Beyond The Impossible

The White House, Washigton D.C.

This might just be the President’s worst day. First a new organization calling itself the Empire of Shadows launched the largest and most ambitious terrorist attack in history, then hostile forces invaded Project Silver, then Cheyenne Mountain and NORAD were the site of some kind of superhuman fight…and it’s not over yet.

The security footage is showing Vesta land on the White House garden, holding Noriko Null in her arms. They both look like they went to hell and back.

The President is in a fortified room beneath the surface; the two women have to pass many security checks to get through. Not that there’s much that the Secret Service can do to keep them away; but it’s a necessary precaution, considering the Capitol was bombed by lab-grown soldiers today.

<Thank you for seeing us with such short notice, Mister President> Noriko Null begins, shaking the hand of the most powerful man in the world.

<Sir> Vesta also greets him with a gentle nod of her head and a clumsy curtsy.

<It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, miss Vesta. Shall we move to business? I have to address the nation in fifteen minutes.>

<May I ask what you are going to say?>

<You tell me, miss Null. The last time we talked, you said Leiko Tanaka stole your technology to commercialize the Plasma Reactor. Is she the Empress of Shadows?>

<I thought so. But the Nullbots I sent to attack her base in Japan didn’t report back, and I couldn’t find any hard evidence to support my thesis. In fact, last time I checked the base was completely empty when…>

<Wait, Japan? You sent a civilian strike team to a foreign country!?> the President asks.

<Don’t worry, they’re invisible and untraceable, so they won’t complain> Vesta explains.

<That just makes things worse.>

<It doesn’t matter. The Vanguard captured one of the Empire’s lead figures, a superhuman entity called Eris. Your supersoldier Blue Star has her in custody now; it’s only a matter of time before she leads us to the Empress.>

<That doesn’t explain anything. How did the Empire of Shadows get this kind of technology? Did they steal biological weapons from you?>

<Not weapons. Theoretical research in xeno-genetic engineering> Noriko clarifies.

<Those things didn’t look very theoretical to me. Did they steal anything else? Like that experimental reactor that almost blew up New York?>

<I don’t have a backup for the Negative Drive blueprints. Everything’s safe in here> Noriko answers, tapping her head with her index finger. The President doesn’t look particularly amused.

<You know, you’re not much older than my daughter. I know what a teenager trying to cover up the fact that she’s screwed up looks like.>

Vesta snickers at the President’s remark, earning a death glare by Noriko’s silver eyes.

<Fine, you want me to say it? The Empire was born because of my mistakes. But your administration isn’t without blame either: Project Silver? Experimenting with alien technology thousands of years beyond your understanding?>

<Is that why you kept the Heart of the Universe for yourself after the battle?>

<Ah, yes. That is precisely what I’m here to discuss> Noriko says, taking her N-Phone out of her pocket and reaching the nearest desk.

<I’m not even going to ask how you got that past security.>

Noriko places her phone next to the President’s laptop, and a new document pops up on the screen.

<I call this the Washington Protocol. A treaty covering, among other things, the exchange of all the information available about the Heart of the Universe and any other alien technology discovered by either Null Technologies or the Government of the United States.>

<What are the “other things”?> the President asks, carefully reading the document…or more precisely, carefully skimming through the 5000 pages of legal jargon.

<Limitations on the creation of new super-humans and unconventional weapons from both sides, the construction of a new facility to replace NORAD for the storage and study of alien and/or dangerous technologies, full Cosmic Top Secret access for such facility, provisions for the disclosure of information to the public and to other countries, that sort of things.>

<What’s this point about “command over all military forces in case of planetary invasion”?>

<That’s not important right now. Our lawyers will debate the Washington Protocol for months, but I wanted to pass you a clear message.>

<Which is?>

<We’re not enemies. If you’re willing to work with me, we can change the world.>

Suddenly, Noriko’s eyes shine. The President has seen the effect before, but this is the first time it startles him.

<Because if you don’t, I will do everything by myself. Whether you want it or not.>

<Is this a threat?>

<A promise> Noriko says, her eyes turning from silver to black for the briefest of moments.

 

Outside the White House

The Secret Service offered to escort Noriko back to the Capitol, but she opted to make the trip on foot. The Sound Nullifier™ ensures her talk with Vesta isn’t heard by anyone.

<I can fly us there, you know> Vesta notes. She’s floating a couple of inches from the ground.

<We have to talk. What can you tell me about Eris?>

<She’s insane> Vesta replies with unexpected passion.

<I take it there’s some history between you two?>

<You could say that. She considers herself the oldest daughter of Zeus.>

<“Considers herself”? I know there are conflicting mythologies about several Greek gods, but…>

<It’s complicated. She was born before Zeus married Hera, that’s for sure, but she’s not the only one. Athena, Nemesis, the Fates, Persephone, Aphrodite…any of them could be the oldest. Once you get past a thousand years, it’s really hard to tell.>

<Your brother sure gets around.>

<That’s Zeus for you. But while all the other goddesses were raised by their mothers…except of course Athena who was born fully adult…Eris was adopted by Hera. That gives some credit to her claim to be the oldest one, because Hera never even considered adopting the others.>

<Because being the oldest she’s heir to the throne of the Olympian Galaxy?>

<No, it doesn’t work that way: you ascend to the throne by killing the King of the Gods.>

<Oh. So Eris was punished because she tried to kill her own father?>

<Not exactly. Eris is too smart to believe she can kill Zeus. So she tried to undermine his rule in other ways…rebellions, civil wars, that sort of thing.>

<The Trojan War?>

<Yes, all four of them. But the last straw was when she tried to wipe out all life in the universe. Zeus got so mad he disintegrated her body and forced her to possess mortals in order to stay alive.>

<How long has she been here?>

<I’m not entirely sure. I first met her in the 6^th century in Constantinople, where she claimed to be responsible for the Black Death. We met a number of times over the years; I thought I’d got rid of her in 1908 at Tunguska, but apparently even that didn’t kill her.>

<She’s probably hiding from the other gods, since the position of Earth is apparently hidden to most of them. She mentioned something called the Palladium, does it ring a bell?>

<It was the name of a statue of Athena, lost in the Trojan War.>

<I know that. But does it have any significance? Is it on Earth?> Noriko asks.

Vesta hesitates before she answers. Noriko already has the Heart of the Universe and the Nexus…could she be trusted with a third Drylon artifact? One she swore to keep secret?

<No. I don’t know anything useful about the Palladium> Vesta lies.

 

Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

The luxurious villa overlooks Mount Fuji, Japan’s most spectacular natural feature. The young man of clear Western descent is admiring its beauty, only occasionally distracted by the Japanese businesswoman standing next to him. She’s on the phone, not paying any attention to him.

<Of course, Prime Minister. I will gladly work with Miss Null to investigate the incident. Give my best regards to your wife> she says before hanging up.

<Wow. I’m the god of liars, and even I almost believe that> Hermes notes.

<I’ll have him assassinated before the end of the week. What do you want?>

<Is that the way to talk to a god, Leiko? Especially, may I add, the one that not only prevented you from being captured but also provided you with an excellent alibi and, last but not least, erased all evidence connecting you to the Empire of Shadows?>

<If you plan to blackmail me…>

<Why would I do that? Look, I understand you have some prejudice against my kind; after all, you work for a terrorist organization that seeks the fall of the Olympus.>

<You know about the Mortal Liberation Front?> Leiko asks, increasingly worried.

<Know them? They get most of their intelligence and equipment from me. Don’t look so surprised: every time they develop something that can harm gods, I turn them against my rivals. And this time it looks like they came up with something really, really creative.>

<My daughter.>

<Exactly. I have a very special relationship with Noriko.>

<I don’t need to hear this.>

<Not that kind of relationship, though not for lack of trying from my part. She made me realize that it’s time for Earth to take its rightful place in galactic politics. But here’s the tricky part: I’m not allowed to do anything that exposes Earth’s position. If I plan to use Earth to take my rightful place as the ruler of the Olympian Galaxy…and believe me, I do…I need someone who can work in secret.>

<In the shadows> Leiko nods.

<Indeed. So, what do you say ?>

Leiko hesitates for a moment: he holds all the cards and can’t be trusted. But neither can she.

<You have a deal, Hermes… King of the Empire of Shadows.>

 

A maximum security prison

Two female guards escort a woman wearing an orange prison uniform towards the table. They force her to sit on a chair bolted to the floor, then restrain her arms and legs to prevent her from escaping.

The guards leave the room, closing the very heavy door behind them. The prisoner looks around, first examining the small and poorly lit room, then focusing on the mirror in front of her.

She’s a beautiful woman with black hair, red eyes and a voice that is clearly inhuman.

<You guys have no idea how to make a decent dungeon, do you? There aren’t even any rats here.>

<What is your name?> someone from the other side of the mirror asks.

<I was going by Beautiful Cancer, but it’s getting old. How does Rising Riot sound?>

<Noriko Null has identified you as “Eris”. Is that your real name?>

<You know, I can never get mortals to say it right. Ερισ, not Eris. But yes, before you ask it, I’m really that Eris. The Goddess Of Fu##ing Things Up.>

<What can you tell us about the Empire of Shadows?>

<Everything. But the real question is, what do I want to tell you? Well that, boys, depends entirely on how you play your cards here. This body I’m wearing won’t last forever without the Heart of the Universe; mortal bodies just aren’t meant to host the essence of a goddess. I’ll burn through it in a month or so. You’ll need to find me a new one pretty soon.>

<Why would we want to do that?>

<Because even though I don’t have my godly powers anymore I still have plenty of things I can give you. There’s an entire galaxy out there that you don’t know anything about, and I can be your teacher. I’m sure we can make a sweet deal, don’t you agree?>