Listen to a story of murder, loss, betrayal and revelations - this is a summary of how it all began, from the moment the Cube was stolen until the present day (the present day being sometime in April 2006). Pay attention and you'll be up to speed in just five minutes.
Podcast Transcript
Welcome to Perplex City.
Our story began when the Receda Cube was stolen from the Perplex City Academy. The Cube is a strange and powerful object, central to the city's culture. The thieves overcame an elaborate security system during the annual Academy Ball - and killed a guard in the process.
The Master of the Academy, Sente Kiteway, managed to track the Cube as far as Earth. Then, he asked for help.
He contacted a company on Earth called Mind Candy to coordinate the hunt for the Cube. Sente's plan was to get thousands of people involved in the search by intriguing them - appealing to their curiosity through games and puzzles. He also offered a large cash reward to whoever returns the Cube.
Mind Candy distributed puzzle cards designed by the Academy's finest scribes, and the hunt on Earth began.
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But back in Perplex City, the investigation into the theft continued. Sente's daughters, Violet and Scarlett, found clues about the thieves' identities. With the help of Violet's friend, puzzle scribe Kurt McAllister, they discovered that a team of criminals had been hired to steal the Cube. And now, one member of the crew - codenamed 'V' - was killing off the others. Bernardo Holyoke and Monica Grand were both dead already. Only the mysterious 'C' still survived, and she had fled the city.
Violet, Kurt and Scarlett each investigated their own leads.
Violet looked into the history of a secret society called the Third Power. For centuries, the group has sought to control the Cube. Did they employ V to steal it?
Kurt followed a tip-off that a police officer, Helena Frye, was a Third Power agent. He stumbled across a sophisticated 'clean room' hidden in a disused subway station, but concluded that the Frye allegations were false. But just what was the Third Power constructing underground?
Meanwhile, Scarlett travelled out of the city to explore a military installation at Viendenbourg. The facility was vital in securing victory for Perplex City in a war almost 300 years ago. From Viendenbourg, Scarlett tracked down the surviving Cube thief, 'C'. She revealed that the team's attempt to steal the Cube had failed. Somebody got there before them - but who?
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On Earth, those hunting for the Cube encountered mysteries of their own. Who was the Third Power agent who escaped from them by helicopter? What was the Morse code message flashed to them on the London Eye? And just what are the Third Power planning on our planet?
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In recent weeks, Scarlett has returned to Perplex City, worried that V may come after her next.
Violet and Kurt are looking into the apparent suicide of librarian Isaac Cymbalisty, who had been helping them to access the ancient diary of an alleged Third Power member. The diary described a macabre scientific experiment, but Cymbalisty died before he could help Violet decipher the conclusion.
Cymbalisty's best friend, Anna Heath, has persuaded Kurt and Violet to hack into the police files and look for evidence of foul play. Was Cymbalisty murdered? If so, who did it? And what were they trying to hide?
There's only one way for you to find out. Play on.
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Now visit PerplexCity.com to discover more.
