Beyond The Impossible

Space station Sword of Justice

Unlike his fellow gods, Hermes doesn’t have a mothership; in fact, he never travels by ship. Noriko is just outside his residence inside the Sword of Justice, accompanied by Torn and Kari Zel.

<I don’t like it. This place gives me the creeps> Kari says.

<Believe me, you’re not the only one who finds Hermes…uncomfortable. But there’s no way we’re going to be alone in the same room again> Noriko answers.

<“Again”?> Torn asks, raising an eyebrow.

<Don’t ask.>

The door opens on its own. The three enter the god’s room, which is illuminated by dozens of candles whose flame trembles as they walk by. Hermes is slouching on some kind of throne; much to the visitors’ dismay, Talas Khanos is standing next to him.

<What’s he doing here!?> Kari protests.

<He’s my new Oracle. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence, Lady Null?>

<I have…reconsidered your proposal.>

<Teenagers. You just can’t trust their hormones> Khanos comments, solely to provoke a reaction.

<Not. That> Noriko answers through her teeth.

<Oh, this I’ve got to hear. Leave us alone, Khanos.>

<As you wish, my Lord> he bows, disappearing in a flash of green light. Kari gives a worried look to Torn: it’s the same effect of the teleportation device from Demeter’s ship.

<Yes. Hermes Oracles can teleport on their own> Torn answers the unsaid question.

<So, let’s get to the point, shall we? Why are you really here, sunshine?> Hermes asks.

<I’m willing to renounce my claim to Demeter’s planets in your favor. You’re a sleaze, but so far you’re the least insane of the claimants. And you don’t really need Myridia.>

<Interesting assumption. Did Athena brief you about my domain?>

<No need. Everybody else wants Myridia because the Drylon monolith inside it can grant them an instant army. You don’t need that: you’ve got the Many that you stole from Demeter. The fact that you’re now employing Talas Khanos, the creator of the Many, confirms it. The only reason you’re doing this is because you don’t want anybody else to have Myridia.>

<Clever girl. This could be the start of a truly wonderful alliance between us.>

<It doesn’t mean I trust you. You sent the Many to kill me immediately after Athena chose me. If I deliver Myridia to you, I want something in return.>

<Of course. You could rule Myridia in my place, if you’re willing to become my Oracle.>

<No. Myridia will choose its own rulers and you won’t force them to worship you.>

<You’re in no position to make demands, sunshine.>

<Myridia hasn’t fully recovered from what Demeter did; if you want to rule a strong planet, you need to give them time to heal. What’s a thousand years for a god?>

<A very busy god. I can’t wait that long. I can give them a hundred years of freedom.>

<Three hundred. It’s how long Demeter’s rule lasted.>

<I’m not Demeter. Two hundred and fifty years.>

<Let’s make a deal. A hundred years of freedom for Myridia…and you won’t reveal the position of Earth to anyone. Even indirectly.>

<You do realize, sunshine, that Earth is in Demeter space. If I get Myridia, I get Earth as well.>

<I know. But what if some other god defeats you? If they don’t know the location of Earth, it will take time before they attack it. They haven’t found it in more than two thousand years.>

<Hm. Good point. Very well, I accept your proposal.>

<And you will declare it in front of Themis, of course. Your word alone isn’t worth enough.>

<You hurt my feelings, sunshine.>

 

Artemis Chariot

The ship has a unique design: it’s built around a large sphere that hosts the most diverse habitat Vesta has ever seen. It hosts all kinds of animals, even extinct or alien ones, in a perfect reproduction of a forest. Artemis sits on her throne of animal bones, petting a deer.

<It’s nice to see you again, aunt Vesta. I did miss your company all these years.>

<You look…you look the same as ever, Artemis. Except that, uhm…>

Artemis instinctively touches the deep scar on her eye when she answers:

<A souvenir from the Third Trojan War. You missed all the fun.>

<We have wildly different concepts of “fun”, Artemis. But we do have something in common.>

<Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Athena about this? She’s the asexual one, not me. Although I still haven’t figured out if she’s sterile like you.>

<I see that rudeness still runs in the family. I was talking about leaving mortals alone instead of forcing them to worship us and treat them like slaves. The mortals of your sector are free, right?>

<As long as they acknowledge my superiority to other gods, yes. Why do you ask?>

<You know I technically own Earth, right? According to divine law, that is.>

<What’s your point?>

<Renounce the claim to Myridia and I will formally surrender Earth to your rule.>

Artemis’ stare gets more intense. The two goddesses haven’t always seen eye to eye, and do say that their family has some history with double crossing would be an understatement.

<What’s in it for you?> Artemis asks suspiciously.

<I care about Earth; someone has to defend it and right now I’m not up to the task. Leave it alone for some time…say, a hundred years. By that time Earth will have grown strong enough to give you a significant edge against the other gods.>

<I can’t protect Earth against every god in the galaxy.>

<You won’t need to. Only Athena and Hermes know where it is, but won’t attack.>

<I can see why Athena wouldn’t, but what about Hermes?>

<He can’t attack without revealing its position. If he does, he’ll automatically lose Myridia and open his sector to an assault from Persephone, Hekate, Hephaestus and you.>

<t looks like your precious Noriko has figured out everything, Vesta. Why do you really need me?>

<Hephaestus. One of his Talos has already attacked Earth but hasn’t reported back; it’s only a matter of time before he finds it and retaliates. We need you to defend the Earth against his army of indestructible robots…and I know you can’t possibly resist a challenge like that.>

<Hmmm. I can’t deny that. And I do despise that deformed blacksmith and his metallic army. Very well, I accept your offer…with one adjustment. How old is Null?>

<Eighteen years, but I don’t see what’s it got to do with…>

<She won’t be attractive a hundred years from now, won’t she?>

<I…I suppose not, it’s close to how old humans can get.>

<What about fifteen years? She’ll be a fully grown woman by then.>

<Where are you going with this, Artemis?>

<I will defend Earth against all gods for the next fifteen years without them even knowing. Then they will acknowledge me as their ruler and worship me…and Noriko Null will be my queen.>

<What!? That’s ridiculous, she’ll never accept that!!!>

<Either I take her in fifteen years or the Earth is doomed> Artemis sentences.

<Why are you doing this? You own hundreds of planets. Can’t you choose somebody else?>

<My step-brother fancies her. It’s reason enough for me.>

<I’ll ask Noriko. She won’t be pleased to know you’re risking the fate of her world and possibly of half the galaxy just because you suddenly want to get in her pants.>

<We are gods. Mortals need to please us, not the other way around.>

“Why did I miss my family again?” Vesta wonders.

 

Null Tower, New York City

The IRIS terminal is rather different from any other computer: it doesn’t have any kind of physical interface, just a holographic keyboard and a paper-thin screen.

<You think this will find Kayla?> Erika Rhys asks.

<This baby can cross-reference any database on the face of the planet> Max Black boasts.

<What does that mean?> Kari Zel asks.

<I have no idea. But it sounds cool, doesn’t it? There, I think it found something> Max says, pointing at the screen. All the information available about his sister’s movements are highlighted, but the most recent one is several weeks old: a flight from Chicago to Colorado Springs.

<Dead end?> Erika asks.

<IRIS, do you have anything else that might help?> Kari asks directly to the computer.

<I would suggest analysing all personal details about the people on the same plane.>

<Wait a second, what kind of computer makes suggestions?> Erika intervenes.

<Ours> Max shrugs <IRIS, do it.>

<Done. Five passengers were Air Force military officers. Should I break into the Pentagon servers to learn more about them?>

Max, Kari and Erika exchange very, very worried looks.

<Wouldn’t that be kind of very illegal?> Max finally questions.

<Yes. But I am programmed to request permission before breaking the law.>

<That’s both reassuring and creepy at the same time> Erika highlights.

<Yeah, welcome to Null’s world. Go ahead IRIS but please make sure nobody finds out.>

<Information recovered. Displaying details.>

<That was fast.  Does this mean anything to you?> Kari asks Max, who’s studying the screen.

<This is bad. IRIS, if I’m reading this right, all of those people work at NORAD?>

<They were indeed assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, but they have been re-assigned to Project Silver four weeks ago.>

<What’s “Project Silver”?> Max asks.

<Unknown. There are no details in the Pentagon servers. All information relevant to Project Silver is classified as “Cosmic Top Secret”.>

<I guess it’s not a nice thing> Kari whispers to Max.

<It’s from the Pentagon. They don’t do “nice”> he whispers back.

 

Project Silver, classified location

The two-star general is sitting at his desk, reading the latest report. When the red phone on his desk starts ringing, he stands up to adjust his uniform before pressing a button.

The hologram of the President of the United States appears, acknowledging the general’s salute.

<At ease, General Anderson> the hologram says.

<Always a pleasure, sir. I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon.>

<I wish we had these holographic projectors during the campaign; we’re saving a lot of gas lately.>

<I would suggest we use the projectors for most visits, sir. As you know, the secrecy of Project Silver is vital and, to be honest, Air Force One isn’t exactly discreet. We already took a considerable security risk with your last visit.>

<I know, but I couldn’t ask miss Black to volunteer without meeting her. Has she recovered?>

<Almost completely. The doctors tell me her body has fully absorbed the energy from the Heart of the Universe; we’re running any possible kind of medical exam to be absolutely sure it’s not harming her, but so far she’s as healthy as humanly possible. We made it, sir.>

<That’s a relief, general. What about her psychological profile? Can we be sure we can trust her? She is Quantum’s sister, after all.>

<Things would’ve been easier if miss Black was a soldier instead of a security guard, sir, but I think she has the right stuff.>

<Let’s hope so. Because if she turns out to be half as powerful as her brother, miss Black is the most powerful weapon at our disposal.>