The Perfect Run

It was May 10th. Psyshock would attack the orphanage any minute, and Ryan intended to give the telepath a headache he would never forget.

A shotgun in hand and the Fisty Brothers equipped, the courier prowled the orphanage’s hallways, where the kids were busy gathering food and toys in travel bags. To his worry though, he found no trace of Len.

“What’s happening?” Ryan asked little Giulia, upon crossing paths with her. Unlike her fellow orphans, who had taken food or toys, the little blonde mostly carried books on herself. Meeting this child after learning what Psyshock did to her in a previous loop only reinforced the courier's resolve.

“Mama says she’s taking us to the magical place early,” she explained, looking down instead of facing the Genome's eyes. She seemed far shyer than Sarah. “So we have to pack our stuff.”

Wise. No doubt Hannifat Lecter would attack the place again with larger numbers after his pet squid bit the dust here.

Hopefully, Ryan would receive backup. The courier had informed Jamie of the attack when they met at the Bakuto, even giving him the A-bomb as a bribe for Vulcan to sweeten the deal. He provided all the intel necessary, though Ryan couldn’t be certain if the information would pass through the chain of command until the moment of truth.

“Where is she?” the Genome asked. The courier could take out Psypsy and his group on his own easily enough if he cut loose, but he couldn’t prevent the body-jumper from transferring himself.

“She’s in her room. We shouldn’t bother her.”

“Well, I’ve bothered her since the day we met,” Ryan replied, leaving Giulia behind and moving towards Len’s bedroom. From what he had understood, it used to be the office of the shelter’s director, before they left the place to rust.

He knocked on the door, receiving no answer. While it was locked, the courier had long mastered the art of breaking and entering. “Len?” he asked after unlocking the door, finding the bedroom shrouded in thick darkness. “Shortie?”

Only a meowing sound answered him.

Ryan quickly flipped the light switch and found himself facing a giant diver suit. The same one Len wore when she tried to rescue him from Acid Rain.

“Shortie?” Ryan asked, before looking behind the armor. He found Len sitting on a chair next to a mattress, staring at a wall. When he took a step forward, the Genome almost tripped on a medicine box, noticing dozens on the floor. “Shortie?”

No answer. Len just stared blankly at the wall, while Eugène-Henry von Schrodinger rested on her lap. Her eyes were blackened by sleeplessness and exhaustion.

She looked dead.

“Len? Len!” When he received no answer, the courier approached a free hand from her shoulder, intending to shake her back to consciousness.

“Don’t!” Her sudden reaction startled both Ryan and the cat on her lap; it was as if she had woken up from a nightmare. Len then put her hands on her ears, as if struggling against a terrible headache. “Don’t come closer!”

It reminded Ryan of the first time they met again under the sea, except somehow even worse.

The courier said nothing, glancing at the boxes on the ground. He grabbed one, finding it empty. “Len,” Ryan said with dead seriousness, tossing the empty container on the bed. “If you weren’t a Genome, you would have overdosed from all these pills.”

“If I didn’t have powers, I wouldn’t need so many of them.”

“It’s true Genomes had an enhanced metabolism, but still, do you know these medications shouldn’t be taken together?”

No answer.

“You aren’t following any treatment,” Ryan realized, horrified.

“If I don’t take them, I don’t want to do anything,” Len snapped. Clearly, her mood had worsened, perhaps due to the wrong drug combination. “If I don’t take them, I… I can’t talk to you at all. I don’t want to do anything except use my power.”

She couldn’t even interact with others except under heavy medication.

How many did she take under the sea? Did the fact they met in her sanctum make it worse back then? Seeing his friend deteriorating that much horrified Ryan, but he didn’t know what to say.

“I… I’m coming,” Len finally spoke up, massaging her forehead. “I’ll put on the suit. I have to.”

“I can take care of Psyshock alone if it’s too much for you.”

“No, no, can’t, can’t let you do everything,” she replied, struggling to form a complete sentence. “I have to help. I have to.”

“Alright, I will keep watch until you’re ready then.” Ryan left to give her some breathing room, though he did notice something on the bed on his way out. The rough schematics of some kind of sonar, although messy and incomplete. Len must have worked on this new device during the day.

Ryan remembering how Sarah and her friend had stood at the exact same spot

the shotgun and hit the wheels at the front, causing the Meta's car to spiral around itself

Ryan gloated for good measure. “It’s

Len emerging from the orphanage in her full power armor. She carried a waterthrower as her

of the minibus, wearing his disguise, Ryan relaxed a bit. The brainjacker had only brought Mosquito and Mongrel with him, like in the previous loop. No

biomechanical eyes. “And is that Little Len too? I could recognize her work anywhere. Is your father joining

got old times’ slides,” Ryan mocked Psyshock. “Half of them are dedicated to your

brain,” Psyshock replied, his tone heavy with menace. “Though we only came for the goblins in that

we killing them or what?” Mosquito asked while Mongrel showed his teeth. “The smell of

replied, his wire tentacles wriggling below

raised her waterthrower

fight, little girl?” Psyshock mocked

replied, noticing a white Yamaha

at the vehicle’s back, without wearing any helmet; though she did carry a Genius-tech staff, like a knight showing up for a jousting tournament. She abruptly stopped her vehicle upon reaching

Cancel introduced herself with a winning smile, leaving her bike behind while swinging her weapon. “Nice to

eyes let out a brief flash of

that,” Ryan said, raising

save point allowing them to try again after death. Ergo, they probably shared

new and unexpected. Something he

clothes with his tentacles while

Gotcha.

froze time, raised his shotgun, and blasted Psyshock’s tentacles apart. When time resumed, the brainjacker pathetically

haven’t you looked at the dog shelter sign?” Ryan taunted

the speed and agility of an Olympic Gymnast, Cancel quickly rushed at Mongrel. The Psycho attempted to incinerate her with his hands, but the flames fizzled out into nothingness at the tip of his fingers. The hitwoman impaled him through the chest with her

out of her weapon, slicing his left wing clean and causing the overgrown insect to crash; Ryan immediately tossed the shotgun aside and attacked Mosquito with Fisty, beating the tar out of him. When the bug attempted to raise his fist to

insecticide?” Ryan shouted, pounding Mosquito onto the ground. “My fly

needed, the Genius

Psyshock. The Psycho attempted to rise back up, but the hitwoman swiftly caught up with him. Her power clearly didn’t affect the

Psyshock, her tone always positive. “Look at me in the eyes. I want to remember your

malevolent Psycho glared at the hitwoman, raising his remaining tentacles in an attempt to hit her

didn’t react

smear on the ground. Some of the Psycho’s

later, Mosquito looked like a crushed bug at his feet, still

guessed Vulcan’s absence, the surprise ambush, and having two professionals at his back had made

if it turned out to be a trap, but I’m so glad I didn’t have to,” Greta said with a cheery smile, tossing Psyshock’s immobile corpse aside with her staff. His blood was still on her cheek,

you, but didn’t anyone tell you that I

replied, leaving Psyshock’s remains

gets medical treatment, he won’t

“Please…” Mosquito pleaded.

face with her staff. Len visibly flinched at her casual brutality, catching Greta’s attention. “Who

to hear Len’s gentle voice come out of the giant

said that before, Ryan thought. He realized her lines

good,”

we

cheery smile. “You’re the nicest sociopath I’ve met

“Thanks! What’s a sociopath?”

her question with

corpses to rot. Clearly, she had a lot of experience with casual murder. Ryan wondered what her

said when the hitwoman was

Ryan could respond, he sensed an invisible pressure on his shoulders; the Land’s gaze had suddenly fallen upon him. The courier waved a hand at the skies, wondering if

seconds, but it made

suggest we move out before more

the orphanage and

vicinity, the Plymouth Fury’s windshield included,