Kubrick's Game

  The film The Usual Suspects flashed into Shawn’s head—he could relate almost any situation to a movie plot. In the movie, the man at the top is Kaiser Soze, the kingpin of all vice. He stays on top because nobody knows who he is. When a large enough problem arises, when someone appears who can identify Soze, he handles the problem personally. Nobody beneath him knew what was really happening, and nobody could have guessed Soze was there the entire time right before their eyes.

  “You haven’t answered the question,” said Shawn. “Who were those men?”

  “What I say is meaningless unless you understand this first. Although you are behind in the game, no one has yet finished. Somewhere, someone above you is stuck, which is why the information of the game was allowed to trickle down to me and eventually to you—the absolute bottom. Where Kubrick intended it to start the entire time. Something about the game must make your participation an essential component.”

  “Professor, who were those men?”

  “They were nobody. If I do not know who they were, they are on a level above me. All you need to know is that I and those I work for... we will only protect you. All others... they will hurt you, they will exploit you, they will do whatever it takes to keep Kubrick’s prize for themselves.”

  “And why should I trust you?”

  “Because, Mr. Hagan, we are the bottom-feeders. While the rest are busy chasing prey and tearing flesh above us, we collect the scraps that fall. If we are patient, eventually we rise to the top after they have devoured each other. So tell me, what was on the pendant?”

  Shawn pulled out his phone and sent Mascaro a picture file.

  “I’m worried that what’s on the pendant is the answer to my question,” said Shawn. He deliberately held back the written clue: Where was Q framed in 8, 9, and 11? The Frozen Man will reveal when. Mascaro only gave him a half-answer to his question, so he deserved half a response.

  Mascaro opened the file and, when he saw the Masonic compass, dropped to his chair as if his legs had given out.

  “You seem frightened,” said Shawn. “Do Masons scare you?”

  “I am not scared of Freemasons. Many in my family are Masons. What frightens me is what Kubrick may have left behind, and the lengths to which I know some will go to keep it secret.”

  Wilson didn’t show up to class on Monday, or respond to any of Shawn’s texts. Sami hadn’t heard from him either, and they were starting to get worried.

  Then they received a text out of the blue that said to meet at his place Wednesday evening.

  Sami texted back: Can’t wait to pow-wow about the new puzzle.

  Wilson responded: I’m all over this one. Need to organize. See you tomorrow at 7 p.m.

  For the next two days, Shawn busied himself with classwork and helping Sami edit The Confession. If things had gone better with Desiree, he might have skipped the editing sessions, but being free, he offered his services to Sami, and his expertise was more than welcome.

  They finally finished a rough cut Wednesday morning. It looked much better than Sami had expected on her small budget.

  Shutting down her editing station, she asked, “So, are things going well with Desiree?”

  Shawn had avoided the subject. He didn’t want to divulge the truth, but he couldn’t lie to Sami. “She’s not talking to me anymore.”

  “What? She seemed totally into you.”

  “I told her about us.”

  “Us? What did you say?”

  “That I was in love with you. Which is the truth.”

  “Oh, Shawn, why did you say that to her?”

  “I wanted to be honest.”

  “But you like her, right?”

  “Yes, but I thought it would be wrong to lead her on knowing how I feel about you.”

  “You didn’t even give it a chance with her. How do you know you wouldn’t fall for her and forget all about me?”

  “As long as you’re in my life, I can’t imagine feeling anything for anyone else.”

  Sami turned away and covered her eyes in her palm, releasing jagged breaths.

  Shawn watched her with curiosity. “Are you crying?”

  “I’m trying not to! This is an awful situation.”

  “I haven’t cried in eleven years.”

  “Really? That’s... odd.”

  “I haven’t gotten hurt bad enough.”

  “What about when I rejected you? That didn’t hurt?”

  “Emotional pain doesn’t make me cry.”

  “Is that part of your condition?”

  “Probably.”

  She let out a sharp sigh, seeming more exasperated. “So you’re never going to cry again? Not when your first film premieres? Not at the birth of your children? Not even when your parents pass away?”

  “I don’t know. You think I’m a freak?”

  “I don’t think that.”

  “But I make you uncomfortable. I can tell when we’re alone together. I don’t want you to feel that way. It’s probably best that we’re not around each other anymore.” He stood up to leave.

  “Shawn, wait.” Sami stood up next to him, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him.

  As with Desiree, Shawn zeroed in on his senses to record every fraction of a second. For a moment there was sheer ecstasy, but what he picked up after that was something far different. With Desiree there had been meaning and intent. This kiss felt hollow.

  She pulled back and gazed at him.

  He was frozen in shock, breathing rapidly.

  She looked him in the eyes and said, “What if I told you I would love you forever, but only if you would cry for me this once over the joy of it being true?”

  Heart-pounding seconds passed before Shawn responded, “I might cry, but it’s not true, is it?”

  “For that moment, we were together, but now it’s over and we’re back to being friends. Can you accept that?”

  Maybe he was still high from the kiss, but Shawn felt like a totally new person. The weight in his stomach broke apart and drifted away like an iceberg on a warm sea.

  “I can accept us being friends,” he said.

  “Good. Now sit back down and let’s get to work. And as soon as we’re done, I want you to call Desiree and apologize.”

  Wednesday

  8:12 a.m.

  Moonwatcher: u there?

  Djacks is currently offline.

  Moonwatcher: Hello?

  8:44 a.m.

  Moonwatcher: Running out to class. Would like to talk before I go.

  1:03 p.m.

  Moonwatcher: Done with class. You mentioned you wanted to read my script so I’m attaching it.

  Attaching StrangeBrain1.1.pdf. File transfer complete.

  Moonwatcher: I’m open to any notes. Thanks in advance.

  1:06 p.m.

  Text from Wilson Devereaux: Puzzle solved. Be at my place at 7 p.m. Clear your afternoon schedule tomorrow.

  Text from Sami Singh: Will be there.

  Text from Shawn Hagan: Me too.

  5:22 p.m.

  Moonwatcher: I guess you still don’t want to talk. I wanted to tell you personally that I’m sorry. Heading over to Wilson’s. He says he’s solved the next part of the puzzle, but we’ll see. Have a nice—

  Djacks: Hey

  Moonwatcher: Hey, how are you?

  Djacks: We don’t need to be personal.

  Moonwatcher: I really am sorry.

  Djacks: Nothing personal!

  Moonwatcher: Did you go to LACMA?

  Djacks: Yes. Got the pendant.

  Moonwatcher: Any trouble?

  Djacks: No, but Danny hired bodyguards after I told him what happened to you. Tourists thought we were famous.

  Moonwatcher: Nice. May I confirm what the pendant said?

  Djacks: Where was Q framed in 8, 9, and 11? The Frozen Man will reveal when.

  Moonwatcher: Ours was the same.

  Djacks: I have to go.

  Shawn arrived at Wilson’s just before 6:00 p.m. and sign
ed in with the doorman.

  “Who are you here to see?”

  “Clancy, you know who I’m here to see.”

  “I’ll need to see some I.D.”

  “Really? I never had to before.”

  “New request from Mr. Devereaux.”

  The doorman checked Shawn’s I.D. against a list.

  “All right, you’re on the list, Mr. Hagan. The elevator is right over there.”

  “I know where the elevator is.”

  Shawn knocked on Wilson’s door.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s me.”

  Wilson whispered through the door. “I can see you through the peep hole. If anyone followed you, blink twice.”

  Shawn didn’t blink.

  Wilson opened the door quickly, looked both ways, and pulled Shawn in.

  “What’s gotten into you?” asked Shawn.

  “After what happened at LACMA, we can’t be too careful.”

  Shawn entered the living room, where Sami sat on the couch with a concerned expression on her face.

  The walls were covered in images from Kubrick’s films and cutouts of various symbols with lines connecting them.

  “I like what you’ve done with the place,” said Shawn.

  “No time for jokes,” said Wilson. “Guys, I think we’re in deeper trouble than any of us realize.”

  “Didn’t you say those goons were just actors?” said Sami.

  “I’m admitting right now that I was wrong. After doing my research, I’m certain they were Freemasons.”

  Shawn rolled his eyes.

  “I know, I know,” Wilson continued, “you probably think that the Freemasons are a bunch of crusty old dudes trying to relive their fraternity days, and for most Masons that’s probably true. Only campy movies like National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code suggest that they covertly control society. But buried within those fantasies is a kernel of truth. Fourteen U.S. presidents were confirmed Masons, from George Washington to Gerald Ford. Business leaders like Henry Ford and Steve Wozniak, artists, scientists, athletes, and actors. Men at the top of their craft are either recruited or are aided to the top by their fellow Masons.”

  Shawn raised his hand as if it were a class discussion.

  “Is your question whether Kubrick was a Mason?”

  “No, I’m not wondering, because I know for a fact that he wasn’t.”

  “Exactamundo,” said Wilson. “According to what I’ve been reading, Kubrick seemed to subscribe to the Woody Allen motto of not wanting to join any club that would accept him as a member. He belonged to no organizations and was dedicated to nothing other than his films and his family. Nevertheless, he knew many Masons from the industry, including none other than his favorite actor to work with, Peter Sellers. He may have even gone to some meetings and investigated joining up at one point, but in the end would have none of it. That’s because Kubrick had an inherent distrust of those at the top.”

  “Right,” Sami added. “Kubrick was known to advise friends to avoid anyone with too much power.”

  Wilson continued. “He was a skeptical man, but that didn’t stop him from having an avid interest in conspiracy theories. What if his research led him to discover some of the secrets of the Masons? Or perhaps one big secret? Most likely something that demonstrated a heinous abuse of power. He couldn’t come right out and expose them, because he was extremely protective of his family and wouldn’t risk putting them in danger. It is known that when Masons are indoctrinated, they are sworn to secrecy under penalty of death. This may not apply literally to modern Masons, but Kubrick could have certainly felt threatened enough that he became torn between keeping his mouth shut and his devotion to the truth. This deep-seeded need led him to create this game we’re playing. We’re on a quest to uncover a truth that Kubrick discovered about the Masons. Why did he choose students as the players? Because we’re young, rebellious, and have nothing to lose. We don’t have children to protect. The Masons had to have been behind those goons at LACMA. Who else would be crazy enough to threaten a bunch of kids?”

  Sami squirmed on the couch. “You really think they would go to such extreme lengths to protect their mystical mumbo-jumbo?”

  “Not all, but some would. Once a Mason achieves the highest degree of ranking, it means he has mastered an art, changed society, or received the greatest honor for his trade, like a Nobel Prize. Those select few are invited into the most exclusive sect of the Masons—the Illuminati. I believe that’s who we’re up against—men who can make us disappear with a word. As I said, I think we’re in deep trouble.”

  Shawn had to step in. “This is an interesting theory, but how did you infer all of this just from that one symbol on the pendant?”

  “Nobody thinks that conspiracy theories are more bogus than I do, but then I solved the puzzle behind the symbol.”

  “So what’s the answer?” said Sami impatiently.

  “I can’t just tell you,” said Wilson. “You’ll think I’m insane. I have to show you how I got there.”

  Wilson handed them a printout with the Masonic compass and the riddle written below it.

  Where was Q framed in 8, 9, and 11? The Frozen Man will reveal when.

  “Let’s start off with what we know,” said Wilson. “Following the previous riddles, eight, nine, and eleven are referring to those specific films. 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. What they have in common is that they are Kubrick’s most symbol-heavy films, the most mysterious, the most subtextual. We all agree on that.”

  Shawn and Sami nodded.

  “The word that sticks out in the riddle is ‘framed.’ Where was Q framed in 8, 9, and 11? From a story sense, none of the characters are framed in any of the films like you would see in a crime saga.”

  Shawn interrupted. “Well, didn’t the ghosts in The Shining technically frame Jack for hitting his son Danny?”

  “That could be true,” Wilson said, “but I think Kubrick meant ‘framed’ in a more cinematic sense. I believe he literally meant the frames of film. Therefore, where can we find Q within the frames of those films?”

  Shawn nodded. “All right, I’m with you, but who is Q referring to this time? There are no characters with Q names like Quilty in any of those films.”

  Sami piped in. “What if Q is the Frozen Man referred to in the second part of the riddle? The Frozen Man will reveal when. Since film number 11 is in the clue, I think we can guess who the frozen man is, right?”

  “You’re suggesting the frozen man is the final image of Popsicle Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining, right?” said Wilson.

  “It has to be him,” said Shawn.

  “Hold that thought, because we’ll come back to it,” said Wilson. “I thought Q was frozen Jack at first, and tried for hours to make sense of it, but came up empty. That’s when it hit me. What if Q isn’t the frozen man, but in fact the symbol shown on the pendant—the Masonic compass?”

  “But that’s a G on the compass, not a Q,” Shawn pointed out.

  “The G is supposed to stand for God,” said Sami. “The symbol is a representation of the Mason’s faith in God while striving for excellence in mathematics and science.”

  “Precisely!” Wilson smiled. “But what is the compass in itself? A symbol. And not just any symbol. The most iconic symbol of the Freemasons. It’s plastered on the front of every Masonic lodge. Kubrick is asking us: Where are Masonic symbols framed within films eight, nine, and eleven?”

  Shawn’s head swam. “That’s a loaded question. There are countless Masonic symbols in those films.”

  “Here,” said Wilson, “I printed out a sheet of the most common ones.”

  Wilson handed them a sheet of paper filled with various symbols.

  He sat down and pointed at the sheet. “The most meaningful symbols I focused on were the A-frame of the compass, the radiant open eye, and the pyramid. Follow me.”

  Wilson pulled Sami and Shawn up and guided them to freeze
-frame printouts taped all over the wall. He had drawn intersecting arrows pointing to commonalities and connections.

  “Impressive,” said Sami. “You found dozens of examples from each of the films.”

  “And these are just a small sample,” said Wilson. “Look for instance at the circle of inmates from A Clockwork Orange. A moving wheel is an important symbol, but I might have overlooked it, until I saw the wall in the background. The white bricks form a perfect pyramid shape with an eye at the top! Combine that with the wheel and it’s practically screaming its Masonic connection. Look on any dollar bill and you’ll see the pyramid is always surrounded by a circle.”

  Shawn and Sami still looked skeptical.

  “Look,” Wilson said, “I’d be the first to admit it could all be coincidence, but you guys keep telling me that Kubrick infused every frame with meaning. If that’s true, the symbols have to be intentional.”

  “I can see you worked hard on this,” said Sami. “But what’s the answer? The symbols seem to be everywhere.”

  “That’s the answer! The symbols are everywhere. Kubrick is telling us that the Masons themselves are everywhere, in all facets of society.”

  Shawn iterated, “But how does that solve the puzzle? We don’t have anywhere to go with this.”

  “That’s because I haven’t finished yet. I did a Google search and cross-referenced Q with the Freemasons. It turns out that in the Freemasons, there is something called The Order of the Q.”

  “Really?” said Shawn. “Now this sounds promising.”

  “In Mason teachings, Q stands for Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec god recognized by his colorful plumage.

  “Even more intriguing, the symbol used for the Order of the Q is the Pyramid of the Quetzalcoatl in Mexico, which looks like this.”

  Wilson handed them a printout of the famous Aztec step pyramid.

  “Notice the opening at the top is reminiscent of an eye. I scoured the three films for any possible reference to the Quetzalcoatl. Lo and behold, at the beginning of The Shining, Jack, our future frozen man, enters the office of the hotel manager and what is hanging on the wall and is so bright and colorful it’s practically begging to be noticed, much like the moving painting from Lolita? This....”