Planet Myridia
Kari Zel is sitting on the beach. Two of the six suns are high in the sky, and a third one is near dawn; the wind keeps blowing her purple hair into her face.
Max Black, also known as Quantum, appears right next to her in a bright flash of light. She's not bothered for his sudden appearance; there's nothing unusual with it on Myridia.
Kari's smile fades. She recovers a backpack laying a couple of feet behind her; she moves it to make it clear that it's half empty.
Max smiles. This trip was worth it after all.
Twin Dragon, Demeter's former mothership
Orbiting Myridia at 1.200 miles altitude
Torn is leaning against the control station; his red skin and old duster stand out in the futuristic bridge. Noriko is laying with her back on the floor, working under the station like a mechanic in her workshop.
Torn sighs, and a pair of bright red energy scissors appears in Noriko's hand. He watches her work for a few seconds before she comes out of the station. He tries not to stare at her, but he can't help it: how could this frail child have killed a goddess?
<...>
There's a flash of green light, signaling the arrival of Quantum and Kari by means of the ship's teleporter. Kari's two duplicates already on the bridge rush to get her bag, while Quantum is busy enjoying the moment.
The air fills with a tridimensional picture of the galaxy with a superimposed red dotted light.
<50 years divided by 700.000> is what Null answers, even though she means "you should know this already".
Quantum and Torn look confused. Kari is counting on her fingers.
<38 minutes> Null clarifies, meaning "I can't believe I have to spell this stuff for you guys"
Cargo bay 2
Gods don't have mourning rituals. They don't have centuries of traditions on how to pay their respects to their dead, because they don't believe that gods can die.
But Demeter is laying lifeless, arms crossed over her chest; her corpse looks more like a beautiful sculpture than a dead body. Vesta is sitting in front of the casket, tending to the live flame that floats before her sister's corpse.
Noriko approaches her carefully; from her breathing, she can tell Vesta's been crying silently.
Null nods politely, taking a step towards the door.
The Twin Dragon bridge
Max Black a.k.a Quantum is sitting on the golden throne that oversees the bridge; it's not just the color, it's a solid block of gold. Kari and her duplicates are manning every station, while Torn is brooding in a corner.
Noriko Null enters the bridge from the only door that leads outside, adding:
Instead, Noriko looks each ally in the eye, one after another, and says:
For that, he gets a stern look from Noriko. Her silver eyes flash fiercely for a second.
The African-American hero moves away from the throne at the speed of light. Noriko takes her place, trying to sit down like a solemn queen.
She's too short for that, and when on the throne her feet don't touch the ground; she crosses her legs to seem a little less ridiculous.
Null asks, quickly changing the subject.
Noriko adjusts her position on the golden throne, far too big for her. She glimpses at Max, whose body language is practically screaming "come on, say it". She decides to indulge him.
The Twin Dragon quickly accelerates beyond common physics, reaching over the stars.