Bonus Thanksgiving chapter!
The next week went by in a blur. Six weeks wasn't much to prepare something new so Hiro opted to go with a project he'd been working on reproducing, his microbots. Only he'd made some improvements to make them less easy to steal and use for bad purposes. He'd also managed to shave down the size of the neurotransmitter a bit, though he hoped to get it down even more. It might prove useful in their super hero stuff later on.
Honey decided her best application would be to show some of the cool chemical reactions she'd managed to create, including Chemical Metal Embrittlement. When she was told to narrow it down, she decided to go with just the one experiment, making sure to have plenty of metal samples to use for demonstration purposes. She chose to go with tungsten carbide.
Wasabi decided to go with his signature creation. He knew it would be impossible to bring his entire laser induced plasma project so he worked on reducing it to a smaller, more manageable size, like what they'd used when creating their super hero gear. Not only would it be easier to transport, but there was less of a chance someone would get hurt. All the same, he made sure to include lots of caution tape and a protective sheet of plasti-glass to keep curious fingers out of harm's way.
As for GoGo, she decided it would be best to showcase her specialty, electro-mag suspension. She chose to use the same bike frame she'd used two years ago to cut down on time fabricating a new one. It was impressive on its own right. That and she'd made some serious improvements on it over the years.
It also helped that they'd opted to go ahead and drive out a few days early so they didn't have to mess with airport security. That and it allowed them to use the storage spaces under the seats of Wasabi's van to stow their superhero gear. It was Fred's idea, really, though none of them anticipated having to use it. It was still nice to know it was there. And thanks to Hiro's latest design, Baymax's armor folded up into a much more compact bundle.
Those six weeks raced by in a blur of activity as they each tried to get their projects ready. Not only did they have to make sure everything would work for the size of the venue, but they had to prepare the necessary papers to prove their projects worked. That and they needed the posters necessary to help outline what they were doing. Fred was a great help with that, since he knew someone who printed banners and poster board.
Hiro couldn't help but wonder who all would be there. Still not one for the lime light, he hoped no one would comment on his obviously younger than typical college age. He toyed with the idea of trying to hack into the guest list but decided against it. He would find out soon enough. At the very least, the idea of not only meeting but rubbing shoulders with Stony Stark was more than enough to keep him jittery from one moment to the next. Part of him felt it was a very good thing he'd built his microbots so many times over the course of several timelines. He could practically do it in his sleep.
But finally, the day set for them to head out arrived. It would technically take about 45 hours to drive straight through without a break. They all knew that wasn't going to happen. Not only were potty breaks a necessity, but so were stops for gas and snacks. Baymax, along with Aunt Cass, insisted they stop off at a hotel every night so no one person was behind the wheel too long, risking someone falling asleep while driving. She even hinted that if something like that were to happen, and they all died in such a crash, she'd bring them back to life just to scold them all soundly.
Wasabi was more than up for that and carefully plotted out their course, complete with scheduled stops for gas and bathroom breaks. If they timed things right, they could arrive at their destination in about four days, mostly rested and ready to go. So, being economical, he added in an extra day as buffer, just to be safe. Things did tend to happen, even though he made sure to have his car in pristine condition before he allowed even one bag to be placed inside. He also made sure to remind them to keep snacking down to items that wouldn't crumble or create crumbs he'd have to later vacuum up.
After careful consideration, Wasabi also allowed that he would have to let others take the wheel during this trip. Since Hiro didn't have a license yet, he was out of the running, but Honey Lemon was good to go. And, after some reluctance, he allowed that GoGo could drive as well. It had been a while since he'd last let her and decided maybe now as a good time to give her a second chance. He still wasn't sure about Fred having a legit license, even though the mascot had shown it to him. He knew those kinds of things could be forged. That and he'd never actually seen him drive.
Aunt Cass stood outside the café as Hiro placed his last piece of luggage inside the trunk area, closing the door to keep it all from toppling out. He'd managed to hide his gear in a duffle bag, mixed in with the microbots to make it less obvious. The others had their gear already stowed, along with Baymax's armor, before he added his stuff to the pile. "Be careful," Cass requested as she gave him a hug, musing up his hair as she did. "And make sure you all keep an eye out, you hear?" She turned to mock glare at his friends. "If I have to come out there to straighten anything out, I'll make sure you're all grounded until you're thirty."
Hiro couldn't' help but give his aunt a bemused smile. "We'll be fine," he protested with an eye roll. "Stark Tower is one of the most secure places in all of New York. Right, Fred?"
Fred nodded. "Totally so," he agreed. "What with Iron Man there, we shouldn't have any problems."
"At least none that should cause you to worry," GoGo quipped. "After all, it's a big place. Our biggest problem will probably be getting lost."
Baymax blinked as he waited beside the car. "I have downloaded a map of New York City and the surrounding areas," he admitted. "I can be used as a navigational tool should that occur."
Hiro gave the robot an affectionate pat on the air. "Okay, buddy, time to shrink. We're going to need all the leg room we can get. I am satisfied with my care."
Hearing the words, Baymax shuffled into his case, ready for such a purpose, and deflated. Once the robot was fully deactivated, Hiro lugged the case to the van and slid it under the front seat where they'd left a space for him. He turned back to his aunt for one last hug before climbing into the car behind his other friends. After that, he buckled in as Wasabi started the engine, turning to wave as the physics student put the car in gear and drove off. "Bye!" he called out, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.
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Kally chewed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated her project. At Professor Othin's suggestion, she'd opted to create a simple program that would manifest itself via a holo projection imager. Well, simple for her at least. She'd already managed to work out the kinks and was just putting on the finishing touches in her lab space when the professor entered the area.
"Good morning, Miss Carmichael," he greeted as he took a gander at her project. He nodded in appreciation at her hard work. Not only had she managed to create a program that would interact, at least on a basic level, with others, but she'd managed to create a small holo projector to go along with it. The program manifested itself as a woman wearing casual clothes, seeming to float in the air. It would turn towards the closest person, almost as if it would sense someone was there. And, in a way, it could, thanks to the motion sensors she'd added to the base.
Kally couldn't help but jump a little, though she tried to hide it. She'd been too absorbed in her project to pay attention to much of anything else. "Professor," she said a bit breathlessly. "I didn't see you come in."
Othin smiled, more than aware of her distraction. "Might I suggest trying to pay more attention to your surroundings during the showcase?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "People have been known to try and steal projects at these kinds of events. One must always stay on their toes."
Affecting a bit of a salute, Kally nodded. "Thanks for the advice. I'm just glad you convinced them not to make me do one of the onstage presentations. I don't think I could manage doing that without passing out or something." Even the thought of doing something like that made butterflies fill her stomach.
"I understand there will be another student close to your age attending," Othin said, changing the subject slightly.
This announcement caught Kally by surprise and she couldn't help but look back up from checking her design. "Someone my age?" She hadn't heard of anyone else in the area that might come even close to what she'd managed, graduating high school early, only to turn right around and enter college at the next beat.
Othin's smile widened. "Yes, a young man from California, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, to be precise. Perhaps you could get to know him while he's here."
Kally blinked a few times at that idea. Would it be okay to seek out this person? She supposed, but that didn't mean she had to necessarily go out of her way. Chances were good they'd bump into each other along the way anyway. The expo was several days long, each day highlighting a different aspect of science and technology. Not to mention the welcome dinner the first night, where all attendees were invited to mix and mingle with each other. "What's his field of specialty?" she asked as she returned her attention to her project.
"Robotics," Othin replied, watching her work. She had an innate ability to know how things worked, which was probably why she'd been able to figure out that one wrong character all those weeks ago. She'd been the only one able to do so, not that he was surprised by that. She did have an unusual gift, after all. "I understand he had an older brother who worked in the same field, focusing more on programming, just like you."
Had? She wondered at the past tense but chose to ignore it. He liked to dangle little teases her way, just to see if she'd bite. Well, she wasn't going to nibble on this one. "Okay," she nodded, not looking back up. "Sounds fun."
He gave her another scrutinizing look before patting her on the shoulder once. "If nothing else, it wouldn't hurt to make a few friends. There is strength in numbers." And with that, he left the space.
Kally couldn't help but look up at that comment and caught sight of the tail of his coat as it flapped out of view. What had he meant by that, she wondered. She hadn't really had many friends growing up. Her dad had been good enough, at least until he'd died. And after that, she'd not risked the possibility, knowing the majority of her classmates were more likely to spit in her eye than be her friend.
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Pepper Potts exited the vehicle she'd been riding in, Agent Coulson right behind her. She'd been a little surprised to learn he wasn't really dead. Of course it also wasn't entirely surprising, all things considered. But now was not the time to worry about that. Yes, it would shock Tony a bit, but not as much as the news they were bringing him would. It was unfortunate that it had to coincide with the student expo, but that was life.
"Good morning, Miss Potts," JARVIS greeted the moment she set foot in Stark Tower. "Should I inform the others of your arrival?"
Even though she knew the artificial butler wasn't really tangibly there, she'd grown accustomed to his presence. It was nice knowing Tony had him at his back. "No. That won't be necessary," she replied. "I'm headed right up now. But if you could tell me where he is, that would be helpful."
"Of course, Miss Potts," he agreed. "Mr. Stark is currently in lab space three on the twelfth floor."
Pepper nodded, a little surprised he hadn't said anything about Phil Coulson's presence. After all, she wasn't the only one who'd thought him dead. Unless he knew something she hadn't. It was a possibility, but she doubted it. "Thank you," she said instead and headed for the elevator. Chances were good Tony was working on a last minute project to wow the guests.
The elevator chime dinged as they reached the desired floor and Pepper exited with a brisk, no-nonsense step. As the CEO of Stark Industries, she'd developed several habits, including the power walk. If nothing else, it usually kept annoying potential clients from reaching her any sooner than necessary. But that wasn't the reason why she was in such a hurry now. "Tony!" she called out as she entered the lab, only to stop when she saw her boyfriend leaning over something with a welder and protective gear in place.
Tony held up one finger as he spot welded something with the other hand. He was wearing a black t-shirt with some random design she couldn't immediate place. But the man standing next to him was easier to identify as Dr. Bruce Banner, though why he was in the same lab space as Tony was anyone's guess. He usually preferred to work alone. "Just a sec," Tony called out before Pepper could say another word. He finished whatever it was he was doing and pushed the protective visor back out of his face before turning to see who all had entered the room.
"Tony," Pepper tried again, seeing him pulling himself away from his work. "We need to talk."
But Tony just walked right past her, looking almost like he'd seen a ghost as he stepped right up to Agent Coulson. "I thought you were dead," he said in a point blank tone. "We all thought Loki'd killed you."
Phil merely smiled one of those smiles that gave nothing away as he stood with his hands clasped together. "Morning, Mr. Stark. I'm sorry you couldn't be read in on that incident. Furry thought it best everyone think I was out of the picture for a while. That and it gave everyone the motivation they needed to get the job done back then."
Tony gave a funny roll of his eyes as he returned to whatever circuit board he was soldering. "So, to what do I owe the honor?" He flipped the headgear back into place while Bruce stabilized the board.
"Do you really have to do that right now?" Pepper asked with some annoyance as she folded her arms impatiently. "I just arrived from the main office with some information you really should hear."
That seemed to get his attention as Tony took off his protective gear and set it aside. "I'll just finish up in here," Bruce said as the other man moved away from the lab table.
With a wave of his hand, Coulson indicated they should exit the room. Once both Tony and Pepper were out in the hall, he followed them. "There's been a breech," he began once the lab doors had closed.
Tony looked questioningly at Pepper who let out a sigh. "Someone broke into the mainframe at the main office. They were trying to download plans to Stark Tower." Her boyfriend's head seemed to jerk up at that. "We don't think they got anything, but it's possible someone may be targeting you for some reason."
Stark couldn't help but frown at that. It wasn't unusual, but he had some misgivings about the news. All the same, it came as an annoyance. He wasn't one to run from danger. "I have several students scheduled to arrive sometime today and you're telling me security might be compromised? The student expo is supposed to start tomorrow. What do you want me to do? Cancel it?"
Before Pepper could answer, Phil took a step forward. "No, nothing like that," he assured. "Like Miss Potts said, we don't think they got anything. But, just to be safe, we'd like to station some additional guards throughout the building. It's just a precaution, especially if you do have guests staying here."
Tony looked far from happy as he began to pace. "You don't think?" he repeated before stopping suddenly to stare at the agent. "You do know this is the most secure building in all of New York, right? With JARVIS, it makes the building more secure than any military base. Maybe even the White House."
"Thank you for your confidence, sir," JARVIS intoned from one of the wall speakers.
Coulson resisted the urge to let his shoulders sag. "It's only a precaution. I understand the individuals you asked to stay here are students from California, including Stanley Whitmore's son, Frederick isn't it?"
"Fred," Tony corrected, still frowning. He had to admit Coulson had a point. "Fine," he agreed. "But none of the planned activities change unless you can give me definitive proof that we're compromised."
Pepper looked ready to protest but stopped at a slight shake of the head from Tony. "Fair enough," she reluctantly agreed. She turned to Phil. "Please see to it," she requested. "I need to get ready to welcome our guests." With that she turned on her heels and headed back down the hall.
"You know Miss Potts only has your best interests at heart," JARVIS spoke up in the resulting silence. "One can never be too careful."
Tony sighed. "You're right, but I'm not about to admit that in front of her." He then turned and reentered the lab, the door closing behind him.
"Is it just me or does he seem more stubborn than usual?" Coulson asked as he straightened his shoulders.