4"I have to go get them," I insist, dragging a hand through my hair. "Chief Cruz thinks he can just—just take them to get us to come—that's messed up!"
"You can't go to the police, Hiro!" Wasabi protests. "They'll figure out who you are and we'll be exposed! Does anyone else see the problem with this?"
"Uh, yeah," GoGo agrees. "You can't just storm in there, genius. It has to be strategic."
"Well, then, I'll be strategic!" I snap. "But I don't care if they see my face, I only care that they took my family prisoner! Tadashi and Aunt Cass don't know anything about us—the police can't do that to them!"
"I think you have to go," Megan tells me. "But I'm coming with you. They think we've been kidnapped—maybe if we just turn up, they'll release your aunt and Tadashi. Dad's whole idea is to get us back, so he'll probably call off the search if he's got us."
"I don't think he'd call it off," Honey says worriedly.
"Well, he'd stop searching as much if he knew you didn't kidnap us," Megan points out. "We could even tell Dad that it wasn't Big Hero 6—we could tell him it was Obake or something."
"That's…actually a great plan," I breathe, hoisting a determined expression onto my face. "We've gotta go now, Meg."
"We should wait," she counters. "We're gonna need backup in case Dad won't let the hostages out, and there'll be less security at night—they'll think Big Hero 6 isn't gonna show up, so Dad will relieve the officers. I think everyone else should be ready near the police station if we have to fight."
"You are a genius!" Fred exclaims. "Well—Hiro, you're a genius, too, but Megan—you are also a genius!"
"You really are," I agree, giving Megan a smile. "Okay, we'll wait until dark. Should we talk about Obake? Why would he be making robots?"
"He's gotta be planning another takeover," Wasabi says. "Or you were right and they were just gonna be used as backup with the star. Maybe they were a safety measure."
"But he could also be planning to attack," Fred speculates. "Personally, I think that's more epic. Right, Mini-Max?"
"Affirmative!" comes Mini-Max's voice from his charging dock.
Fred crosses his arms. "See, Wasabi? Totally more epic."
"We have to assume they're a threat," GoGo decides. "Anything could be. But have we considered how this is even happening? Obake's dead, you guys. He died in the base collapse."
"He could be alive," Honey suggests. "I don't know how, but it's possible."
"Or he has evil henchmen!" Fred exclaims. "Like Globby and Noodle Burger Boy and Momakase—"
"Globby and Momakase aren't his henchmen—henchpeople—anymore," Wasabi reminds him. "And I don't think Obake would use Noodle Burger Boy for a takeover. He's not powerful enough."
"Maybe someone else is working for him," Honey muses. "Someone to take his place—if he's really dead."
"We didn't find Obake's body," I remember. "That could point to him having escaped the base before it collapsed. I mean, we had an air pocket—he probably didn't drown. I guess he could've been crushed by falling rubble or something, but…I don't know, guys. I think Obake might be alive."
"I do not detect Obake," Baymax says helpfully.
"Well, of course you wouldn't, if he's messed up your system," I say, pressing Baymax's access port and examining the chips. "I'm gonna have to run scans on these."
Going to the bedroom and pulling out my computer, I bring it back to the table and run Baymax's chips through the scanner, checking to see if Obake has messed with the programming somehow.
"Wow," I breathe, typing in lines of code. "Obake did some serious override on the healthcare chip—a lot of files are corrupted. I think I can fix them, though—oh my gosh."
As I hit the button that will clear one of the files, Obake's face pops up on the screen, in the form of a glowing purple hologram.
"Hello, Big Hero 6," he drawls. "If you are seeing this, then you've discovered my…tamperingwith your robot. You have most likely also discovered that I am not, in fact, dead. If you have not done so, well, then…" The holographic Obake spreads his arms wide. "Surprise."
We all stare at the screen in horror as he continues. "Hiro, I wish for you to know that my offer still stands. I am willing to work with you to make this world a better place, and I advise you to make the right choice this time."
Obake smiles evilly, his face lighting up. "Until tonight, Big Hero 6."
The hologram fizzles out, the computer screen reverting back to lines of code.
"Oh no," Honey whispers. "He's alive."
"And he's gonna attack San Fransokyo," Wasabi breathes, dragging his hands down his face. "Tonight."
"But we've gotta get Aunt Cass and Tadashi out!" I exclaim. "How are we gonna save them and the city at the same time?"
"With my plan!" Megan insists. "It'll still work! Hiro and I will go to the police station and get Cass and Tadashi out while you guys watch for Obake, and we'll be ready to defend the city after we've rescued them."
"I guess it is a good plan," Wasabi says grudgingly. "Okay, let's plan on that."
"We'll take your armor," GoGo tells me. "Have it ready for when we have to fight."
"Thanks—I'll be ready."
"What can I do?" Megan asks. "I don't have any armor—I can't defend the city."
"Well, I've got that bodysuit we used earlier," I remind her. "You can put that on, and we might have some kind of spare weapon."
"Or she could just steal a Taser from the police," Fred suggests, leaping up on the table in a pose that indicates a stupid idea—ninja style, with hands raised and eyes narrowed. "Maybe she can shock Obake into oblivion!"
"That actually doesn't sound too bad," Megan replies, smiling. "I'll see what I can do with a Taser."
We make plans for the attack and de-corrupt files until nightfall, when I realize it's time to go rescue Tadashi and Aunt Cass. I retrieve my armor from the bedroom, put it in Skymax, and return to the main room to address the team.
"Everyone clear on the plan?" I ask.
"We'll go to the police station—" Megan starts.
"You'll get Cass and Tadashi out—" Honey says.
"We'll be waiting nearby in case you need backup—" GoGo continues.
"Also watching for Obake!" Fred adds.
"If he attacks, or if Chief Cruz won't let Cass and Tadashi go, we'll fight," Wasabi finishes.
"Awesome," I tell everyone, smiling. "This is gonna work, guys. Soon we'll have defeated Obake once and for all, and hopefully the police will understand that we're trying to help San Fransokyo, not destroy it. Ready, you guys?"
"I was born ready!" Fred exclaims. "Let's do this!"
Megan and I slip out the door first, silently walking down the street toward the police station. We pass Good Luck Alley, and I suddenly remember—I've gotta text Momakase and see if she's willing to help us take down Obake.
I fire off a text, then stick my phone back in my pocket and pull my hood up, not wanting anyone to recognize me if they see Megan and I walking down the street after having supposedly been kidnapped.
"Hey," Megan whispers. "Hiro, you okay?"
"I guess," I reply. "I just—what if your dad won't let Aunt Cass and Tadashi go? What if he just keeps looking for Big Hero 6, even if we swear they didn't kidnap us? And—what if we can't stop Obake?"
"You stopped him once before," Megan reminds me. "That's gotta be worth something."
I shrug. "I didn't do much. I just piloted the kaiju—and besides, I was the one who made the energy amplifier in the first place. It was my fault."
"The point is, you proved that you can stop him," Megan insists. "You proved that you can do the impossible. And I don't think you're gonna accomplish any less tonight, Hiro. We all believe in you."
"Thanks, Meg," I mumble, giving her a faint smile. "I—I needed that."
Meg smiles back, and we continue down the street. The police station comes into view, dimly lit and looking very much like a prison. I hope Aunt Cass and Tadashi are okay.
"Hiro?" Megan asks, her voice suddenly worried. "What's that?"
A huge, dark figure is leaning against the side of a building, and I instinctively look around for more. Sure enough, a smaller figure is stationed across the street—they're waiting for something. Is it us?
"What should we do?" Megan whispers.
"We've gotta take a different route," I decide, reaching up to my comm link. "You guys, change of plans—there's some sketchy people on this street, we're gonna take a shortcut—"
"Hiro, look out!" Megan yells, and then she flings herself at me, knocking me to the ground. I gasp as my cheek scrapes against the pavement and look up, realizing that the dark figures are sprinting rapidly toward us—and that a purple-feathered dart is sticking out of Megan's shoulder.
My best friend looks at me with wide, terrified eyes—and then they close as Megan goes limp. It must have been a tranquilizer dart.
"You guys, I need backup—" I gasp into the comm link, but another dart flies past me and I'm forced to jump out of the way. I'm just about to spring back up, but something lands on top of me—the smaller figure I saw. While I'm pinned, the massive figure approaches, dressed in all black and holding a tranq gun.
"Sweet dreams, Zero," he growls, and I realize it's Yama as he raises the gun.
"Get away from him!" shrieks a furious voice, and then a blur of flashing blue blades is on top of Yama, kicking him in the groin and causing him to double over.
Momakase, having dealt with Yama for the moment, tackles the attacker on top of me, knocking them off. I scramble up, unsure of what to do.
"Go get your brother!" Momakase yells, slashing at the attacker. "Hiro, go! Now, if you want to stop Obake!"
But before I can do anything, Yama's massive hand has grabbed my wrist, lifting me off the ground, and raised the tranq gun again. But, to my surprise, he doesn't aim it at me.
"Momakase!" I yell as Yama fires the gun. "Duck!"
She hears my warning too late. The dart strikes her in the neck, and she falls limp, collapsing onto the sidewalk next to Megan. I twist furiously in Yama's grip, trying to wrench myself free, but he simply aims the gun at my chest, dropping me as it fires.
I'm barely aware of the asphalt as I hit it, scraping my knees but feeling almost no pain. Everything is going dark, so fast I know I can't escape it. My hand drifts up to my chest, pulling the dart out, but then falls limp to the ground as the shadows overtake my vision.
How on earth am I gonna get out of this one?
The world swims back into focus, fallen beams and plastic tarps slowly taking shape around me. Shafts of moonlight stream down through a hole in the ceiling of whatever room I'm in, illuminating the still-unconscious bodies of Megan and Momakase, lying next to me on the cold, hard floor.
I raise my head slightly, trying to figure out where we are. It looks like classic supervillain—an abandoned warehouse, broken and crumbling. Why did Yama and his comrade bring us here?
"Hello, Hiro," says a soft, silky voice, and I see the glowing purple light before I see the rest of Obake, striding into the moonlight. "I'm terribly sorry I had to bring you here this way. I hope my comrades haven't injured you too badly."
"I'm fine," I mumble, even though my chest is throbbing where the dart hit it. Not wanting to appear completely defenseless, I try to get to my feet, but my head spins violently—probably from the effects of the tranquilizer—and my knees nearly give out as I stumble over to a still-standing beam and lean against it, my hand pressed against my forehead in an attempt to ward off the headache.
"I wouldn't get up if I were you," Obake drawls, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "The tranquilizer will take several minutes to wear off—but rest assured that you will feel better in time. Now, I imagine you're wondering why I've brought you here?"
"That'd be nice to know, yeah," I reply, reluctantly agreeing.
"I do not intend to hurt you, Hiro," Obake promises, actually sounding sincere. "That was never my plan. I only wish to keep you here so that I can guide you on the path to greatness—and of course, so that I could persuade our dear chief of police to refrain from attacking me and my army during our invasion tonight. I do suppose his daughter was slightly more useful for that purpose, though."
"Your army?" I ask, glancing over at Megan as she stirs weakly, probably close to waking up. "What army?"
"Why, my robots, of course," he reveals, pulling a controller out of his pocket and pressing a button. "The ones you so cleverly discovered at my old base tonight. I must confess, I hoped I'd dispose of Big Hero 6 then, but it seems I have failed for the time being. But if all goes well tonight, San Fransokyo's precious heroes will be eliminated—for good this time."
And with that, several massive robots melt out of the shadows, forming a circle around us. They're huge—at least fifteen feet tall, made of sleek black carbon fiber. Long, silver horns sprout from the tops of their heads, and giant pinchers gleam in place of hands. To top it all off, each robot has what looks like a plasma blaster in the center of its chest.
"Intimidating, aren't they?" Obake breathes, the side of his face flashing purple. "I do believe they'll have more success than your energy amplifier did—after all, there are hundreds more, spread out around the city."
"You'll never get away with this," I snap. "Chief Cruz would never agree to help you."
"Oh, Hiro, trust me. He already has. While you were—shall we say 'incapacitated?'—I was able to travel to the police station and offer him a trade. I told the chief that if he would promise not to attack my army, I would return you and Miss Cruz to him. He did not believe me at first, so I was forced to offer him something else—something I know he wants very much, but will never have, as she would not wish to leave my side."
The small, dark figure from earlier steps through a gap between the robots, their—her—face still masked. As she pulls the mask off, I expect to see someone I recognize, but I've never seen this woman before—a few inches taller than me, maybe in her mid-thirties, with light brown skin, chestnut hair, and long-lashed dark eyes.
I don't know who she is, but I've seen those eyes before…
Megan sits up a few feet away, her expression scared but also deep in thought, as if she, too, is trying to figure out who this mysterious woman is. Her gaze flicks over to me, and suddenly I understand.
"Meg," I whisper. "Is that…"
I trail off as Megan stands up, her knees trembling but not giving out. She stares at the woman with eyes completely identical to hers, and it's almost like looking in a mirror.
"Mom?" Megan says softly, her voice shaking with some emotion I can't identify.
The woman bows her head, staring at the ground. "Megan."
"Isabela has been of immense help to me," Obake explains, his voice low and silky again. "She was able to tell me where I could find a new base, what her husband might attempt to do to find me. And now—" He wraps an arm around Isabela's shoulders, and to my amazement, she doesn't pull away, only leans in closer. "We will conquer San Fransokyo together."
"You—you left," Megan whispers, her body shaking. Not wanting to witness a terrifying outburst of emotion, I glance toward Momakase. From any other angle, she would appear unconscious, but I can see her eyes—wide open, flicking around the room. She catches my gaze and mouths, Quiet.
I try not to look at Momakase as Megan continues. "All this time, you were working for him? What about me, Mama? What about Dad? Did you even care that you left us? Because if you didn't, then you're no mother—only a traitor."
Isabela seems lost for words. She opens her mouth to speak, but Momakase suddenly leaps up, pulling a graphene blade out of her sleeve. Before anyone can do anything, Isabela is unconscious on the ground and Momakase has Obake pinned to the floor with her blade at his throat.
"Go," she hisses to me and Megan. "Get to the police station and retrieve the hostages—I'll hold him off until you can fight. Go, both of you! Now!"
I don't hesitate. I grab Megan's arm and we run, sprinting past the circle of robots, searching desperately for an exit. Looking up, I realize that a window is open—the same window, in fact, as the one Baymax and I escaped out of a few weeks after the fire.
It's the same warehouse!
"Up there!" I whisper-shout. "We've gotta get up to the catwalk—"
Megan takes the lead as we run up the rickety stairs to the window, which suddenly looks much higher up than it actually is. Baymax isn't here to save us now—what do we do?
A loud clanging echoes through the warehouse, and I realize with a jolt of fear that several of Obake's robots are rapidly ascending the stairs. I think I know what to do now.
"Jump!" Megan yells, and she flings herself through the window. I wince as another clang sounds from below, followed by a loud yelp. "Ow!"
Well, at least she sounds alive. I take the route a little more carefully, sliding backwards out the window and hanging onto the sill for a second before dropping onto the shipping container below. I wince as both my ankles twinge, protesting the fall, but I shake it off and take a similar approach down to the street.
"Come on, Hiro!" Megan exclaims, grabbing my wrist—the one without the brace, thankfully—and pulling me down the street. "We've gotta get to the police station!"
We rush down the street, not daring to look back even as a loud crash sounds from the warehouse. I really hope Momakase is okay back there.
Skidding around a corner, I spot the police station up ahead. With complete disregard to traffic, Megan and I dart across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a trolley car and several pickup trucks. We fly up the steps and fling the doors open, bursting into the station.
"Where's Chief Cruz?" I demand. "We need to talk to him."
The officer at the desk—Officer Gerson—looks up, surprise and recognition flashing across his face. "Hang on, kids, I'll call him in."
He pulls a walkie-talkie from his belt and speaks into it, then sits down and continues typing, his expression relaxing into one of passive indifference. Gotta love that. I wish I was as unbothered by things as he is.
A few seconds later, three people come racing down the hall—Chief Cruz, Tadashi, and Aunt Cass. I just have time to see the shocked looks on their faces before they slam into us, and then I'm being squished in a giant bear hug.
After probably a full minute, Aunt Cass and Tadashi finally release me, and I gasp for air, wondering if they haven't bruised my ribs.
"Hiro!" Aunt Cass exclaims, stepping back. "Oh, my baby—where have you been? Did you get kidnapped? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you a father?"
"Yes, I'm fine, no, I'm not hurt, and why would I be a dad?" I exclaim.
"I don't know, you were unsupervised with Megan for two weeks," Aunt Cass. "Don't you think it's normal for Chief Cruz and I to worry about these things?"
Fifteen feet away, Megan is getting the same treatment and is repeatedly assuaging Chief Cruz's terrified notion that she might be pregnant.
"Did you get kidnapped?" Tadashi asks breathlessly.
"Yeah, I did—for about an hour, I don't know—but it wasn't Big Hero 6!" I say hastily. "It's a really long story—you've gotta get out of here!"
"Hiro," Tadashi says, putting his hands on my shoulders and lowering his voice so Chief Cruz can't hear him. "We know you're part of Big Hero 6. What's going on?"
"You—you know?" I whisper, realizing that my brother's eyes have cleared and that he's looking directly at me.
"Yeah," Tadashi confirms. "It wasn't hard to figure out. It's okay, I'm not mad, I know you were trying to protect us—but seriously, Hiro, what's happening? Why'd you come back?"
"Obake's gonna take over the city!" I explain, going as fast as I can. "He kidnapped me and Meg—don't worry, we're not hurt—but he's got a ton of robots, and Professor Granville is on his side, and so's Megan's mom—and he made Chief Cruz promise not to fight him if he gave Meg and I back, so the police aren't gonna do anything to stop him!"
"He's still got Isabela," Chief Cruz defends, having apparently heard that part of the conversation. "I can't attack Obake—he could hurt her. He promised to release all of you if I swore not to stand against him."
"Dad, that was a stupid idea!" Megan shouts. "You've gotta fight him—it's gonna be him versus Big Hero 6, and they might lose if you don't help them! He has hundreds of robots!"
"I have to save your mother!" Chief Cruz tells her. "I can't!"
"Then I will!" Meg snaps, and she turns around and runs back out of the police station, shouting, "Come on, Hiro!" Chief Cruz, looking annoyed, follows her.
"I've gotta go," I tell Tadashi and Aunt Cass. "Please, you guys, get out of the city—Obake might end up completely destroying it! I don't want you here if that happens!"
"We can't just leave you to fight him!" Aunt Cass protests. "What if you get hurt?"
"I've taken that risk before," I tell her. "I've been safe so far—well, as safe as I can be as a vigilante. I promise, I'll try to be as careful as I can, but it's gonna be hard. Sorry, Aunt Cass—I can't just leave my team to fight without me."
Aunt Cass gives me a sad smile. "I can't believe how fast you're growing up, baby. Okay, we'll leave, but please, Hiro, try to be safe."
She wraps me in a hug, and as soon as she releases me, Tadashi does the same. "I'm proud of you, buddy. Go save our city."
I give them both a smile, then book it out of the police station, skidding to a halt on the sidewalk and looking around for my team. When I don't see them, I reach up to my comm link and whisper, "Guys—where are you? I'm outside the police station, but I don't see anyone!"
"Baymax is coming!" says Honey's voice. "Hang on, Hiro!"
Sure enough, a few moments later, Baymax comes soaring down toward me, along with Skymax. The two robots come to a stop in front of me, and I pull my armor out of Skymax, ducking behind some bushes and changing as fast as I can. When I'm done, I leap onto Baymax's back and shout, "Wings!"
Baymax takes off, and we fly up to the level of the wind turbines. Scanning the city, I realize I can see several waves of what must be robots marching down the streets, people running frantically away from them.
"Can you scan for Momakase and Obake?" I ask, wanting to know if their battle is over.
Baymax blinks. "I detect Momakase engaged in battle with one of the robots near the abandoned warehouse. My scan shows that she has sustained minor injuries, but she is otherwise all right. I also detect Obake traveling toward the police station. He is accompanied by Isabela Cruz."
"He's gonna make sure Chief Cruz is still on his side," I realize. "And Chief Cruz isn't gonna do anything about it, because he's afraid Obake will hurt his wife. We've gotta stop him, Baymax."
"We will stop him," Baymax agrees, and we dive back down, spiraling toward the police station and landing just as Obake arrives, flanked by two robots, Megan's mom, and Professor Granville.
"Welcome back, Hiro," Obake whispers. "You may have gotten away once, but you're not going to do it again. I will have you as my student, whether you like it or not. I do not care how much force it takes to subdue you."
"Well, I'd prefer to not be subdued," I retort. "I'd much rather subdue you."
"Then by all means, Hiro, try," Obake replies, spreading his arms out as his face starts to glow. "But I do believe you're outnumbered. I see two against hundreds—hardly beatable odds."
"Make that seven against hundreds," comes Megan's voice, and she steps forward, brandishing—true to her word—a Taser. "Bring it on."
—MEGAN—
The battle rages around me, the sounds of the robots' plasma blasters mingling with the screams of terrified civilians—and terrified superheroes. Wasabi in particular is making a huge racket.
At some point, Momakase joins the fight, and I think I see Globby wrestling a robot off in the distance. After that, Krei and Heathcliff speed past in their respective limousines, ramming into robots until their bumpers literally fall off (Fred must have called in a lot of people). I'm thankful for it—it's nice to know that we have some backup, even if we are still hugely outnumbered.
Baymax soars high above me, Hiro on his back, shooting rocket fists at the robots. Hiro manages to short-circuit a few of them, but then they start trying to blast plasma at him. Baymax dodges the first few shots, but then one catches his wing, snapping it. Hiro lets out a yelp of terror as he plummets to the asphalt, but he never hits the ground—not really, anyway. Dad bursts onto the scene, shouting at Obake, and Hiro crash-lands right on top of him, knocking them both to the ground.
"You!" Dad gasps as soon as he sees Hiro—or rather, the leader of Big Hero 6. His face twists in anger, and he pulls out his Taser, putting it to Hiro's shoulder.
Hiro lets out a high-pitched yell, and my vision clouds over with red. I lunge forward, barreling into my dad's side and knocking him off Hiro. Yanking my best friend to his feet, I back away from Dad.
"Get away from him, Megan!" Dad yells, leaping up and brandishing his Taser again. "He's dangerous!"
"Take off your helmet," I whisper to Hiro, and he does so, still shaking with the pain the Taser leaves behind. Dad's expression changes from fury to surprise, and he gasps, "Hiro?!"
"He's the leader of Big Hero 6," I tell Dad. "And I'm their getaway driver."
"You—you stole my car?" Dad splutters. "Megan, why?"
"You were gonna arrest him!" I shout. "You were gonna arrest all of Big Hero 6, just because they're better than the police at keeping our city safe! If we didn't have them, a lot of people could've gotten hurt! Dad, I swear—if you touch Hiro again—if you touch any of them, I will Taser you myself!"
I hold out my weapon, panting, my world narrowing down to Dad's shocked face, despite the battle still raging around us. This is a battle of wills, and I intend to win.
Finally, after several seconds, Dad's shoulders slump, his Taser falling limply to his side. "I'm sorry, Meg. I—I should have realized—" He steps forward, offering Hiro his hand. Hiro tentatively shakes it as Dad continues. "I should have understood that you were trying to help."
"It's okay," Hiro tells him. "I get it. I'm really sorry about your dad, Chief Cruz—but I promise, we were only trying to protect the city."
A plasma blast narrowly misses us, and we all duck.
"Which I should probably be doing right now," Hiro adds. "Gotta go—thanks for not arresting me—okay, bye!"
He darts off into the crush of robots and vigilantes, leaping onto Baymax's back and blasting robots back with sonic waves. Baymax's wings might be decommissioned, but his rocket fist isn't, and he hits robot after robot with it, knocking them over like dominoes.
Wanting to do my part, I shoot the probes from my Taser at a robot's leg, pressing the trigger down for as long as I can. The robot shudders, trying to escape, but it can't pull away. It gives a mighty jerk, and I gasp as it yanks me forward, causing me to land on my stomach on the pavement. Still, I keep hold of the Taser, refusing to let go until the robot short-circuits. Finally, it collapses, smoke rising from the points of its horns.
"One down," I gasp, getting to my feet. "About four hundred and ninety-nine to go."
Looking around, though, I realize it's a bit less than that. Several dozen robots lay in pieces on the ground, destroyed, and Big Hero 6 is still winning. Wasabi has sliced several to pieces, and Fred is full-on melting the carbon fiber while GoGo flings her disks at them and Honey corrodes their circuits with chemistry. Hiro and Baymax are still grounded but putting up a good fight, firing rocket fists and magnet disks and sonic waves at the robots.
I catch a glimpse of Obake, his face uncertain and even a little scared. He knows he's losing. He knows Big Hero 6 is going to win, even with the police on his side.
But then his expression changes, morphing into grim determination, and he pulls out a controller, pressing a button. For a moment, I think it's just to call out more robots—which we can totally handle—but then I hear a massive rumbling sound, and something starts to rise up into the air, breaking through the roof of the abandoned warehouse.
"Farewell, Big Hero 6," Obake calls, and he, Granville, and Mom leap onto a robot, which suddenly shoots into the sky with wings sprouting from its back—a lot like Baymax's, but sharp and black. I wonder if all the robots have them, or just that one.
"Guys, look!" Honey shouts, sheer terror evident in her voice. "It's—it's—"
Her shaking finger points to the object rising out of the warehouse, which I can now tell is a massive circle. I feel like I've seen it before—maybe in a news article?—but I can't place what it is.
Hiro, however, can.
"It's Silent Sparrow!" he yells, and I've never heard him so scared. "You guys, it's gonna explode—we have to get everyone out!"
I look up at what I now remember to be a portal, which is glowing blue in the center and shaking violently, pulling buildings apart before my eyes. It does certainly look like it's going to explode…
Abandoning the robots, Big Hero 6 starts to run for the apartment complexes and housing on the street, obviously wanting to evacuate the civilians. I follow them, and I hear Dad shouting orders to officers over his walkie-talkie.
I glance over my shoulder and realize that the portal is now glowing red, shaking so much it's mostly a blur of light. We have maybe seconds until it blows up—I don't know how big the explosion is gonna be, but it is not gonna be pretty.
"Get down!" I scream, but it's too late.
A massive explosion, much, much bigger than I thought, rips the night apart, knocking over buildings and causing the street to erupt in flames. The shock wave lifts me off my feet, throwing me through the air, and I scream as it slams me down into the asphalt, causing stars to erupt in my vision and hot jolts of pain to shoot through my body.
Shadows start to creep up on me as I lay on the street, broken and bleeding, and the last thing I hear before the world goes black is Dad's voice, echoing across the broken city.
"What have I done?"
to be continued…
Part two is coming soon! Check out Tadashinfj's current story, Resistance, and please review!