the flame had anything to do with the U.S. Capitol Building. The Temple of Vesta in Rome, Langdon said, canada goose chateau parka was circular, with a gaping hole in the floor, through which the sacred fire canada goose chateau parka of enlightenment could be tended by a sisterhood of virgins whose job it was to ensure the flame never went out. Sato shrugged. This Rotunda is a circle, but I see no gaping hole in this floor. No, not anymore, but for years the center of this room had a large opening precisely where Peters hand is now. Langdon motioned to the floor. In fact, you can still see the marks in the floor from the railing that kept people from falling in. What? Sato demanded, scrutinizing the floor. Ive never heard that. Looks like hes right. Anderson pointed out the circle of iron nubs where the posts had once been. Ive seen these
hoisted the limp man onto his broad shoulders and headed for the private elevator. On his way out, he picked up Solomons iPhone and keys from the hall table. Tonight you will tell me all your secrets, Malakh thought. Including why you left me for dead all those years ago. CHAPTER 30 SB level. Senate basement. Robert Langdons claustrophobia gripped him more tightly with every hastening step of their descent. As they moved deeper into the buildings original foundation, the air became heavy, and the ventilation seemed nonexistent. The walls down here were an uneven blend of stone and yellow brick. Director Sato typed on her BlackBerry as they walked. Langdon sensed a suspicion in her guarded manner, but canada goose chateau parka canada goose chateau parka the feeling was quickly becoming reciprocal. Sato still hadnt told him how she knew
extension cords, because suddenly the route before them became illuminated. Langdon could only stare. Washington, D.C.like Romewas a city laced with secret passageways and underground tunnels. The passage before them now reminded Langdon of the passetto tunnel connecting the Vatican to Castel SantAngelo. Long. Dark. Narrow. Unlike the ancient passetto, however, this passage was modern and not yet complete. It was a slender construction zone that w canada goose chateau parka as so long it seemed to narrow to nothing at its distant end. The onl canada goose chateau parka y lighting was a string of intermittent construction bulbs that did little more than accentuate the tunnels impossible length. Bellamy was already heading down the passage. Follow me. Watch your step. Langdon felt himself fall into step behind Bellamy, wondering where on earth
earth . . . in Washington, D.C. And nobody has ever seen this staircase? Allegedly the entranc canada goose chateau parka e has been covered with an enormous stone. Langdon sighed. The idea of a tomb covered with an enormous stone was right out of the biblical accounts of Jesus tomb. This archetypal hybrid was the grandfather of them all. Warren, do you believe this secret mystical staircase into the earth exists? Ive never seen it personally, but a few of the canada goose chateau parka older Masons swear it exists. I was trying to call one of them just now. Langdon continued pacing, uncertain what to say next. Robert, you leave me a difficult task with respect to this pyramid. Warren Bellamys gaze hardened in the soft glow of the reading lamp. I know of no way to force a man to believe what he does not want to believe. And yet I hope you
with them, but whoever it was had yet to speak. They stopped at a door, and Bellamy heard an electronic ping. The door clicked open. Bellamy was manha canada goose chateau parka ndled through several corridors and could not help but notice that the air was warmer and more humid. An indoor pool, maybe? No. The smell in the air was not chlorine . . . it was far more earthy and primal. Where the hell are we?! Bellamy knew he could not be more than a block or two from the Capitol Building. Again they stopped, and again he heard the electronic beep of a security door. Th canada goose chateau parka is one slid open with a hiss. As they pushed him through, the smell that hit him was unmistakable. Bellamy now realized where they were. My God! He came here often, although never through the service entrance. This magnificent glass building was only three
pointed nowhere. The old man sat straighter. Youve deciphered the pyramid? Katherine interceded now, quickly explaining that despite Bellamys warnings and her brothers request th canada goose chateau parka at Langdon not unwrap the package, she had done so, feeling her first priority was to help her brother however she could. She told the dean about the golden capstone, canada goose chateau parka Albrecht Dürers magic square, and how it decrypted the sixteen-letter Masonic cipher into the phrase Jeova Sanctus Unus. Thats all it says? the dean asked. One True God? Yes, sir, Langdon replied. Apparently the pyramid is more of a metaphorical map than a geographic one. The dean held out his hands. Let me feel it. Langdon unzipped his bag and pulled out the pyramid, which he carefully hoisted up on the desk, setting it directly in front of the
down the main hallway toward the sound of voices. Beyond her, visible at the en canada goose chateau parka d of the hall, was a dining-room table where a woman in a security uniform was sitting with her back to them. Officer! Katherine shouted as she ran. Where is Peter Solomon? Langdon rushed after her, but as he did so, an unexpected movement caught his eye. To his left, through the living-room window, he could see the driveway gate was now swinging shut. Odd. Someth canada goose chateau parka ing else caught his eye . . . something that had been hidden from him by the glare of the spinning lights and the blinding high beams when they drove in. The half-dozen cars parked haphazardly in the driveway looked nothing like the police cars and emergency vehicles Langdon had imagined they were. A Mercedes? . . . a Hummer? . . . a Tesla Roadster? In
they exited, she heard the tattooed man lock the metal door behind him and continue on through the painting of the Three Graces. A few minutes later, she heard a car start. Then the mansion fell silent. All alone in the dark, Katherine lay bleeding. CHAPTER 108 Robert Langdons mind hovered in an endless abyss. No light. No sound. No feeling. Only an infinite and silent void. Softness. Weightlessness. His body had released him. He was untethered. The physical world had ceased to exist. Time had ceased to exist. He was pure consciousness now . . . a fleshless sent canada goose chateau parka ience suspended in the emptiness of a vast universe. CHAPTER 109 Th canada goose chateau parka e modified UH-60 skimmed in low over the expansive rooftops of Kalorama Heights, thundering toward the coordinates given to them by the support team. Agent Simkins