IRU Soldier 1A: (firmly, via communicator) Confirmed visual on the targets. Moving in to pursue.

  Gauntlet: (via communicator, smirking) Guess you guys weren’t beating around the bush after all. We’re moving in to provide backup. If you can’t capture them on your own, at least try not to lose ’em.

  IRU Soldier 1B: (firmly) Understood, sir.

  (Another armored vehicle accelerates as it heads after Flare and Focus, with one of the soldiers in the backseat opening the window while pulling out a rocket launcher. He peeks out the window while aiming his rocket launcher exactly at the wheels of Flare and Focus’s car, and the two notice that from the mirror, reacting with flabbergasted expressions.)

  Flare: (flabbergasted) HOLY MOTHER OF OVERKILL!

  (The IRU soldier fires the rocket launcher right at the wheels of the car, and Flare immediately peeks out of the window and uses a fireball to blow up the projectile, but due to its close proximity, the explosion causes Focus to momentarily lose control of the car as it lurches forwards, though he stabilizes it regardless. Flare lights up her palms with fire as she sees the four armored vehicles keeping up with them, anticipating their next move, while Focus grits his teeth and he accelerates even further in an attempt to lose their pursuers. Elsewhere, Gauntlet sits comfortably in an armored vehicle, crossing his arms with a smirk as the vehicle heads for Flare and Focus’s location as well, and then he links up with Commander Locke through his phone.)

  Gauntlet: (via phone, grinning) Stay tuned, commander. We’ll have some good news coming for you. We’ve got visual on the targets.

  Commander Locke: (via phone, faintly smirking) That’s what I like to hear. Now get the job done… Gauntlet.

  Gauntlet: I always do.

  (Gauntlet promptly ends the call, waiting in anticipation as a few more groups of armored vehicles head for the duo to double down on them. Meanwhile, one of the passengers of the quartet of armored vehicles pulls out a megaphone to address Flare and Focus, who are accelerating even further in an attempt to lose their pursuers.)

  IRU Soldier 1A: (via megaphone) That was a warning shot, you two! This is the Ironclad Response Unit! Stand down!

  Flare: (gritting his teeth) All of that for a warning?! What’re you gonna pull out after that?! A frickin’ tank?!

  IRU Soldier 1A: (his car getting closer) Pull over and don’t make it any harder for yourselves! We’re under orders to take you two back to Aegis! Agent Focus, acknowledge!

  Focus: (scowling at them) How naive do you think I am? I know who you are and what you intend to achieve, and I won’t let you have it.

  IRU Soldier 1A: (his voice getting sterner through the megaphone) Your mission is to capture the Surge Beacon and return to Headquarters! If you proceed any further, you will be deemed her accomplice and shall be hunted all the same! We’re authorized to use excessive force to capture the two of you!

  Focus: (firmly) Alright, then. Excessive force, it is. Flare?

  Flare: (smirking) YOLO!

  (Flare forms a barrage of fireballs and launches it at the four cars, specifically at the wheels, but the drivers quickly sidestep past the blasts, with the soldiers using their plasma guns to cancel out Flare’s fireballs and shoot at the car. Flare defends against those blasts with her fire lances, only to find one of the armored vehicles stepping in beside their car, with the passenger opening the window to shoot at Focus. However, the latter reacts quickly and pours a cup of boiling hot coffee right at the soldier’s face, and he clutches his eyes in immense pain.)

  IRU Soldier 1B: (yelling in pain) My eyes!

  IRU Soldier 1C: (shocked) What in the — ?!

  (Focus doesn’t stop there, pouring the other cup of hot coffee he’s got at the driver’s place and blinding him as well. This causes him to lose control of the car, eventually crashing it into the trees at the side of the highway, and upon seeing that, Focus clasps his hands together and closes his eyes with a remorseful expression, to Flare’s bafflement.)

  Flare: (exasperated) What’re you — ?!

  Focus: (cutting her off, dejected) Leave me be, Flare. I have so carelessly wasted the holy beverage, and I need to repent.

  Flare: What do you mean you need to — ?!

  Focus: (solemnly) Oh merciful heavens above, forgive me… for I have squandered the sacred brew! Esmeralda… Gabriella… you were pure, rich, steaming embodiments of life itself! And I—wretched fool that I am—poured you upon two armored brutes as though caffeine were cheap and redemption brewed on tap!

  Flare: YOU NAME YOUR COFFEE?!

  Focus: I mocked your setup, your humble paper homes, and for what? A petty victory of pride? Nay! I stand before the altar of aroma, condemned by my own jittery hands! If there is penance, let it be sleeplessness eternal—and may the Creator of Coffee Himself… find it in His roasted heart to forgive me.

  Flare: WHAT IN THE NAME OF CAFFIENE ADDICTION?!

  Focus: (in an angelic tone) Aaaaaaameeeeen! (opening his eyes and placing his hands on the wheel after a while, as if nothing has happened) Repentance complete.

  Flare: You’re sick, you know that? Whatever happened to “painful mediocrity” anyway?!

  Focus: (blankly) Coffee remains coffee.

  Flare: (unamused) Bet you didn’t think of that when you punched the waiter into the window.

  (Just as Flare was about to speak further, she momentarily loses balance when their car gets rammed from behind by an armored vehicle, and as Focus glances at the mirror, he notices the armored vehicles approaching on either side of him, gritting his teeth. Flare peeks out of the window once again to drive away the armored vehicle, but upon launching a fireball at it, she’s shocked to see that it didn’t deal any harm at all, only knocking the car back a bit, gritting her teeth at this. As the armored vehicles keep closing in, Focus tightens his grip on the steering wheel and opts for a rather crazy maneuver.)

  Focus: (urgently) Sit down, strap on your seatbelt, hang on, get your flames ready, and don’t question it!

  Flare: (baffled) What?

  Focus: (exasperated) I said don’t question it! (muttering, sharpening his expression while clutching the steering wheel) Esmeralda… Gabriella… this is for you.

  (Flare sits down and quickly fastens her seatbelt and lights up her palms with fire in anticipation. As two armored vehicles close in on either side of Flare and Focus’s car, with the third closing in to its rear, albeit farther away, Focus suddenly steps on the brakes and prepares for a drift, getting out of the way of the two armored vehicles before they collide with him, and they end up bumping into each other instead. As he keeps drifting and switching his car’s trajectory, the third armored vehicle attempts to ram them, directly facing Flare’s passenger door. However, he’s shocked to see Flare preparing a beam of fire at him with a smirk.)

  Flare: (smirking) Now I get it!

  (With this beam of flames, she sends the accelerating armored vehicle skidding back enough for Focus to set foot on the pedal and drive out of the way and into the forest at the right side of the road. This chaos results in the three armored vehicles crashing into each other and spiraling out of control, and by the time the drivers regain control of their vehicles, Flare and Focus are already out of sight.)

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  IRU Soldier 1D: (gritting his teeth) Damn it! Where did they go now?!

  (Meanwhile, the aftermath of this mess sees Flare and Focus going down a steep, downward path while trying to avoid the numerous trees ahead of them. They inevitably end up crashing into one too many trees, with Focus attempting to maintain his momentum through gritted teeth and bypass the forest. He sees a rocky ramp ahead with a deep pit underneath, the distance from there to safe ground too massive for a jump to be considered.)

  Focus: (gritting his teeth) We’re not gonna make it!

  (Flare and Focus glance at each other and nod through gritted teeth as the car reaches the ramp and makes the jump. They quickly unfasten their seatbelts and jump through the car’s windshield, leaving behind the car and everything inside it to fall into the deep pit. Flare quickly grabs Focus’s hand and uses the flames underneath her legs to propel the two of them forward and make it to the other side, tumbling into safe ground. They glance at the deep end of the pit while panting and see the car falling into the pit and getting blown up, the explosion faintly seen from where they’re standing.)

  Flare: (panting) Oh, well. There goes our ride. And our snacks, too.

  Focus: (panting as well) It wasn’t really our car anyway, and it’s not like I paid much for the snacks. I’d say we got lucky enough. (crossing his arms while sitting on the ground) Sylvia will be livid, I’m telling you.

  Flare: (narrowing her eyes at him) So that’s twice you took charge of an escape and got our ride blown to bits. Surely says a lot about your driving skills, doesn’t it?

  Focus: (deadpan) Yeah, and so does the fact that we’re still alive.

  Flare: (shrugging) Touché.

  (Flare and Focus get back up on their feet and turn to a path ahead, walking out of the scene and glancing around to contemplate their next move. Meanwhile, as the IRU soldiers previously chasing after Flare and Focus step out of their cars in frustration, they see several more armored vehicles approaching, carrying Gauntlet and the rest of the soldiers. Upon seeing what’s going on in the distance, Gauntlet grimaces while seated in the passenger seat, and after the car promptly stops, he steps out and approaches the soldiers.)

  Gauntlet: (grimacing) It’s bad news, isn’t it?

  IRU Soldier 1A: The targets have escaped. As of now, there’s no sign of them. We have no idea where they went.

  Gauntlet: (subtly annoyed) Ain’t it obvious enough? Now how did it go wrong, I wonder? It was one car vs four armored trucks equipped with all sorts of destructive firepower, so please don’t tell me that you lacked resources.

  IRU Soldier 1B: (grimacing) It’s not that. They were just — .

  Gauntlet: (cutting him off, rather tolerantly) Just let it go. They surely made a run for it into the forest, and they won’t be able to proceed with their car if that’s the case. They won’t go too far if we spread out into the forest at once. Now get to it. If anyone spots the targets, just stay put and let us all know. Don’t engage until I arrive.

  IRU Soldier 1B: Shouldn’t we all engage the targets whenever possible?

  Gauntlet: (unamused) I already lazily threw cannon fodder at the issue a while ago, and it blew up in my face, didn’t it? Just go.

  (The IRU soldiers collectively wince in embarrassment as the jibe kicks in, then they silently split up and spread across the forest, leaving Gauntlet alone at the highway, who crosses his arms with a deep sigh. He reaches for the phone in his pocket and links up with Commander Locke, as if hesitant to tell him the bad news.)

  Commander Locke: (via phone) What is it, Gauntlet?

  Gauntlet: (via phone, bitterly) Unfortunately, sir, I’m afraid I got ahead of myself and underestimated the sheer incompetence of our soldiers. The targets got away, and don’t ask me how.

  Commander Locke: (gritting his teeth) What’s that supposed to me, agent?

  Gauntlet: (nonchalantly) You called me agent? Boy, you’re really pissed. It’s okay, commander. This only means that we’ll be having a second go at this. They won’t go far. I’ll make sure they don’t.

  Commander Locke: Those two aren’t to be taken lightly. This is a highly capable Aegis operator and an unprecedentedly powerful Surge Beacon. I need them captured and brought before me. This is our best chance to land a blow at Aegis’s reputation and — .

  Gauntlet: (cutting him off, annoyed) And end their Surge program, I know. You keep jumping at the opportunity to ramble on and on about this. But yeah… I know what I’m up against. (faintly smirking) They don’t. I’ll keep you up to speed, commander.

  Commander Locke: (firmly yet with underlying urgency) You won’t get many chances at this, Gauntlet. You better get this done now.

  (Gauntlet opens his mouth as if to speak, but he’s shocked to see Commander Locke already hanging up on him before he gets to even acknowledge the orders. He glances at the phone with a surprised expression before placing it back into his pocket.)

  Gauntlet: (surprised) Oh, my, he didn’t even gimme the chance to respond.

  (Gauntlet shrugs and jumps into the forest, one of his gauntlets launching a grappling hook at a nearby branch. He uses that to swing off and into the air, on his way to get the job done himself. Elsewhere, Flare and Focus are still walking across the forest, looking around for anywhere to go.)

  Flare: So… you seem to know about the guys who were after us a moment ago. What were they called again? The Iron….?

  Focus: The Ironclad Response Unit.

  Flare: Yeah, those clowns. What are they anyway? They said they’ve got something to do with your boss or something.

  Focus: They were only trying to get me to stand down. I know what’s going on between them and Aegis, and it’s nothing short of bad blood.

  Flare: Woah. So you two are at odds, huh?

  Focus: The worst odds. Let’s just say that if there’s any chance at taking a dig at us, they’d be jumping at the opportunity. They’ve been trying to shut down Aegis for years now, and they don’t usually interfere with our business. The fact that they are means that Aegis is in trouble, and if the IRU get the job by returning me to Headquarters and capturing you, that’ll be all the more reason to shut down Aegis once and for all, especially since they — or I, to be honest — drew attention to the secret of Surges. People will be asking questions, and to minimize the impact, the government will pin it all on Aegis and destroy everything associated with this agency, and I mean everything.

  Flare: (unamused) It’s really funny how you can act like the most pragmatic and rational annoyance in existence and then look like you’ve got brain damage.

  Focus: (narrowing his eyes) You better not be talking about coffee. And besides, you of all people don’t get to talk about brain damage.

  Flare: And why are you telling me all this anyway?

  Focus: Just thought you should understand the situation in our hands.

  Flare: (annoyed) It’s quite simple if you don’t try to look smart while saying it! The matter is that there are lots of bozos out there who have beef with me just because I’m apparently what they call a frickin’ Surge Bacon!

  Focus: (his left eye twitching in shock) It’s Beacon.

  Flare: Yeah, some other military organization is after us this time around! Does it really matter anymore?!

  Focus: (flatly) …Fair point. I’ll concede on that.

  Flare: (groaning) Oh, man! I’m already starving!

  Focus: (sighing deeply) We can’t do anything about it. At least… not yet.

  Flare: What’re we looking around for anyway?!

  Focus: I say… there should be a town nearby.

  Flare: (raising an eyebrow) And that’ll be the case because…?

  Focus: (shrugging) I mean… think about it. Forest setting in the middle of absolutely nowhere close to a deserted highway… and an urgent need for plot convenience. This is the rural town setup. Seriously, if we don’t find one today, I’m quitting caffeine.

  Flare: (faintly smirking) Then you may as well kiss your darling Esmeralda goodbye, cuz I’m holding you to it, and there’s no way in the world we’d possibly be walking around in the middle of nowhere and end up finding a — (exasperated) ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

  (Before Flare even got to finish her first sentence, she realizes that she and Focus have a rural town in sight far in the horizon, lit up during nighttime and forming a rather serene atmosphere that blends in with the activities of the townspeople. Flare repeatedly blinks in sheer shock and surprise, while Focus tilts his head away while covering his mouth and trying to hide an amused chuckle.)

  Flare: (exasperated) WHAT’RE YOU LAUGHING AT?!

  Focus: (quickly retaining his deadpan demeanor) What? You’re the one who questioned my judgement.

  Flare: (flames literally coming out of her head in anger) BUT IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE!!!

  Focus: (rolling his eyes) And neither does your yelling. Just move on, be grateful, and hope that the townspeople are in a good mood.

  Flare: (sighing deeply) Unbelievable.

  Focus: (tilting his head away, with a faint smirk, muttering) Pfft.

  Flare: (still frustrated) Don’t “pfft” me!

  Focus: (flatly) That was only the wind, hothead.

  Flare: There’s no wind in here!

  Focus: (still unbothered) Then it could easily be a bird.

  Flare: There are no birds either!

  Focus: Or a plane.

  Flare: That’s even more absurd!

  Focus: Or an F-99X Thunderstorm Hypervelocity Ultra-Strike Tactical Recon Stealth Dominator Mk. VII flying over us at the moment.

  Flare: STOP MESSING WITH ME!!!

  (As they walk ahead to reach the town in the horizon, they suddenly hear the rustling sound of leaves, which puts them on high alert. They look around with sharp and wary expressions, but then the rustling is followed by the sound of footsteps, further alerting them.)

  Flare: (chuckling nervously) It’s only the wind, right?

  Focus: (unamused) Then how would you explain the footsteps?

  (Flare and Focus immediately head for a nearby bush and hide there, glancing at their surroundings in anticipation. Just as they probably expected, it’s none other than the Iron Response Unit, the soldiers sweeping the jungle in search of them and only them. Flare and Focus are not out of the woods yet, figuratively and literally.)