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?”

crazy psychopath with a hockey mask and stick, from

hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the

door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th crazy jumps out of the shadows, breaks his jaw with a hockey stick, beats

almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it a

even take his money,” Grunt 1

according to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least from

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

his arms. “But then how

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

at a hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at

don’t say,” Ryan

predicted. Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved

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 different than daydreaming

by 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 forgot him and relearned the same information, over, and over again. They became machines, and Ryan the only human in the

would drive

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

snapped him back to reality, interrupting the flow

back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's

left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The

taken care of. Children

Thanks for the tip.

for such surprises, good

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

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat

“Have we met before?”

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

we already met,” Pluto replied, her tone

is it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention

marked,” Pluto said. “But I don’t

...

Did her power somehow mark

boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing

your

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.

Blue?” Pluto observed Ryan with an intense stare, as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him.

or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard

The courier whistled and looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man

asked Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words.

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

call you back soon to clear this up. Play stupid, play smart, run,

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

follow her order, he would

group watched the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak

a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck

do?!” Ryan replied, just as confused. “Or would you prefer

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

Ki-jung said, her face full of concern, “She can kill with a

she even here?” Lanka asked her team

been itching to test her

frown. “To attack him in front of his own house… if you can’t feel safe at home

sure that it’s the Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with

isn’t a big group. It would make sense for them to outsource

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

infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she could

every time he made progress, a new

him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to

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

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