Beyond The Impossible

Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light-years from Earth

Max Black has lost sense of how long he’s been in this room, if you can call it that.

It feels more like a cage: it has eight walls, all of which are covered by mirrors that reflect his image into infinity. The only source of light is a light bulb suspended above his head, way too high for him to reach it. Especially since he’s been unable to use his powers since waking up here.

At first he expected to be tortured, but nothing showed up to hurt him. Then he thought he was being starved to death, but even without touching food or water he doesn’t feel thirst or hunger.

The only two things he feels are loneliness and boredom. That’s not even the worst part.

<Look at you. And you call yourself a superhero?> a voice from one of the mirrors calls him out.

On the mirror, the image of Jane Blake puts her hands on her hips.

<You’re so worthless. How do the others even stand doing all the work for you?>

<I’ve already told you, I’m not falling for it. You can’t fool me into believing that’s my future wife.> Max replies to whoever is controlling the illusion.

<Like I’m seriously going to marry a loser like you.> Jane scoffs at the idea.

<Of course he won’t marry you. Even if he escapes, you’re probably already dead.> Lily Elosia adds, talking from another mirror.

<Come on, do you have to bring her into this? That’s a low blow.> Max protests, looking at the reflection of his dead Lampyrian ex-girlfriend.

<Why, because my voice reminds you that you failed to save my life?> “Lily” taunts him.

Max doesn’t acknowledge her, looking at the ceiling and opening his arms.

<What’s the point of this, Baal or whoever you are? I know these are just illusions. You’re not going to make me go crazy by making fun of me!>

<If your skin was thick enough to withstand the public, you wouldn’t be wearing a mask.>

Max turns towards the mirror who said that: it’s talking through the image of Noriko Null.

<I put my name out there for the whole Galaxy to know. You, on the other hand, hide behind a childish “secret identity”.> she accuses him.

<And you suck at it! Anybody who actually cared figured out who you are in a second.> the image of his sister Kayla continues.

<Because he IS a child.> the image of Torn adds.

<We just bring him along because we pity him. The little boy who wanted to play hero.> the image of Vesta continues.

<He doesn’t even realize we’re laughing behind his back all the time.> the image of Kari giggles.

<Are you done, Baal? This little comedy roast of you is getting stale.> Max says, making it a point of not looking at any of the mirrors.

<That’s your solution for everything. Hide in that stupid fantasy world of yours and let the adults deal with your crap.> a new voice says.

<Oh that’s just great, you brought my father into this.> Max sighs, turning to see the image.

He stares at the reflection of John Black, who looks like the spitting image of his youngest son if he grew a moustache, doubled his weight and added 40 years to his age.

<You’re not doing this right, Baal. My father doesn’t look that old.>

<That’s because you haven’t bothered to visit me in 10 years, you idiot! You can be anywhere in the world in a second, but you’d rather waste time with that communist c#ink who pays your bills or the white trash you’re probably screwing.>

<Okay points for capturing Dad’s racism, Baal, but you goofed: I never told him I’m Quantum.>

<And you thought I couldn’t figure it out, just because of that mask you wear? Getting my only good son killed and probably turning my daughter into a d##e wasn’t enough, wasn’t it? You had to grow up as a r##ard and work for the woman who’s ruined America!> John shouts, with all the venom in his tone that Max remembers from countless arguments.

<Wow, your father’s really an a##hole.> Jane’s reflection highlights.

<And now you know why I don’t want him at our wedding. Hey, why am I telling you this, you’re not even real!> Max realizes.

<So your father is racist. Big deal, it’s not like he abandoned you at birth and tried to conquer the Galaxy multiple times.> Noriko mocks him.

<Or ate you and your siblings.> Vesta adds.

<Or died in prison, leaving you an orphan to grow up in a dictatorship.> Kari adds.

<Or raised you and your sister to become assassins and pledged allegiance to a nightmare god.> Torn joins in.

<No, he just disowned me when I told him I wasn’t straight. And my little brother didn’t even try to stand up for me.> Kayla reminds him.

<I was fourteen! And he was already mad at me for… for…> Max tries to defend himself, unable to even say it.

<For causing my death?> a teenage boy asks. He has the voice and the image of Alex Black.

The mirror in front of Max changes: it’s no longer showing his reflection, or the image of any of the people who have been talking to him.

It’s showing something that has haunted him since he was eight: a comic book shop in Chicago.

The robber in a hoodie leaving the store. Alex jumping him, stopping the thief from leaving.

The struggle between the two, with Max doing nothing to help.

The gunshot that kills his older brother.

The blood staining his clothes and the comic book in his hands.

<I wasn’t supposed to be there. I followed you to that store because you stole a comic book.>

<I wouldn’t have lost a son if it wasn’t for that stupid comic book!> his father shouts.

<It wasn’t stupid.> Max complains softly, staring into his past.

<What’s that, boy? Speak clearly!> the father says, even louder now.

<Alex could’ve done nothing. Like I did. But he tried to be the hero because it was the right thing to do. I’m sorry you died, Alex, but I’m proud of what you did. Just as I’m proud of who I am, and no amount of two-bit psychology bulls##t will convince me otherwise.> Max insists.

<Is that so.> the robber says, standing up and pushing away Alex’s corpse.

The images change again, filling all the eight mirrors that surround Max with new scenes.

They show Olympian troops marching on New York City. They show Jane being handcuffed and dragged out of her apartment by Athenian soldiers. They show soldiers barging in his sister Kayla’s house and knock her out with gas.

<What do you have to be proud of? Some hero you are, if this is your city and your family.> Baal says, his skull visible under the robber’s hoodie.

The rest of the mirrors show Max’s past before he met the Vanguard. The death of his brother, his father yelling at his sister as she leaves the house in tears, Max looking completely miserable while trying to earn a living at a fast food chain, Max leaving the comic book store after having been fired, Max leaving a petrol station after being fired as an attendant…

<Everything special about you is an accident. You were not even supposed to have powers.> Baal reminds him, showing him the day he met Noriko and Vesta… and being disintegrated on the Moon, only to be re-assembled with his molecules injected with energies from the Heart Of The Universe.

<You’re not the Slayer of Gods. You’re not the Firstborn of Kronos. You’re not the Lone Demon of Hell. You’re not the greatest martial artist of your Galaxy. You’re just a boy pretending to live in a childhood fantasy, who is just realizing he can’t. Save. Anyone.>

Max closes his fists and stares at the mirror in front of him, straight at Baal’s skull, more intensely that he’s never looked at anything in his life.

<I might not be as smart as Noriko… but I was, once, and some of her brain must have rubbed off on me. Because I’ve actually realized three things you haven’t.>

<Have you now?> Baal comments, chuckling to himself.

<One: these are not just simple illusions. You’ve entangled the photons bouncing off the mirrors with the events that happened in the past, or that are happening on Earth. I had no idea that was even a thing until just now.> Quantum explains.

<Quite perceptive. So you know the suffering I’m showing you is real, but you’re not bothered by it? Have I crushed your spirit already?>

<I’ll get to that. Two: since I can turn myself into any particle and any form of energy, now that I’ve seen your trick… I’ve figured out how it works.> Quantum replies, waving his hand towards one of the mirrors. The scene projected by Baal vanishes, turning it back to a regular mirror.

<How did you…>

<When I had Noriko’s brains for a while, I had a theory… that the reason why you gods are capable of doing things at interstellar distances is that you’re able to play with energy fields outside our perception that don’t normally interact with regular particles. I had no frame of reference for what those fields would even look… until now.> Max continues.

All the mirrors return to their regular state; the only exception is the one in front of him, where Baal resumes his more traditional form of a skeleton held together by a swarm of flies under a cloak.

<Which means… Three: I see you.> Max says, punching the mirror.

 

Above the Dark Galaxy

At a level inconceivable for mortal minds, Baal and Zeus have been stuck in a constant struggle for days. None of them has a true physical form at the moment: their energies are perfectly matching and perfectly cancelling each other.

Until Baal is forced to manifest himself into a body when someone throws a punch in his face… that he actually feels.

<WHAT!?> he asks himself, reeling from the attack.

<That might not have done any damage, but MAN did that feel good!> Quantum congratulates himself, looking around to understand where he is now.

His mind interprets the energies that surround him in a way that his human brain can comprehend.

He sees Zeus and Baal looming large above the Dark Galaxy, two giants of cosmic proportions; and in this vision, the energies that Zeus are summoning are perceived as him conjuring up a lightning bolt to be thrown at the galaxy.

<Excellent work, hero! You threw Baal off his balance just enough!> Zeus exclaims, throwing his bolt at his enemy.

Baal withstands the attack, summoning dark energies with an angry growl in his voice.

<You insignificant gnat!!! Do you realize what you’ve DONE!? It’s going to take all of my strength to continue the fight now!!!> Baal protests, putting up his defenses.

Zeus is relentless in his attack, now that he has the upper hand: in a fight between Class 1 gods of equal strength, the will to fight is everything… and putting the slightest amount of self-doubt in Baal’s mind, Quantum just helped Zeus gain the momentum.

Baal just coasted through the battle so far, being able to exist at multiple places at once: now he will have to dedicate his full concentration on Zeus.

<I won’t be able to defeat him on my own, hero. He’s still a Primordial.> Zeus admits.

<We’ve got you covered, just buy us more time. And Baal, by the way? The reason why none of your tricks bothered me? It’s because you’re full of crap, and I’m a freaking superhero.> Quantum reminds him, vanishing from divine eyes.

<I will break that one’s spirit!!!> Baal vows.

 

The Shadow Colosseum

Kari Zel is confused. One moment she was using her newfound power to fight Baal, the next the god completely disappeared… and a second later, Quantum shows up.

<Max? Where’s Baal? What happened to you?> she asks, dropping out of her newfound state.

<I think I figured out how gods work or something like that? I’ll have to leave the technobabble to Noriko once we’ve rescued her. What happened to you?>

<Power-up.>

<Neat! Listen, I bought us some time: Baal’s gonna be busy for a while, we have to find the others before he has the chance to find us first.>

<How are we supposed to do that? They could be anywhere in this galaxy and we don’t even have a trail to follow!>

<I do. If any of them uses their powers, I’ll pick up their energies anywhere regardless of distance.>

<Since when can you do that!?>

<Since five minutes ago.>

<That sounded frighteningly like a Noriko answer.> Kari points out.