CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST BIG HEIST

WARNING. THIS IS AN OC-FOCUSED STORY IN THE SLY COOPER UNIVERSE. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THESE TYPES OF STORIES, DON'T READ THIS ONE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

This story essentially assumes all the events up to the ending of Sly 3 are canon. Some elements of Sly 4 may be mentioned, but due to the ending of that game, most of that story will not be taken into account during the course of this story. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. AGAIN.

Due to the aforementioned, this story will proceed as if Sly and Carmelita never broke up. This story focuses on their hypothetical child once he has grown old enough to take up the cane (17 years old). Aside from mentions of the original cast of the Sly games, and a whole lot of scenarios that will seem eerily familiar, the original Cooper gang will not show up much in this story. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. THRICE.

Sly Cooper and all related properties are copyrighted to… Sucker Punch, I think. DON'T SUE ME. PLEASE.

Story's rated T mainly because, while we won't be getting into the graphic depictions of… stuff… I have plans. Oh, yes, many plans. All the plans.

Okay, with all that out of the way, let's begin.

A rope fell down from above, uncoiling itself as it dropped. The line stopped just before it hit the ground, creating the faintest of breezes as it swung side to side like a pendulum gone mad, before eventually settling into a faint sway in the currents caused by the cranked-up air conditioning. Even though night had fallen, the summer sun had caused some serious heat.

The rope barely increased its sway as a shadow slid down it, a glint of gold the only detail conspicuous enough to betray its presence to even the most perceptive of those observing. Landing lightly on both feet, the figure scanned the room before creeping into what little light still dared to seep through the enormous windows.

Wearing that iconic cap, the half-coon grinned. He had gotten quite a bit of his father's genes in him; only an unusual point in his ears and a lighter shade of eye betrayed the other half of his heritage there. A light brown jacket mostly concealed both the family heirloom he cherished so much and a dark blue shirt, and he wore a simple pair of featureless grey jeans that matched his fur almost perfectly. A pair of blue gloves kept his grip from slipping as he twirled the hooked cane that he had inherited not so very long ago. The grin on his face revealed another piece of his heritage, as his sharp canines weren't quite the sort you'd see on raccoons, but at a glance, it was difficult to tell that he was anything more than your average everyday ringtail.

Pulling what appeared to be a pair of slightly odd binoculars out of the small pocket strapped to his leg, he brought it to his face. The Binocu-com sprung to life, answering a call he knew was coming almost as soon as it activated.

"List, you there?" a calm female voice asked, the image on the screen not having loaded. He had been warned that the building's thick walls would interfere with the Binocu-com signal a bit, so he wasn't worried.

"Read you loud and clear, Abby." he replied, still grinning. "So far, so good. No security in sight. You sure you've got those cameras on lockdown?"

"Of course. Really, it was easy. These cameras are archaic; the hardest part was actually finding the control code under all this inefficient spaghetti logic. I mean, they actually hardcoded each-"

"Abby, I keep telling you that I don't understand a word you say when you go all geek on me."

"No appreciation for technology. Anyways, you remember your target, right?"

"Yeah. This museum is supposed to be secretly owned by the mafia, according to your ThiefNet buddies. The stuff that's displayed is all on the up-and-up, so we won't touch it, but they put their more… questionable… goods in a secret storage area inside the off-limits building. We're here to break in and take as much as we can carry. Where's Rick?"

"Good question. He hasn't checked in yet. I've got my gear and I'm ready to help, but I need you to get me to the security control booth. Until I'm there, all I can do is throw looping footage into the camera feed for you."

"Eh, he'll turn up. Meanwhile, the booth. Where is that from here?"

"Not far, but you'll have to find a way up to that balcony on your own. I don't think I see one…"

"No problem. I'll let you know when I've got the door for you."

The Binocu-com auto-ended the call as List placed it back in his pocket. The lights flickered on, the sun having dipped below the sky, and confirmed the thief's suspicions.

Let's have a quick situation check, shall we? The thief, List Cooper, stood in the middle of a frankly enormous room, next to the rope he had used to enter. The room was more of a glorified lounge than anything, but was impressive nonetheless, stocked with quite a few exhibits that didn't really fit anywhere else in the museum, ranging from one of the first globes made after heliocentrism was popularly accepted to an honest-to-goodness Plesiosaurus skeleton hanging from the ceiling. A balcony on the east side overlooked the room, used by security as it was a short walk through some of the back halls to the security control booth from there.

Quickly placing his cane in his mouth, List began to crawl up a pipe on the wall with startling ease. It took him seconds to reach the end of the pipe, at which point he kicked off the wall, landing on the suspended skeleton.

"Good thing this old fossil's still sturdy." he chuckled, before leaping off of the relic and onto the balcony. He landed nicely, transferring the momentum into the Stealth Slide his family had passed down. Gliding quietly through the halls, he was pleased to see that so few guards were on patrol; those that were, he handily avoided, staying well out of their line of sight. Stopping just in front of the armored door, he grinned.

One picked lock later, List peeked into the room, finding it to be… empty. A relief, but a bit unusual. Slipping inside, he pulled out his Binocu-com again.

"Abby, I'm in the control booth. You're at the south side security elevator, right? Unlocking it now."

"It's open. I'll be there shortly, so save me a seat."

"Can do."

Precisely sixty-two seconds passed until the door opened again. The half-coon thief tensed up, but relaxed when he saw who was coming through the door.

Dressed in overalls, half-rim glasses, and a black Bat Signal shirt, Abigail wasn't a looker, but the light-furred jackal was one hell of a thinker. Intelligent blue eyes darted around the room, quickly evaluating the security setup, as she set down the small backpack of gear she had brought to expedite the job. Smaller in stature than List, she was no physical powerhouse, but he knew from experience that she carried her heavily modified BB gun in her bag at all times, and was a decent enough shot with it, having invented ammo that could put people to sleep, set them on fire, hit them with some wacky hallucinogen; she carried ammunition for every occasion, in the form of many small labeled packets of BBs.

"Huh. Looks like… less guards than we prepped for. That's good, but a little odd." she noted, as List walked to the door. She took her seat in front of the video screens and began to type away at the computer. "I'll bring down the defenses as you reach them, then reengage them to cover your tracks. Once you're in the courtyard, I'll head back down and around. Be ready to open the door for me again."

"I know the plan. Just make sure you have control over the cameras and the gates. I don't want any trace of our being here."

"We brought Rick along."

"…Yeah, let's just get in and out as fast as we can."

With that, List began to sprint through the halls, not worried about the guards now that Abby owned the system. It didn't take him long to get to the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard of the museum, the gate closing again behind him. His Binocu-com chirped, but this time the thief allowed it to transfer to his earpiece.

"I've got the rest of the gates you need open. Nobody should get suspicious if I leave them open. Rick will help you make an entrance, then he'll come back around to come in through the side with me, so I'll start heading around now. Good luck."

"Thanks, Abby." List grinned, before hopping onto one of the ropes connecting the balconies of the different buildings. About two minutes later, he turned a corner inside one of the buildings and bumped into something big and fuzzy. Less than a second later, he was being smushed in one of his best friend's patented literal bear hugs.

Rick was a Canadian Grizzly, about a head taller than List, and while his accent was faint, he loved his home country. He was never exactly the cleverest guy, but he had a big heart and a strong arm, and that got him through life just fine. Wearing a simple pair of shorts and a brown shirt, he was scary as hell to look at, but a big old softy inside. Sure, he'd beat the crap out of bad guys without blinking, but to anyone else he might as well be made of fuzzy Jell-O. He was also their driver, and my oh my did he love his vehicles.

"It's good to see you, buddy!" he laughed.

"Good… To see you… Too, Rick!" List gasped, as the bear suddenly realized he was squeezing his friend too hard. Dropped unceremoniously on the floor, the thief grinned weakly up at the muscle, pulled himself up to his feet, and led his friend out to the next part of the plan.

"That window is reinforced, Rick. We need to hit it with something heavy to get it open. My cane isn't gonna cut it, and it's not going to cut it open either. Do you think you can hit it with something from here?" List asked, pointing with his cane to the window he knew led to the area he wanted to get into.

"Never fear! Rick the Mighty is more than capable of destroying a dumb window!"

With that, Rick grabbed a table from inside and hurled it at the window. It was a direct hit, smashing through the reinforced window with ease and landing inside the room.

"Just hope you didn't hit anything valuable in there, Rick. Get going, I'll head inside and open the door for you and Abby." List grinned. The grizzly nodded, then ran off towards the stairs.

List smiled, before hopping onto the rope connecting the balcony he was standing on to the balcony he wanted. One short rope walk later, he hopped through the window, landed on the upturned table, and stepped down into the room proper to find it filled with a veritable treasure trove of stolen goods from all over the world. A huge grin broke out on his face as he walked to the door, picking the lock with effortless ease.

Both Rick and Abby walked in, looking at the stash with evident awe. "This stuff has to be worth thousands. Maybe millions…" Abby remarked, beaming. "Not bad for our first 'real' heist, huh? I brought the bags up, too."

The three set to work filling two large bags with everything in the room. It was a bit of a tight fit, but there was a reason. Once they had cleaned it out, Rick picked up both bags with ease and they all turned to the door…

…to find a smiling girl standing in their way. Red eyes, arms folded behind her back, the tigress looked no older than any of them, but something about her made List nervous. She was evidently athletic, had cinnamon fur and maroon hair, and was actually quite attractive, all things considered. The tigress was wearing the badge of an Interpol Officer, pinned to her dark brown jacket, along with a black shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a very conspicuous shock pistol strapped to her side.

"I'm afraid all three of you are under arrest for… Well, I'm sure you all know what you're under arrest for. Please drop the bags and come with me." she asked, a delicate French accent hanging heavy over her words and her tone quite pleasant, especially considering the circumstances.

"The Mighty Rick bends to no one's will!" Rick boomed, looking as if he was about to push past her and head down the stairs… until he found himself walking into the Cooper Cane. Looking over at the now-serious List, he gave an enquiring look at his friend.

"Abby, watch Rick's back." List remarked, a split second before his cane was hurtling down towards the officer's head. He was surprised to find the shock pistol in the path of his cane just before it impacted, the solid metal too hard to break through. His cane bounced off, and he got another look at the tigress' face. He really wished he hadn't.

She was wearing a slasher smile now, her eyes burning with something in between excitement and rage. Gone was the delicate female that had been standing there just moments before; whoever this officer was, she was not to be trifled with.

Bringing the shock pistol up, she whacked List upside the head with it, discharging it mid-swing. He had no time to block, and took a rather nasty shock. Stumbling back, the half-coon, half-fox thief had to quickly regain his footing to avoid a follow-up blast from the officer's gun.

"Guys, run! I'll keep her busy!" he yelled, snapping his teammates out of their stupor at this sudden change of mood. Abby pulled her BB out as they both ran out of the door, slamming it shut behind them. A click indicated that it was now locked, to which the tigress hissed in disappointment before turning her attention back to the thief at hand. List quickly dropped into a combat stance, lightly bouncing from one foot to another as he quickly tried to think of an alternate route to their van.

"…Damn. I was hoping to get all three of you in one fell swoop. But I suppose you'll have to do…" the officer muttered, before pulling up her shock pistol again, List finding himself staring down the barrel of the weapon. Just then, an idea took form in his mind, and he quickly batted away the zealous officer's gun with an expert flick of his cane before breaking into a sprint, headed down the long hallway outside of the room. Hissing and cursing, the officer sprinted after him, aiming and firing as she ran.

Twenty seconds later, they both approached the end of the hallway. Another large, but reinforced, window stood at the end, and List had no time to pick the locks on one of the side doors - standing still for a moment would end with him in cuffs.

He had a plan, though.

"You know, I usually enjoy it when a woman wants my tail so bad. Right now, though…" he called over his shoulder, intentionally leaving that last bit hanging in the air. A roar of anger told him she had caught his meaning, and he dodged to one side as a series of blasts flew towards him. Each blast hit the window hard, leaving him with a huge grin on his face as he leapt towards it.

The glass shattered, and List tucked and rolled to a stop on the balcony beyond. Not a long stop, though, as he took off again to the roof not so far away when the officer leapt out behind him, landing perfectly on her feet. Their chase resumed across the rooftops, List ducking behind whatever cover he could find to escape the officer's spot-on shots.

However, the thief came to an abrupt stop when he ran out of roof, skidding to a halt at the edge of a rooftop that presented neither another close enough to jump to or a connecting cable or spire to help with the crossing. He slowly turned around, raising his free hand as he watched the officer approach, that wild look still on her face.

"A rooftop rendezvous on a warm Paris night. How romantic…" he remarked, grinning.

"Ugh. Be full of yourself at someone else, criminal." the officer replied, stopping. "Drop the cane and put both hands in the air."

"Officer, you wound me. We don't even know each other's names, and here you are, throwing around hurtful accusations like that. I'm no common criminal, after all… I'm a thief." he replied, giving her a faux pout, before grinning again. "No can do. This cane is too precious for me to just drop."

"You're right about one thing. You're too infuriating to be a common criminal." she hissed. "And I don't need your name to spot your kind a mile away. If you don't comply, I will shoot you."

"Under normal circumstances, I might invite you out to a nice dinner to see if I can change your mind. Unfortunately for both of us, you've got me at gunpoint. How about we compromise? I raise both my hands, but I hang onto the cane?" he asked, still grinning.

"Under normal circumstances, I might have even agreed to that. Unfortunately, you're a criminal. And you don't have any bargaining power. Both hands. Drop cane." she told him, her accent adding some extra venom to her words.

"You wound me again, officer. But like I said, this cane is too valuable to simply drop. Whether you believe me or not, it's also rightfully mine. Can't we talk this out, officer…?"

"Since you seem so determined to learn my name, it's Alayna. Constable Alayna Marais. Now drop the cane."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alayna. I'm List Cooper, Master Thief in the making. And I'm afraid spending time in jail isn't on the checklist for that."

"…List? Your name is List? What the hell kind of name is List?" she asked, confused. The thief heard the van pull up below, and suppressed a grin.

"It's an English name by origin. It means 'cunning'. And to have gotten up here alone with someone so beautiful as yourself, I suppose I must be that or lucky." he shrugged, a confident smirk on his face.

"Neither, seeing as I'm going to shoot you, put you in handcuffs, and toss you in jail."

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline…"

And with that, List leaned backwards, toppling over the edge. The look of shock on the officer's face was absolutely priceless, as the agile thief spun in midair, looking downwards. Reaching out his cane, he snagged a conveniently place laundry line, swung around it at high speed, and launched himself expertly into the open back of the van.

"Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"Drive."

The Cooper Van took off, this one similar to but less beaten up than the van of the previous generation. The impotent scream of rage that followed them brought a smile to List's face, as the van swerved to avoid a few expertly placed shock blasts.

"Somehow, I feel like we haven't seen the last of that officer…" Abby remarked, looking back with worry on her face.

"I don't doubt it. She was the persistent type." List replied, still grinning. "We should probably keep an eye out for her in the future."

"Well, our first heist went off without us failing. I call that a win!" Rick said, as they finally got out of the Constable's shock pistol range.

"It is a win, Rick. It is a win. Now, who's up for a week under the radar in… Let's say London."

"You already know the answer. I'll set up some false passports and tickets." Abby nodded, already typing away at her laptop.

"I'll stash the van!" Rick offered, a smile on his face.

"Good to hear. I'll see if I can gather a little intel under the radar…"

So, there you have it. The first in what I hope to make a long-lasting series. If you haven't played Sly 2, you might not have noticed that this entire chapter is basically the intro mission to that game with different reasons. That is going to be a theme. Many of these chapters will chronicle all or part of the gang's time in one of the many environments from around the various games, or places similar. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. FOR THE FOURTH FREAKIN' TIME.

Now, I'm no hack, so I won't be ripping off anyone's reason to be there. This whole thing is going to be getting to the actual plot next chapter, we won't see any romance for another few chapters, but I plan on keeping the action coming. No, we won't be retreading the Clockwerk parts. This will be ever so much more interesting.

Review if you have something to say. Like if you liked. If you didn't like it, then go away and never return.

This is KeyFire, and I'm out of here. See you whenever I get this next chapter up.

Next time! The Cooper Gang preps to relax in London, but what did List mean by 'gathering intel'? And just how did that lone Constable end up in their way just as their heist concluded? Find out the answers to both of these in Chapter 2: MISSION KNOWLEDGEABLE!