CD-RATS01 (Nov 16, 1988)
Puzzle
"5x5(0Z) Like Clockwork - NRDPDKBHNPHNT."
Cipher | 1 Word
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: ??
Clue 2: ??
Clue 3: ??
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Inevitability
Explanation: The first bit of the puzzle implies that you need to create a five-by-five grid of the alphabet, excluding Z. From there, 'like clockwork', convert 'NRDPDKBHNPHNT' into whatever the plaintext is. The word 'clockwork' refers to the direction of a clock's hour hand (e.g. at 12, it's pointing straight up; at 1 it's slightly to the right, and so on) - therefore, finding the relevant letter in the grid and going one letter in a clockwise manner (so for N, go up once to I; for R, go 'north-east' to N; for D, go left to E, and so on) spells out 'Inevitability'.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
AND RECEIPT
RECEIPT NUMBER: RATS01
RECEIPT DATE: 11 16 1988
MANAGER TITLE: BALTIMORE
RECEIPT NOTES:
It began, naturally, with the coffee. This morning’s roast tasted like the second-hand dreams of someone asleep on the job—over-brewed and disquietingly sweet for what was meant to be black coffee. It’s as if the Universe itself shares my anxiety to make up for lost time. I didn’t expect to recreate the prior Universe perfectly—far from it—but I had hoped to do a better job than this. Madeline Saturn, Marcus Douglas, the time dilation, Jack still being… Jack. And the Eight… still beyond my grasp, buried deep within Jack’s own thoughts.
On one hand, I want to keep Jack safe from the Cold. If history repeats—and it almost certainly will—Fate will come for the Eight inside him, ripping it free by force and leaving him a hollow, empty shell. I want to stop that. I do. But if I manage to outplay Fate now, so early in the game, I may never get the Eight myself. And the maddening thing about the Eight? I can’t even remember why I want them. You can only truly understand their purpose when you have them. I suspect even Fate doesn’t fully comprehend why it craves them so deeply—only that they hold the power to unseat God and reshape the Universe into a cold, methodical, predestined image.
Something is wrong. Well—that’s an understatement. The Universe—this Sphere—it’s bending and breaking under the weight of this recreation, this rewinding. A strain I hadn’t anticipated. I’ll need to consult Belphegor about it. But when? Where? Even within the timeless Ouroboros, Mammon would sense our alliance soon enough. For now… I’ll have to untangle Fate’s plan on my own.
The Oracle. Marcus. Madeline. They all reek of Fate’s handiwork. I don’t entirely distrust Marcus or Madeline—but why has Fate nudged them into the threads of what will be? I need to understand.