Page 58 of The Lost Symbol

SBB IV

“SBB Four,” Anderson said.

“Which one is SBB Thirteen?” Sato asked, faint wisps of steam curling out of her mouth in the cold subterranean air.

Anderson turned the beam toward the south end of the corridor. “Down there.”

Langdon peered down the narrow passage and shivered, feeling a light sweat despite the cold.

As they moved through the phalanx of doorways, all of the rooms looked the same, doors ajar, apparently abandoned long ago. When they reached the end of the line, Anderson turned to his right, raising the beam to peer into room SBB13. The flashlight beam, however, was impeded by a heavy wooden door.

Unlike the others, the door to SBB13 was closed.

This final door looked exactly like the others—heavy hinges, iron handle, and a copper number plate encrusted with green. The seven characters on the number plate were the same characters on Peter’s palm upstairs.

SBB XIII

Please tell me the door is locked, Langdon thought.

Sato spoke without hesitation. “Try the door.”

The police chief looked uneasy, but he reached out, grasped the heavy iron handle, and pushed down on it. The handle didn’t budge. He shone the light now, illuminating a heavy, old-fashioned lock plate and keyhole.

“Try the master key,” Sato said.

Anderson produced the main key from the entry door upstairs, but it was not even close to fitting.

“Am I mistaken,” Sato said, her tone sarcastic, “or shouldn’t Security have access to every corner of a building in case of emergency?”

Anderson exhaled and looked back at Sato. “Ma’am, my men are checking for a secondary key, but—”

“Shoot the lock,” she said, nodding toward the key plate beneath the lever.

Langdon’s pulse leaped.

Anderson cleared his throat, sounding uneasy. “Ma’am, I’m waiting for news on a secondary key. I am not sure I’m comfortable blasting our way into—”

“Perhaps you’d be more comfortable in prison for obstructing a CIA investigation?”

Anderson looked incredulous. After a long beat, he reluctantly handed the light to Sato and unsnapped his holster.

“Wait!” Langdon said, no longer able to stand idly by. “Think about it. Peter gave up his right hand rather than reveal whatever might be behind this door. Are you sure we want to do this? Unlocking this door is essentially complying with the demands of a terrorist.”

“Do you want to get Peter Solomon back?” Sato asked.

“Of course, but—”

“Then I suggest you do exactly what his captor is requesting.”

“Unlock an ancient portal? You think this is the portal?”

Sato shone the light in Langdon’s face. “Professor, I have no idea what the hell this is. Whether it’s a storage unit or the secret entrance to an ancient pyramid, I intend to open it. Do I make myself clear?”

Langdon squinted into the light and finally nodded.

Sato lowered the beam and redirected it at the door’s antique key plate. “Chief? Go ahead.”

Still looking averse to the plan, Anderson extracted his sidearm very, very slowly, gazing down at it with uncertainty.