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?”

a hockey mask and stick, from what

very dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly,

a party, you know, 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 while, and

almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was

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

really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie said.

pointed out, “Maybe it was a jealous

crossed his arms.

actually took Ryan more time to find the hockey equipment than

should crash

don’t say,”

invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved 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

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

repetition would drive anyone

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

back to

second to remember when and where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially when his power noticed an alteration in

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

care of. Children

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good

Ryan expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

as he didn’t

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

still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere

said. “But I

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan

is your new recruit,

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

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

would have noticed a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere

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

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

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

replied coldly. “I’ve got places to be right now, but I will call you

that wasn’t a threat.

didn’t follow her order,

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

letting out a breath of

I do?!” Ryan replied, just as

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

question,” Ki-jung said, her face full

is she even here?”

his arms crossed. “Vulcan will take command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the

Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his

that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with

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 Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the criminal syndicate had decided to focus entirely on wiping

though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had

time he made progress, a new

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 fetch quest after

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