"Whump"tober 2021

#20) Locked Beneath the Waves- BH6

Prompt #20- Lost and found. Big Hero 6 set during S1E24 Countdown to Catastrophe II. Some Hiro introspection.

Hiro strained against Obake's hold. Without his gear (and possibly even if he'd had it) his 15 year old frame had no chance against the older man's experience and freakish strength. That didn't keep him from trying though.

Obake didn't say anything about Hiro's struggles. Probably because they didn't amount to much. He merely continued to drag Hiro through the halls of his underwater base. An entirely too silent and red eyed Baymax followed behind them.

"We could have made something great. You by my side would be the pinnacle of creation. Your foolish scruples have no place here."

Hiro bit his tongue to keep from snapping back. As if wanting to prevent the deaths of an entire metropolis was "foolish scruples."

The older man continued to ramble about Hiro being just like him, and the perfect protégé material. Anger burned within Hiro- as well as horror at being compared to a monster like Obake.

"I am nothing like you."

"Really?" Obake slid the energy amplifier out of his pocket, holding it just out of Hiro's reach. "Everything I've seen points to the contrary."

Hiro's eyes locked on the amplifier. A wave of doubt rolled over him. Maybe- maybe he wasn't all that different. After all, Hiro created the means by which Obake planned to destroy San Fransokyo.

"Ah, the light dawns for you as well. I will have much to teach you in the new era of mankind."

Hiro blinked hard, then set his jaw. "I. Will. Never. Join. You."

Smirking, Obake stopped in the middle of the hall. "When you and I are one of the few who remain, it will only be a matter of time before you beg me to let you join me. However..." Obake waved a hand. Baymax lumbered forward, pushing a door in. Hiro suddenly flew forward. The door slammed shut before Hiro processed what just happened.

"Until you can appreciate the offer I'm giving you I can't have you running around under foot getting in my way." Hiro spun around to see Obake's face leering at him through a porthole in the door. "Maybe with enough time to think you'll make the right choice."

Hiro couldn't formulate a response quick enough. The window tinted, turning opaque. Footsteps faded down the hall leaving Hiro alone. A quick glance around the room showed a cot, toilet, and sink. Icy fear prickled down Hiro's spine. Obake had been too prepared for everything. To even have a cell that essentially had Hiro's name on it...

Hiro stumbled against a wall and slid to the ground, arms wrapping tightly around his knees. In a long line of insane things to happen since losing Tadashi, having Baymax be used to kidnap him ranked near the top of that list. He shivered at the memory of Baymax's red eyes boring into him. That had been a cruel, low blow. One Hiro hadn't seen coming- which probably was the point.

Obake had out played him, outsmarted him. Now the whole city would pay for Hiro's foolishness.

Hiro let his head rest on his folded knees. For once his 'big brain' didn't have anything helpful to contribute. Here he was, stuck in a cell. His remaining loved ones' lives were held on a timer. A timer Hiro could do nothing about.

He sat there long enough for his legs to go numb. When the pins and needles became too much Hiro sighed and extended his legs. Resting his head on the wall behind him, Hiro stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

Minutes trickled by. Without a window (and possibly even if he'd had one since they were at the bottom of the bay after all...) Hiro had no way to track the passage of time. Usually Hiro hated being idle. His hands were used to moving, creating, but now he had no energy to even fiddle with his sweater zipper.

Thousands of people were going to die because of him. Aunt Cass, Fred, Wasabi, Gogo, Honey Lemon... and Hiro couldn't do anything. A lump rose in his throat, breaking the icy numbness holding him.

His eyes roamed the cell again. Nothing useful. The sink and toilet were made of metal and set into the wall. Same with the cot's frame. The only things that had any mobility were the clothes on his back and the threadbare blanket tossed haphazardly on the cot. Even if he were to flip himself upside down Hiro doubted he could think up a way to use cloth for any semblance of an escape.

With a deep sigh Hiro stood. Might as well be sure nothing extra had been left behind. Sweeping on his hands and knees around the room didn't show anything Hiro hadn't already seen. Despair curling in his gut, Hiro sat down heavily on the cot.

The fact there's been no giant tremor- yet- was a small consolation. He desperately hoped the others would be able to figure out Obake's plan, that they'd find a way to stop him.

How long Hiro sat there he didn't know. No noise came from the other side of the cell door. Hiro didn't know if he preferred the sound of his own thoughts over Obake's taunts, threats, or offers. Though he did appreciate that Momakase didn't currently have her blades in his face.

Slumping against the wall, Hiro stared at the door. Did Obake intend to leave him here indefinitely? If-if Obake managed to complete his (Hiro's) plan... Hiro couldn't imagine living in that world. Would it be better if Obake just left him here? The gaping loneliness that ripped through his life at Tadashi's death returned with a vengeance.

Not that he didn't deserve it, though. Going behind his friends' backs (and Greenville's) led him here. Now even Baymax had been turned against him.

Here, trapped at the bottom of the sea, Hiro could do nothing but wait.