Beyond The Impossible

Null Tower

New York City, Earth

The city has seen a lot in the past ten years: multiple alien invasions, the entire world being frozen over… and now the dead have risen for the second year in a row.

One of the Kari Zel duplicates is in the Operations Room, standing up in front of the large round table, hunched over a laptop displaying a map of the planet. She’s talking to the holographic screen connecting her to the President of the United States.

<We have confirmation that the attack is coming from outside the Galaxy, President Warden, most likely from Hades.> she explains.

<Why is he attacking Earth? We are not part of the Empire.> the elder statesman replies.

<I don’t think Hades really cares for the rules anymore, sir. But at any rate Earth doesn’t seem to be a major target; how goes the battle in orbit?>

<I’ve been informed by the Global Defense Organization that all enemy ships have been destroyed. But we still have to worry about the dead rising from the graves to attack all cities on the planet: can you spare any more resources?>

<I’m afraid not, sir. Quantum is already moving from place to place, but even at his speed incinerating all those zombies takes time. Torn is leading the defense of Argos, Vesta is on Aquilia, and I’m sending my duplicates to as many planets as the Portal Generator can take them: I can’t spare any more of them.>

<What about miss Null?>

<I lost communication. I suggest concentrating all military personnel near the largest cities, sir, from what I can see the zombies are mostly concentrate around them.>

<That was the recommendation of the GDO as well. America appreciates the Vanguard’s help, mrs. Zel, please let’s keep each other posted.>

<Will do. Talk to you later, President Warden.> Kari says, switching off the call.

Noticing there are three dozen different calls on hold, she takes a moment to collect her thoughts and closes her eyes to take a deep thought.

<Are you tracking the zombies?> a child’s voice asks, as a seven-year-old girl timidly walks into the room holding a stuffed unicorn tight to her chest.

<Nalani, you’re not supposed to be here.> Kari reprimands Noriko’s half-sister, who is already near enough to catch a glimpse of her laptop.

<Oh! You have an Ichor tracker? I thought it was untraceable!>

<Noriko built it after the whole Ereshkigal affair. I don’t know how it looks but…> Kari comments, practically shoved aside by the girl climbing on the chair that the Myridian isn’t even using.

<It’s a spectrographic analysis. Ah, I get it, Ichor is untraceable but its effect on living tissues leaves behind trace amounts of chemical compounds. That’s pretty clever!>

<Nalani, I have lots of heads of state that need to talk to me about very important stuff, and I can’t spare a single duplicate to…>

<I bet there’s a chemical way to stop the zombies.>

<Come on, let’s find your mother and… wait. What did you just say?> Kari asks: she dismissed Nalani’s curiosity as childish, but without her sister around she is the smartest person on the planet.

<If Ichor can chemically influence a body, there’s probably a way to sever the connection.>

<I have little use for a “probably”, Nalani. Think about it, can it be done?>

<Hmmm it’s pretty hard to be sure without more data, but I think so.>

<Good enough.> Kari shrugs, figuring out that she can’t afford to discard any solution and sending a specific signal through her Soul Relay.

Moments later, a pentagram of fire appears in the room to announce the arrival of Torn.

Who looks around and then raises an eyebrow to state the obvious:

<There is no battle here.>

<No, but you’re the closest thing to an expert on Ichor we have and Nalani has some ideas on how to stop it from animating more zombies.> Kari says.

<She does?>

<I do? I mean, yes, I do.> Nalani tries to fake more confidence than she has.

<It’s a long shot, granted, but it’s worth exploring: what do we have to lose?> Kari asks.

<The war.> Torn replies.

<Just get her up to speed on Ichor and we’ll see if she comes up with something useful.>

<Others have been studying Ichor longer than me. Come with me, child, I’ll introduce you to the elders of Hell.>

<Mom said I can’t go to other planets without her permission. Can you ask her for me, mr. Torn?>

<Can’t you ask yourself?>

<Yes, but… Mom also said I’m not allowed to say the name of your planet.>

<You two hurry up before I send you to Hell myself.> Kari hurries them, before reluctantly taking another call.

 

Olympus, 28,000 light-years from Earth

The celestial monstrosity of Charybdis, a twisted mass of teeth and tentacles, is so colossal that just its gravitational field is shoving Olympus out of its orbit around the sun.

Ships are leaving the planet flying in the opposite direction, including various the city-ships full of refugees from the Aegian Galaxy.

The Olympian Palace maintains enough of the infrastructure made of Neutral Matter built by Hephaestus to withstand the gravitational stress, even when the landscape around it is wrecked by the most powerful earthquake physically possible.

All mortal personnel have been evacuated, with the only exception of the Mortal Co-Empress Noriko Null: she’s currently overseeing the evacuation through one of the holographic screens of the Yggdrasil command center.

<Are you sure that we can’t combine our powers to de-age that thing, like we did with Hera?> Noriko asks to the only other person in the room, the goddess Hebe.

<Absolutely. Nobody knows where Charybdis came from, whether it’s the spawn of the Mother Of All Monster Echidna or a monster created from Gaea’s hatred, but trust me: that thing has never known youth.>

<Not that I’m complaining, but why isn’t it attacking the ships?>

<That’s not how Charybdis works. It doesn’t chase its prey, it uses its own gravity to eat… and it wouldn’t eat something as tiny as a ship, even a whole fleet. We should leave before it devours Olympus, Noriko, I don’t think even you have something that can stop it.>

<Maybe not, but if eating a celestial object is what it wants, let’s give it an indigestion.> Noriko says, her silver eyes shining as she inputs coordinates into the Yggdrasil system.

<Please don’t tell me you’re shooting black hole warheads at the all-devouring monster.>

<No, I’m teleporting black hole warheads directly inside the all-devouring monster.>

<I… wish you had consulted me before doing so, Noriko.>

<Why?>

Gravity suddenly goes wild: Hebe has to grab Noriko before she’s slammed into the wall, as the whole palace is violently ripped from the ground.

The Goddess of Youth takes the mortal into her arms and flies out of the palace, where Noriko can witness a terrifying scene: Charybdis is now twice the size it used to be, and its gravity is now ripping off continent-sized chunks off Olympus.

<Did that thing just eat a black hole like it was nothing!?> Noriko exclaims.

<First rule of eldritch monsters, Noriko: don’t feed them!!!>

<That doesn’t make any sense! The black hole shouldn’t have added any mass, it should’ve taken it from the monster’s insides!>

<Charybdis can control its mass at will. That’s the only thing it can do, any kind of attack will just result in it getting larger.> Hebe explains.

<And you couldn’t tell me the moment it showed up!?> Noriko complains.

<I didn’t think you’d shoot a black hole in it! And we have a bigger problem right now.>

<Somehow I doubt it…>

<I’m not strong enough to escape the gravitational pull: it’s going to eat us.>

<Okay, that is a big problem.> Noriko acknowledges, thinking as hard as she can about a way to save them. Once her attempt to send out any signal fails, something new appears right besides them.

A golden light in the shape of an ankh, out of which steps a beautiful goddess who doesn’t seem concerned by the situation. She doesn’t even have a single hair out of place.

<Hebe. Null. We need to talk.> the Egyptian goddess says.

<We’re in the middle of something, Isis!!!> Noriko protests, her Survival Field having a hard time keeping a stable atmosphere around her when Charybdis is stripping the atmosphere off Olympus.

<This little skirmish of yours is in violation of the laws of the Nine Gods: I formally request an Assembly of the Nine Gods at the Throne Of The Universe.>

<I’d be glad to accept if this thing wasn’t about to swallow me and my capital planet!> Hebe protests; she’s pushing her powers to the limit, but this is a painful reminder about how limited they truly are.

<What, this little thing?> Isis asks, looking at Charybdis like it was an annoying little dog barking at a much larger animal.

<I can’t believe I came all the way from my Galaxy for this.> Isis sighs, then her look changes to an intense stare.

<Shoo.> she orders to the devourer of planets, and Charybdis pulsates with something that could be described between a heartbeat and a shiver.

Charybdis shrinks to just half the Moon’s diameter, reducing its gravitational field to a fraction of what its real mass should create, and moves away from Olympus.

Remaining suspended in the air, her hair still immaculate and her dress without a single wrinkle, Isis then makes a gesture towards the planet itself.

It’s as if time itself was flowing in reverse: she’s physically pulling Olympus back together, repairing all damages with disarming ease.

Hebe looks at this with her mouth open, humbled in the direct experience of the incalculable difference between a Class-4 goddess like herself and a Class-1 like Isis.

<There. Now can we have an Assembly?> Isis asks, creating a new ankh portal.

<Uhm, yes. Absolutely.> Hebe answers, trying and failing to hide her admiration.

<You can put me down now. I can’t enter the Assembly like this.> Noriko then has to remind her: it would be humiliating for the Mortal Co-Empress to be carried like a bride to meet the Nine Gods.

 

Throne Of The Universe

Middle Galaxy, 163,000 light-years from Earth

Under regular circumstances, the calling of an Assembly Of The Nine Gods would require more elaborate ceremonies. The Demons would be traditionally be asked to hand over invitations, and a new planet would have be to be created from scratch by the combined efforts of the participants.

But there is a lesser-known regulation that allows one of the members to personally invite all other and take charge of the planetary creation alone.

In the one million years since the Nine Gods have been established, it’s never been invoked: that’s because it’s an emergency measure in case of a state of war between its members.

<Where are the others?> Hebe wonders, taking her seat on her own throne while Noriko has to just stand next to her. Isis sits on her throne, with other eight being empty at the moment: seven assigned to the rest of the members, plus the throne reserved for the Emperor Of The Universe whose position has been vacant since the fall of Kronos.

<They’ll be here shortly, believe me. Marduk agreed that it’d be awkward for the rest of the accusers arriving at the same time.> Isis says.

<Wait, “accused”?> Noriko asks.

<Yes, you stand accused of violating the law against a member of the Nine Gods directly attacking another.> Isis clarifies.

<We were defending ourselves from an invasion!> Noriko protests.

<Save your words for the trial, Null. If found guilty, the galaxy of the offender shall be destroyed.>