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 stick, from

very dangerous sport, hockey,” Ryan said absentmindedly, looking

was crazy,” Grunt 1 nodded. “Apparently Luigi returned home late for a party, you know, perfectly normal, he starts opening his home’s door and then BAM!

almost chortled. “Why Luigi? Was it a

didn’t even take his money,” Grunt 1 replied.

according to witnesses,” Gruntie said. “At

lot, a real homewrecker,” Grunt 2 pointed out, “Maybe

Zanbato crossed his arms. “But then how did they

find the hockey equipment than Luigi’s address. Nobody

crash at my place for the night, just in

don’t say,” Ryan

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

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

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

would drive anyone

to reach the perfect ending and soon, it would finally end. Everything would turn right when Ryan found Len. He was

back to

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 alteration

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

Psyshock taken care

Thanks for the tip.

such surprises,

to repeat until he met Vulcan. The Augusti’s underboss froze the

“You,” Pluto asked Quicksave.

preparing to repeat the same

“Have we met before?”

surprised Ryan, as he didn’t expect

of it, we already met,” Pluto replied, her

stood still next to

Pluto said. “But I don’t

...

Did her power somehow mark

the conversation, carefully backing Ryan

is your new recruit,

to joke when Jamie invaded his personal space, putting a hand on his shoulder. You speak to her when talked to, he all but said out loud. “Quicksave,” Zanbato

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

or infohazard,” Pluto’s female bodyguard pointed out. “Maybe your powers interfere with each other

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 Man said. “He helped

Ryan, completely dismissing Zanbato’s words.

alleviating the tension. “Ryan Romano.

right now, but I will call you back

that wasn’t a threat. That was

order,

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

of relief. “Blabbermouth, what the fuck did you

Ryan replied, just as confused. “Or

is serious, Quicksave,” Jamie said. “That woman is Pluto, Augustus’ sister and underboss. Her interest is

you follow her lead without question,” Ki-jung said, her face

she even here?” Lanka asked her team

Jamie replied, his arms 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 clean up the

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

it’s the Meta who did that though?” Lanka asked, skeptical. “I mean, it was just a guy with a hockey cross. It if was a Meta, there

replied. “The Meta-Gang isn’t 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

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

he made

until Vulcan told him how to contact or reach Len. He didn’t have to

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