man your battle stations, we'll have you dead pretty soon

[tadeadshi]

[Panic had run straight through his core when he knew someone had found their safe house. It'd been the best one yet, they had managed to stay there for months now, but it really was too good to last. They still had so much to find and clean up, he wasn't ready. He grabs his bag, the one he kept packed for if they had to run fast, and made for the door but stopped just outside.

It was them. It was the Six, they'd found him and Callaghan. He's not sure how, Callaghan's mods to his collar had jammed their trackers so... It must be something else they used. But if they're here then they could help. They could take over this mess, and he could go home.

Maybe.

Tadashi's throat's gone dry with the dirt and dust kicked up from their landing and scuffle with Callaghan off to the side and he stands watching, swallowing the lump in his throat. Callaghan, that's right, he-- He'd done so much to get them out, he couldn't let the guy just be taken back to prison, he'd be killed from the inside --

He makes a run towards the group, waving and trying to call out but any sound he makes drowned by the shouting.]

Comments

[microbrobotics]

[ It makes him feel a little bad, seeing his brother swallow the lie so easily. Nevermind that he's well-practiced with this story, having had to repeat it to his Aunt and every single doctor he's talked to since then. ]

Dude, I know that. But Fred got it into his head that since he'd been there four years, he had to give it a try --

[ -- he'd been cut off from the others. Bad tactics on Hiro's part, but the handheld stunners the mafia was using were being frightfully effective on the others' more traditional powered armor. But Fred's was basically all vinyl and rubber on the outside, completely immune to the shocks, so Hiro had sent him on ahead-- ]

And he got stuck. Like a cat. I mean, okay, it was pretty high up. He was convinced he was gonna pass out if he so much as looked at the ground.

[ Surrounded by at least ten goons at once; inevitably one was going to get to the metallic undercarriage protecting Fred's head. He'd dropped like a stone. They might have dragged Fred off, taken one of Hiro's friends hostage and exposed all of their identities. ]

So I went up to help him down. That's when I fell.

[ A swift, aerial rescue with Baymax; he'd put Fred down on the roof of a nearby building when the real weapon hit him. An EMP that instantly neutralized Baymax and his flight capabilities. The sudden shock and lack of magnetisation had thrown him from the robot and into an alleyway, fifty feet straight down. ]

Good thing I hit branches -- [ A fire escape ] -- on the way down. Or bad. I guess It's better than a broken neck. [ Or dead, which he would have be if he hadn't been wearing a new flight suit specifically meant to take the brunt of a fall from Baymax.

It all comes out so fluidly and casually. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

[he's still got mass and weight on Hiro, and if he tried, he could probably at least flip them over and grapple that way. but as Callaghan starts to push himself back up, he catches sight of the incoming Six, and a few things run through his head.

one, how while he may outmatch Hiro in close-quarters, the rest of them could easily overpower him.
two, how he could very well continue to fight, but at this point, he's got only so many options or defenses. he'll be wasting his energy.
three, how between being caught again by the mob, the police, or the Six...

with a grunt, Callaghan lets himself be pushed down, flattening his palms against the ground and spreading them out in what he hopes comes off as a yielding gesture. and just in case Hiro needs another clue;]

All right, all right. I'm done!

[tadeadshi]

[Fluid and, for all his experience feeling out Hiro's lies, Tadashi buys this one completely. He's got no basis of three years of connection with him or their friends. He only makes it about halfway through his plate of pancakes before nudging it away, a couple bites of eggs. But he is watching Hiro carefully. Tries to gauge just how long ago it really was.

Except one thing.]

How'd Fred get down in the end?

[microbrobotics]

[ Months at this point; they'd gotten a respite from the mafia do to them thinking he was incapacitated. And he kind of was; the initial rounds of pins and casts had been awful. ]

The others did that. [ Came and found him in the alleyway afterwards; they thought he'd died too for a frightening second. ] Shoulda done that in the first place, I guess.

[tadeadshi]

They probably should've, yeah.

[Three bites of eggs and he's done with those too. Too scared to fill up on something this good, he may regret the nausea later of too-much-food-suddenly. He subtly slides it closer to Hiro too, eyes on his brother's face now.]

Really glad you're okay.

[microbrobotics]

[ Well -- good. Or damn, he's not sure which; he was getting ready to enjoy punching this guy in the face. His modulator's still out so he can't say a word. But he nods, gesturing for the others to stay close. He's rigid and stiff all over, clearly upset to be dealing with Callagahn again. ]

[microbrobotics]

[ His gaze drifts back down to the eggs, not quite able to look his brother in the face. Even now, he's not sure he can keep up the lie if he has to stare his brother down at the same time. He wishes his brother would eat more. Did those monsters starve him too? ]

... Yeah. I'm okay. I've just got some wicked pins in my arm now, that's all.

[tadeadshi]

[No!! Just. Too long getting brought shitty take out, after it'd gone cold because they would stop to eat their own and bring Tadashi's after. Only bits of it were ever edible at that point.]

Don't walk by Gogo's lab station then.

[Wait did Gogo even still go to school? Did she graduate already? Did he miss his friends' graduations? The hurt's in his eyes much clearer than it would've been before; a Tadashi by himself (and then with Callaghan) didn't have to try and hide everything from a little brother that needed his support. But here his little brother is and he needs to try to not be the broken thing he is.

He ducks his head behind his glass of orange juice to cover it up. Not as smooth as he could be.]

When'd I get here?

[pushtheboundaries]

[har de har har, Hiro. Callaghan turns his head so that his cheek is against the ground, working on catching his breath. as the others get close enough to help 'contain' him, he doesn't /fight/, but he only cooperates so much, either. they can get Hiro off him and he doesn't try and run, they can get him in to a sitting position and he doesn't resist, up on his feet with arms tucked behind his back...

well, he seems almost /sullen/, and his silence probably says a lot on its own...but if they were hoping for him to start bargaining?

not so much. he really just seems like he's trying to regain his strength.]

[microbrobotics]

[ That gets a tiny smile. ]

I won't, jeez. I'm smarter than that, at least.

[ He sees that hurt, though. Every time he does is a fresh stab to the heart; a fresh reminder of how bad off Tadashi really is. He hides a wince. Ah, the second half of this ... This lie hes still working on.

Last night, I think. I heard someone come in and ... and you were there.

[ He swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. ]

[microbrobotics]

[ Fine Cal, be that way. Within a few minutes, the EMP has worn off enough to Hiro to have his modulator back. So it's safe enough for him to risk speaking. What does he even say? To this man he hates, who built all these weapons and tried to kill them - is there even anything left to say? But he has to do something now. ]

What the hell are you doing here? Making more weapons?

[pushtheboundaries]

[he will. he's not quite the same man there was, back at Krei Tech; he's a bit harder for all of his experiences, and a bit more of the mindset that given time, he can outthink even the most hopeless situations. he may hate himself for his own methods, but that's besides the point. when Hiro addresses him, though, he remains quiet for a few more moments, seeming as though he's going to keep his peace on it and perhaps everything else...

before making that little 'hnh' noise again.] What can I say? The best defense...[...is a good offense. so that's a roundabout way of saying 'yes']

[tadeadshi]

Did you see who it was? I don't know how long I was out but -

[He wracks his brains, the last thing he knows for sure was being face to face with the Big Hero Six's leader and he reached - His hand goes to his collar and the skin just around the edges. Right...

Wait, no this is bad. He looks back to Hiro concerned again.]

Did they say anything about anyone else being there when they found me?

[microbrobotics]

[ Callaghan. Hi brother's talking about Callaghan. Why is he so concerned about that guy? Wasn't the professor working with the mafia? At least, that was what Hiro had assumed from what few answers he had gotten out of him. Maybe his brother has some kind of Stockholm's towards the guy now.

He has to duck his head to hide his face; otherwise, Tadashi might see the way his jaw clenches. ]

I didn't talk to him at all. I'm not even sure what I saw. Some guy in purple armor?

[microbrobotics]

[ Ugh, Callaghan. Behind his faceplate, Hiro's face contorts a bit with anger. He reminds himself to breathe, that he's not here to hurt Callaghan. Throw him back in jail, definitely. But nothing worse than that. Still, it takes a few moments of him clenching his fists to find his voice again. ]

Is that all you've got to say for yourself? Why'd you join up with Yama?

[tadeadshi]

Yeah, that was him. I guess he didn't stick around to talk.

[So no way to know if he got away okay or what happened to him. But that also means he didn't pass Tadashi's message to them either.

Maybe it's okay. Better Hiro not know what he was saying when he was ready to give up.

He rubs a hand down his face, relaxed himself again.]

Guess he was a little busy to talk.

[pushtheboundaries]

[ticking off Hiro may not be the smartest things to do, all things considered, but the thought of provoking him until he can't see straight has occurred to Callaghan. upon further review, however, that plan's going nowhere but down.

the question, however, causes his upper lip to curl, and his chin to raise just slightly. disgust- to cover what twisting there is inside. but Robert's always prided himself on hiding his emotions and thoughts, so...]

Well, I didn't ask to be broken out of jail.

[microbrobotics]

[ Right, the message. Man, there's no way to back out of that gracefully; better to stick with the lie he has now and have his brother think the Six's leader is a jerk. Helps divorce the two identities. Still, he kind of hates the thought that his brother might think less of his alter ego. ]

Guess so. Should I be watching out for him? ... I mean, it looks like they're good guys on the news?

[microbrobotics]

[ Gee, not provoking the kid with anger issues may indeed be he best plan, yes. Mostly because he's the one out of the group who'll hurt him first. If he can hold back, the rest of the group sure will. Heck, they'll be the one stopping him.

He stops, though. Taken off guard by that comment. ]

What do you mean? You were working with them, right? I know you built those weapons.

[pushtheboundaries]

I did.

[he won't deny that. he will, however, give Hiro a long and measuring look, considering it all. because on one hand, he's pretty sure that whatever he says, there's a chance they won't believe him and think he'll just be lying to save his skin...

on the other. he could stall and buy a bit more time of Tadashi to get out of here, if he hasn't already. finally, Callaghan swallows and looks away.]

And I won't discuss this here.

[microbrobotics]

[ Hiro's fists clench. There's likely nothing Cal can say at this point; nothing that will convince Hiro to let the ex-professor go. Except maybe a certain brotherly revelation, but that is a tricky, tricky subject anyway. ]

Plenty of time to talk about it back in jail. You --

[ And then he stops. Helmet jerking to one side as his mouth goes dry. He sees a familiar figure behind Callaghan, one he never thought he'd see again. His brother. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

[Hiro'd outright call him a liar if he dared bring that up. sometimes the truth isn't the right answer, but the promise of jail...

well, it's not hard to see the tightening of his jaw, the stiffening of his posture. Baymax, were he paying attention, would be able to notice the elevation in heartbeat; these are distress responses, even fear.]

There are far more merciful ways to kill me, Mister Hamada!

[if Yama got him out once - without cooperation - then there's no doubt he could get someone in to 'take care' of him. and he'd have every reason to, with how much of a thorn Yokai's been since slipping the leash, he'd probably relish it.

Callaghan just hopes the shock is enough to pull Hiro's attention back to him, because he doesn't want to risk looking behind and see what Hiro might have noticed]

[tadeadshi]

[Either a jerk or, in Tadashi's thoughts, a bit too busy with keeping his city safe. He didn't have any obligation to pass a message of an on-the-run felon along to his family. But the question of them being the 'good guys' makes his heart sink back to knowing he was building things to take them out; any group fighting against Yama's like that, he'll believe in the good of.]

I'm sure they are, from what I've heard. Hasn't been much, but enough to know they're helping.

[microbrobotics]

[ He can see that in his brother's expression - and he immediately feels guilty again. Because while he knows why Tadashi is making this face, he can't tell Tadashi he knows that. Stupid superhero identities. This is a bad enough conversation even without the minefield. ]

... What's wrong?

[ He has to ask, like he doesn't know. ]

[microbrobotics]

[ Baymax turns to Hiro, in fact, to confirm just that. But now Hiro's gone stock still for another reason. His name. Callaghan just called him by his name, out in the open where anyone could hear. So Cal's got Hiro's attention again, whether that was how he'd intended it or not.

A fearful response but using his name? What kind of game is Callaghan playing at? Hiro doesn't like it, not one bit. ]

We're going to put you somewhere safe. No killing. Which is better than what you're doing.

[ A modulated hiss on that last phrase. Shut up about his name right now or else. ]