April Heist (Big Hero 6 Fan Fiction. Warning! Graphic Description! Read at Own Discretion!)

The crackle of gunfire could be heard even through the glass. A small family consisting of a young woman with a bob of brown hair and a young boy, maybe twelve, with shaggy black hair were staring at the building, fear etched into every line on their face. Alujah went up to them.

"Excuse me?" she said gently. The woman started at the unexpected interruption and looked over at me. "My name is Alujah Kinedryl. I have three tours of duty in Iraq, and I graduated from this school last year. I know this building inside and out. Is there anything I can help-?!"

"Please!" the young boy pleaded. "My brother's in there. He's in the Robotics lab." His eyes filled with tears, showing his tender age.

"Do you have a picture of him I can see?" she asked. He nodded, grabbing the woman's wallet and opening it up. He took out a photo of him and a young man, both with the same black hair, but with different haircuts. The brother was also slender and had a more athletic build. "What's his name?"

"His name is Tadashi. Tadashi Hamada," the young woman said. "He's my nephew. Please, get him out!" She grabbed Alujah's hands, clasping them between hers. She was taken aback a bit, but blinked and smiled.

"I will," she promised. Looking around after the aunt released her hands and snuck around the side of the building. Before she got too far, though, she noticed a small group of police heading towards the building, guns drawn with bullet-proof vests on. A sense of doom came over me as she watched their progress. Movement caught her eye from the second floor balcony. She was about to stand up and warn them, but then a barrage of bullets rained down on them from the roof. She huddled in the bush, struggling to keep her emotions in check. 

Not now. Now is not the time for emotions. It's time for action, logic, and strategy. She brought up a mental map of the school, all three storeys. She mentally crossed out the entrances that had been botched, and planned several alternate routes. Worst case scenario, she couldn't do anything. Best case scenario, her ROTC training paid off, in spite of the fact that she hadn't used it in years. Then, Alujah took a deep, calming breath, counted to ten in her mind, then went up to the security door, which was stil bolted shut. She used a keycard she'd forgotten to return when she graduated, and was about to open the door when she felt a small hand touch her shoulder. She whipped around and grabbed without thinking. The young boy who'd asked her for help was crouching behind her with a pained expression. 

"What are you doing here?!" she hissed. "This isn't the time for hide and seek!"

"I just wanted to help," he whimpered quietly, pain making his voice go hoarse. "Would you please let my wrist go? You're going to break it."

She released his wrist. "Go back to your aunt, kid. I can't jeopardize this mission," she ordered quietly.

"No! Not without my brother," he said stubbornly. 

"Psshhh!!! You're going to get us both killed!" She froze when a loud knock sounded on the door. "Hide!" She shoved the kid off the stairs and into the bush beside it. She shivered when a spider crawled across her face. She squeezed her eyes shut until it took off onto a leaf. She opened her eyes a crack and saw the kid stiff as a board as he looked up through the leaves at the hijacker. She nudged his foot and met his eyes when he looked at her. The message was clear: "Don't stare at him. He'll feel you watching and start shooting."

He swallowed hard and nodded. They breathed a collectve sigh when the man left. She grabbed his hand and they both jumped out of the bush onto the path beside it. She quickly brushed herself off, trying to keep from screaming when three large, highly venemous spiders dropped from her clothes to the ground below. The boy was just as preoccupied. He seemed to be muttering to himself, thankfully under his breath.

"What are you whispering about?" she asked in a whisper.

"Naming these stupid things," he answered. "It's how I calm down. You've got an arachnus sercophagus on your shoulder. You don't want it on there." She brushed a quick hand over her shoulders and dry-swallowed to keep from vomitting.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm getting you back to your aunt, kid. I can't threaten the safety of the hostages or your brother's safety by having you come along with me."

"You have to take me! I'll make a lot of noise and bring them running to us," he warned me. I growled, glaring at him.

She debated knocking him out and carrying him back, but decided against it. Finally she relented. "Errg! Fine," she said. She swiped the card again and grabbed his wrist as she nipped inside. She pressed him into a hole almost immediately and crushed herself in not long after. Thankfully a curtain was there so they were hidden. Footsteps as though from a high-heel came clicking down the hallway with deadly precision. She pressed back even further, fear threatening to overwhelm her. She reached into her back pocket and grabbed the pepperspray, prepared to use it if necessary. She realized a second later that she would make him scream, not quiet. She shifted the curtain slightly and rolled the can out into the middle of the hall, right into the guard's view. The man was jumpy, she could tell by the way he whipped around, gun aimed at anything and everything that moved. She held her breath as he relaxed, coming up to inspect the can.

Hold. Three steps. Hold. Two steps. Hold...C'mon! Hold. One step...Hold. The man crouched and picked up the pepperspray, holding his gun, which she recognized as an AK-47, in his left hand. They were positioned to his right. She lifted her leg and drew a knife from it's hidden sheath in her boot. She burst out of the curtain, grabbing the guy in a headlock before he could react. She stomped censored his hand, breaking several bones. The guy tried to scream, but couldn't because he wasn't getting any air. She twisted violently, breaking his neck with a nauseating CRUNCH! She calmed down and searched his body for weapons. She slung the rifle over her back and undid his ammo belt. She found two pistols, both with silencers, and four more magazines for each weapon. She tucked the guns into her waistband before clipping the ammo belt on. She pushed the curtain back from the boy and they both made their way down to the Robotics lab. She peeked in and saw Robert crouched next to some students who were on the verge of hysteria. She hissed then made a loon call.

Robert's head shot up and looked toward the door. He responded with an owl hoot. It was their code for "All clear," something they came up with when she finished her tours. She sighed with relief and came in, gesturing for her shadow to follow her, that it was alright.

"Tadashi!" he cried softly when he saw the young man She recognized from the photo. They weren't in full-view of the balcony. 

"Hiro," breathed Tadashi, embracing his brother tightly. "What are you doing here?!"

"I had to make sure you were safe," Hiro replied, a slight whine in his voice. She turned to look at Robert, who seemed both relieved and vexed at my presence.

"Robert, are there any other gunmen who have this place in their crosshairs?" she asked him.

"Two snipers on the balcony. Any attempt to move has resulted in a shot through the window," he reported. She nodded and ghosted away. She drew the pistols and peeked around a post that was supporting the roof. There were the two snipers, just like Robert had said. She briefly considered firing two shots with her pistols, but threw the idea out the window. She picked up a small, decorative rock and threw it at one of the men. It bounced off his helmet and he briefly let go of the ballistrade he was handing onto. With a frightened yelp, he fell to his death. His partner saw this happen and threw a grenade in her general direction. She used the rifle to bat it back to him. He caught it with a confused look.

"Huh?" he said just before it exploded. She strangled herself to keep from laughing. The guy had actually said, "Huh?" when he caught the grenade. She snickered quietly as she went back to the lab.

"Any others?" she asked Rob. He shook his head. "Alright, this way. We'll get you all out by sneaking you out the security door. No questions. Quietly, and quickly. Stick to the bushes until you're two blocks down. The military is there. Get them to call the police and tell them that the Robotics lab is clear and that they now have a way in."

"Right," said Robert. He ushered the students out. Tadashi struggled out of the tangle.

"I'm coming with you," he said. She blinked and then narrowed her eyes. 

"Out of the question. This is a high-stakes tactical manuever, not a fun game of paintball," she said. "I'm not letting anyone come with me. Especially not your little brother."

"Tadashi!" Hiro cried, running up and throwing his arms around his brother. "You have to come now! You can't go." His whining really began to grate my patience.

Tadashi bent down to look his little brother in the eye. "I'll be right behind you. Go tell Aunt Cass I'm coming out," he said. Hiro nodded and wiped his eyes before dashing off. His brother straightened and turned to her. "I'm still coming."

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "You know that you probably will have to shoot people, right?"

He seemed less sure about that fact. "I know. I've played Call of Duty before. It's not that hard," he said, trying to brush it off.

"Kid, this isn't some game. This is real life. Let me show you what I mean," she said, grabbing his wrist and guiding him through the halls where she showed him the corpse of the first man. He stared at it with a pale expression of horror on his face. "Do you still think this is like Call of Duty?"

He dry swallowed, clearly trying to keep from being ill. "No, it's not a game," he said. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for a big step in his character. "I'm still coming, though. Everyone needs a sidekick. I know the school. I've just gotten over a tour here."

"I went here for three years. If I take you with me, I'm going to leave you in the security office so you can tell me where the enemy is located, are we clear?" she asked.

"But-! Hrmm! Fine," he growled at last. 

"Good. First task: help me hide this body. We can't have any of his buddies finding him. They'll know I'm here," she said.

"What?" Tadashi said, not expecting this.

"You heard me, grab his feet and help me move him," she said. She grabbed the guy under the arms and lifted his torso easily. He seemed appalled by this sudden turn of events. He hesitated and looked like he was going to protest, but it spoke volumes about him when he just swallowed his gorge and grabbed the deadman's ankles. They drug him to the janitor's closet and she jimmied it open so they could throw the body in the small room. They swung the man into the room and crammed him in. Then they closed the door. Tadashi was shaken by the whole ordeal. "It's not too late to leave."

He just shook his head, hands shaking. 

"Here's a knife. Use it if you need to," she said, handing him her knife. She brought out her pistols and lead them down the hall.

Alujah took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The security office was down the right hallway on the left. They had reached a crossroads. If they went straight, they'd eventually arrive at the Theatre. She used a compact mirror from a make-up kit in the LV purse to look around the corner. There was a man casually strolling up and down, looking dead tired. She had one chance. She tucked back and checked how many bullets she had left. Out of the 13 she had started out with (12 in the magazine, one in the chamber), only three had been used. Two she hadn't fired, one she had. She took a deep, steadying breath and stepped out into the man's view. His back was turned and she hoped he would keep going so she wouldn't have to shoot him. As soon as he reached a glass-enclosed causeway, he pivotted and spotted her. He raised his gun but didn't have time to react as she fired a single round through the middle of his eyebrows. Tadashi coughed behind a wrist, fist clenched, and it was easy to see why: The man's brain matter was beginning to show through the new orofice.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm giving you one last chance to turn back. It's safe on the way out," she said. "I won't blame you. You didn't sign up for this knowingly."

He gagged but swallowed and shook his head. "I'm not...leaving," he said brokenly.

"Last chance unless you want to keep eyes on my back from the security office," she said.

"I'll watch monitors any day," he said, relieved that he could at least do something useful. He was beginning to think he was completely useless on the trip, which, truth be told, he was.

"Okay. There's likely a guard in there, so...Be prepared for more bloodshed," she warned him. They took up positions on either side of the doorway and she passed Tadashi the card. He swiped it after she mouthed, One, two, three! She  pointed her gun and opened the door. As predicted, there was a man sitting at the monitors with an AK-47 on his lap. He turned and was about to raise his gun when she blew his brain out the back of his head. A bright crimson tide splashed over the monitors with paler spots thrown in. The man slumped over in the chair, dead. Sadness filled her for a brief moment as she looked at the man. You had a life before this. I'm sorry, she thought to him.

Tadashi, meanwhile, was nearly having a nervous breakdown in the doorway. He was as white as a sheet, and starting to turn a sickening shade of green. She went over to him and forced him to put his head down around his knees.

"Just keep breathing," she told him. "Are you sure you still want to stay here?"

"No. I don't want to stay here," he mumbled. "I'll head back now."

Her ears pricked up as the sound of footsteps could be faintly heard coming down the hallway. She pulled him into the room and closed the door. Then she went down to a knee and began scraping at the tiles.

"What are you doing?" Tadashi asked, momentarily forgetting the reason for his nausea.

"There's a tunnel entrance here somewhere. Ah, here it is!" she said quietly. She lifted the edge with her nails and removed the covering. "Here, break this glowstick and follow the arrows on the side of the wall. If memory serves, it'll take you away from the school and toward the river about a block towards it. When you get there, tell them I might need back up."

He looked at her then at the man in the chair and dropped the knife. He cracked the glowstick and shook it to get the full light before nipping into the tunnel. She closed the entrance after him and tucked the blade into her hidden sheath. She drew both weapons and waited as the footsteps got closer and closer. A keycard could be heard being swiped. She steeled her nerves as the door opened. She saw an FBI badge and turned her guns aside, showing no threat. She slowly put them away and reached for her ROTC badge.

"Freeze!" a woman yelled.

"I'm just going to bring out a badge to show you," she said calmly. "And by yelling in a hostage situation, you're risking their lives more than you're helping." She took the badge out and showed them. They relaxed.

"Alujah, what the heck are you doing here?! I told you to stay out of here!" Adrien scolded.

"I got the Robotics sector out first. Robert was among them. I heeded your warning and formed a plan. I've already cleared about a third of the school on my own with a student who insisted on coming with me for...I dunno, moral support or whatever. Either way, he speaks Spanish fluently, so when we needed to throw the terrorists off, he picked up the two-way radio and told them the gunfire was just the guard shooting at mice," she said.

"You still shouldn't have come. What if someone got hurt?" Adrien said. She sighed.

"Adrien, I've got ROTC training, plus three tours in Iraq. I think I'm more qualified than any of you. I've got the quick wit and reflexes as well as the stealth training I received," she said tiredly. "Look, we can keep talking, or you guys can help me get the hostages out of here." She went over to the computer and shoved the body out of the chair, causing one of the officers to avert their eyes with an Oh my god! and typed in a bunch of commands, bringing up the three main locations she knew would likely have hostages. Theatre, Auditorium, and Gymnasium. She nodded at the monitors when she confirmed what she suspected then turned to the group. "So, keep talking or you folks help me?"