Chapter Twelve
It had only taken an hour for Big Bird, the Mystery Inc. gang, and two of ACME?s best detectives (Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck) to head up to the Arctic region of the world, where they found Superman?s secret citadel, the Fortress of Solitude. Neither of them had ever seen such a stunning sight before, and even though they were all bundled up in warm clothing, it was the Fortress itself that kept their minds off the cold atmosphere.
After passing through a massive canyon and carefully crossing the frozen moat that surrounded the Fortress, the group entered to find that the interior of the place looked far more intriguing than the exterior. But instead of marveling over the scene, they focused on their primary reason for being there: finding and capturing Carmen Sandiego. However, in each and every part of the Fortress they looked, Carmen was nowhere to be found.
?She?s not here.? Velma said.
?That?s impossible!? Daffy exclaimed. ?Our computers are always one hundred percent accurate. If they say she?s here, then she?s here!?
?Our computers don?t have any record this place, Daffy.? Bugs said. ?To them, it?s just an empty space on the top of the world.?
?But to me, it?s more than that, detectives.? A voice echoed throughout the Fortress?s interior, and as the group looked around to see where it had come from, they were taken by surprise when a large group of VILE agents appeared out of nowhere and surrounded them.
?Aw, man!? Shaggy exclaimed. ?Something told me this was gonna be a trap!? That?s when Carmen Sandiego herself appeared at the scene, with Lefty and the Sleazes accompanying her. A gagged, tied up, and blindfolded Mac and Frankie were also at the scene, being guarded by three VILE agents.
?Welcome to what will currently be my sanctuary, detectives.? Carmen said, while a VILE agent approached Velma and just stood in front of her with an outstretched hand. Velma knew exactly what the agent wanted, and she had no choice but to give it up. She reached beneath her coat and pulled out the third and last Kryptonian crystal, handing it over to the agent, right before he handed it over to Carmen.
?You got what you want,? Velma said, ?Now let my cousin and Foster go!? Carmen smiled at Velma, and she turned to the agents guarding Mac and Frankie, gesturing for them to release the two. After they were untied and had their blindfolds and gags removed, Mac and Frankie turned to each other, and Frankie hugged Mac warmly.
?Oh, Mac!? She exclaimed. ?I?m sorry about what I said, pal. I never meant to blame you for costing me my job like that.?
?I only wanted to keep something like this from happening, Frankie.? Mac said. ?I didn?t mean to cost you your job.?
?I realize that now.? She told Mac. ?And I promise that I won?t ever accuse you of anything again.? Mac and Frankie smiled at each other, just before a VILE agent pushed them towards Big Bird, Bugs, Daffy, and the Mystery Inc. gang. Velma was the second one to kneel down and hug her cousin.
?Are you alright, Mac?? Velma asked.
?I?m fine, V.? Mac replied, and Velma looked angrily towards Frankie, who just sheepishly smiled at her. Meanwhile, Carmen was staring down at the three Kryptonian crystals that were in her gloved hands; they sparkled in her eyes, just like they had with everyone else, as she moved towards a crystal bank, where there were several slots for many different Kryptonian crystals. There were slots for memory crystals (which were empty at the moment), and then there were slots for the type of crystals that Carmen had in her possession.
?Finally?the time has come to rule the cosmos.? Carmen uttered, right before she inserted two of the crystals into the slots. Both the crystals and the rest of the crystal bank glowed brightly, at the same time an image of the face of Superman?s biological father, Jor-El, appeared within many of the giant crystals in the Fortress. He was just as handsome as his son was; yet he looked very sad at that moment.
?My son,? His deep voice echoed throughout the Fortress, as well as the rest of the Arctic section of the world, ?I did not wish for you to take this crystal and the other two with you on your journey to Earth, because they contain a power?a technology similar to the one I had used for the Phantom Zone. I sent them with you as a warning of a planet born within the Phantom Zone that has found a way to exist within the cosmos, often disappearing and reappearing in every known galaxy. If you happen to encounter this type of world in the galaxy that you?re in, you must find a way to destroy it and rid it of the infectious chaos that will spend over every part of the cosmos. And if you do find a way, use the third crystal to generate a wormhole that will take you away from Earth and into this ?Phantom Planet?. But be careful, my son, for this planet imitates the one closest to it, and often these imitations will be exact or they might be entirely alien. Only you can stop this planet, my son?only you.?
As the image of Jor-El disappeared from the giant crystals, Carmen smiled wickedly, very much anxious to discover the ?Phantom Planet? that Jor-El warned her about. Mac, Frankie, Big Bird, Bugs, Daffy, and the Mystery Inc. gang looked to each other nervously; they suddenly realized that the new planet was not to be discovered by mere mortals and that it was crucial to alert Superman of its presence in their galaxy. It was even more crucial to stop Carmen from inserting the third crystal, which she was doing that very moment.
?NO!!!!!? Velma cried, as she and the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang tore away from the VILE agents holding them and ran towards Carmen. Sid and Sam, who were the ones standing the closest to Carmen, turned and attempted to hold them back. Just after Carmen inserted the third crystal into the crystal bank, there was a large beam of light that came out of the sky, shining right between two giant crystals and over Carmen, the Sleazes, and the Mystery Inc. gang. They all looked up at the light, wondering where it had come from, and they looked to the people standing out of the light, noticing how they all seemed to be frozen in place.
?This is it! This is the portal!? Carmen yelled, and she started laughing maniacally, as the group began to feel as if their bodies were being sucked up a giant vacuum. The Sleazes and Mystery Inc. watched Carmen in shock, as her body began to vaporize, realizing a metal skeleton beneath the skin and coat. Beyond the metal rib cage was a small cockpit, where Scrappy-Doo (former member of Mystery Inc. and now their worst adversary) had been operating the Carmen robot for years. He laughed as maniacally as his robot did, as it crumbled to pieces around him, leaving him floating in the air with the stunned Sleazes and the surprised Mystery Inc.
It wasn?t long before the eight of them were suck right out of the Fortress of Solitude and into the skies above, along with the wormhole that had come down to the Earth?s atmosphere. Back in the Fortress, the remaining people (including Big Bird, Bugs, and Daffy) noticed how there was no one by the crystal bank anymore, and they all looked around in confusion.
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE