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.

didn’t push 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

at least I don’t think so. He’s as Violet as

Ryan asked, the girl

of the mightiest.” Pluto smiled at Ryan. “Cancel can negate the powers of everyone within a certain

“Ah, that’s funny.”

“Why don’t you check for yourself then,

Challenge accepted.

and nothing happened. No feedback, no world freezing with the power of his

tried again, but he kept having performance issues. His annoyance must have shown on his face because a smug, victorious smile appeared at

Well, that wasn’t good.

at all! His save point shouldn’t be affected, but if Cancel negated the automatic trigger… then if Ryan

I told you I find you extraordinarily elegant

thank you,” Pluto replied with false

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

Sparrow brought a lighter and set it ablaze just as

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 that I’ve taken a good long look at you, I would

cloud of

digits, and closer to

that long? Ryan had lost

frowned. “That

bit young for an old geezer,” Lanka replied with

but it silenced all critics. “My power is never wrong. So Quicksave, care to explain

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

No choice then.

knew this day would

courier, who did his best ‘guilty

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 a lightless world,

of your power to keep an ace in the hole?” Pluto asked, playing with her cancer stick. “A sensible thing to do, especially with strangers. I applaud

guess you aren’t as stupid as you look,” Lanka teased

actually

lied through his teeth. “One

expected denial, but much to his surprise, nothing of the sort

Greta all but swooned. “Does that mean you can become a woman? Like fuse with an alternate version of you that is a girl? How does

three months Chinese,” Ryan lied, the

at cards!” Lanka immediately focused on the important tidbit. “You asshole,

some

explains the Chronoradio too,” Ki-jung

radio that listens

“Multiple pasts,” Ryan corrected.

have more than one

The more she observed his technology,

“It’s really complicated but—”

a Genius,” she interrupted

to elaborate much. “The observed state changes depending

eyes widened, as she struggled to grasp the underlying

face was undecipherable. Finally, she uttered a

than I thought,” Ryan

niece Minerva can interact with parallel universes, although she’s a Blue. I wonder how your respective abilities would interact. Could be interesting...” The Underboss examined the courier with a whole new look, trying to puzzle

that you marked an alternate version of him,” Sparrow said. “And your power followed

marked him at all is a warning

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

the jab and observed Ryan closely, who gave her a smile in return. “Search his car for any devices,” she ordered her cronies next,

examined the Plymouth Fury as thoroughly as she checked Ryan’s body, searching under the seats, the trunk, and the hidden compartments. She clearly had experience with

the car hood and looked inside, Sparrow’s bored face turned into one

her shoulder was so startled, it fell to the ground. Jamie immediately rushed to his girlfriend’s side, taking her in his arms,

to Ryan’s confusion. Why such a reaction? Even the unflappable Pluto had raised an eyebrow, and Lanka was at a loss of words.

“Ryan.”

the courier

there a brain inside

beneath the car hood and understood