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• 2016, Italy.

“Our target,” Leonard Hargraves faced his team in his human form, “is Freddie Sabino, alias Bloodstream.”

Pictures of the man that the Psycho used to be appeared on the screen, right next to the bloody abomination he had turned into. Short black hair, a tired face aged by stress, brown eyes… an unremarkable man for a terrible destiny.

“Born 1980 in Otranto, Italy, to a fisherman and a housewife, Freddie Sabino married young, dropped out of college when his girlfriend expected a child, and then joined the Otranto Polizia Municipale; the only job he ever had. His wife abandoned him for another man before Last Easter, leaving him to raise two young children alone. A daughter, Len—perhaps a shorthand for Lenora—and a son, Cesare.”

In short, there was nothing special about the man. If the apocalypse hadn’t happened, Freddie Sabino might have lived a normal life. Put money on the side, watched his kids go to college, perhaps marry again.

“Though the Alchemist sent Wonderboxes to families or isolated individuals, a few Elixirs ended up in the hands of law enforcement on Last Easter’s eve; usually because they were mistaken for drug batches or letter bombs. When the apocalypse began and Genomes rampaged in Otranto, Freddie Sabino stole two Elixirs from his police station and fled the city.”

They would never know to whom these Elixirs had been sent, before the police confiscated them. Perhaps if they had reached their intended owners, a great many tragedies could have been averted.

“We know Sabino was active as a Psycho as early as 2009.” Leo showed his team a phone picture of a bloody monster boarding a rusted car, alongside two children no older than twelve. “Reports indicated he has traveled with his children since the late 2000s, though his son was only confirmed as alive in 2012.”

Someone among the audience raised a gloved hand. Leo responded with a nod. “Yes?”

“Do the children have powers too?” Mr. Wave asked. The oddest member of the group, he was a creature of living wavelengths, and rarely took things seriously. “Mr. Wave is not going all out on kids, even if they’re Genomes.”

“The kids are powerless,” said Mathias Martel. The sixteen-year-old teen had insisted on joining the Carnival after his mother’s dementia, determined to complete her work. He had proved invaluable as an information gatherer, though not as much as Pythia.

Ace nodded with a dark look on her face. “He would have killed them if they were Genomes.”

“Nothing indicates that they are complicit in their father’s crimes,” Leo continued. “According to Pythia’s psyche report, Bloodstream remains violently protective of his children even in his current state. However, he also keeps them dependent on him through social isolation, gaslighting, and physical abuse.”

Leo had seen many similar cases in London; far too many. These fathers convinced their children the world was out to get them, and that they could only rely on their kin.

“We must ensure the children’s safety, especially that of Len Sabino, but I will come back to them in a few moments.” Leo continued his exposé on their target’s capabilities. “Bloodstream is a Green/Blue type. His Green power grants him complete control over his blood. He can reshape it into weapons, create tentacles, restructure his body. His Blue power turns him into pure information. It might have allowed him to enter computer systems, had he remained a pure Blue.”

It would have made him easier to kill.

“But as it is often the case with Psychos, his two powers mutated to form a unique synergy. Bloodstream became his blood, literally. Each of his blood cells hosts his consciousness, allowing him to reform as long as one remains. Nothing short of disintegration will slay him.”

“We need your flames,” the Cossack guessed.

Leonard nodded. “Which leads us to his ghastliest ability; the reason why he has remained undefeated for so long and accumulated a four-digit body count. If Bloodstream’s blood cells enter another human’s circulatory system, then he can take it over. Like a virus, he will overwrite foreign cells’ information with his own. Your DNA, your mind, your memories… If Bloodstream touches you, you are worse than dead.”

Leonard marked a short pause for emphasis.

“You are him.”

---

“What do you think?” Shortie asked, as she wiped sweat off her forehead. Her clothes had turned black and dirty, but she looked at her work with pride.

Standing on the boathouse’s pier at her side, Ryan didn’t share her enthusiasm. “That it will be a miracle if we reach Spain, let alone the USA.”

The boathouse smelled of rust and decaying paint, its ceiling threatening to fall apart any moment. The ten meter-long vessel floated in a water pond with direct access to the Tyrrhenian Sea, a pineapple-shaped, clunky mass of metal. The machine’s shape and rusty brown color scheme reminded Ryan of the Ictíneo II, one of the world’s earliest submarines.

It didn’t inspire confidence.

Len pinched him in the arm in response. “The Laika will work fine,” she said. “We’ll reach America in twelve days according to the autopilot.”

Ryan squinted at her with skepticism. “The Laika?”

“Like the dog the Russians sent to space.”

And they wanted to go to the USA? She would never fit in. “You do know she died midway through the mission, right? You’ve condemned us all!”

Len tried to pinch him in the arm again, but Ryan saw it coming. He dodged her vicious attack, and responded by grabbing her by the waist and treacherously kissing her on the neck. Her skin was soft to the touch, and she let out a cute gasp of surprise.

“Riri, not here,“ she whispered in protest, putting her hands on his own.

“Just a kiss,” Ryan asked, begged, his lips moving to her cheeks. “Come on, we deserve it. We’ve been working on this thing nonstop for weeks.”

“Riri, you’re insane…” Len whispered, but she didn’t fight him back either. Eventually, she gave in. “Okay, but five minutes tops.”

They made out for fifteen, her hand in his hair, his own on her back. Len tasted of oil and saltwater, but Ryan didn’t care. He wouldn’t have stopped for anything in the world. But like all good things, it was over too soon.

“That was foolish,” Len said while breaking the embrace, though her blushing cheeks disagreed.

If she had let him, Ryan wouldn’t have stopped at mere kisses.

Their first night together had been a logistical nightmare. First, they had to find pre-war pills which hadn’t expired, and unused condoms. Then they had to wait for her father to wander away, so he wouldn’t catch them in the act. When the right moment came, Ryan and Len realized they had no idea how to proceed. Nobody taught them the finer details, so their kisses and touches had been horribly clumsy.

But they figured it out. For a moment, Ryan and Len had been alone in the world. Two halves made one.

Ryan wouldn’t have stopped at one night, but her father never let them out of sight for long anymore. Not since the Carnival started hunting his clones. The two teens had to settle on furtive kisses and caresses, always fearing discovery.

The situation made Ryan die a little inside each day. Len’s father was always there. Always between them. Always ruining their chance at happiness. Always causing them trouble.

And now, that insane maniac had decided the ‘family’ would leave Europe altogether and migrate to America. What logical process Bloodstream went through to reach this idea, Ryan would never understand. But he didn’t leave his charges any choice.

Porto Venere had been a small coastal town before the apocalypse, a few colored houses built next to long piers. The locals had abandoned the place long before their group moved in. It was isolated enough that nobody would locate their hideout, but close enough to Genoa for supply runs.

Though Ryan himself was the only one who left the house nowadays. Shortie spent her time working on her submarine, while her father hid in their temporary home. The Carnival fell on them whenever Bloodstream went out in public, but Ryan could slip out unnoticed, if he took precautions.

“Can you bring back oranges and citruses, if you find any?” Len asked Ryan, as he prepared to leave the boathouse through a small door. “We risk scurvy with our current reserves.”

“I’ll do what I can,” he said, before freezing at his hand reached the door lock. “Hey, Shortie…”

“Mmm…”

“You said everything on the sub is automated? No manual controls?”

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “I can do a lot with my power, but scavenged boats aren’t the best source of materials available. I had to sacrifice some features to make the whole thing work.”

“What if we have a problem on the way?”

“Well, the sub will automatically redirect to the nearest shore. Hopefully, Dad will protect us in the meantime.”

Ryan looked over his shoulders, their eyes meeting. “It’s your dad I worry about.”

Len bit her lower lips, and crossed her arms. “Riri, I… my position hasn’t changed."

Ryan had tried to convince her to run away with him a dozen times already. To leave her father stranded on the shore while they fled across the sea. Bloodstream might have an uncanny ability to locate his daughter whenever she wandered off, but he couldn’t swim across the Atlantic either.

But Shortie wouldn’t listen. Ryan could argue and scream all he wanted, yet she remained stubborn as a mule. “They’ll keep coming after him,” he warned her. “As long as he lives, they will never let us go.”

“They won’t pursue us across the sea,” she replied stubbornly.

“I heard their leader, the Living Sun, can fly at supersonic speeds and even in space,” Ryan countered. “It will take us days to cross the ocean, and hours for him.”

“But they didn’t find us yet.” They had hidden well, true. “They can’t find us, Riri.”

She meant it as a statement, but it sounded like a fervent prayer instead.

Truthfully, Ryan wondered if it would be a bad thing if the Carnival cornered their ‘guardian’ and slew him for good. However, he was worried they wouldn’t stop at Bloodstream alone, since people had seen the family travel together. Ryan and Len might be flagged as the Psycho’s accomplices, and face the same punishment.

And yet, he couldn’t help but dream of a sun falling down on Bloodstream at night.

Ryan opened the door with a sigh, and moved through the rest of the building. He guessed it had been a boat club once, where rich people could store their ships, watch soccer on TV, and relax in restaurants.

“Cesare!”

His shrilling voice chilled Ryan to the bone, making the boy freeze in place.

The young teen followed the voice to the house’s dining room. Bloodstream slouched on a tattered sofa, right in front of the TV. This was the last clone, as far as Ryan could tell. The Carnival had hunted them so relentlessly, that the group had to flee civilization altogether.

“Come here,” the Psycho said, gesturing at a spot to his left. Ryan reluctantly obeyed, his kind and well-adjusted stepfather pointing at the TV. “It’s Power Rangers. You remember Power Rangers?”

The TV’s screen had long turned into shattered glass, but Ryan indulged the delusional Psycho. “I remember, Dad.”

“You were so obsessed with this series, that you always pestered me to buy you toys,” Bloodstream said, shaking his head. “I… I wish I had the money to back then. I really wanted to make you happy, Cesare.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Ryan lied, going through the motions.

“No, it’s not okay,” he said, moving his head closer to his captive’s ear. “Your sister is sick, Cesare. She’s very sick.”

A shiver went down Ryan’s spine. “Len looks healthy to me,” he protested.

But the Psycho didn’t listen. “She’s sick, Cesare. All of us who took this poison, we’re all sick. The disease is in us. It drove the whole world mad. I think they put demons in these bottles. I know, because I dream of Hell.”

“You… you dream of Hell?”

“A Green Hell. I wander its wriggling womb at night. The floor pulsates like your heart, the walls have mouths and eyes. And the air… I feel a thousand microscopic flies move into my lungs as I breathe. Even the water looks back and speaks to me. Hell is alive, Cesare. It’s an infestation. Satan distributed these bottles to poison the whole human race with his brood.”

Ryan said nothing, knowing better than to talk back to Bloodstream while he was raving nonsense.

“You know what cancer is, Cesare? Your grandma died from it. It’s insidious, cancer. It grows inside of you, it intertwines with your organs like a tree’s roots in fertile soil. You have to be careful about removing it, or you destroy the whole garden.” Bloodstream patted his adoptive son’s shoulder, as if congratulating him for winning a soccer game. “I’ll find a way to operate on your sister one day. Make her healthy again. I’ll figure something out, don’t worry.”

Ryan remained still, clenching his fists. As he knew… it was only a matter of time before he looked at his own daughter for sustenance. The Psycho hadn’t fed in weeks, and his lucidity kept degrading.

“If you and your sister die, I don’t… I don’t know what I will do. I love you. I… love you both so much.”

Bloodstream started sobbing, holding his head in his hands. Ryan didn’t know how to react, so he said nothing.

“I’m sorry, Cesare,” Bloodstream said, the fluid making up his body shifting like a raging sea. “I’m sorry… I couldn’t… I just wanted to protect you both, and I… I ruined it all. Now Len is sick, and… and I’m sick too. I’m sick, Cesare.”

“It’s…” Ryan looked at this deluded, sobbing monster. He wanted to hate him, to strike him in return for the years of fear and abuse, but… but in that moment, he didn’t fear Bloodstream anymore.

He pitied the man inside.

“You’re all I’ve left,” he whimpered. “Your mother is gone. Our house is gone. I just… I don’t know what to do… that place, it’s calling me. One day… one day I won’t come back, and… your sister...”

“I…” Ryan winced in a mix of pity and disgust, a warm feeling filling his innards. He carefully raised a hand, putting it on the bloody monster’s shoulder. He was warm and slippery to the touch. “It’s okay. I’ll protect Len, I swear.”

The physical contact seemed to soothe Freddie Sabino, his outer layers becoming as peaceful as a Japanese pond. “I’m sure your mom is waiting for us on the other side of the ocean,” he said, with a shaking, hopeful voice. “She... she always wanted to go to L.A. She’s waiting for us there, you’ll see. We’ll start over. Make everything right.”

“Yeah,” Ryan lied. He felt like reassuring a child with cancer, telling him he would go to Heaven. “It will be alright, Dad.”

And for a brief moment, he believed it. Ryan lied to himself so well, that for a second, he thought Bloodstream could improve. That the man inside could reassert control; that Ryan could call himself Ryan, not Cesare; that he could marry Len, build a house near the sea, and raise children in peace. A simple dream, for a simple person.

The dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

Bloodstream looked at the broken TV, as if suddenly inspired. “If you die,” he said, his voice no longer shaking. “If you and your sister die... I’ll kill everyone.”

Bloodstream said that so softly, Ryan found it almost soothing.

And then the young teen understood the words, and they chilled him to the bone.

“I’ll kill everyone, and then I’ll kill myself,” Bloodstream continued, lost in his delirium. “A world where children can die… it’s just not worth existing. We’ll all be together on the other side. It can’t be hell if we’re all together, right?”

Bloodstream didn’t say a word after that confession. He spent his time on the sofa, looking at the shattered screen with a frightening intensity. A psychotic shooter mentally preparing himself for the crime.

And Ryan went right back to hating him.

He was angry at himself too, for pitying that monster even for a second. For thinking that things could turn around, making him forget all the horrors Bloodstream inflicted on his family and countless others. If there had been a man inside that bloody head of his, the monster had devoured him years ago.

Ryan hesitated for ten minutes to leave the house, worrying that he might return to find Len dead at her father’s hands. He always felt this way whenever he left these two alone. One day it would happen.

The fresh air outside didn’t bring him any comfort, as he walked towards his bike with a bag on his back. A thought gnawed the teen’s mind like a worm in an apple.

Len would never make it to America alive.

Ryan could feel it in his bones. The proximity, the isolation… her father would lose control. He would weep and regret, but he would do the terrible deed. If not during the trip itself, then on arrival.

He was a ticking time-bomb, and one day he would go off.

Bloodstream had to die. For Len’s good, and everyone else’s.

Ryan opened his bag, and examined the Violet Elixir he always kept inside. Thankfully, Bloodstream only detected Elixirs inside Genomes’ blood; but that meant he would know the second his adoptive son used the potion on himself.

The liquid swirled inside the syringe as if alive, a promise of power and freedom. Perhaps it could give Ryan a power stronger than Bloodstream’s? Unlikely, but… what else could he do?

A second sun flew across the skies, answering his prayers.

---

The Carnival’s screen shifted to a graphic representation of the possession process. A drop of blood infected an adult man, spreading through his veins like an infection, devouring the organs from within.

The skin soon ruptured to let the lifeblood out, and Bloodstream was born again.

“He will infect your blood like a virus and restructure your body into a clone of himself. In fact, we believe he did it so often that his current body isn’t the original one.” A tense silence followed Leo’s explanations, as his team digested the information. “All his copies share his powers and form a loose hive mind, like a larger body’s cells.”

“So if Mr. Wave kills half of them at once, the other half will fear him?” The boastful Genome slouched on his chair. “This is Mechron all over again.”

“Not quite, but close,” Leo confirmed. “To get rid of him, we must destroy all his copies and leave nothing behind. Not even a droplet. Each time we ambush a clone, I will incinerate it and Stitch will sterilize the area afterward. Fortunately, Bloodstream is a lone wolf Psycho. Unlike people like Adam the Ogre, he lacks a support network.”

“He is a pack of his own,” the Cossack said.

“Yes, and his clones never moved more than one mile from each other, perhaps to maintain their hive mind. If we isolate Bloodstream’s doubles from bystanders, we can eliminate them one by one. Like a scalpel cutting out a tumor before it can proliferate.”

“Do we know where they are?” Ace asked. “I didn’t find any intel in Pythia’s data.”

Mathias nodded, having successfully followed their trail. “The family travels across Italy in an irregular pattern and never stays in the same place for long, but they were last sighted near the Alps.”

“Once we engage, we must pursue Bloodstream relentlessly and keep him away from populated areas,” Leonard said.

“Does his power have any limit?” Ace turned to face Stitch. “Did you finish examining the biological samples we could find?”

“I did,” the plague doctor confirmed with a nod. “I was waiting for this meeting to fact check the intelligence our leader had gathered.”

Leonard smiled. Though the Carnival was a tight-knit group, they operated in individual cells and only gathered in one place for debriefings or large operations. This structure allowed each member a great deal of flexibility, and made the group highly resilient. Members might die, but someone would always survive to revive the Carnival.

“First of all, he can only control his own blood,” Leonard explained, showing pictures of Bloodstream bisecting an Augusti Genome with a crimson, crystallized axe. “He cannot telekinetically control your blood, unless he infects you first. Neither can he generate mass out of thin air, which is why he needs hosts to duplicate himself.”

“No voodoo doll mumbo-jumbo then?” Mr. Wave asked. “Mr. Wave hates those.”

“I had enough with Manic Plague,” Ace agreed with a shrug.

“Next, he can only manage a few clones at a time, with a highest recorded peak of ten doubles. If they break that limit, the clones start absorbing each other to reduce their numbers, probably to reduce the risk of them developing individual thoughts. He can only affect humans, so—”

Stitch raised his hand.

“Yes, Stitch?”

“Sir, with all due respect,” the doctor coughed. “You are wrong.”

---

Len was selecting which books to bring with her to the sub, when the explosion resonated outside.

The whole boathouse trembled, a metal panel falling on the Laika and bouncing off its hull. The Genius stumbled and lost her grip on her books. Some safely fell on the pier, but her copy of Lenin’s The State and Revolution sank into the pond, to her horror.

“What’s happening?!” Her father didn’t answer. A smell of smoke and flames came from the sea, carried inside the boathouse by the wind. “Dad? Dad?”

Someone opened the boathouse’s door with a backpack full of canned food.

“Riri?” He looked exhausted, as if he had run for miles. “Riri, what’s happening?”

“We have to go,” he said, catching his breath. “They’re here. The Carnival.”

Her worst fear had come to pass.

Another explosion echoed in the distance, like a bombardment. It’s his last body, Len realized in panic. If they kill him now… “Dad—”

“Is delaying them,” Ryan said, grabbing her books off the floor. “We have to go.”

“Go? Go where?”

The Genius looked into her boyfriend’s eyes, and she understood.

“No,” Len said. “Maybe Dad will beat them.”

Many tried to kill him, but he had never lost. Her father always came back, always beat the odds. He had fought the Augusti, raiders, and heroes, and he defeated them all. The Carnival would fail like the others.

“We have to run, Shortie. They’re too numerous, your father can’t beat them all.” Ryan leapt on the sub, carefully moving towards the hatch. “Activate the sub, your dad will catch up to us in minutes.”

Len wanted to protest further, but the sheer panic in his voice convinced her. She followed her boyfriend, opening the hatch and slipping together inside the sub.

It was a cramped place, with only three rooms: one at the back for the machinery, one for stockpiled supplies, and the living space. Len had sacrificed space for efficiency, keeping only a bunk bed next to a small porthole and the sub’s control panel. It had taken them days to find a computer to scavenge for the screen and keyboard.

“How did they find us?” Len asked, typing on the computer while Ryan put her books and his food in the storage room. “Did they follow you?”

“I wasn’t careful.”

Something in his unapologetic tone made her pause. She interrupted her work to look at him, and immediately saw the guilt in his gaze.

“You didn’t care to hide,” Len accused him. “You led them here.”

He didn’t even deny it.

He… no, he could… he couldn’t have… “Riri…”

“Len, your father is sick,” he said, his gaze firm. “He’s sick in the head.”

“I know,” she hissed, grinding her teeth, “I know that, but—”

“But nothing,” Ryan interrupted her. “If we don’t flee, he’ll kill us. He’ll kill you.”

“He won’t,” she protested, though some part of her wasn’t so sure. “We… Riri, I had my Elixir for weeks, and he never…”

“Not yet,” Ryan said, a dark look on his face. “Not yet is not never, Shortie.”

“So you will let him die?” Len trembled with rage. “You will strand him on the shore, and let the Carnival slay him?”

“Len, I…” Ryan tried to find his words. “We don’t need him. I can make you happy, Len. We can start again, just the two of us.”

“How?” she asked, shaking her head. “We can’t defend ourselves.”

“You’re a Genius, and I have my Elixir. We can take care of ourselves.”

“This is madness!”

“This whole plan was madness from the start, but that’s the best we have.” His hands reached for her. “Len—”

“Don’t touch me!” Len hissed, her back against the porthole. Ryan froze, her rejection hurting him as much as it hurt her. “Why? Why?”

“For us!” he snapped. “For us!”

“For you!” Tears formed in her eyes. “You want me all for yourself.”

“I want you alive!”

His words made her flinch, as if he had slapped her.

She looked at Ryan’s eyes, and saw the concern in them. She had been mistaken; he didn’t do it for himself, but for her.

He loved her, as much as she loved him.

A part of her wanted to do as he said. To drop everything and take that submarine to the sea. To go on an adventure around the world, just the two of them.

But each time… each time she looked at the monster her father had become, she remembered the kind man he had once been. How he always smiled at her and her brother, her real brother. How he was always there after Mom left, always consoling Len when she cried in her bed. Sometimes, the man reasserted himself, and in these brief moments, his daughter felt hope.

“Please, Ryan. I… as long as he’s alive… as long as he’s alive, there’s a chance he can heal.”

In spite of everything… In spite of everything, Len couldn’t bring herself to hate her father.

“Not without him,” Len said, avoiding his disappointed gaze. “I’m sorry, Riri… not without him.”

His intense, baleful stare made her shiver. His hands trembled, his teeth grinded together, his face twisted. Len saw the anger, the disappointment, the sadness, flash through his face.

And then came the resignation.

“Put on the autopilot,” Ryan said, while moving towards the hatch. “If we’re not back in twenty minutes, your father and I are dead.”

“Riri, if I put the autopilot on, I can’t disable it.”

“If you stay, they might kill you,” he said darkly, “They might kill us all, just to make sure Bloodstream is really gone.”

It was always the same pattern. When people failed to kill Len’s father, they came after Ryan and her. It was always their family against the world.

“Ryan,” Len whispered, as he was halfway through the open hatch.

He stopped.

“Ryan, please come back.”

He looked over his shoulder. “Live, Len,” he said before exiting the sub.

Len activated the autopilot, put on the timer, and waited.

---

Leo frowned. “What do you mean, his power has no upper limits?”

“After analyzing the samples we gathered, I confirm that our target is not limited to human hosts. Anything with a circulatory system can do, including the entire animal kingdom.” The doctor marked a short pause. “Nor does he seem biologically limited in the number of clones active at once. Both ‘restrictions,’ I’m afraid, are purely psychological.”

A shiver went down Leonard’s spine. He fought the urge to turn into a living sun again, to chase away the fear. If Stitch was correct, then…

“But why would he keep only a dozen doubles?” Mathias asked with skepticism. “Especially if they share a pseudo-hive mind? Why do they even attack each other? I could understand if each clone was independent, but...”

“Because he hates himself deep down,” the Cossack guessed laconically. “What he has become.”

A part of Freddie Sabino wished for death. His psychological traumas crippled his power, preventing him from making full use of his unlimited potential.

Ace exchanged a glance with Leonard, her face white as milk. She had understood the danger too. “Stitch, be honest,” she asked the doctor. “If he goes all out, what will happen?”

“He will become a pandemic,” Stitch confirmed. “Since he can infect others through blood projectiles, Sabino will devastate Italy within days unless quarantined. If he assimilates birds or fish, then the ‘Bloodstream plague’ could infect the entire Earth’s biosphere within months. Only Genomes with abnormal bodies like Augustus will survive.”

There it was. The extinction event Pythia warned them against.

Bloodstream wouldn’t just destroy all life on Earth; he would become life itself.

A deathly silence followed, quickly broken by the unflappable Cossack. “The trigger is his daughter’s death? Not the brother’s?”

“Pythia couldn’t explain it either,” Leonard confirmed. Her data only held broadstokes information. The future was ever-shifting, and other Genomes often interfered with her visions. “But if Len Sabino dies, her father will trigger an extinction event.”

“We can assume our target will lose all psychological restraints and go on a rampage,” Stitch explained.

“He will hate the world more than he hates himself,” Ace whispered sadly.

Stitch nodded in agreement. “And according to Pythia’s prophecy, Len Sabino will perish unless we intervene.”

The Cossack crossed his arms. “He has to die. No matter the cost.”

“No, not at any cost,” Mr. Wave protested. “No touching the children.”

“Besides sharing your moral concern, our only advantage over Bloodstream is that he doesn’t understand the full extent of his abilities,” Leo said. “We must slay all the clones in a short period, and move the children to safety. Ace, you will focus on evacuating the wounded to the infirmary. Stitch, Mathias, you stay in the reserve.”

Mathias Martel immediately protested. “But—”

“No buts, young man. Haven’t you heard? Your range is too short, and if he hits you once, it’s over.”

---

The battle was still ongoing when Ryan exited the boat club.

He didn’t have to look long to locate the battlefield; he just had to follow the smoke rising in the skies.

His plan had been simple. Take no precautions during the supply run, make sure the Carnival’s flyers noticed him, and let them follow him back to their hideout. Ryan worried they might have expected a trap if he approached them directly, but his scheme had worked like a charm.

At least, until now.

This plan was insane. Ryan knew it from the start. It was a hare-brained plot born out of frustration and desperation, one last attempt to get out of an impossible situation. But Len refused to budge, even after he forced her hand. And now, he had set the dominos, and couldn’t undo their fall.

This could only end in tears.

Unless...

Ryan looked at his Elixir, at the strange power in a syringe. It had caused so much pain, and yet created so many wonders. Maybe Bloodstream had been right, and it was the Devil’s work. Maybe it was a gift of the heavens.

But whether it came from above or below, that substance was Ryan’s only hope.

He slammed the syringe into his arm, and prayed for a miracle.

The world turned purple, and Ryan ran.

• 2016年，意大利。

“我们的目标，”伦纳德·哈格雷夫斯以人类形态面对着队员们，“是弗雷迪·萨比诺，别名血流。”

屏幕上出现了这个疯魔尚为人类时的照片，旁边就是他如今化身的血色怪物。黑色短发，因压力而显老的疲惫面孔，棕色眼睛……一个平平无奇的男人，却有着如此可怕的命运。

“弗雷迪·萨比诺，1980年出生于意大利奥特朗托，父亲是渔民，母亲是家庭主妇。他很早便结了婚，在女友怀孕后从大学退学，随后加入奥特朗托市警察局；这是他这辈子唯一做过的工作。最后的复活节之前，他的妻子抛下他，跟了别的男人，留下两个年幼的孩子由他独自抚养。女儿叫蕾恩——也许是蕾诺拉的简称——儿子叫切萨雷。”

简而言之，这个男人毫无特别之处。如果末日没有降临，弗雷迪·萨比诺或许会平平淡淡地过完一生。攒些钱，看着孩子们上大学，也许再结一次婚。

“炼金术师虽然把奇迹盒寄给了一个个家庭或独居者，但在最后的复活节前夕，仍有少量灵药落入执法部门手中；通常是因为它们被误认为是毒品包裹或邮件炸弹。末日开始、基因者在奥特朗托肆虐时，弗雷迪·萨比诺从任职的警局偷走了两支灵药，逃出了城。”

这些灵药被警方没收之前，原本寄给了谁，他们永远也无从得知。也许，倘若它们顺利到了原定的主人手里，许许多多的悲剧就不会发生。

“我们知道，早在2009年，萨比诺就已经作为疯魔在活动了。”利奥向队员们展示了一张手机拍下的照片：一个血色怪物正登上一辆锈迹斑斑的汽车，身旁跟着两个不超过十二岁的孩子。“报告显示，从二十一世纪头十年的末期开始，他就一直带着孩子们四处流浪。不过，他儿子还活着这一点，到2012年才得到证实。”

听众中有人举起一只戴着手套的手。利奥点头示意。“有问题？”

“那两个孩子也有能力吗？”波动先生问。他是这群人中最古怪的一个，是个由活体波构成的生物，鲜少认真对待什么事。“波动先生可不会对孩子下狠手，哪怕他们是基因者。”

“孩子们没有能力。”马蒂亚斯·马特尔说。这个十六岁的少年在母亲患上痴呆症后，执意要加入嘉年华，决心完成她未竟的事业。在情报搜集方面，他已经证明了自己的宝贵价值，尽管还比不上皮提亚。

王牌脸色阴沉地点了点头。“如果他们是基因者，他早就把他们杀了。”

“没有任何迹象表明，他们参与了父亲的罪行。”利奥继续道，“根据皮提亚的心理报告，哪怕处于目前的状态，血流仍会以暴力手段极力保护自己的孩子。然而，他也通过隔绝社交、扭曲认知和身体虐待，让他们始终依赖自己。”

利奥在伦敦见过许多类似的案例；实在太多了。这些父亲让孩子相信，整个世界都想害他们，而他们唯一能依靠的，只有自己的亲人。

“我们必须确保孩子们的安全，尤其是蕾恩·萨比诺，关于他们，我稍后再说。”利奥继续介绍目标的能力。“血流属于绿蓝双系。他的绿色能力让他可以完全操控自己的血液。他能把血变成武器，制造触手，重塑身体。他的蓝色能力则会让他化作纯粹的信息。如果他一直保持纯蓝系，也许就能进入计算机系统。”

那样的话，他就好杀多了。

“但正如疯魔身上经常发生的那样，他的两种能力产生了变异，形成独特的协同作用。血流变成了他自己的血液，字面意义上的。每一个血细胞里都承载着他的意识，只要还有一颗细胞残存，他就能重组身体。唯有将他彻底分解，才能杀死他。”

“所以我们需要你的火焰。”哥萨克猜道。

伦纳德点了点头。“这就说到他最骇人的能力了；也正因如此，他才能这么久都未尝败绩，杀人数更是累积到了四位数。如果血流的血细胞进入另一个人的循环系统，他就能将其接管。就像病毒一样，他会用自己的信息覆盖异体细胞的信息。你的DNA，你的思想，你的记忆……如果血流碰到你，你的下场会比死更糟。”

伦纳德略作停顿，以加重语气。

“你会变成他。”

---

“你觉得怎么样？”小矮个问，一边擦去额头上的汗。她的衣服已经又黑又脏，却仍满怀自豪地望着自己的作品。

瑞恩站在她身旁，脚下是船库里的栈桥，却没有她那么热情。“我觉得，能到西班牙都算奇迹，更别提美国了。”

船库里弥漫着铁锈和朽坏油漆的气味，屋顶摇摇欲坠，随时都可能塌下来。那艘十米长的船浮在直通第勒尼安海的水池里，是一大团菠萝形状、笨重粗陋的金属。这机器的外形和锈褐色的配色，让瑞恩想起了世界上最早的一批潜艇之一——伊克蒂内奥二号。

实在让人信任不起来。

蕾恩在他胳膊上掐了一把，以示回应。“莱卡号不会有问题的。”她说，“按自动驾驶系统的计算，我们十二天就能到美洲。”

瑞恩满脸怀疑地眯眼看着她。“莱卡号？”

“就是俄国人送上太空的那只狗。”

就这，他们还想去美国？她这辈子都别想融入了。“你知道它执行任务到一半就死了吧？你这是要害死我们所有人！”

蕾恩又想掐他的胳膊，但瑞恩早有防备。他躲过她凶狠的一击，反手揽住她的腰，卑鄙地偷吻了她的脖颈。她的肌肤柔软，惊得轻轻抽了口气，可爱极了。

“瑞瑞，别在这儿。”她低声抗议，双手覆上他的手。

“就亲一下。”瑞恩请求着，央求着，嘴唇移到她的脸颊上。“来嘛，这是我们应得的。为了这东西，我们已经连轴转了好几个星期。”

“瑞瑞，你疯了……”蕾恩低声说，却也没有反抗。最后，她还是让步了。“好吧，但最多五分钟。”

他们亲热了十五分钟，她的手埋在他发间，他的手贴着她的背。蕾恩带着机油和海水的味道，瑞恩却不在乎。天塌下来他也舍不得停。但美好的事情总是这样，结束得太快。

“这太傻了。”蕾恩说着，挣开了他的怀抱，不过，她泛红的脸颊显然不这么认为。

要是她肯，瑞恩绝不会满足于几个吻。

他们共度的第一个夜晚，光是前期筹备就堪称噩梦。首先，他们得找到战前生产、尚未过期的避孕药，还有没用过的避孕套。然后，他们得等她父亲出门游荡，免得被当场撞见。等到时机终于合适，瑞恩和蕾恩才发现，他们根本不知道该怎么继续。没人教过他们其中的细节，两人的亲吻和触碰都笨拙得要命。

但他们还是摸索着学会了。那一刻，世界上仿佛只剩下瑞恩和蕾恩。两个半圆，终于合为一体。

瑞恩本不会满足于一个夜晚，可她父亲如今再也不肯让他们长时间离开自己的视线。自从嘉年华开始猎杀他的分身后，就是如此。两个少年只能满足于偷偷摸摸的亲吻和爱抚，时时刻刻担心被发现。

这样的处境，让瑞恩每天都觉得心里有些什么在一点点死去。蕾恩的父亲永远都在。永远横在他们之间。永远毁掉他们获得幸福的机会。永远给他们惹麻烦。

而现在，那个丧心病狂的疯子又决定，让这一“家”人彻底离开欧洲，移民美洲。血流究竟是经过了怎样一番逻辑推演才有了这个念头，瑞恩永远也想不明白。但他根本没给受他监护的两人任何选择。

末日之前，韦内雷港是个滨海小镇，几间色彩鲜艳的房屋建在长长的码头旁。早在他们这群人搬来之前，当地居民就已弃城而去。这里足够偏僻，没人能找到他们的藏身处，离热那亚又足够近，方便外出搜寻补给。

不过，如今还会离开这栋房子的，就只有瑞恩一人。小矮个整天忙着造潜艇，她父亲则躲在这个临时的家里。血流只要公开露面，嘉年华就会杀到，但瑞恩只要做好防范，仍能悄悄溜出去，不被人注意。

瑞恩正准备从一扇小门离开船库时，蕾恩问他：“要是找得到，能带点橙子和其他柑橘类水果回来吗？照目前的储备，我们有得坏血病的风险。”

“我尽量。”他说，手伸到门锁前却停住了。“那个，小矮个……”

“嗯……”

“你说潜艇上的一切都是自动的？没有手动操纵？”

“对。”她叹了口气，“我的能力是能做很多事，可从废船上拆东西，实在算不上什么好材料来源。我不得不牺牲一些功能，才能让整艘艇正常运作。”

“要是我们半路出问题了呢？”

“那潜艇就会自动转向最近的海岸。希望在那之前，爸爸能保护我们。”

瑞恩回过头，与她四目相对。“我担心的就是你爸。”

蕾恩咬住下唇，抱起双臂。“瑞瑞，我……我的立场没有变。”

瑞恩已经试着劝过她十来次，要她跟自己一起逃走。把她父亲留在岸上，他们则远渡重洋。血流或许有种诡异的本事，无论女儿跑到哪里都能找到，但他总不能游过大西洋吧。

可小矮个根本听不进去。不管瑞恩如何争辩、叫喊，她都像头骡子一样倔。“他们会一直追杀他。”他警告她，“只要他还活着，他们就永远不会放过我们。”

“他们不会追着我们横渡大海的。”她固执地回答。

“听说他们的首领，那个活体太阳，能以超音速飞行，甚至能在太空里飞。”瑞恩反驳，“我们横渡大洋得花好多天，他只要几个小时。”

“可他们还没找到我们。”他们确实藏得很好。“他们找不到我们的，瑞瑞。”

她本想说得笃定，听起来却更像一句虔诚的祈祷。

说真的，如果嘉年华把他们的“监护人”逼入绝境，彻底杀死，瑞恩都怀疑那算不算坏事。不过，他担心对方不会只杀血流就罢手，毕竟有人见过他们这一家子结伴出行。瑞恩和蕾恩也许会被认定是这个疯魔的同谋，受到同样的惩罚。

可即便如此，他还是忍不住幻想：某天夜里，一轮太阳从天而降，砸在血流头上。

瑞恩叹了口气，打开门，穿过建筑里的其他区域。他猜这里曾是一家船艇俱乐部，富人可以把船停在这儿，看电视上的足球赛，去餐厅吃饭消遣。

“切萨雷！”

他尖厉的声音让瑞恩寒意彻骨，少年僵在了原地。

少年循声来到屋里的餐厅。血流瘫在一张破沙发上，正对着电视。据瑞恩所知，这是最后一个分身了。嘉年华对他们穷追不舍，逼得他们不得不彻底逃离文明世界。

“过来。”疯魔说，朝自己左边的位置比了个手势。瑞恩不情不愿地照做，他那位和善又心理健全的继父指向电视。“是《恐龙战队》。你还记得《恐龙战队》吗？”

电视屏幕早就碎成了玻璃碴，但瑞恩还是顺着这个陷入妄想的疯魔。“记得，爸。”

“你当时迷这部剧迷得不得了，成天缠着我给你买玩具。”血流摇了摇头，“我……我真希望那时候有钱给你买。我真的很想让你开心，切萨雷。”

“没关系的，爸。”瑞恩撒着谎，照例敷衍他。

“不，不是没关系。”他说，把头凑近了俘虏的耳边。“你姐姐病了，切萨雷。她病得很重。”

一阵寒意顺着瑞恩的脊背爬了下去。“我看蕾恩挺健康的。”他反驳。

可疯魔根本不听。“她病了，切萨雷。我们这些喝下毒药的人，全都病了。病就在我们体内。它把整个世界都逼疯了。我想，他们把恶魔装进了这些瓶子。我知道，因为我会梦见地狱。”

“你……你会梦见地狱？”

“绿色的地狱。夜里，我就在它蠕动的子宫里游荡。地面像你的心脏一样搏动，墙上长着嘴和眼睛。还有空气……我一呼吸，就感觉有上千只肉眼看不见的苍蝇钻进肺里。连水都会回望我，对我说话。地狱是活的，切萨雷。到处都滋生着活物。撒旦散发这些瓶子，就是要用他的孽种毒害整个人类。”

瑞恩没有说话。他很清楚，在血流胡言乱语时跟他顶嘴有多不明智。

“你知道癌症是什么吗，切萨雷？你奶奶就是得这个病死的。癌症很阴险。它在你身体里长大，像肥沃土壤中的树根一样，和你的器官纠缠在一起。切除的时候得小心，否则就会毁掉整座花园。”血流拍了拍养子的肩，仿佛在祝贺他赢了一场足球赛。“总有一天，我会找到办法给你姐姐做手术。让她重新健康起来。我会想出办法的，别担心。”

瑞恩一动不动，双拳紧握。他早就知道……血流迟早会把自己的亲生女儿也视作食物。疯魔已经几个星期没进食了，神志也越来越不清醒。

“要是你和你姐姐死了，我不……我不知道自己会做出什么事。我爱你们。我……我真的好爱你们两个。”

血流双手抱头，抽泣起来。瑞恩不知道该如何回应，只能一言不发。

“对不起，切萨雷。”血流说，构成身体的液体如狂怒的海潮般翻涌。“对不起……我没能……我只是想保护你们两个，可我……我把一切都毁了。现在蕾恩病了，而且……而且我也病了。我病了，切萨雷。”

“没……”瑞恩望着这个神志不清、哭哭啼啼的怪物。他想恨他，想打回去，报复这些年来的恐惧与虐待，可是……可就在这一刻，他不再害怕血流。

他可怜那困在怪物体内的人。

“我只剩你们了。”他呜咽着，“你们的妈妈走了。我们的房子也没了。我只是……我不知道该怎么办……那个地方，它在叫我。总有一天……总有一天我会回不来，那样……你姐姐……”

“我……”瑞恩既怜悯又厌恶，皱紧了脸，胸腹间却涌起一股暖意。他小心翼翼地抬起一只手，放在那血色怪物的肩上。触感温热而滑腻。“没事的。我会保护蕾恩，我发誓。”

这肢体接触似乎安抚了弗雷迪·萨比诺，他身体表层的液体变得如日式庭池般平静。“我相信你妈妈正在大洋彼岸等我们。”他说，声音发抖，却满怀希望。“她……她一直想去洛杉矶。她就在那儿等我们，你会看到的。我们会重新开始。把一切都变好。”

“是啊。”瑞恩撒了谎。他觉得自己像是在安慰一个患癌症的孩子，告诉他，他会去天堂。“一切都会好起来的，爸。”

而有那么短短一瞬，他真的信了。瑞恩把自己骗得太好，以至于有一秒钟，他以为血流真的能好起来。以为里面的那个人能重新夺回主导权；以为瑞恩可以自称瑞恩，而不是切萨雷；以为他能娶蕾恩为妻，在海边盖一所房子，平平安安地养育孩子。一个普通人，一个简单的梦。

这梦很快就变成了噩梦。

血流看向那台坏掉的电视，仿佛突然来了灵感。“要是你死了，”他说，声音不再颤抖，“要是你和你姐姐死了……我就把所有人都杀了。”

血流说得那样温柔，瑞恩几乎觉得那声音有种抚慰人心的力量。

紧接着，少年听懂了那句话，寒意直透骨髓。

“我会杀光所有人，然后自杀。”血流继续说，沉浸在自己的谵妄里。“一个孩子也会死去的世界……根本不值得存在。到了另一边，我们就能团聚了。只要我们都在一起，就不可能是地狱，对吧？”

吐露了这番心声后，血流便不再说话。他一直坐在沙发上，以一种骇人的专注凝视着破碎的屏幕。仿佛一个精神错乱的枪手，正在心里为行凶做准备。

瑞恩立刻又恨起他来。

他也生自己的气，气自己竟然可怜过那怪物，哪怕只有一秒。气自己竟以为事情还有转机，就这样忘了血流给家人和无数旁人带来的种种恐怖。如果那颗血淋淋的脑袋里曾经还藏着一个人，怪物也早在多年前就将他吞噬了。

要不要出门，瑞恩足足犹豫了十分钟，担心自己回来时，看到的会是死在父亲手里的蕾恩。每次留下他们父女独处，他都会这样担心。总有一天，这会成为现实。

他背着包，朝自己的自行车走去，屋外的新鲜空气也没能带来丝毫慰藉。一个念头像苹果里的虫，不断啃噬着少年的心。

蕾恩不可能活着到达美洲。

瑞恩从骨子里就知道。距离那么近，又与世隔绝……她父亲一定会失控。他会哭泣，会后悔，但他一定会做出那件可怕的事。就算不是在旅途中，也会在抵达之后。

他是一枚滴答作响的定时炸弹，总有一天会爆炸。

血流必须死。为了蕾恩，也为了其他所有人。

瑞恩打开背包，看着那支始终随身携带的紫色灵药。幸好，血流只能感知基因者血液里的灵药；可这也意味着，养子一旦给自己注射药剂，他立刻就会知道。

液体在注射器中打着旋，仿佛活物，许诺着力量与自由。也许它能给瑞恩一种比血流更强的能力？可能性不大，可是……他还能怎么办？

第二轮太阳飞过天际，回应了他的祈祷。

---

嘉年华的屏幕切换成了附身过程的图示。一滴血感染了一个成年男子，沿着他的血管扩散，如病菌蔓延，从内部吞噬他的器官。

很快，皮肤破裂，鲜血涌出，血流就此重生。

“他会像病毒一样感染你的血液，把你的身体重塑成自己的一个分身。事实上，我们认为他这么做过太多次，现在这具身体已经不是原装的了。”利奥解释完后，一阵紧绷的沉默笼罩了众人，队员们都在消化这些信息。“所有分身都拥有他的能力，并构成一个松散的蜂群意识，就像某个更大躯体的细胞。”

“所以，如果波动先生一口气杀掉一半，另一半就会怕他？”这个爱吹嘘的基因者瘫在椅子上。“又是梅克隆那一套。”

“不完全是，但差不多。”利奥肯定道，“要除掉他，我们必须消灭全部分身，不留下任何残余。哪怕一滴血都不行。每次伏击分身，都由我将它焚毁，然后由斯蒂奇对现场进行灭菌。幸好，血流是个独来独往的疯魔。和食人魔亚当那类人不同，他没有支援网络。”

“他一个人就是一群。”哥萨克说。

“是的，而且他的分身彼此之间的距离从未超过一英里，也许是为了维持蜂群意识。只要让血流的分身与旁人隔开，我们就能逐一消灭。就像用手术刀在肿瘤扩散之前，把它切除。”

“我们知道他们在哪儿吗？”王牌问，“皮提亚的资料里，我没找到相关情报。”

马蒂亚斯已经成功追踪到了他们的行迹，点了点头。“这一家人在意大利境内四处流浪，路线毫无规律，也从不在一个地方久留。不过，最后一次有人目击他们，是在阿尔卑斯山附近。”

“一旦交手，我们就必须对血流穷追不舍，让他远离人口聚居区。”伦纳德说。

“他的能力有什么限制吗？”王牌转向斯蒂奇，“我们能找到的那些生物样本，你检查完了吗？”

“检查完了。”瘟疫医生点头确认，“我一直在等这次会议，好核实首领搜集到的情报。”

伦纳德笑了笑。嘉年华虽然关系紧密，行动时却分成一个个独立的小组，只有汇报或大规模行动时才会齐聚一处。这样的架构让每位成员都有极大的灵活性，也让整个组织极难被摧毁。成员或许会死，但总会有人幸存下来，重建嘉年华。

“首先，他只能控制自己的血液。”伦纳德解释道，展示了几张血流用血红色结晶斧劈开一名奥古斯蒂基因者的照片。“除非先感染你，否则他不能隔空操控你的血液。他也无法凭空创造物质，所以才需要宿主来复制自己。”

“也就是说，没有巫毒娃娃那套神神叨叨的玩意儿？”波动先生问，“波动先生讨厌那些东西。”

“狂疫那次，我已经受够了。”王牌耸耸肩，表示赞同。

“其次，他同时只能控制少量分身，记录中的最高峰是十个。如果超过这个上限，分身就会开始互相吞噬，以减少数量，可能是为了降低各自萌生独立思想的风险。他只能影响人类，所以——”

斯蒂奇举起了手。

“什么事，斯蒂奇？”

“先生，恕我直言，”医生咳了一声，“您错了。”

---

蕾恩正挑选要带上潜艇的书，屋外突然传来一声爆炸。

整座船库都在震颤，一块金属板砸在莱卡号上，又被艇壳弹开。这位天才脚下一晃，手里的书也脱了手。几本安然落在栈桥上，但令她惊恐的是，她那本列宁的《国家与革命》掉进了水池，沉了下去。

“怎么回事？！”父亲没有回答。风从海上吹来，把烟火味带进船库。“爸？爸爸？”

有人推开了船库的门，背包里装满了罐头。

“瑞瑞？”他看起来筋疲力尽，像是一路跑了好几英里。“瑞瑞，出什么事了？”

“我们得走了。”他喘着气说，“他们来了。嘉年华。”

她最深的恐惧成真了。

远处又响起一声爆炸，像是炮击。这是他最后一具身体了。蕾恩惊慌地意识到。要是他们这次杀了他……“爸爸——”

“正在拖住他们。”瑞恩说着，捡起地上的书。“我们得走了。”

“走？去哪儿？”

天才望进男友的眼睛，顿时明白了。

“不行。”蕾恩说，“也许爸爸能打赢他们。”

很多人都想杀他，可他从未输过。父亲总能回来，总能绝处逢生。他和奥古斯蒂、劫掠者、英雄们都交过手，把他们全都打败了。嘉年华也会和其他人一样失败。

“我们得逃，小矮个。他们人太多，你爸爸不可能全都打赢。”瑞恩跳上潜艇，小心地朝舱口走去。“启动潜艇，你爸几分钟就能追上我们。”

蕾恩还想反驳，可他声音里那毫不掩饰的惊慌说服了她。她跟上男友，打开舱口，两人一起钻进潜艇。

里面十分狭窄，只有三个舱室：后方的机械舱、存放补给的储藏室，以及生活区。为了效率，蕾恩牺牲了空间，生活区里只留下了一张双层床，紧挨着小舷窗和潜艇的控制台。光是找到一台电脑，好拆下屏幕和键盘，就花了他们好几天。

“他们怎么找到我们的？”蕾恩一边在电脑上敲字，一边问。瑞恩则把她的书和带回的食物放进储藏室。“他们跟踪了你？”

“我没多加小心。”

他那毫无歉意的语气让她一顿。她停下手里的活，看向他，立刻看见了他眼中的内疚。

“你根本没打算隐藏行踪。”蕾恩指责道，“是你把他们引到这儿来的。”

他甚至没有否认。

他……不，他怎么……他不可能……“瑞瑞……”

“蕾恩，你爸爸病了。”他说，目光坚定。“他的脑子病了。”

“我知道。”她咬紧牙关，从齿缝里挤出话来，“我知道，可是——”

“没什么可是。”瑞恩打断她，“我们要是不逃，他会杀了我们。他会杀了你。”

“他不会。”她反驳，尽管内心深处的某个角落并不那么确定。“我们……瑞瑞，我服用灵药已经好几个星期了，他从来没……”

“还没有。”瑞恩神色阴沉。“还没有，不等于永远不会，小矮个。”

“所以你就要让他去死？”蕾恩气得发抖，“你要把他丢在岸上，让嘉年华杀了他？”

“蕾恩，我……”瑞恩努力组织着语言。“我们不需要他。我能让你幸福，蕾恩。我们可以重新开始，就我们两个人。”

“怎么重新开始？”她摇着头问，“我们根本保护不了自己。”

“你是天才，我也有灵药。我们能照顾自己。”

“这简直是疯了！”

“整个计划从一开始就是疯的，但这是我们能想到的最好办法。”他朝她伸出双手。“蕾恩——”

“别碰我！”蕾恩厉声说，后背抵住了舷窗。瑞恩僵住了，她的拒绝伤了他，也同样伤着她自己。“为什么？为什么？”

“为了我们！”他吼道，“为了我们！”

“是为了你！”泪水涌上她的眼眶。“你就是想独占我。”

“我想让你活着！”

他的话让她瑟缩了一下，仿佛挨了一记耳光。

她望着瑞恩的眼睛，看见了其中的担忧。是她错了；他不是为了自己，而是为了她。

他爱她，就像她爱他一样深。

她心里有一部分想照他说的做。抛下一切，开着这艘潜艇驶向大海。去周游世界，来一场只有他们两个人的冒险。

可每一次……每一次看着父亲变成的那个怪物，她都会想起他曾经是个多么善良的人。想起他总是对她和弟弟微笑，对她真正的弟弟微笑。想起妈妈离开后，他一直都在；每次蕾恩躺在床上哭，他都会来安慰她。有时，原来的那个人会重新浮现，而就在这短暂的片刻里，女儿会感到希望。

“求你了，瑞恩。我……只要他还活着……只要他还活着，就还有治好的机会。”

即便经历了这一切……即便经历了这一切，蕾恩还是没办法恨自己的父亲。

“不能丢下他。”蕾恩说，避开他失望的目光。“对不起，瑞瑞……不能丢下他。”

他死死盯着她，目光阴沉得让她发抖。他的双手在颤，牙齿咬得咯咯作响，面孔扭曲。蕾恩看着愤怒、失望、悲伤先后掠过他的脸。

然后，是认命。

“打开自动驾驶。”瑞恩说，转身朝舱口走去。“如果二十分钟后我们还没回来，你爸爸和我就都死了。”

“瑞瑞，自动驾驶一旦打开，我就关不掉了。”

“你要是留下，他们可能会杀了你。”他沉声说，“他们可能会把我们全杀了，只为了确保血流真的消失了。”

事情总是这样。那些人杀不了蕾恩的父亲，就转头来对付瑞恩和她。永远都是他们这一家，对抗整个世界。

“瑞恩。”他半个身子已经探出敞开的舱口，蕾恩轻声唤道。

他停住了。

“瑞恩，求你一定要回来。”

他回过头。“活下去，蕾恩。”说完，他爬出了潜艇。

蕾恩启动自动驾驶，设好倒计时，然后等待。

---

利奥皱起眉。“你说他的能力没有上限，是什么意思？”

“分析过搜集到的样本后，我可以确认，我们的目标并不受限于人类宿主。任何具备循环系统的生物都可以，整个动物界都包括在内。”医生略作停顿。“而且从生物学层面来看，他同时活动的分身数量似乎也没有限制。恐怕，这两条‘限制’都纯粹源于心理。”

一阵寒意沿着伦纳德的脊背滑落。他强忍住再次化身活体太阳、驱散恐惧的冲动。如果斯蒂奇说得对，那么……

“可他为什么只保留十来个分身？”马蒂亚斯满脸怀疑，“尤其是它们还共享着一个近似蜂群的意识？又为什么要互相攻击？要是每个分身都有独立意识，我倒能理解，可是……”

“因为他内心深处憎恨自己。”哥萨克言简意赅地猜道，“憎恨自己如今的模样。”

弗雷迪·萨比诺内心的一部分渴望死亡。他的心理创伤束缚了能力，让他无法充分发挥那无穷无尽的潜力。

王牌与伦纳德交换了一个眼神，脸色白得像牛奶。她也意识到了危险。“斯蒂奇，说实话，”她问医生，“如果他全力施展，会发生什么？”

“他会变成一场大流行病。”斯蒂奇确认道，“他可以通过射出血液来感染他人，因此，除非实施隔离，否则萨比诺几天之内就能摧毁意大利。假如他同化了鸟类或鱼类，那么‘血流瘟疫’几个月内就可能感染地球的整个生物圈。只有像奥古斯都那样，身体构造异常的基因者才能幸存。”

原来如此。这就是皮提亚警告他们的灭绝事件。

血流不只是会毁掉地球上的一切生命；他会成为生命本身。

一片死寂随之降临，却很快被处变不惊的哥萨克打破。“触发条件是女儿死亡？不是她弟弟？”

“皮提亚也解释不了。”伦纳德确认道。她的资料里只有大致的信息。未来时刻都在改变，其他基因者也经常干扰她的预见。“但如果蕾恩·萨比诺死了，她父亲就会引发一场灭绝事件。”

“我们可以推测，到时候目标会失去一切心理约束，彻底暴走。”斯蒂奇解释道。

“他对世界的恨，会超过对自己的恨。”王牌悲伤地低语。

斯蒂奇点头赞同。“而且根据皮提亚的预言，除非我们介入，否则蕾恩·萨比诺必死无疑。”

哥萨克抱起双臂。“他必须死。不惜一切代价。”

“不，不能不惜一切代价。”波动先生反对，“不许碰孩子。”

“我赞同你的道德底线。除此之外，我们对血流唯一的优势，就是他还不清楚自己的能力究竟能做到什么程度。”利奥说，“我们必须在短时间内杀死所有分身，并把孩子们转移到安全的地方。王牌，你专心负责把伤员撤到医务室。斯蒂奇、马蒂亚斯，你们留在后备队。”

马蒂亚斯·马特尔立刻抗议。“可是——”

“没有可是，年轻人。你没听见吗？你的能力范围太短，只要被他打中一次，就全完了。”

---

瑞恩走出船艇俱乐部时，战斗仍未结束。

他没费什么工夫就找到了战场；只要循着升入天空的浓烟走就行。

他的计划很简单。外出搜寻补给时不做任何防范，确保嘉年华那些会飞的人注意到自己，再让他们一路跟回藏身处。瑞恩担心，如果直接接近他们，他们可能会以为有陷阱。不过，他的计策奏效了，顺利得不能再顺利。

至少，在此之前是这样。

这个计划疯狂透顶。瑞恩从一开始就知道。它是挫败与绝望催生的一场莽撞图谋，是试图摆脱绝境的最后一搏。可就算被他逼到了这一步，蕾恩依旧不肯让步。而如今，多米诺骨牌已经被他摆下，倾倒之势再也无法挽回。

这一切注定只能以眼泪收场。

除非……

瑞恩看向自己的灵药，看向注射器里那股奇异的力量。它带来了那么多痛苦，却也创造了那么多奇迹。也许血流说得对，它就是魔鬼的造物。也许，它是上天的恩赐。

可不管它来自天上还是地下，这种物质都是瑞恩唯一的希望。

他把注射器猛地扎进胳膊，祈求奇迹降临。

世界化作紫色，瑞恩拔腿就跑。