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Authors: Matthew James

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BOOK: Babel Found
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“See that you don’t fail me again…”
The voice started to fade as the master began letting go.
“Remember one more thing my judger of man… You may be strong enough to resist me, but the others are not.”

Susanoo’s breath caught.

“Fail me again and you alone will be responsible for your family’s deaths. I will personally discontinue their existences.”

13

Typhoon Lagoon

Orlando, Florida

 

Kane and Olivia skirted around the northern end of the waterpark’s main walkway, following its circuitous route around the central wave pool. They ran as fast as their slipping feet and wounded bodies would let them.
No running!
It’s what countless lifeguards used to tell him when he was younger. Then, they’d see the massively oversized youth that Kane was and back down. He wouldn’t have picked a fight with them, though, they were just doing their jobs. No, he just liked to watch grown-ass-men squirm under the gaze of a two-hundred-pound teenager.


Merde!
” Olivia shouted, hobbling as she ran. “That girl had a head like stone. I almost broke my leg.”

A few steps in front of her, Kane slowed and reached a catcher’s mitt sized hand out. He then took the much smaller woman, lifting her like she weighed nothing, and slung her across his back. She clutched her arms around his throat, careful not to choke him, and then wrapped her legs around his waist, locking ankles, wincing as she applied pressure to the badly bruised shin bone.

“Are you okay?” she asked, bouncing up and down as he barely slowed.

“You kidding?” he said. “You remember Brooks?”

She did. He was Kane’s former Ranger teammate, turned traitor. He was one of the reasons Dr. Boyd, her mentor, died that day.

“Of course, I do,” she said, snapping harder than she intended.

He didn’t hear it, though. “I had to carry his ass like this for a couple miles once. Jerkoff was clipped by around, right in the foot. It was barely a scratch, but he was slowing us down.”

“Okay,” she said, “I just wasn’t—”

“Brooks wasn’t much lighter than me, Belle,” he said, snorting out a laugh as he ran. “You’re about as heavy as my pack from boot camp!”

She kissed the side of his face. “You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself, don’t you?”

Kane shrugged and smiled. “It’s a gift.”

“Look out!”

Kane barely had time to react to Olivia’s warning, when a palm tree fell in front of them. He tried to skid to a stop, but couldn’t. The ground was just too slick for his bare feet to find proper traction. So instead, he took the added forward momentum and leapt the still smoldering palm, landing on the other side. His legs buckled a little as he landed, twisting his knee hard.

They both went down, crashing into a pile of large inner tubes. Luckily, they had been passing one of the numerous entrances to the park’s immense lazy river. It followed the walkway, all the way around.

They sat up in unison, Kane having to look over the yellow inner tube resting on his shoulders. He imagined he looked exactly like the Coke bottle ring toss game from a carnival. What he saw only made him wish for a weapon even more than before. It was
her
.

The petite Latina named Phoenix casually strolled down the same path they had been running through. Her hands were outstretched and her lips were moving—mumbling something to herself. It was just like Coaxoch when she conjured the stone creatures. As she continued forward, everything around her was set ablaze.

What I wouldn’t give for stone snakes, like before.

Kane looked on in shock and awe as she simply flexed her fingers. Each time she did, something new caught. Trees, inner tubes, and lounge chairs, they all instantly combusted. So did the various buildings around them. Nothing would escape her fury.

Well, hopefully not nothing…
he thought, glancing at Olivia.

They both stood as one and started backpedaling, unsure of where to go. Phoenix was still a good forty or so feet away, but she’d surely be in range soon. The tree that just missed them was proof enough of her range and like any weapon, he was sure her effectiveness got better and better as she neared her target.

Kane took a step, but his balky knee protested, as did Olivia’s aching right leg.

“Now what?” she asked, looking up to him.

“Not sure, honestly,” he answered, looking down at her. “I don’t think either of us are in any shape to outrun her now.”

Olivia’s face dropped and so did her chin. Kane turned to face her, but instead of his eyes finding hers, they looked over her head, finding something else. Olivia saw his eyes light up and she turned. But her reaction wasn’t as positive as his.

The rear wall of the enormous wave pool sat not far from where they stood now. Kane hobbled over and took a look, not seeing a ton of promise in his quickly forming plan. But still, he headed for the pool’s rear perimeter fence and put his back to it, cupping his hands.

“Come on,
Frenchie
, up and over.”

Not really having time to argue, Olivia did as he asked and stepped up into his hands, cringing at the movement. As she gripped the chain link, Kane lifted her higher, making her yelp as he applied even more pressure. She adjusted and pushed off on her good leg and easily scaled the fencing, quickly shambling down the other side. Her bare feet actually made it easier finding footholds in the large chain links.

Kane then followed like a practiced monkey and climbed, landing next to Olivia with a grunt. He flexed his knee but didn’t voice a complaint. He was used to pain, it focused him.

No time for pain,
he thought as he searched for the next step in their escape. He found it a short second later and hurried over.

“Shit!” he yelled, seeing an insurmountable wall in front of him.

He looked left and found something else, though. A rooftop access ladder hung, bolted to the side of the wave machine’s surrounding structure. He really didn’t want to have to climb any higher, but he was used to altering his plans on the fly. He groaned again, looking over the much-too-tall concrete walls one more time before limping over to the ladder. The heat increased behind them, accelerating his decision-making process.

“Up,” he said, watching behind them.

“You can’t—” she stopped when he hissed and shoved her forward.

The ladder was on the left side of the rectangular structure, so they’d be out of sight for the majority of the time. They may even be able to lose
Ms. Fireball
if they get up it quick enough.

Olivia trusted Kane’s judgment and began to climb as swiftly as she could. She felt the ladder shudder under her. He was right on top of her, begging her to go faster. She did, shelving the pain in her leg for a chance of surviving the day.

As soon as Kane’s feet cleared the halfway point he felt a wash of heat kiss the back of his legs. If he had any leg hair, he’d have lost it for sure, but it grew in like a chimp’s so he’d routinely shaved it since high school.

“Go, go, go!”

Thankfully, Olivia was in good shape and pushed herself that much more. They both shot up-and-over the lip of the roof and fell to the sun-scorched concrete. Breathing heavily and checking his feet for burns, Kane sighed and leaned up on his elbows, grinning.

But the boyish smirk was erased from his face as a huge column of fire shot into the sky right in front of him, burning his eyes like he was too close to a campfire. He rolled backwards and got to his feet his eyes watering. He joined Olivia at the edge of the wave pool’s wall and looked down, wiping away the tears.

“How high are we?” Olivia asked, also peeking over the edge and seeing the water below.

“Does it matter?”

She looked at Kane, narrowing her eyes. She was not in the mood.

“No idea,” he said shrugging. “Twenty feet, maybe?”

“Maybe?”

“I didn’t build the friggin thing!”

And with that,
Beast
grabbed his beloved
Beauty
before she could argue…and tossed her overboard. He then quickly followed her as another column of fire shot into the air, singeing the hairs on the back of his head.

He heard Olivia splash into the water just before he went under, carried forward by the remains of the last set of waves. He kicked forward, staying under the surf as he found Olivia. She was calmly floating, looking in his direction with absolute rage in her eyes. Kane knew he’d get a talking-to when this was all over, but for now, he shooed her forward, getting another angry look.

As she surfaced for air, he kept on swimming, his much larger lungs doing what God intended them to do. He calmly breaststroked underneath her kicking feet as she sank like a stone, landing on his back. Surprised, Kane let go a flurry of air as he rounded on Olivia.

Her eyes said it all… So did her pointing finger.

It was pointed up.

“Damnit,” Kane said aloud. It came out like a garble of nonsense, but the look on his face conveyed the message clearly.

Both he and Olivia kicked like demons as the water around them began to heat up. They had literally gone from bad to
more
bad. If they didn’t clear the wave pool in time, they’d boil alive.

 

Under Washington D.C.

 

She waited and wept, unmoving until ordered to. She no longer wanted to serve
him
, but as Susanoo reminded her. “He is not one you simply walk away from.”

She agreed with her brother but knew her death wouldn’t be by her master’s hand... It would be by Susanoo’s. She knew he didn’t like to be told what to do any more than she did, but he did his part without question. Anu and Phoenix were the same, but even more independent thinking than they. They would abide by their master, again without question, but were known to go off on their own to finish what was asked of them.

Like Anu in the desert.

He refused to answer Susanoo, caught up in the hunt—as did Phoenix. The only other reason would be if either of them was incapacitated. It rarely happened of course, but it
had
happened. Like everyone on the planet, even they didn’t like to speak of their failures.

My failures,
she thought, tucked away in her handmade dugout. After she dropped into the earth she willed the ground to open a tunnel to the east. Why she chose that direction, she didn’t know. All she knew was it was towards the man she was sent here to kill. He intrigued her. While she lived with the human race, she never really confided in any of them.

This one is different… He has a good heart. I can feel as much.

She craned her neck up and looked through the small hole she had opened. It allowed air to travel back and forth. But she, like the others, didn’t need it to survive. She just liked the feeling of the fresh air surrounding her. Food, water, shelter—none of them were necessary actually. She didn’t know the exact science behind it, but their bodies would basically use whatever it needed to regenerate themselves. It’s just how it was. Technically, they were starved and dehydrated husks of themselves, but their immortal abilities kept them moving onward.

What would it be like to die?
she asked herself.

“Terra.”

She shook her head against the intrusion, blocking it out. It was like a busy signal to the caller. It told them she was unable to answer back.

“Terra?”

She cringed as the voice pushed deeper. The soil beneath her dropped away as she quickly tried to escape it. The only place she felt relatively safe was deep underground whether by her own making or some natural fissure. There were so many
undiscovered
systems underground—most she knew of but kept to herself.

Every so often she’d come across another, satisfied that she’d be the first and most likely only one to see it, and in some cases, whatever it held. The treasures that this planet held were truly incredible. Some of them were earthly treasures, untouched troves of natural wealth. But some were those of human design, forgotten by time.

Like Asia,
she thought, remembering one she found hundreds of years ago. It still intrigued her to this day…but it also frightened her too. She wouldn’t go back there. It was best left alone.

The subterranean world as a whole was her safe spot. As long as she willed it to happen, she could stay beneath the surface for years. She could truly be at peace.

Like before…

They hadn’t been called upon in decades until now. It was the final step until the master would finally rise. She and her family would be the key that unlocked
his
prison. They would be the ones to free him.

“And Hank Boyd is the combination,” she said, continuing to sob at her part in his eventual death. It wouldn’t occur immediately, but it would most definitely come to be.

“Terra!”

14

Tassili n’Ajjer National Park

Algeria

 

It was just over nine miles from town to the outskirts of the park. Ben used that entire time to try and relay what he’d seen and also have help sent back to the dig site. He selfishly thought only about his son. The other men’s lives were just as valuable, but like most parents, Ben put his own blood above the rest.

“What’s going on, Ben?” Nicole asked through their comms.

“Just out for a stroll, Ms. Andersson.”

“Ben…”

“Right, sorry, Nicole.”

Ben had a habit of calling women he’d recently met by their proper titles. Olivia had also become Ms. Dubois. She, like Nicole, corrected him too. Both women were very informal and it actually made working with them pleasant. He’d, unfortunately, had some bad experiences with the opposite sex in his field. Most were uptight, always trying to outdo their male counterparts. Ben just wanted to study and work. His days of trying to impress women were over. His nasty, heartbreaking divorce all but stamped out his interest in trying.

“Where are you?” Nicole asked quietly, whispering.

“Coming up on Tassili,” he said, glancing in his mirrors. “I’m going to see if I can lose him in the park somewhere. Once I hang up with you I’m going to call in for help.”

“Okay, I’ll have Todd do the same.”

“Already am,” said a familiar voice.

“Todd?” Nicole asked.

“Yep,” he said, nonchalantly. “I have an SOS going through our proper government channels.”

“How’d you hear what I—” Nicole began to ask.

“I’m a cyber ninja, remember?”

Ben just shook his head. Todd had really taken to Kane’s nicknames, carrying a different persona while working. He would sometimes act like a stone-cold killer…with a keyboard and mouse, that is.

“How’s Hank?” Ben asked.

“He’s been better,” Nicole replied, again hushed. “He’s been worse too. Currently, he’s passed out across the backseat. The last fight really took it out of him. He had to go full-on superhero to get us out of South Beach alive. What’s worse…” she paused and mentally reflected on the fight.

“Nicole?” Ben asked.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I was going to say that what was worse is I don’t think we even hurt the guy.”

Ben thought as much was true. He’d didn’t see exactly what happened to
Agent Anu
, but he couldn’t fathom the men stationed here not getting off a couple of good shots. He’d at least be injured, but he hadn’t seen any injuries on the man while gazing at him through his zoomed in specs.

Anu… Hmmm.

Ben didn’t think about it before, but he remembered studying the ancient gods of old years ago and remembered the name from somewhere.

“Todd,” he said, “you still there?”

“Yes sir, I am.”

“Look up the name Anu for me—A, N, U,—specifically, what it has to do with the ancient deities.”

He could hear the clicking of keys as he approached the last passable road. He’d have to hoof it on foot from here. He braked hard and grabbed someone’s half-full bottle of lukewarm water from the center console.

It’ll have to do
.

“Okay, Ben. I got a hit.”

“Go ahead, Todd,” he said, opening the door and jumping out. Ben ran for the closest cover and got his bearings. With as much time as he’d spent in northern Africa in his life, he’d only come out here once before a few months ago. He figured that if he had to be out in the heat, he’d make it worth the time and effort and keep working, getting the job done quicker. Plus, the underground tunnels were so much cooler. It helped keep the fact that he was a thousand feet underground off his brain.

“Anu was an ancient Sumerian god of the sky if I’m reading this right.”

I knew it!

“You don’t think it’s actually Anu? The god, I mean,” Nicole inquired, thinking what Ben was.

“No way of knowing without asking him, but I do think that it’s either him in the flesh, or that the
Sumerian
Anu was based off our friend here.”

“Great,” Todd said, “more gods.”

Ben couldn’t agree more. While neither of them was involved in the original happenings in Algeria, they’d been brought up to speed. They’d also seen firsthand what these people could do with the events in D.C. three months ago.

“Nicole?” Todd asked.

Still listening, Ben ran for the next arch looking up and back, seeing the storm incoming. There was a much larger, but lower arch a quarter of a mile away. If Ben could make it under it before the tornado hit, he might have a chance.

“What?” she answered.

“What was your guy’s name again?”

“Susan,” another voice said, yawning. “His name was Susan.”

“Hank?” Ben asked. “How are you feeling?”

“To put it simply… I feel like shit.”

Ben smiled. Hank had a way with words sometimes.

“His name was Susanoo,” Nicole said. “Susan with two O’s at the end.”

“Dang.”

“What?” Ben asked, moving as fast as he could. The sand wasn’t the issue, it was mostly compact and dense. It was the heat and incoming wind that caused him great concern. The temperature threatened to suck the moisture from his body and the wind did its best to knock him down.

“Susanoo was the Japanese god of ocean storms.”

No one spoke. Everyone stayed silent and let it sink in.

“Are we dealing with real gods?” Ben asked. The wind really began to howl now, it was going to be close.

“When it comes to their abilities, yes,” Hank said, “but not them as beings. So far with my experience, these are just overprivileged power-hungry brats with less than righteous goals. We can’t look at them as
gods
in a spiritual or religious way.”

“I agree,” Ben said, barely being able to hear himself speak, “but we should still—” The wind slapped against his back hard enough to force the air from his lungs. Then, the sand around him lifted off the ground and cut at his skin and stung his eyes.

“Ben?” a voice said in his ear.

Before he could comprehend his next thought, he too was lifted off the ground, but instead of being returned to the sand below, he was thrown into the side of a rock formation. He hit hard and felt something in his body burn. His head was woozy and his thoughts scattered. He couldn’t put two and two together quick enough to figure out, if and how badly injured he was.

“What happened?” asked another voice.

He could wiggle his fingers and move his neck, but as he tried to do the same with his lower body, he stopped, hearing a voice above him.

“You should have just died willingly, Dr. Fehr. All those men back at your little camp wouldn’t have had to perish as a result.”

Does he mean Daniel?

No,
he decided. Anu came straight for him after he attacked the camp. He may not even know that they had men down below.

“Talk to me, Ben.” He barely heard the last communication.

Ben’s mind spun and his eyes began to close. The knock to the head was serious, as was the assault his body took. He passed out as he was again lifted off the ground.

“Ben!”

 

*

 

“Anu, report.”

Anu was really getting sick of Susanoo interrupting him while he was in pursuit. They all knew what kind of strength and mental ability it took to control the sky. He was altering the winds themselves. If they got too out of hand, the air currents could also affect more than just who he was after. They could disturb the weather in the area, causing massive droughts or even the exact opposite in some cases.

He watched from above as Dr. Fehr was lifted and thrown against the base of one of the large arches that dotted the landscape around them. There was a beauty to the place that Anu loved, but the dry air was what drew him to the deserts of the world. He excelled in the dry heat above all the rest. The wind resisted him less, carrying little, to no moisture. He could handle the humid air of a rainforest or another similar place too, but these winds offered a minuscule amount of opposition.

He merely called, and they answered. Simple as that.

The waterless air made them solely his, easy to control, like an extension of his physical body. There was something freeing about that. He ruled these skies. The man down below just felt that supremacy.

Anu lowered himself with quick bursts of air, landing softly in the sand behind the unconscious Israeli. Fehr proved himself to be cunning and daring. He even fled further into the desert, away from civilization, deeper into Anu’s preferred battleground. He must have feared for the people’s lives to make such a foolish move. A foolish mistake.

“You should have feared for your own life instead.”

He held out his hands and pulled in the winds, condensing them. They then reached out and easily plucked the ragdoll-like body off the ground. All he’d have to do was simply toss him into the sky and watch him fall.

Just like the men with the guns.

As he raised his hands to do so, Anu felt another pulse. Angered at the disturbance, but feeling something urgent in it, he answered.

“What!”
Anu yelled in frustration.

“Have you succeeded?”
It was Susanoo.

“I was about to, but was interrupted.”

“Calm yourself, Anu. We have a change of plans. Things aren’t going as well as we had hoped.”

“And?”
Anu asked, growing even more irritated. He didn’t need to hear everyone’s sob story. He fulfilled his end, incapacitating his target with relative ease. He did his duty. Now was the time to finish it.

“Take Dr. Fehr to the master…alive. We will bring Boyd to us instead.”

Anu ground his teeth, feeling them about to break. He wanted nothing more than to kill this man but knew he was going to have to resist his primal urges for the time being.

“Very well, you will have your bait, but I can’t promise what condition he’ll arrive in.”

“Neither I nor the master, care,”
Susanoo said.
“Just as long as his heart beats. However, Boyd won’t come for a corpse.”

He cut the communication and smiled. Fehr was most definitely not dead, but the man was unquestionably broken. Anu could at least gain some satisfaction in knowing that.

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