Archived Roll With It

[Chase]

Chase Devineaux considered the instructions and casually followed them. The call, the meeting, the mild urgency, all of it now pointed to the envelope placed in his suit pocket and the pending conversation between him and the infamous Carmen Sandiego.

Getting into the car and putting on the communication device, he waited until he could hear her breathing.

"You could have just called," he stated plainly through minimal static. "You could have had the files delivered to my box in Cannes, we wouldn't need to be here... Driving," he paused almost apologetically while changing gears.

"So talk."

 

[Vic]

Vic felt one of those weird tingling sensations that left his head itching. If he got this right, Carmen was gonna drive out in the desert with this Chase schmutt leaving him and Sarah to trail behind.
"Five min's a [censored] long time to wait," he said to Sarah. He didn't dare say it to Carmen, her word was law. "Let's get in da van, turn on the stuff, watch 'er back for her, eh?"

 

[Sarah Nade]

(No problem, Pru I'm stealing your spot because I can. )

Vic had read her mind.

Sarah nodded as she pulled her pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and flicked her zippo off her jeans before placing the flame to a coffin nail and taking a large drag. Carmen's word WAS law but both she and Vic had worked with Carmen long enough to know that, in the grand scheme of things, the most important thing at the end of the day was to ensure that Carmen Sandiego was safe. She was the driving force of VILE and without her the entire operation fell to pieces. Be it out of loyalty, the love of a paycheck, the thrill of the experience or otherwise they accepted without question that they were much more expendable than their boss.

"Right." she finally answered as she walked casually to the passenger's side and opened the sliding van door, revealing a secured wall of instuments for whatever a thief could need. Instead of stepping inside she walked around the van heading for the driver's side. "You take the back, I'll drive."

If there was trouble four minutes of driving would be much easier to make up than five and three minutes even easier than four. Also she had learned a long time ago that a moving van was much less obvious than a van sitting on the edge of the road.

 

[Carmen]

Chase was right on all accounts. She could have called him instead of asking for a meeting. From the sound of his voice, lowered and demanding, she surmised that he was not in the mood for light conversation. He never was, truly.

"I wanted to see you in person," speeding ahead of the Porsche, Carmen smiled after speaking into the earpiece. "Phone conversations are hollow." Through the brush and stones, the Corvette was powerful but the wheels were mildly difficult to steer.

"You never worked with Lee Jordan," she stated without questioning, "but you're good at finding people." Shaking her head lightly at the compliment, Carmen realized how true it was and how often she came to wish that it was not.

"And while I have my resources, I would gain an additional advantage with you on my side." Resuming, Carmen corrected herself, "You do know that's not a request."

 

[Chase]

Chase Devineaux understood exactly what she was and wasn't saying. Between the lines, he listened to the voice of a woman who needed help but was too proud to ask.

That mattered little. They were old friends, he didn't need to be cajoled into helping her, and he wasn't here to play 'remember when'.

Someone more wary might have turned her away, and someone more ignorant might have agreed without hesitation. Chase was the sort to reconsider until decisions were no longer available. He stayed silent; having figured that she knew his answer was 'yes'.

 

[Vic]

Manning the equipment at the back of the surveillance van, Vic didn't mind that Sarah didn't wait like Carmen told them to. He was under the same idea. Follow the leader.

Suddenly, off the radar, Vic could see flashes indicating police cars heading in their direction. At the coming rate and speed, it was starting to look like they'd cut Carmen's Corvette off at the highway.

"Ey, Sarah, cops!" Vic rolled up the volume knob on the detectors so the van's driver can hear. "Whaddayaknow... WHADdayaknow, a [censored] ambush!" Quickly, he grabbed the mic.

"Boss, I gotta warn ya," Vic said to the direct radio to Carmen's car, "there's cops coming up the road, looks like they're gonna cut you off. Your friend's got backup!"

 

[Sarah Nade]

Sarah barely had enough time to look in the rear view mirror before the pair of cop cars were behind the van, sirens blazing.

"Crap." she said in monotone and, not wanting to seem obvious, pulled to the side of the road as they passed. Like normal good hearted drivers do. Looking back at Vic through her interior rear view mirror she was grimacing. "I was looking forward to not having to fight cops tonight..."

Of the three present the one with the most physical presence would have to be Sarah and if someone would have to distract while the boss got away it was her.

"Damn. And my favorite episode of Young Ones is on tonight."

She pressed her foot on the gas once the cars were out of sight and took a drag on her cigarette.

 

[Carmen]

The idea that someone notified the police was not at all surprising. Carmen banked her freedom on anticipating ambush. But the look in her eyes ironically reflected that she did not expect one tonight, not from Chase.

Knowing he would blindside her so obviously almost… hurt. That notion was a revelation. How could she have trusted that he would trust her? His utter silence throughout their conversation spoke more than words. This was Chase Devineaux.

Turning to see his calm profile through darkened glass, her heart raced; and, resolving to that primal speed, she steered the car sharply into the Porsche Cayman.

 

[Chase]

Metal tearing against metal unleashed a sound that, to Chase Devineaux, resembled distant thunder. The impact forced the cars to lock temporarily as his left rearview mirror collided through Carmen's passenger-side window and her Corvette pushed his smaller Cayman upwards. Both vehicles remained at high speeds while only two of the Porsche's four wheels were touching the ground.

The initial concept of an accidental collision dissipated when Devineaux glanced at his opposition. She seemed... upset.

Attempting to regain control of the circumstance, he twisted the wheel, using the uneven terrain and Carmen's larger Chevrolet to his advantage. A solitary bolder jutted from the ground far enough to initiate a rise that released the Porsche. Once freed, the silver car propelled forward. Simultaneously pulling the handbrake and aptly turning, Chase drifted the Cayman, spinning it to a halt on a strip of gravel parallel to the highway.

Before the dust dispersed, the lights of police cars flared visibly in the distance. Without complete knowledge of the events unraveling before him, Chase Devineaux flicked off his headlights and engine. The Porsche Cayman was nearly invisible as the sirens rushed by seconds later.

 

[Vic]

[Yhep, you kids got more things ta work out than me and Sarah here.]

Vic couldn't see much from the back of the van. Trying to listen in on cop radio, he hardly heard the collision between Chase's and Carmen's cars, but he did see sparks. Things happened so fast, it was over before he could think to ask.

"What the?" He looked at Sarah.

At that moment, police radio said something about a 11-71. The cops were responding to a fire, they were safe.

"Erm, false alarm, ah?" With sheepish grin and a relieved sigh, Vic talked to Sarah and through his radio to Carmen at the same time, "a 11-71, some kind of fire down the road."

 

[Carmen]

First confused at her opponent's action of cloaking himself from the passing police cars, Carmen's affirmation came when Vic's voice on her radio said the words 'false alarm'.

It was not often the thief looked as guilty as the amount of warrants out for her arrest, but she had lost her poise in so little time, the cause and effect of this situation was worth a lengthy self-reflection. At whom was she disappointed?

In the encompassing silence and the clearing of dust that followed all bouts of this magnitude, Carmen adjusted her earpiece and searched for a variation of the word 'sorry' that would fit her situation.

"Are you hurt?" While not quite what she wanted to say, it was a start.

 

[Chase]

Chase Devineaux, in that brief moment, took the time to assess what happened. Judging from the police cars, her reaction mid way, and that look she gave him, somebody was having trust issues.
From the little radio came a tiny crackle and a voice asking:

"Are you hurt?"

After checking briskly, he shook his head and chuckled at his luck. "No, I'm fine." Then he added, "Thanks for sparing me." That bit of dry humor was signature.

"I'm going to check this out," the Detective patted his jacket where Carmen placed the envelope then pointed to the two-way next to his ear, "but I'm keeping this radio." Starting the engine, he urged the Porsche to a slow climb onto the highway. "You'll get it back next time I need to remind you about tonight."

That was all the talking needed, for now, the sun would rise in a few hours and he should be back at the ACME compound by then. Explaining the disheveled Porsche Cayman might not be too hard... hopefully.