not<\/em> the face. The benefit of a mannequin hand was that the articulated fingers could be manipulated into any position required for the nature of the work being done.<\/p>\nLangdon had found more than one sophomoric college prankster leaving them around the Harvard Campus with the middle-finger extended straight up in the air. The one in the Rotunda, however, had been positioned with the index finger and thumb pointing toward the Dome.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t smooth and plastic in texture though.<\/p>\n
Langdon found himself stepping closer to it in a moment of peculiar fascination, realizing the hand was mottled and slightly wrinkled like real skin.<\/p>\n
Nicolaus held him back as he tried to bend down for a closer look, and the strength of his Sire\u2019s grip on his shoulder, startled him into seeing the blood.<\/p>\n
The severed wrist had been skewered onto the spike of a simple wooden base so that it would stand up.<\/p>\n
Langdon frowned, seeing how the tip of the finger and thumb had been tattooed with tiny symbols.<\/p>\n
It was bizarre, and horrifying, but the familiar gold ring on the fourth finger left him in no doubt that he was staring at the severed right hand of Peter Solomon.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive,\u201d Nico assured him, \u201cdead men don\u2019t bleed when they\u2019re mutilated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a comfort,\u201d Robert muttered. \u201cI\u2019m sure Peter will appreciate the sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure it\u2019s his?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. His ring is Masonic. And it smells like him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, our guy is in the building. We have two choices – stay and chat to the Capitol Police who are absolutely on their way right now in greater force, or go after the man who set this up.\u201d Nicolaus felt his phone vibrating urgently in his hand.<\/p>\n
The Machine had already determined for him some time before, that the most immediately available resources to call on – Tony and Jethro – were the closest, having been in D.C. for the last 2 weeks concluding new threads from an old cold case.<\/p>\n
If nothing had come of Leonardo\u2019s frantic concerns over Robert\u2019s unexpected excursion, Nicolaus would have either spent a night with them if they were free, or gone home again.<\/p>\n
Lance was still waiting with the plane.<\/p>\n
But suddenly he didn\u2019t imagine he was going to get any rest any time soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cA crown and a star…\u201d Langdon muttered, trying hard not to recall the many times Peter had extended that same hand to him in warmth and friendship. \u201cOn the fingertips. Do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
Picking up on his words, The Machine was searching for reference.<\/p>\n
Langdon knew full well that Peter had never been marked in such a fashion of his own free will.<\/p>\n
The work was tiny, finely done, and he had to strain his Vampire senses to see them properly without crouching down.<\/p>\n
The significance of a crown and a star finally worked its way through his horrified and sickened thoughts.<\/p>\n
Such symbols always appeared together on the fingertips of a hand.<\/p>\n
It was one of the most ancient and coveted icons in history.<\/p>\n
The Hand of the Mysteries.<\/em><\/p>\nRarely seen in a modern context, it had always been used as a call to action, a powerful on that could never be ignored.<\/p>\n
Used in ink drawings or wood cuts and stone sculptures, it was never meant to be a real, physical hand, but there it was in all its grotesque abhorrence.<\/p>\n
Someone had crafted The Hand of the Mysteries<\/em> out of Peter\u2019s hand.<\/p>\nIt was unthinkable.<\/p>\n
But inescapable.<\/p>\n
The tips of the three clenched fingers would also be marked.<\/p>\n
5 symbols in total.<\/p>\n
That was the tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the invitation of a lifetime,\u201d he murmured, echoing what the man they\u2019d been talking too had told them. \u201cNico, this is a sacred summons to join an elite group said to guard the secret wisdom of all ages. It signifies that a Master believes me worthy to receive that wisdom!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA sun, a lantern, and a key. On the other fingers.\u201d Sylum\u2019s Clan Leader frowned at the simple image being shown on his phone. It was certainly old – a rendering on parchment.<\/p>\n
Robert nodded. \u201cThis is madness,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter will point the way,\u201d Nico reminded him, remembering what had been said, and it hardly surprised him that sadistic wordplay would be the joke of choice for someone who could cut the hand from another person just to send a message.<\/p>\n
Langdon glanced upward, and the two of them followed the pointing finger\u2019s gesture.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, you have got<\/em> to be kidding me!\u201d<\/p>\nChapter 7<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nCapitol Police Chief, Mark Anderson, had been head of security at the U.S Capitol Complex for more than 2 decades.<\/p>\n
Burly, square chested, lined of face, with bright red hair, he always wore a visible sidearm when in uniform, as an obvious warning to anyone who might be foolish enough to question the full extent of his authority.<\/p>\n
Most of his work involved the co-ordination of a small army of police officers from a hi-tech surveillance center in the Capitol security offices, and trying not to be permanently annoyed at the tourists who took up so much of his patrol time.<\/p>\n
\u201cChief?\u201d<\/p>\n
His intercom startled him just as he sat down at his office desk with a fresh cup of coffee, ready to contemplate next month\u2019s staffing schedules. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had some sort of disturbance in the Rotunda. I\u2019ve got officers heading there now, but you\u2019re going to have to take a look too,\u201d his Watch Commander said briskly. \u201cIt seems peculiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson frowned, wondering if there should be certain words no longer permissible in a professional work setting.<\/p>\n
\u2018Peculiar\u2019 could cover so many things…<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, I\u2019m on it,\u201d he sighed, and a moment later stepped out into the nerve-center of his facility, which was packed with flat scree video monitors on 3 walls, all feeding his officers live imagery from around the complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, sir!\u201d The Commander gestured for him to observe the footage on their largest central console. \u201cThe Rotunda, East Balcony camera, 90 seconds ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Individual unaccompanied males were always the greatest concern in any environment where the majority of observable people tended to move in groups or mill with others. The same could also be said of anyone moving too hastily, or with too focused an intent. Naturally then, Anderson\u2019s sharp and well trained eyes went straight to the man with the shaved head and injured arm in a sling. He appeared to move purposefully and deliberately, not with any sense of curiosity or wonder at his surroundings. He was also talking on a cell phone.<\/p>\n
Arriving at the exact center of the Rotunda, he stopped abruptly, ended his call, and appeared to kneel down as if tying his shoe.<\/p>\n
What he actually did instead of adjusting his footwear, was removed something from his sling and set it on the floor. Then he stood and moved briskly to the east exit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that a…?\u201d Anderson leaned in toward the screen. \u201cGood God! A hand?\u201d<\/p>\n
He spun away and ran for the door, barking order as he went. \u201cRadio all points. Find that balk guy with the sling, and detain him. NOW!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then dashing out of the Security Center, he raced up the stairs, taking three treads at a time.<\/p>\n
A lot more than 90 seconds had passed since the strange incident, but having seen which way the suspect had left the Rotunda, Anderson knew there was at least a slim chance of cutting him off.<\/p>\n
As he reached the East-West Corridor, the hallway was quiet.<\/p>\n
An elderly couple at the far end, walked slowly, hand in hand, while a blond haired tourist wearing a blue blazer stood reading a guidebook and studying the murals nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, sir?\u201d Anderson yelled, heading for the man he promptly startled. \u201cHave you seen a bald guy wearing a sling on his arm?\u201d All he got by way of reply was a confused look. \u201cSir! A bald man with a sling. Did you see him?\u201d<\/p>\n
The tourist blinked uncertainty written all over his face. \u201cUm…\u201d He glanced toward the far end of the hallway. \u201cYes, I think he just ran past, to that staircase over there.\u201d He pointed and tried to see helpful.<\/p>\n
Anderson nodded, pulled out his radio and snapped, \u201cAll points! Our suspect is heading for the south-east exit. Converge! Converge!!\u201d<\/p>\n
Sixty seconds later, at a quiet exit on the east side of the Capitol, the blond man in the blue blazer strode into the damp evening air, and smiled contentedly.<\/p>\n
Over the centuries, he had grown highly adept at the use of personal transformation to avoid detection. There would, after all, forever be those who only saw what they were expecting to see.<\/p>\n
Human beings were far easier to manipulate than Vampires.<\/p>\n
But even the Undead had their own special weaknesses.<\/p>\n
Chapter 8<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Donning her lab coat, Katherine began what her brother would jokingly refer to as the \u2018pre-flight checks\u2019, making certain everything was in place and fully prepped for the coming week.<\/p>\n
In the Mechanics Room, the hydrogen fuel cell was running normally, and its many spare tanks sat safely in their racks.<\/p>\n
The back up units for the computer system were humming softly in the data storage area, protected from harm behind 3 inches of shatterproof glass. She knew it was somewhat foolish to store even the redundant drives on-site should anything unforeseen occur, like fire or earthquake, but the nature of her work had proven more than sufficiently controversial to warrant not having a potential data leak from an outside third party. Secrecy was paramount for a science that could change everything.<\/p>\n
Literally.<\/p>\n
She had recently overseen an experiment where her own intentional thought processes had cause the growth of ice crystals to changed into a pattern-like flowering shape when she dwelt on positive emotions, and then become more rough and jagged if she dwelt on negative emotions. It was a considerable breakthrough, but she needed to discuss far more than that<\/em> with Peter should he ever answer his damn phone or show his face any time soon.<\/p>\nWhen she saw the light on under the Control Room door, her first – and only – thought was that he\u2019d finally arrived, so yelling his name in relief and annoyance as she burst in, was more than enough to have her research assistant, Trisha Dunne, leaping away from the computer terminal she\u2019d been working on.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my God! Katherine, you scared me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Trish was a 26 year old, brown haired, genius data modeler, who rarely had to work at weekends. That she\u2019d come in on a Sunday night to try and analyze the latest ice crystal data currently up on the giant plasma wall viewing screen, was hardly worthy of a heart attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry…\u201d she sighed. \u201cI was trying to finish off before you and your brother arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you spoken to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Trish shook her head. \u201cI bet he\u2019s still figuring out that new Starkphone you gave him for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katherine appreciated the joke, but finding Trish at work gave her a sudden idea. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here tonight. You might be able to help me with something, if you don\u2019t have to rush off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever you need, I\u2019m good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell…\u201d She stared at the screen that almost filled the wall\u2019s entirety, its glow reminding her of something from NASA. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how to explain this, but earlier today I heard a unusual story. It sounds like fiction, or an old legend, and yet…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet?\u201d Trish watched her boss fiddling with the stray hair that wouldn\u2019t stay tucked behind her ear. It was a bad \u2018tell\u2019 for nerves, in someone usually so very much more reserved and self-controlled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told by a trusted source today, that the legend is true. I\u2019m going to talk to Peter about it, but it occurs to me that you might be able to shed some light on it for me too. I\u2019d love to know if this legend has ever been corroborated anywhere else in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn all<\/em> of history?\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cYes, anywhere in the world, in any language, at any point in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then years or so ago, such a task would\u2019ve been almost impossible without an army of researchers and 5 years of continual study, but with the Internet, and the growth of the Word Wide Web, as well as many ongoing digitization projects across great libraries and museum collections everywhere, Katherine\u2019s goal could be achieved by using a search engine equipped with a variety of translation modules and a raft of well chosen keywords.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo problem,\u201d Trish answered. She was often asked to write highly specialized Optical Character Recognition modules for the translation of obscure ancient languages into English, and she figured she was probably the only metasystems specialist on Earth who could build OCR in Old Frisian, Ye-Maek, and Akkadian. She\u2019d learned a lot from the highly unusual book collection that Katherine and Peter had assembled. \u201cOkay…\u201d She scanned the list of search string terms and keywords that her boss had hastily scribbled on a Post-It<\/em>. \u201cYou want me to search for all<\/em> of this?\u201d One of the words she didn\u2019t even recognize, and her eyes grew a little wider as she wondered what kind of legend it related to. \u201cDo you think we\u2019ll find all these in one place? Verbatim?\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cYes, if we try.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word \u2018impossible\u2019 was not permitted in \u2018The Cube\u2019. To believe anything could be impossible was dangerous in a field of research that was able to take pre-conceived falsehood and transform them into confirmed truths.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long to get results?\u201d Katherine asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I write the Search Spider, it should take about 15 minutes to exhaust itself. A traditional search engine can take about a day to crawl across the entire online universe, find new entires, fully digest their contents, and add it to our searchable database, but I\u2019ll write a Delegator. It\u2019s much faster. It\u2019s not exactly legit, but it\u2019ll work by ordering other people\u2019s search engines to do the hard work for us. Every database has a search function, so let\u2019s use them. I\u2019ll call you if I get anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you! I\u2019ll be in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trish settled into her new task.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t menial, but it fell a bit below her pay grade. She didn\u2019t mind though, as she would quite literally do anything<\/em> for Dr. Solomon.<\/p>\nA ridiculous amount of good fortune had brought them together just over a year before.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d quit her job as a metasystems analyst, bored out of her skull at being stuck in a cubicle farm. She\u2019d actually been so<\/em> bored, that in her off time, she\u2019d done some freelance work and started a tech industry blog called \u2018Future Applications in Computer Metasystems Analysis\u2019.<\/p>\nThen one evening, Katherine called her. She\u2019d just recently written an article on the woman\u2019s book, \u2018Noetic Science: Modern Gateway to Ancient Wisdom\u2019, and had apparently attracted the author\u2019s attention. A great deal of discussion between them, each eager to learn more about the other\u2019s field of study and expertise, had resulted in a deep sense of mutual respect and several meetings that finally led them to working together.<\/p>\n
What sealed the deal was when Trish had explained how she\u2019d come to have so vast and impressive a piece of property to live on in an exclusive area of Upstate New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got lucky a few years ago and licensed some software I\u2019d written. A precursor to metasystems stuff. Following 9\/11, the government was intercepting and crunching enormous amounts of data in various fields – civilian emails, cell phones, faxes, text messages, website hits… Essentially, they were sniffing out essential keywords that could be associated with terrorism, or terrorist communications. So I wrote a piece of software that allowed for processing it all in a second way. It generated what you might call an \u2018additional intelligence product\u2019 that took America\u2019s temperature.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, what?\u201d Katherine was astonished.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYeah, I know it sounds crazy but it quantified the nation\u2019s emotional state. It offered a kind of cosmic consciousness barometer. It assessed the people\u2019s mood based on occurrence densities of certain words and emotional context indicators. Happier times mean happier language, and stressful times mean more stress filled language. In the wake of say, a terror attack, the government could then use America\u2019s psychological state to better advise the President on the emotional ramifications of any given event.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cSo,\u201d Katherine answered thoughtfully, \u201cyou\u2019re examining a population of individuals as if it were a single organism.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cExactly that, yes. A metasystem. An enormous entity defined by the sum of its component parts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cLike schools of fish moving as one. Or flocks of birds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMy software was meant to help government agencies better evaluate and respond to widespread, wide scale crises like pandemic diseases, large area tragedies, natural disasters, that kind of thing. Of course, there is always the potential for it to be used in other directions – perhaps to take a snapshot of the nation\u2019s mindset and predict the outcome of a General Elections, or what the Stock Market will do at the next opening bell.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cSounds powerful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nTrish gestured around her house. \u201cThe government certainly thought so.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatherine\u2019s gray eyes focused in on her. \u201cLet me ask you about the ethical dilemma posed by your work. I mean, you created a piece of software that can easily be abused. Those who posses it, have advantages over others because they alone can access powerful information not available to everyone. You didn\u2019t have any kind of hesitation in creating it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nTrish didn\u2019t even blink before reply, \u201cAbsolutely not. My software is no different than say, a flight simulator, for example. Some users will practice for fun, some will use it to train for exams and tests, other to learn how to fly first aid missions into places with no real runways. Some will use it to practice flying passenger planes into skyscrapers. It assists in developing knowledge, and like all such tool, its impact on is in the hands of the user.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatherine smiled at her words. \u201cDoes it have a name?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cSamaritan.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cInteresting… So let me ask you a hypothetical.\u201d Katherine bent down and picked up a miniscule speck of dust from the corner of the kitchen table. \u201cIt occurs to me that your metasystems work lets you calculate the weight of an entire sandy beach, by weighing one grain at a time. But every tiny grain has mass, like this dust. A very small mass, but mass nonetheless.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nTrish nodded. \u201cSure.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cBecause this speck of dust has mass, it therefore exerts gravity. Again, that gravity is too small to feel, but it is there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cRight. Yes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cIf we take trillions of these specks, and put them together until they form something the size of the moon, then their combined gravity is enough to move the oceans, and draw the tides across our planet.\u201d She tossed away the tiny fleck, and ran her hands over her knees as though to dust them off completely. \u201cWhat if I told you that a thought – a tiny idea in your brain – actually has mass too? What if I told you that a thought is an actual measurable entity with a measurable mass? A very minuscule mass, of course, but mass nonetheless?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThen taking your hypothesis, I would have to say that even the tiniest of thoughts would also exert gravity and therefore be able to pull things toward it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cVery good. Take it a step forward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cOkay, so if a huge number of people all had the same thought, it would exert an ever greater mass until it cold be seen to exert actual tangible forces in the physical world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYes! And with your help, I\u2019m going to prove it. Bring Samaritan too. It should be able to help us.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nChapter 9<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nTony had about as much knowledge of what we really going on, as Jethro did, but in his not inconsiderable history of life with Nicolaus Valerius Meridius, he\u2019d both seen, and participated in, moments of weird confusion and utter insanity, enough to know that when he was abruptly summoned, he didn\u2019t stop to ask why.<\/p>\n
Jethro had also reached certain conclusions concerning his role both in Sylum Clan, and as Tony\u2019s Mate, so he too came when instructed, remembering the old Batman and Robin<\/em> TV show from decades before, and wondering whether a dramatic signal in the sky wouldn\u2019t be more appropriate than a blunt text message from an unreadable phone number.<\/p>\nGetting into the Rotunda was not exactly difficult with the kind of ID they could flash at any curious uniform who decided to ask them stupid questions or otherwise impede their forward progress.<\/p>\n
Following the sounds of rapidly barked orders being issued, and agitated civilians arguing with those who were clearly trying to fathom out whatever the hell had happened, seemed much like any number of crime scenes they\u2019d ever attended, and bracing themselves, they headed straight into the fray.<\/p>\n
Finding their Clan Leader and Professor Langdon at the center of it all, was not exactly shocking either.<\/p>\n
Jethro certainly recognized Chief Anderson, who for some reason was waving around a medical sling with bandages hanging out of it, and a rather sorry looking old military coat. He was demanding to know where the owner of both items had seemingly vanished to.<\/p>\n
Cell phones produced to take pictures of what appeared to be a human hand on the floor, were all being rapidly confiscated, and velvet ropes were being strung at the doors, politely signaling to other visitors in the building that \u2018This Room Is Closed For Cleaning\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\nConfusion didn\u2019t even begin to cover it.<\/p>\n
Not even close.<\/p>\n
Jethro\u2019s tendency to favor redheads was something Tony had learned years ago to accept, but seeing how the Capitol Police Chief responded at being personally addressed by name, was more than enough to make Sylum\u2019s Second-in-Command as jealous as hell.<\/p>\n
Of course his Mate knew the man!<\/p>\n
His Mate knew every redhead in the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n
How well<\/em> he knew them, was another matter altogether.<\/p>\nDistraction complete, Tony managed to sidle over toward his Sire, who in the middle of all kinds of death and mayhem, somehow managed to appear innocent of all things.<\/p>\n
Langdon was not so composed, and seeing a friendly ally made him bounce on the balls of his feet like an eager Terrier in a tweed jacket.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d been gesticulating at the dome when the Police arrived, and Nicolaus had told him to be quiet so there might be no immediate inference made between their presence and the hand on the floor.<\/p>\n
As a strategy, it worked, making them no more than curious onlookers who knew nothing about the man who\u2019d left them so gruesome a message. In return, the Chief had inadvertently given them a very clear picture of the suspect, right down to how he\u2019d gotten into the building and done something so outrageous without being caught.<\/p>\n
How he\u2019d escaped remained not so much a mystery as a source of some considerable anger, but Nicolaus knew that one disguise would merely beget another.<\/p>\n
The Machine, which had been inside the systems on Capitol Hill from the moment it was first released into the world, was already scanning video footage from multiple cameras, and would have a face for assessment soon enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to get up there!\u201d Langdon hissed, gesturing much like the hand on the floor, only doing it where none of the Police could see.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd a nice cheery \u2018good evening\u2019 to you too, Prof,\u201d Tony replied, frowning. \u201cYou want to fill me in on this?\u201d Behind him he could hear Jethro explaining that the situation was connected to an NCIS investigation and there was no need to get anyone else involved in something that was not a threat to anyone in the government whatsoever.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you know about the religious symbolism of Washington?\u201d Nico asked his Second.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man or the city?\u201d Tony glanced up, and back down. \u201cIf you want Washington himself, you\u2019d be better off with Henry Sturges right now. So, who\u2019s currently missing an appendage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter Solomon,\u201d Langdon said quickly.<\/p>\n
Tony\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cOkay then, so we got your summons. What do you need? Forensics?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to the dome,\u201d Nicolaus answered, before Robert could start gesturing again and drawing too much attention.<\/p>\n
\u2018The Apotheosis of Washington\u2019<\/em> is a 4,664 square foot fresco that sits at the very heart of the Capitol in the canopy of the Rotunda. Completed in just 11 months at the end of the US Civil War by a Greek-Italian artist named Constantino Brumidi, who previously spent 3 years working in the Vatican under Pope Gregory XVI, many of its 15 foot tall characters are visible from the floor 180 feet below, but not around the lower perimeter.<\/p>\nFor many, the work represents Brumidi\u2019s master achievement, because he could create the illusion of 3-dimensional forms on flat surfaces.<\/p>\n
For most other observers, it generates only confusion, and it gets stranger the more they look at it, for its symbolism is a long way indeed from the \u2018Christian Principles\u2019 on which so many public and private voices liked to claim their nation was built.<\/p>\n
Tony had never paid much attention to such things. The idea of divine transformation – specifically that of apotheosis, or becoming a god – was reserved for Christ alone in far deeper Mysteries than there were either adequate words or painted images to express.<\/p>\n
He frowned. \u201cWhat am I missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Police had emptied the room.<\/p>\n
The crying child was gone.<\/p>\n
The sudden sense of calm that descended on them seemed almost palpable.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Chief Anderson growled. \u201cWhat are we all<\/em> missing?\u201d<\/p>\nLangdon shot a sideways glance at Nicolaus. \u201cHe can help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jethro nodded. \u201cMark\u2019s agreed to give us access to solve the crime,\u201d he said simply, eyeing his Mate, \u201cbefore Homeland Security poke their beaks where we don\u2019t need them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paperwork alone…\u201d Anderson sighed, his expression speaking volumes on the subject of bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
For his part, Sylum\u2019s Clan Leader chose silence. His brain was still chewing over the tantalizing voice they\u2019d heard on Robert\u2019s cell, but the mental filing cabinet of vocal samples that he possessed was both extremely large and coming up blank. His instincts were telling him that nothing good could possibly come from the next few hours, while his phone had already provided a more than adequate background check on Mark Anderson, and determined that should circumstances dictate it necessary, he would take fairly easily to being introduced to the reality of Vampires.<\/p>\n
Langdon glared at his watch.<\/p>\n
Mickey Mouse ticked onward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking for Peter Solomon. That<\/em> is his hand. The man who took him has crafted it to look like The Hand of the Mysteries<\/em>, which was extended specifically to me tonight, that i might find an ancient portal which will lead to the source of all ancient wisdoms.\u201d Robert couldn\u2019t allow himself to think too hard on his friend\u2019s current situation, but a renewed sense of needing to hurry, swept his words into faster and faster delivery. \u201cFor Peter, as a 33rd Degree Mason, this portal is metaphorical, a myth, pre-christian, thousands of years old. For his kidnapper, this portal is real.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cMad man,\u201d Anderson grunted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Langdon agree readily, hoping the Police Chief hadn\u2019t intended that to be directed at him personally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this \u2018ancient wisdom\u2019?\u201d Jethro asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cA body of knowledge kept secret because it would be too dangerous to let it become well known. One suggestion is that it would allow practitioners to access powerful abilities that lie dormant in the human mind. Imagine that<\/em> in a place filled with politicians!\u201d He\u2019d meant it in a slightly light-hearted fashion, yet the grunts of agreement it provoked from his audience, suggested he\u2019d hit home.<\/p>\n\u201cBut any knowledge could be used wrongly in the wrong hands,\u201d Tony said simply. \u201cNo pun intended.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pointing finger in the middle of the floor was more accusatory than conclusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cVirtually every mystical tradition revolved – or still<\/em> revolves – around the simple idea that there exists somewhere, arcane knowledge capable of imbuing humans with mystical, even godlike powers. Tarot, for example, gives divination of the future. Alchemy gives immortality through the Philosopher\u2019s Stone or the Elixir of Life. Immortality. Godlike. Everlasting.\u201d As a Vampire, he knew the irony in his words was pretty thick. \u201cEven Wicca is said to allow advanced practitioners to cast powerful spells. The list is vast. As an academic, I cannot deny the historical record that these traditions have generated – documents, artworks, artifacts – that suggest ancient peoples around the world had wisdoms they only shared through allegory, mythology, and symbolism, to ensure that only the properly initiated were could ever access it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cLike a fully initiated<\/em> 33rd Degree Mason?\u201d Nicolaus had been reading Peter Solomon\u2019s biography as The Machine parsed it for him.<\/p>\nRobert tried not to glance at the hand one more time. \u201cPeter believes in ancient wisdom as a means for modern man to learn better ways of living and being. That doesn\u2019t make him crazy enough to believe in this portal I\u2019m meant to find somehow. Besides, that<\/em> too is simply a metaphor. Portals and doorways are very common symbolic constructs representing rites of passage that transform the person taking part in them. To look for a literal portal would be like trying to find the actual Gates of Heaven!\u201d<\/p>\nTony and Jethro cast a significant glance at Nicolaus, both of them wondering whether the Stargate had some connection to what they were meant to find.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly zealots confuse reality with metaphor,\u201d Nico said quietly. \u201cAlchemists never found the Philosopher\u2019s Stone. Turning lead into gold was a way for describing the education of a dullard into someone brilliantly enlightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cZealots chop off more than hands!\u201d Anderson reminded them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they\u2019re usually startlingly well versed in their knowledge,\u201d Robert continued. \u201cThe hand… This<\/em> hand, extended as an invitation was traditionally extended in a sacred space.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThis is the US Capitol, not some sacred shrine to ancient knowledge and mystical secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Langdon stared at the Police Chief much as he would a particularly dense Sophomore at Harvard. \u201cActually, I know a number of historians who would disagree with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony snorted rudely. \u201cThis is a shrine to political moneymaking and partisan argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerica has a hidden past, and the true intentions of this nation\u2019s forefathers had nothing to do with what so many of its politicians like to claim.\u201d In full Professorial Mode, Robert Langdon knew very well he could keep lecturing for hours, and often did, especially on so vast and fascinating a topic.<\/p>\n
But they didn\u2019t have hours.<\/p>\n
And neither did Peter Solomon.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerica\u2019s intended destiny has been lost to history,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe Forefathers founded this nation\u2019s capitol on a piece of swampland ridden with frogs and flies, because it was once called \u2018Rome\u2019, and its river was named the \u2018Tiber\u2019. It\u2019s owner was one, Francis Pope, who might have been having one almighty joke on the universe way before George Washington was even born. From this particular \u2018pope\u2019 came the tradition that says he had almost prophetic powers in predicting from a dream that a more mighty capitol than even the original Rome, would one day come to occupy this rather uninspiring marshy bog. A quaint story perhaps, but a manuscript in the Maryland State Archives at Annapolis, dates a land deed to June 5, 1663, and so \u2018Rome\u2019 it indeed proved to be. Right here, gentlemen, where the Founders erected a Classical Capital of Temples and Pantheons, adorned with images of history\u2019s great Gods and Goddesses – Apollo, Minerva, Venus, Vulcan, Helios, Jupiter. And in her center, many years later, an enduring tribute to the older ancients – the Egyptian Obelisk that proclaims thanks and honor to the Demigod father from whom this Capital City took it\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicolaus struggled with every fiber of his body not to roll his eyes and groan in pain. \u201cAnd so, theatrics aside and centuries later, despite America\u2019s infamous \u2018Separation of Church and State\u2019, this state-sponsored Rotunda we\u2019re now standing in, has more religious significance than I can start listing,\u201d he muttered sourly, raising his long suffering gaze to the fresco overhead.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you may know,\u201d Langdon continued, not wanting his train of thought interrupted by an actual Roman with actual Roman opinions, \u201cthis Rotunda stands as a tribute to one of Rome\u2019s moist venerated mystical shrines – The Temple of Vesta.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs in Vestal Virgins?\u201d Jethro interjected. \u201cIn the Capital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat might explain why the government\u2019s always so eager to regulate the definition of sex, and who gets to have it,\u201d Tony muttered with a smirk.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsider the shape,\u201d Langdon insisted, glaring at Sylum\u2019s Second-In-Command. \u201cThe Temple of Vesta was circular, with a gaping hole in the floor through which the Sacred Fire could be tended by a sisterhood of pure virgins whose job it was to ensure the flame never died. There are many sacred sites with Eternal Flames, even here in D.C., like say, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the tomb of JFK.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, but there\u2019s no hole here,\u201d Anderson pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but there was once a 10 foot circular opening meant to allow for viewing the tomb of George Washington in the crypt beneath us. Mention of a fire was reduced to a single torch that burned for a while, but Washington\u2019s remains stayed at Mount Vernon in accordance with his Will and his wishes, so while the empty tomb remains below to this day, the drafty hole that never got its well-intentioned glass viewing floor, was covered in, and the torch extinguished in 1828.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was probably getting damp,\u201d Tony concluded.<\/p>\n
Everyone nodded sagely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t getting us very far though,\u201d Jethro reminded them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we need a proper look at the fresco,\u201d Robert said, gesturing one more time like the hand on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what that all means up there then?\u201d Anderson asked, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s actually the very epitome of this \u2018secret knowledge rite of passage\u2019 theme we\u2019ve been talking about. Man achieving Godlike powers, right there in the central grouping of the panels. Do you see?\u201d Langdon was emphatic. \u201cThat\u2019s George Washington in regal dress, flanked by the personification of Liberty and Victory, ascending on a cloud above mere mortal man, and rising to the rank of God. This is the moment of his transformation. Those other 13 maidens around him represent the original States, but they could be Vestals too, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicolaus sighed heavily.<\/p>\n
Robert ignored him. \u201cSix groups of figures are all over the perimeter of the fresco. Ancient Gods presenting the Forefathers with advanced knowledge and wisdom.\u201d He started moving clockwise around the floor. \u201cThere\u2019s Minerva, representing science, granting technological inspiration to Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, and Samuel Morse. Then Neptune with his Trident. The God of the Sea is also with Venus there, holding the transatlantic cable that was being laid when the fresco was painted. Then there\u2019s Mercury handing over a bag of money to Robert Morris, financier of the American Revolution. Vulcan comes next. See his anvil and forge? He\u2019s giving us cannons, and a steam engine. Beside him is Ceres, the Goddess of Grain and Root. From her we get the word \u2018cereal\u2019. She\u2019s sitting on the McCormick Reaper, a technological breakthrough of the time, that allowed this country to become a world leader in food production. With her is America, wearing a red liberty cap. Then there\u2019s Flora picking flowers. Knowledge is power, and it all comes from the Gods. The right<\/em> knowledge allows man to perform deeds that are miraculous, almost Godlike.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cLaying a phone cable is a far cry from being a God,\u201d Anderson said bluntly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly to modern man,\u201d Tony replied, \u201cbut if George Washington knew that we had become a race of people with the power to speak to one another across oceans, fly around the world, and set foot on the moon, he would assume we had become Gods, able to perform the miraculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Any sufficiently advanced technology, is indistinguishable from magic\u2019 – Arthur C. Clarke.\u201d Nicolaus stared straight back when everyone turned to look at him in surprise. \u201cWhat?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have spent way too long with Speed,\u201d Tony grumbled, though he meant it as a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Speed?\u201d Anderson asked, confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIrishman. Really annoying. Tendency to drool,\u201d Tony explained helpfully.<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds valid,\u201d the Chief replied. \u201cHad our share of them in here over the years. So!\u201d He rubbed his hands together decisively, having apparently given the evidence he\u2019d been brandishing earlier, to one of his other officers before they\u2019d all vacated the room. \u201cThere\u2019s a catwalk around the interior of the dome up there. I can also tell you that not many people know about one of the hexagonal coffers actually swinging open like a portal, so that you can peer down and…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait a second!\u201d Langdon flapped his arms in frustration. \u201cYou\u2019re missing the point. The portal is figurative. <\/em>It\u2019s not an object that really physically exists.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cBut this hand here does.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no arguing with that, though the Professor tried anyway. \u201cThe Hand of the Mysteries<\/em> is also not something that physically exists except in art. Actually it\u2019s all over the world. This same gesture appears in 3 of Leonardo\u2019s most famous encoded masterpieces – The Last Supper, Adoration of the Magi, <\/em>and Saint John the Baptist. <\/em>It recognizes man\u2019s mystical connection to God. As above, so below.\u201d<\/p>\nNicolaus pursed his lips. \u201cTime is getting away from us.\u201d He had no idea how long ago Peter Solomon had been taken by his kidnapper, but he was very well aware that every hour lost from then on, meant a successful return of the victim was less and less likely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, I\u2019ve never seen that gesture until today.\u201d Anderson crossed his arms, refusing to move, when just moments before he\u2019d seemed more than ready to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure you have,\u201d Jethro said quietly, \u201con ESPN all the time, Mark. Professional athletes point skyward in thanks to God after a touchdown or a home run. You have to wonder how many of them know they\u2019re acknowledging something other than the God who for one brief moment transformed them too into Gods capable of miraculous feats?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony grinned broadly at his Mate\u2019s unexpected insight. \u201cNice!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it helps, Peter\u2019s hand is not the first to make such an appearance in this Rotunda,\u201d Robert said somewhat smugly.<\/p>\n
Anderson eyeballed Langdon like he\u2019s gone crazy. \u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you get a chance, you should Google, \u2018George Washington Zeus<\/em>\u2019,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\u201cOh, for the love of Jupiter!\u201d Nicolaus moaned, as even Tony tried not to facepalm. \u201cLet\u2019s save some time on that, okay? There\u2019s a huge and seriously ugly sculpture of George Washington that was once placed in the Rotunda until people took offense at it. It was meant to depict Washington as the Olympian Zeus, in Godlike authority, bare-chested and sandaled. But, trust me when I tell you, it\u2019s a hideous monstrosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the artist should\u2019ve been shot,\u201d Tony concluded primly, remembering the other eyesore that Horatio Greenough had been responsible for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat matters,\u201d Langdon interrupted, \u201cis that it still exists, and in it Washington\u2019s right hand is raised, pointing upward like Peter\u2019s.\u201d He stared over at the message he\u2019d been left, and his jaw fell open. \u201cIt crossed my mind earlier that maybe this guy had left an object clenched in Peter\u2019s palm. Maybe a map, or a letter, or directions…something<\/em>! But the other three fingers aren\u2019t fully clenched, are they? What if…\u201d He licked his lips carefully. \u201cWhat if it\u2019s not written on paper?\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cTattooed?\u201d Nico asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike the fingertips.\u201d Langdon nodded. \u201cIt might be…\u201d<\/p>\n
No one moved until Jethro stepped forward.<\/p>\n
Pulling a pen from his inside coat pocket, he bent down and slid it as carefully as possible under the three bent fingers, then very gently pried them upward until the hand was open, and its palm clearly visible.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery good, Professor,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n
Chapter 10<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nKatherine Solomon couldn\u2019t settle, and she found herself pacing around the library in frustration. If there had been a carpet, she would\u2019ve worn a track in it.<\/p>\n
She was well accustomed to waiting. Science took some considerable patience at every stage of investigation and experimentation, but that night, she truly felt like her whole world had been put on hold.<\/p>\n
She was waiting for Trish\u2019s search results.<\/p>\n
She was waiting for Peter to show, or at least send word.<\/p>\n
She was waiting for a message from the man who was responsible for throwing literally everything into confusion.<\/p>\n
She wished he hadn\u2019t told her anything.<\/p>\n
At all.<\/p>\n
Making new acquaintances wasn\u2019t hard for her, but it was something she usually took great care over. Talking about herself and her work could go seriously wrong if she didn\u2019t consider her words first, even over harmless drinks.<\/p>\n
That she\u2019d met the man for what was the first time that very afternoon, and he\u2019d earned her trust in a matter of minutes, was no small feat.<\/p>\n
His initial call had come while Katherine was at home, enjoying her usual Sunday \u2018science journal catch up session\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Solomon?\u201d an unusually wary voice asked. \u201cMy name is Doctor Christopher Abaddon. I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment about your brother.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, who is this?\u201d she demanded. \u201cAnd how did you get my private cell phone number?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cDoctor Christopher Abaddon?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYou say that as though I should recognize you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cOh! I apologize.\u201d He cleared his throat as though the situation had just developed into something terribly awkward. \u201cMy apologies, but I was under the impression your brother had told you about me. I\u2019m his doctor you see, and your cell number is listed for his emergency contact.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nNaturally, Katherine\u2019s heart skipped over suddenly. \u201cIs something wrong?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so, but your brother missed an appointment this morning, and I can\u2019t seem to reach him on any of his numbers. He never misses an appointment without calling, and he\u2019s gotten me a little worried. I did hesitate all morning before phoning you, but…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cNo, no! No, not at all. I appreciate the concern.\u201d Katherine was still trying to place the doctor\u2019s name. \u201cI haven\u2019t spoken to Peter since yesterday morning, but he probably left his new cell switched off. You, er… You say you\u2019re his doctor?\u201d She asked that, wondering if her brother was keeping news of an illness from her, and sure enough there was a positively weighty pause on the line.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m terribly sorry, Ms. Solomon, but I\u2019ve obviously just made a rather serious professional error in calling you. Your brother told me you were aware of his visits to see me, but that would now seem to not be the case.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nTo think that Peter would lie to his doctor, actually made Katherine feel quite nauseous. \u201cIs he…sick?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry Ms. Solomon, but doctor-patient confidentiality precludes me from discussing your brother\u2019s condition, and I\u2019ve said too much already by even admitting that he\u2019s my patient. I\u2019m hanging up now, but if you hear from Peter today I\u2019d appreciate you asking him to call me so I know he\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWait! Please!! Please tell me what\u2019s wrong with Peter!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe doctor exhaled, sounding highly displeased with his own mistake. \u201cI can hear that you are quite upset Ms. Solomon, and I don\u2019t blame you. It\u2019s really very understandable. I\u2019m sure your brother is fine. He was in my office only yesterday.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWhat? And he\u2019s scheduled again today? This sounds like something very urgent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe man heaved yet one more telling sigh. \u201cI respectfully suggest we give him a little more time before we…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m coming by your office, right now.\u201d Katherine was already heading for the door. \u201cWhere are you located?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nSilence.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cDoctor Christopher Abaddon. I can look up your address for myself, or you can save me that effort and simply tell me. Either way, I\u2019m still coming to see you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe doctor paused. \u201cIf I meet with you, Ms. Solomon, would you kindly do me the courtesy of saying nothing to Peter about this until I\u2019ve had chance to explain my little misstep to him myself?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMy office is in Kalorama Heights.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\nHe gave her the full address, and 20 minutes later she was driving the very regal, stately streets of Kalorama, having phoned all of her brother\u2019s numbers with no reply.<\/em><\/p>\nNothing felt right.<\/em><\/p>\nPeter keeping secrets?<\/em><\/p>\nPeter telling lies?<\/em><\/p>\nIt was impossible.<\/em><\/p>\nWhen she finally located the place, she stared long and hard at the ridiculously opulent mansion before her, wondering if she\u2019d made a mistake and turned left somewhere instead of right. The house was enormous – wrought irons security fencing, electronic camera surveillance, lush gardens and fountains.<\/em><\/p>\nAs she slowed the car to double-check the location, one of the camera rotated toward her, and the gate swung open.<\/em><\/p>\nThe driveway was at least a half mile long, and she parked next to a 6 car garage with a stretch limo sat outside.<\/em><\/p>\nAs she stepped from her car, so the front door of the mansion opened, and a tall, remarkably handsome man drifted out to greet her.<\/em><\/p>\nIt was impossible to gauge how old he might be, but he projected the poise and sophistication of someone who knew both wealth and power. He was dressed impeccably in a dark suit and tie, and his thick blond hair was immaculately coiffed. <\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMs. Solomon, I\u2019m Doctor Christopher Abaddon,\u201d he said crisply, and they shook hands. <\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThis is very lovely,\u201d she said quietly, as he led her into the beautifully appointed foyer.<\/em><\/p>\nClassical music was playing softly in the background, and it smelled is if someone had burned incense.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI am lucky to be able to work out of my home,\u201d he replied, showing her into a living room that came complete with a wonderfully crackling fireplace. \u201cPlease, make yourself comfortable. I\u2019m just steeping some tea. I\u2019ll bring it out and we can talk.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHe strode toward the kitchen, and disappeared through the door.<\/em><\/p>\nKatherine did not sit.<\/em><\/p>\nSomething about the place was making her skin crawl, but she wasn\u2019t sure why. Nothing looked like a doctor\u2019s office in any way, shape, or form.<\/em><\/p>\nThere were antiques everywhere, and the walls were adorned in vast array of classical art pieces with mythical themes.<\/em><\/p>\nShe paused before a large, spectacularly rendered painting of The Three Graces, whose semi-nude bodies were expressed in the most eye-catching colors.<\/em><\/p>\nThe doctor appeared without warning beside her, holding a tray. \u201cI thought we\u2019d sit by the fire?\u201d He led her to the living room, and offered her a seat. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to be nervous.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m not nervous,\u201d Katherine said, entirely too quickly.<\/em><\/p>\nHe offered her a reassuring smile. \u201cWell, actually it\u2019s my business to know when people are nervous.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m a practicing psychiatrist, Ms. Solomon. That\u2019s my profession. I\u2019ve been seeing your brother for almost a year now. I\u2019m his therapist.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatherine sat down with all the air rushing from her lungs at once. She could only stare at the man in front of her.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMy patients often choose to keep their therapy to themselves. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that strategy. I obviously made a mistake in calling you, although in my defense, your brother misled me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI honestly had no idea.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAllow me to apologize if I have done anything to make you nervous,\u201d he continued, sounding embarrassed.<\/em><\/p>\nShe found his voice to be oddly comforting, as it dropped into a lower and more intimate, even husky tone.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI see you staring at my hair. I\u2019m afraid I have a rather disturbing skin condition that has left me bald and badly scared. I usually have my wife help me with the wig, but when she\u2019s not here, I have only my own less than subtle touch to rely on. I\u2019m sorry if it startled you, because I got it backwards or something.\u201d He shifted on the couch, awkwardly self-conscious. \u201cI confess, my one sin is vanity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAnd apparently mine is rudeness,\u201d Katherine sighed.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cNot at all,\u201d he assured her, with a disarming smile. \u201cShall we start over? Perhaps with some tea? It would be a shame to waste it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nShe let him pour and perform the traditional ritual niceties that tea demanded.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYour brother got me into the habit of serving this during our sessions. He said the Solomons were tea drinkers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cFamily tradition,\u201d Katherine answered. \u201cBlack, please.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThey made polite smalltalk for a few minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWhy was Peter coming to you?\u201d she finally asked, not wanting to get sidetracked. It disturbed her that he might have hit a point where he could no longer cope.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cPeter came to see me because he trusts me. We have a bond that goes beyond normal doctor-patient boundaries.\u201d Abaddon put his teacup back on the tray, and motioned to a framed document on the wall near the fireplace.<\/em><\/p>\nIt appeared to be a Diploma of some kind, until Katherine spied the finer details. \u201cYou\u2019re a Mason? And the highest degree no less!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cPeter and I are brothers, of sorts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYou must have done something important to be invited into the 33rd Degree.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cNot really,\u201d he replied. \u201cI have money, and I give a lot of it to Masonic Charities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatherine suddenly understood why her brother had chosen to trust the man – family wealth, philanthropy, an interest in mythology. They had a lot in common.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWhen I asked why Peter came to see you, I didn\u2019t mean why he chose you. I meant, why is he seeking the services of a psychiatrist?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nDr. Abaddon smiled. \u201cYes, I know that. I was trying to politely sidestep the question. It\u2019s really not something we should be discussing.\u201d He paused for a moment. \u201cAlthough, I must say I\u2019m rather confused about your brother keeping our discussions from you, especially considering how directly they relate to your research.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMy research!?\u201d Katherine was taken totally off guard. \u201cHe talks to you about my research?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cYour brother came to see me recently, seeking a professional opinion about the psychological impact your breakthroughs are making in your lab.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nShe almost choked on her next sip of tea. \u201cReally? I\u2019m…s…surprised,\u201d she stuttered, wondering what the hell Peter was thinking bringing a Shrink into their confidence, when every ounce of extreme confidentiality and security had been her brother\u2019s idea for the lab to start with!<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cCertainly you are aware, Ms. Solomon, that Peter is deeply concerned about what could happen when your works goes fully public. He foresees the potential for a significant philosophical shift in the world, and so he came here to discuss possible ramifications from a psychological perspective.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
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