When All Q Breaks Loose

Chapter Sixteen: State of Emergency

The doors seem to fly open as Hiro all but bolted into Fred's room, only to stop as if a giant hand had halted his progress. He stood, his chest heaving as his senses registered what was being displayed on the giant television the others on Fred's team faced. He still didn't know if he could believe it. But there it was, in all it's HD glory.

"We have an update," Doug the newscaster announced as the image of the Lucky Cat Cafe returned to the upper corner of the screen. "Police have surrounded the building and are preparing to bring in a negotiator. Still no word on any casualties. What we do know is the gunman has forced those inside to cover the windows."

Hiro's heart almost burst from his chest as he recognized the building on the screen. "No!" His legs seemed to melt underneath him. "No! No! NO! This can't be happening!"

No more than a minute later, Baymax, Wasabi and Troi entered the room. Both Wasabi and Troi paused only a few meters inside the doorway but Baymax continued towards Hiro, concern evident in his every step.

"Hiro is in shock," Baymax announced. albeit unnecessarily. The shock was obvious.

Fred moved towards the new group, his face looking strained. "Hey, um..." he let his words fade off, and then looked towards the door. "I'm going to go get the others," he announced, striding determinedly towards the hallway. He paused only long enough to pat Hiro on the shoulder as he passed him. "We'll get her out of there. Alive. Promise," he said before moving on.

Troi could feel the emotions roiling around her like a tidal wave but had no context on which to base them. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" she asked.

Wasabi cleared his throat with an effort. "Hiro's aunt owns that café," he said as he pointed at the newscast in question.

That's all it took for the pieces to fall into place. "Oh," she said, moving towards the distraught boy. Things could go one of two ways, and she hoped it wouldn't go in the direction she thought most likely.

Hiro began to tremble, though not from any extreme of temperature. His hands balled into fists as he raised his head to stare at the screen, his teeth clenched together. "Not my aunt," he said as he slowly got to his feet, determination filling the void the shock had left behind.

GoGo and Honey Lemon rushed into the room as Hiro stood ramrod straight, every inch of his body tight. The two girls needed only to look once to know what kind of mood their leader was in. Just like with Tadashi and Callaghan, this was personal.

"Hiro," Troi said, putting a hesitant hand on the boy's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off. "I know what you're feeling right now," she tried again but without the physical contact. "No one blames you for being angry. But going into this situation with the intent for blood is not going to help your aunt."

That comment caught Worf's attention. "A warrior must be swift and exact. But he must not let his emotions get in the way of the overall goal."

"What is going on?" Picard demanded as he entered the room. He paused in momentary shock as he was met by the barbarian painting on the wall.

Deanna moved to intercept the captain. "An unknown assailant has taken Hiro's aunt captive," she explained, bringing him up to speed. "But in his current state, should he go out there, I doubt he will be able to deliver her and the other hostages safely out of harm's way."

Hiro continued to stare fixedly at the screen as the scene unfolded. "Guys, let's suit up," he said, his voice as cold as steel.

Picard moved further into the room, watching the reactions of all inside. Troi was right. Something had to be done. "Might I suggest making this a two-fold operation? It's obvious this is a situation that requires some delicacy, and while I'm sure your planetary security is doing its best, I gather you don't have much confidence in them."