Even hours after the fact, Graham was a little shaken by the look on Carmen's face when they'd shot her. Just like in Sydney, when she'd first realized he'd switched sides.
Switched... not for the first time, apparently.
According to her.
But of course, she couldn't be trusted. She was a liar.
But everything she said...?
Carmen Sandiego is a thief and a liar.
He'd repeated the words so many times they no longer sounded convincing. He'd said them earlier. Right before..
His mind seemed to have connected involuntarily to his feet, which were taking him towards their holding cells.
He had to know. He had to talk to her.
He couldn't have been a VILE operative, right? He had the hospital records.
They could have been forged, whispered his brain. Most people in comas don't wake up after that long. This is a criminal empire we're talking about.
"No," he growled out loud.
Everything makes sense. The weird knowledge of fighting and industrial-grade electricity. You seem to have gotten stronger in the hospital, not weaker. How can you explain that?
When he got to her holding cell, he admittedly had a small heart attack. She was lying motionless, many, many parts of her covered in bandages. He'd almost forgotten about his own burns, and the fire, and the explosion. Forgotten how she'd rushed in and helped so many people get out.
Almost. It was something the annoyingly right, Carmen-sympathetic part of his brain kept drifting to. Or...pointing violently at with a lot of sirens.
Then he remembered that the dart's effect lasted a few hours, and that she was also probably exhausted. Her two friends would be the same. All the same, he sat down outside of her cell.
What if she woke up? That was what he wanted, he needed. Needed to talk to her. But she'd be so hard to face. Especially if she woke up and found him creepily staring at her while she was asleep.
He sat there for...too long. Thinking. And waiting.
She didn't wake up. He even checked a few times to make sure she was still alive (she was). If she was faking being asleep...he wouldn't blame her. He'd basically arrested her.
He stood up. "Carmen. If you're awake. I'm just...I'm so confused. I need to talk to you." Paused. Waited. Nothing.
"Carmen...please. You flipped my world upside down earlier and I can't keep wondering like this. How I could possibly be.."
He trailed off, looking at her still form.
She was probably just still asleep. He probably just looked stupid, standing outside her cell talking to her when she was unconscious.
He turned and left the room. In the hallway, he then nearly smacked into Julia. Again.
He seemed to do that a lot.
Graham stopped awkwardly. "Julia.."
She had looked so terrified and angry when they'd shot Carmen. Which was kind of how he felt. And how she still felt, judging by the look on her face. She brushed past him. "Agent," she said.
He noticed she was holding a cup of coffee. He didn't ask who it was for. There were only three people in their cells and that looked like what Carmen had gotten both times he'd had coffee with her.
"She's-" He started, faltering as she turned. "She was still asleep when I left. Just now."
She gave a small nod and glanced down at the coffee. "I just thought she'd need the energy for when she wakes up." She said. "Chief's going to interrogate her basically as soon as she does. Well, Agent Zari is."
Graham winced very slightly at her cold tone. "She could be the key to taking down VILE and making the world a safer place." He said, his mind going again to what she'd said. "Interrogating her is necessary."
Keep telling yourself that, Graham, whispered his brain.
Shut up, he whispered back.
Julia looked at him, looking like she had a few things to say but couldn't figure out how to word them; eventually she just turned around with a small nod and disappeared into Carmen's room.
Graham stayed away from Carmen for the rest of the day. Even when he heard she'd woken up. Even when they questioned her for hours. Maybe especially when they questioned her for hours.
He couldn't ask her about anything with Zari and Chief there.
They didn't know.
They couldn't.
That he was...that he might have been...
A thief. A liar. A murderer.
Just like he kept telling himself Carmen was.
It was dark by the time he finally gathered the nerve to go to Carmen's cell. To ask her if his life really was a lie.
Carmen was currently unlocking the cells of Zack and Ivy, after easily getting out of hers herself. Ivy's grin was short-lived. "Carm..you look awful."
Carmen flashed a smile. "I guess running into a burning building, getting tranquilized, and being interrogated for 4 hours don't do wonders for me. Come on. We need to be fast."
Carmen and the siblings managed to sneak out of the room with the help of the tranq gun Carmen had somehow swiped. It only had two darts, which she used on the door guards.
Carmen tossed the empty gun aside. "Now, we really need to avoid everyone we can. I would rather not have to fight-"
She stopped and sighed.
"-anyone."
Wouldn't it just be her luck that Graham was coming down the hallway?
He didn't look all that surprised after the initial start. "I should have guessed." He said, deadpan. "A master superthief can't be held for long."
"This seems to happen too often." She said coldly.
"None of those times had you coming out on top. You're good, Carmen, but even you can't-"
Carmen never found out what even she couldn't do, because at that moment there was a whistle and thunk and Graham fell to the floor, unconscious.
Standing behind him, her dart gun raised, was Julia.
"Why did I just do that?" Julia gasped after a moment. There was shocked silence for a second.
Carmen blinked. "I have...no idea. But. Thanks?" She paused, looking calculatingly at her for a second. "Okay. Zack, Ivy, grab Graham. Julia, you're coming too."
"I- I am?" Julia said, bewildered, as Zack and Ivy picked up Graham's unconscious form.
Carmen caught Julia's hand in her own and pulled her down the hall. "I think we need you to get out. Can you help us?"
Carmen flipped Julia's dart gun around her finger and pressed it against the agent's shoulder. "I would really prefer it if you helped us."
Julia glanced back nervously. "Yes. I- yes. Of course I will. You don't need to hold me at gunpoint."
"I know." Carmen said, not sounding quite convinced but also looking a little guilty. "Necessary precaution-slash-ruse."
They moved stealthily down the corridors of ACME, Julia giving quiet directions as they went along. Before long, they'd somehow made it out of ACME's base without any further detection...considering they were carrying an unconscious agent between them, it was pretty impressive.
They skirted along the bushes. "How are you going to get away from here?" Julia whispered.
Carmen smirked. "Player's had a track on me this entire time. Its in my stealth suit, which you, rather disappointingly, did not take off."
Julia glanced at her and Carmen smiled a little as she continued. "Shadowsan will be in the area by now waiting. He trusts us to get out on our own. If we didn't after a certain time, he would come in for us."
"Wow." Julia commented. "That's...quite the plan. I suppose Shadowsan is the man you teamed up with after Devienaux's kidnapping?"
"Ah...yes."
Sure enough, just a little while later, Shadowsan pulled up in a black car.
He looked out the window at the group. "Carmen, what-? Wait- first explain why you have two ACME agents with you."
"We're taking them." Carmen said.
"You are??" Julia spluttered.
"We are?" Zack and Ivy chorused.
"No." Shadowsan said.
"Yes," Carmen replied, opening the trunk. "Stick Gray in here, he'll be fine. Shadowsan, out. Zack, drive. Ivy, in. Julia, in." She directed.
And then, suddenly, they were going. Zack driving carefully, Shadowsan in the passenger looking very uncomfortable with the situation, Julia sandwiched between Carmen and Ivy looking like she didn't quite know what to do or how she even got here, and Graham secured in the trunk.
It was a very awkward and confused ride to the airport, and then very awkward and confused on the plane. Player had pulled through with a private jet, so they didn't have to explain why they were transporting an unconscious agent.
Julia wasn't sure if she was being held captive or if she was going willingly, and it seemed no one else knew either. They were, however, being kind to her, and hadn't done anything else. She hadn't exactly protested either.
Carmen still hadn't told them why she'd opted to bring the agents with, though Julia suspected it was partially to get the two of them out of the way for future missions and partially because she didn't want to be fighting with them anymore. Julia and Carmen hadn't really talked, but Julia couldn't help sneaking glances. Was she okay? What was she thinking about?
Julia could hardly believe her eyes when they landed. "You live in San Diego?" She asked incredulously. Ivy grinned at her. "Hiding in plain sight. Wait till you see which building we own."
Shadowsan shot them both a warning glance; it was clear he didn't trust Julia at all. She didn't blame him. "I would prefer if Ms. Argent were blindfolded on the drive." He said, glancing at Carmen.
Carmen turned and gave Julia an apologetic half-smile that made her heart skip. "Do you mind?" She asked, ignoring Shadowsan's growl. Julia shook her head. She then realized that her pockets had been emptied at some point- she wasn't sure when.
Carmen took out a scarf from somewhere and gently but securely tied it over her eyes before they loaded into the car (Gray still unconscious in the trunk) and started driving.
After a while, they got out, Carmen helping out the agent and unblindfolding her. Julia blinked in the light for a second, and then laughed. "Carmen Brand Outerwear, San Diego?" She giggled. "ACME's been looking for you for months and your base is Carmen Brand Outerwear, San Diego?"
The team grinned at her (except Shadowsan). "Fun, huh?" Ivy said, helping Zack get Graham inside. Julia followed them in, taking in the size of the building. "Welcome home," Carmen said. "As long as you stay."
Julia cocked her head. "Are we...guests? Captives?"
Carmen shrugged. "I hope you'll be guests, but I would like you to stay here for a while. Although I'm counting on Graham being...er- rather more hostile than you, so I'm not telling him where we are. I hope you'll understand."
Julia nodded slowly.
Carmen showed Julia to a spare bedroom and explained that Graham was in another one. She then exited for a bit and came back with some red shirts and an assortment of pants. "I hope my stuff fits you. You seemed a little closer to my size than Ivy's, but let me know." She smiled and walked out, unintentionally leaving a very flustered Julia.
Graham woke up flailing and nearly fell off the bed.
The bed?
Carmen. Julia. The dart...
Where am I?
He swung his legs over the edge, rubbing his back where the dart had stuck him. He was still dressed in his suit, but his glasses, shoes, and tie were gone, as well as all the contents of his pockets.
He felt sore, like he'd been thrown around a lot.
Then...
What..?
He was by the ocean. The ocean was right outside his window.
Well that narrowed it down.
He shoved the door open, half expecting it to be locked, which it wasn't.
He stamped out to...a living room? Was he in a house? A manor? It didn't seem like a prison for sure. It wasn't ACME HQ, though..
Carmen, Ivy, Zack, and a man that struck Graham as familiar were sitting there discussing something. They all looked up as Graham walked in.
"Graham," Carmen greeted him.
He strode up to her and got up in her face. "Where the hell am I?" He saw the two redheads and the man tense.
"Our base." She said slowly, glancing reassuringly at her team.
"What?" He stuttered, backing up a step. "You kidnapped me?'
Carmen looked at him softly for a minute, eyebrows furrowed, and was about to speak when a new voice rang through the room. "Graham! You're awake."
Julia stood there, balancing a few cups of coffee. She smiled hesitantly at him, moving to give the three on the couch each a cup. They all smiled or nodded thankfully at her.
She moved over to the two of them, handing Carmen the last cup of coffee and picking up one that seemed to be her own. She turned pink when Carmen flashed her a grin. Graham found himself wishing, for a moment, that he'd been given that smile- but..
"How are you here too? Are...what's happening?" He breathed, touching his head.
Carmen pulled him over to a table and gestured to a chair. "We have a lot to explain."