Prototype

Null Tower is one of the newest additions to the New York City skyline, with the large Ø symbol on top and its windows of mirror glass.

As the home of the world's richest and smartest billionaire teenager who invented clean energy a few weeks ago, it's also under constant watch by pretty much every important person on the planet.

There are two armed guards in front of the entrance. Their job is mostly to intimidate any unsolicited visitor: Null Tower has been in lockdown for weeks.

Four people walk out of a black van and step towards the Tower. There's an African-American man with a fancy mask, a twenty-something girl with purple hair, a man with red skin, and a teenage Asian who looks just like the Tower's owner.

<No visitors> one of the guards warns.

<Whatever> the Asian girl says with a deadpan tone, keeping on walking.

One of the guards reaches for his gun. The man with red skin blinks, and red energy swords cut through the weapon reducing it to shiny confetti.

Before the guard can say anything, three exact duplicates of the girl with purple hair are already kicking him into submission from three different directions.

The second guard looks at the man with the mask and drops his gun.

Inside the Tower, the lobby is flooded with red lights and the sound of an alarm. The Asian girl keeps walking towards the elevator; it doesn't take long before the hall is filled with another dozen guards, armed and ready to shoot.

The girl with the purple hair cracks her knuckles, but her Asian leader raises a hand as if to say "let me handle this".

<A word of advice. Between them, the people you're facing can summon an army of ten thousand fighters, cut through matter with a thought, shoot laser beams at the speed of light and unleash destruction faster and more devastatingly than you can imagine. We are the Vanguard. We killed a goddess once. You do not want to pick up a fight with us.>

The guards stare back at Noriko, and for a few seconds you could hear a pin drop.

Then their image falters, like a bad TV signal, revealing what's beneath the hologram: robots.

Their proportions are clearly human, but their metallic bodies are covered by a shiny black coating and they have no face.

<Cool> is Quantum's first reaction.

<Listen to me very carefully: these things cannot leave the Tower> Noriko orders: her voice went straight from arrogant to extremely worried.

<Understood. CUT OF A THOUSAND DEATHS!> Torn shouts, releasing a flood of red energy dagger. They cut multiple times through head, chest, arms and legs of each and every robot, disappearing before they reach the walls.

The Nullbots don't move. They keep their balance, with internal wiring showing through the multiple holes. Then all of their wounds start to heal: the black metal simply regenerates, and the forearms split down the middle to reveal machine guns.

<Great. You built these things!?> Quantum asks Noriko.

<Just the prototypes> she apologizes.

Triton, Neptune's largest moon

Even for a goddess, reaching the edge of the solar system takes time. Vesta started her trip right after burying her sister Demeter into the Sun…she should've gone for Noriko, but she needs more time to cope with her loss before meeting her again.

Catching up with Kari's duplicates on the Twin Dragon will do her good. She likes the Myridian girl like a little sister. Well, like what a mortal would call "like a little sister": Vesta's little sisters are Demeter and Hera. The first is a dead genocidal tyrant and the second…she decides not to dwell on the thought. She floats above the alien ship for a few seconds.

Then something assaults her mind, shutting it down with the force of a jackhammer.

Inside the ship Talos Khanos waits another ten minutes before disconnecting the God Eraser, just to be sure.

Back on Earth, Null Tower

The custom-made machine guns can't even dent Torn's shield made of intertwined daggers; if it wasn't for that, Noriko and Kari would be dead.

<So let me get this straight. Leiko had killer robots all along, yet she sent those crappy Blue things to get you?> Quantum asks. He turns his body into light, so that the bullets fired by the Nullbots pass right through him.

<Each Nullbot costs about 90 million dollars; they're not as effective to mass produce as a biological weapon> she explains.

<Why do I find it creepy that you've thought about this before?> Quantum wonders aloud.

Kari isn't following the discussion: the N-Phone is having trouble translating the conversation with all the noise from the machine guns. She gets the gist of it: the others don't know what to do.

She creates her first duplicate just outside the shield. She's no match for a Nullbot, but math is on her side…the robots kill anything on their sight, and she's making sure their targets are always busy. It's impossible to end your fight when the girl you're trying to murder can create ten thousand duplicates in the blink of an eye.

<Gotta hand it to her, nobody dies like Kari. Now what?> Quantum asks.

<The main server is on the tenth floor. I need to be there to reprogram the Tower> Noriko explains.

<I'm on it> Quantum says. Before Noriko has the time to say "wait", he's already disappeared.

The first thing Quantum tries is X-Rays. They're fast and they go through almost anything; he just needs to be careful to avoid using it to pass through people. But the walls of the tenth floor have lead panels built inside, so he needs something else.

He tries radio waves, but there's some kind of interference that makes it almost painful. He tries to think of something else, but he knows the only thing left to try are neutrinos.

Elementary particles that pass through anything, neutrinos are always tricky to turn into. But this time it actually hurts: when Quantum transforms his mass into neutrinos, it's like being hit by a million of tiny needles all over his body.

When he returns to the ground floor, Noriko and Torn are running towards the elevator doors.

<I can't get through! What the hell is on the tenth floor!?> Quantum asks.

<A Plasma Fusion Reactor> she answers, pushed aside by Torn to avoid a blast from the Nullbots.

<You put a nuclear reactor in your own house!?>

<It's not nuclear, and I'm a little busy right now> she adds, calling the elevator.

When the doors don't open, Torn glances at them. A giant red X appears over them as he slices through metal with his mind; just a moment later, the door crumbles.

<Go. We've got your back> Torn says, exuding confidence as usual.

Noriko nods, grabs Quantum by his sleeve and runs towards the elevator. They leave behind Torn and at least fifty Kari, facing a squadron of fully armed Nullbots.

<You know, I'm kind of tired of dying now> she says, creating more duplicates as human shields.

<They're not very bright. We just need to stall them> Torn answers.

<You understand what I'm saying!?>

<Only when you say things that make sense. DEFENCE OF THE LINE!!!> he shouts, creating a lasso made of intertwined razors to slow down the Nullbots.

<And he thinks I'm the one who's not making any sense> Kari shrugs.

Tenth floor

A laser beam cuts a hole in the elevator door. Noriko Null crawls through it, careful not to touch the white-hot edges. Quantum is waiting for her on the other side.

<Honestly, who makes elevator doors with an inch of lead inside!?> he whines.

<The whole building is shielded from radiation. Just in case> she explains.

<The question still stands, but I'm a little worried. Is the Tower gonna send killer robots here too?>

<It tried. I already hacked the internal security system; only external hard drives like the Nullbots are unaffected, but we should have a few minutes before the whole system reboots.>

<Hold on a second, when did you hack in? You haven't touched anything!>

<Didn't need to. My mind is faster than any computer on the planet; the N-Watch interacts directly with it, so I no longer need to type anything. Here we are: the main server.>

The room is very close to what Quantum expected. The supercomputer towers cover pretty much the entire floor; everything is clean, sterile and very, very quiet. Unnervingly quiet.

<Is something wrong?> he asks.

<This is too easy. I expected the system to try a plasma discharge from the reactor.>

<Which means…>

<It could've vaporized us. I had countermeasures but…it didn't even try. I need to check it out.>

Worried that Noriko sounds disappointed by the fact that somebody didn't try to kill her, Quantum follows her to an isolated room.

There are thousands of cables leading to a single elevated platform, which houses a tiny round object. It's the size of his fist and made of glass, containing a ball of ionized energy that constantly shoots tiny strings of electricity towards the glass.

<It's…it's a plasma lamp!?>

<A Plasma Fusion Reactor. Well, the prototype, actually.>

<All this mess because of that tiny thing!?>

<That "tiny thing" can generate enough energy to power half the city. And apparently it generates enough antineutrinos to hurt you.>

<No need to add salt to the wounds. Just looking at it makes me dizzy. Now, are you going to shut it off or what? In case you forgot, your robots are trying to kill Kari and Torn!>

<Right. Hard reset, authorization code 5CF4343C8B82D40-NULL.>

<Code accepted. Encryption keys randomized. System reboot in five seconds> an electronic female voice answers, and the server powers down. Together with the reactor and the lights.

Exactly five seconds later, the lights come back with a cheerful female voice.

<Integrated Reconfigurable Intelligence System active. How may I help you mistress?>

<I.R.I.S, I'm downloading a new operating system into your secondary drive. Transfer all active commands to the new drive and run a system-wide diagnostic. Load the chronology of all operations inside the N-Watch and…>

<A-hem> Quantum coughs to get her attention.

<Oh, yes. Shut down the Nullbots, please.>

<Is it just me, or was all of this waaaay too easy?> Quantum asks.

<I agree. None of this makes sense. What is Leiko's plan!?>

Scion Corporation headquarters

Tokyo, Japan

Leiko Tanaka is sitting in an empty room, her legs crossed. Other than her and the chair, there is absolutely nothing else here. But when the holographic generator is activated, another person appears. It's only the silhouette of a man; there is no other detail visible.

<Any progress?> the hologram asks, with a heavily distorted voice.

<The Nexus is back on Earth. She is…unlikely to recover the Heart soon.>

<What is the global readiness level?>

<Unchanged. It will take years before society adapts to the reactor technology. I have agents in most of the major governments, but progress is slow. If a god finds us now, Earth won't last a day: a direct intervention might be your only choice.>

<I will ask my superiors> is all the holographic shadow has to say, before disappearing.

Leiko smiles. If her gambit pays off, in a few weeks she will own the whole planet.