Robert Langdon, #1
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
Contents
45
Overview
Vittoria presses the camerlegno to recognize that Olivetti’s quiet search is dangerously insufficient and that lives beyond the Vatican may be at risk. Langdon realizes the Illuminati murders are designed as symbolic terrorism meant to destroy faith, and he connects the threat to a possible clue in the Vatican Archives.
The camerlegno grants Langdon extraordinary access to the secret archives, shifting the response from passive containment to an urgent attempt to predict the cardinals’ execution sites and catch the assassin.
Summary
In the Pope’s office, Vittoria challenges the plan to rely on the Swiss Guard’s electronic search for the antimatter canister. She argues that the signal may be blocked by metal, that the canister may be inaccessible, and that the Guard itself might be compromised. Because crowds, media, tourists, and nearby buildings could be within blast range, Vittoria urges the camerlegno to take immediate public precautions.
Vittoria’s frustration grows as the camerlegno appears stunned and passive. Though Vittoria wants to hunt the assassin who killed Leonardo Vetra, Vittoria insists that responsibility to the Vatican and the people outside must come first. The pressure nearly overwhelms Vittoria, who is used to solving problems through research but now faces a crisis with no clear data or solution.
Langdon, meanwhile, struggles with images of terrorism, branded cardinals, and the assassin’s threats. Remembering a lecture about terrorism, Langdon recognizes that the Illuminati’s purpose is not simply murder but the destruction of faith in the Church’s authority. The thought connects with the assassin’s phrase about sacrifices on the altars of science, and Langdon suddenly realizes he has missed an important clue.
Langdon abruptly asks the camerlegno for immediate access to the Vatican Archives, explaining that he may be able to determine where the four kidnapped cardinals will be killed. Vittoria supports the request because identifying the sites could let them stake out the locations and catch the Hassassin. The camerlegno questions how the archives could help but listens as Langdon insists the answer may lie in an ancient document he has long sought permission to study.
Because the camerlegno must soon go to the Sistine Chapel and ordinary archive access requires formal approval, Langdon invokes the camerlegno’s authority to issue a papal mandate. After confirming that Langdon knows the real location of the secret archives and understands the gravity of entering alone, the camerlegno grants permission. As the bells toll, the camerlegno promises to send a Swiss Guard to meet Langdon at the archives and urges Langdon to find the clue quickly.
Who Appears
- Vittoria VetraWarns the search may fail and urges immediate precautions to protect people near the Vatican.
- Robert LangdonRealizes the Illuminati threat may point to archival clues identifying the cardinals’ execution sites.
- Camerlegno Carlo VentrescaStruggles under the crisis but grants Langdon extraordinary access to the Vatican Archives.
- Commander OlivettiAbsent but influential; his quiet-search strategy is challenged as dangerously inadequate.
- The HassassinUnseen assassin whose threats and knowledge make him key to finding the cardinals and antimatter.