Contents
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Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Vile Plot
Page 5
Page 8
Page 14
Page 17
Page 20
Page 26
Page 28
Page 31
Page 35
Page 39
Page 44
Page 50
Page 52
Page 55
Page 57
Page 60
Page 67
Page 71
Page 75
Page 78
Page 83
Page 86
Page 91
Page 93
Page 95
Page 97
Page 101
Page 107
Page 109
Page 112
Page 119
Page 121
Page 123
Page 129
Page 134
Page 138
Page 139
Page 141
Page 145
Sample Chapters from JETPACK ATTACK
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Written by Sam Nisson
Copyright © 2019 by HMH IP Company Unlimited Company.
CARMEN SANDIEGO and associated logos and design are trademarks of HMH IP Company Unlimited Company.
All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [email protected] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.
hmhbooks.com
Cover artwork by Chromosphere
Cover illustration © 2019 by HMH IP Company Unlimited Company
Background design and layout by Elaine Lee
Character design by Keiko Murayama
Character color by Linda Fong
Additional help from Sylvia Liu and Eastwood Wong
Interior artwork by Artful Doodlers
Interior design by Chrissy Kurpeski
Art direction by Rachel Newborn
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file.
ISBN: 978-1-328-62906-7 paper over board
ISBN: 978-1-328-62907-4 paperback
eISBN 978-0-358-16209-4
v1.0919
Vile Plot
THE MOOD WAS GRIM in the VILE faculty lounge. The five VILE instructors, leaders of the world’s most powerful criminal organization, were meeting to make their plans. Many of VILE’s recent schemes had been stopped by their former-student-turned-renegade-thief, Carmen Sandiego. They were looking for ways to make up lost profits.
“I’ve got a dandy of an opportunity,” said Coach Brunt, an enormously strong woman who spoke with a thick Texas drawl. “I am in contact with a very wealthy collector who has offered to pay a fortune for all the items on this list.” She slid a piece of paper down the table for the other instructors to see.
Professor Maelstrom picked up the list. He was a stern-looking man with pale skin and a voice that could send shivers up your spine. “Amur tiger, black-footed ferret, hawksbill turtle,” he read. “My dear Coach Brunt, is this a list of animals?”
“Not just any animals,” Brunt answered with a grin. “Every animal on this list is extremely rare or endangered—which means they’re worth a pile of money.”
“Disgusting,” said Countess Cleo, sticking her nose in the air. As always, she was perfectly dressed in the finest clothes and jewelry. “The only animal I’m interested in is mink.”
Dr. Saira Bellum picked up the list. “There are some fascinating creatures here,” she said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “If we decide to move forward, I can arrange for their proper feeding and transportation.”
Shadowsan, a master ninja who never smiled, crossed his arms over his chest. “I was not aware that VILE had become a pet store,” he growled.
“Lighten up, Shadowsan,” said Brunt with a smile. “A great thief can steal anything. Doesn’t matter if it’s got fur and claws, so long as it makes us a fortune.”
“An excellent point,” said Maelstrom. “I propose a vote. All in favor of this operation, raise your hands.”
Brunt, Maelstrom, and Bellum raised their hands right away. More reluctantly, Cleo and Shadowsan followed. “Outstanding,” said Brunt. “Now, which animal shall we capture first?”
Will VILE succeed in their plot to steal the world’s rarest animals? In this story, it’s up to you. Your choices will lead to one of twenty endings.
ARE YOU READY?
Turn to page 5.
YOU ARE A ZOOKEEPER at the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria.
As you proudly tell visitors, Schönbrunn is the oldest zoo in the world. It was built in 1752 by Emperor Francis Stephen as a place to keep his collection of exotic birds, monkeys, and other creatures. In 1906, it was home to the first baby elephant ever born in a zoo. These days, the zoo keeps more than seven hundred kinds of animals, trying to give them all a generous habitat where they can live full lives, the way they would in the wild.
You love your job, although it’s a lot of hard work—feeding the animals, watching for signs of disease or discomfort, cleaning out their living areas. Today, you are looking after the zoo’s newest arrival, Nadezhda, a baby Amur tiger. Amur tigers are the largest type of tiger in the world, living mostly in the birch forests of eastern Russia. They are also an endangered species, with only about five hundred and forty alive in the wild. Nadezhda means “hope” in Russian, because with so few Amur tigers remaining, each one carries the hope of the species.
It’s late evening, and the Schönbrunn Zoo is closed to the public for the day. You let yourself into the nursery building where Nadezhda lives. Sadly, her mom wasn’t paying enough attention to her, which is not uncommon for first-time tiger moms, so the veterinarians at the zoo decided that she should be fed by hand.
“Nadezhda, suppertime!” you call. She stays in a fenced-in area that takes up almost half the room, full of toys and fun places for a baby tiger to hide. Usually, she toddles out right away when she hears your voice, but today you don’t see her. A pang of worry clenches your stomach.
You notice that the back door to the nursery building is open, although it should be closed and locked at this time of night. You look out to see two people fleeing around a row of trees. One of them is a large man holding something about the size of Nadezhda’s carrying case.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
▷ If you go for help, turn to page 35.
▷ If you chase the tiger thieves, turn to page 83.
“LET’S GO AFTER THE CROPAN’S BOA!” you say. “That’s an amazing story. They’re an endangered species, one of the rarest snakes in the world. In fact, they’re so rare that scientists couldn’t find one alive for more than fifty years.”
Carmen smiles. “And I thought I was sneaky. Where are they hiding?”
“They live in only one part of Brazil. A group of herpetologists—that’s snake scientists—was determined to find one, so they put up posters describing the snake and asking the local people to help. Their plan worked—some workers found a Cropan’s boa on a road and remembered it from the posters, so they caught it and gave it to the scientists.”
“Wow,” says Carmen. “If VILE is collecting rare animals, I can see why they’d want that snake. Where in Brazil does it live?”
“The Atlantic Forest,” you tell her. “South of São Paulo.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Carmen says confidently. “Player, book us a flight for São Paulo!”
“Who’s Player?” you ask.
“I’ll introduce you on the plane.”
* * *
Two hours later, you are taking off from Vienna International Airport on a private jet. You can hardly believe this is happening—you’ve never been outside of Europe.
There are two other passengers, a brother and sister named Zack and Ivy, who come from Boston, in the United States. It turns out that Player is a teenage computer genius who lives in Niagara Falls, Canada. He’s a vital member of Carmen’s crew, doing research for missions, hacking into security systems, and arranging transportation—all from his bedroom.
“Hey, Ivy,” says Zack. “Remember when I caught that snake on Boston Common? The trick is to grab it right behind the head so it can’t bite you.”
“I think your memory is defective,” says Ivy, playfully punching Zack in the shoulder. “That snake did bite you.”
“Only twice!”
“Right,” says Ivy. “And that one was, like, ten inches long. We definitely don’t want to get bitten by a giant poisonous boa.”
“Actually,” says Player over a speakerphone, “the Cropan’s boa doesn’t have any venom.”
“Player is right,” you agree. “Boas kill using constriction. That means they wrap around their prey and squeeze to cut off the blood circulation.”
“Yikes,” says Ivy. “No hugs.”
“So how do we catch it?” Zack asks.
“If you know what you’re doing, it isn’t actually that hard,” you explain. “You can use something called a snake hook to lift the snake and guide it into a bag or bucket.”
“That will be your job,” Carmen tells you with a smile. “Now let’s all get some sleep. We’ll be in the air for a while.”
You realize how tired you are after your night of adventure, and you happily discover that your seat tips all the way back until it’s flat like a bed. You close your eyes and listen to the gentle hum of the engines . . .
* * *
You wake to Ivy shaking your shoulder. Rubbing your bleary eyes, you sit up and see sunlight streaming through the airplane windows. You look down at the coast of Brazil, with hills, farms, and patches of forest stretching into the distance.
“Our snake is down there somewhere,” Carmen says.
“That’s the Atlantic Forest,” you explain, “one of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems. It holds about twenty thousand species of plants, plus all sorts of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians—every kind of life. Five hundred years ago, it was bigger than Austria, Germany, and France combined. Now, though, most of it has been cut down, which is the main reason animals like the Cropan’s boa are in trouble.”
“I’m no jungle expert,” Zack offers as he gazes out the window, “but that place still looks pretty big. I mean, how are we supposed to find one snake?”
“Yeah,” says Ivy, “especially a snake that’s been hiding for fifty years.”
You think for a moment, and then you have an idea. “After the scientists spent some time with the Cropan’s boa, they released her back into the forest. They implanted her with a small radio transmitter so that they could track her movements and learn more about the species.”
“Interesting,” says Carmen. “So we could track that radio transmitter too. Player, can you hack into it?”
“It’s not like a cellphone,” says Player. “We would need to build a tracker and then get close to pick up the radio signal.”
“I could build the tracker, no problem, with the right supplies,” Ivy offers.
“That sounds good,” says Player. “But what if VILE also knows about the snake’s radio transmitter? They do have a head start.”
“Good point,” says Carmen. “So here’s the plan. Zack and Ivy, you go into São Paulo and pick up the supplies you need to build the tracker. I’ll head straight for the forest where the boa was released and scout for VILE.”
“What about me?” you ask.
“Your call.”
WHAT DO YOU DO?
▷ If you scout ahead with Carmen, turn to page 97.
▷ If you stick with Zack and Ivy, turn to page 57.
Return to page 86.
“WAIT!” YOU SAY, holding up your hands. “Nadezhda—the tiger cub—she’s crying because it’s past her suppertime and she hasn’t had anything to eat.”
“I gave her a bottle,” says Moose Boy, “but she wasn’t hungry.”
“She’ll eat only if she feels safe. And no offense, but she doesn’t feel safe with you because she doesn’t know you.”
Tigress sneers. “What’s your point?”
“Please,” you say, “take me with you. I’ll take care of Nadezhda, and I promise I won’t be any trouble.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” says Moose Boy.
“Coming from you, Moose Boy, that means absolutely nothing.” Tigress rolls her eyes. “But fine. And while you’re at it, you can show us the way to the west entrance.”
You decide to play along for now. At the very least, you’ll be able to make sure that Nadezhda is well taken care of. And you’ll keep your eyes open for any chance to escape.
Moose Boy picks up the carrying case, and the three of you continue along the path. Nadezhda crouches down on her blanket and growls. You smile at her, hoping that a friendly face will give her some comfort.
“How long?” Tigress demands.
“Not far now,” you tell her. You take them on a long, circular path that leads around the aviary, a forested area surrounded by a net, where the zoo keeps its flying birds. You see the west entrance ahead, a ticket booth, and a row of turnstiles behind a locked gate.
Tigress makes a phone call. “Our ride will be here any minute,” she says. Using one of her claws, she picks the lock on the gate, which swings open with a squeak. You exit onto the city sidewalk outside the zoo just as a black van pulls up to the curb. A small, sharp-faced man wearing glasses looks out from the driver’s seat.
“Hello, Otter Man,” says Tigress.
“Good to see you as always, Tigress. I trust that cage contains our feline prisoner.”
“Another successful mission,” she says.
“Ja, very good. Moose, load the kidnapped cub into the back of the van. Tigress, you are to report in for your next assignment—”
Suddenly, flashlights flicker over the van from inside the zoo. “Hello!” a voice calls. “Who opened this gate? You know you can’t park there!”
“Guards!” Otter Man cries in alarm. “We can’t let them follow us!”
“You take care of the cub,” Tigress tells him. “I’ll take care of the guards.”
Otter Man nods. This would be the perfect time for you to get away while everyone is distracted! But you’d have to leave Nadezhda behind . . .
WHAT DO YOU DO?
▷ If you make a run for it, turn to page 75.
▷ If you stay with Nadezhda and the thieves, turn to page 123.
Return to page 83.
YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH and charge through the drifting smoke, reaching down to grab the satchel with the egg. You slip for a moment in the grass but then find your feet and sprint toward the door of the ranger’s hut.
You feel a sharp pain in the back of your neck, and when you put your hand on the spot, you pull out a tiny dart. Lady Dokuso is smiling, her parasol aimed directly at you. Your legs feel like rubber as the whole world goes sideways . . .
When you wake up, you are in the cabin of the helijet, lying on a bench that is bolted to one of the walls. Across the cabin, Carmen is lying on a similar bench, looking like a crumpled heap of red. The three VILE guards have been propped up against the back wall, their heads drooping, still unconscious.
At the front of the room, Lady Dokuso sits with her back to you, punching buttons on the jet’s flight computer, dark sky outside the windshield in front of her. You feel the gentle hum of the engines and realize that you are flying.
A monitor above the computer pops on, showing a large woman with a friendly smile on her face. “Howdy, La
dy D,” the woman says. “I gather the mission was a success?” You recognize the voice—Coach Brunt.
Lady Dokuso smiles faintly. “More successful than we could have possibly hoped,” she says. “I captured the kakapo . . . along with even more valuable prey.” She gestures toward the back of the cabin, where Carmen is lying unconscious.
Brunt’s eyes go wide with wonder. “Is that . . . ?”
“Carmen Sandiego,” Lady Dokuso boasts. “I know that she has been a great deal of trouble for some of your newer graduates, but she presented little challenge to an experienced operative such as myself.”
Brunt claps her hands eagerly. “This is a glorious day,” she declares. “You can skip the zoo and bring her directly back to Vile Island. I can’t wait to begin her . . . reeducation. Fine work, Lady D. This will not be forgotten.” The screen goes black.
You’re not going to let them take Carmen Sandiego! You try to leap to your feet . . . but the poison in your system still has you mostly paralyzed, so instead you just roll off the bench and flop on the floor with a thud.
Lady Dokuso turns around and raises an eyebrow. “Ah, it appears that our zookeeper needs another sip of sleep juice.” She aims her parasol and shoots a poison dart into your leg. The world goes black again.
THE END
Return to page 101.
YOU WALK TOWARD THE TABLE where Le Chèvre is sitting until you are standing close behind him. Over his shoulder, you can see the screen of his tablet. He is watching videos of people from around the world doing parkour tricks.
As quietly as you can, you reach out and take the tracker from the bench. In Le Chèvre’s video, someone narrates in Japanese while a woman effortlessly bounds up the side of a building. “Not so great,” Le Chèvre mutters scornfully.
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