ScreamPrompt #43, February 2014

Allergies in the desert have made me a little dry.  And sorry I'm a couple of days late.  My bad.

Consideration

We’ve all got/had that one friend that we have a secret language with or codes that we use to communicate.  It’s a certain level of friendship intimacy that is special (I’m not talking about an inside joke, though).  We’ve seen the movies/read the books/watched the shows that have the secret code to gain entry.  I like the element of mystery involved with that.

Example

When I was living through the bad days, my then-bf and I and all of our dope dealers had codes for what we were looking for.  It was during the days of beepers and land-lines so we had to be careful with what we said.  If we wanted to “talk to Larry for an hour”, that meant we were trying to get a half-ounce of grass.  If someone wanted “to play pool with Joe”, that meant they wanted an 8-ball of coke.  These codes are all over my Angie and Nina work.  

Prompt

Something important depends on someone knowing a code.  

First, define what important can be.  Then think of a type of character who would benefit most and least from the definitions.  Is money important?  Their pride?  Something tangible?  Love?  Someone else’s ruin or success?  

Second, come up with a way to activate the code or to know when the code is authentic.  Be creative.  Is it a word or phrase?  Is technology involved?  An action?  Is the shit going to hit the fan if the Lady in Red is wearing blue?

Third, what will happen if the person who needs to know/is supposed to know the code doesn’t know the code?  What’s Plan B?  Hostages?  A plane ticket to Brazil?  Mindless destruction to hide evidence?

Difficulty

I think this one is difficult enough for the moment.

Minimum word count of 2500.  Max 4000.
Since we started late, it'll be due March 3, 2014.
Always link back to the group in your artist comments.
If you have questions, need clarification, or just want to brainstorm, leave comments below or here/at my personal page in a note.