Beyond The Impossible

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

Two women are looking at Noriko Null through the window, and although they’re from the same planet they couldn’t be more different. Kari Zel is biting her nails, worrying about her friend, while Ganos Lal is calmly reciting her prayer.

<Mortal Goddess, harbinger of justice, hallowed be your name. Mortal Goddess, harbinger of…>

<You have got to be kidding me! That’s a prayer to Demeter!> Kari exclaims.

<No, it isn’t. It’s a prayer to Null.>

<Yes it is! You just changed “mother” to “mortal” and “harvest” to “justice”!!!>

<Why does that upset you, Zel? You no longer worship Demeter.>

<My parents were whipped to death to the sound of that prayer!>

<So were mine.>

Kari is having a hard time shutting up. She detests this woman, but this wouldn’t be the best time to punch in the face the Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Null. Especially since the doctor has just left Noriko’s room and is taking off his surgical mask.

<Well? Is she going to be alright?>

The doctor is in his late fifties and is widely known to be one of the very best physicians on the planet. But his attempt to minimize the situation isn’t very credible.

<We managed to stabilize her; I’ve never seen such an advanced case of Benign Cerebral Hypergrowth. Her brain’s regenerative abilities make it almost impossible to kill, but the rest of her body… hours of seizures are taking their toll.>

<But she’s going to be alright, isn’t it?> Kari asks again.

<To be honest, this is uncharted territory. Discharging so much electricity into her body should’ve collapsed her entire nervous system. Normally, I’d recommend a brain transplant, but in this particular case it’s not going to work. Her brain is growing new cells that are slowly replacing her spinal cord.>

<How is that even possible? I know her brain is special, but still…>

<Special? Ma’am, I’ve been a brain surgeon longer than you’ve been alive. If there’s one thing that I’m certain of, is that there isn’t a single human cell inside your friend’s head.>

On the other side of the window, Noriko Null is laying on the bed. Her body is twitching, and her mouth is constantly moving as she repeats the same words over and over.

<Build more gods… seal the edge of the universe… the stars are rebelling… build more gods…>

 

Pyongyang, North Korea

A few weeks ago, the world was shocked by the news of a military invasion of North Korea spearheaded by Japan and backed up by the United Nations. Then it was shocked even more when the dictatorship surrendered without much of a fight. The official story is that they decided to do this because they faced not only a superior military coalition, but because Japan and Russia deployed their superhuman agents, White Star and Red Star.

If they could see this room, they’d know something is up. Leiko Tanaka, Japan’s Minister of Defense, is listening to the reports of a dozen generals from several countries… and she’s the only one sitting down, while the others are giving their reports while kneeling before her.

Japanese, Russian, American and even North Korean generals, all speaking to her with the utmost reference. And she’s visibly enjoying every second of it.

<Very few insurgents remain outside of your command, Empress. We are having difficulty converting them to our cause> one of the Russians explains.

<Select one of our hospitals and have one of the insurgent groups under our command blow it up, then kill them. It will destabilize their popularity among the general populace> Leiko orders.

<Additional casualties would be troublesome. Domestic criticism of the invasion is increasing: the media is calling it unconstitutional> a Japanese general explains.

<Didn’t I order the Constitution to be amended months ago?> Leiko asks, raising her voice.

<You did, Empress, but there is considerable opposition.>

<Perhaps I should talk to the general public: I can be very persuasive when I… when I…>

She grimaces and takes her hand to the back of her head; she’s clearly in pain, and the generals don’t seem to know how to react to it.

<Leave. All of you, now> she orders, and there is simply no question whether to obey.

Only one man doesn’t leave the room, the only one who hasn’t spoken a word during the whole meeting. The only one with a katana strapped to his back: Black Knight, Leiko’s right-hand man.

<Should I call a doctor?> he asks in Japanese.

<Are you sure she’s still off the planet?> Leiko asks, moving her long black hair to expose a device attached to the back of her skull. The Neural Enslaver is still there, working as it should.

<Yes. Have you sensed Null’s return?>

<I heard her voice. And her words… “build more gods”. “Seal the edge of the universe”. I have heard those words before. My mother spoke them when her mind was overwhelmed by the Core.>

<What does it mean?>

<It means we are running out of time. Call the lab and tell them to recover the Core’s remains, then arrange a flight to Japan. I need to see my mother.>

 

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

Alexer Syzar and the young goddess Tyche are looking at the map of the galaxy; the Senate has sustained heavy damages, but the holographic projectors are still working.

<Are you absolutely sure this territory is secure?> Tyche asks, pointing at the area labeled “Mortal Republic”. It’s smaller than what was originally called Alliance, but it still comprises hundreds of star systems.

<Yes, the Guild hasn’t pushed its forces any further. Probably due to the Winter King’s defection.>

<I assume this is why there’s a sector called “Winter Kingdom” now?>

<We don’t know much about him, Tyche, but he seems to be very persuasive. Many planets have asked for his protection: they didn’t trust the Alliance, and now they don’t trust the Republic or the Guild. Diverting our attention towards Argos while they were attacked by the Guild didn’t help.>

<Do I hear regret in your voice, Syzar? You’re one of the few mortals that have the political power of a real god.>

<We always knew the Alliance wouldn’t last forever. We came very close to defeat this time; if it wasn’t for Null, we’d all be under Selene’s rule by now.>

<Don’t forget me. I helped> Tyche reminds him, smirking. She’d smile, but the bruise on her face caused by Selene is still hurting.

<Yes. Yes you did, in your own way> Syzar sighs.

There’s silence for a couple of minutes, as both the unlikely allies stare at the map.

<I have a proposition for you> Tyche finally says.

<I was wondering how long it’d take.>

<Your forces are stretched too thin. Even assuming the Winter King is still an ally, you can’t deal with the Guild, the Talos and my family at the same time. We both know there are many planets that simply won’t follow a mortal, no matter how many gods Null kills.>

<You want me to cede Republic territory to a goddess!?>

<I deserve my own kingdom, Syzar. I will have it, one way or another. And right now, Null is in no condition to stop me… in fact, she may need years to get back on her feet.>

<Don’t underestimate her. Your father did, and look what happened to him.>

<I’m nothing like Hermes> Tyche retorts angrily; the flaming halo floating over her head burns hotter for a moment, before returning to its natural state.

<I’ll throw in a gesture of cooperation, Syzar. Give me my kingdom, and I will cure Null; I think it’s a fair proposal, don’t you?>

Alexer Syzar stares at the galaxy map. Every point of light is a star system… billions of lives.

There’s really only one decision he can make.

 

Max Black a.k.a. Quantum washes his face with ice cold water, then looks at his reflection. Even at his worst drunk he’s never looked this exhausted.

Someone knocks at the door, and he reflexively puts on his mask; he’s not concerned about his secret identity on another planet, but habits die hard. It’s just Vesta, though, who looks sunny as always despite having her right arm kept in its place by a sling.

<Hi. How are you feeling?>

<I’ll be fine. Selene scattered my particles across half the continent, it took a lot of effort to return human again. How’s the arm?>

<I’m not sure, I’ve never dislocated my shoulder before. It’ll probably heal in a few days.>

<Good. So… should we talk about what happened with Selene?>

<She’s really dead. I… I checked> Vesta answers; Selene might have been a distant cousin she hated, but it’s still unnerving for her to talk about the death of an immortal.

<That’s not what I mean. We have to talk about Null.>

<Tyche thinks she can heal her, everything’s going to be fine Max.>

<Is it? Look, we all knew Selene was dangerous, but we had a plan. A plan that Null threw out of the window; she almost had us all killed.>

<That’s not fair. She was trying a different approach.>

<She got cocky and tried to fight a goddess on her own. It’s not the first time, she pulled the same exact s#it with Hermes and she almost got killed. This is the second time she gets lucky.>

<Okay, I’ll admit some of her actions have been… questionable lately. But she’s… I mean, she’s Noriko! Do you really want to second guess the world’s smartest person?>

<Even smart people make mistakes, Vesta. And when the stakes are so high, a lot of people can get hurt very easily.>

<So what are you suggesting? Some sort of mutiny?>

<We need to take a more active role in the Vanguard’s leadership. We can’t just go along with whatever Noriko decides while we both have doubts about her mental and physical state.>

<That’s… wow, that’s not something I’d expect from you, Max. This isn’t just about Selene, right?>

<Noriko’s not been herself since we returned from Hell. I mean, Leiko takes over North Korea and she basically orders us to stand down? You know something’s up with that. I’m not saying her personality disorder is acting up again, but she definitely needs our help.>

<I guess you’re right. I don’t like it, Max, but we should do more to support her. Why don’t we go see how she’s doing?>

<One last thing. This Tyche… I don’t trust her. She reminds me of her father Hermes.>

<I don’t trust her either, but I’m willing to give her a chance. I know something about having a terrible father, believe me…>

 

Medical bay

Under the vigilant eye of Kari, Tyche is studying Noriko. She placed her hand on the girl’s forehead, while Noriko keeps repeating the same words:

<Seal the edge… seal the edge… the edge of the universe…>

<Well? What’s wrong with her?> Kari asks impatiently.

<She’s overloaded. The God Eraser is a very high voltage device, too much for her nervous system.>

<Can you cure her?>

<Of course. I’m the daughter of Aphrodite, the human body has few secrets for me. But even her brain has its limits: if she tries to fire the God Eraser again, it will definitely kill her.>

Noriko opens her eyes, which release bolts of lightning that seem to take revenge on the nearby medical equipment. Tyche doesn’t budge, as if she knew what direction the bolts would take.

With sparks flying everywhere, Noriko takes a deep breath and sits on the bedroom, looking around. She’s visibly tired, but that’s the extent of the visible effects on her.

<Did I miss anything?> she asks.