Henry Wood: Time and Again: by Brian Meeks

brother, at first. Several weeks of carefully removing nature’s outer shell revealed a tube, carved of ebony, with a remarkably tight- fitting cap. A month later, he confided in Valerios, and they opened it together.
    They were shocked. It contained a perfectly intact document. The brothers decided not to report the find. Valerios was curious and loved documents more than the other treasures, and felt he and his brother deserved a small bit of treasure. It was the first shady thing he had ever done. Though he felt guilty about the deception, his joy at reading the ship’s manifest helped him get over it.
    The ship had been carrying a portion of the loot from the Roman General Sullas, in 89 B.C., and was en route to Italy. In addition to the loot, there were several items which were gifts for high-ranking officials back in Rome, including a wealthy businessman. The businessman, who was only listed by a number on the manifest, had commissioned a device for studying the heavens. The creator saw the value of it, and decided that if he were going to spend so much time inventing such a machine, it might be worth creating two. When it was completed, the first machine was such a brilliantly conceived device that those few who saw it joked that he must have gotten help from God. The second device was never shown to anyone but the man who had made arrangements to sell it to Augustus. The second machine was much more advanced, inspired by the first, and improved upon greatly.
    When it came time to ship the items, great care was taken with their packing. Two men were hired to travel with them to make sure they arrived safely and to keep anyone from knowing about the second machine. Both items were listed on the manifest. There was a detailed paragraph explaining that the box destined for the benefactor was not to be touched by anyone aboard. The penalty for disturbing it was loss of one month’s salary. The penalty for opening the second hand-carved ebony and ivory crate, which was for Augustus, was death. The entire crew knew better than to cross the captain or get curious about the cargo.
    The container for Augustus was four times the size required to hold its precious cargo. There were three other interior boxes, lined with wool, and sealed tightly to protect it on the voyage. The precision of the machine was impressive, but the engineering and craftsmanship of the boxes was truly remarkable. The outside box was heavy and thick, with modest ornamentation, just enough to be impressive without being so awe-inspiring as to invite thieves. The interior boxes were not just containers, but locks, of a sort. Each box had a secret panel, which needed to be found in order to remove the lid. Each of the three interior boxes was made by the same craftsman, and was so precise as to be air tight.
    All of these details were described in the manifest. If the ship carrying Augustus’s shipment were to go down, it was believed the box would float, and thus be found and sent to Augustus. The ship did go down, but the box destined for Augustus didn’t, not at first. It did float…for a while. The outer box was not quite as air tight as had been hoped. It stayed buoyant long enough to travel another three kilometers, before it sank.
    The brothers, reading about the second box, knowing that it hadn’t been found, devoted the next twenty years to searching for it. They found it by chance, mostly buried in the sand, a proverbial needle in a wet hay stack. They didn’t know what they had; nevertheless, they bestowed the name “The Eye of God” on their find.
    This is where the story begins.
    Dr. Schaeffer was about to continue, when Hans entered, apologized for interrupting, and whispered something in his ear.
    “I apologize, but it's a call I must take. Perhaps we can continue the story another time. It's quite fascinating, and when you know the rest of the tale, you will be better able to help me in my request. Hans will show you to the