It is an ancient chart of the world, similar to the very one referenced 500 years ago by the Turkish admiral, Piri Re’is. (This mysterious map was believed to have been the inspiration for Columbus’s daring expedition in 1492.) To this day, the 14th-century Piri Re’is map remains an enigma, for upon it appeared not just the undiscovered landmass of Antarctica, but the continent’s geology, drawn as if the terrain possessed no ice. Satellite radar scans have since confirmed the incredible accuracy of the map, further baffling scientists as to how anyone could have drawn the charts without the aid of an airplane.

Perhaps the same way these very Nazca figures were drawn.

Like the Piri Re’is map, the parchment I now balance in my hand was laid out using an advanced knowledge of spherical trigonometry. Was the mysterious cartographer our ancient teacher? Of this I have no doubt. The real question is—why has he chosen to leave us this particular map?

Michael snaps a hurried Polaroid as the ancient document singes, then crumbles to dust within my hands. Moments later we are left to stare at the photograph, noting that an object, obviously of great importance, had clearly been highlighted. It is a small circle, drawn in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, situated just to the northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The location of the mark startles me. This is not one of the ancient sites, this is something else entirely. A cold sweat breaks out over my skin, a familiar numbness rising up my arm.

Michael senses death approaching. He searches my pockets and quickly locates a pill, placing it beneath my tongue.

My pulse eases, the numbness retreating. I touch his cheek, then coax my son to return to his work. With pride I watch as he examines the metallic container—his black eyes, portals to an incredibly disciplined mind. Nothing escapes my son’s eyes. Nothing.

Within moments, he makes another discovery, one that may explain the location highlighted in the Gulf of Mexico. The metal detector’s spectral analyzer has determined the molecular breakdown of the dense, white metal—it’s very composite, a story unto itself.

The ancient cylinder is composed of iridium.

Pure iridium.

—Excerpt from the Journal of Professor Julius Gabriel,

June 14, 1990.

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

65 MILLION YEARS AGO,
MILKY WAY GALAXY