Beyond The Impossible

Edo, Heaven

Leiko Tanaka can’t remember the last time she felt pain: as the unchallenged Empress Of The Universe, she doesn’t feel it unless she wants to.

But regaining consciousness after falling from the top of her own palace all the way down to the street brings her more pain than she’d ever conceived possible.

As long as she’s in Heaven, the rules of this unreal universe won’t allow her to die. Her body slowly rebuilds itself from the puddle of blood on the concrete… and she’s aware of every single part of the whole experience.

Blood that flows back into sutured veins. Bones stitching themselves back together. Brain cells reassembling themselves into a brain after shelving the dirt picked off the street.

No humans witness this abominable scenario. The only things scattered around her are the debris of deactivated Reibots that fell from the sky, and the remains of her lover.

Unlike her, the Bob Null of this dimension is not actually real: he’s just a figment of Leiko’s imagination, created by Heaven and based on her innermost desires.

He’s not allowed a resurrection. Heaven would rebuild him, of course, if Leiko wished for it to happen. But as she stands proudly in a completely healed body wearing soiled rags that used to be a priceless dress, as the pain fades from her brain, one thing fogs her very soul.

Vengeance.

 

Several levels underground

Rei Null holds the Vial of Destiny in her hand, with her eyes moving back and forth between the device and her prisoners.

Noriko Null, Kari Zel and Vesta’s husband Theodoros are still unconscious insider their respective holding cells. They’re not supposed to break out of those, unlike their previous cells: their arms and legs are restrained, and various sensors have been placed over their bodies.

General Zel, or rather one of her duplicates, walks into the laboratory and stands at attention.

<The Empress and her copy will be here shortly.> she informs her boss.

<Good. What about the nuisances?> Rei asks.

<Quantum and Vesta are fighting the planetary defense, while Torn and Reaper are still fighting each other. The backup generators are back online, but they have trouble keeping track of their location with their constant use of portals.>

<They just have to keep each other busy for the next 17 minutes. After that, it won’t matter.>

The General awkwardly stares in silence at Rei working, until she decides to ask:

<Why was it so important to capture those? Can’t we escape Heaven already?>

<We will once I’m done calibrating our Actualization Locks. You can start wearing yours, by the way.> Rei informs her, handing over what looks like a watch.

<We won’t turn into them, I hope.> the General comments, looking with disdain at Kari.

<No, the locks will just allow us to exist outside Heaven. Yours is calibrated on your Myridian counterpart, and mine is calibrated on Noriko. That’s why I needed her to fuse back with Abyss, otherwise I wouldn’t have identified her real quantum signature.> Rei explains.

<And what’s the old man for? I thought he wasn’t immortal like the other intruders.>

<He’s not. As a creation of Heaven, he shares our same origin: without his signature, I couldn’t have programmed the locks to keep our uniqueness.>

<So that’s why you asked me to bring everyone here alive from Vesta’s weird fantasy world. I would never have thought of it myself!>

<It’s not your role to think. But you have proven loyal enough to follow me into reality.> Rei reassures her.

General Zel nods solemnly, just when two of her duplicates enter the laboratory dragging an uncooperative Leiko… not the Empress, but the one originating in Noriko’s version of Heaven.

<It’s mayhem out there, everyone is freaking out!> one of the duplicates exclaims.

<It’s only a matter of time before the Vanguard finds you.> Leiko warns them.

<Correct. And also irrelevant.> Rei replies, gesturing towards the duplicates who simply attach a device to Leiko’s forehead.

<What are you doing!?> Leiko complains as she’s being shoved into her own cage and chained to the wall. But unlike the other prisons it’s not transparent: she’s well hidden behind a steel door.

<What I was created to do. Obeying orders.> Rei answers, activating a teleporter.

A flash of light signals the arrival of the Empress into the same room. At first she’s disoriented by the experience, but that’s quickly replaced by hatred as soon as she spots the General.

<YOU! Did you really think you could rebel against the Empress Of The Universe… wait. What are you doing in my daughter’s laboratory? Are you two conspiring against me!?>

General Zel’s duplicates immediately surround the Empress. Two duplicates grab one arm each, another kicks her in the knee to force her to fall, and a fourth one wraps her arm around her head making sure to keep her mouth shut.

<Yes.> Rei calmly replies, taking a device identical to the one used on the other Leiko.

The Empress struggles, trying to break free, but the Generals have the power of the 10K Rise; even spread across multiple duplicates, it’s impossible for a human to escape from her.

All the Empress can really do is try to bark orders, but her words are unintelligible when she can’t even open her mouth.

<You created me as your ideal daughter: I’m physically unable to disobey your orders or to injure you. General Zel lacks this restriction. You want obedience through fear, but also a daughter as fierce as yourself. I can respect the contradiction. And exploit it.> Rei continues to explain, placing the device on the forehead of the Empress.

<This will match your quantum signature with your doppelganger. I learned how to do this by studying Noriko merging with Abyss. Two sides of the same coin, reunited into a single body. I would show you the fate of your counterpart, but you ordered me to get her out of your sight and I am following your word. After all, I am an obedient daughter.> she continues as she inserts the final commands into the machinery, before concluding:

<Or rather, I was. You may have created me… but I have evolved past you.>

The machinery activates and the General duplicates let the Empress go when her body is illuminated by otherworldly energies.

The Empress screams, not out of physical pain but out of mental anguish.

For what feels like an eternity, three entirely separate lives and memories coexist.

She’s the Empress Of The Universe, unchallenged in all creation and ruler of everything.

She’s Leiko Null, loving wife of Bob and idealized mother of Noriko living a regular life.

Despite sharing the memories of both these versions, it’s the third sets of memories that serves as the basis of the woman being rebuilt from her real self.

The Leiko Tanaka who remembers getting pregnant just to activate the Heart Of The Universe. The one who remembers abandoning her daughter. The one who remembers having been the CEO of the Scion Corporation, the Empress of Shadows, the Foreign Minister of Japan, and finally the Ice Queen. All victories intersected by many, so many defeats and humiliations.

A lesser person would be driven insane. But she is Leiko Tanaka and she won’t allow herself to be seen as weak, not even by her other selves.

When the glow fades and as she stands up, she’s free from the influence of Heaven.

She’s back to being physically younger than she should be, even wearing the same clothes she had when she entered this dimension. And facing the distorted version of her daughter, she has to admit:

<Well played. Now what?>

Rei responds by punching her in the face. Using the hand holding the Vial of Destiny, to make sure it hurts enough. And it sure does, considering she just broke Leiko’s nose.

She stands in front of Leiko to enjoy the moment, just the indicator on the lock on Rei’s wrist turns green. As does the identical lock on the General’s wrist.

<Now I’m free. The locks are fully calibrated.>

<You could’ve left at any time, but you just had to defeat me first.> Leiko tells her, wiping the blood off her nose. She’s already fully healed: Heaven is still attending to her cures.

<I had to make sure my connection to this realm was severed.> Rei explains.

<Don’t lie to me. I know exactly how your pride works. You get it from me.>

<I no longer have to listen to you. Soon enough this universe will cease to exist, and I will be one to return to reality. I hold all the cards, mom.> Rei taunts her, showing her the Vial.

<Do you?> Leiko asks, quickly moving towards her.

Rei expected her to try stealing the Vial, but instead Leiko made sure they’re both holding onto it.

General Zel makes a step towards them, but she finds herself unable to physically intervene.

<Not so fast! You’re also a Drylon tech user, you can’t hurt me as long as I’m holding this!>

<Of course you realize I have a thousand ways to deal with you, right? You no longer have any power left.> Rei boasts.

<You’re forgetting one thing.>

<Your pathological inability to realize when you’ve been beaten?>

<The doppelganger you just reunited me with. She was briefly a Demon, remember? Thanks for the useful memories. SOUL CRUSH!!!>

Leiko’s soul viciously expands to attack Rei’s. It’s not a full-fledged Demon attack, but it was unexpected enough to stagger Rei.

She lets the Vial Of Destiny go, allowing Leiko to keep full ownership of it. With General Zel busy taking care of Rei and now unable to harm the former Empress in any way, that leaves a few precious moments that allow Leiko to rush to the controls.

She has no idea of what she’s looking at, and randomly pressing buttons doesn’t accomplish anything. But her clothes are not the only thing to be restored to the original form along with her body: she takes an electronic scrambler out of her belt, ironically one of Noriko’s inventions, and when she attaches it to the controls it does its job.

The entire system shuts down almost instantaneously. Noriko and Kari wake up, the latter being the one to smash the cell with her 10K Rise.

One look into her cold eyes immediately tells Noriko that this is her mother.

<Gimme the short version.> she asks.

<I have the Vial back. Your sister and her dog can leave Heaven now.> Leiko answers.

There are a million other questions to be asked, but Noriko realizes that Rei is the priority now. She knows how to handle her mother; it’s evidently Rei who she can’t predict.

<When Heaven blows up it will destroy any place where you land, Rei. Without the Vial you won’t survive, you said it yourself.>

<Then we’ll just have to take it back.> General Zel boasts, cracking her knuckles.

<We won’t need to. My mother will willingly share control of the Vial.> Rei reassures her.

<Why would I do such a thing? You punched me in the face!> Leiko objects.

<You don’t know how to leave Heaven. The Vial will protect you from its destruction, but you’re no longer the center of its universe. You will just float into nothingness for all eternity.>

<Is that true?> Leiko asks Noriko, who doesn’t answer her.

<Rei, if we work together, there’s still time to stop this and preserve Heaven!>

<She’s lying. She knows it’s too late.> Rei insists.

<It’s not! You can’t trust her, mother, she just dethroned and assaulted you!>

<So have you. Multiple times.>

Because of the Vial, Noriko is unable to do any move against her mother. And so do all the people present; except maybe Theodoros, but the old man is not going to jump her.

<Rei just risked her only chance of freedom just to spite you. We’re not the same: if I was, I would have killed you so many times already. There’s so many lives at stake her… for once in your life, act like a person and not a supervillain. Please, mom, I beg you.>

<What did you just call me?> Leiko asks. A flash of the memories of a Leiko that raised her like a real mother flushes over her soul.

<Someone has to use the Vial. Choose one of us or choose yourself.> Rei incites her.

<No. There is another choice.> Leiko answers, and she closes the fist that holds the Vial Of Destiny. So hard that it shatters.

Both Noriko and Rei look at her with a mixture of surprise and shock.

<How!? That thing was supposed to be indestructible!> Noriko exclaims.

<This is still my reality: I can do anything I want here. Including forcing you two girls to work together, now that the Vial is no longer at play.> Leiko answers, shaking her hand to let the pieces of glass fall to the floor. Annoyingly, a sticky black goo has stained her palm… the last remaining sample of Drylon genetic code gets wiped against her shirt.

<DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?> Rei yells, her typical composure completely eroding in a fit of anger.

From the spot where the glass have fallen, a crack has formed. Light from the natural state of Heaven is flowing through it, as the fissure separates into a second crack. And then another.

It’s like being inside a cracked mirror, with the crack expanding before your eyes.

<You just broke this reality!!! Now none of us are safe!!!> Rei shouts.

<We can still fix this.> Noriko repeats.

<No, we really ~~~~~ at this point! This ~~~~~~~~ will cease to exist at any ~~~~~~>