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.

the issue. “It’s exceptionally lethal,” she told Pluto, putting the plushie back on the weapon pile. “But it doesn’t cause memory alteration. None of his weapons

can his power,” Cancel said. “Or at least I don’t think

White?” Ryan asked, the

the powers of everyone within a certain radius. My brother excepted,

“Ah, that’s funny.”

you

Challenge accepted.

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

His annoyance must have shown on his face because a smug, victorious smile appeared at

Well, that wasn’t good.

negated the automatic trigger…

find you extraordinarily elegant and

with false affability, before turning to Cancel. “Still

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

and grabbed a smoke; Sparrow brought a lighter

a person’s years. And if I’m not mistaken, Quicksave, you’re the

of smoke on

and

long? Ryan had

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

replied with a shrug. “Are you sure, boss? I don’t

a blade. She didn’t raise her tone, but it silenced all critics. “My power is never wrong.

way she phrased it, Ryan knew that Pluto would either spare

No choice then.

knew this day

courier, who did his best

let out a long, long sigh. “I

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

the hole?” Pluto asked, playing with her cancer stick. “A sensible thing to do, especially

stupid as you look,” Lanka

does it actually work then?” Pluto

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

his surprise, nothing

become a woman? Like fuse with an alternate version of you that is a

three months Chinese,” Ryan lied, the bigger the better. “And I

at cards!” Lanka immediately focused on the important tidbit. “You asshole, you jumped universes whenever you had a

some of your comments at

the Chronoradio

radio that listens

“Multiple pasts,” Ryan corrected.

can’t have more than one past,” Lanka grunted in the

more she observed his technology, the more Vulcan seemed fascinated with it. “How does it

“It’s really complicated but—”

interrupted

to elaborate much. “The observed state

with past events?” Vulcan’s eyes widened, as she struggled to grasp

undecipherable. Finally, she uttered

lot better than I thought,” Ryan admitted. “People usually think I’m pulling their legs when

your respective abilities would interact. Could be interesting...” The Underboss examined the courier with a whole new look, trying to puzzle it out. “So the abnormal number of years I sense, is because you fuse with your copies and

alternate version of him,” Sparrow said. “And

“Though the fact I marked him

Vulcan pointed out brashly. “It’s quite

observed Ryan closely, who gave her a smile in return. “Search his car for any devices,” she ordered her cronies next, “I’m not entirely

searching under the seats, the trunk, and the hidden compartments. She clearly had experience with these things. Vulcan, meanwhile, examined

inside, Sparrow’s bored face turned

do—” Ki-jung peeked inside, and then screamed in horror. The rat on her shoulder was so startled, it fell to the ground. Jamie immediately rushed to his girlfriend’s side, taking her in his arms, and frowning

Ryan’s confusion. Why such a reaction? Even the unflappable Pluto had raised

“Ryan.”

looked at the courier as if

is there a

beneath the car hood and understood