After Athena’s gift, Noriko’s brain doesn’t need sleep anymore; since it’s powered independently from the rest of her body, theoretically it can work forever.
Her body and her mind are another story, which is why she’s fallen asleep on the golden throne of the Twin Dragon, the mothership stolen from Demeter.
She wakes up suddenly when something crashes into the ship so hard that Noriko falls from the throne. She’s still half asleep when she hears Max:
<This can’t be good.>
<That felt like we hit something> one of Kari’s duplicates says.
<In space!?> answers another.
<Report. Now> Noriko orders, getting back on her feet and fighting the urge to yawn.
Max disappears for a second, turning into x-rays and leaving the ship.
<There’s nothing out there> he says when turning back into human flesh.
<Can we run a diagnostic?> Null asks.
<I can’t understand what half of this thing is saying, what do you think?> Kari answers, pointing at the screen.
<We’re in dark space> Torn intervenes.
<Care to elaborate?> Null insists.
<Ships can’t fly here. Nothing moves faster than light in dark space.>
<Nothing moves faster than light anywhere> Noriko states.
<Says the girl who hijacked a spaceship> Max objects.
<Alright, point taken. Kari, have Vesta translate what the ship is saying. Max, go back outside and explore the nearest light-minute, I want to make sure we’re really alone out here. Torn, you’re with me: I want to see if our “guest” has any clue about our situation.>
Deck 7
Talas Khanos is sitting in his prison, waiting. He’s so freakishly tall that he can look Noriko in the eye when she’s standing up.
<I see you brought your butcher with you. Finally found the guts to kill me?>
<Just wait> Torn teases him.
<Consider yourself lucky, Khanos; if I’d left you on Myridia you’d be in much, much worse conditions. I believe you know too much to be left out of my sight> Noriko explains.
<In other words, you need me.>
<The first Oracle I met described the Many as a biological weapon; one that you created. Did Demeter deploy one of them on Earth?>
<I don’t know what you’re talking about> Khanos answers, keeping his tone as neutral as possible.
<I met the Many a few minutes after my transformation. Someone must’ve transported it to New York; are there Olympian agents on Earth?>
Talas Khanos laughs, exuding arrogance and condescension.
<It must be hard for you. Living your life in a miserable corner of the universe, believing yourself to be all-knowing, only to find out you’re at the bottom of the galaxy’s pecking order.>
<What’s that supposed to mean?> Noriko asks. Her silver eyes shine in anger.
<You’re the genius; figure it out yourself.>
The thin giant and the teenage girl look at each other, understanding that neither will admit that the other one knows a lot more than is willing to share.
<Let’s go. This is a waste of time> she finally orders.
Bridge
Vesta is hunched over one of the control panels, trying to make sense of the situation. Ancient Olympian is her native language, so she can read perfectly the words the computer is writing. She just doesn’t know what they actually mean.
<Give me some good news, people> Noriko asks, returning to the bridge.
<Life support is fine; we can stay here as long as we want. Well, at least I can; we’ve got a lot of rations but no way to grow new food, so…>
<I don’t plant to settle down here, Vesta. Is navigation working? I need to know where we are.>
<We’re five minutes from Neptune> Max answers, suddenly appearing next to Noriko.
<Isn’t that one of Poseidon’s old names? ‘Cause I really, really don’t want to run into Poseidon> Kari asks, shivering at the very thought.
<It’s a planet in our solar system. Good job, Max.>
<Just don’t ask me to find Uranus next> he jokes, causing Noriko to roll her eyes.
<I don’t get it> Torn comments.
<Lucky you. Five minutes at light speed, right? Given the current position of both planets in their orbits, that places us nearly four light-hours from Earth or 4.2 million kilometers.>
Vest and Max look at Noriko with a puzzled expression. She corrects herself, used as she is now to think in metric like most of the world.
<2.6 million miles. Max can get there in four hours, but he can’t bring any of us with him.>
<I can get back too. I can fly in space, you know; I’ll just get out there and push> Vesta boasts.
<Cool, what are we waiting for!?> Kari asks, excitedly.
<And when we get there? I don’t think a ride like this is easy to park> Max highlights.
<I’m not planning on taking it to Earth. It’s too dangerous to land there> Noriko objects.
<So you’re going to…what, just abandon it here?>
<I didn’t say here> Noriko says, smirking.
Triton, Neptune’s largest moon
With its surface covered by frozen nitrogen, this is the coldest place in the solar system at minus 400°F. The atmosphere is so thin here that the sound of the Twin Dragon’s landing is little more than a whisper.
Vesta steps out of the airlock wearing her signature orange tube top and pants; even she feels a chill when her bare feet touch the nitrogen ice.
She takes a deep breath, and flames start to erupt from the icy wasteland. A ring of fire surrounds the Twin Dragon, keeping it at a slightly cozier minus 100°F.
Noriko wipes the frozen moisture from the window with the sleeve of her horribly green leather jacket. She snaps a picture with her N-Phone.
<Look at it. It’s so beautiful out there.>
<It’s ice> Torn comments.
<It’s an alien world of ice volcanoes and geysers of sublimated nitrogen. It’s right on our cosmic doorstep and we’ve only sent a probe in 1989. This…this is what we should be doing.>
<Taking pictures. Of ice.>
<What can I say? I’m a romantic> Noriko smiles, innocently. Torn looks at the seemingly unimposing girl and wonders aloud.
<Yes. A romantic slayer of gods.>
Noriko ignores him, talking instead to the N-Phone and looking at the hatch.
<Last call, Kari.>
<Just a sec!> the Myridian girl answers, hugging her duplicate. Or at least Noriko thinks so…they could both be duplicates for all she knows.
<Be careful out there> Kari warns.
<You too> the other one answers, closing the hatch and locking the only access to the escape pod.
<Everyone, remember where we parked> Noriko says. The last words she says on Triton.
Outside, on the surface of the frozen moon, red chains made of interlocked curved knives appear out of nothing, securing the escape pod. Vesta grabs the chains, carefully avoiding any sharp edge, and starts to float.
She gains altitude, ignoring the gravity that tries to keep her down, and quickly rises over Triton’s feeble atmosphere. She takes a good look at Neptune, wondering if she’ll ever see her brother Poseidon again. But her mind is on Earth now.
She once considered her exile on that planet as a badge of shame, but now she can’t wait to see her home once again.
The escape pod isn’t comfortable. There is limited space, which is why Max is traveling besides it in his radio wave form. Noriko is sharing the pod with two persons who have never seen Earth before. Then finally Torn, of all people, decides to break the ice.
<Khanos knows something.>
<We’re going back for him, right? I know he’s behind bars and my duplicate’s keeping an eye on him, but…I don’t like the idea of her alone with that monster so far away from anyone else.>
<I thought Myridians were never alone> Noriko recalls.
<It’s what we tell ourselves> Kari answers, looking outside the window. She can feel the acceleration as Vesta kicks into high gear.
<If my estimation is correct, and of course it is, Vesta can reach a fifth of the speed of light in a vacuum. Even given time for a safe orbital re-entry, a Triton-Earth trip should take her less than twenty-four hours.>
<You mean we can get her back in a couple of days?>
<Unless he kills her> Torn clarifies.
<You must be so fun at parties> Kari retorts, sticking her tongue out.
<So you’ve never heard about Earth before? Demeter seemed to be barely aware of it.>
<I’ve heard of planets without gods> Torn recalls <Once in a while the gods find worlds they’d forgotten. They don’t do a very good job at tending to their domain.>
<Now that’s an understatement>– the Myridian girl underlines.
<No ship captain would explore a dark space system. The risk to be stranded is too high.>
<What about a Talos?> Noriko asks.
<Hephaestus tin soldiers? They fly without ships. How do you know them?>
<I defeated one on Earth a while ago.>
Torn raises an eyebrow. Given the past weeks, Noriko knows it’s the full range of his facial expressions.
<They’re supposed to be undefeatable.>
<I know, that’s why I had to defeat it.>
<I see. Since we’re in dark space, if it sent a message to the other Talos it would take years for Hephaestus to receive it.>
<It seems no god except Athena knows where Earth is> Kari says.
<Maybe she’s the one who sent the Many to kill you> Torn suggests.
<Right after giving me all of mankind’s knowledge? Sounds a little overcomplicated.>
<Athena plays by her own rules> Torn replies enigmatically.
<Maybe. I can’t shake the feeling someone’s playing a completely different game than I first thought.>
The awkward silence returns. None of the three people inside the escape pod have much to say for almost a minute.
<So, what’re you gonna do when we get back to Earth?> Kari asks.
<A very long shower, a dozen cups of coffee and a change of clothes> Noriko answers, looking out of the window.
They’re already way past Neptune, and all she can see are thousands of stars. Many of which, she now knows, are the personal property of genocidal gods.
<Then I need to talk to my mother> she adds.
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