A Cooper's Tale Chapter 7:
Sunset Snake-Eyes
Part One
Sly Cooper shuddered from the cool morning chill. She slipped her hoodie over her ears, finding it difficult to believe that what she had experienced was just a dream. Nervous flutters settled in the pits of her stomach just thinking back to it.
Perhaps it was Rioichi's ghost or some sort of delusion. Sly wasn't going crazy; she knew that much. But it was impossible. She tried to dismiss the notion from her mind. No good. She made up her mind to go back to the oak tree once more, this time with more assurance and confidence. With Rioichi's instructions in mind, she wanted to try the Ninja Spire Jump again. Maybe just one more time before they all head out. Wouldn't hurt.
Physical balance is essential, Rioichi's words echoed, nearly perfectly in her memory. but spiritual balance is even more important. A Cooper's strength and silence derive from the soul, your chi.
A much lighter branch sat comfortably on a higher part of the tree. Nevertheless, the raccoon climbed the height without hesitation.
You must trust yourself instead of approaching the task with doubt. Otherwise defeat will overcome you at every turn. Trust the ancient blood that I know runs so strongly through your being. In the soul lies your true self. A Cooper. Trust your Cooper blood.
She steadied herself against the damp bark. Her breathing quieted. "Okay... balance...trust...balance...trust..." She studied the thin branch within leaping distance. Looked precarious. Sly closed her eyes. Balance... trust...
The Ninja Spire Jump is a technique that requires much patience and intention. A Dove knows to fly when her wings have felt the breeze.
When her eyes closed, her mind's eye opened to a new haunting sight. The branch was there beyond blurs and flickers, then it was gone, then back again. Sly braced her arms at angles by her sides. A whirlwind had nearly consumed her; the wind inside of her.
She finally jumped, spun, and landed on the branch. The branch hardly bent under her weight and only made a slight noise. Sly opened her eyes and looked down. Crouched on her hams, she sat in perfect symmetry upon it, arms outstretched to maintain balance. First, she drew in breath in shock, which slowly turned into a light chuckle, then laughter. "I did it...!" she breathed. "I did it!"
But something about it all brought the nervous flutters back. Rioichi spent five years perfecting the Ninja Spire Jump, but Sly learned the technique in the course of one night. She executed the move with hardly a blemish.
More importantly, she leaned it literally in her sleep.
The team didn't bother to stay long in Massachusetts once getting loose from the cargo ship. They set out for Utah, eager to reach Mesa City. Sly stayed in contact with Jizargo via phone.
"You sure you wanna do this still, Jizargo?" Sly asked, lounged on the couch in the back of the van. "The guy we're dealing with is pretty dangerous..."
"Dangerous, but not very wise." Jizargo replied simply. "You and I could easily fool him you know. We're fast, skilled, and sharp too. And - well, who knows - your incredible beauty could throw him off his balance."
"Don't flatter me. Hmm... I like your confidence. Alright, we could go with that. I'm sure Bentley won't mind."
"I'll see what I can do. Until then." and he hung up.
Sly set the phone on the pillow beside her head and sat up, picking up the police file with Muggshot's photo on the front. "He's quite the ugly mug isn't he...? I guess that's how he got his nickname." She mused as she twirled her cane thoughtfully. She studied the bulldog's husky figure. "Yikes. Big guy too. I wouldn't be surprised if he were larger than Salt Lake City."
"And he's not alone." added Bentley from the passenger seat. "Jail convicts from all over the country escape to Mesa City nowadays to join Muggshot's territory - 'cause apparently he has one now. His motives are appealing to them, plus they get a place to hide from authorities - police wont touch that place. Afraid is my guess."
Sly rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "The last thing I want is to get roughed up by a bunch of muscle-maniacs." she grinned. "But that's why we've got Murray, right?"
Murray glanced at her through the rear-view mirror and returned the grin.
The tires struggled over rocks and gravel, kicking up dust and stones in their wake. The van rattled and the engine groaned. Murray turned his attention back to the steering wheel. "Easy now... Take it easy."
Bentley looked up quickly from his laptop. "I told you we should've stopped for gas at Davenport."
"It's fine." Murray tapped the dashboard. "She still has enough juice t'ill Omaha at least."
Their getaway van was aged and rusty. It broke down a lot as well and only Murray knew how to feather the stick-shift. Bentley had been imploring the hippo to find a new van, but Murray felt that the old veteran was too full of memories to sell away. It was his baby long before they even came together as a band of thieves. So they kept it.
Sly looked out the window, her head rested on the couch's right arm. Rows upon rows of Iowa corn soared past. She hated corn.
The van lurched and groaned again.
"Come on, girl. Come on..."
It took three days of road - and corn - to make it to Utah, then it was on to Mesa City, a famous and thriving boom town located in the middle of the Sevier Desert.
But when they got there, all three could instantly feel the emptiness and an eerie sense of neglect upon entering the city. Hardly a soul was there.
"Ah, you must be Bentley and Murray." Jizargo smiled and shook the turtle's hand, then Murray's. "Sly has told me much about the both of you."
Bentley grimaced Sly's way. "You don't say."
"Hey. I didn't say THAT much! Gimme a break."
The four sat around the registration counter inside of an abandoned hotel.
Jizargo looked around briefly. "A nice place for a proper meeting, non?" he gestured out the window. "Not too close to the city down below, but with a good overview of Muggshot's territory in the center of it all."
Sly folded her arms over the wooden counter. "Yah, not a bad spot. It's isolated enough. That's funny though, 'cause I was expected it to be crowded and noisy here."
"There aren't even any cars on the roads." said Murray.
"Look at this." said Bentley. "There's money still left in this cash register."
"They left in a hurry." Jizargo mused. "Muggshot chased most civilians away from this town months ago. Tensions are aroused between them and a few other rebellious gangs that refuse to leave."
Sly stood and crossed to the window.
Bentley's skeptical eyes narrowed on the newcomer. "For someone so foreign to this part of the world, you sure seem to know a lot about this particular town..."
Jizargo only grinned back. "I do sufficient research. I assume you do as well." His grin widened. "Alors alors, ne sois pas un chameau!"
Indignant, Bentley straightened and adjusted his glasses.
"He's just kidding, Bentley." Sly assured him. She gazed out toward Muggshot's penthouse, which sat on top of the rest of the tall neon-lighted structure. "Considering Muggshot's a bulldog, it's no surprise that is private suite is in the shape a... giant... fire hydrant..." she almost wanted to take it back.
"It's no so private though." said Bentley. "It's sticks out like a sore thumb, don't ya think? He's definitely not shy about what he's done."
"Got any ideas, Bentley?" asked Murray.
He thought for a moment. "Well, I do have one, but it's risky."
"I hope it involves me." said Jizargo.
Bentley glanced at him coolly. "Surprisingly, yes. You would make a perfect decoy in Sly's place. You can pretend to be Sly and get yourself caught. While everyone's distracted with you, the real Sly can get inside and up into the suite without a problem. She'll get in there, beat the snot outta Muggshot, and get back the pages he has of the Thevious Raccoonus. That sound good enough?" the last part was slightly bitter.
Jizargo shrugged. "Si tu veux. But it will be tres difficile to even pretend to be a handsome devil like Sly."
Sly rolled her eyes, but Murray detected a blush cross her features.
"Better said than done." Sly said. "Like I said, he's a big guy. But I'm up for a good challenge."
"I agree. It will be fun."
"I'll stay here and be your eyes and ears," Bentley nodded towards Murray. "And if you get into a sticky situation, Murray'll chime in and clean up the mess."
Sly put her hair up underneath her cap. "Sounds like a plan. I suggest we try a very subtle approach. The stealthier we are, the less I have to deal with those jailbirds, and the happier I'll be."
Jizargo thought he was prepared for the worst, but he found the lobby more unsettling than he thought. He didn't expect the convicts to all be so... organized. They slumped around the place like regular low-lifes do, however. Chugging beers - maybe two beers at once even - watching sports on television, hovering over the pool tables, and dealing out cards for round of blackjack, or poker. They weren't out of control though.
Perhaps they recognized a true leader when they saw one. From what he knew about Muggshot, he started to think that he underestimated the brute's skills after all. Then this made things seem easier. Now he could finish what he came to do at last...
Security, two well-dressed German Shepherds wielding machine guns, approached him. They checked him for any weapons and when Jizargo told them who he was, both of their faces melted into concern. The German shepherds escorted him to the V.I.P table in the back corner of the lobby, where the leader himself sat at the head of the table.
Muggshot snarled when he saw the guard coming his way with a stranger. "What is it now, boys?!" he hollered, obviously annoyed about something. "Person afta person, you two bucket-heads keep comin' round and yappin' at my feet with every fallen' leaf on this turf! Better not be another solicita, or all three of ya are dead!"
"No sir." one of them said with a stiff deep voice. He whispered into Muggshot's ear and the bulldog's eyes lit up ever so slightly. They narrowed in on Jizargo.
"So it's you. I was wondrin' when ya'd crawl outta yer hole and come see me face ta face."
Jizargo wrinkled his nose in condescending disgust, glaring at him coldly. "After so many years, I'm sure. Ecoute. I have only come to finish what I started and claim a certain something of yours. I want no trouble from the likes of you."
"Oh yah? What makes YOU so high an' mighty, pal?"
"I believe you know the answer to that as well as I do." Jizargo sat, ignoring the hesitant stares from the other dogs at the table. "Shall we begin?"
The streets of Mesa City were desolate and silent as the orange sun set. A few homeless stragglers wandered the alleyways and sewer tunnels to avoid Muggshot's recruits and rogues.
Sly could see it all, perched on top of a rusty flag pole. She used the Ninja Spire Jump to get up there, and she felt giddy inside from accomplishing the move again. She forgot herself for a moment and spotted a clothes line just below her and jumped from the pole down to it. She closed her eyes, felt the whirlwind in her heart again, spun, and landed on the line like a feather. She chuckled and ran along the line, feeling weightless on top of it.
"Bentley! Bentley, this is so much fun!I'm running on rope and it's not even sagging!" she couldn't contain her excitement.
"That's great, Sly. But we need you back on the mission here."
"R-Right. Sorry." she leapt up onto the rooftop above her and headed towards the headquarters.
"Jizargo hasn't turned on his transmitter yet...like he was supposed to." he sounded uneasy.
"I'm sure he just forgot. You know he's not used to wearing those." She crept low on her hams, eyes on the street below. "He's probably with Muggshot right now, knowing him."
"Correction, Sly. We don't know him at all. Yet you know he knows everything..."
Sly frowned and stood straight up. "Now you know that's not true. Do I detect some jealousy-?" Her ears pitched forward suddenly. She sat down again and held her cane under her arm to keep the light from reflecting off of the polished gold "C". She slowly followed the silhouettes below, trying to get a good look at them.
A taller building across the street concealed her in its shadow. Two German shepherds were walking with Jizargo between them in handcuffs. He walked with the two guards with his head high, eyes forward as if being held prisoner was something to be proud of.
"They got him." Sly whispered, forgetting about their spat. "I'm going on inside. Where are you, Murray?"
There was a lot of engine-like noises in the background when the hippo replied, "Well, uh, I'm in a bit of a situation..."
"Not bad I hope... Wait, are you driving?"
"Uh... i-it's sort of a long story." tires squealed. "I went down to a nearby gas station on the north side of town to get a snack when these guys who call themselves the Tire Chasers came up to me and challenged me to a race. I just couldn't help myself!"
"Well... How long will this race take? I might need you." Sly stood up and stretched, trying not to sound too impatient.
"I-I'll have to call you back... These guys aren't gonna beat The Murray at his own game!"
"Alright, then... Good luck, I guess." the reception went quieted. Sly jumped down from the roof and to the front entrance to the lobby.
"I've gotta BAD feeling about this." Bentley warned. "And when I have a BAD feeling about something... I'm usually right."
Sly nodded, knowing it's true. "I'll be careful. Call the police and let them know Muggshot's turning himself in."
"But..."
"Don't worry. This'll be a walk in the park. By the time I'm through with him, he'll be BEGGING to go to prison. Can you lead me through this place?"
"You bet I can! Past the entrance should be the lobby where all the thugs hand around. I don't think they'll be obliged to throw a welcome party, so I suggest avoiding them entirely, obviously. Here's a good idea. I've already hacked into their system and into their electrical mainframe. I can leave them in the dark while you sneak through and get to the elevator up the stairs to the left wing. If I'm correct, it leads up straight to the penthouse. Then I'll turn the power back on and bingo, you're up to the top! When you're up there, there's not much I can do to help."
"No problem, Bentley. All you have to do if get me to the top and I'll take it from there. Once I'm up there, Murray can get inside and make sure nobody comes following up after me. I want to make sure this fight stays between me and the boss himself this time."
She craned her neck to see the fire hydrant suite towering above her and she glowered.
With a twirl of her cane, she passed through the doors.
