Hey there my lovely readers! Got a new chapter for you! Hope you guys enjoy it! On with the chapter!
Sly glanced at their map of the city and frowned as he noticed several new red circles X's not far from their location.
"Hey Bentley what's up with these symbols?" He asked, leaning over the table as he waited for Bentley to glance at the map.
"Three coffee shops that Octavio has full time guards posted at." Bentley said after taking a very quick glance to make sure that was the marks Sly was referring to. "The X's are small tar drums connected to the main pump under his mansion." He fiddled with the small explosive in his hands, frowning as it made a rather annoying high pitched beeping noise. "Look, I've got to get these explosives ready in time for the heist. I need you and Josie to get into the shops and find Octavio's blueprints to the big one so I know where exactly to bomb it to cripple the whole operation. Get a uniform from the guard house and then send Josie inside to grab the blueprints from the painting safes."
"Aw man... Painting safes again?" Josie whined from the couch. "I hate those... Stupid hidden numbers..." She grumbled and grabbed her shoes, tugging them on again with clear annoyance.
"Would you rather play guard duty?" Sly asked with a smirk and earning another grimace from her.
"No thanks. I'll handle the safe." He chuckled and grabbed his cane before tossing her shock pistol to her.
"Aw, and here I was going to buy you dinner if you'd said yes, oh well..." He shrugged.
"Nice try Rings, but I'd much rather deal with the safe than have to stand outside in the open like that. And it's your turn to pay for dinner anyway, so either way, I win." She smirked and gave him a quick peck on the lips before slipping out of the safe house. Sly smirked back and shook his head.
"Who said it was my turn?" He called after her, his tail flicking as he climbed up to the roof where she was waiting.
"Uh, I paid last time. Remember? That makes it your turn." He shook his head.
"I don't think so, I'm fairly sure I paid."
"Guys, come on... Not a lot of time here, remember? Get a move on and figure it out later!" Tris hissed in their ears.
Sly chuckled and followed Josie over the rooftops to the guard house. "Too bad that mechanic suit I nabbed back on the airship won't do us any good here." He said, spinning his cane as he looked for a good entry point. "See a way in?"
"Rooftop access, see it?" Josie pointed to a small trapdoor just visible from their slightly taller angle.
"I see it, be back in a jiffy." He dove over to the other roof and then slipped inside. The dark barracks was almost entirely silent except for a couple guards snoring on cots in the other rooms. Sly kept his footsteps light and began going through closets and footlockers in search of all the pieces he needed, eventually coming out of the building dressed in an oversized coat and mask.
"Wow... You couldn't come up with something that fit better?" Josie asked over the coms.
"Hey, my only other option was something made for a pigeon... Or a cat which was about two sizes too small and honestly I'll take looking like the marshmallow man over not being able breathe any day." He said, ignoring her snickering on the other end of the line.
"Whatever you say babe, let's just hope it fools the guards more than it's fooling anyone else." He nodded and set off towards the first cafe, and Josie followed a bit behind on the rooftops.
The guard in front of the cafe looked bored, leaning against the door and sighing before he spotted Sly. "Hold up, boss wants us to be sure, what's the midnight password?" Sly paused as Tris fed him the password and smirked under the mask.
"Bass, bass, bass, soprano." He said smoothly but it was his forced Italian accent that nearly sent Josie into hysterics.
"Alright, looks like you're the relief shift. Thanks for coming early, I've got big plans for tonight! Carnivale!" The man walked off and Josie walked over as soon as he was around the corner.
"Oh my God that's your best Italian accent?" She cackled, shaking her head as she moved to the door. "Didn't you like... Grow up here? Seriously that was by far the worst I've ever heard!"
"Oh come on I was really trying!" He whined, opening the door for her.
"Well it needs some work..."
"Yeah, yeah, just go get that blueprint." He smirked. She blew him a kiss and then slipped inside and froze.
"Seriously? Who uses wall to wall lasers in a coffee shop?" She sighed and leapt onto a nearby table, tail flicking as she planned her next jump. "We couldn't have cut the power or something?"
"You sure are complaining a lot... If we cut the power it would tip off Octavio and we don't need a repeat of his showing up at the fireworks stand. It's bad enough we tipped him to our presence here." Tris said. "Oh yeah, and don't break any of the lasers."
"Aw and here I was about to just walk right through them." Josie rolled her eyes and leapt to the next table, and then a third before sliding over the counter. "Alright painting, let's see what we're working with here." She knelt and did a once over of the piece, a depiction of a winter landscape that looked like Jean Bison's lumber camp. She grimaced at the memories that surfaced and refocused on the task at hand, looking over the tiny details in the wood grains and snow drifts with a critical eye. "There you are." She cooed, committing the three number code to memory before carefully removing the painting from the wall and swiftly opening the safe hidden behind it. "One print down, all clear to exit Sly?"
"All clear, let's get moving before someone suspects something's up." He said.
The next cafe was several blocks away, but Sly was quick to reach it, even weighed down by the ill fitting uniform he was wearing. Josie kept on his tail until they arrived where she waited silently in an alleyway for Sly to gain access.
"Hault! What's the house password?" The guard demanded.
"Easy, Tenor, Soprano, Tenor, Soprano." Sly said as the password flicked over his thief mask.
"Ah! Thank goodness you're here! Mama's makin' spaghetti tonight and I'm starving." The bulldog groaned. "I'm eat three, no! Four platefulls!"
"I'm-a guessing you-a really like-a her cooking?" His ear twitched as he heard Josie cackle over the radio.
"Mama mia, I wanna be buried in her sauce! It's heaven!" The guard hurried off and Sly watched him with a confused look on his face as Joise walked over, wheezing and holding her side.
"Babe, I'm sorry, you're great at so many things, but that... accent, if that's what you wanna call it... is not one of them." She snickered.
He rolled his eyes. "And you can't kill spiders by yourself, the big bad ex spy can't kill spiders without someone else."
"They're really fast!" She whined. "But fine, point made."
"Hey at least we aren't as weird as that guy, he wanted to be buried in his mom's pasta sauce." She paused and then snickered.
"Oh man, that's... really strange." He laughed and nodded, opening the door for her.
"Yeah, so, at least we've got that going for us." He winked. She stepped inside and looked around at the defences with a sigh.
"Seriously? What is with this guy?" She grumbled. Rather than lasers this shop had spotlights located every few feet, though luckily they were fairly stationary so sneaking through was quite easy. The next painting was of a dark swamp local, and fit nicely with the dark wood and exposed brick of the building. She hummed as she began methodically checking every inch of the canvas.
"I know you're busy, but I just can't get it out of my head... Have you ever had pasta sauce that good? Are we missing out on a whole other universe of flavors here?" Sly asked, breaking her concentration.
"Sly..." She whined, trying to ignore the rather persistent noises coming from her own stomach. "Mission first, food after." She returned her focus to the painting but his comment had thrown her off track, and now all she could think about was how long it was past lunch. The search took several minutes longer than it should have thanks to her distraction, much to her annoyance.
With the second print in hand she returned outside, stomach complaining again at the lack of lunch. "I was thinking, there has to be a good Italian place around here, maybe we could grab a quick bite." Sly said, earning an annoyed look.
"Sly, enough with the sauce! We're almost done we can eat once we have the last blueprint."
"Right, right, sorry. Let's do this."
"It's still your turn to pay." She said as they started down the street again.
"What? No way!"
"Yes way, I paid last time!"
"I swear I paid."
She paused, groaning in annoyance. "We went to Louie's, remember? I paid for dinner because it was my turn." She said, folding her arms over her chest.
"And then we got ice cream at the Little Creamery, remember, and I paid for that."
"That doesn't count!"
"Yes it does!"
"Oh come on, I spent thirty three euros on dinner! You spent what, two?"
"Seven. But I still paid."
"So? That's not even comparable!"
He chuckled. "You're cute." He said, reaching over to boop her nose. "You think I'm serious don't you?" His ears tilted in concern. "Jo-Jo, come on, it's me we're talking about. Of course I'll pay, I just like teasing you." He winked and she looked away, blushing slightly and rubbing the back of her head. "By the way when you get mad your nose gets this little crinkle and it's adorable." She wrinkled her nose and huffed, still blushing as he chuckled again. "Just like that there. Let's get going so we can eat, yeah?" She nodded and hurried a few steps ahead, head down and trying to get the blushing to stop.
"You're gonna be the death of me Rings." She muttered.
"Well I hope not! You're not allowed to die until you're at least a hundred." She laughed.
"A hundred? Really?"
"Yep." He winked. "Really. Because I plan on going out at ninety nine."
"Ahh, I see." She hummed, looking up at him. "You really are cheesy, you know that?"
"Eh, call it one of my weaknesses." They came to the plaza and he gestured to the coffee shop across the way. "There it is, give me just a second." He walked over to the guard and grinned.
"Hold up, what's the Carnevale password?" The guard demanded.
"Tenor, Bass, Tenor, Tenor." Sly responded quickly.
"Yeah, alright, you know the password, but what's my nickname?" Sly's stomach dropped. "There's only one Tony B. on the payroll, and I'm famous in the family."
Always quick on his feet, Sly cleared his throat and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm-a new. Just got in from Rome-a." He said, subconsciously holding his breath.
"Oh, they know me in Rome, I'm practically the king of organized crime in Rome. You tellin' me you never heard of me there?" Sly didn't like the slight growl in the man's words.
"Whoops, my cell phone's going off! Could be the boss, I better take this!" He said, trying to keep the sudden panic out of his voice. He hurried off, feeling Tony's suspicious gaze on his back as he walked off. Once a safe distance away he pulled out his phone pretending to answer it. "Guys, now what?" He hissed.
"I can't find anything about a nickname on the guard roster." Tris said. "No emails to or from this guy either,"
"Are we positive he is actually on the roll? What if this is the Fox trying to pull a fast one on us and keep us from getting the last blueprint?" Josie asked.
"I think the Fox would steal it first and rub it in our faces for funzies... They seem to like one upping us."
"Sly, try asking the other guards in the area. It stands to reason that they would know something." Bentley said.
Sly nodded and ended his fake call before quickly making his way out of the plaza in search of another guard. It didn't take more than two guards for him to find out that Tony B was, A) not well liked, and B) called himself Tony "The Killer" B.
"Wow this guy clearly has watched too many mafia movies." Josie said, shaking her head as she watched Sly make his way back to the plaza. "And if he's the king of organized crime in Rome why the hell is he here? Working as a grunt no less? Idiot..." She rolled her eyes and Sly bit back a smirk as he walked back up to Tony.
"Well if it ain't the hot shot. You figure out my nickname yet?"
"Of course! Everyone knows Tony The Killer B-a. You're the terror of every play-a ground from here to Sicily." Sly kept from laughing as Tony's face contorted, first in anger and then to a smirk.
"Laugh all you want, at least I'm not on duty during Carnivale!" Tony stalked off and Joise landed beside Sly a moment later.
"Idiot." She grumbled. "The Killer B, what a stupid nickname..." She shook her head and Sly opened the door for her.
"Don't take too long on this one, if that guy comes back to chat, I'm out of here..." He said, grimacing behind his mask.
She smirked. "Afraid he might ask what his grandmother's maiden name is?" She teased.
"Well I am now!" He whined, earning a laugh from her as she walked inside.
"Wow, Ritzy." She said, glancing at the marble columns and plush furnishings. Slipping past the lasers and spotlights, she knelt in front of the painting. This one was of a street she recognized in Prauge, and she had to force back the memories of her experiences there. "Happy kittens with little pink toes..." She muttered to herself, grinding her teeth as a flash of hypnotic eyes broke through the pleasant image she'd managed to conjure up.
"What was that?" Sly's voice caught her off guard, and she jumped slightly. "Josie? Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine... Just a minor flashback, thanks to the painting in here, I've got it under control though."
"Alright, if you need anything..."
"I know, Rings." She took a deep breath and refocused, finally spotting the numbers in a window. "Last piece of the puz-" She jerked back as an alarm screamed overhead, her fur standing on edge. She grabbed the last blueprint and bolted, slamming through the door with a look of panic.
"We gotta get out of here." Sly said, batting away a guard who got too close. Josie nodded and pointed to a nearby rooftop.
"Up there and follow me!" She scrambled up to the roof, barely waiting for him to acknowledge her.
Sly followed without hesitation, scurrying up a lamp post and onto the rooftops as quickly as possible. Joise led him on a mad dash across the city to the safe house, ducking in and out of alleyways to lose any guards who had followed them.
Tris nodded to them as they entered, and took the blueprints from Josie.
"Good work you two." She said as she arranged the prints on the table. "Perfect, Bentley, it's just like we thought. The tar drums feed the main pump, we need to shut them down too." she looked over at Bentley who sighed.
"Alright. I'll see if I can convince Murray to lend us a hand." He said, setting down his latest batch of bombs.
"Murray? Isn't he on a no violence thing?" Josie asked, leaning against the table. "I mean, he's not exactly all that keen on helping us at the moment."
"Murray has likely learned the aboriginal ball form, it would be enough to destroy the drums, and is non-violent."
"Okay but why can't you just... blow them up?"
"I need all my explosives for the main pump itself. I don't have any to spare." He moved set aside the explosive he'd been working on and gathered his crossbow and other gear. "I'll be back soon." He put his hat on his head and grinned as he rolled out of the safehouse.
"So about dinner..." Josie turned on her heel to look at Sly who chuckled.
"I was thinking Alfonso's." He said, offering a hand.
Murray arrived at the little cafe shortly after Bentley contacted him. He nervously waited, not sure he was ready to face his old friend again. After all, in his mind, it was his fault Bentley was in a wheelchair at all. He gathered his courage as he spotted him coming down the road.
Bentley stopped a bit short and gave a sheepish smile. "Hey." He said, hesitating a long moment before offering a hand.
"Hey..." Murray shook his hand and then shuffled awkwardly before sitting at the table. "I got your message. You have something you want to talk to me about?"
"Yeah, I do." He rolled up to the table and adjusted his glasses. "I need your help with a job-"
Murray sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Bentley, I told Sly I can't help you guys." He started to stand only to have Bentley grab his arm.
"No wait, you don't understand!" He froze and met Bentley's eyes. "Please, hear me out." The chair groaned as he sat down again with a nod. "Thank you." He let go of his arm and sat back, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "We need you to help us destroy some tar drums around town."
"I'm sorry Bentley but I can't. I'm on a different path now, one of peacefulness and... non-violence." Murray said, a frown creasing his brow. "I'm supposed to be peacefully meditating until the black water runs pure, I really can't help you go around destroying things."
"Come on Murray, It's me we're talking about, do you really think I would ask you to do this if it wasn't important? I know you're a student of the Dreamtime, I know you're supposed to be meditating, I would never ask you to break your vows or your commitments!"
"I know... It's just, my Guru... Bentley I can't help you! I'm not... I wasn't..."
"Wasn't what? You still blame yourself for this?" Bentley gestured to his chair and frowned. "Because I don't. I never have. It wasn't your damn fault! I was the one who screwed up. I was the one who didn't think about the fact the beak would fall shut when the chip was removed. All you did was pry the damn thing open after it shut, you didn't do anything!"
"But if I'd been faster or gone with you to hold the beak -"
"It's in the past Murray, you need to let it go! The only thing I feel even slightly bad about is the fact that I nearly lost you for good!" He sighed and ran a hand over his head. "I'm sorry you feel responsible for this... it was my fault."
They sat in silence for a several minutes, unmoving as the city went on living. A fountain bubbled, the sound of water hitting the boats echoed around them, it seemed as if time had stood still until a hand fell on Bentley's shoulder. They both looked up to see Tris and she shook her head as Murray started to open his mouth.
"You two have a lot to talk about, but now isn't the time. Murray, we need your help, please, and if you let me explain I'll tell you how you can do that without hurting anyone." Murray nodded and Tris sat down. "Good. Now, we need you to destroy the tar drums, as Bentley mentioned. As a student of the Australian Dreamtime, I assume you've learned the Ball Form?"
"Yeah, like my first week."
"Perfect. If you use your Ball Form and use the vents around town, you should be able to get enough air to build up the momentum you need to smash the tar drums. You don't hurt anyone, the drums get destroyed, and we're that much closer to the black water running pure. Get it?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on your progress and direct you to each drum. Bentley... You should head back and finish the rest of the preparations." Bentley nodded and sighed.
"Yeah. I'll... I'll see you around Murray." He said, rolling away from the table and back to the hideout.
"See you..." Murray called, biting his bottom lip and looking at the ground.
"Focus Murray, you two can talk once we clean up Venice." Tris slid an earpiece across the table. "Like I said, I'll be here." He took the earpiece and nodded before running off.
Bentley rubbed his face as he returned to the safehouse. He hadn't meant to go off like he had. He rolled inside and looked around but Sly and Josie were gone, leaving him alone with just his thoughts. With a groan he rolled over to his workspace and grabbed the bottle of aspirin, only to find it empty.
"I just bought you." He hissed at it, tossing it aside with a small growl. His head was pounding, stress and anxiety and anger all building into pressure and pain. The second bottle, kept in the bathroom with the rest of the first aid, was full but he had a feeling it wouldn't be enough. Still he took two and then went back to his workspace. He could hear the distant sounds of explosions as Murray took out tar drums, and Tris' gentle encouragement over the radio. Eventually it ground on his last nerve and he shut off the radio, letting the whole room fall into silence. It was, to his pusling, angry brain, relief, but to his thoughts and his mental state it allowed for a flood of doubts and old anxieties to come back.
Soft curses flooded from him followed by louder, slightly stronger ones as he struggled to get the explosives ready for the heist. Eventually however he decided to just give up and take a nap. Maybe after his head would feel better.
Tris returned about an hour later and tuck him in, and Sly took him up to bed when he got back from his date with Josie. Josie sat beside Tris who finished the wiring before sighing. "That should be everything." She said. "I'll double check but we should be ready to go tomorrow morning. With luck, we can shut this whole operation down before anything else goes wrong."
"Agreed... I just want to get back to Paris for a bit." Josie sighed. "Take a little break and lay low."
"I hear that. See you in the morning Josie."
"Night, Tris." Tris went upstairs and Sly walked over to kiss Josie's cheek.
"Come on, we should sleep." He said, gently pulling her to her feet and leading her up to bed.
There you go guys see you soon with another chapter!