Chapter Text
INTRO
Establishing shots on Team Red’s abandoned warehouse. First, everything is normal outside the warehouse, but as the camera pans down we see that the building has been barricaded off with police tape. Inside, it’s clear that it was left in a hurry. Everything is exactly where it was left, even Carmen’s nesting dolls, which are covered in dust and cobwebs. The building has been turned into a crime scene, and nobody is there.
Quick cut to the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky. The camera pans down onto a road in the middle of a desert, when a red convertible speeds past. Text comes up on screen:
1 YEAR LATER
We see that Shadowsan is driving, with Carmen in the passenger seat. Shadowsan is wearing casual clothes, with his bucket hat and sunglasses, and Carmen is wearing her sneaking suit without the coat and hat. After driving for a little, they pull into a lone gas station on the side of the road.
Quick cut, Carmen is inside the gas station convenience store paying for gas and cold drinks with cash. She takes the cans outside, where Shadowsan is refilling the car. She hands him a can and lies down on the hood.
[Carmen] You weren’t kidding, Player, it is hot.
[Player, comms] Red hot! You’re close to the hottest place on earth.
[Carmen] Death Valley.
[Player, comms] Consider yourself lucky it’s still Spring: Summer in Death Valley has been recorded all the way up to 54 degrees!
Camera angle straight down on Carmen as she scrunches her face, confused.
[Carmen] That can’t be right.
[Player, comms] 54 degrees, Celsius. That’s about 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
[Carmen] Right. That… makes a lot more sense.
She sits up
[Carmen] I can’t believe I forgot Celsius. This heat must be messing with my head.
Shadowsan pushes her can towards her.
[Shadowsan] Stay hydrated.
She opens it and starts drinking.
[Shadowsan, to Player] How far away are we?
Cut to Player’s room.
[Player] Dr. Bellum’s communication array is… just a few more miles away.
[Carmen, comms] And you’re sure there’ll be something there?
Cut back to Carmen
[Carmen] It’s an old VILE relay, ACME must’ve cleared it out already. Why would they still be using it?
[Shadowsan] Exactly.
The gas pump clicks off
[Shadowsan] Why would they? We already know where it is, why should they go back?
[Carmen, following] Hiding in plain sight.
[Shadowsan] Neither ACME nor we would have any reason to suspect that they would be bold enough to move back into an abandoned relay station. Additionally, I have heard that Dr. Bellum has hidden bunkers scattered throughout her facilities; I suspect one may be located here.
[Carmen] Secret bunkers. You’re just mentioning this now?
[Shadowsan] Even to faculty, the bunkers border on mythological.
They get back into the car and pull out of the gas station.
[Shadowsan] I did not feel it was necessary to tell you about a bunker that may or may not even exist, especially when you had far greater concerns.
[Carmen] Fair enough. Hopefully that’s one myth we can prove true.
[Player, comms] In the meantime just enjoy the view!
Carmen looks off at the scenery as they drive: nothing but barren desert with cacti, the occasional tree, and distant mountains. Carmen isn’t very impressed.
[Carmen] This is by far the most nothing I’ve ever seen.
[Player, comms] Aww, not a fan of the desert?
[Carmen] I like deserts, just not this.
Learning mode!
[Player] Well the Mojave Desert is a big place! Like 48,000 square miles big! It spans between Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah!
[Carmen] It’s the smallest North American desert, though.
[Player] Maybe so, but it’s home to thousands of different species of plants and animals, including the Joshua tree which rarely appears anywhere else in the world.
[Carmen] But my personal favorites are the red rocks of the Valley of Fire.
[Player] I think I can guess why, but don’t forget about the Grand Canyon!
[Carmen] That’s… not a part of the Mojave Desert, Player.
[Player] Just checking you knew! It’s close though; located in northern Arizona, not far outside the desert boundaries.
[Carmen] One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide.
[Player] It goes so deep that the rocks at the bottom are nearly 2 billion years old!
Learning mode ends.
Cut to Player’s room
[Carmen, comms] Developing a sudden interest in geology?
Player shrugs
[Player] Rocks are cool, they’re like windows to the past!
[Carmen, comms] I doubt that’s why Dr. Bellum is here, though.
[Player] Unfortunately it’s not why you’re here either.
[Carmen, comms] What do you mean “unfortunately?” I’m always ready to steal from VILE; hijacking a communications relay sounds like the most fun I’ve had for a while.
Player leans back in his chair
[Player] If it all goes to plan, this should give me access to their communications in real time. It’ll be a non-stop party then!
[Carmen, comms] For us. VILE might not feel the same.
Cut back to Carmen and Shadowsan.
[Player, comms] VILE won’t even know what’s happening.
Shadowsan pulls off the road behind a small sand dune.
[Shadowsan] We’re here.
They both get out of the car. Shadowsan peeks over the dune at the relay station, Carmen pulls a bag out of the trunk.
[Shadowsan] There is not much cover; approaching unseen will be difficult.
Carmen joins him by the hill, now wearing her coat and hat. She pulls out her binoculars and scans the station. The station is a medium building – two stories tall – with a large satellite dish on top. It’s rusty and worn down, and not a single person can be seen outside.
[Carmen] It certainly looks abandoned.
[Player, comms] The schematics on the hard drive don’t show any cameras on the outside, so you should be good as long as nobody sees you.
[Carmen] Red coat and hat in an open desert? I’m sure I’ll blend right in.
Cut to Player’s room
[Player] I’ve seen you pull off worse odds.
On his screen, we see the building’s floorplan. It looks much more complicated on the inside, with many rooms and hallways. There are security cameras all over the interior, but none outside.
[Player] It does have a proximity alarm, though. Any motion past that hill you’re on will sound the alert. I can disable it, but the system runs automatic integrity checks every 15 minutes. If the alarm is off when the check happens, the whole place will go into lockdown.
Cut back to Carmen
[Carmen] So 15 minutes to get in and out, should be easy. What time is it now?
[Player, comms] 1:13.
Carmen stretches and generally warms herself up.
[Carmen] That’s convenient.
[Player, comms] I’ll keep you updated on how much time you have left. Remember, you’re looking for the server room.
[Carmen] Got it.
[Player, comms] 30 seconds.
She crouches, ready to sprint.
[Carmen, to herself] 15 minutes, in and out. Nobody sees, no traces.
[Player, comms] Check is complete, go!
Carmen takes off over the hill, kicking up sand as she crosses the dune. The sand quickly turns to hard, dry earth as she gets closer to the relay. She ducks through a hole in a rusted-out fence and starts to scale the building. Once inside, she hugs the wall and carefully moves through the hallway. She finds the server room as 2 engineers walk out of it and head the opposite way down the hall. Carmen slips through the door before it closes behind them, leaving her alone in the server room.
[Carmen] Player, I made it.
[Player, comms] All in under 5 minutes, you’re good! Find somewhere to plug me in, and I’ll get to work.
She finds a port and plugs her USB stick in.
[Player, comms] Alright, I see the system now. Installing the backdoor…
Carmen hears beeping from the other side of the door and turns quickly to it. The door opens and an engineer walks back into the room. The engineer walks up to the terminal, grabs their coffee cup off the nearby table, then leaves without any suspicion. The camera tilts up and we see that Carmen was hiding in the rafters. She carefully drops back down.
[Carmen] Too close.
[Player, comms] Alright, I’m done. The backdoor is in place.
She takes the USB back.
[Player, comms] I also got access to the security cameras. Hey Red!
She looks up to the ceiling and sees a camera pointed directly at her.
Cut to Player’s room, we see his security camera view on screen as she waves to him.
[Player] I’ll make sure to wipe the footage.
[Carmen, comms] How much time do I have left?
[Player] About 9 minutes.
[Carmen] Piece of cake!
On screen, Player watches as she moves quietly to the door, ready to leave. Another camera’s feed shows two guards patrolling the hallway on the other side of the door.
[Player] You’ve got two guards in the hallway; they’ll be gone in 3… 2… 1… now.
Cut back to Carmen.
She opens the door and sneaks through the hallway towards the exit.
[Player, comms] Another guard is coming your way!
Carmen ducks into a nearby broom closet, closing the door just before the guard rounds the corner. In the closet, she catches a pile of brooms to keep them from falling. In doing so, she notices a hidden keypad on the wall opposite the door.
[Carmen] Now what would a keypad be doing inside a broom closet?
[Player, comms] Secret bunker entrance?
[Carmen] Could be.
She scans the keypad with her compact.
[Carmen] Think you can crack it?
[Player, comms] Judging by the wear on the numbers and the fingerprints, I’m gonna guess it’s 4 digits. Try… 8-4-5-3.
She enters the code, and a secret door slides open revealing a dark staircase down.
[Carmen] Nice sleuthing. [pause as she realizes] Did that just spell VILE?
[Player, comms] Yeah it did… You’ve got 8 minutes.
She carefully makes her way down the stairs…
[Carmen] Just a quick check.
… and ends up inside one of Dr. Bellum’s science bunkers. In it is a large central computer and several workbenches with machinery on them. The devices are cylindrical and about half the size of Carmen.
[Carmen] I’d say this is definitely a secret science bunker. I see see files about something called “Project Flashbulb,” does that ring any bells?
[Player, comms] I don’t remember hearing anything about it, and it’s not matching anything on our drives.
She eyes a new hard drive plugged into the computer.
[Carmen] I think I can get you a new one.
[Player, comms] Bad idea, Red. If anyone notices you were there, the whole plan is a bust. A missing hard drive would definitely be suspicious.
[Carmen, disappointed] Leave no traces.
[Player, comms] Exactly.
[Carmen] Can you make a copy?
[Player, comms] Unlikely. You only have 6 minutes left and it would probably take twice that to upload.
[Carmen] Pictures it is, then. I’ll send you what I see.
She takes photos of everything she can in the room with her compact and sends them to Player.
Cut to Player’s room as the photos appear on screen.
[Player] Got it, now get out of there! You only have 5 minutes!
Cut back to Carmen. She sprints back up the stairs and into the closet. The secret door closes behind her.
[Player, comms] The hallway is empty; you’ve got a clear shot out.
Carmen passes quickly through the hallways and out of the building. She leaps off the wall and sprints back to the dune, crossing over the top and sliding down the other side where Shadowsan is waiting for her.
[Carmen, proudly] What’s my time, Player?
[Player, comms] You’ve still got a minute left!
[Carmen] Am I good or am I good?
[Shadowsan] Expertly done.
[Player, comms] I’m liking the confidence, Red.
[Carmen] In a way it feels like the beginning again; on the run, seeing the world, tripping up VILE and ACME. It’s nice, you know? Everything got so complicated.
She starts to take off her coat and hat and pack them back into the duffel bag.
[Shadowsan] There is comfort in old habits.
[Carmen] I just wish Zack and Ivy could be here too.
[Player, comms] Yeah, if Chief wasn’t practically holding them hostage.
[Carmen] I mean it could be worse. At least they’re still agents, she could’ve just arrested them for ever even working with me.
[Player, comms] You’re sympathizing with the Chief?
She and Shadowsan get back in the car
[Carmen] No, I’m just glad they’re not in jail.
[Player, comms] Their job is to hunt you, I don’t think that’s better.
[Carmen] Maybe not. I hope they’re ok, wherever they are.
[Player, comms] Well in the meantime, it looks like this relay is already paying off. I’ve just intercepted transport orders to Morocco – and get this: the operative’s name is Black Sheep.
[Carmen] Huh, déjà vu. I guess we’re about to find the real answer to this impostor situation. Get me a flight to Morocco, I don’t want to keep myself waiting.
Scene change
ACME HQ. Chief’s office.
The room is dark, only being lit by a single desk lamp. Chief’s sitting at her desk when there’s a knock at the door.
[Chief] Come in.
The door opens and Zack and Ivy walk in. They remain standing.
[Ivy] You wanted to see us, Chief?
[Chief] I did. It’s your lucky day, Agents: I’m sending you on assignment to Tiznit, Morocco. A nice sunny town, notably the home to some of the finest jewels and silversmiths Morocco has to offer. It just so happens that intercepted intel suggests that a certain Carmen Sandiego is en route as we speak. Perhaps she’s seeking a vacation, but most likely she’s seeking something more valuable.
Zack and Ivy share a determined look.
[Chief] You’ve both shown exceptional work in the field so far, I think it’s finally time to send you after her.
[Ivy] We’re ready.
[Chief] Are you sure? I don’t want any old feelings of comradery clouding your judgement.
[Zack, intensely] That won’t be a problem. We’ll make her pay for lying to us.
Scene change
It’s nighttime on the streets of Morocco. Nobody can be seen on the streets or sidewalks, except for Carmen Sandiego in her coat and hat. She’s walking down the sidewalk but stops and turns around. Behind her, Carmen is standing with her arms crossed. It turns out that the first Carmen was actually Tigress in disguise. The disguise conceals her face and voice, so to an outsider it looks and sounds like the same person.
[Tigress] Well one of us has to change.
[Carmen] Let me guess: Tigress?
[Tigress] Actually I go by Carmen Sandiego now.
Carmen studies Tigress’ face and outfit, then she grabs the brim of her hat and cocks her head.
[Carmen] I look good in that hat.
[Tigress] It’s like looking in a mirror.
[Carmen] A funhouse mirror, maybe.
Camera pans back and we see Owlet perched on a building behind Carmen.
[Owlet] How are you two so witty? Is there a class you took??
[Carmen, lightly] Owlet! Glad to see that you haven’t changed.
[Owlet] I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.
[Tigress] It’s not.
Carmen beings to walk towards Tigress
[Tigress] Pretty cool, right?
[Carmen] Pretty creepy, and the eyebrows are a little off. But I’m guessing you’re the reason I’m back on ACME’s most wanted list.
[Tigress] Once a thief, always a thief. I hear you’re about to steal some jewels.
[Carmen] You’re a good copycat, but that’s not my style.
[Tigress, snarling] It is now.
Tigress swings at Carmen, but she dodges. They begin to fight. Owlet swoops off the building towards Carmen, but she hits Tigress instead, knocking her hat off.
[Tigress, annoyed] Wrong one!
[Owlet] Sorry!
They continue to fight. Eventually Tigress grabs Carmen from behind.
[Tigress] Did you remind Ivy to fix that door?
[Carmen, struggling] Did you wait a year to ask me that?
Owlet lands in front. Carmen jumps back into Tigress’ hold and dropkicks Owlet in the chest, knocking her down. When she lands, Carmen uses her momentum to flip Tigress forward over her onto her back. She hooks up to the top of a nearby building, out of their reach.
[Player, comms] Heads up, ACME is in the area.
[Carmen] Good timing.
Tigress gets up and leaps for the building, trying to use her claws to climb. But her disguise has none, and she falls back down.
[Carmen] Aww, did kitty get declawed? That’s inhumane.
Tigress growls and tries again
[Carmen] Careful, you’ll hurt yourself.
Distant headlights become closer and begin to light up the street.
[Carmen] Sorry to cut the reunion short, ladies, but I really should get going. Have fun with ACME!
Carmen runs off along the rooftops
[Player, comms] Hopefully this’ll put an end to your copycat problem.
[Carmen] If only I didn’t still have to hide from ACME.
[Player, comms] It’s safer this way. They do have a habit of getting things wrong.
[Carmen] I know.
She slows to a walk and pulls a green VILE phone out of her pocket.
[Carmen] I did manage to snag Tigress’ phone, though. Be ready to track any calls that it makes.
She hops down off the roof and into an alleyway. It’s a dead end so she turns to walk out, still looking down at the phone.
[Carmen] I’m on a roll.
[Ivy] Freeze!
Carmen quickly pockets the phone and looks up. Bright headlights are illuminating the alley, so she has to squint to see who the voice came from. When she sees that it’s Zack and Ivy, her expression turns to fear.
[Carmen, carefully] Zack? Ivy?
Zack and Ivy are blocking the entrance to the alley, both with serious expressions and gas guns ready.
[Zack] Carmen Sandiego, you’re under arrest.
Carmen takes a step back
[Carmen] Gang…?
[Ivy] Put your hands where we can see them.
Ivy slowly approaches her
[Carmen] Don’t do this.
[Ivy] I said hands where we can see them!
[Carmen] Ives, please.
Ivy cuffs her, Carmen doesn’t resist.
[Carmen, desperate] What’s gotten into you two?
But her begging falls on deaf ears. Carmen says no more, and looks on the verge of tears.
[Ivy, flatly] Come on, bro, let’s take her back to HQ.
They load Carmen into the back of the van and drive silently for a while through a forested road. Carmen is crushed, sitting in the back of the van without her coat and hat. Zack pulls out his pen and calls Chief, who appears on the dashboard.
[Chief] How did it go, Agents?
[Ivy] We got her.
[Chief] That’s excellent news! Bring her back to HQ, we’re finally one step closer to VILE. You two make fine agents, I’m sure I see a promotion coming for the two who finally captured the elusive–
[Zack] –Woah!
Chief is interrupted by Zack wildly swerving the van. Tires squeal as he turns sharply and the pen flies out of the window. The van drives off the road down a rough, bumpy clearing into the woods. Ivy smashes her pen on the dashboard and tosses the pieces out the window. Carmen is now thoroughly confused. Zack stops the van, and Ivy tosses him a pair of work boots. The twins both put their boots on before leaving the van and opening the back where Carmen is. Zack extends a hand to her as Ivy keeps watch.
[Zack, hurriedly] Come on boss we gotta go.
Carmen stares at them in bewilderment.
[Ivy] What? You didn’t think we’d actually arrest you, did you?
Carmen slowly starts to understand, but the surprise stays.
[Carmen] Sometimes I forget how good at acting you two are…
She takes Zack’s hand and he helps her out of the van. As he disables Carmen’s handcuffs, Ivy grabs 2 potato bags from the van.
[Carmen] Got big dinner plans?
[Ivy] Boots to hide our footprints, potato bags to make it look like we were dragged away.
[Carmen, still reeling] Oh.
Ivy tosses a bag to Zack and they both start to drag them away from the van. Carmen follows. Not far away is another car parked among the trees. Zack and Ivy toss their bags into the trunk, and all three get in and drive away.
Scene change
They’ve stopped at a small restaurant a short distance away from the town. Nobody really knows what to say, but Carmen breaks the silence.
[Carmen] That was…
[Ivy] Awesome?
[Zack] Wicked?
[Carmen] I was going to say traumatic, but thorough. Whose idea was this?
[Zack, proudly] Mine! I thought of it after watchin Rogue Vendetta 3 again.
[Carmen] I have to say, I’m impressed.
[Ivy] I’m… really sorry for what we had to do.
[Zack] Yeah, I hope we didn’t hurt you too much.
[Carmen] That was… a lot to process. I thought I’d lost you two.
She stands up, arms out for a hug.
[Carmen] I’m glad to have you back.
All three take comfort in the hug, making up for the year away. When the hug ends, Carmen jabs her finger in their direction.
[Carmen, seriously] Just never do that to me again.
[Zack] We had to! Chief wouldn’t let us out if she thought we still cared about you!
[Ivy] This took months, Carm. If we blew it we’d probably all be in jail right now.
As they make their way back to the car, Carmen’s serious facade drops, revealing her joke.
[Carmen] We’ll figure it out! At least give a girl a warning next time? Maybe a tiny hint?
[Zack, simultaneously] Sorry boss.
[Ivy, simultaneously] Sorry Carm.
[Carmen] I hope you missed hotel living, because we’re back to being outlaws.
Scene change
VILE HQ, Galapagos
The four Faculty are sitting in the Faculty lounge in the new VILE Academy. A screen appears, and Tigress appears on it, on a VILE helicopter with Owlet. She took her mask and wig off, but she’s still wearing Carmen’s coat.
[Tigress] Bad news, Carmen’s onto us again. She was in Morocco; she must’ve known I was going to be there.
[Bellum] Did she see your face?
[Tigress] No, but she knew it was me.
[Bellum] At least she has no proof.
[Tigress, embarrassed] Well… She does have… my… phone.
[Maelstrom] Dr. Bellum will deactivate your phone. We do not need to fear, she has no means of finding us.
[Tigress] She knew I was in Morocco!
[Maelstrom] It won’t matter for long. The academic year is ending, and soon we shall have a fresh new batch of operatives.
[Brunt] And Carmen Sandiego won’t know what hit her.
CREDITS