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Langdon drifts in semi-consciousness, first believing he is dead because there is no pain or fear, only the sound of lapping water. That peace begins to break as memories force him back into the helicopter, where the antimatter canister was still counting down while the aircraft climbed above Rome.

In the remembered scene, Langdon considers dropping the canister at the right altitude so it will detonate safely, but the camerlegno anticipates the risk. The camerlegno retrieves a hidden key, unlocks a cargo box, places the antimatter inside, locks it away, and throws the key out the window, making it impossible for Langdon to release the canister.

The camerlegno then straps on a black nylon pack, apologizes to Langdon, and jumps from the helicopter. With the canister inaccessible and the timer nearly expired, Langdon searches desperately for another parachute and finds none. Facing certain death if he stays aboard, Langdon grabs the helicopter windshield tarp and leaps after the camerlegno with only the tarp as a crude parachute.

During the fall, the antimatter detonates high above him, sending heat and shock over the tarp but not destroying it. Langdon realizes the tarp is slowing him but not enough to survive impact with pavement. Seeing the dark line of the Tiber River below, he pulls on the tarp to steer himself sideways and prays he can reach the water.

Langdon manages to hit the turbulent Tiber near Isola Tiberina, whose foamy, air-filled water softens the impact. A group on the riverbank, drawn by the strange falling shape after the explosion, pulls his battered body from the water. Langdon has a faint pulse and soon begins coughing back to consciousness, making the rescuers wonder if the island’s old reputation for healing is real.