Beyond The Impossible

Lampyria, 68,000 light-years from Earth

Taking out one hundred Oracles was the easy part: the battle caused quite a lot of damage to the city of Eralal, not to mention that millions of Lampyrian citizens are now temporarily blind after Vesta’s attack. The goddess is leading the Vanguard in the relief effort, making sure to get everyone to safety. Lily Elosia is the only Lampyrian who knows how things really worked out; while she appreciates the effort of the aliens to save her planet, she’s more worried by the sight of Quantum standing alone on top of one of the skyscrapers, looking at the city with a serious expression on his face. She flies towards him and approaches him slowly.

<Great job figuring out the weakness of the Oracles, Max. We wouldn’t stand a chance against a full scale invasion> she tells him.

<It’s not over yet. We missed Shaina> he answers; it’s clear that taking out the leader of this particular invasion has become a priority for him.

<She could be anywhere by now. Maybe she went back to space, or she’s hiding waiting for Helen’s arrival.>

<She’s a fanatic. I’ve faced people like her before, Lily; she won’t back down before she completes her mission.>

<Probably. But I don’t think she knows how to deal with people who can fight back.>

<The first time we met her she nearly killed Noriko and kicked our asses before I could do anything about it. If Shaina takes us by surprise again, without the Vanguard…>

<Apollo will either conquer Lampyria or destroy it by obliterating our star, yes, I know.>

<How are you so calm about it, Lily?>

<Max, you’re from Earth. The rest of the galaxy works in a different way: we’re used to the idea that a god could destroy us without warning or reason.>

<I’ve never really given it much thought. I used to think we could just drop by, save the day and go back home… but it’s never that easy, isn’t it?>

<No, it isn’t. Look, Max, if you’re so focused on finding Shaina, why don’t you transform into light and survey the entire planet?>

<It doesn’t work that way; when I’m made of light, it’s hard to focus on anything else if I travel too fast. Unless I have something to focus on, then…> he pauses, and judging by his face he’s just remembered something crucial.

<What is it?>

<Shaina can transform into tachyons. If she finds a tachyon source, she has a target.>

<So what? Where can she find a natural source of tachyons on Lampyria?>

<Noriko has one> Quantum answers, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

 

Infirmary of N07-Naraka

Doctor Liralia uses the tip of one of her wings to wipe away the sweat on her forehead. She can’t take her eyes away from the hole she opened on Noriko’s skull, where a tiny flexible tube has been inserted to drain the blood spilled by the brain hemorrhage.

One of Kari’s duplicates has been monitoring her vital signs with the infirmary’s sensors; all of a sudden, everything drops.

<Her heart just stopped beating! What did you do!?> she asks.

<Nothing! I’m not anywhere near something that could affect her body. Her brain can survive without oxygen for a long time, we should focus on fixing that before… what the Hades?> Liralia exclaims, taking a step back when Noriko’s head releases a spark.

<This is bad. I’m not reading any brain activity!> Kari says, fully ready to panic at this point.

<It’s as if her brain just short-circuited. That doesn’t make any sense, once the surgery relieved the pressure her brain should’ve been able to heal itself! What are we missing?> the Lampyrian doctor wonders out loud.

She doesn’t have time to think about what to do next, however, because a very bright light signals the arrival of an unwanted guest who takes the shape of an ethnically ambiguous woman wearing a white uniform.

<There you are> Shaina says to Noriko, pointing her finger at Kari without even looking at her. The duplicate prepares to hit her, but before she can do anything a laser pierces her brain; the duplicate disappears instantly, leaving the doctor alone with an Oracle of Apollo.

<Not so smart keeping a tachyon source nearby, heathen> Shaina says, walking towards the green leather jacket laying on the nearest chair; she takes out the black coin that Hermes gave Null.

<The Slayer of Gods taken down by something so small. Are you the one keeping her alive?> she then asks Liralia, keeping her targeted with her finger.

<Y-yes. You just interrupted her surgery; if I don’t finish, she’s going to die> the doctor says. It’s just a way to stall Shaina, but at this point she doesn’t have a lot of options.

<Really. I’m under orders from Helen not to kill her… but I can’t be held responsible if a primitive like you butchers an operation, now can’t I?> Shaina says, and her fingertip releases a photon blast. It’s well enough to melt Liralia’s head, but instead it hits the wall behind her because Quantum just appeared out of nowhere and punched Shaina in the face, forcing her to miss.

<Take Noriko to safety! Now!> he orders.

<I can’t move her! Her brain is literally exposed right now!>

<You again> Shaina growls, transforming her arms into light and shooting twin laser beams at Quantum; he protects himself by grabbing the light with his hands, resulting in the rays being reflected all over the place cutting down all sorts of medical equipment.

<You can’t fight in here!!!> Liralia protests.

<You’re no match for me, heathen. May Apollo have mercy on your soul.>

Shaina is matching his wavelength, blocking every attempt to start an attack in a way that he didn’t know was even possible; the two of them seem stuck in a perfect stalemate, neutralizing each other’s power.

<Nori, a miracle would be fine right now!> Quantum shouts.

 

Nowhere

Noriko Null has lost consciousness before. This isn’t even the first time her mind has been active without any control over her body: it’s remarkably similar to when Abyss first took control.

She can’t feel anything for what seems an eternity. Then she hears a voice:

<DRIVER REINSTALLATION COMPLETE. KERNEL MODE ACTIVE. SAFE MODE IS ON. INITIALIZING HOST VIRTUALIZATION>

Noriko feels her first heartbeat. Then she feels the veins growing around her bones, the muscles and skin covering them, and her lungs fill with icy cold air. She knows she’s opened her eyes, but everything is still pitch black. Then, finally, gravity pulls her towards an invisible ground.

<VIRTUALIZATION COMPLETE. HOST 79235168 ADDED TO SUPERVISOR MODE.>

The first thing Noriko can see are a pair of golden eyes, shining in the darkness. Then another pair, and another, until she can tell she’s being watched by four people.

<Give her a moment. This is a new experience for her> she hears a woman say.

<I’m fine. Are you Nexus hosts?> Noriko asks, her throat sore as if this was her first time speaking.

<Indeed we are. Please allow us to introduce ourselves> another woman adds with a booming voice, snapping her fingers. Five red candles arranged in a pentagram appear out of thin air, casting some light on the scene.

There are indeed four people sitting at the table across Noriko. A Demon woman, a male Lar with a far more reptilian skin than usual, a human woman of African descent with very voluminous hair, and a man with perfectly golden skin.

<Yes, dear, we are previous hosts of the Nexus. Since we were the most stable and effective Nexus users, we’re kept as a baseline configuration in case of catastrophic failure> the woman explains.

<So it really worked? Did I repair the Nexus?>

<The Nexus repaired itself. Crashing the entire system forced an automated reinstall of the main drivers. Quite a risky move> the Demon notes.

<Well, I figured that since the Nexus has been around for billions of years, it couldn’t be so fragile to be permanently damaged by a simple laser. Does this mean I can return to reality?>

<That depends on what you’re going to do with my Key of Heaven> the Lar says.

<“Your”? You mean you’re the Lar who built the Key!?>

<I’m his ghost, yes. And I’m not so comfortable with the idea of it being controlled by silver eyes.>

<Don’t underestimate my successor, Teraph. She managed to activate the Heart Of The Universe without using golden eyes> the woman replies.

<What does eye color have to with anything?> Noriko wonders.

<Accessing the higher functions of the Nexus turns a host’s eyes golden. Very few of us ever manage to do it; Roxiana here is the only human who ever achieved this state. Having two consecutive hosts gaining golden eyes is ever more rare, but not unprecedented.>

<We should test her> the man with golden skin says. He’s been still as a statue, without even blinking; he reminds Noriko of Ra by how much detached he seems. She doesn’t recognize his race, but it’s quite evident that he’s not human.

<Look, this is all very interesting, but maybe we should focus on repairing the physical damage to the Nexus. Can you help me or not?> she asks.

<Perhaps a trial run. A temporary boost of her access to the Nexus?> the human woman suggests.

<I agree. What’s the worst that could happen?> the Demon adds.

<She kills everyone on the planet and exterminates her own species> the Lar answers.

<Hey, I’m right here! Stop ignoring me, you’re inside my own head!> Noriko protests.

<Let’s give it a try. If she doesn’t survive, the Nexus will find another host. Prepare yourself, host number 79235168. Witness infinity> the gold-skinned man says, his golden eyes shining brighter and brighter until the light consumes this simulated reality, including Noriko’s body.

 

Infirmary of N07-Naraka
Something beneath the grey matter snaps, as a surge of electrical signals sweeps between the synapses. Noriko Null is fully conscious of every inch of her nervous system before she orders her own heart to beat again. Her eyes are still closed, but she’s perfectly aware of who is in the room.
She feels Liralia’s wings twitching nervously. Quantum’s sweat on his forehead. Shaina’s jaw being clenched. And she hears Quantum’s words a split second before he shouts:

<Nori, a miracle would be fine right now!>

The holographic monitor checking Noriko’s brain activity starts drawing nonsense, overwhelmed by the feedback. While removing her breathing mask and sitting down on the medical bed, she feels Shaina cease her attack against Quantum just long enough to point her finger at Noriko, then releasing a laser blast. And she feels Quantum’s brain overexerting itself looking for a way to intercept what must be a lethal attack.

Only then Noriko opens her eyes. Her golden eyes.

<Enough> she says.

Liralia looks away, expecting Noriko’s head to explode. Then, in the sudden silence, she turns towards her to see the impossible: the laser is frozen in mid-air, completely still, as if stared down by the golden eyes.

<What trick is this!?> Shaina complains, shooting another dozen blasts: they all stop before hitting Noriko, who takes her time to step off the bed.

<No trick. It’s all so simple, really. Your power is mind over matter> Noriko answers. In her eyes, Shaina is not a woman: she’s a floating brain surrounded by a nervous system and mathematical formulas. She tweaks a few numbers in her head, twirls a finger, and the laser’s trajectory is inverted: the blasts fly back to Shaina, grazing her uniform but without harming her.

–But my mind is better. Now, you’re going to tell me everything I need> Noriko calmly explains, while looking towards one of the infirmary’s computer screens.

<I’m not going to tell you anything> Shaina replies, trying to escape by changing her body into tachyons… only to discover she can’t transform.

Meanwhile, Noriko accesses the ship’s systems and reprograms the teleporter with incredible accuracy: with a flash of bright light, her hospital gown is switched with her normal clothes.

<I don’t need you to speak. In this form, I don’t need anything from anyone… I am perfect.>

“Like I said, it’s never easy” Quantum thinks.