Mark II

The Mark II explosive device is one of the agency’s most lethal weapons. It’s highly volatile—packing a punch big enough to wipe out a house, yet small enough to fit inside a cigarette. Did you ever wonder why adults are always going on about cigarettes being bad for your health? This is the reason.

The distance from the top of this hill to the bottom is 52.3m. Which also happens to be the exact blast radius of the Mark II. Your mission is to make it to the top in under 18 seconds—the time the Mark II takes to detonate.

See you at the top in 18… 17… 16… I hope you’re running! 15… 14… 13… 12… 11… 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1 ½… 1…

Well done recruit. A bit sloppy, but I’ll let this one pass.

You should be near a green sign. Look at it closely. Have you ever actually seen a ‘caring for your bushland group?’

Of course not! The group’s a front; these signs are a means for our agents to pass messages to each other. We just write the time and place of our meetings in chalk in the space under ‘next event,’ and the rain washes it off when done! Everyone welcome… ha!

But I digress. I’ve brought you here for a different purpose. There’s a phone number at the bottom of the sign. Four of the numbers are the same. Add the number 1 to that number, to get your next clue. When you know what it is, write it down. Remember… jam is best, apricot if you have it. But even your smart phone would do in a pinch, though it’s not quite as tasty if you have to eat it.

You’ll have to run to the bottom of the hill screaming, with your hands waving above your head. Because if you ever do have to run from a Mark II explosion, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.

Oh, and if you’re thinking of cheating, have a look from where you’re standing right now, lining the sign up with the street lamp down the hill. See the surveillance house past it, across the field? Our cameras are everywhere. We’ll be watching.

At the bottom of the hill, continue along the path until you see the house that is also a car. This will be your next mission. I hope you’re ready—because it’s an agility test.