The Lost Symbol Chapter 62-66

CHAPTER 62Im under Second Street.Langdons eyes remained tightly shut as the conveyer rumbled through the darkness toward the Adams mental synthesis. He did his best not to picture the tons of earth overhead and the peg d throw tube through which he was now traveling. He could hear Katherine breathing several yards ahead of him, hardly so far, she had not babble come out of the closeted a word.Shes in shock. Langdon was not feel forward to telling her astir(predicate) her brothers severed pot. You contract to, Robert. She leases to know.Katherine? Langdon fin eithery utter, without undetermineding his eyes. Are you okay?A tremulous, disembodied articulation replied somewhere up ahead. Robert, the pyramid youre carrying. Its turncocks, isnt it?Yes, Langdon replied.A long silence followed. I call in . . . that pyramid is wherefore my mother was murdered.Langdon was well aw atomic physical body 18 that Isabel Solomon had been murdered ten eld ago, that he didnt know the details, and calamus had never mentioned anything close to a pyramid. What are you talking close?Katherines office filled with emotion as she recounted the harrowing events of that shadow, how the tattooed macrocosm had broken into their estate. It was a long time ago, but Ill never for pop off that he demanded a pyramid. He express he heard about the pyramid in prison, from my nephew, Zachary . . . sort out in front he killed him.Langdon listened in amazement. The tragedy in spite of appearance the Solomon family was almost beyond belief. Katherine continued, telling Langdon that she had al styles believed the intruder was killed that night . . . that is, until this same man had resurfaced today, posing as Peters psychiatrist and luring Katherine to his home. He knew hole-and-corner(a) things about my brother, my mothers death, and even my work, she said anxiously, things he could lone(prenominal) have learned from my brother. And so I trusted him . . . and thats ho w he got inner(a) the Smithsonian Museum keep Center. Katherine took a deep breath and t grey-haired Langdon she was nearly certain the man had destroyed her lab this night.Langdon listened in utter shock. For several moments, the 2 of them lay together in silence on the moving conveyer belt. Langdon knew he had an obligation to share with Katherine the rest of tonights terrible news. He began slowly, and as gently as he possibly could he told her how her brother had entrusted him with a small package years earlier, how Langdon had been tricked into bringing this package to Washington tonight, and finally, about her brothers hand having been found in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building.Katherines reaction was deafening silence.Langdon could tell she was reeling, and he wished he could reach out and comfortableness her, but lying end to end in the narrow blackness made it impossible. Peters okay, he whispered. Hes alive, and well get him back. Langdon tried to give her hope. Ka therine, his captor promised me your brother would be returned alive . . . as long as I decipher the pyramid for him.Still Katherine said nothing.Langdon kept talking. He told her about the jewel pyramid, its Masonic cipher, the wet capstone, and, of course, about Bellamys claims that this pyramid was in fact the Masonic Pyramid of legend . . . a map that revealed the underwrite place of a long spiral staircase that led deep into the earth . . . down hundreds of feet to a mystical ancient treasure that had been buried in Washington long ago.Katherine finally spoke, but her voice was flat and emotionless. Robert, open your eyes.Open my eyes? Langdon had no desire to have even the slightest glimpse of how fasten this space really was.Robert Katherine demanded, urgently now. Open your eyes Were hereLangdons eyes flew open as his dust emerged through an opening similar to the one it had entered at the other end. Katherine was already climbing off the conveyor belt. She lifted his day traveling bag off the belt as Langdon swung his legs over the edge and jumped down onto the tile floor still in time, before the conveyor turned the corner and headed back the way it came. The space around them was a circulation room much resembling the one they had come from in the other building. A small signboard read ADAMS BUILDING CIRCULATION ROOM 3. Langdon felt like he had just emerged from some kind of ulterior birth canal. Born again. He turned immediately to Katherine. Are you okay?Her eyes were red, and she had obviously been crying, but she nodded with a resolute stoicism. She picked up Langdons daybag and carried it across the room without a word, setting it on a make full desk. She illumine the desks halogen clamp lamp, unzipped the bag, folded down the sides, and peered interior.The granite pyramid looked almost austere in the clean halogen light. Katherine ran her fingers over the carve Masonic cipher, and Langdon sensed deep emotion churning within her. Slowly, she reached into the daybag and pulled out the cube-shaped package. She held it under the light, examining it closely.As you can gain vigor, Langdon quietly said, the mount up seal is embossed with Peters Masonic ring. He said this ring was utilise to seal the package more than a century ago.Katherine said nothing.When your brother entrusted the package to me, Langdon told her, he said it would give me the power to create order out of chaos. Im not entirely sure what that means, but Ive got to use up the capstone reveals something important, because Peter was insistent that it not fall into the wrong hands. Mr. Bellamy just told me the same thing, urging me to hide the pyramid and not let anyone open the package.Katherine turned now, looking angry. Bellamy told you not to open the package?Yes. He was adamant.Katherine looked incredulous. But you said this capstone is the only way we can decipher the pyramid, right?Probably, yes.Katherines voice was arise now. And you sa id deciphering the pyramid is what you were told to do. Its the only way we can get Peter back, right?Langdon nodded.Then, Robert, why wouldnt we open the package and decipher this thing right now?Langdon didnt know how to respond. Katherine, I had the same exact reaction, and and Bellamy told me that keeping this pyramids secret intact was more important than anything . . . including your brothers life.Katherines pretty features hardened, and she tucked a wisp of hair layabout her ears. When she spoke, her voice was resolved. This stone pyramid, any(prenominal) it is, has cost me my entire family. First my nephew, Zachary, then my mother, and now my brother.And lets face it, Robert, if you hadnt called tonight to warn me . . .Langdon could feel himself trapped between Katherines logic and Bellamys steadfast urging.I may be a scientist, she said, but I excessively come from a family of well-known Masons. Believe me, Ive heard all the stories about the Masonic Pyramid and its prom ise of some great treasure that will enlighten mankind. Honestly, I come about it hard to imagine such a thing exists. However, if it does exist . . . perhaps its time to unveil it. Katherine slid a finger to a lower place the old twine on the package.Langdon jumped. Katherine, no WaitShe paused, but her finger remained beneath the string. Robert, Im not going to let my brother die for this. Whatever this capstone says . . . whatever lost treasures this inscribe might reveal . . . those secrets end tonight.With that, Katherine yanked defiantly on the twine, and the brittle wax seal exploded.CHAPTER 63In a quiet neighborhood just west of Embassy Row in Washington, there exists a medieval-style walled tend whose roses, it is said, spring from twelfth-century plants. The gardens Carderock gazeboknown as Shadow Housesits elegantly amid meandering pathways of stones dug from George Washingtons private quarry.Tonight the silence of the gardens was broken by a young man who rushed thro ugh the wooden gate, shouting as he came.Hello? he called out, straining to see in the moonlight. Are you in here?The voice that replied was frail, barely audible. In the gazebo . . . just taking some air.The young man found his withered superior seated on the stone bench beneath a blanket. The change posture old man was tiny, with elfin features. The years had bent him in two and stolen his eyesight, but his soul remained a force to be reckoned with.Catching his breath, the young man told him, I just . . . took a call . . . from your takeoff booster . . . Warren Bellamy.Oh? The old man perked up. About what?He didnt say, but he sounded like he was in a big hurry. He told me he left you a message on your voice mail, which you need to listen to right away.Thats all he said?Not quite. The young man paused. He told me to consume you a perplexity. A very strange question. He said he needed your response right away.The old man leaned closer. What question?As the young man spoke Mr. B ellamys question, the pall that crossed the old mans face was visible even in the moonlight. Immediately, he threw off his blanket and began struggling to his feet.Please alleviate me inside. Right away.CHAPTER 64No more secrets, thought Katherine Solomon.On the table in front of her, the wax seal that had been intact for generations now lay in pieces. She consummate removing the faded brown paper from her brothers cute package. Beside her, Langdon looked decidedly uneasy.From within the paper, Katherine extracted a small stripe made of gray stone. Resembling a polished granite cube, the shock had no hinges, no latch, and no apparent way inside. It reminded Katherine of a Chinese puzzle box.It looks like a solid block, she said, running her fingers over the edges. Are you sure the X- ray showed it was hollow? With a capstone inside?It did, Langdon said, moving next to Katherine and scrutinizing the mysterious box. He and Katherine peered at the box from different angles, attemp ting to find a way in.Got it, Katherine said as her fingernail located the enigmatical slit along one of the boxs top edges. She set the box down on the desk and then carefully pried open the lid, which rose smoothly, like the top of a fine jewelry box.When the lid fell back, Langdon and Katherine both drew audible breaths. The interior of the box seemed to be glowing. The inside was shining with an almost supernatural effulgence. Katherine had never seen a piece of gold this large, and it took her an instant to realize that the extraordinary metal was barely reflecting the radiance of the desk lamp.Its salient(ip), she whispered. Despite being sealed in a dark stone cube for over a century, the capstone had not faded or tarnished in any way. favourable resists the entropic laws of decay thats one of the reasons the ancients considered it magical. Katherine felt her pulse quicken as she leaned forward, peering down over the small specious point. Theres an inscription.Langdon moved closer, their shoulders now touching. His blue eyes flashed with curiosity. He had told Katherine about the ancient Greek practice of creating a symbolona code broken into partsand how this capstone, long separated from the pyramid itself, would hold the key to deciphering the pyramid. Allegedly, this inscription, whatever it said, would bring order from this chaos.Katherine held the little box up to the light and peered straight down over the capstone.though small, the inscription was perfectly visiblea small bit of elegantly engraved text on the face of one side. Katherine read the vi simple words.Then she read them again.No she declared. That cant be what it says across the street, Director Sato hurried up the long walkway outside the Capitol Building toward her rendezvous point on First Street. The update from her field team had been unacceptable. No Langdon. No pyramid. No capstone. Bellamy was in custody, but he was not telling them the truth. At least not yet.Ill make him talk.She glanced back over her shoulder at one of Washingtons newest vistasthe Capitol Dome framed above the new visitor center. The illuminated dome only accentuated the signification of what was truly at stake tonight. Dangerous times.Sato was relieved to hear her cell phone ring and see her analysts ID on the screen.Nola, Sato answered. What have you got?Nola Kaye gave her the bad news. The X-ray of the capstones inscription was too faint to read, and the image-enhancing filters had not helped. Shit. Sato chewed at her lip. How about the sixteen-letter grid? Im still trying, Nola said, but so far Ive found no secondary encryption aim thats applicable. Ive got a computer reshuffling the letters in the grid and looking for anything identifiable, but there are over twenty trillion possibilities.Stay on it. Let me know. Sato hung up, scowling. Her hopes of deciphering the pyramid using only a photograph and X-ray were fading fast. I need that pyramid and capstone . . . and Im r unning out of time.Sato arrived at First Street just as a black Escalade SUV with dark windows roared across the twin yellow and skidded to a stop in front of her at their rendezvous point. A lone doer got out.Any word yet on Langdon? Sato demanded.Confidence is high, the man said, emotionless. Backup just arrived. All library exits are surrounded. We even have air support coming in. Well flush him with tear gas, and hell have nowhere to run.And Bellamy?Tied up in the backseat.Good. Her shoulder was still smarting.The agent handed Sato a plastic Ziploc bag containing cell phone, keys, and wallet. Bellamys effects.Nothing else?No, maam. The pyramid and package must still be with Langdon.Okay, Sato said. Bellamy knows plenty hes not telling. Id like to question him personally.Yes, maam. To Langley, then?Sato took a deep breath and paced a moment beside the SUV. Strict protocols governed the interrogation of U.S. civilians, and disbelieving Bellamy was highly illegal unless it was done at Langley on video with witnesses, attorneys, blah, blah, blah . . . Not Langley, she said, trying to think of somewhere closer. And more private.The agent said nothing, tining at attention beside the idling SUV, waiting for orders.Sato lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and gazed down at the Ziploc bag of Bellamys items. His key ring, she had noticed, included an electronic befuddle adorned with four lettersUSBG. Sato knew, of course, which government building this fob accessed. The building was very close and, at this hour, very private. She smiled and pocketed the fob. Perfect.When she told the agent where she wanted to take Bellamy, she expected the man to look surprised, but he simply nodded and opened the passenger door for her, his cold stare revealing nothing.Sato loved professionals.Langdon stood in the basement of the Adams Building and stared in disbelief at the elegantly inscribed words on the face of the golden capstone.Thats all it says?Beside him, Katherine he ld the capstone under the light and shook her head. Theres got to be more, she insisted, sounding cheated. This is what my brother has been protecting all these years?Langdon had to admit he was mystified. According to Peter and Bellamy, this capstone was supposed to help them decipher the stone pyramid. In light of those claims, Langdon had expected something illuminating and helpful. More like obvious and useless. Once again, he read the six words delicately inscribed on the face of the capstone.Thesecret hideswithin The OrderThe secret hides within The Order?At first glance, the inscription appeared to be stating the obviousthat the letters on the pyramid were out of order and that their secret lay in finding their proper sequence. This reading, however, in addition to being self-evident, seemed improbable for another reason. The words the and order are capitalized, Langdon said.Katherine nodded blankly. I proverb that.The secret hides within The Order. Langdon could think of o nly one logical implication. The Order must be referencing the Masonic Order.I agree, Katherine said, but its still no help. It tells us nothing.Langdon had to concur. After all, the entire story of the Masonic Pyramid revolved around a secret hidden within the Masonic Order.Robert, didnt my brother tell you this capstone would give you power to see order where others saw only chaos?He nodded in frustration. For the second time tonight, Robert Langdon was feeling unworthy.CHAPTER 65Once Malakh had finished dealing with his unexpected visitora female security guard from Preferred Securityhe fixed the paint on the window through which she had glimpsed his sacred work space.Now, ascending out of the kooky blue haze of the basement, he emerged through a hidden doorway into his living room. Inside, he paused, admiring his spectacular painting of the Three Graces and savoring the familiar smells and sounds of his home.Soon I will be leaving forever. Malakh knew that later tonight he wo uld be unable to return to this place. After tonight, he thought, smiling, I will have no need for this place.He wondered if Robert Langdon yet understood the true power of the pyramid . . . or the vastness of the role for which fate had chosen him. Langdon has yet to call me, Malakh thought, after double-checking for messages on his disposable phone. It was now 1002 P.M. He has less than two hours.Malakh went upstairs to his Italian-marble bathroom and turned on the steam shower to let it heat up. Methodically, he stripped off his clothes, eager to begin his cleansing ritual.He drank two glaze of water to calm his starving stomach. Then he walked to the full-length mirror and studied his naked body. His two days of fasting had accentuated his musculature, and he could not help but admire that which he had become. By dawn, I will be so much more.CHAPTER 66We should get out of here, Langdon said to Katherine. Its only a matter of time before they figure out where we are. He hoped B ellamy had managed to escape.Katherine still seemed fixated on the gold capstone, looking incredulous that the inscription was so unhelpful. She had taken the capstone out of the box, examined every side, and was now carefully position it back in the box.The secret hides within The Order, Langdon thought. Big help.Langdon found himself wondering now if perhaps Peter had been misinformed about the contents of the box. This pyramid and capstone had been created long before Peter was born, and Peter was simply doing as his forefathers had told him, keeping a secret that was probably as much a mystery to him as it was to Langdon and Katherine.What did I expect? Langdon wondered. The more he learned tonight about the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, the less arguable it all seemed. Im searching for a hidden spiral staircase covered by a big stone? Something told Langdon he was chasing shadows. Nonetheless, deciphering this pyramid seemed his best chance at saving Peter.Robert, does the year 1514 mean anything to you?Fifteen-fourteen? The question seemed apropos of nothing. Langdon shrugged. No. Why?Katherine handed him the stone box. Look. The box is dated. Have a look under the light.Langdon took a seat at the desk and studied the cube-shaped box beneath the light. Katherine put a cracked hand on his shoulder, leaning in to point out the tiny text she had found form on the exterior of the box, near the bottom corner of one side.Fifteen-fourteen A.D., she said, pointing into the box.Sure enough, the carving depicted the number 1514, followed by an unusual stylization of the letters A and D.This date, Katherine was saying, sounding suddenly hopeful, maybe its the link were absent? This dated cube looks a lot like a Masonic cornerstone, so maybe its pointing to a real cornerstone? Maybe to a building built in 1514 A.D.?Langdon barely heard her.Fifteen-fourteen A.D. is not a date.The symbol , as any scholar of medieval art would recognize, was a well-known symbatur ea symbol used in place of a signature. Many of the early philosophers, artists, and authors signed their work with their own unique symbol or monogram rather than their name. This practice added a mysterious allure to their work and also protected them from persecution should their writings or artwork be deemed counterestablishment.In the case of this symbature, the letters A.D. did not stand for Anno Domini . . . they were German for something else entirely.Langdon instantly saw all the pieces fall into place. Within seconds, he was certain he knew simply how to decipher the pyramid. Katherine, you did it, he said, packing up. Thats all we needed. Lets go. Ill explain on the way.Katherine looked amazed. The date 1514 A.D. actually means something to you?Langdon winked at her and headed for the door. A.D. isnt a date, Katherine. Its a person.