同章对照

New Rome looked gorgeous from above.

The city breathed life. Millions of people returned from work as the sun started vanishing beyond the horizon, like the blood cells of a giant organism. The lights of casinos’ neon signs and street lights formed a sea of light, some red, others green, and all the other colors of the rainbow in between. The whole place smelled of sin, but most importantly, it smelled of life. New Rome rivaled the greatest Old World metropolises in size, making it the New World’s lighthouse. It was a beacon of hope for mankind, the promise of a bright future where humans would rise from their own ashes and rebuild.

Ryan couldn’t let this city die. Yet already a virus was at work, insidiously infecting thousands of Genomes, laying the ground for a worldwide pandemic. And though he had the cure safely contained in his Saturn armor’s backpack, dealing with this disaster would only summon another.

“We’re in position,” Ryan declared through his armor’s intercom. Livia was playing with her own new Opis armor in the clouds to his left. “Waiting for the signal, buddy.”

Two video feeds appeared inside his helmet, one projected on each lens. The left one came from Shortie’s own power armor, as she, Enrique, and a group of Private Security bodyguards climbed the lift to Lab Sixty-Six; the right one showed Felix, Wyvern, and half of Il Migliore waiting in front of Hector Manada’s mansion. The latter feed was of a poorer quality, as a Dynamis camera drone provided it.

“We’re ready to move in too,” Felix said, before turning at his teammate. Wyvern nodded as she took flight, followed by Devilry, while Reload and Wardrobe remained on the ground. Even a poor feed couldn’t ruin her in Ryan’s eyes; her law enforcement costume was the acme of chic.

“Oh, oh, can I wear the Chuck Norris costume?” Wardrobe asked with enthusiasm. “I feel this is now or never!”

“Another time,” Wyvern replied with a chuckle, before touching her earcom. “Enrique?”

“Go ahead with the arrest,” the CBO answered as his group reached the entrance of Lab Sixty-Six. Enrique bypassed the biometric defenses, allowing his team to move inside the dreaded Knockoff production facility. “Romano, you can start anytime.”

“Are you sure your men are loyal?” Ryan asked. “I mean, they’re called the Private Security. They don’t work for the public good.”

“I hand-picked this strike force myself, and I would trust them with my life,” the corporate hero replied. “It’s not for my life you should worry. Your job is the most dangerous one.”

Well, Ryan had a lot of experience with A-bombs. “You’re sure Fat Man will learn of this raid?”

“Certain. He has moles inside this building, and an alarm system to inform him of any breach of Lab Sixty-Six he didn’t authorize himself. When he returns to New Rome, his rage will know no bounds.”

Well, that explained how Fallout managed to respond so quickly to Ryan’s raid during his Meta-Run. However, the living nuclear disaster had already moved to the city at that time, while he should be in Sicily right now.

Enrique marked a short pause, as if reconsidering the plan. “Are you certain you and Miss Augusti can handle my brother on your own? He fought your girlfriend’s father, and walked away alive.”

Ryan chuckled. Was there a hint of concern he detected in his voice? “I never said my girlfriend was an Augusti…”

“You’re not the only one with an information-gathering apparatus, Quicksave. Though yours trumps mine by a wide margin, I will grant you that.” The manager cleared his throat. “You understand that I’m taking a huge risk by trusting you on this, and I expect a show of goodwill.”

“I’m not going to kill your brother, don’t worry.” Though they might have to redraw the map by the time they were done. “I’m all for nuclear energy… but only for peaceful purposes!”

“Good,” Enrique replied, his tone suddenly much less friendly. “Because otherwise, all I can say is that you will never see me coming.”

“Well, if your shiny big brother kills me, could you do the floral arrangement for my funeral?” Ryan asked. “Surprise me.”

“I will bring lilies and carnations.”

“By now, you should know I’m a flytrap guy,” Ryan replied.

However, before moving on with the plan, the courier contacted his sister through a private line. Stitch had removed the infectious Bloodstream agent in Len’s blood, so she shouldn’t transform even in close proximity to her father, but still... “You’re sure you want to go alone, Shortie?”

“Yes, Riri,” she answered before gathering her breath. “I… I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Support me. But in this case… in this case, I need to do it on my own.”

“I understand,” he replied, watching them enter Dr. Tyrano’s lair. The good reptilian doctor was typing on a computer in the room where Ryan’s team fought Alphonse Manada in a previous loop. The clones of Il Migliore’s members floated in advanced mechanical vats, their body fluids extracted to create Knockoff Elixirs.

“Sir?” Tyrano rose up from his seat and hastily covered his computer’s screen. Shortie’s feed caught a file’s title before he managed to do so, ‘Monster Girl Project: Test Log.’ “I didn’t expect you today.”

“No, you didn’t,” Enrique replied, hands behind his back like a corporate supervillain.

Len’s gaze, and the video feed, lingered on the clones in the pods. Quite a few members of Enrique’s escort lowered their laser rifle weapons at the sight. “Holy…” One of Enrique’s guards said, before noticing Wyvern’s scaled double. “Is that Wyvern? Did we grow her in a lab?”

“Wait, are we clones too?” another soldier in power asked. “Is that why we’re paid so little? Because we were programmed to shut up from birth?”

“No, you aren’t paid much because my father is trying to cut corners,” Enrique replied dryly. “You would have been paid half as much if he had had his way. I covered the difference from my own pocket.”

“Still, you’re sure you want us to film this, sir?” A Private Security member asked, anxious. “If the world learns we’re doing this kind of stuff behind closed doors...”

“I know, but it has to be done,” Enrique said with a sigh, before glancing at Tyrano. “Pack your things, Doctor. We’re terminating the Knockoff program.”

“What?” Dr. Tyrano choked at this. “But sir, you can’t! I received no order from management!”

“I can, and I will. As for management, we’re currently facing some turnover.”

“Your brother will kill us all if he knows!” Dr. Tyrano kept protesting, before clarifying his fear. “He’s going to kill me for letting you in.”

Enrique didn’t flinch. “I will take responsibility for Alphonse and assume responsibilities for my actions today. You have nothing to fear, doctor.”

“It doesn't help! I can’t let you do—”

Four laser rifles’ red pointers aimed at his head, and a fifth between his legs. The scientist quickly raised his hands in surrender.

“Boris, how many times will I have to tell you,” Enrique told one of his bodyguards with exasperation. “Not the nuts.”

“He’s keeping a secret weapon there, sir,” the guard defended his choice of target, which Ryan found the wisest of them all. “I can feel it in my bones.”

“In any case, Doctor, we have ample proof that this project will lead to a disaster. If I were you, I would worry more about the weapons pointed at you than my brother’s wrath.” Enrique turned to his men. “Put up the explosives. I want nothing on this floor to remain usable. Sabino and I will deal with… with the source of it all.”

Ryan could almost see Len flinch behind the camera, but she followed without a word as Blackthorn and Tyrano entered Bloodstream’s room.

And then, she saw what remained of her father.

Ryan couldn’t help but shudder upon seeing him through the video feed. The alien creature Bloodstream had become floated helplessly inside a large, reinforced glass container; its body bloody red, and its all-too-human eyes glancing at Len. Could it still recognize her, even without the infectious agent in her body?

“Father…” Len put a hand on the glass, her voice breaking. She faced the creature’s countless eyes, none of them showing intelligence. “Do you… do you recognize me?”

Silence answered, and Len lowered her head in despair.

Ryan gave his sister some privacy and switched to the other feed. By now, Wyvern’s group was already confronting Hector Manada in his garden. The old chairman of Dynamis had been busy working on his roses when the superheroes surrounded him. His bodyguards had hands on their laser rifles.

“What is the meaning of this?” Hector asked, immediately realizing something was wrong.

Wyvern wasted no time in laying down the law. “Hector Manada, you are under arrest for human experimentation, drug fraud, bioterrorism, funding organized crime, weapon trafficking, and virtually every medical crime private courts have a provision for.”

“Add crimes against fashion!” Wardrobe added, looking judgmentally at the chairman’s dirty shirt and pants. “That outfit is hideous!”

“Arresting me?” Hector asked, more shocked than afraid. “I sign your paychecks.”

“We’re doing this pro-bono,” Felix said with a shrug.

Wyvern handed her former CEO a paper document. “Here is our mandate.”

Hector’s expression deflated as he read. “This is Enrique’s signature,” he said, his voice breaking. “My own son…”

“And the board’s,” Wyvern added, pointing at other signatures. “We have overwhelming evidence that you funded and armed the Meta-Gang, making you an accomplice to their crimes, and poisoned the Knockoff Elixirs with a Psycho’s biological agent. Either would be grounds for summary execution, but we believe in the rule of law. If you surrender without a fight, you will be entitled to a fair trial.”

“A fair trial? I run this city!” The chairman ground his teeth, before glancing at the other members of Il Migliore. “Devilry, Reload—”

“Sorry, ex-boss,” Reload interrupted him with a hint of disgust. “I can’t close my eyes on something this big, even for a billion euro. It’s Lex Luthor-level shit.”

“I don’t care much either way,” Devilry said bluntly. “But you ain’t solvent anymore.”

Hector clenched his jaw, observed the determined heroes facing him. His bodyguards looked ready to open fire. “Are you really going to try fighting us?” Felix asked, before pointing at Wyvern. “We’ve got a dragon.”

The bodyguards exchanged glances, realized they weren’t paid enough to die for a corrupt billionaire, and lowered their weapons.

Hector looked ready to protest, but by now realized that he was only one man facing the powerful superheroes he had spent millions recruiting. “I’m calling my lawyers,” he said, giving up without a fight.

“Of course,” Wyvern replied, unimpressed. “Wardrobe, if you would.”

Wardrobe manifested handcuffs out of thin air. “You have the right to remain silent, criminal scum!”

“You’ve condemned this city,” Hector said with vindictiveness, as Wardrobe put handcuffs on him. “My elder son will take over now, and there will be blood in the streets. You will see. After me, the flood.”

“Don’t push it, Louis XVI,” Felix replied, as he and Reload dragged the chairman outside his property. “You deserve the guillotine.”

“Louis XV!” Ryan complained through his private line with Livia, furious at his kitten’s error. “This is a reference to Louis XV, not Louis XVI! Livia, how could you date this uncultured bore?!”

“Let him eat cake,” Livia replied, before emerging from a cloud in her full, red glory. The Opis armor fit her even better than Ryan thought. Its sleek crimson steel espoused her form like a second skin, while her retractable tentacles waited for activation. She had a hard time managing her jetpack though.

“Marry me, ma bourgeoise,” Ryan asked playfully.

“Mmm, maybe later,” she replied with the same tone, this time close enough that the courier could hear without the intercom. “So? Do we start now?”

“One second,” Ryan said, as he switched to Len’s feed. He wanted to witness this, and to offer words of comfort to his sister.

Len had stopped mourning her father, and instead moved to the control panel overseeing the creature’s prison. Enrique and Dr. Tyrano stood nearby, observing her; the former with guilt and compassion, the latter with curiosity. “What are you doing?” the reptilian Genius asked his underwater counterpart.

“Trying… one last thing,” Len said, before introducing a bottled, chemical agent through a hole in the control panel. The machinery transferred the rainbow-colored substance into Bloodstream’s prison.

This cure, developed through their group’s research into the Psycho condition and Mongrel’s power, should in theory restructure Bloodstream’s genetic code and make him human again. This was the last hope of a despairing daughter to save the father she had loved.

But…

Some things couldn’t be changed, no matter how one tried. Ryan knew that all too well.

“It’s not working…” Len lamented, as the red blob absorbed the substance without changing back. The creature had mutated too much, halfway transforming into a denizen of the higher colored dimensions. The monster of Ryan’s childhood had become something beyond human, beyond reason. “It’s not working.”

She didn’t sound angry, or even surprised.

Just sad.

The father she had loved was long dead, and would never come back.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan apologized. Though he felt nothing but disdain for Bloodstream, he understood his adoptive sister’s palpable sorrow.

“I knew it.” He could sense the sob she struggled to suppress. “I knew it before I tried, Riri. But… but I still hoped.”

“What will you do now?” Enrique asked. Somehow, Ryan had the feeling he wouldn’t interfere, no matter what Len chose. He probably believed, much like the courier, that a daughter was entitled to deciding her father’s fate.

Len’s voice turned deeper, firmer. She had moved from denial and bargaining to acceptance. “What needs to be done.”

Ryan watched, as she slowly started activating Tyrano’s failsafe.

The good doctor quickly tried to protest. “Sir, there will never be another Genome with this exact power combination,” the Genius pleaded with his superior. “Its destruction will ruin years of research.”

“We have other means to make your dream a reality, doctor,” the CBO replied, looking at Bloodstream. “Methods that won’t compromise our conscience.”

Ryan half-expected Dr. Tyrano to fight back, but the reptile was no combatant, and the promise of being allowed to continue working on his dream of dinosaurhood mollified him.

When all that stood between Bloodstream and destruction was Len’s finger, his daughter sighed, and looked at her sire one last time. Perhaps she remembered all the good times she shared with him, as well as the bad, before taking her final decision.

“Goodbye, Father,” Len said with sorrow.

Shortie pushed the button, and sprinklers flooded Bloodstream’s container with chemicals.

Without the added strength of Len’s blood agent to make Bloodstream immune to it, Dr. Tyrano’s security system worked as advertised. His cure destroyed the monster’s cells, grinding them down into formless organic goo. The red alien shoggoth Freddie Sabino had turned into slowly started turning white, its eyes losing their colors. The creature didn’t even seem to suffer.

This was euthanasia, plain and simple.

Ryan knew he should have felt happy and relieved. He had longed for his adoptive father’s demise, hated him with all his heart. He had nursed that grudge like a worm in an apple.

But now, as he watched Len silently put a hand against the glass as life left the creature, the courier could only share some of her sorrow. Though Ryan knew him, there was a good man inside that thing once. A father lost to madness and the Alchemist’s cruel disregard for life.

And now, that man would only live in his daughter’s memories.

“Whatever happens, I will always be there for you,” Ryan promised his sister. He wanted to be in the same room as her, to hold Len in his arms and comfort her one last time. “You’re not alone.”

“I… Me too, Riri. I’ll always be there.” Len cut the video feed, though her voice kept echoing through the communicator. “But… not today. Leave me alone a moment with him. Please.”

Ryan cut the communication, focusing on the moment. Livia had great difficulty remaining stationary, instead making ridiculous figures in the air. “Are you done struggling to fly straight?” the courier asked, before frowning behind his helmet. “Unless you’re trying to cheer me up?”

“A bit of both,” she replied while stabilizing her flight somewhat. “Seeing alternate selves learning how to pilot does not equal gaining their skill. How did you end up learning how to pilot a flying suit?”

“I don’t remember, to be honest,” Ryan admitted. “I mastered jetpacks like, three hundred years ago.”

“Is there a skill you haven’t mastered?”

“Ice-skating.” This made her laugh. “Miss Augusti, do you know how to skate on ice and snow?”

“I do,” his girlfriend replied playfully. “And I could teach you… if you promise to cheer up.”

Ryan looked in the direction of Dynamis’ HQ. “I am cheering up.”

“Ryan…”

“I don’t know,” the courier replied. “I’ve hated him with all my heart. Wished him dead. I should feel joy and closure, not… not this.”

A huge burden had been lifted off from his shoulders, yet it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I guess I feel sad for Len and it bleeds through.”

His words didn’t fool Livia “I don’t think so, Ryan. I think you feel pity for her father, because you understand that unlike the likes of Adam, he didn’t choose to become what he was. A part of you truly wanted to see him cured.”

Ryan remembered one of Bloodstream’s rants, when he had caught his daughter taking her Elixir. The Psycho had said that he took two potions to better protect her in a hostile world, and these words had stayed with his adoptive son years afterward.

Maybe she had a point. A part of him still pitied Freddie Sabino for making an uninformed choice for selfless reasons, and paying the price since. He had moved beyond his burning hatred for his adoptive father, and found some embers of compassion left.

“But if my words can’t cheer you up,” Livia said, shyly moving her hands behind her back. “How about... we dance?”

“A dance?” Ryan asked, surprised by the offer.

“I like dancing,” his girlfriend admitted. “But I’ve never tried with a partner I can’t guess the steps of. Besides, we only have very little time left.”

Alphonse was on the way.

“Here’s my offer.” Ryan extended his hand at her, eager to take his mind off Bloodstream’s death. “I teach you how to dance in the skies, and you train me for the winter Olympics.”

“That depends.” She giggled. “Are you a good dancer, Mr. Romano?”

Oh, she dared challenge him? “The very best,” Ryan replied, taking her hand into his own. “Like no one ever was.”

And so, they waltzed in the skies.

As the couple made circles in the skies above New Rome, their armors’ backpacks opened and released a green dust upon the city below. The wind carried it like pollen, spreading this strange cure to the population.

Unknown to all, a new, friendly virus had infected New Rome’s population. One that would destroy all traces of Dynamis’ Knockoffs in people’s blood, purifying them. Many would-be Genomes would wake up tomorrow morning far more human than the day before. They would probably curse Ryan, unaware of the grim fate they had been spared from… unaware that they spread the cure each time they breathed. On the ground, Ryan’s other allies distributed the cure from high positions, or even through the city’s water system.

In weeks, all of Europe would have caught the Cure Flu, exorcising Bloodstream’s ghost from the population.

The courier relished in his armor’s smooth controls and speed, as he and Livia spread the cure to Rust Town, the Augusti’s territories, and the city’s center. Thanks to data gathered in the Alchemist’s lab, Ryan had added quite a few surprises to his suit.

Among other upgrades, he had combined the Fisty brothers to the gauntlets, which now included a Red Flux shockwave projector based on Bianca’s power. A Blue Flux-powered computer all but eliminated lag time inside the armor, making the armor move like a second skin. Orange Flux would reinforce the shielding in a pinch, and Green Flux would heal Ryan if he suffered internal injuries. Yellow Flux should provide a defense against conceptual attacks, and White Flux made them all work harmoniously.

Six Flux-based batteries, one for each color except Ryan’s Violet, provided the energy inside his backpack. Without his many allies to generate the necessary Flux, this upgrade would have been impossible. From the Panda to Jerome, and even Shortie, everyone had contributed.

Last but not least, Shortie had included a miniaturized version of Dynamis’ Gravity Gun in his chest. Ryan intended to keep that trump card a secret until the time came to send Lightning Butt to a retirement home.

He hoped it would make a difference in the fight to come.

“He’s here, Ryan,” Livia warned, as she ended the dance.

Already? How? Even if he had been warned as soon as Enrique set foot in Lab Sixty-Six, no plane or helicopter could fly all the way from Sicily in such a short amount of time.

Ryan realized his mistake, as he noticed a bright red star appearing right above the twilight sun. His armor’s camera quickly provided a larger image, showing a titan of black metal propelled by a wave of Red Flux.

Alphonse ‘Fallout’ Manada had ridden the atom all the way to New Rome.

“Anxious?” Livia asked, as the red star became brighter and brighter.

“A bit,” Ryan admitted. “Last time we fought, he killed my entire team.”

“But you didn’t have me. Without false modesty, the two of us together?”

Livia put a hand on her waist, and adopted a fabulous pose worthy of a gangstar.

“We’re invincible."

从高空俯瞰，新罗马美不胜收。

这座城市的每一次呼吸都充满生机。太阳渐渐隐没在地平线后，数百万人下班归家，宛如一个庞大生命体内流动的血细胞。赌场的霓虹招牌与街灯汇成光海，有红有绿，还有其间虹彩般缤纷的颜色。整座城都散发着罪恶的气息，但更重要的是，那也是生命的气息。新罗马的规模足以媲美旧世界最伟大的都市，是新世界的灯塔。它为人类点亮希望，许诺一个光明的未来：人类终将从自身的灰烬中崛起，重建一切。

瑞恩不能让这座城市死去。然而，一种病毒已经开始发作，悄无声息地感染了成千上万的基因者，为一场席卷全球的大流行埋下祸根。治愈药剂虽已妥善封装在他的萨图恩装甲背包里，可解决这场灾难，只会招来另一场。

“我们就位了。”瑞恩通过装甲的通讯器说道。左侧的云层里，莉维娅正摆弄着她那套崭新的奥普斯装甲。“就等你的信号了，老兄。”

头盔里浮现出两路视频，分别投射在左右镜片上。左边的画面来自小矮个的动力装甲：她、恩里克和一队私人安保队护卫正乘电梯前往六十六号实验室。右边则是菲利克斯、双足飞龙以及半数至优者成员，他们正在埃克托·马纳达的宅邸前等候。后一路画面由迪纳米斯的一架摄像无人机传回，画质稍差一些。

“我们也准备好行动了。”菲利克斯说完，转头看向队友。双足飞龙点点头，腾空而起，邪魔紧随其后，读档和衣橱则留在地面。在瑞恩眼里，哪怕画质再差，也掩不住衣橱的风采；她那身执法人员制服简直时髦到了极点。

“哦，哦，我能穿查克·诺里斯那套吗？”衣橱兴冲冲地问。“我觉得机不可失，时不再来！”

“下次吧。”双足飞龙轻笑着答道，随后碰了碰耳边的通讯器。“恩里克？”

“执行逮捕。”首席品牌官答道，此时他那一队已抵达六十六号实验室入口。恩里克通过生物识别防线，带着队伍进入了那座可怕的仿制灵药生产设施。“罗马诺，你随时可以开始。”

“你确定手下都忠心可靠？”瑞恩问，“我是说，他们叫私人安保队，又不是为公众利益服务的。”

“这支突击队是我亲自挑选的，我愿意把命交给他们。”这位企业英雄答道。“你该担心的不是我的命。你的任务才是最危险的。”

这个嘛，瑞恩跟原子弹打交道的经验可丰富得很。“你确定胖子会知道这次突袭？”

“确定。他在这栋楼里安插了眼线，还设有报警系统。任何未经他本人授权闯入六十六号实验室的行为，都会通知他。等他回到新罗马，一定会怒不可遏。”

难怪在走超能帮路线的那一轮，辐尘能那么快赶来应对瑞恩的突袭。不过，那时这场活生生的核灾难已经搬到城里了，而现在他应该还在西西里岛。

恩里克停顿片刻，像是在重新考虑这个计划。“你确定你和奥古斯蒂小姐两个人就能对付我哥哥？他跟你女朋友的父亲交过手，而且活着回来了。”

瑞恩笑了起来。他是不是从那声音里听出了一丝担忧？“我可从没说过我女朋友姓奥古斯蒂……”

“快存，有情报网络的不止你一个。不过我承认，你的远胜于我的。”主管清了清嗓子。“你应该明白，在这件事上信任你，我承担了巨大的风险。我也希望你拿出诚意。”

“我不会杀你哥哥，放心吧。”不过，等他们打完，说不定得重画地图。“我完全支持核能……但仅限和平用途！”

“很好。”恩里克答道，语气突然不再那么友善。“否则，我只能告诉你，等我出手，你绝不会有半点预警。”

“好吧，万一你那位闪闪发亮的大哥杀了我，能请你替我的葬礼做花艺布置吗？”瑞恩问，“给我点惊喜。”

“我会带百合和康乃馨。”

“认识这么久，你该知道我喜欢捕蝇草了。”瑞恩答道。

不过，在继续执行计划之前，快递员先通过私人频道联系了妹妹。斯蒂奇已经清除了蕾恩血液里血流留下的感染因子，所以即使靠近父亲，她应该也不会变异，可他还是……“小矮个，你确定要一个人去？”

“确定，瑞瑞。”她回答，接着深吸了一口气。“我……我很感激你想做的事。想支持我。可这一次……这一次，我得自己来。”

“我明白。”他一边回答，一边看着他们走进提拉诺博士的巢穴。这位可敬的爬行动物博士正坐在电脑前打字，所在的房间，正是瑞恩的小队在之前一轮里与阿尔方斯·马纳达交战的地方。至优者成员的克隆体漂浮在先进的机械培养罐里，体液正被抽取出来，制成仿制灵药。

“先生？”提拉诺从座位上站起，急忙挡住电脑屏幕。小矮个的摄像头抢先捕捉到了一个文件标题：《魔物娘计划：测试日志》。“没想到您今天会来。”

“是啊，你没想到。”恩里克答道，双手背在身后，活像个企业超级反派。

蕾恩的目光停留在舱内的克隆体上，传回的视频也随之定住。恩里克的不少护卫看到这一幕，都放低了手里的激光步枪。“我的天……”其中一人喃喃道，接着注意到了双足飞龙那个浑身鳞片的复制品。“那是双足飞龙？她是我们在实验室里培育出来的？”

“等等，我们也是克隆人？”另一名身穿动力装甲的士兵问道。“所以我们工资才这么低？因为从出生起就被设定好要闭嘴？”

“不是。你们工资低，是因为我父亲想能省则省。”恩里克冷淡地答道。“要是真按他的意思，你们拿到的还得再少一半。差额是我自掏腰包补的。”

“可您确定要我们把这些都拍下来吗，先生？”一名私人安保队员不安地问。“如果外界知道我们关起门来干的是这种事……”

“我知道，但必须这么做。”恩里克叹了口气，随后看向提拉诺。“收拾东西吧，博士。仿制灵药项目到此终止。”

“什么？”提拉诺博士被这话噎住了。“可您不能这样，先生！我没收到管理层的任何命令！”

“我能，也会这么做。至于管理层，我们眼下正在经历一些人事变动。”

“您哥哥知道了，会把我们全杀了！”提拉诺博士继续抗议，随后又说清了自己究竟怕什么。“他会杀了我，就因为我放您进来。”

恩里克毫不动摇。“阿尔方斯那边由我负责，今天的行为，责任也由我承担。你没什么好怕的，博士。”

“那也没用！我不能让您——”

四支激光步枪的红色瞄准光点对准了他的脑袋，第五个则落在他两腿之间。科学家立刻举手投降。

“鲍里斯，我还得说多少次？”恩里克恼火地对一名护卫说道。“别瞄准蛋蛋。”

“他在那里藏了秘密武器，先生。”护卫为自己的瞄准位置辩护，瑞恩倒觉得，这才是所有人里最明智的选择。“我骨子里就有这预感。”

“无论如何，博士，我们已经有充分证据证明，这个项目会酿成灾难。换作是我，比起哥哥发怒，我会更担心那些正对着自己的枪。”恩里克转向手下。“安放炸药。我要这一层楼里再也没有能用的东西。萨比诺和我去处理……处理这一切的源头。”

瑞恩几乎能看见镜头后的蕾恩瑟缩了一下，但她什么也没说，跟着黑棘和提拉诺走进了关押血流的房间。

随后，她看见了父亲如今剩下的模样。

隔着视频看见他，瑞恩还是忍不住打了个寒战。血流已经变成了一个异形生物，无助地漂浮在巨大的强化玻璃容器里；它浑身血红，朝蕾恩望来的那些眼睛却偏偏像极了人眼。即使她体内已经没有感染因子，它还认得她吗？

“爸爸……”蕾恩把一只手贴在玻璃上，声音哽咽。她面对着那生物无数只眼睛，可没有一只显露出神智。“你……你还认得我吗？”

回应她的只有寂静。蕾恩绝望地低下了头。

瑞恩想给妹妹留些私人空间，便切换到了另一路画面。此时，双足飞龙一行已经在花园里与埃克托·马纳达对峙。超级英雄们包围上来时，迪纳米斯的老董事长正在打理玫瑰。他的保镖都把手按在了激光步枪上。

“这是什么意思？”埃克托立刻察觉不妙，开口质问。

双足飞龙没有浪费时间，当即宣告执法。“埃克托·马纳达，你因涉嫌人体实验、药物欺诈、生物恐怖主义、资助有组织犯罪、武器走私，以及私人法庭条文涵盖的几乎所有医疗罪行，被捕了。”

“再加一条反时尚罪！”衣橱用挑剔的眼神打量着董事长脏兮兮的衬衫和裤子，补充道。“这身打扮简直丑死了！”

“逮捕我？”埃克托问道，震惊多过恐惧。“你们的工资支票是我签的。”

“这次我们免费服务。”菲利克斯耸耸肩。

双足飞龙把一份纸质文件递给她的前首席执行官。“这是我们的授权书。”

埃克托读着文件，脸上的气势一点点消失。“这是恩里克的签名。”他说，声音发颤。“我的亲儿子……”

“还有董事会的。”双足飞龙指了指其他签名，补充道。“我们有压倒性的证据，证明你出钱为超能帮提供资金和武器，是他们罪行的共犯，还把一种疯魔生物因子掺入仿制灵药里，下毒害人。任何一条都足以让你被就地处决，但我们信奉法治。如果你不作抵抗，乖乖投降，就有权接受公正的审判。”

“公正的审判？这座城是我说了算！”董事长咬牙切齿，转而看向至优者的其他成员。“邪魔，读档——”

“抱歉了，前老板。”读档打断他，语气里带着嫌恶。“这么大的事，就算给我十亿欧元，我也不能睁一只眼闭一只眼。这他妈都到莱克斯·卢瑟那个级别了。”

“这事本身我倒不怎么在乎。”邪魔直言不讳。“可你已经付不起钱了。”

埃克托咬紧牙关，打量着面前态度坚决的英雄们。他的保镖似乎随时准备开火。“你们真打算跟我们动手？”菲利克斯问，随后指向双足飞龙。“我们这边可是有条龙。”

保镖们交换了眼色，意识到自己挣的这点钱，还不够替一个腐败的亿万富翁卖命，于是放下了武器。

埃克托还想抗议，却终于意识到，自己不过是孤身一人，对面则是他花了数百万才招揽来的强大超级英雄。“我要给律师打电话。”他说，没有反抗便认了栽。

“当然。”双足飞龙不为所动。“衣橱，麻烦你。”

衣橱凭空变出一副手铐。“你有权保持沉默，犯罪败类！”

“你们毁了这座城。”衣橱给他戴上手铐时，埃克托怨毒地说道。“现在我大儿子会接管一切，到时候街上将血流成河。你们等着瞧吧。我死之后，哪管洪水滔天。”

“别得寸进尺了，路易十六。”菲利克斯回敬道，同时和读档一起把董事长拖出宅邸。“你就该上断头台。”

“路易十五！”瑞恩在与莉维娅的私人频道里抱怨，简直被自家小猫的错误气坏了。“这说的是路易十五，不是路易十六！莉维娅，你怎么能跟这么个没文化的闷货约会过？！”

“让他吃蛋糕去吧。”莉维娅答道，随后从云中现身，通体鲜红，光彩夺目。奥普斯装甲比瑞恩想象中更适合她。流线型的绯红钢甲如第二层皮肤般贴合着她的身形，伸缩触手则静待启动。不过，她操纵喷气背包时还是很吃力。

“嫁给我吧，我的资产阶级小姐。”瑞恩嬉笑着求婚。

“嗯，晚点再说吧。”她用同样的口吻回答。这次两人已靠得足够近，快递员不用通讯器也能听见她。“怎么样？现在开始？”

“等一下。”瑞恩说着，切回蕾恩的画面。他想亲眼见证这一刻，也想对妹妹说几句安慰的话。

蕾恩已不再为父亲悲泣，而是走向了控制那生物牢笼的操作台。恩里克和提拉诺博士站在一旁看着她；前者满怀愧疚与怜悯，后者则是好奇。“你在干什么？”爬行动物天才问他这位来自水下的同行。

“再试……最后一个办法。”蕾恩说着，将一瓶化学药剂从控制台的接口注入。机械装置把那虹彩般的物质输送进血流的牢笼。

这份解药是他们研究疯魔症与杂种的能力后研制出来的，理论上应该能重组血流的基因编码，让他重新变回人类。这是一个绝望的女儿，为拯救她深爱过的父亲而寄托的最后一丝希望。

但是……

有些事，无论怎么努力也无法改变。这一点，瑞恩再清楚不过。

“没用……”那团红色生物吸收了药剂，却没有变回原样，蕾恩不禁悲叹。它的变异已经太深，朝着更高层彩色维度中的生命形态转化了一半。瑞恩童年的怪物，已经变成了超出人类范畴、超出理智的存在。“没有用。”

她的声音里没有愤怒，甚至没有惊讶。

只有悲伤。

她深爱过的父亲早已死去，再也回不来了。

“对不起。”瑞恩轻声道。虽然他对血流只有鄙夷，却能理解义妹那真切得近乎有形的悲痛。

“我知道的。”他听得出她在拼命压抑哭声。“试之前我就知道了，瑞瑞。可是……可我还是抱着希望。”

“现在你打算怎么办？”恩里克问。瑞恩莫名觉得，不管蕾恩作何选择，他都不会干涉。大概他和快递员一样，认为女儿有权决定父亲的命运。

蕾恩的声音低沉下来，也坚定了起来。她已经走过否认与讨价还价，最终选择接受。“做必须做的事。”

瑞恩看着她缓缓开始启动提拉诺的应急保险系统。

那位好博士立刻试图抗议。“先生，再也不会有基因者拥有一模一样的能力组合了。”天才向上司恳求。“毁掉它，多年的研究就全完了。”

“我们还有别的办法让你的梦想成真，博士。”首席品牌官望着血流，回答道。“不用出卖良心的办法。”

瑞恩本以为提拉诺博士可能会反抗，但这只爬行动物不是战士，而且得到了还能继续追求恐龙之梦的承诺，他也就安分下来了。

血流与毁灭之间终于只隔着蕾恩的一根手指。这个女儿叹了口气，最后看了父亲一眼。也许在作出最终决定之前，她回想起了与父亲相处的所有时光，美好的，痛苦的。

“再见，爸爸。”蕾恩悲伤地说。

小矮个按下按钮，喷头涌出化学药剂，灌满了血流的容器。

没有蕾恩血液中的因子为血流增强力量、赋予免疫，提拉诺博士的安全系统发挥了宣称的效果。他的药剂摧毁了怪物的细胞，将其分解为不成形的有机黏液。弗雷迪·萨比诺化身而成的红色异形修格斯开始缓缓泛白，眼睛也失去了颜色。那生物似乎连痛苦都感觉不到。

这就是安乐死，仅此而已。

瑞恩知道，自己本该感到高兴，感到解脱。他曾盼着养父死去，满心满眼都是恨。他始终养着那份怨恨，任它如苹果里的虫子一样啃噬。

可现在，他看着蕾恩默默将手贴上玻璃，看着生命从那生物体内流逝，心中却只有与她相通的几分悲伤。哪怕瑞恩认识的是这样的他，那东西体内也曾有过一个好人。一位父亲，就这样毁在了疯狂之中，毁在了炼金术师对生命残酷的漠视之下。

从今往后，那个人只会活在女儿的记忆里。

“无论发生什么，我都会一直陪着你。”瑞恩向妹妹承诺。他多想此刻能和她待在同一个房间，把蕾恩抱在怀里，最后再安慰她一次。“你不是一个人。”

“我……我也是，瑞瑞。我会一直在。”蕾恩关掉了视频，但她的声音仍从通讯器里传来。“可是……今天不行。让我跟他单独待一会儿。求你了。”

瑞恩切断通讯，把注意力拉回当下。莉维娅怎么也悬停不住，反倒在空中划出各种滑稽的轨迹。“你还没学会怎么飞直线？”快递员问，随后在头盔里皱起了眉。“还是说，你想逗我开心？”

“两样都有一点。”她答道，总算稍稍稳住了飞行姿态。“看见其他可能里的自己学会驾驶，不等于我就有了她们的本事。你当初是怎么学会驾驶飞行装甲的？”

“说实话，不记得了。”瑞恩承认，“我学会用喷气背包，差不多是三百年前的事了。”

“还有你没学会的技能吗？”

“滑冰。”这回答逗笑了她。“奥古斯蒂小姐，你会滑冰和滑雪吗？”

“会呀。”女友俏皮地答道，“我也可以教你……只要你答应开心一点。”

瑞恩望向迪纳米斯总部的方向。“我心情已经好些了。”

“瑞恩……”

“我也不知道。”快递员答道，“我曾经那么恨他，盼着他死。我该高兴，该觉得一切终于了结了，而不是……不是现在这样。”

肩上巨大的重担终于卸下，却只在嘴里留下了苦涩。

“大概是我替蕾恩难过，自己也受了影响吧。”

这话骗不过莉维娅。“我不这么想，瑞恩。我觉得你是在怜悯她父亲，因为你明白，他跟亚当那种人不同，他并不是自己选择变成那样的。你心里有一部分，是真的希望他能被治好。”

瑞恩想起了血流的一次咆哮，那时他撞见女儿喝下了灵药。那个疯魔说，自己喝下两瓶药水，是为了在这个充满敌意的世界里更好地保护她。此后多年，这句话一直留在养子的心里。

也许她说得对。他心里仍有一部分在怜悯弗雷迪·萨比诺：出于无私的动机，在不知情的情况下作出选择，却从此一直为之付出代价。他已走出了对养父那炽烈的仇恨，发现其中还剩下几星怜悯的余烬。

“不过，要是我的话没法让你开心起来……”莉维娅说着，羞涩地将双手背到身后。“不如……我们跳支舞？”

“跳舞？”瑞恩有些意外。

“我喜欢跳舞。”女友坦言，“但我从没试过和一个我猜不到舞步的人一起跳。而且，我们剩下的时间不多了。”

阿尔方斯正在赶来。

“我提个条件。”瑞恩向她伸出手，急切地想把心思从血流的死上挪开。“我教你怎么在天空中跳舞，你负责训练我参加冬奥会。”

“那得看情况。”她轻笑起来。“你舞跳得好吗，罗马诺先生？”

哦，她竟敢质疑他？“天下第一。”瑞恩握住她的手，回答道，“前无古人。”

于是，他们在天空中跳起了华尔兹。

这对恋人在新罗马上空盘旋起舞，装甲的背包随之打开，向下方的城市撒下绿色粉尘。风将它们如花粉般带走，把这奇异的解药散播给城中居民。

无人知晓，一种全新的、友善的病毒已经感染了新罗马的居民。它会摧毁人们血液中迪纳米斯仿制灵药的一切残留，将其彻底净化。明天早晨，许多自以为是基因者的人醒来时，都会比前一天更接近普通人。他们大概会诅咒瑞恩，不知道自己躲过了怎样惨烈的命运……也不知道自己每一次呼吸，都在传播解药。地面上，瑞恩的其他盟友也在从高处散布药剂，甚至把它投进城市供水系统。

几周之内，整个欧洲都会染上这场治愈流感，驱除人群中血流的阴魂。

快递员与莉维娅一起，将解药撒向锈镇、奥古斯蒂的地盘，以及市中心，尽情享受着装甲流畅的操控与速度。凭借在炼金术师实验室收集的数据，瑞恩在装甲里添了不少惊喜。

各项升级中，他把拳头兄弟整合进了护手，里面如今还装有基于比安卡能力打造的红色通量冲击波发射器。一台以蓝色通量驱动的电脑几乎消除了装甲内部的响应延迟，让装甲活动起来如第二层皮肤般自如。紧要关头，橙色通量会增强护盾，绿色通量则会在瑞恩受内伤时进行治疗。黄色通量应当能够抵御概念性攻击，白色通量则让它们全都协调运作。

六块通量电池在背包内提供能源，除瑞恩自身的紫色外，每种颜色各一块。要是没有众多盟友帮忙生成所需的通量，这次升级根本不可能完成。从熊猫到杰罗姆，就连小矮个也出了力，人人都有贡献。

最后，还有同样重要的一项：小矮个在他装甲的胸口装入了微缩版迪纳米斯重力枪。瑞恩打算把这张王牌藏好，直到该送闪电屁股去养老院的时候。

他希望，这能在即将到来的战斗中发挥作用。

“他来了，瑞恩。”莉维娅结束舞蹈，发出警告。

这么快？怎么来的？就算恩里克一踏进六十六号实验室，他就收到了警报，也没有哪架飞机或直升机能在这么短的时间内从西西里岛一路飞过来。

暮色中的太阳正上方，出现了一颗明亮的红星。瑞恩看见它，才意识到自己错在哪里。装甲摄像头迅速放大画面，显出一尊黑色金属巨人，正被一股红色通量浪潮推向前方。

阿尔方斯·“辐尘”·马纳达驾驭着原子之力，一路冲到了新罗马。

红星越来越亮，莉维娅问道：“紧张吗？”

“有一点。”瑞恩承认，“上次交手，他杀光了我整支小队。”

“可你那时没有我。就不故作谦虚了，我们俩联手？”

莉维娅一手叉腰，摆出一个华丽的姿势，无愧于黑帮之星的风范。

“我们所向无敌。”