Soul Drive: Ignition

Hiro leaned against the cold metal railing of the rooftop, his breath fogging up in the chilly air as he stared out at the cityscape. He could feel the weight of Yutaka's gaze on him, but Hiro was preoccupied with thoughts of Kimiko, her fierce eyes and determined spirit now lost to them.

"We have to find her, Yutaka," Hiro said, his voice thick with concern. "If the Canadians find her first who knows what they will do to her? I know her, I know she didn't mean to attack the school."

"Of course Hiro," Yutaka replied, adjusting his glasses. "She is also in possession of a Mach. If Japan or Canada find her first and take it, our goal to destroy the Mach program becomes much more complicated." Yutaka sighed, the lines on his face deepening with worry. "The issue is she could have flown off to anywhere in this world, and without her activating her Mach armor, there is no way for us to track her."

"So the only way to track a Mach is when the suit is being worn? but didn't you design the cloaking capabilities of the Machs?" Hiro asked, hoping Yutaka would see where he was going with this.

Yutaka shook his head, his expression solemn. "That is how I know that you will never be able to track it as long as it is not being worn. It's impossible."

"Right but what if we look for something else?" Hiro countered, his mind racing through possibilities. "I mean these things are incredibly powerful, they must give off a ton of energy or like a unique signal or something,"

Yutaka paused, considering. "Of course, their cores would still be giving off background radiation even when powered down. If I can create something that hones in on that signal we may be able to track suits that aren't even being worn as long as they are charged."

"So it's possible," Hiro said, "You could make something like that?"

"More than possible Hiro, I guarantee I can make a make upgrade to your Mach. Just leave it here with me for the time being." Yutaka instructed.

Hiro pulled out the old cellphone that acted as a disguise for his Mach. He handed it to Yutaka, who cradled it carefully in his hands. "Thank you." Hiro didn't have the words to fully express just how grateful he was to Yutaka, he could still have a chance to save Kimiko after all.

-----

Days later, Hiro lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Doubt gnawed at him, making him question if they actually could track inactive Machs, or if Yutaka was just buying time so he could let him down gently. His chest tightened as he thought about the four Machs he had discovered, only one of which had been destroyed—and the pilot was destroyed with it. The lives lost and the destruction caused by these weapons haunted him and honestly, he still didn't know how he was going to separate the armor from the people before destroying it.

Just as Hiro's thoughts threatened to consume him, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality. Yutaka's voice on the other end sounded urgent. "Hiro, meet me at the park. We need to talk."

"Is it about Kimiko?" Hiro asked, sitting up and feeling a glimmer of hope.

"Maybe," Yutaka replied cryptically. "Just get here as soon as you can."

As Hiro got ready to leave, he prayed that Yutaka had done it and that his upgraded Mach would lead him right to Kimiko. He knew he could convince her to come back, he just needed the chance to speak to her without the influence of the cybernetic suits.

-----

Hiro arrived at the park, where Yutaka was already waiting for him on a bench under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. The sun cast warm rays through the delicate pink petals.

"Good news," Yutaka said as Hiro approached, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. "The upgrade was a total success, now any Mach that is turned on is capable of being tracked by you."

"Really?" Hiro's heart raced with anticipation. "So we can find Kimiko?"

"Maybe." Yutaka hesitated. "If the Mach is fully turned off, it still won't be traceable. But if it's on and not active, we should be able to track it."

"Let's hope she didn't turn it off completely." Hiro's voice wavered, betraying his concern for her safety. "Thank you, Yutaka."

Yutaka handed the old cell phone back to Hiro. "We'll find her, Hiro. Don't worry."

Activating the tracking feature, Hiro's eyes widened as he saw four Machs appear on the screen—three in Tokyo and one in Osaka. He looked up at Yutaka, determination etched on his face.

"Kimiko must be here, in Osaka. I'll go find her."

"Be careful, Hiro," Yutaka called after him as Hiro sprinted away.

Following the tracking signal, Hiro navigated the busy streets of Osaka, his heart pounding in his chest. His eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Kimiko. Instead, he stumbled upon a boy his age, Nori, who appeared to be living on the streets. Hiro observed him from afar, he looked out of place being so young with a shaved head.

"Could that be Mach 2 or someone new?" Hiro wondered, watching as Nori expertly stole food from a street vendor arguing with an elderly woman about his prices. Hiro decided to keep a safe distance, his Mach confirming somewhere on this guy's body was a Mach.

Hiro followed this strange teen around the streets when Nori suddenly stopped. He was standing in front of a small tent, two kids asking him for food. He scowled at them and waved them away. As the kids fled crying, the boy rolled his eyes and placed some of the food he had stolen into their tent. Hiro's curiosity grew, if this was Mach 2, he certainly wasn't acting like it.

"Just who are you?" Hiro thought, following Nori through the labyrinth of streets and alleyways. As shadows stretched and the sun dipped below the horizon, Hiro knew he had to learn more about this boy—even though the question of where Kimiko was still gnawed at the back of his mind.

Nori made his way to the docks. The fading light cast long shadows on the empty shipping containers. Hiro followed, his heart pounding with anticipation. He watched as Nori found a quiet spot and put on a VR headset. Within moments, the Mach 2 materialized around him, Hiro knew that armor immediately and knew he had to pursue this lead.

"This is my chance to finally figure out who Mach 2 is," Hiro muttered to himself, activating his own Mach. He soared through the sky, keeping a close eye on Nori's trajectory. They flew towards Northern Japan, with Hiro making sure to stay out of Nori's sight.

After what felt like hours, Nori began his descent near a small village at the base of Mount Fuji. He deactivated his Mach as he landed, leaving no trace behind. Hiro followed suit, finding a concealed spot to land and deactivate his own Mach.

The village was in the midst of its annual spring festival, vibrant colors and laughter filling the air. The scent of cherry blossoms mingled with the enticing aroma of street food. Nori seemed to be to be at home as he wandered from booth to booth.

Hiro observed Nori, was this his home? He couldn't imagine why someone with such a seemingly gentle demeanor could harbor so much rage. He had to find out more, he walked toward Nori determined to trick the boy into telling him more about himself.

"Alright, how can I start a conversation without raising suspicion?" Hiro pondered, watching Nori examine a stand selling colorful lanterns. As Hiro tried to devise a plan, Nori turned around abruptly, causing Hiro to walk right into him.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Hiro stammered, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Nori looked at Hiro, his eyes narrowing momentarily before softening. "It's fine, don't worry about it," he said with a shrug.

"Let me make it up to you," Hiro offered, spotting a nearby stand selling takoyaki. "How about I buy you some?"

Nori hesitated for a second before agreeing. "Sure, why not? I'm Nori, by the way."

"Hiro," he replied, extending his hand, for a moment he could have sworn Nori shot him a look of recognition when he heard his name.

As they stood in line for Takoyaki, Hiro couldn't help but think about how he was going to get Nori to talk. Their silence felt awkward and Hiro wasn't she if he should fill the void or let Nori speak first.

-----

The tantalizing aroma of the takoyaki wafted through the air as Hiro and Nori sat side by side on a wooden bench. As they ate two dog walker got tangled in their leashes and collapsed into each other. Nori laughed, not an evil or maniacal laugh, just a normal laugh. Hiro watched Nori's face, noting the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, and found it increasingly difficult to reconcile this cheerful boy with the rage-fueled Mach 2 pilot he had fought twice now.

"Y'know," Nori said, still smiling, "my grandparents used to bring me here every year when I was little. They'd always buy me a koi fish for our family pond." He pointed toward a booth with colorful fish swimming in small tanks, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

"Really?" Hiro responded, genuinely curious. "Did you have a favorite koi?"

Nori chuckled, blushing slightly. "Yeah, there was this one with silver scales and red spots. I named him Gin."

As they continued to chat, Hiro found himself more and more drawn to Nori. Nori was layered and just a regular guy, all that anger he had must be coming from the Mach amplifying his emotions. More proof that Kimiko was being changed by the suit and did actually want to attack that school or him. If only he could find her and tell he none of it was her fault.

"Hey," Nori said suddenly, looking at Hiro with a mix of curiosity and shyness. "What were you thinking about just now?"

Hiro hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words. He didn't want to reveal too much. "I was just thinking about a friend, I worried she might get hurt," he finally replied, he looked up to meet Nori's concerned stare. "Oh um not physically hurt, we just uh had a fight. I haven't talked to her since.

"Ah, I see," Nori said, seemingly satisfied with the answer, "I am not the want you want to get advice from, I don't really do the whole friend thing."

"Not even just one close friend you hang out with," Hiro asked, he felt sad for Nori.

"Just never had the time." He replied with an emptiness in his eyes that told Hiro everything he needed to know.

"The firework works are starting soon," Hiro said, changing the topic. "we should try to find somewhere with a good view of them,"

"I know just the place," Nori stood up and motioned Hiro to follow him.

As the festival reached its final; hours, fireworks began to burst overhead, painting the night sky in vibrant hues of red, blue, and gold. The boys looked up, their faces awash with color, standing on the small footbridge from over the pond.