Darkness from Above

"What is this?" Alistair Krei paused, calmly turning to face the new threat that had appeared before him. "Some kind of family business?" He ran his eyes over Tadashi, completely unfazed as he turned to direct his next statement at Hiro. "I thought your brother was dead."

Thud. Thud thud. Thud.

Hiro's heart beat a rapid rhythm in his chest, his suspicions confirmed by the words the dark figure had directed at them. The new Hero that had joined his team, the one that had rescued him from the previous lab, really was Tadashi as he'd suspected. Hiro wasn't really sure how he felt about the fact and the implications that came with it. Tadashi was never supposed to find out about Big Hero 6, never mind join the group but that was neither here nor there. They had more urgent matters to deal with. "You really should have taken a look at those photographs you used to threaten me." Hiro retorted.

Alistair Krei narrowed his eyes, not liking Hiro's cocky tone. "It would do you well to remember you place. You aren't exactly in a position to be showing me defiance." He said, taking a step back towards Gerald. "Just one word from me and Gerald can easily dispose of you before your brother…" The word was filled with contempt, "can even take two steps to save you."

Gerald got up off of Hiro, pulled him up and shoved him towards the slim barrier that was built into the suspended walkway. The silent threat in the gesture was crystal clear to everyone in the room.

"I'll kill you if you hurt my brother!" Tadashi yelled taking a few steps forward only to stumble to a halt when Krei turned back to face him, lifting a single finger as he spoke. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you." Alistair's tone was icy cold. "You won't make it here before your brother falls to his death. Besides, I have this." Alistair Krei lifted his other hand revealing the remote he'd pulled from his pocket. Quirking a single brow, he flicked the switch on it awakening the black mass that lay beside the entrance to the lab.

"Tadashi!" Hiro yelled, struggling to escape Gerald's grasp, fear and anxiety coursing through him at the danger Tadashi now faced. "Get away from the door! They're programmed to protect the door!" The warning came too late. The micro-bot swarm shot forward, the mass pulsing, swirling and twisting before tumbling down to engulf the lone figure that had come to rescue him. The pale amber flame flickering in the palm of Tadashi's hand died out a split second before his figure was buried beneath the swarm. "Tadashi!" The cry was pained, ragged and torn, filled with renewed grief and terror as Hiro relived his worst nightmare, this time in the form of a dark pulsing mass instead of bright amber flames. He should never have invented them. His micro-bots were yet again tearing Tadashi away from him and causing the loss of that which he held most dear…

Only… this time… would be different…

This time, he refused to simply standby and let it happen. This time, he would save Tadashi or die trying. Twisting in Gerald's arms, Hiro swung one of his legs back, connecting with Gerald's shins just as Honey Lemon, Gogo, Baymax and Fred entered the lab, their late arrival a result of engaging the security guards that would have prevented Tadashi from heading straight towards Hiro. That's when all hell broke loose.

"Super jump!" A green Kaiju monster leaped high into the air. "Flaming breath of fury!" Bright amber flames escaped his mouth and engulfed the black swarm. "Boo-ya!" The flames flickered over their skin and died out, not even leaving as much as a trace of damage. The Kaiju monster didn't even hesitate, immediately changing tactics, when his first attack failed to produce the desired result. "Gravity fist" He tumbled down reaching out with a clawed hand to crush any micro-bots in his way.

Baymax, Gogo and Honey Lemon joined the fray. A bright red shape danced gracefully in the air, blocking punching, twisting and turning. A yellow blur streaked across the floor, disks flying and bouncing off of walls, slicing paths through the micro-bot swarm. Each throw was carefully calculated to ricochet off of the walls at exactly the right angle, allowing the yellow blur to co-ordinate her movements with their projected path, gracefully catching them only to launch them into the air once more. Purple goo sprung up from the ground, encased stray bots and halted their progress. The trapped bots were then covered by a light spray that instantly turned them pink before vanishing in a puff of pink dust. Everyone was fighting, giving their all for what they believed in, giving their all to protect one another and Hiro was not about to be left behind.

Hiro tucked his head into his chest, curled in on himself and kicked the ground beneath him, using the momentum he'd gained from lashing out at Gerald's shins to throw them off balance. The unexpected motion forced Gerald to stumble forward in a bid to keep his balance but the effort was in vein. Hiro's sudden movement had caught Gerald completely off guard and he was quickly trapped in the momentum it had gained. Gerald flew over Hiro's head, losing his grip on Hiro's arms a mere moment before falling head first onto the steel platform. The blow knocked him clean out.

Free once more, Hiro leaped up glancing back at the battle that continued to rage in the doorway to the lab. A flicker of admiration coursed through him at the scene that was playing out before him. The micro-bot swarm was in chaos. Some of the pieces were trapped in goo, some were nothing more than pink dust, others were lying shattered upon the ground and others still smoldered beside their crushed companions. It was a scene of utter devastation and standing in the center of the remaining chaos; no longer buried by the darkness from above; was Tadashi, alive and well.

Relief. Pride. Joy.

Tadashi was ok!

Suddenly giddy with glee, Hiro turned and started to run once more, easily leaping over Gerald's prone from. He was heading back towards the portal, his original mission once again in the forefront of his mind. The battle was not over yet. Hiro still had one last thing to take care of.

"Get back here!" Alistair Krei cried out in desperation. Realizing he no longer held the upper hand, he turned to run after Hiro, hoping to catch him but it was too late. Gerald was down for the count and Alistair was too far away catch up.

Hiro was home free.

Two meters…

One point five…

Jackpot!

The moment Hiro was half a meter away, he twisted his body and swung his right arm back. Drawing on all the knowledge he'd gained watching baseball on television, Hiro then flung it forward, releasing the handful of silver spheres he'd somehow managed not to lose during his altercation. The silver spheres flew through the air, shining and shimmering in the artificial light that illuminated the lab, gleaming silver, white and finally… blue. They reflected the pale blue light emitted by the portal for but a moment before slipping through it, vanishing out of sight.

Alistair Krei stumbled to a halt the moment the spheres were out of sight, staring after them in sheer disbelief. His mind fought to make sense of what had just occurred, posing the obvious question when it came up blank. "What did you just do?" Alistair Krei whispered, the chaos that had filled the lab mere moments before pausing as everyone turned to look at the scene playing in front of the portal gate.

Hiro pulled an object out of his pocket holding it up for all to see. It was a remote control, much like the one Alistair had used to activate the micro-bots that had attacked Tadashi and the team. It was a seemingly innocuous object and a silent threat, its purpose as yet unknown. "You know, someone told me something really interesting." Hiro said nonchalantly, momentarily glancing back at Gerald before returning his gaze to Alistair Krei. "Even though people can't reliably be sent into the portal without incurring some kind of harm, radio waves can." Hiro grinned and flicked the switch, watching the dawning horror in Alistair Krei's eyes.

Click.

The portal shut down.

"What did you just do?!" Alistair repeated, the question filled with dread. His mind was still trying to deny the facts that lay before him. The portal couldn't be closed. His experiment couldn't be over. There was no way he'd been outsmarted by an arrogant, snarky mouthed teenager that couldn't even tame his own hair, let alone survive the shark pool that was the world of business Alistair Krei had ruled over his entire career…

"I made sure you will never be able to open the time portal again." Hiro said, his tone icy cold. "Those spheres are designed to pick up and nullify wireless signals. They will detect any attempt to open the portal and nullify the incoming signal before the time space continuum can register it. Oh and in case you're hoping their battery power runs out, I designed them to be self-sustaining. I built in an electro-magnetic core that will keep them in motion in relation to one another. Their batteries are designed to use the kinetic energy generated in order to recharge. It's over."

It's over.

The arrogant child before him was telling Alistair it was over. The cocky little snit before him had actually managed to ruin Alistair's experiment and with it his life but he'd be damned if he was going down alone. "It's not over!" Alistair Krei yelled, launching himself at Hiro in rage.

"Honey Lemon, now!" Tadashi called out.

Honey Lemon dropped a violet orb releasing rush of violet powder into the air upon impact. Fred, Gogo, Honey Lemon and Tadashi leapt out of the way, avoiding the dust that was quickly encasing the micro-bots that were still active. An amber flame flickered back to life on the palm of Tadashi's hand dancing in his palm for a mere moment before shooting forward into the air, painting a bright amber line as it moved forward. The amber turning bright white before filling the lab with a whooshing sound. The unique chemical compounds of Tadashi's flame reacted with the violet powder, triggering a series of contained miniature explosions that obliterated the remaining micro-bots clearing the path to the scuffle taking place on the narrow steel platform before them.

Alistair Krei had Hiro in his grasp and was wresting with him in a bid to gain control of the remote Hiro still held. Hiro was fighting back with everything he had, twisting, kicking and biting in an attempt to pull free but the strain of everything that had occurred finally caught up to him. Hiro's foot slipped when he stepped around Alistair Krei's legs in order to throw the man to the ground. He lost his balance and slipped over the thin railing that stood between safety and the large pit below. Momentum, gravity and weight worked against him, tearing Hiro from Alistair's precarious grasp and he tumbled to the ground, weightlessness an enemy once more.

"Hiro!" Tadashi cried out, throwing himself forward, desperate to prevent the tragedy that was unfolding. He had to do something, anything to help his little brother but there was nothing he could do. Baymax caught Tadashi just as he threw himself over the edge of the pit in a bid to join his brother and Tadashi was forced to watch in horror as Hiro's slim body connected with the ground, the sound of the impact reverberating through the room.

Crack.

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

A/N: Please don't hate me. This is the price Hiro has to pay to preserve the changed timeline.

Ern Estine 13624: Tadashi makes an awesome hero, doesn't he?

CrazyBlueOwl: I try not to write action but for some reason it keeps slipping into my stories. Fortunately I am generally able focus on the emotional and psychological side of things. Tadashi's suit does allow him to manipulate fire, in a more controlled manner than Fred's suit. Hiro unfortunately won't have the opportunity to be mad at Tadashi for coming...

WriterGreenReads: You're not really misreading the situation. Tadashi is predominantly relying on his martial arts skills and the protection the suit provides but does have a power. He is able to manipulate fire in a far more controlled manner than Fred. He is able to concentrate it and direct it with laser accuracy. He is also able to cover himself with it though he's only been holding it in the palm of his hands in this story.

Rosycat: Thanks. I rewrote a LOT of the action scenes in the last two chapters in order to make them better than they originally were. Glad the effort paid off.

shooting2stars: Agreed. Tadashi is FAR from happy at this stage. I'm glad rewriting the last action scene was worth it. Hope this one came out alright as well even though it has ended on a heart breaking note...

Guest: That means the rewrite was worth it! The fight with the guards was not in the original draft. Looks like Tadashi should have waited for you and CrazyBlueOwl. Things might have turned out better...