同章对照

It had been two loops since Ryan last met Vulcan in the flesh. The sight of her mech descending from above filled him with nostalgia, and longing.

Ryan stood in front of the bunker’s entrance, as Vulcan landed her vehicle atop a pile of trash. She climbed out of her metal suit, stood atop it like a pintsized conqueror, and smirked. “I love what you’ve done with the place,” she told Ryan, after giving a cursory glance at the Junkyard.

Mechron’s mech guarded the entrance while surrounded by burning helicopters; all of them bearing Dynamis’ logo. And yet, Ryan didn’t pay much attention to them. He only had eyes for this fierce woman, who once saved him from Hannifat Lecter at this very spot. His heart had beat for her then, and it still did so today.

“What’s wrong?” Vulcan asked, amused. “Have you fallen for me at first sight?”

“Even if I disappear…” she had said, all but pleading. “Promise you won’t forget me.”

It hurt just like the first day.

“Something like that,” the courier lied, before making a mock reverence to hide his saddened gaze. “Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Sharif. You didn’t have any problem bypassing the blockade?”

“I designed Dynamis’ anti-aerial weapons.” Vulcan shrugged, as she climbed down from her mech to join him. “They’re far too slow for me. So are your defenses, for that matter.”

“Try me!” Vulcan’s head snapped at Mechron’s scorpion mech, as a cheerful voice came out of it. “Fastest toaster in the west!”

Vulcan studied the mech with renewed interest. “I thought Mechron made sure his slave AIs couldn’t talk back?”

“We uploaded a new personality matrix worthy of this mighty machine,” Ryan explained, tapping one of the mech’s legs. “One perfect for the job.”

“I’m a toaster, I burn stuff,” the mech replied. “I’m pretty one-dimensional in what I want.”

It was the best kind of minion. The one that loved its dirty work.

With the Land dealing with any intruders on the ground with quakes, and Toasty bombarding any flyer, the Private Security’s haphazardous attempts at raiding Rust Town had failed miserably. Eventually, they simply decided to besiege the district. A ring of tanks and soldiers prevented anyone from moving in or out, and warships blockaded the harbor; in theory, nothing short of a teleporter would allow the Meta-Gang to escape.

A pity Dynamis didn’t know about the bunker’s underwater access. Ryan had carefully edited it out of the plans he sent to Nora, in case she connected the dots. Dynamis would devote all its resources to besieging Rust Town, leaving their HQ vulnerable to a sneak attack.

The fear of Ryan’s A-bombs would keep the megacorporation from attempting anything drastic, but only for a short while. Eventually, they would figure out a way to neutralize his weaponry, but by then it would be too late.

“Still, I’m surprised you showed up,” Ryan admitted, as he invited Vulcan inside the bunker. “Associating with us won’t be good for your reputation.”

“A deal is a deal,” the Genius replied with a smirk. “And a man humiliating that bitch Wyvern in front of the entire city is a man after my own heart.”

“If I don’t make it, go to Laura. Because she’s so fucking perfect!”

And it took New Rome’s destruction for them to bury the hatchet.

“Perhaps I can make the deal even sweeter?” Ryan raised his hat, and drew an A-bomb from it.

Vulcan raised an eyebrow at the courier, but accepted the gift gracefully. The happy face she made whenever he offered her this bomb delighted Ryan. “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“Yes,” the president replied, knowing she would love it. “Is it working?”

“I dunno,” she answered with a laugh, playing with the beautiful metal ball. “Mine are bigger than yours.”

“You haven’t seen my full arsenal,” Ryan replied, unable to resist. “I polish it every day.”

Vulcan smirked coyly. “I only believe what I see.”

Damn it.

Ryan could tell that if he put on the charm, Vulcan would fall for him again. They shared a natural, playful chemistry, the same love of big bombs and innuendos. Holding her in his arms and kissing her would feel like going home to his wife, after a long trip. It would feel just right.

“Don’t replace me with another Jasmine.”

And yet, Ryan had made a promise to Jasmine, his Jasmine, and would abide by her wish. Even if no one would hold the courier responsible if he broke his promise… he respected his old girlfriend enough not to betray her last request.

If only he had completed the brain-transfer machine before… before that cursed loop.

“Make sure this disaster never happens again, okay? Kill that fatass.”

At least he followed through with that promise.

Ryan led his ex-girlfriend down into the corridors overseeing the bunker’s hangars. Vulcan stopped at the repaired glass windows, observing the submarine and the tech gathered here. “A full Mechron base, right below our feet,” she whistled, as Ryan gave her a tour of the facility. “You really hit the jackpot.”

“We even have a matter replicator,” Ryan pitched her the benefits of her new workplace. “You just put in the design and the necessary material, and bam! Instant weapon!”

“And what weapon do you want from me exactly?” she asked, putting a hand on her waist. “Because I doubt you contacted me to build a teddy bear.”

“You underestimate their power. They lure you into a false sense of security, and then they hug you into submission.”

“Is that your plan to take over the city? Trade the nuclear bombs for teddy bears?”

Ryan had to keep her away while she worked, or he wouldn’t resist. The more Vulcan spoke, the more her wit pulled him in. “Well, if you want to know, we’ve figured out how Mechron enhanced his henchmen’s powers.”

Alchemo had finally overcome most of the mainframe’s remaining firewalls, giving the group access to Mechron’s key files. This immediately caught Vulcan’s full interest. “Go on,” she asked.

“I’ll share the data, but long story short, Mechron found ways to streamline the Flux energy a Genome radiates with biomechanical implants. The underlying theory is the same as with your power armors.”

Much like Dynamis’, Mechron’s Knockoffs were synthetic lifeforms mimicking the properties of genuine Elixirs. Though they weren’t sentient unlike Darkling or genuine Elixirs, they could modify genes based on data gathered from true Genomes.

However, the mad Genius had gone a step farther than the Manadas. Though they lacked an innate connection to the color dimensions, his Knockoffs could create microscopic portals to them with sufficient mechanical support. By channeling the Flux energy it generated and using data gathered from an existing Genome, Mechron’s machines could crudely imitate the template’s power.

The telekinetic mech Ryan fought in the bunker was only one example. By the end of his life, Mechron had started experimenting with biomechanical warbeasts capable of great destruction. His artificial Elixirs needed a lot more technical support to function than the originals… but they worked.

Ryan shuddered at what Mechron could have achieved, had the madman lived a few more years. If he had perfected his Elixirs and outfitted his robots with superpowers, he would have become unstoppable.

Still, these Knockoffs were pale imitations of true Elixirs, and far less efficient. So Mechrons’ AIs had gone further, which led to Darkling.

“You want me to create a suit of power armor,” Vulcan guessed, grinning with excitement. “Something that can supercharge your power.”

“Yes, with a cashmere poncho over it.” By combining data from both sources and the bunker’s advanced technology, Ryan knew his favored spitfire could create a magnum opus. The design would also incorporate Len’s signal tech, hopefully allowing the courier to send multiple people back in time.

However, he would need Len’s help for it, and his best friend still refused to leave her room.

“Up for it?” Ryan asked, once they reached the recreation area. Sarin, Acid Rain, Mosquito, and a few others had gathered in front of a TV post put on the bar counter, watching the news.

“Like the day I was born.”

“Do or don’t. There is no try.”

Those had been Jasmine’s last words, and they summed her up perfectly. She always gave it her all.

“Hey, Boss!” Sarin called him. “They’re going to talk about us!”

“Finally!” Ryan rejoiced, as he and Vulcan approached the TV screen. Obviously, Hector Manada denied everything and tried a silent campaign, enforcing a newsban to cover up Ryan’s revelations. But the damage had been done, and people talked.

It seemed that Dynamis had finally decided to address the elephant in the room through a press conference. Il Migliore’s full line-up had gathered at the Optimates Tower’s entrance, accompanied by Enrique ‘Blackthorn‘ Manada and PR specialists. Of course, Wardrobe always dressed chic, a pillar of culture among fashion disasters. Felix’s claw marks had healed, but he didn’t bother to hide his frustration. As for Wyvern, her face was utterly blank and lifeless.

Ryan glanced at the news ticker, each information worse than the last. ‘Unexplained explosions continue, children still missing after daycare attack; the Private Security refused to comme—’

The plushies kept causing more incidents across town. Tensions were at an all-time high, Dynamis was stretched thin, and people demanded answers.

Vulcan snickered, as Blackthorn invited Wyvern to take place on a stage and face an army of journalists. “More dog than dragon.”

“She isn’t corrupt,” Ryan said, “just naive.”

Vulcan frowned at him in response. “Who told you that crap?”

Jasmine.

Which only highlighted how much she had changed as a person by the end. Jasmine had been willing to give up her grudge, but Vulcan wouldn’t move on by herself. Not without help.

Ryan listened silently as Wyvern addressed the crowd and all of New Rome. She of course condemned the Meta-Gang’s ‘terrorist threat’, promised retribution she couldn’t deliver, said everything was under control, blahblahblah...

“Many of you have wondered if the images shown on this so-called Mr. President’s video were genuine,” Wyvern said, her expression stoic and professional. “Or if his accusations about the dangers of Knockoff Elixirs were founded.”

The courier braced himself for impact.

“They are.”

The audience exploded into gasps, shock spread across the Il Migliore team, and the PR assistants looked at Wyvern as if she had lost her mind. Clearly, her outburst was entirely unscripted. Even Vulcan opened her mouth in surprise, astonished that her former ally would dare defy her employers.

Enrique Manada remained as still as a statue, and made no move to interrupt the superhero’s revelations. Perhaps he had wanted to say such things for a long time, but never had the courage to.

Felix’s reaction wasn’t so restrained though. The young kitten simply walked away from the press conference, and from Dynamis.

“I have checked,” Wyvern continued, her face twisting in anger and bitterness. “I cannot stay silent about this, nor remain with an organization capable of something so terrible. As such… I am permanently stepping down from my position as Il Migliore’s leader, though I will continue to cooperate with them against the Met—”

The declaration was met with an explosion of questions from the reporters, and a wide grin from Vulcan.

More modest, Ryan simply joined his hands.

“All according to keikaku.”

---

After Alchemo fully took over the bunker, he had set the robots to maintenance duties and tasked them to repair the place. The Genome research lab where Ryan had fought Mechron’s spider mech was no different. Though the machines hadn’t yet filled the ceiling hole created by Darkling, they cleaned up the floor and repaired broken vats.

When he entered the room, Ryan found Livia sitting on the same kind of robotic chair which Adam used to restrain him. The Augusti princess had removed her helmet, and grinded her teeth together as a mechanical arm gathered a few drops of blood from her left arm. Braindead had connected to a large computer system linked to the chair, observing the data on a screen.

“You’re alright, princess?” Ryan asked Livia, worried for her well-being. He could tell from experience that Alchemo had no problem roughing up his patients.

“I hope I will not regret it,” Livia said, covering her naked arm with her sleeve once the machine was done. “This information could cause great harm in the wrong hands.”

Ryan could see her point. Augustus had become the warlord of Italy by virtue of having two powerful abilities with no side-effects. A cure for the Psycho syndrome would potentially allow anyone to do the same, causing an arms’ race. “Even you must be curious about your special status,” the courier pointed out.

“A bit,” she admitted with a smile. “My father said we had been chosen by fate, but… I’ve always been skeptical.”

“Well, well, well,” Alchemo said, as results appeared on the screen. “How interesting.”

“Done bloodsucking young women?” Ryan asked, as he offered Livia his arm. The precog responded with a charmed smile, as she accepted his help with aristocratic grace. She didn’t let it go even once she had risen up from her seat. “People will talk.”

“As if I cared what the meat said! Now stop barking, and look. We will make history today.”

The courier and Livia obliged, looking at the screen. A woman’s bio-scan appeared, representing the skeleton and major organs; spots of orange and violet colors flared all over the body, like oil and water pushing against one another.

“This shows Helen’s results?” Ryan asked, Acid Rain having served as the first test subject.

“Indeed,” Alchemo confirmed. “Each of her Elixirs rewrote around fifty percent of her DNA, and they conflict. Sometimes the Orange Elixir affects fifty-one percent of her body, sometimes forty-nine… The exact percentages vary each day, creating mutations, tumors, and other health problems.”

The Genius uploaded a second picture, which Ryan assumed represented Livia’s bio-signs. The Augusti princess was almost entirely blue in color, with a slight spot of violet near the ears and brain. Unlike the previous scan, the colored areas didn’t move at all.

“Now, our friend here is very different,” the Genius continued his explanation. “Most of her genetic code has been affected by the Blue Elixir, to the point she might appear as a mono-color Genome at first glance.”

“I took the Blue Elixir first,” Livia said.

Alchemo nodded, before pointing a syringe-finger at the purple spot. “However, around two point five percent of her DNA has been rewritten by the second, Violet Elixir. Both substances are remarkably stable, and do not overwrite each other’s information.”

So Tyrano’s theory was correct, at least partly. Livia’s powers coexisted without conflicting or fusing. “The million dollar question being why this happened,” Ryan said. “And why only two point five percent?”

“Don’t you see the obvious?” Alchemo asked with smug confidence, happy to see the solution which had evaded the courier for centuries.

“No, but I’m sure you will enlighten me, oh great keeper of knowledge.”

Braindead didn’t even answer the taunt, too high on his superior position as a teacher. “The original Elixirs were meant to bond with humans. With Homo Sapiens. So far, all attempts to have Elixirs bond to animals have failed; even with chimpanzees, who share almost ninety-nine percent of our genome.”

“Even Mechron only succeeded by creating a workaround,” Ryan muttered. “Using technology to mimic a true Genome’s powers.”

“But what if… what if they had been on the right track?” Braindead mused. “Just not close enough?”

Ryan thought furiously about what he meant for a second, before the solution became obvious to him. “The Neanderthals?”

“Neanderthals?” Livia asked in confusion.

“The current Homo Sapiens species interbred with Neanderthals before their extinction, with the Eurasian population inheriting around two percent of their genes from them,” Ryan explained. “Neanderthals were our closest relatives.”

Livia’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Enough to confuse the Elixirs?”

“I believe so,” Alchemo nodded. “My theory is that your Elixirs mistakenly believe that they bonded to two different individuals, instead of one. This caused them to… share your body, for a lack of better term.”

The Augusti princess frowned in skepticism, immediately seeing the problem. “But if your theory is correct, then people with two powers should be far more common. As you said, this affects the entire Eurasian population. Millions of people.”

“You probably need a very specific ratio or combination of Neanderthal genes to fool the Elixirs,” Alchemo defended his theory, though he sounded less certain and couldn’t convince Livia. “Or it could be caused by a syndrome like chimerism, where one organism has cells from more than one genotype. Only a few hundred cases were ever recorded.”

“If it is so rare, why do my father and I share it? Is it inheritable?” Livia asked, causing the Genius to fall silent as he tried to find an answer. “Probably not, from your reaction.”

Ryan considered the matter, trying to find a logical explanation and assemble all pieces of the puzzle. His thoughts turned to Darkling, and his discussions with that sentient Elixir.

“They were taught,” Ryan muttered.

“I’m sorry?” Livia asked.

“Someone told me Elixirs were taught to bond with humans, probably by the Alchemist.” If Darkling’s tale was true, then it had been pulled from its home dimension by Mechron’s AI, but refused to behave afterward. “Which implied the bonding process isn’t natural for them.”

“Them?” His first lady looked more confused by the second. “I’m… I’m sorry, do you mean Elixirs are intelligent?”

“Yes, but not like us.” Even Darkling, who understood humans enough to talk to them, found their reality maddening. “They are alien lifeforms that don’t even use DNA; foreigners who have been given a crash course on our language. They know the words, but not the music.”

“So…” Livia frowned. “What you mean to say, is that Elixirs have only a superficial understanding of... us? About how we are made?”

“I can’t prove it, but it’s a plausible explanation,” Ryan said. He would need to confirm it with Darkling. According to his pet shoggoth, Elixirs were meant to connect lower lifeforms to the Ultimate Ones, eventually allowing them to ascend. But as the courier’s own experience showed, the communication wasn't perfect. The difference in mindset was too large. “Due to something in your genetic code, whether Neanderthal DNA, a unique quirk, or something else, your Elixirs believed they bonded to two different people sharing a body.”

“But it’s a fragile equilibrium,” she guessed. “If I take one more, the original Elixirs realize their mistake and start conflicting.”

“And Mongrel’s power grants him a limited control over how Elixirs behave,” Ryan added, glancing at Alchemo. “If we can reproduce his ability and combine it with gene therapy…”

“We could create a serum that would force the original two Elixirs to realign, and mimic the conditions that led to our test subject’s unique equilibrium,” Alchemo replied with a nod. Livia frowned at the test subject part, but didn’t comment. “Or alternatively, remove the extra Elixir and turn the target into a normal, monocolor genome.”

“But to create something this complex…” Livia reread her biosigns, before turning at Alchemo. “How long would it take you to create such a cure?”

Braindead let out what could pass for a sigh. “It may take months for Mechron’s AI to mimic Mongrel’s power, let alone design a cure from it. These machines are powerful, but the subject is eminently complex. My own Genius specialty does not overlap with this case study either.”

“We’ll need Dr. Tyrano,” Ryan muttered to himself. As the only Genius specialized in gene therapy, he could probably design a cure for Psychos if presented with the necessary data and resources.

Livia bristled, while Alchemo snickered in disdain. “Dynamis’ dinosaur maker?” the Genius asked. “Do you think he will help?”

“Not unless I convince him that my evil plan involves turning everyone into dinosaurs.”

“Just kidnap him then. You already escalated to terrorism, what’s one more crime?”

“He rarely leaves Dynamis’ HQ, and never without a heavy escort,” Livia said. “And if anything happens to him, Dynamis goes all in. He’s the cornerstone of their entire Knockoff operation, so they will try to get him back at all costs.”

“And if he dies?” Ryan asked with a frown. “Why didn’t your father try to have him assassinated?”

“Because then Fallout gets involved,” Livia replied ominously. The way she said it, she had foreseen it. “I think you can imagine how it will end.”

Yes, he could.

Would he react the same if he lost the other pillar of Knockoff production? Ryan intended to attack Lab Sixty-Six as soon as Vulcan finished her armor, and after opening Darkling’s portal home. He couldn’t afford to wait too long for someone like Fallout or Hargraves to force a way inside the bunker.

“Would Dr. Tyrano help make a cure at all?” Livia asked. “He turned a Psycho into a drink. This does not speak well of his moral fiber.”

Ryan still remembered how that scalie had tried to gut the Panda open to see how his ability worked. Without anesthesia. “He cares only about his research, and dinosaurs,” the courier said. “Not for lab safety.”

Unfortunately, Ryan doubted he could convince Dr. Tyrano to cooperate during this loop. He needed more information on the man. Yet, they would need Mongrel, Livia, the bunker, and additional data to create the cure. The courier only obtained access to these resources due to very specific circumstances impossible to replicate in the next.

“Livia, darling, do you have anything planned for tonight?”

She slowly nodded, albeit reluctantly. “My father asked for a meeting, probably about how to deal with you. I will have to return to him soon.”

Ryan could read between the lines. They needed to have a talk with Len, and prepare for the future. They needed to discuss how to end this doomed loop, and how to proceed afterward.

The Augusti princess turned towards the room’s door. “You can come in,” she said. “This does not have to end in violence.”

The metal door opened, and someone stopped listening through it.

“Better luck next time, eh?” Sarin pointed her gauntlet at Ryan, her fingers vibrating with power. “Not gonna work for me.”

瑞恩已经有两轮循环没见过伏尔甘本人了。看着她的机甲从天而降，怀念与渴望一齐涌上心头。

瑞恩站在地堡入口前，伏尔甘将机甲降落在一堆垃圾上。她爬出金属机体，像个小小的征服者一样站在顶端，嘴角一扬。她随意扫了废料场一眼，对瑞恩说道：“这地方被你布置得不错，我喜欢。”

梅克隆的机甲守着入口，四周散落着燃烧的直升机，每架都印着迪纳米斯的标志。但瑞恩并没怎么留意。他眼里只有这个强悍的女人。曾经，就是在这里，她把他从汉尼胖·莱克特手里救了下来。那时，他的心为她跳动；如今，依然如此。

“怎么了？”伏尔甘觉得有些好笑，“你对我一见钟情了？”

“就算我消失了……”她当时说着，语气近乎哀求。“答应我，别忘了我。”

那份痛楚，与第一天毫无分别。

“差不多吧。”快递员撒了个谎，随即装模作样地行了一礼，借此藏起眼中的悲伤。“欢迎光临寒舍，谢里夫小姐。穿过封锁线的时候，没遇上什么麻烦吧？”

“迪纳米斯的防空武器是我设计的。”伏尔甘耸耸肩，从机甲上爬下来，走到他身边。“对我来说，它们太慢了。说起来，你的防御系统也一样。”

“试试我啊！”梅克隆的蝎形机甲里传出一个欢快的声音，伏尔甘猛地转头望了过去。“西部最快的烤面包机！”

伏尔甘重新来了兴致，仔细打量起那台机甲。“我还以为梅克隆特意确保过，他那些奴隶人工智能绝不会顶嘴呢？”

“我们上传了一个配得上这台强大机器的新人格矩阵。”瑞恩拍了拍机甲的一条腿，解释道，“干这活儿再合适不过。”

“我是烤面包机，我烧东西。”机甲答道，“我的追求相当单一。”

最好的手下莫过于此：真心热爱自己那份脏活。

地面上的入侵者由大地用地震收拾，天上飞的则全归烤烤轰炸，私人安保队几次仓促进攻锈镇，都以惨败告终。最后，他们索性决定围困整个城区。坦克和士兵围成一圈，禁止任何人出入，战舰则封锁了港口；理论上，不靠传送，超能帮休想脱身。

可惜，迪纳米斯不知道地堡还有水下通道。瑞恩发给诺拉的图纸里，早已小心地删掉了这一部分，以免她顺藤摸瓜。迪纳米斯会把所有资源都投入到围困锈镇上，总部也就有了可供偷袭的破绽。

对瑞恩那些原子弹的恐惧，会让这家巨型企业不敢采取过激行动，但这也只能维持一时。他们迟早会想出办法，化解他的武器威胁，不过到那时，一切都晚了。

“不过，你真会来，我还挺意外的。”瑞恩一边请伏尔甘进入地堡，一边坦言，“跟我们混在一起，可有损你的名声。”

“说定了就是定了。”这位天才笑着答道，“何况，能当着全城的面羞辱双足飞龙那个贱人的男人，很对我的胃口。”

“我要是挺不过去，就去找劳拉吧。谁让她他妈的那么完美！”

她们之间的恩怨，竟要到新罗马毁灭之时才肯放下。

“也许，我还能给这笔交易加点甜头？”瑞恩抬起帽子，从里面掏出一颗原子弹。

伏尔甘冲快递员挑了挑眉，却大大方方地收下了礼物。每次他把这颗炸弹送给她，她脸上都会露出那种欢喜的表情，看得瑞恩心花怒放。“你这是想贿赂我？”

“对。”总统先生知道她一定喜欢，“管用吗？”

“不知道啊。”她笑着回答，把玩着那颗漂亮的金属球。“我的可比你的大。”

“我的全套家伙，你还没见识过呢。”瑞恩还是没忍住，接了下去，“我每天都把它们擦得锃亮。”

伏尔甘含蓄地坏笑了一下。“我只信眼见为实。”

该死。

瑞恩看得出来，只要他施展魅力，伏尔甘就会再次爱上他。他们天生合拍，打情骂俏毫不费力，对大炸弹和荤段子有着同样的热爱。若能把她拥入怀中，吻上她的双唇，那感觉就会像远行归来，回到妻子身边。一切都会恰到好处。

“别拿另一个贾丝敏代替我。”

可瑞恩已经向贾丝敏，向他的贾丝敏，许下了承诺。他会遵从她的心愿。哪怕违背诺言，也不会有任何人追究快递员的责任……可他敬重曾经的恋人，不愿辜负她最后的请求。

要是他能早点完成大脑转移装置就好了……赶在那场该死的循环之前。

“别让这场灾难再发生了，好吗？杀了那个死胖子。”

至少，那个承诺他兑现了。

瑞恩领着前女友往下走，来到可以俯瞰地堡机库的走廊。伏尔甘在修复好的玻璃窗前停住，打量着潜艇，以及汇聚在此的各种科技造物。“一整座梅克隆基地，就在我们脚底下。”瑞恩带她参观设施时，她吹了声口哨。“你可真是中了头奖。”

“我们甚至还有一台物质复制器。”瑞恩卖力推销着她这处新工作场所的好处，“只要输入设计图，放进所需材料，然后砰！武器即刻出炉！”

“那你到底想让我造什么武器？”她一手叉腰，问道，“你联系我，总不至于是为了造只泰迪熊吧。”

“你低估了它们的威力。它们会先诱使你放松警惕，然后一个拥抱，让你乖乖投降。”

“这就是你占领全城的计划？把核弹换成泰迪熊？”

她工作的时候，瑞恩得跟她保持距离，不然他一定会把持不住。伏尔甘说得越多，她那份机敏风趣就越让他着迷。“好吧，你要真想知道，我们已经弄明白梅克隆是怎么增强手下的能力了。”

阿尔凯莫终于攻破了主机剩余防火墙中的大部分，让众人得以查阅梅克隆的核心文件。这一下，伏尔甘的注意力全被吸引了过来。“说下去。”她催道。

“数据我会分享给你。长话短说，梅克隆找到了利用生物机械植入物，优化基因者所辐射的通量能量流动的方法。底层原理跟你的动力装甲一样。”

与迪纳米斯的产品相仿，梅克隆的仿制灵药也是模拟正品灵药特性的合成生命。它们不像暗灵或真正的灵药那样具有意识，却能根据从真正的基因者身上采集的数据修改基因。

不过，这个疯狂的天才比马纳达兄弟更进了一步。虽然他的仿制灵药与色彩维度之间并无天然联系，但只要有足够的机械支持，就能打开通往那些维度的微型传送门。梅克隆的机器通过引导由此产生的通量能量，再利用从现有基因者身上采集的数据，便能粗略模仿作为模板的基因者的能力。

瑞恩在地堡里交战过的那台念动力机甲，只是其中一例。梅克隆生命的最后阶段，已经开始试验破坏力惊人的生物机械战兽。他的人造灵药比起正品，需要多得多的技术支持才能运作……但它们确实有效。

一想到这个疯子要是再多活几年，究竟能做到什么地步，瑞恩就不寒而栗。倘若梅克隆完善了自己的灵药，又给机器人配上超能力，那他将势不可挡。

不过，这些仿制品终究远不及真正的灵药，效率也低得多。于是，梅克隆的人工智能们又向前迈了一步，暗灵便由此出现。

“你想让我造一套动力装甲。”伏尔甘猜到了，兴奋得咧嘴一笑，“一套能大幅强化你能力的装甲。”

“没错，外面再披一件羊绒斗篷。”结合两方面的数据，再加上地堡里的先进技术，瑞恩知道，他钟爱的这个火爆姑娘能创造出一件巅峰之作。设计中还会融入蕾恩的信号技术，希望能让快递员将多个人一起送回过去。

不过，这需要蕾恩帮忙，而他最好的朋友仍然不肯离开房间。

“准备好大干一场了吗？”来到休闲区时，瑞恩问道。沙林、酸雨、蚊子，还有另外几个人，都聚在吧台上的一台电视机前看新闻。

“我打出生那天起就准备好了。”

“要么做，要么不做。没有试试看。”

那是贾丝敏最后说的话，也是她最贴切的写照。她做任何事，都会全力以赴。

“嘿，老大！”沙林喊他，“他们要说到我们了！”

“总算来了！”瑞恩兴高采烈，和伏尔甘一起走到电视屏幕前。不出所料，埃克托·马纳达矢口否认了一切，还试图冷处理，实施新闻封锁，掩盖瑞恩揭露的真相。但损害已经造成，议论也已经传开。

看样子，迪纳米斯终于决定召开新闻发布会，直面这个再也回避不了的问题。至优者全员在贵族派大厦入口处集合，恩里克·“黑棘”·马纳达和公关专家陪同在旁。当然，衣橱的打扮永远那么时髦，在一堆时尚灾难中撑起了文明的脊梁。菲利克斯脸上的抓痕已经愈合，但他丝毫不掩饰自己的憋闷。至于双足飞龙，她面无表情，死气沉沉。

瑞恩瞥了眼滚动新闻条，消息一条比一条糟糕。“原因不明的爆炸仍在持续，托儿所袭击案中失踪的儿童仍未找到；私人安保队拒绝置——”

那些毛绒玩偶还在城里各处不断制造事端。局势空前紧张，迪纳米斯疲于奔命，民众则要求他们给个说法。

黑棘请双足飞龙登台，面对大批记者，伏尔甘见状嗤笑一声。“哪像条龙，分明是条狗。”

“她没有同流合污。”瑞恩说，“只是天真。”

伏尔甘皱眉看向他。“这屁话是谁告诉你的？”

贾丝敏。

这反倒更清楚地说明，到最后，她已经有了多大的改变。贾丝敏愿意放下仇怨，可伏尔甘不会自己走出这一步。没有人帮她，她做不到。

双足飞龙向现场人群、向整个新罗马发表讲话，瑞恩静静听着。她当然先谴责了超能帮的“恐怖威胁”，许诺要让他们付出代价——这话她可兑现不了——又说一切尽在掌握，诸如此类，没完没了……

“许多人都想知道，这位所谓的总统先生在视频里展示的画面，究竟是不是真的。”双足飞龙说道，神情克制而专业。“以及，他对仿制灵药危险性的指控，是否有事实依据。”

快递员做好了迎接冲击的准备。

“答案是肯定的。”

台下一片惊呼，至优者众人无不震惊，公关助理们看着双足飞龙，仿佛她已经疯了。显然，这番突然的坦言完全不在预定稿里。就连伏尔甘也吃惊地张开了嘴，没想到昔日盟友竟敢公然违抗雇主。

恩里克·马纳达依旧像尊雕像般一动不动，丝毫没有打断这位超级英雄揭露真相的意思。或许，这些话他早就想说，只是一直没有勇气。

菲利克斯的反应却没有那么克制。这只小猫直接转身走出了发布会，也走出了迪纳米斯。

“我已经亲自核实过了。”双足飞龙继续说道，愤怒与苦涩扭曲了她的脸。“我无法对此保持沉默，更无法继续留在一个能做出如此可怕之事的组织里。因此……我将永久辞去至优者领队一职。不过，我仍会与他们合作，对抗超能——”

记者们的问题轰然爆发，伏尔甘脸上则绽开了大大的笑容。

瑞恩低调一些，只是把双手合在一起。

“一切都在计划之中。”

---

阿尔凯莫全面接管地堡后，便安排机器人进行维护，修缮设施。瑞恩曾与梅克隆的蜘蛛机甲交手的那间基因者研究实验室，也不例外。虽然机器人还没填上暗灵在天花板上打出的洞，但已经清理了地面，修好了破损的培养槽。

瑞恩走进房间，看见莉维娅坐在一张机械椅上，和亚当曾经用来束缚他的椅子是同一种型号。奥古斯蒂公主摘下了头盔，正咬紧牙关，任由一条机械臂从她左臂抽取几滴血。脑残已经接入与椅子相连的大型计算机系统，正查看屏幕上的数据。

“你还好吗，公主？”瑞恩担心莉维娅的状况，开口问道。他有亲身经验，知道阿尔凯莫粗暴对待起病人来，可是毫无心理负担。

“希望我不会后悔。”机器抽完血后，莉维娅拉下袖子，遮住裸露的手臂。“这些信息落进不该拿到它的人手里，可能造成很大的危害。”

瑞恩理解她的顾虑。奥古斯都正是凭着两种没有副作用的强大能力，成为了意大利的军阀霸主。若能治愈疯魔综合征，就可能让任何人都效仿他，引发一场军备竞赛。“不过，就连你自己，也一定很好奇你为什么这么特殊吧。”快递员指出。

“有一点。”她微笑着承认，“父亲说，我们是命运的选民，可……我一直有所怀疑。”

“哎呀，哎呀，哎呀。”结果出现在屏幕上，阿尔凯莫开口道，“真有意思。”

“年轻姑娘的血吸够了吗？”瑞恩一边问，一边向莉维娅伸出胳膊。这位预知者回以欣然的微笑，以贵族式的优雅接受了他的搀扶。即便从座位上站起来后，她也没有松手。“会惹人闲话的。”

“那些肉块说什么，我会在乎？现在闭嘴，过来看。今天，我们要创造历史。”

快递员和莉维娅依言看向屏幕。一幅女性的生物扫描图显示出来，呈现出骨骼和主要器官；橙色与紫色的光斑在全身各处闪动，像油和水一样互相挤压。

“这是海伦的检测结果？”瑞恩问道。酸雨是第一个接受测试的人。

“没错。”阿尔凯莫确认道，“她体内的两份灵药各自改写了大约百分之五十的DNA，彼此冲突。有时，橙色灵药影响她身体的百分之五十一，有时是百分之四十九……具体比例每天都在变化，造成突变、肿瘤以及其他健康问题。”

这位天才又调出第二张图，瑞恩猜那是莉维娅的生物体征图。奥古斯蒂公主几乎通体蓝色，只有耳朵和大脑附近带着一点紫色。与上一张扫描图不同，图上的色块完全没有移动。

“而我们这位朋友，就很不一样了。”天才继续解释，“她的大部分遗传密码都受到了蓝色灵药影响，乍看之下，甚至会以为她是个单色基因者。”

“我先喝的是蓝色灵药。”莉维娅说道。

阿尔凯莫点点头，用一根针筒手指指向紫色光斑。“不过，她大约百分之二点五的DNA，被第二份紫色灵药改写了。两种物质都极其稳定，不会覆盖彼此的信息。”

这么说，提拉诺的理论是对的，至少有一部分是对的。莉维娅的两种能力共存，既不冲突，也不融合。“价值百万美元的问题来了：这为什么会发生？”瑞恩说道，“还有，为什么只有百分之二点五？”

“这么明显，你看不出来？”阿尔凯莫志得意满地反问。他看出了一个困扰快递员数百年的问题的答案，为此很是高兴。

“看不出来，不过我相信您一定会为我指点迷津，哦，伟大的知识守护者。”

脑残沉醉在为人师表的优越感中，连这句挖苦都懒得搭理。“原版灵药的结合对象，本来就应该是人类。是智人。迄今为止，所有让灵药与动物结合的尝试都失败了；即使是与我们拥有近百分之九十九相同基因组的黑猩猩，也不例外。”

“连梅克隆也得另辟蹊径才能成功。”瑞恩低声说道，“用技术模拟真正的基因者的能力。”

“可要是……要是他们的方向其实没错呢？”脑残沉吟道，“只是还不够接近？”

瑞恩飞快琢磨着他的意思，片刻后，答案在脑中豁然浮现。“尼安德特人？”

“尼安德特人？”莉维娅不解地问。

“现存的智人物种，在尼安德特人灭绝之前，曾经与他们通婚繁衍。欧亚人群大约百分之二的基因，就是从他们那里继承来的。”瑞恩解释道，“尼安德特人是我们最近的亲缘物种。”

莉维娅睁大了眼睛，真切地感到惊讶。“近到足以让灵药弄混？”

“我认为是的。”阿尔凯莫点头，“我的理论是，你的两份灵药误以为，它们结合的是两个不同的个体，而不是同一个人。这让它们……找不到更好的说法了，就叫共享你的身体吧。”

奥古斯蒂公主怀疑地皱起眉，立刻看出了问题。“可如果你的理论正确，那有两种能力的人应该常见得多。照你说的，这个特征存在于整个欧亚人群中，涉及数以百万计的人。”

“可能需要尼安德特人基因达到某种极为特定的比例，或者形成特定组合，才能骗过灵药。”阿尔凯莫为自己的理论辩护，但语气没那么笃定了，也说服不了莉维娅。“也可能是嵌合现象一类的病症所致，也就是同一个体内存在不止一种基因型的细胞。有记录的病例总共只有几百例。”

“要真有这么罕见，为什么我和父亲都有？它能遗传吗？”莉维娅问得天才一时沉默，苦思答案。“看你的反应，大概不能吧。”

瑞恩思索着这个问题，试图找出合理的解释，把所有线索拼在一起。他想到了暗灵，想到了自己与那个有意识的灵药之间的交谈。

“它们是被教会的。”瑞恩喃喃道。

“什么？”莉维娅问道。

“有人告诉过我，灵药是被教会与人类结合的，教它们的很可能就是炼金术师。”如果暗灵所说属实，那么它是被梅克隆的人工智能从原本的维度拉过来的，只是之后不肯听话。“这意味着，对它们来说，结合并不是一种自然行为。”

“它们？”他的第一夫人越来越困惑了。“抱歉……你的意思是，灵药有智能？”

“有，但跟我们不一样。”即便是对人类了解得足以与之交谈的暗灵，也觉得人类所处的现实令人抓狂。“它们是连DNA都不用的异类生命，就像只上过一堂我们语言速成课的外国人。它们懂得字句，却不懂旋律。”

“所以……”莉维娅皱着眉，“你的意思是，灵药对……我们的了解很肤浅？对我们的构成也是？”

“我证明不了，但这是个说得通的解释。”瑞恩说道。他还得找暗灵确认。按他那只宠物修格斯的说法，灵药的用途是将低等生命与终极者相连，最终让前者得以升格。但从快递员自己的经历来看，这种沟通并不完善。彼此的思维方式差得太远。“你的遗传密码里有某种东西，不管是尼安德特人的DNA、某个独有的特征，还是别的什么，让你的灵药以为，它们结合的是共用一具身体的两个不同的人。”

“但这是一种脆弱的平衡。”她推测道，“如果我再喝一份，原有的灵药就会意识到错误，开始彼此冲突。”

“而杂种的能力，能让他有限度地控制灵药的行为。”瑞恩补充道，看向阿尔凯莫。“如果我们能复制他的能力，再结合基因疗法……”

“就可以研制一种血清，强制原有的两份灵药重新调整，模拟出使我们的实验对象达到独特平衡的条件。”阿尔凯莫点头答道。听到“实验对象”几个字，莉维娅皱了皱眉，却没说什么。“或者，也可以去除多余的灵药，让目标变成正常的单色基因者。”

“可要做出这么复杂的东西……”莉维娅重新看了看自己的生物体征数据，转向阿尔凯莫。“你需要多久才能研制出这种治疗手段？”

脑残发出一声姑且算是叹息的声音。“光是让梅克隆的人工智能模拟杂种的能力，可能就需要几个月，更别说在此基础上设计治疗方案了。这些机器的确强大，但研究对象极其复杂。我自己的天才专长，与这个研究课题也没有交集。”

“我们需要提拉诺博士。”瑞恩自言自语道。他是唯一专精基因疗法的天才，如果能拿到必要的数据和资源，应该可以设计出治疗疯魔的方法。

莉维娅绷紧了身子，阿尔凯莫则不屑地嗤笑一声。“迪纳米斯那个造恐龙的？”这位天才问道，“你觉得他会帮忙？”

“除非我能说服他，我的邪恶计划包括把所有人都变成恐龙。”

“那就直接把他绑来。你都升级到搞恐怖主义了，还差这一条罪名？”

“他很少离开迪纳米斯总部，就算离开，也必定有重兵护送。”莉维娅说道，“而且，他一旦出事，迪纳米斯就会倾巢而出。他是整个仿制灵药项目的基石，他们会不惜一切代价把他夺回去。”

“要是他死了呢？”瑞恩皱眉问道，“你父亲为什么没试着派人暗杀他？”

“因为那样，辐尘就会介入。”莉维娅的回答带着不祥的意味。从她的语气来看，她已经预见过了。“我想，你能想象出会是什么下场。”

是的，他能。

如果失去了仿制灵药生产的另一根支柱，他也会有同样的反应吗？瑞恩打算在伏尔甘完成盔甲后，立刻袭击六十六号实验室；在那之前，他还要先打开让暗灵回家的传送门。他不能拖得太久，等着辐尘或者哈格雷夫斯这样的人强行攻进地堡。

“提拉诺博士真的会帮忙研制解药吗？”莉维娅问道，“他把一个疯魔做成了饮料。这可不像是个品行端正的人。”

瑞恩至今记得，那个鳞皮家伙曾试图把熊猫开膛破肚，看看他的能力究竟如何运作。还不打麻醉。“他只在乎自己的研究，还有恐龙。”快递员说道，“不在乎实验室安全。”

可惜，瑞恩不觉得自己能在这一轮说服提拉诺博士合作。他还需要更多关于那家伙的情报。但要研制治疗手段，他们又需要杂种、莉维娅、地堡，以及更多的数据。快递员能获得这些资源，全靠一系列极为特殊的际遇，下一轮根本无法重现。

“莉维娅，亲爱的，你今晚有安排吗？”

她不情愿地缓缓点了点头。“父亲说要见面，大概是商量怎么对付你。我很快就得回他那儿去了。”

瑞恩明白了言外之意。他们得找蕾恩谈一谈，为未来做好准备。他们需要商量，如何结束这场注定失败的循环，以及之后该怎么办。

奥古斯蒂公主转向房门。“你可以进来了。”她说道，“这件事不一定要闹到动手的地步。”

金属门打开了，门后的某人也停止了偷听。

“下次会走运点，是吧？”沙林将护手对准瑞恩，手指随着力量的涌动而震颤。“可这对我行不通。”