Check 28 - The World is an endless battle of contrasting memories
When Daisuke knocked on Hiro's door, he didn't know what to expect. Unlike the previous times where the teen had simply called out an invitation to enter, Baymax was the one to answer, opening the door wide enough to look out into the hallway. "Hello," he greeted the man.
"Can I come in?" Daisuke asked.
Baymax seemed to contemplate him, tilting his rounded head from side to side, blinking his mechanical eyes. "Hiro is currently occupied," he stated but moved out of the way, allowing Daisuke to enter the room.
Even though technically no more than an hour had passed since he'd left the teen to rest, Daisuke was mildly surprised to note Hiro wasn't in the immediate room. And then he heard the sound of vomiting coming from the partially closed bathroom. "Ah," he said, understanding flooding his brain. Apparently Hiro's stomach was still upset. He recalled the teen had told him he'd thrown up earlier in the morning. Apparently the miso soup had been a bit too much to start on.
Ragged breathing sounded from Hiro's current location and Daisuke debated on whether he should go check on him or not. But Baymax beat him to it, waddling to the door, not quite entering the smaller room. The robot didn't say anything though, apparently preferring to wait things out.
"I can come back later," Daisuke said out loud. Most males didn't care for others to see them thus engaged. He doubted Hiro was any different. The fact that he'd not complained too much about others seeing him in a weakened state was a bit at odds with that thought, but circumstances had not exactly been usual for anyone. The head of house chalked Hiro's earlier behavior up to that.
Before he could exit the room, however, Baymax waddled out of the way so that Hiro became visible in the doorway. He looked pale and out of breath. "No. It's okay," he said. "What did you need?" His whole frame seemed to shake from the effort of standing.
Maybe they should call the medic back in, Daisuke mused. If Hiro continued to be unable to keep anything down, it might be warranted. And if Cass remained out for the count, it left him to make that decision if things got to that point.
Apparently Baymax agreed that Hiro didn't look well enough to make it back to bed without help because he picked up the teen and carried him to the bed. "You will be all right," the robot reassured, sounding more like someone talking to a small child than to an almost adult.
"You obviously thought whatever it is important enough to come back sooner than expected," Hiro continued, now sitting on the mattress, holding himself up with his arms. Sweat had beaded up on his forehead, indicating he was at least not fully dehydrated, a good sign, all things considered.
Reminded of his errand, Daisuke approached the bed, looking around for something to sit on. There was a small chest near the foot of the bed and he decided that, instead of sitting on the mattress again he'd best use that. Dragging the item around to the side where he could better face the youth, Daisuke sat. "I wanted to ask some questions."
Hiro gave a weak laugh, shivering again. He pulled the top blanket up and around himself, much like Daisuke used to as a child. "Thought that was obvious. Shoot."
They were spending a lot more time together than Daisuke had thought would happen. But, all things considered…. Daisuke gave a mild smirk. "Very well then. I wanted to know how you were able to get past the security the night of the shrine fire. The truth."
Hunched a bit as he gathered the quilt further around himself, Baymax still standing off to one side, Hiro returned the smirk with an amused smile. "Is that all?" He glanced over at the robot, looking more tired than he had earlier, if that was possible. "You remember those chunks of space rock that peppered San Fransokyo a year or so ago? I think I mentioned them earlier."
"I do." Daisuke wasn't sure what that had to do with anything, but figured it best to acknowledge it and wait. The tactic had worked before. "You previously told me that might have been part of why you received your unusual abilities."
After the fact, he'd done some research into the whole incident, learning that the random earthquakes had been caused by chunks of an asteroid someone had shot down at least part of close to two years ago. And then an interesting thought struck him. If what he recalled was correct, it might coincide with some other things.
He recalled the small bit of memory Hiro had shared with him of the Makt, and how he'd returned the energy entity back into the Void. There had been a lot of space debris there too. He had to confirm this. "Did that come from the Void and your encounter with the Makt?"
"Yeah," Hiro acknowledge, still sounding out of breath. He then explained how the asteroid in question had actually come from the Void, and was where the Makt had originally made their home.
Not sure what to make of this new information, Daisuke leaned back in thought. It wasn't exactly what he'd asked, but it certainly gave new insight into his cousin. "Sounds like you were lucky."
But Hiro shook his head, making his mop of hair dance and rub against the blanket. "Not really. The people who shot the asteroid down just wanted the metal to make exoskeletons to use as weapons of mass destruction. My team had to fight them and destroy their facilities. But, in the process, we discovered the metal from the space debris could be used to strengthen our armor."
While this was all interesting information, it hadn't yet really answered Daisuke's original question. "How does this relate to your ability to evade security earlier?"
Hiro rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn. "The metal has unusual properties. After Honey Lemon managed to change its form, I discovered if you charge it with a specific frequency of magnetic energy, it acts like a low level EMP, basically erasing whatever's in its field of influence from technological detection. I guess, in a way, it's almost like bending light, except not. I'm not really sure how else to describe it, but it fools most things. Shadows, unfortunately, aren't covered so I have to be careful."
It made sense, Daisuke supposed. And he didn't blame the teen for not going into any technical details at the moment, though he wouldn't mind asking him more about this metal, and what all it could do, at a later date.
"That's how you found me, isn't it?" Hiro asked, breaking into Daisuke's thoughts. "You saw our shadows."
Looking slightly distracted, Daisuke made a sort of verbal nod. "HEUSC isolated the irregularity on the security footage, but I didn't know it was you until I arrived on the scene." He waited to see what kind of reaction that might instill before asking his next question. "And what about avoiding security personnel, or in the in-house staff? Surely this technology doesn't physically render you invisible."
Hiro decided he needed to actually lie down at this point and thus did so, still wrapped up in the blankets. "No, not to the naked eye." His voice became slower, almost slurred. "It was their auras. I could sense them and avoid them."
The sound of soft breathing announced Hiro having fallen asleep, leaving Daisuke wondering if he somehow could feel the energy of others on top of everything. In a way, it made sense. It also spawned the idea the teen could sense other things, which would explain how he knew about the control room in the basement. Whether this was an ability to sense space, or maybe just electrical current was still up for debate, though Kambe thought it likely it was more the latter. He felt certain such an ability would also help in evading any security features, such as motion detectors or similar, that might be in the vicinity.
Baymax stared at Hiro for a moment before turning to Daisuke. "Hiro is sleeping," he announced, unnecessarily. "I hope he was able to answer your questions."
"Yes, he was," Daisuke responded, standing. Strictly speaking, the teen had answered his questions, though he wasn't sure how that would help in figuring out how Kimura, and anyone else involved, had somehow evaded security as well. He doubted they had access to the same kind of metal Hiro and his team did. But it was possible they had some kind of alternative. With that in mind, he left the room, heading back downstairs to see if HEUSC could come up with anything using this new insight.
…..
Katou leaned against a table probably meant for folding laundry, sucking in his breath, and winced. He'd accidentally jostled his body a bit too much. And while the over-the-counter meds he'd managed to find in the first aide box had helped, they weren't enough. Like Hiro, he needed to remind himself to not overdo things, not having mentioned his pain, even to Suzue.
If what the video Daisuke had shown them was any indication of possible places to hide electromagnets, chances were good this Mio woman had put them behind one of the machines. Mentally fortifying himself, Katou pushed away from the table and headed to the smallest of the bunch, since that's where she'd spent the most time. He tried to squeeze into the space between the washer and the counter, instantly regretting it.
Suzue came over upon hearing him try to suppress an exclamation of pain. "Mr. Katou?" She'd been looking around the massive dryers when he'd called out. "Something wrong?"
Mouth puckered to try and keep from calling out again, Katou slid his body back out of the gap that wasn't quite big enough for it. It might have been better to see if Suzue could fit, or maybe find a mirror. "I'm good," he wheezed, now holding his ribs. Man that smarted.
One hand on her hip, Suzue gave him a look. "Somehow I don't believe you," she stated. "Is it your ribs from fighting Master Daisuke earlier?"
All she got back was a sharp nod as Katou tried to control his breathing so as not to cause further distress. He sucked in air through narrowed lips, forcing himself to not breathe in too deeply lest it cause further pain. "I think I need to sit down," he managed, looking around for the nearest place to accommodate.
Seeing a chair over in a corner, Suzue quickly went to grab it, placing it next to the injured man, who took it gratefully. "You should have said something," she admonished. "I'm sure carrying Cass didn't help."
"Not really," Katou wheezed. It was a testament that he'd been able to ignore it for so long. Maybe his pain medication was wearing off after all. It had been a while since he'd last taken any.
Then Suzue seemed to have an epiphany. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before," she stated. "HEUSC," she said, touching her earring, "deploy a drone to my location."
"As you wish."
She leaned against the table nearest Katou's chair, arms folded as she contemplated the situation. "It might be easier to monitor the drone from the control room. We can even deploy a second one and search the manor room by room, if you're up to it."
Katou looked up, his face on the pale side. "Might be a good idea. But I'm gonna need a little help."
Realizing what he meant, Suzue approached his least injured side and supported him while he stood. "You can lean on me if you need to," she assured him. "I think I should also take a look at you once you're situated. Looks like that gap might have done a little more than squeeze your ribs.
The cop looked down at his shirt as much as his ribs would allow, noticing a trace of blood and a slight rip in his shirt. "Ah man! I really liked this shirt, too!"
Giving what support Katou allowed, Suzue helped him back to the control room, stopping off at the holding cell for the first aide box.
….
Daisuke entered the control room via the far elevator and almost had to do a double take as he saw a shirtless Katou sitting facing his direction. He blinked a few times before heading further into the room, which revealed Suzue sitting opposite his work partner. She appeared to be cleaning a scrape on his mid torso. "What happened?" he demanded stopping a few feet shy of the two sitting adults.
Looking up, Katou winced. The alcohol wipe Suzue used stung. "Hey, Kambe. Nothing much. Just your regular run of the mill scrape from trying to squeeze into a place not quite big enough for me." He inhaled with a hiss as Suzue finished cleaning the wound.
Was there no one in their party who wasn't hurt? Daisuke paused that train of thought, looking at Suzue. Out of all of their party, she seemed the one to have lucked out on the physical injuries. Unless one counted the upset stomach from hot wings far spicier than they were used to. That was its own kind of punishment.
"Did you find anything?"
Suzue applied a medicated bandage to the scrape, securing it in place before turning to the console. "After Mr. Katou discovered there were areas we couldn't easily search, I deployed a few drones to be our eyes on the ground. Unfortunately, we haven't really found anything yet."
Several different feeds appeared on the monitors overhead, showing the footage from the drones as they scanned the various areas of the mansion. "Unfortunately, unless the electromagnets are activated, it's possible we won't be able to find them," Suzue continued. "It doesn't help that several items inside the manor employ their own electromagnets as part of their inner structure, making it close to impossible to find them without more than a size and general shape description to go on."
Katou struggled to put his shirt back on, finally managing to get it back on. He released a sigh as he contemplated the smear of blood and the tear in the fabric. Once things were situated, he needed to go change.
Not deterred by Suzue's words, Daisuke approached the console and began typing rapidly. On one of the far screens, various measurements typically used for alloys appeared. "Try adding that to your search parameters," he instructed. "There might be traces of this compound on the items in question." It wasn't an exact formula for whatever Hiro and his team had done with that space metal, but the energy it put off should be the same. At least he hoped it was.
Taking the data from his screen and inputting it into her search matrix, Suzue couldn't help but wonder. But then again, it might be best not to mention it around Katou. Daisuke hadn't seen fit to tell his fellow cop about the armor. Even she wasn't entirely sure what it was for, leaving that to her older cousin to handle. Curiosity was there, but she had learned it was best to leave some things alone.
She sat back in her chair, letting the algorithm run. "Maybe we should extend our search to include areas outside the mansion," she suggested. It would be just as easy to have all the drones keep a spectral eye open for the unique signature on the entire grounds, and not just a few inside.
"Do it," Daisuke ordered, watching the monitors. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Katou had closed his eyes, teeth clenched. While nowhere near as bad as Hiro was, he'd need to remember to go gently with his fellow detective as well. After all, Haru's injuries were his fault. The man gently touched his jaw where it was purple and now starting to go green at the edges. He'd taken the bandage off earlier, feeling it no longer necessary.
Off to one side, the screen flashed, showing a layout of the mansion. A concentration of the energy, understandably, showed in Hiro's room. Unless Mio had somehow managed to hide the magnets inside the room instead of taking them with her, Daisuke doubted they were still there and so instructed the program to ignore that area. He only hoped he'd done so before Katou noticed. Considering his friend was still trying to bring his pain under control, he felt that likely.
Suzue fixed her hair as she focused her attention on the footage, re-crossing her legs. "Nothing so far," she commented. While they could automate the process, she felt the need to keep an eye on things.
"Katou," Daisuke spoke up, "why don't you take a break?"
The cop opened his eyes, looking at Daisuke in confusion. "What? Why?"
A sort of smile graced Daisuke's lips. They were going to make a softy out of him. "I assumed you might want a chance to change clothes and attend to your injuries. I'm sure we can fend for ourselves for a while."
It seemed to take Katou a minute to process that before he struggled to his feet. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense. You sure you'll be okay without me?"
Daisuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Positive. Rest up now while you can. We might be in for a fight later. You can check in on my aunt and cousin while you're at it."
Strictly speaking, the second part wasn't necessary. Hiro was likely still asleep. Cass might be closer to waking. Then again, she might still be sleeping off the gratuitous amounts of alcohol she'd consumed in a half sleep state. Either way, it gave him something to do so he didn't feel completely useless in their current situation. Daisuke just hoped he'd go take a nap or something so he had a better chance at being helpful later.
"Yeah," Katou agreed. "I can do that." He held his ribs a bit as he made his way to the elevator, disappearing behind the doors as they closed.
Suzue gave Daisuke a questioning glance. But when he didn't really respond, she shrugged and returned her attention to the screen.
...
Cass woke with a killer headache. Shielding her eyes against the natural brightness of the room, she tried to understand just where she was. The feel of bedding pressed against her body, her nerves waking up with an almost pins and needles sensation, like she'd temporarily lost circulation, only to have it restored.
For the life of her, she had no idea what had happened to cause this. She felt parched, and yet nauseous at the same time. In fact, now that her mind had woken up a bit, her stomach practically rumbled its intention to upend itself. Doing her best to hold it in until she could make a mad dash, Cass almost tripped over the rug near her bed.
Retching over the porcelain bowl of the toilet, she couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't caught the travel bug like Hiro apparently had. Her mind went blank, however, as her body tried to expel any remaining alcohol. The noise was so loud it should have pulled Baymax to the room, but it was Katou who found her leaning against the white bowl.
"Hey," Katou said, handing her a hand towel to wipe her face. He winced, both in sympathy and in pain, as he leaned over to feel her forehead, just to be safe.
Breathing a bit troubled from the exercise, Cass took the towel. "I... didn't… hear you come in."
Katou leaned against the counter, far enough away she had ample room should she need it, but close enough he could offer further assistance as well. "Kambe asked me to check in on you," he stated. "When I didn't hear you answer, I figured I'd better let myself in just in case something had happened."
The fact that she was throwing up was not a bad thing, all things considered. It was not unexpected, given her late night activities. But Katou couldn't help but wonder just how much she actually remembered from that. "So, how do you feel? Aside from like crap. You had quite the drinking party last night."
Cass almost shot up like a rocket at that comment. "I don't drink!" she protested, and then had to promptly throw up again.
Releasing a slight sigh, Katou looked away. "That may be true under normal circumstances, but we have video proof showing you did. I'm not sure what prompted it, but you obviously weren't awake for it. Gotta say, though, it's the first time I've heard of someone sleep-drinking. Usually the stuff just makes people pass out."
If what Katou said was true, it was possible Cass was till just a touch inebriated, which explained the nausea. There was no way just half a beer had done this so she supposed she'd have to take his word for it. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she apologized, using the towel he'd given her to wipe her face. "How's Hiro?"
Katou looked towards the door, noticing that Baymax had entered the room. If the robot was there, Hiro probably didn't immediately require his attention. "Not sure. Kambe hinted he might be asleep."
Looking up and over at the cop, Cass couldn't help but notice the state of his shirt. "You look like you had a bit of a run in of your own."
The cop glanced down at his shirt. Maybe he should have changed before coming to check on her. "Yeah, I got caught in a spot a bit tighter than I thought it was. But don't worry about it! This is nothing in comparison."
Cass pressed both hands against her head, now sitting back. Somehow she was still dressed in her everyday clothes, which was probably just as well. She was tempted to ask for something to ease the pain when Baymax waddled through the door, offering some from the first aide box, along with a bottle of water. "Thanks, Baymax," she said, noticing that Katou had moved out of the way so the robot could enter unhindered.
"I noticed you had regained consciousness from the other room," Baymax stated. "Scans indicate you may be experiencing typical hangover symptoms. I recommend plenty of fluids and rest."
The woman laughed. "Look at us all," she commented. "Practically everyone's suffering from something." She noticed Baymax did not comment on Katou's potential further injuries. Chances were good he'd already addressed them earlier though. She downed the pills with a few swallows of water, careful to not overdo it.
"I also recommend ingesting some mild foods," Baymax added, contemplating the two humans. "This will likely aide in your recovery."
Pushing away from the counter, Katou offered Cass a hand up. "I've still got some miso soup downstairs from this morning," he offered. "I hope you don't mind, but I used some of the fish stock you'd made for Hiro."
It was with a bit of effort that Cass stood, even with the offered help. She had a moment of dizziness as her body went from closer to the ground to more upright in a shorter amount of time than her brain could process. "Definitely not one of my wiser ideas," she said to herself, vague memories of her early morning activities surfacing. All she could remember was going down to the kitchen to find something, only to have that turn into a private memorial of sorts with an imaginary guest. She couldn't remember who though.
"Maybe I should go with you," Katou added, seeing her unsteady on her feet. So, despite the fact Daisuke had told him he should probably go rest, he decided it was better to stick with Cass until she stabilized. This would allow Baymax to go back to Hiro, in the off chance the teen woke and needed his healthcare bot.
