don't let a good thing die

HiroHamada

The sound of the rusted AC broke through the silence of the small bunker, as the thick wings spun rapidly behind the metal shield. Sitting at his table, Hiro held a tiny screwdriver as well as a mysterious device, as he attempted to tighten a loose bolt along the the framing. The problem was that no screw fit, not one Hiro could buy. Not one Hiro could find. This was screw #71 of screws he'd been trying to fit in the machine. Gripping the box, Hiro turned the screw one last time, except it didn't move. Because it didn't work. Damn it!

Hiro? Is there someone named Hiro here?. Hiro sighed heavily, trying his best not to slam the machine down, and pushed himself off his chair to heed to the call. Wiping his grease stained hands on a cloth, Hiro grabbed his black jacket off the hook, slid it on, and stepped out of the door, instead the gray, stormy skies, and a young woman. "What do you need?" He asked gruffly, the door shutting behind him, leaving him the sullen alley with the brunette.

HiroHamada

Hiro's eyes narrowed as he watched the girl mumble before holding up her camera. It was probably her first time interfering with the..dirtier side of Wonderland, and probably her last. While Hiro didn't like dealing with beginners, he'd make an exception. She was young, and it'd probably be her last time dealing with him anyway. Hiro tried to ignore the fact she was probably around his own age, yet he spoke like he lived for years beyond her age.

Taking the camera, Hiro unhooked his pocket knife, and popped open the back of the camera with ease and began inspecting the machinery. It looked like everything was in order. But it wasn't. It was frozen. Nothing clicked, something moved, just frozen. It was practically a metal stone. Hiro frowned, biting his cheek in thought before tucking the camera under his arm and looking back at her.

"When was the last time you used this?" The answer should be never by the way things looked. But Hiro could tell there were pictures taken, the memory was somewhat filled. But it just wouldn't show. Nothing would show. It was as if something was blocking the machine entirely. Hiro momentarily wondered if she was a joke, or some sort of set up. He knew he had competition that would love to knock him out of the business, and this could very easily be one of those situations. But Lilo here didn't look like the normal set up. So Hiro threw the theory out.

HiroHamada

Dropping onto the small stairway that led down to his door, Hiro took hold of the camera, questioning eyes now scanned the object as he listened to Lilo recount her tale. When I woke up in Wonderland. That's what clicked for Hiro. Something wrong was, Hiro knew that for a long time, but now everyone was coming to their senses. It started when Hiro's parents never returned. In fact, they never existed anymore. Hiro asked around, but no one answered. Asking turned into demanding, demanding turned into pleas, pleas turned into begging. No one answered. The only thing he learned was that his parents left Wonderland. That's it.

Then it clicked for Hiro. What happened when you leave Wonderland? So Hiro began to investigate, that's how he got into the business, he needed the money, he needed the information. But you see the WPA didn't want you to know that, the Queen didn't want you to know anything. Here's the truth: there's no leaving Wonderland. And if someone made it out, you disappeared. And you never came back. Hiro knew this since he was young, but no one else did. Until now.

Hiro opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead he nodded. "I understand. I will try my best." How did you unfreeze something that didn't belong here? Something thrown through a loop that it didn't fit. Hiro looked at the parts again, his brown eyes squinting as he inspected the pieces. Maybe it was the pieces, maybe they didn't fit. If you had the right pieces, you had the right machine. Lilo needed to find the original pieces then it would work. But for now, it was just frozen. Along with everything in it.

"I advise you not to say that out loud." The genius said lowly, his gaze never moving from the machine as his pocket knife began moving the locks and screws. "It is not safe."

HiroHamada

"It's not safe because there are those who don't want you to know, Lilo." He responded meekly, his eyebrows furrowing as he attempted take out the parts of the machine. Nothing. Holding down the camera, Hiro once again tried to take out a screw from the camera. Again, nothing. Only the dull sound of metal. Hiro turned the camera around so Lilo could see the metal wiring. "Your camera has all the parts. It's fresh, new, it should work great. Here's the problem, it's not the camera's own parts. It's as if someone just shoved a different brand in there. It's a mechanical rule that whatever frame you're working on, you use the same pieces with it. The only way it'll work is if you get the original parts back. That's the hard part. I don't know how to get the wrong parts back, but you might." The genius explained to the brunette, his eyes surveying the machine in curiosity. Hiro didn't experience many challenges in his choice of work. This was his first.

Getting off the ground, Hiro tucked his pocket knife back into his pocket and stepped towards Lilo. "Do you remember the source of your camera? Where it came from?"

HiroHamada

Hiro grew a slightly sympathetic expression as the girl grew frustrated, his dark eyes softening a bit. Hiro really did wish he could help her. He knew how frustrating it could be not getting answers. "I'm sorry I can't help you, Lilo." The boy apologized, pieces of his curly black hair falling over his eyes.

"I will continue to help you, if you like. I do not leave machines broken." He added, with a small nod. Every machine was made, so it could be fixed. It was a saying Hiro lived by. He had made that quote when things were simpler, when he had his brother, and his parents were still somewhat in his life. When things weren't so dark.

"The people who put us here don't want us to know." It took Hiro a while to come to an answer. Who put them here? It took time for the genius to figure that out, but then it came to him. Everyone around town told stories of strange dreams, things they understood but don't know how. Almost everyone. The people who didn't talk about what or who they remembered were the higher ups. 

The Royals.

"You do not want to be questioned, Lilo. Or worse, killed. Just remember that there are things they don't want us to know."

HiroHamada

Hiro's eyes raised in question when she asked about replacing the parts. If he were to replace the camera, he'd have to leave the memory. Unless there was a place she could look at it.  But who else had a camera with the same capabilities. "It is possible, but is there anyone else with a high tech camera who could open the pictures in the memory card?" He questioned, rubbing his hands together to generate warmth, his dark eyes searching her face for any clues.

Hiro was sure he had enough parts to make a camera-oh wait, Hiro was already making one. Ever since Hiro had seen the red headed girl with brown eyes-Hiro didn't know why he remembered that detail, but anyway-ever since  he saw her camera Hiro had begun designing his own. Maybe he could help her.

"I'm creating a camera design myself. I don't know if it'll work, but maybe you can put your memory card in, and begin using my product. Perhaps you'll get the answer you are looking for."

HiroHamada

Hiro gave a weak grimace, as he nodded his head. "I'm glad this excites you. Luckily I've already started so it should be finished soon." Hiro opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. It would take money to finish it, but he would not take it from Lilo. Hiro wasn't an awful person. Or at least, he tried not to be. He'll get the money somewhere else, even if it means dealing with murky rich men. "Is there somewhere I can reach you? I'm afraid I'm hard to find in public." He questioned, with the small raise of his eyebrows.

Lilo was young, she was his age, so he imagined she had friends. He hoped she'd keep this quiet. He didn't want a bunch of teenagers coming to him, asking him for favors. They'd have him thrown in jail. Hiro frowned to himself, wondering what his life would of been if his parents were still in Wonderland, if Tadashi was still here. If he would of went to high school with Lilo, if he would of been friends with her even. It wouldn't be a bad life. But sadly it was not his.