Ce N'est Que Le Commencement - A Carmen Sandiego Superhero AU

Origins

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of firearms, animal testing, and non-consensual drug usage

"It just dosen't make sense!"

Julia Argent pushed her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose.

"You've been saying that for the last hour, monsieur."

The inspector in question was currently leaning over a low table, poring over a laptop screen. The table was nice, smooth, with even a bit of shine to it.

After Inspector Devineaux's utter refusal to get on another plane, the BFAA had put them up in a rather nice hotel in Helsinki. Though Julia had been more than interested in using the opportunity to pursue a self-guided tour around the city, Devineaux insisted she stay with him. Something about needing her to 'crack the code.'

The code in question involved an email that he had received only a few hours following their altercation at the airport. It was an official BFAA notice, informing them that the stolen vials of Wondrium had been delivered by private plane to a research facility in New Zealand. It's original, intended destination.

"That does not make it make more sense! Have they tested the Wondrium for...uh...good...for la vérité?"

"Authenticity?"

"Yes, yes, that. Why must English have so many words?"

"It is a language of loan words, monsieur. It is part of its history."

"Anyways, I am long out of English classes, Ms.Argent. Have they tested the Wondrium for authenticity?"

"Yes. They have. And it's the real deal."

"Why would la femme rouge return it, if it is as real as they state?" Devineaux shook his head. His gaze had not moved from the briefcase. "Perhaps, if she has already used the Wondrium on herself, she had no need for the rest? But, still, it could have easily been sold, rather than returned."

"Then, perhaps her intention was not bad in the first place?"

There was a notable silence in the hotel room, before Devineaux began to laugh, with far more intensity than the situation called for.

"You are ridiculous, Ms.Argent. You almost sound as if you're on her side!"

"I never said that. I merely suggested that, perhaps, she had good intent. After all, she seemed to be getting along just fine without powers."

"I don't know where you're keeping your stash of wine, Ms.Argent, but I believe you have had enough for the night."

"I am perfectly sober, monsieur. I merely suggested-"

"Something ridiculous. A thief is a thief. You should know that, by now." He turned back to the case, and closed it, clicking the latches in place with two satisfying clacks. "I will find la femme rouge, and when I do, then I will understand."

Julia wondered if he had ever been trained in the theatrical arts, as, right about now, it felt like it.

The Red Eye's wings stretched out, cutting through the stiff winds of the Atlantic Ocean. Dawn was on the cusp on arrival, and, in anticipation, the sky had been painted in streaks of bright orange and purple. Below the plane, waves churned. Inside Ivy's head, gears did the same.

"So, who the heck were those guys?" She asked. Her red hair stuck out in messy clumps around her head. She appeared exhausted, but her voice betrayed nothing.