The Perfect Run

It ended as well as expected.

With Ryan naked and shackled to a bed, a maniacal Vulcan in a black nightgown on one side, and the plushie on another.

“It was all a trap,” the courier accused the mad Genius, straining against the shackles. “You only cared about the plushie!”

“Very good, Ryan,” Jasmine said, playing with her knife. The inactive plushie looked on while sitting on a chair. “Now, tell me everything you know about it.”

“I would, but I look down on short people.”

“If you won’t talk,” Jasmine put the knife against his chin, and her free hand on his chest, “I will make you squeal.”

“Don’t look,” Ryan told the inactive plushie, trying to avert its gaze. “Please don’t look!”

A phone called in the other room, interrupting the roleplay.

Jasmine let out a heavy sigh. “Gimme a sec,” she said, stepping over an empty condom box before searching for her cellphone among their clothes on the ground. Ryan whistled while she moved out of the bedroom to answer the call.

As it turned out, Vulcan didn’t live in a luxurious villa, but inside her own foundry. She had repurposed the upper echelons of the area into a spacious, soundproof apartment in an elegant steampunk style. Brass pipes and tin gears formed the main decoration, although Vulcan had also embedded a plasma TV in the bedroom’s wall facing the bed. It was rather cozy and she even included a litter for Eugène-Henry, although Vulcan clearly didn’t clean up the place often.

Jasmine eventually returned, rolling her eyes. “Was it Mr. Monsanto again?” Ryan asked.

“Neptune. He’s pissed about last night and wants to call a meeting because he’s a pussy.” She let her nightgown fall on the ground, raised the bedsheet, and slipped below. Her naked skin brushed against the courier’s own, though she didn’t undo his shackles. “Ryan.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t ever call me short again.”

“Come on, Jasmine, be the bigger person.”

Her knife hit the wall behind the bed, a few inches away from the courier’s face. Ryan didn’t even blink; by now, he had learned that her bark was worse than her bite. Though bite him she did…

“You’re lucky to be good in the sack, so you get to live another day,” Vulcan said, resting her head against his shoulder. “How many women have you had?”

“I lost count,” he replied. Practice made perfect.

“I figured as much. I didn’t know you could do that with a tongue.” Jasmine glanced at the rabbit watching them. “Actually, what is that plushie? Some pieces just don’t make sense, and I don’t know what to make of the energy readings.”

“I tried to use it as a probe to explore a higher dimension,” Ryan admitted.

“And?” Jasmine asked, not even questioning the sanity of it. “It worked?”

“Not really. All it did was allow something from the other side tohitch a free ride to our dimension. Now it won’t leave.”

“Wait, you’re saying that your rabbit is haunted?” Ryan nodded, and much to his horror, it made Jasmine even more curious. “That dimension, can you describe it?”

“It’s an area beyond space and time, but I haven’t been able to observe it much.” He frowned. “Why?”

“You know that Red Genomes can manipulate energy? From lightning to wavelengths?” Ryan nodded. “Well, Red Genomes, real Red Genomes, actually emit an energy field around them. Like radiation. This ambient energy, this ‘Red Flux’ can be captured, stockpiled, and then refined to make batteries. That’s how Dynamis makes laser weapons.”

“And you think this energy comes from another dimension?” Ryan asked, suddenly very curious.

“I think so, and Dynamis does too,” she replied with a nod. “The Firebrand knockoff Elixir alters genes so a Genome could perform pyrokinesis, but doesn’t create a link to the Red Dimension. So the body only uses the energy available, that of the human body.”

“That’s how your Fireman armor enhances their pyrokinesis,” Ryan guessed. “You take the batteries meant for laser weapons, and you transfer this Red Flux energy to the Genome’s body.”

“They become just as powerful as the original pyrokinetic Genome the knockoffs are based on, at least as long as the battery juice keeps flowing,” Jasmine said with pride. “Dynamis has been wasting fortunes in an attempt to create a bridge towards that hypothetical Red Dimension, though they haven’t managed to do so yet.”

“That Flux, do you think Genomes with other colors produce variants?”

“I suppose, but I haven’t been able to observe them. Red is energy, so it’s easy to measure it, and since almost all Red Genomes have offensive applications, my power has an easy time with them. But how do you measure life, like with Green Genomes?” She gave him a knowing smile. “Though, if you told me the truth about your power, we could work on it together.”

Ryan let out a shocked gasp. “You know about my true, true power?”

“Look, that bullshit you told Pluto? About how your power really works?” She looked into his eyes. “You were just pulling our legs.”

did that this morning.” She chuckled. “Why didn’t you call my

smart, funny, and the

to help a friend in need, and

not particularly loyal to Augustus either. But I’m pretty sure your power is something world-changing. I

shrugged it off. “I think it’s a bit too

chest, one leg on each side. “Then what will we

summer fling?” Ryan needed to blow off steam after his last encounters with Len and the Meta-Gang, in more ways than one. “I don’t want to get too attached, and you’re probably going

knew. “I’m fine with a summer fling, but as I told you before, it’s an exclusive contract. Cheat on me and I’ll fucking

the fucking before the kill, I would appreciate

you straight.” She put both her hands on his ears and ferociously kissed him on the lips, like a lioness marking her territory. “You

“Yep.”

don’t. We’ve got enough time for one more round

out. “I was supposed to help them clean up the house in the

higher in the hierarchy, so

time in

the bed, the two having switched positions. “Fuck,” she said. “You

Sharif,” Ryan said, his body towering above her. “We have ways of slipping past

Jasmine smirked at him. “She’s too

I will have to

tried to keep a straight face,

was kinda

way to Mount Augustus with her mech. Obviously, Ryan had put on the cashmere suit, delighting in its

from afar, but it was even more impressive from above; Ryan estimated it to be around fifty hectares. Located atop a heavily-defended hill, the complex included a vast amount of monuments, the most impressive being a copy of the Parthenon to the east. An enormous, multi-floor Roman-themed villa covered roughly a third of the area, a marble palace worthy of a

however, had been repurposed into a vast park, including Roman-theme sculptures, flower gardens, Versailles-styled fountains, and even a freaking zoo. “They have giraffes,” Ryan said in

of the place awed even the

the villa, though a private sea might have been a better term. The enormous body of water was separated into smaller basins,

a one-piece swimsuit next to Narcinia. Augustus’ daughter immediately raised

small table nearby. She looked oddly peaceful for a mass murderer, though the head’s eyes moving on their own made

a gaunt face. He was so lanky Ryan could see the bones below the

priest, whom Ryan suspected to be Bacchus, was talking with a man entirely covered in thick armor. His equipment was heavily inspired by a Roman centurion’s dress,

group was a blonde woman in her forties, straight out of a playboy magazine; she kept her hair in a bun and wore an ancient Rome-styled dress adorned with gemstones. Though he could see only the lower part of her

around the table was clearly the oldest, somewhere in his sixties. He had dyed his hair and thick long beard blue, which complemented his eyes. He wore no mask except a golden diadem and dressed in an elegant navy blue business suit including

Vulcan upon seeing them, leaving the table with a dark

Jasmine pointed out the

to form out of nowhere in the swimming pool. Clearly, he was jealous of the courier’s better suit. “Can he drain the water within us

hydrokinetic. The bigger the water volume, the greater his control. The priest is

“I imagined him taller.”

Vulcan snickered. “He can reanimate corpses and command them, so he sends them

a hand at the couple

didn’t rise up from her longchair. A true queen. “We were just discussing yesterday’s events. I admit you were right, I couldn’t

prize?” Ryan asked. “Personally, I would

wink, examining his suit. “I love

I could add a few flowers if

used all my weed killer on Blackthorn,”

furious Neptune. “You little, irresponsible brats!” he snarled, pointing a finger at Jasmine and Ryan. “I should

it in Coca-Cola?” Ryan asked innocently. Much to his surprise, Vulcan

in acid,”

so my death will

you have any idea what you did?” Neptune thundered. “Vulcan, you and your soldier

did it on my orders,” Livia spoke up calmly. “I will take full responsibility for

stupid,” Neptune snarled. “Blackthorn labeled your

part where I undressed and put on

who had listened to the conversation, clearly struggled to contain her laughter, much to Ryan’s shock. Neptune glared at her. “Am I the

replied, more amused than anything. “What’s wrong with letting them indulge

Meta-Gang to harass us,” Livia said, all business.

uncle asked with heavy sarcasm, clearly not

to bitch about it?” Jasmine asked with a

is also the matter of

by my decision to retire,” the mummified head spoke with an old, weary

had risen from his table to meet the group, his wife holding his arm. Bacchus followed his hands behind his back. “You’re still