possible that the world will end in a matter of a few years. I mean, even global warming will take longer. And, I have lingering questions from our conversation earlier. The Code matrices only provide clues, right? How did you piece this all together? I mean, you must have influenced the outcome somehow.”
“I found the foundation data in the Code itself and then I did additional research to bring it all together,” he explains.
“But, you did do additional research?” she probes.
“Yes, but the clues were exact. The symbols for the riddle were there. Here, let me show you.” Josh shuffles through some other papers and finds a page with a grid of letters. Several words are highlighted in different colors on the page.
“I am just thoroughly impressed that you can find anything in here,” Natan chastises.
“I do have a system.” Josh shows Natan the page. “Now, if you look here, you’ll see several words close together. This is the translated version, mind you.” On the page, words appear across, down, and diagonally forward and backward. The words are in close proximity to one another. The words Mayan, riddle, ruins, and marker appear in the same line. The phrases and numbers 13Symbols, Halfof13, 12211999, 06212006, 12212012, Circleofsun , and 1478333-9238333 also appear in this one matrix.
Natan points to the page. “These four words are in the same line. This can’t be accurate. Are you sure you translated this correctly?”
Josh replies, “Yes. I’ve checked and rechecked and checked again.”
“And this is the billion-to-one odds you were talking about?” she asks.
“It takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”
Natan attempts to make sense of what she’s reading. “What are all of these series of numbers?”
Josh points to the page. “Some are the exact days, months, and years that the symbols will be revealed in 1999, 2006, and 2012.”
Natan questions, “Okay, so this doesn’t look like it reveals the time of day. How did you know the time?”
Josh proudly answers, “It doesn’t reveal it. I took a chance that it was thirteen, or 1 p.m. And, I was right.”
“Good guess. All those thirteens paid off. This long string of numbers. What are they, Professor?”
“Very perceptive, Agent Natan. That actually took me a while to figure out. My dad’s a sailor, and it looked like coordinates. Turns out it is longitude and latitude coordinates for Tapachula , Mexico . I translated this and did some additional research on various geographical Mayan ruin sites in the area…there were a few in the area, two smaller outlying sites and one major altar site. The altar site seemed the most logical choice.”
Natan is stunned. “You have got to be kidding me. You pieced this all together?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “And you have the symbols you retrieved from the ruins?”
Josh pats his bag on the chair next to him. “Right here. Though I still haven’t had time to decipher them. Regardless, this can’t all just be coincidence or chance.”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “There has to be some other explanation.”
“You know, Agent Natan, truth is truth. You can believe the world is flat, but it still doesn’t make it so. If data is what you’re looking for, the Code provides mathematical certainty that even I, as a mathematician, can’t argue with.”
“Professor Sails. As a mathematician, one plus one equals two, right?”
“Yes, of course,” he retorts.
“Well, what you’re trying to tell me is that one plus one equals five. And, I just can’t compute it. This idea is intriguing, but I need more than just one data point.”
“Of course you do,” he says, “And, I have a few more for you. I think you’ll want to sit down for these, though.”
Natan shakes her head. “Just tell me.”
Josh picks up the