Soul Drive: Ignition

Hiroshima was being pelted by heavy rain, turning its streets into glistening rivers that glowed neon from the shop lights. Hiro ducked into a shadowy alley, his hoodie almost soaked through, it felt like he was carrying a ton of bricks on his back. Lightning flashed, illuminating the space, and a large pile of trash that had missed the shoot caught his eye.

"That could have something we can use," he muttered, inching closer to the sopping-wet pile of trash. He tore open the thin plastic and allowed the contents of the bags to pour into the street. "Come on, give me something good."

An old holodeck cracked against the pavement as it fell to the ground. "Perfect," Hiro grinned, tucking it into his waterlogged backpack. "If we're lucky it will have some parts we can use for the radio."

He zipped up his bag and crept past a row of shops, a news broadcast blared from a television in a store window. Hiro froze, his eyes widening as he saw his own face plastered across the screen.

"The search continues for Hiro Kobayashi and Ai Takahashi, the teenage fugitives responsible for the police station bombing just three weeks ago," the newscaster, doing her best to sound serious in her lime green blazer.

Hiro instinctively pulled his hood up, he couldn't risk being spotted now. "What a disaster," he mumbled looking over at Ai's photo. "I'm the reason you're in this mess in the first place. I'll find a way to get you out of it," he promised the image.

Shaking it off, Hiro pressed on down the street. He navigated the labyrinthine of a city like a man on a mission, after all, he came to the city for a reason. The steel gates finally came into view, he paused for a moment, scanning the area for any signs of security cameras.

Pulling out his Mach, disguised as an ordinary smartphone, Hiro pressed it to the electronic lock. "Mach 1, hack this lock," he murmured, watching the phone sprout wires that drilled into the lock.

After a moment a soft ping echoed into the night, and the gate swung open, revealing a lush garden bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. Hiro's eyes widened, he hadn't had any vegetables since they hid down in the bunker, beyond the canned beans they found.

"Sorry about this," he whispered to no one in particular as he began carefully selecting fruits and vegetables. "But we need to eat too."

As Hiro filled his backpack, he failed to notice the newly installed motion sensor set at ground level and hidden amongst the melons. Suddenly, an ear-splitting alarm shattered the night, followed by an enraged shout.

"Hey! Stop right there, you thief!"

Hiro spun around to see a furious man charging towards him with a shovel held above his head. Without hesitation, Hiro bolted, his feet splashing through puddles as he ran.

"I've called the police!" the man roared, closing the distance.

Hiro's mind raced, as his eyes locked on the exit. As the man lunged to grab him, Hiro ducked and pivoted, using the man's momentum against him. In a fluid motion, he pinned the larger man to the ground.

"Listen," Hiro said, his voice low and intense. "I'm sorry about the food, but I am going to leave you some money for it," Hiro dug the bills out of his pocket and stuffed them into the struggling man's shirt pocket. "Now, for your own safety, don't follow me."

Releasing the stunned man, Hiro sprinted back through the gate, his heart pounding. He wondered how far away the cops were, and if he had been caught on tape. "That was too close and too reckless," he chastised himself. "I need to get back before they start the manhunt."

With a final burst of speed, Hiro made it to the garbage chute and slipped inside, getting sucked out of the city and into the dump. He enjoyed his brief cover from the rain, but his brief enjoyment was shattered by his hard landing.

The rain pelted Hiro's face as he trudged through the dense woods, his boots sinking into the muddy earth with each step. His mind wandered to Yutaka. "I hope you don't think I'm dead," Hiro whispered, knowing he had betrayed him yet again. "I promise as soon as I get the radio working, I'm going to contact you."

As he pushed deeper into the forest, the sound of voices caught his attention. Hiro's survival instincts kicked in, and he quickly ducked behind a large bush, his heart racing.

"I'm telling you, we should head back to the cabin," a gruff voice complained. "We aren't going find her out here in all of this."

"Just a few more minutes," another voice responded firmly. "I could have sworn I saw someone over here." Hiro could hear them move closer to his hiding place. "Setsuna! Please come back, the storm is getting worse!"

Hiro held his breath as he listened to the couple searching for someone in the forest. His conscience tugged at him, urging him to help. But the rational part of his mind reminded him that if he was caught, the government would kill him.

Come on, keep moving, he thought, conflicted. I want to help up I can't if you keep standing there.

They stayed glued in place calling the girl's name until a crackle of static pierced the air.

"We've found her!" a voice announced through the radio. "Bringing her in now."

Relief washed over Hiro as the couple stepped away, their footsteps fading into the distance. He emerged from his hiding spot, shaking off the wet leaves clinging to his clothes.

"That was close," he muttered, making a b-line for the bunker before anything else could get in his way.

As Hiro descended the ladder into the underground sanctuary, Ai's face lit up as he reached the bottom rung.

"Hiro!" she exclaimed, rushing to greet him. Taking the backpack off his shoulders while he tried to dry off. "Looks like you got everything. I just wish the weather wasn't so terrible tonight, you're soaked,"

Hiro struggled to pull his hoodie off. "It's fine, I change and everything will be all good," he said, finally taking the hoodie off and tossing it aside.

Ai unzipped the backpack and started to dig through its contents. "This all looks amazing, so happy you found the strawberries this time. Now we have everything for that cake I wanted to make."

As Ai got to work emptying the bag, Hiro changed into a set of dry clothes, his muscles aching from the unexpected sprint earlier. Ai finally got to the bottom of the bag, she pulled out the old holodeck and set it on the table.

Ai raised an eyebrow. "Are you still trying to fix that radio?"

Hiro nodded, determination etched on his face. "I haven't given up. It's our best shot at contacting Yutaka, he can help us get out of here."

"And how is that going?" Ai asked looking concerned.

Hiro sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "It could be better. But I know I can figure it out, I looked up some how-to stuff while I was out."

"I hate that this place blacks out our Slabs' service," Ai huffed, leaning back on the counter. "If we had service we would be out of here by now," she lamented.

"You know if we had service they would be able to track us," Hiro took a seat at the steal table, he dragged the holodeck over to him. "It's why I leave my Slab here when I go out, it keeps them looking for us over there."

Ai watched Hiro trace the outline of his Mach in his pocket. "I know, But we can't stay down here much longer. Our supplies are getting low and going back to the Hiroshima is going to get riskier."

Hiro's brow furrowed. "We don't have much of a choice, not until I contact Yutaka,"

Ai leaned back, thinking back to what Hiro had told her about Yutaka. He was his parents' lab assistant. Brilliant guy. The one who gave Hiro the Mach. But that was all she knew about him. She still had questions, like why Yutaka had chosen Hiro for the Mach and why he didn't disappear like Hiro's parents.

Ai knew Yutaka was someone Hiro trusted but could they really wait for him? She had another idea in mind, "What if we try contacting Henry? I mean I know he has a radio, I saw it in his room one time,"

"Oh," Hiro looked down at the table, he seemed unsure about what to say next. "I guess that could be an option if all else fails."

Ai huffed, frustration evident in her voice. "What do mean if all else fails? Henry helped us find Trisha and he is the smartest person I've ever met, he would know how to get us out of this mess for sure!"

Hiro's dark eyes met hers, there was something hidden in them. "I know. But to be honest I'm still not sure we can fully trust him. I just have some questions about his motives."

Ai's expression softened. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know he is a little off, but so are we. We are getting desperate here, we can't turn away allies because of our feelings now." She leaned in, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

Hiro gave her an awkward smile, he knew she was right, they couldn't afford to turn away anyone who could help them now. He managed a thank you, then rose from the table and made his way to the back room.

The disassembled radio lay before him, a jumble of wires and circuits that seemed to mock his efforts. Hiro's fingers fumbled with the connections, his hope fading as he tried to remember the video from the internet cafe.

"Come on," he muttered, twisting two wires together. Nothing but static crackled through the speakers.

Hiro pried the old holodeck apart, wondering if any of it was still usable. "I never should have gone to find Osamu without telling Yutaka first," he thought bitterly. "Now we're trapped down here, and the world thinks we're terrorists."

The static hissed, as he snapped one of the motherboards into place. Hiro felt the walls of the bunker closing in, as not even static came over the radio. He was supposed to be the hero, the one ending the Mach programs. Now, he felt utterly useless.

"Some hero I turned out to be," he muttered, glaring at the uncooperative radio. "Can't even fix a simple circuit. My parents would be so disappointed,"

The aroma of simmering broth and sizzling vegetables wafted through the bunker, drawing Hiro from his self-deprecating spiral. He shuffled into the kitchen, shoulders slumped, to find Ai testing the sauce she had crafted for the stirfry.

"It's almost ready," Ai said, her eyes flickering to Hiro's dejected expression. "I take it the radio is still broken?"

He nodded his head, slumping into a chair. "It's going to be a little longer,"

Ai ladled the steaming miso soup into bowls, hoping it would raise Hiro's spirits. "I've been thinking," she began, her voice taking on that persuasive tone Hiro knew so well. "What if we found a way to make it look like the Canadians caused the explosion at the station?"

"How would we do that?" Hiro asked, giving her a confused look.

Ai set the bowls down and fixed him with a determined gaze. "We know that Osamu was there and he is a Canadian agent, other people saw him there too."

Hiro's eyebrows shot up. "But how would we prove it?"

"We just need a photo of Osamu, next time you go out you can try to download one," Ai explained, her eyes glinting with excitement. "I think one of Trisha's books has a photo of their whole family on it, it proves he is Canadian and I am sure one of those officers will recognize his face."

Hiro leaned forward, intrigued despite his skepticism. "It's not a bad idea, I could leak it to a new station, they would love this kind of thing,"

Ai's lips curved into a smile. "And it would distract the Canadians, by us more time to figure out if they caught Osamu."

"Maybe, if they haven't already executed him for treason," Hiro wasn't sure Osamu made it out of the fire, but the way the building was surrounded that day, it didn't seem like he would've gotten far if he did.

"We can't afford to think that way," Ai continued, deftly picking up her chopsticks. "With the Canadians doing damage control and the Japanese hunting them down, we could slip in unnoticed. You could find Yutaka and he could help us find Osamu and save him like he saved us."

Hiro's mind raced, weighing the risks and possibilities. "It's not the worst plan, but I'm sure they would figure out it was us,"

Ai shrugged, slurping a mouthful of soup. "So what? By the time they do, we'll have freed Osamu. You know it will at least buy us time."

Hiro stared at her, a mix of admiration and concern swirling in his chest. "You make it sound like nothing can go wrong," he said softly.

"I'd like to believe nothing will go wrong," Ai replied. "We can do this. We can save ourselves this time."

As Hiro picked up his chopsticks, he found himself torn between hope and fear. Ai's plan was tempting but reckless, it would put Osamu in the line of fire. But it would turn the focus away from them, at least as far as the general public would be concerned.

Hiro sipped thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. "Alright, tomorrow I'll hit up that internet cafe, see what I can find. Can't say I can make any promises."

Ai flashed him a smile. "You don't have to, I know you'll figure something out,"

"Thanks, Ai..." Hiro set down his chopsticks, running a hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into all of this. I'll do everything I can to make sure you get to live your normal life again."

Ai's face fell slightly. "I don't want my old life, I don't regret helping you at all."

"Ai... I just thought," Hiro continued, his voice low. "I mean, this is so dangerous and I want to keep you safe."

A heavy silence fell between them. Ai stirred her soup absently, her earlier enthusiasm deflating.

"I understand," she murmured.

Hiro reached across the table, gently squeezing her hand. "Hey, you've done more than enough. Thank you."

Ai nodded, but Hiro could see the disappointment in her eyes. They finished their meal in silence.

As Hiro gathered the dishes, Ai stretched and yawned. "I think I'm going to turn in early," she said, her voice tinged with fatigue.

"Alright," Hiro replied, concern creeping into his voice. "Sleep well."

The moment Ai's door clicked shut, she moved with purpose. Lifting her mattress, she retrieved the hidden Slab, her heart pounding. The screen lit up, revealing a flood of messages from Henry.

"Are you safe? Where are you? Please respond!"

Ai's fingers hovered over the keypad. She glanced nervously at the door, picturing Hiro just beyond it. A pang of guilt struck her – she hadn't told him about the Slab, about Henry's messages. But Hiro was too focused on protecting her, she needed to protect him from himself.

Taking a deep breath, she typed: "We are ok."

With trembling hands, she held the Slab up to the vent and hit send. As the message was sent, Ai wondered if she had just made a grave mistake or taken the first step toward getting out of the bunker for good.