How I met her mother

Vesta's been busy last month, more than the last two thousand years combined. She's been flying from a crisis to another, helped by the fact that she can't get tired.

This is the first time she's had some time for herself. Legs crossed in the lotus position, floating a foot off the ground, looking at the ball of fire standing before her.

Someone knocks at the door.

she answers, somewhat surprised that Max has bothered to knock.

Max Black turns his body into x-rays, walks right through the door, and turns back into flesh and blood. This is the first time he's been into Vesta's apartment, so he looks around.

He's seen hotel rooms that felt more alive than this: every single piece of furniture looks brand new and never used. There's not a single personal object anywhere.

Vesta asks, since Max is having trouble asking the direct question.

Vesta shrugs.

Max is about to rebut, but he's interrupted by an artificial female voice:

Vesta answers, putting her feet back on the ground and making the fire disappear.

Max asks.

Max asks.

A few minutes later, Vesta is floating above Noriko's clothes. They're just laying on the floor, above the wires and cables connected to the Heart of the Universe.

Max suggests, slowly lifting the jacket off the floor. A black T-shirt with the Ø symbol and a bra fall off.

Max corrects her, transforming his body into light and reappearing a fraction of a second later on the other side of the room to pick up a package.

Bob says.

There's a few seconds of silence.

Vesta finally says.

Max asks.

I.R.I.S answers.

Max replies before disappearing in a flash of light.

Tokyo Imperial Hotel

When he turns human again, Max would be impressed if he ever bothered to watch international news. Only the biggest names of Japan's politics and finance are here, which means Max doesn't recognize anybody.

He also doesn't understand a single word anyone is saying, except the guys with sunglasses that are shouting orders and pointing guns. Bodyguards are the same anywhere.

are the first words that anyone says in English. Max turns to look at whoever said it, and his jaw almost hits the floor.

The woman is holding a champagne glass and is standing next to the Prime Minister. She's wearing a black evening gown and she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.

he mumbles.

she answers, then saying something in Japanese to the Prime Minister first and to the crowd later.

Nobody dares to say a word.

As Max follows Leiko, he finds it strange that nobody is following them. He's concentrating on her, however; not only on the fact that she's insanely hot, but that she doesn't have the slightest trace of an accent when she speaks English.

she answers, using the same tone she'd use to give the time of the day.

Leiko turns to look him in the eye. She doesn't move a muscle on her face, but it's enough to send shivers down his spine.

The two have reached the destination: an hotel room on the floor just beneath the party. Leiko doesn't waste any time to complete her story, and Max is suddenly less interested in her body and more on watching his own back.

Leiko smiles. It's the scariest smile that Max has ever seen.

Max screams in pain, thanks to the energy blast that a floating metal sphere is using to confine him.

the sphere says with an unnaturally low voice.

Max is crawling on the floor, feeling more pain that he'd thought possible. The Core is hitting him with some kind of energy that prevents him to turn into radio waves and escape.

Leiko sits down, crossing her legs. She looks like she couldn't care less if Max died right now.

Luckily the Core tones down his attack, and the pain becomes slightly bearable.

she asks.

The intensity of the energy increases again, and so does the agony. Max is shaking violently, his skin on fire and his brain full of jackhammers. Leiko is still sitting, calm and collected, watching him die painfully.

is all Quantum is able to say through his teeth.

Quantum answers, gathering all the strength in his body to grab the Core and throw it out of the window like a baseball.

Quantum stands proud in his energy form, ready for anything. Leiko stands up, fixing her long black hair.

Quantum clenches his fists, looking into Leiko's cold eyes. And then he disappears in the blink of an eye, causing her to come very close to smiling.