Chapter Text
“Don’t you remember me? I’m your friend, Jules!”
“The only ‘Jules’ I care to befriend are the kind right over there.”
Carmen startles awake, sweat running down her spine despite being trapped in a cold room. It takes her a moment for her breathing to return to normal, but her heart still pounds inside her body as if she was running away from someone, from something.
“Jules.” It scares her how easy the blue coat’s name rolls off her tongue, second nature by now despite being the second time she has ever said her name. She doesn’t dare say anything else, she knows she’s being watched and right now she has to focus. She has to escape and let VILE know they’re being monitored and that Crackle... He’s a traitor to them, Gray betrayed her.
“Please come back.”
“You sold me out, Gray.”
The bed she was on creeks as she stands, the noise tugging at her heart for no reason. The only source of light is coming from the ceiling, but its dimmed to the point she can’t pinpoint any doors that could lead her to freedom, but she can guess if there’s a door, it’ll be opposite the steel toilet and sink. When she looks up and sees a camera, clearly directed at her, she smiles.
Whoever captured her thinks they have won, and she’s going to be pleased when she escapes without any of them knowing.
“You were the only loose end. Until five seconds ago when I captured the elusive Carmen Sandiego.”
She bites down the scream that begs to be released as images of her and Gray bombard her. She doesn’t ever remember being on a train with Gray, especially with him pointing his crackle rod at her as she just sits there. She would of attacked him, disarmed him in a second for being dumb enough to threaten her with his little toy.
“It’s not real, it’s not real.” She repeats the mantra through gritted teeth but with every repetition the images become harder to ignore. The feeling of the black string wrapped around her fingers, connecting her to the bag holding the greatest treasure in the world. From a caper she doesn’t remember pulling.
The slight hum of Gray’s weapon as they talk, talk about her and VILE. His cocky smile believing he won, to the fearless look on his face as she points his weapon back at him, no hum emitting.
“Fingerprint recognition”
“They never protect the face.”
“It’s fingerprint activated. It won’t work for you.”
“Won’t it? Being VILE faculty has its perks.”
It’s too much, right now all she wants is for it to stop. She feels her tears slide down her face as she grabs a hold of the nearby wall, her legs are shaking, and her breathing becomes erratic.
“What did you do to me!?” She yells with all her might, refusing to fall back onto that creaking, uncomfortable, sorry excuse for a bed. “Gray! You... You traitor!” slowly she falls back into the bed, conscious as the pain continues to gain power. “You used to be my friend. I thought of you as a brother.” Is the last thing she whispers before falling unconscious.
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“It’s-”
“Yeah, Yeah.”
“For our own safety.”
For the second time Carmen jolts awake, breathing heavily and waiting for her body to calm down. She still has a mission to do, she needs to protect her family from those damn blue coats, Gray and... Shadowsan. He turned Gray against her, why else would he betray her and VILE? Shadowsan is going to pay for everything he’s done.
Carmen doesn’t move, not even when a bright light enters the room for a few seconds before disappearing. She waits patiently for whoever entered the room to speak. After a few minutes of silence, she looks up, grey eyes meeting black. Blood rushes through her body, reigniting the anger at the man she sees before her. “Shadowsan,” Carmen scoffs, forcing her body to attack. Quickly she pushes herself off the bed, throwing rapid punches towards the former VILE faculty, who easily counters every attack without hesitation. “I’ll make you regret ever stealing from me.”
“Are you with me?”
“To the end of the line.”
“I did not come here for the gem.”
“Neither did I.”
She continues, remembering everything Coach Brunt taught her on how to inflict excruciating pain to her enemy. Every punch and kick is evaded with ease, and yet he never strikes back. He dances around her, a song she doesn’t know forcing her to attack and hope she can land a punch on the shadow. “I do not wish to harm you, Carmen.” His voice and face show no emotion, but his eyes do: she saw a glimpse of sadness in her former professor’s eyes.
“you already did!,” three more punches followed by a swift kick finally land on Shadowsan, pushing him towards the wall. “You tried to stop me by cheating me out of a passing grade. When that didn’t work, you tried destroying the only family I knew by betraying us,” Carmen kept the distance between the two, giving her a minute to catch her breath and prepare for another blow. “If you think I’ll let you get away with murdering my father, you are sorely mistaken!”
Carmen yells, throwing her right fist towards Shadowsan’s face, who simply grabs it in his left hand, refusing to let her go. “Carmen, you need to listen to me. VILE has lied to you, I did not take his life.”
“You have been misled. I did not take your father’s life.” Anger pulses through Carmen’s veins at the denial of his actions. Why can’t he just man up, and admit he is a murder? Her attacks become rapid in pace, and Shadowsan is just as quick to avoid getting injured. He is able to counter all her moves, reading her movements before she can hurt him, they both move together as if they have practiced this fight before. “Please, you are in no condition to fight.”
Shadowsan quickly grabs Carmen’s left arm, his unmoving form doesn’t even react to Carmen as she struggles against his grips. Growling she tries kneeing him in his stomach, but none of her kick’s lands on her target. “Carmen, you need to rest. You should not be fighting.”
Shadowsan sidestep Carmen as she throws a left jab, screaming when he remains unscratched. Right, left, right jabs are thrown in quick successions which only prove to be able to make Shadowsan take several steps back to avoid her furry. A front kick to his chest pushes him to the nearby pillar with force, but she’s not done. She quickly follows it by two roundhouse kick, the second one striking him in the jaw with more power than the first. Lastly, she fires of three precise hooks to his stomach, effectively leaving him breathless. He falls to his knees, one hand clenching his stomach as the other props him from falling face first. He is left completely powerless to her.
“Normally, I’ll force you to beg for my mercy,” Her smile reflects the power she feels at besting her former teacher, former family. “But you know what they say: An eye for an eye.” A familiar crackle and green light fills the night, sealing Shadowsan to the same fate as Gray.
“Carmen-”
“Beg me. I want to hear you beg me to kill you,” Carmen chuckles at the shock and fear in the ninja’s eyes, beautifully illuminated by VILE’s color. “I said beg!” She demands after a minute of silence from him. Nothing will make Carmen feels as powerful as she feels right now, knowing she’s going to end the life of the man who tried to take everything from her.
“Carmen!” Turning around ready to strike the poor fool that dares interrupt her moment, she’s left stumbling and coughing as a gas is sprayed directly in her face. Dropping her weapon, Carmen tries to find her footing and focus on her blurring vision. “Are you okay?” The blue coat agent, ‘Jules’, ask Shadowsan as she helps him up, both refusing to let their guard down too long.
“Yes, thank you agent Arg-”
“You coward,” Carmen coughs as she falls to her knees, trying not to pass out from the gas. “Not man enough to take me out by yourself,” She can feel she’s slipping, and she knows that once she’s out they’ll take her away before she can warn VILE. “I’ll get you old man. And you too, girly.”
“I’m sorry Carmen.” Is the last thing she hears as she finally falls victim to the gas.