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
said absentmindedly, looking
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 up for a while,
“Why
even take his money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was
attacker looked really, uh, passionate according to witnesses,” Gruntie
2 pointed out, “Maybe it was a jealous boyfriend? It had to happen
his arms. “But then how did they learn where he
the hockey equipment than Luigi’s
staying at a hotel right?” Jamie asked Ryan. “I think you should crash at my place for the
say,”
him home, they played poker, went to Vulcan’s factory, and
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
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 to the exact same things;
repetition would
it 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 of
beeping snapped him back to reality, interrupting the
snapped back to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded the Genome's
left for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on the ground. The
care of.
Thanks for the tip.
lived for such surprises, good
Ryan expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan.
“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.
Ryan answered, preparing to repeat the
“Have we met before?”
Ryan, as he didn’t expect that answer.
sure of it, we already met,” Pluto replied, her tone turning from
it?” her bodyguard asked Pluto, while Lanka stood still next to
marked,” Pluto said. “But I don’t
...
her power somehow
boss?” Jamie joined the conversation, carefully backing Ryan up with
your new recruit,
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
if trying to peer into his soul. The courier couldn’t explain why, but he felt a growing
have noticed a memory alteration or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere with each
his defense. “Quicksave may be odd, but he is reliable,” the Made Man said. “He helped
Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s
with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano. I’m
she replied coldly. “I’ve got places to be right now, but I will call you back soon to clear this up. Play stupid,
wait, that wasn’t
follow her order, he would die.
his group 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 the ice.
said, letting out a breath of
just as confused.
serious, Quicksave,” Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is not
without question,” Ki-jung said, her face full of concern,
is she even here?” Lanka
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
frown. “To attack
it’s the Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It
probably an unpowered junkie they paid off,” Jamie replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t a big group. It would
promise and stopped targeting the Augusti with assassinations. With no one to divert their attention, the criminal
sure how Pluto’s newfound interest in 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
made progress,
it didn’t 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 they tried
About The Perfect Run - Chapter 21
The Perfect Run is the best current series of the author Void Herald. With the below Chapter 21 content will make us lost in the world of love and hatred interchangeably, despite all the tricks to achieve the goal without any concern for the other half, and then regret. late. Please read chapter Chapter 21 and update the next chapters of this series at booktrk.com