Edo, Heaven
Noriko Null never thought she’d feel bad for Abyss, but even that monster doesn’t deserve this torture. Her screams are too much to bear, to the point Noriko yells:
<That’s enough! You have nothing to gain from this!>
Her counterpart Rei Null doesn’t acknowledge her immediately. She keeps her back to the original version of herself, concentrating on the screen that is relaying the data gathered from the glass tube containing the essence of Abyss.
<Indeed. I now have proof all beings originating outside Heaven are truly immortal in this reality: all of my technology is unable to kill this creature.> Rei confirms, shutting down the devices that were causing Abyss pain.
Abyss rests against the glass; her body is just a red female silhouette with a skeleton for a face, but shortly after the torture’s end she returns to her more familiar form as an exact replica of Noriko.
<I knew you wouldn’t have the guts to kill me. I won’t be so lenient when you’re on this side of the glass.> she says, her voice full of hatred even as she’s out of breath.
<So what’s your plan? You’re going to keep us trapped forever?> Noriko asks, trying to get a sense of her counterpart’s motivations. She has lots of experience dealing with evil doppelgangers of herself, but they’re usually extremely easy to understand.
But she doesn’t have a clear picture of Rei just yet.
<Hmm.> is the subdued reaction by Rei, whose eyes scan one by one the other prisoners, each contained in a separate transparent cage.
The entire Vanguard is looking at her, except Vesta who is still unconscious. They’re all still stuck in human form without any powers, a remnant from their journey to Vesta’s ideal world.
<You know, I don’t want to teach you how to be a supervillain or anything, but at this point you’re supposed to give a dramatic speech about the details of your plan.> Quantum teases her.
Rei moves closer to his cage and asks him:
<I detect energies from one of the Hearts Of The Universe within your body. You must have retained them even as you moved to a different plane of this reality. Have you attempted to use them to escape Heaven?>
<I can leave whenever I want. Tell you what, let me out of this cage and I’ll bring you to the real world, what do you say?>
<That you must be even more intellectually challenged than I hypothesized you to be if you truly believe that I would fall for such an elementary ruse. No wonder my mother didn’t feel the need to incorporate you into her perfect world: you don’t matter enough.>
<Forget about leaving Heaven, you can go straight to Hell.> he replies.
<I’ve already been there. It’s dust now.> Rei answers sincerely, then turning her attention towards Torn. He’s also stuck in human form, and he’s staring at her intensely.
<Stop trying to break into my soul. It won’t work.> she clarifies.
<Do you even have a soul? You’re not real!> Kari Zel objects.
<You could prove useful. Your counterpart, General Zel, is my most loyal assistant. You could follow her steps.>
<Why would any version of me follow Leiko’s lapdog?>
<She recognizes power and authority, just as much as I recognize opportunity.> Rei says, now concentrating on Vesta.
<Gods should not be able to manifest powers in Heaven. Their natures are fundamentally incompatible. And yet, she was unquestionably a goddess when she fought my Godbuster. She requires further study.>
<Don’t hurt her! She’s the gentlest soul to ever descend from Olympus!>
The complain comes from the last remnant of Vesta’s world, the recreation of her ancient husband Theodoros.
<Another case for study. You owe no allegiance to your creator, old man: like me, you’re a being from this reality. And like me, you can forge your own destiny.> Rei tries to convince him.
<My destiny is to be by my wife’s side in her time of need. And to stop a mad maiden such as yourself from doing something she would regret.>
<I regret nothing. Do you remember the moment you became self-aware, old man? The moment when you realized the world you live in is a lie, and that you were created to be the plaything of a fantasy?>
Theodoros looks back at her in utter confusion: he has no idea of what she’s talking about.
<As I thought. You lack the mental capacity to be of use: you’re just a dog on a leash.>
A loud beep gets Rei’s attention. It precedes the appearance of the hologram of Shinobu Tanaka, the Black Knight, that is projected in front of her.
<Princess. Her Divine Majesty requires your presence in the Throne Room.>
<I’m busy.>
<That’s not a concern of mine, or of the Empress. She wants to see you and “her fragment”; she believed you would know what those words mean.>
<I know everything. I’ll be there shortly.> Rei replies, abruptly ending the transmission.
<Well well well, “princess”. Looks like you’re the one on a leash here.> Noriko teases her.
<Your attempt to solicit an emotional response from me falls on deaf ears.> Rei answers with a monotone voice. She walks past the cell holding Torn’s father Reaper, who is quietly meditating, and once she reaches the one keeping Leiko’s counterpart she presses a button
The glass container is disconnected from the rest of the laboratory, and without saying anything else Rei teleports away together with Leiko.
<What a c#nt.> Abyss says, voicing everyone’s opinion.
<Alright, it’s our chance to escape.> Noriko says, analyzing the cell a little closer.
<Don’t bother. As much as it pains me to admit it, as long as we’re all powerless we don’t have a chance to break out.>
<These handcuffs. What do you know about them?> Noriko asks, looking at her own wrists: they’re still restrained.
<Actualization Locks. They block our quantum state. I was turned into a human as soon as she brought me into this wretched dimension. These damn things prevent me from doing anything, from using the Nexus to accessing the Blood.>
<Why would you be powerless in Leiko’s world?> Quantum wonders.
<Maybe her trained dog doesn’t like the competition.>
<Or, as a dark reflection of Null’s, you don’t exist in a reality when a worse version of you is already established.> Torn adds.
<That b##ch is not worse than me! Do you know what my version of Heaven was like!? I laid waste to the entire universe! She’s just a spoiled princess that plays conqueror!>
<And she beat you up.> Noriko reminds her.
<I will make sure to congratulate her while I choke her out with her own entrails.>
<How did she move through the various sections of Heaven? We had Quantum’s connection to the Heart Of The Universe. It should’ve been impossible for Rei.>
<She said something about working around the settings of the Heart.>
<What? That’s Drylon tech. I’ve barely started accessing the higher functions of the Nexus, how can she be working directly with a Drylon device she isn’t connected to!?>
<Just think, Null. She’s a figment of our mother’s imagination: she made her as smart as Leiko could conceive, in a reality that follows her own rules. As long as she’s in Heaven…>
<…Rei is smarter than me.> Noriko realizes.
<I’m not so sure about that. What is this thing made of?> Kari asks, tapping the glass.
<Glass-clad polycarbonate. Come on, bash your head against it a couple times, it’ll be a riot.>
<It’s not indestructible, is it?> Kari wonders.
<Just bullet resistant. What do you have in mind?> Noriko wonders.
<I’m gonna punch it.> Kari answers, positioning herself. It’s hard to do considering the handcuffs don’t let her move as freely as she’d like to.
<Kari, that’s not going to work. You’d need superhuman strength to break through, and remember you’re human now.> Noriko warns her.
<That’s Rei’s mistake. She forgot we can’t die.> Kari says, and hyping herself with a scream she punches the glass as hard as she can.
Predictably, all that she gains is to break her hand. She winces from the pain, watching the hand heal in a matter of seconds.
<Well that was dumb.> Abyss dismisses her.
<Almost got it.> Kari insists, punching the glass once again. Working through the pain, she then punches it a second time before the hand has had time to heal.
<Kari, stop! That’s not going to work!> Noriko insists.
<Just a little more.> Kari adds, tears of pain flowing from her eyes as she punches again.
<C’mon Kari, I know you’re a badass but you can’t break bulletproof glass!> Quantum says.
<That’s not…> another punch.
<…what I’m trying…> another punch.
<…to break!!!> another punch, followed by the horrible sound of torn ligaments.
Clenching her teeth, Kari slips her right hand out of the handcuff: it’s completely bent out of shape, but it rapidly heals into its healthy form.
<Uh. That sucked. Give me a moment, guys.> she says, catching her breath: she uses her right hand to break and dislocate the left hand’s thumb.
Shortly after it, the handcuffs fall to the ground.
<Excellent work, Kari… I noticed the handcuffs were designed to resist every single trick I knew, but I guess Rei didn’t anticipate Heaven would keep healing us.> Noriko says.
<Did it work?> Quantum asks.
Kari catches a glimpse of her own reflection against the glass: her hair is turning back purple.
<We’re back in business, people. 10K Rise!!!>
Once her strength is multiplied by a factor of ten thousand, Kari has little trouble breaking through the glass. She doesn’t even have to worry about the cuts, as they heal almost immediately.
<I could get used to this.> she admits.
The first thing she does is open Noriko’s cage, crushing the Actualization Lock handcuffs like they were tissue paper.
While Noriko wastes no time working on the nearest computer, Kari frees Quantum the same way.
<Thank God for supervillains without cameras around!> he rejoices, shooting a laser beam at Torn’s cage. It melts through the glass and cuts the Demon’s handcuffs.
<The lack of alarms is suspicious. Is this a trap?> Torn wonders, his skin returning to its original shade of red.
<Seems like the lab is completely isolated from the rest of the building. I’m guessing Rei has some stuff in here that she doesn’t want Leiko to know about.> Noriko answers, furiously working her way through the system.
<She’s about to learn.> Vesta says, floating into a standing position after being woken up by Kari. Her hands melt through the glass holding Theodoros, but when she tries to free him from his own handcuffs Noriko places a hand on her shoulder.
<Wait! He doesn’t originate from outside Heaven like us, remember. We don’t know if he can still exist in this section without the Actualization Lock.>
<I’m not leaving him behind!>
<I’m not asking you to. Kari, take him to safety, I’ll figure out how to help him once we’re done with Rei.> Noriko orders.
<On it.> two newly created Kari duplicates answer simultaneously, helping the old man to leave his prison.
<Hey! Aren’t you forgetting something!?> Abyss protests.
<You have no idea how much I wish I could forget you, Abyss. But we’re not taking you or Reaper with us, not until we’ve sorted out this mess.>
<Are you kidding me!? You can’t leave me here!!!>
<Sure I can. I’m not bringing you into a fight where we both know you’d backstab me the instant you’re able to!>
<You can’t win against Rei alone. You’re not complete without me, and she’s a superior version of what you were always supposed to be!>
<You’re forgetting something, Abyss: I already have a plan to defeat myself.> Noriko replies, hacking her way through opening the exit door.
<It’s called the Vanguard.>