They met in the Hamadas' garage the next morning. After a quick scan, Hiro had all the measurements he needed to make everyone armor. They spent an hour analyzing the footage Baymax had taken from their encounters with the masked man, looking for anything that could give them an advantage.
"The neurotransmitter must be in his mask." Hiro brought up a model of the mask on the display, spinning it around. "We get the mask, and he can't control the bots. Game over."
The next day was spent getting Hiro acquainted with everyone's tech. He figured that it would be easiest to give their suits abilities and weapons that they were familiar with. With their inputs, he started working on the designs, printing and assembling them as quickly as he could. The end of the weekend meant that the Nerd Crew had to go back to school, but Hiro stayed home from his usual shadowing to work.
The first suit to be ready was Honey Lemon's. They met at Fred's to test it out, pitting her against a very unenthusiastic Heathcliff. Her suit was pink and orange, complete with a snug but resistant set of underclothes. Her helmet wasn't far off from a sleek bike helmet, only built for protection and aesthetics rather than for aerodynamics. It had two long ears that doubled as antennae for the comms system. She typed away easily at the screen of her orange chem-purse, the strap serving as a conveyor belt for the assembly line within the orange 'bag'. With her history in softball, her aim was good. Poor Heathcliff never stood a chance. Not that he tried, anyway.
Go Go's suit was ready next. Hiro had thrown out the bike entirely, condensing her tech into four yellow and red disks. Her helmet was built for speed, ditching the tall ears in favor of a long protrusion at the back. Go Go had more armor along her shoulders, arms, and hands than Honey Lemon did, needing the extra protection in case she wiped out at high speeds. Her gloves and boots housed the suspension tech for the disks, the two disks at her feet having the ability to separate and give her two smaller, throwable disks. Her undersuit was sleek and black, small red detailing for style.
Hiro started on Baymax's suit next, needing more time to manufacture all the parts for the big guy than for the others. He only worked on it when no one else was around, not even letting Tadashi have a look at the designs, much to his brother's exasperation. He kept making tweaks and alterations to make it easier to put on and take off.
Fred's suit was an entire ordeal of its own. Since Fred didn't have tech to work with, they had to start from the ground up. The upside was that Fred knew exactly what he wanted. Before long, Fred had been transformed into a blue kaiju, complete with super-jumping capacity and flame-breath. That had taken a while to implement safely. His visor was disguised as one of the suit's three eyes, set in the center of the hood.
Wasabi's suit was next to be completed and boy was it fun to make. His helmet was replaced with a slim visor-and-headset variation, letting his hair fly free. Hiro broke up the norm of the rest of the suits, giving Wasabi a black undershirt and loose blue pants that tucked into long black socks. His green armor covered his shoulders and his chest, segmenting farther down his torso than most of the others'. He didn't have any specially reinforced shoes like Go Go or Fred, just a simple pair of traditional sandals. The fun though? That was had while making the plasma blades in Wasabi's gauntlets. With a flick of his hands, Wasabi could deploy long plasma blades that could cut through most anything. A simple flick of the hand was all it needed to reactivate the safety and turn them off. When Hiro and Wasabi went in for a high-five at the end of training though, Tadashi nearly had a heart attack. The shield was barely up before the other two noticed on their own, and Wasabi turned off the blades.
Tadashi's suit had been somewhat difficult to come up with. Everyone else had either their tech or tech that was tailored specifically to them. Tadashi's tech was Baymax, and he was already taken as an independent member of the team. Not to mention that Hiro had privately claimed Baymax and his services for himself. In the end, Tadashi and Hiro decided something new had to be done.
While Tadashi knew karate and a few other bits and pieces of various martial arts techniques, neither of the brothers were too keen on the idea of him going out empty-handed. Hiro managed to make a hoverboard by using similar tech to Baymax's thrusters, just applied a little differently. It was a sleek piece of tech, built to hold three times Tadashi's weight and sturdy enough to take hits. Hiro built a sort of call system into it that was linked to the gloves, giving Tadashi the ability to direct it though little hand motions. This way, he was able to use the board as an extension of himself, using it to get in hits even when he wasn't attached to it.
His armor was darker than the rest of the team's, primarily black and gray instead of some other bright color. He had a tight black undershirt and sturdy black pants under a long black coat. The detailing on the black fabric and carbon-fiber was a silvery white, evident on the outside edges of his shoulder pads and the buttons that kept the jacket closed under his chestplate. He had long, stiff boots that were well suited for martial arts, as well as protective against both blows and the windshear of the hoverboard. His helmet was not quite a helmet, but still covered more of his head than Wasabi's did. The black helmet hugged the back of his head but kept the hair on top free, Hiro citing that it just looked cooler that way. If Tadashi didn't have his shields, he might have argued against it.
When the time finally came to unveil Baymax's suit to the others, Hiro called them all to Fred's, telling them to bring their suits. Hiro and Tadashi were huddled with Baymax around the corner from their friends. They were both already geared up, but the younger Hamada had been guarding the bag with Baymax's gear like a jealous dragon. The Nerd Crew was chatting excitedly as they lounged on the patio furniture out of sight.
'You wanna help me get him suited up?' Hiro grinned up at Tadashi, patting the very large floating bag beside him.
Tadashi's smile grew. 'About time you let me see what you've been working on, little brother. He is my bot, you know.'
Hiro shrugged, looking more smug. 'I told you I'd show you first, didn't I?'
Tadashi snorted. 'I'm not really sure five minutes in advance qualifies, Hiro.' He pulled on the zipper, opening up the cavernous bag to reveal shiny red armor. Tadashi's grin grew, noticing that the cherry-red carbon fiber was detailed in purple, while Hiro's purple armor was detailed in the same cherry-red. 'What's with the exposed shins anyway, Hiro? Would it really kill you to make pants that went to your shoes like the rest of us?'
The two started pulling out the armor plates and putting them together on Baymax. Tadashi idly noted how heavy the backplates were. Hiro sighed. 'It'll make it less obvious when I hit a growth spurt. That's why my shirt is so loose too, so I don't have to tailor my under-armor every few months.'
'Like you'll grow fast enough for that to even be a problem,' Tadashi joked, earning a sharp elbow jab for his efforts. After a few more moments Baymax was suited up in his full glory, looking far less huggable than he had in the original suit. It was sleek and intimidating, not to mention added some length to his arms and legs.
'He's ready,' Hiro said silently, grinning up at his brother. 'Let's go knock their socks off, yeah?'
Hiro ran around the corner, Tadashi only a few steps behind. "Hey guys," he called. "Check this out." They got up and followed the Hamadas farther into the yard until they could finally see Baymax. Hiro gestured proudly. "I'd like to introduce, Baymax 2.0."
Baymax was striking a pose, the warm evening sun basking him in all of it's fiery glory. He was truly imposing, something that looked like it was made for battle. That thought made Tadashi feel a little conflicted about the situation, but he pushed it away.
Fred gasped. "He's glorious."
Baymax dropped the strong pose, waving his hand in greeting. Tadashi grinned, glad to see some of the Healthcare Baymax shine through Super-Hero Baymax's exterior. "Hello," Baymax chimed, immediately getting distracted by a passing butterfly. He went to chase after it, prompting Hiro to run and stop him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold up, focus..." Hiro stood in front of Baymax, blocking his path. He glanced between the robot and the others. "Show 'em what you got, buddy." When Baymax just blinked at him, Hiro turned and posed. "The fist, show them the fist."
Baymax mimicked the stance, holding his fist out. Hiro scampered behind him, excited.
"Ba-da-la-la-la-la."
Hiro chuckled nervously, glancing back at his friends and his brother. "No, not that. The thing, the other thing."
Baymax resumed his stance, straightening his arm. Little flaps came out behind his fist, revealing thrusters spewing purple flame. Hiro was practically vibrating at the excitement of it. The fist shot from Baymax's arm, soaring through the air towards the stone wall at the edge of the garden.
By the time Tadashi realized what was about to happen, it was too late to call up any shields that could stop it. The fist punched through a stone statue and then through the wall behind it, leaving a gaping hole and chunks of masonry everywhere.
Fred was bouncing and clapping. "Rocket fist make Freddie so happy," he cried softly, clearly caring more about how awesome it was than about the damage to his property. The rocket returned, nestling back into Baymax's arm like it had never gone anywhere to begin with.
"That's just one of his new upgrades!" Hiro turned back to Baymax, a face-splitting grin plastered on his face. "Baymax, wings."
Large red wings unfolded from somewhere in Baymax's armor; seamless, sleek, and elegant. Baymax tried to turn to look at them, looking much like an animal trying to chase its own tail. Hiro ran around behind him, climbing up the bot's legs to reach the magnetic pads on his back. Now fully anchored, he peered out from over Baymax's shoulders. "Thrusters," he commanded, looking giddy as he heard them firing up.
Baymax lifted a few feet off the ground, using his arms to steady himself and keep his balance. "I fail to see how flying makes me a better healthcare companion," he said, looking over his shoulder at his 'pilot'.
Hiro shook his head, sticking his tongue back in his mouth. "I fail to see how you fail to see that it's awesome!" He pointed up into the sky, looking like he was about to explode with excitement. "Full thrust!"
Baymax fell chest-first onto the grass with a loud thunk, shaking the ground. Hiro looked at the others in front of him in alarm. 'Oh no,' he thought.
Tadashi threw a shield up around himself and his friends, already knowing exactly what was about to happen. Sure enough, Baymax's thrusters came back online and sent the two skimming over the ground, missing Fred and the stone railing behind him by mere feet. They all watched in shock and horror as Hiro and Baymax flew around like a balloon releasing its air. They ducked, the duo sailing low over their heads and through the curved stone pillars further in the garden. Hiro screamed as Baymax struggled in the sky.
Tadashi snapped from his shock, flicking his wrist to summon his hoverboard. He hopped on, magnetically anchoring himself to it like Hiro had to Baymax and sped off after them. Unlike Hiro and Baymax, he'd actually practiced flying. He may not be able to stop them, but he could at least try to mitigate the damage.
Hiro and Baymax flailed over the street, now flying low above the city. Tadashi noted the people on the street as he chased after them. 'Drawing a lot of attention, little brother!'
'You think I don't know that?' Hiro cried back, his mental voice almost shrill with alarm. "Steady big guy," he called to Baymax, adjusting his position on the robot's back. Now settled lower on the robot's back, he felt less like he was about to die. "Look, let's just take this slow."
Tadashi noticed the giant cat in their path before they did. 'Hiro, look out!'
Hiro looked up and screamed. They were flying rapidly towards a large spinning cat with a knife on top of some local business' roof. "Up, up, up, up, up!" he cried. "Thrust, thrust, thrust!"
They flailed at the last second, shooting straight up in the air about a foot and a half from impact.
Tadashi cursed, lowering himself on his hoverboard and going up after them, albeit on a gentler slope.
Hiro was screaming again, not that Tadashi could blame him. "Too much thrust! Too much thrust! Too much thrust!"
Tadashi watched as Baymax's thrusters shut off and disappeared into his boots. 'Oh no.'
Baymax's upwards acceleration dropped to zero, carried only by his upward and forward momentum. The parabola would have made any mathematician proud. The duo sailed over one of the towers of the Torii Gate Bridge, quickly beginning to lose altitude.
Tadashi watched as they began to fall towards the busy traffic on the bridge as Hiro shot more rapid-fire exclamations of 'no'. Tadashi started shielding them, but there wasn't much he could do about the cars aside from make a blanket shield and hope they didn't break through.
"Back on! Back on!" Hiro called, tugging on Baymax's back like he could personally drag Baymax back up into the sky. He may have been telekinetic, but his powers had their limits. Baymax's thrusters came back on about three feet from the asphalt, sailing up and over the vehicles by a narrow margin.
Tadashi breathed a small sigh of relief, following about a hundred feet back. Hiro managed to get Baymax to fly up and avoid a van, putting them on course for collision with the bridge's second tower. Baymax skipped off of the metal, cracking the shield. He slowed down at the top and landed shakily on the tower. His wings folded in and Hiro relaxed, letting out a giant breath. Tadashi caught up with them, bringing his board to a steady hover next to them.
"Oh man!" Hiro exclaimed breathlessly, looking at his brother with wide eyes. He looked around, taking in the view of the skyline. "Maybe... Maybe enough flying for today."
Tadashi exhaled with a mighty huff, glaring incredulously at the two of them. "What do you say?" Hiro continued, straightening his helmet.
"Your neurotransmitter levels are rising steadily," Baymax said, looking between his two patients. Tadashi sputtered, his hoverboard shifting to try and account for his change in balance. He drifted closer.
Hiro leaned away from Baymax, looking at him in growing fear. "Which means what?"
Baymax just looked straight ahead. "The treatment is working."
"It was on purpose," Tadashi muttered. "He made himself into a rollercoaster." He shook his head, half-glaring at the other two. "I've been chasing your asses across San Fransokyo, worried out of my mind, and it was just Baymax's latest form of treatment."
Hiro shot him an alarmed glance before noticing that Baymax had started to slowly pitch over the side of the bridge. "Oh, no!" he cried, looking down at the water below. Far, far below.
Tadashi lurched forward, catching Baymax's hand. All it did was tow him after them. Hiro started rapid-firing 'no's again as they plunged head-first towards the water below.
"Whoa, Baymax!" Hiro drew out the last vowel, his eyes locked on the fast-approaching waves.
Tadashi was pushing the hoverboard to its limits, trying desperately to slow their fall before remembering that Baymax had been doing this on purpose. He let go of the robot, chasing them down through the air. Baymax's wings sprang back out and his thrusters came back online, bringing them to a wonderful elevation change of zero just above the water. Tadashi put on a burst of speed, latching onto the base of Baymax's wing before he started going too fast for the hoverboard to keep up.
Tadashi grinned at Hiro, holding his still-attached board against Baymax as they flew over the bay. 'Hiro, you can open your eyes now,' he said, silent laughter lacing the mental voice.
Hiro gasped, letting out the breath he'd been holding. He looked around, realizing they were flying steadily just above the water, leaving a small wake behind them. He noticed Tadashi clinging to Baymax at his side, watching the world around them with a look of fierce joy on his face. Realizing that they were really, truly flying, Hiro let out a nearly-delirious laugh. "Yes!"
Tadashi grinned at him and joined in with a laugh of his own.
"Whoo!"
Baymax shifted in the air before putting on a new burst of speed, flattening the brothers against his back for a moment. They sailed low over the city, bobbing and weaving through the gentle hills. They rolled through the air, snaking through the tall high-rises in the commercial district of San Fransokyo. Baymax flew in smooth loops over the overpasses, doing little tricks for his thrilled patients.
Baymax brought them in over a train, ducking into the tunnel before it did. Tadashi and Hiro looked back, grinning and waving at the conductor before Baymax took off again, back out of the tunnel and into the wide sky. They circled around a rounded glass skyscraper, Tadashi and Hiro taking a moment to watch their reflections as they soared through the air. Baymax changed their course, bringing them along the steel cable of a floating koi turbine. He stretched out his large hand, letting it skim the cable for a moment before pulling away.
Now looping above the fish and back down again, the three exchanged a glance. Baymax started weaving through the turbines, the boys leaning and shifting with each movement. They spun after the last one before finally straightening out and heading back towards the Torii Gate Bridge. Tadashi and Hiro let out a few whoops, settling in to enjoy the rest of the flight.