The Perfect Run

With his Plymouth Fury out of commission, Ryan had expected to be transported in a Cadillac. Instead, he had to settle for the same black minivan which the Meta-Gang used to attack the orphanage in the past.

These Psychos had no taste at all!

“This is a disgrace,” Ryan complained at the back, Eugène-Henry on his lap. Sarin was driving at the front, while Mosquito sat on the second row of seats. “At least it’s a Chrysler!”

“Nobody can see us with the tinted windows,” Sarin grunted at the front, as she drove through New Rome’s streets. They had left Rust Town soon after dusk, and Ryan had taken the opportunity to memorize the name of the border guards they bribed to get out. “People raise the alarms when they see us out in the open.”

“Yeah, right, a black minivan doesn’t scream suspicious at all.”

“Half of us are too big to fit in a normal car, Boss,” Mosquito pointed out, having to lower his head to fit inside. “We have to transport Frank by truck.”

Ah, the logistics of superhumans. Ryan wondered how the Danish managed to deal with their giant serpent overlord Nidhogg. They probably had to redraw the maps after every transformation. “What’s your second power, Mosquito?” the president asked, as they traveled through the southern slums. “Besides the whole bugman thing.”

“I took the Hercules knockoff, the super-strength one.” Mosquito let out a sigh. “Didn’t work out well. I only get the superstrength after I’m filled with blood, and I weaken every minute afterward.”

“You took a second Green?” Ryan asked, squinting in skepticism. “Why? You didn’t want to go for the full rainbow?”

“Well, being a giant mosquito isn’t very glamorous, ya know Boss? I figured if I drank an Elixir of the same color as the first one, it would wash away the first power and replace it. It made sense to me.”

“You’re a dumbass,” Sarin said out loud what Ryan was thinking.

Mosquito bristled. “Yeah, but at least I’ve got a body.”

“Shut your mouth!” Sarin stopped looking at the road to raise her hand at Mosquito, as if to blast him. “I’ll tear your wisecracking head off!”

“Hey, everyone calm down, there’s a cat at the back!” Ryan said to defuse the situation. Mosquito and Sarin exchanged fingered gestures, but the Meta’s new vice-president focused back on the road. “Besides, you took two Elixirs too, Chernobyl. It’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“That’s fucking different, asshole,” Sarin replied. “I took my Elixirs soon after Last Easter, back when nobody knew taking more than one was a terrible idea. While that bug knew exactly what he was getting into.”

Ryan blinked. “Wait, you’ve been like this for fifteen years?”

“Fourteen. I swear, if you find a cure, first thing I’ll do is to fuck someone’s brains out. Fourteen years of celibacy, man; fourteen years. I don’t get how priests do it.”

There was a sick joke to make here, but even Ryan had standards.

Mosquito had none though. “Well, they learn how to handle kids.”

Ignoring the bugman laughing at his own joke, Ryan meditated on this information. Sarin’s situation made him pause, but watching her join Adam in burning down New Rome lessened the sympathy he might have felt for her. As for Mosquito, he happily helped to abduct orphans to throw at the bunker’s defenses.

Yeah, these two had made bad calls. But instead of turning their life around, they kept making worse ones. If anything, the only mutant the courier felt pity for was Frank the Mad, who clearly suffered from a mental illness and needed psychiatric treatment. Maybe it was Ryan’s experience with Bloodstream talking, but the time-traveler had a hard time seeing Psychos as anything but monsters.

Eventually, Sarin reached their destination, and parked the minivan in front of Deadland Motel.

Livia and her escort were waiting in the parking lot. Unlike last time, where she had shown up with only Cancel and Mortimer, the Augusti princess had brought reinforcements. Sparrow, Night Terror… and Luigi the Hockey Victim.

Damn it, Ryan knew he had overlooked something!

“Howdy, legitimate gentlemen,” Ryan greeted the group, as he and his Psycho bodyguards emerged from their car. The president carried Eugène-Henry in his hands. “We come in peace!”

“Hi, I’m Cancel!” Only Greta raised a hand and waved it at the group with a fake smile. Ryan wondered what it would take to break her cheerful demeanor. “Nice to meet you!”

The others weren’t so enthusiastic though. Mortimer hid a gun beneath his cloak, Sparrow shielded Augustus’ daughter with her body, Night Terror stood still in eerie silence, and Luigi courageously stayed at the back.

As for Livia...

“So, you’re the new leader of the Meta-Gang?” Though she seemed confident and in control, Ryan noticed the slight unease at the edge of Livia’s gaze. While she could read notes left by her previous self, the presence of Psychos didn’t help make her feel safe. “Quicksave, is it?”

“President,” Ryan replied, carrying his cat in his hands. “Mr. President.”

“Who elected you?” Mortimer asked, curious.

“You don’t want to know,” Mosquito replied while shuddering. “They had... persuasive arguments.”

“Six against three,” Sarin taunted the Augusti. “You really fear us that much?”

“Considering you’ve been attacking our businesses lately, we expected a trap,” Sparrow replied, before checking an earplug hidden beneath her hair. “Miss Livia, it seems they indeed came alone.”

“I know the previous administration and yours didn’t get along well, but it’s all in the past now,” Ryan said. “We want peace between our two nations. We even brought a gift to show our goodwill.”

“A gift?” Greta’s smile turned genuine, having been informed ahead of time. “I love gifts. What kind of gift?”

“The old administration, of course!” Ryan said before snapping his fingers. Mosquito opened the black minivan’s chest, grabbed the content, and tossed it at Livia’s feet. “Packaged just for you.”

Psyshock wriggled on the ground, blissfully out of commission.

body with contempt. Sparrow and Mortimer studied the Psycho with curiosity, while Greta’s gleeful joy turned

Psyshock’s mouth. “I prefer it when they

Ryan said. “You’ll need to negate his power first to make his

powers?” Sarin asked,

I am doing it right now,” Greta said with pride, which Ryan confirmed after a

am I still made of gas?” Sarin complained, before raising her hand to the skies.

mine,” Cancel said with disappointment. “Like the Boss. He can’t shoot lightning in

for it,” Sparrow said ominously. “He would

connection to

which he got from a knockoff that didn’t draw upon the Red Dimension for fuel. Ryan tried to reconcile these two contradictions, until

was a physical mutation. Combined with the other information Ryan had gathered, then Mob Zeus’ body

Probably an Orange.

strong Orange, but it didn’t explain how Lightning Butt could move in the stopped time, or why most

itself had

he would need to test its limits, but Ryan felt he was onto something. More worrying, since Ryan’s power relied on his connection to the

a silenced pistol before Greta could finish her sentence, and

out of his weapon. “It’s teamwork. You soften the prey,

get the

if the sight of Psyshock’s corpse bleeding out on a parking lot didn’t fill him with joy. “VP, please call our staff to check if Psypsy’s victims recovered,” the POTUS asked Sarin, before turning at Livia. “So? Do we sign

discuss that inside a private space,” she replied. “Luigi will be present

that?” Ryan asked, disliking the man’s presence. “He might

every day,” Luigi replied

well, he asked

where she welcomed Ryan in the previous loop. She invited them to sit around the table, with the cookies and coffee cups already

Eugène-Henry leap onto the bed nearby. His host couldn’t suppress a raised eyebrow. “Is this really necessary? You should have all

you,” Livia said, glancing at Luigi. “And

the truth-teller warned Ryan. “You

short version or the long one?” the time-traveler

could give a

Alright.

Time to rant!

the third loop where we meet and I really hated how you took away my control over all factors, but like cancer, I’ve learned to live with it. Also, you really remind me of a friend who suffered from a toxic family environment, so I want to help. I

voting for me or dying, I became President, and I love democracy so much I’m never relinquishing power until my death. The whole timeline is ruined so I decided to try new stuff like finding a cure for the Psycho condition, and also, you have the brain patterns of a friend trapped in your head, which I really want back, please. I haven’t doctored your notes or anything, and

for you Luigi. I hate you, I hate you so much. The first time I beat you was one of my eternal life's best memories, and I love doing it. I love it so much I’ll keep doing it in every loop until the last one. Also, nothing you will do during this loop

his hands. “I think that’s

coffee cup, and her gaze lost itself in the pitch

at her

“Y-yes, ma’am?”

it, I will make a generous deposit on your account.

widened in shock. “Like,

tone less friendly than

I supposed to go?” the

smile that wasn’t a smile. “Obviously, you won’t say a word of this to anyone else, even my father. If you do,

could see the blood on the

don’t leave the city by next sunrise, I will beat you up with a hockey stick,” Ryan blurted

out the window; the truth-teller

princess?” Ryan said as time

is… a lot to process, even with prior warning.” Livia glanced at Eugène-Henry, who had claimed the bedsheet as his own.

power,” Ryan replied with a shrug.

replied before wincing. “Sending him away now is the best choice. My power gave him one chance out of three of killing himself if

couldn’t tell he was surprised. In his experience, it was usually the most common response to people learning the truth, closely followed by attempting to capture

a few things I wish to discuss.” Livia peered into Ryan’s eyes. “Since you’ve taken over the Meta-Gang by force, it means you control the bunker during

she knew. Of course she did. Her father probably had moles in Dynamis, and Livia probably recorded its existence

will you

I’ll learn everything I can about its content, and then I will destroy it in the final loop,” Ryan explained. “It’s an apple of discord. Every

be used for good

“True, some of the technology inside can benefit humanity, and it will once I’ve filtered

Livia admitted. “You want to cure

help

I can use two powers with no side-effects,” she guessed, crossing her arms. “Dynamis already made a similar offer, but I refused to assist. They would use this knowledge to

will use

I’ll consider it. Just give me some time to process everything, Ryan. It would be so much easier if I could remember directly, instead of catching up with written

you could,” Ryan said. “But Psyshock sabotaged the tech needed. I’m trying to

Len Sabino’s mental map?” she asked, and the time-traveler nodded in response. “Alright. I will need time to type

me?” Ryan asked,

confusion. “Yes, why? That

but I expected another fetch

offended by his skepticism. “Though I do not remember it, from what I read, you did me a great favor. I trust my previous self’s

would have tried to use