Angels Demons Chapter 98-101

98The six pompieri call downmen who responded to the fire at the Church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria extinguished the bonfire with blasts of Halon gas. Water was cheaper, unless the locomote it created would hasten ruined the frescoes in the chapel, and the Vatican paid Ro service composition pompieri a healthy stipend for swift and prudential service in all Vatican-owned buildings.Pompieri, by the nature of their work, witnessed tragedy al most(prenominal) daily, in force(p) the execution in this church building was something n unity of them would constantly forget. Part crucifixion, part hanging, part burning at the stake, the scene was something dredged from a Gothic nightmare.Unfortunately, the press, as usual, had arrived to begin with the fire department. Theyd shot plenty of video before the pompieri cleared the church. When the firemen at long last cut the victim down and commit him on the floor, thither was no doubt who the man was.Cardinale Guidera, unmatchable whispered. Di Barcellona.The victim was nude. The lower ane-half of his consistence was crimson-black, blood oozing through gaping cracks in his thighs. His shinbones were exposed. 1 fireman vomited. A nonher went fall duplicationneous to breathe.The true horror, though, was the symbol seared on the cardinals chest. The police squad hirer circled the mud in awes transport dread. Lavoro del diavolo, he said to himself. Satan himself did this. He crossed himself for the starting time time since childhood.Un altro corpo somebody yelled. One of the firemen had found some other body.The second victim was a man the chief recognised immediately. The serious commander of the Swiss Guard was a man for whom few public law enforcement strikeicials had either affection. The chief called the Vatican, but all the circuits were busy. He k mod it didnt matter. The Swiss Guard would hear more or less this on television in a matter of minutes.As the chief surveyed the damage, trying t o recreate what possibly could have gone on here, he saw a niche riddled with bullet holes. A coffin had been rolled off its supports and fallen upside down in an apparent struggle. It was a mess. Thats for the police and Holy See to disperse with, the chief mind, turning away.As he turned, though, he stopped. Coming from the coffin he hear a sound. It was not a sound any fireman ever liked to hear.Bomba he cried out. Tutti fuoriWhen the bomb squad rolled the coffin over, they discovered the source of the electronic beeping. They stared, confused.Medico one finally screamed. Medico99Any word from Olivetti? the camerlegno asked, looking drained as Rocher escorted him back from the Sistine Chapel to the Popes office.No, signore. I am fearing the worst.When they reached the Popes office, the camerlegnos vocalization was heavy. Captain, there is nothing more I can do here tonight. I fear I have done too much already. I am loss into this office to pray. I do not wish to be disturbed . The rest is in Gods hands.Yes, signore.The hour is late, Captain. Find that canister.Our search continues. Rocher hesitated. The weapon proves to be too easy hidden.The camerlegno winced, as if he could not think of it. Yes. At ex stagely 1115 P.M., if the church is still in peril, I want you to evacuate the cardinals. I am putting their rubber eraser in your hands. I ask alone one thing. allow these men proceed from this holding with dignity. permit them exit into St. Peters Square and stand side by side with the rest of the world. I do not want the last image of this church to be frightened old men sneaking out a back door.Very good, signore. And you? Shall I come about for you at 1115 as well?There will be no conduct.Signore?I will leave when the spirit moves me.Rocher wondered if the camerlegno intended to go down with the ship.The camerlegno loose the door to the Popes office and entered. Actually he said, turning. There is one thing.Signore?There seems to be a chill in this office tonight. I am trembling.The electric heat is out. Let me gear up you a fire.The camerlegno smiled tiredly. Thank you. Thank you, very much.Rocher exited the Popes office where he had left the camerlegno praying by firelight in battlefront of a small statue of the Blessed Mother Mary. It was an eerie sight. A black shadow rest in the flickering glow. As Rocher headed down the hall, a guard appeared, running toward him. Even by candlelight Rocher recognized Lieutenant Chartrand. Young, green, and eager.Captain, Chartrand called, holding out a cellular phone. I think the camerlegnos address may have worked. Weve got a caller here who says he has information that can help us. He phoned on one of the Vaticans hush-hush extensions. I have no idea how he got the number.Rocher stopped. What?He will solo handle to the ranking officer.Any word from Olivetti?No, sir.He took the receiver. This is Captain Rocher. I am ranking officer here.Rocher, the share said. I will exp lain to you who I am. therefore I will tell you what you are going to do next.When the caller stopped talking and hung up, Rocher stood stunned. He ostentationaneously knew from whom he was taking orders.Back at CERN, Sylvie Baudeloque was frantically trying to keep track of all the licensing inquiries approach shot in on Kohlers voice mail. When the private line on the directors desk began to ring, Sylvie jumped. Nobody had that number. She resultanted.Yes?Ms. Baudeloque? This is Director Kohler. Contact my pilot. My jet is to be ready in louvre minutes.100Robert Langdon had no idea where he was or how long he had been unconscious when he granted his eyes and found himself staring up at the underside of a baroque, frescoed cupola. Smoke drifted overhead. Something was covering his mouth. An oxygen mask. He pulled it off. There was a terrible smell in the room like burning flesh.Langdon winced at the pounding in his head. He move to sit up. A man in w completee was kneelin g beside him.Riposati the man said, easing Langdon onto his back again. Sono il paramedico.Langdon succumbed, his head spiraling like the smoke overhead. What the hell happened? lightheaded feelings of panic sifted through his capitulum.Sorcio salvatore, the paramedic said. Mouse savior.Langdon felt even more lost. Mouse savior?The man motioned to the Mickey Mouse watch on Langdons wrist. Langdons thoughts began to clear. He remembered setting the alarm. As he stared absently at the watch face, Langdon also noted the hour. 1028 P.M.He sat bolt upright.Then, it all came back.Langdon stood dear(p) the main altar with the fire chief and a few of his men. They had been rattling him with questions. Langdon wasnt listening. He had questions of his own. His whole body ached, but he knew he needed to act immediately.A pompiero approached Langdon crossways the church. I checked again, sir. The only bodies we found are Cardinal Guidera and the Swiss Guard commander. Theres no sign of a w oman here.Grazie, Langdon said, diffident whether he was relieved or horrified. He knew he had seen Vittoria unconscious on the floor. Now she was gone. The only history he came up with was not a comforting one. The killer had not been subtle on the phone. A woman of spirit. I am aroused. Perhaps before this night is over, I will find you. And when I doLangdon looked around. Where is the Swiss Guard?Still no contact. Vatican lines are jammed.Langdon felt overwhelmed and alone. Olivetti was dead. The cardinal was dead. Vittoria was missing. A half hour of his life had disappeared in a blink.Outside, Langdon could hear the press swarming. He suspected footage of the third cardinals extortionate death would no doubt air soon, if it hadnt already. Langdon hoped the camerlegno had long since untrue the worst and taken action. Evacuate the snort Vatican Enough games We loseLangdon suddenly realized that all of the catalysts that had been driving him helping to save Vatican City, resc uing the quaternity cardinals, coming face to face with the brotherhood he had studied for years all of these things had evaporated from his mind. The war was lost. A new compulsion had ignited within him. It was simple. Stark. Primal.Find Vittoria.He felt an unexpected emptiness inside. Langdon had often heard that intense situations could unite two people in ways that decades together often did not. He this instant believed it. In Vittorias absence he felt something he had not felt in years. Loneliness. The pain gave him strength. displace all else from his mind, Langdon mustered his concentration. He prayed that the Hassassin would take care of business before pleasure. Otherwise, Langdon knew he was already too late. No, he told himself, you have time. Vittorias captor still had work to do. He had to surface one last time before disappearing forever.The last altar of science, Langdon thought. The killer had one final task. Earth. Air. Fire. Water.He looked at his watch. Thir ty minutes. Langdon travel past the firemen toward Berninis Ecstasy of St. Teresa. This time, as he stared at Berninis marker, Langdon had no doubt what he was looking for.Let angels guide you on your lofty questDirectly over the recumbent saint, against a backdrop of prosperous flame, hovered Berninis angel. The angels hand clutched a pointed spear of fire. Langdons eyes followed the direction of the shaft, arching toward the right side of the church. His eyes hit the wall. He scanned the spot where the spear was pointing. There was nothing there. Langdon knew, of course, the spear was pointing far beyond the wall, into the night, somewhere across Rome.What direction is that? Langdon asked, turning and addressing the chief with a newfound determination.Direction? The chief glanced where Langdon was pointing. He sounded confused. I dont contend west, I think.What churches are in that direction?The chiefs puzzlement seemed to deepen. Dozens. Why?Langdon frowned. Of course there we re dozens. I need a metropolis map. Right away.The chief sent someone running out to the fire truck for a map. Langdon turned back to the statue. Earth Air Fire VITTORIA.The final marker is Water, he told himself. Berninis Water. It was in a church out there somewhere. A needle in a haystack. He spurred his mind through all the Bernini works he could recall. I need a tribute to WaterLangdon flashed on Berninis statue of Triton the Greek God of the sea. Then he realized it was located in the square outside this very church, in solely the wrong direction. He forced himself to think. What figure would Bernini have carved as a glorification of water? Neptune and Apollo? Unfortunately that statue was in Londons Victoria & Albert Museum.Signore? A fireman ran in with a map.Langdon thanked him and spread it out on the altar. He immediately realized he had asked the right people the fire departments map of Rome was as detailed as any Langdon had ever seen. Where are we now?The man pointed . Next to plaza Barberini.Langdon looked at the angels spear again to get his bearings. The chief had estimated correctly. According to the map, the spear was pointing west. Langdon traced a line from his current location west across the map. Almost instantly his hopes began to sink. It seemed that with both inch his fingerbreadth traveled, he passed yet another building marked by a tiny black cross. Churches. The city was riddled with them. Finally, Langdons finger ran out of churches and trailed off into the suburbs of Rome. He exhaled and stepped back from the map. Damn.Surveying the whole of Rome, Langdons eyes touched(p) down on the three churches where the first three cardinals had been killed. The Chigi Chapel St. Peters hereSeeing them all move out before him now, Langdon noted an oddity in their locations. Somehow he had imagined the churches would be scattered haphazard across Rome. But they most definitely were not. Improbably, the three churches seemed to be separa ted systematically, in an enormous city-wide triangle. Langdon double-checked. He was not imagining things. Penna, he said suddenly, without looking up.Someone handed him a ballpoint pen.Langdon circled the three churches. His twinkling quickened. He triple-checked his markings. A symmetrical triangleLangdons first thought was for the Great Seal on the one-dollar tone the triangle containing the all-seeing eye. But it didnt make sense. He had marked only three points. There were supposed to be four in all.So where the hell is Water? Langdon knew that anywhere he placed the fourth point, the triangle would be destroyed. The only option to retain the symmetry was to place the fourth marker inside the triangle, at the center. He looked at the spot on the map. Nothing. The idea bothered him anyway. The four elements of science were considered equal. Water was not special Water would not be at the center of the others.Still, his instinct told him the systematic ar guidement could not possibly be accidental. Im not yet seeing the whole picture. There was only one alternative. The four points did not make a triangle they made some other shape.Langdon looked at the map. A square, maybe? Although a square made no symbolic sense, squares were symmetrical at least. Langdon put his finger on the map at one of the points that would turn the triangle into a square. He saw immediately that a finished square was impossible. The angles of the original triangle were oblique and created more of a distorted quadrilateral.As he studied the other possible points around the triangle, something unexpected happened. He noticed that the line he had gaunt earlier to indicate the direction of the angels spear passed perfectly through one of the possibi well-lightedies. Stupefied, Langdon circled that point. He was now looking at four ink marks on the map, arranged in somewhat of an awkward, kitelike adamant.He frowned. Diamonds were not an Illuminati symbol either. He paused. The n againFor an instant Langdon flashed on the famed Illuminati Diamond. The thought, of course, was ridiculous. He dis lose it. Besides, this diamond was oblong like a kite hardly an example of the flawless symmetry for which the Illuminati Diamond was revered.When he leaned in to examine where he had placed the final mark, Langdon was surprised to find that the fourth point lay dead center of Romes famed Piazza Navona. He knew the piazza contained a major church, but he had already traced his finger through that piazza and considered the church there. To the best of his knowledge it contained no Bernini works. The church was called reverence Agnes in Agony, named for St. Agnes, a ravishing teenage virgin banished to a life of sexual slavery for refusing to annul her faith.There must be something in that church Langdon racked his brain, picturing the inside of the church. He could think of no Bernini works at all inside, much less anything to do with water. The arrangement on the map was bothering him too. A diamond. It was far too accurate to be coincidence, but it was not accurate enough to make any sense. A kite? Langdon wondered if he had chosen the wrong point. What am I missingThe answer took another thirty seconds to hit him, but when it did, Langdon felt an exhilaration like nothing he had ever experienced in his academic career.The Illuminati genius, it seemed, would never cease.The shape he was looking at was not intended as a diamond at all. The four points only formed a diamond because Langdon had connected close points. The Illuminati believe in opposites Connecting opposite vertices with his pen, Langdons fingers were trembling. There before him on the map was a giant cruciform. Its a cross The four elements of science unfolded before his eyes sprawled across Rome in an enormous, city-wide cross.As he stared in wonder, a line of poetry rang in his mind like an old friend with a new face.crossing Rome the mystic elements unfoldCross RomeThe fo g began to clear. Langdon saw that the answer had been in front of him all night The Illuminati poem had been telling him how the altars were laid out. A crossCross Rome the mystic elements unfoldIt was cunning wordplay. Langdon had originally read the wordCross as an abbreviation of Across. He assumed it was poetic license intended to retain the meter of the poem. But it was so much more than that another(prenominal) hidden clue.The cruciform on the map, Langdon realized, was the ultimate Illuminati duality. It was a religious symbol formed by elements of science. Galileos room of Illumination was a tribute to both science and GodThe rest of the puzzle fell into place almost immediately.Piazza Navona.Dead center of Piazza Navona, outside the church of St. Agnes in Agony, Bernini had forged one of his most celebrated sculptures. of all timeyone who came to Rome went to see it.The flood of the Four RiversA flawless tribute to water, Berninis Fountain of the Four Rivers glorified t he four major rivers of the Old World The Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio Plata.Water, Langdon thought. The final marker. It was perfect.And even more perfect, Langdon realized, the crimson on the cake, was that high atop Berninis fountain stood a towering obelisk.Leaving confused firemen in his wake, Langdon ran across the church in the direction of Olivettis lifeless body.1031 P.M., he thought. Plenty of time. It was the first instant all day that Langdon felt ahead of the game.Kneeling beside Olivetti, out of sight behind some pews, Langdon discreetly took possession of the commanders semiautomatic and walkie-talkie. Langdon knew he would call for help, but this was not the place to do it. The final altar of science needed to remain a secret for now. The media and fire department racing with sirens blaring to Piazza Navona would be no help at all.Without a word, Langdon slipped out the door and skirted the press, who were now entering the church in droves. He crossed Piazza Barbe rini. In the shadows he turned on the walkie-talkie. He tried to hail Vatican City but heard nothing but static. He was either out of range or the transmitter needed some kind of authorization code. Langdon adjusted the complex dials and buttons to no avail. Abruptly, he realized his plan to get help was not going to work. He spun, looking for a commit phone. None. Vatican circuits were jammed anyway.He was alone.Feeling his initial surge of confidence decay, Langdon stood a moment and took stock of his suffering state covered in bone dust, cut, deliriously exhausted, and hungry.Langdon glanced back at the church. Smoke spiraled over the cupola, lit by the media lights and fire trucks. He wondered if he should go back and get help. Instinct warned him however that extra help, especially untrained help, would be nothing but a liability. If the Hassassin sees us coming He thought of Vittoria and knew this would be his final chance to face her captor.Piazza Navona, he thought, knowi ng he could get there in plenty of time and stake it out. He scanned the area for a taxi, but the streets were almost entirely deserted. Even the taxi drivers, it seemed, had dropped everything to find a television. Piazza Navona was only about a mile away, but Langdon had no intention of wasting precious energy on foot. He glanced back at the church, question if he could borrow a vehicle from someone.A fire truck? A press avant-garde? Be serious.Sensing options and minutes slipping away, Langdon made his decision. Pulling the gun from his pocket, he committed an act so out of character that he suspected his soul must now be possessed. rill over to a lone Citroen sedan idling at a stoplight, Langdon pointed the weapon through the drivers open window. Fuori he yelled.The trembling man got out.Langdon jumped behind the wheel and hit the gas.101Gunther Glick sat on a bench in a holding tank inside the office of the Swiss Guard. He prayed to every god he could think of. Please let th is NOT be a dream. It had been the take up of his life. The scoop of anyones life. Every reporter on earth wished he were Glick right now. You are awake, he told himself. And you are a star. Dan Rather is crying right now.Macri was beside him, looking a little bit stunned. Glick didnt blame her. In appendage to exclusively broadcasting the camerlegnos address, she and Glick had provided the world with gruesome photos of the cardinals and of the Pope that tongue as well as a live video feed of the antimatter canister counting down. IncredibleOf course, all of that had all been at the camerlegnos behest, so that was not the reason Glick and Macri were now locked in a Swiss Guard holding tank. It had been Glicks daring appendage to their coverage that the guards had not appreciated. Glick knew the conversation on which he had just reported was not intended for his ears, but this was his moment in the sun. Another Glick scoopThe 11th Hour Samaritan? Macri groaned on the bench besid e him, clearly unimpressed.Glick smiled. Brilliant, wasnt it? bright dumb.Shes just jealous, Glick knew. Shortly after the camerlegnos address, Glick had again, by chance, been in the right place at the right time. Hed overheard Rocher braggy new orders to his men. Apparently Rocher had received a phone call from a mysterious individual who Rocher claimed had vituperative information regarding the current crisis. Rocher was talking as if this man could help them and was advising his guards to prepare for the guests arrival.Although the information was clearly private, Glick had acted as any dedicated reporter would without honor. Hed found a dark corner, ordered Macri to fire up her remote control camera, and hed reported the news.Shocking new developments in Gods city, he had announced, squinting his eyes for added intensity. Then hed gone on to say that a mystery guest was coming to Vatican City to save the day. The 11th Hour Samaritan, Glick had called him a perfect name for the faceless man appearing at the last moment to do a good deed. The other networks had picked up the catchy sound bite, and Glick was yet again immortalized.Im brilliant, he mused. Peter Jennings just jumped off a bridge.Of course Glick had not stopped there. While he had the worlds attention, he had thrown in a little of his own conspiracy theory for good measure.Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.You screwed us, Macri said. You totally blew it.What do you mean(a)? I was greatMacri stared disbelievingly. Former President George supply? An Illuminatus?Glick smiled. How much more obvious could it be? George Bush was a well-documented, 33rd-degree Mason, and he was the head of the CIA when the agency closed their Illuminati investigation for lack of evidence. And all those speeches about a thousand points of light and a New World Order Bush was obviously Illuminati.And that bit about CERN? Macri chided. You are going to have a very big line of lawyers outside your door tomorrow.CERN? Oh come on Its so obvious Think about it The Illuminati disappear off the face of the earth in the 1950s at about the same time CERN is founded. CERN is a haven for the most enlightened people on earth. Tons of private funding. They build a weapon that can destroy the church, and oops they lose itSo you tell the world that CERN is the new home base of the Illuminati?Obviously Brotherhoods dont just disappear. The Illuminati had to go somewhere. CERN is a perfect place for them to hide. Im not saying everyone at CERN is Illuminati. Its probably like a huge Masonic lodge, where most people are innocent, but the upper echelons Have you ever heard of slander, Glick? Liability?Have you ever heard of real journalismJournalism? You were pulling bullshit out of thin air I should have turned off the camera And what the hell was that crap about CERNs corporate logotype? god-awful symbology? Have you lost your mind?Glick smiled. Macris jealousy was definitely showing. The CERN logo had been th e most brilliant coup of all. Ever since the camerlegnos address, all the networks were talking about CERN and antimatter. Some stations were showing the CERN corporate logo as a backdrop. The logo seemed standard enough two intersecting circles representing two instalment accelerators, and five tangential lines representing particle injection tubes. The whole world was staring at this logo, but it had been Glick, a bit of a symbologist himself, who had first seen the Illuminati symbology hidden in it.Youre not a symbologist, Macri chided, youre just one lucky-ass reporter. You should have left the symbology to the Harvard guy.The Harvard guy missed it, Glick said.The Illuminati significance in this logo is so obviousHe was beaming inside. Although CERN had lots of accelerators, their logo showed only two. Two is the Illuminati number of duality. Although most accelerators had only one injection tube, the logo showed five. Five is the number of the Illuminati pentagram. Then had c ome the coup the most brilliant point of all. Glick pointed out that the logo contained a large telephone number 6 clearly formed by one of the lines and circles and when the logo was rotated, another six appeared and then another. The logo contained three sixes 666 The devils number The mark of the beastGlick was a genius.Macri looked ready to slug him.The jealousy would pass, Glick knew, his mind now wandering to another thought. If CERN was Illuminati headquarters, was CERN where the Illuminati kept their infamous Illuminati Diamond? Glick had read about it on the Internet a flawless diamond, born of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stand in wonder.Glick wondered if the secret whereabouts of the Illuminati Diamond might be yet another mystery he could unveil tonight.