Beyond The Impossible

Noriko Null wakes up when the sunlight coming through the window hits her eyes.

She wasn’t even sleeping, in fact she doesn’t remember falling asleep. Just as she doesn’t remember ever seeing this place.

<Where am I?> she wonders out loud.

She recognizes it’s a bedroom, just not hers. Even if she recognizes a couple of posters on the wall: two of her favorite rock bands. She used to have those posters in her early teens, before throwing them away.

She gets up to have a better look, realizing she’s not wearing anything. Which isn’t the most surprising part; it’s that it can’t be her body, because it’s definitely more well-endowed than her.

She searches the room to find some underwear, complaining while she puts it on:

<How does Vesta get around with those things? Speaking of her: can anyone hear me?> she calls through the Soul Relay, only to discover it’s not responding to her commands.

<Alright. Let’s see whose body this is. After some… pants?> she says, finding some clothes lazily thrown on the floor. She recognizes them as her jeans, her black T-shirt with the Ø symbol and her green leather jacket. Except once she puts them on, she finds out they’re a perfect fit for the supermodel body she found herself into.

<I have a bad feeling about this. I need a mirror… what kind of bedroom doesn’t have one!?> she laments, eventually finding one in the beauty case laying under more clothes that she does recognize as hers.

The girl staring back in the mirror has definitely her face, but her eyes are brown instead of silver.

<Okay. This is some kind of simulation, unless someone decided to kidnap me just to give me a boob job and…> she pauses, just now noticing the poster fixed right above her bed.

It depicts her on a stage, in the middle of a guitar solo and under a logo saying “Vanguard”.

<“Neutron Star Tea Party tour”?> she reads out loud, when the door opens.

<I thought I heard you talking. Coming to breakfast or what?> Jane Blake asks her.

Noriko is glad to finally see a familiar face, but after making a couple steps in her direction she notices something is wrong with her childhood friend.

<Jane? Why are you so…>

<Early? I wanted to let you sleep some more, but I heard you talking and…>

<No, so short. I’m not wearing heels and we’re the same height.> Noriko says, used to looking at her friend from a different perspective.

<What are you talking about? We’re both 5’6”. We’ve been the same height since we met. Come on, let’s get you something to eat.> Jane insists, practically dragging her out of the bedroom.

Noriko can’t remember if she’s ever seen this house, but she’s sure of one thing: this has to be some kind of simulation, like the Nexus.

<Weird question, Jane, but… what were you doing before getting to my room?>

<I was making breakfast. What’s up with you today? You’re acting weird.>

<I’d say it’s the world that’s acting weird.> Noriko comments, following Jane to the kitchen.

She still doesn’t understand where this place is. It’s too small to be Null Tower, far too big to be any building she grew up in, and it’s not Jane’s apartment.

Still trying to figure things out, she sits at the table when Jane serves her a glass full of milk.

<You’re kidding, right? I’m lactose intolerant.> Noriko reminds her.

<Since when? Oh, wait, I get it now… you’re getting into character for writing the next song, aren’t you? I didn’t think you’d go for experimental stuff.>

<This isn’t going anywhere. Let’s try another way, Jane… just tell me what you know about me. When we met, how we ended up here, that sort of stuff.>

<Seriously? Crazy brainstorming approach, but okay. We’ve been friends since we were kids, we started the Vanguard together in your dad’s garage, and…>

<Okay, I have to stop you already. First of all, my father has never owned a garage in his life; he doesn’t even have a driver’s license. Second, “we” started the Vanguard!?>

<Alright alright, it was your idea. But I was there from the beginning, even before Max! I’m the one who wrote the lyrics for “The girl with silver eyes”, remember.>

Noriko starts to connect the dots, recalling the poster. It’s hard to think straight; it may be because she can’t access the Nexus, but her brain feels surrounded by fog.

<The Vanguard… is a rock band?>

<Best one in Paradise!> Jane enthusiastically exclaims.

<You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve had enough of this, how do I get out?> Noriko asks, standing up and looking around.

<Door’s that way.> Jane unhelpfully replies.

Without another way to leave the simulation, Noriko take the chance to literally leave out the front door. And once outside the building she can see it wasn’t not an apartment at all… an old-fashioned two-story house, complete with a perfectly curated front lawn.

Exactly identical to the house on the other side of the road, in a row of dozens identical buildings.

<What is this, an advertisement from the 50s?> she wonders.

<Beautiful, isn’t it? Best decision we ever had was moving here from Manhattan.> Jane says.

<And where exactly is “here”?>

<It’s New York City. Are we still doing the brainstorming thing?>

<This is New York. This.> Noriko repeats, opening her arms as if to indicate the pristine environment around them.

<Of course! One of the six boroughs, anyway. Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Paradise.>

<One of these things is not like the others…>

<Hey girls! Headed to the studio?> Max Black asks, raising his voice to be heard as he’s just left the house on the other side of the road.

<Yeah. Don’t mind Nori, she’s a bit quirky today.> Jane replies.

Noriko waits for Max to get closer; any attempt to activate the Soul Relay to communicate with him continues to be futile.

But something else gets her attention… the fact that she can see him eye to eye.

<You’re shorter than usual.>

<What? We’ve always been the same height. Come on, the band must be waiting for us.>

<Where are we going? I don’t see any car. Anywhere.> Noriko notes.

<Why would we need a car? The studio’s right next to your house!> Max replies.

<How convenient. Say, Max, does anything feel weird to you today?>

<Now that you mention it, yes. My girlfriend’s roommate is acting weird.> he says, winking at Jane. And making Noriko realize she might be the only sane person in this simulation.

 

The Vanguard studio

A modern recording studio is the last thing Noriko expected to see in such a small building, but it’s clearly a very small operation… and judging by the fact all the various posters on the walls are for Vanguard concerts and albums, nobody else records here.

With Max and Jane busy chatting among them, Noriko walks straight towards the two familiar faces working on the equipment. And at this point she’s not surprised to see they are as tall as she is.

<Nori, I knew you’d be the last to arrive. You don’t even have kids to drop to school, but somehow you always end up being late!> Kari reminds her.

<Your kids live here?>

<Of course! Best decision we ever had was moving here from Myridia.>

<Kari, you’re from another planet. You didn’t move here to join a band!>

<She’s from Russia. That’s not another planet.> Torn comments.

<Debatable.> Kari shrugs.

<You’re one to talk, Torn, you’re from Hell!>

<Yes. Hell, Norway.>

<Of course you are.> she sighs. She then gets her first good look at a poster featuring the entire band during their “Supernova Blues” concert: her on lead guitar, Jane singing, Kari and Max on rhythm and bass guitars, and Torn on drums.

<Where’s Vesta?> Noriko asks.

<Who?> Kari asks.

<Vesta. Tall, red hair, orange top, goddess of fire?>

<Never heard of her.> Kari shrugs.

<If you’re done chit-chatting, maybe you might want to play something?> is the last voice Noriko recognizes, and it’s the one that breaks her heart since it belongs to a dead man: Dmitry Voron.

<Okay, that’s enough. Who’s doing this!?> Noriko yells, looking up as if to look for a camera.

<Nori, calm down okay? Dmitry’s our producer!> Jane tells her, but she ignores her.

<I’ve broken through simulations before! You think you’re tricking me into believing this is real? You’ve gone too far bringing Dmitry into this!> Noriko insists.

<Uhm, maybe take five more minutes?> the producer suggests.

<I’ve got to get out of here.> Noriko insists, storming out of the building.

Her heart is beating faster and faster; she’s noticed that she can’t think as fast and as clearly as she used to. Even worse, she can’t trust her own memory… she is absolutely certain that Dmitry is supposed to be dead, but she can’t quite recall how he died.

She sits down on the sidewalk, resting her head on her hands and almost ready to cry.

<This is not what I expected.>

Noriko lifts her head to look the person who just talked; not only she recognizes him as one of the former Nexus hosts, but once she stands up she’s overjoyed to see the first person taller than her.

<Teraph! Oh thank God, if you’re here this must be the Mindscape!>

<Not quite. I’m not really “here”, this is just a shadow left by my visit a million years ago.> the Lar explains. In fact, his image is a ghostly apparition more than a physical presence.

<Where is “here”, exactly? What happened to me?>

<Even without the Nexus, you haven’t figured it out? You’re in Heaven.>

<This is Heaven? For all the talk about it, I thought it’d be more impressive.>

<Blame yourself. Entering Heaven gives you complete control over its entire universe: everything here, even its laws of physics, is shaped by your wishes.>

<That’s impossible. I didn’t wish to be in a rock band, or for these.> Noriko replies, lifting her more impressive than usual breasts.

<Didn’t you?>

<Okay maybe when I was like twelve! But I definitely wouldn’t use unlimited power like this, and I’m pretty sure none of the others would either.>

<What do you mean with “others”?> Teraph asks, suddenly worried.

<The others that were with me. I wasn’t alone when Roxiana forced open the Gate to Heaven.>

<Oh dear. That’s a problem.>

<Why?>

<When I reached Heaven, I was alone. Nobody was here; I lived Heaven to its fullest for a couple of millennia before getting bored and returning to our universe, leaving only this shadow. But multiple beings in control of Heaven… I don’t think it was designed for it. Without a single mind to direct its power, Heaven has most likely shaped itself according to your subconscious desires.>

<That can’t be it. I’ve seen the others, and the world hasn’t reshaped itself for them… I don’t think Torn even knows what a rock band even is.>

<Those are not your friends. Those are creations of Heaven based on your desires.>

<But I didn’t wish for any of this to happen!> Noriko insists.

<Really. You never wished to see your dead boyfriend still alive? Or to have a normal life without the burden of the Nexus and its responsibilities? Or to have a more developed body, or to stop being shorter than your friends? These may not all be your deepest desires, but Heaven does not discriminate. Every wish, no matter how petty, can become true here.>

<And I guess it doesn’t discriminate whether it’s a harmful wish.>

<Not really. But so? Nothing here is real besides whoever you brought with you; they all have their own bubble of personalized reality.>

<I was afraid of that. You’ll have to help me find them and break everyone out of Heaven.>

<Why the rush? You won’t age here.>

<The Vanguard wasn’t alone at the Gate. Roxiana, my mother and Reaper’s dad must also have crossed into Heaven. And I don’t trust any of them.>

<I don’t see the problem. They can’t harm Heaven, and its power only exists in its dimension. Either they’ll stay here indefinitely, or once they return to the universe they won’t bring anything with them.>

<I guess you don’t have all the memories of the Teraph I met in the Mindscape then, because he told me there is something real in Heaven. Something he hid here… the weapon that was used to dethrone Kronos.>