Soul Drive: Ignition

Masato strode confidently down the sterile halls of the mental institution just outside of Osaka, a manila folder clutched tightly in his hand. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows on the tiled floor. Masato couldn't help but smile as he thought about his discovery, He was about to find Japan's first Mach pilot. Over a decade they had been searching, and now he was moments away from being Japan's savior.

"Imagine the power this will bring," he mused, his thoughts filled with visions of the promotions and political gains he would achieve. "Japan is going to reform the world." His eyes gleamed with determination, and he allowed himself a small chuckle.

As he approached the room of sixteen-year-old Nori Aoki, a nurse swiped her key card and opened the door for Masato. Her face was tight with concern. "Mr. Tanaka, I must warn you that Nori is quite dangerous. We'll have security on standby, but please be prepared to evacuate the room at any moment."

"Thank you, but I assure you we won't be here long," Masato replied, his tone dismissive yet confident. The nurse furrowed her brow, clearly puzzled by his response, but she stepped back and allowed him to enter Nori's room.

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Hiro sat at the kitchen table, his thoughts still lingering on the unresponsive cell phone upstairs. He mechanically shoveled spoonfuls of rice and egg into his mouth, barely tasting the food as his mind raced with possibilities.

"Something on your mind, Hiro?" his uncle asked, noting his nephew's distracted demeanor.

"Ah, no, it's nothing," Hiro replied, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about school and stuff."

"Awe yes, exams are coming up aren't they?" Goro asked, trying to find the source of Hiro's worry.

"Yeah, I am pretty sure I will pass them all," He stared at his eggs trying to find a way to end his thought so his uncle would be satisfied. "But our new English teacher is tougher than the last one, she is from Britain."

"Awe, yes," Goro said thoughtfully, "You are the son of the smartest man and woman I knew, you share their mind and so you have nothing to worry about. Then again we are related too, so maybe you should study just a little more. Hiro let a laugh escape and Goro felt more at ease.

"Alright, but don't forget to enjoy your breakfast," his uncle chided gently, shaking his head at Hiro's propensity for getting lost in thought.

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Back at the institution, Masato stood tall before Nori, who regarded him with an air of indifference. Despite Nori's muscular build and shaved head, there was a vulnerability in his eyes that betrayed his distrust of the man standing in front of him. Masato knew he had found the perfect candidate for the Mach armor – someone whose will was unshakable, one the neuro-uplink couldn't destroy. All he had to do now was convince Nori it was in his best interest to join the Japanese government.

"Are you ready to make history?" Masato asked, his voice a mix of challenge and promise. The game had begun.

Masato extended his hand towards Nori, offering a firm handshake. "The name is Masato Tanaka," he said, his voice steady and assertive. Nori's eyes narrowed as he stared coldly at the outstretched hand, refusing to return the gesture.

"Get out before I kill you," Nori warned, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Masato remained unfazed, retracting his hand without any sign of disappointment.

"Interesting proposition," Masato mused, placing both hands in his pockets as he paced around the room. "But I have a better one for you. A deal that would grant you your freedom and more."

Nori's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, curiosity piqued. "And what kind of deal would that be?" he asked skeptically.

"I've read your file, you are quite determined and full of rage." Masato started.

"Congratulations you can read." Nori interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"I am offering you an opportunity to take all your rage out on the world without consequence. We set the targets and you destroy, of course, there is a suggestion of minimal civilian casualties, but as long as the job is done you will have leeway. And you will be paid handsomely for it, no less," Masato explained, pulling out the Mach 2 device from within his jacket.

"And if I decline your oh-so-generous offer? I mean it does sound like I would just be a government lackey."

"Oh no, you would be so much more," Masato knew he really had to sell it. To him, Nori was the experiment, either he lived and proved him right or died and the search continued. "You would lead armies and in the end get your pick of countries you own.

"And that thing in your hand, what is that for?" Nori was eyeing, the old VR headset Masato clung to, its true power was far beyond what its exterior suggested.

"This is your weapon, the one you will use to level cities and bring order to the world," Masato continued, holding the headset out for Nori to examine. "There's a small test, though. To prove you can handle such power. A gang from Australia will be smuggling illegal weapons into Osaka pier tonight, kill them and this is yours for as long as want it."

Nori studied the device, he knew accepting meant following along with Masato's plans, at least for now. "But this idiot was willing to set him free and had his weapon, that deal was too good to pass up," he thought. He reached out a steady hand, and grasped the headset, turning it over in his hands.

"I'll take that as a yes." Masato said with a smile, "Time to take our leave." He gestured toward the door and Nori followed him out of his room and all the way to freedom.

"Now, this device has yet to be successfully tested and I should warn the malfunctions could be severe. Simple press the power button to activate it." Masato instructed.

Nori tapped the power button and in an instant, his body became enveloped in red cybernetic armor, muscles rippling beneath the metallic surface. The AI sprung to life, informing seven targets are on the move west of his location. With newfound strength, Nori blasted toward the target excited to see what this suit could really do.

"Follow him," Masato ordered into his radio, his lips curling into a sly smile. This was it, the final test had commenced.

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As Hiro laid in his bed after a particularly boring day of school, he was jolted from his thoughts by the sudden blaring of an alarm. The old cellphone on his bedside table had come to life, its screen flashing urgently. He recalled Yutaka's cryptic warning and he snatched the device from its resting place.

"What on Earth is making that terrible sound?!" his uncle shouted from below, his patience wearing thin. With a hasty apology, Hiro closed his bedroom, desperate to dampen the alarm but unsure of how to proceed.

"Yutaka said something about activating it," Hiro muttered to himself, his fingers flying over the buttons in a panicked frenzy. The alarm continued to wail, drowning out all other thoughts. Suddenly, it hit him – the green talk button.

Hiro's trembling fingers pressed the green talk button, and in an instant, the phone disintegrated into a swarm of nanobots. They buzzed around him like a metallic storm, covering his body with a sleek teal cybernetic suit. For a moment, Hiro stood there, awestruck by the transformation. The phone truly was special after all, there was no doubt in his mind now.

"User identified: Hiro Kobayashi," the suit's AI announced in a calm, robotic voice. "All systems operational. Mach 2 detected. Activate cloaking mode to prevent detection?"

"Uh...yes?" Hiro stammered, still trying to comprehend what was happening to him.

"Activating cloaking mode," the AI confirmed. The world outside Hiro's suit took on a slightly distorted appearance, as if he were viewing it through warped glass. "Unauthorized activation of Mach 2 has resulted in protocol 9, seek and destroy. It is heading towards the open ocean. Immediate pursuit is advised."

Hiro barely had time to fully think through what he was being told, his reeling from the fact Yutaka hadn't been lying to him. "Alright, I'll do it," Hiro muttered, though uncertainty gnawed at the edges of his resolve. As the suit sprouted a pair of cybernetic wings, he climbed through his window, he wondered if this had been his parents' plan all along, to find their tech and destroy it. The only question he still had was why.

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Meanwhile, at the pier, Nori's rage knew no bounds. His red armor glinted in the moonlight as he tore through shipping containers, sending metal shards flying in all directions. The air was thick with the scent of burning rubber and gasoline – a testament to the destruction Nori had already wrought.

"Where are they?" he snarled, scanning the area for what remained of the gang. His fury blinded him, and instead of targeting only the criminals, he lashed out indiscriminately at anyone who happened to be on the pier.

Government officials watching the scene from a secure location felt a cold wave of fear wash over them. The live feed of the devastation played out on multiple screens, leaving them speechless.

"Is this our new weapon?" one official whispered, his voice shaky. "How do we control him?"

"Control?" another scoffed bitterly. "We've just unleashed a monster."

As Hiro approached the pier, he could see the chaos Nori had caused and felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. Was this what his Parents had invented the Machs for?

"AI," Hiro said hesitantly. "Can I communicate with Mach 2? Maybe I can reason with him."

"Attempting communication," the AI responded, opening a channel between the two suits. Hiro's voice crackled through the connection, wavering yet determined.

"Hey! Mach 2! This is...Mach 1. You need to stop this! You're hurting innocent people!"

"And here I was thinking I was special," Nori snarled back. "I should have known Masato would have a way to make sure I followed the rules."

"I don't know what you are talking about and I am not here to fight you," Hiro countered, lost in the situation before him. "Please, let's talk about this before more people get hurt."

"Talk?" Nori spat. "You are in a mar machine capable of ending the world and you just want to talk? You're pathetic, you don't deserve this power, and you are a waste of my time. I am not going to stop until I decide to."

Nori cut the communication, leaving Hiro frustrated and afraid. But he couldn't let this continue, he could see the devastation as people attempted to flee the area. He had no choice, if Mach 2 wasn't willing to talk then he would have to stop him another way.

"AI, what are your weapon capabilities" He asked, determined to do whatever it took to protect his parents' legacy.