sorry they have all been so short

here we go

Carmen ran into Ivy on the way back in. "I need to talk to everyone. Meet me in the main room with Zack in ten, OK? I'm getting Shadowsan."

"Wait, but C-carm, I need to-" Ivy started, but Carmen had already continued to move.

She felt a small twinge of guilt for brushing off her friend, but there wasn't time for that. Where could she find Shadowsan?

Oh, right. She could just call him. He kept a phone on his person, after all. "What a new concept," She muttered under her breath, digging her own device out of her pocket.

"Carmen." Shadowsan greeted her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, we're all good. Where are you, though? We need to have a meeting."

Carmen could hear the question is his voice. "I will be there soon." The phone went silent.

She tucked it away and walked back to the warehouse.

"So... you're saying that it could be a trap." Ivy pointed out.

The Bostonian siblings sat on one of the red couches, Carmen on the other with the laptop on the middle table. Shadowsan stood behind Carmen's couch, his arms folded.

Carmen nodded. "It's extremely likely, yeah."

Zack frowned and blinked, confused. "Then why are we even going in the first place? It's just one painting, Carm. Is that really worth the risk?"

The thief sighed. "That's just the thing. It is worth it. To me, at least. VILE knows that I won't let a piece of history to disappear into their hands-"

"And they are going to use that to their own advantage." Shadowsan finished.

She looked to him, grateful that he hadn't said no. Yet. "Anyway, I'm putting together a plan. VILE is targeting the Mona Lisa next, either to implant a camera or to steal it. We can't let that anything happen to such a famous work of art, especially those two."

"And that's how it's a trap, right? Either there's already a camera in it and they just want you to grab the painting so that there's a brief window of time before it's disabled that you can be tracked, or VILE will have every operative on site, ready to jump you when you show up." Zack inquired, gesturing to the wooden block that held the disabled camera.

Carmen nodded, wincing slightly as she picked the block up and twirled it nervously in her fingers. "When you put it that way... I wonder why I would take such a risk, too." She muttered.

"So-" Ivy started, but the thief stopped her.

"Don't finish that sentence. Please. We are not going to let VILE get the painting in any way, stealing, camera, or other. That would be like-" She paused, struggling for words. "Like... letting them win. It would be small, true, but impactful. Also, they would just keep trying to bait me. We have to cut off the plan at the head, as soon as possible."

Shadowsan, who had been mostly silent until that moment, cleared his throat. "And I am correct to assume that by your usage of the word we, your plan involves all of us?"

Carmen glanced between him, the siblings, and Player. She nodded. "It does."

A collective sigh went around the room.

"Then let's hear it, Red." Player stretched in his seat. "We need to be in France by tomorrow."

The crew managed to find their way onto a plane to Paris by that night. Carmen stared out of the window, worry for her friends gnawing at her mind. She knew this job was a trap, and she didn't want them to get hurt. The only reason she was going was to have a chance at bringing down VILE, if possible.

She smiled sadly to herself, absentmindedly rubbing her thigh. She had gotten a special kind of shot there just a few hours ago, and if things went south, she hoped her efforts will have been worth it. Sighing and glancing to her friends, Carmen chuckled at Ivy's annoyed expression. Zack was asleep on her shoulder, snoring loudly.

As Carmen watched, however, Ivy's face softened and she ran a hand through Zack's wayward hair. Her eyes met Carmen's, and she smiled.

The thief felt her gut twist up, even as she smiled back.

She didn't want to lose her family.

Tucking herself farther into her plane seat, Carmen stared out at the dark, swirling clouds. If she was to go out, she would go out with a bang.

tada!

Hope yalls enjoy

bye!