The Tenth Cycle: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 1) (7 page)

“That’s interesting, Daniel, but…”

“I know, but how does it relate to the Giza mysteries. I’ve been thinking about that. I want to dig into these books and into Edgar Cayce’s predictions, to see if there are any parallels. It may just be a wild goose chase, but if there are, then is it possible that Cayce really was onto something in his visions of Atlantis? Remember, Dr. Zacharias seemed to think there was a link there with the caves under the pyramids.”

“What could it all mean?”

“I don’t have a clue, but if we don’t chase it all down, we’ll never know. Sarah, the questions won’t leave me alone. I almost feel like I’m the one the pyramid builders meant to reach with their message. It’s not a story or even a hobby now, it’s a quest.”

“Daniel, are you sure that’s healthy? It sounds to me like it’s becoming an obsession.”

“’Without obsession, life is nothing’” he quipped, one of his favorite aphorisms. “Can you say you aren’t equally obsessed?”

“Hmmm, no, maybe not.”

“Then I don’t see any alternative but to chase down every lead, no matter how crazy it sounds.”

“I guess you’re right. But something about all this is beginning to bother me.”

“What’s that?”

“Why hasn’t anyone else ever put it together?”

“I know, but you could say that about any great scientific discovery. Why didn’t anyone ever think about why things fall until that apple hit Newton on the head?”

“Silly, that’s a myth.”

“That’s not the point. Gravitational pull and the acceleration of gravity existed long before Newton came along and observed it, then made the breakthrough that we now accept as a universal law of physics. No one ever put that together before, either. At least, not that they reported or wrote down.”

“That brings up another question.”

“What this time?”

“What if someone has put it together before now? Why would they conceal it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re writing it up for a scientific journal as we speak. What difference does it make?”

“What if the answer is dangerous?”

“In what way?”

“Think about it Daniel. What message would be important enough to make sure someone would understand it centuries later?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the end of the world?” He tossed it off facetiously, but then he saw her face change.

“Maybe that indeed.”

Now who was buying into conspiracy theory? He wanted to ignore it, but his heart clenched at her worried expression.

“Hey, where did that come from?”

“That brilliant essay I mentioned? It discussed some of the hieroglyphics found in the other pyramids of the Giza complex.” She paused, struggling to throw off the superstitious dread that came over her when she thought about it again.

“Yeah?”

“They referenced the Book of the Dead. Daniel, it’s creepy. Here are these texts in the very pyramid complex we’re studying, and they talk about Atum dissolving the world someday and returning to his primeval state.”

“What do you mean, dissolve?”

“Atum’s primeval state is described as being within the waters of chaos. He said only Osiris and he, the creator, will exist.”

“What’s the significance of Osiris?”

“The God of the Afterlife. My student did a brilliant job of postulating that the text referred to a destruction and rebirth of the world, similar to the Flood stories. You know, Noah and the Ark; the Epic of Gilgamesh.”

“Oh, yeah. Wow, Sarah that could be a lead we should pursue.”

“Daniel, what if it’s all true?”

“Honey, be realistic. That’s all mythology, but wouldn’t it be cool to tie it together, find the message in the Great Pyramid to help us figure out what happened to Atlantis, if it really existed? I had forgotten that all the ancient civilizations had flood stories. Must have been some really rainy years back then.”

“It would certainly make the scholarly community sit up and take notice.”

“Why don’t you take the lead on that part of the investigation? I’ll work on the Bible Code and Cayce stuff.”

“Okay. Daniel?”

“What, sweetheart?”

“I’d give just about anything for your arms around me right now. Good night.” Sarah signed off and was gone, leaving Daniel to stare at the screen in open-mouthed astonishment. He’d give just about anything for the same circumstances, himself.

Septentrio called the meeting to order, then spoke into the silence. “It is time to inform you that I have been monitoring the development in the United States that concerns us.” The others leaned forward, for Septentrio’s project was to learn of any research into matters that could provide information on rediscovered ancient wisdom, especially the secret of ultra-longevity. They had been waiting for news since the first mention of this research in April.

“For some time, I have been in contact with one of our operatives regarding the research project into the Great Pyramid mysteries that I mentioned at our last regular meeting. The researchers are a journalist named Daniel Rossler and a woman who is assisting him, a Dr. Sarah Clarke. There has been no significant progress at this time, but the research has taken an interesting turn.”

“Do we know these people who are watching them?” Oriens questioned.

“Yes, they have proved useful in the past, and they are in a unique position to monitor this subject. A John Kingston, an editor at the New York Times who happens to supervise Rossler, and Prof. Allan Barry. You’ll remember Barry from previous attempts at this research under the auspices of the Joukowsky Institute. Kingston was astute enough to involve him at first presentation of the story idea.”

Heads nodded around the globe. With no further information given, it was clear that patience would be required. No matter; they and their predecessors had been patient for centuries.

“What progress has been made?” Auster, ever willing to undercut her fellow Orion Society members by innuendo, let her tone express her skepticism and impatience.

“We have continued to monitor Rossler’s IP address for relevant searches. Just this morning, there was a shift in focus from the facts concerning the pyramid’s construction to some sites that explore mathematics as language and others that seem to have something to do with encoded messages in ancient texts,” Septentrio answered mildly.

“We have always thought that the mathematics contained the message,” Auster said impatiently.

“And yet, no one has been able to break that code previously. Perhaps these researchers will have better luck.” Septentrio’s patience with Auster was at an end, so his repressive tone cut off further discussion.

“I will keep you informed as developments occur,” Septentrio said. “If there is no further business, this call is at an end.”

“Wait,” said Auster. “I have something.”

“Yes, go ahead,” Septentrio said.

“Our efforts to suborn the leader of the gold exploration effort in Brazil were unsuccessful, but he has died from an unfortunate accident, leaving our own man in his place,” Auster reported. “We are one step closer to learning the location of the abandoned mine.”

“And the accident?” Septentrio queried.

“Has been satisfactorily explained to the authorities. No repercussions will reach us,” she assured him.

“Very well. Is that all?”

Hearing no further discussion, Septentrio ended the call.

After achieving what felt like a breakthrough with their decision that the key was the math, Daniel worried at the problem like a terrier with a toy, to no avail. They had some math facts, certainly. Daniel had a feeling that the technique of skip-sequence coding that he’d found in the Bible Code books had some merit, but they had nothing to which to apply it. He was at a standstill again, and frustration turned to exasperation with the whole project. He had columns to write, including the cave-art column that he’d set aside months ago. The only bright spot in his weeks were the times he and Sarah Skyped. They were developing a light-hearted, teasing relationship that he cherished, almost as much as he cherished the idea of holding her in his arms.

Every time they chatted on Skype, Sarah searched Daniel’s face, until she had memorized every fold and freckle. Their connection, and her physical attraction to him, had grown so strong over the weeks, and yet Daniel had made no move beyond some kisses. She wondered what was going on behind that handsome countenance. Daniel knew she had been engaged. He had hinted he was no virgin, either. What was holding him back? This week, they were planning on her visiting him in New York again, maybe taking in an off-Broadway show. Sarah thought she might have to take matters into her own hands, so she packed a red silk teddy, one of the guilty pleasures she kept in her lingerie drawer for special occasions. Not that there had been any since her fiancé left, but a girl could hope. If she had anything to say about it, this weekend would be a special occasion. She only hoped that she could manage it with some finesse.

At last, Friday afternoon arrived again and with it, Sarah. Daniel had left a visitor pass for her at the reception desk, not knowing when she would arrive. Cell phone reception was lousy in the building, so they arranged that she would just come in and get him when she got there. Sarah circled around, putting her finger to her mouth when she was spotted by people to whom he had introduced her. The first he knew of her presence was when a pair of cool hands covered his eyes and a breathy whisper tickled his ear.

“Guess who?”

“Oh, man, did the guys send me a lap dancer again?” he quipped.

Slapping him lightly on the shoulder, she said, “Guess again.”

But, instead of guessing, he stood and took her in his arms for a long kiss. As the catcalls started, she blushed and pulled away. Public display of affection was all right in its place, but she thought the newsroom of the New York Times probably wasn’t that place.

Sarah had some shopping to do, and Daniel was willing to trail along. She thought about torturing him by dragging him to a lingerie department, but decided against it. It would be better to surprise him with the teddy than give him any hint of what was to come. With quite a while left to work before their dinner reservations, they went to his apartment after her errands were done, to discuss where they were with the research.

A strange, almost electric buzz seized Sarah as they walked through the front door. It was as if she were standing in a different plane, watching herself interact with Daniel and observing how he reacted, making a judgment about her decision. With difficulty, she pulled herself together, literally, and with effort focused on what he was saying.

Daniel had opened his laptop on the kitchen counter and was tapping keys as he spoke.

“…the only language shared universally, and I mean that literally, regardless of culture, religion, or gender. Pi is still approximately 3.14159 regardless of what country you’re in. Adding up the cost of a basket full of groceries involves the same math process regardless of whether the total is expressed in dollars, rubles, or yen. With this universal language, all of us, no matter what our unit of exchange, are likely to arrive at math results the same way.”

Oh, he was talking about math again. Her quick brain caught up, pushing aside any thoughts outside this discussion, for the time being. And she could agree. Very few people, if any, are literate in all the world's tongues - English, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and so on. But virtually all of us possess the ability to participate in the shared language of math, at least to some extent. Why was he giving her this lecture?

“So, I’ve decided all this other stuff…” he gestured at the bubbles of data on the left side of the mind map that organized his information, “…is irrelevant. Once we understand the message, this will all become clear. And to understand the message, we have to focus on the math, just like Dr. Zacharias said. Are we on the same page?”

“Yes, Daniel, I thought we had already established that.”

“Here’s the thing. We don’t have enough math to provide a code. We’re missing something.” Sarah had heard this before, so she merely nodded. Daniel flashed a smile at her and went on, “Okay. What I think we need now is to bring in a mathematician, someone who can spot the pattern in all these measurements. I’d ask Dr. Zacharias, but I’ve emailed him and he hasn’t gotten back to me.”

“I know a mathematician. Mark Simms. The guy’s brilliant.”

“What’s his field, specifically?”

“Actually, it’s the history of mathematics and civilizations. He studies the parallels in mathematical thinking as it evolved in different ancient civilizations. Fascinating stuff, although it’s over my head. He’s the one who introduced me to that cryptography student I told you about.”

“Brilliant! Sounds like what we need is right up his alley.”

“I’ll talk to him when I get back next week, show him what we’ve got and see if he can spot anything off the top of his head.”

“Fantastic! Oh, damn, look at the time! We’re going to have to hurry for our dinner reservation. Do you need to change?”

As a matter of fact, she did. That teddy was going on as underwear, and over it a soft dress that hugged her curves, in a tasteful red silk that flattered her coloring. The softly-draped neckline dipped just low enough to hint at hidden treasure. Almandine garnet earrings set in silver and a pair of Jimmy Choo ultra-high-heeled red sandals completed the outfit. When she appeared in the living room, he literally staggered at the vision she’d created. Thinking wildly that he wished he had some nitro pills around, because his heart was going to explode, all rational use of his vocabulary left him. All he could think to say was, “WOW!” When she smiled at the implied compliment, Daniel thought he had truly died and gone to heaven. Did angels wear red? This one apparently did.

Daniel and Sarah returned to his apartment much later that evening, wined, dined and flushed from a conversation that Sarah kept titillating with innuendo. He wasn’t sure he could restrain himself from caveman behavior when they got behind closed doors. Showing her in, he turned to close and lock the door, then turned back and found Sarah standing so close that he almost collided with her as he turned. Her warm brown eyes had flecks of gold in them; he could have lost himself there for hours. She kept them steadily on his as she moved into his arms, murmuring, “Make love to me, please, Daniel.”

He searched her face for any sign of lingering doubt, finding none. With a moan of long-repressed passion, his lips first found her throat, then, still encircling her with his arms, nuzzled lower, to the enticing curves hidden by silk. Sarah’s hands tangled in his hair as she held him to her with a sudden fierce desire to melt into him completely. “Please, Daniel.”

With her second plea, Daniel stood and swept Sarah into his arms, carrying her to his room and depositing her on his bed, just like the caveman he had feared being only moments before. His hands were gentle, though, as he removed her shoes and fumbled to find the fastener for her dress.

“Let me help.” Sarah stood and with one movement stripped the dress off over her head. The vision he beheld made Daniel forget to breathe. There could be no mistake, she had to have planned this - that teddy proved it. For a moment that felt like an eternity he was frozen, paralyzed by the emotions flooding his mind and body. With shaking hands, he reached to unwrap the rest of the gift she had for him, barely noticing that she was unbuttoning his shirt as well.