A summary of the "A Proper Introduction" puzzle...
The video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SrU0Im9LjNY contains letters and numbers:
These lead to
http://tinyurl.com/36gy77, which resolve to a Craig's List where Walter had posted a string of base64 code which translated to:
We knew the Soviets had them. They were at least ten years ahead of
us. The Kirov and Sverdlovsk facilities were producing results before we
had even begun. It wasn't hard for some half-witted military drones to
weaponize the standards, although I do feel for the whitecoats. Lovett
wanted something more from us, the intellectual elite. We were to
produce a more discrete product.
gaagagcaagcgccatgttgaagccatcattaccattcacatccctcttattcctgcagctgcccctgctggg
agtggggctgaacacgacaattctgacgcccaatgggaatgaagacggatccaccacagctgtcgagtg
ggaaatctgggactggagggggctggtgagaagggtggctgtgggaaggggccgtacagagatctggt
gcctgccactggccattacaatcatgtgggcagaattgaaaagtggagtgggaagggcaagggggagg
gttccctgcctcacgctacttcttctttctttcttgtttgtttgtttctttctttcttttgaggcagggtctcactatgttg
cctaggctggtctcaaacggatcctcctggctcgactctagtgatcctcctgcctcagcctttcaaagcacca
ggattacagacatgagccaccgtgcttggcctcctccttctgaccatcatttctctttccctccctgccttcatttt
ctccccaatctagatttcttcctgaccactatgcccactgactccctcagtgtttccactctgcccctcccagga
tccgaggttcagtgttttgtgttcaatgtcgacatatgagcatggcgaccagcaccttcagtgcgcagtgtgg
cccggagcatcattacctggctgaacattcttctatttttaatggcgtcttcagccagcagcttaaaaacaac
cttatctactttccctcctcctactttccctcctcccgcttgagggtaggccccatccccccctttcgagtacatg
gatccgaattgcacttggaacagcagctctgagccccagcctaccaacctcactctgcattattggtatgag
aagggacgagggggaggggatgaagaagaggtgggttggatcagagaccaagagagagggtagca
agtctcccaggtaccccactgttttctcctggggtaagtcataagtcggttgaggggagatgaggctaggct
ctggatatctgcagtacccagattggccccactgttcctcttccttccatcgaacctttctcctctaggtacaag
aactcggataatgaggatcctaaagtccagaagtgcagccactatctattctctgaagaaatcacttctggc
tgtcagttgcaaaaaaaggagatccacctctaccaaacatttgttgttcagctccaggacccacgggaacc
caggagacaggccacacagatgctaaaactgcagaatctgggtaatttggaaagaaagggtcaagag
accagggatactgtgggacattggagtctacagagtagtgttcttttatcataagggtacatgggcagaaa
agaggaggtaggggatcatgatgggaagggaggaggtattaggggcactaccttcaggatcctgacttg
tctaggccagggtcgagaatgaccacatatgcacacatatctccagtgatcccctgggctccagagaacct
aacacttcacaaactgagtgaatcccggatccagctagaactgaactggaacaacagattcttgaaccac
tgtttggagcacttggtgcagtaccggactgactgggaccacagctggactgtgagtgactagggacgtg
aatgtagcagctaaggccaagaa
1(+8 ) 1 3(+7) 2(-1) 3(-6) 1(+4) 1(+3) 2(+3) 5 1 6 1 1(-1) 4 7 2 6 9 9 1 5 4 1 1 2 3 1 2 4 4(+1) 5(-1) 5 3 9 9 1 3 1(+1) 1 4 1(+2) 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2(+1) 4 1 7 6 1 6 7 1
Looking at a BLAST (
http://130.14.29.110/BLAST/ ; look at "nblast") alignment of the sequence, there are three large regions of human DNA, and two regions of DNA sequence that did not match with any known DNA source. Manually removing the regions that had homology with human DNA, then cutting with BamHI to remove the rest of the DNA leaves a sequence which cuuts with TaqI three times to leave a DNA fragment 61*3 = 183 bases long:
Code: Select all
cgacatatgagcatggcgaccagcaccttcagtgcgcagtgtggcccggagcatcattacctggctgaa
cattcttctatttttaatggcgtcttcagccagcagcttaaaaacaaccttatctactttccctcctcc
tactttccctcctcccgcttgagggtaggccccatcccccccttt
Since there are 61 shifts, this gives the right number of codons to apply codon/shift decryption to get:
I had new hope after meeting her. I had my reels back. Three Three R Five Nine P"
which leads to another tinyurl
http://tinyurl.com/33R59P with a telegram from WD:
MY NEW ACQUAINTANCES
I FEAR THAT I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO TRUST YOU STOP
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU SOMEHOW MANAGED TO PROPERLY CUT THE DNA STOP
I AM SURPRISED STOP
THE FIRST CUT MAY BE THE DEEPEST, BUT THE SECOND ENZYME WAS MORE SIGNIFICANT STOP
I SUPPOSE THAT IT IS TIME THAT I LET YOU KNOW MY FULL IDENTITY STOP
TO FIND IT YOU WILL HAVE TO SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE SEQUENCE THAT GOT YOU HERE STOP
With these letters stamped on the paper:
wnhwyry
aaanay
aagwehjjh
nauaj
Walter gave a hint in his profile:
You act as if I gave you a chiffre indéchiffrable
which is a hint to use a Vigenère cipher. Decoding the DNA sequence which was the answer to the first half of the problem using the first 26 letters of the telegram stamp as the key gives:
Applying the first nine shifts from the first half of the problem:
Code: Select all
1(+8 ) 1 3(+7) 2(-1) 3(-6) 1(+4) 1(+3) 2(+3) 5
gives the solution:
DABROWSKI