I was really hesitant posting this chapter, since it feels really incomplete. But please tell me what you guys think.
In a bright sterile laboratory, a team of French scientists in white lab coats worked to restore thousands of artifacts recently obtained by donation. A younger woman, cleaning a 17th century ring, gave a start. "Conservateur! J'ai trouvé quelque chose!" 1
The portly curator rushed over to her as fast as his short legs would allow. "le quel est?" 2 he asked interestedly, leaning over her table.
"C'est un... énigme?" 3 The woman quirked her head and looked up at the curator, her green eyes widening.
"Un autre trésor peut-être?" 4 he replied uncertainly.
"Seulement une façon de trouver," 5 The woman replied grinning, "Obtenir sur le telephone Benjamin Gates!"5
On a private jet, soaring above the Seine River, Abigail Gates was shaken out of her uneasy sleep. "Abigail, we're here." Her husband, Ben Gates, said quietly.
"This better be important." Riley Poole grumbled, packing up his laptop in anticipation of the landing plane.
"They called us at two A.M. Riley. It must be important." Ben replied calmly.
The jet touched down, and slowed to a stop. Immediately the pilot unlocked the door and conducted the trio out onto the landing strip. Waiting for them, squinting in the bright sunlight was a plump, gray haired man wringing his squashy hands in excitement. "Ah! Benjamin Gates! And Madame Gates, un plaisir.6"
"It's good to meet you Monsieur Vignes. We-"
"Who is this?" M. Vignes asked suddenly, peering at Riley through his thick, dusty spectacles.
"Riley Poole." He replied crossly.
"Ah, oui, le sous-fifre" 7 M. Vignes muttered.
"Come again?" Abigail said sharply.
"Rien, 8 Don't worry yourselves, merely an old man's murmurings. Now, the reason you're here." He said, guiding the Americans into a dark green Volvo. "Bien, il es très excite, 9 very exciting indeed. You really must see it, to be fully affected, incroyable, 10 incredible." He ushered Abigail into the front passenger seat and motioned for the men to take the back. He himself hoisted his round behind into the driver's seat and they sped off towards the center of Paris.
Abigail quickly buckled herself in, as did Ben and Riley. "But what is it? Monsieur, you weren't very clear on the phone-"
"Maybe because it was two O'clock in the morning!" Riley hissed leaning forward.
Ben and Abigail naturally ignored him.
"Je dis nous 11- I say we, in truth it was Miss Facet, Doctor Facet actually, brilliant child je dois dire 12 - she found an engraving, on a small ring in the style napoléonien néo-classique, 13 so we believe it's dated around the early dix-huit centaines, 14 about the time Napoleon came to power. Cette gravure 15- it's really quite something- miniscule writing the whole of it. De toute façon, 16 the engraving describes a treasurehidden by Napoleon in his darkest days."
At this, Ben spoke up from the back. "Why have you just found this now?"
M. Vignes turned in his seat, causing the car to swerve to the right and left and Riley to hold the armrest with white knuckles. "Puits, 17 it was part of your donation. Une donation très généreuse,18 I may add thank you once again pour une collection impressionnante."19
Abigail turned to Ben and smiled. "The treasure belongs to the world, and every person in it."
" Could have had ten percent." Riley sang quietly.
Again, Ben chose to ignore him and instead looked out the window and watched the monuments fly by.
The French isn't really meant to be understood, and if it's important it gets translated somewhere along the lines, but if you want to know what they're saying, here you go:
1: Curator! I've found something! 2: What is it? 3: It's a ... riddle? 4: Another treasure perhaps? 5: Only one-way to find out. Get Benjamin Gates on the phone! 6: a pleasure 7: Ah, yes, the sidekick 8: Nothing 9; it's very exciting 10: incredible 11: Well we 12: I must say 13: neoclassical Napoleonic style 14: eighteen hundreds 15: This engraving 16; At any rate 17: Well 18; A very generous donation 19; such an impressive collection