第 117 章
同章对照
各栏独立滚动。英文与中译按段对应；国风为同章改编。本章国风版尚未试写；英文原版与中文翻译可继续对照。
英文原版
Making Waves
单独阅读 ↗Bianca farted all the way back to the Mechron submarine.
Proverbially of course, but Ryan couldn’t help but laugh at the sound she made each time she switched between gaseous and human form. Now, she was doing a live demonstration to the courier and the Carnival members deep in the submarine’s mess. Most of the group sat around white tables, while Mr. Wave prepared cocktails behind a short counter.
Bianca’s body, clothes included, turned into an orange cloud with a snap of her fingers. Unlike her time as a Psycho, the substance reminded Ryan more of faint colored mist than thick, toxic chemicals. When she touched the thrumming metal walls of the submarine, they didn’t corrode into dust.
Ryan looked at his traveling circus. Leo Hargraves had taken back his sexy, handsome human form, and didn’t hide his joy. Stitch scribbled notes on a journal. Matty kept his arms crossed with skepticism, and their new recruit, the Panda, acclaimed Bianca with his paws.
“So?” Bianca asked as she returned to her human form, her cloud coalescing into flesh, hair, and clothes. Terrible clothes, by the way. How could she live with herself wearing only shaggy jeans and a tank top the courier would never understand.
“So I will introduce you to your lord and savior, Wardrobe,” Ryan replied. “I can’t, in good conscience, let you run around dressed like that.”
“Still better than a hazmat suit,” the young woman snickered, searching her pockets for a cigarette and a lighter.
“The corrosive aspect of the gas was probably the result of synergy,” Dr. Stitch said. “Now your powers act independently. You can switch back and forth between solid and gaseous, yes, and your chemical compound no longer degrades metallic material.”
“I ain’t going to rust any metal tool I get my hands on?” Bianca asked with a scoff, causing her cigarette to vibrate. Unlike her Orange power, the Red one worked shockingly the same. “Yeah, I won’t miss that part. Might need to change my name though.”
“May I suggest Lady Flatulence?” Ryan asked mirthfully.
Instead of pinching him, his former Vice-President answered with a joke of her own. “Only if you change your name to Butthole,” she said. “Wouldn’t we make quite the pair then?”
“How about Ass and Fart? You intoxicate them, I smother them. We will call our new superhero team ‘The Cheeks.’”
“Better than ‘The Buttkissers.’”
“Sifu, could I join?” the Panda asked enthusiastically.
“Of course,” Ryan replied. “I shall grant you the honorable name of Ass-Kicker!”
Shroudy Matty kept his arms crossed. Though he had championed the treatment for the Psycho condition, seeing it in action filled him with doubt now. “I hope you all understand what this discovery means,” he said. “While it is preferable to having a psychopath with two powers, this means anyone can technically receive two powers now. The number of would-be Augustus wannabes will increase.”
“I doubt so,” Sunshine replied with optimism. “With Eva Fabre dead and her facility destroyed, nobody can make true Elixirs. Once the Mechron bases are destroyed and Dynamis is dealt with, Knockoffs will become a thing of the past.”
“Never say never, Sunshine,” Ryan replied, knowing that someone could always develop the right power to make more of them. “But I agree. The Elixir well will eventually dry up, and the problem with Lightning Butt isn’t the fact he has two powers. It’s what those two powers can do combined.”
Sunshine nodded in agreement. “Invulnerability and his destructive lightning make Augustus a danger to human civilization, but among the thousands of Psychos we encountered, only Bloodstream possesses a truly cataclysmic power combination. There will always be the likes of Mechron and Adam the Ogre, Psycho condition or not.”
“Point taken,” Shroud conceded.
“Considering the data we gathered and the projections on the Elixir distribution,” Stitch said, “Elixirs will more or less vanish from circulation within ten years. New Genomes afterward will be born, rather than made.”
The Elixirs that remained would be like buried treasures lost to time. The Alchemist had planned for Genomes to overcome Homo Sapiens, and they would do so. With a stable genetic code, former Psychos will also be able to reproduce, bolstering the new breed’s numbers further.
“I won’t speak for all Psychos out there.” Bianca lit her cigarette and enjoyed the taste of incoming lung cancer. “But I ain’t starting any more trouble, unless the nerd asks me too.”
“Moi?” Ryan asked, switching between his native tongue and French.
“You gave me my life back, jackass,” she replied. “I owe you a debt I can’t ever repay. Whatever you want from me, you’ll get it. But I’ll still punch you in the arm if you push your luck.”
“Would you submit to a trial?” Leo Hargraves asked.
“Yeah... yeah, I guess I would.” Bianca let out a cloud of smoke from her nostrils. “Will I be convicted?”
“Your crimes are nowhere near as severe as Adam or Psyshock, and you helped us a great deal,” Sunshine replied with wisdom. “I believe in second chances. Your captured teammates will be treated the same.”
“Only Geniuses with our resources and combined expertise can make this cure work though, sir,” Stitch pointed out. “We will need support to expand it across Europe.”
“Nidhogg’s?” Shroud asked.
“Dynamis’?” Ryan replied jokingly. “Get the best privatized healthcare in the world? Which isn’t saying much.”
His transparent teammate grumbled, as if a pigeon had assaulted his windshield. “They already have the infrastructure, Ryan, but none of the ethics required.”
“We could work with Enrique Manada, but not the rest of his family,” Leo Hargraves replied. “There is still time to think about the future. Let us first cure the Meta-Gang members in captivity, and see if the treatment sticks.”
Ryan left his allies to debate how to mass-produce the cure to sit behind the mess’ bar counter. Mr. Wave gave him a purple cocktail, with a tasteful blue drinking straw. “What is this?” the courier asked.
“This is the Virgin Wavemojito,” Mr. Wave pitched the cocktail. “Mr. Wave can make people drunk on non-alcoholic beverages.”
Ryan took a sip, closing his eyes in pleasure as the taste washed over his mouth. Such a perfect mix of grape juice, honey, and so many secret things! His idol’s exquisite tastes didn’t stop at fashion. “Delicious.”
“Mr. Wave only accepts the best,” the Genome replied, a hand on the counter. “The Sun told Mr. Wave that you wanted to talk to him?”
“Yes, I did.” The noise of their allies’ debate drowned Ryan’s voice, as he dropped the bomb without warning. “I’m a time-traveler.”
The courier expected questions, but Mr. Wave was too good for that. “One cannot travel through time. Time waits for Mr. Wave, but only after he counts to infinity. And when Mr. Wave kills time, it stays dead.”
“Obviously,” Ryan replied. “Do you remember the day we met? You saved me from an explosion.”
The superhero joined his hands. “Mr. Wave has had that pleasure, yes.”
“You saved my life more than twenty times,” Ryan said, as he sipped the cocktail. “I lost count afterward. Sometimes I tripped, sometimes I dived down. You couldn’t save me all the time, but you always at least tried. When I die, I often remember the feeling of your cashmere suit pressing against my face to shield me from the flames.”
Mr. Wave listened in respectful silence, his wavelength head lacking anything like facial expressions.
“You were always present when I woke up,” Ryan continued his tale. “Sitting at my bedside, as if you had a responsibility towards me.”
“Mr. Wave had one,” the man replied. “If Mr. Wave had seen you earlier, you wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital in the first place.”
“If you had, you would all be dead.” And Ryan himself too. “Whenever I woke up, you always tried to help me in any way you could. At one point, you even toured all of Italy’s coastline at lightspeed to try and find Len.”
“There is no lightspeed. Light travels at Mr. Wave’s pace.” The colorful Genome’s voice turned from amused to serious. “Why did you run away, Ryan?”
“I wasn’t in the right state of mind,” the courier admitted. “You know the five stages of grief? I think I was stuck at the depression part for… thirty years? At least twenty. Took me a stay in Monaco to reach acceptance and enjoy the ride.”
“Mr. Wave has discussed this with Simon. You saved a great many souls from a terrible place, Ryan.”
“Yes, but it took a while. These guys needed a hero to get them out of hell, and… well, when I tried to think of one, you were the first that came to mind. My parents died when I was young, and Bloodstream was no one’s idea of a parental model.”
“Mr. Wave can imagine.”
“So I guess I tried to become a little more like you,” the time-traveler said, letting the truth off his chest. “I want to say thank you. You inspired me in my darkest moments, and I owe you my life more than ten times over.”
“You owe me nothing, Ryan,” Mr. Wave replied, his tone almost paternal. “I am proud of you. I’ve been keeping up with your adventures when I could, and you have saved more lives than you think.”
This made the courier’s head perk up. “You did?”
“Yes, though I wonder why you crashed a plane while making a delivery,” Mr. Wave replied with a shrug. “Even I didn’t go that far.”
“I swear, the alternative was worse!” Or at least Ryan hoped so, as he played with his drinking straw. He didn't fully remember that particular run, truth be told. “I thought the first person couldn’t contain your almighty power?”
“I was a comedian before I became a living spotlight,” Mr. Wave replied, breaking character. “Life on the road is hard. Out of our group’s newbies, one out of four usually dies before the mission is done. Leo still feels guilty about not being there to save the Costa family from Augustus, Mathias watched his mother become a vegetable, Ace has her own demons, and even the good doctor feels down sometimes. It’s depressing when you think about how fragile life is… so I make sure that my teammates never do it.”
Ryan sighed. “When everything goes to shit, the only way to go on is to laugh off the pain and power through.”
“Exactly. Someone has to carry on the show when everyone else feels down.” The living wavelength glanced at the Carnival, and most specifically at Bianca. “The challenges are different when you move from one-man shows to a troupe, but I think you’re doing very well for yourself.”
“I had my fill of one-man shows. I love the spotlight—”
“But you hate solitude more?” Mr. Wave guessed.
Ryan nodded. “You knew about the time-travel part.”
This made him laugh. “Only half of my boasts are exaggerations, Ryan,” he said. “I keep the real stuff secret, because nobody would believe them. I’ve seen way crazier things than time travel. Have you been to Quebec?”
“No, but I’ll probably invade Canada when I get elected president of the free world again.”
“Whatever you do, Ryan, don’t go to Quebec.”
Shortie’s voice echoed through the mess’ loudspeaker. “We’re approaching Italy’s coasts,” she said.
“Ooh, I will have phone coverage again!” Ryan said happily, leaping from his seat and leaving an empty glass behind. “Sorry, I need to call my girlfriend.”
“Mr. Wave understands. He has his fangirls too.” Mr. Wave raised an index at Ryan, like one of those ‘Uncle Sam wants you’ posters. “Don’t let her go, Ryan.”
He wouldn’t.
Ryan walked out of the mess and through the submarine’s metal corridors, making its way to the exit. No sooner did he open his phone, than he received a message from Livia.
They must have reached the Mediterranean Sea.
A chill went down Ryan’s spine, as he realized what had happened.
Ryan closed his phone, before crossing paths with Alchemo in the corridor. “Sending nudes again, meatbag?” he asked.
“How did you—”
“Because I understand your vile thought process, you hormonal hominid,” the Genius replied with annoyance. “I have a breakthrough to report.”
“Go ahead, Father Brain.”
“We now know that a Genome’s consciousness exists in an intangible Flux state. Your gaseous groupie confirmed it. Now, with this information in mind, I believe I can refine the Chronoradio mechanism which the Underdiver developed to send minds through time. Make the signal more efficient.”
Ryan immediately caught on. “You could send more than one mindmap back.”
“Yes.”
The courier couldn’t keep his excitement in check. “How many?”
“I would say… five? Maybe six, but I don’t guarantee it.” Ryan didn’t hide his disappointment at the answer, causing Alchemo to shrug. “The more mindmaps are sent back, the harder the computations. Even my boundless intellect can only do so much on that front.”
Ryan would have hoped for more, but this still changed everything.
The original plan relied on transferring Livia’s mind back in time, recreating the brain-scanning machine, and then using her stored brainmaps to help their allies remember. This, however, significantly delayed the assault on Mechron’s bunker. Big Fat Adam sent captured denizens of Rust Town to their demise in his attempt to unlock Mechron’s bunker, and a day lost meant dozens of innocent casualties.
But if Ryan could bring more people, then a team could confront the Meta-Gang as soon as he reloaded.
Who could he bring though? Sunshine? Even if he received his future self’s memories, the Living Sun would be hours away from New Rome, and each minute lost increased the Meta-Gang’s death toll.
Shroud was already active though, and a safer bet. It would also end his assassination campaign before it began.
Livia and Shortie would get a time-travel ticket, which left two to three spots available. Having Bianca onboard would make taking down the bunker easier, but if Ryan could secure someone in Dynamis too...
“I need to think about this,” the time-traveler said. “Can you send anyone?”
“Of course I can,” Alchemo replied arrogantly. “Brain matter is no longer mandatory, though I would suggest bringing a few Geniuses.”
“Do geniuses with a small ‘g’ count?”
“Your funeral.”
Ryan climbed out of the submarine’s tower, taking a breath of fresh air. The Milky Way’s stars shone brightly in the skies above the courier’s head, while the moon made him hungry for a French croissant pastry.
Felix already beat him to the observatory spot, sitting at the tower’s edge. He glanced in the coast’s direction, noticing the lights of New Rome in the distance.
“I thought cats were afraid of water, Atom Kitten?” Ryan said, sitting next to Felix.
“I never crossed the ocean before,” he admitted. “I never even left Italy, and now I moved halfway through the world and back.”
“Next episode, we will go to Australia. Then you can call yourself Atom Kangaroo.”
“You can’t fathom how much I regret choosing that nickname,” the young man replied, his beautiful blue eyes examining Ryan carefully. “Who are you, really?”
“A time-traveler from the future. Or the past, if you look sideways.”
Felix squinted, considered his fellow Genomes’ words, and then reacted with denial. “I don’t believe you,” he said.
Unsurprising, but disappointing. Atom Cat had accepted the truth pretty quickly in a previous loop, but this current iteration hadn’t bonded much with Ryan. “Then how else do you explain, well, everything?” the courier asked.
“Livia. You’re clearly working with her, dating her, and it wouldn’t be the first time she makes one of these circuitous plots work. Though I can’t explain the endgame you’re aiming for.”
“Saving the city, and overthrowing my future father-in-law.” Ryan made a note to officially duel Lightning Butt for his daughter’s hand in marriage, if appropriate.
“Livia would never do that,” Felix replied with scorn. “She’s her father’s daughter, trying to mitigate Augustus’ damage rather than stop him.”
“And yet, she helped me save your skin from your parents, and form an alliance with the Carnival,” Ryan shrugged. “Things aren’t black and white.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you can’t be a time-traveler.”
“I can literally stop time for the entire universe, and you think turning it back is implausible?”
“Then prove it,” Felix said. “Take me back, if you can.”
“That’s a bit harder than you think, so let me suggest something else.” Ryan looked at the crescent moon. “Once, while you and Jamie were still friends, intelligent rats stole Bliss batches from Mercury’s division. You tracked the animals to their mistress and… it was a horrible sight.”
Felix looked at the courier as if horns had sprouted from his skull, which only encouraged him to carry on. “Ki-jung was squatting in an abandoned apartment infested with rodents, suffering from an overdose of Bliss. Blood poured out from her nose and eyes, and mold grew on her skin.”
Felix’s hands clenched into fists. “Who told you that?”
“You did,” Ryan replied. Even now, he could remember that conversation word for word, like so many lost to time. “You rushed to the hospital, and the first thing Ki-jung did upon waking up was to ask for more Bliss. It was, in your own words, a wake-up call. You tried to get Narcinia out of the business, but her parents always pulled her back in.”
“What did they say?” Felix asked, his voice turning distant.
“It’s for the greater good of the family, honey,’” Ryan quoted. “‘Addicts kill themselves because they can’t help themselves.’”
Atom Kitten spent the next few minutes considering the courier’s words in grim silence. Many emotions flashed on his face, from anger and doubt, to grief. Taking a page from Mr. Wave’s book, Ryan let his friend process his feelings in respectful silence.
“It’s too vivid,” Felix said. “Livia would have gotten the details wrong, and I never told the full story to anyone. Either you can read my mind in addition to stopping time, or you’re really a goddamn time-traveler. I don’t see what a mind-reader would have to gain from telling such a nonsensical story.”
“Hey, my life makes sense in its context!” Ryan protested.
“I have doubts,” Felix replied dryly, a sad smile forming at the edge of his lips. “How does your power work?”
“I create a save point, and when I die, I live again,” Ryan replied. “I believe it is my sixteenth time reloading in New Rome.”
Felix scoffed. “That’s messed up.”
“By my standards, it’s quite the safe zone.”
Felix squinted at Ryan, as if suddenly figuring out the implications of the courier’s words. “We were close,” he realized. “I wouldn’t have told you so much if I didn’t trust you with my life.”
“We formed a team called Quicksave the Pandas, as formidable as it was stylish.” Ryan closed his eyes in mourning. “I miss Yuki so much.”
“I can imagine the two of you getting along,” Felix mused, before frowning. “Wait, did she force me to wear a new costume?”
“Unfortunately, you remained a fashion disaster to the end.” Ryan looked at his former sidekick in the eyes. “Your sister died to save your life during that loop.”
Felix’s hands clenched. “Father?”
“Pluto. Or Cruella, if you prefer.”
The superhero looked down at the dark sea. “Augustus is always going to send someone after me,” he said. “And people will die in the crossfire.”
“Not if I have my way.”
“I… I never made up with Jamie and Ki-jung,” Felix said, his voice breaking. “I slammed the door behind when… when they chose to support the Bliss business. I still think I was right to do so, but… but they still died trying to protect me. The last thing I did was to condemn them, and now that they’re dead, I can’t take my words back. They died thinking I hated them.”
Tears formed in the young hero’s eyes. “Hey, kitten, it’s alright,” Ryan said, putting a hand around his friend’s shoulder. “You couldn’t know.”
“No, I…” Atom Cat closed his eyelids and wiped away the tears. “I loved them, man. They were my friends. Jamie was my best friend, and Ki-jung, she was such a caring woman. I wanted them to do the right thing, take a stand against that soul-destroying drug, but I… I never wanted them to die.”
Ryan hugged his friend, consoling him. “It’s not too late,” the courier said. “I will give you another chance to make this right.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Felix asked, before pushing the time-traveler’s arm away. “If I don’t remember any of it, then it means you didn’t bring me back with you the first time.”
“I couldn’t bring back your memories through time in that old loop,” Ryan replied. “But I might do so now. It took a few tries, but we have the technology for it.”
Felix didn’t answer immediately, instead glancing at dancing lights on the horizon. “Do you think it’s too late for me to make up to them?” he asked Ryan.
“I think they can turn away from the Augusti with the proper nudge.” Jamie and Ki-jung reminded Ryan of Bianca, who had followed Big Fat Adam partly out of fear, and partly out of denial about her boss’ true motivations. Zanbato and Chitter had taken a stand to protect Atom Cat, unlike his own parents, showing their loyalty to the Augusti wasn’t unshakeable. “But they will need your help, kitten.”
“I…. If I have any chance to make this right… if I have any chance, I must take it.” Felix’s eyes turned determined. “That’s why you and Livia are working together. This kind of mess happened before, and you’re trying to avert it.”
“Livia is a better person than you think, kitten,” Ryan replied with fondness. “It took a while, but all the pieces are in place. Our happy ending is finally within reach.”
“Can I help?”
“Yes, but I won’t lie, we’re probably going to fight your parents, your godfather, and dozens of villains before we can call it a day. This is going to be a boss rush, and half of them will be people you know. You better sharpen your claws.”
“The good thing is, I hate almost everyone I know.” Felix’s gaze turned determined. “Where do I sign up?”
The submarine approached closer to the coast, the light getting brighter, the smell of smoke filling the air.
“Wait,” Felix said with a frown. “Something is wrong.”
Ryan had noticed it too. The bright colors, the hue reflecting in clouds above the coast. He had seen this picture two times before, as events repeated again and again.
These weren’t the lights of glamorous casinos, but the brightness of flames.
New Rome was on fire, and Ryan only had one word to say in response.
“Again?!”
中文翻译
掀起波澜
单独阅读 ↗比安卡一路放着屁回到了梅克隆潜艇。
当然，这只是个形容，但她每次在人形与气态之间切换时发出的声音，实在让瑞恩忍不住笑。此刻，她正在潜艇深处的餐厅里，向快递员和嘉年华的成员现场演示。众人大多围坐在白色餐桌旁，波动先生则在一截吧台后调制鸡尾酒。
比安卡打了个响指，身体连同衣服一起化作了一团橙色云雾。与她还是疯魔时不同，这种物质让瑞恩想到的更像是淡淡的彩色薄雾，而非浓稠有毒的化学气体。她触碰潜艇嗡嗡震动的金属舱壁时，舱壁也没有被腐蚀成灰。
瑞恩环顾自己的巡回马戏团。利奥·哈格雷夫斯恢复了那副性感英俊的人类模样，喜悦之情毫不掩饰。斯蒂奇在笔记本上飞快地记着什么。马蒂抱着胳膊，仍持怀疑态度；新成员熊猫则拍着爪子，为比安卡喝彩。
“怎么样？”比安卡问道，云雾凝成血肉、头发和衣服，恢复了人形。顺便一提，那衣服简直糟透了。只穿一条松垮的牛仔裤和一件背心，她怎么还能心安理得地活着，快递员这辈子都理解不了。
“所以，我要给你介绍你的主与救星——衣橱。”瑞恩答道，“凭良心说，我不能让你穿成这样到处跑。”
“总比防化服强。”年轻女人嗤笑着，在口袋里翻找香烟和打火机。
“气体的腐蚀性很可能是两种能力协同作用的结果。”斯蒂奇医生说，“现在，你的能力各自独立运作。没错，你可以在固态和气态之间自由切换，而且构成你的化合物不再分解金属材料了。”
“就是说，金属工具到了我手里，不会统统生锈了？”比安卡嗤了一声，让香烟振动起来。与橙色能力不同，她的红色能力居然和以前一模一样。“行，那一部分我可一点都不会怀念。不过，名字可能得改改了。”
“我能提名‘排气女士’吗？”瑞恩兴冲冲地问。
他的前副总统没有掐他，而是也回敬了一个笑话。“除非你改名叫‘屁眼’。”她说，“那咱俩岂不是绝配？”
“要不叫‘屁股与屁’？你负责熏晕，我负责闷死。咱们新的超级英雄小队就叫‘两瓣臀’。”
“总比‘舔屁股队’好。”
“师父，我能加入吗？”熊猫热切地问。
“当然。”瑞恩答道，“我将授予你‘踢屁股侠’的光荣称号！”
裹裹马蒂依旧抱着胳膊。虽说他一直支持治疗疯魔，可如今亲眼见到治疗成功，他反倒满心疑虑。“我希望你们都明白，这项发现意味着什么。”他说，“固然，这比让一个疯子拥有两种能力要好，但这也意味着，从技术上说，现在任何人都能获得两种能力。想当奥古斯都第二的人会越来越多。”
“我看未必。”阳光乐观地答道，“伊娃·法布尔已死，她的设施也毁了，没人再能制造真正的灵药。等梅克隆的基地被摧毁，迪纳米斯的问题得到解决，仿制灵药也会成为历史。”
“话别说得太绝，阳光。”瑞恩答道。他知道，总有可能出现某个人，获得恰好能制造更多灵药的能力。“不过我同意。灵药这口井迟早会枯竭，而且闪电屁股的问题，不在于他有两种能力，而在于那两种能力结合起来能干什么。”
阳光点头赞同。“刀枪不入，加上毁灭性的雷电，让奥古斯都成了人类文明的威胁。但在我们遇见的数千名疯魔中，只有血流拥有真正足以酿成浩劫的能力组合。无论有没有疯魔这种情况，梅克隆和食人魔亚当那样的人总会存在。”
“有道理。”裹尸布承认。
“根据我们收集的数据，以及对灵药流通情况的预测，”斯蒂奇说，“十年之内，灵药就会基本退出流通。此后新的基因者将通过生育诞生，而非人为造就。”
剩下的灵药会像埋藏的宝物一样，被时光遗忘。炼金术师曾计划让基因者取代智人，而这的确会发生。基因编码稳定下来后，曾经的疯魔也将能够繁衍后代，进一步增加这一新人种的数量。
“我可代表不了天下所有疯魔。”比安卡点燃香烟，享受着迎面而来的肺癌滋味。“不过我是不会再惹事了，除非这书呆子叫我去。”
“我？”瑞恩问道，从母语切换成了法语。
“是你把我的人生还给了我，混蛋。”她答道，“我欠你的恩情，这辈子都还不清。你要我做什么，我就做什么。不过，你要是得寸进尺，我照样往你胳膊上来一拳。”
“你愿意接受审判吗？”利奥·哈格雷夫斯问。
“嗯……嗯，我想我愿意。”比安卡从鼻孔里喷出一团烟。“我会被定罪吗？”
“你的罪行远没有亚当或心震那么严重，而且你帮了我们大忙。”阳光通情达理地答道，“我相信人应该有第二次机会。你那些被俘的队友，也会得到同样的对待。”
“不过，先生，只有拥有我们这些资源、汇集了我们各自专长的天才，才能让这种疗法奏效。”斯蒂奇指出，“要将它推广到整个欧洲，我们需要支持。”
“尼德霍格的支持？”裹尸布问。
“迪纳米斯的支持？”瑞恩开玩笑地接道，“享受全世界最好的私营医疗服务？当然，这也没多值得夸耀。”
他那位透明队友嘟囔了一声，仿佛刚有只鸽子袭击了他的挡风玻璃。“瑞恩，他们是有现成的基础设施，可该有的道德操守一点都没有。”
“我们可以与恩里克·马纳达合作，但不能与他家里的其他人合作。”利奥·哈格雷夫斯答道，“考虑未来还来得及。先治好那些关押中的超能帮成员，看看疗效能否持久。”
瑞恩留下同伴们继续讨论如何大规模推广疗法，自己到餐厅吧台后坐下。波动先生递给他一杯紫色鸡尾酒，配着一根颇有品位的蓝色吸管。“这是什么？”快递员问。
“这是无酒精波动莫吉托。”波动先生推介起这杯饮品，“波动先生能用不含酒精的饮料把人灌醉。”
瑞恩抿了一口，滋味在口中荡开，令他惬意地闭上双眼。葡萄汁、蜂蜜，还有那么多神秘配料，竟能融合得如此完美！偶像的绝佳品位可不止体现于时尚。“好喝。”
“波动先生只接受最好的。”基因者一手搭在吧台上，答道，“太阳告诉波动先生，你想和他谈谈？”
“没错。”同伴们争论的喧闹声盖过了瑞恩的声音，他毫无预警地抛出了这个爆炸性消息。“我是个时间旅行者。”
快递员本以为会迎来一连串问题，可波动先生哪会如此寻常。“没人能穿越时间。时间会等波动先生，但得等他数到无穷大以后。而且，波动先生消磨掉的时间，就再也活不过来了。”
“那当然。”瑞恩答道，“你还记得我们相遇的那一天吗？你从一场爆炸里救了我。”
超级英雄双手交握。“没错，波动先生有过这个荣幸。”
“你救过我二十多次。”瑞恩一边轻啜鸡尾酒，一边说道，“后来我就数不清了。有时是我绊倒了，有时是我自己跳了下去。你没能每次都救下我，可你至少每次都试过。我死的时候，经常会想起你那套羊绒西装贴着我的脸、替我挡住火焰的感觉。”
波动先生郑重地默默倾听，那颗波形头颅上没有任何类似表情的东西。
“我醒来的时候，你总是在。”瑞恩继续讲述，“就坐在我床边，仿佛你对我负有什么责任。”
“波动先生确实有责任。”男人答道，“要是波动先生早点看见你，你根本就不会进医院。”
“你要是真早看见了，你们就全死了。”瑞恩自己也一样。“每次我醒来，你都尽一切可能帮我。有一次，你甚至以光速跑遍了意大利整条海岸线，想替我找到蕾恩。”
“世上没有光速。光是按照波动先生的速度跑的。”这位多姿多彩的基因者收起了声音中的笑意，认真起来。“你为什么要跑，瑞恩？”
“我那时精神状态不太好。”快递员承认，“你知道哀伤的五个阶段吧？我好像在抑郁那个阶段卡了……三十年？至少二十年。直到在摩纳哥待过一阵，我才终于走到了接受的阶段，开始享受这段旅程。”
“波动先生和西蒙谈过这件事。你把许多人从一个可怕的地方救了出来，瑞恩。”
“是啊，但花了不少时间。他们需要一个英雄，带他们走出地狱，而……嗯，我试着想一个英雄的时候，第一个想到的就是你。我父母在我很小的时候就去世了，至于血流，谁也不会觉得他能当个模范家长。”
“波动先生想象得到。”
“所以，我想，我就试着变得更像你一点。”时间旅行者说出了压在心里的真话，“我想对你说声谢谢。在我最黑暗的时候，是你给了我力量。我欠你的救命之恩，十次都不止。”
“你什么也不欠我，瑞恩。”波动先生答道，语气几乎像个父亲，“我为你骄傲。只要有机会，我一直都在关注你的冒险。你救下的生命，比你以为的更多。”
快递员闻言抬起了头。“你一直在关注？”
“是啊，不过我一直不明白，你怎么送个快递都能把一架飞机弄坠毁。”波动先生耸耸肩，答道，“连我都没做到那个地步。”
“我发誓，另一个选择更糟！”至少瑞恩希望如此，他拨弄着杯里的吸管。说实话，那一轮的具体经过，他已经记不全了。“我还以为第一人称容不下你无所不能的力量呢？”
“在变成活体聚光灯之前，我是个喜剧演员。”波动先生不再扮演自己的角色，答道，“四处奔波的日子不好过。我们队里的新人，通常每四个就有一个撑不到任务结束。没能及时赶到、从奥古斯都手里救下科斯塔一家，利奥至今还在内疚；马蒂亚斯眼睁睁看着母亲成了植物人；王牌有她自己的心魔；就连那位好医生，也难免有心情低落的时候。一想到生命有多脆弱，就让人消沉……所以我会确保队友们永远不去想这件事。”
瑞恩叹了口气。“当一切都烂透了，唯一能走下去的办法，就是笑着把痛苦带过，硬撑下去。”
“没错。大家都垂头丧气的时候，总得有人让演出继续下去。”这道活体波形望向嘉年华众人，尤其看了看比安卡。“从独角戏转为剧团演出，面临的挑战就不同了。不过我觉得，你做得很不错。”
“独角戏我已经演够了。我是喜欢聚光灯——”
“但你更讨厌孤独？”波动先生猜道。
瑞恩点了点头。“时间旅行的事，你早就知道了。”
这话让对方笑了起来。“瑞恩，我吹过的牛，只有一半是夸大的。”他说，“真本事我都藏着，因为说了也没人信。我见过比时间旅行离奇得多的东西。你去过魁北克吗？”
“没有，不过等我再次当选自由世界的总统，大概会入侵加拿大。”
“瑞恩，随便你干什么，千万别去魁北克。”
小矮个的声音从餐厅扬声器里传了出来。“我们快到意大利海岸了。”她说。
“哦，我手机又要有信号了！”瑞恩高兴地说着，从座位上一跃而起，留下一只空杯子。“抱歉，我得给女朋友打个电话。”
“波动先生理解。他也有自己的女粉丝。”波动先生伸出食指，指向瑞恩，活像那种“山姆大叔需要你”的海报。“别放开她，瑞恩。”
他不会的。
瑞恩走出餐厅，穿过潜艇的金属走廊，向出口走去。他刚打开手机，就收到了一条莉维娅发来的消息。
他们一定已经到地中海了。
瑞恩意识到发生了什么，一股寒意顺着脊背窜了下去。
瑞恩收起手机，随后在走廊上迎面碰到了阿尔凯莫。“又在发裸照，肉袋子？”对方问。
“你怎么——”
“因为我了解你那龌龊的思维模式，你这激素泛滥的人科动物。”天才不耐烦地答道，“我有一项突破要报告。”
“请讲，大脑老爹。”
“我们现在知道，基因者的意识以无形的通量状态存在。你那个气体小迷妹证实了这一点。有了这条信息，我相信自己能改进深潜者开发的那套时空收音机机制，也就是用来让意识穿越时间的那套。让信号效率更高。”
瑞恩立刻明白了。“你能把不止一份心智图谱送回过去。”
“没错。”
快递员按捺不住激动。“能送几份？”
“我估计……五份？也许六份，但我不保证。”瑞恩对这个答案毫不掩饰地流露出失望，阿尔凯莫见状耸了耸肩。“送回去的心智图谱越多，计算就越困难。即便以我无穷的智慧，在这方面也只能做到这一步。”
瑞恩原本希望能更多一些，但即便如此，这也改变了一切。
原定计划是将莉维娅的意识送回过去，重造脑部扫描机器，再利用她保存的脑图谱，帮助同伴们恢复记忆。然而，这样会严重拖延进攻梅克隆地堡的时间。大胖亚当为了破解梅克隆地堡的防御，会把抓来的锈镇居民一个接一个送去送死。每耽搁一天，就意味着数十名无辜者丧命。
可如果瑞恩能带上更多人，那么他一读档，就能有一支队伍去对付超能帮。
但他能带上谁呢？阳光？即便接收到了未来自己的记忆，活体太阳离新罗马仍有几个小时的路程。而每多耽搁一分钟，超能帮手下就会多添亡魂。
不过，裹尸布那时已经在城里活动，是个更稳妥的选择。这也能让他的暗杀行动在开始之前就结束。
莉维娅和小矮个各有一张时间旅行的船票，这样就还剩两到三个名额。有比安卡在，拿下地堡会容易一些，但如果瑞恩还能争取到迪纳米斯里的一个人……
“我得想想。”时间旅行者说，“不管是谁，你都能送吗？”
“我当然能。”阿尔凯莫傲然答道，“现在已经不要求非得有脑组织了，不过我建议你带上几个天才。”
“普通意义上的天才也算吗？”
“你自己找死。”
瑞恩从潜艇指挥塔里爬出来，吸了一口新鲜空气。银河群星在快递员头顶的夜空中明亮闪耀，而月亮让他馋起了法国的羊角面包。
菲利克斯已经先他一步占了观景的位置，坐在指挥塔边缘。他朝海岸方向望去，看见了远处新罗马的灯光。
“我还以为猫都怕水呢，原子小猫？”瑞恩说着，在菲利克斯身边坐下。
“我以前从没横渡过大洋。”他承认，“连意大利都没离开过，可现在，我一下子跨过半个地球，又回来了。”
“下一集我们去澳大利亚。到时候你就可以叫自己原子袋鼠了。”
“你根本想象不到，我有多后悔选了这个代号。”年轻人答道，那双漂亮的蓝眼睛仔细打量着瑞恩。“你到底是什么人？”
“来自未来的时间旅行者。或者说来自过去，换个角度看就是了。”
菲利克斯眯起眼，琢磨了一下这位基因者同伴的话，随后选择了否认。“我不信。”他说。
不出所料，却还是让人失望。在之前的一轮里，原子猫很快就接受了真相，但这一轮的他与瑞恩并没有多深的交情。“那你还能怎么解释，嗯，这一切呢？”快递员问。
“莉维娅。你显然在和她合作，和她谈恋爱。这种绕来绕去的计划，她又不是头一回搞成功了。只是，我解释不了你们最终究竟想干什么。”
“拯救这座城市，推翻我未来的岳父。”瑞恩暗自记下，如果时机合适，就正式向闪电屁股提出决斗，赢取迎娶他女儿的资格。
“莉维娅绝不可能这么做。”菲利克斯轻蔑地答道，“她终归是她父亲的女儿，只会设法减轻奥古斯都造成的伤害，而不是阻止他。”
“可她还是帮我从你父母手里救下了你，还帮我和嘉年华结了盟。”瑞恩耸耸肩，“事情不是非黑即白的。”
“那也改变不了你不可能是时间旅行者的事实。”
“我真的能暂停整个宇宙的时间，而你觉得让时间倒流就不可信了？”
“那就证明给我看。”菲利克斯说，“能的话，就带我回去。”
“这比你想的要难一点，我换个办法吧。”瑞恩望向弯月，“有一次，你和杰米还是朋友的时候，一群聪明老鼠偷走了墨丘利手下几批极乐。你们追踪那些老鼠，找到了它们的女主人，而……那景象惨不忍睹。”
菲利克斯看着快递员，仿佛他脑袋上突然长出了犄角。这反倒让瑞恩更有了继续说下去的动力。“基贞住在一间废弃公寓里，满屋子都是老鼠。她服用了过量的极乐，鼻子和眼睛里都在流血，皮肤上长出了霉菌。”
菲利克斯攥紧了双拳。“谁告诉你的？”
“你告诉我的。”瑞恩答道。哪怕现在，那场对话他仍记得一字不差，就像无数场被时间抹去的交谈一样。“你们赶去了医院，基贞醒来后的第一件事，却是讨要更多极乐。用你自己的话说，那给你敲响了警钟。你试图让纳尔西妮娅脱离这门生意，可她父母总会把她拉回去。”
“他们怎么说的？”菲利克斯问，声音变得飘忽。
“‘亲爱的，这是为了家族的大局。’”瑞恩引述道，“‘瘾君子管不住自己，才会自己害死自己。’”
接下来的几分钟里，原子小猫陷入阴郁的沉默，反复思量快递员的话。许多情绪掠过他的脸，从愤怒、怀疑，到悲痛。瑞恩学着波动先生的做法，体谅地保持沉默，让朋友慢慢消化自己的情绪。
“太具体了。”菲利克斯说，“莉维娅肯定会弄错一些细节，而我从没向任何人说过全部经过。要么你除了暂停时间，还能读心，要么你真他妈是个时间旅行者。我看不出一个读心者编出这种荒唐故事，能得到什么好处。”
“喂，放在我的人生背景里看，这一切可是很合理的！”瑞恩抗议道。
“我表示怀疑。”菲利克斯干巴巴地答道，嘴角浮起一丝悲伤的笑。“你的能力是怎么运作的？”
“我建立一个存档点，死后就能重新活过来。”瑞恩答道，“我想，这应该是我在新罗马第十六次读档了。”
菲利克斯嗤了一声。“这也太惨了。”
“按我的标准，这地方相当安全。”
菲利克斯眯眼看着瑞恩，仿佛突然想通了快递员那些话的含义。“我们以前很亲近。”他意识到了，“要不是能把命托付给你，我不会告诉你这么多。”
“我们组过一个队，叫快存救熊猫队，实力与格调兼备。”瑞恩哀悼般闭上双眼，“我可太想由纪了。”
“我能想象你们俩有多合得来。”菲利克斯若有所思，随即皱起眉头，“等等，她是不是逼我换了身新制服？”
“很遗憾，你直到最后都还是时尚界的灾难。”瑞恩望进这位昔日搭档的眼睛，“那一轮里，你姐姐为了救你而死。”
菲利克斯攥紧了手。“父亲干的？”
“普鲁托。或者，你愿意的话，也可以叫她库伊拉。”
超级英雄垂眼望向漆黑的海面。“奥古斯都总会派人来追杀我。”他说，“而其他人会被卷进来，丢掉性命。”
“只要一切按我的打算来，就不会。”
“我……我一直没跟杰米和基贞和好。”菲利克斯说，声音哽咽，“那时候……他们选择支持极乐生意的时候，我摔门走了。我到现在还是觉得自己做得对，可……可他们最终还是为了保护我而死。我最后留给他们的只有指责，现在他们死了，我再也没法收回那些话。他们死的时候，还以为我恨他们。”
年轻英雄的眼里泛起泪光。“嘿，小猫，没事的。”瑞恩说着，伸手揽住朋友的肩膀，“你不可能预料到。”
“不，我……”原子猫闭上眼，擦去泪水，“我爱他们啊，伙计。他们是我的朋友。杰米是我最好的朋友，基贞又是那么体贴的一个人。我希望他们做正确的事，站出来反对那种毁人灵魂的毒品，可我……我从没想过要他们死。”
瑞恩抱住朋友，安慰着他。“还不算晚。”快递员说，“我会再给你一次弥补的机会。”
“你为什么现在才告诉我？”菲利克斯问，随后推开了时间旅行者的手臂。“如果我什么都不记得，那就说明第一次的时候，你没有带我一起回来。”
“以前那一轮，我还没办法带着你的记忆穿越时间。”瑞恩答道，“但现在也许可以了。试过几次之后，我们已经有了这项技术。”
菲利克斯没有立即回答，而是望向地平线上跳动的亮光。“你觉得，我现在补偿他们，还来得及吗？”他问瑞恩。
“我觉得，只要推他们一把，推对了方向，他们是能离开奥古斯蒂的。”杰米和基贞让瑞恩想起了比安卡。她追随大胖亚当，一部分是出于恐惧，另一部分则是因为不愿正视老板的真实动机。与原子猫自己的父母不同，斩马刀和吱喳挺身而出保护了他，这就证明，他们对奥古斯蒂的忠诚并非不可动摇。“但他们需要你的帮助，小猫。”
“我……只要还有机会弥补……只要还有一丝机会，我就必须抓住。”菲利克斯的眼神坚定起来，“所以你和莉维娅才会联手。这样的惨剧以前发生过，而你们想阻止它。”
“莉维娅比你想的更好，小猫。”瑞恩温柔地答道，“虽然费了些时间，但所有棋子都已就位。我们的圆满结局，终于触手可及了。”
“我能帮忙吗？”
“能，不过我不会骗你，在大功告成之前，我们多半得跟你父母、你教父，还有几十个反派干上一架。这会是一场连续打Boss的车轮战，其中一半都是你的熟人。你最好把爪子磨快些。”
“好在我认识的人，我几乎全都讨厌。”菲利克斯目光坚定，“在哪儿报名？”
潜艇离海岸越来越近，亮光愈发耀眼，空气里弥漫起烟味。
“等等。”菲利克斯皱着眉头说，“不太对劲。”
瑞恩也注意到了。那鲜亮的色彩，那映在海岸上空云层里的光。他以前已经见过两次这幅景象，相同的事件一次又一次重演。
那不是奢华赌场的灯光，而是熊熊火光。
新罗马正在燃烧，瑞恩对此只有一句话。
“又来？！”