The Bone Labyrinth

by James Rollins

  “But you’re talking about seeking ways to permanently alter the human genome. Who knows what detrimental effects that could have in the long run?”

  Jiaying sighed. “You’re not thinking rationally. Human activity has already been altering our genome. Smoking tobacco causes mutations in human sperm. Older men who father children have a higher likelihood of passing on similar mutations. The only difference is that those mutations are random. Why not take control of such damaging consequences to our genome?”

  “That’s the key word. Control. What you’re talking about is a slippery road toward eugenics, where human life will be engineered, where babies will be designed, and where the weak will be weeded out or reduced to a second-class level of humanity. No good can come from it.”

  “No good? We could erase inheritable diseases, cure cancers, prolong life, and yes, we could even improve on nature. Since when is nature infallible? Why is it so horrible to imagine humanity taking the reins of its own evolutionary future? Even your own country has not officially banned the investigation of such pursuits.”

  Maria knew that all too well. Her own research could be construed as a step in that direction. What was the ethical difference between creating Baako in a lab and doing the same with a human life?

  Into the silence that followed, Dayne Arnaud spoke up. “But, Major General Lau, you discovered something that set you on this path. Something significant enough to risk building this complex in secret. May I ask what it was?”

  “Thank you, Dr. Arnaud, for reminding me. That was why I brought you both down here.” She walked toward the wall opposite the exit. “Are you familiar with Mount Kailash in southern Tibet?”

  “Non,” he said. “I am not.”

  “It’s a holy mountain in the Himalayas, a site of worship for both the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. It is upon that peak that the god, Lord Shiva, is said to reside in perpetual meditation. Pilgrims have been venturing there for centuries. Then eight years ago, a Tibetan herdsman who was looking for a lost sheep discovered a group of caves upon its slopes and brought a local anthropologist to examine what he found.”

  Maria searched around the room. “And that is where you collected all of this?”

  “Those caves and some others found in neighboring peaks.” Jiaying reached the wall and placed her hand on a nondescript patch. A square glowed to life, revealing a hidden electronic palm reader. “But it was in that first cave, the one discovered by the herdsman, that we found this.”

  From the wall, a secret drawer slowly slid open. It was wide and deep, like a large coffin. Its interior flickered to life, steadying into a soft illumination.

  “The herdsman believed he was taking the anthropologist to the cave of a yeti,” Jiaying explained. “And maybe he was not entirely wrong. Perhaps the bones we found have some bearing on the myths of such a creature roaming the snowy highlands. Or maybe even such caves gave birth to the legends of a slumbering god residing within that mountain. But in the end, the truth was far more exciting and illuminating.”

  Jiaying stepped aside so Maria and Arnaud could examine what was found. Kowalski even shouldered forward to take a look. A gasp immediately rose from the French paleontologist. Maria lifted a hand to her throat, strangling back her own surprise.

  Within the drawer rested the complete skeleton of an anthropoid figure. The conformations of the skull were remarkably similar to modern humans, only with larger brows and a double sagittal crest crowning its cranium. But what truly garnered such shock was the skeleton’s sheer size. The frame stretched over eight feet long, topped by a skull twice as large as a typical human’s.

  It was the bones of a veritable giant.

  Kowalski scoffed, “That can’t be real.”

  “It is,” Arnaud said in a hushed, awed voice. “I’ve seen cranial fragments of this hominin before, but nothing this complete. The older nomenclature classified such remains as Meganthropus, or Large Man.”

  “Well, that pretty much fits this guy,” Kowalski muttered.

  Arnaud continued, “Most paleoanthropologists have now settled on the name Homo erectus palaeojavanicus, believing the hominin to be an offshoot of our older relative. Remains of these particularly large descendants of Homo erectus have been found throughout Southeast Asia.”

  “How much did this specimen weigh when he was alive?” Maria asked.

  Jiaying answered, “From the density of the long bones and the size of the skull, we estimate he weighed somewhere between three hundred and three hundred fifty kilos.”

  Kowalski looked questioningly at her.

  “That’s six to eight hundred pounds,” Maria explained.

  Twice that of a typical gorilla.

  “But from what I can tell,” Arnaud interrupted, glancing toward Jiaying, “there are several uncharacteristic features in this specimen, conformations different from the typical Meganthropus.”

  Jiaying bowed her head in acknowledgment. “You are correct. From our comparative study, we believe this specimen is the result of interbreeding between Meganthropus and early humans. Hence, we’ve given it the name Homo meganthropus. This assessment is further supported by its genome, which we’ve fully mapped.”

  Maria could not hide her shock. “You mean you were able to recover salvageable DNA?”

  “Indeed.”

  Maria looked closer and spotted several small drill holes in the pelvis and tibia. She straightened as a sudden realization dawned on her. She could barely get out any words. Geneticists and anthropologists had already hypothesized that an unknown third hominin contributed DNA to the modern human genome and that it was most likely some unclassified offshoot of Homo erectus, like these remains. Even more significantly, from studies of genetic drift, those same researchers estimated that this unknown tribe lived somewhere in central Eurasia.

  She stared down into the drawer.

  Am I looking at that specimen now? Is this our long-lost relative?

  Arnaud followed that same thread, but from a different angle. “If you’re right about this species interbreeding with early man, what time frame are we talking about? Surely you’ve dated these bones?”

  “We have. They’re approximately thirty thousand years old.”

  Even Kowalski understood the implication. “So you’re saying these giants definitely roamed the world with us.”

  “For a period of time,” Jiaying agreed. “And considering all the yeti sightings throughout the Himalayas, maybe they’re still around. Stories persist in remote villages of yetis stealing women, mating with them, and having offspring. So who knows?”

  The general smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement at such superstitions. But Maria wondered if there couldn’t be a kernel of truth in such stories, some race memory or legends going back to that time period. Even in the Old Testament, giants of two to three meters were stated to be living alongside early man.

  “Did these big guys only live out this way?” Kowalski asked. “In China?”

  “We have no way of knowing for sure,” Jiaying answered.

  “Or maybe we do,” Arnaud said. “A countryman of mine back in 1890, an anthropologist named Georges Vacher de Lapouge, discovered a grouping of Neolithic bones at Castelnau-le-Lez in France. They became known as the Castelnau Giant, because the figure stood three meters tall. The bones were studied at the University of Montpellier by zoologists, paleontologists, and anatomists—all confirming Vacher de Lapouge’s discovery. Similar bones were later discovered in France while workers were excavating a reservoir, with skulls twice the average for a typical man. All of those discoveries dated back to the last glaciations of Europe, around the same age as the bones in this drawer.”

  “So what became of these giants?” Kowalski waved an arm over the sheer length of the skeleton. “Something tells me our puny ancestors didn’t wipe these guys out . . . at least not without help.”

  “We may have simply outsmarted them.” Arnaud leaned over the case, studying the skull more c
losely. “From the cranial capacity of this specimen, this creature wasn’t likely all that intelligent. Probably smart enough to be a tool user, to employ fire, similar to Homo erectus. But not much beyond that.”

  Maria frowned, glancing back at the rest of the room. “Then where did all of these other artifacts come from? The bone and antler tools, not to mention that Venus figurine. Are you saying they’re not the handiwork of this hybrid?”

  “I can’t imagine they are,” Arnaud said, straightening back up.

  “And you would be right,” Jiaying confirmed. “We’ve had half a decade to piece together much about this tribe’s behavior, studying its caves, investigating nearby clans of other people.”

  “Like the Red Deer Cave people,” Arnaud said, looking over at the smaller skull.

  Jiaying nodded. “The advanced tools you find here were produced by that tribe, but we discovered several caches of the same weapons and artifacts in the caves of Mount Kailash. Along with these . . .”

  She touched another panel and a piece of the wall slid up to reveal a shelved alcove behind glass. Halogen lights illuminated a collection of charred and broken pieces of skulls, along with fragments of pelvises and femurs. It was like a peek into a charnel house.

  “Deep within the Meganthropus home caves, we found a crude crematorium. From the ashes, we pulled out these burnt bones of Red Deer Cave people.”

  Maria could not hold back the disgust. “Are you saying these Meganthropus hominins were cannibals?”

  Jiaying faced them. “From our archaeological research, the tribe definitely appeared to be warlike savages. They were certainly preying upon their neighbors, a behavior likely born of an ingrained xenophobia. And while Meganthropus didn’t have the innate ingenuity to manufacture their own tools and weapons, they were not above stealing such items, assimilating them.”

  “But what became of them?” Maria asked.

  “We believe their warring eventually turned inward, leading them to consume themselves. In that same crematorium, we found the burnt skull fragments of other Meganthropus.”

  Maria let out a long breath.

  So they were eating their own.

  Arnaud offered one last insight. “Perhaps such behavior is why we’ve discovered so little evidence of this tribe’s existence. If they cannibalized and burned their dead, it would be harder to leave a lasting mark in the fossil record.”

  “Which is why this rare find is so important,” Jiaying said. “It offers us the chance to reach deep into our common genetic heritage, to extract genes that have been proven to be compatible to modern man, lost sequences of DNA that could benefit humankind.”

  “Benefit?” Maria asked. “How?”

  “From the very existence of Homo meganthropus, we know we could be stronger, larger. It’s only a matter of recovering that ancient potential.”

  “In order to engineer a better soldier,” Maria realized aloud.

  “You are thinking too small. At your own Harvard University, geneticists have isolated ten naturally occurring gene variants that hold the potential to benefit all of mankind. For example, one of them confers greater bone density, making limbs harder and tougher to break. Another variant protects against Alzheimer’s. A third reduces the risk of heart disease.” She pointed to the open drawer. “So why not take full advantage of this genetic resource? Why not tap into that ancient potential for the betterment of all?”

  “Because of that.” Maria nodded to the case of burnt bones. “Raw power—without the intelligence to wield it—is a recipe for disaster.”

  Rather than challenging Jiaying, her comment drew a smile from the woman. “Precisely, Dr. Crandall.”

  Maria blinked a few times, suddenly knowing why she had been brought to this lab, why the bones of that Neanderthal hybrid discovered in Croatia were so important. Her own research dealt with the evolutionary root of intelligence, that unique sequence of genes that uplifted early man from his hominin ancestors.

  She gaped down at that open drawer. Apparently the Chinese had discovered the brawn; now they wanted the brains to go along with it.

  Before she could protest, the door opened behind them. Chang stalked into the room. He ignored everyone else and fixed his gaze upon the major general. He spoke rapidly in Mandarin, plainly excited.

  Whatever he said widened Jiaying’s smile.

  Maria’s heart raced faster.

  Anything that made that cold woman happier could not be good for us.

  After the brief exchange, Jiaying turned to Maria.

  “Dr. Crandall, I have wonderful news. It appears your sister will soon be joining us.”

  14

  April 30, 1:00 P.M. CEST

  Guadagnolo, Italy

  “What do we do next?” Lena asked.

  A few minutes ago, in the silence of the small cave, she had overheard Seichan’s warning over Gray’s phone: We’ve got company. Gray now stood at the base of the steps that led up to Saint Eustace’s chapel. He clutched a black pistol in one hand, guarding the only way out of here. She eyed that dark climb. Even if they reached the chapel above, what could they do? They’d be trapped atop the summit with the enemy waiting below.

  “Did you finish your photos?” Gray asked.

  She lifted her cell phone. “Yes.”

  After Seichan’s call, Lena had taken a flurry of snapshots, capturing Father Kircher’s Eve from as many angles as she could manage in the short time. She tried to record every detail of the skeleton, along with the relics clutched in those bony hands: the moon sculpture and that strange staff. She also took photos of the hollow bronze statue that had hidden those remains for centuries.

  Roland spoke as he retreated from the figure of the Madonna. “I’m done here, too.”

  He held up the leather-bound journal of Athanasius Kircher, showing the gilded labyrinth on the cover. He had slipped it free from the metal sleeve on the inner surface of the hollow statue.

  Roland pointed to the other half. “Lena, were you able to get a good shot of this map?”

  “I did my best, but it’s inscribed rather faintly.”

  “No matter,” he said, herding her away. “I’ve seen something like this before. Let’s go.”

  She sensed that something deeply disturbed the priest, but she had no time to question him. They quickly joined Gray by the stairs.

  “All set,” Roland said, though he stared longingly toward the bronze Madonna. He had taken several measurements. He had also slipped free that stone sculpture of the moon and stored it in a satchel over his shoulder. Still, he looked reluctant to abandon Kircher’s Eve.

  Even with her heart pounding in her throat, Lena appreciated his hesitation. She wished she could have collected those bones, to preserve them for a future genetic assay, but the skeleton had been rearticulated with thick bronze wire—not only bone to bone, but also secured to the framework of the mechanical sculpture. Without wire cutters and time, she had to be satisfied with what she had archived on her phone and with what Roland had gathered. If they survived this, she could always return later.

  “Follow me,” Gray said as he mounted the steps and began to climb. “But keep some distance. Let me check out the situation topside first. Wait for my signal before showing yourselves.”

  They continued single file. Lena breathed heavily, with Roland rasping behind her. Gray ascended more swiftly, not making a sound. He had clicked off his penlight, so the only illumination came from the square of light marking the trapdoor in the floor of the chapel.

  Gray reached the exit well before them. He stopped to inspect the thick marble tile that formed the ramp up to the chapel. Lena huffed to within four steps of his position.

  Gray glanced down to them and pointed to the wall. “I found a lever over here. I think it can be used to manually raise and lower the ramp.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Roland asked.

  Lena could guess, which Gray confirmed with his next words.

  “One of y
ou keep a hand on it. If there’s trouble I can’t deal with, you pull the lever and stay hidden below.”

  “What about you?” Lena asked.

  “I’ll do my best to lead the enemy away. If I can’t make it back, you all wait until after nightfall and sneak out.”

  Limned against the light above, Gray’s face was all shadows. It was impossible to tell how confident the man was about this plan.

  “Roland,” Gray continued, “do you still have that secure telephone number to D.C.?”

  “I do.”

  “If we get separated, use it. Director Crowe will help you both get somewhere safe.”

  Rather than reassuring her, these backup plans only made Lena more anxious.

  Roland’s voice cracked with the same heightened tension. “O-okay.”

  Gray nodded, then twisted around and dashed low up the ramp.

  Lena climbed the last steps and took a position beside the bronze lever sticking out of the wall. She gripped it with both hands, finding a bit of confidence in its solidness. She stared down at Roland, his face awash in the light from above. His eyes shone with fear. Beyond his shoulders was only darkness.

  Her fingers tightened on the lever.

  Please, God, don’t let me have to pull this.

  1:02 P.M.

  Gray slid next to the door of the chapel. He kept out of sight of the steep set of stairs—the Holy Ladder—that led up here from the main church. He touched the throat mike he had taped over his larynx.

  “Seichan?” he whispered. He used a finger to seat the radio earpiece more firmly in place, listening for any response.

  There was none.

  Where are you?

  While waiting for Roland and Lena to finish their work below, he had tried to contact Seichan several times—both on the radio and over the satellite phone. After her initial message, she had gone silent.