Here hare, hare, hare…. I gots a carrot for you!
The Look in Her Eyes
Scene 1
"WHAT!" Everyone exclaimed.
"You said you asked for payment because you used resources from your business. Why not use our resources and not worry about yours?" Chief explained.
"I may be the head of VILE but you are actually hiring VILE as an entity. And how does using your resources help with the situation?"
"You shall use our computers, our intel networks, our personnel. All transactions and planning shall be done from this very same room. No need for external interference. Use Zack, Ivy and Kevin as part of your team. Carmen Sandiego doesn't need to steal the item, we just need it to be stolen to retrieve the chip. It is still a cop investigation, we are not going to sell it in the Underworld, we just need to recover it by any means necessary."
Zack, Ivy and Kevin were taken by surprise. There were about to be hired by Carmen to work for her. The higher ups discussed this idea, it was still an opportunity for the plan to work.
"Can you do that Carmen?" Sebastian asked.
"Ah, yeah. It is a possibility, strange and uncomfortable as it sounds. But I don't have time to train them in all aspects of a heist like this involves. The personnel I got at hand has the training of heist control and maneuver, all they need is the rundown training of the job at hand. Zack, Ivy and Kevin have no experience what so ever of the life at the other side of the fence. It might be counterproductive."
"Then get half of your personnel. I'm sure Zack and Ivy, and even Kevin can learn the tricks in time."
"I wont' make such a risky move without at least Sarah and Hugo at my side. You still need to pay them half a million which is their paycheck each."
"Half a million dollars," Zack's jaw dropped. "There is something wrong in this world when a life of crime sounds better than the life of a detective.'
"Please Carmen," Chief was really clamoring at her heart.
Carmen sighted and looked at his holographic eyes. She averted her eyes and looked at the faces of desperation around her. They were more worried about the people that this virus could affect than they were worried about their facility running an illegal operation. The ball was in her park, and it wasn't bouncing that high. She weighted the pros and cons in her mind as fast as she could. Her mind and heart told her this was the right thing to do, but her instincts told her to walk away, something bad could happen that she won't be able to control.
"I'll pay Sarah and Hugo," Carmen said and the higher ups relaxed. "But I'm not responsible for an end result that isn't satisfactory." They all got serious again.
"We understand and accept the conditions." Sebastian said without consulting. He really needed to secure that chip.
"Alright then, we have a deal." Carmen got up and extended her hand to Sebastian. He took it with hesitation but shook it with determination. "I'll start making arrangements with Hugo and Sarah and within VILE for my absence. It will take me some days but I'll be back and we can start the planning."
"Sounds good. Could you guys give us the table for some moments." Sebastian pointed at the detectives and the thiefs. Carmen asentuated with her head and picked up her guns and replaced them in her coat as Sarah did hers.
Ivy got up fast and went to the kitchenette, she needed a glass of water to calm herself down. Zack went to her and they started talking, Ivy was furious that she was now under Carmen's control and couldn't complain about it. Kevin went to her as well, he was a bit excited about this turn of events but was afraid of mentioning it to anyone. Carmen and Sarah were replacing their guns and knifes from where they took them from in their coats and talked amoung themselves.
"This is not fair," Ivy fumed.
"Fair has nothing to do with this sis, if we don't agree with this many people will suffer."
"I know Zack, but what about our voice. Are we so insignificant to them?"
"That is not true. You are so important that even Carmen hesitated to take on the job." Kevin interrupted them.
"What do you mean hesitated?"
"She didn't wanted to take the job, so many excuses, she knew where the Chief was going when he proposed the joint venture. She even asked for some of her personnel cause she knows this is too dangerous for you two."
"From what I have learned today, Carmen isn't who we though she is. She is a criminal bitch and nothing more."
"Ivy that language." Carmen had made her way towards them.
"Well, you are. Guns, millions, death. You aren't that person we got on the ACME dossier."
"Yes I am a bitch and an amazing good one I may say. But still, I'm not as happy with the results, so at least cut me some slack."
"You smell bullshit?" Kevin asked looking at her.
"From miles away." She answered smiling at him. "There is something they aren't telling us. Probably cause they are blind themselves. If we do this we must know more than them and tell them nothing."
"Giving us orders already," Ivy slammed the glass on the countertop.
Carmen had enough, she was the queen bee everywhere she went and wasn't about to cope with some young girl drama. Without Ivy noticing Carmen stood to her fullest in front of her.
"I care shit about your feelings in this matter. I agreed to work this job because there is nothing else you can do about it. Don't take the frustrations you got in your fucking life on me cause I'm not gonna take it. You are under me, you will do what I say even if you like it or not and trust me, I got means to make it so. You are right, I'm not the cutey you see on the dossier, I'm a bitch that gets what she wants. You respect me and I'll respect you, end of our friendship. You want to be treated as a woman of power Ivy, start taking decisions like one. Go over there and tell them you want out, because if you stay I'll make sure you get your ass served under my rule. Understand?" The look in her eyes told the truth, she wasn't the mellow type. Ivy was freaking out and scared for the first time in a long while. She even noticed she wanted to cry. Kevin saw this and intervened as Zack was as paralyzed as his sister, more so when Sarah had placed herself between Zack and Carmen and was looking intently at him.
'She understands,' Kevin whispered in her ear. 'She is as scared as you about this whole mess. Let her vent her anger, it will do her well for them to fall in deaf ears.'
Carmen backed up and so did Sarah. Zack went to his sister and she hugged him. She didn't wanted to live through that ever again.
"It's not going to be easy," Carmen said with an easier voice. "It really doesn't matter how many times you have stolen things, everything is brand new when you steal something. When you are dealing with a High Stakes Theft or HST you need trust from everyone involved. HST's are famous for getting everyone involved killed when the trust and respect is broken. I don't want to die just because a teenage girl has her hormones high. The better we do this the faster we get going with our lives, understood?" The detectives agreed, Ivy was sobbing a bit but Zack agreed for her.
"Is everything alright here?" Chief came by with a dull expression.
"What were you thinking, proposing that?" Carmen received him with anger in her voice.
"I was the one that proposed this idea. If anyone in this world could get us that chip it was you. If I had already gone in too deep, why not just reach the bottom?"
"Sometimes the bottom is way too deep Chief."
"We have to get that chip back Carmen, we just have to. So many lives are at stake; even I that am a computer program feels the anguish of humans and their short lives." Chief looked sad. Carmen placed a hand over his holographic image as a sign of affection. Ivy watched this act of compassion and straightened herself up, she didn't wanted Chief to think she was a cowards.
"It won't be easy. I have to train these three in the basics of our MO. That in itself is risky as I'm literally opening my play book to you. Since I'm the one that will control everything the tension among those higher ups there will be massive. They are all leaders of their respective groups and for them to have someone above is going to be hard. I'll need you to back me up on decisions here."
"I will."
"Good." Carmen smiled, she really had missed him so much. "This is going to be interesting. I need some preparations in VILE so it doesn't crumble when I'm gone. You'd be surprised how easy it is to jump on an Underworld leader when he/she isn't there. I'll need to give the impression I'm working on my things while I do this job. It will be necessary for these three here to come with me from time to time. But we will discuss this as things go on. In the mean time, I'll make my preparations and you make yours. I'll see you guys in 3 days."
"Three, I'm starting to hate that number." Chief smiled as Carmen turned her back to leave through the door.
"Hey, I said I shall escort you in and out of this place." Ronaldo's voice boomed from across the room when he noticed Carmen disappear in the elevator. He ran towards it to fulfill his duty.
"I don't know if I can do this Chief." Ivy said in tears.
"Come now girl, it will all be fine. Sometimes we have to let go in order to do things right."
"Chief, the problem is you didn't consult us. You just pointed at us and made us do a thing that is against our philosophy. It hurts, Chief. To be treated as just pawns in a board of chess." Zack was with Ivy on this one, and he usually isn't in situations like this.
"Please forgive me my friends."
Ivy looked at him and started to walk away to the elevator with Zack along side her. Chief felt a tug at his heart program, he knew this will test all their friendships and maybe break a few, but what he didn't knew was that it will start so fast. Both young detectives disappeared in the elevator, both immersed in their thoughts and none talking them out.
"It will pass Chief," Kevin said.
"But when?"
"That is the magic of it all, time will tell. Look, this was too much information for all of us to handle. Even I am sort of in shock by all this, I never expected I'd be a fake criminal by the end of the day. When the plan is in motions and we get a clear look at the light at the end of the tunnel it will all be worth it."
"Hope so, old friend."
Scene 2
"We are in zhis way to deep, Carmen. Why did you agreedz to doing zhis?"
"They are obviously preoccupied by the contents of this chip that they don't see anything happening to their sides. Point taken they didn't even deter when Chief proposed me using all their resources. They didn't noticed Chief just gave me the key to their entire system, and when I agreed to open mine they blocked that preoccupation from their minds. This is a once in a life time opportunity Sarah to take advantage of them. We will have everything at our disposal and better yet, it can't reverse back to us cause it was them that gave it to us."
"So, we are not going to zteal zhis chip?"
"We may not even need to Sarah, we are going to steal something alright." Carmen smiled evilly at Sarah.
"I'll get started on my end." Sarah smiled back at Carmen.
"The chip is their problem, our problem is Them."
Scene 3
"Watch it Ivy your about to run into a wall.'
"I'm sorry little bro, I'm not in my right mind at the moment."
"Sis take it easy.'
"I can't take it easy!" Ivy shouted at Zack. Zack was surprised by the sudden burst of anger from his sister. Ivy noticed his scared face and backed out. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me. When I started in ACME I was proud about the difference I could make in this world. Everyone should start to make a difference in order to survive. We can't all be bad people. There are good people that need to be defended that need to be saved. But now, this potential virus threatens the good people and I'm willing to do everything to save them. However, how can I stand proud if the means I used were criminal, what does it say about justice? Isn't justice the one that always prevails? What has become of justice if it merges with criminality? I can't think straight now Zack, please leave me alone."
Zack was left behind on a cold hall. In front of him Ivy walking with her head down and her thoughts in gloom. To his back, the elevator that only lead to uncertain future. He was sad that his sister was so involved in her own misery she didn't even noticed Zack was sad as well. He also had conflicts in this issue and he needed someone at his side to straighten them out. Sadly there was no one, he was all alone. He tried to think of them, seeing and believing he was as strong as his sister that can resolve them all by herself, and he discovered he was still too young to do it.
He felt a hand on his shoulder that startled him. Kevin was beside him smiling down.
"If you were older, I'd take you out for a drink. Looks like you need to get wasted."
"I'm just trying to organize my thoughts, that is all."
"And it is not going well as I see."
"How can you be so calm and carefree?"
"Live slapped me too many times already to fear it. You will learn in time that, you can't expect life to be the same or one predetermined thing. If it were, uff I'd be bored. Organize your thoughts inside the ideal that this one day will be an amazing story to tell your grandkids. Imagine the intense look in their eyes when you tell them how, sometimes, the right thing to do is not the easiest thing."
Zack smiled despite his sad thoughts. Kevin was right and he was glad to have someone with such kind words be there with him at that moment.
"I may not be old for a drink, but I know where we can get wasted on pizza."
"You drive a hard bargain, let's go.'
Scene 4
"This better end up working Sebastian, who know what international issues we may have if all this mess comes out." Xuan retorted.
"Carmen is the best, besides we will be one step ahead of her. Having her here will give us leverage. If things go wrong, we will have her in our custody and be able to exchange her for the chip. She might have been like my big sister, but times have changed."
Mass remained silent after Ronaldo had left after Carmen. He sensed Carmen's desperation for not taking the job, but had seen her willingness in being part of it which contradicted all he knew about criminal minds. He was more alert than the others.
He went aside and picked up his sat phone. Looked around his mind for a phone number and typed it. The phone ranged exactly 3 times and he hung up. He waited 1 minute and called again, this time someone picked up.
"Dustin, I belive we won't have a problem. There is something else inside Carmen's mind. I'll keep you posted." He hanged up and returned to the higher ups.
End of chapter 6
Woah… no cliff hanger… what has gotten into me…. Never the less, please tell me you got goose bumps when Carmen menaced Ivy and the evil mind of the master thief. Leave your reviews and comments please.