The Perfect Run

Chapter 21

All was well so far on the Augusti Path.

Ryan had met Zanbato as expected, beat up Sarin at the harbor, and now repeated the exact same conversation which would lead him to crash at Jamie’s house. All was well and good, to the sound of crashing waves against the piers...

“I have to be sure about something,” Luigi asked the courier. “Are you a snitch or a double agent?”

“Well, I’m not really on anyone’s side,” Ryan replied, but then his mouth acted on its own, “But I’m a Carnival infiltrator, yes.”

… or not.

Everyone present turned to look at him, a tense silence settling in. The grunts raised their weapons, while Zanbato’s face turned from shocked, to disappointed, and finally, to furious.

“Uh oh.”

Okay, two lessons learned.

One, Ryan hated truth-tellers. Hated them, with a passion.

Two, Zanbato could make sashimi out of people with his laser sword. Ryan wouldn’t look at sushi the same way ever again.

But this time… this time, it would be different. The courier had rehearsed the perfect misleading answers. Luigi's power compelled Ryan to say the truth, but only according to the teller’s exact words.

“I have to be sure about something,” Luigi asked him again. “Are you a snitch or a double agent?”

“I can’t snitch on a group I haven’t officially joined yet, and I am not a double agent.” Technically, he was a triple one.

“Are you a mole?”

“Of course I’m not a mole, I’m human.”

There! Saved! He did it, he did it!

“Okay, I should work on my wording,” Luigi sighed but didn’t give up. “Are you, or do you intend, to relay information about us to another organization?”

“Well, yes, I intend to. Hell, I already did!”

Goddammit!

Okay.

Okay, third time's the charm.

Through timing and intelligence, Ryan had skillfully navigated through the chain of causality to avoid the fated question. He had put on the charm, befriended everyone, distracted the grunts with funny anecdotes. Now, the courier and Zanbato prepared to return to the Plymouth Fury, and go eat some delicious pizzas.

“Hey, Quicksave,” Luigi asked, as they took a few steps towards the car. “Before you go, there are a few questions I must ask every new recruit.”

“Luigi, seriously, please, don’t do it,” Ryan replied, his eyes pleading. “For your sake, don’t say this. It won’t end well, I swear it won’t—”

“Sorry, protocol. Are you a snitch?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Yes, I am! Is that what you want me to say, Luigi? Is that what you want me to say?”

Quicksave breathed deeply, fighting off his rising frustration.

“Luigi,” Ryan pointed a finger at the truth-teller, as everyone raised their weapons at the courier's face. “We’re going to have a problem, you and I.”

“Where’s Luigi?” Zanbato asked Grunt 1 when the truth-teller failed to show up at the harbor, leaving only the henchmen to deal with the operation. “Wasn’t he supposed to take care of the shipment?”

“Sorry, he was attacked yesterday night,” Gruntie said, carrying Luigi’s cell phone. Apparently, he would have to fill in for the Made Man. “He’s at the hospital right now, and he’ll be out of commission for a while.”

“What?” The news shocked Jamie, who clearly hadn’t been informed. “By whom?”

mask

sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at

perfectly normal, he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th crazy jumps out of the shadows, breaks his jaw with a hockey stick, beats him up for a

Jamie almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it a

money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was

to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least

sleeps around a lot, a real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out,

Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then

more time to find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s

hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the night, just in case. The

don’t say,”

him home, they played poker, went

let his sense of timing guide him forward. The auto-pilot wasn’t really a sub-power, simply a state his conscious mind entered when he couldn’t be bothered to live through the same events over and over again.

through an endless theater rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way to the exact same things; they forgot him and relearned the same information, over, and over again. They became machines, and Ryan

would

it was necessary suffering to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn

him back to reality,

and where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially

on the ground. The message involved a

taken care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises,

repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the exact same way upon meeting

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

answered, preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

didn’t expect that

already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning from curious to confused. “Who are

stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention terrified her into

“But I don’t remember

...

her power somehow

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully

your

hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,”

as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but

a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere with each other

her eyes set on Ryan. The courier whistled and looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be

asked Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words.

he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m immortal, but don’t

call you back soon to clear

wait, that wasn’t a threat. That

Ryan didn’t follow her order, he would die. The

out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up at

of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck did you

replied, just

Quicksave,” Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’

follow her lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her face full of concern, “She

here?”

hard,” Jamie replied, his arms crossed. “Vulcan will take command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her the Killer Seven hit squad.

after what they did to poor Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his own house… if you can’t feel safe

that it’s the Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta,

unpowered junkie they paid off,” Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make

of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the criminal syndicate had

newfound interest in him would play out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she could identify him

made progress, a new

along until Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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