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 16 - The African Ice Caper
(In a Sweden hospital)
Naruto and Carmen were each on a hospital bed, as doctors and nurses pushed them through a hallway, a breathing mask on both their faces.
"Their car slid on some ice, and spun off the road" they both heard Zack's voice saying, as they opened their eyes, seeing the siblings with the hospital staff.
"They've been out in the cold all night. Please, help em" Ivy said, as she and Zack looked at them both with worry, as Naruto and Carmen closed their eyes, as they went through a double door.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later)
Zack and Ivy were sitting next to Naruto and Carmen's beds, as the two of them were dressed in hospital pyjamas and resting, while a nurse was writing on a clipboard, when the door to the room opened, showing that it was Shadowsan.
"I'm sorry sir, but it's past visiting hours" the nurse told him.
"It's okay. He's, er…." Zack said, not sure what to say Shadowsan was.
"He's family," Ivy said with a grin, with Zack doing the same.
"I came as soon as I could" Shadowsan said, as he walked over to them, a look of worry on his face.
Naruto and Carmen opened their eyes and smiled at him, which he returned.
0o0o0o0
(A while later)
Ivy and Shadowsan were dressed in hospital staff gear, as they wheeled out Naruto and Carmen to a hospital van that Zack was driving. They loaded the two of them onto the van, then drove off, with Ivy and Shadowsan in the back with them.
0o0o0o0
(The next day, at Carmen Brand Outerwear)
Naruto and Carmen were each on a couch asleep while wrapped in blankets, as Zack and Ivy moved some boxes around, while Shadowsan and Player were chatting on Naruto's laptop.
{"I've intercepted some intel on a VILE operation going down in Antwerp tonight. What would Naruto and Carmen want us to do?"} Player said with a look of worry.
Shadowsan looked over at the forms of Naruto and Carmen, before he looked back at the laptop screen. "I will handle it" he said, as he stood up from his chair and put the laptop on the table before he walked off, with Player watching him go, a look of surprise on his face.
0o0o0o0
(A few days later)
Zack and Ivy were painting the brick walls inside the building, while Shadowsan and Player were talking again on Naruto's laptop, with Carmen and Naruto still sleeping on the couches.
{"Chatter indicates VILE's up to something big in Krakow"} Player said.
"Charter a plane. I'm leaving now" Shadowsan said, as he closed the laptop and put it on the table, before he got up and walked away.
0o0o0o0
(A few days later)
Zack and Ivy were hammering nails into some floorboards, with Shadowsan and Player once again chatting on Naruto's laptop.
{"Get ready to rack up more frequent flyer miles. VILE's on the move in Taipei"} Player said with a frown.
Shadowsan nodded at this, as he stood up and placed the laptop on the table as he walked off, while Naruto and Carmen both shifted a bit in their sleep.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later)
"Carmen? Naruto? Wake up. You've got a visitor" Ivy said, as she shook them both slightly.
Naruto and Carmen opened their eyes, and turned to see the hologram of Chief walking towards them.
Chief looked around for a moment with a raised eyebrow. {"Nice HQ, you two"} she said with a small smile. {"Ah, you two sure look a whole lot better than the last time I saw you."}
"Thanks to you," Naruto said as he and Carmen both smiled, as they watched Chief walk to a chair and sit down.
{"Anytime you need me, I'm just a click away"} Chief said, as she glanced at the ACME pen in Naruto's hand.
Naruto and Carmen both looked at the pen.
"But neither of us called," Carmen said with a small frown.
"Yeah, so how'd you find us?" Naruto asked.
"Anyone can be found, Lambkins and Whiskers" a familiar voice said, taking Naruto and Carmen by surprise, as they both had looks of worry, as they looked over and saw Brunt in Chief's place.
"Now you both can pay the price for betraying your family" Brunt said with a smile at first, before she scowled as she reached for them.
Naruto and Carmen both gasped as they woke up, panting for breath, as the two of them looked at the ACME pen in Naruto's hand.
0o0o0o0
(Poitiers, France)
In the headquarters of Interpol, Chase was sitting at his desk with his hand on his chin, as he looked at his pen, thinking back to his days as an ACME agent.
He clicked his pen once, before looking up as a large file binder was placed on his desk.
"The files that you'd requested, Monsieur Devineaux" Andrew said to him, before he walked off.
Chase watched him go with a raised eyebrow, before he smiled as he picked up the binder and lifted out a piece of paper and looked at it for a moment, before he smirked as he put it back, while glancing about.
He then picked up his briefcase, opened it and put the binder inside, before closing it up. He then grabbed his suitcases handle before he walked over to his supervisor's office, and knocked on his door.
"Entrez," a voice said from the other side of the door.
Chase opened the door and entered the office, and saw Andrew sitting at his desk, doing some paperwork.
"What can I do for you, Devineaux?" Andrew asked him with a raised eyebrow.
Chase walked over to the desk, coughing into his sleeve as he did. "I'm sorry sir, but I think that I have a cold," he said, before he coughed into his elbow.
"Ugh, Devineaux! Again? This is the third time this month" Andrew said with a scowl.
"I have not been able to shake it, sir" Chase said as he cleared his throat, before he lifted his tie up and coughed into it. "I'm sure that I'll feel better in the morning," he said, before he turned his head as he coughed into his fist, while looking at him from the corner of his eye.
"You had better feel better" Andrew said, as he gestured for him to leave before going back to his paperwork.
Chase turned around while holding his stomach and a sagging look, before he stood up straight and walked out of the office with a smirk on his face.
Once he left the building, he got in his car and went to do some shopping.
He went into a shop and got some food, before he went to the counter.
"Is there anything else I can get for you?" the lady at the counter asked him.
"Let me see. And, uh, I will also need, uh..." Chase said, as he put his finger on his chin in thought.
"A roll of red yarn?" the lady asked with a smile, as she held some red yarn up.
Chase grinned at this, as he opened his wallet. "Make it two. And some pushpins" he said, as he took out some cash before handing it to her.
The lady nodded at this, as she picked up another roll of red yarn and placed them both in the bag, before doing the same with a box of pushpins. She then took the money from Chase, and opened up her cash drawer to put it away, before taking some money out and giving it to him. "Your change, sir" she said to him, as she pushed the bag forward.
"Thank you, madam," Chase said, as he put the change in his wallet, before picking up the bag and walked out of the shop, then got in his car and drove off.
After driving for a while, he pulled into a parking garage and parked his car, before getting out, locked his car and walked towards his apartment.
Once he arrived at his apartment, he unlocked the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. He placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter and took off his coat, before he headed into his living room….where he'd made a string web on a map, that was also connected to pieces of paper on pinboards, with pieces of paper all over the floor, stacked on some chairs and all over a table.
Chase put his coat on the back of a chair, then placed his briefcase on the table beneath the map. "At last! The customs forms!" he said gleefully, as he took the file binder out and grabbed some papers from it.
He placed them on the table, before heading back into his kitchen to grab the box of pushpins, then walked back into his living room, opening the box as he did.
"Amusement park in Shanghai, boom! Art gallery in Cairo, bang! Doughnut shop in Boston, voila! All of the places that Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki have robbed that we know have ties to the mysterious import export company" Chase said with a grin, as he placed the pieces of paper on the map.
"Peel back the layers, reveal the big picture" Chase said with a wide grin, as he looked at the map.
0o0o0o0
(Back at the Carmen Brand Outerwear warehouse)
Naruto and Carmen were in the part of the warehouse that had been turned into a gym, which included two punching bags, some gymnastic rings hanging from beams, two racks of kettlebells, some skipping rope hanging from a wall, a large tire hanging from the ceiling, a set of monkey bars, two training dummy heads, some barbells hanging on racks on the wall, with the weight plates stacked near them and a few dumbbells.
Right now, Naruto and Carmen were each wearing some yoga pants, a tank top, socks, sneakers and gloves, with Carmen tying her hair up in a ponytail, while punching at the two punching bags, with some sweat coming off them, showing they'd been at this for a while.
After some more punching, they both stopped as they panted for breath, while wiping the sweat from their heads, as they leaned against the punching bags.
"That was quite a good workout," Carmen said with a smile, as they both walked over to where they'd placed their towels and bottles of water.
Naruto nodded at this, as they each wiped the sweat off and took a drink. "Yea, it was. Though I know of another workout that we could be doing instead" he said with a grin, as he stood behind Carmen and groped both her breasts, making Carmen moan in pleasure at this.
"N-Naruto!" Carmen moaned out, as Naruto moved his head to her neck, as he licked and kissed it.
"So, what do ya say? Wanna go a few rounds?" Naruto asked with a smile, as he turned Carmen around, with his hands going to her ass, as he squeezed it, which caused Carmen to moan some more, as Naruto kissed her on the lips.
Carmen wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and kissed him back, as they made out for a few minutes before they had to separate to catch their breath.
"Hmmmm, maybe later babe. Right now, let's go see what Player has for us" Carmen said, as she gave Naruto a quick kiss on the mouth, before she placed her towel around her neck, and walked off with a sexy sway of her hips.
Naruto chuckled at this, as he too placed his towel around his neck and followed Carmen.
When they reached the large metal doors, they slid open automatically, showing the rest of the warehouse, with Zack and Ivy placing the russian dolls and the ninja statue on a piece of shelving.
"Tada!" Zack said with a smile, as he and Ivy gestured at the shelf.
"So, does it feel like home yet?" Ivy asked with her own smile.
Naruto and Carmen both looked surprised at this for a moment, before they grinned. "Yeah, it does a little," Naruto said with a nod.
"Even if we are going a bit stir crazy" Carmen added in, as they both walked towards the couch.
As they approached one of the couches, Carmen's laptop came on, showing Player on the screen.
"I'm just checking in on our….patients" Player said, as he raised an eyebrow in surprise, as he watched as Naruto and Carmen both sat on the couch.
"We're feeling strong, Player" Naruto said with a smile, as Zack and Ivy walked over, with Ivy draping herself over the back of the couch.
"Yea, so what have you got?" Carmen asked with her own smile.
"For Shadowsan? As soon as he completes his mission in the Austrian Alps…." Player was saying, before he was cut off.
"We'll take this one," Naruto and Carmen said together with a grin.
Zack and Ivy looked at each other in concern.
"Uh, it's not the easiest trip" Player said in worry.
"Don't worry, we'll take it slow," Naruto said with a reassuring tone.
"Yeah, we promise. Recon only" Carmen said with a nod, as Zack and Ivy looked at each other. "So, where are we off to?"
Player gave a shrug at this, as he moved to another computer screen. "Africa, specifically the Republic of Botswana, located in the southern part of the continent" he said, as he typed on the keyboard.
{"Awesome! We've never been before"} Naruto said with a smile.
{"I see that the Kalahari Desert stretches across most of the country"} Carmen said with a smile of her own, as they looked at images of the area.
"Just be sure to stay hydrated while you're on safari. And watch out for those tigers" Player said.
{"Eeeehrr!"} Naruto said, making the noise a buzzer makes.
{"Nice try Player. Tigers are native to Asia and India, not Africa"} Carmen said.
"Just testing. I guess that you caught me 'lion' huh?" Player asked with a grin.
Zack and Ivy both chuckled at this, finding it funny, while Naruto and Carmen both rolled their eyes.
"Oh, and check this out. Botswana has faced many challenges, but it's become one of the world's fastest growing economies. It doesn't hurt that it's rich in gold, uranium, copper and especially diamonds" Player said.
{"That's right. Most of their mines are operated in partnership with the government, who use the profits to fund schools, hospitals and infrastructure"} Naruto said.
"Come on then, let's get going" Ivy said with a smile, as she ran off to get packed.
"Hey, wait for me sis!" Zack yelled out, as he followed after her.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this, as they both went to get ready for their trip to Botswana, with Player getting their plane ready.
Soon, they got in Zack's red car, and drove off to the airport. Zack parked the car in the parking lot and got a ticket for it. They then went through customs and got on the plane, which soon took off for Botswana.
As they were flying, Zack and Ivy were playing Mario Kart 8 on the Nintendo Switch, while Naruto and Carmen both sat on the couch, having something to eat and drink.
"Ha! Take that Ivy!" Zack yelled out with a wide grin, as he'd thrown a red shell at her, knocking her over as he sped past.
"Oh, I'm gonna get you for that, bro" Ivy said, as she sped after him.
Naruto and Carmen both watched this for a while, before they looked at each other and smiled.
"We'll leave you guys to it" Naruto said, as they both stood up.
"Yeah, as I did promise Naruto to have a workout with him," Carmen said with a smile, before they both walked towards their bedroom.
"Well, here's hoping that they don't tire themselves out," Ivy said, watching them walk off.
"Eh, I'm sure they'll be fine - oi!" Zack was saying, before he yelled as Ivy took him out with a lightning strike.
"Ha! Told ya I'd get you back" Ivy said with a smirk, as she sped past him.
||LEMON START'S|| (Feel free to skip, if you don't want to read)
Once Naruto and Carmen had entered the bedroom, they locked the door and smiled at each other.
"So, where were we when we left off?" Naruto asked, as they wrapped their arms around each other.
Carmen looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling at him. "I do believe it was somewhere around here" she said, as she placed his hands on her ass.
"Oh yes, now I remember" Naruto said with a cheeky grin, as they leaned towards each other and began kissing, with Naruto squeezing Carmen's ass, causing her to moan lovingly into his mouth.
As they kissed, they each took their clothes off, and helped the other remove their clothes, before they were both in their birthday suits.
After kissing for a moment longer, they separated to catch their breaths, as they rested their foreheads against each other, while smiling.
"So, are you ready to have that workout now?" Carmen asked Naruto playfully, as she traced her fingers along his chest.
Naruto grinned at her, as he lifted her up, causing Carmen to wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Oh, you bet I am sweetie" he said, before he pulled her into a searing kiss, which Carmen was only too happy to return, as Naruto walked them over to the bed.
Once Naruto's legs hit the bed, he fell over onto it, so that he was on top of Carmen, while they were still kissing each other.
After kissing for a few more minutes, they separated from each other, with a string of saliva still connected to their mouths.
"Oh Naruto, I want you so badly," Carmen said with a moan, as she rubbed herself against him. "Please babe, put your cock inside my pussy. My pussy misses your cock."
"Well, my cock has also missed your pussy baby, so I'd be happy to," Naruto said with a smile, as he lined his cock up with Carmen's pussy before pushing himself inside her, causing Carmen to lean her head back against the pillows and moan in pleasure.
"Oh yes! I've missed this feeling of pleasure! I can't believe how good it feels after so long!" Carmen yelled out with a look of absolute pleasure on her face.
"Yeah, I agree," Naruto said with a grin, before he kissed Carmen on the lips, who was all too eager to return it, as she wrapped her arms around his neck making her breasts press against his chest some more while she wrapped her legs around his waist, causing his cock to enter her pussy even more.
As they kissed, Naruto moved one of his hands to her ass and the other to her breast, before he began fondling and squeezing them, causing Carmen to moan into his mouth with pleasure, while he sped up his pace a little with moving his cock in and out of her pussy, with Carmen bucking her hips in response.
They did this for quite a while, before they both began to move about quite quickly, as they separated their mouths from each other.
"Naruto, I'm so close!" Carmen moaned out erotically.
Naruto nodded at this. "Me too. Let's do it together" he said.
Carmen nodded in agreement, as they began to move their hips in sync, feeling their climaxes approaching.
"NARUTO/CARMEN!" they yelled out together, as they threw their heads back and came at the sametime.
Once they stopped climaxing, Naruto pulled himself out of Carmen, who gave a moan at this, as the mix of their orgasms came out of her pussy and spilled onto the bed.
"Oh, that was so good," Naruto said, as he laid down on the bed next to Carmen.
Carmen gave a nod at this, as she moved herself so that her head was on his chest and her leg was draped over his. "I agree" she said, as she traced her finger up and down his chest, while giving it some light kisses.
"So….wanna go again?" Naruto asked with a smile.
Carmen looked up at Naruto and returned the smile with one of her own. "You bet I do. But let's not overdo it," she said to him.
Naruto nodded at this, as they continued having sex until they tired themselves out, and slept for the rest of the flight, until they reached African airspace.
||LEMON OVER|| (Safe to read again)
0o0o0o0
(Africa)
Once their plane had landed and they got through the airport, they hired a jeep which Zack used to drive them out to the desert.
Ivy was in the passenger seat next to him, while Naruto and Carmen were in the back, looking out at the desert, dressed in safari gear.
As Zack drove, they passed a few wide life animals that were either eating, playing with each other, sleeping, running about (they noticed a few lions chasing an antelope) or watching them as they drove by.
As they drove through the desert, an ostrich ran alongside them, easily keeping pace with the jeep as it did.
"It's like half giraffe and half chicken" Zack said with a laugh, as they looked at the ostrich, before it ran off.
As Zack continued to drive, Ivy turned around while holding a bottle of water. "Are you guys doing okay back there? Can I get you both some water? Do you need to cool off?" she asked them with a smile.
"Cooling off is the last thing we want to do, after being trapped in an icy ravine," Naruto said, as he returned Ivy's smile with one of his own.
"Agreed" Carmen said with a nod.
{"Well then, it's a good thing that you're both handling Africa"} Player said from Carmen's phone, as he smiled at the two of them.
"I guess that Shadowsan is still staking out the Alps?" Naruto asked him, as Carmen rested her head on his shoulder.
{"He is a rock star"} Player said with a grin.
"What made you change your tune about him?" Carmen asked, as she raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I kinda wanna know too," Naruto said with a nod.
{"Actions speak louder than words, I guess"} Player said with a smile, as he shrugged his shoulders. {"When Shadowsan wasn't nursing you two back to health, he was stepping up in the field, big time."}
Naruto and Carmen both smiled and nodded at this. "We're lucky to have him on our side," Carmen said.
"Agreed," Naruto said, before they leaned back and looked out the window.
0o0o0o0
(Austrian Alps)
A buzzer went off as a gondola car began moving to go up to the top of the mountain. A large man with red hair and a beard was sitting next to a woman with long black hair, as the woman looked at her watch, just as someone with a briefcase ran onto the gondola car before the doors closed.
"You are Le Chevre?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow, as the gondola car went up.
Le Chevre smiled at this with his own raised eyebrow. "A sample of the merchandise, Fräulein" he said, before he opened up the briefcase on his lap, making them both raise their eyebrows at what they saw.
Le Chevre handed the briefcase over to the woman, who took it and looked at what was inside it with a smile.
"And there is more where this came from?" the woman asked with a smile and a cocked eyebrow, as she closed the briefcase, not noticing someone standing on the gondola car heading towards them from the other side.
"Much more" Le Chevre said with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow of his own, before he looked out the window and frowned slightly when he noticed the person standing on the gondola car heading towards them, who was revealed to be Shadowsan, who wore winter clothing version of his mission clothes and a mask to cover the bottom half of his face.
Shadowsan frowned as the gondola cars neared each other, before he jumped across, causing those in the gondola car to look up at the noise made.
Shadowsan opened up the hatch and jumped down, taking the three of them by surprise.
"Shadowsan?" Le Chevre asked in shock.
The red haired bearded man stood up and charged at Shadowsan with a yell, as he threw some punches at him, with Shadowsan easily dodging them, before he spun around and elbowed the man in the face, then used his forearm, sending the man back.
"You allowed yourself to be followed?" the woman asked, as she looked at Le Chevre with a scowl, as she held the briefcase close to her chest.
Le Chevre looked sheepish at this, as he gave a slight shrug.
As the two men fought, the gondola car swayed about as it continued going up.
The red haired bearded man gave a yell as he threw a punch at Shadowsan, who moved out of the way, before he chopped the back on his neck, sending him to the ground with a groan, as he was knocked out.
Le Chevre then stood up and sent a punch at Shadowsan with a shout, but Shadowsan just moved out of the way, so that Le Chevre sent the punch over his shoulder, as Shadowsan grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder at the black haired woman, causing him to grunt in pain as he fell to the floor.
Shadowsan then grabbed the briefcase before he leapt out of the gondola car. Le Chevre stood up and looked through the window, as he watched Shadowsan using a piece of rope to zipline down the wire.
Le Chevre then turned around and grabbed the knocked out man's belt, before he leapt out of the gondola car, and used the belt to zipline after Shadowsan.
As they went down the cable, Shadowsan slightly glanced back when he noticed that Le Chevre was following him.
Once Shadowsan reached the bottom, he quickly let go of the rope and went into hiding, just as Le Chevre arrived at the bottom.
"Show yourself" Le Chevre called out, as he looked around for Shadowsan, before he looked up as the briefcase fell, causing him to catch it, just as Shadowsan fell from the machinery that operated the gondola cars, chopping Le Chevre on the neck, knocking him out.
"Be careful what you wish for" Shadowsan said, as he picked up the briefcase and opened it, seeing that it was full of diamonds, before he closed it back up and left the area.
0o0o0o0
(Back in Africa)
It was now night, and Naruto and Carmen were in their mission clothes (minus their coats and hats) as they moved along a wired fence.
{"Shadowsan just told me what he got from his trip to the Alps"} Player said.
"Well, what was it?" Naruto asked, as he and Carmen carefully moved through the bushes.
{"Diamonds. Uncut ones too, so they're still fresh from the mine"} Player said.
"Ice, huh?" Carmen asked, as the two of them looked around before running along the fence line.
"Can't seem to avoid it these days," Naruto said, as he ran alongside Carmen.
{"It's probably no coincidence that VILE is up to something in Botswana"} Player said, as Carmen and Naruto stopped running along the fence line, as they looked around for a moment, before crouching into some bushes when they saw a spotlight moving along, so that they weren't spotted.
"Player, we're at the coordinates you sent us" Carmen said, as the two of them frowned, as they saw a large shed and some trucks parked next to it.
"If there is a diamond mine here, VILE is keeping it under wraps" Naruto said, before they saw some steam appear, making them narrow their eyes at this, as they looked down and spotted some slow moving fans, causing steam to be let out.
"And we may be about to unwrap it," Carmen said, as she grabbed Red Drone and the remote control for it.
{"Whoa! Shadowsan didn't nurse you both back to health, only for you to take unnecessary risks"} Player said in slight concern.
"Relax, recon only, remember" Carmen said, as she and Naruto both grinned slightly, as Naruto threw Red Drone slightly in the air, as its camera came on along with its thrusters, before it flew over the fence and went through one of the slow moving fans, as it flew through the ventilation tunnel.
0o0o0o0
(?)
In what looked like an office or a study, a man wearing a suit was sitting in a chair, holding a phone in his hand.
"I'm afraid that we've had a bit of trouble in the Alps, Gunnar. Shadowsan nicked our samples from Le Chevre, which means it won't be long before Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki connects the dots to our mining operation" the man said with a slight frown.
Professor Maelstrom scowled at this piece of news. {"Those diamonds are our best hope of making up for our losses in Rio, Roundabout. Not to mention, your best hope of succeeding Shadowsan, as the fifth member of our esteemed Faculty"} he said with a smile, as Roundabout narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.
"Rest assured Gunnar, my day job may preclude me from being on site. But it does enable me to rigorously monitor the situation from afar" Roundabout said, as he stood up and walked towards a window, allowing him to see a city.
{"Nonetheless, Coach Brunt is enroute to Botswana to ensure the safety of our investment"} Maelstrom said with a grin, before he hung up, with the phone screen showing the VILE insignia.
0o0o0o0
(Back in Botswana)
Zack and Ivy were inside a hut, with Ivy sat at a table with some computers on it, while Zack simply stood there with his arms crossed.
"First time back in the field since Stockholm. You think maybe Ruto and Carm are pushing their luck?" Zack asked curiously.
"They'll check in when they have something to report," Ivy said with a cocked eyebrow, as she watched Zack walk over to the bed nearby, which had Naruto and Carmen's hats and coats.
"Sure, Ivy, but what if you just suited up as one of them and made sure they're okay?" Zack asked in slight worry, as he picked up Naruto's hat, and turned to her with a smile. "I mean, you were awesome at the -"
"There's only one Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki" Ivy said with a frown, cutting him off. "I stepped up because I had no other choice. Ruto and Carm can handle whatever's out there on their own" she said, trying to reassure him.
Zack sat on the bed, while still holding Naruto's hat, a small look of worry on his face, before he looked at Ivy.
"Right?" Ivy asked with a raised eyebrow, as Zack leaned forward with his arms resting on his knees.
0o0o0o0
(Meanwhile)
Red Drone hovered over a ceiling grate for a moment as it looked around, before it went through a gap and flew down, as it saw a dump truck driving off in one direction through the tunnel it arrived in, with a load of rocks. It then turned around and headed off in the other direction. It soon arrived in a large cavern, and had to quickly fly up, as another dump truck drove into the tunnel, this one also filled with rocks.
Red Drone found a good vantage point, and saw a load of mining equipment along with many people working. Red Drone's camera zoomed in on some workers, before moving to a conveyor belt, which had a lot of rocks with diamonds attached to them, as they went into a large container, before they were loaded onto a dump truck, as it took a picture before a VILE agent directed the dump truck out.
"Whoa, this mining operation makes Rio look like a two-year olds sandbox. They've gotta be pulling tens of millions of dollars outta there" Player said with wide eyes, as he watched everything on his computer screen, as the dump truck left the cave.
Naruto and Carmen both frowned at this, as they had seen everything from the small screen.
"Think of all the schools and hospitals those diamonds could subsidise for Botswana" Naruto said, with Carmen nodding in agreement.
{"Ooh-wee!"} Naruto and Carmen heard from the screen, making them raise an eyebrow each, before Carmen pressed a button on the controller, making Red Drone's camera zoom in on a group of people entering the cave, showing that Brunt was walking in with two VILE agents. {"My, oh, my. This is quite the operation"} Coach Brunt said with a wide grin.
"Oh great, Coach Brunt is here," Carmen said with a groan.
{"Okay guys, we've seen enough. Time to get out of there"} Player said into their comms.
"Not until we complete a mapping study of the whole interior," Naruto said, as Carmen began pressing some buttons on the controller.
"Guys, ACME's chief may have let you both walk, but if Brunt corners you both again, you may not be so lucky" Player said to them.
"Well, well" someone said from behind Naruto and Carmen, before they could say anything, taking them both by surprise, as they glanced over their shoulders with slight frowns, and saw Tigress walking over. "Looks like we have some panthers in the bush" she said with a grin, as she flexed her claws.
Naruto and Carmen turned to face her, as they ran towards each other. Naruto and Carmen both sent some punches and kicks at Tigress, who dodged all of them, before she sent a double side kick to them both, sending them back towards the fence, where they held their sides in pain, as they fell to their hands and knees with a groan.
{"Carmen? Naruto? What's going on?"} Player's voice could be heard from their comms.
"Oh, my, it looks like someones off their game" Tigress said in a taunting manner, as she flexed out her claws.
Naruto and Carmen both scowled at this, as they stood up and ran towards her, sending out a punch, which Tigress ducked under before sending out a double uppercut, sending them flying, as they landed in a heap.
"Aw, does it hurt? Cause it sure seems that way" Tigress said with a teasing smirk, as she walked over to them.
Naruto and Carmen looked over their shoulders at her with a scowl each.
"Why don't we have Coach Brunt take a look at your injuries? And I can be the nurse for whiskers here" Tigress said with a smirk, as she held up her arm, as she was about to activate her wrist communicator.
Naruto and Carmen looked shocked at this.
But before Tigress could do anything, Zack and Ivy tackled Tigress with a yell, who gave a groan as she hit the ground.
"Score!" Zack said with a grin, as he sat on Tigress' back.
"The cat is in the bag!" Ivy said with her own grin, as she held onto Tigress arms.
0o0o0o0
(In Chase's apartment)
Chase was pacing about in his living room, as he played with a piece of red string in his hands. "How can a company with such global reach have no physical headquarters, not even a telephone number?" he asked himself, as he looked back at his string web.
He walked closer and placed his hands on the table, as he looked at it more intensely. "And I see a pattern here, but what does it mean?" he questioned with a frown, before he slammed his fist on the wall.
Chase then gave a sigh, before he sat in a chair. "Chief was right. I am better at thinking with my fists than with my head" he said, before giving a groan as he leaned back while looking up at the ceiling. "What would Julia think?"
0o0o0o0
(Back in Africa)
Tigress gave a grunt, as she strained against the chains that kept her bound to a piece of metal railing, while Zack and Ivy were sitting on the bed, watching her with smiles on their faces.
Tigress gave a huff as she stopped trying to get free, then looked at the siblings with a cocked eyebrow. "Are you two really gonna sit there and stare at me the whole time?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"Behave, and maybe we'll bring out a ball of yarn for you to play with later" Ivy said with a grin.
"Good one Ivy" Zack said with a laugh, as he nudged her in the side slightly.
"Ah, cat jokes. How original" Tigress said with a fake smile, before she frowned.
"Look, we made a rare discovery: the only tiger in Africa," Zack said with a smile.
"Booyah!" the siblings yelled out together, as they both pumped their fists in the air, along with a raised eyebrow each.
"Did you stop to wonder what a tigress might be doing in Africa?" Tigress asked them with a raised eyebrow.
The two of them looked at each other curiously, before they leaned forward slightly.
"Hunting!" Tigress yelled out, as she stood up and ran at them, with the chain stopping her from reaching them as she gnashed her teeth at them, causing Zack to fall over in surprise while Ivy had a look of worry on her face.
Tigress sat back down and laughed at this. "A couple of scaredy cats," she said with a wide grin.
Zack got up off the floor, as he and Ivy glared at Tigress.
Meanwhile, outside the shed, Naruto and Carmen were talking with Player, as they both sat on the hood of the Jeep.
"It's only a matter of time before Tigress' absence raises suspicions" Carmen said.
{"Shadowsan just left Austria. I can reroute his flight, and have him there in a few hours"} Player said.
"That wouldn't be soon enough. And we'd still be outnumbered" Naruto said with a shake of his head.
Carmen nodded in agreement at this, as she frowned slightly. "We need more bodies to pull this off. Bigger resources" she said, as she held up the ACME pen.
{"Whoa! Your not really thinking about calling in ACME, are you?"} Player asked in shock.
Naruto and Carmen looked at each other for a moment, before looking at the pen. "Chief's the reason we're still standing, isn't she?" Naruto asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Player quickly typed away on his keyboard. "Chief may have saved your lives in Stockholm, but she's also the reason that you nearly froze to death in the first place. What makes you think that you can trust her?" he asked with a frown.
"You used to say the same thing about Shadowsan" Carmen said, as she and Naruto both gave Player smiles, causing him to look a little surprised.
"Sync with Red Drone, and finish mapping the mine for us Player" Naruto said, before he hung up, while Carmen looked at the ACME pen with narrowed eyes.
"This time, the pen is most definitely mightier than the sword," Carmen said.
"Oh, indeed," Naruto said with a nod of agreement.
0o0o0o0
(In a supermarket)
Chase was walking to the end of an aisle, some red yarn in a basket he had on his arm, when he saw Julia looking at some fruit and vegetables.
Chase looked around for a moment, before he stepped forward slightly. "Uh, Agent Argent?" he asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.
Julia turned around at this, and looked surprised at seeing him. "Oh! Inspector Devineaux. What a surprise" she said with a small smile and a shrug, as she raised an eyebrow herself.
"Does your ACME card get you a discount here?" Chase asked her curiously, as he walked over.
"Sshh! That's classified" Julia said, as she looked around, before she looked at the basket on his arm. "Are you knitting a sweater?" she asked him curiously with a raised eyebrow.
Chase glanced at the yarn in his basket, before he gave a small chuckle. "I'm glad that you asked. I have been thinking about one of our old cases. Obsessing over it, really. I have uncovered a number of new leads. Perhaps we can compare notes" he said with a smile.
Julia looked surprised at this. "You know that's against policy. If Chief knew that I was even talking to you right now…." she said with a frown, before she turned around and headed towards one of the isles. "I really should just buy my hats and go."
This made Chase look surprised. "Hats in a corner grocery?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"A fedora and a kasa, actually" Julia said, as she walked down the aisle.
Chase followed her, and saw the same hats as what Naruto and Carmen wear. "But this is the cheese aisle!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"They're imported," Julia said with a smile and a raised eyebrow, as she and Chase walked down the aisle.
"Are you playing a joke on me? Is Chief hiding somewhere?" Chase asked with a small grin, as he and Julia stopped near the middle of the aisle.
"If she were, how would you even begin to explain this to her?" Julia asked with a smile, as she moved some hats aside, showing Chase a money tin cat.
"It is not like the others," Chase said with a cocked eyebrow, as he placed his hand on his chin, while looking at the hats on the shelves.
The cat then smiled at Chase and meowed.
0o0o0o0
(Chase's apartment)
Chase was seen asleep on the chair, as he sat up with a gasp, before he placed his head in his hand. "I have been going about this all wrong!" he said with a smile, as he stood up and walked over to his string web. "I should not be seeking a pattern in these common threads, I should be seeking the one thing that strays from the pattern."
Chase then looked at a small island on the map that had a pushpin on it. "This offshore location is the only one with no record of customs forms or delivery records" he said, before he gave a laugh. "What kind of import export company does not send or receive shipments?" he asked rhetorically, as he leaned forward while cupping his chin. "Ms Argent, you are my lucky cat," Chase said with a wide smile and a raised eyebrow.
0o0o0o0
(Botswana, in the mines)
Red Drone was seen flying through a tunnel, with Player typing on his keyboard, as he had the drone map out the tunnels of the mine.
"Mine tunnels have been mapped. Time to bring home the drone" Player said with a smile, as he made the drone turn a corner….only to have it suddenly stop, upon seeing Coach Brunt talking to the Cleaners.
{"Perimeter check, boys. If you see anything out of the ordinary, I wanna be the first to know"} Brunt said with a firm tone, as Player made the drone fly back the way it came.
"That was way too close for comfort," Player said with a look of concern.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Carmen were talking with Chief back at their camp, as they both sat on the back of the jeep.
{"You're saying that you can promise me at least one key player from VILE?"} Chief asked with a raised eyebrow.
"At least," Carmen said with a firm look on her face, with Naruto nodding his head at this, as they both stood up.
{"I really am glad that you decided to call me, you two"} Chief said with a smile, as Red Drone hoovered overhead.
Player was watching the meeting between Naruto, Carmen and Chief on his main computer screen, when he heard a ping, and looked over to see Shadowsan on another computer screen.
{"Player, requesting status update"} Shadowsan said.
"Funny that you should call right now" Player said with a flat tone, as he typed on his keyboard.
{"Tell me that Naruto and Carmen are safe"} Shadowsan said, with a small hint of concern in his voice, making Player stop typing.
"All good. They're having a pow wow with ACME's head honcho. Never thought that I'd get to set eyes on the hologram" Player said with a grin, as he leaned into his computer screen with a cocked eyebrow, before he continued typing.
Shadowsan looked surprised upon hearing this. "You have a visual? Can you sync me in?" he asked with a frown.
Player paused in his typing at this. "Um….for Carmen and Naruto's safety, right?" he asked with a hint of worry.
"Naturally" Shadowsan said with a nod.
Player looked back at his screen, as he resumed typing away, before his video image was replaced with the one of Naruto and Carmen talking with Chief.
{"I'm all ears, you two. Tell me what I need to know"} Chief said to them, as Shadowsan zoomed in on her.
"So she is the face of ACME" Shadowsan said with narrowed eyes, before he tapped the corner of his tablet, showing Player once again. "Are you able to trace her transmission?" Shadowsan asked Player, as he looked at him momentarily, before going back to typing on his keyboard.
"By all indications, VILE's prepared to move a large shipment of uncut diamonds," Carmen said, as she and Naruto walked to a fence nearby.
"Yea, so how soon can your agents get here?" Naruto asked Chief, as they both turned around to look at her.
{"Local law enforcement can get there quicker"} Chief told them.
This made Naruto and Carmen raise an eyebrow at this.
{"I told you that ACME has reach"} Chief said with a grin. {"Now, how will they know to find you?"} she then asked curiously.
"We'll be the ones wearing red," Carmen said, as she and Naruto both wore smirks.
0o0o0o0
(Somewhere in London)
It was night, with many people at home or on their way home, with no one at work….except for those inside an unassuming building next to a bridge.
Right now, a man was sat at a desk, with some paperwork on his desk, as he talked with someone on the phone.
"Good evening sir. I understand that you wish to be informed about any unusual activity in Botswana" the man said, as he held a folder in his hands.
{"Indeed, Jonesy. The prying eyes of Her Majesty's Secret Service and all that"} Roundabout's voice was heard on the other end.
"Well, I just moments ago received word of an impending police action against an illegal diamond mining operation" Jonesy said, as he read the file in his hands, which showed a picture of VILE's diamond mining area.
"Jolly good work, Jonesy. It's always a fine day when the global friends of British Intelligence prevail over evil" Roundabout said with a smile, before he hung up, changing his smile to a scowl as he did.
He then pulled out his VILE phone and typed in some numbers, before the screen showed Professor Maelstrom. {"Roundabout"} he said with a flat tone.
"I'm afraid that I have some rather distressing news to report, Gunnar" Roundabout said, making Maelstrom frown. "It's regarding our diamond mine."
0o0o0o0
(Interpol, France)
Andrew was sitting at his desk, doing some paperwork, when his phone rang, causing him to pick it up.
"Bonjour, how may I help you?" Andrew asked with a smile, as he picked up another piece of paper.
{"Sir, I'm afraid that I have some bad news"} Chase's voice was heard, before there was some coughing.
Andrew gave a frown at this. "Let me guess, Devineaux. You're still not feeling well?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, as he put down a piece of paper after reading it.
{"Worse, monsieur. And I am contagious"} Chase said with a weak groan, as he coughed, before there was a seagull cry in the background.
This made Andrew sit up at hearing this. "Did I just hear a seagull?" he asked with a hard tone, as he glared at the phone.
{"No, sir! It was a sneeze"} Chase said quickly, before he gave a sneeze, making Andrew take the phone away from his ear, as he raised an eyebrow.
Chase was seen standing in a motorboat at a jetty, as he swung his arm at a seagull, trying to get it to leave.
"It is pretty severe. I fear that I may be laid up for a few days" Chase said, as he pulled the cord on the motorboat's engine, starting it up, causing the seagull to fly off.
{"Did I hear a motor?"} Andrew asked suspiciously.
Chase had a look of worry appear on his face for a moment, before he held his stomach and gave a groan. "My stomach" he said, before grunting as he sat down next to the boat's engine. "I'm going to be sick. I must go now" Chase said, as he hung up, before he began driving off with a grin on his face.
0o0o0o0
(In Botswana, the next day)
A convoy of trucks drove towards the diamond mine that VILE used, with Naruto and Carmen sitting in the lead one, which drove through the closed gates, breaking them off their hinges, as the rest followed behind. Once they were all parked in the yard in front of the large warehouse, Naruto and Carmen hopped over the windscreen of their truck and ran into the warehouse, with the police following them.
As they ran through the tunnels, Naruto and Carmen kept an eye out for any VILE members, before they reached the large cavern, which still had the equipment, but no sign of anyone.
Naruto and Carmen looked around with raised eyebrows, as they walked further into the cavern, with the police captain following them. "There is no one here, sir and miss," he said, as he walked over to a crate of diamonds. "They did leave quite a few diamonds behind, though" he said with a cocked eyebrow, as he picked up a handful, before letting them drop back into the crate.
"They evacuated in a hurry, and took whatever they could carry," Carmen said, as she and Naruto walked towards a large tarp that was covering something up.
"Yeah, VILE knew that we were coming," Naruto said, as he and Carmen lifted up the tarp, and widened their eyes at what they saw….which was a load of rolled up dynamite, with a timer strapped to one, showing it was set to go off in 20 seconds.
"Captain, get everyone out now!" Carmen yelled, as she and Naruto ran towards the exit.
"Evacuate! On the double!" the police captain shouted into his walkie talkie, as he and the officers also ran for the exit.
As they ran up the hill, the captain stumbled before he fell onto the ground.
Naruto and Carmen reached the top, and looked back as the captain began getting up, before running towards him.
"Come on, upsadaisy," Naruto said, as he and Carmen pulled the captain to his feet, before pulling him up the hill and out of the warehouse and towards the Jeeps, where they took cover as they crouched down with their hands on their heads, just as the bombs went off.
BBBBOOOOOOOOMMMM!
This caused a big shockwave to occur, which caused a lot of dust to be kicked up.
Meanwhile, back at the hut, Tigress was still chained up, while Ivy was sat in a chair, with her head leaned back and her eyes closed showing she was asleep, as Zack was sitting on the bed, keeping an eye on Tigress….when the shockwave hit, causing them both to fall over, which woke Ivy up, along with the table that had their equipment on it being knocked over.
The two siblings both sat up with wide eyes at this. "That wasn't me," Zack said, as Ivy gave him a frown, before they heard the sound of chains moving, which caused them to look at Tigress, seeing that the railing was snapped, and that Tigress was free.
"You got anymore cat jokes? I'm in the mood for a real good one" Tigress said with a cocked eyebrow and a wide grin, as she flexed her claws before walking towards them.
Zack and Ivy both stood up, as they backed away from her. "Uh, did you hear the one about the tabby, who walked into the - Ow!" Zack was saying, before Ivy elbowed him in the side, cutting him off.
"She doesn't really wanna hear one, ya doofus" Ivy said with a glare at him.
Before anything else could happen, a beeping noise was heard from Tigress' wrist communicator, as Maelstrom's face appeared on it.
{"Tigress, evacuate the region"} Gunnar said, which caused her to stop walking.
"Sure thing, right after I sharpen my claws on a cou -" Tigress said with a smirk, before she was cut off.
{"Immediately! Code zero alpha!"} Professor Maelstrom yelled, before the comm turned off.
Tigress growled at this with clenched hands, before she ran off, with the two siblings watching her go, before they looked at each other as they sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, a truck was seen driving away from the mines, with a plume of smoke seen from the explosion, with the Cleaners up front, while Coach Brunt was sitting behind them.
{"Your certain that you scrubbed the mine clean of all traces of VILE's existence?"} Roundabout asked.
"As you requested" Boris said, as he drove the truck.
{"Well, guvnor, we may have lost a few gemstones, but we have gained irrefutable proof that VILE's traitors really are colluding with ACME"} Roundabout said with a cocked eyebrow, making Brunt scowl and grit her teeth in anger.
0o0o0o0
(At sea)
Chase drove the boat as fast as he could, as he pulled out a pair of binoculars, which he used to see the island he was heading towards.
"My date with destiny" Chase said with a smug look, as he put the binoculars away, before he continued driving the boat, as he narrowed his eyes.
0o0o0o0
(Back in Botswana)
Zack and Ivy were in the dining car on board a train, as they had something to eat.
"You think we should check in on them?" Zack asked Ivy curiously, as he looked at the food on his fork.
"Sure. Just let me suit up in a hat and coat" Ivy said with a sarcastic tone.
"Really? Would you?" Zack asked excitedly.
"No! They'll call. They're in a meeting" Ivy said, as she glanced over her shoulder.
Meanwhile, in another train car, Naruto and Carmen were sitting in a cabin, as Carmen looked out the window with Naruto looking up at the ceiling, while Chief's hologram was sat across from them.
{"You promised me key players, you two. Snafus do not make Chief a happy hologram"} Chief said with a frown.
"They were tipped off, somehow" Carmen said with her own frown, as she looked at Chief.
Naruto nodded in agreement at this. "We'll have to act much faster next time," he said.
Chief hummed at this, with a slight smile on her face. {"It sounds to me like someone's opening their hearts to ACME's charms"} she said, as she gave them both a raised eyebrow.
"We're collaborating. We never said that we were enlisting" Carmen said with a firm tone, as Naruto nodded in agreement.
{"Would that be such a terrible thing?"} Chief asked curiously with a grin.
The two of them looked at each other at this, not sure what to say.
{"You know how to reach me"} Chief said, before her hologram disappeared, as the pen fell over.
Naruto reached down and picked it up, as the two of them looked at it inquisitively, before they heard a knock at the door.
"Tickets, please!" they heard a man say, as they stood up and headed for the door.
Naruto pulled the door open, as they saw a short man with a cap on their head on the other side, who lifted his head up, showing that it was Vlad, causing them both to open their mouths in shock. Before they could do anything, Vlad activated a crackle rod in his hand, which he used to shock them both, causing them to be knocked unconscious, as they fell over with a groan.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later)
"Wakey-wakey, little Black Sheep and Dark Fox" Naruto and Carmen heard Coach Brunt saying, as they regained consciousness.
The two of them groaned, as they opened their eyes slightly, and saw Brunt sat across from them, which caused them to gasp in shock as their eyes opened fully.
"You don't wanna sleep through Mama Bear's visit, now, do ya?" Brunt asked with a smirk.
Naruto and Carmen tried to stand up, as they noticed that they were tied up with rope, with their hands behind their backs. They also noticed that the window was covered up with a big piece of wood that was held in place by a plank of wood.
They both tried to get free of the rope, grunting as they did, before they stopped when Brunt stood up and leaned towards them with a hard look on her face. "A world of hurt, it's a-comin" she said with narrowed eyes as she smiled at them, before she sat back down, as she crossed her arms while folding one leg over the other.
Naruto and Carmen had momentary looks of fear at this, wondering what she meant, before glaring at her.
"Ever think to ask your new roommate what he was doing in Argentina when he found you two?" Coach Brunt asked them, as she leaned forward, with her chin resting on her hands.
Naruto and Carmen looked at each other for a moment, each with raised eyebrows, before looking back at Brunt.
"He was on a caper," Carmen said with an unsure look and tone.
"Yea, VILE had sent him there to steal something," Naruto said with a nod, an unsure look and tone of his own.
Brunt smirked at this, with a cocked eyebrow. "Oh sure, we sent him there to steal something alright. We sent Shadowsan to Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20 years ago to steal both your daddy's lives" she said with an evil smirk.
This caused Naruto and Carmen to gain looks of absolute shock on their faces.
"Who?" Carmen asked.
Naruto shook his head at this. "No, you're ly -" he was saying with a glare, before he was cut off, when Brunt stuffed a cloth into both of their mouths.
They both resumed trying to get free from the ropes, as they grunted from doing so, before they heard the brakes of the train squealing, as it pulled into the station.
"Oh. Our stop already?" Brunt said mockingly, before she walked out of the cabin.
"No! Don't leave, not yet!" Carmen said through her cloth, as she tried to stop her, but fell over onto the floor.
"Oi! Get back here!" Naruto yelled through his own cloth, as he too tried to stop Brunt, before falling over himself.
"Off we go, boys. Bye-bye, Black Sheep and Dark Fox" Brunt said to the Cleaners, as she briefly glanced over her shoulder into the cabin, before walking off. The Cleaners looked into the cabin, as Boris closed the door, leaving Naruto and Carmen as they squirmed in their bonds, while giving muffled screams.
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.