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

Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea. “I don’t recommend

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

“Why Luigi? Was it

Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was a hate

looked really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie said.

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

crossed his arms. “But then how did

the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody played that

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

don’t say,”

Jamie invited him home, they played poker, went

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

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

would drive anyone

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

beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting

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 power noticed an

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

care of.

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good or

repeat until he met Vulcan. The

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect

we already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning from curious to

while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The underboss’ mere attention

marked,” Pluto said. “But I

...

power somehow mark

Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing

is your new

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. “He’s a Violet.

a Blue?” Pluto observed Ryan with an intense stare, as if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him.

female bodyguard pointed out.

while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd,

she asked Ryan,

replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m immortal, but

“I’ve got places to be right now, but I will call you

No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That was a

follow her order, he would die. The

watched the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up at first, so Ryan broke

out a breath of relief. “Blabbermouth,

do?!” Ryan replied, just as confused. “Or would

Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is not a good

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

she even here?”

since she’s been itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned

said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his

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

“The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would make sense for them to outsource their

of events. It appeared Shroud had followed through with his promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the criminal syndicate had decided to focus entirely on wiping

threaten his entire infiltration mission, and

made progress, a new problem

to play along until Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti longer than that. And if they tried to

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