The bustling market was crammed with elbow-to-elbow traffic as Nia waded through the crowded stalls, her keen eyes scanning the array of fresh seafood available for sale. She paused at a booth, eyeing the glistening snapper laid out on beds of ice. It was tempting, but not quite what she was in the mood for today.

  Moving on, Nia found herself drawn to a display of live crabs, their spindly legs tapping against the sides of the tank. She leaned in closer, examining their size and colouring.

  "How much for a few of these big ones?" she asked the vendor, her tone casual but her eyes were locked on the tank.

  As they haggled back and forth over the price, Nia watched the person in the hoodie through the glass. There was no mistake; whoever they were, they were watching her. Keeping her expression neutral, she completed the purchase and tucked the bag of crabs under her arm.

  Nia meandered over to the octopus tank, feigning interest as her eyes darted across the sea of faces around her. Sure enough, the grey hoodie followed her. Their eyes met for a moment before the figure took off, a flash of long dark hair slipped from the hoodie as they disappeared down a narrow path. Nia moved to where the woman had vanished, the path led away from the market and through a small park.

  Was she the one who took Hector? Nia hesitated for only a second before her need for answers won out, and she stepped down the cracked steps. She stepped carefully down each step and stopped where a large bush obscured her vision. The woman in the hoodie could easily be hiding behind it, waiting to ambush her. She slowly turned the corner and caught another glimpse of the woman heading toward the docks. Nia quickened her pace, determined not to lose sight of her stalker.

  But as she turned the bend, the dock was empty. The woman had vanished. "Damn it," Nia muttered under her breath. She scanned the area for any signs the woman had gotten onto a boat or slipped beneath the waves. Just as she pivoted to head back up the dock, a figure stepped out from behind the stone wall.

  Nia found herself staring into a pair of intense dark eyes - her stalker was a teenager. In one fluid motion, Nia dropped her bags and whipped out her gun, levelling it at the stranger's chest.

  "Don't move," Nia ordered, her voice like steel. The teen slowly raised her hands in surrender.

  "You can put that away, I'm not trying to kill you. My name is Kimiko, and I'm looking for Hector," Kimiko said eying the gun but Nia didn't falter.

  She kept her firearm pointed at Kimiko, her finger poised on the trigger. "Is that so? And what business do you have with him?"

  "I would be happy to tell you, once you put the gun down," Kimiko replied. She seemed unfazed by the weapon trained on her.

  "You know I can't do that, I don't know who you are or what you really want" Nia never wavered, her eyes where locked on Kimiko. "You're going to tell me exactly what I want to know and then I'll decide if you get to walk away."

  Kimiko's lips curved into a hint of a smile. "What's your plan here? Are you going to an unarmed Japanese citizen in a public park? Come on, you know that would be an impossibly stupid move. All I want to do is give Hector a message, I've been watching him for a while and I know he reports to you."

  Nia looked around, they were fully exposed on the pier. Any passerby could see the gun and report her. She lowered her weapon slightly bringing it into her body to make it less visible. "How did find him? Why do want to speak to him? How come we didn't notice you before? How can I trust anything you tell me?"

  Kimiko watched Nia's weapon, "I accidentally found him at the sawmill. He helped me get some innocent people out of harm's way. After that, I kept tabs on him. But he's been off the grid and I need his help to find someone, so I found you."

  Nia shook her head, "You're the Mach pilot from the sawmill. You're what? seventeen at best how did you learn to keep tabs on a government operative without being caught?"

  "I had a friend who taught me everything I needed to know about staying under the radar."

  "And where is this friend now? were you the ones who attacked our task force headquarters?"

  "My friend never made it out of the sawmill. And I would never kill innocent people." Slowly, Kimiko reached into her pocket and produced a small microchip, holding it up between two fingers. "Everything you need to know is on here. I promise it will be worth your time."

  Nia hesitated a long moment before finally lowering her gun. Her gut told her to hear Kimiko out, but she sure as hell wasn't letting her guard down completely. Not yet.

  "Alright, Kimiko. I'm listening. But this better not be a waste of time or a trick. I guarantee I can get to my gun before you activate your fancy armour."

  Kimiko motions to a bench at the far end of the dock. Nia and Kimiko moved in unison, neither one willing to let the other fall behind by a single step. The muted sounds of the market faded behind them as they walked, replaced by the gentle lapping of the waves in the breeze. Nia kept a hand on her firearm as they sat, unwavering.

  "Show me," Nia demanded, her voice low and firm.

  Kimiko nodded, slipping the chip into her phone with a click. "It's a video," she explained, tapping the screen. "Watch closely."

  As the video began to play, Nia's eyes widened in recognition. The grainy footage showed the interior of a lab - The lab where this all began. She watched, her eyebrow arched, as military men burst in, their weapons drawn. And then, the unthinkable - a shot rang out, and Mary, Hiro's mother, crumpled to the ground.

  Nia swallowed hard, she never enjoyed watching the end of a life. "I already know Mary is dead. Hector has already confirmed all of this. It's common knowledge at this point, clearly, your government silenced them to take control of their technology."

  But Kimiko shook her head. "Keep watching. It's not over."

  On the small screen, the military men stepped aside, making way for a young man who entered the room. He moved to Mary's body, looking down at her with a cold, clinical detachment. Something about him seemed familiar, niggling at the edges of Nia's memory. And then, it clicked.

  "My God," she breathed. "That's Masato. Younger, but... it's him. I've seen his wanted poster more times than I could count."

  She looked up at Kimiko, her eyes burning with questions. "Where did you get this? How?"

  "I have a friend, someone in the Japanese government," Kimiko replied, removing the chip from her slab. "Nia, this needs to get to Hector. We need to know the identities of those hired guns, they are all still out there somewhere."

  Nia nodded slowly, still thinking about how Masato had his hands in all of this from the very beginning. "You're right. I'll take it to him." She held out her hand, and Kimiko placed the chip in her palm.

  With a final, searching look, Kimiko stood up and vanished down the pier, leaving Nia alone with the weight of the truth.

  ***

  The base under the pier was quiet when Nia returned, her footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. She barely registered the guards at Hector's door, dismissing them with a curt nod as she stepped inside.

  Hector looked up. As he took in her worried expression, the smile slipped from his face. "Nia? What's going on?"

  "A friend of yours gave this to me today," she said, fishing the chip out of her pocket. "I've already watched the footage. Hector, you were right."

  She held out the chip, and Hector took it, frowning. Nia watched as he loaded the video, as realization dawned on his face as he watched every frame.

  "Masato," he murmured. "We were right, he's been after the Machs from the beginning. That's why he turned down promotions until he was put in charge of the Mach program."

  Nia nodded, a cold dread settling in her stomach. "And if this video isn't a fake, then Masato has had almost two years to build an army of his own."

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Hector ran a hand over his face, his expression grim. "It makes sense. He's been biding his time, letting the world fight over the Machs, weakening their only defence against other Machs. And when the time is right..."

  "He'll invade," Nia finished, seeing the writing on the wall. "God, Hector. Are there even enough Machs left to stop him?"

  "He hasn't made his move yet," Hector said, but Nia could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "We have to hope that means the world still has a chance."

  He stood, pacing the room. "We need to tell Hiro, and the rest of the UN-"

  "No," Nia cut in, her voice sharp. "We can't risk it. Not after the attack on the base. Someone on the inside could be feeding information to Masato."

  She met Hector's eyes and saw the understanding dawn there. "For now, this stays between us. I'm giving you full clearance. I need you to start investigating our own team and the members of the UN."

  Hector nodded, his jaw tight. "I will. And Nia? Stay safe."

  Nia managed a small smile, but it felt brittle on her face. Because even as they stood there, the weight of the truth hung between them. Only someone on the inside would have known where the task force base was and only Masato had the tech to destroy it. Nia left Hector's room to start an investigation of her own.

  Hector waited a few moments after she left before making his way out of the base. He stepped out into the fading light, the cool breeze felt like heaven after being trapped in the base for weeks. He walked toward the city, thinking about everything he knew so far. Masato, hired the men to kill the scientists at the lab. But for some reason he didn't just take all the Machs then, why? There was something he was missing, something that didn't add up.

  Lost in thought, he almost didn't notice the figure strolling up behind him. But there she was, Kimiko, her dark eyes filled with relief. "I was worried you wouldn't come," she said, her voice low. She linked her arm with his to give off the appearance of a couple on a walk.

  Hector frowned. "Your message in the video. using the static as Morse code was very old school. But Kimiko, this is risky. I just got cleared, and now-"

  "Something's changed," Kimiko interrupted, her gaze intense. "I heard from Naomi. Hiro and Nori, fought Mach 14. Barely made it out alive."

  A chill raced down Hector's spine. "Where are they now?"

  "Recovering. In Hong Kong." Kimiko shook her head. "But Hector, this Mach is more dangerous than any of the others. The pilots have Nori and Hiro's Machs."

  Hector's brow furrowed. Hiro without his Mach right now was not good for them. "How did one Mach defeat two pilots?"

  Kimiko glanced around as if checking for listeners, before leaning in close. "It entered alpha mode, Hector. And the pilots stayed in control the entire time."

  Hector felt the blood drain from his face. "That's... that's not possible. It's a glitch, a malfunction due to blood contamination of the pilot."

  "It's something else," Kimiko whispered. "Osamu had this theory before he died. He thought Machs were evolving. Like with the destruction of each one, the other changed. What if alpha mode isn't a glitch at all? What if it's..." She swallowed hard. "An evolution."

  Hector stopped in his tracks, trying to process the enormity of what he was hearing. A Mach that was powerful under Japanese control was less than ideal. "Wait," he said suddenly, latching onto a detail. "You keep saying 'pilots.' Plural."

  Kimiko nodded. "Mach 14 has two pilots. That's why they can maintain alpha mode, I think. The mental load is split."

  "Christ." Hector ran a hand through his hair, turning to Kimiko. "If what you're saying is true, then there is only one way to beat them. We need to come up with a way to separate them from each other."

  "I agree, without Hiro's match we don't have any other weapons strong enough to take down a Mach in alpha mode," Kimiko looked worried.

  "IS this why you wanted to see me? To get me looking into options." He met Kimiko's gaze and saw the same fear he felt reflected back at him. "I mean even if we could come up with a way to separate them... someone may have to get awfully close to them to do it."

  "We'll worry about the logistics of it when we get there. Right now we only to to figure out if it is actually possible." Kimiko explained relocking her arm with is. Together they continued their walk, thinking about the battle that was awaiting them.

  ---

  A sharp intake of breath, followed by a groan. Nori's eyes fluttered open, the sterile white of the hospital room slowly coming into focus. Pain throbbed through his body, a dull ache that seemed to radiate from every nerve ending. He shifted, trying to get his bearings, and noticed a cot at the foot of his bed. Hiro lay there, asleep, his dark hair tousled and his face lined with exhaustion.

  Nori's movement must have disturbed him, because Hiro stirred, his eyes snapping open. "Nori," he said, slowly sitting up in the cot. "You're awake."

  "Yeah." Nori's own voice sounded foreign to his ears, hoarse and weak. "How long was I out?"

  "Three days." Hiro stood, stretching, and moved to Nori's bedside. "The doctors had to operate. You were bleeding internally, we almost lost you."

  Memories flashed through Nori's mind. The battle, the searing pain, the world going black. "Ai," he said suddenly, remembering her pale face. "Is she-"

  "She's fine," Hiro assured him. "They patched her up, and she was back on her feet within a day."

  Relief washed over Nori, so intense it left him dizzy. He settled back against the pillows, trying to process everything. Hiro watched him, concern etched into his features.

  "You hungry?" he asked. "I can grab you something to eat."

  As if on cue, Nori's stomach rumbled loudly. Hiro cracked a smile. "I'll take that as a yes."

  He turned to go, but Nori reached out, catching his wrist. "Wait," he said, hating how desperate he sounded. "Don't... don't leave yet."

  Hiro's expression softened. "I'll be right back," he promised. "Don't worry."

  He slipped out of Nori's grasp and headed for the door. But before it could click shut behind him, it swung open again, revealing Naomi. She stepped inside, her green eyes falling on Nori.

  "Glad to see you're awake," she said taking a seat in the dented metal chair. "Though I was hoping you'd still have your Mach after that fight."

  Nori gritted his teeth. "Yeah, well, join the club."

  Naomi crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "Masato was behind Hiro's parents' deaths," she said abruptly. "Looks like he's been pulling some string the entire time."

  A surge of anger flared through Nori. "I never liked that bastard," he growled. "I'd be more than happy to kill him myself."

  "No need." Naomi's voice was cold. "Kimiko already took care of it."

  Nori blinked, confusion warring with the rage inside him. "What? When? Why bother telling me this if he is already dead?"

  Naomi fixed him with a piercing stare. "She killed him before Hiro even started at the academy. But there are still four Machs missing, and we have no idea what Masato was planning."

  Nori tilted his head as he noticed something different about Naomi. He'd never seen Naomi rattled before, not like this. "Don't tell me you're actually worried for once," he said with a small smile.

  But Naomi didn't smile back. "I am," she said quietly. "And you should be too."

  Before Nori could respond, the door opened again, and Hiro stepped inside, a candy bar in hand. He tossed it to Nori, who caught it reflexively.

  "What did I miss?" Hiro asked, glancing between them.

  Nori looked at Naomi and saw the tension in her shoulders, the hardness in her eyes. Something was coming. Something big. And for the first time in a long time, he felt a flicker of real fear.

  He looked back over to Hiro, who seemed a little confused by the sudden silence that settled over the room. Nori wanted to tell Hiro but Hiro wasn't alone. Kazuki, Masumi, and Ai trailed in behind him, their faces a mix of relief and wariness as they gathered around Nori.

  "Glad to see you're still kicking," Kazuki said, but the comment seemed forced. Nori could picture Hiro out in the hall, coaching them on what to say.

  Masumi kept her distance, hovering near the door like she might bolt at any second. Ai, at least, managed a small smile. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

  Nori shrugged, ignoring the twinge of pain in his ribs. "Like I got hit by a truck. But I'll live. What about you?"

  "I got lucky, the bullet missed all the main arteries. They said the scar will be barely noticeable in a few years." Nori's eyes moved to where the bullet had hit while she explained.

  Kazuki stepped forward, his jaw set with determination. "I'm so sorry I was so useless back there. They got your Machs because I was too weak to help out. Well, I'm done playing defence. I want to train so next time I can kick their asses."

  Ai nodded. "Me too. Even without a Mach, I want to be able to defend myself."

  Masumi shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

  Nori barked out a harsh laugh. "It's a stupid idea. If we go up against those twins again, we're dead. Simple as that."

  Hiro's eyes flashed toward Nori. "Then we die trying. Japan thinks we're finished. Their guard will be down. It's our best chance."

  "Best chance for what?" Nori demanded, feeling like he already knew the outcome. "Suicide? Masumi, Kazuki, Ai... they need years of training to even stand a chance. We don't have that kind of time."

  Sensing the tension building in the room, Naomi finally spoke. "Nori's right. Japan is planning to invade Korea next month. We're out of time."

  Nori looked over the tired group, knowing the odds were stacked against them. They needed a miracle, a solution, an angle, anything. But he kept coming up empty.

  The door to the room swung open, and every head swivelled to see Patrick Ward stride into the room like he owned the place.

  Naomi had her gun out in a heartbeat, levelled at Patrick's chest. "Give me one good reason not to shoot," she snarled.

  Patrick raised his hands, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Easy there. I'm unarmed."

  Naomi's finger tightened on the trigger. "Hiro. Frisk him."

  Hiro obeyed, patting Patrick down with quick, efficient movements. "He's clean," he reported, stepping back.

  "Why are you here?" Naomi demanded, not taking her finger off the trigger.

  Patrick's eyes gleamed. "I was just in the neighbourhood, my dear. Couldn't help but overhear you were in a bit of a bind, so I thought I'd offer my services."

  His gaze slid to Masumi, who shrank back against the wall. Nori's stomach twisted. He didn't like the way Patrick looked at her, like a snake eyeing a mouse.

  "Get out," Hiro said, pointing to the door.

  But Patrick remained planted in place. "Not before you hear my offer. I'm willing to give you full access to the Hong Kong training facilities. The best coaches, the best equipment. All yours."

  Ai's eyes narrowed. "And what do you get out of it?"

  "Clever girl." Patrick's smile widened. "When you go back to liberate Japan, I want you to work with the two Mach pilots Canada has left. A joint operation, if you will."

  "Why?" Nori asked, suspicion coiling in his gut.

  But it was Naomi who answered, her voice flat and cold. "It would make Canada look good. Give them some positive PR after all their screw-ups."

  Patrick clapped his hands together. "Precisely. So, do we have a deal?"

  Nori looked at Hiro and saw the conflict raging behind his eyes. They were backed into a corner, and Patrick knew it.

  With a heavy sigh, Hiro stepped forward and grasped Patrick's outstretched hand. "We have a deal," he said, and Nori couldn't shake the feeling that they'd just made a deal with the devil himself.