Player 1 Disconnected

by Applesaucer587

Summary:

I've seen a lot of fics like these so this is my take.

Player is a part of Team Red, but he's never on the field. He works from the shadows, encrypting data and harddrives so Carmen can continue taking down V.I.L.E. one step at a time. He's invisible, essentially invincible.

Until he isn't.

Notes:

This is my first fic on here so I'm very excited

Who knows if I'll finish it, but still.

I'm very grateful to AO3 for having tutorials for posting works because its very confusing D':

Chapter 1: Chapter One

Summary:

The calm before the storm

“Alright Red, the warehouse should be on your left.”

Player’s voice filtered clearly through the snug earpiece Carmen Sandiego was wearing as she calmly walked in the streets of London, Uk. There were many passersby but none took notice of her bright red trench coat and hat. It was a wet winter night, after all. Everyone was wearing a coat.

“I see it.” Carmen responded, speaking low so no one else could hear. “Zack, Ivy, are you ready?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be, Carm.” Ivy’s confident voice answered, followed by Zack’s enthusiastic: “This car is amazing, Carm! Did you see its handling? Wowza!”

Carmen smiled, then asked, “Shadowsan?”

Shadowsan’s rough voice responded immediately. “I am in position.”

“Then Operation Spirit is a go.”

The plan was simple. VILE had been secretly printing British pounds over the past few years using stolen printing plates, and Carmen Sandiego was determined to stop them. She and Shadowsan were going to sneak inside and steal the plates before VILE noticed, then Zack and Ivy would bring the car around to pick them up. If Zack and Ivy came too early, VILE would surely notice and the operation would be a bust.

Silently, Carmen approached the warehouse. There was an old, rusted window in front of her and she peered through it, making sure no one was watching before forcing her way in. The warehouse was dimly lit, and she heard the low murmur of voices in the back of the warehouse. So that was why they hadn’t noticed her entry, she thought. Too distracted and lax in their duties. She didn’t hear or see Shadowsan but knew he was close by. He was much better at stealth than she was, after all.

“-believe he’d be that young. She really needs to hire older help. I bet he’s like, five!”

As Carmen neared the end of the warehouse, she could make out voices and figures silhouetted against a lantern. Three figures.

“Just because it took you so long to learn things doesn’t mean it takes everybody that long.”

A low chuckle followed that statement, and Carmen recognized the voices instantly. Tigress, Le Chevre, and El Topo were the VILE operatives stationed here tonight. Old friends. Silently, Carmen Sandiego crept past the joking operatives to a back room where dozens of meter-tall printing machines were at work, whirring quietly. Carmen frowned. It would be difficult to remove the printing plates without turning off the machines, and, joking though they were, the operatives would be sure to notice the absence of whirring.

Shadowsan appeared by her side. She hadn’t seen him arrive, only knew when he was there and whispering quietly into her ear,
“One at a time, then we’ll turn them back on.”

Silently, Carmen nodded. They would turn off one printer, remove the plate, and turn it back on and repeat until they had secured all of the printing plates.

They moved into position.

Carmen moved to take the first plate, and Shadowsan silently pressed the button to turn off the first machine. It quieted, and as Carmen put the plate in a sack, whirred back to life when Shadowsan turned it back on. Silently they worked, in sync, a habit born of long and arduous missions where they could only rely on themselves and each other for survival. There were maybe 15 machines, so the whole process took about 20 minutes and when they were finished, Carmen tapped her earpiece twice in a preplanned signal to Zack and Ivy.

“On our way, Carm,” Ivy answered immediately.

“There’s a traffic jam on North Avenue so you might want to take the detour,” Player said, and Carmen could hear the tapping of keys as he flew through the computer. “It’s about two minutes slower. Copy?”

“Copy that, Player,” Zack answered.

Carmen and Shadowsan had to take extra care leaving the facility, since metallic printing plates were noisy if you banged them around enough. Fortunately the now more clankier-sounding printing presses covered any noise Carmen might have made, and Tigress, Le Chevre, and El Topo didn’t notice that they sounded off. She and Shadowsan left the building the way Carmen had entered, through the broken window.

Outside, Carmen gave Shadowsan the heavy bag to relieve her aching shoulders. Zack and Ivy hadn’t arrived yet, so they didn’t talk, lest they ruin their cover prematurely.

“ETA 45 seconds, Red,” Player assured. He didn’t need to hear her to know she was worrying about not getting out fast enough. Carmen shifted in preparation but did not smile. She could smile when the caper was over, and they could all get a coffee.

Soon enough, a nondescript rental van pulled up in front of the decrepit warehouse. The back doors swung open, revealing a grinning redhead with a mischievous grin and an invasion of freckles up her face. Shadowsan and Carmen jumped into the back without hesitation and Zack drove away just as quickly.

“So,” Ivy began excitedly,” Didya get the goods?”

Carmen smiled wryly. “The goods have been gotten,”

Ivy opened the bag and gazed upon their stolen prizes with glee.

“Don’t get your fingerprints on those,” Shadowsan warned. He sat in a corner of the van, seemingly relaxed but watching everything with an eagle eye.

“Where do you want to drop off the plates, Red?” Player asked. Ivy retied the bag carefully.

“We’ll want to go to a national police station for this one, I think.”

“It’ll have more security to elude than a local station,” Shadowsan offered.

“You’re probably right,” said Carmen. “But these plates are very valuable. And besides, Player can hack through anything.”

“Aww, thanks.”

“Intersection coming up,” Zack called from the front of the van. “Right or left?”

“Right for national.” As always, whenever Player’s mic turned on, the tapping of his keyboard was ever-present in the background. The rental van swerved to the right.

~

“Here’s to another successful mission!” Zack said, carefully balancing two hot, steaming pizzas on his arms while threading his way to the table where Carmen, Shadowsan, and Ivy sat. It was the day after the caper, and they were all celebrating with pizza at Uncle Rodgerio’s Pizza, Zack’s favorite pizza spot in the entire Uk. While Carmen Sandiego was not a pizza connoisseur herself, she suspected the handsome cashier was the real reason Zack liked this place so much.

“Are we really going to eat two whole pizzas?” Shadowsan asked skeptically. He raised an eyebrow at Zack, but Ivy jumped in before her brother could answer.

“Nah, we’ll share this pizza, and Zack gets that one,” she said.

“That’s not true! I’m sharing this one with Player,” Zack protested. He did not seem at all abashed that he was going to eat an entire pizza by himself.

“I’ll be expecting a slice in the mail then,” Player said, and they all laughed. Carmen lived for moments like these, when they were all happy together. (Well, as together as they could be, considering.)

She should’ve known it wouldn’t last.

~

“Uhh, Red?” Player asked cautiously. His voice was quiet, unsure. Carmen Sandiego, having known Player for years, immediately clocked this as a red flag. Around the table, she, Ivy, Zack, and Shadowsan exchanged a glance. They had all finished their pizza, and were now just relaxing, enjoying each other’s company. Although it was addressed to Carmen, Player’s voice had been heard through everyone’s earpiece, and everyone was just as concerned.

“Yes? What is it, Player?” Carmen replied. She pushed the earpiece further in, to hear better.

“So I was poking around about V.I.L.E., and it seems that a higher-up from the import/export company we’ve all come to know and love is travelling to, uh…” his voice trailed off awkwardly.

Possibilities flashed through Carmen’s mind. Where could V.I.L.E. go that would cause Player to act like this? Argentina? Boston? Japan?

“Travelling to where?” she pressed.

“Canada.”

Oh no

Carmen locked eyes with Shadowsan and he stared back, eyes communicating the message without words. Ivy and Zack both looked at each other worriedly. Carmen focused her attention back to the earpiece.

“Where in Canada, Player?”

A pause.

“Toronto, Ontario,” he said resignedly.

Shit.

Like a hivemind, the four of them sprang into action. Zack left the table to throw away the plates and return the pizza pans, as well as tip, and Ivy and Shadowsan began to look for the soonest flight to Toronto on their phones.

“How long of a drive is it from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Player?”

“About an hour and a half,” he sighed. “Red, it probably isn’t what it looks like. I’ve hidden myself from everyone on the internet. There’s so much security, they wouldn’t even know I existed!”

Carmen wasn’t convinced.

“We’re not taking any risks,” she argued. “Send me your address and I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

They didn’t stay at the pizza place for much longer after that, Zack even skipped chatting to the cashier he liked in favor of getting to the hotel faster. They all packed their bags fairly quickly; Shadowsan especially was used to life on the run and having to leave areas quickly. The hard part of leaving was getting a plane to Toronto that left in the next week.

“Good news gang, there’s a flight in two days that has enough seats for the four of us!” Ivy called from her position on the large couch in the hotel room.

“Two days!?” Carmen asked distraughtly. Ivy shrugged unhappily.

“It’s the best we have, unless we want to go separately, which definitely isn’t safe.”

Carmen was boiling over with the intent to do just that and leave the others behind on a standby flight. She sighed, knowing Ivy was right. It was safer to stay together.

~

The next two days were agony for Carmen Sandiego and her crew. They mostly stayed indoors, pacing, staying in touch with Player, and trying to find a quicker way to get to Toronto from the Uk. Shadowsan was the only one who didn’t take out his nervous energy by walking, but Carmen could still see he was stressed from the way he stared at his laptop screen, lost in thought. At one point Zack had had enough of the nervousness, announced he was going to take a walk, and asked if anyone wanted any food while he was out. They all shook their heads, so he went on his merry way, determined to unwind. About 15 minutes later he came back, just as worried and as anxious as when he had left.

Carmen, for her part, schooled Player on the various ways of eluding capture and torture resistance.

“They’ll usually comb the streets, so if you have to run, go out the back door and off the grid for a bit. But not too off the grid, or you’ll never find your way back,” she instructed.

Player took all of this very well, and did not flinch when Shadowsan told him the various ways V.I.L.E. would get information out of its victims. He still didn’t think V.I.L.E. had come to Canada for him, but complied when Carmen told him what locks to buy for his doors, and helped Ivy look for any connecting flights to Canada that might have been faster.

Finally, two days later, they made it to the airport. They checked in, went through security, and-

The flight was delayed.

Carmen felt like tearing her hair out. Out of all the times she had been to the airport, this was the time the pilot would be late.
“Red, you gotta calm down,” Player soothed. Now that they were past security Carmen and everyone else had joined Player on a call while they were waiting for the plane. Carmen did try; she took several deep breaths, but they didn’t really help.

“I was stupid to think you were safe, Player,” she rambled. “V.I.L.E. won’t treat you any different because you’re young.”

“We don’t know that’s why they’re in Toronto.”

“Have you been able to track them?”

“Uhm- not exactly, but I know nothing connected to V.I.L.E.’s faux company has happened since.”

Carmen pondered this information silently. They still didn’t know who from V.I.L.E had come to Toronto, but hopefully the absence of activity meant a caper was planned, and Player’s proximity was just coincidence. She sighed.

“You’re right. We won’t know until we get there, and chances are it's just another heist we’ll have to foil.” She raised her gaze to include Ivy and Shadowsan. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting dramatic.”

Zack had gone to get a bagel, so he responded through the earpiece: “We understand, Carm. We feel the same.” Ivy gave a sympathetic smile and Shadowsan merely nodded.

The plane ride came and went. Unfortunately, with the hurried circumstances, the group couldn’t access wifi to talk to Player, so the plan was to contact him as soon as they landed. They also didn’t sit together, and Carmen settled down with a book she’d picked up some time ago but hadn’t read yet. Luckily it held her attention, and before long she realized they were landing.

“How was the plane ride?” Ivy asked enthusiastically, when they had regrouped. Shadowsan and Zack had gone to rent a car, while Ivy exchanged British pounds for Canadian dollars and Carmen booked hotel rooms.

“Uneventful. Nice break.” Carmen Sandiego wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. Now that they had landed, her mind was focused on Player again. She’d sent a text once they’d landed, but no response yet. That in of itself didn’t mean anything, as he could be doing schoolwork. Once everyone rendezvoused at the entrance she would try calling him.

She felt a soft tap at her shoulder and spun around, meeting Shadowsan’s calm eyes. Zack stood behind him, eagerly holding up car keys.

“Ready to go, Carm,” he said.

“Have you been able to contact Player?” Shadowsan asked. She shook her head.

“I’ll call him in the car. The hotel’s taken care of; here’s the address.”

The hotel Carmen had booked was actually in the Niagara Falls city area- not an easy or inexpensive task on such short notice. They supposedly even had a view of the falls, although Carmen doubted how clear the view would be.

Along the way, she tried to call Player. No response. The phone would ring, and then his snarky voice would ask her to leave a message. Five times Carmen tried, and five more texts she sent, but to no avail. Each time she got more frustrated, and more worried that she would be too late. When they got to the city Carmen didn’t even need to tell Zack to pass the hotel and head straight to Player’s house. He just swapped the address and continued.

When they arrived, Ivy had to hold her back from getting out of the car while it was still moving. In front of Player’s house- a cute gray-blue two-story building- was a police car.

“No no no no no,” Carmen whispered frantically. She didn’t approach the house, fearful of attracting policemen, but stood there, watching a confused and concerned mother talk to a cop, comforted by her husband. She didn’t know exactly how, or when, yet, but Carmen Sandiego did know one thing: V.I.L.E. was going to pay.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

Team Red meets Player's parents. yay?

Notes:

2 chapters!??!

It's crazy I haven't lost motivation in this yet

When using a fake ID to take control of a police investigation, one must be precise in how they issue orders. For example, while dismissing the police officers entirely would be preferable to get them out of the way, it would be very suspicious and might attract more attention to the case. Civilians and cops alike would wonder: what could be so important about a missing boy that the local police couldn’t interfere? It was much easier to give them a mundane task, like looking for clues already found or searching an area already cleared.

When Carmen Sandiego approached, her face was devoid of emotion. It was easier to do that when there was more anger, fear, and worry inside of her than normal, she’d found. It made sense in a backwards kind of way. Shadowsan walked to her right and slightly behind, while Zack and Ivy walked behind her on the left. They needed to appear professional, in order to pull this off. Fortunately, it was a routine they’d practiced before.

There were five people total. Player’s parents (Carmen assumed, he’d never really talked about it) and three officers. One police officer noticed them before the others. She nudged another, probably the one in charge, who was watching the third ask (Player’s mother..?) questions. The one in charge sized up Carmen and her crew, a small frown on her face.

“This is a police investigation,” she commanded, once they were close enough. “Please leave the area.”

“This case has been taken to a higher level of investigation,” Carmen said, ignoring her. She had to give the woman some credit, though; she was clearly very good at her job.

“We didn’t receive any orders,” the woman protested. Carmen reached into her trenchcoat and pulled out an ID, holding it out for everybody to see.

It was actually a fake ID, similar to those used at A.C.M.E.: vague details yet unmistakable clearance.

“You have new orders. We’ve received a tip that there may be some information near a field about a mile west of here. Your task is to search the area for anything useful.”

There was nothing there, Carmen was sure. She’d picked a random place just to keep the cops busy.

The woman in charge hesitated. Then she finally nodded, waving to her colleagues.

“Let’s move out,” she ordered briskly. “If you need anything from me or my associates, let us know.”

“Of course,” Carmen responded.

They left, and Carmen turned to the other two people, watching the exchange with interest and confusion.

“I’m Agent Sandiego with the CIA. These are my colleagues. Agent Shadow, Agent Z, and Agent I. You must be the boy’s parents?”

Carmen didn’t know Player’s real name. She barely knew anything about his life, he was so quiet. She knew nothing about him yet still asked him time and time again to risk his safety for her own revenge and spite. She was an idiot.

“You ok?” Ivy whispered. She’d sidled up when Carmen wasn’t looking. With a jolt, Carmen realized the couple had answered her question, she’d been too absorbed to notice.

“Yeah,” Carmen muttered to herself, then raised her voice. “Why don't we go inside? It's getting cold.”

~

The interior of the house was just as cozy and quaint as the outside. A snug living room and fireplace occupied the first room, where a staircase and doorway could be seen leading to the bedrooms and kitchen, respectively. Carmen Sandiego would usually have enjoyed this comforting setting, but her mind was in no mood to relax right now.

“Which room was his?” She asked.

The woman pointed upstairs. “Second one on the right. We haven’t touched it.” Her voice sounded tight, and her words were short. Carmen nodded to Shadowsan, Zack, and Ivy. They knew what to do.

Shadowsan took the stairs. “I’ll return shortly,” he promised.

Zack took out a notepad and pencil. “Don’t worry, we’re professionals.”

Ivy crossed the room to the couple, and gently sat them down on the large sofa, talking quietly.

“We’ll do everything we can. You’re in good hands, I promise.”

Then Carmen Sandiego took charge. “We have to ask some questions first, while the trail is hot. I need you to answer everything the best you can. Ready?”

They nodded.

“First of all, what are your names?”

“I’m Paul, and this is my wife, Gina,” the man answered. “Our son is- well, I’m his stepdad. His biological father ran off a few years ago, we haven’t seen him since-”

“Okay, good to know,” Carmen interrupted. She felt guilty, learning about Player’s life like this when he should have been able to tell her himself. It was stupidly sentimental, but she wanted Player to tell her his name. She wanted to earn it.

“When did you notice he was missing?”

“A few hours ago.”

“That’s a relief,” said Ivy, next to Paul. Both Paul and Gina looked at her.

“Why? Did you know this was going to happen?” Gina demanded.

“The earlier it is, the sooner we can find a trail,” Carmen explained. “It’s more likely we’ll pick up a clue, and they can only travel so fast.”

“They?! You- you think he’s been kidnapped?” Paul suddenly exclaimed. “We’d thought he’d- I don’t know, what would someone want with a kid?” He turned to Gina. “It’s the hacking thing, isn’t it. He got into something he wasn’t supposed to, fixed too many things!”

“We’ll find everything out when we find your son,” Ivy promised. She placed a calming hand on his arm. “Don’t worry.”

“Has… anything suspicious happened within the past few days?” Carmen continued. “Strange people appearing?”

“Nothing,” Gina said. “He’d started getting these really sturdy locks for his windows and door. We didn’t want to say anything; thought it was a phase. And then I come home from work to find his room trashed and he’s missing!” She choked back a sob.

The locks didn’t even help. How can I keep fighting these battles when I can’t keep my crew safe?

“Thank you,” Carmen walked to the staircase. “We’ll move out immediately to do this as fast as possible.”

Carmen had seen Player’s room before, in pictures. She knew what to expect: One side was for living and the other was completely dedicated to computers, complete with several separate screens all connected to one keyboard. And of course, a gaming console and chair.

What she didn’t expect was papers to be strewn everywhere, the gaming chair knocked over, a dent in the wall from where the door must have been kicked open.

She could feel a panic rising in her throat and forced it down.

Keep it together. Player needs you.

“Anything?” She asked Shadowsan, who was studying some dark spots in the carpet.

“The Cleaners were dispatched, but he put up a fight. Chloroform was used.” He pointed to the dark spots, which must have been drops of Chloroform. “No blood.”

Carmen felt small bubbles of relief and pride release inside her chest. Player wasn’t injured- at least not here- and he managed to fight off the Cleaners of all people, even for a little while.

“We leave immediately.” She decided.

Shadowsan’s eyes softened. “Carmen,” he said. Just one word, but it carried so much meaning and Carmen could feel her panic rising again.
“I can’t slow down Shadowsan! You know what V.I.L.E.’s like! Every second matters and-”

She was cut off when Shadowsan grabbed her wrists, gently. Carmen realized she was yelling but refused to say anything. She yanked her hands away and started back downstairs.

Only to run right into Gina.

Her face was red, presumably from crying, which made Carmen guilty that she hadn’t thought to speak to his parents about this and had just barged in demanding information. She also had a look of surprise on her face, mirroring Carmen’s.

The surprise turned quickly to determination though when she asked, “What’s vile? What’s happening to my son?”

Carmen froze. She could hear Shadowsan’s footsteps behind her, and saw Paul, Zack, and Ivy behind Gina. She felt surrounded, trapped, stressed.

“I- uh,”

But, to her surprise, it was Zack who came to the rescue.

“V.I.L.E. is the name of a… gang that’s recently popped up ‘round here. They probably want, uh… ransom money, or something. But we’ll get Pl- him back safe and sound, promise.”

Gina didn’t buy it. Carmen could see by the way her eyes narrowed. But she wasn’t a police officer, she didn’t know the ins and outs of crime. And he looked so sincere… she stepped back, letting Paul take the lead.

“Please, we just want our son back,” he put his hand around Gina’s shoulders, comforting her. She leaned into the touch.

~

Ask anyone for general advice, and there is something you will always hear: Slow down. Think things through. Take your time. Very good advice, but in real life, there is no time-out or pause to allow even a moment of fresh air; everything you do has impacts. Even hesitating. And now as they were driving back to the hotel Carmen could only think of the times where she had hesitated, and failed. Rio ran through her mind like a TV show on repeat, taunting her. She resolved she wouldn’t let this play out the same way.

Zack and Ivy had heard the shouting from the living room. At some unspoken agreement, they and Shadowsan decided to forgive Carmen for her outburst. They comforted her, brought her blankets and hugged her, which Carmen gratefully accepted. But it didn’t alter her thinking. If anything, it reinforced her resolve that she would never, ever, lose her family to V.I.L.E.. No matter what.

~

Player awoke slowly. His mind felt groggy. There were bright lights blinding him everywhere, so he turned on his stomach to hide his face. His hoodie was still on. The bed he was in was scratchy and thin, like something you might find at some cheap college or summer camp.

“Finally. You’re awake.” A bored voice called. It was disinterested, yet amused. It sent chills down Player’s spine from just hearing those three words. The events of a few hours ago played back in his mind. He was waiting for the team to get off the plane. He really didn’t think V.I.L.E. was going after him, but he’d played along and took the precautions seriously. He was honestly excited. He’d get to show Zack and Ivy what Canada was like, maybe even introduce Carmen to his parents.

Of course, none of that would happen now.

He stayed still, hoping to trick the voice into thinking he was still asleep.

“Oh come now, you expect me to believe that? Get up.” The voice took on a more cold turn now. Carmen’s words from the past few days echoed in his head.

They won’t go easy on you because you’re young. You need to stall, not resist. If you get caught, start from the moment they catch you. Establish the pattern of behavior that will best help you escape so it doesn’t look suspicious.
Although he was scared, Player slowly sat up on the bed.

If Carmen can do this, I can too.

When saw the face, though, his heart froze in his throat.

He sat in a low office chair across the room, legs crossed. His hair was almost as pale as his face, which Player knew wasn’t uncommon in northern Europe, but the way he held himself was… unsettling, to say the least. His blue eyes pierced Player’s soul in a way he didn’t think was possible. A frown occupied his face, although it must have been smirking just a moment before. Player tried to keep his face neutral, protected.

“You might have figured it out, but I’ll introduce myself anyway.”

He was right. Player knew who this man was. He’d heard Carmen describe him often enough. A sudden wide smile crossed the man’s face.

“Professor Gunnar Maelstrom, at your service. And you?”

The question almost caught Player off guard. They figured out where he lived and yet couldn’t find his name? His hacking skills were up to scratch then. Well, ignoring the current situation.

“I’m Player,” He said shortly. He enjoyed Maelstrom’s slight scowl, quickly covered up.

“Well, Player,” Maelstrom spat, “I hope you and I will become good friends.”

Notes:

dont worry guys he's fine

hehe

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Summary:

Team Red hatches a plan to rescue Player. But wait- there's three more chapters left!

Notes:

yknow that feeling you get when you messed up at something and ur friends/family try to comfort you but you just sink deeper bc you can't stand knowing that they know what happened? Yea.

Some info for this chapter: Poitiers is where The French Connection Caper took place (season 1 finale) i.e. where Carmen almost died to a hug. I wrote this chapter out of order so it may seem choppy in places. Also, the wiki says Player is 12 but I'm changing it to 14 because it makes me feel better.

So yea. Enjoy :)

Every step you take affects the future. Every action, decision, thought you make will always come back to you in one way or another. The past cannot be undone, and the future is always changing, this way and that, motivated by things you thought were forgotten, hidden in the depths of your soul. A decision made hastily will always come back to bite you, when the threads of futures that could have been make themselves known. Tackling these threads alone will almost certainly result in failure, as the many before you have demonstrated. But approach with companions, with caution, and you may find yourself much more successful than before.

~

Carmen Sandiego didn’t want to go to the hotel. She wanted to find Player. So, they made a temporary base in a rental van, and got to work.
Since the crew moved around so much, they had travel equipment and a standard procedure for hurry situations like this. Zack drove the van, while Ivy soundproofed the walls with whatever was around (currently, old blankets).

Carmen set up the computer and Shadowsan operated it. Normally, he and Player would work together to get a secure internet connection, start gathering information for the caper, etc., but due to the circumstances, it took Shadowsan a lot longer to do his part. No one said anything.

Carmen hovered over his shoulder, watching. She was silent, but adrenaline still ran through her. She felt like she could take on the world. She wanted to take on the world.

She would if it would get Player back.

But they needed information first. Shadowsan could do that, although usually Player would.

Shadowsan knew Carmen wouldn’t rest until she found Player, and if he knew them all well enough, none of them would. Ivy joined them just as he was finishing.

“I’ve narrowed it to these three locations,” Shadowsan stated. “When I was on the faculty, V.I.L.E. didn’t have a presence here, so only buildings bought within the last 9 months or so could be potential lairs. I cross-referenced a list of those estates with the criteria for V.I.L.E. strongholds and got these three warehouses.”

He pulled up three separate pictures on the screen. They all looked pretty similar: old, worn-down buildings that nobody would want or think twice about. Perfect for V.I.L.E..

“Any way we can eliminate the final two?” Carmen asked. From the front of the van, Zack called to them:

“Carm, I’m on the highway. Where’re we going?”

“Towards downtown” she answered; they were all generally in that area.

Shadowsan typed on the computer a bit more, searching for clues. He paused.

“Carmen,” he said. “There’s a message.”

She could see it on the screen clearly. Hidden in the files of warehouse no. 2, decoded by the laptop, it read:

Surrender in two days or he dies.

It was eerily similar to the message she’d gotten about Devineaux after V.I.L.E. had found his keycard. Short, to the point. Ominous. She remembered the fear she’d felt seeing Devineaux unconscious, the truth device on his head. He was a nuisance, yes, but he didn’t deserve what V.I.L.E. did to him.

Carmen Sandiego was too stubborn to surrender. And she refused to let the weight of the message sink in; that their search for Player had a time limit, and that his death was a very real possibility now.

“Well,” Ivy stated, “At least we know where to look.”

~

“This has to be it.”

They approached the warehouse. It looked old, decrepit. The perfect building for V.I.L.E.; they were masters at blending into the background.
Carmen immediately began issuing orders.

“Zack, Ivy, you take the perimeter. Keep the security cameras distracted, and have the van ready for pickup. Shadowsan, you and I will need to split up in order to search the compound thoroughly. If we’re fast enough we may be able to be in and out before they even notice-”

“Shouldn’t we at least do a scan first?” Ivy interrupted. Carmen stared, not comprehending.

“What?”

“With Red Drone.” Ivy motioned to a case in the rental van. “I brought her along.”

Carmen considered, about to say yes, but paused. Waiting and stopping was what got her caught in Rio, it was what almost killed her in Poitiers.

Player was already in danger enough. She couldn’t make it worse by hesitating.

“No. I don’t want him in there a moment longer. We’re getting him out and we’re doing it now.”

“Uh, Carm? You sure about that?” Zack asked. “V.I.L.E.’s doing this to draw you out.” He stepped closer to Ivy, like she needed to be protected or something. Carmen could feel her frustration rise, and forced it down.

“Yes, Zack,” She said shortly. “I’m very sure. We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s go.”

The team was silent as they moved into position. Radios were set to the correct channel, earpieces fit snugly, cameras taken out, and it was go time.

Carmen and Shadowsan each found different entry points to enter the warehouse. Shadowsan took a window, while Carmen took the front door, after dispatching the guards, of course. No hesitation.

She vaguely heard glass shattering, which must have been Shadowsan.

“No hesitation,” She muttered to herself, then charged into the building.

In a stark contrast to the run-down look of the outside, inside the warehouse were clean white floors and blue-gray walls, almost like a lab. There were no rank-and-file operatives around, which must have meant this facility wasn’t used very much.

There were no signs, so Carmen ran aimlessly through the hallways, hoping to find the holding cells through sheer luck. If she had slowed down a little, she might have noticed that one of the rooms was a training room for new employees, and conveniently had a map of the warehouse taped to the wall, one of the only ones in the building.

Unfortunately Carmen did not slow down, and she missed what may well have salvaged this rescue attempt from certain disaster.

“Shadowsan, anything?” She called.

“There are no cells here. Or guards. They could be concentrated at a specific location; maybe where Player is,” He reported.

“We’ll have to hit hard and quick if we want to get him out before bedtime.” Currently it was around 7 in the evening.

“Carmen, I know time is of the essence, but are you really sure-” Shadowsan started, but Carmen interrupted him.

“We’re already inside, Shadowsan, now’s not the time for cold feet.”

She could feel his disapproving glare through the earpiece just from the way he fell silent.

Disapprove all you want, I’m not losing my family to V.I.L.E. anytime soon.

She charged into a brighter lit corridor, and had to screech to a halt when she caught the low murmur of voices around the corner. Carmen peeked around the edge discreetly. There were three guards, in standard V.I.L.E. uniforms, standing, talking outside of a locked door. An awful lot of protection for one door.

“Shadowsan, I see a door heavily guarded up ahead. I think this is it,” She reported.

“On my way,” He responded. “Stay where you are.”

Carmen wasn’t going to stay where she was. She knew Player was behind those doors, and she was bursting for an opportunity to break him out now.

Then the moment came when one of the guards excused himself and left, walking away from where Carmen was hiding. Now it would be two against one. Slightly unbalanced odds. They wouldn’t have a chance.

Silently Carmen leapt from her hiding place. The two operatives were caught completely off-guard. One she took down on her first strike, the other a moment later.

“Amateurs,” She muttered. Usually she would try to just knock out her victims, as most of them had some kind of debt with V.I.L.E. they had to fulfill or were otherwise forced into service, but she had unintentionally hit them harder than normal. Quickly she bent down to check pulses, not wanting to waste time but feeling slightly guilty at her actions. To her relief, both of them were alive, they might just be out of it for a while.

Carmen opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle Player. The lights were off. She flipped the switch near the door, her confusion allowing her guard to relax. A mistake. She expected to see her friend, maybe scared or frightened but hopefully alright. She expected the lights to be some kind of intimidation tactic V.I.L.E. had come up with. She expected the kind of lavish cell designed to make the prisoner lower their guard yet still maintain a lingering sense of unease that was so easy to exploit once after just a few days in there.

She did not expect to find Maelstrom, of all people, to be there. He was sitting on a plush sofa, grinning maniacally.

“Looking for someone? I didn’t think you’d agree to the terms, so I figured I’d help persuade you.” He stood up gracefully, completely confident, Crackle rod comfortably in his hand. Carmen backed up, preparing to flee, only to get grabbed by someone from behind.
She spun, kicking the attacker in the stomach and getting a full view of the hallway behind her. A dozen guards had shown up in the time it had taken her to take out two. She was surrounded.

“Please, don’t look so panicked,” Maelstrom cooed. “Of course we knew you’d broken in, you just happened to arrive right as I requested reinforcements.”

He advanced, and Carmen began fighting tooth and nail to break free. She let the fear, anger, resentment at V.I.L.E and the past few days take hold. Dimly she could hear Maelstrom monologuing above the fighting.

“That boy really is something isn’t he? I’d almost swear he’s yours but… no, he looks far to old for that to be true. How did you two meet, I wonder?”

Carmen was backed into a wall. Funnily, although having the strongest weapon, Professor Maelstrom was doing none of the fighting. He stood back, watched Carmen take blow after blow, until…

A dark shadow sprung from behind. Four quick karate chops quickly evened the odds. Shadowsan stood between Carmen and V.I.L.E., stoic and dangerous.

“Carmen,” he said evenly, “It’s time to retreat.”

“Shadowsan-”

“Go.”
One word. No emotion.

So she did. Carmen Sandiego ran, ran all the way across the building and outside. She encountered no guards as she ran. Her earpiece buzzed briefly, from Zack.

“Carm, everything alright in there?” He asked. The earpieces didn’t pick up side conversations unless calibrated to, so the only information Zack and Ivy were getting was location. They only saw Shadowsan fighting inside, and Carmen running away.

“Yes, Zack, I’m fine.” Carmen fought to keep her voice even. “You can keep taking the perimeter.”

Shadowsan probably meant for them to rendezvous at the van, but Carmen wasn’t sure she could face her friends right now. It was raining when she opened the door, but she didn’t care. Her technology was waterproof.

She ran to a thick wall of trees separating this property from the next. It was dark, moderately sheltered from rain, and quiet.
Carmen fought her way through the thickest part, reaching a space just wide enough for a few people to comfortably stand. She wanted to scream so badly but she also didn’t want to be found.

To compromise, she stuffed her fist into her mouth and screamed into that. Then, once the rage had subsided somewhat, the tears took over and Carmen was cryin- ehm-not crying, because she was on a mission and she was a professional. Right.

She gave up trying to stand upright and sank into the foliage and dirt, letting the mud stain her clothes and the rain mix with her tears. Her hat and coat had been doing a decent job at keeping her dry, but the rain was persistent.

Idiot. You’re an idiot and it's’ your fault Player’s in there with them and your an idiot. Idiot-

“Carmen.”

She would’ve jumped, had she not been sitting down. The word was kind, but firm. It jolted her back to her surroundings with ease. Similar to how it had been used in the cozy blue house, just this afternoon. Carmen knew he wanted to help, but irrational fear paralyzed her. What if he wasn’t ready to help? What if the help didn’t work? She would only get his pity.

She did kind of maybe feel a little guilty that mud had almost completely covered her backside, but it was dark and rainy. And he was soaked too.

“..The pickup was a failure. We’ll be out in 35,” Carmen heard him say, and she realized he was speaking to Zack and Ivy through his earpiece. Had they spoken to her, too? She couldn’t remember.

She also couldn’t see him, which was a little bit annoying. Sure, it was dark and he was a ninja, but cmon. Common courtesy. She heard him sigh.

“Will you talk to me, Carmen?” He asked. Simply. Honestly. Despite it all, Carmen couldn’t bring herself to shut him out.

“...Yes.”

“What’s going on?”

Carmen took a few seconds to respond. She pulled herself upright and took several deep breaths. Totally not stalling.

“It’s… It’s all my fault, Shadowsan,” She finally admitted. Strangely, it was easier to talk when she couldn’t see him. Almost like she was talking to the universe itself. He stayed silent, so she continued.

“I’m the one who brought Player into this. I wanted to bring down a multibillion-dollar corporation with reach in every country in the world, and I got a kid to help me do it.”

Contempt and sarcasm dripped off her words.

“Do you not think he knew the risks when you told him your plan?”

The question caught Carmen off guard. The answer seemed silly.

“No! He’s a child and he thought he was invincible! I brought him into this and its my fault! I should have known they’d find out; I should’ve known a kid wouldn’t be able to hide himself forever!”

She wanted to say more but cut off, holding back sobs. She felt arms wrap around her and realized Shadowsan had been behind her the whole time. More tears fell, but she didn’t hold them back. Carmen leaned into the touch, mumbling:

“And now I messed up the rescue. Because of me he’s in some dingy V.I.L.E. cell instead of safe with us right now.”

~

The cell was modern, simplistic. His bed was a bunk set into the wall, long enough to also serve as a couch for the table in the middle of the room, opposite an armchair in front of the only door out. The side wall had a door that led to a simple bathroom.

Some time ago, he’d heard shouts, followed by sounds of fighting. A faceless V.I.L.E. operative had ran into his room shortly after, and stood in front of the door menacingly. (Except they were facing the door, weird.)

Player was sitting in his well-furnished cell, thinking, when Professor Maelstrom came in. The guard had now been here for about an hour or so, but left at a silent nod from him. He looked slightly frazzled, but had a smug smile on his face.

“I thought you should know, our friend in red attempted a rescue today. She failed.” Maelstrom took the single chair, placing himself between Player and the exit.

Player didn’t say anything.

Don’t talk unless they ask you to. Don’t give away anything more than necessary.

He’d started hearing Red’s voice in his head, giving him advice. Some of it was stuff he’d heard before, some he was pretty sure his mind just made up on the spot. Either way, he was glad she could be with him, even if it was just pretend.

“She seemed quite distressed, too. I hope I haven’t made too much of a mess, with all this. You forgive me, right?”

Player still didn’t respond. Maelstrom scowled.

“Guess I’ll get to business, then. The faculty and I have discussed, and we decided if you’re going to be here, using our lovely estate, you might as well… pay rent, if you will.”

A wicked smile played across Maelstrom’s lips as he pulled something out of his jacket. It was a piece of paper, small, and a pen. He smoothly slid the items across the table to Player’s side.

Player rose his eyes to meet the Professeur’s, confusion plainly written on his face. They really thought he would just give up information about Team Red?

“If you’re thinking about skipping this month’s rental fees, allow me to clue you in on a little secret.” Now Maelstrom set a briefcase on the table, previously hidden from view.

“In this case is what we at V.I.L.E. like to call ‘The Truth Extractor™’. If you don’t want to voluntarily give up information, we will make you.”

His smile dropped suddenly. One thing Player had learned about Professor Maelstrom: his moods were as fickle as the winds. The Professor stood up with the case, preparing to leave, and paused.

“Oh, one more thing. About the Extractor. In adults it's been known to cause irreversible plagues of disorientation, madness. But… how old are you? 14?… I suspect its effects on you could be far, far, greater than that.”

No information is worth your life.

~

The rain pattered on. Cold and hard, it felt like the universe itself was mourning.

They stayed together, tucked in a tight embrace only the world could separate. An ember of warmth in a sea of cold darkness.

Eventually they moved to a more comfortable sitting position, because all the hugs in the world cannot replace genuine conversation.

Carmen didn’t bother wiping the tears from her face. The sun had set now, and the rain hid it well enough. Plus, Shadowsan wasn’t fooled. He knew they were there.

“Player is just as much a team member as anyone else here, even if he works through a screen,” Shadowsan started. “Why do you take so much responsibility for this?”

Shadowsan knows why, even if he’ll never feel the same way.

“You know why,” Carmen stated blandly. “Anything that happens to him is my fault, because I roped him into this. He’s- he’s like my kid.”

“And what would a mother want for her child, above all else?”

“...She would want him to be able to take care of himself. I know that Shadowsan, but-”

“And what would you do if Julia were in this situation?”

The question caught her off guard.

“How is that relevant right now?” She asked incredulously.

“What would you do if Julia were in this situation?” He repeated.

“I- I would want to get her out as fast as possible, and I would trust her to take care of herself until then, but Jules isn’t-”

“So do that now. Trust him.”

“Player isn’t a former secret agent with four degrees.”

“But you trust them the same, right? Player may not know how to hold a gun, but he’s smart, and resourceful. There’s a reason he can keep up with the rest of us.”

“...I guess you’re right,” Carmen reasoned. “Player is capable, so I should focus on making sure he won’t have to prove it to anyone.”

The rain had lessened somewhat. A bright full moon just barely peeked out through dense rainclouds.

Carmen stood up, slowly. A moment later Shadowsan moved with her, showing far more grace than she and lending a hand, silently. They faced each other and Carmen Sandiego finally met Shadowsan in the eyes.

“Thank you,” She said simply, quietly. Shadowsan merely nodded.

Notes:

Shadowsan was behind Carmen because he will always have her back o7
More angst than previous chapters, but I think it went well :)

Important note: I will not be able to write for the next three-ish weeks so this fic likely won't get updated for at least a month. Don't worry, though, It's not getting abandoned.

Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Summary:

The chapter in which Player passes the expensive vase test.

Notes:

I am so sorry y'all here is the chapter

Have fun

Carmen remembered what it was like to see Player’s room for the first time. It was before Shadowsan had joined the team, before the HQ. They were in a coffee shop somewhere in Brazil, celebrating after another successful caper, like they usually did. Zack and Ivy had lost interest and wandered off, so it was just the two of them on a video call, chatting, when he mentioned reorganizing his room because it was getting stuffy.

She remembered how, rather than end the call and start a new one on his phone, Player literally picked up his computer and carried it around the room, pointing out the things he had changed. (Because Carmen wouldn’t know, other than what she saw in the background of calls.)

She remembered the excitement in his voice when he was explaining how he meticulously planned it so the one window in the room could fill it entirely with natural light if he wanted. Not that he never did, but it was the option to do it that made it so cool. She remembered the pride she felt seeing him move around and do something other than type for hours on end.

And Carmen Sandiego remembered the first time they showed Player around their HQ, once it had been completely decorated. Shadowsan, Ivy, and Zack all joined in, and they sped the laptop from room to room, pointing out the warm colors and ideas they had for future installments. By now his childhood excitement had grown into mature amusement, but Carmen could tell he was still really happy. She was proud to see him grow up, proud that-

“Carm. We’re here.”

The white rental van pulled up to a small hotel. A familiar small hotel, actually, because it was the one Carmen had booked earlier... today?

“Thanks, Zack,” she said quietly.

She’d apologized to him and Ivy back at the warehouse, but of course they wouldn’t have it. Ivy even assured her she would always be forgiven because it was understandable, everyone makes mistakes, but Carmen knew it was her fault and hers alone that Player was still in danger. But she could be better next time. She had too.

“You coming?” Ivy asked. Carmen zoned back in and realised the rest of the group had gotten out of the van.

“Sorry,” she said wryly. “Coming.”

~

They set up in the hotel the same way they did in the van, except with the added task of unloading everyone’s luggage. The process was still pretty fast, though, so Carmen also changed from her trenchcoat and hat to comfy and loose house clothes.

“Alright gang,” Ivy said, once they’d settled. “Let’s get started-”

Carmen heard a buzz come from her purse, laying on a table near the sofa that sat in the center of the room. She picked it up curiously, not recognising the number. Ivy did though, looking over Carmen’s shoulder.

“That’s the Bouchards,” she explained. “I gave them our business number.”

“Have they found something?” Carmen wondered. She answered the phone and put it on speaker for everyone to hear.

“H-Hello?” Gina’s voice filtered through the phone speaker. “This is Agent Sandiego, right?”

“Yes, it is. You’re on speaker with the rest of my team.” Carmen answered evenly. Putting aside a brief panic, she wondered why Gina would call so late. It was almost 10:00 at night.

“I-We wanted to know if you had found anything -yet.” Gina said in a rush. She seemed nervous.

Um.

“...We’ve found him, but we’re waiting on extraction.” Carmen said, making sure her tone did not give anything away. Zack shot her a confused look. She shook her head. Ivy looked slightly troubled, but Shadowsan seemed to get it, at least.

“Is- do you know if he’s safe?” Gina sounded remarkably steady considering the circumstances, a steely note to her voice Carmen hadn’t noticed before.

“He’s as safe as he can be, Mrs. Bouchard,” Ivy said reassuringly. Quite a sneaky play on words, Carmen thought. Appearing to promise something that was never really there in the first place.

Well, we know they won’t kill him yet. Although one day has already passed, so I guess it won’t be long… No. Don’t think about that.

The note had implied that if Carmen gave herself up, Player would be released. But Carmen knew he was too valuable to V.I.L.E. for them to ever let something like that happen. Plus, Carmen thought, Player wouldn’t want her to throw everything away. She had to respect that, at least.

“So when will he be home?” A man’s voice- Paul’s- asked.

The correct answer would be tomorrow or not at all, but it maybe wasn’t the best thing to say to worried parents.

Zack apparently thought the same thing, because he started to say:

“Oh we’ll definitely bring him home tomor-” before being rudely cut off by Ivy’s elbow in his stomach.

“Our goal is to reach him by tomorrow,” Carmen said smoothly, then having a realization.

Shit. Damage control.

Typically, on missions where they’d be working with civilians, either Zack or Ivy would stay behind and run ‘damage control’; basically making sure the cover story was accepted and no one suspected the team of being anything other than what they said they were. Of course they’d forgotten this time, but ughhhhh, this conversation would be difficult. Carmen was grateful for Ivy stepping in to help.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?” Ivy continued. “We need to get back to work soon, if you don’t mind.”

This was taking forever. Carmen heard lowered voices from the phone speaker. Ivy and Zack put their ears to the phone, trying to eavesdrop. When Paul spoke again, they both jumped in surprise.

“Okay… why were you sent out here? What could be so important that national agents have gotten involved? There’s gotta be something more, right?”

Oh shit shit shit… What am I supposed to say to that???

“I- I can’t tell you that. I’m sorry. For security reasons.” Carmen tried her best to ignore the way Ivy’s eyes hardened from across the sofa.

Tell the truth, They urged. It's the right thing to do.

Tell the truth?

She might as well burn their house down, too.

“Why not!?” Gina demanded, rejoining the conversation. Carmen wished she could see their faces, to figure out what she could say to make this better, and fix this whole mess.

“What could possibly be going on with my son that it’s classified information?”

“Well,” Carmen stalled. “He’s…

“He’s a really good hacker!” Ivy put in hurriedly, unwilling to let her teammate suffer, even if it was totally their fault they were.

“Like suuuuper good. We haven’t seen talent in decades!” Zack added enthusiastically.

“Practically a legend.”

Decades. Really?

I don’t think they fell for that.

I can’t reveal Player’s secret for him. Not like this, when he’s not around to defend himself.

“You’re not even real agents, are you?” Gina accused suddenly. “You don’t wear uniforms, you showed up when there were already police officers here, and then you just sent them away! Tell me what’s going on right now, or I’m- I’m gonna call the police!”

The police weren’t a problem, however explaining this situation to Player if- when they got him back certainly would be.

The phone was silent. None of them were sure how to salvage this conversation, so Shadowsan officially considered it “beyond repair” and took control.

“Mrs. Bouchard,” He began, the first time he’d spoken in this conversation, “I know you’re worried but I’m afraid we can’t tell you more. That information is classified.”

They would be hated for this, but for Player’s parents to be asking questions, well, that was dangerous.

Carmen heard a frustrated yell, then a thud as the phone presumably was thrown against a wall. The call ended.

“Well,” Ivy stated to the silence, “That went well.”

Carmen let out a frustrated growl of her own and slammed her cellphone onto the sofa.

Deep breaths. Remember, someone’s counting on you

“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Zack decided. He saw varying levels of agreement.

“So we make it up to them. Get him back,” Ivy said.

“Now that we’ve already attempted it once, V.I.L.E. will most certainly have increased security,” Shadowsan advised. “They may move him.”

The group considered this.

“...We might need some help this time,” Zack said tentatively.

“No no, you’re right.” Carmen admitted. “I know exactly who to call.”

~

“Hello?”

“Hey Jules, I know you’re probably busy, but uh- I could really use your help.”

“Oh? With what?”

“Well…”

~

He placed a hand on Player’s shoulder, way too tight. Player was running out of time.

The paper was empty, save for a few meaningless scribbles.

“C’mon, little boy,” the agent muttered. “Gimme something good.”

“Okay, okay, just…” He scribbled more meaningless lines.

Never pass up an opportunity to exploit stupidity.

The agent peered down at the paper. He scowled.

“You know I can’t read that,” He spat. “Just say it to me,”

“The base is in Manhattan. In an old Carmen Brand Outerwear Warehouse.”

Reveal as little as possible.

Maelstrom had left some time ago, claiming more important matters to attend to. It was clearly supposed to be some sort of intimidation tactic, and honestly it was working a little. It was however somewhat undermined by the fact Player was now left in the capable arms of this bozo. Thanks to Carmen’s instruction, he knew he could outwit this guy. He just needed an opening.

The agent’s eyes narrowed. “Where in Manhattan?”

“I could show you online,” he offered innocently.

“...Alright then.”

He left the room for a bit (kind of abruptly, there must have been more guards outside.) and returned with a small laptop. Perfect.

Player pulled up a location on Google Maps, making sure to make a few mistakes along the way.

“Very good,” the agent sneered, writing down the coordinates. “Any others?”

“Not that I know of.”

Player felt much more confident now that Maelstrom was gone. That man was creepy.

The agent finished and closed his notebook. “So glad I didn’t have to use the extractor; the cleanup is terrible.” He glanced at the computer. “You can keep that. Not like it’s a weapon,” he muttered, then left.

Why had he not asked more questions? Whatever, it didn’t matter. They must not have thought they could get much out of him, or something. Nice.

Finally, someone had underestimated him.

Really, that was all the opening Player needed.

~

“Carm, will you come to sleep?”

“I’m fine, Ivy. But thanks.”

“Seriously, Carmen. We won’t be leaving until morning. Get some rest.”

“Ivy. I’m fine.”

Ivy sighed.

“Alright…”

There was no breeze when Carmen entered the balcony of the hotel room. She would sleep, now that they’d finished discussing their plan with Julia, but her head was spinning way too much for any sort of rest to be possible. Honestly, her head had been spinning since… When was it? This morning? Two days ago? It felt like forever. She heard the balcony door open again. Footsteps, then the door closing.

“Hey Zack,” she called. His footsteps didn’t have the same confidence and evenness as Ivy’s.

“Hey,” he answered.

Also, Shadowsan didn’t make footsteps.

“You feelin’ okay?”

She sighed.

“Mostly. You?”

He joined her at the railing, gazing out at the only-partially-obstructed view of Niagara Falls.

“Mostly. It's been a tough few days.”

Carmen laughed.

“You can say that again. I am not letting that kid out of my sight once this is over.”

She barely avoided saying the obvious if, but Zack laughed along anyway.

“That’s for sure. You think the plan will work?”

“There’s still a few kinks to work out, but it's the best we’ve got. What do you think?”

“Being the getaway driver is as good a job as any, I guess.”

Carmen stayed silent, inviting Zack to say more.

“I- It’s silly, but, I feel stupid, I guess, not having more ways I can help. I feel like I should be doing more, but I can’t.” His voice wavered and Carmen looked up, but his eyes remained stoically fixed on the Falls.

“It’s a team effort,” She said quietly.

“I know, I know- and I know you’re probably the most worried out of all of us, right? And we’re all feelin’ like we coulda done better, and we’re a horrible team for not keeping the only one of us under 18 safe from the biggest crime organization the world has ever seen.”

He said the last part angrily.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” She said automatically. “We’ll make it up to him- to them, somehow.”

She heard him huff.

“I can ask Ivy to drive the van, if you’d like,” she offered.

“No, no. It’s fine. I wouldn’t be as good as Ivy at it anyway.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Carmen reprimanded. “You have the skills to be on this team, Zack. Otherwise you wouldn’t be on this team.”

God help her she was not about to let her teammate suffer an existential crisis while another was behind enemy lines.

“-I can’t argue with that, Carm,” Zack said. He glanced at the stars. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“You shouldn’t beat yourself up too much either, y’know. We were all tired, and stressed. A mistake was inevitable.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

They stayed in companionable silence for a while, until Zack said:

“S’pose we should head in? Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

Notes:

Ok first off I am sooo sorry for taking 2 months to update. School hit me like a brick and the creative juices were being plugged at the source. Unfortunately, updates are going to be few and far between from now on.

On the other hand, though, I still intend to see this through and I am proud of myself for finishing the chapter, even if it was difficult. I like that Zack gets a moment, he's always forgotten about and we just can't have that here.

So, yeah. That's the update. I hope you enjoyed.