Find Me

[kestrelknight]

Partially inspired by Kikacat's "The Adventure", and partially by The Geoguessr Challenge.

Imagine, if you will, that you are sitting at your computer, happily playing a quick game of Mafia, when your phone goes off in your pocket. You ignore it, too absorbed in the game to be bothered with phone calls. Later, after you are brutally murdered, you check your phone to see who had called. It's an unknown number, so you dismiss it, and become involved with the game once more.

A few hours later, you're about to hit the sack when your phone rings again. This time, you pick it up.

"Hello? Please, you have to help me!" a female voice says, desperation clear in their voice.

"Who is this?" you ask.

"It's Kestrel Knight. Look, I know we've never really met, but you're the only person I can turn to! You have to help!"

Kestrel Knight? you think to yourself, the name sounding familiar.

"Aren't you someone I know from the BrainDen forums?" you ask.

"Yeah, I am, but I kind of urgently need help!" she tells you.

"What's wrong?" you ask.

"I've been kidnapped! I don't know where I am, but I'm calling from a payphone right now. It looks like an English-speaking country."

"Wait, how do you have access to a payphone?" you query, slightly confused.

"I escaped form the hotel room they've been keeping me in, but they're sure to find that I'm gone soon."

"Okay, describe your surroundings," you tell her, getting to the point.

"Well, I'm on a main street. There's a train station nearby, and there are a bunch of trams going around. There's quite a few people around. There's an ad for a website, and the extension is .com.au. Actually, this whole place is pretty familiar. I think I know where I am. Just, please, I need help, I'm being kept in a hotel somewhere near here, and I need you to find me. I don't know if my captors are going to move me, but will you help me?"

She's beginning to ramble now, and is obviously rather distressed.

"Absolutely. I think I might know where you are, too. I'll come get you as soon as possible," you say, trying to sound confident. In reality, you're not sure if you'll be able to help. You have no idea what she looks like, and you don't know her real name. You're not even sure where she is. But, hey, someone has to help her, right?

"Thank you! Well, I guess you'll need to know what I look like, huh? Okay, I've got--"

Kestrel is suddenly cut off in the middle of a sentence. You hear a muffled shout, then the line goes dead.

1. English-speaking country

2. Main street
3. Train station nearby
4. Lots of trams
5. Lots of people
6. URL extension for the country is .com.au

~~ Okay, people. I've been kidnapped. Your job? Find me. If it helps, you can start making guesses based on what I've told you, and I'll tell you how close you are. ~~

[kestrelknight]

Eureka Tower? Which is in "Melbourne, Victoria, Australia" so pretty close to Aaryan's answer. . .

Good job, guys! I'll give you the next part i the next few days, because I'm super busy, and it's difficult to fit in writing a riddle with everything else. Don't worry, though, I should be able to do it soon!

[kestrelknight]

Finally back.

You rush to the Eureka Tower, but you can't see anyone who meets what you know of Kestrel Knight.

You decide to ask around for a while, until you have the information you need.

So, ask away, and I'll tell you what the people say.

Edited August 8, 2013 by kestrelknight

[Kikacat123]

So, how's the abseiling here?

[kestrelknight]

So, how's the abseiling here?

"Abseiling? What do you mean?" one man responds.

"Never mind," you say, then move on.

Another replies, "It must be great! I saw some guy abseil down the outside of a hotel! It was wicked!"

You ask a third person, and their eyes widen with fear, then narrow. "You'd be wise to keep out of matters that are not your own," she tells you with a crisp British accent, then turns away and leaves the building.

[Kikacat123]

Excuse me, do you know where the nearest hotel is?

[kestrelknight]

Excuse me, do you know where the nearest hotel is?

"Nearest hotel? Sure, just hold on a moment, I'll look it up on my... Oh. Wait, never mind. Can't help you there, sorry," a young woman responds, looking quite downcast.

"Did something happen to your phone?" you ask.

"Yeah, actually. I lent it to this nice couple on holiday, and while the girl was using the phone, the guy was pacing. Suddenly, he tripped, and knocked her over. My phone flew out of her hand, and a man in a wheelchair ran over it. They repaid me double what the phone was worth, though, and apologized profusely. Well, at least he did. The girl just looked angry and confused."

Bingo, you think to yourself.

"Can you describe what they looked like?" you ask her.

She shrugs, and tells you, "I wasn't really paying attention. I think the girl had brown hair, though. She was shorter than her boyfriend, too."

"Did they maybe mention where they were going?" you ask, mentally crossing your fingers.

"Well, the guy said something about the airport... He had a British accent, too," she says, grinning at the last part.

"Thank you so much," you say, rushing off to the nearest airport, hoping that perhaps you'll find Kestrel and her captor there.

Okay, people, I'm kinda sick right now, so I'll get the next part up when I'm not feeling quite so lousy.

[kestrelknight]

Okay... *stretches arms* Allons-y!

Upon arriving at Tullamarine Airport, your cell phone goes off again.

"Hello?" you say quickly.

"Heeeeyyyyy! Thuuurrzzz mah faayyyyvvv'rite guy/gurrrrl! Doooood... Did you... *hiccup* Did you feel that earthquake!? 10.0 right... *belch* Riiiight thhhuuuurr... Ugh..." a drunk voice screams in your ear, making you almost drop your phone. It sounds like it might be Kestrel under all that alcohol.

"Are you okay? Because you sound really drunk," you tell the caller.

"Aw, I'm... faaaaaiiiinnne... Don't worry 'bout meee! *giggle*" she replies.

"Right," you begin, "Where are you?"

"I'm on a jet plane! Wheeeee! *giggle*"

"Where's the plane going?"

Before Kestrel can answer, you hear someone in the background saying something you can't quite make out.

"Okay, sir! I'll do that! BYE!" she yells. You're not sure if she's saying goodbye to you or to the man. You hear a door open and close, and all the background noise you were hearing vanishes.

"Sorry about all that, I had to pretend to be drunk," Kestrel tells you.

"I see," you reply, looking around the airport.

"We're going to start landing in a few minutes, so I'll have to be quick. The guy who's taken me, his name is Demetri Noble. I'm sure you've been told already that he's British," she says hurriedly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," you tell her, somewhat distracted by all the people around you.

"Well, he's probably going to stay away from Britain, because they're searching for him there. He's charged with fraud, kidnapping and murder."

"How do you know all this?" you ask Kestrel.

"I have my ways..." she says mysteriously. "Look, all he's told me now is that despite where we're going, I'm far from free. If you can work that out, go there as fast as you can."

You grin, and nod, before realizing that you're an idiot.

"Sure," you tell her, "I'll be there before you know it."

"Thanks. Bye!" Kestrel says before hanging up.

[Kikacat123]

America is the "land of the free", so... Somewhere in the US?

[fabpig]

America is the "land of the free", so... Somewhere in the US

seems reasonable to me... taking it a stage further, the timetable for flights from Tullamarine to the US ( 19/20 Aug 13) are LA direct, Chicago via Hong Kong, and Honolulu via Sydney. So I'm guessin LA.

[kestrelknight]

We'll have to go free-er.

[phaze]

God of Nations at Thy feet,

In the bonds of love we meet,

Hear our voices, we entreat,

God defend our free land.

That is at most 2 hours away, I hope you enjoy bunji jumping

[kestrelknight]

Whaaaaaat?

No.

Okay, the U-S of A is correct, but I'm looking for a particular place in the U-S of A that is free beyond freedom. Okay, perhaps not beyond freedom, but you get the gist.

[Kikacat123]

Alaska?

[OmegaScales]

North Dakota?

[kestrelknight]

Neither. Keep thinking. What's a place in America that is pretty iconic, and has something to do with freedom?

[fabpig]

Statue of Liberty

[kestrelknight]

Statue of Liberty

Well, I was thinking Liberty Island, but you're technically correct. Huzzah!

You rush to Liberty Island in the land of the free.

You can't see anyone who fits the description of Kestrel and her captor, but you decide that they're probably still here somewhere - and if they're not, Kestrel will call you in the next half an hour.

As you gaze up at The Statue of Liberty, a thought hits you: Maybe they're in there.

You rush up the corkscrew stairs, until you're inside the crown. You pause for a while to catch your breath, admiring the amazing view. Then, you remember your mission, and begin studying the faces of the people around you. You see a couple that seems to fit the description, but when they kiss and begin down the stairs, you dismiss the possibility. No one else appears to be Kestrel, or her captor. You hear no Australian or British accents. Perhaps someone along the line has lied to you, or perhaps you're too late. Kestrel hasn't called yo--

Your phone buzzes in your pocket, signifying that you have a text message. You take it out and check the number, which is not one from your contacts. Your heart leaps to your throat, but when you open the message, it's some form of spam.

You're tired, disappointed and miserable. You go to delete the spam message, when something catches your eye.

"YOu WIN! oNe TrILLION DOLLARs ShALL BE TRANFERRED TO YOUR ACCOUNT! JUST REPLY THIS mESSAGE WITH YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBEr AND PIN!" the message reads. You know where you have to go next. They sure do get around, huh?

[OmegaScales]

Mount Rushmore

[kestrelknight]

Mount Rushmore

Yup. I'm sorry that was so easy, I couldn't really think of anything.

Ah, there's nothing like staring at some giant faces...

As you push through the small crowds of school children, you eavesdrop on snatches of conversation.

"Mo-o-o-om! She pushed me!"

"Hush, Timmy. Do you know who they are?"

"I don't care, Mom! OW! Mom-she's-poking-meeeeee!"

You would avoid the annoying kids, but they're literally everywhere. You decide to just listen for British and Australian accents.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" you hear one Australian female say. If you were an animal, your ears would've perked up.

"We're blending in. Hence the cameras," a British male responds. It sounds like you may have finally caught up to them.

"I really don't think these shirts would help anyone blend in anywhere, except perhaps a circus," the girl tells him, sounding annoyed.

You casually turn around to look at the people speaking. A short-ish brunette and a taller blonde male, both wearing Hawaiian shirts and board shorts. They have cameras around their necks, and sunglasses on their heads.

"You know, I was so used to it being winter. Now, it's like everything is messed up," the girl says.

"Uh-huh..." the guy replies absently, looking around. It seems like they're going to meet someone here.

"Then, -BOOM!- I'm dragged away from the Southern Hemisphere like *that*!" the girl continues, making wild hand motions.

"Hush up. Don't attract attention to yourself," the guy says, glaring at her.

"Says the one who made me wear this horrendous shirt."

"Look around at what all the other tourists are wearing."

"Yeah, they're dressed like regular people. We, on the other hand, look like we've escaped from a mental hospital," the girl says, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

You decide to approach them. What could possibly go wrong, right?

"Hey! Do I know you? You look really familiar!" you say, a firm believer in overstatement.

The girl's eyes light up, but she decides not to let her 'friend' figure out that something's up.

"Riiight. I tend not to hang out with the elderly..." she says, top lip curled.

"But I feel like I've traveled halfway across the world to find you!" you declare, hand on heart. You want to make sure that this is actually Kestrel.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I do too!" she says, winking.

Yep. It's Kestrel.

"Alright! Now, if you'll kindly step away from my girlfriend, we'd best be going..." her companion says, giving you a gentle push. He flings his arm around Kestrel's shoulders, and drags her away. She looks back at you and mouths, "I'll call you!"

You stand there for a moment, before it hits you that they're walking away, and you could lose them very easily in this crowd. You immediately start running after them. Unfortunately, in a matter of minutes, you've lost them. Even with those shirts.

Then you get a text message form an unknown number.

G G A B C C

G^ G^ G

G^ G^ G^ G^ G^ C^ B^ G^

If you guys can't get this after a couple of days, I'll post a little more of the same. If you still can't get it, I'll give a word-clue that can be Googled.

Edited August 25, 2013 by kestrelknight

[Pickett]

Redwood national park in Northern California?

[kestrelknight]

Not even remotely close.

You know what those letters mean? Also the little arrows.

[Pickett]

Not even remotely close.

You know what those letters mean? Also the little arrows.

The letters were musical notes...and those notes correspond exactly to the beginning of the 3rd line of "This Land is Your Land" which is "From the red wood forest..."

Guess I don't know what the little arrows mean (again musically, I'd think "upstroke" on the guitar...but those notes don't match the song above...)

Oh well...it was worth a guess...

[Kikacat123]

G to the power of G to the power of G?

[kestrelknight]

Not even remotely close.

You know what those letters mean? Also the little arrows.

The letters were musical notes...and those notes correspond exactly to the beginning of the 3rd line of "This Land is Your Land" which is "From the red wood forest..."

Guess I don't know what the little arrows mean (again musically, I'd think "upstroke" on the guitar...but those notes don't match the song above...)

Oh well...it was worth a guess...

You're completely correct with musical notes, so I'll just tell you what the arrows mean.

The arrows signify to go up an octave. If you were playing that song on a piano, you would start at a lower G, then move right to a higher G.

[kestrelknight]

Free snorkel with every visit!