21.000 light-years from Earth
Bridge of the Imperial Warship Aegis II
Athena always knew this day would come, ever since choosing Noriko Null as the host of the Nexus. It was inevitable that one day she would outgrow her usefulness.
Athena takes advantage of the fact that Noriko is not accustomed to acting at the same speed at which her mind operates: even with the Genesis Armor increasing her strength to divine levels, her reflexes are not as sharp.
So when Noriko flies towards her with the intent of punching her in the face, Athena leaves the captain’s chair fast enough to avoid the punch.
Her speed is nothing compared to Hermes, but from her perspective the entire bridge seems to be frozen in place. Unlike Noriko herself.
Athena notices something weird: analyzing her body language, it’s as if Noriko stopped herself.
She barely has enough time to notice this before Athena realizes something unexpected: somebody has just grabbed her by the hair.
<This is for arresting my father.> she hears, but not through sound: those words are transmitted via radio in an instant. The same instant when Athena understands the armor just increased Noriko’s reaction speed to match hers, and also the same instant when she feels the sharp pain of being punched in the solar plexus. With the same strength used to rip the Neutral Matter hull.
She tries to adjust her perspective. Noriko’s body shouldn’t be able to move at this speed, and no electronic she’s aware of could even approach it.
<This is for killing my allies.> is the message received with an uppercut to her face.
There is barely enough warning to allow Athena to very slightly roll with the punch, which saves her from losing her jaw entirely.
From the perspective of the crew, the invader wearing the armor blitzed towards their goddess and attacked her with enough strength to lift Athena from her chair and throw her in the air, where she hit the ceiling and bounced back. They didn’t even see her move.
Noriko doesn’t even wait for her to hit the floor: she grabs her by the leg and pulls Athena towards herself, punching her once again in the face.
<This is for being a tyrant.>
Athena ignores the pain and stretches out her hand, telekinetically calling for her personal spear.
Noriko takes it before the weapon can reach Athena, and snaps the spear in half.
Considering it’s coated in Neutral Matter, not only that takes more brute strength than splitting a tectonic plate, but the snap is a deafening loud boom.
<This is for stabbing me in the back.>
Noriko jabs the two halves of the spear right into Athena’s chest, piercing each breast from the side.
And for the first time since she can remember, the Goddess of War screams in pain.
As Noriko leans forward, Athena can see her own reflection on the helmet on the Genesis Armor.
<And this is for killing innocent people.> Noriko tells her coldly, twisting the spear fragments into Athena’s flesh.
The blood being spilled is absorbed by the armor, which glows with refueled divine energy.
Athena is using one hand to push back, while the other is stretched towards what is left of the bridge’s computer systems.
<You should not have betrayed my trust. I told you you’d be next.> Noriko promises, and Athena can feel the power of the Nexus ramping up inside the Slayer of Gods.
She can also hear the ship’s computer announce:
<Black hole generator activated. Total ship destruction in ten seconds.>
The spear is twisted a little more.
<Like it matters. You’re not getting out of this.>
<Nine. Eight.>
<Null! The crew!> Torn shouts.
Noriko had nearly forgotten that Torn followed her in the mission.
It takes her a tenth of a second to do the math on whether he has enough time to save all the mortals; on a capital ship of this size, there should be at least a thousand.
<Seven. Six. Five.>
There isn’t enough time to kill Athena and to save the ship.
Why would it even matter? They declared war. The soldiers should be considered an acceptable loss; in fact, a few of them already died when she broke through the hull, before the emergency forcefields could seal the breach.
<Four.>
She’s reasonably sure that Athena can’t survive a black hole, but there is a good chance that the Genesis Armor could at least escape from its event horizon.
With the death of Athena, dismantling her army and taking back control of the galaxy would be a piece of cake.
It’s what any god would do.
<Null!!!> Torn calls out. He has all the time he needs to create a portal to get to safety, but Noriko can’t sense him accessing the Blood. Instead, his soul is attempting to read hers.
<Three.>
Noriko gets so close to Athena that the goddess can hear her whisper.
<You’ll wish I killed you today.>
<Two.>
Noriko lets her go, turning towards the computer systems. Her silver eyes shine so brightly beneath the helmet that their light glows through it.
Data is transmitted at the speed of thought. Algorithms created to withstand a planet’s worth of computational power are broken instantly.
<One. Self-destruct sequence aborted.>
There is a sense of relief and disbelief in the crew as they watch their goddess, beaten and humiliated, disappear into a flash of light.
<I can’t sense her soul. Can you?> Torn asks.
<No. Long-range trans-phasic shift… she could be anywhere in the Galaxy at this point.> Noriko acknowledges.
After a moment absorbing the events he witnessed, the first officer kneels.
So does another one, and another one, until in a matter of seconds the entire surviving bridge crew is kneeling before the armored Slayer of Gods.
<God mode off.>
The armor powers down to its base level; as the glow disappears, Noriko glimpses at the numbers on the heads-up display.
Six minutes and thirty-seven seconds left. More than she had when she started the fight: the armor absorbed Athena’s blood more efficiently than she had done with Hermes.
Food for thought, useful for future improvements. She has a more imminent future to take care of.
The helmet opens up, revealing her face beneath. She would gladly just leave the armor entirely… it’s uncomfortably hot inside… but she knows this moment is currently being recorded by the ship’s cameras, a moment that will soon be transmitted throughout the entire Olympian Galaxy.
She’d rather not go in the history books giving a speech in her underwear.
<Stand up. You are done kneeling before gods and kings.>
The crew hesitates to obey… this could this be a test of some sort… but they’d rather obey the woman who just made their goddess bleed and run.
<You have followed the orders of a goddess who gave you orders that were not hers to give. You swore loyalty to a goddess who has none. I could have let you die today, but what would the galaxy have gained from it? There has been way too much mortal blood spilled over the centuries. Any god who attempts to spill more will have to deal with me.> she swears, lifting her armored fist.
The blood stains are absorbed by the gauntlet, which briefly glows with energy.
<I am Noriko Null, daughter of Bob, Slayer of Gods. I confiscate this vessel in the name of mortals; I will not ask you to follow me, but…>
<Null! Null!> one of the officers starts to chant, rhythmically pumping his fist into the air.
<That’s now what I was…>
<Null! Null! Null!> more officers chant.
Noriko turns towards Torn. He doesn’t say a word, but he nods ever so slightly.
<Null! Null! Null!> the chant continues.
<Let’s try this again.> Noriko says, clearing her throat and raising her hand.
The chants stop. You could hear a pin drop before she speaks again.
<I am Null. If you hurt my friends and allies, I will destroy you. If you wish to be my ally, all you have to do is stop obeying gods who don’t care about you.>
Those words will be heard by every single member of the Athenian Fleet within a day.
An undisclosed location
The last time anyone had set foot in this sanctuary, humans had barely discovered fire.
All these millennia, the place has been kept in pristine condition by some of the earliest creations of Hephaestus: crude robots by the standards of his Talos units, but more than capable of caring for a marble building that outshines anything Earth has ever seen.
Athena stumbles towards an elaborate fountain dominated by a statue representing herself.
She takes off her breastplate and washes her face in pure water.
And for the first time since this secret base was built, the voice of a mortal is heard within its walls.
<I would have killed you in her place.>
The sanctuary is not particularly well-lit: gods don’t really need lights. But this means that when Athena turns, the first thing she sees piercing through the darkness are two shining silver eyes.
And next to those, two glowing red eyes accompanied by low growling.
Approaching the fountain, Rei Null steps into the light. She looks remarkably like Noriko, with the only differences being the militaristic black uniform, the short hair, and the complete lack of humanity in her eyes.
Next to her is the cybernetic jackal form of Anubis, still enslaved by her reprogramming.
<How did you discover this base?> Athena asks.
<You are smart enough to know that is not the real question here.> Rei replies.
Athena is unnerved by the way she strolls around her, even putting her hands in her pockets; she’s clearly signaling she’s not intimidated in the slightest.
<You were following me. There is no other way you could have been able to intercept my teleportation signature, I made sure of that.>
<Seems to me there are more important things you were sure of that have demonstrated, without a shadow of a doubt, that you being sure of something amounts to exactly less than nothing.>
<Are you here to gloat, Rei, or do you have anything substantial to contribute? Because if not, I have a war I need to get back to.>
<Still not asking the real question. In your mind. Don’t make me ask it for you.> Rei insists, her silver eyes shining for emphasis.
<How do I destroy Null?> Athena finally decides to ask.
<You’re getting closer. Give it another try.>
Anubis steps closer. She can feel its sensors analyzing her body. On a normal day, even in his enslaved state Anubis would be a worthy opponent… right now, she would have no chance.
<Can you destroy Null?>
<If I possessed a less evolved mind, I would find the question offensive. You know what I am and what I’m capable of. One last try, Athena.>
The goddess swallows her pride. Mortals age and die, and civilizations can be rebuilt after being scorched into oblivion… but revenge can be everlasting.
<What would it cost me for you to destroy Null?>