同章对照

Ryan went straight for the killing blow.

“CIA!” His hand moved inside his trench coat, and brought out a fake badge he had prepared for this day. “Arrest this man! The senate impeached hi—”

Adam didn’t let him finish, and instead pressed his cannon’s trigger. A black sphere came out of it, forcing Ryan’s group to disperse. The courier instinctively dived down towards the Street Fighters arcade game, desperate to protect it, while Livia and the Panda moved to the other side.

Though the cannon’s black projectile moved slowly, it shredded the bunker’s metal walls like paper, absorbing anything in its path like a tiny black hole. Ryan briefly mistook it for a Black Flux weapon, but on a closer look, the projectile simply pulled things towards itself.

A gravity gun.

Did it have something to do with Dynamis’ secret weapon to deal with Augustus? Food for thought.

Sarin immediately followed her boss’ lead, unleashing a shockwave at Livia. The seer saw the attack coming before the Psycho even pulled the trigger, and stepped out of the way. The Panda let out a fearsome roar and charged at Big Fat Adam, claws extended.

“See?!” Ryan looked at Frank while waving his badge, who was slightly confused. “He doesn’t respect the democratic process!”

But to his surprise, Big Fat Adam happily played along. “See, that’s what I told you, Frank,” Hannifat Lecter said with joviality, before backhanding the Panda so hard the manbear tumbled backward. “The storm is here. The CIA is taking over, trying to kill me as they did with Kennedy. They slew my vice-president, like they’re going to kill all the senators.”

“They won’t get to you, Mr. President!” Frank swore, his fists raised so high that they hit the ceiling. “The White House will not fall!”

“You have to protect democracy, Frank,” Big Fat Adam continued to brainwash his bodyguard with a sinister, televangelist’s smile. “If you fail all is lost.”

Frank let out a roar of rage, grabbed the recreational area’s bar counter, and threw it at the Panda. The poor manbear couldn’t dodge, the heavy projectile exploding on contact. Though it didn’t kill the seven hundred kilos bear, it stopped him dead on his tracks, and allowed Frank the Mad to bull rush him. The whole atrium shook with every step of the iron giant.

The fatass had anticipated someone might use Frank’s delusion against him, and prepped him up accordingly. That damn, cunning bloody bastard...

“You know, of all the foes I’ve fought in my long life, you’re probably one of the most dangerous,” Ryan confessed to Adam. Augustus was far more powerful, but Hannifat Lecter more than compensated in cunning and sheer depravity. “And that’s really saying something.”

“What can I say, mate? If a man is a man, he knows what he wants and gets it. And what I want,” He raised his gravity cannon at Ryan, “is to make you squirm.”

Ryan stopped time, the projectile stopping in midair. Good, a Black Flux weapon would have still worked.

Speaking of Black Flux, Ryan rushed at the false president to introduce him to his minority’s rights. Tossing his false CIA badge aside, the courier punched the cannibal in his stomach. Having managed to rattle Augustus in the previous loop, Ryan expected to inflict some damage. Big Fat Adam’s carbon skin was way less resistant than Lightning Butt’s body, as the latter tore through the former like butter.

The Ogre didn’t even flinch. If anything, the blow seemed to damage Fisty’s pistons more than the Meta-Gang’s leader.

Why? Why didn’t it work? Had his encounter with Lightning Butt been a fluke? Had Ryan only managed to hurt Augustus because the Plushie softened him up first?

Unless… unless Ryan needed to focus his powers first? The courier could only produce visible Black Flux particles while wearing the power armor, after all.

“I need the Saturn armor to use that power?” Ryan muttered to himself, right before time resumed. Hannifat Lecter’s projectile demolished the Street Fighters game, much to the courier’s dismay. “The arcade!”

This was it, if his Plymouth Fury getting drowned in garbage hadn’t ruined this run, that tragedy did!

“You tell me, mate,” Big Fat Adam replied, wielding his cannon with one hand and trying to smash Ryan with his other fist. He didn’t have time to do much, as a coil gun shot him in the left eye, blowing it up in a brief shower of blood. “Argh!”

Ryan took the opportunity to leap back to safety, glancing at his savior. “Thanks, I guess the two of you didn’t see eye to eye.”

“Oh, right, I’m supposed to quip,” Livia said, wielding the coil gun and aiming to finish Big Fat Adam’s bullet surgery. “Anyone in favor of safety glasses, say ‘eye’!”

Ryan groaned, but forgave her weak pun-fu.

She fired another projectile at One-Eye Adam, but he protected his face with his hand. The bullet bounced off his carbon skin, though it pushed his palm back slightly. “Sarin!” he snarled, trying to wipe the blood off his face. “Kill that one!”

Sarin unleashed a shockwave at Livia. Though she failed to hit the Augusti princess, her assault forced Livia to fall back to behind the ruins of the bar counter. The Panda wasn’t in a better position, the much bigger Frank having tossed him against one of the atrium’s walls.

Hazmat Girl turned at Ryan to blast him, and the courier decided to use his secret weapon.

“Bianca.”

Sarin froze in place.

“Your boss isn’t working to find a cure, but I am,” Ryan pleaded, a hand extended. “We can make you human again.”

She unleashed a shockwave, and he dodged by leaping to the side. “Are you a Blue or some shit?” Sarin asked angrily. “A telepath reading my brain?”

“You’ve got air for neurons, how could I read it?” Ryan asked, though all it did was infuriate the Psycho. “You must have seen it too. He’s throwing you at this base’s orbital command center, not at the Elixir labs!”

“He’s distracting you,” Adam said after wiping off the blood from his face. His only remaining eye glared with malevolence as he raised his gravity gun at Livia’s hiding spot. “Don’t listen and power through.”

“It’s true,” Livia said from her hiding spot. “Ryan!”

Realizing her intention, Ryan rushed at Sarin, just as a chill went do—

---

Time skipped forward a few seconds, and when it resumed, Ryan had slammed Sarin to the ground. Holes had appeared where Livia used to hide, and where Hannifat Lecter’s remaining eye should have been. The cannibal screamed in pain, while Livia kept hitting his head with bullets; the Panda had managed to free himself from Frank’s grasp by returning to human form, and then shifting back into the powerful animal.

“Look outside, we aren’t here to kill anyone!” Ryan told Sarin, before adding a caveat. “Except Psypsy and your boss, but they’re asses! The rest of you, we will cure!”

“Shut the hell up!” Sarin’s gauntlets vibrated, and she aimed for the courier’s head. A shockwave hit the ceiling, causing concrete and pipes to fall in the middle of the room.

“Think wisely, Bianca! You’ve been with him for years, and what does he have to show for it? Nothing! He doesn’t want to save anyone, and deep down you know it too! You think you will be able to return to a normal life as long as he’s around?”

“What chance is there to turn my life around at all?” she snarled, managing to kick him off her. Both rose back to their feet, with Hazmat Girl threatening to blast Ryan again. “Why would you care?”

“Because you don’t deserve this,” he argued, dodging another volley. “You don’t deserve to be trapped in that suit, unable to touch, to smell, to taste. You made a mistake when you took these Elixirs and you’ve paid for it ever since.”

“You don’t know what it feels to be me, jackass!” Sarin snarled back. “I don’t know how you can read my memories, but fuck off from them!”

She pointed her gauntlets at the ground to increase the size of her jumps, soaring above the room until she almost reached the ceiling. She bombarded Ryan from above with repeated short blasts, but the courier dodged each one. “I don’t want to hurt you, Bianca!” Ryan pleaded, showing one of the guns he kept in his trench coat. “I could breach your suit with a bullet in my sleep.”

“As if I would—” Ryan grabbed a weapon and shot her so fast, that she couldn’t even finish her sentence. The bullet grazed her mask, right near the point where it combined with the rest of the suit.

This time, when Sarin landed on the ground, she didn’t immediately attack. She touched her mask, and gazed silently at Ryan.

“It’s over for him,” the courier said, glancing at Adam. “But not for you. You can still survive this.”

“You don’t know me,” she said, “and you don’t know him either.”

“Oh, I do, and that’s why he will die. But it’s not too late for you.”

“Are you a white knight or some self-help shitstain?” Sarin let out a hiss of disgust. “Why should I even trust you?”

The courier answered by tossing the Fisty Brothers and his gun to the ground. Sarin flinched in response, perhaps expecting a trick, but all Ryan did was to raise his arms and put himself at her mercy.

“Bianca,” he said. “I’m your last chance. Your last, last chance at turning your life around. Don’t waste it.”

“I won’t,” Sarin replied, pointing her hands at his head. “I won’t waste the chance to wipe off that thick skull of yours.”

“You may slay me, but I have at my back a force you cannot hope to defeat,” Ryan bluffed. “You’ve been on the losing side long enough. You would rather die as Sarin... or live as Bianca?”

Sarin raised her vibrating gauntlets…

And hesitated.

Her hands looked within an inch of opening fire, and her gas mask was as impenetrable as ever. Yet she didn’t attack. Ryan’s words had planted the seed of doubt in her mind, and now she didn’t know what to think.

Meanwhile, Livia ran out of bullets, tossing the coil gun aside.

“Head trauma, Ryan!” she shouted at the courier. Big Fat Adam had dropped his gravity gun, and the Augusti’s projectiles had slowly pushed him against the elevator’s doors. “His power only protects his skin, but not the organs beneath! If we keep hitting his head, he’ll get a concussion and bleed internally!”

“You’re Augustus’ girl,” Big Fat Adam rasped angrily, trying to detect her by sound. When he did, he lunged at her with nightmarish speed, mouth opened and hands raised. The blood flowing from his eyes made him look like a ghoul rising from the dead to devour the living. “I’ll send you back to your old man in pieces!”

Leaving Sarin to mull over her doubts, Ryan activated his power, caught Livia in the frozen time, and pulled her out of the way. Big Fat Adam’s sharp teeth closed on nothing but air, and Lightning Butt’s daughter instinctively grabbed the courier by the arm.

“You should stop doing that, princess,” Ryan teased her, her fingers holding him by the sleeve. “People will talk.”

“Let them,” Livia replied playfully. “You may rescue me as many times as you like.”

“Mr. President!” Frank tossed the wounded Panda aside and moved towards Livia and Ryan. “I’m coming!”

Instead of running away, Livia faced the titan and said two words.

“Stop, Vladimir.”

For a moment, Ryan thought he had misheard, and so did Frank. The giant flinched, as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

“Your true name is Vladimir Khabarov,” Livia continued. “Not Frank.”

As Psypsy had said in a previous loop, Frank the Mad… Frank the Mad was no American.

He was Russian.

“This is communist propaganda!” Frank snarled, covering his head with his hand as if he could block Livia’s voice. “I was born in Arkansas, like Country Music!”

“Your family farm wasn’t in Arkansas.” Since Livia couldn’t hit the giant physically, she targeted his fragile mind. “It was in Novgorod. Your father wasn’t a cowboy, but a soviet, and he perished choking on stolen caviar.”

“Lies!” Frank snarled while raising his fist. He attempted to squash Ryan and Livia like bugs, but the courier froze time to move out of the way. The giant’s fist hit the floor, going through it like steel through paper.

Sarin chose this moment to pick a side. She blasted the ground below Frank, part of the floor collapsing below the giant’s weight. The self-hating colossus fell down the hole halfway, with only his torso sticking up. He attempted to raise himself up, to no avail.

“Sifu, get down!”

Ryan turned around, to see that Big Fat Adam had recovered and tried to flank him; the blinded madman must have detected them by listening to their exchange with Frank. Suffering from his cooldown, Ryan attempted to back away, but Livia held him by the sleeve.

Instead, his bloodied pandawan tackled the ogre before he could get anywhere near his master. The two brawled for a second, but the more experienced Adam quickly grabbed the bear’s hands with his own. The Psycho opened his mouth, to reveal a syringe full of swirling liquid.

An Elixir, but not a Mechron-made one. This was the same Blue Elixir the cannibal had attempted to turn Ryan into a Psycho with after blowing New Rome to kingdom come. And true to his sick obsessions, Adam spat it at his foe.

The courier barely had the time to blink in horror as the Elixir shattered on the Panda’s face.

Blue liquid splattered on the Panda’s soft fur; and though true Elixirs couldn’t bond to animals, that one must have detected the human beneath. The green Genome switching back and forth between his two forms as his body absorbed the liquid. Big Fat Adam pushed his victim backward to fall on his back with cruel glee, while Ryan held his breath in horror.

“I got one of you,” Hannifat Lecter gloated triumphantly.

“Indeed you did,” Livia replied with smug calmness.

Her tone surprised Ryan. Why didn’t Livia seem concerned? Why didn’t she fall back? Unless… unless she had seen this event in a vision, and let it happen? Why?

Only when the Panda settled back in his animal form, did Ryan understand.

His body had completely absorbed the blue Elixir, the syringe’s shards crushed beneath his mighty feet. Instead of madness, the monster of the east moved with focus, and purpose, and strength.

Out of all the millions of people living in New Rome...

“No way…” Sarin whispered with shock and jealousy, as the manbear took a step towards Adam. The cannibal heard him coming, but he had guessed what happened from the sound. The realization had left him too shocked to move.

Livia had predicted she and her father could take two Elixirs with no ill effect.

And when the Panda’s eyes shone with a blue hue, Ryan felt a moment of religious awe. A Gregorian song echoed at the back of his mind, and he could almost see holy light shining into the bunker.

For God existed, and He had fur.

The Panda launched himself in the air, his right leg and arms extended, the left knee folded. How could a giant bear fly like this, Ryan would never understand, but he did. Perhaps Big Fat Adam might have dodged, if he still had eyes, or maybe he would have been paralyzed in awe too. The Panda shouted his attack’s name, with his cute, amusing voice.

“Soaring Panda!”

How could something so ridiculous look so good?

The Panda’s feet hit Hannifat Lecter’s head with so much strength, that Ryan heard a loud ‘crack’ as both connected. The monstrous Psycho flew backward and crashed on the ruins of the arcade, while the victorious bear gracefully landed on his feet. His pose reminded the courier of a Bruce Lee movie, and perhaps it came straight from it.

As for Adam the Ogre, he did not rise up again. And hopefully, he never would.

Frank, who had observed the scene with horror, attempted to free himself to no avail. His body absorbed the metal within the floor, trapping him further like quicksand.

“It’s over, Frank,” Sarin said, vibrating hands pointed at his head. “Don’t make me blast you.”

“I must fight the communists’ infiltrators!” he shouted.

And Ryan answered, “No, Frank. You are the communists.”

And then Frank was a zombie.

Or he might as well have been, for Ryan’s words were the coup de grace. The giant looked at his chest, scratching at it as if he could exorcise the Marxist-Leninist evil that infected him; but when he couldn’t, he slammed his head against the floor and mentally shut down. Perhaps his suppressed memories had resurfaced, flooding his brain just as Livia had expected.

His false patriotism shattered, the once-proud giant had become an immobile pile of scrap. The courier observed him in a minute of respect, as he watched this proud giant, this loyal bodyguard that perished protecting presidents so many times, reduced to such a pitiful state.

“How did you know about Frank’s past?” Ryan asked Livia, as Sarin lowered her gauntlets, still on her guard.

“I looked for a future where I won the fight,” the mafia princess replied not so smugly.

“Your power is almost as busted as your best friend’s.”

“Says the pot calling the kettle black,” Livia chuckled. “Speaking of best friends, ours should be done now.”

“I got one, Sifu!” the Panda said triumphantly, sitting atop a crushed Big Fat Adam’s stomach. “I got one!”

The circle was complete. When Ryan met him, the Panda had been the disciple.

Now, he was a master.

---

The ‘Battle for the Junkyard’ ended in a complete, near-flawless victory. The only loss on Ryan’s side was his car, which had been wounded in action; though the Chronoradio and key functions had survived the Land’s attack, so the time-traveler could always repair it.

The group had gathered the Psychos in the bunker’s hangar, with Sarin and the Panda helping Len move the unconscious Meta-Gang members into bathyspheres. They would transport the Psychos to underwater jails, until Ryan could figure out a cure for their condition. Psyshock’s thralls would also be kept there, to receive medical attention and avoid the bunker’s secret from spreading yet. They would be released once the base was destroyed.

As for Big Fat Adam, Len insisted on bubbling him too. Unlike the other prisoners though, he drowned to death in it, waking up just long enough to understand he was about to die. Communists could never make a good product, especially for people who tried to attack orphans under their care.

As for Fortuna and Shroud, they had both walked inside the bunker without a mask and arm in arm. The former looked giddy; the latter, as if he wished to die inside.

“You won’t believe it!” Fortuna announced. “Mathias… Mathias is the Shroud!”

“No way?” Ryan replied with a falsely surprised tone. “Your boyfriend?”

“My boyfriend!” Fortuna squealed, though her companion looked more… resigned than anything else. “I would never have guessed!”

“I knew he wasn’t all that clear,” Ryan said.

“How did it happen?” Livia asked, half curious, half displeased.

“The Land took back physical form to fight us at full power, as you suspected,” Shroud answered with a sigh. “A rock hit my mask while I was holding Fortuna, and it shattered.”

It must have looked very dramatic. “How unlucky of you,” Ryan put salt on the wound.

“All along I wondered why you were always there when I had a problem, but now I understand!” Fortuna put a hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder. “You were watching over me, like a guardian angel! How romantic!”

“That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Mathias replied, though he sounded a bit more ashamed than usual.

“You don’t need to be mean, I know you care now,” Fortuna said with a foxy grin.

A flash of flustered embarrassment passed on her boyfriend’s face, which he immediately suppressed with a stoic face. “I trapped the Land inside a glass prison outside, while Gemini surrendered after she realized all was lost,” he said, before glancing at Sarin. “Why is she still running around?”

“She turned her coat the right way,” Ryan replied. “She will be very important later.”

Mathias’ eyes squinted at the courier, and the Augusti woman at his side. “After we put the Meta-Gang in custody, we will need to talk about this place’s future… and yours. Yours most of all.”

“Have you told Sunshine about us?” Ryan asked, while Livia bristled.

“Not yet,” Shroudy Matt admitted. “I wasn’t sure if my hypothesis was correct, but after seeing this place… now I am. And I have enough questions for a lifetime.”

“They will wait after your girlfriend’s,” Ryan mocked him.

“Yes, indeed!” said Lucky Girl. “I want to know everything! How long have you been a hero? Are you on a team? Do you have a sidekick?”

Mathias sighed as Fortuna dragged him away. Though Ryan noticed he didn’t struggle as much as he should.

“They remind me of a tree and moss,” the courier told Livia. “She’s growing on him, and he’s starting to like it.”

“He will have to come clean to her though,” Livia said icily. “Or I will tell the truth for him. Fortuna deserves that much.”

Probably, but Ryan doubted Lucky Girl’s power would work so hard to set them together if it wouldn’t make her happy in the end.

“You look concerned, Ryan,” Livia said with a frown. “Is something the matter?”

“Yes. The bunker is ours with no strings attached, we caught Adam before he could pull off his plans, nobody I liked has died so far, and the Panda has two powers.” He emphasised these last words, because he could hardly believe it himself. “Everything went well.”

Livia chuckled. “Ryan, that’s good news.”

“I’m just expecting for the other shoe to drop,” the courier replied.

“Why would it?” she asked. “We worked hard, and it paid off. The previous loop ended in disaster, but we learned from it and acted accordingly.”

We. Such a sweet word to hear. Though there was so much left to do, Ryan no longer carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had people willing to back him up now, for better or worse.

“What comes next?” Livia asked. “Now that Adam has been dealt with, we should prepare for what comes afterward.”

“I will infiltrate your family,” Ryan said. “Brief Alchemo, Len, and Sarin on the memory map front. See how to deal with Dynamis for good. Contact Vulcan to recreate the Saturn armor, see with the Carnival how we can deal with the bunker, Narcinia, and the Bliss Factory. Research the Psycho cure, and probably plan a trip to Antarctica.”

“Antarctica?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Well, we will discuss how to deal with the Carnival together. I already started doing simulations, but you are our ace in the hole.” Livia smiled at him. “You will meet with Jamie tonight, to infiltrate my family from the bottom?”

“Yes. I put him on a list.” He hadn't interacted with Jamie, Ki-jung and Lanka for many loops, and he yearned to meet with them again. Now that he could theoretically bring a limitless number of people into his loops… he was no longer afraid of trying to befriend others for the long term. “But I meant something else for the infiltration phase.”

Livia raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I’ve been hesitating for a while. Because…” Ryan gathered his breath. “Because if I do, I can’t take it back. It will be complicated, and it may not work. But if it does…”

He left the sentence hanging, watching as Livia’s breathing shortened. She must have guessed his intentions, but since she couldn’t predict him, she felt anxiety rather than serenity. If he hadn’t misread all the signals she had sent him in this loop and the previous one, the seer wanted Ryan to make a move; but was afraid of the shame she would face if she had guessed wrong.

“Ask away,” she said shyly.

“Livia.”

Ryan grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. Though she gasped in surprise, being unable to predict the gesture, Livia didn’t resist. She felt light as a feather in his arms, a fragile porcelain doll.

He ignored all the gazes his teammates sent him, focusing entirely on her blue eyes, and the pinkish blush spreading on her cheeks.

“Are you available tomorrow night?”

瑞恩上来就使出了杀招。

“中情局！”他把手伸进风衣，掏出专门为今天准备的假证件。“逮捕这个人！参议院已经弹劾了他——”

亚当没让他说完，直接扣动了手炮的扳机。一颗黑色球体从炮口射出，逼得瑞恩一行四散躲避。快递员本能地朝那台《街头霸王》街机扑了过去，拼了命也想保住它；莉维娅和熊猫则闪向另一边。

那颗黑色炮弹虽然飞得慢，却像撕纸一样撕碎了地堡的金属墙壁，仿佛一个微型黑洞，将沿途的一切吸入其中。瑞恩起初以为那是黑色通量武器，仔细一看才发现，炮弹只是在把东西吸向自身。

一把重力枪。

这东西和迪纳米斯用来对付奥古斯都的秘密武器，会不会有什么关系？值得琢磨。

沙林立刻跟上老大的攻势，向莉维娅轰出一道冲击波。疯魔还没扣动扳机，预知者就已看见了这一击，迈步避开。熊猫发出一声骇人的咆哮，亮出利爪，冲向大胖亚当。

“看见没？！”瑞恩挥着证件，看向有些犯迷糊的弗兰克。“他不尊重民主程序！”

可出乎他意料的是，大胖亚当很乐意陪他演下去。“瞧，我就跟你说过吧，弗兰克。”汉尼胖·莱克特兴高采烈地说着，反手一巴掌把熊猫打得向后翻滚出去。“风暴来了。中情局要夺权，想像杀肯尼迪那样杀了我。他们杀了我的副总统，还会杀光所有参议员。”

“他们休想碰您，总统先生！”弗兰克发誓道，双拳高高举起，撞上了天花板。“白宫绝不会陷落！”

“你必须守护民主，弗兰克。”大胖亚当露出电视布道者般阴险的笑容，继续给保镖洗脑。“你要是失败了，一切就都完了。”

弗兰克愤怒地咆哮一声，抓起休闲区的吧台，朝熊猫扔了过去。可怜的熊人来不及躲闪，沉重的吧台撞在他身上，轰然碎裂。虽说这一击没能杀死这头七百公斤重的大熊，却彻底截住了他的冲势，让疯子弗兰克得以埋头猛冲过去。钢铁巨人每迈一步，整座中庭都随之震颤。

那死胖子早就料到，有人可能利用弗兰克的妄想来对付自己，于是提前给他打了预防针。这个该死的、狡猾透顶的狗杂种……

“说真的，我活了这么久，打过那么多敌人，你大概是最危险的几个之一。”瑞恩向亚当坦言。奥古斯都的力量远比他强，可汉尼胖·莱克特的狡诈和毫无底线的恶毒，足以弥补差距。“这评价的分量，可真不轻。”

“还能怎么说呢，伙计？一个男人要真是个男人，就该知道自己想要什么，再把它弄到手。而我想要的，”他将重力炮举起，对准瑞恩，“就是看你痛苦挣扎。”

瑞恩暂停了时间，炮弹随之停在半空。很好，如果是黑色通量武器，它就还会继续运作。

说到黑色通量，瑞恩冲向冒牌总统，打算让他领教一下自己这个少数族裔的权利。快递员甩开假中情局证件，一拳砸在食人魔肚子上。上一轮他连奥古斯都都能震得够呛，这回应该也能打出点伤害。大胖亚当的碳质皮肤远没有闪电屁股的身体结实，毕竟后者撕开前者的皮肤，就像切黄油一样轻松。

食人魔连晃都没晃一下。真要说有什么损伤，这一拳对拳拳活塞造成的破坏，似乎还比对超能帮老大的伤害更大。

为什么？为什么不管用？难道他跟闪电屁股交手时只是撞了大运？难道瑞恩能伤到奥古斯都，只是因为毛绒玩偶事先把他打软了？

除非……除非瑞恩得先把力量聚焦起来？毕竟，只有穿着动力装甲，他才能产生肉眼可见的黑色通量粒子。

“我得有萨图恩装甲才能用那种力量？”瑞恩刚自言自语完，时间便恢复了流动。汉尼胖·莱克特的炮弹轰毁了《街头霸王》街机，快递员心痛欲裂。“街机！”

这下完了。就算普利茅斯“狂怒”被垃圾活埋还不足以毁掉这一轮，这场惨剧也足够了！

“你说呢，伙计。”大胖亚当一手提炮，另一手握拳砸向瑞恩。他还没来得及再做什么，一发线圈枪子弹便击中了他的左眼，眼球在一小片血花中炸开。“啊！”

瑞恩趁机向后跃到安全地带，瞥了救命恩人一眼。“谢了。看来你俩还真不对眼。”

“哦，对，我该说句俏皮话。”莉维娅端着线圈枪，瞄准大胖亚当，准备替他做完这场子弹手术。“赞成戴护目镜的，请发‘眼’！”

瑞恩呻吟了一声，不过还是原谅了她这点三脚猫的双关功夫。

她又朝独眼亚当开了一枪，但他用手护住了脸。子弹从碳质皮肤上弹开，只将他的手掌稍稍撞退了些。“沙林！”他一边试图擦掉脸上的血，一边怒吼，“杀了那个！”

沙林朝莉维娅轰出一道冲击波。她虽然没能击中奥古斯蒂家的公主，攻势却迫使莉维娅退到吧台残骸后方。熊猫的处境也好不到哪里去，体形大得多的弗兰克已经把他扔到中庭的一面墙上。

防化服姑娘转向瑞恩，准备轰他。快递员决定祭出秘密武器。

“比安卡。”

沙林僵在了原地。

“你老大没有在找治愈你们的办法，但我在找。”瑞恩伸出一只手，恳切地说，“我们能让你重新变成人。”

她轰出一道冲击波，他侧身一跃避开。“你是蓝系还是什么鬼东西？”沙林怒道，“会读我脑子的心灵感应者？”

“你的神经元都是空气，我怎么读？”瑞恩问道，不过这只让疯魔更加恼火。“你自己肯定也看出来了。他把你派去闯这座基地的轨道指挥中心，可不是灵药实验室！”

“他在分散你的注意力。”亚当擦去脸上的血说道。他仅剩的那只眼睛凶光毕露，重力枪举起，对准莉维娅藏身的地方。“别听他的，继续打。”

“这是真的。”莉维娅在藏身处说，“瑞恩！”

瑞恩明白了她的意图，冲向沙林，一股寒意刚沿着脊背窜——

---

时间向前跳过了几秒，重新接续时，瑞恩已经将沙林摔倒在地。莉维娅先前藏身的地方多了几个窟窿，汉尼胖·莱克特原本还剩一只眼睛的位置也一样。食人魔痛得惨叫，莉维娅则继续用子弹招呼他的脑袋；熊猫先变回人形，挣脱了弗兰克的掌握，然后又变回那头强壮的野兽。

“看看外面，我们不是来杀人的！”瑞恩对沙林说，随后又补了个例外，“心心那家伙和你老大除外，不过那是因为他们都是混蛋！剩下的，我们都会治好！”

“你他妈闭嘴！”沙林的手甲震动起来，对准快递员的脑袋。一道冲击波击中了天花板，混凝土和管道纷纷落向房间中央。

“想清楚，比安卡！你跟了他好几年，他拿出了什么成果？什么都没有！他根本不想救任何人，你心里其实也知道！只要他还在，你觉得自己还能过回正常人的生活？”

“我的生活哪还有什么转机？”她怒吼着，终于一脚踹开了他。两人重新站起，防化服姑娘作势又要朝瑞恩开火。“你为什么会在乎？”

“因为你不该遭这种罪。”他一边劝说，一边躲开又一轮攻击。“你不该被困在这套衣服里，摸不着、闻不到、尝不出。你服下那些灵药时犯了一个错，从那以后就一直在为此付出代价。”

“你根本不知道我是什么感受，蠢货！”沙林吼了回去。“我不知道你怎么能读到我的记忆，但你他妈给我滚出去！”

她将手甲对准地面，借力跃得更高，腾空飞起，几乎抵达天花板。她从上方朝瑞恩连连轰出短促的冲击波，快递员却一一躲过。“我不想伤害你，比安卡！”瑞恩恳切地说，亮出藏在风衣里的一把枪。“打穿你那套衣服，我闭着眼睛都能一枪办到。”

“你以为我会——”瑞恩拔枪射击，快得她连话都没能说完。子弹擦过她的面罩，紧挨着面罩与防护服衔接的位置。

这一次，沙林落地后没有立刻攻击。她摸了摸面罩，默默看着瑞恩。

“他完了。”快递员瞥了一眼亚当。“可你还没有。你还能活下来。”

“你不了解我，”她说，“也不了解他。”

“哦，我当然了解。所以他死定了。但对你来说，还不算太晚。”

“你是正义骑士，还是哪个教人自救的狗屁大师？”沙林厌恶地嘶了一声。“我凭什么信你？”

快递员的回答，是把拳头兄弟和枪都扔在地上。沙林一惊，也许以为其中有诈，可瑞恩只是举起双手，将自己交给她处置。

“比安卡，”他说，“我是你最后的机会。让你的人生迎来转机的最后的、最后的机会。别浪费了。”

“我不会的。”沙林将双手对准他的脑袋。“我不会浪费轰烂你那颗蠢脑袋的机会。”

“你可以杀了我，可我背后还有一股你绝不可能战胜的力量。”瑞恩虚张声势道，“你在输家那边待得够久了。你是宁愿以沙林的身份死去……还是以比安卡的身份活下去？”

沙林举起震动着的手甲……

犹豫了。

她的双手看上去随时都会开火，防毒面具依旧遮得严严实实，让人看不出半点心思。可她没有攻击。瑞恩的话在她心里种下了怀疑的种子，如今她不知道该怎么想了。

与此同时，莉维娅打光了子弹，将线圈枪扔到一边。

“打他的头，瑞恩！”她朝快递员喊道。大胖亚当已经丢下了重力枪，奥古斯蒂姑娘射出的子弹也一点点将他撞退到了电梯门边。“他的能力只保护皮肤，不保护下面的器官！只要不停打他的头，就能造成脑震荡和内出血！”

“你是奥古斯都家的丫头。”大胖亚当愤怒地嘶声道，试图靠声音判断她的位置。一旦确定方位，他便张开大嘴，举起双手，以噩梦般的速度扑向她。鲜血从眼窝里流下，让他看起来像个死而复生、要吞吃活人的食尸鬼。“我会把你拆成碎片，送回你老子那里！”

瑞恩把沙林留在原地，让她自己琢磨那些疑虑，随后发动能力，在冻结的时间里抓住莉维娅，将她拉开。大胖亚当的尖牙咬了个空，闪电屁股的女儿则本能地抓住了快递员的胳膊。

“你可不能老这样，公主。”瑞恩逗她道，她的手指还攥着他的袖子。“别人会说闲话的。”

“随他们说。”莉维娅俏皮地回答，“你想救我多少次都行。”

“总统先生！”弗兰克把受伤的熊猫扔到一边，朝莉维娅和瑞恩走来。“我来了！”

莉维娅没有逃跑，而是直面巨人，只说了两个词。

“住手，弗拉基米尔。”

有那么一瞬间，瑞恩以为自己听错了，弗兰克也是。巨人猛地一颤，仿佛被人一刀刺中了心脏。

“你真正的名字是弗拉基米尔·哈巴罗夫。”莉维娅继续说道，“不是弗兰克。”

正如心心那家伙在之前一轮中说过的，疯子弗兰克……疯子弗兰克不是美国人。

他是个俄国人。

“这是共产主义宣传！”弗兰克怒吼着，伸手捂住脑袋，仿佛这样就能挡住莉维娅的声音。“我生在阿肯色州，和乡村音乐一样！”

“你家的农场不在阿肯色州。”莉维娅没法打击巨人的肉体，于是瞄准了他脆弱的心灵。“而在诺夫哥罗德。你父亲不是牛仔，是个苏联人。他吃偷来的鱼子酱，噎死了。”

“谎话！”弗兰克怒吼着举起拳头。他想把瑞恩和莉维娅像虫子一样碾扁，可快递员暂停时间，带她闪出了攻击范围。巨人的拳头砸在地板上，像钢铁穿透纸张一般，将它贯穿。

沙林在这一刻选定了立场。她朝弗兰克脚下的地面开火，部分地板不堪巨人的重量，塌了下去。这个憎恶自身的庞然大物陷进洞里，只剩上半身露在外面。他试图撑起身体，却徒劳无功。

“师父，趴下！”

瑞恩转过身，发现大胖亚当已经缓过劲来，正试图从侧面偷袭；失明的疯子一定是听着他们与弗兰克的对话找到了他们。能力还在冷却，瑞恩想要后退，莉维娅却拉住了他的袖子。

结果，满身是血的熊猫学徒抢先撞上了食人魔，没让他靠近师父半步。双方扭打片刻，经验更丰富的亚当便迅速抓住了大熊的双手。疯魔张开嘴，露出一支装满旋转液体的注射器。

灵药，但不是梅克隆制造的。这正是那支蓝色灵药——食人魔把新罗马炸上天之后，曾试图用它把瑞恩变成疯魔。他又一次遵从了自己病态的癖好，将它朝对手吐了出去。

瑞恩惊恐得几乎还来不及眨眼，那支灵药就在熊猫脸上碎裂了。

蓝色液体溅在熊猫柔软的皮毛上；真正的灵药虽然不能与动物结合，这一支却一定察觉到了那副兽形之下的人类。随着身体吸收液体，这名绿系基因者在两种形态之间来回切换。大胖亚当残忍而快意地将受害者向后一推，让他仰面倒地。瑞恩则惊恐地屏住了呼吸。

“我弄废了你们一个。”汉尼胖·莱克特得意扬扬地说。

“确实呢。”莉维娅从容地答道，语气中透着得意。

她的语气让瑞恩吃了一惊。莉维娅为什么看起来一点都不担心？为什么不退开？除非……除非她已经在预见中看到了这一幕，还放任它发生？为什么？

直到熊猫的形态重新稳定为兽形，瑞恩才明白过来。

他的身体已将蓝色灵药完全吸收，注射器的碎片被踩碎在粗壮的脚掌下。这头东方巨兽的动作毫无癫狂，只有专注、坚定和力量。

在新罗马生活的几百万人中……

“不可能……”沙林低声道，震惊与嫉妒交织。熊人朝亚当迈出一步。食人魔听见他走来，却已从动静中猜出发生了什么。这个发现让他震惊得动弹不得。

莉维娅曾预见，她和父亲都能服用两支灵药，而不出现任何不良反应。

而当熊猫的双眼亮起蓝光时，瑞恩感到了一瞬宗教般的敬畏。格里高利圣咏在脑海深处回荡，他几乎能看见圣光洒进地堡。

因为上帝确实存在，而且祂长着毛。

熊猫纵身腾空，右腿和双臂伸展，左膝屈起。一头巨熊怎么能这样飞起来，瑞恩永远都理解不了，可他就是飞起来了。假如大胖亚当还有眼睛，也许能躲开，又或许他同样会因敬畏而僵住。熊猫用那可爱又逗趣的嗓音，大喊出招式的名字。

“熊猫凌空！”

这么荒唐的东西，怎么能帅成这样？

熊猫的双脚踢中了汉尼胖·莱克特的头颅，力道之大，让瑞恩在双方接触的一刹那听见了一声响亮的“咔嚓”。那个怪物般的疯魔向后飞出，砸在街机的残骸上，得胜的大熊则轻巧地双脚落地。他的姿势让快递员想起李小龙的电影，也许根本就是从电影里照搬来的。

至于食人魔亚当，他没有再站起来。希望他永远也别站起来了。

弗兰克惊恐地目睹了这一幕，拼命想挣脱，却毫无用处。他的身体吸收着地板里的金属，反而陷得更深，如同掉进了流沙。

“结束了，弗兰克。”沙林将震动的双手对准他的脑袋。“别逼我轰你。”

“我必须对抗共产党的渗透分子！”他大吼。

瑞恩答道：“不，弗兰克。你就是共产党。”

然后，弗兰克就成了僵尸。

或者说，跟僵尸也没什么两样了，因为瑞恩的话给了他最后一击。巨人低头看着胸口，用手抓挠，仿佛这样就能驱除感染自身的马列主义邪恶；但他没能做到，于是把脑袋往地板上一撞，精神彻底停摆。也许他压抑的记忆已经重新浮现，涌入脑海，正如莉维娅预料的那样。

虚假的爱国情怀支离破碎，曾经骄傲的巨人如今成了一堆一动不动的废铁。快递员带着敬意，注视了他整整一分钟：这位骄傲的巨人，这位曾无数次为保护总统而死的忠诚保镖，竟沦落到了如此可怜的境地。

“你是怎么知道弗兰克过去的事的？”瑞恩问莉维娅。沙林放下了手甲，却仍未放松警惕。

“我找了一个我能赢下这场战斗的未来。”黑手党公主答道，语气没那么得意了。

“你的能力简直跟你好朋友的一样破坏平衡。”

“你这是五十步笑百步。”莉维娅轻笑道，“说到好朋友，我们的那几位现在应该也完事了。”

“我打倒了一个，师父！”熊猫坐在被揍扁的大胖亚当肚子上，得意地说，“我打倒了一个！”

至此，轮回圆满。瑞恩初见熊猫时，他还是个徒弟。

如今，他已是一代宗师。

---

“废料场之战”以一场近乎完美的全胜告终。瑞恩这一方唯一的损失，是他的车在战斗中负了伤；不过，时空收音机和各项关键功能都挺过了大地的袭击，所以时间旅行者随时可以把它修好。

众人将疯魔集中到了地堡的机库里，沙林和熊猫帮着蕾恩，将昏迷的超能帮成员搬进深潜球。他们会把疯魔运到海底监狱，关到瑞恩找到治愈办法为止。心震控制的傀儡也会暂时留在那里，接受医疗救治，同时避免地堡的秘密过早传开。等基地被摧毁，他们就会获释。

至于大胖亚当，蕾恩坚持也要用水泡把他装起来。不过，与其他囚犯不同，他在里面淹死了，醒来的时间仅够他明白自己马上就要死了。共产主义者就是造不出好产品，尤其是为那些企图袭击他们照看的孤儿的人准备的产品。

至于福尔图娜和裹尸布，两人手挽着手走进了地堡，都没戴面具。前者兴奋得快要飘起来；后者看起来内心只想去死。

“你们绝对想不到！”福尔图娜宣布，“马蒂亚斯……马蒂亚斯就是裹尸布！”

“不可能吧？”瑞恩假装惊讶地回应，“你那个男朋友？”

“我男朋友！”福尔图娜兴奋地尖叫，尽管她身旁那位看起来倒更像是……认命了。“我怎么也猜不到！”

“我就知道，他没那么透明。”瑞恩说。

“怎么回事？”莉维娅问，语气里一半好奇，一半不悦。

“跟你猜的一样，大地恢复了实体，要全力跟我们打。”裹尸布叹了口气，答道，“我抱着福尔图娜的时候，一块石头打中我的面具，把它打碎了。”

那场面一定很有戏剧性。“你可真不走运。”瑞恩往伤口上撒了一把盐。

“我一直在想，为什么每次我遇到麻烦，你都会在场，现在我明白了！”福尔图娜把手放在男朋友肩上。“你一直在守护我，像个守护天使！太浪漫了！”

“你说的跟事实完全相反。”马蒂亚斯回答，不过听起来比平时多了几分惭愧。

“不用再凶巴巴的了，我现在知道你在乎我。”福尔图娜露出狡黠的笑容。

男朋友脸上闪过一丝窘迫的慌乱，立刻又被一张冷脸压了下去。“我把大地关在外面的玻璃牢笼里了，双子发现大势已去，也投降了。”他说着，瞥向沙林。“她怎么还在到处跑？”

“她弃暗投明了。”瑞恩回答，“以后她会很重要。”

马蒂亚斯眯起眼睛，打量快递员和他身边的奥古斯蒂姑娘。“等把超能帮收押，我们得谈谈这地方的未来……还有你们的。尤其是你们的。”

“你跟阳光说过我们的事了吗？”瑞恩问，莉维娅则露出了戒备的神色。

“还没有。”裹裹马特承认，“我之前不确定自己的猜测对不对，但看过这个地方之后……现在确定了。我还有够问一辈子的问题。”

“那也得排在你女朋友的问题后面。”瑞恩拿他打趣。

“没错，就是这样！”幸运女孩说，“我什么都想知道！你当英雄多久了？加入团队了吗？有助手吗？”

马蒂亚斯叹着气，被福尔图娜拖走。不过瑞恩注意到，他的挣扎远没有该有的那么激烈。

“他们让我想起树和苔藓。”快递员对莉维娅说，“她在他身上越长越密，他也开始喜欢这滋味了。”

“不过，他必须对她坦白。”莉维娅冷冷地说，“不然我会替他说出真相。至少这一点，福尔图娜是应得的。”

也许吧。但瑞恩觉得，如果到头来不能让幸运女孩幸福，她的能力恐怕不会这么拼命地撮合两人。

“你好像有心事，瑞恩。”莉维娅蹙起眉头，“有什么不对吗？”

“有。地堡归了我们，没附带任何麻烦；亚当还没来得及执行计划，就被我们抓住了；到目前为止，我喜欢的人一个都没死，而且熊猫有了两种能力。”他特意加重了最后几个字，因为连他自己都很难相信。“一切顺利。”

莉维娅轻笑起来。“瑞恩，这是好消息。”

“我就是总觉得，坏事还在后头。”快递员回答。

“为什么会呢？”她问，“我们付出了努力，也得到了回报。上一轮以灾难告终，可我们从中吸取了教训，并据此采取了行动。”

我们。这个词听着真好。虽然还有那么多事要做，瑞恩却不再需要独自肩负整个世界的重担。现在，无论好坏，都有人愿意支持他。

“接下来呢？”莉维娅问，“既然亚当已经解决了，我们也该为之后的事做准备。”

“我要打入你们家族。”瑞恩说，“把记忆图谱方面的情况跟阿尔凯莫、蕾恩和沙林交代一下。看看怎么彻底解决迪纳米斯。联系伏尔甘，重造萨图恩装甲，再和嘉年华商量怎么处理地堡、纳尔西妮娅和极乐工厂。研究治愈疯魔的办法，可能还得计划一趟南极之旅。”

“南极？”

“说来话长。”

“那我们一起商量怎么应对嘉年华。我已经开始推演了，不过你才是我们藏着的王牌。”莉维娅朝他微笑。“你今晚会去见杰米，从底层打入我的家族？”

“对。我把他列进名单了。”他已经好多个循环没和杰米、基贞、兰卡来往，很想再见见他们。如今，从理论上说，他能带进循环的人数没有上限……他也不再害怕尝试与人建立长久的友谊。“不过，说到打入家族这一步，我指的是另一件事。”

莉维娅挑起一边眉毛。“哦？”

“有件事我一直想问你，但犹豫了好一阵。因为……”瑞恩定了定呼吸。“因为我一旦问出口，就收不回来了。事情会很复杂，也可能不成。可要是成了……”

他没有把话说完，只看着莉维娅的呼吸变得急促。她一定猜到了他的意图，但她无法预知他，所以此刻感到的不是安然笃定，而是紧张。倘若他没误读她在这一轮和上一轮里传递的那些信号，这位预知者是希望瑞恩主动的；可她又害怕自己猜错之后，要面对那份难堪。

“问吧。”她羞涩地说。

“莉维娅。”

瑞恩揽住她的腰，将她拉近。她无法预知这个动作，惊得轻轻吸了口气，却没有抗拒。她在他怀里轻得像片羽毛，像个易碎的瓷娃娃。

他不理会队友们投来的目光，眼里只有她蓝色的双眸，和脸颊上渐渐泛起的淡淡红晕。

“你明晚有空吗？”