Energy Equals MC Squared
This puzzle requires you to be on campus.
You’re not sure how long you and Alex stay up in the lab excitedly flipping through Dr. Valentina’s journal and taking notes on its contents, but the next thing you know you’re blinking awake, head on your arms, your sleeve wet with drool. Eugh. “Dude, have we been here all night?” you mutter, looking over at Alex, who is curled up in a chair, rumpled but still awake.
“Pretty much,” they say. Their eyes are still bright with discovery. “There’s still so much to figure out.”
Under the harsh fluorescent lights, last night feels like a surreal dream. “I mean, we can’t stay here indefinitely, can we?” you ask. “Like, I have classes to go to. That big OChem quiz to study for!”
Alex actually rolls their eyes. “I can’t believe we’re dealing with an actual mystery that took place here on campus, with the most delicious real-life puzzle I’ve ever encountered, and you’re worrying about homework. When is that quiz, anyway?”
You double check your phone. “Uh, the 30th. Friday.”
“See, you’ve got loads of time. We get to the bottom of this in the next couple of days, you cram all your proteins or whatever the night before, and badda-bing, badda-boom, you’re good.”
“Okay, okay, let’s say I do that,” you say, throwing up your hands. You have to admit, this is way more interesting than proteins. “We still can’t stay here the whole time, right? Like, you have office mates who will be coming in soon.”
“Fair enough,” they say. They check their watch – they wear an actual analog ticking watch, because of course they do – and wince. “Actually, I have a couple classes I really shouldn’t skip either. Let’s shower, eat, go to class I guess, then meet up again at, like, five to work on this?”
“Works for me,” you say. You stand up and stretch, put on your coat, absentmindedly check your phone. “Huh, that’s weird,” you say.
“What is?” Alex is instantly by your side, attentive.
“Oh, probably just spam,” you say, as you open the text from an unknown number.
“That doesn’t look like any spam text I’ve ever received before,” Alex murmurs.
It seems that Alex isn’t the only one receiving mysterious messages.