Summary: The entire time, she'd been a pawn in someone else's competition.
Standard Disclaimer: I'm just a fanfiction writer. All hail the rightful owners.
Content Disclaimer: There is violence, sexual content, and copious misuse of power in this work of fiction, and not of the cartoon variety. The characters as portrayed here are neither invincible nor morally flawless. If you've read Endgame and Play On, you know where this is going. If you haven't, I suggest you start with those so you don't get confused. However, if you are too young or attached to "beloved childhood" versions of the characters… you've been warned.
Ivy cursed through her gag and Zack sighed in obvious relief.
"What did I take?" Carmen asked quietly.
"Sugar pill." Leanne answered dryly. "I just wanted to see how far you would go. It'll save time later."
Carmen got to her feet breathing hard. "Why don't you hurry up and decide whether to kill me, you malevolent narcissist."
"I am trying to save your life!" Leanne snapped.
"I don't see the connection." Carmen commented darkly.
Leanne grinned. "That's because I haven't made it yet. If you had just kept your mouth shut, we would not be in this mess. We can't have this coming out, it would be an international disaster."
"No kidding…" Carmen growled. "Nice planning, by the way."
"However," Leanne said in a reasoning tone, "If you and the detectives can prove to me that you'll never try to bring this up… Well I might just let you live."
Carmen considered it for a moment. "Prove how? I see ten years of silence was insufficient."
"Tomorrow..." Leanne answered. "They all take a turn on you. They all do what I did. When I'm satisfied that you wouldn't even be able to look at them long enough to collude with them, I'll let you all go."
Ivy made a growling sound through her gag, but Carmen seemed to consider it. "And you'll let them live."
"They are mine." The director responded, sitting behind her desk and placing her feet up, crossed over one another. "I don't damage my property for no cause."
"Suhara should be exempt." Carmen deadpanned, hands on her hips.
The director shrugged, tossing her shiny bright hair in arrogance. "I'm sure the old man can figure out something. He likely knows more techniques then you realize."
"He left me in Morocco with you, knowing full well what was happening to me." Carmen responded in a lifeless voice. "I couldn't even look at him for ten years after that. Anything he does now is irrelevant."
"Fine." The director conceded. "But Ivy and Zack both need to." She gestured to Ray. "I'll give the three of you the night to decide."
"This alright, detective?" Carmen asked as she sat down next to Ivy.
"Yeah." Ivy said softly, leaning a little on Carmen's shoulder. "Is this?"
"Yes." Carmen answered, in a low register. "Keep your voice down though. I'm sure Leanne's kept a gunman in the next room."
"Can you break us out of here?" Zack asked, as it their legs weren't shackled together and the room had windows or a second door.
"Possibly," Carmen responded. "But Leanne could find your family and friends faster than me, detective. Do you want to take that chance?"
"This is really bad, isn't it?" Ivy asked, trying for bravery.
"I'm not going to lie to you, detectives." Carmen responded. "In terms of self-defense, being trapped in a second location like this is statistical death."
Zack scurried around to Carmen's other side, and leaned a little against her too, so that he could find her in the soot-black room. Suhara didn't move from his place on Ivy's other side.
"Tomorrow." Ivy whispered. "We either have to torture you or we all die."
They could feel Carmen's shoulders tense. "Do what you need to, detective, to buy our lives. I'll be fine."
"Even a random pair of Moroccan guards treated you better than me." Ivy berated.
"Don't either of you dare…" Carmen said with dark determination, "Get killed over me. I don't care if you have to snap my mind like a twig, When Leanne tells you to do something to me, you do it understand?"
"But…"
"Leanne has some sort of grudge against me, detective. She's only gone after you because of me. Disassociate yourself from me and she'll loose that anger."
Chief materialized in front of them. "I can't…" He began.
"You can't get anyone to come down after us." Carmen guessed. "Leanne's stopping the orders from coming out."
The CGI head nodded sadly. "Thought you might want a little light…"
Carmen leaned into the glow. "Thanks, but you all need to stop this."
"Stop what, Carmen." Suhara asked. The master was kneeling in front of Carmen, radiating calm and serene, but ancient.
"Trying to help me." Carmen said. "Trying to comfort me. You're just going to make tomorrow more difficult on yourselves. If you want to help, then you need to make yourself hate me by sunrise."
"I can't hate you anymore." Ivy said softly.
The thief said softly. "I really am sorry, Ivy."
"I know now it wasn't your fault."
"I'm confused again guys." Zack commented.
"We err… sort of knew each other before this…" The thief admitted.
"There was this… errr… mentor… thing…" Ivy commented grudgingly.
"Very informal." Carmen explained.
"It wasn't informal, how could you say that?" Ivy snapped.
The thief answered. "There was no program, detective."
"Well I cared about it anyway!" Ivy shouted.
"So did I…" Carmen answered quietly, a little hurt.
"Guys, what's going on?" Zack asked.
"It was related to my Tai Chi." Ivy elucidated.
"Get out! You were training with her?"
They could feel Carmen nod. "I was helping her with her rooting. It was technically just a very brief instruction but…" she sighed.
"I wanted to be just like her." Ivy answered, pain showing though in her voice. "I was so excited that she even wanted to work with me. I'd never been so excited about martial arts in my life. Then I come in one morning and find out…" her voice shivered. "I was so confused."
"After all of the things I told you about honor and self control, you saw me violate everything I'd taught you." Carmen answered darkly. "Of course you were confused. I don't blame you for holding that grudge, Ivy."
"All that time you were off saving the world…" Ivy muttered. "And I was wishing the most horrible things on you…"
"Well…." Carmen said, "Anything you wanted to do, you're going to get a chance at."
"I don't want to hurt you…" Ivy's voice broke. "I swear I don't…"
"I want to live, detective." The thief begged. "It's selfish and cruel and far too much to ask, but I don't want to die."
Suhara probed softly. "Why were you carrying around the means to kill yourself, Carmen-Chan."
"It's not like I was going to use it or anything." Carmen derided.
"Then why keep it?" Ivy asked, disturbingly certain that she didn't want an answer.
"Security." Carmen answered in clipped syllables.
Zack drew a slow breath.
"But it turned out." The thief continued. "That I'm afraid to die."
Ivy leaned a little more against her, in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.
"This is insane." Zack muttered.