here's chapter four y'all! I'm so glad to be posting so often I hope you guys enjoy it!

silvie where are you? I'd love to hear what you think of this story!

thanks so much to everyone who's read and reviewed so far! I hope y'all enjoy the various plot twists ;)

peace out!

—HIRO—

I wake up to the rather unpleasant sound of something splattering over a hard surface, and it takes me a moment to remember where I am. When reality comes back, it hits hard. Rock is digging into my side, and my whole body feels stiff and sore from sleeping on the rough stone all night. My chest still aches where the bruise is, though not as much as yesterday.

Sitting up, I rub the sleep out of my eyes to discover Honey leaning over the edge of the rocks, clutching her abdomen. It doesn't take a genius—although that's not the best expression for me to use, as I technically am one—to tell that she just threw up.

"Hey, Honey," I yawn, blinking in the bright morning light. "You okay?"

"No," she moans, sitting down against the side of the hollow. "I feel awful. I think I'll talk to Tadashi and ask him for some medication."

She staggers over to the other side of the hollow and bends down, whispering to Tadashi. As she speaks, a look of worry passes over my brother's face. He hands her a small package and a dose of Pepto-Bismol, and Honey climbs down the rocks and disappears into the woods.

"What was that all about?" I ask Tadashi, scooting over to him.

"We'll see," Tadashi replies. "But…Hiro, be prepared to make an addition for Honey's armor. I hope it's only a virus, but it could be something a lot more—well—complicated."

"Like what?" I ask, but Tadashi refuses to tell me anything else until Honey returns about twenty minutes later. She walks over to Tadashi and shows him what appears to be some kind of plastic stick. Tadashi's reaction to said stick is a little more dramatic than it has any right to be—he sits down on the edge of the hollow and buries his face in his hands. After a few minutes of this, he goes over to Wasabi and leans down to whisper in his ear. I stare at them, perplexed, as Tadashi leads Honey and Wasabi down the rocks to the river, where all three of them sit down. What on earth could they be talking about?

I strain to hear the conversation, but they're too far away. Eventually, Meg comes over and sits next to me. "Hey, Hiro. What's up?"

"They're acting weird," I respond, nodding toward the conspirators on the riverbank. "Honey just threw up, and now Tadashi is all worried and for some reason needs to talk to her and Wasabi."

Meg claps her hands to her mouth. "Hiro, I don't expect you to understand—because you're a guy—but there's a perfectly logical explanation for this, and it's definitely going to impair our ability to win this war. What did Honey do besides throw up?"

"Well, she went to Tadashi for medicine," I reply, utterly bewildered, "and then he gave her that and some kind of stick. She came back and showed him the stick, and he got all worried and took her and Wasabi down to the riverbank to talk. Do you seriously know what's going on?"

"Probably," Meg confirms. "But we should wait until they come back. Honey will probably want to tell us—or not tell us. Whichever she decides."

I'm still confused.

Finally, Tadashi, Honey, and Wasabi come back, Wasabi with his hands protectively placed on Honey's shoulders. I tilt my head at Tadashi as he sits down next to me, silently asking him what's going on. He smiles—half happy, half pained—and looks toward Honey.

"Do you, um, need to make an announcement?" Meg asks. "We'll listen if you do."

Honey nods. "Is everyone here?"

"Yeah. Fire away," Meg replies.

Everyone gathers around the edges of the hollow, staring intently at Honey. She looks slightly uncomfortable with all the attention, but all the same, she speaks—and her words are very nearly the greatest surprise of my life.

"I'm pregnant."

If I had water in my mouth, I'd have spewed it across the rocks. I don't have water in my mouth, though, so I have to resort to a loud gasp. The same sound is echoed throughout the hollow, and after it's passed, it's Krei who asks, "And how are we going to handle a baby?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Tadashi says. "Hiro, could you put together something for Honey's armor to protect the baby? I'm not an obstetrician, so I can't tell, but I think she's probably only about two weeks pregnant. Still, the baby will need protection—I hope the war is over before it comes. We'll do everything we can to keep you out of the fighting, Honey, but sometimes it might be inevitable."

"I can still fight," Honey protests. "The baby won't come for nine months, anyway."

"But you shouldn't risk it," Wasabi says, gently placing a hand on Honey's stomach. "I don't want you or the baby to get hurt. I need you both to make it to the end of the war."

"I'll be careful," Honey assures him.

Maybe I'm stupid, but this is the moment when I realize Wasabi is the baby's father. I knew he was secretly dating Honey from everything he told us last night, but I didn't realize it was that…serious. I'm gonna have to start working on upgrading Honey's armor.

After many congratulations and well-wishing, I retreat to a smaller, more secluded hollow in the rocks, wanting to 3D print Wasabi's blades and Honey's new armor. The graphene processor chugs away beside me, churning out large sheets of graphene. Maybe I could use a little of it for Honey's armor and give the baby ultimate protection.

It takes me about three hours to print the new armor extension and fix Wasabi's plasma blades. I've reinforced both with graphene, aiming to make them as strong as possible. I also print Wasabi a set of wings and a new breastplate—he'll need them to fly with us.

No sooner have I taken both prototypes off the printer than I hear footsteps thundering through the woods, and as I look up, I can see a small dark figure running between the trees. I squint, trying to make it out. When it gets closer, I catch a glimpse of bright purple and realize that the figure is GoGo, with her purple-and-black-streaked hair flying in the wind.

"GoGo?" I call, standing up. "What's wrong?"

"North Korea," she gasps, skidding to a halt at the bottom of the rocks. "They're attacking us—we need your help. I've looked all over Muirahara for you guys, it might be too late—you have to come. Please, Hiro."

It's probably the first time I've ever heard GoGo Tomago say please. I gather up the printer and graphene processor and head back up the rocks, telling GoGo, "We're at the top of the rocks—you can follow me up. I'll get the others and we'll come as fast as we can."

When I get to the top of the outcrop, I leap over the edge of the rocks and gasp, "Vortex is being attacked by North Korea. They need our help—we have to go."

"They burned down your house," Krei says matter-of-factly.

"But we can't just let them get slaughtered!" I argue. "They're our friends! Well, Karmi—not so much, but we still can't let them die! Granville and Momokase and Chief Cruz are all back there, and they could be killed! We have to help them—if we don't, who will?"

"I agree with Hiro," Meg proclaims. "We're going. Suit up, everyone!"

Everyone is already mostly suited up, since we've been sleeping in the suits just in case we're attacked. I jam my helmet onto my head, pull on my gauntlets, and then engage my wings. Finally, for the first time in several days, I fire up my phoenix tattoo. It's not like anyone could see it under my tracksuit, but it marks me as a member of the resistance, ready to save my country.

"Are you all ready?" Meg asks after a few minutes. Everyone nods, and she declares, "Let's go! Everyone fly—GoGo, do you want someone to carry you?"

"Um, no," she replies. "I'll just run behind you. I'll catch up eventually."

"Okay, then. Echo—engage wings!"

I power up my thrusters and take off, tilting my wings up to soar above the trees—I really don't trust myself to dodge the trunks yet. The rest of Echo flies around me, our wings flashes of bright color against the morning sky.

"Where's your base?" I call down to GoGo. "Just so we know where to go?"

"SFAI!" she shouts. "They weren't doing well when I left—the North Koreans are too strong! You've got to fly as fast as you can!"

"Veer left for SFAI!" Meg commands. "Have your weapons ready! Krei, do you have the Buddy Guards? I don't see them!"

"Well, that's because they're invisible!" Krei yells, annoyed. "Of course I have them—they're an essential part of my superpowers! Although I do also have lasers, which are rather awesome in their own right."

"Okay, good!" Meg shouts back. "Liv, you've got your darts? Tadashi—your blasters? And Hiro, please tell me you got Honey and Wasabi their new gear!"

"I threw it down on the rocks!" I call. "Did you guys get it?"

"I did!" Honey replies.

"Same here!" Wasabi confirms, giving me a thumbs up. "These wings are really cool!" He dips down a few feet, then bobs back up. "Well, maybe a little hard to steer, but cool nonetheless!"

I swear I hear him mutter, "I still wish I had my car back."

We fly across the bridge and cross into the mainland of San Fransokyo, and almost as soon as we do, I can see the ruins of SFIT and the badly damaged SFAI up ahead. Strangely, I don't hear any sounds of battle—what if the North Koreans have killed everyone in Vortex?

"Stand back-to-back with someone!" Meg calls as we start to fly down. "I don't know if that strategy actually works, but we have to try something! Have your weapons out and ready!"

As we land, I retract my wings, run over to Meg, and press my back against hers. I'd cover Tadashi, but he's a lot taller than me and I'd expose a lot of his back. Tadashi seems to understand this and goes back-to-back with Callaghan. Liv goes with Krei, of course, and that leaves Honey and Wasabi. All of us hold our weapons out, ready to strike, and then a figure clothed in black and sky-blue darts out of the crumbling main building of SFAI. Upon closer inspection, it's Momokase.

"Tadashi!" she cries.

"Momo?" he exclaims, stepping forward a little.

"Go back!" Momokase shouts. "You have to leave!"

"Why?"

"We're not being attacked—Karmi called Jeong here—Tadashi, it's a trap!"

And then the North Koreans spring out of the shadows, lunging toward us. Jeong is in the lead, her raven hair streaming out from under her cap. All of them carry long, sleek rifles.

"Fly!" Meg yells. "We have to get out of here!"

But Jeong throws down some kind of cube, which explodes in a tiny cloud of smoke—and my wings immediately stop working. I press the button over and over again, but they won't open. I can't fly. None of us can.

I attempt to knock Jeong over with sonic waves, but my gauntlets don't work either. We're out of firepower.

"We're gonna have to do this hand-to-hand!" I call to the others as the North Koreans aim their rifles at us. "It's our only chance—that or run!"

"Um, I'm thinking run!" Wasabi yells. "We don't stand a chance!"

Jeong fires her rifle, and I fling myself to the ground as the bullet barely misses me. "Okay, yeah! Run!"

Leaping up, I grab Meg's arm and pull her behind me, running for the street. Meg isn't too fast on her broken ankle, so she's limping as we sprint as fast as we can toward relative safety.

We never get there. Suddenly, a massive hand clamps down on my collar and yanks me into the air. I yelp as Meg's arm is yanked from my grasp and a second hand pulls off my helmet, then my gauntlets, then all the rest of my armor, piece by piece. The other members of Echo run around gathering it up, which I'm thankful for. We can't afford to lose that technology. By the time the unknown hand is done with me, I'm left in my white t-shirt and black cargo pants.

The giant hand lifts me several feet in the air, and I come level with the face of the creature it belongs to. When I see its face, I can't help but let out a loud gasp.

It's Baymax.

Eyes glowing white, his formerly soft body a configuration of sharp angles, black carbon fiber, and silver spikes, Baymax is a terrifying sight to behold—the spikes definitely weren't there during the Silent Sparrow heist.

"Baymax!" I yell as gunshots echo through the air around me. "Look at me, big guy! It's me, Hiro!"

Baymax shows no sign of recognition, instead tossing me aside. I let out a rather high-pitched squeak as I hit the ground, landing right on my already bruised shoulder. Scrambling up, I try to help the rest of my faction as they valiantly attempt to fend off the North Koreans with their bare hands, but Baymax simply knocks me over again with his arm. One carbon fiber finger catches me on the cheek, and I wince, knowing it'll leave a mark. Finally, he pins me down, putting one foot on my bruised chest, and I gasp. "Ow—Baymax! Stop! You're not a battle bot!"

The robot takes no notice of me, instead lifting Meg into the air and stripping her of her armor as well. My best friend shrieks in fury and punches Baymax's fist, and to my amazement, the robot drops her. Several North Koreans immediately descend on Meg, using their rifles as clubs.

"No—stop!" I gasp, the air being driven out of me by Baymax's huge foot. "Don't hurt her! Stop it!"

I try valiantly to free myself, but Baymax is far too strong. Meg lets out a scream of pain as one soldier slams his rifle into her ribs, and I start yelling, squirming frantically. Baymax's foot does lift off of me, but instead of letting me go, he grabs me around the waist and lifts me off the ground. His other hand goes around my wrist, and he carries me, struggling wildly, over to Jeong. The chasu stands next to the crumbling wall of one of the SFAI buildings, holding a graphene blade.

"Hello, Hamada," she hisses. "It seems we meet again."

"Let us go," I snap, trying to jerk my wrist out of Baymax's grip. "You can't do this—you know what? Just take me! Let the rest of Echo go—let them leave, and you can have me!"

"Oh, Hiro," she whispers. "I don't just want you. I want your whole faction—I need your secrets, your plans, everything about you. But I believe you and your little girlfriend will be sufficient."

"Don't take Meg!" I hiss. "Let her go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Jeong replies, sounding almost apologetic. "I need both of you—and you are now my prisoners," she adds as several soldiers approach. With a jolt of horror, I realize that they're dragging Meg in their midst—and she's unconscious. One of her eyes is swelling up, and her breath is shallow and erratic. She's hurt—how badly, I don't know, but I'm praying it's not worse than a concussion and a few bruises.

"Please," I beg. "Just let her go—you can take me!"

"So noble," Jeong murmurs. "But we can't have that. Robot—give me the boy's hand."

Baymax thrusts my hand toward her, and I gasp as the movement overstretches my shoulder. Jeong holds up her graphene blade, the tip posed above my palm.

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

"Marking you," Jeong replies, and then she stabs the point of the knife into my palm and slashes downward.

I won't deny it. I scream. Blood immediately starts to drip from the wound, and Jeong smiles wickedly as Baymax releases my hand. I pull the injured appendage to my chest and hold it there, already hyperventilating at the sight of the deep, bloody gash on my palm.

"Bring me the girl," Jeong commands. "I'll mark her as well. Quickly—we have all we need."

Meg doesn't even stir as the knife slashes across her palm too, and once it's done, Baymax picks her up in his other hand. As the robot carries us out of the SFAI courtyard, I can faintly hear Tadashi's voice calling my name, but I can't do anything.

I've been captured by North Korea.

I can't explain it, but I have a terrible feeling that while this war isn't over, my life most certainly is.

—MEGAN—

My eyes are pulled open by faint light, and hard stone digs into my side as I shift slightly. Pain shoots through my body, and I stop moving with a groan.

It happened so fast. First we were heading back to help Vortex, then Momokase was telling us it was a trap, and then the North Koreans attacked…

"Meg?" whispers a small, frightened voice, and I roll over to see Hiro looking down at me, his face nearly death-white, bruised, and streaked with tears. His hand is held against his chest, small drops of blood running down it.

"Hey, Hiro," I mumble, struggling to sit up. My head spins violently and I sink back down, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that a sharp pain is slicing across my palm. I hold up my hand to discover a deep gash, dripping blood down my wrist. I realize with a twinge of sadness that Hiro must have the same wound on his own hand.

"Are you okay?" Hiro asks, his voice trembling. "You were out for at least an hour—and that was after they beat you up."

"I'm fine," I growl, attempting to sit up again and this time managing it by bracing myself against the wall. "What happened? Where are we? Did they hurt you?"

"The North Koreans captured us, we're in some kind of cave prison, and not badly," Hiro rattles off. "It was mostly Baymax attacking me anyway. It's only a few bruises—oh, and this." He holds up his hand to show me a gash running across his palm, identical to mine. "I think Jeong must do it to all her prisoners, I saw bloody handprints in some of the cells while they were bringing us in."

I shudder. "She's a monster. Honestly, Hiro, I'm starting to understand Vortex's motive to assassinate her."

"So am I," Hiro admits. "Do you think the others got away? I'm super mad at Karmi for double-crossing us, but I kind of don't want her. Or Vortex, or Echo, getting kidnapped by murderous dictators."

"I hope they got away," I murmur. "They probably did, or else they'd be in here with us. I wonder if anyone else we know is here."

Hiro shrugs, then winces. "I hope not. This place looks pretty bad."

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" I ask, the wince having not escaped my gaze. "That looked suspiciously like you were in pain, Hiro. Seriously, I'm not gonna think any less of you if you admit it."

Hiro sighs. "Really, I think I'm okay. Baymax only punched me a few times. And then, well, he threw me. But whatever. It's just my shoulder—it was already hurt, though, so it's no big deal. I'm a lot more worried about you, Meg. You've already been through a lot."

"I'm fine," I hiss again, even though my rib cage screams with pain every time I move and I think I have at least one black eye. "Takes more than a few North Koreans to hurt me."

Hiro gives me a faint smile and reaches out to touch my face with his braced hand, brushing away a strand of hair stuck to my cheek with blood. "But I won't think any less of you either, Meg. I just want to help you."

I smile and put my bleeding hand on his, pressing it against my cheek. "I know you want to help, Hiro. It's just hard for me to accept it. But I think I'm starting to understand it better—you've taught me so much. I don't know how I could've gotten through this war without you. So…yeah. Thanks for always wanting to help—even though I'm sometimes a pain in the butt."

Hiro laughs weakly. "You're not a pain in the butt, Meg. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and—" He swallows, then looks up at me with wide eyes. "And I love you."

"I love me too."

Hiro laughs again, but this time it's not weak. It sounds like his normal, pre-war laugh, the one he used to have before our lives were turned upside down. I didn't realize how much I missed that laugh, how much I missed the boy Hiro used to be. And the girl I used to be, too.

But we've both changed, and there's no going back.

Still, I don't know if I want to. Hiro and I have grown closer in ways I could never imagine.

"Just kidding," I whisper. "I love you too. You're the most important person in my life, Hiro, and I will do anything to keep you safe. I know a lot of promises have fallen through lately, but this is one I will never, ever break."

Hiro smiles, and I realize his eyes are filled with tears. "I promise too, Meg. I'll fight to the death for you, and I'll never stop trying to protect you as long as I live. Maybe when this is all over, we could…we could…"

"We could what?"

"Go on a date. It could be fun."

"Hiro," I whisper, "that would be awesome."

"Knew it." He pauses. "Meg, will you…um…will you be my girlfriend?"

I almost laugh, despite the thrill of adrenaline and shock that runs through me. "You're asking me now? Here? When we've been kidnapped and thrown in prison and betrayed and come within an inch of our lives?"

"Yeah?" Hiro mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.

I stare intensely into those dark-chocolate eyes, which are wide with hope and a note of fear. "Because if you are, and I'm really what you're thinking about right now, then I can live with that forever."

And I fling my arms around him, ignoring the pain, pulling Hiro as close as I can and pressing my lips against his. He goes rigid for a moment, then relaxes into the embrace, his hand winding into my hair.

When we finally pull apart, I glance down at my palm and remember what Hiro said about the bloody handprints. I gently reach out and take his hand, pressing it against the wall. My own bleeding hand goes right next to it, and we remove them to see two coppery imprints on the wall, rather gruesome but also symbolic. If we die, then we at least die together.

"It's gonna be okay," I whisper, putting my uninjured hand on Hiro's bruised cheek. "We're gonna get out of here, and we're gonna end this war. But even if we don't then we still have each other. And for me, that's enough."

"Well, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather die with," Hiro says softly, smiling faintly and staring out the window at the pouring rain. "But maybe there's still hope. This war isn't over yet."