I ran into the area where the experiment was being held. I saw Ray, and started to run towards her. Then I struck an invisible wall and came to a grinding halt. I stopped and glanced around. An esper ability!? I turned then saw the cars and vans forming a perimeter around the project site. This wasn't in the experiment folder...Damn. I began walking towards the guards and slipped on my glasses. The slightly chubby guy in a suit spoke loudly,"Something just brushed my shield! There's some sort of trespasser!" The guy who seemed to be in charge shut the fat man up with a slap. "Silence, fat-ass. The mouse is right here." He pointed at me as I stopped fifteen feet away. The other guys, now filled with a sense of purpose, fell out and formed a semi-circle around me with their guns raised. Automatic rifles; illegal in Academy City, and most of Japan. The man in charge pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slipped them on. He began walking towards me and said. "Kid...I'm sorry to say this, but you stepped in at the worst possible moment. I, along with my men, need to make sure this girl 'Magnifying Ray' bites the dust tonight. I'm afraid that any attempt on your part to change that will be futile and worthless." He suddenly pulled out a pistol as I went for my glasses, setting the gun across the bridge between my lenses. I paused, fingers millimeters from the metal solace. "Boy...if you're gonna use something like that, don't let your enemy see you touch your glasses!" I realized when he had seen me; from before, when I had put my glasses on. Now, I was honestly trapped. I lowered my arm, as the man pulled a cigar from his pocket and chomped down on the end. "You wanna know the difference between me and you boy? I'm ruthless and your pathetic. You came here honestly believing you could save your little girlfriend. Unfortunately, no matter how noble your convictions, you can't save her." I finally spoke up as he lit his cigar. "What do you mean, I can't save her?" He puffed a ring of smoke, tucking his lighter into his pocket, then used his free hand to pull the cigar out. "This entire area is rigged to explode at 12:10. We are payed to make sure she stays here till that time. You can try to stop us..." He pauses to blow smoke into my face. I wince and cough as he finishes. "...but I'm afraid this counts as checkmate." I felt his muscle tense, heard the click as his finger pressed on the trigger. I spun to the right, and the bullet cut a trail through the air in front of my face. I caught his arm, twisting it and forcing him to release the pistol. Being caught up in the moment, I asked. "Where was this checkmate of yours?" He shouted, and the entire group opened fire. But my hand was already on my glasses before the shout was finished. As I took them off, something struck my entire being. My powerful ability was being limited. I glanced at the bullets; these were traveling at around the speed of a sprinting person. A level 4 limiter was among these assholes. I pulled free of the guy and rolled back. Sound, slowed and distorted through the time warp, reached my ears. Someone was screaming, and the roar of the rifles penetrated everything. I ran forward, attacking the nearest guy. He pointed his rifle at me slowly, and I grabbed the barrel and stabbed him in the throat with a jab. He fell back, clutching his throat. I spun, then ran to the right to avoid bullets sailing towards me. Under normal circumstances, guns were worthless to me. Here, I could actually use them. I flicked the rifle onto three-round burst, and pointed it at the man across from me, I pulled the trigger, and bullets shot from the barrel towards him. I ran forward, following the bullets towards their target. The man tried shooting me, but I dodged between the bullets he fired. My three bullets struck him in the chest and he crumpled in a mist of blood. I jumped up, landing on the falling man's shoulder and flicking the rifle onto automatic. I leaped off, spinning and holding down the trigger. Bullets rained down on the men, striking a few and causing them to falter. I landed, rolling across the ground and standing in front of a man. He tried to draw his knife, but I caught his hand and twisted his wrist. I felt the bone pop, then the muscles and skin tear under my fierce grapple. He released the hold on his knife, and I snatched it out of the air. I slit his throat, then my abilities came back fully. Everyone froze, and the bullets lazily traced paths through the air. Now, I had the supreme advantage.

I finished incapacitating the final man, then picked up an abandoned cell phone. I glanced at the watch. 12:07!? I ran into the experiment site, in time to see and hear Ray say her final words to her burning opponent then fall. Her opponent was just a pile of ashes by the time I got close. I ran to Ray's side and picked her up. Her breathing was quick, and her heartbeat erratic. Damn. I began running towards the refuge of the street, when the leader of the guards sat up with a pained smile. He mouthed, "Checkmate." as he pulled out a remote detonator. I knew it was around 12:08...with my ability, I could break that detonator, but I wouldn't be able to save Ray. Then I realized; unless I could adapt my ability on the spot to include Ray, she was going to die. I only had milliseconds to repeat Ray's marvelous feat; I needed to gain the next level of strength as an esper. I pulled off my glasses, and focused my mind. The head-ache changed to a migraine, as my power flowed through my entire self and into Ray. I could feel time warping around us; the ability wasn't working. The man pressed the button, and I knew I needed to do it. I pushed myself past the brink, and my mind snapped. I descended into darkness...

Maxwell, leader of the group of guards, watched as the boy tried to run. It was futile; he couldn't escape. The bomb began exploding, destroying the center of the site and working out. The kid suddenly blurred, then appeared outside the bomb radius, girl in his arms. He blurred again, then vanished. Maxwell sighed, then turned towards the light. It had been a good life...

The desk clerk at the hospital glanced up as a teenage boy appeared in front of his desk, holding an injured girl. "Please help her; she was injured in a fight." The clerk sat up. "Umm...please tell me the girl's name..." "Miskuni Ray." He wrote the name down, then said. "Please carry her back here; we have one of the Academy's best doctors on call here." As soon as he set the girl down on the table, he fainted, falling backwards. The clerk caught him, then set him down. The boy's pulse was going haywire; had he run some sort of marathon? Well...the clerk pushed the boy to the side, and covered him up with a blanket. The doctor came in and noticed him. "What's this?" "The kid who brought her in; he fainted." The doctor nodded, then said,"Let me get to work on fixing up our girl here..."