Angels Demons Chapter 28-31

28Secretary Sylvie Baudeloque was straight musical mode in a panic. She paced step forwardside the coachs desolate station. Where the hell is he? What do I do?It had been a bizarre day. Of course, either day working for Maximilian Kohler had the potential to be strange, merely Kohler had been in r ar systema skeletale today.Find me da Vinci Vetra he had de gayded when Sylvie arrived this morning.Dutifully, Sylvie paged, bandd, and E-mailed Leonardo Vetra. zero(prenominal)hing.So Kohler had unexp demolitioned in a huff, app atomic number 18ntly to go find Vetra himself. When he rolled back up in a few hours later, Kohler looked decidedly non advantageously non that he ever real looked well, al single he looked worse than usual. He locked himself in his rancidice, and she could hear him on his modem, his phone, faxing, talking. so Kohler rolled out again. He hadnt been back since.Sylvie had decided to ignore the antics as in clipping a nonher Kohlerian melodrama, t ho she began to get concern when Kohler failed to h sure-enough(a) at the proper duration for his daily injections the directors physical condition require regular treatment, and when he decided to storm his luck, the results were neer pretty respiratory shock, cough out fits, and a mad dash by the infirmary personnel. Sometimes Sylvie estimation Maximilian Kohler had a death wish.She considered paging him to re assessment him, except shed wise(p) charity was somewhatthing Kohlerss pride despised. stick out week, he had croak so infuriated with a visiting scientist who had shown him undue forbearance that Kohler clambered to his feet and threw a clipboard at the mans head. King Kohler could be surprisingly agile when he was pisse.At the moment, however, Sylvies concern for the directors health was taking a back burner replaced by a much(prenominal) more pressing dilemma. The CERN switchboard had phoned volt minutes ago in a frenzy to say they had an urgent peal for the director.Hes not avail up to(p), Sylvie had said. then the CERN operator told her who was annunciate(a)ing.Sylvie half(a) laughed aloud. Youre kidding, compensate? She listened, and her face up clouded with agnosticism. And your p artificey ID confirms Sylvie was frowning. I see. Okay. Can you ask what the She sighed. No. Thats fine. Tell him to hold. Ill locate the director right away. Yes, I attend. Ill hurry.But Sylvie had not been able to find the director. She had telephoneed his cellular phone line terce times and each time gotten the handle message The mobile customer you atomic number 18 trying to reach is out of range. step up of range? How far could he go? So Sylvie had dialed Kohlers beeper. Twice. No response. virtually contrary him. Shed until now E-mailed his mobile computer. Nothing. It was like the man had disappe ared off the face of the earth.So what do I do? she now wondered. short-change of meddling CERNs entire complex herself, Sylv ie knew on that point was only when one other way to get the directors attention. He would not be pleased, but the man on the phone was not someone the director should notice waiting. Nor did it sound like the caller was in whatever mood to be told the director was unavailable.Startled with her own boldness, Sylvie made her decision. She walked into Kohlers office and went to the metal box on his bulwark behind his desk. She easyed the cover, stared at the controls, and put together the correct button.Then she excessivelyk a blockheaded breath and grabbed the microphone.29Vittoria did not call up how they had gotten to the main elevation, but they were in that respect. Asc hold oning. Kohler was behind her, his public discussion labored now. Langdons concerned gaze departed through with(predicate) her like a ghost. He had interpreted the fax from her hand and slipped it in his pennant dismission away from her sight, but the com carry was still burned into her stoc k.As the elevation climbed, Vittorias world swirled into darkness. Papa In her wit she reached for him. For just a moment, in the oasis of her memory, Vittoria was with him. She was nine years old, rolling checkmate hills of edelweiss flowers, the Swiss sky spin nigh smash-up.Papa PapaLeonardo Vetra was express e action beside her, beaming. What is it, angel?Papa she giggled, nuzzling close to him. regard me whats the numerateBut you look happy, sweetie. wherefore would I ask you whats the matter? full ask me.He shrugged. Whats the matter?She straight off started laughing. Whats the matter? Everything is the matter Rocks Trees Atoms thus far anteaters Everything is the matterHe laughed. Did you make that up? reasonably smart, huh?My superficial Einstein.She frowned. He has stupid hair. I saw his picture.Hes got a smart head, though. I told you what he proved, right?Her eyes widened with dread. pappa No You promisedE=MC2 He tickled her capriolefully. E=MC2No math I to ld you I hate itIm glad you hate it. Because girls arent even allowed to do math.Vittoria stopped short. They arent?Of course not. Everyone knows that. Girls play with dol pillows. Boys do math. No math for girls. Im not even permitted to talk to little girls intimately math.What But thats not fairRules are principles. Absolutely no math for little girls.Vittoria looked horrified. But dolls are bo palisadeIm sorry, her pay off said. I could tell you closely math, but if I got caught He looked nervously around the deserted hills.Vittoria followed his gaze. Okay, she whispered, just tell me quietly.The motion of the elevator startled her. Vittoria idleed her eyes. He was gone.Reality rushed in, wrapping a frosty grip around her. She looked to Langdon. The heartmatt-up concern in his gaze mat up like the warmth of a defender angel, especially in the aura of Kohlers chill.A single sentient thought began throbbing at Vittoria with unrelenting force.Where is the antimatter?The ho rrifying reaction was only a moment away.30Maximilian Kohler. Kindly call your office immediately. brilliance sunbeams flooded Langdons eyes as the elevator doors opened into the main atrium. Before the riposte of the announcement on the intercom overhead faded, every electronic device on Kohlers wheelchair started beeping and buzzing simultaneously. His pager. His phone. His E-mail. Kohler glanced down at the blink sort outs in apparent bewilderment. The director had resurfaced, and he was back in range.Director Kohler. gratify call your office.The sound of his name on the PA seemed to startle Kohler.He glanced up, feel angered and then almost immediately concerned. Langdons eyes met his, and Vittorias too. The three of them were motionless a moment, as if all the tension betwixt them had been erased and replaced by a single, unifying foreboding.Kohler took his cell phone from the armrest. He dialed an extension and fought off another spit up fit. Vittoria and Langdon wait ed.This is Director Kohler, he said, wheezing. Yes? I was subterranean, out of range. He listened, his colorize eyes widening. Who? Yes, patch it through. There was a pause. Hello? This is Maximilian Kohler. I am the director of CERN. With whom am I speaking?Vittoria and Langdon watched in silence as Kohler listened.It would be unwise, Kohler at languish last said, to speak of this by phone. I willing be there immediately. He was coughing again. determine me at Leonardo da Vinci drome. Forty minutes. Kohlers breath seemed to be flunk him now. He descended into a fit of coughing and barely managed to choke out the run-in, set the canister immediately I am coming. Then he clicked off his phone.Vittoria ran to Kohlers side, but Kohler could no spaciouser speak. Langdon watched as Vittoria pulled out her cell phone and paged CERNs infirmary. Langdon felt like a ship on the periphery of a storm tossed but detached.Meet me at Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Kohlers words echoed.The uncertain shadows that had fogged Langdons mind all morning, in a single instant, solidify into a vivid image. As he stood there in the swirl of confusion, he felt a door inside him open as if some religious mystic threshold had just been breached. The ambigram. The murdered priest/scientist. The antimatter. And now the target. Leonardo da Vinci Airport could only mean one thing. In a moment of stark realization, Langdon knew he had just crossed over. He had become a hoper.Five kilotons. Let there be light.Two paramedics materialized, racing crosswise the atrium in white smocks. They knelt by Kohler, putting an oxygen secrete on his face. Scientists in the hall stopped and stood back.Kohler took dickens long pulls, pushed the mask aside, and still gasping for air, looked up at Vittoria and Langdon. Rome.Rome? Vittoria demanded. The antimatter is in Rome? Who called?Kohlers face was twisted, his gray eyes watering. The Swiss He choked on the words, and the paramedics put the m ask back over his face. As they brisk to be confirm him away, Kohler reached up and grabbed Langdons arm.Langdon nodded. He knew.Go Kohler wheezed beneath his mask. Go call me Then the paramedics were rolling him away.Vittoria stood riveted to the floor, watching him go. Then she moody to Langdon. Rome? But what was that well-nigh the Swiss?Langdon put a hand on her shoulder, barely whispering the words. The Swiss Guard, he said. The sworn sentinels of Vatican City.31The X-33 space s keep back roared into the sky and arched south toward Rome. On board, Langdon sat in silence. The last xv minutes had been a blur. Now that he had finished briefing Vittoria on the Illuminati and their compact car against the Vatican, the scope of this situation was starting to drop dead in.What the hell am I doing? Langdon wondered. I should have gone home when I had the chance Deep down, though, he knew hed never had the chance.Langdons better judgment had screamed at him to return to Boston. N onetheless, academic astonishment had somehow vetoed prudence. Everything he had ever turn overd about the demise of the Illuminati was unawares looking like a resplendent sham. Part of him craved proof. Confirmation. There was as well a hobbyion of conscience. With Kohler ailing and Vittoria on her own, Langdon knew that if his knowledge of the Illuminati could assist in any way, he had a moral certificate of indebtedness to be here.There was more, though. Although Langdon was ashamed to retain it, his initial horror on audience about the antimatters location was not only the danger to human life in Vatican City, but for something else as well.Art.The worlds largest art disposition was now sitting on a time bomb. The Vatican Museum housed over 60,000 priceless pieces in 1,407 rooms Michelangelo, da Vinci, Bernini, Botticelli. Langdon wondered if all of the art could possibly be evacuated if necessary. He knew it was impossible. some of the pieces were sculptures weighing tons. Not to mention, the greatest treasures were architectural the Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Basilica, Michelangelos famed spiral staircase trail to the Museo Vaticano priceless testaments to mans creative genius. Langdon wondered how much time was left on the canister.Thanks for coming, Vittoria said, her articulate quiet.Langdon emerged from his daydream and looked up. Vittoria was sitting across the aisle. Even in the stark fluorescent light of the cabin, there was an aura of composure about her an almost magnetic radiance of wholeness. Her vivacious seemed deeper now, as if a spark of self-preservation had ignited within her a craving for justness and retribution, fueled by a daughters love.Vittoria had not had time to change from her shorts and egotistical top, and her tawny legs were now goose-bumped in the coldness of the plane. Instinctively Langdon removed his jacket and offered it to her.American chivalry? She accepted, her eyes thanking him silently.The plane jostled across some turbulence, and Langdon felt a puff of danger. The windowless cabin felt cramped again, and he tried to imagine himself in an open field. The notion, he realized, was ironic. He had been in an open field when it had happened. Crushing darkness. He pushed the memory from his mind. Ancient history.Vittoria was watching him. Do you believe in theology, Mr. Langdon?The question startled him. The inspiration in Vittorias voice was even more disarming than the inquiry. Do I believe in beau ideal? He had hoped for a lighter topic of conversation to pass the trip.A spiritual conundrum, Langdon thought. Thats what my friends call me. Although he canvas trust for years, Langdon was not a religious man. He respected the business office of trust, the benevolence of churches, the strength religion gave to many a(prenominal) people and yet, for him, the intellectual suspension of disbelief that was imperative if one were truly acquittance to believe had always proved too big an obstacle for his academic mind. I want to believe, he heard himself say.Vittorias resolution carried no judgment or challenge. So wherefore dont you?He chuckled. Well, its not that easy. Having faith requires leaps of faith, cerebral acceptance of miracles immaculate conceptions and manufacturer interventions. And then there are the statutes of conduct. The Bible, the Koran, Buddhist scripture they all carry alike requirements and similar penalties. They claim that if I dont croak by a specific code I will go to hell. I cant imagine a God who would rule that way.I hope you dont let your students outwit questions that shamelessly.The comment caught him off guard. What?Mr. Langdon, I did not ask if you believe what man says about God. I asked if you believed in God. There is a difference. Holy scripture is stories legends and history of mans quest to generalize his own need for meaning. I am not asking you to pass judgment on literature. I am asking if you believ e in God. When you lie out under the stars, do you backbone the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you are staring up at the work of Gods hand?Langdon took a long moment to consider it.Im prying, Vittoria apologized.No, I justCertainly you must consult issues of faith with your classes.Endlessly.And you play devils advocate, I imagine. forever and a day fueling the debate.Langdon smiled. You must be a teacher too.No, but I learned from a master. My father could argue two sides of a Mobius Strip.Langdon laughed, picturing the artful crafting of a Mobius Strip a twisted ring of paper, which technically possessed only one side. Langdon had first seen the single-sided shape in the artistic creation of M. C. Escher. May I ask you a question, Ms. Vetra?Call me Vittoria. Ms. Vetra makes me feel old.He sighed inwardly, abruptly sensing his own age. Vittoria, Im Robert.You had a question.Yes. As a scientist and the daughter of a Catholic priest, what do you think of religion?Vittoria paused, coppice a lock of hair from her eyes. godliness is like language or dress. We gravitate toward the practices with which we were raised. In the end, though, we are all proclaiming the equal thing. That life has meaning. That we are grateful for the force out that created us.Langdon was intrigued. So youre saying that whether you are a Christian or a Moslem simply depends on where you were born?Isnt it apparent? Look at the diffusion of religion around the globe.So faith is random?Hardly. Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.Langdon wished his students could express themselves so clearly. Hell, he wished he could express himself so clearly. And God? he asked. Do you believe in God?Vittoria was silent for a long time. Science tells me God must exist. My mind te lls me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.Hows that for concise, he thought. So you believe God is fact, but we will never understand Him.Her, she said with a smile. Your Native Americans had it right.Langdon chuckled. give Earth.Gaea. The planet is an organism. All of us are cells with different purposes. And yet we are intertwined. serving each other. Serving the whole.Looking at her, Langdon felt something stir within him that he had not felt in a long time. There was a fine clarity in her eyes a purity in her voice. He felt drawn.Mr. Langdon, let me ask you another question.Robert, he said. Mr. Langdon makes me feel old. I am oldIf you dont mind my asking, Robert, how did you get involved with the Illuminati?Langdon thought back. Actually, it was money.Vittoria looked disappointed. Money? Consulting, you mean?Langdon laughed, realizing how it must have sounded. No. Money as in property. He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out some mone y. He rear a one-dollar bill. I became fascinated with the frenzy when I first learned that U.S. currency is covered with Illuminati symbology.Vittorias eyes narrowed, apparently not knowing whether or not to take him seriously.Langdon handed her the bill. Look at the back. gull the large shut on the left?Vittoria turned the one-dollar bill over. You mean the profit?The pyramid. Do you know what pyramids have to do with U.S. history?Vittoria shrugged.Exactly, Langdon said. Absolutely nothing.Vittoria frowned. So why is it the central symbol of your Great Seal?An eerie bit of history, Langdon said. The pyramid is an obscure symbol representing a convergence upward, toward the crowning(prenominal) source of Illumination. See whats above it?Vittoria studied the bill. An eye inside a trilateral.Its called the trinacria. consume you ever seen that eye in a triangle anywhere else?Vittoria was silent a moment. Actually, yes, but Im not sureIts emblazoned on masonic lodges around the world.The symbol is masonic?Actually, no. Its Illuminati. They called it their shining delta. A call for enlightened change. The eye signifies the Illuminatis ability to come home and watch all things. The shining triangle represents enlightenment. And the triangle is also the Greek earn delta, which is the mathematical symbol for Change. Transition.Langdon smiled. I forgot I was talking to a scientist.So youre saying the U.S. Great Seal is a call for enlightened, all-seeing change?Some would call it a untried World Order.Vittoria seemed startled. She glanced down at the bill again. The writing under the pyramid says Novus OrdoNovus Ordo Seculorum, Langdon said. It means New layman Order.Secular as in non religious?Nonreligious. The set phrase not only clearly states the Illuminati objective, but it also blatantly contradicts the phrase beside it. In God We Trust.Vittoria seemed troubled. But how could all this symbology end up on the most the right way currency in the w orld?Most academics believe it was through Vice electric chair Henry Wallace. He was an upper echelon Mason and certainly had ties to the Illuminati. Whether it was as a share or innocently under their influence, zip knows. But it was Wallace who sold the design of the Great Seal to the president.How? Why would the president have agreed to The president was Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wallace simply told him Novus Ordo Seculorum meant New Deal.Vittoria seemed skeptical. And Roosevelt didnt have anyone else look at the symbol before telling the Treasury to write it?No need. He and Wallace were like brothers.Brothers? take for your history books, Langdon said with a smile. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a well-known Mason.