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

sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking

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

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

attacker looked really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie

Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe

Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did

to find the hockey

Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the night, just in case.

don’t say,”

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

long entered 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 was no

an endless theater rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way to the exact same things; they

would drive anyone

was necessary suffering to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was certain

back to reality,

took Ryan a 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,

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

care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises,

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect that answer.

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

asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next

Pluto said. “But I don’t remember

...

power somehow mark

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully

your new recruit,

when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,” Zanbato answered Pluto’s question in the courier’s place.

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

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

Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd,

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

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

one lives forever,” she replied coldly. “I’ve got places to be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear

him… No, wait, that wasn’t

order,

until they were out of sight. Nobody dared

a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth,

Ryan replied, just as confused.

is serious, Quicksave,” Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest

without question,” Ki-jung said, her

is she even here?” Lanka asked her

hit the Meta-Gang hard,” Jamie replied, his arms crossed. “Vulcan will take command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to test

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

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

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

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

in him would play out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to

every time 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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