Themyscira
Naqada Galaxy, 17 million light-years from Earth
A beautiful woman is looking at her reflection in a holographic mirror. Her green skin would signal that this is not a human, even if it wasn’t for the living snakes attached to her skull where the hair should logically be.
She’s wearing the armor of an Amazon, taken off an android that now lies frozen in place after her body has been transmuted into stone.
One of the snakes rises from the woman’s head, hissing to the person approaching her.
<You seem to like what you see.> Rei Null notes.
<I’m not used to my own reflection. Why isn’t the mirror turning me into stone?> Medusa asks.
<It’s a hologram, not a real mirror.> Rei explains.
<The other gods said I was ugly.> Medusa remembers, touching her own face, still in disbelief at its beauty. She turns towards Rei; slowly, since she’s also not used to being able to look at people without transmuting them.
<I’d prefer regular clothes, but these will do. Assuming you’re done poking at me with your medical instruments?>
<It could not be helped. Please, follow me, we have much to discuss.> Rei invites her.
Medusa looks at her own reflection for a few more seconds before taking the offer and following the mortal. Leaving the room, she pays no attention to the fact that the holographic mirror is now made of stone.
The two women walk through the halls of the Amazon planet, passing several androids stuck in the stone form they assumed when they saw Medusa the first time.
<Have you been to Themyscira before, Medusa?> Rei asks her.
<No, this is my first time. I don’t… get out much. Where are you taking me?>
<Out of the many questions you undoubtedly have for me, Medusa, that can hardly be the main one. I will answer all others as we talk to our destination.>
<You said I… died. How did that happen?>
<Decapitation. By the hands of Perseus, a mortal demigod working for Athena.>
<Then how can I still be alive? Unlike my sisters, I am mortal.> Medusa wonders.
<You are the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, respectively son and daughter of Gaea through her self-generated son Pontus. You descend directly from a Primordial Goddess with no mortal blood within you, or even that of a minor god… I don’t believe you are actually mortal, Medusa.>
<You just said I died!>
<And yet, with a little assistance from my necrobots, your severed head completely regenerated your whole body. I believe your family mistook your ability to die with that of staying dead.>
<What about my sisters, Stheno and Euryale?>
<They disappeared from the record after your death. That was approximately 3,500 years ago.>
<And you resurrected me after all this time. Why? Who are you exactly, Rei Null?>
<I am your only friend in the strange universe you awakened to. Like you, I have also been feared for my gifts. Like you, I am scorned and feared by the gods.>
<So you are mortal? Then how can you work such miracles as my resurrection? Are you some sort of mage?>
<You could say that. Come, we have arrived.> Rei says with a creepy smile, leading Medusa in one of the planet’s control centers.
The highly advanced Amazon technology transfers here all information gathered by both the android race and the planet’s sensors, but there is nobody else here.
<You’ll have to excuse the lack of audience. I have yet to discover a way to block your transmutation power affecting sentient beings, and I can only afford to lose so many servants.>
<I still don’t fully grasp how you can look at me without being turned into stone, Rei.>
<I already explained. I was created in an artificial pocket reality and given substance; a wish made on the Tablet Of Destinies locks my quantum state, preventing any alteration.>
<I have no clue about what any of that means.> Medusa admits.
<That is a topic for another time. This is the state of the Galaxy you returned to, Medusa.> Rei says, activating the projection of several holograms.
The main one is an image of Noriko Null, surrounded by faces of many gods and goddesses.
<Is that you?> Medusa asks. The woman’s face looks exactly like Rei’s; the only differences are the hair length and Rei wearing a militaristic black uniform instead of a green leather jacket.
<That is NOT me. She’s a pale reflection, at best.> Rei clarifies, her silver eyes suddenly shining in anger. It lasts only a moment, before she recomposes herself.
<She is the Empress of Olympus. They call her the Slayer of Gods.>
<A mortal sits on the throne of Zeus!?> Medusa exclaims, finding the concept absurd.
<Zeus has abdicated. Noriko rules the Olympian Galaxy after directly killing 19 gods: Demeter, Hephaestus, Selene, Tiamat, Phobos, Deimos, Artemis, Serket, Sobek, Nephthys, Apollo, Ares, Harmonia, Tyche, Eris, Proteus, Triton, Poseidon and Baal. She might also have killed Athena: I have not been able to verify whether she’s still alive, but Noriko did trap her in a pocket universe with Typhon.>
<I… I can’t believe this. You’re saying a mortal did all this!?> Medusa asks, extending her arm to touch Noriko’s hologram.
<Yes. She destroyed the legacy of Olympus and deprived you of any chance of vengeance by disposing of Athena. I believe that, with my help, you could…>
<I must thank her!> Medusa interrupts Rei.
Rei Null is currently one of the two smartest beings in the universe. Potentially the smartest.
She elaborated thousands of ways this conversation could go and prepared multiple arguments to convince Medusa to follow her. None of that included this reaction from Medusa.
<You must what?>
<You couldn’t have freed me if she hadn’t exiled Athena, right?>
<That is a gross mischaracterization of…>
<And you said she killed Poseidon! The same god who raped me!>
<You’re not listening to me, Medusa. She is the Slayer of Gods: she’s bound to kill all gods.>
<Good! What have gods ever done for me!?>
<You’re confused. You are a goddess yourself.> Rei reiterates, taking a step back.
<What’s so great about that if you look like this!?> Medusa answers, raising her voice and pointing at her face while the snakes on her head become agitated.
<Gods have always mocked and humiliated me! Why do you think Athena sent one of her pets to kill me!? She feared me!> Medusa yells, getting uncomfortably close.
<With good reasons, it seems. A pity: you would have been useful.> Rei says, reaching for button on the nearest control panel that will teleport Medusa into her cage.
Except she can’t press it: the panel just turned to stone. As has every single piece of technology in the whole room.
<No. You’re not going to use me. Nobody is going to use me ever again.> Medusa vows, and now her snakes are hissing menacingly at Rei.
<Don’t come any closer. Your power cannot…> Rei warns, prepared to draw her gun to shoot Medusa. But she can’t move an inch now that her clothes have been turned into stone.
<What exactly are you, Rei Null? Why did you resurrect me?>
<I will tell you why. FINAL…> Rei’s eyes turn black and fill with electricity as she prepares to summon a Final Abyss to kill Medusa. Unfortunately for her, Medusa is strong enough to lift her with one hand despite the stone clothes, and she tosses her towards the control panel.
Her nose breaks when it hits the stone. If her brain were human she would have a concussion; she retains consciousness, but she’s in no condition to use her powers.
<You just signed your own death sentence. Anubis, to me!!!> Rei calls out.
A six feet tall cybernetic jackal burst through the wall, crashing through the stone circuitry and growling menacingly at Medusa.
<I’ve done my research. Your power doesn’t work on gods.> Rei reminds her.
<Is this what you call a god?> Medusa asks, her green eyes shining with arcane energies.
Anubis is indeed immune from her power, but the circuitry in his body isn’t. Rei watches her enslaved god turn into stone.
<Good boy.> Medusa tells the stone jackal, patting its head before turning towards Rei.
<Now. Where were we?> she asks, walking towards her adversary and lifting her off the ground.
Rei can’t really move a muscle, but she does have cybernetic implants hidden inside her body that should retaliate against Medusa… except she can feel them changing into stone.
<How do I find this “Noriko”?> the goddess asks.
<You don’t. She will find you.> Rei replies; her body emits a blinding light, and Medusa uses her snakes to cover her own eyes.
When she reopens them, there is nothing inside the stone clothes.
Null Island, Pacific Ocean
With the Galaxy still recovering from the war unleashed by Athena, and Earth dealing with the consequences of losing its status as the de facto capital of the Empire, the last place many would expect to find Empress Noriko Null is her private island.
The war has deprived her of the chance to spend any time with her family, and while she’s not overly fond of the beach it’s a small price to pay to make her half-sister Nalani happy.
Noriko is reclined on a beach lounger, wearing a modest green bikini; her sunglasses are projecting over her field of vision the blueprints of the new version of the Genesis Armor she’s working on.
Her father Bob and his companion, Dr. Catherine Kalama, are enjoying a quite swim while Gilgamesh watches over Nalani Null.
The nine-year-old half-white half-native Hawaiian girl is putting on sunscreen, still annoyed that her mother insisted she wore a one-piece instead of a more grown-up swimsuit.
<Want some, mister Gilgamesh?> she offers the sunscreen to the demigod.
The Sumerian hero is wearing trunks; his metallic bronze skin glistens under the Sun.
<Just Gilgamesh, young lady, and no thanks. My people, the Ur, are not harmed by sunlight.>
<That is fascinating! Does your biology use something other than melanin then? Maybe guanine crystals? They have a high index of refraction that…>
<You’ll have to, uhm, you’ll have to ask your sister.> Gilgamesh shrugs.
<Nalani. Stop bothering Gil.> Noriko intervenes, barely paying attention to the conversation.
<She’s not bothering me at all. She is a very sweet and very smart child.>
<Then will you convince your girlfriend to let me go on adventures with her?> Nalani pleads.
<We’ve been over this. You are way too young.> Noriko repeats for the sixth time today.
<Aw come on, you were young when you formed your own superhero team!> Nalani pouts.
<I was literally twice your age.>
<But I’m like, really really smart! I’m ready for more grown-up stuff!>
Just then, a bright explosion of light appears before them. Gilgamesh moves quickly to protect Nalani, and Noriko takes off her sunglasses.
<Hm. Now this is unexpected.> is the understated reaction from the stark-naked woman standing between them, physically identical to Noriko except for the length of her hair.
<Code red! Island lockdown!> Noriko shouts, almost as rapidly as Gilgamesh rushes to immobilize Rei Null. Who might be disarmed and naked, but is far from defenseless.
<Soul Crusher!!!> she yells. Gilgamesh and Nalani are not prepared to have their souls attacked directly, losing consciousness. Noriko has enough experience dealing with Demons to protect her own soul, and within seconds she has pinned down her doppelganger on the sand.
The sky above has turned red, with an impenetrable forcefield shielding the whole island and multiple dampening fields blocking the use of all forms of technology.
Rei attempts to fight back, but she wasn’t prepared for the ferocity of her opponent. Noriko first punches her throat to stop her breathing, then a second fist breaks her nose, and she continues to repeatedly punch harder and harder.
Her silver eyes fill up with electricity and her heart starts pumping faster and faster.
<Noriko?> Nalani calls for her, audibly scared by what she is seeing.
Once Noriko realizes she was perhaps a couple of blows away from murdering someone in front of her sister, she’s even more scared.
Minutes later
Null Tower, New York City
Ever since Noriko stopped using the Tower as her main base, the infirmary hasn’t been used much.
Now Rei is strapped to a medical bed, restrained by leather straps and Blood chains. She’s being analyzed by Dr. Kalama and Noriko, both still wearing only their bikinis beneath a white coat and a green leather jacket.
Gilgamesh, Torn and Vesta stand guard a couple of steps back, with Nullbots blocking every exit.
<How did she get there? I thought you had anti-teleportation technology on the island.> Vesta says.
<I do. Even I haven’t come up with a way to bypass it.> Noriko admits.
<Was it her own doing? She was obviously in a rush.> Gilgamesh notes.
<Why do you think so?> Torn wonders.
<She didn’t even take time to shave. If she wanted to pose at Noriko, the difference was…>
<GIL!!! What did I tell you about oversharing!?> Noriko protests.
<Perhaps her nudity was part of the strategy. She came without weapons.> Torn notes.
<Something is definitely off with her. She is biologically and genetically identical to Noriko, but there are many pieces of stone scattered within her body. Inside her bones, inside her organs…> Doctor Kalama observes, interrupted by Rei herself.
<My implants. She can’t affect Drylon technology, so my Nexus is fine, but everything else was transmuted into stone.> she calmly explains, pausing to look around.
<Of course you do realize none of this is going to hold me.> she tells Noriko.
<Then why did you attack me?>
<I didn’t. Themyscira activated my last resort: a transdimensional wave shifter. It’s entangled with your genetic code, allowing me to instantly reach you from any part of the universe.>
<That shouldn’t be able to get past an anti-teleportation field.> Noriko objects.
<Right. Sometimes I forget how much dumber than me you are.>
<You didn’t come all the way here from your galaxy to insult and embarrass me, Rei…>
<No, it was entirely involuntary. I designed that system to bring me to the only person who would be stupid enough to actually trying to defend me from a threat that overwhelmed all of my defenses… but it doesn’t seem she followed me. So congratulations, you are going to live for a little longer than I would have preferred.> Rei explains.
<Gloat all you like. You’re not going anywhere until I learn who defeated you this quickly.>
<Oh, please. Stop pretending to be able to keep up with me, it’s embarrassing to us both. Almost as embarrassing by how that top makes you look even flatter than we already are.> Rei snarks.
And with a flash of light, she has vanished once again.
<Where did she go!? I thought she didn’t have any technology on her!> Dr. Kalama says.
<As did I. How she escaped is currently beyond me.> Noriko admits, zipping up the leather jacket as she thinks over what little she actually learned.
<Did you say stone, doctor?>