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?”

crazy psychopath with a hockey mask and stick, from what

hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea. “I don’t

he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th crazy

chortled. “Why

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

looked really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie

a lot, a real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe

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

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

think you should crash at my place for the night, just in case. The city

say,”

that, events happened as predicted. Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory,

long entered auto-pilot, as he 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. It was

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

would drive anyone

the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when

cellphone beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting the

when and where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded

his phone, while Lanka had already left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The message involved a photo of Rust Town’s orphanage, intact, and a

care

Thanks for the tip.

lived for such surprises, good

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

to

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect that answer. “Possibly, I’m

replied, her tone turning from curious to confused. “Who

still next to

marked,” Pluto said. “But I don’t

...

her power

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan

is your new recruit,

her when

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

or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere

Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped

name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely

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

threatened him… No, wait, that wasn’t a threat.

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

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

said, letting out a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what

replied, just as

is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is not a

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

even here?” Lanka asked

clean-up since she’s been itching to test her

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

sure 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, there should have been a lot

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

It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to

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

made progress, a new

didn’t matter. Ryan only had to play along until Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti longer than that. And if they tried to force him into one

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