e caller told him.
"Is this your idea of a joke?"
"You have heard our name, I see," the caller replied.
"Of course. The brotherhood is legendary."
"And yet you find yourself doubting I am genuine."
"Everyone knows the brothers have faded to dust."
"A devious ploy. The most dangerous enemy is that which no one fears."
The killer was skeptical. "The brotherhood endures?"
"Deeper underground than ever before. Our roots infiltrate everything you see . . . even the sacred fortress
of our most sworn enemy."
"Impossible. They are invulnerable."
"Our reach is far."
"No one's reach is that far."
"Very soon, you will believe. An irrefutable demonstration of the brotherhood's power has already
transpired. A single act of treachery and proof."
"What have you done?"
The caller told him.
The killer's eyes went wide. "An impossible task."
The next day, newspapers around the globe carried the same headline. The killer became a believer.
Now, fifteen days later, the killer's faith had solidified beyond the shadow of a doubt. The brotherhood
endures, he thought. Tonight they will surface to reveal their power.
As he made his way through the streets, his black eyes gleamed with foreboding. One of the most covert
and feared fraternities ever to walk the earth had called on him for service. They have chosen wisely, he
thought. His reputation for secrecy was exceeded only by that of his deadliness.
So far, he had served them nobly. He had made his kill and delivered the item to Janus as requested. Now,
it was up to Janus to use his power to ensure the item's placement.
The placement . . .
The killer wondered how Janus could possibly handle such a staggering task. The man obviously had
connections on the inside. The brotherhood's dominion seemed limitless.
Janus, the killer thought. A code name, obviously. Was it a reference, he wondered, to the Roman twofaced
god . . . or to the moon of Saturn? Not that it made any difference. Janus wielded unfathomable
power. He had proven that beyond a doubt.
As the killer walked, he imagined his ancestors smiling down on him. Today he was fighting their battle,
he was fighting the same enemy they had fought for ages, as far back as the eleventh century . . . when the
enemy's crusading armies had first pillaged his land, raping and killing his people, declaring them
unclean, defiling their temples and gods.
His ancestors had formed a small but deadly army to defend themselves. The army became famous across
the land as protectors-skilled executioners who wandered the countryside slaughtering any of the enemy
they could find. They were renowned not only for their brutal killings, but also for celebrating their
slayings by plunging themselves into drug-induced stupors. Their drug of choice was a potent intoxicant
they called hashish.
As their notoriety spread, these lethal men became known by a single word-Hassassin-literally "the
followers of hashish." The name Hassassin became synonymous with death in almost every language on
earth. The word was still used today, even in modern English . . . but like the craft of killing, the word had
evolved.
It was now pronounced assassin.
6
S ixty-four minutes had passed when an incredulous and slightly air-sick Robert Langdon stepped down
the gangplank onto the sun-drenched runway. A crisp breeze rustled the lapels of his tweed jacket. The
open space felt wonderful. He squinted out at the lush green valley rising to snowcapped peaks all around
them.
I'm dreaming, he told himself. Any minute now I'll be waking up.
"Welcome to Switzerland," the pilot said, yelling over the roar of the X-33's misted-fuel HEDM engines
winding down behind them.
Langdon checked his watch. It read 7:07 A.M.
"You just crossed six time zones," the pilot offered. "It's a little past 1 P.M. here."
Langdon reset his watch.
"How do you feel?"
He rubbed his stomach. "Like I've been eating Styrofoam."
The pilot nodded. "Altitude sickness. We were at sixty thousand feet. You're thirty percent lighter up
there. Lucky we only did a puddle jump. If we'd gone to Tokyo I'd have taken her all the way up-a
hundred miles. Now that'll get your insides rolling."
Langdon gave a wan nod and counted himself lucky. All things considered, the flight had been
remarkably ordinary. Aside from a bone-crushing acceleration during take off, the plane's motion had
been fairly typical-occasional minor turbulence, a few pressure changes as they'd climbed, but nothing
at all to suggest they had been hurtling through space at the mind-numbing speed of 11,000 miles per
hour.
A handful of technicians scurried onto the runway to tend to the X-33. The pilot escorted Langdon to a
black Peugeot sedan in a parking area beside the control tower. Moments later they were speeding down a
paved road that stretched out across the valley floor. A faint cluster of buildings rose in the distance.
Outside, the grassy plains tore by in a blur.
Langdon watched in disbelief as the pilot pushed the speedometer up around 170 kilometers an
hour-over 100 miles per hour. What is it with this guy and speed? he wondered.
"Five kilometers to the lab," the pilot said. "I'll have you there in two minutes."
Langdon searched in vain for a seat belt. Why not make it three and get us there alive?
The car raced on.
"Do you like Reba?" the pilot asked, jamming a cassette into the tape deck.
A woman started singing. "It's just the fear of being alone . . . "
No fear here, Langdon thought absently. His female colleagues often ribbed him that his collection of
museum-quality artifacts was nothing more than a transparent attempt to fill an empty home, a home they
insisted would benefit greatly from the presence of a woman. Langdon always laughed it off, reminding
them he already had three loves in his life-symbology, water polo, and bachelorhood-the latter being a
freedom that enabled him to travel the world, sleep as late as he wanted, and enjoy quiet nights at home
with a brandy and a good book.
"We're like a small city," the pilot said, pulling Langdon from his daydream. "Not just labs. We've got
supermarkets, a hospital, even a cinema."
Langdon nodded blankly and looked out at the sprawling expanse of buildings rising before them.
"In fact," the pilot added, "we possess the largest machine on earth."
"Really?" Langdon scanned the countryside.
"You won't see it out there, sir." The pilot smiled. "It's buried six stories below the earth."
Langdon didn't have time to ask. Without warning the pilot jammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a
stop outside a reinforced sentry booth.
Langdon read the sign before them. SECURITE. ARRETEZ. He suddenly felt a wave of panic, realizing
where he was. "My God! I didn't bring my passport!"
"Passports are unnecessary," the driver assured. "We have a standing arrangement with the Swiss
government."
Langdon watched dumbfounded as his driver gave the guard an ID. The sentry ran it through an electronic
authentication device. The machine flashed green.
"Passenger name?"
"Robert Langdon," the driver replied.
"Guest of?"
"The director."
The sentry arched his eyebrows. He turned and checked a computer printout, verifying it against the data
on his computer screen. Then he returned to the window. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Langdon."
The car shot off again, accelerating another 200 yards around a sweeping rotary that led to the facility's
main entrance. Looming before them was a rectangular, ultramodern structure of glass and steel. Langdon
was amazed by the building's striking transparent design. He had always had a fond love of architecture.
"The Glass Cathedral," the escort offered.
"A church?"
"Hell, no. A church is the one thing we don't have. Physics is the religion around here. Use the Lord's
name in vain all you like," he laughed, "just don't slander any quarks or mesons."
Langdon sat bewildered as the driver swung the car around and brought it to a stop in front of the glass
building. Quarks and mesons? No border control? Mach 15 jets? Who the hell ARE these guys? The
engraved granite slab in front of the building bore the answer:
(CERN)
Conseil Européen pour la
Recherche Nucléaire
"Nuclear Research?" Langdon asked, fairly certain his translation was correct.
The driver did not answer. He was leaning forward, busily adjusting the car's cassette player. "This is
your stop. The director will meet you at this entrance."
Langdon noted a man in a wheelchair exiting the building. He looked to be in his early sixties. Gaunt and
totally bald with a sternly set jaw, he wore a white lab coat and dress shoes propped firmly on the
wheelchair's footrest. Even at a distance his eyes looked lifeless-like two gray stones.
"Is that him?" Langdon asked.
The driver looked up. "Well, I'll be." He turned and gave Langdon an ominous smile. "Speak of the
devil."
Uncertain what to expect, Langdon stepped from the vehicle.
The man in the wheelchair accelerated toward Langdon and offered a clammy hand. "Mr. Langdon? We
spoke on the phone. My name is Maximilian Kohler."
7
M aximilian Kohler, director general of CERN, was known behind his back as König-King. It was a
title more of fear than reverence for the figure who ruled over his dominion from a wheelchair throne.
Although few knew him personally, the horrific story of how he had been crippled was lore at CERN, and
there were few there who blamed him for his bitterness . . . nor for his sworn dedication to pure science.
Langdon had only been in Kohler's presence a few moments and already sensed the director was a man
who kept his distance. Langdon found himself practically jogging to keep up with Kohler's electric
wheelchair as it sped silently toward the main entrance. The wheelchair was like none Langdon had ever
seen-equipped with a bank of electronics including a multiline phone, a paging system, computer screen,
even a small, detachable video camera. King Ko