Noriko can’t exactly breathe a sigh of relief, but at long last she doesn’t feel like she’s being burned alive. Agony’s hands weave an armor around her body, a semitransparent layer of red energy that blocks at least some of Hell’s scorching heat.
<You could’ve done this earlier. I must’ve lost like ten pounds in sweat> Kari complains, checking her own armor.
<I thought human skin was naturally wet. This way> Agony instructs them, opening the door.
Noriko and Kari follow her, trying to figure out a way to escape. Even if they didn’t depend on Agony for their survival in this environment, they wouldn’t go very far.
The rows of identical cells seem to go on forever. They face an enormous chasm; Kari approaches it to look down: it’s so deep she can’t see where it ends.
<How far does this go?> she asks.
<Far> is Agony’s answer.
<Why is the sky on fire?> Noriko questions, looking up. Her vision is tinted by the armor, but she can see the wildfire raging far above the red sky.
<This planet is inside an energy nebula. It burns the atmosphere> Agony explains.
<Nothing you just said makes any sense> Noriko objects.
<Here, it does.>
<What does that even… you know what, nevermind. On the list of the questions I have, that doesn’t even make it to the first five thousand.>
<Yeah, you’re Torn’s wife right? You must have a lot of embarrassing things to share!>
<Kari, is there any chance you could be serious for a moment?> Noriko chastises her.
<He stabs in his sleep> Agony answers honestly.
<What? Is that some weird way to say he snores?> Kari asks.
<I don’t know what that word means. When Torn sleeps, he stabs whoever’s next to him with a knife. It doesn’t bother me, but it did get him into trouble when he was younger.>
Noriko shakes her head: just like Torn, his wife alternates between extremes. There’s no middle ground between barely speaking and oversharing.
<Okay, let’s start from the beginning: you said Abyss contacted you. How!?>
<She called us, speaking through the Blood.>
<The what?> Kari asks, confused by the term.
<The universal biogenic field that Torn can access to create weapons> Noriko explains.
<You know, Nori, it’s kind of impressive how you can say stuff like that with a straight face.>
<We’re in Hell, Kari: it’s really late for skepticism. So Agony, when Abyss called, what did she say?>
<Only the Lord of All Demons knows. We are going to speak to him.>
Agony whistles and raises a hand. In a few seconds something approaches, prompting Noriko and Kari to be ready for a fight. It’s the flaming red skeleton of a horse, twice as big as a car.
<Whoa. What the Hades is that!?> Kari exclaims.
<Our ride. ثرېېفۆرثېپىندېمۆنلۇم?> Agony says to the horse.
<كىي > is the answer she receives. Taking a closer look, they see there’s a very old and very wrinkled man riding on the horse’s back. He was easy to miss, riding an oversized skeletal horse.
<Wait. Is this your version of a taxi!?> Noriko asks.
<We need to go to the Pandemonium, all the way to the First Circle. He will take us there> Agony explains, very matter-of-fact, as she jumps on the horse’s back.
<I don’t know, Nori. Do you think this is a good idea?> Kari asks.
<It’s not like we have other options. Besides, I’m from New York: this is not worse than a taxi.>
Elsewhere in Hell
Max Black a.k.a. Quantum doesn’t like being stuck into his energy form for long, but this time he’s glad he doesn’t have to suffer Hell’s scorching heat.
Kari’s duplicate isn’t doing very good, however: she leans against the wall, breathing heavily. She’s completely drenched in sweat and looking way beyond exhausted.
<I can’t go on like this, Max. The heat is unbearable.>
<Just create another duplicate> he suggests. He comes close to her, but doesn’t dare turning human.
<I don’t think I have the strength for that. You’ll have to go on alone.>
<†►║▼‡╤■♦ > says the grey-skinned woman walking in front of them. She doesn’t seem bothered by the heat, even under her black and white robe. Max doesn’t understand her alien language, but from her tone she’s probably asking them to resume the walk.
<I think she said we’re almost there> Max lies, but he’s not very good at it.
<Nice try. Listen, if I’m still here it means that my real body is alive, so Noriko and Torn must be as well. Find them and take them home, okay?>
<C’mon Kari, you can’t give up like this.>
<I’m Myridian. There’s always another me that keeps fighting> she answers proudly, before her body completely disappears with a soft popping sound.
Max has seen her do it many times, but it’s still disconcerting: she may have been a duplicate, but she was still a person. That now has vanished, leaving Max alone in Hell.
<†►₪♦╣╤╣►►₪□►╪ > the Grey Lady comments dryly.
<Why do you keep talking!? You know I don’t understand a word you say!>
< ╬►Ͻ▲▼‡►▌… > she begins answering, but Max immediately cuts her off.
<Yeah, just as I thought. Man, Hell just plain sucks.>
First Circle of Hell
The journey takes quite some time, giving Noriko the chance to examine Hell from a new perspective: riding a red, giant flying horse skeleton.
Given the distance and shape of the horizon, Hell should be just about the size of the Moon. The gravity is slightly higher than Earth’s, maybe a time and a half. The planet’s very geologically active: sometimes she can see plumes of lava spewed into orbit by far away volcanoes.
There seems to be a single city, surrounded by incredibly tall and thick walls. There aren’t many buildings with multiple floors, in fact she has the distinct impression that most of the population lives underground. She can’t blame them: as if the heat and the air pressure weren’t oppressive, the clouds of fire and plasma that cover the red sky are not the best view.
<How many Demons live here?> she asks; maybe Agony will talk than her husband.
<295 million 408 thousand and 296, now that Torn is back> she answers immediately.
<Wow. You came up with that really fast> Kari notes.
<Hell’s population is very stable. New demons are born only when another one dies.>
<You must have a he… a heck of a population control> Noriko observes, correcting herself in the middle of the sentence: not because she doesn’t want to swear, but because it’d be too weird.
<I don’t understand what you mean> Agony admits.
<Let me guess: Demons have children only when your government says so?>
<Of course. Why would anyone want to have sex and give birth unless ordered to?>
Kari and Noriko exchange looks. They’ve known Torn long enough to recognize that Agony is not being sarcastic: she really can’t imagine another reason.
<I guess they really are aliens after all> Kari shrugs.
<We have reached the Pandemonium> Agony reveals, as the skeletal horse begins its descent.
It’s really impressive: someone carved the façade of a gothic cathedral on the side of a mountain, sort of Mount Rushmore as imagined by Satan. There’s a massive gate at the entrance, dominated by two large horned skulls.
Noriko gets off the horse, looking around. It’s a busy area: many Demons are lounging in the plaza facing the mountain. They’re not as she imagined them. They all have red skin; there’s some variance in the texture, but apparently Demons don’t have much genetic diversity.
Still, considering that all the Demons she’s met so far have been quite tall and athletic, she expected everyone to look like Torn and Agony. Instead, while she can’t see a single fat person, there’s almost much diversity in body shape as you’d expect in a random sample of humans.
<What is this place? Some sort of temple?> Kari asks. Noriko would’ve said “church”, but she recognizes her own cultural bias.
<No, we don’t worship any deity. This is the Pandemonium, representing the will of all Demons.>
<Hell’s Congress> Noriko deduces.
<Weren’t you talking to the “Lord of All Demons” before? I thought you guys had an emperor or something> Kari says.
<Oblivion is elected by the Pandemonium. Demons don’t bow to any higher authority.>
As they approach the entrance, the gate slowly creeps open. Noriko follows Agony, while Kari finds herself unable to move: the red semitransparent armor that’s protecting her from the hellish environment refuses to let her get any closer.
<A little help here?> she says.
<Only Demons can enter the Pandemonium. An exception can be made for my husband’s blood sister, but you must remain outside> Agony answers.
<Then what’s the point of bringing me here!?>
<I don’t know. I assumed you knew what you were doing when you followed me.>
<I’m beginning to understand where Torn’s twisted logic comes from> Kari notes, pouting.
<Don’t worry. I can take care of myself; I’ll be fine> Noriko reassures her.
<Are you sure?>
Noriko looks at the gate, into the eyes of the large horned skull. She rarely felt this small.
<Yeah, I’m just gonna face Hell’s Congress alone. Not a big deal.>
Kari can’t decide whether Noriko’s silver eyes are shining out of confidence or from the need to convince herself. Whatever the case, she follows Agony inside the Pandemonium, and the heavy gates of Hell close behind her.
Deep beneath the surface
Max Black has never been a very religious person. He can’t remember the last time he went to church, and despite his mother’s best efforts he’s not particularly interested in changing that.
Still, finding himself in a place where the sky is on fire, where there’s a pentagram drawn on every wall, and where red skinned people often armed with pointy weapons give him dirty looks, it’s not a surprise he finds the whole experience unnerving.
The Grey Lady isn’t helping. She’s clearly not human, at least not entirely: not only because of her grey skin and alien language, but because she walks through walls like it’s a common thing.
Once they finally reach their destination, Max’s heart skips a few beats as soon as he passes through the wall in the form of radio waves. Now he understands why they call this place Hell.
The floor is completely covered by bones; if Max were in human form, they’d crack under his weight. Sharp spikes come out of the walls: many are still holding skeletons in their place. The room is quite dark, only lit by candles carried by chandeliers made of red energy; it’s hard to judge how big it is, but it houses many hundreds of dead bodies.
There are only two living beings when Max and the Grey Lady arrive. One has been pinned against a cross, with spikes running through his chest and arms. The other one is at his feet, sitting quietly.
<You have a visitor, Dad> Laceration says.
Torn opens his eyes, but they quickly turn from Max to the Grey Lady.
<Emissary. Why did you bring the human here? He’s not anything to you.>
<You could at least pretend being happy to see me. C’mon, I’m taking you back to Earth!>
<You don’t understand. I have been sentenced to death.>
<So what? We’re getting out of here, thanks to this awesome lady> Max says, looking at the Grey Lady. Torn isn’t very impressed, as he explains:
<If you want to escape Hell, allying yourself with the Emissary of Death is not helping.>
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