Okay, stay calm, nothing's happened yet, so it doesn't matter what happens next, just figure it out and then worry. Looking at the number, you realize alphanumeric is a great way to go. 532-3541 could mean
ECB-CEDA, no, it sure as hell can't start ECB, that means nothing in terms of nearby locations. Wait, there's no number greater than 5 in this code, maybe every letter was turned into a number before being divided by 5, the number left is the remainder, and no remainder was represented as a 5. So:
1 would be A, F, K, P, U, Z.
2 would be B, G, L, Q, V
3 would be C, H, M, R, W
4 would be D, I, N, S, X
5 would be E, J, O, T, Y
You run through all the possibilities, and none of them make sense, but you get fixated on one match up: OWT-REIP. Something about this combination feels right, but you can't figure it out, until you write it backwards, PIER-TWO. The second dock at the pier, and suddenly you remember, there's a warehouse down there owned by...someone you know. 'Okay,' you think, 'now I just have to meet her, but I still don't know anything about her. Just in case it's a trap, I should call Andre to back me up. ...Okay, who the fuck is Andre?' One answer leads to another question, you led a very interesting life considering the puzzle you left yourself. You head out of Rocky's and run back to the strip club, finding that girl's car right where you left it, and hop in, hoping to make it by four, the pier is a hell of a drive away.
The long drive gives you time to think about the possibilities of your life, are you CIA or a criminal, given the facts, either is a very strong possibility. If you were CIA, then the death threats mean you infiltrated some criminal group and were found out, and if the woman from Rocky's is in danger, then it probably has something to do with you. If she's protecting you, then she's on the side opposite yours, so she'd be a criminal in this scenario, and protecting you means she definitely cares about you, in one way or another. If she hasn't been killed yet, then she's someone very important to the group, or directly connected to someone important.
On the other hand, if your a criminal, no, don't think about that. Somehow, after the events of tonight, you don't think you're a criminal. Criminals with your skills are innately criminals, and you innately have thought good thoughts (when they weren't about sex) and done good things (excluding the guys from the store). The previous possibility sounds more like you, based on your actions at least, and you'd rather not think about being a criminal until it's confirmed you actually are, hopefully a sign you really aren't a criminal.
The possibility search definitely helped pass the time, you arrive within view of the pier with fifteen minutes to get into position. You park the car a few blocks away, in front of a normal looking house with a few of other cars already parked out front, no doubt someone's throwing a party. You walk the rest of the way, on guard the whole time, before you're in the warehouse you remembered. You take a look around and all you notice are the five dozen or so crates holding who knows what. You walk around, leaving no stone or unsealed crate unsearched, until you're finally certain you're all alone in here. All you have to do now is play the waiting game. |