by Nick Thacker
The rest of the group followed, Corinne taking care to stay close to Jensen so as not to activate the strange — and painful — effects of the crystal they’d experienced back at Vilocorp.
But Jensen wasn’t thinking about the crystal’s side effects as he crawled headfirst into the tunnel. He was thinking about something else.
Vilocek was wrong about the marking on the stone.
The glyph on the keystone was not Egyptian hieroglyphics. In fact, it was not Egyptian at all — nor was it part of any script Jensen had ever studied. He had a vague thought that he’d seen it somewhere before; it reminded him of an extremely ancient written language that very few people, including himself, knew much about.
He crawled along in rapt silence, struggling to remember why that symbol seemed so familiar.
CHAPTER 21
8:35 PM - GIZA, EGYPT
The entrance corridor didn’t seem to match the scale of the pyramid itself. The tiny passage was no more than three feet high and about three and a half feet wide, sloped downward at an angle of 26 degrees into the depths of the earth. The musky, ancient air seemed to hang in place, compressed by the extreme weight of the massive blocks of hand-carved limestone above. Thousands of years of silence, solitude, and secrecy seemed to fill the pyramid’s interior passageways and sanctums.
Bryce and his team cautiously entered the tomb. With Bryce in the lead and Wayne Thompson bringing up the rear, they crept, doubled over or duck-walking, down the shaft. The passageway was lit dimly by fluorescent fixtures at irregular intervals, spaced every ten or so feet above their heads, and all of the men wore headlamps. Still, the passage seemed oppressive and dim; the feeble headlamp beams only extended a few feet ahead, swinging erratically back and forth.
They descended about 90 feet until they came to a small hole in the ceiling of the passage. It was the entrance to the Ascending Passage, which led to the Grand Gallery and the Queen’s and King’s Chambers. Holding up a hand, Bryce peered upward into the Ascending Passage, checking for movement. They had no idea where Vilocek and his men were. Bryce doubted they’d gone up the Ascending Passage, but needed to be sure. He switched off his light, motioning for the others to do the same. His eyes slowly adjusted to the increased darkness.
As he gazed up the Ascending Passage, straining to see, Jeff whispered over Bryce’s shoulder. “Hold up here, Captain. I think I hear something down below.”
They all tensed, silently waiting and listening. From somewhere far below, they could hear voices, though they couldn’t discern what was being said.
Bryce silently waved his hand forward and moved off down the passage, his rifle in a low ready position.
The men all carried M4 Carbine Assault Rifles, fitted with SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar Modification) kits, which allowed them to modify their load-out on-the-fly, depending on the mission. In this case, since Bryce wasn’t sure of what sort of situation they’d be in, he’d outfitted the men with 4X zoom day scopes and mini night-vision sight attachments, suppressors, and sidearms. Wayne was the team sniper, so he’d been given a high-magnification scope, while his brother Jeff got a bottom-loading M203 9-inch grenade launcher. Bryce had given Cole Reed his own assault rifle and kept the modified assault rifle left by Vilocek’s men — the same rifle that had immobilized the Egyptian guards outside the pyramid.
Huddled together in a line, they continued their descent. After a solid fifteen minutes, the passage leveled off and continued for another 30 feet. Bryce knew from Whittenfield’s briefing that they’d reached the bottom of the Descending Passage, and were now entering the Lower Room, about 345 feet down the Descending Passage.
They halted at the opening as Bryce peered cautiously into the chamber. Immediately, he knew something was wrong.
“What’s up, boss?” Jeff asked in a whisper.
“There’s no one here,” Bryce replied, taking a few more steps into the Lower Room. “It’s empty.”
“Maybe they went back up another way.“ Bartlinski offered.
“No, Whittenfield said specifically that there’s only one known entrance or exit to the Lower Chamber, and this is it. Besides that, there are only two entrances to the entire pyramid, both off the passage we just came through. The original built by the Egyptians, and one created by excavations years later. If they came down here, we’d be looking at them.”
“Unless,” Wayne said, thinking aloud, “there’s another exit from this chamber. An unknown exit…”
Bryce looked at him, considering the possibility. Surely any passageways or tunnels large enough for a man to crawl through had long been discovered, excavated, and mapped — after all, this was one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one still in existence. The pyramids were more heavily visited, studied and excavated than almost any archaeological site in the world. How could all that attention over the years have missed a back door?
As Bryce considered what to do next, Cole walked toward the right wall, wanting a closer look at some scratches or markings there. He reached forward to rub some of the dust off the stone, and abruptly jumped back.
“Hey, check this out!“ he said, no longer whispering.
His hand was inches from the wall, but he held it in place as he glanced back to the group. “I think there’s something written here — hieroglyphics or something.”
The others gathered around. On the stone surface, bluish lines curled and zigzagged in seemingly random patterns, only visible as Cole’s hand drew near. They were symbols, individual pictograms, shapes that twirled around each other from left to right. Cole moved his hand sideways along the wall, revealing more pictograms as he went, the symbols vanishing again as his hand moved past. Bryce leaned in, shining his headlamp on the wall where Cole’s hand had passed. He ran his finger carefully over the spot. There was no etching, chiseling, or break in the stone whatsoever, and without Cole’s hand close to the surface, the blue script was completely invisible.
“I don’t think they’re hieroglyphics,” Wayne said. “These are more curved; rounded. Plus, I’ve seen ancient Egyptian writing in museums, and this isn’t it at all. It’s some kind of script, for sure though. See, there’s sections of the text that repeat, using the same symbols but in different orders:”
“What is it, then?” Gary McGowan asked, speaking for the first time since they’d entered the pyramid.
“No idea,” Bryce said, “but let’s get some pictures for Whittenfield so he can analyze them. I don’t know that they’ll be visible in this light, or even if there’s enough of a signal from down here under all this rock, but it’s worth a shot.” He aimed his shoulder-mounted camera at the wall, following Cole’s hand as he passed it over the wall, revealing more of the blue writing at each section.
Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from the passageway behind them. Bryce ran to the entrance, peering around the edge with his gun at the ready.
“Egyptian military,” Bryce said. He felt trapped between two opposing forces, one of which surely wanted them dead, and another that certainly wasn’t excited to see them. He needed a plan, and quick, but the Egyptian team was closing fast, and his team was in a corner.
“Bryce! Over here!” Cole frantically called from the corner of the room, next to the hole that was the Descending Passage’s exit. He’d reached the end of the line of ancient symbols, moving all along the wall left to right, and now he stood wide-eyed and impatient. “I may have found another way out!”
Cole raised his hands up above his head, revealing a thin blue line on the wall. He moved his hands apart and down, and the line continued, outlining a man-sized stone set in the wall. Where the line highlighted the stone’s edge, a hairline gap was barely visible.
Cole brought his hands in toward his chest, and immediately in front of him there appeared another symbol. They’d seen it repeated in the line of text along the wall; some sort of man-like creature emerging from the sea, arms outstretched:
CHAPTER 22
They didn’t know what it was, and they didn’t care. Cole placed his open palm on the stone, covering the symbol. Almost immediately, a low grinding noise emanated from the cracks around the block, and it slowly receded into the wall, going about two and a half feet before stopping. In its place was a large rectangular hole in the floor — a hidden opening to some unknown shaft. The rush of air that escaped the pitch-black hole smelled of earthy antiquity — similar to the “breathing” effect in caverns and cave systems.
Bryce made a snap decision.
“Everybody in. I’ll take my chances with the dark scary hole. At the very least, we can assume there’s no guns down there.”
Cole led the way. If this was in fact a secret passageway built by the same people who’d left the invisible script, Bryce knew Cole was the only one who could guide them through it. Most likely no one but the original builders had ever traversed this passage, and it was completely unknown to the many archeologists, geologists, and lucky tourists who’d been this far inside the Great Pyramid.
The hole was about three feet deep, and Cole’s torso stuck out the top when he stepped inside. He crouched and knelt down, looking around to find an opening. At the back of the hole, he could sense an opening before him in the darkness. He shuffled forward on his hands and knees and realized that his head was no longer underneath the entrance block. He carefully stood, and with outstretched hands found the ceiling of the new passageway about five feet above the ground. They would need to stoop over a bit, but they’d be able to walk upright nonetheless.
Bryce followed after Cole. His headlamp was still switched off, but as he stood up next to Cole, he realized he wouldn’t need it anyway.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Cole asked. Bryce looked around, blinking in awe.
The entire space was filled with bluish light — the walls, floor and ceiling sparkling in a polished sheen. More pictograms in the same strange style covered the passageway. Bryce and Cole could only see a few paces ahead, but the tunnel appeared to curve downward — completely unlike the rest of the pyramid’s passageways, which were straight and angular. Cole took a few steps forward and the glow seemed to follow him — lighting the way a few steps in front and behind him.
“Hot damn, this is pretty cool,” Jeff muttered as he stepped into the tunnel. As the rest of the group entered in single file behind him, the giant entrance block suddenly slid back into place. There was no visible mechanism, yet the two-ton piece of stone moved as easily as if it were on a well-oiled track.
“You think it’s on a timer?” Wayne wondered aloud.
Gary voiced the concern they were all feeling. “I hope there’s another way out… it looks like this was a one-way door.”
As the slab settled back into place, its edges were as flush with the adjacent stones as if it had never moved. No visible gaps, no thin blue line, and no cryptic symbol marking the stone’s location. It was just another massive block in a very solid, impenetrable wall.
CHAPTER 23
8:40 PM - GIZA, EGYPT
Madu sniffed the air. He wasn’t sure if there would be any noticeable difference between the fork in the path, but his sixth sense about things like this usually didn’t fail him. Raising one hand to halt his men, he looked up at the Ascending Passageway and then down again. He decided the men he was after had gone downward, and shouted a curse after them.
The massacre they’d stumbled upon outside the pyramid was beyond mention. The poor souls had been remorselessly slaughtered. Some of them had been esteemed security officers, with ranks and awards that demanded respect. Jabari had worked with some of their fathers on occasion — he only hoped he would not have to deliver the news of their sons’ deaths.
If not for his friend, Vilocek, the killers may have escaped unnoticed. But Vilocek had called him again, frantic, stumbling over his words.
“The — the men — we’ve taken casualties — Madu, send in a force! We’ve been ambushed!”
Madu told him to slow down, to repeat what he’d said.
“Send reinforcements! The security force is taking heavy losses, and I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get out of here — we’re inside the Pyramid of Khufu, descending toward toward the Lower Chamber — hurry!”
“Tanning — who ambushed you? What other force is there?”
“I think we’ve been followed by one of my competitors. He’s been shadowing us ever since we left the States. I never thought he’d — “ his voice trailed off; for a moment Madu thought he’d lost the signal. Then Vilocek continued, his voice hushed. “I never thought he’d come in force. And now — Madu, I’m so sorry…”
“No, my friend,” Madu reassured him. “You have done nothing wrong — retreat to a safe place inside the pyramid, and stay down. I can have a force there within the hour.” Madu was already planning the mission, his years of combat training and teaching wartime strategy instantly putting his mind in motion.
“Madu — “ Vilocek went on, “I don’t know who this man has hired, but you’re going to need the best men you can find; and as many as you can find.”
“I understand. Give me an hour, and I give you my word I will be there.” Jabari hung up the phone, and immediately dialed another number. Within fifteen minutes he’d assembled a force of forty special forces troops. A few more calls and he’d secured transport vehicles and weapons. As promised, Jabari was headed out toward the pyramids within the hour, determined to rescue his friend from the forces who’d desecrated the sacred site and violated his country’s territory.
Now, descending into the pyramid, he could taste revenge in his mouth — the distinct combination of anger, pride, and humiliation that had driven him to overcome and decimate his enemies since he was a young man. He was a proud leader, and he knew that these forty men were perfectly suited for this situation. They were all professionals who would follow his commands without question or hesitation. Jabari felt a rush of adrenaline in anticipation of the coming fight.
He had left half the men to stand guard outside, establishing a perimeter around the base of the giant structure. Even though there was only one entrance, he didn’t want to take any chances. He’d split his remaining men again — ten with him, and ten spread out throughout the passages inside. If anyone so much as heard a squeak — from inside the pyramid or otherwise — he was to be alerted immediately. He’d also given a kill-on-sight order for any unauthorized personnel inside. Madu was certain that anyone — friend or foe — who dared enter or exit the pyramid would have to answer to him and his men.
Jabari continued down the Descending Passage. Behind him, his men moved like robotic clones, mutely following their leader downward. They made no pretense of stealth, their weapons and gear clanging and rattling around, and their boots and helmets scraping and banging the rock as they went.
Madu stepped into the small antechamber leading into the Lower Room. Seeing no trace of any people, he started to second-guess his decision to come this way. If there was anyone down here, he thought, we would see or hear them by now. Maybe his instincts had failed him, and the enemy was already returning down the Ascending Passage behind him.
As his men came in behind him, Madu quickly scanned the entire room.
Nothing.
He walked in a circle around the room, checking every wall. Then, he turned and looked toward the “well” in the center, the shallow shaft filled with thousands of years of debris and dust. He had seen it countless times, on trips here as a child, and a few times as an adult. Nothing out of the ordinary. The rounded shaft carved vertically into the rock, the smooth walls without hand or footholds. About eight feet down, the dim light couldn’t penetrate any further, and the well became a seemingly bottomless pit. Madu knew better though — the well was barely deeper than the eight feet he could see. He did not need to shine a light into the shaft to know that it was empty. Taking a quick glance to ensure no one was hiding there, he eliminated the well as a possibi
lity.
Madu had two immediate objectives: extract Vilocek and his men safely, and second, overwhelm the intruders, drag them outside the pyramid, and kill them as they had killed the guards — slowly and painfully.
He looked forward to it. As a politician, he knew exactly how to dodge the media outcry denouncing his vengeance, and he also knew how to use the guards’ deaths to fan certain political flames that interested him. Even now, his men outside would already be taking pictures and preparing stories that he would later feed to the press. He grinned slightly as he thought of how well his “rescue” here would further his career.
His sergeant suddenly interrupted his thoughts with a shout.
“Commander! The men have found something in the pit!”
How could that be? He had just looked in the shaft and knew it to be empty.
Madu moved over to the well and looked in.
He expected it to be, as it always had been, filled almost to the top with random rocks and debris.
But not this time.
The well was empty.
Instead of the usual solid floor of debris eight or nine feet down, the perfectly formed circular rock sides continued straight down for at least a hundred feet. Even combined, the beams from his team’s lights weren’t powerful enough to light the well to the unknown depths at its real bottom — now somewhere far below where they stood.
“Impossible…“ Madu couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but there was no denying that the well, which had for millennia been completely filled in — was now empty. One of the men snapped a glow stick and threw it in; its green luminescence easily visible against the stark black shaft. The stick fell a long time before it simply disappeared from their view without a sound.
