Hiro peered ahead, squinting a bit. It was hard to see through the trees. The light was beginning to fade as the sun set as well, which didn't help. Soon it would be dark and that could potentially complicate things. But he straightened up when he realized one of the people inside the copse of trees was coming out. His hand tightened in Honey Lemon's, his breathing accelerating just a bit.
He then let out a sigh of relief as whoever it was who approached them took on the more familiar form of someone at least resembling a human. Maybe he was like the Doctor or Jack Harkness. The man was decidedly taller than Hiro, though, and much, much older. His head was already mostly bald. And his clothes were a bit odd, mostly black with red on top. It reminded the boy almost of some kind of uniform or jogging suit. Maybe pajamas. He wasn't sure which.
"I'm going ahead," Hiro announced, realizing it would be wise to meet the man halfway. He let Honey Lemon's hand go, after one more squeeze of encouragement from her. Slowly, so as not to cause any undo alarm, he made his way to within a few paces of the man. It helped that he still had his helmet in place, tinted visor down, giving him a little more sense of protection. After all, they didn't know what these strange people would do. He knew the others were still behind him, ready to jump into action should something go wrong.
Picard stopped halfway between their refuge and the two strangely dressed individuals. He was heartened when the shorter of the two moved to meet him. It was entirely possible this person was the leader of the group. At least that's what he read from their body language. But why was he so short? Was that a natural characteristic or was the man simply stunted? Because not only was he short, but he was also quite skinny on top of it all, gangly almost.
"Hello," Picard greeted. "I'm Jean-Luc Picard." He decided to forgo any mention of his rank or affiliation with Star Fleet. After all, Data had said this planet had not yet achieved warp technology. They probably didn't have a clue about the Federation, which meant this planet would still be considered primitive by those standards. He couldn't just willy nilly go against the Prime Directive.
Hiro gave a half fumbling wave as he tried to hide just how badly his body was shaking. "Hiro," he said in reply, purposely not giving his last name while using the more common pronunciation at the same time. It wouldn't do to blow his secret identity, even if these people weren't from around the area. The less who knew the better.
Well, that was encouraging, Picard thought as he eyed the midget in front of him, though the voice did sound rather young. The single word reply was also a bit disappointing. "I received your message," he continued, hoping to encourage further communication. Maybe this man was somehow unable to communicate more than that. Though that was decidedly a possibility, Picard hoped it wasn't true. He remembered the message on the rock. That, alone, was encouraging.
Hiro nodded, swallowing. His mouth suddenly felt rather dry. Okay, this was much more difficult than he'd thought it would be. Why was it so hard? It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with aliens before, even if this was their first contact with this particular race. And since Baymax hadn't given any kind of physical description, he had no way of knowing if this man was the alien or if it was another member of their party. "That's good," he replied, his voice sounding funny even in his own ears.
He's scared, Picard realized, wondering what he looked like to them. Despite Data's conjecture that they were essentially human, they might have characteristics that made them look somehow different, like Bajorans or Klingons. It had probably taken them a lot to come even this far. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly giving Picard much to work with either, which left things up to him to convey. "My companions and I seem to have gotten lost," he said, deciding to go for as near the truth as he dared. He had no idea where Q had landed them, much less in what galaxy or system. It would be just like the man to mess with them like that.
Okay, he could deal with his, Hiro decided. They weren't trying to do anything anyone would regret, and the tone the man named Jean-Luc Picard used was placating. He doubted there were ulterior motives. "We figured as much," he admitted. "We also noticed one of your party is injured. We have a medic who could look at that, if you like." He added the last part almost as an afterthought, suddenly unsure of how the offer would be seen.
Picard had a sudden suspicion. Even though this individual sounded quite mature, there was something about him that begged him to question the potential age. "Of course," he answered. "I was wondering something, though. Would you be so kind as to show me your face? It's a bit difficult to accept help from someone you can't see eye to eye with."
Hiro let out his held breath. Okay, that was a bit unexpected. People usually didn't ask him, or any of his team for that matter, to take off their headgear. But, since they were trying for peaceful negotiations, and these people were obviously not from around the area, he supposed he could make an exception. He reached for his helmet and twisted it off, holding it under one arm.
The captain almost took a step back. "But you're just a boy!" He couldn't help but include a slight tone of protest in his words. It was no secret on the ship that he had a hard time dealing with children. And right in front of him stood a child, a teenager more accurately. And he was the leader of this rather odd ensemble? It was unbelievable.
Well that was new, sort of, Hiro decided. He'd gotten used to the whole "but you're so young" when it came to his genius. After all, he'd graduated high school at thirteen, entered college at fourteen. And now that he was close to sixteen, well, he still looked young, even though he was a bit taller than he used to be. Still, he supposed it would disconcert a man of several times his age, someone old enough to probably be his grandfather, if he was being honest. But that didn't change matters. He was still Big Hero Number One and he had to act like it. "So?"
"And you're the leader of your little... group?" Picard couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by this idea. Since when were children allowed to take charge? Unless this was a race that aged in reverse. It wasn't unheard of. "Just how old are you?"
Hiro felt a wave of irritation wash over him. "Almost sixteen," he answered. "Did you want our help or not?"
Realizing he'd somehow managed to offend the boy, Picard decided to back off a little. "Yes, of course," he said by way of apology. "Lacking sufficient medical supplies, any help would be welcome." He just wondered how they'd react to Worf. "By all means, please bring in your medic."
Hiro turned back towards the rest of his team and waved them forward. "Come on, guys," he urged when it looked like Wasabi was hesitating. "It should be safe."
"Not until they put those things away!" Wasabi called back over his radio, pointing towards the partially visible Klingon.
Hiro glanced a bit hesitantly at the captain. "Uh, my guys say they won't come any closer until your men put down their weapons."
Seeing the direction the green-clad native pointed, Picard couldn't help but follow the direction, realizing Worf was partially in view, his phaser at the ready. "Put that thing away," he admonished his security chief. "They're only here to help." He gave a bit of a wave, silently telling his officer to move out of view.
A bit reluctantly, the Klingon complied, placing the phaser in the holster at his hip. He backed further into the trees when it became obvious they were coming in.
With the weapon put away, Wasabi was more willing to move forward with the rest of the team, Baymax bringing up the rear. Honey Lemon joined them as they moved towards their leader, GoGo smacking her gum, her skates slung over one shoulder. They were useless on the uneven ground.
"I do apologize for our current state," Picard said to the strange group. "We weren't exactly expecting company." He glanced back at the rather odd looking sixth member of the party. Was that a three-eyed lizard? He blinked a few times as he turned back towards the trees. Data hadn't mentioned anything about that. Apparently they both had many secrets, some of which he would love to have the answers to in short order. Others, he wasn't sure should be shared. After all, he had no idea how they'd react to someone like Worf.
Hiro waved aside his concerns. "It's fine," he assured. "We're only here to help."
They all followed the captain to the edge of the thicket. When it became obvious only a few of them would fit inside at a time, they decided on having Hiro and Baymax go. Baymax was, after all, the obvious choice. And Hiro, well, he was technically the leader and should be there. Besides, Baymax preferred it that way.
Once inside, Baymax knelt to take in his patient, a woman of mostly human nature. Baymax could tell from his previous scans, however, that she was not completely human, but chose to keep that to himself. For now. "I will scan the patient now," he announced, as was customary with new patients. "Scan complete."
Both Data and Picard seemed a bit taken aback by that announcement. They saw no means to scan, no tricorders, no handheld scanners. Nothing. The speed of the scan was also rather astonishing, provided it wasn't a hoax.
"The patient has sustained a mild concussion due to blunt force trauma," Baymax announced to Hiro. "I also detect a break in her left humerus that has been reset. However, it would be advisable to properly brace the bone to prevent further injury."
This information was nothing new to Hiro, though he rather thought the robot was saying it again for the benefit of those around him. But it was nice to know nothing had really changed in the meantime.
Baymax stood from his crouch. "As I do not have any equipment to properly treat the patient here, I would recommend relocating her to the nearest medical facility. I do not detect any blood clots or other causes for alarm and believe a full recovery is likely."
The captain exchanged glances with the android. Worf had moved into the shadows to hide his unusual physical characteristics. "What do you think, Data?"
Data contemplated the information at hand. "I do not believe that would be advisable, captain," he admitted. "I am sure you understand why."
Picard pressed a finger to his left brow. A slight headache had formed there. "I do," he replied with a sigh. It would not do to unnecessarily expose themselves. And though Deanna was mostly human, part of her was also Betazoid. They would have to find another way. Then of course came the notion that they somehow still needed to figure out just where they were and how to get home again.
Hiro watched this exchange with some irritation. But how could these strangers know they're obvious alienness had already been discovered? As far as their non-human companions were concerned at least. He might as well have out with it. "If you're worried about someone discovering your obviously alien companions, I have a solution for that."
That comment brought up more than one head as shock registered on several faces. "What makes you think we're alien?" The captain had to remind himself to be calm.
The boy rolled his eyes, helmet still in one hand. He hadn't bothered to put it back on. "I may just be a teenager, but you're not the first space traveling people we've met. That and Baymax can tell the difference."
"Hello," Baymax said with a little circular wave of his hand. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion."
Data moved closer to inspect the red-clad robot. "Very curious, captain," he said, frowning. "It would appear that this individual is the one like myself." He looked up to Baymax's white face behind the red helmet, realizing he didn't have a mouth. "Are you an android?"
Baymax looked back at Data with a measure of confusion in his black irised eyes. "I am a robot," he informed. "My primary objective is to aide those in need of medical attention. However, my primary patient is Hiro and my team."
Picard eyed the teen with growing confusion. "How did a boy of your age come in possession of such technology?" he asked without thinking, not sure if he really wanted to know or if he was just voicing his surprise.
But Hiro ignored him. Instead, he moved towards the edge of the small hollow and called out to one of his team. "Fred, I need you to radio base and ask for the helicopter. We're going to need it."
The lizard-like creature bounced forward, the headpiece flipping back to reveal the man inside. "On it," he announced before turning around to make the call.
Seeing this display, Worf couldn't hide in the trees anymore and stepped forward. "Your lizard is actually a man?"
"Worf!" Picard barked as his officer came out into the open.
But Hiro didn't so much as flinch at the strange appearance of the Klingon as he came out into the open. "I take it you're not human," he said in reply. "I wondered which one of you wasn't."
Data stepped away from Baymax as he observed the confrontation. "It would seem that this planet's natives are not as primitive as we supposed."
Picard resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that comment. "Yes, thank you Data, I've noticed that," he said in a rather grouchy voice. All of this was a bit unnerving. Alien planet, with no warp capabilities and they knew about aliens. And acted like it wasn't any particular matter for concern. Just where had Q left them? "Something tells me we have a lot to learn from each other."
At that moment, Fred pushed his way back into the small clearing. "Heathcliff's on his way," he announced. "Though he can't exactly land here. We'll have to go to that clearing by the crater if we want to meet up with him."
Hiro nodded, then looked at Picard. "We have a helicopter coming that can transport you to our base of operations. Once there, Baymax can treat your friend and you can explain just how you got here."
Picard was a bit taken back by the tone the teen used. He was obviously used to some form of authority, further solidifying the idea that he was indeed the leader of this group. "It would seem we have little choice in the matter," he finally agreed.
"Captain!" Worf complained. "I do not think it wise—"
But the captain cut him off. "No. I don't suppose you would," he said in a disagreeable tone. "However, I don't see any other solutions to our current situation."
The Klingon frowned but backed down. "Very well. But I do not like it."
Trying to put on a friendlier smile, Picard turned back to Hiro. "We would be happy to accept your offer. Please lead the way."
At a nod from Hiro, Baymax moved to pick up the unconscious Deanna Troi. "This way," the robot announced as he moved back towards the clearing outside the tree line.