Fan Fic: Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

You arrive in Indonesia, home to some of the world's most extraordinary tourist attractions. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), or Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park, is a culture-based theme park covering 250 acres in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. It all started with an almost out-of-this-world idea by Ibu Tien Suharto, Indonesia's First Lady at the time, who thought of building a park where each of Indonesia's provinces are replicated in full-scale form, down to the finest detail. Opened in 1975, visitors to TMII can become acquainted with all of Indonesia's provinces (each of which maintains its own distinct architecture, dances, clothing, customs, jewelry, and dialects, showcased in different sections throughout the park) in just one afternoon.

The favorite exhibit of almost all visitors are the pavilions, life-sized replicas of authentic native houses, each representing one of the provinces of Indonesia. You are free to go inside these show houses and explore its furniture, decor, and common household items. From your visits to these pavilions, you will get to understand how people from different provinces of Indonesia live. Some of the more notable pavilions are the "Tongkonan" houses from the Toraja of South Sulawesi, the "Joglo" house from Central Java, the "Bolon" house from North Sumatra, and the "Lamin" from East Kalimantan.

In addition to pavilions, visitors can check out the Taman Among Putro, a children's amusement park; the Istana Anak-Anak Indonesia, or Indonesia Children Castle, where fairy tale paintings from all over the world are displayed; and the Panggung Parkir Utara, a cultural performance stage. Aside from these attractions, TMII also features a theater where patrons can watch Indonesian movies, a series of topical museums (military, stamps, telecommunications, etc.), an aquarium, an aviary, a large-scale model of the Indonesian archipelago as represented by green islands rising from a scenic lake, aerial cable cars, small boats, and many souvenir shops.

You frantically ask the people at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah for clues to Carmen Sandiego's whereabouts.

"The only thing I can tell you is to watch your step," the ticket booth clerk replies.

"Rumor has it that the gang is in town somewhere," says the park mascot.

"I saw the lady you are looking for. She walked into the last pavilion on the east side," replies the little kid.

You walk east, passing by the large signs displayed in front of each pavilion.

"West Sumatra Pavilion."

Your heart begins to beat a little faster.

"East Java Pavilion."

You quicken your pace.

"Bali Pavilion."

Your bustling walk turns into a full-out run.

"Papua Pavilion."

You reach the last house.

"VILE Pavilion."

You stop running and look around. The VILE Pavilion is a nondescript, one-story facility. You see no one else here. You carefully walk up to the entrance of the VILE Pavilion.

You pull open the rusty door and walk inside the run-down building. The dimly-lit interior reminds you of that of an abandoned warehouse. It seems no one has maintained this building for a long time. There are no windows. The only illumination comes from the door behind you. You don't see anything in here except a lot of grime and dust, as if no one has been in here for years.

You continue deeper into the pavilion and notice some faint footprints on the dusty floor. You follow them, and they lead straight to a small room in the rear of the building.

As you walk closer, you can hear muffled cries coming from inside the room.

You slowly open the door to the room. It is dark. You see a lone light fixture on the ceiling, and a string hanging from it. You pull the string and the light comes on.

You see the Chief, Greg Lee, Rockapella, and the rest of ACME CrimeNet all tied to chairs and their mouths duct-taped shut. They are struggling to free themselves. Upon seeing you, their eyes widen and implore you to free them. You remove the duct tape from their mouths and untie everyone. No one seems to have been harmed. They all smile with gratitude and thank you for rescuing them.



Suddenly, you hear a high-pitched laugh coming from above the roof.

You hurry outside. Standing on the roof is none other than Carmen Sandiego! A helicopter hovers above her while dangling a rope within Carmen's reach.

"Well done, Agent. I see ACME has finally found a talent to replace me. Maybe evading capture by ACME won't be so boring after all," says Carmen Sandiego. "You have passed my little test, but the game has just begun. Say goodbye to the old Chief and Greg Lee for me.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep," Carmen says as she grabs onto the rope. You watch as the helicopter ascends above you, blowing strong gusts of wind in every direction. Just before the helicopter disappears from view, Carmen says to you,

"Until next time, Agent."