san_fransokyo | I've got a dark alley and a bad idea

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out of context fall out boy

I've got a dark alley and a bad idea

[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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Woah now. Cool your jets there, Callaghan. Hiro hrrmphs, dropping the innocent look to replace it with frustration.]

And you have some really weird logic going on in your head! You have information I need. Don't you think maybe the last thing I wanna do right now is try to destroy you? You need help. Baymax can help.

He can even do it in huggable, squishy mode if it makes you feel better.

Don't patronize me. [it doesn't suit you, Hiro. still, the snapping is more for bravado than anything else, because he has to admit (to himself, if no one else) that he's not looking forwards to what Yama is going to supply him. logically, he knows that they're going to do the job; Yama wouldn't dare send him subpar anything, not with how intelligent he knows Callaghan is. the anesthetic may be questionable, but he should be able to at least set the bone properly.

or figure out an alternative.

...Callaghan is not looking forwards to an alternative.

he ends up getting to his feet, and while he does take a few steps for the door- he also turns and takes them right back, pacing.]

Assuming I do end up helping you. Through what conditions does Tadashi...'fade'? [he glances briefly at Hiro as though to confirm the term.]

[Hiro is not-so-subtly halfway to his feet when Callaghan turns back from the door. He'd thought, for a second there, he'd have to chase the man out into the street - and he absolutely would've done it. That he doesn't have to shocks and humbles him enough that he thunks back down onto the stool without a word, his mouth open but struggling to form words.

A friendly reminder that he still can't ever predict what Callaghan's going to do next.]

It...h-he...

[He fumbles over words, and at first he can only nod and acknowledge, yes, fade is probably as accurate a description as anything else he could come up with. He didn't think he'd get the chance to explain so soon; consequently, he's not prepared to do so, and it all just sort of tumbles out in a rush.]

...Mornings, and late afternoons, almost never at night. The first time, it happened while we were out flying with Baymax, but I don't think that caused it because sometimes it just happens when everything's calm and normal. And it's happening more and more frequently.

He gets...warm. Burning up. Not like a fever, but like a space heater. And parts of him start to disappear, like see-through, like you could reach right through him - which I'm not planning on trying, by the way.

[Callaghan's only ever followed his own patterns, which, to a degree, are predictable. he does what he believes is necessary, whether it be taking a firm hand with his students, doing a little bit of manipulation to help them get over themselves, or setting a fire to cut himself off from everything that could have gotten in his way of closing an unpleasant chapter of his life. when stressed, he tends to simply things - perhaps too much - and with the 'threat' of Baymax being pulled in (even if he /is/ going to come, sooner or later, a simple fact that Callaghan has come to understand and perhaps not accept but acknowledge), he's trying to simplify what he can.

but as a man of science, Hiro's lack of attention to detail offends him. the narrowing of Callaghan's eyes is solely because if any of his students had given him that vagueness, he may have assigned them some extra work because clearly they weren't doing enough on their own. they - and Hiro - should know better]

Start a log. Time, date, any and all circumstances you can think of. Or find out if your brother already has, because if he's not doing so then he's slacking off.

[he raises a hand to point, and the microbots make their own sort of gesture in accompaniment...before pulling right back to him as he lowers his arm. they've taken to a slow flexing and curling, a tight writhing that only ever goes so far away from his body. it's almost as though someone was constantly working their fingers in to and out of fists, but for the most part, they avoid moving towards Hiro- Callaghan's attention seems to be inward enough that they focus on /him/]

[Even as he's keying a reminder into his phone - start journal logging Tadashi's incidents - he's intermittently glancing back up at Callaghan, scowling at him, scowling at the microbots, scowling back down at his phone. You can throw him around the room and accuse him of lying, and fine, Hiro will put up with that. You don't accuse Tadashi of slacking off, though.]

You don't have a clue, you know that? Slacking is the last thing he's doing. He went right back to school, and he's dealing with that and this, and it's stressing him out enough as it is. I'll handle the log.

[While he's being rebellious, he notes as well the things he already knows, mouth pursed into a tight frown; Callaghan might not act like it's important, but when you're grasping at straws, it's all important.]

He doesn't remember anything between the - the fire - [A friendly reminder, that he's talking with the man responsible, and having to talk around that fact at the same time -] - and the hospital. That's a few months' worth of missing memory. He doesn't know how he survived or where he was during that time.

I think that Tadashi's enough medical and scientific experience to know that with all of this going on, if you don't understand it, then you need whatever information you can get and maybe you'll be able to find a pattern.

[his voice is tight, and there's - maybe - the hint of experience of his own there. the circumstances are nowhere near the same, but an ailment they didn't understand, a decline, watching helplessly on the sidelines-]

From there, you might be able to find a diagnosis, or even come up with a way of avoiding these- incidents. It's not a sure thing, but if you haven't picked up the habit, start. If - and I wouldn't bet on it, but if - Krei's hands are clean, it's going to be the only thing you've got.

[it's so very clear that he really doesn't think Krei is innocent, but hey.

even the devil has an advocate.]

Edited 2015-02-06 00:06 (UTC)

[The first tremor is the most unnoticeable, the building quakes slightly, accompanied by a light rumble. The second impact brings dust down from the walls and ceiling and a crack starts to form.

The third, fourth, and fifth punches cause similar amounts of damage, the only difference is that instead of a crack, a hole begins to appear. The view isn't helpful, though, all that's visible is a fist made out of concrete debris.

The sixth smash brings a large rubble-coated arm into the room.

Once the arm is removed, giant fingers appear at the edges of the hole and are pulled outwards, ripping into the wall and widening the opening. When they've reached an acceptable width, the large hands are suddenly slammed down all the way to the ground, carving out an outline of an opening.

There's a brief pause followed by a kick that knocks down the still-standing piece of wall. Now that the way is clear, Baymax strides into the room, seeking out his target: Robert Callaghan.]

[Hiro stiffens. If Krei's hands are clean... He's been so focused on finding out how Krei is involved, he hasn't thought about what to do if he isn't, and it's an unsettling new thought.

One he doesn't have much time to process, because the building starts coming down around him.

Hiro tumbles off of the bar stool in shock as a shower of dirt rains down on his head; by the time he recovers, he's only got a split second to register Callaghan fleeing the room out of the corner of his eye (he yells after him), and then a fist bashes its way through in front of him. Suddenly he's surrounded by a cloud of drywall dust, scrambling to his feet to face down the giant looming out of the haze.

It's not hard to recognize the two tiny pinpricks of red eyes piercing into the room. Oh, god.

Hiro sprints out of the room after Callaghan, not wanting to stick around to find out if this Baymax is choosy about who it smashes. He shoves past the confused barkeep in the front dining area, waving frantically for the few daytime customers hanging around to go.]

Get out get out get out!

[Maybe it's a seedy dump, but none of these people deserve to die here. He can only hope they'll listen and not try to take on the six foot concrete monstrosity tearing through the back hall, and in the meantime he dashes out the front door into the street, his mind racing.

That - can't be Baymax. It's too soon. And there's armor at home. Why microbots? Why concrete and glass and jagged edges of broken iron -

A half-dozen leftover images flash through his mind, months gone now, of an empty world of color filled with the broken rubble of Krei Tech's headquarters. He's the only person left besides Baymax who remembers what it looked like - Abigail was asleep, the original Baymax is gone -

That's not even possible. His brain grinds to a halt even thinking about it.

Get as much information as possible? Okay, fine. He's starting here. He catches Callaghan just out the door, sprints up behind him and grabs the back of his jacket before he can flee completely and jerks back sharply to stop him.]

Something's not right here! What did it look like last time it attacked you? Did it look like that?

[didn't think about that, did you? Robert smirks just slightly, but it's hardly pleased or satisfied. and it doesn't linger for long, because the tremor has him looking up, crouching slightly as his eyes widen, and as the microbots still upon his form.

at the second, they're forming the hood- and he's bolting for the door. this is sooner than he'd thought, but there's something to be said about being true to form. Callaghan can be very good at identifying danger and threats, and with painful recent experience- even the microbots upon his leg aren't enough to keep it from sending stabs of pain through him with every step.

they don't stop him. nor do the looks he gets, because what the hell is enough to send Yokai rushing through the bar as if being chased by a hound of hell? distantly, he hears shouting, but it does't /process/. once he gets outside, he's already searching for a means of true escape.

the thing can climb. the thing is only so fast, but if he hops on top of a truck or something he can get some speed until the rest of the microbots arrive, he sent them away thinking he /had/ that time, but he doesn't-

-he doesn't quite /squawk/ at the grab, but the microbots are immediately lashing backwards to attack whatever took hold- Hiro's hand may very well get a new laceration or two by the time Callaghan spins around and is able to register who it is. and to his credit, at that point, the microbots are more inclined to grab at Hiro and keep him from running as the man takes a final look at the street and traffic.

nothing he can use.]

This is not the time or place, Hamada-!

[excuse him while he casts a meaningful look at the bar and WHY IS HE NOT ALREADY GONE]

Edited 2015-02-06 14:21 (UTC)

[Baymax doesn't even give the bar's patrons a second glance, he ignores them unless they actively try to stop him. If that's the case, then he'll simply pluck them up and toss them out of the way. His target is Callaghan, nothing else and no one else matters, except if they try to prevent him from accomplishing his goal.

He's slow, but steady, marching his way through the bar, shoving aside anything that's in his path. The careful path-finding skills the green chip had are not present, he goes in a straight line, clearing out everything in the way.

Baymax has a solid lock on Callaghan, so it doesn't take him long to plow through the bar. Fortunately, he's easy to outrun, a fact some of the fleeing bystanders are currently discovering.]

[Well at least Hiro lets go, yelping in pain and snapping his hand back away from Callaghan.]

Seriously??

[And then they grab at him and that actually, really doesn't help at all, in fact it kind of scares the shit out of him and he spends about .7 seconds struggling until he realizes they're not hurting him anymore, they're just fixing him in place, and - okay, fine. Fine.

He doesn't have time to be mad or disgusted about it; just a split second to level an accusing look at the man and then glance away, tight-lipped and nursing a bleeding hand close to his chest, thinking he'll probably get a half-dozen fresh, tiny scars to go with the ones the microbots gave him the last time this happened. But he doesn't look at the microbots, ignores them and shoves the panic instinct way down deep because there are bigger problems armored in concrete to deal with.]

I, I, uh...not Baymax. I mean it is but it's - scanner, it has a scanner, you have to get out of range or find somewhere to hide where it can't reach, like inside the Krei Tech facility on the island - I know a place, I can show you -

[- Stupid microbots, make his skin crawl, make it hard to concentrate and he can't think - and then the thing tears itself a bigger doorway through the front end of the bar and time's up, time to run, Hiro just flings a hand out and points in the right direction -]

Andit'sthatwayholyshitmove!

[there probably is a drunk or two trying to interact with Baymax - they probably meet the wall in short order. Callaghan isn't worried about them, he's looking back at Hiro as he talks, confused and angry and- a scanner?

distantly, he notes that as being how they found him on the island at all. he had been wondering.]

You know a place?

[any protest or doubt he might have had is gone when it becomes clear that Baymax is still very much present, and still very much on target. Robert doesn't even give it another glance, only follows Hiro's lead as he turns to run- one hand trailing behind him, gripping a handful of microbots, the majority of them extending his reach to keep a 'hand' on Hiro's shoulder to not-quite-drag him with.

they can't propel him like they did, ages ago, when he was chasing Hiro and the rest of them down on the streets. they can, however, make sure he doesn't fall, and keep his grip steady on the boy. he's not a slow runner, he's still kept himself in shape, but stress and exhaustion are making the microbots begin to slip further and further off Hiro and more and more on to his legs, as though running /for/ him.]

[Baymax doesn't use his full force against the drunks that call his attention to them, but it's enough that they'll probably at least have some bruises from the impact. They're a minor obstacle, not enough to distract him from his goal or even slow him down noticeably.

He lumbers after his target, Callaghan's speed not concerning him. Eventually, he'll catch up to the man. It was only a matter of time. They had been through this before, Robert would claim a lead until the human need for rest caused him to stay in one place for a while, allowing Baymax to make up lost ground. This time would be no different than the others.]

[Not that Hiro wouldn't have shown him the way anyway...because he needs the guy's help, and no matter the bad blood between them he's not going to leave Callaghan to die the way he left Tadashi. Tethered to Callaghan by the microbots as he is, though, he doesn't have much of a choice; he stumbles after him, half-running, half-dragged along.]

Yeah, I know a place. [He bites back a withering remark on how maybe a guy with a phd in robotics ought to be able to figure out how to hide from a robot by now, instead casting nervous glances back at the pursuing monolith.] As in, I've been there, it has crummy cell reception - it's two streets over from here and - Baymax, stop!

[He doesn't know if it'll listen, if it'll actually stop when he yells at it. But Hiro pulls up short and digs in his heels at a narrow passage between two buildings, too narrow for anything bigger than people-sized, and grabs Callaghan's arm to stop him.]

If you don't want my help, keep going that way. If you wanna live, though, stop dragging me for starters and let me lead the way!

[it's like Hiro doesn't think he's even tried. he has. knowing about that scanner thing would have been a bit more useful, because of course it had a scanner, but Callaghan hadn't thought of it being adapted for /hunting/. a major oversight, it seems, and he'll just go ahead and take that direction and in to the alley they go.

there's a pause while he looks back at Hiro, face tight and straighed- but after another moment, the rest of the microbots crawl from the boy back on to him, reforming the mantle-and-hood properly. it's a bit sparse, with a cluster of microbots on either leg, but it's something.]

That's hardly a choice.

[part of him wants to snap out something else about 'if this is a trick', like he has to with the rest of his company as of late- he bites it back after the first two syllables, instead moving as far to the side as he can for Hiro to slip past and lead]

[Hiro lets go a sigh of relief once the microbots release him, the subtle undercurrent of anxiety that's been chasing him since they grabbed him finally easing. God, but he hates those things. He hates that he hates them. He made them, intended them to do good things, and now they scare the shit out of him.

But there's another problem robot on their heels, and they shouldn't stick around to see if it'll find another way or plow through two buildings to get at them. Hiro said he'd help, so he will. Though he can't help remarking as he slips past Callaghan -]

Life's not fair, boo hoo. Now c'mon. Hope you're not afraid of the dark.

[He shouldn't prod, maybe. Shouldn't give him any reason to leave now, because who knows where he'll go or what'll happen to him. But there's only two ways out, he has to go through Hiro or that thing, and Callaghan doesn't have enough microbots to make himself a third - speaking of which -

Hiro stops at the other end of the alley, peering both ways down the street to make sure it (not he, not Baymax) hasn't found them.]

Where's the rest of the microbots? You had way more than that. I know that thing's kinda huge and terrifying, but you could've taken it easy with more microbots.

[He doesn't mean it as a compliment, exactly. Just that he knows what Callaghan's capable of - what the microbots are capable of - and it seems suspicious he has so few of them with him.]

[EYEROLL. god damn, Hiro, worst student. he doesn't even care about the sigh of relief, because /good/ that he's uncomfortable around the microbots, nevermind they're his original invention...

...he looks upwards, towards the rooftops, frowning a bit. was this Hiro's master plan? hide in an alley? Callaghan rests a gloved hand on the wall, judging the distance to the nearest fire escape.]

Baymax's strength is enough to punch through them. He's too heavy to throw unless I have the entire mass with me, and I thought it'd be prudent to leave most behind during the meeting. I hadn't...considered...it being interrupted so quickly.

[his mistake. he doesn't sound contrite, not by any means, but as though he's berating himself for not allowing for that. nothing else has gone to plan, as of late...]

They home in on me when I need them. I figure they're still about...[he considers that as well]...two minutes away, if they're using the rooftop routes I've gone over with them.

[which they should. he doesn't want them going through traffic unless he's there to direct them, he doesn't want them causing more of a scene then they already do, he doesn't want them being used to track him...]

Was this your plan? Hide in a dark alley? He'll smash right through the buildings.

No, that's not the plan.

[Hiro exhales harshly through his nose. Two minutes is a long time to have to stall with something that can exert two tons of force at any given time on their tail; on the other hand, he's not looking forward to trapping himself in a cramped, dark space with somebody who doesn't like him and, in two minutes, could have hundreds and thousands more microbots at his disposal, provided they find a way in through a grate or something.

He could die down there and nobody would find his body. It'd be easy.

But he could've died twenty minutes ago, too, or a few weeks ago at the pier, or a few months ago in that portal, and he hasn't yet, and today's a day for bad decisions. So.]

That - [Hiro points out a manhole cover at the end of the street, near the corner -] is the plan. Sixteen feet of concrete and earth, blocks fists and scanners alike.

[he'd very much like to hear the plan, because he hates this feeling of being trapped, of just waiting for Baymax to catch up and plow through- and then he's following the point, furrowing his brow as it clicks.

for a few seconds, it's all he can do to stare before admitting, only so reluctantly-]

...good plan.

[to the point where he's kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. there may or may not have been a motion of microbots somewhat reminiscent of a facepalm, insomuch a flatter grouping colliding with a rounder grouping. but then they're moving for the manhole cover, Callaghan not far behind them, sliding it aside]

Why thanks, I came up with it myself.

[Hiro chimes in and he is smug as hell. He'll hold this one over your head forever, Doc. Manhole cover dragged aside, Hiro goes down first, just to prove there's not water or say....dozens and dozens of snakes at the bottom. There aren't. But there are spiders.

He stands in the narrow shaft of light at the bottom and waves his phone to prove he's on the ground and fine.]

You're welcome, by the way. Watch out for spiders. And don't bother trying to seal me in and run, because I can still find my way out, thanks.

[push your luck, why don't you, Hiro? but after watching him land, it's only a moment of looking behind him before the light falters, the microbots move over- and then lower him down as though via a rope. it's relatively graceful, with Callaghan setting down on his good leg, first, before the microbots are able to pull back and then give him the support to the other.]

You've got me good and reliant on you. If I was any more paranoid, I might accuse you of orchestrating this whole thing.

[it's not - quite - an accusation. but it doesn't sound purely hypothetical. there's a subtle rattling of the microbots, amplified in the small space, that seems akin to a rattlesnake offering a warning.

if the mood struck him to seal Hiro in - he'd find a much better place to do so.]

If I'd orchestrated this, I would've thought to bring a flashlight with me. I wasn't planning for this.

[He grumbles that as he messes with his phone to try and max out the brightness, hopefully to provide enough light to at least navigate by; it's not much, faint and blueish, but at the very least he can see the ground in front of his feet. The extensive graffiti on the walls indicates this is a well-used tunnel, even if Hiro wasn't already familiar with it.]

Bot fighter's best kept secret. Formerly used for sewage and maintenance, now commonly used for outrunning cops and sometimes hosting matches. And now I guess you can add "hiding from violent robots" to that list.

[He has the exact number of steps memorized to get them to a particular point in the tunnels; after that, his knowledge is a little fuzzy. Hopefully he doesn't run them into a gas pocket or a cave-in and get them both killed.]

But seriously. Has it looked like that since it started chasing you? Because it looks like Baymax's carbon fiber skeleton, but last time I checked, which was oh, this morning, the Baymax at home still had vinyl on him and not concrete jammies. So either it's a really good knockoff or -

[But it's impossible. But then Callaghan surviving the fire was impossible, Abigail living inside that portal was impossible, the microbots functioning without a transmitter was impossible, Tadashi showing up from the dead months after the fact was impossible -]

- Or, impossible stuff's happening again.

Your plans tend to start bare and only get fleshed out as time goes on. [in other words, you end up flying by the seat of your pants. but he's grateful enough at the knowledge that Baymax will find it a lot harder to smash through all the concrete than he will a building, and doesn't keep pushing.

for the moment.

he moves slowly, even with the bracing of the microbots. this is...hardly the most welcoming of places. he's glad he hasn't a fear of enclosed spaces, or spiders...

...but wouldn't this be the best time for an earthquake. he grimaces, and focuses on the question, deeming it simple enough to answer. he sounds a bit...tired, but that could be attributed to the adrenaline surge beginning to wear off]

Yes, it has. I don't exactly have a scanner of my own, but I watched your brother build the thing- I know its' framework. Same motion pattern, same innate dynamic. It's not taking the care it's supposed to, but that could be attributed to whatever program it's running- or not.

[a beat. and then, quietly;]

You're still thinking Krei?

[When Hiro had yelled for Baymax to stop, he had paused for a brief second, comparing that instruction to his previous one. There was a discrepancy between the two, his first command was to destroy, the new one was to stop, they were completely incompatible with each other. After a moment, Baymax decided to continue on with the original order, he was programmed to fight, so destroying Callaghan was in line with his purpose.

He thundered on after the pair, as they darted off on their microbot-aided escape, the distance between them widened until Callaghan was no longer within his scanner's range.

This isn't a problem, it's happened before. Baymax continues on towards where he had last saw his target, stomping right past the sewer entrance several minutes after the two had gone down the manhole.

Baymax will keep on going in that direction until he cannot go any further. Without his assignment in sight, he'll go back to combing the city block by block. It didn't matter how long it would take, he'll keep hunting until he successfully eliminates Callaghan.]

[Hiro doesn't say anything right away, still thinking about it. In the pause, the ring of light still coming through the manhole cover behind them goes dark, obstructed momentarily. He can feel the hair on the back of his neck prickle nervously; but then the light's back, and there's the slow and steady rumble of huge footsteps passing overhead at street level.

He lets out the breath he was holding only when it's gone.]

I don't know -

[He admits, at least, that Callaghan's rattled his certainty a little, frowning down at the ground while he's counting steps to a left turn. Thirty-five, thirty-six...]

- but the current Baymax isn't the one Tadashi built. Same materials, same programming, same design except I upgraded the batteries, but the original was lost inside the portal when - when we went in to rescue Abigail.

[That other awkward elephant in the room okay moving on -]

He took the healthcare chip out himself and sent it back with the pod, before I lost him. I didn't think about it at the time, because I didn't find the chip until weeks later, but now...

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