Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Thirty Five: I'm trying to fix it.

Honey Lemon paced Hiro and Tadashi's shared room. It was decidedly getting late. And even though Hiro hadn't had any more episodes, she couldn't help but worry about him. He still breathed like he couldn't get enough air, or like his lungs had decreased in size and had to somehow make up for the difference.

She wasn't prepared for the sound of something bumping into the wall and quickly spun around, hand to her heart. It took her a moment to realize Tadashi was back, a cardboard box in his hands. "You startled me," she admitted, giving a shy little smile.

"Sorry," Tadashi said as he put the rather full box down. "I guess I should have put this in the garage. I just wasn't thinking. How's Hiro doing?" He walked over to his brother's bed to place a hand on the boy's forehead.

Honey followed behind him. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "He had a really bad dream earlier, sobbed for a good ten minutes. He's been asleep ever since."

Tadashi nodded. "Sounds about right. But, hopefully we can get to the bottom of this." He turned towards the red case against the wall. "Ow," he said, activating the robot inside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small metal disc the Doctor had given him while he waited. When the robot had fully inflated, he quickly moved forward and stuck the disc to the side of Baymax's head.

"What's that for?" Honey Lemon wondered as Baymax stepped free of his case and began his customary introduction.

Baymax tilted his head as he realized Tadashi had put something on him. Because of where it was, however, he couldn't see it. "I would also like to know what you have placed on me."

Tadashi took a step back. "It's an inhibitor. You said there were parts of your memory that had been tampered with. I wanted to make sure no one else has the opportunity to do it again."

The robot seemed to accept this as he blinked at his creator. "Before I was deactivated earlier, you mentioned running a full diagnostic on my system. Would you like to do that now?"

Honey gave Tadashi a rather confused look. "Why would you need to run a diagnostic on Baymax? What's going on?"

With a sigh, Tadashi ran a hand through his hair. "Someone violated Baymax's healthcare protocols and he has no memory of it happening. I have to find who or what did it and how to fix the problem. If it can be fixed. The inhibitor is just a short term solution."

"And what about Hiro?" Honey asked, gesturing to indicate the sleeping youth. "You can't tell me this is normal. Something is decidedly wrong."

"I know," Tadashi said. "And I'm trying to fix it."

.....................................................

It had taken some doing, but Tadashi had managed to move everything he needed to the garage, with Honey Lemon's help of course. Once she'd found out the basic gist of what was going on, she'd insisted on staying. And Tadashi wasn't about to tell her no.

Finally situated, Tadashi let out a bit of a yawn. It was well after midnight now. "You can call it a night if you want," he told his female companion. His day had technically lasted longer than the typical, thanks to the Doctor's intervention. It was unfortunate he hadn't been able to take a nap, but at least the Doctor had brought him back a little earlier than he would have been otherwise.

Baymax was hooked up to the computer, the diagnostic program running. Since there was a lot of data to go through, the process would take at least a few hours. Knowing it would take a while, Tadashi didn't want to impose on Honey Lemon any more than he already had.

"I'm fine," Honey replied as she scrutinized the screen in front of her. It was actually quite fascinating to get a general idea of how and why Baymax worked. She pushed up her glasses, refusing to look at the watch loosely hanging from her wrist. She wanted to help figure things out just as much as Tadashi did. After all, Hiro was a special kid. Even she could see that. It was just too bad he'd managed to alienate GoGo and Wasabi by showing off during their first meeting. But they'd still helped the boy when Tadashi asked. And Fred, well, he was still stuck on the idea of becoming a super hero.

Tadashi gave an appreciative smile. "Why don't I go upstairs and make some coffee?" he offered, wondering if there was time for a shave while the drink brewed. His face was a bit grizzled.

Honey nodded, her eyes practically glued to the information scrawling across the visual display. "Sounds good." She was so focused on the raw data she didn't notice Tadashi leave.

"Tadashi appears to have feelings for you," Baymax observed from his charging station. His creator had deemed it a good idea to keep the robot docked, partly because the charger also had to be tested, and partly because it would retard any actions he might take should the inhibitor fail. It just made it easier that way.

A light shade of pink showed on Honey's cheeks and she subconsciously pushed back a strand of hair that didn't need moving. "I don't know," she hazarded. "He's just concerned about his brother. It's kind of nice, really."

Baymax remained silent on that point. He had a lot more information on the matter than she realized, though he'd never tell her as much. "I would like to thank you for your help," he said instead.

Honey looked up at that comment. "You're welcome, I guess," she replied, not sure what to make of this development. She hadn't thought Baymax capable of that kind of thinking. At least Tadashi hadn't eluded to it. But then this was one of Tadashi's creations. He was nothing if not thorough. She'd seen the initial specs and knew he'd aimed for an artificial intelligence.

"Hiro is my patient," Baymax explained. "His health is my current concern. However, if I am unable to function properly, I would like to know why."

"So would I, buddy," Tadashi said as he came back into the room, his face a bit less hairy. He carried two mugs of coffee, one of which he handed to Honey. She took it gratefully, while he glanced at the screen to see the progress. Noting the changes, he moved towards the couch pushed back into the far corner of the garage. "This just might take all night," he moaned.

Honey followed him over, setting her mug down on the nearest clean surface before sitting next to him. All things considered, the garage was a lot cleaner than it should be. Hiro's bins of microbots weren't in the garage. They'd taken them over to the showcase the day before the event, just to make sure they were there. It left a lot more room than she'd grown accustomed to seeing.

"We'll figure this out," she reassured, putting one hand on his knee.

Tadashi leaned back against the cushions, hat pulled low. "I know. We have to. It's just I can't help but wonder what will happen in the meantime. There's so much on my mind right now that I'm not even sure which way is up or down. Maybe that's how Hiro feels." He said this last part more to himself, not sure if Honey heard it or not.

Thinking of Hiro, Tadashi's hand went to his pocket and he pulled out the small bottle of green-yellow liquid. He held it up so the light shone through it, as limited as that light was. He hadn't bothered turning the overhead light on earlier, relying on the light from the computers.

"What's that?" Honey asked, leaning forward. It didn't look like any chemical formula she was familiar with, though that wasn't saying a lot. Despite chemistry being her life's work, there was still a vast chunk of it she didn't know yet.

Tadashi shifted to look at Honey, still holding the bottle up. "It's something for Hiro," he answered. "A friend of mine gave it to me. He thought it might help."

"May I?" Adjusting her glasses, Honey gently took the bottle from him and studied it. "What exactly is it?"

Her companion shook his head tiredly. "Honestly, I'm not really sure. But it's supposed to help end his night terrors."

Honey bit the inside of her lip. "Do you trust this friend of yours? After all, this is your brother we're talking about."

Tadashi let his head lull back against the couch once more. "I know. I know! But yes, I think I can trust him." He looked back at her, almost with a pleading expression. Or perhaps with desperation. "I have to."

Knowing better than to comment on that, Honey simply moved closer, taking Tadashi's hand in hers. "Okay."

Baymax watched from his spot on the other side of the garage. He blinked, recording the two as their bodies gradually relaxed against the couch and sleep claimed them both.