Chapter 9 - They do come back after all

Vesta is sitting on the edge of the roof on Two East River Place, the skyscraper that is her home now. She always liked watching the city from the sky, and she's glad that mortals in the last century have been able to do the same.

Noriko is approaching her, with a cup of coffee in her hands.

she says.

Vesta answers.

she says, handling the cup to the goddess.

Noriko sits down next to her, and the two couldn't look more different if they tried. Noriko is a black-haired eighteen-year-old with short black hair, wearing jeans, sneakers and a leather jacket with a horrible shade of green. Vesta is a redhead of ageless beauty, wearing orange cut-offs and a pink T-shirt, going barefoot.

the goddess answers. Her hands catch fire for a couple of seconds, heating the cup.

Vesta answers, standing up in front of the roof. Her feet don't touch the ground, in fact she simply walks on air as she talks.

Noriko says.

she says bitterly.

Noriko says, unfolding a large sheet of paper. It's a blueprint, highly technical and highly detailed, but it's drawn in pencil.

Max shouts excitedly.

Noriko almost falls down the roof thanks to the surprise of someone appearing out of nowhere shouting right behind you.

Vesta asks, confused.

Just then, something flies by the skyscraper, with the sound of a roaring motor and the speed of a fighter jet, leaving behind a red streak of light.

The first thing on everybody's mind is "not meteors again", but the falling object is clearly slowing down. It falls into the water, right in front of Liberty Island, making it boil thanks to the residual head of the atmospheric re-entry.

People on the island, here to visit the Statue of Liberty, have already stormed the waterfront and start taking pictures. A robot emerges from the water.

It looks like a man in a futuristic white and black armor, and from the sound of its boots it must weigh several tons.

Its head is similar in shape to a Corinthian helmet, but instead of eyes it has a single red visor burning with a fierce atomic flame.

<Ωηιcη γοδ οωνσ τηισ ωορλδ?> it asks, with a metallic voice.

The crowd is loving this: there isn't a single person looking at it who isn't taking a picture or shooting a video.

<Ι δεμανδ αν ανσωερ. Ωηιcη γοδ οωνσ τηισ ωορλδ?> it repeats, this time with an angrier tone and stepping towards the crowd.

Nobody seems to take a hint, thinking this is some kind of incredible publicity stunt. Only when the robot grabs one of the smartphones shooting a video that the protests start. The phone's owner tries to take it back, but the robot is holding it too tightly.

<Βε qθιετ. Ι αμ σcαννινγ> – the robot replies, showing the man the palm of its hand.

An energy blast blows away the poor man's head, and with good reason the crowd goes into panic immediately. There are screams, male and female, but the robot is only hearing its own voice.

<Σcαννινγ. Native language decoded. I will repeat the original question: which god owns this world?>

It's too late: everybody has run away from the scary killer robot. It almost looks confused from the reaction, then it looks around.

There is a very prominent statue of a woman in front of him, holding a torch in her hand. To the robot, this can only mean one thing.