Los Semidioses rushed to the scene in their Encarnacion god-machines but it was too late: the Cult of Cipactli had successfully performed the ritual. Their crocodile deity emerged from below the canals of Lake Xochimilco, roaring with eldritch fury. The beast made its way towards El Distrito Federale, causing tremors with each step.
“We can’t let that creature reach the city!” said Ramon, from behind the control panel of the mechanical jaguar Tezcatlipoca. “You know what to do next, amigos!”
“You got it, jefe!” said Julio, as he steered his humanoid mecha Xipe Totec high into the air, initiating the metamorphosis sequence. “Verde-2, in position. El Pecho is ready.”
“Los Brazos incoming!” said Lucas. He and his twin sister Lucia piloted Quetzalcoatl and Ehecatl – their matching winged serpent ships – toward either side of Julio’s mecha.
“Azul-3 and Amarillo-4, both ready to go!” announced Lucia over the comms system.
“Rosado-5, moving into place!” said Sofia. Her Encarnacion – the hummingbird Huitzilopochtli – transformed into a pair of sturdy legs, as it connected to the bottom of Xipe Totec. “Forming Las Piernas!”
Ramon maneuvered Tezcatlipoca into an upright formation, as it merged with the other god-machines. “Rojo-1, engaging La Cabeza!” he said. The jaguar’s maw opened, revealing the techno-organic face of the Great Warrior itself.
“With our talents united, we are Aztecha! Viva Tenochtitlan!”
“VIVA TENOCHTITLAN!” they repeated as one, before charging at the rampaging Cipactli.
Aztecha leapt into the air, grabbing the crocodile deity’s head between it legs, and hurling the beast into a radio tower with a mighty hurracanrana.
“That was almost too easy!” said Lucas.
Lucia agreed. “If this keeps up, we’ll be able to get home in time to watch Acapulco Shore.”
“And I still have to finish my readings for Introduction to Postcolonial Studies,” added Julio.
“We just saved the city and you’re thinking about homework?” mocked Lucas. “¡Qué friki!”
“Shut up, pinche cabron!” said Sofia. “At least he cares about something more than football and cerveza, unlike some other people here.”
“Don’t lose focus yet, guys!” warned Ramon. “It’s getting back up.”
Sure enough, Cipactli lunged towards Aztecha with startling grace. It bared a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, snapping at the titan’s left forearm.
“Activate Smoking Mirror!” shouted Lucia. The glimmering shield deflected the monster’s bite, just in time. “¡Qué güey soy, that was close!”
“That’s it… Let me handle this,” said Lucas. “Engage Poison Arrow!”
The projectile shot out of Aztecha’s right palm, hitting the crocodile god squarely between the eyes. The fiend doubled over in pain, collapsing backwards into a section of the Viveros de Coyoacán.
“Now’s our chance… Obsidian Dagger!” ordered Ramon. “Finish it off!”
The darkened blade emerged from Aztecha’s left wrist. Lucia sliced through Cipactli from belly to throat, and the deity faded into the Other Planes. Crowds of frightened onlookers cautiously emerged from their hiding places to cheer on the heroes. Mexico City was safe, once again, thanks to Aztecha and Los Semidioses.
Meanwhile, hidden away in his lair on the Isla de Las Almas Perdidas, Don Hernan Alquimista and his Homúnculos watched events unfold on his big-screen monitor. He shook an angry fist at Los Semidioses’ victory, muttering ancient Nahuatl curses under his breath. He would need to find yet another day to realize his sinister designs…
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Adventures In Brevity
Short StoryLook at this collection as your very own inter-dimensional portal, one that spans multiple genres and niches, from hard-boiled noir and space opera, to wuxia and pulp adventure. In these very short stories, readers will be transported to strange new...
