The U-Boat Arc

The tale of a lost U-boat filled with art was one of the most delightful arcs of the White Collar TV series. Like many viewers, I was entranced in watching Neal and Peter work together to solve the mystery. But just at the moment of their greatest success, that partnership appeared to collapse when Peter believed Neal stole the salvaged treasure. Harlequin's Shadow is my humble attempt to provide a happier resolution to what happened in canon.

Warning for spoilers to White Collar and Harlequin's Shadow

In writing the story, I wanted to pay homage to elements of the original version. In canon, a fractal antenna on the U-boat was used to pinpoint the sub's location. The antenna code was hidden within the tune of an antique music box. In my stories, the Resistance fractal code which Mozzie is attempting to decipher is the counterpart to the music box tune. A fractal antenna is also part of the con.

I confess to never having thought much about fractals till I watched White Collar. Once I began researching them for the U-boat con, I was stunned to discover how prevalent they are. In Caffrey Conversation, Mozzie is the fractal evangelist. He expounds about them at length whether they're in the honeycomb structure of bees or markers of alien structure in cave slime. Fractals are also an element in Arkham Files and soon Aidan will reveal yet another use for them.

Neal is much more interested in the romantic aspects of the U-boat tale. In canon, when he and Peter discovered the sub, Neal was attempting to establish a relationship with Sara while at the same time being drawn to fellow thief Alex. In Harlequin's Shadow, the con is complicated by three women—Kate, Sara, and Bianka. Of even greater importance to the mystery of the lost art is Isabelle Renard, herself a con artist.

In canon, Adler was convinced the music box was the key to discovering the U-boat. He used Fowler as his agent to pressure Neal to cough it up. Meanwhile Neal pursued a secret agenda to recover the music box, hiding his activities from Peter. There is no music box in my arc but a partial surrogate is the Braque painting, and I incorporated many of the same elements in the arc.

In Caffrey Conversation, Adler believes Violin and Candlestick by Georges Braque is the solution to the mystery. Is he right? So far Neal and Mozzie have been unable to discover it. Neal kept his connection to the painting a secret from Peter for a long time, but he disclosed everything he knew about it to Peter in Nocturne in Black and Gold. Now Peter has teamed up with Neal and Mozzie to solve the mystery.

One of the most dramatic scenes in the U-boat arc is when Neal first inspects the warehouse where Mozzie has stockpiled the crates of art. In Harlequin's Shadow, Peter doesn't miss out on the thrill. He as well as the rest of the team are working together to create the fantasy.

In canon, those weren't fake crates, and the treasure was real. Will a cache of Nazi-looted art be discovered in my story? Stay tuned!

Harlequin's Shadow on Archive of Our Own
Harlequin's Shadow on FanFiction