Eddie helped Kim and Jack free the others (and rescue Rudy's pants) before returning to the dojo. Milton had left briefly to walk Julie home, but returned with a murderous expression.
"Eddie, it's one thing to pull pranks, it's another to get my girlfriend abducted as collateral," his friend growled. "This time, you better tell us the truth."
"Well said, Milton," the sensei spoke up. "But Eddie, remember you're among friends. We won't judge you."
Kim shifted. "And it's not that we don't trust you, it's just—sometimes you get a little over your head."
"Yeah, remember that time you…" Jerry began but Jack elbowed him.
"Dude, not now," Jack rebuked.
Eddie sighed. "All right, all right…I'll try to explain but Juliana…this all started with her."

"She was really good at keeping secrets," Eddie narrated as he showed the gang a photo of her.
"Wow she's hot!" Jerry gaped.
Kim punched his shoulder, glaring.
Milton pursed his lips. "So what exactly occurred with Juliana?"

Eddie's story began in earnest:
On their third, secret date, the couple had attended an archaeology exhibit at the Seaford Museum. Juliana, a smiling, lovely girl with dark hair and dark eyes, received a text. However the moment she checked the message her grin instantly faded.
"Is that your mom?" Eddie was curious.
"No," Juliana's face was grave. Her long, elegant fingers typed a quick reply. "It's nothing."
She took his hand and tried to smile, but Eddie hesitated.
"I know it's only been a few dates, but I want to help," he said seriously.
Juliana raised her eyebrows. "This isn't a play to become my boyfriend, right?"
He laughed. "It would be nice, but that's rushing things. You don't need to solve all your problems on your own. You have me now."
The dancer struggled to keep a straight face before her inner conflict resolved.
"It's something from an acquaintance," Juliana shared softly. "When we were younger, we used to do missions for rewards. It was like Guide Girls for puzzlers. We had to figure out a cryptic clue and earn the prize…"
Her date was puzzled. "But why does it make you so unhappy?"
Juliana leaned back. "I quit the game when I left my last dance academy, but lately I've been getting strange messages. Someone wants me to do the game again, but I'm not sure why. I thought it was a joke, but it's not."
"How bad is it?" Eddie questioned.
"They've been stalking me," Juliana tapped her phone and displayed a series of communications from a blocked ID, including photos of her in dance wear, at home, and with Eddie. The messages were mostly threats and hints to get back into puzzle solving.
"That's creepy," he looked around, apprehensive at the thought someone might be spying on them.
"The text I just got was from my friend Violet," Juliana continued. "She warned me this person means business."
There was a pause as Eddie took a moment to absorb the info.
"So," Juliana chose her next words carefully. "Do you want to play a game?"

"What happened afterwards?" Jack asked.
"I was doing my best, but it wasn't enough. Madame Riker broke us up before I could do much. I was completely cut out of Juliana's life." Eddie finished.
"Well…then what did you get at the park?" Kim questioned.
Eddie removed the envelope from the bag.
"This was a…wait a sec," Eddie pulled out a sheaf of blank pages.
"Whoa bro, paper! That's a real hard one!" Jerry remarked brightly.
"Is it invisible ink?" Rudy speculated.
The group held them against the heater, but nothing appeared.
"These weren't like this before," Eddie stated with dismay. "They contained info on the game, I—I don't understand what happened!"
Milton was checking his phone. "I hypothesize that Ella switched the envelopes when she caught your backpack, though her motive is ambiguous at best."
"But that's my only clue!" Eddie was desperate. "My…contact was barely able to get those codes. It's my only lead to getting Juliana back!"
A thought struck Kim. She reached into her back pocket.
"Well, Ella didn't take all of it."
Unfolding the sheet of code, she handed it to Eddie.
"Phil said it was Esperanto," Jack told him. "It is, but even that is encrypted," Eddie was scanning hastily. "I think we can figure it out, if—"
Milton's smartphone beeped. Frustrated, he lifted it high.
"What app is this?" Milton frowned. "Incoming call?"
"Well, answer!" Rudy insisted. "It might be another part of the game!"
Milton swiped. "Hello?"
Everyone waited with bated breath.
"This is not the pizza place, you can't order here!" Milton snapped as everyone exhaled. The tension left the air like a deflated balloon. "Yes…uh-huh…bye."

After that interruption random conversation, the others were suspicious of both the call and the app. However, as it was getting late, they decided to split up to cover more ground.
"Milton, work on cracking your phone," Jack instructed. "Kim and Eddie will try to decipher the info. I'll go with Jerry to ask around about Ella Wong."
Jerry's shoulders slumped. "More running? Seriously?"
Jack tried to placate him. "Jerry, you're a ladies' man. If anyone can find a strange girl, it's you."
Jerry grinned slowly. "Well that is true."
Rudy nodded gravely. "I'll try and find out more about Juliana Riker. I have a couple buddies in the dance circuit. They owe me one."
Kim lifted her eyebrow. "Really?"
"Okay, I owe them one, but they won't mind doing me another favour," the sensei hastily admitted.
"Let's do this," Eddie was extremely determined. He threw his hand out and the others joined him. "Wasabi!"
"Wasabi!" The gang yelled in unison, flinging their arms into the air.

The Wasabi Warriors got extra time for their side projects during the long weekend.
Milton sat in his room, hacking the app. Julie was by his side when Jack checked in with them.
"This is seriously advanced," was Milton's faraway comment. "Have you tried the Trojan modification?"
Eddie and Kim decoded the Esperanto and were working on the rest. Using logic, they had deduced the recurring letters and were making painfully slow progress.
"If my parents find out this isn't an extracurricular, I'm sunk," Kim admitted, rubbing her tired eyes. "It's a good thing Eddie already has an idea about the order of the encryption otherwise I wouldn't know where to start."
Jack took her hand. "Just hang in there, all right?"
She nodded wearily, then returned to her work.
Jerry had to be woken up after sleeping in. He led Jack to a more seedy part of town.
"These dudes are cool with me as long as you stay quiet," Jerry whispered. "Keep your mouth shut, okay?"
"Are you sure about—" Jack tried to speak, but his friend shoved a finger on his lips.
"Quiet you," Jerry hissed. "The adults need to talk."
A group of kids were gathered in an alleyway. Dressed in leather and denim, they played cards, placed candy bets, and had wacky hairdos.
"And the sugar is mine!" A tall guy crowed. Lanky with neon orange hair, he high-fived his pals as the pair walked to them.
"Don, my man!" Jerry completed the bro handshake. "I see you're still cleaning up the competition."
"Jerry!" Don had a superficial grin, his voice not quite as enthusiastic. "What are you doing here?"
"Just trying to catch up with old buddies," Jerry was clueless to Don's hostile vibe. "And maybe some information."
The last sentence caused a signal to ripple through the group. The three of them moved away from the bulk of the crowd as they continued their games. Don took Jerry and Jack to a quiet storehouse connected to the alley. A few of the heftier kids trailed behind them.
"What kind of info are you looking for?" Don questioned warily.
"A girl," Jerry winked.
Don rolled his eyes, laughing, and his buddies also relaxed, smiling derisively. "You and your girls! You drive me nuts, dude! Is this the fifteenth?"
Jerry smiled. "The sixteenth, that you know of."
Everyone cracked up, except for Jack, who was getting impatient.
"Are you going to help us or not, Weisenheimer?" He snapped.
They all froze. "What did you say to me?" Don hissed.
"Oh he called you Weisenheimer," Jerry added unhelpfully. "You know, class clown, funny kid, wise guy—"
Jack punched him in the arm.
"Ow! Why did you do that for…?" Jerry suddenly recalled his last words and threw his hands in the air. "Oh really Jerry? Really?"
Don sneered. "You're dead meat, punk," he growled, winding up his fist. "Taste my wis-bomb!"