National Treasure Page #2

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"The stain effected."

"The key in Silence undetected."

"Fifty-five in iron pen."

"Mr. Matlack can't offend."

It's a riddle.

I 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.

It'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, I can do it too.

Snorkel.

That's where the map is.

Like he said, "Fifty-five in iron pen."

"Iron 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"?

'Cause it's a prison.

Wait a minute. "Iron pen" - the "iron"

does not describe the ink in the pen,

it describes what was penned.

It was "iron" -

it was firm, it was mineral...

No, no, no, that's stupid.

It was... It was firm,

it was adamant, it was resolved.

It 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 Independence.

Oh!

Come on, there's no invisible map on the

back of the Declaration of Independence.

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?

- I don't know!

We could borrow it.

Steal it?

- I don't think so.

- Ben...

the treasure of the Knights Templar

is the treasure of all treasures.

Oh, I didn't know that.

Really?

Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness.

I 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 I want you to have

the chance to do that.

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