After running through fifteen floors, Ganos Lal is finally able to let Noriko Null get off her back.
They’re still inside of a stone building, but now they’ve come across something that doesn’t seem to belong here: a hatch.
<It’s closed.> Ganos Lal says, after one of her duplicates tries to open it.
<Of course it is. Let me see if I can do something about it.> Noriko says, starting to work on the locking mechanism… until the hatch opens a second later.
The complete stranger on the other side suddenly finds himself surrounded by new duplicates, two of which grab his arms while a third one kicks him in the groin; Noriko takes the opportunity to steal the gun from his holster and use it to hit him in the head with enough force to knock him out.
<I didn’t know you had it in you.> Noriko tells her unlikely ally, as both sneak inside the spaceship on the other side of the hatch.
<I’m no fighter, but you can’t grow on the streets of Myridia during the occupation without learning how to take care of yourself. Now what?>
<Now we take control of the ship and fly back to Earth.> Noriko says confidently, leading the way followed by Ganos Lal; one of her duplicates is left behind closing the hatch.
Inspecting the ship takes no time at all: it’s barely larger than a private plane.
<Looks like an old cargo ship. My duplicates have seen quite a few of those in the worlds that used to be under control of the Guild.> Ganos Lal explains, while Noriko goes straight to the cockpit.
<I’m not too familiar with the interface, but I can already tell it doesn’t have any weapons.> she says, starting to work on the controls.
<Warning. Unauthorized user detected. Please enter authorization code.> the ship says with artificial voice. Ganos Lal finds it quite scary, while Noriko just smiles.
<Hello, you beautiful thing. Let’s see how much damage we can do together.> she adds, cracking her fingers before starting to work.
N01-Ragnarok, on orbit above Myridia
The meeting room is very similar to the Operation Room of Null Tower, if a bit smaller. Since Null is the only missing member, her seat would be empty if Kari hadn’t created an additional duplicate just to make the rest of the team feel a little more at ease.
<I don’t like being in this position, believe me, so I’ll be brief.> she says, letting another duplicate explain the situation by pointing at a map of the Galaxy. That identifies the location of every planet she’s about to mention.
<Our priority is to avoid escalation: whoever is behind this is clearly trying to damage the Mortal Republic. There’s been a major incident in Argos; Quantum will go there to investigate, and I’ll come along to talk with Aura.>
<Do you think she’s behind this? She succeeded her husband as President of the Mortal Republic, it could have been a coup.> Vesta points out.
<It’s possible. She is a former space pirate, after all. And she used to worship Artemis, so maybe she took it out on Noriko.>
<What am I supposed to investigate, exactly?> Quantum asks.
<Someone blew up the Mortal Senate and apparently nobody can figure out how. I don’t buy it for a second that it was a coincidence; it has to be related.>
<Like Lilith signing a peace treaty with Hell.> Torn intervenes.
<Exactly. We’re not exactly welcome on Olympus, and since Helen was kidnapped as well the only god who can fill us in is Athena. Vesta, you and I are going to meet her.> Kari adds.
<I thought we already had a way to communicate with her.> Vesta notes.
<We did… with the medallion that is on Noriko’s neck. Wherever she is.>
<Assuming she is still alive.> Torn says.
<Dude, come on…> Quantum reacts, by rolling his eyes.
<The only person I know who would kill Noriko without bragging about it to the entire universe is Athena. I will ask her it, don’t worry.> Vesta responds, and judging by the tone of her voice she’s not going to be very polite about it.
<Where am I going then?> Torn asks Kari. Normally he would stay silent until he could receive his orders, but this time he seems to be itching for a fight. Kari decides not to comment on it, considering he has just been banished from his world.
<Athena is not the only god with extensive knowledge about all the most secretive parts of the Galaxy. You and I are going back to Earth to interrogate Hermes.> Kari says.
<You know where Noriko’s keeping him!?> Vesta asks, surprised by the idea. She was under the impression that Null wanted to keep it a secret to everyone.
<I’m the Vanguard’s second-in-command. I insisted to be told stuff like this. Likewise, I’m also contacting all the people from the Covenant to gather information. After all, what’s the point of creating your very own secret intelligence organization if you never use it?>
<Can we really trust them?> Quantum asks.
<Noriko says she does. Even I don’t know everything about all of them… Noriko’s still Noriko, there are things she still wants to keep secret… but supposedly she’s vetted them thoroughly.>
<You said you’re going with each of us, but you mean your duplicates right? Where’s the real you?> Vesta asks her.
<On Myridia, where she belongs.>
<Isn’t that dangerous? You’re obviously a prime target for…>
<I am not going to abandon my planet, no matter what happens. And I won’t allow fear to define the childhood of my kids the way it defined mine.> Kari replies, leaving absolutely no doubt in the minds of her friends that she won’t change her mind on this point.
Somewhere
Leral wakes up feeling like her brain has been put in a blender. She has trouble keeping her balance; she has to lean on the nearest person to avoid falling.
That person turns out to be Ulysses. The Lampyrian woman looks at him: his lips are moving, but she can’t hear him. She can’t read anything.
<Where is Null?> she finally hears him ask. Not with her ears, which have finally stopped leaking blue blood, but with one of the several cybernetic implants in her body: a radio communication device not unlike the Neural Transmitter.
<I don’t know. She used some kind of sonic weapon on me. I think she shattered my eardrums>
<I’ll get Vector to patch you up. Hold on.> he adds, then pauses. She’s been trained enough to feel someone using the Blood, and she senses his soul expanding rapidly.
<She’s not on the base anymore. She can’t have left this dimension; I’ll mobilize the fleet.> he says, then walks away at a speedy pace while talking to his communicator.
On the ship
Ganos Lal has never thought rations tasted so good. After a week of starvation, she’s devouring the rather bland meal that was meant for the ships’ pilot while watching Noriko Null use one hand to eat and the other one to work on the instrumentation.
<We’re in.> Noriko finally says, with mouth half full, as a monitor is switched up. A few seconds later, it’s showing a scan of nearby space that Ganos can’t understand.
<Dammit. I hate being right sometimes.> Noriko complains.
<Is something wrong? Do you know where we are?>
<Not in the Olympian Galaxy, that’s for sure. Probably a parallel dimension. And we are not alone: see all these dots in the scan? Those are ships. Seventy-three ships, to be exact… including thirteen dreadnaughts. And we’re in a cargo ship with no weapons and with crappy shields.>
<But you can build something to fight them, right?>
<I can think of at least three ways to dismantle the engine and make something that could take out a dreadnaught with a single shot, but we’re going to need that engine if we’re going to escape.> Noriko replies, then starts to insert a very long series of commands into the ship’s computer.
<There. I’ve reconfigured the shields to block any attempt to teleport us out of here. I know a way to take us somewhere they will never find us, provided that we’re not discovered for five minutes.>
There’s a loud sound coming from the hatch: someone on the other side is trying to force it open. Noriko switches on a security camera, which shows Ulysses watching over Leral’s attempt to enter the ship. Then she quickly grabs the control.
<Okay, new plan!> she says, piloting the ship to distance itself from the building. Ganos Lal can see it from a tiny window: it seems even bigger than before. It’s a castle, floating in a completely dark space where the only source of illumination are a few artificial lights.
<Attention all ships. The slayer has left the dungeon, I repeat, the slayer has left the dungeon. Cargo ship NX047 must not be allowed to escape.> is the message coming from the ship; Noriko recognizes the voice of Ulysses, even if it’s electronically altered.
<Good thing I disablde remote control. Can you drive?> she then asks Ganos Lal.
<What!?>
<I can’t modify the engine while I’m driving the ship! Can you drive or not!?>
<I’ve piloted ships before, but…>
<Good! Keep’em at a distance and don’t crash into anything!> Noriko recommends, then she gets up from her seat and practically shoves Ganos to take her place.
<I’ve never done anything like this! What if they shoot at us!?>
<Dodge. I don’t think they wanna kill us, but they might try to disable the ship. You can still move below lightspeed if I disengage the drive.> Noriko instructs her, rushing towards the back end of the ship that leads to the faster-than-light engine.
<Null give me strength.> Ganos Lal prays with a sigh.
<I heard that!> Noriko chastises her.
On the dreadnaught’s bridge
Despite the odds, Ganos Lal manages to dodge the first shots and evade capture: the only advantage of the cargo ship against the warships pursuing it is its maneuverability.
Ulysses appears on the bridge, teleporting right behind the officer in charge of the weapon systems and looking over his shoulder.
<How do you keep missing?> Ulysses asks.
<I’m sorry, sir, but the ship appears to be jamming our targeting system.>
<No it isn’t. You’re a Null worshipper, aren’t you?> Ulysses deduces, dragging the officer away from his post and attracting the attention of the rest of the crew.
<You idiot, do you have any idea of how many lives will be lost if Null escapes? We’re not trying to kill her, we’re trying to save the entire Galaxy!> Ulysses shouts. It’s a strange sight for all: they’ve never seen him lose his cool.
<Uhm, excuse me, sir? We have… we have lost the target.> another officer sheepishly informs him.
<What do you mean you lost it? That ship doesn’t have cloaking capability!>
<The ship didn’t cloak, sir. It just… it just vanished.>
Somewhere
When a bright light flooded the cargo ship, Ganos Lal closed her eyes and prayed for her soul. Now she slowly opens them, just in time to see a truly gigantic lightning bolt just barely missing the ship.
Her heart misses a few beats as she looks through the window: the dungeon and the enemy ships have vanished, and the empty space is full of continuous bolts of pure electricity.
<Well, I completely fried the engine, but we made it.> Noriko reassures her.
<Where… where are we?>
<A parallel dimension I discovered a few years ago. I call it the Null Zone. I know it looks scary, but we’re safe here. In fact… we’re home.> Noriko reassures her, pointing her finger at the only structure of this dimension. Barely visible in the distance, it’s a skyscraper with a Ø symbol on top.
<That’s the original Null Tower. Abyss moved it here to trap the Vanguard; I haven’t figured out a way to take it back to our universe, but I’ll think of something.>
<Who’s Abyss?>
<It’s better if you don’t know. Who ever thought I’d be glad she tried to murder my friends!>
Discussion ¬