Tokyo, Japan
Leiko Tanaka isn’t happy. Her limousine is stuck in traffic, but this is the least of her problems. First Null Towers disappears, then Artemis shows up in China killing thousands of people. The stock market has all but crashed thanks to the crisis: Null Technologies was almost single-handedly responsible for the recent economic boom, and now she’s vanished.
This would be the best opportunity for the Empire of Shadows to take control of the situation, but Artemis is too much of a variable to take the risk. And Hermes, the only person she knows that could give her an edge against Artemis, has disappeared as well.
The news over the radio keep getting worse: apparently Artemis has engaged the Chinese army. Leiko takes from her purse her Shadow Visor, which connects her to every artificial body under the command of the Empire. But she’s distracted by the screeching sound that has replaced the news.
<Good morning, Japan. Today’s random acts of violence are brought to you by Abyss.>
<Noriko?> Leiko wonders; the voice is deeply distorted. And she’s speaking in English.
<You probably can’t understand a single word I’m saying, but I’ve always hated your fu##ing language. Let me repeat the message in a way you’ll understand.>
Then the engine dies. Not just the limousine’s engine: every car in Tokyo suddenly stops. The all the phones stop working. Then radio, TV, Internet, everything goes dark.
It’s an eerie moment: one of the world’s busiest cities is completely silent. People get out of their cars to look around. All they can see is that the sky has suddenly turned cloudy.
The Valkyrie becomes visible. It’s an aircraft, something of a cross between a stealth jet and a flying saucer. It’s floating above traffic: the Ø symbol beneath it has been summarily scratched and painted over with a red A inside a circle.
<Turn the car around. We have to get back to the base, NOW> Leiko orders.
<I can’t, miss Tanaka, we’re struck> the driver apologizes.
The Valkyrie’s hatchet opens. A young woman moves on top of the floating vessel: she’s wearing a rather revealing red outfit with red high heeled boots. Her face is covered by a black mask with the usual red A painted over it. Thousands of people are looking at her.
Her words are amplified by the Valkyrie’s speakers, and she speaks in Japanese spelling carefully every single word to make it weight as much as she can.
<You are all going to die.>
And the Valkyrie begins firing indiscriminately at civilians.
Tangshan City, China
Despite being literally tireless (she has gone thousands of years without sleep), Artemis is easily bored. She tried asking the usual questions to the natives…which god rules this planet, which mortal is their leader…but she couldn’t get a straight answer.
Language isn’t a problem: she doesn’t know what the Chinese language is, but all mortals can understand her perfectly. Yet they all run away, like a scared prey.
The square is deserted. Artemis pauses to look at the Anti-Seismic Monument, wondering about what god or goddess is being worshiped here. She will never know it commemorates the relief effort that followed the 1976 earthquake, because the tear gas distracts her.
Police officers in riot gear quickly surround her. Artemis is still visible behind the smoke, and she’s not happy. She grabs one of the four pillars of the monument and detach it, wielding the 100 feet block of concrete and granite like a giant baseball bat. Bullets bounce on her skin.
The mortals don’t stand a chance. All it takes is a single swing and the pillar is red with blood.
Without sparing a single thought for the men she killed, Artemis takes flight to look upon the rest of the city. There are more mortals coming for her; mortals with tanks.
<Hmm. This planet might be fun after all.>
The Null Zone
Floating in the middle of an empty parallel universe, Null Tower is currently without gravity.
Seven people are placed in circle around a rock, a sphere the size of a baseball bat that isn’t falling to the ground. They are five mortals (Quantum, Kari, Bob, Todd and Tiffany), a goddess, and Torn.
<What is this thing?> Tiffany asks. All she signed for was a night of passion with Bob, not this crazy adventure in another dimension.
<The Heart of the Universe. It’s kind of a big deal> Bob explains.
<Why? What does it do?>
<I have no idea> Bob admits.
<We used it once to travel to Myridia. Maybe we can use it to go home> Quantum theorizes, taking the object in his hands. But despite everyone holding their breath, nothing happens.
<Nothing. Wait, didn’t Leiko say something about this thing working with a pregnant woman?>
<Don’t even think about it> Kari and Tiffany scold him immediately.
<Let me have a look> Bob interjects, touching the Heart in an attempt to take it from Quantum.
The room is filled with a bright flash of blue light, leaving behind static electricity, a faint smell of ozone and a lot of questions. Todd says what’s on everyone’s mind:
<That was weird.>
<And familiar, wasn’t it?> Vesta asks; Quantum nods.
<I think it worked. We felt the same sensation when we traveled to Myridia.>
<So we’re back home?> Kari wonders, creating a duplicate right next to the closest window…but there’s still nothing outside.
<Nope. Maybe the Heart doesn’t work in the Null Zone.>
<How did you get it working in the first place?> Vesta questions.
<My powers come from the Heart of the Universe, and he’s the father of someone who used it.>
<Let’s try it again> Bob says. He and Quantum hold the device together, causing another flash.
<We’re still struck here. Maybe we moved, but we’re not back in our universe> Kari says.
<That’s just great. Any idea of how to get out of this mess?> Bob asks.
<Yes> Torn intervenes, taking off his duster.
Everyone gives him a puzzled look, as it often happens with Torn. He then takes off his shirt.
<Stand back. I haven’t done this in twenty years> he warns, opening his arms.
<Take as much time as you want> Kari teases him, not minding his friend showcasing his body.
All of his muscles become tense; his three hearts pound faster and faster.
<DEMON… he shouts, pausing and clenching his teeth; his skin is suddenly covered by thousands of deep cuts. But instead of bleeding, each cut reveals a bright red light.
<…SWORD!!!> he screams. The red light from his wounds solidifies in a longsword as tall as he is, and so bright it’s painful to look at it.
Torn falls on his knees, losing his breath, but with visible effort he’s able to stand up again and to take the sword in his hands. Only then the brightness decreases.
<I’m too old for this.>
<A sword? How does a sword take us back home!?> Quantum asks.
<It doesn’t. We’re going to Hell> Torn explains.
Tokyo, Japan
Abyss is laughing. It’s a hysterical laughter, careless and loud, almost loud enough to be heard through the explosions. The Genius Cannons she installed on the Valkyrie are tearing up the city, creating a thunderstorm of shrapnel and glass shards.
<Look at them! Terrorized and calling for mercy! Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you’ve seen?>
“Let them go, please! They’ve done nothing to you!” a voice screams inside her head.
<Oh shut up Null. Can’t you see I’m enjoying a little massacre here?>
“You have nothing to gain from this! It’s insane!!!”
<God you’re annoying. Just watch me, I’m going to do more in one day than you did in a year.>
Abyss jumps off the Valkyrie. Despite being 30 feet on the air, she lands safely: her boots emit a strange pulse of energy that decelerate her smoothly.
A man and a woman wearing red and black costumes are waiting for her: Overkill and Excess respectively. Everyone else is fleeing the scene.
<Alright, here’s how it’s gonna go down. I’m marching towards that building over there; if anyone tries to stop me, use your weapons.>
<I don’t even know how this thing works> Overkill complains.
<Just point at the target, the suit’ll do the rest.>
These few words are all the instructions that Abyss is willing to give, while Excess and Overkill are distracted by the fleet of screaming sirens that are approaching.
<Remind me how we got into this mess> Excess asks.
<We tried to kidnap a crazy chick and she gave us a job> Overkill answers.
<And they say crime doesn’t pay.>
The police cars come to a screeching halt, and a few seconds later the two criminals are the target of intense fire…which does absolutely nothing, as the suit’s forcefield make the bullets ineffective.
The lenses of their masks show a wide variety of information: a translation of what the cops are saying, what weapons they are using, and a list of strategic options. Excess chooses “attack”.
Her right hand fires a concussive blast, powerful enough to send a dozen police cars flying into the air. Excess clenches her fist, looking at it and smiling.
<Sweet!> she exclaims gleefully.
Leiko has seen all the destruction brought by the Valkyrie from a distance, and is frantically trying to summon her Centurions from her laptop. To no effect: something is creating interference.
She’s the leader of a terrorist organization powerful enough to launch an attack on half the planet, and she’s stuck in traffic. It’d be funny if Leiko had any sense of humor whatsoever.
Trying to collect her thoughts she looks outside the front window…and when she sees her, Leiko’s cold heart jumps.
Abyss is walking towards her. An angel of death proceeding with an unflinching walk, with a Genius Gun in each hand. But despite looking paler than usual, Leiko doesn’t surrender.
She gets out of the car, standing proudly. Abyss walks up to her, creating some personal space by blasting cars left and right: the Genius Gun hits them like a speeding bus.
<Aren’t you gonna run?>Abyss finally asks, in English. She’s less than a feet away from her.
Up close, Abyss isn’t so scary. She’s shorter than Leiko, though less so than Noriko thanks to her high heels.
<<Leiko Tanaka does not run away>> – she answers in Japanese.
<Yes, you’re stubborn like that. Must run in the family. You know who I am, right?>>
<<A failed experiment. A mockery of destiny.>>
<It burns you that Null has accomplished more than you, doesn’t it? You think you’re so much better than her, but she never had to prostitute herself to->
Leiko slaps Abyss. The mask fully absorbs the hit, so much that Leiko risks breaking a finger.
<You are about to wish I was never born.>
Abyss takes off her mask. The black veins have taken over her face, making her completely unrecognizable. Her hair are starting to turn white and fall. But her eyes are the most striking thing. Two soulless pits in which Leiko can see her own reflection…and she finds herself too scared to think.
Tangshan City, China
Artemis rips the tank in half with her bare hands, headbutting the soldier inside: the man’s skull doesn’t stand a chance, spraying blood and brains all over her face.
She draws her bow and prepares a shot, only to realize there’s no one left to fight. An entire battalion of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force has been slaughtered in a few minutes.
Artemis wipes the blood from her face. As long as she waits for Null, she might as well have fun.
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