Beyond The Impossible

The Gorgon’s Veil, 390 light years from the galactic center

As usual, Apollo is quite happy with himself. He easily killed the Egyptian war god Wep-wawet by creating a new sun, quickly reconsolidating his position as one of the main powers of the Olympian Galaxy. He can already see the enemy fleet being teleported away by thousands of bright halos. The fact that this is a clear signature of the use of one of the Keys of Heaven means nothing to him. As always, in his own mind everything revolves around the Sun God.

His satisfaction slips away only when he notices that the new star he created is rapidly becoming less bright. There are pitch black sunspots all over its surface, which suddenly regurgitate dozens of astronomically large snakes.

<What kind of trick is this!?> he wonders, shooting an array of solar beams powerful enough to make oceans evaporate. The snakes don’t seem to even notice them, and Apollo hears laughter.

<Let me tell you a tale, Olympian.> Nephthys says. Apollo responds by concentrating his power against her; vast amounts of sheer energy flow past her, without touching the goddess. There’s only a sort of vacuum in front of her, in the shape of a snake’s head.

<When the universe was much younger and Ra was the most powerful god beneath the Primordials, he had trouble controlling his own great power. And so, out of his own flesh, he created a mighty beast to keep himself in check, granting it a fraction of his own essence. That fearsome monster was Apophis, the Great Serpent, the mightiest creature who ever lived. Only your grandfather Kronos, at the time Emperor Of The Universe, was able to kill it.>

It’s hard to tell whether Apollo is hearing any of this, considering the solar storm he’s generating. He doubles and redoubles his power output, but it’s like Nephthys is not even there.

<And when it died, as the Goddess of Death, I seized the power of Apophis. The power to roam the cosmos for over four billion years, doing nothing but fighting Ra and banqueting with stellar clusters. Which is to say, Olympian, that all you are doing right now… is feeding me.>

Apollo ceasing his attack before his enemy has been slain is a rare sight on its own. His realization of having over-estimated his own abilities is a truly unique occurrence. It doesn’t last long: nobody has ever accused Apollo of not believing in himself hard enough.

<If Apophis was weak enough to get itself killed, so are you! The true Sun God shall never be outshined by anyone! SUPER…> Apollo shouts, creating a sphere of energy between his hands and then pointing it towards Nephthys.

<…NOVA!!!>

 

Bridge of the N01-Ragnarok

The battlefield has turned into a messy retreat, as thousands of ships flee away from the star created by Apollo in a very disorganized way. The sudden appearance of gigantic snakes eager to devour what remains of the makeshift alliance makes everything harder, and that was before Apollo unleashed a supernova in an already highly unstable nebula.

<I think we underprepared for this!> Quantum comments, holding on to one of the seats; he was hoping to find a safe spot when he came back on board, but it’s hard to remain hopeful when Kari keeps taking sharp turns to avoid gigantic monsters and the entire nebula is catching fire.

<That was Apollo throwing a supernova! What happened to the other ships? The ones without Neutral Matter plating don’t stand a chance!> Vesta notes.

<What makes you think I can get any kind of sensor to work?> Kari asks rhetorically, just when dozens of alarms start sounding off at the same time. And despite the artificial gravity, everyone can feel that the ship just came to a full stop.

<And now our engine is gone! What the Hades? I thought we escaped the blast!> Kari tells her other duplicates, frantically trying to make sense of the instrumentation.

<I don’t think it was the supernova.> Torn comments dryly, creating his energy scythe as he looks at the viewscreen: one of the snakes is in front of the Ragnarok, ready to swallow it whole.

<I’ll hold it off.> Torn says, in unison with Quantum and Vesta, who then look at each other.

<Hey, I called dibs first!> Quantum complains.

<I don’t know who Dibs is or why you called him, but it’s my turn to kill something.> Torn adds.

<It’s a snake that eats stars, what makes you think you can take it!?> Vesta points out.

<Don’t just stand there, somebody do something, I don’t care who!!!> Kari scolds them.

And indeed somebody must be doing something, because a layer of frost partially obscures the viewscreen. Soon, the serpent’s scales are covered with a thick sheet of ice, immobilizing it.

<Out of all the creatures in the universe…>

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the light created by the Ice Queen as she teleported herself on the bridge. Now she has energy swords and fists made of energy and fire ready to strike.

<…she had to choose an animal weak to coldness. Ironic, wouldn’t you say?>

<Give us one good reason not to throw you out of the airlock. Just one.> Quantum replies.

<Your ship is dead and you don’t have the time to repair it before the shockwave hits you.>

<I can take us to safety with a portal much sooner than that.> Torn says.

<You could. But that would be a very bad decision.>

<And why is that?> Vesta asks. She doesn’t resort to violence easily, but the Ice Queen really gets on her nerves. Even more than the goddess teleporting herself right behind her.

<Because, if you leave now, we won’t be able to save the Galaxy.> Adrestia answers her.

It’s a weird standoff. The Ice Queen has a significant advantage against Torn and Vesta, but she doesn’t really have a way to hurt Quantum. Who is probably outmatched by Adrestia.

<Wait wait wait, time out. You’re here to help us!?> Kari asks.

<The fate of the Galaxy is at stake, Zel. Is it really that hard to believe that I’m willing to put the lives of hundreds of billions of people ahead of my personal goals?>

<You’ve got to be fu##ing kidding me, of course it is!> Quantum objects.

<Actually, you have the only ship capable of taking us to the battle without melting.> Adrestia says.

<That’s more believable.> Torn nods. Even so, he still keeps his sight on the Ice Queen.

<You want to go back there? Why? Isn’t Apollo taking care of Nephthys?> Kari asks.

<Nephthys is as immune to the power of the stars as Vesta is to fire.> Adrestia calmly explains.

<Come on, that was a freakin’ supernova, it must’ve done something!> Quantum objects.

<It did. It probably ticked her off.> Vesta says.

 

The Gorgon’s Veil

The nebula is large enough to survive a supernova, but the sheer chaos at its core can overwhelm even a god’s senses. Apollo isn’t particularly concerned: he’s eagerly anticipating the glorious sight of his triumph, something that his worshippers will be ordered to sing about for millennia.

What he doesn’t expect to see is the nothingness that surrounds him: he should be able to see the nebula catching fire or being blasted away, but he can’t even see the rest of the Galaxy.

<That was disrespectful> he hears, as a snake crawls over his arms and twists them behind his back. Despite his struggling to break free, or how much light and radiation he emits, the snakes are completely unaffected. He does illuminate the only thing standing before him.

<Nephthys!? How can you still be…> he says, interrupted by her placing her hand over his mouth.

<You threw a sun at me. And I. Hate. The Sun.> she tells him, with anger seeping through her words. The tight black armor she wears seems to be just as upset: its metal is slowly morphing into scales, and there are snake heads growing out of it.

<My pets hate it even more. It makes them angry and hungry. It’s been ages since I’ve killed a god with my own hands: you will be the first to…>

It’s her turn to be interrupted: the Jewel-Of-The-Universe has breached the darkness that absorbed the supernova, and has now fired its main cannon at her. According to legend, it’s enough to blow up an entire star. Nephthys redirects that immense firepower with a flick of her fingers.

<Back off, godling. I’m not interested in your temper tantrums.> she comments, blinking once.

It’s not the only thing she does, but transmuting the Jewel-Of-The-Universe from a ship as large as a small moon to a disgusting mass of twisted snakes takes the same time and effort on her part.

<Now. Where were we? Oh, yes, of course. Death.>

<YOU DARE!?> she hears someone screaming. There’s a goddess surrounded with blue fire emerging from what was her capital ship. Irrational anger incarnated, reaching Nephthys faster than she anticipated. And slapping her face so hard that even the Goddess of Death feels it.

<THAT SHIP WAS A GIFT!!!> Hera shouts; her flame is so hot that it weakens the snakes holding Apollo, and the Sun God is able to break free.

<That’s it. That was the last time you will feel living flesh.> Nephthys threatens her, massaging her cheek: Hera actually managed to bruise it.

 

The Throne of Nephthys

Ilithyia covers her eyes: the intensity of the battle between Hera, Apollo and Nephthys is too much for her to witness. And yet, in the midst of all this, Nephthys is still able to protect this planetoid.

Ilithyia holds the Silver Key of Heaven in her hand: she could use it to leave the battlefield, but then she wouldn’t be able to see her mother’s defeat.

She’s not alone on this disgusting amalgamation of skeleton bones and snakes: thousands of Sobek soldiers have been teleported here by the F.E.N.R.I.S, and some of them haven’t been eaten yet. One of the survivors appears like a Lar woman, but it’s actually Circe in disguise.

<I have Ilithyia on sight, Ice Queen. I’m waiting for your orders.> she says through a communicator, when she notices someone else approaching. An Egyptian woman, but Circe recognizes the goddess who is possessing her body.

<Eris. I should’ve known Nephthys would ally herself with a snake like you.>

<I’ve had enough with snakes, Circe, believe me. So you take orders from a mortal now?>

<If you think I’ll let someone like you disrespect me, Eris…>

<Far from it, Circe. In fact, I’d like you to ask dear old Leiko to summon the only being who can prevent the destruction of our Galaxy.>

 

Null Tower, New York City

Noriko Null tries to open her eyes, immediately regretting her decision: it’s like having a thousand needles beneath her eyelids. She groans, realizing her situation: she’s on a medical bed, connected to an IV bag by a tube inserted into the veins of her left hand.

<What happened?> she asks, trying to stand: a sudden migraine convinces her that it’s better to lay down. Doctor Kalama rushes towards her, checking her vitals.

<Take it easy. You’re not going anywhere; the bleeding just stopped.>

<Bleeding? I remember I was fighting Sobek… what happened?>

<A subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm. If your brain were fully human you’d be at death’s door by now. I have no idea how, but your brain is somehow healing itself.>

<I feel like s#it.> Noriko admits.

<I really wish I could let you rest, but this is well beyond my area of expertise. Please tell me this is normal for your brain.> the doctor says, showing Noriko a holographic scan of her brain. Next to the Nexus, there’s a small area that is noticeably discolored.

<No, it isn’t normal, Doctor. That’s an oligodendroglioma.>

<Are… are you sure? Without a biopsy…>

<I am sure, Doctor.> Noriko says, then sighs and lays her head on the pillow.

<A brain tumor. F#ck. Like I needed something else to worry about.>

 

Just outside the infirmary, Kari Zel is standing with her back against the door, looking at the Iron Key of Heaven in her hand. She could use it to travel back to the Ragnarok in an instant, but she doesn’t want to leave Noriko alone. She leaves that idea to rest when Torn arrives through a portal.

<We need her.> he says, going straight to the point as usual.

<She’s not up for a mission. We have the Key, isn’t that enough?>

<No. And you know that, Kari.>

<I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.> she admits, slowly opening the door.

<Nori? I’m really sorry to bother you, but…>

<We have a way to kill Nephthys that will probably kill you as well.> Torn adds.

<Torn! I was trying to be subtle about it!> Kari yells at him.

<Why? If she dies, she dies.> he shrugs. Their potential argument is cut short by a sudden burst of light: it’s coming from Noriko’s silver eyes, which shine like headlights.

<That’s a heck of an “if”. Tell me about this plan.> she says, removing the IV line from her arm.