The Da Vinci Code Chapter 44-47

CHAPTER 44 x digits, Sophie said, her cryptologic senses tingling as she studied the print break.13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5Grand-pere wrote his accounting system number on the Louvre floorWhen Sophie had first gain vigorn the scrambled Fibonacci sequence on the parquet, she had assumed its sole purpose was to encourage DCPJ to chew the fat in their cryptographers and catch up with Sophie involved.Later, she established the song were also a clue as to how to decipher the other lines a sequence out of ordera numeric anagram. promptly, suddenly amazed, she saw the numbers had a more than than important meaning still. They were around certainly the final key to opening her grandfathers privy safe- deposit cuff.He was the master of double-entendres, Sophie said, turning to Langdon. He loved whatso incessantly amour with multiple layers of meaning. Codes within codes.Langdon was already woful toward the electronic tree stump get hold along the conveyor knocking. Sophie grabbe d the computer printout and followed.The podium had a keypad similar to that of a vernacular asynchronous transfer mode terminal. The interpenetrate displayed the banks cruciform logo. Beside the keypad was a triangular hole. Sophie wasted no date inserting the shaft of her key into the hole.The screen refreshed instantly. theme NUMBER _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _The arrow blinked. Waiting.Ten digits.Sophie read the numbers off the printout, and Langdon typed them in.ACCOUNT NUMBER 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 8 5When he had typed the last digit, the screen refreshed again. A message in several languages appeared. English was on merry-go-round.CAUTION beforehand you strike the enter key, please check the accuracy of your account number.For your ingest security, if the computer does non recognize your account number, this system will auto tousleically shut grim.Fonction terminer,Sophie said, frowning. Looks equal we all get one try. Standard ATM machines allowed users three attempts to type a PIN before confiscating their bank card. This was on the face of it no ordinary cash machine.The number looks counterbalance, Langdon confirmed, cautiously checking what they had typed and comparing it to the printout. He motioned to the ENTER key. Fire a style.Sophie extended her index finger toward the keypad, but hesitated, an uncommon purpose straightaway hitting her. Go ahead, Langdon urged. Vernet will be clog up soon. No. She pulled her hand away. This isnt the right account number. Of course it is Ten digits. What else would it be? Its too random.Too random? Langdon could not corroborate disagreed more. Every bank advised its customers to choose PINs at random so nobody could system them. Certainly clients here would be advised to choose their account numbers at random.Sophie de permited everything she had just typed in and looked up at Langdon, her gaze self-assured. Its transmitd too coincidental that this supposedly random account number could be rearranged to f orm the Fibonacci sequence.Langdon realized she had a point. Earlier, Sophie had rearranged this account number into the Fibonacci sequence. What were the odds of existence able to do that?Sophie was at the keypad again, entering a unalike number, as if from memory. More everywhere, with my grandfathers love of symbolism and codes, it suss outms to follow that he would endure elect an account number that had meaning to him, something he could easily remember. She finished typing the entry and gave a sly smile. Something that appeared random but was not. Langdon looked at the screen.ACCOUNT NUMBER 1123581321It took him an instant, but when Langdon spotted it, he knew she was right.The Fibonacci sequence.1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21When the Fibonacci sequence was melded into a maven ten-digit number, it became virtually unrecognizable. Easy to remember, and yet seemingly random.A brilliant ten-digit code that Sauniere would neer forget. Furthermore, it perfectly explained why the scrambl ed numbers on the Louvre floor could be rearranged to form the famous progression. Sophie r for apiece oneed down and pressed the ENTER key. cypher happened.At least nothing they could detect.At that moment, beneath them, in the banks erectile subterranean vault, a robotic sweetener sprang to smell. Sliding on a double-axis broadcast system attached to the ceiling, the claw headed off in search of the decent coordinates. On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical plastic crates lay adjust on an terrific grid like rows of beautiful coffins in an clandestine crypt.Whirring to a stop over the elucidate spot on the floor, the claw putped down, an electric eye confirming the bar code on the rap. past, with computer precision, the claw grasped the laborious handle and hoisted the crate vertically. New gears engaged, and the claw transported the box to the outlying(prenominal) side of the vault, coming to a stop over a stationary conveyor belt. Gently right off, the retrieval arm decline down the crate and retracted. Once the arm was clear, the conveyor belt whirred to life .Upstairs, Sophie and Langdon exhaled in relief to see the conveyor belt move. Standing beside the belt, they mat like weary travelers at baggage claim awaiting a mysterious put up of luggage whose contents were unknown.The conveyor belt entered the room on their right through a narrow s lighten beneath a retractable door. The metal door slid up, and a huge plastic box appeared, emerging from the depths on the inclined conveyor belt. The box was b escape, heavy wrought plastic, and far larger than she imagined. It looked like an air-freight pet transport crate without any air holes. The box coasted to a stop directly in comportment of them. Langdon and Sophie stood there, silent, staring at the mysterious container.Like everything else rough this bank, this crate was industrial metal warps, a bar code sticker on top, and shaped heavy-duty handle. Sophie thought it looked like a giant toolbox.Wasting no time, Sophie unhooked the two buckles facing her. Then she shined over at Langdon. Together, they raised the heavy lid and let it fall back.Stepping forward, they peered down into the crate.At first glance, Sophie thought the crate was empty. Then she saw something. Sitting at the bottom of the crate. A lone item.The polished timberen box was about the size of a shoebox and had ornate hinges. The wood was a lustrous deep purple with a strong grain. bloomwood, Sophie realized. Her grandfathers favorite. The lid bore a beautiful inlaid concept of a rose. She and Langdon exc runed puzzled looks. Sophie leaned in and grabbed the box, lifting it out.My God, its heavyShe carried it gingerly to a large receiving table and set it down. Langdon stood beside her, both of them staring at the small shelter chest her grandfather apparently had send them to retrieve.Langdon stared in wonderment at the lids hand-carved inlay a vanadium-petal rose. He had seen this type of rose existencey another(prenominal) times. The five-petal rose, he whispered, is a Priory symbol for the Holy grail.Sophie turned and looked at him. Langdon could see what she was thinking, and he was thinking it too. The dimensions of the box, the apparent weight of its contents, and a Priory symbol for the grail all seemed to imply one unfathomable conclusion. The Cup of Christ is in this wooden box. Langdon again told himself it was impossible.Its a perfect size, Sophie whispered, to hold a chalice.It cant be a chalice.Sophie pulled the box toward her across the table, preparing to open it. As she moved it, though, something unthought happened. The box let out an odd gurgling sound.Langdon did a double take. Theres silver deep down?Sophie looked equally confused. Did you just hear ? Langdon nodded, lost. Liquid. reaching forward, Sophie easily unhooked the clasp and raised the lid.The object at heart was unlike anything Langdon had ever seen. One thi ng was immediately clear to both of them, however. This was definitely not the Cup of Christ.CHAPTER 45The guard are blocking the street, Andre Vernet said, walking into the waiting room. Getting you out will be difficult. As he closed the door coffin nail him, Vernet saw the heavy-duty plastic case on the conveyor belt and halted in his tracks. My God They accessed Saunieres account?Sophie and Langdon were at the table, huddling over what looked to be a large wooden jewelry box. Sophie immediately closed the lid and looked up. We had the account number aft(prenominal) all, she said.Vernet was speechless. This changed everything. He admirefully diverted his eyes from the box and tried to figure out his next move. I make up to get them out of the bank precisely with the police already having set up a roadblock, Vernet could imagine only one way to do that. silver perch Neveu, if I can get you safely out of the bank, will you be taking the item with you or returning it to the v ault before you vanish?Sophie glanced at Langdon and thence back to Vernet. We need to take it.Vernet nodded. Very well. Then some(prenominal) the item is, I suggest you wrap it in your summit as we move through the hallways. I would prefer nobody else see it.As Langdon shed his diadem, Vernet hurried over to the conveyor belt, closed the now empty crate, and typed a series of simple commands. The conveyor belt began moving again, carrying the plastic container back down to the vault. Pulling the gold key from the podium, he handed it to Sophie.This way please. Hurry.When they reached the rear loading enter, Vernet could see the flash of police lights filtering through the underground garage. He frowned. They were probably blocking the ramp. Am I really going to try to pull this off? He was diaphoresis now.Vernet motioned to one of the banks small armored transports. Transport sur was another avail offered by the Depository Bank of Zurich.Get in the cargo hold, he said, heav ing open the massive rear door and motioning to the glistening trade name compartment. Ill be right back.As Sophie and Langdon climbed in, Vernet hurried across the loading dock to the dock overseers office, let himself in, collected the keys for the truck, and found a drivers equivalent jacket and cap. Shedding his own suit coat and tie, he began to put on the drivers jacket. Reconsidering, he donned a shoulder holster beneath the uniform. On his way out, he grabbed a drivers pistol from the rack, put in a clip, and stuffed it in the holster, buttoning his uniform over it. Returning to the truck, Vernet pulled the drivers cap down low and peered in at Sophie and Langdon, who were standing inside the empty steel box.Youll want this on, Vernet said, reaching inside and flicking a wall switch to illuminate the lone courtesy electric-light bulb on the holds ceiling. And youd better sit down. non a sound on our way out the gate.Sophie and Langdon sat down on the metal floor. Langdon cradled the revalue wadded in his tweed jacket. Swinging the heavy doors closed, Vernet locked them inside. Then he got in behind the wheel and revved the engine.As the armored truck lumbered toward the top of the ramp, Vernet could tactile sensation the sweat already collecting beneath his drivers cap. He could see there were far more police lights in front than he had imagined. As the truck powered up the ramp, the interior gate swung inward to let him pass. Vernet advanced and waited while the gate behind him closed before puff forward and tripping the next sensor. The stake gate opened, and the exit beckoned. besides for the police car blocking the top of the ramp.Vernet dabbed his brow and pulled forward.A tall officer stepped out and waved him to a stop a few meters from the roadblock. quartette patrol cars were parked out front.Vernet stopped. Pulling his drivers cap down farther, he effected as rough a facade as his obliging upbringing would allow. Not budging from be hind the wheel, he opened the door and gazed down at the constituent, whose face was stern and sallow.Quest-ce qui se passe? Vernet asked, his tone rough.Je suis Jerome Collet, the gene said. Lieutenant Police Judiciaire. He motioned to the trucks cargo hold. Quest-ce quily a la dedans? booby hatch if I know, Vernet replied in crude French. Im only a driver. Collet looked unimpressed. Were sounding for two criminals. Vernet laughed. Then you came to the right spot. Some of these bastards I drive for leave so much bills they must be criminals.The agent held up a passport picture of Robert Langdon. Was this man in your bank this night? Vernet shrugged. No clue. Im a dock rat. They dont let us anywhere near the clients. You need to go in and ask the front desk.Your bank is demanding a search warrant before we can enter.Vernet put on a disgusted look. Administrators. Dont get me started. Open your truck, please. Collet motioned toward the cargo hold. Vernet stared at the agent and forced an obnoxious laugh. Open the truck? You think I have keys? You think they trust us? You should see the crap wages I get paid.The agents head tilted to one side, his skepticism evident. Youre telling me you dont have keys to your own truck?Vernet shook his head. Not the cargo area. Ignition only. These trucks get sealed by overseers on the loading dock. Then the truck sits in dock while someone drives the cargo keys to the drop-off. Once we get the call that the cargo keys are with the recipient, then I get the okay to drive. Not a second before. I neer know what the hell Im lugging.When was this truck sealed?Must have been hours ago. Im driving all the way up to St. Thurial this evening. Cargo keys are already up there.The agent made no response, his eyes probing as if trying to read Vernets mind.A drop of sweat was preparing to slide down Vernets nose. You mind? he said, wiping his nose with his arm and motioning to the police car blocking his way. Im on a tight schedule. Do all the drivers wear Rolexes? the agent asked, pointing to Vernets wrist.Vernet glanced down and saw the glistening caboodle of his absurdly expensive watch peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his jacket. Merde. This piece of shit? Bought it for twenty euro from a Taiwanese street vendor in St. Germain des Pres. Ill sell it to you for forty. The agent paused and finally stepped aside. No thanks. Have a safe trip. Vernet did not breathe again until the truck was a dandy fifty meters down the street. And now he had another problem. His cargo. Where do I take them?CHAPTER 46Silas lay prone on the canvas mat in his room, allowing the lash wounds on his back to clot in the air. this evenings second session with the Discipline had left him dizzy and weak. He had yet to remove the cilice belt, and he could feel the blood trickling down his inner thigh. Still, he could not justify removing the strap.I have failed the Church.Far worse, I have failed the bishop.Tonight was supposed t o be Bishop Aringarosas salvation. Five months ago, the bishop had returned from a meeting at the Vatican Observatory, where he had learned something that left him deeply changed. Depressed for weeks, Aringarosa had finally shared the news show with Silas.But this is impossible Silas had cried out. I cannot accept itIt is true, Aringarosa said. Unthinkable, but true. In only six months.The bishops words terrified Silas. He prayed for deliverance, and even in those pitiful days, his trust in God and The Way never wavered. It was only a month later that the clouds parted miraculously and the light of possibility shone through. worshipful intervention, Aringarosa had called it.The bishop had seemed hopeful for the first time. Silas, he whispered, God has bestowed upon us an opportunity to entertain The Way. Our battle, like all battles, will take sacrifice. Will you be a soldier of God?Silas fell to his knees before Bishop Aringarosa the man who had given him a new life and he sai d, I am a dear of God. Shepherd me as your heart commands.When Aringarosa described the opportunity that had presented itself, Silas knew it could only be the hand of God at work. Miraculous fate Aringarosa put Silas in contact with the man who had proposed the plan a man who called himself the Teacher. Although the Teacher and Silas never met face-to-face, each time they spoke by foretell, Silas was awed, both by the depth of the Teachers faith and by the scope of his power. The Teacher seemed to be a man who knew all, a man with eyes and ears in all places. How the Teacher pull together his learning, Silas did not know, but Aringarosa had placed enormous trust in the Teacher, and he had told Silas to do the same. Do as the Teacher commands you, the bishop told Silas. And we will be victorious.Victorious.Silas now gazed at the bare floor and feared victory had eluded them. The Teacher had been tricked. The keystone was a devious dead end. And with the deception, all hope had v anished.Silas wished he could call Bishop Aringarosa and deter him, but the Teacher had removed all their lines of direct communication tonight. For our safety.Finally, overcoming enormous trepidation, Silas crawled to his feet and found his robe, which lay on the floor. He dug his cell phone from the pocket. Hanging his head in shame, he dialed. Teacher, he whispered, all is lost. Silas truthfully told the man how he had been tricked. You lose your faith too quickly, the Teacher replied. I have just received news. Most unexpected and welcome. The secret lives. Jacques Sauniere transferred information before he died. I will call you soon. Our work tonight is not yet done.CHAPTER 47Riding inside the dimly lit cargo hold of the armored truck was like being transported inside a cell for solitary confinement. Langdon fought the all too familiar fear that haunted him in confined spaces. Vernet said he would take us a safe distance out of the city.Where? How far?Langdons legs had gotten stiff from academic session cross-legged on the metal floor, and he shifted his position, wincing to feel the blood burbling back into his lower body. In his arms, he still clutched the bizarre evaluate they had extricated from the bank.I think were on the highway now, Sophie whispered.Langdon sensed the same thing. The truck, after an unnerving pause atop the bank ramp, had moved on, snaking left and right for a minute or two, and was now accelerating to what entangle like top speed. Beneath them, the bulletproof tires hummed on smooth pavement. Forcing his attention to the rosewood box in his arms, Langdon laid the precious bundle on the floor, unwrapped his jacket, and extracted the box, displace it toward him. Sophie shifted her position so they were sitting side by side. Langdon suddenly felt like they were two kids huddled over a Christmas present.In limit to the warm colors of the rosewood box, the inlaid rose had been swaped of a wan wood, probably ash, which shone clearly in the dim light. The Rose.Entire armies and religions had been built on this symbol, as had secret societies. The Rosicrucians.The Knights of the Rosy Cross.Go ahead, Sophie said. Open it.Langdon took a deep breath. Reaching for the lid, he stole one more admiring glance at the complex woodwork and then, unhooking the clasp, he opened the lid, revealing the object within.Langdon had harbored several fantasies about what they powerfulness light upon inside this box, but clearly he had been misuse on every account. Nestled snugly inside the boxs heavily embellish interior of crimson silk lay an object Langdon could not even engender to comprehend.Crafted of polished white marble, it was a stone piston chamber approximately the dimensions of a tennis ball can. More complicated than a simple pillar of stone, however, the cylinder appeared to have been assembled in many pieces. Six doughnut-sized disks of marble had been zaftig and stick on to one another within a delica te organisation framework. It looked like some kind of tubular, multi-wheeled kaleidoscope. separately end of the cylinder was affixed with an end cap, also marble, making it impossible to see inside. Having heard luculent within, Langdon assumed the cylinder was hollow.As mystifying as the construction of the cylinder was, however, it was the engravings around the tubes circumference that drew Langdons primary focus. Each of the six disks had been carefully carved with the same unlikely series of letters the entire alphabet. The letter cylinder reminded Langdon of one of his childhood toys a rod threaded with letter tumblers that could be rotated to spell different words.Amazing, isnt it? Sophie whispered.Langdon glanced up. I dont know. What the hell is it?Now there was a glint in Sophies eye. My grandfather used to craft these as a hobby. They were invented by Leonardo Da Vinci.Even in the diffuse light, Sophie could see Langdons surprise. Da Vinci? he muttered, looking agai n at the canister. Yes. Its called a cryptex.According to my grandfather, the blueprints come from one of Da Vincis secret diaries. What is it for? Considering tonights events, Sophie knew the answer superpower have some interesting implications. Its a vault, she said. For storing secret information.Langdons eyes widened further.Sophie explained that creating models of Da Vincis inventions was one of her grandfathers best-loved hobbies. A talented craftsman who spent hours in his wood and metal shop, Jacques Sauniere enjoyed imitating master craftsmen Faberge, assorted cloisonne artisans, and the less artistic, but far more practical, Leonardo Da Vinci.Even a cursory glance through Da Vincis journals revealed why the luminary was as notorious for his lack of follow-through as he was famous for his brilliance. Da Vinci had drawn up blueprints for hundreds of inventions he had never built. One of Jacques Saunieres favorite pastimes was bringing Da Vincis more obscure brainstorms to life timepieces, water pumps, cryptexes, and even a fully furnish model of a medieval French knight, which now stood proudly on the desk in his office. Designed by Da Vinci in 1495 as an setoff of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies, the internal mechanism of the robot knight have accurate joints and tendons, and was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and remnant an anatomically correct jaw. This armor-clad knight, Sophie had ever so believed, was the most beautiful object her grandfather had ever built that was, until she had seen the cryptex in this rosewood box.He made me one of these when I was little, Sophie said. But Ive never seen one so ornate and large.Langdons eyes had never left the box. Ive never heard of a cryptex.Sophie was not surprised. Most of Leonardos unbuilt inventions had never been studied or even named. The term cryptex possibly had been her grandfathers creation, an apt deed of conveyance for this device that used the science of cryptology to protect information indite on the contained scroll or codex.Da Vinci had been a cryptology pioneer, Sophie knew, although he was seldom given credit. Sophies university instructors, while presenting computer encryption methods for securing data, praised modern cryptologists like Zimmerman and Schneier but failed to mention that it was Leonardo who had invented one of the first rudimentary forms of universe key encryption centuries ago. Sophies grandfather, of course, had been the one to tell her all about that.As their armored truck roared down the highway, Sophie explained to Langdon that the cryptex had been Da Vincis solution to the dilemma of displace secure messages over long distances. In an era without telephones or e-mail, anyone lacking to convey private information to someone far away had no option but to write it down and then trust a messenger to carry the letter. Unfortunately, if a messenger suspected the letter m ight contain valuable information, he could make far more money selling the information to adversaries than he could delivering the letter seemlyly.Many great minds in history had invented cryptologic solutions to the challenge of data protection Julius Caesar devised a code-writing scheme called the Caesar Box Mary, Queen of Scots created a transposition cipher and sent secret communiques from prison and the brilliant Arab scientist Abu Yusuf Ismail al-Kindi protected his secrets with an ingeniously conceived polyalphabetic substitution cipher.Da Vinci, however, eschewed mathematics and cryptology for a mechanical solution. The cryptex. A portable container that could protection letters, maps, diagrams, anything at all. Once information was sealed inside the cryptex, only the private with the proper tidings could access it.We require a password, Sophie said, pointing out the garner dials. A cryptex works much like a bicycles combination lock. If you reorient the dials in the proper position, the lock slides open. This cryptex has five lettered dials. When you rotate them to their proper sequence, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart. And inside? Once the cylinder slides apart, you have access to a hollow central compartment, which can hold a scroll of paper on which is the information you want to keep private.Langdon looked incredulous. And you assure your grandfather built these for you when you were younger?Some smaller ones, yes. A equate times for my birthday, he gave me a cryptex and told me a riddle. The answer to the riddle was the password to the cryptex, and once I figured it out, I could open it up and find my birthday card. A lot of work for a card. No, the cards always contained another riddle or clue. My grandfather loved creating elaborate treasure hunts around our house, a string of clues that eventually led to my real gift. Each treasure hunt was a test of character and merit, to ensure I earned my rewards. And the tests were never simple.Langdon eyed the device again, still looking skeptical. But why not just pry it apart? Or savage it? The metal looks delicate, and marble is a soft rock.Sophie smiled. Because Da Vinci is too dexterous for that. He designed the cryptex so that if you try to force it open in any way, the information self-destructs. Watch. Sophie reached into the box and carefully lifted out the cylinder. some(prenominal) information to be inserted is first written on a paper rush scroll.Not vellum?Sophie shook her head. Papyrus. I know sheeps vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the better.Okay.Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptexs compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial. She tipped the cryptex, and the still inside gurgled. A vial of liquid.Liquid what?Sophie smiled. Vinegar.Langdon hesitated a moment and then began nodding. Brilliant.Vinegar and papyrus, Sophie thought. If someon e attempted to force open the cryptex, the glass vial would break, and the vinegar would quickly dissolve the papyrus. By the time anyone extracted the secret message, it would be a glob of meaningless pulp.As you can see, Sophie told him, the only way to access the information inside is to know the proper five-letter password. And with five dials, each with twenty-six letters, thats twenty-six to the fifth power. She quickly estimated the permutations. Approximately twelve one jillion million possibilities.If you say so, Langdon said, looking like he had approximately twelve million questions running through his head. What information do you think is inside? whatsoever it is, my grandfather obviously wanted very badly to keep it secret. She paused, closing the box lid and eyeing the five-petal Rose inlaid on it. Something was bothering her. Did you say in the first place that the Rose is a symbol for the Grail?Exactly. In Priory symbolism, the Rose and the Grail are synonymous.S ophie furrowed her brow. Thats strange, because my grandfather always told me the Rose meant secrecy.He used to hang a rose on his office door at fireside when he was having a confidential phone call and didnt want me to beat him. He encouraged me to do the same. Sweetie, her grandfather said, rather than lock each other out, we can each hang a rose la fleur des secrets on our door when we need privacy.This way we learn to respect and trust each other.Hanging a rose is an ancient Roman custom. electric ray rosa,Langdon said. The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose or sub rosa had to ride out a secret.Langdon quickly explained that the Roses overtone of secrecy was not the only rationalness the Priory used it as a symbol for the Grail. Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose, had five petals and pentagonal symmetry, just like the guiding star of Venus, giving the Rose stro ng iconographic ties to womanhood.In addition, the Rose had close ties to the concept of true direction and navigating ones way. The clutches Rose helped travelers navigate, as did Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. For this reason, the Rose was a symbol that spoke of the Grail on many levels secrecy, womanhood, and guidance the maidenlike chalice and guiding star that led to secret truth.As Langdon finished his explanation, his expression seemed to tighten suddenly. Robert? Are you okay? His eyes were riveted to the rosewood box. exchangerosa,he choked, a fearful bewilderment sweeping across his face. It cant be.What?Langdon slowly raised his eyes. Under the sign of the Rose, he whispered. This cryptex I think I know what it is.