Section Twenty-Three

Inside of the Sistine Chapel the Cardinals had gathered to prepare for Conclave, and the electing of a new Pope. It was two hours before the election was to take place, and the men were taking some time to talk and catch up before Conclave took place. At 7PM the previous Pope's Chamberlain would come into the chapel, give an opening prayer and then leave the men to make their decision. When the Chamberlain left, the Swiss Guards would lock the Chapel, as they have done for many years. Conclave was a "vacuum" and was not to be influenced through the outside world. The men inside the Chapel were not permitted to have any kind of contact with others outside of the chapel what so ever. This ensured that the Cardinals kept "only god before their eyes" when making their decision.

The Conclave that was going to occur in about an hour was expected to be brief, and unified. But now an unexpected situation had occured, four of the Cardinals, "the chosen Cardinals" had gone missing.