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?”

mask

a very dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking

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

Jamie almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was

money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was

uh, passionate according to witnesses,”

Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe it was a

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

find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody

you should crash at my place for the night, just in case. The city isn’t

don’t say,” Ryan

events happened as predicted. Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved the pandas from

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

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 him and relearned the same information,

would drive

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

back to reality, interrupting the

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

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

Psyshock taken care

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good or

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

to repeat

“Have we met before?”

Ryan, as he didn’t expect that

replied, her tone turning from curious to

Lanka stood still next to Ryan.

“But I don’t

...

power somehow mark

joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan

is 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’s place. “He’s a

stare, as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him.

a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere with each other

to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he

name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely dismissing

he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m immortal, but don’t tell

be right now, but I will call you back soon to

threatened him… No, wait, that wasn’t

didn’t follow her order,

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

out a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what

Ryan replied, just as confused. “Or would you prefer

Pluto, Augustus’ sister

question,” Ki-jung said, her face full of

here?” Lanka asked

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 the Killer Seven hit squad. I say it’s

frown. “To attack him

Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy

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

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

his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she could identify him even after he

made progress, a

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

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