'Would you shut up, Fred?' I mutter to myself, clenching my fists. What I would give to punch the idiot in the face right now, but there's no space. Ugh, just looking at his face is annoying. Tadashi chuckles from next to me, and I turn to scowl at him. 'This is not funny.'
He shrugs with a smile. 'It's a little bit funny. Just a tiny bit.' - To show this, Tadashi puts his index finger and his thumb almost together.
Why did I want to punch Fred? 'Why did Honey Lemon have to tell him we're dating?' I groan while staring down Fred across from me - he's telling Hiro a synopsis of a comic or something - in a Lucky Cat catering truck, the only thing that was large enough to transport the six of us (plus Aunt Cass) and about eight microbot trashcans.
Honey Lemon answers in a guilty tone, 'Well, he wanted to know why you're in such a good mood, and I was so happy for you, so I just blurted it out!'
'I'm not so happy now, am I?' I grumble to myself. 'If he asks me about it or anything, or tells-'
She shakes her head in reply. 'Don't worry, he won't. I've decided to make some of his crazy requests for keeping it secret.'
'So you're making the invisible sandwich?'
'Nope,' she sighs. 'Wasabi and I have to make eye contacts that can shoot lasers.'
*
We're at the SFIT Showcase about 15 minutes before Hiro's supposed to present his microbot awesomeness or whatever. Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Fred and I help Tadashi and Hiro unpack his trash cans full of the stuff (we brought most of them to SFIT yesterday, and stored them in the nerd lab) and start wheeling them towards the presentation space.
I sigh. 'Whoa, these things are heavier than they look.'
'Well,' Wasabi begins, and I groan. 'You have to put the general volume of the microbots into perspective, as well as take the unit weight into account.'
'Stop being a nerd,' I grunt at him and nod towards Hiro. 'He has to be one.'
Ahead of us, the two Hamada brothers are busy chatting, but then Tadashi stops mid-sentence, and I completely understand why. Around us, the tech is simply unreal. Not better than mine. But seriously, scuba-exercise-hydro-electricity generation? Where do people come up with this stuff?
Tadashi whistles. 'Wow, a lot of sweet tech here today.' He punches Hiro lightly across the arm. 'How are you feeling?'
'You're talking to an ex-bot fighter,' Hiro assures him overconfidently. 'Takes a lot more than this to rattle me.'
Reading into the situation, I say immediately, 'Yep, he's nervous.'
Next to me, Honey Lemon coos, 'Oh.'
'You've got nothing to fear, little guy,' Fred quips.
'He's so tense,' Honey Lemon continues with concern.
Hiro argues whiningly, 'No, I'm not.'
'Relax, Hiro,' she assures him. 'Your tech is amazing. Tell him, GoGo.'
I look at him and state openly, 'Stop whining. Woman up.'
'What do you need, little man?' Wasabi asks, raising his eyebrow. 'Deodorant? Breath mint? Fresh pair of underpants?'
'Underpants?' I wonder aloud, turning to Wasabi in confusion and concern while I park my trash can. 'You need serious help.'
'Hey, I come prepared.'
Our heads turn to Fred as he comments breezily, 'I haven't done laundry in six months. One pair lasts me four days. I go front, I go back I go inside-out. Then I go front and back.'
At that very disgusting description, Wasabi pretends to gag (I think) and I can only stare at Fred in repulsion. Tadashi, on the other hand, says, 'Wow. That is both disgusting and awesome.'
'Don't encourage him,' I reprimand Tadashi for that stupidity. Really, though, that was gross.
Fred moves his head in a smart-alecky way and replies, 'It's called "recycling"'.
Just as I was about to answer, an announcer over the intercom declares, 'Next presenter, Hiro Hamada.'
I shrug my shoulders at Hiro and Honey Lemon whips out her phone while Fred chuckles pumped-uppedly and exclaims, 'Oh, yeah. This is it.'
'I guess I'm up,' Hiro answers, looking pretty nervous.
Honey Lemon hops around us excitedly and says, 'Okay, photo, photo! Everybody say, "Hiro!"' - We gather around and cry, 'Hiro!' - 'We love you, Hiro. Good luck!'
'Don't mess it up,' I joke around while taking my assigned trash can and pushing it away.
Wasabi says something encouraging (I don't really care) and Fred shouts as he pushes his trash can away, 'Science, YEAH!'
I drag my trash can to the opposite end of the hall and make sure it's aligned with the rest of them. Honey Lemon rushes over to me as soon as her trash can is placed and gushes, 'I really hope Hiro's going to get in! He will get in!'
I nod in agreement. 'He will. It's good.'
Waiting for the practically non-existent crowd by the presentation stage to magically appear, Honey Lemon gasps in "shock". 'You don't find Hiro annoying. That's a first.'
I huff as an answer and she continues, 'Is it only because of Tadashi?'
'No,' I hear myself saying without processing it. 'It's something else. Probably something stupid.'
Before Honey Lemon can drag other information out of me, Aunt Cass rushes over to us and gives us an unexpected hug, almost crushing us both. 'I can't wait to watch my little nephew!'
'He's going to do great, Aunt Cass,' Honey Lemon comments, rubbing her arm lightly from the hug.
I see a nervous Hiro step onto the stage with a microphone and clears his throat. Aunt Cass, Honey Lemon and I become still, and the guys do too as they make their way towards us.
'Uh, hi,' Hiro begins, his voice shaking from the nerves. 'My name's Hiro, Hir-', and before he can go any further, the microphone responded with feedback, making everyone near the stage cringe.
'Sorry,' he stammers, and I'm wondering, Was I that bad? Probably not. He struggles to continue, and Hiro resumes, 'My name is Hiro Hamada, and I've been working on something that I think is pretty cool.' He starts to look in his pockets and puts on his neural transmitter. 'I hope you like it.'
'This,' Hiro announces with a flourish, holding his microbot. 'Is a microbot.'
Everyone waits expectantly for something spectacular to happen, but nothing does, yet, so one idiot walks away and I stare him down in mild annoyance while folding my arms. But seriously, the kid is nervous, of course something like this will happen.
Hiro takes a deep breath and says, 'It doesn't look like much, but when it links up with the rest of its pals...'
Our group hear the trashcans fall over with the force of the microbots, and the result of the other visitors gasping in confusion as they try to avoid the little machines. 'Things get a little more interesting,' Hiro finishes as he lets go of his microbot and it joins the rest of them, rippling the structure. More people walk towards the stage, and we move closer to get a better look.
'The microbots are controlled by this neural transmitter,' Hiro states, taking the band off his forehead, turning the microbots into a meaningless heap. 'I think of what I want them to do. They do it.' With that, the microbots turn into a hand and it waves to the audience. Aunt Cass gasps and waves back, and I swear I saw that idiot that left earlier, also exclaim in awe.
'The applications of this tech is limitless,' Hiro flaunts, bringing out all the stops to impress the crowd, using the microbots to lift him and create a platinum and carbon-fibre platform that he stands on. 'Construction. What would take teams of people working by hands for months or years can now be accomplished by one person.'
The crowd are going nuts, too impressed to do anything other than "Ooh," and "Ahh." 'And that's just the beginning,' Hiro grins and walks off the platform. 'How about... transportation?'
The microbots carry him above the onlookers while he says, 'Microbots can move anything, anywhere, with ease.' He dangles from the ventilation piping and high-fives Tadashi as he glides over us.
'If you can think it, the microbots can do it,' Hiro exclaims with confidence as he lifts a guy in a polymer sphere and gets to the stage. He climbs down a staircase of microbots and continues, 'The only limit is your imagination.'
'Microbots,' Hiro finishes dramatically and bows with the microbot structure, and the crowd explodes with applause and cheers, so loud it makes my ears pop a little. 'That's my nephew!' Aunt Cass cheers and grabs the nearest guy and cries, 'My family! I love my family!' - The rest of us celebrate as well, and we run towards Hiro to congratulate him.
'You nailed it,' Tadashi says gladly, and he does a special handshake with Hiro while I comment, 'Not bad.' - The ultimate praise.
'Yeah, you just blew my mind, dude!' Fred says, and for the first time, he's not exaggerating.
'You did it!' Honey Lemon exclaims and hugs Hiro and yells, 'They loved you. That was amazing!'
'Yes,' we hear a vaguely familiar voice from behind us say and everyone falls silent. 'With some development, your tech could be revolutionary.'
Hiro chuckles timidly. 'Alistair Krei.'
Everyone's reaction is the same. Dude, it's Alistair Krei. The founder of the best technology companies in the world.
'May I?' Krei motions for Hiro's stray microbot. He hands it to Krei, who comments, 'Hmm. Extraordinary. I want your microbots at Krei Tech.'
Hiro voices what we're all thinking when he answers, 'Shut up.'
At this point, Callahan 'Mr Krei is right. Your microbots are an inspired piece of tech. You can continue to develop them, or you can sell them to a man who's only guided by his own self-interest.'
'Robert, I know how you feel about me, but it shouldn't affect-'
Callahan carries on as if he didn't hear Krei. 'This is your decision, Hiro. But you should know that Kei has cut corners and ignored sound science to get where he is.'
I look at everyone's faces, and they're just as surprised as I am. Krei interjects, 'That's just not true.'
'I wouldn't trust Krei Tech with your microbots,' Callahan ignores Krei again. 'Or anything else.'
Now Krei ignores Callahan's scathing scowl and says, 'Hiro, I am offering you more money than any 14-year-old could imagine.
The five of us look at Hiro intently as he makes a decision, holding our breath. Honey Lemon's shaking her head very slowly and Wasabi and Fred are slack-jawed. Tadashi walks towards him with concern, and Hiro replies, 'I appreciate the offer, Mr Krei, but they're not for sale.'
Tadashi smiles with pride while he looks at his brother, and Mr Krei answers with disappointment, 'I thought you were smarter than that.' He eyes Callahan as he walks away. 'Robert.'
'Mr Krei,' Tadashi stops him and points to Krei's hand. 'That's... my brother's.'
'Oh, that's right,' Krei says with a smirk, he throws the lone microbot to Hiro and stalks away with his assistant in tow.
Nobody knows how to react to the situation and we're standing awkwardly until Callahan pulls a letter with the SFIT seal on it from his pocket and hands it to Hiro. 'I look forward to seeing you in class.'
*
We're all cheering and whooping as we leave the Showcase Centre, Hiro looking the most relieved and ecstatic of all of us. Fred shouts, 'Unbelievable!' while Wasabi beams, 'That's what I'm talking about.'
Aunt Cass grabs our attention by announcing, 'All right, geniuses, let's feed those hungry brains. Back to the café! Dinner is on me!'
'Yes! Nothing is better than free food!' Fred hollers while we all whoop with joy, and I can't even get annoyed with him at this point, and I smile with the rest. 'Unless it's mouldy.'
'That's gross,' I cringe at the thought. 'Absolutely disgusting.'
I start laughing at Wasabi who almost gags again and says, 'That's terrible. Food should never be mouldy. It's a gift.'
'Yeah, steak!' Fred randomly exclaims and Aunt Cass rushes over to us.
'You guys want steak?' Aunt Cass questions and we nod eagerly, Fred almost dying right there with the idea of free steak. 'Well, then we're got some work to do.'
Fred pauses for a second. 'What?'
Aunt Cass turns to Fred and raises her eyebrow and replies, 'You didn't think I would make it all by myself, did you? I can make some steak for myself, though. I wouldn't mind that.'
'No steak?' Fred whimpers.
'There will be steak,' Aunt Cass answers with a sly grin, and she winks at Honey Lemon and me. 'With barbecue marinade, a nice medium. But only for me and the girls.'
Wasabi stares at Fred with mock loathing. He says to Aunt Cass, 'No, Aunt Cass, Fred didn't expect you to do all that by yourself. He'll be glad to help you all by himself while the rest of us chill.'
Honey Lemon, Aunt Cass and I burst out in laughter as we approach the catering truck. I didn't even realise we were already here.
Opening the truck's doors, I almost get into the Lucky Cat catering truck when I hear screaming and my head whips towards the noise. Behind us, SFIT is erupting into flames and I'm barely having coherent thought as I dash towards the chaos, Honey Lemon shouting for me to stay away from the inferno. Only one thing is running through my mind: Tadashi and Hiro.
A young woman nearly bumps into me as she tries to escape from danger. I quickly sidestep her and she shouts after me, 'Don't hurt yourself! Those people are goners!'
I don't listen to her words. Not if I can help it.
The flaming building seems to get further away from me as I try to get closer. Finally, the front doors are in sight and subconsciously I sigh in relief, but then a blinding flash thrusts me backwards and I land on my back. Despite that, my senses are in overdrive, (seeing, feeling, smelling everything) and feeling the adrenalin, I rush to my feet and look at the smoking, burning remains of SFIT luring down at me.
Then I hear shouting from out of my daze, and someone is calling, 'Tadashi! Tadashi!' over and over. Turning around, I see Hiro slumped on the ground, sobbing his brother's name, holding something in his hands close to his chest. I run to him, unable to say a single word. He recognizes me and cries, 'GoGo! You have to find him! You- you just have to.'
Determined, I get up and run towards the wreckage, then another blast blows me to my knees. Too tired to get up again, I look at his brother, my eyes glassy, not able to ignore the lump in my throat. As I put my hand on his shoulder, I don't see Hiro in my blurry vision from tears. I see him.
I choke on the words. 'He's... he's gone.'
*
A/N
Hi, party people! I know you would enjoy my death, but I already witnessed mine with exams and the discovery of Merlin, so there's nothing worse you can do to me, other than make me write this chapter again. It killed me, the feels and that I couldn't write it quickly because of rewatching the scene repeatedly. :(
Dying at the end of this chapter
TJ