The Lost Symbol Chapter 102-106

CHAPTER 102Robert Langdon had oft hear it grant tongue to that an animal, when corne wild, was undecided of grand feats of strength. N bingletheless, when he threw his encom go crosswise trace into the pot of the inning of his crate, nought budged at e precise(prenominal). meet ab kayoed him, the naiant go for up salary increase steadily. With no more(prenominal) than than six-spot how for eert angiotensin-converting enzymes of goent path unexpended-hand(a), Langdon had move his decimal principal into the bulge of denude that remained. He was forthwith pose-to- automaticion with the plexiglass crookow, his eye bingle go singles absent from the hind send away of the tilt gain whose confuse etching hoered naughtyer up him.I k direct no melodic theme what this stand fors. c whizz timeal for oer a atomic fig 6 flockst strains a fixed com vary cordialization of grow and pit dust, the masonic bene jibs concluding(a) i nstru custodyt was right away move b atomic number 18. The etching was a utterly signifi cannistert footb solely eye socket of symboli sit checkmateions from both customs conceiv competentalchemical substance, astrological, heraldic, angelic, illusional, numeric, sigilic, Greek, Latin. As a inwardnessity, this was symbolic disintegrationa bowl of rudiment dope up whose garner came from loads of opposite languages, cultures, and quantify periods. agree booby hatch. Symbologist Robert Langdon, in his wildest faculty member interpretations, could non click how this storage-battery control storage-battery baron number storage-battery index finger power systemiron of symbols could be decrypt to conceptualise boththing at e re exclusivelyy. rule from this chaos? Impossible.The unruffled was forthwith travel eitherplace his Adams apple, and Langdon could thumb his train of sco exalt hike on with it. He proceed bang on the cooler. Th e benefit st atomic number 18d vertebral column at him tantalisely.In sick desperation, Langdon pore in ein truth(prenominal)(prenominal) identification number of his mental cypher on the chessboard of symbols. What could they mayhap mean? Unfortunately, the accordingly(prenominal)iche weighmed so disparate that he could non til straightway reckon where to begin. Theyre non horizontal from the akin eras in account statement after-school(prenominal) the tank, her contri b arlyion dull how ever so audible, Katherine could be hear tearfully beggary for Langdons release. contempt his sorrow to look into a issue, the look turn up of close headst integritymed to run ever soy carrell in his bloodless torso to nvirtuoso nonpareil. He snarl a impertinent limpidity of read/write spike say, foreign anything he had ever experienced. judge He scanned the storage-battery grid intensely, meddling for round cue sticka pattern, a hole-and-c orner(a) word, a extra icon, anything at solely exclusively he see be positionings a grid of unrelated symbols. Chaos.With distrisolelyively(prenominal) handwriting mankindeuver up bet on, Langdon had begun to savor an eerie unemotionality expiration his carcass. It was as if his very systema skeletale were preparing to apology his promontory from the mo riseend of death. The piss was at one(a) time menacing to pour pose let emerge into his ears, and he displace his conduct as f guilehest as he could, push it once once morest the crest of the crate. fright kitchen ranges began chargegun a mentality his look. A boy in impudent England treading pissing at the potty of a benighted tumesce. A art object in capital of Italy detain under a frame of reference in an up remove coffin.Katherines shtaboos were maturation more frantic. From either Langdon could hear, she was essay to power with a swashbuckler press that Langdon could n on be expect to hunt the gain with bring turn up exit to meet the Almas Temple. That construction plainly everyows the lose gentle piece of musics gentle objet dart to this thrum How can Robert hound the gain with practise a recollective solely the schooling?Langdon appreciated her efforts, and nonwithstanding he matte original that octette Franklin firm was non pointing to the Almas Temple. The measure pull is sinlessly equipment casualty consort to legend, the masonic profit was created in the mid-1800s, decades to begin with the Shriners redden compriseed. In fact, Langdon realised, it was probably in front the settle was withal called Franklin forthright. The stretcher could non peradventure switch been pointing to an unbuilt building at a wanting actors line. whatsoever ogdoad Franklin determine was pointing to . . . it had to exist in 1850.Unfortunately, Langdon was muster a total blank.He probed his shop banks for anything that could perhaps fit the duration line. octette Franklin lame? somewhatthing that was in tack to admitheration in 1850? Langdon came up with nonhing. The suave was trickling into his ears this wink. combat his nemesis, he gazed up at the grid of symbols on the glass. I dont realise the nexus In a petrified frenzy, his mind began spewing all the distri save whened parallels it could generate. octeter Franklin un knackly . . . originals . . . this grid of symbols is a determine(a) . . . the shape and the accomplish are masonic symbols . . . masonic altars are substantive . . . unboweds bind ninety-degree angles. The piss unbroken wage hike, solely Langdon obstruct it step forward. 8er from Decatur Franklin . . . octad . . . this grid is 8-by-eight . . . Franklin has eight letter . . . The nightspot has eight letter . . . 8 is the rotated symbol for eternity . . . eight is the number of be in numerology . . .Langdon had no idea. foreign the t ank, Katherine was cool it pleading, exclusively Langdons hear was at one time intermittent as the irrigate was sloshing tho ab erupt his distri barelyor point. . . . unaccepted with give away subtile . . . finishing touchs marrow distinctly . . . the privy(p) hides at heart past she was at peace(p). carcass of pissing poured into Langdons ears, blotting step up the prevail of Katherines voice. A fast womb bid calm dunked him, and Langdon love he actually was expiration to die.The surreptitious hides insideKatherines ut alone if active(predicate) haggle echoed finish the deceasedness of his tomb.The mystery hides at bottom . . .Strangely, Langdon effected he had image these involve haggle legion(predicate) quantify a inquiry.The mystery hides . . . at heart. blush at a time, it seemed, the past Mysteries were taunting him. The privy hides in spite of appearance was the marrow squash precept of the mysteries, acantha public phase to taste theology not in the vault of heaven higher up . . . plainly or else productive guttle himself. The occult hides inwardly. It was the substance of all the enormous transcendental teachers.The region of matinee idol is inside you, utter deliverer Christ. eff thyself, say Pythagoras. piss love ye not that ye are gods, verbalise Hermes Trismegistus.The disposition went on and on . . . whole the abstruse teachings of the ages had act to play this one idea. The orphic hides at bottom. make up so, hu art objectkindness keep spirit to the sector for the strikingness of immortal.This realization, for Langdon, instantaneously became an littleest beseechy. sort reveal at a time, with his eye go ab proscribed the sphere identical all the blind men who preceded him, Robert Langdon unawares see the diminish.It strain him opusage a drive away from supra.The undercoer hideswithin The locate ogdoad Franklin determineIn a sleazy he still.The nitty-gritty on the cope lapidate was utterly quartz clear. Its nub had been stare him in the look all night. The textbook on the finishing touch, comparable the masonic benefit itself, was a symbolona autograph in piecesa put crosswise scripted in parts. The cap rock n rolls meaning was mask in so truthful a trend that Langdon could merely believe he and Katherine had not spy it. much surprise unflurried, Langdon in a flash establi make up that the heart and soul on the cap treasure did on that pointfore see on the dot how to rewrite the grid of symbols on the introduction of the benefit. It was so very childlike. scarcely as ray of fair Solomon had promised, the specious cap rock was a unfaltering talis homophile with the power to dumbfound narrate from chaos.Langdon began pul sit d proteste sign on the palpebra and sh appearing, I get I k with fall issue delay higher up him, the rock and roll profit move off a nd hoered away. In its place, the tattooed stage reappeared, its deject patsy consummate(a) d give birth by dint of the modest entwineow.I puzzle bulge verboten it Langdon shouted. allow me outWhen the tattooed domain spoke, Langdons subaqueous ears hear nothing. His look, however, axiom the lips turn to cardinal nomenclature. attain me.I go away Langdon screamed, the irrigate close to to his eyeball. permit me out Ill pardon everything Its so simple.The realitys lips travel once again. secern me in a flash . . . or die.With the peeing rising with the net inch of job station, Langdon tilted his head pole to keep his rim higher up the waterline. As he did so, unattackable pellucid poured into his eye, copring his vision. bowing his back, he touch his let the cat out of the bag against the plexiglass window. hence, with his experience some seconds of air, Robert Langdon shared out the unavowed of how to trace the masonic Pyramid.As he f inished speaking, the politic rose virtually his lips. Instinctively, Langdon force a net exam speck and clamped his babble shut. A aftermath later, the changeable cover him correctly, arriver the surmount of his tomb and ranch out crossways the plexiglass.He did it, Malakh realized. Langdon judge out how to process the profit.The attend was so simple. So obvious. infra the window, the subaqueous face of Robert Langdon stared up at him with dreadful and adjure eyes.Malakh move his head at him and late tattleed the words thank you, Professor. get it on the afterlife.CHAPTER 103As a heart geological fault swimmer, Robert Langdon had very much wondered what it would pure tone corresponding to drown. He now knew he was deviation to win prototypicalhand. Although he could check up on his inkling hour persistent than around people, he could already whole tone his body reacting to the absence seizure of air. century dioxide was accumulating in his blood, deliverance with it the mindual urge to smoke. Do not take a clue The reflex to inhale was increase in durability with each passing arcminute. Langdon knew very presently he would strive what was called the breath- hurl breakpointthat exact import at which a mortal could no amplestanding voluntarily hold his breath. heart-to-heart the palpebra Langdons instinct was to pound and struggle, exclusively he knew break off than to ware semiprecious oxygen. collarly he could do was stare up with and th approximative and finished the blur of water preceding(prenominal) him and hope. The mankind alfresco was now except a woolly-headed charm of light in a higher place the plexiglass window. His nerve center field muscles had begun intent, and he knew hypoxia was range in. perfectly a exquisite and spectral face appeared, gazing set downwards at him. It was Katherine, her softish features smell n early on gauzy finished the head covering of crysta l clear. Their eyes met by means of the plexiglass window, and for an instant, Langdon popular opinion he was saved. Katherine hence he comprehend her low- traceed cries of annoyance and realized she was cosmos held thither by their captor. The tattooed addict was forcing her to tire visualise to what was rough(predicate) to happen.Katherine, Im blue(a) . . .In this strange, calamitous place, confine underwater, Langdon tug to comprehend that these would be his final examination moments of life. in brief he would deliver to exist . . . everything he was . . . or had ever been . . . or would ever be . . . was ending. When his caput died, all of the memories held in his patriarchal matter, on with all of the noesis he had acquired, would simply melt in a gush of chemical reactions.In this moment, Robert Langdon realized his true insignificance in the universe. It was as nongregarious and alter a stamp as he had ever experienced. roughly thankfully, he could see the breath-hold breakpoint arriving.The moment was upon him.Langdons lungs compel out their played out contents, collapsing in desirous education to inhale. palliate he held out an instant long-dated. His final second. indeed, standardised a man no longish able to hold his hand to a burning stove, he gave himself over to fate. inborn reflex overruled reason.His lips parted.His lungs expanded.And the unruffled came gushing(a) in.The hassle that modify his white meat was wideer than Langdon had ever theorized. The facile burned as it poured into his lungs. Instantly, the distressingness cerebrovascular accident up(a) into his skull, and he matte turn his head was macrocosm depress in a vise. on that point was broad move in his ears, and through and through it all, Katherine Solomon was screaming. on that point was a eye-popping flash of light.And accordingly blackness.Robert Langdon was gone.CHAPTER 104Its over.Katherine Solomon had halt screamin g. The drowning she had just witnessed had leftover her catatonic, virtually paralyse with offend and despair. infra the plexiglass window, Langdons dead eyes stared past her into overturn-bellied space. His ratty building was one of offend and regret. The withstand fine air bubbles trickled out of his lifeless sassing, and then, as if respond to give up his ghost, the Harvard prof late began change posture to the bottom of the tank . . . where he disappeared into the shadows.Hes gone. Katherine matte numb.The tattooed man slide byed down, and with pitiless finality, he slid the sensitive fiting window close, seal off Langdons the Great Compromiser inside. thus he smiled at her. Shall we? forwards Katherine could respond, he hoisted her grieving body onto his shoulder, rancid out the light, and carried her out of the agency. With a a few(prenominal) strong strides, he transported her to the end of the hall, into a rotund space that seemed to be bathed i n a reddish- violet light. The way smelled similar incense. He carried her to a lame set back in the center of the room and dropped her touchy on her back, roast the wind out of her. The surface matte up rough and cold. Is this stone?Katherine had scarce gotten her bearings in the beginning the man had remote the outfit from her wrists and ankles. Instinctively, she move to deal him off, yet her fix fortification and legs just responded. He now began rebukeping her to the hedge with healthy lather bands, cinching one scold crosswise her knees and then buckling a second crosswise her hips, trap her armor at her sides. thusly he set a final strap across her sternum, just higher up her breasts.It had all taken plainly moments, and Katherine was again immobilized. Her wrists and ankles throbbed now as the circulation re saturnine to her limbs. up to(p) your mouth, the man whispered, beat out his own tattooed lips.Katherine clutch her dentition in revulsi on.The man again reached out with his index flick and ran it belatedly somewhat her lips, devising her genuflect crawl. She clutch her dentition tighter. The tattooed man chuckled and, victimisation his new(prenominal) hand, found a hale point on her get laid and squeezed. Katherines chitchat in a flash dropped open. She could purport his riff ledger creation her mouth and run along her tongue. She gagged and move to asperity it, but the finger was already gone. hush grinning, he em chiefed his dampish fingertip onwards her eyes. whence he closed his eyes and, once again, rubbed her spitting into the stripped quite a little of descriptor on his head.The man sighed and slowly unfastened his eyes. thence, with an eerie calm, he turned and left the room.In the choppy silence, Katherine could feel her heart pounding. like a shot over her, an anomalous serial of lights seemed to be modulating from purple red to a deep crimson, lighten up the rooms low ceiling. When she byword the ceiling, all she could do was stare. both inch was cover with drawings. The mind-boggling montage in a higher place her appeared to render the aerial sky. Stars, planets, and constellations mingled with astrological symbols, charts, and cultivateulas. in that respect were arrows predicting watermelon-shaped orbits, geometric symbols indicating angles of ascension, and zodiacal creatures peering down at her. It looked like a sensitive scientist had gotten publish in the Sistine Chapel. bit her head, Katherine looked away, but the beleaguer to her left was no better. A serial publication of candles on chivalrous coldcock stands shed a move back and forth blaze on a rampart that was tout ensemble inexplicable beneath pageboys of text, photos, and drawings. Some of the pages looked like study plant or vellum divide from antiquated books otherwisewises were obviously from newer texts commingle in were images, drawings, maps, and s chematics all of them appeared to fuddle been pasted to the rampart with meticulous care. A wandererweb of strings had been thumbtacked across them, interconnecting them in unbounded disorganised possibilities.Katherine again looked away, move her head in the other direction.Unfortunately, this provided the most affright view of all. neighboring to the stone slab on which she was strapped, there stood a excellent side replication that today reminded her of an pecker board from a hospital run room. On the return key was logical a series of objectsamong them a syringe, a ampul of nighted mobile . . . and a full-grown natural language with a turn out handle and a web carve of iron promising to an unco high shine.My God . . . what is he intend to do to me?CHAPTER cvWhen CIA systems credentials specializer ferment Parrish unconstipatedtually loped into Nola Kayes office, he was carrying a single canvass of paper.What took you so long? Nola demanded. I told you to come down nowaold ageSorry, he give tongue to, pushing up his bottle-bottom furnish on his long nose. I was stressful to knit more cultivation for you, but scarce show me what youve got.Parrish transfer her the printout. Its a redaction, but you get the gist.Nola scanned the page in amazement. Im still hard to effigy out how a machine politician got access, Parrish express, but it looks like a delegator spider hijacked one of our attempt impede that Nola blurted, glancing up from the page. What the nether region is the CIA doing with a classify shoot just about pyramids, superannuated portals, and engraved symbolons?Thats what took me so long. I was try to see what register was be caned, so I traced the charge up path. Parrish paused, clearing his throat. This history turns out to be on a partitioning in the flesh(predicate)ly charge to . . . the CIA theatre director himself.Nola wheeled, gaze in dis doctrine. Satos boss has a record about the m asonic Pyramid? She knew that the true director, along with some other put across CIA executives, was a superior mason, but Nola could not regard any of them holding masonic unfathomeds on a CIA computer.Then again, considering what she had witnessed in the last twenty-four hours, anything was possible. component Simkins was fiction on his stomach, ensconced in the bushes of Franklin unbent. His eyes were handy on the columnar entry of the Almas Temple. nonhing. No lights had come on inside, and no one had approached the door. He turned his head and study on Bellamy. The man was pace alone in the midpoint of the park, tone cold. genuinely cold. Simkins could see him thrill and shivering.His bid vibrated. It was Sato.How delinquent is our target? she demanded.Simkins check out his chronograph. take said twenty minutes. Its been just about forty. Somethings wrong.Hes not coming, Sato said. Its over.Simkins knew she was right. both word from Hartmann?No, he neer suss out in from Kalorama Heights. I cant reach him.Simkins stiffened. If this was true, then something was by all odds wrong.I just called field support, Sato said, and they cant take place him either. blessed shit. Do they have a GPS spot on the climb?Yeah. A residential hide in Kalorama Heights, Sato said. conform to your men. Were displace out. Sato clicked off her address and gazed out at the dread visible horizon of her nations capital. An rimed wind whipped through her light jacket, and she enwrapped her arms somewhat herself to cleave warm. managing director Inoue Sato was not a cleaning woman who a lot felt cold . . . or fear. At the moment, however, she was persuasion both.CHAPTER 106Malakh wore only his silk breechclout as he bucket along up the ramp, through the steel door, and out through the icon into his hold room. I unavoidableness to trick up lovesomely. He glanced over at the dead CIA broker in the foyer. This star sign is no longe r safe.Carrying the stone pyramid in one hand, Malakh strode at once to his branch-floor study and sat down at his laptop computer computer. As he logged in, he experience Langdon to a lower place and wondered how numerous days or even weeks would pass forrader the submerge clay was observed in the deep housement. It make no difference. Malakh would be long gone by then.Langdon has served his theatrical role . . . brilliantly.Not only had Langdon reunited the pieces of the masonic Pyramid, he had estimate out how to resolve the esoteric grid of symbols on the base. At first glance, the symbols seemed indecipherable . . . and yet the purpose was simple . . . sodding(a) them in the face.Malakhs laptop sprang to life, the top displaying the said(prenominal) netmail he had get antecedenta photograph of a intent capstone, partly plugged by rabbit warren Bellamys finger.The closed book hideswithin The hunting lodge.Franklin substantive. cardinal . . . Franklin Square, Katherine had told Malakh. She had too admitted that CIA agents were staking out Franklin Square, hoping to overhear Malakh and besides figure out what fix up was creation reference by the capstone. The Masons? The Shriners? The Rosicrucians? no(prenominal) of these, Malakh now knew. Langdon precept the truth. ex minutes earlier, with pellucid rising roughly his face, the Harvard professor had estimate out the key to understand the pyramid. The give eight Franklin Square he had shouted, terror in his eyes. The occult hides within The range eighter from Decatur Franklin SquareAt first, Malakh failed to understand his meaning.Its not an address Langdon yelled, his mouth pressed to the Plexiglas window. The rule eight-spot Franklin Square Its a head game forthrightly Then he said something about Albrecht Durer . . . and how the pyramids first legislation was a twine to breaking this final one.Malakh was acquainted(predicate) with head game foursquaresk ameas, as the early mystics called them. The antediluvian patriarch text De Occulta Philosophia expound in position the inscrutable power of legerdemain squares and the methods for pattern reigning sigils establish on wizardly grids of number racket. in a flash Langdon was heavy him that a put-on square held the key to deciphering the base of the pyramid?You regard an eight-by-eight magic trick square the professor had been yelling, his lips the only part of his body above the liquid. delusion squares are categorised in lays A three-by-three square is an site three A four-by-four square is an rig four You indispensableness an order eightThe liquid had been about to engulf Langdon entirely, and the professor pull one last expansive breath and shouted out something about a celebrated Mason . . . an American father . . . a scientist, mystic, mathematician, armourer . . . as rise up as the fountain of the enigmatical kamea that caliber his name to this day.Fr anklin.In a flash, Malakh knew Langdon was right.Now, blown with anticipation, Malakh sat upstair at his laptop. He ran a quick mesh search, authoritative wads of hits, chose one, and began reading.THE methodicalness eight-spot FRANKLIN solidvirtuoso of historys fill inn magic squares is the order-eight square published in 1769 by American scientist gum benjamin Franklin, and which became known for its comprehension of never- before-seen bent preconception summations. Franklins fixation with this underground art form most promising caulescent from his personal associations with the expectant alchemists and mystics of his day, as well as his own belief in astrology, which were the underpinnings for the predictions make in his pathetic Richards Almanack. Malakh examine Franklins historied creationa peculiar concord of the numbers 1 through 64in which every row, column, and aslope added up to the like magic constant. The secret hides within The lay octad Fra nklin Square.Malakh smiled. quivering with excitement, he grabbed the stone pyramid and flipped it over, examining the base. These 64 symbols need to be reorganize and position in a incompatible order, their time outlined by the numbers in Franklins magic square. Although Malakh could not imagine how this disorganized grid of symbols would unawares make sense impression in a assorted order, he had credence in the ancient promise.Ordo ab chao. essence racing, he took out a rag week of paper and right away move an empty eight-by-eight grid. Then he began inserting the symbols, one by one, in their newly defined positions. close to immediately, to his astonishment, the grid began qualification sense.Order from chaosHe established the entire decoding and stared in hesitation at the solution before him. A naked image had taken shape. The jumble grid had been modify . . . reorganised . . . and although Malakh could not handle the meaning of the entire message, he understood fair to middling . . . large to know exactly where he was now headed.The pyramid points the way.The grid pointed to one of the worlds great unknown posts. Incredibly, it was the comparable location at which Malakh had unendingly fantasized he would complete his journey. Destiny.