The Perfect Run

Ryan loved Genome parties. They always involved a lot of property damage.

He had attended a few elsewhere in Italy, usually when he joined a group. However, this one looked like it would be the biggest yet; and since tomorrow would mark Quicksave’s first week in New Rome, the courier intended to cap it off with a bang.

Well, he had probably spent two months or so in the city across various loops, but still! This party might be something entirely new and surprising.

“How many people will come?” Ryan asked, having traded his usual trench coat, hat, and mask for a classy, dark purple suit. While Ki-jung had insisted he could dress casually, the Genome would settle for nothing less than the best outfit in the room.

You couldn’t half-ass elegance.

“Oh, no more than one-hundred,” Ki-jung replied, her fingers fidgeting in anxiety. She had traded her glasses for contact lenses, and her modest clothes for a sleeveless black dress. Her boyfriend meanwhile wore a simple blue shirt and black pants.

“Do you want more tuna pizzas?” Lanka asked while on the sofa while typing on a phone. That tasteless black sheep alone hadn’t made any effort to dress well. “We still got enough party funds for four more.”

“Add a few vegan ones for Fortuna,” Ki-jung said, before checking the kitchen for the fifth time in the past hour. Jamie had gathered an impressive array of alcohol bottles on the counter. “Will that be enough?”

“They’re the strongest liquors I could find,” Jamie replied, intending to work as the barman and already busy making cocktails. Since Genomes had a more efficient metabolism than normal humans, they needed ten times the usual dose to even feel the effects of alcohol.

“I’ve got Genome-only stuff in my car,” Ryan said. “But you will start shining in the dark and see invisible things.”

“Don’t worry,” Jamie said quickly. “Fortuna is bringing strong stuff, and, I quote, ‘party pills.’”

“No Bliss?” Ki-jung asked, her face tensing up.

“No Bliss,” her boyfriend reassured her, while someone hit the doorbell. “Come in!”

The first guests opened the door, Ki-jung anxiously standing straight next to Ryan while they walked inside. Night had fallen outside, and while the party was scheduled to start at eight, most guests would be fashionably late.

“Hello everyone!” Fortuna entered the house, followed by her boyfriend and a younger girl around fifteen. Lucky Lady wore a golden dress even more scandalously lavish than usual; whereas the teenage girl dressed so tastelessly, that Ryan couldn’t look at her without fighting the urge to drag her to a tailor’s shop.

Fortuna’s date was around Ryan’s physical age, with short well-groomed brown hair, blue eyes, and an elegant all black formal suit. He looked rather plain when compared to his girlfriend, but the courier felt an intense vibe coming from him.

In fact, he seemed vaguely familiar.

The mystery boy immediately singled out the courier, who waved a hand at him. “Hi, I’m Ryan. I would say I’m immortal, but you probably know that already.”

“Mathias,” the man replied, shaking Ryan’s hand with a small smile. “Mathias Martel.”

The way he moved, his aura, the slight inflection in the voice… “I know, we’ve met,” Ryan replied cheerfully, testing the waters.

“You did?” Fortuna asked while Mathias’ smile strained a bit. Since he hadn’t cut that lucky woman’s hair this time around, she seemed a lot more well-disposed towards Ryan. “Matt, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Yeah, you’re usually a very transparent kind of guy, Matt.” Ryan winked at him. “I hope you don’t hide anything else.”

Matt’s poker face remained ironclad while he answered his date’s question. “It didn’t seem important at the time.”

“Fortuna, you brought your sister?” Ki-jung asked the blonde bombshell, although her eyes remained focused on the teenage girl. “Isn’t she too young for this kind of party?”

“I’m almost fifteen!” The younger girl pouted. While she was no top model like her sister, she would probably grow into an attractive woman in time. She had short, light brown hair, ocean blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face.

“Fourteen and a half,” Fortuna teased her, her younger sister pinching her in the arm.

“Hi, I’m Narcinia, Narcinia Veran.” The teen smiled brightly at everyone. “Alias Ceres.”

“I still can’t believe Augustus gave you an Olympian name before me,” Fortuna complained, her boyfriend glancing away. “If only Felix hadn’t gone crazy, we could have become Diana and Apollo.”

“Has he answered your messages?” Ki-jung asked, a look of concern on her face.

“I wish!” Fortuna complained, crossing her arms angrily. “I swear when he comes back—”

“If he comes back,” Narcinia replied with a depressed face.

“Maybe he got hit by a car,” Ryan said, the others glaring at him. “Well, he is a cat. Or was that too soon?”

“He will come back,” Fortuna insisted, though she looked at Jamie and Ki-jung. “Can’t you help? Give him a call?”

The couple exchanged an embarrassed glance, one heavy with regrets. “He didn’t leave the house on the best terms,” Jamie said stoically. “Felix… Felix needs time to figure himself out.”

“But—”

Mathias put a hand on his girlfriend’s arm before she could insist. He seemed more insightful than her, though that wasn’t hard.

Having talked with Atom Cat on the Dynamis path, Ryan quickly put two and two together. He had a pretty good idea of what caused his feline friend to leave the Augusti, namely, Ki-jung's situation.

Something else also bothered Ryan. Felix the Cat said his sister Narcinia was adopted, and she matched a certain description… Could it be?

This party already promised a lot of surprises.

isn’t here?” Fortuna asked as she scanned the room. “He’s usually early when there are

Hockey Killer attacked him again when his bodyguard took a bathroom break,” Jamie replied with a frown. “The attacker also forced Luigi

at the same time a shocked

replied with a sigh. “And yes, a salami. Don’t ask me why. They say the city is safer with the Meta

possessing a strange sense of justice, fighting crime with a hockey stick in one hand and a

sofa, too lazy to leave her spot. “Nah, blabbermouth, it’s just petty revenge. If you ask me, the jackass

the case, this Hockey Killer will get what he deserves,” Jamie said firmly, glancing at Fortuna. “Now that the Meta-Gang has left New Rome, will

“Though we cleaned up Rust Town and Sparrow chased those

bunker’s entrance. Vulcan had tasked the group to patrol the area in case the Meta returned, while she left with Sparrow to hunt them down. Ryan hadn’t received

bunker, and Len hadn’t contacted him again either. He hoped

cleared her throat while looking at Mathias.

he has seen right through us,” Ryan said with a smirk, delighting at making Martel more and

one of you is the Hockey Killer,” the man replied with the same mirthful face. “I hope

laughed, none louder than Ryan himself. Touché. “It’s okay, Chitter, I vouch for my Mathias,” Fortuna

to a second date,” Mathias

whether you like it or

the two of you meet?”

leak last week?” Fortuna asked. “I narrowly avoided death by falling off the

face. “I didn’t expect you to fall on me from the third

love at first sight,”

and when I tried to leave because I had

course I was furious,” Fortuna protested, while the others chuckled. “The world’s most beautiful woman falls on your lap and asks

bluntly. Clearly, he was immune to Fortuna’s charm and she couldn’t stand it. “What, my world

it without any hint of sarcasm whatsoever. “When I look at boys, they drop at my

bit shy in the presence of so many older people, but grew more confident as the group exchanged pleasantries. “It’s

glanced at Ryan, who showed them the DJ: a brain in a jar hooked to

a Genius-made cyber-brain as a DJ?” Narcinia asked, though unlike the others she seemed more excited than bothered.

you to take care of the playlist,” Ki-jung told Ryan with a

is for those who don’t know what they want!” Ryan replied, activating DJ Brain. “Now

tank. As the liquid protecting the grey matter

Lanka admitted, nodding to herself to the tune of

recognize the artist,” Ki-jung said, while her

Auto remix,” Mathias said, much to

a game designer,” Fortuna said since he was clearly too

make indie games on the side,” her date replied with a sheepish grin, the most emotion Ryan

the jargon, except Ryan, who had stars in his eyes. However, he decided to test that man’s knowledge first, before getting his hopes up. “Have you

I prefer Super Metroid,” Mathias

“Best Square RPG?”

holds a special place

was almost brought to tears at finding a soulmate. “I can die happy

powers, Nerd 2?” Lanka asked Mathias, raising her head above the sofa with a beer can in hand. “Name’s Lanka

programmer nodded. “One of the bedrooms, yours I presume, is painted brown, with thirty beer cans in a corner

“If you tell anyone what’s

uncomfortable about open displays of affection than his girlfriend. Ryan got the feeling she had

nothing.” Narcinia grabbed a knife from the

could react, a drop of blood falling on the parquet. The liquid quickly expanded

group looked at

Ki-jung said in amazement,

letting out a cry. “Nothing too complicated or too big, but I can make

kind of

“Of course! Why?”

her big eyes, and then whispered two words that would

“Goat fights.”

he was, and then made a second goat. A black-furred

“The black one.”

already see the

making eight goats, as new guests decided to participate. She granted each of them a different color and held a tournament while the house slowly filled up with people. A few had formed a circle around the sofa,

biquette!” Ryan cheered up his champion half in French, half in English. She locked horns with her rival, ready to

blabbermouth?” Lanka asked, having bet on a golden

couldn’t stand long against Shub-Niggurath’s implacable ferocity. The black goat managed to toss her rival to the side,

yes!” Ryan instantly petted his black goat, who raised her head with smug confidence. The spectators applauded, though none

smoke. With

if she were white?” Ryan accused her, stroking Shub-Niggurath’s ear. Actually, he did cheat once, but only against Fortuna. Considering her insane

proved to be a sore loser and left the competition with her beau. The couple had moved to the kitchen-bar, with Fortuna spending her time advertising her boyfriend to everyone who would listen. Jamie, ever the peoples’ person, engaged Mathias in a friendly conversation while mixing cocktails, though the programmer remained guarded. Ki-jung welcomed every new guest as they arrived, growing more

Ryan recognized as one of Renesco’s customers helped Jamie with the bar by moving drinks around, while a fire manipulator showed off to a girl by creating burning shapes out of

would be disappointed if the party didn’t end

you accusing me of goat racism?” Lanka brought him back

with Ki-jung’s rats, the rodents climbing on top of the larger goats. Most of the guests looked at them with amusement, and

make a wolf, to eat them,” Ryan suggested, his goat champion looking up at

we get rid of the wolf afterward?” Lanka asked the