A Secret Worth Keeping, Part 1
	by Megan Thompson

Prologue:  Headquarters, Acme Detective Agency, 1983

     Carmen Sandiego sat at her desk, her head resting on her hand.  She was
staring at the file before her with a look of frustration written across her
face.  The file was one of dozens she was going through, completing her daily
amount of work at Acme.

     The file she was currently looking through was about a string of bank
robberies there in San Francisco.  The culprits had been on the run for six
months before she had gotten the case; no one else had been able to crack
the case.  Everyone else had just given up!

     But it wasn't the fact that the case was too hard that frustrated
Carmen.  It was just too easy!  She had just received this particular case
the week before and now she was closing it.  The day before, she had led a
sting and had apprehended the criminals when they had tried to rob another
bank.  And now, she picked up her stamper, dipped it in the ink pad, and
stamped the file, "Case Closed." 

     Carmen was a detective, and a very good one at that.  In fact, she was
considered by all to be the finest detective at the Acme Detective Agency,
and one of the best in the world; most thought she was the best.  All of her
peers praised her remarkable detective skills, her ability to meet any
challenge, to solve any puzzle.  Her abilities far surpassed most detectives,
twice her age, who had much more experience.  No crook stood a chance against
her!  

     But, as marvelous as they were, her abilities had one major setback.
Carmen was so good at her job that everything she did, she did quickly and
easily.  At 17, she had solved more cases, and caught more crooks, than any
other detective before her, and now ,in her early twenties, she was about to
reach the peak of her detective career.  There was no challenge left in her
job.  It was just too easy for her.  She was bored with it!

     Carmen didn't notice a woman named Amanda Willis, standing in the
doorway of her office.  Miss Willis was one of several CEO's at Acme, and a
personal friend of Carmen.  Amanda knew Carmen was bored with her job and was
fearful Carmen would leave Acme to Pursue other careers, possibly even
turning to a life of crime, though she doubted that.  Still it was a small
possibility, but it was more likely that Carmen would just leave.  Though she
wanted her friend to be happy, she also wanted her to remain at Acme, to help
prepare the young agents.  But, Carmen had turned down the instructor job
that she had been offered, saying that there wasn't enough challenge in
training new agents.  So, Miss Willis was left with a dilemma!

     After watching Carmen a few moments more, Amanda turned and headed down
the hall towards the elevator.  She was already late for an emergency
meeting, a meeting she had requested.  Something needed to be done about
Carmen, so she had asked the other five CEO's to meet her at 7:00 PM to
discuss the situation.  It was almost 7:30 PM!  As she reached the elevator,
the doors opened and another of the CEO's, Thomas Find, exited it.

     "Amanda, where have you been?" he asked.  "We've been waiting for you!"
He then re-entered the elevator.

     "I know, and I'm sorry!" Amanda apologized, stepping into the elevator
as well.  "The Chief wanted to see me, one of the agents stopped me in the
hall, and then I passed by Carmen's office.  The door was open, so I was
going to go in and talk to her, but something about her expression told me to
leave her be.  She didn't appear to be in the mode for a chit-chat, so I
left.

     Amanda then pressed the sub-level button, which would take her and Mr.
Find to the floor of the conference.

     "Did she accept the instructor job?" Find asked her.

     Amanda just shook her head and sighed. The look that then crossed
Thomas's face told her that he understood the problem and was just as
concerned as she was.

     Once the elevator reached the sub-level, Willis and Find exited the
elevator and headed for the conference room. The others were waiting inside
and stood to greet them.

     In all, six people, four women and two men made up the Acme CEO council.
There was Mike Jones, a tall brown-haired gray-eyed man of about 38,
Janice White, a blonde-haired, green-eyed woman of about 40, a red-haired,
blue-eyed woman of 26, named Kathy Collins, an old gray-haired hazel-eyed
woman named Betty Sawyer, and Thomas Find who had thick black hair, gray eyes,
and a scruffy little mustache. Finally there was Amanda herself.

     Together they were about to decide what action, if any, to take to
convince Carmen Sandiego to remain at Acme.

     After greeting one another, everyone took their seats. Miss Willis sat
the head of the conference table;  Mr. Jones and Mrs. Sawyer were to her
right, Mrs. White and Mr. Find were to her left and Ms Collins was at the
other end of the rectangular table. Though none of them was without a sense
of humor, they knew there'd be no joking around at this meeting.

     "I must apologize for the delay, ladies and gentlemen," Miss Willis
began,  "but let's just forget I was late and get down to business."

     She paused a moment, then continued. "You know why you've all been
called here. It seems that our prize agent has become bored with her work.
Its gotten too easy for her and it's possible she may leave Acme to pursue
other careers, with more challenges.  Its possible that Miss Sandiego may
leave us to pursue a life of crime!"

     "What gives you that idea, Amanda?" Mrs. White inquired. 

	"It's the other thing she knows, Janice, Miss Willis stated. " I was told by our
psychologist that often times a person who's become bored with their work,
will most often turn to the other thing she knows best in order to replace
what they once got from their work, and what Carmen knows best is crime!"

     "I agree," Mr. Find added, "Carmen is becoming increasingly agitated
with the lack of challenge in the cases she's assigned and she may be feeling
she could out-do any and all of the criminals she's caught."

     "The chief agrees as well," Amanda told them "He feel personally
responsible for Carmen. After all, he's the one who brought her to us, giving
her a home, friendship, and a career. He wants us to intervene, before its
too late. Now discussion!" 

     "Well, what did she say to the instructor job we offered her?"  Mrs.
Sawyer asked.

     "She won't take it, Betty," Mr. Find answered.  "She says there won't be
enough of a challenge in preparing Acme's new recruits."

     "Well, she'll say same thing to whatever we offered her," Jones stated.
"We might as well hand her her resignation papers now."

     "We can't just give up on her," Amanda stated.  "She's too fine an agent
to just throw her out like a bag of trash!"

     "What about offering her a position on the new homicide team that's
being established?"  Find suggested.  "With her skills, Carmen could put a
lot of those low-lifes behind bars."

     "There's no way we could convince her to take it!" Mrs. White stated.
"She's too sensitive to that kind of work!  No matter what kind of
challenges would be offered through the job,  she'd never take it!"

     "Well this is getting us nowhere fast!" Amanda sighed.

     There was a moment of silence.

     "Uh, Amanda?  I... I have a suggestion."

     Everyone turned to Kathy Collins, who had until this moment, been
silent, listening to everyone else's ideas.  

     "What is it Ms. Collins?" Amanda inquired, interested in hearing Kathy's
idea.

     "Well, it was just a thought!"  Kathy shyly stated.

     "We can at least consider your idea, dear," Mrs. Sawyer told her.

     Ms. Collins smiled at her.  Then, carefully, she explained her idea to
the others.

     "Are you out of your mind?"  Jones shouted when she'd finished.  "That's
the craziest thing I've ever heard!"

     "I agree,"  Mrs. White added.  No one in their right mind would agree to
such an outrageous plan!"

     "I don't know," Mr. Find commented.  "It's a creative, daring idea- the
kind of thing Carmen just might go for."

     "But, even if Carmen did agree, which I doubt, no one in the world would
ever let that happen," Mr. Jones argued.

     "What do you think Amanda?" Mrs. Sawyer asked.

     They all turned to Amanda, who appeared to be deep in thought.

     "You tell them Amanda," Janice stated.  "Their plan will never even get
out of this room."

     Amanda was silent for a moment, then spoke.  I hate to admit this, but I
think Ms. Collins' plan just might be what we need.  I know the idea sounds
crazy, but I don't think any rational idea is gonna keep Carmen here.  At
least this way, we'd be offering her a chance to experience the greatest
challenge we could give her, trying to succeed at making our plan work!"

     "You've flipped out too!" Mr. Jones cried.

     "No," Janice commented. "She's right!  We'd have to get Washington's
approval, which Amanda & I can start on.   Then, maybe we could get our
burros around the world involved.  We could make this work!"

     "Yeah, well tell me something," Mr. Jones told her.  "In order for this
plan to work, no one outside this room, except the government sponsors and
Carmen can know.  What makes you think we could prevent the knowledge from
slipping out?"

     "We could classify it, so that no one but top security officials, such as
us, can even view the information," Find answered. 

     "The point is- this is our last chance!" Amanda concluded.  "If we don't
act fast, we'll loose Carmen all together!  Now all those in agreement, say
'I'-  all opposed, 'Neh'!"

	To be continued...