Babylon Prophecy

by Sean Salazar

  Reeves then removed two small flippers, a book-sized, re-breather canister, and a small metal mouth breather, and handed them over.

  Al unfolded the flippers, pulled off his boots, and slipped them on. Next, he attached the canister to his chest and tightened it. He then put the small metal breather into his mouth and connected a small black hose to it. He took a few deep breaths, testing it, then spat out the breather. Lastly, he removed his night vision eye piece, smeared black grease over his face, and put on a pair of small goggles.

  “Is your communication device waterproof ?” Reeves asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “You will find out shortly. We have an estimate of the general location where the beam is focused and will download it to your device.”

  Al pulled out his PDA and activated the global positioning system. After a second, he saw the uplink and hit the storage button. “I’m ready.”

  Reeves patted his shoulder, “Good luck, old boy.”

  That is what Ed always says, he thought. He then wondered why exactly he was going into the lake with confirmed big knights around. Not just around, but actually analyzing the lake with some type of beams. He again wondered if it was a good idea to go into the lake before addressing or at least distracting the knights.

  Al acknowledged his failed attempt to talk himself out of his job. He strapped the MP-5 over his back as backup, put the breather back in his mouth, and crawled over the small cliff. A wisp of cold air hit him as he slid down the dirt and stopped behind a log. He could no longer see the purple beam and figured he was going to find out shortly if his suit actually blocked enhanced visualization devices. Bullets spraying around him would be his clue. He glanced back up the cliff one last time before climbing over the log. He knelt up, made his way to the water edge, and stepped in. It was completely black and cold and once he was waist-deep he slipped underwater and began paddling forward. The breather worked as it should and only a minor amount of cold water leaked into his suit, but he hardly noticed it. He reached up and clicked on his goggles. The area around him turned into a hazy green hue. As he paddled along, the outlines of plant life and rocks surrounded him. This was his first time using an enhanced night vision device under water and it was still difficult to see. He swam through patches of murkiness that he discovered were impossible to see through. Once through that area, the field of vision enhanced immensely.

  He descended to the bottom and used the rocks and plants to pull him along. He noticed large, rocky crevices beginning to form, leading to sharp drop-offs. He paddled over the first several ridges and stopped to get his bearings. He pulled out his PDA and got a fix on his location. Even with the green hue from his goggles he was able to see the screen. It indicated that he was heading in the wrong direction by a few degrees. He looked up and figured the angles of the ridges were throwing him off. He then reacquired his trajectory towards the center of the lake and continued. He found himself traversing ridges again and each time he noticed an increase in turbulence sucking him down.

  The turbulence slowed him somewhat, and along with the ridges, was throwing off his direction-finding ability. He let himself drop down to the next ridge and slid down the side of it a short distance. He attempted to grab onto the top ridge to stop his slide but missed. His flipper caught onto a rocky section and he stopped sliding. He stirred up a large cloud of silt that completely blocked his vision. He was about to pull out the PDA to check his location when a flash of light caught his attention. He looked around and didn’t see anything but settling silt and swooshing plants. His visibility was normally about five to ten feet through the murky water, but now it was about zero. He reached up, pushed with his foot to grip onto the top of the ridge edge, and pulled himself over. Once his head was over the edge, he saw the flash again. It looked to be about twenty or thirty feet ahead. It reflected eerily in the dark water. He held his position a few moments to see if it happened again and it did. He glanced down at the PDA and it indicated that he was right on mark or the general vicinity the beams were being aimed. He stowed it and pulled himself over the edge and as he did, a large section of dirt came loose. It broke off in one piece and something reflected back at him from underneath. He was not expecting that and it caught him completely by surprise. He swam down the other side of the ridge, turned around, and swam back up. Something was under the dirt.

  Whatever it was, it reflected at him as if it was metallic. Maybe his eyes and night vision goggles were misreading something but he was not convinced; it had to be something metal. He reached it and wiped with his hands, attempting to clear away the swirling silt cloud. All he did was make it worse so he backed up. Even if he could see it, there would be no way he could be sure of what it was until daylight. It’s probably a hunk of garbage tossed off a boat, he thought to himself. He looked right and left and the ridge extended beyond his view. He swam backwards to get a better view but gave up.

  He twisted around and allowed himself to sink lower. He hit bottom and perched himself behind a large plant. The glowing was right in front of him but he still could not see what it was aimed at. He couldn’t tell if it was pulsing or was it the silt in the water distorting the reflection? Whatever it is, it’s definitely on the bottom, he decided.

  He changed the goggles frequency to see if he could find one that would give him a better view of the beams but only one frequency worked, so he turned it back. Again the beams illuminated directly in front of him. Or are they? He was now at the point where he had to decide to investigate closer or observe only. That dilemma was easy and he already knew the answer. He angled himself prone and sank down inside the lush plants. Slowly he grabbed the plants and pulled himself closer. It was now only a few feet in front of him. He reached out and moved the plants out of the way and what he saw did not make sense.

  It was a stone of some type, or was it just a rock? The beams were hitting the top of it, causing the point of contact to glow. He pulled closer almost to where he could touch it. It was flat on the top, about two or three feet thick, and maybe four feet long and wide. He reached out and touched the bottom edge and it was firmly planted in the dirt, except for a gap on the side. He measured the gap with his fingers, guessed it was a few inches high and stuck his hand in as if it was a drain. He dug inside the gap and didn’t feel anything. All he did was stir up a cloud of silt that seemed to be sucked right back in, under the rock.

  Al looked around before making his move to see what was on top, which he quickly talked himself out of, not wanting to risk being hit by the beams. There was nothing around but darkness, so he pushed himself back and then swam up a few feet and hovered in place.

  It was a flat rock.

  He sank back down trying to figure out why they were shooting beams at a rock. The beams didn’t seem to do anything but make the top glow slightly.

  So the knights are aiming the beams on the rock making the rock glow? He wasn’t in the mood to figure out how or why so he swam around to inspect the other side and it was the same—just a rock. He grabbed the edge and suddenly felt a strong turbulence push from behind him. What the hell was that? The movement swirled him upwards, almost sucking him up with it. Then it stopped.

  As he settled back down, he twisted to look around but there was only blackness. Whatever it was, it felt as if something big just went by him. He twisted back to the rock and noticed grooves in the center of the flat top. Using the plants, he pulled himself over for a clearer view and then swam up, still avoiding the beams. He maintained a little more distance in case whatever had sucked him up came back. He now positioned himself higher and confirmed that the grooves he saw were definitely markings; they were worn, but definitely markings. He didn’t want to risk getting any closer so he pulled out his PDA and took a few pictures of it. Ed would have to figure it out later.

  At this time, he estimated that his nocturnal underwater expedition had lasted long enough and he began to head back. He wasn’t equipped with an actual air gauge wit
h his re-breather, but figured he had about thirty minutes or so left. Swimming back, he guessed his general direction in the dark by the ridge in front of him. He swam up the ridge and stopped at the section that broke free. Instead of lingering, he snapped a picture of it at two different angles and continued on.

  He climbed out of the water and made it to the shore. He didn’t recognize where he was at and checked the PDA. A message flashed from Vance:

  “Darling, PUT YOUR DAMN HEADSET ON—we have your location. Turn right and stroll about forty-five yards...Touchdown.”

  He made it back to his starting point, scaled the small cliff, found his bag, swapped night-vision goggles, and peered out into the lake. The setting on the eye piece was the same as he had left it so he should have been able to see the beams, but he didn’t. They were gone.

  He strapped the microphone over his head and turned it on. Immediately he heard Vance’s voice yelling in his ear.

  “Goddamn it, where are you?”

  “Dude, I’m right here,” Al whispered, kneeling down. “What happened?”

  “Something big exited the lake and it wasn’t you!”

  “Yeah, yeah I know, but can you be a little more specific?”

  After a brief pause, Vance asked, “What did you find?”

  “First tell me what happened?”

  “Your British buddies down there said something large busted out of the lake in a damn hurry.”

  “Ah, shit,” Al said, turning around as fast as he could. “Something did fly by me when I was down there. I figured it was turbulence. Where are the knights?”

  “Hold on,” Vance said.

  Al unstrapped his weapon, cleared the water out of the muzzle, and scanned the area. He was out in the open and an easy target. He found a good observation spot behind a large fallen log and clicked the night-vision eye piece to standard night vision. The SAS boys were not here. Not good. He then turned on the night vision scope of his MP-5 and perched it on the log. He looked through the scope in the direction where the beams were and then the shore. Nothing. He followed the shoreline of the lake and still nothing. He lifted his head and asked himself, “Where are they?”

  He thought about it for a moment waiting for Vance’s answer and looked through his scope again, following the shoreline in his direction. Then he saw them. Three huge knights were running in his direction. The night vision capabilities of the scope gave good details and what he saw were really big freaking knights the size of bears about a hundred yards away, rounding the edge of the lake and approaching his position. He took a quick glance at his MP-5 submachine gun and tossed it on the ground. He then pulled out his new super handgun, clicked off the safety, and took aim with both hands on the grip.

  The knights were closing fast and he could now make out that they were definitely armed, so he knew he had only one chance at this. His gun only carried three large bullets so whatever his crazy, fearless mind was about to do, it had better work.

  He held his aim on the knight in the center, timed his breathing, and patiently waited for them to angle their momentum in his direction. On the count of one, two, three, he pulled the trigger. The kickback was immense, the most he ever felt in his life, but at the same time the big knight dropped hard onto the ground. Instantly the other two scattered out of his view.

  “Shit, they’re fast,” Al said angrily. He turned and immediately bolted into the woods. After a few clumsy steps in the dark brush, his feet caught on some branches and he tripped, hitting hard over a fallen branch. He then remembered that he forgot to remove his mini-flippers. He stopped, quietly cursed at his stupid mistake, and pulled them off. It took a couple of seconds longer than expected.

  Vance came back on the line. “They are heading in your direction.”

  “No shit.” As he said that, he realized that the knights were already in the woods with him. He didn’t dare move. He could hear crunching sounds directly behind and in front of him. Very slowly, he lowered himself, grabbed his weapon, and clicked off the night vision eye and scope. He knew the night-vision gear emitted a dim light and he wasn’t taking any chances. He was going to have to tough it out in the dark.

  Twigs and branches were crunching all around him but it was so dark that he could not make out anything. Then he saw it—a giant black shadow moving in his direction. He could only make out a shape that turned right and left as it moved forward. They were looking for him and he knew why. He had been standing on the shore without any cover like a dumb ass when he exited the lake. He knew it, they saw him, and now they were searching for him for blasting their buddy.

  As the giant bear-like shadow got closer, Al saw something odd. He hadn’t seen the knights up close or in the daylight in person, but when the square, helmeted head turned, he saw a distinct dim red light where the eyes should be. The sight of it sent a shiver down his spine. The metal knight helmets weren’t just for appearances. The damn things were full combat helmets equipped with night-vision enhancements or whatever capabilities. I’m fucked, he thought.

  Step by step, the knight got so close that the bush whacked him when he passed. Al braced himself and was ready to begin firing his two remaining bullets, but the knights didn’t make any sudden or aggressive moves toward him. Why didn’t they see me? He remained motionless, remembering the days in the mountains of Afghanistan when hardened Taliban fighters were literally standing on top of him. He lost count of how many times he had been urinated on, when they figured he was just a bush or a rock. Al glanced down at his covered arms and legs realizing what happened. Their high-tech helmets couldn’t see past the SAS protective suit he was wearing. Right on!

  After a few seconds, the crunching sounds of the knights moving through the woods faded. He tapped his mic and whispered as lightly as he could, “Two knights moving through the trees.”

  “Got it,” Vance responded.

  Al was now going to take advantage of his stealth suit and follow the knights. He clicked down and powered up his night vision eye. The black forest now illuminated in detail. Slowly he knelt, staying close to a tree trunk. He scanned the area and saw no knights.

  Stepping around the tree trunk, he moved in the direction they were heading. He reminded himself that if he could see them moving, they could see him moving as well. That was a mistake that countless soldiers had made over the centuries and Al religiously obeyed that rule. The problem was, though:, these bear-like knights he was now stalking were not normal. He had tangled with them several times and one fact was certain—these guys were tough mothers. Until now, he had yet to see one actually go down in a fight, which brought a question to Al’s mind: Why am I now stalking them. Am I out of my mind? This is a fight I cannot win; even with better odds, I cannot win.

  Al stopped his pace and slowly crouched behind a bush. What am I doing? This is not my mission. Suddenly a black face crouched next to him; then another. The SAS were quiet as cats.

  “Eh, chap,” the black face whispered.

  Al was stunned for a half second. He was so focused on the knights that he allowed the SAS team to sneak up on him. “I’m seriously slipping,” he whispered back, “They went that way.”

  Major Reeves crouched next to him, “What weapon do you have, it was bloody loud.”

  Al showed it to him noticing his surprise. He then whispered, “It’s a 50 cal handgun, standard size ammo.”

  “Impressive,” he replied, and then added, “let’s move.”

  The five men began moving. Al went along with them, not entirely sure what the plan was. He tapped his mic, “I’m with the Brits now.”

  Vance responded, “They are observing only. Follow them to the tree line and wait for pickup.”

  “Perfect,” Al whispered.

  They made it to where the trees ended and there was no sign of the knights. The five SAS men fanned out in the dark, taking up strategic positions around the landing zone. Within seconds, a silent black shadow of a chopper swooped in and landed. Not a single light wa
s visible.

  “Your ride’s here, mate,” one of the men whispered.

  Al hunched over, ran to it, opened the door, and jumped in. It lifted off as quickly as it had landed. Since he knew the knights were not far off, he braced for attack by pushing himself against the bulkhead. Bullets tend to penetrate the thin-skinned helicopters right into butt-holes and asses, but none came, so Al removed his pack, relaxed, and took the opportunity to forward the underwater pictures to Ed.

  Several minutes later, the chopper landed again. Once down, Al saw they were in another dark field.

  The pilot turned back and said, “Watch out for bears.”

  “Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my,” Al answered back as he climbed out. He put distance between himself and the chopper and watched it lift off and vanish into the night sky.

  Vance’s voice came over his earpiece, “Second chopper inbound.”

  Al knelt down and waited. He knew changing choppers often was to confuse the Brotherhood or knights if they were monitoring.

  After a few minutes, he heard the muffled whump, whump sound of rotor blades. He glanced up and around to see it but saw nothing but blackness. Then he saw it. A black patch like a black hole was coming directly at him as it descended. He stayed put because he knew the pilot had his location. He didn’t want to be landed on top of by accident. The chopper landed, Al opened the door, and climbed in.

  Vance was sitting across from him at the communication station with three tightly packed computer screens in front of him. By the annoyed look on his face, he appeared to be in the middle of a conversation.

  “Okay,” Vance said into the mic. “I know it’s the dumb question of the day, but did anybody bother to check the woman’s credentials?” He was silent, listening to the answer. “That’s what I thought. Get back to me with the answer.” He disconnected the call. He removed his headset and said, “Guess what!”