The Dread Swamp Path

With every step, she could feel her boots sink deeper into the combination of mud and water. "Why can't villains, put their evil lair in a more accessible and fun location like Les Deux Alpes or Geirangerfjord, or even the north pole."

Sly had taken the lead trying to get them through the swamps. "Once this is over I'll treat you on a romantic weekend in Val d'Isère just the two of use. A little bit of champagne with the beautiful mountains in the background."

"Dream on, let's first make sure we survive this stupid swam before we get dragged down, and then you can fantasize further about your romantic weekends alone." Following his lead she pulled her legs out off the mud, the vacuum almost leaving her boots behind.

"For once I'm agreeing with her, these swamps are filled with unimaginable molds and diseases not the speak about the humid weather doesn't help with my asthma," Bentley spoke up from his spot on top of Murray's shoulders. "We need to stay focused on the mission."

It became quickly clear that Bentley was never going to make it through the mud with his height, he went immediately below the surface of the water not big enough to even touch the bottom. The hippo himself was struggling to get the both of them safely through to the swamp. With the extra weigh on his shoulder, the mud already came to his belly.

"So, what can you tell me about this Mz. Ruby?" They hadn't told her anything about the next member of the fiendish five only that she had made her home in the swamps of Haiti.

"Mz. Ruby the chief mystic of the fiendish five. She's a special one, always had a knack for the mystics. Like thieving ran in mine, hers was more specialized in the dark arts." She couldn't see his face, still, she heard the edge in his voice every time he talked about the fiendish five.

"It wasn't so surprising that she had no friends, the other kids were not really fans of bringing back the dead. So the logical choice was for her to take a career in crime, in a misguided goal to punish the world for fearing her as a child." Sly continued explaining while leading them further into the depths of the jungle.

"Despite her infamous reputation she managed to slip into obscurity, last known sightings claims she headed out of civilization and deep into the Haitian jungle. That's why we are wading our way through these bogs" Moving a branch out of the way, he held it in place, until all of them passed.

"Instead of wasting their money on oversized lairs they should have spent it on some group therapy." She got a pity chuckle from her companions, too tired to really laugh at their situation, they were already trekking through the jungle for a couple of days and they hadn't found any sign of her hideout.

Seeing Murray struggle following the two of them she made a decision. "Can we rest for the night? We're all tired."

Sly looked back wiping the sweat away from his forehead. If it was only him he would have pushed further, he could feel they were close by. But looking at his companions he saw that they were almost at their end.

He inspected them. Sam looked fine, she could go on for a couple more hours. Murray and Bentley were another matter. Murray was breathing harder and sinking deeper with every step and Bentley's weight wasn't helping. While Bentley was sweating profusely while also trying to keep all sorts insects away from him. The humidity wasn't helping the turtle either, who was more breathing in his inhaler then not.

"That's a good idea." Sly agreed with her although a little bit reluctantly. "We should find someplace dry to set up camp."

With that, they made their way out of the mud upon a formation of rocks. Murray wasted no time setting up their tents, relief in his eyes that they had decided to stop for the day.

Bentley was trying to combat the weather conditions to unsuccessfully start a fire. Removing a loose bark from the tree, she made her way over to him. "Put this under it." Not moving from his position, he looked skeptical up at her. "Trust me for once."

With a sigh he took the bark from her hands, putting it down behind a tree to keep it dry, he tried again to start the fire. It took a little bit, but this time the ember started to grow bigger until they eventually had a full-fledged fire.

"Well, would you look at that, where did you learn this?" He asked his voice full of curiosity.

"My uncle loved going on hiking trips, he took me along a few times. You pick up a thing or two." He could hear the hurt in her voice. "Enough about that, can I borrow your phone?"

"It's in the backpack in the tent." Bentley feeling a little bit guilty didn't argue with her about using it.

With a nod, she got up and made her way back to where Murray had put up their sleeping arrangements.

"Sam." She turned back to the turtle. "Thank you." He looked like he wanted to say something more but the words got stuck in his throat.

She gave smile while saluting him "Your welcome." With that, she left him alone to his fire.

Entering the tent she immediately saw the backpack laying in the middle of the tent. Or thrown looking at the state of it. Going through it she started to feel for the cellphone. Her hand touched something metal. Looking in the bag she found to her surprise that it wasn't the phone but the Thievius Racoonnus.

Releasing the book she continued searching for her cell phone. "Where are you?"

To her frustration, the thing could nowhere be found. Letting the bag drop, the contents scattered all over the floor. "Great, my day couldn't get any better."

Going down her hands and knees she started gathering all the contents. Her eyes catching a glimpse of the golden lock on the book again, her curiosity taken the upper hand. She pushed all the objects back into the bag, except for the book.

Taking it in her hands she looked closer at the designs, from the beautiful golden letters to the big Cooper emblem on the front. Her fingers went over the cover feeling the surprisingly smooth surface, remembering Sly had told her it was passed down his family for generations.

She couldn't keep herself from feeling the lock, which popped open without any effort like it wanted her to see it's secrets.

It looked like it was incomplete, pages were missing like they were ripped out. The pages that were still there looked like they were reattached.

Not really knowing where to start she went to a page at random. "Tennessee Kid" Cooper, he looked like he stepped straight out of a spaghetti western, outfit and all. Like Sly, he used a hook-shaped weapon. With him going a bit more violent then Sly, having a gun instead of a cane.

Tennessee did what any other western outlaw would do, robbing banks and hijacking trains, making no difference in who he robbed from. Criminal or civilian he stole from everyone. That changed when he started talking about a snowflake in the desert who brought him on the straight path. She deducted hat he was talking about a fata morgana that he encountered in the desert.

From then on he only focused on stealing from criminals and targeting outlaws until his notes just stopped nothing about what he did after his thieving career like he disappeared from the world.

Flipping through the pages she went from ancestor to ancestor, giving her a better image of Sly's family.

After a couple of ancestors, she came across one that peaked her interest. One-third of the page was taken in by a picture of a female raccoon with one eye, holding a dagger in the trademark hook shape of the Cooper clan. Under the picture, there was a name written. "Henriette Cooper"

Reading a little bit into her, she learned that Henriette was a pirate who sailed the seven seas during the 17th century. Stealing the riches of other pirates. In an encounter with Blackbeard, she took on more then she could bite losing her eye in the process.

After that she kept on sailing the sea, continuing her plundering and just like the other ancestors her notes just stopped saying nothing about what she did after her pirate life was over.

Wanting to go on to the next page she suddenly felt a presence next to her. "What do we have here?"

Shutting the book, she tried to stuff it back into the backpack. "I can explain, I was looking for the phone when I came across the Thievius Raccoonus and I just wanted to know a little bit more about it." She had the decency of looking guilty, all the blood rising to her head out of embarrassment.

Sly had an angry look on his face. "I'm sorry." She reluctantly said hoping he wouldn't be too furious, or worse leave her behind.

The angry stare kept on his face until there appeared little cracks in it. His lips started to fight the grimace going into a full-blown smile. Until he erupted in a laughing fit. "You should have seen your face." He dropped down on his back holding his stomach from laughter. "You looked like a tomato."

She tried to be angry at him for making fun of her but she couldn't keep herself from smiling at his reaction. "And how you slapped the book closed, that was really cute." Until she also couldn't keep herself from going into a laughter fit. She didn't understand why she was laughing, it wasn't even that funny. But something in his laugh was so infectious.

Both of them wiping away their tears and getting their bearings the looked at each other with a smile. "So, Henriette Cooper? Not my personal favorite, but I read she had one mean right hook, like someone else I know." Sly started.

"She's pretty interesting. I was always was a fan of pirate stories." She admitted. "They were free, to sail the seven seas to go where they wanted to be stopped by no one." Sly got a smile on his face at her explanation understanding where she came from"And who's your favorite?"

"Well there a lot of Cooper's I look up to, but my favorite would be Connor Cooper." He said without hesitation.

"He wasn't in the book, who was he?"

"You aren't going to find much about him, he never really had the chance to write his knowledge down. But I can tell you he was one of the bravest and smartest Cooper's there was. Supposedly he was so good he could slide across lasers." Sly enthusiastically told his story.

"He sounds amazing, in which time period did he live, probably a more recent one if he knew about lasers."

A sadness overcame him. "Yeah he was the latest Cooper, He was my father." His grip tightened on his cane.

She didn't really know how to react, is she should comfort him or not. Ultimately deciding on just letting him talk. "He sounded, like your hero. What happened to him?"

"He should have taught me about our family, our ancestors our duty. But instead, they took my father, mother, and legacy from me."

"Do you mean the fiendish five, did they do this to you?" She was positive she already knew the answer why the gang was going after the five, she just wanted to hear him say it. To get confirmation.

"Yes." He felt a lump in his throat bringing up the memories again. "We lived a little out of Paris, my father was already retired. Giving up his thieving career to take care of me and my mother. Still every night he told me stories about the different heists he pulled off. He was my idol, the person who I wanted to live up to. It was all taken away by five knocks on the door, my mother opened it. She never had a chance, before she could blink they had already struck her down."

He paused a little recollecting his thoughts. "My father hid me in the closet, trying to keep me safe. Told me to keep quiet and not come out until he came for me. Through the cracks in the closet, I could see everything. He fought them off the best he could, but five versus one was even for him too much. In the end, they killed him like my mother. I was almost caught, one of them looked right where I was hidden, I still remember his glowing eyes looking right through me. To my luck, one of them found the Thievius Raccoonus and they left with what they came for."

"The only thing I got left of him is this cane." A tear rolled down his cheek. Not wanting to show it to her he kept his eyes focused on the weapon. Doing this he never saw her come closer and put her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to bring up those memories." Sly automatically returned the hug.

They sat like that for a couple of minutes. Both of them unaware that Bentley opened the tent, finding them in each other's embrace. A faint smile appeared on his face, deciding to leave the two alone.

Letting go of each other, Sly looked a little embarrassed for a moment only for his charming smile to reappear. "I am always talking about my family, I never had the chance to ask about yours."

Sam locked up immediately. "I rather not talk about them." Sly felt her whole attitude chance, like something she didn't want to remember of.

"Ok, no problem. I understand." He tried to defuse the situation.

"Sorry, If I came over too harsh, but I don't want to bring them up right now." She explained, followed by an awkward silence.

"Oh for I forgot, here you go." Sly whipped out a new cellphone. "Bentley told me you were looking for it, so I thought I would come and bring it to you."

With that, he stood up ready to leave. "If you need anything else, or you want to talk. I'm here. And thanks for the talk, I felt good letting it all out." Sam returned a grateful look at him.

Which made him cheer inside knowing that there was still a chance she would tell him someday. With that, he left the tent leaving her alone to make her call.

Dialing the number for what felt like the tenth time in the last couple of days, she heard the dial tone go over. After a couple of seconds, she decided to give up again, almost closing the phone when the dial stopped and Sebastian's voice came over the phone.

"Samantha is that you? Tell me you're alright." she heard his worried voice.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, a relief coming over her that nothing happened to him. "It's me Seb, and I am alright."

"That's good, what did the police tell you are you on your way back to London?"

"I'm not with the police, Mike and Ike found me, I needed to get out of their." She tried to explain.

It stayed quiet on the other side for a couple of seconds indicating he was thinking. "Where are you now? Are they still after you?"

"I'm in Haiti for the moment, I lost them in Salt Lake City, I don't think they will follow me here." She explained

"Haiti? Why are you there? You know what I don't want to know this has been going on for too long I am on my way to you right now." He declared, she could hear an engine starting up on his side.

"No, It's too dangerous I am safe you don't need to come." She tried to argue with him.

"Nonsense, I'll come and get you personally, it's time you returned home and that we confronted your uncle." His voice held no room for discussion.

"And what are we going to do. If they aren't afraid to try and kidnap me in a police station, they aren't afraid to do worse things."

"You don't need to do this alone, This time I am there to help you. Together we can face them. And once we are back in London we can use the lawyers from the company, and we will bring him down." This was the first time she heard Seb so angry.

"I'll be there in a day. We also have another problem, I looked at the EAA system and it looks like all there are no records from the day of your abduction."

She knew what that meant. "So it's possible someone else is helping him?"

"It's possible or he just made sure they didn't come to work that day." He answered.

"Maybe, again a dead lead. So there is only one way left." She said mostly to herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked not really wanting him to come.

"I'll land tomorrow night, so if we're lucky I can get to you by the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you then and keep safe."

"You too." With that, she closed the phone ending the call. Making her way back outside she saw the three of them sitting around the campfire. Did she really want to leave them, maybe it was for the best and was Sebastian right.

She had probably more chance using a lawyer and informing the police then to go on a goose chase after an illustrious thieving gang.

Still, the police already captured Muggshot and with them going after Mz. Ruby, there was a chance she would be caught too. Meaning if she was lucky they would start to talk and throw her uncle to the lions in exchange for reduced time.

Looking up she saw that Sly was gesturing for her to join them. With that, she decided to forget her worries for a moment and enjoy the time she still had left with her new friends.


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