by David Meyer
"We're still the owners," Renau insisted. "And we deserve praise for protecting the jungle. The Highland Indians are destroying it. They farm soil to exhaustion and turn it into cattle pasture. Then they carve out more land for themselves. It's an environmental catastrophe."
"That's just government propaganda. The settlers mostly abide by strict rules. They've banned slash and burn techniques and prohibited the use of agrichemicals. If we're being honest, the Mexican government causes the bulk of the environmental damage. It uses its influence over your people to gain access for logging and all sort of quasi-governmental ventures."
"Our people are poor, desperate." Dora balled up her fists. "You can't blame them for being tempted by easy money."
"I don't blame them. In fact, I feel sorry for them."
"Why?"
"They traded away their dignity and true heritage in exchange for power over the jungle. Plus, the government parades them around as the last Maya tribe, even though that's far from true. They've become living, breathing folklore." Graham smirked. "Modern day noble savages, if you will."
Dora turned stone-faced. Without another word, she stood up and marched to the front of the helicopter.
Renau avoided Graham's gaze. "I'd better talk to her."
He joined Dora in the niche near the cockpit. I couldn't hear his words, but it looked like they had an effect. Slowly, she unclenched her fists. Her face returned to its normal color.
"What's your problem?" I asked. "Are you trying to make enemies?"
"You wanted to know if we could trust these people," Graham replied. "The best way to do that is to push their buttons and see how they react."
"You pushed plenty of buttons," Beverly said. "So, can we trust them?"
"Tum seems like a genuinely spiritual guy. I get the feeling he cares deeply about the jungle and everything in it. However, the shaman thing creeps me out. The Maneros are extremely proud of their Maya heritage. They'd probably do anything to help a fellow Maya. At the same time, I have my doubts they'd do much to help anyone else."
"What about Miranda?" Beverly asked. "I haven't spoken to her yet."
"She's a competent archaeologist and sincerely believes everything she says about manmade climate change. But it's clear she's more than a little crazy." Graham shook his head. "In fact, I'd say she's a goddamn lunatic."
Chapter 29
The chopper banked to the side. I stared out my window, trying to peer through the thick cloud cover. I caught the barest glimpse of vegetation. It seemed somehow darker and more mysterious than the rest of the jungle.
I squinted. Far below, I noticed browns, blacks, and grays poking out of the dark landscape. It looked like the beginnings of a large mountain range.
The helicopter jolted and the rain sped up. The mountains grew larger as we started to ascend. Individual cliffs and ridges materialized. They looked ancient, far older than the jungle that surrounded them.
I turned toward the opposite aisle and watched as Emily stowed her family history book. Beverly had told me about Emily's earlier outburst. That information, combined with Dr. Wu's statement, made me apprehensive. Still, I'd decided to keep my concerns to myself.
At least for the moment.
"What's that?" I asked as Emily pulled a rectangular object out of her knapsack.
She passed it to me. "It's my computer tablet."
Gingerly, I touched the liquid crystal display. It felt smooth, yet firm as steel. It was an amazing piece of technology. Amazing, yet disturbing. I always felt a little uneasy in the presence of technology. Although young, I was already outdated.
"What model is that?" Beverly asked. "I've never seen it before."
"It's a next generation prototype," Emily replied. "Carden Computers owed me a favor. The screen features proprietary electronic paper, which allows it to be read like a book even under the most glaring light. It's also got vastly extended battery life, over one hundred hours on a single charge."
Beverly nodded, clearly impressed.
The screen's top banner read SWARM. A textured map of Mexico covered the rest of it. "What's SWARM?" I asked.
"It's an Intranet. Carden set it up for us. It's an acronym but for the life of me I can never remember what it stands for. Regardless, we won't need it until the full excavation."
"How will you use it?"
"It's designed to facilitate information gathering using crowd-sourcing techniques. Users will be able to add photos of the dig site as well as write and edit articles on any subject."
I handed the tablet back to Emily. "Sounds helpful."
"There are still some bugs." Her fingers danced over the tablet's surface. "But it's got a lot of promise."
"How are you going to power it?" Graham asked. "It's not like you can just plug it into an outlet."
"I plan to install solar docking stations. That should help, although the cloud cover could be a problem. For the long-term, we'll need a more permanent solution."
Wind slashed against the helicopter. The sudden jolt made me long for land. "Where are we?" I asked.
"Directly above the Eastern Mountains," Emily replied.
I shifted positions and peered out the window again. I saw nothing unusual. Just a few limestone and sandstone cliffs as well as the occasional glimpse of jungle, shrouded in heavy cloud cover and rain.
"I see a bunch of clouds," Graham remarked. "But not much else."
Emily smiled. "Our destination won't look much different. At least not from up here."
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to a small canyon. It contains a marsh ringed by a dense cloud forest. So, the canopy and cloud cover keep it hidden from view." She shrugged. "It's a good thing really. The cloud forest is part of the reason no one else has found the library yet."
"What's the other part?" Beverly asked.
"The canyon isn't a normal canyon. I don't know if there's a technical term for it, but steep mountain ridges seal it off. There's no river or any other outlet. As far as Miranda's team can determine, the only way to access it is by air."
"Good thing you've got a helicopter." Graham furrowed his brow. "But if the canyon is sealed off, how did Hunahpu and Xbalanque enter it?"
"That's a good question." A troubled look appeared on Emily's face. "A very good question."
Chapter 30
"I just spoke to Dr. Wu." Emily sat down and buckled her seatbelt. "We'll be on the ground in twenty minutes. But before we land, I'd like to give you some information."
Eagerly, I leaned forward.
"What about them?" Graham nodded at Miranda's team.
"They prepared most of the information. Now, as I said before, our destination is a closed-off canyon. It's located deep in the Montañas del Oriente, or Eastern Mountains." She held up her tablet.
I leaned in for a closer look. A satellite image took up the entire screen.
"The canyon covers an area smaller than one square mile," she continued. "It's shaped like a rough circle. Sheer rock walls surround it on all sides. We haven't figured out the exact height of the walls yet, but they could be as tall as five hundred feet in places. There's a small marsh in the middle of the canyon. Thick jungle surrounds it. The land between the marsh and the jungle is firm ground. Our camp is located on the southern part of that land."
"Where's the pyramid?" Beverly asked. "In the jungle?"
"Actually, the jungle appears to be devoid of manmade structures. The pyramid is situated in the middle of the marsh. Since it's the only building in the area, we believe the library is stored inside it."
Emily swiped her finger across the screen. A new image materialized. It looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. Blotches of dull textured colors covered every square inch of the screen. I saw turquoise, red, and yellowish-green, among others.
"I didn't take any pictures during my initial visit," Emily said. "So, this will have to do. You're looking at a high-resolution, false-color satellite image of the canyon. I've also got
some old images taken by high-altitude planes as well."
"What are all those colors?" Graham asked.
"The yellowish-green areas indicate color and reflectivity variations in the foliage."
"So, the vegetation isn't all the same color." He frowned. "Is that important?"
"It indicates a disturbance at ground level. Hunahpu used materials—limestone and lime plasters from the look of it—to construct the pyramid. After he left, the marsh started to reclaim the land. But limestone doesn't hold moisture well. So, plants had difficulty gaining traction above and within the pyramid. At the same time, chemicals from the plaster leaked into the marsh, altering its chemical content. Some plants lived, others died, still others changed colors. The differences are tiny. You wouldn't be able to notice them from the ground or even from our helicopter. But from space, they're quite clear."
I pointed to a brown splotch in the center of the screen. "So, this square-shaped thing is the pyramid?"
She nodded.
"Are the other images as clear as this one?" Graham asked. "Because if they are, I'm surprised no one ever thought to take a closer look."
Emily's smile faded. "Let me show you."
She touched the screen again. A new image appeared. It was covered with different shades of grey and looked completely different than the previous picture.
"What's that?" I asked.
"It's a close-up of the canyon. It was taken two years ago by a team of geomatics experts using lidar, which is a remote sensing technology. Essentially, an airborne laser sends pulses. The pulses bounce off the ground and return to the sky. The longer a pulse takes to reach its origin, the lower the altitude level. And—"
"We know how it works. With enough pulses, you can build a fairly accurate three-dimensional map." Graham studied the image. "That's odd. This picture looks nothing like the other one."
"That's correct. Apparently, the geomatics team discovered a small gap in their lidar images after flying sorties over the area."
"Sounds like the laser malfunctioned."
"That's what they thought. So, they commissioned another sweep of the area. But the laser malfunctioned again over the exact same chunk of land. It took them two more tries to get something that resembled a traditional lidar image." Emily looked pensive. "We noticed similar problems while looking over other images. The vast majority of them are blurry. Some of them appear completely different from other ones. But none of them show anything resembling a pyramid."
"Any idea what caused the disruptions?" Beverly asked.
"There are no settlements or military installations in the immediate area. So, my best guess is the cloud forest plays tricks on the equipment."
"There's another possibility," Graham said. "Something within the canyon could be causing electromagnetic interference."
"That's possible. But it would have to be emitting an awful lot of energy to interfere with overhead aircraft, even ones that are flying low."
"I know."
A hush fell over our small group. All I could hear was the beating of the blades and the whirring of the engine.
"Are you sure there aren't any settlements in the area?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. The pyramid was built in an extremely isolated location. There's nothing around for miles. In many ways, the canyon is an entire world onto itself." She paused and her look became distant. "A lost world."
Chapter 31
The helicopter jolted. I lurched into the aisle. Air shot out of my lungs as my chest crashed into Emily's knees.
The chopper dropped a couple of feet before slamming to a halt. The impact jarred me to my bones.
The helicopter dropped a few more feet. Emily lost hold of her tablet. It bounced across the floor.
I tried to stand up. But the chopper reeled to the left. The sudden shift pitched me to the ground. My forehead smacked against the metallic floor.
Cries rang out as the chopper jerked forward. Then backward. Then side to side in a circular motion. I struggled to return to the bench. But the winds showed no mercy, causing the helicopter to shift erratically.
Metal clinked as a seatbelt came loose. I looked across the aisle and saw Emily ease off the bench. Crowley grabbed at her, but she evaded him.
"Are you crazy?" I shouted. "Get back in your seat."
She dropped to her knees. The helicopter pitched forward. With a soft yelp, she rolled toward the cockpit. I grabbed her hand, but it was slick with sweat. I lost my grip and she swept toward the cockpit.
"We can't stay here, not with these winds." Dr. Wu's voice growled from an overhead speaker. "I'm going to descend and see if we can make an expedited landing. So, I need every butt buckled in its seat, pronto."
Screams and shouts died out. A quiet terror took hold of the cabin as I fought my way back to the bench and buckled my belt.
The wind screamed an ear-piercing shriek. Emily scrambled away from the cockpit, tablet in hand. With Crowley's help, she pulled herself back into her seat. As she hunched over her tablet, a deep frown materialized on her visage. "That's odd."
"What's odd?" I asked.
The helicopter swung to the side, then dropped like a stone. It came to a sudden stop, jarring me all over again.
"It doesn't work." She gritted her teeth as the helicopter dropped another few feet.
"It's the turbulence," Beverly said. "It must've thrown the system out of whack."
"No way. It's survived worse conditions than this." Her brow furrowed as she tapped impatiently on the tablet. "I can't believe it. It's dead. Completely, utterly dead."
Chapter 32
The clouds grew thicker as we started our descent. Thunder roared in the distance. Lightning flashed across the sky. I could no longer see traces of jungle. The edges of cliffs were still visible, but just barely.
"I think I see the canyon." Beverly peered out a window. "Well, part of it anyway. Looks like a big chunk of land."
The helicopter swiveled and dipped. My heart pounded as I turned my attention to the window behind me.
"Get ready." Emily sounded like a kid at Disney World. "You're about to see one of the last untouched places on Earth."
The interior lights flicked off. The cabin grew dark. Staring outside, I watched the clouds as we drifted downward.
The rain picked up speed, thumping relentlessly against the helicopter. A minute passed. And then another. My chest pounded almost as hard as the rain. My eyes dried and started to hurt. But I refused to blink.
Without warning, the clouds parted. I saw thick, impenetrable jungle. It was an ancient jungle. Ancient and magnificent, rich in greens and many other colors.
"What kind of trees are those?" Graham called out. "Does anyone know?"
"I see Mexican elm and tropical American mahogany," Tum replied loudly. "The ceiba too."
"Can you tell us anything else about the jungle?"
"I'd put the average height at about one hundred and twenty feet. That makes it much taller than the Lacandon Jungle. But of course, that doesn't give the true picture. The canopy looks like it could be well over two hundred feet tall near the edges."
I scanned the jungle for a few seconds. Then I looked toward the marsh. Unfortunately, thick clouds appeared, cloaking it.
I twisted away from the window and exhaled, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. The jungle and mountains were impressive to say the least. But I felt a vague sense of disappointment as well.
When I'd first heard about our destination, I'd immediately pictured the stuff of dreams. Giant temples. Ancient observatories. Strange columns and pillars, covered in hieroglyphics. And all of it cloaked in mist and overgrown with jungle. But I saw nothing even remotely resembling that image.
"Oh my God." Graham spoke slowly, pronouncing each word. "Would you look at that?"
I turned back to the window. Squinting, I stared through the pouring rain. Lines, once separate and distinct, joined together. A shape materialized.
"Go
od lord." I inhaled sharply. "It's massive."
A giant pyramid stretched to the sky. A marshy clearing consisting of long grass and short shrubs surrounded it. Further back, I saw packed vegetation and tall trees.
The pyramid's weathered sides looked strangely smooth. They jutted out near the peak, forming a decorative roof comb structure. The entire building seemed to pulse under the rain. It was mysterious and ancient, seemingly as ancient as the canyon itself.
"That's the pyramid I told you about." Emily's voice turned soft, reverential. "And it's magnificent."
Chapter 33
"Umm … is anyone else seeing this?"
I heard urgency in Beverly's words. Reluctantly, I tore my gaze from the pyramid. "Seeing what?"
"Just look." She pointed her finger toward the sky. "Up there."
And so I did.
My jaw dropped. I completely forgot about the pyramid and the Library of the Mayas.
What the hell is that?
Chapter 34
I touched the window. The view outside was now gone, completely obscured by a giant cloud. But this wasn't an ordinary cloud.
It was dark grey. And yet, it blazed with a sort of electrical brightness. Peering deep into its innards, I saw tiny white dots. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands.
The tiny dots moved closer together. Individual dots stretched out to other ones. And when they finally joined forces, they pulsed and shuddered like living, breathing creatures.
There were just as many lights as before. But now, they were a little larger, a little more dazzling to the eye.
"Cy?" Beverly cleared her throat. "Did you see them yet?"
"Yeah." My eyes remained glued to the bright, glowing orbs. "Any idea what they are?"
"Not yet."
A few seconds passed. The cloud grew dense. I could still see the little orbs, but my visibility was limited to no more than a foot or two.