The Crypts of Eden

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The SIV Unit was situated in modified chambers beneath the Basilica. The rooms were small, but smartly converted with high-tech electronics and state-of-the-art wizardry. In the center of the room was an expansive table, with a top made entirely of a high-definition viewing screen; which, at the moment, was showing off a live satellite feed of desert landscaping in Turkey.

Six men surrounded the table, with the light of the monitor shining up against their faces. One was the SIV’s ADD, Father Gacobelli; the other five were members of the Vatican’s black-op unit, the Knights of the Holy Order.

Father Gacobelli leaned against the table, placing both hands along the edges. “Zoom in twenty times to these coordinates,” he said. “Scan to 36° 13′ 23.88″ N, 37° 55′ 20.64″.” The image on the tabletop reacted to his voice command, zooming eastward then inward, the landscape growing closer, the clarity becoming crisper as the pixels recalibrated.

“Now zoom in another ten times.”

The tabletop image reacted, zeroing in on a landscape with enormous rock formations poking through the parched wasteland, as windswept dust sped across the plain like sea swells. In places, the clay was brittle and worn, the surface fragmented over time from the elements of searing wind and unforgiving heat. It appeared an unforgiving place where the caretakers — the scorpions, snakes and lizards — adapted to a wasteland that offered little rainfall and blistering sun, thereby inheriting a kingdom that no one else cared to rule.

On the surface, marginally seen unless pointed out, was a geometrical anomaly.

“If you look here, gentlemen,” said the ADD, tracing his forefinger inches above and around the shape of the abnormality, “you’ll see an image just under the surface that’s perfectly squared, with the sides equaling one-half kilometer in length per side down to the millimeter. This is your target.”

Leviticus was joined by teammates Isaiah, Nehemiah, Micah and Job, who took their monikers from names of the Old Testament. They were basically nondescript in appearance, wearing pressed shirts and pants, attire that wouldn’t divulge identities beyond what they truly were; soldiers.

Leviticus leaned over the table for a better view. The light shone up against his face. “I can barely make anything out,” he said. “But I see it. I see something.”

“What is it?” asked Isaiah.

“A structure,” Father Gacobelli said simply. “However, I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say more than that. What I can say is that it needs to be imploded immediately. How this is to come about is up to you.”

“Semtex,” Leviticus stated without consideration. Semtex is a plastic explosive containing the elements RDX and PETN that is often used in certain military applications. It had become popular with terrorists because it was extremely difficult to detect, as in the case of Pan Am Flight 103 when it went down in Lockerbie, Scotland. “It’s an incredibly powerful explosive. But it’ll take bricks to collapse something of that size.”

“Can you acquire the amount necessary?” asked the ADD.

Leviticus nodded. “That’ll be easy enough. But how are we going to get it into this part of Turkey?” He pointed to the map. “There’s nowhere to land a chopper. The terrain is too rough.”

“We’ll have to rappel,” said Isaiah. “There’s no other way.”

Leviticus agreed. “We’ll need a second chopper to lower the bricks,” he said. “And we’ll set charges here—” He pointed to a single point dead center of the square “—and at multiple areas along the perimeter. That should take care of the situation.” He looked up at the ADD, who stood with the light from the tabletop shining upward and casting eerie lines across his face. “When do you want the operation to commence?”

“How long before you can get the necessary supplies and ready yourself?”

Leviticus thought it over as his eyes moved upward in his sockets, calculating. “Several hours,” he said. “At the most.”

“Several hours it is, then,” said the ADD. And then: “Prepare yourselves.”

They hastened their way to the level below, the winding staircase made of indigenous sandstone rather than black silica. As usual, Eser and Harika were forced to lead the way with Butcher Boy behind them and Aussie bringing up the rear. The spiral stairwell seemed to go on forever when, in fact, it was less than 50 stairs.

When they touched bottom, they quickly congregated and held their lanterns high. The darkness was barely penetrated by the light in all directions.

“Ms. Moore, do you remember the routes according to the schematics on the Crystal Wall?” asked Butcher Boy.

The riddle as to why the pyramid didn’t show walls and floors where walls and floors should be was quite clear. The engineers only mapped out solid structures. Anything moveable was stricken from the blueprints since they were not set pieces. This was cause for concern since the second level was void of supports and structures, which led her to believe that this level had several moving parts.

“Ms. Moore, do you remember?” he repeated.

She nodded. “We have to move as if we heading back to the perimeter of the pyramid.”

“Back to the way we came?” asked Aussie.

“The major pathways leading from level to level are in a zigzag configuration,” she said. “We entered from the top and made our way inward. Now that we’re on the second level, we now have to work our way outward, back to the structure’s walls. There, we will find the next riddle that will lead us to the last level. From there we’ll have to work our way back to the center. It’s a zigzag pattern from top to bottom, from one chamber to the next, which ultimately leads to the Burial Chamber.”

“That’s all well and fine,” returned Aussie. “But where I stand there’s three hundred and sixty degrees of direction. Which way do we go?”

She raised her lantern to get her bearings. However, the light barely penetrated more than thirty feet in every direction. Carefully she moved eastward, the lantern held forward, until she came to a black silica wall with script.

“Can you read it, Ms. Moore?” This came from Obsidian Hall.

“It’s difficult,” she said. “This is all pre-Sumerian, pre-everything. Some characters are similar, however. The best I can do is to piece them together and interpret this as best I can.”

“Then I suggest you do so,” Hall said demandingly.

She examined every line and character, finding it nearly impossible to decipher in its entirety, but she was able to put together enough to identify the meaning behind the text. It was a warning, stating the way to the Chamber of the Primaries was the path to Nirvana. But in order to get to Heaven, One must go through Hell. And they must do so by using the testaments of courage, faith and deliberation. Should anyone choose to test their fortitude, then the path lies to the left of the scripted wall.

She held the lantern up and to the left. Nothing but absolute darkness.

“Ms. Moore, have you deciphered the message? Does it tell us where to go?” Hall sounded very much on edge.

Above them, shuffling sounds could be heard through the passageway in the Room of the Crystal Rings, like sandpaper against sandpaper, scales rubbing against scales.

“Let’s move, people!” said Butcher Boy. “Ms. Moore, which way?” She pointed and made her way left. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” But you won’t like what’s ahead, she thought. And none of you will be able to stop it. Not with your bravado. Not with your guns. And not with your machismo.

Above them, the coarse whisper of sandpaper rubbing against each other became increasingly louder.

They entered the chamber by the dozens, each drawn by the coppery scent of Carroll’s blood as it spread across the floor. Like flies to dead matter, they converged to the spot where the former soldier lie draped over the crystal arm with his head aside, and his eyes staring at nothing in particular.

They sniffed at the blood and at the body, their olfactory senses picking up the miniscule odor of decay, telling them that this creature was dead. In a quick reaction that galvanized others to feast, one of the lizards grabbed Carroll by the hip area and tried to pull him free, wrenching; Carroll’s body coming apart, the strings of flesh pulling like rubber bands until they snapped, his legs coming free while his upper body remained attached to the horizontal post.

Lizards swarmed with frenzy, ripping and tearing at what was left of the soldier, his body finally torn free from the pongee spikes, becoming the subject of a brutal tug-of-war between two males who twisted and pulled the body apart, then left to find a dark recess in which to gorge themselves on the remains.

Others milled about searching for their quarry. The scent of sweat and fear hung heavy in the air by the hole, so, driven by hunger and the smell of fresh meat, they clamored to the hole that was once blocked by crystal rings.

And then one by one they entered, spilling over the sides of the opening like swirling water at the mouth of an open drain.

They headed for the next passageway that led downward, to the final leg of their journey. Even with their lanterns held high there was marginal relief. Somehow these creatures had worked their way behind them, which meant there were unseen openings throughout the temple, seams they didn’t know about, giving these things access from every direction.

And now they gave chase because their quarries were seen as a threat.

With Alyssa leading the team forward and with Eser and Harika now finding themselves in the middle of the pack alongside Savage and Hall, Butcher Boy and Aussie maintained the rear with keen eyes on what was rapidly coming up behind them.

“Move! Move! Move!”

The rustling of hides rubbing against each other could be heard. The cause of the sound, however, as yet unseen.

The corridor they trekked along was so narrow it was barely wide enough for two people to pass side by side. But after a lengthy walk at a decent good clip, they came to a room about the size of a banquet hall on their right. To their left was an immediate wall.

The walls, though as smooth as glass and as black as onyx, were highly reflective, which amplified the reflection of the light from their lanterns enough to brighten up the room, albeit casting it in a feeble glow. The ceiling was six meters high or approximately twenty feet in height. On the other side of the room was a doorway that led to a darkness that appeared blacker than black.

“That’s it,” said Alyssa. “That’s the doorway to the Burial Chamber — to the Chamber of the Primaries.”

Hall looked at her. “To the chamber of the what?”

“The scripture on the wall,” she said. “Back there. It was basically a warning saying that in order for us to get to Heaven, One has to go through Hell. Heaven was alluding to the Master Chamber below, the Chamber of The Primaries.”

“And who are the Primaries?”

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” she answered. She took a cautious step forward, and then stopped.

“Problem, Ms. Moore?” said Hall.

In order to get to Heaven, One must go through Hell. “We need to be extremely careful,” she told everyone. “And I do mean extremely.” She advanced another step forward.

By the time they had reached the room’s center, complacency had set in, prompting Hall to be less than prudent. He moved toward the door, his pace quick.

When he passed Alyssa she reached out to him, trying to catch the sleeve of his shirt but missing. “Hall—”

They were approximately thirty meters from the opening when there was a subtle click beneath Hall’s foot. On a dime he stopped. His eyes became wide at the sudden realization that he had set off a tripwire of some kind.

Alyssa closed her eyes: Oh no!

And then the earth began to rattle and grind. Long, thin slots suddenly appeared across the ceiling as slivers of dark openings spaced one meter apart. “What did I just do?” Hall said very softly.

“If I was you,” Alyssa said in the same hushed tone, “I’d stand back.”

Just as Hall stepped off the platform that initiated the tripwire, five crystal pendulums fell from each of the ceiling slots, swinging back and forth approximately one meter apart from the other. Their blades were as clear as glass, hard to see, their edges as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel. As the first blade swung to the left, the second blade was swinging to the right; as the third swung to the left, the fourth was swinging to the right; and so on, the alternating patterns repeating themselves with the exception of the fifth blade, which swung independently from the others.

“What kind of a bloody gig is this?” said Aussie.

The blades were moving so fast they could not see them, but could feel the passing of their breeze upon their skin.

“Pendulums,” said Savage.

“I can’t see a bloody thing.”

“They’re there,” he answered.

“So ‘ow are we supposed to get across?”

“We wait,” she told him. “The engineering here is a primitive one based on balances and weights. The law of perpetual motion is an impossible practice due to friction, which means that they won’t swing forever, given the principles of laws and physics. Eventually they’ll stop.”

Savage moved beside her. “Given the principles of laws and physics, huh?”

“That’s right.”

He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “You want to tell that to the wall that’s moving our way?”

Everyone turned. The wall had silently eclipsed the doorway and sealed them in, the barrier inching closer with the intent of forcing them into the swinging blades. Aussie and Butcher Boy ran and braced their weight against the wall, pushing; its momentum not slowing down, the force of their actions completely futile and impotent.

They backed off. “The blades won’t stop in time,” said Butcher Boy. “This thing is going to push us right into them.”

Aussie turned to Alyssa. “So much for your bloody laws of physics,” he told her. He then took a stance before the swinging blades and raised his weapon. “Let’s see ‘ow bloody well they stand up to a little ammo power.” Pressing the trigger to his automatic assault weapon, he strafed the mouth of the barrel across the pendulums, the bullets striking the blades but doing little harm, doing nothing more than chipping the crystal.

“Stop wasting ammo!” cried Butcher Boy.

“Or what? It ain’t gonna matter much in a few minutes, is it?”

Aussie was right. The wall was moving closer, its momentum picking up speed.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

The blades weren’t even slowing down.

“We have to move forward,” said Alyssa.

“What?” came Aussie’s wild response. “Are you out of your bloody mind?”

“We just can’t stand here. That wall will definitely push us into the swing. And since we can’t slow down the wall, then we have to move forward.”

“And ‘ow do you suppose we do that?”

She took a deep breath and released it with an equally long sigh. “By perfect timing,” she answered. “We can’t see the blades. But we can feel them as they pass by. Once we feel the rush and sweep of the first blade swing by us, we then take a single step forward into the gap between the first and second blades. Once we feel the sweep of the second pendulum swing past, then we take another step into the gap between the second and third blades, and keep doing this until we clear the field.”

“Are you kidding?” was Butcher Boy’s reply. “Those blades will rip us apart.”

She pointed at the approaching wall. “There’s an unstoppable measure of weight of some kind behind that wall, and its pushing it with the single intent of destroying us. And it’s not going to stop. If you want to stand by and hope for the best, then that’s your choice. But this design was created specifically to test our courage and fortitude.”

Butcher Boy turned and noted the oncoming wall. She was right. “So what do we do?”

Alyssa paused a brief moment before she reached into her backpack, grabbed the pages copied from her father’s journal, and pressed it close to her.

“Yes, of course,” Hall said snidely. “The Black Journal will save us all in spirit, won’t it?”

She stepped forward and stood before the pendulum. The blades were swinging in blinding sweeps.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

Savage reached a hand out and grabbed her by the back of her arm. “Alyssa, please be careful.”

When she turned, she could see that Savage was genuine in his plea. “I have to do this,” she told him.

“I know. Just be careful. You only get one shot at this.”

The wall was pressing forward.

After she nodded, she took another step forward until she was a foot away from the first pendulum, aligning herself.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

She closed her eyes and forced herself to seek calm, feeling the draft of the blade’s sweep against her skin, sensing when it came closest.

…Whoosh…

When the draft of the passing blade came by once again and began to arc away from her, she took a quick step forward.

…Whoosh…

The blade arced behind her, Alyssa now feeling the arcing drafts of the first and second blades in front and behind her. She was caught in the middle; one blade going left, the one behind her going right, the pendulums alternating in their swings.

“You’re doing well, Alyssa,” said Savage.

She took another breath and waited for the exact moment she thought the second blade was arcing away.

…Whoosh…

She took another step, this time landing her between the second and third blades.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

Her heart was racing. Her head pounded. She wrapped fingers around the copies of her father’s journal so tightly, they were becoming numb.

…Whoosh…

And then she took her third step. Her motions were too slow, however, too calculated.

The wall was edging closer.

“Hurry, Ms. Moore, before we’re all pressed into the blades.” Hall sounded genuinely frightened.

…Whoosh…

She took a fourth step. One blade left to go with the exit doorway less than ten meters away.

…Whoosh…

And then she took the final step.

…Whoosh…

She stood alone on the other side, looking at the others, the copied pages of her father’s journal held tight against her lithe frame. “You can do it!” she cried out. “When you feel the blade arcing away, take a step forward! The pendulums are about one meter apart! Just be careful!”

“That’s bloody easy for you to say!” said Aussie. “You’re already over there!”

The wall was getting closer. The room that once looked as large as a ballroom was now less than half the size of when they first entered.

Butcher Boy gathered around the remaining six. Of course Eser and Harika didn’t understand a single word of English, but certain actions and mannerisms were universal: the moment was critical. “We need to get across now,” he said, taking sidelong glances at the approaching wall. “We may have minutes before that wall gets here.”

Hall seemed disturbed by this, so he funneled his hands around his mouth and called out to Alyssa. “Ms. Moore, is there a switch of some kind, something that will shut this thing off?”

She quickly looked for something, anything, even looked in the doorway, but it was too dark. The walls and floor around her were as smooth as the surface of ice. If there was a lever of any kind, she couldn’t find it. “No!”

Butcher Boy grabbed Aussie and Hall and pulled them close. “We don’t have time to do this one by one. So we’ll go it three at a time. Savage, you follow up with the two Turks. Clear?”

“Clear enough.”

The wall was looming impossibly large.

“Let’s do it,” said Butcher Boy. “Line up!”

Butcher Boy and Aussie stood within a foot of the sweeping blade. Hall, however, held back.

“Hall, get up to the line.”

“I can’t do it,” he said, pointing in the direction of the pendulums.

“Suit yourself. I’m not going to argue with you. Savage, you or one of the Turks take his spot.”

Savage grabbed Harika by her forearm and ushered her to a spot between Butcher Boy and Aussie. With Savage’s hand motions and gentle smile, she seemed to understand the intent behind what he was trying to convey.

She nodded and offered him a weak smile.

Aussie turned back to Hall. And from the corner of his mouth said, “’Ow ‘bout that, mate. The female Turk ‘ere ‘as bigger balls than you.”

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

“All right, people,” said Butcher Boy. “Let’s get this show on the road! And keep your lamps close! Don’t hold your arm out unless you want to lose it!”

The warriors slung their weapons and stood erect. Harika did the same. Like Alyssa, they closed their eyes and waited for the opportune moment.

…Whoosh…

In unison they took a step forward, landing between the second and third blades.

…Whoosh…

“Good, people,” said Butcher Boy. “Wait for the next arc.”

…Whoosh…

They took another calibrated step forward.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

There were three more to go.

Savage turned to see the wall closing in. “We need to get to the line now!” he hollered.

“Eser!” Savage pointed to the spot next to him. And Eser understood.

Butcher Boy and company took their coordinated third step between the third and fourth pendulums, the blades cutting swatches through the air.

“I can’t do this,” said Hall, looking back at the wall. “Do something!”

“Do something yourself!” said Savage. “Take the line or we leave you behind!”

Now the floor began to rumble beneath their feet. The wall was that close.

“Hall, take the line or we leave you! I won’t tell you again!” Hall begrudgingly took the line. “Don’t worry about the wall!” yelled Savage. “Concentrate only on what’s in front of us.”

On the other side, Butcher Boy, Aussie and Harika made it beyond the final pendulum. Savage could see Harika falling into Alyssa’s embrace.

“All right, boys,” said Savage. “Wait until you feel the blade swing past. Not a moment sooner.”

…Whoosh…

“Now!”

They all took a step forward.

…Whoosh…

…Whoosh…

Savage held up a hand for direction. “Waaaait… Waaaait… Waaaait—”

…Whoosh…

“Now!”

They took their second step. Blades were swinging before and behind them.

“Good job, people. Three more to go.”

The wall was quickly approaching — just feet away from the first pendulum.

“I think you’re gonna have to pick it up a bit there, preacher man!” cried Aussie.

Savage continued to hold up his hand, waiting for the next opportunity.

The wall finally collided with the first blade, smashing it into chips so small they scattered across the black silica floor like diamonds against black velvet. The sound was cacophonous, like glass shattering.

Hall and Eser turned to look behind them, their panic level was beginning to climb. “Don’t look back!” cried Savage. “Eyes forward! We’ll get through this!”

They reset themselves and waited for the right moment.

…Whoosh…

“Now!”

They now stood between the third and fourth blades.

“Good job! Keep it up! We’re almost home!”

And then the sound of exploding glass as the second pendulum detonated against the driving force of the wall. Diamond-sized crystal went everywhere, the pieces pinging off the swinging blades and ricocheting to all points of the room, some hitting Savage and Eser.

Eser turned, his eyes full blown with terror.

The wall was directly behind them and closing fast.

“Eser, no!” Savage attempted to grab him, but missed.

In self-preservation, Eser took a ruinous step forward, only to fall into the path and glide of the pendulum’s blade. The force struck him so hard that Eser was decimated as if he had stepped on an IED. Bloodied pieces scattered in all directions with limbs being clipped by other pendulums into smaller sections. Blood sprayed everywhere, hitting Savage and Hall. Eser’s lamp was smashed into countless pieces after it was sent caroming off other pendulums.

Somewhere a woman screamed. Obviously it was Harika.

Savage looked behind him.

The wall was unstoppable, its pace constant.

And then he looked at Hall, whose face was a mask of misery.

“We can do this,” he told Hall evenly.

“How in the hell can you stay so calm?”

“You ready? We got two more to go. And we’re going to have to make this quick,” he said. “Are you with me, Hall?”

He nodded.

The scraping along the floor behind became louder.

…Whoosh…

“Now!”

They took a step forward. The blade, however, clipped a piece of Hall’s shirt, the tail.

The sheer dominance of the wall’s force took out the third pendulum. The sound of exploding glass was loud with crystal flying everywhere, this time cutting tiny nicks on Savage’s face.

There was one blade left.

“You ready for this, Hall? We’re pretty much out of time?”

Hall’s answer was the stupefied look on his face.

“Get ready,” said Savage. He held his hand up.

The wall was picking up speed. And just as the fourth pendulum smashed under the wall’s attack—

…Whoosh…

“Now!”

— they jumped.

Both men landed well as broken crystal scattered throughout the continuously shrinking room.

Butcher Boy and Aussie helped Savage and Hall to their feet just as the wall sped its way through the fifth pendulum and threatened to crush them against the wall.

“Move!” cried Butcher Boy.

Just as everyone made it into the doorway, the moving wall slammed against the wall that once opposed it, the walls ultimately meeting like a vise.

As everyone sat there catching their breath, Harika sobbed into Alyssa’s shoulder.

Savage, however, looked at Butcher Boy and Aussie, the men sharing a collective thought: And then there were six.