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Langdon and Vittoria run through Il Passetto, the secret passage from Castel Sant'Angelo toward Vatican City. As they move through the narrow, dark tunnel, Langdon struggles to make sense of Kohler's arrival, Janus's identity, the Hassassin's mention of a mysterious sixth brand, and the possibility that the Illuminati plot is not what it seems.

Vittoria rejects Langdon's suspicion that Maximilian Kohler could be Janus, arguing that Kohler would never damage CERN's reputation or murder her father. Langdon counters that the antimatter crisis may have unintentionally benefited CERN by giving antimatter global publicity, or that Kohler may have expected the Vatican to conceal the threat until the camerlegno defied tradition by revealing it publicly.

Langdon develops the theory that the camerlegno's openness has transformed the crisis: instead of humiliating the Church, the attack has made the camerlegno appear like a new moral leader. If Kohler orchestrated the plot, Langdon reasons, the camerlegno's response would make him a target. Vittoria continues to insist that Kohler is harsh but not a murderer and would not have killed Leonardo Vetra.

As they run, Langdon suggests Kohler may have discovered the antimatter project and objected to its blending of science and religion. Vittoria dismisses this, but Langdon also considers that Kohler summoned him to CERN to protect himself from suspicion and to give the Illuminati threat greater credibility through Langdon's expertise.

The two pass through unlocked gates, confirming to Langdon that the tunnel has been used recently and likely served to move the abducted cardinals. They hear the chaos of St. Peter's Square and seem to have entered Vatican territory, but the passage ends at a smooth iron one-way door with no handle or lock on their side. With the torch dying and the time at 11:29 P.M., Langdon panics and begins pounding on the sealed door.