CARMEN SANDIEGO'S HOTEL ROOM, 5:15 AM
Carmen came out of the bathroom, dressed in a red silk robe, a twoel
wrapped around her hair. She went to the closet and began to dress,
her mind racing, trying to put together what she knew.
Fact #1-- Someone had hired three professional assassins to kill her. A
quick hack into the front desk's computer records confirmed three new
guests checking in the previous afternoon. Morgensen, the man who had
attacked her in the gardens. A man named MacInnes and a woman
whose name filled Carmen with cold dread. Ling Pao.
Carmen knew quite a bit about Ling Pao. She was the daughter of Lu
Pao, an international smuggler who did quite a bit of business with
Reginald Enge. Rumor had it that they were lovers, but Carmen knew this
to be false. Enge was a married man with a son. Whatever his faults, he
never cheated on his wife. June, that was her name. She and her son
were enrolled in the Federal Witness Protection Program after she
testified against Enge. Carmen hadn't seen them in twelve years.
Fact #2-- Ivy had said Enge's name just before she passed out. After
talking in secret with Zack, Carmen confirmed what she had known for a
while. Reginald Enge couldn't be here at the Hotel Olympus. He had died
in prison in 1995. Which meant that someone was going to a lot of trouble
to impersonate her old adversary.
Fact #3-- After crosschecking with Acme and Interpol's databases,
she had discovered that Svenson Morgensen, and Donald MacInnes
were two of the best freelance assassins to be found. They and Ling
Pao had checked in as guests of a R. Edward Erring. A transparent
disguise if one knew how to look at it. R. "Ed" Erring or, by applying a
Cockney accent to it, Red Herring. A traditional ruse or false clue.
Fact #4-- Her unknown adversary was trying to send her a message
with the mysterious Shakespeare quotes both Morgensen and, she
guessed, MacInnes had left for her.
Fact #5-- Morgensen had been arrested, and MacInnes was nowhere
to be found, which meant he was probably on a plane out of Greece by
now. That left only Ling Pao and the enigmatic R. Edward Erring
somewhere on the grounds.
Fact #6-- With Ling Pao still on the loose, Carmen was still in danger.
Carmen finished dressing, then reached into the closet, withdrew her
trademark coat and hat, and put them on. She then looked at the black
box that had been delivered to her room. She popped the latches on the
box.
Inside, nestled in foam rubber, was a 9mm pistol and clip. She had
bought it shortly after leaving Acme, but she had never used it, nor had
she intended to. It was meant for an emergency.
Her assailent matched that description perfectly. She checked the clip
and slid it home. She then placed the gun into an inside pocket of her
jacket. She wouldn't use it if she could help it, but she definitely did not
want to be caught unprepared.
She looked herself over in the mirror, her face a hard impassive mask.
Attacking Ivy had been an act of war. One that Carmen would fight until
the very end.
ATHENS GENERAL HOSPITAL, 5:30 AM
"Zack..." Ivy mumbled, opening her eyes. Zack, having woken up from
a stiff neck a few minutes earlier came over to his sister.
"Ivy?" he asked. He took his sister's hand. "Relax, everything is going
to be fine. The Chief's trying to get Mom and Dad C-5 clearance to get
them here so they don't have to fly."
"My shoulder hurts." Ivy said through the haze that most hospitals
keep their patients in.
"Doesn't surprise me." Zack said. "That's where you got shot."
"What happened to Carmen? Is she okay?"
"I talked to her just before the police showed up, she said she was
going back to the hotel."
"She can't!" Ivy said loudly. "That's where Enge is! She'll be killed!"
"It's okay, Ivy." Zack said soothingly, trying to calm her down. "It isn't
Enge. It can't be Enge."
"What?"
Zack told Ivy about the discovery he and the Chief had made. Ivy
listened intently, each fact bringing her alertness back. By the time Zack
finished, she was wide awake.
"So, if it isn't Enge at the hotel? Who is it? Another old adversary of
Carmen's?"
"I don't think so, Ive." Zack said. "Yeah, there's been a lot of them
lately; Maelstrom, Lee Jordan, Marco Kane...but this feels different. I think
that this guy is connected to Enge somehow. Getting revenge on his
behalf."
"If that's true, we need to figure out who it is." Ivy replied. "We may be
on opposite sides of the law, but I don't want to see Carmen dead.
You've got to get back to the hotel and find her."
"Right, you think the Chief or Mom and Dad are going to be happy
about that?"
"This is more important, Zack!" Ivy insisted. "I have a horrible feeling
that Carmen is in over her head. She'll need all the help she can get!"
"All right, all right, sis. I'll go, but you stay here. You need rest.
Okay?"
"Okay." Ivy said reluctantly. "But, Zack, be careful."
"I will." Zack's normally vibrant expression was somber. The two of
them had realized the stakes they were playing for.
"Player, C-5 me back to the Hotel Olympus." Zack requested. A flash
of blue light later and he was gone.
HOTEL OLYMPUS GARDENS, 5:30 AM
Carmen walked out into the gardens of the hotel. She hoped to find
more clues here. Clues as to who her mystery adversary was. She
could have hacked back into the hotel's computer records and gotten a
room number, but she didn't want to risk an unwanted confrontation.
As she walked down the cobblestone pathway winding through the
gardens, she scanned the area, all her senses on the alert. Her keen
eyesight spotted something half hidden under a shrub, barely visible in
the moonlight.
She knelt down next to the shrub. It looked like a pair of legs. She
pawed her way through the shrubbery. She then inhaled sharply.
She had found Donald MacInnes, dead. His head twisted at an
unnatural angle. Carmen fought to keep from retching, focusing instead
on the silver breifcase next to the body.
She opened it up, finding piles of Monopoly money and an envelope.
thought the master
theif. She picked up the envelope, already guessing what was inside.
She wasn't disappointed;
" ...Make no mistake, I am not Licio
Nor a musician as I pretend to be
But one who scorn to live in this disguise
Know, sir, that I am called Hortensio."
<"The Taming of the Shrew", Act 3, scene two.> Carmen placed.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She reached into her pocket
and withdrew the other two quotations and compared them with the
third.
At that moment, someone kicked her rather hard in the back.
The C-5 dropped Zack on the other side of the gardens.
"Carmen?" he called quietly. He looked around. A small ornamental
stream ran through this part of the gardens. The lights had been turned
off this late at night, but Zack could see a figure standing on the bridge
that crossed the stream in the distance. It was wearing the unmistakable
outline of an overcoat and hat. Zack moved quickly through the gardens,
reaching a figure.
"Carmen, boy am I glad to--" the young detective was cut off by the
fact that the figure waiting for him was male and holding a gun on him.
"Well, well," Enge said, strolling up to Zack. "Looks like a I get an extra
bit of leverage on Carmen that I didn't expect. Now, get your hands up."
Zack raised his hands. Enge unstrapped the communicator from the
detective's wrist. He then prodded Zack with the barrel of the gun.
"Move."
Carmen rolled with the kick and sprung to her feet on the other side of
the shurbbery. Across from her Ling Pao sneered.
"Ling Pao, I presume." Carmen said.
"Oh, yes." Pao replied. She leaped into the air, delivering a flying kick
that caught Carmen on the shoulder. Carmen spun around, nearly losing
her balance. Ling Pao continued mercilessly, delivering a blow to
Carmen's kidneys. Carmen cried out in pain and fought to keep from
collapsing. She turned in time to see Ling Pao's fist coming toward her.
The thief caught the assassin's hand and using the momentum behind it,
flipped the Shanghai Mistress over her shoulder.
Ling Pao kippuped to her feet, as Carmen went into a fighting stance.
The two women began trading a series of blows, each being neatly
deflected by the other.
Carmen dropped, and executed a foot sweep that knocked the
assassin down. She came closer to grab her assailent, but Pao
responded with a swift kick to Carmen's midsection. Stars of pain
appeared before Carmen's eyes as she was knocked onto her back.
Pao got to her feet and kneeled over Carmen, she paulled her arm
back, fingers extended, intending to deal the killing blow.
"NO!" cried a male voice. Both Ling Pao and Carmen turned their heads
to see who had spoken. Carmen stared through the haze of pain at the
sight of Reginald V. Enge coming towards them, holding Zack at
gunpoint.
"No..." Carmen mumbled.
"Don't kill her yet, my dear." Enge said joing the two of them. "That's a
privilege I want for myself. Ling Pao smiled evilly and got off Carmen.
Enge raised the pistol he was holding and slammed it against the base of
Zack's skull. The young genius's eyes rolled up into his head and he
collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
"Zack!" Carmen cried, crawling over to his slumped form. She felt for a
pulse. It was strong.
"Oh, don't worry about the detective, Carmen." Enge's shadow
passed over her. "You'll soon be joining him."
The last thing Carmen remembered seeing was Enge's foot coming
dangerously close to her face.
"Come on, wake up. I want you to be conscious for this."
The sound of Enge's irritated voice brought Carmen out of her
enforced sleep. She shook her head and raised it.
She and Zack were tied to chairs in one of the hotel's suites. Enge
stood before them, his coat and hat tossed onto a nearby chair. Ling Pao
was nowhere to be seen. Carmen also noticed that her coat, hat and
shoes were gone.
"Ah, good. You're both awake." Enge said.
"What are you going to do?" Zack demanded.
"Well, that depends on Carmen.. Enge answered. "You see, I've been
leaving her clues as to what's really been going on. If she's managed to
figure them out, at least one of you stands a chance of getting out of
here alive." Enge strode over to Carmen and knelt before her.
"Well, my dear? You have recieved three Shakespearean quotes, all
of which have to do with the truth of the matter. Let's see if your
detective skills have diminished since we last met."
Carmen frowned at their captor, studying his face. The two of them
stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything.
"Well?" Enge demanded. Carmen looked up at him cooly.
"You seemed to have inherited your father's impaitence as well as
his looks, Anthony." she said. Enge and Zack looked at her, surprise
clearly evident on their faces.
"Did you say 'father?'" Zack asked. Carmen smiled the smile that had
long been the bane of the Enge family.
"Yes, Zack. Say hello to Anthony Enge, Reginald Enge's only child."
Enge snarled, then reached behind him. Zack and Carmen tensed, but
Enge only produced a wet towel. He rubbed the theatrical makeup off,
revealing a much younger face in it's mid-twenties.
"So, how long did it take you to figure it out?" the now-revealed
Anthony asked.
"Actually, I wasn't sure until I just looked at you now. I suspected
when I found the last quote from "The Taming of the Shrew." That quote
was by Hortensio, who disguised himself in order to woo Baptista's
daughter Bianca. The second was from "The Merchant of Venice"
spoken by Shylock. That play has to deal with an unpaid debt that
Shylock attempts to collect on, wanting a pound of flesh rather than the
money he loaned out. But those two were meaningless without the first
quote from "Hamlet," which, as every high school student knows, is
about a son's pledge to avenge the death of his father. So put together
an unpaid debt of which a part is a pound of flesh, plus a disguise, plus
a son's pledge to avenge his father and you get the son of one of my
worst enemy's out to kill me for putting his father in prison, disguising
himself as his father in order to put me and anyone else who got
involved in the case off guard.
"But what you didn't count on was the fact that I knew Reginald had
died in prison, Anthony, and that your clues were almost unnecessary."
Anthony stared at Carmen, then began to clap his hands slowly.
"Brava, Carmen, brava. You're right, of course. I've underestimated
you. But, allow me to fill you in on the whole picture.
"If you recall, I was only twelve years old when my mother testified
against my father and we were sent into exile. I hated you then. You and
my mother had taken my father away from me. If I had been younger,
maybe I would have forgotten about it. But I didn't. I vowed that I would
find a way to pay you back for what you did to me. I broke the rules and
sent letters to my father in prison. He always answered them. No matter
what he may have done, Carmen, he loved his family. He loved me.
"I kept him up to date on all the events in my life. In return, he told me
where I could find his hidden bank accounts. For my high school
graduation, where other fathers might have given their sons a car, my
father gave me a list of his connections throughout the world. His entire
criminal network, including those who had betrayed him and gone to
work for you, Carmen. That was how I met Ling and we fell in love.
"Two years ago, I graduated from college. His final gift to me was to
tell me everything he could about you. He told me to begin planning his
revenge. He was preparing to break out of prison and together we
would destroy you for ruining our lives.
"A year later, everything was in place. Ling had managed to help me
track down Morgensen and MacInnes, two of the best. Then, word got
back to me that my father was dead..."
Anthony had turned his back to them as he was talking. Carmen
shifted her right arm. Out of the rolled up sleeve of her turtleneck, a small
razor knife slid out of it's hiding place and into her hand. Carmen
extended the blade and began working on the ropes that held her.
Suddenly, Anthony swung back around, anger creasing his face.
"My father was DEAD! And it was your fault! If you hadn't captured him,
he wouldn't have gotten into that fight and he wouldn't have died! I
vowed then and there that I would make you pay, Carmen. I would take
away everything you were. It took me another two years, but I've done
it. Now I have you exactly where I want you."
Carmen looked up at him. Although her face was non-expressive,
her heart was racing. Anthony had quite clearly gone off the deep end.
"So, you have me." she said in a bored tone. "Now, I'm sure you'll want
to kill me and somehow your life will be complete once more. Fine. I'm
ready to die, Anthony. But let Zack go, he has nothing to do with this."
Anthony threw his head back and laughed. "On the contrary, my
dear Carmen, he has EVERYTHING to do with this. You see, I don't want
to kill you."
"What?" Carmen was genuinely surprised. She continued sawing
through the ropes.
"No, I have a much more satisfactory revenge in store for you. You
see, Carmen, I still intend to take everything away from you. As Dr.
Maelstrom once said, I intend to destroy your reputation. But I'm also
going to take away V.I.L.E., Acme and your freedom."
"And how are you gonna do that?" Zack asked. Anthony turned to
him.
"Easily, my young friend. You see, Carmen Sandiego is about to go to
prison for the murder of the two Acme detectives that have been on her
trail for the past three years. And with her rotting in prison for the rest of
her life, quite possibly on death row, I'll be in a prime position to move in
and take over V.I.L.E."
Carmen stared wide eyed. She was, for once, speechless. Enge
smiled gleefully at her. It was a hideous sight.
"At this very moment, Ling Pao is at the Athens General Hospital
waiting for the clock to reach 6:27 AM, which, if you remember
Carmen--"
"--was the exact same time I put your father under arrest." Carmen
finished. "You're insane."
"Not insane, enraged. There's a difference." Anthony answered. "It is
now 6:25. In two minutes time, Ivy will be dead, and so, my young friend,
will you. You see, Carmen has a nasty little secret she really didn't want
anyone to know about." Carmen felt sick to sher stomach as Anthony
produced her pistol. "So, Zachary, you tell me who the public is going to
believe when the report comes back that you were shot with Carmen's
gun, hmmm?" He began to laugh.
"NO!" Zack cried. He struggled to get loose, succeeding only in falling
over backwards. Enge leaned over him, pistol at the ready.
"Awww, did you hurt yourself?" he asked.
"No, but I'm about to hurt you." Carmen said. Enge looked at her in time
to see her break free from her bonds. Carmen, incensed, charged
Anthony. The two of them tumbled to the floor. Enge struggled to reach
his pistol as Carmen reached into his pocket for Zack's communicator.
She found it and tossed it to Zack.
Anthony snarled and punched Carmen in the jaw, causing her to roll
off him. Anthony grabbed the pistol and pointed it at her. Carmen rolled
out of the way as the shot thudded into the carpet. She grabbed the
chair she had previously been imprisoned in and tossed it at Anthony.
The chair connected with the psychotic offspring. The pistol went flying
out the open balcony doors. Anthony snarled and shoved past Carmen,
dashing out the door of the room, limping all the way.
Carmen quckly snatched up her knife and freed Zack. "Get to the
hospital!" she ordered. "Save Ivy!" Zack nodded and activated the C-5,
vanishing through the portal.
Carmen got to her feet and ran after Anthony.
ATHENS GENERAL HOSPITAL, 6:26 AM
A woman dressed in a red trenchcoat and floppy brimmed hat crept
into Ivy's room. She strode silently to the side of the bed. The red headed
detective was in the deepest stage of REM sleep. Ling Pao checked her
watch. One more minute. Anthony had been very specific about the time.
She placed one hand on Ivy's chin and onther on her forehead. One
quick jerk and it would all be over. The alarm on her watch went off, her
muscles tensed...
And Zack popped into existence just above her and landed on her
with a resounding crash, startling Ivy awake. Zack reached into his
pocket and placed a pair of Acme Megacuffs on her wrists.
"Zack?" Ivy said. "What's going on?"
"I just saved your life, thank you very much!" Zack said smugly. He
yanked the hat off. "Meet Ling Pao, Anthony Enge's partner in crime."
"What?"
"I'll explain later, sis." Zack said. "I just hope Carmen's doing okay with
Enge."
HOTEL OLYMPUS ROOF, 6:30 AM
Carmen burst through the roof access door. According to several
terrifed housekeepers, Anthony had come this way. She scanned the
roof, looking for him.
"Anthony!" she called. "Come out! It's over! Your plans are a bust!"
"NEVER!"
Carmen cried out just as she saw Anthony leap from the top of the
roof access, a knife in his hand. He tackled her to the ground, crushing
the wind from her lungs. Carmen struggled for breath, feeling Anthony's
weight on her back, his hand yanking her head back by her hair, aware
of the knife getting dangerously close to her throat.
"Now, you will get what you should have gotten thirteen years
ago." Anthony began to laugh. The weird twisted laughter the terminally
insane have. The knife came closer. Carmen gritted her teeth, and
pushed with both her elbows.
Her adrenaline assisted muscles flipped the two of them over.
Carmen crawled off Anthony and attempted to get to her feet, but the
psychopath threw himself on top of her. They were now lying face to
face, Anthony on top, giggling like a maniac. Both dangerously close to
the edge of the building.
"I told you..." he laughed. "You'll get yours."
"And so will you!" Carmen responded. In a flash, one of her legs shot
up , nailing Anthony in the crotch, but with such force that it caused him
to flip over her...
right off the edge!
"ANTHONY!" Carmen cried. She scrabbled to the edge of the roof.
Anthony was hanging on by one hand.
"Give me your hand!" Carmen said. Anthony spit at her.
"Damn it, Anthony, I'm trying to save you!"
"Save yourself, Carmen!" Anthony's other hand, still holding the knife
swept up, attempting to gouge her face. Carmen instinctively backed
away from the edge of the roof.
Time slowed to a crawl. Anthony's wild swing with his free hand
had shifted his weight wildly. Carmen could only watch as his other
hand, unable to cope with the sudden change, let go of the roof. Carmen
listened to Anthony's scream. It was cut off a few seconds later with a
sickening crunch.
Carmen stared for a moment in shock, then she buried her face in her
hands and began to cry.
HOTEL OLYMPUS LOBBY, NOON.
Zack and the Chief finished speaking to the investigating officer and
the manager of the hotel.
"How's Ivy?" The Chief asked.
"The doctor said she'd be able to go home the day after tomorrow."
Zack answered. "She's driving the staff nuts with her attitude. It think
she's got cabin fever. Mom and Dad are thinking that detective work is
too dangerous for us."
"Don't worry about them," the Chief said. "I'll talk to 'em and get them
back on our side."
"What happened to Carmen? I went up to the roof and to her room,
but she was gone. Ivy and I wanted to make sure she was okay."
"No one seems to know." the Chief answered. "According to the
manager, the bill for Dr. Candace Smythe was paid in full at seven this
morning. No one has seen her since last night."
A uniformed messenger came up to them. He handed Zack an
envelope. Zack signed for the delivery and opened the envelope.
"What is it?" the Chief asked.
"It's from Carmen." Zack said, holding the letter up.
Zack,
Just a note to let you know that I'm okay. I'm glad to see that
you managed to stop Ling Pao in time.
Revenge is a terrible thing. It robs many people of their humanity
and embitters them to the point of madness. Anthony Enge thought that
by honoring his father's memory, he was recieving his salvation. Instead,
it lead to his destruction. While I realize it was self-defense, I still can't
help but feel somewhat responsible for what happened to him. I'm going
away for a while to sort things out. I think what I need most after this
vacation is a good long rest.
Sincerely,
Carmen."
"Do you think she'll ever get over this, Chief?"
"I don't know, Zack. I just don't know."
THANKSGIVING DAY, 1997
"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Carmen Sandiego steals Plymouth
Rock! Acme Detectives on the case!"
THE END
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