Soul Drive: Ignition

Hiro sat on the edge of his bed, the flickering blue light from the television casting eerie shadows across the room. He watched as the news anchor revealed the gruesome details of yet another mysterious police officer's death, her voice a mixture of shock and sadness. "The body of the third victim was found earlier this morning, raising questions as to just how these officers died," she said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "There are no leads for these strange incidents, and all victims appear to have fallen from great heights, even though there were no high-rise buildings nearby."

"Odd," Hiro muttered under his breath, his dark eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He wondered how someone could get them up so high before dropping them without being seen. Could someone have hacked the city drone system or could it be that Mach user he fought before? If so, why hadn't his own Mach detected the Mach like it did before? The thought gnawed at him, how could he be sure this wasn't the work of a Mach. Was it worth texting Yutaka about?

As Hiro prepared for bed, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the Mach could be responsible for the killings. Just as he was about to switch off the light, he decided he would have to call Yutaka in the morning to put his mind at ease. But he couldn't sleep, so he grabbed the number Yutaka had given him and called. "Yutaka, can we talk?"

"Oh course Hiro, what's wrong?" Yutaka asked urgently, his voice filled with concern.

"It's about the cop killings," Hiro replied, his heart rate increasing. "Do you think it's related to that Mach the government has?"

"Actually, yes," Yutaka confirmed, adjusting his glasses over the phone. "Though this would be a different Mach entirely, Mach 3 to be exact. Your Mach wouldn't detect it because it was designed to be fully undetectable."

"Undetectable?" Hiro repeated, incredulous. "How can we find it then? How many more Machs are out there?"

"Listen closely, Hiro," Yutaka explained, his tone serious. "The user is targeting specific police officers, so finding out how they are connected will lead us right to them. This Mach pilot is clearly acting out just like the other, and that is their weakness."

"Right," Hiro agreed, clenching his jaw. "So we just have to figure out what connects the officers. Then we can stake out the next target until the Mach shows up and shut it down."

"Right, but leave the investigation to me. For now, just be a kid and don't draw attention to yourself, remember the government will be looking for you," Yutaka urged, the concern in his voice evident.

"Yeah, for sure. I will wait to hear from you then," With that, Hiro hung up the phone and stared into the now-darkened room, his mind racing with thoughts of undetectable Machs and mysterious cop killers. Could he really wait to hear back from Yutaka? would there be any harm in just going by a few police stations after school to see if anything stood out? As he fell asleep he convinced himself there was no harm in checking.

-----

After school, Hiro walked past the city's police stations as he waited for Yutaka's investigation to progress. He began a routine of biking around the city after school to check in a few each day, he didn't exactly know what he was looking for but he had convinced himself he would know when he saw it. The wind whipped at his dark hair, stinging his cheeks as he pedaled furiously between locations.

"Come on," Hiro muttered under his breath as he stood outside yet another station, watching people come and go. Was it possible that the Mach pilot had killed all the officers they had planned to and moved on?

Just then, a female officer burst through the doors, her face contorted with fear. She sprinted to her car, fumbling with her keys before hastily climbing inside. Hiro's heart raced; could this be it?

Without a second thought, Hiro pedaled after her, trying not to lose sight of her car. He trailed the officer's car from behind, careful not to be seen.

The officer, Usagi, arrived at her apartment building in record time. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door, only to find her family gone and Noboru waiting for her at the table.

"Where are they?" Usagi demanded, tears welling in her eyes.

"Is that any way to talk to a guest," Noboru replied coldly. "But if you must know, they are fine, just stepped to pick up a few things."

"Please, just leave us alone, I can't give you what you want," Usagi begged, her voice shaking.

"Well that is unfortunate," Noboru conceded, his voice like ice. "But you wrote those damning emails that were used against me, you know the ones where it looked like I wanted to take a hit out on them. They really were convincing."

Usagi sobbed, knowing her fate was sealed. Noboru commanded her to step onto the balcony. Trembling, she complied, her legs barely able to support her weight. In a swift motion, Noboru grabbed her, and they shot into the sky. Usagi's screams pierced the air.

Hiro, witnessed Mach 3 take off into the sky with the officer and activated his own Mach. As Noboru released his grip on Usagi, Hiro swooped in with incredible speed, catching her just before she plummeted to her death. He gently lowered her onto a nearby rooftop, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Who are you?" Usagi panted, her eyes wide with terror and gratitude.

"You need to get out of here," Hiro replied, avoiding the question. "Now!"

Enraged, Noboru called out "How dare you interfere with my work, step aside now or die."

But Hiro refused to move, "If you are looking for a fight, then why not take me on?"

The two Mach-users clashed in mid-air, with deafening force. Despite Noboru's anger, Hiro easily dodged his blows and began to chip away at Mach 3's shields.

Realizing he was outmatched, Noboru retreated without a word, disappearing into the cityscape. Hiro knew this wasn't the end and a part of him wondered, now that he had disrupted Mach 3's plans, what would he do next?

-----

Noboru's heart raced as he powered down the Mach suit, his body reverberating with the residual adrenaline from his encounter with Hiro. He made a call to Masato, barely able to contain his frustration. "I just had a run-in with that rogue Mach. You didn't mention how strong it was."

"Noboru, you are a great detective," Masato responded, his tone calculating and cold. "find out who is in the suit and kill them before they activate it, the solution is simple really."

"Understood," Noboru said with a twisted smile, he hung up ready to get to work.

Noboru wasted no time in analyzing Mach 1's speech patterns from their brief exchange. No adult would talk like that. It didn't take long for him to conclude that the pilot was a teenager, trying to come off as older.

Next, he hacked into police security cameras, convinced that Mach 1 had followed his would-be victim to her apartment building. As he combed through the footage, he found Hiro lurking around the station, an image of him biking after Usagi's car. "Got you," Noboru whispered.

His final move was to access school board files and use a program to compare Hiro's face to student IDs. When he finally zeroed in on Hiro Kobayashi, his satisfaction swelled like a tidal wave. But just killing Hiro would be too kind, he had gotten in the way of his life's mission, and he had to suffer.

Noboru began stalking Hiro, observing his daily routine with a predatory focus. It wasn't long before he noticed Hiro's only friend was Kimiko Suzuki and she would be his key to victory.

As Kimiko walked home after school one day, Noboru put his plan into motion. "Help, please someone help me!" he called out.

Kimiko, hearing his cries, rushed over, her expression a blend of confusion and concern. She had no idea what was happening, he appeared fine, with no blood or broken bones.

"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him. Her voice was filled with genuine worry, as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

"It's my wrist. I think I broke it" Noboru held his arm close to his body, so Kimiko had to lean in closer to take a look at it. As she leaned over him, he grabbed her, stuffing the rag into her mouth, that he was hiding in his balled-up fist. She couldn't scream as he wrestled her into his waiting car.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he whispered, closing the trunk on her. "But your friend and I have a score to settle."

As he drove away, Noboru couldn't help but feel a thrilling sense of anticipation. Soon, Hiro would be forced to face him once more—and this time, there would be no escape.

-----

Hiro's fingers tapped nervously on the kitchen counter as he listened to Yutaka's urgent voice through the phone. His heart pounded in his chest, as he tried to pretend he hadn't already faced off with Mach 3.

"Listen, Hiro," Yutaka said, his voice strained. "The Mach user is Noboru—he was a skilled detective a decade ago. He was in prison until a few weeks ago, and then no trace of him since."

"So why is he killing officers?" Hiro asked, guilt and fear knotting together in his stomach. He could still remember the feeling of Usagi's body in his arms as he caught her mid-air, her screams echoing in his ears.

"He claims that he was set up for the murders of his wife and son, these officers could have been involved in some way," Yutaka explained. "He is incredibly dangerous, and no doubt they are using him to try and find you." The weight of Yutaka's words bore down on Hiro, making his knees weak.

Suddenly, the sound of his uncle shouting from the living room jolted him out of his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat, adding another layer of dread to his already frayed nerves. "Yutaka, I have to go. Something's happening." Without waiting for a response, Hiro hung up and rushed into the living room.

His uncle stood frozen in front of the TV, eyes wide with shock. Following his gaze, Hiro saw Mach 3 on the screen, face obscured by the suit. In the background, bound and gagged, was a familiar figure: Kimiko. A cold shiver ran down Hiro's spine, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

"Listen up, Mach 1," the distorted voice of Mach 3 rang out. "You and I have some unfinished business, so to ensure you show up, I have some motivation for you. An innocent life will end tonight if you don't."

"Kimiko..." Hiro whispered, his throat tight with panic.

"Two hours," Mach 3 continued. "Meet me on the roof of the industrial building in the Hanshin district, or she dies. You will know it when you see it." The screen flickered back to the regular broadcast, but Hiro barely noticed.

His thoughts raced, a hurricane of fear and desperation. He had to save Kimiko—he couldn't lose her like he'd lost his parents. But there was no way Noboru didn't have a trap set for him, still he had to try.

"Uncle," Hiro said, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I have to go see how Kimiko's parents are doing."

Before his uncle could respond, Hiro slipped away, his mind already calculating every possible scenario, desperate for a solution that would bring his friend back safely.

Hiro's heart raced as his breathing became erratic, the weight of responsibility bearing down on him. He faced down the street, looking for a place where he could activate his Mach. The news droned on from the phones of people nearby, reporters claiming the government confirmed the video was a hoax. A cover-up, he thought, to ensure their secret isn't exposed to the world.

"Fake news," a man muttered before turning off his phone. "This can't be real."

"Forgive me, Yutaka," Hiro whispered under his breath before ducking into an alleyway and activating Mach 1. The cybernetic armor enveloped his body, transforming him into a powerful weapon.

-----

Meanwhile, Masato received an alert about the video Noboru had released. He immediately contacted the board. "Rest assured," he said smoothly, "I have everything under control. There's no real risk to the girl."

"You better not screw this up," replied the board member replied, clearly enraged. "Remember it is your job on the line if this fails, your name on the program and only you will suffer for a failure this big."

"Of course," Masato agreed, ending the call. Alone in his office, he threw a chair into the wall, Noboru was an idiotic failure and a mess he had to clean up.

"So he wants to play games," he said aloud. "Oh, Noboru the only good thing about this and that Mach 1 will no doubt show up to stop you. But you'll most likely die in this fight—Mach 1's pilot has more control over his emotions. And I will be fired as a result."

He paused, considering his options. "Well," he decided, "I'll just have to make the best of it. Ensure the Mach 1 is destroyed as well." He left his office, preparing for his final gambit.

As Hiro soared through the night sky, Kimiko's face haunted his thoughts. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was responsible for her predicament, If he hadn't stopped Noboru, if he had just waited for Yutaka to finish his investigation, then none of this would have happened.

"Stay strong, Kimiko," he thought, gritting his teeth. "I'm coming for you." And with that, Hiro hurtled toward a confrontation.