Beyond The Impossible

Klito, Aphrodite Sector, Olympian Galaxy

Kiros Zel yawns loudly. He’s been staring at Noriko Null examine the gigantic Gate of Heaven hidden inside this physics-defying cave for what feels like an eternity.

She hasn’t said anything for most of that eternity, concentrating on the sensors and drones she brough with her.

<You can go back to Myridia if you’re bored.> she tells him.

<No, it’s fine. You might need my help if Aphrodite gets back.>

<Yeah I noticed the air stopped smelling like roses and surprisingly nice perfume. Where did she disappear?>

<Oh she’s having sex with my duplicates right outside the cave.>

<Should’ve guessed. Now I’m really grateful I didn’t have to bring my dad here.> she comments under her breath.

<So… any progress with this thing?> Kiros asks, looking at the Gate.

<I have no idea where to start.> Null admits.

<It’s okay if you have to dumb it down for me.>

<No it wasn’t a disparaging comment… it’s an admission of failure. This is truly alien tech to me.>

<Aren’t you like the smartest person in the universe?>

<This thing is not exactly in this universe.> Noriko says, using her N-Phone to project the simple hologram of a cone; a very small representation of the Gate of Heaven is shown on the tip.

<I’m pretty sure what we can see, and interact with, is just the part of the device that extends into three-dimensional space. This should give you an idea of just how huge the entire construction is, and consider that this is an oversimplification… to be more precise, this cone should really be drawn in five dimensions.>

<How can you know any of this!?>

<I am Null. I could explain how I figured this out, but first you’d need about a dozen lectures on quantum physics, gravity chromodynamics and hyperdimensional math.>

<I think I’ll pass. But if you can learn all of this, surely you’ll be able to use this to connect to the other gate in Poseidon’s realm?>

<That was the plan, yes, because I thought the Gates worked similarly to the Shadow Network that the Lar used to have… a series of interconnected portals. But this one connects only to a single isolated dimension, which I’m going to assume is called Heaven, and nothing else. In fact, I don’t think this thing was devised to be a two-way door. You know what this means, right?>

<No, you lost me at “chromodynamics”.>

<The Gate of Heaven can only be used to reach our dimension, but not the other way around… and it’s been closed on the other side.>

<That must be why it’s been abandoned here without anyone noticing. Who’d be interested in something like this?> Kiros wonders.

<Excellent question. What game is Ulysses playing?> Noriko asks herself.

 

Somewhere in the Aegian Galaxy

Ulysses is deep in meditation, closely monitoring the souls of his prisoners. The room is silent, with the only sound coming from the steps of the goddess Rhodos who is pacing back and forth in as she grows increasingly frustrated by the boredom of inaction.

Suddenly he opens his eyes and orders with a stern voice:

<Kill Skorpios. Now.>

<What? You said you wanted to keep these mortals… where did she go?> Rhodos wonders: in the blink of an eye, the cyborg has disappeared leaving behind only the chains tied to her chair.

Equally as fast, a dagger made of glowing red Blood energy flies towards Ulysses: it’s aimed to hit him between the eyes, but Rhodos intercepts it by catching it.

<Nice trick, but you’ll have to be faster than that.> she teases, easily snapping the dagger in half.

<I will. Instinct Killer!!!> Torn shouts, and his body becomes ingulfed in the Blood: energy shears cut the chains immobilizing him, and he rushes towards Ulysses brandishing a sword in each hand.

He’s considerably faster than before, but still not on the level of the goddess: Rhodos is still between him and Ulysses, and Torn hesitates before attacking her.

<What’s wrong, little mortal? Afraid to hit a…> she tries to intimidate him, but she stops talking when her mouth is suddenly filled with sharp blades.

She bites them, crushing the Blood constructs beneath her teeth. She then wipes her mouth against her forearm, then spits her own blood to the ground.

<Would killing this one violate our agreement?> she asks Ulysses, her wound already healed.

<Calm down, he’s laying a trap. He knows that he’s not powerful enough to hurt you and that I know enough about the Blood to render his weapons useless against me.>

<You think you know everything. Your arrogance will be your downfall: you should never have attacked the Vanguard.> Torn tells him.

<I have studied your team for years, Torn, and without Null you are not a serious threat.>

<Today will prove otherwise.>

<Don’t overestimate your importance, son of Hell. Without Null, how many gods have you killed?>

<Give us a few minutes.> Torn replies, and then he just vanishes.

Rhodos looks around, without finding the Demon anywhere.

<I thought you said you were blocking his portals!> she laments.

<I am: he didn’t use a pentagram. Then how did he…> Ulysses wonders, when the entire base is shaken by a powerful earthquake.

<Skorpios.> he realizes, looking up as the ceiling collapses.

 

Bridge of the N01-Ragnarok

Quantum wakes up when the device that kept his brain in check is removed. It takes him a while to get his bearings, noticing Kari and Vesta are also waking up in the same way.

<At least this time we’re not naked. Not that I’m complaining, but how are we still alive?> he asks.

<Skorpios agreed to set you free. We haven’t negotiated the fate of Roxiana yet, so don’t revive her for now.> Torn explains.

The former Nexus host is in fact the only person on the bridge to still be unconscious, the brain scrambler on her forehead still active.

<Okay I’m missing like a thousand steps here. Skorpios works with us now? Where is she?> Kari wonders. Torn replies without saying a single word but pointing at the image on the main viewscreen… a planet that has just been hit by a moon, with the global catastrophe being clearly visible from the orbit where the Ragnarok is located.

<Ulysses moved us to a Zenith base in real space while we were unconscious. I stalled him while Skorpios recovered the Ragnarok, and she returned the favor with her attack.>

<Did… did she just drop a moon on Ulysses!?> Quantum exclaims.

<And on Rhodos. And let me tell you, she’s not going to be happy about it!> is the answer coming from Despoina, who just appeared on the bridge.

She shoots a powerful stream of compressed green liquid emanating from her hand, with enough pressure to crush steel. Instead, the liquid is atomized the second it comes into contact with the wall of fire that just appeared in front of the Vanguard.

<Torn, Quantum, get back to the planet to deal with Rhodos. Kari, you should try sending a message to Noriko. I will deal with my niece.> Vesta says, her eyes spewing flames.

<This will be a brief fight!> Despoina boasts, turning her whole body into green liquid and preparing to launch herself against Vesta. Instead, she falls immediately into a pentagram portal.

<I said I’d deal with her!> Vesta protests.

<It’s not a bad idea, fighting inside the ship is too dangerous. Follow her, you’ve got this.> Kari proposes. Vesta nods, following Despoina through the still open portal.

<Are we sure about this? I don’t trust Skorpios any more than I trust Ulysses.> Quantum says.

<I don’t trust her either, but leaving Roxiana with us was a gesture of good faith. We can’t let Ulysses get away again, stop him by any means necessary.> she replies.

<Roger that. Let’s go, Torn!>

<Who is this Roger?> the Demon wonders, as he disappears into a new portal just while Quantum transforms into light to reach the planet.

Kari isn’t left alone for long: he duplicates rapidly man all the stations of the bridge, and the picture she gets from the various computers is the same.

<Dammit, everything’s locked. Skorpios must’ve used her powers to bring the ship here, because nothing is working… and I don’t have a clue on how to bypass whatever Ulysses did to the system. In fact nobody is except Noriko and… well…> Kari tells herself, then she looks at Roxiana.

Still fast asleep, and the point of contention between the Vanguard and the Zenith.

<You’re the key to all this, isn’t it? Ulysses wants you and Noriko. What kind of secrets do you keep in that head of yours?>

<I hAve woNDered aBout IT mySElf.>

The twisted voice comes from a snake slithering towards Kari, which turns into a centaur.

<trUTh is, I dOn’t rEAlly wAnt to know thE ansWER.> Proteus adds, changing into a ball.

<Why do you keep changing shape at random?>

<BeCAusE it IS wHat I aM. I Am aLL aBOut CHAnge.> he answers, now as a crab.

<Not the attitude I’d expect from a vassal of Poseidon. If you’re “about change”, why follow him?>

<I don’t FOLlow. I go WHEre the FLow TAKes me. ANd UlYSses WAnts to CHange thINgs uP, so I’m foLLOWing hIM. UnTIL I’ll chANge mY miND.> he replies as an old withered man.

<I see. You want to fight me, isn’t it?>

<SEEms lIKe it.> a baby panda nods.

<Then I’ll also change. 10K Rise!!!> Kari shouts, her body becoming engulfed in pink energy as her body concentrates the power of all of her duplicates, leaving her as the only Kari on the bridge.

<OOh, thAT looks like fun!> Proteus exclaims, taking a form identical to Kari except her skin is purple and her hair is skin-colored.

 

On the surface of the planet

Rhodos pushes away a boulder the size of a house, reaching the top of a pile of rubble.

The scenery around her is truly apocalyptic: the atmosphere has been stripped from the planet, and most of the surface has been melted by the astronomical amount of energy created.

She’s covered in dirt and soot, but her body rapidly generates a bubble of water that cleans her up in seconds and then vanishes.

<“A foolproof plan”, they said. “We can trust Ulysses”, they said. Last time I trust any of my siblings, I swear to Father.> she complains.

<So is the planet deserted?> Quantum asks, just now becoming visible in the form of a hologram; the environment is still uninhabitable for a human.

<Always was. Made sure of it before asking Skorpios to throw a moon at it.> Torn answers, stepping out of his portal; his body is still surrounded and sustained by an aura of pure Blood.

<First it turns out we’re not in her dimension, then this… how much of this plan of yours did you discuss with her before waking us up!?>

<We didn’t go into the specifics.>

<Are you mortals ignoring me!? You have no idea what glorious revolution you just ruined!!!> Rhodos shouts, itching for a fight.

<Yeah we’re not the ones focused on the big picture. But you know what we’re really good at?> Quantum asks, activating the Soul Relay installed in his head.

<Coming up with cool attacks. SOUL FUSION…> Quantum initiates, his powers sinking with his teammate through the Blood as his body transforms into electricity.

<CRIMSON TEMPEST!!!> Torn continues, unleashing an endless stream of blades that are now infused with both Blood energy and with countless volts.

Rhodos finds herself inside a tornado of blades and lightning, a thunderstorm of violence concentrated on her body.

Even her invulnerability can take only so much, with the powered-up Blood covering her with bone-deep cuts everywhere. The attack feels like it never ends from her perspective, but eventually she collapses on a pool of her own blood.

<Is… is she dead?> Quantum wonders.

<Give me a few minutes.> Skorpios intervenes, appearing behind Rhodos before teleporting the entire planet.