Hello guys. I'm back and Sly's new path has begun. There will be a few twists in the story, including a major twist in this chapter so don't hate me for it. Anyway, let's get started, guys.
Sly had just jumped from the Interpol helicopter and paraglided a rooftop. He then got of the roof and was walking to the same place that the Clockwerk parts were finally destroyed. He was going to meet his friends at the hospital where Bentley was most likely having his legs checked. The Clock-la head had hurt his legs very badly and he would need medical attention to see what the damage was. Sly then saw something in the water that looked like one of Neyla's hands. Neyla whole body had then floated in the water. Sly was having conflicted thoughts about what he should do.
"I should leave her in there to rot." Sly's dark side thought.
"But you're a better person than that, besides if you did leave her there you'll be no better than Clockwerk." Sly's light side thought.
Sly then reached down and grabbed Neyla's arm and pulled her out of the water. When he got her out, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to a alleyway when he was sure that no one was looking, he went to Neyla and checked her pulse, which she thankfully still had. Neyla eye's suddenly started to open and when she was able to see, she saw the face of the one person she least expected: Sly Cooper.
"Cooper?" Neyla asked.
"Yes Neyla, it's me. But what I want to know is how you're still alive after the Clockwerk parts were destroyed." Sly said.
"Take me to my hideout on the outskirts of the city and I'll tell you everything." Neyla said.
"No, I can do that. How do I know you won't try to kill me again if I do?" Sly asked.
"Well, I'm too weak to move for one thing and I'm sure you would just subdue me if I tried anything." Neyla said.
Sly sighed "Alright Neyla, but if you try anything when you get your strength back, I'll turn you over to Carmelita and Interpol, and I'm not sure they'd be willing to give you a slap on the wrist for all you've done. Tell me which building that your hideout is in when we get there and I'll take care of you until I can figure out why you've done all the things you've done to me and everyone else."
"Fair enough, Cooper. If you don't turn me over to Old ironsides, I'll tell you everything." Neyla said.
Sly picked Neyla up in his arms again and went to the outskirts of the city where Neyla's hideout was, being very careful to avoid any cops that were patrolling the streets and keeping a close eye out for Carmelita as it was likely that she would try to kill Neyla if she ever saw her again. When they got to the outskirts of the city, Neyla pointed to the right building that her hideout was in. Sly took her inside and Neyla told Sly the code to get the door open. Once they got inside the hideout, Sly was amazed at how much tech was in the room.
"Man, this would make Bentley so jealous of all the technology that you have, Neyla." Sly said as he walked into her bedroom and put her on her bed.
"Glad you like it, Cooper." Neyla said.
"Is there anything that you need?" Sly said.
"Well, I could use something to eat for starters. I'm quite hungry." Neyla said
"Do you have a fridge here or would you like me to go out and get you something to eat." Sly asked.
"Well, I haven't been here in a while and I'm sure that the food that I have has gone bad by now. There's a good pizza place that I like. I would like a pepperoni and sausage pizza." Neyla said.
"Alright, I'll go out and get it for you, I'm sure that you won't try to leave while I'm gone?" Sly asked.
"I'm still too weak to move right now but if I can get my strength back, I won't try to leave. This is my hideout after all, but I trust you won't tell anyone about this place?" Neyla asked.
"Well, I have a good mind to, but if I'm going be taking care of you until I find out why you've done everything you've done to me and my friends, I have no choice but to keep this place a secret. I'll be back in an hour. You just try to get some rest until I get back." Sly said.
"Well, not like I have anything else to do." Neyla said as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Sly walked out of the hideout and started running to the pizza place that Neyla told him about. When he got there, he ordered a pepperoni and sausage pizza. When it finally came, he paid for it and started heading back to Neyla's hideout. When he got back, Neyla was already waking up. The smell of pizza was very mouth watering.
"Do you have any plates, Neyla? Sly asked.
"I'll eat out of the box." Neyla said.
Sly brought the box to Neyla and he gently sat her up so she could eat. When Neyla ate the first 2 slices, she looked at Sly. "Would you like some, Cooper? I have a feeling that you might be hungry." Neyla said.
"Well, I haven't eaten anything in awhile, so I guess I will have some." Sly said getting a slice of pizza and eating it. In a few minutes they were eating together and they ate the pizza in no time.
"Thanks, Cooper." Neyla said.
"Your welcome, Neyla. Now, how about telling me everything?" Sly asked.
"Well, we did have a deal, so I guess I can tell you everything." Neyla said.
Neyla began telling Sly why she was the way she was. She had said that before she met Carmelita and was assigned to Sly's case, she had met Arpeggio. She was loyal to him, but over time she began to question his actions. When Arpeggio thought that she was going to turn against him, he had the Contessa use a hypnotic device to make her personality change to evil. She had been subject to the device every time the hypnosis was starting to wear off. When they had arrested the Contessa, Neyla's hypnosis wore off. When Contessa was gone, Neyla was going to go to Sly and tell him everything and even show him the device to prove that she wasn't lying, but Interpol had confiscated it before she could. When Neyla was traveling to Canada to find Sly, Arpeggio's guards grabbed her and she was taken back to his blimp and was subjected to another hypnosis device that Arpeggio had built in order to keep Neyla under his control. Once she was back under hypnosis, he has sent her to Canada for the Clockwerk parts and Sly knew the rest.
"What about taking over Clockwerk's body? How do you explain that?" Sly asked.
"The device was to make my personality evil, maybe when I was still under the hypnosis, it acted on its own and made me take over Clockwerk's body. I could prove it to you if you still don't believe me." Neyla said.
"And how could you do that? The Contessa's hypnosis device was confiscated and Arpeggio's device was most likely destroyed with his blimp." Sly said.
"There must be blueprints for it somewhere. A genius like Arpeggio has to build blueprints for a device like that. And if we can find the blueprints, I can prove that I'm not lying to you." Neyla said.
"Then where do I find them? Arpeggio's wouldn't have been stupid enough to hide them in any of his hideouts or his blimp. It would have to be somewhere where he would think is the last place anyone would look, particularly you if your hypnosis ever wore off and he couldn't hypnotize you again." Sly said.
Neyla started thinking about what Sly said and knew he was right. Arpeggio wouldn't risk the blueprints for hid device falling into the wrong hands, so he must have hidden somewhere that she would never think of looking. Neyla then thought of something. "The blueprints must be here somewhere."
"Of course, hiding in plain sight. But where would he put it?" Sly said.
Sly then noticed something on the wall beside Neyla's bed. He went to it and pushed, making it open. He then saw a blue paper and got it out of the wall. He then unfolded the paper and saw blueprints for a what looked like a hypnosis device. He the showed it to Neyla. "Looks like you were right, Neyla. You were hypnotized." Sly said.
Neyla looked at the blueprints and quickly got angry. "Arrrggg, that little piece of filth. I'm so glad that I killed him when I did, even if it was under hypnosis." Neyla said.
"Don't worry Neyla, he's gone now. He can't hurt you in any way ever again." Sly said.
"Well, it's nearly morning and I'm a bit tired. I'm going to get some rest." Neyla said.
"Alright, I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on you. Get some rest." Sly said.
"Cooper, wait." Neyla said.
"What is it?" Sly asked.
"I don't want to be alone right now. Could you stay here with me, please? Besides, I think that you're too tired to go anywhere right now." Neyla said.
"I, I don't know, Neyla. My friends will be worried about me. Besides, I have to check on Bentley. He got hurt badly when we were fighting you in Clockwerk's body." Sly said.
"Please Sly, I know you want to check on your friends but I'm afraid that if I'm alone, I'll have nightmares about everything I've done. If you're here, at least I know I'm not alone." Neyla said as she started to tear up.
Sly thought about it, he wanted to check on his friends but he was too tired right now. He would need rest if he was going to get to the hospital without slowing down or falling asleep somewhere where there would most likely be cops patrolling. Besides, after what he just seen Neyla go through, she would most likely have nightmares about everything she had done. After thinking it over, Sly made his decision. "Alright Neyla, I'll stay with you for tonight." Sly said as he pushed a comfortable chair beside Neyla's bed and got a blanket for himself. Once Sly was comfortable, Neyla held out her hand.
"Take my hand, Sly, that way I'll know that I'm not alone and you'll still be here when I wake up." Neyla said.
"Alright Neyla." Sly said as he took Neyla's hand and laid down.
"Sleep well, Sly." Neyla said falling asleep.
"Sleep well, Neyla." Sly said as he fell asleep. "I wonder how Bentley and Murray are right now."
Meanwhile at the hospital
Bentley and Murray were very worried. Sly was supposed to have been here hours ago. They had found out that the injury that Bentley suffered when Clock-la's smashed his legs had crippled him and he would need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It had been hours since then and Sly had not shown up. A doctor then came into the room.
"Mr. Bentley, you and your friend have a visitor." The doctor said.
Bentley and Murray looked as the doctor moved out of the way to reveal the visitor, hoping that it be Sly. But to their surprise, it wasn't Sly. It was the one person that they would least expect, their visitor was none other than Inspector Carmelita Fox. "Hello Bentley. Hello Murray." Carmelita said.
"Inspector Fox? What are you doing here?" Bentley asked.
"Yeah, where's Sly?" Murray asked.
"Doctor, could you wait outside the door while I have a talk with these two?" Carmelita asked.
"Of course, Inspector, I'll be right outside the door when you're ready." The doctor said as she walked out of the room and closed the door.
"So, what are you doing here, Carmelita, here to arrest us?" Bentley said.
"No Bentley, I came to talk to both you and Murray." Carmelita said.
"About what?" Murray asked.
"About the two of you and your futures." Carmelita said.
"What do you mean talk about our futures, Carmelita?" Bentley said.
"Well, since I'm here, I could arrest you both and throw you in jail." Carmelita said.
"Then I don't you just do it? You've been after us for years." Murray said.
"I've only been after that blasted Cooper, not you two." Carmelita said.
"if you've been after Sly the whole time then I are you here?" Bentley asked.
"I'm here because I want the two of you to leave Paris and live a better live that won't get you two hurt anymore than you already have been." Carmelita said.
"When did you start caring about us, Carmelita?" Murray said.
"Murray, look at Bentley. The doctor has said that he will be crippled for the rest of his life and the way I see it, if you keep this life with Sly Cooper up, you'll most likely be in the same situation as Bentley is right now. Or maybe both of you will end up lying dead somewhere in the ground and no one will care." Carmelita said.
Bentley and Murray started thinking about what Carmelita said and, in a way, she was right. The recent dangers that they had faced had almost gotten them all killed and it had already cost Bentley his ability to walk. And if they kept this up, they would most likely be in prison or far worse. The more they thought about it, the more they thought about considering Carmelita's offer of a better life.
"If we do consider your offer, how could we leave anyway? The van is floating around in the Canadian river, most likely frozen by now." Murray asked.
"I've taken the liberty of getting you and Bentley first-class tickets to America, and I've managed to get all of your charges dropped. You both can go somewhere else, live better lives. But this will only happen if you leave Paris today." Carmelita said.
"But, what about Sly?" Bentley said.
"He's not going to give up being a thief. It's too much in his blood. You and Murray will find a way to live without him." Carmelita said.
"You're right about that, Carmelita. I know it'll be hard for us at first, but me and Murray will find a way to get by without Sly. But I think we should leave now before Sly shows up." Bentley said.
"How are we going to do that, Bentley? You can't leave until they clear you." Murray said.
"I've already taken care of that, Murray. Doctor, you can come back in now." Carmelita said.
The doctor came back in and handed Carmelita a piece of paper. "Here you go, Inspector." The doctor said.
Thank you, doctor. Did you get the other thing I asked for?" Carmelita asked.
"I did. It's right there." The doctor said showing the a wheelchair that Bentley could use.
"The wheelchair is for you, Bentley, and I took the liberty of getting your release paper so you'll be able to leave the hospital. All you have to do is go to wherever your hideout is and start packing. After that, head to the airport as quickly as possible and board the plane." Carmelita said.
"Alright Carmelita.. I hope you have a good life." Bentley said as Murray put him in the wheelchair and left the hospital to get their belongings and leave the city.
"I do too, Bentley." Carmelita thought. "With them out of the way, I can arrest or make Sly a cop much easier. Sly will be mine and join Interpol or go to jail for the rest of his life."
Back with Sly and Neyla
Neyla had woken up to find that her hand was still being held by Sly, who was still laying down in the chair that he had pushed beside her bed. She looked at their hands and thought it was nice to have someone actually show her affection. She then looked at Sly and thought of how handsome he looked. Sly then started to wake up and looked at Neyla.
"Good morning, Neyla. How did you sleep?" Sly asked.
"I slept better than I have in a very long time, Sly. Even better since you were here with me." Neyla said with a smile.
"I'm glad you slept better, Neyla. How are you feeling?" Sly asked.
"I think I have enough strength to walk." Neyla said as she started to get up to walk. When she stood up, her legs started to give out and she started to fall, but Sly caught her.
"Easy Neyla, I don't think that you have enough strength to walk on your own yet. If you'd like, I could help you walk until you can walk on your own again." S!y said.
"I, I'd really like that, Sly. I'd like to eat something now. Could you go and get something for me, please?" Neyla asked.
"Sure Neyla, what would you like?" Sly asked.
"Maybe some pasta and garlic bread." Neyla said.
"Do you have the stuff to make it here or would you like me to go out and get it?" Sly asked.
"I think I have the stuff here. Take me to the kitchen and I'll show you where everything is." Neyla said.
Sly started taking Neyla to the kitchen, with Neyla leaning on Sly to keep balance. Neyla thought that it was actually nice to have someone to lean on and care for her for the first time in her life. They got to the kitchen and Neyla showed Sly where the ingredients for the pasta was. He got out the things to make it with and once everything was ready. He started cooking everything. About an hour later, Sly finished cooking and got out 2 plates for them to eat. They sat down at the table, got something to drink and began to eat. Neyla was amazed that Sly managed to make a very tasty meal.
"This is really amazing, Sly. I didn't know that you could cook." Neyla said.
"Well, I don't cook much besides microwave food. I only learned how to cook this when Murray was too occupied with video games with Bentley." Sly said.
Speaking of your friends, shouldn't you check on them? They're probably still in the hospital worried about you. Maybe you could show them the blueprints for the hypnosis device. If you can explain to them everything I've told you, maybe there's a chance that they'll forgive me, although I highly doubt it." Neyla said.
"I think you're right, Neyla. But what about you? You're still too weak to walk on your own." Sly said.
"You can just sit me on my bed and turn on the TV and I can find something to watch until you come back. Don't worry about the dishes, when I get enough strength to walk on my own, I'll do them." Neyla said.
"Are you sure?" Sly asked.
"I am." Neyla said.
"Alright." Sly said as he took Neyla's hand and she leaned on him while he took her to the bedroom and gave her the remote control. Sly started to leave when Neyla stopped him.
"Sly wait." Neyla said.
"What is it?" Sly said.
"Come here." Neyla said.
Sly approached her and she leaned over and kissed him on his cheek, making Sly blush. "Thank you, Sly, for everything you've done for me." Neyla said with a smile.
"You're welcome, Neyla, I'll be back once I've convinced my friends about you." Sly said as he grabbed the blueprints and headed for the hospital. When he got there, the doctor that took care of Bentley told him that Bentley and Murray had already left the hospital. Sly then headed to the hideout and when he got there, he noticed that there were 2 notes attached to the door. He grabbed them and read one of them.
"Dear Sly, me and Murray are very sorry about this, but we've decided to leave Paris and start a new life somewhere else. I'm sorry Sly, but the dangers that we've faced have have taken their toll on us. And the battle with Clock-la has already cost me my legs and the way me and Murray see it, if we keep this life up with you, we'll probably be hurt worse than what we already have. I know it'll be hard for you but you'll have to find a way to live without us. Goodbye, Sly. Your friends, Bentley and Murray."
Sly couldn't believe what he was reading. He quickly got into the hideout and looked everywhere for Bentley and Murray, hoping that it was just a joke. But as he searched everywhere in the hideout and found no sign of Bentley and Murray or their belongings, he began to realize that it was true. Bentley and Murray had really left him and went to start a new life only God knows where. Sly began to tear up and with great speed, ran back to Neyla's hideout. Sly just couldn't believe it, after everything that they had been though with each other since childhood, they have to go and hurt him like this. It was unbelievable, and yet it was true. Sly quickly put the code in for the entrance to the hideout and entered with an angry look on his face.
"Sly, what's wrong. Why do you look so angry?" Neyla asked.
Sly handed her the note that Bentley left for him and when she read it, she started to feel dislike towards the turtle and hippo. "How could those two do this to him? How could they just abandon him like that without even telling him goodbye in person? Those sad, ungrateful betrayers!" Neyla thought as she looked at Sly who was crying.
"How could they do this to me? After everything that we've been through together all the way back to childhood? Why did they do this to me?" Sly asked.
Neyla suddenly put her arms around Sly and hugged him. "I'm so, very sorry, Sly. I understand if you blame me for this. It's all my fault." Neyla said.
"No, it isn't your fault, Neyla. You were under hypnosis and the Neyla that we were fighting was not the real you. I just… feel abandoned." Sly said.
Neyla turned Sly's face to hers. "I know you do, Sly. I know what feeling abandoned feels like. My parents abandoned me when I was a child and I never really had any friends. So, believe me. I understand the pain you're feeling all too well."
"You do, don't you?" Sly asked.
"Yes, I do." Neyla said.
"I guess this makes us the same now, right?" Sly asked.
"Yes, we are the same now. I was abandoned a long time ago and you were just abandoned by the two people who have been with you ever since you were a child." Neyla said.
Sly looked at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight. "Neyla, I think that I want to get some rest. I need to think about what I'm going to do now that Bentley and Murray are gone."
"Sly, sleep on the bed with me. I think that you'll need the comfort. And I want to comfort you while you sleep." Neyla said.
Sly thought about it and after a few minutes, made his decision. "Alright Neyla, thank you so much for this. It really does mean a lot to me."
"Your welcome, Sly. I promise I won't leave you while you sleep and I'll be here when you wake up again." Neyla said as they got comfortable on the bed and Neyla embraced Sly. After a few seconds, Sly returned the embrace and fell asleep.
Neyla kissed his cheek and started to fall asleep. "I will never, ever abandon you, Sly. I can promise you that."
There you go guys. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I know that some of you are probably going to hate for this but I have plans for this story and this was one of them. I have many more plans for this and I hope that you'll like them. See you next chapter guys.