Relic by T.S. Falk

Author:T.S. Falk [Falk, T.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“Hello, Professor. I’m not sure if you remember me. I actually visited some of your lectures during the summer . . .” Jordan began. He needed an introduction. Professor Brand needed none. The forty-seven-year-old professor at the London university was the young maverick among archeologists, using advanced technologies to evolve their science into something that made use of the twenty-first century’s possibilities. He was also known to be an adventurer of sorts, regularly leaving his lectures to other professors to go on obscure missions—that he later barely spoke about. Jordan had met some of his students, and everybody who had the pleasure to sit in his lectures became a fan. Jordan himself had spent one month in London and found Brand’s work to be borderline visionary.

“A year ago. I remember you. You showed great promise, but had this flaw of working for my ex-wife, I believe,” Brand said, and Jordan wasn’t sure if he was joking. “How are your studies going?”

“Actually, I dropped out.” Jordan was surprised that he felt so ashamed of it.

“Sorry to hear that, but I hope you are good with it.”

“Listen, Professor, I’m calling about Professor Ishimura.”

“My ex-wife asked you to make the call? Please, tell her she can call me herself whenever she—”

“No, I mean Professor Ishimura senior. Her father. He died recently, as you would know, as you were one of his appointed heirs—”

“I really don’t want anything from him. His daughter should inherit, whatever—”

“Well, she didn’t, Professor. I did. I was your replacement, and I accepted the inheritance, and I found some pretty disturbing and mysterious things among his . . . belongings—”

Brand cut him short. “It’s fake.”

“What is?”

“Listen, I know what he believed he found, and I know why he left it to me. I’m aware of my reputation by now.” Brand sighed.

“What reputation is that, Professor? I only knew you were kind of the techno guy in our field.” Jordan indeed had studied the professor’s papers on dating, drones use, mapping, and AI use for material analysis—all cutting-edge stuff.

“Well, let’s say I’m known for my use of technology and also for some unorthodox theories I adopted and championed, which haven’t seen widespread acceptance among my peers. I would prefer not to discuss those, if you forgive me, Mr. Carver.”

“Jordan, call me Jordan.” He realized he was walking up and down the street. Was this the reason why he had picked Brand? An open mind to less accepted conclusions? Probably.

“Okay, Jordan. Anyway, I had my best lab guys on this sample he sent. We went over it three times and came to the conclusion that we have no idea how they did it, but clearly, what he sent me was a hoax. It breaks my heart that he fell for a practical joke like this in the twilight years of his career and life, but the results are pretty . . . obvious. Someone tampered with the material somehow.”

“What were those results, if I may ask?”

“Jordan, leave it be. It’s not real.

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