*please note that chapters will be closer to two weeks apart for a while as I work on other projects*
Loki was about to do something drastic when Hiro suddenly surged up from his modified prone position. He watched a bit helplessly as the teen dry-heaved on the rooftop, his body convulsing almost like he were having seizures. He reached out a hesitant hand but pulled it back, not sure if it would help or hinder whatever was happening to his young friend.
One last shudder ran through Hiro's body before his spasms stopped. From all outward appearances, the youth looked completely and utterly spent. And no wonder, after everything that had happened. Energy seemed to disperse off him like a heat haze, dissipating into the atmosphere with only the faintest of visible tells to distinguish it from normal air.
"Are you quite alright?" the god of mischief asked, looking only slightly horrified at recent events. He didn't offer to even attempt to move towards him, unsure how the gesture might be received. For the briefest of moments, Hiro's eyes reflected back a dark field of stars, much like it had after his encounter with Dirk that morning.
Hiro gave himself a good shake, like a dog shaking off water, a shiver running down the length of his skin. "Yeah," he said, his voice not entirely steady. He blinked a few times as if that could somehow reboot his brain. "Just give me a minute to process."
Baymax leaned over him, scanning to make sure everything was okay. "I recommend using some of your emergency gummy bear rations," he suggested, unable to retrieve a lollipop in his armor.
Over the radio frequency for the police, Loki caught word of more bombs going off in the expected areas, even though those areas had previously been swept. Either they were missing them as they went, or someone was coming in behind them and planting them afterwards. "Please, by all means, take whatever time you need. But I strongly suggest hurrying." His tone certainly didn't fit the wording as he looked around almost anxiously.
"It's a decoy," Hiro finally stated as he tried to stand. He had to take off one of his gauntlets to reach into the pouch added to his gear for such emergencies. A gummy bear popped into his mouth and he chewed vigorously before swallowing. "All of these bombings are an attempt to throw us off their real target."
In a way it made sense, Loki had to admit. The question remained. What were they being diverted from?
Ever steady, Baymax remained as immobile as a statue while Hiro used his arm as a ballast to stand. "Perhaps I can calculate other possible targets based off of current police activity," he offered.
The teen looked up, giving a bit of a shrug. "Couldn't hurt to try," he said before popping another gummy bear into his mouth. He still felt weak and dizzy, but the sugary candy seemed to be helping. He knew once this was all over, though, he'd need to chow down on something more substantial, and take a really long nap.
"Scanning now," Baymax announced.
Meanwhile, Loki pursed his lips as he contemplated his young charge. Despite the sugary confection, Hiro still looked off in a major way. He put one hand to his chin in thought, wondering if the teen could handle what might soon come, or if he should try and bench him. Judging from what he knew, Hiro wouldn't take too kindly to him trying to keep on the sidelines, which meant something had to change.
Deciding it would be best to ditch the guise of being Wasabi, the Asgardian returned to a more typical look with streamlined, yet stylish clothes suitable for battle. No flapping cloaks or capes, almost like he'd merely taken off the decorative outer robe he usually wore, minus the horned helmet. He'd also though to keep his usually shoulder length hair a bit more manageable in length.
"I do not currently detect anything that might be considered a significant event warranting diversion," the robot announced after about a minute of silence. "I will keep searching for any event that might qualify."
Hiro patted him on one arm, still not entirely stable on his head. "It's okay, buddy. Thanks for trying." He hunched over, trying to pop his back before stretching, one hand still on the robot. He didn't seem to register that Loki had returned to his true form.
With a sigh, Loki walked up to the teen and placed a hand on his forehead, attempting to get a reading on his energy levels. What he got was a sense of far warmer than usual skin, indicating a fever. "This doesn't bode well," he said under his breath, not sure if this was an indication of infection or not. Since Baymax hadn't mentioned it, he somehow doubted it. All the same, it did not bode well at all.
"That almost feels cold," Hiro admitted as he shivered, taking an involuntary step back. Loki had to steady him so he wouldn't fall over.
To say Hiro's body had just about reached its limit with the supernatural was probably an understatement. He should be at home, recovering. Unfortunately, fate was far crueler than that. The boy definitely had a part to play in all of this, but Loki had no idea what just yet.
Baymax turned to look at the teen, eyes blinking expressively. He wisely didn't say anything about what Loki had already observed, choosing to keep a closer eye on his number one patient instead. "I have had several inquiries from the others as to our location," he announced. "Aunt Cass has also asked for a status update."
With lips firmly pressed together, Loki took a step or two away from Hiro, contemplating his condition. He knew the stubborn line he saw on the teen's face and didn't think the boy would back down, but there was no missing the fact that he needed a bit of a breather, at least for a moment. "I'll inform your aunt of our current situation," he decided, "if Baymax will tell the others we're taken a moment to consider our options."
Gratitude shone from Hiro's eyes at that announcement and he nodded. "Sounds good." He wished he had a water bottle he could take a swig from but didn't. He'd almost be willing to take a drink from a survival pouch from Davish Seven, but, again, didn't have one. Maybe they really did need to get a small supply, just in case.
Loki moved out of site behind a giant air conditioning unit while he updated Cass about their current situation. He took the liberty of quickly transforming into a bird of prey, probably not a local one, and went in search of something a little more substantial for Hiro while he was at it. He rightly figured the teen would need more than a minute to recover, certain his sense of time might be distorted enough to not realize the Asgardian had gone off for a few minutes.
He was right as Hiro registered surprise at the offering of a juice box and child's meal in a bag. He didn't mention how he'd snagged it from a drive through window of a local fast food joint. Someone would either mention it to the news or simply check it off as another bizarre happening in the city. Either way, he didn't care so long as what he'd managed to grab could help the situation.
More than grateful for the food, Hiro inhaled the chicken nuggets and fries inside the bag, sending them down his throat with the juice, which he hardly tasted. It was apple and probably didn't have much flavor anyway, but it helped. Now if only he could get his hands on some painkillers, that would have been even better. At least his knees no longer felt like marshmallows.
"Anything yet?" Loki inquired as he glanced over at Baymax; sure the healthcare companion had realized what he'd done.
Baymax tilted his head to one side, monitoring both Hiro and the police frequencies. "I have had several minor calls for burglaries in progress at small retailer locations," he admitted. "I have also received information of several vehicle accidents in various areas of the city."
Something clicked in Hiro's head and he looked up from his sitting position where he had his legs crossed underneath him, a chicken nugget halfway to his mouth. "Burglaries..." he mused. "What if all of this is to cover up a burglary?"
Loki couldn't help but look thoughtful at that suggestion. "It would have to be something large to make it worth all that effort," he reasoned. "Is there anything in the area that would provide them with at least a million dollars or more?"
"I will search the internet for possible targets using the new parameters," Baymax stated. He wasn't quite JARVIS, but he certainly knew how to get around the inter-web when he needed to.
While Baymax was doing that, Hiro took the opportunity to finish off his impromptu meal, feeling better for it. He certainly looked less pale than he had before, recovering at least a passable amount of strength from it. Adrenaline would probably quickly burn through it all but they could worry about that later.
After about a minute, Baymax raised on hand into the air, finger pointing upward as his stomach lit up. "I have compiled a list of locations that might fit these perimeters," he stated as a list began to scroll down his tummy.
Both Loki and Hiro scrutinized the list as it moved like the end credits on a movie. "Stop there," Hiro commanded as a chill sort of passed through him. He reached out one hand and pressed it against the vinyl skin, right over two words, Federal Reserve. Out of all the potential targets displayed, that would have the most money to grab. "This one."
Loki frowned as he put one hand to his chin in thought. "Can you pull up a map of the area? Please do include those areas currently under threat."
The robot complied, showing a stretch along highway 110. The University in question, and the Arena where they'd stashed the other displaced hotel guests, was only a block apart from each other. The third target, on the other hand, was so far away that it seemed like an anomaly at close to ten miles. But, if they looked towards the north of the stretch of highway heading away from the close of the two, the Federal Reserve sat only three miles away from the action.
"So close," Hiro said under his breath. "Would they really go after something so close to the action?" He started to pace, Loki letting him work it out. "If it falls inside the area evacuated.... No one will know it's happening until it's too late." He stopped as the idea took hold. "But if the cavalry were to show up before they get in, they'll abandon the job and we'll never catch them." He frowned at that thought, sure it was true. They'd have to go about this carefully.
Making a snap decision, Hiro straightened. "Baymax, let JARVIS know someone is purposely going in behind them to set bombs off, that there's a spy in their ranks. I'm sure he'd appreciate the info. Loki, please tell my aunt we're about to head to the Federal Reserve while I call the others and ask them to meet us there."
A smile graced Loki's lips to see Hiro more like his usual self, taking charge and everything. "Of course," he said, making a mental memo to slide in a few extra bits of information to Cass while he was at it.