arvin_sloane
Cadet
Extracts from the Memoirs of Arvin Sloane
My Introduction to Milo Rambaldi
The day I was "introduced" to Milo Rambaldi was innocuous enough. It was in the middle of summer and the heat in the office was at the point of uncomfortable. Air conditioning then was not what it is today. My desk was small and metallic and the vinyl from my chair caused my shirt to stick to my back. I was preparing a case summary on an investigation that I had been working on earlier that month. In the grand scheme of things it was a relatively small matter, but still I was excited about any work I was involved in at the agency. As I toiled away at my typewriter, I remember being approached by an office clerk. He handed me a sealed manila envelope with "TOP SECRET" stamped in red across the outside.
Looking back with hindsight, I am amused by the "security" measures that we had in place. Paper envelopes with conspicuous red stamps. Could we have advertised anymore effectively the fact that important state secrets were inside? How many times did agents bring such packages home for review in plain sight of family and friends? I know from my own experience, I often did. The security measures employed then were rudimentary and ineffectual by today’s standards. No, unlike today, we didn’t live in an age where electronic resources seem to be more important than the human ones. There were no computer encryption algorithms protecting our secrets. There were only people with all of our frailties. Even in the world of international intelligence and espionage, there was a simpler time if not a more innocent one.
There was a short memorandum attached by a paper clip to the top of the envelope that simply read there was a briefing at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon. The memorandum was unsigned. I looked at my watch and had ten minutes to review the contents of the folder before I had to attend the briefing.
After opening the envelope, I took out a manila folder from inside the envelope (this was well before the array of multi-color file folders one sees today). It too had the same red stamp. Did they think that I would forget that this was a "TOP SECRET" matter or did they think that a second stamp made the contents doubly secure? At that time, of course, I wasn’t this cynical. No, I sat at my desk and opened the folder expectantly. I can remember the anticipation that coursed through me. The thought of working in the service of my government for the protection of my country made me feel wildly patriotic. After all, my working at the CIA had defined my purpose and how I saw the world. Little did I know that opening that folder would be the first event in a series of events that would not only shatter my understanding of my place in the world, but also shatter my view of the world itself.
I opened the folder and the first page read Milo Rambaldi b. 1444 - d. 1496. As I leafed through the dossier on Rambaldi, it wasn’t what I had expected. No, I thought that the contents of this folder would be like the many I had seen before. I was expecting information on a project or mission dealing with some clear and present (but probably minor) danger to my country. What danger could this dead papal advisor, architect and inventor pose to the United States of America almost five hundred years after his death? Confused I closed the folder and made my way to the briefing room.
As I navigated the stark hallways to my destination I struggled to do up my tie with the folder under my arm. I pondered why I was being asked to this briefing. What could I offer this project? I was no historian or archaeologist. I dismissed these thought as extraneous since I would find out in moments what the CIA wanted from me. As I entered the briefing room, I noticed three people waiting there. They were all of medium height, varying ages and of relatively nondescript features.
Contrary to popular belief, people that make the best spies do not have remarkable or extraordinary looks. This is not the world of movies or television with everyone having an actor’s good looks. No, assuming that you have the intelligence, demeanour and fortitude to do this work, physical beauty is not necessarily an asset. As a spy, having "common" looks allows you to blend in with your surrounding. You can hide in "plain sight" and move about without drawing too much attention to yourself. These men were like that except for one. It wasn’t so much his physical appearance that was different it was in the way he looked at me. His eyes bored into me with an intensity that I couldn’t explain. I thought, was I late? Nervously I glanced at my watch to make sure that I wasn’t. Realising I was on time, I looked at him to see if I knew him but had simply failed to recognise him when I walked in. His face, however, was unfamiliar to me, and as I stood there by the boardroom table our eyes locked while I tried to fathom why he looked at me so earnestly.
I broke my gaze when the man seated at the head of the table spoke my name and directed me to take a seat. Obediently, I complied. He introduced himself as Director Stokes and explained that he was out of the Arizona office. Stokes appeared to be in his early to mid forties with greying hair at the temples. However, at the rate his hair appeared to be receding at his forehead and his crown, he would be virtually bald before his hair had a chance to completely turn grey. His developing "paunch" at his waist told me that it has been many years since he has been out from behind a desk.
Stokes introduced the man to his right and across the table from me as Agent Thomas Court. Agent Court was around six feet tall with a fit build. I had heard his name before, although, I had never met him. I knew him to be approximately 10 years my senior at the agency. By all accounts he was an elite field agent who had carried out significant and highly dangerous missions in the Soviet Union, Vietnam, North Korea and China. If he was the person I believed him to be his presence at this briefing confused me even more than my own did. Why would they need this calibre of agent to deal with the recovery of historical artifacts from a dead inventor that no one has ever heard of?
While I pondered this question, Stokes introduced me to the man on his left and my immediate right as Conrad. He was slight in his build, but tall and had straw coloured thin hair. He wasn’t introduced as Agent Conrad or Mr. Conrad, simply Conrad with no first (or perhaps last) name given. Conrad was sitting two chairs away from me and as I looked away from Agent Court to Conrad, I noticed that Conrad was still looking at me intently. Uneasy with the way he was looking at me, I looked back at Stokes and offered my thanks for being involved with this program and indicated that I was anxious to help in anyway I could.
It was then that Conrad spoke to me. He didn’t address me as Agent Sloane, but simply as Arvin. His voice was soft and almost devoid of inflection or tone. He said that he was pleased that I was to participate in this project and that I would find it challenging but, in time, rewarding. What the hell he meant by that I had no idea. Why was he addressing me in such a familiar manner? Why would he care if I would find it rewarding? This briefing was rapidly becoming surreal. Who was this Conrad and what was interest in me? I warred with my desire to ask these questions, but my sense of discretion and respect for the chain of command won out. I would wait until they made clear their expectations of me.
Stokes quickly filled the silence left after Conrad’s comment by launching into a summary of the contents of the folder that I had briefly reviewed prior to entering the room. He explained that Milo Rambaldi was a 15th century artist, mathematician, inventor and chief architect to Pope Alexander VI. He went on to explain that Rambaldi’s works had achieved a level of technological sophistication that was five centuries ahead of its time. However, and perhaps more importantly, Stokes explained that Rambaldi was also prophetic in his view of the future.
According to Stokes, Rambaldi had predicted events with such accuracy that his importance couldn’t be ignored. Rambaldi was a genius and he claimed "that someday, science could allow us to know God." This claim is cited as the historical reason that caused his "professional" contemporaries to call for his ex-communication as a heretic. Whether this movement arose because of an honest and zealous conviction in their faith or because of a jealous resentment of the affection and confidence that Pope Alexander VI had showed in Rambaldi is immaterial today. The effect, whatever the cause, was Rambaldi’s execution.
After Rambaldi’s death, Stokes explained that Rambaldi’s works were taken by his detractors and ultimately scattered throughout the world. His detractors and enemies, however, failed to grasp the real significance of his works and writings. It was simply beyond their understanding. That is not to say that everyone was blind to Rambaldi’s genius. Rambaldi had his followers. While many were men and women of influence and power, they could not stop Rambaldi’s death. Moreover, like Socrates, Rambaldi seemed to be resigned to his death as if it were ordained or necessary. Prior to his death, Rambaldi is rumoured to have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that certain important and necessary artifacts and manuscripts were hidden to await the day they would be brought forth to complete his ultimate work. After his death, Rambaldi’s followers attempted to recover and protect whatever works they could find in accordance with what they believed to be his wishes.
For the last five centuries the followers of Rambaldi have continued on with their efforts to recover and protect Rambaldi’s legacy. They have acquired many of his works and writings, but many more remain undiscovered. Recently, a debate as to the use of the recovered works has arisen within this group. The followers of Rambaldi are run by a governing council of twelve members.
There are those on the council who believe that the time has arrived to bring forth Rambaldi’s works so that they can be examined and understood rather than simply keeping them locked away. The reformers, as they call themselves, argue that this is necessary so that the remainder of Rambaldi’s works can be located and studied in order to unearth the true meaning of Rambaldi’s ultimate work (whatever that maybe). This, of course, would mean disclosure to both the countries of the west and those behind the "iron curtain" to optimize the chance of discovering the works wherever they may be hidden. The reformers were confident that the significance of Rambaldi’s works, once explained, would bridge any ideological differences currently existing between the two super powers.
Conversely, the traditionalists believe that the time is not right to abandon their charge of keeping Rambaldi’s works secret and protected. Politically, they argue the world is too unstable and there would not be the necessary co-operation to bring Rambaldi’s ultimate work to fruition. They cite the animosity between the communist and democratic countries as clear evidence of that. The Cuban missile crisis and the war in Vietnam were just two examples of this world instability, no immaturity, indicating that the time Rambaldi envisioned is not upon us yet. The traditionalists suspect that the east and the west would simply compete for ownership and mastery of Rambaldi’s works, and thereby put at risk or pervert the works themselves. No, they opposed any suggestion at disclosure.
Ironically, on this fundamental issue the council split equally between the reformers and the traditionalists in terms of votes. "Political" deadlock ensued. The reformers, however, have access to the more significant financial and physical resources. Despite the lack of consensus, which had always been the manner in which the governing council made its decisions, the reformers moved ahead with their vision and plans.
The traditionalists, fearing that Rambaldi’s works will fall into the hands of those who would seek to subvert those works have attempted to stop the reformers. This has led to a schism in the council and the followers have separated into the two combative factions described above. It is clear to the traditionalists that they lack the resources to stop the reformers. In desperation, the traditionalists have resorted to physical violence. Both sides have suffered significant losses of members’ lives, however, the traditionalists have suffered more so and the reformers have acquired a fair number of the artifacts the traditionalists once protected. Recovery of any and all of Rambaldi’s artifacts is the project that we have been tasked to complete. And that this is what you will be working on from now on.
I took the pause in Stoke’s narrative of this incredible history to ask the first question that came into my head. Impulsively, I asked how we learned about the followers of Rambaldi if they were so secret. Before answering my question Stokes leaned back in his chair. His head turned to look at Conrad and then he said "Well Agent Sloane, Conrad told us all of this. He is one of the council of twelve." I looked at Conrad and he smiled and nodded his head in my direction.
My Introduction to Milo Rambaldi
The day I was "introduced" to Milo Rambaldi was innocuous enough. It was in the middle of summer and the heat in the office was at the point of uncomfortable. Air conditioning then was not what it is today. My desk was small and metallic and the vinyl from my chair caused my shirt to stick to my back. I was preparing a case summary on an investigation that I had been working on earlier that month. In the grand scheme of things it was a relatively small matter, but still I was excited about any work I was involved in at the agency. As I toiled away at my typewriter, I remember being approached by an office clerk. He handed me a sealed manila envelope with "TOP SECRET" stamped in red across the outside.
Looking back with hindsight, I am amused by the "security" measures that we had in place. Paper envelopes with conspicuous red stamps. Could we have advertised anymore effectively the fact that important state secrets were inside? How many times did agents bring such packages home for review in plain sight of family and friends? I know from my own experience, I often did. The security measures employed then were rudimentary and ineffectual by today’s standards. No, unlike today, we didn’t live in an age where electronic resources seem to be more important than the human ones. There were no computer encryption algorithms protecting our secrets. There were only people with all of our frailties. Even in the world of international intelligence and espionage, there was a simpler time if not a more innocent one.
There was a short memorandum attached by a paper clip to the top of the envelope that simply read there was a briefing at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon. The memorandum was unsigned. I looked at my watch and had ten minutes to review the contents of the folder before I had to attend the briefing.
After opening the envelope, I took out a manila folder from inside the envelope (this was well before the array of multi-color file folders one sees today). It too had the same red stamp. Did they think that I would forget that this was a "TOP SECRET" matter or did they think that a second stamp made the contents doubly secure? At that time, of course, I wasn’t this cynical. No, I sat at my desk and opened the folder expectantly. I can remember the anticipation that coursed through me. The thought of working in the service of my government for the protection of my country made me feel wildly patriotic. After all, my working at the CIA had defined my purpose and how I saw the world. Little did I know that opening that folder would be the first event in a series of events that would not only shatter my understanding of my place in the world, but also shatter my view of the world itself.
I opened the folder and the first page read Milo Rambaldi b. 1444 - d. 1496. As I leafed through the dossier on Rambaldi, it wasn’t what I had expected. No, I thought that the contents of this folder would be like the many I had seen before. I was expecting information on a project or mission dealing with some clear and present (but probably minor) danger to my country. What danger could this dead papal advisor, architect and inventor pose to the United States of America almost five hundred years after his death? Confused I closed the folder and made my way to the briefing room.
As I navigated the stark hallways to my destination I struggled to do up my tie with the folder under my arm. I pondered why I was being asked to this briefing. What could I offer this project? I was no historian or archaeologist. I dismissed these thought as extraneous since I would find out in moments what the CIA wanted from me. As I entered the briefing room, I noticed three people waiting there. They were all of medium height, varying ages and of relatively nondescript features.
Contrary to popular belief, people that make the best spies do not have remarkable or extraordinary looks. This is not the world of movies or television with everyone having an actor’s good looks. No, assuming that you have the intelligence, demeanour and fortitude to do this work, physical beauty is not necessarily an asset. As a spy, having "common" looks allows you to blend in with your surrounding. You can hide in "plain sight" and move about without drawing too much attention to yourself. These men were like that except for one. It wasn’t so much his physical appearance that was different it was in the way he looked at me. His eyes bored into me with an intensity that I couldn’t explain. I thought, was I late? Nervously I glanced at my watch to make sure that I wasn’t. Realising I was on time, I looked at him to see if I knew him but had simply failed to recognise him when I walked in. His face, however, was unfamiliar to me, and as I stood there by the boardroom table our eyes locked while I tried to fathom why he looked at me so earnestly.
I broke my gaze when the man seated at the head of the table spoke my name and directed me to take a seat. Obediently, I complied. He introduced himself as Director Stokes and explained that he was out of the Arizona office. Stokes appeared to be in his early to mid forties with greying hair at the temples. However, at the rate his hair appeared to be receding at his forehead and his crown, he would be virtually bald before his hair had a chance to completely turn grey. His developing "paunch" at his waist told me that it has been many years since he has been out from behind a desk.
Stokes introduced the man to his right and across the table from me as Agent Thomas Court. Agent Court was around six feet tall with a fit build. I had heard his name before, although, I had never met him. I knew him to be approximately 10 years my senior at the agency. By all accounts he was an elite field agent who had carried out significant and highly dangerous missions in the Soviet Union, Vietnam, North Korea and China. If he was the person I believed him to be his presence at this briefing confused me even more than my own did. Why would they need this calibre of agent to deal with the recovery of historical artifacts from a dead inventor that no one has ever heard of?
While I pondered this question, Stokes introduced me to the man on his left and my immediate right as Conrad. He was slight in his build, but tall and had straw coloured thin hair. He wasn’t introduced as Agent Conrad or Mr. Conrad, simply Conrad with no first (or perhaps last) name given. Conrad was sitting two chairs away from me and as I looked away from Agent Court to Conrad, I noticed that Conrad was still looking at me intently. Uneasy with the way he was looking at me, I looked back at Stokes and offered my thanks for being involved with this program and indicated that I was anxious to help in anyway I could.
It was then that Conrad spoke to me. He didn’t address me as Agent Sloane, but simply as Arvin. His voice was soft and almost devoid of inflection or tone. He said that he was pleased that I was to participate in this project and that I would find it challenging but, in time, rewarding. What the hell he meant by that I had no idea. Why was he addressing me in such a familiar manner? Why would he care if I would find it rewarding? This briefing was rapidly becoming surreal. Who was this Conrad and what was interest in me? I warred with my desire to ask these questions, but my sense of discretion and respect for the chain of command won out. I would wait until they made clear their expectations of me.
Stokes quickly filled the silence left after Conrad’s comment by launching into a summary of the contents of the folder that I had briefly reviewed prior to entering the room. He explained that Milo Rambaldi was a 15th century artist, mathematician, inventor and chief architect to Pope Alexander VI. He went on to explain that Rambaldi’s works had achieved a level of technological sophistication that was five centuries ahead of its time. However, and perhaps more importantly, Stokes explained that Rambaldi was also prophetic in his view of the future.
According to Stokes, Rambaldi had predicted events with such accuracy that his importance couldn’t be ignored. Rambaldi was a genius and he claimed "that someday, science could allow us to know God." This claim is cited as the historical reason that caused his "professional" contemporaries to call for his ex-communication as a heretic. Whether this movement arose because of an honest and zealous conviction in their faith or because of a jealous resentment of the affection and confidence that Pope Alexander VI had showed in Rambaldi is immaterial today. The effect, whatever the cause, was Rambaldi’s execution.
After Rambaldi’s death, Stokes explained that Rambaldi’s works were taken by his detractors and ultimately scattered throughout the world. His detractors and enemies, however, failed to grasp the real significance of his works and writings. It was simply beyond their understanding. That is not to say that everyone was blind to Rambaldi’s genius. Rambaldi had his followers. While many were men and women of influence and power, they could not stop Rambaldi’s death. Moreover, like Socrates, Rambaldi seemed to be resigned to his death as if it were ordained or necessary. Prior to his death, Rambaldi is rumoured to have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that certain important and necessary artifacts and manuscripts were hidden to await the day they would be brought forth to complete his ultimate work. After his death, Rambaldi’s followers attempted to recover and protect whatever works they could find in accordance with what they believed to be his wishes.
For the last five centuries the followers of Rambaldi have continued on with their efforts to recover and protect Rambaldi’s legacy. They have acquired many of his works and writings, but many more remain undiscovered. Recently, a debate as to the use of the recovered works has arisen within this group. The followers of Rambaldi are run by a governing council of twelve members.
There are those on the council who believe that the time has arrived to bring forth Rambaldi’s works so that they can be examined and understood rather than simply keeping them locked away. The reformers, as they call themselves, argue that this is necessary so that the remainder of Rambaldi’s works can be located and studied in order to unearth the true meaning of Rambaldi’s ultimate work (whatever that maybe). This, of course, would mean disclosure to both the countries of the west and those behind the "iron curtain" to optimize the chance of discovering the works wherever they may be hidden. The reformers were confident that the significance of Rambaldi’s works, once explained, would bridge any ideological differences currently existing between the two super powers.
Conversely, the traditionalists believe that the time is not right to abandon their charge of keeping Rambaldi’s works secret and protected. Politically, they argue the world is too unstable and there would not be the necessary co-operation to bring Rambaldi’s ultimate work to fruition. They cite the animosity between the communist and democratic countries as clear evidence of that. The Cuban missile crisis and the war in Vietnam were just two examples of this world instability, no immaturity, indicating that the time Rambaldi envisioned is not upon us yet. The traditionalists suspect that the east and the west would simply compete for ownership and mastery of Rambaldi’s works, and thereby put at risk or pervert the works themselves. No, they opposed any suggestion at disclosure.
Ironically, on this fundamental issue the council split equally between the reformers and the traditionalists in terms of votes. "Political" deadlock ensued. The reformers, however, have access to the more significant financial and physical resources. Despite the lack of consensus, which had always been the manner in which the governing council made its decisions, the reformers moved ahead with their vision and plans.
The traditionalists, fearing that Rambaldi’s works will fall into the hands of those who would seek to subvert those works have attempted to stop the reformers. This has led to a schism in the council and the followers have separated into the two combative factions described above. It is clear to the traditionalists that they lack the resources to stop the reformers. In desperation, the traditionalists have resorted to physical violence. Both sides have suffered significant losses of members’ lives, however, the traditionalists have suffered more so and the reformers have acquired a fair number of the artifacts the traditionalists once protected. Recovery of any and all of Rambaldi’s artifacts is the project that we have been tasked to complete. And that this is what you will be working on from now on.
I took the pause in Stoke’s narrative of this incredible history to ask the first question that came into my head. Impulsively, I asked how we learned about the followers of Rambaldi if they were so secret. Before answering my question Stokes leaned back in his chair. His head turned to look at Conrad and then he said "Well Agent Sloane, Conrad told us all of this. He is one of the council of twelve." I looked at Conrad and he smiled and nodded his head in my direction.
