Beyond The Impossible

The Dark Pyramid

Quantum a.k.a. Max Black has seen better days. The African-American hero is in a dungeon, chained to a wall, and his powers aren’t working. The only company is his fellow teammate Torn, who is as useful at keeping company as the floor.

<Well? Did it work or not?> Max pressures him.

<Yes. I was briefly able to provide a weapon to Null, but it seems that was the extent of my connection to the Blood.>

<Well, at least it can’t get any worse, right?>

The door opens. The sound of a robot walking on stone is very distinctive, as the two metal soldiers that have just arrived remind them. Their design is very Egyptian inspired, like a living sarcophagus.  Their purpose is also obvious, since their arms open up to show the laser guns inside.

<The Scribe has thought of everything> Torn comments. If he is concerned by the fact that the robots are about to kill him, it’s impossible to tell from his stern expression.

<Oh yeah? Let’s see if he’s thought of this> Max answers, and from the way his muscles tense under the stress it looks like he’s trying again to break his chains. But this time something new happens: the cell’s forcefield flickers and disappears, and the magnetic field that keeps the handcuffs attached to the wall vanishes as well.

Torn reacts fast, much faster than a human could. The collar on his neck still blocks his powers, but his muscles haven’t lost their Demon strength. He grabs the first robot’s head and rips it out of its body, which he then uses as a shield to deflect the second robot’s lasers.

The second robot adjusts its speed just enough to take a clear shot at Torn’s head, but before the attack a blast of pure electricity hits the robot’s back and completely fries its circuits.

Torn lets go of the first robot and rips out his collar like a cheap necklace, then helps Max to stand up: the human’s hand is still buzzing with electricity.

<I thought your powers didn’t work> Torn tells him.

<I couldn’t transform into anything, so I just absorbed part of the ship’s energy.>

<I didn’t know you could do that> Torn admits, removing the collar from his friend’s neck.

<Neither did I! But I had to try something since you weren’t particularly helpful.>

<I never heard of technology capable of interfering with the Blood; the Scribe must have studied Demons enough to anticipate anything I could think of. Luckily, you’re the most unpredictable human I’ve ever met.>

<Thanks… I think. Any ideas on how we’re supposed to find Null now?>

<The same way we always do> Torn answers.

Something detonates on a near floor, enough to make the walls tremble.

<We follow the explosions> both men say at the same time.

 

Meanwhile, the Phoenix NX-3 is flying away from the city, escaping the flock of Harpies that’s already disappearing in the distance. The bike so fast that Noriko Null has to use the Neural Transmitter to talk to Kari Zel, because it’s moving faster than sound.

“This isn’t working” – she says through radio waves.

“What are you talking about? They can’t catch us” – Kari answers.

“But they can still see where we’re going. We can’t lead them to Project Seven”

“I don’t like where this is going” – Kari says, feeling her stomach turn as the flying bike drastically changes direction. A move like this as such ludicrous speed would break apart most vehicles, but the Phoenix is kept together by the same forcefield technology that protects it when it accelerates.

And now the storm of Harpies seems to be coming closer and closer.

“I hate this plan. Because you HAVE a plan, don’t you?” – Kari complains.

“Of course. And I think you’ll like it” – Noriko answers, briefly taking her hands off the bike to recover two objects from a well hidden compartment.

“I assume you know how to use them?” – she asks, handing the two Genius Guns to Kari.

“I’ve been waiting for this a looong time” – Kari answers, with a genuine smile on her face; she’s had her eyes on Noriko’s signature weapon for years.

“They don’t have any recoil, so don’t even try to compensate for it. Ready?”

“F#ck yeah! Let’s do this!”

 

New York City has been isolated from the rest of the country, but the United Nations Headquarters even more so: it’s been encased in a stone prison. The police has cleared out the area, but there isn’t much they can do; every attempt at blasting an opening has been unsuccessful, the stone simply reforms itself even when hit by high explosives.

There is one bright spot: the blue streak of light flying towards the building. It’s an African American woman in a blue costume, and she can’t help but feel the irony of the situation.

“Dad didn’t want me to become a cop, and here I am” Blue Star thinks, although most of her thoughts are for her brother Quantum.

She releases powerful streams of pure energy, enough to vaporize titanium, and they seem to do the job a little too well. Not only the stone cracks under the stress, but the entire stone casing crumbles rapidly, too much to make her believe it was her doing.

<Well well, it looks like we have a new challenger> a woman says, slowly descending on the ground being carried by a cloud of sand.

She looks of Arabian descent, with skimpy clothes that seem more appropriate for a beach, and she has a bronze scarab on her navel.

<The name’s Scarab, kid. Nice power you have there. Demigoddess? No, you strike me more as a Drylon tech user, aren’t you?>

<I am Blue Star of the United States Army. Release the hostages and this will end quickly.>

<Hahahah! Now that’s rich!> Scarab laughs, in a way that makes Blue Star doubt her sanity. The stone prison has pretty much disappeared at this point, with the exception of a dozen boulders that are now circling above them in a complex dance.

<Let me put this into perspective. I just lifted this entire city off the ground without breaking a sweat, and if I throw it into the Sun, it won’t even make it to the top ten worst things I’ve ever done. I’m Scarab of the Inner Circle of the Guild, kid. They call me the most dangerous woman in the galaxy, and I don’t like it when I’m not treated with respect!>

Scarab throws the first boulder at Blue Star; it’s the size of a small car, but a single energy blast takes care of it. Scarab seems genuinely excited at the prospect of starting a fight; as she prepares the next volley of rock projectiles, Blue Star notices something… her eyes are black. Completely black. Like Abyss.

And suddenly, she’s a little less sure about her chances at beating her.

 

As a journalist, Kristen Lynn knows she should take note of everything that’s happening around her. Easier said than done, when it’s one impossible thing after the other.

The city is flying, she’s been kidnapped by an alien who says he wants to keep the world hostage, and now Noriko Null is helping her escape by blowing up robot after robot.

<This makes no sense> Null comments, disconnecting from the palm of her hand the device that’s bleeding a worrying amount of sparks.

<The Scribe is a better adversary than this, therefore he obviously does not want me dead.>

<Why do you say it like it’s a bad thing?>

<Not necessarily bad, just very disappointing. Killing Null is the first thing I would have done.>

One of the robots is still functional, and rises to its feet to finish the job. Null tries to fire at it, but the weapon she hastily assembled has already shorted out. Kristen screams, and she’s not alone.

<Stabbing of the back!> someone shouts, and behind the robot a red energy sword appears out of thin air to tear it to pieces. Kristen takes a sigh of relief at the sight of Torn and Quantum approaching.

<Why did you have to yell that?> Quantum asks.

<It helps concentrate.>

<I get it when you use a cool name for the attack, but “stabbing of the back”? Seriously, couldn’t you think of a cooler name?>

<I wanted to stab it in the back. Temperature has nothing to do with it.>

<You’re hopeless, Torn, you know that?>

<Is this really the time to joke? We’ve been kidnapped by aliens!> Kristen reminds them.

<I agree with Lynn, this is no time for levity. I have a plan of escape: Black, generate an electromagnetic pulse to confuse the sensors while Torn…>

Before Null can finish explaining, Quantum has moved behind her and is holding her head between his arms, threatening to shoot at her temples with his right hand.

<What are you doing? Release me at once, you troglodyte simpleton! – she protests, trying to bite him.>

<Are you crazy!?> Kristen shouts.

<Yes, she is> Torn nods.

<I know it’s you, Void. Your brain has a different frequency when you’re in control.>

<Very well> she answers, her voice becoming much lower and her eyes changing color: a silver iris inside a completely black sclera. Quantum and Torn are used to it by now, but for Kristen it’s a disturbing sight.

<You have nothing to fear from me, Black. Null has leased me control of her body for this mission.>

<What is going on!? If you’re not Null, who are you!?> Kristen asks.

Before Torn or Void can say anything, Quantum jumps in, figuring Noriko doesn’t want the press to know that she has an alternate personality.

<It’s not important right now. Think of her as a parasite, and never turn your back on her.>

<As difficult as it may be for your tiny mind to comprehend it, Black, I am not the enemy today. I have as much interest in defeating the Scribe as the Vanguard.>

<She has a point> Torn agrees.

<Alright, we’ll go ahead with your plan. But first we need to take Kristen to safety> Quantum says, releasing Void from his grip.

<No way! I want to get to the bottom of this!> the journalist protests.

<Then you should follow me> the Mist tells them, appearing from a white cloud of smoke that wasn’t there the second before. And before he can do anything else, a red energy sword cuts off his head.

Since this is just a Myridian duplicate, all it does is vanish as quickly as it appeared, but a second Mist immediately replaces it. And when the second is killed, a third appears a second later.

<You really want to continue this? It can get boring pretty quickly> the Mist jokes.

<It has now become indisputable that the Scribe does not want to kill us. Therefore, it stands to logic that any attempt at communication can be advantageous to all parties involved.>

<Uh?> Quantum says.

<We should talk to the guy> Kristen translates.

 

Dozens of corpses float in the water; the Genius Guns made short work of the Harpies. Kari Zel is admiring the weapons in her hands: it’s almost scary how easy it is to kill with them.

<These are awesome. I totally want a pair for myself.>

<Maybe some other time. Now hold on tight, we have to make up for the lost time> Noriko’s clone tells her, revving up the engine of the Phoenix.

The flying motorbike leaves the scene faster than sound. There’s no one to watch the scene, except for a red skinned man standing on a pair of swords that float over the water.

<Ravage to Empress of Shadows. I have the target on sight; proceeding to the Heart Of The Universe.>