Robert Langdon, #1
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
Contents
37
Overview
Vittoria shifts from panic to problem-solving and tries to use Olivetti’s own office against him by calling the camerlegno from the commander’s phone. The attempt reveals both her resourcefulness and the fragility of their position: the first speed dial is useless, and the guard immediately alerts Olivetti. The chapter keeps Langdon and Vittoria trapped while tightening the clock on the antimatter crisis.
Summary
Locked inside Commander Olivetti’s office, Vittoria studies the armed Swiss Guard posted outside the glass door and feels the absurd danger of being trapped by Vatican security while the antimatter countdown continues. Vittoria considers calling Maximilian Kohler but rejects the idea because the guard could confiscate her phone, Kohler may still be incapacitated, and Olivetti has already shown he will not easily believe outside warnings.
Vittoria tries to regain control by using a mental discipline she calls remembrance: assuming a solution exists and calmly reassessing her environment. Once panic subsides, Vittoria realizes that being locked inside Olivetti’s private office may actually protect her from immediate interference by the guard outside.
Vittoria decides to call the camerlegno, reasoning that Olivetti’s high-security desk phone must have a direct line to the Pope’s office, where Olivetti said the camerlegno is located. Langdon warns that the guard is armed and that the phone has many unmarked buttons, but Vittoria argues that doing nothing would leave them waiting helplessly for the antimatter to explode.
Vittoria picks up the phone and presses the first speed-dial button, betting that the most important line in the Swiss Guard commander’s office would connect to the Pope’s office. The guard reacts angrily, pounding on the glass and ordering her to stop while Langdon backs away from the door.
The call fails: the first speed dial connects not to the Pope’s office but to a recording of the Vatican commissary’s weekly menu. As Vittoria hangs up, the guard glares through the glass and radios Olivetti, escalating the immediate risk while Vittoria and Langdon remain trapped.
Who Appears
- Vittoria VetraCalms herself, reassesses the room, and tries to contact the camerlegno using Olivetti’s phone.
- Robert LangdonRemains trapped with Vittoria, warns her about the armed guard and the risky phone attempt.
- Swiss Guard sentinelGuards Olivetti’s locked office, pounds on the glass, and radios Olivetti after Vittoria uses the phone.