Chapter 4: The Longest Night

Okay, think, think, think…

This is a lot… I'm now the leader of a team of robot monkeys. My sister's out there about to have a meltdown, if she's not already having one…

Crap, crap, crap, what do I do, what do I do…

Chiro exhaled sharply, trying to figure out what he was going to do… or even say.

This was worse, he decided, than the time he went and fell in an abandoned warehouse with his friend. At least a broken arm was easier to explain than robot monkeys and becoming a superhero overnight.

This is absolutely gonna go worse than the time I brought that fish tank home and set it up in my room… She was annoyed but the fish didn't bother her and still doesn't. This is gonna…

Oh I'm gonna die.

Forget "You could never do anything to upset me," she is actually gonna kill me. He thought, running a hand through his hair.

Part of him really wanted to just stay there and avoid his inevitable doom.

But he knew the longer he stayed up there, the longer he was making his sister wait on him and worry.

And on top of that, also guarantee she would actually turn him into mulch.

I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead…

"Okay… Okay… I got this." He took a deep breath. "I'm gonna go down there and talk to her."

"Kid, you need some reinforcements?" Sparx asked, looking up at the monitor, grimacing.

It was hard to watch.

Seeing how desperate Mila was as she cried out for her brother, stumbling in the dark.

Chiro's heart broke as he saw her trip before letting out a frustrated cry.

"ICHI! Where… Where… Where… PLEASE JUST COME BACK!" Her voice echoed.

She was holding a flashlight in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes from sheer terror and worry.

She looked around wildly, letting out another yell.

"CHIRO!"

A lump settled in his throat.

"I'll go alone. I'll… I'll be right back!"

Before anyone could reply, he was gone as the orange tube descended…

Nova reached up, turning off the monitor.

"I can't watch this… This is their business."

Gibson crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed in concern.

"Nova, she's stumbling around in the dark-"

"It's still wrong." Sparx cut in, agreeing with her.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Their awakening was supposed to be a momentous occasion but there was now a brand new complication in that…

Gibson sighed, leaning back against the console.

"I'm just concerned she's going to injure herself before Chiro gets down there."

"That's the kid's sister. He knows her. Just hope she won't drag him away before an explanation."

"ICHI!"

Sparx grimaced.

Although he wouldn't deny, that was hard to hear.

That panicked tone, the look of total fear…

He was all too familiar with that from days past. People who looked to the HyperForce for help in their darkest hour…

He brought a hand to his throat absently.

Couldn't do a thing about comforting any of them.

That was the downside of it.

Nah…

Sparx shook his head.

It's not like back then…

Although…

"Hey… I want a promise from everyone in this room." He spoke up.

Antauri raised an eyebrow.

"What's on your mind Sparx?"

"We can't let Chiro wind up like Mandarin did…" He frowned. "I can't watch that happen again."

Gibson exhaled sharply, elbowing Sparx.

"Sparx."

"Hey, I have every right to be worried here. We thought the Chosen One would be an adult but now we gotta be a lot of things. We're responsible for him now."

Sparx gestured to the monitor.

"Which means, we have to catch him up and pray the bag of bones hasn't figured out he woke us up! We're asking a LOT here. He's excited but how long is that gonna stay?"

Antauri narrowed his eyes.

"We won't allow him to wind up like that. I will do everything I can to ensure that."

"Good…" Sparx exhaled slowly. "Sorry, sorry, I just… This is a lot, okay?! First we wake up, then surprise, the Chosen One is a KID and now… and now what?"

"We'll just have to do what we can to guide him." Gibson said. "The Power Primate courses through him… and I doubt it'd pick someone who couldn't wield its power."

Antauri smiled faintly.

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

"And… what are we gonna do about the big thing?" Nova asked, wringing her hands. "That's gonna be harder to explain than the leader part."

Antauri floated to the floor, walking over to the monitor, flicking it on.

The image of Chiro hugging his sister appeared on it. He muted the audio so they weren't eavesdropping.

"I believe for now… it would be in his best interest if we kept that aspect to ourselves. Just for now… until he's a little more adjusted."

"So, what? Wait until the bag of bones shows up and tells him?"

"Sparx!" Gibson hissed.

He didn't like the idea either… but he wasn't seeing much of a way around it.

It was late, they were exhausted from the adrenaline of the day and now, they were going to be up for at least a few more hours clearing any negative air to Chiro's sister.

"This will be a temporary thing, right?" Gibson asked, his gaze narrowing.

"It will. Once he's more comfortable, I will tell him."

Nova sighed, leaning against her sibling.

"We have no idea what we're doing, do we?"

Antauri sighed shakily.

"We will… It's going to be an adjustment, but we will… and we have little choice. We need to get him up to speed and ensure he's safe."

Gibson sighed.

"Well… congratulations everyone. We're parents now."

Sparx rubbed the side of his face.

"Ohhh we're off to a great start with this…"

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!?

oooooo

"Ichi!"

The wind was blowing hard around her, causing her hair to fly about. She could feel it in the air, tangling in her hair, clinging to her fingertips, she could practically taste it…

The energy here was so different. Each step was like wading through the ocean.

A strong presence hung in the air, hanging around her like a thick fog, as if to say "I'm here and I know you are here."

The fear welling up inside her she knew all too well. Her body trembled as she traversed the outskirts, her heart racing and yet, somehow finding a way to leap up into her throat.

"ICHIRO!" She called, waving the flashlight around.

She hated this. Every minute of it, she was inching closer and closer to the edge.

Stay calm… Stay calm…

It's not raining…

It's not…

Flooding…

Mila shuddered, trying to shake it off… She could never forget though.

The way the water rushed over her head, trying to pull her under. Her clothing and jewelry weighed her down as she struggled against the current.

She sputtered, gagging on the water as she grabbed onto a light post that had fallen over.

Her hair was plastered to her face as she struggled to breath, coughing up water here and there. Her lungs burned with every breath.

She looked around, using the light post to shimmy herself out of the water and onto the only bit of dry land there was.

As she stood on the rubble, looking around, her heart sank.

The entire city was flooded, the current growing stronger with each minute.

The wind howled as if the whole planet itself was crying out in pain.

"I have to get home…" She muttered.

She wasn't sure if "home" was even still standing.

But she had to find them…

Thunder rumbled overhead as she looked around her, trying to think of something… anything…

She had to find her family.

She had to get home.

Even if her body hated her for every step, she had to find a way home.

"STOP!" She gripped the side of her head, exhaling shakily.

She couldn't afford to panic now.

No… Forget it…

Forget all of it…

Bury it…

Mila shook her head, sniffling as she fought down another cry.

She couldn't afford to break down.

Not now.

Not ever again as long as she lived.

She had promised herself she would always keep it together for his sake.

"You can do no wrong."

Whatever happens, don't be angry, don't be angry… I'll just be content with seeing his face again.

I'll be happy if he's safe.

"Mila!"

Mila froze, looking around.

That was Chiro's voice.

"Ichi!?" She called out.

She could barely see, it was so dark. Her flashlight was barely doing anything. It was like shining it into mud.

Like a ghost, he appeared before her rushing up to her.

Her heart leaped into her throat as a relieved smile bloomed across her face.

"Ichi!"

He threw his arms around her, kissing her cheek.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I'm SO sorry.'

Mila wrapped her arms tightly around him, her body trembling anew.

"Ichi… Thank goodness…" Her embrace tightened as she brought an arm up to his head, smoothing his hair back, peppering his head with relieved kisses, tears running down her face. "You scared me to death…" She murmured.

Chiro's heart sank as a lump settled in his throat.

"Mila…"

I didn't mean for this to happen…

"I'm sorry." Chiro looked up at her, cupping her cheek, wiping away some of her tears. "I'm so, so sorry."

Mila cupped his face in her hands, pressing her forehead against his.

She had been so angry when she left, fear, taking over…

Yet, here he was.

He was safe, right in front of her.

His presence was so strong.

She breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes.

All was right in her world.

"No TV for a week." She whispered. "No urban exploring for a month."

"That's fair." Chiro sighed. "That is more than fair. I… I scared you really bad."

Her eyes opened, still glassy but stern as she pulled back, moving him to arm's length.

"Why didn't you answer me?" She asked. "Do you have any idea how worried I was!?"

"My phone died." He sighed. "And I uh…"

Mila raised an eyebrow, looking him over. She noticed the bandaid on his face was gone, replaced with a square of gauze instead. It didn't look normal though. It had a pale blue tint to it and it almost looked like it was bonded to his skin.

"Wait, when did this happen?" She tilted his cheek to the side. "Who did this? When did you get this patched up?"

Chiro's eyes widened.

Gibson must've changed it, when I was out. Geeze he's thorough…

"No? Um… I…" He took a deep breath.

This was not going to be easy to explain. At all.

Mila raised an eyebrow, her gaze stern..

"Ichiro. Tell me the truth, I won't be mad. What happened?"

Chiro grimaced.

"You promise not to ground me even worse?"

Mila narrowed her eyes.

"It depends."

Chiro took her hand in his, leading her along.

"Just… come with me."

Mila sighed, following him.

Now that he was with her, her body was already relaxing.

She took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart rate down.

"Now, promise not to get mad? OR weirded out?"

"I'll try to keep calm. How's that?"

Chiro chuckled, shaking his head.

"Trying Is good… Really good.."

She's gonna KILL me…

Mila looked up as he led her towards where he had appeared from… resting his hand on a reflective surface that rippled under his hand.

A sense of dread washed over her.

A green light illuminated his palm as a large door opened up above him.

All the years she spent playing horror video games and listening to podcasts about crime across the galaxy were screaming at her.

She let out a sharp gasp, pulling him behind her.

"Uwah! Sis!"

"Nope, nope." She shook her head. "I've seen enough horror movies to know this part. This is usually where someone gets killed!"

"Mila, there is nothing dangerous inside." He reassured her.

Except for the Electrocution Switch but I think that was a one-time thing…

I think.

Mila looked down at him, wincing at the innocent smile he had on his face.

He hugged her arm, resting his head against her shoulder.

"Nooo, stop that. Stop being cute." She groaned. "That's not fair. I'm supposed to be FURIOUS right now."

He looked up at her, with a pleading look.

"If you give this a chance, I'll never go inside another abandoned building."

Mila sighed, weighing her options sincerely here.

Go inside the obvious death trap or never have to hear Chiro describe a bad fall as "splat" again, from urban exploring.

Goddess, I am a terrible parent. I shouldn't be doing this.

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, fine, fine." She held up a finger, pointing it at him. "BUT, if there's an axe killer or an alien looking to suck out my brain through a straw or a tube containing a screaming disembodied forehead, we're leaving."

Chiro opened his mouth to protest that nothing happened but decided against it as that was going to open a can of worms he really didn't want to be unleashed yet.

Instead, he nodded before leading her inside.

The inside illuminated, revealing the metal covering the ground floor of the place.

Up ahead, were the six elevators, all in different hues… off to the right, appeared to be some kind of hangar door.

Chiro grinned, eying it.

He could hardly wait to go and see what was in there but he had more important matters to worry about.

"Now, I want you to keep an open mind, okay? I made some new friends."

Mila grimaced.

"They're not green, are they?"

I'm already regretting this.

Ohh please don't have zombies up there. Please don't have zombies…

"One is." He chirped, leading her over to the orange elevator, grabbing her arm tightly. "Alright, step on this with me at the same time."

Mila looked longingly back at the doorway towards the forest.

No more splat, no more splat, no more splat. You're doing this for your sanity, Mila.

Hesitantly, she stepped onto the platform…

In an instant, it began vibrating under their feet before shooting upwards.

"ICHIRO HANAMURAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAH!"

Mila's scream echoed through the base as the elevator jerked to a stop.

Just like her brother before her, Mila was sent flying across the metal floor the moment she let go.

"AAAAH!"

THUD!

The cold floor rushed up to greet her face as she laid there, limbs splayed out, face down.

"Ow…."

I. Hate. EVERYTHING.

Chiro grimaced, giving her a concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't lift her head.

"Peachy." She muttered.

A slow clap caught their attention as Sparx got up from his chair.

"That was an excellent re-entry there."

Gibson grimaced, hurrying over.

"Excuse me, Miss, are you alright?" He asked, momentarily forgetting the language barrier.

Mila lifted her head up… Her eyes widened, her jaw dropping open.

Before her, was a blue monkey in some kind of outfit and armor… and he was chattering at her.

"Sparx, that wasn't funny." Chiro looked towards Mila. "That's Sparx in the red and the blue one's Gibson. He's nice."

Mila shook her head, sitting up slowly.

She wasn't sure what was going on.

She looked around the room, baffled as her brother walked over to - was it Sparx? And began talking to him like they were old friends, responding to the monkey's chatter as if they were having a normal conversation.

This was… a little too familiar for comfort.

Wait…

Her mind was racing.

It was all coming back to her now.

They used to have monkeys patrolling the streets now and then or helping during natural disasters. Her father had said once upon a time they fought monsters but they had missed out on that era by a few years.

"It's honestly a blessing. Your mother grew up on Shuggazoom and… she has quite a few memories of when things were really bad. She came to Earth to get away from it all…"

"And then you had me?"

He ruffled up her hair.

"Yeah, our siren song to the stars."

Mila shook her head.

No, that wasn't it.

She looked at each one, pointing with a finger, mumbling to herself.

"One… two… three… four…"

She put a finger to her chin.

Wasn't there six?

I remember six…

Chiro looked over at her.

"So… she really can't understand you guys?" He asked Antauri, keeping his voice low.

He could tell she was trying not to freak out from the way she was reacting. She hadn't even bothered getting off the floor and had just opted to sit up.

She brought her index finger up to her lips before shaking her head and going back to drumming it against her leg instead.

Her eyes were wide in alarm as she looked around, fighting the urge to go and run out of the entire base.

And her old habit's trying to pop up. Ho boy…

"Unfortunately, without the power you obtained - the Power Primate, she will need other means." Antauri explained.

"Of course if what Otto is working on doesn't work I have a few ideas." Gibson cut in. "But they'd take time."

"You're not playing with her brain." Chiro said without thinking.

Mila's head snapped in his direction, mortified as her hands went to her head.

"EXCUSE ME, HE WANTS TO DO WHAT?!" She yelped.

Sparx looked at Gibson, raising an eyebrow.

"Smooth, Brain Strain." He rolled his eyes, "You impress all the ladies with that?"

Gibson growled, getting in his face.

"Well excuse me for not pre-preparing a language implant for a human!"

"You're excused!"

"Hey! What'd I just say? No experimental surgery!" Chiro sighed.

Mila's jaw dropped open.

"EXCUSE ME, EXPERIMENTAL WHAT?!"

This is worse. This is absolutely worse than zombies!

Chiro turned back to Nova, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't think introducing you guys without Otto's thingy is gonna be a good idea…"

"No kidding." Nova frowned.

She had been really looking forward to having another girl to talk to but it seemed this one was ready to bolt back to civilization screaming the whole way.

"Who's Otto? Which one's Otto?" Mila asked. "Not the one who wanted to do something to my brain, yeah!?"

She was too focused on what was going on in front of her to realize one of the elevators had just arrived.

"Hey guys! Guess what I just made-" Otto stopped short, already sensing the tension in the air.

"Um… slight complication." Gibson spoke up.

"She's scared." Chiro blurted out.

Otto frowned, his tail swishing thoughtfully.

Well, that wasn't part of the plan. He was hoping it would be a good surprise.

He carefully walked around Mila, making sure to give her a wide berth as her head snapped in his direction.

He leaned in a little, gripping the device he held in his hands… Something about her was familiar.

Wait…

I've seen her before.

It had been a long time ago - before they had gone into stasis. He would always stop at the flower shop in the business district during patrol to admire the plants outside and enjoy a bit of quiet time.

Otto leaned up, sniffing the flower in front of him, sighing happily. He always loved patrolling near the shopping district. There was always so much to look at.

The flower shop, in particular, always had a big display outside of it the owners put out.

The door opened up with a bell's ring as a young woman walked out with a watering can, stopping short.

She was dressed in all black, dark makeup around her eyes. In her other hand was a guitar case, that she slung over her shoulder.

"Well, color me surprised."

Otto looked up, smiling sheepishly.

This was always the awkward part, getting caught by civilians.

She smiled, looking at the display.

"Pretty huh?"

He nodded.

The woman reached over, plucking the flower he had been admiring before offering it to him.

"Here you go, little cutie."

Otto's smile grew, taking it.

"Thank you!"

She giggled before giving a wave over her shoulder as she walked away, her dark hair getting blown by the breeze.

"Hey!" He grinned. "I know you! You gave me a flower once!"

Chiro's eyes widened, looking at his sister.

"You met her?"

"I met him-Oh!" Her eyes widened, before heaving a sigh of relief. "You were that little cutie who loved the snapdragons!"

Now it was coming back.

That was a long time ago…

She eyed his hand, noting it was hiding something.

Otto held it up, giving her a gentle look.

"I promise, it's not gonna hurt and make this all a lot easier to understand."

Chiro smiled.

"He says it's not gonna hurt you, Sis."

Mila ran a hand through her hair, drumming her fingers against her leg.

"Okay…" She breathed after a moment. "Okay."

Otto made his way over to her, showing her what he had.

It was a device that would hook around her ear, resembling a white and blue hearing aid.. Though it had a certain symbol on it. She eyed Otto's belt, noting it had the same insignia.

She held still as Otto moved her hair out of the way, placing the device, being as gentle as he could.

Mila closed her eyes tightly, her entire form tensing up. Despite the memory, she wasn't sure what was going on entirely still or what they wanted with her and her brother.

There was static for a second as he stepped back.

"Alright, how's that?"

Mila's eyes widened, gasping.

"Oh my gosh."

Otto cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"I knew it would work!" He held out a hand. "My name's Otto!"

"M-Mila Hanamura…" She took his hand gingerly, shaking it.

"Yeah, you guys run… What was it… Hanamura's Flowers… No…"

"Hanamura Botanicals!" Mila and Chiro both spoke up, proud smiles on their faces.

"That's the one!" Otto laughed. "I used to really love the displays that were always out there. Do you still do that?"

"Mm-hm! The next seasonal display goes out next week!"

For a moment she forgot herself before she looked around once more.

She took a deep breath.

Okay. Calm. Calm.

I am calm…

I'm zen…

"Okay, so… you're Otto." She pointed to the others. "You're gonna have to tell me again who they all are cause I don't think I caught anyone's names."

"But I-" Chiro grimaced at the glare he received. "Right, panic mode. You didn't hear anything, did ya?"

"Not really. I heard "playing with her brain" and assumed there would be a straw involved."

"Seriously, no more horror movies for you… but anyways, guys, go on!"

Nova bolted over to her first, grabbing both of Mila's hands in hers, shaking them furiously… nearly sending the woman flying as she tried to hang on.

"Yipe!"

"Hey, I'm Nova! It's so good to have another girl around!"

Mila laughed.

"Oh, don't I know how that feels. Oh goodness, you are the cutest!" She looked her over. "I love your dress!"

Nova was wearing a pale yellow and white uniform that ended in a little skirt with a belt with what she could only assume was the team's emblem.

She grinned, holding her head up.

"Why thank you! And of course, you already met Otto."

"Yeah and Hekyll and Jekyll." She smirked, nodding at Gibson and Sparx.

Their eyes widened as their jaws dropped open.

"Excuse you!" Sparx sputtered.

"I have a name you know, young lady!"

Nova and Mila busted up laughing, high fiving each other.

"Alright, I like you already!"

Chiro clamped a hand over his mouth, trying very hard to fight down a laugh.

Alright, now she's getting comfy. Good.

Sparx huffed before smirking, holding his head up high.

"Well, my name is SPRX-77, one of the ace pilots of the team!" He exclaimed. "You can call me Sparx!"

"I'm Dr. Hal Gibson… Do not call me Hal, just Gibson, please." Gibson crossed his arms. "I'm the chief science officer, secondary pilot and medic of the team."

"Quick thing." She pointed at Chiro. "That thing on his face was you?"

"Ah yes. It's an artificial membrane, similar to a skin graft but without surgical measures needed. It'll become natural tissue in a few days." He explained. "I admit, I may have acted out of bounds."

Mila nodded thoughtfully.

"No, not really. I was getting worried about that cut and he wouldn't let me see it."

Gibson gave Chiro a stern look.

"Oh really?"

"Hey, this isn't about me right now."

"That was when you went splat!" Mila snapped. "It absolutely is about you right now!"

"Splat? Again!? Young man, we are having a discussion about personal safety."

Chiro grimaced, rubbing the back of his head.

Great, there's two of them. One Mila wasn't bad enough, now there's two…

"Alright, so Nova, Maverick and Goose."

"Excuse me, what did you just call me!?"

"I am NOT a Goose!"

Chiro groaned.

"Really? You couldn't hold yourself back?"

Mila grinned.

"Sorry, opportunity presented itself."

Chiro looked at the team, giving a shrug.

"This is what I live with."

Nova snickered, nudging her.

"Yep, I definitely like her. Can we keep her?"

Mila grinned.

"We'll see." She looked over at Chiro and Antauri, raising an eyebrow. "So, am I gonna get an answer while we're here? Cause while they're ADORABLE-"

"Hey." Sparx muttered. "I'm not cute."

"Yes you are, don't deny it." She said without missing a beat. "I'm sure you didn't show them to me to convince me to let them move in."

"Not… really." Chiro rubbed the back of his neck.

Mila's smile faded into a look of concern, bringing a hand up to her ear, absently running her nail over the device hooked around it now.

It was all incredible, yet, her stomach was doing flips.

"What's really going on here?"

Chiro looked at Antauri, giving him a pleading look.

"Antauri, can you…?"

"I believe it would be better to show you both the reality of why we were created." He explained, as he floated upward once more.

Cupping his hands together, he created a ball of swirling black and green energy.

"Whoa…." Chiro grinned. "That's so cool. Think I could learn to do that?"

Antauri chuckled, warmth in his gaze.

"I have no doubt." He took a deep breath. "Now…"

Swiftly, he separated the orb into two and sent them flying at each sibling respectively.

Chiro held his head up, holding still as Mila tried to recoil away.

The orbs phased into their heads as their eyes glazed over.

Before they knew it, everything was swirling into a colorful blur.