The Six Sacred Stones jw-2

by Matthew Reilly

  “And Wizard?”

  “He’s out of the picture for the moment, but he’s sent me enough information to make a start. With Lily’s help, I’ve managed to decipher a few of his recent discoveries.”

  Pooh looked at Lily. “Is that so? How many are you up to now, young one?”

  “Five, plus sign language.”

  “Good girl,” he said. “Never stop learning. Never stop honing your gift.”

  Pooh turned back to West, his face serious. “My father sends a message. At tomorrow’s meeting there will be a few other countries represented. Some not from the original seven. Word has got out, it seems.”

  West frowned. This was moving too fast, at a pace beyond his control. It was as if he was still trying to catch up himself.

  He pulled out several copies of a five-page summary he’d found amid Wizard’s notes and handed them out to the others.

  “This is a summary I’ll be giving to everyone at the meeting tomorrow. It’s about Wizard’s work. Read it beforehand. It’ll be less astonishing that way.”

  Then, looking at them all—his old friends, friends who had bonded over the course of a long, hard, and at times seemingly impossible mission—he smiled.

  “I’m glad you’re all here for this one.”

  THE MEETING

  BURJ AL ARAB TOWER

  DECEMBER 4, 2007

  THE NEXT DAY,as each delegation arrived at the Presidential Suite, they were handed the five-page briefing.

  It was a peculiar array of national representatives:

  Of the original seven nations who had sponsored West’s initial quest to locate the Golden Capstone, only four were present now: Australia (West), Ireland (Zoe), the UAE (Pooh Bear), and New Zealand (Sky Monster).

  Canada’s Wizard was missing in China.

  Spain, having lost a man during the first mission, had declined to send a representative to this one. And Jamaica’s man, Fuzzy, was still uncharacteristically late.

  “We’re still waiting for Fuzzy and a few others,” West said. “So, please, while you wait, acquaint yourself with the briefing material.”

  They did so.

  The briefing was headed: “The Six Ramesean Stones and the Pillars of the World.”

  THE SIX RAMESEAN STONES AND

  THE PILLARS OF THE WORLD

  by Professor Max T. Epper,

  Trinity College, University of Dublin

  THE MYSTERY OF THE CIRCLES

  The end of the world has preoccupied humanity for as long as humanity has existed.

  For Hindus, Vishnu will destroy the Earth. Christians fear the Apocalypse prophesied in the final books of the Bible. No less than St. Peter himself famously wrote, “The end of all things is near.”

  I fear it may be nearer than we think.

  THE MARRIAGE OF LIGHT AND DARK

  Our small planet does not exist in a void.

  It exists in concert with our Sun and the other planets of our solar system.

  Certain ancient civilizations knew about these relationships: the Maya, the Aztecs, the Egyptians, even the Neolithic peoples of Britain; all of them saw patterns in the night sky.

  And as I myself discovered during the Tartarus Event of 2006, our Earth is directly linked to our Sun.

  Our Sun begets life. It provides the light that sparks photosynthesis and the temperate warmth that allows our fragile human bodies to exist without the blood in our veins freezing or boiling.

  This, however, is a more delicate situation than many realize.

  To paraphrase the Chinese philosopher, Laozi, nothing exists in isolation. For life to exist, there must be balance. Balance implies the harmonic existence of two things, what philosophers call “Duality.”

  But not only must there be two of everything—man, woman; heat, cold; light, darkness; good, bad—but inside the good there must be some bad, just as inside the bad, there must be some good. This has never been better displayed than in the famous Taijitu, the Yin-Yang.

  So what does this concept of duality mean in the context of our solar system? It means this:

  Our Sun does not exist alone.

  It has a twin, an opposite, an invisible body of dark matter known as a “zero-point field.” This spherical field roams through the outer regions of our solar system like a moving black hole, not so much possessed of negative energy as no energy at all. It absorbs light. It is indescribably cold. It breaks down oxygen at the molecular level. It is, in short, a variety of energy that is anathema to life as we know it.

  And if this zero-point field—this Dark Sun, if you will—ever sweeps into our solar system, it will destroy all life on Earth.

  Observe the image at the beginning of this article. It is a carving found all over the world from Abu Simbel in Egypt to Newgrange in Ireland to Peru in South America.

  It is called “the Mystery of the Circles.”

  A quick glance at it leads the observer to conclude that it depicts our solar system, with the Sun at the center, orbited by nine planets.

  Not so.

  If you look closely, you will see that the Mystery of the Circles contains ten planets orbiting a central Sun. It also features—somewhat mysteriously—a strange black orb sitting outside the orbits of the ten planets, equal in size to the central Sun.

  It is my belief that the Mystery of the Circles is indeed a depiction of our solar system, but not as we see it today. It is a picture of our solar system as it was a longtime ago.

  Forget the planets for a moment and keep your eyes on the black orb hovering outside the circles.

  This must be the focus of our inquiry.

  For it represents our Sun’s dark twin, and it now approaches, bringing with it our destruction.

  THE MACHINE

  But a mechanism has been put in place to allow us to avert our destruction.

  Unfortunately the knowledge crucial to our salvation—to the operation of this “Machine”—which was known to the ancients, has long since been lost through wars, dark ages, witch-hunts, and holocausts.

  However, great men and women throughout history have held pieces of this knowledge: Laozi and his famous student, Confucius; Rameses II, the mighty pharaoh, and his priest-builder, Imhotep II; Cleopatra VII, the doomed Egyptian queen; the great Mayan ruler, King Pakal; and in more recent times, Isaac Newton, in his obsessive search for the secrets of alchemy.

  In all their writings, there is one common feature. The Machine is always represented by this image:

  What the image actually means, though, remains elusive.

  THE SIX RAMESEAN STONES

  Of all the impressive individuals who have known about this Machine, it is Rameses II—greatest of all the pharaohs, greater even than Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid—who has left us the most information about it and indeed identified the key to solving the mystery.

  The Six Sacred Stones.

  Six stones which, in his honor, we now call the Ramesean Stones. They are:

  The Philosopher’s Stone

  The Altar Stone of the Temple of Ra’s Dark Twin (Stonehenge)

  The Twin Tablets of Thutmosis

  The Killing Stone of the Maya

  The Seeing Stone of the Southern Tribe (Delphi)

  The Basin of Rameses II

  In his temple at Abydos in a remote corner of southern Egypt—not far from his famous list of seventy-six pharaohs carved into a wall—Rameses left a tablet mentioning the “Six Guidestones of Ra’s Dark Twin.”

  Now while it is not impossible that Rameses could have seen all of these stones, it is unlikely. It is believed, however, that all six of the stones resided at one time in Egypt, even the Stonehenge and Mayan ones. Whatever the case, Rameses does seem to have been in possession of some advanced knowledge about them, and of all the pharaohs, he alone committed that knowledge to writing.

  These guidestones, he said, once “impregnated by the Sa-Benben” would provide “the necessary wisdom” when “Ra’s Dark Twin returned to wreak his vengean
ce on the world.”

  As you can imagine, for many years this confounded Egyptologists. Ra was the Sun. Who or what, then, was Ra’s Dark Twin? Another Sun?

  It took the technological wizardry of modern astronomy to find it: the Dark Sun now approaching our solar system.

  So what do the Six Ramesean Stones do? Why did Rameses call them guidestones?

  Simple: they guide us to the Machine.

  And the Machine saves our planet.

  We thought our troubles were over when we erected the Capstone atop the Great Pyramid, but no, we were only completing a necessary precondition for this, the main event: we “charged” the Sa-Benben.

  And so now the Sa-Benben has been charged by the Sun. As such it is ready to interact with the Six. It is my belief that when the Sa-Benben comes into contact with each Sacred Stone, that Stone will provide a unique insight into the coming of the Dark Sun and the Earth-saving operation of the Machine.

  The end of all things is near……but it’s not over yet.

  A DOOR SLAMMED somewhere. The assembled delegates looked up from their reading.

  “Ah-ha! My son!” Sheik Abbas leaped up from his chair and embraced the handsome young man who had entered the room.

  He was Captain Rashid Abbas, commander of the UAE’s elite First Commando Regiment. The sheik’s first son, he was a strikingly handsome man: with a chiseled jaw, dark Arabian skin, and deep blue eyes. His call-sign was typically grand:The Scimitar of Allah, or justScimitar for short.

  “Father,” he said, embracing Abbas warmly. “Forgive my lateness, but I was waiting on my friend here.”

  Scimitar indicated his companion—who had entered the room almost invisibly, outshone by Scimitar’s luminous presence. He was a delicate, precise fellow, with a bald head and a long ratlike nose. His shifting eyes swept the room, taking in everything, tense and edgy, suspicious.

  Scimitar said, “Father, allow me to introduce Abdul Rahman al Saud from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from their esteemed Royal Intelligence Service. His call sign:Vulture. ”

  Vulture bowed to Sheik Abbas, low and slow.

  Lily disliked Vulture on sight. His bow was too low, too obsequious, too deliberate.

  As for Scimitar, she had seen him once or twice before—and then, as now, she noticed that Pooh Bear retreated into a corner of the room at the arrival of his handsome older brother. It seemed to Lily that the presence of his dashing brother clearly affected the younger and fatter Pooh Bear.

  It made her dislike Scimitar, too.

  Jack was also disturbed, but for different reasons. While he had expected Scimitar, he had not expected him to bring a Saudi spy along, the first of Sheik Abbas’s uninvited guests.

  “Vulture?” he said. “Not the Blood Vulture of Abu Ghraib prison fame?”

  Vulture visibly stiffened. So did Scimitar.

  During the official investigation into the atrocities at the notorious Iraqi prison, it emerged that Saudi intelligence agents had carried out torture activities that American soldiers were forbidden to do. One such Saudi intelligence agent had performed acts of torture so shockingly brutal that he had earned the nickname “Blood Vulture.”

  “I visited that prison on several occasions, Captain West,” Vulture said in a low voice, his eyes locked on Jack’s, “but not at the times the depravities took place.”

  “I will personally vouch for this man,” Scimitar said irritably. “We have been through much together, over two Gulf Wars and more in between. The rumors of Abu Ghraib are unfounded lies. He is practically my brother.”

  At that, Lily saw Pooh Bear lower his eyes.

  Vulture said, “I bring information that I am sure will be useful to you and your cause. For instance, I know the plans of the Chinese.”

  That got West’s attention. “You do?”

  The phone rang. Zoe got it, turned to West: “Jack. It’s the hotel manager. He says there are a couple of people downstairs who would like an audience with you. He says they’re American.”

  Moments later, the door to the suite opened to reveal two men: one a tall gray-haired gentleman in a suit; the second a younger man dressed in plain clothes that scarcely disguised his military physique. A soldier.

  From his chair, Sheik Abbas recognized the older man. “Why, Attaché Robertson? What are you—?”

  Jack remained standing between the two Americans and the meeting, blocking the way. “Names. Now.”

  The older gentleman didn’t flinch an inch. “Captain West, my name is Paul Robertson, special attaché to the US ambassador here in the United Arab Emirates. This is Lieutenant Sean Miller, from the United States Marine Corps, call sign Astro. We’re here to express our country’s…concern…at recent Chinese actions, both military and archaeological, and hopefully assist you in some way.”

  Special attaché,Jack thought,meant CIA agent.

  “And how can you help me?” he asked.

  Jack’s relations with the United States of America were somewhat strained. His mission to locate the Seven Ancient Wonders had been in direct opposition to an influential group of Americans known as the Caldwell Group, who at the time had had the ear of the President. There had been some deaths involved, including people dear to Jack.

  Robertson remained impassive, a cool customer. “We know, for instance, where the Chinese are keeping your friend, Professor Epper.”

  West stepped aside immediately. “Come on in. Take a seat.”

  At that very moment a windowless Boeing 767 cargo plane took off from Dubai International Airport.

  On its flanks were emblazoned the words:TRANSATLANTIC AIR FREIGHT.

  Its listed pilot: Captain Earl McShane.

  And so now the representatives of six nations sat arrayed around the Presidential Suite of the Burj al Arab: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America.

  “You’ve all read the briefing document,” West said. “Here is the translation of a carving that I received from Wizard in China just before he was captured by Chinese forces.”

  West distributed a new three-page handout. On the first sheet was Wizard’s translation from China:

  THE COMING OF RA’S DESTROYER

  THE COMING OF RA’S DESTROYER

  SEES THESTARTING*OF THE GREATMACHINE**

  AND WITH IT THE RISE OF THE SA-BENBEN.

  HONOR THE SA-BENBEN,

  KEEP IT CLOSE, KEEP IT NEAR,

  FOR IT ALONE GOVERNS THE SIX

  AND ONLY THE EMPOWERED SIX CAN

  PREPARE THE PILLARS AND

  LEAD YOU TO THE SHRINES AND THUS

  COMPLETE THE MACHINE

  BEFORE THE SECOND COMING.***

  THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR.

  AMBIGUOUS TERMS:

  MATCH REFERENCE:

  Ref XR:5–12 Partial inscription found at Zhou-Zu Monastery, Tibet(2001)

  West said, “As you’ll see, this decryption refers to a Great Machine and the importance of the Sa-Benben. ‘The Second Coming’ to which it refers is the coming of the Dark Sun.”

  “This Dark Sun, or Star, this bringer of the Apocalypse, why have astronomers not seen it before now?” Sheik Abbas asked.

  “According to Wizard,” West said, “it exists on a light spectrum unknown to humanity, so we can’t see it through any of our telescopes, in any spectra, like infrared or ultraviolet or UVB. Its presence has only been verified by what it blocks from our view.

  “From what I’ve read, it seems to roam the outer reaches of our solar system in a hyperelongated elliptical orbit. When it comes near, which is not very often, about once every six million years, Jupiter’s movement shields us from it, blocks us from its deadly radiation. But even if this didn’t happen, you couldn’t see this Dark Sun with the naked eye.

  “In any case, it’s close now and this time—apparently—it will emerge from behind Jupiter, and that’s when things get really ugly. That’s when its constant discharge of radiation-like zero-point energy will wash
over our planet, killing every living creature on it—unless we can rebuild this Machine. The Machine, apparently, sends out a balancing response that counters the Dark Sun’s energy stream, saving the Earth. It always comes back to balance, to harmony.”

  “Come on, Jack,” Zoe said. “Listen to yourself. Are you seriously saying that there is some kind of evil celestial orb out there bent on destroying the Earth?”