11 Nov On the Catwalk, yeah.

Paris, 2015.

Fall Fashion Week was just months away. In addition to the usual fashion crowd, this season attracted a different kind of visitor as organized crime began to infiltrate the shows in France.

They were using the spectacle of the catwalks and the bustling crowds as cover for secret dealings. The CIA received word of this. The Grand Palais event in September was set to host the Corsican and Marseille-based gangs. The purpose of their meeting was unclear, as traditional surveillance methods were proving ineffective.

The gangs were using an old verbal technique known as ‘Thieves’ Cant,’ recognized by linguists as a cryptolect.

This form of coded speech was more sophisticated than ever, incorporating elements from multiple languages such as French, Romanian, Spanish, as well as lesser-known dialects like Catalan and Occitan. By blending slang and poetic expressions from each language, they made their conversations difficult to understand.

Efforts were made to analyze the speech using machine learning, but they consistently fell short. As a result, eavesdropping became almost a futile endeavour. It appeared that the true meanings of their conversations were locked within the minds of the group.

Undeterred, the CIA turned to the PsyTech Lab Group, specialists in telepathic methods. Tom and his team were enlisted to create a strategy for intercepting the gangs’ conversations. For their plan to succeed, Tom and the Totem needed to sync telepathically with the group as they spoke.

“The meaning in the mind does not lie.” Tom said. “The problem however is that separating psychic signatures of small groups within larger ones is always a challenge.”

It became clear that the Totem would have to be a few metres away from the group to transmit psychic energy patterns to Tom effectively. The issue is that the Totem is a conspicuous structure. It would stand out like a sore thumb, a detriment to the mission.

The team approached Trish, their in-house R&D Scientist, for a possible technical solution – what she advised was pure genius:

“Why don’t you integrate the Totem into the show?” Trish said confidently. “It could be a decorative prop sitting right on the catwalk… the models could emerge from behind it as they strut their stuff.”

Tom was impressed. “The best solution is always the simplest, thanks Trish.”

Now the group had a direction and was ready to move forward.

~CJ~