Lieutenant Pavel relishes having intimidated Robert Langdon and briefly leaves him alone to use the restroom. Captain Oldřich Jane10dek appears and says he is going outside, noting that a demolition team will arrive in thirty minutes to blast open the steel portal leading down to Brigita Gessnerbcs lab. He orders Pavel to ensure nobody exits the lab and to keep Langdon in sight at all times.

Pavel reflects on his personal loyalty to Jane10dek, revealing that Jane10dek is his uncle and effectively the father figure who steered him from a criminal adolescence into dazSI service. Pavel admires Jane10dekbcs willingness to bend rules and believes it is his job to protect and cover for him.

From inside the bastion, Pavel watches Jane10dek walk into the snowy courtyard and make a private phone call while looking out over Prague. While waiting, Pavel checks messages on Dream Zone, a popular virtual dating app he has become hooked on.

When Pavel returns to the atrium to guard Langdon, the couch is empty. Pavel searches the reception area and Gessnerbcs office in rising panic, unable to find Langdon and concluding he has somehow vanished.

Nearby, Langdon is hidden in a dark alcove behind the Paul Evans wall sculpture. Seizing the moment he was left alone, Langdon examined the piece, recognized a glide track, and slid the heavy sculpture aside like a door to reveal a concealed entrance. Inside, Langdon finds a serene, well-appointed space and a brushed metal door: a private elevator secured by an illuminated keypad, leaving Langdon needing to deduce Gessnerbcs passcode to reach the lab.