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

dangerous sport, 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 13th crazy jumps out of the shadows, breaks his jaw with a hockey stick, beats

chortled. “Why Luigi?

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

passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie

Luigi sleeps around a lot, a real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe it was

be the Meta.” Zanbato crossed his arms.

find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody

staying at a hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the night, just in case. The city isn’t safe at

don’t say,”

they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved the pandas

his sense of timing guide him forward. The auto-pilot wasn’t really a sub-power, simply a state his conscious mind

the laws of 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

repetition would drive

necessary suffering to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end.

cellphone beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting

Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially when his power noticed an alteration in his personal

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

care

Thanks for the tip.

for such

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

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

already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning from curious to confused.

asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention terrified

said. “But I don’t

...

power somehow mark him across

the conversation, carefully backing Ryan up

your

a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,” Zanbato answered Pluto’s question

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

memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe

on Ryan. The courier whistled and looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be

Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s

I’m Ryan!” he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the

I will call you back soon to clear

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

follow her order,

and 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, so Ryan broke the ice. “So, who’s up

breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck

Ryan replied, just

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

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

she even here?” Lanka

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

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

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

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

to the discussion, trying to puzzle out the sequence of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with

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

time he made progress,

to play along until Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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