Goodness! Sly is not faring so well at the moment. What of the rest of the gang? How will Carmelita handle working with criminals? Known criminals even.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sly Cooper and its respective characters or plot. However, any characters unrecognized from any of the games are for this story and are a product of mine or someone else's imagination.
Murray drives the van towards Gentilly. Carmelita, once again, sits in the back twiddling her thumbs.
When she meets Sly, how will he react to seeing her? Surely that quick moment they had on Le Paradox's blimp meant something to him as well. Right?
In the few hours that has gone by, she has made a promise to herself. She cares not if he will not still love her. But, she cannot live without him. She just wishes to see his radiant smile at least one more time if not more.
Meanwhile, up in the front, Bentley's crystal messager beeps and Dimitri's image beams up. Carmelita listens from the back. She can barely understand him. All she picked up was him talking about the 'Raccoonus bookus' and his 'vibe' getting ruined.
Bentley rubs his forehead. "Can you send us a scanning of the page? I'll read it here in the van."
Dimitri grumbles in frustration. "This memba' of the Cracker-box family writes like totally different than we do, bro! I'll try."
Dimitri's image slides away and a page from the Thievius Raccoonus replaces. Bentley clears his throat. "After a, in mine mind, successful departure in Tortuga with the help of Sly, we return to the Queen. However, mine kin, Sly, is now a changed man and is in of a distraught nature. I, only his humble captain and mother to him, cannot decipher his irritations. He no longer smiles, but instead let's his eyes wander out into yonder ocean. What of his misadventures in Tortuga? I know not. He refuses to speak to me or his crew. I worry deeply about him, but we need him to perform the task at hand. Only time will tell if he will be fit for it."
Dimitri lets out another growl. "What does that even mean?!"
Carmelita understood the passage just read to her too well. A new wave of worry rushes her only to fuel her desire to get Sly back. She knows that she is not the only one that feels this way.
Bentley thanks Dimitri for the information and ends the call. Carmelita sees a highway sign that reads 'Gentilly: 20 km'. Her first heist is fast approaching.
...::::
No more than fifteen minutes later, Carmelita feels the van slow down. They have reached their exit and are out of the highway.
Carmelita's nerves ball up. A pang of rough and coarse nervousness takes her soul. Even though she has hunted these thieves for years, she still knows very little as to how they operate. In the little time she spent with them in their adventures back in time, she never really paid much attention to their plans and operations. She was far too mindful with trying to return home.
She feels the van stop. The trio gets out of the van and the vixen steps onto the hard cement floor. She looks around to find herself inside of a dark and spacious room. "I'll hit the lights," says the hippo in the dark. A nearby click is heard and the room's ceiling's fluorescent bulbs radiate a white hue throughout the room or, should she say, garage rather.
Inside of the garage is a large dry erase board, a map of the entire city posted onto a wall, a workbench complete with a plethora of tools, and a large planning table. Her eyes widen in astonishment at the preparation that is going into this job. It is too suspicious that this place is so prepared for the job ahead.
Bentley wheels around to see a nearly jaw dropped Carmelita. "We've heisted around here before. This is one of our many hideouts throughout France. We'll be here for a couple of days. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable." All was said and the turtle wheels away to the table.
Carmelita heeds Bentley's suggestion and explores the garage. She is still unsure if this is the best way of bringing Sly back. But, at this point, it seems to be the only way. She sighs at her failure to think of an alternative solution.
The fox walks towards Bentley to see what he is doing. Another map of Gentilly is on the table. With a marker, Bentley circles their position and the location of the museum. Out of curiosity, Carmelita asks, "So what is our plan of action?"
Bentley caps his marker and exhales through his nostrils. "I can't make one yet. We needs more information if I am going to make a sound strategy for the heist. I'll need you to enter the museum as a visitor and scope out the inside. Then we'll start on our first task."
"And what kind of task do you have in mind?" Carmelita asks.
Bentley pulls his binocucom out and points to the picture taking capability of his modified version. "Usually, Sly would be the one to do this. But, as you can see, I much rather be here making the plans and Murray isn't well built for being discreet. You'll be doing a bit of reconnaissance work. I'll link our binocucoms together so I can see what you see and you'll take recon pictures of the area. That'll be a start."
Carmelita pulls out her binocucom. Her finger hovers over the photo taking button. She had never realized such a functionality existed for it. "Thanks for the heads up." She packs the binocucom away and faces Bentley. "I'll be ready for action when you say so."
Bentley does not adjust his head to face Carmelita. He is focused on the map. "Will do," he says. Carmelita bugs him no longer and leaves him to his duties.
She walks to the other side of the garage where she can hear strange and loud buzzing sounds. She walks around the gang van to see Murray wearing a welding mask. He lets out another surge of sparks that causes Carmelita to flinch and look back. She can see that he is busy and feels no need to ask what he is doing.
She needs privacy. Carmelita walks up a small set of stairs and opens a door and enters. She walks into a quaint little area of the building. With a stove and a refrigerator, she has stubbed upon the kitchen. The interior of the edifice is anything but fancy. The rooms and walls are stripped of paint and splotches of splinters scatter the wood floor.
She leaves her boots on. She walks pass the kitchen and into another small area with an old couch. In front of the couch laid a game console and an outdated television set plugged into it.
She takes a seat on the couch and relaxes. A deep sigh escapes her lungs. Her head faces up towards the ceiling. She can't seem to be able to stop the thoughts and worries from returning. But now, she has new questions swirling her mind.
Would she make a good thief? She has been associated with law enforcement for all of her life. Does she have what it takes to get Sly back? This is the last thing she thought she would ever think of.
She recalls the last entry in the Thievius Raccoonus that Dimitri had read. Sly is refusing to speak? Is something, or someone, troubling him? Sly not speaking to anyone? That just seems too out of character for Sly.
She wishes that she has the Thievius Raccoonus with her. Her curiosity is eating away at her. She wants to see if there are any other new things to read about Sly's time with his ancestor. What was this ancestor like? Was she English nobility? Why does Tortuga sound like such a familiar place?
Her thoughts are cut short when Murray bursts in holding a rather large box. "Awright! Disguise time."
Carmelita stands up from her seat. "Disguise?"
"For you. Bentley tells me that you're our temporary field person. So you need a wardrobe change." He sets the box of clothes down.
She looks down at the sleeves of her jacket and back to Murray. "What's wrong with the clothes I have on right now? I'm not the criminal in the room. Am I?"
"You'll have to ask Bentley for a reason why. I'm beat for an answer with that kind of logic." he says while scratching his head. The rotund hippo turns and walks back to the garage shutting the door behind him.
She breaks her gaze at the door and eyes the box of clothes. The clothes seem rather clean albeit a little wrinkly. She pulls out of the box a simple sea foam green sundress. She holds it in front of her to look at it. It is light and feels soft. She presses the dress against her bosom and smooths it down to see the size. The skirt is cut just above the ankles to the perfect length for her. She curses that it belongs to thieves. It's cute and she actually kind of likes it.
She can't help but bring out the fashionista in her. The vulpine grabs whatever is in the box that she can carry and goes to the bathroom to change.
...::::
She comes out of the bathroom wearing the sundress with her usual leather coat over it. She replaces her usual boots with a pair of slippers. It's a far cry from what she normally wears so it'll do.
She walks out and into the garage. Bentley is still checking his schematics and blueprints while Murray polishes the rear bumper of the van. Bentley lifts his head up to see a more casually clothed Carmelita. He adjusts his glasses. "I take it you're ready to move on." He looks back at his table. "I understand that this is not the easiest thing for you to do. Us being criminals and all."
Carmelita feels no less awkward for doing this. "Just give me a task and let me get this over with before I change my mind."
Bentley holds his hand out. "Give me your binocucom." Carmelita reaches into her bag and takes the binocucom out. She hands it to him and he begins to search for something on it. He finds a switch and he flicks it to detach one of the lens leaving a more traditional looking camera. "The museum won't be familiar to a binocular camera. This way, they won't be too suspicious." He hands it back.
Carmelita takes it and places it back into her bag. She looks down at the table to see the plan. Bentley faces the blueprint of the museum. "The plan for now is simple. Murray will drive you to the museum. It's not far, but it's a decent walk so we'll save you the trouble. You enter the museum and pose as a regular citizen. Once inside, you'll use the binocucom to take pictures of anything that could be of use for the heist. I'll be able to see whatever the lens is pointed at." He sets an ear bud on the table. "You and I will be able to communicate with this."
Carmelita takes the bud and places it in her ear. "This better be worth it," she whispers to herself. She opens the door to and enters the van. Murray is already in the driver's seat and was in the middle of eating a sub. He sees Carmelita enter and he stops eating. He twists the key and starts the car. The garage door opens and the van backs up. Bentley watches as the van drives away as the garage door closes back up. The policewoman takes the camera out at the ready.
The drive was only several minutes. The museum was just as she remembers. Wide and white. She thanks Murray for the ride and exits to continue the task at hand. Murray drives away to park the car. Carmelita sighs as she realizes that this is her first real task to an actual heist. She takes one more deep breath and walks up the concrete staircase up to the Gentilly Museum of History.
The interior of the museum is very plain. Nothing too spectacular about the architecture but with an old Roman air wafting around with tall white pillars holding the roof above her. She acts upon memory and walks towards the seventeenth century exhibit.
The exhibit is placed on the ground floor. The exhibit is being lightly visited by historians and children alike. All innocent people. She meanders her way pass the people in a kind manner. The last thing she wants is to make an enemy on the first day of heisting.
In nearly no time at all, she finds the glass case that houses the slightly rusted pistol. She pulls out her camera and takes two pictures of it from two sides.
Her hands lower the camera away from her face. She looks at the pistol with sorrowful eyes. Her heart pounds as the uneasy feelings flood her mind. In a matter of a few days, the Cooper gang will be in possession of this artifact. And she will be their aid in their thievery.
Her ear bud begins to static until a voice is finally discerned. "Carmelita! Do you read me?" the nasally turtles voice says in her ear.
Carmelita lifts two fingers up to the bud. "I copy, Bentley."
"That's good. I've already got the pictures you took here on my computer. That is a fine specimen. Now, for the first order of business. I need a picture of any air vents around the interior of the museum. Especially around areas of concentrated security guards. With your experience working as security, you should be able to get a good idea of where they would be."
Carmelita sighs. "That'll be simple." The static signals the end of their conversation. She acts upon her memory once more to find all of the air vents. She walks out of the exhibit and back into the lobby. The lobby has the largest air condition vents in the entire building. She takes a picture of each one. Afterwards, she looks down at the pictures she took.
It is not exactly the time to be doing so, but she is brought on a trip down memory lane. She remembers when she studied the museum of every air vent inside of it. She was just being wary of a potential visit from her ringtail. Secretly in her heart, she wished for him to show up so they can do their usual ritual of her chasing him and they end up alone together. Her heart pangs at the memory of him.
She snaps back to reality and she continues to find the air vents.
A new sadness washes away a layer of her once proud determination.
I. Am. Getting. Mad. I barely have time to do anything I please. I'm fairly sure you, the reader, are probably getting sick of me saying 'I'm sorry for how long this took for me to make'. And quite frankly, I'm getting sick of it as well. I am super psyched for Thanksgiving break to be here soon! I have my fingers crossed! Don't forget to review! They really encourage me to do more and to do better!