Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Two

Langdon held his breath as the X33 spun and landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport.Victoria sat across from him, her eyes closed tightly, as if she was trying to control the situation by willpower.The plane touched down and headed for a secluded hangar. "I'm sorry, the flight is too slow," the pilot came out of the cockpit and apologized to them. "I have to make it fly as smoothly as possible. This is a residential area and we must abide by noise control regulations." Langdon checked his watch.They spent thirty-seven minutes in the air. The pilot opened the outside door and asked, "Anyone care to tell me what happened?"

Neither Victoria nor Langdon responded. "Okay," he said as he stretched and lay down, "I'll just stay in the cabin, turn on the air conditioner and listen to music, just me and me." Outside the hangar, the afternoon sun was still hot.Langdon slung his tweed over his shoulders, and Victoria lifted her face skyward and took a deep breath, as if the sun had magically reinvigorated her. The Mediterranean, Langdon thought, already sweating. "You seem a bit older for cartoons, don't you?" Victoria asked, without batting an eyelid. "what?" "Your watch. I saw it on the plane."

Langdon blushed a little.He was used to having to defend his watch.The collector's edition Mickey Mouse watch was a gift from his parents when he was a child.It was the only watch Langdon had ever worn, though the outstretched arm of Mickey Mouse that marked the time was writhing silly.This watch is not only waterproof, but also luminous at night, which is perfect for swimming or walking at night in the dark campus.Whenever Langdon's students questioned his fashion sense, he told them that wearing a Mickey watch was a daily reminder of his youth at heart. "It's six o'clock," he said.

Victoria nodded, eyes still closed. "I guess the plane is coming to pick us up." Langdon heard a roar in the distance, and when he looked up, his heart sank.From the north came a helicopter, gliding low and skimming the runway.Langdon had once seen it in a helicopter over the Palpa Valley of the Andes, and was not at all interested.A shoebox that can fly.After a morning of flying, Langdon hoped that the Vatican would send a car. He was wrong. The helicopter slowed down and circled for a moment before landing on the runway in front of them.The white fuselage of the helicopter is also decorated with a coat of arms - two keys of heaven crossed on a shield and the Pope's crown.He knew the symbol well.This is the traditional Vatican seal - the sacred symbol of the Holy See or the government's "Holy See," literally the ancient throne of St. Peter.

Holy shit, Langdon mumbled as he watched the plane land.He had forgotten that the Vatican still had such a thing to take the Pope to the airport, to meetings, or to his summer residence in Gandolfo.Langdon would undoubtedly have preferred a car. The pilot jumped out of the cockpit and came striding towards them across the asphalt. This time it was Victoria's turn to feel uneasy. "This is our pilot?" Langdon shared her worries. "To fly, or not to fly, that is the question." The pilot looked garishly dressed, as if about to star in a Shakespearean farce.His plump top was striped in bright blue and gold vertical stripes.He was wearing matching breeches and spats, a pair of black flats that looked like slippers, and a felt beret on top of his head.

"It's the traditional Swiss Guard uniform," Langdon explained. "Michelangelo designed it." The man moved closer.Langdon frowned and said, "I admit, this is not Michelangelo's better work." Although the man was gaudy attire, Langdon could tell the pilot was quite professional.He came toward them with the rigidity and gravitas of a U.S. Navy man.Langdon had read several times about the requirements for becoming an elite Swiss guard.The Swiss Guards are selected from one of the four Catholic cantons in Switzerland. Applicants must be Swiss males aged 19 to 30, at least five feet six inches tall, trained in the Swiss Army, and unmarried.This majestic army is the most loyal and reliable security force in the world, making it the envy of governments around the world.

"Are you from CERN?" the guard asked, coming up to them. "Yes, sir," Langdon replied. "You came at the right time." He said, and glanced at the X33 aircraft suspiciously.Then, turning to Victoria, he said, "Ma'am, have you brought any other clothes?" "what?" He pointed to her leg. "Shorts are not allowed in the Vatican." Langdon glanced down at Victoria's legs and frowned.He'd forgotten that the Vatican strictly forbids showing anything above the knee--for both men and women.This provision is a way of paying homage to the sanctity of the City of God.

"That's all I wear," she said. "We came in a hurry." The guard nodded, clearly unhappy.He turned to Langdon again, "Are you armed?" arms?Langdon thought.I didn't even bring a change of underwear!He shook his head. The guard crouched down beside Langdon and began searching him, starting with his socks.Gullible fellow, Langdon thought.The guard's strong hands ran up Langdon's thighs and touched his pussy, making him terribly uncomfortable.Finally, his hands reached Langdon's chest and shoulders.Clearly satisfied with Langdon's innocence, he turned to Victoria, examining her thighs and upper body from the bottom up.

Victoria glared. "Don't even think about it." The guard stared at her, with a look that clearly wanted her to submit, but Victoria was unafraid. "What's that?" the guard asked, pointing to a bulging square bag in the front of her shorts. Victoria pulled out a slim phone.The guard brought the phone over and dialed, waited for the dial tone, and then, obviously satisfied that it was really just an ordinary phone, handed it back to her.Victoria stuffed it into her pocket. "Turn around, please," said the guard. Victoria obeyed, and she raised her hands and turned them three hundred and sixty degrees.

The guards scrutinized her carefully.Langdon had already seen that Victoria's well-fitting shorts and blouse contained nothing that should have been unduly obtrusive except for her exquisite curves.Apparently the guard had come to the same conclusion. "Thank you both, this way please." As Langdon and Victoria walked toward the plane, the Swiss Guard helicopter sat in neutral, its propellers spinning.Victoria boarded the plane first, barely pausing as she passed under the rapidly turning rotors like a seasoned professional, while Langdon hesitated for a moment. "No car?" he yelled, half-jokingly asking the Swiss guard, who was about to climb into the driver's seat.

He didn't answer. Langdon understood that, thinking of the crazy drivers in Rome, it might be safer to fly.He took a deep breath and boarded the plane.He stooped cautiously as he walked under the spinning wings. As the guard started the plane, Victoria yelled, "Did you find out where that storage is?" The guard glanced over, looking puzzled. "The what?" "The storage device, didn't you call the 'European Nuclear Center' to talk about the storage device?" The man shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're busy today, and the commander asked me to pick you up, that's all I know." Victoria glanced at Langdon uneasily. "Fasten your seat belts, please," the pilot said, and the engines revved. Langdon found the seat belt and fastened it himself.The small body seems to have shrunk.The plane left the ground, went straight into the sky, made a sharp turn north, and flew straight to Rome. Rome...the capital of the world, where Caesar once ruled, where St. Peter was martyred.The cradle of modern civilization.But, in the heart of the city... there is a ticking time bomb.

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