The Perfect Run

“Sorry, I can’t do that.”

Ryan scratched Eugène-Henry’s back while watching Dr. Tyrano on his computer screen. The A-bomb laid on the desk, right next to the late Fat Adam’s gravity cannon. “You’re saying no to unlimited fundings, resources, and safety from the monster you keep bottled up in your lab when he inevitably breaks out? Because you know he will.”

“I don’t know how you managed to learn that much about my work,” Tyrano admitted, a little disturbed. “But I am contractually bound to Dynamis for the next two hundred years. I can’t even leave the building without a heavy escort.”

“Two hundred years?” Were there other time-travelers running around in Italy? “Is that even legal?”

“In New Rome, it is.”

Ryan massaged his temples, at his wit’s end. “Think, Tyrano, think! You’re using an unstable product to turn people you know into timebombs! What will you have after everyone has turned into a Bloodstream clone?”

Dr. Tyrano remained silent for a moment, but Ryan guessed his answer before he even spoke.

“Dinosaurs,” the scalie answered. “I’d still have dinosaurs.”

That made Ryan think more than it should.

Still, the fact Tyrano wouldn’t leave the Dynamis HQ nor agree to sabotage the Knockoff supply dashed a few of the courier’s hopes. Even if the Carnival developed a vaccine plague to cure New Rome’s population, they would have to assault Lab Sixty-Six again to finish off Bloodstream for good.

Still, Ryan didn’t give up on the saurian Genius.

“What if I told you we have access to a completely safe Knockoff variant, so strong it even works with robots?” The courier tempted him. “That we have not one, but two Genomes with multiple powers and no-side effects to study? That we possess a wealth of research and information on Elixirs… and a lab capable of creating life from scratch?”

Then he delivered the coup de grace.

“Inhuman life?”

Tyrano’s slitted eyes expanded like a frog’s, to Ryan’s shock. The courier wondered if it was what passed for arousal for humanoid dinosaurs. To hook him further, the courier forwarded the Genius a sample of his Elixir research, including a bio-scan of Mongrel.

“We’re working on a cure for the Psycho condition,” Ryan said. “Though you’re contractually obligated to work with Dynamis, certainly you can sacrifice some of your precious time for it. Who knows, maybe you could make a Green Knockoff capable of granting your dearest, cold-blooded wish.”

The Genius barely took a glance at the data before raising his white flag. “Where do I sign?”

“First…” Ryan scratched Eugène-Henry behind the ears. “You must give me access to that folder.”

“Oh, that one?” Dr. Tyrano seemed strangely embarrassed about it. “It’s something of a side-project, and early results weren’t promising. But it will change the world, you’ll see!”

“I’ll keep an open mind,” Ryan said, as he received an email called ‘Monster Girl Project.’ He opened the video file within.

The courier instantly regretted it, as an abomination came into view.

The screams and moans that came out of this… this thing startled Ryan so much, that he almost fell from his chair. His terrified cat leaped out of his lap to take over the nearby bed.

“Oh God… oh God…” Ryan covered his mouth, though he couldn’t tell if it was in horror or terrible awe at the man’s demented genius. There were things that could still surprise him after eight centuries of time-traveling. “Why?!”

“A creative spur!” Tyrano explained, as if it made up for this crime against nature. “I couldn’t do that to a reptile!”

“Why a mink?!” Ryan asked, closing the video feed when he couldn’t take the abomination’s screams anymore. “Is… is that thing still alive?”

“No, no, it died, unfortunately,” Tyrano reassured him. “But I have a spare.”

Ryan resisted the urge to throw up, and stopped the video call feed. He would have nightmares for years to come. Even the most depraved Sonic the Hedgehog fans didn’t go as far as Dr. Scalie did.

The courier took a moment to gather his breath, only to suddenly hold it. Two long ears rose from the side of the desk, a monster rising from the depths of Hell.

“No,” Ryan said with false panic.

The plushie looked at his maker, then at the A-bomb, and finally back at his maker. Meanwhile, Eugène-Henry ignored them all to vanish beneath the bedsheets, considering the matter beneath his kingly notice.

“No!” Ryan forbade the plushie.

And for the first time since this loop began, the furred fiend answered.

“I will always be your friend!”

This plushie hastily pushed the A-bomb’s button with a loud ‘click.’

Nothing happened.

The plushie hit it again, and again, and again in quick succession, growing more and more frustrated. Its eyes turned red as it glared angrily at Ryan.

“It’s a prop,” the courier replied with a grin. “I gave the real one to Vulcan.”

He had bribed his favorite dwarf Genius with so much technology, that she didn’t even ask him to ruin Star Studios this time. Vulcan insisted that Ryan become her assistant instead, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

more than willing to help her, but only in short bursts. Though Ryan could now interact with Vulcan without feeling stabbed in the gut every time she opened her mouth, the shadow of his Jasmine remained ever-present. The courier also intended to use this

Ryan tossed it the gravity cannon. “Here, if you want to work your way up the suicide chain,” he said. “Aim for the heart though. There’s a chance you might

“Please don’t kill anyone else!” Ryan pleaded as he left the fiend to its experiments, rising from

to repair his glass mask, though Ryan wondered why

Ryan replied with disappointment. “He fears

run, he might have changed that, but Ryan would have his plate

this time, probably at Livia’s urging, but Jamie

Rome by the next day and help take over the bunker’s mainframe. With Dr. Stitch and Tyrano’s long-distance assistance, the courier would have the best medical team in the world to figure out a cure for

he would dedicate

will need to clean up Dynamis’ upper echelons,” Mathias said. “We planned to wait for

fall many times.” Ryan said with a shrug. “His children might be willing

unleash; and especially if his family lied to him. But Alphonse is another beast entirely. He won’t surrender Bloodstream, even

red, a commie infiltrator. He wants to turn

remained skeptical. “Think about it. Fallout not only controls the Knockoff supply, but with Tyrano’s cure, he can also remove powers at will. That’s not the case with Mechron’s variants,

pondered Shroud’s point, and had to admit that he might be right on the money. Atom Smasher planned to make everyone a Genome so people like Augustus couldn’t monopolize power, but he didn’t wish to coexist with other organizations. Neither did he hesitate to lie to his close

away, then it could become a true superpower. People would be kept in line by the fear of losing their Knockoff Genome abilities, and the Manada

organization,” Shroud said. “If he was truly the hero he believes himself to be, he wouldn’t have created something so dangerous in the first place. In the end, Alphonse

stop time,” Ryan said, remembering Bianca running off to sacrifice

dangerous Genomes operating in Italy, he comes a close third behind Augustus and

with

Fallout, or even Augustus, true. But the risk of dangerous weapons spreading to the public is too great. Even distributing Mechron’s Knockoff formula doesn’t strike me as a good idea. It might weaken the position of Genome warlords, but our post-war society is too fragile to survive ten

Ryan replied. “But I will only destroy this

his arms. “Do you

my transparent

even the slightest chance it works, I

at Ryan’s words. “He can

turned his head sideways, thoughtful. “Why do you think the Alchemist distributed these Elixirs in the first

squids, Ryan thought.

positive things Geniuses can make, I can’t help but wonder why Mechron built weapons rather than

Late Adam, but most people I’ve met only need the right circumstances to turn their lives around. Anyone can choose

“Do you know that she

boyfriend her gallery yesterday

me as a game designer. I can’t quite explain it. And she won half a million euros in lottery winnings this morning,

he speaking fondly of Fortuna? Yesterday’s battle had greatly helped to turn his opinion of her

“Loud, no respect for personal

much better person than

behind his head. “Will you be transparent with her

Mathias deadpanned with a joke of his own, before answering. “I think I will clear things up with her, but… not as

members of her group, she isn’t in it for the killing,” Ryan said. “She wants to protect

you’re dating her?” Shroud’s voice turned from amused to serious. “To turn

to,” Ryan replied. He really had a

Ryan. What if she changes her mind

when I needed it,” the courier

father would wreck up the world for her sake, if he didn’t. She didn’t

everyone.” Shroud marked a

he

here, we’ll use your rabbit foot of a girlfriend to access the mainframe,” Ryan said, changing the subject. “You can confirm what I said about the other Mechron bases

to inform Leo about you, you understand that?” Shroud asked. “Even if you turn back time again, I can’t keep

for my cute, beautiful

with a chuckle. “Is there a way for you to carry others through time? I suppose it is

transfer information directly into your brain, though your past self

know myself. I am too paranoid to let anyone alter my brain, even if you earn my trust beforehand. I’m not sure I would even accept such a procedure at Leo’s urging, and I respect him more than

would go through with the memory transfer unconditionally were Alchemo, who understood the technology; and Sarin, who had nothing left to lose. Even Len had remained on the fence so far. “I’m trying to improve a system that

it,” he admitted. “You hold all the cards, and all I can do

you enough to share my greatest secret too, Safelite,” Ryan pointed out. “I can count on one hand those who

went through for

Butt destroyed the city after

it. Neither did Ryan, since Atom Kitten would clearly be much happier with the Carnival than with Dynamis. “A shame. I was interested in

as

with me and

playing pool near a

The exquisitely folded the paper sheet in the shape of a mantis so fast that Ryan could barely see his paws move. The construct joined four others, representing a monkey, a tiger, a crane, and a snake.

superpower,” Sarin snickered. “Can you

teammates, Origami, can turn herself into paper sharp enough to slice throats,” Shroud replied dryly. “She could even slice through

taunted him, while

Sarin, the vigilante mistrusted her as much as Ryan did in the early days of his presidency. “If

truly can cure me, then you’ve got nothing to fear from

he had mastered the skill years ago. “I thought you were a martial arts Genius?” he asked his pandawan. “Or does

tests. It… it took