Icebreaker

Star nestled between Solo and Duo on a subway train underneath Aries. Their primary destination had not been confirmed yet, for silence was the absolute mystery between Sophie and Goro, who sat across from each other. While Star fiddled with her fingers and the dolphin plush with Solo and Duo, Sophie and Goro gazed into each other's eyes occasionally to note each other's differentiating mannerisms, along with their body language.

An inconspicuous sense of tense hatred generated between Sophie and Goro, blasting into each other's volatile eyes like a heat vision beam colliding with one another. Sophie despised Goro for constantly bullying Star in school, and the reason became even worse knowing that Goro was undercover for an unknown reason. Goro despised Sophie for constantly babysitting and taking Star away from his focus, frustrated that she did not understand the significance of Star's powers. They were constantly irritated at each other in some manner ever since they had inadvertently met.

Sophie tapped her foot on the subway floor, crossed her arms, and glared at Goro's face. Her aggressive body language was more visible; her eyebrows angled down, her lips touched together tightly, and her chin was tucked toward her neck. Goro, on the other hand, was more reserved; he lifted his left leg and crossed it on his right thigh to favor a more elegant pose than Sophie's. He tapped his fingers to an imaginary beat as his neutral expression was impossible to read. But Sophie had a feeling that he was being too modest at the moment.

Star soon took notice of their endless staring contest after the subway train passed through a darkened tunnel. She switched between looking at Sophie and Goro multiple times, wondering why they were not speaking to each other. She decided to join in on the fun. Star jumped on the bench seat next to Sophie, sat cross-legged, and stared into Goro with a sarcastic and witty stare to copy him.

Goro smirked and shook his head, breaking away from the laser-eyed tension. He pointed at the seat next to him, gesturing for Sophie to come. With a weary and impatient sigh, Sophie followed his order and told Star to return to her seat.

Speaking to Goro Akito was uniquely different; he was a child with the intelligence of an adult, perhaps even more intelligent than Sophie. She grew up as a know-it-all in high school before the incident with Ash, so her intelligence, cognitive, and logical skills were on par with the greatest honor students. But this wasn't school. This was reality.

"What do you like about Star?" Goro asked, closing his eyes to concentrate on unknown means.

The question came out of the blue. Sophie wanted to speak very lightly about the subject without diving deeper into Goro's intentions. "Many things, really. I think she's adorable, sweet, funny, and kind. She reminds me of when I was a child. Innocent and playful," She confessed, turning to Goro who still closed his eyes. "Why are you asking me?"

"I'm just curious," Goro said, turning his head to face Sophie. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"A little," Sophie replied, keeping her guard up. "I get that she's not normal. But that doesn't explain why you have to stalk her at school. What gives you the right to do that? How did you even manage to get into the school like that?"

"This conversation is about her, not me." Goro clarified.

"Well, I'm gonna make it about you." Sophie retorted.

"We can save that for later," Goro said, opening his eyes. "I am just curious about you. What is your relationship with Star? How did you two first meet?"

Sophie did not want to start a debate in public, let alone in front of Star. She began to relive the memories of when she had first met Star when Ryo recruited her into Sunlight. "Five months ago. She was a strange little one. A friend of mine took care of her when I visited them one day. She got attached to me. Said I was the missing link in her life."

"And how do you feel about that?" Goro asked. "Is she... the missing link to your life?"

Irritated by his questions, Sophie began to question his authority. "What kind of questions are these?" She asked, thinking about Ash. She was the link to her life until she regretfully threw her away. These rampant feelings began to degrade her, making it difficult for her to continue speaking.

"You are under the impression that I am nothing but an immature child," Goro explained, turning his face to Sophie. "Is it the body? Is it the facial features? Or is it the behavior of my undercover history? If any of those three answers were in your mind, I kindly ask of you right now... to throw it all away," His voice deepened, revealing a dark and mysterious tone to his vigorous and demanding request. He spoke quickly. "Frankly speaking, I don't have to help you or Starrosa, but I am choosing to because I believe that there is potential in saving you and her. I came here under the request of others to save lives, and potentially the future if my cards are played right. If you want to see that girl survive until the end of days, I humbly request you this. Do not question... my questions. Do not fight. Do not dodge. Just... answer."

The power dynamic between Sophie and Goro instantly skyrocketed to favor the young operative. Sophie hadn't realized the full extent of the situation or his relationship with Star. If Star was in danger, Sophie wanted to cooperate with whoever could make her safe, even if it was under a child's responsibility. Sophie nodded in understanding, looking down at her clasped hands.

"Sorry," Sophie said as her muscles tensed up after her inner defeat. "She is the link to my life. I care about her because..."

"Sophie! Goro!" Star called, approaching the two of them with the dolphin plush in her hands. "I'm hungry!"

"Oh, I didn't bring any snacks," Sophie said, looking through her pockets. She nervously scratched her head. "Don't worry, as soon as we're off the train, we'll-"

"Here," Goro said, tossing Star a big chocolate candy bar with nougat. Her face lit up as the chocolate bar's golden silky sheen appeared. "Go big."

"T-Thank yew..." Star opened it immediately and munched on it with Solo and Duo back in her seat.

Sophie looked at Goro, slightly smiling at him for his action. "Thanks." She said.

"I am always prepared for my mission, under any circumstance," Goro explained. "But it reminded me of something. I think of it wise to break the ice before any further questions," He held up his Sunlight police badge. "My name is Goro Akito, and I am a special-class operative and detective from Sunlight stationed in Japan. I am nine years old. A pleasure to meet you."

"Nine?" Sophie exhaled in shock. "That's... young. I'm Sophie Hiragi. I'm not really an operative or a detective or anything fancy like that. Just a caretaker, I guess. I'm twenty-one." She introduced.

"A caretaker would not have access to one of the most important assets in Aries," Goro said, looking at Star munching on her candy bar. "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but are you aware that Starrosa is not human?"

"She's... not?" Sophie asked, concerned about her identity. The immediate assumption was the other option, which led her to think about Ash once again. "So, she's an alien?"

"Beyond the scope of reality, I would say," Goro said, placing his hand underneath his chin to ponder. "April Springwell is another case that leads to psychic abilities, and Starrosa is no exception. They possess similar qualities and personalities. It is rare for aliens to have supernatural abilities such as the ones that they possess. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that they have been modified in some shape or form."

"Modified?" Sophie exclaimed, looking at Star eating half of the chocolate bar with chocolate coating around her mouth. "How can you say that about her?"

"It is not my decision, Sophie," Goro said. "Under these complicated circumstances, it is safe to assume that she has been modified under pure logic. She has the ability to control those machines, am I correct? And has there been any other instances where she shows abilities that are beyond divine intervention?"

"I..." Sophie thought about it. "I can't remember."

"Let me know when you do," Goro said. "Every piece of evidence will support me in our investigation," He stood up from his seat and headed for the train car ahead of them. He turned around and smiled, holding onto a train pole to balance himself. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot. Will you keep that in mind? We both have similar objectives, and you are as valuable as she is."

Sophie wanted to listen to his request to drop everything that he had done before she met his true self, not a persona. She accepted it, but she was still cautious. "Yeah. I'll keep that in mind." She said.

"Good to hear," Goro replied. "Now, I'll be back. I believe we're almost to our destination."

"Oh," Sophie said. "And where is that-" Goro shut the station car's door behind him, drowning out her question. She stared blankly to the side. "Not a kid. Of course." She whispered to herself.

Sophie's smartphone vibrated in her pocket. The sudden callback out of the unknown mission objective made her think about her brother Naoto, whom she was anticipating to be on the other line. She took out her smartphone and she was in luck; she was right.

"Hello? Naoto?" Sophie answered her phone as her heart raced.

"Sophie, hey!" Naoto greeted; background noise and chatter barely drowned out his voice. "Just got done with some business in Japan. I'm heading back to Sunlight tomorrow morning! How's everything been?"

"Naoto, don't do that again!" Sophie cried. "You disappeared for so long! You didn't even answer my texts, or Jinni's, or everyone else's!"

"Shit, sorry," Naoto replied. "Busy with confidential stuff."

"You could at least shoot a text or two," Sophie replied. "Anyway, I'm with Star right now, and we're on a train ride."

"Oh, that sounds... gross," Naoto said, reminding her sister that he was a complete germaphobe and his hatred for public transport further enhances those sensations. "Where are you two going?"

"Uhh..." Sophie struggled to come up with an idea. She looked at the next stop that the train would take on the neon-lit sign above her. "Taut. Yeah, we're going to Taut Plaza. They've got a lot of... interesting stuff there. Yeah." She tried her best to lie, but once again, she was never a master of lies.

"Oh... okay," Naoto replied with a questioning tone. "Well, I won't bother you two, then. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too," Sophie replied. "Hey, when you can, shoot Jinni and the others some texts! You've got a lot of explaining to do. They're worried sick about you."

"I know, I know..." Naoto laughed. "All right. See you soon."

"See ya," Sophie said, hanging up. She placed her smartphone on her chest and began giggling in an antsy manner that something in her life was going right for once. Her brother was safe and still alive. Star saw her reaction after devouring the chocolate bar and came to her. "Star, Uncle Naoto's coming home tomorrow!"

"Yay!" Star cheered. "Did he bring a soo-ven-eer?"

"I don't know!" Sophie said, hugging Star tightly. "You're gonna have to see tomorrow morning. Make sure to wash your hands though, he doesn't like train germs."

The train car door slammed open in front of Sophie and Star. Goro came rushing forward with a confounded expression on his face; his forehead wrinkled up, pupils dilated back, and his mouth was slightly open. "We have a problem." He informed the two.

"What?" Sophie stood up, holding Star by the hand. "What's the-"

The subway train rocked immensely back and forth as the fluorescent lights above them flickered rapidly. Star held Sophie's leg tightly. Solo and Duo stood up as well, scanning their surroundings using a radar and frequency sonar. Goro held onto the train pole to prevent himself from rocking chaotically. The train struck a bump on the tracks and increased its speed as soon as it entered the Y5 tunnel, one of the longest tunnels in Aries for transportation. The tunnel walls were barely visible as the speed of the train transformed it all into nothing but a blur.

The glass windows shattered beside them, and the frightening speeds began cycling wind torrents inside to push the civilians around. Sophie, Star, Goro, and Star's machines held on for their lives as the train tracks began to jolt up and down. Star screamed in fright and buried her tears into Sophie's leg.

"Let me handle this!" Goro shouted. While wrapping his arm around the train pole, he pressed a glowing orange button on his wristwatch to activate a hologram levitating around his arm. The hologram scanned for nearby wiring and electrical compounds to interact with. Goro tapped through the selection screen with quick precision until he reached a menu where he would interact with the train itself. He simulated with his palm a gesture that resembled pulling a lever, slowing the train dramatically by half.

"Holy shit," Sophie reacted to Goro's quick thinking. "What the hell's going on?"

The horrifying and grotesque sound of a civilian's throat being slit caught Sophie and the others off guard. Sophie turned around and watched two black bodysuited figures with plague doctor masks execute multiple civilians with poison-tipped serrated blades. One of them had a jetpack armed and strapped around his back. Green-colored steam escaped the edge of their masks, injecting them with toxic chemicals to enhance their prowess.

Sophie, Goro, and Star's machines stepped in front of Star to protect her.