"A Tale of Two Outlaws"
by Belle Book
Part Three
The VILE Base on Gaveston Road, Houston
Ivy and Zack emerged from the C-5 Corridor.
Looks like Josha's modifications to the C-5
Corridor worked, Ivy thought, as she looked a-
round her.
They were in a corridor. Most of the doors
they saw were open, but one was closed.
Ivy and Zack snuck up to the closed door
and tried it. It was unlocked.
Opening the door, Ivy and Zack peeked
in.
To their surprise, they saw Carmen, a
scientist -- and Carmen's time machine! They
also saw "A Shepherd's Boy" and "The Milk
Maid of Bordeaux" nearby.
"How would Carmen be able to get both
that painting and that sculpture inside her time
machine?" Zack whispered to Ivy. "And where's
the medicine she stole?"
"I don't know, but I think it's time we found
out," said Ivy.
She then pushed the door open and asked,
"What are you up to this time, Carmen?"
"You'll see," said Carmen. "Two of the i-
tems I stole are the clues."
With that, she ran to her time machine.
Zack and Ivy began to follow her, but two of
Carmen's henchmen stood in their way.
Of course, Ivy took care of the henchmen
with her famous karate chops, but by the time
she did so, Carmen had already gotten into
the time machine and turned it on!
Ivy and Zack ran toward it, but it was too
late. The time machine spun rapidly, then
disappeared in a flash!
"She got away again!" cried Ivy.
"Chief, send us the Chronoskimmer!" Zack
said.
"OK," said the Chief. "I'm sending it with
someone you probably know very well."
A minute later, Armando Arguello, an Ar-
gentinian detective Ivy and Zack knew very
well, arrived with the Chronoskimmer!
"Ivy, Zack! It's been a while since we man-
aged to stop Lee Jordan from taking control
of VILE," said Armando.
"Armando!" Zack cried. "And you have the
Chronoskimmer!" Armando gave the Chrono-
skimmer to Zack.
"How'd the Chief get hold of you so quick-
ly?" asked Ivy.
"I wanted to find out how you were doing,
so I went over to Acme Headquarters," explain-
ed Armando. "The Chief explained what you
were doing, so I decided to stay there in case
I was needed."
"Well, we need your help," said Ivy. "Car-
men's gone back in time, and we must cap-
ture her. However, it appears she left behind
"A Shepherd Boy" by Thorvaldsen and "The
Milk Maid of Bordeaux" by Goya. We need you
to return them to the museums where they be-
long."
"I can return the painting easily," said Ar-
mando. "But I'm going to need some help with
the sculpture. It's over 4 feet tall, and is prob-
ably very heavy. However, I think I can call in
some of my fellow Argentinian agents for help
with that."
"While you do that, we'll track Carmen down,"
said Zack as he activated the Chronoskimmer.
"Where's she headed to?" asked the Chief.
Before Zack could answer, the time corri-
dor opened and he and Ivy disappeared inside
it, leaving Armando to get help for returning the
sculpture and the painting.
_______________________________________________________________
Outside Los Angeles, 1821
Carmen's time machine landed behind a
hill on the road to the de la Vega hacienda.
Carmen said, "Computer, have we arrvied
at the right time and in the right location?"
The computer said, "Confirmed. The infor-
mation you gave me allowed me to arrive at the
exact moment that Diego de la Vega said that
he was going to adopt Felipe. We are current-
ly on the road to the de la Vega hacienda."
Good, thought Carmen. After she decided
which objects she wanted to steal besides the
herbal medicine, she had her scientist program
the time machine, giving him her book as the
guide.
She had decided it would be best to arrive
at the exact moment that Diego's decision to
tell his father and Victoria that he was Zorro
took an unexpected detour. So she told her
scientist to program the time machine to arrive
at that moment.
And it looked like he also used the book's
descriptions of the area to program in the best
location for her to meet the de la Vegas, just
as she hoped he would.
And because she needed a good disguise to
avoid attracting attention, she'd managed to get
a red dress like that worn by Spanish women in the
1820s and a dark blue shawl from her secret ware-
house in New York City.
So, Carmen quickly got out of her normal
outfit to the red dress, put on her shawl, arrang-
her hair so that one eye was still hidden, placed
the medicine bottle into a pocket inside the dress,
and pushed a button.
Immediately, the door opened and the world's
greatest thief of the twentieth century, Carmen
Sandiego, stepped out to face her latest challenge.
____________________________________________________________
Los Angeles, 1821, a minute after Carmen's arrival
outside the pueblo
"Do you remember when Gilberto was a-
bout to shoot you?" Don Alejandro asked. "He
said he was not only going to kill you, he was
also going to kill -- and then he never finished.
What do you suppose he was going to say,
Diego?"
Diego hesitated for a minute. While he
wanted to tell his father the truth, he didn't want
to tell his father right there.
"Father, I think we'd better go back to the
hacienda," he finally said.
Don Alejandro looked puzzled for a minute,
then nodded.
They walked back to Felipe and Victoria.
Diego signaled to Felipe that they were going
back to the hacienda.
Then Diego turned to Victoria. He said,
"Victoria, we're going back to the hacienda.
We've all had a difficult time and I think we
need to rest." He knew he did, with that gun-
shot wound still troubling him.
Victoria said, "Okay, but I hope to see you
tonight."
"If I'm feeling up to it, I'll see you tonight. If
not, I'll see you tomorrow," said Diego.
With that, Diego, Don Alejandro, and Felipe
untied their horses and left the pueblo.
On the way, Diego tried to keep his fears
from overwhelming his resolve. He had always
wanted to tell his father the truth -- that he was
Zorro. But he also wanted to protect his father.
If Zorro was unmasked, he knew that his
father would be in trouble. So he pretended to
be too studious, weak-willed, and clumsy with
a sword, even to his father. And he'd been suc-
cessful -- until now.
However, his father had seen his skill with
the sword. He'd be asking questions soon.
So, Diego had resolved to tell his father the
truth. He just had to keep his fears from
stopping him.
His reverie was interrupted at that moment
by the neighing of his horse.
Looking ahead, he saw the strangest wo-
man he'd ever seen before. She wore a red dress,
and a dark blue shawl covered her shoulders. The
outfit itself wasn't unusual -- many Spanish women
wore similar outfits -- but her hair was arranged
in such a way that it covered one of her eyes. Her
hair was black and the eye that could be seen look-
ed blue.
"Buenas tardes, senorita," said Don Alejan-
dro. "Do you need some assistance?"
"Gracias, senor," said the woman. "I was on
my way from Monterey to San Diego de Alcala
with some good friends of mine who were going
to move there.
"We were attacked by bandits and I escaped,
but my friends were killed. Now, I'm all alone and
I need a place to stay for a while."
"You can stay at our hacienda till you can con-
tinue on to San Diego," Don Alejandro said as he,
Diego, and Felipe all dismounted and approached
the woman.
"I'm Don Alejandro de la Vega," Don Alejandro
said. "This is my son, Diego --" Diego nodded --
"and this young man is his servant, Felipe, who
will soon be a permanent member of our family."
The woman's face saddened. "Family," she
said sadly. "That's why I came to San Diego in
the first place. My parents came there from
Spain. I was from a poor family, and I was born
there. But they were killed by Indians and only I
was left.
"I had no relatives, so I was sent to live
in an orphanage in the area. When I became a teen-
ager, I got the opportunity to continue my educa-
tion in Spain, because I was the best student a-
mong the women. My name was Carmen, and
the family who raised me gave me the last name
Sandiego after my birthplace. So I'm known as
Carmen Sandiego."
"Welcome to Los Angeles, senorita," said
Don Alejandro. "You can ride a horse, can't
you?"
Carmen smiled. "I can."
"Then you can ride with me," said Don Ale-
jandro. He extended a hand to the woman in
red. "Felipe's riding with Diego."
Carmen took his hand and pulled herself up,
seating herself behind Don Alejandro, much to
the men's surprise.
Once she was on Don Alejandro's horse,
they continued on their way to the de la Vega
hacienda.
_______________________________________________________
"It's kind of you to let me stay at your place,"
Carmen said.
"It's good to get home again," said Don Ale-
jandro. "We've had a rough time very recently."
Carmen knew what Don Alejandro was re-
ferring to, but she couldn't tell them she knew
the truth yet. So instead she asked, "What hap-
pened?"
Don Alejandro explained all that had happen-
ed in the last few days, beginning with Gilberto
Resendo's arrival in the pueblo, and ending with
Diego's suggestion that they go back to the hac-
ienda.
Don Alejandro then explained all about Alcal-
de DeSoto and his predecessor, Alcalde Ramone.
They were both tyrants who oppressed the people.
However, one man fought against them, and that
man was El Zorro.
"I have heard of him in Spain," said Carmen.
"I hope to meet him someday."
Of course, she knew that she'd already met
El Zorro when she met Diego, but only she knew
that yet. However, Don Alejandro might learn that
his son was El Zorro soon.
As for her story, she suspected Don Alejandro
would have it investigated, and that Diego would
investigate it, too. She knew that Diego would
probably find out she was lying, and in that case,
she was prepared to tell him the truth about her-
self.
A minute later, they arrived at the de la Vega
hacienda and dismounted. Another servant took
the horses away while Carmen, Don Alejandro,
Diego, and Felipe went inside.
________________________________________________________
Inside the de la Vega hacienda
"Felipe, prepare the guest room for Senorita
Carmen Sandiego," said Diego to Felipe. Felipe
went to do so.
"Senorita, wait here until Felipe returns," Don
Alejandro said to Carmen. "He'll take you to the
guest room."
"All right," said Carmen.
Don Alejandro then turned to Diego.
"Well, can you explain what Resendo meant,
Diego?" asked Don Alejandro.
Diego said, "Father, would you come with me?"
Don Alejandro agreed, and soon they stood in
front of the fireplace. Diego took a deep breath to
steady his nerves.
"Father, did you hear anything about a secret
passageway built by the previous owner as a way
of escape from the Indians?" Diego asked.
Don Alejandro frowned, then said, "I believe
I did hear a rumor about it, but I believed it was
just a rumor."
Diego pushed the secret lever and the secret
door opened. "It's no rumor, Father."
______________________________________________________
Inside the cave, a minute later
Don Alejandro couldn't believe what he was
seeing.
He was in a cave underneath the de la Vega
hacienda. And the cave was filled with stuff he'd
recognize anywhere.
There was a table filled with chemicals. There
was also a stable, and inside the stable was Zorro's
horse, Toronado! And off to the side, Don Alejandro
could see the black clothes, hat, cape, and mask of
Zorro!
But what were they doing under his hacienda?
"Diego, what's all this doing underneath the
hacienda?" Don Alejandro asked.
Diego said, "Father, I am Zorro. I have always
been Zorro. When I came home from Spain, I saw
the tyranny Los Angeles was under, and I realized
the only way to resist it was to assume a disguise.
"I didn't tell you or Victoria because I wished
to protect you both. If I was unmasked, you both
would've been put in jail by the Alcalde. The only
person who knew was Felipe. He can hear but he
pretends not to hear so as to aid me."
Don Alejandro couldn't believe it for a minute.
My son, Zorro? he thought. Then he remembered
Diego's interest in chemistry -- an interest Zorro
had as well.
And surely he should've considered the pos-
sibility that Zorro could avoid being detected for
so long because he never allowed people to see
how brave he was in real life!
But the assumption that Zorro would show
his skills when he didn't wear the mask as well
as when he did was a natural assumption -- and
probably the reason why Diego took such a course
of action.
Diego interrupted Don Alejandro's thoughts by
asking, "Father, do you hear me?"
"I heard you," Don Alejandro said. "It's just that
I had to accept what you said." He then cried out,
"I was such a fool! I thought you were too weak-
willed to stand up to the Alcalde, and you were
standing up to him all along! Will you forgive me
for not seeing the truth?"
"Yes," said Diego. "Will you forgive me for
deceiving you?"
"Yes," said Don Alejandro. "I'm proud of you
-- Zorro."
They hugged, never seeing somebody peek-
ing out from the passageway.
Carmen Sandiego smiled as she watched
them, then crept back up to wait for Felipe.
To be continued
by Belle Book
Part Three
The VILE Base on Gaveston Road, Houston
Ivy and Zack emerged from the C-5 Corridor.
Looks like Josha's modifications to the C-5
Corridor worked, Ivy thought, as she looked a-
round her.
They were in a corridor. Most of the doors
they saw were open, but one was closed.
Ivy and Zack snuck up to the closed door
and tried it. It was unlocked.
Opening the door, Ivy and Zack peeked
in.
To their surprise, they saw Carmen, a
scientist -- and Carmen's time machine! They
also saw "A Shepherd's Boy" and "The Milk
Maid of Bordeaux" nearby.
"How would Carmen be able to get both
that painting and that sculpture inside her time
machine?" Zack whispered to Ivy. "And where's
the medicine she stole?"
"I don't know, but I think it's time we found
out," said Ivy.
She then pushed the door open and asked,
"What are you up to this time, Carmen?"
"You'll see," said Carmen. "Two of the i-
tems I stole are the clues."
With that, she ran to her time machine.
Zack and Ivy began to follow her, but two of
Carmen's henchmen stood in their way.
Of course, Ivy took care of the henchmen
with her famous karate chops, but by the time
she did so, Carmen had already gotten into
the time machine and turned it on!
Ivy and Zack ran toward it, but it was too
late. The time machine spun rapidly, then
disappeared in a flash!
"She got away again!" cried Ivy.
"Chief, send us the Chronoskimmer!" Zack
said.
"OK," said the Chief. "I'm sending it with
someone you probably know very well."
A minute later, Armando Arguello, an Ar-
gentinian detective Ivy and Zack knew very
well, arrived with the Chronoskimmer!
"Ivy, Zack! It's been a while since we man-
aged to stop Lee Jordan from taking control
of VILE," said Armando.
"Armando!" Zack cried. "And you have the
Chronoskimmer!" Armando gave the Chrono-
skimmer to Zack.
"How'd the Chief get hold of you so quick-
ly?" asked Ivy.
"I wanted to find out how you were doing,
so I went over to Acme Headquarters," explain-
ed Armando. "The Chief explained what you
were doing, so I decided to stay there in case
I was needed."
"Well, we need your help," said Ivy. "Car-
men's gone back in time, and we must cap-
ture her. However, it appears she left behind
"A Shepherd Boy" by Thorvaldsen and "The
Milk Maid of Bordeaux" by Goya. We need you
to return them to the museums where they be-
long."
"I can return the painting easily," said Ar-
mando. "But I'm going to need some help with
the sculpture. It's over 4 feet tall, and is prob-
ably very heavy. However, I think I can call in
some of my fellow Argentinian agents for help
with that."
"While you do that, we'll track Carmen down,"
said Zack as he activated the Chronoskimmer.
"Where's she headed to?" asked the Chief.
Before Zack could answer, the time corri-
dor opened and he and Ivy disappeared inside
it, leaving Armando to get help for returning the
sculpture and the painting.
_______________________________________________________________
Outside Los Angeles, 1821
Carmen's time machine landed behind a
hill on the road to the de la Vega hacienda.
Carmen said, "Computer, have we arrvied
at the right time and in the right location?"
The computer said, "Confirmed. The infor-
mation you gave me allowed me to arrive at the
exact moment that Diego de la Vega said that
he was going to adopt Felipe. We are current-
ly on the road to the de la Vega hacienda."
Good, thought Carmen. After she decided
which objects she wanted to steal besides the
herbal medicine, she had her scientist program
the time machine, giving him her book as the
guide.
She had decided it would be best to arrive
at the exact moment that Diego's decision to
tell his father and Victoria that he was Zorro
took an unexpected detour. So she told her
scientist to program the time machine to arrive
at that moment.
And it looked like he also used the book's
descriptions of the area to program in the best
location for her to meet the de la Vegas, just
as she hoped he would.
And because she needed a good disguise to
avoid attracting attention, she'd managed to get
a red dress like that worn by Spanish women in the
1820s and a dark blue shawl from her secret ware-
house in New York City.
So, Carmen quickly got out of her normal
outfit to the red dress, put on her shawl, arrang-
her hair so that one eye was still hidden, placed
the medicine bottle into a pocket inside the dress,
and pushed a button.
Immediately, the door opened and the world's
greatest thief of the twentieth century, Carmen
Sandiego, stepped out to face her latest challenge.
____________________________________________________________
Los Angeles, 1821, a minute after Carmen's arrival
outside the pueblo
"Do you remember when Gilberto was a-
bout to shoot you?" Don Alejandro asked. "He
said he was not only going to kill you, he was
also going to kill -- and then he never finished.
What do you suppose he was going to say,
Diego?"
Diego hesitated for a minute. While he
wanted to tell his father the truth, he didn't want
to tell his father right there.
"Father, I think we'd better go back to the
hacienda," he finally said.
Don Alejandro looked puzzled for a minute,
then nodded.
They walked back to Felipe and Victoria.
Diego signaled to Felipe that they were going
back to the hacienda.
Then Diego turned to Victoria. He said,
"Victoria, we're going back to the hacienda.
We've all had a difficult time and I think we
need to rest." He knew he did, with that gun-
shot wound still troubling him.
Victoria said, "Okay, but I hope to see you
tonight."
"If I'm feeling up to it, I'll see you tonight. If
not, I'll see you tomorrow," said Diego.
With that, Diego, Don Alejandro, and Felipe
untied their horses and left the pueblo.
On the way, Diego tried to keep his fears
from overwhelming his resolve. He had always
wanted to tell his father the truth -- that he was
Zorro. But he also wanted to protect his father.
If Zorro was unmasked, he knew that his
father would be in trouble. So he pretended to
be too studious, weak-willed, and clumsy with
a sword, even to his father. And he'd been suc-
cessful -- until now.
However, his father had seen his skill with
the sword. He'd be asking questions soon.
So, Diego had resolved to tell his father the
truth. He just had to keep his fears from
stopping him.
His reverie was interrupted at that moment
by the neighing of his horse.
Looking ahead, he saw the strangest wo-
man he'd ever seen before. She wore a red dress,
and a dark blue shawl covered her shoulders. The
outfit itself wasn't unusual -- many Spanish women
wore similar outfits -- but her hair was arranged
in such a way that it covered one of her eyes. Her
hair was black and the eye that could be seen look-
ed blue.
"Buenas tardes, senorita," said Don Alejan-
dro. "Do you need some assistance?"
"Gracias, senor," said the woman. "I was on
my way from Monterey to San Diego de Alcala
with some good friends of mine who were going
to move there.
"We were attacked by bandits and I escaped,
but my friends were killed. Now, I'm all alone and
I need a place to stay for a while."
"You can stay at our hacienda till you can con-
tinue on to San Diego," Don Alejandro said as he,
Diego, and Felipe all dismounted and approached
the woman.
"I'm Don Alejandro de la Vega," Don Alejandro
said. "This is my son, Diego --" Diego nodded --
"and this young man is his servant, Felipe, who
will soon be a permanent member of our family."
The woman's face saddened. "Family," she
said sadly. "That's why I came to San Diego in
the first place. My parents came there from
Spain. I was from a poor family, and I was born
there. But they were killed by Indians and only I
was left.
"I had no relatives, so I was sent to live
in an orphanage in the area. When I became a teen-
ager, I got the opportunity to continue my educa-
tion in Spain, because I was the best student a-
mong the women. My name was Carmen, and
the family who raised me gave me the last name
Sandiego after my birthplace. So I'm known as
Carmen Sandiego."
"Welcome to Los Angeles, senorita," said
Don Alejandro. "You can ride a horse, can't
you?"
Carmen smiled. "I can."
"Then you can ride with me," said Don Ale-
jandro. He extended a hand to the woman in
red. "Felipe's riding with Diego."
Carmen took his hand and pulled herself up,
seating herself behind Don Alejandro, much to
the men's surprise.
Once she was on Don Alejandro's horse,
they continued on their way to the de la Vega
hacienda.
_______________________________________________________
"It's kind of you to let me stay at your place,"
Carmen said.
"It's good to get home again," said Don Ale-
jandro. "We've had a rough time very recently."
Carmen knew what Don Alejandro was re-
ferring to, but she couldn't tell them she knew
the truth yet. So instead she asked, "What hap-
pened?"
Don Alejandro explained all that had happen-
ed in the last few days, beginning with Gilberto
Resendo's arrival in the pueblo, and ending with
Diego's suggestion that they go back to the hac-
ienda.
Don Alejandro then explained all about Alcal-
de DeSoto and his predecessor, Alcalde Ramone.
They were both tyrants who oppressed the people.
However, one man fought against them, and that
man was El Zorro.
"I have heard of him in Spain," said Carmen.
"I hope to meet him someday."
Of course, she knew that she'd already met
El Zorro when she met Diego, but only she knew
that yet. However, Don Alejandro might learn that
his son was El Zorro soon.
As for her story, she suspected Don Alejandro
would have it investigated, and that Diego would
investigate it, too. She knew that Diego would
probably find out she was lying, and in that case,
she was prepared to tell him the truth about her-
self.
A minute later, they arrived at the de la Vega
hacienda and dismounted. Another servant took
the horses away while Carmen, Don Alejandro,
Diego, and Felipe went inside.
________________________________________________________
Inside the de la Vega hacienda
"Felipe, prepare the guest room for Senorita
Carmen Sandiego," said Diego to Felipe. Felipe
went to do so.
"Senorita, wait here until Felipe returns," Don
Alejandro said to Carmen. "He'll take you to the
guest room."
"All right," said Carmen.
Don Alejandro then turned to Diego.
"Well, can you explain what Resendo meant,
Diego?" asked Don Alejandro.
Diego said, "Father, would you come with me?"
Don Alejandro agreed, and soon they stood in
front of the fireplace. Diego took a deep breath to
steady his nerves.
"Father, did you hear anything about a secret
passageway built by the previous owner as a way
of escape from the Indians?" Diego asked.
Don Alejandro frowned, then said, "I believe
I did hear a rumor about it, but I believed it was
just a rumor."
Diego pushed the secret lever and the secret
door opened. "It's no rumor, Father."
______________________________________________________
Inside the cave, a minute later
Don Alejandro couldn't believe what he was
seeing.
He was in a cave underneath the de la Vega
hacienda. And the cave was filled with stuff he'd
recognize anywhere.
There was a table filled with chemicals. There
was also a stable, and inside the stable was Zorro's
horse, Toronado! And off to the side, Don Alejandro
could see the black clothes, hat, cape, and mask of
Zorro!
But what were they doing under his hacienda?
"Diego, what's all this doing underneath the
hacienda?" Don Alejandro asked.
Diego said, "Father, I am Zorro. I have always
been Zorro. When I came home from Spain, I saw
the tyranny Los Angeles was under, and I realized
the only way to resist it was to assume a disguise.
"I didn't tell you or Victoria because I wished
to protect you both. If I was unmasked, you both
would've been put in jail by the Alcalde. The only
person who knew was Felipe. He can hear but he
pretends not to hear so as to aid me."
Don Alejandro couldn't believe it for a minute.
My son, Zorro? he thought. Then he remembered
Diego's interest in chemistry -- an interest Zorro
had as well.
And surely he should've considered the pos-
sibility that Zorro could avoid being detected for
so long because he never allowed people to see
how brave he was in real life!
But the assumption that Zorro would show
his skills when he didn't wear the mask as well
as when he did was a natural assumption -- and
probably the reason why Diego took such a course
of action.
Diego interrupted Don Alejandro's thoughts by
asking, "Father, do you hear me?"
"I heard you," Don Alejandro said. "It's just that
I had to accept what you said." He then cried out,
"I was such a fool! I thought you were too weak-
willed to stand up to the Alcalde, and you were
standing up to him all along! Will you forgive me
for not seeing the truth?"
"Yes," said Diego. "Will you forgive me for
deceiving you?"
"Yes," said Don Alejandro. "I'm proud of you
-- Zorro."
They hugged, never seeing somebody peek-
ing out from the passageway.
Carmen Sandiego smiled as she watched
them, then crept back up to wait for Felipe.
To be continued