Author's Note: For many years now I have been a fan of Carmen Sandiego. I have played most of the computer games, I watched the game shows and I was (and still am) an avid fan of the 90's television show Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego. Due to this insane weather we have been having in the midwest with the polar vortex and whatnot, nearly everything has been closed. Meaning no work. Cabin fever lead me to my DvDs of the series and throughout watching several episodes the inspiration for this story was born.

This story took rather a dark turn as I was writing it, but I do hope that as it progresses the themes will become lighter and the message will be more positive. Sometimes when you really love a character you put them through tough situations. This story contains references to sexual assault and thus may not be appropriate for younger readers. Nothing graphic though. Further references will be noted in each chapter in which they occur.

Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego. If I did the 90's series would have lasted longer.


Carmen awoke to find herself lying in a dark alleyway. The sun had set hours earlier and the stars were shining brightly in the sky above her. The autumn air was crisp and cool, and the moon was full. In any other circumstances it would have been a lovely evening. Perhaps Carmen would have enjoyed it had events transpired in a different manner. Alas, all of the what ifs in the world cannot reverse or change a specific set of circumstances, no matter how much one wishes they could.

As Carmen attempted to sit up she felt pain radiating throughout her entire body, everything hurt. She could feel where bruises were beginning to form and where cuts and lacerations lay on her arms and legs. The pain she felt all over her body was some of the worst she had ever endured, but that did not compare to what she was suffering internally. The shock of the evening's events was still too much for her to bear. However she knew that she must put these thoughts from her mind for now. She needed to get help and treatment, the sooner the better.

She sat there in the alley thinking things over for a few moments. Her options were limited in where she could turn at a time like this. A clinic or general hospital might work, but there was too much of a risk in her identity being discovered there. Although she was in plain clothes and not wearing her signature red coat and hat it was still very likely that she would be recognized as Carmen Sandiego and she simply could not have that. She did not want to risk arrest, or be exposed at her weakest time. People could not know what had happened to her.

Another possibility was returning to VILE. for treatment, there certainly were many capable doctors there. Injuries and illnesses were always possible when it came to pulling off a caper. Yet, even though this was perhaps her safest option, she did not feel it was in her best interests. For as much as it offered in security, it was at a disadvantage in location. The trip would be far more difficult for her to make in her present predicament than she would prefer. Another problem lay in the fact that she did not want her employees to see her in such a state as this. She was Carmen Sandiego, arguably the greatest thief in the world, that she could be reduced to this! It simply would not do for them to see her in such a weakened state! Besides none of them knew she had left for the evening as it was, she couldn't just barge in this way, they would never allow it.

Her final option would be to head back to ACME. her old home and place of employ for many years. Out of all of the places she could go that would be the one she would be safest at, she just knew it. Although many of the detectives at the agency wanted to put her behind bars, and with good reason, she knew that she could count on the Chief in cases like this. He was her oldest and dearest friend, he would help her in her time of need. It would be nice to see those whom she cared most about, though she doubted this visit would be so social.

She checked her position on her watch, she was exactly two blocks away, she could make it there, if she just pushed herself. Clutching the brick wall that was behind her she managed to pull herself up into a standing position. Her weak and tired limbs protested greatly to this, but she knew it must be done. While she was feeling pain now, it was nothing compared to what she would be feeling tomorrow.

She managed to move along the walls until getting to an exit and then followed the alleyways to get to the ACME. building for fear of somehow being recognized on the sidewalks. The world could not see her in this position, it would jeopardize all she had worked to build up. She was always supposed to be prepared, ready to face anything, but today she had let her guard down; and for that she had paid.

After what seemed like hours she had reached the ACME. building, rifling through her small hand bag she pulled out her ACME. ID and swiped it. Although she had long been a "wanted criminal" her ID was still valid. There was always a place at ACME for her if she ever chose to return home. The Chief. had made sure of this for her, even with all they had gone through he still cared about her very much.

As she entered the building she did not cross paths with anyone, she carefully stowed the ID in her purse again careful to put it back in its hiding space. Her attacker had not been after her money or what was in her purse, he had one goal in mind and that was her. She made it through to the living quarters and found her old room again. It had always been hers, no one else had used it in all of these years.

No sooner had she entered when she found herself collapsing onto the bed. Her limbs had given out and she was faced with a horrible feeling of exhaustion and loneliness. She had to find something to patch herself up with. With great effort she pulled herself off the bed and began looking through the drawers in her desk and nightstand. During her detective days she always kept first aid materials on hand and she had learned to take care of herself.

A young detective was walking down the hallway and noticed that the light was on in Carmen's room. Knowing that it was forbidden for anyone to be in there she immediately sought out the Chief. Once alerted he was displeased that someone would disobey his orders. No one was to enter that room, it was strictly forbidden. Thanking the agent and dismissing her he immediately made his way to Carmen's room.

Carmen had finally found some of her first aid materials and was preparing to patch herself up when suddenly the Chief appeared.

"Excuse me, but this room is strictly out of bounds, I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave." the Chief said sternly. He was trying to hide his anger about everything. The thought of someone in Carmen's room rifling through her things was almost too much for him to take.

Carmen was jolted out of her reverie, she had not seen the Chief come in and his sudden outburst had startled her to say the least. As she turned around to face him a number of thoughts went through her head. Very conflicted thoughts. There was joy in seeing her dear friend from her detective days, but also agony that he would have to see her in such vulnerable state. She feared he would think that she was weak and unable to fend for herself in the world. In the past ten years she had already let him down enough.

As the woman turned around the Chief was able to see her features more clearly, and he realized with a start that it was Carmen. Her beautiful dark hair was matted and damp, there was a large cut which ran across her forehead, and there were cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. The brown dress and green sweater she was wearing were completely ragged and one of her pumps had a broken heel. He could not believe his eyes.

"Carmen?" the Chief asked quietly

"If you want me to leave I will Chief." Carmen said hoping that he could not hear the pain in her voice.

"What? No of course not Carmen." he said more gently "What happened to you? I've never seen you in such a state before."

"Accidents happen Chief, it's nothing too serious, I just need to patch myself up a bit, and then I will be out of your hair again." Carmen lied.

"Accidents Carmen? What did you do? Take a tumble out of a window?" Chief asked giving Carmen a stern look. "After all of your years at ACME and your years as a thief? This was no accident Carmen, it looks as if you were deliberately attacked."

Carmen just looked down, then busied herself looking through drawers and trying to find more first aid materials. "It's nothing Chief, I will be fine." Carmen said trying to keep the tears from coming. Survival was more important.

"You were attacked, weren't you?" The Chief asked, his voice filled with concern and anger. It was more of a statement than a question

Carmen didn't say anything and continued what she was doing, she took out a bandage and some antiseptic and sat down on her bed hoping to start patching herself back up.

"You'll need medical attention for your injuries Carmen. I think that it is best for you to see one of our physicians here. Something tells me that this is a little bit more serious than gauze and iodine."

"Chief, I can take care of myself I have done so on many occasions before." Carmen said busying herself in what she was doing.

"Nevertheless, I feel that it would be best for you to be seen by a doctor. If for no other reason than to put my mind at ease." Chief said "Besides I have never seen you in such a state before."

It did not take too much more prodding before Carmen conceded to his suggestion and the chief was off to fetch a physician. This fact alone made him more concerned than anything else. Carmen was fiercely independent. When necessary she would see a doctor, but he thought that she would have put up more of a fight. Instead she just seemed….defeated.

Upon his return a few minutes later the Chief was relieved to find that Carmen had not taken advantage of his absence. He was all too aware that she could have made a quick and efficient getaway in that time; even in her present state.

The doctor he had found was actually a colleague of Carmen's from when she had been an Acme detective. The two had been close friends and the Chief felt that he would be the most discreet. Additionally it seemed better that she was going to be treated by someone she trusted.

Dr. Edward Evanston agreed that he could take care of Carmen in the privacy of her rooms rather than in the medical wing so as not to incur any unwanted attention. The Chief left the room to allow them privacy.

After completing a full examination the doctor patched her up. He did his job well, and was relatively quiet about the whole thing. He made notes in his log and took the necessary samples but there was not a lengthy line of questioning. Something for which Carmen was extremely grateful. It was when he had finished these tasks that he pulled up a chair next to her so that they could talk about it.

"Carmen, I would strongly encourage you to report this crime to the police." he said. "The man who did this to you should be imprisoned."

"Unfortunately I do not believe that I would be able to press charges in this situation." she replied quietly. "What credibility would that even hold? I would be arrested on sight just walking into a police station."

"Not necessarily, without your trench coat and hat most people would not recognize you. Even if they did what he did to you is completely inexcusable. While you are a notorious thief people still care about you. They would want to see the man who committed this act against you imprisoned."

"Nobody is going to find out about this." She said. "The last thing I need is for the world to know that this happened to me and who did it to me."

"You knew your attacker then?" he asked her gently.

"Yes." she replied tentatively. "Yes I did."

"You do not want to see him behind bars for this?" he asked her.

"More than anything, but at what price to me?" she replied. "Who would take me seriously if I were to stand as a witness in court? What would this do to my image? How could I face the world everyday with this moment of vulnerability on display to everyone? As it stands I am already risking a lot in seeking help here. I will need to return to VILE. as soon as possible."

"You can rest assured that I will keep your visit in confidence." Edward said kindly. "However I would like to keep you under my care for the next few days, maybe a week."

"Is that really necessary?" she asked.

"In your case, yes." Edward said firmly.

"I can see that you are welcomed at VILE then." she said.

"No, I think it is best that for the time being you remain here at ACME, I will speak to the Chief directly about it. I am sure he will be more than willing to accommodate your stay here."

"I cannot disagree with you there. Be that as it may though, I cannot trespass on his generosity. If the detectives knew that he was harboring me here, or heaven forbid his boss. I shudder to think of the consequences he could face. No I cannot do that to him."

"Everything will be fine." Edward said patting her hand. "I will do what I can to cover for you. Truth be told though we all care about you here. It is not just the Chief."

Carmen looked away from him for a moment. "VILE though. I have to be there for them. Everything will descend into utter chaos without me there. It would be one thing if my absence had been planned. It is another thing entirely if I have just disappeared."

"With the injuries you sustained you should be in a hospital right now. Being who you are I feel like staying here would be your best option." he said firmly. "More than anything you need your rest right now. Regain your strength and get well, you are in no condition to go back to work."

"Perhaps you are right." she conceded at last. "What are you going to tell Chief? I can't have him knowing what happened. I don't want him to view me in a negative light. He will think less of me."

"You can rest assured that I will be discreet. If he questions your condition I will say that you suffered some injuries that need tending too, which is all too true." Edward said. "Even if he were to learn the truth though, and I think that it is foolish for you to keep this a secret from him, I assure you that he would think no less of you. What happened to you was not your fault. He would be the first person to say that. In any case I think he will probably enjoy having you here for a little while."

A few minutes afterwards the doctor had left and the Chief had returned. Worry was still written all over his face, but he seemed relieved to see that Carmen had been taken care of.

"Carmen, I hear that you will be staying here with us for about a week." The Chief said kindly.

"I do not want to put you out Chief. If you would like me to go back to VILE. tonight I am more than willing to do that." she replied.

"You are not going anywhere Carmen. The doctor informed me that you need to be kept here under his care." He said. "You don't honestly believe that I would allow you to leave in this condition?"

"You do still care, don't you?" she asked looking at him with tired eyes.

"Is that even a question?" he replied. "You know my feelings on the matter. You were my best detective. If I had things my way you would reside here permanently. ACME will always have a place for you."

Carmen smiled at him her eyes beginning to get heavy. "You always did have a good heart." she replied. "I have missed you." A few moments later she was asleep.

The Chief stayed by the door watching her. He resolved that he would not leave her side. She had been attacked today, he was sure of it. While Carmen had been with the doctor he had received an alert through CrimeNet that a notorious criminal had broken out of prison earlier that evening. One whom Carmen had helped to put behind bars as a detective, and one who had a serious vendetta against her.