Code of Siman

by Dayna Rubin

  “Seriously?” Natanya looked from Warren to Philippe and then to Pascal.

  “Yeah, seriously. There is some suspicious activity in the parking lot across from this apartment building, and I have a feeling this place isn’t going to be safe for much longer. We have to find another safe place to stay.”

  “We?” Philippe asked from under his beret.

  “Yeah, I ah, wasn’t able to retrieve anything since my house is also under surveillance.”

  “Did you go in?” Natanya asked.

  “No, I skirted the neighborhood, and found unmarked cars with undercover cops camped outside on my street. I believe they have also planted bugs inside, since there appeared to be a van located down the street with excessive antennas protruding from the roof.”

  “Where should we go?” Pascal looked concerned, momentarily halting his programming activity.

  “I’ve made a few discreet calls, and if you’ll all work with me a little, I have a plan. But we have to leave now.”

  “Now?” questioned the voice under the hat.

  “Well, at least we’d be doing something. Come on Philippe, slip on those loafers of yours. We’re going.” Natanya pulled at Philippe’s hand, putting him in the upright position, snatched up his shoes, and then placed them in front of him on the floor.

  “I’m bringing the computer, we may need it.” Pascal slipped the laptop and an extra battery and charger into a computer bag, then looked around as though he were forgetting something.

  “Clothes…how about packing some clothes,” Natanya suggested.

  “I’m telling you, we don’t have time.” Warren strode to the window where he pulled aside the curtains to look out.

  “I’ll ah, grab a duffle bag and throw in a few things. I’ll get some things for you too Phil.” Pascal sprinted into his bedroom.

  “Great, polyester blends…” Philippe remarked while yawning.

  Natanya asked Warren, “Did you pack anything?”

  “Yes, I’ve got a few essentials. I didn’t know if I’d end up making it back when I left the house to meet you…so I threw a few things together.”

  “So that just leaves me without anything.” Natanya’s shoulders slumped.

  “We’re going to need to make a few changes to you and your wardrobe in order for my plan to work, so it’s just as well.”

  “What kind of changes?” Natanya narrowed her eyes and frowned.

  “You could look very similar to her, if we made a few changes…”

  “Ummm, I think I just asked, but really, I think I would need to know what kind of changes you’re thinking about. It is me after all that we’re talking about, and the way you’re talking, it sounds like you don’t mean small changes.”

  “We’ll talk about it on the way out. Are you ready in there Pascal?” Warren yelled out.

  “Yes, I’m all set.” Pascal had a duffel bag strapped over one shoulder and the computer bag hanging from the other.

  “Philippe?” Warren held the front door open.

  “That’s it? We’re leaving without knowing where we’re going or what we’re doing?” Natanya asked.

  “You have the album, don’t you?” Warren asked Natanya.

  “Yes, of course I do. So, what changes are you thinking of making to my appearance?”

  “Shhh. The whole point to changing your appearance is to hide you. I have somewhere I need you to go, and you need to look…different than you look now.” Warren sized her up. “Yes, I think it could work.”

  The elevator opened before them; they walked silently through the doors, lost in their own thoughts, descending to the lobby.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sharp Surface Contrast

  “I don’t know how people do this on a regular basis. My head feels numb, and I don’t even look like me! It looks so different.” Natanya complained as she caught sight of herself in the reflection from the smoked glass partitions ahead.

  “It looks perfect, stop fussing with it. Someone by the name of Gage is going to meet you at the airport. The passport you have in your hand will get you through security.

  “How will I recognize him?”

  “He’ll be holding a sign up for you.”

  “Okay…”

  “Please, Natanya, don’t talk to anyone. About anything. We can’t take any chances at this point. And don’t, under any circumstances, let that album out of your sight,” Warren warned her.

  “I’ll be fine.” Natanya turned to wave to Philippe, but couldn’t find him behind the crowd of passengers in the security checkpoint line. Then, she turned back to say goodbye to Warren, but he had also left, threading his way back through the line.

  Facing forward, Natanya presented the passport to security and glided through, retrieved her purse and small carry-on from the conveyor belt, put her pumps back on, and placed the sunglasses on top of her shoulder-length dark blonde hair. She then straightened her pencil skirt, buttoned her suit jacket, repositioning the passport into the interior pocket and headed toward her designated gate.

  “There’s a shipment leaving in two hours. What we’re going to have to do is blend in with the rest of the crew.” Warren instructed Philippe and Pascal.

  “Philippe? You can blend in can’t you?” Warren asked.

  “I’m zipped into a workman’s polyester jump suit with an elastic waist, initials of God knows who on my pocket, which happens to be stuffed with a tape measure, screwdriver and assorted pens, and you want me to get comfortable? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, I’m not kidding you. This is crucial. You need to stick with the shipment as soon as the truck arrives and flash these name tags given to me by Tsun Jai.”

  “Where is this cargo plane headed to anyway?” Philippe asked.

  “The Hermitage Museum. The National Gallery had some paintings on loan, and now they are being returned. Quite frankly, it’s no wonder they didn’t want the news released about the possibility of forgeries; we couldn’t risk it while we were in possession of these paintings. But now…” Warren didn’t finish the rest of his sentence.

  “Now that the paintings are being returned, and there won’t be any question as to their authenticity, they have the ability to release the news about the forgery.” Philippe finished Warren’s sentence for him.

  “Yes, that’s correct.” Warren was surprised by Philippe’s understanding of the situation.

  “The Hermitage is in Russia, which will bring us closer to the location of the one painting we’ve been able to decipher the encrypted codes.” Warren said.

  “You think they’ll be able to send us the codes to find the rest of the paintings?” Pascal inquired, looking quite comfortable in his coveralls.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, by the time we start to fly over the ocean, Natanya should be arriving at the Cleveland branch of NASA, after which they will have the use of the highest level technology to obtain whatever they need.”

  “Right, but the question is, how are they going to get that information to us here in Russia? We can’t use our phones, and they can’t risk faxing anything…” Warren said.

  “That’s not the only way communication works…” Pascal stated.

  “Please explain.” said Warren.

  “What is and has been one of the main forms of communication…one that you didn’t mention?” Pascal asked.

  “The newspaper?” Warren offered.

  “Yes, you’ve got it,” Pascal replied.

  “A worldwide newspaper that can be seen from anywhere, even in Russia,” Warren stated. “Okay, so a newspaper. How can that possibly help us?”

  “You never asked him where he used to work.” Philippe said.

  “I’ll bite…where did you used to work?” Warren asked

  “Or, what his capacity was. Why he’s so comfortable with programming…”

  “I’ll hazard a guess that he worked within the printing department for a newspaper…” Warren identified the plane on the tarmac and directed them
toward it.

  “Yes, this is why I am currently out of work. Society’s use of the traditional newspaper has diminished. The editor for each section reviews the material, but we created the overall layout. In other words, we control the placement of what has been written.”

  “How does that help us?” Warren asked.

  Warren reached the cargo plane first, which was being loaded with well-packed paintings and artifacts from the National Gallery.

  “I’m with the museum to insure that this shipment reaches the Hermitage without incident. All personnel who have anything further to do with this shipment must report to me,” Warren informed the crew. He took the clipboard listing each of the items, and stood at the base of the aircraft loading dock to begin checking each box before it was loaded.

  “Mr. Carter, we have had damage to one of the boxes, if you could inspect that sir.” Warren handed off his clip board to Pascal, indicated that both Philippe and Pascal should stay there, and followed the airport personnel to the truck which was unloading on the tarmac, placing it’s carefully packed items onto a conveyor belt.

  “I know how important this cargo is, sir, we had one box that was placed on the belt out of balance and it fell…”

  “Looks like it’s just a corner of the box that was impacted. I would say it’s fine. Continue loading.” Warren instructed.

  Warren rejoined Philippe and Pascal as they continued to check the box identification against their list.

  “We used to joke around sometimes…leave off a few letters, or change a few to spell out a word or two,” Pascal said.

  “You did that? I’m surprised.” Philippe smiled at the thought that Pascal would have purposefully created an error.

  “If you’re here, and you’re the only one who is capable of doing it, then how…” Warren took back the clipboard, reviewing the previously checked items.

  “Who said I was the only one capable of doing it?” Pascal smiled mischievously.

  “We would have to include someone else, let them know what we’re doing. I’m not sure if I like that idea…it’s too risky.” Warren shook his head.

  “I can have someone meet them each day to receive the coordinates, and my former colleagues will do the rest.”

  “Insert it into the newspaper. A newspaper we can pick up in Russia. A purely undetectable method which doesn’t involve any direct contact.” Warren nodded. “This could work.”

  “You want me to take the necessary steps to initiate the operation?” Pascal asked.

  “I don’t think we have a choice in the matter. It’s the only way to relay messages without contact. We’re talking NASA, and with us in Russia…a call would be traced, and then, just like that, we’re on their radar.” Warren checked the last box, tucked the clipboard under his right arm, and then held out his left arm in the direction of the cargo bay. “Let’s board.”

  Philippe gave Warren a dramatic salute, and then climbed up the metal ramp that echoed with every step.

  “Blend Philippe…” warned Warren.

  “Right.” Philippe reached the rest of the crew first, followed by Pascal, then Warren.

  “Are there cocktails being served mid-flight?” Philippe jested with the crew.

  “I’m not sure we can accommodate you on this ride fellas. We’ll have to wait ‘til we land. You know, we can’t be too careful. Also on the account of we’ve got a security guard with us…we may be outta luck.” He inclined his head toward the cabin where a uniformed guard sat in the second jump seat behind the copilot. “I’m Jerry, and we got Rodney up at the front with Keith on the other side.”

  “Nice to meet you…” Philippe leaned forward to extend his hand and prepared to make their own introductions, until Warren purposefully fell into his side as if off balance, stopping Philippe before he could continue.

  “Yeah, I recall seein’ this other fella, but y’all are new to me. Why did they switch their loadin’ crew? Seems to me they always got the same guys comin’ out here from that Gallery.” Jerry asked.

  Philippe attempted to get comfortable in his seat, but was unsuccessful. “This is going to be a very long flight.”

  “One word for you…”

  “I know, blend…”

  Chapter Twenty

  Dripped, Poured and Vigorously Painted

  “Hi” Natanya greeted Gage tentatively out in front of the luggage carrousels at the airport.

  “Hmm, you’re supposed to be Dauphine? Except for the hair and the clothes, you really don’t look very much like her.” Gage checked out Natanya’s transformation as he lowered the sign that said NASA.

  “Oh, good, it’s you… Yeah, well, I wouldn’t really know what Dauphine looks like. Except for the picture. And you don’t know what I looked like before. I’ll show you…oh, wait, I can’t…” Natanya bit her lip.

  “Dump your previous I.D.?” Gage asked.

  “Yes, right after we colored my hair and bought these clothes…”

  “You look good…you’ll get used to it. It’s just temporary.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, it is just temporary. Oh, and thanks for the sign. I didn’t know how long I was going to have to wait, and then I saw that you were holding that sign. The one for NASA. What a relief!”

  “No problem.” Gage replied.

  “So, how are we going to do this? I suppose that Dauphine is going to have to be at work…” Natanya pulled the safety belt over her and clicked it into place.

  “She’s already there, but will hide when I bring you in. We’ll have to rush by a few people…since everyone will realize pretty quickly you’re not her, but I think I can do it. No worries.”

  “Oh good…I’ve had enough worrying lately.”

  “Yeah, I got you covered.”

  “So, you must know all about it then?” Natanya glanced quickly in his direction.

  “Yup, I know all about it,” Gage replied.

  “All right, so we can get started then. I have a software program that can take the formations we find and compute them into equations, but first, we have to locate which formations we are supposed to be evaluating. Do you have the ability to acquire an Apo chromatic lens?” Natanya inquired.

  “Ahh, yes, I believe so.”

  “Can you also acquire a dr5 chrome camera for black and white reversal film?”

  “That’s old technology. Why would you need that?” Gage asked.

  “We’re talking WW II, remember. That’s what they had available.”

  “Right…WWII.”

  “These photographs have been carefully restructured, double processed and masked, which we’re going to have to dissect in order to get at the hidden codes.”

  “Right, the hidden codes…from WWII…in photographs…”

  “You actually didn’t know why I was supposed to look like Dauphine, did you? Or why you had to sneak me into NASA.” Natanya sighed, turned to look out the window as she rested her elbow on the armrest of the door.

  “No, but now that you’ve told me this much…why don’t you continue. After all, if I don’t know what I’m talking about, I could end up saying the wrong thing to the wrong person…and then…”

  “All right, all right…” Natanya filled Gage in, anxious to have his input since he would be helpful in obtaining and using the necessary instruments to find the codes.

  “They didn’t just doctor the negatives, they also encoded some of the paintings themselves.”

  “Yes, that’s right. You need to realize that there were many people within the Resistance who utilized their talents. It wasn’t just a matter of using one formula, because they believed they could be found out at any time. They had to keep changing their methods, and finding new ways to deceive Hitler’s army of spies.”

  “My Aunt Rose was removed four times from the Louvre, where she was working undercover to document the arrival and departure of these paintings.” Natanya said.

  “Sounds like she was the driving force behind the movement to sav
e the art.” Gage offered.

  “Oh, yes, she was…there is so much we have to discover…I hope that I can remember everything. She left me notes…”

  “It’s all written out for anyone to find? After all that trouble they went to, she just wrote it all out…like a list?” Gage asked.

  Natanya gasped, “No, she didn’t at all…I figured out how to read her notes…they were all about nonsensical things…encrypted. You know?”

  “And your family kept all of this information secret in case the album ever showed up…okay…so tell me, why didn’t she just tell the Allied troops, or why didn’t your parents, or you for that matter?”

  “It was seized…the album the Resistance carefully constructed was seized. Many of the members of the Resistance had made a pact to keep what they had done a secret. They went against many countries, not just Germany or Russia…but the countries these paintings came from…there was major unrest at that time. These paintings have been at the crux of many major disagreements between countries for years. There weren’t any laws regarding the return of paintings until 1998, and even then, many countries denied they had them in their possession,” Natanya explained.

  “The individuals who had come forward to help, what happened to them?” Gage asked.

  “Some died in the fight, some came forward to tell about their small part in the Resistance effort, but most, the major players, went on with their lives in anonymity. It was their agreement…the agreement of the Underground.” Natanya said solemnly.

  “Still…they could have…”

  “Would you have believed me? If I just walked up to you on the street, without this album, and told you what I’m telling you now? Would you really believe me, or would you have me thrown out on my butt?”

  “You’ve got a point…it does sound a little far fetched…”

  “See. That’s why we have to find the paintings. The Director of the Gallery already lost his job over this, because they don’t want him to find out anything further. Dauphine was threatened, my boyfriend was…”

  “What…? Wait, the U.S. Government knows, and they don’t want you to come forward?” Gage asked.