Q couldn't believe his luck. There must have been something going on in another part of the manor that allowed him to slip out of the place undetected. Not that there weren't a few close calls, because there were. He'd almost run into the butler but managed to avoid that debacle at the last moment.
Deciding to try his luck with the nearest of the two blue boxes, he headed for the garage area. The oversized wooden crate sat there as if it didn't have a care in the world. Q knew better. He might not have his powers, at present, but he could feel a sense of sentience coming from the thing. But, when he tried to open the door, all he got was a few splinters for his trouble.
.............................................
The sound of a clock ticking filled the silence left by the Doctor's announcement. Even after Wasabi's outburst, there had been silence. The clock struck the hour, ten loud gongs echoing down the hallways.
"What he means to say," the blue-clad Doctor spoke up, "is that's what we think. But it does make sense, if you really think about it. There had to be some instigating force. I somehow doubt Hiro would have requested a do-over unless he had no other choice."
Picard rolled his eyes. "A do-over? The only person I know who would ever give the possibility of such a thing is Q, and he's currently without his powers."
Data looked thoughtful as he observed the two Doctors, both of which still stood in the center of the open area of the room. "Not necessarily," he corrected. "It is entirely possible there are entities inside this universe that share similarities with Q. The idea is theoretically sound."
Deanna crossed her legs, ignoring the tantalizing scent of the food Heathcliff had prepared for them. "But Data, that essentially sounds like you're comparing this alien entity, the Makt, to the Q Continuum."
Before Data could open his mouth once more, the bow-tied Doctor took up the narrative. "While that's entirely possible, from what you've told us about that individual, we gathered he was more like us." He pointed toward himself and his companion. "There are, of course, a few minor differences."
Picard stood to refill his tea cup. "While, of course, you make an interesting argument, I fail to see how that's possible," he inserted. "Q is an all-powerful being who can manipulate time, space, and matter at will."
"Data's not the only one who thought Q sounded like the Doctor," Fred interrupted. "Am I right, guys? I mean, we were all thinking it when we first met him. Of course, as you said, there are some differences. But I think there are a few things about these two that you guys don't know yet. Go ahead and tell them," he urged.
The two Doctors exchanged glances with each other, then understanding dawned on them both. "Oh, right," the blue-clad Doctor said. "We never did tell them that did we?"
"You know, I think you're right," his companion agreed. "We didn't. Now's just as a good a time as any. After you." He gestured for the other to go first.
With a bit of a bow to acknowledge the motion, the blue-clad Doctor cleared his throat. "Right. Hiro's group already knows this, though I don't think they entirely understand all of it yet, but my companion and I are what you'd call Time Lords."
"Which means," the other continued, "we are from a species charged with the protection of all time and space."
"Simply put, we're the Guardians of Time," the other finished for him. "Well, with the exception that he and I are the same person. And there used to be a whole planet of us, but that's another story for another time."
GoGo moved to the table to pick up a muffin. While all this talk was fascinating, she was decidedly hungry and wasn't going to let anything get in the way of eating. Not now that her headache was finally subsiding. "I sort of figured you guys, when combined with the Makt, and the TARDIS, would probably be like this Q guy."
Data nodded as he mulled that over. "It does make a certain amount of sense, though I'm not sure how the TARDIS has anything to do with this."
"The TARDIS," the bow-tied Doctor mused. "Ah yes, that sexy thing. She's as much a living entity as anyone is. You see, inside the Heart of the TARDIS dwells a sort of consciousness, albeit with a slightly different take on what we consider morality."
His companion rolled his eyes. "Let's not get into that, shall we? It might only confuse them more. Let it be enough that we're charged with the protection of time and space here and call it good. After all, we didn't start this discussion with the intent on giving a lecture on what we may or may not be."
Honey nodded, realizing they had indeed gone off topic. "So, what does this all mean about Hiro? You mentioned potential multiple encounters with the Rift."
"That we did," the younger Doctor agreed. He took the opportunity to pour himself a cup of tea from the same pot Picard had used, before sitting down in a comfy chair. "You see, as far as we can gather, Hiro was somehow given the chance to change something in his past. A death, for example."
Honey couldn't help but put her hand to her mouth as she let out a gasp of shock. "Tadashi," she breathed.
The newly incarnated Doctor nodded. "Exactly what we were thinking. And believe you me, we had a time of it going back time and time again to try and keep him from saving his brother."
Wasabi chose that moment to call their attention away from the current line of thought. "Now wait a minute," he protested. "Why would bringing Tadashi back be such a bad thing?"
Deanna closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions washing up against her senses. It was overwhelming. She put her uninjured hand to her head as if to repress the headache forming there.
"Counselor," Picard hazarded as he turned towards her, "are you alright?"
The Betazoid slowly shook her head. "There are far too many emotions running rampant at the moment," she explained. "And I can't be sure that all of them are coming from inside this room."
Honey moved to stand by the woman's side, as if that alone would offer up the support she needed. "Could you be sensing Hiro?"
But the counselor shook her head. "I don't know." She winced. "I feel pain, a great deal of pain. And confusion."
GoGo put down her food as she watched Trio. "I hope that's not Hiro you're sensing," she commented. "Because if it is, someone's going to pay."
............................................
Worf woke with a start. Growling a bit to himself, he rolled to a sitting position, his hair showing a decided need for a good brushing. He stretched, yawning hugely, then looked towards the clock. Surprised at the time, he immediately stood up and looked towards Q's bed, realizing it was empty.
"Not again," the Klingon grumbled. Then the idea that Q might have just gone to use the restroom or to join the others came to mind. He hoped that was the case. It wouldn't do to be completely unreasonable, after all.
Worf hurried got dressed and tried to smooth back his head. He probably should inquire about soap for a shower. He'd noticed the bathroom had a stall for such a purpose. But that could wait until later. He had a missing person to find before the man got them into even more trouble.
...................................
James had come across some trouble while looking for a portable heater. Most stores didn't seem to have them in stock, not that he'd intended on actually buying one. In the end, he'd had to go to a junk dealer and barter for one, something that took a lot longer than he'd anticipated.
Now well after noon, the kidnapper raced back to the warehouse, hoping he'd wrapped the kid up enough to at least keep some of the heat in. The heater he'd gotten was a bit bigger than the more modern ones, and a lot heavier, so he had a time of hauling it up the stairs and to the kid's room.
Wiping sweat from his brow, James set the ancient thing down so he could open the door. He didn't even know why he'd closed it. It wasn't like the tot was going to go anywhere, though it paid to be prepared, he supposed. Anything was possible.
With the door now open, James dragged the heater into the room, only to realize he didn't have an extension cord to plug the thing in with. Nor did he see any outlets in the immediate vicinity. Disgusted with his lack of foresight, James cussed. Heaving a sigh, he glanced over at his detainee.
"Well, kid, can't say I didn't try," he sighed. With almost more effort than he cared to admit, he moved back towards Hiro's side, bending at the knees so he could press his hand to the boy's forehead. "Still too cold," he observed. "Not good at all."
Hiro still breathed heavily, like he couldn't get quite enough air into his lungs. And his skin was decidedly a bit paler than it had been before. Cold sweat had broken out over his visible skin.
James debated. Maybe there was an extension cord somewhere else in the building. He knew if the boy was harmed, he probably wouldn't see a dime more than the ten grand he'd demanded as insurance. And while ten grand was a nice number, it still wasn't enough. That and he wasn't about to let a kid just die. But he couldn't take him to the hospital either. They'd know for sure he'd done something illegal, especially when they discovered he wasn't the legal guardian.
Hoping his line of thought was sound, James exited the room. He didn't bother closing the door again as he started a systematic search for some kind of extension cord he could use to plug in that old heater.
..........................................
Hiro felt as though he woke with a jolt. Except there was something wrong with this. Last he'd checked, he was in the form of a toddler. And, if his current consciousness could be trusted, he was back to his normal, almost sixteen-year-old, form. And he was freezing.
Teeth chattering, he looked around. But he didn't recognize where he was. It wasn't the warehouse he'd woken up in before that strange kidnapper had stormed in. Nor was it any place he could recall ever visiting. Instead, it looked like he was in some kind of system of caves, with ice growing up the walls.
He wrapped his arms around his body, shivering violently. "What is this place?" he wondered as he started walking forward. It looks like a recent seismic activity had shaken some of the ceiling loose from above. There were boulders of varying sizes all over the place, with dust thickly covering every surface perpendicular to the walls.
Stifling a sneeze, Hiro almost tripped over a boulder. "Ow," he said out of pure gut reaction. He'd somehow managed to stub his toe, despite wearing shoes. "Hello?" he called out, only to hear a muffled echo return to him from down the corridor of stone.
"Gotta get warm," he told himself as he jumped up and down, rubbing his arms up and down his chest. "I just hope this is a figment of my imagination. I think I liked the Portal better."
The sound of muffled voices came from a side tunnel and he turned to follow the sound. After moving past more boulders, sometimes having to squeeze by them, he finally made it into a more open area. His skin stung from rubbing up against the rough stone. And, in some areas, it was bleeding. But the voices were stronger now. "Hello?"
Hiro had just reached the end of his current tunnel when a bright flash of light filled the adjoining chamber. He had to cover his eyes due to the intensity. "What in the world was that?" he asked the air, hoping that whoever owned the voices would tell him, though they seemed to either be unable to hear him or were ignoring him.
"Q!" Hiro heard someone call out. The voice, oddly enough, sounded a lot like Jean-Luc Picard's voice.. "What are you doing here?"
Peering into the cavern, Hiro saw the five inter-dimensional travelers. Picard had been sitting only a moment before, leaving Deanna Troi on her rock. Worf and Data had turned towards the fifth person there, who looked extremely displeased. "I might ask you the same thing, mon capitaine. This isn't exactly the best place to take a vacation. You shouldn't be here."
Hiro couldn't help but watch in wide-eyed fascination as Picard moved closer to Q. "Shouldn't be here!?" the captain spluttered. "You shouldn't be here! We're on a simple exploration mission if you don't mind. Your interference is decidedly not welcome"
Q raised an eyebrow at that as he walked closer to the captain. "Oh, you are, are you? And I'm quite sure my 'interference' will be quite welcome, whatever you might think of it. Looks more like you could use some rescuing." He glanced pointedly at Deanna Troi. "You are rather hemmed in, what with the planet's unstable core and all that."
Deanna grimaced as she tried to shift positions. "We're fine, thank you," she retorted, trying to force her eyes to see straight. "The Enterprise will beam us up at any minute."
Hiro couldn't help but goggle at what was going on. Was this a reenactment of what had happened prior to their visitors coming down to San Fransokyo? Or had he somehow managed to actually go back in time and was witnessing it first hand? He wasn't sure.
Q's expression turned to full out disapproval. "Somehow I doubt that. Do you even have any idea where you are right now? You're right in the middle of a space anomaly. The Enterprise can no more beam you out than a snarglefish can fly. Admit it. You're stuck."
Picard scowled at that. "What anomaly? We detected nothing out of place before beaming down."
Q tsked as he sat on a nearby boulder. "But, my dear captain, of course your scanners wouldn't pick it up! Don't you see? This place doesn't really exist!"
Data looked up at that. "My scans indicate otherwise," he countered. "If their readings are correct, we are still on Davish Seven, where we should be."
Hearing the planet Davish Seven mentioned so casually, Hiro couldn't help but flash back to his first encounter with the Doctor. Hadn't that survival pouch the Doctor had given him back then come from Davish Seven? He couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but felt he'd hit the nail on the head. But if Davish Seven was part of his universe, what was it doing in theirs?
Q moved to stand near the android. "Are you sure about that? I'd check again if I were you."
The android looked back at the tricorder he had pulled out, scanning the area. His expression changed, his eyebrows furrowing with puzzlement. "What Q has said is correct, Captain," he announced. "We no longer appear to be in the same space as before. I am not sure how this is possible. If we are indeed unable to contact the ship, we should also be unable to determine our current position."
Q dusted himself off as he stood from his perch. "Semantics. But do you see your precarious position now? This place doesn't really exist in this galaxy! That means your ship won't be able to reach you, regardless of sensor strength or natural materials. Which leaves you with one of two choices, Captain. Stay where you are, hoping they will eventually be able to find you, knowing that won't happen. Or allow me to help you."
Hiro couldn't help but wonder if Davish Seven had somehow gone into the Rift, just like the alien entity he'd harbored all those months ago. It would explain a few things, he supposed. But he couldn't be sure. He'd have to ask the Doctor about it when he had the next opportunity to do so.
"And what kind of help do you offer?" Picard asked, more than a little wary.
The alien looked a bit hurt at that comment. "That hurts, mon capitaine" he said, pressing his hands against his chest. "But if you allow it, I can guarantee you a way out of this situation. I can take you somewhere safe. Otherwise, you'll likely get crushed when this planet decides to self-combust in oh...." He pretended to look at the sun as if to determine time, "a matter of hours."
"What?!" Hiro couldn't help but exclaim out loud, though his voice didn't seem to disturb the scene before him. But if this place was going to self-combust, he had to figure a way out of this mess before it did. Or he might not make it back to the rest of his friends.
"I say no," Worf interjected. "Previous experiences dictate that we cannot trust him."
The captain looked from one officer to the other, probably weighing out the options as any good leader did. Picard let out a sigh, clearly not happy with events if Hiro was any judge. "We accept your offer."
Q clapped his hands together. "Excellent. You won't regret it." With that, another brilliant flash of light filled the cave, blinding everyone, including Hiro.
...............................
"I almost hate to change subjects," Honey Lemon spoke up in the lull following GoGo's comment about someone paying if Hiro had been hurt. "But shouldn't we be working on a strategy for this afternoon?" She glanced around at the various faces around her. Even though they'd pretty much finished breakfast, a late one at that, there was still some time to get things in order. Or so she hoped. And since everyone else seemed to have forgotten about their looming deadline, she had brought it upon herself to remind them.
Several of those gathered in the breakfast room looked at her questioningly. "This afternoon?" Fred inquired, confusion written all over his face.
Honey resisted the urge to wring her hands. "Yes, this afternoon," she emphasized. "If the kidnapper wants us to drop off money at the park, chances are good they'll be somewhere nearby to pick it up."
GoGo nodded as she caught on to her friend's line of thought. "And if we can catch him, or her, in the act of picking up the money, maybe we can force them to show us where Hiro is."
"I don't know about using force," Honey said with a bit of a cringe. She knew GoGo wouldn't mind pummeling someone for what had happened. "Maybe we could just ask nicely."
Wasabi moved a bit too quickly and winced as his muscles pinged. "Personally," he said between clenched teeth, "I'm all for just following him back to his lair."
The two Doctors exchanged glances. "Yes, well, I suppose we can worry about the past later," the one with the bow tie admitted. "So long as we have a good plan for the present. We do have a plan, don't we?"
"Perhaps we could devise a tracking beacon to place inside the ransom money," Data suggested. "That way we can track his or her location. "Would it be possible to procure such an item?"
Fred looked excited at the prospect. "Oh yes," he said enthusiastically. "I bet they have those at the spy shop around the corner. I mean, since Hiro's not here to make one for us," he added as the others of his team gave him odd looks. They'd used up the last batch on a different project.
Deanna still looked a bit pale from her bout with whoever she'd sensed, though she'd managed to close off her empathic channels. "Aren't you forgetting something? Someone has to get the money necessary for the drop. Somehow I don't think using something fake will work."
That seemed to dampen Fred's spirits a bit. "Oh yeah. Guess that means I need to go to the bank." But then he brightened up again. "I know! I'll send Heathcliff to the spy shop while GoGo and I go to the bank!"
Wasabi gave the mascot a funny look. "And just who is going to drive you there? You're not taking my car. It's a total wreck. Besides, I don't even know what yard they took it to."
"True," Fred had to agree. "But aren't you forgetting that there's more than one car here? I'm sure my folks won't mind if I let GoGo drive one of the smaller cars. I mean, I would totally ask you to drive, Wasabi, but I think your injuries might make that a little difficult, what with your stiff muscles and all that. Of course, GoGo did hit her head. Think you'll be okay to drive? I suppose I could drive, but I'm a bit out of practice." Even though he did technically have a license, he wanted to give his friend something to do. She looked a bit down.
GoGo rolled her eyes. "I'm always read to drive."
Picard took that opportunity to stand authoritatively. "I don't mean to burst any bubbles, but should you really be allowed to operate a vehicle?" He glanced questioningly at GoGo.
Baymax moved to stand in a line of sight with the adrenaline junky. "I will scan you now," he announced before performing the simple procedure. "You appear to experiencing some lingering pain," he observed. "However, I do not believe you will be impaired should you choose to operate a vehicle so long as someone else is there to make sure you do not relapse."
GoGo moved over to Fred's side and grabbed him in a sort of side hug that was more masculine in nature than anything else. "Fred'll have my back, right, Fred? You do have a driver's license, just in case, right?"
Fred kind of smiled as he shrugged. "Of course I have a license," he said. "I just never use it because someone else usually drives me around or I use the public transit system. Of course, while carrying around ten grand, I'm not exactly prone to using the trolley system, if you know what I mean."
Before anyone could comment on that, however, Honey Lemon's cell phone began to ring. Looking a bit surprised, the Latino pulled out the device and looked at the caller ID. "It's Hiro's aunt," she breathed. "What do we tell her?"
Not giving her a chance to decide, Fred grabbed the phone and activated it. "Oh hey, Ms. H. How's it going?" He paused for a moment. "Oh, yeah, sorry, Honey was a bit busy so I answered for her. Hiro? Oh, he's sacked out in the movie room. He dropped his phone in the swimming pool so that's why he hasn't called you. We did some extreme workout the night before and the little dude was just totally wiped out. Yeah, I'll tell him you called as soon as I see him."
With a click, Fred handed the phone back to his friend. "I hope you don't mind me doing that," he said almost lamely as she took back the cell. "I figured she'd believe me more easily. You're just not that good at lying."
"Hiro's aunt will have to be told what is going on at some point," Picard pointed out. "Especially if she is his legal guardian. We can't keep her in the dark forever." If it were up to him, she'd have already been informed about what was going on.
GoGo blew a gum bubble and popped it. "We don't have to keep her in the dark forever, just until we get Hiro home." She turned to Fred and grabbed him by the fabric on his left shoulder. "Come on, Fred. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get Hiro back. Let's go."
Fred gave a sort of wistful yet cheerful wave as he was dragged out of the room. "Don't forget to get everything else ready," he reminded before he was pulled through the doorway.
Baymax blinked at the room in general. "Fred is correct. We should focus on creating and implementing a plan to apprehend the kidnapper."
Picard let out a sigh. Once again, he was out of his element. He'd tried to assert his authority and had failed. Obviously their respect for him hadn't gone to the level of letting him make critical decisions just yet. "Very well. Mr. Data, would you be so kind as to procure a map of the area in question? Also, while you're at it, would you look in on Worf and Q? I'm a little surprised they haven't joined us yet."
"Yes, Captain," Data said with a slight nod. He turned crisply on his heels and all but marched out the door.