—HIRO—
Fire.
Something's on fire. I can smell the smoke, hear the flames crackling, feel the heat on my skin. I know all too well what fire is like—I must be back at SFIT, trapped in the burning building. I have to go help Tadashi—he's gotta be here too.
But then I open my eyes, and everything comes flooding back.
Obake. The robots. Silent Sparrow.
Oh, no…
I'm surrounded by rubble, broken pieces of asphalt and metal having fallen in a kind of circle around me. The fire is nowhere in sight, but I know it's there.
What scares me to death is that the crackling of the flames is the only sound. I don't hear anyone—no people, no robots, not even a terrified street cat or a bird. The city is completely silent.
Then I hear a faint cough, and I raise my head slightly, knowing that I should go see who it is, see if I can help them. But my muscles don't seem to be working—I have feeling in all of my limbs, but I'm exhausted, too weak to move. A throbbing pain has begun to thunder through my skull, radiating from a spot just above my hairline. I'd reach up to make sure the wound isn't pouring blood, but I don't really feel like moving my arms. I can tell that my armor is in a lot more pieces than it should be, and I can feel countless scrapes and cuts stinging my arms and legs. To top it all off, my ribs ache profoundly and I can feel blood pooling beneath my cheek, undoubtedly due to my shattered visor.
"Baymax," I rasp, then wince as the act of speaking sends a twinge of pain through my ribs. "Ow—Baymax—I need your help…"
I manage to raise myself up onto my elbows, trying to look around at the city. But my headache worsens, and when I try to drag myself up the pile of rubble, I just sink back to the ground with a soft moan of pain. At least I can move at all, though—I was expecting a lot more broken bones.
"Hiro," comes the familiar voice, and I look up, trying not to move my head too much. Baymax is leaning over me, his armor broken and his white vinyl body streaked with black, but amazingly still functional.
"Are you alright?" Baymax asks, bending down and peering closely at me. "You appear to be experiencing pain."
"Yeah," I whisper. "Just—get me out of here. Please."
Baymax reaches down and gently lifts me into his arms, and for once, I don't even protest. Everything hurts too much to do that.
"Is everyone…alive?" I ask, struggling to make my voice work. My throat feels scraped and raw, just like after the fire, and talking is…not fun. My lungs can't be doing well, either.
"I detect the vital signs of all the other members of Big Hero 6, as well as Megan," Baymax informs me, and relief swamps me. "They have sustained injuries, but they will most likely recover."
He blinks down at me, scanning. "My scan indicates that you have suffered several injuries, which include a grade two concussion, three bruised ribs, and various epidermal abrasions. None of these require intensive treatment, but they should be bandaged and monitored. Can you move all of your limbs, Hiro?"
"I guess," I mumble, not really wanting to move but doing so anyway, so as to alleviate Baymax's concern. "See, buddy? I'm fine. No broken back or anything."
"That is excellent," Baymax tells me. "You should not overexert yourself, Hiro. I will carry you while we look for your friends. I will also remove your armor, which could be causing you discomfort."
Baymax cradles me against his chest, cupping my head in the hand not covered by armor. He gently pulls off my helmet, breastplate, and gauntlet, leaving me in a filthy, torn white t-shirt and black cargo pants. I feel exposed, but it does help me feel a little better now that the armor isn't pressing on my bruised ribs.
"Where's Meg?" I rasp, coughing as the words sting my raw throat. "She didn't have any armor…"
Baymax's scanner whirs, and he proclaims, "I detect Megan approximately two hundred feet south of us. My scan indicates that she has sustained several fractures in her humerus, clavicle, and radius, as well as epidermal abrasions and deep lacerations on the frontal portion of her cranium and mandible."
"Oh no," I breathe. "We've gotta get to her."
"I will take you there," Baymax tells me, waddling over the piles of debris toward where Megan must be. As he turns, I can see the rest of the city—or rather, the lack of it.
I gasp as I take in the destruction—some of the skyscrapers still stand, but all of them are damaged and crumbling. Nearly all the houses have been knocked down, and fire creeps along the edges of the streets as ash drifts down through the air. The largest blaze is at the center of the city, burning right around where KreiTech would be. I hope Krei got out okay—I'd feel bad if he didn't make it. And Momakase—she helped distract the police while we investigate Obake. And Heathcliff, and Dr. Armstrong, and Chief Cruz and Tadashi and Aunt Cass…
"Megan is here," Baymax announces, stopping on top of what appears to be another pile of rubble. "I will put you down while I retrieve her from underneath the debris."
Baymax gently sets me down, and I try to stand up, wanting to help rescue Megan. But my head spins, the world tilting violently, and there are suddenly three police stations. That can't be good.
"I would advise not standing up in your condition," Baymax informs me. "You should stay in a sitting position and rest."
"But I don't wanna rest," I protest, sinking back down to sitting anyway. "I wanna help Meg."
"Megan would not want you to hurt yourself," Baymax counters.
"Already done that."
"Further."
I sigh and ease myself into a more comfortable position. "Fine. But you can't carry me if she's unconscious."
After a few minutes of digging through the rubble, Baymax says, "Oh no," and lifts Megan's bleeding, unconscious body out of the wreckage, gently pushing aside her hair, which is stuck to her forehead with blood. I gasp when I see the dark red liquid dripping down her face and neck, staining her hood and collar. To make matters worse, her right arm is twisted to an angle I do not want it to be at, and her breaths are shallow and shuddering.
"Is she—gonna be okay?" I whisper, my vision blurring again at the sight of blood.
"She will be alright," Baymax reassures me, then blinks. "My scan shows that you are in danger of an attack of vasovagal syncope. I would recommend putting your head between your knees and taking deep breaths until you are not in danger of losing consciousness."
"I'll do that," I say shakily, ducking my head and closing my eyes. I really don't wanna pass out again—that wouldn't help me or Megan at all. I rub the top of my head miserably, finding that I have a rather painful goose egg where I hit the ground. It's not too big, though, so hopefully it's not a bad injury.
When I no longer feel like passing out, I look up, discovering that Baymax has bandaged Megan's head wound with gauze, as well as taping the stuff over a gaping cut on her chin. He hasn't done anything to her arm yet, probably wanting to set the bones in a safer location.
"You've gotta get Meg back to Basemax," I tell Baymax. "I'll keep looking for the rest of the team and we'll follow you once I've got everyone."
Baymax somehow manages to look sad. "My scan indicates that Basemax has been destroyed. Would you like me to take her to the Lucky Cat Café? My scan shows that it has sustained only minor damage."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," I decide, feeling a pang of sorrow at the thought of Basemax. "Can you scan for Tadashi and Aunt Cass? I think we need as many doctors as we can get. Maybe you could scan for Dr. Armstrong, too. Oh, and Momakase—and maybe Chief Cruz. You know what, just scan for everyone."
Baymax tilts his head, confused. "Everyone?"
"No, just everyone I said."
He runs the scan, then says, "I detect Tadashi and Aunt Cass traveling toward the Lucky Cat Café, along with Mochi. My scan shows that they have sustained minor epidermal abrasions but are otherwise uninjured. I detect Lionel Armstrong in the basement of the San Fransokyo General Hospital. He has sustained several small lacerations, but has no major injuries. Momakase appears to be unconscious, but Chief Cruz is alert and moving around. They are both located near the police station."
Baymax blinks, scanning again. "I also detect Obake. He is rapidly approaching the wreckage of the portal."
"Seriously?" I groan. "Okay, Baymax, here's the plan. You take Meg back to the Lucky Cat—it's not too far away. Get Tadashi to fix her up and then come back. I'll stay here and look for the rest of the team—I don't know how good we'll be at fighting, but maybe we can hold Obake off if he comes."
"Will you be alright?" Baymax asks.
I muster a weak smile. "I'll be fine, big guy. Just get Meg out of here and then come back."
Baymax nods, then carries Meg down the street, moving as fast as he can. I turn back to the piles of rubble, stumbling over them and calling out for my friends. I hope they're not all unconscious.
After a few minutes of searching, I conclude that everyone must be buried under piles of rubble, or I would've found them by now. I search desperately for a flash of color among the broken pieces of rubble, but I find none. Where are they?
"It seems we meet again," says a voice, and I slowly turn around, dread building in my gut. I'm in no condition to take down Obake, and I know it. He probably knows it too.
"Obake," I greet the villain, looking him dead in the eyes.
"Hello, Hiro," Obake drawls, a faint smile spreading over his face. "I'm sorry it had to be this way—but I still wish for you to join me in my mission."
"Did you even consider that I might get brain damage if you blew up the city?" I ask, trying to ignore the blood dripping down my cheek. "That can't be good for my genius brain."
Obake laughs softly. "Consider it? My dear boy, I was counting on it."
"Well, I'll never be like you, brain damage or not," I snap. "When will you learn?"
"Oh, I've learned far more than you might expect," Obake says. "I've learned that Big Hero 6 poses a threat to my plans, and that the police are very easily manipulated. I've also learned that you are a very stubborn child—I don't believe I'll ever be able to change your mind about this."
"You're right about that," I agree, trying my best to look determined and defiant even though I feel like collapsing on the ground. "I'll never join you, Obake, no matter what."
"Perhaps I'll just have to take you out, then," Obake hisses, and I realize I'm probably about to die. Faster than I would've thought possible, I aim my weaponized brace at Obake, sending the strongest sonic wave pulse I can at the supervillain.
Obake flies backward, disappearing behind a pile of rubble. While he's down, I dive into a gap between chunks of concrete, my heart thundering against my aching ribs. I can't let Obake find me, or he'll kill me.
I wait there for several minutes, trying to hold my breath and staying perfectly still. Finally, a voice echoes across the deserted streets.
"I will find you, Hiro Hamada. Soon. You may have gotten away this time, but you will not do it again."
And his footsteps retreat, fading away until the street is completely silent.
I tentatively poke my head out of the rubble, making sure that Obake has indeed left. I see no sign of him, but I still remain absolutely still for several more minutes, just in case he's pulling some kind of trick.
Finally, I deem it safe to come out, and I gingerly pull myself out of the rubble. Not daring to call out, I pick my way over the wreckage, looking for my team with renewed vigor.
After several more minutes, I hear a faint scrabbling, as if someone is trying to dig themselves out of a pile of rubble. I follow the sound to its source, seeing a faint flash of green under the debris.
"Wasabi?" I whisper, afraid to speak any louder.
"Hiro!" comes my friend's muffled voice. "Just a sec—"
"Here, I'll help," I tell him, leaning down and pulling a chunk of wood off the pile of rubble. Together, we manage to get Wasabi out of the wreckage after a few minutes.
"You okay?" I ask, looking Wasabi up and down for injuries. Mostly he just looks beat up, but then I realize that he's standing with all his weight on one side. That's not good.
"Could be better," Wasabi admits. "Have you seen everyone else?"
"No," I say worriedly. "I haven't been able to find them. Baymax took Megan back to the Lucky Cat—he said Basemax was destroyed—but I haven't seen anyone else."
"Well, then, we've gotta find them," Wasabi says determinedly. He tries to take a step forward, but then he collapses sideways onto the debris with a hiss of pain.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Ankle's probably broken," Wasabi replies through gritted teeth. "I'll be fine."
"No, you won't," I counter. "Here, I'll help you."
Wasabi drapes his arm over my shoulders and climbs to his feet, but I'm just about no help—I'm too small. Nevertheless, we limp steadfastly over the wreckage, searching for Honey, GoGo, and Fred and calling out for them.
"Hiro!" a weak voice cries from among the wreckage. "Wasabi! I'm here!"
Honey Lemon comes limping across the rubble, her eyes filling with tears when she sees us. When she gets close, she lunges forward and wraps us both in a huge hug, planting kisses on both of our cheeks.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" she wails, stepping back and looking us over. "Oh no, Wasabi, your leg! Hiro, let me take him, you look exhausted—"
Honey worms her way under Wasabi's arm, supporting him a lot better than I could. "Have you seen Baymax?" she asks. "He could really help us."
"He took Meg to the Lucky Cat," I tell her. "She's hurt, and Basemax was destroyed. We're gonna go to the café and meet Tadashi and Aunt Cass there—Baymax should be back soon. Are you hurt?"
"Not badly," Honey replies. "I don't think anything's broken. What about you, Hiro?"
"I'm fine," I tell her. "It could've been a lot worse."
"Are you sure?" Honey asks worriedly. "You're bleeding."
"I am?" I mumble. "Where?"
"Your cheek—there's only a few cuts, but they're bleeding kind of a lot."
I reach up to my face and gently brush my fingers against my cheek, finding that there is indeed kind of a lot of blood dripping down my face. I don't think the cuts need stitches, but I should really get them patched up.
"I'm fine," I insist. "We've gotta find Fred and GoGo and get back to the Lucky Cat."
Suddenly, Baymax's voice echoes through the street. "Hello."
"Baymax!" I exclaim, limping over to the robot. He scoops me up into a hug and refuses to let go for at least a minute.
"Uh, Baymax?" I mumble, patting him on the arm. "You can let go now."
"I will carry you while we search for Fred and GoGo," Baymax tells me. "You should not be overexerting yourself, and walking may exacerbate your injuries." He gently lifts me onto his back, wrapping my arms around where his neck would be if he had one.
I sigh resignedly, burying my face in the top of Baymax's head. I don't really want to walk anyway.
"My scan indicates that Fred and GoGo are nearby," Baymax announces. "They are both unconscious and have been buried under debris. They may be in danger of suffocation if we do not find and rescue them."
"We'll find GoGo," Wasabi volunteers. "Where is she?"
Baymax points toward a collapsed building at the edge of the street. "She appears to be buried at the edge of the wreckage, approximately three feet under the surface. She does not have enough air to survive for more than seven minutes."
"Then we'd better start digging," Wasabi says determinedly, and he and Honey limp over to the wreckage.
"Where's Fred?" I ask Baymax. "We've gotta get him out, too."
"Fred is also buried, underneath a considerable amount of cinder blocks," Baymax informs me. "He is approximately twelve feet to the left of GoGo. Because of his suit, he has not been crushed, but his oxygen is being depleted. We must extricate him."
Baymax waddles over to a large pile of cinder blocks, with a single sleek, black claw sticking out of it—definitely Fred. I mean, who else has claws?
I scramble down off Baymax's back and struggle to lift a chunk of concrete, but the movement sends a jolt of pain through my ribs—and I'm just not strong enough. Super strength wasn't the best idea, but at least it made me a little less physically weak.
Baymax helps me lift the cinder blocks, and soon Fred has been uncovered, his suit punctured and scuffed in places. When I flip back his hood, Fred's eyes are closed, but his chest is rising and falling steadily. He looks better than pretty much everyone else so far.
"We must take him back to the café," Baymax tells me. "I will retrieve Momakase, Chief Cruz, and Lionel Armstrong after we have taken Fred and GoGo to safety."
"Sounds good," I agree, then turn to Honey and Wasabi, who are lifting GoGo out of the wreckage. "Is she okay?"
"No," Honey says worriedly, "but her injuries don't look life-threatening. Still, we should probably get her back to the café—it's not safe out here."
"How're we gonna get all the civilians out?" Wasabi asks worriedly.
"Maybe we could deploy the Buddy Guardians or something," I suggest, referring to the robots the police created at some point—I don't even know when—to arrest us. "I could probably reprogram them."
"Sounds like a plan," Wasabi replies. "Okay, let's get back to the café."
It's a bit hard to maneuver—Wasabi carries GoGo in a fireman's lift, Honey supporting him on his broken ankle. Baymax insists I climb up on his back again, and he carries the unconscious Fred in his arms.
We start off across the ruins of San Fransokyo, bruised and bleeding, walking silently through the broken streets and between the creeping tendrils of fire. I can't believe Obake was able to cause this much destruction—I wonder if it would have been more if the star had exploded.
When we finally reach the café, I slide off Baymax and limp over to the door, opening it so he can carry Fred through. Honey and Wasabi come in after him, and I bring up the rear, shutting the door and pulling the curtains on the windows shut.
Footsteps sound from above, and then Aunt Cass hurries down the stairs, exclaiming, "Hiro!"
She flings her arms around me, squeezing tightly, and I can't keep back a gasp of pain. My aunt pulls back, looking down at me worriedly. "What's wrong, baby?"
"Just—I might've bruised a couple ribs," I tell her. "I'm okay, really, nothing's broken—where's Megan? And Tadashi?"
"They're both upstairs," Aunt Cass tells me, and I realize that she has several small cuts and scratches on her face and arms. "Tadashi's working on Megan—he says she'll be okay, but he had to set some bones and give her stitches."
"That's…better than I thought, I guess," I breathe. "Can I go see them? And are you and Tadashi okay?"
"We're fine," she assures me. "There was a little bit of shrapnel when that thing exploded, but it didn't hurt either of us worse than a few scratches. And of course you can go see them—just get Tadashi to patch you up." Aunt Cass raises her voice. "You know what, all of you go see Tadashi. He'll fix you."
Before I can go, though, she pulls me into another hug. "I'm so proud of you, Hiro."
"You shouldn't be," I mumble. "We didn't stop Obake."
"But you tried, sweetie, and you were so brave. And we can rebuild the city. That's enough for me, baby."
I give Aunt Cass a watery smile and return her embrace, then head up the stairs to Megan and Tadashi.
"Hiro!" Tadashi exclaims as I enter our room. He's laid Megan down on his own bed, obviously wanting to keep mine open. His face is a little bit scratched up, but he looks otherwise alright. "Are you okay? Oh my gosh—you're bleeding! Where does it hurt, buddy? Do you want some gauze? Is everyone else okay?"
"They're all hurt," I mumble. "I'm so sorry, Tadashi—we didn't stop Obake, and now the city is…is…"
"Hey, it's okay, little bro," Tadashi says reassuringly, standing up and wrapping me in a hug. "You tried really hard—and besides, now he doesn't have all those robots. Maybe that was the most anybody could've done."
He steers me over to my bed and sits me down, telling me not to move until he grabs the first aid kit. I sigh, then wince as a stab of pain shoots through my bruised ribs and decide that it would be a good idea not to move.
"You're nowhere near as bad as Megan," Tadashi tells me as he cleans the blood off my cheek and tapes a large Band-Aid over the cut. "She's pretty beat up—I had to set a few bones. Somehow she didn't wake up—but don't worry!" he adds hastily as my eyes widen. "She'll be okay. I'm pretty sure she'll be awake by morning."
As Tadashi smears bacitracin over what feels like my whole body, I realize that this is the first time since the fire that I've really looked at him without the bandages on his face. The burn scar spreads across his cheek, extending up onto his temple and down to the side of his neck. It doesn't look too bad—kind of red and puckered, but it's not the worst thing I've ever seen. It doesn't detract from the rest of his face all that much. I'm glad Tadashi's getting better—he even has his sling and cast off.
Tadashi gives me at least seven Band-Aids, then hands me a couple of ibuprofen capsules for my ribs and headache. After that, he pronounces me sufficiently patched up and turns to Wasabi, who Honey and Aunt Cass have just helped up the stairs.
"I need you to lay down, Hiro," Tadashi instructs me as he pulls out his splinting supplies. "You need to rest."
"But what about the civilians? They're all out there—they're probably hurt—I was gonna see if the Buddy Guardians could do anything—"
"A lot of them left with Aunt Cass and I," Tadashi reassures me. "Don't worry—the first responders and police can find the rest, and if you can get the Buddy Guardians reprogrammed—which I'm sure you can—they can help out. As soon as I'm done fixing you guys up, Hiro, I'll go look for civilians. But your job is to rest—you can't help anyone in your condition."
"My condition isn't debilitating," I huff indignantly. "I'm fine."
"None of you should be going out there—Obake probably wants you, and so does Chief Cruz. Besides, you're hurt."
"Actually, Chief Cruz apologized during the battle," Honey tells my brother. "He said he was sorry for not realizing that we were trying to help. Baymax is out looking for him now."
"Well, that's one upside," Tadashi admits, wrapping cotton around Wasabi's broken ankle. "I'm glad you aren't wanted criminals anymore. But still—you can't go out there."
"But what if—" I burst out.
"Hiro, I promise, we'll help everyone we can," Tadashi vows, turning to look at me. "But you can't do it right now, and that's okay. I'll get some people together to look for civilians, and I can check to see if the police and paramedics are working on it. You've done your part—let us take care of the rest."
I sigh, flopping down into my bed. "Okay, Dashi. But I won't be able to sleep."
"You just need to rest. Try not to get up for a while."
I lay on the bed for a long time, watching Tadashi finish Wasabi's cast—which is green, of course—and then patch up Honey's cuts and scrapes. After that, he goes downstairs to help Fred and GoGo, because nobody wants to carry them up the stairs.
When Tadashi, Honey, and Wasabi have all gone downstairs—Tadashi tells them they have to rest on the couches—Megan's eyes flutter open, and she lets out a faint gasp.
"Meg!" I say urgently, climbing out of bed—slowly, so as not to exacerbate the pain in my ribs. "How're you feeling? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she mumbles, trying to sit up and then pressing a hand to her forehead. "Obake—did he—"
"He—he got away," I whisper. "San Fransokyo was—was destroyed. I'm sorry, Meg. But we're at my house now, and we're safe."
"Where's Dad?" Megan asks, her eyes darting around the room. "Is he…is he okay?"
"Baymax is out looking for him now," I assure her. "He scanned for your dad earlier—don't worry, he's alive. Baymax said he was moving around by the police station, so he's probably okay."
"That's good," she murmurs, her voice strengthening. "What about you, Hiro? Did you get hurt?"
"Not bad," I tell her. "The worst of it is a couple of bruised ribs—and I've had those before, so I'm okay. The others are pretty beat up, too, but it's nothing Baymax and Tadashi can't fix."
Megan sits up, raking her gaze over me and then the room. "Is this Tadashi's bed?"
"Yeah," I confirm, giving her a half-smile. "Don't worry, he always keeps it clean. Everything's gotta be sterile when you're a doctor."
My eyelids start to get heavy, and I realize I'm on the verge of falling asleep. I wonder why—although I guess it's kind of a no-brainer. Just today, I've been tranquilized, kidnapped, Tasered, fighting, thrown, and knocked unconscious. Who wouldn't be tired after all that?
"Go to bed, Hiro," Megan advises. "You're dead on your feet."
"But I wanna help," I mumble. "I—"
"Go to bed. Seriously."
I sigh and traipse back over to my bed, collapsing onto the covers. This is really nice…
Sleep takes me quickly, and I can almost forget everything that's happened today. How the world as I know it was destroyed.
But deep down, I know it happened. And it's not gonna get any better unless I do something about it.
For now, though, all I can do is sleep.
