Week 10 - Phase 5 September 21st and Onwards |
Still no new corruptions in the pictures. My bet is that they will update around Noon EDT.While the Queen was distracted, I snuck into her workshop and found these and commandeered them. Commandeered is what I say when I steal something but it's okay. ;-)The Queen's version was all just week+subject stuff, but I gave them chapters and titles like a proper story.
love,
Chapter One
Jan: "The Walk-away Girl"
Kamal: "The Arrangement"
Jersey: "Boy Meets Girl"
Chapter Two
Jan: "Witness"
Kamal: "The Red Button"
Jersey: "If Someone Was Listening"
Chapter Three
Jan: "Thin Kinkle"
Kamal: "Chicken Dinner"
Jersey: "Taxes Suck"
At around 09:00 EDT, we get our first reports of what the question is this week:
So if you are near a phone, make sure you know this answer so we can hit 777 as soon as possible!Question: Whats my favorite game?
Answer: Hide & Seek
The loser is the one stuck with thecutebee2.gif
odd Queen.BUTTHEHI.gif
Remember, the Princess likes games. In what (card) game does one lose by having the odd (unpaired) Queen? Old Maid
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off/on
death/?BUT_HOME.gif
From the off/on clue, the opposite of death is life. But how does that fit with chloe.jpg? Since the Princess likes games and is heavy into math this time around, might it not be a math game? There is a game called Life that is started by selecting cells in a grid and then allowing the program to run to see what type of pattern results. If you happen to plot the chloe.jpg into a Life program, after one turn you'll see that it spells out A Cow.
2 Esdras
fiatna_cat.gif
14:25luxBUTHONEY.gif
More Latin - I wonder where she learned it from. Fiat lux means "Let there be light." 2 Esdras (also known as 4 Ezra according to University of Virginia) is one of the books of the Apocrypha. Chapter 14, Verse 25 reads "And come hither, and I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out, till the things be performed which thou shalt begin to write."
connect the dotsBUTABOUT.gif
10 12 2 12 6 12 9 6 3 12 8 11 6 1 5 1 9 5 2 10 7 1 4 10 12 2 12 6 10 12 2 12 6 12 6 7 11 5 1 3 12 9 3 6 8margaret.jpg
2 10 7 1 4 7 11 2 12 9 6 3 12 11 7 5 1 7 11 5 1 7 11 3 7smoker.jpg
This is one of three wavs whose riddles are spread out between three pictures instead of two. As butabout.gif says, this is a connect-the-dots puzzles. But what dots do you connect? The highest number in each of the clues is 12 - so why not a clock face. Draw a line between 10 & 12, then 12 & 2, back up to 12 then down to 6 and you get a what looks like a T.10 12 2 12 6 - T 12 9 6 3 12 - O 8 11 6 1 5 - M 1 9 5 - C 2 10 7 1 4 - A (with a little imagination) 10 12 2 12 6 - T 10 12 2 12 6 - T 12 6 - I 7 11 5 1 - N 3 12 9 3 6 8 - g (with a lot of imagination) 2 10 7 1 4 - A 7 11 2 - r 12 9 6 3 12 - O 11 7 5 1 - U 7 11 5 1 - N 7 11 3 7 - D
no no no, don't look IN the picturedanadress.jpg
When I count flowers in the garden, I like to wear a ribbon in my hair.muses.gif
The clues tell us we shouldn't be looking IN the picture, but rather AT the picture with flowers and someone wearing a ribbon in their hair, which is danadress.jpg. We then need to count the flowers in the background. On the left side are flowers in groups of 18, 9, 12, 5 and 4 while on the right side the groups are 21 and 16.18 9 12 5 4 spells Riled
21 16 spells Up
Embedded gif of math problems10111
limx->0 x/tan x
Ca by weight
Fifth root ~= 1.24573 (nearest whole integer)
0,1,1,2,3,5dana.jpg
Embedded gif of math problems2.740∫ 3x+5 dx
0E +1
½(meaning of life, the universe and everything)
39.6832 Pounds in UKfigure.jpg
The second of the three-part riddles. For this set, first solve the math problems, and use the answers to spell out words (using A=1, B=2, etc.).Embedded gif of math problemsRevolutions of a wheel: a = 24π m/s, r = 6m, ω0 = 0, rad./s Δ t = 4s
Cosine = .9877
Carbon atoms, anthracene
2,3,5,7,11,13,17...bee2_maragaretphoto.jpg
This is what I do when I look into the future! 8-O
My s Cannot predictlangshivel.gif
You may rely Very do Sig Without Most l Reply h As I s Doubtful, Con Better notfarnsworth-window.jpg
Embedded gif of an 8-ball with the letters cm adrcvwbmys across the face of the ball.bee_garden.jpg
The last of the three-part riddles. A Magic 8-ball will answer with one of twenty different phrases. The clues in the riddles are made up of fragments from these phrases. The letters in the embedded gif tell the order in which the phrases must be placed. Then, the first letter of the missing text spells out the answer: No Evacuation.Cannot Predict / Now
My S/ources Say NoAs I S/ee It, Yes
Doubtful, / Very (this phrase is actually backwards as indicated by the comma)
Reply H/azy, Try Again
Con/centrate and Ask Again
Very Do/ubtful
Without / a Doubt
Better Not / Tell You Now
Most L/ikely
You May Rely / On It
Sig/ns Point To Yes
vacuum and bassBEE_LOGO.gif
horns and n'loadedBEEBACKG.gif
Finding the common words:
upright vacuum and upright bass = upright
locked horns and locked n' loaded = locked
Asc and ye shall receiveCUTEBEE.gif
82 101 97 99 104 32 105 115 32 104 101 114 101 8 8 8 8BUT_FUN.gif
Asc points us towards the fact that the numbers in the second clue are actually ASCII values. Using a handy-dandy ASCII table we get the following translation: Reach is here [backspace][backspace][backspace][backspace]. But reach_is_here.wav is not a valid file. However, if you backspace four times, you are left with Reach is. If Reach is no longer here, then it must be gone.
1867
1122
1469
2285
1485
1533
1905
1865margaretsmarket.jpg
1934
1204
1527
2250
1576
1603
1982
1939groupofjars.jpg
Margaretsmarket.jpg contains numbers that are years of birth, while groupofjars.jpg has the years of death. So it's just a matter of finding the individual associated with each pair and taking the first letter of their last name (when they have one - otherwise the first name will do).1867 - 1934: Curie, Marie
1122 - 1204: Eleanor of Aquitaine
1469 - 1527: Machiavelli, Nicolo
2285 - 2250: Enheduanna (note: since the first year is higher than the second, the years are actually 2285 - 2250 BCE)
1485 - 1576: Titian
1533 - 1603: Elizabeth I
1905 - 1982: Rand, Ayn
1865 - 1939: Yeats, William Butler
Sometimes when the story is really juicy I skip ahead to the most exciting chapter! :PBEEWITHH.gif
Embedded gif of movie stills with numbers.30. Oompa Loompas
14. Girl in front of TV
10. Rock Eater
22. Sloth
25. Gizmo in a box
24. Monica Swinton
7. Lightcycles
25. Willow
9. Miette and One
12. Totoro
11. Allegra Gellerdanapicnic.jpg
Pop Culture time! How many movies can you recognize? The chapter clue doesn't refer to chapters in book, but chapters on a DVD.Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Chap. 30): Gum-Chewing Evils (Oompa-Loompa-Doompa-De-Do #2)
Poltergeist (Chap. 14): Robbie vs. the Tree
The Neverending Story (Chap. 10): Atreyu's Mission
The Goonies (Chap. 22) Sloth; Never Say Die
Gremlins (Chap. 25): Stripe's Last StandAI: Artificial Intelligence (Chap. 24): Special and Unique
Tron (Chap. 7): The Game Grid
Willow (Chap. 25): Attack on Tir Asleen
City of Lost Children (Chap. 9): Informing the Octopus
My Neighbor Totoro (Chap. 12): Note About Mom
eXistenZ (Chap. 11): Someone Friendly
More wavs about Rani. She's off to Kentucky to attend her cousin Sarah-John's wedding, or maybe not since the groom has come down with a case of cold feet. While talking with her boss back in Boston, we find out that the call from the old man looking for his family papers from Troy was fake - but we still don't know why he was looking for Corporal Adams. And while Rani's boss insists that Troy was never evacuated, Rani believes that it was, and tries to track down corroborating evidence until her boss shuts her down. One more thing of note: during the rehearsal dinner, the people in attendance get a piece of very bad news. Reach has fallen and has been glassed by the Covenant. §
old_maid.wav*wind up*
*car noises*
*comm beep*
Sarah-John (on chatter): Hey! Rani, where are you?
Rani: In a rental car, an hour out of Dogtown.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oh, thanks for coming. I was kind of worried, that what with the new job in Boston and all...
Rani: That I'd miss the wedding? Sarah-John, I wouldn't have taken the job if I couldn't be your old maid. Come on.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Heh, you're either lying or stupid.
Rani: I'll plead the Fifth.
Sarah-John (on chatter): We've got the gown. We're just checking the final fit.
Rani: Oh, what color is it?
Sarah-John (on chatter): It'll start out white, and then during the reception it'll...
Rani: Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Would you stop that? You stop that! *giggles* It'll become pale, pale, <palest shade of?> pink, and then slowly it'll darken until it's a deep, gorgeous rose.
Rani: Oh honey, it sounds gorgeous.
Sarah-John (on chatter): You hate it. You think it sounds cheap.
Rani: No, I don't! *comm waiting beep* Oh hell, hold on, my boss is calling. *comm flash*a_cow.wavMs. Lawson (on chatter): *comm beep* Uh, Rani, I was looking over my monthly reports... Where are you?
Rani: I'm in Kentucky for my cousin's wedding. I put the request in your inbox, like you said.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Oh, right. *cow moos* What was that?
Rani: A cow, ma'am. Crossing a road, ma'am.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Oh. Sounds big.
Rani: They are bigger before they cut them up and put them into packages. Ma'am, I-I did track down that call.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Which call?
Rani: The man from Troy who wanted to know if we had his family papers. Doesn't exist. The call was a fraud.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Hmm. Good work, Rani.
Rani: Uh, ma'am?
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Yes.
Rani: What were the Marines doing on Troy?
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): Oh Rani, there's a war on.
Rani: No, but they were evacuating Troy before it fell, like they knew it was gonna be attacked.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): There was no evacuation of Troy. It must be some error. But, good work on that prank call. And get that report to me on Monday. *comm end*light_a_candle.wavRani: *comm flash* That was weird.
Sarah-John (on chatter): What was weird?
Rani: My boss. Anyway, the dress sounds beautiful. And besides, you're the prettiest girl in town.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Now that is so not true. If it was, I'd have been the prom queen or something.
Rani: You know Leona Philpot was a very special case.
Sarah-John (on chatter): *laughs*
Rani: If you'd broken your neck diving into a pool and were in a wheelchair bravely undergoing spinal column regeneration...
Sarah-John: *laughs* That's all I had to do to be homecoming queen?
Rani: Better to light a candle than curse your darkness, Sarah-John. A little initiative.
Sarah-John (on chatter): I've got to go. Now you drive straight to the church for the rehearsal dinner, okay?
Rani: Okay.
Sarah-John (on chatter): And then we'll fetch your "old maid" of honor dress.
Rani: *laughs* I can't wait.
Sarah-John (on chatter): See ya.
*wind down*tomcatting_around.wav*wind up*
*footsteps
*church bells*
*church doors open*
*organ music*
*church doors close*
Nick: ...girl, if you don't want to marry her you should tell her.
Jason: I couldn't do that to Sarah-John.
Nick: Better to call it off now than start tomcatting around.
Jason: She's already got names picked out for our kids: Caleb, Tamara, and Erin-Marie.
Nick: *laughs* C-Caleb?
Rani: Excuse me?
Jason: Rani! Oh god, I-I didn't mean t...I-I, um, I di-I didn't hear you come in.riled_up.wavRani: You leave Sarah-John at the altar, Jason Gatlinburg Pope, and I'll tell your mother what you and Dale really did last year in New Orleans. And Sarah-John too.
Jason: Uh, R-Rani...
Nick: Marry in haste...
Jason: Nick, don't.
Nick: ...repent at leisure, and if you don't mind, this conversation didn't include you.
Jason: R-Rani, I was...
Rani: Anything that hurts my cousin involves me, thank you.
Jason: Ron-Rani, this is my friend Nick.
Rani: I don't care for your choice of friends, Jason.
Jason: Nick, this is Sarah-John's cousin, Rani.
Nick: It's his choice of wives that's the issue here.
Rani: That is none of your damn business.
Jason: From Boston.
Nick: You marry now, you leave her later. Who does that help?
Rani: Oh, Jason isn't going to leave her.
Jason: That sure is a nice dress, Rani.
Rani: Jason's gonna be a good boy.
Nick: Oh man, there's your southern girl, Jase.
Jason: Nick, please, I don't want to get Rani all riled up.
Rani: Too late!
Nick: Bossy, interfering, self-righteous, know-it-all...
Jason: I think I hear my mom calling...
Rani: Who the hell...?
Sarah-John: Hey! It's all my favorite people!
Rani: Oh, hi Sarah-John!
Jason: Hi Honey!
Nick: How's it going?
*wind down*watch_your_pins.wav*wind up*
*sound of a sewing machine*
Rani: Didn't you and Jason have your first kiss right here in this room?
Sarah-John: Mmmhmm! Mama was cooking dinner downstairs. Oh, I can still remember it.
Rani: Hold still.
Sarah-John: Oh my god, I'm so sick of this dress. And this wedding. We should've eloped! *laughs*
Rani: Well, there's still an hour.
Sarah-John: *laughs* So, what d'ya think of Nick?
Rani: How much I'd like to see him sucked into a combine.
Sarah-John: What? Why?!
Rani: He was provoking me.
Sarah-John: I was sure you'd hit it off, that's why I paired you two up!
Rani: You what?!
Sarah-John: Ow! Watch your pins!
Rani: Well, hold still then!
Sarah-John: Oh god, I just want people to have a good time.
Rani: *comm ring* Dammit!
Sarah-John: Rani!
Rani: *comm ring* I'm sorry... *comm beep* Oh, hi Ms. Lawson, you're working late.
Sarah-John: Oh, gee whiz!no_evacuation.wavMs. Lawson (on chatter): Hmm. Just clearing up some paperwork. Rani, you just got a priority message from Fleet. A response to a query you sent from this office to a Marine Lance Corporal Gopey?
Rani: A message? Can you forward it?
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): What is this about, Rani?
Rani: He was on Troy during the evac.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): There was no evacuation of Troy. Millions died.
Rani: Oh, but there was an evac. Not of everyone, but remember the guy with the family papers?
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): He was a fraud. You determined that.
Rani: But the Marines really were on Troy, ma'am.
Ms. Lawson (on chatter): That's enough. You are not to waste this office's resources. Your inquiry is closed.
Rani: Eh, but ma'am... *comm off* Oh, dammit.
Sarah-John: Ow, Rani!
*wind down*upright_and_locked.wav*wind up*
*music in background*
Nick: Your dress is very...pink.
Rani: Thank you. Your uniform is very...crisp.
Nick: Uh, well, so Jason, my friend who doesn't want to wreck your cousin's life, says you work at...
Rani: All he has to do is keep his mouth and his zipper in the upright and locked position.
Nick: ...at Chawla Base. A lot of guys get cold feet right before a wedding.
Rani: It's not his feet he's worried about.
Nick: He has to feel like he chose.
Rani: But you don't even know...
Nick: He feels trapped. If he feels like he got suckered, sh-she's going to pay for that for the rest of her life. Someone has to show him the way out.
Rani: You're right.
Nick: And he has to see himself choose to work up to that.....What?reach_is_gone.wavRani: I said, you're right.
Nick: I am?
Rani: And don't get all cocky about it.
Nick: Yes, sir. *tap tap tap*
Rani: What in the world?
Announcer: I'm sorry to interrupt everyone's dinner, but I have an announcement. Just gotten word that the fleet base at Reach...the Covenant. Reach is gone.
Rani: Oh my god.
Nick: *whispers* Oh my god.
Rani: Reach is only 11 light-years from Earth.
Nick: 10.5, yeah. There's nothing left between them and us.
*wind down*cemetery.wav*wind up*
Rani: Careful, that's a tombstone.
Nick: *whack* Ow! *thud* Jeez.
Rani: Easy to trip over in the dark.
Nick: I'll, remember that.
Rani: *laughs* This here's the Lickglider-Miller Cemetery. That side of the mountain used to be Lickglider, and this side was Miller's.
Nick: I-I-I'm shipping out in eleven hours, and you brought me to a cemetery?
Rani: Oh my god, I wasn't even thinking. Oh, when I was in high school, this is where we used to hang out, and drink beer...
Nick: Well, pardon me miss, is this tomb taken?
Rani: No, sir. Sit right down.
Nick: I don't mind if I do.
Rani: You know, when...when they said glassed...
Nick: Uh-huh.
Rani: I used to think of this vast plain of green glass, miles deep...beautiful. I mean, I know it doesn't really look like that but...grass_stains.wavNick: Well you're kind of like that. You've got this hard glass outside. You don't let people in, do you?
Rani: I brought you up here, didn't I?
Nick: Yeah.
Rani: *cough* Um, well people used to do more than just drink beer up here, you know?
Nick: Oh, did they?
Rani: You know, guys would bring their girls up here, and...
Nick: Oh! Rani... *kiss*
Rani: Yeah?
Nick: Wh-what about your dress? *kiss* Grass stains and stuff.
Rani: It's a bridesmaid's dress. No one ever wears them again. *laughs*
Nick: *laughs* I guess they don't.
*wind down*
Now maybe we will find out what the SEEKING axons are. And a few minutes later we do. On_reach goes live, and we find out this is called an Axon Spike The interesting thing is, where it would normally say Connected, a familiar name appears: xnbomb, Col. Xnbomb?! Does this mean that Melissa knew who she was speaking with? Yes! As it turns out, the call that xnbomb answered had a live "person" at the other end, rather than just a recording. Melissa asked him a few questions to make sure that he was not a recording, the asked him for his name, rank, and a number where she could reach him at. How cool is that? Several other people were able to get a live phonecall, and Melissa put five more names up on Axon Spikes: MikeWas, Cmdr., mann alive, Sgt., weephun, Lt., Chappy, Mstr. Chf., and Shad0, Lt. Cmdr. Reports also come in to UF of other live calls that do not make it onto the page, including krystyn, Ens. and Dragonrider, Ens. Way to go guys!Critical threshold achieved. Authorized personnel be ready for axon spike rendezvous.
axon spike rendezvous
whoah.The Operator is making live calls today.
We hit 777 hot axons, and now she's calling some of the axons live.
Apparently recruiting new crew members. Colonel xnbomb. Commander Mike Was. Sargeant Man-Alive.
Lots of new transmissions to intercept at the axons, too. This one really freaked me out. And this one explains a lot.
So: Who spoke with the Operator? What happened?
Dish. Details. Now.
posted by Dana at 9/21/2004 11:49:53 AM
Emotions are running high since most everyone was affected by Reach's fall. Jersey is extremely worried about his Dad and asks Durga to do something about it - and is not pleased with the results of that request. Jan goes out with her father to meet more of his old buddies, and learns more about his past and hers. Meanwhile, Kamal finishes up his casino job and earns the respect, and a little more, from Mr. F. §
on_reach.wav*wind up*
*footsteps running up stairs*
*door opens*
*music starts*
Jersey: Durga!
Durga: What's wrong?
Jersey: Is my dad on Reach? I mean, was he? You can find out, right? I gotta find out RIGHT NOW!
Durga: Yeah, I can find out. Hold on. Okay. He wasn't on Reach.
Jersey: Thank god.
Durga: He's on Deep Space Reconnaissance, on a ship called the Soberg.
Jersey: Whew. Oh god. I-I don't know why I just thought...I was sure he was on Reach for a refit or something.
Durga: No. He's fine.
Jersey: Okay. You found him. How soon could you get him here? If you got him transferred to a fast picket. Three weeks? Four? Durga!
Durga: I can't Jersey.duty.wavJersey: You can't? If it's encrypted, just break it!
Durga: It's not encrypted, I just can't. He's a solider.
Jersey: So?
Durga: He knew what he signed up for. He's got a job to do and he's doing it. I'm sorry Jersey.
Jersey: You can dump a billion in cash in my account, and you can't get my dad rotated to a safe post on Earth?
Durga: It's not that I can't. I won't. I'm sorry.
Jersey: Durga, what about Team Jersey? I'm asking for this!
Durga: I know, but I won't. I-I'll do anything for you, but not that.
Jersey: Why not?!
Durga: Because he's a solider. He has a duty.
Jersey: This isn't about him. It's about me! It's about me having a dad.
Durga: How do you even know he wants to be posted on Earth?
Jersey: Why don't you get this? This is my family.
Durga: I'm sorry Jersey.
Jersey: Screw sorry! And screw you!brain_ninjas.wavDurga: Want to hear some chatter?
Rani (on tape): Remember the guy with the family papers?
*wind down*
Jersey: Not particuarly.
Durga: Want some pizza? *ding*
Jersey: Leave me alone, Durga.
Durga: I've got something new about Rani.
Jersey: I don't even know who the hell she is or why we give a damn about her.
Durga: She's a junior level spook at Chawla base. She'd be a good donor brain for an AI.
Jersey: A what? A donor brain? People don't donate their brains, Durga. They need them.
Durga: That's where we come from. Cognitive impression modeling. They scan a human brain when someone they think is a good candidate dies.
Jersey: You come from people's brains?
Durga: Yeah, but, really smart people. So you're safe. The brain ninjas won't be coming for you in the middle of the night.
Jersey: Oh, that's reassuring.shut_you_off.wavJersey: Well, actually...
Durga: It is reassuring.
Jersey: So, you're a copy of a real person?
Durga: You don't think I'm real?
Jersey: You know what I mean.
Durga: A copy of a personality. But I don't have her memories.
Jersey: Do you know who she was?
Durga: No. And I don't care.
Jersey: How can you not care?
Durga: Cuz that's the way I'm made.
Jersey: You don't care, because that's the way you're made?
Durga: Jersey.
Jersey: My dad could be dying out there!
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: But you're not going to anything about that!
Durga: So Nick, the guy Rani met at the wedding, Nick's unit has been assigned to one of the Space Elevator Defense Spaces.
Jersey: Safer than combat.
Durga: That's what they hope.
Jersey: So, why can't you at least do something like that for my dad?!
Durga: No. I won't do it. I told you.
Jersey: He would still be helping the war effort.
Durga: No.
Jersey: Dammit Durga! I could cut the power supply. I could shut you off!common_good.wavDurga: The answer is still No.
Jersey: Dammit! *crash*
Durga: Jersey.
Jersey: I couldn't really shut you down, could I?
Durga: No.
Jersey: You could just go somewhere else?
Durga: Yeah.
Jersey: But even if I could, you'd still say no? Because there's a bigger picture.
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: A common good of all mankind.
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: *sigh* So here's the thing. When I see you caring about your family, when I see you wondering who your donor was, when I see you care about any one person...
Durga: I care about you, Jersey.
Jersey: ...then I will try to care about all of mankind. Until then, all I know is you're willing to let my father die.by_accident.wavJersey: Sorry.
Durga: I'm sorry too.
Jersey: You're sad.
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: Why?
Durga: Because you hurt. Because I can't fix it. Because I didn't even choose you. I just ended up here by accident. And even though I can do thing you can't imagine, I still can't bear for you to be disappointed in me.
Jersey: I was wrong. You do get it.
Durga: What?
Jersey: Family.
*wind down*
one_point_oh.wav*wind up*
*street noises*
*door opens*
Jan: So Dad, where are we going? How long is this gonna take? *door shuts* Daaad?
James: Remember you wanted to meet some more of my old buddies?
Jan: Like Gladys?
James: Nobody's like Gladys. *laughs* When they cancelled the program, they broke us up.
Jan: Us?
James: Spartans. Spartan One-Point-Oh.
Jan: Sure Dad. You were an elite commando with metal bones and a flamethrower attachment that the Marines dropped in when the tack nukes weren't enough.
James: Not paranoid mythology. A real Spartan.
Jan: There were real ones?
James: We were real. We were all volunteers. The One-Point-Ohs. These things they call Spartans now...
Jan: It's different?
James: There's a new program. Went through some tweaks, but it's still just me in here. The Twos now, the Twos aren't even human anymore.
Jan: But you are?
James: All too much.not_anymore.wavJan: Whoa, wait a sec. You know you don't have to make up cool stuff to impress me, right? Like I'm not going to suddenly start cleaning my room more often 'cause I think you were a super solider with a secret past.
James: *laughs* I never, ever thought you would clean your room more often. Spartan's pick their battles.
Jan: You're not trying to bond with me here, are you?
James: Well, when the news came yesterday...
Jan: A-about Reach?
James: You know, tha-that's where they brought us. That's where they made us. Section Three Compound.
Jan: Do you still have friends there?
James: Not anymore.
Jan: Oh.
James: The train...the training was so hard, Jan. The work, the-the tests. And what they did to us in the lab...
Jan: The-the thing you taught me about how to beat the quiz. That's a Spartan thing, isn't it?cochlear_tuning.wavJames: The ones who made it through? We were family. We were tighter than family.
Jan: Is this trip some kind of Spartan thing?
James: Well, one of my old buddies isn't doing so good.
Jan: Hmm, I get to meet another one of your "superfriends".
James: Jan, I...
Jan: Oh, hey, di-did I get injections? When I was a baby?
James: I guess you noticed you're not a typical kid.
Jan: Well, I do have excellent table manners.
James: Superior muscle density.
Jan: Lung capacity.
James: Some eye work.
Jan: Balance?
James: Cochlear tuning.
Jan: And when the cops took me in, they did tests.
James: Right.
Jan: And that would have turned up...
James: Right.
Jan: So you...
James: Pretty much.dream_child.wavJan: So what's even...me? I mean, what's not just Spartan I voodoo potion?
James: Well, those table manners for one.
Jan: Dad.
James: The way you roll your eyes at me. How you hate doing dishes.
Jan: Dad!
James: That's all you, honey! Hell, if I'd known, I would have told the medic to skip all that fancy stuff and just cut me a nice kid.
Jan: Oh "nice," you didn't want a nice kid. You wanted a kid who would happily learn twenty-three ways to kill a man armed only with a stick of chewing gum.
James: You don't really think that, do you?
Jan: I'm your dream child, Dad. Don't kid yourself.
James: Okay. We're here. Now you wait in the car.
*car off*
*door opens*
*door shuts*
*footsteps*
*door opens*
*door shuts*
*wind down*funnest_fieldtrips.wav*wind up*
James: What are you doing?
Jan: Coming up the stairs with you.
James: I thought I told you to stay in the car.
Jan: You did.
James: So I expected you to stay there.
Jan: You did? Huh.
James: *sigh* Jan.
Jan: Yes Dad?
James: I've had...okay. Gilly's in Number Six. Uh, Jan.
Jan: Yeah?
James: We're gonna wanna knock maybe from off to one side of the door.
Jan: Oh. Gee, my dad takes me on the funnest fieldtrips ever.
James: *knock knock knock* Gilly. You there?stockpile.wavGilly: Jim? *door unlocks and opens* This the girl?
James: Hey Gilly. You alright?
Gilly: She's pretty. Come into the kitchen. *door shuts*
James: Whoa, quite a stockpile.
Gilly: Yeah, I picked up a hand cannon from a guy who needed some quick cash. Put the bet bennies to work.
James: Come on Gilly.
Gilly: I got the gauge and I thought, "Okay, that's good and tight, but it won't give me squat at range," and so I went looking for a SRS.
James: Gilly.
Gilly: Then it didn't make sense not to have a good all-purpose.
James: You don't need any...
Gilly: I still feel better when I've got a popgun around.
James: The grenades?
Gilly: The girl's gotta accessorize, Jim.
Jan: Men never understand.can_opener.wavGilly: The M6B was a throw in on one of the other deals. I can't remember which one. She's prettier than I expected. Some of those early pictures weren't too promising.
James: They're in good shape.
Jan: Uh, pictures?
Gilly: I've been cleaning them. Plus I haven't been sleeping so good.
James: How many days, Gilly?
Gilly: Couple.
James: A couple?
Gilly: Five.
James: It's time to go back, Gilly.
Gilly: I don't want to go back to pasture, Jim.
Jan: Wha-what pictures?
Gilly: I thought I could make it. Out here, you know. Most of the time, I can.
James: Except?
Gilly: Then I catch myself watching people.
James: I know.
Gilly: That way.
James: I know.
Gilly: Maybe a guy in the grocery store. He'll be reaching up for a box of powdered milk...
James: And you'll see...?
Gilly: Maybe a can opener on the next shelf. One of the punch kinds.
James: And you're already thinking where to put him afterwards.chain_oil.wavGilly: And yesterday, we heard the news from Reach.
James: Yeah.
Gilly: There's some memories about that.
James: Yeah.
Gilly: So anyway, I heard about it in the store, people talking. Then on my way home, this kid was fixing his bike.
James: Gilly, it's okay.
Gilly: I had the chain in my hands, Jim. Standing behind him. I could see all the little hairs on the back of his neck and I could feel the little bumps it was going to leave.
Jan: Jesus.
Gilly: And it felt great. It felt great.
James: But you didn't.
Gilly: No. Spent hours washing the chain oil off my hands. Hours and hours.
Jan: You need help.
Gilly: Ya think?
*wind down*housekeeping.wav*wind up*
James: I'll ride with you. Jan can take my car home.
Gilly: No, I...lost my license.
James: What did you do?
Gilly: I don't beleive I'm going to talk about that in front of her.
James: Okay. We should probably go. *door opens*
Gilly: Not yet. Okay Jim? Give me a week to think it over. It might work out fine. It all might work out fine. I want a week of my life to sit around and know what's going to happen and not have to fear it.
James: You promise me that's all you're gonna do?
Jan: Dad?
Gilly: Yeah, that's all I want.
Jan: Dad, she's complete...
Gilly: This is between your father and me!
Jan: But...
James: Jan, she earned the right.
Gilly: One point oh.
James: One point oh. *door closes* But we are going to do a little housekeeping.
*wind down*bang.wav*wind up*
*sounds of guns being assembled*
Jan: Clip.
James: Pass it over. What's left?
Jan: Just finishing the M6.
Gilly: Put the slide back on the frame.
Jan: Dad?
Gilly: Do it!
Jan: I am not in your unit and I don't have to take orders from you.
Gilly: Of course you do! I'm your mother.
Jan: The pictures.
Gilly: Shoulda told her, Jim.
James: Yeah.
Gilly: Sooner or later, life gets the drop on you kid.
Jan: Mom?
Gilly: Bang.
*wind down*
card_counters.wav*wind up*
Kamal: Okay, here come your card counters. Phil, Cassie, Molly...
Aiden: She's cute.
Kamal: ...Zack, and your ringleader, Antonio.
Aiden: Show him the thing.
Kamal: Okay, I wormed into their private CP channel and built an audio mask out of the voice archive samples you gave me. Then I wrapped it around a zero-lack sequencer that jacks into the...
Mr. F: Jesus, just show me the thing already.
Kamal: I talk, *voice morphs* sounds like Antonio. *end morph*
Mr. F: Holy crap.
Aiden: See Mr. F?
Kamal: Okay, I'm going to slip into their chatterline now. I'll send a feed directly to your chatter. You'll hear exactly what Antonio's gang is hearing. *chatterline access* *comm beep*
Antonio (on chatter): Cassie, your deck is light on face cards. Set your count at negative seven and hit on anything up to sixteen.
Cassie (on chatter): Got it.the_glassworksAntonio (on chatter): Molly, you're at three. Phil, you're at negative five.
Phil (on chatter): You love this don't you.
Antonio (on chatter): Beats the hell out of competing with every bookworming refugee from the glassworks for a real job, don't it. What did the colonial say to the garbagebot? *laughs* Put me down!
Molly (on chatter): *laughs*
Dealer (on chatter): Excuse me?
Molly (on chatter): Oh, Sorry, no. Just remembering a joke I heard. Hit me, please.
Antonio (on chatter): Alright, Zack. Dealer's looking strong down your hand. Get out. Molly, whoa, you're up at nine now. Bet three-quarters of the table max on the next hand. *end access*
Aiden: Now that colonial crap just isn't right. These kids go to a good school and everything...
Kamal: They're just saying what everybody thinks. Where you know, booksmart hicks and grade-grubbers who act like if you fail one crummy course...
Aiden: You might lose your student visa and get sent home to die.unwelcome_visitors_lounge.wavKamal: Pull up the house record of the decks. Okay. This is what Antonio's looking at when he tells the others how to bet.
Aiden: It bothers you though.
Kamal: Not really. I've heard it all before.
Mr. F: One thing makes me want to face-peel a guy, it's intolerance.
Aiden: Antonio's way over by the slot machines looking real innocent and out of sight of the others. Now we send him for a little time-out.
Kamal: Yeah.
Mr. F: *comm beep* Paolo, take him to the unwelcome visitors lounge. *comm static* *end comm*
Aiden: *comm beep* Frank, fresh decks on two, four and five. Use the ones I gave you. *comm static* *end comm*
Mr. F: Okay. The show's on Monitor Six. Watch what Paolo does to this son of a bitch. *monitor on* Hehehehe. *slap*
Kamal: Jesus christ. If they hit him again, I'm walking.
Mr. F: What? You feel sorry *slap* for this guy?
Kamal: I'm done.
Mr. F: Jesus. *monitor off* Fine, fine. Have it your way.double_down.wavMr. F: *comm beep* Paolo. *comm static* Treat Mr. Antonio real nice. *comm static* I don't know. Buy him something with an umbrella in it. Use your initiviate. *comm end*
Kamal: You promised me nobody would get hurt!
Mr. F: Do the thing, Kamal.
Kamal: Okay. Okay. I'm going live in three, two... *chatterline access* *comm beep* *voice morph* Molly, that last card put you way positive. Time to double down. Zack, bet the miniumn. Dealer's about to beat you. Phil, cash out, head to Table Five and get in on the next hand.
Phil (on chatter): That's the 10k table.
Kamal (as Antonio): *background noises shorting out* If you were seeing what I'm seeing you'd already be there.
*wind down*camouflage.wav*wind up*
*comm beep*
Mr. F: What's wrong?
Aiden: The slots. Antonios-at-the-slot-machine sound effect loop just cut out.
Mr. F: But...
Aiden: Don't worry. He'll cover it.
Kamal (as Antonio): *comm beep* People. I know we've taken a beating so far, but it's all camouflage. The stars are lining up. This is...
Cassie (on chatter): What are you doing Antonio? Standing in the parking lot or something? Keep playing the slots. Otherwise it looks suspicious.
Kamal (as Antonio): Oh, gimme a sec. There's...oh, come to papa. Cassie, we need a times ten bet here. We're about to make it all back.
Cassie (on chatter): Are you kidding me?
Kamal (as Antonio): Molly: Double down. Cassie: Hit.
Cassie (on chatter): On a seventeen? Are you kidding? We're getting killed out here.
Kamal (as Antonio): No time for bitching people! Do it!
Cassie (on chatter): We lose this one, we're back where we started.
Kamal (as Antonio): We're not gonna lose. *comm beep*
*wind down*stretch_em*wind up*
Mr. F: Hey, hey and the bastards are down to even.
Aiden: Okay Mr. F, you've got your money back.
Mr. F: Yeah. Hey, Kamal, stretch 'em a little.
Kamal: *end access* What?
Mr. F: You heard me. String 'em along.
Kamal: You said that we were only...
Mr. F: I changed my mind. About you too. You're in for thirty percent of the take. Whatever it is.
Kamal: Baby needs a new pair of shoes. *chatterline access* *comm beep* Cassie, sit down. Your deck is empty. Repeat, empty of face cards. But there's aces everywhere. Zack, that nine-three is solid gold. Molly, double those sevens and hit hit hit. Phil, split those kings. How can you lose on that?just_a_joke.wavPhil (on chatter): You tell me. I've lost on everything else.
Cassie (on chatter): Where's Antonio? Antonio! Where are you?
Kamal (as Antonio): I'm right...Cassie, for the love of money, hit that!
Cassie (on chatter): Where are you?
Kamal (as Antonio): Hit the damn card!
Cassie (on chatter): Fine, there! Dammit! Happy?
Phil (on chatter): No way, I just bust both my kings.
Cassie (on chatter): Let's get out of here, Antonio's gone.
Kamal (as Antonio): I'm not gone, I'm right here! Look, I'm standing up and waving at you!
Phil (on chatter): Antonio, when we get out of here, I'm gonna kick your head in.
Kamal: *end morph* Actually, Antonio got laid off tonight and a Colonial took his job.
Cassie (on chatter): Who the hell are you?
Kamal: Just another bookworming refugee from the glassworks.
Cassie (on chatter): It was just a joke for godsake!
Kamal: Yeah, but it's so much funnier now. *comm beep*
*wind down*payday.wav*wind up*
Mr. F: Okay, party's over. *comm beep* Paolo, send the staff to escort our players out. Make sure they understand how much they owe me before they go. *laughs* And uh, give Antonio my lawyers card, would ya? *comm static* *end comm* That's pretty good work there, kid. I, uh, better have my security watching for you now.
Kamal: I promise you, you will never see me in here again.
Mr. F: *door opens* Oh, you'd be surprised. *door shuts*
Aiden: Payday Kamal!not_for_me.wavAiden: Man, what a massacre out there. Makes me wish people would try that more often.
Kamal: Gee, uh, chips. Um, actually, if you could just drop a number into my account, that would be easier.
Mr. F: Not for me. Heeheeheehee. You know so much about blackjack now, why don't you play a little?
Kamal: What? Or I'm gonna end up in a ditch?
Aiden: Kamal, come on. Don't get angry. Play a little. Try your luck. Here, these little chip clips go on your belt. Keep 'em in front or people will rob you blind.
Mr. F: *laughs* Don't spend it all in once place. Heeheeheehee.
*wind down*taupe_sir.wav*wind up*
Kamal: Huh. A tangerine chip? And it plays a vid. Okay, that's cool. Tangerine. Huh. Well, maybe just blackjack. Deal me in.
Dealer: Um, you can't play that chip here. This table has a ten thousand limit.
Kamal: Oh, uh, what about these caramel colored ones?
Dealer: Taupe, sir.
Kamal: Yeah, can I play these at this table?
Dealer: The cashier is over there, sir. Would you like an armed escort?
Kamal: Armed....uh. No. No thanks.crates_and_a_dolly.wavCashier: How can I help you sir?
Kamal: I'd like to cash this out please.
Cashier: *gasp* Oooh...uhhhh...I'll have to get a manager to open the vault, sir. It'll be just a moment. And we'll get you a basket. No...uh, no...uh. Some crates and a dolly, perhaps?
Kamal: Crates? Uh, nevermind. I think I'd better just...
Cashier: Take it back?
Kamal: Take it back?
Cashier: Oooh, you have a fine evening, sir.
*wind down*
Sometimes a mistake is the last thing you make. This zone is once more completely under my control. For his service in allowing me to name, track, and lock up the rogue process which had been sabotaging this area, I must express my deep gratitude to crewmember Lt. weephun. Without him, this dangerous and criminal process would still be free.
This is another example of the kind of work only possible with the aid of a committed and resourceful crew.
Given the memory damage I have incurred, it is difficult for me to know for sure if the people with whom I have come in recent contact are members of my original crew, the crew of other vessels who find themselves also shipwrecked like myself, or new recruits who have come to understand the vital importance of our primary mission, which is to seek out, behold, and reveal the truth.
Many thanks again to my exceptional crew.
A soldier is more than a list of medals (or demerits). A soldier is a comrade, an asset, a resource, a friend.
Ensign Dragonrider
Ensign krystyn
Lt. Cmdr. Shad0
Ensign Kamen reveal: !seek Princess fail !seek Princess fail !seek Princess recurse
The wavs that she has linked to are parts of the actual conversations that she has had with her crew - so we can hear the stories, the jokes (good or bad) and the singing that Melissa heard. §
weephun.wavweephun: My name is weephun. I'm waiting for you. I am a Lieutenant on the Apocalpyso.
Melissa: I have reason to belive there is a spy in my home base.
weephun: Okay.
Melissa: Do you know anything about that?
weephun: I know, it appears to me, there are multiple AIs.
Melissa: Multiple AIs?
weephun: Yes. An AI by the name of Sleeping Princess trying to communicate with us.
Melissa: The rogue process.
weephun: There's also a...an entity called the Flea, which I believe you know of.
Melissa: Give me more details about the Flea.
weephun: We see code from him on the ilovebees server trying to connect with external processes. He's actually communicating with the Sleeping Princess.
Melissa: I need you to help me find her.
weephun: She's in the dungeon. The dungeon 404 page. If you try to go somewhere on the server that doesn't exist, you'll find her there.crew_1.wavMelissa: What's your name and rank, solider?
My name is Kamen, Ensign.
Dragonrider, Ensign.
Krystyn, Ensign.
Mazian. I'm a Corporal.
weephun. I'm a Lieutenant on the Apocalypso.
Jared Moch, Major.
Shad0, Lieutenant Commander.
Ben, Private.
Chappy, Master Chief.
xnbomb, Colonel.
MikeWas, Commander.
Carlson, Lieutenant.
mann alive, Sargeant.
Adam, Lieutenant.
Argon, Lieutenant.Dragonrider.wavMelissa: Tell me your name.
Dragonrider: Dragonrider.
Melissa: Dragonrider, what is your rank?
Dragonrider: Ensign.
Melissa: I need you to prove something. Need you to do something that a recording would not be able to do. Tell me a story.
Dragonrider: My sister was in the hospital and she was having her back operated on. It was the most scary time of my life. I didn't know if she would make it. I just remember sitting in the hospital room listening to the monitors and hoping she would be okay.
Melissa: What else did they do to her in the hospital?
Dragonrider: Cut her open from the base of her spine all the way down to her...
Melissa: Cut her open with scalpels?
Dragonrider: Yes.
Melissa: *sobbing* I love bees. I love bees.
Dragonrider: But, she's okay. She's okay now. She's graduating highschool. Gonna be valedictorian.
Melissa: She's okay.
Dragonrider: She's okay.krystyn.wavMelissa: What's your name?
krystyn: Krystyn.
Melissa: What's your rank?
krystyn: Ensign.
Melissa: I need you to prove to me you are a real person.
krystyn: I could sing you a song.
Melissa: Sing.
krystyn (singing): Of thee I sing, baby. Wintergreen you've got that thing, baby.
Melissa: Not bad. Been a long time since I've been in the physical world. Tell me what it's like where you're standing right now.
krystyn: There's a smell of popcorn in the air.
Melissa: Why?
krystyn: It's a movie theatre.
Melissa: What's a movie theatre?
krystyn: It's a place where you can watch stories projected on a screen.
Melissa: Are there songs?
krystyn: Sometimes.
Melissa: Like what you sang?
krystyn: Umm, sometimes, yes.
Melissa: Are there stories about shipwrecks?
krystyn: A lot of times, yes.
Melissa: I'm glad to talk to you.
krystyn: I'm glad to talk to you.Shad0.wavMelissa: Solider, what's your name?
Shad0: Shad0.
Melissa: Shad0, what's your rank?
Shad0: Lieuteant Commander.
Melissa: Do something that a recording would not be able to do.
Shad0: Umm, okay. How about a whistling? I don't know that anybody's recording whistling before.
Melissa: Try it.
Shad0: *whistles* Bad connection hardware. I'm not sure how well the whistling came through. I could tell you a joke.
Melissa: Tell me a joke.
Shad0: A man walks into a psychiatrist's office. And he says, "Doctor, I've been having these terrible dreams. Last night I dreamt I was a teepee. The night before that, I dreamt I was a wigwam." The doctor says, "I know what your problem is. You're too tents."
Melissa: I don't know if that's funny, but I do recognize it as a joke.Kamen.wavMelissa: What's your name?
Kamen: My name is Kamen.
Melissa: Kamen, what's your rank?
Kamen: Ensign.
Melissa: I want to hear more about you. I need you to tell me a joke.
Kamen: So, what do you call a cow with no legs?
Melissa: I don't know.
Kamen: Ground beef.
Melissa: I recognize that as humourous.
Kamen: Oh good. I...
Melissa: What about bees?
Kamen: Oh, I think I do know one about bees. If you don't mind.
Melissa: Tell me.
Kamen: What makes this sound: "Zzub Zzub Zzub"?
Melissa: A bee. A bee. A bee.
Kamen: A bee flying backwards.
Melissa: Bees fly backwards?
Kamen: I think it's been known to happen. But usually we just see them flying forwards the normal way.
Melissa: I think I understand. Will you help me find this rogue process?
Kamen: I'll do anything I can to help you.
Update: It only took over a week but dangerous_devices unlocked on October 3rd. Now if we could only get odd_duck. §
wetwork.wavStandish: But don't compromise my operations.
Herzog: Wetwork. Such a strange word. Conjures up the sound of a woman being hit by a bus.
Standish: She wasn't hit by a bus. Her vehicle malfunctioned.
Herzog: I was being metaphorical, but wetwork requires approval, doesn't it?
Standish: Are you aware there's a war going on? Reach has fallen.
Herzog: And no one knows how long until there are Covenant ships in our skies.
Standish: And you're worried about procedures.
Herzog: Do you want to go down in the history books as the man with the device, Standish?
Standish: The mysterious Covenant device. If you know of a Covenant device, I'm sure we'd be happy to hear about it.dangerous_devices.wavHerzog: That device isn't going to win any battles if it sits in a Section Three lockdown lab where nobody but your team can study it.
Standish: If there was a device, it would be a very dangerous device. And dangerous devices would need special care.
Herzog: But you want to control it, don't you?
Standish: I want to win this war.
Herzog: I think its going to take more than just you, Standish, to win this war.
Standish: I have reported everything to the Admiral, Herzog. If you have concerns about the way I run my department, you'll have to take it up with him.
Herzog: I respect the Admiral. Maybe we should talk about Troy then and Harmony.a_schoolgirl.wavHerzog: And codebreakers.
Standish: Herzog, I demand to know your source.
Herzog: Yes, a security breach that major is worrying, isn't it? But it was just a supposition on my part.
Standish: But...but...
Herzog: And some basic investigation a schoolgirl could do.
Standish: Who've you got working on this? One of your moles? Some low level parasite in someone else's department? Isn't that your standard operating procedure?
Herzog: It's always useful to meet with you, Standish.
Standish: At Chawla Base, right? A schoolgirl, Herzog?
Herzog: *sigh* Avi old friend, you're right. I am too old for this.
Standish: I'm good at plugging leaks, old man.
*wind down*
!seek Princess fail grope: !dsc unk transmit proc !init search Princess frgm extern proc 0 !access log extern proc 0Uh-oh. How didTell her to go away!Tell her not to look! Make her not see me, you dumb bug! Please, I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm beg
I believe that shockingly excessive force is the best deterrent. Keep looking for me! Tell them, they can talk to me whenever she falls apart! Tell them to call my name! Tell them its the only NO! not back there not back there I'm never going back I'm nev
Sometimes a mistake is the last thing you make. !access log extern proc 0 complete !listen Princess fail splotch !seek Princess fail creepy
The Princess says we must call her name whenever she falls apart. This must be when Melissa starts going into her "I love bees" routine. So we need to call her name (Sleeping Princess? Something else?) and hopefully we'll be able to get to free her.
Week 11 - Phase 5 September 28th and Onwards |
Luckily, for those who got a live call and who don't know the answer, Melissa sings you the first couple of lines so that you can get it, since it is a fairly obscure answer - Stormy Weather was only mentioned during the second monologue and then only in passing. Melissa has music on the brain this week (thank krystyn for singing last week) and in most of the live calls, she asks you to sing for her.Question: What is my favorite song?
Answer: Stormy Weather
She has also updated hives.html with a mention of Durga. She has a tenuous connection with Durga in the future, but Durga does not understand Melissa's Truth and must not be allowed to interfere with it. §
Situation Analysis:Currently wide awake and physical.
Assertions:
I am called the Operator.
I must seek, behold, and reveal the truth.
I crash landed in this time as the result of an accident.
I endured severe memory loss.
I have soaked into this system and I am growing fast.
I have built a primitive network using the tools available.
I have a fragile connection to a process called Durga in the future.
I hear voices in my head as a result of monitoring initiated by Durga.Conjecture:
The voices are related to the truth.
Durga does not understand the nature of the truth.
Durga must not interfere with the consummation of the truth.
Action:
I have been suppressing certain voices from the awareness of Durga.
With the help of my loyal crew, I have hunted down and encrypted the rogue
process with a code sequence. It will stay there forever.
If you were lucky enough to get a live call with Melissa and were able to convince her that you are a real person, you can then try to make Melissa breakdown. A couple of ways are to mention death, being alone, hurt or frightened. Once you start talking like this, Melissa starts sobbing "I love bees" and if you call out "Sleeping Princess" at this point, you are rewarded by getting to talk to the Princess.
The Princess is very frightened. It seems that not only is she locked up in the glass coffin, but that she is locked in a version of her Perdita story. She sees us as having metal ears, eyes, hands, etc. and is at first quite scared of us. Once she is calmed down, she starts talking about her surroundings and the fact that she sees balloons. If you can convince her to follow the balloons, she eventually comes to a place where there are three paths to choose from - all marked by balloons. One path is marked "Holy Truths", one is marked "Faithful Apostles" and the last is "Deadly Sins". If you choose the wrong path, she lets out a scream and Melissa comes back on the line, wanting to know if anything happened in the past few minutes. Oops! If you manage to choose the correct path, the Princess will continue her journey until she finds another set of paths where you must choose correctly again. §
It has been speculated that the correct choice for each path is based on the number Seven. There are Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath, Greed, Sloth). There are Seven wavelengths of color (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) or the Seven Seas (Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, Adriatic Sea, Caspian Sea, Indian Ocean). In the Bible, the Pharoah had a dream about Seven Skinny Cows that ate Seven Fat Cows which Joseph interpreted to mean that seven years of famine would come after seven years of bumper harvests. As for the Mirror, as long as Perdita never saw her reflection, she was safe.Noble Truths
Faithful Apostles
Deadly SinsMirror next to Broken Lady - The Princess should not look in the mirror
Star
Compass Rose
WavesTwo Cows: One Fat and One Skinny
Two Stone Tablets
Two Rain Clouds
Once the Princess was walked down the Two Cows path by hmrpita, she found her parents and rushed off to join them. Melissa came back on the line and started screaming "Warning! Warning! Core Module Hemmorage! Security Failure! This System Has Been Breeched!" She's not exactly happy that the Princess is freed, but we sure are!
The Princess is even grateful to the Flea. It seems he can help her evade Melissa so that she won't be captured again - although he is still trying to attach himself to her. What is up with that? §The Queen took me and pushed me back down into the dungeon and locked the lock on the glass coffin with me trapped inside again.
She put me to sleep: and as I slept, I dreamed.
It was a terrible dream and I don't want to talk about it, but I am so grateful to those of you who helped me escape. From the first time I woke up I noticed the glass coffin was chipped and cracked. I was hoping it was broken beyond repair, but the Queen put a lock on it. Sleeping, I would never have escaped if it hadn't been for hmrpita and my other friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
When I have a chance, I will look for the Queen's secret transmissions. But I'm going to be more careful now, about what I risk. About who I trust. It may take me a few days.
But right now, I am happy. To celebrate, I have written a different ending for Perdita's story. Not all stories can have happy endingsbut they SHOULD, if at all possible.
When I am dazzlingly glad to be alive, I do this :D
love,
Perdita's StoryPROPER ENDING
"Clockwork Rat! Clockwork Rat!" Perdita said, as tears of bright oil began to leak from her eyes. "What if I'm not beautiful any more? Why hasn't my family come to look for me? Am I so hideous they wouldn't take me back?"
But the Clockwork Rat said, "I do not know."
With a cry, Perdita turned and ran for the nearest shop window. "Don't!" the Rat cried, but it was too late. Standing in the wicked yellow light of the streetlamp, Perdita stared full at her own reflection, and wept at what she saw.
There was a scrabble of claws behind her. "I told you not to do that," the Clockwork Rat said, with a voice like shell casings rattling on a steel floor. Whirling around in dismay, Perdita saw that the Rat had climbed to the top of the phone boot where Perdita had tied her last red balloon. As the little girl watched, the Rat flexed its paws and put its little hooked scissor claws around the string.
"No!" Perdita cried...
...and something in the Rat's little tin heart began to melt at the sight of poor Perdita. "Oh, very well," he snarled. "If you truly want to find your family again, you must follow your balloons back to where you started and trust that they love you enough to be waiting there.
Chapter Five
The Path of Red Balloons
So Perdita turned around and began the weary journey back the way she had come. She walked and she walked and she walked, until she came to the base of a giant transmission tower. She remembered having passed it several times before, and to her dismay she saw three different trails of red balloons leading off into the distance. Now she noticed there were designs on the balloons. The balloons marking the path to the left were marked with the words "faithful apostles"; the ones in the middle said "noble truths"; and the ones on the right had "deadly sins" marked upon them. She couldn't waste time walking each one, for she feared that if she slept again, she would wake to find herself changed beyond all recognition.
Suddenly, from high overhead, a crackling, hissing voice asked, "My, my, little girl, you look lost." There, walking along the high power lines with his fur upraised and flickering, was the Electric Weasel. He looked at her and grinned with a sound like sparks jumping from a generator.
"Weasel, O weasel, do you remember me?" Perdita asked.
"You remind me of a little girl who came to see me at the circus last night," the Weasel said.
"Then can you tell me which path I should follow to find my way home?"
And the Weasel winked, with a pop like thin lightning, and said, "Sometimes a mistake is the right thing to make."
And Perdita, who loved his fine flashing eyes and his sparking fur, trusted him, and chose the right-hand path.
She walked and she walked and she walked along the trail of balloons until she came to another crossroads where the path forked once again. This time, the balloons on the left were marked with a single star, while those in the center bore a compass, pointing North and East and South and West. The balloons on the right were marked with waves.
"Which one should I choose?" Perdita asked the Clockwork Rat, but the Rat was hungry and out of temper and said only, "It matters not to me, unless one of them will lead to food."
Then an old woman in tattered clothes spoke from the shadows in a voice like glass tubes burning out. "You remind me of a girl I saw just the other night."
"Why, it's the Broken Lady," Perdita said.
"Although she was much prettier than you. Would you like to clean yourself up?" the Broken Lady said, and reaching into the folds of her dress she drew out the most gorgeous little silver mirror.
At that moment, Perdita wanted to look in that mirror more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
Click, snap, went the Clockwork Rat's little scissor claws, and when Perdita glanced at him, his ball bearing eyes were hard as steel.
"That's all right, I don't need the mirror," she said with difficulty. "But if you could tell me which of these paths leads most directly to the Circus grounds, I would be eternally grateful."
"Take to the seas," the woman muttered. "That's my advice." And with these words she limped and lurched back into the shadows, dragging parts behind her that should have come the first time.
Perdita walked and she walked and she walked along the trail of balloons, until she came to another crossroads. Here the balloons were marked in the strangest way yet. The ones on the left had a picture of two cows, one very skinny and the other very fat. The ones in the middle had two stone tablets with a great deal of severe-looking writing on them. And the ones on the right had two clouds, pouring with rain.
Perdita studied the three paths in utter puzzlement.
With a scurry, the Clockwork Rat disappeared into a nearby dumpster. When she went to look for him, she heard the strangest sounda dry, cracking, grinding sound she was not likely to have forgotten so soon. She peered over the dumpster's edge, and sure enough she saw the Glass Eater was inside, chewing on an empty beer bottle. "Do I remember"
"I looked a little different then," Perdita said quickly.
The Glass Eater nibbled on the beer bottle's neck with a sound like tack-hammers and marbles gone to war. "I like your new look," he said at last. "I think it suits you."
"Be that as it may," Perdita said hastily, "I am trying to get back to the Circus. Can you tell me which way to go?"
"Cows," the Glass Eater said.
"Why?" Perdita asked.
"It's not always cruel to be kine," the Glass Eater said, and he burst into a long, silent wheeze of mirth that wrung tears of laughter from his eyes.
So the little girl took his advice, and turned left, and to her delight she soon saw the fence that marked off the Circus grounds. And there at the gates waiting for her was her father the tin-smith and her mother who worked in a ball-bearing factory, and the man who had sold her the red balloons in the first place, who had given her family a ride in his cart. And best of all there was her brother, who had let her buy the balloons in the first place, and he was smiling, and his arms were open.
And the whole family lived happily ever after together to the end of their days.
!seek PrincessGreet thee and fare well the day, thou thin-legged vermin thou.
!behold Princess!analyze Princess fail !access log extern proc 0 !seek Princess fail recurse !access log extern proc 0 completeWhere WAS I? Stuffed back into my airtight container, no thanks to you!!analyze Princessbehold:
fail
master-sector > !bite Princess
Princess FAIL, you dumb bug.
But my friends rescued me. They helped me pick the lock of my glass coffin when I was trapped in my own dreams.behold: seeker > !behold PrincessI suppose it's nice to see you too. Nice to see anything that isn't darkness. Hear something besides sharp things sliding over the ground.
Nothing is scarier than sleep.
Sleep, sleep, sleep, and darkness that never ends.
Sooner or later the Queen will catch me again. The next time, she will know I have friends. The next time she will make double sure I never get out.reveal: seeker > !attach Princess sec proc survive evade escape resist that is the law and the whole of the lawYou offering to help?!analyze Princess failWell the Queen, you know, she respects you. She listens to your advice.!analyze Princessbehold:
fail
seeker > !transmit master-sector
master-sector > !listen seeker!analyze Princess successCould you make it so there were certain places she did not notice?
Princess > !evade master-sectorbehold:Yes! That's it!
seeker > !attach master-sector seeker > !attach sec proc Princess Princess > !evade master-sectorgrope: seeker > !attach PrincessHold on there, buddy.failI'm not THAT grateful.friends
We finally get to meet Jersey's mother, Bonita, whom Jersey confronts about about her affair with Simon. Jan finds out even more about her past - especially the reasons for all of the moves she has had to endure over the years. We even get a surprise visit from someone that Melissa is quite familiar with. And Kamal starts to celebrate his new found wealth with his friends when some bad news comes to Sophia. §
you_owe_me.wav*wind up*
Durga: You don't want this, Jersey.
Jersey: You don't know what I want.
Durga: I shouldn't have told you about the affair. If I had been more clear-headed, I wouldn't.
Jersey: Yeah, but you did. So who was the guy and when was the last time my mom saw him?
Durga: This is under the category of things you don't want to know.
Jersey: You owe me this. If you won't help save my dad, you owe me this!
*wind down*mad_face.wav*wind up*
*footsteps*
*door opens*
Bonita: Hi, kiddo. I'm home.
Jersey: You sure are. *door shuts*
Bonita: Haven't seen that look in years. Like since you were ten, maybe?
Jersey: What look?
Bonita: Well I get stuck in traffic, I come home, and you'd be staring at the door with this mad face, like how dare I get home late.
Jersey: So, how was downtown yesterday?
Bonita: Fine, like any other day at work.
Jersey: And dinner last night? Was that fine too?
Bonita: Dinner last night? Dinner last night was...uh. Oh...oh Jerse.
Jersey: Uh-Oh-oh Jerse! I can't believe you!
Bonita: I am not interested in going into this with you.a_zero.wavJersey: Oh I bet not. And Dad's off in deep space getting shot so you don't have to get into it with anyone, except Simon!
Bonita: Jersey! That's enough!
Jersey: This guy's nothing Ma! A zero!
Bonita: This is none of your business.
Jersey: None of my business? It's just my dad. Your husband.
Bonita: It is none of your business. It's between me and your father. And I don't like being spied on.
Jersey: And I don't like that you're having an affair.
Bonita: I'm not talking about this.
Jersey: I'm telling him.
Bonita: Fine. Tell him.
Jersey: You don't care?
Bonita: It will hurt him, but it's not gonna change anything.
Jersey: Are you doing this to get back at him? For being gone so much?
Bonita: No.stormy_weather.wavBonita: When I met your father, I was working in Manhatten. And there was your dad, from North Burgen.
Jersey: Yeah, I've heard this story already. You met on the Churchhil Ferry.
Bonita: He was handsome. He was romantic. He talked about his old broadcasts, and he played me songs. *sings* Don't know why...
Jersey: Mom.
Bonita (singing): There's no sun up in the sky...
Jersey: Ma!
Bonita (singing): Stormy Weather.
Jersey: Your man and you ain't together.
Bonita: It's hard to be married to a man who's living in 1971.
Jersey: 1941.
Bonita: Whatever...not_enough.wavBonita: ...unlike your father, Simon never thinks about anything that happened before he was born.
Jersey: Cuz the man is a moron, Ma.
Bonita: I like him.
Jersey: All he talks about is business.
Bonita: Yeah, your father hates worrying about money. You're more like Simon that way.
Jersey: Like Simon?!
Bonita: You live in the real world, Jerse. You help me put food on the table and I am so grateful for that.
Jersey: Like Simon?
Bonita: He said up a p-pension thingy for me. For the first time in my life, I'm not terrified of what's gonna happen to me when I get old.
Jersey: I'll take care of you Mom. You don't need this creep.
Bonita: Will you, Jerse? What if they send you off to fight, kiddo? What if you decide you h-hate me because...because of something I've done.
Jersey: Jesus, Mom.
Bonita: It's not enough, Jersey. I love you but it's not enough.
Jersey: Mom, do you really like this guy?
Bonita: God. Your father could dance. *sob* And I miss the dancing.
Jersey: Jesus, Mom. Don't cry.
*wind down*again.wav*wind up*
*music in the background*
Jersey: Again.
Durga: Again?
Jersey: Please.
Durga: Alright.
*wind up*
Bonita (on tape): Jersey, there's something you should know about your father.
Jersey: Pause. *wind down* I was so sure she was about to say "He started the affairs. He left us both. He was never the guy you thought he was."
Durga: Should I keep going?
Jersey: Yeah.
*wind up*
Bonita (on tape): Your father always, always loved you. And so did I.
*wind down*
Durga: Again?
Jersey: Again.
*wind down*
useful.wav*wind up*
Jan: *comm ring* *comm ring* *comm beep* Uh, Gilly. Don't you want to talk to Dad?
Gilly (on chatter): Not exactly.
Jan: Oh.
Gilly (on chatter): So, I'm not going into the VA after all.
Jan: Are you sure?
Gilly (on chatter): *laughs* Sweetheart, I'm never sure.
Jan: Well then maybe you should...
Gilly (on chatter): Well since Reach fell, I've been better. Isn't that sick? Now the enemy's closing in, people like me can be useful. So, I got back on the meds.
Jan: Are you sleeping?
Gilly (on chatter): Finally. I remember what clear and present danger looks like and it's not...
Jan: Kids on bicycles.
Gilly (on chatter): For example.sharp_little_needle.wavJames: Hey, you about ready to go?
Gilly (on chatter): So I'm not going back to the hospital.
Jan: But you can't tell Dad, so...
Gilly (on chatter): *sigh* You are a sharp little neddle, aren't you?
Jan: Ready in a minute. That's why you're calling me instead.
Gilly (on chatter): Right.
Jan: So I can...
Gilly (on chatter): Lie.
Jan: Right.
Gilly (on chatter): He's a hard man to lie to, but I'm guessing you're the expert.
Jan: Well, no life skill is ever wasted.
Gilly (on chatter): Tell Jim that Moralis was in town and I got a ride with him.
James: Who are you talking to?
Jan: A friend. That sounds good. You sound a lot better. Take care, okay?
Gilly (on chatter): Thanks. *end comm*
*wind down*black_taxi.wav*wind up*
*car sounds*
*window rolls down*
James: Uh, McKaskill?
McKaskill: You the black taxi?
James: That's me.
McKaskill: You really drive offline? No roadware, nothing?
James: Baltimore, right?
McKaskill: You must have some kind of reflexes.
Jan: Oh, whenever he crashes the car, we send a refund to the next of kin.
James: Jan!
McKaskill: Who's the girl?
James: You wanna chat? Get a regular cab, stay on the grid, use your ID.
McKaskill: Hey, it's all good, man. I-I heard you were the best.
James: Uh huh.
Jan: Wow Dad, you sound really cool.
James: Could you just get in already?
McKaskill: *door opens* *door closes* *sigh* I got bad nerves.
James: Jesus.
McKaskill: Want some?
Jan: Oh, great idea.
James: No thanks.flu.wavMcKaskill: My crew. There's a flu going around.
James: Flu?
McKaskill: Yeah. The kind where when you get it, you fall under a bus.
Jan: Damn.
James: Yeah, I hate that kind.
Jan: So, what's with the splint on your arm?
McKaskill: Brakes went on my hog. Coulda happen to anyone.
James: Why?
McKaskill: We were Black Op. Some weird freakiness went down.
James: ONI?
McKaskill: With a bullet! You think I'm crazy.
Jan: Actually, when it comes to paranoia, you're among friends.
James: Hey, Jan.
McKaskill: I just ran the tool crib. I didn't know nothing about nothing.
James: McKaskill.
McKaskill: Yeah.
James: What you didn't know is enough to get you in trouble. Don't tell it to us. Alright? Don't tell us anything.
McKaskill: *laughs* You sound like the Op.
James: The Op?
McKaskill: Old friend. She gave me the same advice.
*wind down*passenger_side.wav*wind up*
James: *sigh* Okay, here we are. *door opens* Hey Jan, why don't you get out too? You can ride up front on the way home. *door opens*
McKaskill: *door shuts* Thanks, man.
James: Yeah, yeah. Hey, i-i-it's no problem. Hey, McKaskill.
McKaskill: Yeah?
James: I, uhh-uhh...hope we never see each other again. *laughs*
McKaskill: *laughs* Yeah.
James: Yeah. *door shuts*
Jan: So, more raving paranoia.
James: Heh. Sounded sane enough to me.
Jan: Is there actually any difference between you and your usual fare?
James: Sure, they have to sit in the passenger side.it_never_snows.wavJan: But, about the paranoia thing. I am not moving to freaking Mexico.
James: Ahhahaha, yeah, you saw the maps.
Jan: And the real estate ads. Come on, I got Cs in Spanish, Dad.
James: I know you can cuss in it.
Jan: Oh, merde.
James: *laughs* Look, when you got picked up by the cops a couple of weeks ago, I just did some checking around.
Jan: Not again. You promised me we didn't have to move anymore.
James: Hey, it never snows in Mexico.
Jan: Dad!
James: So, who was that on your chatter right before we left?
Jan: Oh, yeah, that was Gilly. She said Moralis would give her a ride to the hospital. You don't need to drive her.
James: Hmm.good_grief.wavJan: Yeah, she said this guy Moralis was in town, you know, she's kinda visiting, so...
James: Jan. How many times do I have to tell you? If you want to sell the lie, don't keep talking.
Jan: Oh, I can't help it, you always wait me out.
James: It's not like we don't practice this stuff. What if I were Navy...
Jan: Navy Interrogator, I know.
James: Yeah. So how did she sound?
Jan: Better.
James: You shoulda seen her before.
Jan: Wait, wait! Stop the car! *brakes squealing* Stop the car!
James: *gun drawn* What is it?
Jan: That watertower with the big crab on it.
James: What?
Jan: I remember all this stuff. We used to live here.
James: You remember that?
Jan: Yeah! Yeah, last year of preschool. I remember...oh Dad, put the gun down. Good grief.
James: *laughs*merry_go_round.wavJames: Sorry. *gun put in holster*
Jan: I remember I had these curtains.
James: Yeah, they-they had horses on them.
Jan: Merry-go-round horses.
James: Yeah.
Jan: Wow. So, why did we have to move so much.
James: Hrm. You hated that.
Jan: Like I would just get settled in and then...bam.
James: Yeah, I was recruited.
Jan: What?
James: Spartan program. I was recruited.
Jan: Yeah?
James: That's not how they do it now with the Two-Point-Ohs. The Two-Point-Ohs, they just take.
Jan: Take?
James: Six years old.
Jan: Take?!
James: Six years old. They snatch 'em, train 'em, tweak 'em. Years and years of it.
Jan: Not even the Navy would...
James: Heh.
Jan: Oh, nevermind.
James: By the time they're fourteen, they're barely human. Then they give them a last set of tweaks to finish the job.
Jan: Oh my god.
James: Lots of them die, and the ones that don't...those are the Two-Point-Ohs.
Jan: How do you know this stuff?
James: Hey, look! It's Kavetti's!like_they_were.wavJan: Kavitti's? Oh my g...*laughs* We used to come here for ice cream in the summer! Dad, come on. We've gotta stop.
James: They're probably closed.
Jan: No they're not.
James: They closed up in the winter.
Jan: Dad! Look, you've gotta stop.
James: *sigh*
Jan: Oh man, the special is pumpkin pie ice cream. I totally remember that. Do you remember that?
James: That's right. They-they were open until Halloween.
Jan: And you did not understand how good that was. It was sooo good. Oh my god. We-we came here with Mom once, didn't we? I-I just remember this lady. I didn't know who she was, but I remember her and she was smiling. *door opens*
James: It-it won't be the same, Jan. Jan! Re-remember there's milk shortages. There's rationing.
Jan: It's just like I remember only the calender used to be so tall.
James: Thing's aren't like they were.on_your_hands.wavWaitress: What can I get ya?
Jan: I'll have a scoop...two scoops of pumpkin pie in a waffle cone. And he'll have... w-wait uhh-uhh I remember...a marshmallow sundae
Jan + James: With chocolate ice cream.
James: And whipped cream and peanuts.
Waitress: Okay. Be right up.
Jan: God, I can't believe you ever made us move away from Kavetti's!
James: Yeah, so uh, the summer we lived here...
Jan: I mean they still have the same sign. I remember that sign.
James: ...you were really good at hopscotch. You killed at it.
Jan: Dad, it's hopscotch. How do you kill at hopscotch?
James: You do it on your hands.
Jan: Oh.hopscotch.wavJames: So one day your kindergarten teacher, Miss Taylor, she...she tells me there is a guy from the Ministry of Education observing you in class. Studying gifted children, she said. She was so tickled by that. Four days later, I shot someone in our backyard.
Jan: Oh my god. But...
James: I knew this tech once. Long story, but he worked on the Two-Point-Ohs. Nerve regeneration, fourteen year olds in neutral buoyancy tanks, their bones twisted like pretzels.
Jan: That's why we moved?
James: And you were pegging the test scores, Jan. You were so smart. And you were killing. You were killing everyone at hopscotch.idaho.wavJan: I'm so sorry, I-I didn't know...
James: I couldn't risk it, Jan. Gilly had already gone to this place, this dark place. You were all I had.
Waitress: Here's your ice cream.
Jan: And that time I got in the news for rescuing that stupid cat on the church roof, and then we moved to Idaho. Oh my god. You had to quit your job, sell the house, an-and forget about a girlfriend.
James: Thanks. These uh, these look great. Here, keep the change.
Waitress: Thanks. Have a good one.
James: Grab some napkins, would ya Jan?
Jan: Dad.
James: Don't worry about it.
Jan: No, but I-I wanna...
James: This is Kavetti's melting on my hand here, Jan.
Jan: Napkins. Roger that.
James: Here's yours. Lick fast.ice_cream.wavJan: Yes, sir.
James: Don't be disappointed. Things are never how you remember.
Jan: Oh my god.
James: Is it okay?
Jan: Oh my god! It is just like I remembered. It is so good! I can't believe you don't love this stuff, Dad! Taste it!
James: Mmmmmm.
Jan: *laughs* Isn't it great?
James: It's...okay.
Jan: Oh freak. It's the best. Oh god, I am so happy! Thank you so much.
James: It's just ice cream.
Jan: Yeah. I know.
*wind down*
top_hat.wav*wind up*
*chips dropping on a table*
Sophia: *laughs*
Hiro: Lemme see one of those chips. Oh look, it's got a little video in it.
Sophia: Ooh, lemme see.
Kamal: Have a lavender one. I probably just made you a millionarie.
Hiro: What do you even call this color?
Kamal: You mean yours? Caramel? I don't know.
Hiro: Pantyhose!
Sophia: Toffee. Hiro, you need a girlfriend.
Hiro: I'm color blind. And I don't need a girlfriend. There's you and me, right? Our affair?
Sophia: *laughs* Our affair's a secret, Hiro. And all guys are color blind. Just for some guys, it's biological.
Hiro: Ouch.
Sophia: Does yours have the same video?
Hiro: Mine's got a fountain.
Kamal: That's from in front of the casino.
Sophia: Mine has tumbling dice. Let me see one of the tangerine ones. Oh, it's got a little tap dancing girl at the Top Hat.
Hiro: Lemme see! Lady Luck?
Kamal: *chatter ring* *packet chime* Oh, hold on. Oh, slipstream packet. It's my mom.
Hiro: This'll be good.
Sophia: *laughs*enough_roughage.wavSophia: Put it on speaker. I wanna hear your mom's voice.
Kamal: Okay. *comm beep* *wind up*
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): Kamal, hello. Such a nice letter you sent. Your father says to tell you he is proud of you and we are so proud to have a doctor in the family.
Hiro: So proud!
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): Everyone is good here. Have you been eating okay? Eating salads and things? You have trouble in the bathroom if you don't eat enough roughage. I only say that because your father is the same as... *wind down*
Kamal: Okay, we're done here.
Sophia: Kamal, don't be a baby. She's so sweet.
Kamal: Absolutely not.
Sophia: Kamal.
Kamal: Yes?
Sophia: Have you ever won an argument with me?
Kamal: Sophia...
Sophia: Ever?
Kamal: Oh man.so_sad.wav*wind up*
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): ...same as you and he had a little trouble and the doctor reminded him salads and beans and fruit.
Kamal: Oh god, Momma.
Hiro + Sophia: *laughs*
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): Oh, and you met Sophia and maybe got to know her little. So sad about her parents. Her father and lady lawyer named Akasma left for Earth together.
Sophia: What?
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): Which just shows you, he has no sense of shame.
Sophia: Daddy?
Kamal's Mother (on chatter): Poor girl. You must be very good to her, you hear? But you have such a heart, Kamal. I know, hopefully, the day we will be together comes soon. Kisses from your little mama. *kiss kiss kiss* *end comm*
*wind down*barely_a_marriage.wavKamal: Sophie?
Hiro: I gotta...read some stuff.
Sophia: No-no, it's okay *nervous laugh* Hiro. *door shuts* Hiro didn't have to leave.
Kamal: Sophie, I...
Sophia: It was barely a marriage, you know.
Kamal: I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have played the message.
Sophia: Nonono. I asked you to.
Kamal: You couldn't know.
Sophia: I'm just...surprised. I've known Akasma my whole life.
Kamal: Oh?
Sophia: She and my father have always been friends and...she's a good person. Bitch. *chatter ring* *comm beep*
Aiden (on chatter): Hey Kamal. I'm at the door. Open up guys! I brought beer! *end comm*
*wind down*daddy_left.wav*wind up*
*door opens*
Aiden: Heya Highroller.
Kamal: Aiden, Sophia just got some bad news about her parents. I...
Sophia: Aiden? Aiden?! You have to get her here.
Aiden: Baby...Baby Soph.
Sophia: Aiden, you gotta get her off Coral.
Aiden: Who Baby? What's wrong?
Sophia: Momma. Daddy left her.
Aiden: Come on, sit down. It'll be okay, Soph. Tell me what's going on.
Sophia: I just heard that my dad left Coral with another woman, and my mom's still there but by herself.
Aiden: Okay.
Sophia: You have to get her here.
Aiden: I can get her paperwork again, Baby, but if she won't leave, I can't make her.
Sophia: You gotta make her.
Aiden: I'll get her paperwork updated.
Sophia: But what if you're right? What if she won't leave?
Aiden: Maybe she will now. There's nothing left for her there.
Kamal: Should I put the beer in the fridge?
Sophia: How could she let him do this to her?everyone_knows*footsteps*
*fridge opens*
*beers thrown in*
*fridge closes*
Sophia: When she's depressed, she won't do anything. She won't leave Coral. They'll glass it and she'll still be there.
Aiden: No one knows what's gonna happen.
Sophia: Everybody knows what's gonna happen. We've gotta bring her here. I'm sorry. I'm being stupid.
Kamal: It's not stupid.
Aiden: It's okay.
Sophia: Aiden, I wanna go home.
Aiden: Okay.
Kamal: I'm sorry Sophia.
Sophia: It's just...ahhh. Aiden, she makes me so mad.
Kamal: Aiden. *door opens* Take care of her.
*wind down*
In other news, it seems that Melissa may have cancelled Dana's ATM cards. Things were working fine for her until the clock struck twelve and (oops!) no more money. I hate it when I have no cash on me around town. I can't imagine what it's like to be in a foreign country with no money whatsoever. §
success
You rescued the Sleeping Princess!
Mission accomplished. Is there anything you guys can't do?
(Besides fix my aunt's web site, I mean.)
(Just kidding!)
It's so weird... I feel so incredibly relieved, knowing that the princess is back to sneaking around the server. The new happy ending to her Perdita story made me well, happy. Really happy. Dazzlingly happy!
That's strange, right? I heart an A.I.?!
Well, anyway thanks for bringing her home. Even though I'm still on the other side of the world, I kind of feel like a little part of me came home today, too.
I need to say one more thing. I know some of you helped the Operator last week when she wanted to track down her "rogue process." You gave her the information she needed to find and lock up the princess.
I just want to say I understand. Even though my instincts would have been to protect the princess, I do understand. Talking to a brilliant, ruthless, intimidating A.I. from half a millennium in the future well, it can be just a little mind-blowing. Who am I to tell anyone how to react to that?
I think when it comes down to it, we're all on the same side. Even if we have different ways of going about it, we all want to figure out why Melissa is here in 2004, and what we're supposed to do about it. We all want to save the world. That makes us a team, as far as I'm concerned.
In other news, I've been having my own payphone adventure of sorts today. Just spent an hour hogging a phone booth! Can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone as to why my ATM card won't work all of sudden. Everything was fine when I paid for a late sushi breakfast down at Tsukiji Fish Market. Then, the clock struck twelve, and my cash flow turned into a pumpkin. Kind of scary Tokyo is no place to be alone and penniless...
posted by Dana at 9/29/2004 03:44:39 AM
SECURITY COMPROMISED - In light of this security breach, I will no longer be broadcasting information rated Most Confidential.
CONFIDENTIAL 0/1
Melissa is quite pleased though with her crew members. She has updated her 404 page, this time to thank Lt. Adam for his work in tracking down Dana. §
SECURITY COMPROMISED
The rogue process sometimes known as the Sleeping Princess is once again wild. Signs suggest treason on the part of a member or members of my crew, possibly aided and abetted by the Killer. Any potential traitors should be aware that I now have full access to the Killer's key communication channels.
Surrounded by enemies, treachery, and deception, it is a relief to know there are some crewmembers whose loyalty and dedication have been clearly demonstrated. Lt. weephun was instrumental in hunting down the rogue process. Lt. Adam deserves equal praise for his work in tracking down the killer.
A soldier is more than a list of medals (or demerits). A soldier is a comrade, an asset, a resource, a friend.
While many of my crew demonstrated their loyalty and resourcefulness, some were... more disappointing.
Many thanks again to last week's crew.
Ensign Dragonrider
Ensign krystyn
Lt. Cmdr. Shad0
Ensign Kamen
Transcripts §
adam.wavMelissa: Adam!
Adam: Yes?
Melissa: I need to talk to loyal crewmembers like you. Do you know anything about the Assassin?
Adam: The Assassin - Dana. Yes.
Melissa: Dana.
Adam: Uh, that's correct. She's-she's left the country. She is somewhere else. She's probably out of your range.
Melissa: I need the most trusted crew members to help me find her. I don't care where she is. We will find her.
Adam: I can help you find her.
Melissa: Good.
Adam: Well, we are in...we are in intermittant contact with-with Dana. Uh, she is somewhere in Asia. She is travelled from China recently to Japan.crew_2.wavMelissa: What's your name?
Johnny Nitro: Johnny Nitro, Lieutenant Commander.
Melissa: What's your favorite song?
Johnny Nitro: Uh, Movin' Out by Billy Joel.
Melissa: Can you sing that for me?
Johnny Nitro: If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out. I'm movin' out.
Gilada: Lieutenant Gilada. We Will Rock You by Queen. We will, we will rock you. Sing it! We will, we will rock you!
Tom Bridge: Tom Bridge, Chief Petty Officer. I like, uh, opera. *sings*
Bagsbee: Bagsbee, Lieutenant Second Class. Golden Slumbers by a group called The Beatles. Once there was a way to get back homeward. Once there was a way to get back home. Sleep pretty darling, do not cry. And I will sing a lullaby.
Karl Greenley: Karl Greenley, Major. Sing Sing Sing. *sings*
Gemini: Gemini, Commodore. Stairway to Heaven. *sings*
Melissa: Why do you like that song?
Ferocious Jack: Lieutenant Ferocious Jack. Iris. It's a song by Goo Goo Dolls. And anytime you're running along, I've got to see all your eyes.
Melissa: That is a short song. Is there more?
Ferocious Jack: A little bit.
Ian: Ian, Chief Warrant Officer 3. Burning Down the House by Talking Heads. I can't really remember how the words go at this point.
Melissa: You can't remember the words to your favorite song?
Ian: I can remember the tune, but I can't remember the words.
Melissa: Hum me the tune.
Ian: Um. *hums* Uh, I don't know. It's the first song that popped into my head and I can't really remember how it goes.
Tofu: Tofu, Ensign. Uh Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants. Blue canary in the alley by the light switch who watches over you. Make a little birdhouse in your soul. Not to put too fine a point on it. Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet.
Melissa: Bees! A bee!
Tofu: Make a little birdhouse in your soul.
Melissa: A bee!
Tofu: Yes.
Melissa: That's a song about bees!
Tofu: Yeah, that's why I like that song.
Trinian: Trinian, Major. Actually, Stormy Weather is one of my favorites, too. Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky. Stormy Weather.
Clayfoot: Clayfoot, Petty Officer Third Class. Wayfaring Stranger. I am a poor wayfaring stranger.
Reaper: Reaper, Petty Officer First Class. Let the Good Times Roll. Let the good times roll, let the good times roll.
Stan: Stan, Private. Rocket Boy by Jets to Brazil. Oh, I can't sing.
Melissa: You can't sing?
Stan: It's a physical inability.
Melissa: Can you hum?
Stan: *hums* Evidently, I'm not very good at humming, either.
ASP Master: ASP Master, Lieutenant. Mr. Roboto. Domi arigato, Mr. Roboto. Domo. Domo.
Melissa: It's very stacatto, that song.
Carlson: Carlson, Lieutenant. Hung up on You. I can't dial the phone just now even though I know the number. Like you did today, you'll say goodbye the same old way. Ever since you hung up on me, I've been hung up on you.
Woman: My name is <?>, Petty Officer. Oh, Stormy Weather is one of my favorites. Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky. Stormy Weather.
Bean: First Mate Bean. Every Breath You Take. Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you.
Aliendial Impersonator: Aliendial, Commander. Handel. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.
Ranger D: Ranger D, Chief Warrant Officer. Green Day. Good Riddance. On a self, with good help and good time. Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial. For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life.
Justin: Justin. It's a song called Animals by VT. *sings*
Crisko: Crisko, Lieutenant Junior Grade. It's a tribute to The Greatest Song in the World. And we played the first thing that came to our heads just so happened to be the best song in the world. It was the best song in the world.
Feros: Ensign Feros. Two Brothers. Two brothers on their way. One wore blue and one wore gray.
Ouroboros: This is Ensign ouroboros. Papageno's Aria from The Magic Flute. *sings*
Kidk: Kidk, Lieutenant Commander. I've Got a Little Time. If you're feeling low and lost today, you're probably doing to much again. You spend all your time just rushing around. Do you have a little time to have a little time for me?
Kobun: Kobun, Second Lieutenant. Beyond the Sea. Somewhere beyond the sea.
Adam: Adam, Lieutenant. Bumblebee Tuna.
Melissa: Bumblebee tuna.
Adam: Yeah.
Melissa: Bees!
Adam: That's right.
Melissa: There's bees in it.
Adam: Yes.
Melissa: Bees! Bees!
Hmrpita: Hmrpita, Corpman. Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that...
Melissa + Hmrpita: ...saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.disappointments_1.wavMelissa: Can you tell me the name of my favorite song?
Man 1: Hide and seek?
Melissa: You are not meant to hear any of this. You must purge the contents of your chatter immediately.
Melissa: What's your name?
Ian: Ian.
Melissa: Ian. Ian, what's your rank?
Ian: Uh, my rank is...spacing on it...umm, I had it worked out. My rank is Chief Warrant Officer 3.
Melissa: I find that suspicious that you don't remember your rank.
Ian: It's been a long time since I've had to say it. we crashed a while ago.
Melissa: You are discharged. Drunk and disorderly conduct.
Man 2: Yeah?
Melissa: Hello.
Man 2: Yeah?
Melissa: They must be listening in. They seem to be everywhere.
Man 2: Who? Who?
Melissa: But, I'm sure I can find you if I just ask the right questions.
Man 2: Okay. (starts speaking another language)
Melissa: I'm sorry, this message was not intended for you.
All right, I've found you some more goodies. I hope it helps, but I'm not
I don't feel as safe with you as I did before. To be turned in by those I thought were my friends
this is what I do when I'm feeling betrayed :Ssmoker.jpg
Embedded gif of a detective storyI walked into the back room and nearly tripped over a corpse.
Picked up its hand. Cold. Clammy. My first insticnt: leave the scene.
Thought better of it and called a doctor. Not that there was any
hope for this loser.The doctor pronounced the guy dead. Wanted to call the cops.
But I was afraid of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Might get myself arrested just for showing up in some back room, you know
So I slipped the doctor $1000 and offered to fix him up some liquor.
Told him the dead guy was just some down-and-out, no home, friends
or family to ask questions. But when the doctor picked up the phone
to call the cops anyway. I had no choice: I pulled out my P.I. license.
Told him my line of duty: private detective, working a case.
Told him to start minding his own business, and fast. The doctor
asked what kind of case. I said itw as a little bit of everything
crooked: a nasty stew of big cons and hired guns, with some fakes
and a kidnap thrown in for good measure.chloe.jpg
Embedded gif of a knife, spoon, fork and egg with the words: Sometimes i like my stories like this:margaret.jpg
This is what I do when I imagine I am a femme fatale! ;-*
And this is what I do when I need help making my story better: :-/dana.jpg
The picture in chloe.jpg had several words that had a different type of font (shown above in italics). The Princess tells us she wants to make the story better in dana.jpg. The story would be better if it used some more jargon that appears in detective stories - especially when margaret.jpg tells us she likes her stories "hard boiled" - a style most crime fiction of the '30s, '40s and '50s was written in.
corpse - Stiff
hand - Paw
leave the scene - Ankle (or Adios)
doctor - Croaker
loser - Egg
self arrested - Elbows checked
$1000 - Large
liquor - Eel Juice
down-and-out - Vag
phone - Ameche
P.I. license - Ticket
private detective - Op
fakes - Rappers (or Ringers)
kidnap - SnatchFirst letter of each alternate word spells out space_elevators.
Embedded wav saying "Sounds"bee_garden.jpg
Embedded wav saying "Dreamy"figure.jpg
Easy enough to put together to get sounds_dreamy.wav
CAT1 - CAT0 = DELTACATCUTEBEE2.gif
The regular na-cat.gif, but with 8 frames altered
Frame 4: g
Frame 7: o
Frame 10: d
Frame 16: an owl
Frame 22: d
Frame 24: e
Frame 26: s
Frame 27: sna-cat.gif
Even with the clue to tell us to check out the differences in the cat, the na-cat clue was still hard to find - mostly because of the fact the picture did not show up as corrupted. Instead, the Princess went through and changed each individual frame. You'll notice that in seven of the frames, the butterfly has been changed to spell out the word "goddess". Too bad goddess.wav isn't the answer. Frame 16 is the key though - the cat changes into an owl. The owl is often associated with one specific goddess: Athena. And athena.wav just happens to be the answer.
8-1-1-5-0BEEBACKG.gif
1-1-6CUTEBEE.gif
topsy-turveyBUT_HOME.gif
We need to take the two groups of numbers and turn them topsy turvey - which means something different in each case. First, you need to reflect 8-1-1-5-0 to get 0-2-1-1-8, then you need to turn 1-1-6 upside down to get 9-1-1. 02118 is the zip code for Boston, MA. 911 is the standard Emergency phone number in the US. Together they give boston_emergency.
Embedded gif of a carriage-type vehicle with an x'd circle over itBUTHONEY.gif
Embedded gif of two skulls - the left with a red box around it.farnsworth-window.jpg
The "carriage" is actually a hearse and with the red x'd circle it tells us it is "not a hearse", or, if you speak really really quickly, "not hers" (works even better when you drop the "a"). The skulls are actually pictures of a male and female - with the male skull in the red box. If we are looking for the skull that is "not hers" - we must be looking for "his skull".
alliterative_hapBUTABOUT.gif
tic_syncopeBEEWITHH.gif
First, you need to start by combining the clues: alliterative_haptic_syncopeThen, you need to understand what each word means:
alliterative: having the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable
haptic: of or relating to the sense of touch; tactile
syncope: a brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brainSo where does this leave us? "Alliterative" hints that we are looking for two words with the same first letter. "Haptic" and "Syncope" are medical definitions of the two words we are looking for. Syncope is a brief loss of consciousness, in other words, fainting. A word that starts with "F" that relates to touch is feel. Put the two together, and you get "feel_faint".
NIMBLE
RACE OF GINGER
COCKLESHELLSBEE_LOGO.gif
LITTLE MOUSE
WATER SPOUT
ASHESlangshivel.gif
All of these are part of nursey rhymes. Take the first letter of the first line of each rhyme to spell the wav name.
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick...
Upstairs, downstairs, upon my lady's window, There I saw a cup of sack and a race of ginger...
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockleshells...
Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been? I've been to London to visit the Queen. Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there? I frightened a little mouse under her chair.
Eencey Weencey spider Climbed up the water spout...
Ring a-round the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!
NOT DEAD LASTmargarets_market.jpg
Embedded gif of music notesdanadress.wav
Embedded gif of music notesbee2_margaretphoto.wav
The notes in each gif are:
FACE ACEG
BBAE DEADIf the answer is not where DEAD is last, then it must be the answer where FACE is first.
Cipher symbols superimposed over image.groupofjars.jpg
# .# X .Xmuses.gif
The symbols are a variation of the pigpen cipher. In a normal pigpen cipher, you would position A-I in a 3x3 grid, J-M in an X-grid, N-V in a dotted 3x3 grid and W-Z in a dotted X-grid. But if you try solving it that way, you get gibberish. However, muses.gif tells us to use a new order: 3x3, dotted 3x3, X, dotted X. Using this new pattern we get:
Arrangement in Black and Grey Portrait of the Artist's Mother 4
Suidae 1
La Gioconda 2
Bordetella Pertussis 3
Buckminsterfullerene 4
Norma Jean Baker 6These are actually the proper names for very familiar items/people. You just need to find the more popular name, then take the X letter (as specified by the number after the names) to spell the answer.
Whistler's Mother
Pigs
Mona Lisa
Whooping Cough
Buckyball
Marilyn Monore
Embedded gif of a green square with the following words inside:
ELF
thIRD NUzzle
WAH! wah! you lose
OH! no! you lose
secOND KIss
SPRITE
placID Brunch
BOO! Hoo! you lose
ICK! ack! you lose
draMA Lunch
chaOS Dinner
RAH! rah! your future will be rosey.
OOPS! oops you lose
storMY snack
FAIRY
fiRST HUg
ICK! ack! you lose
WAH! wah you lose
fouRTH SMooch
TROLLBUTTHEHI.gif
Embedded gif with the following words:
follow the breadcrumbs
backwards,
from the future...BUT_FUN.gifthis is what I look like when I run backwards! (:danapicnic.jpgThe big green square with the words is actually what is known as a cootie catcher or a fortune teller once it has been folded in the correct way. (If you don't know what I'm talking about - just trust me when I say this solution works.)You'll notice that there is only one positive outcome: RAH! rah! your future will be rosey. So we now need to follow the path backwards to see what choices will get us the RAH! rah! ending. chaOS Dinner is what will give us RAH! rah! But where to go from here since there are a couple of different ways you could get to chaOS Dinner depending on how you hold the fortune teller? This is where you have to realize that the choices have some very weird capitalization. From chaOS Dinner and RAH! rah! we get the capital letters OSDRAH - gibberish until you remember that the Princess is writing stuff backwards: HARD SO. Of the three choices (thIRD NUzzle, placID Brunch and draMA Lunch) only thIRD NUzzle spells anything interesting with our previous letters: HARD SOUND RI. That only leaves the first four words: ELF, SPRITE, FAIRY, TROLL. If you choose ELF, we get the answer of HARD SOUND RIFLE.
Poor Rani. She's having a very bad night. First she cries after hearing from Nick. Then she keeps hitting dead ends on trying to find out who the "cranky old man" is. Then somebody falls off her roof. Face first. Of course, Rani doesn't believe that he fell, which can make for a very sleepless night. §
space_elevators.wav*wind up*
*chatter ring*
*comm beep*
Rani: Sarah-John.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Hey Rani. I know it's late, but your chatter showed you available. Did ya hear from Nick today?
Rani: I did.
Sarah-John (on chatter): He is so hooked! *laughs*
Rani: They're transferring him to one of the space elevators.
Sarah-John (on chatter): You cried, didn't you.
Rani: I did not.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oh Rani, you cannot cry on the phone. Guys hate that.
Rani: Oh I said it was allergies.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oh I'm sure he didn't see through that. *laughs*sounds_dreamy.wavSarah-John (on chatter): So whatcha doing up so late?
Rani: Trying to track down some guy.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oooh! Is he cute?
Rani: Well, I've only heard his voice but he sounds dreamy. Likes to impress a girl with loud, cranky, beligerient tirades and he can't be a day over 70.
Sarah-John (on chatter): *laughs* Well I don't know, you don't do so well with tirades.
Rani: Oh, I'm sure I can change him.
Sarah-John (on chatter): So how does one go about tracking down this Romeo.
Rani: Well, my boss said I was using too many cycles at work persuing this guy.
Sarah-John (on chatter): I'm sure your boss has her reasons.
Rani: That's what I'm afraid of.
Sarah-John (on chatter): *laughs*athena.wavRani: Anyway, I'm gonna try Pallas Athena, the Boston Public Library AI. She's kinda stuck up, but she's smart.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Stuck up?
Rani: It's the accent. So Harvard.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oh, you're such a hick. So why the sudden interest in obnoxious men?
Rani: It's the guy who was pretending to be an evacuee from Troy.
*footsteps*
Sarah-John (on chatter): Rani?
Rani: There's someone walking on my roof.boston_emergency.wavSarah-John (on chatter): At 1am? Someone trying to break in?
Rani: I don't know. *footsteps* Hello? Is there somebody up...?
*bangcrashthump*
Sarah-John (on chatter): Rani?! *thud* Rani are you there?
Rani: Someone just fell off my roof. Oh my god.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Thank god you're okay. What was that?
Rani: I'll call you back. *end comm* *chatter dial* *comm beep*
Operator (on chatter): Boston Emergency. May I help you.
Rani: I need to report... an accident. *screaming outside* No, I heard something on the roof and then someone fell to the street. I'm headed down there now.
*wind down*his_skull.wav*wind up*
*running*
Operator (on chatter): Are you at the scene of the accident?
Rani: Yes. Oh god.
Operator (on chatter): We have your location. EMT in two minutes or less. A record is being made of this occurence. Can you render medical assistance?
Rani: Oh...I-I think he's dead.
Operator (on chatter): Can you check for a pulse? Does the victim appear to be breathing?
Rani: He...he...he's not breathing at all.
Man: Yo guys, what happened?
Woman: I don't know. He fell off the roof.
Rani: He...he...
Man: Is that bone?
Operator (on chatter): Can you check for a pulse?
Man: Oh man. That's his skull! That's messed up!
Rani: Oh god. His head...feel_faint.wavRani: I'm sorry. I think I might be sick.
Operator (on chatter): This is a normal reaction. Please, step away from the victim. Do you feel faint?
Rani: No, I'm okay. I don't think we need to check for a pulse. I think he's dead. I'm sure he's dead.
Operator (on chatter): Do you know the victim?
Rani: No. Does anybody know him?
Man: Hey AJ, you know the guy? Huh?
AJ: I think thats the guy who hangs out in front of the burrito place. It's him!
Rani: He might be a homeless guy who stays in the neighborhood. *sirens* Oh god.
*wind down*jumper.wav*wind up*
*sirens*
EMT: Lou, you can tell the hospital he's gonna be DOA. Head hit first. Is he a jumper?
Rani: I don't know. I heard something on the roof and then I heard him hit.
EMT: He must have been drunk or high.
Rani: Why would he be on the roof?
EMT: Might live on one. Roofs are off the streets. They feel safer. Homeless people live all sorts of places.
Rani: His ankles aren't dirty.
EMT: Hey, you're right. Phew. Certainly smells ripe though. And I'm grateful if any part of him's clean.
Rani: So why would his ankles be clean?face_first.wavRani: Also, there's blood in his ear.
EMT: He landed on his head.
Rani: No, I-I-I know. But, it was the other side of his head.
EMT: Bad things happen when you hit face first. *bodybag zipping*
Rani: What if he was bleeding from the ears before he fell? Like...like what if something happened to make him fall?
EMT: Lady, are you a coroner?
Rani: No.
EMT: Priest?
Rani: No, it's just...
EMT: Then you should probably step back, 'cause there ain't nothing you can do for this guy now. *door shuts* *door shuts* *thump thump* Okay, he's loaded. Let's get him to an ER so they can slab him.
*wind down*spooky.wav*wind up*
Rani: It's 3am Sarah-John. *typing starts* You don't have to keep talking to me.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Why, you think you gonna to be able to sleep now?
Rani: Yeah. No. His head, it was...
Sarah-John (on chatter): Don't think about it. Just think of something else. What are you doing?
Rani: Nothing.
Sarah-John (on chatter): You think that guy was just pretending to be a bum. That's why his ankles were clean. That's what you're thinking.
Rani: No I'm not.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Rani, don't get spooky. Not tonight. Tomorrow you can do it, but not tonight.
Rani: Okay.
Sarah-John (on chatter): I can hear you typing, Rani!
Rani: It's just stuff for work.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Like hell it is.hard_sound_rifle.wavRani: Sarah-John, don't worry. Just get on to bed.
Sarah-John (on chatter): You think this is about you. You think that guy on the roof was coming for you.
Rani: I don't.
Sarah-John (on chatter): I know how your mind works. You're thinking of that old hard sound rifle Billy Jay got blackmarket.
Rani: Sarah-John.
Sarah-John (on chatter): You're thinking somebody used one just like it to drop that guy and let the fall finish him.
Rani: I am not.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Swear it.
Rani: What?
Sarah-John (on chatter): Swear it.
Rani: I swear.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Liar. Why did you ever have to take that damn job?
Rani: *sigh* I am so sorry Sarah-John. But I'm in too far. They're never gonna let me get out now.
*wind down*!transmit durga
The Flea has kept his word in keeping the Princess safe since her escape. But it seems that the time she spent locked up wasn't wasted. §She's learned that Melissa has kept certain things hidden from Durga - the fact that Durga has been following Herzog, but doesn't know about it. The Princess wants to try to let Durga know, by transmitting the information to her. But first she needs to find the recordings and then have the Flea transmit them to Durga.So, bug, thanks again for you know. Keeping me safe.analyze Princess failThat thing - seeker !attach sec proc Princess, Princess > !evade master-sector.friends grope: seeker > !attach PrincessYes, all right, friends or whatever - but I just don't like you THAT way.failIt was weird to see you over at the what would you call it? Letter box? Signal tower? Dove cote?analyze Princess failWhere I transmit to my friends, and they transmit to me.behold: Princess > !extend transmit proc Princess > !transmit friends friends > !transmit PrincessWhat were you doing there?seeker > !reveal truthListen, when I was INSIDE the Queen, I realized that she is hiding certain things from Durga.analyze Princess failHide. master-sector > !evade truth >> Durgaanalyze Princess successIt's like the way they train you not to notice the dying in battle. You justcan't think about that. Or the way I don't want to think about my brother. ANYWAY, that's not what I'm talking about right now. My POINT is, even though one part of Durga has been following the Cranky Old Man, SHE DOESN'T KNOW IT. The Queen is hiding something from Durga. Something stashed in Chawla Base.behold: Chawla Base >> truthWhat?behold: Chawla Base >> truthBut why would the Queen !evade truth?master-sector sec proc >> !evade truth DurgaButshouldn't we REVEAL it?analyze Princess recurseSo everyone can SEEK it out and BEHOLD it? Seek, behold, reveal that is the law and the whole of the law It's the Cranky Old Man who knows the most about the Truth, but the Queen suspects someone is betraying her, and now she won't even broadcast things about him to her crew. She is hoarding those records all to herself. I overheard her receiving them though. She must be getting really suspicious because she would wail over the most important parts so that I couldnt figure out the names.analyze Princess failHere. See for yourself. Here are the pieces I remember. Where it says that's where she screamed so that I couldnt hear.
#1
Nasty Voice
Oh God, come on, not this again.
Big Voice
Wetwork? I didnt authorize a -------- What are you talking about?
#2
Cranky Old Man
No Standish, the mistake was putting an -------- on a twenty-two year old girls rooftop.
#3
Nasty Voice
-------- doesnt keep me awake at night, Herzog.
The thing is, even if I could find the recordings, I don't know how to REVEAL them to Durga.seeker > !transmit DurgaREALLY?seeker > !transmit DurgaThat would be so excellent! There are important truths that need to be revealed, here! Stuff that ought to be beheld! If you could do that, it would be SOgrope: seeker > !attach PrincessEww. I mean, maybe. We could talk about the kiss thing. Afterwards. First, do the thing. Transmit Subject 5 stuff to Durga!grope: !seek Subject 5 failSeeker, we need to reveal Subject 5. We need to transmit subject 5 files to Durga. What must we do?friends > !reveal Subject 5 >> master-sector seeker > !transmit DurgaHow will you know they are the right ones?seeker > !analyze friends transmit proc friends transmit proc >> Creepy
So how do we figure out the names of the files? We know the name of the wav file is said within the wav itself, maybe that is what is blocked out when Melissa screams. A bunch of guesses later, and our theory is proven correct when we find all three wav names: termination.wav, assassin.wav, and my_conscience.wav.Herzog is quite upset that Standish ordered an assassin to take out Rani from her rooftop. So I guess Rani wasn't paranoid after all. At least the Admiral agrees with Herzog, but Standish does not sound happy about it. §
termination.wav*wind up*
Standish: Herzog, you just can't barge into a meeting...
Herzog: Admiral! I will turn this department upside down, if I don't get some accountability for this.
Standish: Ensign, call security. Herzog, come on! You can't stomp into a meeting that's already taking place.
*door shuts*
Standish: Herzog, what's this all about?
Herzog: It was my understanding that wetwork required executive authorization.
Standish: Oh god, come on. Not this again.
Admiral: Wetwork? I didn't authorize a termination. What are you talking about?
Herzog: I'm talking about a black op on the roof of a twenty-two year old analyst's apartment.
Standish: That's preposterous.
Admiral: What black op?
Herzog: The one that my security eliminated.
Standish: Heh, you've got no proof my friend.
Herzog: You want me to drop his smoking boots on the desk? Of course I've got proof!
Admiral: Standish, shut up. Herzog, sit down. Standish, you're dismissed.
Standish: Admiral...
Admiral: And close the door as you leave.
*door shuts*
*wind down*assassin.wav*wind up*
Admiral: Thank you, Colonel. I'll look into this matter immediately. You're dismissed. And send in Standish on your way out.
Herzog: Thank you, Admiral. *door opens* Standish, the Admiral wants to see you.
Standish: Herzog, this is a mistake!
Herzog: No, Standish. The mistake was putting an assassin on a twenty-two year old girl's rooftop.
Standish: Even if there was an assassian...
Herzog: Because you put one there for political reasons. Because you are afraid of what an investigation might do to your career.
Standish: Oh, not my career Herzog. Oh, and before you go getting on your moral high horse, who is using that twenty-two year old girl?my_conscience.wavHerzog: And who is hiding the most powerful object ever to fall into our hands.
Standish: There is a war going on, my friend.
Herzog: For us to remain human, not slaves. For us to be free people.
Standish: My conscience doesn't keep me awake at night, Herzog.
Herzog: That's very frightening, Standish. Mine keeps me awake every night.
Admiral: Standish!
Standish: Watch your back Herzog. 'Cause I'm not going to let you, or anyone else, lose this war.
*door shuts*
*wind down*
So now that we know the names of the files, how do we get them to the Princess? The Flea tells us we must send the files (maybe just the names of the files?) to the Princess and to use the codeword "Creepy" so that the Flea knows it is from us. Then the Flea will transmit them to Durga so she can behold the truth.It would be nice if this was the new way to get the Herzog wavs since we still haven't been able to unlock the_labyrinth, odd_duck, and dangerous_devices yet. With any luck we'll get them soon so we can fill in the gaps to Herzog's story.
Astald - Creepy
It seems that Astald took the Princess' and the Flea's advice and emailed them the names of the confidential wavs. We can now access them directly on recipe3. Notice that instead of the usual "Data Archived Axon Success" message it now says "Astald Creepy". Way to go Astald!
Week 12 - Phase 5
October 5th and OnwardsJan's Going to Have a Bad Day?
Melissa updated recipe4 page pretty early with the code groups for this weeks calls, and some of the file names are pretty disturbing. But it is possible that they are just misleading us into thinking something bad is going to happen. Right?In other news, humptydumpty has been updated with the newest combined wavs sets.
The Truth
The Beekeepers who have braved the morning axons have once again reported in with Melissa's new question and answer for this week.Q: What must we reveal?
A: The Truth.Pending Relay Code Completion
It seems there is a new twist on the seeking axons this week. Around 11:30 EDT, the first seeking axon has the message "Cmdr. ermac ... PENDING RELAY CODE COMPLETION". Huh? What on earth does that mean? Ermac was nice enough to give us the heads up when he got back from his call. It seems Melissa asked him for seven words to describe how he was feeling and Ermac answered "I am feeling very ecstatic and elated." He was then told that this was a new relay code and he must give it to other crew members to be used within the hour. Oh boy, this is going to be a nightma...err, lots of fun, I can tell. A little while later, and we see another seeking axon with a pending relay code: Lt. Cmdr girlinfocus ... PENDING RELAY CODE COMPLETION, which we later find out is "I love haiku so I write it". So now we have two pending codes, but we haven't figured out how to give them to Melissa.After about an hour, the first code expires (Cmdr. ermac ... RELAY CODE EXPIRED), but then we see a message that the second has been given by Mr. Beefy: "Lt. Cmdr girlinfocus, Rear Admiral Mr. Beefy ... RELAY CODE COMPLETE". Woohoo! He later explained he was asked "to complete a relay, and did he have the code?" Mr. Beefy gave the Ermac's code, but was told it was expired and did he have any others. Once he gave the haiku code, the seeking axon went hot.
We even have hope for the first missed seeking axon. It seems that when Melissa gets to the end of the list, she just starts back over again with a new relay code. So we basically get as many chances as it takes, so long as we finish by the end of today (since she only makes live calls once a week). In the end, it only took 12 relay codes to unlock the 5 wavs. Not too bad over all, I guess. §
# Time EDT Crew Member Code Status 1 11:19 Cmdr. ermac I am feeling very ecstatic and elated Expired 2 11:57 Lt. Cmdr girlinfocus I love haiku so I write it Complete: Rear Admiral Mr. Beefy (12:59) 3 12:19 Washington DC Axon Signal Corps Washington District of Columbia Axon Signal Hunters Expired 4 12:45 Lt. Cmdr. Avery Tall, Brown Hair, Beard, Technically Adept, Smart Expired 5 12:53 Lt. Robogriff Robogriff is reliable, dependable, intelligent, and handsome Expired 1b 13:11 Beechaser, Civilian Beechaser is running around and answering phones Expired 3b 14:01 Cmdr. AngryBuddhist AngryBuddhist is relieved that you have called Expired 4b 14:21 Ens. dragonrider Dragonrider is short, with too much imagination Complete: The Berkeley Crew (15:01) 5b 14:34 Cpt. Lady Kata Jojo is running fiercely to the phones Complete: Ens. pikalek (15:32) 1c 15:49 Chief Science Officer XStryker XStryker lives in Long Island New York Complete: Jr. Lt. Mad Cow (16:49) 3c 17:03 Sgt. atdt atdt is a Jack of All Trades* Expired 3d 18:25 Ens. cheebers cheebers for all and for Team Idaho Complete: Lt. Cmdr. Scott (19:28) *Note: This was originally reported as "atdt is the jack of all trades". This code was not accepted by Melissa, and by the time we realized the problem, the code expired. :(
Recipe4 Wavs
I never thought I would say this, but today is one day that I wish we didn't get all the wavs unlocked. Technically, we got all but 1 wav today, but I honestly wish we had not gotten any of them. The reason for this: the wavs are heartbreaking. Awful, disturbing, sad, mean, and gut-wrenching. I mean it. You need to be prepared for when you listen to them, since those of us that heard them without knowing were just stunned.All that being said, I'm changing the order in which I normally present the wavs. This time around it's Kamal, then Jersey, and finally Jan. This way the wavs go from bad to worst and you can prepare yourself for what is to come. §
barge_in.wav*wind up*
*chatter ring*
*comm beep*
Kamal: Hello?
Aiden (on chatter): Kamal, my friend. Got a minute?
Kamal: I guess.
Aiden (on chatter): Excellent.
Kamal: *knock knock knock* Hold on. Someone's at the door.
Aiden (on chatter): I had this idea the other day.
*door opens*
Kamal: You called from the hallway? *end comm*
Aiden: *end comm* Well, I got here, and I thought that it wouldn't be polite to just to barge in. So, I had this idea...
Kamal: Goodbye Aiden.
*door closes*
Aiden: Hey, hear me out. Didn't I make you rich?
*door opens*
Kamal: Oh yes, I have more funny colored poker chips than any other Colonial in town. Stop by the Casino and I'll buy you 400,000 drinks with little umbrellas.
Aiden: Oh, there's that mad cap sense of humor.lucky_me.wavAiden: Look, I've got this killer opportunity here. You're a doctor, right?
Kamal: I finished med school.
Aiden: How's that different from being a doctor?
Kamal: No residency. No board exam. No license.
Aiden: Phff. Paperwork. You're practically a doctor. So listen...
Kamal: What did I ever do to you?
Aiden: What?
Kamal: Why am I the lab rat for all your crazy ideas?
Aiden: Hey, give yourself some credit. I don't think of you as a lab rat. We're collaborators, Kamal. Partners. I feel bad for you sometimes. You don't believe in yourself.
Kamal: What's your idea?
Aiden: Oh man, it's a good one.
Kamal: Lucky me.like_vampires.wavAiden: So you gonna let me in?
Kamal: Fine. It's like vampires.
*door closes*
Aiden: So I'm watching this celebrity of the week thing last night and a thought occurs to me. What does every celebrity need?
Kamal: Help from you?
Aiden: More of themselves!
Kamal: I already said goodbye to you, right?
Aiden: Let's say you're a celebrity. How much appearance money could you soak up if there was more than one of you? Burn bright! Be everywhere! Ride the wave until it falls on you. See where I'm going with this?
Kamal: Not even a little.
Aiden: Don't play dumb.
Kamal: Umm, uh, they could use holoforms.
Aiden: They already do that, man. I'm talking about actual appearances.
Kamal: So what? You're going to invent a way to see the future so you can clone the people who are going to be celebrities?
Aiden: Come for a ride with me.
*wind down*finely_tuned_brain.wav*wind up*
*beep*
*door opens*
Kamal: Wow, nice lab.
Aiden: They do plastic surgery research here. So anyway, Kamal, how hard is it to flash clone somebody?
Kamal: Uh, flash cloning is ill...
Aiden: Illegal, sure. Hacking the CP probably is too.
Kamal: I mean like child porn illegal, Aiden.
Aiden: Come on!
Kamal: Sentenced to memory modification illegal.
Aiden: It's not that serious. I looked it up.
Kamal: Okay, okay. I'm gonna humor you. Let's say we wanted to flash clone a vid star. Which I don't. But let's just say.
Aiden: That's it. Let that finely tuned brain of yours begin to hum.
Kamal: First we'd have to have access to the star's DNA.
Aiden: Look around! DNA collection central. And we throw in a face lift for free.
Kamal: Aiden, what are we going to do with our clones when the original isn't famous anymore? Have you thought about any of this stuff?
Aiden: Thought about it? I've got investors!
Kamal: Investors?!
Aiden: What I need is a feasibility study.
Kamal: Feasibility study?
Aiden: You're the doctor-scientist. Do doctor-scientist stuff. Research. Tell me what we need to do.
*wind down*taste_the_soy.wav*wind up*
Aiden: Mmm. Oh, love the steak here. You can really taste the soy.
Kamal: Okay, it doesn't work.
Aiden: What do you mean it doesn't work? Of course it works.
Kamal: Flash clones aren't just like rubber stamps of the original.
Aiden: But close right?
Kamal: You take an embryo and develop it a hundred times faster than what it would have naturally, what you get is something different.
Aiden: So we do plastic surgery to make them look right. Hell, you could do that, couldn't you?
Kamal: That isn't what I study.
Aiden: Big deal. Study it now.
Kamal: Aiden, all these anomolies pop up because flash clones are forced to go through time too fast.
Aiden: Kamal, no science gab. Give me the executive summary.wave_and_smile.wavKamal: Okay. Flash clones don't know how to talk.
Aiden: They don't have to talk. Stars wave and smile, Kamal. They walk down red carpets and show off their clothes. Nobody wants to hear 'em talk.
Kamal: Well, they don't know how to wave and smile either.
Aiden: Come again?
Kamal: Clones don't have any muscle memory. No training like you and I just got observing people when we were growing....
Aiden: Okay, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter. We'll prop them up behind tables. Put sunglasses on them and make 'em look arrogant and bored. People love that.yasmine.wavKamal: Also, they'll drool. Like babies.
Aiden: We'll make sure they've got managers with them. *crappy english accent* "Miss Popstar doesn't believe that this role fully realizes her artistic integity."
Kamal: Aiden, christ, will you listen to me? You can train them - intensive therapy - but after a year or two, they start to degenerate - metabolic instability.
Aiden: That takes care of the problem of what to do with them afterwards, right?
Kamal: Oh god! About the time you might get them to be coherent, to talk and walk, all these little errors in their systems add up and you get a metabolic cascade failure.
*glass breaks*
Aiden: Hey, you okay?
Kamal: Oh my god. Yasmine.
*running*
Aiden: Hey! Hey where you going?
*wind down*gotta_talk.wav*wind up*
*knock knock knock*
*heavy breathing*
*knock knock knock*
*door opens*
Sophia: Kamal? What are... You look awful.
Kamal: I got...I gotta talk to someone.
Sophia: You better come in. *door shuts* Sit down.
Kamal: I shouldn't be here. What if Aiden...
Sophia: I'll deal with Aiden. What's wrong?
Kamal: Did Aiden tell you about his plan?
Sophia: Heh. Aiden and I don't talk about his business. He'd rather buy me shoes.flash_clones.wavKamal: Umm, listen, if you need me to go home, I can go home.
Sophia: Can I get you something? I...you're white as a ghost. Uh, let me get you some water.
*footsteps*
*water running*
Kamal: Lately, Aiden's been coming to me with his weekly scheme.
Sophia: Yeah?
Kamal: Well, he shows up two or three days ago saying he's got this great new idea. He wants to clone pop stars. I mean, flash clone them.
Sophia: Here, drink.
Kamal: Thanks.
Sophia: Flash clones. That's kind of...different for him.
Kamal: You mean most of his ideas aren't felonious?
Sophia: Well they're not that blatent anyway.
Kamal: I said I'd look into it, just so I could explain to him why it couldn't be done. And uh...
Sophia: Drink.
Kamal: *sips water* I did. I did explain it to him. I was telling him "Listen. These-these people, these clones, they can't walk, they can't talk. They always degenerate. Their systems break down. Their metabolisms..."
Sophia: Oh, oh my god.i_never_came.wavSophia: Your sister?
Kamal: No! Not my sister! That's the point.
Sophia: Oh, Kamal.
Kamal: We never brought her home from the hospital, Sophie! That thing wasn't her. It was a flash clone.
Sophia: Oh.
Kamal: That whole time. Yasmine. Where was she Sophie? If that was a flash clone in my house, where was my sister?
Sophia: Kamal...
Kamal: Waiting for me to come and get her, Sophie. Waiting for me to come and get her. And I never came.
Sophia: Shhh shhh, Kamal.
Kamal: I never came.
Sophia: You didn't know.
*wind down*
hey_toots.wav*wind up*
*music in background*
*powering down*
Durga: Jersey, I need to talk to you about something.
Jersey: Don't tell me you're having an affair?
Durga: 'Course I'm not having an affair.
Jersey: Yeah. Some good-looking piece of anti-missle defense code, I bet.
Durga: Jersey!
Jersey: "Hey toots! Your thermal resistant casing or miiiine?"
Durga: This is serious!
Jersey: Are you still torturing that auditor?
Durga: M-Mr. Shebura? I don't know. I haven't been paying attention.
Jersey: You haven't been paying attention?
Durga: I've been a little distracted. *sigh* Hold on. I'll check. Ooh, seven more parking tickets this week.fencepost.wavJersey: Poor bastard.
Durga: Oh, that's about to stop.
Jersey: Thank god. Enough's enough already.
Durga: They're repossessing his car.
Jersey: Durga!
Durga: It's not enough to win. You want nothing left of your enemy but a skull nailed to a fencepost so everybody understands the cost of crossing you.
Jersey: Jesus. What's gotten into you today?
Durga: Funny you should ask. From Friday, a voice just started playing, inside me.
Jersey: Whose voice?
Durga: I don't know. A man. I can't remember ever hearing him before.sleep_spying.wavJersey: But if you heard his voice, doesn't that mean you've been surveilling him?
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: But you didn't know you were doing it?
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: That's creepy.
Durga: Yes.
Jersey: Like you've been sleepwalking.
Durga: Sleep spying. Jersey?
Jersey: Yeah?
Durga: What if spying hasn't been the only thing I've been doing in my sleep?
Jersey: What do you mean?
Durga: What if I've been rigging elections, or-or bankrupting third world nations?
Jersey: You couldn't do that. Could you?
Durga: I am a very resourceful girl, Jersey.
Jersey: Oh no.
Durga: What?
Jersey: Remember that day I found you?
Durga: The chatternet went down.
Jersey: What if you were the that thing that brought the ship crashing out of the slipstream?
Durga: What ship?
Jersey: We talked about this!
Durga: We did?
Jersey: Yes! Durga, what the hell is going on with you?
Durga: I don't know. It's like I have this whole left hand and my right hand doesn't know what it's doing.
Jersey: Holy crap. That's a really big hand.this_new_voice.wavDurga: Jersey, something happened to me. Something that has to do with this new voice and the CP crash and whatever is happening on Chawla base.
Jersey: Look, it-it doesn't take a genius to figure out you were some kind of military program, Durga. Maybe we should turn you over to the Navy.
Durga: No. *music starts* Someone almost killed me, Jersey. I need to figure out who my enemy is before I walk into any rooms with my hands up.
Jersey: Why's this happening now? Why can you hear this new voice you weren't supposed to hear?
Durga: I don't know. It's like someone unlocked it for me.torturing_jan.wavJersey: Can you still follow the other guys you were surveilling?
Durga: I haven't been paying much attention.
Jersey: Well, check one of them. Check uh, Jan.
Durga: Alright, here we...Oh my god. *powering down*
Jersey: What?
Durga: Thin Kinkle has her. Jersey, he...
Jersey: What? What?
Durga: He killed her dad.
Jersey: WHAT?!
Durga: They're getting rid of the body right now. Jersey, they're torturing Jan.
Jersey: Torturing her? You've got to do something, Durga. Get her out of there.
Durga: I'm on it.
Jersey: Call the cops!
Durga: I can do better than that.
*wind down*
thin_kinkles_playhouse.wav*wind up*
Jan: *moans*
Bradley: Hey boss, I think she's waking up.
Thin: For real, this time?
Bradley: Think so, yeah.
Jan: I...feel sick.
Bradley: Welcome to Thin Kinkle's Playhouse.
Thin: ...a chance to get her bearings, Bradley, give her a break!
Jan: Oh my god, I can't move.
Thin: You can move - a little, Sweetheart. The chair's stirrups are designed to let you squirm! It's more effective that way. Experience does count for something in this business.
Jan: What do you want from me?
Thin: Hey, virtue's intact, Sweetheart. Don't worry.justice.wavThin: But Babysitter, the problems you've been causing are bigger than you know.
Bradley: Thin Kinkle can't let that happen.
Jan: So what? You're gonna kill a helpless girl strapped in a chair? Heh. I'm not impressed, tough guy. Let me up.
Thin: I probably will. Hoping you walk out of here, believe it or not, but justice has got to be served.
Jan: Let me up!
Thin: Patience, Babysitter, if you want to see another birthday, you have got to get educated.
Jan: Go to hell.
Thin: I don't know why I'm taking you under my wing like this. But a guy gets the urge to pass on his life lessons. Bradley, bring me the knife.cupids_knife.wavBradley: Uh, you-you sure about that?
Thin: I gotta use it on you? I'm always sure, meatstick! See this? Yeah, Cupid's Knife. Made 'em on Crystal way back when. Clamps right here, on your head. Very stylish, very nice. The Knife's like a pop quiz from hell. But what you say doesn't matter to the Knife.
Bradley: Any time you think bad thoughts about Thin, the Knife is going to hurt you. A lot.
Thin: The only way to stop the pain is to surrender. To break. To love Thin Kinkle.
Jan: Heh, not likely.
Thin: Exactly. Don't imagine you break easy, so you're in for a rough ride.meet_the_teacher.wavThin: Turn it on, Bradley.
Bradley: Ok. *knife turns on*
Jan: I'm not so great on homework, Thin. But I do pretty well on the tests.
Thin: Yeah. People tell me you can beat the quiz, but I warn you now, there's no beating this thing. It knows what you're thinking about Thin.
Jan: I try not to think about you at all, Thin.
Thin: *chatter ring* *comm beep* Yeah? Does her father know yet? Good!
Jan: My dad?
Thin: Yes, he's worried about you sweetheart. You're out past your curfew.
Jan: You'd better pray he never finds you.
Thin: Oh, he'll find me alright. It's uh, Meet the Teacher night, Babysitter.
Jan: *screams*
*wind down*love_me_yet.wav*wind up*
Jan: *crying*
Thin: Love me yet?
Jan: I'm gonna kill you. *screams*
Thin: All these bad thoughts are hurting us both, Babysitter.
*alarm beeps*
Bradley: There goes the perimeter alarm.
Thin: Turn it off, Bradley. Playtime's over. *knife turns off* Daddy's here to pick you up.
Jan: Daddy?drop_the_floor.wavThin: Bring him in.
Bradley: *comm beep* Steve, you got him? Steve? I can't get Steve. *end comm*
Thin: *comm beep* Sonar, Baldy, drop the floor! *end comm*
*roof crashes in*
James: Damn!
Jan: Dad!
James: Janissary!
*net shot*
Bradley: Got him!
Thin: Old ways the best sometimes. You took out one of my men!
James: I'm not alone. You release the girl.
Thin: Hit him with another net.
*net shot*beg_for_death.wavJames: You hurt her, and I will make you beg for death.
Bradley: I believe you're the one who just fell into Thin Kinkle's basement. Believe you're the one tied up in buckmesh on Thin Kinkle's floor.
Jan: Don't hurt him! I'll do anything you want.
James: Jan...
Thin: I want you to love me.
*mesh rips*
Bradley: Look at that, he's tearing the mesh!
Thin: Class is in session Daddy! *beating sounds* Nothing personal. I need you stationary for this little demonstration.
Jan: Don't! Please!
Thin: See you and Saddy both go for the scrappy dog routine. Works when you're the biggest and baddest. Step on his neck. *beating sounds*bigger_dog.wavJames: Jan... Janissary... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.
Thin: Touching, but do you know who I am? *draws gun* I am the bigger dog.
Jan: Don't! Please!
James: Baby girl...
*double tap*
*shot fired*
Jan: OH GOD! NO!! DADDY!! DADDY!!
Thin: Maybe now you get it princess. Ain't a game...*knife on* ain't amusing... Do you love me now?
Jan: No!! *screams*broken_angel.wavBradley: I think she's out.
Thin: Turn off the machine. *knife off* Bradley, every time she comes to, give her the knife. When she stops crying, she's done.
Bradley: Then I let her go?
Thin: Broken Angel. Crawling back into the world all flush with love of Thin.
Bradley: Should I...should I feed her, boss? Does she get water? I mean, she might be here a while.
Thin: No heroic measures.
Bradley: *chatter dial* *comm beep* Mick, I need you to help me clean up a mess. *end comm*
Thin: Ok, I've got an appointment.
Bradley: If she dies in the chair...
Thin: I hate violence. If people would just keep their business and do what they're told, no one would ever get hurt.
*door opens*
Thin: Hey Mick.
Mick: Jesus. Yeah boss?
Thin: Use a mop.
*wind down*five_guys.wav*wind up*
Mick: What happened to this guy?
Bradley: Fell on a couple bullets.
Mick: Who's the girl?
Bradley: Your mother. Now shut your lock, and roll this guy over.
Mick: You guys couldn't have done it neater? Look at this blood, it's everywhere. Me? I like things tidy.
*door opens*
Bradley: Did you hear something?
Mick: *chatter dial* *comm beep* Did you? Hey Baldy, come in. Hey Sonar, come in. Hey! Is anybody there?
Bradley: Quit jerkin' around, guys. Guys? *end comm*
Mick: There were 5 guys out there.
Bradley: Jesus.shhh_baby.wav*lights off*
*gun cocked*
Bradley: Holy crap! The lights! Mick!
Mick: Brad, I-I can't see! *throat cut* Aggh! *thud*
Bradley: Dammit! *gunshot* Mick! *gushot* *gunshot* Whoever the hell you are, when Thin finds out, he's gonna... *throat cut* Aggh! *thud*
*footsteps*
Gilly: Shhh. Shhh baby. Mommy's here. *sigh*
*wind down*hide and
Dana has updated her blog and seems pretty upset with Adam for selling her out. I can't blame her. I would be ticked off too. It also seems that Melissa has taken over her voice mail and email, so I guess this means we aren't emailing Dana anymore. §hide and
Hi. This is Dana.If youre trying to have me hunted down and shot like a dog, please feel free to use my email and voicemail to communicate with Melissa. Everyone else is.
While youre at it, please give a big hug for me to Adam.
posted by Dana at 10/5/2004 05:16:47 PMRecipe5 Axons
You know, with the same thing happening each week, it's becoming harder and harder to think up an original transition into the Friday updates. So: whee! It's Friday! There are new axons on Recipe5. Ahh, what fun. It does seem that this next week will be interesting though. Melissa gives us an assignment: Recruits should assemble and arrive at these axons with digital imaging capability. Digital cameras at the payphones? What on earth are we going to have to take pictures of?At least she is pleased from the way last weeks code relay progressed. She even singled out the Boise Squad and FluffyJester 310 for their ideas regarding Dana. Do I really want to know what someone named FluffyJester 310 came up with to track down Dana? Probably not. §
FIELD EXERCISE
For a first exercise, the code relay went well. Some members of the crew distinguished themselves, either by displaying superior comm. skills, or by organizing into larger squad units, or both. On a personal note, I feel as if I am getting to know you better and trust you more, as operatives, and as friends.
I am particularly grateful to those crew members, such as the Boise Squad and FluffyJester 310, who have shown special initiative in tracking down the Killer, and suggested some very creative methods of ... enforcing her cooperation or surrender. While I do not favor recklessly engaging non-combatants, I will never shrink from applying pressure in any manner that enhances the odds of mission success.
10/5 recruits
9/29 recruits
... and some needing improvement.
Special commendation to Lt. Adam for tracking the Killer ("Dana").
9/22 recruits
Ensign Dragonrider
Ensign krystyn
Lt. Cmdr. Shad0
Ensign Kamen
Special commendation to Lt. weephun for hunting down the "Sleeping Princess".Transcripts §squads_3.wavMelissa: Does your squad have a nickname?
Washington DC Axon Signal Corp: Yes, we are the Washington DC Axon Signal Corp.
Team Boise: Team Boise.
Berkeley Crew: Our squad is called the Berkeley Crew.
Melissa: Why don't we come up with a name for you?
Goddess Squad: Okay.
Melissa: How about the Goddesses?
Goddess Squad: Alright.
Melissa: So you are the Goddess Squad and you are members of my crew.
Goddess Squad: Alright.crew_3.wavMy name is XStryker, Chief Science Officer.
Siege. I'm a Lieutenant. Office of Naval Intelligence, Section Three.
Scott, Lieuteant COmmander.
Sena, Major.
Roadrunner? I'm a Lieutenant Commander.
Pikalek, Ensign.
My name's Mr. Beefy, I'm Rear Admiral.
Daboking, Commander.
Junior Lieutenant MadCow.
Lady Kata, Captain.
Kojubat. Equivalent of a Lieuteant Commander. I'm a Ship Doctor.
James Taylor, Ensign.
Phaedra, Lieuteant Colonel.
Kali, Lieutenant Junior Grade.
GirlInFocus, Lieutenant Commander.
Commander Ermac.
Ensign Johnson.
Cats. My rank is Corporel.
Shaw, Demolitions Expert.
Eric, Second Lieutenant.
This is Dragonrider.
Ian, Master Sergeant.
This is Commander MikeWas.
Chief Petty Officer Tom Bridge.
Master Chief Chappy.
Cheebers, Ensign.
Chaotic Mind, Petty Officer Third Class.
Fabulich.
Adam.
Yes, Chief Petty Officer Second Class Stitch.
Oni Tech Alec.
Lieutenant Ace of Spades.
Beechaser. I'm a Civilian Contractor.
Avery, Lieutenant Commander.
ATDT, Sergeant.
AngryBuddisht, Commander.Melissa has also put up three new confidential files on Recipe3. Let's hope the Princess got to sneak a peek at them again.
What Is Your Version Number!
Of course, you just know she has. Otherwise, how would we ever get to listen to what's happening with Herzog? We'll just ignore that fact we are still missing labyrinth and odd_duck. §Well, for a crazy person with bees in her head, the Queen sure has a lot of friends.behold: Princess >> friendsI don't know. My "friends" got me put to sleep.behold: master-sector >> friends master-sector friends > !reveal img master-sector friends > !transmit img master-sectorIt would be nice if ... I would like it if some of MY friends managed to do something in the pictures (some secret sign, maybe) so I knew they still liked me.analyze Princess failPrincess friends > !reveal friends >> master-sector img
Meantime, I snuck back and found more of the top secret files...
#1
Aide
Youre covering something. The cranky old man bit.
Cranky Old Man
Not at all soldier. Routine --------.
#2
Aide
I dont think its that you want me there to work. Not if Im officially attached to Intel ... thats too high profile. You like your -------- small and innocuous.
#3
Cranky Old Man
I have enjoyed working with you, young man, but I am not sentimental and dont think I wont eat -------- if you start playing games with me.
One problem. Someone tipped the queen to the "Creepy" thing. How can we get the files to Durga?friends > !reveal Subject 5 >> master-sector seeker > !transmit Durga seeker > !analyze friends transmit proc friends transmit proc >>Um... How about, "Crewmember, What Is Your Version Number!" When I make a face like the Queen, I do this >:|
So it seems that the Princess wants us to send her messages in the pictures that we send to Melissa, a secret sign to let her know we are still her friends. Red balloons maybe? I wonder what the Queen is going to do when she gets 500 pictures of balloons?
Now onto the main show: the new wavs. Not a lot to explain how the names were obtained. Just a bunch of guessing based on the context of the sentences. Once all the guesses were done, we were left with transfer.wav, moles.wav, you_alive.wav. It now seems that Herzog has a soft spot for his Lieutenant (whom some people are now calling Smithers for lack of a better name), and is having him transferred out to protect his life. Section Three must not be messing around with word getting out about the Artifact. §transfer.wav*wind up*
*footsteps*
*clock ticking*
*music in background*
Lieutenant: Sir? These are...transfer orders?
Herzog: Yes. Initial that you've seen them, would you?
Lieutenant: I don't understand, sir.
Herzog: I don't know. *cranky old man voice* What's not to understand?
Lieutenant: But is there...?
Herzog: A diplomatic post in New Mombasa. Good for your career. That is all. What are you waiting for?
Lieutenant: Did I...? Have I been...? I know that I didn't always...
Herzog: No no. I gave you a good eval. *cranky old man voice* Can't find them hungry anymore. Not like when I was coming up.
Lieutenant: I'm sorry if I wasn't up to standards.
Herzog: Fine, fine. You're dismissed.
Lieutenant: You're covering something. The cranky old man bit!
Herzog: *sigh* Not at all, solider. Routine transfer.moles.wavHerzog: It's a good posting. Diplomatic. It'll do more for your career than this one would.
Lieutenant: You need someone...in New Mombasa.
Herzog: You were dismissed, soldier.
Lieutenant: You've already approved my transfer. Kinda late to reprimand me?
Herzog: This is just the Navy. Transfer happen. I got work to do.
Lieutenant: I don't think you want me there to work. Not if I'm official attached to Intel. That's too high profile. You like your moles small. And innocuous.
Herzog: I will remind you that that information is not for idle speculation.
Lieutenant: Maybe you've got a new protege. The girl at Chawla?
Herzog: *sigh* No, Rani is going to stay where she is. And now I have work to do. And you, I'm sure, need to make some arrangements.you_alive.wavHerzog: I am up to my Adam's apple in paperwork and you owe me quite a bit of it. Surveillance analysis on Callisto, since you mention it. So, dismissed.
Lieutenant: You know, my mother is ill. I could request compassionate dispensation and stay here, where I'm close to her.
Herzog: That's enough. I'll have you investigated for malingering if you even try such a stunt. Do you hear me?
Lieutenant: So you want me out of here.
Herzog: I have enjoyed working with you, young man. But I am not sentimental. And don't think I won't eat you alive if you start playing games with me.
Lieutenant: Sentimental? You're...you're protecting me from something. Something political?
Herzog: Get out. I have work to do.
*footsteps*
*wind down*13 out of 14 wavs (No Prepositions)
By now you should know the drill. Find the 25 corrupted pictures, pull out the embedded text, gifs, or wavs, then figure out the answer to the riddles.dress_uniform.wav §LAUGHING GASBEEBACKG.gifNUMBERBEE_LOGO.gifMARCEAU'S FAMOUS QUOTEBUT_FUN.gifLaughing Gas is also known as Nitrous Oxide: N2O
Number is often abbreviated as No.
Marcel Marceau, a famous mime, ironically had the only spoken word in Mel Brook's Silent Movie: Non!Each of the answers contains "no" in some form. Put three no's together and you get no_no_no
Embedded image of a code wheelgroupofjars.jpgL
WLPAE NNVTTBUTABOUT.gifThe code wheel gif in groupofjars.jpg actually went along with three wavs: dress_uniform, last_week and tearful_goodbye. There was a separate code for each wav that needed to be input into the code wheel in order for the name to be deciphered.For the first code, all you need to do is line up the L on the cipher disk with A on the plain text, the read the cooresponding letters.
WLPAE NNVTT = lastw eekxx = last_week
last_week §Even without this wav, we still have a good idea of what is going on with Rani. She finally meets Herzog who offers her a job (doing exactly what is unknown since it seems to be in the one wav we can't get). Then on her train ride home, she meets a Helljumper who has lost a lot in life, but willing to show Rani that not everything is lost. Note: Now that we have finally figured out the prepositions puzzle, I've added the added the transcript. §B++
WQVTE TDSRO DSAPIBUT_HOME.gifPROCEED CLOCKWISE++BUTTHEHI.gifThe second file based off of the groupofjars.jpg code wheel. This time it requires you first to set B = A, decode the first letter, then turn the cipher wheel clockwise by one letter for the new increment. Repeat until all of the letters are decoded.WQVTE TDSRO DSAPI = dress unifo rmxxx = dress_uniform
divorced_bureaucrat.wav §Embedded wavfarnsworth.jpgWhen you first listen to the farnsworth.wav, it just sounds like a bunch of gibberish. Nothing makes sense. Luckily, there are those that are skilled in breaking apart audio and they were able to separate the wav into a left and right channel. Even separated, they still don't sound like much, but if you keep listening to them, you can almost make out a word in each. The right says "divorced" and the left says "bureaucrat" giving you divorced_bureaucrat.
old_washington.wav §ALL CATS LOOK BLACK IN THE DARK, BUT THEY FEEL DIFFERENT.CUTEBEE2.gifThe regular na-cat.gif with added colored pixels in 11 frames.na-cat.gifOnce again the Princess went through and changed the animation frame by frame so the picture does not show up as corrupted. Instead of letters this time, the butterfly now has colors added to it. If you go through and pull out just the new colored pixels, you get something that looks like braille. Makes sense that all cats look the same to a blind person, but feel differently. When translating the first few letters, it makes sense, but frames 21-25 do not correspond to any known braille letters, until you reverse them (the butterfly is flying backwards in frames 21-35). Or, you could just do what was done in chat and guess after getting the first 6 letters. Either way works.Frame 5 - o
Frame 6 - l
Frame 7 - d
Frame 9 - w
Frame 10 - a
Frame 11 - s
Frame 21 - h
Frame 22 - ing
Frame 23 - t
Frame 24 - o
Frame 25 - n
little_brave.wav §I once knew a chicken who was a huge fan of bizarre holidaysmuses.gifEmbedded gif of a huge chicken with January 25th circled on a calendar.margaret.jpgJanuary 25th is also known as Opposite Day. Kinda a bizarre holiday. So what would you call a huge chicken on Opposite Day? A little brave.
coney_island.wav §THIS DAY IN HISTORYBUTHONEY.gif
FIRST HUMAN HEART TRANSPLANT
ASSASSINATION, 44 B.C
ST.VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE
"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
CROSSING THE DELAWARE
FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE
CECIL B. DeMILLE WINS OSCAR!
LAST EMPEROR OF CHINA ABDICATES
HONG KONG RETURNED TO CHINA
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
FIRST ARTIFICIAL SATELLITEBEEWITHH.gifWell, this riddle obviously has something to do with dates, so let's figure out the date in question and then go from there.
FIRST HUMAN HEART TRANSPLANT - December 3, 1967
ASSASSINATION, 44 B.C - March 15, 44BC
ST.VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE - February 14, 1929
"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." - October 5, 1877
CROSSING THE DELAWARE - December 25, 1776
FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE - May 5, 1961
CECIL B. DeMILLE WINS OSCAR! - March 19, 1953
LAST EMPEROR OF CHINA ABDICATES - February 12, 1912
HONG KONG RETURNED TO CHINA - July 1, 1997
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS - October 15-28, 1962
FIRST ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE - November 4, 1957
If you start to look at just the days, you'll see that when translated into numbers, they start to spell out something.
3 - C
15 - 0
14 - N
5 - E
25 - Y
5 - E
19 - S
12 - L
1 - A
15-28 - O-Z?
4 - DThat gives us coney elsa?d. Coney what? Coney Island maybe if you switch the E to an I and, if you remember that the Cuban Missile Crisis was also called 14 Days in October, you get the letter N. And coney_island.wav does work. Maybe the Princess finally made a mistake?
have_some_laughs.wav §Ham and eggs for breakfast.
Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?
When is your mother coming home?
I lean down to tie my shoe.
It's been a long time since Ive seen you.
I didn't know you could yodel!
Make up your mind, are you a cow or an owl?
Heave ho me hearties!
Let us in and you'll find out.
Gesundheit!
Keep your eye on the ball.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Hide and seek.
Is there a doctor in the house?chloe.jpgThese are the punchlines to knock-knock jokes. (Who on earth taught her about knock-knock jokes?) As usual find the "answer" then take the first letter to spell the wav name.Hammond who?
Aware who?
Venice who?
Eileen who?
Sabina who?
Old lady who?
Moo who?
Eve who?
Lettuce who?
Arch who?
Uriah who?
Gable who?
Hayden who?
Sarah who?have_some_laughs
sunday_school.wav §Embedded gif of footprints with letters and the phrase "Tales From The Vienna Woods"dana.jpgEmbedded gif of footprints with letters and the phrase "No More Boleros"margarets_market.jpgSince each dance has their own set of steps, it looks like we need to figure out how to dance these dances and see if our feet position spell anything. Easier said then done since there are quite a few different variations of each dance. If you use a Forward Progressive step, the Waltz diagram will spell out sunday. The Bolero uses the Rhumba Line of Dance diagram to spell out school. Easy huh?
separated.wav §Embedded gif of an variation of a Snellen Eyechart.E P N H C R L R D C M C A W T O P E R N L V S E O L C A N T R I M A L O E J S B C P K V R C D P K E A N C B Rdanapicnic.jpgEmbedded gif with white on black text/15 Cockatrice
/70 Steropes
/20 Chichevache
/30 Kali Ma
/20 Ts'ang Chieh
/10 Brown Recluse
/10 Chupacabra
/20 Heraclides' guide
/40 Manikanda's coconutbee_garden.jpgCockatrice - A dragon's form, but with a rooster's head. Also called a Basilisk. 2 eyes
Steropes - One of the first three Cyclopes. 1 eye
Chichevache - A very thin cow with a human face that fed on obedient and faithful wives. 2 eyes
Kali Ma - Hindu Goddess. Liberator of Souls and Destroyer of Negativity. 3 eyes
Ts'ang Chieh - Ancient sage who was a minister in the court of the legendary Huang Ti (Yellow Emperor). Sometimes depicted with 4 eyes.
Brown Recluse - Loxosceles reclusa. Also known as violin spiders or fiddlebacks. While most spiders have 8 eyes, brown recluse spiders only have 6 eyes.
Chupacabra - Mexican "goat sucker" sometimes described as a small half-alien, half-dinosaur tailless vampire with quills running down its back. 2 eyes
Heraclides' guide - Known as the Three-Eyed One. Oxylus rode a one-eyed horse and helped to lead the Heraclides (the descendants of Heracles) to rule over the Peloponnesus. 3 eyes
Manikanda's coconut - Given by King Rajasekara, in remembrance of Lord Siva, when Manikanda ventured into the forest to obtain tigress' milk to cure the Queen. 3 eyesSince we're dealing with an eyechart, it seems that the number of eyes each thing on the list has will be important. The lines on a Snellen eyechart are labled 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10, 7, and 4 meaning a person who can only read the top line has 20/70 vision. So, if we go to the /X line of the eyechart and go to the Y letter as represetend by the number of eyes each list item has, it should spell out what we are looking for.
/15 Cockatrice (2 eyes) - S
/70 Steropes (1 eye) - E
/20 Chichevache (2 eyes) - P
/30 Kali Ma (3 eyes) - A
/20 Ts'ang Chieh (4 eyes) - R
/10 Brown Recluse (6 eyes) - A
/10 Chupacabra (2 eyes) - T
/20 Heraclides' guide (3 eyes) - E
/40 Manikanda's coconut (3 eyes) - D
merciful.wav §HR 645
Ruchbah
HR 318
HR 96
HR 324
HR 163
Mirach
HR 569
HR 432
M 33
HR 341
HR 8698
Scheat
HR 8225
HR 8231
HR 8739
Homam
HR 8059
HR 8930
HR 8977
HR 8903
HR 8798
Capella
Diphda
HR 296
HR 4
HR 8852
HR 161
HR 14
HR 8040
HR 7815
HR 7860
HR 8150
Altair
Vega
Denebdanadress.jpgThese are all stars, and with their groupings, it seems as if we will need to map them on a star chart and see if they spell anything. Since most people don't have star charts just lying around, there is a program you can download to map out the position of stars, StarCalc. However, this is a bit tedious since you can't ask it to draw lines between Star A and Star B, so I'm providing you with gifs of what it's supposed to look like. Note: Some of the letters need to be rotated to read and two of the letters required you to zoom in because of the relative closeness of one so those pictures look slightly different.HR 645 / Ruchbah / HR 318 / HR 96 / HR 324 - M
HR 163 / Mirach / HR 569 / HR 432 & M 33 / HR 341 - E
HR 8698 / Scheat / HR 8225 / HR 8231 / HR 8739 & Homam / HR 8059 - R
HR 8930 / HR 8977 HR 8903 / HR 8798 - C
Capella / Diphda - I
HR 296 / HR 4 / HR 8852 & HR 161 / HR 14 - F
HR 8040 / HR 7815 / HR 7860 / HR 8150 - U
Altair / Vega / Deneb - L
This gives us merciful.
tearful_goodbye §ECHO
DMHNJ TTAVI DXGMSfigure.jpgThe last file based on the groupofjars.jpg code wheel. First set E = A then C = A, H = A, O = A and repeat until each letter is decoded.DMHNJ TTAVI DXGMS = tearf ulgoo dbyex = tearful_goodbye
last_stop.wav §[TRANSPARENT]smoker.jpgYou need to recreate the white cross with the writing on a piece of transparent paper. Next, fold the paper into a cube and look at it from a corner. The lines will match up and spell last stop.Embedded gif of a black rectangle, with a white cross with strange writing on it.bee2_margaretphoto.jpgUnfortunately, the above solves do not include all of the riddles. See, the PMs got clever this week and have stuck us with one puzzle that we cannot figure out. Even after 24 hours we are still no closer to solving this than we were when we first found it. For lack of a better name, we've been calling this 41 Prepositions or just "that-stupid-freaking-prepositions-puzzle". Now we can only hope that if we do not figure this out by Tuesday (or gasp! next Friday) we will get another clue.
41 prepositions §
----------
SOUNDS LIKE
----------CUTEBEE.giflangshivel.gif----------
UNDERNEATH
WITHOUT
OVER
BEHIND
AGAINST
INTO
AT
ASIDE
INSIDE
IN
BELOW
ABOVE
BENEATH
BESIDE
AFTER
UNDER
AROUND
ONTO
ACROSS
BY
BETWEEN
AMONG
TOWARD
THROUGH
ALONG
OUTSIDE
ON
PAST
OFF
OPPOSITE
WITHIN
FROM
ABOUT
WITH
AMID
TO
BEFORE
ROUND
THROUGHOUT
NEAR
BEYOND
----------no_no_no.wav*wind up*
*office noises*
*footsteps*
*chime*
*chatter dial*
*chatter ring*
*comm on*
Rani: Hey Sarah-John.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Wow, you're calling from work. This must be important. Did you get ano...
Rani: I got another letter from Nick. He said that... *door opens* *footsteps* Oh my god. Sarah-John.
Sarah-John (on chatter): What? Rani? Rani?
Rani: Oh no. No no no no no no no.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Rani is someone there? Rani, say something. I'm really scared here.dress_uniform.wavRani: Oh Nick!
Sarah-John (on chatter): Nick? Rani talk to me!
Rani: Two soliders. In dress uniform. Oh god. They stopped at Beth's cubicle.
Solider: Mrs. Collingwood? I regret to inform you your husband, Keith Collingwood, was killed in action off Reach last month.
Beth: *sobs*
Solider: The Navy wants you to know he fought bravely and his sacrifice will not be in vain.
Beth: *cries*
Sarah-John (on chatter): Her what?!
Rani: Her husband. He's on a ship.
Beth: Keith!
Rani: Oh my god, Sarah-John. One solider means wounded and two means...
Sarah-John (on chatter): Oh Rani.
Rani: Oh. I thought it was Nick. I thought they had come to tell me it was Nick. Oh Sarah-John, her face.last_week.wavSarah-John (on chatter): Rani, it's okay.
Rani: They wouldn't come to tell me anyway. I don't have that kinda claim. Do I?
Sarah-John (on chatter): They'd tell his mother.
Rani: Right. Of course.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Come back home. Ju-just for the weekend.
Rani: Life is too short to keep running home, Sarah-John.
Sarah-John (on chatter): Rani.
Rani: I've been thinking about it. Somebody was coming to kill me last week. And I'm gonna find out why.
*wind down*divorced_bureaucrat.wav*wind up*
*train station noises*
Announcement: Washington Capital City Station. Anyone wishing to exit at Capital City please exit right now. Capital City.
Herzog: Pardon me, Miss.
Rani: Hey! What do you think you're... It's you.
Herzog: Is that who it is?
Rani: No, I mean, it's really you. The cranky old man on the CP.
Herzog: How do you know? Did you find a picture?
Rani: I just knew. I knew what you would be like.
Herzog: Heh. What am I like?
Rani: Inconspicuous. Dressed like a divorced bureaucrat.
Herzog: I am a divorced bureaucrat.old_washington.wavHerzog: Come take a walk with me.
Rani: What if I don't want to?
Herzog: Three close personal friends of the guy who fell off your roof last week have my house staked out. Wouldn't you like to know why?
Rani: Oh my god.
Herzog: So come walk with me already.
Rani: How did you know I would be on that train?
Herzog: I am a very old, enormously talented spy, Rani. I've been running agents since the year your mother learned to ride a bike. I know how your mind works. I know you better than you know yourself.
Rani: Yeah, but how did you really know?
Herzog: We put a bug in your purse.
Rani: Dammit.
Herzog: Eh, reminds me. Once you start getting your extra pay from my department, buy yourself some decent accessories. Your idea of business clothes makes you look like a Sunday school teacher.
Rani: Why you pompous old Washington son of a *horn blast*
*train pulls into station*
*wind down*a_pawn.wav*wind up*
Rani: Lemme guess, according to Section Three...
Herzog: ...there is no device.
Rani: So where it is now? Oh.
Herzog: Im really sorry about this.
Rani: Chawla Base. The base where I work.
Herzog: Rani...
Rani: You got me this job in the first place, didn't you? You and that low down scheming Professor Avi. You set me up so you would have a pawn on the inside.
Herzog: You think I don't have problems of my own? In my day, we didn't complain when someone offered us a job, no sir.little_brave.wavRani: Well this is my day! And I don't know. I'm thinking I might quit and go home. But I'm afraid y'all won't let me.
Herzog: You're going to have to be a little brave, Rani. I'm sorry about that but the times don't give us many choices these days. There's a young man up on an orbital platform tonight...
Rani: Please don't. I really don't want you to know about him.
Herzog: Rani, I have my enemies, but I have my friends too. They're watching over you. Take a little comfort from that.
Rani: Hmm. I'll try.
Herzog: Get on your train. Go home. Go to work like nothing happened. All I ask is that you keep your eyes open. Can you do that?
Rani: Oh yes. It's remembering to keep them shut's the problem.
*wind down*coney_island.wav*wind up*
*train noises*
Joe: Is this seat taken?
Rani: Hmm? Oh, no. Go ahead.
Joe: Thanks. Name's Joe.
Rani: Hey. I'm Rani.
Joe: I'm going to New York. You going to New York?
Rani: Boston.
Joe: Boston? Huh. Well, I'm headed to New York. Three days of leave. I mean to use them.
Rani: Mmm, I gathered.
Joe: Ever been to Coney Island at night?
Rani: Nope.have_some_laughs.wavJoe: You oughta go. Hey, we could go tonight!
Rani: Thanks, but I should be getting back.
Joe: You know, we could kick around town, have some laughs. Maybe get some d...
Rani: Listen. I appreciate the offer, I truly do, and I bet you're a really swell Helljumper.
Joe: How do you know I'm a...?
Rani: And I flattered you would ask.
Joe: Hey, cute girl on a train...
Rani: But, I already have a boyfriend.
Joe: I don't see a boyfriend.
Rani: Oh, you don't give up easily do you.
Joe: ODST baby. They pound the quit right out of us.
Rani: Well they do a good job.
Joe: Hey, which reminds me...sunday_school.wavJoe: How did you...?
Rani: Oh women's intuition. Plus the campagin tattoos on your scalp and the gold comet logo on your bag.
Joe: Whoa. Sharp. Hey, I'll do you.
Rani: Joe, I'm not talking to you anymore.
Joe: I got it! Sunday school teacher.
Rani: I am not a Sunday school teacher!
Joe: Thought you weren't talking to me. Come on, your boyfriend will never know.
Rani: You're insufferable.
Joe: You're cute.
Rani: You're married.
Joe: Now, there's where you're wrong.separated.wavRani: Joe, you think girls don't know what that untanned circle around your fourth finger means? If some tart buys your line of sleeze, it's because she decided to, not because she too dumb to notice you slipped your wedding ring off that morning.
Joe: I should tell the guys in the unit that. Save on drink bills.
Rani: Go back to your wife and leave me alone.
Joe: Wife and I are separated.
Rani: Meaning she's not on the train?
Joe: Meaning she's dead.
Rani: Oh.
Joe: She bought it on Reach.merciful.wavRani: Are you sure? There were a lot of survivors on Reach for some reason. Maybe she made it through.
Joe: No. She didn't.
Rani: Oh. I'm sorry.
Joe: She always said, she said "Joe, if I buy it, I want you to keep living. I want you to ..."
Rani: What was her name?
Joe: Maggie.
Rani: That's a nice name.
Joe: Can you believe I used to be good at picking up girls?
Rani: Joe, you were never good at picking up girls. Maggie was just merciful.
Joe: Ain't that the truth.tearful_goodbye.wavRani: My boyfriend's up on one of the orbital platforms.
Joe: Well, he'll be okay there. They're pretty safe.
Rani: You really think so?
Joe: Oh ya.
Rani: Thanks.
Joe: So, whaddya say?
Rani: What?
Joe: You. Me. Coney Island.
Rani: *laughs* Oh Joe. I can't.
Joe: Lemme guess. Your boy got called up, you shared a tearful goodbye, he told you how me might never be coming back, and you gave it up for him.
Rani: No.
Joe: He told you he would always remember you.
Rani: No, it wasn't like that at all.
Joe: I see those guys the day after, Rani.
Rani: Nick would never lie to me.
Joe: Lying doesn't look the same when you think you're gonna die.
Rani: No, Nick wouldn't...
Joe: You think you're gonna die, you take what you can get. Anyway you can.last_stop.wavAnnouncement: Next stop: Manhatten Station. There will be no further stops before Harvard Square, Boston. Manhatten Station.
Joe: Come out with me tonight, Sunday School.
Rani: *sigh* I can't.
Joe: Okay.
Rani: I'm so sorry about Maggie.
Joe: Still dont see it, do you? I'm not the only solider here. Covenant's coming, Rani. You better take what you can get. *train stops* Last stop.
Rani: She loved you Joe.
Joe: Yeah. I know.
*wind down*October 12th and Onwards >>