The Lost Symbol Chapter 98-101

CHAPTER 98Robert Langdon regained consciousness with a crippling headache.Where am I?Wherever he was, it was black. Deep-cave dark, and deathly silent.He was lying on his back with his ordnance at his side. Confused, he tried and true moving his fingers and toes, relieved to find they moved freely with no put out(a). What happened? With the exception of his headache and the pro ready fantasm, everything betmed more or lightedtle normal.Almost everything.Langdon realized he was lying on a wake slight persuade aback that snarl unusually sound slight, like a sheet of glass. crazy console, he could feel that the slick surface was in direct cut down in with his b be flesh . . . shoulders, back, furthertocks, thighs, calves. Am I naked? Puzzled, he ran his r from each one over his body. Jesus Where the hell are my c split uphes?In the darkness, the cobwebs began to lift, and Langdon proverb flashes of memory . . . f chastenening snapshots . . . a dead CIA ingredient . . . the face of a tattooed beast . . . Langdons head smashing into the storey. The send offs came faster . . . and now he recalled the nauseate image of Katherine Solomon bound and gagged on the dining-room floor.My divinityLangdon sat waste upright, and as he did, his forehead smashed into something suspended hardly inches in a higher place him. Pain exploded through his skull and he throw away back, teetering near unconsciousness. Groggy, he reached up with his hands, groping in the darkness to find the obstacle. What he found made no sense to him. It seemed this rooms ceiling was less than a tail end above him. What in the world? As he spread his arms to his sides in an attempt to roll over, both of his hands hit sidewalls.The right now dawned on him. Robert Langdon was non in a room at all.Im in a boxIn the darkness of his unde bewildere, jewel c removeetlike container, Langdon began pounding wildly with his fist. He sh discovered over and over for help. The terr or that gripped him wooden-headedened with each transient instant until it was intolerable.I have been buried alive.The lid of Langdons strange coffin refused to budge, plane with the full force of his arms and legs pushing upward in wild panic. The box, from all he could tell, was made of heavy fiberglass. Airtight. Soundproof. Lightproof. Escape-proof.I am going to suffocate altogether in this box.He thought of the deep well into which he had fallen as a young boy, and of the terrify night he spent treading water alone in the darkness of a bottomless pit. That trauma had scarred Langdons psyche, burdening him with an overwhelming phobia of enclose spaces.Tonight, buried alive, Robert Langdon was living his ultimate nightmare.Katherine Solomon trembled in silence on the floor of Malakhs dining room. The sharp wire around her wrists and ankles had already cut into her, and the slightest movements seemed totally to tighten her bonds.The tattooed hu worldity had brutally knock ed Langdon unconscious and dragged his limp body crossways the floor along with his leather bag and the stone gain. Where they had gone, Katherine had no sentiment. The cistron who had accompanied them was dead. She had non heard a sound in homophiley a(prenominal) minutes, and she wondered if the tattooed valet and Langdon were still inside the house. She had been trying to scream for help, still with each attempt, the rag in her m extincth crept back dangerously closer to her windpipe. outright she felt approaching footsteps on the floor, and she cancelled her head, hoping against hope that someone was glide path to help. The big silhouette of her capturer materialized in the hallway. Katherine recoiled as she flashed on the image of him standing in her family home ten years earlier.He killed my family. right away he strode toward her. Langdon was nowhere to be seen. The hu adult male being crouched push down and gripped her around the waist, hoisting her nearly onto his shoulder. The wire sliced into her wrists, and the rag muffled her muted cries of pain. He carried her down the hallway toward the living room, where, earlier today, the dickens of them had sedately sipped tea together.Where is he taking me?He carried Katherine across the living room and s natural elevationped right off in front of the large oil movie of the Three Graces that she had admire this afternoon.You mentioned you liked this painting, the globe whispered, his lips practically touching her ear. Im glad. It may be the death thing of beauty you see.With that, he reached out and pressed his palm into the right side of the enormous frame. To Katherines shock, the painting rotated into the wall, turning on a central pivot like a revolving gateway. A hidden doorway.Katherine tried to wriggle free, but the firearm held her firmly, carrying her through the opening arse the canvas. As the Three Graces pivoted shut behind them, she could see heavy insulation on the ba ck of the canvas. Whatever sounds were made back here were apparently not meant to be heard by the outside world.The space behind the painting was cramped, more like a hallway than a room. The man carried her to the outlying(prenominal) side and opened a heavy door, carrying her through it onto a small landing. Katherine found herself looking down a narrow ramp into a deep traveling bagment. She drew a breath to scream, but the rag was strangling her.The incline was steep and narrow. The walls on either side were made of cement, afloat(predicate) in a bluish light that seemed to emanate from below. The air that wafted up was warm and pungent, laden with an eerie blend of smells . . . the sharp bite of chemicals, the smooth calm of incense, the earthy musk of human sweat, and, pervading it all, a distinct aura of visceral, carnal fear.Your science impressed me, the man whispered as they reached the bottom of the ramp. I hope mine impresses you.CHAPTER 99CIA field agent Turner Sim kins crouched in the darkness of Franklin Park and kept his steady gaze on warren Bellamy. Nobody had taken the bait yet, but it was still early.Simkinss transceiver beeped, and he mad it, hoping one of his men had spotted something. besides it was Sato. She had new information.Simkins listened and agreed with her concern. put on on, he said. Ill see if I can get a visual. He crawled through the bushes in which he was hiding and peered back in the deputation from which he had entered the square. After some maneuvering, he finally opened a sight line.Holy shit.He was staring at a grammatical construction that looked like an Old World mosque. Nestled betwixt two frequently larger buildings, the Moorish facade was made of gleaming terra-cotta tile set in obscure multicolored designs. Above the three bulky doors, two tiers of lancet windows looked as if Arabian archers might appear and open push aside if anyone approached uninvited.I see it, Simkins said.Any activity?Nothin g.Good. I admit you to memory board and watch it very carefully. Its called the Almas Shrine Temple, and its the headquarters of a mystical order.Simkins had worked in the D.C. area for a long time but was not beaten(prenominal) with this temple or any ancient mystical order headquartered on Franklin Square.This building, Sato said, belongs to a group called the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. neer heard of them.I think you have, Sato said. Theyre an appendant body of the Masons, more normally known as the Shriners.Simkins shot a dubious glance at the ornate building. The Shriners? The guys who build hospitals for kids? He could imagine no order less ominous sounding than a fraternity of philanthropists who wore little red fezzes and marched in parades. still so, Satos concerns were valid. Maam, if our target realizes that this building is in fact The Order on Franklin Square, he wont need the organise. Hell simply bypass the rendezvous and go directly to th e pay off location.My thoughts exactly. Keep an eye on the entrance.Yes, maam.Any word from Agent Hartmann in Kalorama H eight-spots?No, maam. You asked him to phone you directly.Well, he hasnt.Odd, Simkins thought, checking his watch. Hes overdue.CHAPTER 100Robert Langdon lay shivering, naked and alone in total blackness. Paralyzed by fear, he was no lengthy pounding or shouting. Instead, he had closed his look and was doing his best to take for his hammering heart and his panicked breathing.You are lying beneath a vast, nighttime sky, he tried to convince himself. There is nothing above you but miles of wide-open space.This calming visualization had been the single way he had managed to survive a recent stint in an enclosed magnetic resonance imaging machine . . . that and a triple dose of Valium. Tonight, however, the visualization was having no make whatsoever.The rag in Katherine Solomons mouth had shifted backward and was all but strangulation her. Her captor had carri ed her down a narrow ramp and into a dark basement corridor. At the far end of the hall, she had glimpsed a room lit with an eerie reddish-purple light, but theyd never made it that far. The man had stopped sort of at a small side room, carried her inside, and placed her on a wooden go. He had set her down with her bound wrists behind the chair back so she could not move.Now Katherine could feel the wire on her wrists slicing deeper into her flesh. The pain barely registered next to the climb panic she was popular opinion over being unable to breathe. The cloth in her mouth was steal deeper into her throat, and she felt herself gagging reflexively. Her trance started to tunnel.Behind her, the tattooed man closed the rooms lone door and flipped on the light. Katherines eyes were watering profusely now, and she could no longer strike off objects in her immediate surroundings. Everything had be lie with a blur.A distorted flock of colorful flesh appeared before her, and Katheri ne felt her eyes starting to bat as she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. A scale-covered arm reached out and yanked the rag from her mouth.Katherine gasped, inhaling deep breaths, coughing and choking as her lungs flooded with precious air. Slowly, her vision began to clear, and she found herself looking into the demons face. The visage was barely human. Blanketing his neck, face, and shaved head was an amazing pattern of bizarre tattooed symbols. With the exception of a small circle on top of his head, every inch of his body appeared to be decorated. A massive double-headed phoenix on his chest glared at her through nipple eyes like some kind of ravenous vulture, patiently waiting for her death. throw your mouth, the man whispered.Katherine stared at the monster with total revulsion. What?Open your mouth, the man repeated. Or the cloth goes back in. Trembling, Katherine opened her mouth. The man extended his thick, tattooed index finger, inserting it between her lips. Wh en he touched her tongue, Katherine thought she would vomit. He extracted his wet finger and raise it to the top of his shaved head. Closing his eyes, he massaged her saliva into his small round patch of untattooed flesh.Repulsed, Katherine looked away.The room in which she was sitting appeared to be a kettle room of some sortpipes on the walls, gurgling sounds, fluorescent lights. Before she could take in her surroundings, though, her gaze stopped dead on something beside her on the floor. A pile of clothingturtleneck, tweed sport coat, loafers, Mickey Mouse watch.My God She wheeled back to the tattooed animal before her. What have you done with Robert?Shh, the man whispered. Or hell hear you. He stepped to one side and motioned behind him.Langdon was not there. All Katherine saw was a huge black fiberglass box. Its figure out bore an unsettling resemblance to the heavy incases in which corpses were shipped back from war. Two massive clasps firmly locked the box shut.Hes insid e? Katherine blurted. But . . . hell suffocateNo, he wont, the man said, pointing to a series of transparent pipes that ran along the wall into the bottom of the crate. Hell only wish he could.In total darkness, Langdon listened intently to the muffled vibrations he now heard from the outside world. Voices? He began pounding on the box and shouting at the top of his lungs. Help Can anyone hear me? furthest off, a muted voice called out. Robert My God, no NOHe knew the voice. It was Katherine, and she sounded terrified. Even so, it was a welcome sound. Langdon drew a breath to call out to her, but he stopped short, looking at an unexpected sensation at the back of his neck. A faint breeze seemed to be emanating from the bottom of the box. How is that manageable? He lay very still, taking stock. Yes, definitely. He could feel the fiddling hairs on the back of his neck being tickled by air movement.Instinctively, Langdon began feeling along the floor of the box, searching for the sou rce of the air. It took only a signification to locate. Theres a tiny vent The small perforated opening felt similar to a drain plate on a sink or tub, except that a soft, steady breeze was now coming up through it.Hes pumping air in for me. He doesnt demand me to suffocate.Langdons backup was short-lived. A terrifying sound was now emanating up through the holes in the vent. It was the unmistakable gurgle of flowing liquid . . . coming his way.Katherine stared in question at the clear shaft of liquid that was progressing down one of the pipes toward Langdons crate. The eyeshot looked like some kind of twisted stage magicians act.Hes pumping water into the crate?Katherine strained at her bonds, ignoring the deep bite of the wires around her wrists. All she could do was look on in panic. She could hear Langdon pounding in desperation, but as the water reached the underside of the container, the pounding stopped. There was a upshot of terrified silence. Then the pounding started again with renewed desperation.Let him out Katherine begged. Please You cant do thisDrowning is a terrible death, you know. The man spoke calmly as he paced around her in circles. Your assistant, Trish, could tell you that.Katherine heard his words, but she could barely process them. You may remember that I almost drowned once, the man whispered. It was on your familys estate in Potomac. Your brother shot me, and I fell through the ice, out at Zachs bridge.Katherine glared at him, filled with loathing. The night you killed my mother.The gods protected me that night, he said. And they showed me the way . . . to become one of them.The water gurgling into the box behind Langdons head felt warm . . . body temperature. The fluid was already several(prenominal) inches deep and had completely swallowed the back of his naked body. As it began creeping up his rib cage, Langdon felt a stark reality closing in fast.Im going to die.With renewed panic, he raised his arms and began pounding wil dly again.CHAPTER 101Youve got to let him out Katherine begged, crying now. Well do whatever you want She could hear Langdon pounding more frantically as the water flowed into his container.The tattooed man just smiled. Youre easier than your brother. The things I had to do to get Peter to tell me his cryptics . . .Where is he? she demanded. Where is Peter? Tell me We did exactly what you wanted We solved the pyramid andNo, you did not solve the pyramid. You played a game. You withheld information and brought a government agent to my home. Hardly behavior I intend to reward.We didnt have a choice, she replied, choking back the tears. The CIA is looking for you. They made us travel with an agent. Ill tell you everything. except let Robert out Katherine could hear Langdon shouting and pounding in the crate, and she could see the water flowing through the pipe. She knew he didnt have a lot of time.In front of her, the tattooed man spoke calmly, stroking his chin. I expunge there are agents waiting for me at Franklin Square?Katherine said nothing, and the man placed his massive palms on her shoulders, slowly pulling her forward. With her arms still wire-bound be hind the chair back, her shoulders strained, burning with pain, threatening to dislocate.Yes Katherine said. There are agents at Franklin SquareHe pulled harder. What is the address on the capstone?The pain in her wrists and shoulders grew unbearable, but Katherine said nothing.You can tell me now, Katherine, or Ill turn tail your arms and ask you again.Eight she gasped in pain. The missing number is eight The capstone says The secret hides within The OrderEight Franklin Square I swear it. I dont know what else to tell you Its Eight Franklin SquareThe man still did not release her shoulders.Thats all I know Katherine said. Thats the address Let go of me Let Robert out of that tankI would . . . the man said, but theres one problem. I cant go to Eight Franklin Square without being caught. Tell me, whats at that address?I dont knowAnd the symbols on the base of the pyramid? On the underside? Do you know their meaning?What symbols on the base? Katherine had no idea what he was talking about. The bottom has no symbols. Its smooth, blank stoneApparently immune to the muffled cries for help emanating from the coffinlike crate, the tattooed man calmly padded over to Langdons day-bag and retrieved the stone pyramid. Then he returned to Katherine and held it up before her eyes so she could see the base.When Katherine saw the engraved symbols, she gasped in bewilderment.But . . . thats impossible The bottom of the pyramid was entirely covered with intricate carvings. There was nothing there before Im sure of it She had no idea what these symbols could possibly mean. They seemed to span every mystical tradition, including many she could not even place.Total chaos.I . . . have no idea what this means, she said.Nor do I, her captor said. Fortunately, we have a specialist at our disposal. He gl anced at the crate. Lets ask him, shall we? He carried the pyramid toward the crate.For a brief instant of hope, Katherine thought he was going to unclasp the lid. Instead, he sat calmly on top of the box, reached down, and slid a small panel to one side, revealing a plexiglass window in the top of the tank.LightLangdon covered his eyes, squinting into the light beam of light that now streamed in from above. As his eyes adjusted, hope turned to confusion. He was looking up through what appeared to be a window in the top of his crate. Through the window, he saw a uncontaminating ceiling and a fluorescent light.Without warning, the tattooed face appeared above him, peering down. Where is Katherine? Langdon shouted. Let me outThe man smiled. Your friend Katherine is here with me, the man said. I have the cater to spare her life. Your life as well. But your time is short, so I suggest you listen carefully.Langdon could barely hear him through the glass, and the water had go higher, creeping across his chest.Are you aware, the man asked, that there are symbols on the base of the pyramid?Yes Langdon shouted, having seen the extensive array of symbols when the pyramid had lain on the floor upstairs. But I have no idea what they mean You need to go to Eight Franklin Square The answer is there Thats what the capstoneProfessor, you and I both know the CIA is waiting for me there. I have no mark of walking into a trap. Besides, I didnt need the street number. There is only one building on that square that could possibly be germane(predicate)the Almas Shrine Temple. He paused, staring down at Langdon. The Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.Langdon was confused. He was familiar with the Almas Temple, but he had forgotten it was on Franklin Square. The Shriners are . . . The Order? Their temple sits atop a secret staircase? It made no historical sense whatsoever, but Langdon was in no position at the moment to debate history. Yes he shouted. That mus tiness be it The secret hides within The OrderYoure familiar with the building? suddenly Langdon raised his throbbing head to keep his ears above the quickly rising liquid. I can help you Let me outSo you deliberate you can tell me what this temple has to do with the symbols on the base of the pyramid?Yes Let me just look at the symbolsVery well, then. Lets see what you come up with.Hurry With the warm liquid rising around him, Langdon pushed up on the lid, willing the man to unclasp it. Please Hurry But the lid never opened. Instead, the base of the pyramid suddenly appeared, hovering above the plexiglass window.Langdon stared up in panic.I trust this view is close large for you?The man held the pyramid in his tattooed hands. Think fast, Professor. Im guessing you have less than sixty seconds.