The Perfect Run

Chapter 32

Ryan woke up on a terrible mattress, with a cat on his chest.

The animal looked at the courier with its big blue eyes, as he emerged from his deep sleep. The Persian cat had a coat of fur of the purest shade of white, and the lazy expression of a creature sleeping eighteen hours a day without shame.

It was...

It was the perfect Bond Villain cat!

Ryan immediately let out a cry of joy, while the cat looked at him with noble curiosity.

“I’m gonna call you…” Ryan briefly raised the feline above ground to check if it was a male or female, and then let his imagination do the rest. “Eugène-Henry von Schrodinger!”

Eugène-Henry meowed in response.

“The name sucks,” someone complained from the ‘room’ right next to his—another animal cage repurposed into a prison cell. Ryan recognized the voice as Sarah’s. “It sucks hard.”

“Much like many geniuses, I’m way ahead of my time,” Ryan replied, scratching Eugène-Henry behind his ears. “You like that name, don’t you? You like it, don’t you?”

“Is that the white cat?” Sarah peeked into Ryan’s private space, finding the courier sitting on his bed sheet, the cat on his lap. The courier promised himself to work on his diabolical mastermind pose, though he needed to get a cashmere suit first. “It has a sixth sense to find suckers willing to feed it. That’s why it’s so fat.”

“Hey, he’s not judging you on your appearance!”

“Once, I showed him a rat, like one meter away from his face, and that lazy furball didn’t even react.”

“Slander!” Ryan defended his new sidekick. “Is there a shower though? I think I caught fleas sleeping on that bed.”

“Yes, but the water is muddy. Ma says she will fix it today after she checks your car.”

Check his—

“Goddammit, I hope she doesn’t find the bodies,” Ryan said, rising up from the bed. Eugène-Henry instantly took over his place and moved below the bed sheet, to better protect the mattress from intruders.

“There’s a spot for that,” Little Sarah said casually. “The druggies call it the Happy Hole.”

As it turned out, Rust Town did have tourist spots.

Ryan started dressing, but immediately noticed something wrong. Namely, his A-bomb was missing, and some of his weapons weren’t at their place. Someone had clearly checked on his belongings while he was asleep.

Shortie may be willing to help, but she didn’t fully trust him yet.

The courier emerged from the orphanage to find Len tinkering with his car, having opened the car hood to look inside. She had put the water gun aside, to her right.

“Comrade Shortie, just because it’s an all-American car doesn’t give you the right to wreck it,” Ryan said. “Find yourself a Lada.”

Len turned her head away from the engine, and Ryan's playful demeanor disappeared instantly when she grabbed the water gun. “Riri, what have you done?”

What did he do?

What didn’t he do?

Ryan glanced inside the car hood, his old friend keeping her weapon aimed at his head. Unfortunately, Len had found the brain and jumped to the wrong conclusions.

“Riri, have you…” Len clearly didn’t want to finish her sentence but forced herself to. “Did you put someone in there?”

“You wouldn’t believe how many tries it took before I found the right person.” He immediately raised his hands while Len made a mortified face. “Relax, I’m kidding, I’m kidding! It’s not even sentient!”

“Riri, don’t, don’t joke about this,” she sputtered, keeping her weapon raised.

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized. “I default to humor when I’m stressed, and I didn’t have my morning coffee.”

Len remained as stiff and grim as ever. “Riri, where did it come from?”

“It’s vat-grown, a gift from another Genius.” No answer. “Shortie, I’m not a serial killer, and I don’t abduct hobos off the road to experiment on them.”

“Riri, I… I want to believe you’re not crazy. I really want to.” She shook her head. “But you keep a thermo-nuclear device with children nearby.”

knew about the plushie. “Len, there are no permanent consequences around

lower lip. “What if you

Ryan reassured her. “I guarantee you I’m not jumping into an alternate universe whenever I die. I checked. I wouldn’t do like, half the stuff I

power’s full scope. “If what you say is correct, then you can

got a Fat Man,” Ryan said, putting a

hesitated, clearly torn between trusting him and her own fears about him, but eventually lowered the water gun. “You will behave while you stay here,” Len said. “I… even if there

“Len, they have guns.”

weapons to defend themselves in this shithole,” the Genius replied. “But that nuke, Riri, won’t help

would hand it over to Vulcan, as a sign of friendship. “Can you give it back then? I swear you will never

bomb. Ryan put a hand on it, their gloves brushing against the other. The courier sensed her reluctance to give the weapon away, but she did

him, she wanted

that?” she asked, as the courier put the bomb inside one of his

sighed. She wouldn’t like his answer. “Because I was bored, and I thought it would be fun

you automatically restart with your time-stop? You said

meant an early restart.

finally caught on. "That's

to this mechanism, he had already burnt a lot of bridges. "And since I need to commit suicide to get back in time, I

with a mix of pity, sadness, and compassion. “Do you think

not, I love living." If he had wanted to die for good, he would have picked a fight with someone like Cancel long ago. “As long as I

silence, Len abruptly changed the subject. “You

replied, before shuddering as he

“Monaco? Why?”

the car, and a flustered Len started putting the engine pieces back in their proper place. “Should I expect a mounted water turret? Please

and its associated parts.” Only then did Ryan notice that while she had stopped pointing it

Baby steps.

boasted about his car, putting a hand on the hood. “You’re the last Genius in a long line to work

once her work done. “Riri, why

that was such a long story. Ryan worked many loops and decades on that particular

between time and space but between various dimensions,” the courier explained. “You know some Violet Genomes summon creatures like

pulling them from these

but some are alternate histories Earth could have taken. Usually, these histories aren’t stable and

“I don’t follow you.”

truth, it’s like the water you love so much, ever changing.” Ryan’s experience had taught him as much. “I mean, I just have to

you never considered...” Len trailed off with a worried frown, unable

I destroy the universe and everyone in it when I die? I try not to think about it.” If only because of the horrors involved. It was a rabbit hole of depression, questionable ethics, and self-misery. He preferred

went

door. “But I never found a way to reach an alternate Earth,

with a worried frown. Did she think he would get himself killed? Then again, they were close to the Junkyard. “What

sure if she will follow through if I’m in Rust Town. After that, I need to have my windshield cleaned, and Bone Daddy will become

a deeper

jailed you, so I investigated,” Ryan admitted. “What happened

underpaid labor in their factories,” Len said with anger. “They pay them for dangerous work with just enough euros to feed themselves, but provide neither healthcare nor safety guidelines. One

think Il Migliore supports these practices.” Even the junior heroes he had met during the seminar

“Not all criminals wear masks. Most wear

one

caught

you tried to fight for?” Ryan guessed, his friend

easy way out.” Len shook her head. “Wyvern didn’t bust me out, Vulcan did. And even then, it

one way to kill Psyshock

she collaborated with Vulcan, she clearly had no love for her organization. “We could capture him,” she said. “From what you

him from piloting that Mechron mech later on. “And while I don’t believe it, Vulcan says she can enhance my power. Unless you have another suggestion,

“I’ve… I need more

my

looking away. “I want to help you, Riri. I really

“The fact that you want to help at all means

Riri, even if we succeed in helping you, I… I’m not sure if

We.

had changed after so many restarts, moved past the realm of teenage romance. But every time he looked at his

what could never

things I can’t forget, Riri,” she admitted.

around me,” Ryan

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