Beyond The Impossible

Null Island, Pacific Ocean

Max Black opens his first bottle of beer, looking at the campfire on the beach. It’s not a normal campfire: there’s no need to burn wood when there’s a fire goddess present. Vesta is caring for the floating flame she created like it’s a living creature; she’s wearing her orange tube top as always, but for once she’s traded jeans for shorts.

<We need a guitar. It’s not a beach party unless someone’s playing something> Max notes.

<I play the lyre. I tried to learn to play the lute a few centuries ago, but it didn’t work out.>

She doesn’t seem to realize that Max is staring at her. And not just because she’s very attractive.

<I keep forgetting just how old you are. No offense> he says.

<None taken.>

<Did the Greeks do stuff like this? Throw parties at the beach?>

<Sometimes. Mortals did this sort of thing even before they discovered fire.>

<Get out… you partied with cavemen!?>

<It’s a misnomer. They didn’t actually live in caves… most of them, anyway.>

<No kidding. What’s the first party you remember?> Max asks, passing her a beer.

<I don’t know, probably something for one of Zeus’ kids. I’m pretty sure mortals were not invited.>

Speaking of people not invited, a third voice joins the conversation:

<What are the rules of this ritual?> Laceration asks.

Unlike Noriko, Max hasn’t moved from New York after the destruction of Null Tower: to him, Null Island is just another place where he goes to work. He’d almost forgotten that Laceration lived here.

<We stand by the fire and have fun> Max explains. The teenager’s red skin isn’t the only clue that she’s Torn’s daughter. She’s dressed in a leather catsuit that’s way too hot for the weather, she’s staring blankly into the distance, and she likes to talk as much as he does.

<I see> she replies flatly, doing absolutely nothing to join the conversation.

<Nice, hm, outfit you have there> Vesta says, trying to break the ice; she’s had trouble understanding mortal fashion in the past, but she knows that few teenagers would be caught wearing something so risqué in public.

<It’s a little tight> she replies, just when Torn approaches the fire. Max and Vesta exchange looks; they don’t say anything, but they are both thinking “this is bound to be good”.

<Father> Laceration greets him.

<Daughter> Torn nods.

Nothing but silence for a solid fifteen seconds, with the only break being Torn opening his beer by cutting away the bottleneck.

<Having fun?> she asks.

<Drinking.>

<I see. May I?>

<Yes> Torn answers, handing a beer to Laceration. Or he would, if Max didn’t move literally at the speed of light to snatch the bottle from his hands.

<Dude, what are you doing!?>

<Drinking> Torn repeats.

<You can’t give her beer! She’s underage!>

<She is a Demon> Torn responds.

<And she’s technically older than you> Vesta highlights.

<What, you’re on his side now?> Max asks her.

<Well, she is> Vesta shrugs, with a tone that says “don’t blame it on me”.

Before the conversation can continue, everyone is distracted by the sound of a guitar playing. Well, Max and Vesta are distracted, Torn and Laceration barely realized they were having a conversation.

<Well? How am I doing?> Kari asks, pointing at her duplicate playing the guitar.

<I don’t understand this ritual at all> Laceration admits.

<Beer helps> Torn suggests her.

 

While her friends and her duplicates are having fun, the original Kari has walked closer to the shore. She crosses her arms, stroking them trying to warm up: away from the campfire, her bikini isn’t doing much in the way of keeping the cold away.

She finds Noriko sitting on the rocks, looking at the sky. She almost expected to see her wearing her green leather jacket… it wouldn’t be out of place next to Laceration’s catsuit and Torn’s duster… but she’s actually traded her standard outfit for shorts and a bikini top.

<Aren’t you cold?> Kari asks, sitting next to Noriko. Just as she does it, she notices the glowing device next to her.

<Never unless I want to> Noriko boasts.

<Is that your latest invention?>

<Just something I threw together> Noriko dismisses her. Kari finds it rather strange: usually she jumps at any occasion to describe her creations.

<Why are you here alone? We’re having a nice party back there.>

<I was just thinking.>

<You’re always thinking. Something in particular?>

<My mother.>

Kari hesitates before talking: she wants to respect her privacy, but she knows Noriko needs a friend.

<We’ll stop her. Whatever she’s planning, we will…>

<Do you think my mother’s ever loved anyone?>

Of all the things Kari thought she’d hear Noriko ask, this has to be at the very bottom.

<I don’t know. Why are you thinking about this?>

<My father. I’m not sure he’s realized it yet, but I think he loves Dr. Kalama. I’m not talking about sex, I think he’s genuinely in love. I’ve recognized several symptoms.>

<Good for him, isn’t it? I mean, I thought you liked the doctor.>

<I do. I have nothing against their relationship.>

<Then why the sad face?>

<Because I’ve never been in love. Just like my mother.>

<Nori, I know you’re a genius and all, but you’re nineteen years old. There’s nothing wrong with->

<I made a clone today.>

Without a question, that is the sentence Kari would’ve expected the least.

<WHAT!? How… who… why…> she tries to ask, mixing the thousand questions she has.

<Talas Khanos. I found his research on Myridia; I built a gestation chamber in one of my labs.>

<You cloned Khanos!?>

<I cloned myself. My heart’s been damaged; in just a few weeks, my clone will reach my age and I’ll be able to replace my heart with a brand new one.>

<That’s insane! Is the clone… alive?>

<Not exactly. She has my brain but no Nexus. She’s more… off-line than alive.>

<Oh my Gods. I… I don’t know what to say> Kari admits.

<I used to hate my mother because I was just a tool for her: the only reason I was born is that she needed a brain to install the Nexus. Now I’ve created a new life just to harvest her organs. And the craziest part is… I can’t find anything wrong with it. Like mother, like daughter.>

<Nori… you’re starting to scare me> Kari says, slowly backing away from Noriko. Somehow, her device isn’t enough to warm the chill down her spine.

<Not as much as I scare myself. Not even close.>

Kari has felt many things for Noriko over the last year: admiration, friendship, attraction, loyalty. Fear is a new one. Yes, there was Abyss… but this is not a different person. The thought that this might be the real Noriko after all is unsettling.

<Hey why are you girls here by yourselves?> one of the Kari duplicates shouts cheerfully.

Noriko and the original Kari exchange glances. There’s something behind those silver eyes, something reflecting wisdom way beyond the girl’s years.

<I will not become my mother> she declares with the determination of someone willing to fight alone against an entire world.

She whistles loudly with fingers at the corners of her mouth, gathering everyone’s attention.

<So what’s the deal, are we having a party in here or not?>

As everyone cheers, Kari’s original body is the only one baffled by Noriko’s sudden mood swing.

 

Eleusis, 30 light-years from Earth

Kari Zel looks at the vast grass field, raising her hand in front of her forehead to protect herself from the Sun’s glare. It’s brighter than Earth’s and it has an orange hue, but by now she’s used to live on planets with only one Sun.

She’s riding shotgun on a flying convertible, sitting next to Elyla. She’s almost indistinguishable from any other Lampyrian: blue skin, long blue hair and a beautiful face without a nose. Her blue wings, extending from her back, are partially stretched over the passenger’s seat.

<It’s great out here, isn’t it? I learned to fly over these fields when I was little> she says, raising her voice over the wind’s sound.

<If you don’t mind me asking, Elyla, how old are you?>

<I’m six months old. Can you believe I’m the first Lampyrian ever to get a driver’s license? I mean, just because I’m the age of a human baby doesn’t mean I have to be treated like one, right?>

<You said we’re going to see your father. I know all Lampyrians are female, so are you adopted?>

<Yes. It’s very rare, even here. Not a lot of people want to adopt a baby that will be an adult in a month and die two years later. I don’t blame the wingless, I wouldn’t want to adopt either.>

<“Wingless”? Is that how you call humans?>

<So? On Myridia you call people without duplicating powers “primes”, don’t you?>

<Some people do. How big is this field anyway? It feels like we’ve been driving forever.>

<It’s just the lawn. Wait ‘till you see our house!>

Kari’s jaw drops when she sees their destination. It could be called a mansion the same way the Palace of Versailles could be called a motel: there are towns smaller than that colossal building.

<Your father lives here!? What is he, a god or something?>

Elyla parks the flying car right in front of the entrance gate; she doesn’t waste any time jumping out, stretching her wings to their full span.

<I’ll tell Dad you’re here, I’m sure he’ll want to meet you right away. Catch you later!> she says before taking flight. Her hollow bones make her lighter than a human, but the gravity on Eleusis is just slightly below Earth’s; Kari expected her to be much faster, but her only comparison is the space pirate Elytra who used the Ghost Maker to cheat a few laws of physics.

 

It takes forever to catch up to Elyla: there seems to be no limit to the people working in this place.

They checked her for weapons and bugs. They checked her identity against Myridian records. They used a scanner to make sure she wasn’t carrying any disease, something more advanced than anything Kari’s ever seen in a spaceport or even at Null Tower.

During the journey, Kari gathered a few clues. One, nothing is left to chance in this place. Two, this is the most diverse planet she’s visited: she saw many different races, a wide range of religious artifacts from half the pantheon, and either an unusual number of twins or several Myridians.

Finally, at the end of what feel and probably are hours, she reaches her destination: a relatively modest studio, where a man is sitting on a desk.

Probably in his late thirties, Kari would describe him on Earth as the perfect bachelor: fit, handsome, with artificially perfect hair and a smile to kill for. Elyla runs towards her, to introduce:

<Finally! Kari, this is my father, Alexer Syzar. Dad, this is…>

<Kari Zel, the Legion. Star pupil of Ordman Vor and Heroine of the Battle of Null City.>

<Mr. Syzar> she says shaking his hand – Nice house and sweet daughter. What can I do for you?

<I was about to ask you the same thing, Ms. Zel. I want to finance Null’s cause: I firmly believe that with my fortune and her genius, there’s a chance we can free this Galaxy from divine rule.>