Chapter 1

ACME HQ 14:00 hours

Chief smiled; at last their mysterious ally had followed through. Now she and ACME would finally be able to know everything about their elusive enemy. She watched the symbol on the screen before something glitched and the symbol changed...to a white cap. What was this?! This wasn't VILE information! As to what it really was, Chief guesses two possible explanations: this was some form of practical joke that was NOT very funny or...

The incoming of alarmed agents confirmed her latter suspicions.

"We've been hacked!" One agent yelled frantically.

It was hectic; albeit amusing considering how they hadn't noticed yet that she wasn't a hologram.

She heard a small voice behind her, "Um, Chief?"

"Yes?" She answered impatiently.

The agent looked shocked for a moment before biting her lip, "Um, this is probably a bad time...but that Australian individual we saw with Carmen Sandiego in Sydney? We know who he is."

"Go on"

"His name is Graham Parker," She handed her the file with all of Gray's personal information.

"Thank you," She said as the agent turned and walked away.

She may have just been betrayed by her former ally, but at least now she'd have some clue as to who she really is. She thought she knew Le Femme Rouge, but she clearly didn't. Maybe this "Graham" would be able to tell her.

Julia was shocked. Carmen Sandiego had just duped Chief! How could she? After all that time of ACME building up their trust with her team, she just decides to send it all tumbling down. She was enraged. There was no way she was going to let that slide. There was no way Carmen Sandiego was going to get away with making a fool out of the one person who had believed in her and was the only one to saw her brilliant mind for what it was. She ignored the small voice in the back her head telling her that this was totally out of character for the person who had helped the agency time and time again.

"Carmen Sandiego, you are going down," She muttered darkly.

Sydney 04:00 hours

Graham sipped from his coffee at his favourite café as he stared remorsefully at the bus stop across the road. It had been a couple of months since he had last seen the girl in red, yet not a day had gone by without him thinking about her. There had been something about her that nagged at the corner of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The day he met her backstage at the Sydney Opera House was strange; she had said some pretty weird things. She acted curt and angry, then a few weeks later she called him "Gray," like it was a nickname she used for him often. He knew something fishy was going on when she had "hired" him to conduct the lighting for a "children's charity." When she had really been getting him to do…something that would help her with some form of top-secret mission. She didn't seem like a bad guy; she would have killed those guards if she was, so he deduced that she was a spy. It made sense, with the disappearing act and all, but it didn't make up for the familiarity she seemed to have with him. There was definitely something she wasn't telling him, but what? Maybe…the thought died as soon as he thought it. Two women in uniform were standing on the other side of the road. If they were trying to be discrete, they were failing horribly. No one wore suits like that at a place like this, not even Carmen Sandiego and her eccentric red trench coat. His brow started sweating and his heart was beating faster. What was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly so nervous about two odd-looking people in suits? It didn't make sense. The subconscious part of his brain started to look for back exits, escape routes and ways to get out of sight. What was this? This was starting to get ridiculous. It was almost as if he was Jason Bourne…after he'd lost his memory in the first movie and was able to do things that he doesn't remember being able to do or why. Like he had hidden knowledge. Was that why he was able to shut down that EMP in New Zealand? Had something happened in that one-year memory gap that was important? Had he known Carmen Sandiego in that time? Was that why she seemed to know him? The women in suits were now making their way across the street. Two parts of his mind were now arguing with each other. Run or stay? Escape or fight? The flight part of his brain took over, so he stood up to make a run for it. Then he blacked out.

Moments later he woke up surrounded by more people in the same suits as the two from before. He tried to move his arms only to find that he had been handcuffed to the chair.

"Uhh, w-what's going on?" He tried and failed to smile.

One of them reached into their jacket and pulled out a pen. He tensed himself, prepared to be ready for anything, only to be surprised as they clicked the pen and a hologram of an African American female with white hair and wearing a suit different to that of the others in the room.

"Who are you?" He asked.

She was calm and curt in her response, "Call me Chief. Those that surround you are agents of a secret agency that very few really know about."

"Like Carmen Sandiego?"

Her eyes narrowed, "What exactly do you know about said individual?"

"Uh, not much, showed up at the Opera House a while ago. Quite an eccentric taste she's got with that red coat of hers."

"Go on."

"About a month later she shows up again and said that she was a part of a charity organisation or something. Said she needed me in New Zealand as a lightings guy. Turns out it was something else. Still not sure what though. She was cloak and dagger about the whole thing. Figured she was a part of a spy agency like MI6 or MI5 or something. Was she a part of yours? Did she go rogue?"

"Not quite, but something like it."

There was an uncomfortable pause before Graham said, "So, uh. I never got to say my name. I'm…"

"Graham Parker, we know."

"R-right, course. What exactly do you want with me?"

She lifted her head slightly, "Carmen Sandiego has committed a serious crime against our agency; thus, she needs to be brought down. We have footage of you with her at a café just a few months ago and now you are our only lead. Are you certain that is all you know about her?"

He was a bit stunned. She was clearly angry about something Carmen had done. Maybe she was a bad guy? He frowned, no that doesn't fit.

"What exactly did she do?"

Chief hesitated before answering, "She'd been working with us to bring down a secret, evil agency called VILE, one she knew quite well, but we're still not sure as to how or why. Nevertheless, we'd made an agreement that we would help her with backup on her missions in exchange for more details on VILE. We thought she'd come through on our deal only for her to give us a bug, which allowed her to hack into our systems, giving her everything she needed to know about us and perhaps hand it over to the enemy she may have been working with all along."

Now he was really surprised. Maybe the person he saw hadn't been the real Carmen. Maybe the real Carmen Sandiego was dastardly and villainous, but he hadn't seen it because he'd been too blind, or she'd been to sneaky. Even as he thought it, it didn't seem right. Like not all the pieces could be seen. He sighed, as much as he didn't know about this gal, he might as well tell her the whole truth.

"Couple of years ago I had an accident with the electrics, sent me to hospital in a coma. Year later I wake up and I can't remember a thing that happened in that year. Soon after the lady in red turns up and acts like she knows me. I didn't think much of it at that time; I have a bit of a generic face. Then she starts calling me 'Gray' a couple of months ago when she called me over to do that "lighting" job in Sydney. Ever since then I can't shake this feeling that she knows something that happened during that year that I lost," He continued to tell them about what happened in New Zealand and the load of money left in his bank account.

When he finished Chief nodded at one of the agents, signalling them to unlock the cuffs. They fell to the floor.

"Sorry I couldn't be much help," He said.

"That's quite alright…"

"Chief!" One of the agents cried out.

"Yes, Agent Argent?" The hologram turned to the female with dark, short hair.

"I recognise him, I didn't at first as I wasn't with Ch-ahem, Agent Devineaux when he apprehended this young man whom Carmen Sandiego had left behind on the train in France. He had no wallet, personal information or credentials. I found it quite odd at the time. Tell me, when did you awaken from your coma?" The last sentence was aimed at him.

For the third time that day he was stunned, left by Carmen Sandiego on a train in France? He certainly didn't remember that.

"August of last year I reckon," He answered.

"Well there you go, we apprehended him in June. A full two months before he woke up in hospital. Before we were able to question him, he disappeared, left the Interpol holding facility by an authority unknown to us. Could it be that he may be linked to miss Carmen Sandiego's past? Perhaps even, a member of VILE?"

"What? No way! There's no way I'd join a bad guys group, mob or whatever! You may be right about the Sandiego part but definitely not that!"

She continued calmly, "It makes sense, if you had been sloppy enough to get caught once you might get caught again. Or, during a heist, be recognised in the streets. As to explaining the means of erasing his memory, we've seen Agent Devineaux seriously injured and put into a temporary coma. After which he came out with little memory of what happened. Which sounds remarkably similar to Graham's predicament, does it not? Mister Parker?"

He put his hands in his pockets, she had a point. However crazy it seemed, that may have happened during his one-year blackout. Actually, if what she was implying was true, then it wouldn't have been a blackout at all. He could have quite possibly been a bad guy.

"Well, if that is true, then I want to make it right. I wanna help with your missions and what-not."

Chief smiled, clearly amused, "That's very kind Mister Parker, but I'd have to decline…"

"Uh, Chief…may I say something?" Agent Argent spoke up once more.

"Fire away Argent."

"It may be wise to have Mister Parker with us. It's possible that though he doesn't remember anything now, he might in the near future. If he really was with VILE, he may know some of their tactics in the subconscious part of his brain."

"Logical thinking Agent Argent, good work," The Julia smiled in reply. "Very well then. Agent Zari, please give Parker temporary ACME items, if you please."

"Yes Chief," Said person responded.

Agent Zari handed him a pen, key card and what looked like a fancy hairdryer. Okay, now he was confused.

"Uhh, what am I supposed to do with this?"

Chief pointed to each object as she explained, "That is your communicator, simply click the top and I will appear. Don't try it now, the network struggles when two or more links are open. Plus, I am not a multi-tasker. The card has multiple uses, of which I am not obliged to explain right now. The third and final object contains a gas-form of a sedative. Makes things a little easier when clearing up whilst not trying to leave behind any evidence of our existence."

"Huh, cool…just how top secret are you guys?"

"We are, or at least used to be, even more of a secret than VILE. Who knows how much of our network Carmen Sandiego has revealed to the enemy? Therefore, it is imperative that we, and you, capture her as soon as possible. Do you understand, Agent Parker?"

"Yes Chief, I won't let you down," He finished with a grin and put his new ACME items into the pockets of his jacket.