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A single moment was what she waited for. That was all she would need.
Accompanied by Bellum, the Cleaners dragged Carmen through the rain. Talons scraping against the ground, her brown wings sagged behind her, weighed down by the weather. The water pummeled them as they hiked through the dense storm to the helicopter. The cover of the night and the tempest made the vehicle nearly invisible except for its blaring lights and whirring blades.
The grip the men had on Carmen's chains was tight, much too powerful to break out of. That was true until they neared the helicopter. Since they had trekked out there, they were exhausted fighting the intense winds and let their grasp slip. It was only for a moment, but a moment was all Carmen needed. Satisfied with her performance, she fully extended her wings and took off, ripping the chains from any control. She gained height and began flying south. High up, she felt her avian senses kicking in. All directions were clear to her. She knew where land was, she knew where home was. The real challenge would be getting there.
Carmen's wings pounded as fiercely as her heart did, trying to get as far away as fast as possible. Despite never studying weather, her body was an expert on the subject. She flew until she caught the small eastern breeze, finally letting her relax. The most she had flown around was in the enclosed castle campus, nowhere near as far as her future plans. She shakily glided along, trying to master the natural skill. It wasn't as hard as she had expected, as if it was a skill she knew long ago. The wind and rain weighed her down as they pounded against her face and wings, her tail struggling for stability.
The metal bands around her wrists agitated them, so she attempted a risky trick. Worst case scenario, she would fall and keep flying. She proceeded to hover in the air and reach her sharp talons up to the keyholes. Her claws had been designed to pick locks, so the job was easy as opening a door. Falling into the crescendo of waves below, the bands were free from her. The distant sound of helicopter propellers spinning alerted Carmen to the fact she needed to keep flying. She beat her wings, hopefully quicker than the machine, until she saw new land. She tucked her wings close to her body and dove down into the trees. It was dense with far too many trees for them to search, but Carmen hid further anyway, dashing through the woods. Mere minutes passed before the helicopter soared above her. Her heart stopped until she realized they didn't realize she changed paths, they thought she had kept flying. She had escaped.
…
Months passed without any updates from Carmen, worrying the team. "Any news that could be Carm?" Ivy asked Player from their California base. On the computer screen, the boy shook his head. "Nothing. No signs of VILE either," Player sighed. He had spent all of his supposed sleeping hours scouring news networks from global to local for any news of either, the dark spots under his eyes and Pokemon blanket wrapped around himself as proof of it. Shadowsan sat in his chair by the couch, nervously reading a newspaper with his sword beside him in case of emergency. "I suspect that she has escaped. With not even minor heists, VILE must be busy. Do not lose hope." Part of what he said was to fool himself. While the silence was promising, it could just as easily have been a sign of the organization preparing for their biggest scheme yet.
The tense atmosphere was broken by a sound. A crash was heard from upstairs, a much larger sound than something like an animal could have made. Shadowsan quickly grabbed his katana and darted up to the attic. "Who goes there?" he shouted into the dark as he saw a dark figure rise. He raised the weapon as the figure slowly trembled toward him. As the intruder stepped into the light, he dropped his sword and ran forward for a tight hug.
Carmen was wobbling with cuts and bruises all over her body. Her hair was a mess, strands all over the place as if she walked out of a tornado. "Carmen," he soothed. She buried her face in his chest and began to sob. A fountain of tears formed as her world faded away, leaving only the pair. Shadowsan massaged his hands against her back, muttering calming phrases until he felt appendages and froze. He backed up, worried. Carmen looked at the floorboards in shame. "Bellum did something to me," she cried, slowly opening her wings.
Illuminated, Shadowsan could finally see how her feet had been replaced with that of a predatory bird, how she had a feathery tail reacting to the open attic window's breeze, and how she had two massive wings attached to her back. He crept back up to the girl in shock. "I knew that she wanted to do this, but I never thought it was possible." He reached a hand forward, closing the distance between them. "Does it hurt?" Carmen nodded. "A lot." Shadowsan hummed in understanding. "We will set up the infirmary." He guided the girl downstairs and noticed how, despite her wingspan, she seemed so small. Carmen looked just like when she was little and scraped her knees on the beach. Her watery, pleading eyes looked exactly the same as all those years ago.
"Ivy, prepare the medical center," Shadowsan shouted downstairs. He wanted to hug Carmen, to hold her in his arms and tell her it's okay, but he was terrified of hurting her. Luckily, it was Carmen who wrapped her arms around the other. "You are safe here," Shadowsan soothed. He nudged Carmen in an attempt to get her to help herself downstairs, but he soon realized what had happened. Her body had gone limp as she had fallen asleep on him, exhausted. Perhaps questioning her whereabouts could wait until the morning.