New York City, Earth
The destruction of Null Tower, after its transmutation into stone, only took a few minutes.
But something of that magnitude doesn’t need much time to become news.
The images of Medusa jumping off the giant pile of stone rubble, leaving the petrified body of Vesta behind, are on social media within a minute.
Medusa looks around, confused both by the alien environment and by the devices that the locals keep in their hands. At first she thought they were weapons and transformed those into stone as well, but once they proved harmless she left them untouched.
Of course no mortals around her are this lucky. Everyone looking at her is transformed into stone… whether they are doing it on purpose or on their screens, no matter where they are in the world.
Medusa is well accustomed to this, but having nobody to talk to means that she can’t ask for directions to the nearest spaceport. And unlike virtually all gods, she can’t fly.
She doesn’t exactly have a plan in mind, hoping to eventually run into something that could allow her to either leave this unfamiliar planet or learn more about it.
She’s almost granted her wish by a bright light surrounding her…
Copernicus Crater, the Moon, 245,000 miles from Earth
…when the light disappears, leaving her in a world that appears to entirely be made of stone.
She’s not bothered by the extreme heat that would boil a mortal’s blood, but she instinctively holds her breath. A couple of minutes later, she realizes that she doesn’t actually need to breathe.
That’s something she never truly explored. She has spent her whole life hiding from everyone and everything, so there hasn’t been much chance to explore her abilities besides transmutation.
She does notice quickly how much lower gravity is here. She wonders if this could allow her to leave this strange place… and she immediately begins to float.
New York City, Earth
Noriko Null is on top of a nearby skyscraper, unaffected by the destruction of her building thanks to Vesta’s quick thinking.
She stands in an awkward position in front of Torn: with her leather jacket transmuted into stone, it’s impossible to move her arms. Until the Demon easily cuts it in half with a Blood dagger, without even damaging her T-shirt.
She watches the stone jacket fall, and doesn’t miss a beat ordering:
<Don’t lose track of that. I need to examine everything affected by Medusa’s power.>
The Vanguard wasn’t alone in the building before it was destroyed, but Noriko is able to quickly notice that Vesta saved everyone. Including Dr. Kalama, who is now rushing towards her.
<Noriko! Are you alright!?>
<Doctor. Please make sure the other survivors are taken care of, and prepare to console your daughter about losing her home. The first time is the hardest.> Noriko instructs her, kneeling to check the stone jacket.
Doctor Kalama recognizes the seriousness in the tone of her voice. She’s not angry, she’s pissed.
<Dammit, she even petrified the N-Phone. I’m gonna have to do this whole thing analog style.> she complains, then stands up.
She stares into the distance, with her silver eyes shining, and the doctor is startled by the multiple bodies of pure electricity that leave Noriko’s body.
Copernicus Crater, the Moon, 245,000 miles from Earth
Medusa is inching very slowly away from the surface: another couple of hours and she would leave the satellite’s orbit, if the image of Noriko’s electrical body double didn’t suddenly appear in front of her.
<First lesson of the future you woke up to, Medusa: do NOT make me angry.>
<How are you here? And are you not… already stone?> Medusa asks, holding out her hand to touch this strange apparition. Her hand goes through it, and she feels a slight tingle on her hand.
<I can project my mind outside of my body. You’re seeing pure information: it’s not something you can turn into stone.>
<I couldn’t turn gods into stone either, until today.>
<I don’t have patience for games right now. Who are you working for? Did Rei send you to kill me, or to steal the eyes of Prometheus?>
<What? I already told you, I don’t know why Rei revived me or… wait. Are you still under the influence of that goddess? Even if she’s stone!?>
<Vesta has nothing to do with this. So it’s just an accident that you have the eyes of Prometheus on you, uh? I’m not buying it.>
<Is that why my eyes are burning so much?> Medusa asks, rubbing her eyes while the snakes on her head hiss at Noriko.
As absurd as it sounds, her body language… and a healthy dose of Noriko’s intuition… tell her that she’s not lying. At least now knowingly; she might not know if she’s a pawn in Rei’s plan.
<Alright Medusa, listen to me. You say you’re a fan and you want to help me? Fine, just cooperate with me. You will see that nobody is influencing my actions.>
<I will comply. Although you seem very tense.>
<Yeah that tends to happen when somebody wrecks my house right days after I’ve moved back in and turns my friends to stone. Am I wrong to assume that you can will anything you transform to return to its previous state?>
<No, you are right.>
<Great. Then turn everyone back into their original form.>
<Alright. Done.>
<What do you mean “done”? Just like that?>
<Of course. Were you expecting something different?>
<I still have no clue what to expect from you. That’s why I’m not taking any risks.> Noriko explains, and Medusa is teleported once again.
Bridge of the SSN0009 Defiance-IX, in orbit around the Moon
A different apparition of Noriko is standing next to the captain’s chair, occupied by a man in military uniform in his early thirties.
<Target apprehended, sir. The prisoner is in Cell Block 1.> one of the crewmates informs him.
<Nobody is allowed to get in there. Avoid all contacts and disconnect all cameras in the cell.> Noriko orders. Although she’s not technically in charge, nobody hesitates to obey.
<I would like to speak to the prisoner.> the captain’s says.
<Not a chance, Major Davis. The second you lay eyes on her, you will be turned into stone.>
<A word before you speak to her? In private?> the man insists.
It’s hard to read Noriko’s expression in this form, but she nods.
<In your office.> she says, before she disappears.
Captain’s office
It’s not a long trip: it’s literally just a separate room connected to the main bridge.
Major James Davis didn’t even have the chance to familiarize himself with it or give it his personal touch, considering he assumed command just three days ago.
<You know I can project my mind in multiple places at once, right? I’m literally speaking to Medusa right now. As well as a dozen different people on Earth.> Noriko informs him.
<I knew you had that ability, but not that it had such a vast range.> Major Davis admits.
<I’m gonna pay for this with the worst headache of my life, but right now I’m angry enough to make it. You studied me?>
<I would not have been assigned command of this ship without being briefed on you, ma’am. Or without your approval.>
<Only indirectly. This is a ship of the Olympian Fleet, and I’m no longer its commander-in-chief. Listen Major, I have an extremely limited supply of patience today, so… why waste my time?>
<Because 90% of this ship’s crew is from other planets. All of my senior officers are from the Olympian Fleet. You insisted on having someone from Earth in command of the ship, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t undermine my authority.>
<Major, the Destiny class ships are the most advanced and powerful in the Galaxy; there are currently twelve Destiny class ships in service, and two are assigned to protecting Earth. I hardly think I need to do more to prove that I value Earth having a bigger role, don’t I?>
<In which case, you should allow me to help you in dealing with the prisoner.>
<Any other day, Major Davis, I would appreciate your boldness. But like I said, today I have no patience left. But that being said… you might have potential. I will keep my eye on you.> the apparition notes, before disappearing.
Cell Block One
While one apparition is talking to Major Davis, another one approaches the cell containing Medusa.
These are not her only two projections of her mind happening simultaneously. She’s also talking with the human authorities to assess the damages of the attack, reassuring the US government that this is not an attack on the planet, and she takes the time to even catch some of the news.
This takes a bit more concentration, especially since projecting her mind this far into space does significantly drain her energies. But after a brief pause, she concentrates more on Medusa.
The monster goddess is pacing back and forth restlessly in a small cell contained by a forcefield.
<I don’t like being caged. When am I going to leave?>
<When you release my friends like I asked.>
<I already did. Everyone should already be back to normal.>
<They should. Quantum and everyone you met on the street are back, as are all the people who were watching you online or on television… but Vesta is still made of stone.>
<That can’t be true. I willed her to return to her natural state.>
<Medusa, don’t mess with me. Vesta is still made of stone.>
<That’s not my fault!>
<I think it’s literally the definition of being your fault. Turn. Her. Back.>
<I told you, she should be back already. I don’t understand why she isn’t; I don’t even understand why I’m suddenly able to transmute gods!>
<It has to be the eyes of Prometheus. I’m going to ask you to give them back.>
<How am I supposed to do that!? They’re on my face!>
<Just take them off. You can heal, right? You regenerated your whole body today. Twice.>
<Doesn’t mean I want to take off my eyes! Why would the eyes even make a difference anyway? Prometheus could see the future with them, but I can’t. Why would this affect my powers!?>
<Good question. I could figure out the answer by examining you closely; I could even find a way to remove your eyes without causing you pain. I’ll have the ship take you to my lab on…>
<No. No more tests.> Medusa says, and the forcefield surrounding the cell turns to stone.
The goddess easily smashes through the stone; more easily than she recalls being able to.
Noriko’s apparition is still in front of her, crossing her arms.
<Don’t make me come after you, Medusa. I don’t think you’re evil or anything, just misguided.>
<And I think I’m seeing clearly for the first time in my life. I see that I don’t need to be afraid of anyone, ever again.> Medusa realizes, staring intensely at the apparition.
And the electrical ghost crumbles into stone dust.
New York City, Max Black’s apartment
Noriko Null regains consciousness, only now realizing that she had lost it in the first place.
She recognizes the room, and quickly realized that Torn must have brought her body here while mind was scattered in multiple places. The other thing that she just realized, in addition to the exhaustion, is why she’s as pale as a ghost as she slowly stands up from the couch.
Jane Blake, her childhood friend and wife of Quantum, rushes towards her.
<What happened? Are you alright?>
<She… she turned it into stone. A mental projection! It didn’t even have any mass whatsoever, and she turned it into stone! And her range is far beyond what it should be: people just watching a video of her were turned to stone on the other side of the planet! By what I’ve been able to figure out about how divine powers work over the years, none of that should be possible. Do you understand what that means!?>
<Nothing good, I assume.>
<I mean that if Medusa learns how to control it, there might be no limit to what she can transmute now. And if she doesn’t control it… she might be even more dangerous.>