Aftermath (a BH6 crossover)

Chapter Twenty Seven: Burning

Cass hung up the phone, a frown on her face. She'd only just gotten back to the hotel when the call came in. And now knowing that Hiro wasn't where she'd left him filled her concern. But she also remembered Loki saying he'd check in on him. She just didn't know which room was his, though she supposed she could find out.

If memory served, chances were good the god of mischief had checked in under the first name he'd given her, William Lawson. She picked up the corded phone on the nightstand between the two beds and dialed the front desk. "Yes, could you call another guest for me? William Lawson?" Chances were good they wouldn't just give her the room number, though she thought she remembered him saying something about having a suite near the top floor.

When the front counter clerk told her no one answered the call, she hung up with an even deeper frown. Just where had the two of them gone? She pulled out her phone and dialed her nephew's phone, realizing she probably should have done that in the first place. Unfortunately, it went straight to voice mail, which meant either it was off or out of range.

"Where did you, Hiro?" she wondered out loud, getting more than a little irritated. He should have told her he was heading out. It was a shame she didn't have Loki's cell number on top of it all. She hadn't thought to ask for it, nor was she sure if he actually had one. Did Norse gods now how to use modern technology like that?

The next best thing was to call Kally and see if she could get her Ai, Sammy, to contact Baymax. She at least had that avenue, since she felt certain her nephew had not told anyone else where he was going. And she could only assume he was with Loki and Baymax. Baymax never left his side if he could help it so chances were good she'd find the missing teen if she could have Sammy ping the medical robot.

Decision made, Cass dialed the other teen genius's cell phone number.

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

Hiro screamed and would have bashed his head into the small table of the booth he was lying on if it hadn't been for Loki quickly ripping it out of the way. The thing was bolted to the floor, which added an element of difficulty for most humans, but not for the god of mischief. He threw the offending table to one side, narrowly missing the piano in the middle of the open floor.

"Hey now!" Lucifer protested, momentarily distracted from Hiro's outcry by the sudden destruction of his property. He took a moment to reconsider his reaction as he noted Loki cradling Hiro in his arms, Baymax pushing in closer. "What's going on now?" He felt inclined to sound petulant, really unsure of what was going on other than that it reminded him of the fit the youth had had back at the arena.

The teen panted in Loki's arms, his legs dangling over the god's knees. Sweat ran down his body, but it was a cold sweat and made him shiver. And his eyes were just as unfocused as they were during the previous episode. Except this didn't seem like the previous episode.

Maze tensed at the reaction, her hands instinctively going for the knives hidden on her person. She looked around, her eyes all but darting from side to side in an attempt to discover the threat. And even though she knew there weren't any others in the building with them, at least not on that floor, she didn't relax her stance.

"Hiro?" Baymax inquired, carefully monitoring the teen's vitals. Judging from what his sensors took in, this was also not another reactive reintegration, only whatever it was was on a much stronger level than the previous event. "Can you hear me?"

Instinctively, Hiro grabbed Loki's arm, the one not holding him against the man's chest. As his fingers dug into the man's flesh, he let out another scream that defied the previous one. "I'm burning!" he yelled as soon as the intense noise faded from his throat. "I'm burning!"