#35 Unexpected

It was another mundane day in the San Fransokyo prison for Yokai, better known as Robert Callaghan, who sat in his jail cell reading classic literature; one of the very few amenities he was allowed to possess. The weight of immense guilt in his heart and mind never left him despite these many months of imprisonment, and admittedly, he refused to let himself feel much else. He knew this was the price he'd have to pay for taking the life of one of his most gifted students, Tadashi Hamada, which ate at his conscience almost infinitely more than the attempt he made to kill Alistair Krei.

Callaghan let out a long, tired sigh as he waited for lunch to be served, occasionally looking up from his book to check out the time or gaze at the picture of his daughter Abigail; this was another item he was fortunately allowed to keep with him.

He eventually closed his book and rubbed his fatigued eyes as he got up from his chair in favor of laying down on the bed and staring at the cell's ceiling. Perhaps I can ask for a few new books, maybe even some that pertain to more scientific subjects, the former professor wondered. I'm fairly certain I've already read "The Odyssey" three times now. The relative quiet of his prison chamber mixed with the low hum the lights gave off had the robotist start to doze off until a static crackle from the intercom made him snap back awake.

"Callaghan. You've got a visitor," came the gruff voice of a security guard as he informed the other man before clicking back off.

"Huh?" the middle-age man said as he rapidly sat up, unsure if he had actually heard correctly. Do the police need me again? I thought Big Hero 6 was in the clear and anything else criminal-related I'm useless to them, Callaghan started to work out in his head. His eyes went wide as he thought, Could…could Hiro be back? It would be nice to hear how he's fairing, but he only ever came here for information too. The imprisoned man lowered his head in shame and guilt at that possibility since it meant somehow, something else that was connected to his past was causing problems.

The former professor wasn't able to dwell in his uncertainty much longer as a hissing sound came from the doors, followed by a whoosh as the metal panels slid open. He swiftly got out of bed and stood at the front of his isolation cell where he got sight of his visitor. Callaghan's breath then instantly stilled in his throat as his eyes went wide once more in recognition. Slowly, the young adult walked into the room, each step filled with conflict between whether to just leave and the determination to see this task through. Her chocolate-brown hair was shorter than he remembered, yet she still kept it up in a ponytail. She wore a blue blouse under a black jacket and white pants, so although she was dressed differently from the last time he saw her, there was no mistaken this woman. Abigail.

He was frozen as a thousand things he had wanted to say were wiped clean from his mind, rendering him basically lifeless as he continued to stare. As she got closer, he could see her face held mixed feelings of anger, sadness and uncertainty, but she still soldiered on nonetheless. His daughter finally stopped 5ft from the containment unit, letting out a long-held breath as she closed her eyes for a moment and looked at her father.

"Dad," she simply uttered, but in a tone that indicated disbelief and confusion at the scenario before her.

Callaghan blinked and shook his head out of his shock as he shakily stammered, "Ab-Abigail." He then let out a small cough as he stated, "It's uh, it's been a long time," to which the other continued to stare in silence. Wishing to fill the uncomfortable void, her father soon added, "I-I thought about calling you…"

The brown-haired pilot looked to the right as she grabbed her own arm and quietly replied, "Yeah…me too."

The older man now avoided his daughter's gaze, scratching the back of his neck as both sides procrastinated to actually say anything meaningful.

Abigail relented first though, sighing at how this state of things couldn't continue and inquired, "So…how are you holding up?"

"It's been…challenging, but I've been treated well all things considered," the robotics expert answered, noting the glint of sadness in Abigail's eyes, wondering how much of the truth she knew.

"May I ask…what all do you know about what I've done?" he apprehensively questioned with worry and guilt clearly written on his face.

She lowered and turned her head away from her father, but he could still see the beginning of tears form as she slowly replied, "They said you caused a lot of destruction and attempted to murder Krei for his part in me disappearing, and umm…" She cut herself off as she took in a deep breath while fiddling with her fingers before she continued. "They umm, said you actually did get someone killed, a Tadashi Hamada."

The young woman then found the strength to look her dad in the eyes as she waited to see if he'd deny it; Abigail was instead shown a guilt-ridden Callaghan, who could only let his head sink as he hollowly told her, "It's true I'm afraid."

Shaking her own head for a moment as she closed her eyes in sorrow, Abigail stared back at him again as the floodgates opened on everything she'd been holding in before she came here. With a voice filled with heartbreak and anger, she asked, "Why dad? That's what I've been wanting to know most. Why? This goes against everything you've taught me and what you've instilled in your students. You've done so much good for the world and there's so much you could have done, but now it's all been thrown away."

The tears were streaming down her cheeks now as her father silently waited for the other to finish. She took another breath in as she informed him, "When I woke up in that hospital bed, I was so disoriented by the fact I was gone for so many months, I considered it almost a blessing that I couldn't remember anything while I was in the void, but to hear all the things you did shook me so much worse." The young woman then gave a short, incredulous laugh and said, "I actually wondered if I was somehow in an alternate dimension or maybe stuck in a coma," to which her dad smiled sadly for a second at her sentence.

Abigail got serious again as she confessed, "It took me so long to find the strength to come here and to come to terms that you're a criminal now. I also had to work through not blaming myself for what happened because believe it or not, I held some of that guilt for months, but my therapist helped me shed that weight over time since he was right, it's not my fault you made your choices while I was gone."

Her father's expression changed to one of concern as he obviously hadn't heard of this, and even attempted to interject only to be cut off by his daughter sighing loudly as she put a hand to her head. "And yet…through all the anger, guilt and disappointment I've had to deal with because of you…I still missed you so much." Hearing that, Callaghan somehow managed to look visibly surprised, relieved, loving towards his child, and being undeserving of her love in the span of a few seconds.

"It's just…so complicated dad. I love you, but I'm also horrified and disappointed, and all I wish is that I could have had you there to give me a hug when I woke up. But I didn't come here to fight dad, I just need to tell you what I've been feeling, but I feel bad that I know I'm guilt tripping with all this and not necessarily resolving anything. I don't know," Abigail openly told him as her voice started to crack, somehow keeping herself from sobbing completely.

Her dad could sadly only watch as he tried to think of what he could possibly do, absolutely heartbroken as the sight she was in and wanting nothing more than to embrace her and take away her pain. The former professor let out a long sigh as his vision began to become blurry from tears, followed by placing a hand on the protective glass and getting his daughter to look at him again. "I'm so sorry Abigail. I'm so sorry," he started as he stared at the young woman. He let out another sigh before he continued to lament with, "When I lost you, I felt I lost my whole world. My wonderful, smart, brave daughter was gone and in the worst way I could possibly imagine." He then lowered his gaze to tell her, "So, in the aftermath of believing you were dead, I was left to wallow in my grief and even with my teaching to keep me going, I always carried that hole in my heart, and it couldn't be filled by all the bright, young students I helped. So, when I saw an opportunity to get my revenge on Krei and make him suffer as I did…it was just too much for me to resist."

Callaghan took in another breath as the tears threatened to fall, followed by promptly continuing what he needed to say. "So yes, I stole, attacked, terrified countless people, destroyed many things, and attempted to kill Krei and others; perhaps the worse of it all though is that at the time I meant every single one of those actions." The former professor now let his cheeks become wet with his guilt and lamented further with, "I know I can't make up for all the horrible things I've done, least of all to Tadashi and his family, who I'm most ashamed to have hurt. I have no excuses for the pain I've caused and I will spend the rest of my life regretting everything that landed me here; but seeing you again and knowing that you're alive, I can't help but feel that not everything that's come from my intentions has ended badly."

The older man let out a deep sigh as he let his hand rest at his side and added, "I don't blame you if you never want to see me again and I understand I've let you down in the worst way possible. I've missed you terribly Abigail, but rest assured, I won't beg for you to give me anything, whether it's time or forgiveness."

His daughter remained silent as she processed all her father's words, still crying after all this time. Abigail now gulped as she found herself unable to keep her gaze on the man who raised her as she internally waffled.

Sensing uncertainty in his child, Robert furrowed his brow in concern and gently added, "You don't have to decide today pumpkin, and don't feel guilty about the choice if it's for your own wellbeing." He then smiled warmly while sadness was evident in his eyes as he inquired, "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about in case we don't see each other again? I don't know really all that's happened to you, but I do hope you've managed to find a place where your talents are appreciated."

Abigail gave a sniffle and admittedly felt a small tug of nostalgia at her father calling her "Pumpkin," calling back to all the times she'd scrap her knee or get a cut, he'd be there to patch her up and say, "All better now pumpkin." She unexpectantly cried out a few more tears at those sweet memories, leading her to wipe them away before she managed to calm herself a little. "Well, since you brought it up, after I was discharged medically and psychologically, I actually got a job as a pilot again; I'm contracted through the government though rather than a purely private institution. I've even been getting to assist the engineering team."

The former teacher nodded in acknowledgement, both scared like any parent would be and proud that his daughter wasn't hindered too badly by her previous experience. "Are you enjoying flying again?" he politely asked.

The brown-haired woman wiped her cheek again and firmly replied, "Yeah, I think I am. It did take some work to overcome that initial fear of a repeat incident, but I eventually got through to myself that I love flying, I love the speed and I know I'm capable."

"I know you are too," Robert couldn't help but add with a small smile, which wrenched at Abigail's heart some more.

His daughter then gave a little cough and volunteered some more information. "So, yeah, with my job I live out in Houstiero. It's a little far away I know, but the group I work with has a lot of nice people; they've even invited me out a few times to play laser tag or come over to watch a game."

The imprisoned man let out a short chuckle and quipped, "I thought you'd always be a hardcore Ninjas fan."

Abigail smirked at his comment and told him, "Their team haven't won me over yet, but it's nice to have company and share a laugh with someone."

Robert raised his eyebrows in interest as he hesitantly inquired, "They sound like good people…so, anyone there tried to ask you out yet?"

The young pilot was thrown through the loop on that question as she blushed slightly and was grateful she wasn't a teenager being asked this. "Well…no, not yet, and I'm not sure I'm ready for them if they do, so for now I'm fine with platonic," she honestly answered, still surprised the conversation got steered this direction.

Her father quickly avoided her gaze upon seeing her reaction and apologized with, "Oh, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn't need to ask that."

"It's okay dad. It's just one of those topics that's hard to not make awkward at any age," Abigail genuinely consoled him, admittedly glad that at least one thing stayed the same between them. She let out a long sigh, causing her father's attention to return to her. The brown-haired woman shoulder's slumped as she briefly avoided looking at Robert, trying to come up with the right words as her internal conflict still raged. Tried as she might, she still hadn't made her decision to visit him again because both sides had emotional and logical arguments to them, meaning she'd need even more time to sort through everything (which she had expected, but wished it wasn't the case); at least her dad had said he understood if she chose to stay away though, making there be a touch less weight on her conscience.

Abigail proceeded to take in a deep breath as she clenched her fist in determination and stared back into the sad, tired face of her father. "Dad, it took a lot of effort to come here today and confront you, but you're right, I don't have to make my choice right now and I don't think I even can." Robert perked up ever so slightly at those words of maybes, feeling a small spark of hope for the first time in practically forever.

"The point is though, I need a little while longer to think about it; when I do dad, I'll be sure to let you know. It was at least good to get this one done, even if it was going to obviously be emotional. I'm sorry if this was a lot for you too," she told the other as tears stung her eyes again.

The imprisoned man smiled sadly and shook his head, "Don't apologize Abigail. I have to face what I've done every day, so if it helps you in your own recovery, I'm more than happy to go through this. Getting to see you certainly beats isolation." He then mustered up as sincere of a look as he could and wholeheartedly added, "In case I don't get to see you again, just know I love you Abigail and I'll accept whatever decision you make. Just please be safe out there."

The young woman nodded slowly and quietly replied, "Okay dad. I will." After a few seconds of delay, she then turned to leave, only making it a couple feet away before she stopped in feeling regret at leaving something unsaid. She drew in a concentrated breath, unsure if it was really appropriate or true to say given her conflicted feelings but finally uttered, "I love you too," followed by heading to the exit. As the door open and closed, the pilot stole one last look inside, seeing her father offer a small smile to wish her luck.

When Abigail was truly gone, Robert's expression fell once more as he returned to his solitude and his meager possessions. He went back to his position on the bed and laid down, knowing there was no way he could rest now but still feeling drained from everything that happened. The imprisoned man could now only let out a deep breath as he was left with his thoughts. I'm so sorry Abigail. I'm so sorry. Please be okay.

NOTES

Hopefully you feel I did a good job with Abigail and Robert's conversation, both with the subject matter as well as the fact that we know hardly anything about the former, so I tried to do her justice.

I have another Meganiper story planned, so that'll likely be posted next time in favor of another "Cutscenes," so sorry you'll have to wait but I hope you enjoy the other one. :)

The next story will have us visiting Supersonic Sue while she's in retirement…but not for long. ;)