Scarlet Fox 3
The Case of the Vanishing Case
By Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires
Just outside of London…
Carmelita Montoya Fox, who now went by the name of infamous thief Carmen Sandiego, was not sleeping well. She tossed and turned on her bed, whimpering in her dreams.
In her nightmares, she was fighting with a creature that was part Contessa, part Agent Mortis. Only no matter what she did, she couldn't do any damage to him. Every time he caught her, he ripped a piece of her away like it was paper. Soon she was helpless, Contessa/Mortis upon her like a rabid beast, tearing her apart until there was nothing but shreds, and then haphazardly putting them back together until there was some twisted wreckage in her place, shattered remnants of what used to be Carmelita.
Carmelita screamed, shooting up in bed as she forced herself awake. Panting, she hugged herself, shivering. "Damn it…" she muttered, forcing herself not to cry, "Can't escape even in my dreams…"
"Believe me, I know how you feel," said Neyla.
Carmelita yelped, having not noticed Neyla sitting in the windowsill next to her. The tigress, still clad in her shorts and top, smiled tiredly, her ghostly white eyes and hair almost glowing in the moonlight.
Carmelita, clad only in a nightshirt and panties, calmed herself down after a moment, glancing at the clock, which read a very early hour, and sighed. "Can't sleep either?"
Neyla shook her head. "I see him constantly in my dreams… I usually can only get a half-hour at most in at a time… I end up taking a lot of naps during the day…"
Carmelita frowned. It is really weird pitying Neyla after everything she's done to me… she thought, But I guess that I have to put that behind me… I can help her as best I can, and that feels good… And she's an experienced enough thief that she can help me out as well…
"If it helps, I guess you can sleep with me," Carmelita said, "Just… just don't get any funny ideas… This is just something that usually worked with my siblings and I…"
Neyla chuckled. "Brothers and sisters?"
Carmelita nodded. "Two older brothers, one younger sister. Sometimes, when we'd have nightmares, Mama would suggest that we join one of our siblings in bed. Just… just being with someone we cared about would help stave off the nightmares… "
Neyla smiled, staring sadly out into the night. "It sounds nice… I never had any kind of a family except for Arpeggio. Closest I had to a mother figure was the few times I met the original Carmen before she was betrayed. I was so young then, I can barely remember her… She helped me set up my first homework ring…"
Carmelita sighed, and moved a little to the side on the bed, making room for Neyla. "C'mon. Let's try and get some sleep. Just one thing," she said.
Neyla blinked. "Hm?"
"You sleep with your back to me. For some reason, I don't feel comfortable showing you my back," Carmelita quipped.
Neyla gave Carmelita an incredulous look, and laughed. "Wow. You really have changed, if you're making jokes."
Carmelita just quirked an eyebrow. "Who's joking?"
Neyla chuckled weakly. "…Sorry."
Carmelita sighed, motioning for Neyla to join her. Nervously, the tigress joined the gray-furred fox in bed, Carmelita throwing the covers over them. To the tigress's embarrassment, she felt nervous about her back being exposed to Carmelita as well, but decided to just let it go for now. She flinched when she felt Carmelita's arm drape over her waist, but eventually realized that Carmelita had just fallen asleep again. Neyla sighed, and eventually drifted off to sleep as well. The nightmares still came, but they seemed lessened now for both of them, not jarring them awake...
The two women woke up around noon, blushing a little as they realized that they had started cuddling in the night. Neyla quickly got up, coughing nervously and smiling weakly. "Well… It seems your mother was a smart lady. I haven't slept that well in years."
Carmelita smiled. "Mama knew what she was doing. To put up with me, Alejandro, Diego, and Emma for so long, she had to know something, at least…"
Neyla nodded warmly, and sighed, taking one of her anti-hallucinogenic pills. "Anyway… What's on the agenda for today?"
"Getting the Crown Jewels fenced and fast. You said that you knew people that could make sure they couldn't be traced?"
Neyla nodded. "Manny 'The Doll' Manifred. Flamboyant as all get out, but he's one of the most competent fences I know. He has his own forge and can melt the gold down into something sellable but completely untraceable."
Carmelita frowned. "Name's familiar… I think I may have investigated him when I was still Carmelita…"
Neyla blinked. "'…When you were still Carmelita?'"
Carmelita blinked, and sighed. "Sorry. I still am getting used to being this new person."
Neyla frowned. Ironsides… What the hell have you been through these past ten years? she thought. "Hnh… I need to get some of my clothes from my place… If it's all right, I'd like to move in here. My own safehouse is as bit of a hovel compared to this…"
Carmelita nodded, moving over to the shower. "Fine, fine," she said, "Just make sure to properly hide that mini-copter I saw you use on the news reports about your attempted robbery."
Neyla snorted in amusement. "Don't worry, Carmen, I'm careful."
Carmelita and Neyla took their time getting cleaned up, carefully packing the Crown Jewels (Carmelita discreetly pocketing some of the gems as souvenirs of her first heist) and heading to a seedy part of town, making a quick stopover at a body shop Neyla recommended to get Carmelita's car repainted and replated.
As they drove to Manny Manifred's place, Carmelita bit her lip nervously. God I hate this… I gotta know how Sly's doing, but I almost don't want to know… If he's moved on to someone else…
After a moment, she decided to ask. "How's… How's Sly and the others doing?"
Neyla sighed, knowing this was coming. "They don't leave Paris that much anymore, unless something big catches their attention. If they're still actually there. Sly's gotten a lot more vicious… After your death, it became near impossible to track them. I think Sly didn't want any cop other than you chasing him…"
Sly… Carmelita thought sadly.
Neyla frowned thoughtfully. "Guru left the group and acts more as a spiritual adviser, although he sometimes comes on missions. From what I've heard, Dimitri was summarily kicked out of the Gang shortly after Sly recovered from his injuries at the hotel… They still go to him when they need his help, but last time I checked Sly still blamed him for not being able to save you."
Carmelita shook her head. "Dimitri didn't have anything to do with my 'death.' Why would Sly take it out on him?"
Neyla sighed. "Dimitri and I talk sometimes. Apparently he had to knock out Sly as he went kinda nuts after he found your 'body.' Sly couldn't be consoled after he woke up, and kicked out Dimitri on the spot…"
Carmelita winced, visibly pained. Sly… I'm so sorry… I never wanted to hurt you like this…
Neyla stared absently out the window, trying to remember the rest of the gang's status. "Panda King is still an active member of the gang. His daughter's become fairly nefarious by this point, and he's sticking with the Coopers in an attempt to find her. Penelope and Bentley married about a year after we encountered each other again, and Murray is still loyal to Sly and Bentley."
Carmelita blinked. "Little Jing King? That meek little girl that Tsao held captive? Nefarious?"
Neyla chuckled softly. "A lot has changed in the ten years you were out of touch," she said, "She's now one of the most in-demand mercenaries around. She's nicknamed Firefly."
Carmelita frowned. "Dios… It's like I've entered an entirely different world…" she muttered. After a long moment, she hesitantly asked, "…And Sly?"
Neyla's eyes widened as she realized what Carmelita really wanted to know. "…As far as I can tell, Sly hasn't been seeing anyone else. But like I said, the Cooper Gang has become very good at staying off the radar. It was by random chance that I encountered them at all after my release from the asylum."
Carmelita frowned, and nodded. She was still uncertain, and more worried about Sly more than ever, but she couldn't do anything about it now.
They pulled into the city, Neyla guiding Carmelita through a series of dark, damp roads to the back of a pawn shop, the doors painted a shocking neon rainbow of colors. Neyla got out of the car and knocked on the door in an odd pattern, a slat on the door opening as a pair of glitter-lined eyes peered out. Neyla whispered a password, and quickly introduced Carmelita, making sure to use her current identity of 'Carmen.' The door opened, revealing a rather effeminate male peacock, the striking, elegant blue feathers decked with glitter, a casual lavender shirt over and cerulean pair of shorts the bird's only clothes. After a moment, of staring at Carmelita, he nodded and motioned for her to step forward. She got out of the car, keeping her eyes covered by her hat. After a few steps, he held out his wing.
Carmelita frowned. Neyla smiled and nodded. "It's all right. Manny doesn't like anyone coming into this part of his shop unless it's for a date."
"And no offense, ladies, but you're both a little too stacked for my taste. 'Specially you, honey," Manny lilted in an effeminate voice as he looked over Carmelita's ample curves, evident even with the red trenchcoat.
Carmelita blushed, annoyed. "Let's just get this stuff unloaded. I'm not comfortable out in the open with loot still on me," she snapped.
"Sounds like you got some interesting rocks to hock, ladies," Manny lilted, sashaying out to Carmelita, "How hot are we talking?"
Neyla grinned. "Remember the theft of the Crown Jewels last night?"
Manny blinked. "Bloody hell, that was you girls?" he said, his voice dropping an octave and taking on a nervous timber, "How in the world did you pull that off? Not even the Cooper Gang or Lupin the Third and his crew could get them!"
Carmelita just smirked. "I have… insider information. I just took advantage of it," she said, opening the trunk of her car and unloading one of the boxes. She held it open for Manny, the peacock's beak dropping open as he stared at the glittering crown inside of it. Solid, 24-karat gold, pure silk, real Feral fur, and gemstones of the highest quality glittered in the morning light, the peacock dumbstruck.
"It's real… Bloody hell it's real…" Manny said, gently taking the crown out of the box, gently running his feathers over it. "Solid gold… Oh my word… I thought these were rubies but they're actually blood diamonds… And this silk, MMM. I may just keep it for myself."
Manny looked up at Carmelita, his eyes wide. "And you got all of them?"
Carmelita nodded, removing a box that held a scepter in it and handing it over to Manny. "Most of them. The throne was on a different truck than the one we raided."
Manny didn't react for a moment, staring in awe at the shimmering scepter. When he realized what Carmelita had said, he blinked. "Wait, what? What truck?"
Neyla shook her head. "Somehow she knew that the Jewels in the Tower of London were fake. They're actually kept on a series of alternating trucks when not in use, and she knew which one it was this month."
Manny stared at Carmelita, as if seeing her for the first time. He gave her a wary look. "…Neyla said your name was Carmen, right?"
Carmelita just nodded.
Manny gulped. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Carmen Sandiego, would it?"
Carmelita smirked, and nodded, making sure her eyes remained hidden. Manny staggered. "Incredible… My Dad did a lot of business with her… I thought they were just stories, especially after Mom first started buying me the games… But you're real… Dad… Dad said you were dead. That you were betrayed."
Carmelita just shrugged, leaning on her car. "Difficulties arose, were dealt with, and overcome. I felt it necessary to go into hiding, make sure that the last of the traitors were either dead or no longer interested in looking for me."
Manny shook his head. "Aren't you worried they'll come after you, again? Contessa's still alive, and no one knows what happened to Sir Vile after the Kneemoi incident."
"I'll deal with Sir Vile if that knight errant shows his head again," Carmelita said. She then scowled bitterly, anger boiling over inside her. "And as for Contessa… I'll deal with her when I'm good and ready, one way or another. Neyla here is just the first. I'm restarting VILE and retaking my place at the top."
Neyla blinked, stunned by this. Whoa, wait a moment… "Carmen, are you serious?"
Carmelita cursed herself for losing her temper, forced herself to calm down using mental relaxation techniques she had been taught, and nodded. "Dead serious. I've been out of action for too long. I need to remind this world who the Queen of Crime is," she said. She looked up and started to continue, but her words died in her throat as she looked at Manny. She snickered. Manny was now wearing the crown and idly twirling the scepter.
Neyla laughed, shaking her head. Manny grinned sheepishly. "Too much?" he asked.
Neyla nodded. "You're enough of a queen as it is, love. You don't need a crown."
Manny chuckled, and took off the crown, staring at it. "Still… If you are going for the top again, I'd be honored to do business with you whenever you like. Normally I'd haggle a little with you, but for loot of this quality, from someone of your fame… I don't know if I can give you everything loot of this caliber deserves, though…"
"Give us what you can, so we can have capital to start with," Carmelita said.
Manny nodded. "Just put the boxes inside the door. No bootprints on my rug, though, I just had it shampooed," he said, going inside to his register.
As Carmelita and Neyla unloaded the boxes, Neyla gave Carmelita a concerned look. "You okay, Carmen? You looked like you were about to blow there for a second…"
Carmelita shook her head. "Do you have any idea what Contessa did to me? How she violated me? I… I barely knew who I was anymore. I was ready to give in, do whatever she wanted… If Sly had just been a second slower, I would have…"
Carmelita paused, clutching her chest and closing her eyes tightly, tears flowing down her face. Neyla shook her head.
"I… I know this will just make you mad," Neyla said, "But I swear I didn't know what she was going to do to you. Arpeggio limited my contact with her as much as possible. Only he and Jean Bison ever stayed with her for more than a few moments at a time…"
Carmelita shook her head, chuckling weakly. "God… That damn spider… And now I'm Carmen Sandiego, and I get told that Contessa was one of Carmen's allies… Everything I've experienced learning how to live Carmen's life… I feel like I've been violated all over again by her…"
Neyla shivered, remembering Arpeggio's dire warnings about never being alone with Contessa. The guilt welled up in her all over again, the memories of good times with Arpeggio as he taught her how to be a master thief, the look of betrayal on his face as he stared into Clock-La's eyes, just before she bit him in half…
THIS POWER WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE YOURS!
Neyla quickly swallowed one of her anti-psychotic medications and put an arm around Carmelita's shoulders, gently hugging her until she was under control again. Carmelita smiled gratefully at Neyla and picked up the last of the boxes.
Manny, who had come back during Carmelita's breakdown, stared at them. "Something wrong?"
Carmelita coughed, wiping her eyes. "Just… bad memories," she said, noticing the large wad of cash in Manny's hand. Whoa… "That for us?" she asked.
Manny nodded. "Best I could do. Even with the current rich hunk I'm dating I've had to pinch pennies here and there, especially in dealing with clients."
Dios… That's more than I made in THREE YEARS as a cop! Carmelita thought, keeping her face even. "It'll do," she said, her voice even, setting the last of the boxes inside.
Manny handed over the cash, and looked over the boxes, whistling appreciatively. "I gotta get this slagged and reforged fast… I already had the cops over, but you never know when they'll decide to double-check."
Neyla smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine," she said, hugging Manny and trading gentle pecks on the cheek with the peacock. Carmelita and Neyla got back in the car, Carmelita smirking and waving to Manny.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Manny," Carmelita said as she drove off, "See you next crime."
Manny grinned, flourishing his elegant tail fully. "I certainly hope so."
Carmelita drove the two of them to a café near the zoo, sitting down and ordering tea for the two of them. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…" Carmelita said as she sipped her tea, a pleasant Earl Grey with a hint of lemon in it.
Neyla quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Ask away."
"What's with the little orange sparklies that appear in certain areas?" she asked, feeling rather silly.
Neyla snickered. "I see them as lavender. Basically, any master-level thief can perceive anything that might help them. Thin ledges to sneak across, entrances to hidden passages, tables to hide under… The 'sparklies' as you call them are basically a sign that you've become good enough to recognize anything that might help you as a thief."
Carmelita nodded. "Hnh. It was a little disconcerting at first when I started noticing them, and Mortis never offered me an explanation."
Neyla rolled her eyes. "Figures. He always struck me as a hardass. So what's next, then?"
Carmelita sipped her tea. "Recruitment. Until we have enough loot and enough credible crooks to our name to say that we've re-established VILE, we're going to have to move pretty fast. I have an idea of what loot to go after next, but we have some time before it's available and we need a specialist besides."
Neyla frowned. "A specialist? In what?"
"Computer technology," Carmelita said, idly munching a scone, "I was taught some hacking ability, but just enough to get into the FBI and CIA systems, which is kiddy grade compared to some of what's most likely out there today."
Neyla nodded. "Sounds about right."
Carmelita sipped her tea. "Who's the best computer technician out there today?"
"Bentley Cooper," Neyla said.
Carmelita blinked. "Bentley's taken Sly's last name as his own?"
Neyla nodded, rolling her eyes. "There was a well documented instance in China about a year after your 'death' involving the Cooper Gang. They apparently raided and robbed blind a bunch of mountain bandits, former minions of General Tsao, that had taken up residence in what was supposedly the birthplace of the ancient historical figure Liu Bei, who was a well-respected leader during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Sly, Bentley, and Murray apparently swore a blood oath of brotherhood there, in the peach garden where Liu Bei was supposed to have sworn a similar oath of brotherhood with the legendary warriors Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. And I mean a literal blood oath, they still have a scar on their hands from the little ceremony they did. I guess they wanted to reinforce the bond they already held."
Carmelita chuckled softly. "They always did have a good friendship with each other… I could tell that from the brief time I spent with them during the KLAAW Gang mess…"
Neyla's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that you…"
Carmelita chuckled. "For a few weeks, just long enough to get away from you, I was unofficially a member of the Cooper Gang… It was… a strange time…"
Neyla purred softly, her tail swishing back and forth. "Anyway, you probably still want to avoid anyone who might be able to see through your new appearance."
Carmelita nodded. "I'm not ready to face them yet…"
Neyla mewled sadly and said, "Anyway… Bentley's the best, but there is one who can probably match him. The Tech Injun."
Carmelita blinked. "The Tech Engine?"
Neyla shook her head. "Injun. Like the derogatory term generally used for Native Americans. It's what the media generally calls her, although she hates the nickname."
Carmelita shook her head. "Never heard of her."
"I'm not surprised," Neyla said, "She's still fairly new. She only surfaced in the past few years, while you were… away. Her real name is Kaliska Morning Cloud, a member of a Coyote tribe in the States, although she barely acknowledges her heritage beyond the occasional prayer. I've helped her out a couple times, taught her some physical skills to match her tech skills."
Carmelita frowned. "How good is she?"
Neyla snickered. "She almost managed to break into the Cooper Vault security programs, and was within spitting distance of finding out its current location. Word on the grapevine is that Bentley and Penelope had to overhaul the entire electronic part of the system just to counteract her."
Carmelita nodded. "You know how to find her?"
"It's tricky, as she's a little skittish with people she doesn't know. But there are ways to get her trust," Neyla said, "I can show you how to get in contact with her."
"Do it," Carmelita said, "If she's good enough to challenge Bentley, then I want her for VILE."
Neyla chuckled. "Really getting into the ambition part of being a crook, aren't you?"
Carmelita smirked. "Maybe. Maybe I just want to cover my bases when I start looking at Mortis a little closer."
Neyla nodded. "Either way, she's probably the best choice out there."
They finished their snack, Neyla taking Carmelita to an Internet café. She sat down at a computer. "How good are you at coding?"
Carmelita frowned. "I was taught enough to hack into most major law enforcement databases," she said, keeping her voice low, "But I don't see what this has to do with…"
"Kaliska only responds to challenges," Neyla interrupted, "She'll only acknowledge you if you send her a virus that causes her to actually have to focus on it to get it out of her personal computer. She also recognizes signature styles of virus, so she'll know what's coming is from me."
Carmelita frowned. "I'll take your word for it."
Neyla nodded, and began typing. Carmelita watched, taking in every single thing Neyla did, her gaze going back and forth from Neyla's hand to the screen as she watched the virus program take shape. A manager of the café came to see what they were doing, but Carmelita flashed him an icy stare that frightened him off. After a few minutes, Neyla was finished.
"There," she said.
"What will that do?" Carmelita asked, staring at the program Neyla had created.
"It'll rearrange the files on her computer at random, transferring them from folder to folder at random intervals. Annoying, but otherwise harmless. It's how I contacted her the first time," Neyla said, grinning.
Carmelita nodded, impressed. "And you created it from scratch? No notes to help you remember?"
Neyla shrugged. "I have a good memory. Blessing and a curse it is," she said.
"Hnh," Carmelita said, as Neyla sent the virus in an e-mail attachment. "Now what?" she asked.
Neyla shrugged. "We wait. And we come back here tomorrow," she said, getting up to leave.
Carmelita frowned. She hated waiting, but over her ten years of training, she had learned to do so.
The two women walked off, Carmelita idly picking the pocket of a policeman as she walked by. Neyla snickered. Carmelita blinked, and chuckled. "Hm? Oh, it's just that remember that guy from a case we worked on together. Jerk spent half the time ogling me, and grabbed my butt a couple times."
Neyla grinned as Carmelita took the money and credit cards out of the man's wallet, throwing the wallet in the trash after glancing through the pictures, finding no family photos. "I trust he paid for it suitably?"
Carmelita grinned playfully. "Unfortunately, I could do nothing, as I was mindful of remaining professional throughout the case. The strangest thing happened, though. One day he showed up at the hospital covered in bruises distinctly shaped like the letter 'C.' To this day remains deathly afraid of the sound of a cane tapping on the ground."
Neyla laughed.
"So what now?" Carmelita said.
Neyla shrugged. "Whatever you like," she said, "Being a thief sometimes involves a lot of waiting between capers. Especially if you're the type that likes a challenge, like I am."
Carmelita sighed. "Is boredom a part of being a thief?"
Neyla chuckled. "Afraid so. The key is patience. Haven't you ever done stakeouts?"
"Yes. Hated those as well," Carmelita grumbled.
Neyla laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Carmelita sighed. "What I also hate is how similar being a thief is to being a cop. Scouting out an area for vulnerable points, studying security measures, stakeouts to verify information…"
Neyla smiled sadly. "It's depressing, isn't it? That's part of why I was able to infiltrate Interpol so well. I was easily able to adapt my skills as a thief to police work." Neyla gained a thoughtful look. "That's also probably why they let Sly pretending to be an amnesiac cop go for so long. All that talent on the side of the law…"
Carmelita lowered her head, frowning. Neyla flinched. "Sorry love… Are you sure you don't want to see him?"
Carmelita shook her head. "No… No, not yet… Not until I know more about why Mortis wanted me to become Carmen…"
Neyla frowned. "You have doubts that the contest is the reason?"
Carmelita nodded. "A lot of his reasoning doesn't add up."
Neyla's eyes widened. "And that's why you want the Tech Injun."
Carmelita nods. "I want someone skilled enough to help me access his records. But not yet… I have smaller prey in mind…"
Neyla frowned. "Like what?"
Carmelita pointed to a TV display in an electronics store that several people on the street were watching. Neyla nearly gagged when she saw the news report playing.
"In national news," said the reporter, "Noted billionaire Robert Faulkun is arriving in London today. It's believed that he's transporting official documents related to his military contracts in the Middle East, however he insists that he's merely transferring funds between banks and was requested to come in person to do it."
Neyla blinked. "Good lord, luv. You certainly aren't starting out small."
Carmelita just smirked. "I've investigated this scumbag before. If nothing's changed over the past decade, then Faulkun is still connected to the Russian Mafia. More likely he's transporting documents confirming Mafia holdings in the Middle East. They've been trying to gain control of oil and weapon supplies there for years when I went under. If I'm right, and those are documents confirming holdings, we can ransom them back and then once we've collected our payout, discreetly drop the briefcase off with the proper authorities. If he is just transporting funds like he said… Well, it's some spending money for us."
Neyla whistled. "Ambitious… The guy's bound to have that briefcase protected with some major security systems."
"Which is why we need Kaliska," Carmelita said.
Neyla nodded. "So, Carmen. You going to build up an army, like VILE was last time?"
Carmelita shook her head. "No. That's what did in my predecessor. Too many to look out for. Too many knives aimed at her back to counter them all. At best, the group will consist of seven. You, me, Kaliska, one I'm not happy about, and three others that I want to keep to myself at the moment…"
Neyla frowned. "'One you're not happy about…'" she started, before scowling, "Oh bloody hell, you're going to recruit Contessa? After what she's done to you?"
Carmelita shivered. "Part of my training involved mental exercises. I'm hoping that will be enough to resist her mind control. Also, while I didn't know that they were the same person at the time, Contessa was the original Carmen's apprentice, devoted to an almost fanatical level. With luck that devotion will have remained to this day."
"That's a lot of luck, luv," Neyla said, frowning.
"I know. But to fully establish myself as Carmen, I need Contessa," Carmelita said.
"…And if things go bad?" Neyla asked, hesitating.
"Then she dies," Carmelita said, her expression hard.
Neyla frowned deeply, but nodded, understanding. She knew full well how frightening Contessa could be. "All right then… As for re-establishing VILE, what are your plans there? Going for a big army, like Carmen had last time?"
Carmelita shook her head. "No. That's what killed the original Carmen. Too many people, too many agendas, too many knives aimed at her back for her to parry them all. I want to keep the group at no more than seven, and I know who I want to fill out all the roles. You, me, Contessa, Kaliska, a demolitions specialist, a mystic specialist, and a vehicle specialist. I know who I want for the latter three, but like I said I'm keeping their names to myself until I can be sure of a way to secure their loyalty."
Neyla nodded, still worried. "Sounds like you've got a plan."
Carmelita shrugged. "It's something, at least…"
For the rest of the day, Carmelita and Neyla wandered about, window-shopping and simply enjoying the day. After a good night's rest, they came back to the same internet cafe and checked Neyla's account.
The only thing in the text was a set of coordinates and a short message. "You're getting better, Neyla. See you in two hours."
Neyla smiled. "Meeting's set," she said.
Carmelita stared at the coordinates. "That's in Westminster," she said, "Near the Abbey."
Neyla nodded. "Good eye."
Carmelita frowned. "Why there, though?"
"Cops rarely go there. The Cooper Gang did a cleanup of the area about a year ago when an artifact belonging to one of Sly's ancestors was stolen, which hurt one of Bentley's only living relatives in the process. Needless to say, the two of them took offense to that, moved in with their crew, and basically rolled over all the gangs in the area. It's been fairly safe ever since, so the cops don't feel any need to visit there on a steady basis. Makes it perfect for a discreet meeting," Neyla said.
Carmelita hmmed thoughtfully, and nodded. "Okay then, let's go."
The two of them drove over to the scheduled meeting place, arriving a few minutes early. They sat on a bench, chatting casually. After a few minutes, the two of them noticed a small, chubby-looking coyote in a brown duster sitting on the ground nearby, typing away on a computer.
"You're late," Neyla said.
The coyote turned, revealing her cloudy gray eyes. "I wanted to be sure you weren't followed. That hidden message you put in that viral code said you had a partner now, I wanted to be sure about her first."
"Are you?" Carmelita asked.
"...Not completely," Kaliska said, "But enough to work with you."
"I can settle for that," Carmelita said, "We can work on getting the rest of your confidence later."
Kaliska nodded, sipping the coffee she had with her. "So who are you, anyway?"
"Carmen Sandiego," Carmelita said.
Kaliska stared at her incredulously. "...You're kidding," she said after a moment.
Carmelita rolled her eyes. "I know how it sounds, but I'm the real deal. I'm back. And to re-establish VILE, I need the best. That means you."
Kaliska quirked an eyebrow. She was pleased at the compliment, but still had her doubts. "I heard that Carmen was actually real... Also heard that she died."
"Complications arose, were dealt with, and subsequently overcome," Carmelita said, "Details later, IF it turns out you're useful enough to me."
"Useful enough to you," Kaliska deadpanned, giving her an amused look.
Carmelita just gave her a hard stare. "That's right. Useful to ME," she said, falling into the role she was playing completely. "Thanks to the bastards that betrayed me, I've been out of the game WAY too long. I need to re-establish my name. And since a thief is only as good as the gang supporting her, I need the best. Are you, or are you not, the best hacker out there? Or maybe I should look up Bentley Cooper?"
Little harsh, love, Neyla thought, keeping her expression neutral. But she had to admit it was a good tactic. The best way to get someone to try and prove themselves is insult their ego.
Kaliska scowled, but Carmelita could tell that she wasn't completely taking the bait. The coyote sipped her coffee again and said, "Suppose I say yes. What's our first heist going to be?"
"A briefcase recently brought to this country by Robert Faulkun. I want to know what's in it, and what it's worth to him to get it back safe and sound," Carmelita said.
Kaliska's eyes widened. "Damn. When you go for something, you go big."
Carmelita nodded. "I do have an overall plan. But I need several huge heists under my belt before I can even come close to getting them started."
Kaliska stroked her chin idly. "It's gonna be rough... Faulkun's estate is bound to have the most advanced security available today. I know that Neyla's pretty damn good and the best con artist out there, and I THINK I can handle a lot of the electronics, but are you sure you can get through his guards and traps?"
"You just leave the fieldwork to me," Carmelita said.
Kaliska stared at her for a moment, and chuckled. "All right, you caught my interest. I'll help you out. If nothing else, it should be interesting to see if you can live up to that name of yours."
Carmelita nodded, and headed out. "Meet us here tomorrow evening," she said, "Get whatever intel you can on the security Faulkun has set up. We'll bring you to the estate."
Carmelita began to walk out. Neyla followed, saying her goodbyes to Kaliska. "You sure you're up for this, love?" Neyla asked, "Two major heists this close together can take their toll even on the best."
Carmelita sighed. "No time. I don't know how long Faulkun's gonna be here for," she said, "so if we don't get it soon, we won't get it at all."
Neyla frowned. "...Why are you really after those documents?"
Carmelita scowled. "In some of the records I took, Robert Faulkun was listed as a name funding the project training me to be Carmen."
Neyla nodded, suddenly understanding. "You're looking for a connection to Mortis..."
Carmelita nodded. "Anything at all might help. And if nothing else, we might be able to blackmail him for some extra money."
Neyla grinned somewhat sadly. "Wow, love. You really are thinking like a thief now, aren't you?"
Carmelita just snorted, acknowledging the irony but saying nothing else otherwise. "Let's go. We need to secure a few things first."
Neyla nodded, her manner becoming businesslike as she took another of her anti-psychotic meds. "Such as?"
"Transport," she said, "The car we have now is too distinctive."
"Fair enough. What do you suggest?" Neyla asked.
"A van," Carmelita said, "Nothing like the Cooper Van, something we can ditch easily. It'll serve as a mobile command for Kaliska to work in, and it's something that you and I can jump in and out of."
Neyla nodded. It was a good idea. "What's my role?"
"Muscle," Carmelita said, "I'll need you play bodyguard and take out guards that get too close. No kills, though. Try to run it like a Cooper operation. Lots of bruises and broken bones, but everyone still alive otherwise."
Neyla nodded. She had never really understood why the Coopers never went for the kill, but she respected their ability to pull it off. (Although she had heard rumors of an operation they did in Australia a few years back that was extraordinarily vicious...)
Carmelita looked thoughtful. "I want to scout the perimeter of the Faulkun estate. Think we can manage that?"
Neyla nodded. "If we stay far enough away," she said, "yes. Every little bit of intel helps."
Carmelita nodded, and tossed her the keys. "Take me there," she said.
Neyla was a little surprised, but did as she was asked, driving their car over to the estate of the multi-millionare. They parked on a ridge overlooking the facility, giving them a good view down into it.
Carmelita frowned when she saw it. "I said the estate, not Fort Sumter."
Neyla chuckled. "That's the estate, luv," Neyla said, looking down at the heavily fortified mansion.
Carmelita shook her head, and pulled out a set of binoculars. "We really need some of those binocular things the Coopers use..." she muttered, focusing the images as best she could.
"Binocucoms? I know where to get some," Neyla said, nodding.
Carmelita looked at her, surprised. Neyla just shrugged. "A few years back, Bentley got the design patented and put it on the open market. Law enforcement ate it up. What NOBODY except a handful of the people in our 'lifestyle' knew is that Bentley was hoping they'd go for it that much. He listens in to Binocucom chatter all the time. It helps the Cooper Gang keep twenty steps ahead of the cops, and gives Bentley a little extra spending cash."
Carmelita grinned. "Brilliant. Figures the turtle would come up with a scam like that," she said, looking over the security measures on the outskirts of the estate.
Security guard dobermans and (bizarrely) feral dobermans patrolled the grounds of the fence, each armed with automatic rifles. "That's weird," Camrelita said softly, "The guards all have fully automatic rifles... Should be illegal outside of military use in this country... Plus, they're all dobermans and have feral dobermans partners..."
"Damn," Neyla cursed, "That means they've been trained not to feel unnerved by working with their feral cousins. These won't be easy to trick like most guards would be..."
Carmelita just smirked. "I'll find a way..." she said, looking over the fence. One guard accidentally brushed against it, and flinched back, as his uniform sparking slightly. "Fence is electrified. Ten, twenty feet high..."
Neyla stroked her chin thoughtfully. "The generator will probably be close, but disguised... We'll need to take it out, but quietly..."
"We'll have Kaliska look into that," Carmelita said, continuing to look over the defenses of the estate. She took notice of each security camera, mentally making note of them and their location. She saw laser sensors tracing out random paths on the ground. "Laser sensors. Lots of them..."
"Damn..." Neyla muttered, "They look like R90 trackers. If one locks onto you, they all will. And that's when the gatling guns go off."
Carmelita wasn't worried though. She had a bit of a trump card for the lasers. But she wasn't about to reveal it yet. A girl has to have SOME secrets, afterall.
After a moment's more of looking, Carmelita took note of the guard towers dotting the fence, as well as a heliport in the back.
Which had no helicopter in it at the moment.
"Shit," Carmelita said, "GO!"
"What?" Neyla asked, startled.
"Get us out of here," Carmelita snapped. "There's a chopper port here, and the chopper isn't. I don't want to take the chance that it's an air scout."
Neyla nodded, and drove the car off. Carmelita frowned, closing her eyes and doing calculations in her head.
"We still good for this?" Neyla asked.
Carmelita nodded after a moment. "That level of security, he either has something important in there or he's become REALLY paranoid about his money. We just need more intel from Kaliska."
Neyla sighed. "Meantime, we should pick up the van and the Binocucoms. I should I can remove Bentley's little 'extra additions' from the design, so we can use it without him listening in. I probably should get you a paraglider, too."
Carmelita nodded. "We don't need anything fancy for the van, like I said. Let's just swipe something old we can use and discard," she said, looking around, "Like that."
Neyla turned to where Carmelita was pointing, pulling their car over. It was a simple, black van parked in a church. It looked like it was used for transporting church goers to various religious events. Neyla nodded, approving. "We'll need to hide it, get it repainted, but it'll work for a one job use."
Carmelita hopped out of the car. "Where's the nearest cooperative body shop?"
"A few blocks down from here. Crown Auto," Neyla said.
"Meet me back at the house," Carmelita said, "I won't be long." She went over to pick the lock on the chain keeping the fence gate together, opened the gates. As she suspected, there was next to no security save for the locks. After all, who would break into a church parking lot?
As Neyla drove off, Carmelita went over to the van, and checked each door to see if it was unlocked. To her surprise, it was. She frowned, worried that this might be a bait car, and began examining the insides of the car, checking for cameras, disassembling the mirror, checking behind panels, tearing the cloth on the ceiling, every place she knew cameras were usually put in bait vehicles. She didn't find any cameras, but she still looked around outside anyway, checking for cars that may be lurking around, one hand in her pocket, ready to use her tazer cane if need be.
There was nothing.
She frowned again. This is too easy. Either I'm being set up, or the people running this church are depressingly naïve.
Carmelita returned to the van. On a whim, flipped down the sun visor, a set of spare keys, most likely to the church as well as the van, fell out.
Naïve, Carmelita thought, shaking her head. She through out all the personal effects she found in the van, and drove it off. She found the body shop easily enough, and they were more than willing to do a quick repaint of the van and remove the plates as well. After paying the bodyshop workers, she went back to the house, where Neyla was waiting for her, sitting on the front porch.
She smiled, her ghostly white eyes glowing in the darkness. "Everything go okay then?"
Carmelita nodded. "No trouble. I was worried this was a bait car at first, but I was wrong."
Neyla snickered. "Cops around here aren't that smart," she said.
Carmelita smirked. "Let's get some rest. We'll loot that guy's place tomorrow."
The next night...
Neyla and Carmelita pulled up near the abbey, meeting up with Kaliska. The coyote had ditched her coat for more mission-appropriate attire, dark jeans and t-shirt with a dark brown vest. She wore a a small headband with a single feather, a bag containing her computer and what looked like several high tech devices on her shoulder.
"You ready to go?" Neyla called.
Kaliska nodded. "I managed to get a layout of the security in the building," she said, chuckling a little at the transport. "Nice van," she said.
"We'll only need it for tonight," Carmelita said, "Get in and let's go."
Kaliska hopped into the back. Carmelita glanced briefly at her attire and said, "Nice headband."
"My mother's. My one concession to my culture," she said, smirking.
Carmelita nodded. "We did a preliminary recon on the place from afar. You get anything on the security systems?"
"I think I got everything we need on it," Kaliska said, "His computer security isn't as tight as it should be."
"What about the heliport? Is it air security?" Carmelita asked.
"No," Kaliska said, "He uses it for clients. And right now, he's not even in. From his records, he's meeting someone to transfer the case to. In his personal journals he was griping about the clients wanting him to personally take them to the mansion."
Carmelita frowned. "How much time do we have?"
"Three hours," Kaliska said, quirking her eyebrows in amusement. "More than enough time if you're who you say you are."
Carmelita and Neyla just traded smirks.
The van drove to the outskirts of the estate, parking behind a small grove of trees. Once they were parked, Kaliska opened her laptop and called up an image of the estate. "All right, here's what we got. The guards go on regular patrols along the outskirts of the fence, and have dogs trained to react to any scent they're not accustomed to. Each one is armed with the latest in fully automatic rifles normally reserved for the military as well as five concussion grenades each. The fence itself is electrified, so climbing over's a no go until we can disable the generator."
"Which is... where?" Neyla asked.
"Patience, Ghosteyes, I'm getting to that," Kaliska said, smirking. Neyla frowned, but didn't say anything, as she was long since used to the nickname. Kaliska typed again, and said, "I did a little tracking of the power routes, and found there's actually two places that provide power to the various fence, and separate generators for each layer of defense, which unfortunately I wasn't able to crack the locations of yet. Time constraints and all that. According to incident reports, the fence generators are known to fail from time to time, hence the separate defenses and generators for those defenses. So if we time it right, we might be able to make it seem like a regular power failure for the fence. "
Neyla grinned. "Clever," she said, "What's the play?"
Kaliska typed at her computer, the chubby coyote shaking her head. "Neyla and I will have to take to the field. If we can synchronize the shortout, we can give Carmen time to get over the fence. The lasers, which are unfortunately attached to high yield miniguns, will be tricky... you'd have to be an incredible acrobat to get by them."
"The Coopers aren't the only agile ones out there," Carmelita said, "Let me deal with the lasers. My main concern is the security cameras right now."
Kaliska smiled. "I can hack those easy. The guards will see what I want them to see, but I can use them to keep track of your movements, give tech help where needed."
Carmelita nodded. "Good. Let's get this started," she said, tossing Kaliska a Binocucom. When Kaliska seemed reluctant, she said, "Don't worry. We took out Bentley's little additions to it. He won't be able to get anything from us."
Kaliska grinned. "It's not that," she said, "It's just that I already have my own."
Neyla chuckled, taking back the extra Binocucom as Kaliska gave her frequency. "We'll synch up in the field," Neyla said.
Carmelita nodded. "Let's go," she said.
The three of them exited the van, and headed out. Kaliska showed the map, she and Neyla heading out for the two power houses, disguised by a fairly obvious patch of bushes and an old, out of place barn.
Neyla looked around from her hiding spot, checking for guards, and went over to the patch of bushes. She opened the panel, looking at the wires. She picked up her Bincocucom, contacting Kaliska.
"You there yet?" she asked.
"Gimmie a minute," Kaliska huffed, "I'm not quite as in-shape as you two." Her house was a little farther away, but she managed to get there. Slowly prying open the door, she went in and set her computer up near the power box.
"Okay, Neyla, I'm set up. Sorry about taking so long, I'm not that used to field work," she said.
Neyla chuckled. "Better get used to it, if you want to join us."
"I haven't decided that yet," Kaliska huffed. "Now. On my cue, pull out the blue and orange wires and then quickly put them back in. The surge from the quick drain and restart will temporarily short out the fence for Carmen."
Neyla nodded. "By your leave, love."
"Three... two... one..." Kaliska said. She and Neyla quickly yanked out the wires and put them back. The boxes sparked, both women feeling a surge of electricity make their fur stand on end.
Back near the fence, hidden in a grove of trees, was Carmelita, her hat pulled down over her head as she hid in a nearby flower bush. She scanned the area in front of her carefully with her Binocucom, careful not to let the lenses reflect the light. She spotted a trail of orange sparkles leading up a pole near a guard tower, where one of the miniguns were mounted. It was connected to the fence, so it was electrified. But as she watched, a guard brushed by it. He looked surprised when he didn't get a jolt, and Carmelita took that as her cue. She knocked him out with her cane's tazer, doing the same with his guard dog. After removing the firing pin from his rifle, she climbed up the pipe, clambering into the guard-house and smashing the gatling gun.
As an afterthought, she climbed up and got on top of the guard tower. She focused, seeing the orange sparkles along the radio cables that connected the guard towers to each other, coordinating the guns. Taking a deep breath, she leaped out and landed with perfect balance along the cables, dashing steadily along them to each guardhouse, smashing the miniguns and eliminating a potential threat. She looked around again, gauging whether or not it'd be safe to try and go in through the ground floor.
After a moment of watching the lasers move about, many times in ways even she couldn't predict, she shook her head. "Gotta find another way," she said to herself, "The guns are disabled but the alarms should still be up." She looked around, spotting power lines leading to the towers. It was too far even for her amazing jumping ability, and the lines were electrified, but there were regulator boxes with pointed tips at regular intervals. If she used that technique...
Taking a deep breath, she leaped off of the guard tower, mega double jumping and coming to a sure-footed landing on the point. Good. Nice to know that I can actually learn these moves...
Neyla and Kaliska, who were making their way towards the mansion grounds and watching her through the Binocucoms, stared in amazement.
"How... That's... The balance needed to land on that small a point and not falter..." Kaliska stammered.
That was Sly's Spire Jump technique, no question, Neyla thought, But even I can't do that, maintain my balance on a point for that long. How did she learn it?
Carmelita, more confident now, spire jumped from power box to power box, making her way to the roof. She had to duck down briefly and stay hidden, as there was a nearby guard patrolling that part of the roof. She snuck up behind him, noting a shine coming from his pocket. Discreetly relieving him of his spare change and the silver pen he had, she put her hand around his mouth to muffle his cries and used her tazer cane on him, sending him toppling to the ground.
She pulled out her Binocucom again. "Kaliska, I'm at a vent leading inside. You got a map of the interior?"
Kaliska stared for a moment from her hiding place before pulling out her laptop, calling up the map she had. "Um... right. Okay, the briefcase is being kept in his office. But there's guards and laser grids all the way there. The vent you're at to leads to a storage closet. From there the gauntlet begins."
Carmelita nodded. "I can handle it," she said.
"You sure, Carmen?" Kaliska asked, "Even the Coopers have had trouble getting by the traps in this place."
Carmelita just smirked, her expression absolutely confident. "Trust me," she said. She opened the vent, and crawled in, making her way through the tight-fitting space and coming out inside the closet. She shook out her hat, straightening out the crumpled edges, and putting back on. She peered out the door, looking through to scan the area.
She spotted two armed guards, both with automatic rifles and flashlights, both facing each other. She frowned. It be too risky to take them out. She'd have to do it one at a time, and she was worried about the noise.
As if confirming her fears, Kaliska chimed in over the Binocucom, quietly adding, "Be very careful in this hallway. I did some searching and I found out that he designed the halls to his office, vault, and other important areas to deliberately have heavy acoustics. You won't be able to get into a fight here without alerting every guard in the house."
Carmelita did a quick scan, seeing a nearby table, the vent shaft she had crawled out of hanging just low enough for her to walk on top of if she crouched down. "Don't worry, Kaliska," Carmelita said. "If I can't go through, I'll just go around."
She hopped up onto the table, and used it as a platform to double-jump up to the vent shaft. Crouching down, she began running across it, bypassing the first guard station and laser web easily. The vent shaft diverged as she approached the next guard station, going in two directions.
"Kaliska?" she asked, pulling out her Binocucom again. "Where does this hallway go?"
"Left fork to the vault, right fork to the main entrance," Kaliska said. "Why?"
Carmelita smirked. "That could actually be a quicker way out for us. The van is the same direction of that position, and I noticed that there aren't any lasers along that path..."
Kaliska hesitated. "The guard presence is heavier there..."
Neyla grinned inwardly as she viewed the map Kaliska was broadcasting over the Binocucom, "I'm actually near that location. I could distract them and lead some of the guards away."
Kaliska shook her head. "I'd grab the briefcase first. We tag the vault guards, the whole house goes on alert. Also, Neyla, I'm sure you're a good fighter, but even that steel-lined whip of yours won't be much good against a small army of guns. I'll move closer to your location, set up a holographic waypoint. Once Carmen has the briefcase and is on her way to the vault, lead the guards to me. I'm no demolitions expert like Bentley, Panda King, or Firefly, but I do have some toys that'll put those guards out of the game."
"No kills," Carmelita said, "These guys are just doing their jobs."
Kaliska scoffed. "Of course not. My autoturrets shoot tranquilizer rounds. I don't need murder charges on top of everything else I've got going against me."
Carmelita grinned. "Now to get by these guards and down the hall to the briefcase..."
She looked down the hall, considering her next move. The guard station she was looking at would be tricky, but if she could distract them, lure them away somehow...
She reached into her pockets, producing a handful of small pellets, another trick she had learned during her ten years of training. She rolled them down the hall leading to the main entrance, the pellets exploding with a pop. The two guards, startled, raised their guns and headed down the hall, ready to kill anything that didn't look familiar. Carmelita smirked, and leaped down, heading into the web-like grid of lasers. Deftly dodging her way through the web, she quickly stepped out, sneaking her way towards the last pair of guards before the office.
Thinking quickly, scanning the area as she moved towards them, she noticed a table near the nearest guard, a long serving table that spanned the full length of the station, a tablecloth covering it. She quickly ducked underneath it, keeping out of the guard's flashlight, and crawled underneath. Stepping into the shadows, she passed through the last web, dodging her way through, and walked down the final length to the office door, which was locked. There was a camera watching the door. She hesitated, considering her next course of action.
Kaliska's voice came in over the Binocucom. "Carmen, I'm patched into the security cameras. My new hiding place has a power station I could hack into. I have the feed on a constant loop, so only I see what's really going on in any location you're in, offer help if need be."
Carmelita shook her head, removing a lockpick. "I appreciate it, and good job on taking the cameras. Just be ready to aid Neyla. I'm gonna take a more 'direct' route back."
Kaliska blinked. "How?"
Neyla chimed in. "I'm wondering that too, love."
Carmelita smirked as the lock clicked. She moved the office door open slightly, sneaking in. "Just trust me."
She went into the office, and began searching around for the papers. She found a page with three random numbers on it, shrugging and pocketing it in case she needed it. She scanned around, and discovered a small safe behind some books. She pulled out the books, and looked at the safe, which appeared to be a combination lock. She blinked, and pulled out the paper she had grabbed earlier, smirking as she realized what the numbers were. "Idiot. Can't remember his own safe's combination."
Entering the numbers on the dial, she opened the safe and pulled out the briefcase, leaving behind a small red calling card in its place. "Got it," she said, calling Kaliska on the Binocucom, as she exited the office.
"Okay, great. You still wanna head out past the vault?" Kaliska said.
Carmelita looked at the guards through the laser web. "Hm... Yes. Any quick exit would be a good one."
"If you say so," Kaliska said, "I still want to know how you're gonna do that 'direct' route you mentioned..."
Carmelita thought back to another part of her training, and grinned. "Just watch," she said, closing her eyes and concentrating. Before Kaliska's and Neyla's shocked eyes, she vanished.
"What! WHAT?" Kaliska almost shrieked. "Do you have a cloaking device or something in that coat?"
Neyla suddenly realized what else it was. "No..." she said softly. ANOTHER Cooper technique, this time the Egyptian Ghost power... I didn't even know that people outside the Cooper bloodline could even LEARN it...
Carmelita, now completely invisible, walked quickly past the lasers, taking care to keep her footsteps light as she moved past both lasers and flashlight guards. In the middle of the second web, she contacted Neyla and Kaliska.
"Get the guards out of my way. I won't be able to sneak past the vault if there's too many there. And hurry it up, maintaining this takes more effort than it looks..." Carmelita huffed. She could feel herself getting more and more tired as she maintained her invisible state, the lasers passing harmlessly over her, not able to sense her.
Neyla blinked, and nodded. She ran from her hiding place towards the vault side entrance to the mansion, and knocked on the door. Confused, one of the eight guards by the vault entrance slowly opened the door, looking out at Neyla, who smiled sweetly, her expression made disturbing by her glowing white eyes.
"Can I help you?" the guard asked hesitantly.
"Hello love! I'm here with the Avon Company, wondering if you'd be interested in our new line of beauty products! Is the lady of the house in?" Neyla asked, grinning brightly.
The guard glared at her. "No. She's not."
Neyla smirked. "No? Well, how about you then? You strike me as the makeup-using type..."
The guard snarled, and Neyla ran for it. "GET HER!" the guard called, eight of the ten guards chasing after her, guns blazing.
Neyla ran as fast as she could, her amazing agility the only thing preventing her from being ventilated by the guards.
"Neyla, I'm setting up a holographic waypoint by my position! Get the guards go through there and my autoturrets will take them out!" Kaliska said.
"On my way," she said, huffing, yelping as a barrage of bullets barely missed her. As she got to the waypoint, she dove through it, the guards far too close for comfort. As she did, the autoturrets opened fire, striking each guard several dozen times in the neck and chest, the tranquilizers taking effect almost immediately, each guard collapsing.
Neyla fell to her knees, catching her breath, while Kaliska came out of her hiding place to collect her turrets. "Not bad," she said.
"Those turrets of yours are pretty handy," Neyla said, panting and grinning.
Kaliska smirked. "Let's meet up with Carmen and get the hell out of here."
Meanwhile, back in the mansion, Carmelita dropped her invisibility and snuck up behind the two remaining guards. She fired her cane's tazer line, knocking out one of them. When the other turned to look at his friend, she snuck up behind him and grabbed him in a sleeper hold, choking him with her cane until he fell unconscious. She went outside, seeing Neyla and Kaliska running towards her.
She held up the briefcase triumphantly. "Time to excuse ourselves, ladies," she said, trading high fives with Neyla as they ran for the van, the sounds of guards finally realizing what was going on and raising an alarm meeting their ears.
They came to the fence, which was still lacking electricity. Neyla lashed her steel-lined whip at it, shattering it, the three of them heading through the field towards their van, which was waiting for them in their hiding spot. The three of them practically threw themselves in, Neyla revving the van hard and driving off.
"Not bad," Kaliska said, resting up against the side of the van and huffing, trying to catch her breath. "I can tell working with you two is gonna be one helluva workout."
Carmelita smirked. "So you're in, then?"
Kaliska nodded. "I think I believe it now. You ARE Carmen Sandiego. The real thing, or at the very least someone who can live up to the name. So I'm in. I'm a part of VILE," she said, smirking and adding, "If, of course, you think I'm 'useful' enough..."
Carmelita nodded. "You did good tonight," she said, "You're in."
Neyla checked the rear view. "No pursuit. I don't think they noticed the van leaving."
Carmelita sighed. "Let's just get to my car and ditch this thing fast. I'll only relax once we're back at my hideout."
Neyla nodded. "Righto," she said. They drove on, eventually pulling up to Carmelita's car, hidden in an abandoned schoolyard. Carmelita went to her car and pulled out a small dustbuster and handcloth.
"Wipe it down," she said, tossing both items to Neyla, "No fingerprints, no shed fur. Let's not give them anything to track us with," she said.
Neyla nodded, and did as asked, wiping down everywhere her bare hands or Kaliska's touched the interior of the van, vacuuming up any stray fur. She got into the car with Kaliska and Carmelita, the three of them driving off and heading back to Carmelita's flat in the countryside.
"Not bad," Kaliska said, "Quiet, a good way out of the city... Beats an apartment anyday." The coyote nodded in approval at the surroundings and sat down on one of the loveseats, Carmelita and Neyla sitting on the couch, setting the briefcase on the table. She picked the locks on it and opened it, letting the three women see what was inside of it.
Inside the briefcase were several documents and notebooks, as well as some flash drives. Kaliska claimed the flash drives immediately and put them in her own computer, accessing the files, while Neyla and Carmelita looked at the papers.
"Mary mother of God..." Carmelita muttered, glaring at the notebook she was looking at.
Neyla chuckled nervously, looking over her invoices. "It seems our boy Faulkun has been using his Russian Mafia contacts to fund terrorism in the Middle East."
Kaliska nodded, confirming. "I managed to decode the files... He's selling weapons that the Mafia acquires in exchange for allowing them access to oil fields. Their overall goal is to severely weaken the United States federal government."
"What's the play, Carmen?" Neyla asked, "We've got definitive evidence against him now."
Carmelita quirked an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Kaliska, can you hack the Faulkun estate's communication network without him tracing it back to us?"
"Easily," she said, "Why?"
Carmelita just smirked.
An hour later...
Faulkun slapped his chief of security again. "Three women. You're telling me, that with all my security, all the money I've shelled out, you let THREE FUCKING WOMEN break in and steal my briefcase!"
The doberman whimpered. "Sir, with all due respect..."
Faulkun snarled, "NO. No excuses! You idiots are going to pay for this!" He dismissed the guard, and paced around the room. The falcon shivered, muttering to himself. His client, a large husky, sat nearby, his glare so intimidating that Faulkun was starting to molt, feathers shedding with each frantic step he took.
"I am not having confidence in you, Mister Faulkun," the husky said, his Russian accent thick. "You have been doing quite well up to this point, but now you are letting three women get by you? It is making me wonder if you are being complacent."
Faulkun gulped hard. "I assure you, Mister Borisovitch, that this is just a one-time lapse. This will never happen again, and your shipments will continue as scheduled."
Borisovitch's eyes narrowed. "And the briefcase with the invoices?"
Faulkun gulped. "We... We're looking for clues, but reports are garbled. The only thing the guards can say for certain is that one of them is a tigress."
"Which does not narrow it down in the slightest," Borisovitch rumbled, folding his muscular arms.
Faulkun squawked nervously at the sight of Borisovitch's arms bulging as he folded them, cursing himself for showing that much weakness. "We... We only have one real clue," he said, holding out the calling card.
Borisovitch frowned, looking at the card. It bore an image of a red silhouetted fox from the shoulders up in a circle, looking off to one side and tipping her wide-brimmed hat. Borisovitch, a longtime veteran of the Russian Mafia, frowned, trying to remember what the symbol meant.
When he did, however, his blood ran cold, his complexion paling so much that it was visible through his fur. "Bozhe moi..." he muttered, "It can't be... not after so long..."
Borisovitch went to grab his coat. "I am leaving," he rumbled.
Faulkun blinked, confused. "Wait, what's wrong?" he said, pocketing the calling card again.
Borisovitch scowled. "Situation is worse than expected. Thief was old enemy of Russian Mafia," he said, "One I am thinking was dead a long time ago, but apparently is not."
Faulkun was even more confused now. "Who!"
Borisovitch started to answer, but just shook his head. "I am leaving. You are dealing with situation or I am dealing with YOU," he said, heading for the chopper.
Faulkun watched in numb shock as the Russian fled. As soon as he was out of sight, a guard came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, startling him so much that he took to the air briefly, flapping his wings wildy.
"Don't do that!" he shrieked.
The guard gulped nervously. "Sorry sir," he apologized, "But you really need to see this."
Faulkun snarled. "See what?"
"It's the thief, sir," the guard said, "She's on... Well, every monitor in the building."
Faulkun just stared at him incredulously, and followed the guard in, heading for the main security station.
"Are you tracing it?" he demanded.
The technician shook his head. "We're trying. But we're being rerouted through at least a dozen dummy servers at once. Whoever her tech person is, she's a helluva lot better than we are."
Faulkun growled, and looked at the smirking face of the gray-furred fox on the screen. "All right," he snarled, "Who are you, and what do you want?"
Carmelita just chuckled. "So direct. I like that in a man," she teased, "Very well, I'll keep this simple. I am Carmen Sandiego, leader of V.I.L.E. Villainesses Involved in Larceny and Extortion."
Faulkun blinked. "Carmen Sandiego? Like the old games?"
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing people he didn't exist. He isn't the only one who thought of that particular trick, however." Carmelita taunted.
Faulkun glared at the screen for a moment, and shook his head, sighing. "All right. Ball's in your court, Carmen, or whoever the hell you say you are. What do you want?"
"Ninety-nine million dollars American transferred to the account number I'm sending to you," she said, "I want it within one hour or this case is going to Interpol and you, you excrementicious excuse of a man, are going to jail. Once the money is sent, we'll contact you with a drop location, that only YOU AND YOU ALONE must come to. We won't be there, but we will be watching."
The transmission cut off, all the screens going dark, leaving the same logo that was on the calling card for about a minute before shutting off.
Faulkun stared at the screens, fuming. A technician gulped, and said, "...Sir, we couldn't even begin to trace it. The transmission cut off just after the account number was sent."
Faulkun slammed his fist down on the console in frustration, startling his guards. "DAMN IT ALL!" he snarled, collapsing and putting his hands over his head.
"...Sir?" a guard asked hesitantly.
After a moment, Faulkun said, "Prepare the money for transfer."
"You're giving in?" a guard asked incredulously.
"I don't have a choice!" he snarled, "She only gave me an hour! It'll take that long just to get the money together and transferred, to say nothing of trying to trace the damn account! Just get my accountants to get the money together and transferred. I'll get the case back first, and then I'll find and skin these hags."
Faulkun stormed out, and the guards frantically set to their work, not wanting to be on their boss's bad side.
Back at Carmelita's hideout, the three members of VILE were enjoying their work.
"Not bad, love," Neyla said, "New name for the acronym, and we're making a tidy penny out of this job as well."
Kaliska looked at her curiously. "You're really not gonna just hand over the data to him if he pays, are you?"
Carmelita just smiled. "Make one more call," she said.
The next evening...
Faulkun drove up in his Lamborghini to the old church, frowning as he looked around. No one seemed to be there, but he was still nervous nevertheless. He NEEDED to get this case back. Borisovitch was a dangerous man who knew dangerous people. He didn't want to cross him at all...
Swallowing hard, he worked up his courage and slowly walked towards the pathway to the entrance of the church. Testing it, he found it unlocked, as the message Carmen sent him after the money was transferred said it would be.
He looked around the inside of the church before stepping in, his sharp, avian eyes not catching anything moving in the shadows, and ran up to the pulpit. Sure enough, right where she said it was, was the briefcase. Unlocking it, he quickly shuffled through everything, making sure it was all still there.
"Good... At least that hag Sandiego was good on that part of her word. Everything's all there," he said.
"What's all where?" said a cheerful voice from behind him.
Faulkun froze. He tried to stand up and go for the sidearm he had with him, but the feel of a shock pistol barrel behind his head made him stop again.
"Don't move," said a second, harsher voice, "Drop the weapon and put your hands behind your head."
The source of the first voice, a grinning, cheerful doberman in a brown trenchcoat and rumpled suit-shirt and khaki pants, came around to the front of Faulkun's line of sight as he followed his orders. The doberman leaned down, and looked through the files.
"Yep, everything's here, just like the tip said there would be," the doberman said.
"Who are you people?" Faulkun said, looking behind him, seeing a calm, stoic-faced pit bull in a neatly pressed black suit aiming a shock pistol at his skull.
The doberman smirked. "Ah, how rude of me. I'm Inspector Rick Caldin of Interpol. My grim faced associate is my partner, Inspector Kennedy Xavier. And you, Mister Faulkun, are under arrest for gun smuggling and supporting international terrorism."
Faulkun was baffled. "How... What..." And then he realized what had happened. "HER... That bitch... It was HER!"
Kennedy blinked. "'Her?'"
Faulkun laughed madly. "It was Carmen, wasn't it? She told you. That sneaky little..."
Kennedy jabbed his head with the shock pistol, silencing his rant. "You don't need to know about our sources, scumbag."
Faulkun just laughed, completely defeated and unable to think of anything else to say.
The two officers gathered up the briefcase and Faulkun, taking him out to the waiting paddywagon. Kennedy nodded, satisfied, as he watched the wagon containing Faulkun drive off. "Another scumbag criminal off the street," he said.
"And now, it's Miller time," Rick said, grinning and stretching.
Kennedy scowled at him. "We have to fill out the paperwork first, you know that," he said.
Rick rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah," he said. "You really need to lighten up, you know that?"
"Indeed," said a gruff, grim voice, startling both inspectors. They turned, seeing a massive bloodhound in a long black trenchcoat walking towards them, holding up a badge. "If you don't learn to relax on these missions, then it'll destroy you from the inside out."
Rick chuckled nervously. "Not quite what I meant, but the general idea is there. And you are?"
"I am Agent Mortis," he said.
Appropriate, Rick thought, since you look like the goddamn grim reaper. "Agent of what?"
"Classified," he said. "However, I am familiar with the person who tipped you off."
Kennedy went wide-eyed. "You know our informant? Does she work for you?"
Mortis smirked. "Yes and no. She's... an interesting test case, and let's leave it at that. Did you find anything on Faulkun? Like, say, a card of sorts?"
Kennedy and Rick traded looks. "That card thing?" Rick said, holding it out, "Sure."
Mortis took the card from them, and stared at it. After a long moment, he sighed and shook his head. "So it's starting again... My my, good doctor... Is this what you felt like?"
Rick gave Mortis a disturbed look and whispered to Kennedy, "Okay, we are officially in weirdoland here..."
Kennedy frowned. "Let's give him the benefit of the doubt for now. If he is a fraud, we'll prosecute him accordingly."
"I assure you, gentlemen," he said, having overheard, "That I am no fraud. I've been observing your records. Rick Caldin, you have a near 100% success rate on your cases, barring anything involving Lupin the Third or his associates and the Cooper Gang. You're amiable, well-liked by civilians and your fellow officers, and have an excellent public record."
Rick grinned. "Well, I do try to get along with everyone," he said, idly tugging on his jacket.
Mortis turned to Kennedy, and said, "You have a similar record of success in the field, Mr. Xavier. Your personal record, however, is somewhat different. You strike your fellow officers as being overly uncompromising, brutally honest, and more than a little stubborn. Plus, you tend to be overly harsh on criminals you catch, although always within procedural limits."
Kennedy just nodded. "Criminals are scum, sir. They chose to break the law, the law which governs all people and keeps them safe. They don't deserve any respect or dignity."
Mortis stared at Kennedy for a moment, making the younger man feel somewhat uncomfortable. "Have you ever seen Les Miserables?" Mortis asked after a moment.
Kennedy flinched, scowling. "No, I have not. Why do people keep asking me that?"
Rick just chuckled. Mortis frowned, and added, "I suggest you see it. It's an excellent show besides, but the lesson of Inspector Javert should be taken into account. I ignored that lesson once, and Carmen Sandiego nearly destroyed me because of it."
Rick and Kennedy stared at Mortis in confusion. "I remember those games from school," Kennedy said, "Are you saying that the one who tipped us off, who robbed Faulkun beforehand, was... Carmen Sandiego!"
Rick shook his head. "You're kidding. Carmen is fiction. Whomever called us, if she is the one, is just using the name for fame."
Mortis grinned, the sight sending a chill down the backs of both officers. "You'd be surprised what you have to do to cover things up. Anything to prevent the world from finding out how badly one woman and her associates made your agency look like fools."
Kennedy and Rick traded worried looks. "...Sir, where are you going with this?" Kennedy asked.
"I want to recruit you boys," he said. "You're the best of Interpol's best right now. I want your help in tracking and catching one of the top three greatest thieves in the world right now, plus anyone she may meet along the way. The prestige I'm offering you is limitless, and I'll provide resources to you that you never would have in Interpol. What do you say?"
Rick frowned. It did sound tempting, but it sounded way too strange to be legit. He turned to Kennedy, and asked "Opinions?"
Kennedy frowned. "The badge looks legit. We can look it up in the database when we get back to headquarters. ...I think we should play along for now. Best case scenario, he's right, and we get a top level scumbag out of play. Worst case, we arrest him for being a kook."
Rick thought for a moment, and nodded. "Okay, Agent Mortis. We're in," he said.
"Excellent," Mortis said, grinning that chilling grin again. "It'll be a pleasure working with you."
Epilogue...
Kaliska, Carmelita, and Neyla were all relaxing at Carmelita's house. Kaliska had gone off to get cleaned up, leaving Neyla and Carmelita alone. Carmelita had stripped off her coat and hat, hanging them up as she lay on the couch, Neyla bringing in drinks. She took a dose of her anti-psychotic medication, and sat down next to her.
"Well, the gang's growing," Neyla said, "I'll probably have to be careful and not refer to events from your old life around her."
Carmelita sighed. "Probably."
Neyla sipped her drink. "But don't fret, love. You're doing great! Faulkun was successfully looted, extorted, and busted, with a sizable amount of cash for us all. Plus, we have a techie to help up look in on Mortis when you're ready."
Carmelita smiled. "Yeah... Yeah, it does feel good... I'm just tired, is all..."
Neyla chuckled. "Considering the past few nights, love, it's understandable. So what's our next move?"
Carmelita put an arm over her eyes, sighing again. "Continued expansion. We're going after our demolitions expert next."
"Sounds delightful," she said, "Who did you have in mind?"
Carmelita smirked, looking at Neyla from under her arm. "You gave me the idea earlier," she said.
Neyla nearly choked on her drink when she realized. "Jing King? You're going after the Firefly?"
Carmelita nodded. "We run the risk of confronting her father, but if Jing King truly has learned everything he knew, then she'll be the ideal choice. Especially when we go after the next member I want to recruit after her."
"Which is going to be someone else that will give me a headache, isn't it? Another girl, since we've identified ourselves as a Villainess group," Neyla said, smirking and shaking her head.
Carmelita smirked. "This is only the beginning. I have a huge name to live up to, Neyla. I need to get into the Grand Rogues competition and win it, and more, I need to find out what Mortis is really up to, why he turned me into Carmen Sandiego. I've never given up on anything, Neyla, and I don't intend to start now."
Neyla grinned. "There's the Old Ironsides I know and love."
TO BE CONTINUED...