Robert Langdon, #1
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
Contents
36
Overview
Langdon and Vittoria confirm that the antimatter canister is inside Vatican City and will lose containment at midnight, but Commander Olivetti refuses to accept the danger without clearer proof. His skepticism prevents an evacuation, a postponement of conclave, or an immediate search, sharply increasing the stakes as time runs out.
The chapter also clarifies the Vatican power structure during conclave: the camerlegno is technically in charge, though Olivetti controls security in practice. When Olivetti locks Langdon and Vittoria in his office, the protagonists are cut off from action just as the crisis becomes undeniable to them.
Summary
Langdon and Vittoria are brought into the Swiss Guard office, a Renaissance-style room filled with modern surveillance and communications equipment. The guards are clearly searching for something, but Langdon realizes they have not found the antimatter. Commander Olivetti, the tall and severe head of the Swiss Guard, sends them into a dark monitoring room.
Olivetti shows Langdon and Vittoria a live feed from a stolen Vatican security camera. The image confirms that CERN's antimatter canister is inside Vatican City, hidden in darkness, with less than six hours remaining on its power supply. Vittoria explains that when the batteries fail at midnight, the antimatter will annihilate Vatican City unless the canister is found or the city is evacuated.
Olivetti reveals that his guards have not been searching for the canister because Director Kohler gave too few details over the phone. Vittoria argues that antimatter can bypass the Vatican's radiation, chemical, metal, and X-ray security systems because the canister and batteries are plastic and the substance has no conventional explosive signature. Olivetti remains skeptical, treating the claim as scientifically implausible and questioning Vittoria's authority and even her clothing.
Langdon intervenes by explaining that the threat may come from the Illuminati, an antireligious group with a history of hostility toward the Vatican. He shows Olivetti the fax of Leonardo Vetra's branded corpse, but Olivetti dismisses it as a possible CERN hoax, citing CERN's history of conflict with Church doctrine. Vittoria angrily identifies the victim as her father, but Olivetti refuses to raise an alarm or postpone conclave without proof he accepts.
Vittoria demands to speak with someone in the clergy, and Langdon identifies the late Pope's chamberlain, the camerlegno, as the temporary authority during conclave. Olivetti admits the camerlegno technically holds executive authority but insists he is inexperienced and unavailable because conclave begins in forty minutes. Called away to sweep the Sistine Chapel for electronic bugs, Olivetti locks Langdon and Vittoria in his office under guard, leaving them trapped while the antimatter countdown continues.
Who Appears
- Robert LangdonScholar who identifies the Illuminati threat and argues for contacting the camerlegno.
- Vittoria VetraCERN scientist who confirms the canister and warns Olivetti of the antimatter explosion.
- Commander OlivettiHead of the Swiss Guard; skeptical of the threat and prioritizes conclave security protocol.
- Leonardo VetraMurdered CERN scientist whose branded corpse is shown as evidence of the Illuminati.
- Swiss GuardVatican security personnel searching for other threats and guarding Langdon and Vittoria.
- The camerlegnoLate Pope's chamberlain; identified as the temporary executive authority during conclave.