Suddenly, Ulster’s comment about war planes made sense to Payne. ‘That’s pretty fancy gear for the forties. Was it effective?’
The commander laughed. ‘Not really. That’s probably why you never heard of it. The damn power inverters kept blinking out on takeoffs. And no power meant no instruments.’
‘A series of crashes forced us and the Brits to abandon the programme back in forty-five. Surprisingly, some of the old birds are still functional. Not the inverters, though. That’s why we have to break out the wand. To light those panels up.’
‘If it’s all right with you, could I borrow the wand for an hour or two?’
‘Not a problem, son. Someone will bring it to you in a few minutes.’
‘Thank you, sir, I appreciate it. And, sir? Thanks for the history lesson.’
As promised, the UV wand was delivered less than five minutes later. It was nearly a foot long, and the casing was made of black plastic. There was a thumb switch near the handle, which turned on the UV lamp — a single UV bulb that shone light over a limited space.
Jones saw the device being delivered and was immediately intrigued. As soon as the airman left, Jones and Megan hustled into the office.
‘Close the door,’ Payne whispered as he covered the mouthpiece on his cell phone. Jones did what he was told, then took a seat next to Megan.
‘What kind of test?’ Jones asked.
Payne signalled for Jones to hold on for a moment. ‘Petr, the wand just got here. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to put you on speakerphone. I’m here with DJ and Megan.’
‘Hello everybody,’ Ulster said through the speaker. ‘This is
‘What’s exciting? What are we checking?’ Jones wondered.
‘I have a theory on the identity of your mysterious writer. If I’m correct, your letter will have a special UV watermark in the parchment.’
Jones scoffed at the notion. ‘Petr, none of us are experts in the field, but this letter looks several centuries old. I doubt UV technology was available when it was written.’
‘Technology, no. Ink, yes.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Believe it or not, phosphorescent ink is older than modern man. Several forms of phosphorescence can be found in nature. For instance, there are many species of fish that glow under UV lighting. Insects, too. Have you ever seen a scorpion under a black light? Very creepy!’
‘Maybe so, but—’
Jones smiled. ‘Exactly.’
‘Because that’s what forward thinking is all about. Some of the greatest minds of all time designed contraptions long before we had the technology to build them.’
‘In other words, you’re telling us that ancient writers used UV watermarks to verify their work for future generations?’
Ulster clarified his point. ‘No, I never said writers. Just
‘And why would he do that?’
‘Because his most important work focused on the future.’
‘The future, huh? Care to give us a name?’
‘In a moment,’ Ulster promised, ‘but first, you need to do something for me.’
‘What’s that?’ Payne asked.
‘Turn off the lights, turn on the wand, and tell me what you see.’
Despite being highly sceptical, Jones walked towards the door and put his hand on the light switch. Megan slid round the desk to stand next to Payne, who anxiously held the wand over the letter.
‘Ready?’ Jones asked.
‘Holy shit!’ Jones blurted as he rushed over to read it.
Payne echoed his sentiment. ‘Holy shit indeed.’
‘What do you see?’ Ulster demanded.
Jones answered. ‘It’s glowing. The damn thing is glowing!’
‘But what do you see? Words? Shapes? Numbers?’
‘All of the above.’
‘The shape! Tell me about the shape.’
Payne moved the lamp closer and did his best to describe it. ‘The object is in the centre of the page. It’s roughly two inches in diameter and looks like a crescent moon on its back.’
Jones growled in the dark. As he did, his teeth glowed. ‘Please tell me it’s not Islamic. The Saudis are still pissed about what we did in Mecca.’
‘No, it’s not Islamic,’ Ulster assured them. ‘In fact, it’s not even a moon.’
‘What is it then?’
‘A bowl? Like for Frosted Flakes?’
Ulster ignored the question. He’d explain everything soon enough. ‘Tell me, Jonathon, is the bowl being cradled?’
‘Yes,’ Payne said. ‘It’s being held in the air by some kind of support.’
A loud belly laugh filled the line. ‘Brilliant! Bloody brilliant! I simply knew it!’
Payne smiled at Ulster’s excitement. ‘Knew what, Petr?’
‘The tripod. It
‘Petr!’ he said forcefully.
‘Jonathon?’
‘We’re here in the dark.
Ulster took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. ‘Yes, of course. Sorry for my babbling. I won’t let it happen again. Are you familiar with the concept of
‘Scrying? Nope, never heard of it.’
‘Scrying is a technique used by soothsayers to predict the future. It involves seeing things psychically in a reflective or translucent medium, such as a crystal ball or a mirror. The watermark
‘If scrying is so common, how do you know who wrote our letter?’
‘How? Because of the watermark! Only one man in history used UV ink in that manner and had the talent to pull off such an elaborate puzzle for a future audience. Obviously we won’t know for sure until I test the parchment and sample the handwriting, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ve seen enough to hazard a guess. In fact, it’s more than a guess. I’m 99 per cent sure I know who wrote that letter.’
‘Give me a name,’ Payne demanded.
Ulster grinned. ‘Your pen pal from the past is none other than Michel de Nostredame. Of course, you probably know him by the Latinized version of his name: Nostradamus.’
51
Everyone’s eyes widened in the dark. For the next few seconds, no one made a sound as they pondered the significance of Ulster’s claim.
