danbrown.angels&demons-第95部分

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　Langdon　was　certain　the　time　had　e　to　overpower　the　camerlegno　and　carry　him　off。　As　lucid　as　he　seemed；　the　priest　was　talking　nonsense。　A　rock？　The　cornerstone　in　the　foundation？　The　stairway　before　them　didn't　lead　to　the　foundation；　it　led　to　the　necropolis！　〃The　quote　is　a　metaphor；　Father！　There　is　no　actual　rock！〃　
　The　camerlegno　looked　strangely　sad。　〃There　is　a　rock；　my　son。〃　He　pointed　into　the　hole。　〃Pietro　и　la　pietra。〃　
　Langdon　froze。　In　an　instant　it　all　came　clear。
　The　austere　simplicity　of　it　gave　him　chills。　As　Langdon　stood　there　with　the　others；　staring　down　the　long　staircase；　he　realized　that　there　was　indeed　a　rock　buried　in　the　darkness　beneath　this　church。　
　Pietro　и　la　pietra。　Peter　is　the　rock。　
　Peter's　faith　in　God　was　so　steadfast　that　Jesus　called　Peter　〃the　rock〃…the　unwavering　disciple　on　whose　shoulders　Jesus　would　build　his　church。　On　this　very　location；　Langdon　realized…Vatican　Hill…Peter　had　been　crucified　and　buried。　The　early　Christians　built　a　small　shrine　over　his　tomb。　As　Christianity　spread；　the　shrine　got　bigger；　layer　upon　layer；　culminating　in　this　colossal　basilica。　The　entire　Catholic　faith　had　been　built；　quite　literally；　upon　St。　Peter。　The　rock。
　〃The　antimatter　is　on　St。　Peter's　tomb；〃　the　camerlegno　said；　his　voice　crystalline。　
　Despite　the　seemingly　supernatural　origin　of　the　information；　Langdon　sensed　a　stark　logic　in　it。　Placing　the　antimatter　on　St。　Peter's　tomb　seemed　painfully　obvious　now。　The　Illuminati；　in　an　act　of　symbolic　defiance；　had　located　the　antimatter　at　the　core　of　Christendom；　both　literally　and　figuratively。　The　ultimate　infiltration。　
　〃And　if　you　all　need　worldly　proof；〃　the　camerlegno　said；　sounding　impatient　now；　〃I　just　found　that　grate　unlocked。〃　He　pointed　to　the　open　bulkhead　in　the　floor。　〃It　is　never　unlocked。　Someone　has　been　down　there　。　。　。　recently。〃　
　Everyone　stared　into　the　hole。
　An　instant　later；　with　deceptive　agility；　the　camerlegno　spun；　grabbed　an　oil　lamp；　and　headed　for　the　opening。
　
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　The　stone　steps　declined　steeply　into　the　earth。　
　I'm　going　to　die　down　here；　Vittoria　thought；　gripping　the　heavy　rope　banister　as　she　bounded　down　the　cramped　passageway　behind　the　others。　Although　Langdon　had　made　a　move　to　stop　the　camerlegno　from　entering　the　shaft；　Chartrand　had　intervened；　grabbing　Langdon　and　holding　on。　Apparently；　the　young　guard　was　now　convinced　the　camerlegno　knew　what　he　was　doing。　
　After　a　brief　scuffle；　Langdon　had　freed　himself　and　pursued　the　camerlegno　with　Chartrand　close　on　his　heels。　Instinctively；　Vittoria　had　dashed　after　them。
　Now　she　was　racing　headlong　down　a　precipitous　grade　where　any　misplaced　step　could　mean　a　deadly　fall。　Far　below；　she　could　see　the　golden　glow　of　the　camerlegno's　oil　lamp。　Behind　her；　Vittoria　could　hear　the　BBC　reporters　hurrying　to　keep　up。　The　camera　spotlight　threw　gnarled　shadows　beyond　her　down　the　shaft；　illuminating　Chartrand　and　Langdon。　Vittoria　could　scarcely　believe　the　world　was　bearing　witness　to　this　insanity。　Turn　off　the　damn　camera！　Then　again；　she　knew　the　light　was　the　only　reason　any　of　them　could　see　where　they　were　going。
　As　the　bizarre　chase　continued；　Vittoria's　thoughts　whipped　like　a　tempest。　What　could　the　camerlegno　possibly　do　down　here？　Even　if　he　found　the　antimatter？　There　was　no　time！
　Vittoria　was　surprised　to　find　her　intuition　now　telling　her　the　camerlegno　was　probably　right。　Placing　the　antimatter　three　stories　beneath　the　earth　seemed　an　almost　noble　and　merciful　choice。　Deep　underground…much　as　in　Z…lab…an　antimatter　annihilation　would　be　partially　contained。　There　would　be　no　heat　blast；　no　flying　shrapnel　to　injure　onlookers；　just　a　biblical　opening　of　the　earth　and　a　towering　basilica　crumbling　into　a　crater。　
　Was　this　Kohler's　one　act　of　decency？　Sparing　lives？　Vittoria　still　could　not　fathom　the　director's　involvement。　She　could　accept　his　hatred　of　religion　。　。　。　but　this　awesome　conspiracy　seemed　beyond　him。　Was　Kohler's　loathing　really　this　profound？　Destruction　of　the　Vatican？　Hiring　an　assassin？　The　murders　of　her　father；　the　Pope；　and　four　cardinals？　It　seemed　unthinkable。　And　how　had　Kohler　managed　all　this　treachery　within　the　Vatican　walls？　Rocher　was　Kohler's　inside　man；　Vittoria　told　herself。　Rocher　was　an　Illuminatus。　No　doubt　Captain　Rocher　had　keys　to　everything…the　Pope's　chambers；　Il　Passetto；　the　Necropolis；　St。　Peter's　tomb；　all　of　it。　He　could　have　placed　the　antimatter　on　St。　Peter's　tomb…a　highly　restricted　locale…and　then　manded　his　guards　not　to　waste　time　searching　the　Vatican's　restricted　areas。　Rocher　knew　nobody　would　ever　find　the　canister。
　But　Rocher　never　counted　on　the　camerlegno's　message　from　above。
　The　message。　This　was　the　leap　of　faith　Vittoria　was　still　struggling　to　accept。　Had　God　actually　municated　with　the　camerlegno？　Vittoria's　gut　said　no；　and　yet　hers　was　the　science　of　entanglement　physics…the　study　of　interconnectedness。　She　witnessed　miraculous　munications　every　day…twin　sea…turtle　eggs　separated　and　placed　in　labs　thousands　of　miles　apart　hatching　at　the　same　instant　。　。　。　acres　of　jellyfish　pulsating　in　perfect　rhythm　as　if　of　a　single　mind。　There　are　invisible　lines　of　munication　everywhere；　she　thought。　
　But　between　God　and　man？
　Vittoria　wished　her　father　were　there　to　give　her　faith。　He　had　once　explained　divine　munication　to　her　in　scientific　terms；　and　he　had　made　her　believe。　She　still　remembered　the　day　she　had　seen　him　praying　and　asked　him；　〃Father；　why　do　you　bother　to　pray？　God　cannot　answer　you。〃
　Leonardo　Vetra　had　looked　up　from　his　meditations　with　a　paternal　smile。　〃My　daughter　the　skeptic。　So　you　don't　believe　God　speaks　to　man？　Let　me　put　it　in　your　language。〃　He　took　a　model　of　the　human　brain　down　from　a　shelf　and　set　it　in　front　of　her。　〃As　you　probably　know；　Vittoria；　human　beings　normally　use　a　very　small　percentage　of　their　brain　power。　However；　if　you　put　them　in　emotionally　charged　situations…like　physical　trauma；　extreme　joy　or　fear；　deep　meditation…all　of　a　sudden　their　neurons　start　firing　like　crazy；　resulting　in　massively　enhanced　mental　clarity。〃
　〃So　what？〃　Vittoria　said。　〃Just　because　you　think　clearly　doesn't　mean　you　talk　to　God。〃
　〃Aha！〃　Vetra　exclaimed。　〃And　yet　remarkable　solutions　to　seemingly　impossible　problems　often　occur　in　these　moments　of　clarity。　It's　what　gurus　call　higher　consciousness。　Biologists　call　it　altered　states。　Psychologists　call　it　super…sentience。〃　He　paused。　〃And　Christians　call　it　answered　prayer。〃　Smiling　broadly；　he　added；　〃Sometimes；　divine　revelation　simply　means　adjusting　your　brain　to　hear　what　your　heart　already　knows。〃
　Now；　as　she　dashed　down；　headlong　into　the　dark；　Vittoria　sensed　perhaps　her　father　was　right。　Was　it　so　hard　to　believe　that　the　camerlegno's　trauma　had　put　his　mind　in　a　state　where　he　had　simply　〃realized〃　the　antimatter's　location？
　Each　of　us　is　a　God；　Buddha　had　said。　Each　of　us　knows　all。We　need　only　open　our　minds　to　hear　our　own　wisdom。
　It　was　in　that　moment　of　clarity；　as　Vittoria　plunged　deeper　into　the　earth；　that　she　felt　her　own　mind　open　。　。　。　her　own　wisdom　surface。　She　sensed　now　without　a　doubt　what　the　camerlegno's　intentions　were。　Her　awareness　brought　with　it　a　fear　like　nothing　she　had　ever　known。　
　〃Camerlegno；　no！〃　she　shouted　down　the　passage。　〃You　don't　understand！〃　Vittoria　pictured　the　multitudes　of　people　surrounding　Vatican　City；　and　her　blood　ran　cold。　〃If　you　bring　the　antimatter　up　。　。　。　everyone　will　die！〃　
　
　Langdon　was　leaping　three　steps　at　a　time　now；　gaining　ground。　The　passage　was　cramped；　but　he　felt　no　claustrophobia。　His　once　debilitating　fear　was　overshadowed　by　a　far　deeper　dread。　
　〃Camerlegno！〃　Langdon　felt　himself　closing　the　gap　on　the　lantern's　glow。　〃You　must　leave　the　antimatter　where　it　is！　There's　no　other　choice！〃　
　Even　as　Langdon　spoke　the　words；　he　could　not　believe　them。　Not　only　had　he　accepted　the　camerlegno's　divine　revelation　of　the　antimatter's　location；　but　he　was　lobbying　for　the　destruction　of　St。　Peter's　Basilica…one　of　the　greatest　architectural　feats　on　earth　。　。　。　as　well　as　all　of　the　art　inside。　
　But　the　people　outside　。　。　。　it's　the　only　way。