Beyond The Impossible

Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light-years from Earth

Engine room of the HDS Polymetis

Quantum returns to human form, cautiously approaching Noriko Null.

Ever since the heavily modified Negative Drive was transported on board, she’s been working non-stop to integrate it with the ship’s own engine… and every second of that work is clearly visible in her disheveled state.

<What is it?> she asks, not bothering to look away from her instruments.

<You look like you need a ha…> Quantum begins to answer, stopping himself mid-sentence when he recalls that Noriko’s right hand has been amputated.

<…some help?> he corrects himself.

<Converting the Negative Drive into a Portal Generator and using it to teleport itself across the Galaxy blew its graviton capacitor and half the circuitry. Do you have any idea how hard it is to rewire the super-entangled discharge flow into the warp coils of a ship? Considering the ship’s main engine doesn’t even work because this is not really a ship but the metastable transitional form of a hyper-dimensional being?>

<I know what some of those words mean.> he shrugs.

Noriko takes a second to take a deep breath and wipe some sweat off her brow.

<Max, I know you mean well but… yes, I absolutely need a hand and no, I can’t think of anything you can do to help right now.> she says.

<Oh. Okay. Listen, I know this isn’t a good time, but… when you possessed my body to modify the Negative Drive, you had to turn yourself into energy right?>

<I did. And?>

<Did you notice anything strange?>

<Strange.> Noriko repeats, raising an eyebrow and turning to look at him.

<Yeah.>

<Strange like turning my atoms into photons and moving them in unison towards a new location violating the Heisenberg uncertainty principle?>

<Right. Since it was your first time, it makes sense that you didn’t notice anything different, but… ever since I faced Baal, I’ve been sensing something is off with…>

<Max, sorry if I sound rude, but I absolutely don’t have time for this right now. Until I’ve fixed the engine we’re not going anywhere; Vesta, Gilgamesh and the others are currently outside of our communications range, even with your tachyon boost.>

<I get it. We’ll talk when you’re not busy… sorry to bother.> Quantum replies, disappearing as he transforms into energy again.

<When am I not busy?> Noriko rolls her eyes, going back to work.

 

Living quarters, an instant later

Quantum was hoping to talk to Kari Zel, and while he does find her she’s not alone.

Both her and Torn are currently meditating, each of them sitting cross-legged on the floor.

<Do you have a minute, Kari?>

<And the moment is lost.> Torn comments, with a touch of disapproval slipping through his normally monotone voice.

<Dammit Max, you have the worst timing.> Kari complains, creating a duplicate to help herself stand back up.

<Disrupting her concentration, you broke the link.> Torn adds.

<What link?> Quantum asks.

<Kari and I were attempting to link our souls.>

<Dude, aren’t you married?>

<Torn’s been unable to access the Blood since we came to this Galaxy, and accessing Ichor with Baal around risks attracting his attention. By accessing my soul, he was hoping to find a workaround.> Kari explains.

<How? You can’t use the Blood.>

<No, but… when I first found myself unable to use my duplication powers, during my first pregnancy, I developed the 10K Rise technique to absorb the power of all my potential duplicates. I still don’t fully get how this can be applied to this situation, but…>

<It might not. It’s a hunch.> an elderly man with bronze skin joins the conversation; standing quietly in the corner, Quantum hadn’t even noticed him.

<Who’s the geezer?>

<Utnapishtim.> the old man presents himself, with his words being translated into English by the ship’s universal translator.

<I’m supposed to know who he is, right?> Quantum asks Kari.

<I am the oldest mortal, granted immortality by the gods. And your friend’s plight is a familiar one… although it has been eons since I have linked with another soul.> Utnapishtim responds.

<We value your wisdom, old one, but I could not sense the Blood even with Kari’s assistance.> Torn tells him.

<Because what you seek is further away. What do you know about the power summoned by your soul, youngling?>

<All Demons learn that the Blood was created when the dragons spawned by Tiamat were killed by Marduk and bled their energies onto Hell.>

<I never heard about this; must have happened after I retired to the Garden.>

<Tiamat was defeated a billion years ago. How could you know about the Blood if it had not been created yet?> Torn wonders.

<Created? In my time, before immortality, before the flood, we knew of power at the boundaries of the cosmos. Something that binds the universe together, separating it from the shapeless void that lies beyond. Gods like Tiamat and Baal access an imperfect form of this power that can interact with physical beings. That is how Baal forged Ichor.>

<Then Ichor and Blood are shadows of something greater.> Torn realizes.

<That is what was believed in my time.> Utnapishtim confirms.

<If I could access that…> Torn muses.

<You’re trying to use the Force!> Quantum exclaims.

<This is why I don’t usually talk this much.> Torn tells Kari.

<I might be able to help you with this, you know.> Quantum proposes.

<Max, come on, be serious for a moment.> Kari chastises him.

<I am being serious! When I faced Baal, I sensed a kind of energy I had never seen before. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but I knew Baal was using it too, and I felt it was something on a scale I didn’t even know existed. Maybe it’s not what you’re looking for, but it might help.>

Kari and Torn look at each other. Perhaps they have been underestimating their friend.

<Sit down.> Torn instructs him, returning to the lotus position.

<Can I sit normally? This is hard on the knees.> Quantum complains, sitting more casually.

<Close your eyes. Find your center. Focus your energy.> Torn guides him.

Quantum remembers he’s tried this years before, with little to no results… but this time he knows what Torn is talking about. This time he has the experience of communing with something greater.

 

On the other side of the Galaxy

The Menagerie of Gods

After Vesta’s fire incinerates another swarm of black flies in a fiery explosion, she does what she’s been doing for several days: wait for the next swarm to attack.

But for the first time, it doesn’t come. She waits for a few seconds, then reabsorbs the fire into her own body to look at the vast display of glass cages.

<Are they finally over?> she asks, looking around.

She vaporized the flies so thoroughly that there isn’t even an atom of their bodies around.

<You must have exhausted Baal’s entire defense system. I am impressed.> Prometheus admits, coming out of the limited cover provided by one of the cages.

<I thought they’d never stop attacking.> Vesta says, turning off the fire and landing next to her cousin.

<They should never stop. It is strange that Baal has not created reinforcements or intervened himself… something must have happened.> Prometheus highlights.

<Then it’s our chance to help the others. I was only able to find one of our relatives… come on.> Vesta tells him, taking Prometheus in her arms and taking flight carrying him.

<This is humiliating.> he protests.

<There’s a lot of that going around in this place. Try to be nice to her, she’s sensitive about appearances.> Vesta instructs him, and before long she lands in front of a glass cage she’s seen before.

Even if Prometheus still had his eyes, he would not recognize the being inside. All traces of femininity, all curves and all orifices have been removed: a misshapen creature bumps against the glass with the stumps that replaced her hands.

<Hey, Aphrodite. Sorry it took me so long, but I had to take control over my body back first, and then I was attacked by…> she explains, pausing when the creature tries to scream despite the complete lack of a mouth.

<Right. I’m going to let you out now: stand back.> she warns her, touching the glass from the outside and releasing a powerful flame.

It’s definitely not regular glass, considering it withstood the heat of her battle, but it has no chance to last long when Vesta concentrates millions of degrees into such a small space.

As soon as the glass melts, Aphrodite jumps out of the cage and embraces Vesta with all of her strength.

<Whoa! Take it easy, you’re safe now. And stronger than I thought.> Vesta admits, finding herself unable to push away her niece.

She didn’t expect Aphrodite to be stronger than her, but she expected even less to find the goddess placing the flesh of her featureless face against her mouth or the stumps of her former hands against Vesta’s breast and crotch.

<That’s enough!> Vesta protests, now trying her hardest to push the goddess away.

Aphrodite seems to double in strength once Vesta feels a tongue going into her mouth and hands groping her in her most private places.

<I said ENOUGH!> Vesta shouts, her body catching fire and burning hotter than the surface of the Sun. That doesn’t seem to bother Aphrodite, who forces herself on Vesta for a few more seconds before pushing her away.

<That will do. I’m hot enough for now, am I?> Aphrodite asks, posing to highlight her restored divine body and its abundant curves.

<ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?!?> Vesta screams at her.

<Oh don’t be so dramatic, I just needed to borrow a touch of arousal to get back into shape. It’s not like you were using much of it anyway!> the goddess of sex giggles.

<Next time ASK. I didn’t enjoy any of that.> Vesta tells her, composing herself.

<Keep telling yourself that, honey. Speaking of enjoyment, I see you brought back an old lover!>

<Lady Aphrodite. How it pains me to lack vision right now.> he greets her.

<That’s fine, I’m not much of a visual gal myself. I prefer other senses.> she tells him taking his hand, and would bring it to her breast if Vesta didn’t pull her aside.

<We don’t have time for that! We should…> Vesta protests, surprised once again by how quickly Aphrodite reacts. And how viciously: Aphrodite grabs her by the throat and lifts her off the ground, applying so much force that for a moment Vesta worries she might crush her windpipe.

<Deny me pleasure once again and your flesh will suffer so much that you will beg for the sweet release of death, which won’t come because I will be f##king its brains out, understood!?>

<Under… stood…> Vesta barely manages to say, staring into eyes of sheer primordial rage.

<Lovely! Now darlings, let’s look for the others so that we may have a proper orgy.> Aphrodite says with her usual carefree tone, letting Vesta go and fly away.

<Are you alright?> Prometheus asks her, helping Vesta get back on her feet.

<I heal fast. What was that!?> she wonders, still feeling the mark of Aphrodite’s fingers on her throat. She has no doubts that she could have killed her if she wanted.

<It seems we both underestimated our hedonistic relative.> Prometheus replies.