Clue Crackers: Part 2
Read part one
Episode Seventeen: Truth & Lies
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers! Long time, no see! I hope you’ve been well. All’s quiet at I.N.E., other than some mix ups in the communications department.
It might sound like a small thing, but it’s actually been a big pickle! It seems I’ve received three messages, but they’re contradicting! I asked Agent Anagram to take a look at them and try to solve them. Perhaps they hold clues I wasn’t able to see.
Good luck and welcome back!
[cut to Agent Anagram]
AA: Clue Crackers! I’ve missed you! Did Master Code tell you about the message mixup?
It’s such a kerfuffle! Poor Agent Matthews has been trying to sort it out all week!
Let’s take a look at the messages, shall we?
[messages on screen]
[Messages: Agent K lies -Agent M / Agent C tells lies, they’re a spy -Agent K / Agent K is an imposter, but Agent M tells the truth -Agent C]
I’m not sure what to make of it. Agent M says Agent K is lying, but Agent K says Agent C is lying! It’s hard to make out!
(to camera) I’m afraid I’m stuck, but I have a friend in the codes department who might be willing to help! Let’s call him!
[swipe to split screen with Agent Gayle] [messages leave screen]
AG: Hey, Agent A! Hey, Clue Crackers! What’s up?
AA: Master Code gave us some messages he received, but they all seem to contradict each other!
[messages on screen]
(Agent Gayle looks up)
AG: Oh wow, those do seem confusing! Like… really confusing!
AA: Any idea what it could be? One of them has to be telling the truth, right?
AG: Right! If I tell you, can I get a pack of gummies?
AA: Uh, sure.
AG: Great! I think it’s a knights and knaves puzzle!
AA: A what?
AG: A Knights and Knaves puzzle! It’s a puzzle where you have to figure out which speakers are knights and which are knaves. Some of them will tell you the truth, while other’s lie.
AA: So, how do you figure out who’s a knight and who’s a knave?
AG: I’d start with trying to see if the biggest claim is true or not. If the other lies line up with their truth, you can figure out who’s a spy and who’s an imposter!
AA: Got it! Thanks, Agent Gayle!
AG: Anytime! And remember, you owe me a pack of gummies for this.
AA: Will do!
AG: Bye, Clue Crackers! Good luck!
[solo shot] [messages on screen as needed]
AA: Okay, what’s our biggest claim? Well, Agent C claimed Agent K is an imposter and Agent M told the truth… Does Agent M’s claim align with that?
Agent M claimed Agent K lied… which aligns with Agent K being an imposter!
And Agent K claimed Agent C was lying! Which is what an imposter would say!
That’s it! Agent K is an imposter!
We did it, Clue Crackers! Let’s tell Master Code!
[cut to Master Code]
MC: Agent K is an imposter, eh? We’d better look into that.
Great work, Clue Crackers!
As a reward, I want to share with you what I discovered while you were clue solving.
[message on screen: Irwwov rh evib uzi zdzb]
[fade to black, now reads: Irwwov rhm'g evib uzi zdzb]
Episode Eighteen: A Puzzle With Stripes
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers! I have news!
We have completed our search for Agent K and discovered they don’t exist.
Now this is weird, because we don’t tend to employ people who aren’t real.
When we looked into the computer that showed up as Agent K’s in the I.N.E. database, we did find a… well, a riddle. It appears our old friend is back at it again.
I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to solve the puzzle. I have a feeling Riddle is teasing a grand return, but maybe she’s actually sent us a message.
Good luck, Clue Crackers. Keep your eyes open!
[cut to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey! Welcome back, guys!
Are you ready to take a look at this riddle? Great, let’s go!
[message on screen]
Oh, wow! It’s a zebra puzzle!
(laughs at camera) I know, I know. This doesn’t look like a jigsaw of a striped horse.
A zebra puzzle is a type of logic puzzle. It gives a bunch of information on a group of people, but it’s not assigning everything to one. Looks like this one needs us to solve which librarian is wearing what, where their favorite library is, and who their favorite author is.
Here’s how we’ll do it: [solve on screen]
First, we need to assign what information we know for sure. The last librarian is Quinten and his favorite author is Fitzgerald.
Right before him is the librarian who likes King and next to him is the librarian Ulysses.
Hmmm, what else?
Oh! Quinten is wearing red! And the librarian beside him likes the Royal Danish Library! And is wearing blue!
Librarian one is wearing purple, which means Librarian two is wearing yellow.
Librarian one is the only one who has neither a name nor a favorite library, so it’s Donald!
Now the only one left is Librarian two, who likes the Berlin State Library and Cervantes!
That means Quinten’s library is the State Library of Victoria and the last name is Kyle!
We did it!
And… there doesn’t seem to be a clue or code. Nothing seems out of place.
Maybe there’s a codeword here? I don’t know. I’m out of ideas.
If Riddle is up to something, she must not have given us a clue in this puzzle.
Great job, Clue Crackers! I’ll see you next week!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Well, it’s a shame there’s not a code, but I doubt Riddle will be able to resist giving us some sort of sign soon.
Great job, as always! You’ll be fully trained spies in no time!
See you next week and remember:
Keep your eyes open!
[fade to black]
[message: first is the letter left of t. the word’s caboose is after m. the middle is the twins of the letter after m]
Episode Ninteen: Solving Sudoku
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome, Clue Crackers. We’ve discovered some artifacts left in “Agent K’s” desk. Since Agent K isn’t a real agent, it seems Riddle has left us a clue.
Most of the stuff in the desk came up empty when we tested it to see if there were any tricks or traps inside, but Agent Anagram found something she found interesting.
I’m not quite sure what it was, but she seemed rather excited.
Good luck, with whatever it is!
[cut to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, Clue Crackers! Come see what I found!
[sudoku on screen]
It’s a finished game of sudoku!
[second, blank game]
Sudoku is a numbers game. Each of the nine boxes has numbers one through nine. You use logic to figure out how to make each number fit without putting the like-numbers in the same row.
So for the threes. [show the three columns] You can’t put a three in a row that holds a three.
I fact checked Riddle’s work and she filled it out correctly. But there’s a clue here!
Can you see it?
[sudoku fills the screen] [five second pause, then shrinks back to corner]
It’s written in two hands! The first one is steady and a readable print. The second is shakier, and harder to read.
If I were to take a guess, I’d say Riddle wrote the second part with her non-dominant hand.
My guess is the second hand wrote numbers that when translated with the A1Z23 cipher give us a clue.
So let’s calculate the numbers! We have 1, 3, 1, 9, 5, 1, 8, 5, and 8. Translated that would be A C A I E A H E H. Well that’s nonsense, but it almost looks like real words.
I got it! The number one could be a ten and when put together with the next number, we’d get 13, 19, and 18!
Now when we put it through the cipher…
[on screen: m s e r e h]
It’s closer! I think maybe one of he 1’s is supposed to be an A… maybe the secone one?
Let’s try it with a 1 and an 8 instead of 18!
[on screen: m a i e r e h]
May-ear-eh… It’s not English, that’s for sure.
(snaps) Maybe it’s backwards!
[reverses: h e r e i a m]
I see it!
[now reads: here i am]
It says “here I am.”
[stream glitches out]
[sharp cut to black]
[cut to Riddle]
R: Miss me? (evil laugh)
Oh, it’s been fun sending all these messages and clues, but I think we’re both ready for a bigger challenge.
What do you say? Are you up for the task?
(laugh) Doesn’t matter. We’re doing this either way.
See you again soon, Clue Crackers.
And tell my uncle I said hello.
[glitches out to black]
[message: 3 21 19-15-15-14]
Episode Twenty: A Little Goes A Long Way
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome–
[sharp cut to Riddle]
R: I’m back! Surprised to see me?
Well, I don’t know what Mister Code had planned, but who cares? I have an assignment for you!
I’ve placed it in Agent Anagram’s least favorite place.
Don’t worry, she’s been told it’s there.
Bye bye! And good luck! You’ll need it!
[cut to Agent Anagram’s room, Agent off-screen]
AA: (off-screen) Aha!
(Agent Anagram walks onscreen)
Hey, Clue Crackers! Did Riddle tell you about the assignment?
She left it in the drawers beneath my sink. (shudders) There’s so many spiderwebs down there.
(opens the packet) Oh. Weird.
[picture on screen]
There’s no words, but there’s some pictures.
I bet the pictures represent the words she’s trying to say!
The first picture is an eye, so that’s probably the word “I.” And look! We have two of those!
[picture reflects solving]
Okay, next is the ampersand symbol, which is typically used to mean “and.” [reflect]
E… is probably the letter E. I and E. That’s I.N.E!
Next is a… picture of Shakespeare? Oh, and we have two of those here as well.
What could Shakespeare have to do with this?
I.N.E. Shakespeare… No, that makes no sense.
What do we know about Shakespeare? He was a writer. He was English. His first name was William… Aha!
William can be shortened to Will! “I.N.E. Will…”
Picture of a plane. Hmm… It’s probably not about the plane, but what the plane is doing.
Do you see it? It’s falling. “I.N.E. Will fall.”
Uh oh, it doesn’t seem like this is a good message.
Next we have a headstone, the marker you’d put over a grave. It says R.I.P.
R.I.P. stands for Rest In Peace, so that must be the next part of the message.
Another eye and another Shakespeare, so “I Will.” then there’s water droplets.
(pause) Do you think it could be rain? [word on screen]
Next a down arrow, that probably means down. Then there’s a letter “N” which could be in and…
A mad face? Hmm, that one’s tricky.
Let’s try reading the rest of it and seeing what we think fits.
“I.N.E. will fall. Rest in peace. I will rain down in…” Anger!
She’ll rain down in anger! Seems like Riddle still planning on destroying I.N.E.
Great job, Clue Crackers! Maybe next week we can-
[cut to Riddle]
R: Wow, Agent A needs to stop talking. I mean, she just goes on and on!
Glad to see you solved my little code! I’m glad to have such worthy opponents.
I’m afraid I’ll be a bit out of the picture for a bit. The next phase of my plan requires some travelling, which means my interrupting dear old uncle will have to take a break.
Enjoy whatever boring codes he comes up with. I’ll be back in a bit to give you something good to work on.
See you soon!
[cut to black]
[fade in on message: BRB, C U L8R, -R]
Episode Twenty-One: Fictional Languages
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers. It’s good to see you guys again.
After Riddle’s inturruption last week, I was worried we’d be unable to meet again.
But the agents in the communications department have assured me that Riddle’s lying low for the time being. Our communication lines seem to be clear.
Onto today’s assignment. While making our own code language can be a lot of fun, it’s hard to get other agents to translate it. What can be easy is using a pre-established fictional language for your code.
I’m sure Agent Anagram has come up with plenty of options for you to learn today.
See you soon, Clue Crackers. Remember to keep your eyes open.
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey guys! I have two great languages for us to look at today!
[alphabets on screen]
Both of these are from movies, so people might be somewhat familiar with them but probably won’t recognize them very quickly.
[Wakandan bigger on screen] [Atlantean disappears]
This is Wakandan, it’s from a fictional country called Wakanda. Like the English alphabet, they have different letters for capital and lowercase letters.
[switches to Atlantean]
And this is Atlantean. It’s from a movie about the city of Atlantis, which sank under the ocean. Atlantean doesn’t have capital and lowercase letters, but it does have specific letters for T-H, C-H, S-H.
[both on screen]
Now, why do we use fictional languages? Well, as spies it’s easy to get our codes confused. But with fictional languages we can give a clue-word to help the receiver figure out which code we’re using.
For example, we use the word “Panther” for Wakandan, because the language is from a movie, the Black Panther.
For Atlantean, we say “Underwater” because it’s an alphabet from a city that sank.
Here’s a message from Agent Cross with a sentence in each language. Can you help me translate it?
[cut to screen with message on left, each alphabet on right] [every five seconds a letter will fill in] {peppy music}
[message: there’s been change in Texas. We found two pennies and a quarter]
[translated:
[cut back to Agent Anagram]
Great job, Clue Crackers! Let’s tell Master Code what you’ve learned!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Wonderful work!
Wakandan and Atlantean are some very underrated alphabets and you guys learned them really quickly!
See you guys next week. And remember: Riddle is out there so keep your eyes open.
[fade to black, revealing message]
[message is two words, one in each language]
Episode Twenty-Two: Solving The Answers
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers! I have an exciting announcement, but first: today’s assignment.
I’ve had one of our top agents come up with a puzzle for you.
[code on screen: monkey, yak, kangaroo, ostrich]
[beneath it: Lti, Sriqob, Exjpqbo, Xxoasxoh]
Your task is to decode the possible code-words, solve the pattern, and bring me back the answer.
Think you can do it?
Great! See you later and remember to keep your eyes open!
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Good to see you! Are you ready for today’s assignment?
Wonderful! First, let’s get these pesky ciphers undone.
[“Lti” shows up in both top corners]
So if we translate L in Atbash we get O and in Caesar we get… Also, O!
Looking good so far! Let’s do the next one!
T in Atbash is G and in Caesar it’s W.
And lastly, I in Atbash is R and in Caesar it’s L.
Look’s like the answer is Caesar! It says owl!
Let’s translate the rest! Can you help me!
[words on screen: Lti/Owl, Sriqob/_________, Exjpqbo/____________, Xxoasxoh/_________] {music}
[as the time passes, they fill in automatically]
[cut back to Agent Anagram] {music fades out}
Great job! We have: owl, vulture, hamster, and aardvark.
[shrinks to bottom of screen]
Now onto solving the pattern!
[on screen: monkey, yak, kangaroo, ostrich]
Okay, it’s not an acrostic code…
[on screen MYKO] [fade out]
… and the animals don’t have anything in common other than they’re all mammals.. But all the animals from our word bank are also mammals.
Hmmm… What could it be? (Pauses, studying the words)
Aha! I’ve got it!
[references letters highlight as she calls them out]
Monkey ends in Y. Yak starts with Y and ends with K! Kangaroo starts with K and ends with an O! And Ostrich starts with O!
We’re looking for an animal that starts with H!
[Hamster grows to fill the screen]
That’s it! The answer is Hamster!
Let’s tell Master Code!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Great work! The answer is Hamster!
And it’s not just any old answer, it’s a passcode to unlock all the information we have on Riddle.
I think it’s about time we let you have access to all of the information we have on Riddle, including her real identity.
Keep your eyes open, I’m about to share the information with you.
See you next week, Clue Crackers.
[fade to black]
Episode Twenty-Three: Picture Puzzles
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers. Riddle’s left a puzzle for you along with a voice message telling you what she wants from you.
Can we play the clip?
{clip overlay}
Riddle (VO): can you find a rabbit, a house, a duck, and a fox then put them back together in their box?
MC: I expect Agent Anagram will be able to figure out what that means.
Good luck, Clue Crackers, and remember to keep your eyes open.
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Come look at what we got!
It’s a tangram!
Tangrams are puzzles composed of different shapes.
(holds up the shapes in their frame)
They can be used to make different pictures.
Riddle’s message said she wants us to find a rabbit, a house, a duck, and a fox then put all the pieces back in the frame, which is the box.
Can you help me make the pictures?
[cut to overhead shot with pieces on table]
(actor adlibs solving each puzzle, making sure to encourage the helpers and cheer with them when one is done right) (when each picture has been made, the actor puts them in the box)
[cut back to main]
Great job! I really appreciate all your help with this! Let’s tell Master Code that we passed the test!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Wonderful work, Clue Crackers!
Oh wow, I’m awesomely alliterative!
I have a feeling Riddle will be sending a harder code to crack soon now that you’ve proved your skills.
See you next week and remember to keep your eyes open!
[fade to black]
[text: 18-5-13-5-13-2-5-18 20-8-5 15-18-4-5-18 9 7-1-22-5 25-15-21 20-15-4-1-25, 9-20'19 9-13-16-15-18-20-1-14-20]
Episode Twenty-Four: Ancient Letters
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Hey, Clue Crackers! Welcome back, we’ve received a message from Riddle… in plain English. Agent Anagramed checked it and there’s nothing to find… It seems your next challenge is the next step.
It worries me that Riddle hasn’t hidden this code with a cipher. Whatever her next coded message says, it’s got to be a part of a longer scheme.
The message was delivered alongside a couple of boxes. Agent Anagram will explain how that works with the message when you see her.
Don’t worry! Our team didn’t find anything worrisome when we scanned the boxes! There’s no traps, but I have a feeling Riddle will be watching to see if you answer correctly.
Good luck, Clue Crackers. And keep your eyes open!
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey! Are you ready for a challenge?
As I’m sure Master Code told you, Riddle gave us an understandable message and a couple of boxes to go with it.
On the first one she’s drawn a duck, the next has a fox, and the last one has a house.
The message says, “remember the second.”
Do you guys remember which of these was the second prompt in Riddle’s message last week?
(wondering) How could we find a way to remember?
(recalls) I know! The video recording!
[cut to screen recording of last week’s video, fast forwarding through to the message]
[stops after the part where Riddle’s voice over is]
A house! We’re supposed to open the box with the house on it!
Are you ready?
(opens the box and frowns) huh.
It’s more messages. But they’re cut up and uh…
[message on screen]
[message: ᛏᚱᛁ ᛏᛟ ᛈᛁᚲᚲ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚠᚨᛁᛚ, ᛁᛟᚢ’ᛚᛚ ᚾᛖᛖᛞ ᚨ ᚲᛖᛁ ᛏᛟ ᛈᚱᛖᚢᚨᛁᛚ.]
Not in English.
Hmm… Let me consult my keys.
[keys/ciphers on screen, flipping through]
{Ceasar, Atbash, Morse, Wakandan, Atlantean, Norse}
Aha! It’s Norse runes!
Norse runes were the letters most known for being used by Scandanavian vikings!
Baisically, she’s using a really old alphabet.
Here’s our key.
[key on screen]
Wanna help me translate it?
[coded message on screen] {music}
[every three seconds another letter translates]
[cut back to Agent Anagram when message is decoded]
Aha! “Try to pick and you will fail, you’ll need a key to prevail.”
It sounds like Riddle’s hidden something in a safe or something… and there’s going to be a key we’ll have to find.
Great work, Clue Crackers! Let’s tell Master Code.
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Well done, Clue Crackers! I’ve heard you learned a new alphabet.
I have no doubt that Riddle will have hidden the key somewhere nearly impossible to find.
But I also have no doubt that you’ll be able to find it.
See you soon, Clue Crackers.
Keep your eyes open.
[fade to black]
[message: ᚲᛖᛁ, ᚲᛖᛁ, ᚲᛖᛁ, ᚹᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᚲᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛁᛏ ᛒᛖ? ᚺᛖ ᚺᛖ ᚺᛖ]
Episode Twenty-Five: Dot Dot Dot
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers!
We’ve received another message from Riddle. Seems to me that she’s given you another puzzle along with a message explaining how you can succeed.
Be warned! There may be a catch!
Good luck, Clue Crackers! Remember to keep your eyes open!
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Good to see you!
I’m sure Master Code told you about our message and puzzle.
[coded message and puzzle on screen]
[message: Clue Cizxpvih, xlmmvxg gsv wlgh zmw gsrmp lfghrwv gsv ormvh, blf xzm’g ivgizxv zmb mli orug blfi kvm zmw vzxs nlev nfhg yv gsivv!]
Let’s translate it first. I did the first word so I know it’s in Atbash. But I’d love some help!
Are you up for it? Great!
[cut to message on full screen over Agent Anagram front shot translating] {music}
[every few seconds, another piece of the code will translate]
Great work! Are you ready to hear what Riddle said?
[message on screen]
(reading) “Clue Crackers, connect the dots and think outside the lines, you can’t retrace any nor lift your pen and each move must be three!”
Okay! So it seems we need to find a way to connect all the dots without lifting our pen.
Don’t be fooled, I have a feeling it’s gonna be harder than you’d think.
Let’s try shall we?
[overhead shot of Agent Anagram, adlibbing, trying to solve it and failing]
[cut to regular when done]
Hmm… looks like we’ll need some help.
Let’s call Agent Maroon!
[split screen] [side two with facetime logo]
[Agent Maroon picks up]
AM: Hey, Agent A! Hey, Clue Crackers! What’s up?
AA: We have a puzzle we’re having some trouble solving. It looked like the kind of puzzle you’re really good at.
[dots and message on screen]
Do you know anything about it?
AM: Sure do! It’s the nine dots puzzle!
AA: The nine dots puzzle?
AM: Yep! It’s pretty easy as long as you don’t overthink it.
AA: So how do we solve it?
AM: Pay attention to what Riddle said. “Think outside the lines”
(Agent Anagram’s eyes go wide)
AA: Oh! Got it! Thanks, Agent M!
AM: No problem! Good luck!
[video call ends]
AA: I was thinking too small! We have to go outside of the square to get all the dots!
[overhead, scripted]
See this border here? (references the square the dots make)
We need to move outside of these bounds. Like this! (draws line at top)
Now we’re going to make our next line go past the square too.
(draws second line)
Now back up. (line reflects this)
And down! (finsihes the puzzle)
[back to normal]
We did it! Let’s tell Master Code!
[cut to Master Code]
MC: Aha! The dots are starting to connect!
Great job, Clue Crackers!
I’ll see you next week! Keep your eyes open!
[fade to black]
[message: Elephants, Yellow, Eggs, Something, Ostrich, Pig, Even, Newt]
Episode Twenty-Six: Codes Listed Under Eyes Seeking
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Hello, Clue Crackers! It’s good to see you, as always.
We’ve received a message from Riddle.
(dryly) I know, how outside of the norm.
[message on screen]
[Message: This herald reads easily? Exactly the way one opptimistically needs emails! -Riddle]
We got it in an email from an unknown web address. Our agents are looking into the sender, but we’re positive Riddle has made sure there’s no way to tie it back to her.
Agent Anagram should be able to explain to you how her secret message works.
Good luck and keep your eyes open!
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, Clue Crackers! You ready to solve this message?
Now, you might have noticed it hasn’t been put through a cipher and there’s no clear instructions, yet the message is weird to read.
That’s because it’s an acrostic code!
The agents at Clandest are really good at this but we don’t use them much at I.N.E.
For example, a Clandest agent might greet their fellow spy out in the open and say,
[on screen] “Namaste! On Thursday Heloise insists Nick grills these outstanding ribs. Eden prepared online restaurant take-out.”
Then their undercover coworker could say,
[also on screen] “Really? Eden cooks! Eden is vexing every dinner…”
The fact their words are a bit weird helps the other agent pick up on the fact they’re talking in code.
Okay, now onto how the code works!
For acrostic codes, you take the first letter of every word helps make up a new phrase.
[the Clandest codes on screen reveal their phrases: “Nothing to report” & “recieved”]
A lot of people do this with poetry, where the first word of every line is a part of a word or phrase.
So when Riddle sent her email [back on screen]
She wasn’t just saying “This herald reads easily? Exactly the way one opptimistically needs emails,” she was saying…
Well, let’s work on it, shall we?
What letters do we have?
[reflected on screen in highlighted letters]
T-H-R-E-E-T-W-O-O-N-E
[the message fades leaving only the highlighted letters]
Okay and now we separate it into words.
[the message separates]
Aha! It says, three, two, one-
[sharp cut to Riddle]
R: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, i got you a present, inside is a clue!
[cut to static]
[mix to Master Code]
MC: Clue Crackers? Hello? Are you there?
Ah! There you are! I thought we’d lost connection for good.
Riddle has a gift for you, eh?
I’ll bet she’s up to something big. I wouldn’t put it past her to have protected the present by making it extremely hard to find.
But I have faith you’ll find it!
{beep SFX}
(checks watch) I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you next week.
Keep your eyes open! (gets up and leaves)
[fade to black]
Episode Twenty-Seven: More Fictional Codes
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers!
We’ve received another message from Riddle, but… well.
[message on screen]
It seems to be written in an unfamiliar set of letters.
We’ve checked each letter but none of them came up as a real alphabet. It would appear Riddle is using more made up languages to send her messages.
[message fades]
I’d guess whatever the message says, it holds an important clue.
Hopefully Agent Anagram can help you guys decode the phrase!
Good luck, Clue Crackers!
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Great to see you! Did Master Code give you the message from Riddle?
Great! Let’s take a look at it!
[message on screen]
Oh wow! Okay, well Master Code was right, it appears to be written using a different alphabet, a boxy one.
(studies the letters for a moment)
Hmmm… Wait! I know!
Agent Flare knows a lot of obscure languages! Maybe he can help!
[phone call on screen] {dial SFX}
[split screen of Agent Anagram and Agent Flare]
AF: Hey! What’s up, guys? I was just trying to figure out what a raven has in common with a writing desk.
AA: Riddle sent us a message written in two different codes. We are having some trouble figuring out what the second one is. Do you recognize it?
[half-translated message on screen]
AF: (peering at message) Hmm… it looks familiar. Let me look in my book of codes!
(grabs a book and flips through, comparing it to the images on screen)
Aha! It’s the Author’s Cipher!
AA: The author’s cipher?
AF: Yep! From Gravity Falls!
AA: Oh, right! I forgot that show had tons of codes and riddles! Thanks for your help! And good luck with the raven and the writing desk!
AF: Bye guys! Good luck!
[split screen ends]
AA: Okay, here’s the alphabet for the author’s cipher. Let’s solve this message!
[cut to message and key on screen] {music} [every few seconds a letter will fill in]
Aha! It says “a red, red rose.”
Huh… I don’t know what that means. But knowing Riddle, it’ll be an important clue for later.
Great work guys! Let’s tell Master Code.
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Well done, Clue Crackers! I hadn’t heard of either of those alphabets!
I’ll bet that- {alarm SFX}
Oh no! It looks like someone is trying to break into I.N.E. headquarters!
I’ve got to go! See you next week and-
[sharp cut to black]
[message fades in, written in the Author’s Cipher: keep your eyes open, I’m everywhere -R]
Episode Twenty-Eight: What’s In The Box?
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers! As expected, we’ve received another message from Riddle.
After her attempt to break into I.N.E. headquarters, we found no trace of where she had gone. But she did leave an envelope addressed to you.
Agent Anagram is waiting for you to help her decode it.
Good luck and keep your eyes open. Riddle could be anywhere.
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Are you guys ready to see what Riddle told us?
(opens envelope) [message on screen]
[message: sviv xlnvh z wvorevib! Xsvxp gsv ylc!]
Oh, it’s in Atbash!
Let’s translate it!
[overhead shot, Agent Anagram walks us through decoding it] {light music}
[message on screen: here comes a delivery! Check the box!]
Check the box? What kind of box would have a delivery?
Oh! A mailbox!
[swipe to mailbox] (Agent Anagram retrieves another envelope and opens it)
[message on screen]
[message: mug ni deppets evah yam uoy, nwod kool]
This one seems to have been written backwards!
So if we just write it forwards, we’ll know what it says.
Can you help me put the letters in the right order? Let’s try!
l-o-o-k-d-o-w-n-y-o-u-m-a-y-h-a-v-e-s-t-e-p-p-e-d-i-n-g-u-m
[message: look down, you may have stepped in gum]
“Look down you may have stepped in gum”
Wait! Did Riddle put gum on my shoe?
(checks shoe)
[shot of shoe, a message attached to it in gum]
[new shot: Agent Anagram rises]
It’s another message! In morse code!
[message on screen]
[message: - .- -.- . / .- / -... .-. . .- -.- -.-.-- / --. .-. .- -... / .- / ... -. .- -.-. -.- / ..-. .-. --- -- / - .... . / ..-. .-. .. -.. --. .]
Let’s translate it!
[message and key on screen] {music}
[every few seconds a letter translates itself]
[cut back to Agent Anagram when done]
[message: take a break. Grab a snack from the fridge.]
“Take a break, grab a snack from the fridge”
(to camera) I.N.E. has a fridge in the breakroom!
Riddle could have put a code in there when she broke in!
(runs off-screen)
[break room] (Agent Anagram runs in and checks the fridge)
It’s a box!
(she taps the box)
Doesn’t sound like anything dangerous. Should we open it?
(carefully opens the box and peers in)
It’s a book!
(pulls out the book)
It’s full of poems! (flips through pages)
Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and… Oh!
(turns book around to face camera)
A Red, Red Rose! It’s a poem!
And look there’s letters underlined!
P-L-A-Y-C-L-U-E
Riddle wants us to play Clue?
I guess we have next week’s assignment! Let’s tell Master Code!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Well done! You survived Riddle’s scavenger hunt!
I don’t know what scheme she has right now, but it seems like we’re now another step closer to finding out.
See you next week and continue to keep your eyes open!
[fade to black[
[message: L nb Ofev rh orpv z ivw, ivw ilhv
Gszg’h mvdob hkifmt rm Qfmv;
L nb Ofev rh orpv gsv nvolwb
Gszg’h hdvvgob kozbvw rm gfmv.
Hl uzri zig gslf, nb ylmmrv ozhh,
Hl wvvk rm ofev zn R;
Zmw R droo ofev gsvv hgroo, nb wvzi,
Groo z’ gsv hvzh tzmt wib.
Groo z’ gsv hvzh tzmt wib, nb wvzi,
Zmw gsv ilxph nvog dr’ gsv hfm;
R droo olev gsvv hgroo, nb wvzi,
Dsrov gsv hzmwh l’ oruv hszoo ifm.
Zmw uziv gsvv dvvo, nb lmob ofev!
Zmw uziv gsvv dvvo zdsrov!
Zmw R droo xlnv ztzrm, nb ofev,
Gslfts rg dviv gvm gslfhzmw nrov.]
Episode Twenty-Nine: Logic
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers!
We managed to locate the game of Clue Riddle left for you. It was put in Agent Wicker’s desk.
Upon investigation, it seems three cards are missing.
My guess is one of those cards will lead us one step closer to Riddle’s master plan.
Good luck, Clue Crackers.
Keep your eyes open.
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Ready to play a game?
[overhead shot]
This is Clue, it’s a type of logic puzzle.
[back to main]
Logic puzzles are puzzles where you have to figure out what something is, or in this case isn’t, by figuring out what it’s not… or in this case is.
Okay, so for Clue we have this. [grid on screen]
The point of the game is to solve a crime by figuring out where it happened, with what, and by who. Usually there’s three cards placed in an envelope, but Riddle removed both the cards and the holder so we couldn’t cheat.
So! What we have to do is figure out what cards are missing using the cards we have.
First, let’s learn how to play Clue, I’ll give you half our cards and keep the others myself.
[half cards on screen]
First, you’re going to want to cross off what cards you have on the grid.
[visible cards are crossed off the list]
Great! Now, you’d place a guess by choosing a person, an object, and a room that you’re missing and ask me if I have them. If I have one, I’ll show you my card for it.
So let’s say you’ve picked Miss Peacock, the candlestick, and the library. I’d show you this card.
(holds up the library card)
And you’d cross it off your grid.
[fills in]
Then it’d be my turn.
But let’s skip forward. If we’d played through the entire game we’d also have these cards to cross off.
[overhead] (we see the cards laid down one by one)
(Agent Anagram narrates cross them off her grid) [grid on screen reflects it]
[slight pause, back to normal]
So what are we missing?
[the empty spots on the grid highlight]
Miss Scarlett, the rope, and… the bathroom!
(to camera) I wonder if that’s where we’ll find our next clue!
(runs off screen)
[multi-stall bathroom]
(Agent Anagram runs in)
Where could it… Aha! (grabs red soap and looks at its bottom)
There’s a word. “Under”
We’re supposed to look under something!
(Begins looking under counters and stalls) [camera follows]
(looks under changing table and finds a locked box) (picks it up)
What’s this doing here? (gasps) Look!
[shot of bottom of box, signed “Riddle”]
[back to main shot] (she tries to open it)
It’s locked!
Wait! Remember what Riddle told us!
“Try to pick and you will fail, you’ll need a key to prevail.”
I bet Riddle will have us look for the key next week!
Great work, guys! I’m going to go put this (holds up box) in a secure place while you update Master Code on our progress!
[swipe to Master Code]
MC: Well done, Clue Crackers!
With the box in a secure location, Riddle will be getting ready for her master plan.
I have the feeling she wants to end I.N.E. for good.
But I believe we can get through to her and put a stop to her plans.
See you next week, Clue Crackers, and keep your eyes open.
[fade to black]
[message: kbba x hbv?]
Episode Thirty: Cryptic
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[flash warning w/ VO from Agent Anagram]
[fade open on Master Code’s spot]
[a message flashes on screen]
[message: ERROR: Ess Aye Why See Age Ee Ee Ess Ee]
[pause for five seconds]
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Clue Crackers! Thank goodness! Master Code has gone missing!
We can’t find him anywhere!
(pause) What? You got an error message?
Maybe he’s trying to reach us!
[message on screen]
Oh it’s the phonetic cipher! Ess, Aye, Why, See, Age, Ee, Ee, Ess, Ee [letters on screen as she speaks them]
Say Cheese?
[screen flashes] [Riddle Appears, holding a camera]
R: You should see your faces! Giddle here to give you your next clue!
I know what you’re thinking, “Raddle, why do you insist on being such a genius?”
Aww, thank you, but I wouldn’t say I’m a genius.
Middle is a mastermind clue maker is a better sentence.
The answer is… well, they don’t call me Reddle for nothing!
Good luck solving this one. It’s a classic Siddle clue.
[fades to static]
[fade in on Agent Anagram]
AA: Whoa, that was weird. Did you catch her clues?
She kept mispronouncing her own name.
Have you ever missaid your own name? I have but not that many times in one speech.
It’s got to be a clue!
[mispronunciations on screen: Giddle, Raddle, Middle, Reddle, Siddle]
Okay, so Giddle has a G instead of R.
[G on screen]
Raddle has an A instead of I.
[A on screen]
Middle has an M instead of R.
[M on screen]
Reddle has an E instead of I.
[E on screen]
And Siddle has a S instead of R.
[S on screen]
“Games?”
There must be something in one of the staff games! We keep them in the breakroom!
(runs offscreen)
[cut to breakroom]
(runs on screen)
Which one could it be?
[shot of boxes]
[cut back]
Wait! (picks up the Scrabble box)
The R in “Scrabble” has been highlightedI R for Riddle!
(opens box, gasps, pulls out a key)
It’s the key! Now we can unlock the box Riddle left for us!
(runs offscreen)
[main shot] (Agent Anagram runs in, holding the box and key)
Ready? (unlocks box, pouring out puzzle pieces)
It’s a puzzle!
[glitches out and cuts to static] [fade to black] [message: 16-21-26-26-12-5-4?]
Episode Thirty-One: Riddles (Part 1)
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code’s spot]
[a message flashes on screen]
[rotating message: ERROR]
[pause for five seconds]
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Clue Crackers, Master Code is still missing!
I’m afraid Riddle has captured him!
But first, we have a puzzle to solve!
[overhead shot of half-finished puzzle]
(talks as she finishes puzzle, ADR)
Puzzles, as I’m sure you know, are when you connect a series of pieces.
We’ve kind of done that while trying to find Riddle.
[split screen of flashbacks]
First we figured out what she liked, which is leaving clues.
Next, we learned that she had an enemy at I.N.E.
Then we learned her enemy was her uncle.
And it turned out her uncle is Master Code!
She sent us more codes so she could do her big scheme, which is how we found the box and its key, and then Master Code went missing.
Now, we’re fixing the puzzle she left for us!
And that’s how we got the bigger picture. [end split screen]
(finishes puzzle)
[cuts to main shot]
Whoa, something’s wrong with the words, but what?
Oh! It’s written backwards! Let’s look in the mirror!
Aha! It says “say…” Wait. if I say this Riddle will appear.
Are you ready? Three… two… one… “Boogaloo”
[glitch to split screen with Master Code]
Master Code! Where are you? What happened?
MC: I have no idea what happened! I was on my way to work when I blacked out and woke up here!
I heard Riddle singing a song as she left me my food yesterday, so I know she’s the one responsible for my entrapment.
The door handle is loose, but it won’t open.
AA: What did Riddle sing when you heard her?
MC: She sang, (singing) “Uptown, downtown, then all around town, follow the clock around.”
Do you think it could be a clue?
{Beep SFX}
MC: I’m running out of battery! Call me back when you find a way to get me out!
AA: Will do!
[call ends]
AA: Alright, guys. Riddle’s song can’t be nonsense, but how could it help Master Code get out?
I know! Maybe it’s the instructions for how to unlock the door!
He said the door was loose! Maybe it’s a trick door!
Uptown, downtown, all around…
He might need to jiggle the handle up, then down, then in a circle… going clock-wise.
Clock-wise is when you follow the direction a clock would go.
[clock arms on screen]
Clocks always move this way. (traces clock-wise) [graphic fades]
Maybe that’s how he’ll escape!
Let’s call him and see if it works!
[split screen back]
Master Code! Try pulling the handle up then down then in a circle going clockwise.
MC: Righto! (does the pattern, singing the song again)
Aha! It worked! I’m free!
Great work, Clue Crackers!
I have to figure out where I am and get back to I.N.E. as soon as possible. I bet Riddle’s not done with me just yet!
[fade to black]
[message: to be continued…]
Episode Thirty-Two: Riddles (Part 2)
[confidential: for your eyes only glitches on and off screen]
[fade open on Master Code]
MC: Welcome back, Clue Crackers! It’s good to finally be here to meet you here again!
We have a message from Riddle… well. I’m hoping it has a message.
[crossword on screen]
It’s a crossword. I’m thinking Riddle has left her master plan here. [crossword fades]
I’ll admit, we’ve been a bit confused on why she’s so determined to cause chaos here.
Perhaps she’s bored. Her mother, my sister, used to be dramatic when she was bored.
But that’s just a theory. Agent Anagram will help you figure out the answers to the crossword puzzle.
Good luck, Clue Crackers. Keep your eyes open, Riddle is probably listening.
[swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Hey, guys! Ready to do a crossword?
[crossword on screen]
So for each prompt we have, we put a word in one of the boxes.
Look! Some of the prompts are encoded!
Down 1 looks like the words are written in Atbash or Caesar ciphers. Wait!
(Scribbles down some translations)
Yes! They are!
[translations of 1 Down on screen]
It says “Atbash & Caesar” in Atbash and Caesar!
So… the answer must be cipher!
[cipher fills in on screen]
And look! [highlighted area on screen]
Four across is morse code! Which means the answer is the word code! [fills in]
Our other across says “I.N.E.’s biggest menace.” Do you think Riddle means herself?
[Riddle fills in on screen]
Oh look! She was!
Okay, 2 Down says “1, 2, 3, 5, 6”... it’s missing a number! It didn’t say four!
[four fills in!]
3 Down. Blank, myself, and I.
Me! [me fills in]
Last one! “Not from.”
Hm… okay. If something isn’t from someone it must be…
For them! For!
[crossword complete]
Let’s see what our words say!
We have code and cipher.
[code and cipher on list]
We have two fors, spelled differently.
[four and for on opposite side of screen]
And we have me and Riddle.
[me and Riddle on list]
All together it says code for me or cipher for Riddle.
That’s it! Riddle wants a cipher she can solve!
Maybe Master Code is right! Riddle is bored and wants a puzzle she can try and solve!
Want to help me make one?
Okay, if we’re going to make a puzzle hard enough for Riddle, we’re going to have to pull out all the stops.
Let’s give her a riddle to solve. A riddle for Riddle!
[black screen]
[on screen: I'm light as a feather,
but even the world's strongest man
couldn't hold me for much longer than a minute.
What am I?]
Now let’s put the first line in reverse!
[line 1: ,rehtaef a sa thgil m’I]
Now let’s put it in Atbash!
[line 1: ivsgzvu z hz gstro n’R]
Perfect! Now for line two, let’s put it in the Caesar cipher!
[line two: unm xoxg max phkew'l lmkhgzxlm ftg ]
And also put it in Morse code!
[line two: ..- -. -- / -..- --- -..- --. / -- .- -..- / .--. .... -.- . .-- .----. .-.. / .-.. -- -.- .... --. --.. -..- .-.. -- / ..-. - --. /]
For line three, let’s take away the vowels!
[line three: cldn't hld m fr mch lngr thn mnt.]
Good! Now let’s put it in the pig pen cipher!
[line three: ]
And the last line we can spell out phonetically.
[line four: doubleyou-age-aye-tee aye-em eye?]
Then let’s put it in the A1Z26 cipher!
[line four: 4-15-21-2-12-5-25-15-21-1-7-5-1-25-5-20-5-5 1-25-5-5-13 5-25-5]
Perfect! That ought to stump Riddle!
Let’s send it to her!
(pulls out computer and types)
[clock-wise swipe to reveal splitscreen with Riddle]
R: Is it breath?
AA: What?
R: The answer? It’s breath? “I'm light as a feather, but even the world's strongest man couldn't hold me for much longer than a minute.” Is it breath?
AA: Yeah, it is! Good work.
(Riddle celebrates)
R: I loved that! Great job, Clue Crackers! I knew you were worthy adversaries!
AA: You know, you’d make a good I.N.E. agent.
R: I would?
AA: Absolutely! With your ability to create codes, the communications department has been scrambing! We could use someone as smart as you on the team.
R: Yeah, well… I don’t think Master Code would let me on the team even if I wanted to join. Which I don’t.
AA: You’ll have to talk to him to find out.
R: Wait! No, I don’t wanna-
[Agent Anagram leaves, Master Code and Riddle split the screen]
MC: Hi, Amy. It’s nice to officially meet you. I’m your Uncle Johnathan.
(Riddle looks suspicious, doesn’t reply)
I just wanted to apologize. I know I haven’t been there for you during these hard times and that’s not fair to you.
To make up for it, I wanted to offer you an internship here.
R: Wait, really?
MC: Yep! You’re very smart, (government name). We’d be thrilled to have you on our team…
…as long as you stop causing so much chaos.
R: But I can still cause some chaos, right?
MC: (laughs) For the bad guys, sure.
R: I’ll have to think about it. But thanks… Uncle Johnathan.
{beep SFX}
MC: (checks watch) Looks like we have an emergency. I have to go, but we’ll talk later?
R: Sure, later. See you.
[Master Code leaves, swipe to Agent Anagram]
AA: Wow, you guys did it!
That was awesome!
And Riddle isn’t the only one Master Code wants to take on!
He told me he thinks you’re ready for the next level of your spy training.
Do you think you’re up for it?
Excellent! We’ll be in touch, but for now. Keep your eyes open for clues!
See you!
[fade to black] [message: check out more at achambutonline.com/clue-crackers ]
