Cooper Creed 1 Rise of the Fiendish Five

by Fictionis1

A retelling of what could happen if Sly had not one but two family lines to live up to, also along the way are twists, turns and a different story line, enjoy

Cooper Creed 1 Rise of the Fiendish five

By "Fictionis1"

A Sly Cooper and Assassin's Creed crossover fan fiction

P.S

"This story is my baby and I say what goes and what doesn't go, so if anything happens that you are not comfortable with, you know where the door is also the characters are Anthropomorphic, like Sly and the others who have normal bodies"

Rated T

Intro:

Sly Cooper, everyone knows his story as a master thief, but what if he had not just one but TWO, family legacies, on his father's side is the master thieves and on his mother's side, are the master assassins, the two family lines now live in their only, living relative left, Sly Cooper, on the night of his eight birthday, his home was attacked by five, mysterious beings who killed his parents and stole the Thievius Raccoonus, a book which holds the secrets to his thieving line, Sly was left with only his uncle, Mario to care for him, his father's cane and his mother's hidden blade, years later, at twenty-five years old, Sly and his life-long friends, Bentley the turtle and Murray the hippo are about to set out on a mission to track down the criminals who killed his parents, take back the missing pages of the Thievius Raccoonus and avenge Sly's parents, by using the skills taught to him by his uncle and the techniques of his assassins line, Sly Cooper will either succeed and become a master of both his heritages or fail and allow his family name to be lost to history

Chapter 1 Humble beginnings

Location: Paris, France

In the night of the city of love, everything is peaceful and secure, that is until a shadowy figure was seen running across the rooftops, using the night to his advantage as he skillfully maneuvers his way through obstacles with flips, slides and wall runs, the cloaked figure then comes to a wide gap and makes a leap so graceful that he lands with hardly a word on the other side, he then comes the building he wanted to get to, Police headquarters, this figure then comes into the light of the full moon to show who he is, his name…is Sly Cooper (Who wore the same gear as Garret from the video game "Thief") but he didn't have his traditional cane, instead, he had a right gauntlet that once belonged to his mother and it has a hook blade design, which was his father's old cane, upgraded to fit both his heritages, as he based in the beauty of the city, his earpiece communicator rang and he answered

"Sly here" Sly called

"Sly…come in, SLY, DO YOU READ ME" A loud voice rang from the other side of the line, which was one of his oldest friends, Bentley the turtle

"Yeah, I read you, loud and…VERY LOUD" Sly replied

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous, trying to break into police headquarters does that" Bentley replied

"Get over it, Bentley, your safe in the van, besides, I'm the thief here, I got to steal that file from Inspector Carmelita Fox" Sly replied

"Well, count on me to be your eyes and ears, buddy, got their security system totally scoped, to get inside, your gonna have to go through that air vent" Bentley told him as Sly saw his point of entry

"Alright, I'm going in" Sly replied before another voice came through the communicator, it was Murray the hippo

"And don't forget, you've got me at the wheel, sly, all you gotta do is grab the file and get back to the van, we'll take care of the rest" Murray told Sly before the third voice came through, it was Sly's uncle, Mario (Think of a racoon version of Mario from "Assassin's creed 2" but in modern day clothing)

"Be on your toes, nephew, remember what I taught you" Mario told his nephew

"New environments are more difficult than familiar one's, so be prepared to expect the unexpected" Sly told his uncle

"Yes, nephew, good luck" Mario replied

"And Murray, keep that engine running, I'll be down in no time" Sly told Murray on the other line before he put his hood over his head and covered his mouth with a veil, he then proceeded forward, he snuck along the edge of a nearby water tower to access the higher ventilation shaft before he ran up a wall and used his cane-blade gauntlet to latch onto the edge of the platform it was on before hoisting himself up there, he then unscrewed the bolts with his cane-blade edge and snuck into the vent, he soon came to a drop that was covered in lasers

*Lasers, shouldn't be a problem* Sly said in his head as he skillfully dropped down without tripping an alarm before he cracked open the door to the police station

"Alright, you're in, Inspector Carmelita fox's office is behind the red door" Bentley told Sly, he eventually found the door, but it would have been too easy to pick the lock to it, so he used an alternate entrance, meanwhile all his actions were being watched by his two friends and uncle from a nearby van, outside

"What is he doing" Bentley asked Mario

"He's thinking ahead, it would be too obvious for him to just pick the lock to the door, when he can use an alternative entrance" Mario answered as they watched on the screens in the van, meanwhile Sly entered the office through the window and came across a vault

"Nice job, Sly, that safe is where Carmelita keep all her important files, I did some digging and I got the code" Bentley told Sly as he kneeled to the vault

"Hit me with it" Sly replied

"Punch in seven, four three and you should get in" Bentley answered, Sly then put the code in and it opened, he then rummaged through the files until he came across the file that he's been wanting

"And jackpot" Sly stated

"Great job nephew, escape down the fire escape, we'll be waiting in the van" Mario told Sly, before he came across another file that he just had to read

"Sly, what are you doing, come on" Murray told Sly, not wanting to wait for trouble as Sly read up on a new file

"Just as I thought" Sly stated

"What is it" Bentley asked him

"Carmelita's bringing in some help with a new partner to try and catch me, one cop tailing us was bad enough, but another…just great" Sly stated as he spotted the new cop's picture, which was a pink, Bengal tiger (Neyla from "Sly 2 Band of thieves")

"Hmm, Inspector Neyla, Persian division…she's kind of cute" Sly stated

"Oh, ancestors help us, nephew, you can ogle at the girl's picture later, right now, we need to go" Mario told his nephew as Sly packed up the files in his side bag on his left leg, he then left his signature calling card in the vault

"Right, on my way" Sly replied as he was about to escape down the fire walkway until

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE" A familiar voice shouted as two figures appeared, one being Inspector Fox and the other Neyla, armed with shock pistols

"Sly Cooper, hands up, now" Carmelita told him as she and Neyla pointed their pistols at him

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old headache, haven't seen you since I gave you the slip in Bombay, five days ago" Sly replied

"Which reminds me, you need to return the Fire stone of India to it's rightful owners" Carmelita told him

"Sorry, I needed it to pay for some information, by the way, who's the new girl" Sly asked, referring to Neyla

"Inspector Neyla, Persian division, I was assigned to aid Inspector Fox in your capture" Neyla told him

"Well then, on behalf of myself, allow me to introduce myself, Sly Cooper, master thief and assassin at your service…and if I maybe so bold to say, Inspector Neyla, you are by far the most beautiful, lady cop I've ever had after me" Sly flirted with her, this hardly impressed Neyla

"Save your flirting when we get you in prison, ringtail" Carmelita told Sly

"So just surrender and you won't get pumped full of ten thousand volts" Neyla added

"But why would you need that when your eyes stun me the most, right now, Inspector Neyla" Sly told Neyla

"Nephew, stop flirting and get your ringed tail down here" Mario's voice came from Sly's earpiece

"As much as I would love to stay and chat, I got places to go, things to do and something that rightfully belongs to my family to retrieve" Sly replied before the two cops tried to shoot him but Sly easily dodged both shots before he moved like a shadow, down the fire escape and into the back parking lot, where the two cops shot a barrage of shocking projectiles at him but Sly was too quick for them and he eventually came across the van, where Mario was waiting for him

"HURRY, NEPHEW, HURRY" Mario called out as Sly jumped into the van and they made their escape

"GAAH, YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FOREVER RINGTAIL" Carmelita shouted in anger as the master thief and assassin got away again

"Be patient, Inspector Fox, even luck like his can't last forever" Neyla told her partner, Carmelita then exhaled in stress

"Your right…come on, let's find out what he took from my office, and then…we go after him and his little crew" Carmelita told Neyla as they walked off

(With the gang)

As Murray drove away from the scene, Sly sat in the front seat of the van with his feet propped up and his hood and veil off

"You know, Sly, one day, that cocky attitude of yours is probably gonna put us in jail, or worse" Bentley told Sly as he sat in the back

"I agree with Bentley, there is a time and place for everything and you flirting with a new lady, one who's trying to hunt you down, isn't a smart move" Mario told his nephew as he sat beside Bentley

"Ah, but that's what makes this so much fun, anyway, I got the file, didn't I" Sly asked as he showed them the file

"So…where to" Murray asked him

"Back to the hideout, Murray, we've got some planning to do" Mario told him

"You got it, sir" Murray replied as he put the van into high-gear and sped off to the hideout, while Sly started reading over the file

(Sly's P.O.V)

"Once again, me and my gang gave Inspector Fox the slip, I was surprised to see how well she took it, finally, the secret, police file we've been searching for all these years, with it, I can avenge my parents and regain possession of our most valued treasure, it all began when I was just a small boy, bouncing on my father's knee, you see, both my father and my mother have a family business, my father's being master thieves that stretch back all the way to the time of the pyramids and my mother's side is a long line of assassins that stretch back to the time of the Spartans, but their family work is a bit different than you would guess, my thieving family members, they only stole from other criminals who profit from the suffering of others and my assassin family members, they never kill innocents, they only kill others who, like criminals profit from the suffering and abuse of others, now here's where my story begins, I am the only child of both legacies and I was meant to inherit my father's side of the business with an ancient book, called the Thievius Raccoonus, anyone who read it learned how to become a master thief, it's been handed down through my father's line for centuries but on the night I was supposed to inherit the book, five visitors came unannounced to our door, my mother and father both fought to protect me but the gang, known as "The fiendish five" overpowered them and ransacked our house until they found the Thievius Raccoonus, my father's manual of thieving greatness fell into their filthy hands, they tore it up into five pieces and split up, each member disappearing to the farthest corners of the world to commit dastardly crimes, I would have ended up in an orphanage had it not been for my uncle, my moms older brother, Mario, he took me in and he taught me everything there is to know about our assassin's heritage, while traveling with him on some pilgrimages, I meet two guys who became my life-long friends and trusted crew, Bentley, techno genius and strategist supreme and Murray, part time driver, full time burden, as I grew, so did my skills in combat, smarts, acrobatics and pretty much everything I would need to become a master assassin, but I don't just want that, I want to honor my father's legacy as well, so me, my uncle and my friends swore to track down the members of the Fiendish five, avenge my parents and steal back the Thievius Raccoonus, I knew I was about to face the toughest test of my life, on this test, I would either master both my family lines and become like them, or fail and allow my father's family name to fade into obscurity"

Chapter 2 Tide of terror

(Two days later)

After getting back to the hideout (Which was an abandoned steel mill, like the one from "Blade" the Marvel comics movie) Sly and his team rested up for the long journey ahead of them, Sly was currently eating some breakfast and with him was his pet eagle Synu (See what I did there?)

"So, uncle, we ready to get this show on the road" Sly asked Mario, who was sipping his morning coffee

"Yes, nephew, we all went over the plan last night…are you sure your ready, that's the real question" Mario asked him

"Please, you taught me well, uncle, I won't fail" Sly replied as he stood up and called Synu to his left shoulder, which he landed on

"I know, nephew…but I still worry, isn't that what family does" Mario asked him, making Sly smile a bit

"Your right" Sly replied as Bentley and Murray came into the scene

"Sly, we're all gassed up and ready to go, whenever your ready" Murray told him before Bentley stepped forward and sat a bundled-up piece of cloth in front of Sly

"What's this" Sly asked Bentley

"Seeing as how, we're moving onto more dangerous territory, I took the liberty of upgrading your cane-blade a bit" Bentley told him as Sly unwrapped the gauntlet and slipped it on his right forearm and unsheathed it before it folded out into his right hand (Think of Connor's pivot blade from "Assassins creed 3")

"Just a little something for close combat, you know on the off case when you DO get caught" Bentley told him before Sly noticed that the blade could do something else, it's blades then spread into a four-bladed, boomerang-like weapon

"And for long ranged, I added a boomerang throw function to it as well" Bentley told Sly as he retracted his blade, which still worked like the one he used two days ago

"This is sure to come in handy, Bentley…let's load up and get this started" Sly told them as they went off to gather their gear, buckled up and zoomed off to their first target, on the way, Sly read up on the first target on their list

(Sly's P.O.V)

"The road trip gave me the time I needed to study up on Sir Raleigh, the frog, as a young man, this hot-tempered frog grew tired of his life of luxury and privilege, however, when he tried his hand at a bit of piracy, he found it to his liking, Raleigh, who quickly became addicted to crime, was brought into the Fiendish five as chief machinist, where his evil, tinkering genius rose to new heights, the last know sighting of this mad machinist, was off the Southern coast of the Island of Wales, a small island, uncomfortably situated in the middle of the peerless, Wales triangle"

The van pulled up to the road leading to Raleigh's and Sly was all geared up for the job

"This is it, nephew…be careful and remember, you have us to call on, if you need a hand" Mario told his nephew as they connected forearms, in a vow to do what he told him to do, Sly then exited the van and with Synu on his left shoulder, he nodded to him

"Be my eyes in the sky, Synu" Sly told his eagle before it took off into the sky as Sly walked through the small cave until he reached the entrance road, he came across a couple of minor gates to keep people out and search lights but, it was nothing to his level of skills, eventually, he was overlooking what looked like a blimp out in the distance, over a cliff, he then puled out his binoculars and called in Bentley

"Bentley, I'm no genius with technology, but that doesn't look good, what is it" Sly asked Bentley

"According to my amphibio-positioning system, that big blimp is where Raleigh is hiding out but according to my readings, it's more than just a hideout, it's a storm machine, it's the reason why it never stops raining around here" Bentley told him

"That would explain all the wrecked ships down below" Sly stated

"But why would Raleigh want bad weather at his own hideout twenty-four-seven" Bentley asked

"No idea, but rain or shine, I'm gonna get back what he stole from my father…and is Raleigh gets in my way…it's on" Sly stated as he hung up and continued onward until he eventually reached the end of the road and after picking a treasure key from a nearby guard and using it to unlock the gate, Sly traveled into a small cave where he pushed through and came up to the massive boat that floated under the storm machine

"Now were getting somewhere" Sly muttered before he switched to his binocular link up with Bentley and Mario

"Well done so far, nephew, but do not get comfortable" Mario told his nephew

"I know, and by judging form what I'm seeing, that blimp is the most secured location on the entire boat, if I'm gonna get at Raleigh, I he's as smart as his police file says he is, then that's where I'll find him" Sly stated

"Sound plan but it's flawed" Bentley told him

"Why" Sly asked him

"Because, it's impossible to get near him, to get access to his blimp, you would have to sneak through that high-voltage power tube, to do that without getting electrocuted, you would need to destroy that power generator and to do that, you'll need to two more of Raleigh's treasure keys, which are both HEAVILY guarded" Bentley explained

"Interesting, so when are you gonna get to the impossible part" Sly asked

"FINE…but I WARNED you, I think they're around in the area of the boat you'll be heading to, after you sneak on board, locating them shouldn't be too much of a problem for you" Bentley told him, Synu then screeched from above to get Sly's attention, meaning he wanted to show him something

"Hold on a second guys" Sly stated before he entered his Eagle sense mode (Which is like Eagle sense from "Assassins creed revelations" and Bayek's version of it when he looks through the eyes of his eagle in "Assassins creed origins") as Sly looked through Synu's eyes, he spotted a whole bunch of security alarms that the guards could have access to, after scouting them out, he called back to Mario and Bentley

"Synu just showed me the guards have easy access to security alarms, should things go sideways" Sly stated

"Nephew, if you get the chance, make sure you do let the guards raise any alarms, so you must rely on the training I gave you as a young man" Mario told Sly

"Don't worry, uncle, my blade is my closest ally in situations like this" Sly stated as he put his veil and hood on, he then climbed up the massive boat side and took care of two guards on the edge before he hoisted himself up to the deck and made his way to the first spot, which lead to the engine room

"EUREKA, you're in the engine room, Sly, my analysis tells em that if you chase the spinning crank shaft back to it's source, then you should not only find another of Raleigh's treasure keys but also sabotage his machines as well" Bentley called to Sly through the earpiece, Sly then did as he was advised and followed the crank shaft back to it's source where he not only found another treasure key but also he sabotaged the storm machine and on the way, he found a vault that contained two of the several missing pages of the Thievius Raccoonus, which he packed in his side pouch for later, after he left the engine room and taking care of guards by knocking them out, he went for another key, which lead him to Raleigh's treasure room, which was FILLED with valuables

"By the ancestors" Mario muttered through Sly's earpiece

"JACKPOT, SLY, look at all this stuff, must be worth millions" Bentley stated

"And you know what that means, nephew, tighter security, you should watch yourself on this one" Mario advised

"Understood" Sly replied as he moved through the more secured location, while dispatching guards, by knocking them out, he eventually reached the end of the room where he not only found another vault with more pages but also another treasure key, he also collected some priceless jewels and treasure to bring back to Bentley so he can sell them for some extra cash on his thieving network, next Sly went to the furnace room where he could feel the heat for the entire place just rising up

"Whew, man, it feels like the inside of a sauna in here" Sly stated

"Interesting, according to my instruments, the heat signatures in this place are off the charts, this must be the power source for the storm machine" Bentley told Sly

"Nephew, you better make sure your tail isn't burnt to a crisp by the time you get out of there or your mother will probably roll over in her grave for me putting you in this situation" Mario told him

"Don't worry uncle, I plan on keeping my shinny fur coat" Sly replied as he effortlessly went through the corridor until he reached another key and page of his missing book, he then came to the fourth location in the area, which would give him a total of four treasure keys, but this one would require a little something different, after scarring some mice, they walked onto a carpet and suddenly got pinned down by some rapid moving dart projectiles

"Whoa, those guys got pegged" Sly stated

"Raleigh appears to have booby trapped this entire area" Bentley stated

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this" Sly stated

"Confidence is always good to have nephew, but I'd advise you think about your approach" Mario told Sly

"I agree with your uncle, Sly, if you set even one foot on that carpet, forget about being a master thief and assassin, you'll be a master dart board" Bentley told him

"Well then, how about I use that barrel here for protection against the darts" Sly asked them as he spotted a nearby barrel

"Hmm, that just might work" Bentley stated

"It will work" Mario agreed with his nephew as he jumped into it and it worked like a charm, after making his way through another corridor, he found another page and another key, no problem, after getting out and having enough keys, Sly approached the power source for the tunnel, leading to another section of the boat

"ASTONISHING, all my calculations lead me to believe that you would fail to knock out that generator" Bentley called Sly through the earpieces

"Just comes to show you Bentley, assassins make their own luck" Mario told Bentley

"Sorry buddy, but I was never the best at math" Sly told Bentley

"Yeah, well, here's a REAL test for you, I found a way up to the blimp…BUT unfortunately, it is doomed to failure" Bentley told Sly, he then looked at what was obvious

"Hold on, your telling me I have to shoot myself out of that cannon to get into the blimp" Sly asked Bentley

"I'm afraid that's the only way, nephew" Mario told him

"NOW WE'RE TALKING" Sly grinned in anticipation

"You're really scarring me man, ANYWAY, to get inside that thing, your gonna need all SEVEN of Raleigh treasure keys" Bentley told him

"No problem, just point me in the right direction and then leave Raleigh to me" Sly replied before he set out to the first location, where he had to dive for the key, taking it away from a bunch of trained crabs that Raleigh uses to keep his sunken treasure, thanks to Sly's training as a kid, he was about to hold his breath for a full three minutes before having to surface for air, it took some quick maneuvering but, he got it, next he went to the "The gunboat graveyard" where he maneuvered around a bunch of guards and security systems in order to get at the final key and another page of the Thievius Raccoonus, now with all seven of the treasure keys in his possession, he unlocked the cannon, aimed it and took a breath

"This is it, nephew, watch yourself, Raleigh is a genius, meaning he's probably smarter than you" Mario told Sly

"No worries, uncle, this is gonna be SICK" Sly replied as he loaded up and lit the cannon, he was then launched up to the storm machine and crashed through the window

(In the storm machine)

Sly crashed into the storm machine, where he came face to face with the frog man himself, Raleigh

"How delightful…we have a guest…the only thing is…I HATE UNEXPECTED GUESTS" Raleigh shouted

"Yeah, well, let me tell you something Raleigh, wipe out my family and steal what doesn't belong to you and better expect company" Sly replied

"Oh, I'm ever SO sorry, how sloppy of me not to finish the job, obviously we should have snuffed you out as well, so without further ado, let me make amends by, what…BLOATING TO GARGANTUAN SIZE, and squashing you, like the insignificant bug that you are" Raleigh told Sly as he got off his throne and jumped down to Sly's level, where he armed himself with a cane sword, Sly then unsheathed his cane-blade

"Bring it on blowhard" Sly replied as Raleigh used his long tongue to eat a fly and he grew to large size as he charged at Sly, the two tangled with each other with equal skills, Raleigh using his tongue as a weapon as well as his cane sword and increased size but Sly proved to be more than a match for him, Sly then jumped on Raleigh and killed him

(Scene slows down)

Sly stood over the dying body of Raleigh as the frog started to spit up blood from the puncture wound to his neck

"GAH, blast it all…you've beaten me" Raleigh stated

"You know, you could have just handed the page you took from the Thievius Raccoonus over to me, you ever think about that" Sly asked him

"But, how, I had the brains, I had power, I had money, riches" Raleigh asked

"That's the thing about money, Raleigh, it can corrupt people and it has been ever since you first set sail for pirating" Sly told him

"You will regret messing with the Fiendish five, Sly Cooper" Raleigh told him

"I think it's more on the line of you guys regretting you decided to mess with my family" Sly told him

"Well…gloat all you want, your no match for Muggshot, my villainous cohort in Utah, you'll see, Mesa city is so well guarded a SNAKE couldn't slither in without setting off alarms" Raleigh told him before he took his final breath, Sly then closed the frog's eyes

"Rest in peace" Sly muttered before he grabbed Raleigh section of the Thievius Raccoonus

(Scene speeds back up)

After escaping the blimp, he was surprised to see the place surrounded by police officers and leading them was Carmelita and Neyla, he had a little trouble sneaking off with those two around but, he managed to get away, he meet up with the others in the van

"You got it" Mario asked his nephew

"Got it and Raleigh's down, Murray, PUNCH IT" Sly told the hippo

"HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS PEOPLE" Murray shouted as he floored the peddle and took off like a bat out of hade

Location: Paris hideout

That night, Sly added the pages back to the book and went over Raleigh section of the book

(Sly's P.O.V)

"Raleigh's section of the Thievius Raccoonus held detailed instructions on how to perform my ancestor Rioichi Cooper's "Ninja spire jump" a technique he developed while sneaking into the thickly fortified castles of Feudal Japan, with the storm machine out of commission and Raleigh dead, boats found their way back onto the ocean and the terror of the Wales island faded from memory, that's one Fiendish five member down and four to go"

After restoring the pages and grabbing something to much on, Sly went to sleep

Chapter 3 Sunset snake eyes

(Two days later)

After two days-worth of investigation and planning, the team set out to the next target on the list, which was in the good, old U.S.A, on the road trip there, Sly read up on what he needed to know

(Sly's P.O.V)

"It had been a while since I've been back in the U.S…next up…the notorious, Muggshot, ruthless muscle of the Fiendish five, when he lacked in brains, he defiantly made up for it in brawn, turns out he wasn't always that way, he grew up as the runt of the litter, the neighborhood weakling, the only friends he could turn to were usually found on the big screen, it was there, he spotted his first gangster and he knew instantly, that's what he wanted to be, he spent the rest of his youth working real hard to get there, fueled on his dreams of great power and respect, with enough perspiration, he realized that dream, he became a hard boiled, street brawling, tough as nails gangster, to insure that he would NEVER be picked on or pushed around again…so, he's hold up in Mesa city, eh, I've always wanted to go that thriving, American boom town"

As the van drove up, Sly prepared himself before Bentley stopped him

"Hold up buddy, I got a new toy for you" Bentley told him as he threw him a strange device

"What's this little-bitty thing" Sly asked him

"It's a grapple shooter device, I invented last night, seeing as how Mesa has such large buildings, getting quick access to the roofs are crucial, just attach it to your cane-blade gauntlet, point and shoot, when you got a hold of something, just tug on it and hold on tight" Bentley explained as Sly attached it to his gauntlet

"Nice work there" Sly told him before he and Synu left the van and climbed up the huge, welcome gate to the city and what they saw wasn't pretty

"Ancestors have mercy" Mario stated through the earpiece

"Hey, Sly, I thought you said Mesa city was gonna be loud and busy, this place looks more like a ghost town" Bentley stated

"Somethings happened here, where is everyone" Sly asked

"I don't know but this place is starting to give me the creeps, what do you say we take off" Bentley asked Sly

"And miss all the fun that's to be had in this place, besides I wanna try out that new move I learned from Raleigh's section of the Thievius Raccoonus" Sly answered

"You mean the Ninja spire jump" Bentley asked him

"Yeah, and there are sure enough gonna be some opportunities around here to try it out, so suck it up, Bentley, we've got work to do" Sly told him

"Alright, alright, just be careful when you get in there" Bentley told Sly

"He's got a right to be concerned, nephew, Muggshot isn't all that smart, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have set up some security measures to keep people like us out" Mario told Sly

"I got this uncle" Sly replied as he hung up, he used his new Ninja spire landing move to get over obstacles and even used his new grapple launcher to quickly ascend and maneuver over whatever was in his way, Muggshot's men weren't as smart as Raleigh's men, but they were tough and has gangster-like intuition and they were ruthless, Sly even ran into some new security system

"Hey Bentley, what's up with those flashing lights" Sly asked Bentley through the earpiece

"The latest in high-tech security, electronic floor sensors, step on em and this place is bound to be crawling with guards" Bentley answered

"So, keep off em, got it" Sly stated as he ran up a nearby wall and climbed on a pipe across the ceiling to get over the sensors, he continued until he got the local treasure key and got to Muggshot's hideout, which was a giant casino building

"This Muggshot certainly isn't shy, okay, so we know he's here, somewhere but how are we supposed to find him, Mesa city is a BIG place

"Uncle Mario, correct me if I'm wrong but you said that those with too much self-pride usually express it TOO much, right" Sly asked Mario

"Indeed" Mario answered

"Then, if I was him, I would not only live in a building that has his name plastered on it with giant, neo lights and the fact that he's a bulldog, he would want to live in a giant, fire hydrant" Sly explained

"Sound logic, Sly, okay, the only problem is now you have to find a way to break into the buildings base" Bentley stated, Sly then spotted something that could help him

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll think of something" Sly replied before he went to what he saw, a propped up car who's back tires were going full throttle and it was right in the path of the door blocking the doorway into the building, all Sly needed was two more treasure keys to unlock it, he then set out to find one and the one he got to first, Bentley called in for an update

"Sly, I got some news, Murray wants to make a run for this key and he's standing in position to help you get to it" Bentley told him as he overlooked his hippo friends from the position he was standing in

"You sure about this Murray, these are some pretty, nasty gangsters were talking about here" Sly asked his hippo friend through the earpieces

"I'm sure" Murray answered

"Alright, so what do I do" Sly asked Bentley

"Lay down some cover fire with the nearby blasting station" Bentley answered, Sly then mounted the station and took aim for trouble

"Alright, Murray, I'll be watching over you, just watch your back out there" Sly told Murray as they started their little run with Murray in front while Sly took up the blasting station and covered him, guards tried to stop him but thanks to Mario teaching Sly marksmanship, it wasn't too difficult for Sly to pilot the blasting station and take out the guards without hurting Murray, after a climb to the top, thanks to some machines, Murray swiped the key

"Alright, Murray" Sly stated, the two eventually meet up and Murray handed him the key

"Here you go buddy" Murray told Sly, handing him the key

"You did great Murray" Sly told him

"Aw, thanks but, I'm not as good as you" Murray told him

"Hey, we all bring an expertise to the table in this team, Murray, don't doubt yourself" Sly told Murray as he patted him on the back

"Thanks, Sly" Murray told him as the two separated, Sly then went through one of the casinos, where it was crawling with flashlight guards

*Hmm…better be careful around these guards, no doubt Mugshot has them hunting like a wolf pack* Sly said in his mind as he carefully maneuvered around them, avoided the security systems, even the flooded floors that were running with electricity, he used Bentley's new rope launcher good in this location, as he used it like a rope swing to cross gaps until he got to the treasure key and another page of his family book, he soon exited the area and arrived at a spot, overlooking a race track but, he wasn't alone

"Uncle, what are you doing here" Sly asked his uncle, who was overlooking the track as well

"Sly, we've got a problem" Mario told his nephew, and being called by his name, meant that Mario was being serious, Sly then took out his binoculars and looked down to spot many gangster dogs with their own racing cars, but he also saw Murray in the van

"You see what I say" Mario asked his nephew

"What the" Sly muttered before he called Murray on his earpiece

"Murray, what the heck are you doing down there" Sly asked Murray

"Well, I drove into this hot dog stand for a quick snack and all of the sudden, I'm being challenged to a race by these gangster dogs" Murray answered

"That Murray, always thinking with his stomach" Mario stated

"Hmm, maybe not, uncle, Murray, is there a treasure key in it for the winner" Sly asked him

"Yeah, three times around the track for a key" Murray answered

"Murray, this is ALL you, take em on" Sly told him

"YOU GOT IT" Murray replied, getting ready to race

"You sure you know what your doing nephew" Mario asked his nephew

"Believe me, uncle, when it comes to racing, Murray has this in the money" Sly replied as he and Mario sat down to watch the race, Murray took on the other, five racers, despite them using cheating methods to try and take Murray out but his good driving won not only the race but the key as well

"ALRIGHT MURRAY" Sly yelled through the earpieces

"BRAVO, MURRAY, BRAVO" Mario cheered as well, earning an "I told you so" smirk from Sly, after the three meet up, Murray passed the key t Sly and he took off to trace down another key, which took him to one of the large rooftop scenes, the treasure key was right in sight but the problem is that it was under bulletproof glass, Bentley then called in from the earpieces

"Forget it, Sly your cane-blade isn't gonna cut through glass THAT thick" Bentley told him, Sly then looked around and saw a huge, wrecking ball, hanging above him

"Like…that wrecking ball up there" Sly asked

"Yeah, that'll do the trick" Bentley replied, Sly dealt with guards and managed to get into the wrecking ball control systems, he then moved it over the glass

"Hmm…this is REALLY gonna shack the house" Sly stated as he dropped the ball and broke the glass, revealing the key, which he took, next was another rooftop scene, he soon went back to the car that was still suspended and he unlocked the controls for the lift holding it up

"Sound the charge Mister Perkins" Sly muttered as he kicked the jack out from under the car and it screeched loud enough to wake the dead, Sly covered his face as it went flying backwards and bulldozed through the barricade

"THAT WAS AWESOME" Murray shouted through the earpieces

"Well, that's one way of making an entrance" Mario added as Sly headed inside only to be greeted by the biggest, ugliest mug of Muggshot he had ever seen

"Yikes, Muggshot sure does love himself" Sly stated

"Well, behind that ugly mug, is the elevator that takes you up to Muggshot's private penthouse" Bentley told him

"Let me guess, I'm gonna need all seven of his treasure keys to do that" Sly asked

"Obviously" Bentley answered

"No problem and once I get the rest, then I can air my complaints to the big guy himself" Sly stated, he soon took to another rooftop where he got past the guards, thanks to his new rope launcher, using it to swing from edge to edge and took another key, just one more for the collection to collect, however, this encounter was different, Sly was on the second rooftop, where he came face to face with Neyla

"Well, well, well, look who came into my crossfire, Sly Cooper" Neyla stated

"Inceptor Neyla, what an unexpected but pleasant surprise, I was hoping that we would cross paths again" Sly told her

"Then it really is my lucky day, while Carmelita is getting the other men to surround this place, I get the pleasure of taking you down" She told him

"Hmm, I'd rather take you out on a date, after this…but I highly doubt you would agree" Sly replied

"Stop that" She told him

"Stop what" He asked her

"FLIRTING WITH ME" She snapped before shooting him, he easily dodged it without moving from his spot

"Why wouldn't I, I mean, look at you, you are beauty made flesh" He told her, this, made her blush a little

"Sly, what are you doing" Mario asked through the earpieces

"Just paying a lady a complement" Sly whispered to Mario

"Just...put your hands up and surrender peacefully" She told him

"And why would I wanna do that" He asked her

"So, you can face justice for the man you killed" Neyla told him

"Who, Raleigh, the guy killed a whole bunch of sailors, after he robbed them of their hard-won valuables, that and he took part in my families murder" Sly told her, this shocked her

"What" She asked him

"So…Carmelita didn't tell you the WHOLE story, did she" Sly asked her

"You're just trying to save your own ringtail" She told him

"OOOH, now I got chills down my tail, Carmelita only disgusts me when she says it but you…I think it's hot" He told her

"ENOUGH TALK" Neyla yelled as she started firing at him, this started a chase through the rooftops, the two moved with great skill through the obstacles and Sly used his rope launcher to get an edge on Neyla, but once he got to the place where the final treasure key was being held, Neyla slipped and was about to fall to her death

"AAAHH" Neyla screamed for dear life

"NO" Sly shouted as he used his rope launcher to tether himself to a stable object and dove after her, he then swooped her into his left arm and caught her, a little lose for breath, she opened her eyes only to meet with Cooper's eyes, his veil and hood had fallen off, to show his face

"You…you saved me" She asked him

"Hold on, while I get up back up there" He told her, she was a little distrustful of him but in this situation, she really had little choice, she then wrapped her arms around his neck

"Legs to" He told her, she then sighed a bit and wrapped her legs around his waist, he climbed to the top and gently sat her down, where she was slightly debating what to do with the man who saved his life

"You okay, that was quiet a nasty fall there" Sly asked her as he kneeled to her level

"Um…y-yeah, I'm, I'm okay…why" She asked him as he helped her to stand up

"Why did I save you" He asked her, she nodded

"Believe it or not, I may kill but I'm not a bad guy, Inspector Neyla, I only want what the Fiendish five stole from my family years ago…that and make sure they NEVER do it to anyone else again, that's why Raleigh is dead, his men were only influenced by the money he had, him…he took lives for pleasure" He told her

"Why didn't you just tell the authorities" She asked him

"Well, how's this, SLY COOPER, I SWEAR, I'm gonna track you down, shock you with my shiny, new pistol and make sure you never see the light of day again" Sly impersonated Carmelita's voice, this made Neyla chuckle a bit

"That's actually pretty good" She told him

"Anyway…what will you do now" He asked her, she then looked down at her shock pistol and sighed after a moment of silence

"Well…I guess I can let you slide this one time…but next time…you won't get a second chance" She told him, Sly smiled before he took her left hand and kissed it

"My thanks, Inspector Neyla" He told her as she gently removed her hand from his and Sly put his hood and veil back on, she then turned her head away from him for a minute

"Don't thank me yet, Carmelita is gonna bust a blood vessel when I tell her that" Neyla was about to say before she turned her head back to Cooper only to see he was gone without a trace, she then sighed

"You got away" She finished her last statement before she turned to walk away

*Hmm…I guess he's not all bad…but still a criminal, this was just…a one-time thing* Neyla stated in her mind, now with all seven treasure keys in hand, Sly went back to the casino, opened the elevator control panel and summoned the elevator that brought him up to the top of Muggshot's penthouse where he encountered the big dog himself

"WHAT THE…you know my boys have been talking about some big, mysterious dude, running around, cracking skulls and…AND…and THIS IS IT…you're the monkey wrench in my operation, some SCRAWNY RAT WITH A FANCY KNIFE" Muggshot stated before he got a good look at the knife

"Wait a second…I've seen that knife before" Muggshot stated

"Maybe when my father knocked your block off with it" Sly stated

"YOUR FATHER…wow…you're a Cooper, you know that Thingus Raccamagoocus had a lot of nice pictures, but WAY too many big words" Muggshot stated

"So, you don't mind just handing it over, nice and peaceful like" Sly asked him

"HA, HA, what are you kidding…you break into MY PLACE, steal MY STUFF, trash the joint, I feel transgressed and violated" Muggshot stated as he walked ON HIS KNUCKLES LIKE A GORILLA to Sly's level and drew his guns from his back

"LET'S ROCK" He told Sly as he fired rage shots into the ceiling, Sly then drew his cane-blade

"Funny…even if you did hand the pages over…I wasn't gonna leave without one, more thing" Sly told him

"And what's THAT RUNT" Muggshot asked him

"Your blood" Sly answered as the two charged, Muggshot wasn't as smart of Raleigh but he was much stronger and more vicious in combat, but thanks to Sly's cunning, he was able to outsmart the big bruiser and he stabbed him in a vital organ, Muggshot was defeated

(Scene slows down)

"This…this is impossible, a big, strong bruiser like me, being beat by a little runt, like YOU…this…THIS ISN'T RIGHT" Muggshot stated as he slowly dripped blood

"You know something…I feel a little sorry for you, being bullied and picked on, simply because you were small…I understand that, but what you did to the people of Mesa…that is where my sympathy ends" Sly told him

"I don't…need your touchy, touchy feelings, I got respect, I got strength and power" Muggshot told him

"Correction…you NEVER had it, not true power anyway" Sly rephrased

"GAH, well, let me tell you, you little runt, you want all that STUPID picture book…your gonna have to go down to Haiti and cross paths with Mz. Ruby and then believe you me…you don't wanna be YOU" Muggshot spoke with his last breath before dying, Sly then closed his eyes as well

"Rest in peace" Sly told him as he took Muggshot's stolen Thievius Raccoonus pages

(Scene speeds back up)

After ridding the world of Muggshot, Sly escaped Mesa, even at the untimely arrival of Carmelita and Neyla, like he expected but, Sly was a cunning one, the police arrested the gangsters and didn't have to worry about Muggshot ever again, he meet up with the rest of the gang and got away

"Two out of five, nice going nephew" Mario told his nephew on the ride back to the hideout

"Thanks, uncle" Sly stated as he reclined in his seat, Mario noticed a slight hesitation in his nephew

"Something troubles you, nephew" Mario asked

"Why the long face, we snatched another piece of the book and took down another Fiendish five member" Murray asked Sly as he drove

"Nothing, just…something I have on my mind" Sly answered

"Sly, you know we're here for you if you need to talk" Bentley told him

"I know buddy, thanks…but, I think I'm just gonna keep to myself for a bit" Sly replied as he tried to get some shut-eye on the ride back home

Chapter 4 Why do you do this?

Location: Paris, Inspector Neyla temporary resident

After the dealing in Mesa city, Neyla returned home for a bit of relaxation, she rented out a temporary home until Sly was captured, she was currently on the phone with Carmelita

"You sure you're okay, Neyla, after that near-death experience in Mesa, I would probably take a couple of weeks off" Carmelita asked her partner over the phone

"I'm sure, I'm just gonna blow off a little steam here until Sly surfaces again" Neyla answered

"That's the spirit, don't worry, we'll get him yet, take care and I'll see you when I see you" Carmelita replied before they hung up, Neyla then cracked open a book and enjoyed some fresh tea she just made but before she could really settle in, the windows suddenly opened and a cold breeze rushed in, making her shiver, she quickly got up and closed the windows before locking them

"Evening, inspector" A familiar voice came from behind her, her reflexes kicked in and she was going for her shock pistol on her nearby night-stand but it was gone

"Looking for this" The voice asked as she looked towards her miniature bar to see Sly Cooper with her shock pistol in his right hand

"How did you" She was about to ask

"Know where you live, get in here, swipe your pistol in only a matter of seconds" He asked her as he twirled the weapon in his right hand

"Actually…all of them" Neyla answered as she covered up her night clothing under her robe

"Please, I know how to find people, I found Raleigh and Muggshot, didn't I, second, I picked the lock on the windows and three, I'm a lot faster than the normal eye can follow" Sly answered, the two looked at each other

"Come to finish up a lose end or just intimidate me" She asked him

"Actually" He started before he reached into his side bag and pulled out what looked like a take-out bag from a local drive-in eating joint

"I though you could use a "Big belly burger" He answered, which confused Neyla

"Big…belly burger" She asked him

"Oh, right, I suppose you haven't had the pleasure of eating one of the finest burgers ever to grace your mouth" He told her

"What does that mean" She asked him as she slowly walked over to him

"Simply, being from India, you must not have a lot of these fast food joints, thought I sprint by and bring you one, help you settle your nerves, after what you went through in Mesa" He told her, what he said shocked her

"You…got that…for me" She asked him

"Yeah, I even legally paid for it, with my own money, just in-case you were gonna ask if I stole it" He replied as he handed the bag to her and sat her shock pistol in its holster on a nearby coat rack

"That…and I wanted to see if you were okay" He told her, she hesitated for a minute before she smelt the content of the bag

"Smells…good" She told him

"Then, let's seat down and have ourselves a little chat, that is…if it's okay with you" He told her, she was sceptic, but she also wanted to know what this was all about

"Okay, make yourself at home" She told him, he then took a nearby chair, turned it backwards and sat in it, reverse style, in front of her, she sat across from him on her sofa as he pulled the contents out of the bag he brought, apparently, he bought enough for them both to eat

"What's on this burger" She asked him

"I didn't know what you liked, so I got the usual, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, unions, tomato, pickles and the cheese of course" He answered

"I…I don't like lettuce or tomato's" She told him

"Simple to fix" He replied as he removed to two condiments

"Anything else" He asked her

"Is it poisoned" She asked him, making him chuckle

"Why would you assume that" He asked her

"Because, you're a killer who probably intends to get rid of me" She answered, Sly shook his head before taking a bit out of the burger he offered her, and he was fine

"Proof enough for you" He asked her, she hesitated before taking the burger from him, Sly then took off his cane-hook gauntlet and placed it on the table

"Go ahead, try it" He told her, she hesitated before taking a bit of the food in her hand

"MMMM, so GOOD" She told him

"I told you, nothing but NOTHING beats Big belly burger" He told her as he started eating his own, along with the meal came fries

"Sly, can I ask you something" Neyla asked him

"Sure" He answered

"Why are you doing this, why did you come here, knowing I would probably arrest you…and the fact that you're on interlope's wanted list" She asked him

"Truth be told…I am concerned about you, getting over a near-death experience is hard to do, I should know" Sly told her

"You do" She asked him

"Yeah, my uncle took me on a lot of pilgrimages when I was younger, some into dangerous territory, nearly got my tail clipped off on one of them and" Sly started before he lifted his shirt up to show many scars, bruises and even a few burns that covered him, causing Neyla to gasp a bit

"Let's just say, I'm no stranger to danger" He told her as he put his shirt down

"And you wanted to make sure that I was okay" She asked him

"Yeah" He answered, Neyla hesitated as they continued to eat the food Sly bought for them, after it was gone, Sly broke a graveyard-like silence

"Thank you, Sly, that was very good" She told him

"No problem, Neyla" He replied, after a few seconds of silence, she spotted the cane-blade gauntlet Sly took off about an hour ago

"Sly…I wanna ask you something and…I want your total honesty" She told him

"Sure, fire away" He replied

"I mean it, the full truth, no lies or games" She told him

"I swear on my family lines, I will tell you the absolute truth on whatever subject you ask" He rephrased, she then inhaled and sighed before she spoke

"Why do you do this, what you do, what do you hope to gain, vengeance, redemption, closure, something like that" She asked him, Sly looked out the window before he shrugged his shoulders down before answering

"Well now…I suppose that's a fair question" He replied before he stood up and started to pace

"Okay, here it goes…first off…I'm only comfortable talking about this with my crew or with my uncle…but, for some reason, I feel like I can trust you" Sly told her

"Why" She asked him

"I don't know yet…but to answer your question, the Fiendish five broke into my home, when I was only eight years old, they…killed my parents and stole a priceless, family relic that has been in my father's family line for many, MANY generations, this is the Thievius Raccoonus, anyone who reads it learns to be a master thief, but unlike those you and Carmelita know, they specialize in stealing from other thieves who profit from the suffering and abuse of others" He answered

"That's why your doing this…a book, but if you're a thief, then why kill the first, two Fiendish five members" Neyla asked him

"Technically, I'm not all thief, on my father's side, yes, I am a thief but on my mother's side, I am an assassin" He answered

"Assassin" She asked him

"Let me explain, on my mother's side, as she explained it before…she was killed, her ancestor line consisted of assassins of a different type, those who didn't kill innocents for money or pleasure, rather, they only killed others who harmed, profited from or abused the innocent" He explained

"Then…they're the good guys" She asked him

"So it would seem, I'm the first ever blend of these two legacies and I don't want my father's name to go up in smoke with the lose of the book, that, Neyla…is why I do this, with Raleigh gone, ships find their way back onto the oceans and sailors will stop loosing their lives over what their carrying and with Muggshot gone, his gambling empire has fallen to pieces and with the big, muscle man gone…well, it's a win, win situation" Sly stated

"Huh" Neyla asked

"Muggshot only got as buffed as he did because he wanted great power and respect after he was the runt of the litter, at first, I felt sorry for him but after seeing what he did to the people of Mesa…that's where my sympathy ended, and Raleigh…all he wanted was a kick and a bit of fun, unfortunately, his idea of FUN was pirating and killing innocents" Sly explained

"Sly…I…I had no idea" She told him

"Carmelita has known about why I do this for years…and she's never once shown compassion, some inspector she turned out to be, you've got a bigger heart than her" Sly told her as he leaned on a nearby wall, she secretly blushed

"I…don't know what to say" She told him

"What does your gut tell you about this" Sly asked her

"I don't know, I've only been trailing you for a few days" She answered

"Then…what does your heart tell you" He asked her as he collected his cane-blade and put it back on

"I don't know that either" She answered

"Well" Sly started as he opened the window to leave

"You let me know what you come up with…and…we'll see each other when we "bump" into each other again" He told her, Neyla then got up and walked till she was standing in front of Sly

"You know…the next time you're this close to me…you'll probably be in cuffs" She told him

"Actually, I thought I would take you to dinner, first, go dancing, a little walk around Paris" He told her, turning her statement into something dirty, which made her blush even harder

"You REALLY are a shameless FLIRT" She told him

"Only when a beautiful tigress is involved" He replied before he kissed her forehead and jumped up on the balcony edge before

"Good night, Neyla, hope you feel better" He told her before he did a leap of faith off the balcony and used his rope launcher to swing away from her home, into the night, Neyla slightly touched where he kissed her and closed the window

*Oh, Neyla girl…what are you DOING* Neyla asked in her mind as she slipped to the floor, using the window as a base to put her back on

Location: Hide-out, Sly's room

Sly was seating up at his desk, fixing the missing pages to the Thievius Raccoonus, putting Muggshot's page in

(Sly's P.O.V)

"Muggshot's section of the Thievius Raccoonus contained an entry from my gunslinging ancestor "Tennessee kid Cooper", his specialty was the rail walk and rail slide, moves perfected for a lifetime of theft back in the old west, with two of the Fiendish five down, things should be getting easier but, like Mario would tell me, things only get more dangerous, with two of the five out of commission, the leader of the five should be more than a little concerned right now…I'll just have to rely on my skills, my crew and a little luck won't hurt along the way"

Suddenly there was a knock at Sly's door

"Sly, you up" Bentley's voice came from the other side

"Sure, come in" Sly answered, Bentley entered the room with something in his hands, wrapped up in a cloak

"I got some new toys for you to use in our next mission" Bentley told him as he sat the bundle down on a nearby table and unfolded it to show a collapsible bow (Like Ryu's from "Ninja Gaiden 3") and two quivers of arrows

"A bow" Sly stated as Bentley handed Sly the bow after he unfolded it, Sly then pulled back on the string to test it and it was nice and tight

"Not just any bow, an easily usable and strong strung up bow and it can be used to fire these bad boys" Bentley told him, showing the different types of arrows he created

"Specialty arrows" Sly asked him

"Coming in a variety of tasty flavors, flaming, freezing, stun, net, diamond-tipped arrows, bolo arrows, energy field, trip mine, acid, sleep gas, rage gas, fear gas, smoke screen, flash bang and buzz saw arrows" Bentley explained

"Now this will come in handy" Sly told him

"I knew you would think that…after a few days of planning, we should be ready to take on the third member of the Fiendish five" Bentley told him

"Right, but, until then, I'm tired" Sly stated as he flopped down on his bed

"Ah, yes, you've been busy, for now, get some sleep, your gonna need the rest" Bentley told him before he left Sly alone in his room, Synu then flew from his perch on the room's edge to Sly's bedside and landed on his right knee, which he had propped up, she then looked down at him and turned her head sideways a bit

"What" He asked her, Synu wasn't your ordinary bird, she was smart, almost as smart as a normal person and she and Sly have been friends for so long that he could read her, she flew to the nearby desk, grabbed something and flew back to Sly, she presented what she grabbed, which was a picture of Neyla from her police files

"You don't approve of her" Sly asked her, Synu then flapped her wings

"Oh, you worry too much, Synu" Sly told her as she went back to her perch on the rooms edge, Sly then looked at the picture of Neyla again

"At least she has a clear head, unlike Carmelita" Sly muttered before he relaxed, before long, he was asleep

Chapter 5 Vicious voodoo

P.S (Mz. Ruby in this story isn't fat but thin, curvy and…well-built)

Two days later

After planning, fueling up and eating breakfast, the gang set out for their third target

(Sly's P.O.V)

"The third member of the Fiendish five was the infamous, voodoo priestess, Mz. Ruby, born into a family of mystics, other children found her…scary, teaching herself to summon the undead, provided what few friends she had, a career in crime allowed an adult Mz. Ruby to punish the world for fearing her as a child, chief mystic for the Fiendish five, them powers allow her to break both the laws of man and nature at the same time, thought, despite the success of her youth, she managed to fade into obscurity, last known sittings, she separated herself from civilization and vanished deep into the jungle"

Location: Haiti jungle

The teams van pulled up to the beginning of the route to Mz. Ruby's territory, Sly then prepared himself for the trip

"We're in new territory here, nephew, be mindful of your surroundings" Mario told his nephew

"I got this uncle" Sly replied as he exited the van and started to make his way through some of the platforms until Bentley called him

"I'm sorry to say this Sly, but this is ONE mission, you will have to accomplish without me" Bentley told him

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you believe in the ghost stories about this place" Sly asked him

"Sure, I do, my instruments have been picking up verifiable, paranormal activity…but, that's not the problem, this swamp is oozing with disgusting mold and bacteria" Bentley answered

"Then, why are you here, if you ain't gonna help" Mario asked Bentley

"Besides, you swore to help me, Bentley" Sly added

"OH, alright, just don't forget to use the new move you got from Muggshot's section of the Thievius Raccoonus" Bentley told him

"You mean the raccoon rail walk" Sly asked

"Yep, the vines and branches around here are perfect for that, especially the vines, where the wood has rotted away, you'll really slide on it like a skater grinding pipe" Bentley replied

"I like it" Sly replied before he tried it out, the guards he encountered were of a different variety, they were actually, tamed animals, being lead by the guards, who were enhanced with voodoo magic, Sly thought they were interesting but still no match for his level of skill, he's seen some pretty strange stuff before, so this was no problem for him, eventually, he came up to the barrier, protecting Mz. Ruby's lair, he then called Bentley on the earpiece

"That's Mz. Ruby's lair alright, to get in you'll need that treasure key on top of the tiki pedestal in the center of the guard compound, but there's a bad mojo force field protecting it, so you'll need to destroy the five, purple candles surrounding it" Bentley told Sly

"Shouldn't be a problem with the new toy you gave me" Sly replied

"I would recon not, but all the same, you should watch yourself around those voodoo guards patrolling the grounds, they're mean, and they work like a team" Bentley replied

"So do we, buddy" Sly replied as he took out his bow and armed himself with an arrow, taking aim, he spotted one guard and shot him with stun arrow, which knocked him out, the second guard, Sly used a diamond-tipped arrow to cut a suspended flower pot above a guards head and it knocked him out, next was a freezing arrow to freeze two guards together and finally he took care of a guard dog by using a bolo arrow to zip it's mouth shut and tie it up, he then simply took out the candles and snatched the treasure key, he entered Mz. Ruby's fortress and Bentley called on the earpieces

"My paranormal detectors are maxing out on that structure" Bentley told Sly as he looked up to a wicked looking, voodoo-like structure

"Signature like that could only come off Mz. Ruby herself" Sly stated

"I agree, those who surround themselves with voodoo magic eventually are marked forever by it" Mario advised

"I think your both right, if you wanna crack at Mz. Ruby, your gonna have to find a way to get up to that skull temple" Bentley told Sly, he then started prowling the compound until he came to a section of the place where it was barricaded by a huge gate

"What's this industrial-strength voodoo gate doing here…Mz. Ruby must really be trying to keep something out" Bentley stated

"Or, may…she's trying to keep something IN" Sly stated as he used his rope launcher to ascend over the gate, he encountered some wild beasts in there, but he quickly took care of them, until he saw first hand what Mz. Ruby was trying to keep in, a MASSIVE snake, Sly moved like a mouse trying to avoid getting caught by the cat and he escaped the snake with a treasure key, next he had to go swimming in a piranha filled lake for the next treasure key, which left a few bit marks here and there but it was no problem, with enough keys, Sly opened up the cage of the massive snake and it bulldozed it's way through the security door to the next section of the compound before it escaped into the wilds, Sly then came across what looked like a mixing machine or something like that, Bentley then called

"Looks like some kind of giant, voodoo egg beater to stir up that unsanitary mess" Bentley stated, Sly then got an idea by looking at the machine

"Bentley, how about this, If I could unlock the cauldron's lid, do you think the build up of steam might be enough to catapult me up to Mz Ruby's skull temple" Sly asked him

"Most defiantly, sounds like we got a plan, but you'll need to get at all seven of her treasure keys in order to get at it" Bentley told him

"Alright then, I better move in the shadows of the masks moving around that thing, so the guards won't see me" Sly stated as he hung up, after going through more corridors and even through one that was filled with bones and body parts and the worst part, where it was filled with ghost generators but Sly wasn't afraid of no ghosts so he pushed forward, eventually, Sly found more keys, he eventually got enough to unlock the giant egg beater, take the guards out and readied himself

"Hope you got your best clothing on Mz. Ruby, because I'm taking you out" Sly muttered as he built up enough pressure on the caldron lid and it rocketed Sly up to the skull temple, where he dug in with his cane-blade and ended up coming face to face with the voodoo priestess herself, Mz. Ruby who was performing a strange ritual dance in her ceremonial clothing (Which was like the female Forsworn armor from "Elder scrolls: Skyrim")

"HMMM, I could feel that Cooper vibe coming, most distastefully bad juju" Mz. Ruby stated

"Yeah, well, you give me the creeps to Ruby, cooking up an army of ghosts isn't exactly a neighborhood past time" Sly replied, making her chuckle

"Oh, Sly…I see your mouth moving…but ALL I HEAR is…blah, blah, blah…well, if your jaws need to flap, then let them flap, I've got work to do" She told him

"Not for long" Sly stated as he drew his cane-blade, he then rushed up to her and tried to kill her but she instantly vanished and reappeared way over to his right, through a corridor filled with cashing and snapping spikes

"Hmm…your quiet slick on your feet racoon, but still, you won't catch me, see you in the next world, Sly Cooper" She told him, Sly then used his ninja spire jump to get through the corridor of spikes and tried to attack her again, even thought she tried to fight back with a whip-like weapon, Sly seemed to be close to his target but she vanished again, reappearing through another corridor

"COME BACK HERE, you can't run away forever" Sly called out

"Quite true, quite true…why don't I have my servants escort you over here" She asked him

"Alright, what's the catch" Sly asked her

"Oh, not much, just a little game I like to play with all my annoying guests…I wanna see how well you pay attention" She answered

"What do you mean" He asked her

"WELL, I'll unleash my mighty, mojo magic upon you, if you repeat what I do, you'll dodge it just fine…if not…you'll get ZAPPED" Ruby replied

"A little voodoo Simon says, eh, sounds easy enough" Sly stated

"So, said many others who I played with…they were a bit distracted by my enchanting looks, rather than what I was doing" She told him

"I ain't that easily distracted, lady" He told her

"Then…you won't mind if I lose these clothing, they are SO restricting when I play this game" She asked him as she took her clothing off, hopping to distract him and make him easier to kill, but Sly didn't flinch

"Just shut up and lets get this over with" Sly replied as a large turtle appeared before him and he hopped on it as it started to move slowly over to her, she unleashed several spells on him, hopping to kill him but Sly mimicked her movements, despite her attempts to sensually distract him, Sly repeated this process three times as she tried to distract or kill him, Sly eventually got in close where even she couldn't get away, he stabbed her

(Scene slows down)

"No, no, no, NO…how can this be" Ruby asked

"Easy…your charms and magic could only get you so far, it works on others…but not on someone with a disciplined mind, like me" Sly answered as he kneeled to her level, she then chuckled a bit

"Well…you certainly got some rhythm raccoon, not bad at all" She told him

"You certainly had some to, I won't lie" He told her

"So…what now" She asked him

"I take back what you and your group stole…and track down the last two members" He answered before he got closer to her

"Just one thing before you pass from this world…other than punishing the world for fearing you as a child…why do this, all of this voodoo madness" He asked her, making her chuckle

"Easy answer" She replied before she gripped Sly by the face and pulled him into a kiss on the lips before she let him go

"Why NOT" She replied as Sly whipped the red lipstick off his lips

"Those who break the laws of man and nature without reason, are the people I stop" He replied as he stood up

"Well…your tough racoon, but it won't help you none if your fixing to go after the Panda king…he's tough…with a capital T…if you go pocking around his stronghold in China…you'll likely to get pocked BACK" Ruby replied before she died

"Well, if he's like the rest of you…I think I'll manage" Sly replied before closing her eyes

"Rest in peace" He muttered

(Scene speeds back up)

After Ruby dies, Sly covered up her body with a cloak he found nearby, he then snatched her section of the Thievius Raccoonus, like the last two times, the cops showed up but without Neyla, only Carmelita showed up, they took the guards to jail, released the captured animals back into the wilds and Sly made his getaway in the van

"That was…rather interesting to say the least, eh, nephew" Mario asked Sly after his weird encounter with the voodoo lady

"You could say that" Sly replied as they took off

(Scene change)

Location: Paris hideout

Sly was repairing the book, like he did with the other two deceased members of the Fiendish five and even caught up on the new chapter to the book

(Sly's P.O.V)

"Mz. Ruby's section of the Thievius Raccoonus held a tale of my pioneering ancestor, Slytunkhamen, his invisibility technique allowed him to steal from corrupt pharos and greedy noblemen, three of the five have fallen to my blade and things will no doubt get even tougher but I will avenge my parents and restore our precious book, nothing will stop me or my team, though I had to feel a little sorry for Ruby, I mean, if I was her, I would have been angry for others fearing me as well…in all honesty, she was…physically attractive but her personality NEEDED work"

Sly then felt Mario come in

"You okay, nephew" Mario asked him

"Yeah, just adding Ruby's section to the book…it's coming together nicely" Sly replied

"I…saw what Mz. Ruby tried to do…but, I'm proud of you for seeing through her tricks" Mario told him

"Like you taught me, keep a mind focused in a situation which needs focus" Sly replied

"Even if she was good looking" Mario stated, making Sly chuckle

"Really" Sly asked him

"Hey, I maybe old but I can see dream, can't I" Mario asked his nephew

"Ha, ha, ha, very true, uncle" Sly replied

"Well, get some rest, we have a much longer trip to make" Mario told his nephew

"After we come up with a plan for this Panda King" Sly told him, Mario nodded at this

"One more thing before you node off" Mario asked Sly

"Yes" Sly asked

"Be honest, did you think she was attractive" He asked Sly

"Hmm…maybe a little…but I know someone else who's three times more good looking than her" Sly told him

"Oh, and does she happen to have pink fur and carry a shock pistol" Mario asked him, referring to Neyla

"Maybe" Sly answered, Synu then screeched a bit while covering up her face with her left wing, like she was chuckling

"No remarks from the peanut gallery, Synu or no mice for a week" Sly told her, threatening to take her favorite foot away from her

"Sly…I know better than to get into your private business, because that's ALL you…but, just be careful about who you choose to trust" Mario told him

"I know, uncle, I appreciate your concern" Sly told him, Mario then sighed

"Sleep well, nephew" Mario told him before he left the room, after a little time to think, Sly got comfortable and went to sleep

Chapter 6 Fire in the sky

Two days later

With breakfast in their bellies, fuel in the van and a plan in their corner, the gang loaded up and sped off to the fourth member of the fiendish five

(Sly's P.O.V)

"The road trip gave the time I needed to study of on…Panda king…born penniless, he was fascinated by the fireworks, rich, noblemen set off every new year, he spent a decade learning the art but when he tried to offer his fireworks to the noblemen, they couldn't see past his shabby clothes and chassed him away, humiliated, he sought revenge on those who shunned him by using the very tools of his heart for crime, the Fiendish five recruited him as the demolitions expert and ever since then, his explosive touch has been feared world-wide, he's rumored to be perfecting some new, firework technique, high in the unstable mountains of Western China"

The van skid to a halt as the team arrived at their destination but before Sly exited the van, Bentley had another toy for him

"Sly, I heard you like the bow I made, so I made this as well, an upgrade for your cane-blade gauntlet" Bentley told him as he threw him a device

"What goodies have you got for me this time" Sly asked him

"A silent, air-powered, dart shooter, I made it myself, it makes no sound when fired and it shoots sleep darts, rage darts, fear darts and even firecracker darts for distractions" Bentley told him as Sly attached it to his gauntlet

"Bentley, you make the BEST toys" Sly told him as he put his hood and veil on before exiting the van, he then looked up at the climb that was ahead of him

"Well, Murray drove part of the way up here…guess the rest is up to me" Sly said to himself as he started his climb, with his climbing skills and his acrobatic training, it was easy for him to get a leg up the mountain, he encountered more guards who were expertly trained in martial arts and weapon using but he got past them, until he got to a overlook of a nearby village

"HEY SLY, A FIREWORK SHOW" Bentley called from the earpieces, a firework shot across the sky but it hit a mountain above the village and buried the village in the snow

"Oh my gosh, that's awful, all those poor people buried in freezing snow" Bentley stated, Sly saw the origin point of the firework and it came from a giant statue in the distant

"The firework came from that giant statue and no doubt Panda king lite the fuss, I gotta get up there fast" Sly stated before he really booked it to the Panda king's compound, after stealing a key from some guards, the invisibility technique that he learned from Ruby's section of the book was REALLY coming in handy to get past the guards, Sly then entered the compound, Bentley then called

"Nice job getting into the compound, I think I found a way to get you up to the top of that statue quickly but, the way forward is blocked by a reinforced ceiling hatch" Bentley told Sly

"No problem, these guys keep plenty of firepower on hand around here, all I need is a couple more keys to get at the fireworks here and they should be enough to blast through the hatch" Sly stated, Sly then took off to retrieve more keys, one of them, Murray wanted to go for another key run, which Sly would have to protect him with a rapid firework shooting station, Bentley called through the earpieces

"Sly, Murray is all fired up to make a run for the next key" Bentley told him

"But you have to keep him covered with the nearby blasting station" Mario added

"You got my bad, right buddy" Murray asked Sly through the earpieces

"You know I do, I'll keep ya covered" Sly replied as he mounted the turret to give Murray some cover, after going through guards, Murray got the key and handed it off to Sly, he then went for two more keys, first in the gunpowder making building and then a weapons vault, he eventually unlocked the fireworks and got deeper into the Panda king's compound, he then got a call from Bentley

"Okay, Sly, listen up, I've calculated the trajectory of these rockets and I'm about ninety-nine percent positive that you will be able to ride them all the way up to the top of that statue" Bentley told Sly

"Ninety-nine percent sure…what about that OTHER one percent" Mario asked Bentley

"Um…Sly will end up in little, sticky pieces" Bentley answered

"WILL" Mario yelled in anger

"Well…just another day in the life of a Cooper, I need more keys to get at it" Sly stated

"You sure about that, nephew" Mario asked him

"We've come this far, haven't we, uncle…I need to do this" Sly replied, Mario then sighed

"Alright, but remember, if you explode, I'll not only kill your friend for that ONE percent but also, your mom will kill me when I bit the dust" Mario replied

"Cut him some slack, uncle, he's trying to help" Sly replied as he hung up, Sly looked around for more keys and he swiped one from the place where Panda King's men trained and perfected their martial arts techniques, with Bentley's new gadget and Sly's skill, he managed to get through them, he even came across another race track which Murray was dragged into, Sly then called the hippo

"Murray, what the heck are you doing down there" Sly asked

"Well, you see, I was minding my post, when I saw this snow-cone stand and I thought to myself "Hey Murray, you gotta keep your energy up" so I drive in and all the sudden, I'm being dogged by these crazy monkeys into racing them, three times around the track for a key" Murray explained

"Well…we could use that key, think you can take em" Sly asked him

"Come on Sly, they're a pack of monkeys, how can I lose" Murray asked

"I'm just saying, don't underestimate these guys, they know this track better than you and watch out for the slippery ice on the track" Sly told him

"Thanks for the heads up, Sly" Murray replied, he won the race, despite the monkeys having the advantage in knowing the track, Murray then handed the key off to Sly and he went for the last key in the area, but when he got there, he ran into two, familiar faces

"FREEZE COOPER" A female voice shouted, Sly then looked to see Carmelita and Neyla

"Freeze, how am I supposed to do that when my heart warms at the sight of Miss Neyla here" Sly asked

"Shut up, Ringtail, I don't know what your doing here in China but I'm sure it can't mean anything good for the person who owns this place" Carmelita told him, Sly then hung his head and shook it

"Man…you really are blind" Sly stated

"WHAT" Carmelita asked in anger

"Your so focused on capturing me that you don't even see what's happening around you" Sly told her

"All I see is a pathetic thief, who has escaped justice for too long" Carmelita told him

"I'm proud to be one, especially when I'm standing up to a guy like the Panda king, who is in charge of this whole operation around here and the fact that he's burying innocent people in snow" Sly replied

"What" Neyla asked him

"You heard me, the Panda king is using this place to make illegal fireworks and using them to seek revenge on people who wronged him in the past" Sly told them

"Is that true" Neyla asked him

"It doesn't matter, all we're here to do is take you down" Carmelita told her as she took aim at Sly

"And that's my cue to get out of here" Sly stated as he moved like the wind and moved through obstacles and took care of guards just to get away from Carmelita who was shooting while Neyla held back, earlier, Neyla found truth in his tale as she pocked around the compound and found what Sly said was true but all Carmelita saw was the criminal she's been tracking for too long, eventually Sly brought down a dragon statue that Carmelita was standing on while Neyla held back

"COOPER, I'LL PUT YOU IN JAIL IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO, WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, I'LL BE THERE" Carmelita yelled as she plummeted down into the cold floor below a mountain

"Whew, I would hate to be in her line of sight when she comes back up" Neyla told Sly

"Me neither, she'll be so mad, her temper will melt all the snow here" Sly replied, the two then looked at each other

"Still…where does that leave us now" He asked her

"I…don't know, Cooper" She told him

"Just Sly will do" He replied

"I saw your handy work with Mz. Ruby, did she…you know, seduce you or something" She asked him

"Why do you care" He asked her, she crossed her arms

"Just answer me before I shock you" She told him

"Okay, okay, she DID try, only she failed" Sly answered

"How do I know your not lying to me and you…you know, took advantage of her" She asked him

"Run an autopsy on her, all that I touched her with was my blade, nothing else" He answered, Neyla thought about it for a second before she answered

"Fine…but if I find out you lied to me…next time I see you, your as good as in jail" She told him as she slowly backed away from Sly

"Please, I would never lie to a lovely lady, like yourself" He asked her

"So, you say" She told him

"It's the truth" He replied, Neyla then turned her back to him

"I better go see if Carmelita is okay…are you going after Panda King now" She asked him

"I am" Sly answered

"Be careful, Sly…wouldn't want that handsome face of yours to be burnt" She told him before she left

"Handsome, huh" Sly muttered to himself before he swiped the nearby treasure key, he then went back to the statue and unlocked the rockets

"Sly, I don't like this, remember what Bentley said about that one percent" Mario called over the earpiece

"Got no choice, uncle, if we wanna get at more pages and stop Panda King's avalanching plans, this has to be done" Sly replied as he held on for dear life and lite the fuss

"Well…here goes NOTHING" Sly stated before he was rocketed up to the top of the statue, where he was confronted by the Panda King

"I see you carry the cane of the notorious Cooper thief clan, have you come here for revenge, to steal back the Thievius Raccoonus" Panda King asked him

"That was my plan at first, but now…I'm more interested in putting an end to your whole avalanching extortion scheme" Sly replied

"Why should you care if I burry a few, worthless villages in the snow, you are a thief, just like me" Panda King replied

"No, that's only half true, I am a thief, from a long line of master thieves but I am also an assassin, you however, you're just a frustrated firework artist turned homicidal, pyromaniac" Sly answered as he drew his cane-blade

"INSOLENT CHILD, you will pay dearly for you disrespect, still to honor your Cooper ancestry, I will send you to your doom with the beauty of my new firework technique…FLAME-FU" Panda King told him as his fists suddenly caught fire

"Then, to honor my ancestors, I will fight you with no weapon" Sly told him as he discarded his weapons on the ground and put his hands up in a fighting stance

"Come then, boy, show me your metal" Panda King replied as they charged at each other, they both were talented martial artists, each with their own styles and techniques, Panda King's Flame-Fu style was impressive but Sly was schooled in several types of martial arts, like Krav Maga, Systema, Judo, Kung-Fu and more, Sly and Panda King both tussled with each other for a good twenty minutes before Sly's ingenuity and cunning pulled through in the end, he eventually tossed him over him and Panda King was defeated, Sly then walked over to him, looking down at him

"Your skills…are impressive racoon…do what you will to me" Panda King told him as he sat on his knees and bowed his head, Sly then armed himself with his cane-blade, preparing to kill him

"You were an honorable fighter, I must admit that Panda King, so to show honor, I will grant you final words, what are they" Sly told him

"My only words is a request, tell my daughter that I am sorry, she is the ONE good thing that has come out of my life" He replied, expecting the end, Sly was stunned from this news

"You have a child" Sly asked him

"Yes" Panda King answered, Sly paused for a minute

"Nephew, is something wrong" Mario asked his nephew through the earpiece, Sly then sighed and sheathed his blade and offered his hand to Panda King

"What is this" Panda King asked him

"I came here to avenge my father and mother but if I do that while becoming a parent killer myself…then I have no honor" Sly told him as Panda King hesitated but gripped his hand and he pulled him to his feet

"A thief and an assassin…with honor" Panda King asked

"Yes" Sly answered

"Then…I owe you my life for sparing it" Panda King told him as he bowed to Sly

"Just, two things, Panda King" Sly told him

"Name them and they shall be yours" Panda King answered

"One, you never do what you have done again, leave this life of yours behind, spend it with your child, while she is still young, she won't be young forever and you need to spend as much time with her as you can, and second, give me back what you stole" Sly told him, Panda King then went to a corner of the mountain top and retrieved the pieces of the Thievius Raccoonus that he stole years ago

"Agreed, Sly Cooper, I swear on my life that I will leave this villainous life behind and spend time with my child, I will make sure your mercy was not ill-placed" Panda King told him as he handed the pages to Sly, the two then bowed to each other, Sly then heard police choppers coming towards the mountain top

"If you really want a new start, it's by turning yourself in…do the right thing, Panda King" Sly told him

"Yes…I will honor your requests" Panda King told him, Sly then jumped from the statue top and did a leap of faith down the mountain before using his rope launcher to swing down, he meet back up with the rest of the team and before the rest of the cops came in, the team made their getaway

"You…spared him" Murray asked Sly as he drove

"He had a daughter, Murray, if I did kill him, then I would have become a parent killer, just like the rest of his crew" Sly answered, he then felt a hand on his left shoulder, it was Mario

"Well, I think you made the right choice, nephew, showing mercy even to an enemy that wronged you is a sign of true strength" Mario told him

"I just hope it doesn't come back to bit us in the backside, one day" Bentley stated

"We'll worry about that later, right now, we need to get back home" Sly replied as they drove off

Chapter 7 Mercy is true strength

Location: Paris, Police headquarters

After the Panda King was arrested and his men surrendered, under his orders, the police were getting a full rundown on the man's operations and Carmelita and Neyla were there to make sure he wasn't gonna try anything funny

"You sure, this is the last of it" Carmelita asked Panda King

"Yes, inspector, that was everything under my operations control" Panda King answered

"Well, normally, you wouldn't be getting leniency for cooperating like this, but the judge has told me to tell you that you're prison sentence has been reduced a bit thanks to it" Carmelita told him, Panda King was silent before Carmelita left, leaving Neyla and him alone

"Panda King, can I ask you something" Neyla asked him as she sat across from him

"Ask away" Panda King answered

"Why did you surrender so easily…after the fight some of your men gave us to get to you" Neyla asked him

"Because, I was shown mercy by one who could have easily taken my life…his mercy, gave me courage to do this" Panda King replied

"Sly Cooper" Neyla asked him

"You know of the Cooper boy" Panda King asked him

"Yes…Carmelita talks about catching him almost every time someone is around him" Neyla told him

"I see" Panda King replied

"But, here's my question, why did he spare you when he murdered the other three of your group" Neyla asked him

"When he confronted me, we dueled with honor, one on one, no one else, like true warriors, he bested me fairly and I allowed him to deal the final blow, in response he offered me final words before I meet my maker" Panda King told her

"Which was" She asked him

"I told him to tell my daughter that I loved her and that she is the only good thing that has ever come out of my life" He answered

"You…have a daughter" She asked him

"Yes, a beautiful daughter that I never spend enough time with" He answered

"You gave up crime…for your daughter" Neyla stated

"I would give my life for her" Panda King told her

"Panda King…that is the most…heartwarming thing I have ever heard from someone" She told him, Panda King nodded to her

"But, why spare you for that reason" Neyla asked him

"I asked him the same, he's answer that he did not want to become a parent killer, like the others of my ex-team, he did not want to become what he swore to put an end to" Panda King answered

*Wow…I guess Sly does have a sense of honor after all* Neyla said in her mind

"Will you allow me to see my daughter while I serve my time in prison" Panda King asked her

"For your cooperation and your aid to the force, I will make sure of it" Neyla told him

"Thank you Inspector Neyla" He thanked her before she turned to the door

"Good luck Panda King and watch yourself on the inside, it can get pretty rough" She told him but before she left

"Inspector…I have one, last bit of information for you" Panda King told her

"What's that" She asked him

"The location of the leader of the Fiendish five, I suspect that is where Cooper is planning on striking next" Panda King told her, she stuck around to hear his tale

(Scene change)

Location: Hideout, Sly's room

Sly had been thinking about the Panda King for the past three hours as he played with a bouncing ball, bouncing it off a nearby wall and returned to his right hand, he laid on his bed in silence as he thought to himself, after adding Panda King's sections of the book to the main source

(Sly's P.O.V)

"The section of the gave me the chance to learn about my technically-minded ancestor, Otto Van Cooper, not know for his physical dexterity, Otto relied on machines to aid in his thieving endeavors, armed with the designs, I'm sure that Murray would have a field day upgrading the team van, as for Panda King, I hope he doesn't make me regret the mercy I showed him, I mean, I wanted to end him but if I did then I would have become that which I swore to stop in the first place, no way I was gonna become"

(P.O.V ends)

Sly sat in silence until Mario walked into his room

"You keep that up and there will be another spot in the wall" Mario told his nephew

"Yeah, your right but, this helps me relax" He replied

"Are you troubled on the choice you made in China" Mario asked Sly

"Well…I'm a little conflicted somehow" He answered, Mario then caught the ball as it bounced off the wall

"Talk to me, Sly, what's bothering you" Mario asked his nephew as he sat down on the bed, next to Sly, Sly then sat up straight

"I'm just wondering if the others of my assassin line felt like this, showing mercy to the one's they aim to kill" Sly stated

"More than you know, nephew…your mother, included" Mario told his nephew

"You…when" Sly asked him, Mario then sighed

"About a year before your mother meet your father, her and me were on an assignment, in Venice, beautiful city…even more beautiful women, ha, ha…anyway, we were charged with bringing down a drug lord, we tracked his movements for months, just waiting for the chance to strike, and we cornered him…turned out that he wasn't alone…he had his son with him, you should have seen the fear in his eyes when we came for his father" Mario told his nephew

"What did you and mom do" Sly asked him

"Your mom let him go…he still went to prison, but your mom showed mercy to him" Mario answered

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it" He asked his uncle

"No, but, I'm proud of you, your choice just shows that there is some of your mother in you, her compassion and mercy" Mario told him

"So…I made a good call" Sly asked him

"Of course, you did, Sly…you are so like your mother…and I'm proud to be the uncle of a man of mercy" Mario told him

"Thanks, uncle" Sly replied

"You listened to your heart, not your head and in many situations that is the smartest thing you can do, mercy is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of true strength, knowing when to take a life and when to spare one…is what separates a coward from a man…remember those two things and you can never go wrong" Mario told him, Sly nodded, looking into Mario's eyes

"Yes, uncle" Sly replied

"Get some rest, nephew…we end this soon" Mario told his nephew as he left him to think, after a while Sly rested up for his final confrontation with the leader of the Fiendish five

Chapter 8 The cold heart of hate

(Two days later)

Sly and his team were going over plans for the final member of the Fiendish five, which, according to Bentley's numbers was located at the Krak-Karov volcano in Russia, he analyzed the metal found on one of the attack vehicles used by the Panda King's men and it could only come from there, right now, the team was traveling to Russia where Sly noticed something

(Sly's P.O.V)

"We were on our way to the Krak-Karov volcano in Russia, while going over the little information I had on the finale member of the Fiendish five, I began to notice something, in the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus recovered so far, several of the pictures show a shadowy, owl-like figure, which looks very similar to the police images of the mysterious Clockwerk, is this just a coincident or…is there something more to this discovery than meets the eye"

(Russia)

The van drove up to the locked gate to the volcano fortress

"Looks like the last member wised up and locked the door" Murray stated

"Then, by all means, let's see what these new upgrades can do" Mario stated

"Set em up Bentley" Sly told the genius turtle

"Coming up" Bentley replied as he activated a turret on top of the van, which Sly mounted and prepared to storm the fortress and end this, as Sly piloted the turret, they came across heavy resistance in the form of flying, robotic owls that tried to stop them, then a giant death ray tried to burry them in a bunch of rocks but thanks to Sly's shooting, they got past them, then they came to a room filled with crazy, living lava experimental monsters, no doubt thanks to Clockwerk's handy work, however, the turret was lost, getting into the area so they had to use a battering ram that Murray put in, thanks to the upgrades on the van, Sly then prepared himself to go in alone and face Clockwerk

"Nephew…are you ready for this" Mario asked Sly, he then put his hood and veil on

"I am" Sly replied, he then extended his arm to Mario and he took it

"Remember, stay vigilant, watch your tail…and walk with honor" Mario told his nephew

"You bet, uncle" Sly replied

"Good luck Sly, we'll monitor your progress from here" Bentley added

"Yeah, now get in there and show this guy what your made of" Murray added, Sly then exited the van and he took to the next room, which was littered with traps, Bentley then called

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, Sly, those tiles are booby trapped, you better proceed to the next room fast" Bentley told him, he was about to when something caught his eye

"Whoa, hold up" Sly stated as he took out his binoculars and zoomed in on what he saw on the other side of the heavily guarded room, it was Carmelita and Neyla, trapped

"It's Neyla and Carmelita, they look trapped" Sly stated

"Serves those two right, they've been dogging us from the start" Bentley stated

"It's just a misunderstanding, we gotta free them" Sly stated

"WHAT, SLY ARE YOU CRAZY" Murray's voice shouted through the earpiece

"I agree with Murray, Clockwerk probably stuck them there to draw you into a trap" Bentley agreed

"Maybe so, but still, we can't just LEAVE em there" Sly stated

"Nephew, don't tell me your just gonna do it for the sake of inspector Neyla" Mario told him

"So, what if I do, she let me go back in Mesa city when I ran into her and a second time in China, I owe her" Sly replied

"And the fact that you think she's beautiful has NOTHING to do with it" Mario asked him

"Uncle, if we don't then they're both dead, you told me that in some situations, I should listen to my heart than my head, and THIS is one of those times…please" Sly begged his uncle to see reason, Mario was quiet for a second before he sighed

"Alright, you make a good point…hmm…you really are more like your mother" Mario replied

"Bentley, Murray, you guys with me on this" Sly asked his friends

"Well…is your uncle thinks it's okay…then I'm on board" Murray answered

"Sly, sometimes your raccoon logic sends shivers up my shell…but if your planning on going through this, there's a barrel nearby that should help you get past the dart guns that are tied to the floor, though I have no idea how your gonna get up there" Bentley told him

"No problem, a ninja spire landing here, a rail slide there, I've done this a million times" Sly replied

"Be careful, nephew" Mario told him

"No got nothing to worry about, uncle" Sly replied

"THAT'S…when I start to worry" Mario replied as Sly did his best and pulled through the heavily booby trapped room, reaching up to the barrel and using it to get past the dart machine guns, where he disabled the security lights and nearby alarm but when he entered the small room where the two inspectors were being held, the door suddenly shut behind him

"WHAT THE" Sly shouted as he tried to bust through the door, but it didn't even leave a scratch

"Oh man" Sly stated before turning to the two inspectors in their glass cage

"SLY" Neyla yelled

"Sly Cooper, I should have known YOU were behind this" Carmelita jumped to conclusions

"Whoa, whoa, you got me all wrong, inspector, I didn't put you in there, I'm here to bust the two of you out" Sly replied, he was about to bust them out but then the room started filling with a gas that started to knock Sly out

"Ga, ah, wh-what's going…on" Sly struggled to talk as the gas was started to put him to sleep

"Sly…SLY" Neyla stated in shock as she pounded on the glass of her and Carmelita's prison, then a shadowy figure appeared on the monitors around Sly

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, oh you, sentimental fool, empathy has always been the downfall of the Cooper clan" A creepy voice came through the speakers, it was Clockwerk

(With the gang)

They were watching the whole thing through the monitor systems and saw Sly in trouble

"Nephew…NEPHEW…SLY" Mario called out but Sly wasn't moving much

"I KNEW THIS WAS A TRAP" Bentley stated

"WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING" Murray yelled in fear

"Looks like I'm gonna have to do some SERIOUS hacking to get Sly out of this one before his brain is turned into cheese" Bentley replied as he plugged his laptop into the van's computer system and attempted to hack into Clockwerk's system

"HURRY BENTLEY" Mario told the turtle

"I'M ON IT, I'M ON IT" Bentley replied, hurrying as fast as he could, he bypassed several lairs of heavily protected systems and eventually found the controls for the gas chamber and turned it off

"I GOT IT, GAS CHAMBER DISABLED" Bentley shouted as they turned to look at what would happen

(Back with Sly)

The gas was starting to shut off

"What…how, how is this possible, NO" Clockwerk's voice faded out as the chamber shut down and the gas turned off, Sly then got to his feet and shook his head

"Ah, whew, that's better" Sly stated

"Sly, you okay" Neyla asked him

"Yeah, I'm fine" Sly replied

"I…I guess I was wrong this time about you, Sly, get us out of here and…we'll make it up to you" Carmelita told him, Sly then armed himself with an acid arrow and shot it at the base of the glass prison the two were in and it busted them out, the two then reequipped themselves with their shock pistols and used them to blast a way out of the back of the chamber

"Let's move it" Carmelita told them as she moved forward, leaving the two alone

"Clockwerk didn't hurt you…did he" Sly asked Neyla, suddenly, she kissed his cheek

"No…and thanks" She replied before running off to join her partner, a smiling Sly followed her and the three meet up, overlooking the power source for the death ray

"I don't get it, Cooper, I've hunted you for years, tried to put you and your crew in jail, yet when me and Neyla are trapped in a cage, you break us out…why" Carmelita asked him

"Ah, inspector, we maybe on opposite sides of the law, but neither of you are my enemies, I mean, your just honest women, trying to do your jobs, right, well, I'm a man trying to avenge a wrong done to me years ago and honor my parents who sacrificed their lives to make sure I would live, I am not your enemy here, now, the homicidal, robotic madman who trapped you two in that prison, built that giant death ray and nearly gassed us to death, THAT guy in on the list" Sly explained

"I agree, Carmelita, the situation at hand maybe a little more important than just trying to put Sly in jail" Neyla told her partner, who thought about it for a second before answering

"Well…I guess you two got a point…alright then, until Clockwerk and his evil schemes are put down…I suggest we work together" Carmelita told him, Sly then spat a little in right hand and extended it to Carmelita

"Truce, for now" Sly asked her, she then went to shake his hand but Sly then retracted it a bit

"Don't shake, unless you keep your word, no backstabs from you and no backstabs from me" Sly told her, she then sighed and nodded her head, the two then shook hands but then one of Clockwerk's owls swooped in and snatched Sly's cane-blade from his right hand

"GAAH" Sly shouted as he withdrew his right hand and used his left hand to numb the pain he felt from the snatch, meanwhile Neyla shot down the bird with great aim

"HUH-WHA…I need that cane-blade, it's been in my family for generations" Sly stated

"Don't worry, ringtail, we'll get it back" Neyla told him

"She's right, me and Neyla will cover you as you make a run for your toy, if you can, get to the top of the death ray, me and Neyla stashed out jet packs up there before Clockwerk nabbed us" Carmelita told him

"Well, now that we're a team I would hate to leave Neyla's side" Sly flirted

"Hey, hey, wait a minute, this truce is only temporary, once Clockwerk is done for, I'm coming after you' Carmelita told him

"Really" He asked her, she paused

"Well…maybe I'll give you a ten second head start" She replied as she readied herself to cover Sly, so did Neyla

"Go on, Sly, we got you" Neyla told him as she readied herself as well, Sly then traveled up the power generator of the death ray, lava experiments and robotic owls tried to stop him but thanks to the sharp shooting of the two inspectors, Sly made it up to the top and got his cane-blade back, he then waved to the two inspectors

"Hmm…not bad ringtail" Carmelita stated

"I guess he isn't so bad after all, don't you think" Neyla told Carmelita

"Well…when we work together, I guess" Carmelita had to agree with her, but she would still arrest him after this was all said and done, but for now, Sly moved onto the death ray to grab a backpack, Bentley then called

"There's the jet packs just like Carmelita said they would be, but you better get up there fast, the magnetron support systems for the death ray were disabled as you were making a run for your cane-blade, you better MOVE IT" Bentley told Sly, he then hurried over to the death ray as it was starting to sink into the lava below him but Sly was too agile and fast, so he got up there and equipped the jet pack to him, he then took to the air as the machine plummeted below the lava

"Nice climbing nephew, the death ray is down" Mario called as Sly hovered over the wreckage of the death ray, he thought it was over but then Clockwerk showed up behind him

"SLY, BEHIND YOU" Bentley yelled form the earpieces before Sly turned to face his parent's killer, leader of the Fiendish five and he was terrifying to behold

"Sly Cooper, you have escaped my gas chamber, killed my servants and destroyed my death ray…remarkable, you Coopers always seem to find a way to beat me" Clockwerk told him

"Always…wait a minute…so that WAS you in the background of those pictures in the Thievius Raccoonus, HOW OLD ARE YOU" Sly asked him, putting the pieces together

"Perfection has no age, boy" Clockwerk replied

"What, your immortal" Sly asked him

"Revenge is the prime ingredient in the fountain of youth, I've kept myself alive for thousands of years with a steady diet of jealousy and hate, awaiting the day I would finally eclipse your family's reputation…and now that you are here…I can make that goal…a reality" Clockwerk told him, Sly then armed himself with the rockets attached to the jetpack, knowing his blade wasn't gonna be enough to take him down, Neyla then called from an earpiece

"Sly, the rockets on your pack don't hurt him but seem to create holes in his armor, shoot into the gaps that me and Carmelita create" Neyla advised, the battle was on as Clockwerk attacked with high-tech laser blasters while Neyla and Carmelita laid down cover fire for Sly as he sored through the air to take the metal monster down, after some well-placed shots, he plummeted into the lava of the volcano

"NICE SHOOTING SLY" Murray shouted through the earpiece, suddenly the not so dead body of Clockwerk came up from the lava

"Whoa, that's one tough owl" Bentley stated

"I don't get it Clockwerk, if you're so familiar with the Cooper family, then you must have known my father and mother had a child, if you hatted us so much, then why did you let me live, that night years ago" Sly asked Clockwerk

"Because I wanted to prove to the world that without your precious book…the Cooper clan was NOTHING" Clockwerk answered

"Well, that's where your wrong metal mouth, the Thievius Raccoonus doesn't create great thieves, it takes great thieves to create the Thievius Raccoonus" Sly replied

"ENOUGH, Sly Cooper this ends NOW…I will finish you, like I finished your father and mother, your family line dies here and the only master thief will be…Clockwerk" Clockwerk replied as their battle continued, using energy rings, Clockwerk attacked but thanks to Sly's maneuverability and some help from the two inspectors, he was able to defeat Clockwerk but still, he wasn't done yet

"NOWS YOUR ONLY CHANCE, SLY, you've got to get to his head and destroy it before his auto repair system kicks in" Bentley called through the earpieces

"FINISH THIS NEPHEW" Mario yelled through the earpiece, Sly then dropped from his jet pack and rushed over to the body of the giant, metal owl and came face to face with the murderer of his parents

"Sly Cooper…you…will never be rid of me" Clockwerk told him in hate, Sly then took out his cane-blade

"For my parents…for my family line" Sly stated before he raised his blade up and stabbed Clockwerk in the central processor, taking him out, he and the others got clear before the metal body exploded and scattered across the area, Sly managed to get the last piece of the book from him and it was over, Sly pulled off his hood and veil and took in the first, real breath of relaxation he got since this whole thing started

Chapter 9 Only the beginning

(Sly's P.O.V)

"It took some tricky maneuvering, but I managed to snatch that LAST piece of the Thievius Raccoonus from Clockwerk's claw…I had taken out every member of the Fiendish five, Raleigh, Muggshot, Mz. Ruby, Panda King and finally, Clockwerk, I had beaten them all, I had beaten them all, one by one and reclaimed my birthright, of course, I couldn't have done it without the help of my family"

The gang appeared in the van as the fighting had settled down

"I know this hasn't been easy for them, but they stuck with me through it all, Murray, boy, it took a lot of guts for him to get out there in the field with me, I knew he was scared, but he's got more heart than anyone I've ever known, Bentley, without him and his brain, no way we would have gotten anywhere even near the Fiendish five…and uncle Mario, if it wasn't for him taking me in, no way I would have become the man I am today, a man that I'm proud to be…a guy couldn't ask for a better family"

Then Carmelita and Neyla showed up behind Sly, he looked and saw Carmelita with handcuffs in her right hand and her pistol in the other, thought Neyla was staying back a bit

"Ha, ha, and who could forget Carmelita and the lovely Neyla…I guess we're not gonna be friends anymore…now that Clockwerk's death ray is out of commission, we're back to playing cops and robbers…I thought FOR SURE she was gonna slap the handcuffs on me right then and there…but, she was true to her word and gave me that ten second head start"

Carmelita pointed her pistol at Sly and waited for him to make a move

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…TWO"

As Carmelita and Sly stared at each other, she suddenly fired at him but Sly suddenly vanished and appeared behind her, he then stuck her with a sleep dart

"One"

Carmelita was out in seconds and she would stay like that for about an hour, Sly then turned to Neyla

(End of P.O.V)

The two stared at each other for what felt like hours

"Sly…I…I don't know what to say but…thank you…for saving my life twice over and…telling the truth about Ruby…you weren't lying" She told him

"I told you…I would never lie to someone as gorgeous as you" He replied

"You're just saying that to get on my good side" She told him, she then tried to help Carmelita up but Sly grabbed her by her waist and pulled her in close

"Is that such a bad thing" He asked her, before she could answer, he planted a kiss on her lips, her eyes shot open wide before she closed them and wrapped her arms around Sly's neck, after a minute or two, they separated

"Oh…WOW" Neyla said in amazement as she blushed hard

"I suspect you will radio in a chopper to pick you two up" Sly asked her

"Yes" She answered

"Then…I bid you farewell…for now, my beautiful tigress, until the next time we meet" He told her as he bowed to her, kissed her hand and slipped away, he joined the others below them

"Come on guys…let's go home" Sly told them

"I'll eat to that" Murray stated

"Agreed" Bentley added

"For once I agree full time with those two" Mario also added as they loaded up but Sly blew one, last kiss to Neyla before they took off, leaving the tigress in a pause for thought

"Sly Cooper…oh, be still my heart" She muttered, resting her right hand over her heart, thinking of the next time she would come face to face with the master thief and assassin

(Scene change)

Location: Paris, top of eyeful tower

Sly had put the book back together and it was complete, after so many years of being torn and ripped, he finally put all the pieces back together and while he shared the moment with his family, he wanted some time to himself for a bit, so he went to the one place in all of Paris where he could really think, the top of the eyeful tower

(Sly's P.O.V)

"At long last, the Thievius Raccoonus restored to it's original state, the first time I held the whole thing in my hands since I was eight years old, the same weight that all my ancestors had felt underneath there arms as they had passed it on, although, while other family members had been great thieves, they all inherited the book, I got a chance to earn it, I had taken down the Fiendish five, using the moves that my ancestors taught me and became a master thief along the way, but now…the time had come for me to chronicle my own adventures into the great book"

Sly wrote his name into the book, signifying the beginning of his adventures which would one day to a new generation become history but for now, well, he would do the one things he loved to do above anything else…get into trouble, he put the book into his side bag, put his vel and hood on and held his arms outward as he performed a leap of faith off the top of the eyeful tower, looking forward to whatever adventures awaited him next

"THIS…is gonna be fun"

(Meanwhile)

Back at the spot where Clockwerk was defeated, suddenly one of his yellow eyes opened, indicating that he wasn't as dead as Sly and the other's thought he was

THE END…for now

Alright, alright, alright, the first of the Cooper Creed is complete, with Sly's book restored and the Fiendish five defeated, he sets out to chronicle his own adventures into the great book, to continue the legacy but what will become of our favorite thief/assassin raccoon in the future

Find out next time in "Cooper Creed 2 The nightmare continues"

Until then, I'm out of here