Beyond The Impossible

The Null Zone

Matter should not exist in this dimension. The only particles should be electrons: there is a nearly limitless amount of them, arranged in colossal electrical storms that are constantly exchanging lightning bolts powerful enough to fry planets.

The exception is a skyscraper, frequently illuminated by the light coming from the storms. It’s floating aimlessly: since no solid object existed in this dimension prior to the building’s appearance, gravity does not exist in the Null Zone.

A cargo ship slowly approaches the roof, and after it lands a human exits through the hatch.

Floating towards the nearest access point, visibly struggling inside a pressure suit that is blatantly too big for this particular human, the strange visitor manages to interface with a control panel.

After what feels like an eternity, a dozen faceless robots emerge from the skyscraper. They work rapidly and with perfect coordination: two of them use a blowtorch integrated into their index finger to cut a hole through the roof, while the rest hurry to assemble some sort of flexible tube that connects the hatch of the ship to the hole they just made.

Some time later, on the top floor of the skyscraper, a woman emerges from the other end of the tube. She’s floating in absence of gravity, she’s only wearing her underwear, and she’s holding her breath. When the robots try to grab her to pull her towards the ground, several exact duplicates of the woman appear out of tin air and try to push the robots away.

<It’s okay. They work for me.> the other human reassures her, removing the helmet: unlike the unforgiving void that surrounds the building, there’s breathable air here, and Noriko Null takes full advantage of it by taking a very deep breath.

<Ah, much better. Whoever designed this crappy spacesuit didn’t take into account how it would feel to wear this piece of junk after a whole week without a shower.> she complains, removing the oversized suit. She seems perfectly capable of handling the absence of gravity, while Ganos Lal is having a really hard time.

<Have you been to this… “parallel dimension” before?> she asks.

<No, but I have some experience with zero gravity. Can you believe I hadn’t even discovered how to do artificial gravity when I built this place? Good thing I made it space-proof!>

<Welcome back, mistress Null.> a disembodied feminine voice greets her, and a few moments later a holographic interface representing an eye as big as a head appears in the room.

<Lady Null, be careful! This building is alive!> Ganos Lal shouts.

<Mistress, you have an unauthorized and unidentified guest. Should I remove her from the building?>

<No, this is a friend. IRIS, this is Ganos Lal, Supreme Pontiff of… nevermind. Lal, this is IRIS, my first supercomputer.>

<A pleasure to meet you, Ganos Lal.>

<Iris as in… as in the goddess of dawn?>

<As in Integrated Reconfigurable Intelligence System. ODIN’s predecessor, so to speak.>

<“Odin”? I’m… I’m afraid I don’t know her.>

<In Germanic mythology, Odin was a god associated with wisdom, healing, death…>

<That’s enough, IRIS. Can you give me a damage report?>

<Complete loss of underground floors. Extensive damages to floors 1 to 47. Complete loss of life support to floors 1 to 61. Main plasma reactor operating at 97% capacity. 55 nullbots suitable for active deployment. Complete loss of the Valkyrie fleet. Oxygen synthesizers not operational. Oxygen reserves at 18%. Water reserves at 17%. Structural damage to…>

<That’s enough. I don’t suppose any of the food we left made it?>

<Consumption of any organic material left in the living quarters is highly discouraged, but emergency rations will remain edible for the next 95 years.>

<I’m not planning to stay that long. Just the time for a shower, a nap, and the construction of an interdimensional portal.>

 

Kandinsky Crater, Mercury’s north pole

120 million miles from Earth

When Noriko Null sent a few probes to the planet closer to the Sun, it didn’t make the news. And not only because she sent them with one of her spaceships instead of using a rocket: Mercury doesn’t really get much attention in any situation.

Which is one of the reasons why a bunch of Nullbots were sent here to build a permanent base: whatever Null wanted to do here, it wouldn’t cause problems to Earth.

Another reason was the temperature: there are parts of the crater that are deep enough to never receive any light from the Sun, to the point that ice can form naturally despite the inhumanly hot temperature of the surface of Mercury.

It’s not a large base. Just a few generators, some scientific workstations, and living quarters that make a New York apartment look like the Palace of Versailles.

The quarters have never been used. That’s because the only person living here has been sitting in a cell since his arrival, without receiving any food or water.

Until the room is illuminated by the appearance of a pentagram of fire. When two people step out of it, a Demon and a purple-haired Myridian duplicate, the guest tries to make himself presentable.

Despite starving for months, he still has a physique that would make any man jealous; the only real difference is the growth of some stubble on his chin.

<Well well well. Looks like Sunshine finally decided to send someone to keep me company.> Hermes jokes, with his smile fading when a red energy dagger appear right in front of him, floating a fraction of an inch away from his throat.

<How rude. At least take me out to dinner before you threaten me with a good time.>

<This isn’t a social visit, Hermes. And I wouldn’t be joking if I were you: the Necrobots inside your body are still blocking your powers, which means we can hurt you.> Kari reminds him.

<If the Vanguard wanted me dead, I would’ve joined the brothers and sisters killed by your friend as soon as I was humiliated by Anubis. Speaking of which, did Sunshine eventually murder that son of a snake or not?>

<You haven’t any communications with anyone outside of this facility then?> Kari asks.

<My only company has been a plethora of boringly silent mechanical slaves. Is that why you brought the Demon? To take their place? I honestly think the robots are better conversationalists.>

<We’re here to get information. Someone is trying to destroy the Mortal Republic from the inside, and I have a hunch you might know someone like that.>

<Sure I do! But tell me, did you become immortal recently? Because I could make a list, but it would take a couple of centuries to read all of it.>

<This is pointless. He’ll never help us and we can’t trust a word he says.> Torn tells Kari, still keeping the dagger near the god’s throat.

<I could be persuaded if I could gain something from it. I am the god of commerce after all.>

<I thought you were the god of thieves.>

<Same thing, really. But I get it, you want a gesture of good faith. I’ve been out of the game for a while, but if you want something more recent, you should probably ask my daughter.>

<Tyche? Wasn’t she killed by the Ice Queen?>

<My sweet Leiko thinks highly of herself, but she’s no Slayer. No, not only that little clever fox of Tyche is still alive, but she’s hiding on Earth at this very moment. I find that highly suspicious, don’t you?>

<You said you have no way to communicate. How do you know where Tyche is?>

<Anubis might have deprived me of my speed, but there is no god that can pull a fast one on me. I have my ways to sense the proximity of my offspring.>

<Sounds fishy. Care to elaborate on that?>

<Only a sample of collaboration is free, my dear. If you want the main course, you have to pay.>

<If you think I’m going to fall for it, you’re not as clever as you think. Come on Torn, let’s go to Earth to check if he’s telling the truth.

<What is the Zenith?> Torn then asks Hermes.

The god’s facial expression changes completely. Any desire to have fun with this conversation immediately evaporated.

<Oh my poor, poor children. You have no idea what you’re involving yourself into.>

<You know that name, don’t you? Do you know who Skorpios is?> Kari then asks.

<Awakening the Eden wasn’t enough for you mortals, wasn’t it? Aren’t there enough dangers in the Olympian Galaxy for you?>

<Just answer the question!> Torn insists.

<I’ve never hear of this “Skorpios”. But yes, I do know the Zenith. It’s an organization comprised of the most dangerous mortals in the universe… not entirely unlike the Vanguard. The list of their crimes against divinity is longer than the waiting list for a night with Aphrodite.>

<How come we’ve never heard of them?>

<They mostly operate in the Aegian Galaxy, which you would call Andromeda, the dominion of my uncle Poseidon. Neither of you was born the last time they were seen in the Olympian Galaxy.>

<Why would they want to break the Mortal Republic?>

<I’m just as confused as you are. After all, the Republic would not have been founded without the help of the leader of the Zenith.>

Kari and Torn exchange a very confused look.

<What do you kids really know about Ulysses?> Hermes asks.

 

Parthenos, 80,000 light-years from Earth

Vesta enters the Presidential office, quickly followed by Nike. It’s a relatively simple office; there almost no decorations, and the only indication that this is fit for a goddess is the sheer size of the room.

Athena is sitting at her marble desk, which is decorated by her symbol: a lightning bolt inside a cog. The goddess looks away from the holographic screen of her personal computer; the robotic owl that is sitting on the desk closes its eyes, and the hologram vanishes.

<Welcome back to the capital world of my sector, aunt Vesta. To what do I owe the pleasure?>

<Drop the act, Athena, I’m sure you know what’s happening in the Mortal Republic.>

<I do. Just as you should know that we are officially neutral towards the Mortal Republic, so I hope you’re not accusing me of interfering with its internal affairs.>

<I’m not in the mood for your games, Athena. You know Noriko has been kidnapped?>

<Naturally. But I have the utmost faith in my protégé; it’s the other hostages that worry me.>

<I had no idea you cared about Ganos Lal and the other cult leaders.>

<I am talking about Helen and Adrestia. Kidnapping the wife of Apollo and the daughter of Ares is a recipe for disaster.>

<That’s an Eris move if I ever saw one. I think she’s behind all this.>

<She wants to be called Lilith these days. And yes, she is the most obvious suspect; a little too obvious, in fact. But I don’t believe she’s more of a pawn this time: if this was entirely under her control, we’d already be dealing with a couple of declarations of war.>

<That’s probably around the corner. The new President of the Mortal Republic has already made worshiping Noriko illegal. I’ve seen mortals do this kind of stuff too many times not to see the pattern. There’s going to be a civil war.> Vesta explains. Athena, however, seems to have her mind elsewhere; it’s an odd sight. Then Vesta can see a spark in her niece’s grey eyes, not unlike Noriko’s when she has a revelation.

<Nike. I need you to fly to the Athenian Library and fetch me a book.>

<Is this really the moment?> Vesta asks.

<I can also see a pattern, Vesta. It doesn’t happen often, but I can recognize when I’m being played. And I assure you, the list of those capable of tricking me is exceedingly short.>

<What are you talking about? What did you see that we missed?>

<Lady Athena, which book do you require me to recover?> Nike asks.

<The Grimoire Of Drylon Weapons. Ulysses would never assemble another Zenith without at least another Drylon weapon. Luckily for you, I am the owner of the only book that lists every Drylon device in the universe.>