Chapter 12:
Finding yourself cuffed to a table by the F. B. I. is never reassuring. Also it didn't look as if I was going to get any special treatment because I had formally been a member of the Bureau myself. Ben was seated next to me. He had just told Agent Sadusky what had happened.
"That's some story," my former boss remarked.
"Well it's the same story I tried to tell you guys before the Declaration was stolen," Ben pointed out.
"By you," Sadusky added.
"No," Ben said patiently, "by Ian. I stole it to stop him. I did it alone. Dr. Chase was not involved. And Ian still ended up with the Declaration of Independence."
"Because of you," Sadusky said.
"I don't think he likes us," I whispered to Ben.
"And you," Sadusky said as he turned to me, "what do you have to say for yourself?" He did not sound happy. Just take angry and multiply it by rage and add fury and you might have an idea as to Sadusky's current emotion which was being spewed at me.
"Well," I began slowly, "I had a plan to get my job back."
"And your plan to get back into the F.B.I.'s good graces involved stealing this country's most beloved symbol of our freedom?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "How was that supposed to work?"
"Umm… I uhh… you see-" I mumbled as I tried to figure out how to defend myself and my actions. "I don't remember the plan," I finally admitted. "But I did have one." Sadusky gave me a 'yeah right' look.
"So here's your options," Sadusky told us. " Door number one: you go to prison for a very long time."
"Pass!" I said.
"Door number two: we are going to get back the Declaration of Independence. You help us find it, and you still go to prison for a very long time, but you feel better inside."
"Also pass!" I said.
"Is there a door that doesn't lead to prison?" Ben asked.
"Yeah," I nodded, "that would work better for us."
"Someone's got to go to prison," Sadusky laughed.
"Crap," I muttered sinking back in the chair.
"So what are these for?" Sadusky asked picking up the glasses we had found at Independence Hall.
"It's a way to read the map," Ben answered. He didn't sound upbeat, which I could understand. If only we had found some sort of prison escaping device, that would have been helpful.
"Right," Sadusky answered, "Knights Templar. Free Masons. Invisible treasure map." I couldn't tell if he was mocking us or not. Usually people mocked me, but they were less inclined to mock Ben. After all, he was a master thief whether he liked the title or not. "So what'd it say?"
"Heere at the wall," Ben told him, "nothing else. It's just another clue."
I wondered if Ben was thinking about his father's rant about clues as well. At the time I had thought he was a little crazy, but I had to admit I was starting to see his point. Sadusky and several other agents were discussing how to find Ian. Nobody asked me. Ben was staring at the glasses that Sadusky was absentmindedly playing with. He had his intense clue solving face on. He didn't ask for my help either.
"There's more to it," Ben whispered.
Just as I was going to ask him to elaborate his phone rang. It startled me and I jumped a little. The F. B. I. agents began preparing to tap and trace the call. When they were ready Sadusky handed the phone to Ben.
"Yes," he answered. There was a pause. "Uh, chained to a desk." There was a longer pause. "New York." Then a another pause. "And I'm supposed to believe that?" One more pause. "I'll be there." After another minute everyone was taking off their headphones and Ben had hung up the phone.
"Come on guys," I pleaded, "what just happened?"
Ben explained that Ian wanted to trade the Declaration, (and the pipe that he and Ben had found at the Charlotte), for the glasses. The trade would take place in New York on the deck of the USS Intrepid. Ian had requested the Ben and I be alone.
Soon the F. B. I. agents, Ben, and I were all in New York. As Ben and I walked around the ship our every movement was watched by nearly a dozen agents with even a couple in helicopters circling overhead.
"Do you think we blend in?" I asked Ben.
Both of us were wearing earpieces and mikes so that we were connected to all of the agents watching us. We couldn't speak or be spoken to without them hearing. We could hear them as they talked about keeping us in their sight. It was kind of nice to be the center of so much attention. On the other hand these were the people who wanted us to go to prison for a very long time.
"Stay with the program," Sadusky warned us as Ben and I waded through a herd of Boy Scouts.
"I hope your agents are all under four feet tall and wearing little scarves," Ben commented looking at the group, "otherwise Ian's going to know they're here."
"Do think Ian really expected the F. B. I. to just let us go?" I asked.
"Good point," Ben nodded.
"As soon as he shows you the Declaration we'll move in," Sadusky assured us. "Don't try anything. Just let us handle it."
"You're the boss," I told him.
"Stop sucking up," Sadusky ordered.
"Yes sir."
"You know Agent Sadusky," Ben mused, "something I've noticed about fishing. It never works out so well for the bait."
I squirmed a little, having not thought about things it quite those terms before. But now that Ben said it I knew he was right. We were bait. The F. B. I. were the fishers and Ben was the circling fish. Neither of them really cared about the survival of the bait. I gulped.
The agents had begun discussing a helicopter which was coming towards us. Apparently they believed that Ian might be on it.
"Gates," Sadusky said over the earpiece, "are you with me?"
"Well I'm sure not against you if that's what you're asking," Ben replied.
Suddenly there was a slight buzzing in my earpiece. Based on Ben's look of confusion it was happening on his as well. I couldn't really hear the agents and I doubted they could hear me. It could have been just some interference from some equipment close by.
Or it could be Ian making his move.
"Hello Ben," someone standing next to us said. It wasn't the man who had been pointed out to me as Ian, but rather a tall bald man. I recognized him as one of Ian's goons. "Thomas Edison needed only one way to make a light bulb," the man continued. "Sound familiar?"
I remembered the day that Ben, Riley, and I had been in the Library of Congress and Ben had told that to me and Riley as part of his convincing us to help him. The unknown helicopter swooped in with a roar, making it hard to hear anything. The goon spoke to Ben, though I didn't hear what was said.
Then the helicopter left. In my ear I could hear the resumed chatter of the F. B. I. agents. They knew that something was wrong. I wanted to ask Ben what the goon had said, but I knew better. Instead I just followed Ben as he walked purposefully away. We reached the observation deck and Ben looked over the edge.
"Sadusky," Ben said, "I'm still not against you. But I found door number three, and I'm taking it."
"Move in!" Sadusky ordered. "Move in on Gates."
The agents closest to us were running, but they had only taken a few steps when Ben grabbed my arm and pulled me over the railing. I screamed before hitting the water a couple of seconds behind Ben.
A man in full scuba gear appeared out of no where. He offered us the oxygen mask and first Ben then I took a gulp of fresh air. Then we took hold of a little device that shot us through the murky water much faster then if we had been swimming.
We broke the surface far enough away that we could barely hear the F. B. I. helicopters. I followed Ben as he climbed a ladder out of the river and onto a street.
"Hello Ben," I could hear someone saying, "welcome to New Jersey."
