The Project 05 - The Tesla Secret

free electricity. It was never finished. The plans disappeared."
    "Figures," Nick said. "Not much changes. But how does that tie into the pyramid?"
    "Telluric currents travel in predictable patterns. There are points along the earth's surface where they're especially strong. Hotspots of power. The Yucatan is one of those places."
    "What would Mayans do with electricity?"
    "Mayan TVs," Lamont said. "Ancient toasters."
    "Lamont..." Harker's voice carried a warning note.
    "Sorry." He didn't look sorry.
    Selena continued. "The Codex describes a kind of lighthouse. There was something in it that focused the stored energy and emitted a beam of light. That's the closest I could come with the translation. It might not be right. But definitely a light of some kind, right at the top. I think the Mayans were trying to send a message to their gods."
    "Is that it?" Nick asked.
    "There are warnings about the light. Basically, stay away or the gods will punish you. The Codex isn't complete. It doesn't say what, but there was something at the top of the pyramid that made the light. There aren't any details."
    "You said it's in the Yucatan. Where?"
    "Southeast of Mérida, a few hours from Chichen Itza. It's in the jungle and completely overgrown. Smaller than Chichen Itza and older."
    Nick had been to Chichen Itza. The main attractions were a gigantic, stepped pyramid and an impressive stone ball court where the Mayans had played an early and brutal form of soccer.
    "Why hasn't it been excavated?"
    "There are a lot of archeological sites in Mexico. The government has enough problems maintaining the ones they've opened up. This one is out of sight, out of mind. We pinned it down with SBIRS. Infrared sees right through the jungle canopy."
    Elizabeth thought about the satellite pictures from Russia. She thought about a full out firefight in the Mafra Palace over bark pages 1500 years old. She thought about AEON and a dead museum clerk with designs by Nikola Tesla.
    "I want to show you something," she said.
    She touched a key on her desk console. The big screen lit up on the wall. She tapped another key and a satellite photo of the Russian pyramid appeared on the monitor.
    "This is something I've been looking at in Russia. You see the square shape that shows up under infrared?"
    "Okay."
    "Now look at this shot of the pyramid mentioned in the Codex." She brought it up next to the first photo.
    "They look similar." Nick rubbed a hand across dark stubble on his chin.
    "They are similar. Someone is building a pyramid in Russia. It's too much of a coincidence, the Codex, the coded messages. It has to be AEON. Ogorov has enough clout to pull it off."
    "Why would they do that? AEON isn't sending messages to the gods."
    "I haven't any idea, but they wanted the Codex for something. We beat them to it."
    "Too bad for them."
    "If you were trying to get information about that pyramid and you couldn't get the Codex, what would you do?"
    "That's a no-brainer," Nick said. "I'd go to the source and see what I could find out." He could sense where this was going.
    Elizabeth picked up her pen, tapped her desk. "Selena, you said this pyramid is hidden in the jungle, unexcavated. That means no one has seen it yet."
    "That's right."
    "Then I think it's time someone took a look."

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

    The airport at Mérida sparkled in the aftermath of morning rain. The sun threw shimmering storm light across the wet pavement. Dark thunderheads towered overhead with the promise of more rain to come. The Project team stepped from the air-conditioned comfort of their Gulfstream into the torrid humidity of late summer in the Yucatan. It was like stepping into a steam bath.
    A black, four wheel drive Suburban waited for them. The man standing beside it wore aviator sunglasses, tan Dockers, an open shirt and an unbuttoned tan sport jacket. There was a bulge under his coat. He introduced himself as John Madison. Nick guessed him to be in his late 20s.
    "You guys must have some pull," he said. He shook hands with Nick and handed him a business card identifying him as a second assistant cultural attaché.
    "The Consulate sent me over. I'm supposed to give you the keys to the vehicle. After that, you're on your own."
    He looked at Nick. "Say, I know you. You're Carter." His face lit with recognition. It made him look even younger. It made Nick feel old. "You were with the President in Jerusalem. Sir, I'd like to shake your hand."
    Selena knew Nick was embarrassed.