Beyond The Impossible

Delos system, 78.000 light-years from Earth

The sanctuary at the center of this strange solar system is still intact, even if there are no survivors from the Demon attack.

Noriko Null hates using it as her operations center, especially since not all the bodies have been disposed of yet, but the connection to the rest of the Apollo sector is too valuable.

She’s in the office that was assigned to her as the latest Divine Supreme Commander, where she can receive updates from the entire Oracle corps.

She yawns and leans back against her chair, stretching her muscles as her ally Kylon walks into the office. His Lar physiology requires a very low ambient temperature; the Survival Field around him leaves a trail of cold air wherever he goes.

<Rough day?>

<You don’t know the half of it. What do you have for me?> she asks back.

<I’ve been told that humans need to eat once a day, so I brought you something from your ship’s inventory.> he responds, tossing a small package to her.

She catches it, raising an eyebrow.

<I mean about the report I asked you, but thanks I guess. Where’s the water?>

<The what?> Kylon wonders as he opens a similar package.

<These are instant noodles. You’re supposed to cook them in…> she pauses, watching the Lar practically devouring the uncooked noodles without finding it weird.

<You know what, I’m not really hungry right now.> she lies, putting away the package.

<Suit yourself. I’ve already eaten five days ago, but I didn’t know unfrozen food could taste any good until I went to Earth.>

<Five days? How long can your people go without eating?> she wonders, suddenly realizing how little she knows about Lar physiology.

<Supposedly it’s healthy to eat at least once every seven days, but we can last a really long time without eating. It is said that no Lar has ever starved to death.>

<Come on, that’s just ridiculous.>

<It’s just a saying. We are physically superior to any other known mortal race in everything except exposure to high temperatures, though.>

<You’re not really the modest type. Perhaps one of these days you could let me have a look at your DNA?>

<I bet you ask that to every alien life form you meet.> he teases her.

<Only when someone from that species has tried to kill me, which basically includes everyone except the Aurochians. Speaking of which, what are the news from Kamos?> she asks.

The minotaur-looking captain of the N05-Kali Yuga, the ship she gifted to Athena, was supposed to reach Delos days ago.

<You’re not going to like it, but…>

<Of course. God forbid I get any sort of good news.> she comments, rolling her eyes.

<…the Athenian Federation is withdrawing from the alliance.>

<They are WHAT!?> she yells, standing up from the chair.

<Apparently the Athenian Senate vetoed sending troops to the Ares sector.>

<And she didn’t tell ME!? I’ll have her head for this!> she replies angrily, her silver eyes shining as she takes out of her shirt the medallion with Athena’s symbol: a lightning bolt inside a cog.

<Athena. You have some explaining to do.> she says. Normally the medallion would immediately connect her to the goddess and project her holographic image, but this time nothing happens.

<This is unbelievable! Who does she thinks she is!?>

The medallion finally does activate, but instead of Athena it projects the image of a winged goddess who greets her with a very slight bow.

<Greetings, Slayer of Gods. How may I be of service?> Nike asks.

<Why isn’t Athena answering my call? Or better yet, why does the “goddess of wisdom” think that it’s a good idea to ghost the freakin’ Slayer of Gods!?>

<Lady Athena is currently in a meeting and cannot be disturbed. But like I said, I can be of…>

<Remind me again what goddess are you, Nike?>

<I am the goddess of victory.>

<And how many times have you been victorious against gods that almost succeeded in killing your boss or the whole damn galaxy?>

<…none.> Nike begrudgingly admits.

<Then move those wings of yours, because if I’m not speaking with Athena in the next five minutes you’ll be the next one to be slayed.> Noriko threatens her, her eyes shining again for emphasis.

Nike looks at her for a couple of seconds, shocked to be addressed like this, and her image vanishes.

<Whoa. Where did that come from!?> Kylon wonders.

<I’m sick and tired of these gods playing their little games. People are dying in their name and they don’t even care!>

Nike’s hologram appears again, and this time she looks more than a little nervous.

<I have spoken with Lady Athena.>

<Unless your next words are “and I’m patching her through”, I swear…>

<She is talking with Apollo, but she has authorized me to share the contents of their discussion.>

<She’s going above me? What’s going on?>

<Apollo has taken over the Adrestia sector. This is in violation of our former agreement, and in retaliation the Athenian Senate has voted to withdraw support for his attack against Ares.>

<Wait wait wait. He put me in charge of his army and then went to attack Adrestia on his own!?>

<He did not require his army. The sector has surrendered without fighting.>

<Doesn’t sound like something Adrestia would agree to.>

<Adrestia is dead. Executed by Hera for crimes against divinity; Apollo took advantage of that to expand his territory. Athena is in a fragile balance of power against him, so you understand how this makes it difficult for her to provide support for his war efforts.>

<This is unbelievable. Why would Hera kill her? They’re allies!>

<The Ice Queen discovered a conspiracy to dethrone Hera. Presumably Circe has also been executed, and while Aphrodite has escaped she has not returned to her sector. In fact, Athena is trying to convince Apollo not to take control of the Aphrodite sector as well. That would be… problematic.>

<Why am I suddenly the last person in the Galaxy to learn anything!?> Noriko complains.

<Will that… be all, Slayer? I assume that, since you have the information you sought…>

<Yeah yeah, you’re off the hook Nike. Null out.> she abruptly ends the transmission, then she punches the nearest wall out of frustration.

<That IDIOT!!! His sector is under attack and what does he do!? He gets himself MORE territory that his forces can’t POSSIBLY defend!!! How can someone with that much power be such a colossal imbecile!?> she rants.

<The Ice Queen must’ve known that. The only way Apollo learned about this execution before you did is if she informed him herself.> Kylon deduces.

<I knew I should’ve put a bullet in her head last time we met. I KNEW it!> Noriko shouts again, punching the wall a second time. A little too hard, since she then winces and massages her hand.

After an awkward pause, Kylon asks:

<So… what are we going to do now?>

<Now we do things my way.>

 

One of the many laboratories of the Ragnarok

It’s hard for a Myridian to feel out of place: they are more than used to having duplicates in awkward situations. But right now Kari Zel is standing between Torn and his wife Agony as they both watch a third Demon being strapped to some sort of machinery that she doesn’t recognize.

That wouldn’t be so unusual if the Demon wasn’t immobilized by the barbed wire of Blood energy that Agony has wrapped around his body and by the energy machete that Torn keeps right next to his neck, ready to decapitate the hostage at a moment’s notice.

<Is this really necessary? If he wanted to escape I would be dead already.> Dmitry Voron notes. The Russian scientist is the one connecting the Demon to the machinery, and the fact that he has to maneuver around deadly Blood energy doesn’t help.

<What’s going on?> Noriko asks, as she enters the lab with Kylon. This isn’t one of the largest labs, making the place even more crowded.

<I’m trying to determine if the subject’s mind has been controlled by an external force; I hope you don’t mind, but I took some parts from your systems.> Voron explains.

<I didn’t know that kind of technology was available to humans.> Kylon wonders.

<I’m not exactly an average human, though this is just a prototype.> the scientist admits.

<Any luck so far?> Noriko asks, going straight to business.

<I’m still calibrating my readings on a Demon brain. I’m basing this on Torn’s brain scans; of course things would be easier with another test subject, but…>

<I did not bring my wife to a war zone so that you could study her.> Torn replies harshly.

<I don’t remember giving you permission to look into the ship’s medical database.> Noriko says.

<That’s now where the scans come from. Did you know that the Athenian Federation has extremely precise medical data on every member of the Vanguard?>

<Your contraption won’t be useful. This worm is very apt at protecting his soul; there is no way to forcefully extract information from him.> Agony says.

<I’ll take it from here.> Noriko says, pushing aside everyone else to get as close as possible to the hostage; a little too close, as Kari tries to hold her back.

<Shouldn’t you use your forcefield for this? Just in case?>

<I know what I’m doing. You! Got a name?> Noriko asks the hostage.

<Blight of the Fourth Circle of Hell.> he replies.

<I am Null. Let’s talk.> she says, extending her hand towards the Blood barbed wire; without any other visible effect, both the wire and Torn’s machete disappear at once.

<Nori!!!> Kari protests, while Voron takes a step back and Torn takes a step forward to protect Null from an attack… except Blight doesn’t do anything.

<How?> is all he asks.

<Soul Control. Something I picked up from Ulysses. You know, it’s funny, but so many people have tried to kill me that I see that in their eyes. And you, Blight, don’t want to hurt anyone.>

<He helped Ares massacre thousands of innocents.> Torn reminds her.

<Yes. Why did you do that, Blight?>

The Demon hesitates; it’s hard to read his body language, but he’s clearly conflicted.

<Do you have family, Null? Children, siblings, a husband?> he finally asks.

<I have people that I care about, if that’s what you mean. And I can’t imagine following the orders of a god that has slaughtered three quarters of the planet where they live.>

<Even if it meant saving what’s left of your civilization?> Blight asks.

<Better to die free than to live as a slave.> Kari intervenes.

<I used to believed that too. But Ares gave us a chance to save the Demon race; if we don’t follow his lead, he won’t hesitate to kill all the survivors.> Blight replies.

<That is not the Demon way.> Torn says.

<What is the Demon way, Torn? To worship neutrality? Look at what that brought us… we used to rule the stars, but now we are on the brink of extinction. The universe is not neutral: it will kill us if we won’t pick a side. And many of us decided to stand for survival.>

<I took Null’s side. She has been Hell’s savior and she will be again. All we need is to know is where we can find the Demon survivors.> Torn insists.

<Themiscyra.> Blight finally admits <You will find all Demon survivors in stasis at Themiscyra, guarded by the Amazons.>

<That’s… that’s going to be a problem.> Kylon comments.

<You’ve been to this planet?> Noriko asks him.

<Well not personally, of course, males are not allowed to set foot there. But the Lar are keenly aware of the Amazons… their civilization is the only one known to have surpassed our technological advancement. It’s absolutely impossible to reach Themiscyra undetected!>

<Who said anything about getting there without an invitation?> Noriko asks, with half a smile and a familiar spark in her silver eyes.