Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty

"Maximilian Kohler, please call your office right away." The elevator doors opened, revealing the main lobby, bright sunlight shining in Langdon's eyes.The voice from the walkie-talkie was still echoing in the air, and all the electronic devices on Kohler's wheelchair beeped and beeped.His pager, phone, voicemail, it all rang.Kohler glanced down at the flashing indicator lights, obviously puzzled.The director has resurfaced and is now back in the signal area. "Director Kohler, please call your office back." He seemed surprised to hear his assistant call his name.

He looked up, as if annoyed, but his anger turned to worry almost immediately.Langdon and he looked at each other, and Victoria, and for a moment the three of them stared at each other motionlessly, as if all tension had disappeared and was replaced by a common sense of foreboding. Kohler picked up the phone on the armrest.He dialed the extension, trying to hold back another cough.Langdon and Victoria waited quietly. "I'm...Director Kohler," he said, panting, "What? I was underground and there was no signal." He listened to the phone with gray eyes. "Who is it? Okay, take it." He paused for a moment. "Hello? I'm Maximilian Kohler, Director of CERN. Who are you?"

Langdon and Victoria quietly watched Director Kohler answering the phone, neither of them said anything. "It's so flippant to talk about on the phone," Khloe finally said. "I'll be right over." He coughed again. "Meet me at the Leonardo da Vinci airport . "Find that storage device right away...I'll come right away." After finishing speaking, he hung up the phone. Victoria ran to Khloe, but he could no longer speak.Victoria took out her mobile phone and dialed the number of the "European Nuclear Center" hospital, while Langdon watched.He felt like a boat caught in a storm...tossed, but alone.

Meet me at Leonardo da Vinci Airport.Kohler's voice echoed. The hazy image that had been driving Langdon all morning turned into a vivid image.Standing there amidst the chaos around him, he suddenly felt a door open deep within him... as though some mysterious threshold had just been crossed.Symmetrical words, murdered priests and scientists, antimatter, and now... targets.Leonardo da Vinci Airport meant only one thing.For a moment, Langdon suddenly realized that he had just changed his position and became a believer. Five thousand tons equivalent.Let there be light. Two doctors in white coats came running across the hall.They knelt beside Khloe and put an oxygen mask over his face.The scientists in the hall stopped and stood back.Kohler tugged hard twice, pulled the mask aside, gasping for breath, he looked at Victoria and Langdon and said, "Rome."

"Rome?" Victoria asked. "Antimatter in Rome? Who's calling?" The muscles in Khloe's face twisted, his gray eyes moistened. "Switzerland..." He was at a loss for words.The doctor put the mask back on him.As they were about to carry Kohler away, he reached out and grabbed Langdon's arm. Langdon nodded, he understood what Kohler meant. "Go..." Kohler said out of breath wearing a mask, "go...call me..." As he was speaking, the doctor carried him into the car and sent him away. Victoria stood there motionless, watching him go.After a while, she turned around and asked Langdon, "Rome? But... what does this have to do with Switzerland?"

Langdon put a hand on her shoulder and almost whispered the words through his ears. "It's the Swiss Guard," he said, "the guards who are sworn to defend the Vatican."