Chapter Text
It was as the legends said, Delhi never slept. The city was alive with artificial light, curious stray dogs, and the never ending chorus of horns from the traffic below. It reminded Carmen of Rio, houses tightly packed together with the smell of Tikka Masala wafting through open windows. Unfortunately, Carmen wasn't here just to visit. Player had tipped her off about VILE movement in the heart of Delhi, specifically concerning Carmen's old instructor, Dr.Bellum. VILE operatives had been seen transporting a large box with stolen rocket blueprints into a factory store one block away from where Carmen was lurking. Based on the amount of VILE activity in the area for the past years, Carmen didn't doubt that this was another one of Dr.Bellum’s multiple labs. The plan was for Carmen and Shadowsan, who was crouching a little ways away from the woman, to sneak in while Player took out the security cameras, find the blueprints, and meet Zach and Ivy out back so they could drive away with the precious cargo. Simple enough, definitely not the hardest thing Carmen had ever done. As the clock struck midnight, Shadowsan and Carmen leapt from their hiding positions, quickly but carefully approaching the dark windows of the building as silent as cats. Breaking in was easy, Carmen effortlessly propping the window open into an empty hallway. It felt odd that there were no operatives to be seen guarding the compound, but then again, Dr.Bellum wasn't one for company, preferring the quiet of her labs. However, the longer Carmen spent running in the eerily quiet halls, the more she felt like something was wrong. She expected for Dr.Bellum to at least be in her lab, but strangely, the doors were closed and the lights were off, the scientist nowhere to be seen.
“Red, the parts should be in a closet inside Dr.Bellum’s lab.” Players voice filtered through the comm device in Carmen’s ear. “There should also be a vent next to it which you can use to escape to the garage. I would hurry, though. A bunch of VILE operatives are storming the building,”
Sure enough, crashing and yelling could be heard from downstairs, footsteps thundering through the building's many rooms looking for something: or someone.
“Copy that Player. I'll keep you updated,” whispered Carmen. She took out her hacking device and placed it on the electronic door lock. It beeped a few times before the door unlocked with a satisfying click. Rushing inside, Carmen weaved around hunks of tech and piles upon piles of detailed notes taken by the doctor, stopping in front of an inconspicuous door at the far end of the laboratory. As Player had said, the blueprints were right in the middle of the closet, a large black box with the letters ISRO painted in blue on the side.
“Red! You need to get out of there, now! I have eyes on multiple armed operatives outside the lab.”
Carmen grabbed on to the handles on the side of the box and heaved it over to the vent on the wall. It was weirdly heavy for blueprints, but Carmen didn't really pay attention to that in the heat of the moment. Yanking the vent cover off, the woman pushed the box through and got on her hands and knees to crawl through the hole. She placed the cover on just before she heard VILE smash through the lab door.
Shadowsan meets her in the garage. He looks stressed, well, at least more stressed than he usually does. He hauls Carmen up and helps her carry the box outside, where the twins sit with the car turned on, ready to go.
“Carm! What's all the commotion?” asks Ivy with wide eyes from the passenger seat. “How did they know we were coming?”
“I don't know, but save the questions for later,” Carmen says, slamming the back of the van shut, the blueprints safe inside. She and Shadowsan hopped into the back seat as Zack floored the gas pedal, barely getting away before the garage door flew open and Dr.Bellum stepped out onto the street. Carmen watches her figure get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, something felt…off. The doctor did not look angry. Instead, a small but sad smile painted her features. She was missing her goggles, eyes as gold as a king's crown watching the car retreat. Carmen swore the doctor reached a hand out as if reaching for them longingly, but Zack took a sharp turn into a busy street before she could take a closer look, and the van was swallowed up in the neverending motion of Delhi.
—
Zack cursed as he ran over a pothole, earning a punch and a hissed “Language!” from his sister. Morning light glinted off the dew on the rice fields as the van rolled by, the choking business of Delhi having been left far behind. Carmen dragged the blueprint box over between her and Okasan, carefully undoing the latches on the sides. Shadowsan watched warily, for he was suspicious of the holes on the side of the box, but Carmen just said it was probably nothing to worry about. Except that when Carmen took the lid of the box, she suddenly realized that Shadowsan had been right to worry, and they now had a very big problem indeed.
Lying in the box clutching Dr.Bellum's glasses was a baby. The child was swaddled in a green blanket, their little nose wrinkled and thick eyebrows scrunched as if deep in thought. Carmen couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp, which led Ivy to look over and let out the loudest “WHAT THE FUCK,” she had ever uttered and consequently almost made Zack crash the car. The baby, awoken by Ivy’s exclamation and the jostling of the van, opened their eyes and began to wail.
“Wow, wow, wow! What the hell is going on! Is that a baby!” said Zack, desperately trying to look over his shoulder and maintain control of the vehicle at the same time. Carmen tried to tell them to be quiet, but it only made the baby more upset, their crying devolving into a full body tantrum. Sighing, Shadowsan reached forward to remove the baby from the box, carefully placing the bawling infant into his arms. Almost immediately, the crying quieted down and the baby looked up at the ninja with a grumpy look on their face. Shadowsan stared in awe as his eyes met the childs: golden, just like Bellums. With a trembling hand, Carmen reached into the box and pulled out an envelope and a notecard with Dr.Bellums messy handwriting scrawled onto it.
“Carm…? What does it say,” whispered Ivy. Silence in the van.
Carmen's breath stuttered. “It reads: ‘His name is Anubis. He is three months old, average weight, and is perfectly healthy as far as my tests can tell. I have sent him to you, Carmen, because he will only be safe from VILE under your care. Do NOT come looking for me. Sincerely, Dr. Saira Bellum.’”
Carmen looked at the other message on the envelope: For Carmen Sandiego (Formerly Black Sheep), when you are ready. I hope this explains some things. The woman looked up slowly to meet her companions' concerned faces, before her gaze trailed over to the baby in Shadowsan’s arms. Anubis had fallen asleep with his tiny hand gripping onto Shadowsan’s robe.
“What are we going to do?”