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?”

hockey mask and stick, from

sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea. “I

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 up for a while,

almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it a

money,” Grunt

witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least

Luigi sleeps around a lot, a real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe it was a jealous boyfriend? It had to

it could be the Meta.” Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did they

took Ryan more time to find the hockey equipment

asked Ryan. “I think you should crash

say,”

events happened as predicted. Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved

as he let 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

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

would drive

to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would

to reality, interrupting the flow of

Ryan a second to remember when and where he was when he snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially when his

while Lanka had already left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground.

taken care

Thanks for the tip.

for such surprises, good or

expected events to repeat until he met

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect that answer. “Possibly,

we already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning from curious to confused. “Who

what is it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention terrified

said. “But I don’t remember

...

shit! Did her power somehow mark him across

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing

is your

Jamie invaded his personal space, putting a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,” Zanbato answered Pluto’s question in the courier’s place.

peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him. The air thickened, something weighing on his

have noticed a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers

to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped us fight off Sarin

she asked Ryan,

he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan

got places to be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up. Play stupid, play smart, run, or say no, and you will

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

order, he would

bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared

of relief.

just

Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is

lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her face full of concern, “She can kill with a

here?” Lanka asked her team

crossed. “Vulcan will take command of the clean-up since she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her the Killer Seven hit squad. I say it’s finally time we clean up

Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his own

asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there should have been

“The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make

discussion, trying to puzzle out the sequence of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti

his entire infiltration

time he made

to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to

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

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