Beyond The Impossible

Lower decks of the Supreme Scorpion, 2000 light-years from Earth

Vesta opens the door to the spaceship’s engine room. Most of the space is occupied by the giant reactor that powers the ship and allows it to travel much faster than light. Noriko is sleeping next to it, sitting on a crate. She’s surrounded by a metric ton of spare parts and equipment that she used to build…something that’s been connected to the main reactor.

Vesta floats by, her bare feet never touching the ground. Despite her best effort to avoid making any sound, Noriko still opens her eyes and asks:

<Do you need anything?>

<Hi. No, I just wanted to see how you were doing. Sorry to disturb you.>

<Don’t worry, you didn’t wake me up. I was just sleeping.>

<I…don’t see the difference.>

<My body needs far more sleep than my brain, so I’ve started to make my body asleep while my mind is awake. The doctor ordered me to get some rest, after all.>

<I understand… I think. That thing you built, is that…>

<A new God Eraser, yes.>

<…>

<Does it make you uncomfortable?>

<You built a weapon specifically to kill my family, Noriko. I don’t like being next to it.>

<It’s not designed to be lethal if someone else fires it. Talas Khanos used it on you once, remember?>

<Kind of hard to forget, this thing hurts a lot. Are you going to use it on Hephaestus?>

<I hope not, since he’s not supposed to be at the Forge. And because it’s likely to kill me as well.>

<Why? Doesn’t it take power from the ship?>

<Partially. When interfaced with my brain, the Eraser can amplify the transmission of information into the target’s mind, effectively overloading it. But I am the one who needs to focus an entire planet’s worth of information into a single strike. And in my present condition…>

<You told your father you were feeling fine.>

<I tell my father many things he needs to hear.  I have to do this, Vesta. It’s my fault.>

<Nori, we’ve been over this…>

<It is. My technology allowed Eris to take control of Artemis and escalate the war. A war that started because Hephaestus wants the Eraser.>

<It’s all based on information from Hermes. I can’t stress this enough, Nori: you-can’t-trust-him.>

<I don’t. Which is why I need your advice.>

<I just gave it to you. Don’t trust Hermes.>

<If only things were that simple. Should I kill them? Should I kill Hephaestus and Artemis?>

<You can’t ask me permission to kill my brother’s children!!!>

<One of them killed one million people on Earth.>

<Would killing Artemis bring them back to life? I understand your anger but…>

<This isn’t about revenge, Vesta. It’s about avoiding the next massacre. You’ve known them for what, thousands of years? Tens of thousands of years? You have to give me something.>

Vesta pauses. Her family has exiled her from Olympus and confined her on Earth for more than two thousand years…but she’s not a vengeful goddess.

<Eris must be stopped. She’s insane. Evil.>

<What about Artemis? She has a…uhm. She has a thing for me> Noriko blushes.

<She likes young girls. And she has some sort of personal code. If we manage to free her from Eris she may become a very powerful ally.>

<I already have one god who’s trying to get into my pants. If I’m lucky, she and Hermes will take care of each other.  What about Hephaestus? You haven’t told me anything about him.>

<Right.>

Vesta floats back a few inches, crossing her arms as if she just felt a chill. Since Noriko knows Vesta can survive at near absolute zero temperatures, she figures something’s up.

<I haven’t been completely honest with you, Noriko. Hephaestus and I… we… we were close.>

<Before your exile?>

<Before his marriage.>

<Oh> Noriko acknowledges. It takes her a few seconds to realize what this means, which makes her blush even more.

<Eww> she grimaces.

<We used to be engaged> Vesta reveals.

<But…but isn’t he…>

<The son of my brother and my sister, yes. My people don’t have a taboo against incest.>

<Y’know, when I asked for intel, this isn’t really what I had in mind…>

<We were both outcasts in our family. I was the only one who couldn’t have children, and was…he has a condition. He can’t control his power.>

<What do you mean?>

<He’s like a flamethrower that you can’t shut off. A volcano in constant eruption. I tried to use my control over fire to help him, but…it didn’t work out.>

Noriko’s silver eyes shine for a second. It’s a brief moment, but Vesta catches it.

<You’re thinking about using what I just said against him.>

<I also had a troubled childhood. I don’t use it as an excuse to terrorize the galaxy.>

<Abyss would.>

<…>

<Sorry. Low blow. What I’m saying is, the Hephaestus of today is as different from his old self as you’re different from Abyss. If you had a chance to talk with Artemis, a million people might be alive today. Maybe it’s not too late for Hephaestus.>

<You’re asking for a chance to talk to him? Twelve hours away from blowing up his house!?>

<Yes.>

<You’re asking a lot.>

<I know.>

The two look each other in the eye, with Noriko’s silver eyes shining. She trusts Vesta with her life and she’s the older sister she never had. Seven billion minds tell her that this is a very, very bad idea, but one heart is enough to sway her.

<You get one chance. ONE. We reach the Forge, disable the Talos, disable the inhibitors and ask Hermes to take you to Hephaestus. You will have one minute to convince him to surrender before we destroy everything he has. ONE. Minute. One second more and the deal is over.>

<Thank you> Vesta answers, hugging Noriko a little too close for comfort.

<Please don’t break my ribs> she says with the little breath the goddess leaves her.

<Sorry! Sorry. I’ll… I’ll just leave to think about what I will tell him. Thank you so much Nori!>

Vesta flies off, leaving Noriko in the shadow of the engine’s glow.

<You’re not really THAT stupid, right?> Hermes asks Noriko. She doesn’t question his habit to suddenly appear right behind her back just when she least expects him. Instead she asks:

<Did she tell the truth?>

<Yes, of course she did. Vesta is predictably naïve; she trusts everybody. It’s one of her most endearing qualities. Too bad she didn’t accept my marriage proposal, back in the day.>

<She’s your aunt. You’re grossing me out on purpose, aren’t you?>

<Why, I’m just trying to relieve the sexual tension between us!>

<What sexual tension? I despise you.>

<Then it can’t get any worse, sunshine.>

<Oh don’t count on it. I’m working it up to pure hatred.>

<I love it when you play hard to get. See you at the Forge> Hermes says before kissing Noriko on the cheek and disappearing again. The girl wipes her face with the sleeve of her jacket.

<Okay, that’s it. I officially hate him now.>

 

Null Island, Pacific Ocean

The complex is vastly less formal than Null Tower; there’s even a bar, where Doctor Catherine Kalama finds Noriko’s father enjoying a drink he served to himself.

<Mister Null> he greets him.

<Call me Bob. Everybody does.>

<Sure. Have you seen your daughter?>

<Not recently. Can I help you with anything?>

<No thank you, I just…well actually, maybe you can answer a few questions in her place.>

<Sure. But if they have to go public you should check with Todd first.>

<I asked her a few questions about the clinical history of her family. When I asked her about her mother’s side, she dodged the questions so fast I think she broke some kind of record.>

<Doesn’t surprise me. Nori doesn’t want to talk about it.>

<I assume the same goes for you.>

<Her mother… well let’s just say she isn’t a good person.>

<“Isn’t”? I thought her mother was dead.>

<Nori doesn’t want me to talk about it either> Bob warns her.

<She trusts me enough to tell me about the aliens. Does Noriko know who is her real mother?>

<I don’t know what you’re…>

<Haruka Yukimura. According to her birth certificate, she was Noriko’s mother. She didn’t tell me much about her, so I looked for her medical records, only to discover they don’t exist. A woman with that name definitely lived in Japan and died about two years ago. But every medical detail about her is completely gone.>

<That’s… interesting, I guess. But what’s that got to do with…>

<Even more interesting, she didn’t look anything like Noriko. Did she delete the medical files?>

<I don’t think so. Her real mother probably did it years ago.>

<Does Noriko know the truth?>

<She found out recently. You know, right before the whole supersmart thing. Do you really need to know more about her family?>

<At least if there’s a history of heart disease. With her present condition…>

<What condition? Is anything wrong with her?>

<She doesn’t want me to talk about it.>

<Oh my God she’s pregnant!>

<What? No! Why would that be your first idea!?>

<That’s a relief. But if it’s not that, what is it?>

<She didn’t tell you? It’s her heart. She had an infarct months ago and her body underwent a massive shock during the Abyss deal.>

<How bad is it? Is she going to be alright?>

<If she doesn’t strain herself too much I think she can manage. Her brain is now too different from a normal one to know how it can be affected, but her body is very weak.>

<Then why did you give her your permission to go into space!?>

<What? I did no such thing! What did she tell you? Where is she?>

<She’s asked me not to talk about it. It’s probably nothing she can’t manage> he tries to convince himself, but the doctor isn’t so sure about it.

<Bob, where is your daughter?>

<On the other side of the galaxy to blow up a star.>

<…>

<And possibly to kill a god. Or a goddess, I can’t remember which one.>

<…>

<You’re sure you don’t want anything?>

<A less stubborn patient would be fine, but I’ll settle for a drink.>