The Fragment of Babel

Cipher stood in a dimly lit warehouse. The vast space oppressive with the scent of old wood and forgotten machinery. It had taken his personal team hours of laborious searching, methodically sifting through crates and along towering shelves, all guided by the subtle hum and pull of the small fragment John had given him. Finally, buried beneath layers of protective sheeting, they had found it: a jagged stone tablet, roughly the size of a dinner plate, imprinted with a seemingly arbitrary array of geometric shapes – squares, circles, and triangles, scattered without apparent pattern across its surface.

The fragment in Cipher's gloved palm hummed faintly, drawn by an unseen force. As he held it near the tablet, the fragment snapped into place with a subtle click, fusing perfectly with one of the jagged edges. The line where the two pieces had connected vanished instantly, the tablet becoming a seamless, whole object. Yet, from Cipher's perception, nothing more had happened.

Just then, John Curator arrived. "Did you get the object?" he asked, his voice echoing slightly.

Cipher held out the tablet. "Is this it? The fragment you gave me matched perfectly, but it doesn't seem like anything special."

John Curator look at the tablet, his fingers tracing its smooth surface. "It should be it," he confirmed, his eyes scrutinizing the geometric patterns.

Cipher merely shrugged. He was about to hand the tablet over completely when he suddenly flinched, his head snapping towards a far, shadowed corner of the warehouse. His enhanced hearing had picked up something unusual.

"It's humans," a low, gravelly voice seemed to whisper, "It's looking."

John Curator turn his head to where Cipher was looking. "What is it, Moon? It's just a stray dog."

"It just talked," Cipher's synthesized voice stated flatly, his head still cocked to the side.

"You mean barked," John Curator corrected, a hint of confusion in his tone.

"Tower," Cipher commanded, turning back to him. "Say something in another language right now."

John Curator, momentarily taken aback by the abrupt instruction, nevertheless complied and spoke clearly in German: "A good night to you too." (Einen guten Abend Ihnen auch)

Cipher listened. "I heard that," he said. "I heard it in English. I think this tablet allows whoever holds it to understand any spoken language, and speak to animals too."

John Curator's eyes widened, a spark of intellectual excitement igniting within them. "Really? Let me try." He eagerly took the tablet that Cipher handed over.

"I am very satisfied with our success, Tower." (Sono molto soddisfatto del nostro successo, Torre.) Cipher stated, switching his internal vocalizer.

John Curator nodded slowly, a profound look on his face. "This is a wonderful discovery, Moon. There might also be something much deeper into these symbols carved on its surface." He stared intently at the tablet.

"Well, I'll leave it to you to figure out," Cipher replied, already turning to leave. "Oh, here's my business card. If you or a friend want someone to disappear, just give it a call." He offered a sleek, minimalist card.

John Curator took it, slipping it into his jacket. "Right... I greatly appreciate your help in this endeavor, Moon. It was great working with you." He extended his hand, and they shook firmly.

"You as well," Cipher's synthesized voice responded.

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AluM7 (High Priestess): As requested by Sun, here is a picture of the Fragment of the Tower of Babel from the Blackwell auction.

(File Attachment: FragmentOfBabel_Auction.jpg)

Larry the Lust (Sun): I knew my instinct was right on the nose. It's another tablet.

Palette Princess (Temperance): Where is that tablet now? What happens if we collect more, if not all of them?

FXUnicorn_Cat (Fortune): Maybe we get a wish?

AluM7 (High Priestess): I'm not sure. It's no longer in the auction's possession, it seems.

Diamond_Diva9 (Empress): We should look out for it then. It could show up anywhere.