A/N & Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05), Nihilistic Software (2011), and/or Sanzaru Games (2012-Present). I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.
To NinjaxSketchereartx – I would first like to thank you for your constant and almost instant reviews, it's amazing to post a chapter and come back a half an hour later to see the "reviews" number go up by one; I just expect and assume it's by you. I also believe that you're selling yourself short, as do most people who are harsher on their own works than on others. I appreciate your support and excitement towards my series, and will try and not let this series come to an abrupt premature end.
To cheesebread222 – Thank you, the Penelope/Sly dialogue was enjoyable to write, and I'm glad that you found it in a similar manner upon reading it. I'll surely do my best to keep the series going, I would like to blame it on real life problems, but it's more of an issue succumbing to the cardinal sin of sloth. I'm by far the laziest person I know, and I'll surely try and work on that issue so that I won't leave any questions you might come up with; and answer the ones you have in due time as the story progresses.
To BananaB0mb – I'm glad that you found the Penelope/Sly dialogue so entertaining, as I did have fun writing it. I felt it was needed seeing as how my latest chapters were all drama and seriousness, so I thought I'd change it up a little. It would have been interesting to put A.C as the one who walked in on him, but she's currently missing as you may well know. I'll see what I can do about curing myself of my laziness and lack of professionalism, to keep this series going. By my estimation there should be at least another five chapters before it even nears the conclusion, so… yeah lots more to come. (I honestly don't know how this story will turn out myself; I just type it out and go "oh hey, this is a good idea for the next chapter.")
To timexgone23 – Well what is there to say to you, I'm sure you know very well my stance on you. It's all positive and for someone of your caliber with nearly 100 reviews and able to type out Brobdingnagian manuscript of pages for a single chapter is astonishing, and to receive a positive review from you is just top notch. I appreciate the personal message in order to bolster my spirits and recommending me to swap in between series to keep it fresh and entertaining; as I am doing just that with my co-write with ForeverFreelancer on her original character spin-off: A Part of You. I'm glad that you enjoyed my previous chapter, as it was a sudden shift from the mundane drama and action scenes I'm sure everyone has gotten bored of reading by now. Similarly to all my posters (this is a repeating response) I'll do my best to keep this series going, it's [maybe] half way done, as I'm not sure how this series will turn out to be honest, I just open my word document and smack away at the keys until a concise chapter appears before me. In summary, I thank you for your review.
To Why Fireflies Flash – I'm ecstatic to receive a review from the highly sought and praised W.F.F. timexgone23, as well as my co-author ForeverFreelancer raves about you through personal messages and instant messaging sessions, therefore I am greatly humbled at your positive reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and it was truly indeed forced, as I was just going "Ugh, a page left to reach my usual chapter length" *smacks keyboard* I'm also glad that you enjoyed the dialogue interaction between Sly and Penelope, I had fun writing it. And with that said and done I'd also like to promise to you that I'll do my best to keep the series running.
I'd like to thank you all, the five and occasional six of you *shakes fist at FF for forgetting to review* that are always kind enough to leave a review, let alone the usual positive review, you must understand how happy I am that this series is well received by peers such as yourselves and also Sly Cooper fanatics much like myself; it just means I'm doing something right…. Right? I decided to thank my reviewers personally as all of you have supported my decision of possibly ending the series, but still letting me know it would be a shame to do so… so thank you once again and, as per usual. "With that said and done. Here is chapter ten. Enjoy"
Chapter Ten: Operation: Redemption
"No more questions! She shouted into the cameras.
Carmelita then turned, and pushed her way through the throng of reporters barraging her with just that… questions. She tried her best to look neutral, and sell the whole not until further notice line, but it was difficult to do when every step she took, blinding white lights flashed from every direction.
She squinted and brought her hands up to shield her eyes, even with them closed, tiny lights, like little stars on a black canvas could be seen.
"She already said no more questions!" A booming voice called out from behind. The reporters fell into hushed murmurs as they, and even Carmelita turned to face it. Standing there, where Carmelita had been herself moments ago, was a male red fox.
Everything about him screamed look at me; from the groomed spiked up hair on his head, probably to look like the action star Brad Pitbull in his latest movie, "Mr. & Mrs. Wolf." He was ruggedly handsome, his physique while muscular, was more toned than heavy weight lifter. He was wearing a brown jacket with jeans, and work boots. The most distracting thing however, was his badge.
It's new. Carmelita noticed. The badge illuminated and reflected the light from the cameras; it still had the luster that her own badge used to have, now dimmed and dulled as the years went by, crediting her years of experience from the rookie she once was, into the full-fledged inspector she now is. She recollected on the time when she first received it. It was her badge of honor, as she was sure it was the same for him. That cock-sure attitude of his was proof enough.
"I'd like all of us to act civilized here; inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox has already put her best men on the job, so you can be certain that we, at Interpol, will have some answers for all of you soon. However! With that said…" he paused for dramatic effect. What a showman.
"I would like for all of you to allow the inspector to rest, as she's been here at this very crime scene…" he made big gestures with his hands as he pointed down to show everyone where "here" is. "For the last twenty of her twenty four hours that she's been in your beautiful and lovely country. She's been here."
For an impromptu act, it was very impressive. In the forty five seconds that he began speaking; all attention was focused on him. His looks, how he presented himself, his idiosyncrasies with using his body language to express his emotions and statements, his blunt way of speaking – directed to the audience and not at them – all of it, was an act to take the pressure off of her.
It was so good and grandiose in fact, that Carmelita herself was caught up in it. She almost missed the slight and subtle "shoo" motion he gave to her, as a cue to "hurry up and leave while she still could." She nodded at him and mouthed the words "thank you," and was greeted with a brief warm smile that disappeared as quick as it had appeared, and his act continued.
"My name is Tony! I am a junior agent at Interpol here to take your questions." The hushed reporters that kept quiet all this time, at his cue, started shouting questions at him, as if their favorite actor from the show they were watching broke the fourth wall and interacted with his audience.
Carmelita made her way through the reporters and when she reached the other side; she took in a deep breath. She turned her head and stared at the backs of the reporters all jumping and clamoring about to get statements.
"Carm! Carmelita! This way!" she heard a familiar voice; she looked around and saw a small figure flailing its arms in the air. She quickly rushed over.
"Winthorp, what took you so long?" She asked, and with a quick nod of her head they both got into her squad car. She readjusted her mirrors and her seat, as he was a good foot shorter than she was. She placed her key into the ignition, the engine roared to life, and she drove off.
"Who was that back there? The one showboating," she inquired.
"Um…" Winthorp rifled through the roster list he had received from Barkley prior to this assignment.
"Found it, here it is." He handed her the file.
She shot him her trademark dagger-like glare.
"Oh… right…the whole driving thing." He said sheepishly.
"His name is Tony Fox, he recently joined Interpol. Let's see here… his resume although not the best is still rather impressive. He was an officer of the law in his hometown, he was scouted for the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a big cartel bust while working in the United States, and from there he moved into the international sector and applied for a position at the Central Intelligence Agency, worked for them for about a year or two before transferring to Interpol; his grades while in training were in the top ten percentile.
Carmelita nodded along and compared notes on how he presented himself earlier that evening with the roster breakdown Winthorp was reading out. He obviously enjoyed the authority, power, and respect that came with the badge; but from the looks of it, he was also level headed enough to tackle and understood the responsibility that came along with it.
He has potential to do well in our line of work. She now added to the notes in her head.
They continued the rest of the drive in silence; it wasn't long before they were back at the hotel the agency was nice enough to accommodate, even after her "incident" in Paris. This was a chance to redeem herself for her blunder in the Louvre. It wasn't part of the five star coalitions, but it was still a beautiful place. As is all of Athens; it's a shame that lately the economy has led to riots and unruly behavior, resulting in an atmosphere newly balanced between anxiety and determination, but in its eternal, essential energy, Athens is immutable.
They rode the elevator up to their floor, stepped off, and walked to their respective doors. Carmelita in 801, and Winthorp in the next room, 802; they both slid their digital keycards into the readers, it lit up green, and the words "access granted" scrolled upwards on the small screen.
"G…good night Carmelita, if you need anything, feel free to knock on my door anytime... e...even if it's just to talk."
She gave him a warm smile. "I might just take you up on that offer."
His natural purple skin tone, reddened and he opened his mouth but no words came out of it.
"But not tonight, we're both tired and in need of some rest. I mean look at you, you can't even stop yourself from yawning. Buenas noches Winthorp."
"W…wait! I'm not yawning, I just…!"
But it was too late; Carmelita already went inside her room and the click of her door shutting behind her. He put his face in his hands and he was now red for a whole different reason. He gently banged his head on his door a few times and with a deep sigh, finally went inside.
After Carmelita closed her door, she slid the digital keycard into the reader on her side to lock it. Slowly phasing out physical locks and replacing them with digital ones, Sly is going to have a difficult time in a few years' time… she couldn't help but smile at the thought. But it quickly dissolved into a pang in her heart, and it showed on her face. She still couldn't believe what she saw the night before, being broadcasted on international television; it was repeating images of a large hippo fleeing the scene of the crime, with what looked like an unconscious raccoon in his arms.
At first she didn't want to believe it, maybe the saying "history repeats itself" was true, once a thief always a thief. But in the time she spent with him, she knew. She knew that his amnesia was some silly little lie of his, just so that they could be together. She knew that Sly understood that as long as they were on different sides of the law there would never be an opportunity for them to be together. So he went ahead with that ridiculous ruse for them to become a couple.
Although she knew this… she decided to go along with it. It was comforting to know that she didn't have to traipse around the globe to try and capture him, only for him to escape in some last minute escape plan. It was also comforting to know where he was, instead of him randomly popping up anywhere there was a crime involving something being stolen. But most importantly… the most important thing was that she was happy; truly happy that she could finally be with Sly.
She took a coat hanger from the closet and hung up her uniform jacket and placed her holster along with her shock pistol into the room's safe. She moved from the entranceway and further into her room. She looked over to the left and saw the soft queens sized bed beckoning her over, with its satin sheets with its ridiculously high thread count. The pillows filled with the softest of goose feathers, oh how she wished she could just do a face plant into it all; but first thing is first. She needed to wash away the troubles of the day.
She grabbed a change of clothes and walked into her bathroom, she was here when they first checked in, and she still couldn't believe the sight of it. Everything was of white marble and granite, it was the epitome of class; and she loved every second of it. She drew herself a hot bath, removed her clothing and tossed it into the hamper in the corner. She looked into the mirror, and saw that she had bags under her eyes. She took her hands and massaged them a little to alleviate the tiredness. She looked back into the mirror, and recalled the events that led her to come to Athens.
The Night before…
"Embark on a captivating journey back to the cradle of Western culture!" The television blared. "Find yourself in the heart of glorious Athens, the city worshipped by gods and people. Take a stroll among the majestic marble columns of the Acropolis sparkling under the bright sun of Attica. Get a glimpse of the magnificent Parthenon, an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece. Enjoy the splendor of Athens by day and night with its inspiring landscapes and architectural masterpieces…" The television commercial went on in the background as she continued to file paperwork.
She sat at her newly assigned desk, flipping through manila folder after manila folder. The sound of shuffling papers, and ca-chunk, the sound of a big metal-framed ink-stamp being applied on said papers. Manila folder, shuffling of papers, ca-chunk, manila folder, shuffling of papers, ca-chunk, manila folder, shuffling of papers, ca-chunk, folder, papers, ca… chunk. She sighed out loud and placed her head on the desk.
"What did I do to deserve this?" she muttered to herself.
There came a knock at her office door. She looked up; to her surprise standing in the doorway with his silly orange crew cut hair, his large oversized red clip-on bowtie, white shirt, green pants, and suspenders, was none other than her executive assistant, Winthorp. In his hands were a plastic bag, and a tray of four venti coffees in the other. How he ever became an Interpol agent she'll never know, but he does his job well, and that's all that mattered.
"H…hey Carmelita, I brought you some refreshments." He scurried over and placed the bag and coffee on the desk.
Carmelita turned her head and looked out the window and couldn't see a thing outside; it was already pitch black. She then glanced over at the clock on the wall, and noticed that it was eleven fifteen in the evening.
"What are you doing here Winthorp? Your shift ended hours ago." Her words didn't match her actions as she grabbed a venti and quickly took a swig of it.
"W…well I…" he stammered.
Winthrop nervously tried to find the words as Carmelita continued to stare at him, with her… beautiful brown eyes, and her lush full lips. They're just so…
"Winthorp!" she yelled.
"Ah! I mean, yes?" he screamed as he snapped back to reality.
There were some stifled laughs from outside the office door, as a few other agents of Interpol who were also unlucky enough to get the midnight graveyard shift walked by. Winthorp blushed a bright crimson.
Carmelita's executive assistant, detective Winthorp has a crush on her that is hard to miss. Unfortunately for Winthorp, Carmelita's preoccupation with her work prevents her from noticing his innocent affections. To top it off, the dweeby, out-of-shape Otter that he is, Winthorp couldn't possibly compete with the charming, athletic force that is Sly Cooper. He would have to be as blind as Carmelita to not see their connection to one another; they were exclusive and the hot topic at the water coolers when Sly was working as a constable for Interpol.
"What are you still doing here? It's already late." Carmelita repeated herself.
He desperately racked his brain for a response; he looked around the room and finally laid his eyes on the folders on the desk.
"Well… I heard what Barkley did to you, and I couldn't let you suffer through this all on your own; so I made an 'executive' decision to tough this out with you."
Carmelita couldn't help but laugh at this.
"I…Is that so bad that you're laughing at me?" He pouted.
"Not at all, actually I was laughing at how cute you were. It's your genuine honesty that makes you, well… you." she gave him a smile that would warm the hearts of any cold-hearted villain.
"C…c….cute?" Winthorp became like a tomato.
"You okay? You seem a little red." She asked worriedly.
"Oh, no! It's just that the coffee is too hot, careful, don't burn your tongue." He started blowing on his drink. Mentally kicking himself, at how silly he must look.
Winthorp proceeded to grab a stack of folders and tried to draw them closer. But Carmelita placed a delicate hand atop of them, and shook her head.
"I appreciate it Winthorp, honestly I do. But this is my cross to bear, not yours."
"Your burdens are my burdens." He said with surprising sternness. "Besides, I'm already here; don't let my efforts go to waste."
Carmelita saw the look in his eye that said "I'm not going to leave even if you threw me out of here." So she relented, took her hand away, and gave him the universal gesture of "do as you like."
"You're a nice guy Winthorp." She said it with no sarcasm.
"You know what they say about nice guys…" He responded full of sarcasm, which went unnoticed by Carmelita.
They continued to burn the midnight oil, until a loud and obnoxious voice could be heard screaming out their names.
"CARMELITA! WINTHROP! WHERE IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU TWO?"
They both stopped working.
"Don't move, don't make a sound… don't even breathe. Maybe if we remain perfectly still it won't see us." Carmelita said under her breath.
The creature continued to stroll down the corridors and pathways, screaming out their names. Its footsteps getting ever closer to their position, getting angrier by the second it would seem.
"CARMELITA! WINTHORP! ANSWER ME ALREADY!"
The sound of its footsteps stomping, getting closer, closer… Winthorp was sweating, and was involuntarily shaking in his seat.
"I'M GIVING YOU TO THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE… TWO… TH…."
"We're in here!" the otter shouted, pending a nervous breakdown.
Carmelita placed her face in the palm of her hand and sighed.
"Darn it Winthrop!"
"S…sorry…"
Before Carmelita could rebuke her terrified ex-executive assistant, Barkley stormed into the office.
"I've been looking everywhere for you two…" He said with a scowl on his face.
"Chief Barkley, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here at this time of night? If you wanted to meet us, you should have simply sent for us; we would have gone to see you in your office." Carmelita answered to downplay her possible demotion.
"Did you watch the news?" He responded sidestepping the question.
"No, I haven't… why?"
Barkley walked over and changed the channel to PNN or Principal News Network. There was a male jackal addressing the camera, and pointing to let the public know that something news worthy happened in the building behind him. It looked like a museum of some sort.
Oh…no…
Barkley turned up the volume.
"We are reporting live, confirming the reports of a break in earlier this evening at the Archeological Museum of Athens."
The screen switched over to a grainy video footage, caught by security cameras on the exterior walls of the building. It showed a large pink hippopotamus carrying something that resembled a staff and crook, and something else with it, an unmoving figure.
"It would seem that the scoundrels have made away with the Antikythera mechanism that was displayed here for the duration of the week. We are uncertain to the reasons behind the theft, but be on the lookout for this fiend wearing red gloves and mask…"
Carmelita sat back in her chair; a dazed look appeared on her face. Her eyes rapidly moved side to side, indicating the digestion of information. She looked up, and was shocked to see Barkley staring at her with cold, but sorrow filled eyes. He was conflicted, she knew that Barkley… no, she knew that everyone knew of her relationship with Sly, and how this must be something that could very well damage her emotionally and psychologically. But Barkley had a job to do, and that was to bring criminals into justice. She just wished he didn't have that look of pity when he gazed upon her.
"Carmelita… I didn't want you to find out about this, but this is something that you were going to find out about sooner or later."
The only thing she did to acknowledge him was nod.
"I've already assigned Agents Guthrie, Sanchez, and their junior partners Fox and Mccloud on the case."
"…too."
"What was that?" Barkley wasn't sure he heard something just then.
"Send me too." Carmelita answered louder.
The usual stern look appeared on his face.
"Assign Winthorp and myself on this case." An unyielding look on her face as well.
They both stared at each other for a minute, not saying a word. Winthorp nervously biting at his nails, shifting his eyes left and right, unsure how this will turn out and who would relent first.
Barkley sighed. "Join up with the other agents at 'oh-six hundred,' that doesn't give you much time to pack."
A smile crossed her face. "Does that mean…?"
"Get on out of here before I change my mind."
She quickly grabbed her things and gave a nod to Winthorp, signaling him to go with her.
"Carmelita, I'll only say this once…"
She stopped at the doorway.
"This is your only chance at redemption; I'm giving you this one chance in order to redeem yourself. If you screw this one up, you'll be coming back to a mountain of paper work that needs filing when you get back."
Carmelita grimaced at that aspect and nodded.
"Oh… and one more thing…"
Curious, she looked back at her old mentor.
"Be careful."
She smiled at that and walked out of the room.
Barkley sighed. "I'm getting too soft in my old age…" He looked at the stack of unfinished paperwork on Carmelita's desk.
"JOHNSON! GET IN HERE!"
A retriever quickly rushed into the office.
"Y…yes sir, Barkley sir?"
"Finish up all this paperwork won't you Johnson?"
He glanced over at the desk; a mound of unfinished work piled high loomed in the distance.
"B...but..."
Barkley picked up something off of the desk and strolled over to him. Dropped it in his hands, it was a heavy metallic stamper.
"You'll need this. I expect you to be finished before the sun rises… OR ELSE YOU'RE FIRED!"
"Y…YES SIR!" he screamed and rushed over to tackle the work set before him.
Barkley nodded at the act, and walked out of the room returning back to his office.
I'm getting too soft in my old age… he repeated.
Back to the present…
Carmelita gingerly put her foot in, winced at the burning sensation, and quickly removed it. She tilted her head, and gave it a few more tries. After unsuccessful attempt after unsuccessful attempt, she finally gave in, and turned on the faucet for the cold water.
She finally got her body into the water and like the children's story, "It was just right." Never understood how Sly could do it… I mean I get it, but it's just too much to put my foot in, let alone soaking in it for a half an hour…
Another pang of the heart, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get the image of Sly in Murray's arms, unconscious and possibly seriously hurt. She hoped that it was just her imagining the worst case scenario, and wished for Sly and the gang's safety.
"Ha, 'and the gang…'" she laughed to herself. In all the years that they've danced the Lambada that is their forbidden dance, she's delved into Sly's world a few times, and has personally gotten to know his crew, although they didn't meet in the best of situations, but friendly enough. She had developed a soft spot for those who Sly held most dearly in his heart.
"Sly…" she whispered, the sound of her own voice calling out his name echoed, and she couldn't help but hear how lonely it sounded. She started to tear up, but with a quick flourish, she splashed some water on her face. She wouldn't let herself get caught up in all of this, she was going to find Sly and confront him about what was going on.
But could she really arrest him? After all they've been through? He is still a constable of Interpol… and it doesn't seem like anyone besides her or Barkley knew the true identity of the pink hippo, let alone be able to make out what he was carrying in his arms from that horrible resolution footage. Maybe it was a huge miss understanding?
Oh how she wished that were true. But that's a matter for another time; she'll deal with it when she gets to it. One step at a time…
She soaked for another ten minutes before getting out. She felt refreshed after her near crying incident, and was glad that Sly wasn't there to see her in a moment of weakness; she'd never live it down. He always did have a knack of bringing out a variety of emotions that she was certain she kept locked up, as well as throwing away the key. But Sly was a thief after all, an extremely good one at that. Over the years, he managed to slowly pry open and break into that safe, get a glimpse of what was inside, and stole the most precious thing of value inside; her heart.
She dried herself off with her towel, dressed, and put on one of the complementary bathrobes the hotel room had to offer. She stepped out of her bathroom and back into her bedroom, but something was amiss.
She couldn't tell what it was, but stood in place and scanned around the room. She took a step further in, when suddenly… Slosh
Puzzled, she looked down to find that, part of the carpet she was stepping on was wet. She smelled something, something… salty? Acknowledging that things have suddenly gone from bad to worse, she quickly spun around only to have a cane positioned underneath her neck. Her eyes wide, followed the weapon from its crook, to the shaft, to the paw that was holding it, to the arm that the paw belong to, then finally, ultimately seeing the being in its entirety.
"A.C…" she growled.
"C.M.F" she responded in a playful manner.
Carmelita did a once over, and saw that she was soaked from head to toe. Liquid dripping off of her clothes, her hair, practically every tip of her, she was breathing hard and shivering as well.
"Enjoyed a moonlit swim did you?"
This caused A.C to laugh. "That I did inspector, in the Mediterranean sea as a matter of fact. Cold as a witches teat at this time of night, wouldn't recommend it."
"What do you want?" Carmelita asked, no joy left in her voice.
A.C smirked that arrogant smirk.
"I need your help."
"Help? Me? Help you? That's a laugh." And she did just that.
A.C's breathing was starting to sound abnormal, more so than before. Carmelita tried to bide her time until an opening appeared.
"Yes, it's exactly how it is. You're going to help… me…" She staggered a little.
Carmelita took the chance to twist the cane and shove A.C to the wall, she was taller than A.C was, and in obvious better health. She was overpowering her, and was about to disarm the criminal when suddenly the crook began to spark, literally sparked. Electricity surged from the crook cause Carmelita to become alarmed and retreat. She backed away from it and her legs bumped into the bed.
A.C regained her footing and turned off the electricity.
"I don't want to hurt you; I'm just here to seek your help. We can do this the easy way, or the…"
Carmelita made a quick grab for the sheets and threw it midsentence and made a dash for the entrance.
A.C with a swift strike split the bed sheet in two.
"Hard it is then…" and chased after her.
Carmelita scrambled to her safe and punched in the code. But when she opened it, it was empty.
"Looking for this?"
She turned and saw that her shock pistol was in A.C's hand
But how?
"Looks like I have all the cards now. Figuratively and quite literally, as I also have your key card. You won't be leaving here without my permission."
Carmelita stood, and glared at her.
"Look, if it makes you feel any better. Here."
A.C did the most irresponsible thing; she tossed Carmelita her shock pistol.
"Better?"
Carmelita confused, not letting her line of sight leave A.C, powered up the shock pistol and pointed it at her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked cold as ice.
A.C shrugged. "As I've said, I need your help."
"And why should I, or would I help you?"
The smirk returned. "Because if you help me… I can give you something you desperately want."
Carmelita scoffed at the absurdity of the idea that she actually had anything she wanted, but played along anyway.
"And that would be?"
"The Mona Lisa…" A.C answered, but pinged back no response from Carmelita.
"Oh, and Sly Cooper…"
Now this elicited a response from Carmelita, resulting in lowering of her weapon, all the while, the smirk never leaving A.C's face.
A/N: And there you have it. The conclusion of chapter ten entitled: Redemption. As you may have noticed, it's much longer than any of my previous chapters. Two and a half times longer to be precise; this is because I felt bad that I've cause all of you (my readers and reviewers) to wait so long for my latest release, so as a form of apology this was the best I could do.
Again I'd to thank the usual suspects who take time to review this series, and to let you know that all my readers, followers, and to those who have added me to "favorites," that I appreciate you just as much as you appreciate me, maybe more so. For if it wasn't for you lot, there wouldn't be a need or push to bother writing this chapter, let alone this series. So yeah, I'd like to thank you all for your constant support and acknowledgement.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this, as I had writing this… though don't expect this amount too often next time as I won't be making it a habit of divulging so much information and events in one chapter. Suspense and cliffhangers are what makes things interesting. Although I will say this, being much longer than my usual pieces, errors and mistakes are more likely to appear, as it might have slipped under my radar while revising, bear with me.
Until next time. – J.L