Angels Demons Chapter 9-12

9The corpse on the floor in the first place Langdon was hideous. The late da Vinci Vetra lay on his back, stripped naked, his skin bluish-gray. His neck bones were jutting reveal where they had been broken, and his head was twisted completely backward, pointing the wrong path. His face was out of view, pressed against the floor. The gay lay in a frosty puddle of his own urine, the hair around his shrivelight-emitting diode genitals spidered with frost.Fighting a wave of nausea, Langdon let his eye fall to the victims chest. Although Langdon had st atomic number 18d at the symmetrical wound a dozen multiplication on the fax, the burn was infinitely more commanding in real life. The raised, broiled flesh was absolutely delineated the token flawlessly formed.Langdon wondered if the intense chill now raking through his body was the air-conditioning or his let loose amazement with the significance of what he was now staring at.Angels & DemonsHis heart pounded as he circled the body , reading the word upside down, reaffirming the genius of the symmetry. The symbol collarmed even less conceivable now that he was staring at it.Mr. Langdon?Langdon did non hear. He was in a nonher world his world, his element, a world where history, myth, and fact collided, flooding his senses. The gears turned.Mr. Langdon? Kohlers eyes probed expectantly.Langdon did non look up. His disposition now intensified, his focus total. How much do you already chouse? wholly what I had time to read on your website. The word Illuminati means the enlightened ones. It is the discern of some mannikin of ancient mating.Langdon nodded. Had you heard the name ahead?Not until I saw it grimeed on Mr. Vetra.So you ran a web search for it?Yes.And the word returned hundreds of references, no doubt.Thousands, Kohler said. Yours, however, contained references to Harvard, Oxford, a reputable publisher, as rise as a list of related publications. As a scientist I sacrifice come to learn that t uition is only as valuable as its source. Your credentials seemed authentic.Langdons eyes were still riveted on the body.Kohler said zip more. He simply stared, apparently waiting for Langdon to shed some light on the scene sooner them.Langdon looked up, glancing around the frozen flat. Perhaps we should discuss this in a warmer place?This style is fine. Kohler seemed oblivious(p) to the cold. Well talk here.Langdon frowned. The Illuminati history was by no means a simple one. Ill freeze to death seek to explain it. He gazed again at the brand, feeling a re new-sprung(prenominal)ed sense of awe.Although accounts of the Illuminati emblem were fabled in modern symbology, no academic had ever actually seen it. Ancient documents described the symbol as an ambigram ambi meaning both signifying it was legible both ways. And although ambigrams were common in symbology swastikas, yin yang, Jewish stars, simple crosses the idea that a word could be crafted into an ambigram seemed ut terly impossible. Modern symbologists had well-tried for years to forge the word Illuminati into a absolutely symmetrical style, simply they had failed miserably. Most academics had now decided the symbols existence was a myth.So who are the Illuminati? Kohler demanded.Yes, Langdon thought, who indeed? He began his tale.Since the beginning of history, Langdon explained, a deep rift has existed in the midst of science and religion. Outspoken scientists like Copernicus Were murdered, Kohler interjected. slay by the perform building for revealing scientific truths. Religion has always persecuted science.Yes. But in the 1500s, a convention of men in Rome fought back against the church. Some of Italys most enlightened men physicists, mathematicians, astronomers began meeting in secret to share their concerns about the churchs inaccurate teachings. They feared that the churchs monopoly on truth threatened academic enlightenment around the world. They founded the worlds first sc ientific think tank, calling themselves the enlightened ones. The Illuminati.Yes, Langdon said. Europes most learned minds dedicated to the quest for scientific truth.Kohler fell silent.Of course, the Illuminati were capture ruthlessly by the Catholic Church. Only through rites of extreme secrecy did the scientists remain safe. Word bypass through the academic underground, and the Illuminati br separatehood grew to include academics from all over Europe. The scientists met regularly in Rome at an ultrasecret lair they called the Church of Illumination.Kohler coughed and shifted in his chair.Many of the Illuminati, Langdon continued, wanted to combat the churchs tyranny with acts of violence, plainly their most adore member persuaded them against it. He was a pacifist, as well as one of historys most historied scientists.Langdon was sealed Kohler would recognize the name. Even nonscientists were familiar with the ill-fated astronomer who had been arrested and almost executed by the church for proclaiming that the sun, and not the earth, was the center of the solar system. Although his data were incontrovertible, the astronomer was severely punished for implying that God had placed man cast somewhere other than at the center of His universe.His name was Galileo Galilei, Langdon said.Kohler looked up. Galileo?Yes. Galileo was an Illuminatus. And he was also a devout Catholic. He tried to downyen the churchs position on science by proclaiming that science did not undermine the existence of God, except quite rein deplumated it. He wrote once that when he looked through his telescope at the spinning planets, he could hear Gods voice in the music of the spheres. He held that science and religion were not enemies, but rather allies two different languages telling the same story, a story of symmetry and balance nirvana and hell, night and day, hot and cold, God and Satan. Both science and religion rejoiced in Gods symmetry the endless fight of light and dark . Langdon paused, stamping his feet to stay warm.Kohler simply sat in his wheelchair and stared.Unfortunately, Langdon added, the unification of science and religion was not what the church wanted.Of course not, Kohler interrupted. The union would urinate nullified the churchs claim as the sole vessel through which man could understand God. So the church tried Galileo as a heretic, found him guilty, and put him under ageless house arrest. I am quite aware of scientific history, Mr. Langdon. But this was all centuries ago. What does it have to do with Leonardo Vetra?The trillion dollar question. Langdon cut to the chase. Galileos arrest threw the Illuminati into upheaval. Mis use ups were made, and the church discovered the identities of quatern members, whom they captured and interrogated. But the four scientists revealed nothing even under torture.Torture?Langdon nodded. They were branded alive. On the chest. With the symbol of a cross.Kohlers eyes widened, and he shot an uneas y glance at Vetras body. consequently the scientists were brutally murdered, their dead bodies dropped in the streets of Rome as a warning to others thinking of joining the Illuminati. With the church closing in, the remaining Illuminati fled Italy.Langdon paused to wee-wee his point. He looked straight off into Kohlers dead eyes. The Illuminati went deep underground, where they began mixing with other refugee groups fleeing the Catholic purges mystics, alche bedims, occultists, Muslims, Jews. Over the years, the Illuminati began absorbing new members. A new Illuminati emerged. A darker Illuminati. A deeply anti-Christian Illuminati. They grew very powerful, employing mysterious rites, deadly secrecy, vowing someday to rise again and take revenge on the Catholic Church. Their power grew to the point where the church considered them the item-by-item most dangerous anti-Christian force on earth. The Vatican denounced the brotherhood as shaitan.Shaitan?Its Islamic. It means adversa ry Gods adversary. The church chose Islam for the name because it was a language they considered dirty. Langdon hesitated. Shaitan is the root of an English wordSatan.An uneasiness crossed Kohlers face.Langdons voice was grim. Mr. Kohler, I do not experience how this marking appeared on this mans chest or why but you are looking at the long-lost symbol of the worlds oldest and most powerful satanic cult.10The alley was narrow and deserted. The Hassassin strode quickly now, his minatory eyes alter with anticipation. As he approached his destination, Januss parting words echoed in his mind. Phase two begins shortly. Get some rest.The Hassassin smirked. He had been awake all night, but sleep was the get thing on his mind. Sleep was for the weak. He was a warrior like his ancestors in front him, and his people never slept once a battle had begun. This battle had most emphatically begun, and he had been given the honor of spilling first blood. Now he had two hours to celebrate his glory out front going back to work.Sleep? There are far better ways to relaxAn propensity for hedonistic pleasure was something bred into him by his ancestors. His ascendants had indulged in hashish, but he preferred a different kind of gratification. He took pride in his body a well-tuned, lethal machine, which, despite his heritage, he refused to pollute with narcotics. He had developed a more nourishing addiction than drugs a far more healthy and pleasant reward.Feeling a familiar anticipation swelling within him, the Hassassin moved faster down the alley. He arrived at the nondescript door and rang the bell. A view slit in the door opened, and two soft brown eyes studied him appraisingly. Then the door swung open.Welcome, the well-dressed woman said. She ushered him into an impeccably furnished sitting room where the lights were low. The air was laced with expensive perfume and musk. Whenever you are ready. She handed him a book of photographs. Ring me when you have made you r choice. Then she disappeared.The Hassassin smiled.As he sat on the plush divan and positioned the photo album on his lap, he felt a carnal hunger stir. Although his people did not celebrate Christmas, he imagined that this is what it must feel like to be a Christian child, sitting before a potentiometer of Christmas presents, about to discover the miracles inside. He opened the album and examined the photos. A lifetime of sexual fantasies stared back at him.Marisa. An Italian goddess. Fiery. A young Sophia Loren.Sachiko. A Japanese geisha. Lithe. No doubt skilled.Kanara. A stunning black vision. Muscular. Exotic.He examined the entire album twice and made his choice. He pressed a button on the table beside him. A minute later the woman who had greeted him reappeared. He indicated his selection. She smiled. Follow me.After handling the fiscal arrangements, the woman made a hushed phone call. She waited a few minutes and then led him up a winding marble staircase to a luxurious en trance hall. Its the gold door on the end, she said. You have expensive taste.I should, he thought. I am a connoisseur.The Hassassin padded the length of the hallway like a panther anticipating a long overdue meal. When he reached the doorway he smiled to himself. It was already ajar welcoming him in. He pushed, and the door swung noiselessly open.When he saw his selection, he knew he had elect well. She was exactly as he had requested nude, lying on her back, her arms tied to the bedposts with thick smooth cords.He crossed the room and ran a dark finger across her ivory abdomen. I killed last night, he thought. You are my reward.11Satanic? Kohler wiped his mouth and shifted uncomfortably. This is the symbol of a satanic cult?Langdon paced the frozen room to keep warm. The Illuminati were satanic. But not in the modern sense.Langdon quickly explained how most people envisage satanic cults as devil-worshiping fiends, and yet Satanists historically were educated men who stood as adv ersaries to the church. Shaitan. The rumors of satanic black-magic animal sacrifices and the pentangle ritual were nothing but lies spread by the church as a smear drive against their adversaries. Over time, opponents of the church, wanting to emulate the Illuminati, began believing the lies and acting them out. Thus, modern Satanism was born.Kohler grunted abruptly. This is all ancient history. I want to know how this symbol got here.Langdon took a deep breath. The symbol itself was created by an anonymous sixteenth-century Illuminati artist as a tribute to Galileos love of symmetry a kind of sacred Illuminati logo. The brotherhood kept the picture secret, allegedly planning to reveal it only when they had amassed enough power to resurface and carry out their last goal.Kohler looked un muckletled. So this symbol means the Illuminati brotherhood is resurfacing?Langdon frowned. That would be impossible. There is one chapter of Illuminati history that I have not yet explained.Kohl ers voice intensified. Enlighten me.Langdon rubbed his palms together, mentally sorting through the hundreds of documents hed read or pen on the Illuminati. The Illuminati were survivors, he explained. When they fled Rome, they traveled across Europe looking for a safe place to regroup. They were taken in by some other secret society a brotherhood of wealthy Bavarian rocknroll craftsmen called the Freemasons.Kohler looked startled. The Masons?Langdon nodded, not at all surprised that Kohler had heard of the group. The brotherhood of the Masons currently had over five million members worldwide, half of them residing in the United States, and over one million of them in Europe.Certainly the Masons are not satanic, Kohler declared, sounding abruptly skeptical.Absolutely not. The Masons fell victim of their own benevolence. After harboring the fleeing scientists in the 1700s, the Masons unknowingly became a front for the Illuminati. The Illuminati grew within their ranks, gradually taking over positions of power within the lodges. They quietly reestablished their scientific brotherhood deep within the Masons a kind of secret society within a secret society. Then the Illuminati used the worldwide connection of Masonic lodges to spread their influence.Langdon drew a cold breath before racing on. Obliteration of Catholicism was the Illuminatis central covenant. The brotherhood held that the superstitious dogma spewed forth by the church was mankinds greatest enemy. They feared that if religion continued to promote pious myth as absolute fact, scientific move on would halt, and mankind would be doomed to an ignorant future of senseless holy wars.Much like we see today.Langdon frowned. Kohler was right. Holy wars were still making headlines. My God is better than your God. It seemed there was always close correlation between true believers and high body counts.Go on, Kohler said.Langdon gathered his thoughts and continued. The Illuminati grew more powerful in Eu rope and set their sights on America, a fledgling government many of whose leaders were Masons George Washington, Ben Franklin honest, God-fearing men who were unaware of the Illuminati citadel on the Masons. The Illuminati took advantage of the infiltration and helped found banks, universities, and industry to finance their ultimate quest. Langdon paused. The creation of a single unified world state a kind of secular New World Order.Kohler did not move.A New World Order, Langdon repeated, based on scientific enlightenment. They called it their Luciferian Doctrine. The church claimed Lucifer was a reference to the devil, but the brotherhood insisted Lucifer was intended in its literal Latin meaning bringer of light. Or Illuminator.Kohler sighed, and his voice grew suddenly solemn. Mr. Langdon, please sit down.Langdon sat tentatively on a frost-covered chair.Kohler moved his wheelchair adjacent. I am not sure I understand everything you have just told me, but I do understand th is. Leonardo Vetra was one of CERNs greatest assets. He was also a friend. I need you to help me locate the Illuminati.Langdon didnt know how to respond. Locate the Illuminati? Hes kidding, right? Im afraid, sir, that will be utterly impossible.Kohlers brow creased. What do you mean? You wont Mr. Kohler. Langdon leaned toward his host, uncertain how to make him understand what he was about to say. I did not finish my story. Despite appearances, it is extremely unlikely that this brand was put here by the Illuminati. There has been no evidence of their existence for over half a century, and most scholars agree the Illuminati have been defunct for many years.The words hit silence. Kohler stared through the fog with a look somewhere between stupefaction and anger. How the hell can you tell me this group is extinct when their name is seared into this manLangdon had been asking himself that question all morning. The appearance of the Illuminati ambigram was astonishing. Symbologists wor ldwide would be dazzled. And yet, the academic in Langdon understood that the brands reemergence proved absolutely nothing about the Illuminati.Symbols, Langdon said, in no way confirm the heraldic bearing of their original creators.What is that supposed to mean?It means that when organized philosophies like the Illuminati go out of existence, their symbols remain getable for adoption by other groups. Its called transference. Its very common in symbology. The Nazis took the swastika from the Hindus, the Christians adopted the cruciform from the Egyptians, the This morning, Kohler challenged, when I typed the word Illuminati into the computer, it returned thousands of current references. Apparently a lot of people think this group is still active. conspiracy buffs, Langdon replied. He had always been annoyed by the plethora of conspiracy theories that circulated in modern pop culture. The media crave apocalyptic headlines, and self-proclaimed cult specialists were still cashing i n on millennium hype with fabricated stories that the Illuminati were alive and well and organizing their New World Order. Recently the New York Times had reported the eerie Masonic ties of countless famous men Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Duke of Kent, Peter Sellers, Irving Berlin, Prince Philip, Louis Armstrong, as well as a pantheon of well-known modern-day industrialists and banking magnates.Kohler pointed angrily at Vetras body. Considering the evidence, I would say perhaps the conspiracy buffs are correct.I realize how it appears, Langdon said as diplomatically as he could. And yet a far more plausible explanation is that some other organization has taken control of the Illuminati brand and is using it for their own purposes.What purposes? What does this murder prove?Good question, Langdon thought. He also was having trouble imagining where anyone could have turned up the Illuminati brand after 400 years. All I can tell you is that even if the Illuminati were still active toda y, which I am virtually positive they are not, they would never be involved in Leonardo Vetras death.No?No. The Illuminati may have believed in the abolition of Christianity, but they wielded their power through political and financial means, not through terrorists acts. Furthermore, the Illuminati had a stern code of morality regarding who they saw as enemies. They held men of science in the highest regard. There is no way they would have murdered a fellow scientist like Leonardo Vetra.Kohlers eyes turned to ice. Perhaps I failed to mention that Leonardo Vetra was anything but an ordinary scientist.Langdon exhaled patiently. Mr. Kohler, Im sure Leonardo Vetra was brilliant in many ways, but the fact remains Without warning, Kohler spun in his wheelchair and accelerated out of the living room, leaving a wake of swirling mist as he disappeared down a hallway.For the love of God, Langdon groaned. He followed. Kohler was waiting for him in a belittled alcove at the end of the hallwa y.This is Leonardos show, Kohler said, motioning to the sliding door. Perhaps when you see it youll understand things differently. With an awkward grunt, Kohler heaved, and the door slid open.Langdon peered into the study and immediately felt his skin crawl. Holy mother of Jesus, he said to himself.12In another country, a young guard sat patiently before an expansive bank of video monitors. He watched as images flashed before him live feeds from hundreds of wireless video television cameras that surveyed the sprawling complex. The images went by in an endless procession.An rhetorical hallway.A private office.An industrial-size kitchen.As the pictures went by, the guard fought off a daydream. He was nearing the end of his shift, and yet he was still vigilant. Service was an honor. Someday he would be granted his ultimate reward.As his thoughts drifted, an image before him registered alarm. Suddenly, with a reflexive jerk that startled even himself, his hand shot out and hit a but ton on the control panel. The picture before him froze.His nerves tingling, he leaned toward the screen for a closer look. The reading on the monitor told him the image was being transmitted from camera 86 a camera that was supposed to be overlooking a hallway.But the image before him was most definitely not a hallway.