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“Looks like Lambkins didn’t make it in time after all,” Brunt cooed, way too close to Player’s ear for his liking.
The words sent a chill down his spine and he barely held in the shudder. A reaction was exactly what the woman wanted.
“Cleaners,” she barked to where the two men were waiting patiently in the pilot’s area. “Ready for take-off. Not too high, though.” She gave Player’s shoulder a squeeze. “We want to make sure that ‘Red’ has a good view of the show.”
Player swallowed as the helicopter took off the ground. He already knew what was planned. Brunt had been clear to outline the consequences if Carmen failed her assigned task. As sure as Player was that Carmen had done everything in her power to grab the artifact and get back in time, she wasn’t here. She hadn’t made it in time to save him.
He watched the ground get further away below them. They were only a couple meters off at the moment but gaining with each second. The horrifying realization that this was his last chance left him with no time to think. It was now or never.
Without another moment’s thought, Player jerked himself out from under Brunt’s heavy hand and jumped through the open doorway, squeezing his eyes shut as he braced for the hard landing.
But it didn’t come. Instead, he felt a sudden pressure on his neck as the hoodie caught him. He watched in dismay as they got further from the ground and his one chance of survival faded beneath him.
A second later, he’d been crudely discarded back into the cargo hold on the helicopter and was struggling to catch his breath. Brunt stood over him with fury in her eyes. “Trying to take your swan dive early, huh? Well, sorry squirt, but I’m not letting you ruin my show.”
Staring up at the imposing woman, Player knew that he held no power here. His only opportunity was gone, and soon he’d be falling to his death. He could only hope that Carmen and the others wouldn’t get there in time to see his body splattered on the ground.
As if hearing the thought, that was the moment the team made their appearance.
“They’re here,” the shorter Cleaner said curtly.
Brunt’s eyes lit up in delight as she glanced out the door behind them, grabbing Player’s arm tight enough to leave bruises. “Oh, look and they brought the whole lot too. Just as we asked.” She hoisted Player to his feet and pulled him over to the ledge. “Make this traumatic for the whole herd of them, okay? I want them to hear your screams the entire way down.”
Player’s heart fell as he spotted the small figures below. One figure in mostly black, two orange dots, and one covered in red. They were all here, and they would all be forced to watch his gruesome death. Although they were way too far for him to see their faces clearly, they’d clearly spotted the helicopter from the way their heads were angled upward. Carmen’s figure held something gold and large in her arms and Player’s heart clenched. They’d been so close.
“Ready for your big moment?” Brunt asked, pushing him towards the ledge.
Player’s breath sped up as the front of his sneakers was exposed to the open air. A single jerk of the helicopter would be enough to send him over if Brunt let go of his arm. “They have the artifact!” Player tried desperately. He knew how much this would wreck the team. Carmen would never forgive herself if he died, and if Player was being honest, he was terrified for himself too. Looking down at how small his friends looked, Player was hit with panic. He didn’t want to die. Not yet, not like this. “Please, you can land right now and they’ll give it to you!”
Brunt let out a loud belly laugh. “That’s more like it. We should have set up a communication line so that Black Sheep could hear this. Something tells me hearing you beg would be the perfect appetizer for the main course.”
Player bit his lip as her laughs made him waver over the edge. His instincts said to try to negotiate, plead, anything, but it was clear any of that would just add to Brunt’s enjoyment. He wasn’t getting out of this.
“Well, can’t change the past,” Brunt said, not sounding too put-out. “Just gotta make the most with what we got.”
Before Player could even process what she was saying, Brunt lifted him by the arm and dangled him out of the helicopter. The wind from the helicopter blades whipped through his hair, almost like a precursor as to what was to come. “No, wait!” he screamed. “Please!”
“Enjoy the ride,” Brunt said smugly. Player watched in horror as her grip loosened and he was plunged into freefall.
A scream was stolen from his lips without his consent. The dots of his friends below were looking larger and it was clear from their movements that they were as frantic as he was. The ground was becoming closer and closer and Player choked on a sob.
This was it. A couple more seconds and he’d meet a sudden and violent end right in front of his friends. He wouldn’t even get to say goodbye.
Player could make out the sound of the siblings' voices yelling beneath him and knew he must be getting close to the end. Not wanting to see the fast-approaching concrete, Player squeezed his eyes shut. He wished he could apologize to his friends for everything that had gone wrong. His mistake had led to getting caught and now his death would stain their lives forever.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the rushing air around him stealing the sound. Bracing himself, he willed the words to somehow reach his team, and added a stilted, “Goodbye, Red.”
And then he collided.
But not with the ground. The force had rammed into him from the side, knocking the wind out of him. He struggled to catch his breath and comprehend what was happening.
How was he alive?
“I’ve got you, Player. I’m not letting go, I promise!”
The voice shocked Player so much that his eyes snapped open, taking in his best friend and the hang glider above him. Her face was strained with lines and Player realized the grip she had on him put her arms in an awkward position, but there was no sign of them loosening.
“Red?” he choked out. He had so many more questions and things he needed to say, but that was all he could get past his struggle for air.
Carmen gave him a tight smile. “Just a little longer. We’ll be back on solid ground soon, okay?”
Player nodded, focusing instead on getting his breaths under control. By the time they were back on the ground, his breaths were still shallow, but he didn’t have to fight for each one. He was relieved when Carmen didn’t immediately move to get up from where they’d gracelessly landed in a heap. The adrenaline of just a moment prior had left him feeling weak.
“Player!” two voices shouted, and he glanced up to see the siblings, Shadowsan, and... someone in a red fedora and coat rushing towards him. Player looked at Carmen in confusion, just now noticing the lack of her typical mission wear.
She gave a half-smile. “We enlisted Jules for help getting the artifact. I guess it was a good thing she was there because I think Brunt would have been suspicious without the decoy.
“Oh my gosh, Player!” Ivy screamed, voice overlapping with her brother asking if he were alright. Shadowsan’s eyes quickly swept his body as Julia kept a bit more distance, slipping off the hat and jacket to hand back to Carmen. Carmen took it, shooting the agent a grateful look.
Player’s observations were cut off as the siblings tackled him in a hug.
“Player, you gave us a heart attack!” Zack cried, squeezing him tight.
Ivy nodded against Player’s shoulder. “Yeah! I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as the moment I realized that little dot was you fallin’ through the air!”
Breath hitching at the reminder, Player forced out a quick, “Sorry.”
The others laughed at the absurdity, but Player couldn’t stop thinking about his last moments. He had been so close to dying, so close to dealing the team an irrevocable blow. It was all on him.
“Sorry,” he said again, this time feeling water come to his eyes. “I— I ruined everything. I put you all in a terrible position and nearly made you watch as I—” He broke off as the panic of the moment came rushing back to him. “I’m so, so sorry,” he repeated, unsure what this one was for, but needing the team to know. Even though he’d survived due to Carmen’s quick thinking, this wasn’t over. This mistake would haunt the team for their entire conquest against VILE. Their secret weapon had exposed himself and become a liability.
His sobs came harder as it all hit him. This could happen time and time again. He might have survived today but Brunt had clearly seen the weakness Player was to the team. The moment they slipped up again, he’d be dead. He’d risked too much and his family and friends would have to suffer with him.
Distantly, he could hear Carmen telling the others to give them some space. A warm jacket wrapped around him, dwarfing his small body, and Player was grateful for the privacy it provided. He hated that he couldn’t get control of himself when he was the one who had messed up. He had brought this upon himself.
“Shhhh, hey, come on, Player,” Carmen said softly. “No need to apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Player just shook his head fervently, unable to accept absolution. “No, it was all because of me. I made a mistake somewhere and now—”
“It wasn’t you,” Carmen said, voice shifting to something darker.
The words and change of tone were enough to make Player open his eyes. “Wh— What?” Carmen’s face was one of self-loathing, and Player couldn’t comprehend why.
She grimaced, eyes looking away before she purposefully forced them back to meet Player’s. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t make a mistake—I did.” She bit her lip for a moment and Player could see her fist trembling in anger. “During our last caper, they pickpocketed my phone. I hadn’t turned off the screen before putting it in my pocket, so it had all your information and all of our texts readily accessible. They slipped it back in my bag later that night.” She shook her head bitterly. “I didn’t even realize they took it until the Faculty were gloating about how they found you.”
Player’s breath still hitched from his crying, but he was starting to calm down as her words slowly processed. “But I thought— So I didn’t—”
“You did nothing wrong,” Carmen repeated. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I’m the one who got you into this mess.”
Player shook his head, immediately rejecting the idea. “It’s not on you either.”
Carmen bit her lip, looking like she wanted to argue before finally sighing and letting the anger slip from her shoulders. “Okay. We can blame VILE, then.” She smiled softly. “Sound good?”
Chuckling softly, Player nodded. The laugh got caught in his throat though as the freefall swept through his mind again. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed his hands to his face in hopes of controlling the emotions roiling in him. “I thought I was going to die.” Opening his once again wet eyes, he continued, “It was all so quick, Red. I— I was so scared—”
Carmen pulled his hands away from where he hadn’t realized he was pulling at his bangs. She offered him a reassuring look. “I know, but it’s not going to happen ever again. You’re safe, Player.”
Player let out a shuddery breath, tugging Carmen’s jacket around him. “H-How can you know that?” he asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
A determined look crossed over Carmen’s face. “Because I won’t let it. VILE may have caught us by surprise before, but now that they’ve lost their chance, they aren’t getting another. None of us are going to let them lay another finger on you, okay?”
At the mention of the others, Player glanced up to see them a few yards away, standing a bit awkwardly. Zack was biting his finger, but keeping his gaze firmly on the ground and Ivy kept sending worried glances towards the pair. Shadowsan was looking into what seemed like nothing, but there was no doubt in Player’s mind that he was keeping watch through his peripherals.
As Player glanced at Julia, he was surprised to find their gazes lock. Player shrunk into the jacket a little, hating that he looked so weak in front of the agent. So much for a good first in-person impression. Julia just offered a smile though, waving her hand a bit awkwardly. The unexpected sight caused a tight laugh to burst from Player and the agent’s shoulders relaxed.
He turned his gaze back to Carmen, and allowed his smile to remain on his face. “Thank you for saving me,” he said earnestly. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t—
No, no more thinking about that. It didn’t do them any good and he trusted his best friend. If Carmen said it wouldn’t happen again, then it wouldn’t happen again.
Carmen placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and her touch soothed the area that Brunt had practically manhandled earlier. “Just returning the favor,” Carmen said lightly before her expression turned serious. She stood up, offering a hand down. “We need to get out of here, though. Are you good to stand?”
“Yeah,” Player said. The reminder of the immediate danger of the situation made his voice wobble, but he knew it would all be okay now.
As long as his team was by his side, he knew he had nothing to fear.