同章对照

“Sorry, I can’t do that.”

Ryan scratched Eugène-Henry’s back while watching Dr. Tyrano on his computer screen. The A-bomb laid on the desk, right next to the late Fat Adam’s gravity cannon. “You’re saying no to unlimited fundings, resources, and safety from the monster you keep bottled up in your lab when he inevitably breaks out? Because you know he will.”

“I don’t know how you managed to learn that much about my work,” Tyrano admitted, a little disturbed. “But I am contractually bound to Dynamis for the next two hundred years. I can’t even leave the building without a heavy escort.”

“Two hundred years?” Were there other time-travelers running around in Italy? “Is that even legal?”

“In New Rome, it is.”

Ryan massaged his temples, at his wit’s end. “Think, Tyrano, think! You’re using an unstable product to turn people you know into timebombs! What will you have after everyone has turned into a Bloodstream clone?”

Dr. Tyrano remained silent for a moment, but Ryan guessed his answer before he even spoke.

“Dinosaurs,” the scalie answered. “I’d still have dinosaurs.”

That made Ryan think more than it should.

Still, the fact Tyrano wouldn’t leave the Dynamis HQ nor agree to sabotage the Knockoff supply dashed a few of the courier’s hopes. Even if the Carnival developed a vaccine plague to cure New Rome’s population, they would have to assault Lab Sixty-Six again to finish off Bloodstream for good.

Still, Ryan didn’t give up on the saurian Genius.

“What if I told you we have access to a completely safe Knockoff variant, so strong it even works with robots?” The courier tempted him. “That we have not one, but two Genomes with multiple powers and no-side effects to study? That we possess a wealth of research and information on Elixirs… and a lab capable of creating life from scratch?”

Then he delivered the coup de grace.

“Inhuman life?”

Tyrano’s slitted eyes expanded like a frog’s, to Ryan’s shock. The courier wondered if it was what passed for arousal for humanoid dinosaurs. To hook him further, the courier forwarded the Genius a sample of his Elixir research, including a bio-scan of Mongrel.

“We’re working on a cure for the Psycho condition,” Ryan said. “Though you’re contractually obligated to work with Dynamis, certainly you can sacrifice some of your precious time for it. Who knows, maybe you could make a Green Knockoff capable of granting your dearest, cold-blooded wish.”

The Genius barely took a glance at the data before raising his white flag. “Where do I sign?”

“First…” Ryan scratched Eugène-Henry behind the ears. “You must give me access to that folder.”

“Oh, that one?” Dr. Tyrano seemed strangely embarrassed about it. “It’s something of a side-project, and early results weren’t promising. But it will change the world, you’ll see!”

“I’ll keep an open mind,” Ryan said, as he received an email called ‘Monster Girl Project.’ He opened the video file within.

The courier instantly regretted it, as an abomination came into view.

The screams and moans that came out of this… this thing startled Ryan so much, that he almost fell from his chair. His terrified cat leaped out of his lap to take over the nearby bed.

“Oh God… oh God…” Ryan covered his mouth, though he couldn’t tell if it was in horror or terrible awe at the man’s demented genius. There were things that could still surprise him after eight centuries of time-traveling. “Why?!”

“A creative spur!” Tyrano explained, as if it made up for this crime against nature. “I couldn’t do that to a reptile!”

“Why a mink?!” Ryan asked, closing the video feed when he couldn’t take the abomination’s screams anymore. “Is… is that thing still alive?”

“No, no, it died, unfortunately,” Tyrano reassured him. “But I have a spare.”

Ryan resisted the urge to throw up, and stopped the video call feed. He would have nightmares for years to come. Even the most depraved Sonic the Hedgehog fans didn’t go as far as Dr. Scalie did.

The courier took a moment to gather his breath, only to suddenly hold it. Two long ears rose from the side of the desk, a monster rising from the depths of Hell.

“No,” Ryan said with false panic.

The plushie looked at his maker, then at the A-bomb, and finally back at his maker. Meanwhile, Eugène-Henry ignored them all to vanish beneath the bedsheets, considering the matter beneath his kingly notice.

“No!” Ryan forbade the plushie.

And for the first time since this loop began, the furred fiend answered.

“I will always be your friend!”

This plushie hastily pushed the A-bomb’s button with a loud ‘click.’

Nothing happened.

The plushie hit it again, and again, and again in quick succession, growing more and more frustrated. Its eyes turned red as it glared angrily at Ryan.

“It’s a prop,” the courier replied with a grin. “I gave the real one to Vulcan.”

He had bribed his favorite dwarf Genius with so much technology, that she didn’t even ask him to ruin Star Studios this time. Vulcan insisted that Ryan become her assistant instead, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The courier was more than willing to help her, but only in short bursts. Though Ryan could now interact with Vulcan without feeling stabbed in the gut every time she opened her mouth, the shadow of his Jasmine remained ever-present. The courier also intended to use this loop to deal with the Bliss Factory and Narcinia, and so would rather stay a contractor working for multiple branches of the Augusti’s organization.

The plushie’s eyes turned blue in disappointment, so Ryan tossed it the gravity cannon. “Here, if you want to work your way up the suicide chain,” he said. “Aim for the heart though. There’s a chance you might live if you go for the head. I know from experience.”

The eldritch horror examined the cannon curiously, though the weapon was ten times larger than it was. “Please don’t kill anyone else!” Ryan pleaded as he left the fiend to its experiments, rising from his seat to move to his door.

“So?” Shroud asked, having waited for him in the next corridor. He had managed to repair his glass mask, though Ryan wondered why he bothered to hide his true face anymore.

“He won’t help sabotage the tomato juice factory,” Ryan replied with disappointment. “He fears his bosses’ wrath more than ours.”

If the courier was on a Meta run, he might have changed that, but Ryan would have his plate full with the Augusti for now.

One day had passed since the bunker raid, though Ryan spent last night at the harbor helping Jamie protect drug supplies. Luigi hadn’t shown up this time, probably at Livia’s urging, but Jamie still invited Ryan to stay at his house all the same. That guy was so nice, he made the courier want to adopt him.

Ryan spent the day in Mechron’s bunker, settling things here. He had contacted Alchemo, who should make his way to New Rome by the next day and help take over the bunker’s mainframe. With Dr. Stitch and Tyrano’s long-distance assistance, the courier would have the best medical team in the world to figure out a cure for the Psycho condition.

The night, he would dedicate to Livia.

“Then we will need to clean up Dynamis’ upper echelons,” Mathias said. “We planned to wait for Hector Manada to retire, but we can hasten his departure all the same.”

“I’ve seen Hector Manada fall many times.” Ryan said with a shrug. “His children might be willing to switch to a safer, better product than one capable of causing a pandemic.”

“Fallout won’t follow,” Mathias said. “Enrique might, once we provide him with the necessary data to show the destruction Bloodstream could unleash; and especially if his family lied to him. But Alphonse is another beast entirely. He won’t surrender Bloodstream, even for a better alternative.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Ryan asked with a frown. “He’s a red, a commie infiltrator. He wants to turn everyone into a Genome, maybe even for free.”

The vigilante remained skeptical. “Think about it. Fallout not only controls the Knockoff supply, but with Tyrano’s cure, he can also remove powers at will. That’s not the case with Mechron’s variants, if I understand correctly.“

Ryan pondered Shroud’s point, and had to admit that he might be right on the money. Atom Smasher planned to make everyone a Genome so people like Augustus couldn’t monopolize power, but he didn’t wish to coexist with other organizations. Neither did he hesitate to lie to his close allies, so that Dynamis could develop a monopoly on Knockoff Elixirs.

If Dynamis could both give superpowers and take them away, then it could become a true superpower. People would be kept in line by the fear of losing their Knockoff Genome abilities, and the Manada would monopolize the market.

“Fallout cares less about his Knockoffs’ potential side-effects than the societal control they grant his organization,” Shroud said. “If he was truly the hero he believes himself to be, he wouldn’t have created something so dangerous in the first place. In the end, Alphonse Manada only believes in his vision. He won’t deviate from his chosen path unless forced to.”

“I can stop time,” Ryan said, remembering Bianca running off to sacrifice herself. “I will stop him.”

“Can you?” Shroud asked, doubtful. “Among the most dangerous Genomes operating in Italy, he comes a close third behind Augustus and Leo.”

“I can, with this base’s resources.”

“This place will have to go, Ryan,” Shroud insisted. “Maybe there is something here that could defeat Fallout, or even Augustus, true. But the risk of dangerous weapons spreading to the public is too great. Even distributing Mechron’s Knockoff formula doesn’t strike me as a good idea. It might weaken the position of Genome warlords, but our post-war society is too fragile to survive ten million people with flamethrowers for arms.”

“You’re preaching to a convert,” Ryan replied. “But I will only destroy this place after it helps solve the current crisis.”

Shroudy Matty crossed his arms. “Do you truly believe Psychos can be cured?”

“You don’t, my transparent friend?”

“No,” the vigilante replied, before adding, “but if there is a chance it works… if there is even the slightest chance it works, I can’t stop you from trying. It would help too many lives.”

“For your mom, one of the Genomes I called is specialized in brains.” Shroud’s head perked up at Ryan’s words. “He can even cure mental illnesses, Alzheimer’s, and even a Psycho’s brain tumors. He could help you too.”

Ryan couldn’t see Looking Glass’ face behind his mask, though the vigilante turned his head sideways, thoughtful. “Why do you think the Alchemist distributed these Elixirs in the first place?”

To turn us into interdimensional squids, Ryan thought. “I dunno, improve the human condition?”

“I think so too, and yet we used them to ravage the world.” Shroud shook his head. “When I hear all the positive things Geniuses can make, I can’t help but wonder why Mechron built weapons rather than medical supplies. Not even superpowers could change human nature.”

“Take it from someone who knows,” Ryan replied. “There will always be rotten apples like Late Adam, but most people I’ve met only need the right circumstances to turn their lives around. Anyone can choose right over wrong. Even a spoiled, self-obsessed brat with a busted power.”

Shroud chuckled. “Do you know that she sculpts in her spare time?”

She must have shown her boyfriend her gallery yesterday night. “Pretty neat, huh?”

“She’s good at it,” Mathias continued, his tone warm. “I thought she relied on her own luck to do everything, but she hides artistic sensibilities that appeal to me as a game designer. I can’t quite explain it. And she won half a million euros in lottery winnings this morning, but instead of sitting on it, she wants to distribute it to Rust Town’s orphans.”

My, was he speaking fondly of Fortuna? Yesterday’s battle had greatly helped to turn his opinion of her around.

“She’s a golden retriever,” Ryan summed it up. “Loud, no respect for personal space, but surprisingly warm and loyal underneath.”

“Worse. She’s a much better person than I thought.”

The courier put his hands behind his head. “Will you be transparent with her on your next date?”

“Will you turn back time to make your own go well?” Mathias deadpanned with a joke of his own, before answering. “I think I will clear things up with her, but… not as long as she’s working as a hitman for Augustus. That’s a dealbreaker.”

“Unlike other members of her group, she isn’t in it for the killing,” Ryan said. “She wants to protect Livia first and foremost. It’s almost romantic.”

“Is that why you’re dating her?” Shroud’s voice turned from amused to serious. “To turn Augustus’ daughter around?”

“I asked her out because I wanted to,” Ryan replied. He really had a thing for Blue Genomes shorter than himself.

“Giving her access to this place is dangerous, Ryan. What if she changes her mind and informs Augustus?”

“She has earned my trust and helped me when I needed it,” the courier replied. “I want to return the favor.”

Her father would wreck the world for her sake, if he didn’t. She didn’t deserve to have her sire’s crimes on her conscience.

“Mark my words, Ryan, you can’t save everyone.” Shroud marked a short pause. “Especially from themselves.”

And yet, he had to try.

“After Alchemo comes here, we’ll use your rabbit foot of a girlfriend to access the mainframe,” Ryan said, changing the subject. “You can confirm what I said about the other Mechron bases then, and we will unlock the self-destruct mechanism.”

“I will have to inform Leo about you, you understand that?” Shroud asked. “Even if you turn back time again, I can’t keep that to myself.”

“Even for my cute, beautiful eyes?”

“Not even for them,” the Carnival member replied with a chuckle. “Is there a way for you to carry others through time? I suppose it is only mental, since there aren’t twenty of you running around.”

Sharp guy. “I have a procedure to transfer information directly into your brain, though your past self will have to submit to it.”

“He won’t,” Shroud said, shaking his head. “I know myself. I am too paranoid to let anyone alter my brain, even if you earn my trust beforehand. I’m not sure I would even accept such a procedure at Leo’s urging, and I respect him more than anyone.”

Ryan had expected as much. The only people he imagined would go through with the memory transfer unconditionally were Alchemo, who understood the technology; and Sarin, who had nothing left to lose. Even Len had remained on the fence so far. “I’m trying to improve a system that could bypass that extra step, but nothing’s confirmed yet.”

“I don’t like it,” he admitted. “You hold all the cards, and all I can do is go along.”

“Well, I also trusted you enough to share my greatest secret too, Safelite,” Ryan pointed out. “I can count on one hand those who know my true, phenomenal cosmic power.”

“I wonder what adventures we went through for you to do so.”

“We defeated the Meta-Gang together once, though Lightning Butt destroyed the city after you recruited Atom Cat.”

“Good to know,” Shroud replied dryly, though he didn’t like it. Neither did Ryan, since Atom Kitten would clearly be much happier with the Carnival than with Dynamis. “A shame. I was interested in Felix Veran. He has a great deal of potential as a hero, and a courageous heart.”

“As much as the Panda?”

Shroud scoffed. “Come with me and see for yourself.”

The vigilante led Ryan into the bunker’s atrium, where they found the transformed Panda folding paper sheets under Len’s watch. Sarin was playing pool near a pile of books, including Discours de la méthode: Pour bien conduire sa raison, et chercher la vérité dans les sciences, by René Descartes.

“Look, Sifu!” The Panda exquisitely folded the paper sheet in the shape of a mantis so fast that Ryan could barely see his paws move. The construct joined four others, representing a monkey, a tiger, a crane, and a snake. “Tada!”

“Nice superpower,” Sarin snickered. “Can you unlock Rubik Cubes too?”

“One of my teammates, Origami, can turn herself into paper sharp enough to slice throats,” Shroud replied dryly. “She could even slice through your suit.”

“You’re salty, aren’t you?” The Psycho taunted him, while focusing on her game.

“Earn my trust first, turncoat, and then we’ll talk.” Though he tolerated Sarin, the vigilante mistrusted her as much as Ryan did in the early days of his presidency. “If you sell us out as you did your previous employer, I will slay you myself.”

“I told your hat pal, if you truly can cure me, then you’ve got nothing to fear from me.” Sarin hit an 8-ball with her pool stick. “Don’t make me wait too long.”

The courier ignored them to focus on his bear disciple. Even Ryan couldn’t fold paper that fast, even though he had mastered the skill years ago. “I thought you were a martial arts Genius?” he asked his pandawan. “Or does your brilliance extend to all eastern disciplines?”

“No, that’s not it,” Len said while shaking her head. “I ran tests. It… it took him minutes to pick up origami, and he… he learned French five pages into Descartes’ book.”

“The more I read, the more it made sense,” the Panda said.

“I think... I think he can learn almost any skill at an accelerated pace,” Len theorized. “Pick up a new language quickly, gain new skills by learning them through osmosis…”

Ryan knew it took on average ten thousand hours to master a skill, but clearly bears only needed half of one. “But how did enhanced learning help make you fly, my young pandawan?”

“That was so weird, Sifu. My vision went all blue, and then I remembered watching Bruce Lee’s flying kick in the Green Hornet.” And to illustrate his point, the Panda mimicked a few kung-fu moves with his paws. “Then I could do it too!”

“You learned one of Bruce Lee’s moves, by remembering it?”

“Yes!” The manbear nodded. “That’s how I learned martial arts, but I was never this good before!”

In half an hour, the Panda had mastered kung-fu, origami, and Descartes.

Ryan dreaded to imagine what he could achieve in a week. His pandawan probably couldn’t learn what a normal human couldn’t, but anything else was fair game. Arithmetic, philosophy, martial arts… perhaps even Genius technology, if given time to observe it. Bruce Lee’s moves were made for humans, and yet the Panda’s second power allowed him to adapt them to his beastly body proportions.

His arrogant young disciple had ascended to shatter the heavens.

Speaking of power, Ryan needed to run tests on his own after he created the new iteration of the Saturn Armor. He would also add a few improvements to deal with Alphonse Manada, such as switching the chest-blaster with the gravity cannon. He had the feeling it would help deal with the nuclear disaster, maybe even Lightning Butt too.

“Well, I should go prepare for my date,” Ryan said. Livia asked him to pick her up at nine, and to be on time. For once, the courier didn’t dare to be fashionably late.

“Good luck, Sifu!” The Panda cheered him up. “I knew the tension was palpable!”

Len, though, seemed a lot less enthusiastic. “Riri, umm… can I… can I talk to you alone for a second?

Ryan nodded, his adoptive sister leading him outside, to the corridor overseeing the hangars. Henriette was playing with the children near the submarine, the dog delighting at having company. The group brought much levity to an otherwise claustrophobic, lifeless place.

Len glanced through the corridor’s window, her arms folded. “You and her…”

“It’s hard to explain,” Ryan admitted.

The Genius held her breath. “In the past loops, did… did my other self know?”

“Well… I kinda told you how I felt, and we decided to stay family afterward.”

Len’s gaze saddened, as she glanced at the Mechron-made submarine floating in the bunker’s water access. “We… we could reach the United States with it,” she said. “Cross the Atlantic Sea.”

“Even I can’t turn back time that far,” Ryan said sadly. “Trust me, I tried. I tried many times.”

“I know, I…” Len bit her lower lips, and didn’t finish her sentence.

Ryan didn’t need her to do so, to guess what she didn’t dare to say. That part of her wondered how their relationship could have ended. They had left each other in tears, and though they had started picking up the pieces, some of them had been forever lost to the sea.

“We could leave this place,” she said, though with hesitation. “After we… after we deal with Dad.”

“I can’t do that, Shortie. Not anymore.” If she had asked when he first arrived in New Rome, Ryan wouldn’t have hesitated. But now… now the time-traveler had too many people to fight for. He couldn’t leave them behind in the dust.

“She will be fine,” Len protested. “She’s… she’s his daughter. Let them tear apart New Rome, if they want that rotten place so much.”

“So I should let her father kill people for her sake?” Ryan asked, and instantly regretted it. Len flinched as if she had been slapped. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t want her to end up like me,” the Genius guessed, avoiding his gaze.

Ryan glanced at the Mechron submarine. “Do you think we could reach Antarctica with that thing?”

She frowned, not understanding what he wanted to say. “Yes, of course.”

“There’s so many mysteries to uncover around the world, so many wonderful places to explore, Shortie,” Ryan said. “Things that make life worth living. Don’t bury yourself under the sea, please. Even whales rise up to take a breath of fresh air sometimes.”

“I just don’t know what to make of everything,” Len admitted. “The Carnival… they killed my father, but if what you’ve said is true…”

“You will let the Carnival operate on you?” he asked her. “Remove your father’s blood tracker?”

“It’s… it’s the last part I have left of him.”

Ryan put his hands in his pocket, choosing his words carefully. His thoughts turned to his discussion with his own Elixir, when he briefly crossed the Black World portal. “Someone told me once that you have to let the dead rest. By trying to keep the dead alive, we only make everyone suffer. Nobody can move on.”

Len wouldn’t answer, her face as blank as a death mask. Ryan’s hand reached for her shoulder, but she avoided his touch. Too soon. Still, he accepted it, hoping his words would prevail.

“Shortie, you’re family,” he said. “That will never change. Not even whatever happens with Livia, if anything happens between us, will change that. You will always stay my best friend, my sister, my most important person in the world.”

“I…” She bit her lower lip. “I… I don’t know what to answer.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Ryan answered with a smile. “What I mean to say is that you’re not alone, and you never have been. You don’t need a ghost to carry on. The children love you, and whenever you trip, I will be there to help you rise back up.”

Ryan and Len fell into a comfortable silence, just as a black sphere phased through the hanger and collapsed into nothingness. It miraculously didn’t harm anyone, though the courier should probably check up on his bedroom before leaving.

“Now, I hope I didn’t give you diabetes,” Ryan joked.

And to his surprise, she chuckled and relaxed. It seemed his wit had broken through her shell. “Riri, about your memory machine…”

“You will try it on? Recover your other self’s memories?” She answered his question with a nod. “What made you change your mind?”

“Even after what happened between us… you offered me your hand.” The shadow of a smile appeared on her face. “It’s time… it’s time I do the same for you.”

“抱歉，这个我做不到。”

瑞恩一边给欧仁-亨利挠背，一边看着电脑屏幕上的提拉诺博士。原子弹就搁在桌上，紧挨着已故胖亚当的重力炮。“无限的资金、无限的资源，还有安全保障——等你关在实验室里的怪物冲出来，我们能保住你的命。你知道他迟早会冲出来。这些你全都不要？”

“我不知道你究竟是怎么了解到这么多有关我工作的事情的，”提拉诺承认，显得有些不安。“但按照合同，今后两百年我都得为迪纳米斯工作。没有大批护卫随行，我连这栋楼都出不了。”

“两百年？”难道意大利还有别的时间旅行者在四处活动？“这也合法吗？”

“在新罗马，合法。”

瑞恩揉着太阳穴，实在没辙了。“动动脑子，提拉诺，动动脑子！你在用一种不稳定的产品，把你认识的人变成定时炸弹！等所有人都成了血流的复制品，你还能剩下什么？”

提拉诺博士沉默了片刻，不过没等他开口，瑞恩就猜到了答案。

“恐龙，”这个鳞控答道。“我还有恐龙。”

瑞恩居然认真琢磨起这句话来，而且琢磨得有点过了头。

不过，提拉诺不肯离开迪纳米斯总部，也不肯破坏仿制灵药的供应，这还是让信使的几分希望落了空。就算嘉年华研制出了能治愈新罗马居民的疫苗瘟疫，他们也得再攻一次六十六号实验室，才能彻底消灭血流。

即便如此，瑞恩还是没有放弃这位恐龙天才。

“要是我告诉你，我们手里有一种完全安全的仿制灵药，效力强得连机器人都能用呢？”信使循循善诱。“我们还有不止一个，而是两个拥有多种能力、却毫无副作用的基因者可供研究呢？还有海量的灵药研究资料和信息……以及一间能从零创造生命的实验室呢？”

接着，他使出了致命一击。

“非人类的生命哦？”

提拉诺狭长的双眼一下子瞪大，活像青蛙的眼睛，吓了瑞恩一跳。信使不禁怀疑，这是不是人形恐龙性兴奋时的表现。为了让他彻底上钩，瑞恩又给这位天才发去一小部分灵药研究资料，其中包括杂种的生物扫描结果。

“我们正在研究治愈疯魔的方法，”瑞恩说。“虽然合同要求你给迪纳米斯干活，但为这件事匀出一点宝贵时间，总还是可以的吧。谁知道呢，也许你能做出一种绿色仿制灵药，实现你最心爱的那个冷血愿望。”

天才才扫了一眼资料，就举起了白旗。“在哪儿签字？”

“首先……”瑞恩挠了挠欧仁-亨利的耳根。“你得让我看看那个文件夹。”

“哦，那个啊？”提拉诺博士竟然有些难为情。“算是个业余项目，初期结果不太理想。但它会改变世界的，你等着瞧吧！”

“我会保持开放的心态。”瑞恩说着，收到了一封标题为“魔物娘计划”的邮件。他打开了里面的视频文件。

一个令人作呕的怪物出现在画面里，信使立刻就后悔了。

这……这东西发出的尖叫和呻吟，惊得瑞恩差点从椅子上掉下去。他的猫更是吓得从他腿上跳开，占领了旁边的床。

“天哪……天哪……”瑞恩捂住嘴，也说不清自己究竟是吓坏了，还是对这家伙癫狂的天才产生了某种可怕的敬畏。经历了八个世纪的时间旅行，居然还有东西能让他大吃一惊。“为什么？！”

“一时灵感迸发！”提拉诺解释道，仿佛这就能抵消他犯下的这桩违逆自然的罪行。“我可不能对爬行动物做这种事！”

“可为什么偏偏是水貂？！”瑞恩问，终于再也受不了那怪物的惨叫，关掉了视频。“那……那东西还活着吗？”

“不，不，遗憾的是，它已经死了。”提拉诺宽慰他。“不过我还有一只备用的。”

瑞恩强忍住呕吐的冲动，挂断了视频通话。他未来几年恐怕都得做噩梦了。就连最变态的《刺猬索尼克》粉丝，都没鳞控博士做得这么绝。

信使刚喘匀一口气，呼吸便又猛地一滞。两只长耳朵从桌边升起，仿佛有个怪物正从地狱深处爬出来。

“不行。”瑞恩装出惊恐的样子。

毛绒玩偶先看了看自己的创造者，再看看原子弹，最后又望向创造者。与此同时，欧仁-亨利对他们全都不屑一顾，钻进了床单底下。这点小事，不值得劳烦国王陛下过目。

“不行！”瑞恩喝止玩偶。

这个毛茸茸的恶魔自本轮循环开始以来，头一回开了口。

“我会永远做你的朋友！”

玩偶飞快地按下原子弹的按钮，发出响亮的“咔嗒”一声。

什么也没发生。

玩偶又按了一次，又一次，再一次，越按越急，越按越恼火。它的眼睛变成了红色，愤怒地瞪着瑞恩。

“是个道具。”信使咧嘴一笑。“真的已经给伏尔甘了。”

他拿来贿赂自己最喜欢的矮个子天才的技术实在太多，以至于她这回连毁掉明星制片厂的要求都没提。作为替代，伏尔甘坚持要瑞恩当她的助手，而且不接受拒绝。

信使很乐意帮她，但每次只能短暂相处。如今的瑞恩虽然已经能和伏尔甘打交道，不至于她一开口，就觉得肚子里挨了一刀，但属于他的那个贾丝敏的影子仍旧挥之不去。何况，信使还打算利用这一轮解决极乐工厂和纳尔西妮娅的事，所以他更愿意保留外包人员的身份，为奥古斯蒂组织的多个分支做事。

玩偶的眼睛失望地变成了蓝色，瑞恩便把重力炮扔给了它。“喏，要是你想在自杀这条路上循序渐进，就用这个。”他说，“不过记得瞄准心脏。打脑袋还是有可能活下来的。我有亲身经验。”

这不可名状的恐怖之物好奇地研究起重力炮，尽管那武器足有它的十倍大。“拜托，别杀别人！”瑞恩恳求道，随后把这个恶魔留下自行试验，起身走向房门。

“怎么样？”裹尸布一直在外面的走廊里等他。他已经修好了玻璃面具，不过瑞恩真不懂，他现在还有什么必要藏着真面目。

“他不肯帮忙破坏番茄汁工厂，”瑞恩失望地回答，“比起我们，他更怕自己的老板发火。”

要是这一轮走的是超能帮路线，信使倒可以改变这一点，可眼下奥古斯蒂这边就够他忙的了。

距离突袭地堡已经过去一天。昨晚，瑞恩去了港口，帮杰米保护毒品货物。这一次路易吉没露面，多半是莉维娅打过招呼，但杰米还是照样邀请瑞恩住到自己家里。那家伙实在太好了，好得让信使想把他收养下来。

瑞恩白天都待在梅克隆的地堡里，处理这边的事情。他已经联系过阿尔凯莫，后者应该明天就能赶到新罗马，帮忙接管地堡的主机。再加上斯蒂奇博士和提拉诺的远程协助，信使就能凑齐全世界最顶尖的医疗团队，研究治愈疯魔的方法。

至于晚上，他要留给莉维娅。

“那我们就得清洗一下迪纳米斯的高层了，”马蒂亚斯说，“我们原本打算等埃克托·马纳达退休，不过也可以让他提前退场。”

“埃克托·马纳达倒台，我见过很多次了。”瑞恩耸耸肩。“与其继续用一种能引发大规模瘟疫的产品，他的孩子们也许愿意换个更安全、更好的。”

“辐尘不会配合，”马蒂亚斯说，“恩里克倒有可能，只要我们拿出必要的数据，让他看到血流可能造成的破坏；如果他的家人一直在骗他，那就更有希望。但阿尔方斯完全是另一回事。就算有更好的替代品，他也不会交出血流。”

“为什么不会？”瑞恩皱起眉头。“他可是个赤色分子，潜伏进来的共产党。他想把所有人都变成基因者，搞不好还想免费供应呢。”

义警依旧不以为然。“想想看。辐尘不仅控制着仿制灵药的供应，有了提拉诺的解药，他还可以随意剥夺别人的能力。如果我没理解错，梅克隆的版本可做不到这一点。”

瑞恩琢磨了一下裹尸布的说法，不得不承认，他可能一语中的。原子粉碎者打算让人人都成为基因者，好让奥古斯都这样的人无法垄断权力，可他并不想与其他组织共存。为了让迪纳米斯垄断仿制灵药，他也毫不介意欺骗亲密的盟友。

如果迪纳米斯既能赐予超能力，又能将其收回，那它就能成为真正的超级强权。人们会因为害怕失去仿制灵药赋予的基因者能力而乖乖服从，马纳达家族则能垄断市场。

“比起仿制灵药可能带来的副作用，辐尘更在意它能赋予组织多大的社会控制力，”裹尸布说，“如果他真像自己认为的那样，是个英雄，一开始就不会制造出这么危险的东西。说到底，阿尔方斯·马纳达只相信自己的那套愿景。除非逼他，否则他绝不会偏离自己选定的道路。”

“我连时间都能停下。”瑞恩想起了比安卡跑去牺牲自己的那一幕。“我会阻止他的。”

“你做得到？”裹尸布很怀疑。“意大利境内最危险的基因者里，他排第三，跟奥古斯都和利奥也差不了多少。”

“有这座基地的资源，我就做得到。”

“这地方必须毁掉，瑞恩。”裹尸布坚持道。“没错，这里也许有什么东西能打败辐尘，甚至奥古斯都。但危险武器流入民间的风险太大了。就连公开梅克隆的仿制灵药配方，我都觉得不是个好主意。它也许能削弱基因者军阀的地位，但我们的战后社会太脆弱，根本经不起一千万个胳膊能当火焰喷射器的人折腾。”

“你用不着说服我，我本来就赞成。”瑞恩回答。“但得等这地方帮我们解决眼下的危机之后，我才会把它毁掉。”

裹裹马蒂抱起双臂。“你真相信疯魔能治好？”

“你不信吗，我透明的朋友？”

“不信。”义警说完，又补了一句，“但只要有成功的可能……哪怕只有一丝成功的可能，我都不能阻止你尝试。那能帮到太多人了。”

“至于你母亲，我叫来的一位基因者专攻大脑。”裹尸布听到瑞恩的话，抬起了头。“他能治精神疾病、阿尔茨海默病，甚至疯魔的脑瘤。他也能帮到你。”

瑞恩看不见镜子藏在面具后的表情，只见义警若有所思地偏了偏头。“你觉得炼金术师当初为什么要把那些灵药分发出去？”

为了把我们变成跨维度鱿鱼。瑞恩心想。“不知道，改善人类的生存处境？”

“我也这么想，可我们却拿它们把世界糟蹋成这样。”裹尸布摇摇头。“每次听说天才能造出那么多造福人类的东西，我就忍不住想，梅克隆为什么偏偏要造武器，而不是医疗用品。就连超能力也改变不了人性。”

“听我这个过来人一句，”瑞恩回答，“像已故亚当这样的烂人，总是会有。但我遇到的大多数人，只要条件合适，就能扭转自己的人生。任何人都可以选择做对的事，而不是错的事。哪怕是个被宠坏了、自恋得要命、能力还强得离谱的小丫头。”

裹尸布轻笑了一声。“你知道她闲下来会做雕塑吗？”

她昨晚肯定带男朋友参观过自己的展厅了。“挺不错，是吧？”

“她很擅长。”马蒂亚斯继续说，语气温和。“我本来以为她做什么都靠自己的运气，可她藏着一种艺术感受力，很能打动我这个游戏设计师。我说不太清楚。而且她今天早上中彩票赢了五十万欧元，却没想着自己留着，而是想把钱分给锈镇的孤儿。”

哟，他这是在满怀柔情地谈论福尔图娜吗？昨天那场战斗，着实让他对她大为改观。

“她就是只金毛犬。”瑞恩总结道。“吵闹，完全不懂尊重私人空间，但骨子里意外地温暖又忠诚。”

“更糟。她比我原先以为的要好得多。”

信使把双手枕在脑后。“下次约会，你打算让她彻底看透你吗？”

“那你会让时间倒流，好让自己的约会顺利进行吗？”马蒂亚斯板着脸回敬了一个玩笑，随后才回答，“我想我会跟她把事情说清楚，但是……只要她还在给奥古斯都当杀手，就不行。这是底线。”

“她跟同组的其他人不一样，不是冲着杀人去的。”瑞恩说。“她最在意的还是保护莉维娅。简直都能算浪漫了。”

“你就是为这个跟她约会？”裹尸布的声音从轻松转为严肃。“为了让奥古斯都的女儿回头？”

“我约她出来，是因为我想约。”瑞恩回答。他还真就偏爱个子比自己矮的蓝系基因者。

“让她出入这里很危险，瑞恩。万一她改了主意，把这里告诉奥古斯都呢？”

“她赢得了我的信任，在我需要的时候帮过我。”信使回答。“我想回报她。”

如果他不这么做，她父亲就会为了她毁掉世界。她不该背负亲生父亲的罪孽，受良心折磨。

“记住我的话，瑞恩，你救不了所有人。”裹尸布稍稍停顿。“尤其救不了那些害了自己的人。”

可即便如此，他也得试试。

“等阿尔凯莫到了，我们就借用你那位幸运兔脚女朋友，拿到主机的访问权限。”瑞恩转移了话题。“到时候，你可以核实我说的那些其他梅克隆基地的事，我们也能解锁自毁机制。”

“我必须把你的事告诉利奥，这你明白吧？”裹尸布问。“就算你会再次让时间倒流，我也不能把这事藏在心里。”

“看在我这双可爱漂亮的眼睛的分上，也不行？”

“也不行。”这位嘉年华成员轻笑道。“你有办法带别人一起穿越时间吗？我猜只能在精神层面上进行，毕竟这里没有二十个你到处乱跑。”

这家伙真敏锐。“我有一套程序，能把信息直接传进你的大脑，不过过去的你得同意接受才行。”

“他不会同意的。”裹尸布摇摇头。“我了解自己。我疑心太重，不会让任何人改动我的大脑，就算你事先赢得了我的信任也不行。哪怕利奥劝我，我都不确定自己会不会接受这种程序，而我对他的尊敬超过任何人。”

瑞恩早料到了。他想来想去，会无条件接受记忆转移的只有两个人：一个是懂这项技术的阿尔凯莫，另一个是已经没什么可失去的沙林。就连蕾恩到现在都还犹豫不决。“我正尝试改进一套系统，好绕过这道额外的步骤，不过目前还没准。”

“我不喜欢这样。”裹尸布承认。“牌全在你手里，我除了配合，什么也做不了。”

“可我也足够信任你，连自己最大的秘密都告诉你了，赛孚莱特。”瑞恩指出。“知道我真正那份惊天动地的宇宙之力的人，一只手就数得过来。”

“真好奇我们一起经历了什么样的冒险，才让你愿意这么做。”

“我们曾经一起打败过超能帮，不过你招募原子猫之后，闪电屁股就毁了这座城。”

“多谢告知。”裹尸布干巴巴地回答，显然并不高兴。瑞恩也不高兴，毕竟原子小猫待在嘉年华，显然会比待在迪纳米斯快乐得多。“可惜了。我本来挺看好菲利克斯·韦兰。他很有成为英雄的潜质，也有一颗勇敢的心。”

“比得上熊猫吗？”

裹尸布哼了一声。“跟我来，自己看。”

义警领着瑞恩来到地堡的中庭，发现变身后的熊猫正当着蕾恩的面折纸。沙林在一堆书旁边打台球，其中有勒内·笛卡尔的《方法谈：正确引导理性并在各门科学中寻求真理》。

“师父，看！”熊猫飞快地把纸折成了一只精巧的螳螂，速度快得瑞恩几乎看不清他的爪子在动。它和另外四件折纸摆在了一起，那四件分别是猴子、老虎、仙鹤和蛇。“当当！”

“好棒的超能力啊。”沙林嗤笑道。“你还会复原魔方不？”

“我有个队友叫折纸，她能把自己变成纸，锋利得足以割开喉咙。”裹尸布冷冷地回答。“甚至能割穿你那身防护服。”

“怎么，心里不痛快啊？”疯魔边专注打球，边挑衅他。

“先赢得我的信任再说，叛徒。”义警虽然容忍沙林待在这里，但对她的猜疑不亚于瑞恩刚当上总统的时候。“要是你像出卖上一个老板那样出卖我们，我会亲手杀了你。”

“我跟你那个戴帽子的朋友说过了，只要你们真能治好我，就没什么可怕的。”沙林用球杆击出一颗八号球。“别让我等太久。”

信使没理他们，把注意力放在自己的熊徒弟身上。连瑞恩都折不了这么快，尽管他多年前就已经精通折纸了。“我还以为你是武术天才？”他问自己的熊猫学徒。“还是说，你的才华覆盖一切东方技艺？”

“不，不是那样。”蕾恩摇着头说。“我做过测试。他……他只花了几分钟就学会折纸，而且他……他读笛卡尔的书，读到第五页就学会法语了。”

“读得越多，就越看得懂。”熊猫说。

“我想……我想他可以加速学会几乎任何技能。”蕾恩推测道。“迅速掌握一门新语言，在耳濡目染中学到新本领……”

瑞恩知道，精通一项技能平均需要一万个小时，但显然，熊只需要半个小时。“可强化学习能力，怎么就让你飞起来了呢，我年轻的熊猫学徒？”

“当时特别奇怪，师父。我眼前全变蓝了，然后我就想起以前在《青蜂侠》里看过的李小龙飞踢。”为了说明，熊猫还挥着爪子比画了几招功夫。“接着我也能做到了！”

“你只是回想了一下，就学会了李小龙的一招？”

“对！”熊人点点头。“我以前就是这么学武术的，但从没这么厉害过！”

半小时内，熊猫已经精通了功夫、折纸和笛卡尔。

瑞恩都不敢想，给他一周，他能做到什么程度。普通人类学不会的东西，他这位熊猫学徒大概也学不会，但除此之外就没什么限制了。算术、哲学、武术……如果给他时间观察，或许连天才科技都不在话下。李小龙的招式是为人类设计的，可熊猫的第二种能力，却让他能根据自己兽形身体的比例加以调整。

他那高傲的年轻弟子已经飞升，足以破碎苍穹。

说到能力，等新版萨图恩装甲造好，瑞恩也得给自己做些测试。他还打算添上几处改进，用来对付阿尔方斯·马纳达，比如把胸前的轰击炮换成重力炮。他有种预感，这会有助于解决那个核灾难，说不定连闪电屁股也能一起收拾。

“好了，我该去准备约会了。”瑞恩说。莉维娅让他九点去接她，而且一定要准时。这一回，信使可不敢为了摆派头而迟到了。

“祝你好运，师父！”熊猫给他打气。“我就知道，你们之间的火花都快看得见了！”

然而，蕾恩的兴致就低得多。“瑞瑞，嗯……我能……我能单独跟你说句话吗？”

瑞恩点点头，跟着自己的义妹来到外面那条能俯瞰机库的走廊。亨丽埃特正和孩子们在潜艇旁玩耍，有人陪伴，让这条狗开心极了。他们给这个原本逼仄压抑、毫无生气的地方带来了不少欢快气息。

蕾恩抱着双臂，透过走廊的窗户望向里面。“你和她……”

“这很难解释。”瑞恩承认。

天才屏住了呼吸。“在过去的循环里，另……另一个我知道吗？”

“嗯……我算是跟你说过自己的感受，后来我们决定，还是做家人。”

蕾恩的目光黯淡下来，望向浮在地堡水道入口处的那艘梅克隆潜艇。“我们……我们可以开着它去美国。”她说。“横渡大西洋。”

“连我也没法把时间倒回那么远。”瑞恩难过地说。“相信我，我试过。试过很多次。”

“我知道，我……”蕾恩咬住下唇，没再说下去。

不必等她说完，瑞恩也能猜到那些她不敢说出口的话。她心里仍有一部分不明白，他们的感情怎么会走到终点。他们曾在泪水中分别，如今虽然已经开始拾起碎片，其中的一些却早已永远遗失在海里。

“我们可以离开这里。”她说，语气却有些迟疑。“等我们……等我们处理完爸爸的事。”

“我不能这么做，小矮个。现在不能了。”要是她在他刚到新罗马时提出这个请求，瑞恩绝不会犹豫。可现在……现在，这位时间旅行者有太多值得他为之奋战的人。他不能丢下他们，一走了之。

“她不会有事的。”蕾恩反驳。“她是……她是他的女儿。他们那么想要那座烂地方，就让他们把新罗马撕成碎片好了。”

“所以我就该让她父亲为了她去杀人？”瑞恩问完，立刻就后悔了。蕾恩瑟缩了一下，仿佛挨了一耳光。“对不起。”

“你不想让她变成我这样。”天才猜测道，避开了他的目光。

瑞恩看向梅克隆的潜艇。“你觉得，坐那东西能到南极吗？”

她皱起眉头，不明白他想说什么。“能，当然能。”

“世界上还有那么多谜团等着我们揭开，那么多美妙的地方等着我们探索，小矮个。”瑞恩说。“那些东西，让人觉得活着是值得的。求你了，别把自己埋在海底。就连鲸鱼，有时候也得浮上来，呼吸一口新鲜空气。”

“我只是不知道该怎么看待这一切。”蕾恩承认。“嘉年华……他们杀了我爸爸，可如果你说的都是真的……”

“你愿意让嘉年华给你做手术吗？”他问。“把你父亲留下的血液追踪器取出来？”

“那是……那是他留在我这里的最后一部分了。”

瑞恩把双手插进口袋，仔细斟酌着措辞。他想起自己短暂穿过黑色世界传送门时，与自己的灵药进行的那场交谈。“曾经有人告诉我，人必须让逝者安息。我们执意要留住死去的人，到头来只会让所有人都受苦。谁也没法往前走。”

蕾恩没有回应，脸上像覆着一副死亡面具，毫无表情。瑞恩伸手想搭住她的肩膀，她却躲开了。还是太早。不过他接受了，只盼自己的话最终能打动她。

“小矮个，你是我的家人。”他说。“这永远不会变。就算我和莉维娅之间真的有了什么，不管发展成什么样，也不会改变这一点。你永远都是我最好的朋友，我的妹妹，我在这世上最重要的人。”

“我……”她咬了咬下唇。“我……我不知道该说什么。”

“那就什么也别说。”瑞恩微笑着回答。“我只是想告诉你，你不是孤身一人，从来都不是。你不需要靠一个幽灵才能走下去。孩子们爱你，而无论你什么时候跌倒，我都会在这里，扶你重新站起来。”

瑞恩和蕾恩陷入了一阵自在的沉默。就在这时，一颗黑色球体穿过机库，坍缩归于虚无。它奇迹般地没有伤到任何人，不过信使离开前大概还是该检查一下自己的卧室。

“好了，希望我没让你得糖尿病。”瑞恩开了个玩笑。

出乎他的意料，她轻笑起来，放松了下来。看来他的俏皮话终于敲开了她的壳。“瑞瑞，关于你的记忆机器……”

“你愿意试试了？找回另一个自己的记忆？”她点头回答了他。“是什么让你改主意的？”

“我们之间发生过那些事……可你还是向我伸出了手。”她脸上浮现出一抹浅浅的笑意。“该……该轮到我也向你伸出手了。”