The self-driving car glided into the private hangar, its sleek silver exterior reflecting the solar-powered lights above. Naomi stepped out, her auburn hair whipping in the draft from the open doors. She motioned for the others to follow.

  Hiro emerged, his piercing brown eyes scanning the surroundings, taking in the rusted walls and holes in the ceiling. Kazuki and Masumi trailed behind him, followed by a groggy Ai rubbing sleep from her eyes. Hector brought up the rear, still looking deep in thought.

  They made their way to the stairs leading up to the private jet. As Hiro climbed inside, a sinking feeling settled in his gut. He slumped into the first plush leather seat available and stared out the small oval window at the hangar walls. He was free now, or at least that is what he tried to convince himself of.

  Naomi slid into the seat across from him. "Don't worry about Nori. He can hold his own against the government. They can't break him." Her words were matter-of-fact, emotionless.

  Hiro met her sharp green gaze. "And? They will still try him as a weapon, won't they?"

  She shrugged. "They can try, but as long as you're alive he won't budge. What we need to focus on now is getting the rest of you back to Japan without anyone being the wiser about Detroit."

  Hiro leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "How exactly are you going to hide all of this from your superiors? They want me dead and you are just going to let me go?"

  Naomi's lips curved into a grim smile. "True but a long time ago I did some favours for some powerful people. Knowing where the bodies are buried is what gives someone true power in this world. No one will ever know what exactly happened here." She gave Hiro a reassuring look before getting up and heading toward the back of the plane.

  The plane's engines hummed to life. Hiro sank back into his seat as they lifted off the tarmac and climbed into the hazy sky. Below, Detroit shrank to a grey smudge in a sea of green. He pressed his forehead to the cool glass, squeezing his eyes shut. How many would get hurt, caught in the crossfire, if it came down to an all-out war? How could he protect a world, just coming back from the edge?

  Near the back of the plane, Hector drummed his fingers on the armrest, agitated. Naomi sat herself next to him, catching his hand. He looked up at her, "How exactly am I supposed to explain all this? The task force already had me on thin ice. This could be seen as treason."

  Naomi waved a hand dismissively. "I've got you covered. As far as they know, you were kidnapped against your will. I'll coach you on the details to make it convincing."

  Hector's eyes narrowed. "They'll have a lot of questions..."

  "Nothing we can't handle." Naomi released his hand and he gripped the armrest instead of tapping, but it plush still gave way under his tense grip.

  Across the aisle, Ai dozed against the window, her dark hair spilling across her pale cheek. Hiro watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, she had been so much in such a short time.

  "Feels unreal, doesn't it?" Kazuki's voice pulled his attention. "To actually wear a Mach suit..." He shook his head in amazement and grinned at Hiro. "Guess this makes us a team now, huh?"

  Hiro managed a stiff nod, his throat constricting. "Uh yeah, I guess this does make us a team..."

  Masumi poked her head over the seat. "Well count me in, I just need like a laser or something!" She giggled, breaking the tension.

  Hiro mustered a weak smile before turning back to the window to hide the fear in his eyes. Why had Yutaka lied about having another Mach? And why was he trying to get Ai to pilot it? The questions churned in his mind as wisps of cloud sped past.

  A flicker of movement caught his eye. Two bronze blurs streaked by, rocketing toward Detroit. Hiro's heart seized, the blood draining from his face. He knew with cold certainty that those were Mach pilots. They were too small to be anything else.

  Hiro gripped the armrests, his knuckles turning white. He squeezed his eyes shut and sent up a silent, desperate prayer.

  Please let Nori get away. Don't let them take him.

  The plane soared on through the endless blue, carrying them toward Japan, while kilometres away, the battle for Nori's freedom began.

  The howling wind whipped past Nori as he soared over the rugged Canadian wilderness, a crimson streak against the steel-grey sky. Inside his helmet, the AI's cool female voice cut through his racing thoughts.

  "Alert: Mach unit in pursuit."

  Nori's brow furrowed. "How? I'm in stealth mode."

  "Pursuing Mach is tracking a tracer signal."

  "Naomi, you sneaky bitch," Nori growled under his breath. He pushed his thrusters to maximum, the force causing the suit to jolt for a moment.

  A glance at his radar showed the Mach closing fast. Too fast. Nori banked hard, whirling to face his pursuer. The bronze Mach hurtled toward him, with no signs of slowing down. Nori fired his blaster, the shots sizzling through the air, but the Mach dodged without losing speed.

  Nori swore colourfully. Time for plan B. He cut his thrusters and dropped like a stone, the wind screaming over his suit. The Mach dove after him, blaster fire peppering the air around him. Nori juked and weaved, making himself as small of a target as possible.

  A shot clipped his shoulder, sending him spinning. Warnings blared in his helmet as he plummeted, the ground rushing up to meet him. At the last second, he activated his thrusters and wrenched up, disappearing into a bank of clouds.

  Nori hovered, breathing hard, listening to the blood pounding in his ears. A moment later, the bronze Mach burst through the clouds, scanning the area with a methodical sweep.

  Nori grinned wolfishly. Gotcha.

  He rocketed up behind the Mach, pressing his blaster to the back of its helmet. "Good chase, but I'm not going back."

  The pilot's voice crackled over the comm, calm and cold. "You don't have a choice."

  The click of a blaster safety made Nori's blood freeze. He turned his head slightly to see a second bronze Mach, its weapon levelled at his head.

  "Stand down," the female pilot ordered, her voice like a sharpened blade, "or die."

  Nori's mind raced, searching for an out, but he came up empty. Slowly, he raised his hands.

  Twin jolts of electricity crackled over his armour, shorting out his systems. Nori cried out as his suit went dead, leaving him trapped inside. The Machs grabbed his arms, hoisting him up as they rocketed back toward Japan.

  "I thought you would put up more of a fight," the male pilot said, a smirk in his voice. "Mao said we would have to be careful but this was too easy. Wasn't it, Katsumi?"

  Katsumi's voice sounded almost disappointed. "Tell me about it Michio. I was hoping he'd at least fight back, this was boring."

  Nori set his jaw, his green eyes blazing with defiance even as dread coiled in his gut. He had to get free, he wasn't going back to Mao. He just needed to get rid of Naomi's little gift first.

  He looked over at his captors, something off-coloured on Michio's suit caught his eye. He had to be sure though. He looked over to Katsumi. Bingo.

  As they streaked through the sky, Nori got comfortable, already plotting his escape. He just needed an opening. And he knew that opening would come.

  The pier stretched out before them as they descended, the water below black and cold in the gathering dusk. Nori watched the cargo ships come into focus, his thoughts solely on his plan of escape.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Katsumi touched down first, her bronze armour gleaming. "Control, this is Igarashi. We have the target secure and awaiting transport."

  "Well done," Mao's voice crackled over the comm, cold satisfaction dripping from every word. "A car is en route to your location. ETA, ten minutes."

  Nori took a deep breath, then another. He had to keep his cool and play along for now. With a thought, he powered down his Mach, the armour retracting into the VR headset.

  Michio snorted. "What kind of move is that? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of genius."

  Nori met Michio's gaze, his green eyes hard. "I know when I've been beat."

  Michio stepped closer, looking over the muscled young man. "Beat? You were crushed. All because you couldn't kill that stupid Kobayashi kid. You two are a couple of fa..." He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.

  Rage ignited in Nori's veins, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Watch your mouth," he snarled, throwing a punch.

  Michio sidestepped it as his grin widened. "Or what? You gonna turn me into one of you?"

  Nori lunged, a roar tearing from his throat. His fist connected with Michio's chest plate, pain exploding through his knuckles. Michio laughed, shoving Nori back with insulting ease, his Mach's strength far outclassing Nori's human muscles.

  "Enough!" Katsumi snapped, her voice cracking like a whip. "Both of you cut the shit. Michio stop being an asshole."

  Michio held up his hands, his smile never wavering. "Just having a bit of fun, sis. No need to get your panties in a twist."

  Nori rubbed his bruised hand, his glare never leaving Michio. "Yeah," he spat. "Just a bit of fun."

  *That's right moron don't bother to pat me down or check my pockets.* Smiled to himself. *I can't wait to kill you.*

  Michio cocked his head, his grey eyes glittering with cruel amusement behind his visor. Nori met his stare unflinching, a silent challenge sparking between them.

  *Come on,* Nori thought, his whole body coiled tight as a spring. *You just can't help yourself. You bigoted idiot.*

  Michio took a step forward, his head tilting. Making himself look bigger, "Wipe that look off your face."

  Nori didn't hesitate. He lunged at Michio again, removing a leftover explosive from his pocket. Wrapping his arms around Michio, he attached it to the silver jet pack strapped to his armour. Michio pushed him off but it was too late. Nori rushed back as the small explosive detonated, sending Michio soaring from the force. With Katsumi focused on her brother, Nori dived backwards off the pier. Katsumi's shout of alarm was swallowed by the rush of wind in his ears, and then the dark water closed over his head, icy cold and shocking.

  *I still have the tracer on my Mach. Gotta get rid of it.* Nori struck out under the surface, swimming hard for the pier's pilings. If he could just stay out of sight...

  The whine of a Mach's sensors cut through the water. *Doesn't matter if I am right below them.*

  Nori treaded water just under the pair. The tracer Naomi had planted was still on his Mach. As long as he had it, they could track him anywhere.

  Nori didn't waste any more time. He slipped the VR headset over his eyes, "Locate the tracer and remove it from yourself." He ordered. The VR headset rippled then shifted as the nanite pulled the small round metallic tracer to the surface.

  *All right, you bastards. Let's keep you both distracted for a minute.*

  He pulled the tracer from his Mach before activating it. Above, he could hear Katsumi and Michio shouting to each other, their voices distorted by their helmets.

  "-anywhere! He has to be here!"

  "Well, I'm not seeing him! Sensors are saying he's right here with us!"

  Nori allowed himself a tight grin as he aimed the tracer toward them. *That's because it doesn't sense depth, dipshits.*

  He shot the tracer up, sticking it to the pier, before slipping under the dark water.

  *Now to get back to Hiro. No doubt Mao will try to use him to get back at me.* He thought but his smile wavered, he had just fought him a few hours ago. *Will he even listen to me? I shouldn't have been so forceful. Hiro might not trust me ever again.*

  Nori's lungs burned, the cold from his wet clothes seeping into his bones. He pushed on, his Mach slowly adjusting its temperature setting as it monitored his vitals.

  Back on the pier Michio was fuming. He ripped the destroyed jetpack from his back. "Shit, he knew this this wasn't a part of my Mach. He knew it wouldn't repair it!"

  He kicked a small stone sending it soaring as it shattered on impact. "We should have just killed him." He huffed. Katsumi watched her brother's meltdown, remaining silent, more worried about what Mao was going to say.

  "Well, Naomi's tracer says he is right here with us," Naomi glanced at the pier.

  "Clearly that piece of shit is broken? I don't see him, do you?"

  "Micho you're a hot head and an idiot, He's under us," Katsumi shook her head.

  "Some good that will do, I don't have thrusters and without the jet pack, my Mach can't fly!" Michio slammed his fist into the steal guardrails, denting them.

  The next sound Michio heard was a splash, Katsumi had dove into the water. She headed straight for the pier to begin her search. Nori was more impressive than she thought.

  She scanned under the pier with her Mach. No heat sources were detected. She wondered if Nori had froze before he was able to activate his Mach. That would have made things easier, but she knew they wouldn't be that lucky.

  She dove to the bottom of the pier, trying to ignore the cold, scanning every inch. There was no body, well at least not the one they were looking for.

  Katsumi burst from the water's surface. She looked up, sporting the tracker stuck to the pier. *Well he's definitely long gone now. But we'll find you, Nori, you can't run forever.*

  Katsumi flew back onto the pier as the sleek black car rolled to a stop at the end of it. The door swung open, and Mao Nakamura emerged, her icy blue eyes surveying the scene with a clear look of disappointment on her face.

  Katsumi and Michio stood before her, their Mach armour powered down, revealing expressions of unease and trepidation. Mao's gaze settled on them, her eyebrow arching in silent question.

  "Well?" The single word carried a weight of expectation and menace.

  Michio swallowed, stepping forward. "Nori... he got away." His voice was tight and he looked away from her. "It was my fault. I underestimated him, let my overconfidence cloud my judgment."

  Mao's lips pressed into a thin line, her displeasure palpable. "I see."

  Katsumi intervened, stepping toward Mao. "We can fix this, Mao. We'll recapture Nori, we know he won't go far. Just give us another chance."

  Mao held up a hand, silencing her. "No. I have a different assignment for you both." She motioned towards the waiting car, her expression inscrutable. "Get in."

  The siblings exchanged a glance before falling in line behind her. They kept quiet, climbing into the vehicle's luxurious interior.

  As the car pulled away from the pier, Mao pressed a button, sealing off the back seats. Michio started fiddling with his cup holder, glancing up at Mao as they awaited this new assignment.

  "Nori will continue to rebel as long as he has something to live for," Mao began, her voice a cold caress, "so your new mission is to do what Nori couldn't. Kill Hiro Kobayashi."

  Katsumi tilted her head. "That'll break Nori."

  Mao waved a dismissive hand. "Of course it will, he will lose that stubborn will of his. We know Hiro is still recovering from the Canadian attack, he should be easy to take care of."

  A slow smile spread across Katsumi's face. "Hiro could still be a challenge, he has walked away from more Mach battles than any of us. Like a cat with nine lives."

  Michio leaned forward, his voice eager. "I won't underestimate him, I'll make sure there is nothing left when I am done with him."

  Mao nodded, a hint of satisfaction in her expression. "Our intelligence places Hiro in the Toyone area. Given the injuries he likely sustained in the battle at the sawmill, I suggest you start your search at their hospital."

  The siblings exchanged a look of anticipation, the thrill of the hunt already coursing through their veins.

  "Of course, we'll start right away," Michio's thoughts turned dark, a twisted grin playing at the corners of his mouth. *Not only do I get to kill Hiro, but it will destroy Nori in the process.*

  Katsumi just nodded, her attention turning to the shifting scenery outside her window. *Killing Hiro would break Nori, sure. But breaking Nori may not have the result we want. Letting that rage loose on the world could end it.*

  As the car sped through the night, Mao sat back, a cold satisfaction settling over her. The pieces were in motion, the game set. And this time, failure was not an option.

  The city lights blurred past the windows, the car carrying them toward the Mach base of operations. It was time to start their mission. Only one side would emerge victorious hers: Mao would make damn sure it was hers.

  ---

  The soft glow of the monitor illuminated Yutaka's face as he watched the blinking dot on the screen, a tracker steadily making its way back to Japan. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  *That kid actually did it,* he mused, leaning back in his chair. *With Ai now in possession of the Mach, I can keep a closer eye on Hiro's every move. No more surprises, no more losing track of him.*

  The dot inched closer, and soon Hiro would back home with him. But just as Yutaka allowed himself a moment of satisfaction, the shrill ring of his slab pierced the silence.

  With a sigh, he reached for the device, his voice even as he answered. "Hayashi speaking."

  "Yutaka," a familiar voice greeted him. "How are things progressing?"

  Yutaka leaned forward, his eyes never leaving the monitor. "We're still on track to achieve our goal within the year, though there have been a few... complications along the way."

  A pause, then a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "I apologize for being one of those setbacks. My emotions got the better of me at the time."

  Yutaka waved a dismissive hand, forgetting for a moment that the gesture couldn't be seen. "Water under the bridge, my friend. I don't blame you for it."

  "Still, I should have stuck to the script," the man replied, sounding almost robotic. "I'm glad things are still going according to plan. Have you successfully taken care of possible resistance?"

  Yutaka leaned back, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Canada and Japan are both on the brink of collapse. When the time comes, there will be little resistance to our plans."

  The voice on the other end hummed in approval. "Excellent. And that glitch with the Machs? Have you sorted it?"

  A glint appeared in Yutaka's eyes, his voice taking on a note of excitement. "As a matter of fact, yes. I believe I may have found the perfect candidate to test Alpha Mode on."

  "Are you sure?" The man's surprise was evident. "Need I remind you of what happened last time? The cybernetic integration practically killed Daiki, not to mention almost destroyed Japan."

  Yutaka's jaw tightened, his voice firm. "Daiki was already injured and weak when we initiated the protocol. But these new pilots... they're young, strong, and resilient. The probability of survival is well above fifty percent."

  There was a pause on the other end of the call. Finally, the man spoke. "Very well. Proceed with the test, but be careful. We can't risk exposure this late in the game."

  "I know that," Yutaka replied, his voice crisp and confident. "I'll be sure to share the findings with you."

  With a click, the call ended, and Yutaka turned his attention back to the monitor, watching as the tracker drew ever closer to the airport.