BLIND FAITH

Summary: A minuscule injury with the potential to disrupt the entire dynamic.

Disclaimer: I'm just a fanfiction writer. All hail the rightful owners.

Content Disclaimer: This story is not written from or for a child's perspective. Though both dark and light moments are present, if you don't wish to see cannon characters distressed, this is probably not for you.

It was actually rather clever, Carmen informed herself. No one would be expecting her to have adequate eyesight when constrained in a costume that essentially blindfolded her. All of the mistakes she made would be considered… normal.

Of course, this did require that she have the whole play memorized by default.

Good thing she did. Carmen had memorized the whole trilogy some time ago. Well maybe not the whole trilogy… she was a bit shaky on parts of Oedipus at Colonus, but then who ever bothered with that play anyhow?

Carmen made her voice deep. "Remember it's difficult to see out of this costume." She said. "I'll be actually following your lead."

A child's voice answered. "No problem."

A young hand took her arm.

She'd have to be insane to try to pull this off.

But that was true in general wasn't it.

"OK, so which character do you think she is?"

"Isn't it obvious." Ivy muttered derisively.

"Not to me…" Zack muttered.

There wasn't a hint of doubt in Ivy's voice. "She's the title role."

"How are you so sure?"

Ivy ticked off the point on her fingers. "Stubborn to the point of death, doesn't get the concept of limits, defiant to established power, major family drama, personal moral rules that fly in the face of codified law…. Sound like anyone we know Zack?"

Chief smiled. "Maybe." He giggled, winking. "What you didn't think she was Creon?"

Zack laughed back. "Carmen as the obsessive legalist… yeah that fits."

"Besides… Carmen Sandiego, title role, just seems to work."

"Only one problem Ives."

"What's that, little bro?"

"Does that look like Carmen to you?"

"She can die her hair red, Zack. It's not that difficult."

"But her face looks diff-"

"How much time do you spend looking at Carmen's face?"

"Uh… not much…. You know… the hat and… all…"

"Zack!"

"Right, sorry wasn't paying attention. Still doesn't look like her."

"Well a lot of help you were." The poorly tempered director announced. "Someone just stole a several-hundred year old necklace that we were using as a prop."

"It's Carmen." Ivy announced irritably. "How'd she get in?"

"She doubled as an actor."

"Told you she was Antigone." The redhead muttered.

"But she wasn't." The director announced in exasperation.

Ivy's eyes widened. "Who was she?"

"Tiresias."

"Who?

"The seer…"

Ivy hesitated.

"Blind seer…" The director grated. "Tragic irony… were you even watching the play?"

"Oh…'" Ivy muttered to herself "That's weird. I was sure she'd be Antigone. She say anything?"

"Tuphlas in autois elpidas katoikisa." A nerve-ridden stagehand piped up. "Only thing she said that wasn't a Sophocles quote."

"Ok Zack, this is your department."

'It's all Greek to me sis." The blond quipped.

"But you're our language guru here and…"

"No sis I mean it's literally Greek. Plus it's old fashioned Greek. I think Carmen was quoting something. Chief, care to tell us what she was getting at?"

"Translatascan, translatascan," The CGI head elucidated. "Tuphlas in autois elpidas katoikisa is a quote from the play Prometheus bound."

"Sounds like another Greek play." Ivy speculated. "Is she on some sort of ancient writers kick?"

"Naw." Zack noticed. "That wouldn't explain the French resistance paper. What's the play about?"

"OK so in Greek mythology this guy named Prometheus stole fire from the gods." Chief reeled off. "And Zeus punished him by… ewwwwww!"

"It sounds like it was real pretty chief." Ivy remarked.

"By chaining him to a rock to have his liver pecked out by birds… and the organ regenerated so… this went on pretty much" Chief winced "Indefinitely."

"Any instances of that play being done today." Ivy said briskly, as her brother made a face.

" 'Fraid not."

"OK… close relatives of the play?"

"Nope."

"Come on sis." Zack said. "Carmen doesn't reuse clues like that."

The detective snorted in annoyance.

Continuing, the blond wondered. "Anyone else think it's weird that she's given verbal clues this whole case?"

Ivy shrugged. "OK then, artwork?"

"Yeah, there's a whole ton of stuff on that theme… which do ya want?" Chief asked.

Stamping her foot, the detective growled in frustration.

"Err…" The stagehand stammered. "The thief also scratched something in the dirt with her foot."

"And you didn't tell us ten minutes ago?" Ivy shrieked.

"Whoa, easy, sis!" What'd she write?"

The lackey pointed. "One-one-zero-zero-one-zero-one-zero-one-one-one."

"Ok that's a big number."

" But all in zeros and ones…" Zack noticed. "Binary code for… 1623."

"A date?"

"Maybe. Player, cross-reference that date with artwork related to Prometheus bound."

"I've got a oil painting by Dirck van Baburen, on display in Amsterdam."

"Works for me" Zack said. "Player, do your stuff!"

The C5 corridor opened.

"We're on our way to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, city of canals, major shipping companies, and legalized… well we don't talk about that. Just get to work gumshoes!"