Ken Busts Loose - Ken U. Belevitt (and some Chase and Carmen)

Ken U. Belevitt sat at his desk, with a cardboard box in his lap. He had just been released from ACME's holding cell after he was captured in the middle of Sarah Nade's Woodstock caper, and the box contained his personal effects. Ken opened the box. Happy to find the white fisherman's hat that had once belonged to his father, he immediately put it on his head. He was relieved to get it back, after he'd accidentally left it behind in New York. He rifled through the other things in the box: his yo-yo went in his pocket, his laptop went on his desk, and an anime figurine was set neatly back next to his laptop. That seemed to be everything. Ken stuck his head in the box to be sure. "What's this?" Ken pulled out a compact disk from the box and examined it. Shrugging, he loaded it on his laptop. The screen burst with satatic, and the image of a shadowy figure against a read illuminated background appeared on the screen. As he spoke, his voice was garbled by a computer voice enhancer. "Hello Ken..." The voice said menacingly. "T-th-th-the User?!" Ken shook all over, lurching back in the seat. "N-n-no, it can't be. You're...You're not real. Carmen's therapists told me you weren't real...." "I'm very real, Ken," The User said coyly. "Of everyone in that tiny little world of yours, you and Carmen are the only ones who know it to be true. You and I have unfinished business in Boston, where it all began. Do you understand, Ken?" Ken looked somber for a moment and then nodded his head. "Very good. Until next time, Ken." The screen went black, and then there was a loud popping noise. Ken opened the case of his CD player and saw that the disc was now destroyed. A few moments later, Ken's desk was emptied of his laptop and a few other random things. A note on the desk said. "Gone for a while." Some V.I.L.E. agents were concerned: it wasn't like Ken to go off on his own. ---- In Boston, Ken landed the plane in an abandoned silo that served as one of Carmen's various worldwide safehouses. He disengaged the auto-pilot, lowered the cargo bay and, with helmet and goggles securely fastened, sped out of the silo on his moped. Trees and bushes zipped by as he neared his destination: the WGBH studio. Where it all began. ========= October 5, 1996 Greg was pretty low on the totem pole at ACME. A lot of people thought he was a bit too eccentric to be an actual gumshoe, even though he'd been working there for years. He'd merited himself a pretty cushy job in the basic training department with an office right next door to the Chief. Shame as it was that both his and the chief's office were located in the middle of a television studio. "Greg. My Office. Now." The voice bellowed over the intercom, belonging to the Chief. Greg swooned. "Ah, she needs me." It was no secret that Greg was absolutely crazy about the chief, though she had complettely opposite feelings for him. Greg wanted his change to be a legitimate ACME detective one day, though, so his attempts to endear himself to her were relentless. When Greg entered the office the Chief bellowed. "Greg, have you got-" "I'm way ahead of you, Chief, I got the new recruit dossiers right here." Greg spread the folders over the chief's desk. "Really sharp bunch, all from the Yulbesorri School for the Gifted in San Francisco: There's Zack Monaghan, Sarbajit Jasjiv, and Ken U. Belevitt." "Well, I hope for our sakes there's an actual agent in this bunch. Most of these kids couldn't even find Egypt on a map..." The Chief shook her head. "Hey, it's not their fault that Africa map is so big." "It's for their own good, Greg." The Chief said, testiness already rising in her voice. "These kids have to be prepared for anything if we're going to send them after the real Carmen Sandiego." Greg gave a sigh. "You know, Chief, sometimes I feel kinda guilty about all this. These kids think they're on a game show winning globe-shaped basketballs and trips around the world. They've got no idea that once they're done we're going to ask them to help us chase after a known master criminal." "Greg?" "Yeah, Chief?" "Go away..." "Right Chief." Greg shuffled out of the office, seeing one of the contestants standing right on the other side of the doorway. He was a fat kid with red hair and a black and white striped shirt. He had a nervous look about him. Greg leaned in. "You didn't hear....ah, nevermind. Good luck today." He scruffed the boy's hair with his hand and went on his way. --- Ken walked away from the door of the Chief's office and wandered the studio set. He stopped and looked at the other two contestants yammer back and fourth about who knew more geography. They stopped, paused, and looked over to him, then want back to talking. "Do you know that kid?" "Kinda. We go to the same school, but he's real quiet. Keeps to himself you know." "Kinda makes you wonder how he passed the preliminaries." "Kinda makes you wonder why he even wants to be on TV." Ken turned his back again and hung his head a little. He actually didn't want to be here at all. He was offered a bribe by the principal that if he won the game, he'd be given private classes. Then nobody in school would make fun of him or his big belly and ginger hair. He was the smartest kid in that school, maybe in any school, but people only looked at what was on the outside. He tilted his head up, and looked at one of the overhead monitors that were hanging about the studio. In the monitor was a picture of two men in blue jumpsuits wearing blue masks, blue goggles and a blue hats. They were standing on a scaffold above the cieling. They looked presumably straight don at Kenneth. They waved. He waved back. Then Ken noticed the monitor getting closer, and closer, and closer. Ken didn't realize that the monitor was falling towards him until it was too late. He heard a crash, and then everything went blurry. He believed he heard the voices in the distance say. "Well, that takes care of him. Tell the boss we're ready for the other two." ======== Ken shook his head loose from his daydreaming as he entered the city limits. He would be at the studio in just a few minutes. As he remembered he realized something, and it was so surprising to him he said it out loud. "Those were Carmen's men, weren't they?" Yes, he remembered he'd seen those uniforms from old photos at VILE headquarters. Did Carmen send her henchman to drop that TV on him when he was a kid? Ken shook his head. "It's impossible. I know Carmen. She would never hurt anyone to get anything she wanted done. Besides that, why should whe want a 13 year old not to play in a game show?" It didn't make sense, and for a conspiratorial mind like Ken's when something didn't make sense, it really didn't make sense. Ken arrived at the television studio, dismounted his moped, took off his helmet, and shook his head until his curly red hair 'poofed' back into its usual shape. He walked in through the front door. "Hello?" No answer. Ken's feet began to wander. He followed the route he took towards the studio that the game show was in. Where it all began. then he got there. It was empty too. "What a gyp." Ken shook his head, even thinking himself to be crazy at this point. Then suddenly, as he turned, the doors behind him slammed shut. He tugged on the horizontal bars that were the openers. No luck. Then he heard a voice speak ominously through the vacant studio doors. "Hello Ken...." --- The stage lights went on, all of them aimed at Ken. He squinted and raised his hand over his eyes. “What do you want with me?” “Ken, you should know by now that all this has very little to do with you.” The User sneered. The internal lights of the control room window came on; the silhouetted image of The User appeared, sitting in a hair between two standing guards, dressed in Carmen’s old henchman clothes. Despite his trepidation, Ken couldn’t help but become mad. “So…it was you! You were the one who dropped that TV on my head!” “Yes I was, Ken. I was trying to eliminate you from the running, and though I didn’t kill you, I at least rendered you incapable of ever becoming an ACME agent intellectually equivalent to Carmen Sandiego, and I shut down ACME’s old training facility in the process.” “But…why?” “Carmen is MY quarry!” Ken heard The User slam his fists on the desk in front of him as he began to shout. “Nobody has the right to capture her but ME! This game is MINE and HER’S alone!” “This isn’t a game.” Ken twisted his head to the right, where he heard a gun cock. Stepping forward was a brown-skinned man which curly black hair in a brown trenchcoat. “You used to have the monopoly on Carmen, but she was too smart for you, and you’re too stubborn to admit its over.” “You stay out of this, Jasjiv!” The User spat. “You don’t belong to ACME anymore!” “That’s right, I don’t. I work for the FBI, catching common criminals like you. Your obsession with Carmen has gone too far, User. You’ve hurt innocent bystanders, you’ve held cities for ransom, and you’ve made an attempt on the lives of people like Ken and myself. Now he’s coming with me as a witness, and you’ll be handing yourself over to the police that will soon have the building surrounded on my signal.” The User laughed “Weren’t you listening Jasjiv? This is my game.” Several monitors in the room clicked on, showing more men dressed in Carmen’s old henchmen outfits. They were pointing their guns at police officers, disarming them, and handcuffing them to their car doors. “Now, if you’d be so kind as not to interrupt us again…” Jasjiv glared, and lowered his gun. “Good, now Ken.” The User’s voice seemed to lower despite its computerized garbling. “You’re going to tell me where Carmen is.” “You’ll get nothing out of me, User!” Ken spat. “I’m with Carmen, now. You could beat me to a pulp! You could slice me to bits! But I’ll never give her up to someone like you!” “You don’t actually know where she is, do you?” The User said in a dull drone. “Actually….no I don’t.” The User sighed. “Useless, as always. But, it’s only a minor setback. I took the liberty of having my henchmen follow you as you arrived. They now have the jet you came here in, witch, if I’m not mistaken, contains autopilot coordinates to V.I.L.E headquarters…” Ken looked down, giving a soft whine. The user snickered. “Just as I thought. We will fly the plane back to V.I.L.E. With your clearance, we’ll enter the building and hold every member of Carmen’s inner-sanctum hostage until she gives herself up.” “What have I done?” Ken shook all over with emotion tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’ve compromised everything.” “Don’t feel bad, Ken.” The user mocked. “You fulfilled your destiny. You’ve actually assisted me in the capture of Carmen Sandiego. So long boys!” With that, the control room, monitors and house lights went off, leaving Ken and Jasjiv in the dark. ---- The studio filled with the sound of thudding coming from the metal doors. The police officers in Jasjiv’s employ were working on breaking the door open. Ken lay against a wall with his head still upright. He was obviously feeling sorry for himself. “Everyone in V.I.L.E. is going to be put up for ransom and it’s all my fault.” He whined. “I should have never gone on that game show in the first place.” He sighed. “The User was right. I’m just plain useless.” Jasjiv stepped away from the doors and over to Ken’s side. “It’s not your fault Ken. The User has played us all in the past.” Ken looked up towards Jasjiv. “Yeah, he said he made an attempt on your life too. What was that about?” Jasjiv sat next to Ken. “After you were taken to the hospital, the show was cancelled, but Zack and I were still tested and made into full ACME agents. Early on we were both partners, but it didn’t seem like more than six months before all the changes began to happen… ====== Greg walked into the lab of Dr. Ivan Idea, ACME’s resident genius, while holding the brim of his fedora as though it were a hard hat. All round him was the sound of hammering and drilling. Next door, they were working on Ivan’s latest invention: some sort of mass transit teleportation device. “Give me a hot air balloon filmed in sepia tone any day.” Greg murmured to himself as he slid into the door. “What’s up, Doc?” Greg gave his own private joke and slapped a lab coated man on his back. Jasjiv looked up and gave Greg a glare. “Wups, sorry kid. You got any idea where Ivan is?” “He’s over at his workbench, tinkering on something. I’m helping him out by finishing up some missing paperwork, though I’d rather catch a crook than a paper cut.” “You and me both.” Jasjiv grinned. He liked Greg, and sympathized with the fact he’d worked here for so long without a raise or a promotion. All this reorganizing had to look threatening to his job as well. Greg approached Dr. Idea who was tinkering on an object that looked like a metal donut with computer keys sticking out of the sides. “Hey, Doc, the word on the street is you recommended the Chief to transfer to the Timenet division.” “I did,” The doctor said, “It’s a way more important job don’t you think: protecting the space/time continuum…” “…which wouldn’t have needed protecting if Carmen hadn’t stolen the plans for your time machine.” “It’s not a ‘time machine’ it’s a ‘chronoskimmer.’ Besides that, are you insinuating something?” Ivan gave a glare. “Well, yeah, actually. All this newfangled technology you’re installing all over the place is a real eyesore. I miss getting information from anonymous rapping grandmothers, I miss digging for clues in trash cans….I even miss that little coffee machine on the third floor that would vend all the cups sideways.” “We have to be progressive, Greg. Carmen isn’t resting on her laurels when it comes to the latest technology, so we have to keep up.” “Oh yeah? Well I’d like to see one of your little gizmos replace the Chief, eh? Can you do that, genius boy?”  Ivan pressed a button on the gizmo on his desk. Out of it popped a holographic image of what looked like the head of a pale blonde man with glasses and an enormous spit-curl. “Greg, meet the Chief.” “Hey! Hiya! How’s it going? How do you do? Great to meet you! I’d shake your hand if I had any….” The holographic chief continued to rattle on in the background while Greg lowered his head and pinched his nose in frustration. “This…is the new Chief?” “Well, he’s only experimental. If he doesn’t work out, we’ll outsource the software to voice-over cartoons that take place underwater.” Greg looked over at the doctor and said. “Ivan, you’re a nutcase.” He undid his necktie. “This is the end of ACME, and I’m not gonna stick around for it anymore.” He put his necktie and his fedora on the table next to Jasjiv, and tossed his badge along next to it. --- Jasjiv looked at Greg's abandoned fedora, tie, and badge and then shuffled together the papers in his hands. He went to the workbench and set the papers down. "I really wish you hadn't done that. He's right that all these new gadgets are no match for genuine detective work." "Oh sure," Ivan replied, "but if he had his druthers we would still be chartering flights and speed-dialing Jimmy the Squealer. We've got to keep moving ahead, especially when Carmen's already ahead by a step." Jasjiv shook his head. This was a circular argument, and he didn't feel like having it. "Anyway, I'm all done with the paperwork. Is there anything else you need?" Ivan raised his head from his work bench. He looked left and right, and then spoke in a low voice. "You're a detective, aren't you?" "Good of you to finally notice." Jasjiv quipped back. "Take a look at this." Ivan handed Jasjiv a folder. inside where blurred photos, telegraphs, and various latters, all pointing to an office in Washington D.C. Behind it was a printout of binary code that may as well have been written in Chinese. "I don't get it." Jasjiv responded initially. "You know this new ACME Crime Net overlay I've been installing throught the reorganization? The one that serves as the central brain of all this new technology?" "By now who hasn't?" "I didn't actually write it." Ivan strained in saying it, as though it was a confession. "I was given the technology through private correspondance with a hacker who calls himself 'Player.'" "Player...sounds like some sort of computer game fanboy." "That's what I thought...but even after building the network to his specifications, I still know very little of him. I need you to follow the trail, find him and observe him for me." Jasjiv looked back in the folder. Indeed there wasn't a lot to go on. "Should I let Zack know?" "No! I mean...you shouldn't get him involved. it could be compromizing to his career." "As opposed to only being compromising to ours." "You catch on quick. Good luck." And with that, Ivan went back to his workbench.  ---- Jasjiv began walking back to his office holding a thin trail of clues in his hand that merely held the security of all of ACME headquarters, not to mention the security of his own job, up for ransom. As he passed the hallway moving left and right to dodge the other passerbys in the hallway, he couldn't help but feel alone. Back in his office he booted up his computer and accessed a secure internet connection. Doing a basic sweep of intelligence sites he found exactly the same information as what was in the folders. "Shoulda known." Jasjiv snorted."All that egghead could really do was search the web for answers." He searched some more, when suddenly a toolbar in his window began to blink. It was an instant message. "That's odd." Jasjiv said to himself. It was certainly peculiar to be getting IMs on a secure connection. His curiosity got the better of him though and he double-clicked the message. DeepCover: You're looking for Player aren't you? Jasjiv gave a pause. He had no idea who this person was, why he had ACME clearance, or even if he could be trusted. But he had no other leads, and besides, he would likely be fired anyway. <ACME>Bollywood5_0: Yes, I so far have addresses leading to D.C. DeepCover: They're all false. Player is actually a front, and your leads go to an apple computer belonging to a 10 year old by the name of Evan Sawyer. <ACME>Bollywood5_0: Who am I really after? DeepCover: I don't know his real name, but he goes by the name of "The User." He's a very talented computer hacker with access to a thousand internet hotspots around the world. I'm downloading the pattern to you right now... <ACME>Bollywood5_0: Is there any logic behind the pattern? DeepCover: It's only a theory, but they seem to spring up a few moments after that thief Carmen Sandiego commits a crime. <ACME>Bollywood5_0: Carmen....is he one of her henchmen? DeepCover: I don't know, I've just been waiting for someone from ACME to pick up on the trail. I may be good at haking, but I can't predict the next move of a master criminal. <ACME>Bollywood5_0: I'm on it, thanks for your help. Is there any way we can keep contact? DeepCover has logged off. "Damn." Jasjiv slumped back in his chair. At his side the geographical pattern of The User's signals slowly slid forward from his printer. "It's a trap, I just know it." Still, his curiosity got the best of him. According to the print out the User's latest network was erected in Sudbury, Ontario. Indeed, Carmen had struck there recently, having stolen the Big Nickel. Jasjiv got back on his computer and began to charter a flight to Canada. ---- Jasjiv arrived in Sudbury on an ACME flight continuing northeast to Stockholm. As he arrived, he saw a few other ACME agents around, obviously all working on the Carmen case. He slid out of sight. Lower ranking detectives would assume he was here to persue Carmen as well, but he knew Chase Devineaux was around, and he'd be quick to identify that Jasjiv was acting rogue. After showing the data that DeepCover gave him on The User to Ivan Idea, the doctor gave him a device that acted like a divining rod for network hotspots. It was set to the frequency of The User's signal. Jasjiv rented a car and began to trail the signal based on sound. The blips from the device became closer and closer, until they ultimately homogonized into a single tone. Jasjiv looked out the car window at where he was. "That's town hall isn't it?" Jasjiv looked down at the device, then back at the building. "Yeah. Town hall." Jasjiv shut off Ivan's device and walked back inside. Seeing a secretary at the front desk, he moved forward, operating on a hunch. "Hello, I'm looking for Councilman Evan Sawyer." "There's no Councilman Evan Sawyer." The secretary replied, smacking her gum loudly. "Oh..." Jasjiv took a step back and scratched his head." "Evan Sawyer is the name of Councilman Gary Carlston's personal assistant though..." "Oh....r-really? The nerve of that guy telling me he's on the city council! I just came by to drop off his keys." Jasjiv took out his own keys and jingled them for show. "His office is on the 11th floor first on the right after you get off the elevator." The secretary handed him a badge that said 'guest.' "Thanks." Jasjiv walked confidently into the elevator, but then gave a loud sigh of relief as the doors shut. jasjiv rode the elevator to the 11th floor and went to the office. The window was dark. Perhaps nobody was here. He twisted the door handle and to his surprise, the door swung open. Even for an ACME detective a situation like this was chilling, but Jasjiv kept moving forward. A computer at the front desk was left on. Jasjiv sat in the chair adjacent the desk, and opened up the browser's cache. Among the entries was one for ACME Crime Net, as well as entries for the FBI, CIA, and Interpol. "Bingo. There's enough in here to put this guy away for life," he said in awe as he began to compile the links and upload them to Ivan's computer as evidence. Suddenly, halfway through the upload, a webcam window popped up of a black shadowed man against a red backgroud. "Now, now Jasjiv. Didn't you know that it's impolite to point and click?" --- Jasjiv looked up from the computer screen. "Heh, I knew this was a trap." "And yet you walked into it anyway," The User's distorted voice on the computer screen seemed to jest. "To think, you ACME agents are considered the world's greatest detectives. I bet you'll say that it was your natural curiosity that brought you here next." "Well, yeah..." Jasjiv gave a shrug. "I didn't really come here to help out Dr. Idea as much as I was curious as to who you were." "Ah, well I'll give you a clue," The User gave pause, then said darkly. "I was there when you were inducted into ACME. In the studio." "You're Ken U. Belevitt?" The user Chortled. "No, but I WAS responsible for dropping that monitor on his head. He was the first person I ever found out to have the same level IQ as Carmen Sandiego, if he were to have joined ACME, he would have most likely beaten me to my prize." "Your prize being Carmen, right?" "You have no reason to be chasing Carmen, ACME. I was the one who hacked into her network. I am the one who hs been personally corresponding with her. She is the one who has lured me towards her, mocking me with her indiference. It is my right alone to capture her." "Just because she's your internet pen-pal?" Jasjiv gave a scoff. "I think you missed the point behind her message, User: She belongs to the world." Jasjiv's hand moved towards the keyboard panel, knowing asimple keyboard command that would bypass the firewall and permit his continued download of the incriminating files on the computer. As soon as he moved towards the keyboard though, a spark came from between the slots in the keyboard." "You don't understand! In the end she rejected me! Told me I was a liability! Our correspondence came to an end, but I cannot let her go just as easily!" "So you assisted ACME by providing the source code for Crime-Net." "Not quite. You see, the Crime-Net software I designed contains a back door I am exploiting to keep track of Carmen. While you detectives stay one step behind her at all times I use my own deductive skills to keep track of her, watching her, until I anticipate the perfect moment to strike." "You're no closer to capturing her than we are. You're just too arrogant to admit it." "I see you're still not yet convinced....Tell me: what keyboard command were you about to try?" "Ctrl+a+s." "Try it." Jasjiv gave a pause. "Really?" "Sure, this time I'll allow it." Jasjiv's hand shakily moved to the keyboard, breathing a sigh of relief as he placed his un-singed hand on the keyboard. Deftly he executed the command, shutting the window. The User's vidwindow closed an the download bar began to inch itself anew. "Whew, I did it." Jasjiv wiped his brow. Then after a few more inches, the bar came to a stop again. Jasjiv shook his head. "Nothing's ever easy." Jasjiv began to walk out of the room, when suddenly he noticed wisps of white smoke at his legs. Was it a fire? Jasjiv moved onto all fours to try to see if he could find a flicker underneath the door. No such luck. Then he inhaled and retched, jerking his whole body back upright. "Gas!" Nerve gas to be specific, and it was seeping out from the now shut-down computer's monitor. Jasjiv covered his face with his hand as he moved towards the computer, his strength swiftly beginning to leave him as the gas began to took effect. With his last ounce of strength, he grabbed the computer and threw it towards the window adjacent to the desk. Unfortunately, this being the office of a public official, the window was made of bullet proof glass and the computer merely shattered into a million pieces against the window. Even if he'd broken the mechanism, there was enough gas in the room to be lethal, and he wouldn't have the strength to get back to the door. Jasjiv felt his vision fade. He crouched onto his knees, then rolled over onto his back. In his last seconds of consciousness he saw a shadowed figure loom over him. Then everything turned black. ---- (Joint post between Sarbajit Jasjiv and Chase Devineaux) Jasjiv thrashed about in his sleep while his body fought the effects of the nerve gas. In his mind he kept seeing that shadowed image of The User flash through his head over and over again. Who was he? Where did he come from? What did he have to do with ACME? What were the nature of his communications with Carmen? The questions didn't cease, and that was ultimately what brought him back to life. His eyes snapped open and he breathed in heavily as his upper body shot upright. He panted, his eyes darting around to get a bearing of his surroundings. He was in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown. Somehow, someone became privy to his location and took him here, but who. "Hello?" He called out to the empty room. Every coin is different. They're microscopically uneven, they weigh slightly differently, they possess infinite minute variations; but despite the ways to mark a coin, experts mostly agree each only has two sides. Chase Devineaux was thinking, and to pass time, he was flipping a quarter across the crevices of his knuckles. Aside from the fluid glint of round metal against light, he was motionless. His thoughts began with the desire to get a 50-cent cup of coffee, but the combination of 'caffeine' and 'hospital' reminded him of other things, and he was preoccupied ever since. The agent stirring caught his attention and the Field Director stopped the coin as it flipped past his thumb. "How are you feeling?" Devineaux asked, countering the detective's one-word question, "We administered Naloxone to counter the gas, if you're feeling restless, dizzy... or otherwise moody... it should pass." The emphasis on 'moody' was a reference to the Director's well known dislike for agents that go off on their own. "I'll be fine." Jasjiv lied. Sure, he was grateful to be alive, and he knew that he'd have to answer to Chase sooner or later about his rogue behavior. Still, he had kind-of hoped he'd get some solid info on The User before he faced a discharge and possible criminal charges. He may as well come clean while he was at it. "Listen. I have a lead on a possible rogue entity operating out of ACME. Dr. Ivan Idea sent me to investigate. All my information is in a black portfolio I locked in an airport locker. The key is in my pants." He took a breath. "He calls himself 'The User' and he's had some correspondence with Carmen in the past. Now he's obsessed with capturing her, and he doesn't want ACME in the way. He built the Crime Net system that Dr. Idea is integrating into the new tech at at the office, but he's built a back door he can use to access our information. That's how he got into contact with me." He took another deep breath. "I followed a false lead here to Canada, where you found me. I knew it was a trap, but i thought the circumstances would lead him to tip his hat a little. I did, and that's how I know all this now." Jasjiv took another deep breath. The cool air in the room was feeling good to him. All the same, he knew what he was saying didn't make a lot of sense...Hell, he sounded as bad as some internet conspiracy nut. But Chase would have to further the investigation. If he didn't, the ACME detective agency could be compromised. The kid sure sounded like a nut. Luckily, Chase was unnaturally thorough and had already discovered the black portfolio after finding a coded airport locker key in Jasjiv's possessions. Minor evidence he noted while studying the trap's gas mechanisms also indicated some truth to these claims. While he believed the agent, the Field Director showed disapproval by remaining stoic. "Calm down, Sarbajit," he said slowly, "All I'm hearing from you is a confession that you followed a false lead into a trap. Rewind to where Ivan is installing faulty software, how bad is this 'back door' you're talking about?" Devineaux's only doubt was an assumption that Carmen somehow invented this 'User' character to stir things up. Jasjiv made some serious allegations -- putting Doc Ivan into all this -- and Chase wasn't about to waste resources on stopping the enemy of an enemy without a very valid security reason. Jasjiv gave another breath and calmly began to explain. "To put it simply. Dr. Idea trusted this wacko enough to provide him with the complete source code. That means he has complete access to Crime-Net and whatever information we've put in it so far. There's a chance that everything I've been through has simply been a test of his range of action. If he had succeeded, I would have been dead, and he would have continued to exploit Crime-Net from within. Everyone's in Jeopardy here, including the Doc." By this time, Chase's head reeled with who to contact and where he should go from here. The first person to ask would have been a senior officer, like Suhara or Dr. Weller, but that could take days. Getting a team together to solve this could take weeks, and even then, it's only to secure the base. Bringing down a criminal like that would take resources ACME couldn't fathom... unless they had external help. That idea sounded right. Jasjiv was already working on his own, if he was attached to a government agency, and in a good position, he'd have an extra edge. Even if it took a few more years, a dependable outside source would help infinitely. "I've read the portfolio," Chase admitted, exhaled, "As ACME, we can close our own back door, but it's not going to do much. If we want this guy, we'll need to reach further. You and I need to spread out, in terms of resources." He looked around the room and out the window briefly. "What if I suggest you take federal? It could take a few years, but you'll be getting clearances to things ACME can't always see. I'll hold my position here, and we'll build from there." Jasjiv quirked an eyebrow, was Chase, his superior agent, suggesting he quit ACME all together and get together with the FBI? That was a creative way of giving a guy their walking papers. Or wait, was that his intent? No, Jasjiv could tell that Chase was taking this all from a detective's point of view. They were going to have to play all the angles if they wanted to bring this guy to justice as quickly as possible. Hopefully the feds would agree as well. "I think I'll do that," Jasjiv agreed. "But you got to do me a favor. Dr. Idea is going to have to be arraigned on these charges, using what I've got as evidence." After hearing what Jasjiv had to say, the detective became more confident about the plan in general. "Consider it done," he said, offering the young man a handshake, "And once we're closer to getting this guy, then we'll talk about how to reel him in. For now, not a word to anyone about tonight. Agreed?" Jasjiv gave a slight grin. "Agreed." --- "And that's the whole story." Jaskiv gave a sigh as he leaned his back against the concrete wall. "Ivan was eventually acquitted, but he left ACME over the scandal. I went on to the FBI, but by the time I made it up, the trail had gone ice cold." "Until I got involved." Ken added with an additional sigh. "Dammit!" Ivan banged his fist once in the floor. "I was so close to catching him this time. Now he's getting away, and he's going after Carmen too." "It's all my fault." Ken heaved as he shifted his weight to and fro. "I thought I had a stake in this. I thought I had a chance to make a difference, but I just came here to get played again." Ken paused to remove his laptop from his bag and set it on his lap. Perhaps all he planned to do was wander aimlessly on Cluegle until the two of them could be rescued. "Maybe not." Jasjiv said sternly and leaned towards Ken. "Do you have a remote on that guidance system?" Ken looked towards Jasjiv, giving him a look that was part confused and part enlightened. "I do." "Okay, here's what we should do...." ======= In enough time that it takes to tell, the FBI were rescuing the downed jet from the North Atlanic. Members of Jasjiv's team stepped in to make an arrest. All of the criminals dressed falsely as Carmen's henchmen were arrested, though The User somehow managed to get away. Jasjiv and Ken watched the whole thing on a satelite feed piped back into Ken's notebook. "I don't know why I didn't think of it." Ken said grinning as he looked at the rescue. "I still had remote control of the plane, so it'd be easy to crash it into the atlantic." "The User made you feel helpless is all," Jasjiv added "The same has happened to me. But you know, Ken, you're really not such a screw-up if you believe in yourself." "I guess I'm not." Ken affirmed. "Hang on." Ken tapped a few more keys, and the two of them raised their heads to hear the latch of the steel door pop loose. Seconds later, Jasjiv's FBI associates came in. "I hacked the chamber." Ken grinned. ======= Moments later, Ken was sitting in Jasjiv's office with a cup of cocoa and a donut. "Well, we didn't catch The User but we did prevent him from taking over VILE...Even though Carmen might be mad about my losing her jet." Jasjiv rose from he was sitting, taking his feet off his desk. "Forget about Carmen. Listen: I think it's destiny that we met up again. After all those years, when we both signed up to become gumshoes, we've come back together. Do you believe in destiny, Ken?" Ken simply stood there looking back awkwardly. "Well, I believe in Destiny. Ken...I want you on my team. Together we can put the User away where he can't harm anyone like he harmed you. What do you say?" Ken grinned, and stuffed the remaining donut in his face. "I'm game." --- Epilogue Ken shuffled the papers on the minuscule desk of the corner office he was given in the Washington office building. Working for the FBI looked practically the same as working for VILE, crummy desk set-up and all. Still, for the time being he'd made his bed and he was going to lie in it. Among other things his method of escape, Carmen's recently de-flooded jet, was being held by the US government as evidence. Jasjiv still had faith that Ken would help him crack this case as well, but it as looking tough. The User had already gone invisible again, and there were no leads to his whereabouts. He paused and took a minute to adjust his tie. Gawd, why did he have to wear a tie? The way it sat directly underneath his multiple chins, covering up the top knot. He looked like his head was tied on his body like a balloon, and a few agents were kind enough to point that out to him. A part of him began to feel exactly like how he was in high school: The small portly idiot savant in a room full of jocks who wanted to take his lunch money. Ken may as well accept it as his destiny though. Who knows if Carmen would want to take him back after he lost a jet and potentially endangered her whole operation? Ken shuffled the papers again, then adjusted his tie again. He looked up towards the window, seeing a glint of red glare off the window. "Carmen?" Ken moved toward the window and slid it open. His face saddened to see there was a US flag waving outside his window. With a shrug and a sigh, Ken moved back to his desk. "I assume you have a lengthy explanation for this," Carmen said, her voice preceding her form. She smiled as she moved closer and spoke in a lighter tone, "That's a nice tie on you." The thief had heard several things in the past few weeks that made her uneasy, but as she began to verify rumors, she became reassured that the grapevine was as unreliable as ever. Earlier this evening, she took it upon herself to enter the offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not to tempt fate nor to test luck, but to satisfy a curiosity. Someone leaked information to her about the plane, and she had surmised on her own where Kenneth may have gone. She was correct. Still standing, she studied the objects in the office. This certainly had the feel of a federal building, save for the very awkward young man in front of her. She had no reason, however, to accuse or reprimand, and stood in a repose for her subject to speak. Ken spun around, so surprised by Carmen's appearing behind him that he literally leaped 2 feet in the air when he saw her. He squawked and stammered, in place for a moment trying to get past his usual state of panic and provide Carmen with the answer she demanded "It's not a lengthy one," Ken said, clearing his throat and calming down. "It was the User, come back after all these years. He slid me a message after I was released from jail to meet me, so I followed him, and he tried to trap me in a room in a TV studio while he took your plane and tried to fly it to headquarters...It...It was all a trick, and I fell for it. I should have known better than to trust him, and I'm really sorry." Ken hung his head in shame, too embarrassed by everything, including the fact he was standing before Carmen in business-casual attire. He couldn't even look her in the eye. "Mm," Carmen nodded an acceptance to the story. Over the years, she's made several friends and enemies, with few that truly bothered her. Some time ago, she received a message from a 'boy' by the name of "Player", somewhat taunting her. Appreciating his blatant cockiness, she exchanged a few words with him; then as time waxed, she became engrossed in VILE's other endeavors. Conversations with unknown entities became less important. While Sawyer revealed himself as "The User" and attempted to again engage her, his actions warranted no merit and she largely ignored them. The thief had hardly remembered the name until Kenneth began his tale. "Is that why you're here?" she concluded as she leaned against a nearby desk. It was the only one made of wood, and without wheels. "Once you help the FBI find him, then what will happen?" The ringleader asked; at the very least to ensure Kenneth understood to make an exit plan for his own sake. "I don't know." Ken shrugged. "The thing is, I've been robbed. I coulda been somebody if The User hadn't dropped that TV on my head. I wanna see him brought to justice, and if the Feds throw me in prison after that, well..." Ken lifted his head. "Carmen? Is this why you chose me as a member of VILE? I mean, I'm not very useful as a criminal either. Did you put me in the league just to protect me?" Ken struggled with the thought in his mind even as he was saying it. His own words were beginning to make sense, and he didn't like it. She could tell him the truth, but the suggestion that one was useless and being protected would not help anyone's confidence. Instead, she lowered herself slightly to his eye-level and studied Kenneth from varying points of view, when she found one she liked, she spoke. "What are you thinking, Kenneth?" her tone was firm, but encouraging, "What happened to you, whether accident or no, brought you here. On your own, you became a member of VILE. Do not doubt yourself, despite the intention of others." She waited appropriately for him to decide if he believed her, and then changed the topic. "How long are you planning to spend working with the government?" "Just until we find him. Hopefully it will be soon. If not. Well, we still have your programmable jet in the hangar." Ken gave a sideways grin. Carmen returned his expression with a brisk smile of her own. "Don't take too long," she said and stood up to leave. The thought of watching this operation more carefully came and dispersed. Only if it yielded no assuring result might she consider this "User" a threat. Until then, she had other things to worry about. Ken offered a wave as Carmen left, though he wasn't sure she saw it as she did. Ken moved back to his desk, and began to shuffle papers around again. He hoped he'd be able to do Carmen proud by actually apprehending this guy. It's just a shame he had to do it wearing a tie. Didn't federal agents ever hear of a business casual day? "Hey Ken." Jasjiv said as he walked into Ken's office. "Why do you have the window open?" Ken stammered "O-oh, I was just feeling a little warm..." Carmen had left through the office door and was now most likely descending a stairwell. He admired her bravery. No other master criminal would have dreamed of walking through a room full of FBI agents. None of them would of gotten away with it. "That was Carmen Sandiego, wasn't it?" Sarbajit raised an eyebrow. Ken held his lips together tightly, not wanting to confirm or deny anything. Sarbajit narrowed his eyes. "You had a wanted criminal in your office and you just let her walk out the front door?" Jasjiv's features darkened and he moved in on Ken, growling. "What's the matter with you?" Ken's nervousness faded into defensiveness. "You want me here, so we can catch The User. I'm not here to hand over my former employer to you on a silver platter!" Sarbajit gave pause of his own. His features softened and he straightened himself out, clearing his throat. "Right, well. Sorry about that. You're right...let ACME deal with Carmen. Now, I got some tapes here I think you might be interested in listening to...."