Hey Guys, Kenya here! First off, I haven't been writing as much as I should because of school being a pain in the neck and brain. I managed to get this idea for Sly Cooper after seeing Thieves in Time on YouTube and I figured I give this a shot. I was going to do one on Tennessee Kid Cooper, but I lost inspiration for that one a while ago, so I think this one will do better, at least I hope. Also, I hope that I am not taking any ideas from anyone, and if I am, please do not spam me, but send me a message and I will have this deleted and try to rewrite it a different way. There have been a lot of writers who have been receiving threats and spam for copying ideas so better to be safe than sorry. Anyway, I figured I'd let you guys know about that and the fact that I don't know when I will get this story completed, but I will do my best so please be patient with me. So I hope you guys like this, leave comments and everything and I will do my best to get this story up.
Sly Cooper: Prologue
Some information before reading the story. (slight spoilers for some)
This had no specific timeframe and story input. Bentley and Penelope used to be together, but something happened that caused them to split. What the reason was for it was unknown but it was private for Bentley and he refused to talk about it. Sly and Carmelita have still been at it with each other, but she's now been giving Sly some respect after working beside him with his ancestors. Sly defeated Le Paradox and escaped from the blimp, not going back in time to Egypt. He made his way back to the gang and the three have been together ever since that time.
Sly's POV
Paris, 8:40 am, 834 Lazy Crow Avenue, The Cooper Gang's Home
My face started to feel warm as I opened my eyes, only to have the sun greet me with a slap of sunlight to the face. I scrunched up my face into an annoyed scowl and turned away while covering my head with my blankets, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep. It worked for a little bit, until I felt the old pain of hunger came to bite, telling me to wake up and get moving. Groaning in defeat, I threw the blankets off, sat up on the edge, stretched while yawning, rubbed my eyes, and moved to my dresser.
I stripped of my dark blue sweatpants and my black tank top to replace them with my typical blue and yellow turtleneck, blue knee length shoes, blue and yellow gloves, and blue hat. I was about to place the hat on my head when I remembered that this was my dad's hat. Oh, dad. I miss you. I sighed as I placed the hat on my head while wishing that he was here to see how much his son had grown and how well I was living.
I then pushed the thought out of my head and walked into the kitchen where Murray was busy lifting weights and Bentley was tinkering with his gadgets. I looked around to see that coffee was already made and the mail was brought in. Moving to the fridge, I took out an old pizza box and took out a few slices of six cheese pizza, my favorite kind, and heated them up to eat. While waiting, I read the paper, The Highland Trailblazer, a weekly thief paper that reported all of the crimes known in Europe, from the tip of Spain to the edge of Ukraine to the island of Sicily and the top hat of Norway. I looked at the main headlines until a title catches my eye, "Golden Dust Storm Strikes again!". I never heard of this guy, so best to read up on him. Maybe he has something good that we can steal. I decided to read up on this newly discovered name while chomping on Pizza.
Notorious Golden Dust Storm strikes again in Florence with the murder of Abramo Baltistuzzi, Deputy Mayor of the City!
This notorious assassin has struck many a people with vice-like strength, exerlebrating speed, and completely accurate, and quite various, gunshots. Most known for the assassination of the traitorous Carmeloegio, Severo Meloncelli, who's plan was to kill the pope so that a new one is elected, Storm left very few pieces of evidence behind as the police arrived on the scene. All that was found was a mark on Baltistuzzi's right arm in the form of a strange Arabic like design in what the cops believe to be known as, the eye of night, a symbol for the Golden Dust Storm as he places it on all of his targets. Further investigation showed that the Vice-Mayor contained the documents that were the ground points of a secret agreement between the Italians and the dictatorous Russians to start the attacks that would eventually lead to World War Three. The only thing that was taken from the crime was the mysterious Ahnk of Piruz, a remarkable piece of jewelry that dates back to the times where Persia conquered Egypt. Police believe that Storm was the one responsible for both the murder and the thief of the crime and are on the lookout for the sneaky shadow. The last known sighting of this murderer was on the outskirts of Rome, along the countryside. No one knows where this shadow of the night lays dormant, but there's no doubt that the law will find him soon
"SLY!"
I practically jumped out of my fur when I heard Murray's voice ringing in my ear like a fog horn at close hand. The newspaper flew onto the ground and, unfortunately so did my pizza.
"What are you reading Sly?" asked Murray, "You practically stuck your nose to the paper and I've been calling your name at least five times"
I felt my ears drop and my face turn a little red in embarrassment at what Murray had explained, but I then shook it off.
"Sorry big guy, but apparently there's some strange Assassin hanging around Italy who apparently is making a big name for himself" I explained.
Bentley stopped tinkering for a second and decided to join the conversation, "What's this guy known as?"
"He's called the Golden Dust Storm. Apparently this guy's famous for assassinating Carmeloegio Severo Meloncelli. Just recently, he's murdered Italy's vice mayor, but something doesn't sound right. According to the paper, this Golden Dust Storm only seems to be murdering people who want to kill others. Not to mention that he has stolen a special necklace from the Carmeloegio, an item known as the ankh of Piruz. Sounds a bit mysterious if you ask me" I explained.
"Ankh of Piruz? Hmmm," paused the handicapped turtle, "That name sounds familiar, where have I heard that name before?"
Bentley then turned to his computer and typed in the name and he got his answer in a heartbeat.
"Now I remember where I heard that name! Piruz is a Persian/Egyptian warrior from the time when the pyramids were still young. Apparently his name and fortune is being fought over by an internal feud with the members of the Nasci Family name. Unfortunately that's all that's mentioned in the open, the rest is a secret. But what does the Golden Dust Storm have to do with this? I don't really see a connection" Bentley explained.
I pondered about this for a few minutes. The three of us haven't pulled a heist in a while, and, as the saying goes, it takes a criminal to help a criminal, so maybe we could see what all of this was about. Plus, I've always wondered about assassins and their lifestyles and who knows, I may be able to add a few new techniques to the Thievius Raccoonus.
"Well, I think we need to find out. Besides, we haven't pulled a heist in a while and I'm sure that Carmelita will be in on this case as well, since she has been working on this person for weeks when she's not chasing me" I proposed.
"Well I don't know. This isn't really something we should stick our noses in, I mean it's not our business. But, I suppose we could at least see what the source of the feud is, and maybe snatch a few items for money. Plus, you're right Sly, we haven't pulled off a heist in a while, so might as well. But where to begin?" asked Bentley.
Murray then joined the conversation by placing a newspaper in-between the two of us.
"I picked this up at the cheese shop next door. When I heard the name Piruz, I thought I heard it somewhere too. And turns out, there's an artifact placed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin Italy! Something called the "Book of Serkan", and apparently it has some relation to this Piruz guy" he exclaimed.
Bentley examined the newspaper, "Well it was passed out just yesterday so I doubt the Golden Dust Storm has any idea yet. I bet that if we steal this item, then the Assassin, or the Nasci Family, may even try to follow us. That should lure them in, and we may get some information. Let's get onto it!"
So the gang and I came up with a plan, packed up our things and made our way to the city of Turin in Italy.
Turin Italy, 2: 16 pm, Museo Egizio
"Ok Sly, the newest exhibit should be in the west wing and the book should be within that area, so keep a lookout. You might also want to do some recon of the museum to see about where everything is" said Bentley though the earpiece.
"No problem, I'll see what I can do. Maybe I'll bring back some pictures of the mummies as suvioniers for you huh Bentley?" I teased.
"No thank you. I'd like to keep my lunch in my stomach" he said.
I laughed to myself as I made my way to the exhibit. My 'disguise' consisted of a black tank top with a gold, blue plaid lined short sleeved button down, casual dark wash loose jeans, and mahogany brown converses. I had a small camera around my neck with my knapsack on my back, filled with maps and brochures and whatnot. While going by, I took in the details of the museum, as well as some of the exhibits. From the larger than life statues, to the older than dust mummies, to the papyrus scriptures, the Museum stretches back for miles. After a half hour, I finally make it to the new exhibit. People from all over Italy were gathered around the items, but one remained empty, The Book of Serkan. I casually made my way to the book to examine it.
It had a jewel crested dark deep ebony wood colored cover with a blood red binder that looked as old as the Theivius Raccoonus. The display around the glass protected book shown pictures of the different pages from within. Curiously, they almost look exactly like the pages from my family's sacred book, only they had old blood stains, descriptions of killing weapons, and faded sections of biographies from some of the most notorious assassins in history. As I looked over the pictures, one in particular caught my eye. At the center of the photos was a picture of what looked like a special phrase, though worn and faded, written inside a cartouche saying,
'When lines cross, all will fall … thief ….. Assassin …one shall rule all'
But that wasn't all. Apparently, above the writing was, along with a strange, multicolored fluffy tail, a long bushy ringed tail that looked almost similar to my own was in the upper corner of the picture. Who the owner was back then was worn away but, with the word 'thief' and that tail made things strange. Was the Cooper name connected to this somehow? Or is there another line of thieves that I don't know about? All sort of questions ran through my mind when…
"Interesting, isn't it?"
I gave a small quiet yelp as a small voice was heard right beside me. I turned to see a young female Black Footed Ferret, no more than 18 or 19. She had long dark red hair that was pulled into a low ponytail only letting two chin length "dry-erase marker" thick strands frame her black, sand and white masked face. A light grey beanie was also on her head that covered her forehead except for her eyebrows. The strands hid her eyes so I wasn't sure what color they were, but I was sure to find out later. She appeared to be dressed in what's known as the Steampunk style of fashion. A set of strange yet plain looking goggles were fastened around her neck while a belt like harness was fastened around her chest area and sporting a plain sleeveless white tank top. Two light brown and one silver bands were fastened on her left arm while her right arm remained bear. She wore short fingerless gloves and had two belts, one multi-holed and one simple mahogany brown, on her waist supporting khaki corduroy knee rolled pants and loose black military boots were supported on her feet. I took a sneak behind to see her sand and black-tipped fluffy tail with three tight metal rings on it, making her tail look braid-like.
"Hard to imagine such an artifact would finally make an appearance in daylight. The city has been talking about this exhibit for months. While the spectators come for the gold, I come for the real relics. After all, age tells the story, right?" she then turned to me and I thought I saw two Blue Dawn Flowers staring back into my own warm amber eyes. They were an indigo blue with a faint lavender outline around the iris. I was mesmerized.
"Not to be impulsive but, you know it's impolite to stare right?" she stated while her arms were crossed.
I snapped out of my trance, "Oh, sorry. It's just, I've never seen eyes like yours, at least not that color"
"Color? Oh! You mean my contacts. Yeah, ordered them in specially. My real color is Cyan. But I would much rather have a darker blue. Oh well. Anyway, I see you find the Book of Serkan fascinating?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's a strange book, no doubt. I wonder what's it's purpose?" I asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.
"Who knows, but whatever it's secrets may be, someone is bound to find out about them. Hopefully one who puts it to good use and to discover the mysteries about it. I can't wait to find out the answers" she explained.
The two of us remained silent for a minute before she brought up a nerving thought.
"You think that the famous French thief Sly Cooper will steal it? Doesn't seem like something he'd steal. But no one knows that thief very well, so who knows?"
I tried to not be nervous with fear of her exposing me, so I thought of something quick.
"Nah, he probably won't steal it. Seems too old for his liking. If anything, he might go for the golden throne, or at least the blades that are proclaimed to be the weapons used to kill Cleopatra. Those seem more of money value than the book" I said as I felt a small sweat drop stream down my face without her noticing.
Luckily, she took the bait, or at least I think she did.
"Yeah, you're right. After all, thieves only go for money and not for history or anything else. Don't even know why I brought that up. Oh well"
Suddenly a vibrating sound was heard, and this girl happened to take out her phone. She gave a groan at the text she received.
"Let me guess, family?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
She nodded, "Yeah, something's happening with my cousins that caused them to break one of the windows in the house and they need help cleaning up and all that Jazz. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, mister…..?"
"Jared" I lied, using my middle name, and I could tell that she noticed it too, but all she did was smile politely "And it was my pleasure miss…?"
"Kisa" she said. She then turned and walked away quickly to the front entrance.
I could tell that she was returning the motion by telling me the wrong name, but I let it slide. I decided to take a few recon photos for Bentley before heading back to the safe house where we began to come up with a plan for the heist tonight.
No one's POV
On the outside of the museum, 'Kisa' was making her way down the street when she made a quick turn down an alleyway and checked to see if she was the only one present. Once she was sure, she jumped on top of a dumpster, grabbed on to a pole and quickly made her way up to the roof so quickly and quietly, it would make Sly green with jealousy. After a quick look over, she pulled out a pair of glasses and a small microphone came out as she placed them on her face.
"White Mouse to Home Base, come in" she stated through the microphone.
"Home Base present, what have you got White Mouse?" asked a thick male voice through the headset.
"Enough code talk cousin. The Book is in position and they just displayed it today. Unfortunately I'm not the only one who wants to steal it. Looks like we may have some 'outside' competition. I need you guys to hack a file for me from Interpol. Search for the file under the name of Sly Cooper. I have a feeling that striped flea bag may want to make a profit off of the very item we need. He may also cause some trouble with the feuding families when they come running for the book, and each other. I want him out of the operation, but knowing him and his thieving rep., he'll do whatever it takes to get away with the prize. But what to do?" questioned the ferret, annoyed by the fact that she's not alone in stealing the sacred book.
"Well, I don't know. But what I do know is that you have to get out of there before the Nasci find you. You're forbidden to be in Milan, let alone be in a city that is at least an hours reach of it. If both sides of the family find you, you'll be toast and we'll be one lead warrior short of lifting the Curse of Piruz. Not to mention that I know you don't want Aunt Danielle finding out of your disappearance. Remember what happened last time?" said the voice nervously.
"Yeah, yeah, made me sleep in the stables for a month. But I have a feeling that once I get that book, I'll be given a bit more of a lead on my assassinations. Just as long as my face is covered, no one will know it's me. Besides, isn't that what I'm all about? Hiding in plain sight and performing actions in the unexpected, all while hidden behind a golden mask under the cover of darkness? This will be a tough one with Cooper in the mix, but it's the one chance we got before it's destroyed by both sides of the family. And if the Book of Serkan gets destroyed or taken by the wrong hands, then we'll never know the truth of our family name or its secrets" explained the female.
The male voice on the speaker paused then spoke, "Alright, just be careful. Head back to your hideout and I'll transfer the data of Sly Cooper over to you. But, I was thinking, if we had Cooper on our team, we may have an advantage over the thief side of the family. We already know a lot about the assassins, thanks to your dad Remus, but we hardly know anything about the thieves. If he was on our side-"
"Then he'd get himself and his comrades killed. I don't even know why you're suggesting it Achilles" said the Ferret, annoyed by her cousin's suggestion.
"I was just…never mind. Head back to the hotel room and I'll have Brian send you the file you requested along with the blueprints and security information. I'll see if I can also have tech-wiz Marley hit you up with weapon upgrades and gadgets. You're probably gonna need them to pull of this heist. Remember all of us cousins, Me, Marley, Jolanda, Carlyn, Garrett and Brian, and your Aunt Danielle are all here for you Keeva. Don't forget that" said Achilles as he hung up.
The female ferret sighed and pulled the headset off her head and back into her pocket. She then made her way down back to the street and walked her way back to the hotel. Thoughts were running through her head as she began to think.
'Keeva. That's me alright. Normal? As if. Killer? To some. Hero? To others. Skilled? Totally. After all, it takes one with skill to claim the title of what I have come to be. Notorious? Yep. Famous? For at least three years now. Impossible? To catch that is. It takes a lot to live a life like mine. Two lives actually. One 'normal', the other 'masked'. These things all make me who I am today. Who might that be, you ask? I'm just a girl, with a big motivation. A goal to find out the history of my family that has been shrouded in mystery, and is in danger of fading into mystery forever. With that goal, I plan to stop the inner feud that has been separating my family for generations and solve the mystery of the curse of Piruz before it's too late. Who am I? My name is Keevalencia Lakota Nasci, but everyone knows me as the notorious Golden Dust Storm'
A smirk appeared on her face as she finished her thoughts and shut the hotel door behind her.
Well, that's it for the first chapter, or prologue I should say. So, continue or not? If you guys have questions, please pm me.
