A New Ally

Chapter One | A Lost Heart

She moved her arm on her back in a circular motion, "Are you okay Jules?".

Julia didn't know what to say. She had crash-landed on Carmen Sandiego's boat mid-caper, given her a strange excuse for being here, and now the red thief was hugging her!? She was taken aback. But she didn't want to stay silent, even though she barely knew her, she wanted to tell her everything, Julia didn't know why.

She asked again after a minute of silence, "Are you okay Jules? Devineaux told me you weren't with ACME anymore and I was worried,".

At this point Julia was beyond confused, why in the world would the scarlet superthief worry about someone as insignificant as her? Carmen broke away and took off her hat, setting it on the driver's seat of the boat. She looked down at Julia, reading her like an open page.

Julia knew there was no way she could lie or get out of this, so she took a breath, "I- I quit. I'm not with ACME anymore because I quit. My heart just wasn't in it anymore, seeing them think you were bad when you were trying to help just broke me. What was worse is that they all hate me, Zari, Devineaux, Chief, all of them. I tried to pursue a career in history like I thought I wanted, but it wasn't at all what I thought It'd be. I missed the thrill of the chase, I missed the crime, and I guess I missed looking up the history behind what you were stealing that day. I came here to Venice to be a representative for one of the masks on display, I thought maybe I would get some inspiration, but I got nothing. So I just wandered through the streets of Venice, hoping something would happen,".

After she finished, Julia just soon there, head cast downward, not daring to look Carmen Sandiego in the eyes.

Finally, after a few minutes the red thief wrapped her arms around Julia, "Oh Jules, I was so worried! I'm glad you're unharmed, I thought VILE had captured you! But now I know that you're unhappy, so how about this?".

Carmen Sandiego let go of Julia but set her hands on the shoulders of the shorter woman, "How about you come with me and we have lunch with my crew. If you like them, maybe you could stay. After all, I did startle you and you did fall in my boat,".

Julia thought for a moment. She didn't have anywhere to go and she could easily renounce her job back at the museum. If she went with the red thief now and met her team, she might find some friends who appreciated her. She would be able to learn history without anyone telling her it was dumb, she would still enjoy the thrill of the chase with people she trusted, it was perfect.

"Okay, Miss Sandiego," Julia started, "I'll take you up on your offer,".

The thief smiled, "Call me Carmen,".

Julia smiled and nodded, "Okay Carmen,".

Carmen grabbed her hat and sat down in the driver's seat of the boat. She waited for a minute for Julia to realize what was going on and take her spot in the passenger's seat.

"Buckle up Jules, this is going to be fun," Carmen said in a playfully sinister voice as she hit the gas and they zoomed down Venice's aquamarine canals.

~

Carmen found herself laughing along to one of Zack's stupid jokes. She was sitting under a shaded table in a small restaurant with Zack, Ivy, Shadowsan, Player, and Jules. She had told the group that they were having lunch with an old friend, they had been excited to see Julia. After introducing Julia to everyone and what role they played, she, Jules, and the group celebrated having saved the masks from VILE's clutches. Even Shadowsan seemed to relax a bit, it must've been because his brother finally understood.

"Carm, do you know what the pizza's coming, I'm so hungry!" Zack wined.

Ivy rolled her eyes, "Chill out bro, we only ordered five minutes ago!".

Zack groaned in reply and leaned back in his chair. Player laughed a bit from beyond the screen. He was on a FaceTime call on Carmen's phone, she had wanted Jules to have a chance to meet all of her squad. She and Player had seemed to hit it off, same with Ivy. She watched as Ivy turned to Jules and whispered something in her ear. This in turn made Julia blush fiercely, and Carmen wondered what could have made her blush. Jules then chuckled a bit and reached for an olive from the plate in the center of the table. Carmen couldn't take her eyes off Julia for a second, even when the food arrived and she was eating, she still stole glances of the former ACME agent.

Julia loved Carmen's crew. They were fun, caring, and not judgemental at all. Though Shadowsan did seem a bit iffy to her, she let it slide since Carmen trusted him. Zack came off to her a little annoying but he was loveable and a dork in his own right. He was much better than Devineaux or Zari that was for sure. Ivy and Player were her favourites, they were so kind and enjoyable to be around, something she never got from anyone else in her life. By the time she had finished her food she no longer thought of herself as such a big failure anymore, she also knew where she wanted to stay from now on. As Ivy, Zach, and Shadowsan stood up to get moving to foil another heist, Carmen walked over to her.

"So Jules, make up your mind yet?" she asked her.

Julia bit her lip, "Yes," she began, casting her eyesight downward, "I'd like to stay with you, become a part of your crew. If that's okay,".

Carmen smiled at her and stretched out her hand as if she was making a deal, "Welcome aboard,".

Julia took Carmen's hand and shook it, smiling proudly. As soon as they broke apart, Carmen took her by the shoulders and dragged her over to the others.

"Guys, I'd like to formally introduce you to our new teammate, Julia Argent," she said.

Everyone cheered, and hugged her together.

"Welcome to the family Julia!" Ivy and Zack said as they gave her a big squeeze.

"Happy to have you," Player added from Carmen's phone.

Shadowsan didn't say anything but he gave Julia a nod of acknowledgement.

Julia smiled genuinely for the first time in a while, it seemed she finally had a place to call home.