Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012)

by Diego Rodriguez

  It was his fault she had been kidnapped but he tried not to think about it. They didn’t intend to hurt her, at least until they had possession of the fragments, because Lily was the only safe-conduct they could use to get to him.

  “This is the pilot of SR-91. Do you read me?” Nobody replied. “This is SR-91 Aurora. We are currently at the coordinates 51 10′ 44″N 1 49′ 34″W. Do you read me?”

  Eventually somebody spoke. “We’ve been waiting for you, SR-91. We’ve diverted all the traffic on land, all the roads are clear for you.”

  The plane suddenly slowed down and turned in the air. It felt as if it was getting ready to touch down but that was simply impossible as there was no landing strip in a thirty mile radius. The pilot activated the professor’s headphones so that he could also listen to the conversation and, judging by his words, he seemed to be talking to somebody who was waiting for them on the ground.

  “What about air traffic?”

  “There isn’t any. We’ve closed off all the airspace within a fifty mile radius.” Over the plane’s communication system, James heard a voice broken up by static but yet very sure of itself. “You are free to land.”

  “What?! That’s impossible! There isn’t enough space!” cried James just as the pilot cut off the communication.

  He had heard part of the conversation that the officer in chief had had with his link on the ground and he trembled in his seat just thinking about what he was going to do. He would have preferred not to have heard anything. He gingerly pulled himself up to the window and saw that below his feet was the most famous monument in the United Kingdom - Stonehenge.

  He had visited the megalithic monument several years previously, and it seemed to be exactly the same except for the car park five hundred feet away and which was being expanded by using the adjacent land as overspill. Something attracted the professor’s attention. The car park was completely empty, which was truly strange because it was an extremely popular monument.

  The pilot seemed to read his thoughts and spoke to him via the internal communication channel. “We’ve restricted access to the area for a twelve-mile radius. See that highway between the car park and the stone circle?” James shot him an angry look. He though it was an abomination to call the most famous megalithic monument in the world a mere “stone circle”. “Fasten your seatbelt. We’re going to land on it!”

  “You’re crazy! You’re going to get us killed!”

  “Calm down. This aircraft needs just under a mile to land safely and that highway is over a mile wide.”

  “But it’s so narrow!

  “Twenty-six feet, more than enough for the landing gear to come down. Nothing will happen if the wings go over the width of the highway.”

  James chewed over the possibility of some traffic light fixed to the sidewalk. It could rip one of the wings in two! But it was too late, the pilot was descending slowly and the landing gear was already starting to unfold.

  God help us!

  In spite of the high speed at which they were approaching the ground, the touch down was smooth and precise. When the brakes were applied, James’ head jerked forward and he couldn’t help but tense his muscles to try and stop it from being torn from his body.

  Now I know why all pilots have necks as strong as an ox.

  They covered the first eight hundred yards in a matter of seconds. It even felt like the narrow highway-turned-landing strip wasn’t going to be sufficient and that they would end up in one of the adjacent fields at any minute, engulfed in a ball of flames. After passing the monument, the plane eventually stopped three hundred yards away.

  James stepped out of the plane without any problems.

  There were only four people on the site, two scientists and two archaeologists. They had several all-terrain vehicles which they had had the audacity to park inside the structure itself, something which was completely prohibited and most likely resulted in a prison sentence.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Oldrich,” said one of the archaeologists when he was near enough, extending his hand in a polite gesture. “Welcome to Stonehenge.”

  The professor shook his hand as he surveyed the gigantic and enigmatic arrangement of stones which lay less than five yards in front of him. As he full well knew, Stonehenge was a megalithic monument, or a cromlech; in other words, a series of stones or menhirs rooted in the ground in the shape of a circle or ellipsis. Located in Great Britain, the oldest part dates back to 3100 BC and it is thought that the site was semi-abandoned 1500 years later.

  “Have you found anything?” asked James in more of a hurry than usual. He was still thinking about his daughter.

  The archaeologist nodded and smiled. It was if he had spent the last few hours fervently hoping and wishing he would ask that question. “Of course! But before I tell you anything, let me explain some of the basic notions surrounding Stonehenge so that you can better understand the symbolism we have found.”

  James thought he knew virtually everything there was to know about the site but he decided it would be a good idea to listen to the theories of an archaeologist who was an expert in the matter.

  “Most people are unaware that it was constructed in three stages, with the last one being divided into various sub-phases. The first stage corresponds to the mid-Neolithic period, or 2950 to 2900 BC, when the circular embankment was built along with a trench of one hundred yards in diameter. Fifty-six pits were excavated inside it, and they are known as ‘Aubrey holes’. In the second stage, from 2900 to 2400 BC, wooden posts were placed in these holes and the ditches began to fill up with silt and animal bones. The third and final stage, from 2550 to 1600 BC, was divided into various sub-stages. There are thought to have been six in total, where they gradually created the four concentric stone circles which are visible today.”

  James was enthralled. It had been a good idea to let him speak after all.

  “The outer circumference measures around thirty yards in diameter. It comprises thirty vertical sarsen stones of around thirteen feet in height, upon which rest thirty lintels, each around ten feet wide and weighing twelve tons. The space between the vertical stones is usually somewhere between three and five feet.”

  “Are you talking about the outer circle or the stones in the shape of a horseshoe?”

  “No, no, I’m talking about the outer circle, of which only seventeen vertical stones are left standing today.” James didn’t have to count the blocks; the archaeologist’s explanations were accurate. “The five sarsen trilithons were the next step. As you well know, trilithons are nothing but two vertical stones which between them support the weight of a third horizontal stone. There are fifteen stones in total, with each one weighing between forty and fifty tons. They were carried over eighteen miles from the Marlborough Downs. Four of them are twenty feet in height, while the central one opposite the altar measures over twenty-six feet.”

  James turned to look at the three which were still standing. With no effort at all, three pairs of gigantic vertical stones had supported the weight of another three horizontal stones for thousands of years.

  “The two bluestone circles were created later. They are called ‘bluestones’ because they take on that tone when they come into contact with rainwater. One is inside the horseshoe, with each stone weighing six tons, and the other is between the horseshoe and the sarsen circle, and each of those blocks comes in at three tons.”

  “And then the site was finished?”

  “Not exactly,” he replied. “They also added two circular holes, placed the four calendar stones, made the approach route and laid the Slaughter and Altar Stones.”

  “Were they all put into place in the later sub-phases?”

  “Exactly! It was a laborious task.”

  James frowned. “A laborious task which we still puzzle over to this day.”

  A deafening sound suddenly came from one of the sides. The two scientists were unloading a machine from the trunk of the four-wheel drive which they then dragged to
the center of the structure.

  “There are several theories. Some think that it was a cremation site for important figures, whereas others are convinced that it was used as a sacred place to carry out magical healing rituals.”

  “Some believe it could be an astronomical observatory which served to forecast the seasons. From what I understand, the structure is facing such a way that it indicates the solstices and equinoxes exactly. It is also true that many investigators think that the fifty-six holes mark the weeks in the lunar cycle or the points where the Sun is blocked out by other bodies, resulting in eclipses,” added James.

  The archaeologist was surprised at his guest’s knowledge and for a moment he felt stupid when he thought about the sermon to which he had subjected him earlier; it had been a little uncalled for given that he probably knew everything already. “That’s right. The temple to the sun is another of the many theories that exist. Ancient civilizations obviously placed a huge amount of importance on the influence of the sun on crops. It is not crazy to buy into the idea that the sun could have held a spiritual meaning for them.”

  Another noise, this time much quieter than the previous one, interrupted their exchange of ideas. The scientists had activated the machine that they had earlier unloaded from inside the all-terrain vehicle and a beam of light appeared on the barrel of the device. It looked like a futuristic weapon of mass destruction about to shoot a death ray.

  “Let’s go! The scientists are going to start the extraction.”

  James raised an eyebrow. “What? Extraction?”

  “Yes, we’ve located the energy source and we are proceeding to extract it.”

  “But… where is it?”

  The archaeologist smiled and said nothing for a few seconds. “It’s best that you see for yourself, otherwise you’re not going to believe it.”

  Chapter 77

  From the woods situated to the right of the A303 highway towards Stonehenge and at little more than a thousand yards away, five men and a woman were carefully watching all movement within the site through their powerful long-range binoculars. They were spread out throughout the forest and hidden by the dense vegetation.

  The woman was wearing camouflage military gear, steel-capped boots and a bulletproof vest. She seemed to be the head of an armed group who acted upon her orders with military obedience.

  They had arrived at the site two hours before the Americans and had hidden in the woods, cordoning off the compound for a thirty-mile radius and forcing all the tourists to leave the area cursing under their breath.

  The girl took a moment to tie her hair back so as to avoid it falling into her eyes. She took out her phone and dialed a number which she knew by heart. After three rings, there was silence. “Dad, they’ve already found it and they’re going to take it out.”

  “Where is the assault group?” he asked, terrified.

  “They are prepared and ready for action. When they have the source in their possession, our five snipers will kill them before they can raise the alarm. It will take us seven minutes to snatch it from them and get to safety.”

  “The mission must be postponed!”

  “What?! Jesus Christ!”

  “Alpha 2 hasn’t answered my calls. It’s been over four hours and he’s showing no signs of life, plus the first half of the source is currently being transported to Area 51 from the AUTEC base. It has clearly been a failure.”

  “Is Richard still alive?” she asked in disgust.

  “Yes, but don’t worry Mary. Call off the mission and let them escape with the second fragment.”

  The woman punched the ground in rage but she hardly felt any pain. She was absolutely furious. “We can make do with one of the halves!”

  “That’s impossible! It would just prove that we are waiting for them and that we are involved in the organization. Go back to the control center, I have a plan. James Oldrich will hand it over to us on a plate.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  Just then, one of the snipers was pointing his telescopic weapon at James’ head and he had his finger on the trigger, waiting for orders which, unfortunately, would never come.

  “We’re aborting the mission!” announced the woman via her intercom. “That’s an order. Nobody shoot. We’re going home.”

  Chapter 78

  “But what are they doing?! That’s the Altar Stone!”

  James looked on in astonishment as the two scientists brought the laser nearer to the stone which was over twenty-six feet long, three feet wide and twenty inches thick and was in the center of the site.

  “Please, remain calm. We’ve checked all our calculations and the source won’t come to any harm.”

  “What?! The source is inside?! Fuck!” James had become extremely nervous and was pacing back and forth. “You can’t break it - it’s part of a historic landmark.”

  One of the scientists, who had up until then remained quiet, smiled at James. “I completely agree, but inside is something which can generate energy and has unimaginable value. To hell with the stone!”

  “But…”

  It was too late. A beam of light cut through the air and hit one side of the stone, slicing through the rock as if it were made of butter.

  “Shit! I didn’t know that there was a machine which could cut stone so easily.”

  “It’s one of our latest inventions,” remarked the other scientist. “We’ve succeeded in creating a laser capable of cutting through any material, even diamond, with astonishing ease.”

  James wondered which company those two worked for, but he didn’t have to wait too long for the answer to his query.

  “Do you remember Charly Humphrey’s face when he found out about our latest research? It took him less than two days to find a new use for it in one of his supersonic airplanes.”

  Area 51, thought James.

  The laser cut through the stone at a constant speed of fifteen inches per second and went from one side to the other, slicing it through the middle. It had already cut through five feet when James sharply interrupted them.

  “But… if that laser is as powerful as you say, aren’t you worried that it could destroy the source? We don’t know how it works. It might even explode.”

  Neither of the scientists answered his question, so it was left to the archaeologist. “The device is equipped with the latest software based on the use of hugely complex algorithms. It first performs a millimetric scan of the stone, and records the composition and hardness of each section of the block. That way it knows the appropriate strength the laser has to apply in order to cut it. When it reaches the middle section where the source is located, the outflow will reduce in power until it is just enough not to cause damage. Watch!”

  The laser had already dissected seven feet of stone when the beam of light decreased in intensity and became a thin red thread. It continued on for another twenty inches before reverting back to its initial power. It passed through the last seven feet in less than two minutes. The machine then stopped automatically.

  “Why hasn’t the stone broken in two?”

  “According to our scanner, there is a twenty-inch section remaining between where the laser has cut and the other end of the stone. We can assume that it is the size of the object inside,” said the scientist with curly black hair. “Anyway, it must be on the verge of breaking by now. Quick, stand on either side!”

  James and the archaeologist instantly ran to the left side while the two scientists did the same on the right. The sound of a crack was more than enough to tell them that the stone was on the point of giving way. James pleaded to god that nobody had seen him commit such an atrocity in such a significant and well-known place. It went completely against his principles.

  “It’s happening! It’s happening!”

  The stone split into two parts, revealing what was inside. They were all amazed to discover a kind of elongated crystal of around twenty inches in length and with its three faces joined so as to form a triangular prism. One o
f them featured a series of symbols which had been carved into the stone itself, not in relief. James was unable to recognize them, but this was undoubtedly the object they had been looking for.

  “But how did they manage to get it inside the stone?”

  The scientists were gathering together their equipment and hadn’t heard the professor, so it was again the archaeologist who replied. “How do you think the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid at Giza?”

  James hesitated before giving a convincing response and tried to remember what Mary had told him when they had been in Egypt. “I think they took the stones from the quarry at Assuan and transported them to the plain at Giza. They then went about placing - “

  “Yes, of course! Do you really believe that the architect of the Great Pyramid managed to gather together a team of laborers who were able to select the stone in the quarry, cut the block, smooth it, carry it hundreds of miles, raise them dozens of feet and place them with such precision… all at the pace of a block every two or three minutes with no breaks?!”

  It does sound a bit far-fetched when you put it like that, thought James. “What do you suggest?”

  “Over the last few years, it has been thought that the explanations given by archaeologists about the construction of the pyramids are not true. Although some of them have been hushed up by more conservative Egyptologists, recent studies claim that those who built the Great Pyramid were not stonemasons, but alchemists.”

  “Alchemists?”

  “Yes. More than enough evidence has been found and studies carried out to show that the ancient Egyptians could soften the stones in order to mold them or cut them to size by first heating them up. They could even make their own with a mixture of different compounds.”

  “That’s impossible!”

  “It’s not as far-fetched as it seems. A series of hieroglyphics were found on an islet surrounded by the Nile. They were deciphered in 1935 and found to have named twenty-nine components and the method for creating artificial stone. There is a fresco in the tomb of Rekhmire which shows several workers carrying sacks of a substance which they then put into molds until it sets and forms blocks. Given how easy it would be to take the components up to the top of the Great Pyramid in sacks and then make the stones up there, it is thought that it could be an indication of the method used to build it. Meanwhile, twenty samples of blocks from the Great Pyramid have recently been analyzed and it was discovered that no two are of the same consistency; even the same stone could have a different in composition between the upper and lower parts. How could that be possible if the stones came from the same place? Plus the blocks had a higher absorption rating than is found in natural stone. Another interesting finding is that they discovered remains of hair, nails and human textile fibers inside the blocks, something that would be completely impossible unless they were manmade and the detritus fell inside during the process.”