A piece of interactive fiction vs. role-playing game, where you get to suggest the next move and influence how the story progresses.
#14. A box of tricks
Friday, September 30, 2005 You stare at the keypad, a series of digits and a plain small lit square.You chuckle as you realise how simple this might be, and press your finger against the panel, and the soft glow increases in its intensity. Fingerprint scanner. Easy.
As you're smiling smugly, the square turns red, suggesting an incorrect scan. You try again, but still the square turns red. Three strikes and you're out, you imagine. Try a final time, and as cliched as you like, an alarm bell starts to ring down the corridor alerting them to your failure in accessing the safety deposit box.
Thinking quickly, as seems to be your forte recently, you pull out the finger from your pocket, unwrap it and stick it to the panel. The glow intensifies once more and then turns green, silencing the alarm bells, but not early enough to stop a couple of men running towards you. You quickly stuff the finger back in your pocket.
"Is there a problem here sir?" one of the guards asks
"Sorry, my finger.. I er... wasn't concentrating" you respond
"Okay, if you need some training with regards to use of your fingers sir, we'll be happy to oblige" the other guard smirks.
"Yeah. Thanks." and the two wander off in the direction the came from, leaving you alone with the open box.
You pull the door open further, to reveal its contents.
A manilla envelope
A CD
You pull out the envelope and open it up. Inside, it contains a number of photographs, a map, a slip of paper with some digits and letters on it, a newspaper clipping, and a mobile phone SIM card.
You put the items all back into the envelope, along with the CD, and close the box.
Firstly you have to take the contents and get outta there in case somebody's hot on your tail. I'd find somewhere safe (and perhaps ominously dark and errie) to take a closer look at the photos and map but I would start by putting the sim card into your phone and checking out what's on it - maybe another message leading you onto your next puzzle?
I think next time take the money rather than open the box!
Seeing as you've done that, examine the items to discover what they're a picture of and what the newspaper article is about.
I can't do any better than these two excellent suggestions which precede mine. Get out of the bank, and then settle down for a nice read. Perhaps a cup of tea too.