同章对照

Ryan drove his Plymouth Fury through dilapidated streets, while his partner-in-crime explained the plan in the back. He had put on the bowler hat, like a crown of pain and destruction.

“When Psyshock dies, the bunker will go in high alert,” Livia explained, checking on her phone. Cancel waited on the other side of the line to execute the metal squid. “According to Ryan, Adam the Ogre explicitly ordered the Land to close the bunker’s entrance if intruders get too close to it. This means we have only a short time window to either take down the Land, or reach the base’s entrance before she can close it.”

“How long?” Shroud asked, trying to disguise his voice by making it rougher.

“Minutes,” Livia replied.

“How do we prevent her from noticing our approach?” The vigilante was always such a downer. “Her range extends for miles. I checked.”

“The good thing about Ghoul, is that like with Lego toys,” Ryan said while opening the glovebox, “he comes in many parts.”

A skeletal foot wriggled within it.

“Oh, I wondered where the rest of him had gone,” Shroud noted from the backseat.

“W-what is this, Sifu?” The Panda asked, disturbed.

“It’s like a rabbit foot, it brings luck.” Ryan glanced at Fortuna in the rearview mirror. “Though less than the living charm over here.”

“Thank you for recognizing my superiority, though it is obvious,” Fortuna said with smug pride. “And this is disgusting.”

Ryan froze time and tossed the severed foot at her lap, causing Lucky Girl to scream when the clock resumed. She made a cute sound and grabbed Shroud on instinct, much to the vigilante’s confusion. He seemed torn between reassuring her and annoyance.

“I have a hand in the trunk, if you prefer it,” the courier mocked the blonde.

“I will show you a hand!” Fortuna complained before throwing the foot at the driver. She would have aimed true too, if Ryan didn’t freeze time to catch the projectile. “I will slap you in the face!”

“Anyway, as long as we have her tenant’s body parts in the car, the landowner won’t pay attention to us.” Ryan put the foot back in the glovebox. “She will think Psypsy picked Ghoul up and they’re now returning home. At least, until we crash through their front door.”

Livia answered with a nod. “The Reptilian, Acid Rain, Gemini, and the thralls should protect the Junkyard’s surface, while the rest of the gang is in standby inside their base. Psyshock’s execution will free his victims, the Reptilian shouldn’t be a problem, and I can handle Acid Rain.”

Ryan blinked. “You can?”

Though he couldn’t see her face with her helmet on, the courier was pretty sure Livia grinned in response. “I can see where she teleports before she does.”

In the end, the life of a Genome was a giant game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. One power trumped another, forming a delicate, complex web.

And then you had people like Lightning Butt, who just plain cheated at life.

“Gemini and the Land don’t have any hard counters though,” Livia said, as the group came within sight of the Junkyard’s walls of car piles and trash. “Fortuna, Shroud, can you take care of them?”

“Leave it to us, Livy,” Fortuna replied before frowning. “Now that I think of it, I should get a pseudonym too. I would have taken Diana if Felix hadn’t run off, but…”

“You should choose a name that fits yourself, not others’ desires,” Shroud said.

“You’re right, but I should get something that my boyfriend will like, since we’ll spend our lives together,” Fortuna said while checking her phone. “I’ll harass him with suggestions until he likes one!”

Ryan could tell that the boyfriend in question was strongly resisting the urge to facepalm, doubly so as the Panda started offering suggestions of his own. “How about Lady Luck?” the manbear proposed. “The Legend?”

“I would have said Almost-Invincible, but the last half is already taken,” the courier joked at the front.

“Excuse you? Almost Invincible?” Fortuna sneered arrogantly. “Nobody can hurt me. I’m the world’s luckiest woman.”

The memory of the blonde model bleeding out after Pluto shot her in the chest flashed through Ryan’s mind. “Only if another Yellow isn’t involved, Goldie,” Ryan said. “The Land is one, and you should stay as far away from her as possible, least you find your luck running out.”

“That can’t happen.”

“It can,” Livia said, shocking her best friend. “The Land is a Yellow/Orange Psycho who can gain conceptual dominion over an area, and this control trumps yours over luck.”

Ryan’s brief presidential term had given him insight into the Meta-Gang’s operations and abilities. In particular, he had learned that the Land could also telekinetically manipulate earth, but her precision was inversely proportional to her range. While she was near impossible to destroy while fused to the earth’s soil, she could only create quakes in that state. However, this power combination also made the Land Fortuna’s natural counter.

“Your power is a guardian angel,” Ryan told Lucky Girl. “But like all Yellow powers, it follows esoteric rules. Which means it’s nonsensical, but with its own internal logic.”

“I don’t get it,” Fortuna said with a frown.

Her boyfriend caught on though. “Your power alters probability and events to protect you, under the guise of luck,” Shroud explained. “But the Land has supreme spiritual control over an area. By that logic, its authority is higher than your power’s in her territory.”

“So she can harm me?” Fortuna asked shyly, her pride replaced with doubt. She felt suddenly a lot less confident about this mission, but Livia reassured her by holding her hand.

“You will live, if your…” Livia trailed off, glancing at Shroud. “Your partner protects you during the battle. The Land will need to take back physical form to use her full terrakinesis, which will give you an opening to take her down.”

“A deal is a deal,” Shroud said, though the main reason he ended up with Fortuna was due to her power foiling his assassination attempts. “Unlike your kind, we do not betray our alliance in the middle of a fight. If you have my back, I will have yours.”

“You better!” Fortuna said, regaining her bravery. “If I die, I swear I will haunt you!”

Ryan suddenly wondered how the Land and Geist’s abilities would interact, and folded the idea away into a corner of his mind. Maybe the former could exorcise the latter, especially since his power anchored him to an area too.

In any case, if they could take out the Land, then the Meta-Gang didn’t have anyone capable of bringing down Lucky Girl. With that walking four-leaf clover on their side, the battle would be as good as won.

Gemini and Ink Machine would be the hardest to contain due to their abnormal physiology, followed by Frank. Ryan could take care of his former bodyguard, but he could only hope Fortuna and her long-suffering boyfriend could deal with the former two. He had also informed the Panda of his power’s regeneration, so he could pull his weight in the battle to come.

Which would start within seconds, as the Plymouth Fury finally reached the Junkyard’s entrance fence. The Reptilian and Gemini stood watch over the entrance, with Lizard-boy’s reptilian eyes squinting as the car approached.

Ryan hoped for one of them to shout ‘you shall not pass’, and was deeply disappointed when they didn’t.

“Lucky girl!” The courier kept one hand on the driver’s wheel, and tossed Len’s water rifle at Fortuna with the other. “Aim for the eyes!”

“Go get them!” Livia encouraged her best friend, while Fortuna opened the windows with a grin.

“Stop right there!” The Reptilian panicked, but Ryan answered by accelerating. “Stop!”

Fortuna fired at the Psychos with the water rifle as the car passed, not even bothering to aim. Her projectiles hit true nonetheless, trapping the Reptilian in a sphere of water. The water phased through Gemini however, the ethereal woman of light vanishing as the car approached. Her monstrous shadow chased after the Plymouth Fury, but not quickly enough to make a difference.

Ryan raced through the Junkyard’s labyrinth of forking trash walls and twisted turns. He still carried the reflexes from his first suicide run, and experienced an impression of déjà vu. Someone should sound the alarm in five, four...

“Now!” Livia said, typing on her phone.

No bell raised the alarm.

Cancel must have executed Psyshock on the spot, freeing the thralls and sowing confusion into the ranks. Ryan didn’t understand how much until they reached the bunker’s entrance without the Land stopping them; Acid Rain guarded the tunnel leading beneath the Junkyard, and instantly summoned her toxic clouds above their hands.

“Thieves!” she shouted at the Plymouth Fury’s sight, her face twisted into an expression of frothing fury as she drew two knives. “Thieves at the gates!”

Fortuna opened fire at her with the water rifle, but the Land seemed to have finally noticed the intrusion. The Junkyard trembled as an earthquake shook its foundations, tossing trash and collapsing car walls. A golden shroud became visible around Fortuna, like an angel’s halo.

A similar glow surrounded her bubble projectile, but flickered in and out of sight. Acid Rain managed to dodge the attack, just as the Land’s invisible pressure overwhelmed Ryan’s crew; it felt like being out in the woods, stalked by a wolf pack. The courier abruptly stopped the car near the bunker’s entrance. “Go, go, go!” he shouted, all but leaping out of the vehicle.

“Y-yes!” The Panda opened his door and transformed as soon as he could, while Livia stepped out more calmly. Shroud attempted to open his car’s door to fly into the fray, but the lock refused to move. He grumbled at Fortuna, as he carried her in his hands like a bride through the opposing door.

Good thing he did too, as Acid Rain’s toxic raindrops fell from the skies while the Land caused a nearby trashwall to collapse near the Plymouth Fury. Ryan, Livia, and the Panda quickly moved out of the way, while the flying Shroud carried his beloved above the ground Superman-style. Acid Rain’s raindrops miraculously dropped where he wasn’t.

The Plymouth Fury wasn’t so lucky though.

“My car!” Ryan screamed in horror, as piles of trash entombed his beautiful companion. “You killed my car!”

Again! Did the Meta-Gang have a vendetta against Chrysler?

“Fortuna, give me the rifle!” Livia shouted at Fortuna, who tossed the water weapon at her best friend. No sooner did the Augusti princess catch it that Acid Rain teleported behind her, knives raised. The Panda attempted to pounce on her, but wouldn’t reach her in time.

So Ryan stopped it.

“Sorry Helen,” the courier said, as he put on the Fisty Brothers and quickly activated his time-stop. Acid Rain’s eyes widened upon hearing her real name, but she teleported out of range before the clock could freeze. The courier quickly grabbed the paralyzed Livia and moved her out of the way, in case the teleporter flanked her again.

Acid Rain reappeared the second time resumed, her weapons lunging for Ryan’s throat. “You piece of shit!” she snarled, as a shiver went down the courier’s spine. “I’ll gut you like a—”

---

Time skipped forward.

When Ryan regained consciousness, he found himself a few steps away from his starting location, and Acid Rain’s knife stabbed the transformed Panda’s arm; though her blade cut deep, it didn’t do much to slow down a seven hundred kilo behemoth.

Acid Rain herself barely had the time to blink as Livia pulled the water rifle’s trigger, the Augusti princess having positioned herself right behind the teleporter. A sphere of water swallowed Helen, and when she attempted to teleport away atop a hill of junk, the prison followed her. Acid Rain covered her mouth in an attempt to hold her breath, as she and the bubble rolled down the trash pile.

It had been too late to save Ryan’s bowler hat though. Acid raindrops had wormed a hole in it, and slightly damaged Livia’s suit.

“She tried to stab you,” the Augusti princess said while the Panda removed the knife in his arm. Livia’s secondary power allowed her to skip time forward, creating an anomaly where everyone followed their predestined actions like sleepwalkers while she could adjust her own. Ryan, though, couldn’t be interacted with in that state. “The blade phased through you.”

“How did she behave in the erased time?” Ryan asked, glancing at a flying Shroud and Fortuna. The Land seemed to have singled them out as the real danger, trying to bury them beneath debris to no avail.

“She teleported away when I activated my power, but since I can predict her actions with my Blue power, I simply had to wait for her to reappear.” Livia rushed at the bunker’s entrance tunnel, which the Land had started collapsing with a quake. “And now we must act!”

“Pandawan, with me!” Ryan shouted at his sidekick, while shouting one last observation to Lucky Girl and Looking Glass. “Windshield, the Land controls the land! I don’t think her power affects people in the air!”

“I wasn’t gonna let her go anyway,” the glass manipulator replied. He looked truly dashing, holding his girlfriend like a bride before the altar. He would soon have to walk the talk too, as Ryan noticed Gemini’s shadow slither into the Junkyard’s center.

Fortuna didn’t seem to like it one bit though. “I know how you feel,” she told her masked beau, her arms around his neck. “You fell for me at first sight. Don’t worry, I get that all the time.”

“That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Shroud replied with heavy sarcasm, gathering a cloud of glass shards from the trash walls to throw at Gemini.

“I get that all the time,” his oblivious girlfriend repeated, deaf to both sarcasm and common sense. “The sight of me dazzled you, because you are poor and your life is meaningless. But though you have that dark, mysterious charm, it cannot be. I am not the kind of girl that cheats on her boyfriend with the first mysterious stranger!”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Ryan heard Shroud deadpan back, before the courier entered the tunnel with the transformed Panda rushing at his heels.

Ryan hoped they could manage the Land and Gemini, but Livia didn’t seem worried. She must have seen them prevail in her visions. In any case, the courier’s group quickly arrived in front of the bunker’s blast door, while the earth walls around them threatened to collapse. A pack of Dynamis dog drones immediately ambushed them.

“Spring roll attack!” The Panda shouted as he outpaced his teammates and pounded on the robots like a rolling boulder, flattening one of the machines. Two others attempted to flank Livia, and rushed at her with iron jaws.

“Heavier caliber?” Ryan asked Livia before tossing her his coil gun. His accomplice grabbed the weapon in her right hand while holding her water rifle with the other. Though she was no talented marksman, she shot one drone with precision, blowing off its head; most probably her power helped with aiming.

The other machine was within an inch of closing its iron jaws around Livia’s neck, but Ryan froze time and punched it with Fisty. The blow sent the metal hound crashing against a wall when time resumed.

Individually their abilities were powerful, but together, they were invincible. The sheer synergy had turned this whole raid’s difficulty from hard to easy. “We should strongly consider taking over the world with our combined powers,” Ryan told Livia. “None shall stand in our way!”

“Which of us gets America?” the mafia princess asked a hard question. “I take the south, you take the north?”

“Or we marry and we share everything.” He couldn’t help himself but flirt with ladies mid-battle.

To his surprise, Livia teased him back. “Only if you conquer France for our honeymoon.”

The Panda, who had summarily crushed the remaining drones while screaming his attacks’ names, looked at the duo in horror. “Sifu, you aren’t considering turning to the dark side?”

“Nah, it’s purely hypothetical,” Ryan reassured him while the trio crossed the blast door, the tunnel collapsing behind them. The Land had closed the bunker’s entrance for now, trapping them inside.

“Unless…” Livia left her sentence hanging, looking at Ryan. He immediately caught on.

Unless they tried in another loop?

Ryan had worried bringing in more people through loops would limit his options, but a time-traveling buddy opened so many possibilities. “You know what, how about we take some holiday time after we finish work?” It had been a while since he had gone on a vacation loop, but it would be perfect to de-stress after all these doomsday scenarios. “I will show you places you can’t even imagine.”

“That would be fun,” Livia replied with a warm, delightful chuckle. The seer seemed to enjoy this raid as much as the one on Star Studio, and somehow her good mood only reinforced Ryan’s. “Though we should find a team name.”

“Crimson World?” Ryan happily suggested.

“Two Violets do not make a red, Ryan,” Livia giggled in return, as they crossed the metal corridor leading towards the recreational area. The invisible pressure of the Land’s power vanished, either because Looking Glass managed to force her to manifest or because her power’s range stopped at the bunker’s entrance. “How about Lady and Knight?”

“Crimson Queen and Purple World?”

“Are you two together?” the Panda asked, unable to suppress his curiosity. “You look so cute, it makes me fuzzy inside.”

“Not yet,” Ryan joked, before glancing at the reinforced windows on both sides of the path. The area had fallen into complete chaos, with Psyshock’s thralls having collapsed unconscious after their brainwasher’s demise.

Most importantly, Shortie had risen from the bunker’s sea access in full power armor, and took the Psychos by surprise. Ryan noticed a few familiar faces like Pale Guy and Fuckface trapped in water spheres, but his best friend struggled with Rakshasa and Ink Machine. The former summoned gremlins faster than the underwater Genius could trap them in water bubbles, while the latter harassed her in close combat, stretching her liquid limbs into axes.

“No, not yet,” Livia said, her tone changing from teasing to serious. “She can handle them, Ryan. But only if we take down Adam and Frank quickly enough, or else there will be casualties.”

The courier nodded. Though this loop was a test run for the final bunker raid, he couldn’t let any innocents die if he could help it.

Ryan’s thoughts turned to what he would do after New Rome. He came to this city expecting to either return to wandering the Earth if he couldn’t find Shortie, or settle down with her if he did. In the end, while he and Len reconciled, they couldn’t return to the happy, blissful romance they once shared. The wheel of time had turned. They would remain close family, but no more than brother and sister.

Ryan was happy with it, but he wondered if he would stay with Len and the orphans after solving the crisis in New Rome. Adventure was in his blood, and he yearned for new experiences. At one point, the courier had found a lively partner in Jasmine, who shared his sensibilities, but… but she was gone.

For the first time in a long while, Ryan wondered what he wanted to do with his life, now that he had friends who could remember him. And he had the intuition Livia was the key to figuring it out.

But these questions could wait for later.

The trio rushed into the recreational area, finding the atrium deserted. Though the Street Fighters arcade game was mercifully intact, alongside the bar, no group of Psychos barred the group’s path. Perhaps Shortie had already dealt with the main defenders, or some had perished trying to access the bunker.

The moment of respite lasted until the elevator’s door opened, and a colossal figure with carbon skin walked into the atrium.

“I am sorry.” Big Fat Adam said as he walked out of the elevator, with Sarin and Frank in tow. He carried some strange, coiled cannon in hands, probably salvaged from Mechron’s armory. “That is not an exit.”

“Indeed, fatass,” Ryan replied, Livia taking position at his side while the Panda let out a fearsome roar.

This time, Hannifat Lecter had nowhere to run.

瑞恩驾驶着普利茅斯“狂怒”穿过破败的街道，他的同谋则在后座讲解计划。他已经戴上了圆顶礼帽，仿佛加冕了一顶苦痛与毁灭的王冠。

“心震一死，地堡就会进入高度戒备状态。”莉维娅一边解释，一边查看手机。消除者正在线路另一头等着处决那只金属鱿鱼。“据瑞恩说，食人魔亚当明确命令过大地，只要入侵者靠得太近，就封死地堡入口。也就是说，我们只有很短的时间，要么打倒大地，要么抢在她封住入口之前赶到那里。”

“有多短？”裹尸布问道，故意把嗓音压得沙哑，试图掩饰自己的声音。

“几分钟。”莉维娅回答。

“怎么才能不让她察觉我们接近？”这位义警总是这么扫兴。“她的能力范围有好几英里。我查过。”

“食尸鬼有一点好，跟乐高玩具一样，”瑞恩边说边打开手套箱，“能分成一堆零件。”

一只骨瘦如柴的脚正在里面扭动。

“哦，我还在想他剩下的部分去哪儿了。”后座的裹尸布说道。

“师、师父，这是什么？”熊猫不安地问。

“跟兔子脚一样，能带来好运。”瑞恩从后视镜里看了一眼福尔图娜。“不过比不上这位活体幸运符。”

“谢谢你承认我的优越，虽然这是明摆着的。”福尔图娜得意洋洋地说，“还有，这东西真恶心。”

瑞恩暂停时间，把断脚扔到了她腿上。时间一恢复，幸运女孩便尖叫起来。那一声叫得挺可爱，她还本能地一把抓住了裹尸布，弄得这位义警一头雾水。他似乎既想安慰她，又觉得烦。

“你要是更喜欢手，后备厢里还有一只。”快递员揶揄着金发姑娘。

“我这就让你见识见识手！”福尔图娜气恼地把断脚扔向驾驶座。要不是瑞恩暂停时间，接住了这枚飞弹，她还真能扔个正着。“我非扇你一巴掌不可！”

“总之，只要车里装着她房客的身体零件，那位女房东就不会注意我们。”瑞恩把脚放回手套箱。“她会以为是心心接上了食尸鬼，两人正往家赶。至少在我们撞破他们的大门之前，她都会这么想。”

莉维娅点头。“蜥蜴人、酸雨、双子，还有那些傀儡，应该负责守卫废料场地表，其余帮派成员则在基地内待命。处决心震会解放他的受害者，蜥蜴人应该不成问题，酸雨我能对付。”

瑞恩眨了眨眼。“你能？”

虽然头盔遮住了她的脸，快递员还是敢肯定，莉维娅正笑着回应他。“她还没传送，我就能看见她会出现在哪里。”

说到底，基因者的人生就是一场巨大的石头剪刀布游戏。一种能力克制另一种，织出一张精巧而复杂的网。

当然，总有闪电屁股这种家伙，直接在人生里作弊。

“不过，双子和大地都没有什么绝对克制她们的能力。”莉维娅说。此时，众人已经望见废料场外围由废车和垃圾垒成的围墙。“福尔图娜，裹尸布，你们能解决她们吗？”

“交给我们，莉薇。”福尔图娜答道，随即皱起眉。“说起来，我也该起个代号了。要不是菲利克斯跑掉了，我本来会选狄安娜，可是……”

“你应该选个适合自己的名字，而不是迎合别人的想法。”裹尸布说。

“你说得对，不过也该起个我男朋友喜欢的，毕竟我们要共度一生。”福尔图娜说着查看手机。“我会不停发名字烦他，直到他有一个喜欢的为止！”

瑞恩看得出，她口中的那位男朋友正在拼命忍住以手掩面的冲动。等熊猫也开始出主意，这股冲动就更强烈了。“幸运女神怎么样？”这位熊人提议，“或者传奇？”

“我本来想说‘几乎无敌’，可惜后半截已经让人占了。”快递员在前排开着玩笑。

“你说什么？几乎无敌？”福尔图娜傲慢地嗤笑道，“没人能伤到我。我是世界上最幸运的女人。”

普鲁托一枪击中这位金发模特的胸口、她失血而死的画面，在瑞恩脑海里一闪而过。“前提是没有另一个黄系插手，小金毛。”瑞恩说，“大地就是黄系，你最好离她越远越好，免得发现自己的好运已经用光了。”

“不可能有这种事。”

“有可能。”莉维娅的话让她最好的朋友大吃一惊。“大地是黄橙双系疯魔，能在概念层面取得一片区域的支配权，而这份支配权凌驾于你对运气的控制之上。”

瑞恩那段短暂的总统任期，让他摸清了超能帮的运作和成员的能力。尤其是，他得知大地还能以念力操纵土石，只是精确度与范围成反比。与大地土壤融为一体时，她几乎不可能被摧毁，但那种状态下只能制造地震。而这一能力组合也使大地成了福尔图娜的天敌。

“你的能力是个守护天使。”瑞恩对幸运女孩说，“可它和所有黄系能力一样，遵循着玄奥的规则。也就是说，它不讲道理，却有自己的一套内在逻辑。”

“我没听懂。”福尔图娜皱眉说。

她男朋友倒是懂了。“你的能力以运气为掩饰，改变概率与事件来保护你。”裹尸布解释道，“但大地在灵性层面对一片区域拥有至高的支配权。按这个逻辑，在她的领地内，她的权限比你的能力更高。”

“所以她能伤到我？”福尔图娜怯怯地问，骄傲被疑虑取代。她对这趟任务的信心陡然少了许多，莉维娅握住她的手，给她打气。

“你会活下来的，只要你的……”莉维娅顿了顿，瞥向裹尸布。“你的搭档在战斗中保护你。大地必须恢复实体，才能完全发挥她操控土石的能力，到时候你们就有机会打倒她。”

“说定了就是定了。”裹尸布说道，尽管他之所以会和福尔图娜凑到一起，主要还是因为她的能力屡次挫败了他的暗杀企图。“我们不像你们那帮人，不会打到一半背叛盟友。你护住我的后背，我就护住你的。”

“你最好说到做到！”福尔图娜又找回了勇气。“我要是死了，做鬼也缠着你！”

瑞恩忽然好奇，大地与幽魂的能力碰在一起会怎样，于是把这个念头暂且收进脑海的角落。也许前者能把后者当鬼驱除，尤其是幽魂的能力同样将他锚定在一片区域内。

总之，只要解决大地，超能帮里就再没人能打倒幸运女孩。有这株会走路的四叶草站在他们这边，这场仗就等于赢了。

双子和墨水机器因为身体构造异常，最难控制住，其次就是弗兰克。瑞恩能对付自己的前保镖，但前两个，就只能指望福尔图娜和她那饱受折磨的男朋友了。他也已经告诉熊猫，其能力具有再生效果，让他能在接下来的战斗中发挥应有的作用。

战斗几秒后就会打响，因为普利茅斯“狂怒”终于驶到了废料场入口的栅栏前。蜥蜴人与双子守在那里；汽车逼近时，蜥蜴小子眯起了那双爬行动物般的眼睛。

瑞恩满心希望他们有谁能喊上一句“你休想通过！”可惜谁也没喊，让他失望透顶。

“幸运女孩！”快递员一手把着方向盘，另一只手把蕾恩的水枪扔给福尔图娜。“瞄准眼睛！”

“收拾他们！”莉维娅给最好的朋友鼓劲，福尔图娜则笑着打开了车窗。

“立刻停车！”蜥蜴人慌了，但瑞恩的回答是继续加速。“停车！”

汽车掠过时，福尔图娜用水枪朝疯魔们开火，连瞄准都懒得瞄。射出的水弹却依然命中目标，将蜥蜴人困在一颗水球里。但水弹穿透了双子，那个由光构成的虚幻女人在车子逼近时消失了。她那怪物般的影子追在普利茅斯“狂怒”后面，只是速度太慢，根本无济于事。

瑞恩在废料场里飞驰，穿梭于垃圾墙岔路和曲折弯道组成的迷宫。他还保留着第一次自杀式突袭时练出的反应，心中不由升起一股似曾相识的感觉。应该快有人拉警报了，五、四……

“就是现在！”莉维娅边说边在手机上打字。

没有警铃响起。

消除者一定当场处决了心震，解放傀儡的同时，也让敌人的队伍陷入了混乱。直到他们一路抵达地堡入口，大地都没出手阻拦，瑞恩才意识到究竟乱成了什么样。酸雨守在通向废料场地下的隧道口，一见他们，立刻在他们的手上方召出毒云。

“贼！”她看见普利茅斯“狂怒”，脸被狂怒扭曲，拔出了两把刀。“贼打上门了！”

福尔图娜举起水枪朝她开火，但大地似乎终于发现了入侵者。地震撼动根基，整个废料场都颤抖起来，垃圾四处抛飞，废车墙接连倒塌。一层金色光幕在福尔图娜周身显现，如同天使的光环。

她射出的水球也裹着同样的光芒，却忽明忽灭。酸雨成功躲过攻击，与此同时，大地无形的威压笼罩了瑞恩一行人——仿佛身处荒林，被一群狼悄然尾随。快递员在地堡入口附近猛地刹车。“快快快！”他大喊着，几乎是从车里跳了出来。

“好、好的！”熊猫推开车门，一有空间便立刻变身，莉维娅则从容得多地走下车。裹尸布想打开自己那侧车门，飞身投入战斗，车锁却死活打不开。他对着福尔图娜嘟囔了几句，只好像抱新娘一样抱着她，从另一侧车门出去。

幸亏他这么做了。酸雨的毒雨从天而降，大地也让普利茅斯“狂怒”附近的一堵垃圾墙倒了下来。瑞恩、莉维娅和熊猫迅速躲开，裹尸布则像超人一样，抱着心上人飞上半空。酸雨洒下的雨点奇迹般地全落在了他不在的地方。

普利茅斯“狂怒”就没那么幸运了。

“我的车！”眼看一堆堆垃圾埋葬了他那美丽的伴侣，瑞恩惊恐地惨叫起来。“你们杀了我的车！”

又来！超能帮跟克莱斯勒有世仇吗？

“福尔图娜，把枪给我！”莉维娅朝福尔图娜喊道，后者将水枪扔给了最好的朋友。奥古斯蒂公主刚接住枪，酸雨就举着刀传送到了她身后。熊猫试图扑上去，但已经来不及了。

于是，瑞恩让时间停了下来。

“抱歉了，海伦。”快递员套上拳头兄弟，迅速发动时间暂停。听到自己的真名，酸雨瞪大双眼，却在时间冻结前传送到了能力范围之外。瑞恩飞快地抱起动弹不得的莉维娅，将她挪到别处，以防那个传送者再次绕到她身侧。

时间一恢复，酸雨便重新出现，双刀直刺瑞恩的咽喉。“你这狗屎玩意儿！”她咆哮道，与此同时，一阵寒意窜过快递员的脊背。“我要给你开膛，就像——”

---

时间向前跳过了一段。

瑞恩恢复意识时，发现自己离原先的位置已有几步远，酸雨的刀则扎在变身后的熊猫手臂上。刀刃虽刺得很深，却没能让这头七百公斤的巨兽慢下多少。

酸雨自己连眼都没来得及眨，莉维娅就扣动了水枪的扳机；奥古斯蒂公主已经站到了传送者的正后方。水球将海伦吞没，她试图传送到一座垃圾山顶逃走，那座囚笼却跟着她一起过去了。酸雨捂住嘴，拼命憋气，连人带水球一同滚下了垃圾堆。

可瑞恩的圆顶礼帽已经来不及救了。酸性雨滴在上面蚀出了一个洞，也轻微损伤了莉维娅的战衣。

“她想捅你。”奥古斯蒂公主说，熊猫正在一旁拔出手臂上的刀。莉维娅的第二种能力可以将时间向前跳过，制造一段异常时间：所有人都会像梦游者一样依循既定的行动，唯独她能调整自己的行为。不过在那种状态下，别人对瑞恩做什么都不会起作用。“刀直接穿过了你的身体。”

“在被抹掉的时间里，她是怎么行动的？”瑞恩问道，同时瞥了一眼飞在空中的裹尸布和福尔图娜。大地似乎认定了他们才是真正的威胁，正试图用残骸把他们埋住，却始终徒劳无功。

“我发动能力时，她传送走了。但我的蓝系能力能预知她的行动，所以我只要等她重新出现就行。”莉维娅冲向地堡入口的隧道，大地已经开始用地震将它震塌。“现在我们得赶快行动！”

“熊猫学徒，跟我来！”瑞恩喊上自己的搭档，又向幸运女孩和镜子大喊，抛去最后一条发现。“挡风玻璃，大地控制的是地面！我觉得她的能力影响不了空中的人！”

“我本来也没打算放手。”玻璃操纵者答道。他像在婚礼祭坛前抱着新娘一样抱着女朋友，看上去确实潇洒极了。不过他马上就得说到做到了，因为瑞恩注意到，双子的影子已滑入废料场中央。

福尔图娜似乎一点也不喜欢这样。“我明白你的心情。”她双臂环着这位蒙面情郎的脖子，对他说道，“你对我一见钟情了。别担心，这种事我遇多了。”

“这跟事实简直差了十万八千里。”裹尸布满含讥讽地回答，同时从垃圾墙里聚起一片玻璃碎屑，掷向双子。

“这种事我遇多了。”他那浑然不觉的女朋友重复道，既听不出讽刺，也听不进常识。“你一见我就神魂颠倒，因为你又穷，人生又毫无意义。不过，虽然你有那么一股阴暗神秘的魅力，我们也不可能。我可不是那种见到第一个神秘陌生人，就会背着男朋友出轨的女孩！”

“那应该不成问题。”瑞恩听见裹尸布面无表情地回了一句，随后便进入隧道，变身后的熊猫紧跟在他身后冲了进去。

瑞恩希望他们能应付大地和双子，不过莉维娅似乎并不担心。她一定在预见中看到了他们获胜。无论如何，快递员一行很快便来到地堡防爆门前，周围的土壁已摇摇欲坠。一群迪纳米斯无人机械犬立刻对他们发动了伏击。

“春卷攻击！”熊猫大喊着超过队友，像一块滚动的巨石般砸向机器人，将其中一台压扁。另外两台试图包抄莉维娅，张开铁颚向她扑去。

“来点重火力？”瑞恩问莉维娅，随即把自己的线圈枪扔了过去。他的同谋右手接枪，左手仍握着水枪。她算不上神枪手，却精准地射中了其中一架无人机械犬，轰掉了它的脑袋；多半是能力帮她瞄准的。

另一台机器的铁颚只差一寸就要咬住莉维娅的脖子，瑞恩却暂停了时间，用拳拳一拳砸了上去。时间恢复后，金属猎犬被这一拳打得撞上了墙。

他们各自的能力本就强大，联手之后，更是天下无敌。仅凭能力间的配合，就把这场突袭的难度从困难降成了简单。“我们真该认真考虑一下，联手征服世界。”瑞恩对莉维娅说，“谁也别想挡我们的路！”

“美洲归谁？”黑手党公主提出了一个棘手的问题。“我拿南边，你拿北边？”

“或者我们结婚，一切共享。”打到一半还不忘跟女士调情，他就是忍不住。

出乎他意料，莉维娅也调笑着回应：“那你得先征服法国，给我们度蜜月用。”

熊猫一边高喊招式名，一边干脆利落地碾碎了剩余的无人机械犬，此刻惊恐地看着两人。“师父，你不会在考虑投向黑暗面吧？”

“没，这纯属假设。”瑞恩安慰他。三人穿过防爆门，隧道随即在身后坍塌。大地暂时封住了地堡入口，将他们困在了里面。

“除非……”莉维娅望着瑞恩，话只说了一半。他立刻明白了。

除非他们换一轮试试？

瑞恩曾担心，带着更多人一起循环会限制自己的选择，可有了一个时间旅行搭档，反倒多出了无数种可能。“要不这样，等我们忙完工作，休个假怎么样？”他已经有段时间没专门拿一轮循环来度假了。不过，经历这么多末日局面之后，这正适合拿来解压。“我带你去见识一些你连想都想不到的地方。”

“一定很有意思。”莉维娅轻笑着回答，笑声温暖而欢悦。这位预言者似乎和突袭明星制片厂时一样，十分乐在其中。不知怎么，她的好心情也让瑞恩更加开心。“不过，我们该给队伍起个名字。”

“绯红世界？”瑞恩兴高采烈地提议。

“两个紫系可凑不出红色来，瑞恩。”莉维娅笑着回答。他们穿过通向休闲区的金属走廊，大地能力带来的无形威压消失了——要么是镜子成功逼她现出了实体，要么是她的能力范围到地堡入口就截止了。“淑女与骑士怎么样？”

“绯红女王与紫色世界？”

“你们俩是一对吗？”熊猫忍不住好奇地问，“你们看起来好般配，看得我心里都暖乎乎的。”

“还不是。”瑞恩开了句玩笑，随后瞥向通道两侧的强化玻璃窗。外面已乱成一团，心震的傀儡们在给他们洗脑的人死后，全都倒地昏迷了。

最重要的是，小矮个已经身穿全套动力装甲，从地堡的水下通道杀了上来，打了疯魔们一个措手不及。瑞恩注意到苍白男、傻逼脸等几张熟面孔已经被困在水球里，但他的挚友正被罗刹和墨水机器缠住，打得颇为吃力。前者召唤小魔怪的速度，比这位水下天才用水球囚禁它们的速度还快；后者则将液态的肢体拉伸成斧头，不断贴身袭扰。

“不，现在还不行。”莉维娅说，语气从调侃转为严肃。“她能对付他们，瑞恩。但我们必须尽快打倒亚当和弗兰克，不然就会有人伤亡。”

快递员点了点头。尽管这一轮只是为最终突袭地堡所做的演练，但只要力所能及，他就不能让任何无辜者死去。

瑞恩转而想到了新罗马的事结束之后，自己会去做什么。他来到这座城市时，原以为找不到小矮个，就继续浪迹天涯；若能找到，便与她安定下来。到头来，他与蕾恩虽然和解了，却再也回不到曾经那段幸福甜蜜的恋情。时间的车轮已然转过。他们仍会是亲密的家人，但也仅限于兄妹。

瑞恩很满意这个结果，但他不知道，解决新罗马的危机之后，自己是否会留下来，和蕾恩以及孤儿们生活在一起。冒险流淌在他的血液里，他渴望新的经历。他曾经在贾丝敏身上找到过一个活泼、合拍的伴侣，可是……可是她已经不在了。

这么久以来，瑞恩第一次开始思考：如今终于有了能记住自己的朋友，他想让自己的人生走向何方？直觉告诉他，莉维娅是找到答案的关键。

不过，这些问题可以留待以后。

三人冲进休闲区，发现中庭空无一人。谢天谢地，《街头霸王》街机和吧台都还完好无损，也没有成群的疯魔挡住他们的去路。也许小矮个已经解决了主要守军，也可能有些人在试图进入地堡时丧了命。

这片刻的喘息只持续到电梯门打开，一个皮肤由碳构成的庞然身影走进中庭。

“抱歉。”大胖亚当走出电梯，沙林和弗兰克跟在身后。他手中端着一门古怪的炮，炮身盘着线圈，大概是从梅克隆的军械库里翻出来的。“这里不是出口。”

“确实不是，死胖子。”瑞恩回答。莉维娅在他身旁站定，熊猫则发出一声骇人的咆哮。

这一次，汉尼胖·莱克特无处可逃。