I'M BACK! Please don't kill me? Thank you all for your patience surrounding my not-so-brief hiatus. I had writer's block which took forever for me to overcome, though Season 4 has definitely helped with that and then it came back… But hey, at least this chapter is one of the longer ones!
Also for me mentally, February is one of the hardest months of the year. Mental health comes first and my personal life has been super busy on top of that.
Looking back, I'm honestly not sure how I thought this story would've been completed in 2020… Oh well. Live and learn. So, whenever I get around to posting this, I should have a good amount of the story written. Reminder to self: whenever you write Carmen Sandiego stories, make sure to plot out your capers BEFORE you do any of the other writing. Somehow I thought I could get away with working out what the capers would be later and that they would be easier to write. Spoiler alert! They aren't, and are possibly the most difficult thing for me to write between the research and planning needed for them to make any sort of sense at all. On the bright side, I now have another 5-10 or so chapters planned out, and there will probably be another 10-15 after that which I haven't started to figure out yet. Baby steps you guys. Kinda.
I don't have a planned posting schedule yet, so apologies about that. I'm trying to start posting a new chapter every two weeks but that depends on a whole bunch of other factors. Key word there is trying. I'm currently juggling two different jobs which means my available free time is severely limited.
Sorry I haven't been responding to comments! Please know that I always appreciate them and all the support you guys have given this story.
Okay, I couldn't help myself with some references in this chapter, mainly with some of the new OCs I've created for this new caper. Apologies if some of you are getting annoyed by references to so many other fandoms, but I just can't help myself, especially since I'm still OBSESSED with Merlin! (If anyone has any fic recommendations, let me know!) It's a serious addiction that I should probably be worried about… Oh well. :)
Thanks as always to Vodonn!
I do not own Carmen Sandiego (Netflix). This story is a work of fiction that came from my own horrible brain because I have been searching for Player!whump and haven't found many fics like that.
With the collar on, Player didn't dare open his mouth. He was oh so tempted, but anything that left Carmen looking so shaken was something he had no desire to experience.
"Black Sheep, I assume you are familiar with a certain Dr. Calvin Watterson?" Roundabout asked.
Player's eyebrows went up at the name. Carmen would recognize that name if only because Player had half-ranted/half-raved over the man's work once or twice, as well as his wife's, Dr. Morgana Watterson's.
Or, just maybe, potentially more than that…
…..
"So let me get this straight," Carmen grumbled, forehead resting on her desk with her hands covering her head, "you're related to Dr. Calvin and Dr. Morgana Watterson."
"Yeah."
"The computer/engineering genius and the biochemist/cello prodigy? Both of whom teach at CMU?
"Yup."
"And you know what both of them are researching and have known about it since you were 10-freaking-years old."
"Uh huh."
"And you didn't tell me until now?!" Carmen lifted up her head to glare at her laptop screen.
Player grimaced before throwing both arms up in exasperation. "You didn't even know who they were until a week ago!"
"Exactly! You waited a freaking week to tell me that you're related to the Wattersons'!" Carmen continued to glare at the 14 year-old.
Carmen had only escaped from VILE a few months ago and was currently exploring Pittsburgh. Courtesy of VILE (and Player's mad hacking skills), she was enjoying the master suite and emperor-of-the-universe sized bed at her hotel. Besides traveling around the world, Carmen was reading anything she could get her hands on, including academic journals. It was her way of continuing her education without actually going to a formal college or university. Apparently Carmen had been raving about a research article by Dr. M. Watterson to Player, but he hadn't been fully paying attention to her. In his defense, he had been running on 3 hours of sleep over the past few days while decrypting some information that Player couldn't recall what it actually was about.
So when Player mentioned he was "related" to the Wattersons a week later… well their current conversation was happening.
"I was tired, okay?" Player grumbled.
"Okay, seriously, you should get more sleep. More importantly for the moment, HOW are you related to them?"
Player sighed, leaning back in his chair to contemplate the ceiling.
"First off, I'm not biologically related to them, okay? My mom and Dr. Morgana Watterson, who was still Morgana Collins at that point, went to some boarding school in the middle of Vermont together for high school. They met as freshmen because they were roommates and even though they were complete opposites, they were best friends. At least that's what Morgana told me."
"You call her by her first-!" Carmen began, but Player cut her off.
"I'm getting there! So apparently Morgana and my mom kept in contact through college, but had some big argument after Morgana and Calvin got married. My parents are unaware that I know the Wattersons, and Morgana gets really quiet if I ask what their argument was about, so I only did that once. Calvin says that, while he didn't know all the details, or won't tell me because he respects Morgana's wishes to keep some things a secret, that the argument was about Morgana marrying Calvin."
"Get to the part where you met the Wattersons!" Carmen shouted.
Player was grateful her hotel room was soundproof.
"You know about the hacking challenge Calvin Watterson gives out to his students every year?" Player knew he was grinning like a maniac but made no effort to stop it.
"No. Freaking. Way," Carmen was wide-eyed. "You BROKE into his security?! You weren't even one of his STUDENTS!"
Calvin Watterson's personal cyber security was supposed to be one of the best in the entire world. The yearly challenge he gave his students was rather infamous, as it covered both his own research, but also Morgana's.
"I was bored," Player started cackling as Carmen face-palmed, looking like she was questioning all of her life choices (or at least those which involved Player).
"I told him his security needed work," now Player was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "so then he hacked into my network."
Now it was Carmen's turn to cackle.
Player rolled his eyes and continued. "In another fit of sleep deprivation, I agreed to meet via video chat, so long as we could talk on a secure network protected by both of us. He agreed, Morgana was in the room when he called me the first time, and, well… either I look more like my mom than I first thought, or Morgana's just awesome like that."
Carmen was quiet before face-palming again.
"Your life is so weird, Player."
Player gave her an incredulous look. "Like you can talk!"
…..
Player had never told the Wattersons that he was working with the notorious "villain", Carmen Sandiego, but he was positive they had figured it out within the first week after Carmen's first caper. They knew he was a white-hat hacker, but they didn't press for details, which he adored them for.
He doubted they knew his parents were ACME agents.
The Wattersons were mentors and friends to him though he hadn't lied to VILE about being self-taught. Calvin had given him a few hints over the years but Player had done the same, so that evened out. Player had a general idea of what Calvin was working on, but what Morgana was doing he only vaguely understood.
He might be a genius, but he wasn't all knowing.
Besides, he was only 16!
Fuck, he was only 16...
"Your assignment, or, "caper", if you'd prefer, is to infiltrate Watterson Manor," Roundabout smirked.
Silence.
Carmen's eyebrows were raised in incredulity but her face revealed nothing else.
Player was sure all blood had fled his face as his eyes widened.
"Why?" Carmen asked through pursed lips.
"You are to steal one item for each of the faculty members of VILE," Roundabout's smirk could now rival a shark's smile.
"But you won't do it alone," Countess Cleo leaned forward, hands clasped in front of her, "you obviously rely on your "secret weapon for all of your "capers"."
Coach Brunt picked up where Countess Cleo left off, "Since you won't have your usual home team's advantage, let's even the playing field. You can have your "secret weapon" back for now."
"What's the catch?" Carmen spat out before Coach Brunt could finish her sentence.
"This."
Player wasn't sure which faculty member had spoken as he was too distracted by the jolt of electricity that sprinted through his body. He yelped, more out of instinct than out of pain. After what Coach Brunt, Roundabout, and the truth extractor had done earlier, the electrical jolt was a papercut.
Or so he told himself.
"Player!" Carmen yelled.
"I'm fine," Player called back, panting from the adrenaline rush and dawning realization of what the collar was going to be used for.
"This is your motivation to accomplish your mission efficiently and effectively. Every few hours you work on your caper, the kid gets a taste of what the compliance collar can really do," Coach Brunt's eyes were filled with far too much excitement for Player's taste.
"Each time, the voltage goes up or the time is prolonged, or both," Roundabout continued. "Depends on what we feel like."
"But where's the fun in that?" Dr. Bellum cackled. "If we get bored, we might just shock the boy anyway."
"How's he supposed to help me when he's tied up like that?" Carmen gritted her teeth together. "He needs more extensive medical treatment if he's going to help me."
"Now, now Miss Sandiego, we are reasonable people after all," Professor Maelstrom said with a smirk. "You will have 15 hours to prepare yourself for this "caper" and travel to Watterson Mansion; during that time the compliance collar will be inactive. We will give Jacob more medical attention and provide him with the necessary equipment for your mission."
Oh yes, "reasonable people" kidnap and torture people all the time, Player thought to himself. Had he spoken aloud, his words would've been dripping with sarcasm. Judging by the look Carmen shot the faculty, she agreed with Player's thoughts.
"What do each of you want from Watterson Manor?" Carmen finally asked.
Professor Maelstrom leaned forward, "The Wattersons' have a rather impressive collection of rare books and other pieces of literature in their library. These range across topic and discipline, from ancient medical texts that date back centuries, to preliminary drafts of the United States' Declaration of Independence. However, I have my eye on a more… unique document. The Wattersons' have one of Sigmund Freud's research journals in their collection and would be better off with me."
Player grimaced.
He'd taken an introduction to psychology class at Harvard, who occasionally offered free online courses, and it had not gone well. Sure, he understood the material, but once they reached the history of psychology and Freud's contributions to it, Player got annoyed immediately. It probably didn't help that he had been taking a cultural anthropology class at the University of Pennsylvania at the same time. The two areas overlapped, but Player found that said overlaps were mostly full of arguments between the two disciplines. Cultural anthropology was fascinating and unexpectedly helpful when Player did research on the locations of Carmen's capers. Player wasn't at all interested in what Freud's research contained, and, judging by Carmen's less-than-pleased face, neither was she.
Though, Player thought, that might be because she listened to a series of rants about him when I took the damn class.
Thankfully, Professor Maelstrom wasn't inclined to share that information either, and nodded to Coach Brunt.
"I want the Olympic gold medal Calvin Watterson's father won for wrestling. It should've gone to a former VILE operative, but Watterson's old man took the gold medal home instead. It was stolen from us by that no-good cheater and I want it back! Besides, I need a new coaster for my whisky," Coach Brunt drawled.
Player and Carmen shared the briefest of exasperated looks. They highly doubted that Calvin Watterson's father cheated to win; a member of VILE, however, was sure to cheat. VILE never took failure well, and they took humiliation even worse.
"My caper is more elegant than my colleagues, but no less of a challenge," Countess Cleo sneered. "Both Calvin and Morgana Watterson possess a treasure trove of jewellery which are family heirlooms; some of the pieces go back thousands of years. I want a set from the collection, and not just any set of jewels. There is a set consisting of a necklace, bracelet, ring, a pair of earrings, and an exquisite tiara, all of which will look fabulous with my new outfits. They are all gold, with various precious gem stones inlaid in them, including diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds. Appropriate, seeing that your meddling cost me Saint Edward's Crown, don't you think?"
Carmen scowled, "I thought that was Roundabout's caper."
"Oh it was," Countless Cleo glowered, "but I would've reaped the benefits of it as well."
"As furious as I am about the result of that failed mission," Roundabout growled, "I'll let Doctor Bellum explain her caper before I challenge you with mine."
"Appreciated, Roundabout," Doctor Bellum cackled and turned to face Carmen and Player. "I want Doctor Morgana Watterson's private research."
Player froze in his seat while Carmen's face looked as though it was carved out of ice.
Morgana's private research was an enigma to everyone, with the potential exception of Calvin. She once told Player that both Calvin and herself always had multiple research projects happening simultaneously, but not all of the projects' topics were known. It was general knowledge that Morgana had private research projects, but the level of secrecy they were kept under was unparalleled. These "secret projects" (as Morgana called them) or private research (as, apparently, Professor Maelstrom called them) were kept hidden for multiple reasons. Sometimes they weren't complete enough to reveal to the public, or they sounded so insane that Morgana didn't dare suggest them until she had data to prove her theories. Or, Player suspected, whatever Morgana was researching had the potential to cause more harm than good.
Carmen and Player exchanged a look, eyes meeting for no longer than a split second.
I guess I'll finally find out what Morgana's been researching, Player thought hysterically, while praying that VILE never got their grubby fingers on the confidential research.
"Any other details you'd like to share with us?" Carmen asked with a raised eyebrow and a hint of sarcasm.
The sarcasm wasn't quite hidden enough to go unnoticed by Doctor Bellum, and apparently the raised eyebrow wasn't appreciated either.
Player let out a yelp as the collar shocked him. It didn't last for more than a second, but it was enough to serve as an example of what the collar was capable of. The voltage had definitely gone up, but only enough to be noticeable; his yelp had been more out of surprise and unexpectedness of the pain.
"Stop!" Carmen cried out. Her eyes frantically switched between VILE faculty and Player whose breathing was uneven but the pain had receded.
"I'm okay," Player rasped out, not bothering to attempt a reassuring smile.
"That was a warning," Doctor Bellum growled, her finger lingering over a small remote. "You might've gotten away with it as Black Sheep, but it will not be tolerated by Carmen Sandiego. Clear?"
"As crystal," Carmen replied through gritted teeth.
"To answer your question, that is all the information I am providing you with for now. I'll inform your "secret weapon" of additional information once your caper has begun," Doctor Bellum smirked.
"Which leaves my caper," Roundabout sent Carmen and Player a grin which displayed far too many teeth.
"I want Calvin Watterson's private research to...even the playing field."
Player had thought anything Roundabout could have demanded would scare him more than Morgana's research; clearly he was wrong.
It wasn't that Player thought that Morgana's research could be any less impressive or dangerous as Calvin's, but unlike Morgana's research (her published research was near impossible for him to understand anyway), Player knew what Calvin's research could do in the wrong hands. Player didn't know what Calvin's current project was on, but he'd dropped a few hints over the past few months when bouncing ideas off of each other in an attempt to work around seemingly dead ends. Whatever Calvin was working on, it was sure to be revolutionary and equally dangerous.
"I'm assuming you'll reveal any remaining information to Player once the caper's begun?" Carmen asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a query.
"Very good Miss Sandiego," Roundabout chuckled. "You're getting a hang of how this will play out."
"To summarize: I have five items to steal from the Watterson's, and the caper begins in fifteen hours from the end of this call?" Carmen crossed her arms, fingers digging into her elbows.
"Correct," Professor Maelstrom smirked.
"Between now and when the caper begins, Player will have access to more extensive medical treatment, time to sleep, and some food and water," Carmen continued.
The VILE faculty exchanged looks that made Player rather uneasy.
"Yes, and the compliance collar will not shock your "secret weapon" every hour until you have arrived, provided he cooperates with us," Countess Cleo sniffed.
"How am I supposed to travel to Watterson Manor?" Carmen asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Seeing as the Troll has hacked into young Jacob's technology and now possesses the location of your hideout, he will text you instructions within the next few minutes," Roundabout sneered.
"Are you ready to begin?" Professor Maelstrom leaned forward to smirk over his interlaced fingers.
Player and Carmen exchanged a final look. Player could read Carmen's distress, anxiety, anger, and, worst of all, fear in her eyes; he sent her a faint grin in return.
"Fine, I'll expect a text from the Troll in a few minutes and I assume you'll contact me through my phone in fifteen hours," Carmen nodded to the faculty.
"Yes, the Troll will monitor your location and once you're in place, expect a call," Roundabout smirked. "Safe travels, Miss Sandiego."
The monitor turned black with a click, leaving Player alone once more and in the unforgiving hands of VILE.