The Perfect Run

Psychos had been a fact of life for fifteen years.

Ryan had visited hundreds, if not thousands of communities through his long existence, and almost all of them shared the same tales. Maddened monsters attacking them at night, mutants hiding in sewers, raiders attacking their Genome defenders, or fools trying to imitate Augustus only to come up short.

Psychos had collectively killed the courier many times, coming in as a close second behind traffic accidents. His adoptive father Bloodstream had caused his very first death, and it still gave Ryan headaches to remember it.

Nobody could imagine a world without Psychos...

Until today.

The refurbished laboratory of Station Orpheon was far lighter and warmer than the Alchemist’s, with white walls, glowing bars in the ceiling casting a pleasing light, and the sweet, sweet smell of morning coffee permeating the air. Ryan’s host of Geniuses, namely Shortie, Alchemo, and Stitch, had gathered behind control panels and thrumming computers. Meanwhile, the Panda happily cleaned up a large vat in the northern corner of the room with a sanitizer.

All were gearing up for an experiment that might change the world’s face forever, though their patient lacked their enthusiasm.

“I don’t want to go inside,” sweet Sarin grumbled at Ryan’s side, arms crossed. “Find another way, nerd.”

“There isn’t,” Ryan replied. Truth be told, nothing guaranteed that the operation would work at all. Even though they had copied the Alchemist’s research data before destroying her base, the group didn’t have her wealth of alien technology. “Come on, you fought aliens and you’re afraid of a glass tube?”

Instead of blasting him where he stood, Sarin let out a grunt. “It’s not the vat,” she said. “It’s…”

“Getting out of that suit?” Ryan guessed, avoiding any joke or jab. The woman had suffered for years from her condition, never feeling anything nor experiencing joy. Taunting her on that front, especially now, would feel like kicking a cancer patient.

Sarin shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”

“You wouldn’t bring this up if it didn’t,” Ryan replied. “You know, I’m a certified therapist and I’ve seen everything. I’m here if you need an ear.”

“I ain’t like your princess,” Sarin scoffed. “I don’t need a white knight. You think I’m that weak?”

“I don’t think you’re weak, just alone.” Though the Psycho didn’t answer, Ryan could tell from her posture that he had nailed it. “And even that is a thing of the past. I mean, we had a good time raiding drug churches, exploring new continents, freeing the government from both the reptilians and the Illuminati...”

“It was nice,” the Psycho agreed, looking away at the Geniuses toiling away behind their computers. “And you’re following up with your promise, which is more I can say from Adam. You ain’t a fink.”

“See?” Ryan decided to share some wisdom accumulated over centuries of time travel. “If you keep all your feelings for yourself, you’re never going to get over your fears and neuroses. Either you become more open with others, or you need to blow off steam. If you want to follow the latter path, I would suggest bullying Ghoul.”

“I would rather hit Adam,” Sarin replied, before raising her hands and moving her fingers. The movements were unnatural, gas pushing cloth from the inside. “Every time I get out of my suit, I fear getting scattered to the winds. Stretching for miles, feeling my mind slip away with the distance. You can’t imagine how it feels, nerd.”

“No, I can’t,” the courier admitted. “Though you already left your suit behind once, when we made an FBI raid on Ischia.”

“I know that the experiment is as safe as it can be around you.” Sarin sighed. “But I still feel weak, and I hate it.”

Ryan crossed his arms, meditated on what to say next, and then uttered a single word.

“Bianca?”

Sarin bristled at her true name being spoken, as if she had forgotten it.

“Being vulnerable is... never easy,” Ryan said, trying to find the right words. “Especially not with others. After building strong and thick walls around ourselves, it’s difficult to tear them down.”

Sarin snickered. “Easy for you to say, Mr. Time-Traveler.”

“It’s not as perfect a crutch as it seems.”

At this point, Ryan had decided to fully come clean to everyone not in the know yet among his group. Sarin had been the first, but the courier hoped to have a discussion with Felix and especially Mr. Wave. The former already suspected something was up, and the latter…

Ryan owed him much more than his love of cashmere.

“You know, when Livia and I…” Ryan took a deep breath, before speaking his mind. “I was scared of her, at first. Very few things scared me since I got my power, but she topped all of them. She could remember.”

“She could kill you for good,” Sarin guessed. “Throw her daddy at you?”

“That and worse.” Ryan shuddered at what Livia could have done, if she had taken more after her thunderous father. “For the first time in many, many years, I had to be honest with someone that wasn’t my best friend. Like a bear cornered in his cave. It was… it was difficult. I mean, yeah, now she’s my First Lady, but she could have easily been my Lee Harvey Oswald too.”

“Who?” Sarin asked, showing an absolute lack of culture.

That inane question was proof that anyone could become Ryan’s vice-president these days, which he took as a badge of honor. The courier prided himself on his government’s inclusivity.

while to trust Livia, and even longer to feel at ease around her,” the courier explained his point. “We struggled to conquer our fear of the other, but in the end, it was worth it. All the pain and the fear led to something better.

“No.”

then you’re

chuckled. “Seriously, I get it,” she said. “That day is going to make all the efforts and struggle worth it. Maybe I’ll get

develop diabetes,” Ryan

long string of frustration and disappointments, smartass.” He could almost taste the bitterness in his ally’s voice. “Even before Adam. Each time

anymore. Taking that leap of faith might sound hard, but it will

to follow you on this stupid mission because part of me hoped that the Alchemist had a plan for us. That what I went through had a purpose. Well, as

have no purpose, and we are completely free,” Ryan

worst part, nerd?” Sarin asked with sorrow. “I’ve spent so much time looking for a cure, I’m not sure what I will do

community service. You worked with Adam for years, so you’ve got a lot to

the vat, seeing her gas mask’s reflection in the glass. “What

Sarin, Ryan hadn’t planned anything beyond completing his Perfect Run. “At first, I thought

leave New Rome, would there be room

Ryan replied. “But only if you

amusement, while the

Ryan

The Panda declared with a raised paw. “I removed all the germs from

few more minutes, before finally deciding to take the leap of faith. She opened her hazmat suit,

going to be alright, Bianca,” Ryan promised, as he and the Panda closed the glass door behind her. “This time, it will

a vaguely humanoid shape,

the computer panel.

keep this up for weeks,” Dr. Stitch replied. “This

doubt a part of her still

computers to the vat activated, while a plastic lamp projected a blue

use a system based on the Chronoradio to

her mind, however,” Dr. Stitch said. “Modifying her body

remember,” Alchemo replied

fact, she

wishes, and translate them into Flux,” Ryan whispered, remembering what he had read from the Alchemist’s data. “True Genomes exist on two levels.

alone existed in two places and eras at once. Two

And in time, that ethereal consciousness grew in power, in wisdom,

a greater form of

copy of Bianca’s molecular structure from his Meta-Gang loop, then they could ask her Elixirs to reshape her current self while taking this

getting a signal,” Len said, as the lamp changed color, from blue to red, from orange to

you put on the loudspeaker?” Ryan

host. Perhaps they were trying and failing to repair the damage they had caused to their host, unable to understand what

alien gargle

hydrogen!” Ryan winced at the words, though the voice sounded inhuman, the tone reminded of a hyperactive

sound any more mature. “How can our Homo

Reds, it’s all about energy with you! She wouldn’t need your shockwaves if you let me

I let you act without supervision, you would have turned her into a

Mastery of the

wanted to be strong to defend herself, to shake down everyone who could threaten her! She doesn't want to be free,

all you care about! Never us! I’m the one trying to

the researchers, as the Elixirs’ debate grew more heated and

all, and you are ruining our

you heartless battery! I was here first! We were happy

completely misunderstood her wish! She would never ascend under

The manbear coughed. “The Panda is having

said,

Hanlon’s razor.

to malice, what can be explained by

Elixirs should get a divorce,” Ryan told Sarin. The cloud inside the vat briefly took a humanoid shape, hand raised with

have heard enough,” Alchemo said, connecting to the control panel with neural links embedded in his syringe-finger. The light show

the Red one from what

I hope it’s Eva! Let

an instruction,” the Red Elixir said, sounding astonished.

we…” The Orange Elixir’s voice turned from confusion

like any good partner, immediately blamed its fellow. “No

we favored our main host so much, that we completely forgot about the other one. The Ultimate Ones won’t be