Beyond The Impossible

The Ragnarok is flying back to Eden, with its crew expecting most of the fight to be over: now that the Anubis fleet has been vaporized, the only obstacle should be the fleet under the direct control of the artificial intelligence calling itself Emissary.

What both Null and Kari didn’t expect, however, is watching the fleet trying its best to defend itself against a very combative Vesta.

<Does she know that Emissary agreed to join forces to fight Anubis? Because it really looks like she’s trying to obliterate them!> Kari notes, watching a flaming Vesta fly through one of the ships and basically trashing it.

<I don’t think that’s Vesta. That’s not her usual flight pattern.> Noriko notes while instructing the viewscreen to zoom on the goddess. And when she does, Kari gets noticeably paler.

<Is… is her skin golden now? Doesn’t that mean that…>

<Eden got her.> Noriko nods, equally worried.

<But that’s impossible, right? Aren’t gods immune?>

<Not anymore, apparently. Let’s go to a higher orbit, maybe she…>

Before Noriko can finish her sentence, all alarms start sounding incessantly: something just hit the ship with enough force to make the entire hull vibrate.

<I’ve never been so glad to have Neutral Matter. Even Vesta can’t break it, right? Right?> Kari asks, increasingly worried about their situation. And watching Noriko activate one of the ship’s weapons confirms that she’s right to be worried.

<I should’ve warmed it up. It’ll take a few minutes before the God Eraser is operational.>

<Isn’t that a little extreme, Nori? That thing could kill Vesta!>

The ship vibrates again, this time so much that it’s hard to stand up.

<That’s not Vesta.> Noriko clarifies.

 

The ship’s infirmary

As a god, Hermes is not used to migraines. But his head is pounding like crazy, almost as much as whatever keeps hitting the hull.

<What kind of idiot tries to punch through Neutral Matter? It’s a ship for mortals, just look for a door!> he comments, instantly regretting it: one of the escape hatches has just been ripped away.

And since the hatch is right next to the infirmary, the differential pressure risks throwing Hermes out of the ship; the only reason he doesn’t is that an emergency forcefield blocks the air from escaping just a couple of seconds later.

<Well that was just embarrassing.> Hermes comments, fixing his hair as he walks towards the hallway; he immediately gets back to the infirmary once he sees Anubis walk by.

A few Kari Zel duplicates are trying to stop his advance, but despite each of them being powered by a fraction of her 10K Rise power Anubis doesn’t slow down.

<I don’t like being ignored, but fortunately humility is one of my greatest qualities.> he tells himself, sneaking out of the infirmary only to walk into a rather angry Kari Zel.

<Where exactly do you think you’re going?>

<That is an excellent question, sweetie; any suggestions? I have an entire universe to choose.>

<You’re still infected with necrobots. Get your a## back inside before I start kicking it.>

<Oh that is just adorable! You’re sharing the 10K Rise through what, a dozen bodies now? Even with a hundred million bodies at full power you wouldn’t even come close to…>

<Gotcha!> another duplicates says: two of them just appeared behind Hermes, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Hermes moves his arms in an attempt to throw them away like they were nothing… just an attempt, because none of the duplicates budges.

The Kari in front of him, who was already prepared to counter the inevitable attack from Hermes, is dumbfounded when she sees him struggle to get away from the other duplicates.

<What the Hades are you doing!?>

<Just lulling you into a false of security while I execute my daring escape plan?> Hermes says, really unconvincingly for the god of liars.

<It’s the necrobots. You don’t have your powers anymore.> Kari deduces, removing her 10K Rise.

<That’s funny! We don’t have a goddess of jokes yet, but if you want to apply…>

Kari shuts him up by kicking him in the groin as hard as she can. And judging by his reaction, there is no doubt that he isn’t invulnerable anymore.

<You’re right. This is funny.> she adds, before uppercutting him so hard that Hermes hits the ceiling, bounces off it and unceremoniously facepalms on the floor.

<Alright. Even if we don’t survive Eden, this just made my day.>

 

The bridge

Anubis wasn’t exactly subtle when he was in control of his body, but now that he has Eden’s one-track mind he’s just moving in a straight line towards the bridge.

<How’s the God Eraser doing?> Kari asks Noriko, watching the screens show an endless list of damaged systems.

<Not good. Looks like he broke one of the power conduits; I’ll have to use the Final Abyss. Don’t stay too close, it’s difficult to control.> Noriko tells her, positioning her hands like she’s holding something invisible: tiny sparks of lightning start appearing between her fingers.

<Wait!> Kari yells, grabbing her wrist.

<What did I just tell you!? I could fry your brain if you get too close!>

<Anubis is part of Eden now. What if you use the Final Abyss and Eden learns how to copy it?>

Noriko considers Kari’s warning, but there’s little time to discuss it: Anubis just broke into the bridge by ripping through its door with his claws.

<Here goes nothing. FINAL… ABYSS!!!> Noriko shouts, and Kari looks away at the last second.

Noriko has never done this with so little time to prepare: the Final Abyss puts a massive strain on her brain, even without the additional power of the golden eyes.

Her body emits a stream of black lightning that engulfs almost the entire bridge. One after the other, countless electrical systems are fried on the spot; the attack transmits an incomprehensible amount of data in the span of a few seconds, overwhelming the ship’s computer beyond repair.

Everything ends very quickly, despite feeling like an eternity. Noriko struggles to stay conscious long enough to see the result; the first thing that she notices is that the artificial gravity is gone, and she doesn’t float against the ceiling only because Kari grabs her by the ankle.

Anubis stands immobile, his jackal head unnaturally resting on his shoulder and his glowing green cybernetic eyes now deactivated. Before they turn golden.

<A valid effort. You would have destroyed the mind of Anubis if he was still in control.>

<We are fu##ed.> Kari says.

<No. You are Eden now.> Anubis says, getting closer to to touch them with his claws.

<Over my dead body.> Null answers defiantly, touching her watch.

Both women are teleported away, leaving Anubis alone in a devastated bridge.

<That will be inevitable now.>

 

N18-Garm 

Noriko and Kari appear on the bridge of the Surtur-class ship, surrounded by F.E.N.R.I.S units and greeted by the hologram sitting on the captain’s chair.

<Welcome to the Garm. You’ll excuse the security measures, but I am programmed to defend myself.> the hologram says.

<You have some nerve kidnapping us, Emissary. We were supposed to be teleported to one of my ships.> Noriko comments angrily.

<Kidnap you? I just saved your life by intercepting the teleporter’s signal, Null.>

<Uhm, Nori, who is this guy?> Kari asks, getting closer to protect her from the robotic wolves.

<The artificial intelligence created by Diomedes who hijacked my ships. And who has thirty seconds to give me one good reason not to delete his entire program.>

As an answer, a blinding light covers the entire viewscreen as a massive explosion just happened a short distance from the N18-Garm.

<That’s one reason.> the hologram states calmly.

<What was that!?> Kari asks, who tries to look at the flaming remnants of the explosion.

<That was Vesta blowing up the N19-Fafnir. The second reason, Null, is that my program is currently installed in all the nine surviving Surtur-class ships.>

Another explosion, just identical to the previous one, prevents Noriko from answering again.

<Seven. That was the N23-Muninn.>

<What about the Ragnarok? Has Vesta tried to attack it, or any of the remaining Ragnarok-class ships?> Noriko is finally able to ask.

<She has not. That’s a little odd, isn’t it? You must be Eden’s primary target.> Emissary reasons, stroking his chin pensively.

<Maybe she’s resisting it? Or maybe Eden doesn’t want to kill you?> Kari wonders.

<Or maybe I just figured out Eden’s weakness. Teleport me to the N12-Yama, now!> Null orders.

<You wouldn’t be more safe there. According to my database, at full power Vesta can melt through Neutral Matter.> the hologram answers.

<Yes I know, that’s the point! We can defeat her only if she…>

Another interruption, but this time it isn’t just the viewscreen. Vesta just flew through the shields and the hull, melting through the metal like it wasn’t even there.

The ship tries to put up a forcefield, but Vesta immediately blasts the projectors; Null and Kari are kept alive only by the Survival Field generated by Noriko’s belt.

<Do you really think that will stop us? We are…> Vesta says as she gets close enough to infect them, but she doesn’t finish because a burst of energy hits her so suddenly that she’s thrown out of the ship before she can react to it.

That energy then solidifies into a fist, joined soon by an extended arm, and then the rest of a visibly exhausted human being.

<I am so tired of hearing them say their name.> Quantum then says.

<MAX! You’re alive!> Kari exclaims, jumping towards him for a hug but passing through his body: it’s just a hologram.

<Sorry, there’s no air around here unless you give me one of those belts.>

<Not that I’m complaining, but how the heck did you do it?> Noriko asks.

<I had to turn into tachyons to escape Anubis; he almost had me anyway, but he said he had a bigger target. I guessed it had to be you.>

<No, I mean, how are you out of Eden’s control, now that it also works on gods?>

<I dunno. But we have a bigger problem… I don’t think I can actually stop Vesta.> he answers, pointing at the flaming woman flying back towards the ship.

<You don’t have to. Just force her to destroy the Yama, or the Quetzalcoatl…>

<The quezwhat?>

<Told you it was a stupid name for a ship.> Kari comments.

<One of the Ragnarok’s sister ships! Even the Ragnarok itself, if you have to, but it must be one of those with Neutral Matter!>

<Why?>

<Just take my word for it!> Noriko has just the time to order, when Emissary teleports her and Kari again: Vesta just smashed through the N18-Garm, leaving only Quantum to face her.

 

163,000 light-years from Earth

Hell still hasn’t fully recovered from the Anubis attack when a pentagram-shaped portal appears in front of Desecration Mountain. Which is very common for Hell, except for a big difference: its fire is golden.

Torn is the first to come out of the portal, followed by dozens of marching Eden, equally divided between males and females.

<We remember this place. The only planet to ever reject us.> Torn says, his eyes turning golden as he watches the infernal landscape.

<How poetic. The Demons who exiled us from the universe shall now become the harbingers of Eden’s triumph.>