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?”

with a hockey mask and

sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly,

for a party, you know, perfectly normal, he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th

“Why Luigi? Was

even take his money,” Grunt 1 replied.

really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie

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

arms. “But then

more time to find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address.

Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the night, just in case. The city isn’t safe

don’t say,”

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

a state his conscious mind entered when he couldn’t be bothered to live through

endless theater rehearsal. People held no mystery to him after a while, always reacting the same way to

repetition would

it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len.

beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting

looping and repetition

factory, the laying defeated on

taken care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises, good or

expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

he didn’t expect that

it, we already met,” Pluto replied, her

what is it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to Ryan. The

said. “But I

...

power somehow mark him across

boss?” Jamie joined the conversation,

your new

when talked to, he all but

if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing pressure around him. The air

female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere

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

Quicksave?” she asked Ryan,

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

be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up.

him… No, wait, that

her order,

his group watched the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to speak up at

of

just as confused. “Or would

woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss.

Ki-jung said, her face full of

even here?” Lanka asked her team

itching to test her new weapons in the field, and Pluto loaned her the Killer

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

just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there should

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

trying 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 divert their attention, the criminal syndicate had decided to focus entirely on wiping out the

him would play out though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out how she could identify him even after he altered

every time he made progress, a

him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to stay with the Augusti longer than that. And if they tried to force him into one fetch

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