1Disclaimer: WolfKeeper989 does not own Sly Cooper or any related characters. But Horacio "Hermanito" Hernandez is a character of my own creation.

Season 1: "Tide of Terror"
Arc 1: "Off to a Rough Start"

Episode 1:

More to the Thief

Sly

"Carlos, pull your pistol," I hiss as I sink to my knees in front of him. He frowns in confusion, even as he reaches into his holster, draws his weapon and points it at me. I watched warily as the figure continues to make their way toward our position. I can tell from their walk that they're a female. Thus, I concluded that it was probably an officer I did not know. I was surprised to find that she was a yellow-bellied weasel. As she moved closer, she called out to Carlos,

"You ok, Inspector?" Carlos took a moment to fix his features before he slightly turned his head to answer,

"Fine, Constable Winthrop. Where is Constable Hernandez? I thought I told you to help him to subdue whoever was breaking into the second floor?" he answered, his voice had taken on a chiding tone. I bit the inside of my cheek, Carlos was notorious for being hard on the officers that happen to be under his command.

"One perp was apprehended. He claimed that he was a part of the Coo- Cooper!" she blurted at the end. Her brown eyes had widened as her gaze finally fell on me. I just lifted a hand in greeting and continued to grin cheekily at Carlos. Carlos clearly did not like the situation he was in, his ears were flicking in irritation and his teeth were clenched.

"Yes, thank you for noticing, Constable. But you still have not explained why you are here." Carlos prompted. The jill (another word for female weasel) blinked a moment before turning to Carlos.

"Of course, I was worried that there may have been an ambush or something worse going on out here with all the grenades flying around and what not?" she answered as gestured to me, her cockney accent thick as she talked excitedly. "But since it seems like you have things well in hand, I can go for backup..." As the woman said this, she turned around to head back in the direction she came. However, her boot caught the edge of my cane, which was still laying behind Carlos's right leg. She stumbled as the shaft of the cane was knocked up between her legs. She gave a yelp of surprised and latched onto Carlos's jacket. Carlos fought to stay on his feet but unfortunately the weasel's weight proved to be too much and he was pulled to the ground with her. His shock pistol went flying.

Deciding that there was no better time for me to leave than now, I darted forward and pulled my cane from underneath the two carnivores and made a break for it. I grinned while listening to both of them hiss and curse behind me. The edge of the roof was coming up fast. There was a fire escape attached to the next building. I leapt from the edge of the roof and felt my stomach drop as I started to fall. I braced myself for an abrupt stop as reached out with my cane to hook onto the railing of the fire escape. I winced at the force that went up my arms, but held on. After a moment, I worked my hands up my cane and grabbed onto railing. I pulled myself over it with a grunt and then grabbed my cane. I looked behind me to see that Winthrop had gotten to her feet and was approaching the edge. I couldn't help smirking at the woman and waving.

"Halt Cooper! You are resisting arrest!" she shouted down at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and blurt out, "Thank you for the enlightenment, Captain Obvious!" Instead, I looked down at the ground below me. Deciding there were too many obstacles to work around on the ground, like the poor souls heading to work this early and lights, I headed up the stairs. Hoping I could make it to the next rooftop before the officers decided to join me on the escape, I moved as fast as my legs could carry me. As I reached another landing, I felt the escape rattle and looked up to see that Winthrop had landed on the landing above me. The weasel was trying to sprint down the steps with her weapon drawn. The escape shook again and I risked a quick glance behind me to see Carlos pulling himself over the railing of the landing behind me. Great...

However, I was far from being beaten. I backed up a few steps and watched as Winthrop tripped on a step. Seizing the opportunity, I stuck my cane out and caught her by the arm and pulled her forward. I quickly flattened myself against the building and watched the woman stumbled past me. I snagged her cuffs as she passed, before tapping her lightly on the behind with my cane. I could not hold back a wince as I watched her collide with Carlos. The two officers tumbled down the stairs. They landed in a heap. My heart nearly stopped. I had been hoping that Carlos would have caught her, not fall! Torn between wanting to make sure that Carlos was ok and needing to get back to my gang before they called a search party, I hesitated. Then I remembered the cuffs... I decided to eliminate two problems at once. I quickly made my way down stairs, before kneeling near Carlos and the constable. The jill was out cold but Carlos was not, he was actually glaring at me.

"Why are you still here?" he hissed.

"Making sure I hadn't killed you by mistake!" I hiss back. Why is everybody being pissed at me tonight? Carlos rolled his eyes but muttered,

"I am fine. Now go!" Seeing that Carlos was fine, I felt the knot of dread in my stomach melt away and my usual playfulness returning.

"As you will, Inspector... but the score is now 5-0..." I remind him, grinning as his scowl deepens.

"I don't know why you are even keeping a score... the game's rigged in your favor..." he grumbles. I bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Instead I just leaned forward and kissed him, before cuffing his wrist to the rail. By this point, Constable Winthrop had begun to stir. I pull away and mouth sorry to the todd before sprinting for the stairs and continuing my escape. I finally did laugh aloud when Carlos started swearing loudly. He must have noticed the handcuffs. I finally reach the roof. Suddenly, I hear a familiar screeching of tires on the other side of the building. I grin as I race across the concrete. Once I reach the other side, I peer over the edge to see the team van come to a screaming halt in the alleyway below me. Glancing around a moment, I made sure no one else was around or below in the alley. Then I leapt off the building and used one of my family's lesser known magical abilities and let the breeze carry me softly to the ground. As soon as my feet hit the ground, the back doors of the van flew open. I raced forward and jumped into the vehicle, slamming the doors shut behind me.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" screamed Beth as she stomped toward me from her workstation in the van. My ears flattened against my skull as I moved back a step from the angry reptile, my back hitting the doors. I knew Beth would be beside herself; she, like myself, tends to get loud when she was panicked or pissed off. Right now, she was both.

"Sorry, I was a little short when I dodged one of Carlos's shock pistol blasts. It fried the equipment. I then had to get away from Carlos and his new friend..." I explain as reached in my pocket and pulled out the remains of my first mask and the communicator. Stepping further into the interior of the van, I gave to them Beth solemnly. She groaned, and possibly looked like she might cry. She placed the equipment next her laptop and returned to me. Grabbing onto my arms, she begins to vigorously shake me as she yells,

"Don't ever scare me like that again, you daft girl!"

"O-Kay, Beth-a-ny, I will... d-d-o my-b-be-st," I managed to get out in between shakes. Seeming to be satisfied with my answer, she lets me go and stalks back to her seat in front of her ever present laptop.

"All right, let's see what was in that file that nearly got you killed..." grumbled the turtle. I quietly hand the folder over to her, before taking a seat on the other available chair in the back. I wisely decided that silence was best at the moment, and took this time to get lost in my own head for a while. The first problem on my mind was what was all that mess at Interpol? As far as we knew from our underground contacts, no one was planning to hit Interpol for any reason. There had not been a really high profile capture in a while, not that I knew of anyway. So it probably wasn't an attempt to break someone out... there weren't any truly remarkable high cases, either. So why the grenades? I racked my brain a bit more, really worried by the whole thing. Despite Carlos's reassurances that this was probably just bad timing, I wasn't convinced. There had been too many other coincidences and near misses in the days leading up to today's info run. Also, this obviously fake Cooper gang is highly suspect, too. I finally growl in frustration as I come up with nothing once again, other than someone from the estate trying to trip me up.

"Nothing about tonight makes any sense!" I mutter as I drum my fingers against the shaft of my cane.

"What was that, Sierra?" asked Beth distractedly as she lazily flipped through the pages in the file. I rub my tired eyes with the heel of my hands as I lean back against the seat.

"Tonight has been just worrisomely strange, especially given what went on before..." I trail off, becoming lost in thought again. Beth hummed thoughtfully.

"Unfortunately, I can't disagree with you on that point." She replies. "Although, part of me does feel a bit bad for the Interpol officers... All those ruined cars are coming out of their pay, I am sure." I nod absentmindedly as I comb my memories, trying to piece together what could have been going on tonight. Suddenly, something came back to me,

..."One perp was apprehended, claimed that he was a part of the Coo- Cooper!"...

I gasp aloud. Could the fake Cooper gang be following them? After all, there had been a few petty thefts around France recently that were speculated to be perpetrated by my gang and that we had nothing to do with. A couple of hits leading up to the Interpol job also had these same people coming behind us and causing a scene. We would barely get out of the area sometimes. Of course, Carlos had confirmed that it was a copycat every time... the MO was way messier and they weren't tied to the tier of work and hits that we normally pulled. Then I nearly end up stuck in the middle of Interpol as another gang assaults the place within minutes of me starting my assault. Finally, another constable confirms another Cooper gang is at work in the building through the word of someone they captured. I was going to need to gather more info on this and quickly. I could not afford to get derailed before I even really get started.

"Beth, I think they're onto us," I finally announce. She stopped shuffling papers and turned her chair around to look at me.

"What makes you think that?" she asked.

"The fake gang... then that same very loud and messy group targeting Interpol the same morning we were? I am all for coincidences and then there is intentional... I am leaning more toward the latter," I sigh. Despite the poor lighting in the back of the van, I can easily imagine Beth's eyebrows furrowing as she thought.

"What makes you think that the people hitting Interpol tonight were our copycats?" she asked. I knew she was looking for details to confirm or deny my theory with.

"Simple, they hit Interpol just after we did as they have done before and one of them was caught in the Interpol building! They claimed to be a member of the Cooper gang... at least according to the Constable that broke up my fun with Carlos..." I pretend to grumble. Beth laughed. She truly enjoyed ragging me about my "crush" on Carlos. Of course, on my end, it was just ironic as I haven't had a crush on a guy in many a year, especially Carlos... not since I was girl. Am I highly attracted to the fox? Yes. Am I in love with him? Happily so, but definitely not crushing. However, it is a ridiculous moment that I must get through for the sake of keeping my life moving. In many ways, I do feel bad about keeping things from Beth and Mike, but the fewer details people know about my real life the better it will be for all involved. I was drawn from my thoughts by Beth.

"So they actually caught a member of this fake gang then? I guess that means you'll be working the lunch hour then?" she asked. I nod. She was referencing the café that I sometimes took shifts at in order to gain information from Interpol through the gossiping officers that stopped by in the mornings or during their lunch breaks. Every now and then I was able to "pick up" some useful info. Usually it was whatever Carlos wanted me or thought I needed to know.

"I will leave first thing in the morning," I reply. Bethany returned to the file as I leaned back in the seat and tried to stay awake.

"ETA for home is five minutes..." called Mike from the front seat. Beth began shutting down her workstation and prepping to put it all away. Honestly, I wished I could go home. I never thought I would miss a farm so much. I continue to let my thoughts wander as we inched closer to our current hideout and further away from the one person that felt like home in this whole country at the moment...

Eventually, we pulled into the garage near the "abandoned" old warehouse. I allowed Beth to debark with her equipment first and then closed up the back. I hung back and waited for Mike to catch up. We shared a quick smile over a job mostly well done as we entered the building. The building itself was not that big, half of it was the garage that contained the team van and another emergency getaway vehicle. The rest had been divided into a decent living space consisting of a small kitchen, a simple bathroom to share, living/working area, and three small bedrooms. I made my way straight back to my room with nothing more than a hastily muttered "night..." to my friends. As the door clicked shut, my shoulders sagged and I slowly started stripping off my clothes and disguise. The sweater and fake torso came off first. The first traces of cool air that hit my sweat drenched fur felt wonderful. The gray pants with the extra padding came off next. After divesting myself all my garments, I wrap a towel around me, slip my feet into a pair of slippers, and head for the bathroom.

Stepping into the warm water felt amazing. I sighed in pleasure as all the muscles in my body started to relax as I began rinsing my hair underneath the spray. As I allowed my body to mechanically clean the night's adventure from my fur, tiredness began to works its way into my bones. Fifteen minutes later, I emerged from the shower and quietly padded my way back to my room. Once inside, I begin to dry off as I mentally catalogue what I need to do for tomorrow's shift. I knew I needed to call the day shift manager and check that it would be ok for me to fill in for the day. I was sure it would not e a problem as the café was always busy and was always in need of extra hands. The work uniform that we wore was one of the few articles of clothes that were hanging on the rolling rack in my room. I just needed to make sure it wasn't wrinkled and find my work shoes. A groan escapes my lips at the thought of the remaining tasks I had to complete before I could crawl into my bed.

When I feel my towel catch on the chain around my throat, I freeze. Slowly, I remove the trapped threads from the clasp. I throw the wet cloth into the small hamper in the room and lift the chain to examine it. The silver chain was fine. I then shifted my focus to the small tear-shaped pedant that hung from it. The blue quartz was smooth to the touch and despite the active lifestyle I tended to lead, it bore no signs of wear yet. A smile works its way onto my face as I fondly recall how I got it. That lovely todd I had left cuffed to the railing had given it to me more than two years ago now. He knew I was not a huge fan of rings, so he had this made. Of course, I did make an exception for the band that followed, and it too hung from the same chain. My mind began to wander back to where it all began.

It had all started in a really small town, well pueblo, called Resortes de plata or Silver Springs...

When I was very small, my family moved to Silver Springs not only to escape our clan nemesis but also to get my clan's controlling estate off my father's back. My father is the sole heir to the Cooper clan thieving dynasty as well as heir to the more publicly known Monroe family. On one hand, Clockwerk wanted him dead because he, for whatever reason, had loathed my family for generations. The estate, on the other hand, the estate wanted dad where they could see and control him, thus keep their hold on the family's power and money. See the Cooper clan had amassed a great fortune from stealing from criminals, but they did not just steal things and then sit around. A good many of them turned the illicit items, possessions, lands, and businesses into profitable enterprises. They also collected rewards from those that they helped, too. As it had been part of Cooper legend that Slytankhamen had to swear to never use the power he had been gifted by the God Heka against the innocent, thus the clans stole only from those that committed crimes to gain their wealth and status. In process of doing this, they often completed bounties, rescued kidnaping victims, or returned stolen property to their owners. Many members of the clans eventually moved on to "daytime" occupations once a family member could take the thieving reins or they did not become thieves at all and used their talents for other things. Either way, the thieving side and the public side of the clan prospered mightily through the ages.

However, thanks to wars, famines, other catastrophes, and running away from Clockwerk, my family's numbers have declined through the ages as well. The last four or five generations have only had one or two children each and all of them had been sons. In most people's opinion that would have been a good thing as the family name would live on. But in my family's case, it was not. The Cooper/Monroe clan was actually matriarchal. The heirs and true leaders of our clan were the women. This tradition was observed because the only known surviving line of this family was descended from the youngest child and only daughter of Slytankhamen, Maat. Of the two sons that Slytankhamen had with his wife, only one produced any children, but they died before having children of their own. The other son had no children at all. Maat on the other hand had two boys that lived to maturity and both married and eventually had children. The oldest son's line died out in 1475 due to the bubonic plague, the youngest son's line is the line I was born of.

Because of our clan's sworn oath, the procreation of the clan was heavily monitored. Heka swore that if the covenant between him and the clan was broken, the violator would pay a high price. If the breach was not rectified by the clan within a certain number of generations, the whole clan would eventually be cursed with the same misfortune. Thus, a bunch of safe guards was put in place to hopefully prevent any unplanned offspring from causing the clan's downfall. The estate had been conceived as a means helping with this monitoring. Unfortunately, like any position that holds power, this position too became corrupted by greed. Heir Regents or the male Monroe/Cooper descendants were held to a much stricter standard than the female heirs as the estate did not have as much control over them as they were ranked higher. Because of the lack of true heirs over that last few generations, the estate was able to amass more and more power. By the time my father was born there was very little that the heir regent could do on their own without the approval of the estate council. While with a true heiress in place, they were merely advisors. They had become fearful that one day an heiress would be born that would destroy all their hard work.

They were willing to do anything to prevent that. They even went so far as to sabotage my parents' ability to have children. According to my parents, they had a difficult time with conception while they were living in the family compound in Atlanta, GA. The estate had even started putting pressure on my dad to remarry, since my mom clearly had not been up for the job. My father thought they were full of it and told them so. But no matter how hard they tried, mom would never make it past month four of her pregnancy. Finally, when my mom got pregnant with me she told only my father and made him swear not to tell anyone else. They moved out of the compound to a lesser known family summer home in Europe. Lo and behold, my mother had me with little fanfare and no complications. This only furthered my parents' belief that the estate had been poisoning my mother. Thus, they decided to remain where they were and raised me out from under all the media and estate scrutiny. It was a really big deal that there was a new heiress to the Monroe Economic Dynasty. I would be inheriting the largest fortune on Earth with few strings attached.

For a while it worked. The estate complained heavily, but they could not really punish my father because he still completed all of his family related duties as was required. They had tried many times to convince him to return to the estate, but he refused. However, the peace that my family had found would not last. Clockwerk managed to track us down two days after my first birthday. My father managed to fight Clockwerk and his goons down to a draw. However, to get the monster to leave us alone, he gave up one of our families greatest treasures: The Thievius Raccoonus. They took the book and while they were distracted, my father snuck my mom and me out. For a week or so my parents moved from safe house to safe house and motel to motel. But my parents did not want me growing up without a stable home or any means of socialization. So, they discussed moving somewhere off the grid. My mom then mentioned the pueblo that she had completed part of her geology thesis research in to my father. It had a small silver mine and quartz quarry that she had taken samples from. She mentioned to my father that Silver Springs was not on any maps and that you would need to know of the place to even know to look for it. She suggested moving there. My father immediately agreed.

My mother made a few calls to her contacts in the town and learned of a house for sale in town. Not only that, the house was right next to one of my mother's dearest friends. Maria Aletta Regina-Zorros had recently married and had a set of twins that were four. My father and mother quickly moved in and got settled. A few days after we moved in, my mother took me next door to meet the neighbors and catch up with her friend Maria. Funny enough, I still remember the first time that I met Carlos. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. It's one of the many perks of being a mind mage… But anyway…

I remember looking up at the two-story house and wondering what was going on. All the moving had left me more than a little uncertain and frightened. I remember my parents entering the house and greeting these strange looking people. They were a weird color and had no mask or rings on their tails. But they seemed nice. My mom had carried me into the house. And the moment we stepped over the threshold to the living room, a warm, bubbly welled up inside of my chest and I started laughing. The adults laughed too. I was suddenly compelled to seek out something. I knew that I wanted something, but not exactly what.

I fussed enough to get my mom to put me down. Then I followed the strange feeling to its source. I found it pretty quickly. There was a smaller version of strange people I saw before. It was sitting down on the floor looking at a colorful book. I was not even bothered by the book. I simply crawled over to the new person and duck under the book. There I looked into a pair of pretty and surprised dark brown eyes. We both stared at each other for a moment, before I decided I wanted a hug and got one…

From that day forward, Carlos and I were the best of friends, fussing and fighting along the way. Although, Carlos still complains that I drive him crazy. I laugh at my reminiscing before continuing to dry myself off being careful to avoid my engagement pendant and wedding band. Time continued to creep by as I dress for bed, got that blasted uniform ready, and finally settle in bed. But as I close my eyes, I remembered the slips I pulled from the files. I groan. Leaving my bed seems like an impossible task, but I do so. I dig through my pockets and pull out the slips. The code on it was very familiar to me. We devised it a long time go to share messages and information that we did not want publicly known. I quickly decipher the message and smile. It was two sentences long:

Ilove you. Be careful.

I climb back into bed with a grin on my face. I would see my husband tomorrow at some point. That was a much more pleasant thought to end the day on, than worrying about my estate.

Well, things are certainly looking up for our girl in this chapter! Next time we will get to know more about her lover, the infamous Inspector Fox!