Chapter Text
Scaffolding was everywhere, the entire interior of Notre Dame was still under reconstruction and in the semi darkness shadows were cast in strange directions. It made navigating the construction areas difficult in the low light, and Carmen knew there were V.I.L.E. operatives here with her. She knew she shouldn't have come in alone.
Something moved at the edge of her vision, and carmen whirled, trying to catch whoever was there before they could catch her. She knew who was most likely out here, most operatives were too chatty by far to be stalking her so effectively.
Ten minutes of this silent hunt had passed already, and Carmen could feel her nerves beginning to fray. Operating at high alert like this took its toll. It was time that she took the initiative and acted more decisively.
“I know you’re there, why not just come on over here and we just finish this!”
To no one's surprise, there was no answer.
Almost no answer.
Something fell from above.
Above it was then.
Carmen began to climb the nearest ladder on the scaffolding. Her coms were still quiet. That meant the twins were still running interference. V.I.L.E. was trying to steal the golden cross in the center of the church. The longer Zach and Ivy kept the rest of them busy the sooner ACME would show up to secure the cross.
Carmen looked down, and definately regretted it, she was probably 50 feet in the air. There was no light up here besides what she could provide herself, and the sheer size of the building around her was disconcerting.
Someone moved just beyond her field of vision, on the platform to her left.
“Hey Tigress.” She said as flippantly as she could, knowing just how much it would push her adversary to attack.
“Carmen. Took you long enough to get up here.”
There was a ringing sound as the claws on her suit extended, but Carmen was already moving, ducking low and bringing her knee up to shove Tigress back. She needed to keep the range open, use the space around her to keep Tigress away.
Tigress snarled and swiped at Carmen, narrowly missing the red clad woman who ducked, the light illuminating them throwing sharp shadows across the wall of the church. Tigress kicked Carmen and threw two more kicks and a punch, driving the heroine back against the wall.
Carmen ducked back at the last second, and tigress clawed a large gash out of the brickwork behind Carmen. Carmen took the chance to shoulder tigress back to the edge of the platform, the woman in the catsuit leapt backwards, flipping and landing on the next platform.
“Have to do better than that carmen!” she taunted, laughing as Carmen braced herself and leapt back over the gap, landing cleanly and leaping forwards again, her coat billowing as she flashed up towards tigress and punched her square in the face.
“Always protect the face tigress” Carmen singsonged as the other women staggered backwards, cursing as she wiped blood from her nose.
In the pause of their fight carmen could hear a helicopter in the middle distance. So at least she knew how V.i.l.e. Was going to steal the cross. Well, try to steal the cross. Tigress swiped back at carmen, catching the edge of her coat and ripping shreds from it, startling the superthief into action.
Carmen did a backflip, kicking out at tigress as she did so, forcing her away. A bright light flashed over the open roofless church. Helicopter blades whirring loudly.
Carmen swore, this should have already been stopped. Zach and Ivy must have failed. Carmen looked up and saw one of the cleaners operating a winch, and a rope was being lowered down.
Carmen swore again, firing off her hand grapnel, she caught a hold of a rafter and swung out into the void of darkness, flashing past the light from the chopper and swinging down.
Tigress leapt after her, falling down and grabbing a beam, swinging herself after Carmen, dropping down next to her and tackling her to the ground.
One of the cleaners slid down the rope on a harness clearly prepared to use a hook on the rope to capture the cross and lift it away. Carmen hopes that acme were nearby, it didn’t look like she would be able to stop her adversaries on her own.
Tigress was in her way again, claws out and spoiling to continue the fight down here on the ground. Carmen cast about for a weapon needing to defeat her tormentor quickly.
She spied a length of metal pipe, a piece of scaffolding maybe a meter in length. She dove for it, tigress’ claws narrowly missing her back and tearing through her coat and leaving half of it to fall to the floor.
“Hold still black sheep, you little bitch!” She hissed.
Carmen swung the length of pipe knocking tigress back, and jabbed it towards her face, feinting it away as she tried to block and grab it. Carmen twisted the pipe around and drove it into tigress’ side, the woman gasping in pain as Carmen kicked her in the chest, throwing her away from the center of the room.
Carmen dashed to the cross, still standing prominently in its place of honor. The cleaners had a hook and line wrapped around it and were preparing to steal it. Carmen could see lights flashing nearby, Acme was arriving and not a moment too soon.
“Looks like you’re to late to stop us” tigress hissed through clenched teeth.
Carmen swing the pipe at one of the cleaners, forcing him away from the relic, and grinned in victory as a voice bellowed over a loudspeaker outside the church doors.
“We know you are in there, agents of V.i.l.e.! Surrender now’”
The cleaner was scrambling back up the rope, leaving Carmen in a position to free the cross before it was too late. She had only moments to act though, as the doors of the church were flung open by agents, and more lights flooded the room.
The ropes on the cross went taught, and there was a deep groaning aound as the anchors that held off safely in place gave way, the helicopter lifting it into the air.
Carmen cast about for anything that could help her, and didn’t notice tigress behind her until it was too late.
The vengeful woman swiped at Carmen one last time, her claws catching Carmen across the side of her coat, and for a moment Carmen only felt relief as she was jolted up into the air, riding the cross up and away with the cleaners and their helicopter.
Acme agents tackled tigress to the ground and Carmen cast a mocking salute to her rival. She twisted around to see where the helicopter was pointing, and for a moment her vision blurred.
Pain radiated out from her side and back, all through her body and the shock of it nearly caused her to let go. Her breath hitches in her throat and an involuntary gasp left her lips.
One of her hands slipped for a moment and she thought she was going to fall. The helicopter had lifted far enough into the air that crosswinds were now buffering her, and she lost her hat in the sudden gale.
Carmen presses a hand to her side and more pain took her breath away, leaving her panting heavily. Her grip on the rope wouldn’t last for much longer, and she was certain she would pass out soon if she wasn’t careful. Tigress has clearly managed to exact her revenge.
Carmen reached carefully behind her, and breathed a sigh of relief that her hang gliders backpack was still where it should be.
Clenching her teeth against the hot ache in her side she let go of the cross, falling away from it and deploying the glider. The torn fabric of her coat snapping near her ear as the wind caught it.
“Player, you with me still?” She asked through gritted teeth.
Silence met her, and she pressed a finger to her ear, only to find that her earpiece was missing.
“I guess it’s just me again” she thought to herself. Banishing thought of what happened in Stockholm from her mind.
She twisted the glider around, and landed less than gracefully in the middle of the Main Street less than a block away from the church. Luckily there were no cars on the road at this hour.
Shrugging her shoulders free of the braces on the glider hurt her more than she thought it would, and it took almost a full minute to get free of the straps. Carmen carefully dragged the glider into an alleyway, and ripped the fabric apart into long strips.
She hissed and clenched her teeth as she wound the fabric of her glider around her side, hoping to at least control the bleeding. She couldn’t tell how deep the cuts were, so she had to hope she would be fine for now.
She pulled a burner phone out of her pocket and dialed the only number on it. It rang once before a terse voice answered.
“Who is this, where did you get this number!” They demanded.
Carmen leaned against the wall of the alley, suddenly feeling dizzy. She had stolen Julia Argents phone number months ago, and had never expected to be using it like this for the first time.
“It’s Carmen Sandiego. Julia, I need your help.” She hopes she was at least keeping the pain she was feeling out of her voice.
There was silence on the other side of the line.
“Jules, please. I know you know I’m not the bad guy here tonight.”
The acme agents reply was still terse when it came. “What makes you think I can help you.”
Julia’s voice sounded like it was further away now, and Carmen slid further down the wall.
“I need you to help me. I’m at XXX, just down the alley.”
“I knew you were here tonight. Was that you that was on the ropes with the helicopter?”
Julia sounded accusatory, and her voice was distorted to Carmen’s ear.
“Jules, I don’t have time for this. I just… I don’t have time.”
It took effort to get the words out. And Carmen realized she wasn’t so much leaning against the wall of the alley as she was laying against it. The fabric of her glider was glistening damply in the limited lighting. She couldn’t help but to stare at it, unsure how it had gotten so wet.
“Carmen, are you hurt?”
There was something in Julia’s tone that jerked Carmen back into the present.
“I’m… hurt. I think it’s bad.”
The words didn’t sound like they were her own, but she knew they were.
“I need your help.”
She whispered. Talking was hard now.
So was keeping her head up.
Her chin was tearing on her chest. Her side still hurt, but it wasn’t a sharp pain anymore. The dim light from the street lamps was blurring too.
Carmen was tired and cold. A shiver ran through her, and she groaned.
Someone told her once that if she was hurt she had to stay awake. She couldn’t place who had said it, but it seemed impossible to manage.
She reopened her eyes with a gasp. She has to stay awake. Julia was coming to help her.
She looked at the phone. Only now realizing that she had dropped it at some point. It was still connected.
She hit the speaker button on the second try.
“Are you still there? Carmen, I’m coming! I’m almost there. Just don’t go anywhere!”
Julia sounded frantic. Carmen tried to answer her, but she couldn’t. When she opened her mouth she coughed violently, and that brought new waves of pain radiating from her side.
She curled up on herself, so very tired.
“I’m here Jules” she whispered. Then she closed her eyes and shivered at the cold.