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.

woman in question avoided his gaze, much to his annoyance. “And you, Jamie? I heard about your promotion. It’s not enough to close your

his own. “Why are you here, Felix?” Jamie asked, uneasy. Ryan could tell the young hero’s words had struck

Bacchus needs chemicals from your division to make his drug. Just by taking

don’t think now is

the time,” he protested, taking a step towards his adoptive sister. Jamie rose from his own seat, perhaps

here, Janus, but he doesn’t know… he swears he’s

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

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

survive,

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

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

Mars sighed, his face dark and sorrowful. He looked at his stubborn son, the phone in his hand. When faced with a choice between disobeying his invincible boss and paying the price, or offering a sacrificial

a revolver’s trigger echoed in

time, leapt from his seat, and pushed

it resumed, the projectile impacted on the wall, Fortuna screaming

back,” Ryan said, as he glanced at the fireplace.

pull of the trigger, and

exploded into a rain of glass shrapnels, Narcinia screaming as Ki-jung and Jamie hastily grabbed her and dived down below the table. Mortimer missed and retreated back into the wall, while the shards avoided a horrified Fortuna and

The Olympian moved his hand

Felix said,

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 on the grass below, his favorite cat rolled on the ground. The courier

feet. A storm of glass kept Mars busy

the night’s darkness on their

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

time-stop. Instead of moving within the

Night Terror’s

quickly found the responsible party standing near the mansion’s wall to the courier’s right, his black bodysuit meshing with the darkness. The time-traveler grabbed

in the eye and made him fall to his back, screaming. His illusion collapsed into nothingness, as if it had never been there. Felix blinked repeatedly.

his surprise, it wasn’t his Plymouth Fury, but a Mercedes Benz stopping

them inside.

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

always calls me ‘Master Ryan’ when things are heating up,” the courier

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

lied,” Ryan said as time resumed, the impostor dropping her weapon and hissing at the pain.

guessed what was

she could also alter vocal cords. She attempted to remove the knife with her

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

self-driven car was making its way to their location. “Now, apologies, but

were a traitor the moment I saw you,”

at the window’s edge with a

have launched them at the 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

wife, Mars quickly made up

could pull and summon items from a pocket dimension armory, but he had never imagined the speed at which

in!” he ordered Felix as he swiftly took over the driving wheel,

her father by the arm, trying to keep him away from the window and briefly halting the bombardment. “Daddy,

hands and legs. They quickly started to fall off

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

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255