By Marty & Luke Jalove
It was the eve of our moon’s Metonic cycle which could mean only one thing…it was tournament time again in the Village of Schiller. Each tournament promised more challenges, new keyways and greater adventure. The chance of winning the tournament and holding the Golden Key attracted more entries which inevitably meant more Security Craftsmen facing defeat at the hands of the Minotaur. But the Tournament of the Labyrinth is what we were born to enter and determined to win and this cycle’s tournament promised to be bigger and better than ever before.
We were favored to win again this cycle. After all, we have held the Golden Key since the tournament’s inception many cycles ago.
My name is Luke. I have fought for the Brotherhood of HPC twice before. This will be my greatest challenge, but I come well equipped.
In the tournaments of my youth, most Security Craftsmen were armed only with rudimentary code machines at best. They used spacing blocks and depth doohickeys to fumble their way through the labyrinth of locked doors. They flipped through codes scrawled on parchment while running from the claws of a single Minotaur.
That was when the Brotherhood of HPC first gave me the Blitz™, a magnificent code machine, different than anyone had ever seen before (Photo 1). Rather than having to memorize depth and spacing increments and struggle with a plethora of attachments, all I had to do was switch code cards. This revolutionary idea allowed me to quickly and accurately cut each and every different key by code. I passed through the multitude of doors as if they were unlocked. I can still hear the screams of the Security Craftsmen stuck at the beginning, with their fate sealed as they met the Minotaur face to face.
The Blitz Code Machine quickly became a favorite throughout the land. Because of its speed and accuracy, users of the Blitz™ referred to themselves as “Locksmyths.” This is a revered title only for those who champion the true power of security.
That was the first time that I made it to the center of the labyrinth and grabbed the Golden Key.
As another cycle of the moon passed and the next tournament approached, I was asked to represent the Brotherhood of HPC again. This was a great honor indeed and I could not say no. The rules, the doors, the locks and the dangers were all listed well in advance just as they had always been listed each cycle before.
We were warned about angle cut keys, treacherous hallways, more doors and a much faster Minotaur.
The Brotherhood of HPC knew that although still a crowd favorite, the Blitz™ needed to be faster and automated to allow me to cut keys almost hands-free. We needed greater power for we feared that cutting keys may be the least of our worries.
Anticipating the new obstacles, the Brotherhood of HPC worked long and hard to harness the magic of computers--an art that some viewed as sorcery but all viewed as genius. They took the scribed codes and put them into a computer and it was hailed as CodeSource®, the most robust method for retrieving codes. Then they took a small computer and put it into the Blitz™, thus the CodeMax® was born (Photo 2), creating a whole new way to cut keys by code.
Armed with these new weapons I felt confident of my chances to survive the Labyrinth and take home the Golden Key a second time.
As I approached the Labyrinth, I saw many contestants entering still carrying books of codes. One man pulled a wagon with 30 or more volumes. This was too big a load to drag through the cobblestone alleyways of the dark Labyrinth. I was sure that this was the last time we would ever see those books.
New to “computing,” as the Brotherhood called it, I quickly retrieved the bittings I was looking for from CodeSource®. It was easier than I could have ever imagined. The sheer volume of codes stored in the computer was staggering and the time it saved me quickly pushed me ahead of the others.
The first door was in front of me. I turned on the mighty CodeMax®. It whirred and purred preparing itself for battle. I entered the DSD (depth and space data code) and it quickly displayed “SCHLAGE”, the first key for me to cut. The brilliance was astonishing. Code Cards were fast but this was inconceivable. I entered the bitting and heard the motor roar as it cut into the blank. The automation was astounding and gave me the chance to check my perimeter as I heard the faint cries of fallen Locksmyths armed only with manual machines.
Door after door was met and beaten as I conjured up codes in CodeSource® as needed and continued to cut keys on the CodeMax®. These weapons became extensions to my being as I closed in on my goal.
I entered the inner circle of the Labyrinth, with only one more door to open. There were two other Locksyths that managed their way through the maze. One was a gaunt savant with the memory of Mnemosyne herself who seemed to simply babble bittings and calculate codes in her head. The other was a portly old man with a giant ring of keys hanging on his hip. A door behind him crashed open and the Minotaur appeared, apparently drawn to the music of the clanking keys on the old man’s belt. The old man was gone faster than graphite through a gargoyle. Luckily, I was through the last door before the Minotaur could even look my way.
I grabbed the Golden Key and was hailed the victor once again. That time was too close for comfort and I vowed that twice was too many times for anyone to enter the Labyrinth, and I would never enter again.
But that did not stop them from asking me a third time.
The new rules put in place for this cycle’s tournament called for more speed than ever before. An automatic machine was no longer just helpful, it was a necessity and ease of use was imperative. This time we were to face, not one, but an army of Minotaur! Bigger, faster and more ferocious than ever before. We would need to quickly cut commercial keys, residential keys and automotive keys, plus face a menacing master keyed mini-maze within the Labyrinth.
Were we over-confident or just foolish for entering such a contest? Armed with all of my HPC equipment from the past gave me a better than average chance, but the Brotherhood would have to give me a real edge if they expected me to participate - let alone - win.
The Brotherhood of HPC had a new leader known only as Hudson. Hudson brought with him, ESP “The best brass you’ll ever sink your cutter into.” This new tribe seemed impressive. But they didn’t stop there. They teamed up with a mystic from the North called Gor, and together they introduced the RapidKey 7000™ (Photo 3).
The sleek design of the RapidKey 7000™ screamed speed and when I saw it cut I knew that I had to have it.
Once again I found myself facing the first door into the mysterious Labyrinth. But this time I wasn’t alone. I had a team of young Locksmyths eager to learn, anxious to help and expecting to win.
Since the RapidKey 7000™ was so incredibly easy to use (Photo 4), any one of us could be cutting keys while the rest of us could look up codes, fight off Minotaurs or decode locks.
This new plan paid off. I saw myself in the eyes of these young Locksmyths as they looked to me for guidance. I pointed out the potential problems and pitfalls that were posed in my past as we wandered through the narrow passageways. I watched over them as this new generation quickly generated the new generations of the keys we needed to get through each new room.
The RapidKey 7000™ had codes built inside (Photo 5), making it an even faster tool! It helped us get through the outer seven rings of the Labyrinth. The ability to decode and create a new original helped us through Sector 14. Then with the use of MasterKing® software connected to the RapidKey 7000™, we were able to quickly create, cut and conquer the mini-maze.
We beat Best, we cut Kwikset, we shattered Schlage, conquered Corbin, slaughtered Sargent and demolished double-side automotive keys (Photo 6). We fought many Minotaur that day and narrowly escaped even more.
We made it to the center of the Labyrinth well ahead of everyone else. With a few scratches and covered with brass shavings we opened the last door and I grabbed my third Golden Key.
At the feast I thanked everyone and shared this thought…
“Every day, we will face new challenges as Locksmyths, but we will always be able to count on HPC to anticipate those challenges and offer us the solutions we need to overcome them.”
HPC, is a Hudson Lock Company. For more information, visit www.hpcworld.com.
