Beyond The Impossible

The elevator doors are about to close when Kari shouts:

One of her duplicates appears right in front of the door, blocking it with her hand to prevent it from closing. The original Kari is pushing Vesta to make her walk faster: they're both wearing high heels, but the goddess is far less comfortable wearing them.

Vesta w.h.i.n.es; for the first time in years she's wearing something different from the orange tube top and tight pants. She's wearing a casual evening dress, orange of course.

the goddess guesses.

Torn adds.

Noriko's lab is a mess, even more than usual. There are pieces of hardware scattered everywhere, especially around the main device she's building.

It's a big sphere surrounded by six pistons apparently crossing it at random points. The whole thing is about six feet tall and far too heavy for her to build unassisted, which is why there are three Nullbots helping her carry around the parts and lay the industrial cables that will power it.

Vesta and Kari don't say a word when they enter the lab, and are naturally joined by Torn in silence. Noriko acknowledges their arrival from behind the device:

Noriko explains, c.a.r.e.s.sing the device.

The silver light flickers, and Noriko loses her balance. A Kari duplicate catches her before she falls.

I.R.I.S answers.

both Max and Vesta exclaim.

Torn says calmly, slowly rising from the bed.

Vesta asks, worried.

Max answers, surprised to say these words.

Vesta says, looking at Noriko.

Noriko says to herself.

Max asks.

Quantum rubs his hands, concentrating. The door to Noriko's laboratory is open, showing the complete darkness on the other side.

He then shoots lasers from both hands at the darkness, but without success: the darkness simply eats the energy he's throwing at it. Other types of energy don't have different results: electricity, radiation, nothing seems to be able to get through.

Torn shouts, releasing a stream of deadly daggers that Quantum has seen tear through half a city. They fly into the darkness, never to be seen again.

is everything Torn has to say.

Vesta repeats.

Kari shouts at her.

Vesta doesn't waste any more time: keeping Noriko in her arms, she kicks the window open and flies away from the building.

She turns her head just once: the lights of the entire Null Tower are going dark, from the top to the bottom, in rapid succession.

This may be the busiest city in the world, but it's not every day that a woman smashes through a window carrying the body of a visibly sick teenage girl.

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