The Perfect Run

It was a bright new day in New Rome.

The sun was rising. Bullets were flying. Rats were singing.

Standing at the balcony of Jamie’s apartment in casual clothes, a coffee mug in his right hand, Ryan glanced at the rodents occupying the area. Ki-jung's rats seemed to be doing some stretching exercises while dawn rose beyond the horizon, showing incredible levels of flexibility. They were cute, for enormous mutant rodents.

But Ryan was a cat person at heart, and he was in a foul mood.

He grabbed his cellphone with his left hand and played pre-recorded music he had prepared just for the occasion. The terrible noise of felines meowing echoed across the apartment, startling the rats and sending them into a frenzied panic. They immediately dispersed, hiding beneath the sofa.

“Ryan!” Ki-jung shouted from the kitchen, busy making breakfast. “Stop it!”

“What?” he asked innocently, the rats glancing at Ryan upon realizing his trick. “It’s not forbidden to listen to cat music!”

“I’m not forbidden to throw you off the balcony either!”

“What is all the racket?” Jamie emerged from his bedroom, wearing only a shirt and boxers. Without his armor, he reminded Ryan of a grizzly bear emerging from his cave. The first thing the mob enforcer did was to kiss his girlfriend, then join the courier at the balcony with a coffee cup of his own.

“Nothing,” Ryan replied, hiding his cell phone. Ki-jung's rats emerged from their hiding spots to gather behind his back, glaring at him. Seeing a dozen rats in that position may have frightened a normal person, but the courier just meowed at them.

“You’re impossible,” Jamie replied, his eyes blinked as he slowly woke up. A rat jumped on the balcony’s ramp, the Genome scratching it between the ears. “How are you feeling?”

“Whimsically peachy.”

“Ryan,” Jamie looked at him in the eye, “how do you really feel?”

Was he that bad at hiding it? Ryan looked at the distant, warming sun. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Anything as in…”

“Nothing,” Ryan replied with a sigh. “I feel empty.”

Well, to be precise, he felt like someone whose years-long quest had ended disastrously. Ryan had expected a happy reunion that would make everything better, and he had only found more tears and sadness. Emptiness had been his natural state for years, until learning of Len’s survival had given him a newfound direction. His endless existence finally had a purpose.

Except Len didn’t want Ryan in her life. Hell, she was an even bigger wreck than he was.

“But I’m used to it,” the courier replied with optimism. “That just means I’ve just got to find something to fill the void!”

Even that stunt with the rats was an attempt to get his mind off Len. He had found chaos and whimsical jokes a welcome distraction when in a bad mood. Confusion energized him, while introspection made him feel stale and restless.

Jamie shook his head, before looking at the sunlight too. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“About your girl. I’m sorry she broke your heart.”

“I haven’t been dumped,” Ryan protested since he clearly had misunderstood the situation.

“I know rejection is painful,” Zanbato consoled him, digging himself deeper. “And that’s okay. It happens to everyone. She wasn’t the right person for you, or perhaps now was not the right moment. You’re still young, you will find someone.”

For empty platitudes, Jamie managed to make them sound inspired. Maybe because he earnestly tried to cheer him up.

“The worst part is,” Ryan said, letting out some frustration instead of bottling it up, “she’s in pain, and I don’t know how to help yet."

His words seemed to resonate with Jamie, who opened his mouth without saying anything, seemingly rehearsing his words in his head. He glanced at the rats and told them to shoo away. The rodents let out a vengeful screech at Ryan and then moved to the kitchen.

“You know one day, a former friend and I found someone having an overdose. A homeless woman.” Jamie spoke once the rats out of earshot, his voice breaking. “She would have died if we hadn’t been there.”

Ryan could sense the sheer emotion brimming in Jamie’s voice, and said nothing. It clearly came from the heart.

help her clean herself up. It was hard. It was really hard. It took months to deal with the relapses, the bad habits, and help her find a job…

glanced at the

“And from what I heard, that girl seems to have pretty deep scars. Don’t give up and do your best, but don’t beat yourself over it

nodded but

others,” Jamie said, swallowing his coffee without savoring it the way Ryan did, “and we will organize a party next Thursday at the house. To welcome you in New

Hefner party, or a friendly

of whom

me out? Am I to pay the

may see... weird stuff.” The more Jamie

had a pretty good idea of how the party would degenerate. “Oh you know, without arrogance,” the courier smiled, “I’ve

added firmly. “Also, no matter what happens, don’t fuck Vamp. You can hook up with

forbidden romance route? How

that she’s a goddamn succubus who will drain you to death if you fall into her arms,” Jamie said, with

invite her at all if you

when she isn’t invited to group

Ki-jung shouted from inside the apartment. “Don’t

for a reason I cannot divulge

anything about reverse-psychology, did

…

the courier wasn’t

the matchmaking attempt,” Ryan said,

his surprise. “I didn’t take you for a party animal. Or at least, not that

find the perfect one,’” Ryan explained. “But afterward, it became stale and superficial. It was just doing the same

I think I see what you

to fight for true love,

said, you don’t give up on helping your friend with her issues, but if she isn’t interested, take the hint and look for companionship elsewhere.” Jamie put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, overflowing with warm dad radiations. “I know it’s a leap of faith, but I’m sure you will find someone that

towards the

replied, busy making

don’t marry this man, I

replied with a deadpan

said, putting a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. Both Genomes returned to the kitchen, putting their empty cups in the

a big brunch for her man and herself. However, she also handed a lunchbox to Ryan. “Here,” she said.

I was going to grab a

the lunchbox in Ryan’s arms. “Knowing Vulcan, she won’t let you out of

was almost oppressive. They were killing him with

lunchbox under his arm, Ryan prepared to leave for work but stopped in front of Lanka’s bedroom first. “Sleeping beauty?” The courier knocked.

groan behind the door, alongside the sound of empty

“No.”

“Then fuck off.”

she remained awake very late

waltzed out of the house, put the lunchbox on the backseat, and then drove the Plymouth Fury away. Even at this early hour, traffic in New Rome was insane, reminding the courier of the worst hours of the pre-war era; right after leaving the suburbs, he found himself trapped in a jam. The courier opened the

tada, tada tada tada…” Curse Henry Mancini, and his

song, especially after

as he tried to figure out a way to help Len get over her issues. Unfortunately, he saw none yet, or at least none that wouldn’t make things worse. Ryan had gained a certain insight into human nature through his loops; his best friend seemed so far gone into

him, then whom?

ended in a disaster, and Ryan didn’t know what

time to do side quests instead of starting a new loop. He had promised different people to drive the Meta out of Rust Town and to blow up the

Afterward though…

force of his existence lately, a welcome intermission in his meaningless

couldn’t allow himself to think this way. There was a way to solve this, he just

“Don’t turn around.”

nothing. “The green giant is in the garden,” he said. “The green giant is in the

No answer.

looking back at the road. “What if I were a shapeshifter? You would have blown your cover. Frankly, you