Seven Ancient Wonders - Matthew Reilly [82]
‘The Zeus Piece and the obelisk,’ Zoe said. ‘Looks like it’s going to be double-trouble in Paris.’
West leaned back in his seat.
‘Paris,’ he said, ‘isn’t going to know what’s hit her.’
PARIS–ROME
18 MARCH, 2006
2 DAYS BEFORE TARTARUS
THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
PARIS, FRANCE
18 MARCH, 2006, 11:00 A.M.
2 DAYS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF TARTARUS
Jack West Jr sped around the huge multi-laned roundabout that encircled the Arc de Triomphe, whipping through traffic in a rented four-wheel drive SUV.
Lily sat in the passenger seat, while in the back were Pooh Bear, Stretch and Big Ears.
They all sat in tense silence, as one does before an outrageously daring mission deep inside enemy territory.
The heart of Paris is shaped like a Christian cross.
The longer beam of this giant cross is the Champs-Élysées, which travels all the way from the Arc de Triomphe to the Palais du Louvre. The short horizontal transept of the cross ends with the National Assembly at one end and the stunning Church of St Mary Magdalene at the other.
Most important of all is what lies at the junction of these two axes.
There one will find the Place de la Concorde.
Made famous in the French Revolution as the venue for the executions of hundreds of noblemen and women, the Place de la Concorde was the bloody home of the guillotine.
Now, however, in the exact centre of this plaza, in the exact centre of Paris—the very focal point of Paris—stands a towering Egyptian obelisk.
The second obelisk from the Temple of Luxor.
Of all the obelisks in the world—whether still in Egypt or not—the Paris Obelisk is unique in one important respect:
The pyramidion at its peak is coated in gold.
Historians love this, because this was how obelisks appeared in ancient Egyptian times: the tiny pyramids on their peaks were coated with electrum, a rare alloy of silver and gold.
Interestingly, however, the golden pyramidion on the Paris Obelisk is only a very recent addition—it was added to the great stone needle in 1998.
‘Pooh,’ West said as he drove, ‘you checked the catacombs?’
‘I did. They’re clear. The entry gate is under the Charles de Gaulle Bridge and the tunnel runs all the way under the Boulevard Diderot. Lock has been disabled.’
‘Stretch. The train?’
‘TGV service. Platform 23. Leaves at 12:44 p.m. First stop Dijon.’
‘Good.’
As West drove down the Champs-Élysées, he eyed the wide boulevard ahead and beheld the Paris Obelisk, rising above the traffic, easily six storeys tall.
He had climbing gear in his car—ropes, hooks, pitons, carabiners—ready to scale the great needle and examine its upper reaches. He figured he’d look like just another reckless thrill-seeker and if he was fast enough, he’d be gone before the police arrived. After that, his team would proceed to the Louvre, for the larger, more dangerous mission.
Only then, as he drove closer, the traffic parted—
‘Oh, no. . . ’ West breathed.
The entire lower half of the Obelisk was concealed by scaffolding. There were three storeys of it, plank-like levels shrouded with netting, like the scaffolding on a construction site.
And at the base of this temporary scaffold structure, guarding its only entrance, were six security guards.
A large sign in French and English apologised for the inconvenience as the Obelisk was covered for ‘essential cleaning work’.
‘They’re cleaning it,’ Stretch scoffed. ‘A little convenient, don’t you think? Our European rivals are onto this lead.’
‘The Heretical Gospel of St Mark is notorious. There are other copies of it around the world,’ West said. ‘Del Piero would surely have one. He must have already checked and measured the Obelisk and since he can’t remove it from here, he’s sealed it off, stopping us from doing the same. Which means—damn it—del Piero is one step short of locating Alexander’s Tomb and getting the topmost Piece. . . ’
West gazed at the scaffolding-enclosed