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

dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking

that was crazy,” Grunt 1 nodded. “Apparently Luigi returned home late for 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,

“Why Luigi? Was it

maniac didn’t even take his money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe

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

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

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

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

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

say,” Ryan

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

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

causality. With a few exceptions, he constantly lived through an endless theater rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way to the exact same things; they forgot

would drive anyone

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

cellphone beeping snapped him back to

where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's

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

Psyshock taken care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good

repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the exact same way upon meeting him,

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

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

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

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

said. “But I don’t

...

shit! Did her power somehow

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully

your new

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

to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure

would have noticed a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out.

looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped us fight off

Ryan, completely

Ryan!” he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the

you back soon to clear

she threatened him… No, wait, that

her order, he

her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up at first, so Ryan broke

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

Ryan replied, just as confused.

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

said, her face full of concern,

here?” Lanka asked her

she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her the Killer Seven hit squad. I say it’s finally time we clean

said with a frown. “To attack him in front of

asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there

they paid off,” Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make

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

his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she

every time he made progress, a new

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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