The Perfect Run

• Region of Campania, Italy, December 2008

Julie Costa tended to her garden, hastening the growth of its wheat.

As a green aura flowed through the plant, it bore purple yields, full of nutrients. She had spent weeks tuning the exact ratio of protein, improving its resistance to cold, and increasing the plant’s ability to remove pollutants from soil.

Julie’s Green power activated whenever she touched a living being, allowing her to intuitively understand how their body functioned, down to the genetic level. She could make minor edits to the DNA, breed new species from a single parent.

This special plant was only one of many experimental crops growing inside the farm. Wheat capable of thriving in a polluted area, maize absorbing ambient radioactivity… Her personal plot of land was a strange, colorful assembly of unique floral constructs.

Although the sun had already set, light shone upon her, making the thirty-year-old biologist stop in her tracks.

“Julie,” a man’s voice echoed above her, sounding like embers consuming wood. “Still working at this hour?”

“Hello, Leonard,” Julie raised her head at the man flying four meters above her, a human-shaped figure of flames and blinding light. “I could say the same for you.”

Even when he toned down the light his body produced, it was difficult to look at Leo Hargraves. His Red Elixir had given him the ability to turn into a living sun, transforming his human flesh into solar flames and giving him control over his own gravity. Leonard had once told her that he always suppressed most of his power, lest he incinerate entire cities with his mere presence.

Unlike many Genomes, the Carnival’s leader always used his real name, believing it made him accountable and more trustworthy. It hadn’t stopped people from giving him a nickname though, one worthy of his overwhelming power.

Leo the Living Sun.

Unfortunately, the poor man burnt his clothes whenever he transformed. Unlimited power came with downsides.

“Is your husband here?” Leonard asked her. “I have news.”

“He’s putting Giulia to bed,” she replied. “You’re finally moving on?”

The fiery man nodded with a hint of regret, his presence attracting a few gazes. At this hour, most of the community was still awake; farmers patrolled the walls, tended to the fields, or just played dice outside.

The Costa family’s farm included a large house, shacks, a barn, farmlands, and several pens for animals. Two dozen people lived on the property, mostly refugees which Julie and her husband had taken in after the Genome Wars started. Over time, the community had built wooden walls and fortifications around the property, to deter attacks from bandits and marauders.

In fact, one such attack was how Julie met Leonard in the first place. His Carnival had slain a Genome bandit leader terrorizing the region, then stuck around to make sure the local communities could sustain themselves.

Her husband Bruno, a muscled, handsome man with black hair and blue eyes, emerged from the barn, smiling upon seeing Leonard. He had many knives around his belt, for his power allowed him to turn any blade so sharp that it could cut through anything. Wood, steel, diamond… nothing could resist him.

When they heard about his power, most people believed Bruno was some kind of badass killer, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth. Julie’s husband was the sweetest, most wholesome person on earth, and the only living beings he had used his gift on were cattle.

It was that kindness that made her fall in love with him in the first place. Julie had moved to Campania in 2002 to investigate the high number of cancers in the region for her Ph.D. thesis. She had interviewed Bruno as part of her research, and what had started as an academic project had transformed into a happy marriage.

And then Last Easter happened.

That Wonderbox… Julie still didn’t understand why her family had been selected to receive one. Why did a couple in the middle of nowhere receive Elixirs? Why did that Alchemist maniac even distribute something so dangerous?

Before she knew it, Julie’s world had been turned upside down. A madman had devastated Salerno in a power-fueled rampage, a totalitarian Genome dictator called Mechron had taken over central Europe, and all of Italy had been carpet-bombed back to the stone age.

Since the family farm was located away from population centers, it had been spared from the destruction. Bruno had decided to hole up there, waiting until the dust settled.

It never did.

“Bruno, Julie, it’s been a pleasure,” Leonard said, “but unfortunately, the day has come for the Carnival to relocate.”

“So it’s finally time, uh?” Bruno said, clearly saddened. “It has only been two months, but to me, you’re part of the landscape now.”

“Ah! Maybe one day, once peace returns, I will build myself a house nearby.” Although she couldn’t see his face through the flames, Julie was convinced Leonard was grinning ear to ear. “Campania is such a beautiful region.”

It was. Even the rampant chaos couldn’t change that. “So this is goodbye, not farewell,” Julie said with optimism.

“You’re always welcome among us,” Bruno said. “Giulia will be the saddest. She calls you Uncle Leo now, you know?”

“‘When will Uncle Leo come?’” Julie mimicked her daughter with a chuckle. “‘Uncle Leo is best Uncle!’”

Leonard laughed in response. “Ah, stop, you’re making me want to stay so much,” he said, before sighing. “I promise I will return for her birthday.”

“I will hold you on to that,” Julie replied.

“Your daughter… your daughter is the future, in more ways than one,” Leo said. “We must fight, so that our children may grow up happy. No matter the burdens they will bear.”

Yes. The burden of powers.

Bruno and Julie had conceived their daughter soon after they each took their Elixir. Their little girl hadn’t manifested powers yet, but she already showed signs of secondary Genome mutations. Resistance to sickness and toxins, hardened organs, accelerated healing...

A second-generation Genome.

Julie suspected it had been the Alchemist’s goal all along. To foster a new race of superhumans capable of breeding; a species that would soon replace the homo sapiens, until the old humanity vanished like the neanderthals.

“There is a new organization making waves in Calabria,” Leo said. “I thought you should know.”

“Doesn’t the ‘Ndrangheta control the area?” Bruno asked. The Calabrian mafia had taken over the region after some of their members received Elixirs, overpowering the local authorities.

“They did,” Leo replied. “They have been wiped out.”

“Wiped out?” Bruno frowned. “As in—”

“Wiped out. Men, women, and children.” Leo crossed his blazing arms. “The responsible party is apparently an offshoot of the Camorra, but ten times deadlier. It wants to unite the mafia families under one banner, and if met with resistance, its Genomes leave no survivors. It has made it very difficult to track their members, and the communities they subvert won’t even speak to outsiders.”

“Will you fight these people?” Julie asked him, worried. Calabria wasn’t very far from Campania.

The mighty Red Genome shook his head. “Pythia wants us to move north and fight Mechron. She has seen him develop orbital weapons in a few years, with catastrophic consequences down the line. And a new Psycho in France, Manic Plague, is a living pandemic whose danger grows exponentially the longer she remains active.”

As Julie feared, there were simply so many dangerous Genomes around. Some of them were existential threats to mankind as a whole, and Leo’s Carnival couldn’t be everywhere.

control over the wasteland they had created. The Genome Wars, people called it. The fighting was

the collapse of civilization, mankind had embraced both its worst and better instincts. Marauders, Psychos, and bandits roamed the countryside; but Bruno had welcomed many refugees inside the farm, and they had

hopefully, would help the

putting

giving them a

Hargraves flew away, moving across the night sky at a

long speeches.” Bruno held his wife in

The region felt safe with the Carnival nearby. Even while their community and neighborhoods could defend themselves, nobody dared pick a fight with a freaking sun. “But so many people need his

at the crops.

would have said introducing new species into the ecosystem is

Bruno chuckled, Julie shaking her head at his

“I love you too.”

may be hard… but they would beat

The only farmer taller than Bruno, who never

laughed, breaking the embrace with his wife. “What

visitor. A lone traveler, who asks

happened,

of traveler?”

through unsafe roads. “He says he comes bearing gifts, and he brings a

wasn’t the first time another community sent a trader to the Costa farm. More often than not,

in disguise, scouting a community for a future attack. Once, the farm let everyone in, but after an incident cost them three people,

can’t let him in,” Julie told

water, but no roof,” Bruno

and then leave,” Benny replied. “But he

“Me?”

and is curious to see it in action. Apparently, he researches superpowers, and he’s curious to see if you can really

with her husband, who was clearly suspicious. “How many people are awake?” Bruno asked

at his pretty head,” the man replied, putting his shotgun’s barrel on his shoulder. “I told the others to ready their

talking.” Bruno put a hand on Benny’s shoulder. “I entrust my

instantly

Julie lightly scolded her husband, but he

at Benny, who fidgeted awkwardly. “Sorry,

Julie said, exasperated. “You’ve been there for three years.

I will still call you ‘mam until Giulia is old

biochemist shook her head, before returning to her

to her projections, it would take only five years to purify Italy’s air and soil back to their pre-apocalypse level… and ten to undo the degradations

all of Earth would become

to it,” Benny said, as he watched her use her power on the

if a storm approached. But

couldn’t explain it any other way. God wouldn’t be so cruel as to create monsters

lightning

the earth right in front of her. She heard a powerful boom, coming straight from the entrance, while

her vision returned to normal, there was a burning hole where

could stop her. The farm’s alarm system activated, signaling

moved close enough, she was welcomed with a

powerful force had blasted people through the farm’s fortifications, with enough force to shatter them. Corpses were dispersed on the ground, utterly savaged. Julie could barely recognize Donna among them, most of her body having been incinerated. Piero had lost his head, Julie

Bruno… Bruno was among

Both parts of him.

had thrown her husband through the gates, tearing him in half

a wail of horror, as the farm descended into utter chaos. Guards rushed towards the breach with weapons, while non-combatants fled into the house. Crimson lightning surged from the

had known

and setting the whole place on fire. “We have to evacuate, ‘mam!” Benny shouted,

panicked. “Giulia

statue emerged from the darkness and the smoke, confidently striding into the property. Its eyes radiated a crimson glow, its gaze blasting anyone

a striking resemblance to the ancient deity. It was a tall, muscled figure pushing near two meters in height, with a long beard and a golden laurel crown atop his combed hair. He seemed in his middle-age, combining the confidence of old

His hair, his flesh, even his eyes were an unnatural shade of white. Only his ancient toga, sandals, and laurel

his body in space and time.

he

her with his body while he raised his gun. “Behind

ivory man appraised the two with an amused look. It reminded Julie of a vulture glancing upon a dying camel; of a

asked, upon noticing Julie. His voice was deep and radiated

hell are you?” Benny snarled

the

yourself after a god?” Benny shouted, charging at the Genome with his shotgun, and opening fire at point-blank range. A volley from his firearm

the bullets hit the chest and

“No. Of course not.”

his left hand. The fingers went through Benny’s body like an iron sword through paper, his flesh and bones turning as brittle as dirt upon impact. The backhand tore off the skull from

“I am one.”

froze in horror at

biochemist had grown somewhat used to the sight of blood and violence, but she had never seen such casual brutality.

that psychopath stared

form of super-strength. Two powers

A Psycho.

hint of madness in that vicious man’s eyes. No craving for the blood of other Genomes. She only saw

“Kneel,” he ordered.

slammed her left hand against his cheek. He made no move to stop her, allowing her to

used her power offensively, she would make an exception for this monster. She would

Nothing.

No feedback.

her power. It didn’t even register

the man said, raising his hand in a karate chop, aiming for her left

anything she had ever experienced raced through her nerves, as a shower of blood flowed out of her veins. She let out a wail of agony, her body growing numb

voice. “If you had known proper etiquette, I might have let you live. I take

Julie asked, struggling against the pain and shock. “Did

at her garden, an

didn’t

Why?