Summary: Carmen could escape from anything, except the life she had chosen.

Standard Disclaimer: I'm just a fanfiction writer. All hail the rightful owners.

Content Disclaimer: There is some violence and some abuse of power in this work of fiction, and not of the cartoon variety. The characters as portrayed here are neither invincible nor morally flawless. In my opinion, the creators of the earth cartoon opened this door for me with the content in some of the later episodes of the series. However, if you are too young or attached to "beloved childhood" versions of the characters… you've been warned.

All agents are advised:

Three guards are dead and several more injured in one of the most violent prison outbreaks of this decade, believed to be orchestrated by Dr. Gunnar Maelstrom. Police are searching for Maelstrom, who is still at large and believed to be armed. All are instructed to give full cooperation to other agencies in this matter. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact his or her department head.

Player: How about that, Carmen? Maybe I can catch both of you.

Carmen: Stay away from him player. This is out of your depth.

ACME Headquarters, San Francisco, CA USA

"Wow, sis," Zack muttered. "This is really bad."

"Not our case this time, little bro." Ivy remarked. "Isn't Carmen enough to worry about?"

"Well yeah, but don't you think someone should… you know… warn her?"

Ivy smiled, "We have to catch her first. Now, her latest clue said…"

"This just in, this just in!" The chief announced, materializing on the screen in excitement.

"Carmen just stole a set of Faustus puppets from an obscure museum in Munich, Germany."

"Hey chief," Ivy asked, "I thought Faustus was a play… what's with the puppets?"

"Well yes, Dr Faustus was a play, by Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of William Shakespeare." Chief recounted quickly, "In it, the main character is a bored scholar, who has learned everything there is to learn. Wow! So, he sells his soul to the devil for 24 years of power. Yikes! Was that ever a bad deal!"

"And in the end" Zack added, "He finds out just how bad."

"Yeah it wasn't pretty." Admitted the chief, "But the popular legend the play was based on was so good that people have been adapting for centuries. Including into a puppet show."

"Works for me." Ivy decided. "Player, C5 us to Munich Germany. Let's catch up to her!"

VILE Headquarters

Carmen was tired. In and of itself, that would not be anything unusual. Her distinctive crime sprees were naturally exhausting, and no one at VILE ever seemed unduly distressed when she collapsed into bed for days afterword, shivering like a drug addict crashing from a high. Adrenaline and flawless planning could only do so much, but they all knew that by the time her bruises healed another heist would be in progress. She was an addict in that sense.

No, what unsettled Carmen's henchmen was that they could see the signs of her fatigue so clearly. A furrowed temple, a slight hunch to the shoulders, and discernable smudges about the eye makeup all might have been overlooked on any other woman, but not on Carmen.

"Do you think they've received his message yet," their leader asked.

Lars swallowed nervously. Carmen never asked him these kinds of things. She knew. She always knew the answers. It was as much part of her identity, perhaps more so, as the trademark red she always wore. Clothing could be removed or exchanged. Essence could not.

"Prepare one of our smaller planes for me." She instructed, "Have the pilot fly over these coordinates. I'll glide down."

"Do you…" He almost told himself not to interfere. His boss had never been over-fond of stupid questions, "Do you want us to wait for you?"

Carmen smiled, almost sadly. "No, thank you." Then, she muttered to herself, "I hope this works."

Lars flinched. Carmen never hoped either.

Munich, Germany.

"You're got some really creepy puppets here." Zack commented, looking around. "And err, pieces of puppets."

"Thanks," their guide replied, "Though I prefer the musical instruments upstairs."

"Where's the case that Carmen broke into?" Ivy interrupted impatiently.

"Over here. She left a message." The guide sighed. "

Two thieves." Zack read the painted inscription aloud. "I don't know, sis, paint's a little messy for her."

"A clue's a clue, Zack." Ivy said. "You don't think she's in league with Maelstrom, do you?"

"Naw," Zack said, "Last time Maelstrom nearly killed her. She's too smart for that."

Ivy made a derisive noise in her throat. "Then what else could it mean? Player, infoscan pairs of thieves a sec."

"OK, we've got a collection of criminals for you here," Chief commented cheerfully. "Bonnie and Clyde, Robin Hood and Little Jon, even Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Guess even crooks have friends. Who knew?"

"But Carmen didn't say they worked together." Zack suggested, "Try just infoscaning the phrase 'two thieves.'"

"Well…" The chief said, "That could be a biblical reference. Jesus was supposedly crucified between two thieves. Ouch!"

"And since then, artists have included two other figures in their depictions of the event." Ivy finished, "Maybe Carmen's planning to steal one of those."

"Yeah but which one?" Zack asked. "Hey… what kind of paint did she use?"

"Hmmmm," Chief said, closing in for a better look, "Looks like oil paint. Kind of strange for this sort of thing."

"Fine," Ivy said quickly, "Cross reference famous oil painters with portrayals of the crucifixion."

"OK, top hit on oil painters is Jan van Eyck." Chief expounded. "He's a famous oil painter from the Netherlands, known as the 'father of oil painting' because he was just that awesome at it! Eyck was big into symbolism, especially, get this, the religious kind."

"And he painted a crucifixion scene?" Zack asked

"You betcha! He did a 2-panel oil painting, pairing it with the last judgment. Scary stuff gumshoes."

"Where's it kept." Ivy said anxiously.

Chief frowned. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"One of Carmen's favorite shopping malls." Ivy remembered.

"Ivy!" Joshua called, running across the hall to join her. "We found something."

"Not now!" Ivy snapped, ignoring the piece of paper he pushed into her hand. "Player C5 us to the Met!"

Henderson Island: Pacific Ocean

Carmen's ankles nearly gave out as she pulled off the difficult landing, narrowly avoiding the sheer cliff.

"Sloppy, Carmen." She scolded herself, leaning down to massage the aching joints.

"Indeed… You are loosing your touch."

"Good afternoon Maelstrom." She responded from under her fedora.

"Where are the detectives?" He chuckled.

"Distracted." Carmen said, as casually as possible.

"Fine. You first." Carmen glanced at his arm and flinched.

He had a gun.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York City

"I'm telling you…." Zack moaned, 'No one's coming."

"The clue said she'd be here." Ivy growled.

"Yeah…" Zack observed, "And I'm getting a little worried."

"She must be planning something else," his sister hissed.

"Maybe," Zach shrugged. "What did Joshua want to tell you?"

"He just gave me this paper." Ivy muttered unfolding it. She paused. "Oh no."

"What is it, sis?" "A set of coordinates… and Maelstrom's signature."

"Player," Zach ordered. "C5 us to these coordinates."

"Ooh no can do." Chief said, appearing. "That's Henderson Island. Made of coral. Surrounded by sheer cliffs. If the C5 is even a little off… and it's usually a lot off… you'd find out just how sharp coral can be."

"Then how do we get there?" Ivy demanded.

"You could try a ship." Chief suggested.

"Too much time."

"Err. You could parachute down… but I do not recommend it."

Henderson Island: Pacific Ocean

"It's me you want, Maelstrom. Leave them alone."

"Au contraire, my dear, I want you all." The accented voice replied. "However, since you are here and they are absent, we will begin."

"Revenge won't fill the hole inside you Maelstrom." Carmen taunted. The island breeze whipped her hair behind her.

"How would you know?" He pointed his rifle at her.

"I wont let any more clues you send get to Zack and Ivy." Carmen said. "The game is between the two of us this time."

"The game is... different... this time Carmen." With his left hand, he fumbled a second gun, a handgun, from its holster and threw it at her feet. "You shoot first."

"No." She refused quietly, backing away from the weapon.

"It is your choice. Deny what remains of your almighty principles, or die and the world will rejoice."

"I won't." Carmen whispered.

"You have ten seconds. Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…"

Carmen scanned the beautiful landscape for any chance to dodge, to shield herself, to escape. She found none, not even to buy her moments. This place was uninhabitable, and the bare rock offered no cover. He could shoot father than she could get in ten seconds. Though somewhat conscious of the irony, she refused to die running.

"Six…Five…"

Carmen dove for the gun…

"Four…."

And, with a burst of power, pitched her temptation off the precipice, to splash in the azure sea below.

"Your mistake… Three…"

Rising, Carmen separated her hands in a gesture of surrender, though she knew Maelstrom was not a merciful man.

"Two…" She shuddered and closed her eyes, praying that Zack and Ivy were safely away from this place.

"One…"

"Zero."

She opened her eyes, and realized where he was standing. "Watch the edge!"

CRACK! CRACK!

The slightest recoil…

Lost footing…

A man screamed…

Silence…

A cry of pain.