The Perfect Run

“So, let me get this straight,” Wyvern asked, floating above the street outside Ryan’s hotel bedroom. “You came to New Rome hunting for the Meta-Gang, who managed to uncover a cache of Mechron tech beneath Rust Town. You also strongly believe that someone in Dynamis, probably Hector—namely, my employer—hired them to harass the Augusti.”

“Pretty much, yes.” Ryan nodded, wearing nothing but his underwear.

Wyvern smiled. “Am I being pranked?”

Was it because Ryan refused to wear a shirt? He had been replicating the plans for Vulcan’s armor when the superhero knocked on his window to make her sales pitch. “I would like to joke about it, but no, I’m serious.” The courier raised a thumb up. “Honest.”

Wyvern crossed her arms, a frown on her face. “Do you have any proof? These are dangerous allegations.”

“You can ask Ghoul,” Ryan said, pointing at a cooler next to his bed. “He makes the best ice cream.”

The superheroine’s frown only deepened. “But you didn’t let the Private Security bring him in custody.”

“I won’t surrender my favorite cooler,” Ryan replied. “Or else your incorruptible mooks will let him escape.”

“This meeting is going as well as I thought it would,” Wyvern lamented. “Let’s assume for a second that this isn’t some conspiracy theory and that I believe you. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because somebody trusted you.”

“Somebody?” Wyvern put her hands on her waist. “Quicksave, it will be difficult for us to build a degree of trust if you play your cards close to the chest. All in all, I find your tale rather… flimsy.”

“Well, she said you were naive too,” Ryan said and shrugged.

“I will not set aside what you said, but I only have your word on it. While you have a reputation for reliability, your psych evaluation implies you are highly unstable and prone to attention-seeking behavior.”

“Duh, you can’t make life a comedy without an audience. If you’re alone, it’s just a tragedy.”

Wyvern sighed, before offering Ryan the Dynamis business card anyway. “While I’m not sure you will follow through after what you just said, I suggest you meet with my manager. See if you are a good match, clear this up.”

“I hope he won’t mind if I bring a bottle of weedkiller?”

Wyvern couldn’t help but chuckle in response. “I wouldn’t try if I were you. Enrique isn’t fond of aggressive negotiations.”

And with those unwise words, Dragon Mom flew away and left the courier alone.

She didn’t believe Ryan, but at least the superheroine gave him the benefit of the doubt. It didn’t surprise the courier all that much. Wyvern didn’t know him well yet, and had been doubtful even with Mosquito’s testimony in an earlier loop.

And at long last, Vulcan called immediately afterward.

Ryan briefly hesitated to take the call, worried about how it would go. He eventually braced himself for the impact and answered. “Quicksave Deliveries?”

“What did the bitch tell you?” Vulcan’s encrypted voice asked.

The mere sentence sent a chill down the courier’s spine.

He had heard it before.

“My name is Vulcan,” the caller continued. “I represent the Augusti. We are the organization that runs things in New Rome, and most of Italy. Whatever the winged lizard promised you, we can offer more. We need people who get things done.”

Ryan listened to his former girlfriend the way one did a recording. “I’m sorry, mystery voice,” he interrupted her sales pitch. “But have we met before?”

he had called her out on a bluff. Perhaps she was toying with him, only to reveal that the armor had

hit him like

would remember if

that, the last ember of Ryan’s

even bothering to check the email notification. “We own the establishment. Come tonight, alone, and don’t make us wait. We never ask

Yet, she just did.

More than twice.

You traveled for miles to pitch the perfect product

on a blue cooler, Ryan faced his

did you just say?” Shroud asked his visitor, a glass shard aimed at Ryan’s throat while his shack’s computer servers hummed in the background. It was

get one free, Mechron-made orbital laser!” Ryan opened the box, with Ghoul’s skull glaring at him from within. “Made by Third World children paid five cents per hour and sold at the mere price of ninety

See Through all but

friend, the sales won’t last forever,”

my name gives you power?” Shroud threatened. “I was ready to risk discovery when I came to New Rome, and I fear nothing. So last warning:

orbital satellite, called the Baha…” Ryan tried to look for

shack’s windows all fractured when he

for a while, before removing the shard aimed at his guest’s throat. He sank on his chair in front of the shack’s computers, hands clenched. “Okay,” the vigilante finally said, at a loss of words. “Okay, how did you

the most,” Ryan lied. While he had grown to know the glass manipulator through the various loops, he was still wary of confiding in him so early in their relationship. “I’ve seen

where Adam the Ogre gets his hands on the

much before.

leak from someone like Nidhogg, but you haven’t been in contact with any of the survivors

implying I’m not naturally outlandish?” Ryan asked

you aren’t,” Shroud replied, his fingers fidgeting. The news really had

Living Sun to hurry up because I can’t destroy the bunker alone.” At least not yet. “What is

sigh. “Regularly fighting threats of Augustus’ caliber means our team has a lot of turnovers. After our last outing, the Carnival doesn’t have the numbers to take on the Augusti. We have

that explained their tactics. Why rely on asymmetrical warfare to weed out the

but they can’t leave their own protectorates for long,” Shroud admitted. “Leo

Meta-Gang destroyed New Rome on May 18th, though the courier doubted it would happen on the same date again.

intel…” Shroud joined his

“How long?”

than expected. Ryan thought he would have to argue for hours, but the threat was dangerous enough for the Carnival to finally throw caution

bargain,” Ryan said while moving towards the door, leaving the

vigilante replied, trying to

I don’t

firmly, much to Ryan’s surprise. “If you are correct and Dynamis hired the Meta-Gang, then this may

both hands on his waist. “What about your planned hits on the Augusti? Because I won’t oblige

clearly wounded him to admit it. “Augustus is

apartment bombing

know about that?” Mr. See Through shook his head. “Whatever. You have my word. At least, until Mechron’s

a

could stand an Augusti run so soon after losing

again, the courier had thought he could confide in someone, and not have it all wiped away

refuge,” Ryan muttered to himself, exiting Shroud’s shack with a heavy heart. Hope was all

to his Plymouth Fury, only to find someone

Ryan with

approached the Plymouth Fury, examining the cat carefully. It… yes, it was Eugène-Henry.

The cat should be in the orphanage at this moment, and he never showed up at

loud ‘meow’ sound, demanding to be petted. So