The sun was low above the horizon, spilling golden light onto the coastal city. Streets shimmered with heat, and the air carried the faint scent of salt from the sea. Waves rolled out serenely beyond the line of buildings; gulls were drifting overhead lazily, their shadows gliding over glassy roofs on parked cars.
Amagi guided Mattel, her sleek, electric-blue vehicle, onto a street that sloped down toward the shore. The car's curved frame gleamed with polished reflections of sun and sky. She could see the distant dock ahead of her, its long planks stretching out across the water like a wooden finger reaching toward the horizon.
Just as she reached an overhead crossing, a small boy in a yellow T-shirt and denim shorts began to walk across with his dog - a light brown retriever wearing a red collar. The boy's flip-flops slapped against the road while he clutched his leash with one hand and a melting ice cream in the other.
But Amagi didn't let up. If anything, her fingers closed tighter over the wheel. Mattel's engine gave a low, throaty growl. The boy's eyes, wide behind thin glasses, froze - and then he threw his hands up to shield his face.
Inside Mattel, the gearshifter flickered, its top half glowing with a faint blue light, then flipped to reveal a smooth touchscreen panel. Rows of uniquely shaped buttons shimmered across it — squares, hexagons, elongated rectangles — each pulsing with a soft hue. Amagi tapped and held a violet-rimmed one.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
A purple ring of light ignited beneath the car, followed by another, smaller one at its center. The pavement cracked slightly from the pressure as energy pulsed through. Amagi released the button, and Mattel shot upward with a thunderous sonic boom vaulting cleanly over the boy and his startled dog.
When he dared to peek through his fingers, the car was already airborne, sunlight ablaze off its mirror finish. It landed smoothly behind him with a hiss of compressed air and a streak of tire smoke, drifting slightly as it caught traction again before speeding toward the beach.
Gasps and yells from both sides of the street. Sun-hat-wearing tourists with cameras whirled their heads; vendors dropped drinks; someone screamed something indistinct. Yet Amagi didn't hear a word. Her focus was razor-thin, her eyes locked forward as Mattel tore through the last stretch of asphalt and shot onto the sand.
The crowd scattered. Families snatched up their towels and kids ran clutching beach balls, as a group of surfers stumbled out of the water, cursing loudly. Sunlight flared across Mattel's windshield as it drifted, kicking up spirals of sand that glittered in the golden light.
She ignored every voice. The dock was long, narrow, weather-worn, stretching out straight ahead. Without hesitation, she pressed harder on the accelerator. Mattel roared down the length of the dock, boards trembling under its weight. When the edge came, she didn't stop.
Mattel launched into the air, slicing through sunlight and sea spray before plunging into the water below. A collective cry rose from the dock. Some beachgoers screamed; others rushed toward the edge, peering down at churning waves.
The car's transformation began in the depths. Mattel's wheels folded in, and smooth panels extended over its underside, sealing every nook and gap. The twin exhausts at its rear retracted and reopened in sleeker, water-ready form. An electric-blue shimmer rippled across its frame as the vehicle dove deeper, cutting through the water like a torpedo.
Amagi leaned back, her reflection flickering across the glass. Her expression was unreadable-calm, focused, almost serene-as she guided Mattel toward a huge white yacht anchored not far from the bay.
-
On the yacht's bridge, Captain Nareem sipped his coffee and scanned the horizon, his broad shoulders squared under his tanned skin, his beard streaked with salt. A crewman stepped in, voice tight with alarm.
"Sir, radar shows an object closing in fast. No visual yet."
Nareem frowned and glanced at the monitor. A red dot blinked closer and closer. He switched to the rear camera — nothing but shimmering water.
"Raise the guards," he ordered.
In moments, the yacht moved from relax mode to lockdown. Armed men in dark suits crossed the decks quickly, their gleaming shoes flashing under the sun. Around the upper cabin, President Sundara — tall, middle-aged, dark-skinned, dressed in a crisp white linen suit with golden cufflinks — was ushered toward his private quarters. Sweat beaded at his temple despite the ocean breeze.
"Who's coming?" he demanded. His voice was deep and laced with authority.
"We don't know, sir," a bodyguard replied, his own uniform sharp and black, tie loosened slightly from the heat. A faint scar crossed his jaw. "But we're ready."
---
Then, the sea exploded.
Mattel burst from beneath the waves, trailing a cascade of white water as it landed squarely on the open aft deck. Guards turned, shouting, weapons raised. The car's glass shimmered neon-green under the sunset light, completely opaque.
"Identify yourself!" one of them barked.
No response.
The voice of the captain cracked through a headset: "Capture the intruder if they resist, take them down."
The guards closed ranks.
"Last warning!"
Still silence.
Then came the command: "Fire!"
There was the boom of gunfire, thunderous cracks that echoed across the water. Shells scattered across its deck. But when the smoke cleared, Mattel stood untouched, gleaming with the reflection of dying sunlight-not a single mark marring its surface.
And then… the tint faded.
For a heartbeat, they could see inside - but the driver's seat was empty.
"It's a diversion," whispered one guard.
"Protect the president!" shouted another, rushing inside.
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While the car still rested on the deck, Amagi emerged silently from the sea's edge. She had slipped out through the sunroof mid-submersion. Droplets slid down her aqua-fringed mask as she rose, the thrusters on her back humming softly. The late-day light made her white top shimmer beneath a short blue jacket, its hem fluttering with each movement. Her skirt reached her knees and rippled with the sea breeze.
With a short burst of speed, she was up onto the lower balcony of the yacht, landing silently. Her eyes scanned the corridor: pristine white hallways, sunlight filtering through tinted glass, the distant echo of running footsteps.
A guard turned the corner, spotted her, but before he could act, a blur of motion swept past him. The light bent, air hissed, and the guard fell silently.
Amagi moved like a current swift, smooth, unstoppable. She advanced down the corridor, her every step echoing faintly off the marble floor. Where she had passed, the passage was silent, still, unnervingly calm, when she reached the last door, that was the president's quarters.
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Inside, a few remaining guards stood ready, their weapons raised.
The door burst open. Sunlight from the opened windows cast long golden rays across the floor. Amagi stepped in, calm and expressionless.
"Don't move!" one of them shouted, but before the sound had a chance to dissipate, she was gone in a whoosh of displaced air. A soft hum then filled the room, followed by the metallic click of something mechanical unfolding.
In an instant, the guards fell, their guns clattering onto the carpet.
President Sundara stumbled backward, collided with the edge of the bed. His breathing was labored, a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
She came closer, her eyes unflinching.
"Where is the Neuronium?
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he stammered, his voice shaking.
She cocked her head slightly, as if listening to something at a distance, before smiling wryly. "You really don't?"
A flickering vibration filled the air, as if by a flick of her wrist. Beneath the circular tub in the bathroom behind him, a crystal-blue glow began to pulse. Then a deep hum, followed by a crack: the tiles split open, and the Neuronium crystal floated toward her outstretched hand, swirling with electric light.
The president's eyes went wide in disbelief. "That's impossible. Noxora's scientists said it doesn't react with anything!"
"Seems it just needed the right touch." Her voice was calm, almost gentle, as the glowing crystal rested in her hand.
The Neuronium pulsed once, in a rhythm with her heartbeat.
The expression on Sundara's face changed from fearful to angry. "Why are you doing this? You're from Solaria, aren't you? Did your president forget our deal?"
A faint smirk curved her lips. "You really shouldn't assume."
He tried to stand taller, to regain his authority, but her presence held him frozen.
"So," he said with bitterness, "Solaria betrays us."
"I don't work for Solaria," she said softly. Her eyes flashed, sharp as a shard of blue crystal. "I don't work for anyone."
Puzzled, he stared at her. "Then who-?"
"My master," she interrupted. "I do only that which he bids."
Sundara's composure faltered. "M-Master…?" Amagi's eyes sparkled. "And about that deal," she whispered, drawing near, her tone soft and heavy. "Don't make me laugh.I know everything." Wind from the open balcony stirred her hair, bringing scents of salt and sun. Outside, the ocean glimmered beneath the orange sky in its final stages of setting, and the city lights began to flicker in the distance. Amagi turned slightly, the crystal of Neuronium shining brighter within her hand. The energy hummed around her like a pulse. And with one last look at the now trembling president, she stepped back toward the sun, her silhouette framed by the dying day.