Beyond The Impossible

Vesta’s been busy last month, more than the last two thousand years combined. She’s been flying from a crisis to another, helped by the fact that she can’t get tired.

This is the first time she’s had some time for herself. Legs crossed in the lotus position, floating a foot off the ground, looking at the ball of fire standing before her.

Someone knocks at the door.

<Hey Vesta, it’s Max. You got a minute?>

<Come in> she answers, somewhat surprised that Max has bothered to knock.

Max Black turns his body into x-rays, walks right through the door, and turns back into flesh and blood. This is the first time he’s been into Vesta’s apartment, so he looks around.

He’s seen hotel rooms that felt more alive than this: every single piece of furniture looks brand new and never used. There’s not a single personal object anywhere.

<Nice…nothing you’ve got here. Isn’t that thing a fire hazard?>

<I don’t own anything, Max, but I need some kind of fireplace to meditate. It won’t hurt anyone as long as I’m here.>

<Wait, did Greeks meditate?>

<I already told you I’m not Greek, I was just a Greek goddess for a while. I didn’t learn meditation until…well I think it was a thousand years ago or something like that. Do you need anything?>

<Actually, yeah. I wanted to talk about what happened on the Moon. That energy beam disintegrated me, right? Did you…well….>

<Did I resurrect you?> Vesta asks, since Max is having trouble asking the direct question.

<Ah, yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you that. I think I was kind of dead.>

<Probably. I just pulled your molecules back together.>

<You mean you don’t know!?>

<I’m just a goddess> Vesta shrugs.

Max is about to rebut, but he’s interrupted by an artificial female voice:

<Excuse me, miss Vesta. Your presence is required in the main laboratory.>

<I’ll be right on it, thank you> Vesta answers, putting her feet back on the ground and making the fire disappear.

<What the heck was that!?> Max asks.

<Oh that’s IRIS. Noriko installed her yesterday.>

<Really? She never tells me anything.>

<Your presence is required as well, mister Black. In case of sudden disappearance of the Mistress, I am programmed to gather the Vanguard immediately.>

<That makes sense. What’s a vanguard?> Max asks.

 

A few minutes later, Vesta is floating above Noriko’s clothes. They’re just laying on the floor, above the wires and cables connected to the Heart of the Universe.

<It was definitely her. Nobody else would even think about wearing that ugly green jacket. Do you have any idea about how this could’ve happened, Bob?>

<I’m not the brains in the family. She just touched the Heart and disappeared.>

<Maybe she’s still here. Maybe she’s just invisible> Max suggests, slowly lifting the jacket off the floor. A black T-shirt with the Ø symbol and a bra fall off.

<I guess not. What if she’s intangible?>

<You’re not helping, Max. Bob, we really want to find your daughter, by we have no idea where we should start.>

<Yes we do> Max corrects her, transforming his body into light and reappearing a fraction of a second later on the other side of the room to pick up a package.

<You said the Many came out of this thing, right? So whoever sent it is probably responsible.>

<It’s from her mother> Bob says.

There’s a few seconds of silence.

<I thought Noriko’s mother was dead> Vesta finally says.

<Leiko left immediately after Nori’s birth. Nori doesn’t know about it: Leiko’s family was powerful enough to erase all evidence; even the birth certificate shows a false identity. But that was before Nori became super-smart…she must’ve figured it out.>

<And where is this Leiko now?> Max asks.

<Miss Tanaka is currently hosting a fundraising party at Tokyo Imperial Hotel.>

<That’s all I need> Max replies before disappearing in a flash of light.

 

Tokyo Imperial Hotel

When he turns human again, Max would be impressed if he ever bothered to watch international news. Only the biggest names of Japan’s politics and finance are here, which means Max doesn’t recognize anybody.

He also doesn’t understand a single word anyone is saying, except the guys with sunglasses that are shouting orders and pointing guns. Bodyguards are the same anywhere.

<You sure know how to make an unnecessarily dramatic entrance>– are the first words that anyone says in English. Max turns to look at whoever said it, and his jaw almost hits the floor.

The woman is holding a champagne glass and is standing next to the Prime Minister. She’s wearing a black evening gown and she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

<I am Leiko Tanaka. How can I help you, Quantum?>

<We…we need to talk> he mumbles.

<Of course> she answers, then saying something in Japanese to the Prime Minister first and to the crowd later.

Nobody dares to say a word.

 

As Max follows Leiko, he finds it strange that nobody is following them. He’s concentrating on her, however; not only on the fact that she’s insanely hot, but that she doesn’t have the slightest trace of an accent when she speaks English.

<Some party you have there. What’s the occasion?>

<The Prime Minister will be re-elected tomorrow. You don’t know much about Japan, do you?>

<This is my first time here. But I have a feeling I’ve already seen you somewhere.>

<Probably last month when I met your President at the White House> she answers, using the same tone she’d use to give the time of the day.

<Yeah, I remember that! You’re the hot Asian chick who…>

Leiko turns to look him in the eye. She doesn’t move a muscle on her face, but it’s enough to send shivers down his spine.

<I mean, you’re the one who donated tons of money to the refugees of that nuclear accident, right?>

<Indeed I am. Luckily you weren’t around at the time, or I wouldn’t have been able to sabotage the power plant so easily.>

<You…you did what!?>

<I needed to discredit the Prime Minister and create a philanthropist image for myself.>

The two have reached the destination: an hotel room on the floor just beneath the party. Leiko doesn’t waste any time to complete her story, and Max is suddenly less interested in her body and more on watching his own back.

<The Prime Minister has a shot at re-election only because of my support. You probably don’t realize it but you’re quite big in Japan, Quantum. Just talking in public with a super-hero just boosted my favorability rating by at least twenty percent.>

<So what’s the plan? You want to be Prime Minister?>

Leiko smiles. It’s the scariest smile that Max has ever seen.

<Do you have any idea of how much power I’d have to give up to lead a country?>

<And what’s to stop me from telling all of this to the press?>

<The Core.>

<The whAAAAHH!!!> Max screams in pain, thanks to the energy blast that a floating metal sphere is using to confine him.

<Intriguing specimen> the sphere says with an unnaturally low voice.

<Scream all you want, Quantum. This room is completely soundproof; nobody will hear you.>

<He has been exposed to the energy of the Heart. Experimenting Drylon technology on lower life forms, what pitiful species. This abomination should be executed.>

<I want to talk to him, Core. But don’t let him get away. Not just yet.>

Max is crawling on the floor, feeling more pain that he’d thought possible. The Core is hitting him with some kind of energy that prevents him to turn into radio waves and escape.

Leiko sits down, crossing her legs. She looks like she couldn’t care less if Max died right now.

Luckily the Core tones down his attack, and the pain becomes slightly bearable.

<How did you find me?> she asks.

<You sent a package to Noriko. You tried to kill her.>

<My orders to the Many were simply to recover the Heart of the Universe. I take it she didn’t succeed.>

<Not a very original plan; the Many tried to kill us before and look how well that turned out.>

<It turned out perfectly, actually. The Many wasn’t under my command during your first encounter, but my operatives were able to recover samples from your fight. Fascinating organism, capable to recreate itself from a single cell. Extremely durable. Easily manipulated. And most importantly…it can operate the Heart of the Universe.>

<Why is that thing so freakin’ important!?>

<Ignorant savage. The Heart is the most powerful device on this pathetic planet. Only after I shared my knowledge with Leiko could she hope to rule the galaxy with it.>

<Core. Stop giving clues to the super-hero.>

<I think I get it now, Leiko. You didn’t care if Bob and Noriko had the Heart because you didn’t know how to use it. But now you want it for yourself.>

<Leiko should’ve stolen the Heart right after reproduction and slaughtered her offspring. A pity her father and my former master prevented her from doing so.>

<That’s enough, Core. Kill our guest, please.>

The intensity of the energy increases again, and so does the agony. Max is shaking violently, his skin on fire and his brain full of jackhammers. Leiko is still sitting, calm and collected, watching him die painfully.

<The Core is a living database of a dead alien race more powerful than any god. The Heart was their greatest weapon; you don’t even register on that scale. All these years Robert thought he was protecting our daughter, but he was only keeping an eye on the Heart for me. I offered Noriko a chance to continue her life in her blissful uselessness as long as she didn’t interfere with my plans. I offer you the same chance now.>

<Your…plan…sucks> is all Quantum is able to say through his teeth.

<Very well. I have uncovered enough Drylon technology to reverse engineer your powers from your dead body.>

<Reverse…this> Quantum answers, gathering all the strength in his body to grab the Core and throw it out of the window like a baseball.

Quantum stands proud in his energy form, ready for anything. Leiko stands up, fixing her long black hair.

<You should hurry. The Core can’t fly very fast, but it will be back soon.>

<Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell everything to the press and throw you in jail.>

<Nobody will believe you.>

<Nice try, but I’m pretty big in Japan remember? Gimme another one.>

<I know where your sister Kayla lives.>

Quantum clenches his fists, looking into Leiko’s cold eyes. And then he disappears in the blink of an eye, causing her to come very close to smiling.