Let Me In
Swish.
The soft sound of the cable activating was swallowed by the wind, it's presence but a whisper enveloped by the elements in which it existed. A dark figure clung to the end of the grappling hook, hiding in the shadows created by the mountains and the setting sun as he climbed down the building.
Click.
Arriving at his destination he activated the breaks, feet connecting softly with the glass pane beneath them. Removing a pin, line and glass cutter from the pouch resting against the small of his back, he carefully set to work. Sliding the tool smoothly across the glass he cut a large hole into the window he'd selected before carefully swinging through the opening. Releasing the grappling hook, he landed softly on his feet, silent as a cat. All those years of martial arts training were finally paying off. "Ok. I'm in." Tadashi whispered into the communicator before carefully creeping towards the shadows cast by the sun. "Approaching the target."
"Be careful, man." Fred whispered back. "This is our only chance. This camera is the only one with a blind spot and you don't have much time before the night vision kicks in."
"I know." Tadashi whispered back, slipping into the shadows and pressing himself against the wall. "I'm the one that identified it, remember?"
"Stop distracting him, Fred." Gogo interjected, joining the conversation. "He has enough to concentrate on without adding a conversation with you to the list."
"I was only telling him to be careful." Fred pointed out.
"And distracting him from the task at hand." Gogo said.
"Guys… guys." Tadashi cut in on a loud whisper. "I'm trying to concentrate here."
"Sorry." Gogo and Fred chorused together, ending their impromptu argument.
Tadashi continued to creep towards the camera, encased in silence once more. Three meters… Two meters… One meter… There, he was in range. Now for the hard part, clipping on the interference device Wasabi had designed without being spotted. Tadashi paused and closed his eyes silently counting to ten before carefully reaching up to clip a small black device onto the camera, moving as quickly as he could. The device was programmed to access the entire security camera network the moment it came into contact with any of the cameras located in it. "Got it." He announced, slipping back into the shadows.
His declaration was followed by a few seconds of silence before Wasabi's voice came across the intercom. "I'm in. I'm looping last night's data." He confirmed just as Tadashi spotted a familiar figure in the shadows behind him. "Baymax? I thought I told you to wait outside?" Tadashi exclaimed in distress rushing over towards the healthcare companion.
"I have detected the presence of my primary patient." Baymax declared tilting his head. "My principle code dictates that I find him in order to ensure his continued well-being."
"Yes but you've just run the risk of our presence being dis…covered." Tadashi groaned in defeat when a series of alarms began to blare throughout the complex. "Oh no!" He face-palmed. There went their idea of slipping in unnoticed. All that work for nothing. Glaring up at the device on the camera and all their wasted efforts, he turned and headed straight into the complex no longer trying to get by unseen. "Let's go guys!"
"We'll be right there." Gogo grabbed hold of the rope attached to the grappling hook Tadashi has used to enter the facility and began her decent, Honey Lemon and Fred, hot on her heels. Wasabi remained on the rooftop, monitoring the team from his laptop. "Uh… guys… I don't know what triggered the alarms but I don't think it was us."
"What do you mean it wasn't us?" Tadashi demanded not waiting for the rest of the team as he exited the room the camera was in. He was not surprised to see a guard patrolling the hallway. The guard was, however, surprised to see him and that moment of surprise was all that Tadashi needed. Ducking down he twisted his body and propelled himself forward, punching the guard directly beneath his chin. The guard's head snapped back and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"I mean exactly that. There is a camera in the main security room and the guys in there look very confused. They are staring at all their monitors trying to figure out where the warnings are coming from. They didn't trigger the alarms." Wasabi explained, rapidly browsing through the data flowing into his laptop from the network their device now had access to. "It looks like the alarms were triggered from one of the underground labs."
"Dammit Hiro!" Tadashi cussed softly beneath his breath putting on an extra burst of speed. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Tadashi sprinted around a corner and all but threw himself down the stairs before rushing through a door on the bottom level. He was heading directly towards the red dot that was flashing on his visor. Tadashi had programmed the map of the facility along with the secret entrances to the underground labs into their gear.
"There are three guards coming at you from the right." Wasabi announced, the soft tap of keys accompanying his voice as his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard.
"Copied." Tadashi replied, turning to face the oncoming guards that were rushing towards him from a passage that branched off to the right.
"Halt or we'll shoot." One of the guards called out. All three shifted into defensive stances and pointed small caliber guns directly at Tadashi's chest.
Tadashi didn't even hesitate. He continued to run directly towards them, trusting his armor to hold up against the assault. Bullets ricocheted off of his armored plating, embedding themselves into the walls. Fresh plaster, crumbled to the ground, filling the air with dust. Lights shattered and went out, glass flying through the air and still he continued his approach.
The moment Tadashi reached the guards, punches began to fly. Tadashi kicked one of the guards in the gut before whirling to punch another across the cheek. The butt of a gun glanced off his shoulder, the weapon tumbling to the ground with a loud clatter and then all hell broke loose. All three guards threw themselves at Tadashi with a vengeance, returning his trained blows with trained ones of their own; the fight dirty and angry in the close quarters of the small corridor the altercation was taking place in. One of the guards managed to land a hard kick to the back of Tadashi's knees propelling him forward face first towards the ground only he never managed land. The kick was followed by a particularly rough punch that connected with head with a satisfying crack. Tadashi's head snapped back into a wall and darkness flashed before his eyes.
At that moment, a stray thought flickered through his mind. Perhaps he was outnumbered and outclassed? Perhaps he was going to fail here… No! Failure was not an option. He was here to save his brother, and there was no way he was going to let a few stray guards stand in his way. Shaking off the dizziness that had accompanied the wave of darkness that had flickered before his eyes, Tadashi reached down to the ground with his hands to steady himself and flicked his lower body up into the air. The heel of his right leg connected with one of the guard's chest and sent him flying into the air, his momentum halted by the wall on the other side of the corridor. Taking advantage of the opening he'd managed to create, Tadashi flipped and landed back on his feet twisting round in search of his next opponent only to be disappointed. A bright yellow flash of movement had joined the fray and was effectively keeping the other two guards away from Tadashi. "Go." Gogo ordered, throwing a bright yellow disc into the air. "I've got this."
Nodding in gratitude, Tadashi turned and continued down the passageway, tearing open the third door on the left. Stumbling into what appeared to be a janitor's closet, he headed straight for the wall that had been marked on the plans Hiro had retrieved and began to run his fingers over it, desperately searching for some kind of opening. "Come on, come on, where is it, where is it?" Tadashi muttered in frustration, prodding random corners on the wall.
"You are exhibiting the signs of severe panic and distress." Baymax announced, waddling into the room mere moments after Tadashi. "You have also sustained a minor injury to your head. Recommended treatment…"
"Not now, Baymax." Tadashi snapped, still desperately tracing the contours of the wall before him. "We need to find the opening to the underground lab. Hiro's in there and I'm not leaving without him. Where is it, where is the release switch? Where the hell is it!?" Tadashi punched the wall in sheer frustration, all the desperation he felt adding enough force to the blow to leave a mark on the wall. Tadashi was on the verge of giving up.
Baymax watched Tadashi for a moment, processing the various parameters of the current situation they were in. Tadashi was exhibiting severe signs of distress. He was showing the signs of a mild concussion and was not receptive to Baymax's attempts to administer the required care. They were in a dangerous situation. Guards were approaching them from the outside and his primary patient was located on the other side of the wall Tadashi was desperately trying to get past. All factors taken into consideration Baymax made his decision. He waddled back a few steps before raising an arm and directing it at the wall.
"Initiating Rocket Fist"
"It is highly recommended that you move away from that wall." Baymax continued, compartments opening around the fist of his armor.
Tadashi scrambled out of the way, rushing to Baymax's side just as the healthcare companion launched the rocket fist at the wall, opening up a large hole in it, to reveal a staircase leading further down.
Tadashi waited just long enough for the majority of the rubble to finish tumbling down before gracefully running through the newly created gap, heading straight down the stairs. The rhythmic clang behind him informed him that Baymax was close behind. "Baymax! Where is Hiro?" Tadashi asked as his feet connected with the concrete at the base of the stairs.
"Second door to your right and then the first to your left." Baymax answered, projecting a green dot onto the map still displayed on Tadashi's visor.
"Got it, buddy. Thanks." Tadashi raced down the corridor, tracking his progress on the interactive map before him. They were nearly there. Hiro was nearly in his grasp. Nothing and no one would stand in his way. The second door on his right parted smoothly to grant him entry, and he ran straight through it, not even pausing to look, let alone think. Two steps in, he realized he was surrounded by men and women in lab coats, all gaping at him in shock and surprise.
Silently reprimanding himself for running in without first assessing the situation he might be entering Tadashi quickly rectified the situation. Still running, he ran his eyes across the lab, taking in all the necessary details at a glance, his mind mapping the easiest route to his destination. Not through but over. Ignoring the walkways between the various desks and equipment in the room, Tadashi threw himself up and over a table, in order to avoid crossing paths with the majority of the people in the lab. "Baymax, keep them busy. I'm going after Hiro."
Baymax obeyed, turning to engage the researchers in the lab. Drawing on the information in the fighting database Hiro has installed, Baymax proceeded to knock people out in order to grant Tadashi free access to the second doorway.
Tadashi flew over the table, balancing his weight on his right arm as he easily kicked his legs over. He landed gracefully on the other side. Continuing his forward momentum he headed towards the room Hiro was in only to have his access blocked by a tall blond man in a lab coat.
"Oh no, you don't." Tadashi growled. He dropped down onto his haunches before launching himself into a diagonal leap, using the momentum of his jump to increase the force of his kick, his left leg connecting with the man's knees. The man crashed to the ground. Ignoring the man's pained breath, Tadashi leapt over him and ran towards the second doorway once again not even bothering to assess the situation he was throwing himself into. That decision did not seem to matter.
Shock.
Time slowed.
Terror.
Tadashi stumbled to a halt.
Disbelief.
He'd entered a large lab space, mostly empty with the exception of a large ring hanging over a large circular pit that was at least two stories deep. A thin metal walkway connected the metal ring to the main floor space of the lab. The rest of the space was empty. It was a strange layout for a lab but none of that really mattered because it was the scene playing out on the steel walkway that truly captured Tadashi's attention.
Hiro was pinned to the ground by the man in the video Tadashi had found on Hiro's machine and walking away from the scene as if nothing were amiss was Alistair Krei. The nonchalance exhibited by those abusing his brother set Tadashi's blood boiling, fire and anger twisting in his gut. How dare they? How dare they treat his brother this way? Suddenly consumed by heat and flickering anger, Tadashi raised an arm, triggering a switch. An amber flame burst into life, dancing, twisting heat, echoing the flame within as he prepared himself for the confrontation ahead.
"Let go of my brother!"
- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –
A/N: I rewrote a large portion of this chapter in an attempt to make the action scenes better. As a result it is also almost twice as long as it originally was. Here is hoping I succeeded in writing a semi-decent action scene.
Guest: Sounds like a plan. You need to communicate it to Tadashi before he... oh wait... too late XD. So you don't mind too much that I made Alistair the main villain here?
shooting2stars: Do you really think it's going to be that simple? Gerald doesn't know when to quit after all. You are correct... what is coming is pretty intense. Just hope you guys don't hate me after it. We are pretty much at the climax of the story.
CrazyBlueOwl: You can relax for now. Tadashi is kind of distracted by other things at the moment XD. AS for physical confrontations... I know that you need to describe things in full detail. That is exactly the issue. Not really my thing. I reworked a LOT of this chapter in an attempt to make it better. Hope it worked. Sigh.
Dreamer: Relax. You don't have to figure everything out. This story should explain most of it before it ends (or at least that is the intent. Not sure if I will completely succeed.) Tadashi is more than determined to get Hiro back. I can tell you he doesn't plan on leaving without that fluff ball so you don't need to worry about that at least. There is a plan in place to stop what is coming. I didn't send Hiro back for nothing, after all ;). Hope you like the plan when I finally reveal it! Inquisitor's name does not have any significance. It was only meant to be rather plain. Hiro's reaction to it isn't because its special. His exclamation is a result of how silly and plain the name actually turned out to be after all that time of referring to the man as Inquisitor. As for Hiro smashing the console... he did it to prevent anyone from changing the settings he configured before rushing out of the room. He knows it can probably be repaired in time but he doesn't need that much time for what he has planned.
Ern Estine 13624: It is Tadashi's turn to shine! Finally!
NotShort: Thank you. I'm glad you like it. I hope this climax does not disappoint.
Rosycat: Yup, the puzzle pieces are all falling into place now. Hopefully I don't miss anything important along the way ;). I loved Hiro racking up the points. Also loved the fact that he actually had a few more points than Inquisitor when that finished. A possessive Tadashi is an AWESOME Tadashi. Love that possessiveness to bits even though it gets him into trouble with Hiro. As for the action scene... thank you for the vote of confidence. I hope this chapter went better. It's good to have you back!