The Perfect Run

Chapter 21

All was well so far on the Augusti Path.

Ryan had met Zanbato as expected, beat up Sarin at the harbor, and now repeated the exact same conversation which would lead him to crash at Jamie’s house. All was well and good, to the sound of crashing waves against the piers...

“I have to be sure about something,” Luigi asked the courier. “Are you a snitch or a double agent?”

“Well, I’m not really on anyone’s side,” Ryan replied, but then his mouth acted on its own, “But I’m a Carnival infiltrator, yes.”

… or not.

Everyone present turned to look at him, a tense silence settling in. The grunts raised their weapons, while Zanbato’s face turned from shocked, to disappointed, and finally, to furious.

“Uh oh.”

Okay, two lessons learned.

One, Ryan hated truth-tellers. Hated them, with a passion.

Two, Zanbato could make sashimi out of people with his laser sword. Ryan wouldn’t look at sushi the same way ever again.

But this time… this time, it would be different. The courier had rehearsed the perfect misleading answers. Luigi's power compelled Ryan to say the truth, but only according to the teller’s exact words.

“I have to be sure about something,” Luigi asked him again. “Are you a snitch or a double agent?”

“I can’t snitch on a group I haven’t officially joined yet, and I am not a double agent.” Technically, he was a triple one.

“Are you a mole?”

“Of course I’m not a mole, I’m human.”

There! Saved! He did it, he did it!

“Okay, I should work on my wording,” Luigi sighed but didn’t give up. “Are you, or do you intend, to relay information about us to another organization?”

“Well, yes, I intend to. Hell, I already did!”

Goddammit!

Okay.

Okay, third time's the charm.

Through timing and intelligence, Ryan had skillfully navigated through the chain of causality to avoid the fated question. He had put on the charm, befriended everyone, distracted the grunts with funny anecdotes. Now, the courier and Zanbato prepared to return to the Plymouth Fury, and go eat some delicious pizzas.

“Hey, Quicksave,” Luigi asked, as they took a few steps towards the car. “Before you go, there are a few questions I must ask every new recruit.”

“Luigi, seriously, please, don’t do it,” Ryan replied, his eyes pleading. “For your sake, don’t say this. It won’t end well, I swear it won’t—”

“Sorry, protocol. Are you a snitch?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Yes, I am! Is that what you want me to say, Luigi? Is that what you want me to say?”

Quicksave breathed deeply, fighting off his rising frustration.

“Luigi,” Ryan pointed a finger at the truth-teller, as everyone raised their weapons at the courier's face. “We’re going to have a problem, you and I.”

“Where’s Luigi?” Zanbato asked Grunt 1 when the truth-teller failed to show up at the harbor, leaving only the henchmen to deal with the operation. “Wasn’t he supposed to take care of the shipment?”

“Sorry, he was attacked yesterday night,” Gruntie said, carrying Luigi’s cell phone. Apparently, he would have to fill in for the Made Man. “He’s at the hospital right now, and he’ll be out of commission for a while.”

“What?” The news shocked Jamie, who clearly hadn’t been informed. “By whom?”

a hockey mask and stick, from

a very dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea.

a party, you know, perfectly normal, he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th crazy jumps out of the shadows, breaks his jaw with a hockey stick, beats him

almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it a

didn’t even take his money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was a

attacker looked really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least from what

2 pointed out, “Maybe it was a jealous boyfriend?

Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did they learn where he

the hockey equipment than

you’re staying at a hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the night, just

say,”

invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory,

his sense of timing guide him forward. The auto-pilot wasn’t really a sub-power, simply a state his conscious mind entered when he couldn’t be bothered to live through the same events over and over again. It was no different than daydreaming while repeating a mind-numbing

laws of causality. With a few exceptions, he constantly lived through an endless theater rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way

would

was necessary suffering to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was certain

to reality, interrupting

when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the

his phone, while Lanka had already left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The message involved a photo of Rust

Psyshock taken care of. Children

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good

Zanbato, Ryan expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the exact same way upon

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

didn’t expect that

we already met,” Pluto replied, her

it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still

marked,” Pluto said. “But I

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him

boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully

your

his personal space, putting a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud.

Ryan with an intense stare, as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but

memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe

innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped us fight

asked Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words.

reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan

call you back soon to clear this up. Play stupid, play smart, run, or say no, and you

she threatened him… No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That

follow her order, he would die.

of sight.

letting out a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck

replied, just as confused. “Or would you

woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her

said, her face full of concern, “She can kill

even here?” Lanka

boss gave the go to hit the Meta-Gang hard,” Jamie replied, his arms crossed. “Vulcan will take command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to

after what they did to poor Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack

Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there should have been

Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make sense for them

to puzzle out the sequence of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to

out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration

time he made

Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with

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