Beyond The Impossible

Midgard City, Antarctica

The hangar doors open to let one of the Valkyrie shuttles land inside Null Tower Two.

While not as publicly known as its New York counterpart, the building is just as important to the infrastructure of Null Technologies and to the brand new city.

Once the shuttle has landed and Noriko Null disembarks, she’s closely followed by Ganos Lal; the Supreme Pontiff has never been more than a couple of feet away from her during the entire trip.

<I have to be honest, Lady Null, I did not imagine your world would be so cold and so scarcely populated.>

<It’s not. I built this city basically in the middle of nowhere for a reason.>

<I see. Could I perhaps visit the rest of the planet?>

<Absolutely not! Your religion has already made a mess everywhere else. I’m sending you back to Myridia before you have the chance to meet anyone.> Noriko tells her bluntly, as the door that leads to the rest of the building opens automatically.

And immediately as the door opens, a man in his very early forties runs towards her to give her a hug that leaves her breathless.

<Noriko! I was so worried about you!> Bob Null tells her.

<What are you doing here? Nobody tried to blow up New York while I was away, I hope!>

<No, everything’s fine there. Well, it’s still New York, but you know what I mean. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?> Bob then asks, looking at Ganos Lal.

<Ah, she’s not my, uhm…>

<She’s not the reason why your boyfriend left, right? I mean she’s kinda hot, but I thought you liked Daren.>

<Wait, Daren did WHAT?> Noriko asks, utterly confused.

<Perhaps I should leave? I don’t want to interrupt your reunion with your lover; he is quite a handsome man.> Ganos Lal says, trying to hide how much she’s checking out Bob.

<Maybe I should’ve stayed in the other dimension.> Noriko sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and then adding:

<This is Ganos Lal, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Null. Lal, this is Bob, my father.>

<Your… father?> the Myridian repeats, with her jaw dropping. As she stares at Bob, it looks like she has to many questions that her brain has trouble deciding what to ask.

<Is your friend alright?> Bob whispers to his daughter.

<I ask myself the same question every time I talk to her. C’mon Lal, let’s go find Torn: he’ll take you back to Myridia in no time.> Noriko tells her, taking her hand and practically dragging her outside the room. That’s where they bump into one of Kari’s duplicates, who is standing right next to Agony, Torn’s wife.

<Well, it looks like Lal isn’t the only person on the wrong planet. Did I miss anything while I was away?> Noriko asks.

<A lot. Let me give you the short version.> Kari says, while Agony creates a fire pentagram.

 

In orbit above Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

N01-Ragnarok, infirmary

There’s a man on the medical bed; his wrists and ankles are restrained with chains, and the mask on his face supplies enough sedatives to prevent him from regaining consciousness.

<How did you manage to capture one of the Zenith?> Noriko asks Quantum.

<I’m awesome.> he shrugs.

<He calls himself Vector and he’s responsible for the attack on the capital. That’s all that we’ve been able to learn about him… the man is a ghost.> Kari explains.

<He looks alive. I suggest we make him a ghost.> Torn comments, creating an energy dagger just to drive the point home.

<I have little sympathy for him, believe me, but he’s most useful alive: Aura has promised to stand down her troops if we deliver Syzar’s killer.> Kari points out.

<But I thought that Ulysses was the one who killed Syzar?> Quantum says.

<Aura doesn’t know that.> Kari highlights.

<This is interesting. This guy’s not human.> Noriko says, projecting a hologram with Vector’s vitals and what only she recognizes as an extract of his genetic code.

<Well, duh. He’s a cyborg.> Quantum recalls; he saw a great deal of cybernetic implants inside his body when he scanned him with x-rays.

<There’s more to it. His internal anatomy is all over the place; he even has vestigial gills.>

<He’s a Thalassian.> Torn says, resulting in everyone giving him a puzzled look. Torn being Torn, he doesn’t find this unusual and doesn’t say anything until Quantum asks:

<A what?>

<One of the few air-breathing species in the Aegian Galaxy. I thought they were extinct.>

<Yet another link to Poseidon’s galaxy. As crazy as it sounds, it means that Hermes was telling the truth: that’s where Ulysses and his guys have been all this time.> Kari says.

<So… how does any of this help us?> Quantum wonders.

<Vector’s Drylon device is between his lungs. I would hesitate to remove it if he was human, but I’m pretty sure this guy can survive.> Noriko says.

<How much sure is “pretty sure”? I don’t think delivering a corpse to Aura will work.> Kari notes.

<I don’t want to give him to Aura, Kari. I want to get information about Ulysses and deliver both to justice; he’s too dangerous to interrogate him while he still has his device.>

<You may want to step away. You’re in the splash zone.> Torn warns them, raising the hand that is still holding the knife.

<Wait a minute! He’s not human, but he’s not a Demon either! You can’t just cut him open and expect him to survive!> Noriko protests.

<We want him to survive?> Torn asks, confused by the situation.

<Yes! We just discussed this!>

<Oh. I thought you were all agreeing to kill him because he’s too dangerous.> Torn admits, making his dagger disappear.

<One of these days, Torn, I swear…> Noriko sighs.

<I’ll get Vector ready for surgery. I suppose you want to be the one to operate on him?> Kari asks.

<I don’t have another choice, there’s no way Dr. Kalama can agree to this. Meanwhile, we should have enough time to have a little chat with the other accomplice we found.> Noriko says.

 

The St. Regis Washington, D.C

Noriko and Agony emerge from another pentagram portal, directly into one of the hotel’s hallways.

<I’m sorry to use your pentagrams so much, Agony. Once I’ve perfected my portal technology I won’t have to rely so much on Demon powers.>

<It is no trouble at all. I’m happy to assist you, as long as you promise to help my family reverse our exile and return to Hell.>

<It’s on my to-do list, I assure you. But as long as you’ll stay on Earth, I have to ask you the same thing I had to ask Torn when he joined the Vanguard: don’t kill anyone without my permission, okay? I have enough problems as it is.>

<You have my word, Null. May I kill those humans?> Agony asks once they reach their destination: there’s half a dozen Secret Service agents stationed in front of their destination, and they are drawing their guns.

<Please don’t. Just disarm them and rough them up a little.>

<Understood.> Agony nods. As they calmly walk towards the presidential suite, all the guns are cut in half by sickles made of Blood energy; some of the agents try to attack Agony, but she nonchalantly lifts one of them using only one hand and throws the poor man against the wall so hard that he’s immediately knocked out.

The other humans hesitate, and Agony turns towards Noriko.

<Still not supposed to kill them?>

<Yup. Just keep them away.> Noriko replies, trying to open the door. It’s obviously locked.

<I always wanted to do this.> she admits, using the Genius Gun to blow away the lock and then kicks open the door.

In the presidential suite, she finds a red-haired teenager with a flaming halo floating above her head, sitting cross-legged on the bed with a deck of cards, playing Solitaire.

<Took you long enough.> Tyche comments, over the sound of Agony throwing around Secret Service agents.

<I see you brought with you some teleportation inhibitors. You didn’t really think they would stop me, right?>

<After your minions found me, it was only a matter of time before we met. But I had to give your people some technology to prove my worth.>

<Good thinking. And if you want to prove your worth to me, you’ll tell me everything you know about Ulysses.>

<Why would I do that?>

<Because I am the Slayer of Gods and I can kill you with my mind.>

<You… you do make a compelling argument.> Tyche admits nervously.

 

Nyktelios, above the galactic plane

Eons ago this planet was the center of the cult of Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of the Night. Its civilization is long gone and its sun has been extinguished, but the ruins of Nyktelios still survive.

Unlike most inhabited planets, which lie in the galactic plane of the Olympian Galaxy, Nyktelios is located in the halo that surrounds it; its strategic position would’ve made it the perfect base of operations for any god, but few would dare to risk the wrath of a Primordial.

Today the Aegis, Athena’s mothership, has dared to make the journey. Athena herself lands on the planet, together with Vesta whose fire is the only source of light on this dark planet.

Finding their destination isn’t hard: only one building has been restored to its former glory, a lavishly decorated palace erected on the side of a cliff.

<This place gives me the creeps.> Vesta admits. It’s not just the building that makes her skin crawl, but the sight of the goddess sitting on the throne. She’s lazily eating an apple, while petting the head of the energy snake whose tail is slithering around her legs.

<Well well well, looks like someone just volunteered to be a snack for my latest pets.>

<We’re not here to fight, Eris.>

<Then you will address me as Lilith, unless you want to be called Hestia again.>

<We are here precisely because of your new role as ambassador of Olympus, Lilith.> Athena intervenes.

<I’m not allowed to interfere with the Olympian Galaxy, Athena. My responsibilities only extend to the other galaxies.>

<And as such, we formally ask you to investigate Poseidon’s attack against Olympus.>

<What are you blathering about?>

<The Mortal Republic, which I remind you is an officially recognized vassal of Olympus, has been attacked with a Drylon device last seen in Atlantis. Poseidon is a suspect.>

<Poseidon had nothing to do with that!>

<I sure hope so, Lilith. Because if he did, stopping him would be your responsibility now. And even if you have stolen the power of Nephthys, I don’t think you’re a match for my brother. He’s going to destroy you if we tell him that you’re accusing him.> Vesta teases her.

<Unless you can exonerate Poseidon by leading us to the real culprit.> Athena adds.

<I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that Ulysses… I could never read that guy. What do you want to know?> Lilith replies.

<Where he is and what is his plan.> Vesta quickly says.

<I don’t know where he is. But I know he made me force the peace treaty on Hell because he didn’t want them to be the next target. I suppose it’s the same reason why he’s trying to plunge the Mortal Republic into a civil war: if they’re already at war, they won’t be the target either.>

<The target of what?> Vesta asks.

<You really have no idea of what’s coming, do you? He’s itching for a fight and he won’t be satisfied until he paints the stars red with blood.> Lilith says, lowering her voice as if she’s afraid of even pronouncing the name.

<Ares is coming.>