Check 37 - Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen

When Cass heard that Katou, along with Detective Hoshino, were on their way, she'd made the quick decision to make sure there was enough food for both added to what she already planned on making. After a rather eventful day, she didn't want to go overboard and so decided on something that would be relatively quick and easy to make: pasta.

Thankfully, with a well-stocked pantry, she was able to find various kinds of noodles, mostly Asian in influence, but more than good enough for what she had in mind. It wouldn't hurt for the natives to learn about cuisine from other parts of the world so she'd opted to make a nice Alfredo. With Suzue's help, she got some chicken she'd found roasting in the oven, after pounding it flat enough that it could handle a shorter cook time while still being fully up to temp.

Making the sauce was also an easy feat. Once more, thanks to the well-stocked kitchen, she had exactly what she needed. Apparently the Kambes occasionally liked more European foods as well, giving her access to parmesan and cream cheese. And so what if the noodles weren't technically the right kind? They were thick enough for the job, and that's what really mattered. And with the broccoli she had steaming, it more than made a balanced meal.

Once more, she decided it would be easiest to serve everyone at the staff table, even knowing they'd likely have an addition to the party. It was less formal and closer to the food. She instructed Suzue to set places for all expected individuals, once more going for the family style setting. It made the most sense, especially since they were the only ones in the mansion.

Cass checked the chicken, making sure it was thoroughly cooked, before sending Suzue to gather everyone for the meal. She'd made plenty of sauce, cooked up more than enough pasta, and had the broccoli already set out in a serving bowl on the table. Satisfied with the temperature of the protein, she quickly put the Alfredo and noodles in separate serving bowls while the chicken rested.

She had no idea which room everyone else was in, or if they were in the same one. All she knew was that Daisuke had dropped in long enough to divest himself of the apron and let her know they expected Katou and Hoshino to show up in the next twenty to thirty minutes. It was a good thing she'd already gotten a head start on the chicken at the time, planning on the possibility that Hiro would be starving after recent events. Well, if he was still hungry after all was said and done, she could probably whip up a simple dessert with what she'd seen in the freezer.

Satisfied with how everything was arranged, Cass found a serving platter and transferred the chicken to it, pre-slicing each portion, and adding a pair of serving tongs. She gave everything a quick look over, just to be safe, and nodded. Everything was as ready as it was going to get, all things considered. At the last moment, she realized they needed a beverage and found a pitcher for water, which she tested beforehand.

Voices became audible through the open doorway as she wiped her hands on her apron before taking it off and hanging it up. It would likely need to be thrown into the laundry soon, but that could wait until later. The first person through the door was Suzue, followed by Katou and a somewhat hesitant-looking Hoshino.

"I hope you're hungry," Cass said by way of greeting to those entering the room. She glanced around the three as they moved further into the kitchen, not immediately seeing Daisuke or Hiro, with Baymax.

Hoshino, understandably, paused a few steps into the kitchen. It was likely he'd never seen such a display before, with the various prep areas, sinks, refrigerators and the like. But when Suzue and Katou continued towards the staff table, he was quick to join them.

Still not seeing her two nephews, Cass glanced over at Suzue. "Where are the others?"

Katou stopped near the table and looked ready to turn back to find the two missing males when their voices became audible from the hallway. "Looks like they were just a little slower than the rest of us," he said with a smile. He grimaced as he pulled out his chair, removing his pain prescription from his pocket before sitting. It said to take with food, which was perfect for current events.

About half a minute later, Daisuke and Hiro entered the kitchen, followed by Baymax. Seeing the others had already situated themselves, the older of the two gave a slight bow before continuing to the table. "Pardon our being a bit late." The motion caused a slight wince but he schooled his expression, reminding himself to not go to any extremes of motion for the next day or two.

"Sorry," Hiro apologized, following Daisuke's lead. "I'm just a bit slower than usual today. Getting kinda tired." And while he wasn't really sleepy, it was true that his stamina was wearing out. Despite the physical healing, all the encounters with whatever abilities he now possessed had definitely taken it out of him. He was only mildly surprised Baymax hadn't taken it upon himself to carry him the rest of the way when his steps had slowed even more on the way over.

More accustomed to the family style of eating than the Kambes had been, Hoshino looked around at the offerings. "Italian?" he asked in surprise, not having previously inspected the food.

Daisuke made it to his accustomed chair and sat down, taking up the napkin his aunt had thought to place there. "My aunt is able to cook from many different cuisines," he said by way of explanation, hoping it was true. And, to some extent he could say it was, though he had no way of knowing just how extensive her culinary skills were.

"Thank you for the meal," Hoshino said with a slight bow, the others following in the custom. As the guest, he was given preferential treatment and took a decent helping of the noodles. It took him a moment to figure out that some liked to put the sauce on next, followed by the chicken, but he didn't bother with formalities since the only one really worrying about them was Kambe.

Katou was a bit more liberal in his helping of food, especially the broccoli. "Sorry I had to skip out on everyone," he said as he served up a healthy amount of sauce. There seemed to be more than plenty to go around so he felt no inhibitions about amount, though he was a bit more reserved in the amount of chicken he took, just in case.

Looking up from precisely cutting up his chicken, Daisuke gave Suzue, Hiro, and Cass a quick but pointed look. "Not much," he stated. "Suzue helped Hiro try and fabricate replacement magnets. Aunt Cass and I attempted to make banana bread."

Both cops looked over at Kambe at that, with varying expressions of surprise and shock. Katou almost choked on his mouthful of food. "You? Baking?" his partner asked once his mouth was clear and he'd had a chance to take a drink of water.

The scowl Daisuke gave him was not surprising, even if it was amusing. The idea of Daisuke baking, especially after any previous attempts to help in the kitchen, aka cutting himself trying to cut up a potato the year before, was entertaining to say the least.

Cass saved the day with a wave of her hand. "Actually, Daisuke was really helpful. It was my fault it almost burned. I forgot to set the timer." She smiled at the somewhat grateful look Daisuke sent her way. "Maybe we can try it after dinner."

A low chuckle sounded as Katou speared a piece of broccoli with his fork. "That should be interesting. Don't mind if I do."

Hiro played around with the noodles on his plate, twirling them with his fork but not putting them in his mouth. While he usually relished Alfredo, his appetite didn't seem to care for it that night. He did nibble on the chicken and on some broccoli, which prompted a disapproving glance from Daisuke, who was eating with his usual appetite.

Realizing he wasn't really eating much, Cass looked over at Hiro, who was sitting across from her, next to Daisuke. "Something wrong?"

The teen glanced up at the concern in her voice and he set his fork down. "I'm fine. I just don't seem to be that hungry tonight."

Cass looked up at Baymax, who had stationed himself behind both Daisuke and Hiro. When he didn't offer any explanation, with the exception of a slow blink, she shrugged. It wouldn't be the first time he hadn't had much of an appetite after similar circumstances. She'd have to make sure to set some food aside for him later, just in case. Worse to worse, there was still some of the fish stock from the night before that she could use to make a soup.

An almost awkward silence seemed to stretch across the table as various individuals exchanged glances, not sure how to handle the situation. Hoshino saved the day by clearing his throat. "I really appreciate your invitation," he began. "It's obvious you're a talented cook." He'd already mostly cleared his plate and was contemplating seconds.

Cass blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. I don't know that I'd call myself talented, but I do like to fiddle around in the kitchen."

Suzue and Daisuke exchanged glances, not sure if Hoshino was aware of Cass's excursions as a back alley cooking champion or not. It was probably best not to mention it, the older of the two decided as he asked for someone to pass the noodles so he could replenish his plate.

Next to him, Hiro sort of slumped back in his chair, his head nodding off to one side. A quick glance said the teen had likely just dozed off. Before he could fall off his chair, Baymax had carefully maneuvered the furniture so he could slip his inflated arms under his knees and shoulders. "I will take Hiro into the other room," he announced as he moved away from the table.

Daisuke almost stood to follow but decided it was better not to. Instead, he reached for his earring. "HEUSC, keep an eye on Hiro for me," he ordered. "Inform me the moment he wakes." He wasn't entirely sure if the teen was actually asleep or not but hoped the AI butler understood his order also meant informing him if anything else changed.

"Poor kid," Katou said as he watched Baymax carrying Hiro out of the room. "Today must have really worn him out."

Hoshino couldn't help but stare. "Is he still recovering from the other day?" he wondered out loud. "It's understandable if he's not used to a lot of physical activity."

Clearing her throat, and taking a quick sip of water, Cass looked a bit anxiously around the room. "He tends to stay inside a lot," she admitted, "tinkering in his room. I've tried to get him interested in other things, but it's sometimes difficult."

This time Suzue and Daisuke exchanged glances, which was relatively easy considering they were sitting on opposite sides of the table, with Suzue next to Cass.

"I understand he's had a lot happen to him over the last few years," Hoshino continued. "I heard about his assistance with that terrorist incident in Los Angeles last year. Were you both caught up in the incident?" He glanced pointedly at Cass.

Having reached for more sauce, Cass put the serving bowl down, attempting to compose herself. "We were," she admitted, realizing there was no point in lying. "The first set of bombs happened at a bot fighting tournament Hiro was competing in. We were in one of the rooms off the main arena when they went off. If Baymax hadn't been with us, we'd probably both be dead. But, as things stood, Hiro got thrown and was pretty bad off for a while."

The look Suzue and Daisuke exchanged was a lot more pointed this time, not having heard about this part of the story before. "I had no idea," Suzue said. "I just thought you were in the area."

Cass looked down at her plate. "If you look at the police reports, you'll see Hiro was considered a person of interest at first. Not for the bombs," she added quickly, looking up. "You see, when he was in a match, his opponent was murdered. Not sure what was going on, they ushered us both into a separate room while they tried to figure things out. And that's when the bombs went off. I think Hiro was in so much shock because of it, he was just more vulnerable."

The two incidents, though related, had warranted two different case files, which might have been why the one hadn't come on Hoshino's radar. "I wasn't aware of that part," he admitted.

"Later, they found the person responsible for the murder," Cass continued. "I think it was more a case of his being the closest to the incident amid the confusion so the police didn't know what to think. Since he was the one competing against her, they probably figured he was the most likely person responsible since there weren't any others close enough."

Katou surprised himself by speaking out. "How did his opponent die?"

The café owner sucked in her breath. "A poisoned dart." Even though she knew it wasn't related to current events, she couldn't help but wonder if the cops in the room would think differently. She knew, from experience, that coincidences weren't considered such until proven otherwise. At least not for most cops. Some didn't care. She wasn't sure how they'd take that. "But, like I said, they found the person later."

Hoshino and Katou exchanged glances while Kambe mumbled some instructions into his link with HEUSC. Apparently none of them had been aware of that tidbit, though she'd figured Daisuke at least had to have known. They'd talked a bit about the Los Angeles incident off and on since arriving, after all. But, then again, it had mostly been about the terroristic threat and not the murder, even though they'd been connected.

Perhaps deciding he'd overstayed his welcome, or maybe because he was interested in the new tidbit and wanted to do some research, Hoshino decided not to go for another helping as he stood and bowed. "Thank you for the food," he said again. "If you'll excuse me I need to attend to a few things back at the precinct. I'll show myself out." He then left the table, heading back to the front of the mansion.

"I think we should discuss this incident in greater detail," Daisuke said, looking pointedly at Cass once Hoshino had left. "While it might not be connected to current events, I simply cannot dismiss it until it's proven unrelated."

Cass let out her breath. She should have expected as much, and with Hiro not there, she wasn't sure just how much she should mention. Katou wasn't yet aware of her nephew's super hero activities, so that was out so long as he was there. He was also not aware of Hiro's ability to see the future, so that was also out. The less he knew the better. Then again, it might become necessary. "Can it wait until after we've finished dinner?" she asked.

…

Hiro wasn't sure what had come over him. He'd been relatively hungry prior to entering the kitchen. But then that had somehow changed between walking to the table and sitting down. It wasn't the food. It wasn't necessarily the company either. Hoshino seemed like a nice enough guy. Maybe it really was everything just crashing down on him. This was technically their fifth day in Japan and a lot had happened.

Managing a few bites of protein and vegetables, the teen found his mind sort of wandering off. Maybe that was the wrong way to put it. It was more like his thoughts were fogging over, much like they occasionally did when he was floating in the ether. Except he wasn't floating in a semi-conscious state, or unconscious one for that matter.

And then Cass had asked if he was okay. He thought he said something about just not being hungry but wasn't sure. The next thing he knew, he felt his body slump as his eyes closed as if he were asleep. He could feel his heart beating at the typical slow cadence, breath coming in and out. Physically, nothing felt wrong. It was the fact that his energy seemed so drained that not even his body could sustain more than automatic functions that worried him. Hadn't the experience from earlier given him a bit of a recharge? But, then again, he'd had the vision of the future, so maybe it wasn't that surprising after all.

Feeling Baymax carrying him from the room reminded him of when he'd been transformed into a toddler prior to restoring the universal timeline. It was almost like swaying in a hammock, enough to lull most people to sleep. Except he wasn't really asleep, just not awake. And the distinction seemed at odds with itself.

Behind closed eyelids, Hiro could see the explosions from the bot fight all over again. Was it because they were talking about it in the other room? He had no idea how he knew they were, but he knew. And that was weird.

The air around him seemed to hum, making his body vibrate. Or was that his body vibrating? Could it be something else? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it was making his head hurt. Was the room shaking?

Hiro tried to claw his way back to consciousness. It didn't feel like the usual times he'd had to do that, though. It was like he was weighed down by something, even though he could feel everything going on around him.

Like different circuits on a circuit board, Hiro found his mind reaching out to more areas around him than usual. It was not unlike when he'd connected with the Hydra computer after being kidnapped. He was aware of pretty much everything going on in the house and immediate grounds, except it was like he had control of time around it all. And, at the moment, everything was paused.

Hoshino had just reached the front doors and was about to open them to leave. Daisuke and the others were talking about Los Angeles, getting from Aunt Cass the promise of telling them all more about that incident later. He could even sense HEUSC running data, looking up all files associated with the terrorist attack and the murder of Rachel Amesbury. And yet they were all frozen while he wasn't.

Push a little further, his mind told him. Look out around you.

He wasn't sure if it was a result of his near nuclear explosion earlier that afternoon or not, but if he allowed reality to play out, with all parties still frozen in real time, he could intentionally look a bit into the future. An almost phantom version of each person in the house overlapped their current selves, moving at half speed.

When Hoshino opened the front door, the ground began to shake, sending him back, the door swinging towards him, which caused the glass panes to shatter. The stained glass rained down on the detective, his leg caught in the swing of the heavy door.

In the kitchen, the table shook, sending dishes crashing. Pots and pans swayed on hooks. Anything not anchored down danced around like it was drunk. Cass, who had been in the process of clearing the dishes, was thrown to the ground by the force. Meanwhile, Daisuke and Katou's chairs bucked with the motion, threatening to upend them onto the floor as well. The effort to stay upright appeared to not afford any favors when it came to their current injuries.

Around the mansion, Hiro saw future items dance and skitter if they weren't too heavy to stay put. Chandeliers shook, making crystal sing like wind chimes in a gale. Even HEUSC temporarily shut down as a built-in fail safe was triggered once more.

During all this, Baymax had carried Hiro into the same room where they'd taken Cass after she'd passed out a few days before. There, he'd put the teen on the same couch, close enough that help could come running if something were to happen.

Almost as if inhaling, Hiro pulled all aspects of his self back into his body, the events he'd just seen with his mental eyes rewinding at record speeds. Moments after Baymax had set him down on the couch, he sat up as if someone had applied an electric jolt. "EARTHQUAKE!"

His scream was so loud; Hiro felt his vocal chords strain as he stared into the distance. After having already uttered another, similar scream during the day, his voice decided it didn't want to take any more and his vocal chords shut down, his voice cracking.

Less than twenty seconds later, the ground began to dance underneath them all. Despite the mansion's design due to frequent quakes in the country at large, the seismic activity still made everything shake like a child with a rattle. Just like in his pseudo vision of the future, anything not secure, or heavy enough to stay put, began to move around.

Baymax had registered the tremors a moment or two after Hiro's initial outcry and quickly moved to shield the teen from any potential debris that might come his way.

Various exclamations came from the direction of the kitchen, along with the sound of breaking dishes and rattling metal. "Under the table!" Katou's voice was audible, calling out for those in the kitchen to join him.

From the front, Hoshino had apparently paused the moment he'd heard Hiro's scream somehow penetrating through who knew how many walls. He'd hesitated to open the door, turning back towards the interior of the manor when the ground started shaking. With no real cover in such a large, open area, he sort of stumbled towards the closest area that might provide some safety.

The quake didn't last long, all things considered, no more than a minute before everything calmed down. Silence filled the void like a shroud while the shock wore off.

Baymax continued to shield Hiro for several long seconds after the fact, his body covering the teen, who was still on the couch. Once he felt it safe, he straightened so Hiro could sit up once more, his entire body trembling as if he'd taken a dip in an ice bath. "Your body temperature is low," the robot observed as he scooped up the teen and activated his internal heater.

Frantic footsteps sounded in the hallway as Cass and Daisuke made their way into the room. Suzue had opted to stay with Katou in the kitchen. "Hiro?" His aunt almost collapsed in relief to see him awake.

"How did you know?" Daisuke asked. He grimaced as he tweaked his sore abdominal muscles, having to lean against a sturdy cabinet near the wall.

The teen tried to speak but his voice wouldn't cooperate. His vocal chords were too strained to get more than a sort of wheezing whisper out. "Could feel it coming." He coughed a bit, his throat irritated from the effort.

At that moment, Hoshino made his way into the room. "Is everyone all right?" he asked, looking around. He got a nod from the two adults, noticing Katou and Suzue weren't there. "Where are the others?"

Daisuke sort of nodded towards the kitchen, spurring the detective to seek out the other two. In the meantime, he made his way to the couch and eased himself onto it.

Now more or less in control of herself again, Cass made her way to her nephews, noticing Hiro shivering. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay," Hiro squeaked out.

Cass glanced at Baymax for confirmation, prompting the robot to answer. "Hiro has strained his vocal chords," he reported. "His body has also reached its limit."

The loud sound of Katou exclaiming in pain filled the silence following the robot's report as Hoshino supported his some-time friend into the room, with Suzue following close behind. "I think I'm going to need a vacation after all this is over," Katou wheezed as his fellow cop helped ease him onto the couch next to Daisuke.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Hoshino asked as he looked around at the bedraggled group. Out of all of them, he seemed the most recovered from the incident.

Daisuke closed his eyes. "It has to be because of that power surge earlier," he theorized. "Whatever energy was released likely agitated the fault lines. It just took a while to manifest."

All things considered, it made sense and Hoshino had to nod at the logic. He looked over at Hiro, who was still in Baymax's arms. "What I want to know is how he knew. I know we have quakes here often, but you're not from around here."

"We have more than enough quakes in San Fransokyo," Cass defended. Technically, there were plenty of anti-quake methods in use there as well, reducing any damage in buildings and the like. "Though the last major one was a few years back."

Daisuke readjusted his position to make a little more room for Katou. "They say some people are more sensitive to seismic activity than others. There have been studies about people who can sense a change in the atmosphere prior to one occurring. Perhaps that is the case here."

It wasn't the answer Hoshino was looking for but it was likely the only one he was going to get. All the same, it was surprising that a quake would be the final straw to knock the teen out for the count. Granted, Hiro had sort of dozed off at dinner, but he'd also woken up enough to scream moments before the ground began to shake. All the little tidbits he'd learned pointed to something more going on, and he'd bet money that Kambe knew more than he was telling.

Suzue chose that moment to remind everyone she was there by speaking. "It's also possible it's just one of those random things. As you said, we often have earthquakes so it might not even be related. Although Hiro knowing about it prior to the fact is a bit odd." She glanced at Daisuke, more than aware she was treading in dangerous territory with her comments.

This was getting them nowhere and Cass was tired of the constant dancing around Hiro's abilities. It was obvious to her that he'd not be up to much else that evening. Not after Baymax had announced that the teen's body was pretty much done for the time being. Short of another incident like the one prior to lunch, she doubted anything else would happen there. But there was still the aftermath of the quake to deal with. And with no one else but the current party on property, that left things up to them to resolve.

"I don't mean to butt in, but shouldn't we worry about cleaning up the kitchen at least?" Cass asked, looking around. She doubted Katou would be much help. Even though he'd been the one to encourage them all to get under the table while the quake was active, he'd taken a bit of a knocking getting down. Chances were good his ribs were screaming at him.

Baymax blinked a few times at this. "You are forgetting the aftershocks," he stated. "While they will not be as strong, there is the possibility they made still be able to shift things around. Perhaps it would be best to wait until they have passed."

The Japanese natives exchanged glances. "I don't know how things happen in America, but aftershocks are usually not as big a deal, unless there's already damage to a building," Katou spoke up. "And they aren't exactly predictable."

"True," Baymax responded. "In that case, I urge the use of caution until it is ascertained that there will be no further disruptions that may cause bodily harm."

Hoshino gave the robot a sideways glance. "Is he always like that?" he wondered out loud, not realizing he'd verbalized his thoughts.

A slight laugh escaped Cass's lips. "Sometimes he's a bit more overbearing," she admitted. "But he was programmed to prevent, not just treat injuries, so there is that." She clapped her hands together. "That aside, who wants to help me put the kitchen back together?" She glanced pointedly at Suzue and Hoshino. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Hiro had dozed off again. And she wasn't about to ask Daisuke, not sure how much pain her punching him earlier had caused.

Hoshino let out a sigh. While there were decided things he could and probably should be doing, he wasn't about to leave them in a bind. "I'll help," he volunteered. That and it would give him the opportunity to get to know a bit more about her.

"And so will I," Suzue spoke up, noticing a slight nod of approval from Daisuke. It was still a good idea to have one of them with Cass at all times. She couldn't help but think her older cousin might want a chance to rest a bit, and then maybe do some research.

"Let's get this show on the road then," Cass said with perhaps more energy than was necessary as she headed back towards the kitchen. Her two volunteers weren't far behind, though with less enthusiasm.

Baymax turned to look at both Daisuke and Katou, scanning them both. "I recommend rest," he stated. "Both of your injuries appear to be causing sufficient pain that it would be wise to administer heat to help increase blood flow. This will also encourage faster healing."

Standing, Daisuke held in any sounds of pain, having to use the arm of the couch for assistance. He turned to his partner, offering a helping hand.

Katou waved him off. "I think I'll just stay here for a while, if you don't mind," he said, leaning back as much as possible. "I actually feel like I can almost breath normally like this." He had one hand lightly resting across his rib cage as he closed his eyes.

"In that case, I'll double-check the doors for now," Daisuke stated as he headed towards the door. "I somehow think Cass might convince Hoshino to spend the night before all is said and done."

Baymax chose to follow Daisuke out of the room, Hiro limp in his arms.