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Challenge 2

This challenge closed on 2016-11-02 23:59. See below for the correct answers.

A

A spinout called Dynamix

B

INGXROK
ZNK TUZK EUA YKTZ UBKX CGY ZXOIQOKX ZNGT O KDVKIZKJ. PGSKROG JOJT’Z PAYZ XKBKXYK ZNK CNURK SKYYGMK HKLUXK KTIXEVZOTM OZ, YNK VAZ GRR ZNK VATIZAGZOUT GTJ YVGIOTM HGIQ OT ZNK UXOMOTGR VRGIKY ZU ZNXUC ZNK IGYAGR XKGJKX ULL ZNK YIKTZ. OZ CGYT’Z BKXE YUVNOYZOIGZKJ, HAZ OZ CGY JKBOUAY, GTJ ZKRRY AY YUSKZNOTM GHUAZ ZNK CGE YNK ZNOTQY. UTK ZNOTM O GS IKXZGOT GHUAZ, ZNOY JUKYT’Z XKGJ ROQK G YAOIOJK TUZK. CNU CXOZKY UTK UL ZNUYK OT IUJK?

UAX LOKRJ GMKTZ GYQKJ GXUATJ GZ ZNK ATOBKXYOZE GTJ CGY ZURJ ZNGZ PGSKROG’Y HUELXOKTJ CUXQKJ OT ZNK YGSK RGH GY NKX LUX G CNORK. NOY TGSK OY SGXZOT ZXGETUX GTJ ZNKE HUZN JOJ GT OTZKXTYNOV OT ZNKOX YKIUTJ EKGX GZ G YVOTUAZ IUSVGTE IGRRKJ JETGSOD. ZNGZ OY G YSGRR YZGXZAV CNOIN CUXQY UT ZNK LXOTMKY UL ZNK GXSY OTJAYZXE, HAZ TU-UTK YKKSY ZU QTUC SAIN GHUAZ OZ.

O GS TUZ YAXK CNE JETGSOD CUARJ NGBK NOXKJ PGSKROG; EUA YGOJ ZNGZ YNK CGY CUXQOTM UT MXGBOZE CGBKY, CNOIN GXK G YKOYSURUMOIGR VNKTUSKTUT. O XKGJ GT OTZKXKYZOTM VGVKX IGRRKJ “MXGBOZE CGBKY OT KGXZNWAGQKY” CNOIN YAMMKYZKJ ZNGZ ZNKE SOMNZ HK XKYVUTYOHRK LUX ZNK JKYZXAIZOUT UL NOMN XOYK HRUIQY JAXOTM YUSK ZXKSUXY. HAZ ATRKYY JETGSOD GXK VRGTTOTM ZU ZXE ZU CKGVUTOYK KGXZNWAGQKY O GS TUZ YAXK CNE ZNOY CUARJ HK UL OTZKXKYZ ZU ZNKS. CK TKKJ ZU QTUC SUXK GHUAZ NKX CUXQ GTJ CNGZ ZNKE NOXKJ NKX ZU JU.

ZNKXK GXK G RUZ UL WAKYZOUTY KBKT OT ZNK LOXYZ TUZK:

CNE JOJ SGXZOT RKGBK?
CNKXK OY NK?
CNE IUARJT’Z YNK MKZ NURJ UL NOS?
CNGZ CGY ZUU HOM LUX PGSKROG ZU NGTJRK GRUTK?
CNGZ SGJK PGSKROG LKKR MAORZE?
NUC CGY YNK VRGTTOTM ZU LOD OZ?

O GS NUVOTM ZNGZ ZNK GZZGINKJ JUIASKTZ CORR GTYCKX YUSK UL ZNKYK WAKYZOUTY HAZ OZ CORR VXUHGHRE PAYZ XGOYK UZNKXY. O LUATJ OZ VGYZKJ ATJKX ZNK IUBKX UL ZNK TUZKHUUQ ZNGZ ZNK VXKBOUAY SKYYGMK CGY ZGQKT LXUS. O IGT YKK CNE ZNK VUROIK SOYYKJ OZ, ZNUAMN OZ CGYT’Z G BKXE VXULKYYOUTGR PUH.

NGXXE

Correct Answer

CHARLIE
THE NOTE YOU SENT OVER WAS TRICKIER THAN I EXPECTED. JAMELIA DIDN’T JUST REVERSE THE WHOLE MESSAGE BEFORE ENCRYPTING IT, SHE PUT ALL THE PUNCTUATION AND SPACING BACK IN THE ORIGINAL PLACES TO THROW THE CASUAL READER OFF THE SCENT. IT WASN’T VERY SOPHISTICATED, BUT IT WAS DEVIOUS, AND TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY SHE THINKS. ONE THING I AM CERTAIN ABOUT, THIS DOESN’T READ LIKE A SUICIDE NOTE. WHO WRITES ONE OF THOSE IN CODE?

OUR FIELD AGENT ASKED AROUND AT THE UNIVERSITY AND WAS TOLD THAT JAMELIA’S BOYFRIEND WORKED IN THE SAME LAB AS HER FOR A WHILE. HIS NAME IS MARTIN TRAYNOR AND THEY BOTH DID AN INTERNSHIP IN THEIR SECOND YEAR AT A SPINOUT COMPANY CALLED DYNAMIX. THAT IS A SMALL STARTUP WHICH WORKS ON THE FRINGES OF THE ARMS INDUSTRY, BUT NO-ONE SEEMS TO KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT.

I AM NOT SURE WHY DYNAMIX WOULD HAVE HIRED JAMELIA; YOU SAID THAT SHE WAS WORKING ON GRAVITY WAVES, WHICH ARE A SEISMOLOGICAL PHENOMENON. I READ AN INTERESTING PAPER CALLED “GRAVITY WAVES IN EARTHQUAKES” WHICH SUGGESTED THAT THEY MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF HIGH RISE BLOCKS DURING SOME TREMORS. BUT UNLESS DYNAMIX ARE PLANNING TO TRY TO WEAPONISE EARTHQUAKES I AM NOT SURE WHY THIS WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO THEM. WE NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER WORK AND WHAT THEY HIRED HER TO DO.

THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS EVEN IN THE FIRST NOTE:

WHY DID MARTIN LEAVE?
WHERE IS HE?
WHY COULDN’T SHE GET HOLD OF HIM?
WHAT WAS TOO BIG FOR JAMELIA TO HANDLE ALONE?
WHAT MADE JAMELIA FEEL GUILTY?
HOW WAS SHE PLANNING TO FIX IT?

I AM HOPING THAT THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT WILL ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS BUT IT WILL PROBABLY JUST RAISE OTHERS. I FOUND IT PASTED UNDER THE COVER OF THE NOTEBOOK THAT THE PREVIOUS MESSAGE WAS TAKEN FROM. I CAN SEE WHY THE POLICE MISSED IT, THOUGH IT WASN’T A VERY PROFESSIONAL JOB.

HARRY

B

More questions than answers?

NHFXCZDYX KDS TLSCZY,

RUB LSF VZCLAFOOF ZYCFSFXCFA ZY ABYLTZW?
UDR AZA ABYLTZW PFC TB VDAF-QLXF?
RULC LSF ABYLTZW IOLYYZYP CD AD RZCU ZC?
RUB ZX UF XCZOO ZYMDOMFA RZCU CUFT?
RUD LSF CUF IAX XBYAZVLCF?

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Correct Answer

QUESTIONS FOR MARTIN,

WHY ARE CITADELLE INTERESTED IN DYNAMIX?
HOW DID DYNAMIX GET MY CODE-BASE?
WHAT ARE DYNAMIX PLANNING TO DO WITH IT?
WHY IS HE STILL INVOLVED WITH THEM?
WHO ARE THE PDS SYNDICATE?

I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWERS, AND I AM PRETTY SURE HE MUST DO TOO. THE THREE MONTHS WE SPENT WORKING AT DYNAMIX WERE SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED, BUT SURELY, KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW NOW, EVEN MARTIN MUST HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS ABOUT WORKING WITH THESE PEOPLE.

I AM NOT SURE WHO TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS. I AM CERTAIN THAT SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AT DYNAMIX ARE COMPLETELY IN THE DARK ABOUT IT, NO CONSPIRACY WITH THAT MANY MEMBERS COULD HAVE SURVIVED MORE THAN A WEEK, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHICH OF THEM I CAN TRUST. I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST MARTIN, BUT THAT WAS BEFORE THE PDS HACK.

I CAN’T TALK TO THE POLICE; SPECIAL BRANCH ARE CERTAIN TO FLAG IT GIVEN THE NAMES OF SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON THE BOARD. WITH THEIR CONNECTIONS WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN. THE PDS SYNDICATE ARE TOO BIG FOR ME TO HANDLE ALONE. THEY KNOW ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT ME, AND I KNOW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT THEM. IF I STAY HERE TO FIGHT, THEN IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THEY REALISE I AM ON TO THEM. IF I HAVEN’T DISAPPEARED BEFORE THEN, THEN I HAVE A FEELING THEY WILL MAKE ME DISAPPEAR.