Hiro dodged the falling debris as he scanned the building. "Baymax. Anyone still in there?" Baymax shifted in the air and a beam of green light swept over the burning apartment complex.
"Yes. There is a boy on the fourth floor on the left side."
A digital blueprint appeared on the inside of Hiro's visor and he glanced at it before nodding.
"All right. Let's move, buddy."
Hiro guided Baymax up to the fourth floor and looked through the broken window. He could see that the hallway connected to the room was on fire, but not as badly as the first floor.
"Honey! Status report! Can you put out the fire on the fourth floor?"
Honey Lemon was on the first floor, throwing balls of chemicals through the window. As soon as one touched fire, it would snuff the fire out, yet it was slow-going.
"No! I'm sorry, but the first floor can't collapse. There are too many people!"
Around them, bystanders and media personnel were trying to get around the police and firemen standing in their way. It had been like this a lot lately. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of 'Big Hero 6'. The team was often hindered by them constantly swarming danger zones, as they were now. If the building collapsed, then the bystanders would get hurt.
"Bi! What about you?" Wasabi had just finished stabilizing a wall somewhat near Honey Lemon.
"No go, dude. I've got nothing."
Fred, not being able to do much in the situation, being a fire-breathing hero, was with GoGo, trying to keep the masses away. Hiro looked through the window again before disconnecting his suit from Baymax and climbing over him.
"I'm going in. Track me and be ready when I come out."
Baymax grabbed Hiro.
"I am your personal healthcare companion, and your discussed action is not recom-"
"Baymax, I need to get that kid out! My suit is practically fireproof and you won't fit. Plus we can't risk you breaking the wall and causing this place to collapse. Trust me." Hiro readjusted himself on Baymax's shoulder and looked through the window once more. The fire had spread to the bedroom. Suddenly, Hiro wasn't on Baymax's shoulder.
He was standing on the steps of the old San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.
Fire erupted from the building, knocking him off his feet. He looked back up at the building as fear coursed through him. He squeaked in terror and held Baymax close. Wait… Baymax?
And then, he was back. Hiro stared at Baymax, realizing that he was high in the air… and cradled in the robot's arms. "Hiro. What was that? Are you okay?" Wasabi looked up at his friend, having heard the squeak.
"Ya… I'm fine. I…" Hiro's vision shifted to a teenager trying to get past GoGo. He was close enough that Hiro could hear him clearly through her communicator.
"Please! Let me through! My little brother's in there!" The team members gasped and collectively snapped their gazes to Hiro in time to see him leap from Baymax's arms and into the burning building.
Hiro successfully avoided the glass and tucked into a ball. When he stopped rolling, he got to his feel and brought the digital blueprint up again.
"Baymax. Where's the kid?"
"You idiot!" GoGo's voice blasted through his communicator. "Get out of there!" Wasabi was frantic. Four voices were yelling at him at once.
"Stupid Runt!"
"Dude, stop!"
"Come back!"
"We can't lose you, too!" Honey Lemon's words left all but Hiro silent.
"Someone has to help." Hiro took a deep breath of clean air from his helmet and dashed out of the room and down the hallway.
"Baymax! Don't leave me hanging!"
"My sensors indicate that the boy is in the adjacent corridor, third housing unit on the left."
Hiro ran to the next hallway and scrambled to the door. A brief glance to his right rewarded him with a safe-looking way out. Perfect. When he found the kid, that would be where he went. He tugged on the doorknob. Locked. Figures.
"It… it's locked!"
"Check under the welcome mat, little man! That's where all the keys are!" Taking Fred's advice, Hiro yanked at the welcome mat.
"I've got it!" Hiro shoved the key in the lock, turned it, and rushed through the door. "Hey! Kid! I'm here to help you! Where are you!?" Hiro ran around the room, but didn't see him. "Baymax!?"
"The boy is in the laundry room to your right, Hiro." Hiro ran to the room and yanked the door open. He risked a glance behind him and swore. The room had already been on fire when he had burst in. Now, he could hardly see anything not on fire. He pushed the fear away once more and frantically searched the smoke-filled room. It was so small! Where would a kid hide? No. Where would he hide from something scary? Hiro turned and yanked the closet open.
The boy in the closet squeaked and tried to back away, but started coughing before he could succeed. Hiro bent down.
"Hey… it's okay. I'm here to help you." Hiro winced as a piece of the ceiling crashed down behind him. Hiro reached forward to get the boy, but the boy just backed further into the closet. "Uh…" Hiro panicked a bit.
"L… look!" Hiro pushed a button on his helmet and the visor clicked up.
"Hiro, my sensors indicate that you have raised your visor. The smoke inhalation will…" Hiro clicked the communicator off. Immediately, his nose, throat, and lungs burned, but he forced it aside.
"See? I'm just like you." The boy looked at him, but didn't move. "What's your name?" They were running out of time!
"D… Daisuke."
"Daisuke, huh? Well, Daisuke… I'm going to need some help from you right now. Will you come with me?" Daisuke nodded and started to get up before a coughing fit wracked his body. Hiro acted quickly. He pulled his helmet off and put it on Daisuke. He pressed a button and the visor slid down. The helmet adjusted to Daisuke and immediately, fresh air filled the helmet.
Hiro half-dragged Daisuke out of the small room, and a tiny part of his brain told him that the boy wasn't any older than ten. Hiro tapped the communicator back on. "Guys…" Hiro coughed. "I got him." There was a collective sigh from the team.
"Baymax", Hiro croaked. Fire was everywhere. Hiro's face was covered in soot, and he couldn't breathe. "The doorway is on fire and the original escape route is bogus. Where do we go?"
"There is a window across the apartment in a bedroom. I can access it without damaging the building's structure. Go left, Hiro."
Hiro moved his legs as fast as he could. In seconds, the window was in sight. Hiro tore the blinds off and opened the window. True to his word, Baymax was there.
Daisuke squeaked again and backed away.
Hiro panicked.
"What!? Where are you going!?"
Daisuke pointed at Baymax. "He's scary!"
Suddenly, fire rushed into the room at full force.
"Look, he's just like me! Under the mask is a cute and huggable friend! Please, trust me!" Hiro struggled to speak, and their time was officially out. After Daisuke refuse to move, Hiro grabbed his sleeve and shoved him toward the window. Spots appeared in Hiro's vision.
"Go!" He pushed Daisuke out of the window and Baymax expertly caught him. Hiro coughed and clumsily tried to scramble out the window, yet his time was more than out, and he collapsed halfway through. Luckily, there was Baymax. The robot lifted his patient out of the window and held him close, angling his head so that his face wouldn't be seen. The four 'Big Hero 6' members on the ground let out sighs of relief once they saw their smallest member safely out of the building.
Baymax gently lowered himself to the ground. Daisuke's brother couldn't be restrained any longer, and he broke free from GoGo's grip.
"Daisuke!"
"Brother!"
Baymax removed Hiro's helmet from Daisuke and slipped it onto Hiro. Instantly, the fresh air revived him and he coughed. That was a good sign. Daisuke held out his arms as his brother rushed over to the group. The older brother picked up Daisuke from Baymax's arms and held him close, crying as he stroked the boy's hair.
"I thought… I thought you wouldn't…" He turned to Hiro. "I… can't thank you enough. I wouldn't be able to go on without him. Thank you."
Hiro smiled. "You're welcome."
Seemingly at once, Firemen, EMS, and the media swarmed the four. The firemen and EMS weren't a bother, since they had been productive the whole time. An Emergency Medical Service worker placed an oxygen mask on Daisuke and motioned for the two to get into an ambulance. The older brother stood up with Daisuke in his arms and bowed deeply to Hiro before straightening and walking away. Daisuke waved at Hiro, and Hiro weakly returned the gesture. Ya, the firemen and EMS were cool… but the media…
Dozens of microphones and cameras were shoved into Hiro's face. Luckily, the team, with the exception of Fred, had tinted their visors in the eye area so that they could see clearly out, yet no one could see in.
"Are you the leader of 'Big Hero 6'!?"
"Who are you!?"
"How old are you!?"
"Why did you rescue the boy!?"
Hiro had remained calm until someone had grabbed the back of his helmet and pulled. Hiro gasped and pushed the helmet back down.
Abruptly, a dam broke. Hands shot out from nowhere and everywhere toward Hiro. Baymax, sensing danger, enveloped Hiro in a super-hug and stood to his full height. The people around the pair stood back, and Baymax took the opportunity to leave. He blasted off from the ground and circled around the building. Baymax fastened Hiro to his back and let his arms hang down. By that time, the masses had swarmed the other team members and started pulling at their suits as well. Wasabi was the first to get away. He leapt into the air and grabbed Baymax's right arm. GoGo jumped on next, followed by Honey Lemon and Fred.
The six team members soared over the city. Once they were safe, Baymax spoke.
"While sustaining no long-term or life threatening injuries, Hiro requires medical attention immediately." The group looked at their smallest member. He was unconscious. Only the powerful magnets connecting him to Baymax kept him from falling.
When they arrived at Fred's mansion, the team tore of Hiro and Baymax's suits in their haste to heal Hiro. Once they reached the medical bay, Baymax put an oxygen mask on Hiro and pushed the team out the door.
"I will inform you when he can be seen." The four college student reluctantly left the room. The team walked through Fred's house, pointing out various things and commenting on them to waste time. Eventually, they decided to just head to Fred's bedroom and relax. Once situated in Fred's bedroom, the group slumped onto the couch. Some armor was shed, and some was kept on. The four sat in silence before it was broken. Abruptly.
"How dare he!?" GoGo jumped from the couch and stormed around the room. She pulled a stick of gum from her pocket and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed furiously for a few moments before blowing a bubble and popping it. "Doesn't he know that he could have ended up like…" She froze.
"Like Tadashi." Honey Lemon supplied. "And what were you expecting Hiro to do after hearing Daisuke's brother on the transmitter? Huh? Leave the kid in there?"
GoGo slumped onto the couch once more. "He should have waited for help…"
"From who?" Honey Lemon looked pointedly at GoGo."You and Fred were busy with crowd control, and Wasabi and I were occupied with keeping the fire under control on the first floor. Baymax wouldn't have fit through without possibly knocking over a wall and bringing the place down!"
GoGo made to respond, but Wasabi stopped her. "You're right, GoGo. He was recklace and should have told us his plan before literally leaping into action, but you can't be too mad at him."
GoGo huffed and sat back. "Fine… but I'm still going to give him a stern talking to." The three other friends smiled at GoGo. Just then, the doors to the room opened and an exhausted, yet seemingly fine Hiro was wheeled in by Baymax.
The four older students jumped up and watched as Baymax wheeled Hiro to the side of the couch. Hiro glanced up at his fellow students before turning to Baymax.
"Uh… Go get some rest, buddy. I'm satisfied with my care." Baymax patted Hiro on the head, walked to the charging station in the corner, and deflated into his container.
Hiro watched this silently, the, turned to his team.
"…Are you guys okay?" Simultaneously, the group embraced their youngest member. All at once, they talked, cried, and held him close. Hiro simply closed his eyes and let them do as they wanted, yet suddenly, there was no noise and no one hugging him. He curiously opened his eyes.
GoGo was standing in front of him.
"Um…"
"What were you thinking, runt!?" GoGo grabbed Hiro by his shirt and tipped him back in his wheelchair. It was locked, so he couldn't move. The back wheels kept his head from hitting the floor, but that wasn't much of a comfort.
"Don't you dare do that again, understand!? We could have lost you! You could be dead!"
"It's because this was a fire, right?" GoGo was silent. Hiro nodded. "Thought so." He righted himself and looked at the group. "GoGo is right. One wrong move in that building… and I might be with Tadashi right now." He avoided their gazes and continued. "But I'm not sorry about saving Daisuke. You guys knew that once I heard his brother, I wasn't going to let him go through what I have." He sat back and ran a hand through his hair. "However, I'm sorry about scaring you guys. I promise that I'll never run… jump… blindly into a situation like that again." He rested his hands in his lap and stared at the group.
GoGo sighed.
"Whatever, pipsqueak."
Honey Lemon and Wasabi sat back in relief. Fred grinned and picked up the remote.
"Now that that's settled, how about some T.V.?" Fred turned on the television. A cartoon came to life on the screen, and the heroes relaxed. After a few cartoons, Honey Lemon pointed out that the city news would be on soon. This was met with carefully neutral faces, yet Fred expertly switched the channel over.
'Tonight, we bring you news regarding the devastating fire that engulfed a San Fransokyo apartment complex earlier today. As you loyal viewers are aware, the super team 'Big Hero 6' is still at large.' The team grimaced at the word usage. 'Today, the team could be seen at the scene of the fire. Over the past few months, the team's actions have come into question by citizens wondering why the team keeps secret identities.'
GoGo snorted.
"To hide from your ugly face."
Honey Lemon shushed her.
'Regardless, the team was present at today's mega fire.' Footage from the scene of the fire appeared on the screen. In the video, Honey Lemon threw chemical ball after chemical ball at the fire on the first floor. 'Whether or not this 'Big Hero 6' member is helping or hindering the situation is up for debate. Supporters of the team say that she was helping to stop the fire, while others say that she was purposefully making it worse.' Honey glared at the screen. The footage changed and scenes of Wasabi, Fred, and GoGo were shown. 'Yet, the most interesting development came from the team's supposed leader.' The footage changed once again and Hiro was shown on the screen. Hiro could be seen looking at the ground for several moments before literally leaping off of Baymax and through the window.
Hiro winced. "Okay, that looked worse than I thought I thought it would."
Immediately, the footage jumped, and Daisuke, with Hiro's helmet, was shown being shoved out of the window, followed by Hiro. The camera then shot forward, seemingly trying to catch a glimpse of his face, yet Hiro was angled perfectly. How could not be identified. The footage continued and Hiro was picked up by Baymax, held protectively from then on. Once more, the footage jumped. Hiro and Baymax were on the ground with Daisuke and his brother. The exchange between Hiro and Daisuke's brother could be seen, yet, like the rest of the footage, there was no sound. Then, the swarm happened.
People rushed the group, and Hiro had to fight to keep his helmet on. The footage progressed until the team had left the scene. Then, the view cut back to the newscaster.
'While we didn't have a chance to interview the team members, we did get the chance to interview the boy who was rescued and his brother.' Hiro shot forward, eyes glued to the screen. Good to their word, footage of the brothers appeared. The interviewer asked Daisuke what he thought of the person in purple who had helped him get out of the building.
'Well. I was scared of him at first, but then he gave me his helmet and I could breathe again! He helped me out of my hidey place and got me to the window. He didn't look very good, like, he looked sick, but he told me to trust his friend and pushed me to him!' Daisuke hugged his brother. 'The hero saved me.'
Daisuke's brother took the microphone.
"Daisuke… is all that I have. For years, is has just been me and him against the world. He's my everything, and I can't imagine living life without him.' He hugged his little brother tighter and bowed deeply again. He then straightened. 'As an older brother, I thank you, hero, for saving my little brother.' His eyes looked directly at the camera before he kissed his brother's forehead and said goodbye to the interviewer.
The screen shifted back to the newscaster. 'And there you have it. While the apartment complex was lost, no one was killed. Foul play has not been ruled out. We'll bring you more news as it becomes available.'
Fred turned the television off. Everyone glanced at Hiro, whose hair was hiding his face. Then, Hiro slowly got to his feet and left the room, closing the door to Fred's room and walking the short distance to a spare bedroom. The friend looked at each other before getting to their feet and exiting the room. They carefully walked to the spare bedroom and stopped at the door. A muffled sob left the room, and their hearts broke. Honey reached for the door handle, yet stopped when a hand touched her shoulder. Baymax put his hand down.
"I heard a sound of distress." He scanned the door. "Hiro is crying." He blinked twice. "Diagnosis: sadness. Recommended treatment: family." He slowly grasped the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open and quickly shutting it. He walked over to Hiro, who was sitting on the floor. Baymax sat next to Hiro on the floor and hugged him tightly.
"You are sad."
Hiro hiccupped. "Ya, buddy. A little." Hiro wiped his nose on his sleeve.
Baymax blinked. "The recommended treatment is family."
Hiro laughed. "Ya, but I don't have much of a family left." Baymax looked down as his belly lit up.
"Your family has been contacted."
Hiro gasped.
"Aunt Cass!? No! You can't let her know about the superhero stuff!"
Baymax blinked once more. "I am aware of this."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. It opened, and Honey Lemon peeked in.
"Hey, Baymax… we got your message." Honey Lemon, GoGo, Wasabi, and Fred walked into the room and flopped down in random places around Hiro.
Fred grabbed a remote and pressed a few buttons. A T.V. came down from the ceiling.
"Family is a great treatment, but it goes better with T.V.."
Hiro smiled at his friends and leaned into Baymax. "You're right, Fred."
The six friends leaned together as various snacks and drinks appeared from random places in the room. Fred gathered the goods up and handed them out. Ya, family was a great treatment.
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I do not own Big Hero 6.
More to come. Please review.