//------------------------------// // Where in this world // Story: Where in Equestria is Carmen Sandiego? // by Dj Br0n3 //------------------------------// Where in Equestria is Carmen Sandiego? By: Dj Bron3 “Stop right there!” Jason yelled to the person trying to escape.  Carmen Sandiego. The greatest thief of all time. Able to steal just about anything she wanted, whether it be a two thousand year old statue, or the newest piece of technological wonder.  If Carmen wanted it, then sooner or later, she would get it. Aided by countless henchmen and with every piece of equipment a thief would need, along with technology that would make scientists drool with envy. Carmen looked at the Hope Diamond in her hand, not concerned in the least that she once again had a couple of ACME detectives closing in on her.  She herself had once been an ACME detective before turning to a life of crime, finding more interest and excitement in running from authorities. Standing on top of the National Museum of Natural History, looking down at the ACME detectives that had been hot on her trail since she had begun her latest crime spree.  Jason, and his partner Hannah, were attaching cables to the side of the building. Carmen knew that it was pointless, as she could escape at any time in her jet. But she smiled at the struggle the two put up in a desperate attempt to catch her. Carmen turned to the two henchmen who stood behind her.  Their masks covering their entire faces save for the area around their noses and mouths.  Light blue coats, Dark sunglasses, and red and dark blue striped arms and legs showed that they allied themselves with Carmen, and dedicated themselves to her cause of stealing items from around the world. “Be sure to give our friends down there a warm welcome.  By the time they get up here, I’ll be long gone. But I’ll make sure they don’t leave empty handed.” she said to the pair, who nodded in response. Since her defection from ACME, Carmen had formed her own alliance.  She had dubbed her new family of crime, “VILE”. Noting that she still cared about the detectives, but no longer believed in their cause.  Instead, she now thought that if she wanted something, she would simply take it. But she was no danger to the lives of others. She had actually saved ACME’s detectives on more than one occasion.  What fun was playing a game if there was no one to play with. Jason and Hannah were now about halfway up the side of the building.  The two henchmen who had been waiting patiently, beside Carmen jumped off the side of the building like they sprouted wings.  Instead of falling to their demise, red rocket boosters extended on the edges of wings that folded out out from backpacks on their backs. Circling around, the henchmen aimed straight for the detectives scaling the wall.  “Look out! We’ve got company!” Jason yelled out to Hannah, who gasped at how fast the henchmen were approaching.  Suddenly, Hannah had an idea. It was a crazy one, but it just might work. “Unfasten your harness!” she yelled to Jason, who responded with, “Are you Crazy?!  If we make one wrong move without our harnesses, we’re goners!” Hannah had to be crazy if she thought removing the only thing that was keeping them attached to the side of the building was a good idea.  But Hannah had this plan thought out. The only problem was that the timing would have to be perfect. “Trust me!” Hannah called back, trying to reassure her partner that she knew what she was doing.  Of course Jason trusted her, as they had been solving cases for years together. But he was always unsure of when Hannah did something risky.  Reluctantly, he nodded. The two agents released the buckles connecting them to the rope.  Held in place by only their hands now. The henchmen closing in. “You two look a little stuck.  Let us help you.” said one of the henchmen, hovering next to Jason,who was hanging from the cable on the left, while the other henchmen hovered next to Hannah on the right. “Thanks.” Hannah replied, nodding to her partner, who nodded back, finally catching on to his partner’s plan.  “But we’re just fine.” Hannah and Jason swung their cables to reach their respective henchmen, grabbing onto their crimson red metal backpacks. “Hey!” the henchmen yelled in surprise.  “Get off!” they said while struggling to remain in the air. Naturally, Hannah and Jason weren’t going to do that.  As the detectives reached for the control sticks for the jetpacks, the henchmen realised it was a one sided struggle.  Abandoning the jetpacks, the henchmen jumped into the air again. This time, they activated parachutes and slowly descended to the police waiting below at ground level. Now holding onto the jetpacks and nothing else, and falling rapidly from the sky, the two agents from ACME were hastily strapping themselves into the rocket powered devices.  Trying not to become nothing more than two red stains on the sidewalk. Finally, Hannah had managed to gain control of the jetpack.  She activated it, stopping her fall and suspending her a mere dozen or so feet above the ground.  She looked around for her partner, and saw that Jason had activated his jetpack a couple of feet below her.  A relieved smile broke across hannah’s face. “Come on, today is the day we finally see Carmen behind bars!” she said with confidence to her partner. The two of them flew up to the top of the building, where Carmen was already escaping!  A jet with the notorious thief’s signature crimson red color painted on it was powering up to take off!  In fact, it was already moving upwards and away from the building. “Oh no you don't.  Not this time!” Jason said, powering his jetpack in pursuit of the jet, which was already gaining speed.  Managing to grab hold of one of the wings, he held on for dear life as it accelerated. “Give...It...Up...Carmen!” he struggled to say over the gusts of wind hitting his face and the noise of the engine. “It seems you’re having a hard time just talking back there Jason.” Carmen countered.  “How to you plan to make me accept defeat when you can’t even say the words? And besides, it’s only a matter of time before your arms give out anyway.” Jason hated to admit it, but Carmen was right.  His arms were starting to feel heavy, and his hands were sore.  But he wouldn’t give up that easily. Despite his pains, he pushed on, even trying to climb across the side of the wing towards the cockpit where Carmen sat. “Looks like this is your stop detective.”  Carmen said, noticing that they were now flying over the Potomac River.  “I don’t think so Carmen!” Jason shot back. But he couldn’t hold on much longer, and he knew it.  Carmen saw how weak his arms were becoming, and how small and short his movements were. Making sure the ACME agent would still be able to activate his rocket boosters again, Carmen pressed a big red button in the center of her control console.  With a hiss of steam, the wings of the jet detached, and Jason along with them. Letting go of the now useless wing, Jason let his backpack activate, leaving him to watch Carmen’s newly transformed rocket shoot up into the sky and out of sight behind a blanket of clouds. Carmen Sandiego had escaped yet again. - - - - - - - - - - Several minutes later, as Hannah saw that Jason had returned without the crimson coated crook in his custody, she pieced together what had happened. “So, let me guess, Carmen got away didn’t she?” she said with a raised eyebrow.  “Not now Hannah, please.” he begged. Jason was still upset that Carmen escaped from the detectives once again, and he didn’t need his friend’s humor right now. Hannah understood her partner’s frustration, as she was also disappointed that no matter what, it seemed like Carmen always escaped one way or another.  She was just better at coping with it. “Can you at least pay attention long enough for us to try and figure out Carmen’s latest clue?” Hannah asked impatiently.  He nodded his head, not saying anything. The clue that Carmen left on the top of the building before taking off in her jet was a two part system, to say the least. It was a model of the solar system, but in reverse.  Pluto was the closest to the sun in the center, and Mercury was the farthest away.  A button on the base of the display played the same recording every time it was pressed. “Walking the right was will lead you to the king.” The message was definitely recorded by Carmen, as it was said in her voice and tone. “Walking the right way…” Hannah repeated.  She walked to the edge of the building, looking over at the illuminated city of Washington D.C.  The lights seemingly dancing like stars against the night sky. “What could she mean by that?  And why are the planets in reverse?” Jason asked, clearly confused.  “I don’t know, but…….Wait!” she suddenly exclaimed, noticing something on the model that she didn’t see before. “Look at Mars on the model!  It has carmen’s logo on it!” Jason looked closer at the miniature figure of Mars. Sure enough, instead of Mars’s usual red surface, a red and black symbol of a woman nodding her hat in front of her face.  The calling card of the notorious thief in her signature colors. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what Mars looks like.  Unless the aliens there have suddenly taken a shine to Carmen.” he said with a snicker. “Very funny wise guy.  You know there’s no such thing as aliens.” Hannah replied with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t be so sure Hannah.  With the infiniteness of the universe, there’s bound to be intelligent life out there somewhere.” Jason responded with a smirk, causing Hannah to facepalm. She sighed before continuing.  “Can we just get back to trying to figure out where in the world Carmen is heading plase?” Jason nodded, but kept his smile.  “Wait a minute…” Hannah said, pondering something.  “Player, infoscan Mars a sec.” she said, looking at a non-existent camera.  Suddenly, a sparkling pink window of light appeared out of nowhere. Inside the window, the cheery face of a man with blond hair and circular glasses appeared.  The only difference between this and a facetime call was the fact that the man had no body. He was only a floating head. “Alright, listen up gumshoes!” said the chief.  “Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, which was named after the Roman god of war.  Scientists estimate that Mars is over four point six billion years old.  Wow, that’s a lot of birthday candles, am I right?” he said as a cartoon representation of Mars with arms, legs, and a face blew out. Then the image shifted back to a real life picture of Mars.  “Mars is also sometimes referred to as, ‘The Red Planet,’ because of the reddish iron on it’s surface that gives it it’s color.” Hannah seemed to piece something together.  “Wait, Jason, that’s it! Carmen didn’t mean Mars, she meant the Red Planet!” she said excitedly. Jason wasn’t following.  “But what does that have to do with walking the right way leading us to the king?” Hannah shook her head with a smile.  She was pretty sure she figures it out.  “Remember how Michael Jackson would walk backwards when he did his famous ‘Moonwalk’?” Jason was finally understanding.  “And Michael Jackson is known as the ‘King’ of Pop.  But what does the Red Planet have to do with this if Carmen really is after something that belonged to Michael Jackson?” he said, not screwing in all the bolts. “Maybe Carmen doesn’t mean the planet itself, but the color red.” Jason was a few pieces short of the full puzzle.  “I still don’t get it.” he said, still scratching his head in confusion. “Don’t you see?  Moonwalking is walking the right way.  Michael Jason is the ‘King’ of pop, and when he was performing his Thriller video, he was wearing his famous red jacket.”  Hannah explained. Jason’s eyes widened in realization.  “You mean Carmen’s going to try and steal Michael Jackson’s Thriller Jacket?” Hannah stared straight into his eyes.  “Precisely. And judging by the fact that she turned her jet into a rocket, she’s either going to space, or she’s already there.”