The Project 01 - White Jade

the building, ending at square openings on each side of a rectangular white slab in the center of the platform.
    Ronnie and Nick walked around the slab . They climbed the steps and entered a large, square room. Their footsteps sent a fine cloud of gray dust into the air . Ronnie sneezed . He wiped his nose on his sleeve.
    Tables covered with metal caldrons, tools and glass containers lined the sides of the room. A fire pit with iron rods and grates positioned over it took up one corner. Against one wall was a large closed chest of dark metal. Hanging above the chest was a long pair of tongs . Except for the thick dust, everyone could have downed tools and left a few minutes before.
    " This reminds me of my old high school science class. Beakers, bottles, fire. I was bored in that class. O nce I unscrewed a Bunsen burner on the lab bench and lit it. The flame was three feet high. "
    Ronnie laughed. " How ' d the teacher handle that? "
    " I got three days detention. Messed up football practice, Coach was really mad. "
    " What do you think is in that chest? "
    " What ' s it made of? "
    " I ' m not sure. Some kind of metal. "
    Ronnie pulled his Ka-Bar and scratched the surface. A dull sliver of gray peeled away, leaving a shiny line under the point of the knife.
    " It's lead. "
    The lid was designed to slip down around the sides of the chest. There were no hinges.
    " What have we got, Nick, Pandora ' s Box? "
    " I ' ve got an idea. "
    He took a counter from his pack. The readout showed higher than normal radiation, but not dangerous.
    " Let ' s open it up and take a look. "
    The lid was heavy. They lifted it and Nick felt his back spasm . They set it askew across the box. The chest was half full of black rocks. The counter reading climbed toward the red and the alarm went off.
    " Back on. "
    " Right. "
    They got the lid back on in a hurry. Nick checked his dosimeter. Still okay.
    " I guess we found what Yang is looking for. "
    " How ' d the priests keep themselves from getting cooked? "
    " You ' ve got me, Ron nie . How did they know l ead would protect them from radiation, or that there was any radiation in the first place? How did they build this place? "
    " Nick, look over here. "
    A man dressed in orange robes stood in a corner alcove, arm outstretched, holding something white in his hand.

Chapter Forty-T hree

    Wu was stiff and sore from jolting over the rough road. The convoy had been on the road since morning, headed for the village of Moincer . From there it was still hours to the objective. Sergeant Choy rode with him in the command car .
    Thirty soldiers commandeered from the 53 rd Mountain Battalion in Lhasa rode in the three trucks behind. They weren ' t elite troops but they were used to the terrain and the altitude. Wu wasn ' t sure what he would find at the ruins . H e ' d need manpower to remove anything of interest there. T he trucks would transport it back.
    The General ' s instructions had been concise. Yang had spread a composite satellite photo on the table and placed his finger on a spot in the west of Xizang, formerly Tibet .
    " Senior Colonel Wu. "
    " Sir. "
    " This is the monastery of Gurugem. Fifty kilometers north is a cluster of ruins . The directions in the book you procured lead there. "
    Yang placed his finger on the photo . A blurred image of regular shapes and fallen walls indicated an ancient compound.
    " The nearest town is here, where the coal mines are located. There is a road to the monastery. From there you will make your way up this valley to the ruins. There is no road. Be sure you have adequate transport. "
    " Sir. "
    " Take men with you. Bring back anything you find of value. "
    " Sir, what am I looking for? "
    " Sonar scans show a chamber under the ruins. You will find a way into this chamber. Look for artifacts of any kind. There may be maps. Look for anything that refers to the First Emperor . If there are records, collect or photograph them and bring the information back to me. Take radiation detection equipment. There may be a stockpile of radioactive materials, especially ore. If you find it , bring back a sample . If it is there , look for anything that shows where it was mined. "
    " What if the Americans have discovered this site? "
    Yang looked unconcerned. " If any foreigners are there, interrogate and eliminate them. Find out everything they know. Dispose of the bodies and any equipment they might have. That should be easy in this remote area. "
    " Yes, sir. I