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

hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea.

late for a party, you know, perfectly normal, he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the

Jamie almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it

didn’t even take his money,” Grunt

to witnesses,” Gruntie said.

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

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

more time to find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody

Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place

say,”

invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s

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 no different than daydreaming while repeating a

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 the only human

would drive

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

back to

a second to remember when and where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often

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

Psyshock taken care of.

Thanks for the tip.

for such surprises,

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

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

of it, we already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning

still next to Ryan.

said. “But

...

power somehow mark him

joined the conversation,

your

to joke 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 couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around

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

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

Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words. “Your

mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m immortal, but

places to be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up. Play stupid,

wait, that wasn’t

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

his group watched the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up at first,

said, letting out a breath of relief.

do?!” Ryan replied, just as

said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is

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

here?” Lanka

gave the go to hit the Meta-Gang 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

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

just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there should have been a

replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a

puzzle out the sequence 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

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

he made progress,

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 fetch quest after

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