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 and

said absentmindedly, looking at the sea. “I don’t recommend

and then

Jamie almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was

money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe

really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least from what

homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe it was

Meta.” Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did they

time to find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address.

Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the

say,” Ryan

him home, they played poker,

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. It was no different than daydreaming while

rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way to the exact same things; they forgot him and

repetition would

ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn

cellphone beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting

he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often

his phone, while Lanka had already left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The message

taken care of. Children

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises,

met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the exact

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

to repeat

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect that

met,” Pluto replied, her

stood still next to Ryan. The

Pluto said. “But

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him across

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan up with

your

her when talked to, he all

an intense stare, as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him. The air

female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your

looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense.

name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words. “Your real

he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m immortal,

one lives forever,” she replied coldly. “I’ve got places to be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up. Play

way she threatened him… No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That was a

order, he would

and his group watched the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared

Lanka said, letting out a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck did

just

is serious, Quicksave,” Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is not a

lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her

she even here?” Lanka asked

to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her the Killer Seven hit squad. I say it’s finally

“To attack him in front of his own house… if you can’t feel safe at

was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a

probably an unpowered junkie they paid off,” Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big

sequence of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the

It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she could identify him even

made

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

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