Chapter Text
Carmen knew she was screwed. Completely screwed.
She thought she wouldn't need to return to fighting crime after helping put V.I.L.E behind secure bars—specifically, the faculty and their strongest operatives.
But here she is.. Spying.
Carmens coat shifted in the tree as she spied on the two women—the Broker and her Handler.
They've gotten in the way of ACME, and Carmen doesn't want to hear the end of it, especially with Julia complaining all the time.
But something about the Broker's little assistant.. It allures her. It creeps her out.
"That creepy lady with the microbangs! That's her! You've got the right girl, Red!" Player exclaims, his voice crackling through her earbuds.
After taking note of the suitcases being moved into the van by men, Carmen takes a photo of the van and license plate, sending it to Player.
Trying not to catch the attention of the women, she quickly jumps off, brushing off the leaves that stuck to her coat. After a quick update to Player, she heads back to where she was dropped off.
But.. Something is wrong.
Carmen hears something.. Strange. The sound of leaves being crushed, sticks being kicked.. Is someone following her? She turns her head slightly to look at the grove behind her.
She notices a silhouette. A tall one, to be exact.
The redhead quickly crosses the road, trying to disappear before whoever that is catches up to her. But thankfully, her getaway driver is here.
She shoves herself inside the car, checking the side-view mirrors to see who that was—now, they're gone.
Carmen can't seem to brush off the feeling off unease growing inside her. Who was that? Is she being stalked? Was that one of the Broker's minions? She's unsure.
Hopefully, she'll be safe in the Team Red Headquarters. It's always safe there!
She was wrong.
Laying restless in bed, she can't seem to get the whistles out of her head. They grow louder and louder, until she can't—
"CARM!" Ivy bangs on her door, waking her up from her nightmare induced state. "BREAKFAST IS READY!" Zack's voice follows, as loud as Ivy's.
The redhead gets up from her mattress, stretching her arms out when she suddenly hears a distant whistle again. She slowly creeps up to the window, looking for anything—anyone.
Nothing.
"I'm just being paranoid.." Carmen brushes her fingers through her messy hair, wiping off the sweat on her forehead.
She opens the windows to allow fresh air in, because who is she to let her paranoia get the best of her?
She exits her bedroom, going downstairs to eat breakfast with her team. Then.. Her mind slips to the silhouette yesterday.
She still can't stop thinking about what that was—who that was. All she knows is that she's being tormented with the sound of a whistle.
As she takes a few bites of her breakfast, her phone buzzes.
A call from Player.
"Red! I just got an anonymous tip on what the Broker had transported. They're moving dinosaur eggs to another location." Player talks through his mic.
"I had tracked down the license plate you sent me yesterday, and it belongs to Biosyn." He adds, showing the information to Carmen.
"So the dinosaur trafficking ring might be real." Carmen stands up from her chair, her food half-eaten.
"I have to get to the bottom of this. Player, send me the location of where the car is going."
"Carmen, are you sure about this? You're going in late at night, with no help?" Player asked through the intercom.
Carmen sighed, speaking up. "I'll be fine, Player. This won't be any different from the old missions I've finished."
Without hesitating, Carmen makes her way to the supposed drop-off point for the dinosaur eggs.
It’s exactly the kind of place she expected—isolated and quiet. A small, abandoned house sits right in the middle.
Perfect for something illegal.
She slips into the forest, blending herself in with nature. She kneels near the edge of the clearing and sets down her drone, Red. For a moment, she she equips the controller, scanning the area. Her gaze moves upwards, the trees swaying overhead.
She sends the drone up to the branches, letting it settle in the vantage point. Hidden, but with a clear view of everything below.
Time drags on. Then—an engine. A van pulls up to the abandoned home.
Carmen checks through the lense of her drone—Same vehicle, different license plate.
She zooms in, checking the person who had left the van.
Handler.
But why was she alone? Wasn't this supposed to be a transaction? Carmen uses her communication earrings to contact player.
Trying to stay quiet as possible, she shows Player the footage from her drone.
"This might've been a front, Player. I have to get out of here as soon—" Carmen goes quiet, the sound of a whistle alerts her.
Her body stiffens as she turns around—noticing Handler's dissappearance.
Then—snap. a branch breaks behind her. Another faint movement in the bushes causes her to go completely silent.
She slowly lowers her controller, tucking it back into her coat. She turns around, finally facing the woman.
"You." Carmen steps forward, causing the pale woman to back away a bit. Carmen expects her to bite back.. But she doesn't..?
She eerily stares at her, scrutinizing Carmen's facial features. Handler takes slow deliberate steps—then lunges at her.
Carmen reacts instinctively, moving away from the incoming strike. She avoids most of the damage—but she isn't safe from her follow-up kick to her side, sending her crashing to the ground.
The impact knocks the air out of Carmen's lungs, and Handler grabs her by the throat. Handler's slender fingers wrap around her throat with ease.
Carmen regains her strength, kicking Handler in the stomach with all her power. Handler stumbles back, her arm wrapping around herself as she groans in pain.
Carmen uses this moment of vulnerability to swing her fist towards the pale woman—Handler grabs her wrist tightly, pushing her back to where she was.
Without hesitating—Carmen tackles her down, and Handler kicks her in the pelvis as a way to retaliate.
Carmen tries to get up, and Handler grabs her ankle, causing her to trip—she kicked her leg towards Handler, and hits her nose.
Handler stops in her tracks—wiping the blood with the back of her hand.
She stood upright, grabbing the whistle draped over her chest.
She blows into it, a loud hiss coming from the small metal object.
Carmen lifted herself up, hearing the sounds of loud, non-human footsteps.
The trees shake as three raptors arrive behind Handler, staring at Carmen with a hungry gaze.
As Handler lifts the whistle up to her lips once more, Carmen turns around—running as fast as she can, far away from her.
Carmen eventually stops near a small town—still far from the city, but safe.
She leans against a light post, tapping her foot impatiently as she tries to contact Zack and Ivy—Both don't respond.
But thankfully, Player does.
"Red! Are you okay? What happened?" Player looks and sounds concerned—Carmen was gone from his tracking map. Handler somehow turned off the tracker during the fight.
"Ask questions later, Player. Can you get me a ride back to San Diego? I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere." Carmen walks around warily as she talks to Player on her phone.
"I can't stay here for long. Someone is out to get me."