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Ryan’s vision blurred. It was hard to focus; darkness lurked at the edge of his vision, and his strength left him. He couldn’t even feel his legs, and his whole body felt cold.

Maybe it was the loss of blood, or the leftover damage he suffered from the battle with Pluto. Or perhaps it was Eugène-Henry’s doing, as the cat teleported right in front of Ryan. The feline looked down on the trapped Genome without a sound, like a guide to the underworld.

“Fortuna!”

Above the waterfall, a horrified Atom Cat held his sister in his arms, blood flowing from her chest. Pluto’s corpse fell down the waterfall, a hole in her forehead. The river pulled the Underboss downstream to her last abode; her curse had been canceled and the woods returned to normal, though it came with a cost.

Fortuna had made a lucky shot… but even luck couldn’t cheat death from her due.

“Fortuna!” Felix shouted, trying to cover his sister’s wound with his hand and prevent her from bleeding out. Ryan knew enough about medicine to know it was useless. If he had the tools and the energy, he might have saved her.

He would save her still. He would save them all the next time around.

In the end, only Ryan was cursed with immortality. Only he could carry that burden.

As he started to lose consciousness, Ryan noticed a metal shadow moving upstream. A mermaid in power armor crossing the river to rescue him.

“Riri!” Len shouted in horror while rushing at his side, immediately pushing away the debris keeping him down. “I’m here! I’m here!”

Len…

Always there to save him when all was lost.

“I must go now.”

For a moment, the courier thought he had spoken out loud, until he realized where the disembodied voice came from.

Something spoke through Eugène-Henry, using Ryan’s own voice.

“The rest,” the cat looked into the courier’s eyes, his feline gaze shining purple with the wisdom of the stars, “is up to you.”

A flash of violet light overwhelmed Ryan, and he lost consciousness.

---

When Ryan opened his eyes, it was to the tune of The International.

The ceiling was crimson red, and he faced a portrait of Marx and Engel. An intravenous device pumped his right arm with anesthesia, right next to a steampunk wheelchair of leather and tin.

Damn it, had he woken in a hidden Soviet lab again? Once had been enough!

Ryan’s eyes wandered around himself, his body feeling heavy; he had trouble breathing correctly, and his chest itched. Most importantly, he couldn’t feel anything below his waist, including his most dangerous weapon. Even Vamp died in an attempt to claim it for herself.

He was in a hospital bed, with a TV and a window leading into a dark undersea abyss. Sitting on a chair right in front of him, Little Sarah read Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. She hadn’t noticed him waking up.

Ryan turned his head, glancing at another bed near his own. Atom Cat laid half-hidden beneath the bed sheet, watching the ceiling with empty eyes. Bandages covered his torso, and he had an intravenous system of his own.

“Felix?” Ryan’s voice startled Sarah, who hastily closed her book. “Kitten?”

Nothing.

Atom Cat didn’t even respond. His gaze was a blank, empty abyss of nothingness, a thousand-yard stare.

“He has been like that since Ma brought you in,” Little Sarah said with a frown. “He doesn’t respond when people call him. I’ve seen that gaze before in Rust Town. He’s broken inside, and he’s not coming back.”

“He will.” Ryan knew that from experience. “Eventually, when it’s done chewing on you, the abyss spits you back.”

Of course, the courier would probably turn back time before Atom Cat finished that healing process. Even if she annoyed him, he couldn’t let Fortuna stay dead. Not after she gave her life to save her brother.

“Now you’re awake, get your ass out of bed,” Little Sarah said, before realizing the obvious. “Figuratively, I mean. How do you feel?”

“Without my legs, like Christopher Reeves.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“And that’s why I can’t stand you.”

“At least I still have le—” Little Sarah suddenly stopped, as she put the two and two together. “Oh wait, I get the joke! Can’t stand!”

“Now, if you can bring me the wheelchair,” Ryan said, glancing at his new Plymouth Fury. “I will let you push me around a bit, but please don’t talk behind my back.”

“Do you want me to find you a parking lot?” Little Sarah replied, as she put her book aside and helped Ryan get into the wheelchair. As he expected, the rest of the courier’s body hadn’t been spared either. He had almost as many bandages as an Egyptian mummy.

“It’s a start, but you need training in pun-fu,” Ryan said. “How long was I out?”

“Ma brought you in yesterday night,” she replied, grabbing the pole holding the intravenous system and attaching it to the wheelchair. “The other orphans made bets about your death. Most said you wouldn’t make it.”

“I hope you bet on me.”

If he could trust her smile, she did. “Yeah, you’re too mean to die, and Ma… it would have hurt Ma, if you didn’t wake up.” Sarah glared at the courier. “She was in tears when she brought you here.”

“I didn’t plan on it,” Ryan said with a sigh. “Can you bring me to her?”

“Sure.” Sarah pushed the wheelchair towards the ‘hospital’s’ door, while Ryan sent one last glance to Atom Cat. Felix had stopped looking at the ceiling, and now glanced at the undersea abyss outside the habitat with a blank face.

Ryan couldn’t blame him. His own parents had signed his death warrant, and a sister he left behind died for him. It would shake anyone. “Felix…”

“I don’t want to talk,” Kitten said suddenly, his voice emotionless.

Now wasn’t the time. Maybe never.

Sarah pushed the wheelchair through a steel corridor, and eventually, to Len’s workshop. Ryan found his best friend tinkering on her diving armor, which she had linked to the Chronoradio and Dynamis’ brain-tech with cables. Some of the suit’s parts had been replaced with copies of Jasmine’s design, including the helmet. It seemed Len had decided to repurpose her existing equipment rather than make something new, perhaps due to lack of resources.

And Eugène-Henry stood atop a server, like a sphinx.

“Riri…” The sheer relief on Len’s face was almost palpable. “You’ve woken up.”

“Did you ever doubt?” he joked.

When the Genius winced, Ryan realized he should have kept his mouth shut. “Yes, I did,” she said with a frown. For the first time, he noticed the red shade around Len’s eyes, as if she had repeatedly wiped away tears. “I thought… I thought I was too late…”

“You’re an ass,” Sarah told Ryan with a glare. “I would kick you in the leg, if it wasn’t useless.”

“You can still pinch me in the arm if you want,” Ryan replied, and she did. “Ouch!”

“You deserve worse,” Sarah said, before looking at Len with concern. “Ma, you should rest. I can bring you a warm hot chocolate.”

“No, it’s okay. Thanks, sweetie.” Len forced herself to smile at Sarah. “Can you… leave us for a moment?”

The little girl clearly didn’t want to obey, but did so anyway. The workshop’s door closed behind her, leaving Len and Ryan alone.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan said immediately.

Len looked away. “I couldn’t save her. The girl. She was already drowning in her own blood when… when I...”

“She was dead before you even arrived.” Ryan moved the wheelchair forward, putting a hand on Len’s arm. To his surprise, she didn’t immediately back away from the physical contact. “Shortie, it’s not your fault.”

She pushed his hand away. “If I had arrived earlier...”

“You would have died,” Ryan said. “Who told you where we were?”

“I…” Her expression turned from saddened to embarrassed. “I hacked your phone. After you turned it off, I had to search for you on foot.”

He should be mad at her for this, but the NSA did it first. Ryan glanced at the device, and then at Eugène-Henry. The cat seemed delighted to see his master again, but his gaze had returned to its natural blue. “Did you finish the consciousness-transfer device?”

“I think so,“ Len declared with a frown. “But it’s gone.”

“What’s gone?” Ryan asked with a frown.

“Your cat’s energy readings. They’re gone. He’s a normal cat now.” Len shook her head, while Eugène-Henry showed them his royal ass. “Whatever caused his teleportation jumps before, it stopped.”

A Purple World entity had possessed Eugène-Henry like the plushie, and then left the building.

Why? Why did it act this way? What was the point? Ryan couldn’t figure it out, but he would in time. “How are things on the surface?”

Len instantly winced. Clearly, things had only changed for the worse. “Riri, you really want to know? You just woke up.”

“Yes, I want to.”

Len slowly moved towards a computer hooked to the servers, typed on the keyboard, and showed him the screen.

Droplets covered the camera recording the image, so Ryan assumed it came from a sea-based probe. But the quality was enough for the courier to see the disaster in all its glory. An awfully familiar disaster.

New Rome had turned into a warzone, with Augusti Genomes and Dynamis forces openly warring in the streets. The Private Security’s helicopters rained bullets on superpowered gangsters, who retaliated with fireballs. Flames consumed buildings, including the Il Migliore HQ, which Vulcan and an armored squadron bombarded with missiles. A horde of cybernetically enhanced dinosaurs soon emerged from the Dynamis tower, engaging the attackers in melee. The Panda led the charge.

Wyvern had been pinned to a building by countless spears and sharp weapons, while Mars dueled a colossal plant monster over the rooftops. Spatial tears opened around the centurion wannabe, raining swords and spears upon the vegetal abomination. Yet the creature retaliated with vines as thick as trucks, and pollen capable of melting steel. As Wyvern freed herself, Mars jumped from one rooftop to the other by materializing shields beneath his feet to escape her.

The strip had been flooded by a tidal wave, and corpses washed up on an artificial shore, only to rise up again to attack Dynamis facilities. Neptune himself rampaged across Rust Town, having shaped an astronomical quantity of water into the shape of a colossal squid. A living laser cut one of its tentacles, and was soon joined by Devilry. But in spite of their best efforts, the liquid elemental quickly pulled itself back together and continued its deadly march towards the junkyard.

The villa atop Mount Augustus had transformed into a fuming crater, over which two lights dueled to the death; a raging sun, and a crimson lightning bolt. Their fight was by far the most fearsome, both moving so fast even the camera had troubles following them. Mighty thunderbolts and plasma blasts rained down from the heavens, devastating the district around the mountain.

The camera provided a panoramic view of the disaster, eventually reaching the harbor. Mortimer, Lanka, and other Genomes fired at will against an unseen form, which almost gave Ryan a headache simply showing up on screen. A horrifying eldritch mascot with swirling tentacles for a beard, great dark wings, and webbed hands; a terrifying mix between a squid and a human, worn by a foolish Genome unable to control its public domain-powered darkness. The abomination let out a scream, whose garbled words Ryan’s maddened mind managed to understand.

“CTHULHU FHTAGN!”

Wardrobe had brought out the apocalypse suit. Things were that bad.

“It’s… it’s like that all over the coast,” Len admitted, as she sank in a chair of her own. “Not just New Rome. Sicily and Sardinia too.”

It was the end of the last loop, all over again. Destroying the Meta had only delayed the inevitable. So long as events remained on their current track, Dynamis, the Carnival, and the Augusti were bound to collide with disastrous results.

His Perfect Run looked so far away still. “I’m sorry Shortie, but Lab Sixty-Six will be for next time.”

“Yeah,” she replied with a frown. “It was like this? The previous time?”

“Not as terrible, but the result is the same. Adam just provided a bigger matc—” The computer let out a bleep. “What is it?”

“A call,” Len said, frowning as she typed on the keyboard. “Vulcan.”

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. Was this a ray of hope, in the middle of another bad ending? “Open the channel.”

The picture on the screen changed from New Rome’s apocalyptic landscape, to a young woman sitting in a chair.

But it wasn’t Jasmine.

“Ryan,” Livia said with relief, as her visage appeared on the screen. “Thank goodness, since I couldn’t see you, I… I wasn’t sure.”

Len’s face turned into a scowl, while Ryan took it in stride. “If I were dead, princess, this horrible present would have ended abruptly.”

“True, but I worried that perhaps, you hadn’t told me the entire truth,” Livia replied with a joyless smile, before it broke off completely. “Fortuna, is she…”

“Dead,” Ryan admitted, causing Livia’s expression to deaden into deep grief. “Felix is alive, but deeply shaken.”

Livia fell entirely silent, her expression dead, her eyes looking down. “I… I foresaw it,” she muttered to herself, holding back tears, “but I hoped… I hoped I… is my aunt...”

“Fortuna died defending her brother from Pluto, and if she had her way, your late aunt would have killed Felix too.” Though it was blunt, Ryan thought she needed to hear the grim truth right now. “Your father gave the order, and Pluto didn’t think twice about carrying it out.”

“I never wanted this,” she said, joining her fingers. “I never… I never thought it would come to this.”

Even Len’s expression changed to sympathy, even if she clearly disliked Livia; perhaps because she empathized with the mafia princess’ situation.

Ryan sighed. “I will make it alright,” he said, his tone softening. “I will make it right again.”

Livia finally looked up. “Is there truly no other way?” she asked, her tone breaking. “Nobody will remember. Nobody but you. If nobody else remembers… if nobody remembers, it will happen again.”

Ryan glanced at Len, who shook her head. She had guessed his thoughts, and disagreed with the idea. Livia was sharp enough to catch on to their unease. “You have a plan to solve this issue,” she guessed.

“We can’t tell you,” Len said before Ryan could open his mouth. “We… I’m sorry, but no.”

“You are the Underdiver, correct? Len Sabino.” Livia regained her composure as she focused on Shortie, putting on her poker face. Perhaps she had started using her power to observe and predict the Genius. “You know everything.”

“Yes,” Len admitted. “And… I was against him telling you.”

“I understand why you distrust me, especially after… after what my aunt did.” Livia’s fingers fidgeted, the young woman unable to hide her shame. “But I swear, I never wanted this to happen. I did everything I could to stop it.”

Len wasn’t impressed much. “But you couldn’t.”

“No. No, I couldn’t.” Livia closed her eyes and bit her lips. The little gesture reminded Ryan of Len, so very much. “My father… he usually listens to me. But not on this. No argument, in any possibility I’ve seen, could cause him to reconsider. His hatred of Hargraves runs too deep.”

“Where are you even?” Len asked with a frown. “How can we be sure that others aren’t listening?”

“I am in a safe place outside New Rome alongside Narcinia. It’s a private line, I assure you. Vulcan’s private line, and she is too busy to listen.” Livia cleared her throat. “It’s… it’s precisely because she is too busy that I call you now.”

“How did you know… how did you know Ryan was here?” Len continued. “You said your power didn’t work on him.”

“It doesn’t, but I can still see the results of his actions afterward. I looked for a possibility where I could talk to Felix, and it always involved using this line. I don’t even know where you are.”

Ryan cleared his throat. “Shortie, I think that’s enough. We’re going nowhere with this.”

But Len would hear nothing of it. “She told you she could talk her father out of… out of doing stupid things. She couldn’t. What if she slips up about us to Augustus? Riri, she is a bomb—”

“I was wrong, alright!”

Livia’s outburst startled everyone.

“I was wrong,” the Augusti princess said, her expression twisting into a mix of remorse, grief, and disappointment. “I wanted to think Dad… I wanted Dad not to be capable of such destruction. But I was wrong. Even Narcinia…”

“You shouldn’t have trusted Augustus,” Len said. “It was written on the walls.”

“Didn’t you trust your own parents?” Livia asked bitterly. “When your parents told you something, did you distrust everything they said?

Len flinched as if she had been slapped. That remark hit too close to home.

“Look…” Livia let out a long, heavy breath. “If there is any chance to right these wrongs, I want to help in any way I can. My family caused so much pain, and now it’s up to you to make up for them. Now I understand the burden on your shoulders, Ryan. I… I’m not blind. I can see your wounds. After what you sacrificed to help me and Felix, I want to return the favor. I told you on the phone. You did not help an ingrate.”

“So you finally believe me? About how we weren’t enemies.” Ryan asked, Livia answering with a nod. “Took some trying.”

“I know maybe it’s too late, but… I was just scared, alright.” Livia looked at the courier. “I was scared of you. You’re just… you’re terrifying, Ryan. You know so much, but you can erase everything we do at will. You’ve done so countless times. None of my powers work on you. They work on Father, but not on you.”

When you put it that way...

Ryan said nothing, turning instead towards a silent Len. The courier could have forced the issue, but Shortie had been at his side through thick and thin. If she didn’t trust Livia enough to involve her in their scheme, then he would have to respect her wish. Even if he didn’t like it.

In the end, Len’s dilemma was the same as Ryan when he confided in Jasmine during the previous loop. To risk opening up; to risk betrayal and disappointment, for an uncertain future. To dare say something, and never take it back.

“We are…” Len hesitated, but finally spoke up. “We’re trying to develop a system capable of sending someone’s consciousness back in time.”

“Truly?” A streak of hope appeared on Livia’s face. “How can I help? Can I help?”

“I have created a memory map of myself,” Len admitted. “It will transmit my memories to my previous self. But my system… I can’t send more than one person back in time. At least not yet. I’m not even sure… I’m not even sure it will work at all. I modified one of my armors based on Ryan’s design, but… there’s no back-up. No way to be sure it will work.”

“You have one,” Livia said immediately, eager at the idea of contributing. Her guilt ate her up like a festering wound. “I may not retain my memories, but I keep a detailed journal. I could save information, and transmit it to Ryan in the next iteration. I could record your machine’s design.”

“No,” Len protested, still too suspicious of the Augusti princess to give up something that valuable. “No, not the machine. Never the machine.”

“The memory map then,” Livia proposed calmly.

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. “You could record that?”

“It’s all data, is it not? Lines of code?” Len answered Livia’s question with a cautious nod. “Then I can take a snapshot. If the transfer fails, you will have a backup.”

The Genius then turned to the courier, looking into his eyes. It would be far less risky than providing the blueprints, since the brainmap was an enormous mass of incomprehensible data without the original machine or Len's own technology... but it meant Livia could keep Shortie's memories hostage. “Riri?”

After a short moment, Ryan answered with a nod. In the best-case scenario, it wouldn’t cost them anything; and in the worst-case… in the worst case, it could make all the difference. He wanted to trust Livia. The courier wanted to think that for once, he could rely on someone on the other side of time. That he wouldn’t be alone when he started again.

“Thank you. Both of you.” Livia made a deep, formal bow. “I swear, I will not disappoint you. When will you turn back time?”

“I suppose it will happen as soon as I send Shortie’s consciousness backward?” Ryan asked, glancing at his friend.

“Yes,” Len answered with a nod. “My system should cause an… an early end, as the message is sent.”

A polite way to say it would kill Ryan.

“Is…” Livia cleared her throat, trying to find her words. “Is it possible I speak to Felix beforehand?”

“I will link your feed to his TV,” Len said. “And send you the memory map too.”

“Thank you,” Livia said with a sad smile. “Thank you.”

Len cut the conversation short, the screen turning black. “You don’t like it,” Ryan said.

“No, Riri. No, I do not. If it goes wrong, she will have my life in her hands. If I fail, I… I will be her hostage, and she may use me against you. Do you understand that, Riri?”

“I do.” He narrowed his eyebrows. “But why did you tell her, if you don’t trust her?”

“Because I trust you, Riri,” Len replied. “And… I was afraid of you too once. But I was wrong.”

“Thanks, Shortie.” Damn, he had sand in his eyes. “If the world is just, you will remember these words.”

“It’s not,” she said, looking away. “But... I hope I’m wrong.”

The courier glanced at his cat, who now rested on the server. “It said it was all up to us now,” Ryan said. “It helped, but now, it’s all up to us.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“Eugène-Henry. It said it had to go, and that the rest was all up to me now.” Now, Ryan saw it clearly. The entity had sent Chronoradio messages to encourage the courier as he considered giving up, caused him to meet with Livia early in the run, and subtly provided help to Len. Positioning Fortuna so that she would save Ryan’s life, and indirectly convince Livia to assist. “It set events in motion so this very meeting could happen.”

“It would mean… it would mean that it sent Fortuna to her death intentionally,” Len pointed out, skeptical. “Should we trust something using human life so carelessly?”

“I just want to see the best in people. Even interdimensional horrors, without prejudice.”

Len wasn’t convinced. “Sometimes, there’s no good part. Some people are rotten to the core.”

“Yeah, I met Big Fat Adam,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “But I still want to see the best.”

Look for the stars in the night sky.

瑞恩眼前一片模糊。他很难集中精神；黑暗潜伏在视野边缘，力气正一点点流失。他甚至感觉不到自己的双腿，全身冰冷。

也许是因为失血，也许是与普鲁托交战时留下的伤。又或许是欧仁-亨利干的——那只猫直接瞬移到了瑞恩面前。它一声不吭地俯视着被困住的基因者，仿佛领人前往冥府的向导。

“福尔图娜！”

瀑布上方，原子猫惊恐万分地抱着妹妹，鲜血从她胸前不断涌出。普鲁托的尸体跌下瀑布，额头上多了一个弹孔。河水裹着这位二把手顺流而下，送她前往最后的归宿。她的诅咒已然解除，树林恢复了正常，只是代价惨重。

福尔图娜幸运地打中了那一枪……可就连运气，也赖不掉死神应得的那笔账。

“福尔图娜！”菲利克斯大喊着，试图用手捂住妹妹的伤口，不让她流血而死。瑞恩懂的医学知识足够让他明白，这已经无济于事了。如果有工具，也有力气，他或许还能救活她。

他仍然会救她。下一轮，他会救下所有人。

到头来，只有瑞恩受了永生的诅咒。也只有他能背负这份重担。

意识开始涣散时，瑞恩看见一道金属身影逆流而上。那是一条穿着动力装甲的美人鱼，正穿过河流赶来救他。

“瑞瑞！”蕾恩惊恐地喊着，冲到他身边，立刻推开压住他的碎石残骸。“我来了！我来了！”

蕾恩……

每到一切无可挽回的时候，她总会来救他。

“我必须走了。”

有那么一瞬间，快递员以为自己把心里话说出了口，随后才意识到，那道无形的声音究竟来自哪里。

某种存在正借欧仁-亨利之口，用瑞恩自己的声音说话。

“剩下的，”猫望进快递员的眼睛，那双猫眼闪烁着紫光，蕴含群星的智慧，“就靠你了。”

一道紫光淹没了瑞恩，他失去了意识。

---

瑞恩在《国际歌》的旋律中睁开了眼睛。

天花板一片深红，正对面挂着马克思和恩格斯的画像。一套输液装置正往他的右臂里输送麻醉剂，旁边停着一辆皮革和锡制成的蒸汽朋克风轮椅。

该死，他该不会又在苏联的秘密实验室里醒过来了吧？一次就够了！

瑞恩转动眼珠打量四周，身体沉重；呼吸也不顺畅，胸口发痒。最要命的是，他腰部以下完全没有知觉，包括他最危险的那件武器。就连妖姬，都为了把它据为己有而丢了性命。

他躺在病床上，房间里有一台电视，还有一扇窗，窗外是漆黑的海底深渊。小莎拉就坐在他正前方的椅子上，读儒勒·凡尔纳的《地心游记》。她还没发现他醒了。

瑞恩转过头，看向旁边的另一张病床。原子猫躺在那里，半个身子掩在床单下，双眼空洞地望着天花板。他上身缠满绷带，也挂着输液。

“菲利克斯？”瑞恩的声音吓了莎拉一跳，她赶紧合上书。“小猫咪？”

毫无反应。

原子猫连应都没应一声。他的目光空洞得像一无所有的深渊，失神地望向遥远的虚空。

“妈把你们带回来以后，他就一直这样。”小莎拉皱着眉说，“别人叫他，他也不理。我在锈镇见过这种眼神。他心里已经碎了，回不来了。”

“会回来的。”瑞恩对此深有体会。“等深渊把你嚼够了，最后总会把你吐回来。”

当然，多半还没等原子猫走出伤痛，快递员就会让时间倒流。福尔图娜固然烦人，但他不能让她就这样死去。尤其是她为救哥哥付出了自己的性命。

“既然醒了，就赶紧给我下床。”小莎拉说完，才意识到眼前这个显而易见的问题。“我是打个比方。感觉怎么样？”

“腿不管用了，跟克里斯托弗·里夫一样。”

“我不知道那是谁。”

“所以跟你待在一块儿，我真撑不住。”

“至少我还有腿——”小莎拉突然停住，终于反应了过来。“哦，等等，我懂这个笑话了！撑不住！”

“现在，劳驾把轮椅推过来。”瑞恩说着，看了一眼他的新普利茅斯“狂怒”。“我可以让你推着走一会儿，不过请别在我背后说闲话。”

“要不要再给你找个停车场？”小莎拉回了一句，把书搁到一边，帮瑞恩坐上轮椅。不出所料，快递员身上其他地方也没能幸免。他裹的绷带都快赶上埃及木乃伊了。

“算是入门了，不过你的双关功夫还得练。”瑞恩说，“我昏迷多久了？”

“妈昨晚把你们带回来的。”她一边回答，一边拿过输液架，把它固定到轮椅上。“其他孤儿拿你会不会死打赌。大多数都说你挺不过来。”

“希望你押了我。”

看她那笑容，应该是押了。“嗯，你这么缺德，死不了的。还有妈……你要是醒不过来，妈会很难受的。”莎拉瞪着快递员。“她把你带到这儿的时候，一直在哭。”

“我也没打算把自己弄成这样。”瑞恩叹了口气。“能带我去找她吗？”

“行。”莎拉推着轮椅往这间“医院”的门口走去，瑞恩最后又看了原子猫一眼。菲利克斯已经不再盯着天花板，而是面无表情地望着栖居地外的海底深渊。

瑞恩没法怪他。亲生父母签下了他的死亡令，被他抛下的妹妹却为他而死。换了谁都会崩溃。“菲利克斯……”

“我不想说话。”小猫咪突然开口，声音毫无感情。

现在不是时候。也许永远都不会是。

莎拉推着轮椅穿过一条钢铁走廊，最后来到蕾恩的工坊。瑞恩最好的朋友正摆弄着她的潜水装甲，装甲已用线缆接上时空收音机和迪纳米斯的脑科技装置。一些部件，包括头盔，都已换成按照贾丝敏的设计仿制的版本。看来蕾恩决定改造现有装备，而不是从头造一套新的，也许是因为资源不足。

欧仁-亨利则蹲在一台服务器顶上，像一尊斯芬克斯。

“瑞瑞……”蕾恩脸上如释重负的神情，几乎浓得能让人触摸到。“你醒了。”

“你还怀疑过不成？”他开玩笑道。

看到这位天才脸上掠过的痛楚，瑞恩意识到自己本该闭嘴。“对，我怀疑过。”她皱着眉说。他这才发现，蕾恩眼眶周围一片发红，像是反复擦拭过眼泪。“我以为……我以为我来晚了……”

“你就是个混蛋。”莎拉瞪着瑞恩。“要不是踢了也没用，我真想踹你腿上一脚。”

“你要乐意，还可以掐我胳膊。”瑞恩说，她还真掐了。“嗷！”

“这都算轻的。”莎拉说完，又担心地看向蕾恩。“妈，你该休息了。我可以给你端杯热巧克力来。”

“不用，我没事。谢谢，宝贝。”蕾恩勉强对莎拉笑了笑。“能不能……让我们单独待一会儿？”

小女孩显然不想听话，但还是照做了。工坊的门在她身后关上，只留下蕾恩和瑞恩。

“对不起。”瑞恩立刻说道。

蕾恩移开目光。“我没能救活她。那个女孩。她已经快被自己的血呛死了，当时……当时我……”

“你还没到，她就已经死了。”瑞恩把轮椅往前挪，将手搭在蕾恩胳膊上。出乎他的意料，她没有立刻躲开他的触碰。“小矮个，这不是你的错。”

她推开了他的手。“要是我早点到……”

“那你也会死。”瑞恩说，“谁告诉你我们在哪儿的？”

“我……”她的神情从悲伤变成了窘迫。“我黑进了你的手机。你关机以后，我只好徒步去找你。”

他本该为此生她的气，可美国国家安全局早就抢先干过这事了。瑞恩看了眼装置，又看向欧仁-亨利。猫见到主人回来，似乎很高兴，不过眼睛已经恢复了原本的蓝色。“意识转移装置做好了吗？”

“我想是做好了。”蕾恩皱着眉说，“可它消失了。”

“什么消失了？”瑞恩也皱起眉头。

“你那只猫的能量读数。全没了。它现在就是一只普通的猫。”蕾恩摇了摇头，欧仁-亨利则把高贵的屁股朝向了他们。“不管之前是什么让它瞬移，现在都停止了。”

一个紫色世界的存在附在了欧仁-亨利身上，就像那只毛绒玩偶一样，然后又离场了。

为什么？它为什么要这么做？有什么目的？瑞恩暂时想不明白，但迟早会弄清楚。“地面上情况怎么样？”

蕾恩的神情立刻一紧。显然，情况已经变得更糟了。“瑞瑞，你真的想知道吗？你才刚醒。”

“对，我想知道。”

蕾恩慢慢走到一台连着服务器的电脑前，敲了几下键盘，把屏幕转给他看。

传回画面的摄像头上覆着水珠，瑞恩猜测，这是海上探测器拍到的。不过画质已经足以让快递员看清这场灾难的全貌。一场熟悉得令人心寒的灾难。

新罗马已化为战区，奥古斯蒂的基因者与迪纳米斯的部队在街头公然交战。私人安保队的直升机朝超能力黑帮分子倾泻子弹，后者则以火球还击。火焰吞噬着一栋栋建筑，至优者总部也在其中——伏尔甘和一支装甲部队正用导弹对它狂轰滥炸。不久，一群经过机械改造的恐龙从迪纳米斯大厦里涌出，与袭击者展开近身厮杀。熊猫带头发起了冲锋。

双足飞龙被无数长矛利器钉在一栋建筑上，玛尔斯则在屋顶上与一头巨大的植物怪物决斗。空间裂隙在那个扮百夫长的家伙周围张开，将利剑长矛如雨般倾泻到植物怪物身上。可那怪物也不甘示弱，挥动卡车般粗壮的藤蔓，撒出能够熔化钢铁的花粉。双足飞龙挣脱束缚时，玛尔斯在脚下变出盾牌，踩着它们从一处屋顶跳向另一处，逃离她身边。

娱乐街区已被巨浪淹没，尸体冲上人工岸边，却又重新站起，向迪纳米斯的设施发起攻击。尼普顿本人正在锈镇肆虐，用天文数字般巨量的水塑成了一头硕大无朋的乌贼。一个化作活体激光的身影切断了它的一条触手，邪魔很快也加入了战斗。但任凭他们竭尽全力，那头液态元素巨怪还是迅速重组，继续向废料场推进，沿途播撒死亡。

奥古斯都山顶的别墅已变成一座冒着浓烟的巨坑，两团光芒正在上方殊死搏斗：一轮狂暴的太阳，一道猩红的闪电。他们的战斗无疑最为可怕，双方的速度快得连摄像头都难以捕捉。强大的雷霆与等离子轰击从天而降，将山周围的城区摧残得满目疮痍。

摄像头扫过这场灾难的全景，最后转向港口。莫蒂默、兰卡和其他基因者正朝一团看不分明的形体不断开火。那东西光是出现在屏幕上，就几乎让瑞恩头疼起来。那是一个恐怖诡异的吉祥物形象，蠕动盘旋的触手组成胡须，背后生着巨大的黑翼，双手带蹼；乌贼与人类骇人的混合体，被一个愚蠢的基因者穿在身上，而那人根本控制不了它那股由公版身份加持的黑暗力量。怪物发出一声尖叫，那些混乱含糊的字句，瑞恩疯癫的脑子竟然听懂了。

“克苏鲁·弗塔根！”

衣橱把末日套装都翻出来了。事态就是糟糕到了这个地步。

“整条……整条海岸都是这样。”蕾恩说着，颓然坐进另一把椅子。“不只是新罗马。西西里和撒丁岛也是。”

上一轮循环结尾的惨剧，再一次重演了。消灭超能帮，不过是推迟了那不可避免的结局。只要事态沿着当前轨迹发展，迪纳米斯、嘉年华和奥古斯蒂就注定会撞在一起，酿成灾难。

他的完美通关，看来依然遥不可及。“对不起，小矮个。六十六号实验室得留到下一轮了。”

“嗯。”她皱着眉应了一声。“上一次……也是这样吗？”

“没这么惨，但结果一样。亚当只是提供了根更大的火柴——”电脑发出一声提示音。“怎么了？”

“有人来电。”蕾恩皱着眉敲击键盘。“伏尔甘。”

瑞恩的心漏跳了一拍。在又一个坏结局里，这会不会是一线希望？“接通吧。”

屏幕上的画面从新罗马的末日景象，切换成一名坐在椅子上的年轻女子。

但那不是贾丝敏。

“瑞恩。”莉维娅的脸出现在屏幕上，语气如释重负。“谢天谢地，我看不到你，所以……我没法确定。”

蕾恩沉下了脸，瑞恩倒是泰然处之。“公主殿下，我要是死了，这个糟糕透顶的现在早就戛然而止了。”

“是，可我担心，也许你并没有把全部实情告诉我。”莉维娅勉强一笑，笑容里没有半分喜悦，随即又彻底消失了。“福尔图娜，她是不是……”

“死了。”瑞恩承认道，莉维娅的神情顿时被深切的悲痛淹没，变得一片木然。“菲利克斯还活着，但受了很大打击。”

莉维娅彻底沉默下来，面如死灰，垂下眼睛。“我……我预见了这一幕。”她强忍眼泪，喃喃自语，“可我还是希望……我希望我……我姑妈她……”

“福尔图娜是为了保护哥哥不被普鲁托杀害才死的。要是让你那位已故的姑妈得了手，菲利克斯也会没命。”话很直白，但瑞恩觉得，她现在需要听到残酷的真相。“命令是你父亲下的，普鲁托执行起来，连犹豫都没有。”

“我从来没想过要这样。”她交拢双手。“我从来……我从来没想过事情会变成这样。”

就连蕾恩，脸上也露出了同情，尽管她显然不喜欢莉维娅。也许是因为，这位黑帮公主的处境让她感同身受。

瑞恩叹了口气。“我会让一切好起来的。”他的语气柔和下来。“我会再把一切纠正过来。”

莉维娅终于抬起头。“真的没有别的办法了吗？”她问，声音几乎哽咽。“不会有人记得。除了你，谁都不会记得。如果其他人都不记得……如果谁都不记得，这一切还会重演的。”

瑞恩看向蕾恩，她摇了摇头。她猜到了他的想法，却不赞同。莉维娅足够敏锐，察觉到了他们的不安。“你们有个计划，能解决这个问题。”她猜道。

“我们不能告诉你。”不等瑞恩开口，蕾恩就说道。“我们……抱歉，但不行。”

“你就是深潜者，对吗？蕾恩·萨比诺。”莉维娅将注意力转向小矮个，恢复镇定，脸上又戴起了那副不露声色的面具。也许她已经开始用能力观察、预测这位天才了。“你知道一切。”

“是的。”蕾恩承认。“而且……我本来就反对他告诉你。”

“我明白你为什么不信任我，尤其是在……在我姑妈做出那种事以后。”莉维娅不安地绞动手指，无法掩饰自己的羞愧。“但我发誓，我从来没希望发生这种事。我已经尽一切努力去阻止了。”

蕾恩并没有多少触动。“可你没能阻止。”

“没错。没错，我没能阻止。”莉维娅闭上眼睛，咬住嘴唇。这个小动作实在太像蕾恩，让瑞恩不由得想起了她。“我父亲……他通常会听我的。可唯独这件事不行。在我看到的所有可能性里，无论怎么劝，都没法让他改变主意。他对哈格雷夫斯的恨太深了。”

“你到底在哪儿？”蕾恩皱着眉问，“我们怎么确定没有别人在听？”

“我和纳尔西妮娅在新罗马城外一个安全的地方。我向你保证，这是私人线路。伏尔甘的私人线路，而她现在忙得没空来听。”莉维娅清了清嗓子。“就是……就是因为她现在太忙，我才打过来的。”

“你怎么知道……你怎么知道瑞恩在这里？”蕾恩继续追问，“你说过，你的能力对他不起作用。”

“的确不起作用，但事后，我仍能看到他行动造成的结果。我寻找了能和菲利克斯说上话的可能性，而每一种都需要用到这条线路。我甚至不知道你们在哪儿。”

瑞恩清了清嗓子。“小矮个，我想这就够了。再问下去也问不出什么。”

可蕾恩根本听不进去。“她跟你说过，她能劝她父亲别……别干蠢事。她没做到。万一她在奥古斯都面前说漏嘴，把我们的事泄露了呢？瑞瑞，她就是一颗炸弹——”

“我错了，行了吧！”

莉维娅突然爆发，让所有人都吃了一惊。

“我错了。”奥古斯蒂的公主说，悔恨、悲伤与失望交织在一起，扭曲了她的表情。“我想相信爸爸……我不愿相信爸爸能造成这种毁灭。可我错了。就连纳尔西妮娅……”

“你就不该相信奥古斯都。”蕾恩说，“这不是明摆着的吗。”

“难道你没信过自己的父母？”莉维娅苦涩地问，“父母跟你说话的时候，他们说的每一句，你都会怀疑吗？”

蕾恩猛地一缩，仿佛挨了一记耳光。这句话正戳中了她的痛处。

“听我说……”莉维娅沉沉地吐出一口长气。“只要还有机会纠正这一切，我就愿意尽我所能帮忙。我的家族造成了那么多痛苦，如今却要靠你来替他们弥补。现在我明白你肩上的重担了，瑞恩。我……我又不瞎。我看得见你身上的伤。为了帮我和菲利克斯，你付出了这么多，我想回报你。我在电话里说过，你帮的不是一个忘恩负义的人。”

“所以你终于相信我了？相信我们不是敌人了？”瑞恩问，莉维娅点了点头。“还真是费了一番工夫。”

“我知道，现在说也许太晚了，可……我只是害怕，好吗？”莉维娅望着快递员。“我害怕你。你实在是……你实在太可怕了，瑞恩。你知道那么多事，又能随意抹去我们所做的一切。你已经那么做过无数次了。我的所有能力对你都不起作用。它们对父亲有用，却对你无效。”

这么一说的话……

瑞恩没有回答，而是转向沉默的蕾恩。他本可以强行拍板，但小矮个一路陪他走过了风风雨雨。如果她还不够信任莉维娅，不愿把她拉进计划，那他就得尊重她的意愿。哪怕他并不情愿。

说到底，蕾恩面临的困境，与瑞恩上一轮向贾丝敏吐露秘密时并无二致。冒险敞开心扉；为了一个未知的未来，冒着遭受背叛与失望的风险。鼓起勇气把话说出口，就再也不收回。

“我们正在……”蕾恩迟疑着，最终还是开了口。“我们正试着开发一套系统，把一个人的意识送回过去。”

“真的？”莉维娅脸上浮现出一线希望。“我能怎么帮忙？有我能帮上忙的地方吗？”

“我已经制作了一份自己的记忆图谱。”蕾恩承认道。“它会把我的记忆传给过去的我。可我的系统……我没法送超过一个人回到过去。至少现在不行。我甚至不能确定……不能确定它究竟能不能成功。我按瑞恩的设计改装了自己的一套装甲，可是……没有备用方案。没办法保证它一定能行。”

“现在有了。”莉维娅立刻说，一想到自己能出一份力，她便急切起来。愧疚如同溃烂的伤口，不断侵蚀着她。“我也许留不住记忆，但我一直记着详细的日记。我可以保存信息，在下一轮传给瑞恩。我可以记录下你那台机器的设计。”

“不行。”蕾恩立刻反对。她对这位奥古斯蒂公主依然心存戒备，不愿交出如此珍贵的东西。“不行，机器不行。机器绝对不行。”

“那就记忆图谱吧。”莉维娅平静地提议。

瑞恩的心漏跳了一拍。“那个你也能记下来？”

“都是数据，对吧？一行行代码？”蕾恩谨慎地点头，回答了莉维娅的问题。“那我就能做个快照。如果转移失败，你们至少还有一份备份。”

这位天才随即转向快递员，望进他的眼睛。这比交出蓝图的风险小得多，因为没有原本的机器，或是蕾恩自己的技术，脑图谱就只是一大堆无法解读的数据……可这也意味着，莉维娅能扣住小矮个的记忆作为人质。“瑞瑞？”

片刻后，瑞恩点了点头。最好的情况是，他们不会因此付出任何代价；至于最坏的情况……最坏的情况下，这份备份可能决定一切。他想要相信莉维娅。哪怕只有这一次，快递员也想相信，时间的另一端会有人可供他依靠。当他重新开始时，他不会再孤身一人。

“谢谢。谢谢你们两个。”莉维娅郑重地深鞠一躬。“我发誓，不会让你们失望的。你打算什么时候让时间倒流？”

“我想，只要把小矮个的意识送回去，时间就会立刻倒流？”瑞恩问着，看向好友。

“是的。”蕾恩点头。“我的系统应该会在信息发出的同时，让……让一切提前结束。”

这只是委婉的说法，意思就是它会杀死瑞恩。

“能不能……”莉维娅清了清嗓子，斟酌着措辞。“能不能在那之前，让我和菲利克斯说说话？”

“我会把你的通讯画面接到他的电视上。”蕾恩说，“也会把记忆图谱发给你。”

“谢谢。”莉维娅露出一丝悲伤的微笑。“谢谢。”

蕾恩结束了通话，屏幕随之变黑。“你不喜欢这个安排。”瑞恩说。

“是的，瑞瑞。我不喜欢。万一出了岔子，我的命就攥在她手里。如果我失败了，我……我就会变成她的人质，她可能会利用我来对付你。你明白吗，瑞瑞？”

“我明白。”他皱起眉头。“可既然你不信她，为什么还要告诉她？”

“因为我相信你，瑞瑞。”蕾恩回答。“而且……我也曾经怕过你。可我错了。”

“谢谢，小矮个。”该死，眼睛里进沙子了。“如果这个世界还有公道，你会记得这句话的。”

“没有。”她移开目光。“不过……我希望自己错了。”

快递员看向自己的猫，它这会儿正趴在服务器上休息。“它说，现在全靠我们自己了。”瑞恩说，“它帮过忙，可接下来，全靠我们自己了。”

“我……我不明白。”

“欧仁-亨利。它说它必须走了，剩下的全靠我自己。”现在，瑞恩终于看清了。那个存在通过时空收音机发送信息，在快递员想要放弃时鼓励他；让他在本轮初期便遇见莉维娅；又不着痕迹地为蕾恩提供帮助。它还把福尔图娜引到恰当的位置，让她救下瑞恩的命，间接促使莉维娅伸出援手。“它推动了这一连串事件，就是为了让刚才这次会面得以发生。”

“那就意味着……意味着它是故意把福尔图娜送去死的。”蕾恩将信将疑地指出，“这样轻率地拿人命当工具的东西，我们该相信吗？”

“我只是想看人最好的一面。哪怕是跨维度的恐怖存在，我也不带偏见。”

蕾恩仍不信服。“有时候，根本就没有好的一面。有些人已经烂到了骨子里。”

“是啊，我见过大胖亚当。”瑞恩耸了耸肩。“但我还是想看最好的一面。”

去夜空中寻找繁星。