Beyond The Impossible

Washington D.C., Earth

When he accepted a job in the new administration, Todd Slate didn’t expect having to deal with a crisis just days after the new Department of Homeworld Security was officially established.

But with the appearance of a second Sun just above New York, followed by thousands of Apollo Oracles flying all over the planet, he was immediately asked to tell the country that everything was under control.

He reaches his office only after the second press conference, and he’s not surprised at all to find Noriko Null sitting on his chair with her feet on the desk.

<We have to stop meeting like this. Congratulations on your new job, by the way, I couldn’t have picked someone better myself.>

<You suggested my name to President Warden, didn’t you?>

<I might have. I know you’re good at handling difficult situations… heck I was the difficult situation!> she admits.

<Don’t change the subject. What the hell happened in New York!?> Todd asks.

<Apollo came to ask for my help. You know what that means, right?>

<That the position of Earth is no longer a secret. Are we in danger?>

<Not at the moment. I managed to cut a deal with Apollo, and don’t look at me that way!>

<What way?>

<The way you look at me when you think I’m in way over my head but you’re not sure how to tell me, because you don’t know how I’ll take it.>

<Oddly specific… but accurate. Aren’t you the one who repeatedly insisted that gods can’t be trusted? What happened to that Null?>

<Her mistakes came at the cost too many lives. Don’t get me wrong, Apollo is scum, but I know how to handle him; I just need to let him think he’s the one calling the shots until he’s no longer useful. It’s Earth that worries me, it always has. Luckily for… well, for everyone really, I’ve been working at this for months.> she says, throwing at him a small metallic disk the size of a coin.

<What is this?> he asks after catching it. It has her symbol Ø on one side and ∞ on the other.

<Earth’s last resort. It’s hard coded to your genetic code; nobody else can activate it.>

<How did you get my genetic code?> he asks.

She only answers by raising an eyebrow.

<Right. What does it do?>

<If it lights up green, it means that the planetary shield of Midgard City has been activated. That’s going to be the first line of defense. Any member of the Vanguard can turn it on, but I’m also giving the access codes to the Global Defense Organization. It can hold off an armada for a few days.>

<You didn’t turn it on for Apollo.>

<It wouldn’t have stopped him. There’s a second line of defense: if the coin turns yellow it means that the Key of Heaven has been used.>

<What’s the Key of Heaven?>

<You don’t need to know that. Only the Vanguard knows where it is and how to use it. But if that doesn’t work either… that’s what the coin is for. If it turns red, it’s going to ask you if you want to activate the last line of defense.>

<Which would be…?>

<It’s better if you don’t know, trust me. You have to promise me something… don’t activate it unless you think it’s absolutely necessary, Todd, because there’s no way back.>

<After all this time, Noriko, you still don’t trust me enough? You make it sound like this thing is going to blow up the planet!>

<Uhm…>

<Please tell me that your last line of defense isn’t a doomsday weapon, Noriko.> Todd replies, putting the coin on the desk with extreme caution.

<Trust me, that thing is guaranteed to save Earth. There’s just a slight chance that it might, well…>

<Blow up Earth?>

<Yep.>

<How “slight” are we talking about?>

<I’d say about twenty, twenty-one percent tops.>

<TWENTY PERCENT!?>

<Geez, why do you think I kept that as the last defense?>

<Why do I have to be the one to keep it? Shouldn’t you be the one to have it?>

<There’s a long list of things that need to happen before the last defense can be activated. One of which being my death.>

<Your death? Is that what this is about… you’re leaving for one of your suicide missions?>

<It’s always a possibility. Every single time I fight a god could be the last.>

<But… why me?>

<I need someone I can trust completely and who isn’t constantly in danger, which is why I couldn’t choose any member of the Vanguard. I also thought about my father, but he doesn’t have a government job with Top Secret clearance. Unlike you.>

<You’re not going to change your mind about this, isn’t it?> he sighs.

<I’m very stubborn.> she admits, taking her feet off the desk and standing up. She’s ready to activate her teleporter, but she hesitates.

<Something else you wanted to talk about?> Todd asks.

<It’s just… it’s nothing. I have stuff to take care of before I leave. Take care.> Noriko replies, getting close enough to kiss his cheek before teleporting away.

Todd Slate is left alone, looking at the strange coin on the palm of his hand.

<Things are never easy with you, Noriko, aren’t they?>

 

Kandinsky Crater, Mercury’s north pole

120 million miles from Earth

Hermes is bored out of his mind. With his powers still blocked by the Anubis necrobots, he’s still caged inside a prison that he can’t escape.

There’s no one to talk with and nothing to do, only lots of instrumentation and a few dozen weapons ready to open fire on him if he tries anything.

To any other god, months of isolation would mean absolutely nothing. But to Hermes, standing still without nothing to do is the worst torture imaginable.

<You look good for someone who hasn’t eaten anything for eight months.> Noriko Null tells him, walking into the room carrying a chair.

<Sunshine! Oh, your radiant beauty is a sight for sore eyes. Truly the only nourishment I need.>

<You are just determined to make me regret coming here, aren’t you?>

<It is very lonely in here, Sunshine, very lonely indeed. I thought you fancied yourself some kind of champion of human rights, surely you would at least allow some conjugal visits.>

<Do you really think this kind of talk is going to work with me? Or are you just trying to annoy me? Because let me tell you, Hermes, this isn’t the right time to get on my nerves.>

<Oh? And why is it?>

<Well, I’ve had a look at your vitals. You haven’t suffered from starvation or dehydration; you haven’t even lost your muscle mass despite months of inactivity.>

<I’m glad you noticed.>

<Which means that your powers aren’t gone, they’re just suppressed. And I haven’t dismissed the idea that you’re just faking being powerless… frankly, I’d expect that kind of trickery from you.>

<Flattery will go a long way to get into my graces, Sunshine.>

<But most importantly, I’m trying to decide what to do with you.> Noriko says, sitting on the chair in front of Hermes, on the other side of the forcefield that binds the metal bars.

<Oh I can suggest a few fun activities. Perhaps you should ask your mother, we had quite a lot of fun together!>

<First of all, eww. Second, why exactly shouldn’t I just drop you into a black hole?>

<Well, besides being the epitome of perfection of the male body, I can be a very valuable source of information! I was the leader of a divine sector for hundreds of thousands of years, while your area of expertise is still limited to…>

<Apollo just made me his Supreme Divine Commander.>

The smile that is permanently on the god’s face fades quickly as he asks flatly:

<What?>

<You heard me. I’m leaving for Delos tomorrow.>

<You cannot be serious. What kind of absolute moron would put the Slayer of Gods in charge of his… I knew Apollo wasn’t exactly as bright as his role suggests, but this!>

<That’s the kind of s#it that happens when half the Galaxy gets ready to fight Ares. Speaking of which, both Apollo and Athena are giving me tons of information about him. You’re too dangerous to keep around forever and you have nothing of value to offer me, so I’ll repeat: why exactly shouldn’t I just drop you into a black hole?>

<You’re going to fight Ares.> Hermes highlights, having a hard time believing his own words.

<Stop stalling. I’m sure that Apollo and Athena aren’t telling me everything, and I have a very hard time believing you haven’t kept an eye on Ares. If you have any kind of intel that I can use, it might be enough to convince me to keep you alive.>
<You expect me to give away my secrets for free, Sunshine?>

<I expect that if I don’t succeed in taking down Ares, he’s going to take it out on Earth. And if he does make it here, how long do you think it’ll take before he finds this prison? Do you really want to deal with Ares without your powers, Hermes?>

<That… that is a good point, I admit. Alright, you want some insight on Ares?>

<Spit it out.>

<He’s not a god. He’s a vicious beast. There’s a good reason if all of Olympus despises him… with the exceptions of Hera who is blind to his atrocities and Aphrodite who never gives him any attention unless she’s holding his…>

<I get the idea.>

<You can’t reason with him, or trick him, or get him to agree to anything, because he has no brain. He can only understand violence and he can only respect strength. Some gods want to be loved by mortals, some want to be feared, but Ares? He just wants to see the universe burn.>

<What’s his weakness?>

<Psychologically? He’s addicted to causing pain. He will gladly slaughter his own army if it means causing enough suffering to a single enemy.>

<And physically?>

<He doesn’t have any.>

<Come on…>

<I’m serious. Why do you think nobody has ever challenged him? It’s impossible to take him down and force him to stay down.>

<I’ve heard that Vesta defeated him once.>

<She did. Even my sweet aunt has no idea of her true potential. But like I said, it’s impossible to keep him down: sooner or later, he’ll be back stronger and with an ever greater bloodlust.>

<I know you, Hermes You must’ve had a plan to deal with him.>

<I had two main strategies. The primary one was waiting for him to self-destruct by pissing off Zeus or one of the other pantheons.>

<Well that’s no longer viable. And the second one?>

<Groom his daughter Adrestia to stage a coup. Her brothers Phobos and Deimos were mindless hooligans, but her? She’s deviously clever and hungry for power. Also she has a very nice rack.>

<Did you manage to accomplish anything with her?>

<Sadly no, she’s almost as frigid as Athena.>

<I meant with the coup.> Noriko replies, rolling her eyes.

<She started to notice my moves, so I had to stop. She has some mild precognitive abilities… being the goddess of retribution and revenge does that to you… so I put everything on hold, waiting for Tyche to develop her clairvoyance for a few millennia and use her to counteract Adrestia’s advantage. Unfortunately, I don’t think you have that kind of time at your disposal.>

<Definitely not. But you’ve bought yourself some time to live, Hermes.> Noriko concedes, standing up from her chair and preparing to leave.

<Wait. I have something to ask you.> he tells her.

<If it’s yet another attempt to get into my pants, I swear to God…>

<The God Eraser. Do you think you could install one of those in my cell?>

<Why?>

<If Ares does come for me… I would rather die than be at his mercy.> he admits.

Noriko has seen him scared. She has seen him afraid. But she has never seen Hermes so openly terrified, and she can tell that for once the god of liars is sincere.