Moving on with the story…. Oh god, I always promise to make it small and concise but I just can't. This is becoming a very long story. Since the real bad assery is a few chaps away please continue enjoying the mild storyline, but I assure you Carmen knows things… strange things….
THE LOOK IN HER EYES
Scene 1
It was a quiet night when the light blue M3 bimmer approached ACME HQ gates. In it were the figures of two beautiful women. That is what the guard at the gates thought as the bimmer approached the keypad. He came to the door with a slug smile on his face to great the women and as he peered inside the door his face filled with horror.
Carmen Sandiego swiped the entry card on the keypad smiling sexily to the guard while Sarah finished smoking and threw the leftovers to him. The light turned purple on the gate sign and the guard stopped his actions. He was trained to call for back up if something like this happened, but the purple light indicated this was a 'I never saw and forget situation'. The gate opened and Carmen raced inside.
"That was fascinating," Carmen gloated. "and he is hot to boot."
"Everyzhing looks hot with that shit we smoked." Sarah laughed a bit in her intoxicated state.
"That is why I stopped smoking a little while ago."
"What? You look higher zhan me." Sarah signaled to Carmen's eyes.
"Fuck! That is some good shit right there. Make me glad I got the deal to distribute it in New York. I'll make a killing with the revenues."
"More literally than symbolically I hope."
They both looked at each other and laughed manically as the bimmer raced to the entrance.
Scene 2
The receptionist was having a great birthday so far. Everyone in the office had given her small cat figurines as gifts to decorate her desk. Her only partner was the floor guard that always made her laugh. He was an old man and an old service guard in ACME. All the years of training of both wouldn't have prepared for what was about to come their way.
The main door opened and two women entered the lobby. Both dressed with coats, one was a lighter shade of blue than the other. What really got the guard on its toes is that they were both walking in unison, so that only one set of steps where heard. As both of them looked up to greet the women, the guard put his hand on his gun and went for the girl trying to cover her. He had recognized her from the years before; she was one of the best detectives to ever walk through those halls. How he had admired that young woman.
Carmen Sandiego recognized the guard and she knew he was old but not stupid. He was head guard even when she was in the force. She quickly pulled the entry card on the wall keypad and the lights turned purple. The guard stilled and put the gun in the holster, whiles the secretary stood up in awe. The great Carmen Sandiego was again permitted to pass through ACME's halls.
"It has been long Young Lady." The guard greeted Carmen. This was how he greeted her back in the day.
"It sure has, Olds." This was her name for him. "You look strong and handsome as always."
"All part of the job." He went to the check point portal and waited beside it. "Looks like you have been summoned in secrecy. I must admit I'd rather see you never step into my house again, so please finish your dealings here and never come back. Step through."
"My same feelings only in reverse." Carmen stepped through the metal detector and it went off like a Christmas tree.
"Wow, now I have never seen every single light come on. You have some explaining to do Young Lady."
"More than you think." Carmen smiled.
"Not really." A strong male voice was herd down the hallway. "Its alright Richard. She is permitted to enter and leave as is." It was none other than Ronaldo, ACME's vice president.
"Zhe vice president came to pick you up, Carmen. Your must have been very important here." Sarah whispered Carmen as she passed through the metal detector; it also went wild beyond imagine.
"You have no idea."
"Fallow me you two. We will go to the VIP room on the 7th downward floor. Its key coded for our safety. Be well advised and warned, no funny business. You stay within my viewing site; you neither touch nor say anything. You will be escorted by me at all times while in this facility. You were never one with rules Carmen, and seeing how you turned out I wouldn't expect less, but your ACME days are over, this is business. Understand?"
"Clear." Carmen said while fallowing him. She caught Sarah's eyes and waited to give her a signal. Sarah was used to plan changing all the time, so she just waited.
"You are here on the premises of a top secret negotiation." Ronaldo kept talking as he walked down the hallway to the elevators. "You shall not disrupt anything else, nor be visible to the rest of ACME while in the building. When you enter this elevator, everything that happens beyond it will be strictly secret. Understood?" He faced the elevator. "Understood?" When he turned around Carmen and Sarah where gone. "How the hell? Guards!"
Scene 3
Kevin was working quietly in his office that day. He had been feeling happier and full of live than all the years he had been there. Even his coworkers wondered what happy event had happened. He didn't wanted to admit it but seeing her up close and personal, touching her, kissing her after all this years had brought him back to his game.
"Hello Stranger." Kevin was startled by this strange voice in his office. He looked back at the door with expectant eyes and there she was. Carmen Sandiego was resting on his door looking lovingly at him with a smile on her face. Kevin got up from his chair and went to her. His hands caressed her face and he pulled her to him for an intense kiss.
"Now that I haven't seen in years." A female voice came from the floor office.
"Hello back." Kevin responded after their kiss. "You in time for this fail attempt at justice."
"Yeah, but I'm already in trouble."
"Why is that?" Kevin kept exploring her body with his eyes and hands.
"Ronaldo was excorting me but I ditched him halfway to the VIP room." She smirked.
"And you come to me to get me in trouble, is that it?"
"Would you like me more if I didn't brought you trouble?"
"Nah, your all the trouble I need."
"Hey, Melanie, good to see you." Carmen saluted Melanie on the floor office. Melanie had been a coworker during Carmen's days and knew her well. "You'll need to escort me there; I bet Ronaldo woke up the entire building searching for me.'
"It will be my pleasure to escort two beautiful ladies in my arms to the VIP room, makes me feel like a pimp again." Kevin laughed while extending his arms, one to Carmen and the other to Sarah.
Scene 4
ACME's HQ were filled with whispers and purple light. Every corner Carmen took, she saluted someone she knew from her former life. Strangely enough she saluted with a smile on her face, and even more strange the reply was always a warm smile and even a pat on the shoulder.
"Wow, you were really somezhing as a detective." Sarah noted.
"It is a strange but good feeling to know I was indeed loved here." Carmen said in a sad tone. Kevin noticed it and squeezed her arm a little more tigher.
"You don't know what you have till you lose it." Kevin said in a low voice. "You lost a lot here." They kept walking and Carmen suppressed a laugh. "What?"
"Not really." She said with a smirk.
"How so?"
"Everyone I formerly knew has a desk job by now, even you. Trust me, I'm not a desk woman." She laughed. "Although I know several positions for some desk action." She winked.
"Then maybe you should come and help me with some paper work later on." There was really no point in arguing with her. She was right, everyone had a desk job by now, not one agent from their days was in the active community. This was really not a place for her, and he felt it started to feel empty for him too. His arm felt so good holding hers, he wondered if he would let go of it and return to his desk once this all finished.
Kevin brought them to the elevators and once inside he produced a card that he swiped on the keypad and then placed a code. The elevator moved faster than they expected making them tumble a bit. It stopped in an unmarked floor between floors 7 and 8 that had no light on the elevator board.
The doors opened and they were greeted by more purple light. The room was sealed on all sides with just a double door on the far side. It had cameras that spanned the entire room, couple them with floor pressure sensors and thermal imaging and you get one interesting room. Or at least that is what Sarah though memorizing the room as she was used to for her boss.
Carmen used her entry card to unlock the last door. As the door opened they quickly heard a commotion.
"There you are you bitch!" Ronaldo's voice boomed from the center of the room.
"Hey, I won't tolerate that kind of language here." Chief said. The room was tall and wide with few amenities in it. Was equipped with bathroom, kitchenette and a room with bunk beds, the other items were a big conference table for 20 and one wall filled with computers, monitors, radios and Chief's holographic monitor.
"It's ok Chief, I left his boring company to find a man more suitable to my tastes." Carmen assured as she walked beside Kevin and Sarah into the room. The doors closed behind them, the only people present at the moment where Ronaldo, Chief, Zack, Ivy, Kevin, Sarah and Carmen.
As soon as Carmen came close to the conference table the back door opened and in entered Sebastian Gates, the President of ACME, George Mass, Weapons Specialist, Gina Silverado, INTEL, General Will Adorno, Chief-Personnel, Mario Santori, Executive Lawyer, Santos Xuan, Communications, Lana Torres, Chief-Coordinator, Edward Camps, Excecutive-of-Missions and Nathan Crow, International Affairs. All in all the big guns.
'Fuck me,' Carmen though. 'This looks like some big issue, I don't know if I like the looks of this. What are these higher ups doing here? They all knew I was coming and they came in person to talk to me. What have you gotten yourself into old girl?'
"Welcome back, Carmen." Sebastian openly greeted her shacking her hand. "Guess you never thought I'd had the balls to be the big boss, eh?"
"I'd had never imagine that, look at you all grown up." Carmen hugged him, she didn't' believe the runt of the class was now the big shot here.
Carmen greeted everyone as they all knew her from detective days. Zack and Ivy were in awe as to the influence Carmen still had on the inside.
"Wow sis, it really looks like Carmen did more damage inside that we thought."
"Everyone knows her and remembers her so well. It is sad she is now outside of their help."
"Please, everyone, time is money and there is much to discuss. Seat down so we can start the reunion." Sebastian took the head seat and Chief stayed on his big monitor facing him. Everyone else took their seats accordingly. The big shots sat opposite Carmen in order to face here, and the others sat next to Carmen, Sarah and Kevin on either side of her.
When they all sat down and the executives placed papers upon the desk Sebastian stood up to address them.
"Thank you all for taking the time from your busy schedules to assist to this reunion that shall be code named: Project Purple. I'd like to skip protocol and don't introduce ourselves as we all are familiar with one another, except for the new detectives and Carmen's companion here present. Yes, Mass?"
"I'd like to propose the disclosure of weapons and make this a free round table." Mass advised looking directly at Carmen's eyes.
"That is an unknown request in this table Mass, why the petition?"
"I trained her in weapons, and the first thing I tough her was to enter and leave a building without taking anything off." Chief remembered this request by Carmen and he started to get curious about this. "I also tough her to know as best as she could about what she was up against when entering anyplace. I'd like to know what I'm against while sitting exactly in front of her."
"Very well, I'll accept that. All weaponry, concealed or exposed, shall be presented onto the table, and this table shall be proclaimed a free table." Sebastian said this as he placed his Magnum .380 on the table. He also unrolled his sock and produced a Glock 23. Every other executive produced their handguns and even infantry knives like General had. Zack and Ivy where the only ones that didn't produced anything as they weren't trained to posses' weaponry and all the ones on the table mad them feel uneasy.
However Carmen and Sarah hadn't produced any weaponry, but Mass was looking directly at her eyes. Ivy knew about Carmen's dislike of fire arms and part of her knew that Carmen was clean. Seeing no one else produced weaponry Sebastian once again stood up. Mass slammed down the table and kept looking at Carmen, he knew things about her, about her job that no one else in the room knew.
Carmen signaled to Sarah, and she got up producing one Beretta XX-Treme and two Beretta 9mm guns, one long knife from her socks and one small Glock G26. Carmen produced two Safari Matchmaster .45 guns and one Matchmaster STI plus two long knifes and placed them conveniently in front of her.
"Wow!" Chief couldn't believe his eyes. It was true, by the end of this mission Carmen and himself would be enemies. Where had the sweet Carmen he knew gone? Zack was looking at Carmen's arsenal and wondered where she kept all of that. Ivy was also in shock and wondered if Carmen carried those weapons with her on her heists. Kevin was a little turned on by the fact Carmen was a Matchmaster fan, so old school; he was the one that introduced her to the Matchmaster family.
Carmen kept looking at Mass with a smirk on her face, Mass was actually impressed by both Sarah's and Carmen's arsenal. Sebastian felt a bit intimidated that the woman he once considered his big sister had to carry a small war close to her chest. But with some shocking difficulty he finally stood up.
"This meeting is now in session." Both doors locked, the lights dimmed a little and several holographic monitors sprang from the conference table.
The end of Chapter 4
Uff, writing this chapter felt like giving birth to words. So many words, so much description and no plot advance. I know, I know I'm slacking. I must admit I had this last scene on my mind and I really wanted to put it in someplace. Was this Chapter boring? Should I just rewrite chapters 3 and 4 and shorten them? Leave feedback!