The Perfect Run

Enrique Manada had been true to his word.

Sitting around a garish pink table at the Dostoïevski restaurant, Ryan, Len, and the Panda examined the plans of Dynamis’ Gravity Gun; though the Gravity Rifle would have been a better name for it. The device was long and impractical, though the courier was certain they could miniaturize it.

As Livia had promised, the Dostoïevski was a Russian all-you-can-eat buffet located at New Rome’s periphery and catering almost exclusively to families. The restaurant could have easily accommodated hundreds of patrons, though Ryan’s girlfriend had rented the entire restaurant for a private gathering. The floor was carpeted with industrial, blue flooring, with the food steam trays decorated with fish imagery; staff members were dressed in sailor’s attire, and the tables smelled of ice cream. Somehow, the comforting atmosphere put even the usually shy Len at ease.

Everyone had come dressed casually for the occasion, even Ryan. The other guests hadn’t arrived yet, though the courier didn’t doubt they would. Nobody in their right mind would miss the garish neon lights advertising the restaurant on the roof.

“A few seconds after being fired, the projectile creates a gravitational anomaly,” Timmy explained, after reviewing the schematics. It was so odd to see him without his costume on in human form. He looked so scrawny and ordinary, with a shy, gentle smile. “Everything in its vicinity is pulled towards the sphere, while it counteracts the Earth’s pull.”

“So, if I understand correctly, and I almost always do,” Ryan said, “the sphere will pull Lightning Butt towards itself, and then fly up?”

His pandawan nodded. “According to Dynamis’ calculations, the Gravity Gun will expel him from the upper atmosphere. After that, the sphere will wander through the solar system without ever returning home.”

Ryan immediately saw where Dynamis found the inspiration for that plan. “They wanted to Kars Augustus.”

“Kars?” Len asked with a frown. Ryan silently vowed to remedy her complete absence of pop culture knowledge.

“I understood that reference!” The Panda said happily.

“Every time you open your mouth, my young pandawan, my faith in humanity is renewed,” his mentor congratulated him.

“But will it work?” Len asked with skepticism. “Augustus can fly.”

“By manipulating electric charges to ionize air,” Ryan pointed out. “He shouldn’t be able to fly outside the atmosphere. However, if he breaks the sphere before reaching space...”

Len frowned. “Do you think it could work, Riri?”

“Livia doesn’t believe so.” At least not without support. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to rely on only one secret weapon.” His main plan was to lure Lightning Butt to Monaco and trap him there permanently, while beating him up into submission with his Black Flux power remained a secondary option.

“We could make copies and distribute them to our group,” Len suggested. “I could replace my water rifle with it.”

“No, too dangerous,” Ryan said. “For it to work, I will need to fire it in close combat. Better to use our limited time on miniaturizing this Gravity Gun and install it in my armor.”

“Only your armor?” Shortie’s eyes widened. “Riri, you can’t mean…”

“Dynamis’ gardener in chief had a point. When people dare the lightning to strike them, they die.” Ryan had seen Augustus tear apart Big Adam’s jaw with a backhand, shatter Sunshine’s core, and survive the following supernova. New Rome’s tyrant was, by far, the most powerful foe the courier had ever faced. There was no room for error with him. “I’ll take Mob Zeus on alone.”

“Sifu, no!” The Panda protested in panic. “That’s suicide!”

“He’s right, Riri,” Len added while folding the schematics. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’m the only one who can even harm him,” Ryan replied. “And his immunity to my time-stop means I’ll have a hard time saving anyone caught in the crossfire. If he kills me, I can come back from it.”

Hopefully.

Len looked ready to protest, when the restaurant’s door slammed open and a green-haired spitfire walked into the place. “Holà!” the young woman said in mangled Spanish, before switching back to Italian. She dressed so trashily that Ryan almost missed the hazmat suit. “What’s up, boys and girls?”

“Hey, Bianca!” Ryan welcomed her with a raised hand. “What will you start with? Caviar? Blinis? Borscht?”

“I’ll try everything, El Presidente,” the former Sarin snickered, as a blonde, shy woman and a scrawny man followed her. A giant more than two meters tall closed the march, though he struggled to fit through the restaurant’s doors. “I’ve got years of sensory deprivation to make up for.”

“Hello…” The former Acid Rain smiled shyly at Ryan’s group. The contrast with her deranged former self couldn’t be starker.

“Oh, hi Helen!” The Panda waved a hand at them. “Hi, Mongrel!”

“Not Mongrel,” the latter replied. With his Knockoff Elixirs out of his system, the former Psycho looked healthy and most importantly, sane again. “It’s Jerome now. I don’t wanna have a supervillain nickname ever again.”

“You should still pick one,” Ryan said. “We’ll need you to improve our cure, and maybe even help us with weapons in hand.”

The former Mongrel shrugged. “Look, I owe you guys a life debt, and I’ll pay it back. But once it’s done, I never want to have anything to do with Elixirs or fight for the rest of my life. Years as a savage animal make you appreciate a normal nine-to-five existence like nothing else.”

“You… you freed me from a long nightmare. Cured me, and gave me my life back.” Helen bowed to Ryan deeply. “If I can do anything to help… I will do it. Even if it means picking up arms again.”

“Yeah, none of us are finks here,” Bianca said. “Even Frank feels he owes you one… that, and he’s eager to burn down the establishment.”

Ryan glanced at the last member of the group as he walked inside the restaurant. Though he was no longer the colossus he had once been, the man was still over two meters tall, and slightly balding. His middle-aged face reminded Ryan of Marshal Zhukov, tough and blunt, but also someone you could have a good time fishing with. His grey parka and heavy boots made him look for a soldier ready to go to war.

“My name is not Frank,” the giant replied with a heavy Russian accent. “My name is Vladimir. Or Vlad, like the impaler.”

“Whatever you say,” Bianca replied, before moving on to the buffet. Helen hurriedly followed after her, while Jerome asked the waiters about the nearest toilets. “I never knew I would say that, but I liked you more as an American.”

Ryan agreed. Frank had been a true patriot, enthusiastic, loyal, amusing… while his real self...

“It was capitalist brainwashing,” Vlad the Mad replied. “They know they cannot stop the revolution, so they infect the workers’ minds with microchips and polluted ideas.”

His real self was a total killjoy.

Worse, Len immediately recognized a kindred spirit. “Are you a Marxist-Leninist?” she asked hopefully.

Vlad the Mad’s eyes lit up in enthusiasm, and he immediately sat right next to Shortie. Thankfully, the tables were meant for six and could accommodate the giant just fine. “I am a Trotskyist,” he said with pride. “Only through permanent revolution can the workers of the world achieve equality for all!”

“I thought the communists were almost extinct?” Timmy asked naively.

“No, you would fit right in,” Ryan said. “But only in Panda form.”

“You think equality is something to joke about?” Vlad squinted at Ryan. “You think neoliberal oppression is funny?”

everything seriously, and didn’t have a humorous bone in his body. “No, no, I’m

ideas live on,” Vlad the

that she started grilling him about political theory.

empty plate and replaced it with one full of beef. With the Psycho treatment having separated her two powers, the former Acid Rain could switch the position of items of near-equivalent mass, including herself. “The workers of the world have never been more oppressed! The only thing they lack

wondered if he had created a monster. “I prefer social democracy,” the Panda

acme of subtlety.

is a waste of my valuable time!” Alchemo complained crankily as he stepped into the restaurant, his daughter and

not the food that matters, but the company,”

Helen and Bianca. The toaster on wheels rolled all the way to the buffet, to Acid Rain’s confusion. “Hey, beauties,

talking?” Helen asked Bianca, who shrugged

the restaurant with his dazzlingly golden girlfriend holding his arm, while Livia and Felix exchanged words behind them. Ryan observed his girlfriend from head to toe, recognizing her clothes as the black coat she loved so much. Discreet,

he said when

glancing at Fortuna. “Do you mind if

arm around her boyfriend’s, and another around

Felix grumbled,

a bit too much on that

with a blissful gaze, before dragging them aside to

to settle with Livia near a window. Their table was meant for two and isolated from the rest, and provided a cozy kind of intimacy. Livia nodded at a waiter, and

are they playing the Rains of Castamere?” Ryan

he often glanced at Ryan’s table. Jerome’s return from the toilets quickly distracted him though, as an unusually kind Fortuna invited him to join their group. “I like to

a cruel, wicked woman,” the courier

ambush him?” She asked, as a waiter gave them a glass of vodka each. “I’m surprised you

Ryan replied while sipping his glass. “I’m not

the lot, though his

work on the Bloodstream vaccine plague rather than join us,” Ryan said. “Sunshine

my father catches wind of their

are things going on

his inaction.” Livia played with her glass, her expression darkening. “He suspects the Meta-Gang. From his point of view, he hasn’t heard of their activities in a few days, right as Geist mysteriously vanishes. Obviously, he suspects a connection. He has heavily reinforced security around Ischia

“So far?”

and unharmed. My father hasn’t been informed yet, but once he is, he will grow suspicious of Vulcan’s allegiances.” Livia glanced at her boyfriend with a quizzical

patch up with an old friend,” Ryan replied with

didn’t detect any hint of jealousy in his girlfriend’s expression. “I

work?” the courier asked. He was glad that Dragon Mom listened to his advice, but it took New Rome’s destruction by an orbital

percent chance to take Wyvern on her olive branch, and I will make sure to warn

joy. “Is it alright to

him somewhat when I brought Psyshock to Cancel. Officially, I’m meeting with Genome mercenaries to help us take down the Meta-Gang.” She winked at him. “Dad is too happy that I am taking my future role of leader seriously to look too much into my

it, I should have asked to be paid in advance,” Ryan said. “That was

will occupy Rust Town again soon, and this time they will examine the area thoroughly.” Livia sighed. “There’s a strong possibility

had expected as much. “Take what we can,

better that way,” his girlfriend replied. “Things like the Bahamut orbital laser and robot armies

what to do about Mechron’s Knockoff production process,” Ryan confessed. “I considered offering Dynamis the necessary technology,

“Unless?”

you’re putting your

“If all goes well for us, my father will be ousted from power, as will Hector

raised an eyebrow. “You want to form a new

Republic,” Livia said with a foxy grin. “How does

time-traveler chuckled. “I

Livia defended her choice.

“Moi?”

becoming a president. Don’t you want to become the Albert

Vodka. “When did

me Queen Crimson,” she said before giving him a dirty gaze. “You’ll look

if you wear a matching

“Mechron’s Knockoff technology could help this newborn nation, or it might create more tensions in Europe. I’ll need to examine the future in-depth after we

deflated. “If

remember everything. We can try again.” She expected to say something, but grew suspicious when he remained silent.

courier sighed. “I’m

your power?” Livia’s eyes

One itself, won’t let me.

Geist across multiple timelines?” Livia took his hands into her own,

and told her everything. He gave her the details of his expedition in the Black World, about how his power’s inner workings, and how it interfered with the space-time continuum.

us our wishes,” she said with a sad frown. “What did you ask for to

answered bluntly, “I wanted to

quickly turned into hope. “You wanted to die, past

Sharp.

make Alchemo relax a bit, while Helen grew more at ease as

beamed with happiness. “You gathered all these people, Ryan,” she said, her gaze lingering on the former Psychos among them. “In some cases, you

most of all,” Ryan

weren’t for its influence, we wouldn’t have met each other. If it encourages you to see this loop through to the end, even without

her heart. “But if everything you destroy with that

“I swear. I might imprison him, but I won’t slay

him carefully, before nodding to herself.

“That’s all?”

as simple as that. You always fulfilled your promises, and I know you will follow through

saving Lightning Butt from himself. “Or I might accidentally give him a wound he will never recover from. I’m

nodded to herself, but didn’t insist. She had already made peace with the fact her father's days were numbered, largely by his own

already asking a lot from everyone to spare my father, especially after all he has done,” she admitted. “Ordering his victims to help cure him would be greedy.

defenders

the Killer Seven have orders to reinforce

to go for the Augusti to reform, Bacchus included.