Chapter 3
Morning came and Riley woke up, finding Skylar already awake and Komo was missing. "Where's Komo?" She asked the programmer.
"He went to get us some coffee," Skylar said. "We're going to need it. I've been analyzing the paper with the times on it and the numbers. I think it's referring to the tapes."
"Which ones?"
"That's the thing," the programmer said. "The colors are corresponding to the secret tapes that our mutual friend said you found, but they're not part of the show. It's just interviews or other stuff in this world."
Riley fell into thought. "Could we have missed something?" She asked. "Maybe...it's a puzzle within a puzzle?"
"I've heard of that before," Skylar said with a nod. "A clever way to throw people off. Numbers corresponding with sequence or colors corresponding with actions."
Komo, who came back with the coffee, paused at that. "Say that last part again, Skylar," he requested.
"Numbers corresponding with sequence or colors corresponding with actions," she repeated.
"I think...that might be it," the genie said.
Both women looked confused and Komo explained. "We've been reading the legend on the paper wrong," he said. "The colors correspond to the order they appear in, which directly links to the order of the tapes Riley watched."
"What?" Riley asked.
Skylar's eyes widened. "A puzzle within a puzzle," she said as realization hit her. "Riley, you were right!"
"I was?" The detective asked.
The programmer nodded and then noticed the times. "Hmm. 2:02, 7:05, 4:10, 1:00, 6:00, and 5:10," she said and it hit her. "The colors of the tapes in their place on the rainbow and the exact times we need on the original tapes."
"Put the tapes in and play to that time frame and we can clip the frame from the tape," Komo said.
Riley looked confused. "Why do that?" She asked.
"Because we clip the frame and use the stuff for the portal our mutual friend provided instructions to make. If done right, we can free Rebecca and Wooly and then trap the monster in the tapes forever," Skylar said.
"I'll go get the tapes," Komo said, going to do so right then.
The mysterious friend came in and Skylar looked up at them. "I think we got it," she said. "We need to get those two out of there." She held up the paper of the notes she had just taken. "Are these right?"
The figure took the notebook and looked at it, nodding after a moment and heading out as Komo came back. "I got them," he said.
"And our mutual friend concurred that mine and Riley's theories were actually right," Skylar said.
"I guess I'm fitting more into being a detective," Riley said sheepishly.
"Just like your aunt," Komo said, smiling.
Skylar put in the first tape. "Okay, here we go," she said. "We need the two minute and two seconds frame."
They watched the tape and as soon as it hit the mark they needed, Komo stopped the tape and ejected it, opening the VHS to where the tape was and Riley carefully cut the frame out, which Komo set aside. "One down," he said.
"Five to go," Riley said.
"Next frame is at the seven minute and five seconds mark," Skylar said.
As they watched the tapes, Riley shook her head. "Did the producers not think parents would be concerned about what their kids were seeing on this show?" She asked.
"Sadly, by the time the parents discovered something was gravely wrong, the producers and the company had already gone too far," Komo explained.
"Were the lost children ever found?" The detective asked curiously.
"Thankfully, yes," Skylar said. "No one knows how, but the children that vanished were found at the company, having been kidnapped after being lured away with the promise of meeting Amanda."
"So many families were nearly destroyed because of the company's greed," Komo said. "That's why the monster wants to get out."
Riley's eyes widened in shock. "We can't mess up," she said firmly.
"That's why we're being careful to extract the tape frames from the exact times we need," Skylar said with a nod as she ejected the second tape and handed it to Komo, who opened it so that Riley could cut out the exact frame they needed. "Alright, let's keep going. We still have four tapes to go over."
The next tape was watched and stopped at the four minute and ten seconds frame before the frame was cut out and placed with the other cut frames. The fourth tape was exactly stopped at the one minute mark while the fifth tape was stopped at the six minute mark. Komo nodded. "One last tape," he said. "We need the five minutes and ten seconds mark."
"Are we really one step closer to freeing Amanda and Wooly?" Riley asked.
"We are," Skylar said.
"What will we do with the rest of the tapes?"
"We'll have to bring them with us and go to the main headquarters of the company that created the show," the programmer said. "There, we will put the rest of these tapes into the vault and seal it tight so that nothing can get into it and nothing can get out."
Just then, their mysterious companion appeared and held up a bag. Komo checked and blinked. "It's the other tapes," he said. "But...we don't need frames from these ones."
Their companion shook their head and indicated to the other tapes that had been opened. "We need to take them with us," Riley said, figuring out what the mystery person was saying.
"Makes sense," Skylar said. "Though we don't need any frames from them, they are still part of the series in some way and need to be locked away for good."
Komo added the VHS tapes that had been taken apart to the bag while Skylar and Riley played the last tape up to the frame they needed and cut it out, gathering the six pieces up carefully. "Okay, we now have the pieces," the detective said. "Now what do we do with them? How can we free Rebecca and Wooly from film?"
"That's where this comes in," the programmer said, holding up the info for the portal. "Komo, do you think your magic can mix with our science to create the portal?"
"Most likely," he said.
"Then let's go one floor under," Skylar said, kneeling down and pulling up a rug which hid a trap door. She opened it and climbed down first with Riley following her and Komo right behind them. There was a short tunnel and it led to a bunker where equipment was set up. The programmer sighed and the detective noticed.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"As soon as we get Rebecca and Wooly free, we'll need to leave and blow this place up," the young woman replied. "If we don't, the company can find it and use it against us, reversing everything and freeing the monster."
"So we'll need to be on the run," Riley stated.
"Yes," Komo said. "We're ready for it and have had everything ready to go for this day."
Skylar motioned to a Jeep that was nearby and it looked sturdy. "It's basically ready for a war," she said. "Practically bulletproof and waterproof. If we ever need to go underwater, we can."
"You're talking like in the spy movies?" Riley asked.
"Those were my inspiration for creating it," Skylar said, looking a bit bashful.
Komo chuckled. "Alright, I'll run a final check while you two get everything set up," he said, becoming serious. "We need this to go right if we're going to make sure Rebecca and Wooly can be truly free and the monster can't come back."
"Let's get to it then," Riley said.
Skylar nodded. "I just hope this works," she said.
Determination filled all three of them. It was time to save Rebecca and Wooly.
Looks like it's D-Day for Operation: Save Rebecca and Wooly.
Will the trio be successful? Next chapter reveals the answer. :)
Please leave a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418