The crisp scent of pine needles filled Kimiko's lungs as she and Ai crept through the dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling the forest floor with shifting patterns. Kimiko's eyes darted constantly, scanning for any sign of movement.

"Shouldn't they be coming to redirect us by now?" Ai whispered, leaning uncomfortably close to Kimiko's ear.

Kimiko held up a hand, signalling for quiet. "Patience," she murmured. "They know we're here, they just need to make sure they actually have to intervene."

As they carefully navigated through the underbrush, Kimiko's mind raced. The plan seemed solid, but so much could go wrong. She didn't know Ai at all, which made her more than a liability if things went sideways.

"There," Kimiko breathed, pointing to a barely visible sensor nestled in a nearby tree. "We've tripped their alarms. They'll be surrounding us shortly."

Ai nodded, stepping away from Kimiko and getting a better look at the sensor. "Do you think they'll find Hiro before he gets close enough?" she asked softly.

Kimiko rolled her eyes, they had enough to worry about without thinking of Hiro. "He can handle himself, he has a Mach. We need to focus on our part of the plan."

The minutes crawled by, as they continued their trek toward the sawmill. Finally, Kimiko spotted movement through the trees. A man in worker's coveralls approached, his fake smile was anything but welcoming.

"Are you lost?" he called gruffly. "This area's off-limits, it's dangerous to be out here."

Kimiko stepped forward, feigning confusion. "I'm sorry, we must have gotten turned around. We can't seem to find the trail anywhere,"

The man's brow furrowed. "We? Is there someone else with you miss?"

Ice flooded Kimiko's veins as she whirled around. Where Ai had been standing moments ago, there was only an empty forest. Cursing under her breath, Kimiko forced a sheepish smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was hiking with a friend. She must have wandered off, maybe she found the trail."

"I see, well we will send some rangers out to look for her. In the meantime come with me you can wait at the cabin," As she followed the worker, Kimiko's mind raced. What the hell was Ai doing? And more importantly, was she about to ruin everything before it started?

---

Meanwhile, at the back of the sawmill, Hiro shook out his worries as he adjusted the stolen uniform. He could feel the weight of Kimiko's ID badge and his Mach in his pocket. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the treeline, heading straight for the electrified gate.

Just buy them time, he reminded himself. Once they save Osamu's family, this will all be over.

As Hiro reached for the badge, a twig snapped behind him. He spun, muscles tensed for a fight, only to find himself face-to-face with Ai.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, moving back to the trees.

Ai's chin lifted stubbornly. "I couldn't let you do this alone. I can help, Hiro."

"How exactly can you help? You don't have a Mach, you can't fight them!" Hiro's frustration bubbled over. "We had a plan—"

The click of multiple safeties being released cut him off mid-sentence. Hiro's blood ran cold as he slowly turned to face the open doorway, now filled with armed agents, their weapons trained squarely on him and Ai.

In that frozen moment, Hiro's mind raced through their options. Fight? Run? Surrender? Whatever choice he made, he knew their carefully laid plan had just gone up in smoke.

---

The shrill wail of an alarm pierced the air, startling Kimiko out of her thoughts as she sat in the dented steel chair in the old dusty cabin. She glanced at the worker, who was already rising from his seat.

"Stay here," he ordered, his face tight with concern. "The alarm means there is a fire in the area."

Kimiko nodded like she believed every word he said, her face reflected fear. "Oh God, I hope my friend is ok." She whispered as the man reached the door next to her.

"Don't worry, we're looking for her," He tried to comfort her with a look before pulling the heavy door open. The moment the cabin door closed behind him, Kimiko's fear faded away. She headed straight for the desk, typing her access code into the unmanned computer. She began scanning through the logs for the layout of this area, several nearby cabins were listed as holdings.

"Come on, Trisha," she muttered under her breath. "Where are you?"

She continued to search for a way to tell whether a holding was in use, the alarm still blaring in the background, making it hard to concentrate. What if she couldn't find them in time? She wondered, What if Osamu's family had already been moved?

Finally, she spotted it – a cabin with two armed guards assigned to it. Kimiko's lips curved into a grim smile. "Bingo."

She reached into her pocket, fingers closing around the familiar shape of her virtual pet. With a quick tap, nanobots sprang to life, enveloping her body in a swirl of pink light. As the cybernetic suit went through the usual systems check, Kimiko uploaded the data to her visor.

The guards posted at the cabin never stood a chance. In a blur of motion, Kimiko grabbed them by their collars, hurling them into the woods. She turned to the door, scanning for signs of life inside, two heat signatures were shown on screen.

"Sorry about this," she muttered, before unleashing a blast that tore the door from its hinges.

As the dust settled, Kimiko stepped inside. There, huddled in a corner, was a woman clutching a small boy to her chest. Both stared at Kimiko with wide, terrified eyes.

Kimiko's mask retracted, revealing her face. "Trisha?" she asked gently. "I'm here to help. We need to get you out of here." Kimiko reached for the pair when an alarm went off in her suit.

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Kimiko's eyes widened as her AI informed her of an oncoming attack from behind her. She spun, raising her arms to deflect the incoming bullets with her suit's energy shields. As soon as there was an opening the air crackled with plasma as she returned fire, her own blasters sending Canadian agents diving for cover.

"Stay back!" she shouted to Trisha and her son, holding an arm out to keep them from stumbling into the range of the gunfire.

More agents poured out of the forest, their weapons trained on the doorway and Kimiko. She gritted her teeth, realizing their escape route had just been cut off. There was no way she could get Osamu's family through it unharmed.

"Well shit," Kimiko muttered, her blaster trained on the approaching agents. She moved closer to the door lying on the floor, in one motion she flipped it up and flung it back into place, sealing the door with a concentrated laser burst from her suit.

Trisha clutched her son tightly, her eyes wide with panic. "What do we do now? We're trapped! We're going to die here, aren't we?"

Kimiko shook her head firmly, turning to take in the rest of the cabin. "We're not done yet. I promised Osamu I'd keep you safe, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." She noticed there were no windows on the inside, but there was ventilation in the back wall. "I have an idea."

In one fluid motion, Kimiko scooped up Trisha and her son. She aimed her blaster at the wall, the energy building with a high-pitched whine.

"Close your eyes," she warned, before unleashing a powerful blast that tore a gaping hole in the cabin's ventilation system.

Without hesitation, Kimiko dashed through the crumbling opening, her enhanced speed carrying them swiftly away from the sounds of gunfire echoing behind them. She zigzagged through the trees, her only goal was to put enough distance between them and the agents.

"Where are we going? Is Osamu waiting for us?" Trisha gasped, clinging tightly to Kimiko.

"We are getting outside of their range," Kimiko replied, making mental notes about where the Canadian surveillance ended. "Osamu is going to meet us later." Trisha didn't seem fully convinced by her answer.

Finally, she spotted a dense thicket, secluded enough to provide temporary shelter. Kimiko set Trisha and her son down gently, then deactivated her suit.

"Stay here and keep low," she instructed, her voice hushed but urgent. "You are outside of their line of sight but they'll be looking for you. I am going to head south and make as much noise as possible to keep them off you."

Trisha grabbed Kimiko's arm, she looked at her son and then back to Kimiko. "Osamu is still in there, isn't he?" she whispered.

Kimiko hesitated, torn between reassurance and honesty. "Not for long," she promised. "We'll get him out of there."

The two women embraced briefly before Trisha and her son tucked themselves into the hollow of an ancient tree. Kimiko watched them disappear from view, then reached for her communicator to contact Hiro.

Static crackled in her ear. Kimiko frowned, trying again. Nothing but white noise.

"Damn it," she muttered, realization dawning. "They're jamming all communications."

Kimiko knew their plan had fallen apart. She could try to find Hiro and Osamu, and tell them Osamu's family was safe... but that would mean risking capture, potentially jeopardizing her entire mission of finding out the true purpose of the Machs.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "First things first," she whispered to herself. "Lead the Canadians away from Trisha. All of this would be for nothing if they get caught."

With a final glance at the hidden family, Kimiko activated her suit once more and prepared to draw their pursuers far from this quiet corner of the forest.

Kimiko's Mach suit hummed to life, its pink glow illuminating the forest floor. She darted between trees, until she was sure she was far enough away from Osamu's family. Then she activated her blaster, and she thrust forward, blasting at random and causing trees to crumble in her wake.

"This ought to get their attention" she muttered as she propelled herself forward.

Shouts erupted from below as Kimiko flew, bullets whizzing by as they missed their mark. The wind whipped past her face as she soared through the air.

"That's it, take the bait," she muttered, glancing back. A smile tugged at her lips as she saw the agents giving chase, their assumption that she still had Osamu's family with her clear in their frantic pursuit.

The whir of propellers caught her attention. Kimiko spun mid-air, spotting a sleek sniper drone closing in.

"Seriously? You guys don't give up, do you?" she huffed, raising her arm. A quick blast from her suit's palm reduced the drone to falling debris. "I need a secluded area to lose these guys in so I can double back for Hiro and Osamu," Kimiko instructed her AI.

"According to local area data there is an abandoned campground due east from here, outside of the range of Canadian surveillance. All calculations suggest simple evasive maneuvers will allow you to lose your current pursuers."

"Well then let's do this, map the route," Kimiko followed the flight path until her eyes landed on a cluster of dilapidated structures nestled at the forest's edge.

"There it is," she breathed. "Perfect."

Banking hard, she dove toward the run-down site. Just before impact, Kimiko cut her thrusters, tucking into a roll and sliding into a torn tent. She deactivated her suit and dug out her slab.

"Hiro, please pick up," she whispered, hoping the government wouldn't think they'd use slabs on a mission like this. Nothing but static answered.

Frustration bubbled up inside her. "AI, can you re-establish communication with Mach 1?"

The AI's calm voice responded, "Affirmative, but it will take time to bypass the jamming signal."

Kimiko bit her lip. "Time we might not have. What if Hiro and Osamu are already..."

She couldn't finish the thought. The idea of the two men she cared about locked in combat, possibly to the death, made her stomach churn.

There was a rustling from the bushes. Kimiko froze, straining her ears. Footsteps, multiple sets, approached the campgrounds.

"Of course," she thought tucking herself behind the floating fabric, "just what I didn't need today."

Kimiko held her breath as voices drifted through the thin fabric of the tent. They spoke English but in a variety of accents – definitely not all Canadian.

"Establish perimeter," a woman's sharp voice cut through the chatter. "This is our base of operations. An active Mach has been spotted. You know what we're here to do. We have just over an hour to do it. If you're late, you're left behind. Clear?"

A chorus of affirmatives followed.

Kimiko's thoughts raced. 'How did they know Machs were in the area? Who are these people?'

Carefully, she shifted to peek through a tear in the tent. Noting the group donned Canadian uniforms but they were slightly out of date and clearly worn.

'So they are using the chaos as a distraction,' she realized. 'But who are they?'

As the last of the group disappeared into the woods, Kimiko stayed completely still until she couldn't hear a sound. 'I need to warn Hiro' She peered out from her hiding place. 'This is getting out of hand. Some else is going down here.'

Determined, she slipped out the back of the tent – and collided with something solid.

"Don't move!" a young voice commanded. Kimiko felt cold metal encircle her wrists. "You're under arrest in the name of the UN!"

Kimiko blinked, taking in the boy before her. His loose-fitting clothes and unkempt blond hair. Despite his attempt at authority, his hands were trembling as he held out his weapon.

"You work for the UN? How old are you, exactly?" she asked, unable to keep the amusement from her voice.

The boy's face reddened. "That's none of your business!"

"Let me guess... sixteen? Seventeen?"

"I said it's none of your– and I'm eighteen thank you very much. Now be quiet, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,"

Kimiko sighed. "Wow, it must have taken you a while to memorize all that. But honestly I time have to waste here–"

"Save it," the boy interrupted. "I caught you eavesdropping on a top-secret conversation. When the strike force returns, we'll get to the bottom of who you really are."

Kimiko couldn't help but laugh, this kid was not the authority figure he was trying to be. "I hate to break it to you, but I wasn't listening in on anything, it's not my fault you laid out your entire plan in front of me. Maybe sweep the area next time?"

The boy's face flushed deeper. "I– That's not– Just stop talking."

"Oh? And what exactly happens if I choose to keep talking Mr..."

"It's Hector, and I am recording everything you say, clearly you were here for a reason,"

Kimiko was amused by Hector. She needed to get free, warn Hiro, and get Osamu out of there. But first, she had to deal with this small bump in the road, and she thought she might have some fun with it.

"Listen, Hector," she said, softening her tone. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I think we should-"

A distant explosion shook the forest and cut her off mid-sentence. Hector's head whipped toward the sound as a thick cloud of black smoke rose over the treeline, his grip on Kimiko loosening.

'Big mistake Hector,' she thought.