Soul Drive: Ignition

There was an uncomfortable silence that settled into the small conference room. Hisoka leaned forward, her sleek purple hair cascading over her shoulders like a royal cloak. Her face twisted as she considered Osamu's words, why would the man wait for their superior to leave before sharing this information?

"Osamu, send me your data and I will look into it" she stated, she knew there was more they needed to cover, "Also I need to know the capabilities of your Mach. We can't afford any surprises in the field."

Osamu shifted uncomfortably, he could feel her analyzing his every move. She had a reputation for being ruthless, she killed her own father after all. “Hisoka, you know what our training—”

"I'm aware we aren't supposed to talk about our Machs to each other in case of capture. I don't intend on getting caught, do you?" she interrupted, she looked down at the man in front of her. With a swift movement, she reached into her purse and pulled out a sleek tablet. "This is my Mach in its dormant state. Mach 10, optimized for what I do best." She tapped the screen, and it flickered to life, showing the schematics of an advanced sniper rifle, its lines as elegant and deadly. "Long-range sniping and camouflage. Now, your turn."

Osamu took a deep breath, knowing he had to give her something. He met her icy stare with equal intensity. "Mach 4," he said, his voice steady. "Close-range and long-range combat capabilities." He paused, then unstrapped his smartwatch, holding it up between them. "And it has an advanced shielding system, more powerful than the others."

"Interesting," Hisoka mused, she gave Osamu almost an amused look. "So you're a shield."

"That's right," Osamu raised an eyebrow.

"Well then Daiki could have used you out there in the field," she elaborated, her lips curving into a smirk. "A shame the government thought the lives of some diplomats outweighed the life of a Mach pilot."

"right," Osamu said, feeling the sting of what happened to his partner. "We did what we were ordered to."

"Indeed." Hisoka's smirk widened. "You played your roles as good soldiers very well, but I don't need a good soldier for this mission."

"Really?" Osamu chuckled dryly. "And who exactly do you need?"

"Someone willing to cross the line if it means victory," Hisoka replied, her tone laced with amusement. "I wouldn't hesitate to shoot through you, I expect you would do the same."

As they stared at each other, a mutual understanding passed between them. Osamu knew that Hisoka wasn't one to mix words. She would kill him if she needed to, the thought settled in the back of his mind.

"I see... Let's get back on task. Diaki found the Japanese storage location for their Machs. No doubt they moved them after the incident." Osamu began, his dark eyes focused intently on Hisoka.

Hisoka waved a dismissive hand, almost seeming bored by his briefing. "That's a secondary concern," she retorted crisply. "Our priority is to neutralize the fugitives that escaped during the attack on our embassy. They can't be allowed to meddle any farther."

"But we have no idea where they are..." Osamu's voice trailed off. He knew the ruthless efficiency that Hisoka operated with; collateral damage was a non-issue to her.

"Actually we found one," she affirmed, locking her cold gray eyes onto his. "And I assure you, my plan is flawless. No casualties on our side."

"Why wasn't I informed that we located one of the fugitives?" Osamu leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "I know more about them than any—"

"You were busy with the possible Mach attack in the city" Hisoka explained, as if she had been rehearsing the line for a while.

Osamu's jaw clenched, something wasn't right here. "So who did you find?"

"Our good friend Hiro has made it to Toyone," Hisoka leaned forward, the tablet gleaming ominously in her grasp. "An informant at HPA spotted him on campus."

"If we start attacking HPA, it would cause another international incident, war would almost be guaranteed," Osamu countered.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of the details," Hisoka said as she packed up her things. "I will let you know when we are ready to go."

She left before Osamu could respond, leaving him to stare out into the night, wondering how he could stop this before it was too late.

---

A massive yacht sliced silently through the sea, its presence nothing more than whispers against the waves. As it docked at an abandoned pier, figures dressed in black disembarked with practiced ease.

Nia moved among them, ensuring they kept to their tight timeline. "Leave no trace," she instructed, her voice barely above a breath. "We were never here."

"Understood," came the chorus of hushed replies.

They slipped into the waiting cars, ancient gas-powered vehicles from a time when all technology wasn't connected to each other, untraceable. The vehicles roared to life as they merged with the night.

Within hours their destination loomed ahead, a grey stone building claiming to operate digital trade. It had been empty for years, but with some new funding from a local actor, it was reopened, or at least that was what everyone one was told through the media.

"The lab is on floor two, informatics you're on floor 3, sleeping quarters in the basement," Nia reminded them as they filed inside. "You are all expected at your posts by O six hundred local time."

"Yes mam," one of the agents said, offering a small salute.

"Let's get to work," Nia said, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "We have Machs to find, people."

The room hummed with the low murmur of servers and the soft clacking of keyboards as Nia's image appeared on the screens. "Welcome," she began, a line of static crossing her holographic image. "From this point on we do not leave the facility; capture is not an option." She let her gaze linger on each agent, ensuring her message was understood. "If compromised, we burn this facility to the ground and take our own lives. We cannot risk any connection back to the UN."

A sombre nod swept across the building like a chilling breeze. Each one vowing to protect the mission at any cost.

"Your work here will prevent a future war," Nia continued, her fingers tapping against a tablet. "We'll monitor all transmissions, every email. Nothing slips past us. We will find and destroy the weapons they plan to use against us."

"Laying it on thick aren't we," Hector muttered from his station, where Nia's face was on screen and the streams of data scrolled down the other. He cracked a wry smile, as he read through several emails from Japanese government officials.

"Thanks to several phishing emails we have access to the email accounts of several Japanese officials," Nia said, the names of the officials and their positions scrolling across the screen. "This is our starting point, we need to find out where they are keeping their Machs."

"Working on it," Hector replied to the image, going over the information he had collected so far. "He had been trying to locate this Hiro, both sides had been discussing for weeks now, but the Japanese seemed just as lost as he was.

"Good luck everyone," Nia ended the speech and the screens went dark again.

With the first shift hunkered down, Hector decided to take another look at the footage from the Canadian Embassy attack. On-screen, Mach 1's movements were clearly restrained and calculated. "Doesn't start fights, but sure knows how to end them," Hector mused aloud, watching the replays.

"And this is Hiro," Hector murmured, pulling up a file marked 'Hiro Kobayashi.' His eyes skimmed the details: an average profile, unremarkable history. Yet, the Japanese government's response suggested otherwise — they feared Hiro disproportionately. "How did you get wrapped up in all of this?" he pondered, tapping a finger against his lips.

"Finding your next best friend?" a voice teased from over his shoulder.

"No one has seen or heard from him since the vents in Tokyo, it's like he vanished from the face of the Earth," Hector said without looking away from the screen.

"Ah, a typical Tuesday then," the voice joked, belonging to one of the tech specialists. "Don't be too hard on yourself kid, you'll get your man."

"But I've never seen anything like this," Hector said, leaning back in his chair, his eyes never leaving the digital puzzle that was Hiro. "Every image of him has been erased, without the government's chatter, we not have known he even existed."

"Nothing on any social media platforms?" the specialist asked, seeming more interested as she returned to her own station.

Hector shook his head, somehow Hiro had disappeared on an internet level, and he wondered if someone could be helping him. Whatever was going on, he was determined to uncover the truth behind Hiro Kobayashi.

"Hey, Hector," Tess's voice seemed to come out of nowhere, causing him to jump slightly. "Have you found anything new yet?"

Hector blinked, pushing back a strand of sandy hair. "Yeah, Hiro was being held for questioning at the Canadian Embassy. He has completely vanished since." He gestured vaguely at the screen, where a timeline ended abruptly.

"Laying low no doubt," Tess mused, her gaze fixed on the glowing monitor as if it might reveal more secrets. "Does the boy have military training?"

"Not that I can find," Hector quipped, though the humour didn't quite reach his eyes. "His parents were scientists and his uncle runs a convenience store. There is no indication he would able to erase every image of himself from existence."

Tess's silence lingered a beat too long, her thoughtful stare unyielding. Without a word, she pivoted on her heel, striding away, leaving Hector unsure about what she wanted.

"Uh, see you at the debrief?" Hector called after her, but she just raised a hand in a vague wave, not looking back. Shrugging it off, Hector dove back into his research.

---

Meanwhile, Ai's shoes scuffed against the polished floors of the academy, her soft brown eyes scanning for any signs of a secret entrance. She needed to find out if the rumour about Senior leaving campus through a secret door was true. Finding it would make Yashiro's birthday perfect, she thought.

"Come on, Ai," she muttered under her breath, "think!"

Kazuki's words echoed in her mind, and she chose to focus on the word seniors. She had been investigating the usual senior hangouts ever since. There was just one place left to check, but there was a problem.

"Without a senior's card, I'll never get into Kyoto House," she whispered to herself, leaning against the cool surface of the wall. Stealing a senior's student card was no small feat; getting caught could mean expulsion, or worse, but Yashiro... Yashiro deserved this, his smile lit up an entire room for her.

"Alright, Ai," she breathed out, knowing she would have to make her move, "You can do this."

There was a place where she wouldn't be caught on camera, the changeroom in the gym. Her heart was a staccato drumbeat in her chest, as she worked out, scanning the faces for possible seniors. She knew if she had just gone in and taken it without actually working out it would have looked suspicious, as she headed back to the changeroom she was careful to make sure no one was around before checking each locker—after what felt like an eternity she found what she was looking for.

"Sorry," she whispered, sticking her hand into the bag, her hand emerging with the card. Barely daring to breathe, she scurried out of the changeroom, disappearing into the night.

Kyoto House was quiet, and more importantly, it was empty. All that was inside was a small cafe with mirrored walls. "There is nothing here?" Ai asked aloud, her hands tracing the walls in disappointment. It is just a stupid cafe hangout she thought.

She traced the edges of the mirror, her fingertips feeling one sway under their pressure. With a gentle nudge, the looking glass swung open, revealing a small tunnel that a breeze escaped through. This was it, she thought, this was their way out.

"Gotcha," Ai breathed, staring down into the passage.

She slipped out of Kyoto House as she dialled Kazuki and Masumi, her face illuminated by the glow of her phone screen. "Guys, it's real. The hole—it's here, we can sneak through Kyoto house."

Masumi's image flickered into view, her hazel eyes wide. "And you're sure it leads outside of the walls?"

"Of course, I checked it out," Ai assured them, her voice tinged with pride. "leads to the woods behind the school."

Kazuki's skeptical brow was arched, his lips pursed in thought. "So what's the plan? Are we just going to be hanging out in the woods? Doesn't really sound like a party to me."

"We could bring a picnic, add some twinkle lights," Ai suggested trying to make it seem a little less dull.

"Ok but if we get caught don't we get kicked out," Kazuki reminded her.

"Greenhouse," Masumi interjected suddenly, as the thought hit her. "There's an old one not far from the wall. Deserted, dilapidated, and perfect for a birthday celebration."

"An old greenhouse?" Kazuki echoed dubiously. "Sounds... festive."

"Trust me," Masumi said with a sly smile. "My uncle and I used to go there all the time when he visited the academy, it's beautiful there."

Ai nodded eagerly, her thoughts already setting up the scene in her mind. "Yashiro will love it, but we all need to work together to make it great."

"Fine," Kazuki relented, feeling the peer pressure. "Let's risk our futures for a patch of overgrown plants and a bit of starlight."

"And friendship! You goof," Ai declared, the video call ending with their laughter.

A few days later Ai navigated the shadow-strewn path back to the dorms. This would be a birthday to remember, a gift like no other, that would let Yashiro know exactly how she felt about him.

The hum of idle chatter filled the air as Ai found Hiro sitting on a large sofa, she took a seat next to him. She couldn't wait to share the surprise, but she knew it would have to wait. Today was Hiro's birthday, and everything was in place to make it perfect.

"Happy birthday," Ai said, her voice barely above a whisper, she looked around to make sure no one was listening.

Hiro looked up at her, his piercing brown eyes locking onto hers. "Thanks, Ai," he replied, with a small smile. "I didn't think anyone knew about my birthday."

"Like we wouldn't figure out when your birthday was," Ai told him, leaning forward. "We've planned something special for you."

"Special?" Hiro echoed, a smile teasing at the corners of his lips. "What kind of special?"

"Ah-ah," Ai chided with a playful wag of her finger. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now, would it?"

Masumi, who had tracked them down, chimed in. "Let's just say you might want to pack a blanket tonight—"

Ai shot Masumi a glare that could have frozen the sun. "Masumi!"

"Oops," Masumi said, not sounding sorry in the least. "Guess the cat's out of the bag. We're having a picnic!"

Hiro's eyes lit up. "A picnic? That sounds great."

"It will be great," Kazuki interjected, his tone light and teasing. "Or a complete disaster."

"Shut up," Ai cut in quickly, trying to leave a little mystery. "Just meet us in the garden at ten tonight. Can you do that?"

"Ten at night?" Hiro asked, an eyebrow arching with intrigue. "I can do that."

"Perfect," Ai said, her lips curving into a smile. "Don't be late."

"I will do my best," Hiro said, raising his hand as if he was under oath. "I'll be there. Thanks, guys. You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"Of course we did," Ai replied earnestly. "It's your day, Yashiro. And we want to make it unforgettable."

"Unforgettable, huh?" Hiro mused, remembering it was only a year ago that Yutaka showed up at his door with a Mach. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good," Kazuki said, clapping Hiro on the back. "Because we've got a night ahead of us that'll be one for the books. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes."

"Comfortable shoes for a picnic?" Hiro questioned, wondering what else they had planned.

"Trust me," Ai said with a wink. "They'll come in handy."

"Alright," Hiro conceded, a chuckle escaping him. "I'm game."

"Excellent!" Ai exclaimed. "Tonight, we celebrate our new friend."

As the midday bell rang Ai couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Tonight's escapade would prove that Yashgiro was officially one of them. And nothing, not even getting caught, could ruin this night.