Babel Found

by Matthew James

  It sickens me that we’ve had to wait this long.

  While their physical looks never changed, their accents did depending on the region they lived in. Like a human, you eventually adopted the language—English or not—of those around you. Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves when they did surface, they stayed within the parts of the world they looked like they belonged in.

  Susanoo remained in Asia, his features allowing him to pass as one of them. Phoenix stayed mostly around the islands between the Americas, currently posing as a Puerto Rican lifeguard. Terra stayed in Europe, becoming an Italian real-estate saleswoman. She had really taken to Rome, spending almost her entire life in Italy, following their homeland’s exodus. Even the bearish Anu loved the Cajun culture, so he naturally preferred southern Louisiana after arriving during the Civil War-era slave trade. He allowed them to take him from Africa, stating that it was easier for traders to cross the oceans then he. Once he did come ashore, he slaughtered his captors.

  But now, they were fulfilling an agenda that had spanned millennia, spurred by the arrival of Hank Boyd, the Chosen One. Once they captured him and killed the rest, they, the Judges of An’tala, would finally be able to truly show themselves—their proper forms. They’d have the power to finish what was started the night their birthplace was destroyed. Their master had promised them as much.

  But first, we need ‘him’ to enter the Citadel.

  Then, they, along with their master, would be unstoppable.

  Susanoo lifted his hands violently, reaching for the heavens, commanding the seas to obey him. They did, coming to life, flowing over the sand and whatever unfortunate beachgoers that didn’t have the sense to flee in time. He laughed and invoked his will on frothing waves, even more than before, growing them to the height of a three-story building.

  He swiped at the air, right-to-left, directing the miniature tsunami west, towards his targets. He had no ill-will in killing the attractive blonde, but Boyd must live. His master deemed it necessary. If it came to it, Susanoo himself would save the man.

  Grinning ear-to-ear, he slammed his fists down like a sledgehammer, making the waves dive straight into the small tree-lined square. Then, he relaxed and watched the wall of water fall, admiring his talents.

  That is, until a sparking inferno of electric-green erupted under the arching tidal wave, burning so hot that it consumed his creation, turning into a fine steaming mist. Susanoo stumbled at what he’d just witnessed. He wasn’t aware that Boyd had such control and strength. Summoning the fires of An’tala wasn’t usually that easy.

  No matter, he thought, sloshing forward through the knee-deep water. He was intent on finding out exactly how it was done either way.

  8

  Typhoon Lagoon

  Orlando, Florida

  The small blade unfurled from within the lifeguard’s hairclip, as she slashed across Kane’s exposed throat. His left hand shot up and blocked the attack, just as the tip poked into his skin, drawing a small amount of blood.

  Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Kane countered, thrusting his right palm into the much smaller woman’s wrist sending the weapon flying. It shot into the air, passing directly between the heads of two stunned boys. As one of them fainted, the razor-sharp knife stuck into one of the large wooden support posts behind them. The conscious one squealed like a baby potbelly, sending everyone else around them into a flurry of movement.

  Kane’s small victory was short-lived, though. Instead of the Olivia-sized Phoenix just turning tail and running, she did the exact opposite and pressed the attack further. Half-surprised by her decision, Kane did what he could to brace himself as she launched her lesser frame at him, driving him backwards down the enclosed tube slide with incredible strength and ferocity.

  Entangled together, Kane kneed and elbowed his assailant in the tight confines of the twisting tunnel, unable to see much of anything in the process. As the last bit of daylight disappeared, he cringed as he heard the echoing screams of the others along with that of Olivia.

  Grunting and growling, Kane landed sharp blow after sharp blow, using every close-quarters fighting technique he could think of. Unable to land a heavy-fisted knockout punch, he had to rely on quick and apparently ineffective jabs.

  None of them are doing a lick of anything.

  Changing tactics, Kane snapped out his fist, aiming for her throat, trying to deliver a shot to her windpipe. It was the easiest way to defeat an enemy who didn’t have a pair of balls to kick. You can’t fight if you can’t breathe. Throat chop or ball knock…they both had the same effect at the end of the day.

  But she caught the strike with her chin, pinning his hand in place between her lower jaw and her chest. His disbelief over the creative move didn’t last, however, going from shocked to terrified in less than a second as her eyes started to glow. They quickly changed from the previously bright white-blue to a smoldering red-orange.

  “Aw, shit,” he said, trying to push away from the petite girl. Kane didn’t know if she was going to go supernova or anything, but he being dressed in only a pair of board shorts wasn’t going to help against this kind of heat.

  Neither would SPF one million.

  Finally, he wriggled out of their entanglement, planted his feet into her chest and shoved, launching himself forward while still facing the wrong way. The increased velocity shot him headfirst faster—and that’s saying something since they were already traveling over 30mph to begin with.

  As he was propelled, she was thrown back, widening their distance enough for him to catch his breath and regroup. Their ride was about to end after all, and he needed to think of a way to snuff out this little firecracker. Whereas Olivia melted him passionately from the inside out, this Phoenix girl would do it physically—and quite literally.

  I wonder if she can burn underwater.

  He was about to find out as the tube ended, throwing him into a small pool of water at its base. The stairs were straight ahead, but the going would be slow. Wading through the water would be a rough go, so instead, he stayed under and waited for the phoenix to come to him. He’d have to time it right, but there’s no way she’d see it coming.

  From under the overly chlorinated water, Kane saw a glow emanate from somewhere in the tunnel, watching it grow brighter and brighter as the lifeguard grew closer. Then, he saw her as she appeared, following the tunnel’s only exit. He made his move, his lungs just starting to burn from the lack of oxygen.

  Kane planted his feet and shoved, leaping from the normally waist-deep water like a dolphin-seal hybrid. He ducked his head and in midair drove his thick shoulder into the airborne killer, hearing an audible ‘oof’ from her as the air was forced from her lungs.

  He continued his forward momentum, gulping a deep breath for himself, and grabbed her tank top, laying as much of his weight into her as the buoyant water would allow. She struggled as they both went under, and Kane watched as her eyes dulled just a pinch. He held on and locked his arms as she kicked and pounded on his face and chest, but thankfully the attacks were basically reduced to slow motion and easier to dodge. While annoying, the ones that did land did no real damage, except making him close his eyes or turn his head.

  She suddenly stopped struggling, giving Kane the impression that she passed out. He cracked his eyes open, hoping she wasn’t about to poke one of them out.

  Boy, was he dead wrong.

  Phoenix was very awake and massively pissed off. He watched as her eyes brightened ten-fold, making Kane let go and shield his face. Then, the world turned white and he was hurled from the tide pool, landing hard on the dry land up and behind the stairs.

  His skin itched and burned and he hurriedly checked to see what type of damage was dealt. Lucky for him, it didn’t look any worse than a bad sunburn. He could only guess the water lessened the impact of her going off like a flashbang.

  Kane sat up only to see his attacker stand, hands outstretched and on fire. They blazed like Hank’s did bu
t were a blistering white hot instead of Hank’s electric green. While hers was most definitely fire, Hank’s was a weird type of energy that resembled it.

  A bang from behind, got both their attentions, making Phoenix turn slightly. Kane watched as the smaller woman’s expression switched from pure rage to confusion as Olivia shot out of the slide’s exit. In one swift move, his girlfriend snapped her strong leg across the witch’s right temple, connecting her hard shin bone with a much softer target, knocking the fight right out their attacker.

  Leaping back into the water, Kane helped a now hobbling Olivia to her feet, quickly dragging her to the stairs. Together they scaled them, she leaning on him for balance.

  “Hot damn, Belle!” Kane yelled, eyes wide in amazement. “That was friggin awesome!”

  But the look on Olivia’s face said she regretted every second of her part. “Say that to my shin. Feels like I kicked a brick wall.”

  “You know how that feels?”

  She watched as Kane’s boyish grin turned into a frown as a glow grew from behind her. Olivia turned and saw it. The lifeguard’s body was glowing from the inside, almost completely revealing her skeletal structure. It was like looking at an x-ray in reverse. The darker part was the bone, instead of the tissue.

  “We need to go,” Kane said, hauling Olivia away.

  “Where are we going to hide?” she asked, constantly taking peeks behind them as they moved away.

  “Hide?” Kane asked. “We ain’t hiding anywhere. We’re getting the hell outta’ Dodge—I mean, Disney—back to D.C.”

  “Kane! You read me?”

  He flinched, forgetting his sunglasses somehow stayed on his face during the underwater excursion. He slowed and let go of Olivia as the pair simultaneously answer their NVS4’s.

  “I’m here, Hank. What’s up?”

  “Oh, not much. Just getting chased down Ocean Drive by a miniature tidal wave of doom… You?”

  Shit, Kane thought, them too.

  “About the same here, except ours is a five-foot-zip pyro from hell. She’s basically a pierced up Smurf-witch. Nearly incinerated me, but Olivia got the jump on her and gave us some breathing room.”

  He paused, listening to Hank curse, hearing him sounding out of breath, no doubt running for their lives. He could picture Hank and Nicole sprinting barefoot through the crammed South Beach streets like a damn Hollywood movie set. Only it’s not a green screen behind them simulating the water.

  Ours isn’t CGI either.

  “Stay alive and—” Hank started to yell before his comms went silent.

  A roar erupted behind them and they slid to a stop almost falling on the slick ground. They watched in awe as the tidal pool glowed in a fireball, setting the surrounding trees and structures ablaze. The slide’s exit tunnel then melted into a pile of noxious goo, looking like silly putty.

  “Oh, God,” Olivia quietly said among the screaming masses around them. Reflexively, she squeezed Kane’s arm tighter. “What are we going to do?”

  Kane shrugged. “Only one thing to do…”

  Olivia looked up at him, her eyes desperate for good news.

  “We run like the devil herself is chasing us.”

  He didn’t voice the next part, but he thought it to himself.

  And hope the others survive too…

  * * *

  “Wake up!” she yelled. Her inner presence was alive and well, awake and ready for another round with the impressive duo. Phoenix hadn’t seen a real battle in some time. It was actually a pleasing feeling to see them fight back with such brutality. She expected it from the large man, but the woman was what caught her attention the most.

  “She’ll die first.”

  Phoenix was getting agitated by the weakness her immortal, yet, still fragile body was showing. While she could expedite the fractured skull’s healing, it would take much longer than she wanted to wait.

  “Grrr!”

  Her hand twitched showing the first sign of life in the last few seconds. She burned hotter and hotter on the inside, scorching the land around her with her primal rage. The water around her was nonexistent, turned to steam. If she needed to breathe like a normal human, her still functioning lungs would be able to, but it wasn’t necessary now. Once maybe, but not anymore. The pain she endured to become what she was now was something even she wouldn’t wish upon anyone. It was the only thing she ever regretted.

  She truly loved the thrill of being an all-powerful being, but the cost of everyone she knew and loved, killed by Father Time… That was something she lamented to this day. She left behind her friends and those she cared about to outlive them.

  “Have I truly lived?”

  She shook the question away, furious at the sadness she was feeling build up inside of her. She would burn these two alive and make herself feel better. First the woman…then the man. She would make him watch as she cooked his little friend…slowly.

  Susanoo may be the most powerful of them all, but Phoenix knew she was truly the most dangerous. She was the living embodiment of lethality—as angry as a blazing inferno looked. There was no one she would spare. She hated what the human race had become more than anyone. It was her passion now. Her reason for still being here after all this time. Her rage kept her alive.

  It was truly the only way for the Judges to perish. They would have to freely surrender, like the original Priests of An’tala did all those years ago. They trapped Nannot’s very soul in an obsidian flame. It was sealed with their physical power, never to be released until someone willingly did.

  It happened, but Nannot chose a less-than-worthy host.

  “We need Hank Boyd.”

  9

  The National Mall

  Washington D.C.

  At the moment, Todd was the only living thing, man or local wildlife, that wasn’t on the move. All he could do was stand and stare at the scene unfolding before him. He’d caught glimpses of the monstrous stone giant in Teotihuacán, not believing the other’s descriptions of it until he actually saw it with his own eyes through the team’s various video feeds.

  “Ummm,” he said, unable to form a verbal thought. He pushed his one-of-a-kind NVS5 prototype higher onto his sweating face. Like before, he felt them quickly slip down his slick nose almost immediately. The ENVY software was giving him all the information he could handle too.

  “Tell me everything, ENVY,” he said, prompting the program.

  “Dedicated in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial sits across from the Washington Monument at the west end of the National Mall. The statue of the sixteenth president of the United States sits at an impressive nineteen feet tall.”

  “How tall if it stood?” Todd asked, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “Twenty-eight feet,” ENVY answered as emotionless as ever.

  Ugh, he thought, finally starting to move in the opposite direction. He backpedaled as he watched the near thirty-foot tall marble golem step out of the reflecting pool that sat between the first president’s obelisk and Lincoln’s now empty throne.

  “Well,” Todd said, trying to stay somewhat positive, “at least it’s not the Statue of Liberty…”

  “The Statue of Liberty was erected in—”

  “That’s not what I meant!” Todd shouted, gritting his teeth as he watched a scooter get crushed under Lincoln’s massive foot. He knew that if he didn’t start moving, he’d be one of the next things Honest Abe would step on.

  Where do I go? he inwardly asked himself, looking around.

  He looked across the Mall, seeing the other museums. He knew he could get lost in one of them, but he’d just bring the monster in with him potentially harming others in the process. The thought spurred another.

  Is it actually after me?

  He couldn’t be for sure, but it sure looked like it was headed his way.

  Man, I wish I had a bigger gun. He looked down at his Glock, not realizing he’d drawn it. A lot of good this will do.

  His eyes lit
up. He did have something bigger—two somethings actually.

  “ENVY, call in air support.”

  Without acknowledging Todd’s command, the software sent out a distress call to one of the new backup plans Kane had set up after the last disaster in D.C. Hank, Nicole, Kane, and Ben had chased the mastermind behind the attacks through the city, causing a good amount of damage along the way.

  They produced an immeasurable amount of wreckage as they sped through the Mall at high speeds, shooting at each other the entire time. Once they reached Frost’s target, Union Station, a weapon was set off, killing hundreds of people, turning them to ash.

  The new precaution was if something like that happened again.

  Todd looked back over to Abe. Or worse.

  He glanced at his watch knowing it would take a couple of minutes for his help to get airborne and here.

  “I may not have that much time.”

  A chime indicated that he was getting an incoming call. The code name was all that he needed.

  “Connect call,” he said, immediately hearing the whirling sound of wind through the other end.

  “Ben?” he asked, trying to concentrate on the call, while still retreating from the incoming goliath.

  “Todd, thank God!” Ben said, his voice cutting in and out.

  He’d tried calling Ben earlier, but the call was rejected. Apparently, Ben was a little busy too.

  The static was strange unto itself since they were communicating over one of the most high-tech communication devices on the planet. Nothing short of being underground—something Todd was working on—could interrupt their calls. It’s not until he heard the telltale sign of a tornado whistling like a freight train in the background, that he figured out what was muffling Ben’s voice.

  “Um, is that a tornado?” Todd asked, moving faster now.

  “It sure is!” Ben said, having to shout over the sound. “We had a visitor at the site and then one thing led to another… A twister formed directly over us. At least half a dozen men are down, not to mention the state of the excavation itself. It’s a complete loss here.”