同章对照

The conquest of Mechron’s mainframe could be summed up in one sentence.

They came, they saw, they lucked out.

“That’s painful to watch,” Bianca said, as Ryan played a movie montage in the recreational area. He had set up a large screen TV near the bar, allowing Sarin, Eugène-Henry, and the orphaned children to watch ‘The Adventures of Lucky Girl’ in high definition. Shroud also talked to Fortuna away from the group, or rather at her; the Augusti scowled while petting a cleaned up Henriette between the ears, and spoke one word for ten of her boyfriend’s.

As Ryan had expected, the living lucky charm had tremendously helped in accessing the bunker’s mainframe. The time-traveler’s presidential coalition had raided it as soon as Alchemo and his daughter arrived, with cameras catching everything. In the end, Ryan compiled the best bits for posterity.

And what a collection it was! From laser guns blowing up in robots’ faces, to friendly fire and the ceiling miraculously collapsing, this movie had it all; the children couldn’t stop laughing.

“And now this is the best part,” Ryan said, zooming at his favorite scene. Two one-eyed robots threatened Fortuna with a cannon weapon larger than they were inside a metal hall, the distance between the machines and the Genome no more than five meters. “This is a Gauss Railgun. Mechron invented them to destroy aircrafts and battleships.”

The scene unfolded in slow motion, an electromagnetically-accelerated 300 mm round surging through the air at a helpless Fortuna.

Mechron’s robots had used a weapon meant for battleships on a human being.

And they missed.

The projectile had curved in the air, and pierced the wall behind Fortuna. Although the impact threw metal splinters in all directions, they miraculously avoided Lucky Girl and turned her attackers to scraps. It had been the high point of Fortuna’s luck streak.

Afterward, though, Mechron’s robots had figured out that one, her power only affected events within a short range—less than a ten meters radius, from what the courier had gathered so far—and two, couldn’t negate other Genomes’ powers. True, it could alter probabilities to make bullets miss, but it couldn’t prevent Atom Cat’s explosions for example.

Ryan figured that Fortuna’s power was the opposite of Pluto, altering this reality’s causality to work in her favor instead of cursing a foe; with the keyword being this reality. Lucky Girl’s divine protection couldn’t interfere with powers from other Colored Worlds, only with their indirect consequences. Long-distance abilities could harm her.

So instead of using submachine guns and normal weapons, the robots sent the telekinetic machine that splattered the Reptilian during Ryan’s first presidential mandate. The creature would have crushed Fortuna into mincemeat from a safe distance had the courier and the Panda not intervened. And as it turned out, Mechron’s bunker had more than one of such machines to throw at invaders.

Though Ryan’s group included heavy hitters such as Livia, Shroud, the Panda, and other allies, it had been a close call in the end.

“This is disgusting,” Sarin said at the scene. “Just disgusting. I’m afraid of scissors, and that girl… she just gets everything handed to her.” She turned to face Fortuna. “How does it feel to have it all so easy?”

“Oh?” Fortuna raised her reddened eyes in confusion. She clearly hadn’t slept in a while. “It’s nice.”

“Fortuna—” her boyfriend tried to speak.

“Don’t say a word to me,” Fortuna’s rebuke made Shroud flinch, which Ryan found very, very wrong. She had been in a foul mood even before the raid, but he had yet to see her truly angry. Henriette licked her hand, as the young woman petted the dog behind the ears. “At least you care…”

It seemed that Fortuna not only gave the cold shoulder to her ‘one true love,’ but also transferred her affection to Henriette instead. She had cleaned the dirty dog and more or less adopted her.

Ryan was tempted to question Livia about this, but his girlfriend had left to return to her father after providing Alchemo with the brain-maps. The Genius had accepted Ryan’s story of time-travel after analyzing his own memory map, and eagerly proceeded to operate on his daughter and Len both. He had said he could even improve the process further, though the courier didn’t see how.

“Could I see you for a minute?” Ryan gestured at Shroud, before grabbing Eugène-Henry. “No invisibility please.”

The vigilante followed with a condemned man’s enthusiasm, as Ryan led him into his bunker bedroom. “So, your luck has run out?” he asked his transparent friend, with Eugène-Henry resting in the courier’s arms.

“We’re having a bad time.”

No kidding, a blind man could see it. “Thankfully, I have a long experience as a relationship counselor,” Ryan said. “In the end, it’s all about mommy issues, you’ll see. Was your mother a blue-eyed blonde too, like your girlfriend?”

The vigilante marked a short pause, before reluctantly answering, “Yes.”

“See, in the end, it’s always about sleeping with your mother.”

“But they’re nothing alike personality-wise.”

“You tried to find the right balance between familiarity and newness, but we can explore the Freudian undertones later.” Ryan introduced his favorite windshield to his bedroom. There was a small hole in the wall where the plushie had opened fire with the gravity gun. The inactive rabbit in question sat on a desk, surrounded by half-empty alcohol bottles and antidepressants; Ryan thought the sight would help with the counseling session. “Take the cat, and lay down on the bed.”

Shroud sounded highly skeptical of Ryan’s credentials. “Why the cat?”

“It’s an integral part of the healing process,” Ryan said before all but shoving Eugène-Henry in his ally’s arms. Shroud looked at the furball, who meowed in response, and couldn’t resist. He laid down on the bed, the cat taking over his chest while Ryan sat on a nearby chair. “So, about that relationship.”

“She…” Shroud marked a short pause while Ryan remained silent. Nobody could resist trying to fill an embarrassing silence. “Promise me you will not crack a joke.”

“No more than three,” Ryan haggled.

“I hate you.” The patient sighed. “Fortuna and I had a date.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

“She invited me to her apartment. To show me her statue collection.”

“She wanted to sculpt you like her French boys?” A worrying thought crossed Ryan’s mind. “Wait, are you naked beneath your glass costume? Would that mean you are technically flashing my cat right now?”

Shroud marked a short pause, Eugène-Henry sleeping peacefully on his chest. “I wear clothes beneath my costume.”

Ryan sighed. “Disappointing.”

“In any case, Fortuna, how to say this…?”

“She needed a plumber, so you played Super Mario Party?” Ryan asked. “Did you get past the tutorial?”

“No, no, I…” The vigilante’s embarrassment told Ryan that he had nailed it. “We kissed but, when she started removing my clothes, I… I couldn’t. I mean, yes, I was attracted to her, but… not like this.”

“Not by lying?” the courier asked, sympathetic. There was a joke to make here, but he had enough respect for the couple to hold his tongue. Still, Shroud was okay with assassinating people, but not lying to the girl he was sleeping with? Where was the logic in that?

“I…” Mr. Safelite let out a sigh. “I confessed.”

“Everything?”

“No, of course not,” Shroud replied angrily. “That would have been unprofessional.”

“Transparency is key to a successful relationship.”

“I’m sure this cleared things up about where we stood,” the vigilante deadpanned. “I told her that I came to New Rome to strike at the Augusti syndicate, and that… that I was always around to accidentally protect her from dangers because I caused them in the first place.”

Ryan couldn’t fault Fortuna for giving her boyfriend the cold shoulder, after learning he had attempted to assassinate her and others. “She hasn’t blown the whistle on you, though?”

“I told her that I thought she was a merciless killer like her teammates, before seeing her in action changed my mind, and that I put a halt to the sabotage campaign,” Shroud replied. “She started defending the Augusti, and when I listed all the people her father Mars had murdered over his career, she denied everything and told me to storm off. I almost did, but the door and curtains wouldn’t open. In the end, I slept on the couch, and she has given me the cold shoulder ever since.”

“If her power is still trying to set up romantic situations, then this ship hasn’t sunk yet.”

“Shouldn’t it?” Shroud asked with a sigh. “I mean, I’m starting to grow fond of her, against my better judgement, but she’s in complete denial about her organization’s true nature. I should have pushed her away more firmly and focused on the missio—”

“Stop right here, Sasuke, you’re parking in a no-emo zone,” Ryan interrupted him. “If you go on about how you should have ‘dedicated your heart to darkness’ or ‘put the mission above everything’ I’m kicking you off of this team.”

“But what if she tells her parents?” Shroud snapped back. “What if she blows the whistle about this place, about us? I’m not even sure why she hasn’t already.”

“Because her brother told her similar things when he left, and it’s eating away at her.” Ryan suspected that deep down, Fortuna had some doubts about her parents’ true nature and that of her associates; but it would take a shock like Pluto ordering a hit on her brother to wake her up. “Did you tell her the truth about her sister?”

“No. Maybe I should.”

“Too much, too soon,” Ryan said. “I’ll consult Livia.” Lucky Girl would react better to the truth if it came from her best friend’s mouth.

The vigilante sighed in defeat. “I should take the hint and break it off. Her power has a shorter range than mine, it can’t force us to spend time together if I stay away. I knew that from the start, and I shouldn’t have let it progress this far.”

“Livia and I threatened each other the first time we had a heartfelt conversation, and I think we are building something solid now,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “Give Fortuna time to digest the truth and this relationship another chance. Her guardian angel wouldn’t work so hard to keep you two together if it didn’t feel you would make a good couple. And I don’t think you would have stayed with that walking rabbit's foot if a part of you didn’t like her.”

Shroud scoffed, Eugène-Henry snoring on his chest. “I like her, Quicksave, but not enough to let her parents get away with their crimes.”

“There was a loop where she understood their true nature,” Ryan said, though he had no wish to repeat that one. The sight of Fortuna bleeding to death in her brother’s arms still haunted him. “Maybe she will get it this time around too. It’s too early to choose yet my translucent friend. Once things are clearer, you can decide for yourself whether you want to pursue her or call it off.”

Shroud petted the cat. “You aren’t half bad as a therapist.”

“Do you want to talk about your daddy issues while we’re at it? I’m on a streak lately.”

“I’ll pass.”

Getting his feelings off his chest made Shroud relax, so the two Genomes left Eugène-Henry to sleep and moved to the laboratories below. By the time they reached the infirmary, Alchemo had finished Len’s memory transfer. The communist genius was talking with the Doll, while Alchemo and the Panda conversed with Stitch.

The Carnival’s Genius had arrived roughly at the same time as Braindead and his daughter, to remove the Bloodstream strain inside Len and work on a vaccine. With access to Mechron’s database and laboratories, Ryan had put Dr. Tyrano and Stitch in contact, and the two had hit it off well from what he had heard. Of course, the Carnival doctor hadn’t been happy to work with someone responsible for infecting New Rome with a sleeping bloody plague, but decided to make the most of the situation.

“Three Geniuses and a half in one room,” Ryan said as he and Shroud joined the group. “You should form a Think Tank.”

“Am I the half, Sifu?” The Panda asked.

“Truthfully, you might become a de facto Genius in time,” Stitch replied, scribbling notes in a journal. Ryan had learned the plague doctor usually preferred to work on paper rather than computers, for reasons the courier couldn’t explain. “Since our science can be replicated.”

In the span of two days, Ryan’s pandawan had learned the equivalent of two Doctorates in medical science and chemistry, five Masters’ degrees, and eight languages; including Chinese, Basque, Inuit, and even the Braille writing system. Though he was no true Genius, he could serve as a very effective lab assistant.

“Are you alright, Shortie?” Ryan asked his old friend.

“I’m… I’m fine.” Len scratched her head. “It’s… strange. I remember some days happening in two different ways, rather than one. I am not sure which of them is the correct one. Is that always the case for you?”

Yes, but usually with thousands of variations instead of one. Sometimes the time-traveler forgot which one he validated for his Perfect Run. “Was that what you meant about improving the memory transfer?” Ryan asked Alchemo.

“Yes, memories coexisting rather than a straight override,” the Genius shrugged. “I struggle to find a workaround for your pet Psycho Sarin though. I work best with nerves, not gaseous molecules.”

Shroud crossed his arms, appraising Alchemo closely. “According to Quicksave, you are a brain Genius,” he said, his voice hesitant. Ryan could tell he had been through many false hopes, and thus remained cautious. “Could you heal a woman with severe brain damage?”

“That depends,” Alchemo said, ever the opportunist. “How much is she worth?”

The Doll pinched the Genius’ metal arm. “Dad, we spoke about this before.”

“Ugh, you will be the death of me,” Braindead complained, but gave in quickly. He could never say no to his daughter. “I can treat dementia, Alzheimer's, all sorts of brain damage. Give me that woman’s medical data, and I shall see what I can do.”

Shroud bowed in deep gratitude. “You have my most sincere thanks.”

“Don’t thank me, thank my naive daughter and her bleeding heart.”

The Doll smiled in response. “Dad, one day you will understand that helping others is a reward in itself.”

“Can you eat happiness?” Alchemo replied with a cranky tone. “Or sell it?”

“I would be interested in cooperating with you in the long-term,” Stitch said. “We Geniuses have extensive knowledge, but only in a narrow field. I believe we could achieve greater things together than separately. We complete parts of a larger sequence.”

Indeed, Ryan had had the same idea with Nora. He could already see the synergies she would form with Shortie to develop underwater cities. “About cooperation, how is our vaccination campaign going?” the courier asked, Len looking away.

“I already created a formula based on the information you and this… strange scaled doctor provided,” Stitch answered, showing Ryan his notes. “Once distributed in the population through airborne means, it should spread through New Rome in days and Europe in weeks.”

Good. “And Bliss?”

“I have studied your proposed cure, and I believe I could develop a viral version, yes. A nervous system suppressant alongside endorphin blockers would prevent the physiological and psychological addiction.”

“Nothing revolutionary,” Alchemo complained, slightly jealous Ryan had achieved something in his domain of expertise. “I could make something similar.”

“Even solve the fertility issues?” Ryan deadpanned.

“Pff, if you ask me it’s an improvement.”

“But so long as the Augusti possess a superlab, they can make new Bliss strains,” Shroud pointed out grimly. “A cure will cripple their business in the short-term, but not forever.”

Indeed, Lightning Butt and Bacchus had the resources to create new drugs, given time. Ryan doubted the superlab’s destruction would stop them either. The loss of Bliss would be a heavy blow to the Augusti’s crime empire, but not a fatal one. They needed to take out the key figures in the criminal syndicate, to clear the way for Livia to reform it.

The courier quickly noticed Len’s unease, and changed the subject. “Shortie, can I talk to you for a second?”

His best friend answered with a short nod, and they walked away to a more private room. The same one where Big Fat Adam had once interrogated Ryan, in fact. “How do you feel?” the time-traveler asked, before adding with more hesitation. “About your father.”

“I feel the same,” she answered grimly. “Nothing’s changed.”

As Ryan had worried. He would have hoped that whatever bloodstain her father left in Len’s body had brainwashed her, forcing his daughter to love him. It would have made everything so much easier. “Since you have the memories of both this loop and the previous one, then you understand what happened.”

“He killed me.” Len didn’t cry, though her voice was bitter and sad. “Ryan, you’ve seen him. Is there… is there any hope for him?”

“I don’t think so,” Ryan admitted. “He’s closer to a virus than a man now, and I don’t think he’s even self-aware anymore. Killing him would be mercy.”

“I…” She took a long, deep breath. “That day, the reason I didn’t run away with you was… because there was a chance he could improve. No matter how slim. If...”

Len struggled to articulate her thoughts, and Ryan waited patiently.

“If… I can only agree to do this if my father… my real father is already dead, truly dead.” Len crossed her arms and looked down at the cold steel floor. “If there is still a chance we can cure him, bring the human out…”

There wasn’t any, but Ryan knew Len needed more time to accept it. She hadn’t witnessed her father’s state personally, as her memory map had been recorded before the Dynamis raid.

“Shortie, a long, long time ago, I made a decision for the both of us, and I’ve paid the price ever since,” the courier declared. “You know where I stand as far as your father is concerned, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. This time… this time, we’ll make the decision together.”

“Not now, Riri,” she said upon raising her eyes, her face pleading. “Not now. I… I need more time. It’s too big a decision to make now.”

“I understand,” he replied. “We can delay the Dynamis raid for later. We’ll use this loop to test the vaccine, gather information, and find a cure for the Psycho condition.”

“So what’s the plan? This place won’t stay hidden forever, Riri. Someone will talk.”

“After we deal with the Bliss Factory, we’ll have to skip town to avoid Lightning Butt’s retaliations. We’ll blow up the bunker on our way out, and move to the one place where we could find the cure for the Psycho condition. Its source.”

With the bunker’s mainframe under their control, Ryan could also now recreate the Saturn armor, and finally get to the bottom of his new ability.

Len nodded. “Antarctica.”

“We’ll make a stop near Monaco on the way,” Ryan said with a grin. “There are people there that I haven’t visited in a while. It would make for a nice holiday.”

A smile appeared at the edge of Len’s lip, but it was soon drowned by sadness.

“Shortie?”

“I… I heard you talk with Livia through the chronoradio.” Len bit her lower lip. “You’re dating her.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

“She’s… she’s good for me. I can’t explain it.” Ryan scratched the back of his neck. “Like, she confiscated all the combat drugs I kept in my car. When I said I only used them for suicide runs, she replied ‘yes, that’s the problem. It reinforces your belief that you throw your life away, and that’s not good for your mental health.’”

“She’s… she’s not wrong.”

“Yeah, it made sense in hindsight,” Ryan replied. “At one point in time, I didn’t care about dying. It was part of the fun, but now… now I do mind.”

Ryan didn’t want to die anymore. He wanted to spend lifetimes with Livia, with Len, with the friends he had made along the way. Short, adrenaline-rushed loops were fun, but they were like drug injections. They only served to dull the pain.

They were a crutch, and wouldn’t help him heal.

Eventually, Len nodded to herself. “She’s… she’s good for you, I agree. I can see that. She’s helping you get better, like you do with me.”

“But you would have preferred something else.”

“I… I said things couldn’t go back to how they were, so… so I can’t fault you for moving on. It’s… we’re family now, and… you deserve someone who makes you happy.”

“You’ll find someone too,” Ryan said. “The world is full of wonderful people. Maybe I’m not the right person for you anymore, but somewhere, there is one that fits the bill.”

“Perhaps,” she replied, and for once she sounded cautiously optimistic. “It’s… I’ve lived in the past for so long, because… because I was scared.”

Scared of being hurt again.

“But seeing you happier, and not just with Livia… it gets me thinking.” Len smiled. “Maybe there’s hope for the world, and me too. I should look forward, not backward.”

It was time for both of them to move on.

Together.

攻下梅克隆主机的整个过程，用一句话就能概括。

他们来了，他们看见了，他们走运了。

“真是没眼看。”比安卡说。瑞恩正在休闲区播放一段剪辑影片。他在吧台附近装了台大屏幕电视，让沙林、欧仁-亨利和那群孤儿都能欣赏高清版的《幸运女孩历险记》。裹尸布也在离大家稍远的地方和福尔图娜交谈，或者说，是在单方面对她说话。这位奥古斯蒂成员板着脸，抚摸着洗干净了的亨丽埃特两耳之间的脑袋，男朋友说十个字，她才回一个字。

不出瑞恩所料，这个活体幸运符在攻入地堡主机的过程中帮了大忙。阿尔凯莫父女一到，这位时间旅行者的总统联盟就发动了突袭，摄像机记录下了全过程。最后，瑞恩把其中最精彩的片段剪在一起，留给后人瞻仰。

这集锦可真够精彩的！激光枪在机器人脸前炸膛，同伴误伤，天花板奇迹般地坍塌，这片子里应有尽有；孩子们笑得停不下来。

“接下来就是最精彩的部分。”瑞恩说着，放大了他最喜欢的那一幕。在一间金属大厅里，两台独眼机器人正用一门比它们自身还大的炮威胁福尔图娜，机器与这位基因者之间相隔不超过五米。“这是高斯轨道炮。梅克隆发明这东西，是为了摧毁飞机和战列舰。”

画面以慢动作播放，一枚经电磁加速的三百毫米炮弹破空而出，直扑无计可施的福尔图娜。

梅克隆的机器人把对付战列舰的武器用在了一个人身上。

而它们打偏了。

炮弹在空中拐了个弯，击穿了福尔图娜身后的墙壁。撞击将金属碎片炸得到处都是，可它们却奇迹般地避开了幸运女孩，反而把袭击她的机器人打成了废铁。这是福尔图娜那一连串好运的巅峰时刻。

不过在那之后，梅克隆的机器人弄明白了两件事：第一，她的能力只能影响近距离内发生的事——根据快递员目前收集的信息，作用半径不到十米；第二，它无法抵消其他基因者的能力。没错，它能改变概率，让子弹打偏，却没法阻止原子猫的爆炸之类的能力。

瑞恩推测，福尔图娜的能力与普鲁托正好相反，都是改变这个现实的因果，只不过她是让事情有利于自己，而不是诅咒敌人；其中的关键词是这个现实。幸运女孩的神圣庇护无法干涉来自其他色彩世界的能力，只能影响这些能力间接造成的后果。远距离能力是能伤到她的。

于是，机器人不再使用冲锋枪和常规武器，而是派出了那种念动力机器——瑞恩第一个总统任期里，把蜥蜴人碾烂的就是它。要不是快递员和熊猫出手干预，那东西就会在安全距离外把福尔图娜压成肉泥。而事实证明，梅克隆的地堡里不止有一台这样的机器可用来招呼入侵者。

尽管瑞恩的队伍里有莉维娅、裹尸布、熊猫等一众强力帮手，最后依然险些翻车。

“真恶心。”沙林看着画面说道，“恶心透了。我连剪刀都怕，可这姑娘……好事全都白送上门。”她转向福尔图娜。“什么都来得这么轻松，感觉如何？”

“嗯？”福尔图娜困惑地抬起红红的眼睛。她显然已经有一阵子没睡了。“挺好的。”

“福尔图娜——”她男朋友试图开口。

“别跟我说话。”福尔图娜这一句斥责让裹尸布缩了一下，瑞恩看着觉得非常、非常不对劲。突袭之前她就心情恶劣，但他还从没见过她真正发火的样子。她揉着小狗的耳根，亨丽埃特便舔了舔她的手。“至少你还在乎我……”

看来福尔图娜不光冷落了她的“命中真爱”，还把感情转移到了亨丽埃特身上。她给这条脏兮兮的狗洗了澡，基本算是收养了它。

瑞恩很想问问莉维娅这是怎么回事，但女朋友把脑图谱交给阿尔凯莫之后，就回她父亲那里去了。这位天才分析了自己的记忆图谱后，接受了瑞恩关于时间旅行的说法，随即兴致勃勃地给女儿和蕾恩都做了手术。他还说能进一步改进这个过程，不过快递员想不出还能怎么改。

“能跟你单独聊一会儿吗？”瑞恩朝裹尸布示意，随后抱起欧仁-亨利。“请不要隐身。”

义警怀着死刑犯般的热情，跟着瑞恩走进他在地堡里的卧室。“所以，你的好运用完了？”快递员抱着欧仁-亨利，问这位透明的朋友。

“我们最近不太顺。”

可不是嘛，瞎子都看得出来。“幸好，我当感情顾问的经验相当丰富。”瑞恩说，“说到底，全都是妈妈情结的问题，你很快就明白了。你妈妈是不是也跟你女朋友一样，金发蓝眼？”

义警停顿片刻，才不情不愿地回答：“是。”

“看吧，说到底，永远都是想跟自己妈上床。”

“可她们的性格一点都不像。”

“你在熟悉感和新鲜感之间寻找恰当的平衡，不过这些弗洛伊德式的潜台词，我们可以待会儿再探讨。”瑞恩领着他最爱的挡风玻璃进了卧室。墙上有个小洞，是毛绒玩偶用重力枪打出来的。眼下，那只没在活动的兔子就坐在书桌上，周围堆着半空的酒瓶和抗抑郁药；瑞恩觉得这景象有助于心理咨询。“抱着猫，躺到床上去。”

裹尸布听起来对瑞恩的专业资质深表怀疑。“为什么要抱猫？”

“这是疗愈过程中不可或缺的一环。”瑞恩说着，几乎是把欧仁-亨利塞进了盟友怀里。裹尸布低头看向毛球，后者喵了一声，他便没了抵抗力。他躺到床上，猫占领了他的胸口，瑞恩则坐到旁边的椅子上。“那么，来谈谈这段感情吧。”

“她……”裹尸布停了一下，瑞恩一声不吭。没人忍得住不去打破尴尬的沉默。“答应我，不许开玩笑。”

“最多三个。”瑞恩讨价还价。

“我恨你。”病人叹了口气。“福尔图娜和我约了次会。”

“嗯哼，嗯哼。”

“她邀请我去她的公寓。看她收藏的雕像。”

“她想像雕她那些法国男孩一样，把你也雕下来？”瑞恩脑海里闪过一个令人担忧的念头。“等等，你那身玻璃战衣下面是光着的吗？这么说，严格来讲，你现在是在对我的猫暴露身体？”

裹尸布顿了片刻，欧仁-亨利正趴在他胸口安稳地睡着。“我在战衣下面穿了衣服。”

瑞恩叹了口气。“真令人失望。”

“总之，福尔图娜她，该怎么说呢……？”

“她需要个水管工，所以你们玩起了《超级马力欧派对》？”瑞恩问，“新手教程过了吗？”

“没有，没有，我……”义警的窘态让瑞恩知道自己猜对了。“我们接了吻，但她开始脱我衣服的时候，我……我做不到。我是说，没错，我是被她吸引，可是……不能这样。”

“不能骗着她做？”快递员体谅地问。这里明明有个笑话可讲，不过他对这对情侣还算尊重，便管住了舌头。可话说回来，裹尸布暗杀别人毫无障碍，却不能对要跟自己上床的姑娘撒谎？这是什么逻辑？

“我……”赛孚莱特先生叹了口气。“我坦白了。”

“全部？”

“没有，当然没有。”裹尸布恼火地答道，“那也太不专业了。”

“一段感情要想成功，关键就在于透明。”

“这下我们俩是什么关系，肯定是一清二楚了。”义警面无表情地说，“我告诉她，我来新罗马是为了打击奥古斯蒂犯罪集团，还有……还有，我之所以总能碰巧赶上，保护她免受危险，是因为那些危险本来就是我制造的。”

得知男朋友曾试图暗杀自己和其他人之后，福尔图娜会冷落他，瑞恩觉得完全没毛病。“但她没告发你？”

“我告诉她，我原以为她跟队友一样，是个冷酷无情的杀人犯，直到亲眼看过她的行动才改变了想法，也停止了破坏行动。”裹尸布答道，“她开始替奥古斯蒂辩护，而我把她父亲玛尔斯这些年来杀过的人一一列出来之后，她就全盘否认，叫我滚。我差点真走了，可门和窗帘怎么也打不开。最后，我睡了沙发，从那以后她就一直不理我。”

“既然她的能力还在设法制造浪漫情境，那你们这条爱情之船就还没沉。”

“不该沉吗？”裹尸布叹了口气，问道，“我是说，我确实开始喜欢她了，尽管理智告诉我不该如此，可她完全不肯承认自己组织的真面目。我当初就该更坚决地把她推开，专心执行任——”

“打住，佐助，这里禁止自怨自艾，别乱停车。”瑞恩打断了他，“你要是再说什么早该‘将心献给黑暗’，或者‘把任务置于一切之上’，我就把你踢出队伍。”

“可要是她告诉父母了呢？”裹尸布顶了回来，“要是她把这里、把我们全都告发了呢？我甚至都不明白她为什么还没这么干。”

“因为她哥哥离开时也说过类似的话，这一直在折磨她。”瑞恩怀疑，福尔图娜内心深处对父母和同伴的真面目已经有了一些疑虑；只是要把她彻底惊醒，还需要普鲁托下令追杀她哥哥那样的打击。“她妹妹的真相，你告诉她了吗？”

“没有。也许我该告诉她。”

“太快了，她一下子承受不了这么多。”瑞恩说，“我会跟莉维娅商量。”如果真相是从最好的朋友嘴里说出来的，幸运女孩会更容易接受。

义警颓然叹气。“我该识趣一点，跟她分手。她的能力范围比我的小，只要我离远一点，它就没法强迫我们待在一起。我从一开始就知道，不该让事情发展到这个地步。”

“莉维娅和我第一次敞开心扉交谈的时候，还互相威胁过呢，可现在我觉得，我们正在建立一段牢靠的关系。”瑞恩耸耸肩，答道，“给福尔图娜一点时间消化真相，也给这段感情另一个机会。她的守护天使要不是觉得你们很般配，也不会这么努力地把你俩撮合在一起。而且，你要不是心里多少有点喜欢那个会走路的幸运兔脚，我也不觉得你会留在她身边。”

裹尸布嗤了一声，欧仁-亨利还在他胸口打着呼噜。“我是喜欢她，快存，但还没喜欢到肯放任她父母逍遥法外。”

“有一轮循环里，她认清了他们的真面目。”瑞恩说，虽然他一点都不想重演那一轮。福尔图娜在哥哥怀里流血而死的景象，至今仍在他脑海中挥之不去。“也许这一轮她也会明白。现在做选择还太早，我半透明的朋友。等事情更明朗些，你再自己决定，是继续追求她，还是就此分手。”

裹尸布摸了摸猫。“你当心理咨询师还真不赖。”

“要不要顺便聊聊你的父亲情结？我最近在这方面手感正好。”

“免了。”

把心事吐露出来后，裹尸布放松了不少。两位基因者于是留下欧仁-亨利继续睡觉，去了下方的实验室。他们来到医务室时，阿尔凯莫已经完成了蕾恩的记忆转移。信奉共产主义的天才蕾恩正在和人偶交谈，阿尔凯莫与熊猫则在跟斯蒂奇说话。

嘉年华的这位天才几乎和脑残父女同时抵达，来清除蕾恩体内的血流株系，并着手研制疫苗。拿到梅克隆数据库和实验室的使用权后，瑞恩便让提拉诺博士和斯蒂奇取得了联系，据他所知，两人相处得相当不错。当然，嘉年华的医生对于合作对象曾让整个新罗马染上潜伏的血液瘟疫，并不怎么高兴，但还是决定充分利用眼下的条件。

“一间屋子里有三个半天才。”瑞恩和裹尸布来到众人身边，他开口道，“你们该组个智囊团。”

“师父，我是那半个吗？”熊猫问。

“说真的，假以时日，你或许能成为一个事实上的天才。”斯蒂奇一边回答，一边在笔记本上记着东西。瑞恩已经发现，这位瘟疫医生通常更喜欢用纸笔，而不是电脑，原因不明。“毕竟，我们的科学是可以复现的。”

短短两天里，瑞恩的熊猫学徒已经学会了相当于医学和化学两个博士学位、五个硕士学位的知识，以及八种语言；其中包括汉语、巴斯克语、因纽特语，甚至还有布莱叶盲文书写系统。虽然他不是真正的天才，却可以成为一名极其高效的实验助手。

“你没事吧，小矮个？”瑞恩问他的老朋友。

“我……我没事。”蕾恩挠了挠头。“就是……很奇怪。有些日子发生的事，在我的记忆里有两种不同的版本，而不是只有一种。我不确定哪一种才是真的。你一直都是这样吗？”

是的，不过通常不是多出一种，而是几千种。有时这位时间旅行者自己都会忘记，为完美通关确认过的究竟是哪一种。“这就是你说的改进记忆转移？”瑞恩问阿尔凯莫。

“没错，让记忆共存，而不是直接覆盖。”天才耸了耸肩。“不过，你养的那个疯魔沙林，我还没找到变通的办法。我最擅长处理的是神经，不是气态分子。”

裹尸布抱起双臂，仔细打量着阿尔凯莫。“快存说，你是专攻大脑的天才。”他说，声音里带着迟疑。瑞恩听得出来，他已经经历过太多次希望落空，因此仍很谨慎。“你能治好一个大脑严重受损的女人吗？”

“那得看情况。”阿尔凯莫说，依旧不放过任何捞好处的机会。“她值多少钱？”

人偶掐了天才的金属胳膊一下。“爸，这件事我们谈过了。”

“唉，我早晚要被你害死。”脑残抱怨归抱怨，却很快就让了步。他从来没法对女儿说不。“我能治疗痴呆、阿尔茨海默病，还有各种脑损伤。把那个女人的医疗资料给我，我看看能做些什么。”

裹尸布满怀感激地鞠了一躬。“衷心感谢您。”

“别谢我，谢我那天真的女儿，还有她那颗烂好人的心吧。”

人偶微笑着回应：“爸，总有一天你会明白，帮助别人本身就是一种回报。”

“开心能当饭吃吗？”阿尔凯莫没好气地反问，“还是能卖钱？”

“我很有兴趣和你长期合作。”斯蒂奇说，“我们天才掌握的知识很深厚，却仅限于狭窄的领域。我相信，合作能取得比单打独斗更大的成就。我们各自补全的，其实是一条更长序列里的不同部分。”

确实，瑞恩对诺拉也有同样的想法。他已经能想象，她和小矮个联手开发水下城市会碰撞出怎样的火花。“说到合作，我们的疫苗接种计划进展如何？”快递员问道，蕾恩移开了视线。

“根据你和那位……长着鳞片的古怪医生提供的信息，我已经配出了一个方子。”斯蒂奇回答，向瑞恩展示他的笔记。“一旦通过空气投放到人群中，它应该几天内就能传遍新罗马，几周内遍及欧洲。”

很好。“极乐呢？”

“我研究过你提出的疗法，没错，我相信自己能开发出一个病毒版本。神经系统抑制剂配合内啡肽阻断剂，应该可以防止生理和心理上的成瘾。”

“又不是什么革命性突破。”阿尔凯莫抱怨道，对瑞恩在自己的专业领域取得了成果有点嫉妒。“我也能做出类似的东西。”

“连生育问题也能解决？”瑞恩面无表情地问。

“嘁，要我说，那倒算是改进。”

“可只要奥古斯蒂还掌握着超级实验室，他们就能制造新型极乐。”裹尸布阴沉地指出，“解药能让他们的生意短期内遭到重创，却不能一劳永逸。”

确实，只要给他们时间，闪电屁股和巴克斯有足够的资源研制新毒品。瑞恩也不觉得摧毁超级实验室就能阻止他们。失去极乐，会给奥古斯蒂的犯罪帝国以沉重打击，却不足以致命。他们必须除掉犯罪集团里的关键人物，才能为莉维娅改革组织扫清道路。

快递员很快察觉到蕾恩的不安，换了个话题。“小矮个，能跟你聊两句吗？”

他最好的朋友轻轻点头，两人离开，走进了一间更私密的房间。事实上，大胖亚当曾经就是在这里审问瑞恩的。“你感觉怎么样？”时间旅行者问，随即又略显迟疑地补了一句，“关于你父亲。”

“还是一样。”她神色黯然地回答，“什么都没变。”

果然如瑞恩所担心的那样。他多希望，是她父亲留在蕾恩体内的那点残血给她洗了脑，强迫女儿去爱他。那样，一切就容易得多了。“既然你有这一轮和上一轮的记忆，那你应该明白发生了什么。”

“他杀了我。”蕾恩没有哭，声音却苦涩而悲伤。“瑞恩，你见过他了。他……他还有希望吗？”

“我想没有了。”瑞恩承认，“现在的他与其说是人，不如说更接近病毒，我甚至不觉得他还有自我意识。杀了他，反倒是一种仁慈。”

“我……”她深深地吸了一口气。“那天，我没有和你一起逃走，是因为……他还有好转的可能。不管那希望有多渺茫。如果……”

蕾恩努力组织着语言，瑞恩耐心地等着。

“如果……只有我父亲……我真正的父亲已经死了，真的死了，我才能同意这么做。”蕾恩抱起双臂，低头看着冰冷的钢铁地板。“如果我们还有机会治好他，把那个身为人的他带回来……”

已经没有机会了，但瑞恩知道，蕾恩还需要更多时间才能接受。她没有亲眼见过父亲如今的状态，因为她的记忆图谱是在突袭迪纳米斯之前记录下来的。

“小矮个，很久很久以前，我替我们两个人做过一次决定，从那以后就一直在为此付出代价。”快递员郑重地说，“你知道我对你父亲是什么立场。但所谓疯狂，就是一遍遍做同样的事，却指望得到不同的结果。这一次……这一次，我们一起做决定。”

“别现在决定，瑞瑞。”她抬起眼睛，满脸恳求。“现在不行。我……我需要更多时间。这个决定太重大了，我现在做不了。”

“我明白。”他答道，“我们可以把突袭迪纳米斯的计划往后推。这一轮先用来测试疫苗、收集情报，再找到治愈疯魔症的办法。”

“那接下来怎么安排？这地方不可能永远藏得住，瑞瑞。总会有人说出去。”

“处理完极乐工厂，我们就得离开这座城，躲开闪电屁股的报复。走的时候炸掉地堡，然后去唯一可能找到疯魔症解药的地方。它的源头。”

地堡的主机已经掌握在他们手中，瑞恩现在也能重新造出萨图恩装甲，终于可以彻底弄清自己的新能力。

蕾恩点点头。“南极。”

“路上我们会在摩纳哥附近停一趟。”瑞恩咧嘴一笑。“有些人，我好久没去看望了。就当好好度个假。”

蕾恩嘴角浮现一丝笑意，却很快被悲伤淹没。

“小矮个？”

“我……我听见你通过时空收音机跟莉维娅说话了。”蕾恩咬住下唇。“你在和她交往。”

与其说是在问，不如说是在陈述事实。

“她……她让我变好了。我也说不清。”瑞恩挠了挠后颈。“比如说，她把我放在车里的战斗药物全没收了。我说，那些东西只在自杀式的循环里才用，她回答说，‘对，问题就出在这儿。它会强化你那种随意糟蹋自己性命的想法，这对你的心理健康没有好处。’”

“她……她说得没错。”

“是啊，回头想想，还真有道理。”瑞恩答道，“有一段时间，我根本不在乎死不死。那也是乐趣的一部分，可现在……现在我在乎了。”

瑞恩已经不想再死了。他想和莉维娅、和蕾恩、和这一路上结识的朋友一起，度过一生又一生。短暂又刺激的循环确实有趣，但就像一针针毒品，唯一的作用只是麻痹痛苦。

那不过是一根拐杖，无法让他真正痊愈。

终于，蕾恩轻轻点头，像是说服了自己。“她……她让你变好了，这点我同意。我看得出来。她在帮你慢慢好起来，就像你帮我一样。”

“可你本来希望不是这样。”

“我……我说过，我们回不到从前了，所以……所以你选择向前走，我不能怪你。就是……我们现在是家人，而……你值得拥有一个能让你幸福的人。”

“你也会找到那个人的。”瑞恩说，“世界上有很多很好的人。也许我已经不是适合你的那个人了，但总有一个人，在某个地方，正好适合你。”

“也许吧。”她回答，难得在语气中流露出了一丝谨慎的乐观。“只是……我活在过去太久了，因为……因为我害怕。”

害怕再次受伤。

“可看见你越来越快乐，而且也不只是和莉维娅在一起的时候……我开始想了很多。”蕾恩笑了。“也许这世界还有希望，我也一样。我应该向前看，而不是向后看。”

他们两人都该继续向前了。

一起。