Noriko Null is more than used to finding herself in the worst possible scenarios upon regaining consciousness. This isn’t even the first time she wakes up immobilized by chains, but typically they are not made out of Blood energy.
<You’re giving humans a bad name, you know that right?> a familiar voice asks.
The room is in absolute darkness, except from the red glow coming from the chains, but she doesn’t need to look at the Scribe to recognize him.
<Like I care about the opinion of a mass murderer. Is this how you get back at me for killing you?>
<I have made peace with the fact that I’m dead, Null. Your obstinacy, on the other hand, threatens the very survival of the Nexus itself.>
<I doubt this one can be persuaded by words, Imhotep. My successor is even more stubborn than the both of us put together.> Roxiana adds; the room is so dark that Noriko didn’t even notice they are in the same room. She can tell that her using the Scribe birth name irritates him.
<The fact that she still thinks about the Mindscape as a physical space is proof enough that she has been tampering with technology far beyond her understanding.> someone new comments.
Noriko can only see the light of his golden eyes. She doesn’t have the same familiarity with him as with the Scribe, but she has met his shadow before: Teraph, the Lar host of the Nexus who lived a million years before her birth. Creator of the Keys of Heaven and supposedly one of the most brilliant Nexus users who ever lived.
<Indeed I am. And yes, I am reading your mind; the Mindscape holds no secrets for me.>
<If that were true I wouldn’t be here. What do you want from me?> Noriko asks him.
Teraph doesn’t answer immediately. She can’t read his mind, but she still senses his irritation.
<She really is your successor, Roxiana. Even more reckless than you. Allowing such a primitive race to obtain the Nexus was a mistake.>
<Some said the same about the Lar. We are not here to assert the virtues of our respective races, but to restore balance to the Nexus after the damage it sustained.> is the comment of yet another former host, the Demon woman Apocalypse.
<How many people did you invite to this little party? I know the Nexus has had millions of hosts, and I guess we don’t have that kind of time.> Noriko jokes. Despite her attempts to appear confident, the fact that she can’t break out of her chains is genuinely worrying her.
<The Mindscape is not as vast as it once was. Are you aware of the havoc you have unleashed?>
<If you’re talking about me deleting the Diomedes simulation…> Noriko tries to answer her.
<Such ignorance. What do you think were the effects of deleting the Eden?> Teraph asks.
<Punishment for causing untold suffering for billions of years.> Noriko says, without missing a beat. Teraph gestures in disgust as he walks away.
<What did we do to deserve having the most worthless species in the cosmos taking possession of the most dangerous weapon in existence!?>
<As much as I disagree with my predecessor’s theatrical distaste for us humans, Null, you must’ve realized that destroying the Eden would have disastrous consequences.> the Scribe intervenes.
<Seriously? All of a sudden you’re all concerned about the Eden!? F#ck those guys, they had it coming for what they did!> Noriko exclaims.
<Be that as it may, you also destroyed the Eden simulations that lived inside the Mindscape. This caused irreparable damage to the information that they collected, as well as that coming from the races they enslaved.> Apocalypse reveals.
<What kind of damage are we talking about?>
<We risk a total collapse of the Mindscape. Teraph and I barely managed to protect the Central Registry, but our defenses began to crumble as soon as the Nexus itself became unstable.>
<And it only got worse once you showed up. We tried to isolate your simulation or shut it down completely, but we have limited control over your avatar since the Nexus is still considering you as its active host. The only solution is for you to relinquish control.> Teraph explains.
Then something clicks in Noriko’s mind. Why she’s only talking to a handful of former hosts, and why Teraph seems far more irascible than before.
<You guys have no idea of how I managed to survive, don’t you?> she asks.
<Surely because we have to divide our attention between you and repairing the Mindscape infrastructure!> Teraph points out.
<He’s lying. We have no clue of what you have done.> Apocalypse admits, while the Scribe adds:
<I have a theory. I have carried out more experiments than all of you on how to transfer information between cloned bodies; Null must have figured out how to force the Nexus into a feedback loop, as if it was constantly transferring her mind back and forth between bodies.>
<Even if that was true, I have no memory of it. At this point you probably know that.>
<Indeed. But we have devised two solutions. The first one, which we estimate would stop the degradation of the Mindscape, is for you to delete your own simulation.> Apocalypse proposes.
<In words you might understand, that means killing yourself.> Teraph translates.
<Suicide’s not my style. What’s the second option?>
<Execution.> the Demon answers, creating a two-handed energy axe. At the same time the Scribe unleashes a laser sword, and Teraph draws two incredibly advanced guns.
<We would rather avoid this: we have no way to make this painless. You should consider voluntary self-deletion: your control of the Mindscape is insignificant, you must know you have no chance against the three of us.> Apocalypse says. Just like a Demon, her statement is very matter-of-fact.
The Scribe, on the other hand, is doing a poor job masking his satisfaction at the chance of revenge.
<You’re right. I can’t beat you on my own, so… get’em, girls!!!>
Teraph and the Scribe sense someone behind them, and they have to concentrate on their personal shields to protect themselves from the barrage of blasts of a pair of Genius Guns, while Apocalypse changes the axe into a sword to block what looks exactly like the Heaven-Slayer blade.
<Of all the scenarios where I come back to life, I did not anticipate this.> Void comments.
<First resurrection, uh?> Viper replies, pressing Apocalypse on a swordfight while simultaneously attacking her with tendrils of electricity shooting out of her brain.
The sudden and intense attack takes away the Demon’s concentration for the few seconds that Noriko and Roxiana need to free themselves from the Blood chains.
<Friends of yours?> the former host asks, raising an eyebrow.
<Just the opposite, but they’ll have to do. At least now it’s four against three!> Noriko boasts, concentrating to create a simulation of her own Genius Guns.
<Inferior shadows of a real Nexus host.> Apocalypse dismisses the latest arrivals, releasing a wide range of tiny razor blades that reduce both Void and Viper to pieces. It takes them an instant to recreate themselves, and for the first time Apocalypse shows a reaction: utter bafflement.
<This is impossible!> the Scribe complains.
<I’m still the rightful owner of the Nexus, guys: this is MY brain. And my mind is not a nice place to be. So… how about we find a third option?> Noriko suggest.
<You might be the current host. But WE are the Nexus.> Apocalypse replies, swinging her sword seemingly at nothing. It’s just a single swing, but it cuts the darkness that surrounds the place into a thousand pieces… and when the darkness shatters, this is no longer a private affair.
They are surrounded from all sides by a seemingly endless amount of Demons and Lar, plus some races that Noriko can’t identify. She stops counting them past ten thousand.
<Their forces appear… consistent.> Roxiana comments, with the understatement of the year.
<I’m already dead, what’s the worst that could happen?> Noriko shrugs, opening fire.
Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth
The streets are crowded by thousands of duplicates of soldiers patrolling the city, and the skies are busy with frequent launches of new shuttles. A lone figure moves slowly through the crowd to reach an isolated building, where there is a long wait before the entrance door opens.
<Are you alone?> Ganos Lal asks him.
<As alone as a Myridian can be.> the guest answers, removing his cowl to reveal a man with green hair and beard. Together they walk the ten flights of stairs that are needed to reach the only occupied room in the building.
Max Black is there, busy studying a bunch of interstellar maps. At first glance there’s an African-American woman with him, but as soon as the guest sees her she becomes an absolutely flawless copy of his wife.
<What the… what’s the meaning of this!?> the man with the green beard reacts.
<Don’t pay attention to him, I mean to her. You’re Myridia’s President, right?> Max asks.
<A duplicate, but yes I’m Radul Sil. Is this a robot?> he asks, just as “his wife” grabs his arm.
<Do I look like a cold machine, my love?>
<Eros, please, not right now. Mister President, are you sure you weren’t followed?>
<Yes, even Null can’t keep track of every Myridian. And since Lal explicitly asked me not to inform Null about this, I guess this is not Vanguard business.> President Sil hypothesizes.
<That’s not Noriko. I’m sure that’s actually a robot taking her place. I don’t have any proof but…>
<I trust you.> the President cuts him short, leaving Max speechless.
<And I had this whole speech to convince you…>
<Turning the Church into a militia? Assuming control over the Myridian military? Threatening a secession from the Mortal Republic? Only an idiot would think those are Null ideas.>
<Ehm.> Ganos Lal mumbles to clear her throat.
<I apologize for being blunt, Supreme Pontiff, but unlike you I don’t believe Null is a goddess.>
<But you still went along with her plans and didn’t say anything in public!> Max reminds him.
<You have no idea of just how popular she is. She’s already the de facto commander-in-chief of our military forces. And it’s just the beginning.>
<What do you mean?>
<I still have contacts in the intelligence services of the Mortal Republic. Over a hundred worlds are ready to pledge personal allegiance to her, and President Aura is sending troops to squash any attempt of rebellion. We haven’t informed the public to prevent panic, but there are six dreadnaughts stationed just outside of Myridia’s orbit.>
<They wouldn’t dare opening fire on us, wouldn’t they?> Ganos Lal asks.
<Aura plans to use Myridia as a bargaining chip. If Null doesn’t stand down, this entire planet will be reduced to ashes.> President Sil reveals.
<Lady Null would never allow that!> Ganos Lal objects. Max Black, on the other hand, seems to have figured out what all of this means.
<Aura thinks this world is under the Vanguard’s protection. That’s why she hesitates. But we’re not dealing with the real Noriko here… if Myridia is destroyed, it will galvanize her followers. No matter what happens, Myridia must be protected.>
<But we have nothing to fear as long as you are here, right?> President Sil asks him.
<I wish. Even if I still had my powers, I don’t know if I’m powerful enough to protect Myridia.>
<I am.> Eros intervenes.
Everyone looks at “him”, still wearing the form of the President’s wife, without commenting.
<What? I might not be a war god, but I protect those I love. And I absolutely love this planet.>
Ganos Lal creates a duplicate next to Max for the sole purpose of whispering to him:
<Can we really trust a god like him?>
<I don’t think we have a choice. Mister President, I don’t know how much control you still have, but I have to get off this planet. Can you help me?>
<I’ll see what I can do. But with all of Myridia looking for you, I can’t give you a crew… it’ll have to be a small craft. Can you pilot it?>
<Not unless I need to do more than write down a destination.> Max admits.
<I know how to pilot a ship. Where do you want to go? Earth is off-limits, Hell is too far away, and Aura would get you killed the second you set foot on Argos.>
<There’s one place she can’t look for us, because it’s not on any map. Unless you’ve already been there.> Max replies, pointing his finger on a specific point of the stellar map.
<We’re going to Themiscyra, the Amazon planet.>
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