Noriko Null knows she’s not in physical space, but she still feels out of breath. Her mind is in a simulated space that runs at a glacial speed, as if slowed down by the immense pressure of several billion years of history that push down on this mass of repressed memories.
The simulation seems to come and go. It’s dark, darker than the blackest night; she can gather fuzzy glimpses of vague reflections of the world around her, nothing more.
<Hello? Is anybody here?> she says. The words come out much slower than her thoughts, which is especially jarring since everything inside the Mindscape is made of thought. Nobody answers.
<I want to talk to the First Host of the Nexus.> she continues.
Nobody answers.
<I’m sure you’re here. The Nexus keeps a record of any mind that has possessed it; it must have taken extreme care to conserve the first one, I’m sure of it.>
Nobody answers.
<My name is Noriko Null and I’m a host from way, way into your future. Aren’t you at least a little bit curious about what happened in the billions of years since you disappeared?>
Nobody answers.
<This is really important. Please, I need your help.> she continues, almost feeling like crying.
Her mind is racing, despite the technical limitations of this place. There’s a distinct possibility that this data is too ancient to recover… that everything about the Drylon race has been lost to time.
<If I can’t talk to you… if you can’t help me… I’m… I’m gonna be dead for real this time… Please!>
Nobody answers.
It’s a dead end. All of her genius, all her willpower couldn’t get her out of this one. She has lost all hope… for about five seconds.
<You know what? Scr#w you guys! I didn’t ask to get your freaky supercomputer stuck into my brain, I didn’t ask to work my #ss off to fix all the damn problems you people left behind, but I’m out there every single day trying to make the universe a better place! The Drylon were supposed to be the greatest f#cking civilization that ever existed, but you know what I think? You people are a joke! Just a stupid joke! If you’re so high and mighty why don’t you f#cking DO SOMETHING!!!>
Something clicks.
Two bright yellow lights illuminate the darkness; each one is ten times Noriko’s height, and they are positioned hundreds of feet in the air. The surface around them is not easily defined at first, but soon enough Noriko understands: it’s a face.
Once she understands that she’s in front of something giant, another set of eyes lights up. Then another one, and another, and another.
Her heart races as the place reaches a stable representation. Twelve giants are spread in a circle around them, each one the size of a skyscraper. Pitch black silhouettes with bright yellow eyes.
The background changes too. It’s a field of galaxies, connected by artificial structures whose size and purpose dwarf anything ever imagined by human beings.
<Multi-cellular chordate ‡•►Ͻ▌║►╣.> one shadow says.
<Verbal Ͻ♦║║▼╣▌Ͻ▲╤▌♦╣ in linear time. How •╪▌║▌╤▌◙►.> another adds.
<Appears ╤♦ ╬► nearly sentient.> a third comments.
<Uhm… hello. My n-name is Noriko Null.> she says, stammering.
<We ▲╪► the Drylon.>
Right now, Noriko is immensely grateful that her current simulated body doesn’t have a bladder.
<I have so many questions! You guys have been able to talk to the other hosts the whole time!?>
<Ͻ♦╣╤▲Ͻ╤ with inferior beings is imperfect. Thou cannot Ͻ♦║•╪►□►╣₪ the vastity of Drylon thoughts, and we hold little interest in thy petty ║▌╣₪‡.>
<Well I was smart enough to break through your little firewall, wasn’t I?> Noriko boasts, hoping she can mask how terrified she truly is.
The shadows look at each other, exchanging sounds that she can’t comprehend.
<This is not thy •╚▲Ͻ►. Thou shall leave.>
<Yeah, you guys look real busy here.> she jokes, looking around some more. There’s a noticeable gap in how the shadows are spread out, clearly leaving enough space for a thirteenth missing host.
<Which one of you is the First Host?>
<Thou faces the ■╪►▲╤►‡╤ minds in all creation. Why dost thou ≈╣♦†?>
<I’ll take it’s you. You can’t actually kick me out, isn’t it? Otherwise you would’ve done it before I could even speak. Besides, aren’t you missing one of your friends?> she asks, pointing at the space where the thirteenth missing host was supposed to be.
<If thou remains here, thou shall be crushed by ▌╣╤►╚╚►Ͻ╤. Inferior ║▌╣₪‡ are not designed for the ▌║║►╣‡▌╤◄ of our thought.>
<So what you’re saying is that if I stay here I’m dead for good.>
<‡□► is nearly sentient indeed.>
<And what’s going to happen to you?>
More incomprehensible talking. There is no hint of any inflection in their voices, and what she receives is clearly an imperfect and incomplete translation… but she senses something.
<You’re scared, isn’t it? I’m not the one at risk here. It’s you!>
<We ▲╪► the Drylon. We stand above all.>
<Then prove it. I’m not going anywhere.> Noriko replies, crossing her arms.
<If we are ₪▲║▲■►₪, the Nexus might cease ♦•►╪▲╤▌♦╣.> another shadow warns the First Host, soon joined by another:
<The Nexus must be •╪►‡►╪◙►₪. The program is ╣♦╤ Ͻ♦║•╚►╤► yet.>
<Look, there’s only one solution here: just get me out of the Mindscape and back into my body. I promise I’m never going to try setting foot here again!>
<Thou ▲╪► lying.>
<It matters not. Thy cellular frame is ₪▲║▲■►₪. The Nexus holds little power over the universe outside the Mindscape.>
<Well then I guess we’re all gonna die here, because I for sure ain’t gonna quit.>
<Thou are ╬╚▼╒╒▌╣■. This is an attempt to Ͻ♦►╪Ͻ► us into breaking our own rules.>
<Okay, you got me. But if you can really read my mind, you should also know that I’m willing to risk everything to go back to life. Anything.>
<That is correct. □►╪ willpower exceeds ╪►Ͻ♦╪₪►₪ parameters.>
<We should repair □►╪. It is the only way to ‡▲◙► the Nexus.>
<□♦‡╤ is too limited for ╪►‡▼╪╪►Ͻ╤▌♦╣. It is not possible.>
<Seriously!? You guys are the freaking Drylon! Everything you’ve created breaks every single law of physics, are you seriously telling me there’s nothing you can do!? Gimme a break! If there’s anyone who can go beyond the impossible, it’s you!!!>
<□♦‡╤ has a point. It has been done ╬►╒♦╪►.>
<It is ╪▌‡≈◄ but we have no other Ͻ□♦▌Ͻ►.>
<What is thy name, □♦‡╤?>
<Null.>
<The Drylon shall remember thy name, Null. If thou survives thy resurrection.>
The eyes of the First Host shine like stars, and Noriko realizes he was right: she can feel her mind coming in contact with something so vast that even her enhanced intellect is drowning in information.
Tanais, moon of Themiscyra
90,000 light-years from Earth
Max Black a.k.a. Quantum is beginning to have a serious case of déjà vu. He’s lost count of how many Amazon androids he’s already taken down, but they just keep coming: it’s the same model over and over again, without even changing the face.
<This feels like we’re back on Myridia!> he jokes, absorbing the blast shot by one of the lances and sending its energy back to the warrior who fired it, causing the android to explode.
<Not really. These women would be rejected by the Myridian militia, this strategy makes no sense.> Kiros Zel replies; he’s keeping himself behind Quantum, allowing the human to absorb the energy of anything the Amazons keep throwing at him.
<Yeah, the Amazons built a whole freakin’ moon, you’d think they’d have a better idea than keep doing the same thing over and over.> Quantum agrees; not only the Amazons haven’t made any progress in trying to harm them, but not a single woman has lasted more than a few seconds.
<They kept me around as a test subject. Maybe they’re testing you as well… how long can you keep this up?> Kiros asks. As if the Amazons noticed they are figuring out the strategy, a new squadron of warrior androids shows up… a small army is gathering just behind the pile of wrecked android body parts scattered all over the hallway.
<Not long enough for that. Hold on, I want to try something.> Quantum tells him, touching the wall with one hand. The lights flicker, then a stream of electricity flows from the building to his body; in a matter of seconds, the place goes dark and every single Amazon shuts down, falling to the floor.
<Why didn’t you START with that!?> Kiros yells at him.
<I’m still learning how to use my powers like this: transforming myself into energy is way easier than manipulating it. If I still had the full extent of my powers we would’ve found Torn by now!>
A blade of red glowing energy cleaves the hallway in half, cutting through metal thousands of times stronger than steel with no effort.
<Then again…>
Something crashes through the wall: it looks like a woman, but the various cuts on her skin exposing the internal circuitry reveal its artificial origin. She’s blocking hundreds of blows per second by generating some kind of close range forcefield, fighting something moving so fast that Quantum’s brain can’t register it.
He throws a single energy blast at her, putting everything he has absorbed into it. She raises one hand to block it, making it bounce against the forcefield. As she slowly turns her head towards him, a thin red light passes vertically through her body.
The hallway’s lights go back on, just in time for Quantum to see the Amazon cut in half. As the two bisected parts of her body split, he can finally see what she was fighting.
Torn is now still enough to be visible. He’s breathing heavily; there’s not a single place on his bare chest and arms that isn’t covered in cuts and bruises. Quantum opens his mouth: without time to say a single word, Torn is already holding a knife of Blood energy against his throat.
<Dude, it’s me!>
<They took you too?> the Demon asks; feeling his teammate’s soul, there’s no way this is a trick.
<It’s a long story. What have you been doing this whole time?>
<Fighting.>
<For months!?>
<The Amazons are trying to engineer a soldier stronger than a Demon.> Torn says, turning back towards the dozens, if not hundreds of sliced androids scattered around.
<They failed.>
<Can you take us to the planet?> Kiros asks.
<I couldn’t even get past the arena’s containment field, but that broke down just now.>
<You’re welcome.> Quantum boasts, as if it wasn’t just an extremely lucky effect of this attack.
<Now that it’s gone, I should be able to use a pentagram if we’re not interrupted.>
<Just hurry. Who knows what terrible things they’ve been doing to Kari!> Kiros pleads.
<Don’t worry, we’ll be there in no time. The Amazons won’t replace their top warrior so quickly!> Quantum tries to console him.
Announced by the sound of a siren, something is teleported in front of them: a new Amazon, this time with her skin protected by a layer of red glowing metal.
<Model 75 destroyed. Increasing energy absorption by 700%. Model 76 ready for combat.>
<I did not miss your ability to be wrong about everything.> Torn tells Quantum, as he creates a new set of Blood swords to start the fight again.
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