Disclaimer: This event takes place a week after Hiatus ends and is a foreshadowing of what is to come. Chase Devineaux’s dialog has been approved by Chase Devineaux.
9:00 pm. Clayton Street, San Francisco
Ivy Monaghan flipped on the lights to her apartment. Owned for little more than two months, it was a simple one-bedroom space amongst renovated townhouses. She didn't need much, but enjoyed the large windows, which (if the fog permitted) would give her a decent view of the harbor. With no time to unpack since returning from Hong Kong, a few boxes were strewn about the room, and bubble wrap still covered much of the furniture.
Dropping her jacket and scarf on the floor, she made her way across the living room, past a long dried up houseplant. The detective kicked off her shoes as she entered a galley-like kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
It held very little food, aside from a box of Chinese takeout, a jar of pickles, and packets of mustard. Feeling too lazy to heat up the leftovers, Ivy settled on a cherry creamsicle from her freezer.
She crashed into her leather couch, the most prominent piece of furniture in the room, and stretched out before the television.
Click.
“The Duchess looked delighted as she walked Lupo…”
Click.
“Rocklin California seeks to ban smoking in all areas, even in homes...”
Click.
“—a very prominent spot next to the harbor, and that’s why it was important to build something that fit into the city’s skyline…” A deep male, rather familiar voice announced.
Ivy raised an eyebrow.
It was Chase Devineaux speaking to talk show host Debra DeLune about the new ACME building. For the past few weeks, the detective agency’s PR machine had been on power drive. At the center of it all was the Director of Operations.
Ah, ACME’s resident heart-throb. Ivy thought as she took another bite of ice cream.
“And what of the notorious Carmen Sandiego?” Debra DeLune asked, “Do you see her being brought to justice in the near future?”
“Absolutely,” Devineaux replied assuredly, “No one can run forever. VILE has never been so quiet. The stakes have been raised, and they know it. At this very moment, ACME specialists like Chip Masters are hard at work researching a recent breakthrough in tracking technology. It's years ahead of current methods. We can track previous offenders anywhere in the world.”
That was odd… did he just single out Chip?
Just then, Ivy’s communicator buzzed with an anonymous message.
OPSEC MEANS NEVER SAYING "HI"
OPSEC
Don’t Let the Enemy Know
What To Protect
Nature of Mission and Objectives, CJCS Alert/Warning Orders,
Date/Time of Execution, Deployment Routes
Staging areas and Operating Locations, Reasons for
Implementing conditions, (DEFCON, FORCE PROTECTION
CONDITIONS, INFOCON), Any Capabilities and
Limitations, Strength/Disposition/Readiness/Command
Relationships of Forces of Personnel and Equipment.
Critical Information is anything that can be used by an
Adversary to impact AMC operations.
Okay, now this is getting ridiculous.
Ivy paced down the riveted steel floors of the Hong Kong Police Department's detainment facility. The hall was lit, one pulse at a time by iron glazed pendant lights that hung from an exposed ceiling. She wore only dark grey, a tank top covered by a one button blazer and stove-cut pants. All ACME agents under the Hong Kong division wore the same ashy shade. The color was chosen to build equality among all ranks and to make them instantly distinguished from other local law enforcement. Ivy could stand to be a little less distinguished. Sure, she certainly wasn't the only foreigner here, but at 5'9 without heels, she was the tallest in the room.
"Here he is." An HKPD officer in bright blue showed her to a sealed door with a Plexiglas window.
Through it, she saw a man with dark hair and an orange leisure suit. She recognized him as Lars Vegas, one of Carmen's more flamboyant henchmen. He sat nervously on a chair twiddling his thumbs.
"That's him." Ivy said definitively as she stepped away from the door, then motioned to have it opened.
Lars straitened himself momentarily when he heard the door. "Ivy?! Well you're a blast from the past!" the henchman's accent was exaggerated, but to anyone who knows him, this was the norm.
"You might want to save the small talk, Lars. Want to tell me why you were trying to get into Macau?"
"Lights? Luck? Cash?"
"How about... Probation?" Ivy flipped through the manila folder on the desk. "You're not supposed to go anywhere within a hundred miles of a casino. This is calling for Jail time, Lars."
"Woah, woah now... could I maybe, hmm... cut a deal?"
"I'm shocked to hear you say that." She said flatly, "But you're going to have to do really good to get out of this one."
"Eh? How good?"
"How about telling us what Carmen is up to?"
"Hey, I was supposed to be following my best buddy Vic, and then he ditches me for some fuzzy haired kid. I don't know what they're up to now."
"Sorry Lars, I guess it's back to the High Desert Prison for you..."
"Wait!" Lars Vegas looked around, and then lowered his voice, "What if I told you I saw Lee Jordan, and I have a good idea of where he'll be in Macau..."
Lee Jordan? Ivy thought. The idea that Lee Jordan was back in the game made her very angry. After all, he betrayed ACME, kidnapped an innocent man, and if memory serves, he tried to kill her. Twice.
Ivy's eyes narrowed and she placed her palms on the table, bending down slightly to get Lars's attention. "Tell me everything you know. Now."
For Ivy Monaghan, there was nothing more refreshing than waking up to the harbor sunrise. Her apartment was small, meant to be inhabited by only one person, and with standard furnishings that could best be described as plain and unimaginative. But she could forgive it all in an instant for the view. Out from the room's floor to ceiling windows, Ivy could see colorful Victoria Harbor nestled between a frame of nearby skyscrapers. The dawn light was heavy, staining her beige furniture violet and pooling on her hardwood floors. She also had a front row view of the ACME building - Hong Kong.
Way to remind someone of work, ACME. Ivy thought to herself as she towel dried her hair.
Just as the detective was about to leave the apartment, her ACME communicator began to beep. Clicking it on, she responded, "This is Ivy."
"Good morning, Ivy." The voice of Venus Liu, the Hong Kong branch's executive secretary greeted. "The H.K.P.F recently apprehended a man suspected to be V.I.L.E. henchmen, Lars Vegas. Suspect was on his way to Macau island with forged documents. Your assistance is urgently requested for identification and interrogation."
"No one else is available, Venus? I'd hate to cancel class."
"I'm sorry Ivy, you're the only one in the area who has seen the suspect first hand. We've secured a substitute for your students this morning."
"Got it, Venus. Thanks." Ivy sighed.
Being V.I.L.E.'s greediest member, it wasn't out of character for Lars to try sneak into Macau. They might be able to hold him a while, but an arrest would be unlikely without a warrant. Besides, he might not even be working for Carmen anymore.
Oh well, it never hurts to ask.
