Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Forty Three: Not Like This

It was well after midnight when Hiro woke to the sound of a phone ringing. It took him a moment to realize what was going and he absently reached for his phone. But, after listening a bit longer, he realized the tone wasn't coming from his cell. It rang a few more times before Tadashi answered it in a rather groggy voice.

"Tadashi speaking."

There was a moment of silence as whoever was on the other end spoke. That silence was broken when Tadashi assured them he didn't mind being woken up. More silence followed and Hiro strained to listen.

"No!" Tadashi shouted, almost giving Hiro a heart sat up in bed, phone pressed firmly against his ear.

Hiro rolled into his side, pretending to still be asleep, just in case his brother looked his way. With wide eyes, he strained to hear every word possible, still only hearing his brother's side of the conversation.

"You can't do that!" Tadashi threw his bed covers off and got out of bed.

Hiro was tempted to peek over and see what was going on but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. If his brother saw him still awake, complications might arise.

"Just don't do anything until I get there!" Tadashi said urgently as he emerged from behind the dividing screen. He was already dressed.

The phone snapped shut with an audible click as Tadashi pocketed it. He dashed for his helmet, all but yanking it off its hook. He didn't even look back as he ran down the stairs.

Cautiously, Hiro looked up, realizing his brother was gone. Not even bothering to dress, he threw on his shoes and ran after his brother.

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

It was hard to keep up with a man on a moped, especially one in a hurry, but somehow Hiro managed. If nothing else, his brother could be counted on to obey the speed limit. The chase felt more like when he'd gone after Baymax that first time he'd visited the warehouse. He was a good couple of steps behind, but still managed to figure out where his brother was going. His year of training as a superhero was decidedly paying off.

What was strange was where his brother headed. It wasn't the fact that he went to the school. What was strange was that he didn't go towards the lab building as expected. If this was indeed about the project he was working on with a professor, shouldn't he go into the lab building? Instead, Tadashi went to an area off to the side, where a concrete embankment blocked the way.

Hiro watched as his brother uncovered a keypad and typed in a bunch of numbers. He was careful to observe the sequence so he could use it once things were clear. He was even more surprised when a door opened in the cement wall and his brother went inside. What was going on?

Double-checking to make sure no one else was around; Hiro raced up to the spot where Tadashi had been standing. He found the keypad with ease and only had a moment of hesitation as he tried to remember the exact numbers his brother had pushed, along with the correct order. But he managed to remember and punched in the code, making the door slide open once more.

A long tunnel met his gaze, with minimal lighting. It, too, was made of concrete. And there was nothing to indicate where it led. He'd have to thrust forward and hope he didn't get himself into too much trouble.

Some kind of whirring sound filled the air as Hiro moved forward. He wasn't sure what it was at first, but came to a starting realization. It couldn't be! He ran forward, stopping as light illuminated the end. He crouched, tiptoeing forward to peer around the open doorway, not sure what to expect.

Ahead sat a large chamber, the ground sunken down at least one story, maybe two. A track of sorts acted like a bridge from one end to the other down the middle, while metal walkways spanned the walls. And at the far end sat a very familiar giant circle in a cradle specially made just for it.