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 I

hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea. “I

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,

chortled. “Why Luigi?

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

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

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

Zanbato crossed his arms.

Ryan more time to find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody played that sport

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

say,” Ryan

Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to

had 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

mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way

would drive anyone

finally end. Everything would turn right

back to reality,

to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded

the laying defeated on the ground. The message involved a photo of

taken care of.

Thanks for the tip.

lived for such surprises, good or

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

he didn’t expect that

her tone turning from curious to confused.

what is it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The

said. “But

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him

wrong, boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan

is your new recruit,

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

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

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

your name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely dismissing

replied with mock reverence, alleviating the

call you back soon to clear this up.

him… No, wait, that wasn’t

Ryan didn’t follow her order, he would die. 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 did

replied, just as confused. “Or

Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is not

Ki-jung said, her face full of concern,

even here?”

Meta-Gang hard,” Jamie replied, 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

they did to poor Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in

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

a big group. It would make sense for them to outsource

discussion, trying to puzzle out the sequence of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the criminal syndicate had decided to focus entirely on wiping out

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

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

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