The Lost Symbol

The elderly, blind priest who meets Langdon and Katherine is Reverend Colin Galloway, the dean of the National Cathedral. He takes Langdon and Katherine into his office, where Langdon tells him that they have already deciphered the symbols on the pyramid. Dean Galloway touches the items as he listens to Langdon describe what they have done, then tells them that they have not finished deciphering the pyramid. Langdon and Katherine are confused, for they have deciphered all the writing they can see, but Dean Galloway assures them that the pyramid can be transformed to reveal further information. Galloway insists that they have started something that they cannot stop. Langdon refuses to believe, but Galloway asserts that Langdon will acknowledge the full significance of the pyramid.

Warren is shocked after Director Sato shows him a classified video. He believes now that he was mistaken in helping Langdon.

Katherine learns that Peter came to Dean Galloway often and worried about a dark force in his life. They discuss what the CIA might want with the pyramid, and Galloway suggests that the agency wishes to access its power. They also discuss Noetic science, and Galloway states that Peter believed Noetic scientists will one day be celebrated for their groundbreaking work. The group also discusses how knowledge can expand a person’s ability to learn more. Finally, Galloway tells Langdon to touch the stone box with his hands in order to sense something that his eyes will not show him. When Langdon pulls his hand away, there is a symbol imprinted on his finger. Galloway jokes that Langdon just made gold, but Langdon argues that the symbol could mean any number of things. Galloway then instructs Langdon to look at Peter’s Masonic ring. Langdon discovers that the ring fits perfectly onto a raised circle on the box.

When the ring is turned to the 33rd degree, the box falls open into the shape of a cross. Langdon suggests that it is not a Christian cross, but a Rose Cross, which is a common symbol of Freemasonry. The sight of the cross causes Langdon to recall a conversation he once had with Peter about the Rosicrucians. Their founder was a man named Christian Rozenkreuz, likely a pseudonym for someone such as Francis Bacon. Langdon recalls that in his conversation with Peter, they discussed how Isaac Newton used the Latin phrase for “One true God” as a pseudonym. This information allows Katherine to figure out how to transform the pyramid. Just then, Galloway tells them that he can hear visitors arriving.

Mal’akh reflects on the two choices that Peter gave his son: wisdom or wealth. He also reflects on how Peter could have saved his son and instead chose not to. Finally, he thinks of the sacrifice that Peter must make that night and he feels as though the dilemma he will present to Peter is appropriate.

Katherine and Langdon escape Dean Galloway’s office, glimpsing the arrival of a CIA helicopter through a window. In moments, they realize that the building is surrounded. Simkins enters the building and confronts Galloway, demanding to know where Langdon is.

Nola receives a call from Rick Parrish in system security who informs her that someone attempted to hack a document on a secure server. When he tells Nola some of the words that were on the document, she demands to see Rick in person.

Langdon and Katherine escape the National Cathedral and make their way across the lawn to the Cathedral College. Katherine insists that they find a kitchen, and when they do, she boils some water and drops the pyramid inside. She believes that heating up the pyramid will transform it, because on the Newton Scale, 33 degrees is the point at which water boils. The heat causes writing on the side of the pyramid to become incandescent, revealing what initially appears to be an address.

The pyramid reveals the words, “Eight Franklin Square” (422), causing Langdon to try to figure out what is located there. Langdon calls Mal’akh to let him know they have the solution, but the phone is answered by a female security guard who claims that while searching for her missing partner, she found her partner dead, but Peter alive. The woman gives them an address that turns out to be the same house where Katherine met “Dr. Abaddon” and tells them to come quickly.

Langdon and Katherine attempt to find an exit but run directly into Director Sato and her tactical team. They attempt to explain to Director Sato that Peter has been found, but she refuses to listen. They show Sato the pyramid and explain the address on the side. Director Sato reveals that Warren has been helping her, but that he was also helping Mal’akh before he saw the truth. She does not reveal what that “truth” is. Director Sato makes Warren send Mal’akh a picture of the address with the number covered.

Director Sato has Galloway brought into the room while they wait for Mal’akh to call. When he does, Warren demands to speak to Peter but is refused. Mal’akh claims to be 20 minutes from the square and tells Warren he will give Peter up in exchange for the pyramid. The phone call aligns with what Langdon and Katherine learned from the security guard, assuming that Mal’akh is unaware that Peter has been found. Katherine demands again to be allowed to go to Peter. Director Sato agrees to have Langdon and Katherine taken to the house where Katherine met Dr. Abaddon while Sato and her team go to Franklin Square to intercept Mal’akh. Galloway picks up the pyramid, runs his hands over it, and leaves it in Langdon’s bag. Galloway instructs Langdon to tell Peter that “the Masonic Pyramid has always kept her secret…sincerely” (435).

Director Sato and Simkins station men all over Franklin Square as they wait for Mal’akh to arrive.

CIA Agent Hartmann drives Langdon and Katherine to the house in Kalorama Heights where Katherine met with Dr. Abaddon. On the drive, Langdon realizes that there is wax on the pyramid that has melted and pulled away from the stone under Galloway’s touch. They arrive at the house to find cars parked haphazardly, some still running, others with their lights on. A woman in uniform is sitting at the dining room table. Katherine rushes in, but Langdon notices that the cars are not common law enforcement brands, causing him to hesitate. At that moment, Katherine is attacked.

Katherine is tripped, the CIA agent’s throat is cut, and Langdon is tased. Katherine is attacked again and is forced down onto the floor. Her hands tied together with wire. Langdon sees that the pyramid has fallen out of his bag. The bottom now shows a collection of symbols that were previously covered by wax. The use of wax was once a common practice to hide flaws in sculptures; therefore, any artist who could produce stone works without wax, an art known as sine cera, was considered more “sincere” and authentic. Langdon realizes this is what Galloway’s last message for Peter meant. In the midst of this academic discovery, Langdon also realizes that Katherine is in danger and fights to get to her, but Mal’akh slams Langdon’s head against the floor, causing him to black out.

Mal’akh reflects on the deception he set up to lure Langdon to his home, but he knows that the CIA will arrive soon nonetheless. Mal’akh drags Langdon down into his secret basement as the television broadcasts a televangelist talking about the coming apocalypse. Mal’akh compares this preacher’s words to the things he has learned over the past 10 years in his studies on mysticism. Mal’akh believes that humans are capable of both good and evil, and that sometimes a person has to act in evil ways in order to be truly godlike. Mal’akh’s thoughts align in some ways with Peter’s and the Mason’s convictions in that he believes that the Ancient Mysteries influence everything, including modern religion. However, Mal’akh also believes that society has moved too far away from the light and that soon the darkness will take over completely.

Nola tells Director Sato that there is no such address as 8 Franklin Square. Director Sato gives Nola the rest of the clues on the pyramid, the capstone, and the box. Nola does a search, wondering if perhaps the words point not to an address, but to the purpose of a structure.

Langdon wakes in the secret basement room. He is completely naked, and quickly realizes that he is in some kind of box. He worries that it is a coffin and that he has been buried alive. Katherine attempts to fight Mal’akh as he carries her into the secret basement room as well. The entrance to the basement is hidden behind a painting that she admired on her first visit to the house, when she thought Mal’akh was Dr. Abaddon.

Agent Simkins hides in Franklin Park, waiting for Mal’akh to arrive. Director Sato calls and tells Simkins to refocus on a nearby building called the Almas Shrine Temple, which they believe fits the inscription on the pyramid better. Simkins agrees but grows concerned when he learns that Director Sato has not yet heard from Agent Hartmann, who drove Langdon and Katherine to Dr. Abaddon’s house.

Katherine struggles with the cloth in her mouth as Mal’akh settles her into a chair in his secret room. Mal’akh removes the cloth, and she is finally able to look around, growing upset when she spots Langdon’s clothes on the floor. Mal’akh points to the box and tells her Langdon’s location. She becomes so upset that Langdon can hear her distress. Katherine sees water waiting to flood the box, and Mal’akh reminds her of how Peter left him to drown on the night he intruded on their Christmas Eve celebrations. The water begins filling Langdon’s box.

Katherine argues with Mal’akh, attempting to convince him to free Langdon and to show her where Peter is located. Mal’akh demands to know what information they gleaned from the pyramid. She tells him about the number they thought was an address, but Mal’akh has already seen the newly revealed symbols on the base of the pyramid. However, Katherine, unlike Langdon, wasn’t aware of the new symbols. Mal’akh takes the pyramid to Langdon and shows him the symbols through the window at the top of the box. Mal’akh tells Langdon that he will drown if he does not immediately provide the solution to the symbols.

Langdon initially doesn’t believe that the symbols mean anything. They are too random, too chaotic. However, as the water begins to cover his face, Langdon thinks of everything he knows about the pyramid as a whole and realizes what it all means. Langdon gives Mal’akh the information that he believes will decode the symbols on the bottom of the pyramid. Mal’akh leaves Langdon to drown.

Langdon holds his breath for as long as he can, but he must eventually release it. Langdon begins to drown in the box.

Mal’akh straps Katherine to a square table. When he leaves, she looks around and is terrified to see a collection of papers taped to the wall and a medical tray beside the table.

Rick arrives in Nola’s office and explains that he was able to discover that the single-page document that a hacker attempted to trace is located on a partition assigned to the CIA director. Nola finds this information difficult to believe, because the document appears to focus on the Masons and on pyramids. Meanwhile, Director Sato orders her team to leave Franklin Square and go to the house in Kalorama Heights because Agent Hartmann is not responding to any calls.

Mal’akh takes the information that Langdon gave him—the idea that the address is not an address but another kind of magic square—and goes to the computer to research the idea. Mal’akh finds an article supporting the idea, so he begins working out the magic square and comes up with a destination that makes sense to him.

Katherine ponders the possibility of her death while she waits for whatever comes next. These thoughts cause Katherine to recall a recent breakthrough in her work when she was able to find a way to weigh a human soul using a high-precision microbalance scale. In this experiment, Katherine placed a dying man on the scale, videoed his death, and observed that the scale changed moments after his death. Katherine showed the video to Peter and was awed by his happy, yet grief-stricken reaction.

Now, Mal’akh returns bringing with him a man in a wheelchair. Katherine recognizes this man as Peter. Mal’akh shows both Katherine and Peter his iron knife, delighted that Peter recognizes it . Mal’akh then explains that his journey with Peter is just about over. Mal’akh places a needle in a vein in Katherine’s arm and does not attach it to anything, instead allowing blood to flow freely from her body. Mal’akh tells Peter that if he does what Mal’akh asks, they will be able to save Katherine. But if he doesn’t, then Katherine will slowly bleed to death.