Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
(Yaoi Fan Fiction)
Back-story: Chapter 5
For disclaimer : I do not own Sly Cooper or any of their Characters.
The baboons pushed Mercury inside a small prison cell of sorts, with rusted bars covering the window. The doctor stood in front of him, his eyes squinted, as he inspected him. "I definitely do not recognize you... or do I? Yet, there is no denying you are one of Ephilus men, he always sends you freaks my way.", the doctor tapped below his eye, clearly having dealt with other symbionts. That must be why Raz couldn't go.
"Us 'freaks'?", it's not like he hadn't heard it before, but Mercury had grown tired of hearing it. That aside, Mercury guessed he was talking about Raz, but who was to say they were the only ones he was talking about? Maybe he was right with his hypothesis, that he had dealt with more than one case? "Hush, hush. Now let's not get upset over such a mere word. I just truly HATE you symbionts.", Mercury flinched at the brutal echo of his voice. It made him wonder just where that hate was coming from.
"Are you still there?", perfect timing... The doctor turned to Mercury at the appearance of Raz's voice. "Your friends waiting outside? A little surprise party waiting for me? It's probably that failure of a captain again, because it sure sounded like him, hah.", stepping in real close, the doctor snatched the microphone from behind his ear before Mercury could grasp for it. He held it close, turning it to max volume. "I am really bad at names, so give me a minute... Saz, no... Dez?... no, no, that's also wrong... maybe blaz? ...you know as in blargh...", the doctor slightly cackled, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Devistee... what did you do to my man?", Raz could feel the twigs underneath his foot breaking, his hand grasping the receiver tightly. "So he is with you! Hah, doing the same mistake all over again, are we? You should know better by now. Oh and Jazz? Don't try anything funny, I'm sure you know of the consequences...", Dr. Devistee locked eyes with Mercury, he could tell by his vicious grin that there was nothing good waiting for him.
"Mercury don't worry, we'll-", with a sudden flick of his hand the doctor had the device on the ground, crushing it beneath his foot. Amy's voice was silenced and Mercury wondered if it was the last time he heard her voice... hell, any voice for what it's worth... even if it's Sly's. Mercury's eyes trailed over the doctor. His head slightly tilted, a bewildered gaze upon his face. It took him a moment to seemingly regain consciousness. He turned away and with quick steps he was almost out through the door.
"Devistee-", he turned sharply, raising a finger at Mercury. "That's Dr. Devistee.", the doctor relaxed, letting his arm fall. Still a quizzical look on his face. It felt like he changed, even his demeanor. He was more focused, as if he was trying to remember something. "What are you doing to that kid? I saw him in the tunnel.", the doctor straightened himself, taking off his glasses to look through them.
"So you saw them? That's only adding more reasons to hurry up, I guess. That and your neat little toys you planted. You're quite in over your head, if you think this will stop me. But... don't worry your head about that now... Mercury, hah.", he cleaned his glasses with the fabric of his coat, leaving the room with his spine chilling laughter.
The door closed with a loud bang, the bars vibrating at the impact. Mercury moved in closer, grabbing at them to look through the small opening. "Just be ready when I call for you. I want to get this over quickly...", Mercury could see the doctor shaking slightly, possibly with anticipation. He wasn't sure, but he could swear he left, mumbling his Mercury's name over and over again like a mantra.
Mercury let go of the bars, his back sliding down against the door ever so slowly. It's over. He lost in every possible way. He got caught and is now a hostage. They found the bombs, too, which is really, really bad news. Sly was roaming around and without a clue of what's going on. Mercury felt devastated... it was all his fault. And for what? Just to prove something to himself? To prove something to Sly? All he is now is a failure, a liability.
Mercury's vision was suddenly all blurry, as he only now realized there were tears forming in his eyes. Using one hand to wipe them away, he thought of Sly, the way kept him away from himself. The way he treated him. God... he was still there for him, even after doing all that. He held him close, even after he attacked him. The cloudy mess in his mind slowly settled down, a vague picture of them as a kid coming to his mind.
Mercury suddenly shrieked, a loud thud hitting the door. He slightly turned his head, looking towards the bars. Two striped arms slowly moved through the gaps, the person slouching down against the door. Mercury could barely make it out, but there was no need to ask who it is. "Yo, why are you sobbing in there?", he could barely see or tell, but he knew Sly had a big grin on his face as usual.
"I'm not sobbing. Are you here to mock me, because I couldn't do my job? Maybe tell me how you could have done it better?", Mercury's head fell into his knees, hearing the other raccoon slightly shift in his position. "Sounds like a waste of time to me. I know you're already over thinking everything yourself...", Mercury's ears twitched slightly, what was he talking about?
"You always do that, blaming yourself for everything, yada yada. No, I'm here to ask you something.", Mercury looked up, seeing Sly's hands entwine. "Why do you think our gang is so successful?", what kind of question is that? Mercury frowned slightly. "It's because of you, you execute your job perfectly every time.", Mercury felt like he was indeed mocking him, hearing Sly chuckle through the bars.
"Is that so? Like that time I made that whole plan about stealing the Diva Diamond?", Mercury frowned once more, keeping quiet for a moment. "But I thought Bentley-...", it took him another second, as he slowly lifted towards the bars. He already saw Sly's grin growing wider. "It's still you executing the plan, right? You're are quite literally born perfectly... for this job I mean.", a slight blush rushed to Mercury's cheeks, feeling Sly's eyes roam his body.
"That's not true, without Bentley it wouldn't be the same. He is the brain of our operation. Without Murray we would never get away from the scene, that guy is a genius at driving. We are a team that works together perfectly, we need each other to work, just like a clockwork. If a gear is missing, the clock aint turning... if a friend is missing, the team falls apart.", Mercury slumped back down, rubbing his hands together.
"It's true, you are a great team. You three work perfectly together...", Mercury's voice slightly cracked, turning more silent by the second. "There's also this fourth gear. I got the feeling it seems to think it's not turning or helping at all. Yet, it doesn't seem realize how much the other three depend on and trust it.", Sly couldn't help a smile grow on his lips, watching Mercury's ears peek up.
"Have I told you before? Murray couldn't stop talking about the 'tastiest' sandwich he ever had, after he had to endure that indigestion. He said he felt all better just by looking at it. And how he appreciated the help on his van, when no one else was able to be there for him.", Sly could see Mercury move slightly, straightening himself to stand up. "The other time Bentley told me how nice it was, for someone to listen to his technical talk and not shutting off in the first few seconds. Believe me, it's also a relief to the others.", Sly could tell he was getting somewhere, hearing Mercury chuckle softly under his breath.
Mercury brushed off the dust, looking through the bars into Sly's eyes. "That's outside of the jobs, Sly. How can you say I'm of any help, after I nearly got myself killed last time and put the operation on hold.", Mercury saw Sly look away, scratching his temple. "Well... and the last one...it's trickier than the other's that is true...", Sly could see mild anticipation build in Mercury, a soft smile on his lips.
"Because of the fourth gear I'm still alive. You saved my life, remember? Twice, to be exact. Because of the fourth gear the Diva Diamond heist was a success.", Mercury raised an eyebrow at Sly, how was that any of his doing? "But I didn't do anything.", Sly smiled at Mercury through the bars. "They nearly had me in the alley. I was all out of air, when suddenly I see this scared and shy guy walking down towards me. I had to smile to myself, thinking, how amazing it was that he came for my sake. That's what kept me running, that's how we escaped. Seeing you was enough.", Mercury could feel his lips twitch, gulping down his heart which felt like it wanted to rise through the roof. If the blush on his face could get any worse, he would burn away with the red.
"I just felt the need to tell you that. That's how things work in our gang and that's how they'll always work. So, are you with me, Mercury?", Sly extended an arm towards him, the bars making it quite difficult, expecting a firm handshake. Mercury just looked at it momentarily, locking eyes with Sly again. "Of course, but how are we going to get out of here? And the doctor took all of my equipment.", Sly smiled and rolled his eyes, his arm grasping for a few things in his pockets.
"Keys to your cell, satchel full of bombs, the GPS, your eye patch... though you won't need it I reckon and even some chewing gum, you name it. You want some?", Sly put a piece of gum in his mouth, making a small bubble to let it pop. "You really are born for this, aren't you?", Mercury stepped closer, shaking his hand. "It's what I do for a living, so I better be good at it, right?", Sly chuckled, putting the keys in the lock.
Mercury had a thought lingering on his mind, stepping closer to stop Sly from opening the cell. "I think we should let things play out like this for a little bit longer. Let the doctor think he's the one dealing the cards, after all there is still some unfinished business waiting. Did you get rid of the guard?", Sly put the keys away, turning to look at the knocked out baboon. "You sure you want to do this?", Sly could see him nod with a smile on his face. He grasped for the guard, pulling him away, into a nearby cell.
It wasn't long after, when the two of them heard laughter coming down the hallway. Sly saw Mercury spy down the hallway, getting closer to the bars."What's your plan?", exchanging a glimpse, Sly straightened himself in front of the door. "If possible I'll try to get the doctor when he is by himself. I might need your help, so be ready, alright?", Sly chuckled, staring back at him for a second. "So now you actually want my help?", Mercury couldn't help a soft laugh coming across his lips, punching Sly's shoulder through the bars.
"Get him out of the cell, it's time we get on with his operation.", after opening the cell, Sly put Mercury in cuffs, leaving them slightly ajar. Sly nodded at Mercury, making him follow him closely. It was kind of creepy, the doctor constantly stared back at him, a wide grin on his lips. In front of his labs stood a bunch of baboons, clearly he asked for tight security. The doctor must have seen the look on Mercury's face, chuckling slightly.
"I won't suffer from the same mistake again. Last time I underestimated that Gaz fellow, not this time.", Dr. Devistee entered his lab, pulling Mercury with him. Sly was stopped by two guards, only able to catch a glimpse of Mercury, as the shut the door. The doctor kept walking, his hand trailing over the disconnector. "You are a mystery to me. You just walked in here today, acting as someone wanting to be my apprentice. You turn out to be one of Ephilus men and I just can't wrap my head around...", the doctor trailed off, Mercury using the extra time to struggle out of the hand cuffs without him noticing.
"Then that woman just calls out of nowhere...", is he talking about Amy? What's so important about that? Mercury stopped struggling, seeing the doctor turn towards him. Walking closer he grasped his cuffed hands, squinting his eyes, as he inspected him closely once more. Mercury frowned at him, pushing away his hands to free himself off the cuffs. The doctor took two steps back, taking in his whole image.
Mercury just freed himself, yet, he seems so relaxed. Mercury got an uneasy feeling. "You remind me of the other one. Even though you are... somehow special. Just what is it with you.", Mercury frowned, the doctor grasping for something in his pockets. Mercury feared it was a pistol, as he started running towards the doctor, taking cover behind his beloved machine.
"I'll get my answers out of you, by force if necessary.", what he hid inside his pocket locked more like some sort of needle, rather than a gun. It had weird stripes engraved, the coloration a mystery by itself. It was almost creepy, the way the doctor just calmly walks at him, turning at the edge of the device.
Mercury got away from his spot, standing to face him. The doctor adjusted his glasses, sighing as if he would have rather done this in another way. Dr. Devistee stepped in, the needle just barely missing Mercury's chest, cutting into his clothing and leaving a small cut on his chest. Even though he was a man of science, it felt like the doctor has fought before, Mercury was barely able to dodge his slices.
With all his concentration on dodging, Mercury didn't even get a chance to counterattack, as he was pushed further and further back. His back hit the wall, the doctor, not missing the opportunity, brought the needle in, wanting to strike his shoulder. Mercury's reflexes finally caught up, catching his hands before he made contact with his flesh.
The doctor kept pushing, his eyes locked with Mercury's. He felt his stare drill into his very soul, like he was stealing all of his thought, all of his secrets. Suddenly breaking away from him, the doctor seemed stunned, gritting his teeth and seemingly holding his head in pain. Mercury didn't know what he was planning, but it couldn't be good. Was it just his plan to make Mercury relax and underestimate him?
Mercury kept up his stance, though all of a sudden he felt all dizzy, his vision got all foggy. Was this the doctor's doing? From what he could barely make out, Dr. Devistee walked in closer, as Mercury felt a sharp pain in his leg. He screamed, his eyes working hard to make out what just happened. The doctor had rammed the bolt into his leg, effectively making him fall to the ground. He was pulled towards the machine, feeling the cold metal clinging at his wrist and ankles.
Dr. Devistee stood above him, looking down with a pained expression, before it turned back to his usual smile. "You feel that? A special sort of ammo designed for people like you. Robs you of your energy and destroys any fluid of the lepidoptera flowing through your veins. So you can't even use your power, if you have any that is. I could go into detail, but then we'd still be sitting here tomorrow.", the doctor went around the room, gathering some pills, which he quickly swallowed and turned on the machinery.
He turned to Mercury with a bright grin, walking towards the table. "Mercury, Mercury, Mercury... Mercury.", with each repetition of his name, Mercury saw the doctor hop around the table he was strapped to. With the final one he slammed down his hands close to his head, Mercury flinching in terror, the bright light from above making him squint his eyes.
"I don't know why that name makes me so happy, hah. I hope you're having as much fun as I'm having... but let's get this show over with already.", he hopped over towards the console, his hand hovering on a big lever. "It won't hurt... much.", as soon as the lever was pulled, Mercury saw the machine brighten. He struggled in his straps to get them off, fear overcoming every cell in his body.
A lot of commotion could be heard outside, loud bangs hitting the door, over and over. "Sounds like your friends have arrived to the party, hah. I was hoping to spend more time with you alone, but oh well.", the bangs continued, Mercury eyeing the door as his last hope, but it was too late. The pain surged through his body, the beam had started to destroy his link.
-[A few minutes ago... in front of the lab]-
Sly stood in between the row of guards, his gaze gaze constantly inspecting the door. If only he could at least peek inside. He feared what might happen inside, Mercury dealing with the doctor by himself. His clearly troubled gaze was searching the area for some sort of distraction. The other guards remained still, but Sly did get a few suspicious looks. Sly had looked through the entire room, as his eyes set upon the vents, a smile broadening on his lips.
The vent cover dropped and landed in the middle of the guards, a small round object on top. The baboons looked at one another, scratching their heads, as suddenly smoke covered the entire room. Through the commotion you could hear what seemed to be the sound of fists being thrown, as the baboons started to fight admits the smoke. Sly used the opportunity to climb atop of them, looking through the slit in the door. He could see Mercury hiding behind the big device he had seen before, the doctor seemingly looking for something in his pocket.
Sly felt a hand calmly touch his shoulder, turning his head he saw Amy. "Are you two alright? Where is Mercury?", Sly turned back to the slit, gesturing Amy to come closer. "This doctor fellow brought him in there and locked everyone else out. We need to get in there and help him.", Sly emptied his pockets, looking for his lockpick. "I'm glad you showed up when you did, these guys didn't even move an inch and I had nowhere to go.", Sly smiled at Amy, gritting his teeth on a small flashlight to better see the lock.
A baboon stepped closer behind them, clenching his fists at the easy prey. Once Amy looked back, the baboon threw a punch towards them, as she brought up her cover. The baboon stopped, a heavy impact to his face knocking him out effectively. Raz retracted his arm, a small bolt stuck in it. "Raz, are you alright?", he just waved her off, looking at Sly opening the door. "The rest of the baboons knocked themselves out, but the doctor worked on his chemical equipment, these thing sting real bad.", pulling it out he stepped closer to them, looking through the gap to see inside the lab.
Raz gritted his teeth, seeing Devistee jump around the table. "Get it open and fast.", Sly already felt pressured, so the wolf breathing down his neck wasn't of any help. Only a moment passed, as he heard Mercury's pained cries from within. The sound made Sly drop his lockpick, was it too late? Raz saw him hesitate, pushing him away from the door, as he readied his fists. "What- are you just going to punch it?!", Sly looked at Raz totally baffled for words, seeing his arm change slightly in coloration.
He aimed for the door hinges, hoping to make a way inside quickly. With the impact of his fist the hinges loosened and creaked. After another punch the door fell, landing inside the lab with a loud thud. Amy and Raz quickly entered the room, being joined by Sly after a moment of hesitation. The trio stood near Mercury, unknowing to what the best sort of action would be.
"Dr. Devistee we've got you cornered. Turn off the machine and turn yourself in.", Raz grabbed the gun out of his holster, as Sly walked past him towards Mercury. Sly looked at the device, grabbing for his cane, ready to take a swing. "Don't! If you want to help him, you have to turn off the device first. If you cut the link mid-operation he'll die.", Sly felt a weird sort of pressure, his arms not moving an inch. It was almost like Raz had a grip on him and held him back.
By the way Raz's voice sounded, Sly knew he was serious. Sly brought his cane down, turning to Raz who's gaze remained on the doctor, his pistol keeping him in check. Amy scooted closer, grabbing for her pistol as well. "Raz, we have to shut it off, now! His link was already unstable, this could get dangerous... for all of us.", Raz nodded, seeing the doctor smile, as he brought up his arms to chest height.
"Turn it off yourself!", out of the doctor's sleeves came two small bolt guns, holding the very same ammo that he used on Mercury. They stared at each other both having the other at gunpoint. A stand off was the last thing they needed, as Raz looked towards Mercury, feeling the pressure of time. The doctor's weapons clicked, firing bolts towards the trio. Raz's reflexes caught up with him, as he pulled up the metal door, giving the team some much needed cover.
The clicking continued and so did the screams of agony. They were at an impasse and pressed for time. Raz kept the door in place, working his brain for a quick solution. Raz saw Sly's gaze constantly focused on Mercury, only changing direction ever so often. Raz would not be able to carry the door and provide cover at the same time and dropping it was out of the question. Of course they could peek and try to incapacitate the doctor, but that might take too long. Maybe they could attack him from behind, but how's that going to work?
"Raz, lend me your back.", Raz raised his gaze, seeing Sly run back a little bit. He did as he asked, wondering what he had in mind. With a little bit of a sprint, Sly climbed his back, jumping above the door. His cane clung to some pipes protruding from the disconnector, swinging him across the room and towards the doctor. This came to Devistee's surprise, as Sly landed on his shoulders. Sly swung his cane, hitting him in the back, effectively staggering the doctor for a moment. Sly kept rolling, his hand reaching for the handle to turn off the disconnector.
Raz went for the opening Sly created, letting the door drop as he rushed towards Devistee. The beam that hit Mercury slowly vanished, stopping the operation. Mercury's screams stopped, as he collapsed in his restraints, an audible last breath leaving his mouth. Sly ran over, past Devistee and Raz, stopping beside Mercury.
"Hey! Hey! No, no... I did everything right, I turned off the machine first. Stay with me now!", Sly practically jumped on the table, grabbing Mercury and pulled him into his arms. Not entirely focused, Raz watched them every possible moment while he dodged Devistee's strikes. "Mercury!", Sly's cry struck Amy, as she quickly ran over to the pair, seeing Sly almost fall off the table with his friend in his arms.
Amy brought them both down to the ground, watching the lifeless body in Sly's arms. It didn't feel right, they did everything right, Amy knew they did. Her eyes trailed over his body, seeing a small bolt stuck in his leg. Amy grabbed hold of it, pulling it out of Mercury in one quick motion. Sly just watched her for a moment, seeing her crawl around to the other side, opening Mercury's eye.
Blinded by sorrow it quickly turned to anger, as Sly was about to ask Amy what in the hell she was doing to him. Unexpectedly, Sly saw the color in Mercury's eye glow brightly, like that time he had seen the morning before. Not long after, Mercury's chest moved again, breathing in and out slowly. Mercury's body straightened into a sitting position, eyeing everyone in the room. Surprisingly, everyone had stopped what they were doing, even Devistee, watching closely what was about to happen.
Sly was glad, a smile slowly growing on his lips, as he watched his friend. Amy slowly backed off, getting back on Sly's side. "Sly, back off. Right now, that might not be Mercury.", what now? Sly felt Amy grab him by the collar, pulling him backwards. To Sly his friend seemed totally normal, the only thing off was that he kept one of his eyes closed. "We have to expect the worst... I'm sorry.", Amy pointed her gun at Mercury, biting her lip to stay focused.
Sly watched her in disbelief, what was she planning to do? Mercury got on his knees, breathing heavier than before, as he hunched forward, his head meeting the ground. Coming back up quickly, a grunt of pain leaving his mouth, he grasped for his head. Amy struggled to keep her gun steady, Sly still clueless to what's going on with his friend.
Mercury slowly recovered, his head and gaze rising to them. "...Amy-?... Sly...", a heavy sigh of relief left Amy, as she immediately loosened the grip on her gun. Putting it back into her holster, she rushed over to Mercury, Sly not too far behind, as he went to his side. At the tone of a simple laughter, Raz quickly turned back, readying himself once more. "Fascinating, truly fascinating. To regain consciousness after being exposed to the beams effect for so long...", as Raz and Devistee were caught up in their fight again, Sly turned back to his friend.
"So you were just unconscious? Why do you always have to scare me to death?", Sly saw Mercury struggle to keep upright, Amy and Sly supporting his arms for the meanwhile. Sly saw Mercury eye the doctor closely, his gaze catching on to Sly, roaming his body. After a moment, Mercury fell over once more, Sly quickly grasping under his arms to help him up. Weird, he felt like he had a tight grip before.
Sly could see his head turn, Mercury's eyes locking with his. "Sly, the... the remote? Do you still have it?", the question came out of nowhere, but Sly searched through his pockets, which definitely felt emptier than before. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw the red light glow, as if someone had armed the connected charges. Sly looked at the remote, then back to Mercury with a puzzled look. "Blow the charges, now.", his words were met with confusion and disbelief of the group.
"Do you plan to let us all explode?! Are you crazy?", Raz defended himself against Devistee, only having so much time to look back at them. Amy joined in, a hand on Mercury's shoulder. "He's right, Raz got it under control. We were able to sneak some troops inside, there is no need for such drastic measures...", Sly looked into Amy's eyes, before they went down to meet with Mercury's eyes. They were so pure, with a strange mix of courage. The two raccoons locked their eyes, Mercury nodding at Sly slowly.
That was enough for Sly, a wide grin appearing on his lips. How could he not believe in his friend, when he is so trusting? To Amy and Raz it seemed like madness, as Sly held up the remote and let the charges blow. To their surprise they were fine, hearing several explosions in the distance. Sly grabbed the satchel off of his back, revealing it to Amy. "It's empty... I knew it felt a little too light.", Sly smiled down at Mercury who laid down, lying on the floor, breathing softly.
"You could have told us, but nevermind that now... Amy to all troops. Entrance has been breached, search and capture. Catch any hostiles, if possible.", Amy radioed through to all troops, turning back to Mercury and Sly once she was done. "I guess that is my cue to end this little party of ours. It's sad we have to part ways like this, but I've run out of time it seems. Ta-ta. Thanks for the show.", before he could get a hold of Devistee, they were caught by a bright flash of light.
After their vision cleared, they could barely see Dr. Devistee leave the room. "Amy!", at the call of her name she simply nodded, rushing after the doctor. Raz went over to Sly and Mercury, as they brought him up slowly. Raz saw the miserable state he was in, wondering if it had been a good idea to let him go this far. Mercury raised his head, his eyes meeting Raz's.
"Next time, you should be more-", a hand suddenly grasped at Raz's armor. It wasn't out of anger or the matter, at least it didn't feel like it. Raz could see it shaking clearly though. Mercury's lips were twitching, a smile, as good as he could form it, appearing on his lips. He first looked at Sly, then Raz. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me.", Sly shook his head, smiling back at the raccoon. For Raz it wasn't that simple, he looked down at the two, simply nodding at his words.
"Amy, did you catch up to him yet?", Raz walked on ahead, seeing Sly carry Mercury on his back. "No, I lost him. I got caught up in a set of tunnels. He must have fled already...", Raz cursed silently, his fist hitting a wall. "Alright, don't set another foot in there, it might be filled with traps. Let's head back and let the guys from back-up do the rest. He won this time.", Raz had a weird feeling running through him, taking a last glance back at the raccoons, before he left the room.
They made their way back, Sly carrying Mercury down the hallway. Mercury's eyes felt heavy and tired, constantly trying to focus with the up and down motion. Yet, his eyes could clearly make out a small bear standing at the end of a long corridor, smiling and waving at him. Mercury still felt exhausted, unable to move easily, but he did his best to smile and wave back with his hand. Before he knew it, they were out the door and Mercury's eyes had closed entirely.
End of Chapter eleven.
