Nia awoke with a jolt. The insistent pounding on the wood grew louder and more urgent each time. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes as she called out, "I'm coming, hold on."

  She opened the door to find Tess standing there, her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, still wearing her blouse and skirt from the day before. "We need to talk. It's about Hector," Tess said, pushing past Nia into the small, spartan room.

  Nia closed the door and turned to face her colleague, arms crossed. "What about Hector?"

  Tess paced the room, muttering under her breath until she finally spoke. "I think he may be compromised, he was defending Hiro in our debrief. If I submit the file to the board, they'll charge him for sure. Not to mention, he lied several times during the debrief."

  Nia shook her head. "Tess, you can't be serious. Hector is just a kid compared to the rest of us. He was probably just scared; nerves can make things seem more than they are. Do you really think he would switch sides?"

  "Wake up, Nia," Tess snapped. "It's not only possible, it's likely. It was radio silence for two days and then out of nowhere, they tried to sell him. It's bullshit."

  Nia searched Tess's eyes, looking for an indication she was spiralling. "If you're so sure, then I'll give you clearance to watch him. But don't make a move until you have absolute proof. We still operate under the assumption of innocent until proven guilty."

  Tess's shifted her jaw. "Good, I also want his access to our databases restricted. If he has turned we can't risk him sharing our files with the enemy." Nia looked away but then nodded in agreement. Tess turned on her heel and strode out, slamming the door behind her.

  Nia sank onto the bed, taking out her slab to view the debrief. She knew Hector was back on base, recovering from his ordeal. After she finished reading, she knew there would be no sleeping for her tonight. With a sigh, she pulled on her uniform and headed out the door.

  The guard stood at attention outside Hector's room, his posture rigid. Nia nodded to him as she approached and he stepped aside. She entered the room to find Hector lying in bed, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling.

  "Hey," she said softly, moving to stand beside the bed. "I read your debrief. Tess is worried about you, she thinks you defected... but there was something else that I found disturbing. Your theory about Masato."

  Hector rolled over to face her, his intense eyes meeting hers. "It's just a theory but it's the only thing that makes sense. We are monitoring every Japanese and Canadian channel of communication, you know they aren't responsible."

  Nia frowned. "Sure, but there are still rogue Machs out there."

  Hector shook his head. "No. Hiro has never provoked an attack. You know that and so does Tess." He paused, taking a breath to calm himself. "We have a bias we place on all Mach pilots. It's getting in the way of seeing the bigger picture."

  Nia let out a slow breath, feeling pulled in two different directions. Yes, the task force could be biased, labelling all pilots as criminals could have been a bad move on her part. On the other hand, Hector had worked with a Mach before and he was just back after being kidnapped, he could be too close to all of it to see it clearly. She met Hector's gaze, seeing her uncertainty reflected on her. There were too many variables to sort through.

  Nia began to pace, and Hector's eyes followed her across the room. "Ok, but why Masato? How does he fit into all of this?"

  Hector sat up, his voice firm. "Because he's a ghost. No one has seen him since he was fired. He never showed up for his day in court."

  Nia paused, considering his words. He had a point. "Ok, but there are a variety of reasons he may be missing. The Japanese could have handled him another way."

  Hector shook his head. "They've been looking for him. Even with everything that has been going on, they are still looking for him. I've seen the correspondence."

  Nia sighed, rubbing her temples. The evidence pointed to one conclusion, but it left her with more questions than answers. "It would make sense. As the man running the Mach program, he would have access to all of them."

  "It is still just a theory. But if he did actually steal Machs," Hector paused. "He has been searching for pilots this whole time."

  A chill ran down Nia's spine as a troubling thought occurred to her. "Hector, wasn't Masato the one who chose Nori to be a pilot? If he has Machs and if he is searching for pilots, they could be far worse than anyone the government could send after us."

  Hector swallowed hard and finally stepped out of his bed. "People with no ties to the government, no one watching them. We've been so focused on the ones we've seen that we forgot to ask about the ones we haven't."

  Nia stopped in her tracks. "We need to broaden our search. Start looking for Masato and anyone in his life he could have gone to."

  Hector rubbed his chin. "The last image of Masato is almost a year old. After that nothing. I could use my program but there are still no guarantees."

  "One more thing," Nia walked over to Hector, looking him in the eye. "I know you believe the Kobayashi's are dead, so how can we account for Hiro's Mach?"

  Hector thought about it for a moment. "His parents are dead sure, but that doesn't mean everyone from the lab is. We need to go over all the personnel files, we may have overlooked a survivor."

  "With everything going on right now, you understand I can't have you looking into this." Nia gave him an apologetic look and Hector nodded. "I promise I will get people to look into all of this though. For now, Hector the best thing you can do is focus on you." She offered her hand and with a shak,e she left the room.

  ---

  Hiro sat on the dusty couch in the cottage, the letter from Yutaka crumpled in his clenched fist. Sunlight filtered through the blinds and dust danced through the beams. Hiro thought about the words again, his jaw tightening with each line.

  "Going to Tokyo...something big happening...be back soon...explain everything later..." Hiro muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Anger bubbled up inside him, hot and bitter. Yutaka had lied to him, again. He was ready to demand an explanation when he got home but there had been no sign of Yutaka. All he found was this note placed directly in the center of the table. A part of him felt like the wounds from the sawmill battle still weren't quite healed. Hiro limped to the small kitchen in search of something to eat. Why did he continue to trust Yutaka after he lied to him about the Machs he has, over and over again? Why was Yutaka's original plan to give Ai the Mach?

  A sharp knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts. Hiro froze, looking over to the foggy figure behind the translucent glass. Ai, Masumi and Kazuki hadn't texted him about a visit. With Nori in the wind, there was only one other person he knew who knew about the cottage.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He cautiously moved to the door, getting a quick look through the peephole. When he saw her face he opened the door, "Naomi? What are you doing here?"

  Naomi pushed past him, her green eyes taking in the cottage's humble interior. "It is in our best interest to move you. You're not safe in Toyone anymore." She looked around a corner, looking almost disappointed to find no one sitting on the couch.

  Hiro frowned, confusion etched on his face. "What are you talking about? I just got back, does this have something to do with Nori?"

  "Look we can chat on the way to Hiroshinka Academy," Naomi replied, strolling to the door. "Though if it is all the same to you, I'd like to wait until we have everyone. Answering the same questions over and over again gets tiring. So if you don't mind, let's get a move on."

  Hiro stared back into the house like Yutaka was about to emerge from the stairs before he followed Naomi to the waiting car. As they sped away from the cottage, he watched the cottage shrink away to nothing, another home no longer safe.

  "So Hiro," she said, watching him closely. "You live in that cottage alone? Seems odd given everything that happened. Not to mention given the extent of your injuries you would have needed someone to take care of you."

  Hiro swallowed hard, she was smart. "Are you asking me about who is helping me? I mean you've met Ai..."

  Naomi's lips tightened into a thin line. "So Ai dragged you over a hundred kilometres from the sawmill to Toyone. Then used her advanced medical training to nurse you back to health? And she did it all from your grandmother's home?" She locked eyes with him, her gaze intense. "Seems umlikely, Hiro. But I get it, saving your life didn't equal earning your trust. That's good, it'll keep you alive."

  As the car hurtled towards the school, Hiro leaned back against the seat not wanting to answer any more questions, his thoughts consumed by what Naomi had said. He knew that cottage felt familiar when he had arrived there months ago, Yutaka had lied again. Hidden another part of Hiro's past from him and claimed it as his own.

  The car reached the gates of Hiroshinka Academy, and Naomi flashed her credentials to the guard. The barrier lifted, granting them access to the sprawling campus. She parked in front of the main office and turned to Hiro, her expression serious.

  "Stay here," she instructed, checking her slab quickly. "You know you are still wanted through most of Japan, best keep low if you can."

  Hiro nodded, watching as Naomi locked the doors behind her and strode into the building. He slumped back against the seat, he tried to wait patiently. He could guess why they were on the campus. If Toyone wasn't safe for him then it wasn't safe for any of them.

  Minutes turned into an hour, and still, Naomi did not return. Hiro fidgeted sweater sleeve, his unease growing with each passing moment. Just as he was about to risk leaving the car to search for her, he spotted Naomi emerging from the office, with Ai, Masumi, and Kazuki in tow.

  Ai rushed to the car, throwing open the door and dragging Hiro in a fierce hug. "Hiro! I missed you," she whispered into his neck. "I meant to call you this morning but biology class was nuts."

  Masumi and Kazuki hung back, watching Ai as she blocked the door. Hiro could sense they weren't exactly thrilled with the situation. As soon as Ai released Hiro, Masumi and Kazuki slipped into the vehicle. Naomi slammed the door behind them.

  Naomi climbed into the driver's seat and wasted no time in explaining the situation. "Mao has sent a couple of new Machs Hiro's way," she said, her eyes scanning the road ahead. "One of them is particularly sadistic and would be more than happy to go after any of you to force Hiro out. We have to disappear."

  Silence descended upon the car as they all grappled with the enormity of their situation. Suddenly, Kazuki spoke up, his voice hesitant.

  "I might know a place we can go," he said, drawing all eyes to him. "An old family friend's farm. They passed away, but we've been maintaining it. Off the books. My parents and their rich friends have a thing for fresh fruit."

  Naomi considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Works for me," she said, tossing Kazuki her phone. "I'll need the coordinates."

  Kazuki entered the information and the car lifted from the curve and floated toward its new destination. No one was sure how long they would need to stay hidden but they didn't know they couldn't stay hidden forever.

  As they passed through the school gates, Michio ducked behind a tree, his Mach's stealth mode rendering him invisible to any sensors. He watched the car at a distance, firing a small tracking device at the bumper. It lodged itself in the chrome, sending the signal back to his visor.

  "You were right, they went right to the school," he reported over the comm link to his sister, Katsumi. "But I got them, the tracker is set."

  Back in Toyone, Katsumi stood amidst the smouldering ruins of the cottage, Ash drifted passed her and the final small flames fizzled out. A cruel smile played on her lips as she received Michio's transmission.

  "Excellent," she said, stepping away from the scene. "I'll meet you there shortly. Don't do anything stupid until I get there."

  ---

  The tires of Naomi's car crunched over the gravel path as it pulled up in front of the old farmhouse, it was perfectly maintained with not a single blade of grass out of place. Kazuki hopped out first, pointing to several robots working the fields.

  "Fully automated," he explained, gesturing to the conveyor belt flowing with fresh strawberries. "No one comes out here anymore, not since my uncle programmed robots to fix themselves."

  Hiro followed the girls out of the car, his gaze sweeping over the property. The isolation was both comforting and unsettling, the only sounds were machine whirring and wind dancing through the fields.

  Kazuki continued his tour as he led them around the house toward the back of the property, "The water for the crops is drinkable so we should be good there. Also, the solar panels mean they won't be able to cut the power if they find us... Ah, here we are."

  He stopped in front of a large barn, its red paint faded and peeling. "This is the security building. We can set up shop here. No one will be able to get onto the property without us seeing them coming."

  Naomi nodded but then looked back at the farmhouse. "Kazuki, I'd like you to show me the entirety of the property. Masumi, head up to the house and see what we have in the way of food. Ai, Hiro, keep an eye on the monitors."

  Masumi nodded before turning toward the house and hesitantly moving forward. Kazuki continued talking about the history of the property as he led Naomi away. Ai turned to Hiro, a half smile painted on her face. "Don't worry, Hiro. They'll never think to look for us here. And now we have a whole team to help us, we'll turn the tables on them."

  Hiro managed a small smile, but doubt gnawed at his insides. *How much time do we really have?* he wondered. *Will it be enough?*

  Ai reached out, taking his hand and pulling him away from his thoughts. They made their way into the barn. Finding the room with the wall of monitors, Hiro looked up at them, finding Masumi and then Kazuki and Naomi on the screens.

  But then, a flicker of movement on one of the monitors caught his eye. He moved closer and for a moment he thought he was seeing things. But sure enough, it was him. "Ai, look!" he said pointing to a screen.

  A figure was scaling the fence surrounding the property, the electric fence doing little to stop him. As they dropped down onto the other side, there was no denying who it was.

  Nori dusted himself off and moved toward the house. Ai reached for her slab. "Naomi needs to know, Masumi is alone," she sounded worried and Hiro nodded, giving her the go-ahead. She sent the messages hoping he would be intercepted before he reached the house.

  Nori emerged from the field to find Naomi and Kazuki waiting for him. His hand instinctively reached for his Mach, but Naomi cleared her throat stopping him in his tracks.

  "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned, tapping her sidearm. "You won't move faster than me, we both know that."

  Nori raised his hands slowly, dropping down to his knees as if he were being arrested. "I'm not here to fight. I want to help."

  Naomi eyed him but Kazuki wasn't buying it. "Dude, you tried to kill me, why should we trust you?"

  In response, Nori tossed his Mach to the ground at Naomi's feet. "There. I'm unarmed. If it makes you feel better, you can even cuff me." He held out his wrists.

  Naomi considered him for a long moment, then nodded to Kazuki. "Watch him. I'll get the cuffs." She pulled the cuffs from her back pocket and made her way over to Nori. She hesitated for a brief moment before wrapping the cuffs tightly around his wrists. With Nori cuffed, Kazuki bent down and picked up his Mach. "Alright, let's take you back to where we can have eyes on you."

  As they led a restrained Nori past to the farmhouse, Masumi's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell is he doing here? We need to get rid of him, now!"

  "No," Naomi said firmly. "He could still be useful. And right now, we can't afford to turn away anyone willing to help."

  Nori gave Masumi a dirty look. "You must be desperate if these teenagers are your best line of defence."

  "Last time I checked, you were a teenager," Naomi replied. "You know better than anyone the advantages of being underestimated."

  Nori fell silent as they made their way to the security building, his steps faltered. He stared at the doors, knowing exactly who was on the other side. *Hiro's in there,* he thought, a wave of shame washing over him. *After everything I put him through, how can I face him again?*

  Naomi pushed the door open and stepped aside to follow Nori in. Taking a deep breath, Nori paused at the threshold, unable to take that step inside.