The Perfect Run

The conquest of Mechron’s mainframe could be summed up in one sentence.

They came, they saw, they lucked out.

“That’s painful to watch,” Bianca said, as Ryan played a movie montage in the recreational area. He had set up a large screen TV near the bar, allowing Sarin, Eugène-Henry, and the orphaned children to watch ‘The Adventures of Lucky Girl’ in high definition. Shroud also talked to Fortuna away from the group, or rather at her; the Augusti scowled while petting a cleaned up Henriette between the ears, and spoke one word for ten of her boyfriend’s.

As Ryan had expected, the living lucky charm had tremendously helped in accessing the bunker’s mainframe. The time-traveler’s presidential coalition had raided it as soon as Alchemo and his daughter arrived, with cameras catching everything. In the end, Ryan compiled the best bits for posterity.

And what a collection it was! From laser guns blowing up in robots’ faces, to friendly fire and the ceiling miraculously collapsing, this movie had it all; the children couldn’t stop laughing.

“And now this is the best part,” Ryan said, zooming at his favorite scene. Two one-eyed robots threatened Fortuna with a cannon weapon larger than they were inside a metal hall, the distance between the machines and the Genome no more than five meters. “This is a Gauss Railgun. Mechron invented them to destroy aircrafts and battleships.”

The scene unfolded in slow motion, an electromagnetically-accelerated 300 mm round surging through the air at a helpless Fortuna.

Mechron’s robots had used a weapon meant for battleships on a human being.

And they missed.

The projectile had curved in the air, and pierced the wall behind Fortuna. Although the impact threw metal splinters in all directions, they miraculously avoided Lucky Girl and turned her attackers to scraps. It had been the high point of Fortuna’s luck streak.

Afterward, though, Mechron’s robots had figured out that one, her power only affected events within a short range—less than a ten meters radius, from what the courier had gathered so far—and two, couldn’t negate other Genomes’ powers. True, it could alter probabilities to make bullets miss, but it couldn’t prevent Atom Cat’s explosions for example.

Ryan figured that Fortuna’s power was the opposite of Pluto, altering this reality’s causality to work in her favor instead of cursing a foe; with the keyword being this reality. Lucky Girl’s divine protection couldn’t interfere with powers from other Colored Worlds, only with their indirect consequences. Long-distance abilities could harm her.

So instead of using submachine guns and normal weapons, the robots sent the telekinetic machine that splattered the Reptilian during Ryan’s first presidential mandate. The creature would have crushed Fortuna into mincemeat from a safe distance had the courier and the Panda not intervened. And as it turned out, Mechron’s bunker had more than one of such machines to throw at invaders.

Though Ryan’s group included heavy hitters such as Livia, Shroud, the Panda, and other allies, it had been a close call in the end.

“This is disgusting,” Sarin said at the scene. “Just disgusting. I’m afraid of scissors, and that girl… she just gets everything handed to her.” She turned to face Fortuna. “How does it feel to have it all so easy?”

“Oh?” Fortuna raised her reddened eyes in confusion. She clearly hadn’t slept in a while. “It’s nice.”

“Fortuna—” her boyfriend tried to speak.

“Don’t say a word to me,” Fortuna’s rebuke made Shroud flinch, which Ryan found very, very wrong. She had been in a foul mood even before the raid, but he had yet to see her truly angry. Henriette licked her hand, as the young woman petted the dog behind the ears. “At least you care…”

It seemed that Fortuna not only gave the cold shoulder to her ‘one true love,’ but also transferred her affection to Henriette instead. She had cleaned the dirty dog and more or less adopted her.

Ryan was tempted to question Livia about this, but his girlfriend had left to return to her father after providing Alchemo with the brain-maps. The Genius had accepted Ryan’s story of time-travel after analyzing his own memory map, and eagerly proceeded to operate on his daughter and Len both. He had said he could even improve the process further, though the courier didn’t see how.

“Could I see you for a minute?” Ryan gestured at Shroud, before grabbing Eugène-Henry. “No invisibility please.”

The vigilante followed with a condemned man’s enthusiasm, as Ryan led him into his bunker bedroom. “So, your luck has run out?” he asked his transparent friend, with Eugène-Henry resting in the courier’s arms.

“We’re having a bad time.”

No kidding, a blind man could see it. “Thankfully, I have a long experience as a relationship counselor,” Ryan said. “In the end, it’s all about mommy issues, you’ll see. Was your mother a blue-eyed blonde too, like your girlfriend?”

The vigilante marked a short pause, before reluctantly answering, “Yes.”

“See, in the end, it’s always about sleeping with your mother.”

“But they’re nothing alike personality-wise.”

“You tried to find the right balance between familiarity and newness, but we can explore the Freudian undertones later.” Ryan introduced his favorite windshield to his bedroom. There was a small hole in the wall where the plushie had opened fire with the gravity gun. The inactive rabbit in question sat on a desk, surrounded by half-empty alcohol bottles and antidepressants; Ryan thought the sight would help with the counseling session. “Take the cat, and lay down on the bed.”

Shroud sounded highly skeptical of Ryan’s credentials. “Why the cat?”

“It’s an integral part of the healing process,” Ryan said before all but shoving Eugène-Henry in his ally’s arms. Shroud looked at the furball, who meowed in response, and couldn’t resist. He laid down on the bed, the cat taking over his chest while Ryan sat on a nearby chair. “So, about that relationship.”

“She…” Shroud marked a short pause while Ryan remained silent. Nobody could resist trying to fill an embarrassing silence. “Promise me you will not crack a joke.”

“No more than three,” Ryan haggled.

hate you.” The patient sighed. “Fortuna and I had

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

to her apartment.

A worrying thought crossed Ryan’s mind. “Wait, are

a short pause, Eugène-Henry sleeping peacefully on his chest. “I wear

Ryan sighed. “Disappointing.”

case, Fortuna, how to say

played Super Mario Party?” Ryan

but, when she started removing my clothes, I… I couldn’t. I mean, yes, I was attracted to her, but… not like

to make here, but he had enough respect for the couple to hold his tongue. Still, Shroud was okay with assassinating people, but not lying to the girl he was sleeping

out

“Everything?”

of course not,” Shroud replied angrily.

to a

things up about where we stood,” the vigilante deadpanned. “I told her that I came to New Rome to strike at the Augusti syndicate,

learning he had attempted to assassinate her and

to the sabotage campaign,” Shroud replied. “She started defending the Augusti, and when I listed all the people her father Mars had murdered over his career, she denied everything and told me to storm off. I almost did,

her power is still trying to set up romantic situations, then this ship hasn’t

starting to grow fond of her, against my better judgement, but she’s in complete denial about her organization’s true

you’re parking in a no-emo zone,” Ryan interrupted him. “If you go on about how you should have ‘dedicated your heart to

“What if she blows the whistle about this place, about us? I’m not even sure why she

true nature and that of her associates; but it would take a shock like Pluto ordering a hit on

“No. Maybe I should.”

Ryan said. “I’ll consult Livia.” Lucky Girl would react better to the truth if it came from her best friend’s

power has a shorter range than mine, it can’t force us to spend time together

a heartfelt conversation, and I think we are building something solid now,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “Give Fortuna time to digest the truth and this relationship another chance. Her guardian angel wouldn’t work so hard to keep you two

“I like her, Quicksave, but

he had no wish to repeat that one. The sight of Fortuna bleeding to death in her brother’s arms still haunted him. “Maybe she will get

“You aren’t

about your daddy issues while we’re at it? I’m

“I’ll pass.”

to sleep and moved to the laboratories below. By the time they reached the infirmary, Alchemo had finished Len’s

to remove the Bloodstream strain inside Len and work on a vaccine. With access to Mechron’s database and laboratories, Ryan had put Dr. Tyrano and Stitch in contact, and the two had hit it off well from what he had heard. Of course, the Carnival doctor hadn’t been happy to work with someone responsible for infecting New Rome with a sleeping bloody plague, but decided

room,” Ryan said as he and Shroud joined the

half, Sifu?”

might become a de facto Genius in time,” Stitch replied, scribbling notes in a journal. Ryan had learned the plague doctor usually preferred to

Ryan’s pandawan had learned the equivalent of two Doctorates in medical science and chemistry, five Masters’ degrees, and eight languages; including Chinese, Basque, Inuit, and even the Braille writing system. Though he

Shortie?” Ryan asked his

I’m fine.” Len scratched her head. “It’s… strange. I remember some days happening in two different ways, rather than one. I am not sure which of them is the correct one. Is

one. Sometimes the time-traveler forgot which one he validated for

Genius shrugged. “I struggle to find a workaround

could tell he had been through many false hopes, and thus remained cautious. “Could you heal a woman with

said, ever the

pinched the Genius’ metal arm. “Dad, we spoke

the death of me,” Braindead complained, but gave in quickly. He could never say no to his daughter. “I can treat dementia, Alzheimer's, all sorts of brain damage. Give me that

bowed in deep gratitude. “You have my

me, thank my naive daughter

smiled in response. “Dad, one day you will understand that helping others is a reward in

you eat happiness?” Alchemo replied with a

said. “We Geniuses have extensive knowledge, but only in a narrow field. I believe we could achieve greater

the synergies she would form with Shortie to develop

formula based on the information you and this… strange scaled doctor provided,” Stitch answered, showing Ryan his notes. “Once distributed

Good. “And Bliss?”

viral version, yes. A nervous

revolutionary,” Alchemo complained, slightly jealous Ryan had achieved something in his

the fertility

if you ask

so long as the Augusti possess a superlab, they can make new Bliss strains,” Shroud pointed out grimly. “A cure will cripple their business in

either. The loss of Bliss would be a heavy blow to the Augusti’s crime empire, but not a fatal one. They needed to take out the key figures in the criminal syndicate, to clear the