[The Barmaid]

Trailer revisited. Thinking out loud - not for fish purposes. Most of the threads on S8 seem to have pushed into hidden eggs that there's not a lot being said about the story we got to work with.

Just wondering if it may point to something we've missed.

Train leaves Nevada with cargo intact, as per the radio transmission. Going to Ohio.


Truck appears to be in a hurry to intercept - recanting my original impression it lost control. Truck deliberately tying to intercept the train, stop its course, prevent it from going to Ohio.


Why?

1. Driver knows what the train has for cargo and doesn't want it in the secure facilities in Ohio
2. Driver thinks cargo is one thing, no idea it's something else, but doesn't want it getting to Ohio
3. Driver is some backwoods redneck with a death wish, playing chicken with a train and loses. Unwittingly unleashes shit storm.

The truck does appear to be deliberately going to the train, but suicide in and of itself doesn't strike me as reasonable. Presumably, it's a civilian in the truck, a civilian who probably is aware of the cargo.

If the cargo is known alien, civilian in truck could've wanted to prevent USG from getting it, and USG is probably the antagonist, as usual.


Collision happens. Crap goes everywhere, massive damage.

Driver either bailed out of the truck before it hit the train or didn't make it.

Something huge and alive is disturbed and wants out the boxcar. Could be more than one thing in the boxcar...because the wheel spins while something is banging it from the inside.

If it's one thing, it's smart enough to know how to open the door, but pissed enough it's also willing to ram the walls. The dual use here tosses me. One creature with multiple arms, great strength, pulled between rational opening of door and rageful banging.

Then there is the camera with the broken lens flashing the mystery letters. It also gives us the face of a dark haired child, and then a couple frames that look like melted film and/or foam stuff on a glass pane, window, etc. Some of the lines look almost like the backrest of a seat.

The camera's lens is busted, there's the face...there's been a bad collision.

Solving the website url brings up the remote access to an antiquated system that takes forever to download files (yay dial up!)...when it does, it provides:

1. message that someone wants someone to stop posting publicly, they can answer questions, they have proof.
2. 2 newspaper sheets that at face value offer a focus on popcicles, spaceguys, etc. with puzzle and mailing info to send in, but that are marked with a hidden code that resolves to, via three columns:

col1: No certainty if a live
col2: may be after us
col3: we go underground

Since they could've found words in asymmetrical columns to say this or more, I use the columns to divide the message into 3 separate statements. The sender isn't sure if whoever is alive - or that whoever is after them isn't sure the sender is alive, so is in pursuit. The sender thinks someone may be after them, and therefore it's time to go underground.

There are also more than just the message sender involved (we, us).

The individual behind the cryptic website has provided a hint that they can answer questions with proof, and then offers up the newspaper sheets with the hidden message. Mystery person provides an outdated paper; one page is about the rocketman, the other is Kennedy's address which is where the hidden message is found.

Whoever has the camera sends the cryptic messages, has access to that operating system in order to do so, and uses dated newspaper sheets to send message; Kennedy is relevant, and rocketpops are relevant to a point. Since the mystery person didn't likely have any pull to the editing of that paper's issue, they chose this specific paper for a reason, rocketpops.


We send the coupon...we wait.


Seems to me there's someone, more than just one person we need to be finding - the person who had the camera, the one with access to these files...this OS, etc. there should be some other clues to be had.


If they sent these papers specifically for us to send the coupon, then it seems to me that one, more, or all of us who sent stuff in will get something back that will lead us to the ones who can help us, the ones with proof...OR...we find another way in to find the mystery helper and the paper info is a warning to NOT follow that course or the rocketpop angle would be the antagonist.

So far, all our ways in and moving forward have come from the scariest site. Why did A51 section get shut down? What is the cargo that was intercepted by collision? Who owns the camera? How can we find that person - the one likely behind sending us the messages - who is unlikely to be the rocketpop people?

[Player Joe]

Saiyan King wrote:

I have to agree, this is a very detailed and succint summarization of the events so far. you even thought of a couple of things that i hadnt. i like your idea of how the newspapers are actually the kids trying to communicated with one another. very good. for your effort, one freshly baked delicious mama's homecooked brownie

Thanks for the brownie.

This is my first ARG and I'm still learning all the stuff so it's nice to hear some positive feedback.

[Saiyan King]

I have to agree, this is a very detailed and succint summarization of the events so far. you even thought of a couple of things that i hadnt. i like your idea of how the newspapers are actually the kids trying to communicated with one another. very good. for your effort, one freshly baked delicious mama's homecooked brownie

[Adm_BlackCat]

Very nice SPEC Player Joe. Sounds very cat and mouse.

[AmblinAlong]

to the OP

[Player Joe]

Re: 2nd

[thebruce]

Re: 2nd

[asda]

2nd

[Player Joe]

Re: Dates

[cearanissa]

Dates

[Melodyman]

Thank You..

[SeekerX]

Bruce, no offense meant there. I really dig your Wiki for it certainly is pretty neutral. Just wanted to have that sentence out in this thread .
Good way, Player Joe. Now it all makes sense.

[Player Joe]

Okay I went back and changed the title to more accurately describe what I'm talking about. This is just my speculation as to what is happening in the story in order to maybe gain perspective which might be able to help interpret the clues.

[thebruce]

SeekerX wrote:

The sole problem being that each individual differs on what he or she accepts as "fact" . But that's just the fun of this game isn't it?

By "fact", I'm referring to "this happened", "this happened", "this was found", "this person did this here", "quote", "quote", "quote"... you get the picture. That is the most basic fact there is, and that's what the wiki should be documenting and archiving first and foremost. Anything else should either be categorized in discussion or labeled as theory, speculation, or opinion.

[Player Joe]

I'm sure the camera works in the dark, just not well. But remember, the train caught on fire and there was alot of the train still on fire when the thing got out. Its possible that they were able to capture images using that light. They wouldn't be great pics, but enough to show other people.

And I wasn't saying that the authorities would be right there. Assuming I'm right about the USAF base, it would take them little under an hour to get there. In that time though, the kids have hidden because of the alien. They finally decide its safe when the govt agents show up.

And to amend my theory, the creature takes one kid(which later is the one mentioned when its said 'uncertain if a live'). The rest flee. Later after hiding they leave, once they think its safe. One kid goes back the next day to look for his friend. Finds government swarming the site cleaning up the wreck and won't him near. He freaks out, asking about his friend that was out in the woods. They won't confirm anything and tell him to leave. Later that guy reports it to a superior. The agents put it together and go looking around the town for the kid. End up finding his house, knocking on the door as they go door to door looking for him. The kid doesn't answer because he is afraid and warns his friends via the newspaper that the gov't is looking for people who witnessed it. Maybe they all left stuff in the forest that can be traced back to them. The kid is afraid to leave his house and warn friends face-to-face in case agents are walking around. And his friend that posted the pics had already told him about the message on the computer before he left to look for the friend. So he knew to send it coded so that the agents wouldn't find it.

Or maybe, the message is sent because the kids are accusing the govt of a coverup and won't say what happened to the friend, whom the govt has taken captive to learn about what he saw. The gov't tries to lure them out with the promise of proof of the friends whereabouts. Afraid that the govt has found where they are, someone sends out the newspaper warning everyone to go into hiding to evade capture.