Beyond The Impossible

The Stygian Galaxy, 2.7 million light-years from Earth

Persephone is on the bridge of the Swift Messenger, looking at its strange crew. She hasn’t changed one bit since the last time she met the Vanguard… same green hair, same metal bikini that exposes the dragon tattoo on her chest, same unrestrained anger.

<Alright, what are you f##kers doing in my galaxy!?> she shouts, her body oozing green energy.

<We don’t mean you any harm.> Kylon tells, her attempting to be diplomatic. It results in Persephone shooting a blast that reduces a console to ashes.

<Harm me? HA! You couldn’t if you tried, Ice D#ck. Are you guys suicidal or something?>

<We’re here on behalf of Noriko Null.> Lily adds.

<Little B#tch is here? You’re not the usual c##ksuckers she hangs out with… except YOU. I’ve seen you before, Blue T#ts.> she replies, pointing her finger at Lily.

<Yes, I was one of the spectators at the “Strongest Under The Heavens” tournament.>

<Ah yes, that time I showed the War C#nt who’s the strongest daughter of Zeus!!!>

<Actually, your fight with Enyo was…> the Lampyrian begins to correct her, but fortunately she recognizes that Kylon is gesturing her to completely drop the subject.

<…the coolest battle I’ve ever seen.> Lily lies. It’s better if she doesn’t remind Persephone that the last time she met the Vanguard she was defeated and completely outclassed by Enyo.

<You bet! I like you, Blue T#ts, I think I won’t break your skull in half. For now. So, where’s the Little B#tch?>

<We don’t have any dogs on the ship.> Amaterasu answers; it’s a genuine question, but to Persephone’s ears she’s mocking her.

<Are you f#cking with me, S#itstain?>

<I, uhm, I don’t think this is the right time for that kind of stuff?>

<Maybe it’s better if we talk why we’re here.> Jane tries to intervene, but Persephone goes straight to Amaterasu and gets uncomfortably close to her face.

<Shut up, F##khole, I was talking to S#itstain. You’re a f##king goddess, aren’t you?>

<I’m Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. I didn’t catch your name, miss…>

<Persephone, Queen Of The Motherf##king Underworld.>

<Is that different from the regular Underworld?>

Persephone is fuming, sure that the utterly confused Amaterasu is just messing with her.

<Unbelievable, you seriously have the balls to f##k with me!?>

<No I don’t have those, and I don’t think I really like you… you’re not very nice, lady.>

<Alright, you’ve asked for it, S#itstain!> Persephone shouts, her body glowing as she prepares to unleash her power against Amaterasu… and stops once Dr. Kalama moves between them.

<Both of you, cut it off! You are NOT going to fight on this ship, not with my daughter sleeping on the deck below us! We came all the way here to do something important!>

<I’m not trying to fight anybody!> Amaterasu answers innocently.

<I AM!!! Who the f#ck do you think you are to give orders to a Queen!?!?>

<I’m the one who is NOT throwing a tantrum! How about you stop being childish and start to behave like an ACTUAL queen!?> the doctor shouts back.

Persephone takes a deep breath, and for a second it looks like she might strike Dr. Kalama. Then she burst into laughter.

<Ah ah! I’ve met gods with less balls than you, C#nt Mom. Respect.>

<She doesn’t have those either. I’m very confused.> Amaterasu admits.

<Come on, Blue T#ts, take me to see the Skullf##ker of Gods and let’s get on with it!> Persephone tells Lily, apparently already disinterested in both Amaterasu and Dr. Kalama.

<If you mean Noriko, she’s in the deck below… but right now, she’s actually dead.> Lily answers.

<Then she might be the only c##ksucker on board that actually belongs in this Galaxy!>

 

Tanais, moon of Themiscyra

90,000 light-years from Earth

Max Black and Kiros are waiting by the door, waiting for the Amazon doctor to come by. The Myridian is both on his bed and next to Max, thanks to a duplicate.

<I hear her coming! Ready?> the human asks with a whisper.

<You’re going to get us both killed, you know that?> Kiros answers.

<Would you rather stay here as a guinea pig?>

<I don’t know what that is.>

<It’s a small animal used for… why am I explaining this to you!? Just be ready!>

As the android walks through the door, both Max and Kiros jump on her; she’s not a combat model, but she’s still strong enough to throw both men against the wall. The Myridian duplicate disappears on impact, while Max just barely maintains consciousness.

<Wow, you really pack a punch!> he complains, massaging his back.

<The books said that males are irrationally aggressive, but I didn’t think there was sufficient scientific backup. I should probably correct the record.>

<Maybe I’m not an android genius, but I wouldn’t be dumb enough to lower my guard when there’s a Myridian around.> Max tells her, distracting the doctor long enough to allow Kiros to create a second duplicate: he grabs the android’s personal taser and uses it against her. It discharges enough electricity to instantly knock out any humanoid, which means she’s perfectly fine.

<Please don’t play with the instruments. They have specific medical purposes.>

<I prefer to improvise.> Max comments, putting his arms around the android. His absorbs not only the full charge of the device, but rather soon the doctor falls to the ground, completely inert.

<I can’t believe that worked. Are you injured, mr. Black?> Kiros asks him.

<Call me Quantum. Now let’s go rescue Torn and the girls.> the human answers, looking at his own fist crackling with electricity.

 

Nowhere

Noriko Null can feel her consciousness coming and going. The construct currently serving as a copy of her mind is very unstable, as is the reality of the simulated environment around her.

<This data is extremely degraded. It’s barely holding on as it is.> she comments, trying to touch the nearest wall… or rather the mass of corroded pixels that used to represent a wall.

As she retracts her hand, she notices that it moves much slower than she thought… it’s like moving through molasses.

<This must be ancient. We’re accessing this part of the Mindscape through sequential access… which is kinda weird, since most of the Nexus seems to run on random access.> she notes.

<Which means what, exactly?> Roxiana asks her. Her avatar is heavily pixelated, just as Noriko’s, as if this world was running on a very low resolution.

<We’re accessing this data in a serial order, one after the other. With sequential access, the time to retrieve a particular piece of information depends upon which information was last accessed… and I think nobody has been here in a very, very long time.> Noriko explains, as the around them begins to be more clearly defined at a truly glacial pace.

<I don’t believe this section is meant for simulated minds. Our mere presence is greatly slowing down the program.> Roxiana observes.

<You’re free to leave at any time.>

<And potentially missing the discovery of new secrets of the history of the Nexus? Not a chance. Besides, I’m not entirely sure we haven’t damaged the rest of the Mindscape beyond repair.>

<One problem at a time.> Noriko reassures her. She’s mostly bluffing: she doesn’t have an actual plan, relying on her instincts and luck.

Eventually, the world around them begins to have a resemblance to reality. They’re indoors in some kind of crystalline structure. Around them are nine capsules, each one containing an amorphous mass of glowing energy.

At the center of it all is a shorter structure that resembles a pedestal, and on top of it is the first thing that Noriko can actually recognize. It looks like a rock, but it has the size and shape of a baseball.

<You have got to be kidding me!> she exclaims, her jaw practically dropping as she looks at the object with sheer amazement.

<You seem to know what that is.> Roxiana says, stating the obvious.

<This… this is the Heart Of The Universe.> Noriko replies; she has no doubts about it, considering how extensively she studied the Drylon device.

Looking around once again, she realizes the way the room is organized is oddly familiar. She can’t recognize a single object, between the alien design and the low resolution, but she has a hunch.

<This is a laboratory. I think… I think this is a recording of a Drylon lab.>

<If that is true, this is either a recording older than five billion years… or this laboratory survived the destruction of the Drylon.> Roxiana deduces.

The two women are so enthralled by the idea that they don’t immediately realize they’re not alone. Something else appears in the room, preceded by the same kind of spatial alteration that Noriko has seen Skorpios use.

They can’t quite make out what they are seeing: the two figures next to them are shrouded in blackness, a complete lack of data that resemble more a hole in reality than an actual recording… but there’s no mistake about it: these are two humanoids.

<This is not ■♦▌╣■ ╤♦ work. The ‡╤▲╪‡ are far too powerful.> one of them says.

<I can’t quite understand what they’re saying, but… Roxiana, I think these might be…>

< ▌╤ †▌╚╚ work. Drylon will win the Ͻ►╚►‡╤▌▲╚ War.> the other answers.

<Yes, they are. Null, we are the first beings to see a Drylon in five billion years.>

<Well, “see” is a bit of a stretch. If only I could understand them better!!!>

<This ▌‡ ╤♦♦ dangerous. Giving these ■♦₪‡ sentience is risky.>

<You worry ╤♦♦ ║▼Ͻ□, Twelfth Nexus. These ■♦₪‡ are •╪♦■╪▲║║►₪ to never hurt a Drylon: they are ‡╤▌╚╚ our servants. Like ╤□► ╪►‡╤ ♦╒ the universe.>

Even though she can only understand part of the conversation, Noriko has no doubts: one of the beings discussing was one of the Drylon hosts of the Nexus. And he… or she, or it, considering the androgynous voice… seems rather scared.

<We said the same ╤□▌╣■ when we ▼•╚▌╒╤►₪ the stars! Now that the ◙►╪◄ ╬►▌╣■‡ we created are a threat, we should be Ͻ▲╪►╒▼╚ before ╬▼▌╚₪▌╣■ something ►◊•♦╣►╣╤▌▲╚╚◄ more powerful.> the host argues.

<╚▌‡╤►╣, Twelfth Nexus, it is one thing to record ╤□► ■╚♦╪◄ ♦╒ the Drylon for all eternity. But you were not Ͻ□♦‡►╣ as a host ╤♦ ☼▼►‡╤▌♦╣ our perfection.> the other replies, moving towards the Heart Of The Universe before the simulation slows down so much to effectively come to a complete stop.

<Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. Did you make out any of it?> Roxiana asks.

<A little. I think the host was arguing against creating these nine beings. Considering the timing and the reference to no hurting a Drylon… which we know from the Vial of Destiny is something the gods can’t do… I think we’re witnessing the creation of the original nine Primordial Gods!>

<Didn’t the host talk about something even more powerful? More than a Primordial?>

<I think so too. Unfortunately the simulation seems stuck.> Noriko sighs, waving her hand in front of the Dylon host. Nothing happens.

<Considering how things went, I think our predecessor had the chance to stop the creation of the gods, way before the fall of the Drylon, but chose not to for some reason.>

<Let’s not jump to conclusions, Null. We have limited information. And considering the state of this data, this is likely as far as we will ever go.> Roxiana notes, shaking her head.

<Not necessarily.> Noriko answers. Her silver eyes shine, but with a delayed effect.

<Can’t you see this recording is broken? It doesn’t go further than this.>

<Maybe for this “Twelfth Host”, yes. But remember, this is sequential access: we’re just witnessing one of the last recordings. If we rewind everything, there may be more.>

<This kind of programming will never support a full simulation, let alone two.>

<You’re right. I will have to do this alone.> Noriko answers her, placing both hands where she figures the Twelfth Host might have had shoulders.

<Take me to the First Host.>