"Did she ever wake up?" Liz asked.
"I don't know," Carmen answered, staring into the fire again. "I left her family
alone, and then became a thief about a year later. I never saw Samantha, or her mother again
after that day. As far as I know, she could've died after she entered the coma. I never knew
what happened to her."
"Carmen," Liz said gently, placing her hand on Carmen's shoulder. "That is why you're
in so much pain. You're feeling guilty because someone you know and cared about had been hurt
in an accident that you believe you caused and you never got to face her so you'd know the
truth, that you're not responsible. You need to go see her."
"I couldn't," Carmen tried to say. "It's been so long!"
"Too long, I'd say," Liz stated. "You know Samantha better than I do. Would she
want you to blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault?"
"No, but..." Carmen started toi say, but Liz cut her off.
"Then, you need to see her. Even if she isn't able to respond, she can at least
hear what you has to say. I am sure she'd want to know that you still care about her, and
that you're in pain because of what happened."
"I don't know," Carmen stated, standing and going to the window. "I don't really
think I could do it."
"Who are you kidding!" Liz exclaimed, joining her. "You're Carmen Sandiego, the
greatest criminal mastermind on Earth. You can do anything you put your mind to. You can
do this, if anyone can."
Carmen looked at Liz. Was she right? Was she pitying herself, for something that
couldn't have been prevented? All this time, she'd believed that she was responsible, because
she had been responsible for Samantha, and she felt like she let her down.
"I still don't know, Elizabeth," Carmen finally stated after a long pause. "But, for
Samantha, I will at least consider it. Thanks."
"You're most welcome, Ms. Sandiego," Liz stated. "Now, I'd better get back to work.
If you need anything else, just let me know."
With that, Elizabeth left, as Carmen sat back down in front of the fire to think.
It was about eleven o'clock in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The young woman was
sitting at a table at the By the Bay Cafe`, having lunch. However, she really wasn't thnking
about the bowl of French Onion soup in front of her. She was really concentrating on the plan
she was about to execute. She knew that it was going to change her life forever, but she
had to go through with it.
Carefully, she went over the plan in her head. The first step was to insert a
computer scrambler into the Chief's mainframe, to temporarily disable him once activated.
Then next step was to wait for Carmen to strike somewhere. Once she had been spotted, she
would go to the location with Zack & Ivy and set up the equipment. Then, while waiting for
Carmen, she would drug them with a seditive so they couldn't interfere. Then she'd use the
scrambler on the Chief to incapacitate him. Then she could confront carmen with no
interferance. She sighed at the fact that she would have to leave home forever after this,
but she told herself that it would be worth it to get this overwith, once and for all.
As the waitress refilled her coffee, she noticed two figures coming towards her.
"This will be Ivy and Zack," she told herself.
She looked them over as they approached her. Ivy was a tall, strong, but slim
green-eyed, red-headed young woman of about 18 years of age. She appeared slightly muscular,
and appeared to work out quite a bit. Zack was just the opposite of his sister. He was
about a half a foot shorter than Ivy, with blonde hair that was very rugged, and sky blue
eyes. Zack appeared to be less active than his sister, and somewhat immature. As she
watched them approach, she couldn't help but know that these two would be a push-over.
With her training, she could get by them easy.
"Hello? Agent Josephine?" Ivy said and she and Zack reached her table.
"You must be Ivy and Zack," Josephine said, not standing to greet them. "Care to
sit down."
"Thanks," Zack said, plopping himself down in a chair across from Josephine. Ivy
sat down between them.
"I'm sure the Chief explained to you that I am not exactly thrilled with having to
work with you," Josephine told them, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yes, he did," Ivy told her. "Would you please tell us why you feel that way?"
"I feel that you two will get in my way!" Josephine said coldly. "Not that I'm like
that crazy Lee Jordan, wanting to beat the best. It's just that I planned this as a one
person project. Having two extra people on this might very well destroy it completely!
Unfortunitely the Chief didn't see it that way and assigned you two to aid me."
"Well we hope to help you, not destroy your plan," Zack said to her. "Why don't you
share your plan with us so we can work together on it?"
Josephine looked at them, and then, coolly said, "I will, but only because I have to."
She paused. Then, she spoke up again.
"The plan is simply this: I plan to make Carmen face an event from her detective
days that she found to tramatic to face. Then while she is dealing with the tragedy, I
apprehend her and take her to get the help she needs."
"How do you plan on doing that?" Ivy asked.
"I've created a portable holographic projector to recreate the event as realistic
as it can be."
"Well, what was that event?" Zack asked.
"Carmen was involved in a car accident back in 1985 in which an eleven year old
girl that Carmen was assigned to train was critically injured and sent into a coma, from
which she never woke from. Carmen blamed herself for the incident and does everything she
does now to punish herself for what she feels she did wrong," Josephine told them.
"Oh man!" Zack said. "Poor Carmen, and that kid! What can be done to help them?"
"Carmen needs help," Josephine answered. "Samantha, the child, is receiving the
treatment she needs, and now, it's Carmen's turn."
"You sound like a psychologist," Ivy said.
"I am," Josephine responded. "I am a Criminal Pyschologist, and I specialize in
criminal behavior, such as what causes a person to turn from a law obiding citizen to a
fugitive."
"So you think Carmen became a thief because of a feeling of guilt she has about
this accident?"
"Yes, I do," Josephine said.
"Well then we've got to do this to help her," Zack said. "What do you want us to?"
"The only thing you can do, is to alert me when word of Carmen's next theft comes in."
"Will do!" Zack said. "We'll put the Chief on it so that all three of us will get
the info at the same time."
"Good," Josephine said. "Maybe this, will work afterall. Now, I have to go see
my mother at home. Then I'll probably go to Acme to make sure everything's ready. I'll
see you both later. Bye."
Then Josephine stood up and headed for the cashier, and the detectives stood and
left, neither of them noticing the sly smile on her face as she walked away.
Josephine, as those at Acme knew her, returned home from her meeting with the
detectives.
"I can't believe that they accually bought that act I gave them," she said as she
turned the car off. "They won't have a chance to ruin what I've planned."
She walked into the house and quietly shut the door, believing her mother was
asleep, but then a voice spoke up.
"How'd it go dear?" asked an older voice.
Josephine turned in the voice over to the sofa. A older woman, who was in her
early fifties, was seated on the sofa, staring at the younger woman. Her hair had fallen
almost completely out because of medical treatments, and she was very thin. She looked
quite ill.
"Mother?" the young woman said to her mother. "You should be resting! What are
you doing out of bed?"
"Angel," the older woman said. "You know we don't have much time together left.
I want to be with you as much as possible. Now, come and tell me how it went."
The young woman walked over and sat down next to he mother.
"It went great!" she told her. "They really bought it! I hate going against
everything I was taught about the law, but, for her, I have to do this."
"I know baby," her mother said, embracing her daughter. "I know. I love you
dearly, and I understand why you must do this. I give you my blessing to do this. I
just wanted you to know that. Take care of yourself. I'll miss you very much my sweet
baby girl."
"I'll miss you very much," her daughter told her. "And if I get the chance to
come back, I will."
Later that night, Carmen arrived at the outskerts of San Francisco on her
motorcycle. It was about 8:30, and the sun had already went beyond the horizon. Stars
had begun to paint themselves across the clear night sky. The twinkled brightly, like
the tears the were now trickling down the master thief's cheeks. She was scared, but not
for anyone else. She was afraid for herself.
Carmen pulled over to the side of the road on a high hill, over-looking the city,
and stopped the motorcycle. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a photograph of
herself, as an Acme Detective, and a young 11 year old girl with curly brown hair and
lovely sea-green eyes. That was Samantha, only about three weeks before the accident
that had almost taken her life. Carmen gently stroked the child's picture with her other hand.
"I have to do this," she told herself.
Liz was right. She did have to do this, not only for herself, but for Sammy.
She sighed as she slipped the photo back in her pocket and started the bike again. Then
she continued on towards the city.
It was about 9:00. Zack and Ivy were sitting at home in front of the TV,
finishing off their pizza dinner. They hadn't had any info about Carmen or anyother
case come in, so they had spent most of the night at home watching videos. However, as
usual, they were really bored, and wished that something would happen.
As if to answer their prayers, the Chief popped up.
"Hot tip, Gumshoes!" he declared. "This just in from Crimenet! A anonomous tip
just came in that Carmen has been spotted heading for the San Francisco University
Hospital's Comatose treat facility. It's a separate building from the rest of the
hospital, and specializes in, what else, the care of people in comas."
"Is that where Samantha is, Chief?" Ivy asked.
"Yep!" the Chief replied. "I'm guessing that Carmen's finally decided to go see her."
"After all this time!" Zack scowled. "What's the point now?"
"Come on, Zack!" Ivy snapped. "I'm sure that this has been very painful for
Carmen, and it probably hurts even more knowing that she never did go see Samantha. She
probably feels guilty and has decided that she needs to see her."
Then Ivy turned back to the Chief.
"Have you contacted Josephine?"
"No, I can't reach her!" the Chief said, confused. "She's switched her
communicator off!"
"That's weird," Zack added.
"Chief," Ivy asked, "who exactly is this woman?"
"Well Josephine is a very fine Criminal Psychologist, who graduated from Harvard
University," the Chief added. "She also, uh, wait a minute, some of this doesn't make sense.
I don't know why this didn't come up before."
"What?" both detectives asked.
"The hand-writing on the signature line and the one's on the for references are
very similar," the Chief explained. "If fact, I this they were written by the same person."
"Does that mean that Josephine is working for Carmen?"
"I don't know!" the Chief said. "It may just be a coincidence, but, somehow, I
doubt it. She may not be working for Carmen, but somehow, I get the feeling that she
isn't on our side. But I can't prove anything. I've got nothing, so I've got to do
some research. Until then, act like you know nothing. Maybe this is just an error, but
I want to be certain. You guys, find her, forget about Carmen for now. Carmen won't
hurt Samantha, and I think that for now, you should let her alone, at least until
we, find..... oh, never mind. Josephine just walked in. Stand By...." Then he zipped out.
"Josephine," he said as she walked in. "Where have you been? I have been trying
to contact you! Carmen's been spotted here in San Francisco at the Comatose Ward of the
university hospital!"
"She has!" Josephine said excited. "I'm sorry. I shut my communicator
off because I was with my mother. The doctors say that she is very sensitive right now
and she is easily startled, and if that happens, her blood pressure could rise and her
heart could fail, so I shut if off. I guess I forgot to turn it back on. Here, I
brought the disk with the holo-program on it. I've linked my laptop to Crimenet, so I
can active it."
Josephine slipped the CD into the drive.
"Mind if I scan this?" he asked her. "To see exactly how the program will work."
"Be my guest," she told the Chief. "While you do that, We'd better get to the
location fast. Tell Zack and Ivy to C-5 and meet me there. Player, C-5 me to the San
Francisco University Comatose Ward."
With that, the C-5 corridor opened and Josephine leaped into it.
They arrived to find the corridor of the comatose ward dark, having shut down for
the night. The three saw a nurse making her rounds. Zack walked over to the nurse and
identified them as Acme agents. They informed her that Carmen was coming to see a patient,
and they were there to set up a trap for her. He then asked her to clear the wing of
hospital employees, and to not contact the police until asked to. She agreed and hurried
off to tell the others.
After that, Josephine walked over to a nearby air vent, took a small, thin object
out of her pocket, and slipped it into the vent. Then she walked across the hall and did
the same thing.
"What are those things?" Zack asked, coming over to her.
"Holographic projectors," Josephine answered. "They're linked to my laptop
through electronic impulses. I've placed the main program disk in the Acme mainframe
so that nothing can interfere with it. Once it's activated, the program will transmit
signals to the projectors and an image of the crash will be produced."
"Are you sure Carmen won't be fooled and realize what we're trying to do?" Ivy asked.
Suddenly, the sound of the automatic doors opening caught all three of them off guard.
"Well, I think we're about to find out," Josephine told them.
Then she grabbed both of them by the arms and dragged them into a nearby room.
A few moments later, they spotted Carmen coming down the hall.
"We've got her this time!" Zack said, peering through the cracked door.
Josephine nodded. She knew the time had come. She quietly took a step backwards
and removed a vial full of a seditive and two needles from her pocket. Swiftly, she filled
them both and set the vial down on a small table next to her. Then she took step towards
them, but suddenly, the Chief popped up.
"Guys," he said. "I've figured it out. Josephine isn't really Josephine. She's
really Samantha Danworth!"
"What?" both detectives asked.
"Apparently, Samantha awoke from her coma a few years after the accident and has
been planning some type of revenge on Carmen for the...Guys Watch Out!"
But his warning was too late. Samantha, as they now knew her as, jammed one of
the hypodermic needle into Ivy's shoulder.
"Ouch!" she declared. "What are you doing?"
Ivy spun to face Samantha as she injected Zack with the other. Instantly, both
began to feel very sleepy.
"Sorry guys," Samantha told them as they tried unsuccessfully to get to their
feet. "But I can't have you interferring. But don't worry. That stuff's just a
sedative. You'll have headache when you wake up, but you'll get over it."
"You...won't... get away... with this," said Ivy as Samantha walked to her laptop
which she'd set up as soon as they'd entered the room. Then she and Zack both passed out.
"I already have," she told them. "Don't forget. I was trained by the best detective
in history."
Then she hit the enter key, activating the scrambler program and the CD in the
Acme mainframe.
"Now, uh, Samantha, let's talk about this!" the Chief said as his image began to
break up.
"I'm afraid not, Chief," Samantha told him. "I have to do this, but, like I
told them, don't worry. The scrambler's only temporary."
With that, his screen went out.
Samantha's hands instantly began flying across the keys, readying the holo-program.
"I'm sorry Carmen," she said as she hit the enter key. "But this must be done, for
your own good."
Carmen had almost reached the room was she had learned Samantha was when the
hall in front of her got all fuzzy. She tried to shake the feeling off, but it wouldn't
go away. Suddenly, before her, appeared an image of a car, lying on its side. It was a
red sports car. Carmen recognized it. It was the same car that she and Sammy had been
in when they had gotten in that accident.
Carmen turned to leave but stopped when she saw an image of Samantha's mother
and her younger self, from that day at the hospital. Mrs. Danworth was yelling at her,
blaming her for the accident.
"No!" Carmen begged, turnig back to the wreck. "Not this! Not now!"
She move around the car, and saw herself crawl from it. Her younger self
glanced up, and the took of running. Carmen followed the form to Samantha's fallen body.
"Samantha?" the image cried.
Again there was no response from the child.
The younger Carmen nelt and turned the child over. The child's face was badly scarred..
There was a huge gash across her forehead, and a clearly visible lump on the side of her head.
"No! SAMANTHA!"
Carmen fell to her knees and closed her eyes, forcing out several tears.
"Please stop this!" Carmen begged again.
"It's your fault," Samantha's mother was saying behind her.
Carmen opened her eyes and stretched both hand towards Samantha's lifeless form
and tried to put pressure on the gash on the girl's forehead, but her hands passed right
through the girl.
"You can't do anything to help her now," came a strange female voice. "This is the
past, and the past can't be changed."
"It's my fault!" Carmen shouted. "I caused this to happen."
"It wasn't your fault!" the voice said in a simpathetic tone. "This was an
accident. No one is to blame for it."
"It is my fault!" Carmen argued. "I knew I was going to fast, but I ignored my
senses and lost control of the car."
"It was still only an accident!" said the voice again. "Everyone makes
mistakes. We're only human, after all."
"But, that mistake almost cost my young partner and best friend her life, and it's
taken away all these years of it. She must hate me!"
Suddenly, the image disappeared. Carmen looked up to see a young woman with
long curly brown hair exit a nearby room. The young woman came over and nelt before her,
a gentle love smile painted across her face.
"I could never hate you Carmen," she told the master thief, placing her hand on
her shoulder.
Carmen stared at her in shock. She knew this young woman, but how could
that be? She was in a coma.
"Sammy?" Carmen asked, barely able to speak. "Is...Is that you?"
"Oh course it is, Carmen," Samantha told her. "You really think that I'd stay
away when my old mentor needed me. That's so unlike what a partner should do."
"But....how is this possible?" Carmen asked, reaching up an touching her face
to make sure that she was real. "You're, you're in..."
"A coma?" Samntha finished, taking her hand. "I knew that you thought that.
That's why I had to do this. You're weren't going to find out any other way. I woke
up three years after the accident. I was expecting you to be at my bed side, but you
weren't there."
"I'm sorry," Carmen said. "Your mother hated me so much that she told me never
to come near you again, so I didn't. I was so certain that you'd hat me forever, that I
just left, and the I became a thief. You're probably angry at me for that."
"Of course not," Samantha said, hugging her. "I'll admit I was in the beginning,
but I realized that, you were still the same person, no matter what your profession.
After all, you told me not to judge a book by it's cover."
Then, Samantha helped Carmen up.
"Now, come on," Samantha said. "My mother wants to talk to you."
"I...I can't do that!" Carmen said.
"Carmen, my mother does not hate you," Sammy told her. "She's felt very guilty
all these years, and wants to appologize to you before she dies. She has liver cancer,
and the doctors say that she'll probably only live another six to eight months. This is
her, and your last chance to make ammends."
Carmen thought about it for a moment.
"All right, Sammy," she answered. "Let's go see you're mother."
"Thanks," Samantha said.
They started to leave but then suddenly, Carmen spotted Zack and Ivy lying on the
floor in the room Samantha had come from. She turned to Samantha.
"Sammy, what have you done?" she demanded.
"They're okay, Carmen," Samantha assured her. "I had to sydate them, so they
wouldn't interfere. They'll be fine."
Carmen looked at her questioningly. Samantha's face was written with senserity.
After a moment. she noded that she believed her and the two of them left the hospital.
Samantha and Carmen arrived at the Danworth home on Carmen's motorcycle. They had
talked some on the way about the past 13 years, and both were glad to hear the other's voice
again. Now came the har part, facing Mrs. Danworth. Carmen still wasn't certain if she
could do this, but Samantha pushed her on.
Once inside Samantha led Carmen upstairs to her mother's room. The older woman
was seated on her bed, waiting patiently for her daughter and their guest.
When Carmen saw her, she shook and started to turn and leave, but Mrs. Danworth
called to her.
"Don't you dare walk out on me, Sandiego," she said harshly.
Carmen turned, expecting to see a cold stare, but instead, she was met with a
warm, welcoming smile from the old woman.
Carmen smiled back gently. It had ben too long since she'd last seen
Mrs. Danworth. She was just glad that now that she was in her presense, the woman
seemed to want to talk, rather than yell.
"Sammy, dear," her mother said. "Would you leave Ms. Sandiego and I alone please?"
"Of course, Mother," Samantha said.
Then she turned and left, shutting the bedroom door behind her.
The old woman watched her daughter leave, and then she turned her attention
back to Carmen.
"Come over here dear," she told her.
Carmen did as she was asked and walked over to her bed and sat down in the
chair next to it.
The old woman looked away from Carmen for a moment, apparently thinking. After
what seemed like an eternity, she turned back towards Carmen and sighed.
"I've been waiting for thirteen years for this day, and now, its come, and
I'm at a loss for words," she said.
Carmen smiled.
"Carmen, I'm so sorry that I hurt you all those year ago," Mrs. Danworth told her.
"The things I said to you back then, I never should acted that way. I was upset with
myself and I took my anger out on you. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."
"You had a right to be angry with me," Carmen said bowing her head. "The
crash was my fault."
"No, it wasn't!" Mrs. Danworth told her, taking Carmen's hand. "You did
everything you could for my daughter. You made her the best detective she could be."
"But I let her down," Carmen argued.
"No you didn't," Mrs. Danworth answered. "You helped make her the kind, loving
young woman she is now."
"Not to mention sneaky," Carmen added with a soft laugh.
That caused Mrs. Danworth to smile, but then she became very serious.
"Carmen, I have a very important favor to ask of you," she stated.
"Of course," Carmen replied. "Anything, just name it."
"I'm a sick old woman," Mrs. Danworth told her. "I can't protect my daughter, and
even though I know that she's a big girl, I'm afraid she may have gotten herself in over
her head this time. I know that she did all of this for you, because she cares about you,
so, could you take her somewhere safe for me?"
Carmen stared at Mrs. Danworth in shock, but after a moment, she smiled again
and nodded.
"I will if that's what you and Sammy want," Carmen answered.
"It is," Mrs Danworth explained. "The only regret I'll have is not having the
chance to say goodbye to my sweet daughter before I die."
"Oh, I'll make sure that that doesn't happen," Carmen told her. "You will be
together before that happens. I promise, and this time, I won't mess up."
"Thank you, Carmen," Mrs. Danworth said, shedding a tear. "You always were a good
friend, and I know that you'll keep your word."
When Zack and Ivy awoke , they found themselves in the hospital, both were still
groggy but, the remember what had happened. Josephine, or rather, Samantha had injected
them with some kind of drug that had knocked them out.
It was a couple of hours later when they were released from the hospital. They,
along with several police officers, immediately went to Samantha's home to find and
arrest her, but she wasn't there. They only people there were Samantha's mother, and
the woman's private nurse.
"Mrs. Danworth," Ivy asked. "Your daughter has committed some very serious
offenses, including assalting police officers. Do you know where we can find her?"
The old woman just stared at the for a moment, and then she replied.
"No, young lady, I don't," she responded. "After she brought Ms. Sandiego here
last night and we talked, Samantha packed her bags and she and Carmen left together."
"Together?" Zack asked. "Then this was one of Carmen's schemes. We just fell
right into it!"
"Sorry to disappoint you children, but my daughter cooked this scheme up on her
own," Mrs. Danworth told them. "Carmen had nothing to do with planning it."
"Then you knew about this plan?" Ivy asked.
"I knew that my daughter was planning on contacting her former mentor, and
somehow get her to come here," Mrs. Danworth admitted. "I din't know how she was
going to do it until last night, after it happened."
"And why should we believe you?" Zack asked. "You could be just protecting Samantha."
"I won't lie to you," the old woman said to him. "I love my daughter, and I would
do anything for her. But I didn't know what exactly she was planning until yesterday
and I don't know where either she or Carmen has gone. But I will say this: If I had known,
I still would have supported her. Carmen needed to know the truth, that she wasn't
responsible for the accident that almost took my daughter's life. If anything, I am,
because I let her get that job at Acme. I'm just releaved that she had a friend like
Carmen, who was there for her. I just wish I could take back what I had said. But like
Samantha told me, what's done is done. It's behind us, and we need to concentrate on the
future."
The woman sighed and stood up. She walked over to the dresser and picked up a
photo and looked at it with tears in her eyes.
"Sammy won't be coming back, detectives," she said sadly. "She knew she'd never
be able to come home again after doing this, but she couldn't let Carmen continue to blame
herself for an unchangeable accident. She loves her to much to have let that happen.
It's over for all three of us now. We can finally move on. We can finally begin to heal!"
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