When Stars Collide, a BH6 x Dr Who crossover

Chapter Twenty: Shock

(An extra chapter for the weekend because I feel like being generous)

Hiro stared up at the ceiling. Just as he'd thought, the others had all given him big hugs. They'd all looked rather somber, though, each remembering private griefs. Now, most of them had opted to crash for the night.

Honey Lemon continued to work at her chemistry, replacing the apparatus with new equipment Heathcliff had purchased for her. She was determined to figure out a way to help defeat those machines, using their metal against them. But, so far nothing had really come to mind.

And Hiro? He didn't want to sleep. It wasn't for lack of exhaustion, because he was exhausted. He just didn't want to see the images currently teasing at the corners of his eyes. He knew that once he closed his eyes, he'd relive every horrible moment, and he wasn't ready for that just yet.

"You should try to sleep," Baymax admonished the boy. Despite appropriate medical attention, Hiro seemed unable, or unwilling, to relax.

Hiro let out his breath in a soft huff. "I'm not tired," he lied. "I'll sleep later."

Before Baymax could press the issue, Honey walked over. "Since you're not tired, why don't you give me a hand?" she offered. "Besides, there's something I want to show you."

Leaping at the opportunity, Hiro got up and followed her over to the worktable. "What've you got?"

"This." The blond pointed at the metal stuck to the table, quickly explaining how it had melded with the work surface. "I thought I could just melt it back off, but look at this."

Taking a small blowtorch, Honey aimed the flame at the metal, careful to keep the heat away from the glass and any other flammable materials nearby. Before Hiro could call out in protest, she set the torch down and rapped her knuckles against the surface. "It's completely cool," she said.

With a bit of hesitation, Hiro touched the metal as well. He looked up, blinking his confusion. "It's still cold."

Honey nodded. "I know. Check this out." She grabbed a fragment of unaltered space rock from her stash and smashed it against the table. The smooth surface didn't even get a scratch.

"Somehow, those chemicals changed the metal," she explained. "It might even be stronger than diamonds. But without any, I can't prove it."

Hiro's eyes went wide at that. Deep in his subconscious, a plan began to form. "Do you think we can use that on our gear?"

Honey shrugged. "I don't see why not. So long as it's in liquid form, we should be able to apply it to pretty much anything."

A small seed of excitement formed in Hiro as he contemplated the possibilities. At the very least, they could coat the hard parts of their armor, which would help. But that still left how to deal with the exoskeletons. The new coating might let them dent them up a bit, but it didn't stop them completely.

If he remembered correctly, their encounter with the exoskeletons was meant as more of a test. Chances were good that whoever made them would be looking for ways to improve on them as well. They had to figure out a way to shut them down, or, at worst, destroy them.

.....................................

As the first rays of light filtered across San Fransokyo, two dark sedans pulled up in front of the Whitmore Manor. Car doors slammed as four individuals stepped away from the vehicles. They quickly strode to the front door and rang the bell as the vehicles drove away.

Heathcliff's brows rose as he answered the door, recognizing everyone in the party. "Do come in," he said as he moved to allow them inside. "I will alert the young master to your presence."