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?”

hockey mask and stick, from what

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

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

chortled. “Why Luigi? Was

didn’t even take his money,” Grunt 1

to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least from what I

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

arms. “But then how did they learn where he

hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody played that sport

should crash at my

don’t say,” Ryan

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

auto-pilot, as he let 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

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 him and relearned the same information, over, and over again. They became machines, and Ryan

would

would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was certain

him back to

was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially when his

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

taken care of.

Thanks for the tip.

lived for such

events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

to

“Have we met before?”

he didn’t

Pluto replied, her tone turning

bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The

marked,” Pluto said. “But

...

Did her power somehow

wrong, boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully

your new recruit,

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

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

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

away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may

Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words. “Your real

I’m Ryan!” he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano.

right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up.

No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That

follow her order,

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

a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth,

didn’t I do?!” Ryan replied, just

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

Ki-jung said, her

is she even here?” Lanka asked her team

she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her

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

who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It

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

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

out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she

time he made

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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