Chapter Text
Time seemed to slow as Carmen watched. This person… slipping? Who are they? What were their intentions? She couldn’t recall correctly.
.
.
.
Let us rewind shall we?
The Egyptian Decryption Caper, 6:39 PM
The mission was going smoothly. If not, beautifully. Everything she had planned was in session. So far, so good. All Carmen had to do was save [REDACTED] and get out of there with the treasure secure and safe from V.I.L.E.’s greedy hands. That didn’t mean out of the endless possibilities that could’ve happened, it would be this one. Fate slowly shifted itself, like a snail crawling towards safety despite their speed.
All of it led up to this. Carmen didn’t know why or how. But, she did know it was not [REDACTED]’s fault. It was not their fault that they wanted to live and cling onto life. They worked so hard to reach their goals and made it. All of [REDACTED]’s efforts were in vain. They never stood a chance didn’t they? Time seemed to slow down. From the seconds ticking on a clock, to the falling of rocks slipping from the ground. The skidding of a person off a ledge, then the scared yelping of their voice before being cut off with a crunch and splatter.
The sound of bones and blood squelching into a puddle of organs echoed throughout the enclosed room. Everything went quiet. The world stopped moving. The ground felt in sturdy and Carmen felt heavy.
The pit was too dark to see the end, where the scattered dismembered parts of [REDACTED]’s corpse laid. Blood seeped from their clothes for sure, pooling around her chest as they lay there, lifeless and unmoving. The woman could imagine the injuries [REDACTED] had down there, even if she didn’t see the body fully. It was a vivid image that popped up in her head. It made everything fall down on her.
[REDACTED] was gone. Forever. Nothing will bring her back, and tears are sure as hell not going to do anything to help. She couldn’t recall a single good memory of their face. How they smiled. Carmen knew even if she couldn’t remember how they looked like. It was blissful. Beautiful. As soft as holding their hands, the rain falling gently onto your head and trailing down onto your face.
Thats when it hit her hard. Like a tidal wave coming towards you, pushing and pulling at the currents as you try to swim away.
They were everything to her.
And she still loved them.
Even if Carmen couldn’t recall how their face looked like, she could easy describe their touch. How [REDACTED] felt in her arms. The feeling of their short hair through her fingers. How they’d gently hold her as if she were an artifact, brittle and fragile. How they’d gently hold made her feel loved. Cared for. Everything a person could wish for, even if they were selfish and cruel.
Carmen gasped, tears forming in her eyes quickly before being electrocuted. She wanted to scream that persons name. Reach for them. Bury them properly instead of being lost in a hole where nobody would find or see them again. La Femme Rouge wasn’t sure why. She couldn't bring her mind to remember properly. All she remembered was the agony and guilt and despair she felt. The pent up frustration and helplessness as she was cuffed and dragged towards the wall of hieroglyphics, her words stuck in her throat.
Carmen stared as the wall split open as Countess Cleo gingerly placed the third relic into its slot, as if made for the metal bronze tooth. If not tons of millions of treasure stacked and placed in the vault. All the Argentinian woman could think was about [REDACTED]. How could she save their remains? Whatever was left of them? Their life-changing smile?
Her mind raced for anything.
What could she do?
What can she do without being powerless or overpowered even?
It was stupid really. All the good in treasure in the world. For a person’s life to be gone in an instant. A living, breathing, human with hopes and dreams like everyone else. Carmen scoffed bitterly at the idea.
“A historic find like this belongs to the world.” The lady in red stated firmly, her hands trembling as she looked back at the pit, then at the scene in front of her. For [REDACTED]. She had to be strong and continue fighting. They wouldve wanted that, right?
“Our forebears worked far too hard to steal this loot. It rightfully belongs to VILE.” Countess Cleo turned towards the younger woman, raising her hands, gesturing towards the loads of gold and artifacts. “Even if it took a precious life to find, that I must be guilty of.” She paused, fiddling with her gloves before stepping forward, a slightly concerned expression on her face before it returned back to stern and stoic.
“Uh, excusez moi.” Chase Devineaux cleared his throat and stepped forward, covered in dust and dirt from brawling with a certain tiger V.I.L.E. operative. “Am I interrupting another party?” He scanned the room, looking at the four. Not five anymore. Where was [REDACTED]? The French man slowly crumbled, his face slowly softening as the realization fell upon him. Carmen looked away to the ground to hide her tears, the drops felt like it was burning her skin more than anything.
“Where’s [REDACTED]?” The agent didn’t want to believe it. Carmen didn’t either. Both of them stared at each other until both the Cleaners picked up a weapon. A medieval curved sword with a ruby encrusted handle for Vlad, and a silver decorated wooden crossbow for Boris. A few gold coins rolled from the stacks as the weapons were drawn, leaving the clinking and spinning of five or six pieces.
Chase watched in horror as he caught up with the situation. If he really did arrest that woman from the party, high in the Swiss Alps, [REDACTED] wouldn’t have died. Nobody had to die. Nobody deserved to. That was a fact both Carmen and Chase could agree on.
“Devineaux. Listen to me closely.” Carmen took a deep breath, breaking the French man’s daze as he heard her fimiliar voice. Firm, but not harsh. “You have what you need to send these cockroaches scurrying,” The Argentinian faced towards him, her face determined and tensed from the earlier events. But, life doesn’t stop for your problems.
”I do?” Chase looked up, his voice soft and confused at the same time. He looked around, watching the door until her watched Carmen closely. He listened and waited for her to elaborate.
“The sole claim VILE has on this treasure, is that no one else in the world knows its location,” The woman spoke carefully, her voice soft as a mother speaking to a child. She paused, choosing her words carefully to not agitate the operatives in front of her. “You can change that right now.”
“But your rules,” The agent’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening slightly as he comprehended the suggestion. “You said no—“
“Do it.” Carmen cut him off, her voice cracking a little as she looked at him pleadingly. A little desperate if she could add. She knew she set the rules on this mission, but right now for their safety, breaking them was necessary so no one else would turn deceased.
Vlad swung the sword forward with much agility as Carmen watched Chase, a bit expectantly. La Femme Rouge quickly took a few steps back, and let the dull sword ruggedly slice through her bindings, skidding backwards in a graceful leap.
Carmen huffed and stood upright to stabilize herself, trying to not waste any time. Her eyes scanned the pavement walls and gold filled room in front of her for any weapons she could use to fight back. Then, there. On the ground in front of her. A red tinted sword with a silver/light maroon handle. La Femme Rouge swiftly picked the sharp object up by the handle and dashed forward, sword in hand. Vlad took a few steps back from the lady in red as Boris aimed and pointed at Chase, pulling the trigger.
The sharp metal arrow missed by a few centimeters as Carmen shoved Boris to make sure he missed his shot. She took a deep breath, facing Vlad again. The man was charging towards her with no expression whatsoever, just a soldier with orders to follow. The woman understood how he felt. A sliver of empathy slipped out as she blocked the sword swinging across her chest with her own weapon, making the man take a few steps back.
Then a blue dim light followed after a single small pen click. The ballpoint pen gradually turned and shifted up straight, its cap beaming of what appeared a lady in a suit, formal and stoic.
“Devineaux, shouldn't you be sick in bed?” Chief spoke firmly, the holograph wavering a little as the woman spoke, watching the French man carefully. Chase looked at his boss, then at the scene behind her, gesturing his head towards the scene behind her with a concerned look.
Then holographic woman turned around, her eyes widening. Carmen, holding her own with Vlad, whilst Boris stood to the side, crossbow in hand, next to the countess. Damn. What a sight to see.
“It is a long story,” The French agent looked at the ground for a moment, swallowing hard as he took in a shallow breath. “But I am feeling much better, thank you.” His voice carried a sort of solemn and guilty tone. Chief suspected something was wrong, but couldn’t put her finger on it. A sense of dread washed over her. She wanted to say something, but took in a deep breath instead.
“Dispatching local law enforcement to your position now.” Chief placed her hands behind her back, her voice commanding and controlled as she spoke. Her posture straightened and gave off a stern appearance. The holograph shrunk back into the pen, clattering into the floor. Then, nothing.
Countess Cleo’s eyes widened at the words, as the holograph deactivated, she turned to the endless gold and artifacts, scooping as much as she could get. “No. No! No, no, no! Our treasure!” She scrambled at the precious metals, fear on her face as she was gently led away. “We must leave quickly.” Vlad tugged on the V.I.L.E. faculty member’s arm, Boris standing closely. “Protocol, Countess.”
Chase stood frozen, looking around quickly and raced after the thieves. He wasn’t letting them slip by this time. Not again. Carmen sprinted past him, leaving the French man shocked. He pushed himself farther, trying to catch up. But, the earlier scuffle with Tigress left him depleted of energy. His breath quickened as he began panting, exiting the complex stone building, entering the cool Egyptian night.
The sky was a dark inky black-ish blue. Stars splattered the sky like a painting, glittering softly contrasting the dark background. Chase took a moment to breath, his hands on his knees as he wheezed, his chest rising and falling in a quick pace. The agent watched as the scarlet thief attempted to follow the operatives, using her grappling hook to attach to the helicopter. In the end, it snapped from the sudden force of lift off. Carmen groaned in frustration, starting off slowly but gradually gaining speed, sprinted back into the pyramid, her mind focused on one thing.
Them.
Who you may ask?
Carmen couldn’t remember correctly.
It was so frustrating that she was going mad. She needed to know. Find it out. She huffed and skidded into the rocky atmosphere, bursting into the room where the pit was, engraved into the ground as if taunting her. [REDACTED]’s body was at the bottom, the smell of flesh and blood could be identified. Carmen wanted to gag. She remembered that part clearly. She knew that, back at their office, their students lost a professor. Their family lost a daughter, cousin, niece. Their friends lost a person they trusted. What could they do now?
Carmen wasn’t sure. She stood there, staring at the pit. Chase scrambled next to her, looking at the pit before the smell wafted to his nose. He swallowed deeply. Tears filling his eyes as his face tensed. None of this was fair. Both of them knew.
That night, the two split their separate ways. Carmen sat alone. She sat out in the open, at a public park. She took in the field scene in front of her, the sun setting. The scarlet thief took a deep breath. Dark spots under her eyes showed it all. She was tired. But, at the same time, still trying so hard to move on and continue pushing forward.
“It seems I have a knack for solving ancient mysteries.” She scoffed bitterly, her voice reeking of plastered exhaustion. “Just not my own.” The crimson ghost’s voice cracked and softened as she continued on, thinking about how her past could’ve been different.
”Well, at least you know your mom’s out there somewhere.” Player replied from his computer, trying to bring some optimism into the discussion. He knew the situation and what was happening, but the one critical thing he didn’t know was… who was it? The middle schooler pondered before his thoughts were cut quick with the sound of a taser being used. Carmen fell to the floor, her body slamming into the grass and dirt hard. “Carmen? Carmen!” He shouted against his screen, his hands flinging across the keyboard as he lost connection with Carmen’s earpiece and her location.
Then a voice creeped from the ear ring. “She belongs with V.I.L.E now.” Vlad spoke nonchalantly, no opinion whatsoever. Boris picked the Argentinian woman and walked towards the rented van as the other man crushed the communication piece.