The air on top of the mountain was quite thin. The surface gravity of the planet was quite similar to Earth’s, and the climb was quite steep; few humans would’ve been able to survive the journey.
Ulysses was far from a normal human. Once he reached the peak of the mountain, he pulled down the hood of his insulated jacket. His breath solidified into tiny icicles stuck to his unruly beard.
<You’re a hard man to find, old friend.> he told to the only other person on this cold mountain.
He was an elderly man of Eastern descent, and unlike Ulysses he was only wearing a white loincloth. But the cold didn’t seem to bother him.
Neither did gravity: he was sitting in the lotus position floating a couple of feet above the ground, courtesy of an antigravity generator beneath him.
<The man you knew as Diomedes died a long time ago, Ulysses. And according to the memories he passed on to me, I believe you are fully aware that I am not him.>
<No, but you are the current host of the Nexus. The Scribe told me you call yourself the Monk.>
<Did he also tell you that I do not wish to be disturbed from my meditations?>
<He did. He also implied that he was not able to get the Nexus back from you.>
<Is that why you climbed the mountain instead of teleporting? Because you are afraid of me?>
<No, I did that because I can’t resist a challenge. Especially if it’s a bet against myself.>
<Challenging your limitations is a worthy endeavor. But if you are here to offer me to join the Zenith, Ulysses, I will repeat the same answer given by my predecessors: I am not interested.>
<I figured. No, Monk, I’m here because I want to uncover a most fascinating mystery… you. The Nexus makes you the smartest man in the Galaxy. And you have been sitting on mountain, alone, for the past fifty years. I wish to understand why.>
<I am not the Scribe or Diomedes. I don’t intend to use the Nexus to pursue power or adventure. I am only interested in the greatest conundrum of the universe… the power of a mortal soul.>
<Sounds intriguing.> Ulysses replied, taking off his thermal jacket and tossing it on the ground, then sitting on it imitating the Monk’s position.
<What are you doing?> the old man asked.
<I am not leaving this planet until I’ve learned everything I can from you.>
<I can sense that your soul is extraordinarily powerful, Ulysses, but it would take centuries for you to master Soul Control.>
<You did it in fifty years, right? I bet you a hundred obols that I can do it in forty.>
<I have no use for money, Ulysses.>
<Alright then. If I need more than thirty years to reach your level, I’ll tell you how you can gain immortality the same way I did. Deal?>
<Will you PLEASE get to the point?> Noriko Null asks, interrupting the simulation.
The Mindscape
The mental projection disappears, with the Monk shaking his head.
<Such youthful foolishness. You need to learn patience, young host.>
<And YOU need to understand that I don’t have time to waste if I want to defeat Ulysses! Just tell me what this “Soul Control” is and how can I use it to win!>
<What I was trying to teach you, young Null, is that it took me fifty years to develop my discipline. And that was with the use of the Nexus. Ulysses didn’t just reach my level in thirty years… he surpassed me.>
<You’re saying I should just give up!?>
<I’m saying you cannot defeat Ulysses at his game. He is, without a doubt, the most dangerous man in the entire universe.>
<I’ve heard that before, and I’m sure it sounds impressive to people who don’t kill gods on a regular basis. But something else in the simulation got my attention… you said that Ulysses tried to recruit Diomedes and the Scribe for something called “the Zenith”. What’s that?>
<Something that you’re not ready to face. Not when you should wake up.> the Monk tells her.
Noriko doesn’t get the chance to answer, because the world around her is replaced by a jail.
Somewhere
Noriko opens her eyes: she’s back in the cell together with Ganos Lal.
The blue-skinned Leral is still in front of the metal bars, but now she’s moving again: in fact, she just gently placed on the floor a tray holding a couple of glasses.
Noriko tries to get back on her feet, with the intention to rush towards the bars as fast as she can, but her legs don’t respond the way she wants and she awkwardly trips on her feet.
<Lady Null! Are you alright?> Ganos Lal asks her.
<Human bodies don’t react well to prolonged inactivity, especially if they’re starved and dehydrated.> the Lampyrian Leral explains, using one of her wings to point at the tray she delivered.
<I see that two days of isolation were not enough. We’ll see in a week if you’re more cooperative.> she tells them, going back to looking frozen in time.
<I’m starting to hate that woman. How long was I out?> Noriko asks, stretching her legs as her stomach growls loudly.
<She said two days. I wouldn’t know; there’s nothing here to indicate the passing of time.> Ganos Lal replies. She doesn’t look well: she’s never been completely mentally stable, and sleeping on a stone floor with nobody to talk to can’t have been good for her health.
<Yeah, Ulysses went out of his way not to give me anything to use.> Noriko concedes. The cell is completely empty. They’re not even allowed clothes, being still in their underwear. She inspects the cups of water and the tray, quickly noticing they are made of the same material.
<Some kind of plastic; I’d say polyethylene. Ulysses doesn’t trust me around real glass.>
<She said a week. How are we supposed to survive that long with just one cup of water each?> Ganos Lal asks; only now she seems to be realizing the gravity of the situation.
<I suppose it’s possible… there isn’t all that much research on how long people can survive like this, for obvious reasons. But if Ulysses wanted us dead, he would’ve already killed us.>
<Did you find anything about him in your meditations?>
<Not yet. Does the word “Zenith” mean anything to you?>
<I’ve never heard of it.> Ganos Lal admits.
<I knew it couldn’t be that easy…>
Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth
While Noriko is kept prisoner by Leral, the rest of the Vanguard is facing the other assistant of Ulysses… with similar results.
The bald woman calling herself Skorpios finds herself the target of two attacks coming from opposite directions: thousands of energy daggers from the right and lightning from the right. Without her doing anything, both attacks disappear a few inches before they can touch her body, and then immediately reappear switching sides.
The result is that Torn’s daggers hit Quantum, whose lightning hits the Demon. Fortunately for them Torn is strong enough to shake it off and Quantum was not in his human form.
<She’s fast!> the human hero comments.
<I noticed.> Torn replies, preparing to summon his scythe; before he can do anything, Skorpio’s left forearm disappears and emerges from a portal: this way she’s able to grab his throat despite being several feet away.
<Anything you throw at me is going to end up inside this guy’s brains. You got that?> Skorpios says to the rest of the Vanguard.
In response, Quantum transforms into a magnetic field: he’s already figured out that she gets her powers from a Drylon device, and there’s a way to shut it down… or at least there should be.
In this form he can immediately tell that Skorpios isn’t entirely human: there’s a myriad of cybernetic implants inside her body. Including a disk lodged between her lungs that is entirely impervious to any magnetic field.
“Definitely her Drylon device, but it’s insulated” he deduces.
<Hurt him and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.> Vesta threatens Skorpios, approaching her with hands and hair seething fire so hot that it’s becoming hard to breathe.
<I don’t think I made myself clear.> Skorpios says, letting Torn go; it’s the last thing Vesta sees before hitting the water.
The goddess is completely disoriented: one moment ago she was next to her friends, now she’s submerged in water. She flies upwards to emerge to the surface… only to see there is no surface.
<Where am I?> Vesta wonders.
She’s not on Myridia anymore. There’s no more gravity: a huge bubble of seawater floats below her in the middle of nothingness.
<This is my pocket universe.> Skorpios tells her, communicating through radio waves: there’s no air here, and only her implants allow her to breathe.
<My Drylon device, the Manifold, grants me complete mastery over space. I thought you might be the only one who could understand just how powerful I am.> she adds, pointing her finger at Vesta.
The goddess then crashes into the ground as she’s brought back to her universe, only for several tons of water to fall on her. It’s enough water pressure to crush a building, but she just shakes her head and increases her body temperature to dry herself.
<Are you alright?> a Kari duplicate asks her, appearing right next to her.
<Yeah. More humbled than hurt. I didn’t even see her move; she can manipulate space at the speed of thought.> the goddess replies, with a hint of fear in her voice.
<I can do more than just that.> Skorpios adds, once again appearing mysteriously. She reaches for Vesta’s chest, plunging her hand inside her body and pulling out a semi-transparent box… that is holding a beating heart. Which she uses to hit Kari’s duplicate in the head so hard it disappears.
<What the… how…> Vesta wonders, touching her chest: she’s not feeling her heart anymore.
<Complete mastery, remember? Your body is still connected to your heart, even if it has to go through a portal. I can’t completely sever the connection thanks to your invulnerability, but…>
She pauses, reaching towards an invisible door… and pulling Jane Blake out of it.
<What the hell!?> Jane exclaims, finding herself unable to escape Skorpios and her cybernetically augmented strength. She then justifiably screams in fear.
Quantum appears in the blink of an eye, looking at Skorpios far angrier than his teammates have ever seen him.
<Let. Her. Go. NOW.> he threatens her.
<Or what? You’re going to do what, exactly? Throw anything at me and it’ll redirect it at her. Or at one of Zel’s daughters. Or maybe I can trap her inside the same pocket universe where we’re keeping your friend Null. Or perhaps I’ll just make her brain switch places with her heart.>
<What do you want from us?> Vesta asks.
<I’m here to send a message on behalf of my boss. The Vanguard has been useful to deal with some minor threats here and there, but it’s time to let the professionals handle things. Try to stand in our way and you’ll learn the same lesson the universe learned centuries ago…>
She lets Jane go, as something blocks out all the suns in the sky: a meteorite the size of a football stadium just a couple hundred feet above their heads.
<You don’t f#ck with the Zenith.> Skorpios says, waving them goodbye as she vanishes.
Vesta doesn’t waste any time, flying above them to catch the meteor before it crashes. She’s definitely strong enough to lift it, but the celestial object is already crumbling under its own weight.
<Get away! It’s going to… do nothing?> Vesta says, dumbfounded when the meteorite floats weightlessly. That’s when she’s greeted by a winged goddess.
<You seem to be having some trouble with those mortals.> Nike says, easily moving the meteorite to a safe place with her telekinesis.
<Do you know who they are?> Vesta asks.
<Not exactly. But from the looks of it, this group is far more dangerous than the Vanguard itself.>
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