"The Blameless" by Megan Thompson

	It was pouring down rain in San Francisco.  It was raining so hard in fact, that it was 
almost impossible to drive.  But even the hard rain seemed no match for master detective, 
Carmen Sandiego.  She fought it the same way she fought the criminals she chased, and she was 
winning. 

	It was mid April of 1985, and Carmen, a 20 year old detective for the Acme Detective 
Agency with the experience and skill of someone three times her age, was driving her young 
trainee, Samantha Danworth home from another grueling day of training at Acme.  Though only 11, 
Samantha showed great talent as an agent so everyone had wanted her to be trained by the best.

	Samantha now pushed Carmen forward in their chase.  A distraught man had kidnapped his 
four year old son from his mother and was on the lamb.  

	It had been an accident that they happened upon the man's vehicle while driving home 
from Acme.  The report about the crime had come in over the CB radio.  A description of the get 
away car was given, along with the license number, had been given, and it turned out that the 
car  was one care up in the left lane.

	Quickly, alerting the other law-in-forcement agents in the, they began the chase.  In 
no time, they were joined by three police cruisers and together, the four cars pursued the 
kidnapper down the highway.

	Her gut told her to slow down.  She was driving way too fast on the slick roads.  
Carmen knew she should listen to her instincts, and not risk all their lives.  But she didn't.  
Instead, she listened to her young partner, who desparately wanted to apprehend the kidnapper, 
and that was her mistake.  

	As they passed under an over-pass, the car hit a very slick  spot and Carmen lost 
control of it.  The car smashed into the center guard-railing, and the steering went out.  
The car swerved left and headed for the ditch, almost taking one of the potral cars with them.

	Everything went into slow motion for Carmen as the car hit the ditch at 85 mph and 
flipped over.  It flipped three time.  On the third flip, Samantha's seatbelt came unbuckled 
and the child was sent flying through the front windshield.

	A moment later, the banged up car came to a rest on its side.  Carmen was still for a 
moment, too shocked to move, but she quickly got over it and reached for her seatbelt.  It was 
jammed.  	

	Swiftly, she opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small, but sharp knife that 
she kept for emergencies, and cut herself lose.  Then she crawled through the busted front 
windshield.

	Instantly, she saw Samantha, lying face down on the ground about ten yards away.  
Not even stopping to see if she, herself was hurt, Carmen pulled herself up and rushed to her 
young partner's lifeless body, as the three police cars came to a stop about half a mile down 
the road.

	"Samantha?" Carmen cried in panic as she reached the girl.

	No response!  Quickly, Carmen turned her over, and a total look of dread crossed her 
face.

	"No Samantha...."

	Carmen shot upright in bed.  Her silk pajamas were covered in sweat.  Her heart felt as 
though it were about to leap out of her chest and her breathing was shallow and rapid.  It had 
been a dream; just a horrible nightmare.

	She lay back down silently.  It hadn't been just a nightmare.  That event had happened 
to her, more than thirteen years earlier.  She knew the day, down to last detail, remembering 
every moment of it.  With a hard sigh, the master thief buried her head in her pillow and began 
to cry.


	Across the globe in San Francisco, the Chief, at the Acme, was having a secret meeting 
with a young woman of about 24.  She had long curly brown hair that stretched down to her 
thighs and a pair of beautiful sea green eyes.  Her face was pale and she had the remains of a 
scar across her left eye, but it was so light you wouldn't notice it unless you were right in 
her face.  The young woman had a look of concern, but determination written across her face.

	"Chief," she said.  "Everything I'll need is ready.  All that's left is to wait for 
her next clue.  I'm certain that this is going to work."

	"I think you're right," the Chief said in his normal cheery voice.  "I still hate 
having to do this to her, but we have to make Carmen face this.  Otherwise, she'll never have 
a chance to heal."

	"I agree," the woman answered.  

	"I just can't wait to tell Zack and Ivy about your plan," the Chief said excitedly.

	"Hold it!" the woman exclaimed.  "We can't tell them!"

	The Chief looked confused. 

	"Why?" he asked.

	"Because..." The woman was desparately trying to think of a reason.  "They might get 
in the way.  Something might go wrong."

	"But, Zack and Ivy are two of the best agents we have here,"  the Chief argued.  "I'm 
sure that they'll be a big help to you."

	"We can't take the risk, Chief!" she told him.  "We'll probably only get one shot at 
this, and if we mess up, we're likely to never get this chance again."

	"Sorry, but I think that they'll be a big help to you," the Chief told her.  "Meet 
them here tomorrow and you can share your brilliant plan and your concerns with them 
personally."

	"But, oh, very well!" she said sadly, "but I'll meet them in Golden Gate Park at 11:15."

	"That's fine!" he said in a happy voice.  "You'll see.  Ivy and Zack will help you a 
great deal."

	The woman nodded.  Then she stood and left.  

	Once outside the control room, the young woman switched her communicator off.  She 
stormed to the elevator and went to the first floor and left the building.

	"Man!" she exclaimed as she entered her car.  "He's ruined everything.  How is my 
plan gonna work with those two detectives in the way?  There's no way they'll just let me do 
this.  What am I going to do?"

	She thought about it as she drove.  Suddenly, she slammed ont the breaks.  An idea had 
hit her.

	"That will work!" she exclaimed.  "But I won't be able to come home again.  I'll 
have to leave and never come back, but it'll be worth it.  But, first, I'll have to talk to 
mother, and see what she thinks."

	The young woman smiled as she continued don't the road towards her home.  


	The next morning, at VILE Headquarters, Carmen sat in the den in front of a crackling 
fire.  It was 9:30, but she hadn't just got up.  She'd been up since 5:00, even though she 
hadn't left her room until 7:30.  

	She couldn't stop thinking about Samantha. That poor child had been so badly hurt 
in that accident, and yet Carmen hadn't received a scratch, because her seatbelt had held.  
Samantha's had malfunctioned and she had been thrown through the windshield.  She had been 
lucky she hadn't been killed, and Carmen was thankful for that, but the fact that the child, 
her responsibility, had been hurt at all, broke her heart, and she began to cry softly again. 
 	
	Nearby was one on the servants who took care of the manor for Carmen.  Her name was 
Elizabeth Randles.  She was 31 years old and had been working for Carmen for eight years.  
Carmen was a kind employer in the eyes of all her employees, but Liz, as everyone knew her, 
thought of her as more of a friend that her boss.  Carmen was always willing to help her if 
she was down or in trouble, and now, she knew it was time to return Carmen's generousity. 

	Hearing her boss sobbing, Liz walked over to where Carmen was sitting and placed a 
hand on her shoulder.  Startled, Carmen turned to her.  

	"Ma'am, are you all right?" Liz asked her boss gently.

	"I'm okay," Carmen choked out.  

	"You don't seem okay," Liz said, sitting down in the chair next to Carmen.  "What's 
wrong?"

	"I really don't feel like talking about it Liz," Carmen told her.  "It's too painful!"

	"Carmen, if it's painful enough to make you cry," Liz stated, "then you need to talk 
about.  Now you've always been there for me.  Let me be there for you now."

	"I'm not sure you'd understand how I feel Elizabeth," Carmen told her, staring into 
the fire.  "Only if you went through the same thing, would you know how I'm feeling."

	"I know that I probably don't know how you feel, but I could still be able to help you 
deal with whatever has brought you to tears, if you'll let me.  I want to help you, ma'am," 
Liz encouraged. 

	Carmen looked at her.  Liz was right.  She did need to talk to someone, and Liz was 
there and willing to listen.  Maybe all she needed was to get some of the guilt off her chest.

	With a long sigh, Carmen decided to explain the story to her friend.

	Carmen turned away from her.

	"I'm responsible, for a child nearly, losing her life," she admitted in a whisper.

	Liz looked stunned.

	"But how could you be involved in almost killing anyone, let alone a child?" Liz 
questioned.

	"I caused the car crash that injured her so bad that she almost died," Carmen told her.

	"Well I know it was an accident," Liz said, placing a hand on Carmen's shoulder.  "If 
you're worried that attempted murder charges will be filed against you, you should talk to 
Lee Galese about it."

	"That won't be necessary," Carmen choked out.  "It has already been deemed an 
accident.  I happened back in my detective days."

	"Oh," Liz said.  "That's good.  So what exactly happened that makes you believe you 
hurt this child?

	"I was driving the car, and we were pursuing a man who'd kidnapped his son from his 
ex-wife," Carmen explained.  "Samantha was my partner.  I was training her to become a great 
detective."

	"Anyway, it had been raining that day, and the roads were very slick.  I knew that 
I was going too fast, by I ignored the voice, telling me to slow down.  We hit I very wet 
spot, and, um, I lost control of the car.  It struck the center guard-rail and the steering 
went out.  Then, it when in the ditch and flipped three times.  The passanger seat belt 
malfunctioned and it came undone.  I watched Sammy, be thrown through thew front windshield 
at over 80 mph."

	"When the car stopped, I, crawled out.  I was unhurt, because the seatbelt had held me 
in place.  I saw Samantha lying facedown on the ground about thirty feet away.  I rushed to 
her and turned her over.  Her face was scarred and blood, and her, um, her eye had been 
ruptured.  It was draining a thick puse.  She was barely breathing!  I felt so terrible."

	"We called for an ambulence and they rushed her to the hospital.  She needed surgery 
because of her head injury, and because of some internal bleeding.  I waited in the waiting 
room, for some word that she was going to be all right.  My old partner, Suhara was with me, 
trying to comfort me.  But then Sammy's mom came, and she was furious with me.  She blamed me 
for the accident, and angrily stated so at the hospital.  I remember what she said so clearly.
She snapped at me yelling, 'How could you let this happen? My daughter and I both trust you 
with her life, and now, because of you, and your carelessness, my daughter is in surgery, 
fighting for her life; and if she dies, I will personally, send you to hell for her Carmen.  
Now leave, and  don't you ever come near me or my daughter again.'  I left willingly," Carmen 
stated, "because I couldn't face Samantha or her mother.  Suhara took me back to his apartment 
and he tried to reassure me that Samantha's mother really didn't blame me.  That she was just 
upset, but I knew she was right.  It was my fault that poor Samantha was dying, and I didn't 
listen.  I left and went back to my aparrtment and cried myself to sleep."

	"Oh, Carmen, I'm so sorry," Liz said.  "I understand why you didn't want to talk 
about it.  But, I'm sure the Samantha's mother didn't mean the things she said, and I'm sure 
that she and Samantha have forgiven you, if there was anything to forgive you for.  But, I 
don't believe you were responsible."

	"It was," Carmen told her.  "She was my partner, and my responsibility, and I let 
both her and her mother down."

	"I'm sure that isn't true," Liz comforted.  "But, if you're really worried about
it, why don't you go see her and tell her your fears."

	"I....I can't!" Carmen broke down in tears.

	"Why?  You really need to, so that you can end your worry."

	"You don't understand!" Carmen explained.  "I can't because Samantha never regained 
consciousness.  During surgery, Sammy slipped into a coma, and the doctors said she would 
probably never wake up again."

	To be continued...