Nia and Tess searched the crowded Kyoto train station, their eyes scanned the platforms for any sign of Hector. Nia wandered over to the local train schedule, watching the departures and arrivals.

  "Dammit, their train already left," Nia muttered, turning away from the holographic display. She pressed down on her comm. "Hector's train has left this station. I need agents on every possible route out of this place, now. Millar, you need to get me into the city surveillance system."

  Static crackled, and then a voice came through. "On it. Give me a sec... got him! He boarded a local train 10 minutes ago with our mystery woman. Sending you their projected route now."

  Nia's slab pinged as a map popped up, the train's path snaking through the city with multiple stops highlighted. Tess leaned over her shoulder, studying it intently.

  "There's over a dozen stops. We'll never find them in time," Tess said, beginning to pace. "We need a way to narrow these down."

  Millar was quiet on his end before he rattled off a list. "Let's see... Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace, ah - here we go. Kyoto Airport and Fushimi Inari Shrine. Either of those would be promising. The shrine is a secret Japanese military facility and the airport would be a way to move him out of the country,"

  Tess's eyes narrowed. "Pull up all camera footage at the airport and shrine from the past hour. We have to figure out where they're going."

  A burst of static interrupted them, followed by a deafening boom resonating through Nia's earpiece. She winced, pulling out of her ear. "What was that? Report!"

  "I don't know," Millar responded, his voice shaky. "The whole building just shook. It could have been an earthquake--"

  Alarms began wailing in the background, nearly drowning him out. Nia's blood ran cold. The UN headquarters had been infiltrated.

  "Evacuate immediately," Nia ordered. "Get everyone out. We're on our way back."

  She ended the call and locked eyes with Tess, seeing her own fear reflected. Precious seconds ticked by as they both processed what had just happened.

  "We have to go after Hector," Tess insisted. "Clearly this woman planned this--"

  "We can't abandon our people!" Nia snapped. Her mind raced, desperately trying to figure out a way to save everyone. "If this was their plan all along, luring Hector away means they still need him for something. He has time."

  Tess grabbed Nia's shoulders. "Let me go after him while you head back. If we lose him now, we may not find him again."

  Nia shook her head vehemently, she needed Tess's strategic mind for the fight ahead. "No. I need your head in this game. Once we get there it will be your skill that gets our people to safety."

  She turned on her heel and headed straight for the high-speed rail, not waiting to see if Tess followed. She didn't know what they were about to walk into, but she did know a Mach could be waiting for them. They had screwed somewhere down the line, and this was the cost of their failure.

  Her only goal now was to save as many as she could. The UN came first. Hector was smart, she knew he would be able to buy himself time. She just prayed it would be enough.

  The high-speed train rocketed through the Japanese countryside, a sleek silver bullet against a backdrop of green. Inside, Nia paced the narrow aisle restlessly, her mind going over strategies.

  Tess watched her from a window seat, brows furrowed. "The Canadians must have made us at the sawmill. I knew we should have pulled out sooner, this is all my fault."

  Nia shook her head. "No. The Mach's had practically destroyed the mill, there is no way you were made there. Besides if the Canadians were the ones who made us, they would have sold us out to Japan."

  "So what are you thinking?"

  "I don't know." Nia sighed, frustration edging her voice. "It just doesn't add up to me. Is it possible another nation is taking action here?"

  Tess scoffed. "It's certainly possible, but I doubt it. This could be Japan and that psycho Mach 2."

  The words made Nia shiver, mostly because she feared they were true. They had reviewed Mach 2 footage, he killed with no regard for who was in the way. Still, she had to hope it was something else.

  "The Japanese have been pretty quiet about Mach 2 lately," Nia said, trying to ease her worry. "What if they found other pilots? Maybe we missed something?"

  Tess pulled out her phone. "I'll check with Ops, see if they've picked up anything new."

  A minute later, she cursed under her breath. "Line's dead."

  Nia's stomach dropped. They had hit their secondary base of operation as well. This was a coordinated assault on all fronts and were...

  She didn't let herself finish the thought. They had to hold on to hope. It was all they had left.

  The train hurtled onward, finally coming to a halt at their stop. Nia squared her shoulders, pushing herself through the crowd of people to get to the parking lot. She didn't care if people gave her dirty looks. She could see the glow in the distance.

  Tess followed behind her, as she waved down a taxi. They sat in silence as it drove them deeper into the city. Their route was cut off by caution tape and the taxi was forced to take a detour guided by the police. "Stop here," Nia commanded as they turned down the street. The cab came to a hault and she pushed her way out, heading straight for the glow from the flames.

  The UN headquarters lay in ruins, a twisted skeleton of metal and concrete. Smoke curled from the wreckage, the last stubborn flames flickering in the debris. An odd silence had settled over the scene, broken only by the crunch of boots on glass and the hiss of fire hoses.

  Nia and Tess stood across the street, posing as concerned onlookers while assessing the damage. Police swarmed the perimeter, keeping the gathering crowd at bay.

  Tess leaned in close, making sure she wasn't overheard. "We need to get to the safe house. If anyone made it out..."

  Nia nodded, her eyes never leaving a bodybag being rolled off the scene. "They'll be there."

  She refused to consider the idea that the attack had been so sudden, so brutal, none of their people had escaped the carnage.

  Moving casually, they slipped away from the gawking bystanders and scurried down a nearby alleyway. Nia led the way down the alley, mapping the route to the docks, straight to the shipping container that hid their safe house.

  Minutes later, they stood before the nondescript hunk of rusted metal. Nia keyed in the access code with trembling fingers. The door swung open, revealing a steep staircase plunging into darkness.

  They descended into the gloom, the clang of their footsteps echoing off the confining walls. At the bottom, a reinforced glass door slid aside, revealing the high-tech underwater base of operations.

  Nia could hear voices down the hall and raced to see who they had left. A mere handful of agents huddled around the conference table, their faces reflecting the loss Nia felt. There were survivors. But far too few to maintain the task force.

  She swallowed hard, their mission was now a failure. The procedure dictated that they leave immediately, but first, she had questions that needed answers.

  "What happened?" Nia asked as she and Tess moved into the room. "Did anyone see the attack?"

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  A young agent, from Russia, raised a shaky hand. "I was...I was running late. Missed my train. I saw..." He took a shuddering breath. "It was a Mach. But not one we have a record of. Punched a hole right through the wall like it was nothing."

  "A new Mach," Tess breathed.

  Nia's blood ran cold, it could only be Japan or Canada, their cover was fully blown either way. "Can you tap into the city's surveillance feeds? I want to see it!"

  The agent nodded, already tapping away on the holographic keyboard on the table. Nia watched over his shoulder as he worked feverishly, lines of code flying across the screen. An agonizing minute later, grainy security footage filled the monitor.

  They all leaned in, squinting at the black-and-white images. A figure, barely recognizable as humanoid, streaked toward the UN building at impossible speed. A flash of light seared even through the low-res feed. Then an eruption of flame and smoke as the walls buckled and collapsed.

  Nia's fists clenched at her sides, nails biting into her palms. The pain grounded her and kept her focused on the feed. She wanted to punch a wall, but she still didn't know how they could have gone so wrong.

  There was no doubt in her mind this attacker also took Hector. And she wouldn't stop until she found him and ended the life of the person who killed so many of her people.

  ---

  Hector and Naomi strode around the side of the Kyoto Airport, ignoring the travellers lugging their bags down the street. Hector's brow furrowed as he glanced at the security checkpoints ahead, two uniformed officers blocked their path to the airfield.

  "You really think we can just waltz through security without getting made?" he muttered, keeping his voice low.

  Naomi flashed him a confident smile, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. "Relax, kid. We're not going through security. I called in a favour, but we need to wait for Ai first."

  As if on cue, Ai poked her head around the side of the building, her dark hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Hector's relief was short-lived as he spotted Masumi trailing behind her, the girl's wary gaze darting around the dark road to the airstrip.

  "Ai, who's that?" Hector asked, his tone carefully neutral.

  Naomi's lips thinned. "Masumi Nakamura. This is an interesting turn of events. I take it you've recently had a change of heart?" Her voice was analytical, she never forgot a face, especially one she couldn't trust.

  Ai stepped forward, her expression pleading. "Masumi just wants to help. She's not helping the Canadians anymore."

  Hector shook his head. "The Canadians? Ai, this is way too risky. We can't afford to bring someone who has a history of working for the enemy with us."

  Masumi's eyes flashed with determination. "I'm going whether you like it or not. If you leave me behind, I'll go straight to the authorities."

  Naomi chuckled and approached Masumi, circling her like a shark. "I like your moxie, kid. But let's get one thing straight." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "Despite my calm demeanour, if you attempt to betray us... you won't be coming back. Are we clear?"

  Masumi turned as white as a ghost, giving a tight nod.

  "Good." Naomi straightened, her tone almost light. "Now, follow me. We all have a role to play here. I know Nori, I can anticipate his moves. Hector, you know the U.S., can keep us under the radar. And Ai, you're the key to making sure Hiro doesn't get himself killed."

  She paused, her gaze sweeping over them. "Don't underestimate Nori. He's ruthless, and he won't think twice about taking us out if he believes we are a threat to Hiro."

  With that, Naomi turned on her heel, along the fence to a small side gate. Hector fell into step beside her, watching her pick the lock and push the gate open. He still didn't know who she found him, he'd never seen her before today, was she that good?

  As if reading his thoughts, Naomi spoke, her voice low. "I found you by accident, so stop worrying so much. After the police station explosion, I started digging. Found an officer who was saved from the fire, with a death certificate from a shootout months before it happened. That didn't add up. Ran his face through my own recognition software and boom, there was Osamu."

  Hector's eyebrows shot up. "And from there, you tracked him to the sawmill."

  "Exactly. Once I had eyes on the place, it was only a matter of time before I caught you on my feeds, racing toward the fight with a Mach."

  "And you didn't report any of this to your superiors?"

  Naomi shrugged. "They don't need to know. The UN isn't a threat, not really."

  They emerged onto a small landing strip, a sleek private plane waiting on the tarmac. Naomi ushered them aboard, before following them up the stairs. She sat on the large sofa and the pilot did their flight systems check.

  "We've got a 48-hour window before the Japanese government sends in their new Mach pilots to clean up Nori's mess. Trust me, you don't want to be around when that happens."

  Ai's face paled. "What if we can't find Hiro in time?"

  Masumi reached out, squeezing her hand. "We will, Ai. Don't worry." But even as she spoke the words, she didn't believe them.

  The plane's engines roared to life, the force pressing them back into their seats as they lifted off, racing against the clock to save Hiro and stop Nori before he caused a global incident.

  ---

  In the decaying heart of Detroit, Nori's eyes flicked from monitor to monitor, scanning the feeds of his makeshift security system. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the room just down the hall, with sterile hospital equipment. Hiro lay on an old hospital bed. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the antibiotics were doing their job to clear up his infection.

  Nori reached for the fresh bandages, his fingers gentle as he began to unwind the old ones. A soft groan escaped Hiro's lips, his eyelids fluttering open. Confusion clouded his gaze as it settled on Nori.

  "Nori? What... where am I?" Hiro's voice was raw, he winced in pain when he tried to sit up.

  "Somewhere safe." Nori kept his tone even, focusing on his task.

  Hiro's eyes darted around the room, taking in the rusted metal walls, and the exposed pipes. "This isn't the cottage. What's going on?"

  "I'm protecting you, Hiro."

  "From what?"

  Nori hesitated as he tossed the old bandages into the trash. "The Japanese government. They know you're still alive."

  Hiro laid back in the bed, he knew this would happen eventually. "They asked you to kill me, didn't they? Are you going to?"

  The question stung, and Nori looked away from Hiro. "No. Never. But I had to get you out of Japan, somewhere they wouldn't dare go."

  Now Hiro was concerned, he looked around the room again trying to find a clue to where they were. "Nori you need to tell me now, where the hell are we?"

  Nori finished securing the fresh bandage, his expression unreadable. "We're safe and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had to do this."

  He stepped back, meeting Hiro's gaze. "The police station in Hiroshima, the fire. It was meant to be a distraction, to make them think you were dead so you could disappear."

  Hiro already knew this after Ai had explained what happened. "I've been keeping low."

  "Really, so you didn't fight another Mach at the sawmill?" Nori's jaw clenched. "Remember we rounded up several Canadians. They were pretty quick to tell us about you."

  Hiro shifted, wincing at the pull of his wounds. "Nori you can't keep me here."

  "Why not? Here we are off the grid." Nori crossed his arms. "You'll be safe, Hiro. I'll make sure of it."

  Hiro shook his head, but he was too weak to get up out of the bed. "I can't stay here, Nori. You know they'll never stop looking for me, the only way to stop them is to end the Mach program,"

  With that reminder Hiro's hand flew to his pocket, finding it empty. His Mach. Gone.

  Nori held up the device, looking disappointed in Hiro. "I have it. I can't let you do anything stupid. If you keep fighting the Japanese, they will kill you. I won't let that happen."

  Hiro groaned in frustration, the gravity of his situation sinking in. "So what, then? You're just going to keep me here, locked away forever?"

  Nori didn't answer, his silence spoke volumes. Hiro slumped back against the pillows, his thoughts churning, searching for a way out of this nightmare.

  But deep down, Hiro knew. There was no escape, not from this. Not from Nori's twisted sense of protection. He watched Nori leave, stopping at the door to look back at him one last time.

  Nori's jaw tightened. "I think I've answered enough of your questions for today." He levelled Hiro with a penetrating stare. "Now I have a question of my own."

  Hiro tilted his head as he waited for Nori to form his question.

  "Why did you try to save Osamu?" Nori asked, his voice low and intense. "After everything he put you through? Betraying you not once, but twice?"

  Hiro swallowed hard, memories flashing through his mind. The Canadian Embassy. The explosion at the police station. Osamu's haunted eyes as he helped Hiro escape each time.

  "He made mistakes," Hiro said quietly. "But everything he did, he did to protect his family. I can understand that."

  Nori scoffed. "He's a traitor."

  "He's also the reason I'm still alive," Hiro argued, anger rising in his voice. "He broke me out of the Embassy. He let me go to the station. People are complex, Nori. They can do bad things, but they can also do good."

  Nori was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Do you really believe that? That bad people can change? Can do good?"

  Hiro nodded, realizing the conversation was no longer about Osamu. "Yes. I do."

  Without another word, Nori turned and left the room, leaving Hiro alone with his thoughts.

  Nori sank into the chair in front of the monitors, placing Hiro's Mach next to the console. Mach Mach sat on the dented desk, taunting him with its presence.

  How long could he really keep Hiro here? How long before the government tracked them down, Mach or no Mach?

  His gaze fell to his arm, to the spot where his own tracking device lay embedded beneath his skin. The lead lining of the warehouse would shield them from detection, but it was only a matter of time before their pursuers got close.

  They would have to move soon. But to where?

  An idea sparked in Nori's mind as he went over his options. He had tools, bandages, and everything he needed to clean and maintain a wound. And there, on the floor - a jagged piece of rusted metal.

  He reached for it, his fingers closing around the sharp edge. Gritting his teeth, he dug the metal into his arm, blood welling as he carved out the tracking device.

  It came free with a sickening pop, and Nori dropped it onto the desk with a clatter. He washed his wound, stitching it closed and wrapping it in clean bandages.

  When he was finished, he picked up the tracking device, a slow smile spreading across his face. With this, he had everything he needed to buy them more time.

  To keep Hiro safe, no matter the cost. No matter who he had to kill.

  Nori's fingers closed around the device, a plan unfolding in his mind. Those idiot agents wouldn't know what hit them.

  No one would take Hiro from him. Not the government. Not Ai. Not even Hiro himself.

  This was the only way. And Nori would walk this path, wherever it led him, to keep the one person he cared about safe.

  No matter what.