Beyond The Impossible

Planet Myridia

Kari Zel is sitting on the beach. Two of the six suns are high in the sky, and a third one is near dawn; the wind keeps blowing her purple hair into her face.

Max Black, also known as Quantum, appears right next to her in a bright flash of light. She’s not bothered for his sudden appearance; there’s nothing unusual with it on Myridia.

<Penny for your thoughts> he says.

<What’s a penny?>

<Uhm, it’s a small coin that, nevermind. I just wanted to know how you feel.>

<I’m gonna miss this place, Max.>

<Yeah, it’s a nice beach.>

<But I bet your planet’s awesome too> Kari answers cheerfully, standing up and shaking the sand off her pink dress.

<You know you don’t need to come to Earth with us, right? You could stay here.>

Kari’s smile fades. She recovers a backpack laying a couple of feet behind her; she moves it to make it clear that it’s half empty.

<This is everything I own, Max. My family’s been harvested years ago; I’ve been on the run since I was five years old. I’m tired of running…it’s time to find something new.>

<Fifty light-years away? Are you sure you’re not running away again?>

<Let me put it another way. If you had a chance to see a new world, would you throw it away?>

Max smiles. This trip was worth it after all.

<If I ever do that, promise me you’ll take me back to Myridia and never let me leave.>

 

Twin Dragon, Demeter’s former mothership

Orbiting Myridia at 1.200 miles altitude

Torn is leaning against the control station; his red skin and old duster stand out in the futuristic bridge. Noriko is laying with her back on the floor, working under the station like a mechanic in her workshop.

<Scissors> she orders, extending her hand from under the station.

<What?>

<You create energy swords with your mind, don’t you? I need a pair of scissors here.>

<I don’t know what that word means.>

<Two blades joined by a swivel pin at the middle that allows them to be opened and closed.>

<That doesn’t sound like a useful weapon.>

<I don’t need a weapon, Torn, I just need something to cut a wire.>

<I can cut the whole thing with my mind, you know.>

<You can probably cut the ship in two, but I’m planning to use it. Scissors, please.>

Torn sighs, and a pair of bright red energy scissors appears in Noriko’s hand. He watches her work for a few seconds before she comes out of the station. He tries not to stare at her, but he can’t help it: how could this frail child have killed a goddess?

<That was the last of the ship’s tracking devices; now we can leave Myridia and no one will find out where we’re headed. Are you sure you wanna come with us, Torn?>

<Yes.>

<You’re not the talkative type, I see.>

<No.>

<What about Old Man Vor? I thought you had some kind of debt towards him.>

<The Oracles are dead. He’s part of the Provisional Government. We’re even.>

<You’re not gonna tell me anything about who or what you really are, aren’t you?>

<No. You seem…strangely fine with the idea.>

<I’ll find out eventually; I am Null> she shrugs.

<I see.>

<But we need to lay down some rules. You won’t kill anyone on Earth without my consent, unless in self-defense after every other option has been tried. Understood?>

<…>

<It’s not open for negotiation, Torn.>

<Fine. I’ll try not to kill people on your planet. Happy now?>

<It’s a start.>

 

There’s a flash of green light, signaling the arrival of Quantum and Kari by means of the ship’s teleporter. Kari’s two duplicates already on the bridge rush to get her bag, while Quantum is busy enjoying the moment.

<Permission to come aboard, Captain> Quantum salutes, standing at attention and barely keeping a straight face.

<You’re already on board> Torn informs him, confused.

<He’s just quoting something. He does that> Null clarifies.

<-Oh come on Nori, can’t you crack a smile at least once? We’ve got a freakin’ spaceship!!!>

<What would I do without your ever so keen sense of observation> Null answers in the most deadpan way possible, recovering her N-Phone from the inside pocket of her horrible green leather jacket and activating the hologram generator.

The air fills with a tridimensional picture of the galaxy with a superimposed red dotted light.

<By studying the Oracles’ records, I believe that Demeter’s homeworld is about 40.000 light-years away from Myridia; since it took this ship 21 days to cover that distance, I estimate the Twin Dragon can fly at least 700.000 times faster than light.>

<How long will it take us to reach your world?> Kari asks.

<Earth is 50 light-years away> Null answers, shutting off the hologram.

<So, how long?> Quantum asks.

<50 years divided by 700.000> is what Null answers, even though she means “you should know this already”.

Quantum and Torn look confused. Kari is counting on her fingers.

<38 minutes> Null clarifies, meaning “I can’t believe I have to spell this stuff for you guys” <But since there are no records about Earth’s stellar neighborhood in the ship’s database, we should be as careful as possible. We’ll keep a maximum speed of 70.000 times the speed of light.>

<So, how long?> Quantum asks.

<You know what? I’m gonna go check on Vesta> Null answers, throwing her arms in the air.

 

Cargo bay 2

Gods don’t have mourning rituals. They don’t have centuries of traditions on how to pay their respects to their dead, because they don’t believe that gods can die.

But Demeter is laying lifeless, arms crossed over her chest; her corpse looks more like a beautiful sculpture than a dead body. Vesta is sitting in front of the casket, tending to the live flame that floats before her sister’s corpse.

Noriko approaches her carefully; from her breathing, she can tell Vesta’s been crying silently.

<For what it’s worth, she left me no choice. She would’ve killed millions of Myridians.>

<I know, Nori. I don’t blame you for this. It’s so weird…we didn’t get along. Gaea, she could be such a bi##h, but she was my sister.>

<Maybe humanity’s been rubbing off on you> Noriko tries to console her, placing her hand over the goddess’ shoulder.

<She wasn’t always like you saw her, you know. She was so happy, tending to her gardens; not a care in the world. Gaea, we were so young…>

<What are you gonna do with her?>

<You won’t dissect her, Noriko.>

<I didn’t say…>

<You were working your way around it. I’ll throw her body into the Sun; maybe there she’ll find the peace she lost a long time ago.>

<Something tells me that’s not open for discussion.>

<I’ve never been a traditional goddess, but there are boundaries even I won’t cross.>

Null nods politely, taking a step towards the door.

<Nori. The weapon you used to kill Demeter…>

<The God Eraser.>

<You came up with it pretty fast, even by your standards. It wasn’t designed to be used against me, right?>

<Of course not> Noriko lies.

 

The Twin Dragon bridge

Max Black a.k.a Quantum is sitting on the golden throne that oversees the bridge; it’s not just the color, it’s a solid block of gold. Kari and her duplicates are manning every station, while Torn is brooding in a corner.

<Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?> Max asks.

<It’d be easier if I could read more of this stuff> Kari answers, punching some commands into one of the flatscreens to load information from the ship’s systems.

<It’s Ancient Olympian. Dead language> Torn explains.

Noriko Null enters the bridge from the only door that leads outside, adding:

<I’ve uploaded a translation program into the ship’s computers; navigation and propulsion data can be accessed in English and Myridian now. I’ll work on the rest as soon as I can.>

<You translated the language of the gods? In a day!?> Kari asks.

<She does that> Quantum nods.

<Is there anything you can’t do?> Kari insists, still amazed.

<Here it comes> Quantum mumbles, expecting another “I am Null, I can do everything”.

Instead, Noriko looks each ally in the eye, one after another, and says:

<There is one thing I’m not very good at. Saying thank you.>

<Well, what do you know, little miss genius does have a heart> Quantum comments.

For that, he gets a stern look from Noriko. Her silver eyes flash fiercely for a second.

<Max. That is my throne, if you don’t mind.>

The African-American hero moves away from the throne at the speed of light. Noriko takes her place, trying to sit down like a solemn queen.

She’s too short for that, and when on the throne her feet don’t touch the ground; she crosses her legs to seem a little less ridiculous.

<This is just the beginning. We sent a message to the gods: they can’t treat mortals as personal property anymore. If we stay on Myridia now, we risk turning it into a bigger target.>

<A word, Captain?> Max asks.

<Please stop calling me that> Noriko sighs.

<You were…quite passionate about the whole “taking over Myridia” thing. Not that I don’t miss Earth too, but why are we really leaving so soon?>

<I thought you of all people would’ve known, Max: I’m trying not to be a supervillain. Kari, are we ready to leave yet?> Null asks, quickly changing the subject.

<Engine is set for 70.000 lightspeed…I think> one Kari answers.

<Navigational control is on line. We can leave as soon as you give the word> another adds.

<Then set a course…for home> Max says dramatically, earning Noriko’s patented death glare.

<Shutting up now> he promises.

Noriko adjusts her position on the golden throne, far too big for her. She glimpses at Max, whose body language is practically screaming “come on, say it”. She decides to indulge him.

<Destination Earth, 70.000 lightspeed. Engage.>

The Twin Dragon quickly accelerates beyond common physics, reaching over the stars.