A/N : Sorry for the delay, I got back yesterday from holiday and unpacked, etc... Anyway, you know. Already thanks for your support and some messages about the extra chapter posted by my friend (you're awesome by the way), it made me relax a bit more.
Today's chapter may seem a bit rushed but I didn't know how else to write it but it was a necessary part to continue the story.
This chapter follows on from chapter 9, The Deal
Gray POV
"Where am I?" I whispered as I looked around, but I couldn't see anything. It was like I was in the dark. Getting up slowly, I look for the light switch and eventually find it in a wall at the back. A green light dazzled me and once my eyes got used to it, I saw a red coat at my feet, covered with blood. Carmen's coat... I scream in panic.
"No ! No, no, no, no." I pick up the cloth and blood settles on my hands. No, it's not possible, she can't be dead, I have to find her. I exit via a door and run, clutching the coat to me like a child clinging to a priceless stuffed animal. All the corridors look the same, I feel like I'm running in circles but after a while I hear a cry of pain in the distance. The shrill voice is full of desperation and calls for help. I recognize it immediately as Carmen's. I run in that direction and arrive in the Faculty room. The professors form a semicircle with Carmen curled up in a ball in the center, covered in blood with open wounds. She begs them to stop, that she has learned her lesson. As I was about to run to her, Brunt notices me and warns me.
"Stay where you are Crackle, or your precious Carmen will pay the price." She kicks her in the abdomen as I nod. The Cleaners come up behind me and each hold an arm. The Faculty return their attention to Carmen and take turns kicking her again.
"Stop it ! Take me instead but let her. She's had enough. You are going to kill her !" They look at me and stop.
"Why don't we ask her opinion ?" sneers Maelstrom as he wipes the blood from his hands.
Brunt grabs her neck and pulls her to her feet before whispering something in Carmen's ear. She walks over to me as if none of these wounds exist and then... laughs. A cold, cruel laugh that doesn't sound right coming from her.
"What were you thinking coming here ? Did you think you were coming to save me from the bad guys like a helpful knight ?" She chuckles with a laugh that would be closer to Cleo's than hers. "Since when do you care about me. After all, these injuries are your fault. You abandoned me, willingly condemned me to this fate. I hate you Gray."
I am paralyzed by his behavior. These words hurt as if daggers were cutting into me from all sides. Her eyes are filled with hatred and contempt, her voice is icy, inhuman. The professors behind are all wearing smug, proud smiles as she walks back to them without ever leaving my sight.
"Carmen please. They manipulated you, you're not thinking clearly. I didn't want to hurt you and I feel bad about it. I'm sorry for Casa Blanca, for Poitier, for the Himalayas. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through because of me. Sorry for choosing VILE over you. Sorry for being an idiot, a jerk to you when you were only trying to save me. Sorry for complicating your life. You may hate me, but I love you." I say in a loud voice, then lower my head not wanting to see her contempt in her beautiful gray eyes. I whisper in a desperate tone. "I love you..."
"On the contrary, I've never had such a 'clear' mind as you say, and I know that love is only a weakness. You have been my weakness for too long. Faculty has allowed me to move past it to become a better version of myself. There is only power and those who are too weak to seek it." (A/N: small gift ref. Who found it ?)
Maelstrom grabs her cheek and forces her to turn her gaze to him while stroking her hair in a possessive manner.
"Absolutely my dear. You have learned well." He said.
"Mama Bear is so proud of her little Lambkins." Brunt coos while grabbing her to hug her.
"To reward you Carmen dearest, we'll let you decide what happens to him." Cleo declares with that characteristic haughty and proud look.
"There is no place for the weak in this world. I wouldn't mind killing him." These words shock me, the Carmen I knew is dead, to become what VILE always wanted. I feel someone shaking me but it's impossible to know who, I'm too focused on her.
"Would you like to have the honors little lamb ?" Bellum purrs as she hands her a Crackle Rod which she happily grabs. As she reaches for the rod toward my chest, the shaking becomes more present.
Suddenly I am pulled out of this nightmare and open my eyes to see Zack worried above me. I remember where I am and that all this with Carmen is not real. I was sitting on the sofa with my head in my hands and had dozed off. It had been two days since we returned from Casa Blanca and the rest of the team was still debating about joining forces with ACME. I was physically and mentally exhausted to participate in the debate. When I managed to fall asleep, I was plagued by nightmares. Always the same one. I see the team looking at me.
"What ?"
"We were asking your opinion but you'd nodded off." Ivy declares.
"Sorry, I've been having trouble sleeping lately." A glance at Shadowsan confirms that he's guessed what I'm talking about. "What were you asking me ?"
"I was saying that we can't trust ACME. They'll try to arrest us before we even explain it to them." Shadowsan exhorts.
"On the other hand, they are our only chance. If we try anything, Carmen will pay dearly."
"Too bad we can't get Jules. She'd understand." Zack sighs.
"You're brilliant, Zack. Jules is our solution." Player exclaims.
"Player, Jules left ACME months ago. We don't even know where she is." Resones Ivy.
"Who is this 'Jules' you all speak of ?" I ask puzzled.
"Julia Argent was an ACME agent who trusted what Carmen was doing. She helped us from time to time with our missions. Back to the subject, Carmen had asked me to research her to make sure she was okay and not targeted by VILE like Devineaux. Currently she is a history professor at a university. If you go and talk to her she will understand and can help you get in touch with ACME."
"It's risky but for lack of a better plan, it's worth a try. Player book us our..." I ask but Shadowsan cuts me off.
"We still need to discuss this, Graham."
"No ! We've been debating the same thing over and over for two days. They've been holding Carmen for a week, probably torturing her, and we can't do anything without making her worse. We need ACME's help. We don't have much choice now, I'm going. Whether you come or not is your problem. Player book me a flight please."
"For us too." Zack says after exchanging a glance with his sister. Shadowsan sighs in defeat before nodding in turn.
Jules' office
Jules POV
"But I need your help Miss Argent, to help Carmen." Devineaux begs
"Is she okay ?"
"Of course. She keeps running us around in circles. I need to know Miss Argent. Is Carmen Sandiego bad or is she good ?"
Before I can answer, someone knocks on the door. I get up and go to open it, then recoil in shock. In front of me stands the man described by agent Devineaux as his kidnapper but he is not alone. With him are the siblings who worked with Carmen and a man in his twenties.
"You !" Devineaux shouts behind me, pointing at the Japanese man. "And you !" Pointing this time at the man in his 20s.
The group pushes us inside before closing the door.
"Shut up. You'll alert the whole building." Says the Japanese man.
"What's going on here ?" I ask puzzled.
"Jules we need your help. Carmen is in big trouble." The redheaded girl looks at me. Ivy, if I remember correctly. I give her a puzzled look as Devineaux continued to point at the two men in turn.
"Can your 'Chief' hear us ?" The Japanese man asks, pointing to Devineaux's holographic pen. I remember Carmen asking me the same question in Stockholm before... I am brought out of my memories by Devineaux replying that no and demanding that he give it back to him.
"Not just yet. You will shut up and listen to us." He says sternly. By the look on his face, I understand that this is not someone I want to be enemies with. Zack speaks up with a desperate look on his face. It hurts me a little to see this boy who was in the throes of laughter with a look like that.
"Please. Carmen's life is at stake."
"Okay. But first how can we call you ?" I ask as I look at the young man and the Japanese man.
"I'm Graham and he's Shadowsan."
"Okay. What did you mean by 'Carmen's life' ?" The team exchange a look before Ivy speaks.
"VILE captured Carmen, a week ago. And we need your help, or rather ACME's help, to find her."
"What do you mean ? Is she okay? They're giving you..." Questions fly from Devineaux's mouth.
"Shut up and listen." Shadowsan cuts him off with a look that would make many people faint. Graham in turn speaks up.
"We have spoken with them. If we interfere or try to find her, they will..."
A heavy silence spreads through the room. It's easy to know what they will do to her. I trust Carmen's friends. But Shadowsan is different. I can't see what he's thinking. What if it's a trap... Devineaux expresses his perplexity.
"How can we believe you ? It wouldn't be the first time you deceived us."
The team begins to whisper among themselves, apparently disagreeing on what to do. As the siblings and Graham nod, Shadowsan seems to dislike their decisions. Graham approaches and pulls a green phone out of his pocket. He then asks us to watch part of a video, apparently from a surveillance camera, in which we see Carmen tied to a pole and struggling as some kind of flat-tipped poker is pressed against her skin. Once unconscious she is dragged, behind a small woman, out of the room by guards. Underneath the video, a single sentence was written, 'the only warning'.
"We won't show you all to preserve Carmen's privacy, but long story short, they beat and whipped her just before." He says in a shaky voice. Graham seems to care particularly about her.
"How can we help you ?" I ask seriously. Seeing Carmen in this weakened state has turned me inside out. To see her break down, who was so strong and elusive, who seemed untouchable. Devineaux nodded beside me.
"Act in our stead. We will give you all the information and VILE will think it' s you who is operating. For that we need to meet with Chief. Call her, Devineaux." Shadowsan says as he throws the holographic pen at him. The latter complies and after a few moments Chief appears before us.
"Agent Devineaux, what do you want ?" Suddenly she notices me, "And what are you doing with Mrs. Argent ?"
"We told her to call you. We need your help." Chief turns around and sees that it's Graham who has spoken.
"Mr Calloway..." Chief says tight-lipped. It looks like she wasn't expecting it.
"Don't you dare call your reinforcements to come and stop us. Or we'll leave and you'll lose your only chance to learn more about VILE." Shadowsan cut her off.
"And you, you must be one of the VILE agents who kidnapped Agent Devineaux."
I decide to speak up before we end up with a new Stockholm. "Please listen to them. They are not with VILE and can help you."
She hesitates, clearly not knowing if she can trust them before sighing. "Fine, I'm listening."
Ivy speaks up, which is perhaps best for calming things down. "Carmen has been taken by VILE. If we interfere with their operations, they'll take revenge on her. Until we know where they're holding her, we can't intervene. ACME can. We can give you information and act in the shadows as long as VILE doesn't see us. That way, they'll think it's you who's doing it and they'll leave Carmen out of it."
"If I was ever considering believing you, why didn't she accept our help instead ? Why did she hack us ?"
"Only Carmen can decide whether or not to tell you." Shadowsan intervenes with a cold look towards the woman. For some reason, he really despises her.
"This is my agency. If you want our help, I need to know why she got into our servers."
"It can't hurt to tell her and then she's concerned..." Zack begins
"No."
"I agree with Zack." Says Ivy as Graham nods his head.
"All right. Dexter Wolf, does that ring a bell ?" Asks Shadowsan, even though he looks like he already knows the answer. Chief recoils in shock.
"So there is indeed a connection between them."
"Wolf was Carmen's father. She fell into VILE's hands the same night you killed him. It seems to me that you owe Carmen a debt and you must help us find her." Chief has a look that is close to regret.
"I need to know everything you know. It's the least I can do for Mrs. Sandiego."
The Red Team then tells us the whole story. How VILE had raised Carmen, how she had escaped so she could shoot them, how each of them had come to work with her. As they watched us digest all this information, Graham spoke into a hidden earpiece.
"Are you sure, Player ? Well keep me posted." He comes back to us. "VILE is planning a new hit in Oslo, Norway. According to Player, their target is The Scream, by Munch. The agents will be Otter Man and Moose Boy. Nothing too complicated for you. Player is sending you all the information with the best way for you to arrest them." He concludes.
We all get an email with all the details he's been able to retrieve and a proposal on how to stop them. He also gave us the photos and information about the agents.
2 days later, ACME Base, Oslo, Norway
3rd Person POV
(A/N: For the sake of the story and because I do what I want, ACME has a truth serum that is injected before the interrogations).
The operation went perfectly. The agents were locked separately in the interrogation rooms. Shadowsan, Jules and Chase enter in Otter Man's room. Otter Man cowers at the sight of his former teacher. Shadowsan begins the interrogation, taking the opportunity to verify some information given by Moose Boy
" Where's Carmen being held ?"
"The Faculty are keeping her locked up in their new HQ."
"Where is it ?" Chase asks.
"No one knows, the Faculty has kept the location secret."
"Do you know what they plan to do to her or what they're doing to her right now ?" Jules interjects
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean ?" She continues perplexed.
"I'm only aware of a rumour going around between the agents."
"What is this 'rumour' ?" Shadowsan approaches menacingly, turning his attention back to the man in front of him. Rumours in VILE are often closer to reality than they appear. The Faculty could use them to prevent further betrayals by scaring the agents about the consequences. Indeed, if they don't hesitate to torture the one who was seen as their daughter. So a simple agent...
"She allegedly attacked a Faculty member and tried to escape. When she was caught by several agents and guards, they would have made her pay dearly by torturing her themselves and branding her like a vulgar animal."
Shadowsan had refused to let Graham in, thinking he wouldn't be able to control his anger, but now he's the one who goes out to avoid killing the idiot.
Once outside, he comes across the rest of the team coming out of the next room where they had heard everything.
"Do you think it's true ? That she attacked one of the professors and they made her pay ?" Zack asks worriedly.
"Yes, I think it even happened before we made our deal." Shadowsan confirms.
"What do you mean?" Ivy looks at him confused.
"I had noticed that Maelstrom had a few stitches on one of those temples. He was also the one who was the coldest to her and the most violent in the video."
"So Carmen would have attacked him to try to escape. Damn, she's got some..." Ivy starts proudly but is cut off by a Devineaux and Jules struggling to restrain Gray, at the same time as getting him out of the room as he screams bloody murder at Otter Man for calling Carmen a 'vulgar animal'.
At the same time, a phone rings and the team realizes that it's the phone given by VILE. The faculty must have learned about the failure of the two agents and wondered if they were responsible.