AN: Maybe I should put a trigger warning in this chapter. There'll be some mentions of suicide attempt. So real sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it's really only because of Oliver Sansweet from The Incredibles. But I'll make it as minimal as possible.
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Location: NSA Base, Medical Ward
There was definitely a splitting headache. He just wanted to go back to sleep, at least he wouldn't have to feel the pain. His memory was foggy, but bits and pieces were starting to come together and the blurred images began to focus and clear. It was all coming back. The school's power went out, guards were taking the students, Violet missing and them finding her, heading out and taking out all those guards. Then the helicopter. He had been trying to bring it back. But after that it was all blank. Did they catch Sansweet?
Hiro finally opened his eyes and found himself to be in some kind of hospital. What he also found was that his friends were there.
"And he's finally with us!" he heard Wilbur exclaimed.
"But looks like your hair isn't." Hiro joked at being able to see that his friends infamous cowlick style was all messed up, but the actual cowlick was still up, just messy and with lose strands sticking out.
"Standing close to a helicopter taking off does that and this place lacks any hair products. Aside from the standard issued shampoo and conditioner, which doesn't do much." he replied.
"Where are we anyway?" Hiro asked. As far as he knew it was some hospital or medical facility.
"One of the NSA bases in their medical ward." Penny answered. "After you passed out they came and brought us and the remaining students here."
"And where's Violet?" Hiro asked examining the room to find the one person he was hoping would be here wasn't present.
"Believe me, she wanted to be here when you woke up, but she also had to check up on her family. Her brother did almost get kidnapped by some crazy, psycho chick." Wilbur answered.
"You should also know your aunt's here." Penny added.
"Aunt Cass? Why?" Hiro said surprised. He wasn't expecting his aunt to be here.
The two looked at him with sad expressions, but it was Violet, who had just come back who answered.
"Because the NSA is sending us all home. After they told her what happened she insisted on coming over to see you. Can't blame her, my parents came over too after hearing about Dash." she said as she walked over.
"Speaking of which, how is the speedster?" Wilbur asked.
"He's fine, but that gas they used was suppose to neutralise powers. It'll wear off, but he's bummed at having no super speed for a while. Surprisingly, he's not as fast without the speed."
"And all those kids who were affected by it will also be powerless for a while. But how does one even develop the technology?" Penny questioned.
"Because it is NSA technology." They all turned to see Rick Diker at the door. "You recall that Agent Sansweet worked for the NSA. We used that neutralising gas to take out rogue supers. They were only temporary effects. But they were only suppose to keep their powers absent long enough for us to take them into custody. Not all supers are heroes. Eventually you'll come across one whose rogue and use their powers for darker purposes. But we only use them on level 5 and higher supers. No point in wasting it on lower levels."
"How do you determine what level a super is?" Hiro blinked. He didn't know supers were ranked.
"On their skills set. Example, your powers with their current state, put you at 6. Instability can add to the rankings and while you have better control, you still don't know of their full extent. Not to mention telekinesis can be dangerous. Add high intellect and mechanical intuition and you could be a dangerous foe." Diker explained.
"So people can go up or down a level?" Hiro said.
"Affirmed. But you don't have to worry about us using it on you. I don't perceive you as a threat and there's no real danger at the moment." Diker said and then proceeded to leave. "I'll leave you all to say your goodbyes. You'll all be sent back home in the morning. And Hiro," he turned back to face the boy. "your aunt can't wait to see you. She's in the waiting room. I'll have a nurse take your IV out and you can rejoin her."
*
Location: NSA Base, Waiting Room
Cass had been pacing uneasily. She was promised her nephew would be safe and now he was in a medical ward after their school was attacked. The school they assured her would be safe for him. She was beginning to think that this was a bad decision.
"You shouldn't stress yourself." a woman said.
"I can't help it. My nephew is lying in a hospital bed and I can't see him because I don't have clearance. What kind of facility is this?" Cass whined.
"It's the NSA. They're always about security. And I think right now they're taking extra precautions since one of their workers turned out to be the person they've been tracking down for months."
"That just proves I was wrong to trust them!" Cass yelled.
"What's your nephew's name?" the woman asked, unfazed by her outbursts. She was use to people overreacting in times like these.
"His name is Hiro." Cass answered.
"As in Hiro Hamada?" the woman said in a surprise tone.
"You know him?" Cass looked up.
"Not personally. I was only aware of his existence today, but he seems to be friends with my daughter."
She hadn't expected Hiro to have had made friends. She did believe he could, but Hiro was also so shut off and it was more surprising he'd befriend a girl. Aside from her worries, she did feel relieved that her nephew did have at least one friend.
"And I can assure you, your nephew is fine. He was just knocked out, but if it weren't for Violet it could've been worse."
"Worse? How?"
"The reason he's knocked out is because she broke off a telekinetic connection between him and a helicopter. She only did it to stop him from getting shot."
He was almost shot? What if he was? She couldn't stand the thought of losing another family member. Cass buried her face in her hands. "Oh god. I almost lost him."
"Hey." the woman placed a hand on her shoulder. "From what I heard from my daughter is that he's okay. I could probably get you in to see him. I have clearance and I'm sure they'll let you in on my word." she smiled.
"I..thank you." Cass said. She barely knew this woman, but she was being kind enough to bring her to her nephew. She wasn't sure what to think of her.
"It would help if I knew who you are though." the woman said.
"My name's Cass."
"Well Cass. Call me Helen." Helen grinned and held her hand out for Cass to take.
*
Location: NSA Base, Medical Ward
Hiro had been taken off the IV and was fine now. Dressed in more comfortable clothes and his headache had gone down to a more tolerable pain. As he zipped up his jacket, he heard the familiar voice of his aunt calling out to him. Before he could fully turn around, she had engulfed him in a hug.
"Oh thank goodness you're okay and I missed you." she said in excitement and relief.
"Nice to see you too, Aunt Cass." Hiro said a little surprise. But he had missed her too, it had been months since he had seen or heard from his aunt. After all, she was his only family.
Cass had finally pulled back. "I think you could use a haircut." she said examining his hair and finding it too long for her liking.
"It's fine, aunt Cass." he said, trying to escape from her fiddling. "And I thought they wouldn't allow you through."
"Oh, well I met this woman who claimed to be the mother of one of your friends and she was able to get me through."
"Which friend?" Hiro raised an eyebrow.
If he said which, did that mean there was more? When she saw her nephew was still waiting on an answer, Cass cleared her throat before raising an eyebrow.
"She said her daughter's name was Violet."
Of course his aunt met his maybe girlfriend's mother. Of all the people. But maybe his aunt didn't know about their relationship. He didn't want to deal with either the talk or his aunt going full blown excitement or something.
"Is that all she told you?"
"She did say that Violet is the reason you're okay." Cass replied. "And speaking of which." she whacked him across the head. "What do you think you were doing trying to stop a helicopter from leaving?! Did you think about who could get hurt and you were almost shot!?!"
"Sorry, Aunt Cass." Hiro smiled sheepishly.
Cass took a deep breath to calm herself done. Her nephew had a tendency to worry her, but at least she still had him. "It's hard to believe you're a super genius with all the stupid things you've done." she joked.
"Hey, at least this time I was making sure that the bad guy didn't get away. I also didn't want Violet to lose her brother."
"You care about her, don't you? And don't lie to me young man." she said sternly. "I saw the look in your eyes just then when you mentioned her."
"But I don't think she cares about me anymore. Let's just say before the drama started we had an argument and I said some pretty hurtful things to her." Hiro sighed, lowering his gaze.
"If a girl saves you from being shot, then I'm pretty sure she cares." Cass smiled. "You don't need to be a genius to realise she still cares about you." Cass said and playfully tapped his forehead. "Sometimes you just need to talk and you better, because I don't know when you'll get another chance to tell her." While she may not know Violet personally, just the things she heard about her saving her nephew and the way Hiro talked about her, she knew there was something between them. That she was sure on.
At that, Hiro realised that they were all going home. Would he even get to see them again? The reality of it all was hitting hard and what of the kids who were taken and couldn't be reached to in time. They were going to find them, right?
"I'll see you later, aunt Cass." Hiro waved and rushed to find his friends. But he really did want to know where he and Violet currently stood.
*
Location: NSA Base, Unknown part
As Bob read through Sansweet's file, Diker sat across from him, waiting patiently for the man to finish. To think, this was the daughter of the man who sued him and started the whole no superhero work policy?
"Agent S. always seemed so nice when we saw her." Bob shook his head. He remembered seeing the girl on her first day several years ago. Sansweet had said how she felt bad for what her father did to him all those years ago and how she was thankful she did have her father around.
"It was all apart of her cover. After we brought your kids in and we heard their retelling of her story, I began to do some digging more on her past. The story she gave on her file was false."
"With the background checks you do here, I'm surprised you didn't get the information sooner." Bob said.
"Bela Sansweet had clearly thought this through. Years of planning revenge and she wasn't going to slip up because of her file. The one you have states Oliver Sansweet died of a stroke before we hired her. But, really he was killed not long after he won his case against you."
"What happened to him?"
"Shot, killed. His company was becoming bankrupt and so he sought help with the wrong people. They gave him what he needed and when it was time to pay his price, he backed out. And we all know how those things usually go. One way or another, people like that get what they want and if they don't, they find something else to take."
"That explains why Oliver sued me. He saw no other option and by saving his life, I ruined Bela's and who knows who else." Bob was suddenly ridden with guilt. The man was only trying to kill himself because he had no choice. If he didn't give those he owed what they needed, then surely they'd do something worse.
"Bob, you didn't know at the time." Rick said sympathetically. "As far as you were concerned, you were just saving another civilian."
"Doesn't change the fact that by saving one life I ruined so many others. She's taken a bunch of supers already, many of them are just kids, Rick. How do we know she isn't worser than Syndrome or all the other villains we've faced?"
"And by not saving one's life can also ruin others as well." Rick stated. "The thing is, we don't know what happens until it does. We're gonna find those missing supers and make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else. The only thing we can do is keep moving forward."
*
Location: NSA Base
Tomorrow all of them would have to head back to their normal lives or as normal as they were. Maybe he could try his new powers when fighting crime back in San Fransokyo, but there was still apart of him that wasn't sure if he should tell the others about his abilities. They were his friends too, but this was a pretty big secret. One that was even kept secret from him up until a few months ago. He wondered where they thought he had been for so long.
Hiro managed to find the other three sitting at a table in the cafeteria at the base. As he got closer he found them all intrigued in their conversation.
"So your uncle's past time is to shoot himself out of a canon?" Penny questioned. "I get that he's got rapid healing and can barely feel pain, but that sounds like a strange past time."
"It's his thing. He was known as the Cannonball back in his glory days. Maybe he misses the thrill of it." Wilbur shrugged.
"I thought your whole family was about Keep Moving Forward." Violet said.
"Apparently he's been doing it since he knew he could break his bones and easily put them back in place without the help of a doctor or specialist. And we might be all about Keep Moving Forward, but doesn't mean we can't sometimes live in the past."
"Oh geez, the thought of broken bones makes me sick." Penny shuddered.
"I'll make sure to tell Uncle Gaston to limit breaking them when you're around." Wilbur smiled and caused Penny to lighten up a bit.
"Hey guys." Hiro greeted.
"Hey there, Mop head." Wilbur teased.
"Nice to see you've got your hair fixed, Shark head."
"They brought all our stuff back from the school." Wilbur said, as he slicked his now styled cow lick.
"So they really are sending us back home?" Hiro said a little bummed. He was excited to go back home and all, but he wanted to know if that meant they wouldn't be seeing much of each other. They seemed to have the same thought.
"What can we do? The plan didn't work, so like always, the NSA just scraps it." Wilbur said.
"But the school was doing well. We still went to school as if normal, and we also got to learn how to use our powers." Hiro argued.
"But the whole point was to keep all of us safe. Almost half the students were kidnapped when Sansweet attacked. So in their eyes, the plan failed." Violet said.
"In the end they were just training us to be the next Mr. Incredible or Gazerbeam or some other big shot named hero. Why do you think they only brought in the next generation?" Wilbur said.
"They wanted to make us stronger so we wouldn't end up like all the missing supers, but in the end, that's exactly what happen. They gathered enough supers in one place and it was practically gift wrapped to the bad guy." Penny added.
He must still be new to the whole super thing. His friends dealt with these things their whole life, that they knew that the school was more than a place to keep their kind safe. It was a training facility. The heroes of the golden age were like the experiment version and they were the version that was going to be perfected. No flaws and failures.
"I guess it wouldn't be so bad to go back home." Hiro shrugged.
"Well, we get out of Moran's exam." Wilbur joked.
"And we do actually get to go outside." Penny said.
"And it's not like we won't get to see each other. We still could do voice chats and can meet up when schools' over." Violet added.
The group eventually got into discussing about what to do in their different cities. There were lots in each. Todayland had the whole futuristic vibe and Wilbur even said he'd promise Hiro a tour of his father's company, even meet the man behind it himself. Metroville was a mix of suburbs and city, so there'd be heaps of places to relax and get away from the hype of the city, but they could still venture around the city parts and find places to go to. There wasn't much at Silverlake, but Penny did want to show them the place where she met her long time companion and it wasn't far from Hollywood. Then there was San Fransokyo. Combination of the past, present and future.
But the idea of not hanging around them or seeing each other everyday, from telling their roomates to hurry up in the bathroom or seeing each other pass by in the hallway on their way to class to seeing each other in the cafeteria during meal times. Hiro had got use to seeing them everyday and he was finally fitting in. It just didn't seem right to leave now.
"It's gonna be so weird going back to normal school and acting like nothing's happened." Wilbur said.
"I've been to so many different schools, but I've never gone back to one." Violet said. This time she wasn't going to be the weird new kid, more like the kid who left but came back.
"How'd you think everyone would react?" Wilbur questioned.
"Who knows? But I doubt they'd put their lives on hold for us. Who knows what we've missed?" Penny shrugged.
'Hey, Vi." Hiro called. "Mind if we talk?"
"Sure." she blinked and got up from her seat, following Hiro to a spot that was out of earshot to the rest of the area.
"Looks like they've got some drama to resolve." Penny said as the two walked away.
"Better now than whenever we see each other next." Wilbur nodded.
*
Outside the cafeteria area, Hiro and Violet stood. It was pretty much an awkward silence. They knew what they wanted to say, but they just didn't know where to start.
"Are you still mad?" Hiro finally asked.
Violet looked at him confused. "Mad about what?"
"Before the whole thing started, when I got mad at you and said some pretty dumb things?" he reminded.
"Oh." she looked away. "They hurt, what you said. But I'm not mad anymore. I got over it when the situation demanded it."
"So you're saying that if the school wasn't attacked, you'd still be mad at me?"
"No!" she shook her head in alarm. "You would've had to had waited for me to cool off. I know you didn't mean what you said or at least didn't mean to say it out loud, but either way, I know you didn't want it to come out like that. Who knows if the attack caused me to get over it quicker or not, but it happened and at the time I didn't want to worry about our issues while bigger things were happening. A hero's no good if they bring their personal issues into battle."
"Well, I'm sorry. It's a bad habit of mine. When I'm mad I think irrationally and do or say something stupid. You should've seen me when I found out who killed my brother, I was so mad I sent a robot after him."
"You what?" Violet said wide eyed.
Had he said that out loud. "I mean...it's a long story. Probably for another time or never. Point is, you see what I mean, I'm thinking irrationally. What good is a super brain if it doesn't stop me from being a jerk?" he pulled at his hair.
"Maybe your smarts don't work when you're angry or full of emotion. Or maybe you're human. Everyone is like that, accidentally say things they don't want to. Super or not, you're still like everyone else. Only difference between us and non-supers is our DNA structure."
She had a point. Besides having an extra gene, they were still human, just evolved. All humans were prone to weakness, capable of making mistakes. No one was perfect. He guessed that despite the fact that the species were always evolving, they were never going to reach pure perfection. The human side would always make them irrational.
"Why'd you save me earlier? The way I lashed out at you the first time you did it, I didn't think you..."
"Stop right there." she stopped him. "Don't for once think that I won't try to save your ass. It doesn't matter what the situation is, whether it's a simulation or real life, I'm always gonna have your back. I wasn't going to let Sansweet shoot you. If you were gonna give me crap for ruining your moment of heroism then go right ahead. But it won't change the fact that I don't wanna see you hurt. I'd rather have you mad at me than live with the guilt of knowing that I could've done something to save you, but didn't. I was scared when you would wake up afterwards because I thought you'd get mad at me again, but like I said, it's better than you being hurt or worse."
Once she finished, Hiro pulled her in for a hug. "I'm not mad. You did what you had to. If I should be mad at someone, I should be mad at myself. I thought I could stop her, I was stopping her for you. But I'm not strong enough."
Violet pulled back and used her finger to tilt his chin up, so he was facing her. "Hey." she smiled. "You are strong and just because you didn't win today, it doesn't mean you won't another day. And win or lose, I'll be by your side."
Hiro returned her smile and took her hand from his face and held it in his. They then began to move closer together. Soon they were lips distance apart and...
"Oh, Hiro, there you are!" someone called out and the two immediately pulled away from each other. The two saw Aunt Cass was approaching.
When she saw the two standing she immediately realised what was happening. "Oh my gosh, I just interrupted something. You two were having a moment." she said, sounding guilty.
"It-it's fine, Aunt Cass. We were just talking. This is Violet by the way. And this is my Aunt Cass." he introduced them.
Cass then faced Violet and whispered, a little too loud to Hiro. "Isn't she pretty?"
Hiro's eyes widened as he blushed. "Aunt Cass!" he said mortified.
Violet giggled. "It's nice to meet you. Hiro's mentioned you a few times." Violet held her hand out to her.
Cass gladly took it. "Wish I could say the same, but you know, all that no communication thing. But from what I've heard, I could see why Hiro likes you."
Now Violet blushed. "I..ah..thanks." she wasn't sure what to say. She was meeting his family and when meeting one's family, you did want to make a good impression. At least Cass was saying she liked what she knew.
"Also, thank you for saving my nephew. I don't what I would've done if I lost him. So you can say I definitely approve of you two." she smiled.
"Aunt Cass!" Hiro whined.
"Okay, okay. I get it." Cass held her hands up defensively, letting out a light chuckle. "I was just making sure you were ready for when we go. And speaking of which." Cass pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Violet. "Just I case you wanna call Hiro, I added his number and the home number, oh and his email."
"Aunt Cass!" Hiro groaned for one final time. To say this wasn't embarrassing was a lie. He almost missed not communicating with her at S.B. It meant he didn't have to deal with her getting into his relationship with Vi.
"Alright." Cass rolled her eyes and headed to another direction, leaving the two teens alone.
"She seems nice." Violet commented once she was gone. "You're lucky to have her as your aunt."
"She's alright, when she isn't invading my life."
"Just shows she cares."
"At least she does approve of you and that's way better than a negative alternative."
"So does that mean we are official...again?"
"If it's fine with you, then yes." Hiro nodded.
"Just so you know, we never officially said we were off." Violet smirked.
*
"They didn't kiss." Dash informed, heading to Wilbur and Penny's table.
"Yes!" Wilbur threw his hands in the air. "Looks like you owe me a date." He winked at Penny.
"And you owe me an autograph." Dash grinned.
Penny groaned. She was so sure her friends would kiss. "What exactly happened?" She asked.
"Some lady interrupted. From the looks of it, I think she was Hiro's mom or something."
"Guess his aunt found the lovebirds." Wilbur said. "I should thank her, cause now I get a date with a TV star." He smirked.
"Maybe I'm the lucky one. I get a date with the heir of one of the world's leading companies." She may have lost, but at least she still got to spend a day with Wilbur Robinson. So it was a win in the end. Even if she won, she still would've agreed to go on a date if he asked straight up.
Dash had been a surprise. He may have been currently powerless, but otherwise he was fine and his speed had begun to return. He wasn't exactly fast, but he was still just that much faster than they were.
Upon hearing their discussion, he wanted in too. Anything to get some juicy news on his sister. After all, he got her to admit she had a crush on Hiro. Dash had bet they wouldn't kiss. But he figured it was because they chickened out. Not that someone would interrupt.
Also, the thought of his sister actually kissing a guy was sickening to him. But hey, he got an autograph from his celebrity crush. Well, if video game characters counted, Penny was a close second. Not to mention, it look like her and Robinson were a thing and who knows what embarrassing secrets Violet told Penny about him. He could throw his chances out the window.
"You okay with Hiro dating your sister?" Penny asked.
"He's a good guy from what I've seen. But if so much as hurt her, I'll be running so fast around him that he can't breath." Dash answered, showing he meant that last part. She was still his sister and while neither would openly admit it, they cared about each other.
It was just part of being siblings. Most times you'd question how you're related and can't stand each other, but when the situation demands it, you'd be there for them no matter what.
"Glad to know that I've got a protective brother watching out for me." Violet said, arriving with Hiro.
"Is he really going to deprive me of oxygen? Hiro asked, a little uneasy.
"Hurt her and you'll see." Dash smirked, which made Hiro gulped. Dash then bid them laters and went over elsewhere. Maybe to say goodbye to the friends he made or rejoin his family.
"Kinda sucks, huh?" Penny said. "That this is the last time for a while that we'll be sitting at the same table."
"Makes the wait for school to end even more worth it." Wilbur smiled.
"Get a room you two." Hiro joked, all three laughing along with him.
*
Tomorrow had arrived much too fast for their liking. Last night had been a lot of goodbyes from the friends the students had made and many parents of the kidnapped children demanding the NSA get on the case.
Most students were to ride with NSA agents, only students in the medical ward had their parents or guardians. Mostly because parents get worried if something might be wrong with their kids. Can't blame them.
Another early start and long drive. But this time, it was to go home. A home without their newfound friends. The friends they easily accepted as a second family.
Guess, it really was over.
*
Location: Unknown
She had enough supers now. While she would've preferred having all the students, she'd take what she could get and besides, she wouldn't need a lot to begin with to destroy the reputation of the supers. Soon all will hate anyone who carried the super gene and she could finally avenge her father.
So this definitely wasn't over. Her plan would soon take action.
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AN: Oh look, I mentioned the title of the book Meet the Robinsons is based off. Good job if you can find it. And I'm really glad you're all loving this story and keep begging me to update, it actually makes me want to get the next chapter up. So yeah, thanks.
I don't know when I'll post the next chapter, but I promise to work on it ASAP.
ENJOY!