He finally stopped when she did.

They were still in the desert, not that far from Coyote City, but far enough for it not to matter anymore. A hot, stiff breeze continued to blow from the west, a steady tailwind that hadn’t helped enough.

He collapsed to his knees, still cradling her in his arms, protecting her now as he hadn’t before. He could feel hot waves emanating from both the hard-packed dirt as well as the soles of his boots. He had never run so fast.

And yet it hadn’t been enough.

He looked down at her calm fascade and slowly closed her eyes with a gloved hand. Then he pushed the mask back from his own face, letting the perspiration flow freely to mix with his tears. It stung his eyes. He didn’t care.

An hour later, the helicopter found them in the desert, still unmoving. A man in a black suit and tie disembarked and ran over to the pair.

“Blur?” he said quietly, touching the superhero’s shoulder gently.

“I wasn’t fast enough, Jake,” he cried. “The fastest man on Earth…”

“Let her go, Blur.”