Beyond The Impossible

Max Black’s apartment, New York City

The last thing people expect the world’s only self-declared superhero to do on a Friday night is organize his wedding invitations.

Max Black is sitting at the kitchen table, where his mask is sitting between paper notes.

His fiancée Jane Blake is doing most of the work: he doesn’t care all that much about the ceremony.

Or at least that’s what he was thinking when the discussion began.

<Max, come on, there has to be more people you want to invite at the wedding.> she tells him.

<You said you didn’t want a big ceremony, and I don’t either.> he shrugs.

<I know, but… you’re inviting only your sister and her wife?> Jane points out, tapping on the two notes showing their names.

<Why, what’s wrong with it?>

<Nothing of course, but come on, there has to be someone else. You’re not inviting the Vanguard?>

<I can’t invite them. They work with Quantum, not with Max Black.> he justifies himself.

<Oh for crying out loud…> Jane says, rolling her eyes.

<What would your parents think if they saw them at the wedding? They’d think I’m Quantum!>

<Max, they know.>

<What? You told them my secret identity!?>

<Come on, my parents aren’t stupid. Noriko is my best friend and I’m marrying a guy who suspiciously looks and sounds like Quantum. I’m sure they’ve figured it out.>

<But they haven’t told you that they know, right?>

<Not in those words.>

<Then I can’t invite the team, sorry. You can invite Vesta and Kari as your friends. And Torn, if you manage to explain to him how human weddings work.>

<Okay, fine, you want only to invite people as Max Black. Then do it, you have civilian friends.>

<Not really. I’ve been so busy with hero business that we’ve drifted apart… I have people I hang out with at the bar or at the comic book shop, but I wouldn’t say I’m close enough with any of them to invite them to my wedding.>

<That’s just sad. What about a former girlfriend?>

<Uhm, Jane, I don’t think that’s a good idea.>

<I’m not jealous.>

<That’s not it. Before I met you, I dated Kristen Lynn. And if it’s already going to be hard to keep this a low profile if you invite Noriko, it’ll be impossible if I invite the Vice President’s wife.>

<Oh. Right, I forgot she married Todd. We really have a weird circle of friends, don’t we?>

<That’s putting it mildly.> he chuckles.

Seeing how he’s so chill about the whole situation, Jane decides to tempt fate.

<Okay, Max, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but… your parents…>

<We’re not inviting them.> he immediately interrupts her.

<Max, just because they didn’t want to come to your sister’s wedding doesn’t mean…>

<I said we’re not.> he interrupts once again, this time following it up by transforming his body into light and disappearing in a literal flash.

<Right. That’s about what I was expecting. No wonder you’re friends with Noriko.> Jane sighs, continuing to organize the invites, knowing well her fiancée will eventually get over this.

 

Outside the universe

Asgard Station, Null Zone

After the latest Abyss attack, work in the base have slowed down considerably. Once Noriko’s primary base of operation was considered inviolable, thanks to its unique location in a parallel dimension. But even one security breach, no matter how hard to replicate it was, must be taken seriously considering the strategic importance of this base.

Several weapons, including a stockpile of black hole warheads, have been transferred elsewhere for better safekeeping. The Yggdrasil superweapon can no longer be operated from here, and the Portal Generator that is the only link to the regular universe now has several additional layers of protection from tampering.

Most of the defenses, however, operate on a flawed premise: that the greatest threat to Asgard Station comes from outside this empty dimension.

Which was true as long as the station itself was the only thing inside the Null Zone: that ceased to be the case a few seconds ago, when a warship of Amazon design materialized above Asgard.

Obviously Noriko Null isn’t so naïve to assume that, just because she discovered a way to physically access this dimension, nobody else ever will: the station has external defenses.

But once the plasma cannons open fire, they fail to do any damage. They don’t even get past the warship’s shields, and they are rapidly overwhelmed by the ship’s own weapons.

Very little of this is visible from inside the station, both because it currently doesn’t have any living personnel and because its alarm has been shut down.

Four beings teleport inside the station’s Operations Room. Their leader is a dead ringer for Noriko, even sporting her silver eyes; if the internal sensors were still active, they would recognize her as her doppelganger Rei Null.

<The system will identify the virus I updated within two minutes. Break it.> she instructs the cybernetic jackal next to her, letting of the energy leash holding back Anubis.

The enslaved god reacts without hesitation, jumping at the main computer to tear apart its mainframe with his jaws and spreading throughout the system the necrobots infesting his fur.

The other two visitors are identical duplicates of General Kari Zel, Rei’s lieutenant originating from the same alternate reality.

They are working together to transport a very complex and very heavy mechanical device; it’s so heavy, in fact, that it needs the two to access the 10K Rise power-up to increase their own combined strength by five thousand each.

<Far from me to criticize you, boss…> one of them says.

<And yet it is your nature to do so.> Rei comments, with a mixture of familiarity and annoyance.

<…but isn’t this a waste? There has to be something worth taking home.> the another Zel says.

<I ran an inventory of this station’s capabilities three seconds after taking control of its internal sensors, General. Between my own inventions and what I have obtained by conquering both Anubis and Themyscira, there is nothing in this dimension worth my time.> Rei boasts, her silver eyes shining. She walks to the device, entering codes and instructions into its control panel.

<I’m not questioning that.> the General reassures her, making one duplicate disappear while turning off her 10K Rise.

<But you have a complaint.>

<Well, it’s just… if you can bypass the security of the fake Null so easily, why aren’t we teleporting into her bedroom while she’s sleeping and blow her head off?>

<Ever the pragmatist, General. If conquering the Olympian Galaxy was the extent of my aspirations then yes, eliminating my imitation would take priority. But what I seek requires prioritizing more ambitious stepping stones… and unusual allies.> Rei explains, activating the device.

She then taps her right ear, activating her equivalent to the Soul Relay to send a message.

<Rei to Reaper. I’m done here.>

In response, a hexagram of black Ichor energy appears on the floor. Out of it emerges a red-skinned Demon wearing a black cloak, which conveniently covers the arm that’s been replaced with an Ichor scythe.

<You have five minutes before this Dark Matter Detonator reduces this entire station to a singularity the size of an atom.> Rei tells him, tapping on the large device.

<Sloppy work. One minute would have been enough.> he reprimands her.

<Everyone’s a critic. I assume you know your way?> she asks.

The Demon doesn’t even bother giving her an answer, disappearing into his own hexagram again.

When he emerges in a different room in the station, Rei has already teleported there waiting for him. Leaning against the only thing of note here: the door that leads to the remnants of Heaven.

<Don’t bother trying to force your way through. The Tablet Of Destinies allows the door to be opened only by a member of the Vanguard: even your master doesn’t have the strength to use it.>

<My “master”, as you call him, has ways to get what he wants.> the Demon replies, getting close enough to intimidate a lesser being. Rei doesn’t budge.

<But he needs a clue of where to look for a way to access Heaven, and that’s what I am offering here. And the price for my services…>

<Was negotiated and will be delivered. After he gets what he wants.> Reaper replies.

<As long as he doesn’t double-cross me. I’m not afraid of anyone. Even him.> Rei insists, taking a step aside to allow Reaper access to the door.

<You will be. That’s why he accepted the deal.> Reaper acknowledges, using the scythe that used to be his arm to draw a hexagram on the door. He then kneels.

<Hail to Baal, Lord Of The Flies, Primordial God Of Domination.> he prays.

The pentagram oozes black blood, and the door’s surface rapidly rots away. Even if it’s metal.

<It is done. You will be compensated soon.> Reaper says, standing up again.

<That’s all it took?> Rei asks, raising an eyebrow.

<Through Ichor’s touch, Lord Baal now knows where this door leads to. You will be compensated once he gathers what he’s looking for.>

<Tell him to hurry up. As we should, before the detonator goes off.>

<Don’t worry human, Baal honors his deals. He’s even fulfilling an old one as we speak.>

 

Labya

34,000 light-years from Earth

To mortal eyes, this planet is not particularly different from others in the Aphrodite sector.

Sex drives both its economy and its entertainment, with a plethora of cities basically working as brothels working 28 hours a day.

A very selected group of gods knows that, for the past several months, this particular planet holds a distinction: it’s where Zeus is spending his time, after abdicating the throne of Olympus.

Today began like every other day during his stay, that is to say with an orgy followed by a sex party. Both of which Zeus attended with his usual abandon, despite feeling something was odd.

Now he’s spending time at the bar while allowing his mortal partners to recover before their next intercourse, when something catches his attention.

<It’s getting dark.> he says, looking around. It’s the middle of the day, and the sunlight should come through the windows.

<It’s raining. A long time coming, isn’t it? I think it hasn’t rained since you showed up.> the topless bartender notices, clearing the counter without much care in the world.

<That’s odd. I don’t remember wishing for rain today.> he muses, looking into his empty glass.

<Well we can’t always get what we…> the bartender stops talking, slapping her towel on the counter to swat a fly. Not only the insect avoids it, but suddenly there’s one more next to it.

Then another fly buzzes next to her ear, followed by a dozen more that move around her body.

<Eww! Get off me!!!> she yells, with the flies only multiplying.

She’s not the only victim of this. Everyone else in the bar is suddenly stormed by a swarm of flies appearing out of nowhere… except Zeus, who just conjures up his own wine inside the glass.

<Here we go again.> he sighs.

The billions of people in the Galaxy who still pray to Zeus would probably be devastated to see how much he doesn’t care about the panic around him, as the people run away from the bar.

Something that the bartender can’t do: hundreds, then thousands of flies completely cover her body. She screams in terror for as long as she can, until the flies get inside her throat and lungs.

Until they completely consume her body from the inside out, leaving only the bones.

<Did you have to, man? I only slept with her once.> Zeus complains, taking a sip of wine.

The skeleton, kept together by the flies moving around its bones, leans on the counter to speak to him. With a voice that resonates with the fluttering of insect wings and crushed lives saying:

<Zeus. How the mighty have fallen.>

<Baal. A real displeasure to see you, as always. What is your avatar doing in my realm?>

<This is no longer your realm. I am no longer bound to my promise to let it be free from my domination.>

<Semantics. I kicked your butt ages ago… well, I would have if you had a butt… and I’m going to do it again if you set foot here, regardless of who sits on the throne.>

<You could never face me alone, Zeus. And the allies who stood with you against me are no longer able to assist you, aren’t they?>

Another sip of wine.

<And yet you’re talking through a shadow, instead of facing me like a god.>

<Pure destruction was Tiamat’s domain, not mine. A confrontation between us would destroy your little galaxy, leaving me nothing to torture.>

<Well that’s a bummer. Too bad there’s nothing we can do about that.>

<There is. Come to the Dark Galaxy with all the allies you want and fight me. If I win, your galaxy is mine. If I don’t, I will leave it alone forever, no matter who rules it.>

<And why would I accept something like that? You said it yourself: if I stay here, you don’t have the means to take Olympus.>

<I can’t conquer it without destroying it. But what I cannot dominate, I can annihilate.>

One more sip of wine. The last one.

<I need time. There’s not a lot of gods crazy enough to go up against you.>

<You have as much time as a mortal corpse has before it starts decomposing.>

Zeus contemplates the glass, empty again. He could refill it instantly, but his vacation is over.

<So about a week? That should do it. There’s this girl I met… not much of a rack, but you wouldn’t believe how many gods she’s killed already…>