Relocation

Hiro's Journal

Hiro Hamada – Captivity: Day 37

I had a nightmare. I was back at the showcase, only I was inside this time. Everything was burning. There was so much smoke and chaos. I was trapped inside and I didn't know which way to turn.

Tadashi was there too.

I saw him run into the building. He was looking for Callaghan… not for me. He was going to die in front of me. Again. I couldn't let that happen… It was just a dream but it felt so very real. Am I doing the right thing?

I've managed to figure out why the time portal links to erratic times and locations. It can only link to rifts, tears in the time space continuum that were created by…

A loud bang startled him, causing Hiro to drop the pen. It was soon followed by another. The noise was coming from the main lab space located just outside of the control room Hiro had been doing most of his work in.

Shoving a pile of notepads aside, Hiro leaned forward and flicked a switch causing the large window pane he'd been using as a PC screen to turn translucent, revealing the room that was hidden just beyond it, the room that actually contained the portal.

Hiro stared at the scene in sheer disbelief. A group of men were inside, taking the portal apart.

Jumping up, he headed towards the side door. He'd initially believed it led to a storeroom but had later discovered it led to the lab-space below. He threw the door open and ran through it, completely ignoring the micro-bots that still lay beside it; guarding the main exit he'd given up on long ago. He then ran down the stairway and straight into the large lab-space below. "Hey! What on earth are you doing?!" He yelled as he entered the lab.

The group of men were being supervised by none other than Inquisitor. No big surprise there. It had quickly become clear Inquisitor was in charge of everything. Inquisitor stepped away from the group of working men and headed over towards Hiro in a calm controlled pace. "You're supposed to be working." He spoke using his usual dispassionate tone.

"How am I supposed to stabilize the time portal when you're dismantling it?!" Hiro demanded waving a hand at the work in question.

"You're currently supposed to be working on the theoretical equations that run the portal." Inquisitor pointed out. "You don't need the actual portal for that."

"What good are the calculations where there is nothing to test them on?!" Hiro's breath came in heavy pants caused both by his physical exertion and a strange sense of distress that he didn't want to examine too closely.

"There will be something to test them on. We are merely changing location."

"Changing location?" Hiro repeated feeling stupid. Inquisitor was saying they were moving, that was simple enough to comprehend, what Hiro couldn't comprehend was why?

"As you already know, seeing as you're the one that has informed us of this fact, the time portal is influenced by location. It's only linking to events that occurred in San Fransokyo. This limitation means our current location no longer meets our criteria and we are, as a consequence going to be relocating. Now stop wasting my time and get back to work." Inquisitor turned away and headed back towards the workers.

Hiro stared after him, frozen in place, a chill coursing through him. He'd found and reported the common thread between all the items the portal had managed to pull through. All of them were located in and around San Fransokyo. There had been no reports of the strange phenomenon occurring anywhere else in the world. That meant there was a parameter limiting the time portals reach. That parameter had been location. The time portal was drawing buildings and other ancient architecture into San Fransokyo because the time portal itself was located there. That knowledge had revealed Hiro's location to him. It had given him hope that he may manage to escape. That he may be rescued. And now… Now they were moving…

"Do you require assistance in getting back to the control room?" Inquisitor's mild inquiry pulled Hiro out of his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Hiro turned and ran back the way he came. The last thing he wanted was Inquisitor's assistance with anything. It was neither helpful nor pleasant.

Relocating. They were leaving San Fransokyo. What little hope he'd still clung to was gone. The future he saw was unavoidable. He was going to die, captive and alone and no one would know what had become of him, wait…

Hiro barged back into the control room and ran straight towards what had become his work space. Throwing himself into a chair he snatched up the notepad he'd been using as a journal, along with the customized pen. The top page was blank. The pink ink, he'd penned earlier was gone. Turning the page he started a new entry.

Hiro Hamada – Captivity: Day 37 Part 2

We are relocating. The time portal links to major events that occurred in and around the area that the portal is located in. The things it brings through were involved in those events. It is an absolute that cannot be changed. This means that the only margin of control that can be applied to the portal is which event it links to.

Given enough time I'll probably be able to isolate the individual events. My captors also want me to create a device that will allow them to step through the portal in order to bring things back from the past. That will allow them to bring back items that were not linked to the events the portal is linking to.

They're after something. The key is to find out what. If you're reading this I'm already gone. I miss you guys. Please ask Baymax to look after Aunt Cass. Tell her that I love her and that I did this to protect her. Maybe one day she'll forgive me.

Hiro dropped the pen and blew on the page in an attempt to get the ink to dry faster. The words on the page mocked him even as they faded away from sight. He'd done everything he could do. The moment the last word was gone, Hiro closed the notebook and picked up a black marker. He then proceeded to draw a large distinct symbol on the cover page, a solid block with lines extending out from each edge.

When the symbol was complete, he slid the book under the work bench, taping it to the surface. He often left notes taped beneath his desk at home for his team to find. It was trick they'd picked up fairly quickly. If his team found this place, chances were they would find the notebook as well. The problem was, he'd already be gone when they got here.

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

A/N: Posting this one early. Happy thanksgiving guys!

Ern Estine 13624: XD

Rizard13: It's not the casualties themselves that the note was drawing attention to. It was the emotional impact that the event had. Because there were casualties the emotional impact was large. The showcase fire also had a strong emotional impact on people thus leaving its mark on the timeline.

CrazyBlueOwl: You're on the right track ;)

Rosycat: Maybe, or maybe not (to both your questions) :P. Future chapters shall tell.

RazzlePazzleDooDot: Yeah, we're getting closer to the chapter everyone has been waiting for ;)

Alexissenpai: They have slowly been finding stuff out all along. Glad you're still enjoying the story. I hope there will be a few chapters that also make you smile.

shooting2stars: I'm also enjoying the interactions of the team, especially with Tadashi! Fred really developed into a character in this story. Surprised me but am loving him too. I'm glad you feel things are coming together. That's how I generally like to write. Most of the things in my stories generally happen with a certain goal in mind.

Anony mouse101: Thanks XD