Carmen Sandiego sighed with contentment, breathing in the fresh Argentinian air. She was taking a walk on a secluded cove next to the ocean, and gentle waves lapped against the shore. A breeze brushed past her long auburn hair and the sand beneath her toes was pleasantly cool.

Her purple-gray eyes took in the tranquil sight of the beach. Something about it being home makes it even more beautiful, she thought to herself, smiling.

Carmen, Laurel, and Matias had taken a few of the younger orphans on a little field trip to the beach while the older ones were in school. Carmen had gone to go collect some interesting shells for a little girl named Angela, who was busy building a sandcastle. After a few minutes of searching, Carmen now had a bucketful of shells.

"This should make Angela happy," Carmen smiled. As she turned to head back to the group, she heard a quiet hiss before a pinprick of pain stabbed her shoulder. "What in the world..."

She stopped to examine her shoulder, and she was horrified to find a small tranquilizer dart buried in her skin. She had just a moment to try and process what was happening before the effect of the dart hit her, and she sank to the ground. The last thing Carmen saw before blacking out was a shadowy figure rising from behind one of the sand dunes and striding towards her.

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