Masks of the Lost Kings (Suzy da Silva Series)

by Tom Bane

  “I work as an astrophysicist at the National Institute for Atmospheric Research, Colorado, and I study the sun.” Her voice was so quiet they had to lean forward to be sure they didn’t miss anything. “We have measured the rotational period of the sun and have found that it varies from just over twenty-six days at the equator to almost thirty-seven days at the extreme Polar Regions. These are the only numbers that could characterize the solar magnetic field.”

  Tom and Suzy exchanged knowing looks but said nothing, and the professor continued to stare at his feet. Renu gave a little cough and continued.

  “These are the synodic periods, that is, the periods when viewed from earth. The actual periods of rotation are shorter because the earth itself is also spinning. I understand you have found these same numerical parameters in the tombs of ancient civilizations?”

  “Yes,” Suzy nodded, thinking that Piper hadn’t wasted any time blurting out their findings.

  “Well,” Renu went on, opening up her laptop and attaching a 3D hologram projector to it as she talked, “two years ago we found that the sun has conveyor belts that resemble the great ocean currents here on earth.” A 3D picture of the inside of the sun hovered above their heads as Renu continued her lecture.

  “The sun’s current is not made of water like the ocean currents here on earth, but of electrically-conducting gas. Magnetic fields within the sun are stretched out and wound around the sun by differential rotation, the change in rotation rate as a function of latitude and radius within the sun is called the ‘omega-effect’ after the Greek letter used to represent rotation. Twisting of the magnetic field lines is caused by the effects of the sun’s rotation. This is called the ‘alpha effect,’ after the Greek letter that looks like a twisted loop.”

  “Alpha and omega!” Suzy cried. The others stared. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “The sun’s current flows in a loop from its equator to the poles and back again. Just as the great ocean current influences the weather on earth, the solar conveyor belt controls the weather on the sun. Specifically, it controls the sunspot cycle. Sunspots are tangled knots of magnetism generated by the sun’s inner dynamo. Normally a sunspot only lasts a couple of weeks before it decays, leaving behind what we call a corpse of weak magnetic fields. These corpses are dragged down at the poles to a depth of 200,000 kilometers, where the sun’s magnetic dynamo can amplify or reincarnate them, if you will. Once they are reincarnated, they float back to the surface as new sunspots. It can take between thirty and fifty years for the belt to complete one loop. The speed varies with the cycles. When it’s fast, nearer to thirty years, then the future sunspot cycle will be intense. When it’s slower, it’s less powerful. This is the basis for forecasting the sun’s magnetic strength and hence the solar wind.

  “We have been able to reproduce the weak and strong cycles of the past centuries and they correspond very closely to the chart of measured solar activity from ice core samples. This same method predicts very low activity for solar cycle twenty-four.”

  “Cycle twenty-four?” Suzy asked.

  “That is the next solar cycle, originally expected to peak in 2012.”

  “Originally? Are you saying it is no longer expected?” Tom asked.

  “We have revised our estimate for 2012 and the maximum could be stronger than other cycles. However, the sun has the lowest number of sunspots we have seen for hundreds of years, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 were unprecedented; some days had no sunspots at all.”

  “I’m sure Renu will correct me if I’ve got this wrong,” Christie interrupted, “but as I understand it, the sun will reach a maximum that may be sustained to 2012 but then its activity is predicted to decline significantly. Essentially the sun will enter a new age. This will cause the earth’s climate to cool and a new mini-ice age will begin. Apparently we don’t yet understand the exact mechanism by which the earth will cool as the sun’s activity declines, but it will cause lower temperatures. Is that right, Renu?”

  “That is correct. Even though the sun maintains the same temperature, it generates far less magnetic output during these lulls. But the level of solar magnetic activity does materially affect the temperature on earth, so a low level of magnetic activity on the sun is already contributing to lower temperatures.”

  “So,” Suzy was squinting hard at the hologram as she pondered the ramifications of what she was being told, “you are saying that the earth will cool, that there will be a mini-ice age, although we don’t yet understand why.”

  “Affirmative,” Christie agreed.

  “So, that’s incredible—I mean, it would combat global warming, right?”

  “No,” Christie said. “That is the crux of the problem. If the polluting nations found out that a weaker sun was cooling down the earth, they might very well jump to the same conclusion as you just did and believe that they are free to carry on pumping out carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. But this solar decline is expected to only last fifty years before it will start to rise again. Carbon dioxide is the biggest threat to the survival of mankind. Renu’s model shows clearly that if we abandon our carbon dioxide targets now, we will have a human catastrophe when the magnetic field recovers.

  “We had a hard time convincing even our own President until recently. It may already be too late, but we certainly can’t afford to lessen our efforts. It is imperative that we crush all research that shows that the solar cycles influence global climate change. It has been a covert operation up until now, a global effort spearheaded by SOG and the CIA to get the scientific community working on our side. Any scientist who publishes anything to contradict the idea that global warming isn’t happening is immediately vilified and discredited.”

  “But carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming!” Tom protested.

  “Exactly, Tom, which proves we are doing the right thing. Because of our efforts to influence the White House as well as the key supra-national government bodies and the scientific community, we stand a chance of saving Mother Earth. But if it became general knowledge that the magnetic fields of the sun might decline and the Earth would cool, then all our efforts would have been in vain. China and India would be the first to break ranks. If they could show that the sun’s decline in activity was lowering the earth’s temperature, they would abandon emissions targets tomorrow.”

  “So, in the battle to fight global warming,” Tom said, his words measured, “you’re stifling any scientific debate on the solar influence on temperatures, because it’s not expedient.”

  “Correct. People can easily understand a single cause and effect. If global climate is seen to have two influences, increased manmade greenhouse gases AND the solar cycle, there is a danger that people will disregard the manmade influence. Even though the solar cycle can cause some global warming in certain periods, the effects of carbon dioxide are ten times greater. We don’t yet understand how the sun causes global warming or cooling as the sun’s temperature is constant and only its magnetism changes. Governments would just wait for the scientists to come up with an answer while all the time their emissions would continue to increase, which would cause a catastrophe. But we are confident that the sun’s magnetic field will decrease and the earth will cool after 2012.”

  “So, basically you’re here to tell us to keep our lips sealed?” Tom accused.

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying that I have to walk away from my research? That’s it, then? No PhD?” Suzy was incensed.

  “Tom, Suzy, hold on a moment.” Piper intervened. “I don’t like this any more than you, believe me, but we don’t have any choice in the matter. Yes, I understand, we spend our lives hunting out historical truths and scientific endeavors, dreaming of the one big discovery that will guarantee fame and fortune. But don’t you see? Some things are even bigger than that, and this is, unfortunately for you, one of them.”

  “Well, can I still publish the research on the Essenes and Tutankhamun?” Suzy asked, looking crestfallen.

  “Yes, of course
.” Piper glanced at Christie to see if there was any resistance. “And I’ll help you publish it in all the periodicals. Just no references to hidden numbers or Tutankhamun’s death mask.”

  Tom put his arm around Suzy and squeezed her shoulder gently, adding, “And the pottery label you found in Amarna—that is truly unique. It’ll still be considered groundbreaking research.”

  “Exactly,” Piper agreed, “New College and your mother will still be immensely proud of you Suzy, even if they never find out the true extent of your discoveries.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Christie said, taking a sheaf of papers from her briefcase, “but there are forms we need you to sign. What we’ve just told you is protected by the Official Secrets Acts of both the United States and Great Britain.” She laid the papers out in front of them and uncapped her pen, they signed the papers.

  The sound of breaking glass and a sudden inward gust of air broke the concentration. A dark fountain of blood spewed from the professor’s forehead as a rifle bullet hurled him backward into the wall. A gas canister flew through the broken window, sending toxic trails of sleeper gas snaking through the room.

  “Get down!” Tom shouted, grabbing Suzy, pulling her to the floor to escape the rising gas, but it was too late. Suzy saw Christie pressing onto what looked like a hearing aid in her left ear and thought she could hear a distant voice shouting commands before everything faded to black.

  “Exfiltrate! Exfiltrate!”

  Christie pulled a gas mask out of her case and over her face, releasing the breath she’d been holding, and crawled out the door. Clear of the noxious gas, she stood up and ran as fast as she could down the back stairs and out onto Broad Street, the same way she’d come in, avoiding the more public Porter’s Lodge. A large black Mercedes screeched to a halt alongside and, shielding her with his coat, a plain-clothed operative pushed her into the back seat and jumped in after her. The driver had already started to accelerate as the door slammed, the car swerving to avoid a cyclist. A second Mercedes followed inches behind, its occupants invisible to the streets of Oxford, obscured behind the opaque glass.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Suzy’s eyes flickered open. She saw the moon swimming into focus in the blackness above. She could just manage to lift her head, which felt impossibly heavy, and saw water all around. Confused, she tried to shake her head free of the fog. Pain began to pound in her temples.

  Where was she? The night air was freezing cold. There was the hum of an engine. It sounded as if she was on a ship but that didn’t make sense. What happened to Piper’s flat? Dimly, she recalled seeing him hit by a bullet and collapsing. She struggled to raise herself. She could see no sign of lights that might indicate a shoreline. A nearby life raft boasted the moniker, Lady Viracocha.

  She lay back again, exhausted from the effort. They were high out of the water and traveling at a hefty speed. Some kind of yacht then? Looking skyward toward the upper deck, she saw the falcon logo of the Horus Corporation proudly emblazoned. She tried to think. Was Horus behind this whole thing after all? If so, where were they taking her? And where was everyone else?

  “Suzy?” Tom groaned, his voice coming from behind her. “Suzy, are you OK? Oh, God, my head …”

  “Where are we?” a quiet female voice asked and Suzy remembered Renu, the scientist.

  “I think we’ve been kidnapped by the Horus Corporation,” Suzy said. “They must have been behind everything. They must have killed the professor. Maybe they killed your father, Tom, and the others.”

  “Where’s the general?” Renu asked.

  “Maybe she’s dead,” Tom suggested.

  Suzy tried to get to her feet but couldn’t move her arms, and her feet felt like lead weights. She was chained to the deck. She looked around, ignoring the pulsing pain in her temples. They were all chained to the deck.

  “Are they going to kill us?” Renu asked, in a tiny voice.

  “They’ll never get away with it,” Tom said, his voice overly confident. “Not with CIA Special Ops after them. SOG has access to the most advanced radar and detection systems in the world. These people have attempted to kill or maybe even killed a SOG General. SOG won’t let them get away with it.” He paused in an instant. Footsteps were approaching.

  “Oh, God,” Renu whimpered. “They’re coming for us.”

  Two figures, silhouetted against the night sky, appeared at the top of the stairway. Suzy recognized the outline of Getsu as he stood with his tanto dagger in one hand and samurai sword in the other. She guessed from the outlines that the other one was the massive Maori, Rakuta, whom she had seen briefly at the Horus offices and then again when he’d lifted the jeep off her. He stood, gripping a strange-looking Maori tribal spear. Suzy’s brain was still too foggy for her to react with panic, but the sight of these two with their primitive weapons made her think of Tom’s father death and then Piper, now she and Tom were the targets, privy to secrets they were never meant to possess. She felt her heart rate rise as they approached.

  “Why did you murder Professor Piper?” she asked, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

  “He will be reborn,” Getsu cynically replied. “Honorable Suzy San, I must now remove that thing.”

  He knelt beside her and raised his tanto knife as Rakuta grabbed her legs and twisted her over onto her stomach, knotting the chains around her legs and trapping her like a fly in a spider’s web. Tom tried to lunge toward her but his chains held him fast.

  Getsu straddled Suzy’s lower back, holding her squirming body between his thighs like he was straddling a horse, while Rakuta held the spear point to Tom’s head, ready to strike if necessary. With almost tender gentleness, Getsu lifted Suzy’s hair off her neck and placed the point of the dagger against the skin there, making tiny probing motions as if searching for the perfect place to strike the final blow.

  “No!” Tom shouted, a vivid imagining of his father’s death scene flashing before him. “What the hell are you doing? Stop! You can’t kill her!” A sharp kick in the windpipe from Rakuta silenced him. Tom lay, gasping for air.

  Getsu pressed the blade down into her flesh and Suzy flinched, trying to prepare herself to die with dignity. Getsu withdrew the knife and surveyed the tip like a surgeon inspecting the blade of a scalpel. He smoothed his fingers over the tiny wound in Suzy’s neck before springing back to his feet. Without a word, he led his huge colleague away toward the yacht’s cabins.

  “Torturing bastards,” Tom spat. “Suzy, are you OK?”

  “Yes, I think so,” Suzy was puzzled to find herself still alive and able to breathe, her neck stinging in that same spot as before, after the assassin had nicked her.

  “It was a tracker device,” Renu whispered.

  “What was?”

  “They removed a tracker device from beneath Suzy’s skin, I could see it on the tip of his knife. A nano-chip transponder, I think, by the look of it. You can follow a person’s whereabouts anywhere in the world with one of those.”

  Suzy looked at her, appalled, thinking back. “That night in Luxor,” she recalled. “That must have been what the attack was about. He distracted me with the strangling, so I wouldn’t feel the pain of insertion.” She whispered, half to herself, “It’s been Horus who have been tracking me all the time.”

  “If they have taken the device out then,” Renu said in a hesitant voice, “they don’t need to track you any longer. It means you are not important anymore, so they have no reason to keep you alive.”

  “Oh come on! It’s because they have her chained to a boat in the middle of the ocean,” Tom interjected. “That’s why they don’t need to track her anymore. If they wanted us dead, why would they have chained us next to the boat’s heat exhaust, to keep us from freezing? Why would they even bother removing her chip?”

  “I suspect Suzy has served her purpose. Why they’re keeping us alive, I can’t say.”

  “Special Operations Group will find us,” Tom scoffed.

  “They
can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Going by the star constellations and the freezing temperature, I would say we are in the Arctic Ocean and that puts us in an almost undetectable position. There is no radar, no sonar either, that can detect us here. Even if we pass over a submarine they won’t see us.”

  “Why not?”

  “They have anti-radar and anti-sonar devices,” Renu explained. “See that plastic torus behind the mast? That’s the radar blocking system.”

  “Where do you think they’re taking us?”

  “Alaska. I guess we’ll be heading through the Northwest Passage then past Russia, down through the Bering Strait.”

  “Why the hell would we go there?” Tom demanded.

  “HAARP.”

  “Harp? What’s that?”

  “The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program—HAARP—ostensibly an investigation project to understand and control ionospheric processes that might alter the performance of communication and surveillance systems, but really a covert DARPA research project. Horus is a sophisticated telecoms company. General Christie told me people have been trying to hack into HAARP’s computer systems, and I would bet the culprit is Horus. So, if I had to guess, I’d say we are going to HAARP’s secret base in Alaska. HAARP’s there to enable scientists to develop techniques to improve the performance of communication and navigation systems. But the guy who helped invent it—a Tesla physicist—claims it’s being used to beam large amounts of power into the ionosphere, energizing its electrons and ions in order to disable incoming missiles and knock out enemy satellite communications. It could be focused onto the earth as well; it heats the ionosphere and then the electromagnetic radiation produced could bounce back onto earth. The radiation would penetrate everything.”

  “Could it be used as a weapon?”

  “I don’t know. It’s classified information, nobody can find out anything about it. But if you look at what information there is, it seems researchers can run experiments that use both ordinary and extraordinary modes of transmission, modifying the earth’s ionosphere for a predetermined amount of time, and then measuring the decay of modification effects with pulsed transmissions, that takes—”