Gods and Men- The Hank Boyd Omnibus, page 66
part #1 of Gods and Men Series
It's own survival.
Instead of retracing his exact steps, Todd ventured to the right, around the other side of where the red-brick building used to be. He continued south, having to shamble over bricks in certain parts of the sidewalk—some of which even made it into the surrounding storefront windows, shattering them.
He’d find a way to make up for this devastation. He’d hack into some international drug lord’s bank account and donate a small fortune if he had too. It was an ability only he knew he had. He’d never followed through with it before, but he was absolutely confident he could pull it off, even without his bosses knowing.
One thing Todd had going for him, at least, was that no one knew it was him that did this besides the local police and they were ordered to keep his identity—false or otherwise—on the down low. Phoenix had gotten all the attention as she barreled through town. There were even some of the more radical religious folks on the street corner as he walked, waving signs about the apocalypse. People would do anything to help themselves explain the unexplainable.
“Like the military aircraft out west,” he mumbled to himself. As much as he’d like to believe that Area 51 housed some sort of fallen spacecraft, he knew through his findings that it only housed some equally amazing science experiments. If it did hold something more than that, then it was something even he couldn’t dig up let alone some hick with a probe up his butt surfing the web.
He exited the remains of the historical district and continued south, picking up the pace a little. He wasn’t worried about Olivia though. She had days’ worth of oxygen in the small bunker. He’d only been gone a couple hours. She was, no doubt, tapping away at the PC he installed a couple weeks ago. Most of the weapons were Frost’s, but Kane had a few more delivered. Those guys sure liked their guns.
He and Olivia would outfit themselves to the teeth and head…
Where? he thought.
Hank and Ben were missing, and Kane and Nicole were in Kuwait. What could the two of them do? Is there anything they could do to help with everyone overseas?
“Incoming call,” his glasses said.
“Answer.”
After a moment of silence, the call clicked over.
“Jenkins!”
Todd stopped, shaken. What in the world was he doing calling him directly? Kane was the only one who was supposed to do so. Unless they thought their mission was compromised.
Which it was.
“Sir,” he said, not sure what else to say.
“Tell me everything, Jenkins.”
Not wanting to piss off his and Kane’s boss, Todd began his walk again and retold the man everything they had learned. He even threw in his own concerns and suggestions on how to respond. While he would never dream of telling him what to do, he laid it out and pleaded for his understanding.
“We need more than just this, sir. I’ll put together a long-term plan and send it back to you ASAP. We can’t keep doing this without more help.”
After another uncomfortable moment of silence, the caller acknowledged Todd and signed off. He now knew what he and Olivia had to do while the others were in the Middle East. They would put together the groundwork for the next phase in their worldwide efforts. History—both then and now—wasn’t safe. And they needed to be there when things ultimately went south.
Todd looked up, seeing the street to the bunker, and sighed. He had an idea—an idea that could, if applicable, change the world.
He breathed out. “Here goes nothing.”
* * *
“On my way,” she read aloud, relieved that Todd had received her simple email. It was the only way for her to communicate with the outside world and she was hoping Todd’s specs were still operational. If Todd had died, she very well might have as well.
Olivia looked up and saw the underside of the hatch, eyeing the keypad. Unlike the movies, shooting it wouldn’t magically unlock it. It would just disable it forever, trapping her even more than she already was.
She guessed Todd would be here shortly, so instead of pacing the room, she’d get back to work. She already Googled everything she could find on the Middle East and anything pertaining to the Tower of Babel. Like you’d think, no one could agree on its location, but they knew.
“Eridu…” she whispered, typing.
She pulled up the window containing the information of the ancient city and was surprised to see that it was supposedly the home of the ancient Sumerian god, Enki. His name literally translated to “Lord of the Earth” or “King of the World” in Sumerian, depending on the translation you used. He was revered as their god of gods, the creator of their civilization and of life itself.
“What does that have to do with the impact crater?” It was the one inconsistency she couldn’t figure out. “Why did you guys build the tower over it?”
She knew from her experience with the orichalcum metal that it was otherworldly in power—almost supernatural. It had qualities that nothing on Earth had.
Makes sense since it’s from space.
Did the ignorant minds of the past worship it like those in the Old Testament? Was it their golden idol? She knew it was possible, but she had no proof. She needed to keep digging.
“Come on, dammit,” she said, cursing at the computer for not giving her the answers she sought. “Tell me!”
She pounded her fists on the table, frustration taking over. When she looked up, she realized she must have hit the keyboard, because the screen changed. Instead of the internet browser, it showed a file she’d yet to comb through again. It was the folder containing Daniel’s photos from inside the tunnels at Site A.
I wonder…
She double-clicked it, bringing up the thumbnails. One-by-one she checked each slide but saw nothing. Not until she came to the last one, the one containing the image of a man inside the crater.
“What is that?” she asked it.
She zoomed in on the image and sharpened it a pinch. There was a symbol etched into the side of the pyramid-shaped rock—the one Thoth was revering.
Probably where they got the design for the pyramids of Egypt.
As much as it interested her, she refocused on the symbol. Next, she opened a photo editing program that Todd showed her how to use and uploaded the picture into it. Once she traced the figure, she opened another program. It was Todd’s bread-and-butter.
TransPro was the same translation program he’d used to help decode the skin-bound diary of the Aztecan priest. They found the tome in Campeche, Mexico after her entire crew of thirty-plus was killed by the virus-like ashen remains of Nannot.
She entered the symbol into the program and had it search its massive database. She and Todd had been collecting every image from every significant culture around the world. TransPro would determine what subcategory it belonged in, trying to find similarities between them. She was doing the same with DNA samples while Todd did it digitally. But with less overall genetic work needing to be done in the field, Olivia was becoming a cybergeneticist of sorts.
She sat back and waited.
A few minutes later she got a message from Todd. It read: I’m here.
Olivia slid her chair out and looked up. Why wasn’t he coming down?
She asked as much. His answer sank her heart… The outside panel was fried, destroyed by the blaze.
Instead of voicing a concern, Todd sent her another message. It contained a series of letters and numbers.
What’s this?
Her eyes lit up.
She rushed to the ladder and quickly scaled it, punching in the sixteen-digit sequence, laughing when the lid hissed and popped. She shoved it open, smiling when she saw Todd standing above her.
Like a too excited puppy, Olivia climbed out and leapt into Todd’s arms, happy to see the man alive and in one piece. She then broke off the engagement and looked him square in the eyes. As quick as a lightning strike, she slapped him across the face.
“What was that for?” he asked, holding his reddening cheek.
“That was for locking me down there!” She pointed down at her feet. Before he could respond, she slapped his other cheek too. “And that was for barging in on me in the shower!”
After a quiet second, they both smiled.
Todd’s face quickly fell. “Oh, crap… About that.”
Olivia smiled. “I won’t tell him.”
He saved her life twice in a matter of minutes, the least she could do was keep Jeremy from killing strangling him until his head popped.
She looked around and saw the soaked landscape. Water from what had to have been firetrucks drenched the still-smoldering lot surrounding the hatch.
Quickly remembering what she found, she climbed back down the ladder, ushering Todd to follow. Next, she retook her position behind the keyboard. She didn’t have to tell him any more, though. TransPro had finished its search during their aboveground reunion.
The screen held two names. Typically, they wouldn’t have connected in any way, but what they were dealing with wasn’t exactly normal. The background information they had, along with what was happening to the team gave them all the answers they needed.
Todd looked at her and shared her dismay. “Oh, gods.”
It was a pair of symbols as old as time, but not necessarily something they had to worry about right this minute. It was two symbols intertwined actually. They each represented one of the most powerful and influential deities in history.
“Enki and Thoth—together?” Olivia asked. “What the hell does that mean?”
Todd honestly didn’t care. As of now, there wasn’t much they could do for the team in the field. The best thing they could do was prep for their hopeful return. Todd needed to get his project underway.
“Look, Olivia,” he said, getting her attention, “I know you want to help them out, right?”
“Of course,” she said. “What kind of question is that?”
“Do you agree that if all this pans out and they do, in fact, come home, that we aren’t out of this yet? Do you agree that there is more to do after this current conflict is solved?”
It took her a second to think, but eventually, she nodded.
“Okay then…” he said, looking like he was going to vomit. “I need your help with something.”
“With what?”
He smiled. “Let me show you.”
31
The Kur
“What happened to the tower, how did it fall?” I ask, following Terra for what must be thirty minutes now. We’ve turned a few times, walking in silence, slowly making our way to a place called the Citadel. The underground portion of the structure must be utterly massive. Even if I were to try and make a run for it, I’d get terribly lost and eventually starve. I’m an unwilling captive, being led to my slaughter by an unwilling captor.
“I don’t know.”
Really? “Do you know anything?”
She wheels on me, making the ground around us rumble a little. Good one, idiot.
“Why would I know anything about the realm of my master? Do you think he would tell us anything? Do you think Thoth would speak of it after setting up his perfect kingdom?”
The finger quotes around the word, “perfect,” tells me that An’tala wasn’t everything I’ve been told. I’m not a hundred percent sure I can believe Terra, but so far she’s been more than willing to talk.
“Tell me about An’tala,” I say. “From your perspective. I only know what Thoth and the priests have told me. You seem to think there is more.”
Her chin falls. “I’m not sure you want to hear it.” Her face lifts and meets mine again. “I’m not sure you’ll like what I have to say.”
Interesting…
“Go ahead,” I say, motioning for us to sit.
She concedes her stance and sits. It’s easy to see the struggle she’s going through mentally. Even the immortal need a mental breather occasionally.
“Only for a moment,” she says, not wanting to keep Enki waiting. “Also, I’m not sure you need that here.” She points to my still lit hand. “It gets quite bright the closer we get to our destination.”
Trusting her, I extinguish my flame and notice the corridor only loses about half its light. The walls are giving off a soft ambiance.
“Orichalcum?” I ask.
“Not entirely,” she replies. “I can sense some of the more common minerals as well, but whoever was actually responsible for building this place, laced the walls closest to the Citadel with it. I think that’s what gives the Kur some of its magic.”
“And why you can’t fully control it,” I add.
She nods, staying silent again. She then sits up, getting as comfortable as she can. “About An’tala.”
“What about it?”
“While most of it was very glamorous and what you might call ritzy, not all of it was. There were sections of it that were kept secret from the major populace.”
I’d have to imagine she isn’t talking about the cave that held the pyramid. I already know about that. Plus, I remember the vision of the families below the earth too. People knew about that for sure.
Maybe the lower cave that held his prison—beneath the pyramid?
“It wasn’t so much any of the people within the city that were the problem, but the one ruling it.”
“Thoth?”
She nods. “He isn’t what you think.”
I’m about to interject my feelings towards the subject but stop.
“You asked me before, why he would need bodyguards—protectors. He had all the gifts, right? He should have been able to use them to safeguard the city.”
“Yes,” I say, intrigued, “he should have.”
“It was the Order of An’tala.”
“The Order?” I ask.
“His advisors.”
“What about them?” I ask. I also recall the statues encircling the necropolis’ courtyard. At first, I thought they were other kings, maybe they’re actually those of other royalty. They’d be like senators or governors now, I guess.
“Thoth became bored with ruling a single kingdom. He wanted more. He wanted to expand his empire, but the council that helped oversee the city was against it. They were content with living what they thought was a peaceful existence in paradise.”
“They turned on him?”
“More or less,” she replies. “There was much unrest within An’tala and Thoth ordered it stay hidden, stating that it didn’t concern the people. He wanted to expand, but not if the result was civil war. Not even Thoth wanted that.”
“It would only destroy what he created,” I say, putting some of the pieces together.
“Quite so,” she agreed. “So, while the three faithful priests patrolled the city, looking for anything suspicious, the Order called upon their own help. Someone that wanted nothing more than to take down Thoth.”
“Your exiled father,” I say in shock. “Thoth’s own advisors hired Nannot to bring down An’tala?”
“No,” she replies, shaking her head, “they only wanted to unseat the throne, not flatten the kingdom. If they could rid themselves of Thoth, they could go about with their normal lives. They didn’t trust that Thoth was content. They knew he’d eventually bring it up again.”
My eyes go wide. “The Order unknowingly gave your father, and therefore Enki, an opening. If they only knew Nannot’s true intentions.”
She nods. “My father drew the priests out to the coast, while Enki went for the serpent’s head.”
Now, I’m lost…and Terra must see it.
“Let’s go back to the building of the tower for a moment.”
“Okay?” I ask.
She smiles. “Trust me. It’ll all make sense soon.”
I sit back against the wall and motion for her to continue.
“Enki and Thoth are more closely intertwined than just the great tower and An’tala. They are also linked in here.” She taps her head. “When Thoth ingested the ground up stone—the orichalcum—he opened a mental link to Enki. It allowed my master to manipulate Thoth into constructing the foundation over a seemingly out-the-way site.”
My shoulders shudder a little. “It’s how I spoke to Thoth. I let him in and accepted his request.”
Sorrow fills her face. She apparently didn’t know that part.
“It’s how we can speak to Enki as well. When we were at our weakest and most vulnerable, we gave in and gave him permission to enter our minds—my father did the same.”
A thought enters mine. “Do you think Enki will force his way into my head—other than to speak to me I mean? Will he be able to control me?”
“I’m not sure,” she says, “but it doesn't help that you also had a link to someone that he also had one with. I’m not sure if it makes you more vulnerable or not. I don’t think it matters much anymore.”
“Why is that?”
“If what he has planned for you is true…” She hugs her arms.
“What?” I plead. “What is it?”
“All I know is that the Source Stone has another use.”
“And that is?”
“If you break its connection, you become a part of it, like him.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
She stands. “It means that your mind will open up and become one with the cosmos surrounding this planet. His is the same, but he needs another. It will multiply the computing power of your merged brains, giving Enki access to everything the Earth has to offer. You are the only human being on this planet with your abilities, Hank. Through you and you alone, he will be able to annihilate the world if he so chooses.”
“Why would he want that?” I ask. “Doesn’t he want to reign over the Earth and not destroy it? His name—Enki—means exactly that.”
She breathes in deep again, clearly uncomfortable. “He needs to be released from here, correct?”
I shrug. “So says you.”
“What if I told you that that doesn’t necessarily mean that he needs to be released from the Kur? What if that means he needs to be released from this planet?” She pauses and collects herself. “For that to happen, he needs more energy than the stone itself can provide. Like how rockets blast into orbit. Only this one isn’t your typical model.”
