Chapter 10: A Killer Party

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Sly Cooper belongs to Sucker Punch. I'm keeping this short because the chapter's probably gonna be short. Good luck.

Let's go!

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"Remind me how this made sense an hour ago?"

"It didn't make sense then either."

"Okay, but remind me why I agreed to this an hour ago."

"Simple. It was less illogical than the other plans."

"I don't know what to say to that. You know what, talk me through this again. I need to make sure I know what I'm doing."

"Well, with a little help from your Victorian-era ancestor, Thaddeus Winslow Cooper, we've managed to make you look halfway presentable and less like a thief."

List grinned. "True. The old man had some serious style. This suit feels like it's tailor-made for me, even though it's got to be at least a hundred years old…" he remarked, examining the royal blue suit he was wearing. It really did fit him perfectly; aside from a few oddballs, the Cooper family genes and upbringing had left almost every member of the clan at about the same measurements. With a little bit of the fur dye TWC had cooked up back in his day to ensure that his identity remained a secret during infiltration jobs like this, List looked more like a grey fox than a raccoon, and would stay that way for some time… or until he took a very long bath.

"Yeah, you're lucky that you're half fox to begin with. For now, you're undercover. Remember your fake name?"

"No."

"Forgivable. After all, you'll only need it to get inside… I'll feed it to you when you reach the door."

"Fair enough. Please tell me, why am I infiltrating this place alone?"

"You actually want to bring Rick along for infil?"

"…And you're manning the computer and crunching the data… Alright. Let me rephrase. Why am I infiltrating at all? I could just sneak in, grab some recon photos, and meet you both back at the safe house. But like this? I can't just keep coming and going."

"We need someone to be on the inside almost continuously. This member of the Steele Ring is supposedly downright crazy, and rumor is he's planning a major attack against Interpol that's part of this party. Every development could be important. Besides, I thought you liked this kind of Ocean's Eleven BS."

"…Okay, sure. I'm almost at the door."

"Your fake ID is…"

—

SNAP!

Abby grinned. List was doing just fine undercover - seemed to have found his way into a good place near the back of the huge ballroom. Checking the picture, she nodded - he was quick to find their enemy here.

"That man may look nice enough, but there's a reason nobody seems to know who's in charge here." she told List, as she examined the photograph. "He's gone undercover himself. Few know what he usually looks like, and none know his real name, but there's no doubt in my mind; that bat is the Plague Doctor. Hell, he's even wearing the cloak I found in the dossier picture from Interpol."

"He seems pretty scrawny."

"Don't be fooled; this guy is a master alchemist. Word on ThiefNet is that he carries a ton of potions around on him, and drinks several with every meal. His only fear is electricity, which is why he never flies when it's raining, and he wears a cloak that's supposedly proofed against lightning. Kinda makes me wonder why he doesn't fly in a storm if the storm can't hurt him."

"Geez. I guess I'll keep my distance. Speaking of which, I've noticed a lot of faces here that don't belong. The disguise has held up so far, though."

"Good."

SNAP!

"Thank you for remembering."

"I still don't get why you needed a photo of the vents."

"Simple. The English castle estate you're standing in is pretty damn old. That's why all the tapestries and such and the stone exterior. But it's also been retrofitted with some more modern equipment. Hence, the vents. I got a tip on ThiefNet that they're an integral part of the Plague Doctor's plan, and that he's got some serious skullduggery going on here."

"Whoa. Hang on a second, this is going to throw a wrench into your plans."

"What do you…?"

SNAP!

"…Well that's just freakin' great; I think I might hyperventilate…"

"Just keep rhyming to yourself and I'll tell you what I think."

"Please proceed with your conversation, while I try to regain concentration."

"Alright. Well, I think Interpol decided that a semi-legitimate party like this one needed more than one officer at it. Strange, I haven't spotted the good Inspector yet, but there's definitely a few officers here. They're not good at concealing their weapons."

"…They must've linked this party to the Plague Doctor as well… But they're not here for you, that's easy to tell…"

"Yeah. None of them approached me, and besides, with a good composite of my face they'd see right through the dye job. Guess I should be relieved that… she's…"

"What happened?"

SNAP!

"Oh no."

"Yeah… She's here."

"List do not go anywhere near her."

"I'll avoid her if I can, I promise. She's seen my face up close and personal. In this lighting, it'll be easy enough for her to tell that I'm in disguise…"

"You're moving for a better look at her right now, aren't you."

"Hey, don't judge me. I am a man, after all. And you saw what she was wearing. She expects to go unnoticed in a black dress like that?"

"List, if you blow your cover…"

"I mean, come on, I'll blend right into the crowd. Everybody's already staring, and I think I see some drool from one of the cops. She won't notice me in the crowd."

"You have pictures to take!"

"…Fine."

SNAP!

"Good, now you're thinking logically. That chandelier is difficult to access, but you'll need to at some point; word on ThiefNet is that it's the easiest way into the security system. The satellite USB I gave you should work perfectly for that."

"Got it. I think I see a route up, but it's under heavy guard. If you and Rick create a distraction, I should be able to just climb right up and pop it in."

"Good. I'll plan for that. One last picture, then mingle. I'll crunch the numbers and alert you when we need you to do something."

"Of course."

SNAP!

"Perfect. That guard matches the FaRe System."

"Fare?"

"Facial Recognition. That particular young lady may look a little skinny, but don't be fooled. She is a Great Dane, after all. She's the ever-so-talented Miss Elizabeth, and she serves as chief of the guard here. We'll need to neutralize her eventually, but until then keep clear of her if you can, List. She's an expert combatant and very good at counter-espionage. And, apparently, cleans up rather well."

"Eh, she's not my type. Too… angular."

"Fair enough."

"Oh. Hey, uh, development at hand."

"What? Tell me!"

"You have to see this."

SNAP!

Abby had to cover her mouth while she laughed. "Guess some people just can't get along…" she managed.

The picture was of two people getting into an argument - Inspector Marais and Chief of the Guard Elizabeth. Both seemed to be pissed off, despite having met at most ten seconds earlier. Their mutually aggressive postures indicated that they were moments from mutual violence.

"Well, they are a cat and a dog. No physical fighting - looks like someone intervened. But those two really don't like each other." List reported, suppressing a chuckle of his own.

"No kidding. I bet we can use this mutual animosity to our advantage…"

"No bet."

"Right. I'll set up with Rick in the safe house. Get to mingling and keep an eye out; let me know if anything else happens."

"You got it."

As Abby hung up the call, she turned to Rick. "We've got all the intel we need, and I've got our next moves all mapped out. Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

"Then let's get going. Here's the plan…"

—

Sorry, but it couldn't last any longer. I don't like beating dead horses. And I'll be honest, I'm just about to pass out.

Next time! List's gone undercover in a cotillion that's just full of surprises. Will his disguise, meager though it is, hold? Or will he get caught? One thing's for sure; this is one volatile situation! Let's see what happens in Chapter 11: Catch Your Breath!

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KeyFi-*thump* *snores*