Ok, so I realize it has been a long time since I've updated. I'm sorry:-) Ok, this isn't much, and sadly, there is no Riley this chapter, but just you wait until the next chapter! It will be Riley everything. Lol. So here goes, I will continue to elaborate on the stories as it goes along. Feel free to inform me of mistakes, I haven't gone over it in a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure, Riley, or any member of the gang. Sigh
The curator of the British museum had been more than happy to speak with them; he was their "biggest fan." At least that's how he put it. When they told him they were looking into something he was nearly ecstatic. They politely smiled and told him what they were interested in.
"The Mary Rose treasure," he scoffed at them, "That is a bunch of shite. Don't let yourselves be dragged into something that's made up to attract tourists."
"It's fake then?" Abigail asked in surprise.
"Oh the ship was real enough, but there was never any treasure, at least none that made it onto that ship. Maybe at one point the fabled treasure of that secret society was real, but really its just here say. I'd advise you to spend your time in England doing something worth your time and energy." the middle aged man before them advised.
"Are you certain that there's nothing to it? We read in a local newspaper about some letters written by,"
The man cut her off abruptly, "Written by King William, yes I know. I've heard all of the stories, but there is no basis for anyone to believe the treasure was real. Like I said before, it was a tourist attraction; England was trying to draw people here. No such legitimate document has been validated."
"Have you researched into this though? I mean, if it were true, it could be a priceless piece of evidence to a long missing part of history."
"Mr. Gates, what kind of curator do you take me for? Of course I've researched it! Long before word of it hit the public; and as I have stated before, there is no basis for any of it. It's all a bunch of, how do you Americans say it? 'Crapola'"
Ben exchanged a glance with his wife who shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry if I offended you sir, I was just trying to get all of the information I could. I just find the subject to be fascinating,"
"I suppose I could forgive your ignorance this once, but in the future I would advise you not to listen to the local gossip or hear-say."
"Alright," Ben said with a cheesy grin, "Well, thank you for your time, we'll be sure to stop in and visit again sometime,"
The curator's disposition brightened clearly at the idea that this subject was over and his two bothersome visitors would soon be gone. But he couldn't help being polite to them, they were after all some of the most famous treasure hunters in the world, and they had donated a sizeable portion of the treasure to the museum itself. So he simply smiled. "Please do, you are welcome here anytime; and let me say, that I am so glad that I finally got the chance to meet you. My predecessor told me so much about you; you see I'm relatively new here. But I've followed your adventures from day one. If you need anything at all, you give us a call and we'll see what we can do for you. Now, go and enjoy England."
Ben thanked the man and gave him his card in case they needed to be in contact again.
"Well, he was…interesting," Abigail commented as they walked out. "I guess that's the end of our little treasure hunt," she said, symbolically snapping her fingers the universal sign language for: "Oh Darn!"
"No, I'm not certain, but I think he was lying. Or maybe just holding something back. Either way, I'd like to look into it a little more. Maybe go check out the remains of the Mary Rose,"
"Ben!" Abi wined in exaggeration. "One, why must we always look for treasure? Two, if there was anything on the Mary Rose; it's bound to be gone now."
"I know that, Abigail, I do; but there's always stuff that people miss. Maybe we'll get lucky," he replied cheerfully, ignoring her first question.
Abigail sighed; the things she did for her man…
"Fine Ben, but can this be it? If we don't find anything there, can we just go back to our honeymoon?"
"Yes! Yes, I'll even take you ballroom dancing and to any- and I do mean any- place you want to go. Ok?" he replied happily.
"Alright," she relented with a role of her eyes.
Ben smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked, pulling her close to him, "Have I told you how amazing you are?" he whispered in her ear.
--
The couple stood on the docs of questionable safety, looking over the angrily rolling waters. The sky had taken on a grey hue, and a queasy sense of foreboding hung heavily in the air. The ship in question was set at the end of the docks, a valuable piece of history in itself. It stood tall and firm, yet exceedingly fragile. To think that this ship- or what was left of it- had been under water for over a hundred years. As they climbed the steps to the deck, they were greeted by a scruffy looking sailor with an ill-tempered aura.
"This is the ship, look around." he ordered, "But don't touch anything, move anything out of place, or disturb the peace. If you're looking for treasures go elsewhere, the Mary Rose is not a treasure ship."
"Erm, alright," Ben said giving him a thumbs up. The architecture of the ship reflected its age beautifully, although the hulls and walls were all water damaged. They were unique, and graceful, and every once in a while a strange symbol would pop up and Ben would take a picture for later research.
"Ben, I think the curator was right, nothing here seems out of ordinary for the age. I mean look at this stuff, even if there were any clues or anything they could be long damaged or decayed." Abi said, gesturing to the ship around her.
"Well, I've seen a few things worth investigating, but there's one thing I'd like to look for. A captains log, or some similar record of events,"
"What, like star trek?" she teased.
He gave her a "very funny" look and turned back to his search when something caught his eye. It glinted at him from a small nook in the ship.
"What's this?" he asked curiously, pulling Abi along with him so they could investigate.
"It looks like a piece of metal encased in the side of the ship…why would there be metal in the ship?" his wife wondered aloud.
"I Don't know," he mused, snapping a shot of it with his camera before reaching into the little nook.
Suddenly he felt a meaty hand on his shoulder, emitting so much force that he was sure it was not Abigail.
"I thought I said, 'No touching!'" a nasily voice erupted from behind him.With that, he was yanked away from the wall.
"