Check 12 - The choices we make can have lasting consequences

It felt like an electrical current had come out of nowhere, only to run wild through the connection Hiro had with his aunt through their joined hands. He'd felt her tension the moment Daisuke began to pass her. He could smell the smoke, and it was thick and acrid, much like the inky blackness he'd been trapped in earlier.

Half expecting to be thrown back into that endless abyss, Hiro felt a jolt of shock as, instead, he found himself standing outside the Lucky Cat Café. It threatened to take his breath away.

The light was a bit murky, like it belonged in an old monster film, but there was no mistaking the location. There was a trolley car slowly moving down the street in front of the corner building. Various cars were in the process of passing the trolley on their way to wherever, but all in slow motion, like they were moving through really thick molasses.

Looking around, Hiro didn't recognize many people there. What he thought was odd was the various poses of people as they stood around, some in almost panic. They were either in the process of running or cringing away from something. Attention now focusing on the side of the building, Hiro could understand why.

A vehicle careened down the road in sort of a leisurely fashion, heading their way. The almost comically elongated squeal of tires on asphalt filled the air and Hiro couldn't help but notice the driver didn't seem to be conscious, the wheel turning of its own volition.

"No!"

He turned at the cry, recognizing the voice, even though it was stretched out and thin.

"Look out!"

Was that Aunt Cass? A much younger looking Aunt Cass, his mind noted. What in the world was going on? She was standing, her hands pushed out of as if to ward of something, eyes wide, almost tilting forward with suspended motion. Maybe she intended to push something instead.

A loud crash jarred the image, making it fluctuate like someone had pinged the top of some gelatinous surface. When everything settled, people were screaming, still in slow motion, just not as elongated as before.

One of several cars that had been parked on the side street next to the café had been hit, the front end having swung around to sit on the sidewalk. On the right side of the vehicle, the car he'd noticed careening down the street now fit snug up against the side, only facing the opposite direction. Well, not entirely snug, he noticed. There was a bit of a bulge near the back passenger area of the first car.

"Haruto! Nozomi!"

Something thick threatened to worm its way up his throat, something that burned like the fire he'd almost died in not that long ago. He put his head between his knees and dry heaved.

"Tadashi! No!"

Hearing his aunt say that, Hiro's head whipped up so fast he was dizzy. The world spun and the smoke from both vehicles swarmed around him like a whirlwind trapped in a bottle. He felt himself being swept away by it, but it moved so fast he didn't have time to scream.

…

Katou stood in what could only be called absolute shock as both Hamadas seemed to react in tandem. Clasps hands between them white, their bodies tensed as if experiencing the exact same thing, except there were no visible threats he could see.

At hearing Hiro's initial exclamation, he couldn't help but turn back, already halfway across the floor on his way to dinner. But, seeing the teen shoot up like someone had zapped him, only to collapse like some, limp, dead thing, had frozen him in place. The others seemed to have reacted in a similar manner, just from varying distances.

The robotic marshmallow had turned and was staring at the two on the sofa, almost as if drilling holes in them with its dark eyes. For all the detective knew, the thing was. It seemed as if the motion of everyone in the room had become suspended at an outcry of what could only be pain that had come from Cass. Katou felt certain the expression on his face mirrored those he saw on both Daisuke and Suzue's. Why wasn't anyone saying anything?

"Someone call an ambulance!" Katou demanded, every fiber of his being vibrating with adrenaline. How did one fight a threat they had no idea what was? What he could see, however, was that something was physically affecting the two foreigners. Was it a shared trauma? Symptoms from more recent events?

Daisuke seemed intent on the fact that Baymax remained silent and immobile. He wished he could hear what was going on in Kambe's head but couldn't. The man had flung out an arm as if to dismiss the idea that there might be something seriously wrong. He could understand not wanting to call emergency responders for a third time, but this truly was some kind of emergency. Couldn't Daisuke see that?

"Wait."

That command seemed to make even Suzue look up in alarm, as if Daisuke had lost all sense of reason. "But Master Daisuke!"

And then he saw it, or at least he thought he saw it, the small detail that seemed to hold Daisuke back from confirming the need for emergency intervention. Katou jumped back like a startled cat, arms flung out as if to ward off a demon. Hiro's eyes were glowing. "What the?!"

"Calm yourself," Daisuke admonished, though he seemed just as surprised, despite the lack of physical motion. Leave it to him to be the unfazed one, but he couldn't fool Katou. He could see it in his eyes. Well, he could until the man pulled out his glasses and put them on.

"There is no need for alarm," Baymax spoke, apparently finally realizing there were other people in the room. The robot swiveled its head to look around at Katou, perhaps sensing his heightened state. "The effects of this phenomenon should end shortly."

There was no telling how long it lasted. It was almost like watching a runaway train. You can't look away out of fear of missing something important. That or you're just too shocked to even contemplate looking away. The idea has become so foreign your brain can't even compute it.

And then it was apparently all over as both party's bodies relaxed, sinking back against the sofa, their hands going limp, eyes both closed. Their breathing was also no longer in tandem. In fact, at least for Cass's part, it reminded him much of when he'd helped Daisuke bring her into the room in the first place. Her eyes hadn't changed color, as far as he could tell, having remained closed. But that didn't mean anything.

Katou noticed Daisuke had taken an almost clinical stance, as if he were studying the situation with a keen researcher's eye. And perhaps he was, both as an investigator and something else. The detective was still unraveling the mystery that was Daisuke Kambe so it could really mean anything.

"Um…" Suzue's voice expressed what Katou felt. "Should we do something?"

The robot shifted, focusing briefly on both Hamadas before straightening. "The episode is over," he announced.

How in the world were the Kambes taking this so calmly? Well, technically Suzue showed more emotion about the whole thing than Daisuke did, but that wasn't saying much. She was probably taking a leaf out of her older cousin's book, following his lead.

As for Katou, he felt like he was somehow flying apart. Whatever had just happened so wrong on such a level, he couldn't even fathom why Daisuke had ordered them not to call for help. What did he know that negated the need? Or was he playing one of those stupid little mind games? Well, if that were the case, it wasn't funny. He pulled out his cell phone, ready to dial for an ambulance.

"That's not the first time I've seen something like this," Daisuke spoke up, causing Katou to look over, finger hovering over the keypad. "I've seen Hiro's eyes glow before." He turned to look at Baymax. "Care to provide any insight?"

Baymax seemed to contemplate that request, head tilted to one side. Whatever thought processes were going on in its internal computer, they seemed to be weighty as it didn't answer for several long seconds. "Hiro has experienced many similar instances. Unfortunately, I do not have an adequate explanation that you can understand at this time."

What on earth did that mean? Katou wracked his brains, trying to understand any of this. In an almost rush of exhaustion, he made his way to Daisuke's vacated chair and fell into, thoughts of food completely forgotten. "This doesn't make any sense. What in the hell just happened?"

"HEUSC, can you provide any insights?" Daisuke asked into his link with the AI. Whatever he said made both Kambes' eyes widen.

"Care to share with the rest of us?" Katou asked, now sounding sarcastic. It wasn't his fault he didn't currently have an ear bud, or that HEUSC wasn't broadcasting over one of the speakers probably in the room.

At that moment, Hiro woke, blinking rapidly a few times. The hints of color that had remained from whatever it was that had happened were erased, like a child shaking one of those magnetic drawing boards with the metal shaving inside. He seemed to have trouble focusing, and, after such an odd display, Katou couldn't say he blamed him.

Pain had to have flared up because Hiro winced, throwing one arm up to cover his eyes. He let out an understandable groan before lowering his arm and looking down at the hand still in contact with his aunt's hand. He shook out the appendage as if it had lost circulation. "Somehow that was not as fun as I'd imagined," he stated, sounding more than a little worn out. His eyes closed again as he apparently focused on breathing. That or he'd passed out again. Either was possible.

Before anyone could comment on that, Cass also woke, only less obviously. Her coming back to consciousness was more like someone waking from actual sleep. She slowly sat up, a confused expression on her face. She felt at the back of her head. "Well, that's unexpected."

Katou was too tired to even ask anymore, but, from what he observed, Cass was no longer in any pain, which he had no idea how was possible. Especially since Hiro looked more the worse for wear this time around.

"I thought I heard someone mention food," Cass continued, carefully maneuvering to not jostle Hiro as she stood.

Daisuke stepped to one side so she had plenty of room. "Should you be standing?"

Well, at least Daisuke had regained some of his senses, Katou thought as he noticed the man glance over at Hiro for a few more seconds before taking off his glasses and putting them in his pocket.

"Baymax, please stay with Hiro while we dine," Daisuke requested when Cass answered that she was fine. "I'll have a plate put aside for him for later."

Katou did get to his feet in surprise at that. "What? Are you joking? The kid looks like death warmed over!"

A slight rustle of fabric sounded as Hiro partially lifted one hand. "It's fine. I just need a few minutes. And maybe some gummy bears."

"Hiro's blood sugar levels are low," Baymax added helpfully. "A quick source of energy is required to return to normal functions."

What was he, a car? Katou thought. Whatever. This was all over his head and he decided it was best to leave it for now. He was tired, especially after everything that had happened that day. Was it really only that morning that he'd been shot halfway across the world in an experimental capsule? Reason said yes, everything else said no.

Daisuke began to herd them all out of the room. "I'll see what I can do," he said, indicating everyone else should leave ahead of him.

In a bit of a huff, Katou followed Suzue out of the room. The last thing he thought he heard was the robot offering Hiro a lollipop.

…..

Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair. After the day's events, and the more recent ones specifically, Daisuke couldn't say he was surprised. Everyone was tired, except maybe for Cass. He felt certain she had a lot more energy after the fact than was perhaps standard. Especially after all she'd been through. He had no way to account for it but decided, in the end, it probably didn't matter.

He'd gone back to the small sitting area off the dining room to check in on Hiro after he'd finished eating, but found both the teen and his robot had retired for the night. One of the staff had seen Baymax carry Hiro towards the stairs, and, presumably, to his room. How the robot could manage the door while carrying someone was beyond him, but a quick word with HEUSC confirmed he'd made it safely to his quarters. He doubted the teen would again leave until morning.

Now lying on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling, Daisuke found his mind too busy for sleep, despite the urging of his eyelids and body at large. Even a shower hadn't helped. He could lay there like a dead thing most of the night and not get a wink of sleep unless he somehow processed everything that had gone on that day. So he decided to do just that.

There were several things that seemed to be certain, beyond any shadow of doubt he could shed. The first was that there was some entity that seemed to have it out for either himself or one or the other of the Hamadas, or both. Hell, for all he knew, they might be after Katou and Suzue too, though that seemed less likely. Two, whoever this entity was, they had a lot more reach than Daisuke liked. And three, there was definitely something going on with Hiro and his aunt, something unnatural, and that bothered him more than he cared to let on.

After making sure Hiro had safely made it to bed, he had also taken the time to quickly look over some of the data he'd recorded during the event of whatever it was that had happened between the two Hamadas. To say nothing had happened would be to outright lie. Katou was right about that, and Daisuke couldn't exactly blame him for wanting someone to call an ambulance. For all they knew, it was indeed some kind of trauma response, though he doubted it.

What he found interesting was the data HEUSC had recorded. Thanks to his glasses, the AI had given him a sense of both Hamadas' heart rates in real time, but looking back confirmed what he thought he'd seen. While Cass's heart rate had indeed increased at a rate most would call potentially alarming after the initial outburst, Hiro's hadn't. It was elevated, to be sure, but nowhere near anywhere that might cause concern if one monitored that alone.

Then there was the fact that Baymax hadn't at all seemed fazed by this, telling them there was no real cause for concern. He'd wanted to hear it from the robotic companion before doing anything, despite Katou's conflicting desires. And so, after hearing the robot wasn't worried, he'd thought it best to take that opportunity to observe and wait.

A broad spectrum analysis of the room at the time, thanks to video surveillance, showed there was some kind of strange energy field around the two, more so around Hiro than Cass. He wasn't sure what that was about, but he'd find a way to understand it. Chances were good it had something to do with Hiro's glowing eyes, another phenomenon he wanted to get to the bottom of. There was no way that was normal, in any sense of the word. And the only ways he had to explain it delved into realms he wasn't sure he was quite ready to acknowledge.

Further digging into that period shortly after Hiro and company had returned to San Fransokyo after a month of whatever in New York indicated any doctors the teen had seen were carefully selected and perhaps bribed to keep certain information essentially classified. There was confidential, yes, but not even HEUSC had been able to uncover the why behind the above normal security associated with his apparently continued care.

Whatever had happened in New York had left the teen in need of some serious rehabilitation, something that wasn't necessarily recorded. At least not anything HEUSC could get access to, which was unusual. Medical records aside, there were no action reports anywhere that accounted for the injuries reported.

He had been able to dig up that the teen had somehow been involved in something with the Avengers, which might explain some things. Those people were… dubious to say the least. Stark was an entity he knew from a potential competitor aspect, though he might need to dig more into the man now that he knew about his connection to Hiro. Didn't the Avenger have his own AI butler? And if so, was it worth it to see if HEUSC could somehow coerce it into divulging something about those events that remained so buried he wasn't sure if even archeologists would ever find it without a more specific idea of where to look?

Daisuke let out a heavy sigh, fists clenching his bedding. This was getting him nowhere and fast. What could he confirm? Or at least deduce from recent events? Calming his mind, the master of the house, focused on that day's events alone.

Hiro had somehow managed to leave the mansion without detection. He could possibly answer that puzzle with the information used to find him. Somehow the teen had managed to create a field of interference that tricked the cameras into thinking he didn't exist. It was essentially a type of cloaking technology, he supposed. Whatever had caused it seemed to have stopped working once the teen had been thrown back by the explosion. Perhaps the shock had shorted out whatever system he'd used. All the same, Daisuke wouldn't mind know how he'd done it.

The incident with Cass was likely caused by some past trauma. Emotionally heightened times made people more sensitive to such triggers, and so that could explain her initial collapse in the dining room. Despite having bumped her head, with no real reported concussion, it made sense. He'd researched trauma before and knew that flashbacks could be disorienting. Then, of course, there was her confused notion of Hiro being stuck in a car, after she'd named off two people: her brother and his deceased wife.

Daisuke rolled over and fumbled for his glasses, putting them on as he sat at the edge of the bed, feet touching the floor. "HEUSC, pull up the most recent reports involving Haruto and Nozomi Hamada."

"Right away, sir."

Several files appeared on the glass, expanding as Daisuke manipulated the virtual screen. They appeared to be news clippings, one an obituary, and the other a small snippet about an accident. "Pull up the police report regarding the car crash," Daisuke instructed.

The report floated before his eyes as HEUSC provided the requested information. He scrolled through. If he was reading this correctly, it had been caused by a drunk driver, who was declared dead at the scene after someone had pulled him out of the car. There was no mention of a name associated with the person who had pulled the culprit free, just the notation that another witness had seen it happen. The car had, apparently, been stolen earlier that morning.

Continuing to scroll through the report, Daisuke noted that both of Hiro's parents were declared dead on the scene as well, having experienced trauma in a manner most excruciating and unpleasant. Medical reports did indicate that death was relatively quick, which he was thankful for, for their sakes. Such injuries would have been more than any normal person could handle.

There was one section mentioning that Hiro had been in the vehicle at the time of the incident, strapped into a car seat in the rear of the vehicle. His older brother, Tadashi, six at the time, had managed to safely remove him before the engine had exploded. The then toddler had been treated at the hospital for various injuries associated with the crash, including smoke inhalation and whiplash. Tadashi had apparently sustained a nasty cut while trying to free his younger sibling from the vehicle.

As the man who'd caused the crash had a blood alcohol reading well above the limit, it was assumed he'd been driving drunk and had passed out moments before the crash. Witnesses reported the vehicle swerving back and forth as it approached before doing some crazy maneuvering that could be accounted by the man somehow turning the wheel as he passed out. Or so they'd presumed. Looking at the photos of the crash, Daisuke wasn't so sure. But there was no way of knowing without something more to go on.

"Shortly after the fact, Cass Hamada adopted both children," Daisuke mused, now scrolling through the adoption paperwork. With no mention of any other relations, he supposed it made sense. He did, however, find it odd that no one had reached out to the Kambes, though it was possible they hadn't wanted to bother going international. That or it was because his own mother had been murdered, and his father presumed dead. Cass had been the closest relation.

Daisuke virtually moved around the information he had, creating a time line. Cass's parents had passed a few years after she'd adopted the Hamada boys, natural causes. Their deaths had given Cass a legacy large enough to pay off the café, making her the sole owner. He wasn't sure how they'd had the money but there it was. Perhaps they'd saved, or it was from the value of a property they'd owned and Cass had sold. He'd have HEUSC look into it.

"Hiro Hamada has left his room," HEUSC reported.

What in the world was that teen thinking? Daisuke resisted the urge to look heavenward. Surely he wasn't planning on trying to sneak out again, not after everything that had happened that day. Deciding it best to get to the bottom of the matter, he decided he'd better look into it personally.