"A Dish Best Served Cold, Part 2"

SOMEWHERE OVER THE CARRIBEAN, PRESENT DAY 

     Carmen Sandiego stretched in her seat and yawned.  She was 
exhausted. Four schemes run one right after another in two 
months was extremely draining. And it didn't help much that Zack 
and Ivy had managed to get everything back that she had worked 
so hard to steal.  

    Oh, well. Que sera sera. Right now, all the master thief wanted to 
do was relax for an hour in a hot bath, then climb into bed and 
sleep. Then she could begin the plans for the next series of heists. 
   
    <Maybe I should pace myself.> Carmen thought as the 
oversized helicopter lowered itself onto a helipad on one of the 
larger islands. <It isn't like I don't have plenty of years to go.> 

     After thinking for a few moments, she came to a decision.
  
     For the first time in twelve years, Carmen Sandiego was going 
to take a vacation. 

  PARIS, FRANCE 3:00 AM 

   Touris Classe waited nervously by the glass pyramid outside 
the Louvre. He had never expected to hear from HIM again. That 
was why Classe had joined up with Carmen after she went bad, he 
figured that HE must be dead or resigned to his life in prison. 
 
   Then, out of the blue, he recieved a letter. A letter from HIM 
asking to meet here. Tonight. 

     Classe shuffled his feet, and began to whistle. After a moment 
he heard a distinct clacking sound coming from behind him. The 
hapless lackey abruptly ceased his whistling and turned around, 
looking for the source of the noise.  

      A man stepped out of the shadows in front of him. He was tall, 
dressed in a black trenchcoat and fedora. A white hatband 
surrounded the crown of the hat. Two piercing green eyes glared 
at Touris with undisguised contempt. Streaks of gray could be 
seen at the man's temples.  

      Touris noted that the man held an elegant ebony walking stick 
surmounted with the silver head of a cobra poised to strike. One 
of the man's feet were turned inward, indicating that something 
had crippled him earlier in life.  

      The years had not been kind to this man. Though he would 
only be in his mid-forties, he looked sixty.  

      Touris found himself speechless.  

      "Hello, Touris." said the man. 

      "H-hello, Reginald." Touris stammered. Reginald's hand shot 
forward, grabbed Touris by the lapels and pulled him close. Touris 
could see the anger in the mastermind's eyes. 

      "Now then, you little toad, what's Carmen up to?" 

  ACME HEADQUARTERS, SAN FRANCISCO, 2:45 PM 

      "ARRGH!" Ivy yelled, pounding her fists against the computer 
terminal. Behind the feisty redhead, her brother Zack held up his 
hands. 

      "Hey, c'mon, sis. It's only a game." The two of them had been 
playing  Acme's new Carmen simulation game. Carmen had just 
managed to get away from Ivy. Again. 

       "That's not what I'm angry about!" Ivy said. "It's been nearly 
two weeks since Carmen's last heist. She's usually started 
something by now!" 

       "So, maybe she's decided to take a vacation. Or she could be 
planning something really big. Remeber when she took a month 
off to plan that low-tech crime of hers?" 

       "Yeah, well...I wish she'd get on with it. Or that something 
would happen." 

      As if in answer to her request, the disembodied head of the 
Chief appeared on the massive monitor that dominated the main 
office.  

      "Okay, who's ready for a little ACTION?!" the Chief 
announced, turning the volume up a few notches on the last word. 
"CrimeNet just got a hot tip that Carmen's been seen in the resort 
district of Athens, Greece." 

       "What would Carmen be after in Greece?" Zack asked. 

       "Not something big, I'll guarantee you that." The Chief 
replied. "None of her henchmen are anywhere near the area she's 
in. I'd suggest taking a look around. Do some digging, doggedly 
doing detective deeds dat--er-- that need doing, dig?"  

       "Done." Ivy said. "Player, C-5 us to the resort district of 
Athens, Greece. Whatever she's up to, we'll put a crimp in her 
plans." 

       There was a flash of blue light and the two detectives were 
gone. The Chief prepared to broadcast to Athens, when CrimeNet 
signaled another hot tip. The Chief took a few seconds to read 
over the message, then fear crept over his face. 

       "Oh, no. This is bad, this is very, very ungood. Zack, Ivy! 
Wait up! There's more going on here than I thought!" 

                   TO BE CONTINUED....