Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012)

by Diego Rodriguez

  Both James and Richard noticed another shaft with the same dimensions as the previous one, eight by eight inches, located on another one of the walls. This, according to the map, led outside the pyramid.

  David smiled when he saw that not person had noticed something extremely important in the chamber, so he tried to open their eyes. “Look at the size of the sarcophagus compared to that of the doorway.”

  “The sarcophagus is bigger!” replied the girl who had nearly fallen when she was going down the first tunnel.

  “Exactly! Clearly the sarcophagus was installed in this chamber before the Great Pyramid was built. Otherwise, it would never have got here; it wouldn’t have fit through the entrance.”

  After seeing the chamber, the archaeologist ended the visit by leading the tourists to the exit. On the way, one of the older women who had been intrigued for a while now walked over to him, intending to satisfy her curiosity.

  “When we came in, you told us that they were checking out the authenticity of the latest discoveries. What have they found?”

  The question caught David by surprise. He thought about brushing her off by telling her the first thing that came into his head, but he had a feeling that the woman wouldn’t accept any old answer and she would keep on asking until her newfound curiosity was satisfied; he tried to give her a coherent answer. James, who at that moment was close enough, was able to hear the archaeologist’s reply in full.

  “My colleagues are investigating the five upper chambers which lie one on top of the other above the King’s Chamber. It’s taking us longer than we expected because the chambers are very difficult to access, claustrophobic and they call for painstaking work. We’re working against the clock; tomorrow afternoon a group from Asia is visiting the pyramid to look inside one of the chambers and, thanks to their ten thousand dollars, they take priority. There’s also something strange going on in there; the batteries in the flashlights run out extremely quickly, making the work difficult. It’s as if the chambers are sucking the energy out of them.”

  After spending almost two hours visiting Ancient Egypt, they eventually reached the exterior. Their pupils, used to the darkness of the pyramid, were suffering as they crossed the doorway and became aggravated by the desert sun.

  Richard kept the guide chatting and, although the latter seemed to be a little on edge and in a hurry, it didn’t seem to matter to him and he kept on asking endless questions, probably about the square holes in the walls which measured eight by eight inches. Mary glanced at James’ face. His expression was serious, the complete opposite of how it had been a few hours ago, and implied that something was worrying him.

  “What are you thinking about, James? You’ve been elsewhere since we went in to the Great Pyramid.”

  “Don’t worry,” he replied. “It’s just that I was thinking about my little girl when I was inside. She loves Egyptian culture and we’d often talked about the three of us visiting it together. But that’s going to be a bit tricky now.”

  “Don’t be silly. Why would it be difficult? Because you’re separated from your wife? What nonsense! How many people decide to split up with their partners and keep seeing their kids as usual? The children mustn’t pick up on how disappointed you are, and that way they won’t suffer. If I were you, I’d come back to visit during the summer, just the two of you. As for the mother… she can go to hell.”

  “You know, I felt a bit sad because tomorrow is her birthday and I won’t be able to be with her. But, well, now I feel better and when all this is over, I’ll try to spend more time with my daughter. She’s fourteen on 22 March.”

  At first, the date went in one ear and out the other. Even though it seemed to ring a bell, she didn’t think any more of it, but after talking to James she realized why the American archaeologists were there. Today was the 21 March! The day of the vernal equinox and it would be reflected in the Great Pyramid!

  Without saying another word, she grabbed James’ arm and gestured for Richard to follow them. The two professors didn’t understand anything.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Quick! I know why the archaeologists are here!”

  When they got to the raised area from which they could see the southern face of the pyramid, they were faced with a group of Egyptologists sitting on the plateau with a pile of recording equipment and photo cameras. The situation didn’t come as a surprise to Mary, but it did to her two companions. After a few minutes, David appeared on the scene to give precise instructions to the photographers. Meanwhile the Egyptologists were running to and fro, loaded up with reams of paper.

  “What is going on here?” asked Richard, amazed.

  “The Great Pyramid works like a gigantic astronomical device,” replied Mary. “After more than four thousand five hundred years, it still predicts the equinoxes and solstices from the way the light falls upon the stones. Look at the south face of the Great Pyramid, we have a few seconds until the clock strikes six in the evening.”

  At that moment, around ten photographers with digital cameras resumed their prestigious positions along the platform from which they would look at the southern face of the pyramid without so much as a blink. The Egyptologists present didn’t stop scribbling down notes on their crumpled pieces of paper for a second, and the video recordings had already gotten underway.

  “It’s started!” shouted one of them. Suddenly hundreds of cameras began to flash and didn’t stop for a full five minutes.

  The southern face, which was originally completely lit, gradually began to get darker from the left edge. The effect was like that of a curtain which was being drawn towards the right. When the shadow got halfway across the face, it stopped. This process lasted approximately twenty seconds, splitting the southern face of the pyramid into two halves: the dark left and the illuminated right, and it remained that way for four or five minutes. Eventually the shadow continued until it covered the whole face.

  Richard couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. Around him the photographers were shooting the last few frames while the recordings would go on until the very end.

  Mary broke the silence. “This phenomenon takes place twice a year, on 21 March and 21 September, and it happens twice on each day, at dawn and dusk. In the morning a similar thing happens, only then the veil being drawn across is the sunlight illuminating the left part of the face.”

  “But how can this happen?” asked Richard excitedly.

  David had just noticed the presence of the three tourists and approached them. He had heard Richard’s question and answered him politely, before Mary had a chance to speak. “It’s very simple,” he said. “This effect happens because the Great Pyramid isn’t formed by four faces as is commonly thought, but by eight. This means that some halves of the faces cast shadow onto the others.”

  David grabbed one of the many pieces of paper which lay scattered on the ground and on it he drew the actual contours of the base of the Great Pyramid, before showing it to the three young people. On the sheet, they saw the following:

  After studying their faces of disbelief, he ran off; one of the photographers needed him.

  “It must be in the shaft of the Queen’s Chamber, but how will we get it out?” asked the paleographer when David had left.

  James smiled.

  Chapter 27

  “Ladies and gentlemen, you will surely agree that the prototype has been a complete success. Not only does it fulfill all the functions for which it was designed, but we’ve also installed extremely advanced artificial intelligence software which would render obsolete even the all-powerful Google. In some ways… it will enable it to think.”

  After those words, a round of rapturous applause broke out for at least thirty seconds, during which time the room was virtually in a world of its own. Anthony Miller looked down from his high lectern onto the audience who had attended the event. He was proud, happy, an indescribable feeling of joy shot his body from his head to his toes. It had been a very difficult
job and at last it was over. The only thing left to do was to savor the sweet taste of success.

  Anthony must have been about forty-three years old. He had studied Computer Engineering and was a specialist in the development of business software. However, after realizing that his work was boring him and that he wasn’t getting much personal satisfaction out of it, he decided to get increasingly involved in the field of robotics. This world fascinated him and it had him hooked from the first moment, so much so that he capped off his resume with two Masters degrees in Artificial Intelligence. These degrees allowed him to be a fundamental part of the project to the point where, after the tragic death of his superior in a traffic accident, Anthony was named as the new project leader. He would be in charge of steering their ship to glory.

  His personality and way of working didn’t go down too well among his colleagues. They branded him too honest, and occasionally incredibly cruel and insensitive towards anybody who made a mistake. He was more thin than well-built, with snakelike facial features and a shaven head due to premature balding. Kitted out in a dark blue suit, shirt and bow tie, he was today revealing one of the best kept secrets of his personality: his good taste in clothes. He normally turned up to work in a tattered gray jumper and some jeans which were out of fashion. In keeping with his strong, serious character, his friends often talked about how easily the vein in his forehead would throb until it almost exploded.

  From his lectern on a platform on the stage, Anthony watched as two of his engineers pulled back the white sheet, revealing what seemed to be a humanoid robot seated on a wooden chair and vacantly staring ahead. The audience went crazy when they saw how close it was to a real flesh and bone person.

  His cellphone vibrated in the right pocket of his pants. He took it out and, after seeing who it was, rejected the call. “I give you the DYL-1.4.3, the first robot designed for man with the capacity to think. In a few months, it will be presented to the world before being mass produced. Its function is of course to help all those who purchase it in their daily chores, thus making their lives much simpler.” Anthony took a deep breath and glanced furtively at his notes. “We couldn’t be more optimistic; we are expecting first year sales to go through the roof and for DYL to reach 25% of American households.”

  His speech was interrupted by another round of applause, this time much louder. Just then his cellphone began to vibrate again. After taking it out, he was surprised to see that James was calling him again, which was definitely out of the ordinary. It must be something important.

  Anthony addressed the audience rather impatiently. “We shall now have a short ten-minute break. Please feel free to help yourselves to the light snacks in the adjacent suite. After we’ve regrouped, we will examine just what the prototype can do. Thank you.”

  Anthony made his way to one of the side doors that led to a small office where the lecturers would meet to prepare their material. When he got there, he picked up the phone and answered it with a certain apprehension.

  “James. What can I do for you?”

  “Hi, Anthony. How’s everything going?”

  “I see you remembered, but I can’t talk now. I’m in the middle of a presentation. In fact I’ve had to bring the break forward by a few minutes in order to take your call.”

  James remembered that today was the day his friend had the most important meeting of his career. He was due to stand before the governing body and company shareholders to present the project to which he had devoted the last four years of his life. He tried to cover up the fact that he it had completely slipped his mind and he asked him some more questions out of politeness.

  “Are people excited about the robot?”

  “It seems that way, they haven’t stopped applauding. But that’s to be expected; we’re pioneers in this technology and for the moment, none of our competitors have managed to do a quarter of what we’ve achieved.”

  “Have they already seen how the robot looks?”

  “Yes. What most surprised them was how it seems to be human at first glance. They realized that it would integrate into our world much more painlessly if it was created in our image.”

  The good relationship that they shared had meant that James had in-depth knowledge of the project. He had often visited the intelligence center where the prototype was being made, witnessing everything it was capable of firsthand.

  “But to what do I owe the pleasure of your call? You tried twice, that’s not like James Oldrich.”

  James hesitated for a couple of seconds. “Do you remember the robot commissioned by that oil company?”

  “Yes, the LPM-03. If I remember correctly, they were having problems with the pipes they used to transport the crude oil. The asked us to design a small robot with a camera to study the viaduct interior, and hydraulic arms to lift and move objects.”

  “Do you remember if you fitted it with any tool which would enable it to remove obstacles from its path?”

  “The front part was a diamond drill, capable of perforating any material. However, if by any chance it couldn’t, we kitted it out with explosives which have a local effect and are designed only destroy the object they are inserted into. But why do you want to know all this?”

  “Have you still got it?”

  “Yes, of course. I think it’s in storage.”

  “Ah, of course! Do you have any system for disabling security cameras?”

  Anthony was starting to get impatient. It all sounded very odd. “Yes, we have a latest generation device which was designed for the U.S. Army and is able to disable any security system, but… what the hell have you got yourself into?”

  James didn’t even answer the question. “I need you to come to Egypt with the equipment and show us how to use it.”

  “Are you mad?!” he shouted angrily. “How am I going to leave the conference and travel to Egypt?!”

  “I’m not asking you to leave the conference, just that you take the last night flight and bring the robot with all its little ‘toys’.”

  “But… James, don’t fuck with me… I’m exhausted. I haven’t been able to sleep for weeks and you’re asking me to travel to the other side of the world.”

  At that moment one of his assistants knocked on the door. He opened it and the employee gestured that the audience were ready. The conference had to go on.

  “Anthony, don’t make me remind you who put you forward for one of the best positions in the business. You’re always saying you owe me one. Well, now is the time for you to pay up.”

  After a long silence at both ends of the phone, Anthony eventually spoke but only after first grunting in disbelief at what he was about to say. “Okay. I’ll pick up the prototype that they have in storage and I’ll catch the last flight to Egypt. But just so we’re clear, I’ll have to bring it back in less than four days or they’ll fire me. It’s company policy to make sure that its little ‘toys’ don’t end up being analyzed by the competition.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be back in time. I’ll send a message to your cellphone in a couple of hours with all the information you need, along with the hotel you’ll be staying at. Thank you Anthony, really.”

  “I hope it’s worth it and you pay me back with front-row tickets to see Los Angeles Lakers. It’s about time!”

  James smiled at the other end of the phone and hung up. Finally, he walked back to his friends and nodded.

  Chapter 28

  Dinner at the hotel was served at nine on the dot. Unlike other meals, where each guest was given a menu with a list of available dishes, dinner consisted of a sumptuous buffet. They tried to avoid serving heavy meals, instead opting for light dishes which would satisfy tourists’ appetites without hampering their ability to sleep in the heat.

  Of the tables which were free, they chose the one nearest to a huge window from which they could see Cairo in all its glory, and, if they squinted slightly, they could make out the outline of the three pyramids in the distance.

  “I agree wit
h you,” said Mary, putting dressing on the salad. “I’m convinced that the first piece of the Trifariam is in the hidden chamber. I suppose you want to use the robot to go in and look for it. But how do you intend to get it if the pyramid is under constant surveillance?”

  “I heard David say that they sometimes grant access to certain groups who want to meditate in the King’s Chamber. I don’t know how long they allow them to remain inside, but at midday tomorrow, an Asian group is coming to visit.”

  “So you want us to blend in with them.”

  James choked when he heard Mary’s assumption. “More or less, but the best thing would be for me to go alone, that way - “

  “Just you!” exclaimed Mary, rejecting his suggestion by shaking her head.

  “It’s for the best. Don’t you see, they’re from the Far East! The guards will probably be wary if they see one American among them, let alone three. When they make their way to the King’s Chamber, I’ll make a detour and head for the Queen’s Chamber. Anyway, one person controlling the robot is enough.”

  James’ two friends didn’t agree with his plan, but it was obvious that three Americans trying to blend in among a group of Asian tourists would raise a lot of suspicion.

  “Okay,” replied Mary. “But you’re going to make sure that we know everything that happens inside the pyramid, whether by us seeing it or listening to you.”

  James opened the bottle of champagne. After pouring a glass for his friends, he raised his and toasted to still being alive after everything that had happened over the last few hours.

  Darkness fell upon Cairo, slowly hiding its streets. Buildings, illuminated only by the light from houses and streetlamps, made for a beautiful view from the dining room gallery.

  Richard stood up and grabbed a green sweater which was lying on one of the empty chairs. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go to my room. I’m deciphering the next chapter of the book and something tells me it could come in useful very soon. I’d like to finish it as quickly as possible.”