«I hear you,» the bald man said. «I made a big mistake in my youth, too. Now I wake up with her every morning.»
They both laughed as the man headed off.
Childs play, Malakh thought as he moved past Nuсez and up the escalator toward the Capitol Building. The entry had been easier than anticipated. Malakhs slouching posture and padded belly had hidden his true physique, while the makeup on his face and hands had hidden the tattoos that covered his body. The true genius, however, was the sling, which disguised the potent object Malakh was transporting into the building.
A gift for the one man on earth who can help me obtain what I seek.
CHAPTER 5
The worldsLocated at 4210 Silver Hill Road just outside of Washington, D.C., the museum is a massive zigzag-shaped edifice constructed of five interconnected pods each pod larger than a football field. The buildings bluish metal exterior barely hints at the strangeness within a six-hundred-thousand-square-foot alien world that contains a «dead zone,» a «wet pod,» and more than twelve miles of storage cabinets.
Tonight, scientist Katherine Solomon was feeling unsettled as she drove her white Volvo up to the buildings main security gate.
The guard smiled. «Not a football fan, Ms. Solomon?» He lowered the volume on the Redskins play-off pregame show.
Katherine forced a tense smile. «Its Sunday night.»
«Oh, thats right. Your meeting.»
«Is he here yet?» she asked anxiously.
He glanced down at his paperwork. «I dont see him on the log.»
«Im early.» Katherine gave a friendly wave and continued up the winding access road to her usual parking spot at the bottom of the small, two-tiered lot. She began collecting her things and gave herself a quick check in the rearview mirror more out of force of habit than actual vanity.
Katherine Solomon had been blessed with the resilient Mediterranean skin of her ancestry, and even at fifty years old she had a smooth olive complexion. She used almost no makeup and wore her thick black hair unstyled and down. Like her older brother, Peter, she had gray eyes and a slender, patrician elegance.
You two might as well be twins, people often told them.
Their father had succumbed to cancer when Katherine was only seven, and she had little memory of him. her brother, eight years katherines senior and only fifteen when their father died, had begun his journey toward becoming the solomon patriarch much sooner than anyone had ever dreamed. as expected, though, peter had grown into the role with the dignity and strength befitting their family name. to this day, he still watched over katherine as though they were just kids.
Despite her brothers occasional prodding, and no shortage of suitors, Katherine had never married. Science had become her life partner, and her work had proven more fulfilling and exciting than any man could ever hope to be. Katherine had no regrets.
Her field of choice Noetic Science had been virtually unknown when she first heard of it, but in recent years it had started opening new doors of understanding into the power of the human mind.
Our untapped potential is truly shocking.
Katherines two books on Noetics had established her as a leader in this obscure field, but her most recent discoveries, when published, promised to make Noetic Science a topic of mainstream conversation around the world.
Tonight, however, science was the last thing on her mind. Earlier in the day, she had received some truly upsetting information relating to her brother. I still cant believe its true. Shed thought of nothing else all afternoon.
A pattering of light rain drummed on her windshield, and Katherine quickly gathered her things to get inside. She was about to step out of her car when her cell phone rang.
She checked the caller
ID and inhaled deeply.
Then she tucked her hair behind her ears and settled in to take the call.
Six miles away, Malakh was moving through the corridors of the U.S. Capitol Building with a cell phone pressed to his ear. He waited patiently as the line rang.
Finally, a womans voice answered. «Yes?»
«We need to meet again,» Malakh said.
There was a long pause. «Is everything all right?»
«I have new information,» Malakh said.
«Tell me.»
Malakh took a deep breath. «That which your brother believes is hidden in D.C. . ?»
«yes?»
«It can be found.»
Katherine Solomon sounded stunned. «Youre telling me it is real ?»
Malakh smiled to himself. «Sometimes a legend that endures for centuries. . endures for a reason.»
CHAPTER 6
Is this«Afraid so,» the driver said. «Homeland Security. No vehicles near landmark buildings anymore. Im sorry, sir.»
Langdon checked his watch, startled to see it was already 6:50. A construction zone around the National Mall had slowed them down, and his lecture was to begin in ten minutes.
«Weathers turning,» the driver said, hopping out and opening Langdons door for him. «Youll want to hurry.» Langdon reached for his wallet to tip the driver, but the man waved him off. «Your host already added a very generous tip to the charge.»