Soul Drive: Ignition

The thick choking smoke clawed at Ai's throat as she huddled in the cramped office, every fibre of her being screaming at her to get up and get out of there as quickly as she could. Outside, the Hiroshima police station was surrendering to the growing flames, people raced to the exits. Officers barked orders, their voices muffled and distant through the thickening haze.

Ai knew this confusion was her chance to get to Hiro. She needed to be careful though, it was only a matter of time before the building collapsed. With shaky knees, she forced herself up from her hiding place, her eyes scanning for the stairwell as the smoke stung them. Ignoring the heat from the flames, she pressed herself against the flow of bodies surging toward the exit and pushed her way to the stairwell.

"Miss, you need to get out of here!" an officer shouted as he caught sight of her on the second floor, his hand reaching out to usher her toward safety.

But safety wasn't her goal in all of this. "I can't," she pleaded, desperation sharp. "I have to find my friend."

"Listen, it's too dangerous," the officer insisted, more firmly this time.

Feigning compliance, Ai let him steer her into the stream of evacuees. Suddenly the building shifted from the intense heat and everyone did their best to hold steady. Ai used the officer's moment of distraction to duck under his arm and dive back into the stairwell's smoky embrace. The third floor greeted her with the sounds of coughs and cries. Interrogation rooms lined the corridor, and she wondered if there would be enough time to search them all.

An officer leaving one of the rooms saw her, but Ai didn't give him time to react, she didn't have the time to waste. In one fluid, restless motion, she wrenched the gun from his holster and aimed it at his chest. "Where is he?" she demanded, her voice trembling as much as her hands. The officer stood frozen with his arms up.

---

Within the confines of the interrogation room, Osamu tried to get back onto his feet. Hiro had braced himself against the table, his every muscle tensed to keep him in place. The officer who came to talk to Osamu dusted himself off, darting out of the room the moment he realized something was wrong.

"What was that?" Hiro asked, still very disoriented after the building stopped shaking. "You don't think a Mach pilot would attack a police station do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past them. We need to leave now," Osamu declared, already moving towards the door.

"Wait. Ai—" Hiro's voice cracked with worry.

"She could already be dead, Hiro. And if she isn't then she should get out without you," Osamu countered, looking Hiro right in the eye to make his point clear.

"But what if she's trapped or hurt?" he remained in his chair, unable to will his body to move.

"We don't have time for this. Officers will be evacuating every floor, if she is alive they will rescue her," Osamu explained, he could see the small tuffs of smoke slipping into the room from under the door.

Before Hiro could respond they heard the sound of commotion outside—desperate shouts, a struggle. They emerged to a scene as surreal as it was terrifying: Ai, the girl who believed there was good in everyone, holding a gun to an officer's head, her soft brown eyes now wild with fear.

"Put it down, miss," Osamu ordered, reaching for his own firearm.

"Wait, Ai I am ok, everything is ok," Hiro shouted, trying to draw her attention to himself.

Yet Ai stood frozen, the deadly weight of the firearm shaking in her grip. Her finger hovered over the trigger, uncertainty etched into every line of her body.

"Talk to me, Ai," Hiro implored, just wanting her to look at her. "Tell me what's going on here, okay? We can work through this,"

Ai looked up for a split second to meet Hiro's gaze, hearts thudding in tandem, as they realized it would be next to impossible to get out of this, Ai had crossed a line.

Neither teen had noticed Osamu had been slowly inching his way closer to Ai. In a swift arc of motion, his hand lashed out, knocking the gun away from Ai's trembling fingers and causing it to clatter harmlessly across the floor. The officer lunged forward to subdue Ai, but with the prowess of a seasoned fighter, Osamu struck him in the back of the neck, sending the man crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

"Well this isn't going the way I thought it would," he said, turning to Hiro, who was still staring blankly at Ai. "If this is a Mach attack then the front door is a no-go, take Ai and find another way out."

Hiro snapped back to reality as Osamu placed a hand on his shoulder, he looked up at the man. "What about you?"

"Listen," Osamu cut in sharply, picking up the limp officer with surprising gentleness. "I've got to get this man out of here, and I have the cover of being one of these officers. You don't, you were right, you are too visible in all of this." He hoisted the man over his shoulders and moved toward the stairwell.

Ai tugged at Hiro's sleeve, her own eyes wide with desperation. "I still have your Mach, if we get to the roof you can use it to get us out of here right? I am so sorry."

Osamu nodded, as he pushed the door to the stairwell. "Go," he urged, before disappearing down the stairwell with the passed-out officer.

"Come on." Ai's whisper was barely audible as she led Hiro in the opposite direction up the stairs, their steps quick and silent as they tried to avoid drawing any attention to themselves.

Reaching the rooftop, they edged toward the side of the building, but Hiro's grip suddenly tightened on Ai, yanking her behind a billowing sheet of plastic. she gripped him tightly, confused about why they stopped.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Down there." Hiro's eyes were narrowed slits, studying the scene below. "Henry is down there, with people in suits. He set us up and they attacked the building."

"No way Henry did this" Ai bit her lip, her gaze flickering with guilt. "It was Nori. that guy with red hair from the greenhouse. I saw him put the bomb into the trash can myself. We are really high up, how can you be sure you saw Henry down there."

"I know what I saw." Hiro squinted as he tried to put all the pieces together. "Maybe Henry is working for the Japanese too? Either way flying out of here means getting seen."

Ai's eyes darted around, searching for another, as dark clouds of smoke continued to rise from the building. "The trash tube." She pointed across the roof, "They usually lead to the dump. Of course, they can also lead to incinerators. It's risky, but—"

"I don't know," Hiro peeked over the side of the building again. "They could be waiting for us at the dump already."

"I don't think we have much of a choice," she countered, as she stared at the trash chute.

"You're right. We need to get out of here now," he muttered, the corner of his mouth lifting despite the gravity of their situation. "You go first, I'll follow you."

"Hiro, if they are waiting for us on the other side. I won't tell them a thing," Ai confirmed, as she sat on the edge of the tube. "You never have to take them on alone again." She nodded before slipping into the chute

Hiro smiled at the thought of having a real friend in all of this, he sat on the edge of the tube and took a deep breath, taking one last look around before pushing himself off the edge, leaving the flames behind.

The world spun in a kaleidoscope as Hiro and Ai were sucked down the trash tube, their screams echoed off the plastic walls. They landed with an inelegant thump onto a pile of plastic tubing that crumbled under their weight, absorbing the impact. Hiro leapt to his feet first, extending a hand to Ai who was still trying to catch her breath.

"We did it… we're alive," Ai's voice wavered with disbelief, as she placed her hand into Hiro's.

"Seems so," Hiro said, pulling her up. "And it doesn't look like anyone was expecting us to take that route."

They both peered around the empty dump, the reality of their situation sinking in as they realized there was no going back to the academy. They exchanged a look that didn't need words; it was time to move.

"Can't stay here long," Hiro said, as they trudged away from the ever-growing trash mound. "Thank god the entire city sends its trash to the outskirts."

"Right, we have time to get out of here." Ai's gaze swept across the horizon as they reached the wooded outskirts.

Hours passed, and they began to lose steam when Ai spotted a shadowy outline against the moonlit sky. "There," she pointed out, her breath misting in the frosty air. "I think that is an encampment." She pointed a shaky finger toward it.

"An encampment?" Hiro echoed, skepticism lacing his tone as he followed her finger.

"You know, from the last war. They're dotted all over, meant to protect civilians from the nuclear winters." She approached the bunker, a smile growing on her face as it seemed intact.

"It's locked," Hiro murmured, probing the handle. He extended his hand out to Ai, "I'm going to need my Mach for this."

Ai freed the Mach from her pocket and placed it carefully in his grasp. With the tap of the talk button, the Mach surged to life. His armoured hands glowing with power as he tore the door from its hinges. They both took a moment to stare down into the darkness, unsure about what they would discover at the bottom.

"Home sweet home?" Ai ventured, her voice echoing off the cold walls.

"For now," Hiro replied, scanning the dim interior. "Let's just hope we are the only ones who found it."

---

Meanwhile, Osamu's lungs burned from smoke as he emerged from the inferno, dragging the unconscious officer to safety. Paramedics rushed forward, relieving him of his burden. He turned to leave, only to be halted by a firm tap on his shoulder.

"Mr. Ward," Osamu greeted coldly, recognizing the man before him. "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"Osamu, you've been ignoring my calls," Patrick Ward said with deceptive lightness. His eyes, however, were filled with rage. "Get in the car. You can I have a lot to discuss."

"I'm sure this discussion can be civil," Osamu said as he slid into the vehicle, knowing there was no escape from this.

Once the car was in motion Patrick spoke, "Hisoka Yamada," he turned to face Osamu. "Why?"

"I'm sure you've already watched the footage from that night, you've heard what I said to her," Osamu said, his voice devoid of remorse. "Don't waste time on questions you know the answer to."

"You know what is waiting for you when we get back? What the punishment is for what you did?" Patrick said coldly.

"I am aware. It's funny how you think you know anything about what is going on," Osamu argued, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Well, do you care to inform me?" Patrick pressed him.

"I have already told you everything," Osamu admitted, frustration seething within him.

"Ah yes the Machs are getting stronger," Patrick said ominously as they neared the headquarters. "You really believe these suits were designed to be destroyed, Osamu. How would that benefit anyone, it makes no sense."

"It makes sense to someone," Osamu said, as the car stopped.

"You're just trying to spare your own life," Patrick seemed unimpressed by the man, "You should be more concerned about your wife's life, after all, she did cover for you. Your son could end up an orphan after this," Ward smiled at the sight of fear in Osamu's eyes.

---

The smell of smoke still clung to the air as Tessa, Nia, and Hector crouched behind the crumbled wall of an abandoned shop, their eyes fixed on the charred skeleton of the Hiroshima police station. They watched the emergency crews work until the building let out one final grown before collapsing in on itself.

"Dammit," Hector muttered under his breath, his sandy blonde hair sticking to his forehead, his eyes scanning the scene for any sign of Ai and Hiro. "I don't see either of them."

"We can't say anything for certain yet," Tessa observed. "Until their bodies are discovered, there is a chance they escaped."

"Right now, our best play is to remain ghosts," Nia added, practical as ever. They slipped away into the shadows, heading back to their base of operations. They may have just lost their only connection to the Machs, it was time to regroup.

---

Miles away, in the Japanese Mach facility, Nori strode into the conference room. He entered with a satisfied smile on his face. Mao awaited him, her posture rigid with authority.

"So burning down the entire building in a fiery explosion was your version of keeping a low profile?" she probed, her voice tinged with skepticism.

"Nobody saw go in or out," Nori shot back, his green eyes flashing. "Also Hiro never made it out of the building, so I think that means I upheld my end of this deal."

"Optimistic," Mao remarked dryly. "He still could have escaped, they haven't identified his body yet." she rubbed her temples.

"There is no way he got out of that," he insisted, but Mao merely arched an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Well if your brilliant plan didn't work," Mao continued, "Hiro won't get far."

"And why's that?" Nori looked confused by how certain Mao sounded.

"Let's call it... insurance," Mao replied cryptically. She turned to leave, but Nori's frustration erupted.

"Tell me!" he demanded, slamming his fists down, but Mao simply smiled and exited, leaving him with the echo of his own fury.

Across Japan, television screens flickered with the breaking news. A well-groomed anchor sat behind the desk, relaying the events with a rehearsed gravity.

"Tonight, we report a terrorist attack in Hiroshima," he began, his voice carrying the weight of the nation's shock. Ai and Hiro's faces appeared beside him, casting them as public enemies. "These suspects are considered armed and dangerous."

The camera cut to Prime Minister Mamoru, his expression sombre yet resolute. "The brave officers who fought the fire are heroes," he declared. "And rest assured, justice will be served."

As the broadcast ended, an entire country set its sights on two fugitives—Hiro and Ai, now alone against the world.