#10 Meanwhile

It was late one night at the end of March as the sound of police sirens filled the air. They were pursuing an armored car loaded with money that had been hijacked by three thieves. All of them were dressed in black and wearing ski masks with two in the front and one in the back. The chase had been going for about 10 minutes now as the driver swerved around the evening traffic and not caring about the cars he bumped into along the way.

"Jake! Make those cops give us some room!" the leader in the passenger seat ordered.

The man in back (Jake) nodded in acknowledgement before opening up the dark grey doors. He pulled out the revolver he had brought and began shooting at the closest police car. The officer swerved a little but was able to continue driving until a shot managed to pierce under the hood, rupturing the radiator. Steam burst out in front of the police's field of view, causing him to break and making a brief blockage for the other cars.

"Ha-ha! Nice shooting Jake! We should be able to completely lose them after a few more turns," the driver called back to his partner as he continued to floor it. Jake shut the door now and moved towards the front window for a more secured position.

"No problem Yuri," the gunman replied and making the other man briefly glance back at him. In this short moment, the third man spotted a sidewalk forty feet away where an elderly woman appeared to be crossing the street.

"Yuri!" he shouted and making the driver panic as he snapped his attention back to the front. There wasn't enough time or room to move out of the way, but an instant later, the old woman disappeared from view as if she had been run over or had never been there at all.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in shock for a few seconds before Yuri turned to his partner to his right in panic and confusion. "What was that Vic? I don't think I ran over her. There wasn't a bump or anything."

The man named Vic shook his head in an effort to focus again. "She must have fell back out of the way or been sprier than we thought."

As the trio continued to speed down the street away from the cops, they were unaware of their new gelatinous passenger hanging onto the vehicle's undercarriage. Hearing the police sirens nearby had drawn the fugitive Globby to the stolen car's relative location and not wanting to be noticed, used one of his most unassuming disguises. While the thieves were driving, the wind was intense as Globby clung to the bottom and began to snake his way to the armored doors. When he managed to get his torso up around the bumper, he could see the police cars were no longer following.

That's bad. I better get these guys pulled over fast before they completely get away, he rapidly thought before taking a tiny peek through the back window. He could see there was one man blocking his view of the front, meaning there were at least two thieves inside. Fortunately, having Jake in his current position kept any of them from seeing the reformed mutant that was peering in.

Globby proceeded to slowly and quietly slide under the door in order to enter the vehicle. While the thieves made another turn, he kept himself in puddle form as he weaved around the cash strewn in the back, getting in an optimal position. Once he was ready, Globby shot pink arms at Jake's mouth, torso and legs as he pulled him back, much to his surprise. After the shapeshifter snagged the thief, he placed duct tape over his mouth before changing his bindings to rope with no ends and placed him off to the side. The man started to grunt and struggle, but the high-speed driving and mouth gag rendered his efforts useless.

Up front, the other criminals were easing into excitement over their assured victory. "Woo! We lost them. Once we make it back to base and empty this car, we get the hell out of this town! Where do you want to go first?" Vic enthusiastically asked.

"I hear Bahimia is nice this time of year," casually came an unfamiliar voice in back. The two up front basically froze in bewilderment, causing Yuri to hit a parked car as he quickly slowed down and turned down an alley.

Once they stopped, the both looked in back and yelled, "Who's back there? Show yourself!" When they peered through the window, they only saw Jake tied up (as he aggressively tried to tell them something) and the large amount of cash; what they didn't see was Globby had formed himself along the front wall, preventing them from seeing him unless they stuck their heads in.

Yuri and Vic then got out of the armored vehicle and with their guns cocked and loaded, opened the back doors and still only finding what they saw before. Although they tried not to show it, this disappearing act and finding Jake tied up was rattling their nerves. Vic ordered one last time, "Show yourself or we will open fire!"

"…If you insist."

Vic and Yuri were both startled at this invisible response and started firing a couple shots into the back, making Jake roll over for cover. After they stopped, the back wall rippled and melted as Globby reformed into his pink and purple self, letting a confident smile cross his face.

The two criminals yelped from the surprise reveal and fired off a couple more shots to no avail as the bullets just passed through him. Globby merely raised a gelatinous eyebrow and responded, "Are you finished?"

Yuri and Vic didn't care to answer as they turned and started to run away. They got only 5ft away before they both got grabbed by giant pink, slimy hands as Globby captured them with ease. He pulled them back to him and proceeded to give the two thieves the same rope binding he gave Jake, but he didn't duct tape their mouths shut…yet.

"Now, I'm going to take you running away from me to mean 'Yes, you are finished.' So, either one of you got a cell phone I can use? And please give me a real answer this time," Globby asked as he put his hands to his hips.

Panic stricken, Yuri started to shout for help, but only got it out once before the shapeshifter shot a piece of tape over his mouth. "With this much cash here, you can bet I only want cops to come to your aid. So, again I'll ask, do either of you have a cell phone?" Globby inquired again and crossing his arms to show he meant business.

Vic looked both left and right, but seeming to find no way out of this, sighed in defeat and begrudgingly said, "Left pocket."

"There. That wasn't so hard," Globby remarked with a smile as he fished the phone out of the criminal's pocket as quickly (and hopefully least awkwardly) as he could. Afterwards, he created blindfolds for each of the thieves so they couldn't see his mimicry in action, which was much to their displeasure. He proceeded to step over the captured criminals as he shifted into a young man in his 20s wearing blue jeans and a yellow T-shirt. The disguised mutant stuck his head out of the alley so he could find a street sign fast before he dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello, I live in an apartment off Sycamore and Needle Rd. I was looking out of my window and I saw an armored car go down an alleyway; it seemed suspicious for this time of night and I haven't seen them come out yet. Please, send police as soon as you can because I'm pretty sure I heard gunshots," Globby informed the operator, being sure to add a scared tone to his voice.

"Confirmed. Police are in route."

"Thank you so much! Bye!" He quickly hanged up in case there were any follow up questions. The gelatinous mutant then went back to the criminals, where he placed the phone back on top of Vic, who felt the need to growl in anger before he got a patch of duct tape applied to his mouth.

"Tsk, tsk. There's no shame in losing, but there is in being a sore loser. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Globby said as he walked over the thieves again, past the vehicle and towards the back of the alley before briefly reverting back to normal. "I've got to get going. Cops aren't just looking for you." The reformed shapeshifter then changed himself into the bricks of the wall, allowing him to ascend to the top without drawing a lot of attention.

A moment later, the police could be heard approaching, making Globby lay down low and reminding him to look like a normal human again so his eyes wouldn't give him away if he was spotted. The sirens were still loudly wailing as four cop cars screeched to a stop outside of the alleyway, several of whom were automatically shouting for them to stick their hands up and surrender. Within seconds, the officers were lowering the weapons they had drawn and scratching their heads in confusion at the scene before them, making Globby silently chuckle.

A couple of the officers then approached the criminals as they removed their blindfolds and tape, causing them to give small "ows."

"Well, looks like someone made a citizen's arrest. Who did this?" one of the taller cops inquired.

"It was that freak Globby! Ambushed us and tied us up! He was just here we swear," Yuri rapidly answered as he tried to seem like the victim.

The same cop pulled his radio out and said, "Please be advised, the fugitive Globby has been spotted in the area. Be on the lookout and report anything suspicious. Radio in a helicopter ASAP."

Guess that's my cue to actually get going, Globby remarked to himself as he crawled backwards out of the line of sight before getting up. He let out a small sigh at the sad state of the situation, but quickly went back to the task at hand as he began running to the rooftop's edge. The shapeshifter then gave his legs some extra strength as he jumped up and over to the next building, continuing to do so until he was over 10 blocks away. Once sure he was free from prying eyes, he landed onto the roof of an abandoned warehouse before proceeding to slide down it, grabbing the roof's edge when he slid off and swinging himself through the open window. Inside the dark place, Globby could finally relax back into his pink and purple self as he gave a sleepy yawn. "Time for bed," he said to himself as he quickly fabricated a pillow and blanket to lay on. The gelatinous mutant then laid down for a well-deserved sleep; albeit, not in the most ideal location, but Globby was capable of making do.

That was definitely more excitement than my usual day, but it always fluctuates. Hopefully there will be something I can help with during my patrol tomorrow, the fugitive mutant contently thought as he lost consciousness and fell into a peaceful sleep.

On another day in early April, it was bright and sunny outside, which was a contrast to the rain the city of San Fransokyo got the day before. The streets were packed with cars caught in lunch traffic and contributing a fair amount of noise. It was along one of these streets the shapeshifter Globby (currently disguised as a man in his early 30s with a green T-shirt and khakis) found himself walking along. Every day he could, the gelatinous mutant would be out seeing if anything was happening and try to help. Admittedly, at the end of the day he was still one guy and couldn't be everywhere at once, but he'd usually find something he could contribute to.

As he was walking down Natto St., he glanced down the sidewalk and saw an older man who appeared to be struggling with getting his groceries out of his car. He quickly reached him and asked, "You uh, need any help?"

The man who looked to be in his mid 70s and wearing a teal shirt, tan pants and glasses turned his head and answered, "Why yes, thank you." The disguised mutant then took the lead as he grabbed the three heavy bags with ease and shut the door with his foot.

"I usually have my grandson help me, but he's been sick with mono and I ran low on essentials," the elder man explained as he slowly walked up the steps to his apartment. Globby followed suit and was waiting at the door as it was being unlocked. A moment later, the other man gestured him in and said, "Kitchen's to your left."

It was a modest place with pine-green walls, wood floors and a staircase with an electric chair going to the second floor. Globby passed by framed photos of family members hanging on the walls as he lifted the bags onto the granite countertop in the kitchen.

"I say, you must work out or something because they didn't give you any trouble like they did me; either that or I'm just getting old," the elderly man commented with a small laugh.

"It's probably the working out one," the shapeshifter kindly replied as he briefly looked to his right in nervousness. "So, need anything else before I leave Mr.…" he trailed off on not getting his name.

"Neil's fine. I think I can handle it from here. Thanks all the same," the older man called Neil said with a smile. "Not many people take the time out of their day now to pay attention to someone needing help like me."

Globby smiled right back and told him, "Well, lucky for you I've got nothing but time to do that. So, I guess if you're okay, I'm going to head out. Take care Neil and glad I could help. Oh, and hope your grandson gets better." The reformed mutant then waved goodbye as he walked back through the door to the outside, leaving Globby with a sense of accomplishment over his small deed and Neil feeling relieved it didn't take three trips to get his groceries in.

So, I did that. What's next? Globby pondered. As with any of his regular days as a fugitive, he journeyed on down the street and always kept an eye out for trouble. There were a few instances where he got to stealthily stop some crimes in progress, but most days it was just being a good Samaritan.

When it got to be around noon, Globby took a brief break from walking as he sat down on a bus stop bench. He mainly just relaxed and watched the cars drive by, as well as occasionally say "hi" if some else came to wait on the bus. Sadly, his breaks could not include naps unless he was somewhere isolated to prevent people seeing him change back to normal. If he did get tired, he'd discretely synthesized a cup of coffee to help or get back to walking; today however, the gelatinous shapeshifter was feeling good and got back to moving about 15 minutes later. He soon found himself walking near Miru Park, where the bike paths had a few riders on them and all the leaves in the trees were swaying in the breeze. Globby continued down the path he was on until he made it to the dog park where there were about a dozen pet owners playing with their fluffy fidos, ranging from a black and white-spotted Great Dane to a tan Pomeranian. "Aww," Globby couldn't help but audibly remark.

He stuck by the margins of the area, just watching them catch a ball or playing tug-o-war with a thick rope. The disguised mutant almost made it to the edge of the park when he noticed a Labrador was barking up a tree while his owner tried to pull him away from it. As Globby got closer, he could see on a branch about 12ft up there was an orange tabby gripping the tree limb while it hissed at the dog below.

A cat stuck in a tree: the original hero test. I absolutely have to do this, the former purse thief thought with determination. Just before he approached the barking dog, he closed his hand and made a tiny treat in hopes it would get the dog to back off. Globby then nonchalantly walked past the tree and tossed the food near enough for the Labrador to sniff it and completely forget about the cat, which gave his owner the chance to lead him away.

After a few seconds, Globby moved to the other side of the tree to find the tabby still was afraid to come down; upon closer inspection, he could see the cat had a collar with a little bell on it. Poor kitty. Probably missing his owner.

He first tried the usual "Here kitty" gesture for a minute, but was met with nothing. Next, he secretively made a mouse toy he pretended to pull out of his pocket and started to swing it near the orange cat, who did try to bat at it, but still didn't want to come down. For his third attempt, he looked around first to be sure no one was too close before he proceeded to climb the tree. With a little concentration, he briefly changed the palm of his hands back to their natural, sticky form and began quickly ascending the tree trunk to the branch with the cat on it.

"It's okay, it's okay. I just want to get you home," Globby calmly and gently talked to the tabby, who still warily stared at him. Fortunately, his experience with his own cat gave him an advantage as he then pulled out the toy he made back out and started to swing it to entice the orange kitty in. The cat fixated on the fake mouse, laying low and creeping closer as its hunting instincts kicked in. Finally, he lunged at the toy and pinned it down with its little tangerine paws. The reformed mutant proceeded to slowly reach over, and when he wasn't met with a hiss, began to scratch along the cat's back. The feline relaxed a bit and even started to purr, giving Globby enough confidence to pick the furry bundle up. "Mreow," went the cat, but he didn't struggle as the disguised shapeshifter went to read his collar and put the toy up.

"Well…Mango, let's get down from here," he simply said as he steadied the tabby with one arm while changing his other hand to safely climb back down. A moment later, the two were safely on the ground as Globby looked around to be sure no dogs were coming after them.

"It says here you live at 573 Hyacinth Pkwy. I think that's only a few blocks over. You'll be back home in no time," he told the cat as he kept petting him to keep him calm. The disguised fugitive proceeded to head north, being sure to avoid bumping into the afternoon commuters on the sidewalk. For the most part, the people didn't give him a second thought as he walked along carrying Mango, but there were a couple young kids (a boy and a girl) with their parents who noticed the cat and wanted to pet him. Globby briefly looked to the tabby for an answer before replying, "If he'll let you, you can."

They both got excited as they each stuck a hand out and after the orange kitty sniffed them, allowed the hands to gently pet his head and back. After about twenty seconds, the two kids decided that was enough as they then took their parents hands and continued to walk down the way. Something tells me they're going to be asking for a cat of their own really soon if they haven't already, Globby internally remarked as he continued his journey.

When he got to the next street corner, he saw that he was finally on Hyacinth Pkwy, so after examining the building numbers, took a right to find their destination. The reformed mutant walked past a flower shop advertising corsages and boutonnieres for prom, followed by a pizzeria that had a line out the door. I'll have to grab lunch soon. I don't think I've had anything all day, Globby silently noted. He then looked up at the numbers displayed on the buildings he passed.

569. 571. Yes! 573!

The shapeshifter stopped at the apartment with the appropriate number to find it was a blue-grey place that was two-stories tall. He could also make out some white curtains that were drawn, possibly the living room, and a small set of stairs leading to a dark brown door.

Globby looked down at the orange cat and simply stated, "Well, we made it." He proceeded to walk up to the front door and rang the door bell as he patiently waited outside. There was a sound of movement from within before the lock disengaged and the door opened, revealing a woman in her mid 50s wearing a pink blouse and dark navy pants.

"Hello?" she started off asking until she spotted Mango in the disguised mutant's arms.

"I uh, believe this is yours. Found him stuck up a tree in Miru Park," he explained as he handed the tabby over.

"Oh, we were wondering where he ran off to. He got out two days ago and we've been worried since," the woman said as she took the cat and proceeded to snuggle him. "Thank you for bringing him back Mr…."

For a split second, the reformed monster had a surprised expression on his borrowed face before he came up with a fake name to use. "Just call me Jerry and it was no problem. I couldn't stand to see him up that tree. Poor guy got chased up by a dog," Globby informed Mango's owner in a heartfelt tone.

"Poor buddy indeed," she reiterated as she gave the tabby more pets. "Please, let me give you something for your trouble," the woman offered as she turned head back in, but the disguised mutant put up a hand in protest.

"You don't have to ma'am. I'm just glad this had a happy ending for you and little Mango here," he said as he went to give the orange cat one last scratch under his chin. "And I'm sorry, but I didn't get your name," Globby inquired with a sheepish smile.

"It's Sonya," she answered promptly as she gave a little smile of her own.

"Well Sonya, I wish you both a good day. Oh, and here." He stopped as he quickly fished the mouse toy out of his makeshift pocket. "He really seemed to enjoy this," Globby told Sonya as he handed the item over to her, making Mango instinctively reached for it.

"I guess I have to thank you again. Lucky you had it on you when you did."

Yeah. Luck, he nervously thought. "I just figured if it works on my cat, it'd probably work on yours," he quickly explained. "Speaking of which, I had better head to the pet store and get a replacement for her. Stay out of trouble Mango," he added with a wink before waving goodbye and walking back down the steps.

Once the door was shut, Globby let out a sigh of relief. At least I can now add "cat saver" to my hero résumé, he jokingly said to himself as he started down the street. Man, I really should have started doing stuff like this a long time ago, he quietly reflected. Oh well. Glad I can still enjoy the satisfaction of helping even if they don't know it's me. Guess I'll just have to take it one day at a time like I've always done. Now, what's next?

NOTES

I of course had to do a cat stuck in a tree because it really is the original hero test (and you can bet Globby wouldn't pass it up, even if there was a chance he'd get his face scratched off ;) ). It would have been really nice if we could have seen what Globby was up to during the ~2 months he was a fugitive since we know he wouldn't be just sitting around doing nothing (at least that's the upside of being able to write it out as fan fiction). I also wanted to have him use his mimicry more since we hardly got to see this during the show. The armored car robbery was admittedly a lot of fun to write just because of Globby getting in some sass and showing that he can get the job done when it comes to stopping criminals. :) In addition, I had him use the old lady (I think her name was Maude in the short) disguise since he once tried to rob her and helped get her mural ruined when Fred tried to smash him with a wrecking ball. XD

I plan on writing more about what Globby was up too during this time in the future, so hopefully you enjoyed these two bits. :)

As an additional bit of trivia, I'm posting this on the 5-year anniversary of "Big Hero 6 The Series" premiering, so I think everyone has come a long way since "Baymax Returns" and it's hard to believe it's been so long. ^_^

The next story will show Fred and Olivia getting to go on their first date. ^_^