For all his family’s complicated history, Bob’s world used to make sense. He was a single father in his middle thirties with an eighteen year old daughter; remembering his date’s name and making sure her daughter’s life was going to be better than his own was really the extent of his whishes.
That was five minutes ago.
Now some kind of green blob who can take the form of a beautiful woman and calls itself “the Many” has broken into his house, has stolen the most valuable thing Bob has ever owned, and her twin was smashed into a wall by a bike driven by Bob’s daughter. Who apparently now has silver glowing eyes and has learned to drive. And for some reason Bob’s most valuable possession looks like a perfectly spherical rock. To sum: things just got really weird, really fast. And Bob still can’t remember his date’s name.
The rock has rolled towards the Many, who doesn’t seem to mind the destruction of its twin.
<Step away from the sphere. NOW.>
Noriko’s voice is firm and convincing. The Many hesitates.
<We wish to avoid conflict if possible. We have what we came for; we will not harm you.>
<You exploded in my face!!!>
<All witnesses must be eliminated.>
The Many quickly picks up the sphere, slowly looking around. It’s hard to crash a bike a few blocks away from a very recent explosion without attracting a lot of attention, especially in New York.
Sirens are approaching quickly. People are looking out the window to find out what all this noise is about. The traffic jam is picking up the pace.
And there’s a flying goddess in a waitress dress with no shoes landing at Noriko’s side, with an African-American man in her arms. This is what finally ticks off the Many.
<We are not prepared to face an Olympian. The Heart will take care of this.>
The rocks glows blue.
A blue energy bubble surrounds this very, very strange group of people. When it disappears just a blink afterwards, there’s only a huge hole in the ground.
Mare Crisium
You have seen this place before. It’s a small dark spot on the edge of the Moon’s face. When you looked it didn’t have a New York sidewalk with half a wall and six people, but it does now.
<No. Freakin’. Way> is Bob’s reaction when he looks up, seeing only stars surrounded by grey mountains. He doesn’t have much chance to marvel at the beauty of the universe, since Deena has thrown herself into his arms screaming in terror:
<WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?>
<We did not anticipate this. The Heart is malfunctioning.>
<Shouldn’t you be suffocating?> Vesta asks, just as confused as anyone else.
<Don’t you mean “we” should be suffocating?> Max replies.
<Oh, I don’t really need to breathe. Hey, why aren’t you freakin’ out at this?>
<Why should I? This is awesome! I’m on the Moon!!!>
<We have less than two minutes before the air that’s been teleported with us fades away and lets us here to die alone> Noriko clarifies.
<You just had to spoil the moment, didn’t you?>
<Listen, Many or whatever your name is. If you didn’t want any witness, it’s too late. This diversion might kill us, but Vesta will survive. And I can assure you, she will not rest until she has taken the Heart from you.>
<I didn’t say an…oh yeah, I get it. Sure, I’ll never rest until I catch you, Many. Totally. To get away with this, you’ll have to go through me.>
<We agree with your suggestion> the Many answers, shooting a blue ray through the rock.
Max immediately jumps in front of the ray, pushing Vesta and taking the full blast.
The blue energy rips his body apart, hollowing his body from the inside out. He barely has time to scream, since his lungs are one of the first things to disappear. All it takes are two, maybe three seconds, before all that’s left of Max Black is blue mist on the surface of the Moon.
<No!> Vesta shouts, grabbing the mist with both hands and…well compressing it, for lack of a better word, back into human shape.
Noriko is watching speechless; she has all of mankind’s experience at her disposal and yet she can’t believe what she’s seeing. Max’s body is re-forming while he screams in reverse: Vesta is basically putting his atoms back together.
<Is he going to be all right?>
<I don’t know! I have no idea what I’m doing!> Vesta admits: most of Max’s body is intact, but there’s still a lot of blue mist around him…which as far as she knows could be a good sign.
<Nori, behind you!> Bob shouts.
Noriko avoids another blast from the Many by moving to her left a couple of inches; just enough to grab the Many’s arm and twist it.
Any human would try to resist or scream in pain, but the Many simply stares as her arm twists unnaturally. She still has the sphere in her hand and is not letting go.
<If you are the best this world has to offer, we are not impressed.>
<Neither am I> Noriko answers, using all of her strength to smash the sphere right into the Many’s face…literally, since the woman’s face seems to have the consistency of jelly.
Amazingly she’s still alive, and only takes a step back. It will probably take her a moment to recover from the injury, but Noriko’s not going to give her one.
<Nobody steals from Null and lives> she threatens before touching the sphere.
Then everything goes blue.
Earth, New York City
Empire State Building, 87th floor
Leiko is standing in front of the window, hands behind her back, overlooking the city. Her daughter’s reaction wasn’t entirely unexpected: she was raised by her useless father, after all. A part of her can’t help but admire the girl’s will to stand up for herself, though.
She walks to her desk, where a small wooden box is waiting for her. She opens the lock and a metallic sphere, not much larger than her fist, starts rising in the air.
<You are late> it says, using a voice far deeper than humanly possible.
<I decide when to let you out of the box, Core. Never forget who is in charge.>
<Leadership is meaningless to me. I have no interest in being in charge of amoebas like you.>
<Really. Then maybe I should bury you again where my grandfather found you.>
<I will concede that our alliance has been useful. Your father had a much smaller vision for this planet than yours.>
<I had my own reasons for killing him.>
<Of course. But unlike him, you are willing to use my knowledge to its fullest potential. It may take some time, as inferior beings like you measure these things, but there is no doubt: the future is ours.>
Someone knocks at the door. The Core floats back to the box, which Leiko closes before her secretary enters the room.
<Miss Tanaka, I’m sorry to disturb you, but you asked to be notified immediately.>
<Did you find her?>
<No, ma’am. We haven’t been able to locate miss Null after she left the building. However, the surveillance cameras in her apartment show that the sphere has been stolen.>
<Was it a dark haired woman dressed in green?>
<Y-Yes, ma’am. How did you..>
Leiko smiles. She rarely does, but this time it’s worth it.
<I was right, Core. The sphere is Drylon technology.>
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