Noah; you've gotten significantly faster.
Tom; thanks. Do you really think I could pull this off?
Noah; against a terrorist, only 2%, they'd have to be slowed down significantly.
Tom; that's the plan with these shock grenades from the clan.
Noah; nice, so we do have a shot.
Tom; however, considering they haven't been tested on a real terrorist yet, we're a little worried.
Noah, while putting his arm on Tom's shoulder; Trust me, we'll be fine. I'll be there when you need me.
[He said this while smiling as always]
Tom; thanks Noah.
Present day…
Tom forced himself to stand up while bleeding from the head and covered in scratches.
Tom; *my head hurts, he must have slammed me hard, now. From the looks of it, the EMP will wear off in 10 more seconds. Which means I got a chance, it's a long shot but I have to try. *
Hermes then swung his fist at Jake, but Jake then dodged it and was kicked in the leg by Nino, who then used her knife to stab Hermes in the neck, but before she was able to, he moved deflected the knife with his own head. He then proceeded to strike Nino in the stomach with his elbow and tackle her down, but before he could tackle her, Jake kicked him in the face, then the chest to create some distance.
Jake; he's regaining his speed. Are you alright?
Nino; I should be asking you, you look worse than I do.
Jake; I've looked worse when we were together, this is nothing.
Nino; And what's that supposed to mean?
Jake; oh, nothing.
Nino; Still, be more cautious, you're too reckless.
Jake; you ounce killed three armed men while trying to "protect" me.
Nino smiling; …
Jake then blushed and turned his face away.
Jake; it seems the EMP has worn off. Hopefully he doesn't regain his speed fast enough.
Hermes' body began to glow blue, he then charged toward Jake and Nino, but then Tom charged at him at blinding speed and pushed him away.
Hermes then pushed Tom away, and tried to run but every time he started Tom would strike with his sword to prevent him from doing so. Never the less, he began to run.
Tom while running after him; *He's barley at 30% of his speed, and yet I'm struggling this hard to keep him down. Still, he is getting faster, I hope this works*
Tom then ran in a straight line, then almost immediately Hermes began to chase him, however Tom was ahead by 50 meters as they rushed through the vast desert, taking several turns at high speed, then the distance reduced to 30, then 20.
Hermes; *I'm almost at 50% by the time I get there I would have reached him, as if he thought he could outrun me*
The distance between them shortened, 10, 6, 4
Hermes; *almost there*
3, 2, 1.
Hermes with his hand on Tom's shoulder; *gotcha* Huh?
Tom then suddenly disappeared. Hermes then stopped, then looked around, but it seemed Tom was completely gone. He then looked behind him and there Tom was with a sword about to slice through his chest at blinding speed. Hermes then dodged by bending both knees to the ground.
Tom; Now!
Suddenly, the dirt under him had turned into metal, and his feet had fused with it.
Noah; Gotcha.
A few hours earlier…
Jake; wait, can you explain that again, only less insane?
Tom; it's simple, I'll use myself as bait, but before he reaches his full speed, I would have reached blinding speed. It's something I gained while training with Noah. At that point he'd be confused that someone like I would reach that speed. He's smart, but he's arrogant, and thinks he's better than anyone else. We'll use that against him.
Jake: why can't we Just stick him don't from the start?
Tom: because at his speed, he could just jump over or the ground could be turned while his foot is off the ground. Our best bet is to wear him down just enough and then trap him when a significant part of his body is on the ground.
Jake: I see.
Noah; you can count on me to make sure it goes smoothly.
Tom; it's good to hear Noah, but still. I know it's gonna be hard on you, but you're the only one to pull it off, sorry to ask so much all at ounce.
Noah; it's perfectly fine. We're saving people, aren't we?
Tom; *I'm not so sure*
Noah; anyway, are you sure your feet will be OK?
Tom; it's fine trust me.
Noah; I hope so.
Noah; tom, Tom! *SLAP* WAKE UP!
Tom on the steel ground; Huh?
Noah; good you're awake I was worried that if I slapped you anymore your swell up so bad you'd choke.
Tom struggling to talk; I… cc-can't move.
Jake; it seems all the nite in your body really is gone. And your feet are screwed.
Tom; I thought so.
Tom's feet were red and swollen.
Jake; But look on the bright side. Thanks to your plan, neither can he.
Hermes just stayed there, with both knees fused to the steel ground.
Tom; how long…
Jake; 6 hours. It's four o'clock we were arguing to know who was gonna drag you home if you didn't wake up.
Tom; for 6 hours?
Jake; no, for 30 minutes we then played a game to settle it, Noah ended up losing but was so drained after that last attack we had to wait 3 hours for him to regain his energy, then he spent the last 2 hours slapping you in the face because he was too lazy to.
Noah; Hey! I was only making sure he was OK!
Jake; right… Anyway, now that you're awake, we can go home and contact Jerry, who'll send the JSDF over here to take over.
Tom; *sigh* So, where's Jessie?
Hermes; what do you want kid?
Jessie; 5 years ago, November 3rd, in the Philippines, was it you who attacked that beach?
Hermes; piss off.
Jessie; you know something interesting, 5 years, that's how long. Ever since that day, I've been your biggest fan. In fact, calling me a fan would be calling it mildly. Every day, every single day, I've been researching you, through documents, I witness reports, even spoken fellow victims. It's how I've come to know you, Sean Jr.
Hermes eyes widened when he heard that name.
Jessie; oh, someone's a little shaken. Did I strike a chord?
You know I feel bad for your mother, what would Nancy think of you?
Hermes; shut up.
Jessie; you know, I've been thinking for a while, what would happen if this became public knowledge, that poor, poor, woman, after losing so much, how would she take the public outrage? I bet you could just imagine it perfectly enough that you could see it. Tell me, what can you see right now?
EOC