Soul Drive: Ignition

Hiro's fingers trembled as he pressed the talk button on the old cellphone. With a soft hum, the teal cybernetic armor enveloped his body. The weight of responsibility settled heavily on his shoulders. "I'll fight," he declared, his voice edged with determination, "but I won't go out of my way to save Daiki. I'm just going to stop them both before they cause any more destruction."

Osamu nodded, gratitude evident in his eyes. "Thank you, Hiro."

Hiro hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why aren't you activating your own Mach?"

"Kimiko's headed towards the parking lot," Osamu explained, concern creasing his brow. "I need to get her out of harm's way before joining the fight above the Embassy, I owe you that much."

Relief washed over Hiro, knowing that Kimiko was in good hands. "Thank you, Osamu. Now go, before they suspect you of setting me free." As Osamu disappeared from sight, Hiro took a deep breath and blasted his way up and out of the Canadian Embassy.

The chaos of battle greeted Hiro as he emerged from the building. Rubble littered the streets below, evidence of the fierce struggle between Daiki and Atsuko. He could see Daiki's panicked movements as he tried to evade the relentless assault of Atsuko's clones. Both Machs moved so fast they looked like colored blurs, sparks flew whenever they made contact with each other.

Hiro scanned the battlefield, searching for an opening - a chance to intervene and bring an end to this destructive battle. But as dozens of Atsuko's clones fired blasts and lunged at Daiki, Hiro couldn't envision a feasible way to defeat her. There were simply too many clones.

In his desperation, Daiki spotted Hiro hovering nearby. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, and he propelled himself towards Hiro at top speed, attempting to draw some attention away from himself.

"Dammit," Hiro muttered under his breath, watching Daiki's approach. He knew he had to act, but the odds seemed against him. Setting his jaw, he prepared himself for the challenge ahead as the mass of clones followed behind Daiki.

Hiro's instincts kicked in as Daiki closed the distance between them. He maneuvered his Mach upwards, evading Daiki and gaining a higher vantage point. Atsuko's attention shifted to Hiro, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. She didn't recognize him as an ally, but rather as another Canadian agent in a Mach armor.

"AI, redirect half of the clones to engage the new target, keep him busy for me," Atsuko commanded, her voice cold and calculating.

As the clones split off to pursue Hiro, Atsuko focused on finishing Daiki. Her thoughts raced, she needed to finish Daiki off before the truth of the Soul Clones was discovered: their primary function was to confuse and distract enemies while she escaped. Yet here she was, using them to hide herself amongst their ranks and strike from unexpected angles. These were simply holograms and it was only a matter of time until someone figured it out.

Hiro found himself suddenly overwhelmed by the swarm of clones diving towards him. He dodged their swipes with precision, questioning why they didn't simply open fire. It must take immense power to maintain this many clones, he reasoned. Racing away from their relentless pursuit, Hiro tried to calculate a plan to gain the upper hand.

In a desperate attempt to clear some space, he fired his blaster at the approaching clones. To his surprise, the clones moved in unison and dodged the blast.

"Of course," Hiro muttered, realization dawning on him. "These are on autopilot while the real pilot focuses on Daiki."

Unbeknownst to Hiro, Nori had been observing the battle from afar, and now he knew Atsuko's secret. Witnessing a clone fail to dodge Daiki's blast and the shot just passing through it, Nori finally understood how to defeat Atsuko. He swooped into the scene, his presence startling Hiro.

"I have to thank you, Hiro," Nori said over their comms, his tone serious. "You gave me enough time to figure out what I needed."

Hiro was confused and worried, what exactly had Nori figured out? Meanwhile, Atsuko remained occupied with her assault on Daiki, unaware of the Mach now aware of the flaw in her plan.

"You could have just surrendered," she said, her voice dripping with malice. "You could have spared all this destruction if you had just stepped down."

Nori surged through the swarm of Atsuko's clones, his Mach 2 armor glinting in the sunlight. The ethereal projections provided no resistance as he cut a path straight for his intended target. Hiro froze, as he realized the clones were just projections and Nori was going to destroy the two dueling Machs.

"Your plan was flawless," Nori called out, addressing Atsuko who froze at the sound of his voice. "Someone as pathetic as this clown wouldn't notice, but your clones are all show. All I had to do was scan for your heat signature."

Atsuko's eyes widened in realization and fear, but it was too late. With a swift movement, Nori summoned his soul scythe and sliced through her, causing both her Mach and body to erupt in a fiery explosion.

"NO!" Hiro screamed, his voice breaking with anguish as he witnessed the murder.

The clones faded from existence, leaving only Daiki and Nori on the battlefield. Hiro remained motionless, his mind reeling from the consequences of their actions. Another person had died in order to destroy a Mach – was this the fate of all Mach pilots? What would the Japanese government do now that another one of their operatives was dead?

"Awe Mach 2, you finally joined us," Daiki smirked, not sharing Hiro's conflicted thoughts. "Now I have all the rogues lined up, I don't know how Hiro managed to escape but it doesn't matter really. Once I kill you both Canada will declare Japan's assault on the Embassy as an act of war and seize control of the country." He aimed his soul pistol at Hiro, taking advantage of his distraction.

"Watch out, Hiro!" Nori shouted as he registered Daiki's action.

Hiro barely had time to react before a blast rocketed toward him. Without hesitation, Nori placed himself between Hiro and the shot. The energy collided with Nori's armor, sending sparks flying.

Hiro couldn't think or move as he watched Nori drop from the sky. The reality of the situation weighed heavily on him. Nori had just sacrificed himself to save his life, click back into reality Hiro raced toward Nori catching him before he collided with the earth. "Nor-Nori! Why?" Hiro stammered, his voice wavering with emotion.

"Does it really matter?" Nori replied, his voice strained but resolute. "This guy doesn't deserve to kill you."

Is this what the government wanted, us fighting each other while they play their games from the shadows? Hiro thought, his internal turmoil growing stronger. No doubt they are all already discussing how to spin this situation in their favor.

"Focus, Hiro," Nori urged, sensing his hesitation. "You have to deal with that Mach now. Nothing else matters."

"Right," Hiro agreed, mustering the determination to carry on. The fight was far from over, and he couldn't afford to let his emotions cloud his judgment any further.

"Daiki, this ends now," Hiro declared, as he soared towards the man. "Look around, this section of the city is barely standing and we need to stop. Just let us go and no one else has to die today."

"You are the fugitive and the criminal, you have no right to be making demands and acting like the hero here." Daiki hissed, "Besides your morals make you weak." Daiki blasted towards Hiro, who braced for impact, but Daiki blew by Hiro and headed straight for Nori.

Nori's Mach shuddered, a web of cracks spreading across its surface as the blast took its toll. "System failure imminent," his AI warned, its synthetic voice calm despite the dire situation. Keeping him planted in place as Daiki approached.

"Get away from him, Daiki! I don't want to have to kill you," Hiro shouted, darting forward to reach Nori. But Daiki was faster, positioning himself behind Nori, using the injured Mach as a shield.

"Kill me? You won't kill the man who risked his life for you?" Daiki sneered, though he was certain Hiro wouldn't have the nerve required to kill anyone regardless of the situation he was put in.

"Let him go, Daiki. I'll come back to the Embassy without a fight, I promise," Hiro offered, desperation seeping into his words. He wanted to save Nori, he wanted to save them all.

"Ha! A noble offer, but no," Daiki spat, his eyes blazing with madness. "Today, true justice will be served. I am judge, jury, and executioner!" He gestured at the destruction around them, the result of their battle. "This one made a fool of me, and for that, you will all pay."

Hiro clenched his fists, would he really have to take a life? Could he break his vow, and let Canada win? Neither seemed to be an option for Hiro. Daiki was clearly unhinged, a ticking time bomb of rage and destruction. Was there any way for Hiro to get through to him so they could all walk away from this?

-----

Meanwhile, on the ground below, the Japanese military swarmed around the Canadian Embassy, evacuating civilians and news crews. The once-peaceful city center had transformed into a war zone, and the world now knew the Canadians had Machs too, sending a ripple of fear through its leaders.

"Target locked," a soldier reported, aiming a missile at the chaotic battle above. They didn't know if it would even dent the advanced armor of the Machs, but they had no choice but to try.

"Warning: Incoming missile," Hiro's AI announced, jolting him back to the present. The military had locked onto him and were preparing to fire.

"Think, Hiro. You need a solution," he muttered to himself, scanning the battlefield for any advantage. Daiki's grip on Nori tightened, his eyes wild with the thrill of impending violence.

"Time's up, Hiro. Either you take off now and leave your buddy here to die, or you both die here," Daiki taunted, his finger hovering over the trigger of his soul pistol.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Hiro shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "If I die here then I die doing what's right, protecting this world from the technology my family created,"

"Goodbye then, Hiro," Daiki said coldly, aiming squarely at Hiro's heart.

"You idiot, you kill Mach one and I still have enough power to kill you before you can turn your dumbass gun on me," Nori barked and half laughed. " Don't you get it he wants you to turn your attention on him so I can take you out!"

Daiki was filled with doubt, was this the actual plan? But when would they have had the time to create such a plan? His pistol lowered as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on here.

"Get out of here, Hiro. Leave," Nori managed through gritted teeth, opening a private com with Hiro. "I can handle this, but you need to go now."

"I can't just leave you," Hiro stammered, taken aback by Nori's sudden plea.

"Trust me, I've got a secret weapon," Nori continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I need you to leave so I can use it. You have to live to fight another day."

"What is it? What's this secret weapon you have?" Hiro asked urgently, his eyes darting between Nori and Daiki as the tension in the air grew thicker by the second.

"You don't need to know. Just go," Nori replied cryptically. Hiro's mind immediately jumped to the possibility of a self-destruct sequence - a last-ditch effort to take down Daiki with him.

"Damn it, Nori..." Hiro clenched his fists, frustration boiling within him. The thought of losing Nori weighed heavily on his conscience, there was still so much he wanted to understand about the guy who kissed him. He wasn't able to save him from his parents but he wouldn't fail Nori again.

"Go now, Hiro!" Nori bellowed impatiently, as Daiki tightened his grip on the pistol, having finally made up his mind.