Choice: A Carmen Sandiego AU

Part 1: ACME

When Graham walked out of the opera house that day, he did not intend to be kidnapped.

It had been over three months since Carmen had vanished into the night again- leaving a generous sum of money to him in the process. His mind was still reeling from the experience.

Since that night, he hadn't really been focusing on his job. Which probably wasn't a super smart idea, considering how dangerous it was, being an electrician.

Although he's been puzzling over his encounter with her, he couldn't make any more sense of it. Why would she lie about the play? What had she been doing in that strange laboratory? Why had that strange voice threatened her, threatened Auckland that night, telling her to...surrender? What sort of "secret service" was she in?

No matter how many theories he came up with, none of them seemed to fit; each made less sense than the last.

He tossed his keys in the air, catching them, and turned to his car absentmindedly. He pulled open the door and sat down- but someone was already in the car. A tall woman with blonde hair. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised a sort of gun to his face. Before he even had time to react- call for help, ask her what she was doing, anything at all- a blue gas sprayed out of the gun. He gasped, and everything faded to black.

---

Graham woke up in a bare stone room. His hands were cuffed behind his back- he jerked his wrists fruitlessly. He looked up- there were two smartly clad people standing by the metal door, one of them the one who had sprayed the gas at his face, the other a muscular-looking man.

"What-what is this?" He strained at the handcuffs. "Where am I? Who are you?" There was no answer from the guards, just a slight glare. Before long, a shorter, slimmer woman came in, also dressed in a suit, wearing glasses.

She silently pulled out a pen, clicked it, and threw it on the floor. A blue shape shimmered from it, and suddenly, the figure of a woman was in front of him.

"Ah, you secured him. Fine job, Agent Zari. Agent Argent," said the woman from the pen. The one who'd gassed him- Zari- gave a small nod, and the one with glasses- Argent- spoke. "This is him, Chief. The one we found on the train in France."

Graham frowned, and opened his mouth to speak. "France? I've never been to France! Who are you, why am I here?"

Chief looked down at him. "Graham, is it?" At his stiff nod she continued. "Electrician at the Sydney Opera House, correct?" Without waiting for his answer, she moved on. "I believe you know why you're here."

At his questioning look (well, look of absolute confusion), she sighed. "One of my Agents arrested you on a a train several months ago. Care to explain how you disappeared from our interrogating rooms so quickly?"

Graham shook his head. "That's impossible. I was- in an accident. I'm an electrician. Well, you know that. I got electrocuted on the job- there's over a year of my life I can't remember. I was in the hospital. It couldn't have been me. You can get the hospital records and they'll prove that it isn't possible. Are we done?" He grunted, hands twisting.

Chief frowned at him, and a sort of recognition seemed to spark in her eyes. She moved on, leaving Graham disoriented. "No. We need info." She gestured at Zari, who fidgeted with a device for a moment, before a screen popped up in midair.

Right in front of him was a picture of Carmen. Chief watched him. "What do you know about her?"

I do provide a service. And it is secret. So yeah, something like that.

Her words echoed in his head. She'd insisted they were the good guys. What if these suits were the "bad guys"? He frowned. "Uh. Never seen her." Chief's frown deepened, and she gestured again at Agent Zari. Zari clicked a button on the device, and the image flickered to one of him and Carmen, sitting at his favorite coffee shop. He winced, but stayed quiet.

Chief sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Graham, I need to know everything you know. This girl- Carmen Sandiego- is a superthief. She's stolen priceless items from across the world. It is imperative that you tell us about her. For the safety of millions, Graham. Please."

But we are the good guys?

Absolutely.

She'd lied?

Had he helped an international superthief?

But- she'd seemed so kind, so trusting, so beautiful....

Then again, how had she gotten his bank account number?

Graham sighed, and began to speak.