Beyond The Impossible

Throne Room of Poseidon, Aegian Galaxy

It’s not often that Noriko Null finds herself facing an opponent without her weapons, but Ulysses has proven himself to be as ready for anything as he claims.

She has to resort to a physical fight, and as much as she hates to admit it she’s at a complete disadvantage. She has the theoretical knowledge on how every single martial art developed on Earth works, and she’s had some training with Kari… but that’s nothing compared to the thousands of years of combat experience Ulysses can rely upon. Not to mention he’s twice her size.

She dodges a couple of punches, but as soon as she tries to hit him Ulysses grabs her arm, twists it behind her back, and pushes her against the golden cage bars that are isolating the fight.

<Stop embarrassing yourself and lose with a little dignity.> he taunts her.

<Sorry, I’m not in the mood to lose today. FINAL…> she raises her voice, with her silver eyes shining brightly and with electricity surging through her body.

Ulysses lets her go and braces himself; she can feel his soul boiling up, but she’s far too concentrated on unleashing her best attack.

<…ABYSS!!!> she lets go, emitting a blast of black lightning that hits Ulysses like a raging river.

<Soul Control!> he shouts back; the Final Abyss hits against an invisible dome surrounding him, coiling itself around the shield like a snake trying to constrict its prey.

<Neat trick. How long can you keep it up?> Noriko asks, faking being in control: she’s still sustaining the Final Abyss, and judging by the veins swelling on her forehead it’s taking its toll.

<As long as I have to.> Ulysses replies, but even if his bravado masks it he’s under a similar stress.

“This is bad. If I can’t draw on an outside power source I’ll pass out in a minute or so” Noriko thinks, trying to sense her surroundings.

There are only gods and her allies inside the Throne Room; she could try absorbing information from the Sirens that Kari has knocked out, but it would require dropping the Final Abyss and it’s not a guarantee win anyway.

“How is he keeping this up!? Soul Control isn’t that much different from how the Demons use the Blood, but humans aren’t built for this kind of thing… this has to be exhausting for him as well.”

<This is disappointing, Null. I’ve always admired your lateral thinking, but if you knew anything about me, you’d know how much I can endure.> Ulysses says, more to hype himself into resisting than out of a serious attempt to undermine her resolve.

<If I knew… yes that’s it! ETERNAL…> Noriko says; Ulysses can feel accessing the Cosmic Background Network through her Nexus, and he can see the tears of blood coming out of her eyes.

<You can’t be serious.> he lets slip, allowing fear to slip out of his carefully constructed persona.

<…ABYSS!!!> she yells; her attack doubles and redoubles in strength, with the shield around Ulysses shrinking so much he has to kneel to still fit inside.

<This is the attack I used against Harmonia. I got inside her mind and tore it to pieces from the inside out. Can you resist that!?> she asks, breathing much faster; her eyes are twitching and now she’s also dripping blood from her nose and ears.

<Are you insane!? You were on Earth and you had your Golden Eyes! You’ll melt your brains out!> he warns her, and he’s not the only one.

She can suddenly hear another voice in her head, one that’s never spoken to hear without a direct prompt from her side… the Nexus itself.

<Warning. Information buffer overflow. Command exceeds safety protocols. Authorization for operating system hyperclocking required.>

<Oh you think this is nuts? You’re absolutely right. Let’s get nuts.>

Noriko’s eyes turn golden, and the electricity flowing out of her body takes the same color.

<Hyperclocking engaged. Warning: irreversible host failure in 158 seconds.>

Ulysses’ shield shatters, exposing his soul and his mind to her.

 

Spaceship Ithaca, 1068 BC

Access to the bridge of the ship is severely restricted. King Laertes has never taken his son Ulysses here before today, his sixteenth birthday.

The teenager takes his seat on the captain’s chair: he has studied the ship for years, but seeing it with his own eyes is something else entirely.

<Don’t get too comfortable, son. I still have a few years left in me as commander of this ship.>

<We could go anywhere with this. Anywhere in the whole universe.> Ulysses says.

<Yes, a universe where we would have to serve the gods as slaves. Believe me, crashing the Ithaca on this remote planet has been a blessing: our people have known nothing but peace.>

<Is it a blessing, father? To cower in fear, hiding on the ship forever? Mortals outnumber the gods by a huge margin; if we could rally like-minded allies, perhaps…>

<Nonsense. Our long-range communications are damaged beyond repair; it is useless to entertain such fantasies. Now come, we have to discuss the terms of your engagement with Penelope.>

<In a moment, father. Let me savor this brief moment of liberty.>

<Very well. Sometimes I forget you are still a child.> Laertes sighs, turning his back on his son and walking toward the exit of the bridge.

Not noticing Ulysses activating the secondary communications system.

<This is too early. Skip ahead.>

<Irreversible host failure in 143 seconds.>

 

Warship Neritum

In orbit above Troy, 1063 BC

Ulysses sits on the captain’s chair of a much larger ship, a dreadnaught acquired from the rebels of the short-lived Kingdom of Argos.

The viewscreen is showing the dire consequences of the first six months of the war, with the remains of hundreds of ships. They will eventually lose altitude and rain upon Troy, as if the planet hadn’t suffered enough through the siege.

<Sir, the captain of the Tiryns asks permission to come aboard.> one of his lieutenants inform him.

<Permission granted. When is he sending his shuttle?>

Before the lieutenant can answer, a bright light fills the bridge as a man is being teleported; he’s not much older than Ulysses, but his eyes are bright silver.

<You don’t even have teleportation countermeasures? I don’t know how Agamemnon expects to win a war in these conditions.> the man complains.

<You must be Diomedes. I was informed about your pleasant personality.>

<I was hoping you’d bring the Ithaca. A chance to study Thalassian technology doesn’t come up every day; it’d be a huge asset.>

<The Ithaca stays hidden. That was my agreement with Agamemnon to join his war. This technology of yours, could it be implemented across the fleet?>

<It’s already scheduled. Let’s be honest, Ulysses, Agamemnon tells me you’re some kind of prodigy. So he sent his smartest soldier to check if you’re as impressive as the troops say.>

<And what exactly makes you the smartest soldier?>

<The Nexus device inside my head.> Diomedes answers, his silver eyes shining.

<I’ve never heard of this Nexus. What does it do, exactly?>

<Are you resisting me, Ulysses, showing me things I already know? What are you hiding?>

<Irreversible host failure in 121 seconds.>

 

Troy, 1053 BC

The ground is shaking; even a hundred miles below the planet’s capital, the orbital bombardment that is guaranteeing the fall of the kingdom can still be felt.

Ulysses and Diomedes walk past the heavily damaged bodies of robots and cyborgs that were still guarding this inner sanctum; it has been one of the hardest battles of this ten year war.

But now they can finally see it, on the altar stained by blood and motor oil: a small statue of Athena.

<The Palladium. Hard to believe this thing has kept the location of Troy invisible to the entire Galaxy for thousands of years.> Diomedes comments.

<We can’t allow any god to take it. Let’s bring it back to Ithaca.> Ulysses says.

<That’s not the mission Agamemnon gave us.>

<No, it’s not.> Ulysses replies, pressing a button on a small device hidden in his belt. It emits a very powerful electromagnetic pulse, strong enough to shut down Diomedes’ Nexus and knock him out.

<But it’s the mission I was given.> Ulysses then adds, even if there’s nobody to hear him, and attaches a second device to Diomedes. A second later, the Nexus host has been teleported away and there is a hologram appearing right next to Ulysses.

<Very impressive, not too many people could take him by surprise. He should have accepted my proposal instead of siding with that fool Agamemnon.> Athena says.

<Remember our deal, Athena. I take the Palladium back to Ithaca and keep your involvement a secret. In return, I get full authority over a planet of my choosing in your sector.>

<My memory is flawless and my word is my bond, Ulysses. As much as I need the contents of the Palladium to stay hidden, though it is a waste of your talents. I could give the Nexus to you and offer the opportunity to explore the universe on my behalf.>

<Tempting, but I’ve seen what the Galaxy has to offer. I just want to get back to my family and have at least one planet completely free from divine rule.>

<A small wish for a small perspective. The Galaxy is a far more complex place than you realize; too bad you will never get the chance to see that.>

<Was that sarcasm? I wonder if perhaps Poseidon wasn’t the only god with a grudge against him after all. Why are you thinking about this time? Is this what motivates you, Ulysses?>

<Irreversible host failure in 101 seconds.>

 

Spaceship Ithaca, 1033 BC

It’s been thirty years since Ulysses left his home for the Trojan War. Ten years wasted in the conflict, followed by twenty years of wandering the universe harassed by Poseidon.

He looks visibly older than how Noriko knows him: the years have taken their toll. But that’s nothing compared to what he found… death.

The ship’s environmental controls are damaged beyond repair: every man, woman and child has suffocated. He walked over miles of corpses to reach specific living quarters, already knowing what he would find.

He’s been holding the body of a dead woman in his arms for over an hour when someone else enters the room. A goddess floating a few inches above the bodies, followed by a man hiding beneath a black hood.

<I am sorry for your loss, Ulysses. Even if the Ithacans hadn’t disabled the communication systems after you left, the Palladium would’ve prevented me from receiving their distress call.> Athena says. Ulysses doesn’t answer for what feels like an eternity.

<What happened? There were redundancies.>

Athena lets the hooded man answer:

<Demeter had a skirmish with Hephaestus nearby. An electromagnetic warhead disabled a squadron of Talos robots, but it damaged the Ithaca as well as my old laboratory.>

<This planet is still in the bronze age. Nobody outside this ship knows what magnetism is… who are you, exactly?> Ulysses asks.

<I am called the Scribe. Athena tells me you met my successor… I am the original human host of the Nexus. And I believe I can help you.>

<Can you bring back my family? Or give me back the years I lost?>

<No, I didn’t get a scan of their brains. And my research on time travel has been unsuccessful. I can, however, give you the chance to get back at the gods that destroyed your life.>

<Why would you help me?>

<We may share similar goals. I am planning to assemble a guild of…>

<I’m not talking to you.> Ulysses adds, looking at Athena right in the eyes.

<The enemy of my enemy is my ally.> she answers.

<I will kill all of you. The universe won’t be free as long as there are gods.> Ulysses replies, his voice charged with untold hatred.

<Ruin the kingdoms of other gods and leave mine alone to rule in the end, and I will back any of your endeavors.> the goddess admits.

<Your help is appreciated… Null.>

<Wait, what?>

<Irreversible host failure in 83 seconds.>

 

Throne Room of Poseidon, today

From the outside, a little more than a minute has passed since the mental fight started.

But now the energy surrounding Ulysess and Null is expanding outwards, and every god in the Throne Room is now feeling a debilitating pain in their heads.

Poseidon is the only one who doesn’t seem to be in any real danger… for now. But the hand holding his trident suddenly tightens.

<What kind of monsters are those mortals?> he wonders.