The Perfect Run

Chapter 107

Ryan wondered how many lives Felix ‘Atom Cat’ Veran had left.

He had died at the Meta-Gang’s hands at least twice, once to Fallout’s bombardment of Len’s underwater base, and probably alongside everyone in New Rome when Bloodstream escaped confinement. Which should leave him with five lives out of nine?

“Felix!” Narcinia almost rose from her seat, only for Mars to put a hand on her shoulder and force her back to her seat. The young teen looked at her adoptive brother and father in confusion.

Fortuna’s response was far less subdued. “Felix, you ass!” she complained so loudly that Mathias winced at her shrilling voice. “How dare you come to a family dinner dressed like that! You look like a plumber!”

“Glad to see you too, sis,” Felix replied as he rose up, swiping ashes and dust off his clothes. His eyes wandered to the table, meeting confused looks from the guests. “Jamie, Ki-jung… Dad.”

“You could have used the door,” Mars said, his eyes tense. To Ryan’s surprise, he didn’t immediately go for his son’s throat, perhaps because of his daughters’ presence. “We invited you.”

“And I’m sure the guards outside are for show. You would never have let me close to Narcinia if I went through the entrance.” Felix turned away from his father, before noticing Mathias and Ryan. “Who are you?”

“Your sister’s boyfriend,” Mathias replied with mixed feelings. His tense eyes met Ryan’s, silently waiting for a signal. He too understood that the situation would soon degenerate.

“Which one?” Felix asked, curious.

“The right one,” Fortuna replied.

Her brother rolled his eyes, before looking at Ryan. “And… who are you, a new member of the Killer Seven?”

Ryan considered a dozen ways to introduce himself; as Quicksave, as President of the Free World, conqueror of Monaco, immortal and all. All more dignified and flowery than the last.

But only one sentence came to mind.

“I’m BLEEPING your ex.”

The awkward silence that welcomed his declaration delighted the courier.

“Don’t give me that look,” Ryan said to Felix, as the younger hero looked at him with astonished eyes. “It was your ex or your sister, and she’s almost as pretty as you are!”

“Almost?” Fortuna asked angrily. “He doesn’t even groom his hair!”

“Whatever,” Felix said, though the revelation had clearly shaken him. “Narcinia, come with me.”

“What,” the younger Veran asked, “where?”

“Away. My current bosses are a huge disappointment, but working with them will still be way better than making drugs.” Atom Kitty extended a hand to his sister. “Now that that death factory has been burnt to the ground, you can put an end to this tragedy here and now.”

Narcinia didn’t answer, instead anxiously looking at her father. This frustrated her brother. “Narci…”

“Did you do it?” Mars asked his son, his tone dangerous. “Destroy our production center?”

Felix shrugged. “I had nothing to do with that, though I wish I did. Whoever blew up that toxic dump deserves an award.”

His father frowned, and Ryan felt a chill going down his spine. A mobile phone materialized in a purple flash within Mars’ hand, the Olympian immediately making a call.

Livia’s vision was turning into reality.

much to his annoyance. “And you, Jamie? I heard about your promotion. It’s not enough to close your eyes anymore, now will

Felix?” Jamie asked, uneasy. Ryan could tell the young hero’s words had struck a nerve. “To open old

make his drug. Just by

deep breath. “I don’t think now is

taking a step towards his adoptive sister. Jamie rose from his own seat, perhaps

a scowl on his face. “He’s here, Janus, but he doesn’t know… he swears he’s not involved…

of the line, he could guess. Mars was trying

the devastating Ischia raid possible, and his organization’s myth of invincibility was in jeopardy. A brutal, public murder would carry

shall survive, not even my

Butt was a gangster with too much power. When threatened, the answer was always

behind Atom Kitten, noticing the tip of a gun’s barrel sticking out of the

see.” Mars sighed, his face dark and sorrowful. He looked at his stubborn son, the phone in his hand. When faced with

revolver’s trigger echoed in the

and pushed Felix out of

impacted on the wall, Fortuna screaming in surprise while Felix stumbled

should stop shooting people in the back,” Ryan said, as he glanced at the fireplace. Mortimer had phased

pull of the trigger,

grabbed her and dived down below the table. Mortimer missed and retreated back into

Roman-styled centurion armor and mask of steel to materialize over his skin. The Olympian moved his hand over the only part of

the—” Felix said,

boomer,” Ryan replied, grabbing him by the chest like a princess in distress, and jumping through the opened window. The dining room was on the first floor, and so while the time traveler gracefully landed

ordered Felix, helping him back to his feet. A storm of glass kept Mars busy on the first

headlamps emerged from the night’s darkness on their left, just as lightning

a man of ivory descended from the night sky, shrouded in a cloud of crimson lightning. Lightning Butt looked down on the duo,

up on the spot, Ryan wisely activated his time-stop. Instead of moving within the frozen time, Augustus vanished from his sight, alongside his

of Night Terror’s

to the courier’s right, his black bodysuit meshing with the

eye and made him fall to his back, screaming. His illusion

live,” Ryan said as the car approached. But to his surprise, it wasn’t his

inviting them inside. “Quickly! Before the

before realizing Cancel wasn’t with his girlfriend. Felix, too confused

Ryan’ when things are heating up,” the

grab a revolver hidden beneath her clothes. Ryan froze time

Ryan said as time resumed, the impostor dropping her weapon and hissing at the pain. “But seeing your

what was happening.

true form. Great, she could also alter vocal cords. She attempted to remove the

to kill me?” Felix stood in place, too horrified by the realization to even

his relief, his self-driven car was making its way to their location. “Now, apologies, but we’ll miss the

you were a traitor the moment I saw you,” Venus hissed. “There’s nowhere

Mathias had been caught, killed, or something else. Mars stood at the window’s edge with a cold expression, purple rifts in space opening all around him. The tips of swords, arrows, spears, tridents, and other weapons peeked through

skewered them, but he didn’t. Though it was nighttime,

wounded wife, Mars quickly made

to push his kitten out of the way, as weapons fell on them by the dozen. From what the courier understood, Mars could pull and summon items from a pocket dimension armory, but he had never imagined the speed at which he could throw them. The spears and swords flew in the air as fast

dodge the initial volley, reaching his car. “Come in!” he ordered Felix as he swiftly took over the driving wheel, the superhero taking over the

trying to keep him away from

quickly started to fall off her, probably due

the Olympian’s range. Mortimer phased through the building’s walls, opening fire at the car with his gun, but his bullets only grazed the bodywork.

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