He clenched his hand to keep from shaking. Then he realized Tadashi was still talking.
"Vera and I are on our way to the air strip to see if we can get rid of the bomb."
Horror rushed through him. "Tadashi! No!"
Tadashi said something but it was all garbled with static. Crap! Crap! Crap! The call was breaking up! No! This could not be happening. His brother was not about to drive into a dangerous situation to save someone again. Not after he'd just gotten Tadashi back! No! This wasn't happening. Hiro wouldn't let it happen. "Tadashi, listen to me. Don't do anything stupid. Do you hear me?"
"What is wrong?" Baymax asked as he felt Honey Lemon appear at his side.
"We're going to see if we can even the footing for you guys. If Hydra doesn't have their bomb it's going to throw a huge wr…" a burst of static cut Tadashi off.
"Tadashi! I can't hear you. You're breaking up!"
"Be careful, please. Watch your back. I have to go. The connection is going bad and… oh holy shit! Vera watch out!"
The line clicked off right as there was a loud crash.
Hiro pulled the phone away from his ear shakily. "What happened? What did Tadashi say?" Honey Lemon asked urgently.
Hiro's tongue turned to lead in his mouth and his throat went bone dry. He licked his lips to moisten them but not even that was enough. "The bomb isn't here." he finally managed to choke out. "It's on Alistair Krei's plane."
Ms. Stevens gasped in horror, covering her mouth.
"Cielo nos salve!" murmured Honey Lemon as she crossed herself.
"Baymax! Come on!" Hiro yelled as he shoved the phone at Ms. Stevens and sprinted towards Baymax.
"I am unsure that leaving would be the wisest action." Baymax protested.
Hiro wouldn't listen to it. "Wings Baymax," he ordered. "Thrusters!"
"Hiro!" screamed Honey Lemon into their communications link. Immediately a chorus of concern rang up from the rest of his teammates.
He didn't care. Tadashi was about to run head first into trouble again. Vaguely, he was aware of GoGo giving the order to get to Wasabi's car.
X X X
"Your man failed." Callaghan told Williams over the phone. He watched as Hiro and his robot took off like a shot. The rest of his team wasn't far behind him. They shouted some things back at the amassed police officers and firefighters that, from his distance high atop the adjacent skyscraper, was unintelligible before racing after him via car. "They're heading straight for Krei's airport it looks like."
Williams cursed loudly into his phone. This was not according to his carefully constructed plan. Good, whispered a small part of him.
"Go after them. The rest of us will meet you there." snapped Williams. The line went dead with no further instructions.
Sneak Peek at Next Week's Chapter
"What We Do"
"I know that I'm not exactly of genius intellect but that, uh, that looks like a bomb." Krei pointed out nervously from over his shoulder.
X X X
"We need to evacuate the area." Tadashi told her emphatically as he rose to his feet.
X X X
"You know…" Vera said slowly with a little laugh, "I was just thinking. You've seen me at my very worst, but you've never really seen me at my very best."
"What are you talking about Vera?" he asked in exasperation.
"Let me show you my very best." she whispered.
Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed.
Silver-09: Nope, don't think you rambled too much. I love reading your exuberant reviews. No it isn't too late to submit your theories on how Williams meets his "end." It probably isn't anything as grand as your thinking though, just be forewarned. As far as Tadashi/Chiune's repressed memories telling him that SFIT is in the middle of midterms, I think he's mainly going off of Vera's school. She's technically on midterm break herself at the moment. Either that or he got background information from SFIT's website before going to San Fransokyo.
Guest (Anon Reviewer): Holy carp! I bow down to you and your superior movie/hero lore. I'm embarrassed to admit though that only two of those references were intentional. Rick Riordian's Heroes of Olympus was the first (and most obvious). Aunt Cass and the broom was the second, which by the way I'm so happy someone picked up on! All the other references were unintentional.
PerrythePlatypusGirl: Seriously, when I said buckle up I wasn't joking. I got about a quarter of the way through the story, right at the scene with Callaghan in Abigail's apartment, when I realized that once I reached the reunion everything was going to go really quickly. Even while writing it I got caught up in a serious whirlwind. These last few chapters are a doozy.
Tony18: Yeah, Hiro definitely has a certain level of respect for Vera now which was important in their relationship. That respect is going to be absolutely crucial in the next few chapters. He also sees just how important Tadashi is to Vera while he's comforting her after her nightmare and panic attack. It helps him gain a different perspective on the pair's relationship. GAH! I could go on for hours and I'm trying so hard not give anything away. I just hope the next action sequence is as grand as you're expecting it to be. This chapter's action was just small fish though compared to the ones coming up.
WhiteWinterStar: No, no, no! That wasn't the last chapter! There's 21 chapters to this story. Well 20 and an epilogue but 21 total. That and I have a few oneshots planned such as a few interactions between Vera and BH6, Vera and Tadashi/Chiune's first meeting, the missing scene involving Tadashi discovering that he built Baymax, and maybe a couple more if the fancy strikes. This wasn't supposed to be a large AU though. AUs with original characters are hard. I'm still in shock that so many people have liked Vera as it is so it is still incredibly mindblowing that this has even received the following it has. I am eternally grateful to readers like you!
Falcrow-42: As I said above in the author's note, thank you for your support when it came to me writing Vera's PTSD. Anytime I write something that is different than my own experience in life is difficult for me. There are some things that as white/neurotypical/cisgendered/hetero-normative female that I'm scared to write because what do I really know about those individuals? However, I took a gamble and tried writing in a space that I don't have any experience in because I believe everyone does deserve to be represented in a positive and heroic light.
Daladakea: His memories are coming back! I promise. It's just a little bit at a time and not all shown in the story. There will be at least two more memories that Tadashi regains before the end of the story.
UntitledJoy: Everything is rushing to the conclusion. The bomb was an early on plot choice. Actually the entire scenario of where Hydra places the bomb was an early plot choice. I couldn't resist. I like fire as a plot device... a lot. I should probably seek help... *nervous laughter as I slink away*
Espe Kuroba: Fred is smart and clever. He thinks outside of the box. He comes up with theories. He's also an English major and as a former English Ed major who took every English Lit class in college, I can tell you from personal experience that Fred can research, write, argue, support, and defend any of his theories. I know he was probably supposed to be the comedic relief in the movie but he is so, so much more than that to me. I see myself in his character. I could talk about Fred for hours!
Shoyzz: She's not exactly staying with the team but her role in the story isn't over yet.
Ember Neutron: No, I'll put your fear to rest. Tadashi isn't a clone. He's the real deal. I'm not actually a big fan of the clones cliche/trope in Superhero genres.
Butterscotch 12: Balalala! It's like the fandom's not so secret handshake! I get so upset with myself when I forget to do it!
DaydreamDepartment: Typically, I'm on the outside looking in too when it comes to friends having moments of crazy Sherlock deducing mumbo jumbo. I just kinda sit there awkwardly and try not to look too lost. Also, thanks for telling me that you would read a stand alone Vera story! That means a lot to me as a writer!
lilnightmare17: So glad you're enjoying the story! I can't believe there's not much left!
CrazyFeralVigilanteDragonLady: Welcome to my story! So glad you're enjoying it! The stupid jokes are a guilty pleasure of mine. Among my favorites are the "You won't like Bruce Banner when he's unamused" and "God bless Vera, nevermind, God don't bless Vera." I had way too much fun writing them. But hey, silly jokes about the fandom is half the reason of writing fanfiction right?
bukalay: Surprisingly, Hiro and Vera's reaction to Tadashi being invited to join the Avengers is the same and they don't hesitating in letting anyone who asks about it know lol. As far as Hiro inducting Tadashi into BH6, it is very possible that Tadashi might moonlight as a tech expert and repairman while still employed by S.H.I.E.L.D. Also your persistence about Hiro's microbots is making me want to add a oneshot to the list that I have planned lol.
Alina 'AK47reloaded: I'm not entirely sure why Vera got on your nerves last chapter.
Masking What Remains: Maybe you should write my sneak peeks then lol. There have been some chapters where I've wanted to say, "Will Hydra be successful in their attempts to snatch Big Hero 6? Will Chiune/Tadashi ever find out who he really is? Will Hiro ever be able to find all his notes for his professor? Find out next week! Same Bat time, same Bat channel." Alas, I must cap some of the silliness. Thanks for your compliments as always. They always make me smile!