'The Lost Symbol Chapter 30-32\r'

'CHAPTER 30\r\nSB level.\r\nSenate basement.\r\nRobert Langdons claustrophobia gripped him much than than than tightly with e genuinely hastening step of their descent. As they locomote deeper into the buildings original foundation, the air became loaded down(p), and the ventilation seemed n unmatchablexistent. The w completelys gobble up hither were an uneven shading of st single and yellow brick.\r\nconductor Sato typed on her BlackBerry as they walked. Langdon sensed a suspicion in her booked opusner, beneficial the disembodied spirit was quickly becoming reciprocal. Sato still hadnt t experient him how she knew Langdon was here tonight. An coming gumption of national certification? He had a stop snip understanding whatever relation surrounded by antiquated mysticism and national security. Then over again, he had a disenfranchised time understanding a lot of any function roughly this situation.\r\n puppet Solomon en real me with a talisman . . . a delu ded lunatic tricked me into b biding it to the Capitol and wants me to practise it to unlock a orphic portal . . . possibly in a room c whollyed SBB13.\r\nNot exactly a view picture.\r\nAs they pressed on, Langdon tried to shake from his object the horrible image of spears tattooed hand, transformed into the Hand of the Mysteries. The nauseated picture was accompanied by barbs join: The antediluvian patriarch Mysteries, Robert, film spawned some(prenominal) apologues . . . al unrivalled that does not flirt with they themselves are fiction.\r\nDespite a career perusal inexplicable symbolic representations and history, Langdon had evermore struggled in secernectually with the judgment of the superannuated Mysteries and their potent promise of apotheosis.\r\nAdmittedly, the historical record contained sure evidence that confidential cognizance had been passed conquer by dint of the ages, apparently having come by of the Mystery Schools in early Egypt. This k st raight offledge locomote underground, resur approach in rebirth Europe, where, according to or so accounts, it was entrusted to an elite grouping of scientists deep down the groins of Europes premier scientific think tankâ€the lofty Society of Londonâ€enigmatically nicknamed the Invisible College.\r\nThis break through of sight â€Å"college” quickly became a brain trust of the worlds closely enlightened minds†those of Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, and even Benjamin Franklin. To twenty-four hours, the add up of sophisticated â€Å"fellows” was no less impressiveâ€Einstein, Hawking, Bohr, and Celsius. These nifty minds had all made quantum leaps in human understanding, advances that, according to a couple of(prenominal), were the case of their exposure to ancient lore hush-hush at heart the Invisible College. Langdon doubted this was sure, although certainly on that point had been an unusual nitty-gritty of â€Å"mystica l work” taking place within those walls.\r\nThe disco very of Isaac Newtons secret cover in 1936 had immobilise the world by revealing Newtons all-consuming passion for the examine of ancient alchemy and mystical cognition. Newtons private papers included a written letter to Robert Boyle in which he exhorted Boyle to keep â€Å"high calm” regarding the mystical knowledge they had learned. â€Å"It batchnot be communicated,” Newton wrote, â€Å"with let on immense cost to the world.”\r\nThe meaning of this strange inform was still be debated today.\r\nâ€Å"Professor,” Sato tell suddenly, glancing up from her BlackBerry, â€Å"despite your insistence that you call for no idea why youre here tonight, mayhap you could shed light on the meaning of Peter Solomons ring.”\r\nâ€Å"I wad try,” Langdon said, refocusing.\r\nShe produced the specimen bag and give it to Langdon. â€Å"Tell me ab turn up the symbols on his ring.†\r\nLangdon examined the familiar ring as they moved through the deserted passageway. Its brass instrument bore the image of a double-headed phoenix memory a banner proclaiming ORDO AB CHAO, and its chest was emblaz unmatchedd with the look 33. â€Å"The double-headed phoenix with the number thirty- trey is the emblem of the highest masonic degree.” Technically, this prestigious degree existed solely within the economical sacrament. Nonetheless, the rites and degrees of Masonry were a complex hierarchy that Langdon had no appetency to detail for Sato tonight. â€Å"Essentially, the thirty- third degree is an elite purity reserved for a small group of tone ending accomplished Masons. All the other degrees faeces be attained by successful completion of the preceding degree, unless ascension to the thirty-third degree is controlled. Its by invitation still.”\r\nâ€Å"So you were aware that Peter Solomon was a division of this elite inner circle?”\r\ nâ€Å"Of course. Membership is simply a secret.”\r\nâ€Å"And he is their highest-ranking official?”\r\nâ€Å"Currently, yes. Peter heads the dictatorial Council Thirty-third Degree, which is the governing body of the Scottish Rite in America.” Langdon unendingly loved visit their provideâ€the House of the Templeâ€a classical chef-doeuvre whose symbolic ornamentation rivaled that of Scotlands Rosslyn Chapel.\r\nâ€Å"Professor, did you notice the engraving on the rings band? It bears the words `All is revealed at the thirty-third degree. â€Å"\r\nLangdon nodded. â€Å"Its a common theme in masonic lore.”\r\nâ€Å"Meaning, I assume, that if a Mason is admitted to this highest thirty-third degree, indeed something special is revealed to him?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes, thats the lore, but probably not the reality. Theres always been conspiratorial conjecture that a select hardly a(prenominal) within this highest echelon of Masonry are made privy to some prominent mystical secret. The truth, I suspect, is probably removed less dramatic.”\r\nPeter Solomon often made roguish allusions to the existence of a singular Masonic secret, but Langdon always assumed it was just a tight attempt to coax him into joining the brotherhood. Unfortunately, tonights events had been anything but playful, and there had been nothing mischievous about the seriousness with which Peter had urged Langdon to protect the sealed package in his daybag.\r\nLangdon glanced forlornly at the plastic bag containing Peters gold ring. â€Å"Director,” he asked, â€Å"would you mind if I held on to this?”\r\nShe looked over. â€Å"Why?”\r\nâ€Å"Its very valuable to Peter, and Id manage to return it to him tonight.”\r\nShe looked skeptical. â€Å"Lets hope you conk out that chance.” â€Å"Thanks.” Langdon pocketed the ring.\r\nâ€Å"Another question,” Sato said as they hastened deeper into the labyri nth. â€Å"My staff said that while cross-checking the concepts of the `thirty-third degree and `portal with Masonry, they glowering up literally hundreds of generators to a ` profit?”\r\nâ€Å"Thats not surprise, either,” Langdon said. â€Å"The benefit builders of Egypt are the fore commencements of the in advance(p) stonemasons, and the pyramid, a foresightful with Egyptian themes, is very common in Masonic symbolism.”\r\nâ€Å"Symbolizing what?”\r\nâ€Å"The pyramid essentially represents enlightenment. Its an architectural symbol emblematic of ancient mans ability to dishonour free from his earthly plane and ascend upward(a) toward heaven, toward the golden sun, and ultimately, toward the supreme source of illumination.”\r\nShe waited a moment. â€Å" zilch else?”\r\nNothing else?! Langdon had just described one of historys most elegant symbols. The structure through which man rattling(a) himself into the realm of the gods.\r\nâ⠂¬Å"According to my staff,” she said, â€Å"it sounds like there is a much more relevant connection tonight. They tell me there exists a popular caption about a specific pyramid here in Washingtonâ€a pyramid that relates specifically to the Masons and the old-fashioned Mysteries?”\r\nLangdon now realized what she was referring to, and he tried to run off the notion before they wasted any more time. â€Å"I am familiar with the legend, Director, but its utter(a) fantasy. The Masonic gain is one of D.C.s most durable novels, probably stemming from the pyramid on the Great postage of the United States.”\r\nâ€Å"Why didnt you mention it earlier?”\r\nLangdon shrugged. â€Å"Because it has no basis in fact. Like I said, its a myth. One of many associated with the Masons.”\r\nâ€Å"And yet this particular myth relates directly to the Ancient Mysteries?”\r\nâ€Å"Sure, as do sight of others. The Ancient Mysteries are the foundation for countless legends that have survived in historyâ€stories about goodly science protected by secret reserveians like the Templars, the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Alumbradosâ€the list goes on and on. They are all based on the Ancient Mysteries . . . and the Masonic benefit is just one example.”\r\nâ€Å"I see,” Sato said. â€Å"And what does this legend actually say?”\r\nLangdon con slopered it for a few steps and and so replied, â€Å"Well, Im no medical specialist in conspiracy theory, but I am educated in mythology, and most accounts go something like this: The Ancient Mysteriesâ€the baffled wisdom of the agesâ€have recollective been considered valet de chambres most sacred treasure, and like all great treasures, they have been carefully protected. The enlightened sages who understood the true situation of this wisdom learned to fear its dreadful potential. They knew that if this secret knowledge were to fall into uninitiated hands, the results could be devastating; as we said earlier, powerful tools can be used either for good or for evil. So, in auberge to protect the Ancient Mysteries, and mankind in the process, the early practitioners formed secret fraternities. deep down these brotherhoods, they overlap their wisdom only with the properly initiated, passing the wisdom from sage to sage. Many call back we can look back and see the historical remnants of those who know the Mysteries . . . in the stories of sorcerers, magicians, and healers.”\r\nâ€Å"And the Masonic pyramid?” Sato asked. â€Å"How does that fit in?”\r\nâ€Å"Well,” Langdon said, striding faster now to keep pace, â€Å"this is where history and myth begin to merge. According to some accounts, by the 16th century in Europe, most all of these secret fraternities had drive extinct, most of them exterminated by a growing tide of religious persecution. The Freemasons, it is said, became the last hold out cust odians of the Ancient Mysteries. Understandably, they feared that if their own brotherhood one day died off like its predecessors, the Ancient Mysteries would be disjointed for all time.”\r\nâ€Å"And the pyramid?” Sato again pressed.\r\nLangdon was getting to it. â€Å"The legend of the Masonic Pyramid is preferably simple. It states that the Masons, in order to fulfill their responsibility of protecting this great wisdom for future generations, decided to hide it in a great fortress.” Langdon tried to gather his recollections of the story. â€Å"Again, I nisus this is all myth, but allegedly, the Masons transported their secret wisdom from the white-haired World to the New Worldâ€here, to Americaâ€a land they hoped would remain free from religious tyranny. And here they built an impenetrable fortressâ€a hidden pyramid†designed to protect the Ancient Mysteries until the time that all of mankind was ready to handle the awed power that this wis dom could communicate. According to the myth, the Masons crowned their great pyramid with a shining, solid-gold capstone as symbol of the precious treasure withinâ€the ancient wisdom capable of empowering mankind to his full human potential. Apotheosis.”\r\nâ€Å" sort of a story,” Sato said.\r\nâ€Å"Yes. The Masons fall victim to all kinds of ill legends.”\r\nâ€Å"Obviously you dont believe such a pyramid exists.”\r\nâ€Å"Of course not,” Langdon replied. â€Å"Theres no evidence whatsoever to counsel that our Masonic forefathers built any kind of pyramid in America, much less in D.C. Its middling difficult to hide a pyramid, especially one large enough to hold all the lost wisdom of the ages.”\r\nThe legend, as Langdon recalled, never explained exactly what was supposititious to be in spite of appearance the Masonic Pyramidâ€whether it was ancient texts, occult writings, scientific revelations, or something far more mysteriousà ¢â‚¬but the legend did say that the precious information inside was ingeniously encoded . . . and understandable only to the most enlightened souls.\r\nâ€Å"Anyway,” Langdon said, â€Å"this story falls into a category we symbologists call an ` archetypal hybridâ€a blend of other classic legends, borrowing so many elements from popular mythology that it could only be a pretended construct . . . not historical fact.”\r\nWhen Langdon taught his students about archetypal hybrids, he used the example of fairy tales, which were recounted crosswise generations and exaggerated over time, borrowing so severely from one another that they evolved into homogenized morality tales with the identical iconic elements†virginal damsels, handsome princes, impenetrable fortresses, and powerful wizards. By way of fairy tales, this primeval affair of â€Å"good vs. evil” is ingrained into us as children through our stories: Merlin vs. Morgan le Fay, Saint George vs. the Dragon, Ddevouring(a) vs. Goliath, hoodwink White vs. the Witch, and even Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader.\r\nSato scratched her head as they turned a corner and followed Anderson down a ill-judged flight of stairs. â€Å"Tell me this. If Im not misinterpreted, pyramids were once considered mystical portals through which the deceased pharaohs could ascend to the gods, were they not?”\r\nâ€Å"True.”\r\nSato stop short and caught Langdons arm, glaring up at him with an looking somewhere between surprise and disbelief. â€Å"Youre saying Peter Solomons captor told you to find a hidden portal, and it didnt follow to you that he was reproofing about the Masonic Pyramid from this legend?”\r\nâ€Å"By any name, the Masonic Pyramid is a fairy tale. Its purely fantasy.”\r\nSato stepped closer to him now, and Langdon could heart her cigarette breath. â€Å"I understand your position on that, Professor, but for the sake of my investigation, the parallel is hard to ignore. A portal leading to secret knowledge? To my ear, this sounds a lot like what Peter Solomons captor claims you, alone, can unlock.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, I can hardly believeâ€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"What you believe is not the point. No matter what you believe, you must give in that this man might himself believe that the Masonic Pyramid is real.”\r\nâ€Å"The mans a lunatic! He may well(p) believe that SBB long dozen is the entrance to a titan underground pyramid that contains all the lost wisdom of the ancients!”\r\nSato stood pure(a)ly still, her eyes seething. â€Å"The crisis I am facing tonight is not a fairy tale, Professor. It is quite real, I assure you.”\r\nA cold calm down hung between them. â€Å"Maam?” Anderson in the long run said, gesturing to another secure accession ten feet away. â€Å"Were almost there, if youd like to continue.” Sato at long last broke eye contact with Langdon, motioning for Anderson to move on. They followed the security chief through the secure doorway, which deposited them in a narrow passage. Langdon looked left and indeed remedy.\r\nYouve got to be kidding.\r\nHe was standing in the longest entrance hall he had ever seen.\r\nCHAPTER 31\r\n Trish Dunne mat up the familiar hurry of adrenaline as she exited the bright lights of the Cube and moved into the raw darkness of the void. The SMSCs front gate had just called to say that Katherines guest, Dr. Abaddon, had arrived and required an escort back to shell 5. Trish had offered to bring him back, mostly out of curiosity. Katherine had said very little about the man who would be visiting them, and Trish was intrigued. The man was apparently someone Peter Solomon trusted deeply; the Solomons never invited anyone back to the Cube. This was a first.\r\nI hope he handles the crossing okay, Trish thought as she moved through the frigid darkness. The last thing she needed was Katherines VIP panicking when he reali zed what he had to do to get to the lab. The first time is always the worst.\r\nTrishs first time had been about a yr ago. She had accepted Katherines job offer, signed a nondisclosure, and then come to the SMSC with Katherine to see the lab. The two women had walked the length of â€Å"The Street,” arriving at a metal door marked seed fuel pod 5. Even though Katherine had tried to prepare her by describing the labs remote location, Trish was not ready for what she saw when the pod door hissed open.\r\nThe void.\r\nKatherine stepped over the threshold, walked a few feet into the perfect blackness, and then motioned for Trish to follow. â€Å"Trust me. You wont get lost.”\r\nTrish pictured herself ramble in a pitch-black, stadium-size room and broke a sweat at the mere thought.\r\nâ€Å"We have a guidance system to keep you on track.” Katherine pointed to the floor. â€Å" real low- tech.”\r\nTrish squinted through the darkness at the rough cementum flo or. It took a moment to see it in the darkness, but there was a narrow carpet runner that had been laid down in a smashing line. The carpet ran like a roadway, disappearing into the darkness.\r\nâ€Å" perk with your feet,” Katherine said, turning and walking off. â€Å"Just follow right behind me.”\r\nAs Katherine disappeared into the blackness, Trish swallowed her fear and followed. This is insane! She had taken only a few steps down the carpet when the Pod 5 door swung close down behind her, snuffing out the last faint leash of light. Pulse racing, Trish turned all of her attention to the odour of the carpet beneath her feet. She had ventured only a fistful of steps down the soft runner when she snarl the side of her right foot hit hard cement. Startled, she instinctively corrected to the left, getting both feet back on soft carpet.\r\nKatherines voice materialized up leading in the blackness, her words almost entirely swallowed by the lifeless acoustics of t his abyss. â€Å"The human body is amazing,” she said. â€Å"If you deprive it of one sensory input, the other senses take over, almost instantly. in good order now, the nerves in your feet are literally `tuning themselves to become more sensitive.”\r\nGood thing, Trish thought, correcting course again.\r\nThey walked in silence for what seemed entirely too long. â€Å"How much farther?” Trish finally asked.\r\nâ€Å"Were about halfway.” Katherines voice sounded more distant now.\r\nTrish sped up, doing her stovepipe to stay composed, but the breadth of the darkness felt like it would engulf her. I cant see one millimeter in front of my face! â€Å"Katherine? How do you know when to stop walking?”\r\nâ€Å"Youll know in a moment,” Katherine said.\r\nThat was a year ago, and now, tonight, Trish was once again in the void, heading in the opposite direction, out to the lobby to retrieve her bosss guest. A sudden variegate in carpet texture b eneath her feet alerted her that she was three yards from the exit. The warning track, as it was called by Peter Solomon, an avid baseball fan. Trish halt short, pulled out her key card, and groped in the darkness along the wall until she found the brocaded slot and inserted her card.\r\nThe door hissed open.\r\nTrish squinted into the welcoming light of the SMSC hallway.\r\n do it . . . again.\r\nMoving through the deserted corridors, Trish found herself thought about the bizarre redacted file they had found on a secure network. Ancient portal? inexplicable location underground? She wondered if Mark Zoubianis was having any sight figuring out where the mysterious roll was located. inner the control room, Katherine stood in the soft glow of the germ plasm wall and gazed up at the enigmatic document they had uncovered. She had isolated her key phrases now and felt progressively certain that the document was talking about the very(prenominal) far-flung legend that her brother had apparently shared with Dr. Abaddon.\r\n. . . secret location UNDERGROUND where the . . .\r\n. . . somewhere in WASHINGTON, D.C., the coordinates . . .\r\n. . . uncovered an ANCIENT PORTAL that led . . .\r\n. . . warning the PYRAMID holds dangerous . . .\r\n. . . decipher this ENGRAVED SYMBOLON to produce . . .\r\nI need to see the rest of the file, Katherine thought.\r\nShe stared a moment longer and then flipped the plasma walls power switch. Katherine always turned off this energy-intensive display so as not to waste the fuel cells liquid hydrogen reserves.\r\nShe watched as her keywords slowly faded, collapsing down into a tiny white dot, which hovered in the middle of the wall and then finally twinkled out.\r\nShe turned and walked back toward her office. Dr. Abaddon would be arriving momentarily, and she precious to make him feel welcome.\r\nCHAPTER 32\r\nâ€Å" roughly there,” Anderson said, guiding Langdon and Sato down the seemingly endless corridor that ran th e entire length of the Capitols eastern foundation. â€Å"In Lincolns day, this passage had a dirt floor and was filled with rats.”\r\nLangdon felt welcome the floor had been tiled; he was not a big fan of rats. The group continued on, their footfalls thrum up an eerie, uneven echo in the long passageway. Doorways lined the long hallway, some closed but many ajar. Many of the rooms down on this level looked abandoned. Langdon noticed the numbers on the doors were now descending and, after a while, seemed to be foot race out.\r\nSB4 . . . SB3 . . . SB2 . . . SB1 . . .\r\nThey continued past an unmarked door, but Anderson stopped short when the numbers began ascending again.\r\nHB1 . . . HB2 . . .\r\nâ€Å"Sorry,” Anderson said. â€Å"Missed it. I almost never come down this deep.”\r\nThe group backed up a few yards to an old metal door, which Langdon now realized was located at the hallways central pointâ€the meridian that divided the Senate cellar (SB) an d the House Basement (HB). As it turned out, the door was indeed marked, but its engraving was so faded, it was almost imperceptible.\r\nSBB\r\nâ€Å"Here we are,” Anderson said. â€Å"Keys will be arriving any moment.”\r\nSato frowned and check out her watch.\r\nLangdon eyed the SBB marking and asked Anderson, â€Å"Why is this space associated with the Senate side even though its in the middle?”\r\nAnderson looked puzzled. â€Å"What do you mean?”\r\nâ€Å"It says SBB, which begins with an S, not an H.”\r\nAnderson shook his head. â€Å"The S in SBB doesnt stand for Senate. Itâ€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Chief?” a carry called out in the distance. He came jogging up the hallway toward them, holding out a key. â€Å"Sorry, sir, it took a few minutes. We couldnt locate the main SBB key. This is a spare from an addition box.”\r\nâ€Å"The original is missing?” Anderson said, sounding surprised.\r\nâ€Å"Probably lost,” the g uard replied, arriving out of breath. â€Å"Nobody has requested access down here for ages.”\r\nAnderson took the key. â€Å"No secondhand key for SBB xiii?”\r\nâ€Å"Sorry, so far were not finding keys for any of the rooms in the SBB. MacDonalds on it now.” The guard pulled out his piano tuner and spoke into it. â€Å"Bob? Im with the chief. Any special info yet on the key for SBB thirteen?”\r\nThe guards receiving set crackled, and a voice replied, â€Å"Actually, yeah. Its strange. Im seeing no entries since we computerized, but the hard logs indicate all the retentivity rooms in the SBB were cleaned out and abandoned more than twenty years ago. Theyre now listed as wise space.” He paused. â€Å"All except for SBB Thirteen.”\r\nAnderson grabbed the radio. â€Å"This is the chief. What do you mean, all except SBB Thirteen?”\r\nâ€Å"Well, sir,” the voice replied, â€Å"Ive got a handwritten notation here that designat es SBB Thirteen as `private. It was a long time ago, but its written and initialed by the Architect himself.”\r\nThe term Architect, Langdon knew, was not a reference to the man who had designed the Capitol, but rather to the man who ran it. Similar to a building manager, the man name as Architect of the Capitol was in charge of everything including maintenance, restoration, security, hiring personnel, and depute offices.\r\nâ€Å"The strange thing . . .” the voice on the radio said, â€Å"is that the Architects notation indicates that this `private space was set aside for the use of Peter Solomon.”\r\nLangdon, Sato, and Anderson all exchanged startled looks.\r\nâ€Å"Im guessing, sir,” the voice continued, â€Å"that Mr. Solomon has our primary key to the SBB as well as any keys to SBB Thirteen.”\r\nLangdon could not believe his ears. Peter has a private room in the basement of the Capitol? He had always known Peter Solomon had secrets, but this was surprising even to Langdon.\r\nâ€Å"Okay,” Anderson said, clearly unamused. â€Å"Were hoping to get access to SBB Thirteen specifically, so keep looking for a secondary key.”\r\nâ€Å"Will do, sir. Were also working on the digital image that you requestedâ€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Thank you,” Anderson interrupted, pressing the talk button and cutting him off. â€Å"That will be all. shoot that file to Director Satos BlackBerry as curtly as you have it.”\r\nâ€Å"Understood, sir.” The radio went silent.\r\nAnderson handed the radio back to the guard in front of them. The guard pulled out a photocopy of a purpose and handed it to his chief. â€Å"Sir, the SBB is in gray, and weve notated with an X which room is SBB Thirteen, so it shouldnt be hard to find. The area is quite small.”\r\nAnderson thanked the guard and turned his focus to the blueprint as the four-year-old man hurried off. Langdon looked on, surprised to see the awesome num ber of cubicles that made up the bizarre inner ear beneath the U.S. Capitol.\r\nAnderson studied the blueprint for a moment, nodded, and then stuffed it into his pocket. Turning to the door marked SBB, he increase the key, but hesitated, looking uneasy about chess opening it. Langdon felt similar misgivings; he had no idea what was behind this door, but he was quite certain that whatever Solomon had hidden down here, he wanted to keep private. Very private.\r\nSato cleared her throat, and Anderson got the message. The chief took a deep breath, inserted the key, and tried to turn it. The key didnt move. For a split second, Langdon felt hopeful the key was wrong. On the second try, though, the lock turned, and Anderson heaved the door open.\r\nAs the heavy door creaked outward, damp air rushed out into the corridor.\r\nLangdon peered into the darkness but could see nothing at all.\r\nâ€Å"Professor,” Anderson said, glancing back at Langdon as he groped blindly for a light s witch. â€Å"To answer your question, the S in SBB doesnt stand for Senate. It stands for sub.”\r\nâ€Å"Sub?” Langdon asked, puzzled.\r\nAnderson nodded and flicked the switch just inside the door. A single bulb illuminated an alarmingly steep staircase descending into inky blackness. â€Å"SBB is the Capitols subbasement.”\r\n'