The Anti Thieving Duo
"Hello" - (Normal talking)
"What happened?" - (Thoughts)
"What do I do?" - (Flashback)
{"Hey, can you hear me?"} - (Communication)
":Now arriving at your destination:" - (Another Language)
"\Prepare for departure\" - (Radio and speakers)
Hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 22 - The Jolly Good Show Caper
(In Venice)
Zari and Chase were in the Venice police station, as they walked the hallways.
"Local authorities took the suspect into custody less than an hour ago. He was caught with an exact duplicate of the trunk that Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki had used to smuggle out the stolen masks. Except that his was filled with souvenir masks, just like the ones that Carmen and Naruto's cronies used to distract us" Zari said with a frown, as Devineaux looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Perhaps it is a coincidence?" Chase asked, as he looked off to the side.
"He was clearly creating a diversion to allow Sandiego and Uzumaki to make a clean getaway with the real masks, until you put the brakes on their plan" Zari said, as she looked at Devineaux.
"Of course, I was just trying to entertain all possible angles" Chase said, as he cocked his eyebrow, as they reached the interrogation door, where Neal was being held.
"You keep entertaining, Devineaux. I'll be in here, grilling our….suspect?" Zari was saying with a smirk, as she opened the door, before looks of shock appeared on both their faces, seeing that Neal was gone.
"Oh boy" Chase said, as he noticed a file in the file holder on the door.
"Where is he?" Zari asked, as Devineaux quickly looked over the paperwork, before he handed it to her, for her to look over herself.
"The scenario is quite familiar. I am guessing that the prisoner has been released without explanation, and that you will find the paperwork in order, yet with no clear chain of command to trace" Chase explained, as he entered the room.
Outside the police station, a motorboat was driving away, with The Cleaners at the front of the boat while Neal sat at the back.
0o0o0o0
(England)
Meanwhile, in London, Roundabout had entered the British Secret Service MI6 building.
"Morning, Mr Braithwaite!" a security guard said with a smile, as Roundabout walked towards him.
"Ah. Good morning, Stanley! I trust that the missus is feeling better?" Roundabout asked with a grin, as he took out a security card, which he scanned on an electric gate, before it opened, letting him through.
"Tip-top, Mr Braithwaite. Case of the sniffles, it was" Stanley said with a smile, as Roundabout walked towards the elevator, as he pressed a button to open the door.
"I'm chuffed to hear it. And please, do call me Nigel" Roundabout said, as he entered the elevator.
"Yes, of course, Nigel….Sir" Stanley said with a nod.
"Jolly good!" Roundabout said with a smile, as he tipped his hat at Stanley, just as the elevator doors closed, before his smile turned into a frown as the elevator went up.
Once the elevator reached its destination, Roundabout walked out of it, as he headed for his office. Once Roundabout had entered his office, he took his hat off and placed it on the corner of his desk while leaning his cane against the wall, before he walked over to a window, just as his VILE phone rang. Once he answered it, he saw that it was Professor Maelstrom on the screen.
{"Many thanks for mopping up our little mess in Venice, Roundabout"} Gunnar said with a smirk.
"Extracting Neal the Eel was no bother at all, Gunnar" Roundabout said with a grin.
"There were no problems, I hope?" Bellum asked with a raised eyebrow.
{"The usual strings were pulled, no questions asked. A benefit of maintaining my ongoing masquerade here"} Roundabout said with a smirk, as he looked at the four Faculty members from the large screen.
Suddenly, the screen was cut in two, as The Troll's screen icon showed up next to Roundabout's image.
{"Ah. It would seem that we have a Troll lurking under London Bridge"} Roundabout said with a grin, as The Troll appeared on the screen.
{"Trolls and bridges. I see what you did there, sir"} The Troll said with a grin of his own, before a smug look appeared on his face. {"Now watch while I serve up a side of Sandiego and Uzumaki with your English breakfast"} he said, before his image was replaced with an image of England, with a blinking dot in the London area, as The Troll zoomed in, with the dot then blinking on a street, which then changed to an image of Naruto and Carmen walking in the streets. {"And, boom."}
{"The Lady in Red and the Man in Orange have arrived in Londontown, which means they have taken our bait and will no doubt attempt to steal the Crown Jewels tonight before we do"} Roundabout said with a smirk.
"They will? I mean, we are. Oh, they would go with so many of my outfits" Cleo said with a laugh, as she smiled widely at this.
{"I am fully expecting our scarlet and orange turncoats to waltz into the trap I've set, and be in police custody before Big Ben chimes at midnight. The Deputy Director Nigel Braithwaite of the British Secret Service will once again pull strings to have our prisoners released from jail directly into the hands of The Cleaners"} Roundabout said with a wide grin.
"Who will then escort our little lost sheep and fox back to VILE, where they belong?" Professor Maelstrom asked with a wide smirk.
"Wait, does this mean that we are not stealing the Crown Jewels?" Countess Cleo asked curiously.
{"Patience, my dear Countess. My schemes rarely travel a straight trajectory. After all, my code name is Roundabout" Roundabout said with a smile.
0o0o0o0
(On a bus)
A bus was driving on the road, with Naruto, Carmen, Shadowsan, Zack and Ivy riding it.
"I haven't seen a single clown here in Piccadilly Circus" Zack said, as he looked around.
"Wrong kind of circus, bro," Ivy said with a frown. "We're passing through London's most famous traffic hub."
"On the wrong side of the road" Zack said, as he leaned over Ivy, looking out the window.
"If the ravens leave the Tower, the Kingdom will fall," Carmen said with a frown, as she looked at her phone, with Naruto sitting next to her while Shadowsan sat across from them.
"It is atypically poetic for encrypted VILE chatter" Shadowsan said with a scowl.
{"It's part of the lore of the Tower of London, where you guys are headed"} Player said, as they heard him typing away on his keyboard. {"The impenetrable castle on the River Thames was built way back in 1078. It's been a fortress, a prison, and home to England's royal families. Not to mention, ravens."}
"More famously, the Tower of London is where the Crown Jewels are kept. They're the actual historic crowns, sceptres and other regalia that British kings and queens have worn during their coronation ceremonies for centuries" Naruto said.
{"Whoa. There are more than 100 individual items on display, including St. Edwards Crown, the most sacred, important piece in the collection"} Player said with wide eyes.
"That's right, Player. It's been used to crown all the kings and queens of England since 1911. It's made of solid gold and set with 444 gemstones" Carmen said with a nod.
{"Which might explain the Tower's uniformed guards, in addition to its state-of-the-art security system. Though attempts have been made throughout history, the Crown Jewels have never been stolen"} Player said.
"And let's make sure that we keep it that way," Naruto said, as the bus stopped outside a park, before the group grabbed their stuff and climbed off with a few other passengers, before the bus closed its doors and drove off. The group then walked over to the railing overlooking the River Thames, as Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan looked at the Tower of London on the other side of the river, while Zack and Ivy stood off to the side.
"It is an impossible heist" Shadowsan said with a frown.
"If VILE's attempting it, they have an angle" Carmen said with a frown of her own, as she and Naruto looked at Shadowsan.
"Agreed. Player's intel indicates that they intend to hit before Big Ben chimes at midnight" Naruto said with a nod, before he and Carmen looked back at the Tower of London with a scowl each. "So, why tonight?"
{"It's the 5th of November, a British holiday. Guy Fawkes Day, otherwise known as Bonfire Night. This guy, Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up Parliament, in something called the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. His supporters believed that he was resisting oppression from the British ruling class. So, he was considered a hero or a villain, depending on who you ask"} Player said into their comms.
"Hey! That sounds like two people we know" Zack and Ivy both said with a smile, as they leaned against Naruto and Carmen, with their arms on their shoulders.
{"And get this, the festivities include fireworks and burning straw figures of Fawkes, while wearing masks of his face"} Player added on.
This caused Zack to gasp at this. "Masks?" he asked with a smile.
"Again?" Ivy asked with a groan.
"It would be like VILE to use the chaos of Bonfire Night to distract from the heist" Shadowsan said with a firm look and tone.
"True, but that still doesn't tell us how they plan to break in," Carmen said with a frown, as she looked at the Tower of London.
"Then let's go see if we can figure it out," Naruto said, as he turned round and headed for some nearby shops, with the others following him.
Once they reached the shops, the group began buying some clothes and cameras, to help them blend in as tourists, before they climbed on a bus that was heading towards the Tower of London.
Once they got off the bus, they walked over to the gate, where other tourists were gathered, as a raven flew around before it landed on an outdoor light above the doorway.
"Now, this cheeky little fellow is one of the seven ravens that call the Tower of London home" the beefeater said, as he gestured at it, with several of the tourists taking pictures of it. "But according to legend, if the ravens were ever to abandon their post here, the Crown and all of Britain would fall."
Zack tried taking a photo of a raven on the ground, only for him to move back, as the raven flew at him before flying off, while Ivy watched this with a flat look, as she looked at a map. Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan were stood together, with Naruto and Carmen taking photos, while Shadowsan looked at a map of his own, as the three of them went inside, leaving Zack and Ivy on lookout outside.
Once inside, they walked over to a glass case, which had a sapphire necklace, two golden bracelets, a small golden statue of a bird, a small Sovereign's ball, a crown and a large Sovereign's ball, with all but the bird having jewels in them.
Naruto and Carmen took note of where the cameras were, before they and Shadowsan walked in different directions.
Naruto and Carmen walked around, looking at everything that was on display, along with noting where the cameras were, before they both slightly smirked, as they saw two guards standing outside a door.
"Excuse me, kind sir" Shadowsan said to one of the guards, as he walked over.
"Yes? How can I help you?" the guard asked with a smile, as walked over to him, where Shadowsan showed the guard his map, distracting him.
Naruto then pulled out a lockpick, as he and Carmen walked over to the door, with Naruto having his back to it to unlock it, while Carmen leaned against the wall.
Once Naruto had the door unlocked, he quickly opened it before they slipped inside, with Naruto carefully and quietly closing the door.
Naruto and Carmen then pulled out small flashlights and turned them on, seeing a circuit breaker at the back.
The two of them walked over to it while putting gloves on and opened it, as they used their flashlights to look inside it. They both put their flashlights in their mouths, as they reached for some cables, and pulled them down.
Naruto then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a flash drive pen, as Carmen disconnected the cables from each other, before they plugged one end into the pen and the pen into the other cable.
In Player's room, all of his computer screens changed to show the positions of the security cameras, guards and what the cameras were showing.
"I'm in," Player said.
Naruto stuck the pen inside the top of the circuit breaker, before closing the door as he and Carmen turned their flashlights off, before they walked over to the door, taking their gloves off and putting them away as they did.
Naruto opened the door and looked outside, before he and Carmen exited the room, closing the door as they did….before they saw the guard Shadowsan was distracting standing there.
"That's not the loo" Carmen said with a smile, before she and Naruto walked off, with the guard watching them go with a small smile.
0o0o0o0
(Outside)
Ivy was carrying a tray of fish and chips with some newspaper underneath, as she walked over to Zack, who was sitting at a bench.
"Sorry bro, that's all they've got" Ivy said, as she sat next to him, before handing the food to Zack.
"Am I supposed to eat or read?" Zack asked with a raised eyebrow, as he lifted the food up and sniffed it, before he quickly placed it down, a look of disgust on his face. "The fries, not the fish."
"They call them chips here, Zack. Fish and chips" Ivy said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh? Then what do they call these?" Zack asked with a grin, as he pulled out a bag.
"Crisps," Ivy said with a frown.
Zack opened the bag and ate a few. "I'll take the crisps n' chips. Hold the fish" he said, before eating some more.
Naruto and Carmen were using their phones to take a few photos, while Shadowsan sat on a bench, looking at the map.
"Something's weighing on your mind," Naruto said, as he and Carmen typed on their phones.
"Roundabout" Shadowsan said with a frown.
"VILE's double-agent in the British Secret Service" Carmen said, as both she and Naruto frowned at this.
"And the reason that any jailed VILE Operative disappears from custody. An impossible heist also means greater possibility of capture. If the two of you were to be arrested…." Shadowsan was saying, before he was cut off.
"Then we might see The Cleaners before ever seeing the inside of a jail cell" Naruto finished, as he and Carmen both scowled at this.
{"Hey, guys!"} Player said into their comms.
"Hit us, Player" Naruto and Carmen both said.
{"I just located some seriously embedded malware in the Tower's security system"} Player said into their comms, causing Naruto and Carmen to scowl at this.
"The Troll" Shadowsan said, as he too scowled.
"Well, this Troll guy is good. Not only did he build a backdoor into the security grid, he programmed the entire system to go offline for exactly two minutes. Tonight at 11:00pm" Player said, as he typed on his keyboard.
"Before Big Ben chimes at midnight" Shadowsan said.
"It sounds like VILE just did all the work for us," Carmen said with a grin.
"Yea, so we'll just use their opening to beat them in and secure the Jewels before they can steal them" Naruto said with his own grin, as he nodded at this
{"Two minutes to get in and out, with over a hundred pieces in tow?"} Player asked in surprise.
"If you could take only one…." Shadowsan said with a cocked eyebrow, before being cut off.
"Then that would be the Crown Jewel of all Crown Jewels. St Edwards Crown" Naruto and Carmen said with a frown each, as Zack tried to feed the fish to a crow, before it flew at him, causing Zack to drop the fish in shock, as the crow flew off, while Ivy watched this with a smirk.
{"Guys, there's something else to consider. London is the most surveilled city in the world. CCTV cameras are everywhere, including the Tower's perimeter. We'll need to create a few blind spots if we're going to sneak you in after hours"} Player said into their comms.
"That will make things complicated, but we have faith in you, Player," Carmen said with a smile, as Naruto nodded in agreement with his own smile.
0o0o0o0
(With The Troll)
Meanwhile, in The Troll's room, he was looking at an image of Naruto and Carmen on one of his screens, having hacked a CCTV camera.
"London bridge is falling down, my fair lord and lady" The Troll said with a smirk, as the rest of his computer screens had pictures and info of the two of them.
0o0o0o0
(Hours later)
Later that night, many people were out in the city, wearing their Guy Fawkes masks, with a few tourists taking photos on either their phones or cameras.
Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan were in a rowing boat passing underneath London Bridge, wearing their respective mission outfits, with Shadowsan rowing the boat.
Shadowsan stopped rowing the boat, letting it drift along, as Naruto and Carmen looked off to the right, seeing the Tower of London.
"Is everyone in position?" Naruto asked, as he placed his finger to his ear.
"And in uniform" Ivy replied with a smile, a finger to her ear, as she and Zack were dressed as guards.
Player was looking at his computer screen, which was divided in two, from two different surveillance cameras, with the rowing boat disappearing from the one on the left.
"Okay guys, you're out of sight. Lets try and keep it that way" Player said with a firm tone.
"Copy that, Player" Carmen said, as she and Naruto stood up and fired their grappling hooks at a rampart, before they reeled themselves in, just as a guard was walking past.
They looked at the guard for a moment, making sure that he hadn't heard them, before they unhooked their grappling hooks and jumped over the otherside of the rampart into the courtyard, where they took off, with Player watching their icons on his computer, making sure that they weren't detected by any of the cameras.
As they were running along, El Topo was seen lifting up some bricks in a hallway, as he climbed out of the tunnel he'd dug to get in, before he snuck off.
Naruto and Carmen made sure that all the guards' backs were turned, before they ran across the courtyard towards their destination.
"We're at the Jewel House" Naruto said, as he and Carmen pressed themselves against the building, so that they were harder to spot.
"Roger that. Thirty seconds to launch" Player said with narrowed eyes.
"And VILE's right on schedule" Ivy said into her comms, as she spotted El Topo diving into some bushes, while hiding behind a tree.
El Topo quietly crept along behind the bushes, as Shadowsan looked round the corner, before he snuck up behind the VILE Operative and knocked him out by a pressure point to the neck, before he looked at Ivy and gave her a nod.
"Operative down" Ivy said with a grin into her comms.
"Be careful. There may be others" Carmen said with a frown, as she and Naruto got ready to enter the building.
"And….it's go time" Player said with a frown, as the Jewel House building on his screen went green, along with a 2 minute timer appearing.
Naruto carefully pushed the door open, and after checking there were no guards about, he and Carmen ran into the building, running past all the jewels and other valuables in their glass cases, before they ran up the stairs.
"One minute forty five seconds left" Player said with a frown, as he watched Naruto and Carmen running up the stairs on his computer, while he leaned on the table with his fingers interlaced.
Once Naruto and Carmen reached the top of the stairs, they ran down a hallway, where they saw a double door ahead, which had that both doors had handles on them that were similar to what bank vaults have, as they stood before the doors, waiting for them to open.
In The Troll's room, he watched this happen on his computer screen with a smirk, as the timer said one minute thirty six seconds remaining.
The doors soon opened, which allowed Naruto and Carmen to see the Crown in the middle of the room in a glass case, with a sceptre and a Sovereign's ball on either side of the Crown, each in their own glass case.
Naruto and Carmen ran over to the glass case with the Crown in, before they took out their laser cutters and began cutting into the glass case, each taking one side to cut into, as they began cutting a circle in the glass.
{"One minute thirty seconds left"} Player said into their comms.
Naruto and Carmen continued to carefully and slowly cut into the glass, with Player watching them on his computer showing that there was only one minute and five seconds to go, before the screen suddenly fizzled out.
"Guys, somethings wrong," Player said with worry.
"We're almost there," Naruto said, as he and Carmen were almost done.
With The Troll, he was quickly typing away on his keyboard, a wide grin on his face, before he pressed a button on his keyboard.
This caused all of Player's screens to go red, with The Troll's computer icon appearing on them all, laughing evilly.
{"VILE's aborting! Everythings coming back online. Get out of there!"} Player said with a concerned tone.
Naruto and Carmen looked around, as the alarms began blaring with red lights flashing, while the evil laughter could still be heard, as they looked at the Crown for a moment with a scowl, before they ran towards the door.
Before they could get out, bars came down, stopping them from leaving, before they turned around and saw bars come down behind them. They ran towards the door once more, but they closed shut and locked themselves, leaving the two of them trapped, while in Player's room, he had a look of defeat, as The Troll's icon continued to laugh evilly on his screens.
0o0o0o0
(Outside)
Outside the Tower of London, police cars were seen driving over, with their lights and sirens going off, as Zack and Ivy watched this by hiding against a wall, with Shadowsan keeping an eye on El Topo.
{"Shadowsan, The Troll knew that I was in the system. Naruto and Carmen never even had a chance"} Player said in Shadowsan's earpiece, causing him to frown at this.
The police cars stopped outside the Tower of London, before the police climbed out of their cars and ran towards the Tower of London, as a few of them rammed their shoulders into the door, forcing it open, before they all ran up the stairs.
Once they reached the top, they headed towards the vault and waited for the doors to open, where Naruto and Carmen were standing, with their hands in the air.
And watching all of this on his computer screen, was The Troll, who had a large smirk on his face.
"Red Rat and Orange Rat are boxed and ready for takeaway" The Troll said.
Roundabout had his VILE phone to his ear, a smirk of his own on his face upon hearing this, as he hung up, before he walked off.
0o0o0o0
(In the air)
Devineaux and Zari were on their ACME plane, flying along, before Zari got an alert on her phone.
"What is it?" Chase asked, as Zari pulled out her phone.
"Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego were just taken into custody….in London" Zari said, as she read what was on her phone.
"That is terrible!" Devineaux yelled out, as he stood up, as Zari looked at him with surprise, which caused him to sit back down, a look of embarrassment on his face. "That we were not the ones to make the arrest."
"Chief is rerouting us there, we'll be on the ground in 20" Zari said, as she looked back at her phone, while the plane banked as it headed for England.
0o0o0o0
(Outside the Tower of London)
After the bars had gone back up, the police had immediately grabbed Naruto and Carmen, before they'd removed their hats and coats, then cuffed them and escorted them outside, with a police officer on each side of them.
They were being walked down an aisle with police officers watching on, on either side, as they were walking towards a police van, both with their heads down. But before they got there, a car pulled up, with Roundabout climbing out of the driver's side, a wide grin on his face, as he grabbed a large duffle bag from the passenger seat and closed the door behind him.
Naruto and Carmen had looks of worry, as Roundabout walked over to them, putting the bag strap over his shoulder .
"So this is the uncatchable Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego" Roundabout said with a smug tone and look, as he stood in front of them.
"He's the real thief" Carmen said, as she shrugged the officers hands off her, as she glared at Roundabout.
"Yea, arrest him" Naruto said with a nod, as he too threw the officers hands off, while glaring hard at Roundabout.
Two of the officers pulled out tasers, which they pressed against their sides, causing them both to groan in pain, before they fell to their knees.
"You're both going where you belong," Roundabout said, before he leaned down slightly. "Everyone will be waiting up for you" he whispered to them, causing them both to look concerned, as Roundabout stood back up.
"Carry on" Roundabout said, as he tapped his cane on the ground a few times, before he walked past them, as the police officers grabbed hold of their arms and dragged them over to the police van, with another officer opening the doors for them.
Once Naruto and Carmen were inside the back of the van, a police officer each had them sit down, while the other two clipped chains on the links for the cuffs. Once they'd all climbed out, an officer closed the doors, before banging on the side, as the police van drove off, disturbing the crows as it did.
Roundabout watched the police van drive off, with a satisfied smirk on his face, before he turned around and walked towards the Tower of London's door.
"They never even got close to the Jewels, Mr Braithwaite" a Tower guard said with a smile, as he stood next to the door.
"Forensics will be the judge of that" Roundabout said, as he took the bag off his shoulder.
The guard nodded at this, as he opened the door, letting Roundabout in before closing it again, as Roundabout walked off, spinning his cane by the handle in his hand as he did, before hanging it on his arm, as he reached into his coat and put an earpiece in his ear with a grin, before taking his cane off his arm, as he walked up the stairs, heading towards the vault.
Watching all of this on his computer screen was The Troll, as he typed on his keyboard. "Okay, the alarm is disabled. Overriding security cameras. And security camera looping. You are now the invisible man" The Troll said with a smirk, with two different video feeds on his screen; one showing no one entering the vault and the other showing Roundabout entering the vault.
The two video feeds then changed to show the inside of the vault, with one showing no one inside and the other showing Roundabout walking towards the Crown Jewels.
Roundabout walked up to the glass case as he put the bag down, and poked the cut out glass that Naruto and Carmen made with his cane, causing it to go to a right angle, as he quickly grabbed it, so that it didn't spin or fall and break, before he carefully pulled it and placed it down, so it leaned against the bottom of the glass case.
Roundabout then opened up the bag, showing a fake version of the Crown Jewels inside it, as he reached into the glass case and picked up the Crown Jewels with a sinister grin, before placing it in the bag and replacing it with the fake Crown Jewels. He then picked up the circle of cut glass and carefully placed it back in position.
Roundabout then zipped up the bag and picked it up along with his cane, before he turned around and left the vault.
"And now, we return to you to your regularly scheduled programming" The Troll said with a sinister smile, as he pressed a button on his keyboard, which caused the video feed on the left to glitch for a moment, before returning to normal, while the one on the right went to white noise.
"Jolly good show" Roundabout said from outside the vault, as he tipped his hat while looking over his shoulder into the vault, before he left the Tower of London.
Once outside, Roundabout saw that the police were looking around, obviously making sure that nothing was taken or that anyone else was around, before he walked away, reaching into the bag as he did, and pulled out a Guy Fawkes mask, which he soon put on.
After walking for a while, Roundabout reached a street where people were celebrating, with many shouting out 'remember, remember, the 5th of November' over and over again, as he walked towards Big Ben, just as it chimed, showing that the time was eleven.
Once he'd entered, Roundabout pulled out a card, which he placed against a scanner to open a door, before he climbed up the stairs to where the gears for the clock were, which also had windows to look at the area down below.
"Up here" a voice said, causing Roundabout to look up and see Le Chevre in the rafters, before he jumped down with a smile. "Bonsoir."
"A goat in the belfry? Brilliant" Roundabout said with a chuckle, as he took the mask off, before handing it to Le Chevre.
"And El Topo, he is safe?" Le Chevre asked curiously, as he took the mask.
"The Cleaners extracted our decoy from the Tower Grounds. He's a tad groggy, but fit as a fiddle" Roundabout said.
"That is good," Le Chevre said with a nod, as he placed the mask on.
"Now, do be gentle with this whilst ferrying it to the Faculty, England's pride and joy, and all that rot" Roundabout said with a smirk, as he used his cane to pick up the bag to hand to Le Chevre, who put it over his shoulder.
Le Chevre scoffed at this. "Au revoir" he said with a wave of his hand, before he walked towards the windows and climbed down Big Ben, while the fireworks went off overhead.
"Now then, back to the old day job" Roundabout said with a grin, as he took the earpiece out, while looking at the fireworks exploding, before he looked over his shoulder with a wide smirk, seeing Shadowsan coming out of the shadows.
"Pity, you just missed the Jewels" Roundabout said to Shadowsan with a mocking smile.
"I did not come here for the Jewels. I came here for Naruto and Carmen" Shadowsan said with a firm tone and look.
Roundabout turned away from the window, as he gave Shadowsan a smug look, as he cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that they're likely well on their way back to VILE by now, ol' chum" he said, as he walked over to Shadowsan, before he poked him with his cane. "Come to think of it, I never did get to thank you for your seat on the Faculty. If you hadn't gone and turned traitor, I might never have received the opportunity to plot this cracking little caper."
Shadowsan scowled at this, as he grabbed hold of the cane. "I can assure you that you will never again plot another" he said with a harsh tone.
"Right then" Roundabout said with a smirk, as he pulled on his canes handle, revealing that it was also a fencing sword, before he swung it at Shadowsan, who used the rest of the cane to try and block, but the sword easily cut through it, as he moved to the side with a glare.
"Let's see how she handles, Guv'nah!" Roundabout said with a sinister grin, before he lunged at Shadowsan with a yell, who quickly turned and ran off, with Roundabout soon following after him.
Shadowsan ran through a doorway before running up some stairs, with Roundabout running after him. Shadowsan stopped at the top of the stairs and tried to kick Roundabout, but he leaned back just in time, before he began lunging his sword at Shadowsan, who avoided all of his attacks, as they moved behind one of Big Ben's clock faces, with Roundabout chuckling as they did.
Once they reached the other side, Shadowsan ran up the stairs, while Roundabout ran behind him, before they arrived where Big Ben's bell was hung.
Shadowsan turned around to attack Roundabout, but Roundabout jumped in the air and swung his sword at him. Shadowsan quickly sidestepped, but the sword was still able to cut his top. Shadowsan backed away at this, as he held his hand up to where he was cut, to make sure that he wasn't bleeding.
"Back in the day, I was captain of my fencing team in Oxford, you know" Roundabout said with a smirk, as he swung his sword about, before he took a stance, with his sword at the ready.
Shadowsan looked down and saw some steel rebars, before he reached down and picked one up. "Back in the day, I was Yakuza" he said, as he twirled it for a moment, before he too took a stance, with the rebar held at the ready.
The two of them just stood there, as they stared at each other for a few moments, before Roundabout lunged towards Shadowsan, thrusting his sword as he did, which Shadowsan blocked and deflected.
Roundabout then kept on attacking Shadowsan, causing him to block and deflect while forcing him back, as they went outside onto the balcony.
Roundabout thrust his sword at Shadowsan, who moved to the side while deflecting it, before he rammed his elbow into Roundabout, sending him back for a moment, before Roundabout smiled sinisterly and attacked him once again.
0o0o0o0
(Meanwhile)
Chase and Zari were in an ACME car, as they drove through London, heading towards the police station.
Zari was behind the steering wheel, while Devineaux sat in the passenger seat, a frown on his face.
"Are you certain that you do not wish for me to drive?" Chase asked Zari curiously.
Zari just gave him a sidelong flat look at this, which caused Devineaux to frown even more.
0o0o0o0
(Back at Big Ben)
Roundabout and Shadowsan were still duelling on the balcony of Big Ben, both trying to disarm the other, until Roundabout was able to disarm Shadowsan, causing the steel rebar to fall down to the street below.
A look of shock appeared on Shadowsan's face at this, as he saw the rebar fall, before he looked back at Roundabout, who had a smug smirk on his face, as he thrust his sword at him. But Shadowsan was able to lean back in time, with his hands holding the sword in place, between his palms.
"You may want to mind the gap, ol' chum," Roundabout said with a grin, as he pushed the sword closer to Shadowsan, who was doing all he could to keep it away from him.
Before anything else could happen, a helicopter suddenly arrived, as it shone its spotlight on the two of them.
"\This is the London Police! You are under arrest!\" an officer on the helicopter said, his voice amplified by a speaker.
"Ah, it looks like the cavalry has arrived" Roundabout said with a wide smile, as he looked over his shoulder at the helicopter, before looking back at Shadowsan. "So, what's it going to be then? Plummet to your doom or surrender to the authorities? Which would, of course, be no different than surrendering to VILE."
0o0o0o0
(At the London Police station)
Chase and Zari were walking down a hallway in the police station, heading towards where Naruto and Carmen should be held, both with determined looks on their faces.
Zari pulled out a badge to show the police officer standing outside a door. "Holding room?" she asked the officer.
The officer nodded at this, as Zari opened the door, expecting to see Naruto and Carmen inside it….only for her and Chase to see no one inside it, to their shock.
"Who authorised their release?" Zari asked the officer with a scowl, while pointing inside the room, as Devineaux frowned at him.
"Release? The prisoners never arrived" the officer said with a shrug.
Chase and Zari looked at each other in surprise at this, their eyes wide.
0o0o0o0
(Big Ben)
Back at Big Ben, Roundabout still had the sword pointed at Shadowsan, who was still keeping it in place, being careful not to cut his hands on it. Shadowsan was also trying to push the sword back, but Roundabout was keeping it firmly in place.
"A pity that your little friends waltzed right into my trap, old chap. I'm afraid that I've won" Roundabout said with a smug tone and look, as he was able to slowly push the sword closer to Shadowsan.
"\You are under arrest! Put down your weapon!\" the officer in the police chopper said firmly.
Roundabout looked shocked at this, as he looked over his shoulder at the police helicopter, while pulling his sword away from Shadowsan. "Not me, you git! Him!" he shouted, as he pointed at Shadowsan….only to gasp in shock, when he saw that Shadowsan was gone.
"\Nigel Braithwaite, surrender!\" the officer yelled out, as the spotlight shone down on him.
"Ask yourself, Roundabout. Who waltzed into whose trap?" Shadowsan asked, as he was hiding against a pillar, making sure that he wasn't seen by anyone.
(Flashback starts, after Naruto and Carmen were grabbed by the police)
Naruto and Carmen were put into the back of the paddy wagon, before the doors were closed, while Zack and Ivy climbed into the front, both dressed as police officers, with their guard disguises on the floor.
"Pip pip, and cheerio!" Zack said with a grin, as they drove off, with Zack behind the wheel.
(Flashback over)
"Naruto and Carmen were wise to your game from the start" Shadowsan said, as Roundabout looked around, trying to find him.
(Flashback starts, later that day)
Naruto, Carmen, Zack and Ivy were standing around, with Shadowsan sitting on the bench, looking at the map.
"We have to assume that VILE's watching our every move, so we'll need to put on an act," Carmen said into her earpiece.
"But if you know it's a trap, then why walk into it?" Ivy asked with a frown of confusion, her finger placed against her ear.
"Because Roundabout's completely untouchable, unless we draw him out into the open," Naruto said.
"And the only way to do that is to allow him to think that he's won" Shadowsan said.
(Flashback over)
"They were one step ahead of you, at every turn" Shadowsan said, as he slipped away.
Roundabout growled in annoyance at this, as he took out his earpiece from his jacket pocket and placed it back in his ear. "Troll! Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego may be at large. Find them!" he yelled into it.
Troll was browsing on his phone, as he leaned back in his chair while his feet were up on his desk, before a look of shock appeared on his face at what Roundabout said, as he got his feet off the desk, while putting his phone away. "Can do" he said with a firm look, as he began typing on his keyboard.
After typing for a few moments, an image of Naruto and Carmen appeared on his screen.
"Bingo! They're in Trafalgar Square" Troll said with a smirk, before a look of confusion appeared on his face, when another image of them appeared on his screen. "Wait, no. Uh, Kings Cross?" he said with a cocked eyebrow, before his eyes narrowed for a moment, then widened in shock at seeing Naruto and Carmen in places all over London. "They're all over London!" he exclaimed in shock, with his hands on his head, as the images all disappeared, only to be replaced with a white hat symbol.
In Player's room, Player was leaning back in his chair, a wide grin on his face. "Who's laughing now, Troll?" he asked with his arms crossed.
"Oh, you think you're good? Game on" Troll said with a smirk, as he cracked his fingers before he began typing away.
Back at Big Ben, Roundabout was still looking around, trying to find out where Shadowsan was hiding.
"Your failure, Roundabout, was in making too many assumptions. You assumed that you were operating from shadow, but we were watching and we shared your crime with the rest of the world" Shadowsan said.
(Flashback starts)
Roundabout was smiling, as he reached through the cut glass for the Crown Jewels, which Player was recording, before he broadcasted it for everyone to see, including ACME.
(Flashback over)
0o0o0o0
(London Police Station)
Zari and Devineaux were walking in the hallways, before Zari's phone started ringing, which caused them both to stop. Zari pulled out her phone and saw a picture of Roundabout on it.
0o0o0o0
(Back at Big Ben)
"Poppycock! All of that is deniable. Fancy editing tricks and whatnot! You don't have any hard evidence linking me to anything!" Roundabout said with a scowl, as he waved his hand at this, while pointing his sword about, with some sweat on his face as he tried to find Shadowsan.
"Can you be certain of that?" Shadowsan asked, as his voice echoed slightly.
{"Roundabout, I have good news"} The Troll said into his ear piece.
"Well, what is it?!" Roundabout demanded.
"I have a lock on the real Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego. But the bad news is that they just entered the British Secret Service" Troll said, as he watched a video of Naruto and Carmen climbing through a window.
"My office? What could they be possibly doing there?" Roundabout exclaimed in shock.
"Allow me to set the scene for you" Shadowsan said, as Roundabout looked around with a worried yet furious look, as he grit his teeth.
(Flashback starts)
Le Chevre was walking past all the people, as they celebrated, before two people were seen walking towards him, both wearing a Guy Fawkes mask along with a wide-brimmed, buckled hat and a heavy cape, doublets and breeches, as one of them bumped into him.
Le Chevre gave a grunt at this, before he glared at the one who bumped into him. "Hey, watch where you're going" he said with a tone of annoyance, before he walked off.
"Sorry mate" one of the masked people said, with their hand raised.
"Hope that you enjoy the celebration" the other masked person said, as they placed the Crown Jewels inside a bag under their cape, before they moved their masks slightly, showing that it was Naruto and Carmen.
{"You guys better hurry. I'm not sure how long Shadowsan can keep Dapper Dan occupied up in the clock tower"} Player said in their comms, as they placed the masks back on, before they ran off.
(Flashback over)
"Contrary to your uninformed opinion, hard evidence does indeed exist" Shadowsan said from behind a wall.
Roundabout thought about this for a moment, before a look of concern appeared on his face, as he looked in the direction of where the British Secret Service building was located.
0o0o0o0
(British Secret Service building)
Inside Roundabout's office, the Crown Jewels were on his desk.
"There really must be some explanation. Deputy Director Braithwaite is as upstanding as a…." Stanley was saying, as he opened the door to show Zari and Chase inside, before he stopped, as the three of them noticed the Crown Jewels on the desk.
"You were saying?" Zari asked with a cocked eyebrow.
As the three of them ran into the office, heading for the Crown Jewels, Devineaux stopped, as he looked out the window where he saw Naruto and Carmen flying off using their gliders, as they flew past Big Ben, where Roundabout saw them as he looked over the edge.
"You were a decoy" Roundabout said in realisation.
"And you are a pompous fool, who has just forfeited his ability to hide behind a mask of false decency" Shadowsan said, before he quietly and carefully slipped away, so that he wasn't noticed by the police.
{"Nigel Braithwaite, drop your weapon now!"} the officer in the chopper yelled out.
"Right then" Roundabout said with a worried look, as he dropped his sword, before he placed his hands on the back of his head, as the police officers arrived, with some pointing their guns at him, as another handcuffed him.
After that, they took him down the stairs and over to a nearby parked police van, with many officers watching this, as they all shook their heads at this, as Roundabout was put in the police van, before it drove off.
0o0o0o0
(Westminster Bridge)
Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan were in their civilian clothes, as they stood on the street, observing the fireworks going off over Big Ben, before the three of them saw Zack and Ivy running over, smiles on their faces.
"Hey guys, sorry we're late" Ivy said.
"And?" Carmen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The ravens are still there," Zack said with a wide grin.
"England, saved!" Ivy yelled out, as she and Zack highfived.
"The world may debate whether Guy Fawkes was a hero or a villain, but the truth is finally out on one Nigel Braithwaite" Naruto said with a grin, as he and Carmen leaned against the side of the bridge.
"And someday, the world will know the truth about the two of you" Shadowsan said, as he smiled at them both.
Naruto and Carmen smiled at him at this, before they went back to watching the fireworks.
0o0o0o0
(Roundabout's office)
{"Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego clearly allowed themselves to be arrested to create a diversion so that Deputy Director Braithwaite could execute the real heist while seeing to it that Naruto and Carmen never saw the inside of a jail cell"} Chief said, as she paced back and forth in the office in front of the desk, where the Crown Jewels still were, before she stopped at the other end of the room and looked at Chase and Zari.
"Uh, Chief, should we not consider the possibility that the stolen Crown was placed here by Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego because they wanted us to find it?" Devineaux asked curiously.
Chief raised an eyebrow at this, which caused Chase to smile nervously.
{"I need you to grill Braithwaite and determine how exactly they're both connected to him"} Chief said firmly, as she walked towards him.
Before anything else could be done or said, Zari's phone rang, before she answered it. "Zari" she said, as her eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. "No. Not again!"
This caused Chief's eyes to widen at this, wondering what was going on.
0o0o0o0
(Streets of London)
Roundabout was in the back of the paddy wagon as it drove along London Bridge, with The Cleaners in the front, dressed like policemen.
0o0o0o0
(ACME HQ)
Two ACME agents, a male and a female, were standing in front of a large screen, that was filled with a bunch of smaller screens, when the males ACME pen began beeping, which caused him to press the clicker down and throw it on the floor, causing it to land upright, as the hologram of Chief appeared.
{"Report! Has there been any sign of contact?"} Chief asked the two agents, as she walked forward with a cocked eyebrow.
"We've been monitoring him night and day for weeks, but nada" the male agent said with a shake of his head.
{"Well, I am officially all out of leads and patience. It's time to bring him in"} Chief said with a scowl, as she looked at the large screen, which showed various video feeds of Gray.
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.