Null Tower, New York City
The Vanguard is in a meeting room in the Operation Center, although it doesn’t look like it.
Vesta is there, as are Noriko Null and a few Kari duplicates, but Torn and Quantum are missing. And strangely enough, it’s Kari who is presiding over the meeting: she’s the only one standing, while Noriko is sitting backwards on a chair.
<The good news is that Vice, the Lady Of All Demons, is expected to fully recover from her wounds. But I’m afraid that’s all the good news that I have.>
<Torn is still in Hell to help the recovery effort. He reports that Anubis has zombified and kidnapped more than 6 million Demons.> another Kari says.
<And Amaterasu is still unconscious. Her wounds aren’t healing and I don’t understand why, it shouldn’t be that serious for a goddess.> Vesta adds.
<Well, we have a lot on our plate, but obviously the priority should be rescuing Max.> the first Kari concludes, and like everyone else on the room she looks at Noriko.
<What?> she asks, noticing that everybody is waiting for her to speak.
<Any ideas?> Kari presses her.
<Who, me? I mean, yeah, we should definitely rescue Quantum first, sure. Where did you say Anubis took him?>
<The Naqada Galaxy.> Vesta answers.
<Right. So… do you need my permission or something?>
<It’s 17 million light-years from Earth. It’s too far for Torn’s portals.> Kari reminds her.
<Can’t you use the Ragnarok? O.D.I.N, how long would that take?> Noriko asks to the Tower’s artificial intelligence.
<The Negative Drive of the N01-Ragnarok would need approximately two weeks at maximum speed to reach the Naqada Galaxy. However, factoring that the Negative Drive cannot operate continuously for more than two hours a day without catastrophic failure, the journey would take approximately one year, fourteen weeks and three days.> O.D.I.N’s voice explains.
<Well that sucks.> Noriko comments.
<Come on Nori, snap out of it! We need a way to rescue Max!> Vesta tells her, raising her voice.
<What do you want me to do? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly myself at the moment!> Noriko responds, pointing at her eyes: they’re their natural brown.
<How long will it take you to get your powers back?> Kari asks.
<I don’t know! It’s never taken me so long to recover from using my golden eyes. Maybe the more I use them, the more time I need to recover. I guess a brain tumor wasn’t enough, it just had to have one more drawback!> she sighs.
When she notices the others stare at her in disbelief, she slaps her forehead.
<I forgot it was a secret.> she admits.
<You have a brain tumor!?> Kari asks.
<Yep. Every time I use my golden eyes, I lose a year on my lifespan.>
<Are you serious? How many times have you used them?> Vesta asks.
<Five so far. Twice on Lampyria, once to disconnect Kari from the Eden, once against Serket and once today to deactivate the necrobots possessing Vice.>
<“Necrobots”?> Vesta repeats.
<The microscopic robots that Anubis uses to control people; I remember I figured out that their main function is to animate dead bodies, but I forgot if I learned how they do it.>
<That’s probably how he’s controlling Max, but we’re getting a little off topic here. Last time we went to the Naqada Galaxy, we asked Hermes to take us there. Can you contact him?> Kari asks.
<Don’t look at me, it’s not like I can just call him.> Noriko answers, raising her hands.
<Uhm, Noriko, you literally have his phone number.> Vesta points out.
<I do? O.D.I.N, can you call Hermes?> Noriko asks.
<This information is classified. Authorization code required.>
<And of course I have no idea what code I used. Any help from the gods?> Noriko asks Vesta.
<None of the gods we know how to contact have access to that galaxy. Anubis also destroyed the portals on Hell and stole one of the two Keys of Heaven, and the other one…>
<Is still broken, and I couldn’t repair it even when my brain was working properly.> Noriko adds, looking truly dejected: she can’t remember the last time she felt so useless.
<I wish Max were here. He’d have one of his dumb ideas that would give me the inspiration on how to fix everything.> she sighs.
<What about the Shadow Network that Kylon told you about? Couldn’t we use that?> Vesta asks.
<He’s in GDO custody. And even if I had my hands on his tech, I’d need my silver eyes to get it to work.> Noriko answers listlessly.
Then after a moment of silence, she raises an eyebrow.
<Unless…>
Naqada Galaxy, 17 million light-years from Earth
If this planet has a name, it’s been lost to time. It doesn’t have a sun either: all the light comes from the gloomy sconces that are present in each room and each street corner, projecting holographic candlelight against the steel walls.
The throne room of Anubis is just as sterile as the rest of the planet, with the only decorations being the hieroglyphics praising the gods. There’s only one person here, something that used to be a woman; nearly three quarters of her body have been replaced with cybernetic parts. She’s standing at attention next to the throne, her back against the nearest wall connected to an electrical socket.
When a portal appears in the room, she disconnects from her source of power and she kneels before her god. Anubis is currently just a charred skeleton, and there’s a human next to him.
<Shabti. Take this trinket to the treasure room, and see that it is well guarded.> Anubis tells the woman, handing over a small object: a silver key.
<I will, my lord. Should I also take the prisoner there?> she asks, looking at the human.
Anubis seems to take offence to that: he moves closer to her and growls angrily.
<Never ask questions without permission again! Or I will find another Shabti.> he then scolds her.
<Yes, my lord. I am your most humble servant.> she answers, prostrating herself before him.
<Remember that I am the only thing that separates your kind from oblivion.>
<Always, my lord.>
<Good. This is my new General; integrate him into the system. And see that I am not disturbed from my slumber.> Anubis tells her, shapeshifting as he walks towards the throne: he takes the form of a large jackal with black fur, and he curbs into a ball to sleep on his own throne.
Only then the woman stands up and starts examining the human. He’s standing completely motionless and staring into the distance; his red shirt has been ripped to expose his chest, and there’s a solid metallic mass growing out of it.
<Initiate recalibration.> she says, gently touching the metal on his chest.
That’s when Quantum is suddenly aware of where he is, and the very first thing he sees is a cyborg.
<Whoa! What the… where am I?>
<Shh! Lord Anubis is sleeping!> the woman tells him, whispering.
<Who are you? What happened?> he asks, looking around in utter confusion. With the noise he’s making, the sleeping Anubis grumbles. Watching the hieroglyphs, the throne and the slumbering jackal, Quantum rapidly connects the dots.
<Is… is the dog Anubis?>
<That’s his jackal form, and please keep your voice down, he’s asleep.> she insists.
<Is that so?> he asks, pointing his finger towards the throne and preparing to shoot a blast of energy; instead he feels searing pain in his chest, to the point of almost passing out.
<You’re too noisy to stay here, you’re going to get me in trouble!> she whispers again, this time grabbing Quantum’s arm and forcibly dragging him into the next room… which is another sterile room, but large enough to house hundreds of mummies standing perfectly still with their arms crossed, with the glow of their cybernetic parts glowing beneath the bandages.
<S#it, I hate mummies. Why can’t I use my… what did you do to me!?> Quantum asks, only now noticing his own cybernetic parts.
<Lord Anubis has blessed you. Now be quiet!>
<Alright. I don’t have my powers, Anubis turned me into a Borg, and I’m in a room full of freakin’ cyborg mummies. No reason to be upset.> Quantum says, trying to calm himself down.
<You should be grateful. Anubis has saved you.> the woman insists.
<Saved me from what?>
<Life.>
<Okay. You’re obviously not helpful, lady.>
<I am not a lady, show some respect! I’m the Shabti of this world.>
<Should that tell me anything?>
<You are… not from around here, are you?> she asks, giving him a puzzled look; it’s as if he just asked if the sky is normally blue.
<No wonder your integration is taking so long, if you don’t have a Shabti. Who is your god?>
<Uhm… you wouldn’t know him. What’s a Shabti?>
<The voice of Anubis and his personal assistant. Wait a minute… you’re not a god, are you?> the Shabt asks him, getting uncomfortably close to his face.
<Ah… let’s say, just hypothetically, mind you, that I might be a god… what would happen to me?>
<That would require special treatment. You’d have to share a cell with the other god we captured.>
<I’d have to be somewhere else? Where there are no cyborg mummies?> he asks, glancing nervously at the hundreds of dead bodies staring back.
<I will ask you only once: are you a god?> the Shabti insists, her circuits now glowing.
<Y-yes. Definitely a god.>
<What kind of god?>
<I am Quantum, god of… energy, yes, that’s it. I’m the Strongest Under The Heavens.>
<Lord Anubis won that tournament many times!> the Shabti exclaims.
<Yeah, well, so did I. Like, so many times, it’s like come on, let me compete above the heavens now, you know what I mean?> he rambles, smiling nervously.
The Shabti looks at him for what feels like an eternity, during which Quantum is convinced that she’s about to call his bluff.
<You’re annoying enough to be a god. Follow me, Quantum.>
Apartment of Jane Blake, New York City
It’s already evening when someone knocks on the door.
<Yes, who is it?> a young brunette asks.
<It’s Noriko. May I come in?>
Jane Blake opens the door, finding the last person she expected to see: her high school friend, not to mention her boyfriend’s boss.
<What’s going on? Max hasn’t texted me all day, then you show up… and you never show up!>
<I’m sorry, I’m a terrible friend, aren’t I?> Noriko asks, getting inside and throwing her jacket on the sofa, then immediately taking off her boots.
<You’re… a weird friend. What are you doing?>
<Making some space.> Noriko answers, pushing away the coffee table and sitting cross-legged on the floor.
<Okay, scratch that, you’re a super weird friend. Is Max okay?>
<No, he’s been taken prisoner on another planet, and since I currently don’t have my powers I need your help to find a way to save him. Sit down in front of me!>
<Nori, you’re throwing a lot at me. Who took Max prisoner and what do you mean by… wait, your eyes aren’t silver anymore.> Jane says; it took her a while to notice since she’d known brown-eyed Noriko for years before she changed.
<Yes, and without silver eyes, I’m only as smart as a regular girl. A regular girl who picked up a few tricks in her adventures.>
<So now you’re going to involve me into one of those “adventures”? It’s not dangerous, right?> Jane asks, sitting in front of Noriko and copying her posture.
<Of course not, this is perfectly safe. I think.>
<You “think”!?>
<You’ll be just fine. Now close your eyes. Take deep breaths. Focus your center. And…>
<How do I do that?>
<I dunno, just… just focus on something. Do you know how to meditate?>
<No.>
<Well, neither can I. Now… deep breaths. Focus on whatever. Deep breaths. Focus.>
Jane reluctantly follows Noriko’s instructions. When she feels a warm sensation over her body, she starts to believe that she actually knows what she’s doing.
<Soul Resonance!> Noriko suddenly shouts.
Central Registry, inside the Mindscape
<Soul what?> Jane asks, opening her eyes and then screaming.
They’re not in her apartment anymore: they’re in a strange room dominated by a large central pillar, which is connected by thousands of cables and wires to an even larger number of doors.
And both girls are suddenly naked.
<What the hell happened!?> Jane asks.
<It worked! We’re inside my brain now. This is where I can access the Nexus directly.>
<Did we have to be naked for that!?> Jane asks, doing her best to cover herself.
<Probably not, but that tends to happen. And hey, at least I didn’t fry our brains!>
<That was a possibility!?>
<I probably should’ve mentioned that… come on, let’s find an interface.>
<I took back what I said earlier: you’re the worst friend ever!>
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