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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. As always with Continuity, there are spoilers for the episode. Read at your own risk.

Chapter 1 – Closing Time

"We sent Fred away like an hour ago. Where is he?"

"That's what happens when we all order different things, Go Go. You have to take travel time into account."

Go Go slunk down in her chair. "I just want the food to travel into my mouth."

"I know." Honey Lemon set her purse down onto the table. "It's been a long day today."

"Recognized. BH6-04..."

The Korean was out of her chair even before Basemax acknowledged Fred's presence at the secret doorway. It whooshed open to reveal Fred in his costume and several plastic bags underneath his arms.

"It's Fred to the rescue!"

It was also Fred on the defensive as Go Go tried to reach around his spikes to grab her food.

"Now, Go Go," he said, waving a finger at her, "You need to learn to be patient."

She growled at him and raised her fist.

"...Which is why I'm going to reward your patience by giving you your food first."

"Smart man," Go Go replied as she took away her bag.

"As for everyone else..." Fred made his way to the table with the rest of the bags. "I hope your orders are to your liking. I don't know why you sent me when you could have sent the person with the photographic memory."

He shot a look over at Hiro, who only grinned in response.

"But I don't judge," he added quickly. "My commitment to this team is as strong as always, and I'm glad that everyone values me-"

"Holy cannoli, can we just eat already!?"

"One second."

Wasabi pressed the side of the table, and a column came up on everyone's left side. A few napkins were dispensed out of each one to the utter bewilderment of Go Go.

"Really?"

"Yes, Go Go. Really." Wasabi crossed his arms. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to install the automatic tablecloth dispenser yet."

"You have to be kidding me."

"Wasabi doesn't kid, Go Go." Fred slid everyone else's food across the table in one fluid motion. "Not when it comes to cleanliness."

Hiro opened up his box and was delighted to see the nachos from Pierre's, as well as the cubano wrapped in aluminum foil. He had never had it before, but Fred was paying, and he was going to take advantage of it.

He looked off to his left. Baymax was looking over everyone's food, his eyes glowing blue. "Between everyone's culinary choices, I am detecting a very large amount of calories, carbohydrates and unsaturated fats."

"Calm down, Baymax," Go Go said as she took a deep whiff of her barbecued meat. "It's not like one meal is going to kill us."

"Actually-"

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of me eating my pajoeri."

"Pajoeri." A picture of a small bowl with green onions, cucumbers, and peppers popped up on the screen. "A healthy compliment to any sort of meat dish."

"Baymax, I don't think you're going to get through to her." Wasabi was busy constructing his sushi, carefully building the layers in the do-it-yourself kit. "She's already in a mood."

Honey Lemon chuckled, a few bites already taken out of her mixed salad.

It was a rare time that Hiro could sit down after fighting supervillains and just relax. But tonight was one of those nights.

"Fred."

Hiro turned to see his friend's mouth open, Go Go's interjection the only thing stopping him from consuming his food.

"You got Noodle Burger? Really?"

"What? I haven't had it in a while."

Go Go's plastic spoon was poised over her lettuce wrap, ready to deposit some sort of spicy sauce on it. But now she had other priorities. "Fred. We just spent the better part of a few days fighting Noodle Burger Boy and his new band of flunkies and you're still eating from there?"

"You know what they say, Go Go. Once you go Noodle Burger, you never go back."

"That's...not how that saying goes at all."

The conversation quickly fell to easier topics, and Hiro took the opportunity to dive into his food. The nachos were his new guilty pleasure, but it was one that he could live with.

Mostly because nachos were harder to hide from Aunt Cass than gummy bears.

Hiro looked around the table again. Everyone else was relaxed and laughing. It was nice. These kind of moments were becoming fewer and fewer, now that his friends were looking for employment.

His hand reached for another chip. Nope, he wasn't going to think about this. He had already spent a large amount of time distressing about their eventual departure. He was going to be happy for them.

As hard as it was to do.

"Wasabi." Basemax's voice rang through the conference room. "You have an incoming call."

He looked down at his phone to confirm and got up from his chair, pressing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Hiro watched him walk a little bit away, everyone else now interested in what was going on.

"Yes, this is he."

He nodded his head a few times as the person on the other end talked for about a minute straight. Hiro couldn't tell what was going on, but based off of the events earlier in the week, he could hazard a guess.

"Well, thank you for reaching out to us. I appreciate it." Wasabi sounded like he was done with the call, because he was starting back toward the table. "Yes, I'll let the others know. Thank you for your time. Have a good rest of your day."

Wasabi hung up the phone, now keenly aware that he was being stared at by the others. "Sorry, that was BraggTech."

"So." Hiro couldn't wait. "What did they say?"

He looked over at Go Go and Honey Lemon...and shook his head.

"They didn't choose us. They decided to go with another team."

Hiro was looking for disappointed faces, but he didn't see any. Go Go shrugged as she got another lettuce wrap ready. "Meh. I had a feeling that things weren't going to go our way."

"How so?"

"Well, they had all of the teams on the same Vroom call," Honey Lemon explained. "So like forty people were all in the room, and our proposals were getting cut off by the connection. They gave us five minutes to present while others got more than ten."

"Yeah, it was set up very weird. But it is what it is." Wasabi sat back down again. "It would have been nice to get accepted, but we were facing some pretty stiff competition. Plus, they kept everyone's contact information in case there was another opening. So it wasn't a total loss."

"It still stinks, though."

Go Go nodded to Hiro. "Yeah. But I have two more solo interviews on the weekend, and I know that Honey Lemon and Wasabi have at least one more in the coming days. We didn't get it. It's whatever. We move on. Not everybody can succeed at every single thing on the first try like you, Hiro."

"But you guys are geniuses."

The three looked at each other, a little concerned.

"Hiro, we're not geniuses. Not like you, anyway." Apparently Honey Lemon drew the invisible short straw. "I don't know why you're more upset than we are about this. Like Go Go said, it's unfortunate, but the world is bigger than just San Fransokyo. There are people out there that are way smarter than us. And that's fine."

"Yeah. And one of them is going to NYIT on a full grant and is related to you."

Hiro looked down at his empty tray of nachos.

"I just want people to know how much you guys have done. How...special you are."

Everyone went quiet, with the small exception of Honey Lemon dancing on her shoes over to Hiro to hug him. Even Go Go had to stop and collect herself for a second.

"Yeah, we are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself," Fred said, flexing his arms.

"I don't think that's what he meant by that, knucklehead. But it is pretty amazing to look back and see everything that's happened. In fact..."

Go Go looked up at the giant screen behind Hiro.

"Basemax. Run the log."

"Initializing logs SF1 and SF2."

A bunch of pages and photos started generating on the table. Fred pulled up his wrapper as some of them went in front of him. Go Go, slightly amused by his actions, pushed her finger on the screen, scrolling through everything that had been transcribed into the record.

"We took down Tadashi's killer and saved the city from being sucked into another dimension."

Hiro looked down at his brother's face, smiling in all of his glory. Seeing him made him feel happy inside.

"And we totally thought that was the end of it. Heck, I remember that I thought I would be done after Callaghan got caught. But you guys convinced me to stay. And look what ended up happening."

The thin, glowing face of Obake was now on the table.

"We stopped a maniac from recreating the Great Catastrophe."

Now it was Liv.

Or was it Di?

"We stopped not one, but two corporations from turning everyone into monsters and burying San Fransokyo under a giant puddle."

Aspen and Captain Matthew's pictures were next.

"That was probably the first time that I thought we weren't going to make it," Wasabi muttered.

"Yeah, luckily your girlfriend saved us with her awesome water powers!"

Ignoring Fred's comment (and Wasabi's blush), Honey Lemon took over the reading. "We saved Robbie from the clutches of a crazy ex-CEO who was possessed by an evil spirit. We also earned the trust of the police again, before when Chief Cruz was against us, and when someone from the past infiltrated into their ranks."

"And this doesn't even scratch the surface, Hiro. We've fought so many villains. We've helped and met so many people along the way. Just look at all of these." Wasabi waved his hand, and many small circles aligned the outer rim of the table. Many of them were civilians that they had assisted in their patrols, but there were a few that obviously stood out.

Like the brown-eyed girl in front of him.

"And it's a shame that we can't have Fred scream from the mountaintop everything that we've done, because we know he would."

Fred nodded silently.

"But that doesn't invalidate it. Yeah, it sucks that most people aren't going to know about this. But that's just how life is sometimes. If people knew who we were and what we did, we wouldn't be able to go back to our normal lives."

Go Go sighed, now a little more nervous.

"And that's what we've been trying to tell you and Fred, Hiro. As great as this has been, and as much as we've accomplished...do you really want to keep doing this for the rest of your life?"

"I do."

"I didn't ask you, Fred. I asked Hiro."

Hiro looked over at Fred, which was a mistake; he was throwing his head up and down, trying to get him to say yes.

But he knew in his heart what the answer was.

"Eventually...I do want to try to go back to normal."

Go Go nodded. "And that's what we're trying to do. And we know it's not going to happen right away. These things take time. And we wouldn't leave you and Fred and Baymax out in the cold. You guys are our friends. I mean that."

Go Go put her two fingers onto the table.

"Which is why we also understand why you did this."

She met eyes with the robot.

"Baymax, bring up the Beta Team 6 protocol."

"Processing now."

Many of the pictures around the table went away, all except for five of them. Every member except for Fred had a person in front of them.

"You were able to have people join our cause. Robbie, Aspen, Peni, S.P.I.D.E.R., Kate...maybe."

"Yeah, we don't know about her just yet." Honey Lemon enlarged the former officer's face. "But I think she'll come around."

"I never thought I would be a part of a team ever. And now you've gotten others in. That's amazing, Hiro," Wasabi agreed.

Go Go was still looking down at the person in front of her, a little surprised by even her standards.

"And you want to know what the craziest thing that's happened to me has been? Out of everything?"

Go Go pressed her hand into the Latino's profile.

"I have a boyfriend now! If you have told me last summer that I'd be part of a superhero team, I would not have believed you. But if you told me that I would have a boyfriend...I'd probably slap you across the face and still wouldn't have believed you."

She pushed the circle to the side, her eyes back on Hiro.

"And I know that the decisions I make regarding my job is going to affect him, too. Which is why I have to take him into account as well."

"Same for me," Wasabi added. "You think Aspen is just going to let me walk on out the door quietly? Not on her watch."

Hiro laughed out loud. "Yeah, her and being quiet don't really go well together."

"Don't I know it?"

Go Go got the boy genius's attention again. "What we're trying to say, Hiro, is that we're more than just a family now. We're...we're Big Hero 6. No matter what we go on to do, nothing is going to take that away from us."

Her rousing speech was great for Hiro's morale. Even though the thought was still nagging at his mind, he knew he could take them for their word.

"Thanks, Go Go. And you too, Wasabi and Honey Lemon."

"No problem...kiddo."

Hiro glared over at Wasabi.

"What? Too soon?"

Go Go picked up all of her trash and threw it into the suddenly appearing waste basket next to her. "I should actually bring up a point, though. Fred was right about something."

"He was?" Wasabi said.

"I was?"

"Yes, Fred, you were." The Korean tapped a few times on the table screen. "Instead of stumbling upon people like we normally do..."

The five pictures went to the center of the table.

"Maybe we should try to actively recruit some others into the fold."

"I agree." Honey Lemon brought up a digital map of San Fransokyo. "Even with the people we have, it's not the best setup. Peni's in Neo York, Robbie's in Santa Cruz, and Aspen is traveling everywhere nowadays. Even if we got Kate, that's the only person that would be around for us."

"Yeah, and Robbie has to go to court tomorrow to meet with a judge about more visitation rights with Gabe." Go Go put her head on her hand. "I'm not going to pull him away from that. He's been fighting to get custody of his brother for a while."

"And Aspen's got her secret project which is taking all of her time, so we have to rule her out."

Hiro nodded. Everything they said made sense. He turned to Fred, who was busy wolfing down the last of his Noodle Burger. "Fred, do you still have the list of candidates you showed me before?"

"I do, fearless leader!" He poked at the table, his claw not enough to get any buttons to register. "As soon as I...can...get it..."

Hiro sighed and pressed his own button. The list and pictures generated on the table, and almost immediately Go Go piped up.

"Is this a joke?"

"Of course not, Go Go! I'll have you know that the Ping Pong Bot hits those balls very hard."

She didn't break eye contact with him as he pushed its picture off the table. "Yeah, I'm going to go with a no on that. And I'm not even going to begin to ask why Mochi's on here."

"Can't Hiro give him a rocket pack or something?"

Honey Lemon quietly pushed it off as well.

"Aww."

One by one, several others bit the dust: Judy, Aunt Cass (for obvious reasons), the Mime (for even more obvious reasons), Fred's gorilla friend, and the giant Kentucky Kaiju. That only left a couple of people on the board.

"Globby would seem obvious, right? He's familiar with us, he's local, and he's got the powers."

"Yeah, but he's still got a bad rep from Cruz. And unfortunately he didn't mention him at all during his apology speech to us, so we'll have to get him back into everyone's good graces." Wasabi glanced around at the group. "Anybody object?"

They shook their heads.

"OK, one potential candidate. What about her?" He pointed to Granville.

"She's already a member. Sort of."

"Yeah, but I was thinking that if you guys weren't using your armors, we could make one for her using all of your parts. Kind of like what she did against Momakase."

"I don't think she seems that interested in strenuous activity, Freddie. In any case, she's busy running SFIT. She wouldn't be able to leave."

"True. She's good where she is."

Hiro was only half paying attention. He had the last profile in front of him, sliding it on the screen under his finger. Maybe if he hid it enough, the other wouldn't-

"Hiro."

He looked up and saw Honey Lemon's concerned face. "What's up?"

"You look distracted."

"I'm fine. Just...eliminating another candidate." He pushed the circle away from him, watching it disappear off the edge of the table…

Until Go Go pressed her finger down, impeding its escape.

"Now hang on a second."

She nudged it back to the center and expanded the picture, Karmi's face now in full view of everyone.

"We haven't properly vetted everyone yet. We still have one more to do."

"She's not joining."

"Oh, that's weird," Go Go cut him off. "I thought that we made decisions as a team and not unilaterally. But you'll have a chance to talk. I'll go first." She brought up a picture of Liv, Chris, and Karmi with their mechanical backpacks. "She helped us with the Mayoi, even if it was with those two."

"She helped Hiro track down Orso Knox, and cure him as well," Wasabi added.

"She assisted in reviving Peni from her electically-induced coma," Baymax said.

"And she fought off Chris as that monster so that we could save Hiro." Honey Lemon nodded to the photo. "Not to mention everything with Aspen. She pretty much helped us take down Fathom."

"Hiro? You want to interject?"

The boy genius had been silent the entire time, but now that he had the floor, he wasn't going to remain that way.

"...Do you guys even hear yourself right now?"

"I don't know. Let me check." Fred put his hand over his mouth and muttered a few words. He cupped it over his ear and listened intently. "I mean, I can. I don't know about you guys."

Go Go growled under her breath. "That's not what he meant, Fred. But in any case, she's been through it with us. And she knows us...sort of. We haven't seen her in a while, but I would be all for-"

"Karmi is never going to be a member of this team."

Hiro found himself up from his seat, both palms flat on the table. Everyone was staring at him again, including the giant eyes of Basemax.

"She's been through too much. She's gotten kidnapped twice. Turned into a monster. Been through so many things not even including us. Things…"

He had to calm his voice down for a second.

"Things that she's going through right now. And I'm not going to distract her from that."

"Hiro, what's happening to her right now?" Honey Lemon asked gently.

The e-mail exchange between Megan and Karmi flashed in his mind, but he wasn't very eager to let everyone in on it.

"I can't tell you."

"You can't? Or you-"

"I won't." Hiro sat back down again. "Because I'm not even suppose to know about it myself. It was only by chance that I found out about it. And when we talked about it in Torii Gate Park, she didn't even give me all of the details."

"Wait."

Go Go had her hand up along with the corners of her mouth. It was then that he realized what he had said.

"When did the two of you go to Torii Gate Park?"

Hiro shook his head, angry at himself. But he wasn't going to get out of this. "It was a few days after graduation dinner. She called me and said she wanted to do something, and she had never gone there before, and I had never gone there before. So...we made a day out of it. It was nice."

"So like a date, then?"

"It wasn't a date, Fred. It was a…"

He glanced over at Honey Lemon.

"A friend excursion."

The Latina's eyebrow went up into her bangs, the words familiar to her.

"Is that why you went there when you ran away?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I wasn't really thinking clearly at all that night, so something subconsciously must have happened in my mind."

Hiro rubbed his eyes. He had been dangerously close to letting his emotions spill out, but he had caught himself at the right time.

"Listen."

Across from him, Go Go had pulled herself back into her chair, straightening her posture. It looked like she was about to go off into a speech.

And he was right.

"We all know how you feel about Karmi, Hiro."

"You don't."

"I don't?"

"Go Go, hang on a second-"

"You know what, Honey Lemon? No. I won't hang on a second." Go Go balled her hand into a fist. "I've been sugarcoating this situation with those two for a lot longer than I told myself I would."

"She's been sugarcoating it?" Fred whispered to Wasabi.

"And I'm done. I'm done with it. Hiro, you have to set your personal feelings for her aside."

"I can't."

Now Hiro was matching her glare right back across the table.

"I can't put them aside. Karmi got kidnapped and taken to Akuma Island because of me. She got turned into a monster because of me. I am the reason why everything bad has been happening to her, and I am not going to let her come in here and subject her to more danger."

Go Go didn't back down, but her gaze did soften a tiny bit.

"Hiro, Momakase and Obake kidnapped her. Di Amara turned her into a monster. You did not do either of those things. You know that. And you're purposefully beating yourself up over it."

His chest was starting to hurt.

"I get it, Hiro. I really do. You like her. You care about her and her well-being. Heck, some of us at this table (she gestured with her finger in a circle) would probably put your feelings at a level higher than that."

Go Go's eyes narrowed into her most dangerous look. "But your feelings do not change the fact that Karmi is objectively one of the best people to have as a part of this team. And I can't believe that I'm the one that's saying that. She knows her stuff. She knows us. And you know that she would love to have an opportunity to work with her Captain Cutie."

"I'm not Captain Cutie. Don't call me that."

"You are to her."

The other four occupants of the table had been silently staring back and forth between the two as they flung arguments back at each other. Honey Lemon raised a finger to say something, but got cut off by Hiro.

"And what's going to happen when she finds out that her knight in shining armor and the genius boy are the same person? She'll never want to be near me ever again."

"You don't know that, Hiro," Wasabi said.

Hiro threw his body down into the chair in a huff.

"...I'm calling a vote."

"Huh?"

"Don't give me that look. As was agreed upon by the stupid legal documents that Fred made…" Her head turned over to her left. "And yes, Fred, I did read them." She went back to Hiro. "I am allowed to call a formal vote on things we can't agree on. And I'm using mine now. The matter is this."

She pushed Karmi's photo to the center, and two buttons appeared in front of each person: one red and one green.

"Oooh, I feel like we're on a game show!"

"Fred, focus. The question is: do we consider Karmi as a potential candidate for the team? And this does not mean we're going to go out right now and recruit her," she added as Hiro was about to speak up. "I'm saying that when we get an opportunity, we make a formal proposal."

She pressed her green button, and the triangle of screen in front of her lit up the same color.

"I'm voting yes."

"And I'm voting no." Hiro's part of the table went red.

Baymax looked down at his choices. "I am a healthcare companion. My expertise is not a part of this discussion."

"Baymax, you are a member of this team," Go Go said. "Your opinion is just as valid as anyone else's, even as a robot."

He turned his head between the green and red buttons. His computing was going for a little while as if weighing the choices in his mind.

"Karmi is a very intelligent person. Her knowledge about biotechnology is extensive and may prove useful for any problems that we may have in the future. She is also knowledgeable when it comes to our adversaries."

His big white hand came down on the green button.

"I will be confirming."

Wasabi and Honey Lemon also clicked their choices, and their screens went green.

"Fred?"

Hiro looked off to his right to see him rubbing his chin in thought. He was giving himself a lot more time than the others, but the silence was now getting to him.

"Fred."

He looked up at Hiro's word, and he saw understanding in his eyes. It was a weird thing to see when it came to Fred, and it was comforting in a way.

But just like the others, his decision was easy.

"Sorry, buddy."

His claw finger came down on the green button.

"I know it's tough, and I get why you said what you said. But...I put her on the list for a reason. I think she can be good for us."

The entire table now went back to white and two colored numbers went underneath Karmi's profile.

"Five to one. The motion passes."

Go Go swept her hand over the table, clearing everything off. "And again, this is not an immediate thing. We're not going to go out to her house with signs and fliers and whatnot. When we see her again, we'll find a way to present it to her. But not now…"

She looked down at the clock.

"And not tonight. It's already late. I gotta get some shuteye so I can prepare for this interview in two days. Let's get out of here."

Everyone else got up from their chairs and followed suit out the door, Baymax as always struggling a little bit to get through the narrow doorway. Go Go, seeing that someone was missing, went over to Hiro and lifted him up by his shoulders.

"Up you go, Hiro."

Hiro had been struggled to come up with some sort of retort or comeback, but nothing came to mind. He was still so against this idea. Against all of it.

But even he had to admit that the logic was sound.

He still didn't have to like it.

"As the leader, doesn't my vote count for like...ten or something?"

"That's not how democracy works, Hiro," Go Go smirked. "Equal membership means equal voting. Now come on. The Big Hero 6 business is closing for the night. You don't have to go home…"

She pushed him gently in the back, leading him toward the door.

"But you definitely can't stay here."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Do you think that Hiro know who he wants to take him home?

...OK, that's enough of those lyrics. :P

This is the first Friday upload that I've had in a long time, and it's on the heels of me not even knowing if I'm going to continue to do so for this story, given the unique circumstances that new BH6 episodes have. I still haven't decided on what the upload schedule is going to be like, but at least I don't have to worry about that for this one.

Yes, Continuity is back, and this time we're going to be going even deeper. I'm still going to try to diversify the pairings and characters a bit, but now that we know that Karmi is coming back (at least temporarily), we can ramp up the Hiro/Karmi angst/relationship/feelings a little bit more.

I've said it on Tumblr and DevArt, and I'll say it again. I think that the show is setting up Karmi to eventually join the team. Some very large hints were in this episode, and I'm sure we're going to get more soon.

Next week will be "Mayor For A Day" and "The Dog Craze of Summer", so I hope I can get some Mole and Granville writing in for those.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. Spoiler will be abound for both "Mayor For A Day" and "The Dog Craze of Summer".

But more for the latter.

Chapter 2 – Hard Work Pays Off

"There we go. Go ahead and take a look. See how those feel."

Honey Lemon took a quick glance in the mirror the optometrist was holding and smiled. "Yup. These are great!"

"Good. I was worried we weren't going to have your frames for a little bit there, but you're lucky we had a extra pair in stock. I think you're all good to go!"

"Thanks so much, sir!"

She took a seat on one of the chairs on the outer wall to wait for Go Go to wrap up her appointment. It had been her idea to take her roommate to the eye doctor, since she had apparently never gone before. The Korean had always stated that her eyesight was impeccable, but since she had to come here anyway, Honey Lemon dragged her along as well.

Speak of the devil, here she came now.

"So, how was it?"

Go Go's face contorted into a look of pure disgust. She mumbled a few words which she couldn't hear, so Honey Lemon pointed to her ear.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"...I may have slight nyctalopia."

"Night-blindness? Oooh."

"I'm glad that you're celebrating my possible eye problem, Honey Lemon," she quipped as the two walked out of the office, Honey Lemon waving goodbye to the receptionist. "But yeah, everything was fine for the normal eye exam, but once Dr. Jonas turned the lights off, I was having a bit more trouble. He wants to run a few more exams next week, but he said I may need some glasses solely for night driving." She opened her bag and produced a few cases. "He gave me a few frames to try out in the meantime."

Honey Lemon took one of the cases and took out the contents, holding up a pair of small frames to Go Go's face. "These make you look like a sexy librarian."

"I don't want to look like any librarian."

"What about these?"

Go Go looked at the almost round frames now in her hand. "Those make me look like a nerd."

"And what's wrong with looking like a nerd?"

"Nothing. I just don't want to look like one."

"Hm." Honey Lemon put the case back in the bag. "Well, I'll show these to Aunt Cass and see what she thinks."

"Huh? Why?"

"We're going over to Hiro's for dinner tonight. Remember?"

"Was that today?" Go Go looked down at the Calendar on her phone, realizing the date. "Oh. I completely forgot. I had two interviews back to back and I've lost track of the days." She covered her mouth to stop the yawn coming out. "Man, I didn't realize how tired I was."

"A nice, hearty dinner will fix you up. C'mon."

Go Go made to move her arm away from Honey Lemon's reach, but didn't have enough energy to do so. All she could do was let her lead them down the sidewalk, in the direction of the Lucky Cat Cafe.

Meanwhile...

"Is it attached?"

"I think so. I used about all of the tie-down straps that were in my trunk. Let's get out of here."

Wasabi and Fred were in front of City Hall, a giant picture frame attached to the hood of the car. Wasabi yanked one final time on the nearest cable, satisfied. "So do you want to tell me why you're taking Mole's picture back to your house?"

"Well, for one, the mayor didn't really appreciate getting a gimongous donation from someone who basically confessed to being a villain now, so they wanted to remove all traces of him from the walls. And I was more than happy to provide a means of removal."

"You mean my means. It's my car, after all."

"Yes, you could think about it that way."

"Good, because that is the way I'm thinking about it."

Wasabi sat down in the driver's seat, followed by Fred next to him, and they began the long trek back to the Frederickson household. The giant frame wiggled a little bit, but it felt like it was going to hold.

"You know, you never actually told me what you're going to do with this."

Fred touched his nose and winked. "I have big plans for it, my boy. Don't you worry..."

Five minutes later...

"Take that! And that! And some of these!"

Wasabi stood a healthy distance away as Fred, armed with the tennis ball launcher, was pelting Mole's portrait with about a thousand balls.

"Not very quick, are you, Mole?"

Heathcliff entered the backyard and stood next to Wasabi, an identical look of amusement on his face. "Should I even ask about what is transpiring right now, Master Wasabi?"

"I think this pretty much explains it all."

"Perhaps he should be cut off before he gets to the point where he starts shooting fruit at it."

"Good idea," Wasabi said.

The butler took a step forward and raised his voice to his employer. "Master Frederickson, if you have caused enough damage for the sake of art, need I remind you that you are attending dinner at Master Hiro's house tonight?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot! Thanks for letting me know, Heathcliff! But first..."

Fred set the launcher down and studied his work. The full-sized portrait has countless holes in it, the only part of his face visible were his eyes and nose.

"How many watermelons do we have in the kitchen?"

At the Lucky Cat Cafe...

"Hiro, wash up! It's almost time for dinner."

The teenager didn't look up from his video game system.

"Hiro!"

He was almost there. Right at his high score...

And then the console turned off.

"What the-"

Hiro looked up to see his aunt's finger on the power button, a dish towel in her other hand.

"I think you've had enough for today. Your brain is going to melt with all of those games."

Aunt Cass exited his room as Hiro begrudgingly put his controller on the desk. "Thanks for warning me she was coming, Baymax."

"She was holding a finger to her mouth. That is a universal sign for being quiet." Baymax blinked once. "Also, you have been playing for ninety minutes straight without a break. Nourishment will allow you to recover your energy."

Hiro said nothing as he ducked into the bathroom to wash his hands. If he had his way, he would be playing Wormhole 3, but unfortunately, all of the money he had earned watching Professor Granville's dogs has been commandeered by Honey Lemon, Go Go and Fred, Wasabi, and then Baron Von Steamer (for letting one of them steal his arm).

Which was fair, he guessed. If he had just done what Granville had asked him to do and read the manual, he wouldn't have let Fermi loose, Oppenheimer fetch everything under the sun, and Curie chew Honey Lemon's Chem-Purse into oblivion.

Oh crap, he was suppose to get started on making a new one for her today. That totally slipped his mind.

Hiro finished washing and made his way down the steps to the cafe, where he was greeted by his friends just coming into the house. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Hiro! Do you like my new glasses?"

"...They don't look any different."

"What about Go Go's?"

"Wait, Go Go has glasses? I have to see this." Hiro turned to see his friend staring him down in a death glare, her eyes just over the frames. "Or maybe not."

"Hm." She took them off of her face and looked at them. "Maybe these things do have their uses."

"Like shooting someone's soul out of their chest with just a look? Yeah, she already did that to me on the way over here," Fred added.

Wasabi took his place at the table while squeezing some sanitizer out on his hands. "You had one to begin with? I'd argue against that, if that picture of Mole back at your house is any indication."

Aunt Cass came in from the kitchen, the usual giant pot of food in her grasp. "I hope y'all are hungry. I made jambalaya!"

Go Go took a deep whiff of the smoke when she took the top off. "Oh my God, that smells amazing."

"I know, right? May just got back from Riorleans and found this recipe for me. I think it came out really well. Don't know about the spice level, though. I may have accidentally put half a shaker of cayenne in there..."

The Korean recoiled her head back.

"Oh come on, Go Go. You have a Latino boyfriend. Don't you guys get spicy from time to time?"

"First of all, I don't like the way you say that," Go Go replied, raising a finger in the air. "Two, it's not like we sit down and watch movies while he feeds me peppers like they're grapes or something."

Honey Lemon giggled.

"You're imagining that image in your head. Stop that."

Hiro reached for the ladle, and the next hour or so devolved into small talk, Aunt Cass getting updates on everyone else's personal lives over the past couple of weeks. Thankfully Hiro was exempt from most of this, given that his personal life was something that Aunt Cass liked to talk about a lot to other people.

But given that Karmi was not in contact with him for the moment, that well had run dry. Now she had four other wells to draw water from.

"So how did your interviews go?"

Hiro came out of his inner thoughts just to see Go Go shrug her shoulders. "They were fine. I don't think either of them were expecting a twenty-one-year-old Korean girl to be competing for these high level positions that were open. At least the Future Foundation let me Vroom in. I had to reschedule my trip to Los Angeles because I'm not really interested in a six hour drive for an hour-long interview. The university there can wait."

"What are you looking at for UCLA?"

"Their board is looking for team members for an aerospace project. Top secret and all that. They heard what I did with the hyperconducting magnet with Granville and asked for an interview."

"Well, speaking of secret projects..." Aunt Cass turned to Wasabi. "How's Aspen doing?"

"She's doing well. Haven't talked to her for a bit. But she's keeping busy, just like I have."

"You have no idea what she's been up to?"

"Nope, and I'm not going to ask. But it must be really big and important if she's not even telling me."

"Yeah...the person she loves."

Wasabi glared at Go Go, who was busy inspecting the entire ceiling for cracks.

"Everyone's working so hard since you've gotten out of school. Jobs, relationships, all of that." Aunt Cass pointed to Hiro. "I can't wait until Hiro starts working."

And there it was.

"Aunt Cass, I was just dog-sitting for Professor Granville. Doesn't that count?"

"I didn't realize that it was only for the day, Hiro. But I heard she paid you pretty well. I hope you didn't blow all of that money in one place."

Hiro looked around the table, staring at the four grins that came back at him. "Oh no, it...was put to good use."

Fred gave him a thumbs-up.

"In any case, now that you have your first job underneath your belt, you can put yourself out there for other things. I remember when Tadashi got his first job. He was mowing lawns for people on the east side of the city near the villages."

"He was what?"

"I'll take this one," Fred interjected. "You see, little guy, a lawn is a little piece of grass that is in front of every house..."

"I know what a lawn is, Fred. Thanks."

"Anyway, he'd take his scooter and drive around all day to get to his stops. He'd sometimes do six or seven lawns in a row. Came back with bills practically dropping out of his pockets. It's harder to do that now because a lot of places have synthetic lawns." Aunt Cass took a sip of her water. "Maybe Hiro can come over and mow your lawn, Fred."

"Have you seen the size of his backyard, Aunt Cass? I wouldn't be able to do it in a day."

She glanced over at Fred, who nodded. "Yup. I don't know how Heathcliff gets it all short and straight. It's like magic..."

Aunt Cass let Fred's mind wander off and returned her focus to Hiro. "Have you given any thought about jobs? You're going to need to earn some money eventually."

"Not really. I just got through my first year at SFIT; I'm going to need to live through three more years of that." Hiro stabbed at the pile of rice on his plate. "Besides, I know Mr. Krei would probably hire me after my internship is done."

It was an addendum that Hiro hadn't actually gone back to Krei Tech in a few months. It was mostly because of everything that he had been doing with Big Hero 6, but Aunt Cass didn't need to know that.

"Now I'm curious." Aunt Cass examined everyone at the table. "I want to know what everyone's first job was."

"I was babysitting my cousins when I was a teenager!" Honey Lemon shouted. "Such adorable babies!"

"Yeah, you wouldn't catch me doing any sort of babysitting duties," Go Go said. "I'd probably end up losing one at some point."

Hiro glared at her.

"Not...that...any of us at this table have ever lost any sort of living thing ever. Two-legged or four-legged."

He went back to his food, the troll face of Fermi still vibrant in his mind.

"Anyway, I was waitressing in my grandmother's noodle shop. Yeah, I know. It's a very Asian thing for me to do, but my parents thought it would be a good idea after being in that gang for my adolescent years. But I only did for one summer. After that...never again."

"Work too hard for you?" Wasabi asked.

"Nope. Apparently I don't have a 'customer service' face."

Go Go brought the cup up to her lips.

"And I might have thrown some guy's dinner at him for trying to hit on me."

Hiro couldn't help but grin. "Might?"

"Yup. And that was coincidentally around the same time I took up boxing."

Aunt Cass turned to Wasabi. "I'm going to guess that you did something with your dad."

"Yup, at the orthodontist office. Nothing too major, just organizing files and supplies and whatnot. I didn't have the stomach for any of his actual work. So I just kept to myself in his office."

Go Go pointed her thumb at Fred. "And then we get to Sir Never-Worked-A-Day-In-His-Life over here."

"Aww, how did you know my nickname in high school, Go Go?"

She slowly shoveled another spoonful of food into her mouth.

"But yeah, you're not wrong. I did a few things for my mom around the house, but I never got paid for it. And most of the staff did it before I could get around to do it anyway. It was kind of a bummer, actually. But that gave me more time to be the generally awesome person that everyone knows and loves today!"

"What about you, Aunt Cass?" Honey Lemon asked. "What was the first job you had?"

The woman waved her hand at her dismissively. "Oh, there's actually a whole story behind that. It'd take too long."

"It's not like we're going anywhere," Wasabi added. "I'm actually interested."

Aunt Cass thought for a moment, then leaned back in her chair. "Well, if you insist. My first job..."

She gestured toward the back counters of the cafe.

"Was actually right here. In the Cafe."

"Really?" Hiro said.

"If we want to be technical, it was one of my first three jobs that I worked. I haven't actually told anyone this story other than Karmi..."

Go Go looked at Hiro to see how he would respond to her name being mentioned, but Hiro was too engrossed in Aunt Cass's story to notice.

"But when I was in high school, I was working three jobs during the summer to support my family. My dad needed some major surgery for his heart, so me, May, and Tommy all chipped in as best we could. May worked at a beauty salon, if I remember correctly. I worked here as well as a couple of retail places around the city."

"What did my dad do?"

Aunt Cass smiled over at her nephew. "What was his job, or what did he do? Because those are two very different things." She looked down at her plate, her mind going back to the past. "His job was to work at Noodle Burger. What he did...was try to flirt with every girl that came to his register."

The whole room was filled with laughter, including Hiro's.

"So as you can probably guess, he didn't last very long there. Neither did May at the salon. But my parents appreciated the effort in any case. But they saw that I was stressing myself out so much working three jobs that they made me pick one to stay at. So I chose here." She took a slow glance around the dining room. "It wasn't the best paying job, but it had the best atmosphere and customers. Plus, the owners were an old couple that sort of saw me as a surrogate child of theirs."

"Is that how you eventually got this place?" Honey Lemon asked.

Aunt Cass nodded her head. "They were looking to retire and spend more time with their grandchildren. They were actually going to close the place for good, and then my parents stepped in and bought it from them. And then they turned around and gave it to me. I spent the better part of a year revamping everything here: the menu, the layout, the upstairs." She pointed up to the ceiling. "The attic used to be the office. I moved that to the middle level and made it into a spare bedroom for anyone visiting. And your parents took advantage of that quite often."

Hiro narrowed his eyes at her, confused.

"Both Tommy and Maemi worked here for a bit. Tommy was between jobs, and...Maemi was pregnant with Tadashi. So they would stay here for days at a time while he was searching for something more consistent. She taught me how to make macarons; I'd teach her how to operate the ancient coffee press the old owners left behind. It was a good time."

"And then when Tadashi came, they stayed her permanently for the first six months. I could not even begin to tell you the amount of times customers said they would hear crying from the walls, and I smiled because I had to pretend that Tadashi wasn't screaming up a storm." Aunt Cass swirled the water in her cup. "They eventually found a place and moved out, but part of me really wanted them to stay longer."

"What about May?" Fred asked. "Did she ever work here?"

"For a day. And then I had to fire her because, surprise surprise, she had taken up Tommy's habit of flirting with everyone. I wasn't going to let that go on for anything longer than twenty-four hours. To be honest, I think she wanted me to fire her. Siblings, right?"

Hiro finished the rest of his food, feeling a bit better by the story about his parents. It felt nice to know that he wasn't the only one going through trouble with jobs. Not that he ever was alone, of course (considering what his friends were going through right now), but the personal touch made it stand out more.

But it did bring another question to his mind.

"Aunt Cass, have you ever thought about what's going to happen to this place when you retire?

"Oh, sweetie, I'm never going to retire."

Hiro shook his head. "You're going to work here forever?"

"Well, that's my joke answer. The real answer is...I'm not really sure." She started gathering up everyone's plates and drinks. "I know that you're going to do better and greater things than here, but I have a long time to think about that." She turned her head as she went through the door to the kitchen. "Maybe Aspen or Doreen would be interested in running this place..."

"Yeah, if you want the building to implode within a week," Go Go muttered under her breath.

"Hey, they were fine when they were here before! They did a great job."

Wasabi got up from his chair and chuckled. "Yeah, as long as she doesn't figure out that Aspen ate all of the tapioca and we had to send Baymax out to get more to replace it."

Aunt Cass poked her head back in. "Is that why she was on a sugar high when I came back? Or where the two of you making out with each other right beforehand?"

His cheeks flared as his friends started laughing with her, Hiro joining in a moment later.

Bedtime...

Hiro walked out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for bed. The dinner was a nice touch after the craziness of the week, and for once, he wasn't the target of everyone's teasing.

It was also nice to hear a little bit more about his parents. Like she had said to him before, he was getting to the age where he would be curious about them, and she was doing the best she could to not overwhelm him with everything.

"Hiro, you have one new e-mail."

He went over to his computer and shook the mouse. "Is it from any of the temp jobs I applied to?"

"It is not. It is from Professor Granville."

That was weird; why was she e-mailing him? He clicked the picture of the envelope on his taskbar, bringing up his inbox.

Hiro hadn't told Aunt Cass that he was looking for jobs, mostly because he didn't know how it would work out with the superheroing and all. But it wouldn't hurt to at least see what was out there. What Go Go had said to him at the secret base was true; they weren't looking to do it forever, and as much as Krei "liked" him (or at least liked him enough to make him an intern), he couldn't rely on him extending a full-time position in the company.

So, like it or not, he had to put his name out into the market. Even it was just to see what was out there.

Hiro saw that he indeed had one unread e-mail from Granville. He opened it up and started reading:

Greetings Mr. Hamada,

This correspondence is to once again extend my dearest thanks for watching over my babies: Curie, Fermi, and Oppenheimer. Look at their adoring faces.

She had a picture attached to the message, with the herding dog chewing on a toy, the tiny chihuahua staring at something in the background, and the rottweiler very much looking into the lens, the beginnings of a troll face appearing. It was like he knew who Granville was taking the picture for.

I know that my request for your services was very last-minute, but I appreciate your tactful response and genuine care. You see, all three of my canines are rescues. Fermi hails from a broken home in Little Italy, Neo York. Curie was the runt of a litter of puppies from Lyontreal, dropped off at a shelter in the middle of the city. Oppenheimer was returned malnourished right in the heart of San Francisco. I consider it my duty to help as many canines as I could. If I lived in a bigger house, I would have many more. I would probably be considered the crazy dog lady by some.

Hiro chuckled at the thought.

Which is why, Mr. Hamada, I am sending along a second payment that, upon reconsideration of your services, will be more alongside what I would expect for someone thrust into this situation. The Quick Response code attached to this e-mail will deposit the funds into a temporary Roo account, which you can use to your liking.

He looked down at the attachment, seeing the QR code at the bottom.

My recommendation is to not use it all at once, although I'm sure that someone of your age would never do such a thing.

He could almost hear her voice and the sarcasm dripping from it.

Many thanks again for you and your friends' services,

Professor Grace Granville

Wait. How did she-

Hiro shook his head. He shouldn't have been surprised that she knew that he had some additional help with taking care of her dogs. His teacher had a way of knowing things she had no discernible way to know, a trait that she shared with Go Go.

But he could work out the details later.

He brought up his phone, using the camera to scan the code. The green kangaroo hopped onto his screen, signaling the deposit was complete. He took a look at the dollar amount...

"Whoa."

Now that was something he wasn't expecting. He could certainly do a lot with this. He could buy Wormhole 3. He could rebuy Wormhole 2 for Fred. Heck, he could by a whole lot of video games with the money.

But that wasn't what was going to happen.

"Just have to have a conscience, don't you?" he muttered to himself.

Hiro turned around to face his robot. "Baymax, deposit this amount into my savings account."

Baymax scanned the screen with his eyes, a ding sounding from somewhere in his chest. "Transfer complete."

He set his phone back down and turned off his computer. He was ready to go to bed...until another thought came to his head.

"Baymax? Send some of that to Yggdrasil's donation fund."

Yup, hard work did indeed pay off.

But paying that forward made him feel even better.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do apologize if this chapter is more of a jumbled mess than normal, but I had to take care of a few things in real life, which is also why this is being uploaded now and not Friday or Saturday. Hopefully this won't be a common occurrence. I also chose to focus more on the second episode than the first, just because I thought that the second was more interesting and I could draw more from that.

And Mole's a jerk.

We don't really know a lot about Hiro's parents, so I wanted to sprinkle in a little bit in here. I don't know if we're going to get any of it in the actual season, but I hope so. It's one of the most requested things that fans have been waiting for.

I also liked adding the history to the Cafe and Aunt Cass. I guess that means she's been working there for a very long time, and she would definitely want someone to give it to once she retires.

If she retires.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. Who knows who is fighting crime behind the scenes, but I probably don't own them either.

Chapter 3 – Assembly Required

For someone who was in law enforcement, going to prison was his least favorite parts of the job.

The place creeped him out. Odd, coming from him. But he didn't like the darkness.

Literally or personally.

But as the chief of police, Diego Cruz wasn't in a position to not do it.

So there he was, standing in front of one of the larger holding cells and staring down its prisoner.

"You know, Chief, you might as well just leave now if you're not going to bother to talk to me."

It was still eerie to him that someone would make such a lifelike robot. Hiro had explained to him her background: built by the man who almost recreated the Great Catastrophe, was thought to be lost to the resulting base cave-in, came back to worm her way into Krei Tech and hatch a plan to melt the entire city.

And there she was now. Her body was dimly-lit but still towering over him. Her face had somehow reconstructed entirely, her black and red hair swept off to the side and an uncomfortable smirk on her face. Hiro had guessed she had some sort of self-repair mechanism, but even he was unsure.

"Why have you graced me with your presence?"

Seeing no point in stalling any longer, Chief Cruz spoke up. "Your...little brother? That Noodle Burger mascot is running around town recruiting other robots. They've been smashing up the city and no one really seems to know what the endgame is."

"And you think I know what's going on?" She waved her eyes around her surroundings. "In case you can't see, I'm not really in a position to hear about anything."

Cruz looked around as well. Hiro had rigged some sort of magnetic restraint inside the cell. It served a dual purpose: hold the giant body of Trina in place and also sap her electrical output. She was still operational, but only to let her life support systems operate. Everything else was offline.

"Well, you know him-"

"And if I get out of here, I'll be the first one to get rid of your problem, Chief. I'm a little bitter about being yesterday's special."

Trina raised her eyebrow.

"OK, note to self. Don't use any of his mannerisms."

"So you don't know what he's up to?"

"Nope. Last time I saw him, Hamada was thrusting him off into the atmosphere. Don't know where he ended up. All I know is that I've been sitting in here since then."

Trina must have seen the look on his face, because her grin turned into a smirk. "Yeah, chief. I know who he is. You'd be surprised by the amount of people who do."

"And you don't care?"

She shrugged as much as she could. "What does it matter? It could be anyone. Any person. He's a thorn in my side. That little genius is in my way, and so are you." She leaned her head in. "The robot revolution is still coming. It's just going to be me at the reins and not my third-rate brother."

Chief Cruz had had enough. He wasn't going to get anything else from her. He put his pad in his pocket and started walking away.

"I am getting out of here. Just you wait!"

"If he's the genius like you say he is...probably not."

Leaving a fuming Trina, Cruz walked back out into the hallway. Given the record of villains breaking out of prison, he wasn't entirely sold on that last part, but if anyone could keep Trina in check, it was Hiro.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the last number. After a ring, it picked up.

"So what did she say?"

"Nothing of note. She mentioned you by name, though."

"Great. Just another thing to add on to my list."

The chief looked down the hallway. Content that he was alone, he started walking, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You've managed to make a lot of enemies in a year. And almost all of them know who you are."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

"I worry, though. What if something happened to you? What if someone just shows up to your house and hurts you or Cass?"

Hiro didn't have an answer for that. He heard the boy shuffle something around in the background.

"I know you and your friends can handle yourselves. But I can't protect your families without tipping every other bad guy in the city off."

"We'll be fine, sir. You just have to trust us."

Chief Cruz made a motion to respond, but he noticed that his walking has led him to a certain part of the prison. He looked up at the sign above him.

"I have to go. I have one more thing to take care of. Say hi to your aunt for me."

"I will."

He hung up and walked up to the guard next to the door. "Hello, son."

The guard jolted out of his daydream, the phone in his hand still playing the cat video. He sheepishly put it back in his pocket. "Chief Cruz! I wasn't expecting you."

"I was visiting another inmate. But now that I'm done, I need to speak to the person inside."

"Sir...with all due respect, I'm not suppose to let anyone in here without a clearance from the mayor."

"So why did you let one of the members of Big Hero 6 in last year?"

The shifty eyes he got in response was enough to know he had him on the edge. Holding down his grin, Chief Cruz went on. "Son, I'm the chief of police. If anyone is qualified to talk to them, it's me."

The guard sighed and pulled his keys out. "OK. But I can get in trouble for this."

"You'll be fine, son. I'll be in and out. Just make sure to shut the door behind me."

Chief Cruz walked through, and the thunk of the metal door let him know that the guard had followed his order. He was now in the one place that he hadn't visited since becoming the police chief.

Solitary Confinement. Meant only for the worst of criminals.

And if his schedule was correct, there would only be one person in here.

He noticed her right away. She was sitting down on the floor, meditating with her eyes closed. It was almost like she hadn't heard the door open and close. He took another step forward...

"Chief Cruz. What a surprise."

It was, mostly because she still hadn't opened her eyes. "How did you-"

"Oh, I heard through the grapevine that you were around. It was only a matter of time before you got around to me."

She got off of the floor and went to the bars, almost within arm's reach of the chief.

"Hello, Diego."

"...Hello, Momakase."

Chief Cruz stopped walking, his body also at the bars. The mercenary ran her hand down the pole, her finger almost touching his badge.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough."

She tilted her head and laughed. "Still hanging on to the past, I see."

He glanced around her cell. The usual things were in there: bed, sink, a back counter. The window was high up on the wall, only letting a little starlight in. "I'm surprised they don't give you something to liven up the place. You know, since you stay here so much."

"I said the same thing." She swept her hand towards the wall. "I keep asking for my blades for decoration, but for some reason, they don't want me to have them."

"Can't imagine why."

The two fell silent for a second, giving her the opportunity to turn the conversation elsewhere. "I take it you talked to the robot girl? Did she spook you with her tall tale of our new mechanical overlords?"

"Something like that."

"Hm." She leaned her head onto the bar. "Believe me, I spent a fair amount of time with Obake and his...children. Even though they don't look the part, they're very much just as dangerous as he was. I would keep my eye on them if I were you."

Chief Cruz stared at her.

"But don't take my advice. I'm sure you're already doing that."

Her finger tapped the badge on his chest.

"You are the man in charge, after all."

It then went up to his shoulder, her entire hand now resting on it.

"How are your officers doing? I never sought to ask after they finally were able to capture me after my run-in with Yama."

"Fine. You sent a couple to the hospital, but they pulled through."

"Good. I would hate for you to lose anyone else in your service."

She picked her hand up, pantomiming her two fingers as legs.

"You're not very talkative, Diego."

It started walking up to his neck.

"What's the matter? I remember a time when you would talk my ear off for half the night. What happened?"

His hand came down and blocked hers from progressing further.

"Things changed. I changed. I'm not the same person that you knew before."

Momakase smiled sadly.

"Yes. In some ways, you're not."

She retracted her hand back to her side.

"But in other ways, you're the same young man that I knew all those years ago. Speaking of which..."

She leaned her head in even closer.

"How is Megan doing, by the way?"

The shift in tone was sudden and dramatic. Chief Cruz's gaze furrowed into a look of anger, and he backed off to get out of her reach. Momakase, trained in the art of controlling her emotions, kept her expression from changing.

"You dare..."

"Yes, Diego. I dare."

The chief pointed at her, barely containing himself. "You stay away from my daughter. Do you hear me? If you come anywhere near her, I will find out about it, and I'll take you down myself."

"Your daughter?"

He saw her narrow her eyes, giving him her most dangerous stare.

"Then again, I would take a letter off of that word if I was in a different position."

He straightened his hat and started walking toward the door. His fist went up to knock on it, but it stopped an inch away from the metal. He craned his head to look at her.

"I'm serious, Momakase. Don't make me do something that I'll regret."

Chief Cruz rapped on the door twice, and the door swung open. As the door closed behind him, Momakase returned to her mediation stance, the smug smile replaced with a sad frown.

"I know that you're serious, Diego. You've always been like that."

Her eyes closed again in an effort to keep her voice steady.

"Especially when it comes to your daughter."

The next morning...

"Well, that's one lead down. Do we have anything else?"

"We could go ask Noodle Burger Boy nicely."

"And get crushed again? I'll pass."

The team was sitting for breakfast, Baymax and Minimax flanking them. The rest of the occupants were sitting a good distance away, perfectly aware of the dance party that had broke out in recent days when Minimax was in Baymax's body. Darcy (one of the biker gang members) was chatting with Aunt Cass at the counter. Another girl in a yellow shirt and blue pants (who Hiro didn't know) was still giving Baymax the stink-eye. Hiro didn't mind, of course. It gave them the opportunity to talk in private.

"Trina was a good guess," Honey Lemon said. "But maybe one of us should have gone and talked to her instead of Chief Cruz."

"Then we would have gotten nothing." Hiro took another bite out of his cereal. "At least he was able to confirm that she's out of the loop."

"Do you think she really knows nothing about Noodle Burger Boy's plan? Or is she playing dumb?"

Baymax cut in. "Trina is a robot. She is not capable of being dumb."

"She is capable of lying, though."

"Then we must force the information out of her!" Minimax shouted from his shoulder. "With my two fists name Truth and Justice!"

"Maybe Truth and Justice should be more worried about not angering the cat even more."

The small robot turned its head all the way around at Mochi, still in its cone and staring daggers into him. He brought his paw up and brought it to his face, pointing two of its claws to his eyes and then at him.

"...Perhaps!"

"Baymax, you talked to Noodle Burger Boy while we were trapped in the subway. Did he say anything to you?"

"My battery power was at critical levels, so my memory banks are not working properly."Baymax blinked once. "However, from what I was able to gather, it is my understanding that his desire to have a family is partially responsible for the damage that he is causing."

"But wouldn't he try to break Trina out of prison if that was his plan?"

"Maybe he thinks she's gone," Go Go guessed. "Remember, the last time any one of us saw him, he was blasting off again." She waved her hands in the air emphatically. "Who knows what goes on in the minds of robots?"

"It is mostly computing data."

"And thinking of righteous things! Like fighting evil!"

The Korean turned to Hiro. "Are you sure you put their chips back in the right spots?"

"Yup.  Checked this morning."

The rest of the table fell into other conversation, but Hiro was still thinking hard. What was Noodle Burger Boy's plan? Making a new robot family just to smash things wasn't really his style. Then again, the mascot had always served as a henchman of sorts (first to Obake and then to Trina). Maybe he was just flying by the seat of his proverbial pants.

But even with the new chips in their bodies, his new partners didn't seem evil. Not Obake evil, anyway. He almost wished the man could see the robots now, making mischief instead of carrying out more terrible deeds.

Man, I must really be tired if I want Obake to come back, Hiro thought.

A sudden poke went into his ribs, and Hiro looked up to see Go Go trying to get his attention.

"What?"

She pointed up at the television, where Bluff Dunder was talking over a giant "Breaking News" banner. The newscaster was looking deep into the camera like normal, a bunch of papers in his hand.

"Apparently no one can do a newscast without things cropping up, but nevertheless…" Dunder adjusted his glasses. "Last night, the large robot that caused a near meltdown in the city escaped San Fransokyo Prison. Sources are not saying much, except for the fact that she was yelling something about noodles and burgers."

The four human sets (and two robot sets) of eyes all looked down at Hiro.

"A malfunction in the prison's electrical grid seems to be at fault, although no other criminals escaped in that time."

"Grrr." Hiro set his spoon down in the bowl. "Probably tripped the safety protocol in Trina's restraints. They were meant to turn off so they wouldn't electrocute whoever was being held down. I didn't think about what would happen if it was a robot."

"Prison officials are resuming their search this morning hoping to shed some light on the situation."

"Boo!" Darcy yelled from the counter.

"And now that we've properly gotten that out of the way-"

A hand shot out from the side of the screen, handing him an additional paper.

"...I can now have something else handed to me so that I can't have my Fruit Talk."

"And wouldn't that be a pity," Go Go muttered.

Dunder glanced down at the paper and whispered to himself. Then, he refocused back on the camera. "It looks like the San Fransokyo Municipal Bank had an attempted robbery at one in the morning. Camera footage showed the perpetrators as well as the person responsible for stopping it." A picture went up over his shoulder, showing four robbers lying on the ground, as well as another person standing over them. Unfortunately, the camera inside the bank was terrible, so everything was extremely cloudy.

The newscaster seemed to stare at the picture as well, trying to make sense of it. After a moment, he straightened back up. "Well, it looks like Big Hero 6 was pulling very late duty, and we, as always, thank them for their incredible service. Hopefully, they didn't give the villains a-"

The TV cut out, and Hiro whirled his head around to see Darcy with the remote in her hand. Satisfied, she tossed it over her shoulder to the waiting grasp of his aunt. "Sorry, Cass. There's only so many puns I can take this early in the morning."

The noise in the cafe started picking back up, but the team was still transfixed on what had been shown on the TV. Hiro looked over at Fred, deep into another stack of pancakes.

"Fred?"

"Hm?"

Now everyone was staring at him.

"Anything you want to tell us?" Wasabi asked.

"...No."

"Fred," Go Go insisted. "Did you go out on patrol last night by yourself?"

"Nah, there was a marathon of Captain Fancy's Fancy Show last night. It was the episodes where he had to go to etiquette school, but instead of holding the teacup with his pinkie out, he-"

The fork of pancakes got shoved back into his mouth.

"Eat your food, knucklehead."

"Mmm."

Hiro's eyes went around the table. "I take it that all of us were sleeping last night."

Four heads nodded back at him.

"I was making sure Frederick had plenty of nutrition for his marathon!"

"We didn't ask," Go Go retorted.

"What about-"

"It wasn't me."

Hiro's hand slammed into the table in fright, and the spoon launched straight up. Luckily, it was caught straight out of the air by-

"Kate. How did you get here?"

The former officer's eyebrows disappeared into her sunglasses. She pointed over at the entrance with the handle of the spoon. "I...used the door."

Hiro took the spoon back from her, wiping the stray droplets of milk off with his sleeve.

"And I was zonked out last night. Didn't leave my house at all. I have better things to do than try to find robbers at one in the morning."

"Like a Captain Fancy's Fancy Show marathon?"

Kate turned her head towards Go Go.

"Just...don't ask."

"I don't have a tail, anyways."

"A what?"

Kate put her purple phone down in the center of the table. The team bent forward to see that she had taken a picture of the TV while the broadcast was still on. The inside of the bank was still there, all four robbers seemingly unconscious on the ground. A blurry blob was standing over them. Hiro couldn't make out any of the features.

"See that?" Kate poked at the right side of the blob, noting the round part at the top and the background between it and the body. "That's definitely some sort of tail. Unless they have some abnormal growth that they need to get checked out, they also have something on their shoulder."

He saw it now: another mound, slightly smaller than the head, was on the person's right shoulder. Too bad he couldn't make out what that was either.

"Not Globby. The camera, no matter how bad it was, would show some glare going through his body because it's translucent. So we can rule him out."

"So you guys have anyone on your roster with a tail?"

"No," Honey Lemon replied. "But it probably wouldn't hurt to check in with everyone else."

"Already did." Go Go held up her cell. "Robbie sent me exactly three things back: an exclamation point, a question mark, and a No."

Wasabi's phone vibrated, signaling his message. "Aspen wants a tail, but she's over on the East Coast. So not her either."

"I would not bother traveling 2,904 miles simply to thwart one bank robbery."

Minimax bounced on Hiro's head, attention now on Baymax's viewscreen. "Greetings, female Hiro!"

"Hello..." Peni looked at the robot, confused. "Miniature Baymax."

"Hiro." Kate pointed to the screen. "Why are you talking to a girl on your robot? And why does she look so much like you?"

The boy genius sighed. He was with Darcy; it was way too early in the morning for this. "Kate, this is Peni. My cousin."

"Wait, there's more of you?"

"Hey, that's what Aspen said!" Wasabi cut in.

"In any case..." He had to cut that short. Otherwise, his brain wouldn't be able to catch up. "Everyone's been accounted for. So that just leaves one question. If it's not any of us..."

He glanced back down at the screen of Kate's phone, his worry growing.

"Then who could it be?"

Somewhere in the city...

The sun going up had not gotten everyone out of their slumber. Some took the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Especially young adults that spent the better part of a night doing some impromptu crime fighting.

A fact that was not lost on the creature currently climbing up the tree.

He was tired, too. Normally, he would curl up in his nest, have a nut or two near in case he needed a midnight snack, and sleep until his owner woke up. But no, she had to go test her suit out. And there just happened to be some robbers trying to break into the vault at that time of night.

Yup, the life of a squirrel. Especially one in the care of this particular person.

He finished going up the tree and leaped through the open window. There she was still, face down on the couch, her snore somehow still audible through the cushion. He scuttled across the floor and went up to her face, smacking her head with an open paw.

"Five more minutes..."

He squeaked loudly at her.

"One sec."

Her finger went up to her ear and turned on the wireless device.

"What do you want, Tippy-Toe?"

He repeated his words at her.

"Can't I just stay here for the rest of the day?"

The squirrel shrugged his shoulders.

The girl slowly got up to a sitting position. The only thing that she had taken off before dozing off was her metal boots, which were next to the window. The hood to her aviator jacket served as a nice pillow, and the large, animatronic bushy tail was the best blanket she could have crafted. She stretched her arms over her head and loudly yawned.

"Well, I would say that last night was a rousing success."

Tippy-Toe jumped up to his perch, throwing a squeak over his shoulder.

"You didn't have to come with me on my patrol."

Another short retort.

"I was fine. I took out three of those guys with my Fists of Furry!"

He stared at her.

"...OK, you did a good job with the last one. Which reminds me that I should probably make some more smoke bombs. They're finicky little buggers."

Tippy-Toe swept a few chestnut shells under his tail.

"Nah, I'm leaving yours alone. But I'm running out of pockets on this belt. I wonder if I can get Honey Lemon to make me one..."

Doreen got up from the couch and shuffled her feet over to her coffee machine, pressing the power button. Last night was the first time she had seen any action, but it was a learning experience. She wasn't expecting a letter in the mail from Big Hero 6 or anything like that, but maybe they were waking up this morning and saw what happened and think about her.

"This is so exciting, Tippy-Toe! We're on her way to becoming legitimate superheroes!"

She pumped her fist, the coffee mug in the other hand.

"At this rate...we'll be unbeatable!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah...good luck with that, Doreen.

This is a shorter chapter than the others mostly because I've had some things happening in real life that I've had to take care of. So, this is what I managed to scrap together.

A few plot points: a hint at the possible story to come involving the final member of the Beta Team, writing in Trina's escape so that "A Friendly Face" actually makes sense, and whatever the chuff what went (and is going) on between Chief Cruz and Momakase.

One of those things will be addressed immediately. One will be soon. The other one will be further down the road.

I'll leave it to you to figure out which one is which.

Next week is the Karmi episode, and I actually have a good idea of what I'm already going to write. This is, of course, provided that the episode doesn't tear my heart out and stomp on it. But we'll see.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. The title name is owned by TVTropes. By the way, the Big Hero 6 page (and its subpages) could probably use some updating after this, if they haven't already.

Also, Mr. Tesfaye, you should really not make your songs so good that I put them in my stories. But also don't.

When you see "slow melody", start playing the slow melody.

You earned it.

Chapter 4 – The Bus Came Back

Was this what it was like to have your head in the clouds?

To have your state of mind so elevated that no one could bring it down?

Not even the relentless teasing of your friends on the way back to the base?

He was still replaying her words in his head, over and over again:

"After I left SFIT, I realized I like someone else now." Karmi looked down into the pavement, a small smile on her face. "He...doesn't know."

Hiro's body had shut off for about two seconds, enough for his brain to send a titanic amount blood to his cheeks. He was thankful that his visor wasn't completely see-through, or else she would have probably been suspicious. He had recovered quickly, though, shaking his head to reboot.

"Well, maybe you should tell him how you feel. After all, I think he's pretty lucky," he had replied. After a moment, he added, "Who-whoever he is."

"Thanks. Maybe...I will."

After an awkward hug between Captain Cutie and his savior for the night, Karmi had departed, waving him goodbye. Hiro stood there for a moment, the full gravity of her confession still being processed. If it hadn't been for Baymax and Honey Lemon interrupting, he'd probably still be standing out there on the sidewalk, reveling in what had happened.

Karmi...liked him.

She actually liked him.

Well, he knew that she liked him. Or at least he had suspected. Two people can't go through everything that they've had over the past few months without something happening.

But it was different now. She had said it. To his face.

Er.

"His" face.

It might not have technically counted, but he was too high on his happiness to care.

He wasn't even sure how he had gotten home in one piece. He remembered something about Wasabi giving them a ride, and Honey Lemon staring at him with stars in her eyes. Aunt Cass had asked if he was hungry, but he vaulted up the steps as if he was walking on air.

And now he was watching TV with his aunt, the entire mug of his hot chocolate already gone. Normally he'd forget about it after a while, but he had taken it down in five gulps, warming his belly considerably.

Nothing was going to bring him down to Earth.

"My mom used to say to me that if I smiled for too long, my face would get stuck like that forever."

Hiro glanced to his aunt, who had another kernel of popcorn at the ready. He held his hand up as it bounced harmlessly off his wrist.

"You never told me what happened at the comic thing you went to tonight."

"Nothing. It was fun."

"Was it fun because you had a good time, or was it fun because a certain girl was there?"

He put his attention back on the game show, not acknowledging her question.

"You know, there was a point in time where I would talk about her and you would clam up and blush in embarrassment. It was cute, if a little predictable." Aunt Cass scratched behind Mochi's ear, the cat now free from his cone prison. "But now you're not even bothered by it. I wonder what changed..."

Her trailing off of the sentence caused him to turn his head at her.

"Did you guys talk?"

"For a little bit. We got interrupted because a villain crashed it. But Big Hero 6 showed up and took care of everything."

"Well, that's good. Not the villain thing, but you talking to her. Did she say how long she's be around for?"

"Not really." He looked down into his empty cup. "She only mentioned being in town for today."

"And you haven't gone to visit her at her house yet?"

"No. I don't know where she lives."

Aunt Cass gasped. "You don't? You are such a terrible boyfriend."

Now the blushing was coming back.

"I'm joking, sweetie. And I hope you know I was joking when she called yesterday. I like giving you a hard time."

"Yeah, I couldn't tell," he quipped.

She popped a kernel into her mouth, taking a moment to savor the butter flavor before speaking again. "Hiro, you don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to, but I can tell it was very good. And if that makes you happy, then who am I to bring you down?"

"She said she likes me."

The kernel she had in her fingers dropped to the floor, the sound audible with everything else falling silent.

"Well...sort of. She said it, but not to me." Hiro scratched the back of his head. "It's kind of a long story."

His elbow then smushed into the side of his face...due to the bear hug that Aunt Cass was giving. His forearm felt the warmth of his cheek as she gripped him as hard as she could.

"I'm so happy for you, Hiro." She rubbed his head affectionately. "After everything she's gone through, I'm glad that you were there for her tonight."

Hiro brought his arm down as Aunt Cass let him go, walking back to her chair. "I wonder what Megan thinks about this? Is she OK with it?"

"Yeah. She's fine."

"But I thought you two were hitting it off."

"You said that, not me." Hiro went over to put his mug in the sink. "Besides, Megan and I know where we stand with each other. We're friends. And she...kind of saw what was happening with me and Karmi and didn't want to ruin things."

Said confession came after rescuing Megan from the hands of a psychotic criminal masquerading as a member of the San Fransokyo Police Department, but Hiro kept that part out. And the section that he was in her room when said conversation happened? Yeah, that wasn't going to be told to anyone, much less his aunt.

"Aww, she's so humble, isn't she? Diego raised her well."

All of this girl talk was making Hiro a bit uncomfortable. The progress that he had made with talking to Karmi didn't extend to his aunt. "I'm going to go upstairs and work on a few things. I might have my music on."

"OK. I'll be down here if you need anything."

He walked upstairs, but not before one last exclamation was heard.

"Stop clapping for her! That's totally not going to be up there!"

A loud buzzer sound erupted from the TV after that.

Leaving Aunt Cass to her feud with whoever was on the game show, Hiro made it to his room and went over to his desk. He had promised Krei that he would try to tinker with the shuttle bus schematics and come up with a new proposal when he returned to work. He didn't have the heart to tell him that the mayor probably wasn't keen on giving him the time of day, much less a new opportunity to present something to her.

But work was work. And maybe he could use it to unwind from everything that had happened today.

"Baymax, do I have anything scheduled for tomorrow?"

His robot's chest lit up with his itinerary. "You have nothing on your calendar tomorrow. However, Fred is requesting a response to a event later in the summer."

"What is it?"

The screen changed to a standard image of some graphic novels. "There is a traveling collection of comic book memorabilia that is soon to arrive in the city. Fred states that it is the largest collection of such items in the world. He wishes for everyone to come with him, and has included a looping video as well."

It moved to a dog staring at him with puppy dog eyes, the few seconds going over and over again.

Hiro sighed. "I'll have to think about it. I can't plan that far ahead. But at least let him know I saw it."

"I have."

He looked over at the blueprint. In terms of the A.I., the shuttle had worked wonders. Honey Lemon couldn't stop gushing about it when she sent him a picture of the bus, Go Go looking rather cross in the background.

"I can't even begin to think about how she managed to fit a bus into that apartment. Maybe it was just one of the screens..."

He drew a few circles around random parts, his mind starting to wander. His plan to distract himself wasn't working. Maybe something else would do the trick.

His hand went over to his mouse, shaking it to get off of sleep mode. He blindly poked at the screen with the hopes that the right song would help.

A slow melody started building up in the speakers, and Hiro immediately knew which song it was. So much so, that Hiro had no problem opening his mouth in unison with the words.

I'm a care for you...

His index finger tapped the mouse thrice in tune with the piano notes.

I'm a care

He hit his other fingers on the desk in turn. First the thumb...

For you

The pinkie.

You

The ring.

You

Then the middle.

You...

The last one came down on the mouse as the last piano note hit. The music petered out gradually, and Hiro counted in his head the seconds from the last word to the return of the music.

Eight and a half.

Then the song picked back up, with Hiro's mind wandering to when she stood out in the street, that confident smile radiating as she stared down Hardlight.

You make it look like it's magic
'Cause I see nobody, nobody but you, you, you...
I'm never confused...

Hiro rocked his head back and forth.

Hey, hey

I'm so used to being used...

He remembered her contact from yesterday, completely out of the blue...and how much he enjoyed it.

So I love when you call unexpected
'Cause I hate when the moment's expected...

His lips opened again, silently saying the words to himself.

So I'ma care for you, you, you
I'ma care for you, you, you, you...
Yeah...

There was no way he was going back to his blueprint now. His entire brain was now on Karmi.

'Cause girl, you're perfect...

Her hair.

You're always worth it...

Her eyes.

And you deserve it...

Her smile.

The way you work it...

Just...everything.

'Cause girl you earned it...
Yeah

And after everything she had gone through...

Girl you earned it
Yeah...

She earned it.

"This is one of my favorite songs that he has."

Hiro slapped the spacebar so hard he swore that the keyboard had snapped in two. His hand with the mouse threw the cursor onto the top right corner to close out the music program. The song stopped suddenly, and Hiro whirled around in his chair to face the steps...

And saw who was standing there.

"Karmi."

She looked almost exactly the same as she had a few hours prior: backpack slung over her body, the same clothes as before. She was gauntlet-less, instead her normal red and yellow bracelets adorning her wrist. Her shoes clacked onto the wooden floor as she took the final step up.

"...Hi."

"Hi."

It was the simplest greeting that they had every had with each other. Normally, it would be accompanied with some snark, or some teasing, or maybe even a little light physical violence.

But there was none of that.

Something had changed in her.

And he already knew what it was.

Karmi walked over to him. She didn't look nervous; if she was, she was hiding it well. She made a motion to move around his chair, but Hiro pushed himself to the side, blocking her progress.

She raised her eyebrow at him as they jostled for position. After a few seconds, she slammed her hands onto the arms of the chair, locking it into place. With one last glance, she brought her head forward to rest it on his shoulder.

Hiro thought she was giving him a hug, but as the arms went around his neck, she heard the mouse move around behind him.

"What are you-"

"Shh."

Her shush dribbled down his neck, causing him to shiver. He heard a few clicks of the mouse, and then a few random keys of the keyboard.

"You didn't change the password."

Hiro couldn't turn around because her head was right next to hers, but he still knew what she was talking about.

"I did."

He heard the Shift key press down, and then one of the letters on the right side. Her cheek rubbed up against his as she whispered to him again.

"Putting my last initial on the end doesn't really count as changing it, Genius Boy."

With that, she pulled herself back up, allowing Hiro to breathe normally again. She took a step back as she surveyed the room. "Haven't really changed that much since I've been up here last."

Hiro couldn't remember changing anything. Maybe this was her way of actually starting the conversation.

"What are you doing here?"

And that was not the way to continue it.

That familiar grin was back. He could only assume that being in front of a group of people made her nervous to talk about sensitive subjects. But in the comfort of his home, she could snark all she wanted.

"I had some time to kill before I went back to my house. And I wanted to say hi to your aunt. And I..."

She pushed her bangs back again.

"I never got a chance to talk to you, really. The whole event got interrupted by...Hardlight, was it?"

"Yeah."

"I thought Mr. Sparkles was a weird person."

"Mr. Sparkles is a weird person."

"That's true." Karmi took a seat on his bed. "I guess that's what happens when you leave for a while. You can't keep track of all of the villains."

Hiro turned back toward the computer. He wasn't sure how touchy the Liv/Di subject still was with her, so he didn't want to bring it up.

"But I didn't come here to talk about me."

"Color me surprised."

Hiro felt her hand smack the back of his head, but the laugh he heard let him know he was in jest. "I want to know what's been going on. How's everyone been doing? I saw all of your friends at the shop."

"They're good. Keeping busy trying to find jobs and stuff."

"Oh yeah. They graduated, didn't they? Honey Lemon and Go Go and Wasabi?"

"Yup. But they're still around a lot. Honey Lemon even helped me out with something at Krei Tech."

Whoops. Internships. Just another thing to remind her of what happened. It seemed like Karmi noticed too, because she rushed out her next question. "What about everyone else? How's Peni doing at school?"

"She started her first summer class at Neo York a few weeks ago. Environmental Technology."

"Sounds interesting. And hard."

"Well, she's smarter than both of us. I'm sure she'll be fine." Hiro pulled up the photo that Aunt Cass had shown him with her and her group of friends. "Especially because she's got a support group now."

Karmi leaned in to look at the picture. "Aww, that's sweet. I'm glad she's adjusting. She seemed very shy the times I spoke to her."

"In the open or behind my back?"

Another smack on the head, but he was the one who laughed this time. He minimized the photo and turned his chair toward her. "Yeah, I guess I deserved that one."

"Aspen?"

"She's still traveling around. Won't tell us what she's up to, but she always finds a way to stop by and bother Wasabi."

"I bet he doesn't mind," Karmi said.

"Nope. And speaking of things like that...Robbie and Go Go are official now."

"Really?" She pressed her hands against her cheeks. "I would have never expected that. When did that happen?"

Hiro closed his eyes. Between the Hell Race, being hunted by "Kate", and his various trips to get his mental health in order, he was having trouble keeping everything straight. "A couple of weeks ago? I don't know. It just kind of happened."

"Typical Go Go."

Karmi bit her lip and looked away. She was suddenly interested in the sheets of his bed, running her hand over it.

"How have you been?"

She glanced up at him, the tiniest blush in her cheeks.

"Since...you know."

He did know. Running away from home had taken a toll on everyone in his circle, but it had hit Karmi the hardest. Seeing her tearful face on the computer screen as she spoke from her heart was an image he was never going to forget.

"I've gotten better." He vacated his chair and took the spot next to her. "I went to the doctor at campus. We've had a few sessions."

"Dr. Stephen?"

"Yeah. You know him?"

"He visited my lab a couple of times. He was very intrigued by my rose project."

"Did you ever-"

"No."

Her sudden interjection stopped his question.

"I mean...not officially."

She was straight up not looking at him now, her attention down onto the floor. She was getting really nervous about whatever was on her mind.

"Hiro, I have to tell you something."

He held his breath. Was this going to be the moment that she had hinted about earlier?

"Just promise you won't be mad at me."

Or maybe not.

"Why? Why would I be mad at you?" he asked.

"Because it deals with something that I...haven't told you the entirety of the truth about."

"So you lied about it?"

He could feel the back of his neck start to heat up, and not in the way he was hoping for. Seeing her look back up, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Granville tried that phrase on me once. It didn't work that time, and it's not going to work now."

Karmi clasped her hands together, returning her gaze down to the rug. He could only wonder what she was going to say, but being mad wasn't going to help. He inched closer, setting his hand on her back. "Karmi, just tell me. Please."

She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. His thumb rubbed her sweater to try to ease her mind a bit. Not even Baymax, who had been in his station long forgotten at this point, was going to say anything to interrupt.

"Do you remember when I told you I got back over here?"

OK, that wasn't what he was expecting. But he tried to jog his memory just the same. "Umm, I don't actually remember you saying when you got back. I kind of assumed it was around the time you came over after graduation."

"It wasn't."

Her knuckles were white.

"It was a month before that."

Hiro blinked.

Twice.

"What?"

Karmi started pulling at her ponytail. "Yeah. We got back stateside near the middle of April."

Hiro was stunned. All of the time he had thought that she had come back only recently. But she had been here...within reach...for a full month before she came to the cafe.

And that made the even bigger question spill out of his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"See, I hear that tone in your voice of you getting mad," Karmi started, "and I thought I asked you not to get mad."

"I'm not mad!"

Hiro jumped off of the bed, then collected himself.

"OK, I'm a little mad. But can you blame me?"

"No, I can't."

"Why didn't you tell me, Karmi? We could have done something. I wouldn't have been just sitting here waiting for you to maybe never come back. Why would you-"

"Hiro."

Both of her hands landed on his shoulders, forcing him to sit back down. Once again, the brown eyes were staring into his own, this time on the verge of tears.

"Let me explain. Please."

It did the trick; Hiro forced himself to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. Content, Karmi pressed on.

"I was scared to tell you because I didn't want you to get your hopes up about me going back to normal. About how things could just go back to the way they were. Because...they're not. Things changed, Hiro. I changed. I have...different priorities now."

One of his hands wrapped around her wrist.

"Does that mean you're not coming back to SFIT?"

She must have been expecting that question, or at least had an answer, because it came out quickly.

"As of right now? I don't know."

Sort of.

"Karmi..."

And now her finger was on his mouth, cutting him off.

"Hiro, 'I don't know' means something different now than what it did months ago. When I first went overseas, I could barely even talk to my parents at all. They would always change the subject, or send me to my room to avoid it."

She removed her hand, returning it to his shoulder. He felt her fingers graze his collarbone, and he had to steady himself to stop the shiver running through him.

"It wasn't until my grandmother started yelling at them one night. She had been told a little bit of what was going on, mostly me getting pulled out of SFIT. She wouldn't let us eat until we started having that conversation." Karmi chuckled. "After that, she'd play the mediator between us. We got a lot of talking done after that."

"So why are you still not sure?" Hiro asked.

"Because of this trial." She shifted her body a little closer. "We had to be back over here because it started already, and my parents couldn't delay the proceedings any more. That's why we were back earlier than I told you. We didn't start the day before we went to the park. It had already been well underway before then."

Hiro was letting all of the information wash over him. It was too much for him; he could only imagine what it was like for her.

"It's been such a struggle. Hearings keep getting pushed back, injunctions filed, evidence seems to go missing. I don't even feel like any progress has been made. And I couldn't put you through that. So I hid myself...because I wanted to protect you."

Karmi shook her head. "And it's a stupid reason, I know. But since I've been back, I've been able to do things I wouldn't have been able to. I have the web series, I have my fanfiction...I can talk to my family." She looked down into her lap. "Between everything I was doing and my parents' travels, we would sometimes not see each other for weeks. I still hate that they pulled me out of SFIT, but we were able to actually be a family again. And I don't have work or school or an internship to worry about, so I've been able to relax a little bit."

"I can tell."

"But on the other hand, they're still afraid of the city. You wouldn't believe the amount of begging I did for them to let me come do the signing. And even though no one got hurt, they're going to hear what happened tonight and second-guess everything. It's a tug-of-war right now, but..."

She smiled at him. "Heh, I said I wouldn't ramble on, and that's exactly what I did. But I'm sorry, Hiro. I shouldn't have put you through that. That was a dumb thing for me to do. You've been such a great friend to me. You listened to me, you've taken care of me, you've let me..."

Her eyes quickly glanced over to the far pillow.

"Lay next to you."

They went back to him.

"I'm sorry, Hiro. I hope you can forgive me."

She pulled him into her body, taking Hiro by surprise. Her grip was so tight on him he thought his head was going to pop off.

"I'm still mad at you," he mumbled.

"I know."

Hiro paused for a split second. Then, slowly...he put his arms around her waist.

"But I already forgave you."

She nuzzled her cheek into his neck.

"Thank you."

The two genius let themselves settle for a moment. Hiro looked over at the staircase, half expecting Aunt Cass to come interrupt him again. But it looked like she was staying away. Either way, the two separated, Karmi wiping a couple of tears away.

"You know, it's funny that you mentioned not being able to work."

"Why?"

"Because we have an opening at Krei Tech now. Hardlight? He worked there. I think his name was Ian?"

"...How do you know that?"

Hiro recoiled away from her.

"I didn't see you in the crowd when he was fighting Big Hero 6."

"Uhhh...yeah, I was there." Hiro waved his arms around. "I was just...staying away. Because I'm not getting involved in a fight, am I right?"

"True." Karmi pulled her backpack off of the floor. "I don't think you'd last two seconds in a fight."

"But I saw the gauntlet you made. It was pretty cool. Mind if I take a look?"

She plucked it out of the bag and handed it to Hiro. He slipped it over his hand, working the fingers a little bit. "Titanium mesh. Precise control using joint micro-movements. The circuitry's impressive, too. You programmed this?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you knew how to program."

"I didn't. Until you inspired me."

Hiro looked up from his glove to see Karmi blushing again. "I went over a few of your projects you did in the middle of the semester and tried to duplicate them. It was rough, but I wanted to learn more. And then when I was overseas, I went to one of the on-campus libraries that they have over in NUST and studied with a lot of programming books there."

He gave her a confused look.

"National University of Science and Technology. It's one of the public universities over there. It was actually the other place besides SFIT that was offering me a grant when I was applying to colleges."

"Well, I'm glad you chose SFIT." Hiro clenched his fist in the glove. "Seriously, though, this is pretty good for a newbie."

She smiled at him, flattered by his compliment.

"And I meant what I said. I could probably get you an intern spot with Krei no problem." Noticing her face, he backtracked. "Th-that is, if you wanted it. I know you're busy now, but-"

"I'll keep it in mind."

Hiro handed it back to Karmi, who put it back in her bag. She pulled up her phone and gasped at the time. "Oh no! I didn't realize what time it was! My parents are going to kill me." She opened one of the apps and grimaced. "And the next bus doesn't come by for another hour. What am I going to do?"

He looked over at his desk, noting the still-open blueprint.

"I think I have something in mind."

Outside...

"What in the world is this?"

"Hi there!" The face of the A.I. came over to their side. "We're going to be best friends! I just know it!"

"Karmi, this is the Bunny Shuttle. This is what I was working on with Honey Lemon at Krei Tech."

"It's so...cheerful."

"Awww, thanks!"

The vehicle's ears started glowing green, indicating the charge was full. Honey Lemon's positive thinking must've kept it high after the sticker party she threw, as told by the sarcasm-filled text messages he got from Go Go earlier.

"Am I going to be safe in this?" Karmi asked.

"Don't worry; it's equipped with every single safety protocol underneath the sun, including some we put in after it got kidnapped."

"Huh?"

"Long story."

Hiro pushed her toward it as the door opened, allowing the two to enter. Once inside, Karmi took a look around, her jaw hanging open. "Wow. You made this?"

"Not just me. Honey Lemon and Baymax helped, too."

The face came across the dashboard facing them. "He's really a nice guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Karmi stared at Hiro, her smile wide. "He is."

Sparkles started flying out of the eyes, digitally floating up to the ceiling. It let out an audible giggle, which let Hiro know it was probably time to depart.

"I should let you get going. I don't want you to get in more trouble than you already are." Hiro turned to walk off of the shuttle…

But her hand clasped around his wrist and yanked him back.

"Huh?"

And then his face hit the cotton of her sweater as she pulled him into another hug.

"Thank you, Hiro."

Karmi nuzzled his head even closer.

"For everything."

Hiro's cheeks were on fire, and the shuttle A.I.'s eyes staring at the two with hearts in its eyes was not helping. Nevertheless, not even the gaze of an ultra-cheerful sentient shuttle could kill his mood.

"Two hugs in one night?" he quipped, setting his hands on her waist. "You're going to turn into Honey Lemon at this rate."

Karmi chuckled as she pulled back. The two teens stood together for a second, just staring at each other. Hiro noticed her face turn into one of slight confusion. "What?"

"...Since when have you been this tall?"

Upon a second look, he realized she was right; Karmi was only about an inch taller than him now. He smirked at her observation. "Had to happen eventually."

"Puberty? Not even you could stay short forever."

Slowly, Hiro got up onto his toes, noting the height difference as he, for the first time, looked down at her. "Now I have the high ground now."

Undeterred, Karmi's head started climbing over him. He looked further down to see she was now on her toes, and doing a much better job at it. She was almost on her very tips, a feat that was not lost on Hiro.

"Huh." His eyes went back up to her. "Did you use to be a ballerina or something in a past life?"

She lowered herself back down, patting his cheek. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I do. That's why I asked."

"We'll save that for next time, then."

Hiro suddenly remembered what Fred had sent to him before.

"Speaking of next time…"

Karmi tilted her head.

"There's this thing that Fred invited me to. It's a comic event...thing. I'm not really sure what it is, but he seems really excited about it. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come along?"

It tilted the other way.

"I know that you're probably busy or can't get out, but I wanted to at least ask."

Karmi's mouth broke out into a grin.

"I'd like that."

Oh.

"That's...good." Hiro hadn't been expecting that, but he stammered on. "I-I'll send you the details."

"OK."

As much as he didn't want to, he let go of her. Her arm fell, and her hand landed into his open palm.

"Text me when you get home, alright?"

Karmi snorted in response. "What are you, my dad?"

"That depends." Hiro started flexing his free arm. "Is your dad a totally awesome robotics major?"

"No. He's a 300 pound muscular bodybuilder who crushes anyone who tries to unsuccessfully flirt with his only daughter."

"R-really?"

She had to cover her mouth to hide her laughter. "No, Hiro. He's not. At least not the first part."

Hiro let her hand slip out of his grip as he walked off the bus. He took two steps and turned back to the screen on the side. "Make sure she gets back to her house safely, OK? You have a very important passenger on there."

"I absolutely will!" the bus responded. "Positivity make for a smooth ride!"

He didn't remember putting that catchphrase into the database. He'd have to sort that out later.

"Hiro!"

The side door opened, and Karmi's body was standing on the step. She didn't look any different from two seconds ago.

Except that the gauntlet was back on her hand.

Karmi brought her arm up. Just like before, a hardlight heart built itself on her palm. It started beating rapidly, just like the one in his chest. She pressed her lips together, blowing it over to him…

And it hit him right in the cheek, exploding into many digital pieces.

The shuttle squealed as she waved her fingers goodbye, her wonderful eyes the last thing he saw before the door whooshed shut. With that, the bus started moving forward, the bunny face singing a happy tune into the night.

Hiro stood still, his cheeks still burning from the heart. He rubbed the spot that it hit with a drunk smile on his face.

"That was adorable, Hiro."

He jumped in the air, not realizing that Aunt Cass had been behind him. Her eyes had the same glazed look as the shuttle's, certainly ready to start interrogating her nephew.

"So are you dating now?"

Hiro walked past her into the house, not responding.

His aunt chuckled. He enjoyed giving him a hard time, especially with the girls in his life. Although now, it seemed like one of them was pulling ahead of the other.

"Leave it alone, Cass," she whispered to herself, watching Hiro walk up the stairs. "Let him have this."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you haven't read a lot of my previous stories that get referenced here, I'll catch you up.

Karmi went overseas to her grandparent's house. Robbie got possessed by his uncle's demonic spirit. Kate shot a lot of people with arrows.

And Hiro has a secret playlist of romance songs that he still can't properly password-protect.

There, you're caught up.

I knew it was going to be difficult balancing the awkwardness that the show was making between Hiro and Karmi with the somewhat more flirtatious and friendly route that I had with my stories. But I feel like they would be more comfortable alone than they would be in front of a group of strangers (or their nosy friends or aunts).

I can still make the atmosphere super sappy though...if Mr. Tesfaye is any indication.

I am so happy that we have some actual, proper Hiro/Karmi in the episodes. I was holding back on any sort of development in my stories because I didn't want to cut in front of the show. But now that we have that...all bets are off now.

I'm leaning more toward taking a break next week since there will be no new episode on Monday, unless some one-shot in my head comes up. The good news is that we have two weeks to fill our brains of those two lovebirds.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation Studios. The extra girls (and boys) are also not owned by me, but by others.

Chapter 5 – Slow-Acting Poison

"Please let this be the last one."

"I have no other cards in the box, so I do believe so, Master Hiro."

He took the punch card out of Heathcliff's hands and set it into the machine, pressing a button on the console. "Man, how did Fred's dad even deal with all of this? It must have taken a long time back when he was fighting crime."

"I told him that he should switch to an alternate sorting method, but he was fairly stubborn about it."

He glanced behind him at Fred, busy on his phone.

"But I suppose Master Frederick has inherited that as well."

Done with the digitization, Hiro popped both of the thumb drives out of the computer, handing one to Heathcliff. "Here, you can keep one for the mansion, just in case this corrupts or something. We'll keep one here if anyone else from the past decides to show up."

"Much appreciated, Master Hiro. I will make sure that this is secure."

Hiro looked over at the table to see Fred still headfirst into his cell. "Who is he talking to, anyway?"

"I believe he is talking to the young lady he met at the benefit the other night."

"Olivia?"

"Unless you know of some other lady that he has suddenly taken an interest to."

"Nope."

Fred let out a very high-pitched laugh, clearly amused at whatever he had received.

"Have you...ever seen him like this?" Hiro asked.

"Only when it comes to comic books and animation." Heathcliff adjusted his bowtie. "But it has become quite an interesting change of pace. I'm sure his mother is having conflicted feelings about what has been happening." Noting the genius's confused look, he started explaining. "You see, she has been not-so-subtly pressuring young Frederick into finding a future partner to continue the Frederickson line."

"A little early for that, isn't it?"

"I suppose. But as the patriarch of the family, this was a conversation that was going to happen eventually."

Hiro nodded. It hadn't been that long since Fred's dad had passed, but things always seemed to move at a different speed when it came to Fred's social status. After all, they had the money to throw around to move said things at that pace.

"Almost makes me want to not be rich."

"It does come with certain disadvantages," Heathcliff said, "But those disadvantages can usually be bought out with money." He pulled a duster out of his sleeve and started wiping down the console.

"You...don't have to dust here, sir."

Heathcliff smiled slightly and withdrew the duster. "My apologies, Master Hiro. Force of habit."

"Ha ha!"

Fred decided to make his entrance, shoving his phone into Heathcliff's face. "Look what Olivia sent me, Heathcliff! Isn't it hilarious?"

"Quite so."

Content with his response, Fred walked off again.

"What did he show you?"

"It was something that kids called a 'meme', but since I have not kept myself updated on the current ones, I haven't the faintest idea beyond that."

Hiro tapped a few buttons on the computer, and Basemax brought up the profile picture of Cobra. The mechanical snake seemed so lifelike even on the screen, its beady eyes staring him down. "At the very least, we have her out of the picture. Until she breaks out eventually."

"Villains never give up. And neither should the lot of you." Heathcliff was back at his side. "Cobra was, and still is, a very menacing foe. Prison won't be able to hold her forever."

"Then we'll put her back there!"

Hiro and Heathcliff turned to see Fred interjecting into the conversation, laying down on the table. He was holding his phone high above his body with both hands. "Because we're Big Hero 6. We're the best! We're-OMG, that's hilarious!"

And now his attention was back onto his texting partner.

"I believe that they refer to this part as 'the honeymoon' phase."

Hiro blinked as Heathcliff chuckled. "Two people getting to know each other. Everything is dandy until the secrets start coming out. I remember Boss Awesome told me about the time he confessed being a superhero to his wife. There were so many things being thrown in the house the vacuum couldn't keep up."

"Really?"

"Oh, absolutely. She did not appreciate the fact that he kept such a secret away from him. There were many profuse apologies and bouquets and gifts exchanged, but as you can see (he nodded to Fred sprawled on the table), things worked out rather well." He patted down the sleeve of his jacket. "A relationship can only work as well as the people involved in it, and that is something that you will undoubtedly learn in due time, Master Hiro. And your other friends are probably seeing that right now."

Hiro looked down at the floor. The relationships that had developed in the course of their heroics (Aspen with Wasabi, Robbie with Go Go) had benefited from them being brought into the fold relatively early on. Even his friendship with Megan hadn't been changed with his identity being known to her. But as always, there was really only one person that he was thinking about in relation to all of this.

"I don't know if I could tell anyone that I was seeing. If it got that serious, I can't imagine leaving them alone if something happened to me."

He saw Heathcliff staring off into space, a wistful look in his eyes.

"You OK, sir?"

"I am fine, Master Hiro. Just...remembering things."

Heathcliff adjusted the cuff on his sleeve. "The life of a hero is fraught with danger. It is not for everyone, but it can take an especially large toll on our loved ones. Some are lucky to have such a supportive partner."

He sniffed.

"Others, like myself, are meant to soldier on the path alone."

"Sir?"

"My apologies, Master Hiro. I should not weigh your mind down with the ramblings of an old man."

"You're in good company, sir. Besides, I'm sure Fred has told you about all of my girl problems."

"He has."

Hiro closed Cobra's profile as Heathcliff paused for a brief moment. Fred was still deep in his conversation with Olivia, so he was going to be preoccupied for a while.

"Being in the employ of a secret agency does not coalesce well with any sort of relationship, but there were times that I would be partnered up with a young lady named Marie. She was a member from another country's agency, and we would sometimes come together when a particularly foul plot came around. Those were some of the best times, since I was in my prime of my career, and so was she. As plots were foiled and henchmen were beaten, our hearts and minds became closer together."

"Did something happened?" Hiro asked.

"Cobra happened." Heathcliff clenched one of his gloved hands into a fist. "One of our fiercest confrontations came to an end after she kidnapped Marie and kept her a prisoner for nearly a week. I rescued her, but Marie was never the same after that. She and I shared one final, tender moment before she was decommissioned. Shortly after that was when Boss Awesome came into the picture and...well, you know the rest."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Your condolences are appreciated, but it was a long time ago. I daresay that your team have fared far better than me in that department. Speaking of which, where is everyone else tonight?"

Hiro brought up the city map on Basemax, one green dot and one yellow dot appearing on it. "He said something about a head cold and skipped out of patrol. It's been quiet tonight, so we probably won't need him. Go Go had her interview at UCLA today, so she's been out of town."

"And Master Honey Lemon?"

Hiro tilted his head at the blinking yellow dot. "I'm not sure. She's been acting a little weird ever since the benefit..."

"I hope she's doing OK."

Honey Lemon never felt better.

She had her mug of tea on her desk, a grin on her face, and her computer screen filled with the chat program that the team used.

The invites had been sent. She had gotten responses back from a few of them.

And now the waiting game was being played.

She took a sip as she pulled her jacket closer to her. Honey Lemon preferred the colder temperatures; that way, she could bundle up to her heart's content. How Go Go was able to function with the thermostat set the way it was before she moved in was anyone's guess. It was one of their most argued-about points of contention, but with Go Go being gone for the day, she got to have it at her level.

So at sixty-three degrees it was, and the tea and jacket were helping balance her out.

Nope, nothing was going to ruin her mood tonight...especially with the girls coming on any minute.

Just not that girl.

A loud bloop came over the speakers, and Honey Lemon looked down at her notification in the bottom right corner:

KHeartsQT has entered the room.

"Am I late?"

Honey Lemon beamed at the new arrival. "Nope, you're actually the first one here. Hey, Karmi!"

"Hi, Honey Lemon." Karmi swept her ponytail over her shoulder. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Taking a break from job hunting and just relaxing. You?"

"Savoring the fact that my parents are out of town. This is the first time they've been gone since we got back from overseas. Normally, I'd be bored, but I don't care at this point."

"Yeah, Go Go's been at an interview today. She had to leave super early because it's a five hour drive to Los Angeles. She wasn't happy about it, but the company she's going to requested an in-person interview."

"Are they at least comping her travel?"

"Not sure. I hope so."

Karmi glanced down at the bottom of her screen. "Who else did you invite to this? Genius Boy's not going to hijack the call, is he?"

Honey Lemon laughed. "Nope. Just the girls."

She mouthed a couple of the usernames on the list. "Wait. I recognize this one. ChiefM'gann. That's Megan."

"I already heard from her. She's not coming."

"Aww. Why not?"

"She and her dad are taking a vacation." Honey Lemon's hand came down on her mouse. "Being kidnapped twice in the span of a few weeks took a toll on her and the chief, so they're spending some quality time together."

"Yeah, I heard about that. That giant robot girl and then that creepy police officer? I feel so bad for her."

Honey Lemon instinctively grabbed her forearm. Even thought the wound had healed for the most part, some of her most recent dreams still had her clutching the arrow that had pierced her skin. But that was a part that she wasn't eager to talk about with the team, much less Karmi.

"Some of these other names I don't recognize. Did you send an invite to Peni?"

"Yes, Peni's on there," she responding, pointing to her username. "She has a different one from what you guys used before since we're on Vroom."

SquirrelGirl4Evr has entered the room.

"...Oh no."

"Oh yes, Karmi!"

Honey Lemon simply waved to the newcomer. "Hi, Doreen."

"Hey, Honey Lemon. Give me one second. I have to yell at my best friend for being such a terrible best friend." Doreen turned to her right, as if to stare at the video camera next to her. "Karmi Khan! When were you going to tell me you were back around? I haven't seen you at Gramercy in such a long time!"

"My parents pulled me out of school. What did you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Don't keep your best friend in the dark!? That's what I would do."

Karmi sighed and put her head in her hand. "I hate to tell you this, Doreen, but you're not my best friend."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"What!?" Doreen's face started getting red. "Then who is?"

Karmi's face also went crimson, but for an entirely different reason.

"...Oh."

Doreen was no longer mad.

"Ohhh."

Now both Honey Lemon's and Doreen's smiles were wide and beaming.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you this time," she said. "But don't think this gets you off the hook! I was told to be civil tonight by Honey Lemon, so you're lucky."

"Yeah. Lucky me."

SP/drPeni has entered the room.

A new camera feed appeared, the young girl with messy black hair now in focus. Her spider robot had just reached the top of her head and fastened itself to the clip. She gave a wave to everyone on the call. "Hello."

"Hey, Peni! I know it's late for you, but thanks for joining us."

"You are welcome. I do not have any classes tomorrow, so I have been afforded a little bit of extra time by Aunt May."

Another window popped up in hers, and the face of Peter came into view. Its face changed to a narrow-eyed expression as he spoke directly to his owner. "Peni, this is your reminder that you have a hair appointment with May tomorrow at 2 PM. Would you like for me to set an alarm?"

Peni patted her forehead, frowning. "Please do not. Maybe May will forget about it. I do not like getting my hair cut."

"Hiro doesn't like it either. You two are really peas in a pod."

Doreen's video was filled with just one of her brown eyes, staring intently at the girl she hadn't met yet. "Has anyone told you that you look like Hiro?"

"We are related, so I would hope so."

The wildlife volunteer was framing her fingers together, probably to focus on Peni's camera. "Yeah, I can totally see it. The hair, the eyes, the general sense of being mentally superior to everyone. It's all there."

Yet another bloop came out of Honey Lemon's speakers, along with the following message:

FathomBlue has entered the room.

"Hey, ladies!" Aspen's face now appeared, but her camera was shaking as she was adjusting her phone's position. "Sorry, this hotel has terrible Wi-Fi, and I don't have a fancy computer like you guys. Hopefully you guys can see me OK."

"You are coming in clear to me," Peni said. "But why are you at a hotel?"

"Because I haven't put a bed in my submarine yet."

"Ahh. Yes." Now the young genius was even more confused. "Clearly."

"Hey, Aspen."

"Hi, Honey Lemon! It's been a hot second since I've seen you. Speaking of hot…" Aspen winked at her. "I saw the pictures that you posted from the 'Save The Sloths Benefit'."

"Yeah, I was going to mention that. I was suppose to be there, but I got caught up at work," Doreen interjected. "Girl! You were amazing in that dress! It should be illegal to have legs that long!" She brought one of hers up to her desk with a loud thunk. "I would never be able to pull that off."

"Yes, all of you looked very impressive," Peni added. "I did not even know that Hiro had a suit like that."

"Neither did I."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Karmi, who noticed the sudden attention on her. She blushed as she scratched the back of her head. "He may have sent me a picture as he was getting ready to leave for the night."

"Yes. We know. I saw you like it on my social media page. Hiro checked it on his phone right before Fred showed up."

"Awww, Karmi's got a cruuu-uuush!" Aspen cooed.

"Shut up!"

This is exactly what Honey Lemon was hoping for: all of the girls together and having fun with each other. Maybe with a little less teasing, but she knew that Aspen and Doreen wasn't being serious in her jests.

Hopefully not.

"Did you invite that other lady to this call? I believe Kate was her name?"

Honey Lemon brought her attention back to the screen at Peni's question. "Kate? She's...uhh…"

A couple of hours earlier…

"There, that should be the last spot."

Kate wiped her brow and threw down the brush that she had been using. "Holy cow, I didn't think that we'd get all of this painted in one day."

The Latina and the archer looked around at their work. They had spent the better part of the afternoon putting the finishing touches on the brand new paint job in her office. The light purple that she had chosen certainly brightened the atmosphere considerably, and the setting sun was hitting it just right.

"Thanks for the help, Honey Lemon. Inspector's going to be here in two days, and I really didn't relish the thought of him coming and seeing it as a mess."

"What about that?" Honey Lemon pointed to the back room, where there were several holes in the wall and an arrow still attached to it.

"Oh, I can just putty that up."

"You know that there's a range on the outskirts of the city, right? You can practice your archery there."

"I do now."

Honey Lemon started packing up the trays as Kate ducked into the bathroom to wipe the paint off of her hands. She ducked behind the counter to get the tarp off of the floor, but noticed something odd.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?" she yelled from the other room.

"What is this?"

Her head came around the corner to see what Honey Lemon was talking about. She was holding up a can of unopened paint.

"It must be left over."

"Yeah, but the swatch makes it look darker than the stuff we used. What was this suppose to be for?"

"Maybe the trim. But we did that already."

The two looked down at the far end of the room to see the trim, outlet covers, and the miscellaneous pieces that they had put aside to work on…

All still white as snow.

Kate took a deep breath in, her sunglasses in danger of slipping off of her nose.

"Mother-"

"Forget about her coming on. She has a paint job to finish."

"Oh. Perhaps she will be able to join us at a future date."

"Hey, Honey Lemon? I have a question." Aspen, free from being interrogated by Doreen about who knows what, brought up one of the pictures from the event. "Who's this girl that Fred's with? The one with the dress and cat-ears hat?"

And this was what she was afraid of. This subject being brought up.

"Not sure, but I approve of the hair," Doreen said. "The Primary Color Hair Squad, Trademark-"

"Did you literally just said 'Trademark'?" Karmi interjected.

"We have to stick together! And as a person who has animal ears on a hat," she followed up, slapping some sort of aviator helmet with squirrel ears on her head, "I feel doubly drawn to her!"

"Her name's Olivia."

That didn't come from Honey Lemon; it instead came from Peni, who looked like she was studying the same picture. "Olivia Mole. And she and Fred appear to be particularly familiar with each other, if their profiles are any indication." She clicked her mouse a couple of times. "And there are a copious amount of flashing hearts and sparkles on their pictures."

"Wait, Fred is with someone?" Aspen slapped her forehead. "Is this real life?"

"It's not anything serious."

They turned to the group leader, who had set her cup down a little more forcefully than she had intended.

"Honey Lemon, I would expect out of everyone, you'd be the one flipping out over this. It's the equivalent of a blue moon, or a snowfall in San Fransokyo, or...Karmi finally admitting his feelings for her boy."

"Doreen!"

"It's just something you don't see very often."

"I have to agree with her, Honey Lemon," Aspen said. "You don't seem happy about it."

The Latina turned away, her eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's because she's jealous."

Honey Lemon took the opportunity to wheel around in her chair, taking note of the front door closing behind her. "Go Go! You're back!"

The Korean looked beat; as she pulled her helmet off of her head, several tufts of hair were sticking out at odd angles. She threw her head back and a yawn erupted out of her mouth.

"How was the interview at UCLA?"

The rest of the chat saw Go Go walk out of frame, but not two seconds later, she came back and set a shot glass next to Honey Lemon's hand.

"That good, huh?" the Latina joked.

"Oh, are we drinking? Please tell me we're drinking." Doreen got up from her chair. "I got something just for this occasion."

"I have apple juice."   Peni peered down into her glass. "But perhaps I can trick my brain into thinking that it has some sort of carbonation in it."

Doreen was already back, a large bottle in her hands. "I got me some peanut butter whiskey. I know a guy who works with the brewing company and he sent this over as a gift. Karmi, you're totally going to try this once I see you again."

Karmi just stared at her in silence.

"Oh yeah. The whole 'no alcohol' thing," she responded, putting up the air quotes with her fingers.

"Doreen, I'm not even seventeen. Plus, when are you and Genius Boy going to realize that my religion actually has a name?"

She popped the cork out of the bottle and wafted the fumes to her nose, her turn to not answer the question.

"You are legal to drink, right Doreen?" Honey Lemon watched as Go Go silently filled up her glass.

"Of course. I'm the perfect role model. I just turned twenty-one a month ago. You want to see my license?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Aspen held up her boba tea cup and shook it. "I can't imagine me drinking alcohol. I'd probably go crazy. But I'll drink in solidarity with you ladies."

Ready with their respective drinks, they each held them up to the screen.

"Salud."

"Cheers."

"Bottoms up!"

Karmi's water didn't seem as extravagant as everyone else's drink of choice, but she didn't mind. She set it back down as she saw Go Go retrieve the shot glass from a gagging Honey Lemon.

"I got a toast too, especially after what I've been through today. To all of those who wish me well, and all the rest can go to-"

"Hey! Tippy-Toe! No chewing on the cord."

Go Go went up the stairs as Honey Lemon was still getting the alcohol fumes out of her eyes. "I forget that we even had that. Where did you say you got it from?"

Finally situated in her bed, Go Go's head came into the chat, completing the checkerboard of six. "From a bar in the mountains. Send your regards to Mako."

"Who?"

"Enough distractions. I want to know about about this Olivia girl. Go Go?"

She rubbed her eye with the collar of her pajama shirt, still groggy from her trip. "She's this girl that Fred met at the comic store. Richardson's cousin. Fred's head-over-heels for her, and some people in this call are not really happy for him, even though they put on a brave face and smile through it."

A pregnant pause went through the chat.

"I'm talking about her, by the way," Go Go added, pointing to her right at her roommate's screen.

Honey Lemon suddenly wished Go Go hadn't taken the bottle of alcohol upstairs with her.

"Aina."

Aspen's head turned both ways before refocusing on her phone. "Wait. Who or what is Aina?"

Her finger came back up again.

"Honey Lemon? Is that your real name?"

"Yeah," she replied, her hand now rubbing her temple.

"Oh my God! That's such a beautiful name!" Aspen clapped her hands on her cheeks. "Why don't you go by that?"

"I sort of got attached to Fred's nickname for me. But I do really like my name." Honey Lemon grinned as her mind went back to a much-younger self. "My parents said that I was born with a smile on my face, unlike all of the other kids at the hospital, so they gave me that name. It means 'happiness' in Japanese."

"Does it not also mean 'vegetables'?"

"We don't talk about that part."

Doreen laughed. "I wish I had some great story for my name, but my parents literally didn't know what to call me. So they just smushed their names together. Maureen and Dorian. I wasn't expected to be born for another month, so I share part of the blame in them rushing the name out."

"Penelope means 'weaver' in Greek. Very appropriate, considering my affinity for spiders. But I only get called that when I'm in trouble with my aunt."

"Same. Karmi's not my full name either. I prefer the shorter version."

"It's because of your serial killer tendencies."

Peni looked at Karmi, who shook her head in disdain. "Don't even get her started, Peni."

"I wish I knew anything about my name, but I don't." Aspen took another sip out of her straw. "I just know it's unique enough that I know when people are talking to me. What about you, Go Go?"

She had clearly not been expecting this conversation to wrap back around to her. Cheeks flushed from her shots, she started stammering. "Uh, m-mine's not really that special."

"Leiko is pretty unique, Go Go. Of course...we all know you much prefer your actual first name."

"Oh, we have a middle-name user here? C'mon, Go Go! What's your first name? Tell us!"

Normally, Go Go would be threatening everyone with large sums of cash and non-disclosure agreements. But she was a couple shots in of a very strong whiskey from a bar that may or may be a gateway to fire and brimstone. So her train of thought was already derailed.

"...It's Ethel."

A sudden snort came from Peni's screen. Her head was back in view, wiping her mouth and face. "My apologies, Go Go. My apple juice went up the wrong windpipe." She let out an uncharacteristic giggle as she set her glass down. "But it is also my fault for drinking while this conversation was taking place. I was expecting something a little more...you."

"I will have you know," Go Go started, the rest of the gang now freely laughing, "that I was given that name in honor of my now-104 year-old great grandmother, who could probably kick all of your butts at once and still have time to run her business. So you all can shove it."

"Have you told your Roberto that?" Doreen asked.

Go Go pursed her lips, the question silently being answered.

"But hold on. Back up a second. So Fred gave you your nicknames?"

"He gave all of us our nicknames, Karmi," Honey Lemon replied. "Wasabi, Go Go, me. It was one of the first things he did when I got into SFIT. Sort of a Christening, if you will."

"Yeah, and now he has to come up with one for Olivia, right? Is she a part of the group now?"

Silence greeted her as Honey Lemon avoided her gaze again.

"Uh oh." Aspen glanced around at everyone else. "I said something wrong, didn't I?"

"No, you're good. I think she's going to try to distract us with more unicorns and rainbows and all that jazz because she doesn't want to talk about-"

"I'm fine!"

The girls stopped mid-conversation at Honey Lemon's shout. She had stood up from her chair, arms down to her sides. A second later, she took a deep breath, pushing her mug back over onto the coaster.

"I'm fine." She took her seat again, her hand on the mouse. "Olivia and Fred make a really cute couple. And if Fred's happy...then I'm happy for him."

A moment passed where everyone was silent, afraid to get Honey Lemon riled up again.

"Yeah, no."

Except for the intoxicated Korean upstairs.

"I'm going to keep this PG, because there's young people in the chat. Mostly Doreen."

"Hey!"

"But I have been telling you for a while that you need to talk to him. I have been around you and Fred long enough to know that you like him. And now you're moping because you can't have him all to yourself."

"Go Go, I told you it's not like that. And I'm not jealous of him." She ran her finger over the edge of her mug.

"I didn't say anything about jealousy, but that's your words, not mine." Go Go crossed her arms over her chest. "Ever since the benefit, you've put on a brave face, but I know better."

"Is this true, Honey Lemon?" Aspen said. "Do you really like him?"

She didn't respond immediately, instead taking the time to put her mug in the sink. As she sat back down, she saw four sets of brown eyes and one set of blue eyes staring back at her.

"It doesn't matter now. He's with Olivia. And he's happy. I would be a terrible friend if I got in the way of that."

The silence was now deafening. Peni looked uncomfortable. Karmi was not looking at her camera. Heck, even Aspen and Go Go didn't know what to say.

"If I can say something..."

And there was Doreen, opening her mouth.

"And I know that I don't really know you guys as well as everyone, but I think you're selling yourself short a little bit. You're a great girl, Honey Lemon. And you don't need Fred to tell you that. We all know that."

Doreen shuffled in her seat, now looking a little unsure of herself.

"That's what Speedy tells me all the time, even when he...wasn't in the best of places."

Honey Lemon looked up at her. Doreen was twirling a strand of her red hair around her finger.

"Speedy and I knew each other for a while as well. We went to the same high school. He was in a band, I was a giant nerd. But he didn't see me that way. He thought I was cool. I went to all of his concerts in support, and eventually things just kind of clicked. We started going out, but things were rough. I found out that he had been depressed and was seeking treatment. PTSD. I didn't ask him why, and he's never told me. But I didn't let that get in the way of how I felt about him."

Doreen let her hair fall back down. "He tried so many times to push me away. We broke up a lot. He dated other girls. But I never stopped caring about him. Eventually, that hyperactive goofball saw what I was doing and apologized to me one night. Broke down crying. I let him because that's what he needed. And we've been together ever since."

She stared Honey Lemon in the eyes. "Look, you want him to be happy. That's fine. But that doesn't mean you should put your own happiness to the side. You're your own person. And I know it's not the same situation, but you can't let this eat at you. You should talk to him. Don't approach it like you're trying to get in his way; just...be there for him."

Aspen's camera went black as she wrapped her arms around her phone. "Doreen, that was beautiful. I'm crying right now."

"To be fair, you cry a lot," Go Go said, wiping her cheek. "But I wholeheartedly agree."

Karmi shook her head to stop her tears from falling. "Man, if you could be that supportive when you're talking about Genius Boy, that'd be great."

"I don't need to be gentle with you and him. We all know that you two are perfection-incarnate."

Peni raised her finger in the air.

"Don't give her any more ammo, Peni."

And it went back down.

"I love you girls so much!" Honey Lemon beamed, still crying. "This is exactly why I wanted to do this. We don't talk to each other enough!"

"Agreed. We should make this a more common occurrence."

"We're going to try, but we should definitely try to do a face-to-face meeting when we get a chance. Nothing beats being together!" Aspen cooed.

"I would definitely be down for that," Karmi agreed. "As long as I can get my parents to go along with it."

"Yeah, and definitely no boys allowed!"

LaLeyenda has entered the room.

"Hello, ladies!"

"Robbie!" Go Go's face came down, her cheeks still flushed. "You're an icky boy. What are you doing in here? Did you not read the room name?"

"No. I saw everyone was online and thought I'd say hi." Robbie narrowed her eyes at her. "So...hi."

All six girls waved at him, one a little flimsier than the others.

"Are you...drunk, Go Go?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you ever think that?"

"Because the last time your face was that red was when I kissed you. That, and there's a bottle on your table."

"Robbie! Get out of here!" Karmi yelled. "It's just us girls in here!"

"What? I can't be a girl for a night? I want to know if-"

LaLeyenda has left the room.

"Oh no," Peni monotoned, her finger coming up form the keyboard. "I may have accidentally banned Robbie from the chat. I will make sure to apologize to him the next time we talk."

Honey Lemon laughed as the rest of the group joined in. She would have to leave her thoughts about Fred for another night, but right now?

Right now it was Girl's Night.

No boys allowed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is going up very, very late, so my apologies for that. New job and all that has my hours wonky. But at least I got this out for you guys.

A lot of the focus is on Doreen because she is going to be the focus of the next story after Continuity II. Doing a deep dive into her history, as well as Speedball, is giving me some great ideas.

As for the episodes, I'm very hesitant about Olivia herself. As a HL/Fred shipper, I'm trying to be impartial about the pairing, but something tells me that we have to wait and see when/if Olivia is going to come back again. I just have this feeling that there's something else going on with her. I can't quite place it.

And I borrowed a little bit of Alfred's background from DC for Heathcliff. Secret lover and all that. I hope Batman doesn't mind.

I did enjoy Cobra as well, but like Olivia, there wasn't enough of her for the episode. Here's to hoping she'll make an appearance later in the season.

And now...I have to go watch the new episodes. It's a good thing I already know what I'm writing for this one.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

And hopefully next time will be sooner than Monday.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. "Moonlight" and "Wanted", the two melodies that will be used below, are owned by their singers, Republic Records, and Interscope Records.

I would also get them ready, because Honey Lemon, Karmi, and the story work better when the music is on.

Chapter 6 – Like No One's Watching

Maybe it would come today.

Honey Lemon's head was out the window again, waiting for the mailman to show up. She had been sitting on the edge of her seat for the entire day, not even getting up from her chair when Go Go left early in the morning. The e-mail she had gotten from her friend said that it wouldn't take too long to arrive.

She had attempted to bribe Go Go into getting it for her from the post office, only to find out that wasn't really how her job worked. So, as she set out on some personal business, Honey Lemon was left to her own devices in the apartment.

She read some books.

She watched funny cat videos.

She even worked on some additions to Doreen's mascot costume.

And now she was making dinner.

Because doing a bunch of stuff to kill time sure made a girl hungry.

Honey Lemon opened the fridge, feeling around for her last ingredient. "I sure hope Go Go didn't eat all of the Oaxaca cheese. I need it for these enchiladas..."

A knock came from the door, and the search was, for the moment, forgotten. She hopped over past the table and threw it open.

"Hey, there!" the mailman said, a box under his arm. "Sorry for the hold-up. I would have had this to you sooner, but some old guy decided to make a fuss at the post office. Something about millennials and stamps. He almost wrecked the place before that speedster from Big Hero 6 showed up..."

Honey Lemon tapped her hands together, dancing on her toes.

"Oh, right. This. Go ahead and sign here..."

Five seconds later, she was leaning against the closed door, the object of her near-delirium in her hands. Even the mailman knew it was probably futile to make any more conversation with her, because he made his exit rather quickly.

It didn't look unusual to the eye; it was a normal brown box, small and sealed on all sides with tape. She got the letter opener from the drawer and carefully slid it into the crease. She didn't want to damage what was inside.

She had gotten an e-mail from her the previous Tuesday. The girl she had been in correspondence with back when she was still at school was happy, thankful, bubbly, and very, very talented. Honey Lemon knew that she was destined to do great things in her career, and as a token of the girl's appreciation, she was about to be blessed with something that no one else was going to get for another couple of weeks.

Honey Lemon turned the stove down so the food wouldn't burn as she gingerly took the case out of the box. The picture on the front was of a young lady sitting on a stool, a spotlight shining down on the girl from above. A large headband with bunny ears was atop her head.

"Totally love the costume choice, girl."

She flipped it over to look at the list on the back. There was one particular song that she was looking for that she was told would make the cut.

And there it was, right at number one.

Squealing with excitement, she pulled the cover out of the case and unfolded it. There was a laundry list of names that the girl had thanked in her credits, from producers to engineers to sound crew and everyone in between. There were so many people that the letters almost started bleeding into each other.

Then she got to the end.

And last, but not least, to Aina:

Honey Lemon's smile grew even wider.

For being the voice that I needed in my most silent moment. For being someone whose helped outshine the darkness around me.

Her finger scrolled over the last line.

May the light smile down and bless you with the same happiness that you gave to me.

It seemed so long ago that she had received an e-mail on her store website about making a bunny sweater for a girl in Ciego de Raton, a part of Florida that couldn't have been farther away from San Fransokyo if it tried. The girl had been sweet from the very beginning. Most customers talked just enough to her to get the product they wanted and not much else.

Not this girl.

Short e-mails had turned into longer ones. Questions turned into answers. Long nights talking to each other turned into early mornings, so much so that Regina (her roommate in the dorms) knew to cover her head with her pillow in order to drown out the light coming from her computer.

They were wonderful conversations, talking about life and passions and all that, and a welcome break from her schoolwork.

About six months after they started, Tadashi passed away.

Honey Lemon had to step away from her store, and their common back-and-forths became nonexistent. Between helping Hiro, becoming a superhero, and finishing her final year at SFIT, there was no time to work on anything. It wasn't until the turn of the new year that she was finally able to sit down and parse through her piling e-mails.

And right there, underneath Doreen's long chain of mascot requests, was the girl.

It turned out that Honey Lemon wasn't the only person to have their world change drastically. The girl, she told her, was aspiring to become a singer. She had been working with a recording studio and executives who had seen her sing on the Internet. Honey Lemon had seen them as well, and she had been blown away by her voice. A career in music seemed to be in the cards for her.

But then a terrible string of events happened to her.

All of her recordings got deleted in a bizarre server wipe.

In the midst of trying to get them redone, almost three-quarters of the team got hit with the flu.

Oh, and she lost her voice.

Apparently none of this mattered to the higher-ups, because they wanted a sample delivered to them within the next week.

And she had nothing.

Honey Lemon had quickly shot a response back to comfort her. Almost as quickly, the girl had opened a video chat with her.

She was crying profusely, the squeaking coming from her throat only exacerbating her condition. Being the mother figure she was, Honey Lemon was able to calm her down. For the rest of the night (and even after Go Go had come home and gone straight upstairs), they spoke in quiet whispers. By the time the sun poked up over the horizon, she was in a much better place. She had waved a silent goodbye as she logged off. Honey Lemon had dragged herself to bed, waking up approximately twelve seconds later to the sound of Go Go's alarm.

Which was promptly thrown out the window.

Two weeks later, after a rough patrol with the team, Honey Lemon had arrived home and saw another e-mail from her. She had gone straight to the executives, many of them old haggard men who had lost touch with the world, and "told" them that if they weren't going to give her enough time to get her work done, she'd take her talents somewhere else.

After that, she got all of the time she needed.

The girl, voice returned, couldn't thank Honey Lemon enough for her kindness. The Latina was grateful for the appreciation, but it wasn't until she spoke her next sentence that she was almost speechless.

"I want your help with one of my songs."

"...What?"

She had been able to recover most of her songs, but there was one that she hadn't been happy with, so she didn't mind it being gone. She wanted something else. Something more...romantic.

"I want it to be about peace and love and this special moment between two people. Some moment that you'll never forget, because it was that point in time you knew you were in love."

Honey Lemon looked out the window, watching the sun go down. As soon as she saw the night sky get dotted with stars, the light in her head went off.

"...I think I know just the thing."

A lifetime ago...

It was during her first year of SFIT, when she was still getting used to things. It was Spring Break, and she had found herself at the dorms with nothing to do. Her parents were out of the country. Wasabi had gone home to get his teeth worked on by his orthodontist dad. Go Go made mention of going on a road trip for a few days. Fred was off doing whatever Fred did when he had time off, so probably doing another TV marathon or comic marathon.

Anything but an actual marathon.

She had opened her laptop, perhaps to work on her store website a bit, when she got a text from Tadashi.

Working hard?

Honey Lemon chuckled as she responded. Quite the opposite.

The next text took forever to receive. She would later find out that he was trying to think of the right way to ask.

You want to do something tonight?

She stared at her phone. The only things that they had done together was as a group, whether it be going out to eat or hanging out after classes. Did he know everyone else was otherwise occupied?

Wouldn't be much of an outing with just the two of us.

There. She figured that was safe enough.

Nothing wrong with that.

Tadashi had always been sort of an enigma. Honey Lemon knew he lived with his aunt and had a little brother. She had never met him, but the way he went on about him let her know he was a handful. Maybe he just need a night to himself.

Themselves.

Her fingers paused over the screen for a second longer, then typed out her answer.

What did you have in mind?

An hour later, she had found herself in the middle of a giant field, cars lined up all around them. Tadashi had taken them in his aunt's old pickup truck to a drive-in theater. Most of the other cars were small sedans or vans with their backs open. Their truck was all the way in the back. Not that they needed to be close, of course. The giant white screen saw to that.

Tadashi had laid down a series of cushions in the bed of the truck and stocked it with several old blankets. As she climbed into the back to get herself situated, he had returned with a bucket of popcorn, big enough for more than just two people. He tossed a few kernels into his mouth as he joined Honey Lemon up in the truck.

"What are we watching tonight?" she had asked.

"Gone With The Wind."

"Really?"

"What?" He took a sip of his water before continuing. "I'm not allowed to like old things?"

"It's not that. That's one of my favorite movies!"

"Well, I guess I invited the right person out, then."

Two hours later, Tadashi and Honey Lemon were still engrossed in the film. She had almost all of the dialogue memorized from repeated watchings from her childhood. It was weird how a movie made almost a century ago was still as popular now as it was back then.

But as much as she was enjoying herself, there was one thing that was becoming clear as the intermission hit.

"I'm cold."

It was an unusually (and ironically) chilly night for the spring season. The trees surrounding the area blocked out most of the wind, but there were still wisps of air that would break through, and she was regretting only bringing her jacket.

"Sorry." Tadashi pushed the afghan up closer to his neck. "I tried to bring as many as I could, but I guess it wasn't enough."

"No, you're fine. I'll live with it. We still have two hours to go."

"Oh yeah, I forgot this movie is four hours long." Tadashi yawned and threw his arms above his head. "Least we have no curfew to worry about. Probably wouldn't be able to do this if we had school. Aunt Cass would probably murder me for being out this late."

"What are they doing tonight? Your aunt and your brother?"

"Poetry Night and video games." He fished around for some more popcorn. "And I'll leave the mystery as to who is doing what with you."

Honey Lemon would've retorted with something witty. Would've...had it not been for her noticing one new detail in their arrangement.

His arm was resting on her shoulders.

He must have noticed something was up, because he was staring at her. "You OK?"

"Me? I'm fine," she responded, her voice going a bit too high.

Tadashi didn't seem like he noticed, because he kept talking. "You still cold? I think there's another blanket underneath your cushion. Sit up so I can try to get it…"

Honey Lemon did so, lifting her body up off of the truck bed. His arm went around her back.

But it didn't go for the cushion.

It went to her side instead.

Before she knew it, she was being pulled over in his direction. In one fluid motion, she was plopped down right in Tadashi's lap.

She was warm now.

Too bad that warmth only extended to her cheeks.

In her overload of emotions, she failed to notice that her glasses had fallen off of her face. Grabbing them from the bed of the truck, he held them up to his own eyes to marvel at the lenses. "Man, how do you see out of these? Is your vision that bad?"

If it was an attempt to distract her from the current predicament, it didn't work.

Honey Lemon had caught the eye of several boys back in her high school days, including Andre from the foreign exchange program. Almost all of them were unsuccessful in their various efforts to woo her. She wasn't really looking for anybody at that time, for one. For two, they all tried way too hard. Sometimes simpler was better.

And this was definitely better.

Tadashi wiped the lenses clean, setting them gently down back on her face. "There. Is that fine?"

She was still staring straight ahead, the countdown to the movie starting again on the screen. She blinked a few times to bring herself back to Earth and mumbled a few words. "Y-yeah. I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Tadashi's head came into her vision from the right. "You're acting weird. It might be the hypothermia setting in. Here, give me your hands."

She wordlessly set her hands in her lap, and he quickly followed suit with his own. He rubbed the backs to try to get some heat into them. "You know, you lose the most heat in your body through your hands."

"I...think that's your head."

"Maybe." Tadashi shrugged. "I'm just a robotics guy. I don't know a lot about human biology. But you have about six feet of hair on your head, so I think that will be fine."

That was hyperbole, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind much of anything.

Honey Lemon leaned back into his chest as the movie started up again. Taking that as a good sign, Tadashi's arms tightened around her body.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," she replied.

"Good."

His fingers clenched her hands.

"Because I was lying about the whole hands thing. I think it's just proportional to how much skin that's exposed."

Honey Lemon looked behind her at him.

"What? I'm not a biotech major. Give me a break."

Smiling, she set her cheek into his neck. If she had kept looking at him, she would've notice the look of surprise grow on his face. She curled her legs underneath her body, content with her positioning.

The rest of the movie passed in comfortable silence, Honey Lemon occasionally stealing a glance up at her companion's face. He was focused on the movie, but the smile that had been there since she moved was still there.

His hands were smooth, a stark contrast to his precision work with mechanics.

His body was the perfect mix of soft and form-fitting.

But his eyes...they shined brighter than anything that was in the sky.

It was at that moment that Honey Lemon fell in love with Tadashi Hamada.

She looked back up the screen, Scarlett's words filling her ears...

And then she felt his chin on her shoulder.

And his breath on her neck.

"I'm glad you came with me."

...OK, that was the moment she fell in love with him.

Back to the present...

Honey Lemon never spoke to Tadashi again about that night. He dropped her off back at campus after the movie and everything sort of went back to normal. Whether he was unsure about what steps to take next or waiting to see what she would do...she never found out.

The Latina was never good at figuring out Tadashi's feelings about her (if there were any). She was normally pretty good at sussing out other people, but Tadashi? He was a mystery. He had a great poker face. That night had been one of the only moments where he had let his guard down.

She'd never forget that night. Not just because of him, but because of what was high above them as well.

Honey Lemon's finger ran over the top of the CD case, reading out the top song:

1. Moonlight

Beaming from ear to ear, she set the disc into her computer. Almost immediately, the instruments started reverberating through the apartment. It was the same tune that she heard when she stepped into the makeshift soundproof studio she had made at school. Granville had granted her permission to make it, and she didn't even bother asking what it was for. She was suspicious when some of her friend's personal sound equipment was delivered straight to the school, but the puppy-dog eyes had worked even on her professor.

But enough of that. As she hit the volume up a few notches, her mind was transported back to that night with Tadashi, all of the sensations coming back to her. She opened her eyes, and with a twirl of her body, started to mouth the lyrics.

The sun is setting
And you're right here by my side
And the movie is playing
But we won't be watching tonight

She rocked her hips back and forth after every background vocal.

Every look (every look)

Every touch (every touch)
Makes me wanna give you my heart...

Honey Lemon's arms clasped around her body, trying to remember every single detail.

I be crushin' on you, baby
Stay right where you are...

She started prancing around the room in a faux-waltz rhythm, not caring if she drew the attention of her neighbors. She was all in now.

'Cause I never knew, I never knew
You could hold moonlight in your hands
'Til the night I held you...

That orb in the sky shined so bright that night. But not as bright as his eyes.

Or his smile.

You are my moonlight
Moonlight...

She wasted no time for the next verse, the flood of emotions coming back to her.

I kiss his fingertips
As I'm wishing he's all mine...

Honey Lemon drummed her fingers to the sounds of the string instrument in the background.

He's giving me Elvis
With some James Dean in his eyes...

A shiver went down her spine. She could almost feel his breath again...

Puts his lips (puts his lips)

On my neck (on my neck)
Makes me want to give him my body
I be fallin' for you, baby
And I just can't stop...

A small meow caused her to look towards the stairs. Luna, one of the communal kittens that she shared with Go Go, had come down the steps to see what the fuss was about. Without missing a beat, Honey Lemon swept her up in her hands and twirled her around, the chorus coming back on.

'Cause I never knew, I never knew
You could hold moonlight in your hands
'Til the night I held you...

Honey Lemon hugged Luna tight, the young cat's eyes bugging out almost comically. It appeared that the feline had regretted its own curiosity.

You are my moonlight
Moonlight...

Mercifully, she let the kitten go, who beelined for the rest of the litter upstairs. Tilting her head, Honey Lemon only smiled, turning toward the kitchen to finish her cooking.

Baby, I'd be fallin'
You're my moonlight
Moonlight...

Honey Lemon tapped her finger on the handle of the oven to the tune of the violins. They were a nice touch to the background, something that her friend was adamant on having for the song.

The snapping of the fingers was her choice, though. She was glad that she was all for it.

But enough reminiscing. The song was almost at the part. Honey Lemon opened her mouth again, but this time, as the words started back up again, she sang them out loud.

Almost as if she had recorded them before months ago.

He's so bossy
He makes me dance...

She leaned her body to the music, not aware of the new arrival to the room.

Tryna sit in the back of his whip
And just cancel my plans...

But it wouldn't have mattered. She was in her element.

Sweet like candy
But he's such a man...

And with him again...if only in the memory.

He knows just what it does
When he's holding me tight
And he calls me "Moonlight" too.

The song ended, and Honey Lemon was left with just the sounds of a bustling kitchen...

"You know, I would like to walk into my apartment one time and find something normal happening."

Honey Lemon's head whipped around to see her roommate setting her bike keys in the dish.

"But I guess tonight's not that night."

"Go Go! I wasn't expecting you back this soon."

"Eh. Something came up, and by 'something', I mean 'Steamer'." Go Go kicked off her shoes into the corner. "I had to make up an excuse to Brock, but we at least got a couple of hours in with his drone."

"I still think it's really cute that you're mentoring that kid from Wendy's show."

"I'm not mentoring him. I'm merely showing him how to improve his drone delivery system." She went up the stairs to quickly change. "That...and make his messaging sound a little less like a serial killer."

Honey Lemon squealed in happiness.

"Ugh. I can't change your mind, can I?"

Go Go walked back down the steps, now jacketless. She glanced over at the computer, the next song playing at a lower volume. "What's that?"

"It's a gift that I got from my pen pal."

"That girl from Florida? She send you a photo album or something?"

"Nope. Music," she corrected as Go Go bent down to look at the computer screen. "She's going to release her first official album in a couple of weeks. She sent me over the first finished copy."

"They still make compact discs? Didn't they go out of style, like, decades ago?" Go Go asked.

"Yeah. There's even a little shop downtown that still sells them." Honey Lemon poked her finger out in the direction of the far window. "Towa Records."

"...Huh. I didn't know that." The Korean's eyes drifted down to the open CD cover, the person on the cover now recognizable. "Wait. Is this who I think it is?"

"Maybe."

"This is the girl you've been pen-paling with?"

"We've known each other for a little bit, yeah."

Go Go stared at her. "Honey Lemon, her videos online have, like, hundreds of millions of views. Record labels have been fighting over her for a good year. Everybody says she's going to be the next big music star."

"I know." Honey Lemon shrugged her shoulders. "But she came to me a while ago and needed some help and...I've been doing just that."

Her roommate had the cover in her hands, glancing over the same list of names she had been. "You're on here. Under background vocals. Are you singing on here?"

"I do a little bit of back-up on a couple of the songs, yeah."

She shook her head. "Man, Honey Lemon. You're moving up in the world. Maybe you should make an album."

"Nah. I have too much stuff going on."

Honey Lemon stuck her head out of the fridge.

"But you, on the other hand-"

"No."

She already had her phone out open to the video in question. "I don't know. Dark Matter is getting a ton of attention online. It really seemed to resonate with people."

"Ugh." Go Go squeezed beside her, looking for a snack. "You sing one song about astrophysical observations, and everyone wants a piece of you."

"Oh come on, Go Go! You have a really beautiful singing voice."

"Thanks." She grabbed an apple and walked to the table, taking a big bite out of it. "I'll expect a call from the record executives at any point now."

"Maybe just one person." Under Go Go's stare, she giggled nervously. "I...may have shown the video to Robbie."

At that moment, Go Go's phone lit up with a text. She glanced down at it...and her face went crimson.

"What? What did he send you?"

"Never you mind."

Honey Lemon watched as Go Go ran to the bathroom, typing away at her phone. She couldn't help but smile at her predicament. "Did you get him all hot and bothered?"

"Trust me." The sounds of her fingers hitting the keys came down the steps. "The only one here who's bothered is me."

The Latina threw one last pinch of salt into the meat mixture. "Well, don't be bothered for too long. Dinner's almost ready. I made enchiladas."

"Smells really good. I'm starving." The sounds of the water running came through the door. "I only had time for some cheese before I left this morning. The Waka Waka stuff or whatever."

"It's pronounced 'Wah-Ha-Kuh'. Or 'Oh-Wuh-Ha-Kuh', depending on where you're from."

Go Go patted her face with a towel as she exited the bathroom. "Words shouldn't be allowed to have that many vowels in them."

"Don't blame me," Honey Lemon laughed as her roommate got some dishes out of the cabinet. "I didn't invent the language. I just speak it."

She was about to put on her mitts to grab the enchiladas from the oven when she thought of something.

"But I'm serious, Go Go. You do have a good singing voice. We could duet at karaoke night, if you wanted."

"Besides that blurb for Wendy's show, I have never sung anything." Go Go set her glass down. "And I don't really plan on doing it ever."

"I mean...I've heard you before."

The two college grads stared at each other for a good ten seconds. Honey Lemon could tell Go Go was going through her brain to remember when she possibly could have heard her, but the hunger was running counter to that.

"One of the nights you were here when Robbie went missing. After the race."

Go Go's eyes went wide.

"You were in the shower. I had just gotten back from looking for him with the others. You must have thought I was still out."

Her fingers started inching toward her steak knife.

"Go Go, don't even think about it."

"But it'd be so easy to silence you right now."

"And then I wouldn't have the opportunity to see Robbie 'ruin your life'."

She didn't need to put the air quotes up. Those last three words were enough of a hint. Honey Lemon set the serving tray down and started serving herself some food. Go Go was still staring at her, probably determining which artery to cut first.

"I hate you. You know that, right?"

Honey Lemon smiled and hummed a little tune, her mouth full of enchilada.

Meanwhile, at the Khan residence...

Most children would relish having an entire household to themselves.

But not Karmi.

When she was told that her parents would be leaving for a few days to attend to business in Neo York, the old Karmi would have been excited to have some alone time.

The new Karmi, however, didn't want them to leave.

It was so weird. Teenage girls would normally want to crave independence from their family. But traveling overseas and being with them for the past three months has been cathartic. Therapeutic.

Seeing them walk out the door had been hard. So...she needed to distract herself.

Writing hadn't helped.

Neither had been watching Internet videos.

Heck, even studying the mold growing on the goat cheese in the fridge had only entertained her for about an hour.

The Vroom call with the girls had gone wonderfully the other day, but she didn't want to distract them from other things. Peni was probably busy with her summer school class, Honey Lemon and Go Go were job-hunting, Aspen was who knows where, and Doreen had made mention of working on a mechanical project.

She had reached out to the only other person that could keep her interest, and while he did say he would call, he had to take care of a few things, so it would have to wait until later in the afternoon. She didn't know what that boy genius had to do in the middle of summer (probably something stupid like video games), but at least she had something to look forward to.

Karmi sighed as she watched the needle on the metronome rock back and forth. It had belonged to her grandfather back when he was a violinist for the orchestra. Most of the time, it served as background noise as she did her work in her room. Now...it was her only point of interest.

She tapped her finger to the tune of the needle.

And then her middle one joined in.

Karmi's eyebrow went up.

Hold on. Maybe there was something.

Thinking of her grandfather had brought her grandmother into the picture. How they met. How they danced and made music together. It was one of the things that drew them towards each other in the first place.

She hadn't done any sort of dancing in a long time, ever since she threw out her tutu and shoes in a huff at the age of seven. Typical drama princess, her mother had said. But maybe there were alternatives...

Five minutes later, Karmi had changed her clothing, opting for a plain white t-shirt and a spare pair of sneakers that she kept for walking long distances. Her leggings were fine enough, but the shirt was a size too small even for her. It'd have to do.

She held up the baseball cap to the light. Her grandfather had bought it online as a gift for her getting accepted into SFIT, but she wasn't really much of a hat person. She spent way too much time on her hair to cover it up.

But there it was. Pristine. Crisp. Still brand new.

"Time to break it in a bit."

Karmi plopped it on her head. It did look weird as she looked in the mirror, the school logo popping out in her reflection.

...After a few seconds, she turned it backwards, the bill sitting flat on her ponytail.

"Much better."

The rebel inside her was starting to surface as she started studying the video. Maybe it was a little bit of Genius Boy rubbing off on her. It never ceased to amaze her just how much had changed with both of them in the past year. Back then, she would give anything to stay in her lab alone. Now that's the exact thing she didn't want to be.

If only her boy would hurry up with whatever he was doing and-

Karmi's finger hung over the mouse.

Turns out Hiro wasn't the only one influencing her.

"Note to self. Never tell Doreen I just thought that."

Content with her memory, she took her position in the center of the living room. The furniture had been moved towards the walls, giving her a makeshift dance floor to work with. She poked her toe at the remote, hitting play to start the video. She set her heels together and closed her eyes, trying to imagine the dark stage that she used to dance on as a child.

Maybe the song would help with that as well.

She said, "Every time I close my eyes I feel like I could disappear..."

Karmi brought her hands up to her face, letting her fingers dance down her cheeks.

I could overflow an ocean with the cavalcade of all my tears

She rotated her arms around her body, letting the natural movement decide her next move.

And I know I sound dramatic, but that's just how it feels

She motioned her hand to throw her worries away, bringing them both up to picture the life that she had now.

She said, "I'm holdin' to the notion that I'll find something real..."

The chorus came on, and Karmi picked up the pace, snapping her fingers to the music, leaning back to test her flexibility, and pounding her knees with her fist.

Yeah, I just want to be wanted, oh
I could use a little love sometimes...

Yup, even after all these years, she still had it.

I just need to be needed, oh
Like to know I'm crossin' someone's mind

But there was always something more, wasn't there?

I just want to be someone that somebody needs

Or someone, perhaps.

I just want to be more than a drop in the sea

Karmi twirled on the spot once, stopping herself before the next verse started up.

I just want to be
She said, "I'm countin' up my karma and I think it's time to cash it in (Cash it in)

She imagined what her grandfather would think about her problems, sitting on his stool and playing his double bass without any effort at all.

So tired of livin' in a shadow of a mountain of what might've been (Might've been)

Karmi pictured herself in front of him, pretending to conduct him as the music filled her ears.

And I know I sound dramatic, but that's just how it feels

The images of her grandmother, now young and in her dancing prime, started to flood into her brain.

I've been looking for somebody to tell me that I'm real..."

The choreography was quick, but Karmi was becoming more nimble as it progressed, all of her steps, hand motions, and postures coming back to her.

I just want to be wanted (Oh)
I could use a little love sometimes

They were a big reason why she was the person she was today.

I just need to be needed (Oh)
Like to know I'm crossin' someone's mind

And so were her parents.

I just want to be someone that somebody needs
I just want to be more than a drop in the sea...

But someone else was rapidly climbing those ranks.

I just want to be wanted
Oh yeah

We just want to be wanted
Ooh

Karmi sat down on the ground, spent of energy. Being in shape didn't make up for being out of practice, and she was panting and sweating profusely. But the goal had been met.

I just want to be wanted

The time had passed.

I could use a little love sometimes

Karmi's chat program came up, alerting her of the invitation.

I just need to be needed

She smiled to herself. There he was. Speak of the Devil.

Like to know I'm crossin' someone's mind...

Karmi got up off of the floor and clicked her mouse. Hiro's face came up; he was in his room, Baymax standing in the background.

"Hey, Karmi. Sorry I'm late. I got caught up...with..."

She tilted her head in confusion at his stammering. "What's wrong, Genius Boy?"

Hiro opened his mouth a couple of times, no sound coming out. It was only then that she realized that her appearance was probably causing him some difficulties. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, the skin near her neck still shining with sweat. "Use your words, Hiro. I'm not a mind reader."

"Sorry," Hiro scratched the back of his neck. "I don't normally see you in anything but a sweater. It's...nice. But what were you doing before I got here?"

This was the moment that Karmi could have told him the truth. The dancing, her grandparents, thinking about him. But that wasn't fun. Keeping him in suspense was part of keeping him on his toes.

So that's what she did.

"I was working out."

Hiro's eyebrow shot to the roof. "You can't use that excuse. I did and it didn't work."

"Oh, so you weren't working out that one time you called me?"

His mouth clamped shut, and Karmi laughed at him. "For your information, I was. Just not in the way you think." She straightened up, wiping her brow with her sleeve. "Sometimes you just have to get some energy out, you know?"

"Yup."

It was clear that the boy's brain was malfunctioning, his eyes not moving from her own. If he dared look anywhere else, maybe he thought he'd get digitally slapped in the face.

But Karmi wasn't going to let him off that easy.

"Give me a second to grab a drink."

She turned her back to head toward the kitchen. She took about two steps, waited a couple of seconds...and then rapidly turned her head.

Hiro was too late in averting his eyes; Karmi had already caught him. Not trying to hide her toothy grin, Karmi called out across the room.

"You OK, Genius Boy?"

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"Hiro, your face is rapidly increasing in temperature, and the amount of adrenaline in your body is causing your capillaries to widen. Has Karmi done something to warrant this biological event?"

"Yes, Baymax," she said, noting Hiro's crimson face. "I have."

The boy genius put his hand on his neck, trying unsuccessfully to hide his blush. "We're just talking, Baymax. She can't prove anything."

"Oh, I can't?"

Karmi started her walk back up toward the kitchen, her head still at the camera. She pushed her bangs out of her face and smirked as Hiro continued to redden.

"Just watch me."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're back, ladies and gentlemen. After a long hiatus, Continuity II is back.

I had to take a break to refocus on my person well-being, so I appreciate everyone understanding why I had to do it. Of course, that means the whole gimmick of the story (releasing chapters as the episodes come out) is kind of lost now, but that doesn't really matter. Story's still gotta get done somehow.

I've always been a HL/Tadashi shipper, and I know that I've written her as still holding onto some feelings for him. Luckily, that avenue can be explored with the singer who is definitely not the person you think it is. And the album is totally not a mixture of three of her album covers. Totally not.

Man, the people you end up being pen pals with. XD

As for Karmi, being a dancer in her youth was something that just seemed to fit her, and her song also serves as an anthem of sorts for her. She just wants to be wanted. And she hopes that her boy can be the person she needs.

Also, a little friendly flirtation never hurt anyone.

I'm hoping that I can get the next chapter out (based off of "The New Nega-Globby" and "De-Based") will be up sometime soon, but definitely before the new episodes in February. And I already have an idea for it, so hopefully it'll go quickly.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation, and Robbie Reyes is owned by Marvel. Canelo's Auto and Body is owned by...Canelo.

Clearly.

Chapter 7 – Job Security

Santa Cruz wasn't the place where Robbie Reyes wanted to live.

He wanted someplace cooler. Like Los Angeles. Or Kyotoakland. Maybe Osakeley.

But when his grandfather moved to San Fransokyo to open up his flower shop, he had stayed behind. Why? He wasn't really sure. Maybe the rebel in him wanted to prove to everyone he could make it on his own.

Besides, his grandfather could take care of himself. Mostly.

And he had a good job.

"Reyes!"

...One that had occasional difficulties attached to it.

Robbie scooted the mechanic seat out from under the car he was suppose to be working on. Right above him was the red face of his boss. "What's up, Canelo?"

"I don't pay you to daydream, Reyes. I told Frank his car would be ready by two."

"Just putting the rest of the nuts back on. Don't blow your gasket."

The man looked like that was exactly what he wanted to do, his face sweating profusely. "Are you back-talking me, Reyes?"

"No," he replied. "I'm literally telling you what I'm doing."

Canelo pulled out a clipboard, checking something off. "Danny's going to bring in his ride at four. Stupid idiot tried to impress some chick at the wharf and went into the ocean. What guys do for women these days..."

Robbie didn't dare say anything to him as he walked away. He was already on thin ice after the last absence he had with Canelo. Spending the better part of a week being overtaken by the spirit of your dead uncle was even worse. He'd take Canelo's attitude over that any day.

"Never thought you would sit there and take that, kid. Better teach him a lesson..."

"Shut up."

"What was that, Reyes!?"

Apparently Canelo wasn't as far out of earshot as he thought.

"I said I'm almost done!"

The man grumbled and walked off. Robbie wiped the sweat off of his brow, his fingers brushing the scars on his forehead. Even after a month they hadn't gone away.

He had to ignore Canelo and finish this up. Turning to his right, he saw his co-worker underneath his own car. Reaching out a hand, he called out to him.

"Hey, Ramón. Pass me your socket wrench, would you?"

He made no motion toward it immediately, only choosing to stare at Robbie over his glasses. The brand new hire had just gotten out of jail a few weeks ago and Canelo had hired him. He overheard from Canelo that he had done time for some for some super nasty stuff, and the other mechanics, normally rough themselves, stayed clear of him. Even now, he and Robbie were the only two working; the rest were outside yakking to each other without a care in the world.

"Or...I'll just get mine from the wall."

The wrench slid across the floor, smacking into the wheel of his seat. Robbie had to move his head so that the handle didn't hit his face. Rubbing the dust out of his eye, he looked back at Ramón, a cheeky smirk hiding in the dark.

"Sorry, chavalito. Slipped."

Robbie grabbed the wrench as he tried to keep his temper down. Being the young one out of a group of old guys was tiring enough, but with everything that had happened in the summer, it was infinitely more difficult.

"See those eyes, Robbie?"

He couldn't help but turn back again. Ramon was looking at the inside of one of the tires, but he could make out his eyes: cold, emotionless, and uncaring.

"Eyes of a killer. Thought you were trying to take thosekinds of guys out of the picture?"

That's what he had been doing. For the past few weeks, he had been cleaning up the streets as his demonic counterpart. He had gained a considerable amount of fame with the local kids, but not a lot of sympathy with the police force. Eli wasn't particularly happy either; he wanted to take things too far. But Robbie wouldn't do that. He had sworn himself to justice, not killing.

"Hey, chica! How you doin'?"

Robbie groaned. Great, more catcalling from his coworkers. There wasn't a day that went by that didn't happen.

"Whistle like that at me one more time and I'm going to close your lips shut with your F-clamp . ¿Comprendes?"

Hold on...

All of a sudden, he got yanked out from under his car. Another person came into view, but it wasn't Canelo.

"Hey."

She was a whole lot prettier than him.

"Hey, yourself." Go Go's purple bang hung over her eye as she bent down to his level. "You ready to go?"

He had almost forgotten that she was coming. His mood brightening considerably, he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Yeah. Give me a sec."

"What is going on out here? This ain't no barbershop, people, so stop yappin'!"

Canelo had come out of his office ready to yell at some more people. Upon seeing Go Go, however, he stopped in his tracks to stare her down.

"You again."

"Yeah." Go Go stood up along with Robbie. "Me. Problem?"

"Nope. Just wondering what all the noise was for."

"I'm going to lunch, Canelo. Frank's car is done." Robbie threw his rag onto his workbench. "I'll be back in a hour."

"An hour? What're you doing? Painting the Taj Mahal? We got other cars to work on!"

Go Go pointed over her shoulder at the gaggle of people with her thumb. "It's not like you don't have six other people here to work on them. Their arms broken or something?"

Canelo looked like he wanted to retort, but thought better of it. "Whatever. Just don't bum out on me again, Reyes. Time's a wastin'..."

"Glad to see that he's just as much of a idiot as before."

"He's not that bad, Go Go. You just have to get to know him."

"I really don't want to."

Robbie and Go Go were at the wharf, enjoying the sun as the tourists made their way around them. It wasn't every day that Robbie got to enjoy a fresh meal, and the enchiladas that Go Go had brought hit the spot just right.

"Tell Honey Lemon thanks for the food."

"I don't understand why you don't just go to the grocery store. You could probably make this if you wanted."

"Nah, I don't have the touch." Robbie smacked his lips. "Everything I do ends up burnt. Gabe used to complain about it all the time."

"How's he doing? I thought you were on your way to getting custody of him."

Robbie put his fork down slowly. "It's...complicated. Things are just moving way too slowly for me."

"Shocking. The guy who moves at a hundred miles an hour hates being slow. Typical."

A year ago, he wouldn't have even been in this situation. But ever since meeting Go Go by chance, his life had become much more eventful. Meeting her friends, taking part in a race that ended up with his bonding with Eli, becoming her boyfriend...it was all crazy. Seeing Big Hero 6 on the news fighting corporations and archer vigilantes was bad enough; knowing that Go Go was among those doing the fighting made it even worse.

But she took it all in stride. As much as she talked about it like it didn't bother her, she knew that it bothered him. He was still new to the "team", having been inducted into the ranks with Aspen (Wasabi's girlfriend) and Peni (Hiro's cousin). He hadn't been called in to assist yet.

Yet.

"You OK?"

Robbie's attention had been on his inner monologue and not on the Korean, so he shook his head to get the cobwebs out. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Eli giving you trouble?"

"Every second of every day."

The sarcasm didn't work on her, because she scooted her chair even closer to him. "We'll get him out, Robbie. I told you I would."

"Girl doesn't know how this works, does it?"

Robbie ignored him. Go Go being there helped, but she couldn't be around him all of the time. Just had to tough it out.

"What's been going on with you? You know, besides all of your...hobbies."

Go Go raised her eyebrow at him. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

He twirled his finger around, gesturing to the crowd around him.

"Better than nothing, I guess."

"Your secret base trying to kill you and your liquid gangster guy making an evil double don't count as nothing."

"On the scale of weird, those don't even crack the top ten of the past year, but anyways..." Go Go took a drink out of her water. "It's been going. I had another interview with the Future Foundation."

"That weird group out of Neo York?"

"Yeah. One of the alumni from SFIT runs it. Reed Richards. We talked a couple of days ago. It went..."

Robbie leaned forward, waiting for her continuation.

"Well...it went."

"I admire your enthusiasm, Ms. Tanaka. We here at the Future Foundation always appreciate individuals that take their forward thinking and apply it to the goals and objectives that we want to have. The future that we strive for is not as far out as many people think, and we must make sure that the populace is prepared for all eventualities..."

Go Go had not spoken a single word since she connected to the Vroom room with Dr. Richards.

And that was twenty minutes ago.

Not that she minded. It was too early in the morning, and she had her earphones in so that Honey Lemon wouldn't hear the conversation. She had done her best to make herself look presentable, but it wasn't going to matter because Dr. Richards...

Wouldn't.

Shut.

Up.

"Our applicants are among the brightest and the best, so I'm sure you are honored that I picked yours amongst the many people who wanted to join our ranks. Our goal is to spread ourselves around the globe, so that there wouldn't be any need for a central headquarters. I was actually considering moving to San Fransokyo, but my wife is so attached to Neo York. You understand..."

No. She didn't. She also didn't understand how he couldn't take a hint. Granville had warned her that he could be a little long-winded, but this was pushing it.

"Reed!"

The man looked off to his left out of screen. "Yes, dear?"

"Are you boring the brains out of your applicants again? Get to the point!"

"But she loves it. Don't you, Ms. Tanaka?"

Go Go's head snapped back upward. "Totally."

"See? She loves it."

Another head popped in, a tuft of blonde hair cascading down the border of the screen. "Reed, the amount of times you've driven prospective employees to sleep is probably as high as your IQ. Wrap it up before the poor girl dozes off."

"Very well."

"We set up another interview next week, at a time where I can actually caffeinate."

"He sounds really smart."

"He is. But dude can't take a hint to save his life. But the money's really good, and I wouldn't have to move. Double plus."

They had finished their food and started walking down the wharf, taking note of the shops along the beach. Robbie had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around his waist. Go Go was not as fazed to the heat as she finished recalling her story.

"So you think you'll take it if they offer you a job?"

"Not sure. I want to keep my options open."

"What about the others? You said before that they had interviews too."

"Oh yeah." Go Go leaned down over a jewelry case to look at some necklaces. "Wasabi had an interview with some government organization last week."

"And you can probably guess how that went."

Wasabi sat at his computer, waiting for the woman on the other end to respond. He had spent the better part of fifteen minutes waiting for her to show up. He had double-checked and triple-checked the time. He had cleaned his living room.

Twice.

He even wore his best collared shirt, one that had been bought for him by Aspen. She said the blue really brought out his eyes, which made no sense to him at the time because his eyes were brown. But he had complied.

And it did look nice.

His recollection of the clothing store got pushed to the side as another person showed up on the screen. Her hair was short and bright green, a pair of sunglasses hanging over her eyes. Her black and green jacket had the color turned up, partially hiding her neck. She looked like she meant business, and Wasabi wasn't going to be the one to get on her bad side.

"I'm going to be frank with you, Mr. Calloway..."

She took off her glasses, and he was met with a pair of green eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

"I get a lot of people who think that they're the best. They come into the government thinking that they're all high and mighty. And then they get here and they wimp out in six months. I'm not looking for a person who wants a job, Mr. Calloway. I'm looking for someone who wants a career."

Wasabi was too afraid to even blink.

"So are you the former or the latter?"

He didn't respond.

"Am I wasting my time here, Mr. Calloway?"

"No, Ms. Brand. You're not." Wasabi finally found his voice. "You'll find that I'm highly qualified-"

"I don't mean any offense, but everyone is highly qualified. But I have looked at your resume." She waved her paper on the screen. "Degree in Applied Physics, creator of multiple space-themed projects for ISA. You even headed a team at SFIT on baryonic dark matter. It's passable. I will give you that. Your recommendation came to me from your professor. And as you have probably figured out by now..."

She leaned in closer to the camera.

"When Grace Granville gives you a recommendation, you pay attention to it."

Wasabi started sweating profusely.

"I am not looking for a employee, Mr. Calloway. I'm looking for a commitment. We only hire the best, and we hire for the long haul. Are you up for the challenge?"

"I am, ma'am."

"Good. Exactly what I wanted to hear." Brand gave him a small smile. "Now...how do you feel about going to space?"

"How does he feel about going to space?"

Go Go looked him over her ice cream cone.

"Right. I forgot this is Wasabi we're talking about."

"He can barely handle things with two feet on the ground. I can't imagine what would happen if those feet were floating in the air." She wrapped her napkin around the cone a bit tighter. "Plus, I think Aspen would kill him."

"What about Honey Lemon?"

"What about her?"

"Oh my gosh, it's such an honor and a privilege to be able to talk to you, Doctor Rappaccini! Your work on biological toxins and causaions is the stuff of legends! I really enjoyed your dissertation at the University of Padua on ionized radiation toxicity and its effect on humans! As someone who studied with a lot of chemicals and their reactions toward each other, I must say that possibly working with you would be a thrill of a lifetime!"

"Ms. Rodriguez."

The woman held both of her hands up to the screen.

"I appreciate your...boisterous enthusiasm, but I'm going to need you to take it down at least three notches."

"Sorry!" Honey Lemon exclaimed. "I just adore the work that you do, and I can't believe you actually reached out to me. Tell me, what is it like living in Italy? Is the food great? Are the people beautiful?"

The Latina gasped loudly.

"Is there a special someone in your life!?"

The woman looked both left and right, perhaps looking for a quick exit.

"A college student getting to work with a really successful scientist woman who works on really sketchy things? Where have I heard that before?"

"Yeah, I was suspicious, too. But all of the research I did came up with nothing nefarious. Dr. Rappaccini is legit."

Go Go watched the clouds above as they walked back to her bike, her face getting more worried.

"That doesn't make me feel any better, though."

"You're worried about her," Robbie said.

"I worry about everyone. But the thought of Honey Lemon moving away to Italy and getting roped into something bad..."

She sniffed.

"I already think about her arm being shot by an arrow too much. Anything worse and I'd never forgive myself."

Robbie had been a bystander that night when Honey Lemon arrived home after her confrontation with who the team thought had been Kate. In actuality, it was Bullseye, the former crime boss that had haunted Kate over the next few years. The team took him down in the end, but he couldn't shrug off Go Go's look when Honey Lemon had fallen into the room, her arm dripping in blood...

His hand instinctively looked for hers, intertwining their fingers together.

"She can take care of herself, Go Go."

She looked down at their hands, perhaps not believing that was actually happening. But she kept them together as he looked up at him. "I know. Still doesn't put me at ease."

"And I thought Honey Lemon was the team mom. You're giving her a run for her money."

"Don't even joke like that."

Having arrived at her cycle, Go Go picked up her helmet, but it still seemed like something was up. Robbie didn't have to wait long for the question, though.

"Why do you still work at Canelo's?"

"Hmm?"

"You could work somewhere else. Or just not work at all. You have the money. Why stay there?"

Robbie hadn't really thought about that a lot. The money, put into a joint account, was won by Go Go during the Hell Race. He didn't feel comfortable digging into it, so he had mostly kept it in the bank. The two of them had used a little to get Gabe a new wheelchair, but the rest was still there.

"Have you at least looked at apartments? Some place that's not a loft above a garage?"

"Now you're sounding like my grandfather."

Go Go stared at him, not amused. Robbie smirked as he searched his brain for an answer. "I've been at Canelo's for years. I'm comfortable with it. I know you don't like him, but he does treat me fairly. He could have fired me at any time, really, but he keeps me on the crew. I'll eventually have to move on, just...not yet."

He leaned into her bike, crossing his arms. "As for moving, I am actually working on that. But Gabe's going into his sophomore year in high school, and I don't want to leave him alone in a city for school, and I don't want to pull him out to put him somewhere else. I have to play this sort of long game with everything."

"...Wow."

"What?"

Go Go smiled at Robbie. "That was actually a well-thought out answer. I'm proud of you."

"Hey, I've been known to do that sometimes."

"Yeah. Sometimes." She threw her leg over the seat. "I bet you also don't want to give up your adoring fanbase...Mr. Ghost Rider."

Robbie's eyes widened.

"You don't think we're paying attention to what you've been doing here? Baymax monitors the news channels, including the ones here. Sounds like Big Hero 6 aren't the only heroes around making a difference."

"I do what I can."

"Hmm." Go Go patted the seat behind her. "C'mon, La Leyenda. I have to get you back to Canelo."

That night...

Go Go's jokes aside, being with her had brought a sense of calm that had been missing for a while. The ever-approaching sense of doom seemed to go away whenever he thought about her. He knew that she cared, and she knew he did as well.

It was just unfamiliar territory. As was everything else.

They had arrived back at Canelo's just in time for him to start ranting about one of the other guys getting a car stuck on one of the lifts. That's when Go Go smartly decided to make her exit, but not before giving him a goodbye kiss on the cheek. The other mechanics were too busy trying to get the hydraulics working again to even notice.

Except for one.

Robbie was in the back room, getting ready to head out to see Gabe. His head was in his locker, so he didn't hear the person approaching him.

"That your girl?"

He pushed the door closed to see Ramón at his own locker, giving him a weird look. Robbie followed his gaze at the two pictures on the inside near the vent: one of Gabe in the park in his new wheelchair, and Go Go folding her arms, almost as if to dare him to take the picture.

"Yeah."

"You treat her right?"

Robbie blinked twice. "Of course."

Ramón shut his locker and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "Good. Not as much of a boy as I thought." He turned and headed out the open garage doors. "Night, chavalito."

"Night, Ramón."

That was the most amount of words he had ever said to the young Latino. At any rate, he'd take it. Maybe he could get through a day without getting something thrown at him now...

"Reyes!"

Robbie growled under his breath. "What now, Canelo? I gotta get out of here."

The man came out from the office, a slip of paper in his hand. "I need a part from the junkyard. It's for a customer."

"And you can't do it?"

"C'mon, Reyes! You know it like the back of your hand. It'll take you two minutes, tops!"

"Grr. Fine." Robbie grabbed the paper out of his grasp. "But I'm only doing this because I'm a nice guy."

It only took him thirty seconds to find what he was looking for: an intake valve and a fuse from an old station wagon. He knew that Canelo kept the B-body cars on the far side of the yard, but he was in such a hurry to get out of there that he made the trip in record time.

"Don't even know why he keeps all of these. We'll never need all of these parts." Robbie grunted as he tried to yank the fuse out of the box. "Everything now is all fancy and crap..."

With a mighty tug, he managed to get the fuse. Now for the valve. He sat up to try to get under the car...and his eyes landed on something else entirely.

It was by itself, as if all of the other cars were afraid to go near it. The body was jet black, practically hiding even with the street lamps above. Part of the engine was exposed through the window in the hood. The tires were a little wider and thicker than what he was used to with an old car like this. The grill, the mirrors, the hubcaps...all of them were still shining like they were brand new.

And it was like the car was sizing him up too...

"Reyes! You get lost or something?"

"No," he mumbled as Canelo came up to them. His attention was still on the car. "Here. I got the parts."

"Good. I'll let Cochrane know that we can get him in and out quick."

Robbie nodded, his finger now running over the hood of the car.

"Problem, Reyes?"

"This car." He turned to face his boss. "What's up with it?"

Canelo was now staring at him in a way that Robbie had never seen before. It was like he didn't want to tell him. But a moment later, the man opened his mouth.

"Some guy bummed it off on me. Back when I first opened up shop many years ago. I could have given him triple what he was asking for based off the condition. But he took his money and left. Never saw him again." He glanced down at the hood. "Shame, too. Never could get it to run. Had to push it into the yard because it was clogging up the entrance."

Robbie bent down to look at the grille. "What year is it? 1970?"

"'69." Canelo pointed to the center. "They stopped making divided grilled for Chargers in '70. Dude got some leather front seats from the Special Edition and put it in this one. Made some other modifications too, but I haven't looked at this thing in years."

"I bet I can get it to run."

"Hm?"

The Latino stood back up and turned toward Canelo. "Give me a crack at it. I can fix it up."

Canelo snorted at him. "Kid, it's been decades since they've made parts for this make and model. You'd have to retool the entire thing. It would be a lost cause."

"Then you wouldn't care if I ruined it, then. One less car to worry about, right?"

The two stared at each other, as if sizing each other up. Finally, Canelo let out a hearty laugh.

"Bahaha! Reyes, if you can get this thing up and purring..."

He turned on the spot and started walking back toward the office.

"I'll roll out the red carpet and help you push it out myself." He waved his arm forward. "Now, c'mon. I ain't got all day."

Robbie took one last look at the car. The shine was still weirding him out, and the more he looked at it, the more he couldn't shake the fact that it seemed very familiar.

But it didn't make any sense. He had never seen it before. He lowered his head to look at the side mirror...

And his alter ego's skull stared right back at him.

He threw his body back, now completely flummoxed. He stumbled back and finally tore his eyes away from the car, making his way towards his cycle.

"Like what you see, kid?"

Robbie closed his eyes, trying to ignore Eli's laugh in his head.

"Trust me, Robbie. There's plenty more where that came from."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Holy Marvel references, Batman.

Err.

Marvel Batman.

Moon Knight?

Anyway.

As I mentioned on Twitter, I haven't written anything Robbie-centric since Highway To Hell from last year. That wasn't really by design; I do want to get him more involved in terms of the team. The other side is that I want to set up his second mainline story for the future.

Which, as you guys have probably figured out, involves the Hell Charger.

This chapter is a bit shorter than some of the other ones, but I wanted to get this out before the new episodes drop, so here we are. Either way, it came out better than I was expecting.

I don't want to give too much away about the story in the works, especially because it's going to be so far out (plus I have other stories to get out first, like Doreen's)...but we all know I can't resist myself.

Avid Ghost Rider fans have probably noticed that I've aged up both Robbie and Gabe to be of college- and high school-aged, respectively. There is a reason for that.

Because I want Gabe to be a little bit more part of the action.

You may also have noticed that I've mentioned other Ghost Riders in my stories. Danny and Frank, both customers of Canelo's. Both Ghost Riders (formerly and of the Cosmic-variety). We already had Johnny show up as Go Go's ride-along buddy for the Hell Race. I even had to dig deep for Kenshiro Cochrane, Ghost Rider 2099.

Now, who have we not mentioned yet?

The story will involve two Ghost Riders, two speedsters, and someone running counter to them that will have them all Quake-ing in their boots.

I even have a working title for it. Vengeance.

...I'm totally not good at being subtle, am I?

Can't wait for the new episodes to start back up. Read and review, if you like. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. Insert your own favorite witty comment here for fabulous prizes!

Chapter 8 - Jurisdiction

Courtrooms.

Having parents as lawyers meant that she saw her fair share of them.

But never one quite like this.

She had lost count of how many times she had gone into this room. Sit around and watch as her parents went up against the myriad of lawyers that Sycorax tried to throw at them.

Today's wasn't any different.

At least with this meeting she didn't have to sit at the table with her dad; she was in the seats behind him. Normally, she would be right by her mom, but she had stayed at the house to take care of some errands.

What Karmi wouldn't give to be with her right now.

This courtroom squabble was just like the others. The lawyers for Sycorax would call into question every little process of the case. Her dad would retort with sound evidence and facts. And then the lawyers would proceed to pretty much ignore everything that he had said.

It was a tiresome process, and it had been going on for weeks with no end in sight. Karmi had no idea why the judge didn't just declare the case done and punish Sycorax...

But from the looks of it right now, she was just about done with them. The judge leaned into her mic, abruptly cutting off the lawyer's latest deflection.

"Mr. Madrox, may I ask a question to you?"

The man stopped, surprised that she spoke up. "Umm...sure?"

"Why are you wasting our time here?"

Karmi's ears perked up. Her father took a seat at his chair, ready to hear what was being said.

"I understand that you are operating on short notice here, Mr. Madrox, but you are one of several lawyers that Sycorax has pushed here over the last couple of months." The judge picked up a piece of paper. "Gabriel Flores left after the preliminary hearings. Harold Leland only stayed on for a week after that. Cynthia Bernhammer suddenly decided to retire after one meeting. And I have no time to count all of the others that have stepped into this courthouse. I'm half surprised you didn't want to exorcise the body of the great Jonathan Murdock and wheel him in yourself."

She pursed her lips.

"So do you wish to tell me what is actually going on here?"

The opposite lawyer smoothed out his tie, sweating profusely.

"Your Honor-"

"Mr. Khan." The judge smiled in his direction. "You have been tremendously patient during these hearings, certainly more than I would have given your position. I would like to hear Mr. Madrox's answer, please."

"Of course."

Karmi peered over at the other side. She was also eager to hear what he had to say.

"And need I remind you we are in a court of law, Mr. Madrox. Lying would make your already precarious situation much more troublesome."

Mr. Madrox dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief and fiddled with the strap of his case. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at the judge. "Your Honor, I have been a lawyer for many years. I've done many high-profile cases. I've built a firm with multiple men going on to open their own. I've seen everything that the world has offered."

Another sigh.

"But I've never come across a client as unresponsive and disruptive as Sycorax."

Karmi and her father stared at him.

"Believe me, Your Honor, I would love to provide everything that the opposing counsel has requested. Evidence, testimonials, all of that. But the reason why all of the lawyers before me quit was that we were not getting any cooperation from the company at all. And we continue to stonewall us with every request."

"Mr. Madrox, the person responsible for all of this-"

"Is not the same person who is in charge of the company."

Given the enormous legal consequences and Karmi's involvement in the ordeal, the judge had made everyone sign affidavits that forbid them from commenting on the case to the public. Even the mere existence of it had been made off-limits. That hadn't stopped certain details from leaking out since Sycorax was a giant company (not to mention that Megan had someone found out and Karmi had told Hiro about it at the park), but all in all the judge had been pleased with everyone.

So far.

The judge had begun speaking again, so Karmi perked her ears up to listen back in.

"You have the women in jail, Mr. Madrox. Is she being uncooperative?"

"Your Honor, Di Amara is not Liv Amara. She may be an exact genetic match-up with Ms. Amara, but she claims that she is her own separate person, and as such, she says she is not subject to the charges and accusations that she is facing."

"They are not accusations! They are-"

"Mr. Khan. Please."

The judge held her hand up in an effort to calm him down.

"Mr. Madrox...where is Liv Amara?"

He was sweating again, but Karmi felt like this was for a completely different reason.

"We do not know, Your Honor. Shortly after the arrests were made, and Ms. Khan was medically transported to the hospital, the authorities began their interview process and quickly realized that Ms. Amara had left the premises. The chief of police, Officer Diego Cruz, quickly dispatched his force to look for her, but as of now, their searches have been fruitless."

The lawyer held up some papers, which the bailiff came over to grab. "That's why Sycorax has essentially been brought to a standstill. Liv Amara had no board or internal hierarchy to her company; she was the company. Without her around, work came to a halt, and with that the assets that the prosecution are filing suit for. The building near the SFIT campus was completely cleared out after the initial investigation was done, and her other offices are undertaking the same thing. But without Liv Amara...I have been unable to do my job."

Her father didn't wait for the judge to give him the time to speak. "Your Honor, this is ludicrous. The defense has had every opportunity to be prepared for this case. Why are we being punished for their ineptitude?"

"Mr. Khan."

It wasn't the judge this time that cut him off. It was the lawyer. He stared over at her father, his nervousness put to the side. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, especially..."

He glanced for a second over at Karmi.

"Especially given the circumstances with this case. I followed your career from the time you first came to the United States. You're part of the reason why I decided to become a lawyer to begin with. While I am representing Sycorax in this case, my job is to bring this to a conclusion as quickly and as fairly as possible. I have too much admiration for this court, yourself, and the system for anyone to think otherwise."

Her father's eyes softened, and he decided to take a much quieter tone. "I appreciate all of that, son, but that doesn't solve any of our problems. How are we going to proceed with all of these obstacles?"

"I believe I can be of service in that regard."

The voice that haunted her dreams carried into the courtroom, and Karmi wheeled around to see her worst nightmare entered the room. She was wearing her usual red dress, red heels, and that sadistic smile on her face. Her long blonde locks cascaded behind her as she stepped up to the gate.

"What in the world are you doing here?" Karmi's father spat out.

"You beat me to it, Mr. Khan," the judge said. "But in the interest of all parties involved...what are you doing here, Ms. Amara? You are suppose to be incarcerated."

"Believe me, Your Honor. I still am." She motioned to her ankle, where Karmi saw a ankle bracelet beeping on it. "I was granted a partial release in accordance to my good behavior, and I heard about this little shindig happening and thought I could help."

Karmi saw her father's hand grasp the table so hard that she thought it was going to break off. The other lawyer looked supremely confused. The judge, in her supreme patience, narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "And how exactly do you plan on cooperating?"

Her grin got even wider.

"I know where Liv Amara is."

She couldn't stop the gasp from coming out. Even the judge was aghast at her proclamation.

"If my information leads to the location of Liv, then we will work to accommodate every single request that the prosecution is asking for. The damages, the penalties, all of it. But in exchange...all of the charges against me must be dropped."

"That is not happening," Mr. Khan said. "Your opportunity to 'cooperate' came and went, Ms. Amara."

Di examined him closely. The glint in her eyes had not gone away, and naturally it was making Karmi very uneasy. "I am giving you an opportunity, sir. I would suggest that you take it."

"Miss-"

"Quiet, Mr. Madrox." She waved her finger at the lawyer. "I don't know who hired you, but your services are no longer required."

"Miss, as your lawyer, I would suggest you not speak any-"

"Enough."

The judge had found her voice again, banging her gavel to quiet the talking. "Mr. Madrox, Mr. Khan, Ms. Amara. Let's take this to my quarters. There's no need to drag this out in the open."

"Your Honor." Karmi's father motioned to her, and she recognized the silent question.

"Yes, of course." She nodded to the bailiff. "Can you escort Ms. Khan outside? I don't anticipate this taking long, but she does not need to be here for this."

What in the world was happening?

Twenty minutes had passed since Di's abrupt arrival, and Karmi had been led out to the courthouse law library. She sat at one of the tables, an officer sitting close by as people studied up on the law, perhaps to represent themselves in a pro se litigation.

On any other day, she would be grabbing all of the books and reading alongside them. But now, her brain was only focused on one thing: Di.

The last time she saw her, it was right before her assistant Chris stuck that chip into her neck. Karmi had fallen to the ground grasping it, and as her heels walked up to her, the person who she had gotten to know as Liv bent down to her. In two short seconds, she had sent a chilling whisper into her ear.

"Now you're mine."

Karmi shivered in her seat. She was going to have a nervous breakdown right in the middle of the library. She quickly got up from her chair and beelined straight for the bathroom, not even caring if the officer noticed.

The door flew open, and Karmi hurled herself in. The bathroom was empty, thankfully, as she bent over the nearest toilet, her nerves ready to empty her stomach of its contents.

Why was she here? Who on Earth would let that woman out of jail? Did they not know what she had done? To Liv? To Hiro?

To her?

She had to get herself under control. The reflection in the toilet water stared at her in an attempt to calm her down. It wouldn't do anybody good if she lost her mind (and her lunch). Karmi slowed her breathing down as she stood back up. She smoothed out her ponytail and stepped out of the booth.

Her bigger reflection in the mirror looked terrible, so she turned on a tab to get some cold water on her face. She splashed it on, letting the droplets run down her chin.

Calm down, Karmi, she thought to herself. She can't hurt you any more. Let Dad take care of her. He'll stand up to her.

Feeling slightly better, she bent down to get another scoop of water.

"Well, look who it is."

The water slapped down into the bowl.

"Little Miss Perfect."

Karmi's eyes came up to the mirror and saw the woman behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Di walked up to the sink to Karmi's left, starting to rinse her hands off. Karmi was still staring straight ahead, flummoxed.

She was there. Right there.

"What are you doing here?"

Di shrugged at her question. "Washing my hands. I'm allowed to do that, I'm sure."

"No." Karmi's hand came down in her pocket. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't respond as she grabbed a paper towel. Seeing that both of her hands were occupied, Karmi saw her chance.

Her hand holding the nanoreceptor came screaming toward her neck, ready to slap it onto her body. And it was a split second away from connecting...

Had Di not been anticipating that action.

"Now, Karmi."

The genius had closed her eyes in her assault, so when she opened them back up, she saw her wrist was in Di's clasp, the tech hanging precariously from her fingers. With a twist, it fell into the sink, the water inside deactivating it.

"That wasn't very nice."

She let go, and Karmi stepped back, wringing her wrist. She glanced behind her at the door, hoping that someone would walk in.

"Don't even bother. I locked the door. It gives us some much needed privacy."

Di plucked the towel off of the counter, resuming her wipe down. "As I was saying, I'm here to help you, Karmi. That's always been my goal. Just because I've lost the company doesn't mean that I can no longer can do that. I said as such during the conversation I had with your father."

"What did you do with him?"

"Oh, don't worry. They're still in the judge's quarters. My attendance was just redundant. He's a very loud man, your father. I haven't seen him since you won the internship."

Her eyes sparkled with that demonic glint, and Karmi felt like heaving again. But she had to be strong.

At least for a little bit longer.

"You're just trying to mess things up. You're not actually going to help us. You were better off in jail."

"Karmi, that's a hurtful thing to say to your mentor. I helped create you."

"No, you didn't!"

Why wasn't anyone coming? Surely the walls to the courthouse weren't that thick. Or someone would've noticed the door was locked and gotten maintenance.

Di's smile didn't waver. She tossed the towel and the broken nanoreceptor into the trash, her eyes never leaving Karmi. She took a step forward, Karmi taking an identical step back.

"I meant what I said earlier, Karmi. I can help you. I can make all of this go away. You can be rich beyond your wildest dreams. Your parents would never have to work another day in their life. You can be known as the girl that took down Sycorax, the once all-mighty corporation helmed by Liv Amara. Even that little brat Hiro will be in awe of you. He'll have no choice but to recognize your genius."

Another step. Another step back.

"And all I ask...all I ask in return...is for you to come back and set the ship straight."

Karmi's back hit the wall. She was out of room.

"Because I own you, Karmi. You know that."

And out of time.

"So wouldn't it be better if you just gave in?"

Di stood over her, Karmi almost cowering to the floor. She turned her head towards the skins, searching to look at anything but her. The woman's face contorted to one of anger.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Karmi!"

Her hand came down, ready to grab her face to turn it toward her...

But out of the blue, another hand grabbed the woman's wrist.

A much darker one.

"Threatening teenagers in public restrooms isn't very becoming of you, Ms. Amara."

Never had Karmi been so relieved to hear Professor Granville's voice. She looked up to see her former teacher's frame behind Di, her hand firmly grasping her arm.

"Ahh. Grace." Di didn't seemed that put-off to see her. "It's so good to see you again. I was beginning to wonder if you were ignoring me."

Granville stared her down. It was one of her more impressive looks, one that would have brought any misbehaving student to order. "Oh, I have been ignoring you. I tend to do that with criminals. They don't usually deserve the attention. I'm sure you'd agree."

"How did you get in here? I thought I locked the door behind me."

"You did, Ms. Amara." In her other hand holding some sort of folder, she twirled a small paperclip on her index finger. "But I learned from one of my former students that it's always best to be prepared for such situations. Plus it gives me an opportunity to repair my haphazard lockpicking skills."

Di wrenched her arm out of her grip, the smile still there. "I was simply reminding Karmi of her circumstances, Grace. That's all."

"No, you were not. You were threatening a child in a house of the law. That won't sit well with your probation officer...the one that you gave the slip when you exited your meeting with the judge." Granville adjusted the papers in her folder. "Sometimes I think you're even more troublesome than Mr. Hamada. At least he kept his antics sequestered to the university."

"Yes, he is quite the troublemaker." Di cast a glance backwards at Karmi, who had gotten herself up to a standing position. "The stories I could tell about Karmi's little hero..."

Karmi didn't understand the joke, but maybe that was just as well; Granville had the stare on her again. "Ms. Amara, I am taking my student back to her father. You will remain here so that the officers waiting outside can take you back into custody. And you are never to speak to Karmi or her family directly ever again."

She scowled right into Di's face.

"Do you understand me?"

Any lesser human would have been reduced to jelly at that point. But Di brushed it off with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you say so, Grace."

Granville stepped around the former CEO, putting a hand on Karmi's back. Silently, and quickly, she lead her out of the bathroom, Karmi still feeling the cold gaze on her head.

"I cannot begin to express how profoundly sorry I am, Karmi. Ms. Amara should have never been afforded the opportunity to get near you. It represents a tremendous breakdown in protocol…"

Granville handed Karmi her cup and took the chair next to her.

"Which is what I'm sure Chief Cruz is politely reminding his officers about in the other room."

Karmi and Professor Granville were now in one of the witness waiting rooms, away from the prying eyes of the other people in the building. This was also where officers came when they needed a break from their own cases.

But of course, this was the place that the two policemen that were suppose to be watching Di Amara were being given an earful. She could hear the police chief through the wall yelling at them. She took a sip from her water to keep her hands busy.

"I was here on a separate, personal matter, and I found it quite suspicious that someone would take the time to lock the bathroom behind them. And then I heard mumbles of Di Amara in the building and...well, I was glad that I was able to get to you before she was able to do anything." Granville put the paper clip back into her wallet. "I need to remember to ask Ms. Tanaka where she gets her lockpicking kits from."

"I should have listened to him."

She looked down at her former student, who had her hands clasped under her chin.

"If I had just payed attention to what he was saying, I would have seen all of this coming." Tears started coming down her face. "Hiro kept trying to convince me that something was up with Liv. He even showed me one of my nanoreceptors. Said Liv was using it to turn people into monsters. But I pushed him away."

She put her face in her hands, her cheeks now red and burning.

"I hate myself for how I treated him."

Di bringing up Hiro had brought up all of those thoughts back up in her head. She didn't even care about whatever cryptic thing she stated before they left the bathroom. Hiro had known. He had known all along.

And all she did in return was treat him like dirt.

Granville cleared her throat, and Karmi took the tissue offered to her. She dabbed her eyes as she tried to regain her composure.

"Karmi, you are not at all to blame for anything that has transpired. So please remove that thought from your mind." She patted her back in comfort. "And yes, Mr. Hamada can be...annoying correct most of the time, but keep in mind that you were not the only one who was fooled. We all were. I had known Liv for years, and I didn't have any suspicions at all. I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard what had happened."

That sparked something in Karmi's brain. She knew that Professor Granville was very well connected; she had heard as much from Hiro and his friends. Maybe she knew...

"Professor, do you know where Liv is right now?"

The dean didn't seem particularly surprised by her question.

"I do not."

"Would you tell me if you did?"

She had been less prepared for the follow-up, but she kept her composure all the same.

"I would…because that is actually what I was here for."

Granville held up her folder and opened it up, revealing a bunch of paperwork, pictures, and other documents. "The police have been attempting to locate the real Liv Amara, and as a close friend of her, they have asked me to assist in her search. Liv had many retreats and personal spaces around the country, some of which are off the beaten path. I'm certain that they will find her. It just may take a while to do so."

Karmi sniffed, balling the tissue in her hand. "Why is she in hiding? Don't you think she would want to be involved?"

"Well, to that I can only guess. But I believe that Liv is ashamed of what her company had become under Di's control. Even though the general public doesn't have much information, I'm sure she had access to all of it. So she saw Di's itinerary, what she did with the company and with you...and she couldn't take it. She's gone to recollect herself. She'll resurface when the time is right. Or maybe when it's required for her to do so. If she doesn't want to be found, then she won't be."

"Karmi!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of her father, who came barreling through the waiting room. He came up right to Karmi and held her tight.

"I heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Karmi mumbled.

He held her for a moment longer...and then notice Granville, standing off to the side quietly. He pulled away from his daughter and stared her down. "And just what are you doing here?"

"Dad! Stop it. Professor Granville was the one who found me."

"And what are the odds of that, Karmi? I bet she was in on it, too."

The dean didn't take kindly to that accusation, but her tone was as even as ever. "Mr. Khan, Karmi is correct. I found her and Ms. Amara in the bathroom and was able to de-escalate the situation. I am not sure why she was even allowed into the building to begin with, but I am-"

"Looking into it? Were you looking into it when you allowed that monster to run around turning people into monsters? Including my daughter!?"

The few people in the waiting room had gone deathly quiet. Even Chief Cruz had fallen silent in the other room. Karmi could see Granville's teeth grinding together through her cheeks. After a very tense few seconds, she leaned in and lowered her voice.

"Mr. Khan, if you want to have a conversation about the possible failures and responsibilities of the institute, I would be more than welcome to have that talk. But I will have it in the proper place and circumstances, not in a courthouse with an emotionally-distressed parent and child. You may not believe it to be true, but I am on your side. And I will continue to be on your side...whether you believe that or not."

Granville tucked her folder further under her arm. "I must take my leave. Karmi, you have my ear if you need it. As do you, Yusuf. Please send my best to Muneeba. Have a pleasant rest of your day."

With one last look at Karmi, Granville left through the door. The rest of the people started up their conversations again, as did the one on the other side of the wall. Her father looked like he was going to burst out of his suit, but Karmi sat back down, perhaps helping in deflating his aggression.

"I'm going to go talk to the chief. This won't take long."

He pushed open the door while Karmi slunk into the chair. This day couldn't get any worse. She wished she could just run away for a while.

"Karmi?"

A girl's voice came from around the corner, and Karmi saw a pair of brown eyes peeking from one of the other rooms. Her full head came into view, the black tuft of hair poking out from the back of her head.

"Sorry you have to hear all of this."

The girl squeezed through the door and shut it behind her. Karmi saw she was wearing a black jacket and green and white striped shirt, blue pants and shoes completing her look. Her darker skin tone matched what the chief had from her brief look at him before the chief went into the room.

Wait. The chief.

"And...sorry this is how we're meeting for the first time."

"...Megan?"

"Oh hey. You remember my name. I was worried there for a second." The younger Cruz glanced over her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go get something to drink."

"But my dad-"

"Is talking to my dad. So they'll be a while."

A short walk later...

"What soda do you want?"

"I don't really drink soda."

"You're a teenage girl. Of course you do."

A look of confusion was aimed toward Megan.

"Here. I'll close my eyes and choose, OK?"

Before Karmi could respond, Megan slapped a hand over her face and started blindly poking at the buttons. She missed a few times before finally connecting on one. She peeked through her fingers to see what it was.

"Grape? Could've been worse, I guess." She retrieved the can and handed it to Karmi.

"Thanks."

The two went out to the steps in front of the courthouse, taking their seats at one of the nearby benches. Megan clicked open her drink and downed half of it in one gulp. Karmi took her time with hers, lightly sipping it as she saw the sugar work its magic on Megan.

"I should really stop drinking root beer. It's too addicting to me. Maybe I should try something a little more fruity."

"They have lime soda back where I used to live," Karmi said. "Also ice cream soda."

"Ice cream soda!? Ugh! You shouldn't have told me that. Now I need that in my life."

"It's pretty much only in my country, though."

"Can you special order it for me or something?" Seeing her confused look, she held up her hands. "Know what? We'll talk about it later. Are you OK after what that woman did?"

"I'm fine. My...former...professor stopped her before she could do anything."

"Yeah, she seems super scary. I tried to interview her for my paper on Big Hero 6, and she kicked me out really quick. Maybe it was for the best. Doesn't seem like the kind of person I want to mess with."

Karmi was staring down at the sidewalk. Talking about this wasn't having the cathartic reaction she was hoping for. She knew Megan meant well (she was kind enough through her private messages on the fanfiction website), but what she wouldn't give to go on another vacation...

"Wait."

Megan was glaring into her can, perhaps to see if it would magically refill itself, but she looked back up at her companion.

"Hiro said you were on vacation. What are you doing here?"

Megan laughed. "Yeah. We were. For a little bit. But work called and had a bunch of stuff that was going on, so my dad came back to take care of it. I know that there's going to be some giant event at the San Fransokyo Conference Center, so he's helping Detective Kato with the prep. After that, we're heading out to Florida for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to drag him out if I have to."

"Take me with you," Karmi said sadly.

"I wish I could. But me and heat don't mix together well. You wouldn't like me when I was hot."

The teen genius nodded, rotating her soda in her hand.

"You and Hiro talk about me in secret? I'm flattered."

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Now Karmi didn't know all of the details, but she knew that Megan and Hiro had gotten to be friends during the time she was gone. She had been happy for him, even a little jealous. Hiro was better at making friends than she was.

"If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't like talking about you with me."

She narrowed her eyes at her.

"Probably because he likes you."

Now this was a conversation she didn't want to get into. She had done a better job in keeping touch with him during this trial, but ever since the comic event for her series, something had changed. She didn't feel the same way about him than before.

But the other way? She wasn't sure.

"I don't know."

Megan gave her an incredulous look.

"I've been away for so long. Keeping my distance away from him. He's better off finding someone else to focus his attention on. I'm just too damaged at this point."

She tapped the side of her can.

"He's better off with someone like you."

A sudden gagging came from her left, and Karmi refocused on Megan to see that she had snorted into her can. She gagged and waved her hand into her face.

"Ah! Root beer in the nose!"

Karmi watched Megan shake her head violently to get all of the suds out of her nostrils. She sniffed loudly, her nose pointed to the sky. "Ugh. I'm going to be feeling that for a while."

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I was just too busy laughing at what you said."

"What did I-"

Megan cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Karmi, I'm going to say this to you in the nicest way possible. And I say it will all due respect to Hiro."

She raised the can up to her lips, not even attempting to hide her smile.

"Boy has it bad for you."

Karmi blinked rapidly.

"I...know."

Megan almost choked again.

"Hiro has a crush on me. I've known that for ages. It's been kind of obvious."

"No no no no. I don't think you understand."

The younger Cruz pointed off into the distance.

"He..."

She slashed at her heart.

"Has it bad..."

And then jutted it out at Karmi.

"For you."

Megan sat back into the bench. "When you were gone, I got kidnapped by some giant robot girl that was going to turn the entire city into goo. A few weeks later, I got kidnapped again by some psychopath that wanted to put a bunch of arrows into people, including some cop that he had been tailing for years. I've been through the ringer. And that pales into comparison to what you've been through. I get it. But Hiro helped me so much to get through that. He is a great guy, and...I'll admit. I like him a lot."

"I don't understand what-"

"Karmi." Megan cut her off again. "The boy won't shut up about you. He can't stop thinking about you. I can't compete with that. All he wants for you is the best, and seeing him talk about you is something that I've never seen from anybody else."

She was shocked. She had known that Hiro had a thing for her. It had been prevalent during their time at SFIT, and even when she stayed at his house. But what Megan was talking about...it was a whole different level.

"And I think you owe it to him to try to sort it out not push him away."

"I can't, Megan. The trial-"

"Girl, you know that there's nothing stopping you from talking to him. You already said that you talked to him recently. About my vacation, remember?"

Oh.

"So what's your excuse? Why are you purposefully avoiding him?"

Karmi looked away, her cheeks burning.

"Is it because you like him, too?"

Megan scooted a little closer.

"You want him all to yourself for kissing and smooching?"

She could feel the smoke pouring out of her ears.

"Unless...you've done that already?"

What she wouldn't give for another soda to pour over her head.

"OK, OK. I'll back off. You don't have to say anything. But I mean it, Karmi. He's a good guy."

"I know."

"And he's really kind."

"Agreed."

"And he's a good cuddler."

"A really good one."

"I...I was just joking about the cuddling part."

Karmi yanked her head around at Megan, who was softly smiling at her.

"But I won't tell anyone." She looked down at her phone. "Come on. My dad's probably wondering where we are, and I don't want your dad to yell at me."

Discarding their cans, the two girls made their way back towards the courthouse doors. Megan poked her hip out into Karmi's on the way there. "In all seriousness, if you want to talk about Hiro behind his back, I'm all ears. We can talk about his tragedy of a haircut, the fact that he says super long words that he thinks that I would know for some reason..."

Karmi chuckled.

"The fact that he helped save your life twice."

She looked at her, confused.

"Just like he saved mine twice." Megan took a few steps forward. "Not that it's a contest or anything."

"Megan."

She stopped and turned toward Karmi.

"How do you know about Akuma Island?"

Karmi knew that Megan had slipped in saying something she shouldn't have, because she started stammering. "I-I read the report about it! Yeah! You can't just blow up an island without someone knowing about it."

"Oh. Good." Karmi was walking again. "Because I thought for a second you were saying that Hiro was part of Big Hero 6." She smiled as they came up to the doors. "It'd be ridiculous. He couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag."

"I don't know." Megan had recovered, reaching out for the handle. "Boy can take care of himself. I think he'd surprise you."

"Would he?"

Karmi stopped again, a smirk growing on her face. "Megan. I made a cartoon series and multiple fanfiction about Big Hero 6. I'm their biggest fan. He would either tell me or spill the beans accidentally. If Hiro was a member...I'd know about it."

She couldn't decipher the look in Megan's eyes, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement in them. She leaned into her, the door now wide open.

"...Would you?"

Megan motioned for the door, beckoning her forward.

"Guess there's only one way to find out."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Given the fact that we're probably not going to get a conversation in the show between the two of them, I figured that I would give the people their long-awaited Megan and Karmi talk. And of course, it's about Hiro. Because again, Megan's not stupid. She knows that Hiro has it bad for Karmi. But that doesn't mean she can't have a little fun at her expense.

This is probably the first time that I've completely ignored a part of an episode for a Continuity chapter, and that is "The MiSFIT". I...don't really know what to think about the whole situation about Rishi. I don't like him as a character at all, but as a writer, I do want to give him his proper due. But until then, he's going to be on the sideline.

The situation with Sycorax, on the other hand, is something I can work on. There's a lot of unanswered questions about the company and Liv/Di, and I hope that I can make a proper story with what the show has given us.

Who knew there were that many lawyers in the Marvel Universe? But I'm not using the obvious one...because there's reasons for that.

Also, I gave Karmi Kamala's parents' names because...well, people who follow me know why.

Next up is "A Fresh Sparkles"/"Noodle Burger Ploy". Maybe I won't wait until next Monday to get that uploaded.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. I think Casablanca is in the public domain? I don't know.

Chapter 9 – The Usual Suspects

"Do you think you have enough popcorn there, Fred?"

"What a silly question. There's no such thing as too much popcorn."

Go Go pointed the the wall of buckets parked next to the couch. "Nah, I'm pretty sure that's too much."

"What did you bring for this smorgasbord?"

The Korean motioned to the container of chicken in front of her. "Buldak Bites from Krazy Korea. But I'm warning you, they're pretty-"

Before she could finish, he had popped a few of them into his mouth. He kept chewing as he plopped down on the couch next to her. "Go Go, I've eaten Diablo Style Tacos from Yaki Taco, which are made from the ovens of the Devil himself. I think I could handle-"

Fred cut himself off, his face slowly turning a bright shade of red. He turned to Go Go, who had a grin on her face that could only be described as pure evil.

"Hmm. You lasted longer than I thought." Go Go said as she took a sip from her water bottle.

Fred whimpered.

"Should've thought about that before you started munching on it. Maybe you should get a drink."

He vaulted over the couch and rushed past Honey Lemon, who was bringing her own tray in. She looked at him for a moment, then turned to her roommate. "What's wrong with Freddie?"

"He danced with the Devil." She stabbed at a piece with her chopsticks. "Little did he know that the Devil is a Korean." She motioned her chopsticks to her right. "You want a piece, Wasabi?"

"Nah, I prefer to keep my sense of taste."

"Oh, they're fine. Fred's just a dummy. Hiro will eat it. Won't you, Hiro?"

"Huh?" The boy genius looked up from his tinkering with the projector. "What am I doing?"

"Eating this."

"No."

"I've had them before, Hiro," Honey Lemon said. "It's really not that spicy."

"Says the Latina."

Baymax blinked towards her offering. "Buldak is made with a sauce consisting of chili powder, chili paste, and some variation of chili peppers. Variations range between eight and thirteen thousand Scoville units. It is recommended that you have some water or milk to counter the effects of the capsaicin."

"Yeah, don't be like Fred," Go Go replied, pointed out the window where Fred had his head submerged in the fountain.

Hiro still seemed a little hesitant, but he made his way over and plucked the food out of her grasp. He took a small bite out of it, chewed for a couple of seconds...

And then beelined toward his own drink, downing it in a few gulps.

"Wuss."

Hiro brought his cup down and wiped his mouth. "Holy cow, I haven't had anything that spicy in my life. How can you eat that?"

"With my hands, mostly."

Honey Lemon set her tray down. "I have some empanadas that aren't as spicy, Hiro. You should probably just-"

Hiro proceeded to stuff one in his mouth, not hearing the rest of Honey Lemon's warning.

"...Wait until they're cooled. They just came out of the oven."

Two seconds later, Hiro had joined Fred in the fountain outside. Go Go sighed as the boy pulled his head out, shaking his hair out like a sheepdog. "Why are boys so stupid?"

"Ahem."

"...Oh, I'm sorry. Why are boys, including Wasabi when it comes to Aspen, so stupid?"

He glared at her as he grabbed an empanada with a napkin.

The dry humor was heavy when the gang was all together, especially during the nights where they partook at activities at Fred's house. Tonight was no exception, as Fred and Hiro had already showed. Times like this, they thought, were going to become less common with job hunts, post-graduation shenanigans, and all that, so they wanted to savor them.

Not just shove them in their mouths without any forethought.

Case in point.

Both Hiro and Fred walked back into the room, towels wrapped around their heads. Heathcliff was behind them, looking slightly perturbed as he wiped some soot off of his suit. "One day, Master Frederick, I wish for the fountain to remain the decorative piece that it was built to be, and not a wading pool. Today is not said day, unfortunately."

"Don't worry, Heathcliff." Fred tossed the damp towel towards his bed, airballing his bed and covering Mini-Max ("Where has the light gone, fowl heathen?"). "I'm sure there will be generations of Fredericksons cooling their spicy mouths out in that fountain."

"Not at the pace your mother is wanting," Heathcliff said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said your tub of butter has arrived in time for your movie night, Master Frederickson."

"Goody! I'll be back, guys!" He ran out the door past his butler, who barely moved a muscle.

"There's not...really a giant container of butter in the other room, is there?" Wasabi worriedly asked.

"It is not as giant as Frederick wants it to be, but it will suffice for his needs."

Go Go sighed. "Are we sure he's not a robot still? Humans wouldn't aspire to this level of weirdness."

As much as Fred was off-his-guard sometimes, it had still been a shock that Fred had been roped into another underhanded tactic via e-mail. This time, it was due to Noodle Burger Boy and his colleagues making a robotic duplicate and having him attempt to infiltrate the team. Through sheer dumb luck, the plan hadn't worked, but the others had decided to take extra precautions so that they wouldn't run into this situation again.

Like disabling Fred's e-mail.

And monitoring it on a daily basis.

Which mostly got relegated to Hiro.

"Got rid of five more spam messages today. Ugh." Hiro poked at his phone. "How come he gets so many e-mails? There's, like, thousands of them. Doesn't he ever clear anything out?"

"This is Fred we're talking about, so probably not." Wasabi cleared out his empanada. "Who knows how many Nigerian princes he's talked to about social security numbers?"

Hiro put down Fred's phone and started messing with his own. Go Go leaned over and plucked it out of his hands.

"Hey!"

"Who're you texting?"

He snatched it back, sitting down between Wasabi and Honey Lemon. "Not your business."

"So Karmi?"

His face turned slightly pink, but didn't look up from the screen. "She's coming with us, by the way. To the convention center. She doesn't have her thing on the weekend."

Honey Lemon turned her body to face him. "You know, Hiro, you never told us what this thing was that she's dealing with. Is she OK?"

Hiro hadn't told anyone else about Karmi's trial against Sycorax; he had promised to keep it a secret until after its conclusion. So he had been dancing around the issue with everyone. "She's fine. Just bored of summer, that's all."

"Maybe you can help her be un-bored."

His mind raced back to a week ago, the mental image of Karmi staring at him on her computer with a completely different set of attire on in his head.

"Aaaand you're blushing again."

"Probably your spicy chicken," Hiro mumbled.

"Oh yeah, something spicy's going on in your head."

Honey Lemon took her attention from the now-smoking Hiro and onto the butler behind them, who had been standing quietly at the ready. "By the way, Heathcliff, did you get the message I sent you? About her whereabouts?"

"I did, Master Honey Lemon. It was a tremendous service on your part, and I already forwarded the information to my colleagues at the agency."

"Wait." Go Go was apparently done grilling both Hiro and Wasabi, because she threw herself into their conversation. "What is he talking about?"

"She was able to provide me with an update about Cobra. She had escaped from police custody some time ago, but Master Honey Lemon passed along her research that I'm sure will prove important to her re-acquisition."

The rest of the team, now free from their spice overloads/wet heads/etcetera, turned to Honey Lemon.

"What?"

Baymax raised a finger. "Honey Lemon, is there anything that you wish to tell us involving our villains?"

"Yes, and keep in mind that we will know when you are not telling us the truth!"

Mini-Max had apparently freed himself from his towel prison and was giving her the robot equivalent of the stink-eye.

The Latina looked all of them over, but merely shrugged her shoulders. "Guys, I know that I was wrong on Sparkles, and I accept that. But I thought it would be a good idea to make sure that we updated our files on the rest of our villains."

"The others?" Wasabi asked. "You...do know how many people we have wanting to fight us, right?"

Honey Lemon nodded.

"O...K. I'll bite, then," Go Go said. "What's up with Sue?"

"C'mon, pumpkin! We have to get you a new, super evil picture for the news! The one that they're using now is so outdated!"

Stu squirmed in the chair, nervously adjusting his tie. "Nana! Can't I wear something a little more me? I hate formal wear."

"Nope! Now let the nice picture lady do her job!"

The lady stepped forward, who was definitely not wearing a bright blonde wig to disguise her normal blondish red hair. "Let me just touch up your cheeks a bit, and we'll be set."

Stu squirmed as the brush blew up clouds of make-up all around him.

"...I really could have done without that mental image."

"What about El Fuego?" Wasabi asked. "He broke out last week after we sent him back to prison."

The giant wrestler landed in the ring in a giant huff, his opponent raising his arms and claiming victory. "I am the greatest
Mecha Wrestler in the entire world! No one dares challenge the majesty that is El Fuego!"

He sent off two plumes of fire into the sky, the crowd around him cheering like mad...especially the Latina at the front row, her glasses almost flying off as she pumped her fist in enthusiasm.

"I thought we told you never to go to that again. Also I thought the league folded."

"Started back up again a month ago, and someone sent El Fuego an invite back." Honey Lemon winced. "Not that I was staking out the old stadium in case that would happen again."

"Uh...huh." Hiro was not believing any of this. "Trina?"

The robot girl growled as she stabbed at the soda can on the ground. "I almost brought this entire city to its knees, and now I've been reduced to highway trash pickup. If you could only see your daughter now, father..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The guard poked at her with his baton. "You have about thirty thousand more hours of community service, girlie. Get a move on."

Trina growled, her attention on her predicament and not on the forest beside her, where a clearly fake plastic owl was sitting on one of the highest branches, its eyes not blinking at all.

Only they weren't eyes, but the ends of the binoculars that Honey Lemon was holding.

The team stared at all of the files that Honey Lemon had put down on the table. It was an impressive amount of work.

Which left really only one question.

"Honey Lemon, when did you have the time to do all of this?" Go Go picked up one of the folders, marked with Nega-Globby's name.

"I didn't do all of this by myself. I had a little help."

A second owl was slapped down on the branch next to hers. The person adjusted his cap and fiddled with the zoom on his own pair.

"Sorry I'm late. Luncheon didn't end until an hour ago."

"That's fine." She smiled at the new arrival. "Glad you could make it."

Go Go shot a look over her shoulder.

"I'm shocked that out of everyone, you don't check the Binoculars Group Text. You watch birds, for goodness sake!"

She ignored him, craning her neck back to look at her roommate. "Honey Lemon, it's great that you're doing this, but you shouldn't be out there on your own. Besides, we've all seen how you and that one-track mind of yours." She shivered slightly. "I'm still trying to get your anime face out of my dreams."

"You mean this one?"

A towel came in from her right, covering her face before it could transition.

"Thanks, Mini-Max."

"You are welcome, fair maiden!"

"Are we going to watch a movie?" Hiro looked at his phone again. "I kind of want to try to call Karmi when I get home."

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road so that Romeo can go meet his Juliet." Ignoring Hiro's glare, she walked up to the DVD player and pulled a thumb drive out of her pocket. "I got a horror movie you guys are going to love."

"Wait!" Wasabi dabbed his mouth with his napkin. "I thought tonight was Documentary Night."

"I am not watching a three-hour voice-over flick about deep space again."

"It's educational!"

"Yeah, it teaches me how to fall into a deep sleep with no help at all."

"Guys, tonight is the night we're watching the Super Mega Ultra Edition of the original Kentucky Kaiju. They found an extra seven seconds of bonus footage that will blow your mind!"

Go Go bit her lip, perhaps contemplating what sort of physical injury she could inflict to Fred in seven seconds. Deciding against it, she turned to the youngest member of the group. "Hiro, what do you want to watch?"

"I really don't care one way or another."

"Then I have something."

Honey Lemon lifted up her pile of folders and flashed a box at them. "It's a very old movie that released a Centennial Version this year, and I just happened to get a copy of it before it hit stores."

Hiro's robot looked down at the title. "The title appears to be in Spanish, and translates to 'White House'."

"Alright." Go Go started walking toward the door. "I'm gonna head out. You guys have fun-"

Her arm got yanked down, and her body went with it.

"Hey!"

"Go Go, you'll love it. I promise that if you watch it, I'll watch whatever you want next time."

"What about-"

Honey Lemon shushed both of the boys, who had tried to respond with the same interjection. She stared at her roommate pleadingly. "Pleeeeease?"

"Ugh. Fine."

"Yay!" She threw her arms around her neck. "So we'll watch Go Go's movie next time, Wasabi's after that, and then Fred's after that. Agreed?"

Wasabi and Fred nodded their approval.

"I don't get a say?"

Go Go leaned back into the sofa, another chicken piece in her hands. "You can leave and be with Karmi at any point in time, kiddo."

Hiro pouted, his reddening face blending in with the couch.

"Man, Kate had the right idea. I should call you that more often."

One hour later...

The movie was a classic. That much was certain.

But maybe it was only one to Honey Lemon.

She looked around at everyone else. They were all in various levels of slumber; Wasabi had a pillow behind his head, peacefully sleeping. The two to her right were leaning next to each other, Go Go's head on Fred's shoulder. She already had the forethought of taking a picture of them for blackmail purposes. Even Baymax and Mini-Max had fallen silent, both in their sleep modes.

As for the last person?

Hiro was on his side, sleeping peacefully as his head was in her lap. Honey Lemon stroked his hair, enjoying the comfortable silence in the room.

His phone lit up with a text message. Curious, she picked it up, read it...and softly laughed. She turned the camera toward Hiro's face, careful to not have the flash on. She took the picture and sent it along to the other person.

A few seconds later, his phone shined again with another message, filled with pink hearts at the end:

Awww...

"Heh." She poked at the phone to reply.

He's cute when he's sleeping, isn't he?

Her own phone vibrated with an answer.

Yes, he is. But I'm not looking to give him the evidence on his own phone.

Smart girl, Honey Lemon texted. We'll see you in a few days?

Yup. What time are we meeting again?

Don't worry about getting there early. Fred will have your pass, so just meet one of us at the door.

Sounds good. I'm heading off to bed. Tell Hiro I said good night?

The Latina grinned at her phone.

I will. Good night.

She set her phone down on the pile of folders. She hadn't wanted to make a show about it, but doing her research had been very rewarding, but there was one villain that she wasn't able to locate. It had bothered her because they were the one that knew how to keep out of the shadows.

Never mind that. She'd save it for another night. Right now, she had a movie to finish.

Honey Lemon glanced at their phones, now dark, and then to the boy sleeping.

"Hiro," she said, rubbing his head, "I think what you have with Karmi is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

On the other side of the city...

Ahhh, the lifestyles of the rich and the famous.

Always complaining.

Always-

"And then I told the waiter to take the food back. Believe me, I'm not going to have a medium rare steak when I sprung for a rare one."

The laugh was fake, only made to fill the air. She answered with one of her own, high-pitched and shrill.

Just like she hated.

"By the way," the man said, swirling his drink around, "I have enjoyed talking to you. This party is such a bore. It's nice to have a great conversationalist."

"I know the feeling." Her British accent made him even more enamored as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps we could talk even more later...about your secret particle accelerator project."

The rich man scoffed, the liquor getting to him. "You know about that? Aren't you the clever girl?" His eyes started to glaze over as he leaned in. "I didn't quite catch your name, though. Tell me, and I'll tell you all about it."

Now this was the part of the job she hated. Schmoozing up to the wealthy, putting on a show. It was the life she had grown accustomed to.

So Momakase felt sorry for him.

A tiny bit.

But the slow-acting nerve agent in his drink was starting to take effect. He wouldn't remember any of this conversation in the morning.

So there was no need to hide. She pushed her hair over her shoulder, the blue stripe in it matching her dress perfectly.

"The name is Ana. Ana Cortes."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Face it. I'm the only fanfiction author brave enough to put both Casablanca and Good Charlotte references in the same story.

Aren't I brave? XD

Not every chapter can be six thousand words long, so this one is a bit shorter than the others. But I hope that it's enjoyable all the same, from the gang's choice in movies to Honey Lemon's research to even the little bit of Hiro/Karmi I threw in.

And as for Momakase's alias?

Wonder if that will crop back up at some point in the future.

The show's finale is later today. It's still kind of hard to believe that the show will be coming to an end today. I just hope I can get a good story out of it.

And also enjoy it. That too.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. Cass's classmate is owned by Marvel.

Chapter 10 – Swan Song

Robots were tiring.

She thought that having one around the house was a handful.

Now, through a hurried conversation with Hiro and a promise to do extra chores for the rest of the summer, Cass Hamada found herself with four more employees.

Of the mechanical variety.

She was immediately suspicious when Hiro came to her out of the blue, asking if she needed some help around the cafe. The phrasing of his question was odd, but her nephew said that there were some robots that had been reprogrammed from their original designations and needed something to occupy their time before finding a new purpose.

Well...she couldn't argue with that.

It was still weird after a few days of flying robots greeting you in the morning, robots with giant mouths trying to operate a smoothie machine, large-armed robots washing dishes in the back, and robots with heads that looks like Noodle Burgers (that one was still weird) calling you Mother once an hour on the hour.

But hey, it sure beat handling the afternoon rush on her own.

"Is there anything else that you need us to do?"

Even know, the four robots were standing before her, the Noodle one taking the lead. It was almost closing time, and Aunt Cass would normally be busy doing the dishes, sorting receipts, and getting her dough ready for its overnight proofing. But with their help, all of that was done.

Which really left only one thing to do.

Kick her feet up and enjoy an espresso.

"I think we can call it a wrap for tonight, guys. You can go on..."

Wait. That brought up a sudden thought in her head.

"Do you guys even have a home?"

"We do," the panda said. "But Big Brother snores a lot. Which is odd considering I have the big mouth," it muttered under its breath.

"I heard that!"

"Now, guys..." She had to tread carefully here; Hiro had told her they had the potential to cause a great amount of property damage and didn't want to set them off. "Be nice to each other, or I'm going to have to fire you. You don't want that, do you?"

The four shook their heads.

"Good. Now, I probably won't need you guys for the weekend, so feel free to relax for the next few days. But don't do anything bad!" she added, waving a finger at them. "Or else Mother's going to know about it."

OK, maybe being their "mother" had its advantages.

As she watched them fly on the hippo's back down the street (which was a sentence she never thought she'd imagine in her head), she went back behind the counter to finish her magazine. There was an article about puff pastry that she wanted to finish...

Aunt Cass's eyes went up to the clock. The minute hand on the maneki-neko timepiece was slowly approaching nine o'clock. Hiro would be home pretty soon from his video game night at Fred's. Normally, he'd already be home, but she wanted him to live a little.

At least she knew where he was...unlike before...

She shook that thought out of her mind. That had been ages ago; Hiro knew better than that. Besides, he had texted an hour earlier with a picture of him with Fred, stuffing his face full of pizza. And Fred knew better than to leave him out of his sight.

So she wasn't worried.

At least not openly.

The chime over the door rang out as someone stepped in. Aunt Cass mentally sighed. She was never one to turn down a customer, but couldn't they have come just a few minutes earlier? At least she had gulped down the rest of her espresso.

"Hi there! Welcome to the Lucky Cat Cafe! How can I-"

It was at this moment that she actually looked up to see who had walked in. It was a woman, about the same age as her. She was wearing a green leather jacket, and the darker green dress underneath was trimmed with white, which extended to the hood covering her head. Her gloves and thigh-high booths were both pristine white.

Aunt Cass peered at the newcomer. There was a patch on the shoulder of the jacket that she couldn't quite make out, but it looked like a giant X...

Hold on. Now it was familiar.

"Anna Marie?"

The woman put a gloved hand on her head and pulled off the hood. Her auburn hair spilled out onto her shoulders, her bangs gleaming the same white as her gloves and boots. Her eyes lit up with excitement, one of them electric blue and the other a deep green.

"Cassie?"

There was only one person who called her by that name.

"Oh Lord! It is you!"

Before she knew it, the woman traversed the length of the floor, pulling Cass into a bear hug. She was caught off guard, almost being dragged over the counter.

"Ah haven't seen ya in foreva'! Ah can't believe you're still hangin' around here!"

"I could say the same for you." She peeled her body off of the woman and looked her up and down. "I'm also surprised you're all...social. You were so shy in high school. You didn't even like people looking at you, much less hugging you."

"Well, times have changed, Cassie! Ah grew up out of my funk! Ah'm not that awkward lass ah was back then."

"Oh yeah. Did Remy have something to do with that?"

The woman scoffed at her. "Girl, ah've been here for thirty seconds and ya already bringin' up Remy. Ya like to live dangerously?"

"Someone's got to set you straight."

Cass started walking toward the door to flip the sign, something that the woman noticed. "Maybe ah should get goin'. Ah don't want to keep ya..."

"No, Anna Marie." She slapped the sign down and turned off some of the recess lights. "You are not going anywhere until we catch up. You're not going to walk in here after twenty-some-odd years and just ditch me. Let me make you some tea..."

A minute later, the woman was sipping on her cup, sitting at one of the tables in the center. As she took another sip, she started staring Cass down. "Now, how on Earth do ya remember my favorite tea?"

"You're the only one who brought Bai Mudan tea to school. How could I forget that?"

She set her cup down as she looked around the cafe. "Ah'm sure ya couldn't. And ya own this place now? Wow. Things sure have changed. Except you, of course. Ya still the same ol' Cassie."

"And you're a totally different Anna Marie." Cass poked at the woman's coat. "Except you're still wearing the same old letterman jacket from school. I'm surprised that hasn't disintegrated into nothing."

"Just worked a little magic on it. 'Bout the only thing ah have left from back then."

"I know. You left as soon as the graduation ceremony was over. Basically disappeared off the radar."

Anna Marie waved her hand. "Ah never felt like ah fit with everyone there. Not like you and May and Tommy."

"Hmm." Cass set her cup down. "I don't know about that. For going to a high school for gifted students, I didn't feel very gifted."

"Are ya kiddin'? Everyone loved ya there. Principal Charles always did like ya. Said that you three brought some normalcy to the craziness that was that high school. Speaking of which..." She resumed her wide stare around the room, as if looking for someone. "Where is Tommy-Boy? Right before ah got to the city, ah saw May was in Neo York. Big city girl went to the bigger city. Tommy do the same thing?"

She didn't get a response, so her eyes fell on her classmate. She was surprised to see Cass on the verge of tears, nervously tapping at her drink.

"What? Was it something ah said?"

"...Tommy passed away."

Anna Marie sank back into her chair, shocked. "Oh my Lord." She put her hand on Cass's arm. "Ah am so sorry, Cassie. Ah didn't realize-"

"It's fine, Anna Marie. You didn't know."

The two women sat in awkward silence for a bit, Aunt Cass dabbing her eyes with her sleeve and the woman sitting still, as if afraid to ask anything else. Finally, after a long minute, she scooted forward.

"What...what happened? If ya don't mind me askin'?"

"There was...an accident." Cass sniffled. "He and Maemi both didn't make it."

"Wait. Maemi? That little girl that hung onto him like a shadow?"

"Yeah. They got married. Had two kids."

"Really!?" Anna Marie said. "Ah would've never expected those two to get togetha'."

"Yeah, neither did I."

"But wait. Ya said they had kids." The woman finished off her drink with a flourish. "What happened to them?"

As if on cue, the door opened once again, and the young genius boy stepped through it. He had his robot rolled up into his backpack, its eyes poking out of the hole and glowing blue.

"Hey, Aunt Cass. Sorry I'm late. Fred got rowdy during our video game marathon, and I lost track-"

He tucked his key into his pocket and turned toward the room...

And noticed that his aunt wasn't alone.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know you had someone over."

Aunt Cass waved him over. "It's OK. We were just catching up. Hiro, this is Anna Marie. We went to high school together. Anna Marie, this is my nephew, Hiro."

"Pleasure to meet ya, darlin'." She extended her gloved hand out, which Hiro carefully took. "Is that a robot ya got on your back?"

"I am, indeed."

"And it talks too? You kids and ya fancy gadgets. Must be a handful for ya."

"Yeah, Baymax...keeps me busy."

The women still had her gaze focused on him, so Aunt Cass cut in with a wave of her cup. "Are you hungry, Hiro? I have some leftover steak in the fridge I can heat up."

"I'm fine; I ate at Fred's." He rubbed his head with the back of his hand. "I think I'm going to take a shower and go to bed soon. Krei wants me at the office early in the morning for something."

"Is it another karaoke machine?"

"No, I don't know what it is. But it probably doesn't involve me going in when the sun goes up."

"You look a little red, sweetie. Let me check your temperature." She set her fingers on his forehead and kept them there for a moment. "Yeah, you feel warm, Hiro. I hope you're not coming down with something. Maybe you ate too much pizza."

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Just tired."

"Well, I would feel better if you took some medicine. I think I may have something upstairs..."

"Here."

The two Hamadas looked over at the woman, who had sat back up in her chair. She started tugging at the fingers of her glove as she knelt beside Hiro.

"Let me try somethin'."

Hiro cast a glance at his aunt.

"It ain't gonna hurt."

Slowly, two of her fingers came to rest on his forehead. They felt...warm.

And inviting.

"My mama taught me this lil' trick about illness. She said it was all in ya mind. That ya can draw it out of the body."

Aunt Cass saw her nephew slightly sway in place, the redness in his face dying down a bit. Anna Marie, on the other hand, looked like she was going in the other direction. But as soon as she started worrying about her, she withdrew her fingers.

"Feelin' any better, darlin'?"

Hiro rubbed his head. "Actually...yeah. I do. It just went away like-"

He almost keeled over on the spot, only the instincts of Aunt Cass stopping him from falling over.

"Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah, I'm...fine." Hiro propped his body up on the table. "I...think I'm going to go to bed now."

"You do that. Go make some tea; it'll help you sleep."

"I will monitor to make sure his schedule is uninterrupted. Have a good night."

"Night, Baymax."

The two women watched the boy genius walk up the stairs with his robot out of sight. Cass turned back toward her companion, noting that she was still staring at the wall where Hiro had been, pushing the glove back onto her hand.

"He looks just like Tommy."

"I know, right?" Cass rubbed the side of her face. "Looks more like him every day." She looked over at the hand that had been uncovered. "You know, you have to teach me that trick someday."

"Trust me." Anna Marie wrung her hand, pausing to touch her forehead. "Ya don't want to know it."

The woman's eyes fell onto one of the pictures behind the counter. It had both Cass and Hiro, as well as an older boy wearing a baseball cap beside her. "Is that Tommy's other boy?"

"Yes. Tadashi." She got up and grabbed the photo, holding it tightly. "He also passed away last year. There was a fire at school, and then a whole mess happened after that. Hiro's the only one I have left..."

Aunt Cass started breaking down, the tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Now that's not true, Cassie."

Anna Marie came over, wiping the tears with her glove.

"Ya got May, and from what ah remember, she's gonna be there to help ya whether ya like it or not. That loud sister of yours is never gonna let ya go under. And the Cassie ah know wouldn't let anything get her down."

She led her back over to the table, gently easing her into the chair. "Ah bet your other friends from high school would lend ya some support as well."

"I don't know," Aunt Cass mumbled. "I never seemed to fit in with them."

"Oh, come off it, Cassie. We loved ya! Ya remember when Jean shouted ya out at graduation?"

The cafe owner smiled as the memory came back to her. "That was pretty nice. Jean went up there as valedictorian and gave a great speech. It was like she was reading everyone's mind in the room. Said everything she needed to..."

Anna Marie chuckled to herself. "Ah still remember when ya and May let all of the frogs out during Biology class. Mr. McCoy threw such a fit...but he forgave ya in the end."

"Yeah, we bonded over trying to catch them all. Hank even signed my college recommendation letter. What a nice man."

Aunt Cass bent over her cup, thinking back.

"Things were so much simpler back then."

The woman covered up her laugh with her hand.

"What? They were."

"Maybe for you, Cassie. But not for all of us. You and May and Tommy got out before the real trouble started. Charles was facing a bunch of funding problems from the city. That's..."

She stood up and smoothed out her dress.

"That's actually why ah'm here. He wants me to teach at the school."

"Really?" Aunt Cass said.

"Yup. Somehow, he found me across the country and called me up. Wanted me to teach the 'next generation' or whatever he talks about. Ah'm meeting him tomorrow to talk about it."

"I never took you as a teaching type."

"Trust me." Anna Marie laughed out loud. "Ah'm not. But Mr. McCoy is takin' a sabbatical, Mr. Worthington's off somewhere, and Scott has his hands full tryin' to teach so many classes. He wants me to fill in for a bit while the school gets staffed."

"I think you'd be great. You've always been good at dealing with troublemakers."

The woman smirked at her. "That's true. Ah had to rescue Remy so many times from detention. Ah can't even keep track. But we'll see how it goes. Ah told Charles ah can't make any promises."

Anna Marie looked at the clock. "Speakin' of which, ah should probably get goin'. It's late, and the last thing ah wanna do is show up late to school. It'll be like me bein' a student all over again..."

The two women got up and went over to the door. Cass tapped Anna Marie on the shoulder and got her attention. Confused, she turned around to face her.

"You'll do great. I just know it. You have a gift, Anna Marie. Not like me."

She was shaking her head at Cass, still with that wry smile.

"What?"

"You still don't see it, do ya?"

"...No?"

"Heh." Anna Marie patted her cheek. "Cassie, ya may think that you were normal when it came to us, but ya deserved to be there. Charles loved ya. Hank loved ya. We all loved ya. And not just you. Tommy and May as well. And after what ah saw tonight, you have the best gift of them all."

She pointed up to the stairs.

"And that's being a mother. You're doing a great job of taking care of him. Ah wish my mama could be like you. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up so messed in the head."

She pulled her into a hug, surprising even Aunt Cass.

"Keep it up, darlin'. We're all rootin' for ya."

"Thanks, Anna Marie. I appreciate it."

She headed off down the street as Aunt Cass waved to her. "Ah'll try not to be a stranger for so long, Cassie! Talk to ya soon!"

Feeling much better about herself, the cafe owner pushed the door closed. Seeing what an impact she had on her classmates had did a number on her bad mood, and now she felt lighter than air. No longer sick at the world...

"Wait."

She started heading toward the stairs.

"I should probably check on Hiro."

Slightly earlier...

Hiro had done two out of the things he said he would do.

He did go upstairs.

He did make himself some tea.

But he didn't go to bed.

He still had some things to do.

After putting Baymax in his charger, Hiro walked up the stairs with his two steaming mugs of tea, carefully pushing the door open with his shoulder. The cool air from outside hit his cheeks as he stepped onto the roof...

And the ninja's hand came down from above, plucking one of the cups out of his hand.

"You're late."

"Sorry, I don't know how supervillains like their tea."

"Like normal people do. Warm." Momakase took a small sip. "Mmm. Delightful. I guess you are useful for something. Most places boil the water so much that the flavor gets lost. Maybe you should be working behind the counter with your aunt."

This wasn't the conversation he wanted with her, so he sat down at the table, keeping her at a safe distance. "How's Noodle Burger Boy doing?"

Momakase flipped down onto the roof, somehow not spilling a drop of her drink. "Adjusting, I suppose. At least they're out of everyone's hair now, including mine. Something still seems off, however."

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The others should be fine, but Noodle Burger Boy...Obake's chip was in his mainframe for almost a year. The programming may have infected his other systems. But I guess all we can do is wait it out."

"You can't put a tracker on them again?"

He occupied himself by drinking some tea.

"Or you just want to utilize my services."

"You are more discreet than a tracker."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Momakase downed the rest of her drink. "Speaking of services...there's something we need to discuss."

"What?"

A heavy object got slapped down onto the table. Curious, Hiro picked it up, peering inside the envelope.

"Your payment. Is that your money?"

"Yeah. Do you think I robbed someone for it?"

No response.

"Don't answer that. It came from my grant account."

"Hmm." She set her mug down on the table. "In any case, I'm not accepting that."

Hiro looked incredulously at her.

"It may seem a little odd to you, but I don't feel comfortable taking money from a child. Keep it. I'm sure you will have more use for it than I would."

"But then we're not even."

"Oh, we are." She bent down to his level, smiling. "Just...consider that I did this out of the goodness of my heart."

He stuffed the envelope into his sweatshirt pocket, still giving her the stink-eye.

"Don't give me that look. I may be a supervillain, but even I have standards."

A knock came over from the door, and both Hiro and Momakase turned at the noise.

"Hiro. Are you up here?"

The door opened to reveal Aunt Cass, who rotated her head around the roof. "Are you talking to someone? I thought I heard a woman..."

"Nope!" Hiro put on his best fake smile. "J-just me!"

"...Then why do you have two cups of tea?"

Oh crap.

"I was...soooo thirsty. Hard night of gaming and putting up with Fred. That'll do it!"

Hiro was desperately trying to not look above the door, where Momakase was laying down on her stomach, her head propped up on her hand and giving him the most evil smile he had ever seen. If Aunt Cass even felt her presence...he was in serious trouble.

"Are you OK, Hiro? You seem distracted. I know Anna Marie did something to your fever, but I would still feel better if you rested."

"I will, Aunt Cass. I wanted some fresh air. That's all. You always say that it does a body good."

She shook her head. "I don't think I've ever said that."

"Sure you have! All the time!"

Now it was just getting comical. Or maybe just to Momakase.

Aunt Cass was still looking at him oddly, but she relented. "OK, mister. I'll play it your way. But you can talk to me if you need to. Remember that."

"I know. Thanks, Aunt Cass."

"Oh, that reminds me!"

To his horror, she produced something from behind her back, patting its head. "When I was doing your laundry, I steam cleaned the doll Karmi gave you. I have to tell you, when Honey Lemon came to me with the idea of you giving one to her that looked like you, I was a little suspect. But they came out so well! It looks just like her!"

Hiro's face started getting hot.

"Don't look so embarrassed, Hiro. No one's up here to judge you."

Yes. Yes, there was. And for being a ninja and a formidable foe, even she was having trouble keeping her face straight.

"Anyway, I'm probably going to go to bed. I'll leave Karmi on your bed so you can snuggle with her, OK?"

For the love of God, Aunt Cass, stop talking.

That's what he wanted to say. But instead, he gritted his teeth, forcing his lips into a smile. "That's fine."

Aunt Cass turned to the door, but not before she looked back at him, her eyes glistening.

"I love you, Hiro."

Even under the gaze of Momakase, he wasn't going to do anything else.

"I love you too, Aunt Cass."

Finally, Aunt Cass closed the door, and Hiro was able to breathe again, slapping a hand on his face. It was unfortunate that he didn't have any more tea to distract him from the situation.

Up to and including the woman jumping down back onto the roof.

"Can..." Hiro stumbled for the envelope in his sweatshirt. "Can I pay you so that you can unhear all of that?"

Momakase chuckled. "That, my dear boy, is what we call in the business 'priceless'. So...no."

"Yeah. I figured as much."

She was fishing for something in one of her pockets as she went on. "It's almost adorable how you and your girlfriend have gotten so close to each other. Makes me want to gag on the sheer sweetness."

"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I assume you have your other friends in your room in doll form as well."

Now his cheeks were on fire.

"Hm." She pulled out a few bills and set them down on the table. "For the tea, Hiro Hamada. And for...the lovely conversation we had."

Hiro sighed as she stepped to the edge of the roof. He didn't need Momakase knowing all of that about Karmi, but who was she going to tell? At least she was able to keep a secret...

Wait.

"Hold on."

Her foot was hanging over the ledge, ready to jump off.

"There is actually something else that I want you to do."

She turned to face him.

"I..."

Well, this was going to be awkward given what had just transpired.

"I want you to protect Karmi."

Momakase narrowed her eyes at him.

"There was an incident at the courthouse the other day. Professor Granville told me about it. Di had somehow gotten alone with Karmi, and it wasn't for her, I don't know what would've happened. She's back on probation, but what's stopping her from doing it again?"

He motioned the envelope to her.

"I'll pay you this. I'll pay you triple this. I pay you whatever you want."

Mostly to hide the shaking.

"Just...protect her."

Momakase's expression was unreadable. It almost looked like pity. She stepped off of the ledge, unsheathing her knife to twirl it around her fingers.

"No."

"What?" Hiro said, surprised. "I said I'd-"

"It's not about the money."

The flat end of her blade came down on his hand, pushing it and the envelope into the table.

"I don't get involved with affairs of the heart. And before you say anything," she interrupted him as he opened his mouth, "I kidnapped her for Obake because she was a pawn to get to you. That's all she was. Now that things are a tad bit different, I'm not going to get myself into this."

She put the knife back into her belt.

"You're her fabled Captain Cutie. If you're so worried about it...do something yourself. But from what I saw earlier in the summer, I don't think she really need protection."

Under Hiro's inquisitive stare, she shrugged her shoulders. "What? I'm allowed to surf the Internet. I saw the video of that girl beating up Hardlight with that gauntlet. I bet she could even give me a run for my money with a few changes here and there. But she's got potential. Perhaps she could even be useful to your team."

Hiro growled under his breath.

"I also happened to see that little singing party you had at Krei Tech. Your aunt has a set of pipes on her. Maybe Britian's Got Skill is in her future..."

He pinched his nose to stop the oncoming headache.

"Oh dear. I struck a nerve, didn't I? I guess we'll save that for another time." She turned away to resume her exit. "But be a good boy and tell her how you feel, at least. Or maybe just confess to your doll."

Hiro rubbed his temple. "Ugh. You and Silver."

"Hmm?" Momakase put a finger on her cheek. "Hiro Hamada, are you seeing other ninjas on the side? I'm so disappointed in you."

"No. Shut up."

She chuckled to herself, deciding not to answer.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"About what?"

"About caring for someone. About their well-being. You only do it when it's a deal. You probably have no idea what I'm going through."

Hiro saw that Momakase was staring off into space, not looking at him. She was fidgeting with one of her pouches, popping and attaching the button absentmindedly.

"You and I are more like than you think."

"We're not."

"Oh, but we are." Still not looking at him. "We both are in the profession of keeping secrets from our loved ones. We both can't exist without the other. We think we can go it along until we're shown that we can't...at least for a little bit of time."

Hiro couldn't decipher that. But the last conversation that he had with her crept back into his mind, and one name in particular spilled out of his mouth.

"Chief Cruz."

Her shoulders stiffened. She wasn't the only one that was capable of hitting nerves.

"You know him."

For the first time in a while, Momakase looked at him. It was like she was trying to figure him out, and not the other way around.

"I did."

Hiro saw her fiddle with another pouch. "We crossed paths a few times back in the day. Diego was a sergeant in the police department, and I was a young woman deluding myself into thinking I could make it in this business. Boss Awesome had retired, and I saw my opportunity. But he was a persistent one, that Diego. Kept me on my toes."

"What about Megan?" Hiro asked. "Do you know-"

WHOOSH!

The blade went right past his ear, lodging into the railing. Hiro didn't have to move, mostly because she wasn't aiming directly at him, but also because he had gotten used to knives being thrown at him.

He did still jump in his seat. Not enough to get an ear sliced off, but enough to give him pause.

"Let me tell you something, Hiro Hamada."

Her arm was still out, the fingers pointing out at him. The wistful glare was gone, now replace by her normal determined expression.

"While we may be alike, there is one key difference between us."

Four of her fingers withdrew into her palm, leaving the index finger out.

"There is still hope for you."

She brought her hand down.

"You're young. You have a chance to redeem yourself from your mistakes. You still have your entire life ahead of you where you can carve your path."

Hiro carefully picked the knife out of the wood.

"Me? My path is stone. It's set. It can't be changed. There is no redemption at the end of my path. Only...an end."

He looked down at the handle. It was worn. He wondered how many times she had pulled it out to attack someone. Attack them.

"It's not too late for you, Momakase. You can still-"

Hiro looked up, not really surprised that he was talking to an empty roof.

"Change..."

Slowly, he grabbed the two mugs and went to the door. Sleep was calling to him. But there was one last thing to do.

Hiro turned the blade over in his hand. It fit a little too well into his palm. His brain went back to when they stole her swords from Yama, and the way she held them as if they were the most precious thing in the world.

The tip of the knife got shoved into the railing, tucked just behind the stone doorway. Without another word, Hiro closed the door, ready for a night's rest.

With the genius being gone, the knife swayed in the wind, balanced precariously on its edge.

But it was relieved by the arrival of a black-gloved hand, plucking it off of its prison and sinking into the dark of the night.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I, for one, was disappointed that we didn't get more Momakase in Season 3.

I'm also disappointed with what we did end up getting, because Momakase is arguably Big Hero 6's most renowned villain. And her being swallowed up in the ether that was the Noodle Burger Gang was not the right call. Granted, this wasn't exclusive to her, but it was jarring in her case.

Which is why I'm not giving up on her just yet.

As for Aunt Cass and her conversation...

I'm not saying that she went to a certain school for Gifted Youngsters/Students ran by a bald guy in a wheelchair.

But the thought of her being a normal student attending a school for mutants was just too funny and good of an opportunity to pass up. Also...Anna Marie was fun to write, who you have probably figured out is Rogue. I tried mixing her two most iconic costumes (the original yellow/green one with the jacket and the green/white robe look) and passed the jacket off as a letterman.

Wonder if Cass has one, too?

This is not the last chapter of Continuity II, because I have one more to do. It was suppose to come out between stints of episodes, but got pushed back because of writing difficulties. But now we can have some fun with it.

And get someone back into the mix that has been out of it for a while.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Big Hero 6: The Series is owned by Disney Animation. Our returning champion hails from Aspen Comics MLT.

Chapter 11 (Finale) – The Inner Mission

It was a very impressive building that was standing in front of her.

Krei Tech. The largest technology company in the country, maybe even the entire planet.

And there she was. Little ol' her.

A minnow in the ocean that was the business world.

"Calm yourself down, girl."

She sighed as she smoothed out her jacket. The business jumpsuit helped set the tone she was going for, but it hadn't done anything to ease her mind.

So she was doing what most people did in this situation: resort to talking to themselves.

"You can do this. You know what you're going to say. You're rehearsed it for days. You got this."

She started stepping forward, trying to ignore the pain already bubbling up from wearing her high heels.

"You got this. You got this."

She put her hand on the door and pushed...

But it wouldn't budge.

"I don't got this!"

The girl backtracked, the carrier bag almost being flung off into the bushes.

"What were you thinking? You can't even get through the door! How are you suppose to even do your pitch if you can't-"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman walk through the door she was trying to get through.

By pulling it.

"...Geez Louise."

She gathered her wits and high-stepped to the door, throwing it open.

"I really hope no one saw that."

"I saw it."

"Quiet, you!" she yelled to the random man's back.

Now in the foyer, she creaked her neck up. The sunlight was coming through the circular glass ceiling, and there were a few people strolling around, just starting their day. Everything was immaculate, from the counters to the walls to even the fake planters that adorned the area in random spots.

Her former company didn't have a physical headquarters, so all of this was new to her. She had to squint her eyes to stop some of the shine from blinding her.

"Good morning, and welcome to Krei Tech!"

She heard the voice of the receptionist come from the circular desk right in the center of the floor. She walked over and flashed her best smile. "Good morning! This is my first time here. I'm just trying to take everything in."

"Don't worry; we get that a lot," the woman said. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Actually, there is." She shuffled her bag to her opposite shoulder. "I have a meeting with Mr. Krei and I need to know where his office is located."

Chuckling, the woman pointed off to her immediate right to a narrow passageway. "If you go down that hallway, there are a set of elevators at the end that lead to the executive offices. The very last one on the left is the one that goes to Mr. Krei's. Just take it all the way up. You can't miss it."

"Thank you so much." She started walking away, but not before the receptionist said one last thing.

"I love your hair, by the way!"

"Thanks!" She twirled a strand of it around her fingers, waving goodbye.

She had been noticing the eyes as well; a few of the other people in the lobby had been giving her looks ever since she walked in. It was a common occurrence everywhere she had gone over the past few months. It wasn't every day that people say a full head of bluish-black hair, especially in a business setting like this.

But she was used to it. Mostly.

She turned the corner and saw what she was looking for: five elevators...and the farthest one's doors were just beginning to shut.

"Hold the door!"

A hand shot out and stopped them from closing, and Aspen was spared a long wait for the next ride up. She squeezed her way between the doors into the elevator, standing in front of the two men inside. "Thank you, sir."

The older gentleman nodded at her with a smile. "Not a problem, young lady. These things can be tricky sometimes." He held his finger over the floor buttons. "Which one are you headed to?"

"The top floor, please."

An audible sigh came from the other man, his suitcase clasped firmly by his side. The one who had spoken merely rolled his eyes at him. "I can hear you assuming things all the way over here, Norman. I'm sure she has something very important to attend."

"Hmph." The grumpy man, beady eyes and all, turned his head away. "Kids these days think that they can play in the big leagues. No reason to egg them on, Max. Naive, little weaklings." He brought his thermos up to his lips...

And a giant cascade of coffee went out of the top and onto his very expensive suit.

"Agh!"

Norman threw himself into the back of the elevator, trying to wipe off the stains to no avail. Max didn't move at all, instead looking down to see the girl rotating her finger absentmindedly.

"At least I know how to not spill my coffee...sir."

He growled and practically ran through the opening doors, pushing past two other people waiting for the elevator. Max chuckled to himself. "Don't worry about Norman, young lady. He wouldn't know a kind word if it bit him in the butt."

"I'm not."

She looked up at the gentleman, the light in her eyes dimming down.

"I know how to handle myself."

As the elevator climbed up, the number of people getting on and off was smaller and smaller. Eventually, as they neared the top floor, it was just her and Max. The bell dinged for the last time before her floor, and he pointed to the door. "Well, this is my stop. I hope everything goes well with you with Mr. Krei."

"Wait. How did you-"

Max laughed. "There's only one reason why anyone would take this elevator to the top floor, and that's because of Alistair Krei. I took that ride a long time ago, and I recognize the nervousness. I won't ask what your business is with him..."

He turned around to hold the door open, and gave her a thumbs-up.

"But you got this."

She was floored, but kept herself composed. "Thank you, sir."

"Not a problem. Best of luck to you."

He turned the corner, but the girl had to say one last thing to him.

"I like your hair color, by the way! It's very bright."

The man ran his hand through his thinning red hair and smiled. "Working here has made me lose a lot of it. But there's always better things on the horizon, young lady. Keep that in mind."

She waved goodbye as the doors closed, and the elevator started moving again. She was now alone, with only the sense of impending doom following her up.

She was nervous. Any normal person in her position would be. But she had found out over the course of the past half year that she wasn't a normal person.

Or perhaps even a person at all.

She started fiddling with the top button of her dress shirt. Normally, she saved her flirtation tactics for her boyfriend, but one button wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

Maybe two?

She was in the middle of getting the second one undone when the elevator doors opened with a flourish to reveal the waiting room, a bright and clean, almost oval-ish room with comfy leather seats and an impeccably spotless floor. The receptionist desk was off to her left as she stepped out, muttering to herself.

"Ugh, I can't believe he put me on desk duty. Pam sure picked a good day to call out..."

"Hello."

The woman's head yanked up at the voice from the elevator, almost throwing her glasses off of her face. "Sorry. I'm in my own little world here that I'm not used to. I assume you have a meeting with Mr. Krei."

"I do," she replied as she walked up to the desk.

"One sec." She tapped the laptop on her right a few times, presumably to look at the appointment list. The girl's eyes stared wandering, trying to find an imperfection in the architecture.

"You're here early."

The woman's eyes darted over across the desk.

"Like...four hours early."

The girl winced. "I'm sorry! I was just so excited to come and talk to Mr. Krei and I may have lost track of time! Is it better if I leave and come back? I think I'll just do-"

"Listen."

The woman came around the desk, and she saw her in full: short, black hair, glasses hanging off of her nose, a thin, gray jacket hanging over her white dress shirt. Her gray heels knocked into the floor as she went up to her.

"I'm going to say this in the nicest way possible."

She put her hands on her chest, lowering them down slightly.

"Breathe."

The girl did, taking a few deeps ones in and out.

"It's not the end of the world. Mr. Krei is a very...unique individual, but he's a big softie. There's no reason to be afraid of him."

She took one last breath out. "OK, I think I'm ready now."

"I think you still have one thing to take care of."

"What?"

The woman wordlessly pointed down to her shirt. The second button was barely clasped, no doubt stuck in that position since her moral dilemma in the elevator.

"Trust me." She smirked as she started buttoning it back up for her. "He's not going to notice. I don't think he'd notice if you had the entire thing undone. Trust me, that was a day that HR had their hands full."

She really wanted to know about that, but the woman finished with her shirt, picking up a tablet off of the desk and motioning for her to follow. "That, and you'd probably cause the intern that Krei is working with now to have a nosebleed. That also wouldn't be the first time that happened. C'mon; let's go see if he's available."

They made their way over to the office door, which automatically opened with the woman's ID. The inside was just as bright as the outside; almost the entirety of the walls were windows to the outside. There was a single solitaire desk far away from them, and at it was Mr. Krei himself...

Staring down what seemed to be a very large amount of large, white robots.

Which looked very familiar.

"You must be the real one!"

The CEO put his hand on the closest robot to him, only for it to dissipate in a shower of pixels.

"Dang it! Intern, you're making this too difficult!"

Someone else came into view, wearing a metal glove and poking at the buttons on the wrist. "That's the point, Mr. Krei. The tech is meant to fool the human eye-"

"Hiro?"

His eyes shot up at the two that had just walked into. The voice that had said his name hadn't belonged to Judy, Krei's assistant.

It had belonged to the girl that he had rescued from the clutches of her "father" all those months ago.

"...Aspen?"

"Oh my God!"

Aspen ran forward, right through several fake Baymaxes to ensnare Hiro in a bear hug. "I didn't know you worked here!"

"I'm just an intern," Hiro mumbled into her jacket.

"But that's so cool! You get more awesome every time I come here."

Krei pointed to the reunion, leaning toward Judy. "Want to explain to me what's going on right now?"

"I'm going to take a wild guess, sir, and say that they know each other."

Aspen finally let go of the boy genius and ruffled his hair. "It's good to see you, Hiro. It's been a little bit."

"Yeah, not since you came over to help with Robbie." Hiro smiled back up at her. "So what are you doing at Krei Tech?"

The sound of Krei clearing his throat brought Aspen back down to Earth and she quickly stood back up. Judy took the moment to start talking again. "Mr. Krei, this is Aspen Matthews. She has an appointment with you today. She's a little...early, but if you're busy with Hiro, I can have her come back."

"Oh no, it's perfectly fine!" He waved his hand through another hologram. "Intern and I are just going through some fancy gadget that he was working on! It's great! It'll revolutionize...something!" He pulled a bunch of blueprints off of his desk and threw them into Hiro's arms, almost knocking him over. "Between that, the Krei-oke machine, and all this new stuff I have him on, we'll be so busy we won't know what to do with ourselves!"

"Yay."

Either Krei didn't hear Judy's monotoned response or didn't care, because he sat back down in his chair. "You two get out of here. Judy, keep an eye out for Norman. My little robot here (he pointed at Baymax) looked on the cameras a second ago and saw him trying to clean off his suit of coffee stains. Unprofessional. At least get him a Krei-branded roll of towels or something."

"I'll get right on that, sir."

Aspen waved goodbye to Hiro and Baymax as they stepped outside, the doors closing behind them. This was it. She was alone with the big man in charge. All the work that she had been doing over the past few months had lead to this.

All she had to do was sell it.

"So..." Krei poked around at the papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for. "Aspen, was it? Is that Old English? Switzerstanish?"

"I'm not sure, sir."

"It's very unique. I wonder where your father found that name?"

Aspen's eye twitched.

"Shame about what happened to him. Didn't know how he was able to keep everything that he was doing secret from his company. Heck, even his own daughter." Krei motioned across the table. "If my old man did a quarter of what he did back when I was making this company, I'd never hear the end of it."

She couldn't really blame Krei for his aside; he didn't know anything about the implosion of Fathom Blue Incorporated other than what was reported in the news. He didn't know about the captain trying to genetically experiment on his own "daughter", or the fact that he had been covertly searching for some secret thing that he kept hidden even from her.

And did that for the better part of twelve years.

But just because he didn't blame him didn't mean that she couldn't be mad.

"Mr. Krei."

He looked up from his diatribe.

"I came here to discuss a proposal with you, not to live in the past." She creaked her lips into a smile. "My father did terrible things. And I have to live with that. But I didn't meet with you to talk about him."

"Ahh, straight to the point. Love it!" He pressed a button on his phone. "Assistant! Make sure I'm not interrupted!"

"Pretty sure no one was going to, sir."

He stabbed at the phone, practically cutting her off. "So, what is this proposal you have? You seemed very eager when you contacted my assistant to set up this meeting."

Aspen tried to slow her heart down. Nope, no go. She'd have to march on. She opened her bag and pulled out several manila folders, placing them down in front of her.

"As you know, Fathom Blue Incorporated is currently in a protected status, following its initial pass through bankruptcy court. My...father...is currently serving time in a military prison for all of the illegal things he did while he was in charge. A lot of the employees that have been cleared of wrongdoing have moved on to other jobs."

She took a deep breath.

"Fathom Blue, despite my father's actions, was a massive company that was able to do a lot of good in the world. So that is why I am making it my mission to resurrect the company."

Krei tilted his head. He at least seemed interested in the idea.

"The operations that the company was undertaking around the world would be able to pick up where they left off after the full investigations are completed. I would be able to rehire-"

"Now, hang on one second."

Aspen stopped. The CEO had his hands folded in front of him, eyeing the folders at the other end of the desk.

"As a person who is aware of how hard it is to run a company, do you have a board overseeing these things you want to do? Who's going to name them? Who would be the main person in charge?"

Now, she hadn't really thought about the first two questions. But she had thought about the third.

"...Me."

Krei had fallen silent. This was not going the way she had hoped.

"But to get started," she started again, "I would need a beginning investment to start reclaiming the bases and projects that the company had around the globe. I would also need a team of lawyers to represent me in court. The team we had all quit after the incident in the bay-"

"Let me see if I understand you correctly."

The man hadn't moved much at all during the exchange. But now he was properly focused on her, and there was a amused glint in his eyes that she didn't like.

"You want me to invest money into a company that is essentially worth nothing as of right now, make you the main person in charge, and basically help you return things back to the way they were before your dad decided to commit multiple felonies?"

Well, now that he put it like that, it sounded like a ludicrous request.

"What would you even be working on? What are the kind of projects that you'd be doing?"

"I...can't tell you."

Both Aspen and Krei stared at each other for a good second.

"Sir, I can assure you that-"

Krei stopped her with a wave of his hand. "You know, I've had a lot of people come in here with their elevator pitches and big ideas and everything that is going to 'make me a billionaire'. But I'm already a billionaire. The building that we're in right now makes more money than they're offering me. But this? This takes the cake."

Aspen's eyes started to well up.

"So what separates you from the rest of the offerings that I get on a daily basis?"

"Sir?"

The door behind her opened to reveal Judy, and just in the nick of time; Aspen's emotions were about to take a jump off a cliff. Krei leaned around her, clearly peeved. "Why are you interrupting me, Assistant? This meeting is very important!"

"For the only reason why you said for me to interrupt you."

Judy readjusted her clipboard.

"The breakfast burrito food truck is outside."

In about a second, Krei was out of his chair, almost knocking her off of her feet. He was just about out the door before he remembered he had a guest.

"Here, why don't we take five while I nourish myself with those delicious Tortilla Time burritos? Can't negotiate on an empty stomach. Assistant, hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"I always do, sir."

The door now shut, it was just Aspen and Judy in the office. The bespectacled woman slowly walked over to the chair, where Aspen was barely containing herself. She sat down on the edge of the desk, setting her things down next to her.

"That should buy us a few minutes. Mr. Krei thinks elevators are too clunky, so he takes the stairs down to the ground floor." She held out a box to the girl. "Here."

Aspen didn't have to look up, her hand automatically going for the tissue.

"Believe it or not, you're fairing better than a lot of people who walk into this office."

She looked up at her as she dabbed her eyes.

"Mr. Krei never did learn to put a phone on mute," Judy said, pointing to his desk. "I heard a little bit of the conversation you guys had. And the demise of your father's company isn't exactly a secret, at least in the business community. May I?"

She motioned to one of the folders that Aspen brought, which she nodded her consent. Judy opened it up and started glancing over the contents. She leafed through a couple of the papers, talking to herself.

"TPS Reports, Earnings Charts, Inventory Graphs..."

Judy went forward one more.

"You got a lot of stuff here. Have you calculated all of your opportunity costs? ROI? Accounts Receivable?"

Aspen sniffed and pointed to the other folder.

"Hmm." The woman grabbed it and went through its contents at a quick pace.

"I'm not just a pretty face."

Judy looked up at Aspen.

"I studied all of the information when Fathom went under. He wanted me to stay on the wildlife side of things, but over the past few months I've been neck deep in financial disclosures. My boyfriend helped me out with a bunch of it."

"Wasabi?"

"How-"

Judy chuckled as she set the folder down. "Hiro told me a little bit about you. Smart, headstrong. Likes to talk a lot."

"Guilty," she quipped.

The woman crossed her arms in front of her. "Look, Mr. Krei has a certain way of dealing with things. But as a head of a company he has to deal with every single thing that comes across his desk. It's a lot of pressure. So this is his way of weeding out the bad from the good. Not that I'm saying yours is bad, but..."

Judy nodded to the folders.

"I think you need to work on your delivery a bit."

Aspen said nothing, having drained the rest of the box of its tissues.

"I've worked for the company for ten years. I've been Mr. Krei's assistant for five. I know how he operates. He only sees things from the business side and not from the personal side."

"It stinks."

"Yeah. I know. And once you get to know him, he's kind, funny, giving, and all of that good stuff. But you won't see all that right off the bat." Judy got off of the desk. "You have to think about it a different way. It's not about what he can do for you..."

She pointed at Aspen.

"It's about what you can do for him. And yes, it's a harsh way to do business. But it's gotten him very far, and he's not going to change the way he is for one person."

The blue-haired girl dabbed at her eyes one last time, smoothing out her skirt. "How do you deal with it all the time? It doesn't seem to bother you at all."

"It does. Sometimes." Judy shrugged her shoulders. "But I have an older sister that taught me a lot about dealing with people like Mr. Krei. She runs a public relations firm in San Diego, and she tells me horror stories all the time about the people that don't think she deserves the time of day. But she asserts herself. And that's the way you get your voice heard. Not by being the loudest voice in the room, but the strongest one."

The office door opened up again, and Krei walked back into the officer, fast food wrapper crumpled in his hand. "Assistant, that was the lunch burrito truck, not the breakfast burrito truck. They're completely different things!"

"My apologies, sir." Judy went right back into work mode. "I'll get my glasses checked next week."

Krei tossed the trash at a nearby Buddy Guard in the hallway as it passed by. "At least they make a good shrimp burrito. Can't go a day without-"

"Mr. Krei."

Both Judy and Krei looked over at Aspen, who had her belongings back in her hands. She shook her head to wipe the last of her tears away, put on her bravest face, and spoke directly to him.

"I came here to give you the first opportunity in something that I believe would benefit both of us. Something that will take your company into an area where it didn't have any experience. Something that would raise your worldwide standard...and that would make you a lot of money."

She quickly glanced at Judy and back to Krei.

"But it appears that I'm merely wasting your time." She bowed to him and started toward the door. "Thank you for the interview. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day."

Aspen got to within two steps of exiting when Krei's voice chimed in.

"Now, hang on one second."

In a flash, Krei was standing in front of her, his hands up to stop her retreat.

"Perhaps, I was a bit...hasty in disregarding your proposal. You understand being a child of a CEO that a lot of things get pushed at you, it can be overwhelming. I...apologize for my dismissal of you."

She heard Judy give a satisfied huff from behind her.

"Why don't we start over again?" Krei gently guided Aspen back towards his computer. "Now that I've had my fill..."

Two hours later...

His desk looked like a bird's nest with all of the papers strewn about it. Aspen, Krei, and Judy were looking over all of them with a fine-toothed comb. Aspen was surprised that Krei had been keeping up with her numbers, charts and graphs. Judy seemed even more surprised, but she kept her straight face on.

"I have to say, Ms. Matthews," Krei said, one of her reports folded into an origami crane. "The level of commitment you've show is very impressive. A lot of people don't go this far to make their point. Some people don't even dress the part. I had one woman whose shirt was practically coming apart at the seams."

Aspen looked at Judy, who gave her a knowing smile.

"But enough about that. Back to this." He pulled the tail of the paper animal to make it flap its wings. "Your proposal hits all the right notes, and I'm sympathetic toward your situation. But..."

He took the nearest paper and pointed at it.

"Logistically, it's not feasible."

Krei set his winged creation down. "You're not going to be able to return things back to before you shot a giant laser into the ocean. The personal trust of Fathom Blue is in the basement. Here." He held up a chart with a diagonal line going to the bottom right of the chart. "I may have mocked this up in about two minutes, but it represents my point exactly."

Aspen hung her head.

"It's going to take time. Heck, at this rate, you might as well...just..."

He trailed off, and she noticed a weird, perplexing look on his face. He started grabbing papers left and right, muttering to himself. Aspen glanced at Judy, who didn't seem to know what was going on, either.

"Judy."

She was so used to not being called her actual name that she didn't respond immediately.

"Look at this for me."

Judy bent down as Krei started to circle a few of the figures on the papers. She raised her eyebrow at one of the ones he pointed to.

"Sir, I can crunch some numbers, but I'm not sure if-"

"Well, get going." He waved his hands around his head. "Use that big brain of yours that makes everything work and...make it work."

As she started tabulating some numbers on her computer, Aspen was even more confused. It looked like he had a breakthrough, but now she wasn't sure.

"Mr. Krei?"

He held up his hand, and she followed his gaze back to Judy, who was still typing furiously on her laptop. After a few seconds, his assistant turned the screen to him. He studied it for a bit, rubbing his chin.

"You've done it again, Judy. I don't know how you do it sometimes."

Her cheeks went a dark pink at the compliment.

"Take a look at this."

Aspen was now looking at the figures on the screen. They definitely weren't the numbers she was hoping for.

"These seem a little small compared to my initial request."

"That's sort of the point," Krei said. "Reclaiming your old company, especially after all of your assets will be bought out by other places, is a lost cause. You would be much better off...just starting your own company."

"...Really?"

"Absolutely." The CEO started making another crane. "If you start out as a subsidiary to another company, you'll have the opportunity to build yourself up. Build credit. Build excitement. And if the company that you're under is big enough, you'll have no problem in that regard."

"So, you're saying that I can make my own company, but it would be under you?"

"Exactly." He bent the crane's head down. "Who's going to give you that kind of offer?"

"Someone already did."

"Really? And where is their offer at?"

"...You're folding it up right now."

Confused, Krei smoothed out the paper and saw the letterhead. "Croft Enterprises? What kind of offer is this? Is that old fart still running it?"

"There's a court battle going on," Aspen replied. "Lara and her uncle are fighting for ownership."

He flipped the paper up, letting it fall back to the desk. "That girl? Seems like she's too busy raiding tombs and chasing some ghost-ridden temple to properly run a company, but what do I know?"

Aspen was about to speak up to Lara's defense, but Krei didn't give here the chance.

"In any case, I am willing to, right now, offer you a position here at Krei. I could even give you your own division. It's true that we don't do a lot of marine biology work..."

"We don't actually do any marine biology work," Judy chimed in.

"But I can give you access to whatever you need here in terms of tech. This entire building and all of its contents would be yours to use. And since I have the bidding power, I can also help get back a lot of the stuff you lost when Fathom went under."

"That sounds fantastic, sir."

"But there's one, small little caveat that I request."

Krei folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"You would have to publicly disclose all of the projects you would want to work on. Not just with me, but with the company as well. Given your father's shady things when he was running the company, I trust that won't be much of a problem."

"I have no problem with that, sir."

His smile grew about three sizes.

"But I ask that I keep one thing off the records."

And it immediately shrunk.

"There's...a passion project of mine that I've been working on with Ms. Croft and one of her associates," Aspen explained. "It's not a company project; she's using her personal funds to help me. I want to see that through to the end...and I want to keep it a secret."

Judy and Krei looked at each other. It was hard to decipher what they were silently saying, but she supposed the question could have been phrased a little better.

"Does it involve anything illegal?" Judy was the one who asked the question.

"No."

Another look. Aspen was worried there was another psychic conversation going on. But Krei finally looked back her way.

"That's all we need to hear."

She let out the breath she had been holding for the past minute.

"We'll have to ask the board about this and-Oh wait!" Krei held up a finger. "I'm the board. Is this good to go, me?"

He wheeled his head around the room, as if more versions of himself were expected to agree with him. Judy thought this was humorous as well, because she cut in. "Do you want me to get Hiro to make some copies so you can agree with yourself?"

"Nah, that's fine. I have my scheduled me time later today." He stood up, Aspen following suit. "So, Ms. Matthews, do we have a deal?"

He held out his hand, and she stared at it. It was worn, weathered. It was a hand that scared her, because shaking it meant a commitment. She had seen Captain Matthews do it enough times to know what it signified.

But she didn't like the alternative.

So she did what she had to.

Aspen held out her hand, grasping his, and firmly shook it.

"We have a deal, sir."

"Excellent." Krei nodded to Judy, who started gathering up the paperwork. "I'll have my people call your people. You...do have people still, right?"

"I can give you my contact information, sir."

"That'll do. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to find out what happened to the breakfast burrito truck. Assistant, this may take all day."

"I'll make sure to push back your meetings, Mr. Krei."

Moments later, Aspen and Judy made their way back into the receptionist's office. Aspen was still a little light-headed from all of her excitement, and Krei's assistant was quick to fan some air her way with her clipboard. "You going to be OK? Need any water?"

"I'm fine." Aspen turned to face her. "All of this is just so much. I don't know how you can handle this on a daily basis."

"Easy. Bourbon." She tossed her clipboard onto the table. "But you did a really good job in there. You came prepared, you calmed down after almost dying of hyperventilation, and you got the job done. Not a lot of people can say that."

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Well, don't thank me just yet. You still have a review process to get through. But that's a formality at this point. Mr. Krei's already in your corner, so it's pretty much a done deal."

Aspen pulled the shirt away from her collar a couple of times, trying to get the sweat to dissipate. "Seriously, thank you so much. You should be a motivational speaker or something."

"Weird, that's what my sister said to me a while ago. Speaking of which..."

Judy fished out a small card out of of her pocket and handed it to Aspen. "If you're ever in need of a good public relations person who's Asian, fearless, and is desperate to get out of San Diego, give my sister a ring. She's really good at her job."

Aspen took a look at the business card. The woman on the front looked remarkably like Judy, but her hair was a tiny bit longer and her bangs were grown out in long spikes. Her glasses were a little bigger than Judy's, the frames the same color as her blue shirt.

"Akiko Nigata, Attorney At Law?"

"Whoops. Wrong card." It got snatched out of her hand, replaced with an identical card with "Public Relations" after her name. "That was during her rebellious phase. Anyways, you should call her when you're not busy. Maybe you two can trade war stories from UCSD."

"I'll get right on that," Aspen said with a smile, pocketing the card. "But there's actually one thing I want to do while I'm here."

She bent forward and cupped her mouth.

"Can you tell me where Hiro's lab is?"

If there was one thing that Hiro liked about his employer, it was that he didn't skimp out on the workspaces.

Even though he was just an intern, Krei made it a point for Hiro to get a nice, large, shiny laboratory, complete with the finest pieces of tech that the company could get.

Too bad he hadn't been able to come up with anything that matched up with that new lab.

"Baymax, bring up the blueprints for the Sonic Cannon again."

His robot tapped the table with his thumb, and the wire frame of the cannon came up on the screen. "Are you brainstorming an alternate usage for Mr. Krei's sonic machinery?"

"Sure." Hiro's palms slid down the side of his face. "Let's go with that."

The Bunny Shuttle had been sort of a lucky fluke; Mayor Saito was basically guilted by Krei to keep the one that they had made operational. It was a huge hit with the general public, but the high cost of maintenance meant that they couldn't expand to an actual fleet. All of the other things (the aforementioned Sonic Cannon, the karaoke machine) weren't going to change the world.

So now he was going through some old files in the database, as well as working on some personal stuff. He wasn't worried about Krei finding out; as long as he kept busy, Krei didn't hound him too much.

Now, if only he could get paid...

Baymax's head tilted upwards, aiming toward the door. "Someone is approaching."

"Is it Judy? Or Krei?"

"It is not. But according to my auditory sensors, they are emitting a very high-pitched squeal."

"Huh." Hiro got up from his stool and walked over to the door. He pressed the keypad to disengage the lock. "Wonder who it could-"

The door flew open, but the only thing that Hiro saw was the close-up of a dress shirt as Aspen's arms threw around his hand, clutching him into her body.

Now, if you were to give a nickel to the teen genius every time one of his new friends accidentally smothered him into their chest, you have...well, you'd have a few nickels.

And you'd also think that he would have gotten used to that oddly common occurrence by now.

But don't tell that to Hiro.

"Aspen, Hiro requires oxygen."

"Oh. Sorry!"

His head came back up, and he was now looking straight at Aspen proper. She had been crying a bit (shocker), but the smile on her face was eclipsing every other emotion she was having. "Hi, Aspen."

"I got it, Hiro!"

"Got what?"

A couple of minutes later, Hiro and Aspen were seated at his table, cups of tea in front of them both. Aspen had already downed three-quarters of hers, while Hiro had barely touched his.

Mostly because her story-telling abilities were on full display.

And at about Mach 4.

"Aspen, you're going to have to start at the beginning. I can't have Baymax slow you down because that module I'm making isn't final yet."

The marine biologist swung her head back, finishing off the tea.

"And I'm not giving you any more tea until you tell me."

"Spoilsport," Aspen quipped, but her grin let him know she was joking. "OK, so for the past few months, I've been doing research and traveling around the world, trying to find out what I am exactly. I've also been talking to a lot of companies about getting funding and resources for this project."

"Yeah, Karmi said something about you going to England and talking to some tech company there during our bowling night."

Aspen nodded. "I was studying the DNA samples Granville and Karmi had given me before I left, but I wasn't getting anywhere on my own. I spent a good month just wandering the open ocean, lost in my own thoughts."

She furrowed her brow.

"And then I found something."

Hiro waited.

"Something that could change...everything."

"...What?"

"That's the thing," Aspen said. "I...can't tell you."

"Why not?" Hiro asked. "Don't you trust us?"

"I do! I trust you guys more than anybody! But this thing that I'm working towards is...personal. The breakthrough has the potential to be life-changing. And I want to make absolutely sure that I know what's going to happen before I share it with anyone."

Aspen looked down into her empty cup. "That's why I haven't been keeping in touch with you guys lately. I've been working so hard on this that I've lost track of the days. Coming back here has sort of reset my internal clock. It's helped. And with this new deal that I have with Mr. Krei-"

"Yeah, what was that all about? Are you partnering with him?"

"In a sense."

Aspen poked at the desktop, a few articles about Fathom Blue coming up. "Something that would make my project a lot easier would be reclaiming the tech that my dad used to have. So my plan was to salvage the company and start running it as the person in charge. But Mr. Krei rightfully said that it wouldn't work out well. So, he suggested I start my own company instead of trying to save Fathom. That way, I can build myself up. I can partner with Krei Tech until this new iteration could stand on its own."

"And you could use Krei Tech for your project."

"Yup."

The two went silent, lost in their own thoughts. Hiro had a question he had been wanting to ask ever since that day the DMD went down, but had never found an opportunity to ask it.

Until now.

"Aspen, what did you find?"

Those bright blue eyes trained onto him.

"It's not...what I found."

Hiro's eyebrow went up.

"It's who."

The other one joined it.

"And I really shouldn't have said even that. Trust me, Hiro. If this project brings the results I'm hoping for, it will change the world. But I have to keep it close to the vest. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. We're here for you every step of the way if you need it. And you know Wasabi would do anything for you."

"I know." Aspen's cheeks went pink. "He really is the perfect boyfriend. I don't deserve him."

Hiro swept away the digital articles with a wave of his hand. "How long are you in town for?"

"Not long. I have to get back to where my research lab is set up. I was here mainly for the meeting with Krei. Breakthroughs wait for no man. Or in my case, woman."

"You're not even going to raid Wasabi's pantry?"

She laughed. "He told you about that, didn't he? He did give me a key to his apartment the last time I was in town..."

Her eyes wandered to the top of the table, where various Krei projects and their files were organized. "Ooh, what's all this stuff?" She stabbed at the one on the right that had the musical note on it, and the karaoke machine came up. "Is this was Go Go texted me about from before? You guys and Aunt Cass rocking out that night?"

"Trust me, I didn't do any of the rocking out."

Aspen's finger wandered over to one of the files at the far edge. It had a mini-picture of a glove on it, an intricate pattern on the palm. "Are you making mittens or something? I wonder what this looks like-"

"No!"

Hiro's own hand slapped over the icon, surprising Aspen. After a second, Hiro calmed himself down as a sweat drop went down his head.

"I mean...it's top secret. Yeah. Totally top secret. I probably shouldn't even be looking at it myself. But it's boring. A snoozefest. You probably wouldn't be interested in it."

Aspen's cheeky grin got even wider.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. I'm sure one of the girls will let me know eventually."

She rubbed his hair and kissed his cheek (sending a flush over his neck). Letting out a laugh, she got up from her chair and made her way toward the door, but her hand stopped short of the keypad.

"Hiro?"

He turned his head to her.

"I..." She rubbed her arm, now looking worried. "I would appreciate if you didn't tell Wasabi I was here."

"Why not?"

"Just promise me, OK?"

Hiro now had more questions to ask, but the almost pained look on her face made them fall away. "OK. I won't tell him."

"Thanks, Hiro. I owe you one. I'll keep in touch."

Aspen made her exit, leaving Hiro in a state of confusion. What on Earth could she be working on that caused this level of paranoia?

"Aspen is very worried about her actions. Perhaps she needs a hug."

Hiro had almost forgotten that Baymax was even there, but he turned to him, trying to put on a brave face. "It's fine, Baymax. Aspen can take care of herself. If she wants to keep it a secret, we just need to trust her."

His eyes went down to the file she had almost opened.

"We all have our secrets, Baymax. We just need to know how to handle them."

He pressed the icon, and another wire frame image appeared as a hologram at the table. It was indeed a glove, but the initial design was intended to mimic the original gauntlet that was built.

"Baymax, I want to run a couple of stress tests on the wiring that she did. It would be nice to know whether it could withstand an actual fight or not."

"The program is password protected. I cannot open it without your authorization."

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

He tapped a few keys, and the fingers on the glove opened. A digital heart rose up out of the palm, its pixels exploding over the display.

"Password...Karmi Khan."

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And so we end the series that is Continuity, not with a bang...but with something slightly softer than a bang.

This chapter was suppose to come out before the final set of episodes in Season 3 aired (hence the references to Karmi's gauntlet), but that never materialized. Instead, we get a few more references like the karaoke machine and the adventures that Aspen has missed out on since she was last in the city.

We also get a little bit of history with Judy, who I am endeared to more and more as I write her. Of course, she's got family too that may crop their head up in the future. And Krei...well, Krei's cray-cray (and Krei).

So, what is this Aspen girl up to? What I can tell you is that it will lead into Aspen's next starring story, and it's one that I've hinted at before. If you know Aspen's comic history, there's one big event that takes place where things change tremendously: the appearance of The Black. In the comics, she finds out she is not only part Blue, but part Black as well.

What is this Aspen going to be? You'll just have to find out.

I want to take a second to thank everyone who has reviewed, liked, or commented on my Continuity series over the past couple of years. There are way too many people to name specifically, but just know that you guys are the reason why I do this. Even when I had my struggles writing, you guys have stuck with me through the bad times and the good. I wouldn't be as good of a writer (or as "famous" of one) without you. So...thank you.

So...what's going to be next?

Barring another idea that I have bubbling in my head, the next story will be Artifact, the one-shot story I've been teasing over on Tumblr and DeviantArt. It'll have a lot of surprises, a few twists and turns, a couple of Marvel characters appearing, and someone getting a gift that will change the course of their life in my stories.

Sort of.

It will hopefully go up in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I will be taking this week off, as I have a lot of writing (and even a little bit of art) to do.

As always, read and review if you liked the chapter.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Until next time.