Soul Drive: Ignition

The thin laser grid blocked Osamu's escape from his cell, a guard paced nervously in front of it humming to himself as he went. Osamu sat on the cold metal bench, his eyes following the guard's monotonous path back and forth, back and forth.

"Good god, watching pace is actually making me wish they had executed me," Osamu moved toward the flickering grid, his irritation written on his face. "You know there is a chair on your side for a reason,"

The guard's head snapped towards him, eyes narrowing. "Shut your mouth, prisoner. I've been told all about you, I'm not letting my guard down for a second."

Osamu couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle. "Please. What am I going to do here? Last time I checked these lasers would kill me just like they would anyone else." He leaned forward, his sharp gaze piercing through the guard. "The only reason I'm alive right now is because of my DNA. If they really did tell you everything then you know I am the only one who can pilot Mach 4. So even his I did break out, you wouldn't kill me."

The guard's face contorted with anger, his hand twitching towards his weapon. "You think so? I don't think they would blink twice if I ended your life."

"You'd be dead before you opened my cell, or haven't you noticed the cameras aren't facing me," Osamu looked up at the corner of the room, a smirk playing on his lips. The cameras were locked on the guard, a Mach pilot was useful to the Canadian government, but a guard was not. As the guard moved closer to the lasers, Osamu stepped back, knowing what would happen next.

Suddenly, a new voice cut through the tension. "Don't do it. He's gotten two guards killed already."

Osamu's eyes darted to the newcomer, a female guard who had appeared silently behind the first. The first guard hesitated, as her warning sunk in.

"How is that possible?" he asked, looking over to the grinning Osamu.

"He isn't lying, they can always hire a new guard, but a pilot is rare. The moment you touched the gate without authorization this side of the room would have filled with a laser grid of its own," she explained, "But by all means give it a go if you don't believe me." The guard looked between her and the cell before he finally relented, shuffling away with a last glare at Osamu.

As the echoes of the departing guard's footsteps faded, Osamu approached the cell door, shaking his head. "You sure know how to ruin my fun," he muttered, his eyes locked on the new guard.

The young woman flashed a crooked smile, and she removed her sunglasses, revealing Kimiko's familiar features. "We don't exactly have time for fun, you know," she whispered, glancing back at the door. "Stealing a Canadian agent's identity and infiltrating this place wasn't exactly a walk in the park. This place has been on high alert since the police station bombing. I'm surprised you were able to get a message out."

Osamu leaned back on the bench. "Someone owed me a favour," he said softly, "I know getting found wasn't a part of our plan. I had to make a choice, Hiro and Ai needed to get out there more than I did."

Kimiko's expression hardened. "Still that was stupid of you to bring them to such a public place, like no one would be watching. Now look at you, I have no idea how I am going to get you out of this one."

Osamu took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I don't plan on getting out of this one, that isn't why I asked you here," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The Canadians... they're going to force me to face Hiro. And they are going to use my family as their leverage." His eyes met Kimiko's, conveying the weight of his words. "I know they will do anything to my family to force me to fight, torture won't be off the table."

Kimiko's eyes widened in surprise. "But you'll have your Mach, you can crush them and save your family, besides you know Hiro won't attack you."

He shook his head, a sad smile playing on his lips. "They have two more Machs, two more pilots waiting and watching. If I turn on them my family will be killed before I get to them. So I don't need you to save me, I need you to save my family."

As Osamu spoke, he could see the wheels turning in Kimiko's mind. She was already trying to pan the next move, to find the solution to the problem. It was one of the things he admired most about her.

"I can't promise you that I'll be able to locate them in time," Kimiko said finally, her voice tinged with concern. "But I'll do what I can. Just... don't do anything stupid, okay? Do your best to stay alive."

Osamu nodded, but he had already come to terms with the ending of his story. As Kimiko sat down in the chair, he said softly, "Thank you, Kimiko. For everything."

The shrill ring of the touch screen by the door prevented Kimiko's response. Kimiko tapped the answer button, her posture immediately stiffening. Osamu could read her concern even without hearing the other side of the conversation.

"Yes, sir. Right away," Kimiko said, her voice crisp and professional. She hung up and strode towards Osamu's cell, watching the keypad change from red to green.

"So they want to talk to me?" Osamu muttered as Kimiko entered, magnetic cuffs in hand.

She leaned in close as she secured the cuffs, whispering, "It's Patrick Ward, you know what happens if he sees and recognizes me."

Osamu chuckled softly, a sad smile playing on his lips. "That man is too full of himself to remember a face that isn't his own. But suggest you wear your glasses just in case." Kimiko nodded and returned her glasses to her face before removing Osamu from his cell.

As they walked down the sterile hallway, Osamu's mind drifted to Hiro. He did not doubt that Hiro had escaped the flames, a part of him hoped he fled the country, but he knew Hiro better than that. Hiro was out there planning a way to save him again and the Canadians were counting on that.

They stopped outside one of the conference rooms. Through the door, Osamu could hear Patrick Ward's impatient pacing.

"Hopefully, this idiot will give us something we can use," Kimiko said, pressing her hand on the door handle.

Osamu took a deep breath, ready to face the man who imprisoned him. "I'll keep him talking as long as I can."

The door swung open, revealing Patrick's stern face. Kimiko led Osamu to the table, activating the magnet cuffs with a soft click sealing Osamu to the table.

"Leave us," Patrick ordered Kimiko without even looking at her. She hesitated momentarily before complying.

As the door closed behind her, Osamu met Patrick's gaze, refusing to be the first to look away. The silence stretched between them, each one waiting for the other to start.

Finally, Patrick spoke, his disappointment was clear. "I never thought I'd see the day when you would turn traitor."

Osamu's jaw clenched. "I'm no traitor. I am still loyal to my country."

"That's funny," Patrick's eyebrow arched. "I seem to recall you were the one who killed Hisoka,"

Osamu didn't even flinch at the sound of her name. He looked over to Patrick, watching the frown grow on his face. "She threatened the mission. She was a risk to all Mach pilots and she needed to be stopped."

Patrick scoffed. "Hisoka killed her own father for us. I find it hard to believe she'd threaten the mission."

Osamu was amused that Patrick thought they were talking about the same mission. He couldn't hide his slight grin, he knew Patrick was hoping for a confession that wasn't coming. "I told her to stand down but she refused. She turned her weapon on Japanese civilians and risked starting a war."

A slow, predatory smile spread across Patrick's face. "Your mission was to take Hiro off the board. Those civilians meant nothing to us. We could have easily covered their deaths up as a group of runaways."

A chill ran down Osamu's spine as he realized the extent of what could have happened that night at the greenhouse. "Forgive for thinking the Canadian government was concerned about the loss of civilian lives."

Patrick frowned, it wasn't the response he wanted to hear. "You still don't get it do you, you haven't stopped anything. We are still going to find Hiro and you are still going to do what you were supposed to do from the beginning." Patrick paused for a reaction from Osamu that never came.

"I'm done now, you can have the guard take me back to my cell," Osamu said calmly, "Maybe you'll record that confession you want so desperately next time."

Patrick let out a growl of frustration before entering a code into his clipboard to stop the recording. With another tap, the door opened and Kimiko stepped back inside to collect the prisoner. The clock was ticking, and Osamu knew his time was running out.

---

Back at Hiroshinka Academy, Henry's slab buzzed in his hand, its screen illuminating the dimly lit dorm room. His heart skipped a beat as he read the message: "We're ok." It was from Ai.

Henry's fingers flew across the screen, typing out a response. "Where are you? Everyone is saying you're a terrorist," He held his breath, knowing he had to sound like he knew nothing about what happened in Hiroshima, but he hoped Ai was now willing to talk.

Minutes passed and Henry was about ready to put the slab down when it buzzed again. Ai's message appeared: "Not sure where we are exactly. I need your help."

Henry's brow furrowed. "Of course, just keep your Slab on and I can track it, I can be there in no time or send the police to you."

"I don't need you to come here," Ai replied. "I need you to help clear our names, I saw the bomber, they were from the Japanese government."

Henry's mind raced. He needed to know more. "How do you know that?" he typed. "Why would the Japanese government blow up their own police station?"

Ai's response was immediate. "I saw him before, they are after Hiro. That's all I can say. Now I have a question for you, why were you at the station that day?"

Henry ran a hand through his short-cropped hair, she saw him. How could he gain her trust without compromising his mission? He took a deep breath and typed, "I wasn't there, it must have just been someone who looked like me,"

"No one looks like you, you were there with another woman," came Ai's simple reply.

Henry stared at the screen, his cover was blown. The task force's secrecy was paramount, but if he didn't regain Ai's trust, they would lose the only leads they had. A carefully crafted half-truth would hopefully be enough to convince her.

He thought about how much he was willing to let her know before responding. "My real name is Hector," he typed. "I'm an American spy investigating the Machs. We're trying to determine if they are a threat to our national security or not."

He paused, then added, "The woman you saw me with is my partner. We are the only two here right now, but people are scared and there is no doubt more agents will come."

As he hit send, Henry hoped the mention of more agents coming would worry Ai enough to tell him more. He waited – the plank screen mocking him with each passing second.

Hector's heart raced, fearing he may have told her too much. The slab's screen glowed softly in the dim dorm room, and he raced to see the message.

"Thanks for the truth," Ai wrote, "but I still won't tell you where we are. I need to keep Hiro safe."

Hector let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "That's fair," he typed back. "But why contact me now, I've been messaging you for weeks. What changed?"

There was a pause before Ai's reply came through. "Because things have changed. Hiro is letting his fear get the better of him, even if he says he isn't. We need to stop hiding like this."

Intrigued, Hector leaned forward. "So exposing this Japanese agent will get you out of hiding?"

"That's part of it, the other part is I need you to find Trisha again."

A smile tugged at Hector's lips. This could be the opportunity the UN task force needed to force Japan's hand. "Why do you need Trisha again?" he asked.

"Osamu was at the station, I need to be able to tell Hiro he's safe," Ai responded.

Hector's fingers flew across the screen. "I can do that, but it might take some time."

"I'll be waiting," came Ai's final message before the conversation went silent.

Hector stared at the blank screen, his mind racing. This was it, Ai and Hiro were going to make a move and this time he was going to be on top of it. He pulled out his holodeck, Trisha was Osamu's wife and if he found her once he could do it again.

Within minutes, information began flooding in but it wasn't about Trisha, it was Osamu. "This can't be right," he muttered, brow furrowing as he sifted through the data. A hospital record for the Canadian agent popped up, complete with diplomatic status and an address.

Hector's suspicion grew as he cross-referenced the location, an abandoned sawmill. "It's too sloppy," he whispered, looking over the files someone had clearly dumped online for anyone to find. "This has to be a trap. But for who?"

He leaned back in his chair, Ai did say that the government was after them. Was this meant to lure them out of hiding? Was it to attack the Canadians? Or someone else entirely? One thing was certain – he couldn't let the Un task force run into this blindly.

Hector reached for his slab, still unsure if the information was worth sharing but it could bring Hiro and Ai out of hiding. He scrolled to Ai's name, if he sent this message he could be putting her in the line of fire. He took a deep breath, if he didn't give her something she may never answer his messages again.

"I found something," he typed, "but it's not good news. According to some hospital records after the explosion Osamu was checked out by the Canadian government and then moved to an address, that is an apparently abandoned sawmill."

Ai's response was immediate. "You found that quick,"

Hector's fingers hovered over the keys. He knew it was suspicious just how fast he was able to find it. "I think it's a trap. The information was so easy to find, you could have done it at a cafe."

There was a pause before Ai's next message appeared. "What if I went anyway? What are the chances Osamu and his family are there?"

Hector's stomach twisted. Walking in there was a terrible idea, but Ai would never leave Hiro's side. "You could be killed," he admitted. "Even if Hiro's at the top of his game, you have no idea how many Machs or pilots could be waiting for you there."

He added, trying to discourage them further, "Let me look into it, I can get back to you when I know more."

The silence that followed was deafening. Hector's mind raced, hoping she would just let him check it out first, the task force could clear it and then reset it for Hiro and Ai's arrival. Finally, a simple message from Ai appeared:

"Thanks."

And then she was gone.

Hector slumped in his chair, her response wasn't what he had hoped for. He'd done what he could to warn them, but he knew it wasn't enough. He would have to move fast to beat them there, pulling his secure tablet out of his bag he initiated a secure connection to Nia.

Her face appeared on the holodeck, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Hector? What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath. "We've got a situation. Ai contacted me. I know where they're headed but I think it's a trap."

Nia's expression hardened. "Tell me everything."

As Hector recounted the events of the past few days, he could see the gears turning in Nia's mind. When he finished, she nodded slowly.

"Good work, Hector. You're right, it's almost certainly a trap. The question is who set it?"

Hector leaned forward. "How are we going to figure that out? Anyone could have created the files I found,"

"We'll send in some stealth drones to monitor the area. If we're lucky, we might be able to gather the identities of anyone found in the area and figure out who set this obvious trap."

Hector nodded along as he listened. Their drones were nearly undetectable and uploaded all their footage directly to HQ. "Sounds like you've got this covered. I'll stand by and hopefully, Ai will contact me before they make a move,"

Nia's gaze was steely. "Alert me immediately if she does. And Hector? Be careful. If you are compromised you need to leave the academy immediately."

He nodded, it was almost like she already knew what he had said to Ai. "I will. Thanks, Nia."

As the connection closed, Hector stared at his reflection on the blank screen. It was getting harder to tell which side he was on.