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?”

crazy psychopath with a hockey mask and stick,

sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at

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, and then

chortled. “Why Luigi?

take his money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe

uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At least from

2 pointed out,

it could be the Meta.” Zanbato crossed his arms. “But

hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody played

you’re staying at a hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at

don’t say,”

played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and Ryan saved the

really a sub-power, simply a state his conscious mind entered when he couldn’t be bothered to

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

repetition would

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

back to reality, interrupting the flow of

to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's perception of reality, especially when his power noticed

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

care

Thanks for the tip.

such

with Zanbato, Ryan expected events to repeat until he met

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

he didn’t expect that answer. “Possibly,

Pluto replied, her tone turning from curious to

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

said. “But I don’t

...

Did her power

joined the conversation, carefully backing

your new recruit,

invaded his personal space, putting a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he

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

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

convinced, her eyes set on Ryan. The courier whistled and looked away innocently, while Zanbato came to his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made

name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely dismissing

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

you back soon

him… No, wait, that wasn’t a threat.

follow her order, he

the underboss leave with her bodyguard in complete silence until they were out of

out a breath of

Ryan replied, just as

said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss.

lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her

is she even here?” Lanka

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

a frown. “To attack him in front of his own house… if you can’t feel safe at home

who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a

off,” Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would

the discussion, 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

though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission, and he had to figure out

made progress, a

matter. Ryan only had 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

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