Beyond The Impossible

Manhattan, New York City

The day just went from strange to utterly terrifying. The island was lifted into the air hours ago, but so far most of the citizens haven’t seen the effect of that. Null Tower is still supplying electricity to the rest of the city; the lack of running water and the isolation from the rest of the country were the only issues that everybody had to deal with.

Now everybody screams when the city begins its freefall: everyone finds himself weightless to start a descent to certain doom… until it stops a second later, because the fall is halted after three feet.

 

Empire State Building

Kristen Lynn screams as well, keeping herself tight on the balcony of the observation deck. It’s more a scream of surprise, coming from having her weigh disappear temporarily.

Vesta’s scream is a different thing. When Kristen looks at her, she can’t believe her eyes: Vesta is still floating in the air, wearing the Gravity Gauntlets, but every muscle in her body is strained to its limit as if she were lifting invisible barbells.

<I can’t do this! It’s too much!> she shouts through her teeth.

<You’re doing great! Just keep this up!> Noriko Null tells her. She’s standing in front of a holographic screen that is projecting a three-dimensional map of Manhattan.

<The gravitational lock is holding up. Check structural integrity> she orders.

<Scanning. 187,656 weak spots found> an artificial voice answers her. To stress the point, a myriad of exclamation points appear over the map, in various positions.

<I take it that’s a bad thing?> Kristen asks.

<Very bad. The gravity field is keeping the city together; it needs to be perfectly calibrated, or the entire city will crumble before we even touch the ground. Start manual calibration!>

<I can’t do this! It’s going to fall! – Vesta complains. The Gauntlets are throwing sparks into every direction; the veins on her arms, neck and forehead look like they’re about to explode.>

<Don’t give up on me, Vesta! The city will NOT fall!!!> Noriko shouts at her; her silver eyes become so bright it’s painful to look at them, and they stay that way when she puts her hands on what seems to be a holographic keyboard.

<Warning. Maximum carrying weight exceeded by 207,471,277 tons. Imminent system failure>

<Not on my watch> Noriko replies defiantly; the keyboard becomes alive without her moving a finger. Given the sheer amount of instructions she needs to give, there’s no way she could do this using only her hands: everything is done through her Neutral Transmitter.

<Recalibration in progress. 147,487 weak spots found>

<Please don’t fall please don’t fall please don’t fall> Vesta repeats incessantly. Kristen finds herself holding her breath; the windows of the Empire State Building are rattling, shaken by an invisible force. Then, much to her surprise, they stop.

<Recalibration in progress. 93,152 weak spots found>

<You’re doing great Vesta! Just give me a few thousand more to fix!> Noriko tells her; her eyes are still blindingly bright, and her forehead is covered in sweat.

It’s nothing compared to what Vesta is going through. The skin on her arms is tearing up, and there’s fire coming out of them.

<Don’t… fall… don’t… fall…>

<Recalibration in progress. 53,471 weak spots found>

Kristen can’t believe her eyes: the city is moving, smoothly descending from the sky, but the only way she can tell is by looking at the horizon.

<Recalibration in progress. 21,298 weak spots found>

-You will not fall! You will not fall! – Vesta says, her eyes now on fire as well.

<Recalibration in progress. 9,017 weak spots found>

<I… I am the Firstborn of Kronos…>

Vesta’s body becomes engulfed in flames, but she’s still carrying the full weight of the city.

<Recalibration in progress. 2,421 weak spots found>

<Almost there… almost there…> Noriko says; her hands are shaking and she seems on the verge of fainting. Incredibly, the city is already so close to its destination that the bedrock underneath is just above sea level.

<And YOU…>

<Recalibration in progress. 7,663 weak spots found>

<Almost there… almost there…> Noriko says; Kristen notices just in time that she’s having trouble standing up. She immediately runs up to her and helps her stay near the keyboard.

Up close, she can see that Noriko is not only sweating: she’s practically burning up, and it’s not just because Vesta’s heat is now making it hard to breathe.

<WILL NOT…>

<Recalibration in progress. 17 weak spots found>

<Next time, gravity…> Noriko says, exhausted.

<FALL!!!>

<Recalibration completed. No weak spots found>

<…take on someone your own size> Noriko says; her silver eyes return to their normal brightness, and her body goes completely limp on Kristen’s arms.

<Elevation: zero feet. Deactivating gravitational lock>

The holograms disappear. Kristen makes sure that Noriko is still breathing, although she’s clearly beyond exhausted. Vesta seems to be in similar shape: she descends to the observation deck and kneels, making the fire around her disappear.

She’s completely naked, except for the Gravity Gloves… or the molten metal left of them. She’s still so hot that the air around her skin is just pure steam.

<Is the city safe?> she asks.

Kristen leaves Noriko to check on the city from the observation deck… and as much as she can tell from her position, it’s as if the city was never moved in the first place.

<You did it. Holy f##king s##t you did it.>

<Great to hear it. I’m gonna rest for the next million years if you don’t mind> Vesta replies, resting her back against the rail. To preserve her modesty, she crosses her legs and arms.

<You wish> Noriko replies, doing her best to stand up again.

<What now?> Vesta asks.

<We still have a job to do> Noriko answers, pointing at the sky where the Dark Pyramid is still looming above them.

<Okay, fine. I’ll need to borrow some clothes> the goddess says, rolling her eyes.

 

Project Seven, Greenland

Kari Zel never liked the Nullbots: the total lack of a face on their shiny black humanoid body is unnerving. Having two of them work on the Agony Ring on her neck is too close for comfort, especially since the size of the elevator doesn’t leave them much room. The presence of LOKI’s hologram, two snakes wrapped around each other, talking with the same voice, doesn’t help.

<Please stay still. The failsafe is very sensitive and very explosive> the artificial intelligence says.

<How much do you know about Noriko’s plan? Why was it so important to come here?>

<I have not received instructions from Mistress Null for several days. I am, however, authorized to give the Vanguard full access to Project Seven in case of a Class 1 emergency. There, you can remove the Agony Ring now.>

He doesn’t have to say it twice: Kari removes the metal collar, and creates a duplicate to massage her neck just to prove her power isn’t restrained anymore.

<Oh Gods, this feels good. I can’t wait to have enough space to duplicate properly.>

<Then you should be happy to know, Kari Zel…>

The elevator doors open wide, and so does Kari’s jaw when she steps outside.

<…space is something that Project Seven doesn’t lack.>

They’re inside a man-made cavern whose size rivals those she saw in Hell. It’s a truly monumental project: hundreds upon hundreds of Nullbots are constantly at work, always welding or hammering or wiring or building… something.

Kari can’t put her finger on what it is, given the perspective and the sheer number of scaffolding.

<What the Hades is that!?>

<That, Kari Zel, is Project Seven. Once completed, it’ll be the first and last line of defense against the Olympian Pantheon.>

 

The Inner Vault

Since Project Seven is entirely automated, there is no infirmary here. The Nullbots are still programmed to preserve human life whenever possible, so they have transported Null’s clone to the safest room here: the Inner Vault, protected by forcefields and blast-proof doors.

They lay the clone on a table, next to the deactivated body of a Talos robot recovered by Null several months ago. Then the clone opens her eyes; they are black with a silver iris.

<Finally. Where am I?> Void asks.

<Warning. Hostile personality detected> one of the Nullbots alarms the others, but before they can shoot her with a tranquilizer dart Void commands:

<Override, command authority E9337EE387-NULL.>

<Tactical subroutine disabled, awaiting further instructions.>

Void gets off the table, feeling the pain from her wounds. She’s never been to Project Seven, but since she designed half of it she knows where she is.

<I should make the best of this. Open the Black Box> Void says, getting closer to a peculiar object: a safe with the black and yellow international sign for “radiation hazard”.

<Identification code required> – the safe replies with an electronic voice.

<P4ND0R45 30X.>

<Code accepted. Authentication code required>

<44859DSE7QQKRLHBPYJ1BSW88E-NULL.>

<Code accepted. Final release code required. Warning: entering an incorrect code will detonate the nuclear failsafe within 3 seconds. You have 30 seconds to enter the code.>

<IURLH20LCG6N5L1CSPSTT9TMJRWL2B5VIVB86ATFR65JI1ANBHG9P26OXBE9YDUH.>

<Code accepted. Opening the Black Box>

Void smiles. Not just because she recited the impossibly long password in just the amount of time Null calculated is needed to say everything, but because of the prize she can now reclaim.

It’s a rock the size and shape of a baseball. The most advanced piece of technology in the known Galaxy is now in her hands. Yes, reason enough to smile indeed.

<Put down the Heart Of The Universe and you will survive the day.>

Void turns slowly. There’s someone in the room with her: a man with red skin, covering his face with red stripes of cloth, and holding a red energy knife between his fingers.

<I recognize you. The Demon sent by Hell to kill Null; your name is Ravage, I believe. We never found out what happened to you, but Null theorized you started working with Tanaka. Is it true?>

<You are in no position to ask questions> the Demon answers, throwing his knife aiming at her face. It’s sharp enough to cut through solid steel without effort.

Which is why Ravage is shocked to see Void just grab it before it can hit it, and hold it in her hand without bleeding.

<How… by the Lord Of All Demons, how is it possible!?>

<When you get this close to conquering Hell itself, you learn a thing or two. Now, speaking about questions, I have another one for you.>

Void’s eyes don’t shine like Null’s, but they are filled with electricity for a few seconds; and the same thing happens to Ravage, when she hacks into the Neural Enslaver on his neck.

<Who do you serve?>

<I serve only you, Lady Void. What is your command?>