Beyond The Impossible

Boreas, 3.000 light-years from Earth

Tyche is not a patient goddess. Even if she has more self control than most of her family, her precognitive abilities make it frustrating when she can’t foresee what is going to happen.

On the other side of the divine spectrum, Circe can’t resist teasing the younger goddess.

<Well, look who decided to show up. The child goddess who thought she could be a queen.>

<Circe.> Tyche greets her politely, even if she can’t really stand her.

There’s some awkward silence as both goddesses wait in front one of the high security doors of the Winter Palace, in a section that has been closed off to most of the staff of the capital world.

<What brings you to the Winter Kingdom, exactly? Crawling back to the sector that you lost, after your much celebrated rise to power? And to think that Hera thought so highly of you! What a shame to have fallen so much that you need the help of a mortal.> Circe says, taking extreme joy in placing herself on a pedestal above the daughter of Hermes.

<Considering you’re working for the Ice Queen as well, Circe, those are some strong words. Especially coming from a minor goddess who thought she could be important.>

<I should transform you into a cockroach for such insolence!>

<Except your powers don’t work on gods, don’t they? That makes you the third most powerful goddess on this planet.> Tyche teases her.

<Third?> Circe repeats, shielding her eyes when the reflection of the Sun hits her. It shouldn’t be possible since there are no windows in this part of the palace, but Amaterasu has just entered the room; her white kimono isn’t doing much to obscure the light emanating from her body.

<Hi! I’m Amaterasu-Ōmikami, but everyone calls me Amaterasu. Well, they would if the Queen ever let me see anyone.> she greets them, bowing respectfully before Tyche.

<Why is your head on fire?> she then asks, pointing at the flaming halo above her head.

<Every god needs a symbol. Well, every god that matters.> Tyche replies, glancing at Circe who is just about to explode with anger.

<It looks good on you! Are you my new roommate?>

<You could say that. I’ll be staying here for a while.>

<That’s awesome! It’s kind of lonely around here. I wanted to go back to Hell or maybe visit Earth, but the Queen won’t let me.>

<Why are you following the orders of a mortal?> Circe asks her.

<Because she’s always nice to me and I don’t want her to get upset. I don’t like it when people are upset at me.> Amaterasu answers sincerely; she may be an extremely powerful goddess, but she still has the mind of a child.

<You don’t seem to have much respect for the Ice Queen, Circe. It makes me question why you are here in the first place.> Tyche adds. She knows Circe has a reputation for stirring up trouble, and she’s a variable that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

<We are close allies. And the Winter Kingdom will need a new ruler once she dies.>

<Is the Queen sick!?> Amaterasu gasps.

<She’s a mortal. She is bound to die rather soon. It’s pretty much the only thing they do.>

<But… but I don’t want her to die!> Amaterasu says, looking like she’s about to throw a tantrum. She’s stopped by the security door opening: even if it’s just by a little, there’s a gust of very powerful and very cold wind blowing out of it.

Vector awkwardly opened it by pushing it with his back, and for good reason: his hands are solid blocks of ice, and the skin on his forearms is peeling off to reveal the cybernetic implants below.

<Ladies. I require some assistance.>

<What the Hades is going on in there?> Circe asks, transmuting her gown into a fur coat: all of a sudden it’s so cold that even the goddess is having goosebumps.

<We don’t have much time before we lose control of the Endless Winter. I need your hand, quite literally.>

 

Null Tower, New York City

Noriko Null is in her laboratory, looking at the screen detailing the extremely complex inner layers of a device older than her planet: the time-manipulating weapon that used to be inside Leral’s body before Torn delivered her decapitated body to Null’s lab.

Noriko is not completely alone: the man shown as a hologram is thousands of light-years away, but it’s like he was in the same room.

<Well, what do you think?> she asks Dmitry Voron, Russian super-scientist and former lover.

<Fascinating. It’s like the circuitry extends beyond the atomic level. If this wasn’t Drylon technology, I’d say this should be physically impossible.> he replies.

<Not if the Drylon figured out a way to build in more than three physical dimensions. I think we’re looking at a five-dimensional object. Makes sense, right? Both the Lar and the Eden achieved cross-dimensional mass transfer, and as far as I can tell they worked independently. It stands to reason that the Drylon did the same.>

<And you’re working on doing it yourself?>

<Eventually, but that’s far down the line. Building interdimensional portals is one thing, but high-dimensional engineering is a whole other beast.>

<I’ll take your word for it. Now, may I ask the real reason why you called me?>

<What do you mean? I wanted your opinion on this project.>

<I may be the second smartest human in the Galaxy, but we both know that all of this is well above my level of expertise.>

<Well, we could talk about the Covenant. Now that I have agreed to share their work with the Mortal Republic, it’s going to be tricky to have you working both for me and for Athena. I know this is a secure channel, but…>

<You’re lonely. That’s why you called me.> he interrupts her.

<Don’t be ridiculous, Dmitry. I’m not that desperate for human contact.>

<Maybe not on a physical level. You’re sufficiently attractive, at least enough to achieve sexual gratification with moderate effort…>

<Thanks, I needed to be reminded why we’re not together anymore.> she says, rolling her eyes.

<…but it’s understandable that you would need more intellectual stimulation.>

<I have plenty of challenges to occupy my time, Dmitry. I had too much stuff to do even before I let Ulysses ruin half the Galaxy right under my nose.>

<I see, so that’s what this is about. You’re feeling guilty about being manipulated.>

<That’s not… okay, maybe just a little. I’m just tired, Dmitry. Tired of jumping into the next crisis while I’m still struggling to stop people from ruining what I’ve already achieved. Tired of people suffering because I’m too busy to take care of everything at once.>

<Then stop holding back, Noriko.>

<What?>

<The civil war wouldn’t have happened if you had ruled the Mortal Republic instead of handing the job to Syzar. Your church wouldn’t have splintered into sects if you had assumed its leadership. And Ulysses wouldn’t have achieved anything if you had taken over his organization.>

<I have no desire to rule the Galaxy, Dmitry. I’m not my mother.>

<Leiko is a monster, I know. But you won’t turn into her if you start to assert dominance.>

<The Galaxy doesn’t need a dictator to survive.>

<Carry on, then. If you’re wrong, it’s not like it’s the end of the world, right?>

Noriko doesn’t answer immediately. She looks at Dmitry’s hologram, trying to find ways to argue her point. But all she can think of is the image of Earth suffering the same fate of Hell.

<Maybe you’re right, Dmitry. Maybe it’s time to get rid of some dead weight.>

 

Boreas, 3.000 light-years from Earth

The operating room should be the pinnacle of Lar technology, but it’s hard to tell: everything is covered in a thick sheet of ice.

Only a few details are distinguishable: the Winter Armor standing in the corner, the bed where Leiko Tanaka is connected to a wide range of medical devices, and two transparent containers holding wildly different things. One is the Endless Winter, the ancient Lar device that powered the armor. The other is a human heart.

<Why was this a good idea, exactly?> Circe asks, looking at Leiko’s unconscious body: her chest has been cut open, with her insides completely exposed after her heart has been removed. Only the Lar nanomachines are keeping her alive and negating the risk of infection: she’s never seen the Ice Queen so utterly vulnerable.

<The Endless Winter is nearly as powerful as a Drylon device, but unlike those it’s not been designed to be integrated into organic being. Only a master cyberneticist of my level could’ve designed a suitable interface, but the Lar technology proved insufficient to keep it separated from the armor for long. Can any of you touch it without being frozen alive?> Vector asks, gesturing towards the Endless Winter.

<No problem!> Amaterasu cheerfully says, holding the device with both hands; she immediately starts shaking.

<This t-t-thing is r-really c-c-c-cold. I t-t-think it would f-freeze a s-s-star.> she stutters.

<It definitely would.> Tyche confirms.

<The interface system is fully ready. Just place it inside the patient, she should gain control of it almost instantly.> Vector advises her, but Circe moves between Amaterasu and Leiko.

<Or we could just place it back in the armor. It was designed by Hephaestus, who was clearly better suited to deal with such technology than any mortal.>

<This is mortal technology. The Endless Winter was created by a Lar host of the Nexus.> Vector reminds her, but he’s not in any position to argue with her. Not since he lost his own Drylon device.

<And what’s going to happen when the Ice Queen inevitably dies?> Circe asks.

<T-t-too c-c-cold.> Amaterasu laments: her skin is noticeably paler, and her hands are already covered in frostbite. As she moves towards Leiko, Tyche just grabs Circe by the arm to push her aside. Neither of them is a physical powerhouse, but Circe is taken by surprise by her audacity.

<Do you even know what kind of monster we’re creating?> she asks.

<Do you think I would waste my time with her if I hadn’t seen her destiny?> Tyche replies.

Amaterasu hastily places the Endless Winter inside Leiko’s chest, near the other devices that Vector already installed. One of them, acting as Leiko’s new artificial heart, connects itself to the Endless Winter and powers up once her metal-laced new ribcage reassembles itself.

The Endless Winter seems to shut down at the very moment when Leiko opens her eyes and gasps.

<Did it work?> Amaterasu wonders.

A block of ice suddenly appears around Circe’s head; it’s so cold that not only she can’t break it, but she falls on the floor writhing in absolute pain as her brain begins to freeze.

<It worked. Who could’ve guessed that the fate of the Galaxy would rest on the good heart of Leiko Tanaka.> Tyche comments.

 

The White House, Washington D.C.

President Keen is upset. He lost his re-election pretty badly, a combination of how he handled the Winter King’s invasion and the worldwide pandemic. Blaming it on Null didn’t work, especially since she was the one to develop and distribute the vaccine within a few months.

He’s in the Oval Office looking through the reports of the Global Defense Organization when the room is illuminated by a teleportation device, heralding the arrival of Noriko Null herself.

<Coming to gloat?> he tells her.

<A little. But I’ve heard that you’re also obstructing President Warden’s handling of the GDO, and I’ve come to tell you to stop. The GDO is too important to let you screw it up.>

<I’m still President until the inauguration. And if you hoped that I’ll stop trying to expose your plans after I’ve left office, think again: I’ll do everything in my power to…>

<No.> she says firmly, her golden eyes shining. And President Keen completely freezes in place.

<I don’t have time for your bulls#it anymore. I can’t accept Earth to distract me with its petty grievances when I have better things to do. Once your term is over you will retire from politics and you won’t ever interfere with my activities again. Are we clear on this?> she continues, while a drop of blood starts to slowly bleed out of her right eye.

<Yes mistress. Anything else?> the President asks sheepishly, as if he was on drugs.

<This conversation never took place. You will convince yourself that this was your idea.>

<Yes mistress. Anything else?> he says again

<Hmm. If only you knew how tempted I am to order you utterly humiliate yourself, you small-minded man. But you’re a religious person, if I’m not mistaken, so just say a prayer for me whenever you can… I just threw away my soul to make you stop bothering me.>

Noriko wipes away her blood tears as she teleports herself away from the White House, leaving President Keen to stare into the distance for a few minutes before starting to think that he has severely misjudged Null. Without wondering how he came up with the idea.