[Chase Devinaux and Julia Argent are cruising along a lonely road in Poitiers]
In just the last few weeks, this Carmen Sandiego has managed to rob millions of euros combined from a Swiss bank, a high-end art gallery in Cairo, and a Shanghai amusement park.
JuliaBefore vanishing without a trace. Headquarters has yet to discern any pattern, except that our perpetrator always wears a scarlet coat and fedora and seems to announce her crimes by making random public appearances beforehand.
Such as the nearby café sighting earlier today. So we must ask ourselves, who in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Why would a thief draw attention to herself by leaving clues and wearing bold colors?
Julia
Perhaps stealing's a game to her.
Ha! The game is over! She's in my jurisdiction now, though I question why.
Julia
Poitiers is rich with medieval history. Perhaps she is targeting a priceless antique or historic artifact from one of its many churches, or--
[slams down on the brakes] Ms. Argent, you are an agent of Interpol, not a museum guide, so you may stop sharing dull facts about boring things. You've been on the force merely a fortnight, have you not? [Julia notices a shadowy figure in her rearview mirror] You have so much to learn, and since you have been assigned to my department...
Julia
Uh, uh...
I, Chase Devinaux, will be you teacher.
Julia
Inpsector Devinaux, sir--
Nuh-uh! Sit back, watch, and learn how to catch a thief.
Julia
[points behind her] She's right there!
Huh? [looks behind him to see Carmen Sandiego using a grappling hook to scale a building] LE FEMME ROUGE!!!! [slams down on the gas and turns the car around]
[Crackle has finished telling his side of the story]
[disgusted] Evil. Hmph! My entire upbringing was a lie. Stealing isn't a game. It does harm people, especially when you're willing to steal lives.
[meanwhile, the train has started moving again; just as Chase has just arrived in his car]
ARGH!!! So close! [drives after the train; his phone rings] What is it now, Ms. Argent?! I am driving!
Julia
Inspector Devinaux, the purported crime scene is actually filled with stolen goods of all kinds. Cash, bonds, art.
[confused] What? Was the apartment owner not the robbery victim?
Julia
That's what I said. So I did some fact-checking. The owner on record isn't an individual, but an import-export company. But even more intriguing, the places Carmen Sandiego recently robbed, the Swiss Bank, the art gallery in Cairo, the Shanghai amusement park, all have ties to the same company.
Ms. Argent, what is it you are trying to say?
Julia
Well, what if, for whatever reason, Carmen Sandiego were a thief who only steals from other thieves?
Grr, no! [his engine begins stalling as the gas tank is empty] No, no, no, no, no, no, no! [his car stops and he steps outside and kicks the door in rage]
[Chase enters the train and finds what appears to be Carmen]
Carmen Sandiego, you're under arrest! [pulls off the hat, but finds that's it's really an unconscious Crackle wearing Carmen's coat] NOOOOO!!!! [the train begins to move and Chase looks out the window to see Carmen leaving the station] NO!! NOT AGAIN!! [his phone rings] Yes? What is it?
Julia
Inspector Devinaux, we turned up something rather astonishing. I believe it's the Eye of Vishnu from the unsolved Morocco heist. We found it between the couch cushions. Almost as if--
Let me guess! Almost as if Carmen Sandiego wanted us to find it. Ha! If our thief indeed left such a treasure behind, she must have gotten away with something truly priceless!
[scene changes to Carmen riding a boat in Paris]
Wait, seriously?! You didn't take the gemstone?
Total win-win. I knew Interpol would get it back where it belonged, which left my hands free to take the real treasure: [opens the bag to reveal her old Matyoshka dolls] my oldest travelling companions. Like an archaeology find, the only link I have to my past. [removes a tracking device from the bottom of the doll] I have Gray to thank for using them to bait me. [places the tracking device on a nearby boat] Now, did you wire the proceeds from the Shanghai job to the next non-profits on my list?
Food bank, homeless shelter, orphanage. Check. I even had time to decrypt the next entry. Another secret VILE hideout, located in Southeast Asia on the island of Java.
Just when I thought I was through with islands. [sighs] Paris will be here. We need to stay one step ahead of VILE while we still have the advantage.
[unbeknownst to Carmen, another boat is following them]
ZZari
Chief, we have Carmen Sandiego in our sights.
Carmen Sandiego · 22 quotes
