Part 4 (2/2)
”N,” Tane said. ”The answer is Tane said. ”The answer is N. N.”
”No, it's not. That's not logical-”
”One, two, three, four, five,” Tane read out, pointing at the letters. ”It is the first letter of each word. The next one is N N for for nine. nine.”
”That's stupid,” Rebecca said. ”Anyway, you're the creative one. You think creatively.”
”Okay, then,” Tane said. ”Well, first of all, we need to consider that there are all kinds of numbers. Phone numbers. PIN numbers. Combination-lock numbers.”
Rebecca agreed. ”Dates are usually written as numbers.”
”Room numbers, house numbers, decks of cards have numbers.”
”Then there are serial numbers, like on money.” Rebecca stopped, seeing the look on Tane's face.
”Money...,” he said very slowly.
Rebecca waited, watching him closely. Tane tried to keep his face steady, but it kept wanting to break out into a huge goofy grin.
”Well, share!” she said impatiently.
”What...if...”
”What?!”
”Six seemingly random numbers from one to forty...”
”Seven numbers, and from three to forty,” corrected Rebecca.
”No, six, and from one to forty. The first six numbers fall between one and forty; it just happens that the first number is an eight. Then after those six numbers there's another number between one and eight.”
Rebecca looked at him blankly.
”Don't you see?!” Tane shouted. He dived off the bed and ran out of the room, leaving Rebecca sitting there stunned and not quite sure why.
He was back in a few seconds clutching a newspaper, which he flipped quickly through, then thrust in front of her face. ”Don't you get it?” he cried. ”The six numbers are the Lotto numbers! The last number is the Powerball number!”
Rebecca, who had stood up when Tane had started rus.h.i.+ng like a mad thing around the room, suddenly found herself sitting back down again without intending to.
”Holy c.r.a.p!” was all she could say, looking at the winning numbers from the previous week's draw, crumpled in the paper in front of her nose: 3, 22, 27, 30, 39, 40, and 7 for the Powerball.
”Somebody sent us Lotto numbers!” Tane said. ”From the future!” And then repeated himself two or three times.
”But who would...” Rebecca trailed off.
”I don't know!” Tane shouted.
”But why would-”
”I don't care!” he hooted.
”But for which draw?”
There was a long pause, and Rebecca slowly took the newspaper from Tane's hand and lowered it to the desk beside the computer, mesmerized by the short sequence of digits.
”I don't know,” Tane said finally.
”If we are right about this, it'll be the scientific discovery of the century,” Rebecca whispered.
”If we are right about this, we're going to be rich!” Tane cried.
It took at least an hour before Tane could settle himself down enough to even look at the piece of paper again, but the numbers were still there, and they still looked a lot like Lotto numbers.
Rebecca, when she had calmed down, turned back to the computer printout with all the ones and zeroes on it.
”What about the rest of it?” she murmured thoughtfully. ”We've only worked out the first bit.”
”I know,” Tane agreed. ”Let's get started.”
1100000000110001010101100000111101010110001000001111101010100000000111111001100001110111100011000101000001001000001100001010101110001111110001111010100101
Rebecca nodded. ”The periods are easy to spot. They are the 101010 sequences.”
Tane said, ”It looks like more numbers. That first 11000 is a two.”
”I think you're right,” Rebecca said, ”Two, zero, two, period.”
She quickly translated the next few characters and printed it out in neat block letters.
202.27.216.195,
”What does it mean?” Tane asked.
”I don't know.” Rebecca frowned and tapped the pencil on the paper. ”And this next bit.”
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