[ WP ] What we once knew about history is incorrect . The tower of Babel was a space elevator . What actually happened ?

Michael strapped the angular backpack to his shoulders, `` You think they could make these W.I.N.G. devices a little less extravagant, it's like R and D wants everything to be flashy and colorful.'' His partner, Albus, chuckled. `` You think it's easy to decrease gravity? To simply defy inertia? You should be surprised they can even fit inside a rucksack like they do.'' 
 
 The pressure suits they wore were sleek and glistening white. `` Fine, back when I joined the Legion we did n't have to make ourselves so visible. We just went in with advanced camouflage and appeared when we needed to.'' Albus locked his helmet into place, the visor darkened. `` So, what's the situation down earthside?'' 
 
 Michel pressure checked their suits and motioned towards the hangar, `` We taking a Seraph?'' Albus nodded, `` 848 is prepped and ready for takeoff, pilot Is waiting on us.'' They moved through the access corridor, the room beyond was large but teeming with Seraphim class dropships. The vehicles consisted of an outer layer of multiple interlocking flywheels serving gyroscopic functions, to keep the ship stable in flight. Michael ducked his head underneath the ship's moving parts and opened the access door, revealing the interior. 
 
 Albus climbed in first, taking his seat right next to the door. Michael walked into the flight station and nodded approvingly as the copilot completed his checks. `` Landing zone?'' He asked the Captain. The man in a black uniform started up the auxiliary power unit, `` near the fertile crescent, right by the euphrates river. A large portion of humans have congregated there at the metropolitan area, they laid the ground work for their project about 10 cycles ago, but recently larger shipments have come in so forward Recon decided it was time to give us a heads up.'' 
 
 Michael nodded as the engines came to life, `` Get us down on the ground Captain, we'll take it from there.'' The angel sat down beside his partner, `` Might as well get comfy, it'll be a long enough flight we can get a bit of sleep on the way.'' 
 
 * * * 
 
 The Seraphim's engines whined softly as the electrical shutdown procedure finished up. The cypress trees made a small forest where they had hidden the ship, the pilots activated the camouflage and watched as the screen went dark, starved of light. 
 
 Michael opened the door and dropped into the tall grass, Albus followed him out into the open. `` Engage W.I.N.G. apparatus'', he ordered, a heads up display augmenting his vision. The two humanoid forms slowly levitated off the ground as the counter-gravity field took hold of them, the thrusters fired and brought them into the deep blue sky. The target came into view, a building unlike that humanity had ever attempted to accomplish. 
 
 `` They're not ready'', Albus exclaimed. `` I know, and so does Kyrios, which is why we're here. We have to stop it's construction, if humanity reaches space... I ca n't even think of the consequences.'' Albus shook his head, `` War, that'll definitely be one consequence. They'll finally make use of atomics as a weapon if they have means to get it into orbit.'' 
 
 Humanity was special in one curious way when it came to invention. They were the singular recorded species in all of occupied space to have first created a means to get out of the atmosphere that did n't require rocketry of any kind. Every other race had invented flight first, it was likely that humans would too, once their technology was rendered useless by the machine these men were about to unleash. 
 
 They landed quietly on a multi story building and engaged their camouflage, looking for the right moment to infiltrate the facility. A convoy approached the front gate, they snuck in behind it. `` The center of this facility is the exact location of the middle of their city, if we activate the linguistic reprogrammer we will be able to target every person on this continent.'' 
 
 `` What about the smaller groups of civilization on the smaller continent to the west?'' Albus questioned, as they reached the basement. `` They've not yet Invented such technology, we wo n't have to worry about them for now.'' Albus removed the reprogrammer from his superior's back, `` What of the currently completed section of the space elevator? What will we do with it?'' 
 
 `` That, I can not say.'' Michael punched in the code and timed it for 5 minutes, `` It will change 80 % of the population to four different core languages, enough that no remaining group of scientists and engineers will be able to decipher the plans for the elevator. We're hopeful that most of the population will move out based on this change, perhaps even the unchanged group will vacate. Afterwards we can bring in a planetary salvage group and take the raw materials with us.'' 
 
 Now finished, they exited the building and returned to the sky. `` Their future could be so bright'', Albus' face turned to sorrow behind the mask. `` With this, they'll have yet another chance to do some good with their lives. I'm just glad Kyrios is in control, I'd have given up on these poor humans so long ago. He keeps giving them more and more opportunities, perhaps they'll accomplish something this time around.'' 
 
 Their craft streaked across the sky, it's spherical shape painted matte white so as not to reflect light. Below them a swarm of nanites emerged from the box, each carrying a program that would erase the language of a person's youth, so effective was this device that it even changed what words you thought in, and what syntax. Within ten minutes the robots had integrated themselves into every person's mind and started the transformation. The human race would not know the significance of this event, but it charted the course towards their salvation from destruction. 

