Hello, my fellow readers. Boy it has been so long and now I'm looking to finish this off.
Heads up, my writing style may have changed and this is now a 6-year-old story.
Let's see how it goes, shall we? - (27th Jan 2023)

Chapter 19

Hiro kept his eyes on the van that had captured Alicia. After all the talk he gave to her father and this happened. He prayed that no harm came to her. His cellphone rang.

"Hello?" He picked it up.

"Hiro! What happened?!" Asch's voice was heard.

"S-Somebody kidnapped Alicia. I'm going after them!" Hiro replied.

He sped up his car at the highest of speed. The van took a left turn. Hiro did not break in time, so his car went straight ahead.

"No!" he groaned.

He slapped the steering wheel a few times, frustrated. He turned the car around and made his way back to the cafe. He entered through the garage. Asch was there with the rest of his team members. Baymax was charging.

"Jake is upstairs with Aunt Cass," Honey explained.

Hiro nodded. He took a seat in front of his large screen. He started to fidget with the keyboards, looking for ways to track Alicia.

"I'm guessing you lost them?" Asch asked.

"Yes. They were heading towards the port. I need to check it out," Hiro replied without looking at the man.

"Are you sure you should be heading out now?" Asch asked.

"I agree. I think you should stay by Jake's side for the time being…" Gogo suggested.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not giving up … but Jake needs you," Asch said, holding the young man's shoulder.

Hiro sighed. "You're right. I need a rest. I'll look more into this tomorrow," he gave in.

"Hey, if the kidnapper is looking for ransom, they sure will give the Koizumis a call!" Carla spoke up.

Asch agreed. "She's right. I will let you know if that happens."

Alicia was still in shock. Samantha was smirking confidently as she played with her phone. Alicia wondered what was the girl's motive. The van made a sudden stop, toppling Alicia to the seat in front of her.

"We're here," a man's voice was heard.

"Good. Blindfold her," Samantha ordered.

A cloth was placed right in front of Alicia's eyes. She widened her eyes when it was forcibly covering her sight. She was blindfolded as ordered. Her hands are also tied together. She could hear horns and shouting outside. It was a busy place. She wondered what Samantha was about to do. Two goons stood in front of Samantha, Alicia and the minion holding her. The goon on the right was holding a small speaker. Samantha grunted. She knew the person she was expecting was not present. Alicia listened in.

"You've done well, my niece," a static voice was heard.

"Where do you want her?" Samantha asked.

"Your transportation will arrive soon," the voice replied.

A horn was heard. Samantha turned towards its direction. She smiled when she saw their 'transportation'.

"Your uncle wants you to have the best of time," the left goon said.

"Perfect~" she chirped.

Alicia was pushed to follow where they were headed. She could hear the ocean. She guessed they were at the port but what were they riding this time?

"Allow me to take it from here," the static voice said.

"If you say so~" Samantha obliged.

The goons grabbed hold of Alicia. The girl cringed in pain. They forced her to keep walking. Alicia tried to keep her cool. If she struggles, she may get hurt. The goons stopped at a door. They knocked.

"Come in," a voice was heard.

They opened the door and presented Alicia to the owner of the voice. He gestured to the goons to release her blindfold. Alicia slowly opened her eyes. She was surprised to see who was in front of her.

"You're…!" she gasped.

"You had a lot of fun killing my men," the man gave out an eerie smile.

Mrs Koizumi wailed at the news of her kidnapped daughter. Kate did her best to calm her with a hug. Joey was beside his mother too. Mr Koizumi kept his composure. He did not want to worry the young hero. Hiro held his right arm, looking away sadly. He felt like a failure.

"After reuniting, we lost her again…" Mrs Koizumi sobbed.

"Kate, Joey, take your mother upstairs," Mr Koizumi said in a stern voice.

Hiro watched as the two children obliged. They stood up, nodded to Hiro and helped their mother to stand up.

"Don't take what she said personally. It's to be expected that is how she will react," the father said.

Hiro gave a nod. "I understand, sir. I won't give up on searching for her."

"What do you plan to do?" the man asked.

"I will widen Baymax's scanner and start searching across the sea as well. Her last sighting was at the port. This I confirmed with the security footage there," Hiro explained.

The man nodded to each explanation. "I see. I'm glad to hear that you are not giving up on this. I'll wait for the kidnapper's call, just in case it is for ransom."

"Thank you, sir. I will get ready to start on my search again," he said.

Hiro excused himself after that. Asch was waiting for him outside the house. He decided to join Hiro on his search. They headed to the garage together. Gogo greeted them.

"I have an update on the footage at the port," she said.

She played a video on the hologram screen. A cruise ship was seen, and Alicia was pushed onto it by a man. Beside the man was a girl. Hiro recognised her.

"A cruise ship took them. So if we can locate this, then we'll be sure to locate Alicia," Gogo said.

Hiro nodded. "We'll take Baymax and head out," he said, turning to Asch.

The man nodded to him. Hiro handed Asch a suit to wear so that he can stick on Baymax's back. Hiro had made himself an individual suit which had thrusters just like Baymax's. Gogo went out again to collect more leads.

Aunt Cass came down with Jake. He was very occupied with the rubix cube he was holding. Hiro took the boy into his arms. He kissed the boy's head.

"All he does is play all day. I can't get him to sleep or even drink his milk," Aunt Cass said.

"I see," Hiro muttered, gazing at his son, "I'll take it from here. Thanks, Aunt Cass."

He hugged him tighter. Jake's shift his attention to his father. "I'm sorry, Jake…" Hiro silently sobbed.

Asch held his right shoulder as comfort. The two men managed to put down Jake for a long nap. After that, they got ready to head out as planned.

Hiro slammed his hands on his table. He was frustrated. Just as they had seen the cruise ship, a shot landed on his right thruster. Asch and Baymax had to rescue him instead of pursuing the ship. It was as if they were expecting Hiro to find them.

"Damn it! It's been two weeks and I can't locate the ship!" he shouted to himself.

He looked up at the wall. A few photos of Alicia were set there. There was also a photo of their first date, the time they celebrated Kate's birthday and the day he babysat Jake with Alicia's help. Aunt Cass also put up a photo of Hiro buying an engagement ring for Alicia.

"Alicia… I promised you, I will find you…" he muttered.

Footsteps were heard. Carla made an appearance. She approached Hiro who was busy feeling down in the dumps.

"How's the search going?" she asked.

"Not good… I want to head out again," he replied.

Carla nodded to him. "But before that, the detectives are here to meet up with you."

Officer Raynards and Detective Wills stepped down into the garage. Hiro stood up and greeted them. Carla explained to him that she had asked them for help on the case.

"We're really sorry to hear what happened to her," Detective Wills said.

"Thanks for your kind gesture, but I think we'll manage," Hiro replied respectfully.

"Hiro, hear them out," Carla insisted. "I gave them the camera footage from Baymax."

Hiro just had a realization. He turned to look at the two policemen in front of him. Officer Raynards nodded to him.

"We schemed through each of the cruise ships that had been in and out of San Fransokyo and this particular one has not returned since the day of the kidnapping," he explained, handing Hiro a photo.

Hiro held it in his hands. This could be it, a breakthrough. This could be the cruise ship holding Alicia in custody. What should he do now?

"Thanks so much for this," he muttered.

The two policemen nodded to him. They excused themselves and went back to the cafe. Carla held his shoulder, flashing a smile.

Asch and Mr Koizumi made an appearance. Hiro was not surprised to see them. He knew this would happen eventually. The two gave him a nod. They took Hiro's car to the park.

Asch leaned on a tree as he watched his father approach Hiro. He was standing in front of the fountain, thinking about Alicia. Mr Koizumi handed him a bottle of lemonade. Hiro took it and held it with both of his hands. He was contemplating. The man sighed to catch Hiro's attention.

"Hiro, I know you're the best you can," he started, holding the young man's shoulder, "I can see your sincerity towards my daughter. You're very affectionate with my grandson as well."

"Hmm…" Hiro's reply was subtle.

"I can't say things will get better because I also cannot guarantee that to you, but I will say this," he said and Hiro turned his head to look at him. "Thank you so much for having chosen her despite her past."

Hiro bit his lower lip. Mr Koizumi left him to go to his son. Asch stood up straight. Hiro squatted down, holding his tears.

"Alicia, where are you…?" Asch sighed.

Hiro made his way to him. Asch was confused. The young man handed him a photo.

"This could be the cruise ship holding Alicia," Hiro explained.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.

Hiro nodded. "I'm quite nervous to go alone. I'll make you your own temporary suit."

"Gee that's thoughtful of you," Asch chuckled.

"It's just in case anything goes wrong. At least one of us can return with her?" Hiro suggested.

Asch gave a nod. "Sure. Look forward to seeing this suit of mine."

Hiro got started on his work. It had been a long time since he felt motivated to do something. He was determined to create a suit to support him in rescuing Alicia. He even took the obligations to upgrade Baymax's thrusters to make it 5x stronger and faster. He also updated Baymax's data to add more reflexes to him.

While Hiro was busy, the Koizumi family was about to have their dinner. Mrs Koizumi received a weird call. When she picked it up, her husband asked to put it on speaker. He and his wife were surprised to hear who was on the other line.

"You're…" she blurted.

"Yes, that's right. I have your daughter," the man said.

"What do you want from us?!" the woman exclaimed.

"I'd like to, well, avenge my men. But then I thought, why don't we bargain?" the man chuckled.

"My daughter's life is priceless…!" Mr Koizumi said sternly.

"Then, her death would mean nothing to you," the man replied. He was cocky.

There was a brief silence. Asch nodded to his father. Mr Koizumi heaved a sigh.

He asked, "What are your demands?"

"Now, we're talking…" the man said.

Hiro and his team gathered up in his garage. They were shocked by the news that Asch had brought to them. He was surprised as well. Everyone was against it.

"You can't go there with just Baymax!" Honey shouted.

"Yes, it could be a trap," Gogo agreed.

"It is a trap. There must be a catch to it," Fred spoke up.

"That man owns a cruise ship but he wants more money? Something does not add up," Wasabi agreed with Fred.

"I agree with all of you. It's suicide to go there alone, even if you will have your most trusted companion," Asch chimed in.

Hiro was in deep thoughts. He was listening and evaluating a series of consequences of what he thought would happen. He did not trust himself to go with just Baymax to deliver the ransom money but bringing everyone would cause a scene. The man might decide to kill her instantly.

"I have an idea…" Hiro spoke up after 15 minutes.

Alicia with her hands tied to her back was released on the deck. It was raining. A storm was coming. The leader of the group that she had managed to almost wipe out was there too. He was wearing a suit, waiting for his prize. Samantha was standing beside the brown haired girl.

"Do you really think he will come?" Samantha asked her uncle.

"If he loves her enough~ I can't believe I am getting money for killing a girl!" he gave out an eerie laugh.

Samantha took a glimpse of Alicia. She looked traumatized. Samantha clenched her fists. She thought of what she should do.