The Anti Thieving Duo
"Hello" - (Normal talking)
"What happened?" - (Thoughts)
"What do I do?" - (Flashback)
{"Hey, can you hear me?"} - (Communication)
":Now arriving at our destination:" - (Another Language)
"\Prepare for departure\" - (Radio and speakers)
Hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 12 - The Boston Tea Party Caper
(San Diego, California)
Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan were standing in front of the Carmen Brand Outerwear, which was next to the beach.
"I like it. Even if it does need some work" Shadowsan said with a flat tone, as he looked at the building with his arms crossed.
"I wouldn't put out the welcome mat just yet," Carmen said.
"Yeah, as the idea of even having a headquarters is too 'VILE Island' for us. Even if there is a ramen stand nearby" Naruto said with a nod of agreement, as Shadowsan gave them both a side glance.
"Guys, the joint's wicked humongous!" Ivy said with a large smile, as she and Zack came out of the building.
"Yeah. There's gotta be enough room in there for a bowling alley, and a ninja training gym, for our private sessions" Zack said to Shadowsan, as he did some karate moves.
Shadowsan just gave him a scowl at this.
Naruto's phone then began ringing, causing him to take it out of his jacket pocket, and answer it to see Player on the screen.
{"Hey, guys, how's San Diego?"} Player asked them with a grin.
"We're feeling a little ganged up on at the moment" Carmen said with a grin, as they glanced over at Zack, who'd placed his elbow on Shadowsan's shoulder with a grin, while Shadowsan gave a frown.
"I meant your location, over there on the sunny west coast of Cali-forn-i-a" Player said with a grin, as he typed on his computer.
"Oh, and Player can get his own room!" Zack said with a grin, popping up next to Naruto, looking at the phone.
{"Um, I already have my own room"} Player said.
"I thought that he lived in the cloud?" Ivy asked with a curious look.
"Nope, though I am hearing voices again, from the internet. And this time, they're telling me VILE's all abuzz about some kind of racing prototype" Player said, as he typed on his computer, before an image of a high tech racing car appeared on the screen.
{"Racing? As in a car?"} Zack asked curiously.
"Why would VILE want a race car?" Ivy asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Zack gave a gasp, before he gave a smile. "Maybe it's a flying race car," he said.
"Uh, those already exist, bro, they're called airplanes" Ivy said with a smirk, as she placed her hand on her hip.
"But remember Ivy, there were flying cars in Back to the Future 2" Naruto said with a grin.
Zack then got a look of reminiscence on his face. "Ah, remember our racer? She didn't actually fly, but, boy, could she -" Zack said with a smile, as he gripped his fists in excitement.
"Vroom and zoom!" Ivy finished, as the two of them high fived.
"Booyah!" Zack yelled out happily, as they bumped hips together, with their fists raised in the air.
"I truly cannot fathom was possessed you to staff your crew with these unruly pranksters" Shadowsan said to both Naruto and Carmen with a frown.
"Oh, look who's suddenly taken an interest" Ivy said with a grin, placing her hands on her hips, as she leaned forward slightly.
"That is not what I meant" Shadowsan said in denial with wide eyes.
"Hmm. Funny enough, it was our race car that brought us to Carmen and Naruto" Ivy said with a smile.
"Let us take you back," Zack said with a smile of his own.
0o0o0o0
(Flashback starts: Zack and Ivy's POV)
The city of Boston was shown, as birds flew over the city, while car alarms blared as some kids ran down the street, with a police car chasing after them.
"Clear across the country on the east coast of the good old U.S. of A. Me and Ivy grew up in the south of Boston, or 'Southie' as we locals called it" Zack said.
"Not exactly a hoity-toity part of town, though some kids knew ways to get quick cash whenever they needed it," Ivy said with a smile.
"But me and Ivy vowed to use our superpowers for good" Zack said with a grin.
Racecars drove around the corner of a racetrack, tires screeching as they did.
"Behind the wheel and under the hood" Zack said.
The car in front soon crossed the finish line, while the chequered flag was waved as it did.
"Behind the wheel and under the hood" Zack said happily.
The car soon pulled to a stop, before the driver stepped out of the car, and pulled their helmet off, showing it was Zack.
"Booyah!" Zack yelled out with a grin, as he put the helmet under his arm.
"Vroom and zoom!" Ivy said with her own grin with her fists clenched, before they both high fived and bumped their hips together with their arms raised in the air.
"Lydia, our racer, was totally custom," Ivy said.
"Big sis pretty much built her with her own two hands" Zack said.
Ivy popped up the hood of the car, and began to work on the engine.
Zack and Ivy went from raceway to raceway, with their car always winning.
"Me and my little bro moved up one race at a time, from amateur to semipro, working our way all the way up to the professional league" Ivy said with a smile.
"And that day was upon us, the final race of the prequalifying season" Zack said with his own smile.
"All we had to do was place in the top five to make it to the upcoming regional championship, to kick our racing career to the next level" Ivy said.
"And start collecting that prize money," Zack added.
Ivy and Zack were looking over a map of the course, while other drivers were working on their cars.
"Okay, bro, stick close to the apron, it'll give you the fastest line" Ivy said to Zack, pointing at the map. "Except here on the final hairpin turn They call it 'The Muncher.' It has a reputation for chewing up cars and spitting 'em out" she told him, with a look of concern on her face.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep it to the outside perimeter. I got it, sis" Zack said with a smile, as he leaned on the hood of the car.
"Excuse me, are you two lost? Just asking, 'cause you're a long way from the amateur track" they heard someone saying from behind them, causing them both to scowl, as they looked at another driver, who was leaning against his car, while chuckling at what he just said.
"It was also where we met Trey Sterling, Zack's nemesis ever since they first met," Ivy said.
"He's a rich kid, daddy's boy, and all-around jerk," Zack said with a scowl.
"It should be fun watching you race against real cars," Trey said with a smug look on his face.
"You dare knock Lydia?" Zack asked with a glare.
"You gave that shopping cart a name?" Trey asked with a snicker, as he raised an eyebrow.
Zack was about to walk over to him, before Ivy stopped him by placing her hand on Zack's shoulder. "Forget about Trey, you gotta keep your head in the game, bro. You got this" she said to him.
"Yeah, I've got this," Zack said with a smile, as he turned around.
Ivy gave him a smile of her own, along with a thumbs up, before they continued talking while looking over the map of the track.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later)
Zack got behind the wheel of Lydia, and drove onto the track, along with all the other racers, as they waited at the starting line for the lights to go green.
After a while the two rows of red lights lit up one after the other, as all the car's engines were revving.
The green row of lights then lit up, before all the cars took off with screeching tires.
"Yeah, go Zack. Whoo!" Ivy yelled with a grin as she pumped her fist in the air, as she watched the cars go racing by.
Lydia was in the lead, as Zack turned at the first corner, before he was overtaken by Trey, who rolled his passenger window down, and gave Zack a smirk. "You're going the wrong way," Trey loudly yelled.
"Huh?" Zack said cluelessly, as he looked over at Trey.
"The amateur track is back that way," Trey said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder, before laughing at what he said.
Zack gritted his teeth at this as he growled, while Trey sped past him.
Zack tried to get past Trey a few times, but Trey would block him from doing so.
Zack ground his teeth, as he tried to speed past Trey, but Trey stayed in front of him, as Zack sped after him.
As this was going on, Ivy was watching it all happen on a tv, with others watching with her.
"Come on Zack, stay away from that hairpin" Ivy said, with a look of worry.
As they were nearing the corner, Trey was still blocking Zack from trying to pass him.
Zack then got a determined look on his face, as he put the car into gear, and overtook Trey, which took Trey by surprise.
"No, no, no, no" Ivy said in worry, as she saw Zack going too fast towards the corner.
As Zack approached the corner, he had a confident look on his face as he turned the wheel, causing the car to drift round the corner.
"Whoo-hoo!" Zack yelled with a grin.
But what Zack didn't know was that as he was going round the corner, the car was going up the side of the track along the wall. And as it reached the top of the wall, the car flipped over, causing Zack's look of joy to change to shock, as the car landed on its roof and slid along the track, sending Zack jostling in his seat.
All the other cars raced past him, with Trey winning the race, while Lydia crossed over in last place, before coming to a screeching halt, as the windows broke.
"Zack!" Ivy yelled out in concern, as she ran out onto the track, to check on her brother.
Zack fell out of the car onto his back, as Ivy fell to her knees.
"Booyah" Zack said weakly with a smile, as he pumped his fist slightly, causing Ivy to give him a smile of her own.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later)
After the car had been taken off the track, and the trophies and prize money had been handed out, Zack and Ivy went to a restaurant in the city.
"Fixing up Lydia to get back into the game was gonna cost us some dough," Ivy said with a sigh. "So we went back to the guy who loaned us money to build the car in the first place….Sharkhead Eddie."
A man with black hair and a beard, along with dyed hair styled to make a shark fin, wearing a grey Polo, was seen eating a steak, as Ivy and Zack sat across from him.
"Being that we were supposed to pay him back after we won our first race in the big leagues, ya know, with the car we no longer had" Zack said with a nervous laugh. "Eddie suggested another way for us to get quick cash to pay him back. Strongly suggested."
Eddie grabbed some breadsticks from a cupholder in the middle of the table, while Zack and Ivy looked at each other in concern. Eddie then broke the breadsticks in half with his hands while frowning at them, making the two look worried.
0o0o0o0
(Later, that night)
Zack and Ivy were parked in an alleyway outside a donut shop.
"Darryl's Donut Hole" Zack said.
"The joint was notorious for having the worst donuts in Southie," Ivy said.
"And Eddie said for a place that had zero customers, it was getting a ton of deliveries. Which meant that the deliveries were probably money stolen by….the mob" Zack said in an ominous way.
Zack gave a nervous gulp, while Ivy gave a deep sigh.
"You ready?" Ivy asked Zack, as she gained a determined look on her face.
"I don't know Ivy. Racing was supposed to keep us out of crime, not drive us into it" Zack said, as he glanced out of the driver's window.
"Maybe you should've thought of that, before you decided to ignore my advice, and crash our car" Ivy said, as she glared at Zack.
Zack gave a groan at this, while placing his head on the steering wheel.
Ivy then gained an upset look on her face. "Look, bro, it's just one job. We pay back Eddie, and use the remainder of the cash to fix up Lydia. Then vroom and zoom, we're back in the races" she said with a smile.
Zack picked his head up off the wheel, and looked at Ivy for a moment, before he glanced out of the windscreen.
Ivy then placed her hand on Zack's shoulder. "We can't give up on our dream. Not when we're this close" she said to him with a small smile, before she placed a ski mask over her face.
Zack picked up his own ski mask, and looked at it for a moment with a determined look on his face. "Right. And besides, we're stealing from the bad guys" he said, before he placed his own ski mask on.
Ivy gave a nod at this, as they both climbed out of the truck, with Ivy running across the street towards the donut shop. She carefully creeped along, before she pulled out a lockpick to pick the lock on the front door. After a few moments, Ivy was able to unlock the door, which she opened as she entered the shop.
"Ivy, how do you see out of these?" Zack asked with his arms out, as he walked along with his mask on back to front, before he ran into the doorframe.
"Eyeholes in the front, that's how" Ivy said in annoyance, pointing at her own eyes.
Zack gave a nervous chuckle at this, as he turned his mask around, before they both headed for the kitchen in the back, turning on their torches as they did.
They looked around the kitchen for a while, before Ivy shone her torch along a wall, as she spotted a large white door.
Zack stood next to her, as he shone his own torch at the door.
Before they could do anything, they both heard footsteps, and coats flapping.
"What was that?" Zack asked, as he and Ivy looked around, while Zack shone his torch. He soon dropped his torch in shock, when he saw two figures standing in the kitchen doorway.
(Flashback paused)
0o0o0o0
"And that's how we met Carm and Naru," Zack said with a smile. "The end."
Ivy gave her own smile at this, along with a cocked eyebrow.
"All that and now you stop?" Shadowsan said with a frown, as he raised an eyebrow, while Naruto and Carmen smiled.
Zack shrugged his shoulders at this. "We were all casing the same place on the same night. The rest is, as they say, history" he said with a grin.
"Or their story," Carmen said with a smile.
"Yeah, as things were a bit more complicated the way we remember it" Naruto said with a smile of his own, as they both raised an eyebrow.
{"No kidding"} Player said in agreement.
0o0o0o0
(Flashback resumed: Naruto, Carmen and Player's POV)
"It had been a few months since we'd escaped from VILE Island, after stealing the harddrive" Naruto said.
"Yea, as we did some travelling" Carmen said with a nod.
{"While I did some decrypting"} Player said. {"I discovered that VILE stole a set of printing plates from the US treasury. They were printing money whenever they wanted to, which meant they had their own printing press. We just couldn't figure out where they were hiding it."}
Player was typing away on his computer, as he was able to get through the VILE harddrive's firewalls, and pulled up the info about the printing plates, along with all the money VILE was making with them.
"We then decided to follow a lead on a VILE front, that had been receiving regular cash drops, in the hopes of following the couriers back to their money factory, and find the stolen plates," Naruto said.
A picture of the donut shop came up on Player's computer screen.
"So, months of preparation were about to be put to the test," Carmen said.
"On our very first caper, as Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego" they both said with a grin, as they slung an arm around each other's shoulder.
Naruto and Carmen were standing on a rooftop, wearing their mission clothes, as they looked down at the donut shop.
Player was typing on his computer, showing the street where Carmen and Naruto were. "Locked onto your position, and security cameras are disabled" he said with a grin. "You guys ready?" he then asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"We're as ready as we'll ever be," Naruto said with a smile.
"But someones either doing a late night donut run, or we've got competition" Carmen said with a raised eyebrow, as she and Naruto looked through their binoculars at the donut shop, seeing one person picking the lock on the door, while another was walking along with their arms held out in front of them and their ski mask on back to front.
{"Wait, other thieves that steal from thieves?"} Player asked in surprise.
Naruto and Carmen watched as the door was unlocked and the one with the ski mask on back to front slammed into the doorframe, before entering into the shop, as they put the mask on the right way.
"Amateurs at that," Naruto said with a slight chuckle.
"They have no idea what they're stumbling into," Carmen said with a frown. "Player, change of plans" she said, as they both put their binoculars away, and walked away from the ledge, heading for the door on the roof.
{"Already? We're only five minutes into your first job"} Player said.
"Yeah, but we need to save these amateur thieves, before they make things worse," Naruto said, as they ran down the stairs.
They soon exited out of the building, and after making sure that the coast was clear, they ran for the donut shop. Once inside, they quickly headed for the kitchen, and stood in the doorway, causing one of the masked thieves to drop their torch in shock, before it was quickly picked back up again, and shined on them with their faces being partly shaded.
"Who are you two?" Carmen asked.
"And what are you doing here?" Naruto added, as they looked at the two masked people.
"Who are you two?" Ivy shot back.
"And what are you doing here?" Zack added in return.
"You both need to vacate from here immediately" Carmen said.
"Yeah, cause it's for your own safety," Naruto said in agreement, as they lifted their heads up, showing more of their faces.
"Oh please, they just want the donut dough all to themselves" Ivy said with a frown.
"Yeah. Did Sharkhead Eddie send you guys too?" Zack asked with his own frown.
Naruto and Carmen looked confused at this. But before anything else could happen, they saw the lock of the back door turning, so they quickly ran over to the other two, and pushed them behind some shelves where they turned the torches off, just as the door opened.
Naruto and Carmen peeked around the side of shelves, while Zack and Ivy looked round the items on the shelves.
"Is it the mob?" Zack asked with a gasp.
"Trust us, it's way worse" Naruto said with a glare, as Carmen nodded in agreement.
They watched as Boris and Vlad came in, with Vlad pushing a trolley that had a black cloth covering it. They saw the two stop before the big door, with Vlad turning the handle, which allowed the door to side open.
Ivy and Zack's eyes widened at this, as they saw another door behind the first, which looked like a high tech version of a bank's vault door.
Boris then walked over to a keypad, and after he put in the code, the door opened to reveal a large empty room.
The two Cleaners moved the trolley into the room, before Boris pulled the cloth off, revealing a large amount of money.
"Holy guacamole" Zack said with wide eyes, upon seeing how much money was on the trolley.
The other three were quick to shush him, so that they wouldn't get spotted.
They then watched as the Cleaners closed up both the doors, before they left the same way they entered.
"Player, the drop went down as scheduled," Carmen said with a smile into her earpiece.
"We're now following the breadcrumbs," Naruto said with his own smile, before they ran out of the kitchen.
Zack and Ivy stepped out from behind the shelves, and watched as they left, before looking at the large door.
"You can crack that, right sis?" Zack asked hopefully, as he gestured at the door.
"Uh, um, er, ah" Ivy said, as her eyes darted about the room for a moment. "Come on, we're following those two, who're following them breadcrumbs to the dough" she said firmly, as she ran after Naruto and Carmen, with Zack following her.
Naruto and Carmen exited the shop, just as they saw the Cleaners drive off in a van. They looked around for a moment, before they spotted a car parked nearby. They quickly ran over to it, with Naruto getting in the driver's seat, while Carmen hopped over the hood of the car and sat in the passenger seat.
Zack and Ivy then came out of the shop, and ran over to them.
Naruto and Carmen gave them both a smile, with Naruto holding a pair of keys out of the open window. "Sorry guys," Naruto said.
"But it's for your own safety," Carmen added.
"My keys" Zack said in worry, as he patted himself down, noticing that he didn't have the keys to the truck. Ivy looked over in worry, before they both frowned at the other two.
Naruto then lowered the sunvisor, which allowed the car keys to fall into his hands. He gave a grin at this, as he started the car, before he did a U-turn and took off round the corner after the Cleaners, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake, which caused Zack and Ivy to cover their faces.
Ivy frowned as they both lowered their arms, before she looked at Zack. "Don't worry, I got this" she said confidently, before heading for the truck, with Zack following her.
Ivy and Zack took their ski masks off as they climbed into the truck, before Ivy knelt down and pulled off the panel covering the wires. She gave them a look over, before she used some pliers to cut two of the wires, and rubbed them against each other for a while, which caused the engine to turn over before it eventually started.
They both smiled at each other, before they put their seatbelts on and drove after Naruto and Carmen.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Carmen were carefully following the Cleaners van, while making sure that they weren't getting too close so they didn't get suspicious.
As they were driving along, Naruto looked in the rearview mirror, and saw that Zack and Ivy were following them.
"Oh, come on. Seriously?" Naruto asked sarcastically, as he frowned at this.
They saw the Cleaners van drive through a green light, which soon changed to yellow as they approached it, then red. Naruto was about to continue to drive on through, when another car drove in front of him.
"Look out!" Carmen yelled, as Naruto gave a gasp of surprise and slammed his foot on the brakes and swerved to avoid hitting the car, while the driver blasted their horn at them, before they drove off.
Naruto was still turning the wheel, which caused the car to drive through a road work fence, and ended up in a large hole in the road, with roadworks cones around it.
Naruto and Carmen climbed out of the wrecked, smoking car and looked at the totaled vehicle over their shoulders.
"Ugh. We're master thieves without a getaway driver" Naruto said with a groan.
{"Well, I can't help you there, guys. I don't even have my learners permit"} Player said over their comms.
"Well, we might need to think about hiring," Carmen said.
Naruto and Carmen then saw Zack and Ivy's truck pull up next to them, with Ivy looking at them with a glare.
"Now we got them," Ivy said, as she leaned out of the passenger window.
The two of them pulled themselves out of the hole, and opened the passenger door, before Naruto climbed in, with Carmen sitting on his lap.
"Huh?" Ivy asked dumbly, with Zack looking just as lost.
"Follow that van," Carmen said.
"And be quick about it, would ya" Naruto added.
"Bossy" Ivy said with a scowl.
Zack just put the truck into gear, and drove off.
As they drove, Zack was making sure not too get close, so that he didn't get the Cleaners suspicious about being followed.
They soon saw the van drive onto a road that was higher up.
"They're taking 93," Ivy said with a frown.
"There's only one place it goes: the harbour," Zack said with a smile.
"They've been printing money on a boat?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No wonder we couldn't find the printing press, it's mobile" Carmen said with a smile.
"And so are we, but I know a shortcut" Zack said with a grin, as he continued going straight.
0o0o0o0
(At the docks)
Zack parked the truck at the edge of the docks, behind some crates before he turned the engine off.
The four of them climbed out of the vehicle, with Naruto and Carmen walking over to the crates, while taking out their binoculars, as they looked through them at a large boat, seeing Le Chevre and El Topo leaning against the rails.
"Player, we're in position," Naruto said.
"Now we just need to wait for the Cleaners to show up, so they can tell us all we need to know about Boston Harbour," Carmen added, as they looked all over the docks.
Zack then appeared before their binoculars with a smile. "Listen, we can tell you everything about our fair city," he said with a smile and a cocked eyebrow.
"What do you need to know?" Ivy asked them with a smile.
Naruto and Carmen didn't know what to say.
Zack and Ivy placed their hands on their shoulders, and pulled them down behind the crates.
"In the early days of our country's history, when America was still a group of colonies under British control, colonists snuck aboard some British ships, and dumped hundreds of boxes of tea into the ocean" Zack said with a smile.
"It was their way of protesting the British government, who'd been forcing them to pay high taxes on tea. They called it: The Boston Tea Party" Ivy said.
"And, it was one of the key incidents that led up to the American Revolutionary War. But Boston's not only about our history. It also has the best ballpark in the world, which would be Fenway, home of the best baseball team ever! Let's go, Red Sox! Let's go!" Zack said with a wide grin, pumping his arms in the air.
"We also have the best clam chowder, not red!" Ivy said with her own grin.
"If you like fish slop, that is" Zack said, as he gave a shudder. "Give me Boston baked beans, or give me death!"
"Just make sure you don't call Boston Beantown, as Zack hates that" Ivy said.
"As in, I really, really hate that" Zack said with a frown.
"Well guys, all their facts check out" Player said with a smile, as he leaned back in his chair with a smile, while his arms were crossed behind his head as he looked at his computer, showing everything that Zack and Ivy had just talked about.
"Wow, you two really know a lot about Boston," Carmen said, as she and Naruto looked at them both with a smile.
Before anything else could be said, they heard a noise. Naruto and Carmen both stood up, and used their binoculars to see Le Chevre and El Topo loading another cart of money into the back of the van, with the Cleaners holding the doors open, watching them.
Ivy then stood up, and took Carmen's binoculars from her, who looked at her in surprise. "Woah! That's gotta be more than enough dough to pay off Eddie and fix our car" she said with a smile.
Zack then took Naruto's binoculars and looked through them, with Naruto also looking at him in surprise. "Heck, we could probably buy a whole fleet of cars" he said with his own smile.
Naruto and Carmen both gave them a frown, as they took their binoculars back, making the two look at them.
"Wait, you're both turning to crime, to fix a car?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not just any car. Lydia," Zack said with a smile.
"Our racer. So that we can get back into the regional championships" Ivy said with a confident look.
"Well, couldn't you just get a loan from a family member?" Carmen asked curiously, with Naruto nodding in agreement.
Zack and Ivy both gave them a blank look, before looking at each other with a smile. "Hey, could you possibly loan me some -? Ah, never mind" they both said, as they looked away from each other in disappointment with slumped shoulders.
"We're the only family we've got" Ivy said, as she looked at them with a cocked eyebrow.
Naruto and Carmen just stared at Zack and Ivy for a moment, before nodding their heads. "Understood" they said together, as they resumed looking through their binoculars.
They saw the van driving off, while Le Chevre and El Topo walked back up the gangplank onto the ship.
"Time to follow that van," Zack said with a grin, as he looked at Ivy, who smiled back at him.
Naruto and Carmen looked at them with curious raised eyebrows. They absently looked around, before spotting a piece of rope hanging off a crate, causing them both to smile at each other.
Naruto then grabbed Zack and Ivy's arms, as he pulled them back to back, while Carmen used the rope to tie them together, before they dragged them over to a pole near the edge of the jetty, with Naruto forcing them to sit down while Carmen tied them to the pole.
"Sorry guys, but it's for your own safety," Carmen said with a smile, with Naruto nodding in agreement, before they ran off to the boat.
Zack and Ivy struggled against the rope for a while, but they couldn't get out, no matter how hard they tried.
"Come on bro, we can't let them take our cut of the dough" Ivy said, glancing at Zack over her shoulder.
Zack nodded at this, as they got their feet underneath them. "Ready?" Ivy asked, before they pushed themselves up, as they got themselves off the pole. Zack then jumped himself onto Ivy's back while moving his feet in the air, before he rested his feet on the pole.
"1, 2 and hop" Ivy said, as she jumped while Zack pushed off from the pole, sending them flying through the air, before they fell to the ground in a heap.
0o0o0o0
(Meanwhile)
Naruto and Carmen soon reached the boat, before they carefully and cautiously walked up the gangplank, where they hopped over the rails onto the boat's deck. They quietly walked along the side of the boat, making sure they weren't seen by anyone through the windows. Once they reached the corner, they peaked round it before running off.
0o0o0o0
(Back on the jetty)
Zack and Ivy were both grunting while hopping along towards the boat, which was a slow process, since they were still tied together back to back.
As they were hopping along, they passed a pothole that had a light coming out of it, where Zack spotted someone inside the room.
"Ivy, stop," Zack said to his sister, as he stopped hopping, which caused Ivy to do the same, and almost sent them to the floor.
"What is it?" Ivy asked over her shoulder.
"Go back for a moment. I saw someone in that room over there" Zack said, nodding his head towards the light coming from the pothole.
Ivy nodded at this, as they hopped back over, with Ivy looking inside for a moment, before Zack pushed her out of the way, as he looked through the window with a cocked eyebrow.
{"V.I.L.E need's another print of presence in the good old U.S of A. So you fella's keep printing that funny money, so that we can buy up some prime Beantown real estate"} Coach Brunt said to El Topo.
"Oh no!" Ivy said, as got a look of worry on her face, as she saw the look of anger on Zack's face. "No, Zack! No, no, no, no!" she was saying quickly, while shaking her head at this.
"Never. Ever. Call Boston….Beantown!" Zack yelled out, before he disappeared from the window, just as El Topo looked back in surprise.
Zack and Ivy were wobbling back and forth, before they fell over with yells of surprise.
"Oh, boy" Ivy said, as they struggled to get back up.
They heard something hit the jetty in front of them, before they looked up and saw it was El Topo, who was looking down at them with a smirk. "Hola" he said to them, as he walked over and grabbed some rope, before tying their feet together and dragged them towards the gangplank.
0o0o0o0
(With Naruto and Carmen)
Meanwhile, Naruto and Carmen were both outside a room, with Carmen carefully turning the door handle, so as not to make too much noise.
They both carefully poked their heads in the room, and looked around for a moment, to make sure that no one else was there, before they creeped into the room.
As they quietly walked around the room, they kept an eye out for anyone that might be there.
They soon reached a table at the end of the room, with Naruto taking a small bag out of his coat pocket, with Carmen doing the same while picking up one of the printing plates. "Jackpot" she said with a grin.
"Stop right there" they both heard someone shouting out from behind them. They both glanced over their shoulders slightly, and saw that Le Chevre was standing in the doorway
They both placed a printing plate in one of their bags, before they turned around.
"Hey Le Chevre," Naruto said with a small smile, as he tightened the strap on his bag.
"It's been a while," Carmen said with her own smile, along with a cocked eyebrow, as she tightened the strap on her own bag, as they both turned around.
"Black Sheep? Dark Fox?" Le Chevre asked in surprise.
"We respectively go by Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego now" Naruto said, as they both gave him a slight grin while facing him.
"Black Sheep, Dark Fox, for your own safety, put down the plates and leave, now. And I'll pretend that I never saw you" Le Chevre said, as he glared at them.
"We told you, the names are Naruto and Carmen," Naruto said with a hard tone.
"And I'm afraid that we can't do that" Carmen said, as they both glared back at him.
Le Chevre then got a look of concern on his face. "Seriously, if you don't put those down, then I'll need to -"
"Always protect the face!" Naruto and Carmen yelled out with smiles, as they ran at Le Chevre with the bags raised up to hit him, causing Le Chevre to yell in shock as he raised an arm to his head, waiting to be hit….
….only to open his eyes seconds later, as he looked around and saw they'd gotten away.
"Damn it" he grumbled, as he ran after them.
Naruto and Carmen were both running on the deck of the ship, as they tried to get away.
Meanwhile, El Topo was dragging Zack and Ivy along the deck of the ship.
"So, there we were, on a nighttime lobster run, when we got tripped up in this stupid rope" Zack said to El Topo with a nervous smile.
"Total freak accident, right?" Ivy asked with her own nervous smile.
Naruto and Carmen both stopped running, when they saw El Topo walking towards them, while dragging Zack and Ivy. "You gotta be kidding" they both said with a frown.
"Black Sheep? Dark Fox?" El Topo asked in shock, as he dropped the rope, making Ivy grunt. "But I thought that you didn't graduate."
"They didn't" Le Chevre yelled out, as he walked over, with Naruto and Carmen glancing over their shoulders at him, before they turned to face him.
Le Chevre then smirked when he saw Zack and Ivy tied up. "Ah, friends of yours?" he asked with a smug look. "Good work tying them up," he said to El Topo, as he stood across from Naruto and Carmen.
"I didn't, they arrived this way" El Topo said with a cocked eyebrow.
"The plates, or mon ami El Topo throws your friends overboard" Le Chevre said threateningly.
Naruto and Carmen both glared at Le Chevre, who glared back at them, before he looked at El Topo, and jerked his head towards the side of the boat, who looked slightly upset, before he picked Ivy and Zack up, and held them over the edge of the boat.
"Whoa!" Ivy yelled out, as she and Zsck struggled to get out of the rope.
"Wait!" Carmen said.
"Take 'em" Naruto said, as he and Carmen dropped the bags, before pushing them towards Le Chevre while glaring at him. Le Chevre stopped them with his foot, before picking them up. Naruto and Carmen then looked at El Topo with a frown, who dropped Zack and Ivy to the deck of the boat.
Le Chevre used his foot to toss the bags up in the air, before he grabbed them in his hands with a smug look on his face. "Now though them overboard!" Le Chevre yelled, as he pointed at Naruto and Carmen.
El Topo walked towards them, with a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry you two" he said to them, as he approached.
Naruto and Carmen both stood ready, before Zack and Ivy stood up and yelled as they charged at him shoulders first, making everyone look over in surprise. They lowered their head to hit him but missed, as El Topo stumbled back in shock.
This allowed Naruto and Carmen to run over and jump up to kick him in the back, sending him to the railing, where he fell off the ship with a yell.
Naruto and Carmen walked over to the railing, as Naruto dropped a life preserve down for him, which El Topo quickly grabbed onto.
Le Chevre watched this with a cocked eyebrow, and gritted teeth as he backed up, while Naruto and Carmen walked towards him.
Le Chevre quickly jumped up, as he parkoured himself to the top deck of the boat.
"Catch me if you can," Le Chevre said with a confident smirk, before he ran off.
Carmen and Naruto quickly walked over to Zack and Ivy, before they untied them.
"Woah, thanks for untying us" Ivy said with a smile, as she and Zack rubbed their arms and wrists.
"Eh, I needed the rope," Carmen said with a shrug, making Zack and Ivy look at each other.
"I'll see if I can cut him off," Naruto said.
"Okay, but be careful" Carmen said to him, as she grabbed an anchor, while tying the rope to it.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine" Naruto said with a grin, as he kissed her on the cheek, before he ran off.
Carmen gave a slight smile at this, before she lifted the anchor, and held it out to Zack. "A little help here muscles" she said with a cocked eyebrow.
Zack just stood there with wide eyes, while Ivy pushed him to one side. "Sure thing" she said with a smile as she walked over, with Zack watching her go with a wide open mouth.
Ivy took the anchor from Carmen and looked at it with a grin, before she looked up with a raised eyebrow. She then ran forward, as she threw the anchor up, before she pulled on the rope, which allowed it to hook on the railing at the top.
"Milady," Ivy said to Carmen with a smile, as she held out the rope to her.
Carmen took the rope with a grin, before she started to climb herself up the side of the boat, with Zack and Ivy watching her go.
"Something that retracts would work better, and be more practical. Maybe attached to the wrist for easy access?" Ivy said with a smile, before she imitated cocking a gun with her arm raised.
Carmen stopped for a moment, as she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at this, before she continued on climbing.
"Oh Ivy?" Zack said with a grin, before he imitated a gun cocking noise himself with one eye closed. "That a-way" he said, as he pointed his arm towards the other end of the boat.
Ivy looked where Zack was pointing, and saw crates full of money.
They both looked at each with smiles on their faces, before they ran over and began stuffing bundled notes of money into their shirts for a few minutes.
"Do you think that's enough?" Zack asked curiously, as he grabbed a bundle of notes.
"Okay, just one more" Ivy said with a grin, as she picked up another bundle of notes, before stuffing it into her overstuffed shirt.
"Hey sis, we don't want to let bad guys buy up prime Boston real estate, do we?" Zack asked with a raised eyebrow, as he cupped his chin in thought.
Before Ivy could respond, a gust of wind blew some of the loose notes out of their stuffed shirts, and sent them out to the ocean, causing the two of them to grin at each other.
El Topo was paddling back to the boat, with the life preserve around his waist, before he noticed some notes falling around him.
"Er, what?" he asked in shock, as he looked up, and saw Zack and Ivy tipping an open crate of notes into the water, right on top of him, making him widen his eyes.
"Ah!" El Topo yelled out, as the money fell on him, causing a loud splash.
Zack and Ivy then went to grab another crate, before dumping the contents of that into the water, before dropping the crate into the sea.
"It's like our very own Boston Tea Party" Zack said with a wide grin, as he pumped his fist.
0o0o0o0
(Meanwhile)
Le Chevre heard what was happening, and ran to the railing, just in time to see Zack and Ivy toss another crate of notes into the ocean with a laugh. "No, no, no," he said with a worried tone.
Naruto and Carmen had met up with each other, and ran along the deck, before they spotted Le Chevre leaning over the railing. They both quickly ran round the corner, just as Le Chevre hopped over the railing and slid down the side of the boat, before jumping into the air.
Naruto and Carmen then leapt into the air, and kicked Le Chevre in the chest, sending him to a sofa, while they landed before him in a crouch. They glared at each other, before Naruto and Carmen dashed towards Le Chevre.
Le Chevre placed both his feet on the table before him, and pushed it towards them with a yell, as the two of them placed their feet on it to jump over, before they ran towards Le Chevre, and tried to grab him. But Le Chevre jumped up, and pushed down on their heads, sending them into the sofa.
Naruto glared at this, as he grabbed one of the cushions, and slid it on the floor. As Le Chevre ran to the railing, he stepped on the cushion and slid towards the railing with a yell of surprise, hitting himself in the chest.
He then looked over his shoulder with a glare, while holding his chest, and saw Naruto and Carmen running over. He quickly moved away from the rails, as they tried to grab the bags with the plates in them from his belt.
Le Chevre circled around them, and grabbed their hands as they turned and tried to grab the bags again.
He then lifted their arms up, before he kicked Naruto away and grabbed Carmen's other hand as she tried to grab the bags. Le Chevre spun her around, while their arms were crossed in front of their chests.
Le Chevre and Carmen then forced themselves to separate from each other, just as Naruto ran over and kicked the bags off Le Chevre's belt into the air.
Naruto and Carmen then fought against Le Chevre for a moment, before he looked up at the falling bags. Le Chevre jumped and kicked both Naruto and Carmen in the chest, sending them backwards, just as they kicked him, while the bags landed in the middle.
The three of them landed on their backs, before they sat up, with Naruto and Carmen glaring at Le Chevre, who glared back at them, while they got to their hands and knees.
They stayed like that for a moment, before running towards the bags. Naruto and Carmen were quick enough to get their first, as they snatched up a bag each, before they threw them at Le Chevre, hitting him in the head and causing him to close his eyes. Le Chevre held his face in pain, and opened his eyes just in time to see Naruto and Carmen kick him in the chest, sending him into the railing behind him, before he fell off the boat with a yell, splashing next to El Topo.
He then came up, and looked at El Topo in shock, just as a life preserve landed around his head, causing him to dunk his head to hide behind it, while frowning slightly.
Naruto and Carmen then bent down and picked up the bags with the plates in them with a grin, before they walked down to Zack and Ivy, who'd just finished throwing the last crate of money overboard.
"Well, it looks like you two had fun," Naruto said with a grin, as he and Carmen walked over to them.
"Yup. Now these guys won't be able to buy up Boston real estate" Zack said with a grin, as he dusted his hands off.
"So, what're you two gonna do with the money printing plates?" Ivy asked them, as they walked down the gangplank.
"Return them of course" Carmen said with a shrug, with Naruto nodding along in agreement.
"Wait, so you're really gonna return the money printing plates?" Zack asked in shock, as they headed back to the truck.
"Yeah. Cause despite appearances, we don't really commit crimes" Naruto said, as they turned around with their arms crossed, while smiling at both Zack and Ivy.
"We're out to take down a….certain criminal organisation" Carmen said with a nod.
"Uh, but don't we have something called the police for that?" Ivy asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yes, but the police have no idea that they even exist. But we do" Naruto said with a smile, as he threw his arm over Carmen's shoulder, who had her own smile.
Naruto and Carmen then looked at all the money Zack and Ivy had, before raising an eyebrow each. "That money is technically stolen. If you get caught spending it, then the police will put you both away for a very long time" Carmen said, making Zack and Ivy look at each other for a moment.
"Afterall, it's -" Naruto was saying, before he got cut off.
"Yeah, yeah/It's for our own safety" Zack and Ivy said together with slumped heads, as they walked to the end of the docks, where they lifted their shirts up, which allowed the money to fall into the water.
{"Guys, I've just decrypted another set of data, and it's juicy"} Player said over Naruto and Carmen's comms.
"Well, here's hoping that our second caper goes much more smoothly," Carmen said with a smile and a raised eyebrow, as she turned around and walked away.
"We can only hope," Naruto said with his own grin, as he followed her.
Zack looked over his shoulder at them with a look of worry, before he looked at Ivy. "Once Eddie finds out that we didn't cook up the donut dough, he's gonna break more than breadsticks," he said.
"We gotta lay low. Maybe even get outta Boston for a while" Ivy said.
"Player, book us a red eye," Carmen said with a grin.
"So, uh, we were wondering….you got any room for us on your next job?" Ivy asked with a nervous look on her face, as she poked her forefingers together for a moment.
"We've, er, got a shark chasing our tail" Zack said with a nervous chuckle.
Naruto and Carmen looked at them with a cocked eyebrow, before looking at each other for a moment.
"What do you guys think?" Naruto asked Player and Carmen curiously.
{"You did say that you guys needed a getaway driver"} Player said.
"And they don't mind stealing from the bad guys," Carmen said with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk.
Naruto looked at Zack and Ivy with a grin. "Looks like you're hired," he said.
"So, about this retracting wrist thing you mentioned," Carmen said with a look of intrigue.
Zack and Ivy grinned at this, before looking at each other, with Ivy making an imitation of cocking a gun with her arm raised, with one eye closed.
Naruto also looked intrigued upon hearing this, as they all climbed into the truck.
0o0o0o0
(VILE Isle)
The Faculty were looking up at the big screen, all with unhappy looks on their faces, as El Topo and Le Chevre had just explained what happened, while standing on the boat, soaking wet.
"I don't care if they're calling themselves Josie San Jose, Kevin Bacon, Monica Santa Monica or Apple Martin!" Coach Brunt yelled out, making El Topo and Le Chevre look worried. Brunt then slammed her fists on the table. "I'll crush them for betraying family!" she said with a growl.
Shadowsan scoffed at this, making the others look at him. "Their actions tonight were merely a fluke. How much damage can two people possibly inflict against VILE?" he asked, as he turned his chair away, so that they couldn't see his smirk.
(Flashback Over)
0o0o0o0
"At the time, we had no sense of the scope of your interference. And now, we do" Shadowsan said with a grin.
"Catastrophic!" Zack yelled with a fist pump.
"Whoo! Go bosses! It's your birthdays, it's your birthdays! Oh yeah" Ivy sang, as she and Zack danced along, before bumping their hips together, with their fists raised above their heads.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this.
"Though I question why they've not yet returned to pursuing their racing dreams" Shadowsan said with a cocked eyebrow.
"We're along for this ride now" Zack said, as he stood next to Shadowsan.
"Yeah. We'll get around to fixing up Lydia, and paying back Eddie" Ivy said with a nod, as she walked to stand next to Naruto.
"Someday" both Zack and Ivy said at the same time with grins, as they pointed a finger at each other.
Naruto and Carmen looked at this with a raised eyebrow each, before smiling at each other.
{"Hey gang"} Player said, as Naruto pulled out his phone and put it on speaker, so that everyone could hear what he had to say. "I was able to dig up more intel on that car; it's actually the worlds fastest. And VILE's plotting to steal it during a racing event, in Dubai" he said, as a map of Dubai appeared on his screen.
"Then it looks like we're gonna have to steal it first," Carmen said with a grin, as Naruto nodded in agreement.
{"Chartering you a flying car to the Middle East right now"} Player said.
"Steal a racing car! We're back in our element!" Ivy said with a grin, as she and Zack clasped their hands together, before they ran off to get in their red car.
"Vroom and zoom!" Zack said happily, and started up the car, while Ivy stood with her door open, so that the others could climb in.
Shadowsan, Carmen and Naruto walked over to the car, with Shadowsan climbing in the back first.
"See? An HQ would be wasted on movers and shakers like us" Carmen said with a smile, as she looked back at the building, before climbing in the car.
Naruto gave a nod of agreement to this, as he too climbed into the back. Ivy then pushed the seat back, before she climbed in and closed the door.
Zack then put the car into gear, and drove off with the tires screeching.
0o0o0o0
Authors Note: To those who want me to lemon/sex scenes in every chapter or so, I can't as I need to find the right time/moment to do them. Such as, on their plane, in a hotel room or in a train's sleeping carriage. So please, stop asking me to keep adding them, as I'll do them when I please.
Hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter, and that you're doing what you can to avoid getting this COVID by following the rules, while any and all flames are no longer welcome. Also, for some reason, if I get a PM from anyone, it wouldn't show me the number(s) on fanfiction (so if you send me a PM, and I reply to it late, that's the reason why). Let's hope that now the vaccines are all done, we can rest a bit easier.
I have also posted a few story ideas on my home page, and if any of you want to use them please, PM me and let me know.