Aftermath (a BH6 crossover)

Chapter Eighty One: Where Are You?

There was no denying the fact that Hiro looked a little green, despite agreeing to at least give the idea a shot. Loki had reassured him they needed delve into his memories for the exercise. All he had to do was concentrate on the memory of that miasma of energy associated with Rachel Amesbury, then see if he could find traces of it spread out from him. Chances were good it was still somehow attracted to him, even if just slightly. The trick was to concentrate.

Despite some minor protests, Hiro sat on the couch, on the right side, back into the corner. He hadn't exactly wanted an audience, minus his Aunt and Baymax, but the others wouldn't be excluded. In the end, he supposed it couldn't be helped. Too many weird things had happened and it only seemed fair to at least let them in on a little of what he could now do.

Baymax shuffled into position just off the side of the couch, turned to face his young charge. As usual, it was his duty to monitor the teen's vital signs for any complications. At the present moment, he detected the usual apprehension and anxiety in his patient.

For his part, Loki had pulled up the chair Tony had brought into the room the night before. He'd forgotten to return it to its previously location, making it the easiest perch for the god of mischief to use. He adjusted the angle to face Hiro head on, glancing over at Cass, who sat on the couch as well, with about a foot between her and her nephew.

Across the room, but still in the line of view, sat Wasabi and Fred. Kally had taken up residence on the left side of the couch, legs curled under her as she faced her teen counterpart.

"I want you to close your eyes," Loki instructed, doing his best to ignore the others in the room. His sole focus had to be on Hiro and guiding him through this, even though the scent of Cass's perfume was quite alluring. "Try to relax as much as possible."

The reminder wasn't necessary, Hiro thought as he complied. He settled back a little more in the cushions, focusing on his breathing as Loki's voice took on an almost hypnotic tone.

"Breathe in and out. In and out."

The world around the teen seemed to melt until he felt the familiar sensation of standing on nothing but thin air. All other stimuli faded into the background, with the exception of Loki's voice. His tenor tones seemed to whisper directly into his ear, except it wasn't in a whisper, just calm, even tone.

"I want you to look back to the clearest memory of Rachel's energy. Are you there?"

Hiro nodded, though he wasn't sure if it was just in his mind or if his body had as well. Just to be sure, he verbally confirmed that he had.

"Good," Look all but purred. "I want you to focus in on that signature. Remember, it is as unique as a fingerprint. You can find it no matter where it is."

The 'flavor' of Rachel Amesbury's energy filled all of Hiro's senses, like he was drinking into every fiber of his being. Part of him wanted to choke on it, but he held that reflex at bay. There was no way he could confuse this signature with anyone else's.

"Now slowly return to today," Loki encouraged. "You are sitting in the house of Tony Stark, with your friends and family all around you, but don't lose sight of that energy. Filter out the others until only the one is left."

As Hiro mentally returned to Stark's place, the signatures of his friends popped into his field of sensitivity, shining bright like beacons. Fred's emitted an almost aquamarine blue, while Wasabi's was a bit more frenetic with a mix of red and blue that didn't combine. Aunt Cass had an almost peach coloring to her aura, and Kally had something more like an orange-yellow. Loki's was a complicated mass of deeper greens and blues that were almost midnight in color, snaked in with hints of silver and gold. Baymax didn't exactly have the same kind of aura, but there was a decided hum about him.