The Mindscape
The door opens in front of a familiar beach, but it’s under a different sky.
The last time Noriko Null was here, the laboratory built by Diomedes was still perfectly intact; now it lays in ruins, and considering the blue sky has been replaced by a field of pixels violently changing shape at every second it’s clear that something major has happened.
<Ah, Diomedes, sloppy as always.> Roxiana comments, as the former Nexus host inspects what’s left of his unfinished works.
<Did my “death” have something to do with this? Or is it the result of me deleting Diomedes?> Noriko asks, more worried about the sky; this section of the Mindscape seems wildly unstable.
<Probably both. It’s better if we don’t overstay our welcome, this place is probably going to collapse rather soon.> Roxiana urges her, and yet she’s the one who lingers on a particular part of the laboratory… the one housing the only project that seems even remotely close to being finished: a piece of female armor.
<There you are. I was wondering how long it would take for someone else to give it a try.> Roxiana comments, touching the exposed circuitry as if she was caressing a lover.
<You’ve seen it before?> Noriko asks, hoping to get some insight on her mysterious predecessor.
<So many times, although not in this form of course. I’ve dabbled in a more… voluminous version.> she says, looking down at her own chest and then at Noriko: the armor is evidently designed for a petite 5 feet tall girl and not for a foot taller well-built woman.
<I didn’t ask him to build me anything.> Noriko points out.
<Of course you didn’t. He was an unusual host but he still had the Nexus, so he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that it was too late for him to give it a try, so he must’ve decided to hand it to the current host… the sheer arrogance of that man, believing that he of all people could be the one to finish it when so many of his superiors couldn’t.>
<You make it sound like it wasn’t his idea. This is an older project?>
<Older than you imagine. The original blueprints date back to the oldest Nexus hosts… everyone has added a few twists, across thousands of hosts and billions of years, but nobody has ever managed to actually build a functioning one. Not the Scribe, not Teraph, not even me. I’ve nicknamed it the Genesis Armor, though some less imaginative hosts called it the God Armor.>
The ground shakes as the instability of the Mindscape breaks the simulation, diving the landscape in two by a crack that extends from the pixelated sky to the ground.
<Is that something that could help me get back to my body?> Noriko asks her.
<Whoever wears it is going to be literally invincible.> Roxiana replies, her silver eyes shining as she’s mesmerized by the design of the armor.
<We don’t have time for this crap!> Noriko comments, grabbing her by the wrist and practically dragging Roxiana towards the glowing door.
She doesn’t notice that, before leaving, the former host manages to steal a piece of paper from the lab… the blueprints of the latest version of the armor.
Thebes, 65,000 light-years from Earth
The capital planet of the Ares sector has never been a quiet place. Violence has always been its currency: here only the strong and the ruthless survive, with almost no law to punish them.
The only reason Thebes maintains some semblance of a society is that things are never allowed to escalate: killing or robbing your neighbor is not only allowed by expected, but if the chaos spreads beyond a couple of blocks the Oracles show up to stop the violence by employing lethal force.
Now that the Oracles are nowhere to be seen, however, the planet is ablaze. Quite literally, as all of its main cities are plagued by widespread fires.
This is clearly visible from the top of one of the many castles that serve as strongholds for the elite soldiers of the Ares army. A goddess stands on its tallest tower, overseeing the city and watching over the fires that illuminate its night.
<Whoever gave you a planet to rule was a fool, father.> Harmonia comments.
She steps off the tower, her bare feet floating in the air. You would hardly recognize the red-haired goddess as the daughter of the God of War: the only sign of her divine background, other than the beauty inherited from her mother Aphrodite, is that her simple purple dress remains dry despite the drops of rain that have started to drop.
<Things are going to change. Now, everyone… calm down.> she says, her violet eyes shining.
In an instant, the city becomes completely silent. Harmonia floats towards the ground, stopping only once her feet float a few inches from the asphalt.
The mortals around her don’t acknowledge her presence. They dropped everything they were doing, whether it was fleeing from an assailant or in the process of breaking a window. Even the mortals trapped inside burning buildings are no longer trying to escape: just like everybody else, they are standing still without any will to move. Even those who are being burned alive.
<That’s more like it. Everyone who has not committed any act of violence can go back home and resume normal life. As for the guilty…> she pauses, looking around. Those she considers innocent are slowly shambling towards home, barely sentient zombies not in control of their own bodies.
Those are barely 10% of the people in the street, and that’s being generous.
<Everyone else, stay where you are for seven days and seven nights. You will serve as a warning for those who are tempted by the ways of violence. If you are still alive by then, I will allow you to resume your lives.> she adds.
Only the mortals in her close proximity are able to hear her words, but the effect is the same across the entire planet.
For the first time in thousands of years, Thebes experiences peace. In its most terrifying form.
Boreas, 30,000 light-years from Earth
The dungeons of the Winter Castle are in full lockdown: all points of access are closed, trapping inside whoever was unfortunate enough to be there. That includes hundreds of unconscious Lar, who succumbed to heat stroke when the temperature was suddenly increased above zero.
Vector steps over them, unconcerned about their chances of survival; he’s focusing on finishing his task as soon as possible.
<How degrading. The intellect of the greatest cyberneticist in the Galaxy wasted on capturing common people who are naïve enough to believe themselves to be important.> he comments, as his implants connect to the dungeon’s automated systems.
The door in front of him opens, revealing the hallway where his targets have been trapped. Bob Null, Dr. Catherine Kalama and their daughter Nalani are now in front of him; all other doors have been closed and locked.
<I believe you are currently smart enough to realize you have no way out.> Vector tells them: his right forearm splits in half, releasing miniature railgun that is ready to fire at any moment.
<You should put that away. You have one chance to walk away from this unharmed.> Bob warns him, moving in front of his companion and his daughter to protect them.
<Please. Even with your intellect enhanced by the Nexus you are no match for me. You didn’t even manage to escape properly… you just wandered into a trap.> Vector mocks him.
<Actually, I led us towards the biggest source of heat in the dungeon.> Bob replies, looking at the wall next to him… it’s becoming hot enough to melt through any metal.
That’s because it’s being exposed to millions of degrees, which allows the Goddess of the Sun to walk right through the newly created opening.
<Amaterasu. This is no place for a child goddess, just leave us alone.> Vector tells her.
<You have one chance to surrender. I will not repeat myself.> the goddess replies, with an uncharacteristically serious tone.
<I don’t take orders from you.> Vector says, powering up his weapon… and in return being on the receiving end of a massive blast of solar energy.
Vector is left screaming in pain as his skin is horrifically burned, and Dr. Kalama turns away to prevent her daughter from seeing such a macabre spectacle.
<Don’t worry, he’ll live. I’m done killing people in the name of others.> Amaterasu replies, releasing a second focused blast: this time aimed at the ceiling, with her white-hot plasma cutting an opening that extends all the way to the surface.
<Uhm… are you alright? You don’t seem, well, you.> Bob notes. His plan was to convince the childlike goddess to help them, but apparently they’re already past that stage.
<I was created using your daughter DNA as basis, Mr. Null… it appears that the same phenomenon that enhanced your intelligence has allowed my mind to mature. Now I remember who I am.>
<You’re family.> Bob realizes.
<Let’s get you to the surface. It’s time to see the Sun again… and save the Vanguard.>
Thebes, 65,000 light-years from Earth
Living in the castle housing the throne of Ares has always been a terrible thing. The god of war didn’t visit very often, but his servants have always lived in terror anticipating what he would do.
The walls are still covered in blood; Ares would entertain himself by watching slaves engaged in a fight to the death, sometimes while also making use of his concubines… few of which survived.
The roles have changed now: there are soldiers doing their best to clean the walls from the several layers of blood, the result of thousands of years of bloody entertainment; the slaves are watching over them, and the concubines are tiding up the place to make it at least look like a seat of government. Nobody dares to say a single word.
Harmonia walks into the room, looking at the throne. It’s a twenty ton monstrosity, a jagged amalgamation of rusty iron swords and skulls from several sentient species.
<This is unfit for a goddess.> Harmonia comments. Despite her petite frame, she’s able to lift the entire throne with one hand as if it was weightless and to throw it against one of the walls.
<Melt down that ridiculous thing and fetch me a proper throne.> she says, resulting in every single mortal dropping everything to move towards the throne.
<Not all of you, just those who were doing nothing. Who is the highest ranking civilian here?>
<Your Majesty.> a man says approaching her, kneeling to show his respect. He’s a middle aged man missing his left eye, which is covered by a eyepatch.
<Speak your name and rank.>
<Dardanos Clivius Novo, Minister of Commerce.>
<I have been locked away for a long time, Dardanos. What has happened to my father?>
<I don’t know, Your Majesty. He launched an assault on the Mortal Republic, but he has not returned. There are rumors he might be dead.>
<I have never heard of this kingdom. Which god rules over it?>
<No god, Your Majesty. It has been granted autonomy as a sovereign vassal of Zeus.>
<I can see why my father would attack them. What about my brothers and sisters?>
<Eros is thought to reside in the Aphrodite sector. Phobos, Deimos and Adrestia are… dead.>
<Adrestia? But she was just a child! Who is responsible for her death?>
<Your grandmother Hera, Your Majesty. Adrestia was executed for treason.>
<I see. Must have been the work of our brothers. Were Phobos and Deimos executed as well?>
<No, Your Majesty. They were killed by a mortal named Noriko Null, the Slayer of Gods.>
<A mortal, you say. And did this… “slayer” kill any other god?>
<Yes, Your Majesty. She has also killed Demeter, Hephaestus, Selene, Tiamat, Artemis, Serket, Sobek and Nephthys. Apollo is an unconfirmed victim as well, and… there are rumors she… was the one to kill your father.>
<This is absurd. And my grandfather has done nothing to stop this monster?>
<Zeus has not been seen by anyone for decades, Your Majesty. His current status is unknown.>
<It seems my return was timely… someone has to restore order to this violent galaxy. I cannot rely on my mother to help me, but I have one other ally. Tell me, Dardanos, has my grandson Dionysus finally been granted his own sector to rule?>
<He did rule, but… he has been kidnapped by the Ice Queen, ruler of the Winter Kingdom. That’s another mortal vassal of Zeus, a close ally to Hera.>
<I wish to talk to my grandmother as soon as possible. Is there anything else that requires my attention, Dardanos?>
<Yes, we are… we are following your orders to stop all acts of war, but… we are technically at war with Apollo, and following his disappearance his wife Helen has asked for peace talks.>
<I am always ready to talk about peace. She is most welcome in my domain. Dismissed.>
<Thank you, Your Majesty.> Dardanos nods politely, relieved to have come out of the experience unscathed… until Harmonia adds:
<Dardanos, if you are a civilian, how did you lose your eye?>
<I was… I was a soldier when I was younger. Your Majesty, I fought in the name of your father and I dedicated by life to…>
<To violence. I will not allow harmony to be disrupted. Take out your other eye, Dardanos.>
Without any hesitation or any chance to resist her command, the man proceeds to just shove his fingers into his right eye socket and comply. He doesn’t even scream: she doesn’t allow him to, as he bleeds all over the floor.
<Someone clean up this mess. And where’s that throne I asked for?>
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