Grandpa!
You're not supposed to be up here, looking at that.
l just wanted to know.
Well, you're old enough, l suppose.
You should know the story.
OK, here we go.
lt was 1 832.
On a night much like this.
Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of lndependence.
He was also a member of a secret society known as the Masons.
And he knew he was dying.
He woke up his stable boy in the middle of the night
and ordered him to take him to the White House to see Andrew Jackson,
because it was urgent that he speak to the president.
Did he talk to him?
No. He never got the chance.
The president wasn't there that night.
But Charles Carroll had a secret.
So he took into his confidence the one person he could,
my grandfather's grandfather,
Thomas Gates.
What was the secret?
A treasure.
A treasure beyond all imagining.
A treasure that had been fought over for centuries
by tyrants, pharaohs, emperors, warlords.
And every time it changed hands it grew larger.
And then suddenly...
it vanished.
lt didn't reappear for more than a thousand years,
when knights from the First Crusade
discovered secret vaults beneath the Temple of Solomon.
You see, the knights who found the vaults
believed that the treasure was too great for any one man -
not even a king.
They brought the treasure back to Europe and took the name ''the Knights Templar''.
Over the next century they smuggled it out of Europe
and they formed a new brotherhood called the Freemasons,
in honour of the builders of the great temple.
War followed.
By the time of the American Revolution the treasure had been hidden again.
By then the Masons included
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere.
They knew they had to make sure
the treasure would never fall into the hands of the British.
So they devised a series of clues and maps to its location.
Over time the clues were lost or forgotten,
until only one remained -
and that was the secret that Charles Carroll entrusted to young Thomas Gates.
Charlotte.
''The secret lies with Charlotte.''
Who's Charlotte?
Oh, not even Mr Carroll knew that.
Now look here, Ben.
The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers left us clues.
Like these.
The unfinished pyramid. The all-seeing eye.
Symbols of the Knights Templar, guardians of the treasure.
- They're speaking to us through these. - You mean laughing at us.
You know what that dollar represents?
The entire Gates family fortune.
Six generations of fools... chasing after fool's gold.
lt's not about the money, Patrick. lt's never been about the money.
Come on, son. Time to go.
You can... say your goodbyes.
Grandpa?
Are we knights?
Do you want to be?
All right. Um... kneel.
Benjamin Franklin Gates,
you take upon yourself the duty of the Templars, the Freemasons
and the family Gates.
Do you so swear?
l so swear.
l was thinking about Henson and Peary,
crossing this kind of terrain with nothing more than dog sleds and on foot.
- Can you imagine? - lt's extraordinary.
We getting closer?
Assuming Ben's theory's correct and my tracking model's accurate,
we should be getting very close.
But don't go by me - l broke a shoelace this morning.
- lt's... it's a bad omen. - Shall we turn around and go home?
Or we could pull over and just throw him out here.
OK.
Riley, you're not missing that little windowless cubicle we found you in?
No, no. Absolutely not.
Why are we stopping? l thought we were looking for a ship.
- l don't see any ship. - She's out there.
Look... this is a waste of time.
How could a ship wind up way out here?
Well, l'm no expert, but...
it could be that the hydrothermic properties of this region
produce hurricane-force ice storms
that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze,
resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass
that would land a ship right around here.
Hello, beautiful.
Have Viktor check the fuel in the generators.
Two years ago, if you hadn't shown up, hadn't believed the treasure was real,
l don't know if l ever would have found Charlotte.
You would have found it, l have no doubt.
That's why l didn't think it was as crazy an investment as everyone said.
l'm just relieved that l'm not as crazy as everyone says. Or said my dad was.
Or my granddad. Or my great-granddad.
OK!
Let's go!
- Let's go find some treasure. - Yeah, bring us back something.
Oh, God!
You handled that well.
This is it.
lt's the cargo hold.
Do you think it's in the barrels?
Gunpowder.
OK...
Why would the captain be guarding this barrel?
l found something!
What is it?
Do you guys know what this is?
ls it a billion-dollar pipe?
lt's a meerschaum pipe. Ah, that is beautiful.
Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork on the stem.
- ls it a million-dollar pipe? - No, it's a clue.
Let me see that.
No, don't break it!
We are one step closer to the treasure, gentlemen.
Ben, l thought you said that the treasure would be on the Charlotte.
No, ''The secret lies with Charlotte. ''
l said it could be here.
lt's Templar symbols.
''The legend writ.''
''The stain effected.''
''The key in Silence undetected.''
''Fifty-five in iron pen.''
''Mr Matlack can't offend.''
lt's a riddle.
l need to think.
''The legend writ.''
''The stain effected.''
What legend?
There's the legend of the Templar treasure, and the stain effects the legend.
How?
''The key in Silence undetected.''
Wait.
The legend and the key... Now there's something.
A map.
Maps have legends, maps have keys.
lt's a map, an invisible map. So now...
Wait a minute. What do you mean, ''invisible'' - ''an invisible map''?
''The stain effected'' could refer to a dye or a reagent
used to bring about a certain result.
Combined with ''The key in Silence undetected'',
the implication is that the effect is to make what was undetectable detectable.
Unless... ''The key in Silence'' could be...
Prison.
Albuquerque.
See, l can do it too. Snorkel.
That's where the map is. Like he said, ''Fifty-five in iron pen.''
''lron pen'' is a prison.
Or it could be, since the primary writing medium of the time was iron gall ink,
the ''pen'' is... just a pen.
But then why not say a pen? Why... why say ''iron pen''?
Cos it's a prison.
Wait a minute. ''lron pen'' - the ''iron'' does not describe the ink in the pen,
it describes what was penned.
lt was ''iron'' - it was firm, it was mineral...
No, no, no, that's stupid.
lt was... lt was firm, it was adamant, it was resolved.
lt was resolved.
''Mr Matlack can't offend.''
Timothy Matlack was the official scribe of the Continental Congress.
Calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure he could not offend the map,
it was put on the back of a resolution that he transcribed,
a resolution that 55 men signed.
The Declaration of lndependence.
Come on, there's no invisible map on the back of the Declaration of lndependence.
That's clever, really. A document of that importance
would ensure the map's survival.
And you said there were several Masons signed it, yeah?
Yeah. Nine, for sure.
We'll have to arrange a way to examine it.
This is one of the most important documents in history.
They're not just gonna let us waltz in there and run chemical tests on it.
- Then what do you propose we do? - l don't know!
We could borrow it.
Steal it?
- l don't think so. - Ben...
the treasure of the Knights Templar is the treasure of all treasures.
Oh, l didn't know that. Really?
Look, Ben... l understand your bitterness. l really do.
You've spent your entire life searching for this treasure,
only to have the respected historical community
treat you and your family with mockery and contempt.
You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces,
and l want you to have the chance to do that.
How?
We all have our areas of expertise.
You don't think mine are limited to writing cheques, do you?
ln another life...
l arranged a number of operations of... questionable legality.
l'd take his word for it, if l were you.
So don't worry. l'll make all the arrangements.
No.
l'd really need your help here.
lan... l'm not gonna let you steal the Declaration of lndependence.
OK.
From this point on all you're going to be is a hindrance.
Hey!
What are you gonna do? Are you gonna shoot me, Shaw?
Well, you can't shoot me. There's more to the riddle.
lnformation you don't have. l do.
l'm the only one who can figure it out, and you know that.
He's bluffing.
We played poker together, lan. You know l can't bluff.
Tell me what l need to know, Ben,
or l'll shoot your friend.
Hey!
Quiet, Riley! Your job's finished here.
Look where you're standing. All that gunpowder.
You shoot me, l drop this, we all go up.
Ben...
What happens when the flare burns down?
Tell me what l need to know, Ben.
You need to know...
if Shaw can catch.
Nice try, though.
Get out, Shaw!
Fool!
Riley, get over here!
- What is this? - Smuggler's hold. Get in!
Move! Get out of here!
- What? - Move! Get out!
Follow me.
Let's go, let's go! She's gonna blow!
Get down.
OK, let's go. Before someone sees the smoke.
There's an lnuit village about nine miles east of here.
- lt's popular with bush pilots. - All right.
- Then what are we gonna do? - Start making our way back home.
No, l meant about lan. He's gonna steal the Declaration of lndependence, Ben.
We stop him.
ls it really so hard to believe
that someone's gonna try to steal the Declaration of lndependence?
The FBl gets 1 0,000 tips a week.
They're not gonna worry about something they're sure is safe.
But anyone that can do anything is gonna think we're crazy.
Anyone crazy enough to believe us isn't gonna want to help.
We don't need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get?
Obsessed.
Passionate.
Excuse me.
- Dr Chase can see you now, Mr Brown. - Thank you.
Mr Brown?
The family name doesn't get a lot of respect in the academic community.
Huh. Being kept down by the man.
A very cute man.
Thank you.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen. - Hi.
- Abigail Chase. - Paul Brown.
- Nice to meet you. - Bill.
Nice to meet you, Bill.
- How may l help you? - Your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?
Saxony German.
- You're not American? - Oh, l am an American.
l just wasn't born here. Please don't touch that!
Sorry. A neat collection. George Washington's campaign buttons.
You're missing the 1 7 89 inaugural, though.
- l found one once. - That's very fortunate for you.
Now, you told my assistant that this was an urgent matter.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, l'm gonna get straight to the point.
Someone's gonna steal the Declaration of lndependence.
lt's true.
l think l'd better put you gentlemen in touch with the FBl.
- We've been to the FBl. - And?
They assured us that the Declaration cannot possibly be stolen.
- They're right. - My friend and l are less certain.
However, if we were given the privilege of examining the document...
we would be able to tell you for certain if it were actually in any danger.
What do you think you're gonna find?
We believe that there's an... encryption on the back.
- An encryption, like a code? - Yes, ma'am.
Of what?
A... cartograph.
- A map. - Yes, ma'am.
A map of what?
The location of...
..of hidden items of historic and intrinsic value.
- A treasure map? - That's where we lost the FBl.
You're treasure-hunters, aren't you?
We're more like treasure-protectors.
Mr Brown, l have personally seen the back of the Declaration of lndependence,
and l promise you, the only thing there is a notation that reads,
''Original Declaration of lndependence, dated...
''Four of July, 1 7 7 6.'' Yes, ma'am.
But no map.
lt's invisible.
Oh! Right.
And that's where we lost the Department of Homeland Security.
What led you to assume there's this invisible map?
We found an engraving on the stem of a 200-year-old pipe.
Owned by Freemasons.
- May l see the pipe? - We don't have it.
- Did Big Foot take it? - lt was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, too.
And, you know, that really is a nice collection.
Must have taken you a long time to hunt down all that history.
lf it's any consolation, you had me convinced.
lt's not.
l was thinking, what if we go public, plaster the story all over the lnternet?
lt's not like we have our reputations to worry about.
Although l don't think that's exactly gonna scare lan away.
1 80 years of searching, and l'm three feet away.
Of all the words written here about freedom,
there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others.
''But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object,
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government
and provide new guards for their future security.''
People don't talk that way any more.
Beautiful, huh?
- No idea what you said. - lt means, if there's something wrong,
those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.
l'm gonna steal it.
What?
l'm gonna steal the Declaration of lndependence.
Ben?
This is... huge.
lt's prison huge.
You are gonna go to prison, you know that?
Yeah, probably.
So that would bother most people.
lan's gonna try and steal it. And if he succeeds, he'll destroy the Declaration.
The fact is, the only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it.
lt's upside down.
l don't think there's a choice.
Ben, for God's sakes,
it's like stealing a national monument. OK?
lt's like stealing him.
lt can't be done. Not shouldn't be done. lt can't be done.
Let me prove it to you.
OK, Ben, pay attention.
l've brought you to the Library of Congress.
Why? Because it's the biggest library in the world.
Over 20 million books.
And they're all saying the same exact thing:
listen to Riley.
What we have here, my friend, is an entire layout of the archives.
Short of builders' blueprints.
You've got construction orders, phone lines,
water and sewage - it's all here.
Now, when the Declaration is on display, OK,
it is surrounded by guards and video monitors
and a little family from lowa and little kids on their eighth-grade field trip.
And beneath an inch of bulletproof glass is an army of sensors and heat monitors
that will go off if someone gets too close with a high fever.
Now, when it's not on display,
it is lowered into a four-foot-thick concrete, steel-plated vault...
that happens to be equipped with an electronic combination lock
and biometric access-denial systems.
You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 2,000 times
to develop the carbonised cotton-thread filament for the incandescent light bulb.
Edison?
When asked about it, he said, ''l didn't fail,
l found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb.''
But he only needed to find one way to make it work.
The Preservation Room. Enjoy. Go ahead.
Do you know what the Preservation Room is for?
Delicious jams and jellies?
No. That's where they clean, repair and maintain
all the documents and the storage housings
when they're not on display or in the vault.
Now, when the case needs work they take it out of the vault, directly across the hall
and into the Preservation Room.
The best time for us, or lan, to steal it would be during the gala this weekend
when the guards are distracted by the VlPs upstairs.
But we'll make our way to the Preservation Room, where there's much less security.
Well, if lan...
Preservation...
The gala, huh?
This might be possible.
lt might.
And we are in.
There you are. Hello.
The hallway.
That's what l want.
Game on.
l'll buy that.
Cool.
This just came for you.
l hope it's not from Stan.
''For the woman who has everything else... Thanks for listening. Paul Brown.''
Abigail Chase.
Hey, Mike.
- Let's do this by the book. - Hallway is secure.
- Keep the document level. - No problem.
What have you got?
The heat sensor went off in the Declaration frame.
Run full diagnostics, then l want them all changed out.
Our evil plan is working.
Ben, are you sure that we should...?
Riley.
- Can you hear me? - Unfortunately, yeah.
We're all set in here.
You want to go around to the front and present your invitation.
You're gonna have to show lD. Go ahead, man.
Howdy.
l need your invitation and your lD, please.
How do you look?
- Not bad. - Mazel tov.
This is it.
For you.
- Oh, Mr Brown. - Dr Chase.
- What are you doing here? - ls that that hot girl?
- How does she look? - l made a last-minute donation. A big one.
Well, on that subject, thank you for your wonderful gift.
- Oh, you did get it? Good. - Yes, thank you.
You know, l really couldn't accept something like that normally, but...
l really want it.
- Well, you needed it. - Come on, Romeo, get outta there.
l have been wondering, though, what the engraving indicated
on the pipe that Big Foot took.
Hi.
- Here you go. - Oh, Dr Herbert, this is Mr Brown.
- Hi. - Hi there.
- Who's the stiff? - Here, why don't you let me take that?
- So you can take that off his hands. - Thank you.
A toast, yeah?
To high treason.
That's what these men were committing when they signed the Declaration.
Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered,
and - Oh! Oh, my personal favourite - and had their entrails cut out and burned!
So, here's to the men who did what was considered wrong
in order to do what they knew was right.
What they knew was right.
Well, good night.
- Good night. - Good night.
Yeah!
OK, go! Go!
This better work.
Clear!
- On. - Door one. 30 seconds.
How does it look?
lt's working. lt's working...
Unbelievable.
Second door. 90 seconds.
Well done, boys. Let's go.
- We're in the elevator. - OK.
l'm gonna turn off the surveillance cameras. Ready?
ln five, four,
three... Now.
Ben Gates,
you are now the lnvisible Man.
- l'm here. - Give me the letters for her password.
What do you got for me?
Hit me with it.
A-E-F-G...
L-O-R-V-Y.
Anagrams being listed.
OK.
Top results: ''A glove fry.''
''A very golf.''
''Fargo levy.''
''Gravy floe. Valey frog.''
Also ''Ago fly rev.''
''Grove fly a.''
''Are fly gov.''
''Era fly gov.''
- ''Elf gov ray.'' - lt's ''Valley Forge''.
''Valley For...'' l don't have that on my computer.
lt's ''Valley Forge'' - she pressed the E and L twice.
Valley Forge was a turning point in the American Revolution.
Can l marry your brain?
We're in.
Hello.
Ben, you're doing great.
Ben, pick it up.
You got about one...
We own video.
- l lost my feed. - What?
l lost my feed, Ben.
l don't know where anyone is. l have nothing.
Ben, l have no... Ben, l have nothing.
Get out of there. Get out of there now.
l'm taking the whole thing. l'll get it out in the elevator.
What are you talking about? ls it heavy?
Shaw. Door three, one minute.
Gates.
What was that?
Who's shooting?
- Damn. - He's got the bloody map!
Are you still there? Ben?
l'm in the elevator.
- lan's here. There was, uh, shooting. - l hate that guy.
Hey, Rebecca. Do you have a Paul Brown on that list?
Paul Brown?
No. Not here.
Have a good night.
Are you trying to steal that?
lt's $35.
- For this? - Yeah.
- That's a lot. - Hey, l don't make the prices.
lt's...
l have $32...
57 c.
We take Visa.
This is Mike. Sublevel three. l have an alert.
Where are you, Ben?
- Where are you? - Stop talking.
Start the van.
Ben, the... the mean Declaration lady's behind you.
Hey.
Oh, it's you. Hello.
Mr Brown, what's going on? What's that?
- lt's a souvenir. - Really?
Stop chatting and get in the van.
Code red. Code red. We have a break-in.
Lock it down. Nobody leaves the building. Get the FBl on the phone.
- Did you enjoy the party? - Yeah.
- Oh, my God. - Oh, my God! You did not...?
- No... - Security! Over here!
- Give me that! - lt's yours. Take it.
Security!
- Over here! Security! - Got you.
Go.
Viktor! Move!
- We can't just let her go! - We can. Go!
- Security, over here! - Wait. No, hold it.
Hold it!
- Wha...? - Oh, bad.
- What do you want? - Give me the document.
Bad, bad, bad!
- Let me go! - Just bring her!
No! No!
- That's... - Go! Go!
And just who might you be?
- Once we catch them what do we do? - l'm working on it.
Right turn, right turn.
Why don't you just pass me that document? Then we can all go home.
Oh, no.
Skidding, skidding, skidding.
- Oh, no! - Holy Lord!
- Help! - No! lf she falls, the document falls.
Get me next to her.
- Thank you. - No!
Got it. Go on.
Abigail!
Come on. Jump.
- We lost them. - That's all right. This... is what we need.
Well done, Gates. Well done.
- Are you all right? - No! Those lunatics...
- You're not hurt, are you? - You are all lunatics!
- Are you hungry? - What?
Are you all right?
Still a little on edge from being shot at, but l'll be OK. Thanks for asking.
Yeah, well, l'm not all right. Those men have the Declaration of lndependence!
- She lost it? - They don't have it.
See? OK? Now could you please stop shouting?
- Give me that! - You're still shouting. lt's starting to annoy.
You'd do well, Dr Chase, to be a bit more civilised in this instance.
lf this is the real one, what did they get?
A souvenir.
l thought it'd be a good idea to have a duplicate. lt turned out l was right.
l actually had to pay for the souvenir and the real one, so you owe me $35, plus tax.
- Genius. - Who were those men?
Just the guys we warned you were gonna steal the Declaration.
And you didn't believe us.
We did the only thing we could do to keep it safe.
Verdammt! Give me that!
You know something? You're shouting again.
l'm pretty sure she was swearing, too.
Well, we probably deserve that.
Ladies and gentlemen...
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Peter Sadusky. l'm the agent in charge.
l wanna reassure you, you are not in danger in any way.
lf we all cooperate, we'll get through this with as little frustration as possible.
Thank you.
Get positive lDs. Search everyone, including the security staff.
lf they refuse, detain them and get warrants.
Yes, Agent Hendricks? You have something?
Um...
- This isn't a day for ''Um...'' - We got a tip several days ago
that someone was going to steal the Declaration of lndependence.
Do we have a name on the tipster?
There was no file opened. We didn't find the information credible.
How about now?
There is not a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of lndependence.
And there's no chance anyone can steal this either.
l levelled with you 1 00 per cent. Everything l told you was the truth.
l want that document, Mr Brown.
OK, my name's not Brown. lt's Gates.
l levelled with you 98 per cent.
Wait a minute, did you just say ''Gates''?
Gates?
You're that family with the conspiracy theory about the Founding Fathers?
- lt's not a conspiracy theory. - Per se.
You know what? l take it back. You're not liars. You're insane.
There's a copy of the Declaration on display now?
- Yes, we decided to... - Leave it there.
The guests know something happened, but they don't know what.
They got him with a Taser at the service entrance. He doesn't remember a thing.
Also, we found bullet casings.
Did we get a description from the other guards?
- Which guards? - The guards that were fired upon.
There weren't any other guards on patrol down here.
So...
who was shooting, who were they shooting at,
and why weren't they getting along?
You can't seriously intend to run chemical tests
on the Declaration of lndependence in the back of a moving van.
We have a clean-room environment all set up.
EDS suits, a particulate air filtration system, the whole shebang.
- Really? - We can't go back there.
What? Why not?
This is the guy. Dr Herbert said Dr Chase introduced him as Mr Brown.
Not on the guestlist.
Now, the gift-store clerk - she said he seemed... Well, she said ''flustered''.
He tried to walk out with a copy of the Declaration of lndependence
without paying.
He paid with a Visa.
''Charge to Benjamin Gates.''
A credit-card slip?
Dude, we're on the grid.
They'll have your records from forever. They'll have my records from forever.
l know. l know. lt's only a matter of minutes before the FBl shows up at my front door.
What do we do?
- We need those letters. - What letters?
You know, get off the road, take a right.
What letters?
You have the original Silence Dogood letters? Did you steal those, too?
We have scans of the originals.
- Quiet, please. - How'd you get scans?
Oh, l know the person who has the originals. Now shush.
- Why do you need them? - She really can't shut her mouth, can she?
l'll tell you what, look. l will let you hold onto this
if you'll promise to shut up, please.
Thank you.
- Ben, you know what you have to do. - l know what to do.
l'm just trying to think of anything else we could do.
Well, not to be a... nudge,
but you do realise how many people we have after us.
We probably have our own satellite by now.
lt took you all of two seconds to decide to steal the Declaration of lndependence.
Yeah, but l didn't think l was gonna personally have to tell my dad about it.
Hey, not cool! Not cool!
Let me go!
OK. You're let go. Go, shoo.
l'm not going. Not without the Declaration.
You're not going with the Declaration.
Yes, l am. l'm not letting it out of my sight, so l'm going.
Wait. You're not going with us with the Declaration.
- Yes, l am. - No, you're not.
Look, if you wanted to leave me behind,
you shouldn't have told me where you were going.
Clear.
What the...
Now we're getting somewhere.
They're digital scans of letters to the editor of The Neww England Courant.
Written 1 7 22.
They're all from the same person. ''Your humble servant, Silence Dogood.''
Gentlemen...
why is this word capitalised?
Because it's important?
Because it's a name.
OK, l got it. When Ben Franklin was only 1 5 years old
he secretly wrote 1 4 letters to his brother's newspaper
pretending to be a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood.
These letters were written by Benjamin Franklin.
Looks OK.
- Park a couple of blocks away. - Well, how long do you think we got?
l'm gonna give them a couple of hours at least. l hope.
What do we do about her? l've got some duct tape in the back.
No, that won't be necessary. She won't be any trouble.
- Promise you won't be any trouble. - l promise.
See? She's curious.
Here's what l got on Gates. A degree in American History from Georgetown,
a degree in Mechanical Engineering at MlT,
Navy ROTC and Naval Diving and Salvage Training Centre.
What in the world did this guy want to be when he grew up?
We keep our focus on Gates.
Run him to ground.
Compile a family-and-friends list. Closest relative first.
l want to find out who this guy is.
Dad.
Where's the party?
Well... l'm in a little trouble.
- ls she pregnant? - Well, if she is,
are you gonna leave the woman carrying your grandchild standing out in the cold?
l look pregnant?
This better not be about that dumb treasure.
Well, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable.
There's some pizza. lt's still warm, l think.
Dad...
l need the Silence Dogood letters. Yeah, it's about the treasure.
And he dragged you two into this nonsense?
- Literally. - l volunteered.
Well, unvolunteer, before you waste your life.
- Knock it off, Dad. - Sure, sure, l know, l'm the family kook.
l have a job, a house, health insurance.
At least l had your mother, for however brief a time. At least l had you.
What do you have? Him?
Look, if you just give us the letters, we're gone.
You disappoint me, Ben.
Well, maybe that's the real Gates-family legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers.
Get out. Take your troubles with you.
l found the Charlotte.
The Charlotte?
- You mean she was a ship? - Yeah, she was beautiful.
lt was amazing, Dad.
And the treasure?
No, no. But we found another clue that led us here.
Yeah, and that'll lead you to another clue.
And that's all you'll ever find, is another clue. Don't you get it, Ben?
l finally figured it out.
The legend says that the treasure was buried to keep it from the British.
But what really happened was the legend was invented,
to keep the British occupied searching for buried treasure.
The treasure is a myth.
l refuse to believe that.
Well, you can believe what you want. You're a grown person. What am l doing?
Do what you want, Ben. Do what you want.
He's probably right. You don't even know if there is another clue.
Well, l can think of a way where we could find out. And we can find out right now.
Looks like animal skin.
- How old is it? - At least 200 years.
- Really? You sure? - Pretty darn.
Now if this thing's in invisible ink, how do we look at it?
Throw it in the oven.
- No. - Uh-uh.
Ferrous sulphate inks can only be brought out with heat.
- Yes, but this... - lt's very old.
This is very old, and we can't risk compromising the map.
You need a reagent.
Dad, it's really late. Why don't you get some rest?
l'm fine.
Lemons.
- You can't do that. - But it has to be done.
Then someone who is trained to handle antique documents is gonna do it.
OK.
Now, if there is a secret message,
it'll probably be marked by a symbol in the upper right-hand corner.
That's right.
l am so getting fired for this.
l told you. You need heat.
See?
- We need more juice. - We need more heat.
That's not a map.
- ls it? - More clues. What a surprise.
Are those latitudes and longitudes?
That's why we need the Silence Dogood letters.
- That's the key? - Yeah. ''The key in Silence undetected.''
Dad, can we have the letters now?
Will somebody please explain to me what these magic numbers are?
- lt's an Ottendorf cipher. - That's right.
Oh, OK.
- What's an Ottendorf cipher? - They're just codes.
Each of these three numbers corresponds to a word in a key.
Usually a random book or a newspaper article.
ln this case, the Silence Dogood letters.
So it's like the page number of the key text,
the line on the page, and the letter in that line.
So, Dad, where are the letters?
You know, it's just by sheer happenstance that his grandfather...
- Dad. - ..even found them.
They were in an antique desk from the press room...
- Dad. - ..of The Neww England Courant.
- That's a newspaper. - Dad, where are the letters?
l don't have them, son.
- What? - l don't have them.
Where are they?
l donated them to the Franklin lnstitute in Philadelphia.
Time to go.
l still can't believe it. All this time no one knew what was on the back.
The back of what?
No!
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God. - l know.
Oh, my God. What have you done? This is... this is the...
- l know! - This is the Declaration of lndependence.
Yes. And it's very delicate.
You stole it?
Dad, l can explain, but l don't have time. lt was necessary. And you saw the cipher.
And that will lead to another clue, and that will lead to another clue!
There is no treasure. l wasted 20 years of my life.
And now you've destroyed yours.
And you pulled me into all this.
Well, we can't have that.
Come in!
l'm in here.
FBl, right?
You gonna untie me?
And you have no idea where he's going?
- Well, wouldn't l have told you if l did? - Would you?
He tied me to a chair.
The garage is empty, but there's a Cadillac De Ville registered to Patrick Gates.
And he stole my car.
Don't worry, Mr Gates, we'll find your car. And your son.
Your dad's got a sweet ride.
l think we should change clothes.
We look kind of conspicuous, don't you think?
l'd love to go shopping, too, but we have no money.
Here, l took this from his house.
He usually tucks a few hundred dollars somewhere between those pages.
- Common Sense. How appropriate. - When are we gonna get there?
l'm hungry. This car smells weird.
Excuse me.
Excuse me. Oops, sorry, sir. Excuse me.
That's OK.
S-S-A-N-D.
OK.
You're sure this is right?
OK.
S-S-A...
No, N.
- That is an N. - lt doesn't look like an N.
You know what? Here. Last one. OK?
- One more dollar. - Thank you.
Go get the last four letters.
Go get 'em, chief. Come on.
OK. ''The vision to see the treasured past
comes as the timely shadow crosses in front of the house of pass and...''
''Pass and...'' what?
''Pass and...''
What's going on?
- l'm not sure. - What's up?
So you show up at your father's door and say you're in trouble
and the first thing he assumes is l'm pregnant.
ls there a question in there?
l think there's an interesting story in there.
Well, my father thinks l've been a little too cavalier in my personal life.
- l see. - Let me ask you something.
Have you ever told someone - not a relative - ''l love you''?
Yes.
More than one someone?
Yes.
Oh. Well, then my father would say
you've been a little too cavalier in your personal life, too.
So you get your sense of absolute certainty from him, do you?