Null Technologies has a number of offices and facilities in New York; as the fastest growing brand in America, it’s to be expected.
What is not known by the general public is that underneath one of the warehouses there is an underground facility, completely sealed off from the surface, which has never seen a human life.
Until two streams of red energy slash through the rock and metal, piercing them with ease.
Torn lands in the dark room, holding in his hands the unconscious body of Noriko.
“You didn’t call your attack” she says through the Neural Transmitter.
“I only do that when I need to concentrate. This was easy” he thinks back.
“Easy? I specifically designed this room to be…wait. Don’t tell me that you scream the name of your attacks when it sounds cool”
“I won’t”
The rooms lights up, slowly, one neon lamp after the other. It’s far larger than Torn thought, large enough to house the thirty Nullbots that are pointing their weapons at him.
<Release the mistress> one of them orders.
Six energy sabers appear around Torn, ready to reduce the robots to a pile of thrash.
“Wait. Say out loud: activate Protocol 65, authorization 610DE737AB-NULL”
<Activate Protocol 65, authorization 610DE737AB-NULL> he repeats.
The Nullbots stand back. Only one of them approaches, holding out his arms and waiting for Torn to give him Noriko’s body.
“It’s alright. They can’t harm me”
Reluctantly, Torn leaves her in the custody of the faceless black robot made of black shiny metal.
The Nullbot quickly removes Torn’s duster from her body, but she doesn’t have to worry about modesty: black holographic censor bars are projected where needed.
The floor opens, each tile carefully rearranging itself until Noriko’s body can rest on an operating table. Small and precise metal arms come down from the ceiling, some of them assembling a band holding her head and others dressing her.
<Do you keep a spare set of clothing in all of your secret lairs?> Torn asks.
<I got tired of waking up naked> the closest Nullbot answers, helping the arms to put a pair of jeans on Noriko.
Torn raises an eyebrow.
<Yes, it’s Null in here. I transferred the communication channel through the Nullbot.>
<It’s not a good look for you. What are you doing?>
<Attempting a manual reset of my brain. When the negative drive activated it started to drain energy from the Nexus inside me; the Nexus compensated by overclocking itself. Quite fascinating.>
<It almost killed you> Torn recalls.
<Yes. But it also made me realize something.>
<What?>
<I am much smarter than I thought> the Nullbot says, opening in half its right arm to reveal the hidden circuitry.
The robot fires electricity at Noriko; Torn’s first instinct would be to stop it, but recalling what happened the last time he did that he decides to give her the benefit of the doubt.
This time, however, Noriko doesn’t shake uncontrollably. The electric field is carefully calibrated by the machinery before being fed to her brain.
The robotic arms of the automated assembly line move quickly to dismantle the Nullbot, taking out the micro-reactor from its chest and rapidly modifying it.
The lights flicker when Noriko opens her eyes again. She stands up, stumbling for a moment to readjust to the fact that the muscles in her legs are working again; the machines move to deliver something in her hand, when the lights go out permanently.
<Dead end> Torn comments.
Silver eyes flash in the darkness.
<Not necessarily. I had time to think.>
A thousand light-years away
The Relentless has just crossed the border of the Hephaestus Collective, something no sane person would do willingly. Unfortunately a Talos, one of the indestructible robots of the god of technology, has taken over the ship.
Elytra Elater, the Lampyrian captain of the ship and leader of the Hunters, is one of the survivors of the hijack. The robot has already killed everybody else on the bridge; a dozen ships were destroyed before the Talos even set foot on the Relentless.
<Why are you taking my crew to Hephaestus?> she asks.
<Correction. This unit is transporting you to the Vulcan Forge. Other organics who have not sworn allegiance to Hephaestus must be exterminated> the robot answers with its deep metallic voice, completely devoid of any emotion.
<I’ve already told you, we are worshippers of Artemis.>
<First Directive: all life must swear allegiance to Hephaestus or be exterminated. Second Directive: any artifact superior to Collective technology must be transported to the Vulcan Forge for direct study.>
<And what will happen to me?> Elytra asks; she cares for her crew, but she’s ready to escape and leave them at the robot’s mercy.
<That does not concern this unit. You will need to ask it to Hephaestus when you meet him.>
<You mean I’ll see him in person? He never meets mortals!>
<There have been new…developments.>
If Elytra didn’t know any better, she’d swear that the Talos hesitated for a fraction of a second before deciding what to say.
New York City
It’s been a long night. Every electrical device inside the negative field has failed, leading to hundreds of problems from traffic jam to medical emergencies.
Quantum’s been moving from place to place at the speed of light, doing whatever he can to help. Thousands of Kari duplicates have spread everywhere, carrying out all the menial tasks that would’ve otherwise distracted the rescuers. Vesta’s been literally doing the heavy lifting, flying ambulances and moving cars off the streets.
Null Tower is at the center of this chaos; cops have been keeping people away, but have yet to enter the building. Torn lands right there, carrying Noriko in his arms.
One of the cops is nervous enough to draw his gun and point at the red skinned man.
<Don’t> is all Torn has to say to make the cop take a step back. He did just watch Torn fall from a 100 feet drop after all.
It’s wasn’t exactly a soft landing, but Noriko’s still able to get her bearings and walk towards an officer she recognizes. Technically she recognizes all of them and could know within a second their full service record, but one catches her attention.
<Officer O’Malley. We met during the Talos attack, if you recall.>
<Kinda hard to forget, kid. That damn robot was wrecking the city until you stopped it.>
<I’m going inside the Tower now. I know you and your men are just doing your job, but please don’t make this more uncomfortable than it needs to be by trying to stop me.>
<Emphasis on “trying”> Torn highlights.
<I think we all owe her the benefit of the doubt, officer> Quantum adds, suddenly appearing by Noriko’s side. This time she doesn’t seem annoyed by it.
Officer O’Malley has seen up close what Null and Quantum can do, and he does owe her his life.
<Alright, you’ve got five minutes, but if anyone asks I tried to stop you guys.>
None of the other cops really want to get in Null’s way, and they just give the team some breathing room. Kari doesn’t waste any time, coming out of nowhere to hug Noriko.
<Don’t ever scare me like that again!!!> she exclaims.
<Did everybody make it out of the Tower?> Noriko asks, trying to get out of the energetic hug: not the best way to greet someone who just had a heart attack.
<Everybody’s fine, scared but fine> Kari reassures her.
<Everybody?> Noriko whispers.
<Your father too> Kari whispers back.
Quantum places a hand over Noriko’s shoulder, adding:
<So, any ideas on how to fix this mess? Please tell me you pulled some impossible tech out of your>
<Lab> Torn finishes the sentence.
Noriko comes very close to smiling: maybe Torn’s not as alien as he wants them to think.
<Kind of. It’s really simple: I discovered a way to use Olympian technology to access a parallel dimension of non-baryonic matter and a different fine-structure constant.>
<Yeah, I got that> Kari lies.
<The Negative Drive has opened a portal to another dimension, which I call the Null Universe.>
<Of course you do> Quantum comments, rolling his eyes.
<It’s a energy universe with a theoretically infinite storage capacity, and we all know what that means> she continues.
<Tell us anyway> Torn adds.
<It won’t stop absorbing energy. I can reverse the process, but I have to get close enough to attach this device to the Negative Drive> she explains, showing the heavily modified Nullbot reactor.
<It won’t blow us to kingdom come, right?> Quantum asks.
<It will activate the Drive for a fraction of a second, shifting it outside of the material universe. If I’m right, since the universe is expanding, once the Drive reappears in our universe it will be well outside Earth’s gravitational field.>
<“If you’re right”? That doesn’t sound like you> Quantum adds, suspiciously.
<Well…as far as I know, nobody’s ever been outside the universe before> Noriko shrugs.
<Little problem with that plan. Watch> Kari says, pointing at the Tower’s entrance: one of her duplicates appears in front of it, touches the door, and immediately disappears.
<I was afraid of this: the negative field is intensifying. It’s already strong enough to full absorb the virtual particles that make up your duplicates.>
<The what particles?> Kari asks, perplexed.
<Nevermind, remind me to explain you how your powers work. The only thing that can pass through the field at this point are tachyons. Quantum, the device should be small enough to be transformed into energy together with the clothes you’re wearing; you’ll need to get in, attach it to the Negative Drive, and get out. Questions?>
<I though tachyons were only theoretical> Quantum answers, leading to everyone staring at him like this is the strangest thing they’ve ever heard.
<What? I read> he shrugs, taking the device from Noriko’s hand and looking at it.
<This won’t explode, right?>
<Unlikely> Noriko reassures him, but she takes a step back anyway.
Without further ado, Quantum transforms his mass into what he guesses are tachyons: particles faster than light, the first thing he ever transformed into, even though he didn’t know at the time that they were tachyons. Everything around him is a still picture now. He knows he won’t be able to keep this form for long, and immediately flies through the building and right into Noriko’s lab.
One second later, the lights come back. Not only in Null Tower, but everywhere else in the city. There is an immense sigh of relief, followed by silence. It’s Noriko to break it:
<It worked. You know what that means? I just invented Earth’s first interstellar drive.>
<And you almost killed yourself and the rest of the planet to do it> Kari reminds her.
<I know. Nothing I can’t handle> Noriko answers with a creepy smirk.
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