The Perfect Run

And so, Vulcan’s biblical judgment was passed upon the heathens at Dynamis. Wyvern’s movie ended in rats and pestilence, like the previous Augusti loop.

It saddened Ryan to ruin Atom Cat’s first movie appearance, especially after befriending him earlier. His adorable feline sidekick hated these commercial ventures though, so no harm done. They would make up later.

When the Made Men returned to the house in his beautiful car, the courier almost expected Shroud to blow up the place again. Ryan had never gone farther than this moment, so he couldn’t tell what would happen next. Ki-jung didn’t seem agitated in the Plymouth Fury’s back, so her rat sentries should be fine.

The courier almost wished for an unforeseen disaster, to spice things up.

When Ryan noticed Vulcan’s enormous armor parked in the garden right next to a black Lamborghini, and girls waiting at the front door, he realized someone upstairs had granted his prayer.

Instead of summoning them to her lair, Pluto had decided to visit her employees herself.

Besides her usual bodyguard and Vulcan, the Underboss also enjoyed the company of a young woman Ryan hadn’t seen before; a petite, smiling blonde with pale blue eyes, who kept her hair in two braids. She wore a white sweater and pants, and Ryan guessed she probably had Slavic origins from her facial features.

“She brought two of the Killer Seven,” Chitter said, uneasy at the sight.

“You’re ready for this?” Jamie asked Ryan, as the courier parked the car.

“Well, it feels like I’ll have to pass hard speech checks or fight a difficult boss,” Ryan replied. “But that means I’m close to the end.”

“You aren’t going to beat that one, I can already tell you,” Lanka said at the back, everyone getting out of the car.

The group approached Pluto’s own, with everyone tensing up as the Underboss looked at them. Even Ryan remained quiet at first, mostly because he knew his long-awaited reunion with Len was just around that corner.

“Boss,” Jamie cleared his throat, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“That’s the purpose of a surprise inspection,” Pluto replied dryly, her eyes settling on Ryan. “Our business is with him only, Zanbato. Your team can do as they wish.”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to be present,” the Made Man replied calmly. “If only as moral support to the new recruit.”

“I’ll stay too,” Lanka said.

“Aw, I knew you cared,” Ryan taunted her.

“If she kills you, blabbermouth, I’ll be the one saddled with corpse disposal,” she replied. “I would rather do less work.”

“I guess I will stay too then,” Ki-jung replied, although she clearly didn’t want to. A rat climbed on her shoulder, like a Pikachu. “Just don’t mind me.”

Pluto shrugged it off, and then immediately started barking orders. “Sparrow, search his person; Vulcan, check for any Genius tech he might have. Cancel, you know the drill.”

“I’m already on it,” the blonde said with a Bulgarian accent, before grinning at Ryan. “Hey! I’m Cancel, but you can call me Greta! Nice to meet you, Ryan!”

“Oh hi, Greta.” The courier waved a hand at her, surprised by her niceness. “I’m immortal, but don’t tell anyone.”

Pluto’s female bodyguard, ‘Sparrow,’ immediately started feeling up Ryan with her big hands, searching everywhere. She removed his mask, his hat, his jacket, and then started to look into places better left unexplored.

“You know, lady, if you wanted to look at my underwear,” the courier said as she checked a... private place… “You could just ask. I’m young, easy, and available.”

“I might take you up on that,” Sparrow replied with an amused smile. Over time, a pile of weapons grew next to Ryan, Vulcan swiftly examining them one at a time like hors-d’oeuvres, until she hit the plat de resistance.

“How did you pack so many lasers inside such a tiny space?” Vulcan asked, examining the rabbit plushie with astonished eyes. “Even my armor doesn’t have that many.”

“One at a time,” Ryan shrugged it off.

“What is this?” Pluto asked, curious. “Some toy?”

“It’s quite cute,” Ki-jung said.

“A toy with enough firepower to wipe out a small city,” Vulcan said, more and more fascinated by the plushie’s dark power. “Can I—”

“No,” the courier denied her.

“But—”

“No!” Ryan said firmly. “I’m not loaning it!”

A-bombs, fine, but something this dangerous? No way in Hell. It couldn’t end in anything but tragedy.

plushie back on the weapon pile. “But it doesn’t cause memory alteration. None of

power,” Cancel said. “Or at least I don’t think so. He’s as Violet

Ryan asked, the

the mightiest.” Pluto smiled at Ryan. “Cancel can negate the powers of everyone within a certain radius. My brother excepted,

“Ah, that’s funny.”

“Why don’t you check

Challenge accepted.

and nothing happened. No feedback, no world freezing with the power of his mind, not even an itching sensation. Nothing at all.

must have shown on his face because a smug,

Well, that wasn’t good.

affected, but if Cancel negated the automatic trigger… then if

I find you extraordinarily elegant and beautiful?” Ryan said. When in doubt, flatter

you,” Pluto replied with false affability, before turning

have purged the effect,” the girl replied. “Whether it was Blue, Green, Yellow, or

dress and grabbed a smoke; Sparrow brought a lighter and set it ablaze just as her mistress put the cancer stick in

Pluto told Ryan, Jamie’s group freezing still at her words. “The metaphysical concept of death, the end of life. While I cannot count them, I can sense the weight of a person’s years. And if I’m not mistaken, Quicksave, you’re the oldest person I’ve ever met. Far older than anyone should be. Now

of smoke

triple digits, and closer to four

my, that long? Ryan had lost count after the

digits?” Ki-jung frowned. “That doesn't

seems a bit young for an old geezer,” Lanka replied with

didn’t raise her tone, but it silenced all critics. “My power

she phrased it, Ryan knew that Pluto would either spare or kill him depending

No choice then.

knew this day would

who did his

the courier let out a long, long sigh. “I lied. I lied to

now listening with rapturous attention. “I can’t imagine how one could stop time and still be able to act. You should evolve in

lied about the nature of your power to keep an ace in the hole?” Pluto asked, playing with her cancer stick. “A sensible thing to do,

stupid as you look,” Lanka teased him, Jamie

does it actually work

death,” Ryan lied through his teeth. “One alternate world very close to

much to his surprise, nothing of the sort

woman? Like fuse with

months Chinese,” Ryan lied, the bigger the better.

Lanka immediately focused on the important tidbit. “You asshole, you jumped universes whenever you

crossing his arms. “That puts some of your comments at the casino in

Chronoradio

frowned. “A radio that listens through

“Multiple pasts,” Ryan corrected.

one past,” Lanka

that can tap into alternate timelines?” The more she observed his

“It’s really complicated but—”

Genius,” she interrupted Ryan. “How does

smug friend,” Ryan replied with a shrug, unwilling to elaborate much. “The observed

eyes widened, as she struggled to

undecipherable. Finally, she uttered a single

took it a lot better than I thought,” Ryan admitted. “People usually think I’m pulling

abilities would interact. Could be interesting...” The Underboss examined the courier with a whole new look, trying to puzzle it out. “So

alternate version of him,” Sparrow said. “And your power followed

fact I marked

every Genome you meet,” Vulcan pointed out brashly. “It’s quite vulgar,

smile in return. “Search his car for any devices,” she ordered her cronies next, “I’m not

under the seats, the trunk, and the hidden compartments. She clearly had experience with these

she opened the car hood and looked inside, Sparrow’s bored face

The rat on her shoulder was so startled, it fell to the

Why such a reaction? Even the unflappable Pluto had raised an eyebrow, and

“Ryan.”

looked at the courier as if he

a brain

peeked beneath the car hood and understood what they