Soul Drive: Ignition

Chapter 8: Bait

Hiro sat on the edge of his bed, the flickering blue light from the television casting eerie shadows across the room. He watched as the news anchor revealed the gruesome details of yet another mysterious police officer's death, her voice a mixture of shock and sadness. "The body of the sixth victim was found earlier this morning, making it clear that the cop killer is still at large," she said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "There are no leads for these murders, and all victims appear to have fallen from great heights, even though there were no high-rise buildings nearby."

"Odd," Hiro muttered under his breath, his dark eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He couldn't help but wonder if this could be the work of another Mach user. If so, why hadn't his own Mach detected any other activations? The thought gnawed at him, but he decided not to dwell on it for now. He would wait for the next Mach activation before jumping to any conclusions.

As Hiro prepared for bed, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something strange was going on. Just as he was about to switch off the light, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. The screen displayed Yutaka's name, and Hiro quickly answered. "Yutaka, what's up?"

"Have you been watching the news, Hiro?" Yutaka asked urgently, his voice filled with concern.

"About the cop killings, yeah. It's disturbing," Hiro replied, his heart rate increasing. "Do you think it's related to the Mach program?"

"Actually, yes," Yutaka confirmed, adjusting his glasses over the phone. "I believe it's the result of Mach 3. Your Mach wouldn't detect it because it was designed to be fully undetectable."

"Undetectable?" Hiro repeated, incredulous. "How can we find it then?"

"Listen closely, Hiro," Yutaka explained, his tone serious. "The user is targeting police officers, so I'm going to figure out how these officers are all connected. That should give us some insight into who's behind these killings."

"Right," Hiro agreed, clenching his jaw. "We need to collect this Mach as soon as possible. Its stealth capabilities are too dangerous."

"Stay alert, Hiro. And please, be careful," Yutaka urged, the concern in his voice evident.

"Of course. You too, Yutaka." With that, Hiro hung up the phone and stared at the now darkened television screen, his mind racing with thoughts of undetectable Machs and mysterious cop killers. Whatever was happening, he knew that he couldn't let it continue any longer. Determination filled his chest, and he promised himself that he would do whatever it took to stop this threat and protect those around him.

-----

The city's police stations had become Hiro's temporary haunts as he waited for Yutaka's investigation to progress. He hopped from one to another on his bike, scanning the faces of officers and visitors alike, searching for any hint of suspicion. The autumn wind whipped at his dark hair, stinging his cheeks as he pedaled furiously between locations.

"Come on," Hiro muttered under his breath as he stood outside yet another station, watching people come and go. "Give me something, anything."

Just then, a female officer burst through the doors, her face contorted with fear. She sprinted to her car, fumbling with her keys before hastily climbing inside. Hiro's heart raced; this was the break he'd been waiting for.

Without a second thought, Hiro activated his Mach 1, feeling the familiar surge of power as the suit encased his body. Using stealth mode, he trailed the officer's car from above, careful not to be seen.

The officer, Usagi, arrived at her apartment building in record time. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door, only to find her family gone and Noboru waiting for her.