Where in the-WHAT? Part 1 British Museum of Natural History London, England 4-14-97 1 AM GST A guard made his rounds, passing through the museum's main entrance. He shined his flashlight up at the hall's centerpiece--a skeletal replica of a diplodicus, one of the largest land animals to have ever existed. After making sure nothing was amiss, he continues on down the corridor known as Waterhouse Way toward the museum's Modern Mammal section. Meanwhile not far away, a mysterious lady in red stepped out from behind a panorama of robotic dinosaur replicas. She watches the guard's beacon pass by, momentarily beaming into her room, but doesn't even come close to her position. "Time is definitely on my side," she whispered to herself as she quickly walked along the same path the guard had just taken, but in the opposite direction. Turning right, she went up the stairs to the second floor, taking it two steps at a time. After one left turn, she arrives at her destination, the Minerals display. "Time to cut and run," she mutters as tiny, diamond-tipped claws extend from her glove. Quickly and carefully cutting a hole in the tempered glass, she reached in and takes her objective. Below it is a small plague that reads: Edwardes Ruby 167-carats, and replaced it with the cut glass. The moment the glass touches the pedestal, the alarms sound. Smiling, she retraces her steps, but instead of taking the steps back down, she stops at the banister overlooking the entry hall. From the three halls below her came the museum guards. As soon as they arrived at the Entry Hall, they shinde their lights up at woman thief. "Look!" one of them shouted. "It's Carmen Sandiego! Stop her!" "Sorry boys," she replied. "This is one lady who doesn't need officers or gentlemen." Climbing onto the banister, she made an incredible leap and landed on top of the diplodicus skeleton. As the Bobbies watch in amazement, Carmen took a small box from within her robe-dress and presses its lone button. Almost immediately the statue came to life, confounding the guards even further. Momentarily rising onto its hind legs, the skeleton-robot started walking toward, and then through, the entryway. As soon as the statue-robot arrived outside, a helicopter's blades can be heard and a rope is seen falling towards the ground. Grabbing the rope with one hand, Carmen drops the remote control back within her dress and pulled out a small box. "See ya, boys." Carmen called out at the guards who are now appearing from the ruined entryway. "Here's something to tide you over until the boys from ACME arrive." She then released the box, which sprouts a small parachute as it falls. (Switch scene to a young woman at a computer) "What are you up to this time Carmen?" appeared on the screen. "Ah, if I told you that, Player, than it wouldn't be the Game. Now would it?" comes the reply. "Besides, I've found that after you've taken everything on the street, you have to find other avenues to explore." (One hour later, back at the British Museum of Natural History) People familiar with the British Museum of Natural History would have been surprised to see one of its wonders standing outside the doors instead of inside it. Because the skeleton was where it was, the London Metro Police had to cordon off the entire yard between the main building and Cromwell Road. Reporters stood outside the brick and wrought iron fence while the LMP and New Scotland Yard went about their business on the inside. Just then a bluish oval portal momentarily opened up in front of the skeleton and one of the individuals came out. One was a 5'9" red-haired teenager girl of approximately 18. The other was 5'5" blonde-haired boy of approximately 14. "Woah," the boy exclaimed looking up at the skeleton. "Now there's something you don't see every day." "Come on, Zack," the girl replied. "We've no time for sightseeing." "Sightseeing?!" the first exclaimed. "At this time in the morning? Ivy, please." They walked up to one of the Bobbies, showing her their ACME Detective Agency badges. The officer nodded and allowed them to pass. No sooner than the pair arrive at the actual crime scene, than a young individual approached them. "Zack, Ivy," he said. "It's good of you to come. Blimey. I never dreamed I'd see that dinosaur move. How she was able to replace it with that robot without anyone noticing the switch I'll never know." "Have you found the original, Chris?" Ivy asked. "Yep. Attached to the robot's tail was a line from a Beatles's song. It pointed the way to the Royal Albert Hall. And there, center stage, was the actual Diplodocus skeleton. I swear it looked like it had been there for years." "Incredible." Zack muttered. "Here, Carmen left this for you," he said, handing the duo the little white box the thief in red had dropped from the helicopter. But before either one of them could open it, a 3x5 pink screen appears on the wall in front of them. Centered on the screen was a stylized man's head with blond hair in a quasi-50's fashion. "Hot tip from CrimeNet, gumshoes!" the head exclaimed. "While Carmen was playing cowboy with the dinosaurs, one of her henchmen, Jim Cutter, took off with 137-carat Rosser Reeves Ruby from the Smithsonian" (picture of Smithsonian shown) "and the American Museum of Natural History's" (picture of building shown) "100-carat Edith Haggin de Long Ruby." "Boy, Carmen has acquired some expensive tastes," Zack said. "Indeed," Chris replied. "The 167-carat Edwardes Ruby was named in honor of Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes, circa 1819-68, who saved British rule in India during the years of the Indian Mutiny." "Now, let's see the clue Carmen left," Ivy said as she opened the small box. Inside was a note saying "I'm closer than you think." and a white chess rook with "MLXXVIII" engraved along the base. "Those are Roman numerals," Zack stated. "They come out to mean 1078." "Player," Ivy said aloud. "Infoscan chess and the number 1078." The screen that held the chief reappears and his voice is heard in the background. "Ah Chess. One of a group of games descended from chaturanga, a game believed to have originated in India in the 6th century or perhaps earlier, which itself may be related to a much older Chinese game. Chaturanga is a Sanskrit word referring to the 4 arms (or divisions) of an Indian army-elephants, cavalry, chariots, infantry from which come the 4 types of pieces in that game." An animated cartoon of one medieval nobility appeared. "Chaturanga spread eastward to China, and then through Korea to Japan. It also appeared in Persia after the Islamic conquers. In Persia the game was first called chatrang, the Persian form of chaturanga, and then shatranj, the word's Arabic form. The spread of Islam to Sicily the invasion of Spain by the Moors brought shatranj to Western Europe, and it reached Russia through trade routes from several directions. By the 10th century's end, the game was well known throughout Europe. It attracted the serious interest of kings, philosophers, poets, and the best players recorded their games for posterity. Problems, or puzzles, in which the solver has to find a solution-such as a forced checkmate in a given number of moves, became popular during the 12th and 13th centuries." "Hold it," Zack exclaimed. "Maybe we're taking this clue a little too literal." "How so, little bro?" Ivy replied. "Remember, the modern chessmen are shaped in medieval representations. The rook stood for castles. That's where the term of the move 'to Castle' comes from. So maybe this rook is supposed to mean a particular castle." "You're right," Chris replied in a surprised tone of voice. "And taking a closer look at this rook, I see its windows are vertically barred-like a prison or jail." "So?" Ivy asked. "Put this together with the statement that she's closer than we think, and there's only one castle in the area I know of to have been a jail- The Tower of London. And the original part, built in 1078, is known as the 'White Tower.'" "Player! C-5 us to the Tower of London!" Zack called out. The same bluish portal they had arrived in reappears, the three of them jump in. They reappear atop of Devereux Tower, the northwest corner of the Tower of London's inner fortification. "That thing definitely has its better days," Chris stated. "Yep," Zack replied. "And sometimes we don't- look!" And there, running toward them from the east were five men in slick gray uniforms and caps and wearing dark glasses. (Commercial break) "Let's get them," Ivy yelled as she assumed a defensive karate stance. "You got it," Chris replied as he runs toward them. Ivy took care of three of the VILE henchmen while Chris and Zack teamed up to abuse and confuse the remaining two. Less than two minutes later, the henchmen were out cold and the three ACME detectives started heading toward the Jewel Tower. Suddenly a small fleet of large helicopters appeared from behind the Docklands Tower. "Those are Sikorsky S-64Es," Ivy exclaimed. "Also known as 'SkyCranes.' They're largest external load helicopter operating in the civilian market in the free world. Each one can lift 20,000 pounds, move the load at 100 miles per hour and place it precisely where needed." No sooner did they arrive overhead then did twelve rockets launch from the Jewel Tower's edges and corners and attached themselves to the helicopters. "Carmen's not stealing something from Jewel Tower!" Chris exclaimed, "She's stealing the Jewel Tower itself!" "That's right, Detectives!" Carmen's voice is heard from one of the helicopter's loudspeakers. "I've got my souvenirs from my London outing, but my shopping spree isn't over yet. Oh, but don't worry. I didn't forget you. Come, follow me-if you can!" And then the giant helicopters, with the famous Jewel Tower in tow, disappeared back behind the Docklands tower. "Come on, my plane's not that far. Player. C-5 us to London City Airport." Twenty minutes later, a Cessna airplane is in the air with 3 passengers. "LCA Tower says Carmen's headed due south," Chris stated. "We should be coming up on them soon." A few minutes later, Zack exclaimed: "Look! There's the tower!" And there, in the middle of a large sheep pasture was the Jewel Tower, minus any helicopters. "Hang on, I'm bringing her in." A few minutes later, after Chris landed his plane, the three ACME detectives approacedh the tower. When no opposition appeared, they entered and found the large vault door wide open. In the vault itself they think they will find none of the jewels missing, until Chris points to the Scepter of the Cross and the cut hole of glass in front of it. "The Great Star of Africa is missing!" he exclaimed. "That's the largest polished diamond in the world with 74 facets and weighing in at 530.2 Carats!" "You mean she stole the whole thing just to get that diamond?" Ivy exclaimed astonished. "Why?" "Time, sis," Zack replies. "She probably had her henchmen set the rockets up while she stole the ruby from the British Museum of Natural History, then went and got the helicopter from who knows where, and then came back to get the Jewel Tower, knowing we'd be right on her tail with that clue she left up." "Of course! She knew we couldn't immediately follow her from the get go," Chris added. "Getting my plane and taking off gave her the time she needed to get here, steal what she needed, and get away." "But where did she go?!" Ivy yelled. "Gatwick Airport isn't that far away." Chris told her. "She probably had a private jet standing by for her arrival from here." "Look here!" Zack called out from the display case's other side, "Carmen left us a clue." The other two ACME detectives walked over to where the third was and saw a small transistor radio and a small collapsible refractor telescope. Attached to the radio was note that said: "Turn me on." Upon doing so, the detectives heard only heard static until Zack started turning the tuning dial first one way one then the other until a Mexican style of music was heard. At the same time Ivy was holding the telescope when she heard something move around in it. After unscrewing the one of the lens caps, and tipping it over, she was surprised to find sand spill out. "What the-" Chris exclaimed. "Now what do Mexican music and a telescope full of sand have in common?" "Wait a minute," Zack said. "Maybe it's all four clues combined. This radio, the music it's playing, that telescope, and the sand." "What do you mean, bro?" Ivy asked. "Well, take a look at the sand itself," he replied, shining his flashlight on it. "See what color it is?" "It's white. So?" "White sand! Add the Mexican music this radio is playing and you get White Sands, New Mexico." "You're right. Player, C-5 us to-" "Hold it, sis. White Sands, New Mexico covers a large area. But I narrowed it down because of the original clues. The radio and that telescope. Now where in the White Sands area is there a radio telescope?" "The Very Large Array outside Socorro, New Mexico!" Chris exclaimed. "It's the largest radio telescope of its type in the world! Player, C-5 us outside Socorro, New Mexico!" Once more, the bluish portal appeared, but before they could enter, the Chief appeared in front of the portal. "Hold it, Gumshoes. While you were off playing follow the leader, Carmen's henchmen have been busy. A. Tom Mic stole the cooling towers from the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant" (picture of plant shown) "outside Phoenix, Arizona. Bea M O'Light lifted off with the entire Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory," (picture of Lab complex shown) "1x located outside Livermore, California. And Aster O' Namee stole the mirror from the Keck Observatory" picutre of main dome shown) "in Mauna Kea Hawaii." "What would they want with those?" Chris asked. "Glad you asked. It turns out Palo Verde #3" (picture shown) "was the largest nuclear power plant in the US. The Keck Telescope" (picture shown) "was the world's largest optical telescope. It's giant mirror actually consisting of 36 individual segments that collect light & bring it to a common focus. Each of the mirror's 36 segments measure about 6.6' across. And the Lawerance Livermore National Laboratory contained Nova," (picture of laser shown) "the world's largest & most powerful laser. Actually 10 huge lasers acting as one. For one-billionth of a second, the laser produces a blast of 100 trillion watts. In return the laser generated 120 kilojoules of energy. That could easily light up a city the size of San Francisco. Talk about power to the people!" (a giant light bulb appears next to the Chief, & then gets brighter & brighter.) "Woah!" (Accent become faux-religious and a pair of black sun-glasses appear on the Chief) "I have seen the light!" (Light bulb blows & the screen blacks out) "Oh dear." (accent returns to normal) "Scientists had planned to upgrade the Nova to be twenty to forty times more powerful. Soon, they predicted, Nova Laser would have been capable of producing four to twenty megajoules of energy!" "Carmen's getting weirder then usual," Chris said. "but so far, she's been consistent. She's taken things mostly the largest of their kind in the world or the US." "Yeah, well the 'world's best crook' is about to loose her position," Ivy exclaimed. "Let's go!" And the three ACME detectives jumped into the C-5. Chief's voice heard in mid transit (British accent): "By Jove, chaps, you're leaving jolly old England for the hot and humid (accent become "American cowboy") Land of Enchantment better known as--New Mexico-Yee-Hah! Famed for its scenery's great variety and magnificent colors, New Mexico has tourists attracted not only by its deserts and mountains' scenic beauty but also by the rich Native American and Spanish cultures that distinguish the state. However, New Mexico also played a role in the Atomic Age's development. With the explosion of the first atomic bomb at the Trinity site at White Sands Proving Grounds in 1945, New Mexico became an important center for nuclear research and development." (color movie of an atomic bomb detonating) "Ahhh! Head for the hills! Women, children and computers first!" (35 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico, USA) The three detectives land atop one of the twenty-seven parabolic dish antennas that comprise the Very Large Array. Each dish is eighty-two feet in diameter & they're placed along three thirteen-mile long arms in a Y-shaped pattern. Not far from each of the brace was one of the three cooling towers from Palo Duro. And in the Y-brace's center stood the ten lasers that comprised Nova. "Well, the towers and Nova are here, but I know even Carmen can't steal something this big," Zack proclaimed. "No helicopter in the world can lift all these telescopes." "You're right Zack," Chris agreed. "The twenty-seven antennas' total gathering power is equal to a single antenna seventeen miles in diameter. The maxi-mum resolution at a wavelength of half-inch equals the resolution of an optical telescope with a reflector of about thirty-six inches in diameter. But this entire set up has me confused. What would she need with such large things?" Just then Carmen's voice is heard over the radio. "I don't need to steal the telescopes themselves, Detectives. Just their air time." Pause. "I'd get down as fast as I could if I were you. Things are about to get pretty hot up there. But maybe, just maybe you can dish it out. I certainly can from such a rich port as where I am." Just then each of the telescopes started to turn from facing a single direction to face their Y-brace's focal point. At the same time, smoke was seen from each of the towers and it looked as if Nova was beginning it's ignition sequence. "Let's move it!" Chris yelled, but no sooner did they start, than Ivy slipped on the moving dish & started to slide toward the edge. "Zack!" she called out. "Help me!" (Commercial Break) The blond-haired teenager was about to jump onto the dish after his sister, when Chris stopped him. "Don't. I got a better idea. Player! Open a C-5 portal ahead of Ivy's slide." No sooner was that said, then it happened. "Let's go!" and Chris jumped in after Ivy, pulling Zack along for the ride. And all three entered the portal one after another and came out three miles away from the VLA and four feet above the ground. "Ahhhhhhh!" "Woooooah!" "Cowabunga!" said Ivy, Chris, and Zack respectively. As soon as all three landed on the ground, got back up, and dusted themselves off, they looked back toward the odd assortment of giant objects on display. By this time Nova's ignition sequence had completed just as the VLA's realignment completed. Each antenna now pointed toward a single spot above them. "What's Carmen up to?" Ivy wondered. Just them three large, obviously powerful red laser beams came from Nova, angled along the VLA's Y-base. Each beam was then separated at each telescope's base until all twenty-seven radio telescopes were fed a laser beam. Each beam then traveled up the base & onto the dish. From there power seemed to build, until all twenty-seven telescopes fired their individual lasers into space. Each toward a single spot obviously in orbit. "Carmen used the cooling towers as a power source for Nova!" Zack exclaimed. "And the three rubies to augment the Nova's already incredible power." "And used the Keck mirrors as refraction & reflection point to angle Nova's beams along the VLA's dishes." Chris added. "That's why she said she needed the air time and that things would get hot for us real soon if we had stayed on that telescope. But to direct the laser along the three braces and then up each telescope would take only thirty mirrors. Where are the remaining six?" "And where's that beam going?" Ivy wondered. Just then the Chief reappeared just to one side of them. "You're not going to believe this, gumshoes." He said. "But just a few minutes ago, Carmen hijacked the Hubble Space Telescope and redirected its main mirror back toward the Earth." "Well, that answers that question," Zack said. "But that still doesn't answer why." "Maybe she needed the HST's main mirror," Chris said. "It's the largest of it's kind in space. With it she could reflect the accumulated laser back to Earth somewhere. Something like that was the basis of the US Strategic Defense Initiative back in the nineteen-eighties." "But where?" Ivy asked again. "Well, it would have to be in the telescope's line of sight. Otherwise she'd need another reflecting mirror." "Of course!" Zack exclaims. "Carmen told us where in her last clue. She asked if we could 'dish it out' and that she could in the 'rich port' she was in." "You're right little bro," Ivy replied. "And since she's into the 'largest of their kind in the world,' there's only one place she could be. Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, the largest stationary radio telescope in the world." "Player! C-5 us to Arecibo, Puerto Rico and step on it!" The bluish portal opened up once again and the three ACME detectives jumped in. Chief's Voice: You're zipping from Socorro, New Mexico to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, population 3,522,037. A land claimed by the explorer Christopher Columbus in 1493 and was subsequently a Spanish possession before the US gained control in 1898. The detectives then came out over one of the overhanging steel cables that held up the telescope's detecting platform, which was positioned over the dish's center. "Woah!" each of them cried out as the fell into the air and grabbed onto the cables. "Looks like the C-5 went on the fritz again," Zack exclaimed. "Nevermind that, bro," Ivy replied. "Look!" Gesturing with her head, the female ACME detective pointed toward the radio telescopes detecting platform. It was here that the laser beam was being directed from space. And again, the power seemed to be building. "Look down there!" Zack cried out. "Doesn't that look like Carmen's Chronoskimmer?" "You're right Zack," Ivy replied. "That is her Chronoskimmer, but it looks like she's done some major modifications to it. Isn't that a C-5 portal generator attached to it?" "But that still doesn't answer what she's up to," Chris said. "Why the answer's simple, detectives," came Carmen's voice from a nearby loudspeaker. "Once you've stolen everything in the world, what else is there to do, but steal things from another world- a world where ACME doesn't exist. Ciao!" Just then, the laser beam shot out from beneath the detecting platform onto the Star of India, which was attached to the platform's lowest point. From there, the beam was split along six ways. From there each beam shot horizontally to a point on the detection platforms support pillars, were reflected vertically to a point near the dish's edge, and were then reflected again inward to Carmen's Chronoskimmer. From there it appeared as if the vehicle was about being pulled into time and yet remain where it was. The light around the Chronoskimmer got brighter and brighter until it appeared to be blinding. The winds in the dish, which had started out light, got stronger and stronger until they appeared to be just short of forming a tornado. And just when everything seemed on the verge of exploding, there appeared a bright flash of light and an equally strong blast of air emanating from the Chronoskimmer and then-nothing. No light and no wind. Momentarily surprised by what had occurred, the three ACME detectives quickly climbed down the closest support, and ran down to where Carmen's Chronoskimmer remained. "Now I've got you-" Ivy yelled, tearing open the door to reveal no Carmen. She had disappeared again. (Switch scene to the young woman at a computer) "All that work & for what, Carmen?" appeared on the screen. A minute passed and there was no reply. "Carmen?" Another minute passed without a reply. "Carmen!" To be continued...