Beyond The Impossible

Somewhere in Hell

Kari Zel wakes up feeling more exhausted than ever. It’s hot and her back hurts; she’s been sleeping on a flat surface. She tries to speak, but her mouth is so dry she only mumbles.

<It’s okay, take it slow> Max tries to reassure her, as he handles her a glass of water.

She almost spits it out and makes a face that means “what is this thing?”.

<Please don’t tell me they put salt in it again.>

<It’s hot> Kari complains. She’s so thirsty that she drinks it anyway.

<Yeah, I know. I couldn’t get them to understand “cold water”> he adds. Only now Kari notices that he’s not wearing anything above the belt, except for his mask.

Kari is completely naked, but it doesn’t really bother her. Not only because Myridians are already used to seeing each other’s duplicate without clothes, and this is Kari’s duplicate anyway.

But also because, even naked, she’s sweating profusely. It must be 120 degrees at the very least.

<Where are we, anyway?>

<We’re in Hell.>

<Metaphorically or literally?>

<Literally. I mean, not literally literally. This is Torn’s planet.>

<It’s not how I imagined it> Kari notes. She realizes why her back hurts: the bed is made of stone.

<Outside the city it’s nothing but desert and lava, and the sky is on fire.>

<Okay, that’s more like it. So, what are we gonna do now?> she asks.

<I don’t know. I tried calling the others but there’s nobody on the Neural Transmitter, and the guards don’t speak English.>

<One of the Demons on Earth spoke Olympian, maybe I could give it a try.>

<You better stay here. I’ve only been able to be outside in my energy form. You think it’s hot in here, but it’s twice as hot out of that door.>

<Have you tried searching the city?>

<Yeah, but this place is really really big. There are underground tunnels that go on for who knows how many miles. We need some sort of clue.>

Just as Max Black finishes his sentence, something comes through the wall like a ghost. It’s a woman, wearing a black and white cloak.

Max and Kari step back, preparing for a fight. Most of the woman’s face is obscured by the shadow of her cowl, but her mouth is showing. Just like the hands visible from the very large sleeves and her modest cleavage, her skin is a pale grey.

<Uhm… hello? Do you understand me? μυ ναμε ισ καρι ζελ >Kari says in English and Olympian.

<▌▲║►║▌‡‡▲╪◄> she answers.

Kari and Max look at each other and shrug. That wasn’t Demon language.

<■►╤₪╪►‡‡►₪> she adds, pointing at the pile of clothes on the floor.

<I think she doesn’t want you to be naked> Max theorizes.

<I appreciate the gesture, really, but it’s very hot and these are kind of sweaty and gross.>

<▌‡▲▌₪, ■►╤₪╪►‡‡►₪!> the grey woman protests, raising her voice.

<Alright, alright, I get it! Geez> Kari says, getting dressed. Max approaches the woman and tries to communicate. He can’t help but stare: her skin is really grey. Is she a Demon? It’s possible there’s more than one race on the planet, even though everyone he’s seen so far has red skin.

<Quantum. Kari> he says slowly, pointing first at himself and then at his friend.

<†□▲╤ > she answers, pointing at herself. Max scratches his head:

<Yeah, I have no idea how to pronounce that. Let’s go with “Grey Lady”, okay?>

<◄♦▼▲╪►◙►╪◄‡╤╪▲╣■►.>

<I’ll pretend that means “sure, whatever”.>

 

Noriko is restless. They haven’t told her why she was kidnapped, what happened to Torn, or why they’ve locked her in a cell. Kari is sleeping naked on the wooden bed; Noriko is almost jealous of her lack of shame: she stripped to her underwear only because of the insane heat.

She weighs her options. The Neural Transmitter isn’t working, they took away her weapons, and even if she managed to escape she still has the Mark of Damnation etched on her navel: if Torn is right, they would track her anywhere. She tries a last desperate tactic.

She sits down, cross-legged, and closes her eyes. She concentrates on her breathing, something easier said than done when the air is so hot. She’s tired and dehydrated: she had to explain that drinking hot salty water isn’t particularly healthy for humans.

“There is a possibility that this is a scientific experiment” – says a voice in her head.

“Shut up Void. I’m trying to meditate” – Noriko replies to one of her alternate personalities.

“Judging by the lack of basic information about humans demonstrated by Torn and Laceration, they have not met many. It is even possible they locked you with Zel together expecting you to breed”

“Let me guess: you’re trying to trick me into giving you control of my body to reason with them?”

“You must admit that I am a better negotiator than you”

“I admit creating you was one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made. Now go back to…”

“Abyss is gone”

“What do you mean gone!?”

“I tried to convince her to join forces to lock you out. Nothing personal”

“Sure. It’s not like she tried to kill me or anything”

“She’s not talking to me anymore”

“Only you would complain about Abyss shutting up. And why am I speaking to you, anyway!?”

“You are desperate and vulnerable. When you don’t have anyone to talk to, you create them”

“So you’re saying I’m crazy”

“I remind you that you are essentially arguing with a figment of your imagination”

“Good point. Now please shut up, I’m trying to save our butts here”

“I’m just an aspect of your mind. We have the same butt”

Once Void finally stops talking, Noriko can try something Torn taught her: soul resonance. This is the first time she tries this alone, since usually Torn is there to guide her. She doesn’t feel the usual warm sensation, probably because her metabolism is confused by the heat, but she feels the Blood.

Some kind of life energy that permeates the cells of her body. She concentrates on her heartbeat, that old source of trouble. One beat. She imagines feeling the echo of the other two that she doesn’t have, trying to resonate with a third heart that could be anywhere on the planet.

“Torn” she thinks. The Blood is flowing through her mind.

“Don’t talk. They won’t understand” a voice answers. It’s a male voice.

“Torn, can you hear me? This is Null!”

“Pain can’t win. I won’t let her. I won’t let Null down”

“Dammit Torn, can you hear me or not!?”

<How dare you?>

The voice takes Noriko out of her trance. Agony lifts her by the throat, slamming her hard against the wall; even with both hands, Noriko can’t break the Demon woman’s grip.

<Can’t… breathe> she struggles to say. If her brain required the same amount of oxygen of a normal human’s, she would’ve passed out already.

<Hey, let her go!> Kari protests, suddenly awakened by the struggle; she’s ready to jump at Agony, but she’s quickly knocked out by a red energy gauntlet. She’s too tired to create a duplicate in time.

<I’m a Demon of the Seventh Circle, you think I couldn’t feel your Soul Resonance?>

<Trying… to help… Torn> Noriko adds. All her kicking and struggling isn’t doing anything.

<My husband doesn’t need your help>– Agony answers, slightly tightening her grip. For a moment Noriko is convinced she will snap her neck, but finally the Demon woman lets her go.

Noriko falls down, bringing her hand to her throat and coughing heavily.

<Really…fu##in’ hate… this planet…>

<How did a toothless scum like you learn Soul Resonance?>

Noriko raises an eyebrow at the unusual insult, but she answers honestly:

<Torn taught me. I’m his blood sister.>

<Really> Agony answers skeptically, kneeling down and getting uncomfortably close to the point that Noriko can feel her breath on her skin. It’s extremely awkward because she’s staring at her breasts, but it’s about to get even worse. Her hand comes close enough to touch her navel; Noriko figures she wants to examine the Mark, but the hand goes even lower and gropes her crotch.

Understandably, Noriko panics and kicks her, getting away as fast as she possible can.

<GET OFF ME!!! Holy s##t, what the f#ck!?!?>

<I was just insulting you, but you haven’t even grown your first set of teeth. How old are you?>

<What the fu## are you talking about!?>

<What’s going on?> Kari asks, regaining consciousness faster than Agony anticipated.

The first thing that she sees is Noriko walking away from Agony, covering her loins and looking almost as red-faced as a real Demon. Agony, on the other hand, seems utterly confused.

<-I thought you were both female.>

<Do I look like a guy to you?> Kari asks. She’s not exactly hiding anything at the moment.

<You mean that human females of reproductive age don’t grow teeth out of their…>

<NO!!!> both Noriko and Kari answer emphatically.

<How interesting. But without teeth, don’t the spikes hurt you during intercourse?>

<Humans don’t have spikes> Kari explains. For once, even she is blushing.

<Not even the males on their…>

<Okay that’s waaay more information about Demon anatomy than I needed> Noriko interrupts her.

Agony stands up, hesitating for a second before walking towards Noriko again.

<Come any closer and I swear I’ll kill you> Noriko threatens her; her silver eyes shine to signify that she means business, but her trembling voice makes it clear that she knows she’s out of options.

She calculates a million strategies, but she doesn’t have options for what happens: Agony hugs her, plunging her face into her red skinned cleavage.

<Welcome to the family, sister-in-blood!>

<Am I missing something?> Kari asks, scratching her head.

Noriko finally manages to slip away from the Demon woman’s embrace, but she’s not happy.

<I’ve had it with this fu##ing place you fu##ing creep!!!>

<Hey the pentagram thing’s gone!> Kari notes, pointing at Noriko: the scar on her navel has disappeared. Noriko seems to calm down a little, examining her skin. No trace of the Mark is left.

<Please forgive me. It should never have been used in the first place> Agony says, and she sounds sincere. At this point, trying to make sense of her behavior seems pointless, but Null sets one rule:

<Okay let’s make ONE thing clear: if you come closer than three feet, I’m gonna blow up the planet.>

<Whose feet?> Agony asks, raising an eyebrow.

<What?>

<Your feet are smaller than mine. Which should I consider?>

<Just don’t touch me and would you please stop staring down there!?>

<I was just trying to understand how human reproduction might work.>

<Why don’t we talk about something else? For instance, why you kidnapped us?> Kari jumps in, noticing that her friend is about to explode from embarrassment, anger or probably both.

<We were informed that you obtained the coordinates for the Dragon Tomb> Agony explains.

“Makes sense, Torn said his people sent him to steal that” Kari thinks.

<It must’ve been the Scribe> Noriko guesses.

<No, it was a different entity that we’ve never met before. She calls herself Abyss.>

Of all the things Noriko never expected to hear, this is one of the weirdest… which says a lot, considering the kind of life she has.

<Well, I suppose it was inevitable that Abyss would send me to Hell… although I didn’t think it’d literally be Hell.>