Beyond The Impossible

Klito, Aphrodite Sector

Much to Aphrodite’s distaste, access to the “cave of pleasures” has been restricted: it’s no longer a popular location for her orgies.

There is no official explanation for the presence on the planet of personnel from Galactic Security, but they’ve secured access to the cave and are closely monitoring all this world’s spaceports.

That’s why the dark-skinned woman casually walking towards the entrance to the cave is stopped by two guards.

<Halt! This is a restricted area, ma’am. For your own safety, please return to your home.> one of them warns her.

<That’s sweet, but unnecessary. I can assure you that I’m physically incapable of being in danger, right now.> she replies.

<How did you get past the checkpoints? Let’s see some identification.> the second guard says, distracted when his personal communications device starts beeping insistingly. When he checks its screen, his face turns paler and he immediately draws his gun.

<No sudden moves! I’m authorized to shoot!> he yells. The other guard is confused at first, until he also checks his own device.

<Zeus Almighty! Requesting backup, we have an Omega Level!> he transmits via radio; he also draws his gun, but unlike the first guard he doesn’t hesitate to shoot.

The electrical blast would incapacitate any mortal, but it bounces off Roxiana courtesy of her Absolute Defense device.

<Uh. Wonder what that’s about. Let’s see.> Roxiana says, her eyes turning temporarily golden as electricity flows out of the guards’ heads and into her own.

The two men drop dead, and she takes a moment to elaborate the information she just absorbed.

<Oh my. “Omega Level” means an extinction-level threat… I guess I should be proud. Sorry guys, I wish I still had a way to absorb information without killing people, but that’s reserved for an active Nexus host. Note to self: I have an insatiable need to talk out loud to myself whenever I use my golden eyes.> Roxiana comments, walking past the dead bodies.

Just as she sees another dozen guards running towards her, guns blazing.

<Not a problem. I like talking to myself.> she comments, continuing her walk without much trouble: people simply die in her proximity, and the Absolute Defense takes care of any lucky shot.

She’s unfazed up to when she actually reaches the cave, but what she sees on the other side does actually solicit a response.

At first there’s the sense of wonder of seeing that not only the inside of the cave is somehow much, much larger than the entire mountain, but it’s also the chance to admire the Gate of Haven up close.

An enormous circle that glows golden, absolutely dwarfing the various instrumentation that Galactic Security installed on it in the vain attempt to study it.

The highway-sized staircase that connects the gate to the ground is similarly littered with all kinds of military installations. Considering the sheer size of the cave, she estimates that more than a thousand people were stationed here to study the Gate.

“Were” because she can’t sense a single person alive: the staircase has been washed in fleshly spilled blood.

The other reaction from Roxiana is surprise, when an hexagram of black fire appears right in front of her. The Demon stepping out of the portal wastes no time asking:

<Do you have it?>

<Don’t scare me like that, Reaper, I’m in no hurry to die a second time.> she scolds her ally.

Then she examines the place a little more, now that her eyes have adjusted to the darkness.

<When did you kill those people?>

<As you arrived on the planet. I was waiting, in the shadows.>

<You murdered a thousand Galactic Security agents in five minutes?>

<One thousand two hundred and sixty-six, in one minute. The rest I spent waiting for you. Do you have it?> he repeats.

<You haven’t changed a bit, Reaper. I said I’d bring it, and I did.> Roxiana says, showing to the Demon what she’s holding in her right hand: the Heart Of The Universe she stole on Earth.

<Ulysses could have taken it hundreds of years ago.> Reaper acknowledges.

<He wouldn’t have known what to do with it anyway. Did you bring the rest?> she asks.

<As per our agreement.> the Demon answers. His right arm has been replaced by a scythe made of solid Ichor, which he uses to move away his cloak and allow the left hand to recover two objects from a pocket.

He produces two identical objects: spheres the size of a baseball that seem to be made of rock.

<You spent a hundred years looking for those and you only found two additional Hearts Of The Universe? Tsk tsk, Reaper, you’re getting sloppy in your old age.>

<I’m not the one who died before recovering a single one.> he snarks.

<Harsh, but fair. Come on, let’s not waste any more time: I have a few nuisances coming after me, and we don’t want them to interrupt.>

<Gods?>

<Among others. One of them is your son Torn, by the way.>

<Hm. Always on the wrong side of things.> he comments, creating a hexagram portal that leads to directly to the base of the Gate.

He walks confidently towards it, and more specifically to a detail that is so tiny compared to the colossal structure that it’s hard to miss. There’s a panel protruding slightly from the giant ring, and as the Demon approaches it a surface slides away to reveal seven holes arranged in a circle… each one precisely the size of one of the Hearts Of The Universe.

<Are you sure this is going to work? According to my research, this particular Gate has been closed from the other side. And we don’t have all seven Hearts.> Roxiana asks.

<We shall force it open. If it doesn’t work, we’ll use Poseidon’s Gate.> Reaper answers, inserting the first Heart. The constant hum emitted by the Gate changes its tune slightly.

<Let’s hope not. I’m not in a hurry to meet Poseidon again.> Roxiana says, inserting the Heart she took with her… or at least she tries. The Heart resists the push, as if blocked by magnetic force, and the more she pushes the more it glows blue.

<Something’s wrong. This isn’t supposed to happen.> she complains, and with an additional push comes a bright flash of light right besides her.

<What the… where am I?> a mortal woman who just appeared out of nowhere complains, but before she can make too much of a scene she finds herself with the blade of Reaper’s scythe-hand an inch before her eyes.

<Talk. Who are you?>

<I am Leiko Tanaka, Ice Queen of the Winter Kingdom. And whatever you wish to accomplish by kidnapping me, it won’t bring you anything but pain.> she proudly proclaims, not showing the slightest hint of fear.

<Null’s mother. Now why would… ah, yes, of course. You were the first human to unlock the Heart, before you conceived your child… the Heart remembers your genetic code. Fascinating! Now, why would it bring you here?> Roxiana wonders out loud.

<Does she matter?> Reaper asks.

<I don’t know yet. Give me the last Heart.> she asks. The Demon obliges, and she easily slots it into another hole without receiving any resistance. Now the hum emitted by the Gate of Heaven has become loud enough that she has to raise her voice to be heard.

<The two Hearts you recovered were never activated, isn’t it?>

<Not to my knowledge.>

<That’s why they’re not resisting. The Heart doesn’t bond to a host the same way of most Drylon devices, but if it keeps memory of who accessed it, the Gate is probably only allowed to be opened by whoever unlocked it. The last person to do so was Null, but as long as she wears the Vial of Destiny, she can’t be affected by Drylon devices. And the other two beings I’ve learned have used the Heart briefly, the Many and Eris, no longer exist… no wonder the Heart summoned you, Leiko, you are the last being the Heart can still affect this way.> Roxiana deduces.

<I have no idea of what you are talking about. Even if I still had all my memories, I doubt you would be making sense. As for you, point that ridiculous weapon of yours somewhere else before you regret it.> Leiko tells Reaper.

Despite not being in any danger whatsoever, the Demon obliges out of respect for such audacity.

<I hope you enjoyed your last moment of authority, Ice Queen, because it looks like you’re coming with us.> Roxiana says, forcibly grabbing Leiko’s hand.

<Let me go! Where are you taking me!?> she complains.

<NOWHERE.> is the angry response coming from several feet away: it’s Noriko Null, whose silver eyes are shining more bright than the light emitted from the Portal Generator that transported the entire Vanguard inside the cave.

<I don’t care HOW, Roxiana doesn’t get out of here alive!> she orders, drawing her Genius Guns and immediately opening fire.

Roxiana places herself between Leiko and the Gate: she needs her alive, and the Absolute Defense does its work in shielding both.

<A bit extreme, don’t you think?> Vesta asks, taking flight with the intention of pulling Leiko away from her; instead she has to dodge a volley of Ichor weapons summoned by Reaper.

<I’d be more worried about this guy. He looks dangerous.> Kari Zel comments; even with her reflexes enhanced ten thousand times by her 10K Rise, she barely avoids touching any of those lethal blades.

<You don’t know the half of it.> Torn adds; the Blood swords flying around him as a shield instantly evaporate as they touch his father’s Ichor blades, but he closes the gap by summoning his own scimitar of Ichor. Which is stopped by Reaper’s scythe-arm.

<Son.>

<Father.>

<You still have much to learn.> Reaper taunts him, creating a pentagram portal beneath Torn’s feet.

Instead of falling inside it, however, Torn balances on a newly created Blood claymore and gets close enough to cut his father’s cheek with a dagger.

<I do. Just not from you.>

Taking advantage of the distraction, Vesta and Kari grab Reaper by each arm. This wouldn’t prevent him from creating more weapons, but it does distract him long enough to allow Quantum to enter his body as a lightning bolt to the chest… enough to stop three of the Demon’s hearts.

<But that’s what friends are for.> Torn tells his father, before punching him in the face with enough force to shatter concrete, or to knock a Demon out cold.

During the brawl, Noriko has kept her eyes on Roxiana. She hasn’t stopped firing her guns, or to pay attention to her every move.

<It’s over, Roxiana. I have a counter for all of your tricks, just like Ulysses did. And I killed him.>

<You have no reason to antagonize me, Null.>

<You’re a mass murderer who triggered a natural disaster on my home planet.>

<What, the antimatter explosion into a volcano? Still hung up on that old stuff?>

<That was TODAY!!!>

<Nori, Torn’s dad is toast. What do we do now?> Quantum asks, getting next to Noriko.

<You’ll do absolutely nothing. The Absolute Defense protects me, and you’ll find I have countermeasures against being teleported away.> Roxiana answers.

<I feel like you people have unfinished business. Can’t you just let me go and handle this between yourselves?> Leiko asks. She’s still trying to get out of Roxiana’s grip, but she’s definitely stronger than she looks.

<Stay out of this, Leiko. This has nothing to do with you.> Noriko replies.

<On the contrary, Null, your mother is the key to all this.> Roxiana says, forcing Leiko’s hand against the last Heart Of The Universe and pushing it all the way inside its designated hole.

The Gate of Heaven becomes blindingly bright, and the hum turns into a deafening sound that resembles a triumphant horn.

<I planned to do this myself, but it looks like you’re all catching a ride.> Roxiana says.

<What did you…> Noriko Null begins to question, but along with everyone else inside the cave she ceases to exist before she can finish.