Lampyria, 68,000 light-years from Earth
Ever since he met Noriko Null, Max Black a.k.a. Quantum has seen her manifest several different personalities, from the homicidal Abyss to the calculating Void. Now that her eyes have turned golden, he can somehow feel this is still the same old Noriko… but something about her is being amplified by whatever she just unleashed within herself.
<Yes, I am alright, but thanks for your concern. And no, I’m not consciously reading your thoughts, it’s just that I can’t help but feel everything> she says, answering his questions before he’s even had the chance to ask them.
Shaina is even more speechless than him: not only the Oracle of Apollo has just seen Noriko block her laser by basically staring at it, but she’s somehow blocking the holy powers granted to her by the Sun God himself.
<They’re not holy at all, he just shared a fraction of his divine power, giving you the ability to control your own atomic structure. And yes, Max, I know it’s annoying for all of you to hear me responding to your thoughts, but you have no idea how frustrating it is for me to wait until your brains have processed the necessary information to->
<Heathen!!!> Shaina interrupts her, running towards Noriko with all the intention to attack. She just manages one step, though, before she collapses.
<See here? This just a microcosm of how nobody thinks before they act! Nobody! This idiot here just saw me take control of her body while she was made of photons, but by some monumental leap of logic she miraculously deduced that trying to strangle me would take me by surprise! We’re really dealing with a superior breed of idiocy here. Ugh, let’s just get this over with> Noriko sighs, kneeling towards the paralyzed Shaina and touching her head.
<You didn’t… injure her, right?> Quantum finally manages to say; Noriko is apparently too distracted by whatever she’s doing that for once she lets him talk.
<What? Sorry, I was distracted. This brain is an ugly piece of work.>
<So you can read minds now? What happened to you?>
<I’m still trying to process this, but basically the Nexus went overdrive while fixing itself, giving me enhanced access to its abilities. That, and the ghosts of the previous hosts are testing me.>
<…>
<Look, it’s been a long day. But good news: according to what I saw in Shaina’s head, we have about twenty minutes before Apollo’s forces show up.>
<We just barely took out the first wave of Oracles! How is that good news!?>
<Because it means I have time to pee before I save this world.>
Temple of Zeus Agoraeus
This part of the city is quite far from the point where the battle took place, so the Lampyrians still have their eyesight. And the blue alien women surrounding the temple don’t believe their eyes when Noriko Null appears in a flash of light: only some of them consider her a goddess, but the others are now willing to change their minds.
<I’m sorry, can you give me some space? Your thoughts are really distracting> she tells them, walking towards the temple. The Lampyrians obey without question, with them flying away like a flock of scared pigeons. Quantum appears next to her once she’s inside the temple, followed by the rest of the Vanguard coming out of a pentagram created by Torn.
<Nori! Are you okay?> Kari asks her: the last time this particular Kari saw her, Noriko was on death’s door. The only indication of her ordeal are the bandages on her head.
<Not now, I’m busy. Ugh, what was I thinking with these environmental suits? I’ll give you a Survival Field when I’m done> she says; instead of the relatively bulky suit, she’s surviving Lampyria’s toxic atmosphere and dangerously low atmospheric pressure thanks to a field emitted by her green leather jacket.
<What’s up with her voice?> Vesta wonders.
<I have no idea> Quantum admits.
<Be silent. I’m trying to remember something> Noriko says, taking something out of her pocket: the black coin with the silver symbol of infinity that Hermes gave her.
<That’s it. I knew this place looked familiar> she says, her golden eyes suddenly shining.
989,997 years earlier
The coin is in the palm of another hand. A grey and scaly hand, being stared at by golden eyes.
They belong to a Lar man overseeing the construction of the temple and the city surrounding it; the architecture is like nothing that will be seen on Lampyria for the rest of its history, showing instead its Lar heritage. The man seems to ignore the unusual assembly of workers he’s supposed to be supervising: a strange mix of robots, giant insects with cybernetic implants, and a swarm of vaguely humanoid blue birds.
<Dude, I freakin’ love what you’ve done with the place> someone says behind his back. The Lar sighs and slowly turns to see his uninvited guest.
He looks like a human in his early twenties, with white hair and a white five o’clock shadow; his unnaturally bright blue eyes betray his divine origins. He’s bare chested, showing off an impressive physique which is clearly enjoyed by the two women who hold his arms: one is remarkably similar to the blue birds, but she’s standing upright and she has breasts. The other one is a proto-Lampyrian, similar to a modern one but still with some vestigial feathers instead of hair. Both are completely naked, while the man is barely covered by a loincloth.
<Zeus. I see you’re still enjoying the natives.>
<What’s not to love? See you later, ladies> he tells the women, smacking their bottoms. Once they fly away he proceeds to grab the Lar and pulls him closer, kissing him. When Zeus tries to take off the Lar’s clothes, the golden eyes shine and the god is pushed away.
<Not now, Zeus. As you can see, I’m quite busy at the moment.>
<Building a city? Teraph, my man, you should’ve told me. I can do that in, like, a second.>
<Is there a reason for your visit, or did you just want to get into my pants again?>
<Prometheus said I should be here today, and I figured I could do both things at the same time.>
<Did he tell you why?> Teraph asks, raising an eyebrow.
<Something about destiny and stuff. You know Prometheus, always gloom and doom. But no, seriously, what are you doing here? Building another planet for your people?>
<A research center. The Lar are a dying race, Zeus, thanks to your father and your sister.>
<Don’t worry, I told Demeter to leave you alone. And you don’t have to worry about my father anymore: we exiled Kronos to the end of the universe ten thousand years ago, and thanks to you the only thing capable of bringing him back is now safely hidden in Heaven.>
<And my reward for helping you dispose of the only weapon capable of killing you is…?>
<You still have one of the three Keys of Heaven. Poseidon and Hades wanted it, but I decided it would be safer in you hands. Was I wrong, Teraph?>
<We shall see> Teraph answers, looking again at the coin.
<That relic. Still playing with the technology of the First Men, Teraph?>
<I wouldn’t have been able to create the Keys of Heaven without their impact on the Nexus, Zeus. I wonder if the Lar should also follow their example in other ways.>
<How so? You’re not so different from them, except you’re WAY hotter.>
<My species ages slowly, Zeus; it will take us forever to repopulate the galaxy. But the half-breeds you’ve conceived on this planet only need days to reproduce. They can outbreed any other known sentient lifeform, and the Lar can rule over them like the First Men ruled over the enslaved races.>
<You mean my kingdom could be entirely made of sexy blue chicks? Dude, that is SO cool!!!>
<I knew you would appreciate it, Zeus.>
<I can agree to allow these blue beauties to inherit the stars, Teraph. But I have one condition: you must destroy that> Zeus tells him, suddenly putting on a serious face and pointing at the coin.
<You can’t ask me to do it. It would mean erasing over two billion years of history.>
<There was nothing but pain and suffering in the Golden Age, Teraph. I would destroy this Galaxy before seeing the return of the First Men. Is your thirst of knowledge greater than the safety of all mortals?>
The Lar doesn’t answer. He focuses his thoughts on the coin in the palm of his hand, then answers:
<You still fear the First Men, Zeus. Rather than abandon that weapon, I will let you choose which species will repopulate this galaxy.>
<Glad to hear you’ve come to your senses, dude. You should get out more often! There’s this planet my grandma told me about… no blue chicks, but it has the hottest mammals you’ve ever seen!>
Today, on the same planet
Noriko Null snaps out of her trance, unsure about how much time actually passed. There’s a lot to process, from her first time seeing Zeus to further mysteries in the history of the Nexus, but something else demands her attention.
<Uhm, Nori, how much time did you say we had before the Oracles arrived?> Kari asks her: the sun is now eclipsed by a colossal starship approaching the planet, with hundreds of rays of light raining all over the landscape signaling the arrival of a true army.
<Don’t worry. We have plenty of time left> Noriko reassures her, approaching the statue of Zeus and using one of her Gravity Gauntlets to levitate towards its crotch.
<Real mature, Teraph. Couldn’t you think of a better place?> she complains, reluctantly touching the statue. Her hand phases through the stone, grabs something, and once she quickly pulls it out she lands back on her feet.
<Somebody better give me a hand sanitizer. I don’t want to know where this thing has been> she says, slowly opening her hand to reveal something. A key.
<Is that what I think it is!?> Vesta asks, anxiously flying towards her to see the artifact. It’s completely unremarkable: a 3 inch long key made of a greyish metal, with the handle showing the infinity symbol.
<The Iron Key of Heaven, yes. More than enough to deal with these clowns> Noriko boasts, lifting the key towards the sky as her golden eyes shine brightly.
<Get ready to have your mind blown> she says. Then the color in her eyes completely fades away, just the arrogant expression on her face is replaced by utter confusion.
<Are we blown yet?> Torn asks with his deadpan voice.
<Uhm, guys, I think we have have a major problem> Noriko says, biting her lower lip and turning towards her allies. Her eyes are no longer golden, or even silver: they’re very human brown eyes.
<I have no idea how this thing works. Any suggestions?> she asks.
A dozen Oracles suddenly appear, surrounding the Vanguard. The second dozen arrives soon after.
<Teleport us away> Kari suggests.
<How do I do that, exactly?> Noriko asks, walking away from the Oracles until she bumps into Quantum and grabs his arm.
<You can take them, right? Right?> she asks. There’s a new Oracle appearing every second: it’s unlikely they will be able to pull the same stunt that took care of the first wave.
<Of course we can. We have this> Quantum replies, taking the Key from her hand and pointing it at the Oracles like it was a miniature gun.
<Stand back! I have a key and I’m not afraid to use it!>
Unsurprisingly unimpressed by his threat, dozens of Oracles get ready to blast the Vanguard to kingdom come; at the same time, Torn summons his scythe, Vesta’s fists catch fire, and Kari’s hair glow as she activates her 10K Rise. All hell seems about to break loose.
<Now now, darlings, there’s no need to get rough, am I right?> a woman asks from behind the wall of Oracles. The servants step away to let her get closer and the situation instantly de-escalates.
Quantum and Kari start to sweat and almost lose their balance. Torn seems likewise mesmerized by the sight, and even Noriko can only blush uncontrollably. There are no words to truly describe what they’re seeing, except by the name pronounced by the only one who is not affected by the most beautiful being in the universe.
<Helen of Troy> Vesta says.
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