Hello, again, friends!
This is the first installment of my take on a pre-series Carmen Sandiego story that covers the aftermath of her escape from VILE through the first episode in Poitiers. It's starts with a little bit of backstory, because it's import for later, but please don't give up- Carmen is in here, I promise!
There are more detailed notes at the end, to highlight a couple of items/issues I didn't get to address in-line.
Location Unknown
Late 1999
The door of the small apartment opened silently, granting a thin strip of light from the hallway into the otherwise dark room. The man in the entryway shut the door just as soundlessly as it opened, but made no other movement despite the lack of light.
"It is very rude to come into another's home alone and uninvited, Gunnar. Perhaps you ought to add an etiquette class to your school."
"Good evening, Shadowsan." Gunnar Maelstrom grinned. He knew better than to expect that he would catch the legendary ninja off guard, but even all these years later, he couldn't resist trying. A bit of self-analysis for another time, he supposed. "Do pardon my effrontery. I have an important matter to discuss with you and it was very unpleasant outside."
"Would you care for tea?" Shadowsan gestured to the small kitchen as he removed his shoes and coat. It was a rarity that either man had much time or desire for social visits, and this was no exception.
"No, thank you. Regrettably, I can't stay long." Shadownsan did not seem disappointed, although Professor Maelstrom wasn't sure if the stately man ever seemed anything unless it suited him. "The Faculty Board was very impressed with your recent work in Moscow. Five billion dollars of IMF loans in and out of the Central Bank of Russia without so much as a blink of alarm."
"I did as I said I would." Shawdownsan nodded in acknowledgement, but was not much concerned with the faculty's opinions, positive or otherwise. "I do not believe you would have traveled all this way to deliver unneeded and unwanted appreciation."
Professor Maelstrom grinned again.
"Professor Case has just been elected Board Chair. Privately, he has told me he intends to retire at the end of his term. I wanted to ask if you would consent to be a candidate for his prospective replacement."
Shadownsan tilted his head slightly- not in surprise, but consideration. "Justin's retirement is well-deserved, but I have no desire to be a member of the faculty. My life suits me well."
There was a moment's pause.
"I understand your hesitation. Do take some time to think it over. We've recently remodeled the faculty housing, and it's quite lovely." Professor Maelstrom stood and deliberately admired the wall decorations, before pausing at the set of red matryoshka dolls on a shelf and giving Shadowsan a pointed look, "I see Tsu Mi is still collecting souvenirs from her journeys. I believe she would enjoy the island life. The baby is due in a few months, no?"
Ssn-cik. He didn't see the ninja move, but Gunnar found himself staring down the length of a sword all the same.
"Do not threaten me in my own home." Shadowsan's voice was dark and fierce. Leave while you are still able, old friend."
Gunnar held up his hands in surrender. "Not a threat, old friend . Just an offer for what you are trying to find here but never will: a peaceful life. VILE is growing, and I worry in the wrong direction. Without Justin's vision, the current ranks will think too small, too short term, and I will find myself outnumbered. Between the two of us, we can reshape the board. The world is not getting any calmer, nor we any younger. Bring your family to the academy, live in peace, and help me keep our organization our own."
"Leave."
Gunnar nodded and turned to the door, determined not to show his reaction until he was well out. He didn't expect a positive response today, but he didn't exactly get a 'no' either, and that was a place to start.
"By the way, it was the truth earlier; your help in creating the Ruble Crisis did not go unnoticed. We'll need you in Argentina soon to do it again. Fernando de la Rúa has just been elected President on a promise to end state corruption. We need him out of office, publicly. I'll send you the details."
Shadowsan did not reply.
"And the etiquette class is a wonderful suggestion."
Villa Celina, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina
December 19, 2001
It was going to be his last operation in the field.
It was going to be their last operation in the field .
He was less than 24 hours from moving his wife and daughter to a tropical paradise. He didn't relish the idea of being a teacher, but he's met some of the recent recruits and found Gunnar's assessment of them correct. VILE didn't have an academy when he and Tsu Mi had been selected- back then decent thieves had to learn by doing and accept the consequences- but it wouldn't be the worst thing to instill some patience and discipline in the upcoming set.
The riots in the heart of Buenos Aires had spread farther than he'd calculated. They been staying in Villa Celina for the past year and half, somewhere between the outskirts of the city proper and the airport. His fault. He'd spent all of yesterday near the Plaza del Mayo, stirring up agitators, leaving Tsu Mi with Noriko to pack up their meager belongings once the president resigned.
She had been furious with what she saw as being sidelined, but agree to wait to go the market until after the riots calmed.
"I planted bribes on five senators while nursing an infant, Kioshi. This is nothing." she argued , " And besides, I haven't gone souvenir shopping in a long time now. Noriko loves those matryoshka so much; don't you want her to have something else to play with?'
That had been their tradition, since the early days. As a couple of pickpockets who made their way back and forth across the county, Tsu Mi loved looking for a token of each city or stop, and would always grab something attractive before they left for the next mark. They had to travel light, but for two teenagers without families to notice when they left or expect gifts when they returned, it had been a tradition of their own. That is, until Justin Case found them on a wintry day in Sapporo and they moved up to the worldwide stage. Perhaps he should have just refused back then?
The restlessness in their part of the city hadn't been violent, but Shadowsan was closely watching the news. He expected confirmation of what his spies had already told him- Fernando de la Rúa intended to resign imminently. They could leave .
"What the hell is going on over there!?" A loud boom and Tsu Mi's shout tore his attention away from the television. She was already pulling on her shoes. "The grocery store across the street just had it's windows broken. Someone set a fire."
"What are you doing? This is what we want to happen."
Tsu Mi gave him a look that he knew better than argue with as she hushes a wailing Noriko. "I'm more concerned with large, squirming duffel bag someone just dumped in front of it. If that asshole is trying to set his rats lose in the neighborhood again, I will kill them this time."
"I'll check it out." He sighed and tucked a knife into his shoes. " Stay here." It was only a block down the street, but the fire wasn't large and mostly appeared to have been where some kind of homemade explosive was used to take out the window. Looters were already scavenging the aisles, and Shadowsan could see Senior Facundo, the owner, frantically try to chase them away. He paid this little mind- the man had spent the better part of the year chasing rats from his store across the street into his apartment, after all- and looked at the bag no one else seemed keen to approach.
His knife was ready as he yanked on the zipper, prepared to make a quick end to the little beasts.
Small gray eyes stared back at him.
A baby. A human baby. Thrown away like garbage. She is smaller than Noriko- maybe a year and a half old.
Shadownsan is not a sentimental man. He has taken lives and thought little of it. He has wrought havoc on hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting people and he sleeps well at night.
But he has never thrown away a baby, and for one extraordinary moment, he was suddenly thankful that there is at least this one line he did not, will not, cross.
hwirk-BOOM. The brick and stucco around him rattle, and the air grew even heavier with more smoke. There was too much heat behind him.
He wrapped the tiny thing in half of his coat, running back toward the apartment while the sounds of a screaming mix with discrete bits of knowledge. He burst into the small living space and immediately retches. There are three bodies on the floor, and they are all beyond saving.
There is the smell of gas.
The building now so much smaller than it had been, minutes ago.
Looters and protesters, running away down the street.
The cracked-through door to the back of the apartment wrenches open, and two young men run out.
The first doesn't make it four steps before he falls into the street. The second backs up fearfully as Shadowsan approaches, the knife in his hand dripping profusely with his accomplices blood.
"What have you done? "
"My- my niece...she was starving. I tried to hide her and get her some milk from the store, but- the people- it was too many, and I couldn't...there-there wasn't any." He's weeping now, gesturing madly to the burnt-out store window, and then to the flames behind him. "I thought I could rob the lady, but she was quick- scary , she killed Pedro, and then the little girl started crying- and- I tried to take out another bomb to scare them. Just to scare! But she kicked it away, and it hit the stove, and-" He's choking on tears now, trying to reach for the baby. There is a crowd gathering outside and Shadowsan has no time to execute him in the way he'd prefer. "Please, please don't hurt her." The knife sinks into into the man's throat and back out, quick and quiet, as though stealth was of any concern any longer. The last thing he hears is Shadowsan's voice.
"You deserve worse than your fate. But she will get the consideration you did not give, and will be safe with me. You have my word."
There is no one and nothing to save inside. Nothing he wants to keep. Leave no witnesses. The room is still heavy with smoke and gas; it burns hot and quick once he strikes another spark. The thingin his arms is coughing and restless. She needs to go outside, and Shadowsan is not entirely certain he would have left the burning building at all if he had not been holding her. He grabs the soot covered bag by the door- the one Tsu Mi had packed for Noriko- and manages to force himself out.
He cannot change his fate now, but he can at least make sure that the next generation of thieves grow up more respectable than this .
North Atlantic Ocean
December 20, 2001
"de la Rúa has signed his resignation and fled the building by helicopter. It's over."
He glances at the tiny, squirming thing on his arm, looking back at him with sleepy eyes. He wonders if she might start to cry. He wonders what he would do if she did.
Everything was over.
He closed his eyes and does not open them until they land in Las Palmas. The boat ride from there to VILE island is a lengthy one and the boat captain mostly ignores them both. Professor Maelstrom is waiting for him at the dock, eyebrow raised at his solo arrival. Shadowsan does not explain. He does not feel anything, anymore. Instead, he holds up the tiny, squirming thing .
"You were prepared to accommodate Noriko. I have brought this one instead."
Gunnar Maelstrom stands with mouth agape. Until this moment, he could count the number of times in his life when he's been speechless on one hand. From now on he will have to use two, and he will never forgive Shadowsan for it.
"Also, I insist that we add self-defense to the curriculum immediately ."
"I don't understand. Who is this?"
North Atlantic Ocean
December 1, 2017
"It's Carmen. Carmen Sandiego."
She's never felt so empowered before. This is like a drug, some kind high that's making her practically giddy. "About that white hat thing- does it have to be white?"
She laughs and it's been months since she felt this good. It's careless of her, true, but the freedom is incredible.
"Ok, Carmen . Welcome to team White Hat. When's your birthday?"
Good question. As Black Sheep, she'd never really had or celebrated a birthday, just a vague awareness that each year she got older. She'd had planned to start celebrating one after graduating, but-
Well, that didn't work out like she'd hoped.
But still, if Carmen Sandiego indeed starting existing today, then it only made sense to roll with it. "December first."
"Today's your birthday? Wow. You really know how to party, Carmen." Player sound a little confused, and she suddenly feels a little uneasy. Picking an identity was the first thing she's ever done for herself- did she screw up already?
"It it weird?" Carmen had to know.
"That on your birthday you're fleeing a secret crime school in the middle of the night for the second time after being raised alone on island and stealing a criminal empire's yearly accounting? I mean, yeah. You know I'm not an expert on normal, but it's pretty weird. Cool, though."
"No!" Carmen hedged. She had an inkling all of that was weird already. The others- Gray at least- would sometimes pause and give her a comforting sort of delighted smile when she said something particularly off-key that showcased the limits of her education, even as she cringingly tried to hide her upbringing. "I mean the name. Are-" she winced, "are people still named Carmen?"
There was the sound a cough that Carmen thought was probably a hidden laugh, then of clacking keys and Player responded quickly. "Oh, you bet. Loads of people. Singers, and actresses and stuff like that. Um, a few who used it in porn, but that's like, practically everyone's name anymore."
She has no idea what that meant or why she should would worry about it, but sounded fair enough. "Sure," Carmen agreed with false confidence, "Who hasn't seen their name in porn once in awhile?"
This time there was no mistaking the laughter, but it was warm and happy, and Carmen didn't mind that it was at her expense.
"Oh, my God." Player wheezed, "Please don't go around saying that. I'm gonna start keeping a list of things to explain to you later."
"Thanks, Player."
"No sweat. Trust me, I'm probably only gonna use it to make fun of you a lot." Carmen smiled at the teasing. She'd only really ever had friends in the last year and change (or at least she thought she did, until the attempt-murder-and-drag-your-unconscious-self-back-to-where-you-were-fleeing-from part), but Player had been around the longest, and it was nice to count on him now.
"No, I mean, thanks for everything. For listening to me, and helping me, and telling me where in the world I even am."
"Speaking of which, how about we get you somewhere to stay? It's the rainy season there right? You have to be soaked. Where to?"
Carmen looked up nervously at the cloud cover. She worried more about being followed in the chopper than being cold and wet, but she'd take what she could get. "That would be nice. What's the farthest place I can get away from here?"
More typing. "In terms of places crowded enough to lay low? Probably Australia. Brisbane. Maybe Sydney. You wanted to go down under, right?"
"Not Sydney." The response was immediate, and spilled desperately out of her mouth before she could stop it. But it was true. No way she wanted to think about-
"No problem, no problem. How would you feel about Auckland?"
"Better."
"Ok. Due south to Tenerife, and we'll get you on board a flight. I can get into a few files for now, but if you're going to do more island hopping we should think about how to get you a real passport."
Auckland, New Zealand
January 2018
It's warm , Carmen keeps having to remind herself. It's summer and it's warm.
She's been sitting in the sun for an hour, finally driven out of the tiny abandoned room she's been squatting in by the need to find a place to charge her phone.
It's eighty degrees outside, yet she can't shake the bone-deep cold that seems to cover her these days. Player was furious every time she let the battery die, but it was getting harder and harder to find the energy to sneak out. Her newfound awareness for consequence, coupled with the abiding fear that the cleaners would walk up on her at any moment was crushing.
Getting by day to day was both more challenging than she expected and far duller. It had seemed like it would be easy, when she was stopped by a disbelieving Gray the first time she tried to escape. She had all the skills, and more, to get by. It some ways it was easy, too easy, and what lay down that path terrified her.
If she stole some cash, a wallet, an order of food from a restaurant, she'd be in an out and no one the wiser. She doesn't have to think about who might be going without, who's life or future she made worse with her work. She's done it before, and she'll probably do it this very afternoon, as soon as she's checked in with Player and gotten her weekly dress-down for not calling him. Carmen knows her skills are beyond these things, even if they are necessary. She could do more, she aches to do more.
But she doesn't know how much more and that scared her every time she makes another lift; she's been trained to hurt, to kill, to leave no trace without really accepting it. Or maybe she had, but so firmly assumed she never would that it didn't bother her.
She's bothered now. A near constant litany of questions and what-ifs circle in her head. What if your next mark fights back? Would you hurt them? Kill them? What if Boris catches you mid-theft, and kills you and your target? Would you kill him first, to protect yourself? To protect someone else? What if it's not Boris? What if it's Gray?
Gray.
Had this been what has worried him, as he fiercely told to stay put in Morocco? Had he already seen this wasn't in her, that she couldn't do any better than she's doing right now?
You're still just a kid, he'd said. You have no money, no connections…
Carmen took a deep breath and checked her battery, 50%. She would be here for awhile yet. Maybe she'd skip stealing dinner tonight and just go back and sleep. She was pretty sure she'd eaten yesterday.
Gray was right. She had no idea what she was doing.
But the idea of staying a year, a week, a minute longer than necessary at VILE Academy had been every bit as hopeless. She passed Diabolical Masterminding with a perfect score, but in all her planning, it had not occurred to her for a second that Gray would be anything other than a staunch ally in her escape attempt.
That he had actively delayed her, tried to kill someone, and then helped bring her back to that place? And wasn't even a little sorry?
It broke Carmen's heart.
VILE Academy, Isle of Vile
October 2017
It shouldn't have surprised her to see him.
Black Sheep knew it was always a possibility, that former students (operatives, he's graduated now) returned on occasion when they needed new assignments, or had important information to debrief that couldn't be sent online.
She even knew he was on campus, because she'd heard a couple of her classmates tittering loudly over a demonstration he'd given in a group in Dr. Bellum's class that morning.
It shouldn't have surprised her to see him. But somehow, it was an unerring blow to the chest.
He was standing with Shadowsan, of all people, talking in a low voice. She immediately spun around and walked the way she'd just come, knowing she'd catch hell for skipping this class but, really, what could the faculty do that would hurt more than seeing him, anyway?
Gray called out, and then fell into step beside her, oblivious to- or more likely just ignoring- her clear effort to avoid him.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all day. Have you had lunch yet? I have a hil arious story about Tigress you have to hear. She made me swear never to tell, but I-" Black Sheep did not react and continued walking back to her room. Gray's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh at her silence. "Ok, I get it. You're still angry at me."
Angry? Anger wasn't even close. She didn't have a word for how she felt, but anger was only a small part of the churning mix of hurt, confusion, and betrayal.
"I did what I had to do. I will always do that to protect you. I kept you safe. And even if it means you'll never speak to me again, I don't regret it. " A snort of disbelief escaped her before she could stop it, and with her stoic silence ruined, Black Sheep stopped walking to face him.
"What do want me to say, Gray?" He smiled warmly at finally getting a response from her and the expression, as it always had, cut through her with ease. Except this time it brought no burst of affection, no excited rush of blood to her head that made her feel like she could do anything. Now it crippled, scorched through her chest and left ash its wake.
"I want to know what the hell is going on with you , for a start."
Black Sheep saw red. How dare he judge her. How dare he act like he had no part in it. This man had been her best friend. How dare he act like it wasn't taking everything she had just to make it day to day. She couldn't breathe, and Gray continued.
"Shadowsan told me that you don't make friends, don't speak to anyone. You pick fights in Coach Brunt's class and turn down people who ask for your help in Stealth. Black Sheep, what are you doing? This isn't you!"
Her chest was shaking harder with each word, tears and fury choking her throat. She refused to cry. Not in front any of her classmates, who were still running to class in the halls, and definitely not in front of Shadowsan, who Black Sheep knew was watching, probably waiting to mark her absent. More than anything , not in front of Gray, who was watching her face with soft eyes as he reached to put a hand on her shoulder.
"You're the best thief in the world . All you have to do is keep it together for a little longer than you thought. You can do that, right? You're going to graduate in a couple of months!"
For the first time in her life, Black Sheep wanted to hurt someone. She wanted Gray to hurt the way she had, when he'd stood by and done nothing while she was knocked out and dragged back to this hellhole. The way she had when she'd woken up, alone and back to square one, wondering if they'd ever even been friends in the first place. The way she did right now, when he looked at her like she made him happy, like everything was the same as it was last year and everything that had happened was nothing. When had he become so callous?
"Graduate into what?" She hissed. "A murderer?"
Gray flinched. She seized the opening.
"How many people have you killed now, Crackle ? Do you even keep track of the lives you take, or is it just so much dust to you?"
The hand dropped from her shoulder into a clenched fist, and Gray's face, which had been so imploring until now, became stony.
"I don't have any regrets." he repeated quietly. "I'd do it again. Hate me if you want, but at least you're here and not starving to death in the middle of God-knows-where. It was worth it, to me."
Black Sheep isn't sure what she can possibly say to that, as here is the last place on earth she wants to be. She was spared having to figure it out, though, when the two students who were gossiping about Crackle's guest appearance in Gadgetry & Tech earlier approached them.
"Black Sheep! There you are! What are you up to?" They don't have code names yet, and Black Sheep hasn't cared enough to learn anyone else's name anyway. She huffed, eyes rolling. It had been like this even when Gray was a student; the smile and the hair garnered him plenty of fans, even in their small class of forty. Black Sheep had developed a certain level of skill at deftly extricating herself from conversations with his admirers without saying much, but she had a very low tolerance for that kind of idiocy these days.
"Oh!" Groupie #2 pretended to only now realize that Gray is also there. "We were in your class this morning; it was wonderful . Black Sheep, I didn't realize that you were friends with Crackle!"
Silence.
"No." She finally replied loftily, as she stared him down. "I don't know him at all."
She spun on her toe once again, well aware that the only thing back in the direction she's currently going is Shadowsan's class, but too embarrassed to turn back now. She can't imagine she's on top of her game, but Shadowsan doesn't seem to notice her sneak into the back of the room eight minutes late.
Auckland, New Zealand
March 2018
Fully charged.
Buzzbuzzbuzz...buzzbuzzbuzz
[Carmen. Call me.]
Message deleted.
[Caaaaaarmen.]
Message deleted.
[Carmen!]
[I can tell your phone is back on.]
[I know you are reading these and deleting them.]
Message deleted.
Message deleted.
[ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]
[¯\(°_o)/¯]
Message deleted.
[I will keep texting all the cutesy faces you hate until you answer.]
[ಥ_ಥ]
[≧ _ ≦]
[( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )]
[Carmen, don't make me start on memes. I s2g I will. I can send faster than you can delete.]
Thirteen variations on a man in a red coat holding up a hand to disagree and agree with various statements of fact later, Carmen finally caved.
"Hey Player."
"I haven't talked to you in forever!" Player exploded. " Don't ever do that again! "
Like she didn't do it all the time. This last stretch was probably the longest, though Carmen didn't really see the difference between calling every week and ten days or so. "Didn't mean to make you worry. But I'm perfectly capable of managing on my own. I haven't needed a nanny in years."
You're still just a kid. You have no money, no connections…
"It's cool. I know you've got stuff going on." She didn't, and they both knew it. Player took a loud slurp of soda. "I've been doing some digging on our next move. I think I've got a good bead on getting you a permanent passport, but I've reached out to tons of different law enforcement, and to no one's surprise, a random kid in Canada reporting a major secret criminal organization database that can't be accessed does not get taken super seriously."
This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. Why she had refused to let him talk about any but the most basic details about his life, include his real name. "Player, you need to stop. I really don't want you involved in this."
"Too late, fellow White Hat. We're in this together now. Besides, this is the coolest thing I've ever done."
"I mean it, Player, the people that come from my school are dangerous. I 've been trained for years, and even I'm not sure I could beat them. If someone tried to go after you-"
"They won't. I don't know if you remember, but I hacked them, not the other way 'round."
Carmen sighed. They'd had this argument at least a dozen times. She should just dump the phone and steal a new one, but...
"I think you need to get rid of the hard drive, though."
"What?" This was new. Player hadn't asked much about it, once she sent a few photos and confirmed that it there was no make or model information that would be useful. She'd mostly taken it in an effort to delay any ongoing operations that needed financing, but it was still a point of pride that she had it.
"Look, I can wipe your phone location and keep our communication off the grid, no problem. I know nothing about that hard drive. It's got no ports, no way I can tap it or hide it from here. Even if we got it to Interpol, if they could even read it, there's no way to prove that it is what we say it is."
He was right, Carmen knew it. Part of the reason she didn't eat or sleep in the same place twice was because she was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop- for someone to come after the drive, after her, and that would be the end of it. But still, she kept it in her bag at all times, afraid of leaving it to be stolen. It was her last bit of leverage.
"What did you have in mind?" Carmen asked. "I could smash it, or throw it in the harbor. I don't exactly have a lot of high-tech options."
"I was hoping you would ask that." Player replied, amused. "I have two plans. Option 1 is that we ransom the drive back to VILE. It's risky to meet them, but if they pay up it could set you up with a new life and everyone walks away happy."
"I can't just knowingly put VILE back in business, Player." She could hear him grin, even through the phone. The little twerp was clearly setting her up for something.
"What exactly are you doing now, Carm?" She was sitting at a cafe in Viaduct Basin, dreaming of being a stowaway on one the yachts set to sail around the world. But somehow, she knew that's not what Player meant.
"I can't go back, Player. I can't . I know I'm just running away, but at least I'm not helping anymore . " She's in better shape than she was two months ago, but she's not exactly doing great. It was a little easier now that she'd dropped the full on White Hat approach, and gone back to her main skill set- stealth and sleight of hand. It didn't take much effort to find someone that won't give her an attack of conscience- a rude restaurant patron, someone shouting insults at another on the street. They are all fair game for her own version of sin tax.
"I get it. I mean- I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, Carmen." She forgets how young he is sometimes, and just as isolated as she is. "What I meant was, what if instead of just trying to keep the information away from VILE, we focus on getting it to the right person?"
"Who did you have in mind?"
"Me ."
"Absolutely not." Carmen is just about to hang up the call- she's been here for two hours already, and it's time to move on anyhow- when Player's voice comes back, quick and desperate.
"Hear me out! I can work on cracking the drive securely. I can check it for trackers, and download whatever is on it. Once I find evidence of an actual crime, you can call in a tip to that location and get law enforcement to see something specific."
It wasn't a bad plan, except for the fact that it still put Player in too much danger.
"Just one problem." Carmen pointed out. "What will you do if they can track it? I could put your whole family in danger by bringing it there!"
"I really don't think that's the case. For one thing, from what you've described, keeping that thing offline was a huge priority. It'd be crazy to compromise that by adding a GPS tracker. For another, you're the best there is and if you haven't seen anyone follow you in three months, then they're not there."
"When VILE puts bullet through your head I'll be sure to explain to your mom that you didn't think that was the case. "
"Car men." She knew that Player felt her comment was over the line, but she didn't regret it. This wasn't a game, and whether Player knew or not, Carmen was fully aware of the consequences. On the other end, Player pleaded. "Let me do this. I can help. I know you've been struggling. I know you're scared. I can't- I can't fix that. But I can least try to make it a little better."
You're still just a kid. You have no money, no connections…
Gray had been wrong . She wasn't a just a regular kid. Not by anyone's estimation, not anymore.
But more importantly, she wasn't alone. She had been, and she'd survived it, but it was time to do what she's set out to do- see the world .
"Doesn't exploiting that kind of information go against the White Hat code?"
Player let out a deep breathe, but this time it was with an easy laugh: relief. "Yeah, I think I'm way past the White Hat thing. This is new territory for both of us."
Carmen smiled. "Maybe we're Red Hats now."
"Red Hat is already a-"
"Player, just go with it. We're having a nice moment here."
"Anything you say, Red."
[[◕‿◕✿)]
[You're kicking ass, Red.]
[Stop sending me those stupid faces.]
[and thanks.]
Casablanca, Morocco
May 31, 2018
"I just want to go on record as saying this is both a waste of time and a terrible idea. I know you're still gonna do it, but you shouldn't."
Carmen tilted her red hat to the the side of her face, partly because it kept slipping there anyway, and partly to get a better look at the late-night sky for any signs of a helicopter. She'd have to get a better one soon; her hair was getting longer now, and it wouldn't sit properly no matter how she fussed with it. "We agreed to disagree on this, Player."
"If checking the hard drive for trackers is too dangerous for me, I don't see how waving it around in VILE's face is less dangerous for you."
"This is just a test. I'm only a couple of hours away from the island. If they can track the hard drive, they're more likely to make a play for it here than in New Zealand. Or Canada."
"Annnnnnd, if they don't…?" Player trailed off expectantly. Carmen sighed. "C'mon, Red, we compromised on this!"
"And if they don't come after it in their own backyard, it's probably safe enough to bring to you."
"And now that you're there, and no one else is, I think it's time to cross the pond."
"I've literally only been in the city twelve hours. I'll need to wait at least a few days. If they are watching, Dr. Bellum will want to do some checking to make sure this isn't a trap." Or take the time to set one of her own, but Carmen didn't think that part would help her angle.
"Fine." Player huffed. "I have to go downstairs for dinner. You'll call me when you go back to the hotel? I can listen in for sketchiness while you get some sleep."
"Will do."
Carmen didn't have any particular desire to return to Casablanca, and before today would have been quite content to never set foot here again. Still, it was the only place outside the island she knew VILE had operated, and where they might expect to find her- a reunion, of sorts.
It wasn't fear, being here, exactly. Not the kind of heart-pumping terror that her nightmares of being back on VILE Island induced, or when she found the sewer grate welded shut and felt the horror of seeing her only escape 70 yards and a lifetime away. She fears returning to the island because she knows that the only way she'd escape again is by death. She just didn't want to come back here because it hurt .
But Carmen Sandiego can live with hurt .
Instead of lurking through the old dig site, she'd gone to the coast in the hopes of spotting the boat or helicopter early. As it had last summer, the Hassan II Mosque shone brightly over the city, and the breeze off the shore made her glad she had worn a coat this time around. It was lovely, and to someone who wasn't waiting for a life-or-death fight, perhaps even beautiful.
Many of the tourists stopped to take photos, but Carmen didn't feel the need. She already had one, taken not too far from this spot. She hadn't taken many over the past year, and it was only a matter of a few flicks to get to the one she was thinking of: flipping past the sunrise over Viaduct Basin; a ridiculous selfie that Player had insisted she send so he could see what she looked like; an equally ridiculous one of him she'd received in response. It was the last one that she was remembering tonight.
Black Sheep smiled back at her from the small screen, thumbs up in the Volubilis-like ruins overlooking the mosque. It was a girl who still believed in everything she'd been taught, that her whole life was going to change that night.
Well, little Black Sheep wasn't wrong on that count.
She had become such an entirely different person in the last year, that night seemed like ages and also only days ago.
It had been taken almost exactly one year earlier, Carmen realized. She would have graduated two days ago, now that she thought of it, if she'd stuck it out at the Academy like Gray had asked of her last fall.
They would have tasked her with killing someone tonight if she had. Leave no witnesses - the final test of loyalty to VILE. But she hadn't stayed, and while maybe she wasn't perfect, she was at least judging herself now.
About an hour before the bars in the area start to close down for the night, Carmen slowly started the walk back toward her hotel, glad that Player offered to keep virtual watch for a bit. She doesn't relish the thought of coming face-to-face with anyone from VILE, but all this waiting around was exhausting.
And if two drunk fools who tried to cause her trouble on the way found themselves each with one broken arm and some bruises from a kick to the throat, then at least she let them go with their lives. She couldn't say that Black Sheep would have done the same.
She lost her hat in the scuffle, but that gave her a reason to get a better fitting one anyway.
I pass. You fail.
In the morning, she'll work up the nerve to go check out the dig site.
Casablanca, Morocco
May 31, 2018
Crackle doesn't really know what he's doing here ( yes he does). It's not like he doesn't have plenty of more important things he should be doing ( nothing is more important) , or that there's anything here for him to find (but, oh, he wishes there was) .
Graduation was only two days ago. Black Sheep was probably still out on her first mission, with her new teammates ( he doesn't know who they are, but he hates them so very much ). She's meant for bigger things than the rest of them, no matter how much she claimed to love the petty world of pick-pocketing. Her mission was probably a crazy museum heist, or high stakes corporate espionage. She'd probably draw it out longer than necessary, just because she'd have so much fun doing it ( who is watching her back?).
He couldn't help but hope that she might want to see him after, to look for him, that she would cool off once she was off the island. This was the only place that he could think of where they might both think to meet. He'd taken her words too personally, the last time they'd spoken, because he knew how fiercely she fought back when she felt cornered- hard and reckless- but he'd been so determined to see her that he'd pushed her and then... (he would kill to protect her again if he had too, but she hadn't wanted to hear that.)
The dig site has long since been abandoned- a mysterious explosion and major theft will do that, he supposes- but the memories are everywhere. The scorch marks around the crater on the quarry wall, the opening to Antonio's tunnel in the lower level of the pit, the ramp where he'd watched the lead archaeologist see Black Sheep and he hadn't cut the power in time to keep her face hidden... It was a long-shot, anyway, that the two of them would think enough alike to end up in this one random corner of the world, a year after it all went so wrong.
He's due in France tomorrow, to work on security upgrades at the hideout in Poitiers and he's got the perfect backup plan to track her down. Every score from Western Europe goes through there for authentication and appraisal by Cleo or Haber. He knows it's only a matter of time before Black Sheep has to make a drop in that vault.
He knows she won't be able to resist picking up the dolls. (she hates people touching them, but he thinks she'll forgive him just this once.)
Crackle is left with an hour before last call in the city and that's plenty of time to drink away his sorrows. The first nightclub he gets to has two drunken idiots howling in pain as they kick a scuffed red hat across the ground. He's not really looking for a fight, so he passes on that one for the cafe across the street instead.
( Cheers to your graduation, Black Sheep).
In the morning, he's on a flight to Paris.
End Chapter 1
Five more to go!
1- The Ruble Crisis and Argentine riots of December 2001 are actual events that happened at these times, that seemed like things VILE would have a hand in if the actually existed (The Chief even listed 'manipulation of financial markets' as one of their major crimes). That being said, these were real events with real causes and consequences, and I'm using them out of appreciation for historical accuracy andvalue, not to make light of the outcomes.
2- If you aren't familiar with Carmen Sandiego history, most of the classic villains in the CS franchise have puns for names. Justin Case is a VILE laywer from Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
3- Tsu Mi: Tsu Mi is a minor character from the 1996 Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? video game. A little bit of throwback! On a serious note, I am fully aware that I went completely 'Women in Refrigerators' on her, and I do apologize for that and don't take it lightly. I did try to give her a little bit of personality, but her role was always going to be small because this is Carmen's story. I promise to do better by the ladies when we get around to more Sheena and Ivy!