Babel Found (23 page)

The Citadel

Terra swung her massive arms back and forth like clubs, bashing two or three
mitutu
with every pass. She may not be able to use the earth around her like she could elsewhere, but she could most definitely still help. It had been over two-thousand years since she morphed into her true form.

This feels…good.

She wasn’t sure if finally being herself was the reason or if it was the fact she was fighting for good and not evil. Yes, she’d slowly changed her outlook on humanity, but she’d never openly fought alongside them before.

The two here, Kane and Nicole, they were the most intriguing ones yet. They weren’t Boyd’s family, but they still chose to fight for him, risking even death. Terra would do what she could to make sure that didn’t happen.

She continued forward, stomping and smashing anything that wasn’t
human.
Once the
mitutu
may have been, but not now. They only knew one thing now—hunger. They were truly an inspiration behind the modern world’s zombie craze. Everything was about zombies nowadays. The fad was running its course, like vampires before it, and werewolves before that. Soon, like everything in mainstream media, the dead-man mania would end and Hollywood would be forced to find another hot button to milk.

Four of the rotted out things leapt at her, three successfully clinging to her legs. One tried to go high, but she caught it in her oversized hand and squeezed, crushing its skull like a tiny grape.

She kicked out and sent the two on her right leg flying into an incoming horde. The one on her left thigh met its demise with a simple flick of her wrist. She backhanded it away, snapping its neck with very little effort. The
mitutu
, like the zombie phenomena, worked best in large numbers. One on one with just an average human would prove fatal for the creature. After centuries of starvation, only being kept alive by the slightest of scraps, mixed with the tiniest bits of vine, their bodies were little more than toothpicks in strength.

Her goal was simple, clog the entry with her own body and keep fighting. She would do what she could to delay the monstrosities from overwhelming the others. She had faith that Boyd would prove his might against Enki. She didn’t know why, but she could sense a change in the air within the Citadel. She could sense that Enki was losing his grip on Boyd’s mind.

Terra picked up the pace and started jogging, her colossal ten-foot frame, bulldozing through anything that got close. Thankfully, the
mitutu
lost most of their ability to think long ago. Now they only acted on instinct. Strategic thought was literally lost to time.

Between her heavy footfalls, Terra heard gunshots and countless shrieks, but with every death, came another abomination from the Kur.

Twenty more feet…

She opened her arms and scooped up six of the
mitutu
, quickly crushing all of them with one bone-crunching bear hug. But they kept coming. They lived in the lowest levels, spread out for miles. Even Enki didn’t venture that deep regularly—if ever. Not to her knowledge anyway, which was very limited. What she did know from talking with Susanoo was that every few months, Enki would undertake the journey and that was only to deliver their rations. He would visit the four lowest doors, making his rounds as quickly as he could. He wanted no part of them unless it was to fight.

He feared them. He feared that the mitutu would remember who was responsible for their demise.

Could that be used against him? Would they even understand?

If she had time, she’d try, but for now, she’d fight.

She entered the square entry, the top of her bald stone head grinding just a bit on the ceiling. She widened her stance and opened her arms, gripping the edges of the corridor. She would block the tunnel as the others dispatched what got through. She’d never gone up against these creatures before, but she guessed that their weakened teeth and frail bodies were no match for her stone frame.

She clenched her eyes tight and mentally roared. Her will even shook the sides of the tunnel a little, cascading a cloud of dust. Even the
mitutu
seemed to be frightened of her sheer mass and ferocity. The resistance against her was so much that not even she thought she could hold on.

The gunfire behind her got closer and more infrequent. Did she fail? Did the soldiers perish?
No,
she thought,
I don’t believe that.
She knew that these particular humans wouldn’t be beaten so swiftly.

“Terra…down!”

She listened, unsure why she trusted them so. But when she turned and knelt, she saw six of the eight still remaining, all of them pointing their weapons her way.

Not all…

One of them held two small cylindrical canisters, one in each hand.

“Flash out!”

The one named Kane threw both of them over her head and into the tunnel behind her. Most of the
mitutu
were still stuck, entangling themselves with each other. As she finished turning, she saw the humans dive to the ground and cover their ears. Terra duplicated their movements, except held a kneeling position. She would continue to hold back the creatures while whatever was going to happen did.

Twin flashes bloomed to life behind her and the voices of hundreds of
mitutu
shrieked in agony. Whatever Kane did, it worked. The load lessened on Terra’s smoking back and she stood and immediately entered deeper into the tunnel.

“Go!” her voice boomed, startling the others. It was a deep baritone sound and it again rattled the tight confines of the ten-by-ten space. Even though she didn’t audibly speak the command, it still affected this place. “Help your friend!”

Before any of the human survivors could reply, she once again resumed her assault on Enki’s army, roaring in fury. She wouldn’t stop until they were no more, or until she was. Thankfully, her regenerative powers remained. She knew that if she could buy the humans more time…the day may not be lost after all.

*

“Holy mother!” Kane yelled, watching the mammoth form of Terra stomp through the lessening horde of…whatever the hell they were. She probably could have kicked the shit out of Rhonar too.

The light grew in brilliance, making them turn. Hank and Enki were still locked in motionless physical combat, but the mental part…well, that was very much
in
motion. If what Terra said was true about damaging Hank’s mind worse, they needed to, unfortunately, let him fight his own fight.

“Nicole…Kane…”

Everyone watched as Ben stood and carefully limped towards them, rounding the glowing altar. He gave it a wide enough berth, not wanting to potentially interrupt anything.

“Ben,” Nicole said, rushing to the man, “you’re okay…”

His smile turned into a clenched jaw… He wasn’t okay.

“What happened?” she asked, Kane joining them.

“Yeah, man,” Kane said. “We watched you get lifted into the air and then…
poof
…you were gone. Off the grid.”

“Anu happened, my friends,” Ben answered, leaning into Nicole for support. “He attacked me in the Tassili arches and broke my back.”

Kane’s right eyebrow asked the question.

“Oh,” Ben said, smiling again, “it’s not broken anymore.”

“I don’t understand,” Nicole said.

He lifted one of his closed fists and revealed what looked like a smashed leaf. “It was the vines—the gardens. They cured me. I couldn’t walk and was in dire pain before I smelled their nectar hidden within.”

“Are you high?” Kane seriously asked. Ben looked like he was on a morphine trip or something.

He laughed but winced again. “No, my friend. I’m still in shock over this discovery. The Hanging Gardens are real and they have a healing property that could serve the world in hundreds—maybe thousands—of unique ways.”

A grunting sound emanated from behind as two stray creatures darted out from the tunnel. One was missing an arm and the other was missing half its face. Two quick shots from one of the soldiers ended their feeble attempts, however.

“Davey,” Kane said, “you and the others form a perimeter around this central spot. Shoot anything that isn’t our new big friend.”

Davey nodded and relayed the order. His body language was all business after losing half his men. Each of the four remaining Special Forces soldiers moved off. Two headed closer to the tunnel entrance, while the other two split off and formed a walking perimeter around the altar.

Feeling a little better about their position, Kane turned back to Ben and Nicole, hearing the last of what they were talking about.

“We need to take some of it with us and study it,” Ben said, his eyes still wide. “Maybe Olivia can make heads or tails of it?”

“Take what?” Kane asked.

“The leaves,” Nicole replied. “He said it may even help Hank…” She looked up to his floating body. “If he comes back.”

“He will,” Kane said, “stay here and help Ben.”

Kane marched off to the nearest vine he could reach. It was about three hundred feet away—the same distance as a football field—and even then he could barely reach up and grab it on his tippy toes. He could scale the round sloping walls and find more, but decided against it. The bowl shape would be rough on his still aching knee. So instead, he jumped and hung from this one for a second, feeling it give a little. Ignoring the ache in his damaged hand, he pulled himself up as far as he could and dropped, forcing his deadweight to jerk on the vine once again.

This time, it broke free, causing him to land hard on his ass. He grunted and stood, rubbing his lower back. But in the end, he got his reward. The eight-foot section of vine would definitely be a prize worth the twinge in his back.

“Should’ve just used the damn sword.”

He inspected the vine and its few leaves, expecting to see something remarkable. Instead, all he saw was green. They did smell sweet, though, like a freshly cut dewy lawn. They had an unusual sheen to them though too. Maybe it was a result of being barraged by the golden light for so many years?

He thought of Hank.
Maybe it could even help with his nightmares?

He held up his left hand and tried to make a fist. It took some effort, but it closed…barely.

Or this…

Ben still looked to be in pain, but the man was walking at least. What if the healing properties only did so much? Would they even do anything for Hank if, and hopefully when, he came out of his current state?

We’ll just have to find out
, he thought, tying the vine around his chest like an ammo belt.

The vertical beam of light came right on cue. It dimmed some and began to pulse. Not exactly understanding the tech at work here, Kane ordered everyone to fall back, away from the altar. They followed his command without any form of dispute, backing up as they watched the light show.

“What the hell is that?” Davey yelled, pointing up.

Kane saw it too. The golden beam of light started to change color. Half of it began turning black and the other half a familiar electric green. Picking up speed, the colors attempted to swirl together like a vanilla/chocolate combo. They resisted, however, each one taking on the persona of a horseshoe magnet’s ends.

“It’s them,” Ben said. “It’s their essence doing battle.”

“But what does that mean?” Nicole asked, frustrated at the lack of answers. She wanted a clearer one. She needed to know what was actually happening to Hank.

“I…” Ben said, his face tired and worn. “I honestly don’t know.”

Somewhere

“I can feel you growing weaker, Mr. Boyd. I can see it in your very soul. It grows wearier with every passing second. I only have to wait…”

“Shut up,” I mumble between grunts of exertion. It feels like he has his cold lifeless hands around my heart, squeezing it. I’m ready to pass out, but get a natural boost of adrenalin. My new found strength within is the only reason I haven’t lost.

I’m kneeling atop the central altar in Teotihuacán, looking up into the fiendish eyes of Coaxoch, but instead of her voice accosting me, it’s Enki’s. Nicole, Kane, and Olivia lay dead around me, killed by the stone serpents. Again, I know they aren’t really dead, but my body reacts as if they are.

Coaxoch’s laughter booms across the landscape making the stone around us rattle and shake. Each one is like a punch to the chest, driving the nail home deeper. It’s as if fear itself has me in a stranglehold of some kind.

I need to control the fear,
I think, trying to stand. For every inch I move against Enki, I get bombarded by a new wave of fear and pain. He has weaponized the two principal enemies of man in a conflict. Fear that you’ll lose, and the pain it will cause.

Get it under control Hank.

“Yes, Mr. Boyd…” Enki says, smiling. “Please do try and take control. It’ll only weaken you further.”

“Get out of my head!”

I know he’s baiting me into burning myself out more, but I don’t really have another choice. While my body heals with the passing time, my mind—my will—doesn’t. Every second I continue my resistance against Enki brings me that much closer to giving in.

I shove out of my kneeling stance and push…hard. My legs shake and bend, threatening to bring me back down, but I fight against it. I must keep fighting!

“Just…once,” I say, “I’d like to see you actually…take a swing.”
I need to antagonize him more, maybe it’ll give me an opening.
“But you won’t, will you? You’ll just stand off to the side and pretend your
magic
has any hold over me—a
true
warrior. No wonder you couldn’t control Thoth. He was too strong for you.”

A growl and an ancient curse gets sent my way as another wave of killings invade my brain. He is trying to use all of the deaths brought upon this planet as his weapon, forcing me to see visions of each. It’s nauseating and terrifying, but I know I need to try and block out the sight. Closing my eyes does nothing, they appear in my head in unison. I’m meant to see these atrocities whether I want to or not.

“You know nothing of me!” Enki roars. He’s only five feet from me, but it feels like ten times that. “Thoth is the reason you are doomed as a race! He brought down this tower along with any chance of my escape from this wretched planet!”

Huh?

“What… What are you talking about?” I ask.

The scene around us changes once again and we’re in a monstrous room. It’s not a cave, but a beautifully built and elegantly decorated hall of some kind. I’m standing on a wooden catwalk that encompasses the entire circumference of the expanse. It’s about the same size as the Citadel—the size of a sports arena.

I believe myself to be the only one here until I catch someone speaking in the center of the great hall. He’s knelt over something, but my current position is blocking whatever it is. There’s a staircase down to the center of the room—one of six spaced out around it, attaching from the catwalk to the lower level.

As I head right, my view of the man and whatever it is he’s knelt over comes into view. It’s a small pyramid of gold and he’s praying over it like it’s a sick child. I can’t understand what he’s saying, but I can hear the pain and hurt in his voice. He’s pleading to it for something.

“He wanted more,” a voice says in my head.

“Enki?”

He doesn’t answer, but I know it was him. His grating voice is unmistakable. He wants me to see this. He thinks it’ll change my perspective of things.

“Fat chance,” I say, descending the stairs.

I’m about four floors above the kneeling man and as I continue down and forward his features start to look familiar. I’m not sure how I know him, but I do.

“Thoth?” I ask, seeing the man flinch. But his movements aren’t because of my oddly timed question. He spins and grabs his head, screaming in that same ancient language. It isn’t Atlantean—I’ve heard that before. It’s something far older.

Doesn’t matter
, I think, watching.

Thoth is shouting at nothing, but arguing like he is.

“It’s in his head…”

“Yes… I am,” Enki says. “After he consumed a part of the Source he became the gifted individual you knew him as. But I guided him to everything he built. It’s only until he grew strong enough to repel me that…” His voice stops. I hear honest to God sadness in it. “That the tower was destroyed.”

What?

“Watch…”

I do and see Thoth shouting in anger, pounding his chest like a caveman going through roid-rage. Soon after, he turns and dives at the stone, placing both hands on it. As soon as he touches it, the room starts to shake and the stone starts to glow.

“He’s calling on more power from the Source. He knew the consequences. It’s like overloading any other power source.”

“It overheats…” I look up. “Or explodes.”

I witness something that no one alive has seen, except Enki himself. The room around me starts to glow in the same way as the stone did, the light quickly working its way up the walls and through the next levels.

“The tower was my only way of contacting my home,” Enki says. “Thoth destroyed my only chance at reaching someone.”

“The Tower of Babel was an antenna?” I ask, shocked.

The non-answer is confirmation enough.

The room brightens to the point that I have to cover my eyes and all at once, just like that, it goes out. I uncover my face and am looking up into the night sky. The stars are beautiful and as full and as bright as I’ve ever seen.

No electricity to block them out
, I remind myself.

“What… Where?” I ask, looking around for rubble.

“It was destroyed at a micro level.”

“It disintegrated?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“That’s why there have never been any ruins found above ground. There weren’t any to find.”

The scenery starts to warble a little as a large form steps into my line of sight. It’s Enki for sure, but there isn’t enough light to see by in the middle of the desert.

“This was the last time I would help humanity. It’s the last time I would cooperate with your selfish species. Thoth wanted more power and instead, he killed thousands and created a monster.”

“You,” I say, putting everything together finally. “You crashed on our planet and tried to contact your own, but Thoth compromised your mission. The tower—of which was probably lined with orichalcum I’d assume—was your only way of constructing something powerful enough to send a signal out. Our planet was still millennia away from developing anything remotely close to doing so.”

“You…” The accusation is meant for all of humanity and not just me, but as of right now…I’m the only one of us around.

“Damn.”

“I will finally have what I need to power the Citadel myself, Mr. Boyd.”

As he finishes his rebuttal, I lunge for him, hoping to surprise him. Instead, I feel a sting in my flesh. I look down and see a Roman Gladius sword buried in my chest. Enki holds the other end, dressed like a gladiator. Blood pours from the fatal wound, giving the standing-room-only crowd something to go nuts about. I look up into the VIP section of stands and see the man overseeing the events standing with his thumb pointed down.

Bastard
, I think, staring at him.

I look back to Enki as he yanks the blade free, sending another spout of blood into the air. But his eyes go wide as the wound cauterizes and heals, stemming the flow of blood. Grinding my teeth, I stand in defiance of Enki and everyone else here. I was apparently the poor sap condemned to death while Enki was crowned the favored hero.

“You’re going to need more than mind games,” I say, stepping forward. “Nannot tried the same bullshit on me and look where it got him. He’s dead!” I’m lying of course. Nannot never tried to use my own mind against me, but I have a feeling that comparing Enki to one of his subjects will make him angry.

It works…

Enki sends wave after wave of memories. His catalog of war is deeper than any library or website database. Where those gave detailed accounts of battles, I’m living them like I was there.

But so is Enki.

Through blinding pain and heartache for those that perish, I watch him carefully. Every so often the tides will turn during a particular confrontation, showing me glimpses of good defeating evil—or at the very least a glimmer of hope surrounding said conflict.

I watch Japanese kamikaze pilots dive bomb World War Two-era battleships, but as one hits, two more are blown out of the sky. Then, three more.

Enki flinches with every good deed done.

“It hurts you,” I say, preparing myself for something I know is going to hurt, “doesn’t it?” The fact that he pushes harder tells me I’m right, and since he’s in my head, I’m curious whether I can hijack his attacks.

I visualize one of the battles I saw earlier.

A peasant girl appears in front me. Her name is
Jeanne d’Arc
,
and she’s from Domrémy—a village in northeast France. ‘Joan’ would eventually be burned at the stake for her actions at the age of nineteen, but her feats would live on as some of the most courageous in world history.

We watch as she rides horseback, shouting in another language I don’t understand.
Where’s Olivia when you need her?
I may not comprehend French, but the fury in her eyes tells me all I need. She’s passionate about her cause and ready to die for it. Enki protests my showing of her valor, but I push back, focusing on her face.

“This little girl…” I say, doing my best not to scream in agony. “She faced thousands of enemies and still came out of this battle as the victor. With her death came sainthood. She died a martyr—a hero.” I step forward again. “She’s still idolized around the world six-hundred years later. You’ve been here for five
thousand
and barely anyone knows your name.”

I growl, trying to switch us to another time in history when evil produced a worthy result. My growl turns into a groan as Enki fights back, sending us into a dizzying spiral

But in the end, I prevail…sort of.