When All Q Breaks Loose

Chapter Fourteen: Don't Like the Sound of That

(Quick note, I added more content to the previous chapter. If you haven't read the updated version, please do so now so as not to miss anything.)

"Hiro? Hiro, you here?" Fred called out as he peeked into the movie room back at the manor. Sometimes their leader liked to chill out there when he wasn't doing something in the command center.

Upon arriving back at the manor, Wasabi had headed straight to the room he shared with Hiro, hoping he'd come back. But he hadn't. The teen's continued absence started a manor-wide search for him, just in case. He wasn't answering his phone, which was a bit worrisome.

The group of Heroes was about to head out on a massive manhunt when the front door opened and Hiro walked in, Baymax behind him.

"Where have you been?!" Wasabi demanded, getting in Hiro's face before anyone else could so much as react. "I had to cover for you when the others got up," he added between his teeth, speaking in a much quieter tone.

Baymax moved past the irate student, still carrying the unconscious man they'd found. "Please excuse me," he said as GoGo and Fred just stared.

Honey Lemon looked on in surprise. "Hiro? Who is that man Baymax is carrying?"

At that moment, Picard and his group entered the foyer. Seeing the person in the robot's arms, Picard almost had a mild heart attack. "Where on earth did you find that man?" he demanded, covering himself as best he could.

Hiro glanced at the captain, not sure how to take that tone. It was less than friendly. "We found him in an alley near my aunt's café," he answered. "I take it you know him?"

"He calls himself Q," Worf spoke up before Picard could answer. He also looked less than pleased with the man's presence. "He is the reason we are stuck here."

The Big Heroes exchanged confused looks with each other, all except for Baymax who continued on towards a little room off to one side. It was the same room Ms. Smith and the Doctor had used when they'd first come visiting some months ago. Still in a bit of shock, the others followed after the healthcare robot.

Hiro stood to one side as the robot placed the man on a sofa. He folded his arms and looked from Picard to Trio to Worf and then to Data. "Okay," he said, his voice taking on the tone of a leader. "It looks like we have a bit of a problem here. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know what is really going on." He focused his attention on Picard. "So why don't you tell us just what is going on and cut out all the bull."

Even Wasabi looked a little shocked when he glanced at Hiro's far too serious face. This was not a side of his friend he saw often, nor did he want to. The last time he'd seen it had resulted in the teen almost getting himself killed.

Picard had chosen to stand, despite the rest of his officers following the example of the rest of the people in the room, minus Hiro and Baymax. While he saw the logic in Hiro's request, part of him felt less than willing, given not only the boy's age but the Prime Directive. But that also seemed to be thrown out the window, in a way, since the people of this planet already appeared to know about life on other planets, and had apparently also encountered it.

Hiro's words had shocked Picard and he couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise. The boy held a larger sense of authority than many men three times his age. It deserved a certain sort of respect, as well as a sense of caution. It would be easy to forget that this child was not yet a man and still swayed by the whimsy of childhood. "Very well," he sighed, making his body relax.

"Captain, are you sure this is wise?" Worf spoke up from his seat. He'd chosen a hard-backed chair that made him sit up straight.

Picard looked over to his security chief. He felt certain he knew what was going on in his mind. "Sure? No. But we are at their mercy if we ever want to return home. I somehow doubt Q," and he looked a bit disdainfully at the unconscious man, "will be as accommodating."