The Lost Symbol Chapter 40-43

CHAPTER 40Whats taking Trish so long?Katherine Solomon checked her watch again. Shed disregarded to warn Dr. Abaddon ab come forward the bizarre commute to her lab, but she couldnt imagine the tincture had slowed them down pat(p) this much. They should stir arrived by immediately.Katherine walked whole over to the exit and heaved open the lead-seamed limen, double-dyed(a) push done into the void. She listened for a mo workforcet, but comprehend cipher.Trish? she called out, her voice swallowed by the darkness.Silence.Puzzled, she unappealing the door, took out her cell ph ane, and called the lobby. This is Katherine. Is Trish out thither?No, maam, the lobby guard said. She and your client headed back about ten minutes past.Really? I dont approximate back theyre even inside codfish 5 yet.Hold on. Ill check. Katherine could attempt the guards fingers clicking on his computer keyboard. Youre right. According to Ms. Dunnes key-card logs, she has non yet loose the pod Five door. Her last access event was about eight minutes ago . . . at Pod Three. I guess shes give your guest a little tour on his typeface in.Katherine frowned. App arntly. The news was a microprocessor chip ridiculous, but at least she knew Trish wouldnt be long in Pod 3. The smell in there is terrible. thanks. Has my brother arrived yet?No, maam, not yet.Thank you.As Katherine hung up, she mat up an unexpected twinge of trepidation. The un hands-down feeling do her pause, but only for a moment. It was the same exact disquiet shed felt earlier when she stepped into Dr. Abaddons house. Embarrassingly, her feminine intuition had failed her there. Badly.Its nothing, Katherine told herself.CHAPTER 41Robert Langdon studied the gems modulate profit. This isnt possible.An past encoded language, Sato said without looking up. Tell me, does this qualify?On the newly undetermined face of the pyramid, a series of sixteen characters was precisely engraved into the even- mooded stone. Beside Langdon, Andersons mouth now gaped open, mirro yell Langdons own shock. The security chief looked like he had just seen well-nigh miscellany of alien keypad.Professor? Sato said. I enter you can look at this?Langdon turned. Why would you assume that?Because you were brought here, Professor. You were chosen. This inscription appears to be a code of some(a) sort, and considering your reputation, it seems obvious to me that you were brought here to decipher it.Langdon had to admit that afterwards his experiences in Rome and Paris, hed true a steady flow of requests ask for his help deciphering some of historys great unsolved codesthe Phaistos Disk, the Dorabella Cipher, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript.Sato ran her finger over the inscription. Can you part me the meaning of these icons?Theyre not icons, Langdon thought. Theyre symbols. The language was one he had re rollnized immediatelyan encrypted cipher language from the seventeenth century. Langdon knew very headspring how to break it. Maam, he said, feeling hesitant, this pyramid is ray of lights private property.Private or not, if this code is indeed the reason you were brought to Washington, I am not giving you a choice in the matter. I want to bash what it says.Satos blackberry bush pinged loudly, and she yanked the tress from her pocket, studying the incoming message for several moments. Langdon was amazed that the Capitol Buildings congenital wireless network provided service this far down. Sato grunted and raised her eyebrows, giving Langdon an odd look.Chief Anderson? she said, turning to him. A word in private, if I may? The director motioned for Anderson to join her, and they disappeared into the pitch-black hallway, leaving Langdon alone in the waver candlelight of diaphysiss Chamber of Reflection.Chief Anderson wondered when this shadow would end. A severed deliberate in my Rotunda? A death shrine in my basement? suspect inscribes on a stone pyramid? Somehow, th e Redskins game no long-dated felt significant.As he followed Sato into the darkness of the hall, Anderson flicked on his flashlight. The beam was pale but better than nothing. Sato led him down the hall a some yards, out of sight of Langdon.Have a look at this, she whispered, handing Anderson her BlackBerry.Anderson took the device and squinted at the illuminated screen. It displayed a black-and-white imagethe X-ray of Langdons lulu that Anderson had requested be sent to Sato. As in all X- rays, the designs of superior density appeared in the brightest white. In Langdons fundament, a lone item outshone everything else. on the face of it extremely dense, the object glowed like a dazzling jewel in a murky jumble of other items. Its shape was unmistakable.Hes been carrying that all night? Anderson looked over at Sato in surprise. Why didnt Langdon mention this?Damned legal question, Sato whispered.The shape . . . it cant be coincidence.No, Sato said, her tone angry now. I wou ld say not.A faint rustle in the corridor drew Andersons attention. Startled, he pointed his flashlight down the black passageway. The dying beam revealed only a deserted corridor, lined with open doors.Hello? Anderson said. Is somebody there?Silence.Sato gave him an odd look, apparently having heard nothing.Anderson listened a moment longer and then shook it transfer. Ive got to get out of here.Alone in the candlelit house, Langdon ran his fingers over the sharply carved borders of the pyramids engraving. He was curious to realise what the message said, and yet he was not about to transgress on putz Solomons privacy any more(prenominal) than(prenominal) than they already had. And wherefore would this lunatic care about this minor pyramid anyway?We lease a problem, Professor, Satos voice declared loudly female genital organ him. Ive just received a new piece of information, and Ive had enough of your lies.Langdon turned to see the OS director marching in, BlackBerry in hand and fire in her eyes. Taken aback, Langdon looked to Anderson for help, but the chief was now standing guard at the door, his expression unsympathetic. Sato arrived in front of Langdon and thrust her BlackBerry in his face.Bewildered, Langdon looked at the screen, which displayed an inverted black-and-white delineationgraph, like a religious film negative. The photo looked like a jumble of objects, and one of them shone very brightly. Though skew-whiff and dour center, the brightest object was clearly a little, pointed pyramid.A picayune pyramid? Langdon looked at Sato. What is this?The question seemed only to incense Sato further. Youre pretending you dont know?Langdons temper flared. Im not pretending anything Ive never seen this before in my life strapper Sato snapped, her voice cutting through with(predicate) the moldinessy air. Youve been carrying it in your bag all nightI Langdon stalled midsentence. His eyes moved slowly down to the daybag on his shoulder. Then he ra ised them again to the BlackBerry. My God . . . the package. He looked more closely at the image. Now he saw it. A ghostly cube, enclosing the pyramid. Stunned, Langdon accomplished he was looking at an X-ray of his bag . . . and also of Peters mysterious cube-shaped package. The cube was, in fact, a asinine box . . . a small pyramid.Langdon opened his mouth to speak, but his nomenclature failed him. He felt the breath go out of his lungs as a new revelation struck him.Simple. Pure. Devastating.My God. He looked back at the substitute stone pyramid on the desk. Its apex was flata small square areaa blank space symbolically awaiting its last(a) piece . . . that piece which would transform it from an Unfinished Pyramid into a sure Pyramid.Langdon now realized the tiny pyramid he was carrying was not a pyramid at all. Its a capstone. At that instant, he knew why he alone could unlock the mysteries of this pyramid.I hold the final piece.And it is indeed . . . a talis slice. When P eter had told Langdon the package contained a talis humanness, Langdon had laughed. Now he realized his protagonist was right. This tiny capstone was a talisman, but not the magic kind . . . the far older kind. Long before talisman had magical connotations, it had some other meaning completion. From the Greek telesma, meaning complete, a talisman was any object or idea that immaculate another and made it whole. The finishing element. A capstone, symbolically speaking, was the ultimate talisman, transforming the Unfinished Pyramid into a symbol of completed perfection.Langdon now felt an eerie convergence that forced him to accept one very strange truth with the exception of its size, the stone pyramid in Peters Chamber of Reflection seemed to be transforming itself, bit by bit, into something vaguely resembling the masonic Pyramid of legend.From the brightness with which the capstone shone on the X-ray, Langdon suspected it was made of surface . . . a very dense metal. Whether o r not it was solid gold, he had no way of knowing, and he was not about to let his sagaciousness start playing tricks on him. This pyramid is too small. The codes too easy to read. And . . . its a myth, for heavens sakeSato was watching him. For a bright man, Professor, youve made some dumb choices tonight. Lying to an intelligence director? Intentionally obstructing a CIA probe?I can explain, if youll let me.You entrust be explaining at CIA headquarters. As of this moment, I am detaining you.Langdons body went rigid. You cant possibly be serious.Deadly serious. I made it very clear to you that the stakes tonight were high, and you chose not to cooperate. I strongly purport you start thinking about explaining the inscription on this pyramid, because when we arrive at the CIA . . . She raised her BlackBerry and took a close-up snapshot of the engraving on the stone pyramid. My analysts entrust have had a head start.Langdon opened his mouth to protest, but Sato was already turnin g to Anderson at the door. Chief, she said, put the stone pyramid in Langdons bag and carry it. Ill handle taking Mr. Langdon into custody. Your weapon, if I may?Anderson was stone-faced as he advanced into the chamber, unsnapping his shoulder holster as he came. He gave his torpedo to Sato, who immediately aimed it at Langdon.Langdon watched as if in a dream. This cannot be calamity.Anderson now came to Langdon and removed the daybag from his shoulder, carrying it over to the desk and setting it on the chair. He unzipped the bag, propped it open, and then hoisted the intemperately stone pyramid eat up the desk and into the bag, along with Langdons notes and the tiny package. Suddenly there was a rustle of movement in the hallway. A dark outline of a man materialized in the doorway, rushing into the chamber and approaching fast behind Anderson. The chief never saw him coming. In an instant, the stranger had lowered his shoulder and crashed into Andersons back. The chief launched forward, his head cracking into the edge of the stone niche. He fell hard, crumpling on the desk, sending bones and artifacts flying. The hourglass bust on the floor. The candle toppled to the floor, still burning.Sato reeled amid the chaos, raising the gun, but the intruder grabbed a femur and lashed out with it, striking her shoulder with the leg bone. Sato let out a cry of pain and fell back, dropping the weapon. The newcomer kicked the gun away and then wheeled toward Langdon. The man was tall and slender, an elegant African American whom Langdon had never seen before in his life.Grab the pyramid the man commanded. Follow meCHAPTER 42The African American man leading Langdon through the Capitols subterranean maze was clearly someone of power. beyond knowing his way through all the side corridors and back manners, the elegant stranger carried a key ring that seemed to unlock every door that blocked their way.Langdon followed, quickly streamlet up an unfamiliar staircase. As t hey climbed, he felt the strap strap of his daybag cutting hard into his shoulder. The stone pyramid was so heavy that Langdon feared the bags strap might break.The past few minutes defied all logic, and now Langdon comprise himself moving on instinct alone. His gut told him to trust this stranger. Beyond saving Langdon from Satos arrest, the man had taken dangerous action to protect Peter Solomons mysterious pyramid. Whatever the pyramid may be. While his motivation remained a mystery, Langdon had glimpsed a telltale shimmer of gold on the mans handa masonic ringthe double-headed phoenix and the number 33. This man and Peter Solomon were more than trusted friends. They were masonic brothers of the highest degree.Langdon followed him to the top of the stairs, into another corridor, and then through an unnoted door into a utilitarian hallway. They ran past supply boxes and bags of garbage, veering off suddenly through a service door that deposited them in an utterly unexpected w orlda plush movie theater of some sort. The older man led the way up the side gangboard and out the main doors into the light of a large atrium. Langdon now realized they were in the visitor center through which he had entered earlier tonight. Unfortunately, so was a Capitol police police officer.As they came face-to-face with the officer, all three men stopped, staring at one another. Langdon recognized the young Hispanic officer from the X-ray machine earlier tonight.Officer Nunez, the African American man said. Not a word. Follow me.The guard looked uneasy but ob eyed without question.Who is this guy?The three of them speed toward the southeast corner of the visitor center, where they arrived at a small foyer and a set of heavy doors blocked with chromatic pylons. The doors were sealed with showing tape, apparently to forbear the dust of any(prenominal) was happening beyond out of the visitor center. The man reached up and peeled off the tape on the door. Then he flipped t hrough his key ring as he spoke to the guard. Our friend Chief Anderson is in the subbasement. He may be injured. Youll want to check on him.Yes, sir. Nunez looked as amaze as he did alarmed.Most important, you did not see us. The man found a key, took it off the key ring, and used it to turn the heavy bushed(p) bolt. He pulled open the steel door and tossed the key to the guard. Lock this door behind us. Put the tape back on as trump out as you can. Pocket the key and say nothing. To anyone. Including the chief. Is that clear, Officer Nunez?The guard eyed the key as if hed just been entrusted with a precious gem. It is, sir.The man go through the door, and Langdon followed. The guard locked the heavy bolt behind them, and Langdon could hear him re-applying the masking tape.Professor Langdon, the man said as they strode briskly down a modern-looking corridor that was obviously under construction. My name is Warren Bellamy. Peter Solomon is a erotic love friend of mine.Langdon sh ot a startled glance at the formal man. Youre Warren Bellamy? Langdon had never met the Architect of the Capitol, but he certainly knew the mans name.Peter speaks very highly of you, Bellamy said, and Im sorry we are meeting under these severe circumstances.Peter is in terrible trouble. His hand . . .I know. Bellamy serioused grim. Thats not the one-half of it, Im afraid.They reached the end of the lit section of corridor, and the passageway took an abrupt left. The remaining continuance of corridor, wherever it went, was pitch-black. Hold on, Bellamy said, disappearing into a nearby electrical room from which a tangle of heavy-duty orange extension cords snaked out, running away from them into the darkness of the corridor. Langdon waited while Bellamy rooted around inside. The Architect must have located the switch that sent power to the extension cords, because suddenly the route before them became illuminated.Langdon could only stare.Washington, D.C.like Romewas a metropolis l aced with clandestine passageways and underground tunnels. The passage before them now reminded Langdon of the passetto tunnel connecting the Vatican to Castel SantAngelo. Long. Dark. Narrow. Unlike the ancient passetto, however, this passage was modern and not yet complete. It was a slender construction zone that was so long it seemed to narrow to nothing at its distant end. The only lighting was a string of sporadic construction bulbs that did little more than accentuate the tunnels impossible length.Bellamy was already heading down the passage. Follow me. Watch your step.Langdon felt himself fall into step behind Bellamy, wondering where on earth this tunnel led.At that moment, Malakh stepped out of Pod 3 and strode briskly down the deserted main corridor of the SMSC toward Pod 5. He clutched Trishs key card in his hand and quietly whispered, Zero-eight-zero-four.Something else was cycling through his mind as well. Malakh had just received an urgent message from the Capitol B uilding. My arrive at has run into unforeseen difficulties. Even so, the news remained encouraging Robert Langdon now ingest both the pyramid and the capstone. Despite the unexpected way in which it had happened, the of the essence(p) pieces were falling into coiffe. It was almost as if destiny itself were guiding tonights events, ensuring Malakhs victory.CHAPTER 43Langdon hurried to keep pace with Warren Bellamys brisk footsteps as they moved without a word down the long tunnel. So far, the Architect of the Capitol appeared far more intent on putting distance between Sato and this stone pyramid than he did on explaining to Langdon what was going on. Langdon had a growing apprehension that there was far more going on than he could imagine.The CIA? The Architect of the Capitol? dickens Thirty-third-degree Masons? The shrill sound of Langdons cell cry cut the air. He pulled his phone from his jacket. Uncertain, he answered. Hello? The voice that spoke was an eerie, familiar whis per. Professor, I hear you had unexpected company.Langdon felt an icy chill. Where the hell is Peter? he demanded, his linguistic communication reverberating in the enclosed tunnel. Beside him, Warren Bellamy glanced over, looking concerned and motioning for Langdon to keep walking.Dont worry, the voice said. As I told you, Peter is somewhere safe.You cut off his hand, for Gods sake He needfully a doctorHe involve a priest, the man replied. that you can save him. If you do as I command, Peter get out live. I give you my word.The word of a madman means nothing to me.Madman? Professor, surely you appreciate the idolatry with which I have adhered to the ancient protocols tonight. The Hand of the Mysteries guided you to a gatethe pyramid that promises to unveil ancient wisdom. I know you now possess it.You think this is the Masonic Pyramid? Langdon demanded. Its a chunk of rock.There was placidity on the other end of the line. Mr. Langdon, youre too smart to play dumb. You know very well what youve uncovered tonight. A stone pyramid . . . recondite at the core of Washington, D.C. . . . by a powerful Mason?Youre chasing a myth Whatever Peter told you, he told you in fear.The Legend of the Masonic Pyramid is fiction. The Masons never built any pyramid to protect sneaking(a) wisdom. And even if they did, this pyramid is far too small to be what you think it is.The man chuckled. I see Peter has told you very little. Nonetheless, Mr. Langdon, whether or not you choose to accept what it is you now possess, you will do as I say. I am well aware that the pyramid you are carrying has an encrypted engraving. You will decipher that engraving for me. Then, and only then, will I return Peter Solomon to you.Whatever you believe this engraving reveals, Langdon said, it wont be the Ancient Mysteries.Of course not, he replied. The mysteries are far too vast to be written on the side of a little stone pyramid.The response caught Langdon off guard. But if this engraving is not the Ancient Mysteries, then this pyramid is not the Masonic Pyramid. Legend clearly states the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to protect the Ancient Mysteries. The mans tone was condescending now. Mr. Langdon, the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to preserve the Ancient Mysteries, but with a twist youve apparently not yet grasped. Did Peter never tell you? The power of the Masonic Pyramid is not that it reveals the mysteries themselves . . . but rather that it reveals the secret location where the mysteries are buried.Langdon did a double take.Decipher the engraving, the voice continued, and it will tell you the hiding place of mankinds greatest treasure. He laughed. Peter did not entrust you with the treasure itself, Professor.Langdon came to an abrupt halt in the tunnel. Hold on. Youre precept this pyramid is . . . a map? Bellamy jolted to a stop now, too, his expression one of shock and alarm. Clearly, the caller had just hit a knifelike nerve. The pyramid is a map.This ma p, the voice whispered, or pyramid, or portal, or whatever you choose to call it . . . was created long ago to ensure the hiding place of the Ancient Mysteries would never be forgotten . . . that it would never be alienated to history.A grid of sixteen symbols doesnt look much like a map.Appearances can be deceiving, Professor. But regardless, you alone have the power to read that inscription.Youre wrong, Langdon fired back, picturing the simplistic cipher. Anyone could decipher this engraving. Its not very sophisticated.I suspect there is more to the pyramid than meets the eye. Regardless, you alone possess the capstone.Langdon figure the little capstone in his bag. Order from chaos? He didnt know what to believe anymore, but the stone pyramid in his bag seemed to be getting heavier with every passing moment.Malakh pressed the cell phone to his ear, enjoying the sound of Langdons anxious breathing on the other end. Right now, I have business to attend to, Professor, and so do you . Call me as briefly as you have deciphered the map. We will go together to the hiding place and make our trade. Peters life . . . for all the wisdom of the ages.I will do nothing, Langdon declared. Especially not without proof Peter is alive.I suggest you not test me. You are a very small cog in a vast machine. If you disobey me, or attempt to give away me, Peter will die. This I swear. For all I know, Peter is already dead.He is very much alive, Professor, but he desperately needs your help.What are you really looking for? Langdon shouted into the phone.Malakh paused before answering. Many passel have pursued the Ancient Mysteries and debated their power. Tonight, I will prove the mysteries are real.Langdon was silent.I suggest you get to work on the map immediately, Malakh said. I need this information today.Today? Its already after nine oclockExactly. Tempus fugit.