Published October 5, 2020

Takes place after "The Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper."

"Second Chances"

One benefit of having Shadowsan in the group was that Carmen now had someone to talk to with whom she shared a history, a culture, something that the others had to learn while they simply knew it.

When the youngsters returned from the New Zealand caper, Shadowsan waited until Zack and Ivy had retired to their new rooms before asking Carmen, "How did it go?"

Carmen was mildly surprised and confused by the question. "Didn't Player fill you in?"

Shadowsan looked at her with that sometimes unnervingly direct gaze, but it was softer than usual; there was something like concern in his eyes. "I did not mean the mission. I was referring to your interactions with Crackle."

"Oh." Carmen's eyes flickered down and up as she spoke. "Well, he's alive and unhurt … and the amnesia is still in effect."

"I suppose that is … good?"

"Yes." Carmen almost sounded as though she were trying to persuade someone of this. "It's the best thing for him. He's clear of V.I.L.E., he's not hurting anyone, and he's not getting his hands dirty."

Shadowsan understood what she meant. He knew from experience how evil deeds darkened one's soul.

"At the academy, the two of you were … close. More so than your other classmates," he said.

Carmen's lips quirked up in a smile. "As thick as proverbial thieves." She glanced away, remembering. "I always thought of him as the brother I never had. Sometimes Ivy and Zack remind me of how Gray and I used to be. Only the ages are reversed."

Shadowsan was silent for a moment before he decided to speak further. "I know the pain of being estranged from a brother, but Hideo and I did not have the kind of bond you and Crackle had." When Carmen looked back to him, he asked directly, "Was it difficult for you to see him?"

Carmen was surprised. It was rare that Shadowsan showed or invited vulnerability, and now he was doing both. She now saw that his line of questioning was not so much about Crackle being a liability, but about how it had gone for her emotionally.

"No," she said truthfully. "Actually, it was nice. He's a friendly guy, and he seemed happy to see me. I guess, in a way, this was our first real mission together." She slouched sadly as she added, "And probably the last."

When they had been preparing to graduate, they had anticipated going on lots of capers together. They had even discussed possible targets. That hope had been laid aside when she was kept back from graduating, and it had died that fateful night in Morocco. Yet they had ended up working together for one mission, and she was grateful for it.

"You know, it was kind of … weirdly intimate, the way we did it," Carmen confessed. "I was basically dancing, and I had to wait for Gray to lower each panel—like he was leading me, while following the music. We were in sync. But he had no idea. Though, he did figure out that the recital was fake, and he came out to investigate. He was concerned about me, and about the mission, once he caught on to what Bellum planned. He actually stepped in to stop Neal from attacking me. So I guess he either cares about me, despite not remembering our past, or he's just an all-around decent guy now. When we said goodbye, he seemed to want to believe that we're 'the good guys.' At least, I think that's what he wanted to believe. But if he had known the real stakes tonight—if he had thought that he could gain something from Dr. Bellum's plan—I'm not sure what choice he would have made."

Shadowsan let a moment of silence pass before he asked, "Do you miss him?" The way he asked the question put a slight emphasis on "miss."

Carmen shrugged, either uncertain or nonchalant. "Only sometimes. He showed his true colors in Morocco, and again in Paris." She rested her chin in her hand. "But the weird thing is … I don't know if going to V.I.L.E. Academy changed him, or brought out who he really was."

There was another contemplative pause before Shadowsan asked one final question. "Carmen, there is something I have wondered about. You are still young, and you have many years of life ahead of you. Do you plan to devote them to this work?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "I guess I haven't thought much farther ahead than the next few months, or the next years at most. Why do you ask?"

"Crackle is the only V.I.L.E. operative I've ever known who was able to leave this road and lead a peaceful life, free of crime. His situation, along with our successful defections, suggest that leaving V.I.L.E. may not be as impossible as it has always been." He looked back at Carmen. "There may come a day when you no longer want or need to sabotage V.I.L.E. activity."

Carmen was astonished to hear this idea from him. "You think I can just walk away from this? You're the one who told me 'there's no going back.'"

"You may not be able to return to your old life, but it might be possible to start a new one."

She considered this, never having done so before. "I guess, if things go as well as they possibly can, I'd hope to work myself out of this job. There will always be organized crime, but if we can dismantle V.I.L.E., it won't be on such a large scale. Then there shouldn't be more work for us." She frowned. "But my life has always revolved around V.I.L.E., one way or another. Without it, I'm not sure who I'd be."

Shadowsan looked at her with complete certainty. "You will be whoever you choose to be."

Carmen smiled gratefully at him. It was ironic that Shadowsan, who used to express so much doubt and disapproval toward her, was now her strongest supporter. Though she had renounced her need for his approval, she appreciated how much he cared and how much he believed in her.