Helicopter blades whir. Carmen's cell phone goes off.
Carmen: Player, not a good time!
"So this is what you were doing when that happened, you never told me." Player says.
Player: Can't cite the no-cell-phone rule if you're not on campus. Taking a little field trip?
Carmen: What? How did you know?
Player: Remember how I could never hack past the jammers at your school to triangulate your location? Well, guess what? Your phone suddenly lit up on my dashboard. It looks like you're currently traveling en route to...
Carmen: Dude, hold that thought.
Man, via radio: Approaching drop point. Assume your positions.
Carmen: Gotta call you back!
"Aww but I'm so fun to talk to." Player laughs, Carmen rolls her eyes at his antics but smiles at the kid she sees as a little brother.
She ends the call. Chevre, Topo, Gray, and Tigress stand at the ready.
Carmen: [gasp] I don't have a parachute!
Gray: What are you waiting for? Cats always land on their feet!
He kicks Tigress forward. She screams.
"Not gonna lie, I enjoyed that immensly." Carmen says.
"So did I." Gray laughs,
Carmen: Heads up!
The last two on the plane, Carmen tackles Gray.
Gray: Black Sheep!?
Carmen: Don't let go!
Gray: Are you out of your mind!? You just put your safety and my entire criminal career at risk! What will the faculty do when they discover you decided to tag along on our mission?
"If it was anyone else it would of been a lot worse." Carmen says.
"You have no idea." Shadowsan tells her. Everyone else shivers at his words.
Carmen: Who cares? I'll be long gone.
Tigress: Crackle? Let's move!
Gray: Stay here. I mean it.
Carmen: Hmph. Time to crash a caper.
Mime Bomb pantomimes a chicken before the panel of faculty.
Cleo: You... are a chicken?
"Accurate." Ivy says.
He nods, then begins to flap his arms.
Cleo: Chickens do not fly!
"Also accurate." Player snorts.
Maelstrom: Who here thought it was a good idea to make a mime a spy?
"Yeah who ever thought the guy that never speaks would be good at keeping secrets?" Gray chuckles.
Brunt: Fly the coop? Black Sheep's run off with the others.
Shadowsan groans.
"Love you to Shadow dude." Zack says getting the full force of Shadowsans glare in return.
Cleo: We could have quite a mess on our hands.
Maelstrom: Alert the Cleaners.
"The cleaners?" Julia asks.
"They aren't just janitors." Gray says shivering knowing they'll be coming to get him when this is all over.
Carmen gasps.
Carmen: Casablanca. I'm in Morocco. I made it to the real world. ...Mission first, sight-see later.
"Did you even know what the mission was?" Gray asks.
She stops to take a selfie, then runs off. She walks toward a bright light source.
Man: Young lady? It is quite late. Do your parents know where you are?
Carmen: I don't even know where I am. What is this place?
Man: An archaeological dig site, where we search for links to our past.
Carmen: You mean like, dinosaur bones?
"I would love to spend some time on an archeological dig. To learn about the past first hand like that." Julia sighs.
"Hey when this is over maybe you can come to one with me." Carmen says grinning at the woman.
"When this is over you will be in prison." Chase says. Everyone looks over at him, most of them had forgotten he was here.
Man: Anything historic. If you've been following the news, you'll know that we just discovered a relic here dating from a much more recent era. The Eye of Vishnu. My crew identified it just days ago and are carefully unearthing it at this very moment.
Carmen: And you're not worried about them stealing it?
Man: Now, why ever would they do that? My crew is well aware that a treasure such as this belongs in a museum.
"That it does." Carmen says remembering how beautiful the gem was.
Carmen: Treasure? As in, worth a fortune?
Man: Some things possess value other than monetary, young lady. Any historic find such as this gem belongs to everyone. Its theft would rob the world of knowledge, and that would be a true crime.
Carmen: I... I never really thought of it that way.
"Because VILE didn't want you to. They had complete control over you since you were only a child." Tamara says.
The lights go out. The man reaches for a walkie-talkie as he runs off.
Man: Pit crew, report, please!
Carmen: Gray must have cut the power. This is the caper!
Chevre takes out two men. Tigress takes out three more. El Topo appears. Carmen takes off toward him.
Topo, holding the Eye of Vishnu: Black Sheep? But I thought you did not graduate.
Carmen: Whoa, it's amazing!
Gray: Black Sheep! Stay away! You'll ruin the mission!
"Says the guy YELLING at me." Carmen says rolling her eyes.
Man: You are in cahoots with them!?
Carmen: Uh, well, yes. And no. It's complicated.
Man: Stop, thieves!
"The one time being called a thief didn't feel good." Carmen says. Player sees the look on her face and hugs her in an effort to comfort her.
He charges toward El Topo, but is stopped by Gray.
Man: Out of my way!
Topo: Crackle. Remember: leave no witnesses.
Gray throws the man aside as El Topo escapes.
Carmen: Wait, what do you mean "leave no witnesses"?
Gray turns up the power on his Crackle Rod.
Carmen: Gray! No! No!
"Nobody ever said anything about taking lives." Carmen hisses and Gray looks down feeling ashamed. Stealing was one thing, but could he really hurt someone like that?
She tackles him. The man takes the opportunity to run away.
Carmen: Gray, what are you doing!? What is wrong with you!?
Tigress: I'll handle the runt!
Carmen takes the Crackle Rod and hits Tigress in the face with it.
"She didn't protect the face." Team Red and Gray all say at once.
Gray: Ohh... pussycat down.
Chevre: She did not protect the face.
Carmen: Gray...
She swings at him.
Gray: Hey!
"You are dangerous enough without a weapon." Grey tells her.
Carmen: What are you doing!?
Gray: Come on, now.
Carmen: Tell me!
The Cleaners come up behind her. She swings at them, but one gets a hand over her mouth. He cell phone falls out of her pocket.
"Oh, that can not be good." Julia says worried. She's convinced Carmen is on the side of good and doesn't want to see her get hurt.
Boris: Back to V.I.L.E. Island with you.
Present Carmen: I thought I knew you like the big brother I never had, Gray. Until that moment.
Present Gray: What can I say? Graduation was a game-changer.
"Yeah, for all of us." Carmen says.
Bellum: Graduates... you did not make it this far on your grades alone.
Maelstrom: We have been profiling you all along to test your allegiance as well as your willingness to go to any necessary extremes.
Shadowsan: No one or thing must stand in the way of achieving our goals.
Cleo: You've earned your place at our elite table.
Brunt: Now hear the true name of V.I.L.E.: Villains International League of Evil.
"Evil" echoes.
"So they are well aware of the fact they are the bad guys." Tamara says.
"Oh yeah, they've never tried to justify their actions as good, they just care about stealing as much as they can." Carmen answers scowling at the VILE faculty on screen.
Present Carmen: Evil. Hmph! My entire upbringing was a lie. Stealing isn't a game. It does harm people. Especially when you're willing to steal lives.
"I will never steal a life." Carmen says. Just for a second, Chase feels his resolve waver. Is it possible he was wrong about la femme rouge?
Chase pulls up to the train, but it's moving again.
Chase: Ugh! So close!
He takes off again. Part of the car falls off. His cell phone rings.
Zack, Ivy and Player are all laughing at him.
Chase: What is it now, Ms. Argent? I am driving!
Julia: Inspector Devineaux, the purported crime scene is actually filled with stolen goods of all kinds. Cash, bonds, art...
Chase: What? Was the apartment owner not the robbery victim?
Julia: That's what I said. So I did some fact-checking. The owner on record isn't an individual, but an import-export company. But even more intriguing, the places Carmen Sandiego recently robbed -- the Swiss Bank, the art gallery in Cairo, the Shanghai amusement park -- all have ties to the same company.
"So you've been stealing from VILE not for them!" Julia says. Carmen looks back and winks at her.
Chase: Ms. Argent, what is it you are trying to say?
Julia: Well, what if, for whatever reason, Carmen Sandiego were a thief who only steals from other thieves?
Chase: Nnnno! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
"Yeeeees! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." Player says grinning.
His car is giving out. The gas tank is empty. When it stops, he gets out and shouts at it, then groans. Seeing an airplane landing ahead, he runs after it.
Chase: Interpol! Official business. I am commandeering this aircraft!
Gray: Our journey's winding to a close. And I'm not any closer to knowing the story behind your chic new look. Or your name.
He charges the Crackle Rod.
Carmen: [sigh] I'll do my best to cut to the chase. Things were strained on my forced return to the Isle of V.I.L.E. Sure I was on my best behavior, but I still had to endure Coach Brunt's guilt.
Brunt: I blame myself!
"We blame you to." Ivy says scowling at the giant woman on screen.
Present Carmen: And Dr. Bellum's surveillance. And Countess Cleo's attempts to tame my wild side. And Professor Maelstrom's freaky psych exams. But the worst part? I never felt more alone in my life. The Cleaners had confiscated my phone, my only lifeline to the outside world. When the new school year began, I pretend to throw myself into my coursework. But I was really just biding my time, waiting for my moment to strike.
"Man it sucked not being able to talk to you." Player says.
"Trust me, I missed you to Player."
Thunder crashes.
Present Carmen: December first. V.I.L.E.'s bookkeeper was right on schedule. My first escape attempt may have been a dry run, but this time, I was really gonna bring the rain.
Young Carmen touches her dolls.
Young Carmen: Travel light.
She changes into her stealth suit.
Maelstrom: It confounds me that a device registered to our mainland bookkeeping department ever wound up in Black Sheep's possession to begin with.
Bellum: It confounds me that Black Sheep never submitted the stolen property for extra credit.
"How much extra credit would that of gotten me?" Carmen asks turning to look at Shadow San.
"Not enough to pass my class." He says back. Nobody can tell if he's being serious or not.
She goes to the desk and picks the lock. The phone rings.
Player: Guten tag, Strudelhaus of Düsseldorf. Can I help you?
Cue a lot of confused looks towards Player.
Young Carmen: Ye-- uh, oh, I was um, looking for...
Player: It's me. I'm screening.
Young Carmen: Player.
Player: Where have you been? Strange people have been answering your phone.
Carmen: It's not my phone. I stole it.
Player: So you're a shoplifter. And you haven't called me all summer long because you've been in jail.
"No, way worse then jail." Carmen says.
Carmen: [sigh] Player, remember when you told me you used your wicked skills for good?
Player: The white hat hacker's code.
Carmen: What would you say if I told you I had wicked skills too, from being raised in a school for thieves?
Player: I'd say that would explain a lot.
Player laughs.
"It explained so much!"
Carmen: Don't go anywhere.
She sneaks out of the room. Spots the hard drive.
Carmen: Player? I'm staring at a hard drive containing data that could fuel a criminal empire for a year. This might be my only shot to secure it.
Player: Then use those wicked skills already.
She sneaks over to it, but just as she's about to grab it...
Maelstrom, over an intercom: Booker. What is keeping you? We are anxiously awaiting the upload.
Cookie: Have you ever heard of weather, Gunnar? I had to hang my wet things!
She walks away with the drive.
"Ooh too bad, what now?" Gray asks not knowing what happens next.
Carmen: Gah! Missed it. If anyone sees me take it, I'll never make it off this island. I need to avoid detection at all costs. Aw, crud.
She realizes she's just walked by Mime Bomb.
Carmen: Mimosa Bombosa. What are you up to? Stopping to smell the roses?
Player: This is the most one-sided conversation I've ever heard.
Everyone except Chase, Zari and Shadowsan laugh.
Carmen: Shh, quiet! ...Not you. Duh. Okay, happy gardening.
She walks away.
Carmen: All good. It was just some creepy mime who hangs around campus watching everything. And everyone. Because he's a spy and a snitch. Nobody likes a tattletale!
She tackles him and locks him in a storage closet.
Carmen: And don't even think about picking the lock.
"He's probably thinking about it." Gray chuckles.
She returns to steal the toolkit, then runs after Cookie, who is at the elevator.
Carmen: Keycard-activated elevator. If she makes it to the server room, she'll upload the data.
Player: So you can't let her see you take the drive. But if that elevator leaves without you, game over.
Carmen: Gotta think fast.
"Quick thinking is something you can do." Ivy grins.
She slides the toolkit across the floor to the elevator, just narrowly preventing the doors from closing. When they re-open, she walks in. Cookie gasps.
Carmen: Oh! Sorry about the scare, Ma'am. I'm an IT trainee, and it's imperative that I check the server room pronto. For, um, loose cables.
The doors close.
Cookie: My, you've grown.
Carmen: Yes, I have. Um, and with age comes maturity. Which is why I was so anxious to catch you, Ms. Booker. So we could talk somewhere private. I... I just wanted you to know how super ashamed I am of all the really dumb pranks I've pulled on you over the years. I apologize.
"Not bad, get her to lower her guard by saying something she never expected. Probably threw her off her rhythm." Gray says.
(A/N STREET SMARTS)
Cookie: I wondered about the absence of a water balloon attack tonight. First time in quite a few years. ...I'll blame your unusual upbringing. One can't be expected to behave honorably when raised among thieves, after all.
"Isn't there an honor among thieves?" Chase asks. He's calmed down starting to accept that maybe Carmen isn't who he thought she was.
"Only among other VILE operatives. If they aren't with VILE then its steal from everyone." Carmen tells him.
Carmen: Shake on it, Ms. Booker?
Cookie: Call me Cookie.
They reach the server room floor. Cookie exits the elevator.
Cookie: Young lady, you seem like a smart cookie. If you wish to walk in my shoes someday, set your sights higher than pulling pranks or picking pockets. White-collar crime is where the real money is.
Carmen: Thank you for the career advice. I will take it to heart.
Cookie: Arrivederci.
The elevator doors close. Cookie approaches the computer.
"Wait! What about the hard drive?" Zack asks. Ivy punches then shushes him.
Cookie: Children.
She realizes she can't put what she's carrying into the computer slot.
Cookie: Huh? Whatever can the problem...?
When she holds it up, she realizes she's holding the toolkit.
"OH! Bait and switch." Zack says.
Cookie: Bait-and-switch!
She presses a button. An alarm blares and everything is illuminated in a bright red light.
Carmen: Code red. They're onto me. Player? Hello? Gah! Signals are jammed!
"You have no idea how badly that freaked me out. I thought they got you and I was never gonna hear from you again." Player says. Carmen hugs him.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Maelstrom: Dr. Bellum, care to pinpoint the origin of the code red?
Bellum: The server room.
Carmen runs through the sewer.
Carmen: My ride should still be waiting.
She can't get the grate off. A closer look reveals it's been bolted in place.
Carmen: No! No!
She sinks down.
Brunt: It's past curfew. All students are in their bunks. Except for...
Shadowsan: Black Sheep.
Cleo: The girl must be punished.
"The girl must escape." Zack says.
"Dude, she does escape." Ivy reminds him.
Shadowsan gets a sword. Carmen continues to sneak toward the door.
Carmen: Ugh! Hall monitors.
Cookie: Gunnar, the child is certainly a menace, but placing the entire island on lockdown?
Maelstrom: The "child" may have compromised V.I.L.E.'s income for the entire coming year, thanks to you. We must retrieve that drive!
Cookie: Well, it's out of my hands now, so please provide me with clearance to leave.
Maelstrom: Fine. Good riddance.
"Thank you Maelstrom." Carmen says with a smirk peaking everyone's curiosity.
Cookie: Thank you very much. I'll just collect my coat and be off.
Carmen runs off. She spots Cookie's coat and hat.
Carmen: Whoa. Code red.
"So that's where your signature look comes from." Julia says.
"You can always find good in the bad. And my red hot look is one of them." Carmen says.
Maelstrom: Cleaners, our bookkeeper has caused enough damage for one visit. Allow her to vacate the premises. Or terminate her if the mood strikes you, and I wouldn't complain.
Carmen has stolen a pair of high heels along with Cookie's coat and hat. She tries to walk right past them, her head down to hide her face.
"That might be the riskiest escape plan you could of chosen. Yet, ingenious." Gray says.
Cleaner: Ms. Booker?
Carmen gasps, pausing.
Cleaner: Until next year.
Cleaner: Bon voyage.
With a beep, the door opens.
Carmen: Arriverderci!
"Nice touch." Tamara says chuckling.
As soon as they turn their backs, she breathes a sigh of relief.
Brunt: Any sign of her?
She and Maelstrom hear banging and open a nearby door to find Cookie, barefoot and tied up.
Maelstrom: Cleaners!
Carmen is running across the campus.
Shadowsan: She's nearly gone! Prepare air support!
He draws his sword and runs after her.
Maelstrom: Captain, be on alert. The lady in red is no lady.
"Excuse me? Then what exactly am I?" Carmen asks. Nobody quite knows how to answer her.
He draws a crossbow. Carmen throws something metal at him, knocking him unconscious.
Cleaner: She will never outrace us by boat.
Cleaner: Pity.
The engine stalls. When they look, they see the wires have been cut.
Boris: She does not miss a trick.
"I... didn't do that." Carmen says confused.
Carmen jumps onto the boat, then notices Shadowsan in pursuit. She tries to operate it, but it doesn't move.
Carmen: No... Hmmm...
It needs a key. She jumps down to grab it, then flees back to the boat.
Shadowsan: Black Sheep!
"RUN!" Zack and Ivy shout together.
She turns the key. The engine starts, and she flies away seconds before Shadowsan gets close enough to board.
Carmen: I pass, you fail.
He sheathes his sword. She moves away from the island, then calls Player.
Player: Hello?
Carmen: Player, I made it. I'm off the island. I need to know where on Earth I am.
Player: Triangulating your position... The Canary Islands.
Carmen: A Spanish settlement just off the coast of Western Africa. It was an interesting place to grow up, but it's time to see the rest of the world. No more bookkeepers, and no more V.I.L.E.
"Well, not quite." Carmen says smirking at the irony that she's using what VILE taught her in order to stop them.
Player: You'll need a passport, and I don't think Black Sheep's gonna cut it.
She had been about to throw the hat into the water, but pauses.
Player: You do have a name, don't you?
She looks at the label on the hat: "Carmen Brand Outerwear: San Diego."
Carmen: It's... Carmen. Carmen Sandiego. Now, about this whole white-hat thing... does it have to be white?
"So that's how Carmen Sandiego came to be." Tamara says.
"What do you think inspector Devineaux? Is la femme rouge the evil thief you believed?" Julia asks turning to her partner.
"I suppose... I could have been wrong. She is still a thief, but she is not evil." He says looking anywhere but the people in the room.
"Aww inspector, you can admit it, I know you like me." Carmen says. He just huffs and slumps down in his seat.
Present Gray: End of the line. We miss you, Black Sheep. V.I.L.E. wants a truce.
Present Carmen: They want me stealing for them, instead of from them.
Gray: You've proven yourself. It's all you've ever wanted, isn't it?
"That has nothing to do with it, does it?" Gray asks. Carmen shakes her head.
"VILE is hurting people. They have to be stopped." Gray looks at her, and wonders if he really made the right choice joining VILE.
The plane pursues the train.
Chase: Ha ha!
Gray: The League's offering you a full pardon. Even Shadowsan's on board. They'll make things right if you just come home. Where you belong.
Carmen: I was hoping we'd end up on the same side again tonight, Gray. My side.
"I still... never mind." Carmen says, only her team hears her.
He sighs.
Gray: Still in a league of your own.
He charges the Crackle Rod.
Gray: Bye-bye, Black Sheep.
Carmen: You weren't listening. I go by Carmen now.
She lunges for him and moves the Crackle Rod so it's not pointing at her. The two fight. She grabs it from him.
Gray: Hmph. Fingerprint recognition.
He starts to grab it away, but she roundhouse kicks him into the window.
"He didn't protect the face." Team red all says.
"Is this going to be a running thing?" Zari asks annoyed.
"If they don't start protecting the face, yeah probably." Carmen says with a grin.
Gray: Oof!
Carmen: They never protect the face.
She breaks the rod.
Player: Red. You're back online. I miss anything juicy?
Carmen: Nothing you don't already know.
"Uh, there were a couple things in there I didn't know." Player says.
Chase gets onto the train. He sees her coat and hat...
Chase: Carmen Sandiego, you are under arrest!
He removes the hat to find Gray, unconscious.
"That's a good look for you Gray." Ivy says snickering.
"How many of those do you have?" Gray asks.
"More then enough." Is the response he gets.
Chase: Nnnnno!
Carmen is walking away. She pauses to smile at him, then disappears.
Chase: No! Not again!
The train is moving. His phone rings.
Chase: Yes? What is it?
Julia: Inspector Devineaux we turned up something rather astonishing. I believe it's the Eye of Vishnu, from the unsolved Morocco heist. We found it between the couch cushions. Almost as if...
Chase: Let me guess. "Almost as if Carmen Sandiego wanted us to find it." Hah! If our thief left such a treasure behind, she must have gotten away with something truly priceless.
"Priceless... oh yeah. Beyond priceless." Carmen says.
Player: Wait, seriously? You didn't take the gemstone?
Carmen: Total win-win. I knew Interpol would get it back where it belonged, which left my hands free to take the real treasure: my oldest traveling companions. Like an archaeology find, the only link I have to my past. I have Gray to thank for using them to bait me.
She presses the tracking sticker onto a ship going the opposite direction as hers.
Carmen: Now, did you wire the proceeds from the Shanghai job to the next nonprofits on my list?
"You're giving the money you steal from VILE to charity? Ooh the faculty has to hate that." Gray says.
"They do. Immensely." Shadowsan says. Carmen is the only one that catches what he said. "They", did he not count himself among them in this?
Player: Food bank, homeless shelter, orphanage. Check. I even had time to decrypt the next entry. Another secret V.I.L.E. hideout. Located in Southeast Asia on the island of Java.
Carmen: Just when I thought I was through with islands. [sigh] Paris will be here. We need to stay one step ahead of V.I.L.E. while we still have the advantage.
Player: I'll book you a red-eye.
A boat with a man and a woman standing on it follows.
Woman: Chief, we have Carmen Sandiego in our sights.
"So we're finally going to learn about them. This should be interesting." Player says.
An excerpt from the theme music plays. Ending credit music plays.
A timer for fifteen minutes appears on the screen. Everyone gets up to stretch, use the bathroom and grab a snack or drink.
Gray is watching Carmen wanting to have a word with her, but her team are stuck to her side like glue. He decided they'll probably be here a while so he'll have the chance at some point.
Shadowsan also wants to speak to Carmen alone, but everyone still believes him to be completely loyal to VILE, nobody in the room trusts him. Smart on their part he knows but it makes explaining himself to Carmen a challenge.
The timer runs down and everyone takes their seat so the next episode may begin.