Check 10 - Not all ideas are good ideas

To say this was not the best idea on the planet was probably an understatement, Hiro thought as he donned his dark armor. As he'd promised, he'd woken Aunt Cass, informing her of dinner plans before returning to his room. However, before he could head to the bathroom and freshen up, he'd gone to his knees as his head suddenly felt like it was trying to split open like a melon.

Hands to his ears, Hiro momentarily crumpled to one side in fetal position, his head filled with a high pitch hum that threatened to shatter him from the inside out. Behind his closed eyes, he saw the small family shrine from that morning, except everything was hazy, like it was filled with smoke or some kind of miasma. He wasn't sure which.

With jaw clenched, he willed his mind to calm down, to take in the details. But it was if everything were bucking around inside his skull. The images wouldn't sit still. This was so unlike any of the usual vision, dreams, premonitions, or whatever anyone wanted to call them.

Panting, Hiro forced his way back out of the image. It was no easy feat, as it wanted to pull him in, like an inky well with a deep undertow.

"I have got you."

That voice, the slow, steady cadence, was all it took to give him the lifeline he needed to claw his way back from whatever abyss he'd fallen into. Part of him wished such occurrences would come with an advance warning, like the check engine light in a car or something. It would be helpful.

Warm vinyl pulled him close and he momentarily surrendered himself to the warmth, allowing it to fill his being, dispelling the darkness he'd just felt. He could feel his lungs and heart slowing back to a more typical rate.

Eyes now open, he found himself snuggled in Baymax's embrace, almost sitting in the robot's lap. He hadn't even heard the robot get down on the ground. "I'm all right," he said, anticipating the inevitable question. There was still a feeling of pressure coming from inside his head and he put both hands to either side, pressing everything back together. "Just give me a minute."

Hiro had no idea just how long the whole incident had lasted, though he couldn't help but think it had happened in a short span of time. After another minute, he stood, using Baymax as support. "I think we should check out the grave site," he announced as he moved towards his suitcase.

Baymax got up on his feet, watching the teen with expression-less eyes. "I do not understand. Does this decision have anything to do with the unexplained phenomena you just experienced?"

"Yeah," Hiro replied, wincing a bit. His head was killing him and he debating getting some painkillers but chose not to. Chances were good it would subside in a few more minutes.

The robot watched as he took their gear out of the bottom of the suitcase. Thanks to some design insights provided by JARVIS, the whole bundle was a lot smaller. Granted, this particular set was meant for both stealth and light wear. Unlike the usual gear, it wasn't quite as durable, despite the metal coating Hiro had made sure to add under the dark patina of the outer layer. "Are you sure this is advisable? Daisuke did request that no one leave the mansion."

Hiro released a heavy sigh at the reminder. But, if he followed every order to the letter, he'd never have gotten down to the bottom of the most basic of hero business. He'd never have tracked down Tadashi's killer, or half a million other things. But he also didn't want to get anyone in trouble and so decided to not mention anything to his aunt.

"I gotta see where this leads," he decided. Mentally, he felt his aunt's aura briefly near the door between their rooms, and covered his mouth so as not to draw attention. He let out a sigh of relief when the door didn't open into his room. It would be better to wait until after she'd gone downstairs, he decided, carefully sliding on his gauntlets.

Several long seconds later, he helped Baymax into his armor. It was thinner than the typical stuff, but the teen hoped the metal coating would help make up for any loss of carbon-fiber durability. He'd not exactly had a chance to test it all out and could only hope for the best. If there was anyone in the hallway when they left the room, they were screwed, but he couldn't detect anyone, though there was a faint whiff of another person's residual energy. He thought it matched the one he'd sensed from Katou, somehow not surprised the man was back.

"Come on," he urged his robot as he opened the door, peering out into the corridor, just to be safe.

There were several security cameras craftily hidden throughout the building, though none in the bedrooms, as far as he could tell. All the same, before stepping out into their line of sight, he pressed a few buttons on his left gauntlet. An almost heat-haze shimmer seemed to blanket both him and Baymax as they stepped out of the room.

After having encountered an EMP blast during one of his more recent missions, Hiro had stumbled upon an interesting property of the space metal they know used to help bolster their armor. If he sent a weak electric current through, at a specific frequency, the metal would emit a sort of second skin around the whole that somehow distorted his image enough most security cameras couldn't detect him. It didn't make him invisible to the naked eye, by any means, but it definitely came in handy when trying to avoid technological surveillance.

A tantalizing smell came from the direction of the kitchen as the two passed it, going by the more back route. He and Aunt Cass had discovered this earlier on their way back from their afternoon snack. But there also seemed to be the least amount of people in that direction, making it the easiest way out. He just hoped there weren't any guards at the doors or this would all be for naught. While Aunt Cass knew about his alter ego, he wasn't sure he was ready to let his cousin in on that just yet.

Luck was with him, or some other force, because he was able to make his way to the back of the mansion without issue. Well, technically there had been a moment or two where he and Baymax had had to duck back into an alcove, but those were short-lived and few. Some kind of crashing sound seemed to prompt anyone near the back door towards the cause of the sound and he and his robot managed to slip out none the wiser.

….

Daisuke made his way down to HEUSC's lair, body tense as the elevator doors opened and he approached the console. He quickly typed in a series of commands, pulling up the current security footage. The AI butler had already deployed more drones over the grounds and was searching for the missing teen.

"What is the current location of Hiro Hamada?"

The various screens flashed through images from the various cameras at an alarming rate as HEUSC combed through the live feeds. "I cannot answer that. I do not have enough information," the AI admitted.

Kambe's fists slammed down on the console's edge, prompting a tightening of his eyes. He pulled over the chair Suzue usually used and sat down, fingers now flying over the keys. "Any signs of intruders?"

"I cannot detect any unauthorized individuals on the grounds."

So much for that, Daisuke thought, though it was still possible something had happened in the short amount of time between Suzue last seeing him and Katou looking for him.

Images from inside the mansion showed up on the screen as he called up the footage just prior to Suzue delivering her message to Hiro. Between then and Cass leaving her room about ten minutes later, nothing else happened in the corridor outside of Katou exiting his room. No Hiro. Not even when he fast-forwarded the footage, which admittedly blurred the images just a little.

"Switch to infrared."

A line of images on the top of the screen changed to the desired mode, showing heat sources on the grounds as the drones and other cameras picked up on guards and animals in the area. But none seemed to match what they were looking for.

Now more than a little agitated, Daisuke sat back, trying to study all the images at the same time. "Where is he?"

"I cannot answer that."

He ground his teeth. "Scan for any anomalies in the security footage," he instructed, grasping at straws. If someone had been able to get on the grounds earlier, undetected, it was possible someone had been able to do so again. He wasn't sure how anyone could have gotten into the mansion, though, and that possibility bothered him. It meant there might be someone on the staff who wasn't entirely loyal.

No. He couldn't think that way. After arresting his grandmother, he'd had the entire list vetted all over again, just to be safe. He'd dug so far into each individual's background, their ancestors had probably felt it. And yet here they were.

He pulled up one camera, staring at the small room off the dining area where Cass and the others were now. He noticed someone had provided Cass with something to drink. She also seemed more coherent, which he thought a good sign. It would still probably be a good idea to get a doctor in there, just to be safe, but he wanted to find Hiro first. He really didn't want to have to call the police for a second time that day.

"I have detected an anomaly," HEUSC announced. "There appears to be a discrepancy with the current lighting near the family shrine."

Daisuke leaned forward, every fiber of his being tense. "Show me."

A view of the small clearing appeared on the main monitor. As expected, it was dark with the sun having gone down. But there was enough ambient light from both a few low lamps and the moon overhead that it was visible enough to recognize the area in question. A brief blur teased at the corner of his eye and he rewound the footage, slowing it down.

For the briefest of moments, a shadow appeared on the ground, with nothing visible to cause it. "Enhance image," he ordered.

The still on the screen sharpened, the darkened bit of ground becoming more defined. Daisuke narrowed his eyes, trying to decide what it was. "Isolate the anomaly."

HEUSC obliged, tracing a digital outline around the shape in question.

Was that some kind of ghost? Daisuke shook the thought aside. This wasn't some fantasy story. Whatever it was, it was large, almost rounded. In fact, if he paused to think about it, it kind of reminded him a bit of the shape of Hiro's robotic companion, just with a bit more bulk to it. And there, next to it, was a smaller figure, almost hidden by the larger one, both with something that almost looked like horns protruding from rounded heads. What in the world?

An alarm went off and HEUSC immediately pulled up the live feed of the same area just in time for a bright flash of light to blind Daisuke. He shielded his eyes with his forearm, lowering it as the intensity decreased to a safe level, his eyes going wide. Someone had set off the trail of lanterns leading to the site. In fact, the ones closest to the grave appeared to have actually exploded, setting the nearby trees on fire.

"Deploy emergency measures!" Daisuke ordered. He put one hand to his ear. "Suzue, I need you in the command room right now. Have Katou stay with Cass."

He didn't wait for a reply as he rushed to the elevator closest to the front of the mansion. It would be faster for him to drive over.

…..

Rather than take the time to walk over, Hiro had opted to fly on Baymax's back, keeping as low a profile as possible so as not to trigger any radar or other security measures his cousin might have on the grounds. They'd arrived at the location in a matter of minutes, having to fly around various trees and the like to avoid drones and actual personnel on the grounds. He'd done his best to make sure they avoided any security cameras, but the added drones made it difficult.

Once at their destination, Hiro dismounted, trying to stay out of the light as much as possible. It was soft light, but even that could show his presence there if he wasn't careful. The energy field from his suit didn't extend to shadows.

"Baymax, scan the area," he instructed his robot as he looked around as well, using the night vision feature on his helmet. He doubted it would give him much, but the brief vision he'd had seemed to want him there, for whatever reason, and so there he was. "Anything?"

Baymax swept the area with his gaze, standing well enough back that he could get as much as possible in at one go. He swiveled his head to take in the rest of the area, back facing the path to the small clearing. "I am not detecting anything that would be helpful to our investigation," he admitted.

The teen resisted the urge to try and ruffle his hair, knowing it was impossible while he was wearing the helmet. Why had he felt the need to go there then? He thrust his hands down to his sides, fists clenched. What in the world was actually going on and why couldn't he figure it out? Maybe they needed to head a bit off the beaten path.

"Let's try over here," he decided, heading under the trees on one side of the lantern trail still out there. He wasn't sure why someone hadn't come and taken them away, since it was obvious they weren't going to use them. Maybe they'd thought it better to leave them until the morning. After all, it was dark out and any servants had likely been kept busy earlier. Well, whatever the reason, it didn't concern him.

Heat seemed to emanate from behind them and Hiro turned at the sensation, only to have his vision blasted with bright light. His senses were so overwhelmed he didn't even notice his body being thrown back against the trees nearby. Baymax suffered a similar fate, the energy enough to force a complete shutdown of his system to protect his inner core.

….

Tires squealed as Daisuke pulled up into the large open area in front of the tradition villa. Dirt spewed from under the rubber as the car stopped and the door was thrown open. Daisuke was out of the vehicle and running before sense had caught up with him.

Smoke filled the air as he approached the location of the explosion. He pulled a portable filter mask from his pocket and slipped it on over his head. He'd at least had the foresight to grab one on the way over. He tapped at his earring. "Update me."

"The fire seems to be contained near the shrine," Suzue's voice came over the headset. "I'm not sure what started it but am looking back over the footage."

A drone buzzed overhead as Daisuke made his way towards the center of fiery activity. He knew he probably should wait for emergency responders, but his gut told him that would be a bad idea. "What about that shadow I saw earlier. Find anything that might have caused it."

There was a moment of silence over his earpiece before Suzue answered. "I'm detecting one heat source outside the initial area," she reported. "Infrared indicates it could belong to a person."

"Which way?"

Under her guidance, Daisuke pressed through the trees a bit further away from the fire, having to go slower than he'd have liked due to the thickening smoke. Was it the culprit or someone else? He couldn't help but think it was the later.

He almost didn't see them. Or, rather, recognize them. Baymax was wearing some kind of dark shell and was face down in the dirt, his head resting against a partially destroyed shrub. A bit further away, he saw the gangly figure of his cousin against a tree, also wearing some kind of armor, unconscious.

Behind him, the heat of the fire seemed to increase and he found himself cursing Hiro's recklessness. What on earth was he doing out there anyway? Dumb question, he admitted. He'd probably have done the same, though Daisuke couldn't help but wonder about the unconventional attire.

Daisuke reached Hiro's side as Baymax's system finally rebooted. He could hear the robot moving behind him, choosing to ignore it. If there was a cause for concern, Suzue would alert him. He could hear a drone hovering overhead, indicating she was keeping an eye on things.

Careful not to move the teen too much, Daisuke did his best to feel for a pulse between the gap of the youth's helmet and body armor. He'd have gone for one of his wrists but had quickly realized that would be impossible without removing the complicated-looking gauntlets he wore.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Baymax get to his feet and waddle forward, his gear making it a bit more difficult due to its cumbersome size. He made quite a bit more noise than was probably necessary, but it couldn't be helped.

"You're a healthcare bot, right?" Daisuke asked, making sure the robot was operating correctly.

Baymax stood off to one side, shielding them both from the worst of the heat. "I will scan Hiro now," he announced. He didn't mention he'd also scanned Daisuke but that went without saying. "Hiro appears to be experiencing another unexplained phenomena," he reported. "I also detect signs of muscle strain, a mild concussion, and various contusions centered on his back and hips. He also appears to have inhaled some of the smoke from the fire."

So long as the kid hadn't broken anything, Daisuke reasoned, he could safely move him without any issue. He wasn't sure what Baymax meant by unexplained phenomena or why he'd referred to it as something possibly recurring, but he'd worry about that later, as well as what it meant. In the meantime, he felt it best to get them both out of there and so slid his arms behind Hiro's shoulders and knees, lifting him with ease. "We need to get out of here. Suzue—"

Before his assistant could answer, Baymax pointed in a direction that led away from the blaze making its way to their location. "I believe there is an opening this way," he stated.

Daisuke gave him a side-eye but followed the direction when Suzue confirmed it to be the best route back to his car. He didn't want to still be there when the rescue brigade showed up. That and he felt that it would be best to get Hiro and Baymax out of there before someone else discovered them, especially wearing what they were at the moment. And if they could get back to the mansion before any of that, he'd feel a lot better overall.

Between Baymax and Suzue's guidance, Daisuke was able to make his way back to the parked car. He had a moment of difficulty trying to open the passenger door but managed once HEUSC triggered the latch. From there, he used his foot to push it open before depositing Hiro onto the bucket seat. He'd have to remember to have the interior cleaned later, seeing hints of stains from earlier on the leather.

Once the teen was secure, and the door closed, Daisuke turned to Baymax, wondering how on earth he was going to get the now almost double-in-size robot into the back seat. He moved as if to open the back cabin and thought better of it.

"I will join you at the back veranda," Baymax announced as he took a step back from the car, his back turned to the villa behind them. Wings extended out with a snap before he took off into the air.

Daisuke's eyes widened momentarily before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He quickly went around to the driver's side of the car and got in. Once there, he took off the filtered mask and threw it into the back seat. He glanced over at Hiro, who still lay unresponsive and limp against the leather. Without the sound of the fire and drones in the background, however, he could hear the faint huffing of his breath inside the helmet.

Once again, he took a moment to debate, but hearing the sound of the sirens from the fire brigade, he decided it was better to just get out of there. Turning over the engine, and putting the car in gear, he peeled out, kicking up more dirt than he had on the way there.