A Dangerous Enterprise
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
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Summary:Jenna Sheppard is going into her second year college and has an extensive interest in traveling, however, when she decides to visit her cousin in Cairo, Egypt she finds herself woven into a surprisingly dark web. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with how Jenna feels about her captors, being the infamous Copper Gang, rather quite the opposite. But when she finds out a dark secret about her family and herself will she be willing to put aside what she believes to help aid the Gang in their conquest for the greater good?
Disclaimer:I do not own the Sly Cooper series…all rights are reserved to Sucker Punch Productions™. I'm a poor college student, I wouldn't be a poor college student (or a student at all quite frankly) if I had made this wonderful game-play. I do, however, own Jenna Sheppard, Lawrence Sheppard, Tuawn and Melissa Labrador, Vincent Auteri, Dominic Auteri, Delia, Nathan, Jeremy and Dakota Sumanitu-taka and any other unrecognizable character :)
Story Type: OC Insert
Pairing: Sly Copper/OFC
Other Pairings: TBA
Rating: T
Warnings: Thieveous Raccoons, Turtles, Hippos and crazy Cops with shock pistols o.O;
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Author's Note: Okay, I suck, I know lol. Anyway, I've FINALLY gotten the next chapter out for you all so I'm gonna let you get right into all that juicy stuff below. Just know that I should be back now and with little to no problems since I've figured out how I want this to end…just letting you all know now, the sequel will be out two or three months after the end of this story. I'll leave you a cute teaser at the end so that it'll hold you over, but you have to give me some time to start writing the Sly 3 plotline ;) Anyway, please enjoy the chapter and again, I'm sorry for the long wait lol :D
Much Love,
timexgone23
A special thanks to all of my reviewers for chapter 19: Aim1107, KaiaUchiha1, Flying By Wire, bestpersonyouwilleverknow, Aryabloodlust, Papercut, Carmen Veiga, and Hitbyaratchet
Aim1107 – Yay I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and don't worry…I don't let Sly and Jenna stew for too long because I don't enjoy adding tension for lengthy periods of time, but we'll see how long that lasts heehee. Anyway, thank you so much for the review and I'm so sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D
KaiaUchiha1 – Ah, a very good question. It goes hand in hand with one of Jenna's personality flaws. While she doesn't mind arguing and getting into fights, Jenna is very tentative about things and she tries to avoid addressing issues and especially important ones. It also has to do with her guilt towards Sly's injuries and she doesn't want to stir the pot more than it already is, but don't worry :) that's definitely addressed here in this chapter :D Anyway, thanks so much for your review and I'm really sorry for the wait!
Flying By Wire – Yeahhhh, Neyla is very good at messing things up like that and she does so purposely as you've seen in previous chapters. A lot of it has to do with the fact that Sly has trust issues (that we only really notice towards the end of Sly 2 and especially in Sly 3) and Jenna's are very deeply seeded so they tend to clash a lot. Anyway, thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
bestpersonyouwilleverknow – Haha I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I try to make them as long as possible so that you don't have to feel like you were cheated out of material lol. Anyway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Aryabloodlust – Yes, I notice that it's one of Sly's personality flaws that is extremely subtle so you don't always pick up on it…Sucker Punch writers were genus for it! Anyway, I'm sorry for the lack of update and hope that you enjoy this chapter :D Thanks for your review!
Papercut – LOL! Your reviews always make me smile! I hope you and Agent Gill like this next chapter as well :D
Carmen Veiga – Heehee, don't worry, Jenna and Sly really can't stay mad at each other for too long so no worries! Since it's coming to a close end I won't make tensions run too much higher ;) Anyway thanks for the review and I'm so sorry for the long wait for an update (did that rhyme or is it just me?) lol :)
Hitbyaratchet – I'm just gonna combine all of your reviews into one lol :) Yes, I'll be doing a Jean Bison chapter and am actually in the process of doing that for next chapter! So we'll get to see some "up-north" fluff heehee! Hmm, now that you mention it – I didn't really consider Assassin's Creed when I wrote that scene, but after rereading through it, it definitely does seem that way. Originally, I had a whole different system for the Assassins in my story, but then my sister got me hooked onto the Assassin's creed series and I guess it slipped into my writing a bit :P Anyway, thanks so much for your reviews and I'm sorry about the long wait for an update. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as you did the others haha :D
Without further adeu,
ON WITH THE FIC!
A Dangerous Enterprise
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
20
Tension filled the air.
It had been that way since Bentley suggested staying with the Sumanitu-taka brothers. The Cooper gang now sat around the living room of the assassin brothers after attempting to lay low. Sly had his attention split between the Clockwerk Eyes and the she-wolf who stood next to the window and observing the chaos outside of the apartment complex.
Flashing lights of blue and red were not uncommon within the last few days, their sirens screeching loudly throughout the quiet of the night as they searched for the four thieves. There were many times where Jenna saw Neyla with a large scowl on her face, checking every abandoned building and every parking garage and she had to hide a smirk to herself. Despite the humor she found in the tigress' displeasure, she knew that it was only fueling the fire of Sly's growing distrust. She knew very well that Sly was very quick to become wary around someone if they showed a level of distrust with him and she was aware that the meeting between her and Neyla was weighing heavily in his mind. At the same time, she knew that it would be useless to prove her innocence simply because the raccoon was set in his thoughts and it took far too much effort to convince him otherwise; energy she currently didn't have.
With a deep sigh, Jenna ran a hand through her hair, her fingers tracing a few strands and twirling them in her thought. As much as she hated to admit it, the assassin's words were haunting her thoughts. She had her suspicions as to who it had been and she knew she was more than likely going to have to leave the gang in order to settle this final battle on her own. Dominic Auteri was the next on her list and while she would never kill anyone, so long as she could help it, she knew he had to be dealt with appropriately.
Her attention was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a tugging at her sleeve and looking down she noticed Dakota standing at her side. She glanced up briefly and noticing that Nathan and Jeremy were staring at her and their younger brother particularly. Her eyes then slid to the Cooper gang and noticing that she had drawn Bentley and Murray's eyes, after a moment Sly's as well and she sighed heavily. Turning her gaze back to the young wolf she quirked a brow at him, "What's up?"
"Are you really our sister?"
Jenna sighed deeply. She knew that this topic would have come up sooner or later and she suddenly wished her cousins were there. After a brief moment of silence, the she-wolf squatted so she stood as tall as he did and nodded slowly, "From what I've been told, yes."
"So you're gonna come home with us right?"
She almost winced at the question, especially understanding how delicate that subject was with the members of the Cooper gang. She was saved the answer when Nathan stepped up to the young wolf and placed a hand on his shoulder and offering the pup a smile. "Well, there are some things that she's got left to do…but maybe she'll come to live with us at some point."
"Yeah right," Jeremy snorted from the other side of the room. "She's too attached to this band of misfits to come home with people who are her real family."
"What're you trying to say?"
Nathan pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger in annoyance as Jenna stood violently from where she had been kneeling besides Dakota only moments before, her lithe form closing the distance between herself and the younger male quickly.
Jeremy only rolled his eyes, "You heard me perfectly well."
"Don't you dare bring them into this," Jenna snarled as she grabbed the front of the wolf's lapel and pressing him into the wall that he had been leaning against only moments before. Jeremy's eyes widened slightly in surprise at her vigor and the fire in her eyes, but his surprise did not deter the she-wolf as her grip tightened. "Without this "band of misfits", your brother would still be in the hands of the Contessa and probably worse for wear. Don't you dare talk down to them like they're beneath you because the only thing beneath them is you. How dare you insult them!" After a final snarl she threw him backwards, releasing his lapel and allowing him to fall back into an awkward lean on the wall, "One thing you should learn well, Jeremy Sumanitu-taka, is that help comes in all shapes and forms and if your arrogance is a testament to anything it's your own ignorance and lack of life-experience."
She glared at him for a moment longer before turning and making her way into the kitchen. Sly followed her with his eyes before sighing heavily and turning his eyes to Bentley, who seemed to be staring intently at him. After a few more moments the raccoon groaned in displeasure, finally reading the look the turtle was giving him. Pushing himself off of the couch he had found himself seated on for the last few hours, he made his way into the kitchen after the wolf to see that she was occupying her time with busying her hands.
A furrow came to his brow as she dropped the mug she had been washing in the sink, her right hand holding her left tightly and the grimace on her face was visible through the window pane before her. Without words, Sly moved to her side and took her left arm from her grasp and frowned down at the heavy scarring there. She had taken her bandage off and the scabs that remained were puckered and the raised skin was an angry pink that showed through her much lighter fur. He didn't need to meet her eyes to see her surprise. Yes, tensions had been running high between them and he had said some things to her that maybe he shouldn't have in light of his own distrust, but he vividly recalled the last time Neyla had tricked them into believing Jenna had betrayed them. The memory of the she-wolf's near-death experience was called to the forefront of his mind and he shook his head to dispel the memory. Perhaps the thing they needed to work on most was learning to trust each other.
"He did this."
It wasn't a question, but a statement and the wolf sighed softly, nodding her head in confirmation. She kept her eyes trained on his hands as he turned her forearm and hand over in his hands, inspecting the wound for the first time since he had woken and she swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat.
"I've gotten worse…" She drew off, her memory returning to the scarring on her right ear, "but I'll admit that it's been giving me a hard time…"
"You need to give it time to heal," Sly frowned as he turned her arm over once more, noting how much smaller Jenna actually was in comparison to him. "Technically you shouldn't even been using it at all."
"It's hard not to," She lamented after a moment, "It's my dominant hand."
Sly met her eyes for a brief moment before sighing heavily and moving away from her, allowing her arm to drop back down to her side. He didn't understand the ache in his heart or why it was even there, but he knew that if he didn't get to speak now then he would never be able to get rid of the feeling of bitterness in his chest.
"I didn't tell her anything you know," Jenna began while Sly had been musing over his own thoughts in hopes of breaking the awkwardness around them and playing with her fingers. "She approached me that night with the offer of my freedom for your whereabouts and the whereabouts of the Clockwerk parts we've accumulated. I'm…sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I knew you'd think differently; and while it matters little now, I just wanted you to know what it was all about."
The raccoon was silent for a moment before sighing deeply, crossing his arms over his chest loosely and watching as she looked away for the first time since she began. He took a moment to process this thought before nodding to himself, "I should have trusted you…but I couldn't. There's still a part of me that hasn't forgotten."
"I don't expect you to forget," Jenna stated as she visibly relaxed. "I expect that you would take that knowledge and apply it to what it is now. You jumped to conclusions before, Sly, and I know it's not necessarily your fault." She noticed the raccoon bristle at the comment before a frown tugged at her lips, "You can't deny that it's something we both need work on…I don't know how to trust…it's something that I've never had in my life and now that it's here, I don't know what to do with it. It's no secret and it never has been."
"It hasn't been easy for me either, Jen."
"I'm not saying it ever was," She sighed, "Look, it's not about who had it worse because we're both aware of how the other grew up."
The raccoon frowned softly before offering her a light quirking of his lips, "Maybe it's something we can work on together then." He noticed the way her head jerked up from the bowed position it had fallen into after she had spoken and he had to stop himself from smiling further. "Obviously we're quite the pair…"
"A pair of untrusting fools," The wolf sighed as she shook her head, though her tone conveyed her jesting and for a fraction of a second, Sly was able to see the wolf that had captured his heart only a few months ago. Since she had been forced to deal with her assassin side, the Jenna he had known had slowly begun to deteriorate and it was nice to see that she was still somewhere inside of the hardened Jenna he currently found before him. He watched as her face fell and he frowned deeply.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you think everything will ever be normal again?" Sly's brows furrowed deeply in confusion at the statement and the wolf sighed, "I mean, since Paris, things have been getting more and more out of hand. I worry about you guys, sure, but I can't help but be scared of what the future holds…"
The raccoon seemed to suddenly understand her underlining meaning and moved forward slightly and grasping her smaller hand in his, "I'll be honest when I say this, Jenna…it never gets easier, but that's why we're a team. Without Bentley and Murray, I'm positive I'd be rotting in a prison cell right now. This job is something that we've never attempted before. In all honesty, it wasn't even supposed to come to this – it just happened that the Klaww gang got to the parts before we could." He watched her carefully as her eyes flickered from him to their joined hands, "Normal is never a word that thieves use because the word doesn't really apply to us or anything we do, but, I'm sure that after this heist things will start to return to whatever normal is."
"I'd like that," Jenna smiled after a moment before a sigh passed her lips and earning a confused frown from the raccoon.
"Jenna?"
"Sorry," she shook her head, "I'm just not sure what is right anymore."
Sly's expression didn't change from the blank look he had held for most of the meeting before pulling her into a hug. He couldn't help the smile that spread wider on his lips when the wolf seemingly melted into him, resting her head on his shoulder (as she was significantly shorter than his five foot seven). A frown began to twitch at his lips, his smile falling, when he felt her shift slightly – almost as if she was mentally battling within herself as she shook her head and tightening her hold on him, almost as if he was her anchor to the world. It was then he realized that she was crying.
"I'm sorry…for what happened, everything that happened actually." She began shakily, "It was never my intention for you to get hurt. I know I should have said something to you earlier, but I was – I don't know…"
"Afraid?" Sly offered slowly, "You were scared of how I would've reacted." When she nodded he sighed, pulling her away from him slightly and forcing her to look at him. "Jenna, what you told me back in India hasn't ever changed my mind about you. I've never been that type of person and you know that, so why would you be scared of me?"
Jenna clenched her teeth together, unsure of how to answer him. She knew very well that Sly was not the type of guy to be abusive, the only time he would ever hit anyone is if it was on a heist or if it was necessary. He was a gentle soul and cared deeply for those he loved and while she knew this, she didn't know why she was so afraid of his reactions to different things. Perhaps it was because she had lived for so long in fear and rebellion that anything structured terrified her.
After a moment she sighed, her head bowing and her brows furrowing. "I – I don't know…"
As much as he wanted to know and pressure her for a solid answer, he knew when to leave the subject alone and he did, nodding his head and offering her a light smile. "It's okay, Jenna. If you want to talk to talk about it, I'll be here."
Jenna offered him a forced smile, though he was able to tell she was relieved. After a moment she stepped back and leaned on the counter, crossing her arms and frowning deeply. "There is something that I do want to talk about though."
"What is it?" The raccoon inquired, noting her sudden seriousness and hesitation with the subject despite her decisive tone.
"It's something that happened while I was rescuing Dakota…" She answered after a moment of pause, obviously debating whether to tell him or not. "I ran into another assassin down in the small prison that they were holding him…I have my suspicions that it's my uncle, but it's not even his identity that's leading me to believe this."
"What is it then?"
"It's what he said to me," Jenna answered as she turned her eyes to meet the bright tawny of Sly's optics, "He told me that the people I consider friends would turn on me and my enemies would soon become my friends…I'm just confused and worried that this is becoming something much, much deeper than just Clockwerk's involvement in my past."
"And when exactly did you plan on telling us this?"
Jenna and Sly's heads turned to the entrance of the kitchen to see Nathan staring at the two of them with a deep furrow in his brow and Jeremy standing next to him.
The she-wolf rolled her eyes after a moment and frowned deeply in their direction, "I was having a conversation with my partner."
"Yeah we already know you two are dating," Nathan frowned, "Now why didn't you tell us about Dominic?"
"Because I didn't find it to be any of your business," The female retorted coolly. "I've already fulfilled my contract with you and Jeremy, as have you. I'm not entitled to explain anything to you."
Jeremy frowned, "So you had no intention of telling us that the man that held our youngest brother captive was a member of your clan? Don't you get it!?" He cried as he stalked forward, stopping just before her and leaving enough space between them to not make the raccoon uncomfortable, "You're our sister! It does matter!" Before Jenna could answer, the younger wolf threw his arms up and stalked out of the kitchen fighting back the moisture in his eyes that did not go unnoticed to anyone in the kitchen.
"What you don't seem to understand, Jenna," Nathan sighed, "is that regardless of the Assassin Order, we are siblings. I know it may not feel like that, but we are and there's nothing that's going to change any of that. Other than that, Dominic Auteri has been a hit of ours for a very long time now and the fact that you saw him proves that he's still alive."
Though Jenna was still in shock about Jeremy's outburst she managed to piece her next question together, making note to speak to the younger wolf later on. "So where does that leave us?" She inquired, blatantly ignoring the speech about family, "I don't understand…what happens now that you have that contract to fulfill?"
"Nothing," Nathan answered with a sigh. "We have to go through the order and get clearance to investigate."
Jenna's brows furrowed deeply and she barely noticed Bentley and Murray enter the kitchen, "So you mean that the assassins are basically another level of law enforcement."
The older wolf pondered the question for a moment before shaking his head. "The Assassin Order has to find that person a liability to either the Order or the greater good of the public. Since the fall of the Auteri Clan only a few years ago, the Order has become misconstrued. There is no trust or loyalty to the Order anymore and despite what the Clan heads know of the situation with the Auteri, they cannot simply send assassins in to take care of the problem. It's very similar to politics…for the soldier assassins to move forward with a contract or a hit; we need to have the clearance from the Masters. Without their permission, despite our own personal feelings, we can do nothing but watch."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Jenna snarled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "This is the guy that wiped out Vincent Auteri, heir to the Auteri Clan and the Central Dragon, wiped out the entire clan including innocent women and children; meanwhile conspiring with the European terror: Clockwerk; kidnapped the youngest son of Delia Sumanitu-taka, the heir of the Tribe to the Sumanitu-taka and the Western Dragon. Murdered three law enforcers including a duel informant of the Auteri and Sumanitu-taka and you can do nothing but watch!?"
"Unfortunately, that's how it works."
"I believe you have more than enough evidence to go after this guy."
"We cannot defy the traditions of the Order, Jenna!"
"Well while you adhere to the traditions of the Order, innocent people are dying and are in extreme and very real danger!" The she-wolf cried in exasperation, clearly ignoring the Cooper gang that was blatantly staring at her now in surprise.
As far as they had known she hadn't known much about the situation involving her birthright, but it was clear she had been doing more and more research than they had anticipated. Sly crossed his arms over his chest, keeping his face trained into one of seriousness, but inside he was smiling widely on the inside knowing that Jenna was fully realizing who she was. Bentley also took the conversation with a grain of salt, knowing that this is what the wolf was meant to do all along and while he had originally been against it, he couldn't be happier that she was on their side. Even Murray was proud of the youngest member of the gang as she clearly backed the older wolf up, figuratively, against the wall.
Nathan sighed deeply, "I'm sorry Jenna…there's nothing we can do. You have tonight to yourselves and then you must leave tomorrow."
The she-wolf snarled as he walked away from her before sighing deeply, forcing her temper back down as her arm began to throb, having clenched her fists during the duration of the heated discussion. She knew that she would have to make things right with the younger Sumanitu-taka, but she also knew that the well-being of the Cooper gang was a top priority.
"If you want to settle this Jenna, do it."
The wolf turned to stare at Bentley, who had spoken and frowned softly shaking her head, "No. I promised you guys that I would help you to the very end. My identity can wait as can the issue of Dominic…right now we need to focus on getting the rest of the parts and quickly."
"Well," Murray grinned, "The Murray approves!"
"Glad you do buddy."
Sly smiled at the wolf and hippo before frowning as business quickly took over, "We're gonna need to keep moving through the Klaww gang members to find the rest of the parts. It's clear that they're trying to do something with the illegal spice that Rajan was manufacturing back in India."
Jenna nodded from across the table, "We need to get this hashed out tonight…we can't stay here too much longer."
"I concur," Bentley sighed as he hoisted himself up onto a chair so he could spread out the papers he had in his arms. "The longer we wait, the more likely we are to lose track of where the Klaww gang members have gone – especially since they're more than likely aware of our search for them. Currently we have the Clockwerk tail feathers, wings, heart and eyes…the only parts missing here are the stomach, lungs and talons!"
"Ew…like one organ wasn't bad enough."
Sly and Murray snickered at the youngest member as Bentley deadpanned, "Yes Jenna…we need the other organs in order to complete the collection."
"See, now you're just making it sound weird."
"Jenna –"
She made a motion with her hand across her lips almost like a zipper, "Being quiet."
"Fantastic," The turtle grumped before returning to his plans. "The next member we have to look for is Jean Bison."
"Who's that?"
Bentley slapped his palm to his forehead at the canine's inquiry and earning him a pointed look from said canine and laughter from the raccoon and hippo. After a moment, Sly took over with another laugh.
"We took the recon photos from Rajan's ball and went through each one that we've already stolen from. Jean Bison is the next on our list…we just have to finish tracing where he is exactly."
"Makes sense," Jenna commented with a nod of her head and cupping her chin. "So, I'm assuming we're going to spend most of the night tracing his trail…"
Bentley nodded from where he had already opened his laptop and was typing quickly, his eyes masked by the reflection on the lenses of his glasses, "Given that the Klaww gang has been using spice, all we really have to do is trace shipments of Rajan's spice operation in India."
"Considering he's the one who ships it, it should be easy to narrow down his exact location from there."
"Right," The reptile nodded with a smile. "I have a suspicion that we'll be heading to the U.S. next…it's just finding access and a safe house."
"Well," Jenna began with a smile, "if it's the U.S. we have to go to, we could always stop at my place to regroup. Depending how we travel will ultimately determine how much time we have to spend there. That, and if we have to fly anywhere, we always have my mom's biplane that she used to use when she was still in the business."
"You've got a biplane?"
Jenna turned her eyes to the raccoon and grinned widely, "Yep!"
"That's radical!" Murray cried, "I've always wanted to work on a biplane!"
"Well that's good," the canine chirped with a smile, "because that old bird is gonna need a mean tune up."
Bentley looked between his three companions and nodded slowly, "I think this could work…I'll book us passage from Paris to the U.S. while I calibrate Jean Bison's headquarters."
"Sounds solid!"
The canine grinned once more before draping her arms over Murray and Sly's shoulders (as they had been leaning on the counter and allowing her to reach their shoulders), "Looks like you boys get to see my stomping grounds!"
Sly only chuckled as Murray cheered once more, standing and picking the wolf off of her feet and swinging her in a circle before setting her down. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"Alright you three," Bentley remarked with a hidden smile at the group's antics. "Best get some sleep because we're going to be getting out of here early tomorrow."
"Sure thing, little buddy!"
"Alright, pal."
"Aye, aye chief!"
Bentley rolled his eyes at the sudden energy before shaking his head as they walked from the kitchen, leaving the reptile to trace all the spice shipments in peace with only the sounds of sirens to accompany him.
ALRIGHT! So, not as long as my normal chapters, but lemme tell you: it's awesome to be back and writing this story again :D I missed it severely :P Anyway, some nice fluff and good notes in there :D I have a LOT planned for the next chapter so it'll definitley be long enough to satisfy your damands ;)
On another note we get to see Stevie and Kurt again...I know how y'all miss our favorite LGBT couple (personally their my favorite characters to write despite not having a lot of screen time in this story - I'm rectifying that for the sequel lol). So make sure you stay tuned! I'm on a roll now and unfortunatley I only see maybe 5 - 6 more chapters left of this story...give or take. We'll see though lol.
Just remember: Reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update!
Much Love,
timexgone23
xoxo