I wouldn't really call this a crossover (although I can change it if you guys think so) but it follows very closely to the first Sly Cooper game with elements from the rest; excluding the newest one. Hopefully it comes out enjoyable and not just a hash up of the games. Of course, adding some jori in there makes everything enjoyable. I've planned out a good portion of it so far and I hope to at least pass ten chapters but I don't know about more. This is the beginning though so let's not worry about the end. Enjoy!
New York 4:20am
Light feet clad in boots tapped across a high building, balancing along the edge without fear of falling down onto the unforgiving paved ground of the alley below. Nothing but a silhouette in the early day to anyone at first glance. The figure wore light gray pants that hugged the legs, a blue long sleeve shirt with a yellow collar along with gloves that matched, blue high top boots, a blue cap, a yellow belt bearing the masked figure's calling card, and a lightweight red backpack. Should someone actually get lucky enough to see this elusive figure up close they would know exactly who it was. The shadow took a running leap off the roof to nimbly land on the next, continuing the efficient sprint to the required destination. Another jump to the next roof made it that much closer to the spot she needed to be positioned at for the next step of the plan. Her gloved hands tightened in excitement, looking forward to pulling off another easy steal. The weight of the object in her hands was a comfortable familiarity.
The long, shiny object caught the light of the moon as it swung through the air to obliterate a chimney that obstructed forward movement. She leaped off the edge and landed on the ledge of a neighboring building, her slim and curvy yet athletic build highlighted by the moon in the distance. The ledge was just big enough to shimmy along, back pressed to the wall. A quick look around the corner proved all was still silent so a hop over to land on the neon sign across proved easy and unnoticeable. Another jump down to the building it was attached to brought the sign in view. Police Station. She smirked. It was just too perfect to miss out on. A hand went back to dig in the supplies held in the backpack and closed around a pair of binoculars that were then brought up to unique blue-green eyes that seemed to enhance with the dark make-up around them along with the simple black cloth mask over. A quick look around and then the figure focused on the objective just as the small ear piece came to life with a young man's nervous toned voice.
"Sly! Come in! Sly! Do you read me?"
"Yeah, I read you. Loud and…very loud," a strong yet distinctly female voice answered in a whispered hush, sights still set on the objective ahead.
"Sorry. I'm a little nervous. Trying to break into police headquarters does that."
"Get over it Bentley. You're safe in the van. I'm the thief here. I've got to steal that file from the Inspector," she hissed back, slightly agitated. He always had a habit of letting his fear get to him. He was the brains of the operation yet when it came to anything else he stumbled.
"Well, count on me to be your eyes and ears buddy. I got their security system scoped. To get inside you'll have to go through that air vent ahead."
She looked into her binoculars and zeroed in on the vent in question. The thief sighed. Of course, more crawling through vents. But really, how many ways could one accurately sneak into an off limits building?
"Right, I'm going in," she confirmed. There was a buzz of static which signaled another call patching through.
"And don't forget you've got me at the wheel Sly. All you have to do is grab that file and get back to the van. We'll do the rest."
"Just keep the engine running Murray. I'll be down in no time," she assured him, putting away the binoculars and hopping off her perch. She instinctively scanned the area before moving forward. She ran up the ramp and slipped around the edge of a water tower, jumping off that to barely touch two antennas on her way across them to a higher area of the roof. She landed and continued on to the vent which she smashed open with her sturdy, trusty metal and wood cane given to her before she even knew what to do with it. The vent took her out to a narrow drop straight down, littered with lasers. She expertly jumped from one side of a catwalk to the other until she was at the bottom. A swipe at the security box shut down the lasers and extra lasers outside the door.
"Nice job, you're in. The office you need is behind a red door."
Sly saw no such door where she was so she took a left and then another left then ran down that hall to see the door which held her target inside. It would no doubt be locked so she quickly utilized the open balcony window nearby and shimmied her way across the edge to the balcony of the office window. She slipped in and went directly to the back wall where a picture of the police squad hung. She took it down to see exactly what she was looking for, a vault.
"Way to go Sly. This is definitely where the Inspector stashes all her important files. I hacked into the police security mainframe and discovered the vault's combo. Try dialing in 937."
The master thief nodded and did as she was instructed then pulled it open. She brightened at the impressive stack of papers regarding her. She refused to let any information of any kind concerning her spread around, especially since the very long line of West thieves took special care to hide their actual name with false ones. She had to remain hidden and protect her family name so she followed their ways closely while keeping any other information out of the hands of those who shouldn't have it. She didn't know how they obtained so much on her this time, but she had a good guess. The ear piece crackled at that moment, Murray's jovial voice coming through.
"Good job, you got it! If you come down the fire escape and head through the parking lot we'll be waiting in the van."
The thief stored the files in her backpack, pulled out a calling card in the shape of a masked raccoon, and set it in the vault. Just then, the door opened. She jumped for the window but it was too late.
"Freeze, Cooper! Don't make me pull the trigger this time," the smooth and incredibly strict voice of Inspector Vega ordered. Sly smiled. It looked like her fox was here, and right on time. She turned around to lean on the windowsill casually, unperturbed by the gun aimed at her.
"Inspector Fox, nice seeing you again. When was the last time I saw you? Oh yeah, when I gave you the slip in Bombay," the thief nonchalantly greeted.
"Don't call me that! You still need to return that fire stone of India to its rightful owners," the Inspector spat. The masked figure shrugged flippantly.
"Aw, and I was going to give it to you as a token of my-hey, nice gun. It really brings out the color of your eyes," Cooper teased. The Inspector grit her teeth and tightened her hold on the gun.
"Anyway, don't bother threatening me. You wouldn't pull the trigger and you never have before so you won't now. I suggest you turn around and leave, that way it saves us both the trouble of running around and it still ends with me getting away," the masked figure taunted, her smile pulling into a cocky smirk. The Inspector growled her frustration.
"I mean it this time," she stated, her finger on the trigger. The masked figure just scoffed and moved to leave when a buzz and crack of electricity hitting the wall next to her made her freeze again.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded, looking back with mild surprise. It was the Inspector's turn to smirk.
"This pistol packs a paralyzing punch. I got it especially for you. Think I won't shoot you now, Cooper? Who knows, maybe it'll snap you out of your little crime spree?" she inquired confidently. In this case she wouldn't have to kill the thief but she could still be captured. Her conscience would rest easy and prison would await the elusive master thief.
"Go ahead and try, but our rendezvous are growing on me so I don't think I'll be giving up on that any time soon. I'd love to stay and chat but I just dropped by to pick up a case file. I think you've had it long enough," the thief mocked, making her getaway quick enough to dodge the next incoming blast. She heard the angry shout from the Inspector and laughed, the thrill of the chase making her giddy. Adrenaline shot through her as she made her escape, closely tailed by the police officer who climbed out the window after her. She followed the route she was told not too long ago and jumped into the awaiting van. She stood with the back doors open long enough to see the Inspector not too far away. She took the few seconds she had to admire the wavy brown hair, lithe figure, tight dark blue pants and top covered by a short tan jacket, angular features in a snarl of rage directed at her. They had been enemies so long. She couldn't recall a time when the Inspector wasn't there to bust her and her gang. She gave a dramatic salute, taking off her blue cap to hold to her chest as she bowed low. She then blew a kiss and retreated into the vehicle, slamming the doors behind her just as another shot hit the metal.
"I'll get you, Cooper!" Inspector Vega screamed as they drove away yet again. The thief smiled smugly. Being chased by the Inspector at the end of a great heist was the best part, one she always looked forward to.
S~S~S~S
Inspector Victoria Vega stood in the office of the Chief of Police, Beckett Oliver. He was more than disciplinary when it came to foolish actions and he didn't tolerate many mistakes or excuses. The Inspector worked hard to get where she was and it was all unraveling because of one lowly criminal who even she had to admit had some serious skills to be able to outrun every form of authority that stood in her way. However, Inspector Vega had been the one to ask to be put on the thief's case time and time again only to fail each and every chance she was given. She was more than sure Oliver would chew her out once more and then proceed to strip her of her status for being such a failure. It was with that mindset that she stood nervously, waiting to be addressed. Oliver finished yelling at someone over the phone before turning to her. He grumbled something under his breath and then leveled an angry glare at her.
"I'm sure you know why you're here," he began ominously. The Inspector nodded but remained quiet. She was too disappointed in herself to try and fight the inevitable this time. She had been given too many chances to count. Who had that many failures and still kept their position under Oliver's iron fist? No one.
"Good. At least you're aware of it. Care to tell me what happened this time?" he questioned, his tone falsely friendly. She knew that it held a boiling rage just underneath. He might be quite handsome but his temper demolished any chance of making him a likable individual.
"No," she answered dejectedly. He would see anything she had to say as an excuse so she didn't bother. He nodded and held out his hand.
"Then there's no more to be said. You know what comes next. Give me your badge and relinquish your weapon," he ordered. She somberly did as she was told and then stepped away from the desk.
"You're good at what you do but you're obviously lacking. We'll miss you here, Vega. I'm sure our newest member will be able to take the case and succeed where you haven't," Oliver ranted while the former Inspector thought up rude names to call him, her anger and frustration reaching a new high. She was already being replaced, like he was just waiting for her to screw up again so she could be kicked out.
"Ah, speak of the devil. Ryder Daniels, it's good to see you!" Oliver greeted, standing to shake hands with a tall, dark haired, broad chested man in a black leather jacket. They exchanged formalities but Victoria didn't stick around. She left to clean out her office. The minute she stepped into the recent crime scene her eyes went to the window. Cooper, that stupid raccoon. Yes, she thought of her as a raccoon. She stole with finesse and cleaned her hands of any leads that would give away her whereabouts. It was well-known that even as a child she stole. She was an expert pick-pocket. Living an orphanage life did that to most but having a family history in thievery probably helped.
She was a natural at it. Vega didn't think she was working alone and figured the additional members had most likely met at the orphanage. Nothing was certain though. They almost had all the information they could collect on Cooper and now it was gone because of her. Even with all that information they still hadn't decoded the true names of the thieves that came before her. That was still out of their grasp, which was the main point. Without names they couldn't find her outside of her identity covering gear. Vega let out a big sigh and then dragged herself over to her desk where she started organizing things to be packed. Halfway through her clean up the door opened. She looked back to see Oliver's assistant, Catarina Valentine, walk in.
"Oh, hey Cat," she greeted morosely. Cat held a medium sized box in her hands, empty for a reason. Her usually bright smile was down in a frown.
"I heard," she spoke up softly. Victoria's brows creased and she turned away, shamed of her tarnished status. Cat set aside the box by the desk and pulled the former officer into a hug. She rubbed her back and then pulled away.
"It's ok, Tori. You don't need to work with someone like that grumpy pants Beck. Maybe you can move to a different department?" she suggested. Victoria scoffed.
"Yeah, right. Like anyone will accept me with the record I have," she mumbled. Cat put her hands on her hips while her expression morphed into something of a scolding manner.
"You won't with an attitude like that, that's for sure! Come on, Tori. I know you're a great officer and others will think so too. Haven't you ever wondered what would happen if someone else tried to capture Cooper? They would fail too!" Cat pointed out.
"This isn't helping," Tori told her, her voice a deadpan.
"Ugh, what I'm trying to say is, Cooper is just a tough cookie. She escapes every time. The only reason you look bad is because you kept trying, unlike everyone else who gave up. They catch those easy criminals while you stayed on the case," Cat tried to explain.
"Am I stupid for doing that?" Tori truly wondered.
"No! Not at all! I think you have the patience of a saint to last as long as you did. See, if there was another capture you would get them easily, but Copper is the best. The fact that you came close so many times, closer than anyone else, is proof enough that you're the best person here. It's Beck's fault for not seeing that. I say join another department and show them what you can do. They won't be disappointed," Cat encouraged. Tori smiled brightly at her friend and hugged her once more.
"Thanks Cat," she said gratefully.
"No problem," the peppy redhead answered. When they parted Cat helped Tori pack and carry everything out to her car. Like Cat said, it was time to find a new place, somewhere where she would be appreciated for her work. She thanked Cat again with another hug, jumped in her car, and headed home. Once there she dumped all her things in a corner and plopped in her bed, too tired and sad to do anything more than sleep.
S~S~S~S
Back at the thieves' own HQ, Sly Cooper aka. Jade West, returned to her civilian clothes. She stored away her gear in a padlocked chest in the back of her closet. She took off the mask last, revealing the smoky raccoon eyes underneath. It was her little joke. No one but her gang and the city gamers knew of the thieves they took their names from. It wasn't like anyone else cared anyway. They were just a group of criminals to everyone else. She shut the chest, locked it, and tucked the key under one of her many jars, each holding something that used to be alive at one point. She left her room to get a slice of pizza, knowing the two guys she shared the apartment with would have already drastically reduced the remaining amount. She rushed into the dining nook to swipe the last two slices.
"Geez guys, you want me to starve? Then how will we get the missions done?" she accused, taking a big bite.
"You'll survive," Andre, aka. Murray, said with a roll of his eyes and a playful nudge with his broad shoulder. He was the brawn of the group, muscles strong enough to get him through a good old fashion brawl without getting tired or overworked. Hell, Jade was stronger than the thinnest of their crew so she wasn't far behind.
"Hey, I'm the one that should be complaining," Robbie, aka. Bentley, piped up from his seat at the table. He was the brains of the group with ideas and plans none of the other two could ever truly comprehend. He was the only one who ever really sat when he ate. Andre liked to use the kitchen breakfast bar or stand in the case of a finger food while Jade tended to stand or pace. Relaxing and remaining stationary were almost unheard of terms for her.
"Shut up and eat your pizza. No one asked you," Jade teased, smacking his arm with her free hand. He flinched at the blow and rubbed it but smiled.
"Yes ma'am," he agreed with a hearty bite for emphasis. The sauce ended up all over his face, making the other two laugh at him. They both quickly confiscated all the napkins and made their weaker friend work for one. Their usual antics were a constant in the household. Jade was effectively one of the guys yet they were also able to connect with her on an emotional level she needed the few times she was down. They were a great family, bonded since they were six, seven, and eight. Jade was the youngest at twenty two, then came Robbie at twenty three, and Andre at twenty four. Although Jade was the youngest she was the unspoken fearless leader of the group. The other two wouldn't have remained on track if it wasn't for her. Plus, no one was as skilled, agile, nimble, silent, efficient, and effective as she was.
"Oh, hey, I forgot to show you guys these," Andre said, shoving the rest of his pizza in his mouth to free his hands. He dusted them off and then dug in his pockets for some folded up pieces of paper. He unfolded one for example and held it out. There was a picture of Jade in disguise, smiling at the camera confidently. She snatched it from his hands with a gleeful cheer.
"Wow, I can't believe it! I'm wanted," she exclaimed.
"Why wouldn't you be?" Andre teased, giving her a suggestive yet playful once over. Jade smacked his arm before going back to admiring her picture with the word 'Wanted' printed under along with a payment for capture.
"They want me alive. Figures," she commented. Andre nodded and unfolded another, passing this one to Robbie who took it with wide eyes.
"Whoa, I'm actually cool for once! Look, they listed me right there!" he exclaimed. The other two snickered in amusement.
"I'm here too. I would look sweet if I just had a picture to go with it," Andre stated appreciatively, poking at his own name. He wasn't a muscle head, but he put a lot of work into his frame and was proud of all the hard work. Jade took a look at the price wanted for them.
"Damn, they have a thousand more on my head than on you guys," she realized.
"Well, you are the one to go out on the field the most so you're bound to be noticed," Robbie said with a shrug.
"True. Most probably don't even know you guys exist," she agreed jokingly.
"Hey!" they both shouted.
"Well, scratch that. Andre, you sometimes help out on the field," she corrected herself.
"Hey!" Robbie repeated, indignant.
"Just joking, Rob. You know that. You may not be useful on the field but we would be nothing without that noggin of yours," Jade amended, ruffling his curly hair.
"You would," Robbie confirmed with a nod, pushing up his glasses when the gesture made them slip. They nodded too to show they agreed.
"Ok, so, pizza is done and I am ready to turn in for a while. We've been up practically all morning," Andre said, stretching out with a yawn accompanying it.
"Yeah, we should rest up. We have a lead that could take us to the first member of that thief gang that keeps sending those goons at us. The same ones who took your family's book," Robbie mentioned, referring to the files they just stole.
"Let's go then," Jade said, turning away from them to head to her room. They had a two bedroom loft with a master room and another room across from it. The guys already told Jade she would have a room to herself, as that was the respectful thing to do, while they shared a room. Jade agreed that they would have the bigger master bedroom while she had the smaller one, which wasn't too bad since she was the only one in there. It wasn't like she took up very much space. They each settled in for the night and fell asleep. All except Jade. She stayed up, laying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Ever since she could remember she had taken care of herself, more so after her parents passed. She didn't allow anyone too close for multiple reasons. Call her insecure, but it was a defensive measure that helped more than hindered. Only until she met the two people who would go on to be her best friends in the world, family even, that she learned to trust again.
She constantly reminded herself to stay alert, let no one else in, avoid temptation. But she was only human no matter how great of a thief she was. She felt she had it all under wraps until the new officer showed up at the height of her thieving schemes. She was pretty much a newbie but her resume and skills quickly got her to the top. Jade had been the one to quickly bring her down again. It seemed even she couldn't catch the masked crook. Jade herself hadn't ever thought she would be caught, but it turned out she could. It was a secret not even the others knew about. Inspector Victoria Vega was a fascinating person to Jade. She was a tough challenge to overcome and never once failed to show up time and time again wherever Sly Cooper showed her face. Their chases and banter was almost like foreplay to the thief. She found herself going from scoffing at the Inspector to admiring her determination and then to ultimately falling victim of being attracted to her.
Jade couldn't lie. She was hot. When she got angry she was relentless. She was the perfect formidable foe but Jade was sure she wouldn't be seeing her again. Surely losing every time didn't win her points with the higher ups. She was bound to be fired and Jade had a sinking feeling that it was the last time she would see her Latina Fox. She sighed and rolled over, pulling the blankets around her close. There would never be another like her, Jade knew. She would never have a better opponent than her nor anyone remotely similar to her level of attractiveness. It was time to close the book on that page of her life. She should be happy she came out on top but she knew she wasn't and it would do nothing but bother her. She closed her eyes and hoped for dreams that would fill in for the lack of Inspector Vega's presence in reality. That was all she could ask for anyway.
How awesome would Jade be dressed as Sly Cooper and Tori dressed as Carmelita Fox? Oh man, if only I had a drawing of that. I would be one happy person, lol.