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 you help Augustus peddle the poison that almost killed

Jamie asked, uneasy. Ryan could tell the young

close them. Bacchus needs chemicals from your division to make his drug. Just by taking that job, you’re enabling the death

Narcinia took a deep breath. “I don’t think now is

he protested, taking a step towards his adoptive sister. Jamie rose from his own seat, perhaps to stop him,

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

end of the line, he could guess. Mars was trying to

the devastating Ischia raid

survive, not even my

end, as Hector Manada once said, Lightning Butt was a gangster with too much power. When

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

He looked at his stubborn son, the phone in his hand. When faced with a choice between disobeying his invincible boss and paying the

a revolver’s trigger echoed

leapt from his seat, and pushed Felix out of the bullet’s

projectile impacted on the wall,

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

the

and Jamie hastily grabbed her and dived down below the table. Mortimer missed

materialize over his skin. The Olympian moved his hand over the only part of his body exposed, the

the—” Felix said,

the first floor, and so

to his feet. A storm of glass kept Mars busy on the first

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

from the night sky, shrouded in

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

of Night Terror’s

black bodysuit meshing with the darkness. The time-traveler grabbed two knives

back, screaming. His illusion collapsed into nothingness, as if it had never been there. Felix blinked

Ryan said as the car approached. But to his surprise, it wasn’t his Plymouth Fury, but a Mercedes

them inside. “Quickly! Before the others

face and voice, even the clothes… before realizing Cancel wasn’t with his girlfriend. Felix, too confused

Ryan’ when things are heating up,” the

hidden beneath her clothes. Ryan froze time and nailed her hand to the driving wheel by throwing his other knife

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

quickly guessed what was happening.

as the Augusti regained her true form. Great, she could also alter vocal cords. She attempted to remove the knife with

trying to kill me?” Felix stood in place, too horrified by

me,” Ryan said, and to his relief, his self-driven car was making its way to their location. “Now,

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

because Mathias had been caught, killed, or something else. Mars stood at the window’s edge with a cold expression, purple rifts in space opening

duo below and skewered them, but he didn’t. Though it was nighttime, Ryan could have sworn he had seen a flash of doubt and guilt in the older man’s

noticed his wounded wife, Mars

time 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 as arrows, impacting the ground with

car. “Come in!” he ordered Felix as

grabbing her father by the arm, trying to keep him away

his daughter’s hands and legs. They quickly started to fall off her, probably due to her power causing structural damage, but it paralyzed her. “Mathias, Mercury, move my daughters to safety! The glass user

the car with his gun, but his bullets only grazed the bodywork. While the Plymouth Fury escaped the

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