Carmen Sandiego (2019) | Meet Me At The Rendezvous

"Player… how much farther do I have to go before I reach the rondevu," Carmen muttered, desperately trying not to draw attention to herself as she not so subtly limped down the streets of France.

"Just a two more blocks, Red," he replied, taking a moment of silence before continuing his sentence, "Are you sure you're okay? From what I heard… that fight sounded pretty bad,".

"I'm fine. A little bruised and battered but still able to hold my own,".

"Okay, but that doesn't mean you're not still hurt,".

"Yeah, well… getting hurt comes with the job, Player. You get used to it after a while," She said with a tired sigh, wincing slightly as she bumped shoulders with a passerby, "A few days of bed rest and I'll be back on my feet in no time, besides, you know the rules".

"Yeah, yeah, no hospitals cause then your cover might be blown,".

Carmen hummed, "Yep. I need to keep a low profile, especially now that the whole city will be on high alert,".

"Why would everyone be on high alert? The only reason the police we called was because of Devineaux, right?" Player asked, "You weren't seen, were you?".

She paused, remembering the odd hologram pen Devineaux had activated, revealing the tall dark skinned woman staring back at her. Carmen had no clue who she was, but… from years of thief experience told her that this woman, from ACME no doubt, meant even more trouble.

"Red?".

"I'll call you back, Player. I'm coming up at the rondevu as we speak, au revoir".

"Wait! You didn't tell me if-".

Carmen cut the line connecting her to Player before he was able to finish his sentence, not quite sure if she'd be able to answer. Yes, she'd been seen, but she wanted to know exactly who she'd been seen by, and if her identity had been compromised. She doubted it, people knew who Carmen Sandiego was. But they didn't know her… then again Carmen hardly knew herself now that she thought about it.

She sighed and shook her head, turning down an alleyway where Zack and Ivy were waiting just out of sight. All she wanted to do was go back to her flat and rest, it had been a long, exhausting day of fighting and revelations, she could go over the new VILE intel later… but for now, Carmen just wanted to forget about her life of crime.

Just for a moment at least.

"Carm? Is that you?" Zack's voice suddenly said as the red-haired siblings both emerged from the shadows, causing the thief to jump slightly, "Cripes! I knew you was gonna get in a fight, but I didn't think I'd be that bad!".

"Okay, I didn't get that beat up, Zack," Carmen said watching as Ivy ran to her side, a small first aid kit and scanner in hand, "I just got the wind knocked out of me… right?".

Ivy shook her head, eyes full of worry, "Broken knuckles, fractured ribs, slight concussion… oh, man! This is a bit above my first aid training, Carm. I can treat bruises and scrapes but this...".

"I'll be fine, Ivy," she said, walking farther into the alley, "Just some rest and a few ice packs and I'll be good as new,".

Before she walked out of reach Ivy grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"You don't gotta act tough for us, Carmen. It's okay to hurt a bit… we're here to help ya,".

"That's what friends are for," Zack cut in, placing a hand on her shoulder, "So, will ya let us help?".

Carmen looked between her friends, a small smile pulling at the edge of her lips.

"Okay… let's get out of here. But first, we need to ensure Player gets this special little delivery,".

"Delivery? What do we need to send 'em- oh my god is that VILE's crime harddrive?!" Zack exclaimed, causing Ivy to give him a hard punch to the shoulder.

"Do ya wanna blow our cover?" she asks, "keep it down,".

"It's okay," Carmen reassured, "The streets this side of town is nearly empty,".

"Doesn't hurt to be safe, Carm. Now come on, let's get you home,".

The moment the trio entered the small flat, and lead her over to the bed, Carmen collapsed on the soft mattress with a grunt of pain and a heavy sigh. "Ugh, it feels good just to lay down,".

"Just don't get too comfy," Ivy warned, taking out the first aid kit again, "I still gotta patch you up,".

"Can't it wait? I literally almost got my insides squeezed out like toothpaste by my former mother figure, I think I'd like to lay down and rest for a bit," Carmen said, trying to settle down in the stark white sheets of her bed.

"Nope," the red-head replied, bumping her finger against the other woman's nose, "You have a concussion, you're not sleeping till we know you're okay,".

"I'll go see if I can find some ice for ya, Carm," Zack added, "maybe somethin' for the pain, ooh, and maybe some food too. I'm starved".

Ivy rolled her eyes and chuckled, "You do that, bro. I'll try to work with what I have here, just hurry back,".

"Will do sis," the boy replied before disappearing out the door, "BRB".

The room was silent for a while once Zack was gone, aside from the quiet din of police sirens in the distance, Interpool no doubt searching for Carmen high and low. Neither women said anything for a moment before Ivy broke the silence.

"Alright, let me see your hand, Red," She said, holding up a small roll of gauze.

She knew better than to argue, especially with Ivy, so, Carmen sighed and complied, lifting her hand and placing in the other girl's, "How does it look?".

"Not as bad as it could be," she said, carefully wrapping the injury in a protective layer of gauze, "but you heal pretty fast,".

"Good, and the concussion?".

"Nothin' too serious… but still, I don't want you sleepin' for a few hours. I want to make sure that you're actually okay,".

Carmen hummed and nodded, wincing again as a sharp pain flared up her side, "I'm fine, Ivy… I swear,".

"Yeah, well, master thief or not, you're still human," She said, gently setting Carmen's hand down on the bed, "Now sit up, slowly, I gotta make sure that there's no swellin' on your ribs or anything".

"I'm just a bit bruised, some ice and I'll be fine- ahh!".

Carmen couldn't hold back a yelp of pain as Ivy pressed her hand against her side, another wave of pain coursing through her body.

Ivy immediately pulled her hand away.

"Crap… sorry, I didn't know it hurt that much, I'll be gentle this time,".

"'S okay," Carmen wheezed, pulling her arms around herself, trembling slightly, "Not your fault".

The redhead blinked, her face covered with concern, "Carm?".

There was a long awful moment of silence before Carmen spoke again.

"S- she tried to kill me," she muttered.

"What?".

"Coach Brunt," Carmen replied, "She was going to kill me, m- my own mother… she… she,".

"Oh honey, no," Ivy said, standing up and sitting beside Carmen on the bed, wrapping her arm protectively around her shoulders, "That monster wasn't your mom,".

"S-she raised me, and I always hoped it was her who saved me, but now Shadowsan-".

"I know," Ivy said again, giving her a light squeeze, "It's okay, Red… you're going to be okay, we'll get to the bottom of that mystery soon enough, but for now, I need to finish patching you up,".

"O- okay," Carmen muttered, pulling her hands away from her chest, sniffling slightly as she offered Ivy a small smile.

She smiled back, gently pulling away and picking up the scanner again, "So, you've got three fractured ribs from what I can tell here, swelling is minimal but we'll get you some ice and anti-inflammatory meds to help. But I recommend getting out of the spandex, you'll breathe a lot easier without it. I have some extra clothes in my travel bag that should fit you".

"Thank you, Ivy," the thief muttered, slowly sitting up again.

"Just take it easy, you're gonna need to lay low for a month or two,".

Carmen groaned and rolled her eyes, "Wonderful,". So, with a small sigh, she carefully slipped out of the tight black suit she was wearing, leaving her in a tank top and shorts, "At least us having VILE's intel hard drive, they'll be slowed down for a while. Player? Are you still there,".

"Always here for you, Red. You okay now?" Player said, sounding relieved that she's kept to her word and called him back.

"I'm getting patched now, right Ivy?".

"She's being a bit stubborn but yeah, she's alright," Ivy replied with a smug smirk.

"That's Red for you, so did you need something?".

"Yeah, two things," Carmen said, smiling as the redhead handed her a clean pair of clothes, "I'm going to need a new coat and hat, you know the brand. And, we'll be sending you a little surprise later".

"Oooh, is it some more exotic food?" Player asked, sounding excited again.

Carmen and Ivy chuckled, "You sound like Zack, but no… even better. We got our hands on this year's VILE intel, so we've got a whole lot of work ahead of us,'.

"What?! How… how did you get your hands on that? Is that the present Shadowsan left?".

She nodded, "Apparently we've had a man on the inside this whole time,".

"So, what does that mean for us, Carm?".

"I'm not sure, it could make things more difficult for us, or easier… only time will tell," She said, carefully pulling the clean shirt over her head, Ivy lending a hand halfway down.

'Well," Player said, "Once you send me the hard drive, I'll get right on trying to crack it. What are you going to do in the meantime?".

"Relax, I guess?" Carmen said the thought of her relaxing was still an odd one, "I'm kind of benched at the moment, Ivy is making sure of that,".

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, Carm. I ain't letting you out of my sight until I know you're better," she said with a smirk.

Player groans a little, both women practically able to hear him roll his eyes.

Carmen chuckled, "Trust me, Player, Zack, and Ivy will take care of me. And who knows… maybe during this unexpected vaycay, I'll find myself in Canada,".

"Whoa, really?! You'll finally come and see me?".

"Maybe… 'bout time I meet my oldest friend, face to face".

" Awesome! I- I'll have to clean up my cave and… and maybe get a haircut and-" At that point, Player continued rambling a list of things he needed to prepare for in case Carmen actually decided to visit.

Both Carmen and Ivy chuckled again, listening to the younger boy ramble. "I'll call you if anything changes, Player. And keep us posted on Devineaux's condition, Au revoir,".

Once the line disconnected, Carmen sighed, pulling the listening device out of her ear and resting it on the bed beside her.

"Wow, I dont think I've ever seen you without all your gear before, even when you're incognito, you have some kind of device on ya,".

"It is, isn't it?" she chuckled softly, "Well... meet the real Lambkins, Ivy, probably the only time you'll see her,".

The other girl just stared back for a moment, blinking.

"'Lambkins?'".

"My name… at one point in my life at least," Carmen explained, carefully leaning back on the mattress, "That's the codename I was given when I started at VILE. It's who I was before I became Carmen,".

Ivy hummed slightly.

"Black Sheep. Ah, that makes a bit more sense now,".

She couldn't help but shiver at the sound of the name.

"Yep, but you already know the story behind that,".

Another moment of silence passed.

"Can I ask you something, Carm?" Ivy said suddenly.

"Go ahead, shoot,".

"Do… do you ever wish you ya never went to that VILE school?".

Carmen chuckled, "Yes… and no. I love my job, I like stealing the stuff VILE tries to steal, with each item I return, it proves to my former mentors that I will never become what they wanted me to be…".

"But?" Ivy encouraged, "I feel there's a but coming on,".

"But then I think of Player and Zack... you," she said, placing her bandaged hand over the other women's, "And I see the life I could have had, free of evil and danger… but then I wouldn't have met any of you guys, and I can't imagine my life without any of you guys… especially you,".

Ivy blushed, her cheeks turning almost as red as her hair. "Gosh, Carm," she said, "You sure know how to flatter a girl,".

"That's my specialty, stealing stuff is just a bonus".

"Alright, now you're just being cocky," the redhaired girl said, trying to mask the amusement on her face.

Carmen hummed and nodded slightly, doing her best to stifle a yawn.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me, Red. Zack should be back with the ice and food any minute now,".

"I know, Ivy. I'm just tired, not sleepy,".

"If you say so. But until he gets here… keep talking, tell me more about France," Ivy said, settling herself beside Carmen, "What's your favorite thing to do here?".

She didn't even have to think about it.

"You ever been on a gondola at night?" Carmen asked, "The canals at night a beautiful, and the boat ride is even better, very romantic,".

Ivy chuckled, "I can't say I have. Why, you offering to take me as a date, Ms. Sandiego?".

"I was hoping that was obvious," she replied, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Then I accept,".

Carmen scoffed, "Well I should hope so!".

"Oh, hush you," Ivy said, reaching over to grab her phone when it pinged, "You know I'll always say yes to a date with you,".

"Hmm, everything okay?" Carmen asked, trying to take a peek at the redhead's phone.

"Yep. Zack just texted me, said he got all the ice room service had, and some food. He should be here any second, so don't get startled when he-".

"WHO WANTS PIZZA!?".

"-barges in…".

Carmen just laughed when Zack busted through the door, one hand carrying a large bag of ice, and in the other a large steaming box of pizza.

"Seriously, did falling into the garbage knock some screws loose? You ever heard of knocking?" Ivy askes, hopping off the bed to face her brother.

"I had my hands full," Zack defends, "What'd you expect me to do,".

"Calling us would have been easier," Carmen said, sitting up from her spot on the bed and throwing her legs over the side of the mattress so she could stand up, "Or… and this is just an idea, you could have texted us?".

Zack blinked a few times and blushed, setting the items down on the small table in the center of the room. "I uh, I didn't think of that… you, you need help there, Carm?" he asked, noticing the thief struggling to get to her feet.

"I got it," she replied, wincing as she grabbed her side, "I think,".

Ivy was at her side again, gladly allowing the other woman to lean against her as she lead her to the table, "No more getting out of bed after this, Carm. You need to take it easy from now on, at least 'till the swelling goes down".

"Of course," Carmen said, humming softly when Ivy helped her settle into a chair, quickly pressing a kiss against her cheek before she moved away, " Mon Ange, "

"Awe, come on! Really, right in front of my pizza?" Zack teased, causing the other two laugh.

"Ah, shut up you big lug," Ivy said as she sat beside Carmen, blushing, of course, as tugging on her brother's ear, "You're just jealous,".

"I am not!".

Carmen just stared at him, reaching into the box and taking a slice of pizza, "Are you sure about that, Zack?".

The other redhead tried to look away, trying not to let his friend's and sisters prying eyes get to him, but it was no use. "Fine, maybe I am a little jealous,".

"Because?" Ivy teased, making her brother's face go another shade of red.

"'Cause you can get a cute girl to like ya and I can't there, I said it,".

"Awe, don't feel bad buddy," Carmen said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "We'll find you someone soon, I promise,".

Zack couldn't help but crack a smile, "Alright… just make sure she's cute,".

"Of course, bro. We'll be like your official matchmakers! Now finish your pizza! We have a whole years worth of VILE missions to foil".