Where is the Code?!

So, we continue on for our search of meaning in the Code, which is turning out to be like the search for the Holy Grail, chasing after a myth.

We're at the Swiss Bank. Yay! They stick their key into things. Yay! They get into an elevator. Yay! The Guard calls the manager and tells him about the two fugitives that walked into the bank. Yay! They get to the Vaults. Yay! They learn about the Keys. Yay! The Banker locks them inside. YAY! Fache learns where they are. Yay! Kippur falls asleep. YAY! \~/

And now we get to learn all about Andre Vernet, president of the Paris Branch of the Swiss Bank. How he wants to buy a house and have a wine cellar and modeled his sleeping habits after the Maasai warriors. This is something that Robert Jordan tends to do. He introduces a character, tells us everything about them down to what sort of cheese they like and then we never see them again. It's not that important for us to know everything about Andre Vernet. His likes, his dislikes and his shoe size. It's not important to the plot. It doesn't impact anything. It's just there. We could learn more about the guy from his reactions to Langdon and his Perky Titted friend or a few well worded sentences when he's introduced to them.\~/

Mr. Vernet knows P.T's. Grandfather. They were close friends. I'm sorry, dear friends. \~/ I'm beginning to get annoyed at how many people are involved in this thing. It's getting ridiculous. Next thing you know, the bum on the street will be part of this conspiracy. In any case the reason for the guy knowing her Grandfather is so that he'll feel obligated to get Langdon and her out of the bank and to safety. Which is rather convenient as oppose to them having to actually try and figure out a way. After all, connections are connections are connections. And connections are great for getting your characters out of a locked vault. Because, if you remember in our previous chapter, that's what happened to them. So, once you have your characters painted into a corner (Or in this case, locked in a vault) you're in a very difficult situation. Ideally you wouldn't do that to them. But if you do, then you need to rewrite it so that they're not trapped... or give them an easy way out. Brown takes the later choice. \~/

First, however, they have to get into the vault. Which needs a code. Which no one has. And the police are on the way. And they need to get into the lockbox. While they try to figure out what to do, they make poor Andre uncomfortable by asking him if he's a member of the Priory. Which he denies. Of course.\~/

So, the police are coming. They can't get into the lock box, and then Langdon has an epiphany, \~/. The numbers from the dirty limerick are also the numbers for the lock box. Isn't that a coincidence? \~/ So, they enter the code. There's some blathering about should they do it in order given or in the actual sequence. They decided the actual sequence. They get the box. It's very big. There's a brief section where we get to see the interior of the vault described as a crypt with an arm gently removing the box. They open they lock box. There's something inside. It's heavy. It has a five petal rose which is the sign of the Holy Grail. Langdon is doubtful that the box contains it though... because... even though it can hold a chalice... it's not supposed to be a chalice. In fact the thing inside is NOT the chalice... but instead...Grandpa's special bootleg brew. \~/\~/

Drinks: nine

the code is late for work. >.>

Note: Reading fic where Harry is about as naive in the matters of sex as my shoes and likes to wear panties for Uncle Sev who gets hard just thinking about that is a bad bad bad idea. \~/ *takes a drink to purge the memories.*


Now that Brown seems to be getting the hang of chapter endings, he needs to work on his character POV choices. In this chapter Langdon and P.T. Escape with the help of Andre the Banker who gets them into a bank truck and locks them in before driving off and tricking the police into thinking that he's just the driver. All very good and exciting, however, it's from the wrong person's POV. It's from Andre's. And we're not emotionally invested in Andre (we're not emotionally invested in anyone, but let's pretend that we are) and so we don't particularly care about him. We want to know how Langdon is feeling about finding the mysterious thingy and what it must be and having to rush through the bank to the loading dock (Which we don't see) and then having to get into the small enclosed space (he's claustrophobic) to escape. Hell, that should have been a scene in it's self. Langdon protesting about getting in there, there has to be another way, P.T. and Andre convincing him they have to go, get in the truck, him getting in there warily. If we had seen this we might have actually cared about him. But instead he just gets into the truck. He doesn't even get a full sentence either, "As Sophie and Langdon climbed in,..." No emotional hint that he might be having problems with such an enclosed space or anything. This is a defining moment here for Langdon. Can he get into the small space and get away or is his phobia going to hold him back. In fact this phobia should have been showing up a lot more. It's a weakness of his and one that should be exploited.

Instead of such tight drama we go back to Silas. Who's just punished himself...sorry Disciplined himself. FINALLY page 202 in my copy, he learns that he's going to have being going after someone else, that the information has been transfered. But he doesn't find out who. We know who, because we are "clever" like that.

I'd do more, but I'm late for work. WHEE... And the next chapter is long.