therefore, its gravity grows. Okay. Meaning . . . if enough people begin thinking the same thing, then the gravitational force of that thought becomes tangible . . . and it exerts actual force. Katherine winked. And it can have a measurable effect in our physical world. CHAPTER 19 Director Inoue Sato stood with her arms folded, her eyes locked skeptically on Langdon as she processed what he had just told her. He said he wants you to unlock an ancient portal? What am I supposed to do with that, Professor? Langdon shrugg canada goose coats ed weakly. He was feeling ill again and tr canada goose coats ied not to look down at his friends severed hand. Thats exactly what he told me. An ancient portal . . . hidden somewhere in this building. I told him I knew of no portal. Then why does he think you can find it? Obviously, hes insane.
marble staircase and then doubling back through a wide doorway into the famous chamber directly beneath the Rotunda floor. The Capitol Crypt. The air was heavier here, and Langdon was already feeling claustrophobic. The crypts low ceiling and soft uplighting accentuated the robust girth of the forty Doric columns required to support the vast stone floor directly overhead. Relax, Robert. This way, Anderson said, moving quickly as he angled to the left across the wide circular space. Thankfully, this particular crypt contai canada goose coats ned no bodies. Instead it contained several statues, a model of the Capitol, and a low storage area for the wooden catafalque on which coffins were laid for state funerals. The entourage hurried through, without even a glance at the four-point canada goose coats ed marble compass in the
precisely engraved into the smooth stone. Beside Langdon, Andersons mouth now gaped open, mirroring Langdons own shock. The security chief looked like he had just seen some kind of alien keypad. Professor? Sato said. I assume you can read this? Langdon turned. Why would you assume that? Because you were brought here, Professor. You were chosen. This inscription appears to be a code of some sort, and considering your reputation, it seems obvious to me that you were brought here to decipher it. Langdon had to admit that after his experiences in Rome a canada goose coats nd Paris, hed received canada goose coats a steady flow of requests asking for his help deciphering some of historys great unsolved codesthe Phaistos Disk, the Dorabella Cipher, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. Sato ran her finger over the inscription. Can you
had begun using modern science to answer ancient philosophical questions. Does anyone hear our prayers? Is there life after death? Do humans have souls? Incredibly, Katherine had answered all of these questions, and more. Scientifically. Conclusively. The methods she used were irrefutable. E canada goose coats ven the most skeptical of people would be persuaded by the results of her experiments. If this information were published and made known, a fundamental shift would begin in the consciousness of man. They will start to find their way. Malakhs last task tonight, before his transformation, was to ensure that this did not happen. As he moved through the lab, Malakh located the data r canada goose coats oom that Peter had told him about. He peered through the heavy glass walls at the two holographic data-storage units. Exactly
tonight he would be unable to return to this place. After tonight, he thought, smiling, I will have no need for this place. He wondered if Robert Langdon yet understood the true power of the pyramid . . . or the importance of the role for which fate had chosen him. Langdon has yet to call me, Malakh thought, after double-checking for messages on his disposable phone. It was now 10:02 P.M. He has less than two hours. Malakh went upstairs to his Italian-marble bathroom and turned on the steam shower to let it heat up. Methodically, he stripped off his clothes, eager to begin his cleansing ritual. He drank two glasses of water canada goose coats to canada goose coats calm his starving stomach. Then he walked to the full-length mirror and studied his naked body. His two days of fasting had accentuated his musculature, and he could
I had my staff reexamine a seemingly innocuous early-morning call between Langdon and Peter Solomons cell phone, in which the kidnapper, posing as So canada goose coats lomons assistant, persuaded Langdon to come for a lecture and also to bring a small package that Peter had entrusted to him. When Langdon was not forthcoming with me about the package he was carrying, I requested the X-ray of his bag. Bellamy could barely think. Admittedly, everything Sato was saying was feasible, and yet something was not adding up. But . . . how could you possibly think Peter Solomon is a threat to national security? Believe me, Peter Solomon is a serious national-security threat, she snapped. And frankly, Mr. Bellamy, so are you. Bellamy sat bolt upright, the han canada goose coats dcuffs chafing against his wrists. I beg your pardon?! She
clearly pointing to a specific location in D.C., exactly as prophesied. Franklin Square. Unfortunately, the photo of the capstone also included Warren Bellamys index finger, which was st canada goose coats rategically positioned on the capstone to block out a critical piece of information. The se canada goose coats cret hides within The Order Franklin Square Call for missing piece. Malakh now understood Bellamys meaning. The Architect of the Capitol had been cooperative all night, but now he had chosen to play a very dangerous game. CHAPTER 92 Beneath the watchful gaze of several armed CIA agents, Langdon, Katherine, and Bellamy waited with Sato in the Cathedral College sitting room. On the coffee table before them, Langdons leather bag was still open, the golden capstone peeking out the top. The words Eight Franklin Square had
brother into the lab. She w canada goose coats heeled out a large piece of gear that she had been keeping hidden in the back storage room. I designed and built it myself, she said, showing Peter her invention. Any guesses? Her brother stared at the strange machine. An incubator? Katherine laughed and shook her head, although it was a reasonable guess. The machine did look a bit like the transparent incubators for premature babies one saw in hospitals. This machine, however, was adult sizea long, airtight, clear plastic capsule, like some kind of futuristic sleeping pod. It sat atop a large piece of electronic gear. canada goose coats See if this helps you guess, Katherine said, plugging the contraption into a power source. A digital display lit up on the machine, its numbers jumping around as she carefully calibrated some dials.