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?”

psychopath with a hockey mask and stick,

a very dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking at the sea.

starts opening his home’s door and then BAM! Some Friday the 13th crazy jumps out of the shadows, breaks his jaw with a

“Why Luigi?

money,” Grunt 1 replied. “Maybe it was a

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

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

Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did they learn

to find the hockey

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

don’t say,”

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

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 again. It was no different than daydreaming

him after a while, always reacting the same way to the exact same

repetition would

and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was certain of

him back to reality, interrupting the flow of

to consciousness. Extensive looping and repetition often eroded

for Vulcan’s factory, the laying defeated on

taken care of. Children are

Thanks for the tip.

for such

her bodyguard talking with Zanbato, Ryan expected events to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

Ryan answered, preparing to repeat the

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect

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

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

marked,” Pluto said. “But I don’t

...

power somehow mark

something wrong, boss?” Jamie joined the conversation,

is your new

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

with an intense stare, as 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

seem 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

your name, Quicksave?” she asked Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s

I’m Ryan!” he replied with mock reverence, alleviating the tension. “Ryan

be right now, but I will call you back

No, wait, that wasn’t a threat. That

follow her order, he would die. The

complete silence until they were out of sight. Nobody dared to

said, letting out a breath of

just as confused.

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

her face full of concern, “She can kill with

here?” Lanka asked

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

Luigi,” Ki-jung said with a frown. “To attack him in front of his own house… if you can’t feel safe

that it’s the Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just

a big group. It would make sense for them to outsource their

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

though. It could threaten his entire infiltration mission,

made progress,

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 force him into

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