The moon illuminated the meadow where Kimiko had met Nori months ago, the stars covered the clear sky as Kimiko landed softly amongst the tall grass, Hiro and Ai's limp bodies cradled in her arms. She gently laid them down, her scanners locked on the walled-off school grounds.

She needed to get them into the academy, but there was no way she could just waltz in the front door. Not with the state of the art security system that protected the school's wealthy and powerful students. Kimiko paces back and forth, racking her brain.

Then it hits her - Osamu had mentioned the Canadians luring Hiro out through some kind of secret passage. If she can just find it...

A soft groan interrupts her thoughts. Ai's eyes flutter open, taking in her surroundings with a confused look. "Wh-where are we? What happened?"

"Easy," Kimiko soothes, kneeling beside the girl. "We escaped the Canadian's trap at the sawmill. We're outside Hiroshika Academy."

Ai's gaze drifts to Hiro's still form. "Is he...?"

"He'll be okay," Kimiko assures her. "But he needs help. Has he ever talked to you about someone named Yutaka? He might be the only one who knows how to get the Mach to deactivate when the pilot is unconscious,"

Ai nodded, struggling to sit up. "Yeah, Hiro said he is posing as a teacher on campus. There's a hidden entrance in the wall by the forest, it will take us inside without getting noticed. But there will still be cameras and sensors everywhere, I don't know how we can get across campus without getting seen."

"Just get me inside," Kimiko held out her hand, pulling Ai to her feet. "I can handle the rest."

Ai nodded and watched as Kimiko lifted Hiro over her shoulder, once she was good to go Ai began to lead the way back to the school. As they approached the greenhouse Ai froze for a moment, there were still scorch marks on the path that reminded her of the day her best friend had turned on her. Ai shook it off, determined to press forward for Hiro's sake.

"There." Ai pointed to a crack in the wall just large enough for a single person to squeeze through. She made her way over it, "I'll go first to make sure they haven't sealed off the other side,"

Kimiko nodded, shifting Hiro's weight. "Sounds good, yell back if you need me for anything." Ai looked back at Kimiko, before disappearing into the wall.

Moments passed before Ai's voice came echoing down the shaft, "We're all clear!" Kimiko lowered Hiro to the ground, dragging him by his arms down the tunnel. They emerged from behind the mirror in the student center.

"Now that we're in, my cloaking should protect Hiro and me from your school's cameras" Kimiko mused as she picked Hiro up once more. "We just need to track Yutaka down, he'll be disguised as a member of the staff most likely," Kimiko explained as they exited the building and stepped back out into the cold night. "He has burn scars on his face, and wears glasses. Any ideas?"

Ai purses her lips, thinking. "Wait a minute I know who you are talking about. A new professor arrived right around the same time Hiro enrolled. I remember him because the burn scars kind of freaked me out."

Kimiko smiled. "That's got to be him. Do the professors live on campus?"

"Of course they do. Staff housing is in the northeast corner." Ai quickens her pace, stepping on the perfectly manicured garden in her path. "Only problem is, I don't know which apartment is his. They aren't labelled to avoid students harassing them outside of office hours,"

"Don't worry about it," Kimiko says briskly. "Just get me to the building. I'll handle the rest."

Minutes later, they arrive at a nondescript concrete structure. Kimiko eases Hiro to the ground, then she switches her visor over to heat vision, seeing through the concrete to everyone inside the building.

"All right, identify all individuals inside," she commanded. Her Mach got to work matching faces to the academy database. But when it reached the third floor, the man in the corner apartment remained unidentified.

Kimiko's Mach blocked the identification. Bingo.

"Wait here," Kimiko instructs. She scooped up Hiro and gently took off, rising up toward the balcony.

Ai watched as Kimiko landed on a tiny balcony, laying Hiro down with the utmost care. Then she zoomed back down, landing light as a feather.

"You should return to your dorm," Kimiko told her. "Get some rest. I'm going to get out of here, but I'll be in touch."

"Where are you going?" Ai asks, bewildered. "What happened to..."

"I have something I need to take care of." Kimiko cut her off. "Osamu didn't make it. But his family is safe. Trust me."

Ai hesitated, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's my fault isn't it."

"We don't have time to place the blame, there are bigger things to worry about." With that Kimiko turned and vanished into the night. Ai watched as she went, questions burning on her tongue.

But she swallowed them, squared her shoulders, and headed for the dorms, praying that somehow, someway, she would be able to make it up to Hiro for causing Osamu's death.

---

In the white-panelled interrogation room, the UN agent sat across the white plastic table from Trisha. Trisha Kota sat straight as a board, hands clasped tightly in her lap, as the South African man across from her flipped through a file.

"Mrs. Kota," he began, his accent crisp and professional, "we need you to tell us everything you know about the Canadian Mach program."

Trisha took a deep breath, looking over at the two-way mirror that her son was sitting behind. "My late husband, Osamu, was part of it. The Canadians have invaded Japan to steal more."

The agent leaned forward, interest piqued. "Go on."

"I don't know much more than that. But I do know they aren't above harming civilians." Trisha's voice wavered, but she pressed on. "They were planning on killing me and my son if Osamu didn't do what they wanted. They say they are doing it to defend Canada but I think they are doing it to ensure they end up on top."

The agent nodded gravely, making a note. "Thank you, Mrs. Kota. This information is invaluable." He closed the file, meeting her gaze. "We're moving you and your son to Norway tonight. New identities, new lives. All we needed is recorded testaments in the justice chambers to verify everything you said is true."

Tears welled in Trisha's eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

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As the agent exited the room, he found Hector waiting, arms crossed, jaw tight.

"You did good work kid," the agent said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, we've got solid evidence of Canada's involvement in Machs."

Hector nodded, distracted. "I know this will ensure they answer for their crimes against Japan and its people. I'm just worried about what Japan's response will be since they still have Machs of their own."

Before the agent could respond, Nia appeared, there was a look on her face that Nector had never seen before.

"Hector," she said, "my office. Now."

Hector followed Nia down the hall, unease growing with each step. When they entered her office, he found Tess waiting, leaning against Nia's desk.

"What's this about?" Hector asked, guarded.

Tess tapped a virtual file, glowing on the desk's surface. "We had drones at the sawmill. They captured some interesting footage."

The file opened and the contents were displayed across the wall behind Nai's desk. Hector's heart sank as he watched himself being carried by a pink Mach, zooming toward the mill.

"Care to explain?" Tess asked, her tone razor-sharp.

Hector stumbled over himself as he tried to find an excuse, but Nia cut him off. "If anyone else saw this, you would be arrested for treason."

"I encountered the Mach pilot by chance," Hector said carefully. "I convinced her to help save the civilian."

Tess scoffed. "The civilian? You mean Ai Takahashi, the wanted fugitive?"

"Ai was framed!" Hector tried to explain. "The Japanese blew up that police station, not her and Hiro."

Nia's eyes narrowed. "Do you have proof?"

Hector's silence was damning.

Nia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Until we can confirm your story, you are not to leave this base for any reason whatsoever. Understood?"

Hector clenched his fists, he had nothing other than Ai's word. Which left him with no other choice.

"Understood," he spit out, removing himself from the board seemed like a bad move to him.

How could he figure out what is really going on, with the UN watching his every move? What would happen the next time a trap was laid for Hiro?

Hector didn't know. But one thing was certain, his next project would be a simple one, establish secret communications with Ai.

---

Hiro's eyes fluttered open, the world slowly coming into focus. He winced as pain shot through his body as he rolled over. Blinking, he found himself in a familiar room, Yutaka's home in Toyone.

"Easy there," Yutaka's calm voice drifted over him. The older man sat beside the bed, his expression a mix of concern and relief. "You've been through quite an ordeal."

Hiro struggled to sit up, gritting his teeth against the pain. "What happened? How did I get here?"

Yutaka gently pushed him back down. "I found you on the balcony of my apartment. It must have taken everything you had to get there."

A million emotions flashed over Hiro's face. "Ai and Kimiko? where are they, did they make it? What happened to Osamu and his family?"

Yutaka shook his head. "I don't know what happened out there. I do know Ai is safe, the media was having a field day with her return to campus."

Hiro sunk back into bed, he knew there was no way he was able to get himself and Ai out there. It must have been Kimiko, it was the only thing that made sense in his mind.

"Whatever you did out there worked," Yutaka said, his tone laced with pride. "You exposed the Canadians, and their illegal operations here. It's playing on repeat on every news station in the country."

Yutaka reached for the remote and turned on the holodeck. The anchor's voice filled the room, detailing the discovery of the secret Canadian base at the sawmill and the explosion that followed.

"...illegal weapons testing on foreign soil has prompted the Japanese government to round up Canadian forces and diplomats, sending them back to their country..."

Hiro smiled as he watched the broadcast. It was over. The Canadians wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Yutaka gave him a warm smile. "Rest now. You've earned it. I'm going to run into town for a few things."

As Yutaka left, Hiro sank back into the pillows, his mind whirling. Were the Canadians really done with them or were they just regrouping before their next assault?

Exhaustion tugged at him, and Hiro's eyes drifted shut. the cool breeze drifted through his open window, guiding him into a deep sleep. He was so tired he didn't hear the click of the front door opening.

Nori slipped into the home, his footsteps silent as he tipped-toed through the halls. He found Hiro tucked in bed, bandaged and bruised.

"You idiot," Nori muttered, shaking his head. "You're getting too noisy, rushing into fights like that."

He studied Hiro as he slept, his mission was clear after evidence surfaced from the sawmill that Mach 1 was still functional. Hiro was brave and foolish, so determined to do what was right... Nori knew he wouldn't stop showing up, but if he wanted to live, he had to.

"I'm sorry," Nori whispered, pulling back the covers. "I'm doing this to protect you from yourself."

He withdrew a syringe from his pocket, the tranquillizer glinting in the low light. Gently, he injected it into Hiro's arm, ensuring he wouldn't wake during the journey.

Nori activated his Mach, the sleek metal encasing his body. With delicate care, he lifted Hiro from the bed, cradling him close.

Then, with a burst of power, Nori launched them both out the open window and into the sky, he wasn't going to let them get to Hiro ever again. Even if it meant becoming the villain in Hiro's story.

---

Ai shifted uncomfortably in the hard plastic chair, the bright lights of the police station. The Japanese agents loomed over her, badgering her with their questions.

"Where is Hiro Kobayashi?" one of them demanded, his voice sharp.

Ai widened her eyes, allowing a tremble to enter her voice. "I... I don't know. He saved me from that explosion, but then he just left me in this bunker in the woods. I must have been out for a while, once I woke up, I went straight back to the academy,"

She twisted her hands in her lap, the picture of a frightened schoolgirl. The agents exchanged glances, not sure whether to buy her story or not.

"Please," Ai whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I just want to go home, I don't ever want to hear the name Hiro again, please just let me go home."

The lead agent sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Alright, you can go. I will place some security with you to make sure he doesn't return for you. All charges against you have been dropped. We'll arrange for your return to the Academy."

Ai bowed her head, hiding her relief. "Thank you, sir."

The return to her dorm was a blur, and as soon as the door closed behind her, Ai released a shuddering breath. She felt disgusted with herself after describing Hiro that way, and she sank to the floor, her back against the door.

"I need a change of scenery," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Somewhere to clear my head."

She reached for her slab, scrolling until she found exactly what she needed, a trip to the local hot springs, the bus left every half hour.

"Perfect."

---

The bus rumbled along the winding mountain road, the chatter of excited students filling the air. Ai sat alone, her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the window.

"Hiro," she whispered, her breath fogging the pane. "I hope you're ok. I'll find you as soon as I can,"

She scanned the faces of the other students, her security sat near the front to ensure no one got passed them without a full inspection. Ai huffed, this trip would have been better with Masumi or Kazuki... were they even still at the Academy? So much had changed, since she went into hiding.

The bus lurched to a stop, and Ai filed out with the others, the steam from the hot springs already curling in the crisp air. She made her way to the changing rooms, her mind still preoccupied.

As she slipped out of her clothes, the murmur of conversation from the other women drifted over to her.

"Did you hear about that explosion at the old sawmill?"

Ai froze, wondering just how much they knew. Was the word out already about the Canadian base?

"Yeah, apparently it was some kind of secret weapons facility. Can you believe it, on Japanese soil?"

Ai forced herself to breathe, doing her best to act casual. She inched closer to the older women, acting like she was grabbing a towel.

She hadn't watched the news since she got back, was all of this common knowledge? What would happen to the Canadians now that all of Japan was accusing them of illegal weapons testing?

The women moved out of the change room and headed deeper into the hot springs. Ai stepped into the steaming water as she followed them, the heat soothing her aching muscles. Ai let the steaming water envelop her, the mineral-rich warmth seeping into her pores, her bones. She closed her eyes, momentarily forgetting all about the women gossiping around her.

A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she glanced up to see a holographic screen shimmering in the mist. The news was playing, images of stern-faced Japanese authorities marching stone-faced Canadians away in cuffs.

"...the explosion is believed to have been caused by a weapons malfunction at the hidden base," the newscaster intoned. "Japanese authorities are still investigating the extent of the illegal Canadian operation, while the Prime Minister of Canada continues to deny it."

A slow smile spread across Ai's face. So it was common knowledge. They had exposed the Canadians, and driven them out. Which meant she only had to worry about the Japanese now.

She sank deeper into the water, feeling the tension start to drain. What would life be like, without having to worry about those Mach-wielding psychos?

Ai pictured Hiro as he had been when she met him, carefree and laughing with her, Kazuki and even Masumi. The four of them, just normal high school students, worried about tests and crushes, maybe once they stopped Japan's program their lives could be like that again.