Blood Warning

Carmen was lead into a white room so large that it must have been underground. In the middle  stood a small, circular tube-like cell that was made of glass panels and stretched about ten feet tall. It held a metal chair that was terrifyingly similar to the one that she had woken up in after being mind-wiped, and thin wires coursed along the legs and arm rests, disappearing into the floor.

The thief didn't resist as she was dumped into that chair and strapped down with tight rope. The VILE operative may have said that still had some fire left, but she realized now that it had all been an act on her part. The only hope left in her body was used for wishing that they would just kill her. Death would be easier than the darkness she felt creeping into her head, the madness that she sensed...

Even the sight of Coach Brunt couldn't trigger any panic. Why was she standing there? Didn't she have a purpose here?

"How much longer do I have to wait?" Carmen asked. "You know you want to do it."

Brunt laughed coldly. "Maybe so, Lambkins. But not yet. Not quite yet."

She sighed and sagged further into her restraints.

Dr. Bellum walked into the massive room, holding a remote and a roll of gauze. "Is she ready for interrogation, Coach Brunt? Or should we go straight to using the chair?"

Carmen interrupted Brunt with a bitter laugh. "Interrogation? Really? Since when has VILE ever bothered with something as mundane as that?"

Bellum chuckled lightly. "Who ever said anything about this being mundane, Black Sheep?" She waved the remote around threateningly.

Despite her lack of will to continue breathing, Carmen found herself shaking as Bellum tore off a strip of the gauze. Obviously they had more plans to hurt her, if they would need the use of bandages. But, then again, VILE didn't really seem to care about her well being.

And anyway, she was a bit more focused on the fact that they wanted to interrogate her.

That definitely wasn't VILE's style.

"Alright." Brunt settled into her own chair, crossing her burly arms over her chest. "Here's how this is going to work. We've got three questions for you. Answer them correctly and truthfully, and we'll give you a question of your own. Clear?"

"Crystal," the red head mumbled sorrowfully.

"Ok, then," Bellum stepped forward and lowered her face inches away from Carmen's. "Are you really working with Chase Devineaux and ACME?"

Carmen blinked in confusion, then barked a harsh laugh. "Is that really what you think?"

Bellum blinked right back, a bit surprised by the sudden outburst. She then growled in annoyance and pressed a small button on her remote. Carmen stopped laughing with a grunt and gritted her teeth, eyes clouding over slightly with pain.

"Now, since you didn't like that one," Coach Brunt smirked. "tell me this. Where might one locate your HQ?"

Carmen just laughed again, once again stopping as the chair shocked her. "Like I would ever tell you that," she said angrily between her teeth.

Brunt shrugged. "Thought I might at least try. Anyway, Dr. Bellum's got the real one. Saira?"

Bellum gave a wicked smile, her glasses glinting menacingly. "Yes, indeed." She tapped her chin, as if thinking. "Black Sheep, how much do you care about those two operatives of yours? The Bostonians?"

Carmen's head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

The scientist's smile grew. "It'd be a shame if you had managed to grow attached to them."

"What did you do DO to them?!" Carmen shouted, her voice echoing loudly as she yanked at the straps on her arms.

"Now, Lambkins. If you don't cooperate and calm down-"

"TELL ME!"

Brunt just sighed in an effort to sound exasperated, but it was obvious that she was more than happy with the way Carmen was reacting. "We'll come back later with a calming agent. Saira? Would you like to do the honors?"

Dr. Bellum stepped forward and tilted Carmen's head towards her, yanking her hand away when the thief snapped her teeth aggressively. "My, my. Now, Black Sheep, do try to be more helpful when you wake up." She was still smiling as she hefted the remote.

"Wait," Coach Brunt stood. "Let me tell her something, first. A little something for her to chew on later." She turned to Carmen, eyes merciless and mocking, filled with laughter. "You're wondering about the Bostonian siblings? Well, don't worry. They're dead."

A bright jolt ran through Carmen's body, and the world went dark.

She couldn't tell how long it had been, but she did know that something was wrong. Carmen looked down at herself...

And doubled over painfully, feeling sick.

The wound on her left arm was magically healed, and it wasn't the source of this newfound pain. No, that was now nothing more than a throbbing, blistered scar. Still, better a scar than open and raw. Instead, deeply red stained bandages were wrapped around her stomach, and she could feel at least three new bleeding grooves in the flesh of her abdomen.

What did VILE do this time?

Carmen glanced up, the sudden memory of what Brunt had said beating back the pain with panic. Zack and Ivy were...

She felt a roar tear itself from her throat, and ignored the nauseating pain to thrash against her bonds. Rage was quickly replacing the bleakness in her mind. If they had so much as touched her family-

The straps fell away and the door's of both the glass cell and the main room slammed open.

Carmen was up before she had even decided to be, or to think about why they had freed her so suddenly. She needed to get out of here. An idea was forming in her head as she pushed down dizziness and sour nausea to run/hobble through the dark halls. It was very likely that it wouldn't even work, but still. It needed to be tested.

If she could just get far enough away from the building within 30 seconds, maybe the microchip wouldn't work. Maybe she could find out for herself if they were alive or not.

Well, on that note, I have a strange request for you guys. Go pull up YouTube and listen to the following-

Freaks: by Jordan Clarke

Blood//Water: by Grandson

I Love You: by Billie Eilish

Lost On You: by LP

Let me know what you think! 

(Also, like, maybe tell me what you think of this chapter. If you want)

;)