Kubrick's Game

  “You mean your parents’ abode,” said Sami.

  “Not when Pops is on location for three months and Mom is in Miami. We have the whole place to ourselves.”

  Austin hooked up the projector to his laptop so everyone could focus on the puzzle. At the top of the document was the original riddle:

  The moon conceals the hand of God.

  He’ll take you to the Land of Nod.

  And once the final bridge is crossed,

  Find Q’s identity that was lost.

  Cirrus, Socrates, Particle, Decibel, Hurricane, Dolphin, Tulip.

  Sami and Wilson studied the words.

  “Hmm,” said Sami. “This is a tricky one, isn’t it? Austin, can you bring up the text from the previous clue in the game?”

  “Sure,” said Austin.

  He typed underneath the words:

  HAL will solve CRM-114 for seven, thirteen, and nine. But what turned Q into a dull boy?”

  “Right,” said Sami. “This could be it. Have you guys tried the HAL Caesar Shift?”

  “On these words?” said Shawn. “But that’s so many letters.”

  “Not every letter,” said Sami. “Why not try the first letters of each word, like with HAL.”

  “What are you seeing that makes you think we should do that?” said Desiree.

  “Something always bugged me about the previous clue. It says HAL will solve CRM-114 for seven, thirteen, and nine. Well, seven was Dr. Strangelove, but there was no CRM to ‘solve’ in that one. It was where the CRM-114 was introduced. If you haven’t noticed, there are seven words in the A.I. sequence. Seven could have actually been a reference to these seven words.”

  Shawn added, “Plus, if we do a macro Caesar shift on the current clue, we’re supposed to use the clue before it.”

  They took the first letters of each word in the sequence and made versions that were shifted one up and one down. CSPDHDT became:

  BROCGCS and DUQEIET

  “Well, you know which one I’m attracted to,” said Sami. “The one with the Q in it.”

  “But it looks like gibberish,” said Danny. “This was pointless.”

  “Hold on,” said Sami. “Remember each aspect of the game is supposed to get harder. Instead of simple Caesar Shift, what if we have to unscramble it.”

  “You’re right,” said Shawn. “I bet it’s a Q word.”

  The group quickly started writing letter combinations. After about thirty seconds, Wilson shouted, “Got it! There’s only one word these letters can spell. Type this out, Austin.”

  QUIETED

  They sat with it in silence for a few moments.

  “So... what does that mean?” said Wilson.

  Shawn said, “I think... I think it means we have our answer.”

  “For God’s sake, explain!” said Danny.

  Desiree answered. “It fills in the gap of the puzzle, Danny. The middle word of the sequence was Decibel, and now the sequence becomes Quieted. It can’t be a coincidence. Kubrick is indicating that we need to find the correct music for the Eyes Wide Shut scene.”

  “Plus it answers the previous puzzle’s question,” said Shawn. “What turned Q into a dull boy? A dull boy is one who’s been quieted, just as Kubrick’s music was quieted and replaced with a piece he did not approve.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” said Austin. “Are you saying that the Q questions could all connect?” He quickly brought up each one from the game.

  “It’s like the Socratic method,” said Shawn. “Remember what Kubrick said to us in the film in New York? ‘Along the way you will encounter a series of Qs that need answering in order to unearth my prize.’ We thought every Q was someone different, but what if there’s one unifying answer?”

  “Here you go,” said Austin.

  The questions appeared on the screen:

  Follow me to Q’s Identity.

  Q’s Project.

  Where was Q framed?

  What made Q into a dull boy?

  Where did Q lose his identity?

  Shawn ran to the front of the screen.

  “Guys... what if Q... is Kubrick? What is Q’s identity? Kubrick is known to be a perfectionist who demanded final cut on all his films. This game is Q’s project. Where was Q framed? He was framed by those accusing him of faking the moon landing. What made Q into a dull boy? The movie studios controlling his work. And where did Q lose his identity? In Eyes Wide Shut when they edited the masked ball scene and changed the music. That was the only time that Kubrick had studio interference since Spartacus.”

  “There’s one big problem with this,” said Sami. “How would Kubrick have known his music would be taken out and created this QUIETED clue if he passed away before that music rights issue was settled?”

  “There are several possibilities,” said Shawn. “One, he was planning far ahead and chose music he knew he wouldn’t be able to use. Two, somebody else, likely whoever has been planting these puzzles, picked up the mantle after he died. Or three, Kubrick faked his death.”

  “So what do we do next?” asked Wilson.

  “Now, we go to the man who will likely have the answer to these questions. But this time, I know exactly what to ask Mr. Spielberg.”

  The group had slept in Danny’s house, spreading out among the guest bedroom, Danny’s room, and air mattresses in the theater room.

  At 9:30 a.m., Shawn entered Wilson and Sami’s room from the shower with a towel around his waist.

  “Wilson, were you able to reach Kelly in Spielberg’s office?”

  “First, you are damn sexy. Second, I spoke with his third assistant. She confirmed he’s on the Amblin lot at Universal, but said he’s busy watching dailies.”

  “Well, he better make a few minutes for us,” said Danny.

  “Can you sneak us on the lot again, Wilson?” said Sami.

  “I wish. We were all blacklisted after the Spartacus Square incident.”

  “Relax. Nobody’s sneaking on the lot.” Danny interjected. “I had my dad’s office put us on a production crew list. That trumps the visitor blacklist. You all better move your butts. We gotta get there before Spielberg leaves. On a Saturday, he’s probably got the afternoon booked with his family.”

  “But if we don’t have an appointment, how will we get in to see him?”

  “I told you. My dad’s name is royalty on the lot. Leave everything to me.”

  10:17 a.m.

  “Get your hands off me! Don’t you know who my father is?”

  Two security guards, not terribly impressed by his father’s name, were dragging Danny out of the Amblin building.

  “If you’re not on the list, you don’t go upstairs,” said the no-nonsense guard.

  “Excuse me, sirs.” Wilson stepped forward. “I know this is a surprise visit, but if you just buzz his office and say we’re here regarding Stanley Kubrick, they’ll let us in.”

  “Not my job, hotshots. If you’re not on this sheet of paper, you don’t go past this desk.”

  “This is assault! I’ll sue all of you!” Danny grasped the sides of the door frame, refusing to be pulled out despite the efforts of two guards.

  “Danny, you’re not helping!” said Desiree.

  A guard spoke into his comm. “This is Walters at Amblin. We need backup.”

  A dozen more security guards rounded the corner.

  “Don’t move,” said Wilson. “We need to buy time.”

  Several guards helped in the effort of prying Danny away from the door while the other guards surrounded the group.

  The guards brandished their Tasers.

  Not those again, thought Shawn.

  The group slowly moved toward the exit door. One of the guards shoved Austin for not moving fast enough. The other guards finally succeeded in prying away Danny, and then formed a line, blocking the entrance.

  “Someone better have a bright idea quick,” said Sami.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Shawn saw the unmistakable cap and beard of Steven Spiel
berg exiting the building in the distance.

  “Mr. Spielberg! I have a question for you!”

  “Shut up!” a guard yelled, jabbing a baton into his lower back.

  Spielberg didn’t hear him and continued walking away.

  Shawn saw his chance slipping away. He had one last play. “This is indubitably a failed mission.”

  Sami and Wilson recognized the code word, and nodded in acknowledgement.

  “You can’t contain us!” yelled Wilson, and together they made a move to flee.

  The guards turned their attention to them, allowing Shawn the opportunity to dart through an opening and break free.

  He ran toward Spielberg shouting, “Wait! Stop!”

  The guards chased after him.

  Spielberg turned to see what the commotion was.

  Shawn was running faster than he ever had, still shouting, “I have to ask you a question!”

  He stopped at an unthreatening distance. His mouth felt full of cotton. “I have something to ask you,” he said between breaths.

  “Yes?” said Spielberg.

  The guards caught up and were about to pull Shawn away, but Spielberg gestured at them to stay back.

  Shawn composed himself and said, “How was Q quieted?”

  Spielberg smiled broadly before responding, “Who is Q?”

  “Q is Kubrick.”

  “So why don’t you tell me how he was quieted?”

  “They changed the music in Eyes Wide Shut.”

  “Yes, they did. Now you need to come with me.”

  Shawn stood in the office of Steven Spielberg and felt as if he were dreaming. It was spacious, though not as large as he would have expected for the most powerful man in Hollywood. Classic arcade games, including Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, leaned against the wall, and Spielberg’s two Best Director Oscars, for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, rested inconspicuously on an overflowing bookshelf.

  Spielberg walked over to a poster for A.I., removed it from the wall, and opened a safe hidden behind it. “When this footage was sent to me after Stanley died, it came with explicit instructions that many years down the line, if someone asked me the right question, I was to give them a copy. Stanley had alluded to a hidden game within his films when we were discussing A.I. He said the winner would likely be a great filmmaker one day.”

  Shawn was a deer in the headlights.

  “Are you that great filmmaker?” inquired Spielberg.

  “I... I don’t know. Maybe. I got expelled from film school.” Shawn wished he could sew his mouth shut.

  Spielberg laughed. “I didn’t finish film school and neither did Stanley. So, maybe it’s good luck.” He placed a canister of 35 mm film in Shawn’s hand.

  “Kubrick was the light on the distant peak all of us were trying to reach,” said Spielberg. “With each film, he shattered the preconceived notions of genre, storytelling, and camerawork.” He paused, becoming emotional. “After all these years, I know I’m still climbing that mountain.”

  He walked Shawn to the door, and said, “Pleasant dreams.”

  On the street outside Universal, the group piled into an Uber ride to go pick up Danny’s Range Rover from a Ventura impound lot. Shawn still hadn’t said anything, but wore a knowing smile plastered on his face. He had just hung out with Steven Spielberg, received the missing piece of the puzzle, and been told he could be a great director one day. No big deal.

  Wilson turned to Shawn. “If you don’t tell us what went down right now, I will drag you out of this car and feed you to the Jaws shark.”

  For optimum effect, Shawn slowly raised the canister of film from his bag. He twisted the lid off and gazed upon what appeared to be about ten minutes of 35 mm film. He held the first few frames up to the light, and saw the unmistakable images of the mansion from Eyes Wide Shut.

  He said, “It looks to be the original version of the masked ball sequence.”

  “What did Spielberg say?” asked Desiree.

  “He received the footage with instructions after Kubrick’s death. The rest was... um... private.”

  “He didn’t badmouth me, did he?” said Wilson.

  “You didn’t come up.”

  “So what’s the next step?” said Sami.

  “We have to digitize it and edit it into the sequence.”

  “Which means we have to take it to a Tele-Cine and beg them to squeeze us in,” said Austin.

  “I need to get back for my graduation ceremony,” said Sami. “Can you drop me off at UCLA and handle it without me?”

  “I’m not missing your graduation,” said Wilson.

  “Neither am I,” said Shawn.

  “Tomorrow is Sunday. Places will be closed,” said Austin. “We have to get this done before 5:00 p.m. today.”

  “Shawn, give us the footage,” said Danny. “We’ll take it to get digitized, and then we can watch it together tonight.”

  “Oh, and we’re supposed to trust you guys?” Wilson scoffed.

  “What choice do you have?” Danny retorted.

  “Shawn got us here,” Sami shouted over them. “Let’s let him decide.”

  Shawn’s brain was practically yelling at him not to let go of the footage he’d worked so hard, and been through so much, to obtain. But as Desiree looked at him, his heart overpowered his head and, without a second thought, he extended his arm and placed the footage in her lap.

  “I trust you,” said Shawn. “We’re one team now.”

  His phone beeped, and he had a new text message.

  Mascaro: Come to my office before the ceremony. The prize awaits.

  “It can’t be,” said Sami. “He’s just trying to lure you in.”

  Another text came in.

  Mascaro: If you expect to see the prize, you will come alone.

  “Could he be more cryptic?” said Desiree. “Don’t even think about going.”

  “I think I have to go,” said Shawn.

  “Are you kidding me?” Wilson blurted. “He probably wants to take you hostage or steal the Eyes Wide Shut footage.”

  “The USC team will have the footage, so that’s not a concern. I really think he just wants to gloat about his supposed win. Or more likely, he’s feeling insecure about it and wants my confirmation. Either way, I need to see what he has so we know for sure.”

  Desiree said, “But we got the footage from Spielberg. Did you ask if we were the first?”

  “It didn’t come up.”

  “Dammit. Then I guess I’ll be there with you,” said Wilson.

  “No. We’ll play by his rules and I’ll go alone. If you don’t hear from me, you’ll know something went wrong.”

  “Raise your arms above your head, please.”

  Shawn did as the guards standing outside Mascaro’s office instructed him. They patted him down, made him take off his shoes, and emptied his backpack. They took his phone out of his pocket.

  “No recording devices of any kind allowed inside.”

  They opened the door and Shawn entered the office.

  Mascaro stood by his desk adjusting his black-and-purple professor’s graduation gown, admiring himself in a small mirror on the wall. “Buongiorno, Signore Hagan! Do you mind helping me with the back?”

  Mascaro turned his back to Shawn.

  Shawn zipped up the gown.

  “Grazie. I look like a real professore now, yes?”

  Shawn noticed a small antique chest sitting on his desk.

  “You look excellent, il Primo.”

  Mascaro laughed. “I cannot speak to that. As far as the world is concerned, I am merely a humble teacher and retired director. Please have a seat. I would like to tell you a story about myself and Stanley Kubrick.”

  Shawn sat down.

  Mascaro put on his cap and said, “You are looking molto bene. I tell them, if at all possible, do not hurt the short skinny one. He has great potential.”

  “You got me expelled.”

  “This was a favor. More school is t
he last thing you need.”

  “Greenwald gave me a concussion.” Shawn pointed to the bandage on his temple.

  Mascaro shrugged. “Could be worse, no? What was I going to say? Ah, yes. It is 1995. I receive a message that the great Stanley Kubrick is traveling through Napoli and wants to meet with me. He had seen my film Carnevale di Viareggio, in which a killer commits a murder each night of carnevale, wearing a different mask to suit his victim. I knew much about the history and the meaning of all the masks. Kubrick came to my villa and informed me that for his new project, masks would play an important part. Luckily for him, I had a spectacular collection dating back hundreds of years. My family name means ‘mask,’ as they were famous mask-makers.

  “Kubrick was so enthralled, he stayed the weekend. We walked through my family’s vineyards, and we discussed wine, cinema of Europe, football. We watched films. On the last night, we have finished two bottles of wine and he tells me, ‘Antonio, I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’ve worked with the wrong people.’ I say, ‘Stanley, what do you mean?’ He says, ‘They promised me everything I wanted. That I would know what nobody else in the world knows.’

  “At this time, the staged moon landings were a small rumor, but I had heard it. I ask him, is this about the moon landings? He says, ‘Yes, Antonio, but much bigger than they realize. I’m talking proof of a secret that governments would pay billions to keep quiet.’ I press him, but he will not tell me what it is. Only that he cannot say anything while he is alive, but that he’s been working on a way for it to be known after his death.”

  “You have the unedited footage, don’t you?” said Shawn.

  Mascaro nodded.

  “How did you get it?”

  “This is a small town, signore Hagan. As it happens, I am also a client of your friend’s law firm—a much more important client. You may as well have placed it on my desk. My sources say to me that NASA knew of the monolith on the moon before they launched the Apollo mission. They had detected it with their radio telescopes. Somebody at NASA spilled this to Kubrick while he was developing 2001, and that’s why he put it in the film. They confirmed its presence during the Apollo 11 mission. On a subsequent visit, they brought the monolith back to Earth. So the question is, where is it now?”