The Rubber Band Theory

Chapter 3: Running

     Hiro had fallen asleep in Tadashi's lab while working on something. When he woke up, Tadashi was gone. Disoriented, he looked around the lab for a note or anything to indicate where his brother was. Hiro sent out a thought, but Tadashi was either out of range or unable to respond. He popped his head out of the lab to ask the others in the common area if they knew where he went, but no one did. Tadashi was just gone.

     Hiro closed himself in his brother's lab, trying desperately to control his breathing. It was shallow and panicked. What if something happened? What if Tadashi got hurt? What if-

     Hiro hadn't noticed the sound of Baymax inflating. He hadn't noticed the lighter objects in the room floating.

     He felt Baymax's smooth vinyl arms wrap him in a hug and heard the robot coach him through breathing exercises. Baymax walked him through his panic attack until he could breathe again. Looking slowly around the room, he realized that he had managed to make everything lighter than forty pounds levitate. He carefully set everything back down, taking care to put them as close to their proper place as he could.

     He lingered in Baymax's hold for a moment before pulling himself away. "Thanks, Baymax," he said quietly. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't remember saying 'ow'. How were you activated?"

     "Tadashi upgraded my activation to include sounds of emotional distress. I was alerted to your need for help when you began to hyperventilate. My scans indicate that you have had a panic attack. What seems to be the problem?"

     Hiro blinked at the robot, absorbing all the information. Had Tadashi had this in mind when he changed Baymax's activation? He shook his head. "I woke up and Tadashi was gone," he said quietly.

     Baymax tilted his head. "I do not understand. It is not unusual for you and Tadashi to be separate."

     "This is... different, Baymax. At... at the Showcase, he tried to run in after Callaghan. I stopped him, but it was a very, very near thing." Hiro shuddered. "He would have died, Baymax. When I woke up and he was gone and no one knew where he was, I started to think about all the things that could have happened."

     Baymax blinked at him, considering. Or at least, Hiro got the impression that he was. Before Baymax could do anything, Hiro's necklace started moving. He yelped in surprise, his hand flying up to his chest. He trapped the necklace in his hand, peering down at it. The microbot was moving. Hiro let go of the bot and undid the clasp at the back of his neck. He pulled the necklace away from his body, clasping the chain together again.

     "My microbot?" He watched it twitch and spasm in confusion. "This doesn't make any sense."

     "Anxiety is a very natural response to a traumatic incident."

     Hiro shot Baymax a glance before looking around the lab. "No, that's not... The thing is attracted to the other microbots, but that's impossible. They were destroyed in the fire." He set the necklace in a glass petri dish and set the lid on top, shaking his head. "Dumb thing's broken." Hiro turned away, leaving the microbot to clink softly against the glass. He picked up his tools and continued working on what he had been doing before his ill-fated nap.

     "Your tiny robot is trying to go somewhere."

     "Oh yeah? Why don't you, uh, find out where it's trying to go?" Hiro mumbled, only half-listening.

     "Would that stabilize your pubescent mood swings?"

     "Uh-huh. Absolutely." Hiro was almost entirely tuned out already, fiddling with the work in front of him. "Wait, pubescent mood swings?" Hiro spun in his chair to ask Baymax what he meant by that-