Disclaimer: This scenario is fictionalized and designed for educational purposes. Any names, aliases, or narrative elements are part of a constructed exercise intended to support analytical skill development. Participants are expected to rely solely on publicly available information and to conduct all research responsibly and ethically.
Hey Digital Detectives,
I'm still actively working Red Scorpion. The all-source analyst who provided the lead in
Challenge 19: The Vantage Point
knew that, and had quietly been keeping an eye out for any sign of her ever since.
Now that analyst is missing. Weeks of reliable reporting, then nothing. Every channel was checked; nothing turned up. Without them, I don't have the reach to keep working this alone, so I'm asking for help.
While going back through old communications, I found an encrypted file I'd never opened, dated right around the last time we were in contact. It's hard not to read it as something they found on Red Scorpion right before they went quiet. Inside was a single image, no note attached.
If this is really what they were sitting on, it's the closest thing to a lead I have, on Red Scorpion and on them.
Your role
You are assisting Mrs. OSINT as an external analyst. What I need is intel on the location itself, not the people passing through it. Work this image as a single-source photo intake: pull everything the setting can tell us, then report it back.
01
Identify the city and general neighborhood where the image was taken
02
Determine the specific street or stairway visible in the photo
03
Identify the secondary business or entity referenced by the small logo or decal visible mid-frame, and determine what it is and where it operates
04
Pull any other identifiable details that could support the investigation — visible signage, partial street names, architectural or environmental indicators
Bonus
Using visible environmental details — foliage, lighting and shadow angle, how people are dressed — assess the likely season or time of year this was taken, and state your confidence in that estimate.
A note on AI use
Work the image yourself first. Building the habit of reading a frame, cross-checking details, and reasoning through a conclusion is the actual point of this exercise. If you use AI tools at all, treat them as a last resort for a narrow, stuck point, not a first move, and be prepared to explain your reasoning in your own words.
Submit your findings
Google Form
Submissions close Friday at 9AM ET.
After that, the challenge stays live but submissions close. If you finish later, share your walkthrough or approach in the comments.
