Line in the Sand Chapter 12, an el tigre fanfic

A couple things:

1) I don't know for certain that Zoe's mother is really named Carmelita. I'm simply taking this information from the El Tigre Wiki, which, like many Wikis, has the disadvantage of being altered by anybody. But I like to think that the information is correct.

2) "Therefore one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful." – Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Chapter 12, Empire's Rise

Rivera Estate, Monday, 3:54 PM

Zoe had left Manny sighing in his room, belt hanging off the end of his bed. The look in his eyes was one of mixed relaxation and amazement. Satisfied that he wouldn't think at all about Frida for at least another half-hour, Zoe Aves thought it best to take a tour of the place on her own terms. In other words, case the place. As she touched what appeared to be a monkey made of solid gold and rare stones, her wrist communicator came alive with blaring light and heart-stopping sound. She rushed into the bathroom before answering it.

"Mija! It's almost four. Where are you?"

"I'm, uh," she looked around the room, searching for something, anything. "I'm in a bathroom."

"…What? Then why did you answer? What's wrong with you?"

"I said I was IN a bathroom, not using one. Relax." After saying that, Zoe slapped her mouth shut. Her mother didn't miss a beat.

"If you're not using the bathroom, why are you in it?"

"Never mind that; why are you calling me?"

"M has requested you at the base. He said that he has a mission for you."

"Huh," she said, rubbing her free hand against her face, "of course he does."

"Mija, where are you? Don't make me triangulate your position."

"I'm at a friend's house." Which wasn't a complete lie; but Zoe thought it best not to tell her mother about Manny yet. She knew that no one in her family would take this the right way. In the background, Zoe heard her grandmother chime in.

"Is she at that boy's house?"

Zoe slapped her face a second time. "A boy?! Zoe, what are you doing at a boy's house?!"

"Eh, nothing?"

"Young lady, you are coming home this instant! End of discussion!"

The communication ended with that. Leaning back against the wall, Zoe had the time to look herself in the mirror. At first she liked what she saw: pretty, dark, and winning. But the more she stared, the more she began to get sick. Thinking about what M could want… maybe the man was poison. He made her skin crawl at the mention of his name, and ever since she made this deal she would feel a little nauseous in his presence. Something about him touching her with his cold flesh… ick. Zoe splashed water on her face in an attempt to chase those feelings away. It worked, to a degree. But she needed to get home. Opening the door, Zoe nearly jumped out of her skin when she stepped into Grandpapi.

"Eh? Who are you?"

"What?" She stared at him a moment, still a little startled. Grandpapi stared at her long and hard.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh, no," she looked down the hall to see if Manny would help her out of this, but he wasn't there, so he really couldn't. Instead she'd have to use her cunning. "But, I believe we have spoken on the phone."

It clicked in Grandpapi's head about then, and he smiled wide. "You must be that Zoe girl! Si, welcome to our home!"

"Thank you. You must be Manny's Grandpapi. I'm glad to finally meet you."

Manny decided to show up at this point, still readjusting his belt. He took a place next to Zoe and wrapped his hand around her waist. "Hey Grandpapi. I see you've met Zoe." Zoe smiled and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck. But Grandpapi took Manny by the shoulder, separating the two for a brief moment.

"Way to go Manny," he whispered, "you have good taste. And I see my advice worked."

"Yeah it did! You're a genius!"

"Well, I try." Grandpapi stood tall and proud, wrists on his waist. "So, will she be staying for dinner?"

"Actually," Zoe said, walking slowly to the door, "I have to get home. My mother wants me back. We have to, uh, meet some friends."

"Alright," Manny replied, approaching Zoe innocently. But when he was close enough, he took her by the arms and dragged her into a kiss, letting his hand wander down her back. He broke the kiss to open the door. "Give me a call later?"

"Definitely. Bye Grandpapi," she waved to the old man, smiling wide with both his success and his grandson's in mind. "Bye Manny." She walked out running a finger under his chin. He watched her walk down the hall, smirking like those guys on the movies. Now he got why they smirked like that all the time; it made perfect sense.

Suarez Residence, 3:50 PM

Sergio enjoyed taking Frida out for a nice coffee, even if it was a total sob fest. Once they had arrived at the café, she broke down again, this time not bottling up anything at all. It was hard for him to tell, but Sergio caught something along the lines of "Manny's doing Zoe" or something similar. Now, while that is totally preposterous, one cannot hold that against Frida, who suffered a massive emotional blow. It is very easy to let your mind take things too far when you are imagining a worst case scenario. True, things were bad, but they haven't been dating long enough for that level of physical intimacy. Sergio caught some other things too, something about growing old and alone like a bag woman, and wanting to just go throw stuff off a bridge. All in all, Sergio played the important role of shoulder to cry on. And despite how upset Frida was, she thought more of Sergio for that. So, after two hours of emotional turmoil, the two departed the café and walked slowly to Frida's house. The going was slow because Frida knew she'd be in trouble: you can't ditch every class after lunch when you're already on the school's most wanted list. But they did eventually arrive there. When she saw her father's police cruiser parked crooked on the front drive, Frida sighed in despair.

"Hey, you'a gonna be okay."

"I don't think so, Sergio…"

"That wasn't a question, bella."

"Yeah… okay." She turned and started shuffling up toward the front gate, slowly reaching out to open it.

"Frida, wait," Sergio said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a card. "Here. This is'a my office's work number."

"… You work in an office."

"I work in the big robotics research thing down'a town. Anyway, if you need'a anything, just give'a me a call."

"Thanks, Sergio." And despite her bruised feelings, Frida smiled. She wasn't sure why she did; maybe it was just that Sergio could be pleasant even though she wasn't; something complex and emotional.

"It is no problem. Arrivederci, bella."

Frida turned and looked down at the card, smiling as she read the number. Something struck her, though, and she looked at Sergio again. "Hey, Sergio. What's 'bella' mean?"

Sergio just stared a moment, then smiled. "It means 'beautiful.'"

He left her with that in mind. Frida tried not to, but she blushed a bit. No one called her beautiful so many times in one day before. But it wasn't long before she sank back down into her darkness, and she returned to walking to her house's door. It seemed like the longest march she'd ever taken until she reached her goal; stretching her arm to grasp the door knob, Frida was less than surprised to see the door open from the inside. She looked up through her red eyes and stared at her father, face stained by tears and mascara. He wore a harsh expression, but it melted away almost immediately.

"Mija?"

She tried to speak. She even mouthed the word Papa. But nothing came out, and when she found herself unable to speak, Frida closed her eyes and started to whine, holding in another fit of hysterical crying. Emiliano quickly embraced her, quietly instructing her to just let it all out. If only he realized how many tears were left to shed. Sergio, meanwhile, continued his walk back to wherever the hell he was going, smiling with overwhelming confidence. Oh, she'd call. He told himself this over and over. He wasn't the same small boy from middle school. He was tall, strong, and as suave as he once fancied himself. But this did not fool one person, who had waited for this moment for two hours.

"Sergio…"

Sergio stopped dead in his tracks, immediately recognizing that voice and smiling wide with a mixture of smugness and malice. He faced Diego, emerging from the shadows, with a solid expression of invincibility.

"Diego. It's been'a too long."

"By your own choice, my friend."

The poison each boy spat was not lost. Where they were once good friends, these two had drifted apart. Diego, not wanting to lose a part of his past, tried to salvage the friendship they had. Sergio, it seemed, wanted nothing of the days long gone by. Well, almost nothing.

"It's been three years since we last talked, Sergio. And now what I do I see? A puppet for a tyrant."

"Diego… you have no idea what you are'a talking about."

"Black Cuervo said the same thing… and you know what? You're both murderers now."

Sergio's smile disappeared. It was true. In his quest for power, Sergio had both allied himself with M and done his insidious bidding. And up until that day, Sergio had not once contemplated killing a super hero. The repercussions always seemed too dangerous. But when he did bring down the Golden Eagle Twins, Sergio had a reaction far different than Zoe's. Rather than let grief and doubt take him, the master machinist felt elevated. If he could kill once, it was most certainly going to be easy for him to do it again.

"Murderer is'a such a strong word."

"Why shouldn't it be?" Diego shot back, clenching his fist tight. He honestly thought that Sergio was something of a threat now, and that he should be on guard.

"Hm, interesting point. But I don't'a have time to play with you." Sergio turned and started walking again, leaving his friend behind yet again. He did stop to say one last thing. "Oh, and I saw you stalking me and'a Frida. Do you honestly think that she'a wants to have a boy when she can'a have a man?"

Diego had to restrain his cybernetic hand when Sergio said that to him. Somehow he just believed that his friend had not fallen so far, that he didn't deserve to get a laser to the face. Instead of killing him for such offensive banter, Diego let him go. But this would not be the end.

"I will have my revenge… Senor Siniestro."

Aves Residence, 4:37 PM

Zoe ran out of the elevator the second the door had opened. Had she realized that her walk home would take her through three military check points, she wouldn't have taken that route. What should have been an easy walk became a nightmare of evading detection. She arrived at her door, thirsty, tired and trying her damnedest to get a taste out of her mouth. Reaching out to grab the knob, she stepped back in shock when the door opened. There stood her mother.

"Welcome home, mija. It only took you," Carmelita checked her watch, "forty-five minutes. Any special reason for that?"

"The military is all over the place. I couldn't-."

"Oh, the military. Hmm, what an inconvenience. Have you learned nothing over the past eighteen years?"

"Carmelita, behave yourself. You didn't always follow orders either." Grandmami Aves slowly approached the door, hobbling forward on her cane. Her daughter sighed and walked away. Grandmami turned her attention to Zoe.

"Did you have a good time, mija?"

"… Yes?" Zoe was cautious when she walked inside the apartment. How fortunate that no one made the link between the Aves women and the Flock of Fury. The two groups didn't exactly live on the opposite sides of Miracle City.

"… As much as he had?"

Zoe blushed after her grandmother said that. Grandmami Aves just laughed as she hobbled away. When time passed, Zoe regained her composure and stepped into the kitchen. She poured a tall glass of iced tea and started drinking it, skipping adding the sugar that she normally couldn't do without. Her thirst was extreme, and the taste was not something that would fade with sugar. After setting the glass down, Zoe turned to look at her mother, who stood on the other side of the kitchen, watching for a moment to speak.

"Grandmami's saying dirty things again…"

"It's the Rivera boy, isn't it?"

Zoe stood silent, but in turning away she said everything that needed saying. Carmelita's sigh made Zoe feel relieved, though. Previous instances of entertaining this crush, or love, or whatever it was, all ended in Zoe being scolded. When she felt her mother wrap her arms around her body, the young girl leaned into the hug, letting her anxiety melt off.

"Mija… if you must, you must."

"What?" Zoe asked, turning to look her mother in the eye.

"I've told you again and again that the Rivera men are nothing but trouble. But I won't stand in your way if… if you really want to try. Who knows, you may be the one to break our losing streak."

Zoe's smile was in conflict with her eyes, which welled up with tears almost immediately. She hugged her mother again, burying her face in Carmelita's shirt. But the good feelings didn't last long. Zoe had cut her visit with Manny short for a reason, after all.

"Zoe… we have to talk business now," she said, taking her daughter by the chin, "M wants you to attack the central command center of the military blockade. Alone."

"What…? But… what?"

"I know, Zoe." Carmelita knelt so she could better look Zoe in the eye. "Believe me, mija, I tried to convince him to let me go. But for some reason he requested you do it."

Zoe bit her lip, not wanting to believe her rotten luck. But maybe it wasn't luck. Maybe it was just the pendulum coming back to her. She didn't want to accept that just yet. But she didn't really want to accept this mission. She just wanted to spend her time with Manny, to not have to pay the devil his due.

"Zoe… I… I can still do it. We can just say that you are too ill, or that… we can think of something."

"No, mama, I can do it. I must. For myself and my family, I will do this thing." Zoe hugged her mother again, grateful for this reprieve. It was good to know that despite all that was said before, her mother would bless her relationship with Manny Rivera. "But before I do, I have to make a call."

Zoe walked to the phone and stopped, closing her eyes in a meditative way. Carmelita left the room to give her daughter the privacy she desired. There was only one person she would be calling, but just the same it was between her and M. Dialing in the number that M had supplied, Zoe waited patiently for an answer.

"Ahem… yes?"

"M, it's Cuervo. I'm in."

"Good. Here's what you have to do…"

Military Headquarters, 9:05 PM

General Miguel Duhamel Fitzgerald. Four stars, several awards for honor on the field, off the field, and for countless advancements in the strategy of subduing hostile crowds. It was General Fitzgerald that was called upon to deal with Miracle City, just as it was General Fitzgerald who was summoned to deal with the 1988 Bread Riots. The smooth resolution of the Bread Riots is attributed solely to the advanced tactics Fitzgerald applied. And the good general made sure to repeat that as often as possible. As General Fitzgerald leaned back in his chair in the makeshift military command center, previously a police station, he couldn't help but think how easy putting Miracle City in its place would be. After all, they had the support of the people, which is a major contributing factor to the success of any military operation. But something happened he did not expect: outside there was the sound of shouting, then a powerful explosion. Quickly getting out of his chair, the general asked a question of his lieutenant, who had barged in to check on his general's status.

"Gutierre! What's going on?"

"We're under attack, jefe! It's one of the villains, Black Cuervo!"

"Ah, so they've finally decided to move. Lieutenant, order the men to capture her! Rubber bullets! We need her for questioning!"

"Yes sir!"

Lieutenant Gutierre exited the room as the general went to the window. Outside, Black Cuervo flew in and out of range, peppering his troops with short bursts from her arm-mounted laser. He could hear her cackling from this distance; she was rather enjoying making the army look like a bunch of fools. He smirked, though, knowing his men all too well. They'd get the upper hand.

"General!"

Fitzgerald turned around to see his lieutenant again. What on earth was he still doing here?

"Gutierre… didn't I tell you to-?"

"About how old would you say you are, general? Forty, forty-five? It's hard to tell in this light."

"… Gutierre?"

Cuervo laughed loud and wickedly when she dropped another bomb, blowing apart the armored vehicle it struck. Murder was hard for her, but reckless mayhem? Nah, easy as breathing. She swooped in again for another attack sweep, but was surprised to find the troops moving into an organized pattern. They opened fire on Cuervo when she was close enough, and she was struck a couple times. But it only hurt enough for her to verbalize it. Rubber bullets… how absurd. She flew up high again and started her final sweep, certain she had bought enough time. Cuervo dove in hard and fired down into the crowd, hitting nobody, just causing a commotion. But when she got closer, the real surprise was revealed: she dropped a pair of flash bombs and a cluster of smoke bombs down on the unsuspecting soldiers. Though they moved away from the impact area, several of them were temporarily blinded, and the clouds of thick purple smoke mixed well with that generated by the burning fuel. Cackling wildly, Black Cuervo flew high overhead and disappeared between several buildings. Inside the command center, where the general's aids and top men waited, there rang out four gun shots and the sound of a shattering window. Gutierre was the first to rush in, finding General Fitzgerald resting against a wall with his gun, pressing it against a gun shot wound on his left arm. The window opposite him was shattered, indicating someone was on the other side.

"General Fitzgerald," Gutierre said, helping him up off the floor, "what happened?"

"An assassin… sweep the building! I want him found!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Hold on, general. We'll find you a medic."

Atop one of the buildings, Black Cuervo sat with a hand against her ear. She smiled wide and proud when she heard Lieutenant Gutierre's words. She stood, looking down at the dumpster under the window from which the ex-general was thrown. It would be some time before anyone realized that there was a body in that garbage… and by then it would be at the dump. How unfortunate. Laughing again, Cuervo ran to the other side of the building and jetted off into the night.

Miracle City Airport, Tuesday, 4:00 AM

Maxim stood on the curb of the airport driveway wearing his now somewhat dirty travel clothes and holding a metal briefcase, waiting for a cab to flag down. After a few minutes, a taxi emerged from the night and stopped. The American stepped into the vehicle and sighed tiredly. He hated those return flights even more.

"Welcome to Miracle City, amigo."

"Thank you… warehouse district please."

"Yes sir."

The lights of the sleeping city were no less bright, though a little less numerous when you weren't in the city center. Maxim kept the briefcase close to him, and with good reason. The contents of this metal box were worth more than most human beings can imagine. Enough to finish a war. When Maxim looked out the window again after checking on the case, he noticed that the cab was no longer on the most direct route to the warehouse district. But that didn't really matter… so what if the man just wanted a few extra dollars? Maxim could afford anything at this point. But when the cab pulled down a dark street, darker than most others, something became apparent.

"I got bad news for you, amigo."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"This is the part where you give us all your money."

The cab pulled to a stop, and out of the shadow emerged a tall, muscular man. He pulled a knife and yanked the cab door open, reaching in to drag the gringo out into the night. Too easy. The driver leaned back and waited for his accomplice to finish the dirty part, flashing a grin with the teeth that he had. He was shocked by a sickening popping sound behind him, followed by a groan born of agony and a sputter like when a child blows bubble in their drink. The driver turned to see his partner press his face against the window, chin crushed into his mouth, bleeding out faster and faster as he slid down the glass. The driver panicked now, seeing this awful sight, and tried to claw his way to the glove compartment to get his gun. But out of the darkness came Maxim's hand, gripping the driver by the back of the neck, pinching his bones with his thumb and hand joints. The driver was frozen there both out of fear and pain, as Maxim gripped him with such force that it seemed impossible for the bones not to break.

"Now I'm afraid I'm the one with bad news, amigo."

There was a snap in the night, a sudden flare of unbelievable pain. But as the driver's head slumped back onto the seat, he felt a sense of emptiness coupled with one of calm. He felt good despite the fact that he was fading away from this world. His suffering subsided with his breath, and all was consumed in night. Maxim sighed and climbed out of the taxi, at least glad he didn't have to do math with the fare. He pulled the driver from his resting place and took control of the vehicle, driving off into the city.