Carmen groaned, covering her head with one of her scarlet pillows, hissing as the phone continued to ring with monotonous persistence, grinding into her ears.

It's 3 am, Player. She bitterly mused, lifting her head to stare at her alarm clock-lamp. 3. AM. This had better be worth it.

The phone reached the end of the ring cycle before Carmen could pick it up, sending the caller to voicemail.

Carmen sighed with relief, burying herself right back into the soft, feathery pillows and relaxing as they snuggled around her. Bliss came with silence, and silence brought sleep. Finally, she could-

The phone started ringing again.

"Player." She snarled, snatching it up instantly and holding it to her ear, fingers curling around her quilt, hard enough that she was sure she was going to rip it. "Do you know what bloody time it is?"

"For you? 3 am. For me? 7 am."

"Great. Then you know now is a time when all good crimson shadows are asleep." Carmen hesitated. "Unless if you have another caper that we need to leave on right away."

"Not exactly…"

"Then goodnight." Carmen grunted, thumbing with her phone, trying to hang up.

"Hold on, Red. You know I wouldn't wake you up without good reason."

"Sure doesn't feel like good reason." Carmen snapped, glaring at her clock as it added a minute to its time frame. "Go to sleep. Even you shouldn't be awake this early…"

"I got some info on Vera Cruz." Player said rapidly before she could hang up, trying to get her attention.

It worked. Carmen snapped up like she had been awake for hours, leaning forward eagerly even though doing so was futile. "What?"

"That file you got from the isle of VILE; it doesn't just have info from the year Dexter Wolfe went AWOL. It's got intel from up to seven years previously, and two years after. Ten years in total. From almost every mission. Some is missing, of course, but-"

"Mom." Carmen reminded him, trying to get him back on track.

"Right. So, Vera Cruz wasn't just a codename she used for the house, like we originally thought. She was a VILE agent."

"Of course she was." Carmen grunted. "Should've guessed after the way she used Stealth 101 to fake her death."

"Yep. Wolfe had only been faculty for about three years and had only just began teaching when she became a student. She was in the first class he ever taught, and…well, blah-blah-blah, budding romance. Not exactly unheard of in VILE history, but pretty rare."

"You skipped all the interesting stuff." Carmen teased, opening the drawer on her bedside table and pulling out her headphones.

"If you want to hear all the 'interesting stuff', read it yourself." Player joked back, snorting.

Carmen plugged in the headphones, slipping on her robe and stuffing the phone into her pocket.

"Anyway, only a one-year operative when she abandoned the force, Vera Cruz vanished without a trace. Dexter Wolfe claimed that he would 'find Vera and would end her for betraying his trust'. Guess when his leaves of absence began getting more frequent and longer."

"Oh my…" Carmen breathed, clicking the clues together. She made her way to the kitchen and began to boil some water.

"Yeah. I'd say they secretly married while she was off the grid, and then had you."

"VILE trusted Dad with a secret mission? They didn't send more operatives after Mom?"

"Actually, they did send one or two more. But tracking people isn't exactly one of VILE's strong suits. Remember how they couldn't find you as soon as you left VILE island? To be honest, you were not being discreet."

"Ehhh, good point." Carmen agreed, starting to notice bubbles at the water's surface.

"Yeah; even kid-me noticed when they didn't find you after a week. Only a couple of them are good at tracking; like Shadowsan. And even he had to know where Dexter Wolfe was before starting to follow."

"You're right." Carmen realized, watching the bubbles begin to rise to the surface quicker.

"Okay, so, back on topic, I began really looking into files and stuff, and pieced together a few things from the house deed to Shadowsan's story, from the VILE case files to ACME's network. Red, do you remember where Shadowsan said Dexter Wolfe was moving his funds?"

"Of course. Swiss bank accounts."

"Precisely. Those have wicked good security; even I couldn't hack in."

"Humble." Carmen teased.

"I am quite humble, aren't I?" Player bragged with a dramatic tone. "But, seriously, Red, VILE wasn't able to get their funds back after that. The money remained in the banks. They noticed that, even after Wolfe's death, money was gradually removed from the account. They didn't think much of it, didn't even look into it. Some investigators."

"Player." Carmen reminded gently. As much as she loved hearing Player jab at incompetent VILE was, especially compared to himself, there was a time and a place. This certainly was not the time.

"Right. Sorry, Red. Eyes on the target. So. Even though I wasn't able to hack into the main bank itself, I can find out who their members are and run a facial recognition scan. Combined with your face, the very blurred photo of Vera attached to the deed, and the official-trainee picture she had at ACME, I've been able to pin down two possible Veras."

"Two? That's one more then I'd like." Carmen mumbled, hurrying to turn off the burner and remove the kettle as it began to scream at the air around it.

"That's one more then I'd like, too. I'm running a background check on them both right now as we speak."

"Names?"

"Madeline Kathy Dunky and Stella Dotty Banner."

"Stella Dotty Banner." Carmen said, biting her lip. "Sounds like a codename."

"For the 'Star Speckled Banner'?"

"Yes, exactly."

"It really does. A very American name. If almost feels like overkill to have two code names; especially since one is what she's going to live by. But, hey, no judging. Like mother, like daughter, I guess."

"I can hear you judging." Carmen smirked, pouring the water into a mug. "Mr. Judgey."

"I am absolutely giving you a judgey-face." Player cackled, and Carmen could just picture the expression he was probably wearing. (A very not judgey face. An amused visage, if anything.) "Feel my judge!"

"Wait, Player, hold on." Carmen said, breaking from the conversation. More entertained then annoyed, she pressed, "you woke me up at 3 am…and you hadn't yet figured out which one was Mom?"

"Nope." Player cheerfully returned. "I started the scans on two different computers at the same time; they should both end in fifteen minutes. I can review them and then tell you which one I think is your mom in the morning along with the basic facts…or you can hear them both for yourself in detail the moment they're loaded and tell me using your weird daughter-intuition and your regular brains which one is your mom."

"3 am. For this." Carmen teased, already knowing that he knew which one she would choose.

"I was wondering the same." Shadowsan said in greeting, sitting on the couch opposite Carmen. "I must admit, I was not expecting you, of all, to be awake at this hour. Much less talking to yourself."

"I'm talking to Player." Carmen told him, wincing slightly. "I didn't mean to wake you with the kettle."

"I do not mind." Shadowsan shrugged. He glanced at the headphones. "What is your closest comrade doing awake at this hour?"

"Tell him it's later for me."

"It's later in the day for him." Carmen relayed, before pointing to the kettle she had settled on the coffee table. "There's extra water in there if you want me to get you so tea."

"Why are you talking when it is so early for you, though?" Shadowsan inquired, obviously worried for Carmen's health. He got up as he waited for an answer, striding over to the cabinet to pull out a mug.

She hesitated, fidgeting with her mug. She did wish to tell him as soon as possible, but she also wanted to hold off from telling the team until they were all together.

"I'll tell you later." She decided finally, sipping at her tea. "Any more info, Player?" She said, trying to tacitly inform Shadowsan that she wouldn't tell him any more.

Shadowsan understood and accepted it, pouring himself a cup of tea from the mug that - Carmen noted with amusement - had been scribbled on with a permanent marker by Zack that said '1# Ninja/Dad'.

"I don't plan to rely solely upon the Swiss background check; I'm pulling information from several different sources. For example, I'm checking Stella Banner's Facebook and he profiles on other social media sights. Madeline has none of those that I could find, by the way."

"What can come of checking social media pages?" Carmen inquired, not even attracting an odd look from the instructor as he crept away back upstairs to his bedroom.

"Number 1# rule of VILE academy."

"No contact with the outside world." Carmen recited, brow furrowing. "What does that have to do with-"

"1991. She would not be updating of posting anything during at time, because she's supposed to be at VILE island. And if she did, I can track where it came from. If it originated from the Canary Islands…"

"We know she snuck a devise in and managed to keep it hidden. Like I did." Carmen pieced together, refilling her now empty-mug and mixing the new water with the tea bag residue.

"Ding-ding-ding! That's right." Player confirmed enthusiastically. "Hmm…okay, the time stamps don't go further back then 2005…uh…oh."

"Player? What is it?"

"Facebook was founded in 2004. All the sites she was one were created in the starter years of the 21st century."

"So nothing could be posted in 1991."

"Yeah. Unfortunately." Player paused thoughtfully. "I was thinking, Red…Carmen…which one do you want to be your mom?"

Carmen sighed. "Don't know enough to make an educated decision. All I know is their names. I think it'd be interesting to have code names run in the family, but it might be cool to have one normal person in our family of ex-VILE members."

"True." Player agreed. "But are you sure you want the last name 'Dunky'?"

"Don't be rude, Player." Carmen snorted in mirth. "I'm sure they don't want their surname teased like that."

"Then they should've changed it to Wolfe. Talk about a cool last name. Like, Red, even I'd change my name to Wolfe given the chance. I'm surprised you haven't!"

"Sandiego already works pretty well. Why change?"

"Wolfe, Red. Wolfe." Player empathized, and she could practically see his wide eyes and fingers pinching together as he tried to explain to her. "If that doesn't strike fear in the hearts of your enemies, I don't know what will."

A beep sounded from his end, and she could hear his chair squeak as he turned it. "Scan is done on Stella. She finished early, I guess."

"Hit me with it."

"Stella Banner was born to Jennifer Banner in 1969."

"Uh-oh. Already a no-no." The birth year was wrong.

"Stella was raised in Maryland, where she got education up to one year of college before dropping out. However, her education was enough to get her two part-time jobs at two restaurants. She didn't pay any taxes until she was thirty; her mother footed the bills."

"No sign of her leaving anywhere in thirty years?"

"Aside from a Disneyland trip for a week? No. We could interrogate her mother for all the information we want. Miss. Jennifer's still alive."

"Okay, proceed."

"Her decade of working at fast-food got her more then a million dollars; she had spent almost none of it. She opened a Swiss Bank and moved to Switzerland, abandoning her mother to go live in expense. Up in Switzerland, she got an extremely high-paying job, and has been building on her funds ever since. It won't tell me how much money she currently has, if you're curious."

"I'm not sure about her." Carmen said, frowning at the brown liquid in her mug. "It doesn't seem like she took the time to join VILE."

"She also has no criminal records. The majority of VILE's operatives have at least a few charges of theft. That's part of the reason VILE takes them in; to train them not to get caught. It is entirely possible that she lied to the Swiss Bank and to everyone about her whereabouts during those years. After all, she hardly interacted with anyone besides her mother during that time."

"Good point, Player." Carmen praised, staring down at her coffee. "I can tell by your voice you're thinking of other inconsistencies."

"I am. Her birth year is wrong, and her backstory seems too…usual for a VILE operative. Yeah, she could fake it, but I'm pretty sure the Swiss Bank does serious background checks. Did her mother lie and fast-food employers fake their record of employees during that time?"

"That's a hole in the story."

"Also, Jennifer Bangle was a teen mom. Of course she named her daughter a pun."

"Oh, com'n, Player, you'd name your kid a pun." Carmen grinned, fondly rolling her eyes at his reluctant noise of agreement. "So we're not leaning toward Stella right now?"

"I'm not." Player said. "Are you?"

"No."

"Then no. We're not." Player paused. "Carmen, do you want me to try to get your mom to come here when we find her, or do you want to go to Switzerland once I track her down?"

"Go to Switzerland." Carmen responded after weighing the options. She was so thankful to have a best friend like Player. He knew her well enough to guess what she wanted, but he still gave her the chance to choose. Knowing him, he was already looking at flights to Switzerland and wondering which one would be best to get her on. But he wouldn't buy anything until she told him what she wanted for herself.

"Alright, I'll look at private jets tomorrow." Player relayed. "Or, technically, later today. I ordered a care package and it's en route right now. It has everything you need for your trip and should arrive by 8 am. When you go, please pack everything you find in it."

"Perfect, Player." Carmen beamed, sipping her tea again. "Thank you."

"Of course." Player responded, and Carmen wished she could envelope him in a big hug.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Player." Carmen told him. "I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without you, and I'm fairly certain you just stayed up all night doing research on my mom. You're amazing."

"Aw, Red!" Player probably beamed happily and perked up. "You know how much I want to help you, especially after everything you've done."

"You already spoil me plenty." Carmen reminded her best friend. "You don't have to do half of what you do."

"I know." He stated cheerfully. "But it makes me feel good when I held you out. When I help all of you out. Carmen, you're my best - and first - friend. Of course I'm going to assist you in every way I possibly can. I'm with you until the end of the line."

"I know that, Player, and that's what makes you so amazing." Carmen played with the string at the end of her tea bag, smiling at the area in front of her as if she was smiling at him. "You stick with me no matter what. You were the first to do so, and you've never questioned it. You trust me, and I trust you."

"That's what makes us so great." Player chimed softly, voice lowering happily.

"Yes." Carmen agreed just as gently, and the duo lulled into a very comfortable silence. "It is."

She wasn't sure how long they sat there with nothing but Player's subtle typing to keep them company, but a beep was what tore the absence of sound.

"Welp." Player immediately chimed thoughtfully. "That'd be Ms. Dunky's background check, and- what."

"What?" Carmen asked, perking up.

"Sorry, getting ahead of myself. I saw the word 'kidnapped' and zoned in."

"What." Carmen blinked in the same deadpan tone he had used.

"We'll get there. Starting at the top! Madeline Dunky was born to a fairly poor family in 1971, Cathleen and Samson Dunky, who died when she was ten and twelve respectively. She shoplifted several items after their departure, living on the streets and fighting to survive. Even after being fostered, she still remained a wild-child and robbing and threatening multiple people. She has twenty reported crimes of theft. Probably many others besides. When she was twenty-one, she claims she was kidnapped."

"Twenty-one is the earliest someone can join VILE." Carmen realized. "And they train for a year. She might've been with VILE during that time."

"More proof; it says after a year," Player paused to let that sink in, "she appeared again as a very different person. More subdued, not acting like a criminal at all. She stated that she doesn't remember her kidnappers' faces and never knew where kept her. Barely two years later, she got married in a courthouse, and changed her last name to…" Player trailed off.

"Player?" Carmen prompted, tensing slightly, biting her lip.

"Madeline Wolfe." He finished, inhaling sharply. "Red-"

"That's Mom." She whispered, hope soaring into her chest. She had found her. Player had found her. Madeline Wolfe. Her mother. There she was. She was right here. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to stifle her flood of tears. "Player…that's her."

"Carmen!" Player squealed in glee. "We found her!"

"Keep going!" Carmen begged. "Finish the story!"

"Okay! Madeline Wolfe had married Dexter Wolfe, though their marriage was kept secret from as many people as they could. Dexter Wolfe was the one who placed all funds in the bank, making it so only Madeline had his permission - and himself of course - to pull them out. When they had their daughter, Doreen Wol-" Player choked again.

"I have a name." Carmen realized, covering her mouth to quench her hiccup. "They named me. I…I-I never knew."

"Me neither." Player whispered, and she realized that he was witnessing almost all the same emotions as she was. "Carmen…" His unsaid question, 'should I stop?', was left unsaid in the air.

"Don't stop now!" Carmen pleaded, bouncing in her seat, quivering.

"When they had their daughter, Doreen Wolfe, Madeline moved to Switzerland and bought a two-bedroom apartment while someone named Vera Cruz bought Madeline's villa from her. Vera agreed to house Dexter and Doreen for a while, and then died from a terminal illness hardly a month later."

"As we already know, Vera's Madeline." Carmen said quietly, drawing her knees to her chest. "Living a double life."

"That's right, Red." Player agreed, and she could picture him nodding enthusiastically. "Dexter and Doreen continued to live in the house for two weeks, before it caught on fire and they were supposedly killed in the blaze."

"Mom thinks we're both dead." Carmen realized. "I-I mean, she's right about Dad…but…" She gulped. "Proceed."

"She remained in Switzerland, not even returning to attend the funeral, claiming that it was 'all a conspiracy' and that they weren't actually deceased. After a year, she finally admitted they were dead but waited a year before changing her name back to Dunky." Player stopped, silence filtering between them. "That's all of the relevant stuff. Everything else blabs on about how she's living peacefully. Still in Biel."

"Did…did she ever remarry? And maybe have more children, or-?" Carmen asked hopefully, wondering if she had an extended family or not. The very idea of a larger family intrigued her.

"No, Red. She's still alive and still signal." Player spoke apologetically, picking up on her wishful undertones. "Just her. You and her."

"Player…when is the earliest I can go?" Carmen inquired, standing up to pick up the dishes and put them beside the sink.

"Searching… okay, just bought you tickets to a private flight that'll leave at ten am. It would get you there twelve and a half hours later, about, and that should give us a while to figure out how to do 'the reveal'."

"Thanks so much, Player. You're being so amazing!" Carmen whipped at her eyes as she hurried to her room, closing the door behind her quietly. "You're the bestest friend I could ask for, you know that?"

"Besides the fact that you've said that a dozen times tonight alone by now?" He teased, before sobering up. "I do my best, Red. Everything I do, though, you deserve it. And more besides. You've helped so many people, even taking in two orphaned siblings as family when you could've just ignored them and moved on with your day. You've made a home for not only them, but also for a ninja, too. You gave me a purpose. You help pretty much everyone – excluding VILE, of course – that you come in contact with, and you're a hero. Vigilante, sure, but still a hero."

Carmen closed her eyes, letting herself be drowned in his praise.

Funny, she mused, Player was really the one who found me so long ago, on VILE island. He's the one who helped me grow so much as a person and was who helped me realize I needed to escape. And now, two years after my escape, he's the one who found my mother.

Player's more of a hero then I ever was.

(:)

Madeline Dunky swallowed down the uneasy feeling that followed her, padding across the crosswalk to reach the other side of the street, keeping her grip on her purse tight. She could feel eyes staring at her; just like they had done a quarter of a century ago when she had first fled VILE. She knew she was being trailed and cursed her terrible luck. Twenty years of peace, and now the operatives had resurfaced. How had they even found her? VILE was frankly full of idiots.

They had been incompetent for so long; why track a forty-nine-year-old who escaped from VILE an entire twenty-five years before hand? Who hadn't even told anyone about them because she knew she wouldn't be believed? Ugh. They were being stupid and a little immature.

Even Dex, as rash and foolish as he could be, knew not to pursue a mission for multiple years at a time. Like, sure, he had never needed to pursue a mission for that long, a week at most, but she knew he wouldn't have. Dex was smart in that regard.

Madeline supposed that now that she was being hovered over by VILE's operatives, she could never return to her favorite store again. It was a quaint little corner store, but it was quite lovely. It carried her favorite kind of soup. She'd miss it. Until the VILE agents attacked her and killed her, or vise-versa, Madeline knew that she could never go about her usual routes.

She stood in front of the store for about five minutes, considering if she should even enter the shop in the first place – not wanting to put any of the employees in danger – before deciding that VILE couldn't just kill everyone she interacted with. Besides, that annoying cashier, Jesse, might be working today. She wouldn't mind if they took 'im out. So, Madeline entered.

To her frustration, it wasn't Jessie who was working the check-out aisle, but a man that she had never seen before. He only appeared to be a few years younger than her, if not her same age. Sorry, dude. She thought remorsefully. Letting them target you is nothing personal. I just really want the chicken noodle soup. I hope your family isn't depending on you providing for them.

She continued along, searching the soup aisle for her favorite broth. She glanced back once or twice, feeling the new man's eyes on her each time.

Okaaay…that was weird. Like, she knew there was nobody else in he store, but didn't he have…like…money to count or something?

Madeline picked up her chicken noddle soup, before heading to the kitchen supplies aisle. She took a package of knives before walking to an area of the store where the man couldn't see her, tearing a slit in the back of the package. If need be, she could reach in and take out a knife in less then a second.

She was beginning to think this man was with VILE. How long had they tracked her before she tuned in to their sneaky ways?

Madeline walked over to the cashier, packing a cutting board, a soup ladle, and a few apples with her so that the knives didn't seem it of place. She set them in front of him, making sure that the whole time he was scanning them the knives were within reach.

The scanner didn't beep. The money wasn't adding up on the screen; it just renamed a blank white.

Red flags were being raised all over the place, and Madeline pretended to look nonchalant while inside she wanted to run far away.

"How has your day been progressing?" The man asked politely, running the apples under the scanner.

"Good." Madeline said briefly. "Average."

"Mm. I am aware of that feeling." He agreed, glancing at the still-white screen. "20.93."

That… made no sense. That amount required the dollar bill. Not the Swiss franc. VILE was stupid.

She reached into her purse and pulled out as close as money as she could get from her purse, mentally converting it, and handed it over.

The man took it, glancing at it with not a trace of confusion, reaching under the desk, supposedly to grab change.

However, Madeline wasn't surprised when, instead of pulling out money, he came up with empty hands and the security system flicked on around them, doors automatically locking and bars closing around the windows.

She reached for her package of knives, snatching it up and taking a step back from the man. She glanced out the window to see if any pedestrians had noticed, then looked back to find…

The man was gone.

Uhhhh…that wasn't good.

She reached her hand into the casing, grabbing as many knives as she could, scowling as she surveyed the area around her.

Don't show fear.

Don't act surprised.

Don't be weak.

She recited in her mind on a loop, turning slowly.

She would not go back to VILE island. Not after what they had done to her daughter and husband. (She was still certain VILE had started that fire.)

Madeline was about to try to break the window to escape when she heard behind her, in a soft, female voice, "Vera Cruz."

Madeline froze at the name, staring pointedly at the window. She could make out a woman standing behind her, the top half of her face unseeable due to the shadows and the screwy window reflection. The woman was wearing a simple, every-day outfit; jeans, navy blue shirt, red jacket. (The VILE uniforms were really getting less and less creative.)

"I knew VILE would find me eventually." Madeline dealt back graciously, knowing very well that only VILE would know her codename. "Just surprised by your commitment. You aren't know to be competent."

"I'm not with VILE." The woman returned immediately. "Well, not anymore. I'm like you. I escaped."

Madeline laughed outright at that, not turning around. "Impossible. I barely escaped with faculty help, and they surely are now guarded against the way I escaped. Nobody else could do what I did. Again."

"I would love to get the intel on how you escaped. On a later date." The woman waved dismissively, her lips twisting into a sad smile. "That's not the point. Ma'am, Vera Cruz, Madeline Wolfe, or Dunky, I…I want to introduce myself."

"Just don't monologue." Madeline mumbled, sliding a knife into sleeve discretely, ready to throw at a moments' notice.

"I won't."

Keen hearing. Madeline thought in appreciation. Nice.

"I'm most commonly known as Carmen Sandiego." The woman recited quietly, as if she had been training to say this for a long time. "My friends call me 'Carm' or 'Red'. I was given the code name Black Sheep by VILE. My real name, though, is Doreen Wolfe. It's a…it's a pleasure to meet you."

Madeline choked as if she had been punched, knife sliding from the sleeve and clattering to the floor along with the entire package. She wheezed hoarsely, barely able to grip the metal bar crisscrossing the window to keep from collapsing.

She hadn't heard that name in so long, it was even more foreign then 'Vera Cruz' was.

Doreen.

Doreen Wolfe.

"You're wrong." Madeline managed to fumble out, trembling. "No one…no one escaped the fire."

"Nobody died in that fire." The woman – Carmen, Black Sheep, Doreen - corrected. "Dad died before that fire ever started, and I was rescued from it by the very person who started it."

Madeline turned, scowling at Carmen, ready to criticize her and tell her that no, that's impossible, you're lying, nobody in VILE, the only people who were terrible enough to do such a thing, would save a baby, but then she saw Carmen's eyes. Greyish-blue, gentle, seeming to understand, though held with worry. They looked just like Dex's. Right when Madeline – then Vera – told him that she couldn't bear to continue being part of VILE, about how it was filled with horrible people and 'A woman is known by the company she keeps. A man, Dex, is known by the company he keeps. And I don't want to be known as a thief anymore.'

Dex had been scared, and rightly so, of leaving VILE. But he had understood that she wanted out, and he assisted her with planning her escape, and she helped him figure out when and how he would leave to later be by her side, too.

This woman had Dex's eyes, and she stood straight and tall, just like he had done so many times before. But everything else…everything else Madeline recognized simply from looking in the mirror every day. The woman even had the small birthmark over her eyebrow that Madeline had. The misshapen nick that divided the tip of the eyebrow from the main hulk of it.

Madeline's mouth dropped from a frown to a gape, eyebrows knitting together in shock. Doreen. "Doreen?" She croaked, staring at the girl. "Wha-? How?"

Doreen smiled slightly, eyes filling with joy. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie." Madeline whispered, pushing forward off the barred window to approach the girl, stumbling forward after a few steps. Doreen rushed to support her and help her stand upright, and the two women hugged, Madeline's fingers burying into her daughter's locks, staring at the amber hair color, only a few shades darker than her own. "Doreen." She uttered quietly, blinking away her tears. "You're here. How?"

"I-I'll tell you everything." Doreen promised. "Just not here, not now. Somewhere… somewhere more private. I'll tell you everything you want to know, and everything I do know."

"Where do you want to go, Doreen?" Madeline asked, pushing back slowly to admire her daughter. She could tell already what a strong young woman she had become, so far from the mere infant Madeline had left behind.

"I'll show you." Doreen said, taking her hand. "I'll take you to my family; the people who've supported me for so long. You'll like them, Mom, I think you will. I'll explain everything, and…"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Madeline asked, beaming down at her daughter. "Let's go."

(:)

Doreen took her first to a red minivan, obviously a rental, where two red-head American siblings waited along with the man who had been working the counter at the quaint store. The man apologized for the ruse almost immediately, before the red-head boy, who was driving, had even started the car.

"Mom," Doreen said, "this is Zack, Ivy, and Shadowsan. They're some of my family and closest friends."

"There's more?" Madeline asked, already feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Just one more." Doreen explained. "We'll meet him once we get to the motel; that's where I left my computer."

"Okay." Madeline agreed mildly, crossing her arms uncertainly. She sat beside Doreen, Shadowsan in the seat in front of her and the siblings in the front seats of the van.

"So, uh, Mrs. Sandiego," the redhead boy – Zack – asked, looking at her through the mirror attached to the top of the windshield. "How long've you been stayin' in Biel?"

"Sandiego?" Madeline echoed, uncertain. She knew that was Doreen's alias, but didn't they know that?

"It's Dunky, bro!" Ivy hissed, slapping his arm. Zack flinched, and the car jolted a little. "And it's 'Miss'!"

"Right, right." Zack amended with a rushed nod. "Mrs. Dunky, how long've you been stayin' in Biel?"

"Miss…" Ivy mumbled, but Madeline ignored it

"About twenty years, now. Maybe a little longer." Madeline told them with a small smile. "I've been living here ever since Doreen turned one."

"Doreen?" Zack inquired, peaking at her again.

"That'd be Carm." Ivy translated with a groan. "Out of curiosity, how much have ya been listenin' to Carm for the last, oh, I dunno, three days?"

"I've been busy thinkin' of fondue!" Zack shrugged. "You know how my stomach works, Iv!"

"Do you always think with your stomach?" Shadowsan grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"I dunno! Do I?" Zack sassed back, though he sounded genuinely curious.

This was the strangest conversation Madeline had listened to since that one time Dash Haber and Kara Rate – two of her classmates – discussed how long it took a turtle to climb a tree using nothing but an eggbeater.

"Sorry, Mom." Doreen said quietly. "I've been going by Carmen Sandiego for the last two years, that everyone knows me as only that. I didn't even know my name was actually Doreen until three days ago."

"How did you learn that?" Madeline wondered aloud, frowning at her daughter in confusion. "And before you became Carmen, what were you known as?"

"She was typically known as Black Sheep during her time at VILE academy." It was Shadowsan who answered, voice deep and calm, no hint of emotion.

"That's right." Carmen confirmed. "I…I was raised on VILE island, actually, for nineteen years after the fire. I wasn't aware of my heritage, or of VILE's true form, for the entire time. It wasn't until I turned nineteen and joined VILE's program that I began to piece together that it wasn't all just stealing for fun. That they hurt people and even killed them. It wasn't until I met Player that I realized that I had to get out. That I had to escape."

"Who's Player?" Madeline inquired, knowing that she must owe this person a great deal, as he was implied as being the one to introduce her daughter to the world outside of VILE's desolate island location.

"My first and best friend. He's very endearing." Doreen – or should she be called Carmen now? - clarified. "He's actually listening in right now, and could talk to me, if he wanted, but you wouldn't be able to hear him without me raising the volume, and if I raise the volume…"

"Let's just say her ear'rum would get shatt'red from the high frequency." Ivy finished, looking around the passenger seat. "Or at l'st get significan'ly strained. It's at juuust the ri' volume so that it can't be 'rd by VILE operatives that might be very close, and loud enough that Carm can 'ear him over any sort of background noise, even ex'losions. You can only really 'ear him if he's screamin'. And the frequency is tuned with the volume so that it can't be tracked. Actually, if the frequency was much 'igher, it'd activate a kind of so'ic screech and wou' make an'one within a hun'red-yard ra'ius 'o hard of hearin' for se'eral hours, and ever'one within a ten-yard radius to go deaf permanent-'ike."

"Which is why I avoid turning it up louder." Doreen wrapped up, shrugging. "That wasn't exactly worth a tangent, but I suppose we'd have to explain it sooner or later."

"Just 'ike we'll h've to ex'lain how I invented it." Ivy bragged, a prideful smirk blossoming upon her face.

"Ivy's our residential technician." Doreen elaborated.

"Carm' says that's a nice way to say tha' she's a nerd." Zack translated, and Ivy turned to him with a glare.

"That is not something I have said, ever." Doreen said, though she looked very much like she had said it at least once. "Player said that."

"Oh, he's a bigger nerd then I've ever been!" Ivy protested. "I 'ike tech! Doesn' make me a nerd!"

"'course not. It's that egghead that does." Zack teased, glancing at her enough to poke her forehead with one arm, keeping the other hand firmly on the wheel.

"Eyes on the road, Zack." Shadowsan ordered. "Ivy sit back. It's dangerous to face backwards in case your brother is incompetent and crashes. The airbag would be ineffective. Carmen, continue to catch up with Miss. Dunky."

Madeline was extremely appreciative of Shadowsan, especially when the siblings quieted down instantly, straightening and returning their eyes forward.

"So, this Player fellow…" Madeline said slowly, turning to Carmen. "How did he assist you off of VILE island? Did he have to stay behind, or were you able to figure out how to bring him along? What ranking was he? How'd you meet? What's going on between you two?"

"Player encouraged me, most of all. He wasn't able to do much, since he wasn't actually on the island. So, no, I didn't leave him behind on the island. He doesn't exactly have a ranking, unless 'secret weapon' counts as one. We met when he hacked my phone. Nothing's going on." Carmen/Doreen answered in short order. "Shadowsan was the main one who assisted, actually, even though I didn't know he had at the time. He was faculty and was able to stall the Cleaners from following me until I could make it safely away. He escaped from VILE island himself almost a year later and joined my team and I afterwards."

"Faculty?" Madeline dully responded, narrowing her eyes. "Was he the one who replaced Dex?"

"Dex?" Carmen/Doreen frowned, brow creasing for a second before softening. "Oh, like, Dexter. Dad! Oh, uh, yeah, Shadowsan did. They thought he was the one who ended up killing Dad though he only faked it and wanted to reward him for doing so. Uh, yeah, he became faculty."

Madeline's eyebrows furrowed, confusion rooting itself in her stomach, becoming more confused with every word. "Explain everything. In chronological order.

And so, Carmen did. She explained every bit of it.

(:)

"Finally, Mom, here's Player!" Dore- uh, Carmen said, pulling out the computer and turning it on. Only ten seconds later, the screen turned darker and a young, teenage boy popped up, lifting his hand in friendly greeting.

Madeline stared at him, confusion filling her. Ivy and Zack, even with being young adults, were bad enough. But this… "He's a child." She deadpanned.

Player's face dropped from being cheerful to unimpressed within a millisecond. "How original."

"Player might be young, but, like I've said before, he's the smartest person I've met." Carmen relayed again for what felt like the tenth time. "He's the only reason I'm here now. While I say that I doubt I ever would've ended up stealing for VILE, that probably would be a false statement if it wasn't for Player."

Player grinned in unconcealed pride, glancing at Carmen happily.

"He's…Player's actually the reason I found you." Carmen told Madeline. "The only reason I ever learned the name 'Vera Cruz' or anything else about you. I wouldn't ever had found out anything about my family without him. He's the one who tracked you down and figured out where you were and everything I needed to know about you. He's never hidden anything from me, well, except for-"

"-The surprise party we threw for her on December 1st that first year." Player finished, beaming at her.

"Yep." Carmen nodded, gesturing to him. "He's vigilant, trustworthy, smart, and slightly nerdy, but not in a bad way."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Madeline told him politely. "I'd shake your hand if you were in person, but…eh… you're not, so…"

"Likewise." Player responded with a nod. "Don't count on actually ever meeting me, though."

"Nobody in our team, except for myself, has actually met him in person." Carmen explained. "I did, once, long ago, when delivering the original VILE hard drive, before realizing that associating myself with him physically would make him a target, especially if anyone spotted me entering his house."

"We'd prefer to keep me as secret of a 'weapon' as we can make me." Player finished cheerfully.

"That's true." Carmen agreed enthusiastically, before biting down on her lip in fear. "It's… honestly already risky having him constantly in contact with us through my earpiece, but-"

"Those earrings have a 100% Ivy-guaranteed no-hacking policy. And Ivy never guarantees anything unless if she's at least 95% certain that the guarantee is valid." Player persisted, not looking like he even wanted to consider the possibility of leaving Carmen alone for even a second. "She sent me blueprints, and I've looked them over. I'm about as sure as Ivy is that the com route is secure."

"The entire team has helped me so much." Carmen told Madeline quietly, smiling at Player. "Player most of all, yeah," – Madeline had a feeling Carmen would be saying so even if the rest of the team was there; they knew who her best friend was out of them all – "but they've all done their part. They've all provided comfort or known how to work things out, and…"

Carmen hesitated, fidgeting. "I don't know what you want to do, but I'd be really happy if you joined the team. Joined the family. You can stay here, if you'd like, but-"

"Stay here?" Madeline laughed, thinking up her answer instantly. She had been pondering what she'd go and do for the last hour, whether or not her daughter even wanted her around, but she already knew what her own answer would be. "And miss out on more mother-daughter moments that we never got the chance to have? No way, sweetie. I'm coming with you. Our family will not be divided any longer. Besides, taking down VILE? That's what Dex and I always wanted to do back in the day." Madeline insisted. "I'm sticking with you. And your odd team/family/thing."

"Sometimes a family is an ex-thief, her daughter who was raised by thieves, a ninja, an ex-thief, a hacker, and two almost-insane siblings from Boston." Player joked, and it sounded like he had gotten it from somewhere. "It's a very, very weird family, but a family nonetheless."

Madeline wrapped her arms around Carmen carefully, smiling at her gently. "Family." The two women said together, both closing their eyes as they leaned in.

They look virtually identical as they did so, except for Madeline's few stands of grey hair, the perfect mother-daughter pair.

Player smiled at them, shoulders slumping in a relaxed position.

He reached out to turn off the FaceTime call, opting to let them have some time for just the two of them. He'd be here when they were ready for him to come back.

But first…

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment, then closed his eyes for longer then ten seconds for the first time in several days, sighing peacefully.

Next, he would look for any other stragglers of Ivy and Zack's family that the siblings didn't know of.

It was the least he could do for his family.

Even though he had never so much as touched any of them - except for Carmen once almost two years beforehand - they still were his, and he would do anything for them.

He'd help them like only he could, and pray that was enough.