Lampyria, 68,000 light-years from Earth
It’s been a very busy week for Doctor Liralia. The planet’s population is increasing faster than its number of doctors, even with the astounding learning abilities of the Lampyrians; as a three year old, Liralia is one of the planet’s oldest and most experienced doctors.
Lampyria is still a couple hundred years behind Earth when it comes to medicine, but Liralia’s been able to get up to speed thanks to her friendship to Lily. So when the latter shows up in her hospital, Liralia is quite happy to see her… until she sees her patients.
<I didn’t know where to bring them> Lily tells her, while a goddess with red hair helps her lay three bodies on an equal number of beds. Liralia ignores her friend, rapidly inspecting the patients.
<A human female with lacerated knees, an unconscious Demon male, and… what’s this?> she asks herself, inspecting the body of Noriko Null. She has a nasty burn on her forehead and another one on her scalp, and both are somehow leaking electricity.
<Are they going to be okay?> the goddess asks.
<The older female is a Myridian, right? She’ll be fine, we’ll get her in a pressurized room. I’ll have to run some tests on the male, but Demons are very resilient, so unless he went up against a god I don’t see how anything could keep him down. As for the other one…> the doctor pauses, analyzing Noriko’s eyes. They’re still silver, but the pupils are unresponsive and still leaking some sparks.
<I have no idea what’s wrong with her. Is this who I think it is?>
<That’s the Slayer of Gods, yes> Lily confirms.
<What happened to her?>
<An Oracle shot her in the head> Quantum answers, appearing without warning. Doctor Liralia is obviously taken by surprise, and she flaps her wings to get some distance from the alien.
<Zeus Almighty! Lily, did you bring an Oracle into my hospital!?> she protests.
<That’s not an Oracle, Liralia, that’s one of Null’s lieutenants> Lily explains.
<Ah, I see. You must be Quantum, Lily’s old flame from Earth, right?>
<“Old flame”?> he repeats.
<We don’t have time for this. If you can’t help Noriko, we need to get her to the ship and fly back to Earth> Vesta interrupts.
<Your friend is at death’s door, I don’t recommend an interstellar flight> the doctor comments.
<We have the Negative Drive, we can get back to Earth in no time> Quantum says.
<That’s a bad idea> Kari intervenes; she struggles to put herself in a sitting position, creating two duplicates to help her. She can’t duplicate the environmental suit she’s wearing, so she makes the other Karis disappear once she’s done.
<The Oracles know we’re here. We can’t cloak the ship if we use the Negative Drive, and that would lead them directly to Earth. And without the Drive, it’ll take us two weeks to get back.>
<What about Torn’s portals?> Vesta wonders.
<It won’t work> Torn answers. Still laying on the bed and still with his eyes closed.
<Dude, how long have you been awake?> Quantum asks.
<Since you started talking. I was taking a nap.>
<Right now? Seriously!?>
<If you think it’s easy to stay awake after a soulshock, you’re welcome to try.>
<Let’s try to focus, guys. Why can’t you take Noriko to Earth with one of your portals? You just arrived on the planet from another galaxy using one of those> Kari asks.
<Is this the kind of stuff you got into during your work?> the doctor whispers to Lily.
<No. The Vanguard gets much crazier> she answers her.
Torn stands up, looking straight at Noriko, and pauses before explaining.
<There’s a wall around her soul. The strongest I’ve ever felt. The Blood can’t touch her while she’s in this state; unless the damage is repaired, I doubt she’ll survive the day.>
<I have some knowledge of how her brain works. It’s highly adaptable; if we can help her body, perhaps the brain will manage to repair itself> Lily adds.
<It won’t matter. The damage isn’t in Null’s brain, or even in her soul> Torn explains.
<Then what’s the problem?> Quantum asks.
<The Nexus is broken> the Demon concludes.
Nowhere
Anyone else would’ve gone mad by now. Walking naked in the desert, with the Sun replaced by the infinity symbol. Noriko Null feels like she’s been walking for hours, but the symbol hasn’t moved.
And the desert still stretches to the horizon. She’s not hungry, thirsty or even tired, but she still sits down on the sand to make a point of the situation.
<Okay. This clearly isn’t working> she says out loud. Somehow talking to herself makes the situation less surreal.
<I’ve been stranded inside my mind before. Last time I was here was years ago, when Abyss took control of my body. The desert is a new thing, but the ocean was the same. How do I get out this time?> she asks herself, looking at the sky. As far as simulated realities go, she’s experienced better ones; this one doesn’t even have clouds.
<Clouds. That’s it! This isn’t a real desert, it’s just information. And I know how to deal with information. Update> she says.
Dark clouds gather above her, filled with electricity. It’s something she’s seen a hundred times: the way the Nexus absorbs a planet’s information and downloads it into her brain.
But this time it’s different. Noriko feels ground shake violently, the clouds glitch in and out of sight, and the sky shatters like an immense glass that was just hit with a baseball bat.
<Okay. Maybe that was a bad idea.>
Then she hears a very imposing mechanical voice, coming from seemingly everywhere.
<WARNING. ILLEGAL FUNCTION CALL. RUNNING EXECUTABLE SPACE PROTECTION.>
<Who’s there? Hello?> she calls out.
<HOST CONNECTION FAILURE. RUNNING BACKUP AND RESTARTING. PLEASE WAIT.>
<I think I’ve heard that voice before…>
<ERROR CODE 3939. UNABLE TO BACKUP WHILE HOST 79235168 IS RUNNING. UNABLE TO RESTART. PLEASE DISCONNECT HOST AND RETRY.>
<You’re the voice of the Nexus, aren’t you? Answer me!!!>
<TECHNICAL SUPPORT LOCKED. TO UNLOCK, PLEASE LOGIN.>
<This is useless. There’s got to be a way out> Noriko tells herself, trying to restart her journey; when she tries, the sand beneath her shifts: there’s a rift beneath her, large enough to swallow her whole together and bury her beneath the sand.
She fights her way out: since this isn’t real, she can’t be crushed by the weight or suffocate. When she finally manages to crawl out of the sand, she’s not in the desert anymore.
It’s an ancient building. Some kind of library, where scaffolds filled with neatly arranged scrolls are separated by marble columns. It’s big, two or three times bigger than the Capitol by her rough estimation. She’s never been here, but it looks familiar.
She tries to clean herself from the sand still clinging to her naked body, then takes one of the scrolls to read it. Before she does, she sees a shadow on the scrolls: she’s not alone.
She turns around quickly, covering her breasts with one arm and her crotch with the scroll she’s holding, as she faces a bald man with vaguely Middle Eastern traits wearing just a loincloth.
Understandably, she doesn’t know what to say.
<I hope you realize you’re covering your nether regions with Aristotle’s Protrepticus> he says.
<What?> she asks, baffled by his non-sequitur.
<There’s little need for modesty here, but if you insist, there are better options than disrespecting these literary works> he says, walking away. This immense library doesn’t only contain books, apparently, but a great deal of statues. One of those is covered by a blanket: when the strange man removes it, Noriko recognizes the statue.
<The Venus de Milo?> she asks. Unlike the world-famous work of art, it still has both hands.-
<The Aphrodite of Milos, technically speaking. Take this> he says, holding her the blanket. As Noriko covers herself with it, she takes another look at the library. Despite the familiarity, it doesn’t match any place she knows.
<You seem disoriented. First time inside the Mindscape, is it?> the man asks.
<I don’t know. I thought so, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been here before.>
<Of course you have, when you were me. I never thought we’d meet again, but I have to say, it’s quite pleasurable being inside you.>
<Uhm, phrasing? Just who the hell are you?>
<I thought you’d remember me. Chancellor of the King of Egypt, High Priest of Heliopolis, builder of the first pyramid? Born under the rule of Djoser in the Third Dynasty?>
<Imhotep. You’re the Scribe> Noriko realizes, stepping away from the man: he looks harmless, but he’s the former owner of the Nexus. And he’s supposed to be dead.
<Not entirely. I’m the shadow left behind when the Nexus found its new host; from your perspective, I died thousands of years ago. You’ve only encountered my future clones; the lack of recognition is a clear sign you’re not operating at full capacity.>
<So I was right, we’re inside my mind. What is this place, exactly?>
<My corner of the Mindscape. A backup of my personal memories and of all the information the Nexus absorbed from Earth during my time as its host. You should have a Mindscape of your own, you just haven’t figured out how to access it yet.>
<You died in Ancient Egypt, but the statue and the scroll were from Greece. How did you…>
<I had the Nexus for decades, child. I know a great deal more about its secrets than you.>
<Alright, smartass, then how do I get back into the real world?>
<You can’t. I’ve tried for ages to regain control of the host body… no offense… but it can’t be done.>
<We’ll see about that. You had a head start of thousands of years, Scribe, and I still managed to kick your ass. No offense.>
<Fair enough. I may know something that could help you, if you’ll accept my help.>
<I can’t afford to be picky right now. What is it?>
<Each host has a Mindscape. I discovered a way to leave mine and access another one, with a catch.>
<Of course there’s a catch.>
<I can’t access a host that preceded me, only the Mindscape of those who followed me.>
<How does that help me? I’m the current host and you’re the previous one. There’s no other Nexus user between your time and mine> Noriko complains.
<Are you so sure?> the Scribe asks with a smile that reminds her why he was so dangerous.
500 light-years away from Lampyria
With the ability to transform into tachyons and fly a million times faster than the speed of light, Apollo’s Oracles don’t have much use for a real fleet.
But to run an interstellar empire you still need ships to transport people and goods, and that leads to the consolidation of trade routes and the construction of space stations.
Sister Shaina materializes inside one of them. Most of it is rather unremarkable: the basic needs of a space station are common throughout the Galaxy. But this one is towered by what can only be described by a golden castle; Shaina bows in front of the glass doors, and wait until they open.
Protocol doesn’t allow her to simply barge in. She has to be announced, then she has to walk the ludicrously long hallway until she reaches the elaborate throne, and she kneels.
<Exalted Queen. I bring news from planet Lampyria> Shaina says.
<This better be important> the woman on the throne says. Shaina doesn’t dare looking at her, but just the sound of her voice is hypnotically soothing.
<It is, My Queen. I have found the Slayer of Gods, and I know how to kill her.>
<Very interesting. Does anyone else know about this, Oracle Shaina?>
<Nobody.>
<Excellent. Gather a hundred Oracles and await my instructions. This must be kept a secret at all costs: if your brothers and sisters ask for a reason, tell them that Helen of Troy herself wants to handle the situation personally> Queen Helen says.
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