Ai's eyes flicked up to the grainy security camera footage on the monitors. A fog settled over her thoughts as she watched her makeshift team trapped like rats. She turned back to Nori, her lips trembling. "I don't know who that guy is. Maybe just some local Naomi and Hector asked for help."

  Nori studied her face intently, his green eyes boring into hers as if trying to pry the truth from her mind. A smirk crept across his lips. "Hmm. Interesting." He glanced at the monitor again, where Kazuki, Hector and Naomi traced the walls in desperation.

  "Guess it doesn't matter anyway," Nori said with a shrug. "I'll just manually blow the whole warehouse. Pass the crispy critters off as you, me and Hiro. Buy us some time to disappear."

  "What? No!" Ai cried, colour draining from her face. "You can't do that! Killing innocent people is wrong!"

  Nori stepped closer, looming over her. "Cut the bullshit, Ai. You recognized that guy. I saw it in your eyes." His fingers dug into her arm as he dragged her out of the room. "Your little lie just got them all killed."

  Tears stung Ai's eyes as Nori shoved her down next to Hiro, cinching her bonds tight enough to bite into her skin.

  Nori flashed Hiro a disappointed look. "You should really choose your friends more carefully. Ai here just gave up everyone who came to save you." With that, he sauntered out, slamming the door behind him.

  A sob ripped from Ai's throat. "I'm so sorry, Hiro! I was just trying to help..."

  "Shh, it's okay." Hiro leaned his head against hers, wishing he could wrap her in his arms. "I know you were."

  But inside, he felt numb. How was he going to save them this time? Please, he prayed silently, let Hector and the others find a way out of this. They were his only hope now.

  ---

  Masumi pounded on the heavy metal door in the warehouse, but it wouldn't budge. "Hector! Naomi! Kazuki! Are you alright in there?"

  Hector's muffled voice came through a small vent next to the door. "Masumi, you need to get out of here. The whole place is rigged to blow if we make a wrong move."

  "What? No, I'm not leaving!" Masumi slammed her palm against the unyielding surface as if she could force it open through sheer will.

  "Listen to me," Hector urged, his tone insistent. "If Nori set this trap, it means we're getting close. You might still have a chance to find Hiro and Ai before it's too late."

  Masumi squeezed her eyes shut, her mind shifting between Ai and Kazuki, both trapped in different ways. "I... I can't just abandon you."

  "You're not abandoning us. If you free Hiro, he can use his Mach to save us. At this point, Hiro is our only hope."

  With a shuddering breath, Masumi stepped back from the door. "I'll find them, Hector. I swear it. And I'm coming back for you guys, no matter what."

  Inside the locked room, Naomi studied the C4 charges and the web of wires that snaked along the walls. Every potential escape route, every weakness in their prison, was rigged to trigger an explosion.

  Kazuki paced the confined space, his breath coming in sharp gasps. "This is all your fault!" he accused, jabbing a finger at Hector and Naomi. "I told you to let me go, but you just had to drag me into this mess!"

  Hector sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kazuki, panic isn't going to help us right now."

  "I don't care!" Kazuki's voice cracked, his eyes wild with fear. "You should have listened to me! You should have just let me go!"

  Naomi stepped forward, her expression softening with guilt. "You're right, Kazuki. We shouldn't have forced you into this. You didn't have to be here."

  Kazuki blinked, his tirade faltering at Naomi's unexpected apology. He swallowed hard, his shoulders slumping as he leaned against the wall. "I... I just want to go home."

  Naomi nodded, her gaze drifting back to the C4. There had to be a way out of this trap, some detail they were overlooking. And she was determined to find it, not just for herself, but for the terrified boy in front of her.

  Hector stroked his chin as he studied the room, eyes taking in every detail. "I have to hand it to Nori, he really thought this out," he said grimly. "That vent there is the only thing not rigged to blow, but it's way too small for any of us to fit through."

  Kazuki let out a bitter laugh. "If only we had a Mach, right? Then we could just blast our way out of here."

  Naomi's head snapped up and she slapped her palm to her forehead. "We do have a Mach."

  Hector and Kazuki turned to her, confusion etched on their faces. "What are you talking about?" Hector asked.

  "The old laptop," Naomi explained, looking over at the door sealing off their escape. "The one Kazuki was supposed to deliver to Ai. It's not just a laptop—it's a Mach in disguise."

  Kazuki's mouth fell open. "You're kidding me."

  Naomi shook her head. "I'm not. And it might be our only chance to get out of here alive. But..." She paused, her eyes darkening. "One of us will have to wear it. And there are risks."

  Hector stepped toward her. "What kind of risks?"

  "Two possible outcomes," Naomi said, her voice low. "Either the suit drains the pilot's life force, causing a psychotic break that kills them... or the pilot is deemed acceptable, and the armour bonds to them until death."

  A heavy silence fell over the room, the weight of Naomi's words sinking in. Kazuki's face paled, his hands trembling at his sides. Hector's gaze dropped to the floor, a muscle ticking in his cheek.

  "There's something else," Naomi added, her tone grim. "Activating the Mach will definitely attract Nori's attention. He'll come straight for us."

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  Hector ran a hand through his hair, his gaze still locked on the floor. "So, we'd be trading one death trap for another."

  Kazuki let out a shaky breath. "I don't want to die."

  Naomi met his gaze, her eyes softening. "None of us do, Kazuki. But right now, this is our only option."

  Hector and Kazuki exchanged a nervous glance, the prospect of wearing the Mach filling them both with dread. Naomi looked between them, her expression resolute.

  "We can draw straws later to decide who wears it," she said. "Right now, we need to get Masumi back here with the Mach."

  Kazuki pulled out his slab, his fingers trembling as he typed out a message. "I can text her, but... what's the plan?"

  Hector looked back at the vent, the solution was obvious. "Masumi needs to get the Mach from the car and make her way to the other side of that vent. She'll need something to pry it open."

  Naomi nodded, her gaze fixed on the small opening. "And then it's as simple as sliding the Mach through the vent. But she will have to be careful—if she doesn't use enough force or if it gets caught in the middle, we won't be able to retrieve it. And then..." She turned to the guys. "Our deaths will be certain."

  The weight of their situation was like a suffocating blanket, no one was eager to make the choice that needed to be made. They were trapped, their lives hanging by a thread, and their only hope rested on a desperate gamble with a weapon they barely understood.

  Kazuki finished his message and hit send, watching for a little read sign to pop up under it. He could feel a bead of sweat dripping down his back, every second that ticked by felt like an eternity.

  ---

  Masumi's phone vibrated in her pocket as she navigated the maze of warehouses, her eyes scanning for any sign of Nori. With each step, she hoped she would find a footprint or some recent food scraps, anything to suggest someone had been in the area recently. She pulled out her rose gold slab, Kazuki's message flashing on the screen.

  "Need you back at the warehouse. Bring the laptop from the car. Hurry."

  She raised an eyebrow, what the hell do they need an old laptop for? She shook her head as she turned back, racing toward the car. Yanking open the door, she rummaged through the backseat until she found the bag under one of the seats.

  Clutching it tightly, Masumi sprinted back to the warehouse. She skidded to a halt outside the sealed door, catching her breath. "Guys? I've got the laptop. What do I do with it?"

  Naomi's voice filtered through the door, steady and focused. "Follow the wall to your right. There's a small vent. You need to slide the laptop all the way through to us."

  Masumi nodded, forgetting for a moment that they couldn't see her. "Got it." She traced her hand along the rough corrugated steel, her eyes straining in the dim light. Finally, her fingers found the edge of the vent, covered and screwed tightly into the wall.

  "Of course, it couldn't be easy," she muttered, glancing around for something, anything, to pry it open. A glint of metal caught her eye—a piece of rebar, discarded on the ground. She snatched it up, jamming it into the edge of the vent and leveraging all her strength.

  With a grunt, the cover popped off, clattering to the ground. Masumi peered into the darkness, her voice echoing through the small space. "Okay, I've got the vent open. Are you ready on the other side?"

  Hector's face appeared on the other side, his expression a mix of relief and apprehension. "We're ready. As soon as you slide it through, you need to run, Masumi. Get as far away from the building as you can."

  Masumi swallowed hard, she glanced down at the bag. A part of her thought they were about to activate a bomb that could bring the entire building down around them. But she knew deep down that didn't make sense, the laptop must be something else.

  "I understand." She pulled the laptop out of the bag and placed it on the edge of the vent. With a deep breath, she used all her strength to slide it through the vent, watching as it skidded through the darkness.

  "Good luck she shouted. With her job done, Masumi turned and ran, her feet pounding against the concrete as she raced for the exit. The weight of the impending explosion hung over her, spurring her forward. She burst out of the warehouse, the cool air hitting her face as she searched for cover.

  Inside, Hector watched as the laptop stopped short in the vent. He took a breath before reaching in to retrieve it, his fingers grazing its surface as he strained to grab it. With a final push, he managed to grab hold, pulling it through to their side.

  He turned to Kazuki and Naomi, the laptop heavy in his hands. The moment of truth had arrived, and with it, the hardest decision they would ever have to make.

  "Who's going to wear it?" Hector asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  The silence that followed was deafening, each of them grappling with the enormity of the choice before them. A choice that could mean someone would die, whether it was the suit that did it or Nori was the question.

  And as they stood there, the weight of the world on their shoulders, they knew one thing for certain: it had to be done.

  Naomi's sharp green eyes darted between Hector and Kazuki. "I won't be wearing the Mach. We need me alive to deal with Nori." She stated as if it were a fact, stepping away from the pair.

  Hector and Kazuki exchanged a wary glance, fear etched into their features as they eyed the laptop. "that's bullshit! you're the whole reason we are in this mess!" Kazuki accused, pointing a finger at Naomi.

  Naomi nodded, "I'm not disagreeing that my action put you here but it doesn't change the fact I am the only one with any rapport with Nori. The two of you mean nothing to him. He won't hesitate to kill either of you."

  Kazuki fell silent and turned back to the old grey laptop. Hector's hand twitched, a hesitant movement towards the device, but Kazuki was faster.

  "I'll do it," Kazuki said, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm the most expendable one here. You guys need to save the world from World War Five."

  Hector opened his mouth to protest, but the words died on his lips as Kazuki opened the laptop. With trembling fingers, Kazuki inspected it and began hitting buttons, the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration.

  "Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath, his frustration mounting with each failed attempt. "Is this thing even a Mach?"

  In a fit of exasperation, Kazuki slammed the laptop shut, the force causing the disc drive to pop out. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes as he pushed it back in, and suddenly, the laptop came to life.

  Nanites swarmed from the device, engulfing Kazuki's body in a flurry of movement. Hector and Naomi watched as the tiny machines solidified, forming a sleek, grey cybernetic armour around Kazuki's frame.

  "Well it's definitely a Mach," Hector breathed, taking in the cybernetic suit as it breathed with Kazuki. "That's incredible."

  But Naomi's eyes were narrowed on the Mach, her mouth slightly opened. She kept her distance from it, only approaching after a few moments of silence. With Kazuki still standing, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

  "Alright, Kazuki," Naomi said, getting him to finally look up from the suit. "It's time to get us out of here."

  Kazuki nodded, he could feel the armour bind to his thoughts and emotions. The AI welcomed him as the pilot of Mach 13, and he suddenly felt his knees buckle. "I don't know if I should be the one wearing this," he confessed, looking over to the others.

  As if sensing his thoughts, the AI within the Mach spoke directly into Kazuki's mind. "You are compatible, you will meet the criteria for a successful pilot," it said, its voice calm and reassuring. "A brief scan of your current situation has a clear solution. Your soul weapon, the Soul Shield, will protect you from the minor inconvenience of this explosion."

  Kazuki took a deep breath, he straightened up in the armour now that it didn't feel so heavy. With his eyes locked on the window, he focused his thoughts, willing the shield into existence. The nanite built a circular shield straight out of the comics Kazuki read. Raising it above his head, a shimmering barrier began to form, expanding outwards from the shield, surrounding Hector and Naomi in its protective embrace.

  But as the shield grew, it triggered the bombs hidden throughout the warehouse. The world erupted in a blinding flash of light and heat, the force of the explosion rattling the very foundations of the building. Glass shattered and sprayed the surrounding area. The roof twisted and melted and the scent of burning steel filled the air.

  As the flames washed over them, Kazuki, Hector, and Naomi huddled together behind the Soul Shield, watching debris bounce off the barrier. The warehouse crumbled around them, smoke blossoming from its fall.

  At that moment, they all collectively held their breath. The world had gone silent, except for the faint crackly of trash still burning. Kazuki didn't lower the shield, Naomi's words echoing in the back of his head, Nori would be coming now.