I've got a dark alley and a bad idea

[bigdamnhiro]

[Hiro's really, actually sneaking into a bar called the Mean-Eyed Cat. The irony doesn't escape him.

He could be at home, at The Lucky Cat, but no. Mean-Eyed Cat it is.

That he even manages to sneak in behind a couple of conversationalists in ill-fitting suits is dumb luck; it's freezing out (it's snowing, it hasn't snowed in years), business is slow, whatever bouncer should be watching the door is hanging out at the counter instead where he doesn't have to deal with the drafts from the door. That he makes it to the other opposite end of the taproom and into the back hall before the bartender manages to mutter a hey wait is because he's small and knows how to duck behind obstacles and look inconspicuous.

Nobody comes after him, so that's a plus. He pauses at a corridor corner to get a good look around and listen to the noise, see if he can get some kind of direction.

He has a small port of Baymax's scanner, but it doesn't have the power to give him more than a general location. From there it was always going to take his own resourcefulness to find the guy. But he's definitely in this building - Hiro asked around, got some incredulous talk about the old-timer, yōkai, guy with the metal creepies, doesn't talk much, at that one bar down the street - stuff like that.

There's a couple of empty rooms - couches and televisions and darts, chipped paint and cracked baseboards, low hanging ceiling bulbs and so much dust and secondhand smoke he fights off a coughing fit - and then there's one with voices, near the back. He peers through the cracked door and finds who he's looking for, skulking on a couch in the back. Between the two of them, though, there's a couple of thugs playing pool and talking shit at each other.

Okay. He was sort of hoping Callaghan would be alone.

He tightens his grip on the folded duster tucked under his arm and stuffs the other in his pocket, fingers tightening around the solid metal object inside. And then he shoulders his way through the door.]

Hey. Delivery for the guy with the metal creepies.

Comments

[pushtheboundaries]

[in Callaghan's defense, he didn't choose the bar. and he's mulling over how he decidedly didn't /choose/ the circumstances he's in, slouched on the couch, flexing his fingers and watching as the microbots shift back and forth upon it. with his face shadowed by the hood a grouping of have formed - what's now become a familiar weight of the blanket upon his shoulders and head - it's hard to read him, but the general attitude he's projecting is one of irate boredom.

they invited him to play pool with them. he declined. so now they're passing the time in their own ways, waiting for a few others to arrive so that they can get things started. in his case, it's working a bit on his control, nuances of commands, the signal, whatever methods have bonded him with these stolen things that have proven to be almost more trouble than they're worth...

some subtle probing of boundaries, that is to say. if he closes his eyes and keeps his hand still, he can practically visualize it just by the feel of the microbots moving over it- but he's not sure if that's because of his own sense of touch and pressure, or because he's picking something off of them. he'll have to experiment a bit more...

only his fist grips as the door opens, eyes opening, and for a moment there's only the three of them staring at Hiro in surprise. it wouldn't be the first time that there's been a kid used as a messenger - they're usually overlooked - so the thugs, while surprise, only react with so much hostility other than looking at each other and then towards Yokai.

Yokai, mind, is gripping his fist, the sudden writhing of microbots the only warning before they lunge off him for Hiro himself.

ever seen a dog leaping to attack? it's not so dissimilar. though the snarl is purely Callaghan's, as he starts to get to his feet]

[bigdamnhiro]

[Hiro would be lying if he said he didn't expect a reaction kind of like this; fortunately, he has a backup plan.

The thing he whips out of his pocket is unimpressive, a small, metal device that looks like one of those hand buzzers you'd pick up from a prank shop somewhere. But then he hits the switch, and the microbots that get anywhere near him are suddenly falling apart, magnetic bonds broken, sending them scattering to the floor around him. The effect isn't far-ranged; it doesn't touch anything more than a couple feet away, so the bots that don't get close enough are free to do as they please. But for now, they can't get close.

Hiro lets out a nervous breath he didn't know he was holding and starts the countdown timer in the back of his mind. He tested this, he knows he can reliably get one minute and forty-seven seconds out of this thing; every second after that is a gamble on how fast the battery will run down to zero.

Which means he needs to talk fast. He forces his way forward, cutting a path through the microbots.]

Will you chill? I didn't come here to start a fight!

[pushtheboundaries]

[Callaghan had said that he was done with Hiro and his brother. it likely wouldn't have been a welcome reception, even if he hadn't spent the last few days with the dawning understanding that if he stays in any place for too long, the chances of a certain monstrosity coming after him rise and rise.

he's more angry at himself than Hiro, though, for not realizing that /of course/ Hiro would find something to counter those, he had before, but he's still anything but friendly as the two thugs look at one another, back to him, pick up on the unspoken signals and move away from the pool table with their cues gripped like bo staffs

and Callaghan doesn't make a single step to stop them, instead making a short noise of derision as his eyes lock in on Hiro's]

Come for a test run of your latest tech, instead?

[a few more spears of microbots lance for him- ineffectually. the others try to pull themselves back together, while those not affected keep around him like writhing snakes, all rattling and angry

[bigdamnhiro]

[One minute, thirty-one seconds.

Hiro yelps and ducks the swing of a pool cue. He may not be as strong or as skilled with it as is brother, but he's not without basic self-defense training. He just...was sort of hoping he wouldn't have to use it like this. He took care to prepare for the microbots, not thugs with fists, and even with the microbots repulsed for the moment they're still there at the edge of his vision, distracting him, creating a nervous undercurrent]

There are - oof - easier ways to test than this! [There's a hand on his wrist; Hiro grabs back and twists, until he can slam his heel into the back of a locked elbow, not hard enough to break any arms but enough to startle so he can get free.] I came to talk!

[Fifty-eight seconds.]

[pushtheboundaries]

Somehow I doubt that.

[sore? a little. a little lot, actually, and he's just stepping forwards as the two thugs do what they're best at doing; beat someone up. or- attempt to. Hiro's proving to be quite adept at the whole 'dodging' thing.

the fact that Hiro's still a child hardly even registers. he's established himself as a peer, an equal- and a threat. so while the thugs are applying their street training and getting caught up in one another and only getting so much done, the microbots are reaching for /them/ instead of Hiro, pulling them back, and their keeper is grabbing the boy by the scruff of his shirt and slamming him against the nearest wall.

for all the toll the last few weeks - months - have taken upon him, he's kept himself in shape. it helps that Hiro hasn't hit his growth spurt, though.]

After all, there's nothing like a live test subject, is there?

[bigdamnhiro]

[It's not like he isn't used to this. Maybe not now, not anymore, but when he was in high school - all the time. Shoved up against lockers, thrown across cafeteria tables, getting the fight beat out of him and then locked inside utility closets. If he ignores that Callaghan is so much older and probably equipped with way more killing intent, and the microbots skittering at the peripherals of his shield - forty-one seconds - he can pretend it's just high school again.

He doesn't respond right away, wheezing, trying to get his breath back while his heart beats a rabbit-quick rhythm against the inside of his ribcage. He drops his eyes to the floor and grimaces.]

I - made a mistake. I didn't know it would do that to you, and I never should've used it like that once I did. I was wrong. I get it.

[He shoves Callaghan's coat at him, the one he'd taken such care to bring along. There's an envelope pinned to one of the sleeves, with the photos inside.]

Also, you dropped this.

[muffled one republic playing in the background]

[pushtheboundaries]

[on one level, it's nice to hear an apology. on the other, it's too late to apologize at this point, and Robert seems more derisive than anything, shoving Hiro just a bit harder against the wall while holding out his other hand in an unspoken demand.

one of the cues is promptly placed in it.]

Of course you do. What's next, an apology for what you s-

[his sneer is cut off by the clothing being shoved at him. he looks down briefly at it, curls his lip, then looks back up at Hiro- and then half-drops, half-tosses him to the ground. the cue is promptly pressed to him, an unspoken warning to stay down as Callaghan's now free hand grips the clothing and-

-what's that?

the thugs - though confident that the man can handle things from here - are nonetheless sticking around to watch, but they're a little confused about this. still, one can't help but crack a joke; he tryin' to be your laundry boy or somethin'?

Callaghan doesn't even deign it with a response, though the brief shift of microbots towards the thug is enough to shut him up. the other shoves him lightly, because dude, you know he ain't got no sense of humor]

[bigdamnhiro]

[Eighteen seconds. Hiro is painfully aware of both his time ticking away and of the pool cue digging into his ribs; he considers giving this up and making a break for it, but with Callaghan and both his wingmen between him and the door, he's not sure how far he'd get. He stays on the floor.

The microbots are still there - always there, lurking just out of range but reminding him they're waiting with the quiet rustle of metal parts folding geometrically over one another as they move. Eleven seconds. He stifles a whimper. People don't scare him as much as the microbots scare him; he made them, but they scare him.

Eight seconds. Start talking. faster.]

That's yours, too.

[A jerk of his head toward the envelope. One second. Zero. Time's up, twist the knife.]

Abigail, right?

[His shield lasts approximately three seconds longer than estimated, and then there's a beep as it powers down.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[keeping Hiro down with the cue - for all the good that'll do if he tries to get up, but the warning's there, and if he /does/ move, well, he was warned - Robert manages to juggle the coat to where he's grasping at that envelope just as Hiro indicates it properly. he frowns at it, looking back, confusion warring with lingering hostility is this some kind of

trick

and a look of surprise crosses his face as the microbots go very, very still.

for a few more seconds there's nothing, tension filling the air as he stares at Hiro and the two thugs stare at one another because the hell? Yokai was just about to end the kid but with his back to them they can't read him properly, and that first one half-raises his cue because he's not sure if they need to go back to ending the kid for him, laundry boy or not, but then the microbots are deliberately rolling in to the distance between them all as Robert speaks very, very quietly;]

Out. Now.

[wait, what's he go-

oh shit there go the microbots as he half-turns, outright snarling in anger at being ignored, because he just gave another warning and it wasn't listened to and with the hostility turned upon, them the two goons practically trip over one another in their haste to get out.

a moment later, the pool cue upon Hiro is tossed to the side as Callaghan uses both hands to open the envelope and pull out the photos inside.

if his hands are trembling, he doesn't seem to notice.]

[bigdamnhiro]

[If Hiro is trembling for his own reasons, hopefully Callaghan doesn't notice that either. He exhales in relief, pushing himself up off the floor with shaky arms and taking a careful step back. He's mindful of where he places his feet; the microbots are all over now, and they can get as close as they want.

He keeps still and quiet for several long moments. No sudden movements, no loud noises, no sprinting for the door. The goons may be gone but the microbots are much faster and much more volatile - because Callaghan is volatile, and Hiro still isn't sure how he's going to take this, he hasn't said or done anything yet -

Hiro swallows hard. He's watching the microbots moving around him, not Callaghan.]

I thought, maybe, you'd want those back.

[pushtheboundaries]

[the microbots are quite a bit more responsive than Callaghan is. they don't seem quite certain what to do, really; a group still seems to be wary of him, circling him in quick motions and making tiny feints- others have returned to their controller, crawling up on him and...clinging to him? is that the way to describe it?

finally, after what seems like hours of just staring at the photos he hadn't even thought about them and he knows and a gloved thumb reverently traces over the face of a woman who hasn't been there since Abigail was a child but whom he still misses so damn much

he brings himself back to reality, glancing up at Hiro and pressing his lips together in a wide, unhappy expression. then, abruptly, he turns away- but only to move back to and sit down in the couch, the photos returned to their envelope and carefully placed within his current jacket. it's nowhere near as long or as sweeping as the coat was, but it's black, and it's worked for what he's needed it to. that's not important.

what's important is him leaning forwards with his hands in his lap, eyes on the boy, and his very simple statement;]

You have five minutes.

[bigdamnhiro]

[Five minutes is more than enough. When he gets going, Hiro can talk fast, and he'd originally had to plan this for two anyway. He plants his feet firmly on the floor - no more jerking around trying to avoid microbots - and faces Callaghan directly.

Deep breath.]

Tadashi's dying.

[It hangs in the air for a moment, not because Hiro's trying to let it sink in but because - he has to stop, for a second. He hasn't told anybody else this, not even Tadashi himself, and saying it out loud is a scary kind of confirmation.]

Or what I mean is - something's wrong. Not emotionally, not medically, and I don't have any science to explain this to you except that he gets see-through like he's on the edge of not existing anymore, and it makes him sick and weak and it's not good. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it's gonna kill him, eventually.

And Krei Tech has something to do with it. I know they do, because I pulled the security footage from the hospital the day they called about Tadashi.

[He does pause for a second to let that sink in.]

You know more about what's going on inside that company than anybody.

[pushtheboundaries]

[five minutes is all Callaghan needs to get some form of backup ready, should he need it. in the distance, he can imagine a greater mass of microbots, ready and willing to come should he just ask them to- but for now he makes do with the ones he has, the same ones that are rebuilding upon his shoulders. the coat is brought a distance towards him, but only given so much direct attention; especially as Hiro drops the proverbial bomb.

he blinks.

on one level, his first impulse is you've got time to say goodbye- and a subtle glance towards the side wall reminds him of what happened another time when Hiro brought up Tadashi's death, and him reacting on impulse. with the constant movements he's had to make, he clenches his jaw to help keep those words at bay, in no mood to have the thing enter like some sort of dark parody of the Kool-Aid man if he says the wrong thing.

the microbots upon him flex unhappily, forming subtle hackles upon his shoulders as he looks back at Hiro. he does not like feeling as though he's under duress, even if there's a dark and morbid satisfaction at the thought of Krei finally screwing up so he has a reason to go after in him force like he promised...

he brings a hand to his mouth, rubbing the skin there. not so much for the gesture, as to unconsciously mask some of his expression.]

So- what? You're going to offer calling off Baymax if I help you?

[he sounds...irate. at best.]

[bigdamnhiro]

Wait, what?

[He had all his words carefully chosen, all the possibilities thought out, but this catches him off guard. He has no context or frame of reference for why Callaghan would choose to bring up Baymax now, when it should be obvious he didn't bring the nurse bot with him. The idea was to present as little of a threat as possible by not bringing any armor, or armored robots.

He stares at Callaghan for a long couple of moments, frowning, eyes narrowed, tilting his head trying to get a read on what's going on. He's learning that while Callaghan might be unreadable, the microbots make him an open book - and right now they look unsettled, angry.

Is it paranoia? Is Callaghan that afraid of Baymax?]

Call him off of what? I left him at home. He's not coming after you, and even if he did, it wouldn't be like - like - [He fumbles over the words, a flash of red pinprick eyes coming to mind; another deep breath.] - it wouldn't be like before. I patched all the possible loopholes and made everything dependent on his healthcare programming so he can't - can't be used to hurt people.

[He doesn't trust himself not to do it again someday, so he took the option away. Simple. But he's not going to say that out loud.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[remember how the microbots were just raising up? they're flexing more and more as Hiro goes on, and Callaghan's expression is darkening, until he finally shoves himself to his feet, throwing out a hand to the side] Don't lie to me! I haven't spent the last week barely able to sleep because a few hours after I'm in one place, there's that thing coming after me!

[and then something clicks. occam's razor. if Hiro didn't program it to attack- and based on everything else that's happened-]

Has another thing you've 'improved upon' gone rogue, then? Is that what you're telling me?

[he may not be making a move towards Hiro, but those writhing pieces of metal? they're pulling in tight, as though to form some sort of armor or shield to protect him. a warped sort of chainmail, perhaps.]

[bigdamnhiro]

[Maybe the microbots haven't gone after him yet, but Hiro takes two or three steps back anyway once Callaghan's on his feet. All the alarm bells in his head are screeching crazy and he finds himself reaching for one of the discarded pool cues without thinking about it.

This is stupid. This is so stupid, why did he even try, Callaghan's not even in his right mind and no matter what Hiro says to him it gets twisted into something else. He balls his fists and snaps right back.]

No, that's not what I'm telling you! What I'm telling you is it's impossible because I made it impossible when I rebuilt him. Besides, I think somebody would've noticed if Baymax went missing for huge chunks of time to go beat the streets for a crazy asshole in a mask!

Maybe it's an ugly dog! Maybe you're hallucinating! Did you ever consider the microbots might be messing with your head?

[pushtheboundaries]

[Callaghan knows they're messing with his head. but he also knows, deep down, that this isn't one of those. he knows that there's some nuances changing within him, he's finding it easier and easier to consider and commit things he never thought himself capable of, but he's not sure how much is outright himself and just given the opportunity and motive to do so-

-because, after all, he is only human. and humans do things. it's one of the reasons he was so passionate about robotics, because robotics were simple in comparison.

nonetheless, like /hell/ he'll admit that- instead he reaches for his pant leg, hoisting it up. while he does have the wrappings there to hold them in place, the ones on his left are now revealed to be microbots, and he doesn't-quite-sag with them shifting around the limb. they almost seemed to be doubling as a guard, but now...]

Does this look like a hallucination!?

[...now, with an exoskeleton-like frame, it's clear that he needs them to actually /stand/. there is an injury, there, one that is fresh and gruesome and ugly. even with the basic first aid Callaghan's applied, it's clear that this is something that needs further attention]

You want further proof? Fine. Wait here for a few more hours, I'm sure I could get the bartender to even get you a drink. I wasn't planning on staying any longer than I needed than for Yama to make good on his promise of a doctor, but if that's what it takes for you to see the full consequences of your actions, fine.

[bigdamnhiro]

[Hiro presses a hand to his mouth, fighting off a sudden wave of nausea. He's not prepared for this. He doesn't have a sharp reply or a logical counter that he hasn't already given, except that this is recent and Hiro knows Baymax was docked at his charging station just this morning, that he'd been there all night long. But Callaghan isn't going to hear it.

Something hurt him. Hiro isn't convinced it's Baymax, but there's still that festering, tiny doubt, like what if, beyond all odds, it was true and somehow this all came back to him. Full consequences of your actions. Hiro flinches visibly.

Even if Callaghan's really paranoid and making this up, that's still a direct consequence of setting Baymax on him in the first place.]

I didn't do this. I swear. I don't know what's chasing you, but it isn't Baymax.

[pushtheboundaries]

[there's a bitter satisfaction at Hiro's reaction- hadn't realized it might not be quick and clean like you hoped?- but he remains standing for a few more moments before letting out a heavy breath and letting the microbots return to their position.]

I don't have any reason to trust you.

[there's a slight wince as they reseat themselves and as he sits down, but it'll pass. with the area deliberately numbed it's more uncomfortable than painful, especially with the microbots taking the weight. he still tries not to move it more than he has to, especially not when any revealing of weakness...

...hell, it was a bit frustrating to even ask for that doctor, with the forced promise of assisting in a heist.]

[bigdamnhiro]

[Hiro growls out a frustrated noise, eyes on the floor and fists balled at his side. He should give up, he's obviously not getting anywhere. But he's stubborn. In his opinion, more stubborn than one old man with a grudge and no sleep.

He came here to get information to help his brother. He's not giving up that easily.]

So you're not gonna help me. Fine.

[He pulls up a bar stool and plunks down on it, folding his arms and raising his chin.]

I'm gonna help you find and stop whatever's chasing you, and then you'll owe me again. Simple.

[pushtheboundaries]

[get out, Hiro. Callaghan certainly expects him to do as much, and by the beginnings of the slouch, seems about ready to return to his earlier position.

before pausing, as Hiro seats /himself/. he blinks a few times, expression shifting in to a slightly different frown.

you're serious, he wants to say. instead...he manages to snort, lightly, hiding his surprise by running a hand through his hair]

I was going to meet some people here.

[and you being around is going to make things incredibly awkward.]

[bigdamnhiro]

[Yama's doctor, right. And whoever of Yama's crew decides to come with him. Hiro stifles the nervous look threatening to dart across his face and shrugs instead, scooting the stool over and emptying his pockets on to the pool table. Battery-drained EMP generator, a small screwdriver, some rubber bands and a couple of nickels, and his phone.

He swipes a button on the screen and brings up the info he needs to get in touch with Baymax. Easy. He's text-enabled; Hiro can get him to hop a bus downtown with one simple message.

....And then he hides it behind a game of tetris, just in case.]

Don't let me interrupt you. Unless you'd like somebody with a little bit more medical experience to look at that.

[pushtheboundaries]

[the fact that Hiro's turning out his pockets without even being asked is...a little surprising, honestly. Callaghan might have demanded it as a condition, if and or when it occurred to him. a reassurance that he hadn't other tricks up his sleeves, so to speaks. he can't help but glance over, brow furrowing before he glances towards some of the microbots as if to ask 'seriously?'

they make the rough equivalent of a shrug.]

If your brother's waiting outside, I'm going to be a little upset.

[it probably says something about the quality of care he's expecting that Tadashi is 'somebody with a little bit more medical experience'.]

[bigdamnhiro]

Yeah, right.

[He laughs a little in spite of himself. Hiro has some lines he won't cross, but there are far more he wouldn't think twice about crossing - especially when his brother's life is at stake. Tadashi's...not that kind of person. He's too good for his own good, sometimes.

Hiro doesn't like lying to him, but he doesn't have time for "safe" solutions.

He sneaks a sidelong glance at Callaghan, and then quickly, while he's looking at his microbots, keys in a message with a series of commands to Baymax - coordinates, transportation instructions, no armor, bring the nice first aid kit with the bells and whistles. It's sent and gone just as fast.]

Trust me, if Tadashi knew about this, he wouldn't be here and neither would I.

[pushtheboundaries]

[he's learning to expect anything with these two. or to expect nothing, and simply prepare for the worst. nonetheless, he looks back at Hiro just in time to not catch sight of anything suspicious.]

Fine. Then who...

[waitaminute. he narrows his eyes. you better not be implying whom he thinks you might be implying.]