Last Chance - Kidman/Vic

Last Chance. At last the weight of impending doom was too much for her to manage alone. ‘I need to talk to someone. It just rattles around in my head, around and around. I just need to know, need to…’ Kidman saw Vic was hanging around again. She was still intimidated by his rank. Technically there were no ranks, but he was the closest to Carmen. Truly there must be something special to him. Usually she would be content to stay away, especially as he was currently involved in conversation with someone else, but something pressed her on. She took all her nerves and put them in a jar. ”I...say, you're Vic?” "So I was sayin' to the pilot..." Vic stopped. The pale faced Kidman girl was talking to him and VIc had a mind to shrug her off. He already talked to Russo yesterday about bringing that Narwar Nevir trainee for Carmen to test after the tower. "Shouldn't you be trainin' kiddo?" He asked her back. Kidman stood her ground. ”This is training. Can I...speak with you? A moment?” ”Talk fast, kid, I got alotta work ahead.” She could feel her nerves catching up with her but pushes them back. This is important. She looked off to the side "So...what do you think about Acme tower? It's big...yes?" Vic paused, then excused himself from the navigator he was talking to and pulled Kidman to the side, "Okay, kid, keep y’ voice down. So… she told you, ah?" "Perhaps too big. Does she...know how big?" Kidman replied, ignoring the other question. "She knows more than both you ‘n’ me combined in a room full of geniuses." The conman replied evasively. "Why you askin' this?" "Because I don't feel as certain. I know what I say doesn't matter much, but I don't think she should take the whole tower. She listens to you, yes? Would you...mention it?” Vic knew what the girl was feeling, but this ain't right, no one questions Carmen 'cept for maybe herself. "It's a trust system, you get that?" The henchman sounded a little annoyed, but he pushed that away. "She's got her head straight on this, I can't say much that'll change her mind." ”Have you tried?” The girl felt she was walking off a cliff, but she couldn’t stop. “She can't be left alone with her own mind. No one should be.” "What are you sayin'?" Vic couldn't believe this was coming from a trainee. ”She must collaborate with someone. Are you saying she plans all these things alone?” Kidman felt her panic grow. It was worse than she thought, so much worse than she thought. ‘They’ve left you to yourself this whole time? You’ve been alone? Good god, you’ll drown!’ She began to pace in a circle. Vic sensed she was in some kind of mode and tried to calm her down. "Listen, kid. For every 10 things I know about Carmen, there's another 20 that I don't." ”That isn't an answer. Does anyone give her feedback?” "Y’only know 'er as something distant, one o' these days, y'll see how she is, she don't need feedback." ”This is not good, not good. I need to, I have to, she needs to…” Vic huffed out air, "If yer wanna talk to her, kiddo, maybe you'll catch her when she comes by in a week or two." ”When is she....the tower?” "She ain't takin' it. It's me and Flag. Now you just sit tight until this is over." ”But...please, the things this will cause-” "I'll keep it quiet ‘bout your questioning her," Vic interrupted. Kidman straightened as much as her shaking body would let her. “If she were here, I would question her myself! I would. I would I would. If I'm the only one who will, I will.” "You get yourself some sleep, looks like training's getting to ya." ”I've been sleeping too long! I'm, I'm already too late. Please, don't make it too late. I'll write a note! Just stay here. I'll get some paper. Then I'll take the blame for speaking.” Vic signed and scratched his head. "She won't change her mind, not this late into it. Besides, she's on her way t' distract ACME already, you won't get that note to her in time, Kiddo." Kidman felt the ground slide sideways. ‘No….’ ”...but, but there's still time.... Master's smart enough to know that...” Vic wondered what that Master title was all about. "You don't wanna go questioning her now, don't be stupid." ”Yes I do! She could be putting herself in terrible danger doing this. Not the heist itself, but the fallout. You must know this! Tell me you know this!” Vic shrugged. He knew what she meant but he couldn’t support her behavior this far into the process. A week before the tower gets swiped, this girl don’t know the process it took to get here. "It's like this for all the heists. Even if Carmen knew this was suicidal, she'd never back down.” Kidman kicked a rock angrily as tears formed in her eyes, cursing herself for not having spoken to him sooner. ”Because no one talks to her! She's lost in her own self! God damn it, Vic, don't you care? Am I the only one...?” "Al'right, al'right, Kid, I gotta go." The girl ran after him as she cast about for thought, clutching at the sand slipping away through her fingers. ”Wait, wait! P-please, at least let me write a note. I don't want her to be alone.” Vic couldn't deny that, it was childish, but Carmen ran a sort of orphanage here. "Fine.” He said and got out a pen and a scrap of paper from his wallet. "Write.” Kidman grabbed it and pressed the paper against her knee. 'Don't take the tower. Repercussions too high. Please, please abort!' she scrawled upon it, fitting as much message as she could in such a small space before handing it back. Vic looked at it dubiously before he put it back in his wallet. “I donno when I'll next see 'er, though." ”Send it as an email? Oh! On the phone! Just say you heard it from some henchperson and you thought it was funny. So long as she hears it! You can have my paycheck!” she added and fumbled abound around in her bag for the check. Vic sighed again, this time, heavier. "I don't want your money, girly. Look, I got a small window when I communicate with her, but that's after the tower get hijacked.” ”Call her now, then!” "She's been plannin this one a long time, don't mess it up for her." “I'm not, I'm trying to fix it for her!” "Not that simple, it ain't." A sense of futility fell about the girl. There wasn’t enough time to get him to understand. ”You're just going to say nothing...? There are always choices...when you use your brain and not your brawn....” Vic thought for a while, and then fumbled in his pocket for something. "Here," he said, handing a pen with a red garnet embedded in its cap, "it's hers. Take it. When she asks for it from me, I'll tell 'er it's with you." He checked his Timax watch. "Now I gotta go or this thing blows up without me." Kidman took the pen sorrowfully and cradled it in her hands. ”I'm too late, too late...I'm so sorry, Master…" "Stop your worryin', kid, she'll be dandy. You'll see." The polyester suit said as he rushed down the hallway. The girl watched him go, utterly drained. ”I'm so sorry...”