Chapter Text
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: [???] ISLAND, THE ISLE OF VILE, near Canary Islands, Spain
TIME: 2027 HOURS
Shadowsan couldn't deny the wave of smugness that washed over him when news of Paper Star's antics reached the Faculty. But he was Shadowsan, and as such he kept a stoic exterior, hiding his glee under his irritation.
"Where is she now?"
"On her way to Agra city," Le Chèvre replied, somewhat pathetically.
Maelstrom was unimpressed. "And how did she learn of Agra city?" He asked, as if it was the operatives' job to control her. As if she had some special exception from the other VILE operatives and needed to have information hidden from her because who knew what she'd do.
He had told them.
Le Chèvre stammered in indignation. "I- I had no choice! She is insane!"
He held up his hands, wrapped in bandages. He'd overdone it, the dramatic man, Shadowsan thought. His hands looked like clubs. He cast a glance towards Maelstrom, who chuckled nervously.
"Merely a label, you know."
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1356 HOURS
Carmen shuffled through the narrow, noisy aisle of the crowded train, and tried to deal with the fact that this was not what she'd expected at all. At the very least, she'd hoped there'd be more space.
Fortunately, Paper Star wasn't hard to miss, with her bright getup and split-dyed hair. Briefly, she wondered how VILE even let her wander around like that, looking so recognisable. She watched as she slipped into a crowded berth, and sat down on one of the empty seats opposite to it.
"Target spotted," She muttered quietly.
"You gonna make a move?" Her comm-link buzzed to life, and Player clacked away at his keyboard on the other side.
"In close quarters like this, with a wild card like her? Too risky, someone could get hurt," Carmen replied, trying to keep her gaze focused on Paper Star, who was thankfully still oblivious to her presence. "I'll strike the moment she gets off the train. Until then, I just need to stay out of her sights while keeping her in mine."
Out of the corner of one eye, she watched as Paper Star struggled to find a seat in the crowded berth, and eventually squished herself in at one of the seats. Then, with both of her eyes, she was forced to watch Inspector Chase Devineaux sit down on the seat opposite to her, a smug grin plastered on his face.
"Ms. Sandiego, I presume," He drawled, trying to spread his arms out as best as he could on the small seat.
"Ugh."
He seemed oblivious to her disdain. "I almost didn't recognise you without your… evening wear," He seemed quite satisfied with himself, like it was such a big achievement to pick out possibly the only redhead on the train.
"Aren't you a bit out of your jurisdiction, Inspector Devineaux?"
"I recently acquired greater authority," He replied pompously.
"That's awfully vague, Inspector," She grinned. "Is it even "Inspector" anymore?"
"Enough chitchat!" He snapped, and Carmen stuck her tongue out at him. "Where are you hiding the Magna Cartas?!"
"Me?" She batted her lashes innocently. "Nowhere. But they're closer than you think."
Her gaze travelled back to Paper Star, who seemed to either have had enough of her tiny compartment or received a message from VILE, and was making for the exit.
"You will lead me to them."
"Or what? You'll cuff me?" She teased.
"Why, yes," He pulled out a strange pair of sterile-white handcuffs from his coat. They attracted a few curious stares from the people around them. "I lost you on a train once before. Never again."
He advanced, and Carmen's gaze flicked to the window. A tunnel approaching in approximately three seconds. Lucky day.
The train went pitch black. The handcuffs clacked, and by the time Devineaux realised what had happened, he'd somehow cuffed himself to the seat.
In the next compartment over, Carmen grinned at the keycard labelled 'ACME' in her hands.
She'd always been the best pickpocket in her class.
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1428 HOURS
Julia's eyes swept over her company in the berth.
It wasn't exactly uncrowded.
Or quiet. She could hear someone snoring on one of the top bunks.
She and Akkineni had managed to snag both the window seats, sitting opposite to each other with a small table separating them. Akkineni was being absolutely squished to the side by a group of chattering young men and women, her backpack balanced on her lap. She seemed to be far too caught up in an animated conversation on her phone to mind this arrangement too much, though.
A small, playful smile tugged at the detective's lips as she talked to whoever was listening on the phone. "Yes, yes, I've talked to her, love, she doesn't really seem to be all that- hm? Yes, of course. Wh- how the fuck did they let you- no, you better keep yourself safe, I'll check it out…"
The call seemed to be a bit too personal to listen in on, so Julia focused her attention elsewhere.
Devineaux had left to hunt down La Femme Rouge- and good luck to him with that, how lucky would he have to get to find her on such a busy train?
Her side of the berth, other than herself and Devineaux, was occupied by a woman with split-dyed hair, piercings and flashy clothing and makeup. She seemed to want nothing to do with the rest of them, she was engrossed on her phone, occasionally fiddling with the straps on her bag.
Not long after, she stood up and left the compartment. So that was that.
Julia turned her attention back to the train window, watching the fifteenth (?) meadow pass them by. Still, it hadn't gotten old yet- it was a quaint sight every time.
The curtains ruffled, and Julia turned her head to see a woman walk in. She had curly auburn hair tied up in a bun, and was wearing a denim jumpsuit- and, seemingly, knew who Akkineni was, judging by the double take she did when her eyes fell on her.
Akkineni's eyes momentarily flicked towards her, and she gave her a brief two-fingered salute as greeting before returning to her call.
"This seat taken?" She nearly jumped- the woman was addressing her.
"Actually, yes, but-" she took the liberty of sitting down beside Julia anyways. "…Feel free to use it until my partner returns."
Her phone pinged, but she ignored it.
The woman's grey eyes shifted from the berth's door, to her compact mirror, to Devineaux's briefcase labelled with his initials in large, shiny letters as Julia spoke.
"Partner?" She echoed, her expression unreadable. Julia cleared her throat.
"Travel partner," She clarified, a little too hastily.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Akkineni look at her pointedly. She raised an eyebrow, at which the investigator rolled her eyes (what was her problem?), and stood up.
"Excuse me," she muttered, leaving the berth, phone in hand.
"Anyways…" The woman beside her continued, "Travel partner, huh? And you are?"
"Julia."
"So, Jules," the woman smiled, and Julia startled mildly. Jules, that was a new one. "Off to see the Taj Mahal?"
"The Taj Mahal? If I had the choice to go sightseeing for Mughal era architecture, I'd have gone for…" She taps her chin thoughtfully. "The Diwan-e-Aam, or perhaps Buland Darwaza."
The woman tilted her head. "Oh?"
"The Diwan-e-Aam translates to Hall of Audience, it is one of the rooms of the Red Fort in Delhi," Julia began enthusiastically. "It is where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan received members of the public and heard out their grievances. The craftsmanship, the architecture… and the history! And Buland Darwaza, it has to be one of my favourite pieces of architecture from that era- it's the entrance to the Jama Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri. It's the highest gateway in the world, it's 54 metres high!"
She paused. "The Taj Mahal is quite iconic in its own right, but there are many other monuments deserving of attention too. Although I won't be going anywhere today," she let out a small huff, "Sadly, I am here on business… sorry, am I boring you?"
The woman shook her head. "No, no, this is really interesting! So you're here on business? Don't like your job, huh?"
Despite herself, Julia felt a warm smile grow on her face at her words. "No, no, I love my job. I just love history even more, I suppose."
The woman suddenly looked somewhat hesitant. "Then… you must be a little upset about the Magna Carta, huh?"
"Wait, what?"
"The theft, it's all over the news," She replied distractedly, her gaze back at the windows on the berth's door. "Wonderful chatting with you, Jules. I gotta go now, though."
"But I never did get your name-" Julia called as she disappeared into the crowded aisles.
Okay, that was that. She pulled out her phone to check the message she'd received earlier.
Chief (14:30)
Security footage of Carmen Sandiego escaping from the museum, captured from the café across the street. Be certain that it's not another copycat. [1 attachment]
She clicked through the photos and- wait, was that-?!
Oh.
Oh, she was such an idiot.
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1433 HOURS
Admittedly, Carmen had gotten a little distracted by the chat. But that didn't mean her focus wasn't on the job!
And, uh… where was her target again?
A small crowd outside one of the berths caught her eye. The ticket collector, a bloody gash on his cheek. A crowd of people stood around him, some attempting to enter the berth, others attempting to restrain the first group, and the rest in a hysterical panic. Inwardly, she groaned.
Paper Star.
She quietly slunk into the rabble, and hung around for a little, quickly scanning the area to see if anyone else had gotten injured. When she was satisfied that the ticket collector was the only one, she slipped into the cabin, unseen. The door slammed shut behind her, and she nearly missed the three colourful shurikens that embedded themselves into the berth wall just beside her.
"I always knew you didn't have standards," she quipped, "But attacking a random civilian? Really?"
"Needed to get everyone out somehow," she replied, bored, pushing the container onto the overhead bunk and lunging towards her- but she wasn't fast enough.
Carmen barrelled into her, pushing her down onto the seat and climbing onto it. She reached for the Magna Carta, but Paper Star grabbed her waist and pulled her down. She landed with a surprised yelp. Paper Star attempted to wrestle her, pushing her down onto the seat. Carmen rolled her over before she could even think, pinning her down.
Paper Star lay there, mildly stunned, struggling against her grip, mere inches away from her face. A rush of satisfaction settled over Carmen. She had the operative just where she wanted her.
One of the easiest ways you can pickpocket your opponent after riling 'em up a little- get up close and personal.
Carmen grunted in pain as she got kicked off. Her back slammed against the berth's doors.. Paper Star loomed over her menacingly. She reached into her pockets-
Except they were empty.
Carmen backed away, origami paper clenched in her fists. Shit, shit, shit.
Where the hell was she supposed to dispose of paper in a locked berth?
The operative advanced. Carmen's eyes darted around frantically. Her eyes landed on the emergency hammer.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Paper Star pounced at her. She dodged at the last second, tripping her and sending her slamming into the berth door. Someone was banging loudly on the door, and she could hear it rattle. The public was getting restless- she needed to deal with this fast.
She grabbed the hammer, and swung. The window smashed into a thousand tiny pieces, and colourful papers cascaded out of the carriage, forming their own little train of origami behind it.
Paper Star just gaped at her for a solid five seconds.
"Sucks running out of paper," Carmen grinned. "Now can we try chatting without killing any trees?"
Paper Star's eyes shifted towards the table. Carmen followed her gaze.
A single travel brochure.
"You should run."
Paper Star dove at it. Carmen tackled her, shoving her aside. She grabbed the brochure, but Paper Star slammed into her, pressing against her, reaching for it.
Her head thudded against the berth walls as Paper Star pushed her off, and she was momentarily stunned. The operative picked the brochure up, and in a split second had them fashioned into razor-edged blades.
"Care to run now?" She grinnned almost maniacally.
And so Carmen did. Magna Cartas in tow, of course.
She deftly unlocked the door, sending in a wave of people- because Paper Star was smart enough not to attack them. Not when she was saving up her ammo for her final target.
"You should learn to keep your eyes on the prize," Carmen trilled, disappearing into the chaos.
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1439 HOURS
'You've reached inspector Chase Devineaux. Please, leave a message.'
Julia sighed.
So it looked like Devineaux was unreachable- and only god knew where Akkineni was. Her luck was truly impeccable. She walked into the next compartment - which was surprisingly empty save for a rather strange sight - and found both her travel partners.
Devineaux, handcuffed to a seat, pale with fear. Akkineni, who, instead of helping him out, seemed to be more invested in an argument with a young man, attempting to placate him. She rushed over.
"Is anything the matter?"
"Ah, Argent," the detective nodded at her. "Aashutosh here was just about to leave."
Aashutosh cast a dark glare in Devineaux's direction, and turned on his heel and left.
"What happened?!"
"He nearly got jumped. Managed to piss off that guy. I walked in on him about to get beaten up."
Julia just stared.
"What happene-"
"Never mind that!" Devineaux interjected. "The keys are in my briefcase!"
"No need," Akkineni pulled out a bobby pin from her pocket, crouching next to Devineaux's seat to pick at the lock. "There's a hubbub in the compartments at the front, we'll have to check that out. Might have something to do with Carmen Sandiego."
"How do you know that?!"
"Aashutosh let it slip during our little chat," she replied simply. "Apparently the ticket collector got attacked."
"La Femme Rouge! She is behind this, I am certain of it!" Devineaux slammed his free hand on the table in his enthusiasm.
"Why would she randomly attack the ticket collector? Does she want to draw attention?"
"Uh, well," Devineaux stammered, "she wears bold red colours and announces her appearances before her escapades, does she not?"
"That's before the heists, Devineaux," Akkineni said quietly. "Not during them. There's something deeper than that going on here."
A heavy silence followed. The lock on the handcuffs clicked. Devineaux rubbed his wrist, looking down at Akkineni. She rose to her feet, putting the pin away.
"… the keys would have done this much faster," he muttered, avoiding her gaze.
"I needed to fill Argent in."
Julia snapped to attention at being mentioned. "Right. The crowd."
"It's in the carriage in front of ours," Akkineni spoke somewhat mechanically, motioning for the others to follow her. "He said the woman had weird hair, whatever that means."
"How did you manage find out all of this from him?" Julia quickened her pace to match hers, Devineaux not far behind. "I thought you were merely de-escalating the situation."
The detective just fixed her with that same searing gaze, an unreadable expression on her face.
"I was. You just have to say the right things."
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: (Rooftop of) NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1441 HOURS
Imagine that you are running from an absolute nightmare of a woman who wants the important historical artifact you have in your hands.
Great! Now, imagine that during this chase you reached a dead end and decided to climb onto the roof of a speeding train. Because it's not like you could just lead a walking death threat into the driver's cabin, right?
Also imagine that this nightmare woman is right behind you and is also insane enough to climb onto that roof after you. And is approaching you very menacingly. And has got some really sharp paper in her hands. And you don't really have anywhere to run.
Carmen didn't need to imagine.
"Nowhere to hide," Paper Star purred as she advanced, a sweet, smug smile on her face. "Not very smart."
She threw her paper blade, and Carmen dodged on impulse- but the wind made it boomerang before it could even reach her, and she decided to take back her earlier complaints about the speed of the train.
"Oh really? Wind beats paper!" She called back triumphantly, because she was Carmen Sandiego, and Carmen Sandiego had a comeback for everything.
Paper Star growled in frustration, and broke into a run. Carmen followed suit, readying herself to bunch. She quickly has the wind knocked out of her from an elbow jab to the chest, but regained herself quickly to block further blows.
Punch. Punch. Block. One attack to the next. Carmen flipped Paper Star over her shoulder. She landed on her feet. She gave Carmen a cheshire grin, and did her own flip (copycat!), freeing herself from her grip and landing behind her.
And then she grabbed the Magna Carta from her back and swung her off the goddamn train.
She grabbed onto the straps of the bag, hanging on for dear life. Paper Star didn't let go either. So she grabbed Paper Star, pulled her in close so that their noses almost touched, and headbutted her way back onto the roof of the train.
So what does that deranged woman do? SWING HER OFF THE TRAIN AGAIN.
It worked this time. She managed to grab onto the railing of the window so that's where she was currently hanging off from. A small child noticed her. She's glad his mother was too engrossed in her newspaper to listen.
She climbed back onto the rooftop just in time to see Paper Star grab on to a ladder connected to a railing above the train. She attempted to make a grab for it, but the train was too fast. She noticed a plate-like... thing on the train as she ran.
Another desperate time, another desperate measure.
"Here goes nothing."
The next few moments are a blur. She took off the disc as she ran and threw. It sliced through the straps of Paper Star's bagand the container fell. She dove for it, and caught it just in the nick of time. Paper Star could do nothing but stare.
And she had it. It was in her hands. Holy shit, that worked!
She straightened herself, giving Paper Star one last triumpant smirk (with the Magna Carta, of course) and revelled in the operative's shock as the train sped away.
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: NZM RAJDHANI EXPRESS, en route from Mumbai, Maharashtra to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1441 HOURS
If Chase was a little sceptical of Ms. Akkineni's methods, well, he tried not to be too obvious about it.
The detective burst into the compartment, causing enough of a commotion that multiple heads in the crowd swivelled towards her. She strolled towards the ticket collector (pauvre homme, he seemed at his wits' end) and struck up a conversation with him. Not to be outdone, Chase followed her and attempted to join in, but they were speaking in a different language, so he didn't have much luck.
(Ms. Argent, for her part, seemed absolutely bemused. He noticed her eyes flicking from Ms. Akkineni to him and back. It was strangely irritating.)
After a minute, she returned, and translated their conversation. An East Asian woman with split-dyed hair done up in two buns, heavy makeup, and bright clothing had been the assailant. She'd been chasing a redhead after an apparent fight in the berth, and that was all he knew. The berth's glass had been smashed.
"Wasn't a woman like this in our compartment?" Ms. Argent interrupted.
Ms. Akkineni paused, and nodded. "The one sitting beside you!"
Chase began to feel that maybe his earlier enthusiasm in catching the Lady in Red had caused him to miss out on a lot.
"The smashed window and paper shurikens seem to line up with the museum debris as well…" Argent continued. "Perhaps there is something in the security footage Chief sent us."
"Security footage?!" Chase exclaimed. "I was not aware of this!"
"Me neither," Ms. Akkineni shook her head. "Neither of us have had the time to check it out."
Julia had already begun to scroll through her phone. She paused suddenly, and turned the phone to show an image of none other than Carmen Sandiego herself, her face obscured by her hat.
"Yes, that is La Femme Rouge, Ms. Argent," he said impatiently. "But we knew this was her doing already. What does this photo have to do with our mystery assailant?"
Argent zoomed in on the corner. Chase's eyes widened. A blur of colour, a second figure!
"An accomplice!" He announced.
Akkineni raised her eyebrows, seeming somehow amused. "And why do you think that?"
"She has worked with partners before," Chase waved his hand. "Remember the Duchess?"
"I don't know this 'Duchess'-"
"Exactly, Ms. Akkineni. You may be strangely informed about the Crimson Shadow, but I have seen her face-to-face-"
"But if she's an accomplice, then why would she fight Sandiego? Or chase her?"
Chase spluttered. "Well- well, maybe her henchwoman went rogue and wanted the loot for herself!"
"I find it much more likely that they were rivals from the start," Ms. Argent interjected. "It would explain the museum debris and the smashed window as well."
Chase didn't reply to that. She did have a point.
Ms. Akkineni, by now, had seemingly lost interest in the conversation, and was attempting to disperse the crowd back to their seats. He could hear a few people here and there muttering in the crowd, but he could only make out the word 'police'. Akkineni cringed a little at that.
"Are you law enforcement?" He asked.
"No-" she began to reply, but got cut off by an enthusiastic middle-aged woman.
"Heera ji! Remember me?" She called.
Ms. Akkineni, by the looks of her face, did not.
"Are you here to investigate about that woman?"
"Can you tell us about her?" Chase asks.
"Oh, that crazy lady just went into the compartment and attacked the ticket collector, na, and after everyone got out she just shut the door. Later when he tried to open it again it was locked so we all tried to break the door down. Hmm… then the door burst open and this other lady ran. The crazy one tried to punch a few people but there were too many of us so she just broke away and ran," she says the last part with a touch of smugness.
"And I'm sure some true Bombay personalities tried to follow her?" Heera deadpanned.
"हां जी! My son told me she locked them into the compartment so they wouldn't follow her and climbed onto the roof!"
"The roof?" Chase was incredulous.
"The roof."
"Okay, ma'am, thank you," Ms. Akkineni led her back to her berth. "Why don't you go sit down now?"
Chase opened his mouth to ask Ms. Akkineni something else, but-
"Agent Devineaux! Detective Akkineni!"
He poked his head into the berth where Ms. Argent was.
"What is-" his eyes widen as he looks at where she was pointing.
"The Magna Cartas have been returned!"
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: Agra City Railway Station, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
TIME: 1451 HOURS
"So you have the docs?"
Carmen watched the train leave. "They're in good hands," she shrugged.
"But not yours?" Player asked dryly.
"Not mine. Though it seems out friend Inspector Devineaux is running with a slicker outfit these days. Picked his pocket, think you can hack a keycard?"
She could almost see his eyes light up at that prospect. "Worth a try. Send it over."
She reached into her pocket, but it was not there.
DAY: THURSDAY, 18th April, 2019
LOCATION: [???] ISLAND, THE ISLE OF VILE, near Canary Islands, Spain
TIME: 2156 HOURS
"Did you not assure us that Paper Star was ready?"
Gunnar Maelstrom did not like Shadowsan's tone. "I never asked her to break protocol," he snapped back.
An eerie hum filled the room. Speak of the devil.
"Faculty only, sassy pants," Coach Brunt grunted.
Paper Star innocently batted her lashes at her. "But my ears were burning!"
"Enough," he snapped. "You failed to complete your mission."
"Guilty as charged," she smiled. "But I never come to a party empty-handed."
Countess Cleo dodged on instinct as she threw something onto the Faculty's desk.
A keycard- belonging to Chase Devineaux, of the Agency to Classify and Monitor Evil.
A grin crept onto his face. She had always been his finest student.
.ೃ࿔ ✈︎ *:･
TARGET: THE MAGNA CARTAS
STATUS: SECURE
.ೃ࿔ ✈︎ *:･