Chapter 2

After escaping from NFX Laboratories, and Carmen Sandiego, Tigress returned to her rendezvous point, an abandoned warehouse, and immediately contacted the V.I.L.E Faculty for further instructions.

'Hello?' said Tigress, her signal being continually broken up by static. 'Professor Maelstrom? I've acquired the device as instructed, but you'd better get a move on with the extraction. Carmen Sandiego was at the laboratory, and she won't be far behind. Hello? HELLO?' She shouted at the phone, as it lost the signal entirely. She threw it against the wall in frustration.

V.I.L.E Island

The Faculty were seated at their table, having just lost Tigress's signal. Professor Maelstrom stroked his chin before speaking.

'Did anyone understand a word she just said?' he asked his fellow Faculty members.

'Something about a dingo?' suggested Coach Brunt.

'And a lavatory?' added Countess Cleo.

'Oh, it doesn't matter,' said Professor Maelstrom. 'Tigress can tell us all about it when she gets back. Dispatch Dash Haber to recover the quantum engine from Oxford.'

'I wouldn't recommend that,' Dr Bellum suddenly piped up. 'These red skies have caused virtually all flights on the planet to be grounded. Sending Dash Haber to Oxford…'

'May very well lead A.C.M.E right to us,' finished Professor Maelstrom. 'Yes, I see your point. Tigress will just have to wait until these atmospheric disturbances pass. Do you have any idea when that will be?'

'Not without identifying what's causing it,' said Dr Bellum. 'Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment here to do that.'

'Well, there's no rush,' said Professor Maelstrom. 'After all, it's not as if Carmen Sandiego is in Oxford right this very second.'

Oxford

Carmen quickly climbed out of the window, the same way she had got in. Dropping to the ground, she activated her comm.

'Player? Do you read me?' she asked. 'Player?' All she got in return was unending static.

'Tigress was at NFX, and she took the quantum engine,' Carmen said, hoping that Player could still hear her. 'I need you to find her. Whatever V.I.L.E wants with the quantum engine, I doubt it's to save the world from this anti-matter storm.'

'Red? Red! Can you hear me?' Player's voice broke in and out through the static. 'Did you just say Tigress has the device?'

'Yes! Yes, I did!' Carmen shouted, trying to break through the static.

'Well, I probably should have seen that coming,' Player said, the static threatening every second to drown out his voice. 'I found the information about the engine on the V.I.L.E hard drive. Seems they were interested in its power capabilities. And of course, they would pick the worst time to steal it.'

'Ok, look, can you track Tigress down using facial recognition?' asked Carmen. 'She can't have got far.'

'I'll try, Red,' Player replied. 'But the anti-matter is getting much worse. It's interfering with everything. It's taking almost everything I've got just stay in contact with you. Perhaps you could ask people if they've seen her? She's not exactly inconspicuous.'

'No, V.I.L.E training, remember?' said Carmen. 'She'll have stuck to the shadows, following- that's it!'

'What's it?' asked Player.

'She'll follow protocol and find somewhere to wait for the next operative to take the engine from her,' Carmen said.

'Any idea where she would do that?' asked Player.

'Somewhere deserted would be ideal. It's a bit cliché, but an abandoned warehouse perhaps?' suggested Carmen.

'Alright, looking up warehouses in Oxford,' said Player. 'I'll let you know as soon as I have something. In the meantime, you might want to get away from NFX. Those security guards noticed the device is missing. And since they saw you…'

'I'll be their number one suspect,' finished Carmen. 'Which means A.C.M.E won't be far behind. Don't worry, Player. I have the exact same V.I.L.E training as Tigress. I can stick to the shadows too.'

With that, Carmen slipped down the alleyway, getting as far from the scene of the crime as she could.

A.C.M.E HQ

Julia lifted her eyes away from her book on the French Revolution and looked out of the window at the red skies. A.C.M.E officials had assured their agents that they were nothing more than the result of rare meteorological phenomena, but Julia wasn't convinced. Her instinct was telling her that this was something more. Suddenly, a beeping emanating from her pocket pulled her back to reality.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her pen, clicking it and throwing it to the floor. The holographic image of Chief appeared above it.

'Agent Argent,' Chief began. 'We've had a fresh Carmen Sandiego sighting at NFX Laboratories in Oxford. She stole a prototype quantum engine, designed for clean energy use.'

'That doesn't make sense,' Julia argued. 'Carmen Sandiego steals historical artefacts, before returning them a few days later. Why would she suddenly steal a scientific innovation that could help save the planet?'

'We don't know,' said Chief. 'I'm sending you to Oxford to investigate. Find Sandiego, apprehend her, and recover the quantum device.'

'I thought all flights were grounded due to the red skies,' said Julia.

'They are,' said Chief. 'But the device is incredibly powerful, and we can't risk leaving it in the hands of Carmen Sandiego. That's why I'm granting you special permission for a flight to Oxford. You leave in 15 minutes.'

With that, the hologram disappeared, and the pen fell to the floor.

Oxford

Tigress, meanwhile, was getting restless.

'What is taking them so long?' she growled under her breath.

'Well, you know what they say,' said a voice. Tigress looked up at the walkway above her and was shocked to see Carmen standing above her. 'Patience is a virtue.' Carmen jumped off the walkway and landed in front of Tigress.

'What are you doing here?' Tigress spat.

'I want the quantum engine, Tigress,' said Carmen, as the two began circling each other.

'Not going to happen,' said Tigress.

'You don't understand what's happening,' Carmen said. 'I need that device.'

'Tell you what,' Tigress said. 'I'll fight you for it!' With no warning, she swung her fist at Carmen, who managed to dodge it. The two former classmates got locked into battle, both getting some solid shots in.

Just as Carmen was about to throw the winning punch, a massive surge of static burst through her comm device as the anti-matter levels increased, momentarily stunning her.

Tigress took full advantage of the distraction, and knocked Carmen unconscious, grinning wildly as the Scarlet Super Thief collapsed to the ground.