Naqada Galaxy, 17 light-years from Earth
Rei Null may not like thinking about it, but she’s still human.
She hasn’t had the chance to sleep since she came to this galaxy, and while her brain is able to function without any problems, her body is another story.
She’s powered through the security measures of the Anubis network through sheer brainpower, ignoring the stress this had on her biology.
Staring at her own reflection in the mirror, she can see the vein on her forehead pulsating with every heartbeat and the bags under her silver eyes.
The starkest reminder of her humanity is that she’s in one of the few bathrooms of the entire planet: gods and cybernetic mummies don’t need them, and visitors are rare to say the least.
<Need some help in there?> is the question coming from the inhuman voice on the other side of the door. At least Khonsu had the good sense not to barge in.
<Never. Not from anyone.> Rei tells him and to herself, staring at her own glowing silver eyes before leaving the bathroom.
Khonsu is waiting for her outside, covered head to toe in some white fabric resembling mummy wraps. Her latest servant seems eager to prove himself useful. Too eager for her tastes.
<While you were sprucing, I took the liberty to visit all planets of the realm. I have identified a list of potential pockets of resistance to be secured swiftly.>
<You visited all planets in the Naqada Galaxy?> Rei asks, raising an eyebrow.
<It’s not a big galaxy.> he shrugs.
<I see. I will examine the list after we have dealt with the other former vassals. They take priority: no mortal can challenge me.>
<I would advise against an overabundance of confidence, My Queen. After all, you conquered this world despite being a mortal yourself.>
<It’s Empress, not just queen. And there are no mortals like me.>
<That is… demonstrably false, My Empress. She’s likely the most famous mortal in the universe.>
Rei takes a moment to study Khonsu’s body language. It’s always difficult with gods in general, but the Egyptians are easily the most enigmatic.
<You will soon learn, Khonsu, that I value my subordinates sharing their thoughts with me if they have proven their usefulness and loyalty. As my first vassal in this galaxy I will forgive your sarcastic tone, but I will tell you only once: do not. Compare. Me. To her. EVER.>
<Understood. Apologies, My Empress. You will get to distinguish yourself from your counterpart soon, since she never managed to defeat Anubis in a straight fight.>
<Anubis is coming here.> Rei deduces.
<We both noticed the network was disconnecting at the same time; he’s definitely slower than me, so the journey from the Aegian Galaxy takes longer for him.>
<I assumed as much. When will Anubis reach this sector?>
The sound of her voice is drowned by the uproar of something hitting the planet only a fraction of a second after dropping below the speed of light.
Something that breaks through multiple layers of impregnable defenses, crashing through them like they weren’t even there.
<About five seconds ago. He’s in the throne room now.> Khonsu informs her.
<Of course he is. Take me there.> Rei orders, adjusting her leather jacket.
She doesn’t even have the time to move its zipper before she finds herself in the throne room, realizing that Khonsu moves even faster than a teleporter.
The moon god is no longer her primary concern, though. That privilege goes to the cybernetic jackal god that is being swarmed by dozens of Amazons, reprogrammed cyborg zombies and duplicates of General Zel. And mowing them without effort, spraying blood and motor oil and embalming fluids everywhere as he dismembers them with his claws.
<Anubis. We have not been formally introduced.> Rei greets him, calmly walking towards the battle with her hands in her pockets.
<You are not Null.> Anubis growls, having already finished taking down the small battalion that awaited his return.
<On the contrary. I am Rei Null, Empress of the Naqada Galaxy. As a courtesy to a former fellow ruler, I offer you a choice: follow me or die.>
<I am death. I do not bargain.> Anubis replies, opening his mouth and releasing an energy blast.
Rei’s personal forcefield activates automatically to protect her, and she allows herself half a smile.
<I tried to be nice. Remember that when you’ll be licking my boots like a little b#tch.>
The field flickers erratically for a couple of seconds, before deactivating.
<What the…> she wonders.
<Do you take me for a fool, doppelganger?> Anubis asks, closing the distance between them faster than a mortal can perceive. His claws stab her in the stomach, and he effortlessly lifts her up in order to look her in the eye as he explains:
<I have dealt with Null technology before. I have countermeasures for anything you might have taken from her: did you really believe I wouldn’t prepare against an attack from her?> Anubis tells her, throwing her to the ground after taking care to personally crush both her forcefield emitter and her guns.
<Your network.> Rei manages to say, holding the wound on her stomach and spitting blood.
<The network you stole from me exists to worship me, not to assist me. I don’t need its help, and I will certainly not allow you to receive any.>
<Help? Never. Not from anyone.> Rei replies, gathering her strength to stand up as a device hidden within her jacket releases a small dose of nanites to rapidly stitch her wound.
<The network. I was telling you that this encounter is being recorded, and will be transmitted to all the worlds of my empire once this is over.>
<To show your defeat? You must be a glutton for punishment, even more than the real Null.>
Rei is not impressed by his boast. In fact, her half smile returns.
<Your necrobots. There were none on your claws. I wonder why?>
<I have no use for them. I can rip you in half without them.> Anubis replies, but she continues.
<I find that interesting; that would be your standard MO, wouldn’t it? You must still have your own personal cluster, you could easily have infected me with them. Unless… you’re afraid I could take control of your necrobots and unleash them against you. Is that why you’re so hesitant to take a second shot at me, Anubis? Are you afraid of me?>
<Preposterous! Why am I even entertaining this… this…> Anubis wonders, staring at his own hands. Noticing that the claws have retracted into his fingers.
<Or maybe you just realized that your personal necrobots are not responding to your commands anymore? That your reaction time and your thought processes are slower than they should?>
<You reprogrammed my necrobots? How?> Anubis wonders, now that the glow from his body’s circuitry is fading away.
<Now you’re catching on. Did you really think you were the only one capable of loading aggressive nanites into your bloodstream? The moment you laid hands on me, Anubis… I infected you.>
<You really are as clever as the real Null, usurper. But there is one thing you overlooked.>
<I sincerely doubt that.> Rei chuckles.
<Without your technology, you are a mortal. Without mine, I am a god… and a BEAST!> Anubis shouts, jumping forward while shapeshifting into his black jackal form.
The animal lands on her, and it’s much larger than a real jackal: its front legs are half the size of her torso. His weight alone is enough to break her legs in multiple places, and he doesn’t have to push very hard with his paw to break four of her ribs.
The first thing Anubis does is bite her right arm, ripping it off her body in one brutally swift motion.
As she screams in pain, Anubis then proceeds to bite her jugular and devour her vocal cords.
Not content with this, he puts her entire head inside his large mouth and closes it; the force of his bite cracks open the skull like a walnut.
He expects to banquet on her brain and anticipates studying her Nexus for the next century.
Instead the skull drops a swarm of creatures the size of a bacterium, that rapidly moves across his body like an army of extremely angry ants.
<What is this trickery!?> he complains, trying to get rid of the creatures. But even transforming back in his usual god-jackal hybrid, they stick to his fur and circuitry.
<You still haven’t figured it out?>
The voice mocking him belongs to the woman sitting on his throne with her legs crossed, looking completely unharmed. Even when her desecrated corpse is still on the floor.
<How… I tasted your death!>
<You tasted my nanites. Haven’t you been listening? I hacked your brain, genius. In retrospect, merging your body with technology when people smarter than you are around was a really dumb idea, wouldn’t you agree? Now back to reality.> Rei says, snapping her fingers.
At the same time, outside the simulation
From Khonsu’s perspective, Anubis has just plunged his claws inside Rei’s stomach. He has the time to ponder whether he bet on the wrong person to win the fight, as well as calculating how far he could flee before he becomes the next target of Anubis’s rage.
But that lasts only for a moment. Only until he notices that Anubis is not continuing the attack: both him and Rei seem to be frozen in place, until her silver eyes begin crackling with electricity.
Anubis puts her down and takes a step back, after which he creates a powerful sound that Khonsu has rarely heard… the screams of agony of a god, as endless bolts of electricity flow across the body of Anubis.
He knees down in pain, while Khonsu rushes to help the injured Rei who is bleeding from the very laceration on her stomach.
<I didn’t ask for help.> she replies, pushing him away.
<What did you do to him?> Khonsu asks.
<Infected him with my own brand of nanites. Kept him busy with a simulation of a battle while the nanites worked their way through his higher functions, controlling them remotely. Has the network been recording?> she asks, trying her best to retain consciousness despite the loss of blood.
<Yes, and they’re ready to transmit at your command. Are you going to kill Anubis?>
<He’s too proud to swear allegiance to me, but to valuable of an asset to be dismissed. No, I have other uses for him.> Rei explains, while simultaneously instructing the nanites to stitch her wound.
She looks over Anubis, still agonizing on the floor. His own body is rebelling against him, now that his cybernetic parts are actively fighting against his divine half, struggling for control.
<You are an interesting specimen, Anubis. Other gods use technology, yes, but you have discovered ways to interact with it that I didn’t think were possible for your kind.>
<You intend to experiment on him?> Khonsu wonders.
<To some extent. But in the business of empire building, Khonsu, one should never underestimate the importance of effective propaganda.>
<Propaganda? If you can defeat Anubis so easily, you won’t need it to subjugate this galaxy.>
<Who said anything about stopping with this galaxy?> Rei asks.
She grasps one of the electric bolts into her hand, holding on to it.
<Now be a good god, Anubis. Sit.>
Anubis turns into his black jackal form, for real this time, and restraining himself to twice the size of a fully organic jackal.
Only a single bolt of electricity remains, with Rei wielding it like a leash. Once his personality is locked away, deep inside his newly reassembled cybernetic brain… it bows down, licking the soles of Rei’s boot.
<See? Like I said. Like a b#tch.>
Discussion ¬