[ESCAPE ROOM CLIENT]
For The Darkmaster, a new escape room venture, I was tasked with writing introductory texts for each room - one in the form of a military correspondence, three are for a fictional newspaper. Conceptualising narrative and character development, each text informs the players of the adventure they are about to embark upon while building upon the company’s vital storylines.
LITTLE TOY SHOP OF HORRORS
The Darkmaster’s puzzling abductions
The criminal mastermind known as The Dark Master today claimed responsibility for the mysterious disappearances of 63 adults and children. In an unmarked package sent to The Assembly, the vigilante group of puzzle-solving experts, the fugitive also disclosed Shamleys as the site of the vanishings. Since its sudden closure in 1983 the famed toy shop in South East England has stood abandoned. Numerous searches of the premises have so far yielded nothing.
The Dark Master also threatened more abductions will follow until The Assembly “finally manage to find a recruit worthy of my attention; someone with the brains and intelligence to complete my games”. These psychological exercises are typical of the villainous trickster whose past crimes have followed a similarly sadistic pattern.
The package did include tiny articles of clothing, including a T-shirt and duffle coat that appear to have been shrunken to doll-sized proportions. These pieces of evidence seem to corroborate further intelligence The Assembly have gathered that The Dark Master possesses advanced military technology capable of biologically altering the human body.
Article continues, page 5
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
DESTINATION DARKMASTER
Hundreds of leaked files reveal the criminal mastermind’s hiding place
Yesterday evening a cache of highly-encrypted files belonging to The Darkmaster were leaked online. The documents were anonymously uploaded to the dark web and within two hours had gone viral. There is now an international data race to decrypt the hundreds of files.
Hacktivist group Anonymous have announced via Twitter that they will be the first to ‘crack the Dark code.’ While data brokers worldwide are already offering tens of millions of pounds for the complete working files.
The mystery-solving organisation The Assembly have made significant progress already. According to an inside source, the vigilante group has been able to crack open a handful of files revealing sensitive information pertaining to The Darkmaster’s potential whereabouts. Hidden within the source code was a string of satellite coordinates that point to a location within Krubera Cave, the world’s second-deepest-known cave complex. The site would be difficult to access. Not only is the topography perilous but Krubera cave is located within Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia currently under Russian occupation.
Article continues, page 3
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1300
The Right Honourable Gavin Williamson CBA MP
Secretary of State for Defence, MoD
Whitehall
Westminster
London, SW1A 2HB
Dear Mr. Williamson,
I am writing once again to implore you to request the assistance of The Assembly, the puzzle-solving agency we have encountered on numerous occasions.
Time is extremely sensitive. Dark Master has gained full control of the computer systems at our nuclear research station in the Artic Circle. As you know, this maximum-security compound stores enough experimental warheads to trigger apocalyptic events worldwide. The criminal mastermind has also managed to wrestle control of the ballistic arsenals of all other nuclear-capable countries; Britain included. Any attempt to regain control of these computer systems has failed entirely.
The Darkmaster has effectively taken the world hostage, and the death timer is set for exactly one hour.
Nobody more than myself can appreciate one’s reluctance to enlist an organization outside of the British government’s purview. But considering the situation forced upon us, and the international community, I can think of no better action plan.
You must remember that The Assembly have a unique psychological understanding of Dark Master and his games. It is their primary objective to find and unmask the evasive trickster — so why shouldn’t we utilize their knowing to our advantage?
They might be our only hope.
Patrick M. Shanahan
Acting Secretary of Defence, USA
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE
Read the world’s first ever interview with The Assembly as they do battle in the Peruvian Amazonia
Trusted sources in Peru alerted The International Times to a developing situation within the region. A specialist team was sent to investigate. After a four day trek into the Peruvian Amazonia, contact was made with an authenticated member of The Assembly at a camp south of the port city of Iquitos.
Speculation and rumours surround The Assembly, the world’s only mystery-solving agency. Little is known about the collective. They have remained famously uncommunicative to the outside world, particularly the media. That is until now.
“There were complications with our objectives here,” revealed E, who asked to go by a pseudonym to protect her identity. “We were attacked in the middle of the night by a group of men in balaclavas. They took hostages. I don’t know how many. But The Darkmaster sent them, that i’m certain...”
E fled the jungle camp during the attack, finding refuge in nearby mountains. When she returned four days later she found the camp had been raised to the ground by the attackers. Everything had been destroyed. “I needed to see if any of the team would make their way back to the camp. Other’s must be out there, hiding in the jungle like me,” she spluttered. “But no one returned. I was alone, in the Amazon, with enemies all around.”
Not so forthcoming were explanations as to why both parties, The Assembly and the criminal superpower known as The Darkmaster, where present in South America. What was the motive? E refused to explain. Instead she began a rant about needing “more recruits for their mission. Smart, deductive people to join the fight against darkening forces.”
Further investigations made by this newspaper using alternative sources found that both parties are searching for a hoard of ancient relics long-held to be nothing but folklore. Local legends tell of heavenly instruments crafted by the old gods’, otherworldly tools capable of calling upon death himself.
Interview continues, page 6