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Published:
2024-06-16
Updated:
2024-10-09
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6/8
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The Rough Red Caper

Chapter 6: Day Five

Summary:

After a long flight, Zack and Ivy land in San Diego, where they rush to meet with Shadowsan and Carmen.

Notes:

Heyyy!! Super excited to be posting this chapter for everybody! Sorry for the wait, things have been crazy lately for me. Honestly the only reason this chapter is out right now is because of the amount of social functions I have been required to go in! A majority of my chapters have been written while at some sort of function. I just pick a corner and write on my phone 😭.

Anyways, I feel like this chapter progressed so much of the story way too fast. I think it needed another chapter in between, but I didn’t have any ideas. I do hope it is still of quality and interest, if not, no worries! I understand.

NOTICE‼️: Possible username change to DrearThunder. I go by that name almost everywhere else and I have no idea why I chose a name like “Username_Password098”. It’ll haunt me forever if I don’t change it. Just thought you should be aware!

Happy reading! ❤️

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After stopping a number of times to refuel, the plane finally landed in San Diego. It had been almost twenty-four hours since Zack and Ivy’s mission in the rainforest; the plane ride having been a little over sixteen hours minus all their stops.

 

They still couldn’t believe they had outrun VILE and gotten away with minimal injuries along with the cure, but they sure weren’t complaining. Carmen and Shadowsan should have landed hours ago, and were most likely at the base waiting on them.

 

Ivy had been worried that the plant would die before it made it to Carmen, considering its environment and having no water source, but the plant was still perky and its red veins were bright as always.

 

“I hope everything’s alright over there. Player hasn’t called since we landed,” Zack muttered, driving a rental car through the bustling city.

 

“I’m sure Shadowsan is taking good care of Carmen. Besides, we have the cure now. All we have to do is get it to her and voila! Back to normal,” Ivy said, positivity outshining her nervousness.

 

Zack’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. His eyes flicked between the road, Ivy, and the cure in her hands. “What if the cure doesn’t work?” He blurted out, anxiety getting the best of him.

 

Ivy bit her lip, looking out the window. She wished the traffic would clear up so they could get out of the city and to the headquarters faster. “It will. It has to,” she replied, the somber tone in her voice nothing like the bright one she had moments ago. 

 

She too shared his fears.

 

Losing Carmen was an unbearable thought, but they couldn’t shake it no matter how hard they tried. It seemed as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders, and perhaps in a way it was. Carmen was their leader, their friend, their family. They had the only thing in the world that could make her better, and that's only if it worked. None of them could fathom a reality without Carmen in it; it felt like a punch to the gut to even dare think about it.

 

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two in the car. Ivy idly stared out the window, watching as the world flew passed them in a blur whereas Zack poured all his attention onto driving and the road.

 

Finally, as they were heading into more familiar land fifteen minutes later, Zack cleared his throat. “Do you think we should call Julia? Tell her that we found it?”

 

Ivy sighed heavily. “As much as my head disagrees with what you just said, my heart says yes.”

 

Zack shot her a grin. “So, are you saying I’m right and you were wrong?”

 

The woman rolled her eyes. “In a sense, yes.”

 

Zack whooped in victory.

 

“But just because Julia hasn’t done anything doesn’t mean she won’t. The only reason I’m saying yes is because she seemed genuinely concerned for Carm. If her feelings are real, it isn’t fair to keep her in the dark, wondering what happened,” Ivy explained as Zack nodded thoughtfully.

 

At a red light, Zack handed her his phone as he dialed Julia. It rang for just a moment before somebody picked up.

 

Ivy held the phone to her ear as Zack continued to navigate through the city streets. “We've got the cure, Julia. We're on our way to Carmen now,” she said, her voice steady despite the anxiety in her chest.

 

There was a pause on the other end before Julia responded. “Ivy? I’m surprised you’re the one who picked up. I thought Zack would be calling.”

 

Ivy glanced over at Zack. “He’s a little busy right now,” she explained. “We’ve only got two days left, and we’re cutting it close.”

 

Julia nodded, forgetting that Ivy couldn’t see her.

 

“We haven’t seen any unusual activity since the rainforest, which I assume was VILE,” Julia informed, a lighter tone to her voice.

 

Ivy let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “No sign of VILE? That’s a relief,” she said, leaning back slightly in her seat. “Maybe they’ve finally stopped trying. They don’t even know where we went, so there’s no way they could find us, right?”

 

Julia’s voice crackled through the phone. “ACME’s still searching, but even I don’t know where you are. As long as you didn’t leave any traces, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about, from VILE or ACME.”

 

Ivy nodded, more to herself than to Julia. “No one followed us, I think. We should be in the clear for now.”

 

Julia's tone softened before they ended the call. “If anything happens or if you need anything, just call me, okay? And I’ll reach out if there are any changes on my end. Chief’s frustrated that Carmen disappeared from the hospital, but I also think she might be a little concerned.”

 

“Thanks, Jules,” Ivy replied, her voice sincere.

 

Zack chimed in, “Yeah, thanks Jules!”

 

Julia smiled through the phone, “Of course,” she said, and the line clicked off.

 

Forty-five minutes later, they finally pulled into the garage.

 

As they burst into the headquarters, Ivy wasted no time. “We have the cure!” she announced, voice a mix of urgency and happiness.

 

Zack, glancing around frantically, chimed in, “Where’s Carmen?”

 

The mood seemed to shift when the pair met Shadowsan’s eyes as he stepped out from the corner.

 

He stood silently, his expression unreadable. Shadowsan stepped aside, revealing Carmen sprawled on the couch. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost ghostly, and the dark lines that crisscrossed her body seemed to be taking over her, like vines encasing a tree. The sight of her like this sent a chill through Zack. 

 

“Carmen!” Ivy rushed forward, dread clawing at her heart. “No, no, no…” She knelt beside her, eyes wide with panic as she took in Carmen's frail form. She set the plant down gently beside her.

 

Zack followed closely behind, his chest tightening at the sight. “Carmen, can you hear us?” he asked, desperate for a response. 

 

Shadowsan's somber presence loomed as he observed them, his concern shining through his stoic face.

 

“She cannot hear you. Carmen has not woken up since the sedative wore off a few hours ago, and I don’t believe she will without the cure.”

 

Ivy perked up slightly. “We still have time,” she started, wincing at how short Carmen’s breaths were. “We can still give her the cure, right now!”

 

Zack blinked, a new thought dawning upon him. “One problem. How do we give her the cure?”

 

Panic began to invade their senses. They only had one cure, and they needed to use all of it to get it to work. They didn’t have the resources to figure it out, they didn’t have the time. It needed to be figured out now or they could lose Carmen; they were dangerously close already.

 

“We need help. There are a million different ways to make a cure out of this plant!” Ivy exclaimed, fear taking hold.

 

“Yeah, but who do we call? Nobody knows about the poison, let alone how to cure it with the plant!” Zack countered.

 

Shadowsan cut in, his voice steady despite the situation. “Nobody knows except VILE and Player.”

 

Zack snapped his fingers. “You’re right, Player has the files!”

 

“If anyone would know, it would be him. We have to call him!” Ivy said.

 

“I am already on it,” Shadowsan replied, typing the password to Carmen’s laptop easily and dialing the hacker.

 

The line rang once, twice, then a third time. Each second the line trilled through the laptop increased the weight of the tension hanging over them. Zack and Ivy exchanged nervous glances while Shadowsan stood behind them, arms crossed.

 

“Come on Player, Boss needs you,” Zack muttered under his breath, drumming his fingers on his thigh.

 

The line still rang.

 

Ivy clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white. “What if.. what if he doesn’t pick up?” She whispered, voice cracking.

 

It was unrealistic to rely on Player; after all he was just a kid and deserved to have a life outside of the screen. Yet, both the Boston siblings guilty, and a little selfishly, wished that this once he would pick up. He was always there when they needed him, and they needed him to be there one time. If not for them, for Carmen.

 

The line clicked.

 

“Player here,” came his exhausted voice. The video camera slowly flicked on. The teenager had large dark circles under his sunken eyes. His hair was messy and unkempt, and he donned the usual hoodie.

 

Shadowsan stepped forward, speaking steadily. If it weren’t for how his voice shook slightly, one would describe him as calm.

 

“Player, we need your help. It’s Carmen.”

 

Player straightened immediately. “What? What’s wrong? I thought you had the cure!”

 

Zack nodded frantically, “We do, but-“

 

“But we don’t know how to use it,” Ivy cut in. “We could make it into a tea of some sort, have her eat it raw, or a whole bunch of other things! We only have one shot at this, if we mess up..”

 

Player nodded thoughtfully. “I didn’t think that it would have mattered how you gave her the cure, but I wouldn’t put it past VILE to make things even more complicated. I’ll pull up the files.”

 

The sound of typing filled the uncomfortable, heavy silence. Shadowsan’s gaze drifted over to Carmen’s bandaged form, concern flickering on his face as his eyebrows pinched together. Every desperate attempt for breath from Carmen made the situation feel more serious, as if it wasn’t already.

 

After what felt like forever, Player sighed. “There’s nothing in the files.”

 

Zack ran a hand through his hair, ripping through the tangles that formed over the last couple days. “No instructions, no details, no anything?”

 

Player shook his head. “Nothing. VILE’s experiment was never completed, remember? And the plant you got is just a possible cure. It’s not even guaranteed to work,” he said, getting worked up by the second. Moisture began to shine in his eyes as he began to card through his also tangled hair.

 

“Red doesn’t have much time left. It’s been five days since she was exposed to the poison, and it’s progressing faster than expected compared to the fifth day in the file. We should still have two days to figure this out, but-“

 

Player bit his lip as his voice began to shake.

 

“But it looks like we only have one left.”

Notes:

Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate it. Penny for your thoughts in the comment section?

(Hoping the cliffhanger at the end worked)

I updated the chapter count! I believe it will end up around 8-9 chapters, most likely 8 if everything goes right. I am super excited to complete this story, only because I have a whole bunch more to share.

Thank you everyone for your support so far! :) I will see you next time!

Notes:

Thank you for reading!! I'll have the next chapter out shortly. If you don't mind leaving a comment, that would help me know if you are liking this story and also let me know that somebody is there! :)

Let me know if a tag needs to be added, I missed a trigger, or you have any questions!