Beyond The Impossible

New York City, Earth

The line of police cars around St. Patrick’s Cathedral is an unusual view, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg: the attempted assassination of Ganos Lal is a strange crossroad of jurisdictions.

Kari Zel walks past the police line, she’s immediately approached by a man showing his FBI badge.

<Mrs. Zel? I’m Agent Wu, thank you for cooperating.> he says shaking her hand.

<Please call me Kari, everybody does. I’m a little rusty on the details, but I though this kind of thing would be investigated by the local authorities?>

<The victim is from another planet, it more than crosses state lines. We also have inspectors from the Global Defense Organization coming up, and I’ve been told to expect someone from Galactic Security… whatever that is. And of course my boss already has Homeworld Security breathing down his neck.> he adds.

<Is this really that unusual? Earth’s isolation has been broken for some time now, you must’ve had some crimes involving people from other planets.>

<Not an attempted murder, and not with a public figure as a target. You know miss Lal, I understand?>

<I do. We’re not exactly close, but we’ve been through some stuff.>

<The assailant wanted miss Lal to report to Null that she “shouldn’t have killed Eris”. Does that ring any bell?>

<That’s a goddess Noriko dealt with not long ago. I’m 100% sure she’s dead, and honestly this wouldn’t really fit her style.>

<Any other ideas on who would want to murder Ganos Lal?>

<Lots of people I guess. Ganos is a religious leader, and some have already tried to kill her, but I thought Earth would be a safe place.> Kari admits.

<I see. Any particular person in mind?>

<Not really, they’re all dead. But I guess you didn’t expect me to know the assailant personally, so how can I help you with the investigation?>

<The man who shot miss Lal vanished instantly after the fact. And according to witnesses, several men matching his description were seen outside the church before the crime, so we think…>

<…the suspect is a Myridian.> she deduces.

<Exactly. Worse yet, he left no trace whatsoever.>

<Makes sense. It was a common tactic.>

<“Was”?>

<Back in the resistance. Create a few duplicates to scout the place, isolate the target, hit and then make all duplicates vanish. I’ve seen it done countless times on Myridia.>

<Then the suspect was a member of the Myridian resistance.>

<That’s like 30% of the people alive during the Demeter rule. And it’s entirely possible the original body is not even on the planet… Myridian duplicates are not affected by distance.> she explains.

<So I’ve been told.>

<Have you tried searching for one of Lal’s duplicates? They can’t all be with the original at the hospital.> Kari asks.

<I wish that was an option. All the duplicates vanished from the church soon after miss Lal was shot.>

<That… makes no sense. That’s not how our powers work. You must be mistaken, are you sure there were duplicates here?>

<As sure as anything I’ve ever seen in my life.> another man answers her question: while not particularly invested in Earth’s religions, Kari recognizes his uniform as that of a priest.

<Kari Zel, this is Father Martin. He’s a direct witness.> Agent Wu introduces him.

<It was all very sudden. This man shot the woman, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. There were also copies of her, attending to her wounds, but they also vanished after maybe a minute.> Father Martin explains.

<As a result of the wound, I imagine?> Agent Wu theorizes.

<No, that’s not how it works. Anything that happens to the original body doesn’t have any effect on any duplicate it has created. Her duplicates could’ve made themselves disappear if they wished, but there’s no way to force duplicates to disintegrate unless the original dies.> Kari elaborates.

<Are you sure?> the priest asks.

<I was born with those powers.> she replies.

<Is there any way to trace the original?> Agent Wu asks.

<Not that I know. I used to think it was a blessing… otherwise the Oracles would’ve had an easy time exterminating the resistance… but this complicates things. I’m afraid I don’t have any further insight that can help your investigation, agent.>

<I see. Let’s hope forensics can…>

<Although maybe there’s another way.> Kari then realizes, bringing her index finger to her right ear as if she was talking through an earpiece; in reality, it’s just force of habit when activating the Soul Relay installed inside her skull.

<Hey, it’s Kari. Can you drop by to help me with something?>

<Are you calling Null?> the agent wonders.

<Not exactly. This requires some out of the box thinking, and I know the master of that.>

After she says this, lines of fire suddenly appear on the nearest wall to draw a fiery pentagram, and a man with red skin and a brown duster steps out of it.

<The f##k!? > Agent Wu exclaims, drawing his gun.

<Lord Almighty!> Father Martin adds, taking a step back and making the sign of the cross.

<“Torn” will suffice.> the Demon replies with his naturally monotone voice.

He looks at the human pointing the gun at him, then raises an eyebrow and looks at Kari.

<That’s what you called me for?> he asks her; two small daggers made of Blood energy appear at each side of the gun, slicing its barrel and then disappearing.

<You lunkhead, I wasn’t in any danger! I’m so sorry, Agent Wu, Torn didn’t really need to break your weapon. I’ll pay for the damages if necessary.>

<Next time please give me a warning.> the agent replies, looking at the remains of his gun and wondering what would’ve happened if this alien wanted him dead.

<Torn, this is Agent Wu, he’s from the local authorities. Ganos Lal has been shot here, he’s investigating and I think we might help him find the person who attacked her.>

<I assume it wasn’t the other human here.>

<No, Father Martin is just a witness.>

<You told me your father was dead.> Torn replies, immediately confused.

<He’s not my father, he’s a local priest.>

<Quantum brought me to an Earth temple once. The priest there was dressed in red and had a white beard.>

<Torn, that wasn’t a priest, that was a mall Santa…>

<Do you also worship the teleporting obese man that breaks into houses at night, mister Father?> Torn asks the even more confused clergyman.

<How’s this guy going to help us, exactly?> Agent Wu wonders.

<Torn, I was thinking maybe you could pick up a trail. This guy didn’t just shoot Ganos Lal, he somehow managed to force her duplicates to disappear against their wills.>

<That would require a direct attack on her soul.> Torn replies.

 

<I’m sorry, what? Who is this man, exactly?> Father Martin wonders.

<Do you think he might have been a Demon in disguise?> Kari asks, ignoring the priest.

Torn looks around for maybe a couple of seconds before answering with absolute certainty:

<No. I don’t sense any other Demon on this planet.>

<Then it’s either a Myridian who knows how to access the Blood, which shouldn’t be possible, or it’s using a variation of whatever Ulysses used against Noriko.>

<Soul Control.>

<Think you could trace someone doing it? Maybe they left something behind.>

<I would have to examine Ganos Lal to make sure.> Torn replies.

<We’ve already done that, there’s nothing.> Agent Wu intervenes.

<Did you check her soul?> Torn asks.

<Can’t say that we did. She’s been taken to a hospital, I can drive you there.>

<That won’t be necessary. Her soul is obnoxiously loud.> Torn comments, raising a hand towards the wall to create a second pentagram portal.

<Do you wish to join us, Agent Wu?> Kari asks, taking the first step into the portal and extending her hand for the human to grab.

<Against my better judgment.> he shrugs, following her.

<What about you, Mister Father?> Torn asks the immensely bewildered clergyman.

<I am questioning my faith like never before.> Father Martin deadpans.

<As you wish. Praise Merry Christmas.> Torn replies, almost certain it’s the proper way to address the local oracles, and then disappears into the portal.

 

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Kari is thankful that Torn had the good sense to avoid creating the exit portal in the middle of a crowd, but it was just his tendency to be as direct as possible: they appear in Ganos Lal’s room.

She’s supposed to be alone there, with only doctors and nurses allowed inside, but there’s a person sitting on a chair at the end of her bed. Specifically, sitting with the chair facing the other way, to allow enough space for her blue wings.

<I was wondering when you would visit.> the Lampyrian says, putting away the phone she was using to frantically text someone; she’s not shocked in the slightest by the pentagram.

<Don’t I know you from somewhere?> Kari asks. She knows it’s impolite to say it, but most Lampyrians really do look extremely similar… and yet this one feels familiar.

<I’ve been told I resemble my grandmother. I hope you learn to know me enough to vote for me… I’m Lyra Syzar. It’s an honor to meet members of the legendary Vanguard.> she greets them.

<How did you get in? Lal is not supposed to have visitors.> Agent Wu wonders.

<The window was open. A security oversight, I’m sure you agree, so I took the liberty to close it.>

<What are you doing here? You’re a politician during an election campaign, and comatose people don’t vote.> Kari notes. She knows next to nothing about Lyra, but she’s not fond of politicians.

<Ganos Lal is a personal friend of mine. I was talking to one of her duplicates when she disappeared, so I thought something bad must’ve happened to her real body.>

<That was fast. How did you even know where the real Lal was?> Kari wonders.

<This is a fast moving galaxy, ma’am. You don’t run to be its Prime Minister without knowing how to quickly access the information you need.>

<I’m going to ask you to leave, miss Syzar. We are conducting an investigation.> Agent Wu says.

<Of course. Oh, by the way, they haven’t found the bullet. I thought she might’ve been poisoned, but I’ve checked her blood tests and there’s no signs of it. Don’t have the human doctors do more tests, they’d probably be thrown off by the subtle chemical differences between Earth humans and Myridian humans, you want some certified molecular analyst.> Lyra explains, talking a mile a minute.

<So you’re a politician, a scientist and a doctor?> Kari asks.

<My people are born for multitasking.> the Lampyrian boasts.

Then the door opens, and a nurse looks at the strange visitors with a suspicious look.

<You’re not supposed to be here. You need to leave, the Pontiff needs her medication.> she says.

<How do you know she’s Supreme Pontiff?> Kari asks, creating a duplicate behind the nurse to stop her from leaving without her permission. Which proves to be the correct move when the nurse tries to shove her aside to flee; Kari reacts by grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back.

<I knew you were too comfortable around aliens to be a human. Why do you want Lal dead?>

<She’s a traitor like you!> the nurse replies; an exact duplicate of her appears right next to her.

As a martial artist, Kari is prepared for any possible move. She’s not prepared to see the woman conjure up a knife made of pitch black energy, which the nurse uses to stab Kari’s duplicate.

Torn throws a Blood dagger at her, in an attempt to disarm her. A whip made of the same dark energy swats away the weapon, and the Blood evaporates as soon as it touches it.

<You won’t be safe forever. The darkness shall rise again.> the nurse cryptically warns them, before all of her bodies disappear in the blink of an eye.