A/N : We finally reach the end... I posted the first chapter 8 months ago! I haven't seen the time pass. I want to thank everyone who read and commented, giving me the courage and motivation to continue. You are the best!
In the endnotes, you'll find links to more of my stories, including the What If series I'm starting today and a collection of one-shots (both in French and English). There will also be a link to all this fanfiction in French if you're interested.
If there is anything you are unclear about, I will answer any questions in the comments.
Carmen POV
Slash
"Say it ! The name your owners chose for you !"
"Carmen Sandiego." I said in a weak voice. My gaze was locked on Maelstrom, who was getting a little angrier with each refusal on my part.
Slash
Slash
Slash
The guard behind me snapped the whip for the umpteenth time at my back. "You're not going anywhere until you say it, Black Sheep." The end of his sentence was distant as the scene faded. Then I found myself lying on a table instead of kneeling at the pole. A blindfold was placed over my eyes as electricity coursed through my body.
"What is your name, child ?" I feel the full violence of the whip again and breathlessly I say softly.
"Black Sheep."
Again everything fades and this time I am curled up on the floor in the corner of one of Dr. Bellum's laboratories. I was held up only by a chain on my collar. She had just finished operating on me (to repair one of my broken ribs) and was now sitting at her desk, working on her computer. I was shivering from the cold as I had been left in my underwear for the operation and the x-rays. She still hadn't given me my clothes back, having more important things to do. I felt no modesty, knowing that this was nothing new and that she was the only one who saw me like this. My ribcage ached, due to the almost non-existent dose of anaesthetic that Dr Bellum gives me before every operation, ensuring that I feel the pain of this moment. She reaches for the piece of stale bread the Cleaners have brought for me and throws it to me without looking at me. Hungry, I rush to take it, knowing that the chain attached to my neck allows me to reach the bread. In my haste, I pulled at the stitches (not enough to break them) and screamed in pain. She turns to me and sees what I have done. Blood drips from my wound and as she looks on I go back to my corner and curl up, my bread still protected in my bandaged hands (Countess Cleo had broken part of my fingers when I had unintentionally touched her personal belongings). As she gets up and comes towards me, I quickly eat the piece. She pulls me close to her and checks my stitches before slapping me. She gets up and starts hitting me, avoiding my wounded area as I groan in pain.
"When are you going to stop behaving like a vulgar animal and more like the slave we want you to be !"
Slave
When they called me that, it meant I had really screwed up. She was the most patient with me though, so for her to get to the point of hitting me... It all becomes a blur again as I see myself being dragged down to the basement (still in my underwear and in front of the operatives and students) before being locked in my cage in a cellar, Dr. Bellum's voice in the background.
"If you want to be treated like one, no worries, but animals sleep in cages, without the attention of their owners."
Eventually everything fades away and I'm in the punishment room, beaten by Shepherd for releasing the ACME agent. I don't know why I did this and no matter how much I say I don't know anything more than what I've already said, he continues. I don't know how long this goes on but after a while I feel thrown into my cage as Professor Maelstrom walks out of the room. I lose consciousness and just as I think I'm waking up, I'm held in someone's arms. Expecting violence, I find only softness and warmth. A smell reaches my nostrils, one I haven't smelled for too long but I can't tell who it belongs to. Everything becomes blurrier and blurrier, I think I can see Shadowsan's face above me. Then nothing.
3rd Person POV
"Stand back." a doctor shouts as he places the defibrillator on Carmen's chest. "Shock." A nurse activates the machine and then withdraws it, immediately the doctor begins CPR. The procedure is repeated twice before the heart monitor beeps again and the doctors resume their care while watching her carefully. Shadowsan and Gray sit in silence, watching Carmen. Eventually, the head doctor approaches them, and they hurriedly stand up.
"Well ?" Gray asks.
"She survived. She's a fighter, anyone would have died by now in her place given the wounds and scars on her body."
"How bad is it, Doctor ?" Shadowsan notices the nervousness of the man in front of him.
"It is still too early to tell. Her condition is weak, and it's obvious she hasn't been fed in a while. Other than the visible wounds, I can't say anything about her internal condition until we arrive."
"Can we go and see her ?" Graham asks, his eyes full of hope.
"Go ahead but don't move her or talk to her. She needs to rest."
Shadowsan nods and the two men approach. They sit on either side of the bed and Shadowsan takes her left hand in his. They remain in silence for a moment before Gray draws Shadowsan's attention to Carmen's right forearm, which was giving off a small green glow under the sheets. Making sure the doctor's back is turned, he pulls her arm out from underneath. They see the mark Bellum had carved months earlier. Disgusted, they put the sheet back in place. Gray runs his hand through Carmen's hair.
After several hours of flying, they finally arrive at ACME HQ and are greeted by Chief, looking sadly at the young thief. The doctors, followed by Gray and Shadowsan, rush to the medical wing. A second plane lands and the twins followed by Jules and Devineaux descend. Zack and Ivy rush into the building, looking for the one they see as an older sister. The two officers report to Chief on the progress of the operation, when the Faculty arrives in their turn, escorted by a dozen officers. Bad timing, Chef thought as Player rushed towards them. The young man had begged to come directly to Scotland, claiming that Carmen needed him. Finally, Shadowsan had managed to reach a compromise with him, letting him join them at ACME HQ. Knowing what the boy had come for, Jules handed him Bellum's tablet, which the young hacker hastily grabbed.
"Do you think you can get anything out of it, Player ?"
"Would you doubt my abilities Jules ?" This one smiled at him and as he was about to turn to Chief, he saw the Faculty watching him.
"So this is the brat who was helping our little Lambkins make our lives difficult."
"Shut up Brunt." He replies angrily.
"I doubt you can crack it and get into my system, boy." Bellum says with a smile and curiosity as to his answer.
"I already did it remotely when I was only 12, so this should be easy." Player smirks at them, far too proud to leave them speechless. He turns to the two officers and then Chief. "Where's Carmen ?"
Chief exchanges a look with the other two agents. Sighing, she steps forward and tries to find a tone that would be enough to convince the stubborn boy.
"The doctors took her in, but she's in no condition for visitors and..." Player starts to run towards the medical wing but Chief grabs his arm to hold him back. "You can't see her."
"And why ?" The adults fail to answer, not knowing what to say to him. "I understand... You think I'm too young to see her in the state they put her in." He points to the smiling Faculty, the officers unsure whether to put them in a cell or an interrogation room.
"Player, it's not that. Just, Carmen wouldn't want you to see her like this." Jules moves closer to the young man but he pulls back from the Chief's grip.
"Red is my best friend. I've seen and mostly heard worse. I've been with her since before you knew she existed, and I won't abandon her at a time like this." Player runs towards the building and Chief pulls away.
"Player runs towards the building and Chef looks at him tiredly.
"He's got a temper..." Maelstrom remarks.
"But no style or behavior to match." Cleo adds with that note of disgust in her voice that she refuses to give up.
"Agent Argent, follow him and make sure he's okay after seeing Miss Sandiego. While you're at it, keep me posted on her development."
"Fine, Chief." Jules leaves for the building and Chief turns to Devineaux, the Faculty and the agents.
"Put them in the interrogation room. If the doctors need information, we'll have them on hand." They nod and take the Faculty with them.
12 hours later, medical wing
The entire Team Red was pacing the hall, waiting for any news, when a surgeon comes up to them.
"She'll be fine. However, we had to put her in a medical coma to relieve her. The pain would have been too great. To sum up, she was severely malnourished and dehydrated. There is hardly any muscle left in her legs, and both her ankles have been sprained for at least several weeks. Her bones are cracked and very poorly healed, showing that she would have been forced to continue walking with her injuries."
"But how is that possible ? She should have collapsed !" Ivy is shocked, the doctor only mentioned her legs, and they weren't the worst.
"Thanks to this." He points to two metal rods with several wires and sensors. "This was attached to her calves and forces the muscles to keep working while replacing them for certain tasks. From what I could see, it also served to prevent her from walking at times. Everything was controlled remotely. We also removed two more of these from her arms." The doctor pauses, allowing time to digest this information. Once he is sure he has everyone's attention, he continues.
"The most significant injuries are on his torso. From our observations and in parallel to the file you have decrypted, multiple operations have been performed on just this part of the body over the course of 19 months. Numerous other operation scars are visible on her legs and arms."
"Isn't there a risk with all those doses of anaesthetic that she could become... addicted to it." Gray asks.
"It would have been if..." Shadowsan begins to understand what the doctor is getting at. "What can I say... When we did blood tests, we found a near-zero dosage of anesthetic, which means..."
"That Bellum operated on Carmen while she was still conscious and feeling all the pain." Player finishes the sentence and the doctor nods. A large portion of the people gasp, having trouble imagining the extent of the pain Carmen was in.
"Before you go to see her, I must inform you that she has also suffered several head injuries, high-voltage electrical shocks for long periods of time. Her right hand is healing from a second degree burn. We will keep her in an induced coma while her more serious injuries heal, sparing her this pain. Her room is at the end of the corridor. Two people maximum." Everyone leaves in that direction except Shadowsan, who senses that the doctor has homed in on something.
"There's something else isn't there ?"
The doctor nods before leading Shadowsan into a private room. "There was something else in her blood tests. A significant concentration of phencyclidine." Observing the man's confused recation, the doctor continues. "It's a hallucinogenic drug with dissociative properties on sensations and perception of reality."
"What are these effects ?"
"It decreases the ability to feel pain. I think that's how they were able to make her work through her injuries."
"Her body was in pain but her mind was ignoring it..." Shadowsan says softly and the doctor nods.
"With the dosages in her blood, it's quite likely she knew what was going on but couldn't act. It's as if she was just a spectator. Phencyclidine also tends to cause anti-social behaviour, forcing the consumer to rely on a limited circle of people. For example, a need to be with those who provide it to you."
"The Faculty." Shadowsan finished. "How will this affect her when she wakes up?"
"She is likely to be frightened, so impulsive and violent towards those she won't trust. Her memory will be faulty with regular psychological disorders such as panic attacks, psychosis, anxiety... We will gradually decrease the doses so that her body can get used to living without it."
"One last question, Doctor. There were no injection marks on her body, and Carmen would never have taken the drug. How could she have gotten such large doses?"
"No idea, probably mixed with her water as the food was missing."
"Thank you, Doctor." The doctor nods, leaving a perplexed Shadowsan behind. Coming to his senses, he joins the others.
6 weeks later
Carmen POV
I could feel myself gradually regaining consciousness and I feel something soft underneath me. A bed ? Strange, I had never been allowed a real bed, even in the laboratory. I had asked the Doctor why and she had looked at me as if I were crazy. After her shock at my question, she laughed and gave me an electric shock. I wasn't even allowed to be on the table while she kept me under observation. I had to sleep in the dirtiest corner of the lab, where a chain hanging from my collar was welded to the wall. Dr. Bellum thought this would help me understand that someone like me didn't deserve a bed.
The second thing I notice is the absence of cuffs on my wrists and ankles. I open my eyes and see an all-white room with a half-open door that appears to lead to a shower and toilet. I remove the breathing mask from my face. The wounds on my arms are completely healed, leaving only scars and the writing 'Faculty's property'. The latter no longer glows with the characteristic green of VILE, only a pale scar remains on my matte skin. I could see a splint on my left wrist, the one where I had been trying to convince the Doctor to treat me for several days. Some kind of tissue held my ankles in their normal position. My collar and bracelet were not on me, which is hardly surprising. I realised that I had been in a coma and the last time the Doctor had removed my collar during this period. I remove the needles from my skin and stand up. My usual outfit has been removed in favour of a totally clean white suit, just like me ! Hearing the door open, I decide not to piss them off from the start, so I kneel down and put my head down. Two nurses gently lift me up and take me back to bed. A doctor enters and gives me a smile. He sits at the end of the bed and examines my legs, then my arms, and finally my torso, looking sadly at my V mark.
"How are you feeling ?" he finally asks.
"Good, I think, Sir."
"I'm Dr. Theo Fernandez, but you can call me Theo if you want."
I shake my head, having been forbidden to call people by anything other than Sir or Madam when the Faculty wasn't around to speak for me.
"Maybe Doctor then ? Sir sounds too... serious I think, don't you ?" He joked.
"No, Sir."
"Why ?"
"Doctor is reserved for Doctor Bellum and my owners have forbidden me to call anyone else by anything other than Mister or Madam."
"Your owners ?"
"The Faculty, Sir."
Is this a test on their part ? If so, I want to pass it. I stand up and he tries to hold me back. As he raises his hand, I turn away and put my arms up to protect my face, but no blow comes. Curious, I look warily at the nurses and the doctor watching me with pity. Strange, I've never been looked at like that here, and now that I think about it, I've never been spoken to or osculted, Doctor Bellum keeping that privilege to herself. A nurse arrives with a tray of food. On it is a plate with a huge piece of chicken. This is accompanied by pasta with some vegetables. A bowl of soup is on the left side and on the right an orange and a piece of cake. In front of the plate, fresh bread sits next to a bottle of water. I look at him longingly, and am surprised when he puts it down in front of me. Even in a month of good behaviour, I had never had this (in terms of quantity). And I could never have those foods. The doctor was always watching my every reaction.
"Granted, it's a lot, but we didn't know what you would like."
"I-Is this for me ?"
"Yes. Eat all you want." I shake my head negatively, remembering Professor Maelstrom's words.
We're not giving you anything anymore. You want to be treated like a bad girl, then you will be. Bellum will put a feeding tube in you tomorrow morning and you will remain chained at all times, even while you are working, with Shepherd watching you until you prove to us that we can be trusted.
"Why won't you eat ?"
"I'm not allowed to."
"Everyone is allowed to eat."
3rd Person POV
"No!"
Carmen shouts and pushes the tray to the floor. She wants to get up but Theo holds her back. He had noticed that as their exchange progressed, she began to fidget and look around, searching for someone without even realizing it.
"I want the Faculty, I need them."
She punches him, and although it doesn't hurt, the gesture is made. Behind a one-way mirror, Team Red, Chief, Devineaux and Jules were watching. As she became violent, the nurses managed to immobilise her and place a mask over her face, the gas causing her to lose consciousness. She struggles briefly before falling asleep. The doctor joins them, looking sadly at Carmen's sleeping form under the sheets.
"So Fernandez ?" Chief asks, turning to the doctor and psychologist.
"She is completely dependent on them. She refers to them with respect and fear, it will be complicated for her to return to an independent life any time soon. I think that even though it may shock you, she needs to see the Faculty so that she understands that they're no longer a threat to her."
"Wouldn't telling her be enough ? Why force her to see the people who did all this to her again ?!" Ivy snaps.
"They may have tortured her, but they were also the ones who cared for her and fed her. They were her only reference point and her only social link for 19 months. I'm not saying to send her alone to their cells, but having her see them locked up should help her open up."
"But Carmen knows how mean they are. How would they have brainwashed her so effectively ?" Zack asks, not understanding.
"In a 'brainwashing', to use your words, there are seven steps.
Total control of her communication with the outside world. For her this was not complicated, the only people she could communicate with were themselves, their most trusted henchmen and her guardInstituting physical and psychological punishments for disobedience. They impose rules of conduct and torture when they are not followed.Forcing the person to confess, preventing them from having a private life by knowing their thoughts, actions...Use a reward system to encourage them to obey. Convincing them that by submitting they are protecting themselves from bigger problemsPropagate ideas and ways of thinkingSimplify her intellectual activity to remove all critical thinking. Her brain can only process two possibilities, right or wrong, obey or disobey. Total control of her life, leave her no decision-making power, under the pretext of wanting her good
"
Everyone takes time to digest their information.
"How do you plan to do this Fernandez ?" Jules asks.
"When she regains consciousness, we will explain the situation to her and then take her to the cells. You will accompany us Agent Argent. You were with her there, it would be good for her if you accompanied her."
"What about us ? We already couldn't be there when she woke up, so don't you dare put us out of it." Player said, pointing to the doctor.
"We don't know how she'll react to your contact and... "At the determined looks he gives in. "Fine, you'll go to the cells and wait for us."
A few hours later
As Carmen regained consciousness, Theo stood over her and smiled. She looks surprised that she is not restrained by heavy chains, remembering her attack. She gets out of bed and Theo lets her, wanting to observe her reaction to their last talk. She kneels before him and bows her head.
"I apologize to you, Sir. I had no right to hit you and I have shamed my education. May I see the Faculty ? I must confess to them and apologise for the wrongs I have done them."
Several nurses come to lift her up and put her in a wheelchair. She is pushed in front of another chair where the psychologist sits.
"You will go to the Faculty, but first you and I need to talk. I don't know if you remember but ACME attacked VILE HQ. All agents and guards, with a few exceptions, were arrested. The faculty included." The psychologist said as he watched Carmen straighten her head.
"And Mr. Shepherd ?" He nods and she looks at him with round eyes before shaking her head. "No, you're lying."
"He's telling the truth, Carmen." Says a voice behind her. She turns quickly and sees Jules walking towards her. "How are you ?"
She puts her hands on her head and folds her legs against her before rocking back and forth. Jules steps forward and bends down to face the young thief. She hears her muttering words that don't make sense, like a foreign language. She puts her hand on her shoulder and speaks in a soft voice.
"Look at me please." Carmen slowly raises her head. "The Faculty has indeed been arrested. You're free. They can never control your life again. No more rules, no more punishments."
"No more electrics or whips ?" She asks in a weak voice.
The doctor and Jules nod. She doesn't know what to believe anymore. Secretly, she had dreamed of being free again. When it was too complicated, she took refuge in this illusion. The Faculty didn't like it when she dreamed, and took pleasure in bringing her back violently to reality, where her life depended on their mood of the day.
"We can show you if you want... So you won't have to take our word for it. Besides, some people are eager to see you."
Fernandez winks at her as he stands up. Who could possibly want to see me ? She thinks as Jules pushes her chair towards the exit. They pass through several corridors before arriving in the cell wing where Chief and Devineaux are waiting. They approach and greet the girl warmly.
"It's a pleasure to see you in better shape Mrs. Sandiego."
"Don't call me by that name !" She shouts as she puts her hands over her ears. Theo removes her hands and reassures her.
"You have nothing to fear. You're safe. If at any time you need to go out, just tell us. Don't force yourself. As for your name, would you prefer we call you Black Sheep for now ?"
"Yes, Sir." With a final smile and a reassuring look from everyone, the door opens and Devineaux pushes Carmen's chair inside. She watches the VILE agents and students locked in cells. As they pass, they approach and look at her nastily. Although these looks are more for the people with her. She sees Tigress, Spinkick, Flytrap and many others... They finally arrive at a reinforced door. Chief enters first to warn Team Red.
"Let her see the Faculty and accept this reality before intervening."
They nod and she signals the others to go in. Jules, Devineaux, Fernandez and Carmen (in her chair) enter. Carmen's chair is brought in front of the Faculty cells who are watching Carmen. She looks at them before lowering her eyes. She wanted to get up to kneel but Fernandez keeps her seated.
"Professors..." She says softly.
"Black Sheep ! Get us out now !" Cleo says sternly. She looks at them and then turns her eyes to ACME. Her gaze continues to dart back and forth. As she sees Coach crack her knuckles, she tries to stand up, to no avail as Fernandez bends down to get to her level.
"Don't do what they say. They have no power over you here."
"Don't listen to them Lambkins. Obey us."
"I..." She thinks, they really do look locked up. Can she really take that chance ? "No!" She finally says forcefully.
"Black Sheep..." Maelstrom starts dangerously but is interrupted by a deep voice.
"Don't try Maelstrom. You heard her, so leave her be."
Carmen turns around and sees Shadowsan emerging from the shadows with the rest of her team. They look at her with glee.
"No ! You're dead !" She shouts and stands up. For lack of use of her legs, she falls and rushes against a wall, hands on her head. She repeats the same sentence over and over and Fernandez rushes over.
"Look at me, Black Sheep." He removes her hands from her head but she continues. Gray approaches the Faculty cells.
"Tell her we're alive, that you lied to her !"
"And why would we do that ?" Bellum sneers as she watches the girl in crisis with glee. After several minutes, Theo manages to calm her down.
"Come on, I'll prove to you that they are indeed alive." He helps her to her feet and Jules had brought the chair back. Suspicious, she sits down. "Mr. Calloway, Mr. Shadowsan, come here."
The two approach slowly as Carmen scrutinises their every move. When they are in front of her, she reaches out and touches their hands, feeling the warmth of a living person. An encouraging nod from the psychologist makes her take courage.
"When I ran away from the island of VILE for the second time, what did you do to help me without me knowing it ?"
"I disabled the helicopter so the Cleaners wouldn't follow you." She nods at Shadowsan's answer and turns to Gray.
"What were you afraid of the last time we spoke ?"
"That your team wouldn't accept me because of what I did." She turns to the brother and sister.
"What was the name of your race car?"
"Lydia." Ivy answers as she and her brother approach.
"The fastest car. Booyah!" Zack says happily. With a sad look on her face, she turns to the youngest of the team.
"What was the first thing I asked you after the wrestling match in Vera Cruz?"
The young boy smiles and laughs before answering simply. "The video of Brunt getting her ass kicked by Lupe Peligro. How about we continue this reunion in private?"
Everyone nods and Shadowsan pushes Carmen's chair out. The others leave, leaving Team Red to meet in private. Once back in the bedroom, Shadowsan carries her out and puts her back in bed. Gray sets a tray of food in front of Carmen, who had kept her eyes down.
"This is all real, isn't it ? I'm not dreaming ?"
"No, you're safe now." Player tells her, taking a seat on her right with Zack and Ivy. Shadowsan and Gray take their seats on the other side. They watch as Carmen tentatively reaches for the food. She eats slowly but leaves nothing out. She hasn't eaten so much, and especially so deliciously, for too long. The others eat with her, talking about classic and banal subjects. They prefer to save the painful topics for later and Carmen is grateful for that. As the meal ends, the adrenaline of the meeting with the Faculty has worn off. She lies down and takes Shadowsan's hand. He looks at her surprised.
"Will you be here when I wake up ?" She asks hopefully.
"For as long as necessary." He replies.
"We won't leave you Boss !" Zack jokes.
And for the first time in 19 months, she fell asleep serenely.
5 years later, Villa in Buenos Aires
A lot has changed in the last few years. It had taken two years for her to return to a more or less normal life. Her VILE file didn't mention everything she had experienced there and she had never revealed it. These were things that would remain between her and the Faculty.
She had then been reunited with her mother through ACME and had moved with Gray to Buenos Aires. A year later, she and Gray got married and had a daughter. Ruby Sandiego-Calloway turns two tomorrow. Zack and Ivy had joined ACME to track down the last remaining members of VILE, Shadowsan had been reunited with his brother and Player was working as a freelancer for the white hat hackers while helping out ACME at times. Just as everything was getting ready, someone rang the doorbell. Thinking it was Shadowsan and Hideo arriving with the cake she had sent them to buy, she happily opened the door but froze at what she saw. The entire Faculty is standing in front of her. She recoils in shock and Brunt grabs her by the collar and slams her against the wall.
"Don't you say hello to your owners, Lambkins ?"
"Get off me !" She manages to say as she gasps for breath.
"Don't talk back, Black Sheep." Cleo reprimands her with a slap.
"Mommy ?" Ruby comes in and looks at the scene with fear.
"What have we here... Our little sheep has had her own little lamb." Bellum says as she walks over to Ruby. Brunt releases her grip on Carmen and she falls to the ground. Maelstrom comes in to hold Carmen in place, as Bellum pushes Ruby towards Brunt who begins to punch her. The other three professors force Carmen to watch. As Ruby is about to die, Carmen screams.
She suddenly wakes up, and her scream alerts Gray who rushes to help her calm down. The nightmares were many, and they never stopped. Once she calms down, Gray looks at her, knowing that she won't tell him, as she always does. They get up to find an energetic girl, waiting for her presents and holding the hand of her godfather, Shadowsan. He looks at Carmen strangely as if he knows she is hiding something. They go downstairs to find the rest of Team Red and Carmen's mother waiting for them. They give Ruby their presents. As she looks at her family, all gathered here, she knows the nightmares will never go away, but at least she's safe.
A/N :
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