Berlin At first, everything was dark and the surroundings swam in blurred uncomfortable spirals. A sharp pain ached from her head, and a soft female voice whispered reassuringly,

"Relax, you are safe."

A ragged, weak voice emerged from her throat to barely form the words,

"Who are you?..."

The slight pinch of a needle sliding into her arm faded quickly and the pain began to ebb along with the hazed circling lights of consciousness with the uncertain reply,

"Not an enemy...you are safe..."

**************************************************************************** **************** She opened her eyes carefully, taking in the slow dull ache in her head and muscles. The lighting was much softer and soothing than she remembered. Her vision gradually cleared to focus on the warm jacquard silk finely woven in rich hues of sage and cream she rested upon.

It was obvious she was not in danger. But where was she?

She sat up with a soft moan, and a sudden movement to her right caught her immediate attention. Across the room, lazily reclining backwards was a woman clad in clashing silver and black. She seemed out of place in this room of luxury as she stretched almost catlike, dark ponytails pulled tight by silver metal adornments falling gracefully down as she looked over and smiled politely at her.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sandiego. That's a nasty cut you got there. Been in and out for the past few days."

"Where am I?" A faint scent of bergomat and sandelwood permeated the air, and the even weaker smell of lighted beeswax candles added to it. She sensed warmth and the crackling of a fire burning in the rose and ivory carrara marble fireplace before her.

"Safe."

"That's not what I meant..."

"Just as long as we understand each other."

"I wouldn't go that far..."

"Me either. I always hear people say that in the movies, and I just always wanted to say it. I really have no clue how I got talked into babysitting the previously unconscious Carmen Sandiego. I thought for certain he was going to pick scissors instead of paper..."

"...Ah, so you must be Kalista de Silva. Jerard's supposedly executive administrative assistant."

"You know my name? Whoa...you're better than I thought! Wait...supposedly?"

"I saw your old dossier from Interpol. It seemed somewhat suspicious to me that someone as business oriented as Von Jerard would personally hire a relatively inexperienced, minimally educated individual as yourself. Then I looked a little deeper. After a few hours of research, the reason was obvious. Your only serious credentials are as an ex-jewel thief. " You served time at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla from 91 to 98 when the son one of Jerard's political associates conveniently agreed to be your sponsor at your first parole hearing. I was a little impressed by that. It's not very often someone as prestigious as Delgado would do such a act of charity, but it was later proven he was involved in a drug smuggling operation running opium from overseas into the state. I have a strong inclination to say it was Jerard who posted bail, and of course, Delgado hasn't been seen since. He probably offered to pay for you to go to college a few years to aquire enough skill to at least function at some entry level clerical position. By then, the records were changed, they switched the "C" in your name with a "K", erased your last name with a new one and made you respectable enough to promote. The rest from there seems to be a matter of simple deductive reasoning."

"I remembering reading somewhere you were an ex-detective! Maybe we just needed a career change, oh wait, maybe you really didn't change that much after all?" She lifted one eyebrow with a smirk.

"You don't seem that changed to me either. "

Kali sat upright from her reclined position with an indignant sneer.

"Well, I did! Do you think I could type 110 words a minute or knew what a spread sheet was before then? Do you think anyone makes coffee the way I do? And these nails? I don't spend hours of precious company time polishing them for nothing! Now I have a laptop, a cell phone, correction fluid in every color and business cards! I can be just as much of a stuck up office girl who ignores the phone lines as well as the next one too!..."

Carmen smiled and seemed faintly amused. The intricate texured designs of Italian matelasses felt sleek and delicate beneath her fingertips. Her eyes slowly followed the luxurious duvet across to the edge of the Venetian style bed, it's warm wood reflecting peacefully along the posts, and down the footboard decorated in elaborate acanthus carvings and heavy crown molding, which winded up each post and ended in a an Italian stylized finial.

"...And for your information, I am an excellent assistant...legitimate business is phenomenal, and I only consider this recent activity as a part- time hobby. Oh, and anyone who is anyone calls me Kali. People only call me Kalista when they are angry or condesending. Not that we are trying to be condescending, right?"

"Right. Kali it is. For your information, very few people refer to me by my last name unless they are reading me my rights. So, Kali, it's a very interesting hobby you have. To think, some people collect stamps..."

Carmen sat up on the edge of the bed and used one hand to steady herself while feeling her forehead with the other. The pain was minimal now and more annoying than debilitating.

Kali shook her head "no" and rose to her feet quickly to interfere,

"Hey, wait, you have stitches...you lost some blood due to the accident. Maybe you should rest a little longer...do you want some aspirin? I don't have any idea where to even buy aspirin from anymore, I just pick up the phone over there and then someone magically appears with some and a glass of juice on a tray. No hassle, really, I can just push the buttons..."" "No, that's not necessary. Outside of a dull headache, I feel fine. Thank you, however, for your concern."

Kali sat back down across from the bed and nodded indecisively,

"Okay, if you say so. Some people collect stamps. That's funny."

" I suppose in the same way some people collect strange ancient artifacts from museums at all hours of the night."

"Right. Plus you can store them in easy to carry scrapbooks and they don't require hoists. I'm going to have to suggest that to Jida. Not that he would listen, he really doesn't care as long as he gets what he wants. Not even if it's illegal or endangers lives. I feel the need to apologize for your current condition. We had no idea they were going to be stupid enough to try something like that. Still, that's not an excuse."

"You would be surprised what people will do to try and stop you. Always plan for the unexpected, not the desired. It sounds as if you have second thoughts about your new hobby..."

"It's okay, I guess. Although, I'm really starting to give serious thought to those stamps..."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Like I have an option? It's either this or prison, and after seven years, I'm just not looking forward to going back. Besides, have you tasted the food in there? Blech! That, and I've gotten used to taking showers by myself again." Kali shuddered.

"You mean to tell me, that your employer would not post bail after you traded your second chance to him?"

"Are you kidding me? If I don't do things to the letter, my employer offers to call the cops on me himself."

"And you still work here?"

Kali looked downward toward the intricate veins of the carrara marble beneath her sage colored chaise and shrugged. "Nothing is that simple Carmen. I do owe him a lot. I could never live like this on my own. Hell, I doubt I'd be making it half this good. He pulled a lot of strings to get me here."

"Yes, I see that. Exactly what strings is using to tie you here and keep you a personal prisoner in his company?"

"That's a very long story..."

"...so, he is blackmailing you."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. Your reaction confirms it."

"We are all thieves either way. I'm not much different from Jerard, deep inside. Just as he is not much different from you."

A sudden, icy cold fire seemed to flare within the cold blue stare Kali's eyes met when she dared to look up. Carmen didn't break it, but stood to her feet quickly and stepped torward her. There was no indication of violence in her reaction, but Kali instinctively drew back realizing she had made a mistake.

"That's where you are dead wrong. There is a strong difference between what we do. We may both be criminals with a conscientious manner of thievery, but our motives are not the same. Although the authorities that pursue us fail to see the distinction, what separates me from Jerard is merely a question of principle. He has blackmailed you into working for him, and forces you to prove your faith to his cause with your guilt. Tell me, is there anyone working for Mr. Jerard who does so purely out of true loyalty? Never compare me in any regard to him, ever again."

There was a moment of uncomfortable chilling silence, when Kali broke it with a slightly shaky voice and produced an envelope from inside her jacket. She then tossed it carelessly to the floor at Carmen's feet and softly stated,

"Listen, I'm sorry...I didn't mean it like that. I know you're not like that. Jida wanted me to give this to you, but I feel inclined to tell you to ignore it. You are right, you know. I don't think I would have gone back into crime had it not been for him. I thought I was really going to change and turn my life around. I'm not sure how I would have done it, as I've never really had much experience with people without criminal intentions...but I could have at least tried. I take false comfort in trying to reason why I stay. So much for rehabilitative therapy."

"Don't take it too hard, most of the people I know who have gone through it rarely benefit from it anyways. Tell me this, when all this comes crashing down, will you feel the same? Do you think that Jida will risk what he has and rescue you from the authorities? He did all of this to prove to me he is in the same echelon of intent, not out of the goodness of his heart. Would he have rescued me if I did not represent a means to an end? I don't have to tell you, the look on your face tells me you already know the answer. It will be the same when the dice fall for you".

"He's not that bad, really. I guess I make him seem worse than he really is."

"I'm reluctant to believe you, when your own reactions seem forced. You tell me these things as if you are still trying to convince yourself of them."

"Do I? I guess I'm not as loyal to Jida after all. Here I am, confessing this to you and I hardly know you."

"I'm not forcing you to tell me anything. I'd never force you to do anything you did not agree to."

"Exactly. And I don't feel any regret for telling you either. I can't just get out, it's not that easy. I mean, I want to get away from this, but it's too complicated now. I know...I do know what is going to happen. But I am tied up in this wierd game of tug'o'war, I keep getting pulled back and forth by things I no longer control. Even if I were to get out, then what would I do? To be honest, I simply have nowhere to go."

A mysteriously devious smile danced across Carmen's lips before she reached down and took the violet envelope from where it had fallen and turned to leave, pausing momentarily.

"I will never form an alliance with Jerard. You are not to blame for that, I made my decision the moment I met him. I tell you this because you have revealed many things to me this day, and you did so in order to help me. You realize that Jerard would try and twist and manipulate me in the same manner he has done you. I have heard your advice, and now it is time that you heard some from me. Tug'o'war is a game that requires two people to hold opposite ends of a rope. You can either pull back, or allow yourself to be dragged into the mud. Just remember, you only subject yourself to the grasp of the other person by not letting go. Drop the rope, Kali. Do so before Jerard decides to, and you fall to the ground anyways."

Kali merely nodded, closing her eyes before she sighed as she rose to her feet and walked towards the fireplace.

"There's a set of keys to a vehicle downstairs. I'd only take it as far as the next town before ditching it, Jida probably has some sort of tracking device on it..."

But when she looked up again, Carmen was gone.