同章对照

Genome parties were always fun, but the aftermath sucked.

When he returned home to Jamie’s place, Ryan found it in ruins. The floor had been buried underneath beer bottles, pizza boxes, trash, and stuff best left forgotten. Someone had drenched the sofa in a suspicious fluid, and while DJ Brain had survived the apocalypse, a partygoer drew a smiley face on the vat’s surface. Even with repeated time-stop, it was a struggle to clean up the mess.

Ryan was still working on it by the evening.

“Faster, slave!” Ryan’s cruel taskmaster, Lanka, sat on a chair while he cleaned up the sofa with a mop. Ki-jung’s rats looked at the both of them, like viewers watching a comedy movie. “I want to see this sofa shine enough to sit my ass upon.”

“Do you want me to clean your royal butt too while I’m at it, Your Majesty?” Ryan deadpanned.

“No, thank you, I already did my part,” she replied. “You’re the one who skipped town all morning.”

“You’re just mad I was invited to the big guys’ table,” he mocked her back, before hearing his cellphone bleep in his pocket. He took a break from his dirty work to check a message from Jasmine.

JasLove: How do you want your armor?

Ryan started typing his answer.

PlushieTamer: Have you played Fallout?

JasLove: Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Tactics, or Van Buren?

PlushieTamer: You didn’t mention Brotherhood of Steel.

JasLove: That game never existed, and I’ll kill anyone who says otherwise.

PlushieTamer: Good answer. Fallout 2, America for the Enclave.

JasLove: Figured. You’re going to look great killing muties.

PlushieTamer: You and I, and my big plasma cannon...

JasLove: Keep it loaded. Might give it a good polish if you behave.

“You’re texting your girlfriend during work, Blabbermouth?” Lanka said while looking over his shoulder, grinning upon seeing the sender. “Wait, wait, wait, it’s Vulcan’s number!”

“Jealous?” Ryan asked before putting the cellphone in his pocket.

“I’m glad you didn’t commit suicide by going after Livia, but Vulcan? Mad respect. She’s totally going to shoot you one day, but your bravery shall be remembered.”

Technically, she already did shoot him. “Well, I had to work for both of us, since you couldn’t get a date.”

Lanka grinned, sipping a beer. “Where do you think these fluids came from?”

Ryan looked at the sofa, then at the mop, and finally at Lanka, whose grin grew wider. “You know what, I paid my debt to society,” he said, tossing the mop at his flatmate’s face. “Clean your mess yourself.”

“Hey, you lazy ass, get back here!” she complained, trying to get the sticky mop off her face.

Ryan ignored her, moving towards the stereo to unplug his brain in a jar. Ki-jung’s rats left for the kitchen and trailed a towel back to the sofa with their mouths, intending to clean it up themselves. Their mistress was still holed up in her room with her boyfriend, but she might emerge from their lair sometime soon.

Jamie hadn’t believed he had been promoted at first until Livia herself called him to confirm it. After a moment of silence, the swordsman had retired to his room with Ki-jung to ‘discuss’ it, but they had been alone for three hours by now. Ryan was pretty sure there wasn’t a lot of talking involved in this private celebration.

When Jamie and Ki-jung returned to the living room, the rats had cleaned the sofa enough for Lanka to slouch on it. The couple was so close they were almost touching, and Chitter had recovered from yesterday’s breakdown. In fact, she looked so happy that Ryan thought she might ascend to heaven on the spot.

“Something big happened,” the courier said, as he separated the loudspeakers from the brain in a jar. “I can tell.”

“What’s up?” Lanka asked with an eyebrow raised. “Besides changing your names to Mr. and Miss Mercury?”

Ki-jung exchanged a glance with her man, who nodded slowly. “Jamie finally proposed,” she told Lanka, giddy with joy.

Her friend blinked. “No way!”

“Congratulations!” Ryan said with a thumb up, while the rats clapped with their tiny hands. “You should tell everyone!”

“And you accepted?” Lanka asked Ki-jung a stupid question.

“Of course I said yes!” she chuckled. “I want you to be the bridesmaid, Lanka.”

“Me?” For the first time since Ryan met her, the ex-marauder looked speechless and flustered. “But I don’t know shit about weddings!”

“You will do well,” Ki-jung replied with a warm smile, though it wavered a little. “Felix would have been Jamie’s best man, but I don’t think he will come.”

“I will ask Mercury to be the best man,” Jamie declared. “I owe my whole life to him. If he hadn’t raised me up, I would still be some pisspoor orphan selling scraps. Now… I will do my best to honor his name.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to call you boss now,” Lanka said with a wide grin. “If anyone deserves that job, it’s you, Jamie.”

“I still can’t believe it’s happening,” Zanbato replied, torn between joy, pride, and anxiety. He looked so adorable when unsure of himself. “Me, a street rat, ascending to the rank of an Olympian? Becoming a Caporegime?”

“It’s impostor syndrome,” Ryan told the swordsman. “It’s like sanity, fake it until you make it.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Jamie replied, though he clearly had a long way to go. “Still, it’s so big… beyond all the responsibilities and sitting at the Olympians’ table, I will have all the division’s resources to call upon. Millions, billions in cash.”

“You still plan to invest in soccer games?” Lanka asked.

“We haven’t had a national cup since the Genome Wars,” Jamie replied, his voice brimming with passion. “Dynamis keeps a tight grip on sports with their Dynacup, but the slums have so many talented people. Nobody will give them a chance but us. I’m sure one of them can be the new Maradona.”

“You should give to charity, develop detox centers, hospitals…” Ki-jung looked at Ryan. “Even rebuild that orphanage the Meta-Gang trashed.”

“You should start with all of Rust Town.” Ryan shrugged. “That place is the most miserable I’ve seen, and that includes radioactive wastelands.”

Much to his surprise, Jamie actually seemed to take his suggestion to heart. “That’s not a bad idea,” he admitted, looking at Ki-jung. “What do you think?”

“You should know,” she replied, before glancing at Ryan. “You have seen the Olympians. Do you think they would mind?”

Ryan gave the question some thought.

At the end of the day, Lightning Butt didn’t seem to care about money. He only craved power and respect. As long as Jamie followed orders and didn’t interfere with the other divisions, Augustus probably wouldn’t give a damn if he used funds to create orphanages or charities. Neptune and Livia seemed more interested in developing the family’s empire, and they would probably approve the initiative if only to develop goodwill. As for Mars and Venus, he didn’t get much of a read on them.

Bacchus however...

“I think they would be open to the idea,” Ryan admitted, with a caveat. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with the Bliss business.”

That was the real problem. The couple’s mood instantly worsened, and they exchanged a silent glance. Ki-jung didn’t give up though. “If you could talk to Livia about it…”

“Moi?” Ryan replied, a little surprised.

“She seems to hold you in high esteem, from what I’ve heard,” Jamie said. News traveled fast. “But be careful around her. She’s the apple of her father’s eye, and he doesn’t take disrespect lightly.”

“Don’t worry, Vulcan got to him first,” Lanka said, laughing when Ryan glared at her.

“You ratted me out!” He glanced at the mice in the room. “Sorry. Some of my best friends are tiny rodents.”

“I had a feeling something would happen between you two,” Ki-jung smiled warmly. “The tension was palpable.”

“I’m so glad you found someone,” Jamie declared, warmly putting a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “I don’t know if it will last, but I hope she can make you happy.”

“Well, I will retire before you give me diabetes,” the courier replied, carrying his brain in a jar to the garage. When he left the main room, the trio were discussing the wedding’s date and logistics.

Thankfully, the garage had been locked up during the party, and Ryan’s car was spared from the guests’ attention. If Lanka had used his backseat for her vile, sticky deed, the time-traveler might have gone on a suicide run out of rage.

Thirty minutes later, the courier had plugged back the brain in its place. He opened the door and sat at the driver’s seat, putting on the Chronoradio.

Instead of funny alternate universe songs, a faint voice came out of it.

“Hi, Riri.”

Ryan remained still, checked if the garage door was closed, and finally increased the sound. “Len? Is that you?”

“Y-yes, it’s me. I don’t bother you?”

“No, no, it’s fine, I just had to confirm it.” He had to ask since it was unlike her to make the first move. “We haven’t spoken for days.”

“Yes, umm…” She stopped, not sure what to say. The awkwardness was almost palpable.

Ryan decided to spare her further embarrassment. “How are the kids?”

“They’re still getting used to the place, but they love it. We… we played games. Board games.” She marked a short pause, trying to find her words. “Sarah said you would love them.”

“Are you inviting me?”

“I… maybe.”

Well, that was a big leap forward. Maybe their friendship wasn’t wrecked beyond repair, or the kids’ presence helped Len recover from her self-imposed isolation.

“Vulcan contacted me about the Meta-Gang,” Len changed the subject, “I think you should know. I followed their submarine to a hidden tunnel, leading below the city.”

“Towards the bunker.” Ryan put his hands on the wheel. “Have you told Vulcan?”

“No, I thought I should tell you first. Riri, is this true what I heard on the news? You attacked Dynamis with Vulcan?”

“To borrow one of their suits,” Ryan replied, putting his hands on the warm, soft cashmere sleeves. “It was a date, sort of.”

Len didn’t answer. The line turned into static, with Ryan wondering if she was shocked, sad, or just lost the connection. “Shortie?”

“I’m… I’m happy for you. She’s better than the others.” Another pause. “You deserve to find happiness.”

Something in her voice broke Ryan’s heart. “Shortie?”

“Does she know?”

“No, I didn’t tell her.” He glanced out of the window, and at the garage’s cold walls. “It always ends the same way.”

While he genuinely enjoyed Jasmine’s company, Ryan wouldn’t hesitate to stand against the Augusti to achieve his Perfect Run. Though she didn’t seem loyal to Augustus, Vulcan also had a fiery temper, enough to try murdering the courier in a previous loop. In spite of his best intentions, they might end up on opposite sides.

And almost all his relationships ended up undone at the end of a loop. Getting too attached would only make the inevitable end more heartbreaking.

“I… I see,” Len said, clearing her throat. “But maybe not this time.”

Ryan’s head perked up in interest. “You’ve found a solution?”

“I think so,” she said, before asking him questions. “You create your time-stop by aligning your two selves, right? So for the ten seconds duration, both time periods interact.”

“I see where this is going,” the courier said, his mood deflating. “I’ve thought of using that period to send stuff in the past, but you can’t send anything physical. Even cats. I’ve checked.”

Physical time-travel seemed to break some of the underlying laws of their universe, even by Genome standards. Or if it could be done, you needed a unique, undiscovered Violet power that Ryan couldn’t replicate.

“But you can send signals. Information, like the Chronoradio does.”

“What are you getting at, Shortie?”

“Psyshock, he can overwrite minds, even transfer his own, without physically changing the brain. He alters the brainwaves and neural signals. Ergo, the physical storing space matters less than all the electrical reactions taking place every second. If we make a snapshot, and send that information back to a perfectly compatible vessel… like their own nervous system…”

Ryan pondered her words. “You want to send someone’s consciousness back in time.”

“The way you do, yes.”

“It’s a good idea, but besides the fact brains aren’t exactly your area of expertise, how do you plan to copy a whole human mind, guide it through a temporal anomaly, and then have it transferred to their past self? A human brain had more than one million billion connections, collectively sending a quadrillion signals per second.”

“Yes, it’s…” She let out a sigh. “I can only do one small part of the design, the navigation to guide the signal through the anomaly. You will need resources I don’t have to complete it. Other Geniuses, more processing power. More time to figure it out.”

Of that, Ryan had aplenty. “But you think it can be done?”

“I can upgrade your Chronoradio to send signals back to a target,” she said. “I already wrote the design down. I can send the plans to you. It’s… it’s not that different from communicating through water or in hostile environments. It’s harder. But it can be done.”

“Do you think it can be completed in this loop?” Ryan asked. “Before everyone forgets?”

Len’s silence was an answer all of its own.

“There…” she cleared her throat. “There’s one place that may have the tech.”

Mechron’s bunker.

“The Meta-Gang will be there.” With their current resources and intel, Ryan doubted he could defeat all the Psychos in the base. He still hadn’t figured out a way to get rid of Frank in particular, and Hannifat Lecter would certainly use hostages like last time.

“I can help,” Len argued. “You helped me defend the orphanage, so the least I can do is return the favor.”

“If you die in front of me again—”

“I can take care of myself,” she replied with annoyance, before noticing something. “Again?”

Ryan didn’t respond. His thoughts turned to his Dynamis loop, and how Acid Rain had blown them up to kingdom come.

“Maybe you can ask the Augusti?” Len proposed, running out of solutions.

Ryan hesitated, considering the odds, before reaching a decision. “No,” he said. “No, absolutely not.”

And after seeing Lightning Butt in the flesh, Ryan couldn’t give him access to Mechron’s armory. The organization had good members, but the man at the top was a colossal dick. If he found Mechron’s technology, Augustus would probably use it to sow death; he barely resisted the urge to kill with his current resources, and Mechron's weapons would only make him nastier.

“I don’t like them, but once you have the design…”

“I will have to restart afterward to avoid a disaster,” Ryan replied, “and you will forget me again.”

“Don’t think about me, Riri.” Another pause. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Not again, was left unsaid.

Ryan sighed. “Just give me time to figure it out,” he pleaded. Maybe Vulcan’s armor would boost his power, or a better option might present itself. “Don’t say anything about the Meta or the bunker yet.”

“Alright. I… I’m here if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Shortie.”

Len didn’t answer. Instead, the Chronoradio put on some melodramatic cyberpunk tunes.

Len didn’t fully understand the responsibility on Ryan’s shoulder. He could spare everyone, find the perfect scenario with the best results. If he saved while on a suboptimal route, even to preserve their friendship, then all the consequences would be on him. Lives taken would be forever lost. The time-traveler would have no excuse since he could have preserved them, had he tried hard enough.

And after giving the present situation some thought, Ryan had to admit the truth to himself.

This loop was good. Very good.

But it wouldn’t be perfect.

基因者的派对总是很好玩，收拾残局却糟透了。

瑞恩回到杰米家，发现这里已经成了废墟。地板埋在啤酒瓶、披萨盒、垃圾，以及一些最好还是忘掉的东西下面。有人把沙发弄得满是可疑液体；大脑DJ虽然熬过了这场末日浩劫，却被某位宾客在脑缸表面画了张笑脸。即使反复暂停时间，要把这一团糟收拾干净也着实费劲。

到了傍晚，瑞恩还在干活。

“快点，奴隶！”瑞恩那残酷的监工兰卡坐在椅子上，看他拿拖把清理沙发。基贞的老鼠们瞧着他俩，活像在看喜剧片。“我要你把这沙发擦得锃亮，好让我把屁股放上去。”

“要不要顺便替您擦擦尊臀啊，陛下？”瑞恩面无表情地问。

“不了，谢谢，我那份已经干完了。”她答道，“一上午都溜出去不见人影的可是你。”

“你就是气我受邀上了大人物的桌。”他回敬道，随即听见口袋里的手机响了一声。他暂停这份脏活，掏出手机查看贾丝敏发来的消息。

JasLove：你的装甲想要什么样的？

瑞恩开始打字回复。

PlushieTamer：玩过《辐射》吗？

JasLove：《辐射1》、《辐射2》、《辐射战略版》，还是《范布伦》？

PlushieTamer：你没提《钢铁兄弟会》。

JasLove：那款游戏根本不存在，谁敢说有，我就杀了谁。

PlushieTamer：回答得好。《辐射2》，美国属于英克雷。

JasLove：就知道。你杀起变种佬来一定很帅。

PlushieTamer：你和我，还有我的大号等离子炮……

JasLove：记得装满弹药。你要是乖，没准我会给它好好擦一擦。

“上班时间给女朋友发短信啊，话痨？”兰卡从他肩膀上方探头看去，瞄见发件人便咧开了嘴。“等等，等等，等等，这不是伏尔甘的号码吗！”

“嫉妒了？”瑞恩问，把手机塞回口袋。

“你没去追莉维娅自寻死路，我是挺高兴的，可伏尔甘？佩服，真佩服。她总有一天会开枪打你，但你的英勇事迹将永垂不朽。”

严格来说，她已经开枪打过他了。“唉，谁让你连个约会对象都找不到，我只好连你那份一起努力了。”

兰卡咧嘴一笑，喝了口啤酒。“你以为这些液体是哪儿来的？”

瑞恩看看沙发，又看看拖把，最后看向兰卡。她的嘴咧得更开了。“得了，我欠社会的债已经还清了。”他说着，把拖把扔到室友脸上。“自己的烂摊子自己收拾。”

“喂，你个懒鬼，给我回来！”她一边抱怨，一边试着把黏糊糊的拖把从脸上弄下来。

瑞恩没理她，走向音响，准备给自己的缸中之脑拔掉接线。基贞的老鼠们跑去厨房，用嘴拖着一条毛巾回到沙发旁，打算亲自清理。它们的女主人还跟男朋友窝在她的房间里，不过也许再过一会儿就会出窝了。

杰米起初根本不信自己升了职，直到莉维娅亲自打来电话确认。沉默片刻后，剑客便和基贞回了自己的房间，要“讨论”一下此事。但到现在，两人已经独处了三个小时。瑞恩相当肯定，这场私人庆祝活动里没多少说话的环节。

等杰米和基贞回到客厅，老鼠们已经把沙发清理得足够让兰卡瘫在上面了。这对情侣挨得极近，几乎贴在一起，吱喳也已经从昨天的崩溃中恢复了过来。事实上，她幸福得让瑞恩觉得，她没准会当场升上天堂。

“有大事发生。”快递员一边把扬声器和缸中之脑分离，一边说道，“我看得出来。”

“什么事？”兰卡扬起一边眉毛问，“除了改名叫墨丘利先生和墨丘利小姐？”

基贞和她的男人交换了一个眼神，后者缓缓点头。“杰米终于求婚了。”她告诉兰卡，喜不自胜。

她的朋友眨了眨眼。“不会吧！”

“恭喜！”瑞恩竖起大拇指，老鼠们也用小爪子鼓起掌来。“你们该把这事告诉所有人！”

“你答应了？”兰卡问了基贞一个蠢问题。

“我当然答应了！”她笑道，“兰卡，我想让你当伴娘。”

“我？”自瑞恩认识她以来，这位前劫掠者第一次显得手足无措，说不出话。“可婚礼的事，我懂个屁啊！”

“你会做得很好的。”基贞报以温暖的微笑，只是那笑容微微动摇了一下。“本来该让菲利克斯当杰米的伴郎，但我想他不会来了。”

“我会请墨丘利来当伴郎。”杰米宣布，“我这辈子的一切都是他给的。要不是他把我带出来，我现在还会是个穷得叮当响、靠卖废品过活的孤儿。如今……我会尽我所能，不辱他的名字。”

“是啊，现在我都得喊你老大了。”兰卡咧嘴笑道，“杰米，要说谁最配坐那个位置，非你莫属。”

“我还是不敢相信这是真的。”斩马刀答道，喜悦、自豪与不安在心中交织。他对自己没把握的样子可爱极了。“我，一个街头混大的小耗子，竟然能跻身奥林匹斯众神？当上分队首领？”

“这是冒牌货综合征。”瑞恩告诉剑客，“跟当个正常人一样，先装着，装久了就成真的了。”

“嗯，也许吧。”杰米答道，不过显然，他还有很长的路要走。“可这事还是太大了……除了那些职责，还有在众神的桌边占一席之地，我还能调动整个分部的资源。几百万、几十亿的现金。”

“你还是打算投资足球比赛？”兰卡问。

“自从基因者战争以来，我们就没办过全国杯赛。”杰米答道，声音里满是热情。“迪纳米斯靠迪纳杯把体育牢牢攥在手里，可贫民窟里有那么多有天赋的人。除了我们，没人会给他们机会。我相信，他们中一定有人能成为下一个马拉多纳。”

“你应该捐助慈善，开办戒毒中心、医院……”基贞看向瑞恩。“还可以重建那家被超能帮毁掉的孤儿院。”

“不如先从整个锈镇开始。”瑞恩耸了耸肩，“那是我见过最惨的地方，连放射性废土都算在内。”

令他意外的是，杰米似乎真把这建议听进去了。“这主意不错。”他承认道，望向基贞。“你觉得呢？”

“你知道我的想法。”她答道，随即看向瑞恩。“你见过奥林匹斯众神了。你觉得他们会介意吗？”

瑞恩认真想了想。

说到底，闪电屁股似乎并不在乎钱。他渴望的只有权力和尊重。只要杰米听命行事，不干涉其他分部，奥古斯都大概压根不会管他拿钱建孤儿院还是办慈善。尼普顿和莉维娅似乎更关心如何壮大家族帝国，哪怕只是为了赢得民心，他们大概也会赞同这个提议。至于玛尔斯和维纳斯，瑞恩对他们还没多少了解。

但巴克斯就……

“我觉得他们会愿意考虑。”瑞恩承认，但加了一个前提。“只要不影响极乐的生意。”

这才是真正的问题。两人的情绪一下子低落下来，默默交换了一个眼神。不过，基贞并没有放弃。“要是你能和莉维娅谈谈这件事……”

“我？”瑞恩有点意外。

“听说她很看重你。”杰米说。消息传得真快。“不过跟她相处时得小心。她是她父亲的掌上明珠，那人可不会轻易放过对她不敬的人。”

“放心，伏尔甘已经捷足先登了。”兰卡说道，见瑞恩瞪她，便笑了起来。

“你这告密鼠，居然出卖我！”他瞥了一眼屋里的老鼠。“抱歉。我最好的朋友里，有几位也是小型啮齿动物。”

“我就觉得你俩会发生点什么。”基贞温暖地笑了笑，“你们之间的火花太明显了。”

“你能找到一个人，我真的很高兴。”杰米说，亲热地把手搭在瑞恩肩上。“我不知道你们能不能长久，但我希望她能让你幸福。”

“行了，趁你们还没甜得让我患上糖尿病，我先告退。”快递员说着，抱起缸中之脑去了车库。他离开客厅时，那三个人已经开始讨论婚礼日期和筹备事宜。

幸好派对期间车库一直锁着，瑞恩的车躲过了宾客们的关注。要是兰卡在他车子后座上干了那桩下流黏腻的勾当，这位时间旅行者没准会怒而自杀，直接结束这一轮。

三十分钟后，快递员把大脑装回原位，接好了线。他拉开车门，坐进驾驶座，打开时空收音机。

里面传出的不是有趣的平行宇宙歌曲，而是一个微弱的声音。

“嗨，瑞瑞。”

瑞恩一动不动，先确认车库门关着，才把音量调高。“蕾恩？是你吗？”

“是、是我。没打扰你吧？”

“没有，没有，没事，我只是得确认一下。”他不得不问，因为她很少主动联系。“我们好几天没说话了。”

“是啊，嗯……”她停了下来，不知道该说些什么。那份尴尬几乎有了实质。

瑞恩决定不再让她为难。“孩子们怎么样？”

“他们还在适应这里，不过都很喜欢。我们……我们一起玩了游戏。桌游。”她稍稍停顿，努力组织措辞。“莎拉说，你会喜欢这些游戏的。”

“你是在邀请我吗？”

“我……也许吧。”

嗯，这可是一大步进展。也许他们的友谊还没有破碎到无法修补，又或许孩子们的存在，正帮蕾恩走出她自我封闭的生活。

“伏尔甘联系过我，问超能帮的事。”蕾恩转移了话题，“我想应该让你知道。我跟踪他们的潜艇，找到了一条通往城市地下的隐秘隧道。”

“通往地堡。”瑞恩把双手搭上方向盘。“你告诉伏尔甘了吗？”

“没有，我觉得该先告诉你。瑞瑞，新闻里说的是真的吗？你和伏尔甘袭击了迪纳米斯？”

“去借他们一套西装。”瑞恩答道，双手抚上温暖柔软的羊绒袖子。“算是一次约会吧。”

蕾恩没有回答。线路里只剩沙沙的杂音，瑞恩不知道她是震惊、难过，还是单纯断了线。“小矮个？”

“我……我替你高兴。她比其他人好。”又是一阵停顿。“你值得拥有幸福。”

她声音里的某种东西让瑞恩心都碎了。“小矮个？”

“她知道吗？”

“不，我没告诉她。”他朝车窗外望去，看着车库冰冷的墙壁。“反正最后总是一样的。”

尽管瑞恩真心喜欢和贾丝敏相处，可为了达成他的完美通关，他会毫不犹豫地与奥古斯蒂家族为敌。伏尔甘虽然似乎并不忠于奥古斯都，脾气却也火爆得很，曾在之前的一轮里试图杀掉这位快递员。不管他的初衷有多好，两人最终仍有可能站到对立面。

而且，他的感情关系几乎都会随着一轮循环的结束而被抹去。投入太深，只会让那不可避免的终结更加令人心碎。

“我……我明白。”蕾恩说，清了清嗓子。“但这次也许不一样。”

瑞恩来了精神，抬起头。“你找到办法了？”

“我想是的。”她说，随后向他求证。“你是通过让两个自己重合来暂停时间的，对吧？所以在那十秒钟里，两个时间段会相互作用。”

“我知道你想说什么了。”快递员说道，兴头又落了下去。“我想过利用那段时间，把东西送回过去，但任何实物都送不过去。连猫也不行。我试过了。”

即使用基因者的标准衡量，实物的时间旅行似乎也违反了他们宇宙的某些底层法则。又或者，这件事并非做不到，但得有一种独特的、尚未被发现的紫系能力，而瑞恩无法复制。

“但你可以发送信号。信息，就像时空收音机那样。”

“你到底想说什么，小矮个？”

“心震，他不用从物理层面改变大脑，就能覆写心智，甚至转移自己的意识。他改变的是脑电波和神经信号。所以，比起物理上的存储空间，每秒发生的那些电活动才更重要。如果我们制作一份快照，再把这些信息送回一个完全兼容的容器……比如他们自己的神经系统……”

瑞恩琢磨着她的话。“你想把一个人的意识送回过去。”

“就像你一样，对。”

“想法很好，但先不说大脑并不是你的专长，你打算怎么复制一整个人的心智，引导它穿过时间异常，再转移给过去的他？人脑有超过一千万亿个连接，每秒合计发出一千万亿次信号。”

“对，这个……”她叹了口气。“我只能完成设计中的一小部分，也就是引导信号穿过异常的导航部分。要把它做出来，你得有我没有的资源。其他天才，更多的算力。更多用来研究的时间。”

时间，瑞恩多得是。“但你觉得能做到？”

“我可以升级你的时空收音机，让它把信号传回过去，发送给指定目标。”她说，“设计我已经写下来了，可以把图纸发给你。这……这跟在水下或者恶劣环境中通信没有那么大区别。难是难一些。但能做到。”

“你觉得这一轮就能完成吗？”瑞恩问，“在所有人都忘掉之前？”

蕾恩的沉默本身就是答案。

“有……”她清了清嗓子。“有个地方也许有这种技术。”

梅克隆的地堡。

“超能帮会在那里。”凭他们眼下的资源和情报，瑞恩怀疑自己能否打败基地里的所有疯魔。尤其是弗兰克，他还没想出该怎么解决；汉尼胖·莱克特也肯定会像上次一样利用人质。

“我能帮忙。”蕾恩争辩道，“你帮我保卫过孤儿院，我至少也该还你这个人情。”

“要是你又死在我面前——”

“我能照顾好自己。”她有些恼火地答道，随即注意到了什么。“又？”

瑞恩没有回答。他想起自己加入迪纳米斯的那一轮，想起酸雨是怎么把他俩炸上西天的。

“也许你可以请奥古斯蒂家族帮忙？”蕾恩提议道。她已经快没办法了。

瑞恩犹豫了一下，权衡种种可能，终于拿定主意。“不。”他说，“不，绝对不行。”

而且，亲眼见过闪电屁股本人后，瑞恩绝不能让他染指梅克隆的军火库。这个组织里是有好人，但坐在最上头的那个，是个彻头彻尾的混蛋。要是找到梅克隆的技术，奥古斯都多半会拿来大开杀戒；光是凭着现有的资源，他就已经快按捺不住杀人的冲动了，梅克隆的武器只会让他变本加厉。

“我也不喜欢他们，可只要你拿到设计……”

“之后我就得重开一轮，免得酿成灾难。”瑞恩答道，“而你又会忘记我。”

“别顾虑我，瑞瑞。”又是一阵停顿。“我不想成为累赘。”

不想再当累赘了。这句话，她没有说出口。

瑞恩叹了口气。“给我点时间，让我想想办法。”他恳求道。也许伏尔甘的装甲能增强他的能力，又或者，会有更好的选择出现。“超能帮和地堡的事，先什么都别说。”

“好吧。我……有什么需要，我都在。”

“谢谢，小矮个。”

蕾恩没有回答。取而代之的，是时空收音机里响起的几首煽情赛博朋克乐曲。

蕾恩并不完全理解瑞恩肩上的责任。他能救下所有人，找出通向最佳结果的完美方案。如果他在一条并非最优的路线上存档，哪怕只是为了保住他们的友谊，一切后果也都得由他承担。逝去的生命将永远无法挽回。这位时间旅行者没有任何借口，因为只要他足够努力，本可以保住那些生命。

仔细考虑过眼下的局面后，瑞恩不得不向自己承认一个事实。

这一轮很好。非常好。

但它不会完美。