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?”

psychopath with a hockey mask and stick, from what

hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the

door and then BAM!

Jamie almost chortled. “Why Luigi?

take his money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was a

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

real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe it was a jealous boyfriend? It had to happen one

could be the Meta.” Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then

hockey equipment

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

say,” Ryan

predicted. Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved the pandas from

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

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.

repetition would drive

the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was certain

back to reality, interrupting the flow

looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's

for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The message involved a photo of Rust

taken care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

for such surprises,

bodyguard talking with Zanbato, Ryan expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the exact same way upon

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

didn’t expect that answer. “Possibly, I’m

her tone turning from curious to

while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention

“But I

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him

something wrong, boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan up with

your

when Jamie invaded his personal space, putting a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,” Zanbato answered Pluto’s question in the courier’s place.

courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him. The air thickened,

noticed a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard

didn’t seem convinced, her eyes set on Ryan. The courier whistled and looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped

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

alleviating the

got places to be right now, but I will call you back

No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That was

didn’t follow her order, he

silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up

a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck

replied, just

Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’

lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her face full

she even here?” Lanka asked

command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field,

to poor Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his own house… if you

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, there should have

replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make sense for them to

stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the

wasn’t sure how Pluto’s newfound interest in him would play out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission,

every time he made progress, a

how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti longer than that. And if they

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