Big Hero 7 (My Sequel To Big Hero 6)

Chapter 2

Hiro had been lounging on the couch when he saw it.

Flashing on the TV screen, red-orange flames licked hungrily at the crumbling tiling of what looked like an old warehouse, outlined against the dark skyline. The woman reporting looked scared, and she was glancing back an forth from the camera to the fiery scene behind her every few minutes as she spoke, eyes wide with terror. 

Within seconds, Hiro was on his feet, phone out, already heading to the basement where he kept his suit locked up. After working with Big Hero 6 for so long, these things were like a second nature to him -- now, it was purely instinct to jump up at the sight of a fire or shooting.

He fumbled to call Wasabi first, then almost dropped his phone as it suddenly started to vibrate violently. A smiling picture of Honey lit up his screen, and Hiro clumsily hit answer, still spiriting downstairs, skipping steps two at a time.

"H-hello?" Hiro panted.

"Hiro! Thank goodness! Have you seen--"

"Yeah!" Hiro cut her off, instantly understanding. "I'm suiting up now-- have you called anyone else?"

"I've talked to GoGo already," Honey gasped. "I'm gonna try and get ahold of Fred and Wasabi now. We'll meet you down there-"

And with that, the line went dead, and Hiro threw his phone onto the nearest couch, where it bounced back off and slid across the floor with a dull scraping sound. He thrust open the cabinet where he kept his suit, ripped it off its hanger, and stuffed it on.

"BAYMAX!" he shouted, voice slightly muffled by his helmet. "IT'S GO TIME!"

The robot waddled in almost immediately, already packed into his red armor, chirping gleefully. Hiro ran over to him, crammed his hands into his gloves, and climbed onto Baymax's back. The garage door rattled open, and they shot off into the darkening sky.

Hot summer air whipped past Hiro's face as he slipped his helmet open and glanced down at the glowing shapes of the city, which were steadily growing smaller.

"Can you scan for it Baymax?" he called above the wind. When Baymax didn't respond, Hiro decided he hadn't heard, and opened his mouth to ask again, when Baymax chirped, "Site found. Relocating..." Without warning, he shot forward with one big burst of energy, and looped back to speed down towards the ground, which was already alarmingly close. Hiro squeezed his eyes shut and clung on tighter to the clips on Baymax's armor. Slowly, the rushing air quieted, and soon, Hiro felt a soft bump as Baymax landed gently on the pavement.

A little shaken up, Hiro clamored off Baymax and spun around to face the building in front of them. He stared wide-eyed at it, as a painful recollection pierced him, and he was stunned into silence.

"It's.. It's--"

"Hiro!" a voice called behind him. Hiro didn't even get the change to turn around before he was engulfed in a rough hug by a flash of pink that almost knocked him off his feet.

"H-Honey-" he choked, pushing her off. He caught sigh of GoGo, Fred, and Wasabi over her shoulder, all scrambling out of an old minivan (which was serving as Wasabi's current back-up car, as his old one was still sitting at the bottom of the Sanfransokyo lake, as he so often reminded them). "Guys!"

"What's going on here?" Fred ran up to stand beside Hiro. "A house fire?"

"This building," Hiro managed. "It's... it's the same one Callaghan attacked me in... all those years ago. It's where he'd been mass producing my microbots."

"No way..." Fred breathed.

GoGo sped up to them, flicking open the visor of her helmet. "Seriously?"
A sudden, ear piercing scream broke the silence, and the team lept into action, charging forward, towards the intensifying flames.

A wild plume of fire exploded into the blackness, climbing higher and higher until it evaporated into a billowing cloud of smoke and ash above their heads. The faint flicker of siren lights could be made out, and onlookers stood on the outskirts of the lot, phones raised, chattering excitedly.

"Baymax and I are going in!" Hiro screamed at Honey, who was closest; and, without waiting for a response, he and Baymax shot forward, smashing through the rotted door and into the dry, smoldering heat.

Hiro knew his suit couldn't handle this high temperature for very long, but he delved deeper into the warehouse, determined to make sure no one was inside.

What was even the point of setting a place like this on fire in no one was inside?, he thought. The warehouse was entirely empty, apart from an old rusted convener belt that Hiro recognized all too well.

"Hello?" Hiro called. The only response was a sickening crack right above his head, and he looked up just in time to see a huge beam collapsing from the ceiling in flame. He tried to leap out of its path, but was thrown to the ground as Baymax fired his rocket glove directly above them. There was a loud bang as the two collided, and hot splinters rained down on them.

"T-thanks buddy," Hiro panted, scrambling to his feed again. "Let's get out of here."
More than happy to do so, Baymax knelt down to let Hiro climb on, before firing up his rocket boosters and shooting forward, back the way they had come. He raised his arm and his glove reattached itself, hardly scratched, but smoldering slightly from the intense heat.

The rush of cool air felt wonderful, and as soon as they were out, Hiro dropped to the ground, ripped off his steaming helmet, and inhaled sharply.

"Hiro!" he heard GoGo call. In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by his team, who were scrambling to get him to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Was anyone in there?"

Hiro shook his head, brushing away the sweat dripping into his eyes.

"No, but it doesn't make any sense! Why set the place on fire if it's just been sitting here for years? What would be the point?"

"I spoke to the head police officer," Wasabi said thoughtfully. "He said it could just be someone wanting attention, or just setting them for fun."

"He said it's been the third fire this month," Honey added, glancing worriedly back to the building. Hiro sighed angrily and picked his helmet back up.

"Well, I guess all there's left to do is keep an eye out for any more."

"HEY GUYS!" Fred shouted a few feet away. "YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!"

Hiro followed GoGo and Wasabi across the lot at a quick walk, Honey right on his heels. He couldn't make out what Fred was pointing at until he was right up close. If it weren't for the light cast by the shrinking fire, he might not have been able to read what had been sloppily spray painted across the crumbling stone wall. In big, swirling letters, were the words,

I SEE I'VE GOTTEN YOUR ATTENTION