Disclaimer: Fedora Kid doesn't own any of the characters or elements relating to Sly Cooper. Those rights belong solely to its respective creators and distributors: Sucker Punch Productions and Sony Computer Entertainment of America. However, all original characters in this story were created and are owned by Fedora Kid.
Prologue I
From the archives of the French branch of the International Police, headquarters located in Paris, France.
Incident Report, File #8587: Disappearance of Cooper, Sly. Inspector.
On Monday, the 6th of June, 2005, at approximately 22:30, Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox, spouse of Inspector Sly Cooper, was summoned to remove an unidentified object from the pinnacle of the Eiffel Tower, appearing to be some sort of body containment bag. Upon reaching the top, an unidentified suspect exited the bag and murdered her, with the use of a large steak knife. The suspect then dropped the corpse of Inspector Fox to the ground below, along with the bag, which was later found to contain the corpse of Constable John Winthorp, as well as the murder weapon. The suspect then fled the scene of the crime in Inspector Fox's helicopter.
In the days following the incident, her spouse, Inspector Cooper, was especially despondent. Four days after the incident, Friday, the 10th of June, 2005, Inspector Cooper was discovered examining the murder weapon alone and without the assistance of a professional forensic scientist. The day after, Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005, Inspector Cooper requested a leave of absence of 120 hours, which was granted. Two fellow officers were subsequently assigned to a surveillance mission, to pursue Inspector Cooper and record his every move and destination along the way: Braskel, Eugene. Captain. Head of the Homicide Division. Whitman, Glen. Lieutenant.
During the mission, Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman were instructed to give a status report every 24 hours. However, only one such report came in. At 5:30, on Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005, Inspector Cooper departed on a flight from Paris to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, New York, the United States of America. From there, he subsequently boarded another flight from the John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, at approximately 20:00. After spending an estimated two and a half hours in Los Angeles, Inspector Cooper boarded a ship from a small harbor in Los Angeles. The last known status of Captain Braskel, Lieutenant Whitman, and Inspector Cooper was that the vessel was en route for Russia.
However, no further status reports were ever given, and no word from either Captain Braskel or Lieutenant Whitman had ever come through. After thorough searching of records of airline tickets, ferry tickets, and an automobile rental in Aldan, Russia, International Police forces were able to finally discover the fate of Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman. On a long, desolate mountain road in Eastern Russia, the wreckage of the stolen helicopter of Inspector Fox was found, long-burned and having apparently impacted into the cliff wall. Inside the wreckage, two charred corpses were found. Both were barely recognizable, but were eventually successfully identified by DNA tests as the remains of Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman. On the road leading up to the crash site, there were numerous bullets, bullet casings, shells, and scorch marks littering the road, as well as a discarded weapon – an Uzi 9 millimeter – preceding the wreck site. This evidence strongly implied that an intense gunfight had taken place prior to the helicopter's crash. There was also the testimony of a rental car driver who had apparently been hired by Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman when both learned that the rough mountain road would not be enough for their vehicle from the International Police. While clearly delirious and rambling, he briefly mentioned a "mountainous man" who had attacked them. However, the man was well-known in the area for being heavily intoxicated regularly, and had also consumed several alcoholic beverages the day he claimed the incident had happened. Additionally, a blood stain was discovered on the dashboard of the vehicle in front of the passenger seat, with the blood later being identified as that of Lietuenant Whitman. Thus, the story presented by the sole witness was brought into question, and when the interrogating officers began to imply their suspicions that he was somehow responsible, he panicked and fled, violently resisting arrest as the two officers finally caught him. He struck one officer and managed to break free of their grip, fleeing again. When the remaining officer attempted to use a stun gun on the fleeing suspect, the electric shock resulted in a heart attack that killed the man. Thus, the exact fate of Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman was left an enigma.
The International Police forces continued further down the road that Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman had been driving on, and discovered that it led to the site of the Krak-Karov Volcano, which was famous for being the location and hideout of the leader of a group of notorious criminals previously known as "The Fiendish Five:" Clockwerk (see Suspect Report, File #4101). The Volcano had previously been thoroughly inspected following a battle between Inspector Cooper (in the days when he was a criminal) and Clockwerk (see Incident Report, File #6966). The entire area surrounding the Volcano was found to be contaminated with a deadly gas that resulted from a unique metal, native only to the Volcano and the surrounding valley, being completely dissolved by the molten magma, which had previously been responsible for the deaths of several dozen men who were members of the investigation team following the incident in 1990. With the level of gas and radioactivity too dangerous to approach, the forces fell back and left the area.
Before departing, a small clearing in the surrounding woodlands was discovered, where the forces found the body of an automobile that had long since been destroyed in an apparent explosion. Most of the vehicle's primary identifying features were destroyed, but several fragments of the front license plate allowed the investigators to identify it as the notorious vehicle used by the Cooper Gang. On Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005, the same van had been reported as being involved in a high-speed pursuit with a local law enforcement vehicle across the freeways of Los Angeles. The suspect's vehicle managed to evade law enforcement, but after the law enforcement vehicle crashed, it was discovered that the officer who owned the vehicle had been murdered, his uniform, badge, and service weapon being taken from him by an apparent imposter.
Following the immediate investigation of the trail of Captain Braskel and Lieutenant Whitman, investigators discovered another rather unusual coincidence surrounding this chain of events. The other six former members of the Cooper Gang all either vanished or perished in some way over the course of the 120-hour period starting with the murder of Inspector Fox and culminating in the high-speed pursuit in Los Angeles, California.
King, Panda (see Suspect Report, File #4109). Found dead on Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005, after his house in the Kun-Lun Mountains of China had been destroyed in an explosion that had apparently resulted from an accident involving fireworks that he had been crafting for some time. Forensic investigators estimate that the explosion could have taken place as long as 48 hours prior to the discovery.
Lousteau, Dimitri (see Suspect Report, File #4798). Disappeared after attempting a dive to search for a long-lost shipwreck in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the 10th of June, 2005. His crew of three was on the vessel from New Orleans, Louisiana, from which he had departed when a violent hurricane struck, with no sign of Lousteau. The crew was forced to abandon their employer and return to the safety of the mainland.
UNKNOWN (see Suspect Report, File #5005). Identified by some simply as "The Guru." Discovered dead in a small clearing in Central Park, New York City, New York, on Sunday, the 12th of June, 2005. He and three of his meditation students had all been gunned down by an unidentified suspect during one of their training sessions. The autopsy placed the time of death for all four as approximately 10:00 to 11:00 the day before, Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005.
Unknown last name, Penelope (see Suspect Report, File #5099). Has been missing ever since the incident at Kaine Island (see Incident Report, File #6697).
Unknown last name, Murray (see Suspect Report, File #4027). One of the three original members of the Cooper Gang. Last reported as residing in Los Angeles as of Saturday, the 11th of June, 2005. Following that day, he also disappeared.
Unknown last name, Bentley (see Suspect Report, File #4026). One of the three original members of the Cooper Gang. Has been missing ever since the incident at Kaine Island (see Incident Report, File #6697).
Inspector Sly Cooper has not been heard from since then. Current status: Absent Without Leave.
From the desk of Barkley, Henry. Chief Inspector. Dated Sunday, the 2nd of December, 2007.
-CI Henry Barkley.
