Babel Found (21 page)

The Citadel

“We’re here,” Terra says, ushering me forward. She’s standing next to a perfectly cut opening the same size as the corridor we just passed through…and I could have sworn it wasn’t there a moment before.

“You open that?” I ask, stepping closer.

“No, the entrance here is automated.”

“Really?” I ask. “I didn’t expect it to be so advanced.”

She smiles. “Have you learned nothing?”

I’m not sure if it was a jab at me or not, but I get what she means. These beings—human or not—are more advanced than we are now. They may have the advancements in technology to the same level as humanity does, but their other advancements, mostly mental, are off the charts.

They’re an advanced ‘race,’ not an advanced ‘civilization.’”

The word ‘civilization’ implies that they’re human, just a more advanced group of people. And I can one-hundred-percent attest to what I’ve learned that whoever is ultimately responsible for the Citadel and the Source is
not
human.

I also know what that implies when it comes to Thoth and him ingesting the orichalcum… I also understand what that means when it comes to me.

I look down at my hands and feel the fire tingling under my skin. If I was to push it further, it would fully ignite. Before Algeria, I was all human…now…I’m not so sure. If the changes did, in fact, permanently alter my DNA, then I may be more like Enki and Thoth than I’d like to think.

“Beings from another world,” I say, finally coming to terms with what this all means. “Extraterrestrial life.”

I look over to Terra. “And I’ve become one of them.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“It’s not?” I ask, surprised that she would think the other. Even she has explicitly told me she is ashamed of who she is.

“I do not regret being who I am, Mr. Boyd. I regret who I became. I could have become the same all-powerful being in the same light, but I could have used my abilities for a greater purpose. I am and will forever be Terra, a Judge of An’tala. It doesn’t mean it has to be a bad thing.”

I know what she’s trying to say. You’re allowed to be something else besides what you are. You’re allowed to change your status in life. You’re never stuck with being who you are, or in my case, you’re never stuck with being the “you” I was. I may have changed since gaining these gifts…but has it been for the better? Or the worse?

Maybe something inbetween.

I may not be the same Hank Boyd I was a few short months ago, but look at what I’ve accomplished in that small amount of time. I’ve saved countless lives—maybe the world…twice. I’m in an amazing relationship and have gained some wonderful new friends. None of it would have happened unless I became who I am now.

Has it really been a change for the worse? Is that what I need to accept to reach my full potential? Do I just need to accept my role in all this—accept my fate?

“Come, Hank,” Terra says, motioning me forward.

“You called me Hank again,” I say as I pass her.

She blushes a little. “You humans and your emotions. How I wish they didn’t affect me too.”

“Emotions?” I ask, stopping in front of her.

“I’m allowed to feel them,” she says, stepping up next to me. “I don’t want you to do this, you know? I did offer you a chance to save yourself.”

I nod.
You don’t have to be stuck with who you are…
Terra really has become one of us.

We enter the Citadel together, stepping over the threshold of where it begins, and where the Kur ends. Another symbol of crossing the brink, maybe? Like the entrance to the necropolis. We went from good to evil there too.

“Mr. Boyd!”

I train my eyes to the center of the large room and see a tall gray figure, standing over a seated one. I recognize the shiny bald head of Ben and take another step forward. He’s alive but looks terrible. He’s obviously hurt, barely being able to lean up against the square cut stone in the floor.

An altar
, I decide.
My altar…

“Enki,” I say, realizing that this is
not
another symbol of crossing over. This is a symbol of continuing deeper into the same hell as the Kur—the next level of it.

“Yes, Mr. Boyd,” he says, standing tall, “it is I.” He’s exactly the same physically as the three priests, but gray and gaunt. Enki looks the part, just as the priests looked theirs.

But they were majestic—regal.

Enki is an abomination.

“Welcome to my home for the last 5,000 years, Mr. Boyd. As of today, it will be my last.”

He steps forward again, his humanoid appearance giving me the creeps. Now that I know he’s actually an alien, it makes me rethink the
majesties
of the priests too.

Will I end up like them…if I survive, I mean?

“Just one way to find out,” I mumble to myself and walk forward. The entrance is cut into a sloping bowl-shaped floor, and I guess I have Enki to thank for the easy access. It honestly looks like the room has been flipped on its head.

That’s exactly what it is!
I think, stopping and looking up.

A massive piece of pure orichalcum swirls with power, embedded into the…floor…of the Citadel. The round floor is really the ceiling, and the altar isn’t really an altar after all.

I look back down to Enki and smile. “Next time you come to my planet,” I point down, “you may not want to land your ship on its head. Makes for a tough takeoff later on.” I continue with my ever increasing bravado. “You may want to go back to flight school or something.”

Enki’s eyes narrow as I close the distance, walking confidently, but with no animosity. I won’t make it apparent when I do end up attacking. I truly want it to come from left field.

I take in the Citadel’s interior again, trying to get a lay of the land before my eventual fight. The room is roughly the same size as the one Nannot was held in, but its shape is totally different. That was a naturally formed space. This was obviously built.

Large vines hang everywhere making me think of a forest of some kind. The fact that vegetation could grow this prominently inside, and now underground, is interesting for a whole other reason.

“Hank!” Ben shouts, reaching a bloodied hand out to me, fear gripping his eyes. “The vines… They’re the gardens of Nebuchadnezzar!”

I stop again, looking them over a second time. “So these are the Hanging Gardens?” I whistle, truthfully impressed. “They’re real after all.”

“Very real,” Enki says. “The Source gives them what they need,” he motions to the vines, “as they do me.”

Interesting… So the gardens are what keeps him alive.

I instantly think of my fire and think of setting the whole damn room ablaze…but hold back on the idea. I seriously doubt it would be that easy.

If it works—then what? That big of a fire will drain me for sure. Would I even be able to control it and not kill Ben,
I look back at Terra,
and her?
She deserves a chance at redemption.

I stop ten feet from the much taller Enki, not backing down at all. He may be big, but if I’ve learned one thing from Kane…it’s that size means zilch when it comes to a fight to the death. The smaller and scrappier brawler-types usually have the upper hand. I sneer and flex my clawed gloves. I
want
to get in close.

I am Hank Boyd—this current body and mind are mine. I am this world’s savior whether I like it or not.
I might as well be at peace with that before I die. Seems like the right thing to do.

A strange tingling sensation makes its way from my head to my toes. It’s the first time I’ve truly been okay with what happened to me. Maybe it’s just my emotions relaxing, or maybe something else happened altogether? Either way, I don’t feel on edge anymore and my hands aren’t doing that nervous shaking thing either.

Let’s find out.

I dig my boot into the ground and successfully leap the large gap with zero complications, igniting my entire body like it was second nature.

My full potential.

Enki doesn’t as much as flinch as I lash out with my clawed right hand, going for his midsection. Instead, he hits me with a gust of wind that slams me into the ground, just missing Terra by inches. I land, but roll easily, finishing on my hands and knees. I grind to a halt, digging my claws into the ground like a brake.

He laughs. “Regardless of how strong you’ve become, Mr. Boyd, I will always be the elemental alpha. This planet is so easy to manipulate. All you have to do is become one with it.”

His right hand ignites into a familiar black, ghost-like fire, while his left directs the air flow within the Citadel. Enki controls more than just one element, and I bet if I give him a chance, he’ll show me the rest.

I stand and ready myself, hearing his words echo in my head—the memory of them, not his actual voice.

All you have to do is become one with it…

Could it be that easy? Do I just have to try?

I again dig my booted toe into the ground and think to myself,
Let’s do this.

The Citadel

Kane, Nicole, and Davey continued to peer out over the hundred-foot drop. They weren’t equipped with climbing gear and sliding down the slightly sloped walls didn’t seem like a good option either. What was the next move?

“Now what?” Davey asked.

Nicole again eyed the vines and got a crazy Kane-like idea.

“We jump…” she said, getting a shocked look from both men, “…to those.” She pointed to the closest of vines. It was thick enough, although she doubted she could get her hands around it, but it could obviously handle a little extra weight.

Both men answered her in unison.

“You’re serious?”

“Good thinking!”

Kane stepped forward, while Davey just shook his head. He obviously wasn’t used to how they operated. Nicole was getting used to thinking like Hank and Kane. They came up with some off-the-wall ideas sometimes, but almost every single one of them worked.

It’s not like we have a choice.

“Okay…” Davey said, sounding nervous. “It’s y’alls show.”

He then turned and relayed the message to the men guarding their rears. None sounded too pleased, but none openly voiced their displeasures either. Nicole guessed a lot of these guys had done some pretty crazy things in their time fighting the war on terror. This wasn’t asking too much of them apparently.

“I’ll go first,” Nicole said, stepping in front of Kane.

“You sure?” he asked. “Generally, I’m the one willing to do this sort of stuff.”

“No,” she replied, “I’ll do it.” She turned. “If I can’t do this, how am I going to help Hank?”

Kane nodded and took a step back. It would take a running start to reach the nearest of the hanging plants. Nicole did likewise and flexed her legs. She’d need every single ounce of strength to make it. She just hoped her sweaty hands didn’t hinder her grip when she did.

“Just like gym class,” she said aloud, mostly to help convince herself it was nothing overly difficult. She aced the rope climb during her teen years in school back in Sweden. She was always the strongest girl in class—almost as strong as most of the boys too. They didn’t like her for that. Pubescent boys didn’t like it when they routinely got shown up by a girl.

You can do this.

She decided now was as good as any other time and took off, getting four good strides in before leaping out over the ten-story-tall, fifteen-foot-wide gap. As she sailed through the air, arms outstretched, she began to drop. Gravity was still gravity, after all, she’d just have to keep her nerves in check.

They almost didn’t. She panicked when she made contact with the thick vine, grasping at it. The first grab missed, getting a yelp out of her, but her left hand caught it, then her right. Next, she got her legs around it and squeezed, getting herself under control before she started the rest of her descent.

“You okay?”

She just nodded, answering Kane without so much a peep. She really didn’t want to let him hear the abject fear in her voice. If there was one thing Nicole didn’t like, it was heights. She wasn’t scared of them, no, she just preferred to not deal with them. Jumping from planes didn’t bother her either. It was mostly balconies that did her in.

“I’m going to make my way down,” Nicole whispered into her comms. “Try to pick out a different vine for the each of you. We have no idea how much they can hold.”

“I’m next,” Kane said. “I weigh more than anyone here. If they’ll hold me, they’ll hold everyone else.”

Nicole craned her head up and watched as Kane imitated her leap and crossed the point of no return. Being heavier, Kane dropped quicker, making contact a few feet below Nicole, on the vine next to hers.

He grunted as he had to squeeze with his still healing hand, but his other one was latched on tight. He wasn’t going anywhere. Nicole sighed as she watched Kane slowly slide down the vine, using it like a living fire pole. She did likewise and they continued side by side as each man announced their own faith-filled leaps.

One after the other, each man successfully made it onto their own vine and did as Kane and she did. Soon they were all making their way down to the bottom of the bowl.

That is until they heard voices.

Nicole and Kane both ordered the men to stop and when they did, they listened. A murmur of conversation went on for a few seconds and it’s not until a familiar voice yelled,
“Hank!”
that she understood who was beneath them, towards the middle of the room.

“Hank…” she said, his name catching in her throat. “We need to move faster.” They were still a good fifty feet above the ground and there really wasn’t any way of telling where the vines ended from their vantage point.

“Use your feet as a guide,” Kane said. “If you run out of vine, stop. We’ll pick it up from there again and figure things out.”

Nicole couldn’t understand the rest of what Ben yelled, but at least she knew Ben was still alive. Some of the weight she felt bearing down on her was lifted at hearing her friend’s voice. Hank was most likely still in danger, but at least both were alive.

As one, everyone started their slide again, this time quickening the pace a little. They were so close… Nicole didn’t want to get there and come to find out she was only seconds away from saving Hank. It was the worst of scenarios.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn’t realize that her vine ended ten feet off the ground. Her feet slipped off the thinner tip, causing a sudden weight shift. It almost pulled her arms free.

She groaned at the added weight on her already burning arms and did the only thing she could think of…she dropped. Ten feet wasn’t exactly a hard height to land, but it would put added stress on her already weakened ankle.

Nicole bent at the knees and rolled, better distributing her weight. If she was a hundred percent healthy, she would have popped back up onto her feet no worse for wear. But now, she just tried not to land on her head.

Groaning a second time as she landed on her back, Nicole breathed in heavy and sat up, just as Kane landed next to her. His grace betrayed his size, as his larger frame barely made a sound. He crouched next to Nicole and gave her a grin and an eyebrow raise. He really did love to show off.

“Eat me,” Nicole said, standing. She limped a little, but could tolerate the pain radiating from through the lower portion of her left leg. It was more annoying and tender than painful actually. She’d similarly rolled it playing basketball against Hank once.

Kane steadied her and grinned. “Geez, between you and Hank, no wonder Olivia is coming up with some good ones.”

Nicole just shook her head, but couldn’t hold back a smile of her own. They all had become close and if they survived this latest disaster, they’d probably get even more tight-knit.

“Over here,” Davey whispered in their heads.

Nicole and Kane both turned and found the rest of the men, sprawled out on the open floor, weapons trained towards the middle of the room. A flash of light startled everyone as Kane tackled Nicole to the hard ground. It was instinctual and as it turns out unnecessary.

As they all looked on in awe, they saw Hank leap across an expanse that no one on Earth could have done flatfooted. He then quickly burst into his signature green flames. Nicole and Kane just laid there, still entangled, and watched.

“Damnit,” Kane said.

The tall gray thing blocked Hank’s cobra-like strike, throwing him across the room. Thankfully, he landed somewhat gracefully, coming up ready for more.

“Have you ever seen Hank move like that?” Kane asked.

“Not since Algeria, no,” Nicole replied.

“I’ve
never
seen a man move like that,” Davey added, his eyes wide. He then pointed towards Hank’s opponent. “Or anything that looks like that for that matter.”

He was right. No human has seen the creature before. No one alive, anyways. It stood at least three heads taller than Hank and would have been even taller except for its hunched back and slouching shoulders. Its body was a taller and more haggard version of Susanoo when he was in his fish-man form.

Except, this one has no modifications. No armor, no talons. He’s like an ancient beta-version of the Judges.
Nicole’s eyes widened like Davey’s.
An ‘original’ version…
She knew now that the master was the first of his kind here on Earth. He had to of been. Everything that came after him was altered in some way. They held some of his DNA, but only a small amount.

What about Hank?

The two combatants stood tall, measuring each other for their next round. The master could obviously wield more than just one element, but Hank looked back at full strength. But would he eventually burn out?

Instead of getting an answer, the team of eight got a front row seat for the greatest battle in history.

Hank Boyd was more than just a man, now.

“He’s one of them.”

Kane looked down and saw a single tear streak down Nicole’s grime covered cheek.

“No,” Kane said, squeezing his assault rifle harder, “I won’t accept that. He’s still our boy…and we’re gonna help.”