Beyond The Impossible

The Null Technologies Sound Nullifier™ is one of history’s most unexpected inventions. It’s not Noriko’s most popular invention: that would be the holographic projector, the world’s fastest-selling high tech device.

But people had been trying to build something capable of generating three-dimensional images for decades. Nobody really wanted something that could eliminate sound at will.

The most expensive model (hundreds of thousands of dollars) is the SN-140™, capable to nullify sounds up to 140 decibels…the sound of a jet engine. Most major airports have bought at least one since it hit the market.

Since most people can’t afford the SN-140™, the most popular model is the SN-60™, barely able to nullify the sound of snoring. The most dangerous model is the SN-100™: priced at only a few thousand dollars, it can literally make it impossible to cry for help.

 

Noriko is sleeping on the couch of her best friend’s house. Her adventure on Myridia has finally taken its toll, and the eighteen year old girl is finally getting some much-needed sleep.

Her mind may have superhuman stamina, but her body needs rest like any other human’s. She doesn’t hear the sound of people breaking the lock on the door; she can’t, because the three people dressed in black are wearing an SN-100™.

They have machine guns and inspect the room carefully, approaching the couch with extreme caution. Noriko has kicked the blanket off the couch and is only wearing underwear stolen on another planet.

Her trademark horrible green leather jacket is on the coffee table. One of the three armed man takes it, checking the inside pockets: a screwdriver, a makeshift remote control for the Twin Dragon, her personal N-Phone and the Genius Gun. In sheer silence, he places everything in a separate plastic bag. The other man carefully examines the pants left on the floor, finding three godstones in the pockets. They are also taken away in little plastic bags.

The last man is keeping guard, watching over Noriko as she sleeps. He takes the pillow that has fallen on the ground. He waits for the signal from his two colleagues: when they’re done, he places the pillow over Noriko’s mouth and starts pressing.

 

On the other side of town

Leave it to New York City to have clothes stores open at 3 AM in the morning. The line to the dressing rooms is mercifully nonexistent at this hour, which is particularly handy since Kari and her duplicates need all of them.

The shop assistants could’ve sworn they saw only one purple haired girl coming inside instead of eight twins, though. Max Black is glad that she’s not spending his money; the pawn shop paid a small fortune for Vesta’s necklace.

<This is the best planet in the universe!> one of the Kari exclaims.

Eight identical pink dresses are thrown out of the dressing rooms. Max catches one of them, but it disappears in the blink of an eye when he touches it. All the other dresses do the same, with the exception of one that just lays on the ground. It must belong to the original Kari.

<I still can’t believe you own just one set of clothes> Max says, picking up the dress: he’s known Kari for several weeks now and he’s never seen her wear anything else.

<Do you know how hard it is to buy duplicating clothes on Myridia when the Oracles have orders to shoot you on sight?> she answers.

<So if you duplicate when you’re not wearing this…>

<The duplicates are naked, yeah. So, what do you think?> Kari asks when the first duplicate shows herself wearing Earth clothes. One after the other, the other duplicates do the same, striking a pose.

<You look hot in anything> Max has to admit.

<I hope so, it’s freezing outside! Can you pick these up?>

All of the duplicates disappear with a popping sound; all of their clothes fall to the ground, leaving only the original Kari. She then creates other eight new duplicates, who don’t waste any time to go back into the store for more shopping.

All of them are wearing only pink alien underwear.

“I think I’m in love” Max thinks.

 

Jane’s living room

Noriko wakes up while someone’s trying to kill her. She tries to break free, but he’s too strong. When she starts kicking uncontrollably, the second man grabs her ankles and keep her down.

Nobody can hear her: with the SN-100™ active, even screaming at the top of her lungs wouldn’t help. The world’s smartest person, the girl who killed a goddess, defeated by a pillow.

She won’t have it. She may be just a girl, but she’s also Null. She will NOT die easily.

Her silver eyes shine so bright to be visible through the pillow; her brain is pulsating with the brain power of the entire hemisphere. It’s enough to set off the Genius Gun.

The weapon fires on its own, responding to brainwaves of its mistress; the effect is the same of a grenade exploding. It reduces the coffee table to a pile of splinters, but it’s also enough to distract her would-be killers. It still doesn’t make a sound.

Noriko falls off the couch, breathing frantically. The three intruders are aiming their machine guns at her. She stands proudly, a skinny half-Asian girl against three well-built and armed men.

She dares them to make the first move.

 

Noriko wages her life on the hunch that the three men don’t want to kill her messily. She leaps to the side, avoiding the first spray of bullets that miss her legs by an inch.

Using her lack of height as an advantage, she slides below the legs of the first enemy: his ally isn’t as careful as he should be with his aim, injuring him. The man’s scream of pain is nullified by the SN-100™: there are two left.

She jumps behind the couch while the second and third reload: contrary to what movies might lead you to believe, machine guns run out of bullets very quickly.

When they’re ready, she has her hands on the Genius Gun once more. The telekinetic blast catapults the second enemy against the wall with the same force of a speeding car hitting a wall.

That leaves the third enemy. He’s aiming at Noriko, the same way she’s aiming the Genius Gun at him. They stare at each other for a few tense seconds, then Noriko lets the Genius Gun fall to the ground.

The third enemy doesn’t get his eyes off her, gesturing to kick the gun in his direction. She doesn’t get her eyes off him either, but she complies.

He reaches for the gun, very slowly, and takes it. Unarmed and facing two guns at point blank range, Noriko would have no change to get out of this alive if the third enemy could hear anything.

Because if he could, he would’ve dropped the Genius Gun the moment he heard it say:

<Unauthorized user. Drop this weapon in five…four…three…two…one…>

Unfortunately for him, the Genius Gun warning goes unheard, and the third enemy receives an electric shock similar to a taser. He squeezes the trigger, covering the room with silent bullets, before losing consciousness.

Noriko takes a deep breath. She recovers the green jacket from the remains of the coffee table and wears it: much to her surprise, she’s shaking. She takes the N-Phone, sitting down on the couch full of bullet holes.

<Sound Nullifier deactivation routine complete> it says.

Then Noriko pushes three buttons on her N-Phone. She isn’t shaking anymore.

<Hello, 911? Someone just tried to kill me. No, there’s no rush.>

A brief pause, while the operator talks. There are three unconscious men, two of which seriously injured, bullets everywhere. And the girl in alien underwear who just defeated them.

<Everything’s under control.>

 

Somewhere else in New York City

The elevator door opens; the original Kari is the first to exit, almost bouncing with excitement.

<This is so cool! I haven’t been in one of these things in years!!!>

Max follows her, carrying a dozen bags of clothes. Kari could’ve created new duplicates to carry them, but finding two rooms this late at night was already difficult without explaining another six twins.

<You had elevators on Myridia> he says.

<Only in the big old cities, and good luck keeping the lights on in the skyscrapers. But everything here’s so clean, so brand new!>

<I think you’re the first person to call New York “clean and new” since the 1930s.>

<Is that a long time?> Kari asks, without waiting for an answer when she reaches her room.

<Oh my gods, is that a bed with sheets!?> she exclaims, running inside.

<Again, you had sheets on Myridia, right?>

<When we stayed at the Oracle Palace, yes, but I had to knit or steal sheets all my life. And no bugs! Your people live like kings!> she says, jumping on the bed like a little kid.

<Speaking of which my, uhm, my room is upstairs. Couldn’t find two on the same floor.>

<You’ve been great tonight, Max. We should have sex sometimes.>

<Yeah, that’d be, what?> he asks, sure to have misheard.

<You don’t have Oracles on this planet, so I guess you don’t need permission to have sex, right?>

<No, I mean yes, I mean…>

<I know that look; I’ve said something really stupid again, haven’t I?> she asks.

<We can have sex whenever you want> Max says, trying to make himself clear and make it sound as little desperate as possible given the circumstances.

<I’m looking forward to it> she answers to a warm smile, taking off her pants and throwing them on the bed. Still wondering if this is a dream, Max takes off his shirt.

<What are you doing!?> Kari protests.

<I thought you wanted to…>

<I didn’t mean on the first date!!! We have to find Noriko and Torn in the morning!>

<This was a date?> he asks, puzzled.

Kari creates a duplicate, who pushes Max towards the door while the original undresses for the night.

<Get out; one of us has to get some sleep> the duplicate says, right before closing the door.

Max sighs, laying his forehead on the door.

<Aliens…go figure.>

<Are we doing this or what?> Kari asks; she’s behind him, or at least one of her duplicates is.

Max turns around; if he has something to say, he quickly forgets it when she sees the purple haired girl standing naked in the hallway.

<You mean…on the first date?> he struggles to say.

<What? Oh, I’m not the original, so it doesn’t count> she says, walking towards the elevator without the slightest shame.

<This really is the greatest planet in the universe> Max thinks, hurrying to catch up with the duplicate.

 

Jane’s living room

Noriko is tapping her foot nervously: Max isn’t answering his cellphone. She should’ve asked him to charge it in the last six weeks, but in outer space it was a low priority.

Something else catches her attention: the bodies of the men who attacked her suddenly dissolve into blue goo.

“It was a nice try, mother” she thinks “But you shouldn’t have signed it”.