Chapter 16 (Hiro's POV)

It didn't matter how many times I'd met Karmi's parents before, they still scared me each time…

Each and every time.

I usually made the same mistake, namely rambling like an idiot. This time I told myself I'd just keep my mouth shut and play it cool. But…they weren't making it easy. Her parents weren't exactly the chatty type, and Karmi wasn't giving me much backup. Nope, instead all three of them were silent more than half the time. I figured she was a little nervous, but it wasn't like Karmi to be so quiet.

Which left me to try and make conversation. But the more I tried to make small talk the more they all just… nodded silently.

Honestly, it was enough to drive me insane. But if Karmi's father was anything like his daughter I knew there was at least one way to get him talking. Make it about work. So I asked him a technical question and let him go. And off he went…

Now I was the one nodding silently, which was perfectly fine with me. With her dad distracted by his tirade about what was wrong with the standard academic approach, I could steal a glance at Karmi. Her face looked almost…empty. Was she still feeling sick? I knew something was wrong, but I doubted I'd have much time to ask her about it before tomorrow morning.

I glanced at my watch. It was already 8:00, so if we could wrap this up soon, I might still be able to meet the guys in Good Luck Alley, before 10:00. But I didn't want to look impatient, so I kept nodding along with the conversation.

"So ultimately," her dad went on from our table in a much too fancy for my taste restaurant. "It depends on your level of dedication to a given scientific method. At any rate, I found your thesis unorthodox."

"M-Mine?" I stammered. What thesis?!

"Yes, your lecture on the nature of innovation and how our past experiences can either help or hinder our motivations."

"Oh…that one. Y-You thought it was…unorthodox?"

He was silent for a moment, just staring at me with those serious eyes before the slightest hint of a smirk appeared on his lips. "I like unorthodox. I also like that you're obviously afraid of me."

Wow…

"Dad…" Karmi grumbled.

But he only smirked wider. "If he's afraid of me it means he'll take good care of you."

Karmi rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed and embarrassed. "Just ignore him, Hiro…"

"Don't antagonize him, dear," her mother calmly corrected, before sipping her tea.

Her dad smiled again, even as his eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. "I'm not, I'm just making sure we understand each other."

Needless to say, it was a long night…

It was close to 9:30 when we finally made it back home. Heaving a sigh, I finally said the obvious. "I think your dad hates me."

Karmi took a seat at the kitchen counter before shaking her head. "No, he actually likes you. Trust me, you'd know it if he hated you."

"How comforting…" I mumbled. "Anyway, I've gotta go, I can still meet the guys if I hurry."

"Right…" she mumbled in the same deflated way she'd done everything tonight.

I didn't have time to talk, but something still stopped me in my tracks. "Are you alright, Karm?"

She didn't say anything at first, just mustered a brave smile. "Yeah. Now get going, Hero Boy."

I opened my mouth to say something but shut it just as soon. Instead, I just got ready to leave. But ten minutes later when Baymax and I were flying over the city, I still couldn't get her off my mind. Something was up, I just didn't know what.

"Was Karmi weird all day?" I finally asked him out of the blue.

"What is your definition of, weird, Hiro?"

"I don't know, just not herself…"

Usually, Baymax was eager to talk, but even he seemed a little quieter than normal. "Perhaps you should talk to her about it."

"Well, I kinda tried, but…"

Whatever I wanted to say got cut short because we were coming up to Good Luck Alley. From one of the rooftops, I could already see the guys waiting for me. So I tried to put everything else out of my mind. We had a job to do, and I figured it would be a dangerous one at that… Because as soon as we landed we saw Momakase step from the shadows.

"So Hamada," she began slowly. "I take it you were less than satisfied with the convenient story Watashi told you about her dealing with the criminal underworld?"

"We don't know who to trust," I explained honestly. "So we thought it was safer to explore every option ourselves."

"Wise. Because as a matter of honor, I can assure you, I did not simply mistake some common thug for Makoto Watashi. She was here, I plan on proving that tonight."

I knew Momakase's sense of honor was what set her apart from other former villains. It didn't seem entirely smart to trust her, but somehow I…did. We had already been through so much together. Still, I had trusted Callaghan too, so I wasn't sure what to believe. All I really wanted to do was see for myself one way or the other.

"So what's the plan?" Gogo asked as she looked between us.

"The Hydra," Momakase began. "Is more than just a bar it's steeped in rumor. Talk and whispers persist of it being a hub for much criminal activity. Hidden passages and equally hidden agendas…"

"You had me at hidden passages," Fred admitted honestly.

"Ironically that's where you lost me…" Wasabi mumbled.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Honey Lemon asked as she glanced at Momakase dubiously.

"Proof that Callaghan and Watashi were together, and if luck is really on our side, perhaps you'll also learn something of what they plan to do together. But," she added in a sharp warning. "The Hydra is like a teeming hornet's nest, I'd advise we approach with a degree of caution."

"Stealth it is then," I agreed. "I'd rather we just get in and out without attracting unwanted attention." I looked around at the team. "Which is why we should probably split up. I don't think it's smark for all 7 of us to try and sneak in at once."

"It might be smart to have someone on the outside in case things go sideways," Gogo agreed. "So who goes where?"

I thought for a second. "Momakase and I will go, how about one more person joins us?"

"I'll go," Honey Lemon volunteered before anyone else could say anything. I got the feeling she still didn't trust Momakase.

"Aww, but I wanted to see the secret passageways!" Fred playfully whined.

"Too bad, so sad," Gogo heartlessly replied as she dragged him away.

Turning to Baymax I hesitated. I hated separating us, but I thought it couldn't be helped. "It might be close quarters in there, you're better off out here, buddy."

He nodded. "Then I will wait."

I'd turned to leave but he spoke up again.

"Hiro…"

"Yeah, bud?" I turned to ask.

He hesitated. "Hiro please be…careful."

My face softened into a smile. "You know it."

If I'd had time, I would have noticed that Baymax seemed like he had something he wanted to say to me. In a way, I thought it reminded me a lot of how Karmi was acting too. But as it was, I didn't have time… Didn't have time to be Hiro Hamada.

Still, if meant keeping the city safe, I know it was worth it.

So promising myself we'd all talk tomorrow, I followed Momakase off the roof and down into neon-tinted streets below.

We made our approach from the rear of the building, hoping to draw less attention that way. Still, we could hear the sound of music and rowdy drinkers the closer we came. On the surface, it seemed as predictable as any bar in Good Luck Alley's district, but what was below the surface? Were all those rumors true?

Around the back of the building was a garbage chute that ran from inside to a dumpster in the alleyway. The smell alone should have been enough deterrent to stop anyone from sneaking in that way, but Momakase didn't even flinch. Her face was as locked and somber as steel, which was more than I could say for Honey Lemon. The look on her face said she was more than revolted, but she didn't complain.

After a long dark climb, the three of us spilled out into a dimly lit kitchen. But no sooner than we'd caught our breath we heard the sound of footsteps. Without hesitating we ducked into a small food supply room until whoever it was could leave again. Afterward, we escaped into a hallway and started to search through back rooms. Most of them were open and seemed a little more nefarious than a nasty broom closet. All but one anyway. It was locked.

Without hesitating, Momakase pulled a dagger from its sheath and silently diced the knob. With little more than a creak, the door pushed open to reveal a room lit by a few computer screens.

"This could be useful…" I whispered as I approached one of them.

But Momakase seemed less than convinced. "Be careful, Hiro, one wrong keystroke and an alarm could sound."

I nodded. "I know, but this isn't my first hack job."

She eyed the room suspiciously. "I'd just rather it not become your last."

"What are these symbols…?" Honey Lemon finally broke the silence to say. Turning to see what she was talking about we noticed a series of odd-looking glyphs etched neatly into the wall. But the question only lingered for a second before Honey Lemon seemed to understand them. "I think this is Greek."

"Greek?" I asked, knowing language wasn't my forte.

"The Hydra was a monster of ancient Greek mythology," Momakase explained. "Perhaps it's fitting, but what does it say?"

"Let's find out," Honey Lemon whispered as she opted for a very unsuperhero solution. She just decided to look it up on her phone… But I couldn't argue with the results.

"Hydra of Lerna," she finally translated. "According to the myth, the lake of Lerna was believed to be the lair of the beast. It was also thought to be the entrance to the underworld."

Underworld…? As in… "Secret passages…" I mumbled as I started typing on the computer. In place of the password, I used the word Lerna. I knew it was a risky stretch but…

The far wall suddenly shook before opening to reveal what Fred would have called classic. A secret stairway down to, in this case, the "underworld."

Momakase glanced at Honey and me before nodding. "I suppose I'm impressed."

"Let's go," I said leading the way carefully down.

What we found was much more than a single passageway, no instead it was more like a labyrinth of at least ten different rooms. Most of them were empty, save for a few toward the end of the hallway. A single dim light bulb swung over our heads as we meticulously peered into each room. No one seemed to be around, so we split up and started to search through the rooms. I thought even the empty ones could have held clues. But after more than a half hour we'd come up with very little. And certainly nothing that pointed toward Watashi or Callaghan. Still, I went back over a few of the rooms just in case. After all, we'd come too far to just meet another dead in.

A lot of the rooms were empty, but one of them stuck out to me. It was empty, yes, but it was also messy. From the scuffs on the floor to the bits of shredded paper strewn around. It was a long shot, but I tried to follow my gut.

"What are you thinking, Hamada?" Momakase asked when she noticed my fixation.

"That whoever worked from this room left in a hurry…"

She glanced around. "Perhaps. But what would that prove?"

"Maybe nothing, but if Watashi did meet with Callaghan here, then she'd want to get out quickly."

"After we met with her and Krei about the nanobots, you mean?" Honey Lemon asked, following.

"Well, if she really was up to something, she probably wouldn't want to stick around after being accused of being seen here. That would just make sense."

"True," Momakase agreed. "But if so, who would be foolish enough to leave clues behind?"

"You know what they say," I whispered as I turned my attention to the computer built into the far wall. "Haste makes waste."

As expected, the computer had been wiped clean. But that didn't mean it was useless to us. "Most people don't realize data can still be extracted from a sort of temporary buffer state even after a basic wipe. You just have to know how to find the good stuff…"

And good stuff there was…

At least a dozen documents. Pulling out a data stick I quickly funneled them over before they vanished completely.

I knew it wasn't wise to wait around and risk getting caught, but I couldn't stop myself from at least skimming through the info. At first, nothing seemed all that relevant, but then, out of nowhere, I hit the jackpot.

I frowned as all those old emotions rushed to fill my chest. "Silent Sparrow…" I whispered finally. It was a copy of an old classified document detailing the early days of the project. But more than that… I scanned through a few more documents. There were more recent news articles and even copies of social media posts related to…Abigail, Callaghan's daughter.

"Callaghan was here…" I said weakly.

"Really, then what about Makoto Watashi?" Honey Lemon pressed.

But I didn't have any more answers. From what I'd seen nothing pointed directly to Watashi. But still…Momakase had given us her word she'd seen them all together.

I glanced up at her.

It might have been foolish, but I wanted to believe her. Maybe I was just desperate for someone to prove that they could change, that they could be trusted…?

I felt my fists clench.

Callaghan…

Why…why were you doing this…?