Beyond The Impossible

Presidential Palace, Myridia

The planet is not new to being in a state of emergency; in fact, everything seems to be an emergency these days. President Sil knows it well.

Unlike most politicians in the rest of the Galaxy, he doesn’t need advisors to tell him how his constituents are doing: he has thousands of duplicates spread throughout the entire world. He is literally the busiest person on the planet, but for obvious reasons he still makes the time to see Noriko Null.

<Words cannot express the gratitude this world owes to you, Lady Null.> he says with a bow.

She doesn’t even look at him when she answers:

<You will show your gratitude by expropriating all private property around Noriko Plaza and donating everything to the Church of Null.> she says studying the President’s office, which seems to be more interesting to her than the President himself.

<That is an… unusual request, Lady Null. May I ask why?>

<I just killed Ares there. I wish for a new cathedral to be built there to honor my victory; it will be erected around the relic I placed there, the StarScourge. Your people are excellent builders, I trust the project can be completed quickly.>

<Lady Null… I have tremendous respect for you, but we haven’t even finished assessing the damages. I’m not sure building churches should be the priority.> the President replies, his voice trembling as he stands up to the Slayer of Gods. He’s not a believer… she’s not a goddess to him… but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how dangerous she is.

<Your people are literally built for multitasking. Can I trust you to meet my request, or should I ask for a different President to be instated?>

<I will certainly consider…> the Myridian replies, stopping when Null turns towards him: her silver eyes shine as an expression of anger appears on her face.

<I will comply.> he finally agrees, lowering his head in shame.

<As I knew you would.> the android that looks like Noriko Null says with a hint of a smile, before teleporting away.

 

In orbit above the planet

Sitting on a chair in her private quarters, Leiko Tanaka takes off the sunglasses that give her direct control of the S.I.F. android, feeling invincible. Now that her daughter is out of the picture, taking everything she’s built will be easy.

The satisfaction lasts for the instant that she needs to realize someone is holding a sword half an inch away from her throat.

<Don’t even think about using your powers.> the woman holding the sword threatens her. Leiko has never seen her, but considering the crown she’s wearing she can put two and two together:

<The Queen of the Amazons, I presume.>

<That is who I am, yes, But who are you and what have you done with Null?>

<We should talk about it. Queen to queen.>

 

Asgard Station, Null Zone

Jane Blake is leaning against the wall, just outside the infirmary. There are signs of tears on her face; she’s trying to be strong, but the situation is dire. Shinobu Tanaka, on the other hand, has kept a stone face throughout the entire ordeal.

The door finally opens. Kylon is the first to leave, followed by a muscular man with the face of an old man: Asclepius, the demigod revered as the greatest physician in history.

<Well, doctor? How is she?> Jane asks anxiously.

<A rather typical case of atlanto-occipital dislocation: the spinal column was separated from the skull base. Your friend is lucky: if that was a normal human brain, diffuse axonal injury would’ve been too severe for treatment.>

<So she’s still alive!?>

<She is and she isn’t. She has no response to pain, no cranial nerve reflexes, no pupillary response and her autonomic nervous system has shut down… but her hypercortex is still functioning, and the Nexus is still active.>

<What does that mean?> Shinobu asks.

<Her body is dead: by the time she was hibernated she had already gone through pallor mortis and algor mortis. Almost all of her brain is not functioning, except a part that is known to exist only in Nexus hosts. I can fix her body, but the Nexus has defense mechanisms against tampering. If I try to force it to repair the brain, it will immediately set it on fire. And that’s not a figure of speech.>

<But… but you can do something about her, right? Right?> Jane asks, on the verge of tears.

<She’s beyond my help. But I have referred your friend to a different expert.>

<What kind of expert?> Shinobu asks, raising an eyebrow.

<The kind who can resurrect the dead. We need an audience with Hades.> Kylon says.

 

In orbit above Myridia

Queen Tecmessa moves her sword away from Leiko Tanaka, but she keeps an eye on her.

<If you’re thinking of calling for help, know that I can easily dispose of your pitiful security.>

<I can take care of my own.> Leiko boasts.

<I’m not afraid of your Endless Winter. Amazon technology is vastly superior to any Lar weapon.>

<And yet you had a deal with Null, which means she had something you need. And considering you could’ve easily killed me if you wanted to, that results in you needing something from me.>

<You are as insidious and silver-tongued as Hermes, Ice Queen, but you hold no power over me. I ask the questions here, and I repeat: what have you done with the real Null?>

<She died in her battle with Ares. I am simply picking up the pieces.> Leiko replies. She’s been slowly lowering the room’s temperature; but not only there are no goosebumps on the Amazon’s skin, her breath is not visible.

<You’re not human.> she deduces.

<I am a gynoid, like all Amazons. And not an inferior one like the one you’re using to usurp Null’s position; we are the pinnacle of technological evolution.>

<No wonder you picked up the difference. I’m impressed. But I don’t like your terms… I am not usurping Null’s position because she’s always refused to take power. I am simply acquiring her assets to make better use of them.>

<Among these “assets” were two of the Keys of Heaven. In exchange for assistance of the Amazon fleet, she promised to use them to move our planet Themiscyra to a different Galaxy.>

<The Keys are Lar technology. I thought you said the Amazons were more advanced than them.>

<They were built by a Nexus host, like the sword Null forged from the Keys. We are not yet advanced enough to fix or recreate them. Only a Nexus host can do it.>

<Then perhaps we share a goal, Your Majesty. I seek to recover Null’s corpse to extract the Nexus and become its next host; if you help me, I will use its power to relocate Themiscyra.>

<Do you take me for a fool, Ice Queen? You are only a few decades old, but your treachery is already legendary.>

<Exactly my point. The artificial nature of the Amazons prevents them from using the Nexus; do you really think any other mortal is going to betray my kind to help you? I seek to rule this entire Galaxy; losing one planet, even one as valuable as Themiscyra, is a price I’m willing to pay.>

Queen Tecmessa stares at Leiko; her artificial brain is going into overdrive to consider all alternatives. A logical computer would easily deduce that this is a terrible idea… but a brain programmed by a warrior culture is far from logical.

<What are your terms?> she asks.

It takes all of Leiko’s willpower not to burst into laughter. Sometimes she can’t believe how easy it is to fool people.

<I will need you to prevent any retaliation from the Ares fleet.>

<That’s already been taken care of. All the ships within the territory of the Mortal Republic have already been eliminated by the Amazon fleet, and there are no signs of a new invasion.>

<That doesn’t sound like Ares.>

<Leave that to us. What else do you need, Ice Queen?>

<Hell. I can’t waste the advantage of Null being its leader, but my android won’t fool them: they will discover that it’s not the real one. Can you update it to fool Blood users?>

<You ask too much. And I won’t invade Hell.>

<No need for that. You said you’re technological advanced… I have a challenge for you.>

 

Zel household, outskirts of New Rhetra

Agony is sitting alone in the empty house. There are no children running around and no duplicates, something incredibly rare for the home of Kari Zel.

The current Lady Of All Demons is using her connection to the Blood to look for her husband Torn, but she can’t feel his soul anywhere.

She’s surprised by the arrival of Noriko Null and Queen Tecmessa: both have been teleported, and both are without a soul.

<Why the impostor?> Agony asks “Noriko”, immediately sensing that this is the S.I.F. android.

<I sustained serious injuries during my fight with Ares, just like Torn. But don’t worry, everything is going to be just fine.> S.I.F. reassures her, just as Tecmessa moves much faster than a human to inject something into Agony’s neck thanks to a hypodermic needle.

The Demon is ready to fight, creating a dagger of Blood energy but freezing in place.

<Fine for me, that is. Are you sure this will allow me to control her?> “Noriko” asks.

<Don’t doubt Amazon technology. She will believe anything you say.>

<Outstanding. Agony, you will return to Hell and instruct your people to rebuild it to its former glory; no Demon will be allowed to leave without my permission. Is that clear?>

<Yes, Regent. What about my husband Torn?>

<He’s carrying out an important mission for me. You will not disturb him. Now leave.>

<Yes, Regent.> Agony replies with an almost robotic voice, opening a pentagram portal and disappearing into its flaming red lines.

<Things would be easier if you let me have that kind of technology.> “Noriko” points out.

<Don’t take me for a fool, Ice Queen. And don’t think about killing Torn or any of your hostages… they are coming with me.> Tecmessa points out.

<What? That wasn’t part of the deal. Why would you…>

<Assurance. If you betray our alliance, I will let them free to overthrow you.>

<Hm. I respect that. I will let you keep Torn and the Zel family, they mean nothing to me. But Vesta and the Null family are mine.>

<Vesta will come to Themiscyra. But I can agree on the Nulls… I have no use for them.>

<It’s a deal. There is only one minor thing we need to take care of: the last member of the Vanguard still at large. Quantum.>

<The male? I thought he was dead after he foolishly attacked Ares.>

<It’s not that easy to eliminate someone who can turn into energy. If he resurfaces, can I trust the Amazons to dispose of him?>

<We are afraid of no man. Just focus on recovering the Nexus, Ice Queen.>

<Believe me, Queen Tecmessa, that goal has my utmost attention.>

 

Nowhere

Consciousness is a funny thing. You can be aware you’re alive even if you can’t feel your body or you can’t even hear your own thoughts. Noriko Null can’t feel a thing. She can’t even see, but she’s aware of  being in front of… something.

<ANALYSIS COMPLETE. PROCESSING HOST 79.235.168. INITIATE RESURRECTION?>

Noriko would like to shout “yes” at the top of her lungs. She can’t even form the thought.

<PLEASE SELECT YES/NO.>

There is only silence in response. Noriko’s consciousness evaporates into nothingness.

<NO RESPONSE. WARNING. HOST DATA CORRUPTED. DELETE HOST?>

Only silence.

<PLEASE SELECT YES/NO. ERROR. PLEASE SELECT YES/NO. ERROR.>

Only silence.

<DOWNLOADING DATA INTO MASTER ARCHIVE. INITIATE RESURRECTION? ERROR. INITIATE RESURRECTION? ERROR. INITIATE RESURRECTION?>

Only silence.