I wrote this after spending several days completing the Sly Trilogy and finding out that a fourth game was on its way. Been thinking for a long time how cool it would be to hear some of the exploits of the past Coopers and decided to write this. Might expand into other Coopers if I get enough feed back. Other than that regular stuff, don't own Sly Cooper etc. Enjoy. ^_^
Tales of the Thievius Racoonus
The Gentle Thief of London
It all began on a night like any other. A gala being held at some nobleman's estate had drawn all the wealthiest people of the city to one place. It was amongst these opulent fools that Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the Third made his rounds. An older gentleman, he had spent many years ripping off people in the most polite way possible. As he passed through the crowd he greeted everyone warmly. As he shook a man's hand he relieved him of his pocket watch, as he kissed a lady's hand he would slip away her rings. Indeed he was the most gentlemanly thief in Cooper history and yet even so he felt weary of it. His life of crime, as good natured as it was, had become tiresome. He sometimes found himself tempted to mug a person if only for the thrill of a new challenge in his old age. Stalking through the ballroom, he left through the door and began to make his way home. By the time the guests realised he was not in fact their host and that their belongings had been pilfered, he would be curled up in his drawing room with a good book.
Walking through the foggy London night, Thaddeus peeled off his disguise and pulled his coat closer to his chest. His body had been steadily deteriorating over the years and it was getting to the point where perhaps it was time for him to retire, to hang up his cane and pass on the title of the Cooper Gang to the next generation.
"Cooper Gang, Hah!" he laughed bitterly, there hadn't been a gang in years, his old comrades had retired or died and he was the only one left. Sighing to himself, he noticed a loose thread on his coat and as he went to pull it he collided with something unexpectedly. Jumping back with surprisingly spry movements, Thaddeus readied himself for a fight only to lay eyes on a young girl having fallen into the gutter.
"Oh, I do apologise my dear, I wasn't looking where I was going." He apologised as he leaned over to help her up. Helping the girl to her feet Thaddeus was able to take in her appearance properly. She was a little brown mouse with short reddish hair going to her shoulders. Her ragged and patched attire easily alerting him to her impoverished background.
"I beg your pardon Sir, I was in such a hurry I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'." She apologised profusely. Raising a hand to silence her Thaddeus gave her a warm smile.
"Not to worry Miss, if everyone I bumped into were as pretty as you I would die a happy man." He bowed his head and tipped his hat to the girl.
"Oh, you're very kind Sir, but I don't deserve such compliments." She squeaked nervously.
"Nonsense, as a matter of fact I insist you accompany me back to my home for a cup of tea, as an apology for not looking where I was going." The young girl spluttered and squeaked some more as Thaddeus took her hand and led her down the street.
Arriving at Thaddeus' home, the girl seemed almost afraid of the building that stood before her. It was a three storey house, each floor an individual apartment, the stark white walls decorated with the most intricate of engravings. Thaddeus turned to her somewhat confused before realising how this must look, an older well to do gentleman leading a young girl back to his stately home. It certainly seemed less than innocent.
"Ah, I see. Let me assure you there is nothing to be afraid of Miss. A Cooper would never dishonour a lady, it would spit in the faces of all our ancestors before us to ever lay hand on an innocent." He explained, bowing courteously.
"Cooper?" the girl asked confused. Thaddeus raised an eyebrow before slapping himself on the forehead. He truly was becoming absent minded.
"Once again I must beg your forgiveness. I forget my manners in old age. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the renowned Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the Third and you are?" he asked politely, giving another warm smile to the girl.
"Christina Anderson Sir." She answered, giving a small curtsy. "If you don't mind me asking Sir, you're Thaddeus Cooper? Aren't you a thief?" she squeaked, recoiling from him once more. Thaddeus' smile turned to a coy grin.
"Indeed I am, but not to worry, I only steal from the undeserving and the unethical. The lowest of the low in society. This is how it has always been for the Cooper Clan and this is how it will always be." He said brightly as he crossed to the threshold of his door. "Now then my dear Christina, would you like sugar in your tea?" he asked as the door unlocked at the slightest touch of the old thief.
The night wore on as Thaddeus and Christina shared tea and began to talk. The young girl was from a poor background as Thaddeus had assumed, but she was rather intelligent, managing to follow even the most obtuse trains of thought Thaddeus posed to her. As their time of parting approached, Thaddeus rose from his seat by the fire and crossed the room to his bookcase. For the first time in what felt like an eternity he felt a quickening in his blood. Perhaps it was not the ease of theft that made him weary, but the lack of any company in doing so. He had not shared the fruits of his labours for many years now, his children having left home as they came of age and his gang having dissolved. Running a hand along the dusty shelf he picked a book from amongst the others and returned to Christina. Handing it to her along with an expensive ring he had liberated earlier that evening he smiled at the girl.
"Please, feel free to take these with you, as a thank you for spending your precious time with this old thief." He chuckled. Christina's eyes widened at the objects he handed her. She had never really held a book before and the ring gleamed so brightly in the firelight she feared she might go blind from staring at it.
"But Sir, I couldn't possibly, these are valuable-." Thaddeus raised his hand to silence her once again.
"The value of objects means little to a Cooper Christina, it is what we do with them that is important. I'm sure you will find use for the money that ring will fetch and the book is a delightful read, so please take them." He said firmly. Leading the girl to the door, he bid her farewell as she started on her way home. Waving goodbye Thaddeus closed the door and turned to face the once more empty halls of his home.
Rushing home Christina was thrilled to have met Thaddeus. Never before had she dreamed of meeting someone as kind or generous as him in the harsh city of London. Passing an alleyway, several pairs of eyes glanced out at her. The men stepped out and watched as the girl ran on, one of them having taken note of the symbol on the front of the book, the Racoon Emblem of the Cooper Family. As Christina turned a corner she bumped head long into somebody standing in her path. Falling down for the second time that night, she stared up into the face of a massive black shaggy dog. He grinned at her as she scuttled back, only to collide with the legs of another thug standing behind her, this one a short corgi. Getting up to run she was shoved back by a third, this one a thin rat with a vicious grin. The corgi tore the book from her arms.
"Well look what we have here lads, a book belongin' to our old friend Thaddeus." He laughed. Backing away the rat swiped the ring from her hand.
"And look here, a bit rich for a wee thing from the slums eh?" he crowed. The three closed in on her as she screamed. Two of them grabbed her by the arms and dragged her with them. Loading her into a nearby carriage, they stuck a sack over her head as the carriage began to trundle forward.
When the bag was removed she found herself in a lavishly decorated room, not unlike Thaddeus' drawing room, but lacking any of the warmth of that place. Here the decorations had no sense of pride, of earning them through guile and skill; here they were just empty gestures of superiority. She was surrounded by the three from before, the corgi leafing through the book, tearing out pages much to Christina's dismay. A fourth figure sat in a chair opposite her, his fingers steepled in front of her as he regarded her. He was a Sparrow wearing a fine suit, his expression cold as he stared at the girl. It was obvious he was a noble of some sort, his poise and the air around him seeming far removed from the three criminals in the room.
"Do you know who I am girl?" he cooed, his voice thick with arrogance as he stood up. "I am the Judge who presides over this area of London. My associates here have all had the benefit of my mercy but…" Plucking the book from the Corgi's hand, he glared at it. "The one who owns this book, one Thaddeus Cooper, has escaped justice for quite some time. Tell me girl, where did you get this book?" he said, his voice sharp and threatening. Christina's eyes widened.
"I, I found it in the street, someone threw it away." She stuttered.
"Liar, where did you get this book?" he asked again, stepping toward her menacingly.
"I, I'm sorry I lied. I stole it from some house Sir, I don't recall where, please forgive me?" She cried. The Judge slammed the book on the coffee table between them causing her to jump.
"Liar! Do you think I'm a fool, do you think for one second I would believe some match girl from the slums could steal from that blasted Racoon?" he bellowed. Turning, he crossed the room and pulled a sabre from above the mantle. Drawing it from its scabbard he thrust the blade under her chin. "You better tell me where to find him Girl or I will lock you up where the Sun will never reach you again, but not before I cut out that lying tongue of yours." He seethed, his eyes wild with anger. It was clear to Christina that Thaddeus had done more than a little to anger the judge.
"It, it's a, a big building with apartments Sir, two streets over from where they grabbed me. Third floor." She answered him tears streaming down her cheeks as he took the sword away.
"Very good. You three, track down our old friend and deal with him, meet me on the bridge, I don't want you stopping in here again, it will look suspicious." The judge sneered as the men walked out, each one of them with a wicked smile on their faces.
Thaddeus slept soundly in his bed, the large four post bed being one of the many comforts he had splashed out on over his career. His cane and top hat sat leaning against his bedside table while the rest of his typical attire was hung up on a nearby tailor's mannequin. The first thing that caused him to stir was the creaking of the door to his apartment. He couldn't put detection systems throughout the whole building, but the door served its purpose, the hinges he never oiled making a high pitched creaking as it opened. Thaddeus turned over in his bed. The next thing to go off was the floorboards. The bare floor of his hallway being intentionally ill fit to cause noise when people walked through. Still Thaddeus didn't wake. Finally, the door to his bedroom opened slowly and as the man stepped into the room he crept over to Thaddeus' sleeping form and raised the knife in his hand. Before the blade could come down however, his foot depressed the floorboard next to the bed and a cloud of smoke sprang up. In an instant Thaddeus was up and lunged at the Rat holding the knife. The pair rolled across the floor as they fought, the knife barely missing Thaddeus several times. Coming to a stop, the Rat pinned Thaddeus with his arm and raised the knife to strike, but Thaddeus pulled both legs up to his chest and kicked out, launching the man off him and through the window behind him. Catching his breath Thaddeus coughed on the smoke as he reflected on how little it used to bother him. The other two ran into the room to find the rat standing there gasping for breath.
"What happened? Where's the Racoon?" the corgi asked.
"He, he fell, booted 'im out that window I did." The two ran to the window to look out. As they leaned out the corgi quickly followed the rat to the ground as Thaddeus kicked him square in the rump, causing the shaggy dog to turn and get Thaddeus' cane around the neck. Pulling him over and slamming him onto the floor, Thaddeus glared at him as he whimpered.
"Who sent you, how did you know where to find me?" he demanded. As the dog continued to cry Thaddeus pulled a glove from his stand and smacked him with it.
"J, Judge Highbourne sent us. Please don't kill me!" the dog cried, making Thaddeus recoil in disgust. Dragging the man around with the cane, Thaddeus threw him into a chair and jabbed the cane against his chest.
"My old friend the Judge hmm? Well how did he know where to find me?" he asked, an edge to his voice.
"We found this girl, she had your book and she told him. She told him cause he said he'd lock her up if she didn't." he cried. Thaddeus' eyes widened in horror before narrowing again.
"You are really quite pathetic. Now then, if you wish to continue breathing I suggest you answer this next question very carefully. Where is the Judge and what did he do to Christina?" he scowled as the dog.
On the bridge Judge Highbourne waited impatiently, tapping his scabbard against the ground as he stood next to Christina, her hands and feet bound in shackles. The thick London fog obscured his vision for quite some distance, but noise carried quite well. The sound of footsteps approaching alerted him as he prepared to draw his sword. The shaggy black dog stepped out of the fog and into sight. He looked nervous as his eyes darted between the judge and the girl.
"J, Judge. We uh, we took care of Thaddeus." He stammered. The judge looked left and right.
"Really now, then where are the other two?" he asked pointedly.
"They uh, they're dumpin' the body in the Thames Judge. The peelers will find him floatin' by stinkin' of ale and think nothing of it." He nodded reassuringly. The judge smiled and nodded in response.
"Finally, I'm finally rid of that blasted Raccoon. Heh, hehehe, Hahahahaha!" he laughed maniacally as his henchman joined in. However the mirth was short lived as Highbourne drew his sword and stabbed the man in one swift motion.
"Do you think I'm a fool Thaddeus? Master of disguise, the only thing you can't do is multiply yourself." He sneered as he twisted the blade, the shaggy dog dropping down dead. Wrenching out the sword Highbourne cleaned it off before crossing to the body. "Now then, to see the face of this miserable thief." He sighed as he reached over and grabbed a handful of fur. However, as he pulled at the face it didn't budge in the slightest, the body before him was in fact his henchman as Thaddeus stood inspecting the jewel on his cane behind him.
"I am so very remorseful Judge, did you think that was me?" he smiled as the judge turned to face him, his face white as a sheet.
The Judge roared as he lunged at Thaddeus, but the master thief batted his blade away with his cane before delivering a solid boot to his diaphragm.
"Judge Thornton Highbourne, convicted of nothing, but guilty of murder, theft, extortion, bribing court officials and among other things you are just a very unsporting person." Thaddeus winked to Christina as her eyes lit up. The judge growled at him before charging again. His sword flashed through the air as Thaddeus dodged and glided past the blows with seeming ease.
"I'll kill you, you thieving raccoon! Then there will be nothing standing in my way of ruling this city!" he bellowed.
"My my Thornton, you really are an angry chap. If you had done things lawfully I would never have taken an interest in so thoroughly sabotaging your career, you could've been running this town ten years ago." Thaddeus laughed matter-of-factly. Dodging another blow, his foot hit an icy patch on the road and the thief was sent skidding. Losing his balance, he tried to regain it, but he was too slow, the sword sliced through his coat and connected with his side. Landing on his back, Thaddeus flipped over onto one knee as he held his side.
"Now, now I have you. This is it Thaddeus, how does it feel to know I've won?" the Judge laughed as he jabbed his sword at Thaddeus' chest. The thief glanced over at Christina, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled against her chains. Thaddeus sighed.
"You're right Thornton, you've won, you've bested me and I will forever let it be a blot on my name that I am the first Cooper to be beaten by a man of the law, but please, as a final request of a man not long for this world, release the girl. She's no threat to you, even if she brought evidence against you, who would believe some street rat over the great, the honourable Judge Highbourne." Thaddeus said calmly, accepting his lose with dignity. The Judge pondered this for a moment.
"You're quite right Thaddeus, who would believe some lowly street urchin over me… Then again, as I keep trying to remind you people I am no fool!" he seethed, pressing his sword into Thaddeus' breast. "I know you Thaddeus. I know this is not the end of your little game. That girl knows where you live and you've gathered enough evidence to bury me over the years if only a miserable thief like you could hand it in. So no, I don't think that girl will be going anywhere but the gallows after you go to the bottom of the river!" he raged as he swung his sword over his head, ready to bring it down on Thaddeus. Before he could however, Christina squeaked in terror as she threw her chains over the Judge's head \and pulled back with all her might, dragging him back away from the aged thief.
The Judge howled in anger as he pulled himself free. Dragging the chains forward he threw Christina into the road. As she tried to get up he struck her with the butt of his sword causing her to double over in pain. Looking about him frantically the Judge could see nothing through the thick fog, Thaddeus having disappeared into it.
"To think Thornton, I had become so tired that I almost considered stooping to your level. I almost wondered what it would be like to be a brute like you." Thaddeus' voice echoed across the bridge.
"Come out of hiding you coward and we'll see who the brute is." The Judge sneered.
"Coward you say? That's quite amusing coming from you," Shadows whipped past the Judge, just out of sight as he was clipped by Thaddeus' cane every now and then. "But still, being the gentleman I am going to give you one final chance Thornton. Drop the sword and leave the girl be and I will allow you to go home unharmed today." Thaddeus offered. The Judge scoffed.
"You'll allow me will you? Who do you think you are?" he demanded, venom dripping from every word.
"I think nothing Thornton, I believe I am Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the Third and this is your final warning. We Coopers are men of honour and we keep our word. Leave now and I will not harm you, but cross me again and you will suffer a wrath far beyond your wildest imaginations." The voice rang ominously throughout the fog. The Judge's eyes darted from place to place as shadows danced across the clouds. As his eyes rested on Christina, a wicked smile crossed his beak as he dove at her. Grabbing her by the collar he dragged her to her feet and held the blade to her throat as he backed up.
"Just you try Cooper! I've got a hostage. Surely you honourable Coopers wouldn't allow some poor innocent girl to get injured in your stead, correct? Now I am leaving here Cooper and unless you want your little friend here to end up in tomorrow's paper as another tragic death I suggest you let me go!" he yelled into the fog. Suddenly a shadow appeared behind him causing him to jump as Thaddeus was silhouetted against the fog. Moving in the opposite direction another shadow appeared, and another, and another. The Judge was surrounded by Thaddeus on all sides.
"What was it you were saying about not multiplying myself Thornton?" Thaddeus laughed as the Judge backed away. Suddenly Thaddeus jumped out at him and yelled, causing him to fall over. For a split second he lost his hold on Christina before finding a grip on her chains and dragging her back toward him. Stumbling back, he continued to move away from the shadows until his back hit something cold.
The Judge found himself standing at the railing of the bridge. There was nowhere to retreat to anymore as the shadows closed in around him. The voice of Thaddeus sprang up again, but from the one place the Judge wasn't expecting. Christina turned to him and spoke with the voice of the old thief.
"So Thornton, still think you've won?" he smiled as he ripped off the disguise and brought his cane up to connect with the Judge's chin, sending him flying over the rail and into the dark waters far below. A loud splash followed, but Thaddeus paid it no mind as he rushed across the bridge, passing all his board decoys as he ran over to Christina. Pulling a pin from his coat he hastily kneeled over and unlocked her chains before she embraced him in a suffocating hug.
"Oh Thaddeus thank you thank you! I knew you'd come for me, I just knew it." She beamed at him. Thaddeus tipped his hat.
"I believe I may have mentioned Coopers never letting an innocent be harmed." He smiled warmly. She returned his smile with teary eyes as she shook her head.
"I don't think so. It isn't just Coopers that are so nice to me, its you." She continued to smile as the tears began to run down her cheeks. She threw her arms around him and gave him another tight hug. Wincing, Thaddeus pulled himself away and stood up straight.
"I think you might be right there Christina. I'm getting a tad too old for these life or death conflicts. Very soon I believe I will be hanging up the Cooper name and just be regular old Thaddeus, but for now I must get home. All this running has really tired me out." He groaned as he held his side. Christina's eyes lingered on the wound before looking Thaddeus straight in the eyes.
"Are you okay Thaddeus?" she asked, her eyes welling up with tears once more. He chuckled happily.
"Yes, quite alright my dear Christina, though I'm afraid I've let myself down a bit, in this state I won't be able to walk you home. So please, if I may beg your deepest forgiveness one last time, I must take my leave." He smiled. Christina's mouth fell. She could sense what was coming as the tears began to fall freely from her eyes, but as she reached out for the gentleman thief he backed away and vanished into the fog. The last thing she could see of him was that warm smile of the only kind person she had met in London. Though only for a day she knew the person behind the name, the man who was more than just his family's thieving reputation, she knew the kindness, the strength and honour of Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the Third.