Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
(Yaoi Fan Fiction)
Back-story: Chapter 10
For disclaimer : I do not own Sly Cooper or any of their Characters.
-[The events of the squad's third mission]-
During most of the helicopter ride everyone stayed silent and to themselves, safe for a few stares being thrown around. Raz was seated opposite of Mercury, clearly seeking for something to say. "It was impressive that you stood up for them, but you shouldn't forget who your superior is.", after a moment of silence, Mercury's eyes landed on Raz. "Right now our superior is a puppet to someone with a happy trigger finger.", he put it quite bluntly, as Raz's eyes trailed away from Mercury. Raz was clearly worried about the general, too.
"I- listen, sorry that I put it like that. I know what you want to say. Order of command... honestly, I know. It's just that sometimes I can't keep things down- not when it's this important. Forgive me?", Raz could see his eyes reflect the genuine sorrow, the wolf simply nodding at Mercury. Trying to get them back on track, he put on a headset, connecting him to the two in front.
"Can you see anything yet?", he heard a sarcastic snark from the pilot, the hawk clearly irritated. "You mean except trees and mountains?", Mason's sarcasm wasn't going to help them, as Mercury exhaled softly in the microphone. "I get it Mason, we're all on edge, but for us to come out on top we need to keep a cool head.", he could hear the gritting of teeth through the headset. "Screw that- 'a cool head'? Can you even hear yourself? There's no backup and we don't know what's in front of us. Either way we're fucked! How am I suppo-", a loud short bleep shut them up momentarily, Mason trying to keep the helicopter steady.
After their hearing returned, Mercury set eyes on Raz, the wolf fixing his headset and turning to face the front. "There is no sense in letting yourself be consumed by dread. The private got a better grasp of the situation than you- ...keep- a cool- head. While there is no certainty in any back up, we've come out successful in worse situations. Got that, Corporal?", the hawk went silent, only a very soft 'got it' heard moments after.
"The coordinates now mostly match the map, should we head lower?", Sly turned to the wolf behind him, his eyes setting on Mason quickly. "Not immediately, look for a secluded space where we can land. We should go the rest by foot. We can't take any risks.", they nodded in agreement, the hawk taking them down slowly to find a fitting spot to land.
"What exactly is our plan going to be, once we're down there anyway? We're four people against god knows how many of Devistee's goons. I feel like we aren't going to get anywhere without taking risks.", Raz had to admit, Mason wasn't wrong in his assumption, they'd have to be very resourceful in their actions. Mason brought the chopper to a halt, descending it down on a flat patch of a small flower field.
As they hopped out of the helicopter, Sly quickly singled out Mercury, following him behind the backside. "Mercury this is nuts. This is way above your pay grade. You know I trust you, but this-", Mercury turned around perplexed, tilting his head softly. "This is coming from the guy who already successfully took down two of the fiendish five. Now that's weird.", Mercury returned to the package stored in the back, Sly only able to stare at him silently.
"It wasn't just me who took them down, you know this whole operation has been a team effort from the very start. We never go in unprepared, like this suicide mission we're about to partake in...", Mercury sighed, turning to Sly with a laptop in hand. The raccoon waited for a response, Mercury's attempt to zoom by suddenly halted by Sly's arm. "Don't worry, Sly. He wants me to play with an open deck- and every thing I have to offer? Then he can have it.", the confusion that set on his face was enough for Mercury to pass by, as he walked to the others.
The hawk and wolf were mumbling over a strategy, the first thing being- even finding the hideout. Raz watched Mercury set up the laptop, grabbing a small device out of his back pocket. Raz and Mason exchanged a confused gaze for a moment, seeing Mercury take apart some wiring of the laptop. His attempt to fuse the machinery didn't go unnoticed by Sly, as he approached quickly. "Mercury what are you doing?", he uttered the words to him, as softly as possible, unsure of what his friend was planing.
"I don't think mine is compatible- Sly, hand me your Binocucom.", the raccoon froze, locking eyes with the wolf. Mercury completely disregarded his fake identity. He could see Mason mouth out 'Sly?' very quietly. "Mercury what exactly are you doing? We don't have time for whatever you're doing.", Mercury's eyes shortly met Raz's, before turning to Sly, holding out a hand towards him. Uncertain of what he was supposed to do at this point, Sly hesitantly handed over his Binocucom.
"We might no longer have allies in the form of troops, but there is still someone we can rely on.", Raz wondered for a moment, finally crossing him arms, as his eyes set back on Mercury. "Are you talking about your thieving buddies?", Sly was getting less comfortable, even Raz having joined in. They were talking like Mason wasn't even there. "They can be our eyes and ears. We are used to coming up with a plan to get into confined spaces and extract anything easily. My friends helping your friends. Is that going to be a problem for you Raz?", the raccoon's fierce eyes set on Raz for a moment, only showing half of his face to him. Raz let out a soft sigh, scratching at his neck. His eyes looked over Mason for a moment.
"Not like we have much of a choice. Go ahead.", Mercury tinkered with Sly's Binocucom, the laptop feed suddenly buzzing. Mercury put in a signal through the Binocucom, trying to reach Bentley. "Are you sure we can reach Bentley from here?", Sly awoke from his silent state, only briefly looking at the wolf and hawk. "Don't worry, just give it a moment-", just as he finished, the feed showed the turtle fiddling with something that resembled a mix of a slingshot and crossbow.
"Sly? If this is about Mz. Ruby, I'm afraid I-", the next sound coming out of the turtle's mouth could best be described as an elongated dying breath. Bentley's eyes set on the wolf, his cold gaze piercing back into the turtle's eyes. "Bentley! Hey, Bentley!", his friend was barely visible on the screen anymore, almost falling off of his chair. Sitting at the safety beside the laptop, only one eye visible, Bentley identified Mercury in the middle of the picture.
"Have we been discovered? I knew it was a bad idea from the very beginning. Au revoir, my friends. Hopefully they'll let me keep my laptop in prison.", Mercury couldn't help but laugh slightly, but could hear an exhausted sigh from the wolf behind. "Listen, you're not going to prison- on the contrary, you can help save several lives- including ours. We need your guys help.", Bentley scooted closer to the center of the picture again, still feeling uncomfortable in his chair.
Murray walked around the corner, several pieces of salami and bread slices in hand. "Well how can we help?", the turtle's voice was in stutters, visibly shaking in his chair. "Can you pinpoint our current location and maybe scan out any weird activity in the area?", Bentley nodded at the raccoon, getting to work on his keyboard. Murray was visible in the background, making himself a very huge sandwich. "Ah, I forgot mayonnaise! Oh- hey, Sly, Mercury and people I have never seen before!", it took the hippo a full round, only as he came back with his goods, did he realize and freeze before the camera feed.
"Bentley, it's him! He's here to take us!", Murray rushed through the entire hideout, finally crushing on the couch, hiding behind the cushions- and failing to do so. After spooking the turtle good, he calmed down, as Bentley shared what Mercury has told him before. "So no prison food?", with an audible 'thud' and a big sigh of relief, the hippo sat down, not long after returning to the kitchen.
Raz tapped Mercury on the shoulder, signaling him to follow shortly. The raccoon stood up and rushed after Raz. "Scan for weird activity? Are we really supposed to sit around wait around for your friend to magically lead us to Devistee's hideout?", Mercury smiled shortly, following Raz's eyes. "I know what it looks like, but these guys are experts. Trust me.", both Raz and Mercury turned to the screen- Murray quite audible about the biggest, most hugest sandwich ever. Mercury scratched at his temple, smiling over at Raz- only able to facepalm hopelessly.
Mason studied Sly for a moment, watching him lean against the crate with the laptop. "So that night we came to take Mercury, the other guys- that was you. I always thought you looked familiar, I guess I just never made that connection.", Sly's head tilted downwards, exhaling softly, as he evaded Mason's eyes. "Yeah, it wasn't exactly planned for this to be revealed like this- or rather at all. I'm just here to keep an eye on him. I hope it's okay, if I stay.", Sly's gaze gestured over to his friend, which Mason followed closely.
Mason's hands went along his head, one forming a fist in front of his mouth. "Can you save them? Can you save Vernell?", the hawk's eyes went up from his fist, all the way to Sly's eyes. The raccoon saw him shake very softly, almost subconsciously, as he studied his eyes. "If you manage to pull this off, I couldn't care less about your guys shenanigans. I want to see my squad safe and sound.", Sly nodded at Mason, before his gaze once again trailed over to the wolf and raccoon.
"Well you can't expect them to find any weird activity out of no where. We should move and recon this place out asap.", Mercury was slightly disappointed, that the wolf didn't even want to give them a chance. "I've got something! Sly, you guys still there?", the raccoon grew a wide smile, turning to face the wolf again. "You were saying?", Mercury moved back to the others with a smug expression, as Raz followed his steps.
The turtle saw the squad assembled in front of the screen again, the cold stare having returned also. It was like Bentley was frozen, his mouth only very slowly opening. Mercury threw his arm back, hitting Raz in the stomach, "Your stare is making him nervous.", Raz exhaled deeply, looking slightly to the side. Luckily that helped Bentley to return from his frozen state. "I've located abnormal seismic activity not very far away from you. If you get me closer, I'm sure I can tell you more.", the two raccoons were first to lead the way. Mason was quick to follow, Raz reluctantly walking after them.
Sly was in the lead, trying to pinpoint the turtle's way marker. He just about reached it, before his foot rapidly lost its footing. Mercury reached out to pull him back, as both looked downhill- some rocks rolling forth in Sly's stead. "Thanks.", Sly let out a quick, relieved breath before looking back at the marker. "Getting anything, Bentley? According to your way point it's right in front of us.", a soft grumbling emitted from the turtle, Sly and Mercury looking down at a large lake.
"This is weird, is there some kind of harbor visible to you? My readings show incredible water activity- leading into the mountain...", looking through the pair of binoculars, Sly could make out no visible buildings or anything regarding docks. Sly's gaze grew suspicious, handing the binocular to Mercury. "Perhaps submarines?", Bentley held his chin in deep thought. "Has to be it, but is there another way inside? I didn't pack any scuba gear...", Mercury looked around the group, attention quickly landing on the turtle again.
Raz took the binoculars from Mercury's hands, his ears and gaze attracted by weird distant sounds. "Perhaps? They have to filter in air through somewhere... so surely-", Mercury felt a nudge against his chest, the wolf pushing the binoculars back into his hands. Raz? The wolf looked disbelieving, shocked almost- the team was left in surprise, as he started rushing forward, leaving the forest life in his way completely trampled.
The guys could barely exchange gazes, before Mercury rushed after the wolf. "You guys stay here, help Bentley figure out a way inside!", -and off he was, Sly's head lingering on the distancing raccoon. What has gotten into him? He was remarkably fast, pacing past or simply through any obstacle. When he finally came to a halt, Mercury slammed down his feet, sliding ever closer to Raz's side. "Yo! What the hell, Raz? What happened to being careful and resourceful?", the wolf showed no reaction, his nose sniffing through the air- his eyes fixated on a camp below.
Mercury had just realized, there indeed was another entrance- but the endless army of baboons seemingly strewn around the camp put a stop to that idea, before it could even really take off. The wolf leaned in further down, sniffing intensely, a few rocks giving away below his hands. Mercury pulled him back in fear of him falling down, the wolf facing him with an angry growl, his fangs bared- it was as if he startled a wild beast. The raccoon looked right into those eyes, fueled by a mess of emotions- all trying to gain control.
Raz's eyes focused on Mercury, as he stumbled back slowly- all the attention focused on the big fangs right in his face. If it could be conceived as possible, Mercury saw Raz's expression and eyes shift impossibly fast- filled by anger, sadness... and it felt like his eyes were judging Mercury above all else. The raccoon on his butt scooted backwards, the wolf now sniffing towards him. He couldn't tell at first, but the smell softened the wolf's expression, as he suddenly huffed out several breaths. I lost it. The wolf's eyes shut momentarily.
Raz opened his eyes to Mercury, seeing him crawl back slightly. The wolf walked closer to him, his hand extending to Mercury. The raccoon was scared at first, his arm shielding him from Raz, wide eyes inspecting him closely. The wolf saw his chest rise in ragged breaths, reaching for the raccoon's hand ever so slowly. Still uncertain, Mercury cautiously grasped his hand, as Raz pulled him to his feet. Mercury heard a familiar beeping in his pocket, his hand slowly reaching for his Binocucom.
Mercury and Raz had an awkward amount of eye contact, before the wolf could pry his eyes away, unable to look back at the raccoon. Mercury cleared his throat, slowly raising his Binocucom to take the call. "Are you guys okay? Did you find something?", he couldn't help stare at Raz, an unsure frown still on his brows. "Uhm... yeah- we're fine. I almost slipped just like you did, if Raz hadn't pulled me back that is. Listen, Sly, we found a camp- there's probably an entrance around, but too many guards. Any ideas?", Sly lowered his Binocucom to look at Bentley, seeing him already working his magic. While it didn't work perfectly, Bentley scanned through the environment using Mercury's Binocucom.
The layout looked fairly simple, as the camp consisted of several rows of huts spread out close to the mountain. The camp however was guarded by a lot of baboons, each equipped to the teeth with guns. "Ideas, many- like run while you still can. But knowing you guys... you should be worried about getting past those guards. Those guns are not for show. Neither are their teeth. If for once you'd listen to me, then I'd suggest a distraction and not head-on combat. Looking at you Sly.", the raccoon smiled, rolling his eyes, as Bentley presented them the camp from the view of several hacked camera angles.
There indeed were too many to fight through, Bentley was right about that. "Sneaking past is also going to be hard. The cameras might have dead angles, but those are covered by the baboons.", Bentley's hand moved over his chin for a moment, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "Did you by any chance pack explosives of any kind? You're going to need a big distraction, so we're talking about a nice firework. I'm afraid Sly's hat wont accomplish a big enough boom for this job.", the raccoon looked at Mason adjusting his hat, the hawk's eyes quickly fell on Sly. That thing is explosive?
The hawk ever so slightly scooted away from Sly, clearing his throat. Mason dropped his bag into Bentley's view, prying it open. "I packed several explosive charges, they might not look that big, but they do make for a nice big boom.", Bentley swapped to an underwater depiction of the lake, presenting them the submarine entrance.
"I could make out several structural deficiencies in the cave's entrance wall. If you guys were to set charges at key locations, you could blow up the passage, blocking any further traffic. The baboons are bound to help clear the wreckage, which in turn would allow you to freely infiltrate and enter the hideout. In the mean time, I'll try hacking into the camera system inside the lab.", Mason grasped one of the explosives, viewing the lake closely. We're coming Vernell.
"Mercury, are you guys coming? You're gonna miss the big boom.", Sly watched Mason carefully slide down the hill, as he packed up the laptop. Mercury saw Raz fixated on the camp, his eyes searching for something. "I'm afraid we're going to have to miss the big boom. We'll scout for our way inside, you guys take care of the fireworks.", Sly was less than happy to hear that, viewing the path Raz cleared as he bolted off. Something is off.
"Are you sure about this, Mercury?", Mercury straightened, seeing Raz turn towards him- still averting his eyes. "I'm sure, watch yourself. Try not to drown.", Sly puffed out some air, the nerve of this guy. "Yeah- and you try not to get shot.", -or mauled... Mercury smiled to himself, tucking away the Binocucom. "Let's keep this brief, look into my eyes.", Mercury grabbed Raz at the side of his head, turning his gaze right the raccoon's eyes.
"You saw something- smelled something, you tried to catch the scent. Is that it?", Mercury could see Raz's head sink slightly in his hands. You caught a familiar scent. Whose scent, Raz? Mercury saw the wolf's gaze slowly meet his own eyes, once again split by the mix of emotions within them. "I- I could smell this scent and I was almost sure-", he saw the wolf's chest flatten, his breath stopping momentarily. "I could smell Amy, she and Vernell must have come through here- recently.", the raccoon went out of his way to peer deeply into Raz's eyes, before he nodded shortly.
Mercury walked slightly past Raz, looking for a safe way to descend towards the camp. The raccoon paused in his steps, turning back towards Raz- who was still mindlessly looking down at the camp. "Is there going to be a problem? You're too quiet- even considering your standards.", the raccoon walked over, his hand moving to Raz's shoulder, patting it softly. His eyes met Mercury's shortly, before trailing downwards once more.
"I'm sorry about before, I don't know-", the wolf's eyes closed, as he let out a heavy sigh. Mercury felt over his fading goosebumps the image of his fangs had caused, shaking his head quickly, as he reached for the wolf's arm. Raz turned slowly, feeling Mercury softly touch and tug on his hand. "Forget it. That's an endless spiral, that I'd rather open up later. Let's just go save them, yeah?", the wolf nodded, feeling the touch on his hand slowly fade away. Following the raccoon, he couldn't stop wondering about why he still felt the sensation in his palm.
The water surface looked deceivingly still, as Sly started setting up the laptop. "So how's this gonna go, we gonna 'rock, paper, scissors'?", Mason stretched his legs, looking over at the raccoon. Sly uncomfortably curled up, presenting the hawk a pained smile. "I'm not really a good swimmer.", no 'rock, paper, scissors' then... Mason grabbed his shoes, starting to undress himself. "So a raccoon isn't really an amphibian animal, huh? Considering your choice of employment, I would have guessed otherwise.", Sly chuckled softly, throwing Mason the satchel of explosive charges.
"Joke about it all you want, never came around learning it- never needed it. Thankfully most treasure is above sea level.", Bentley was quick to realign his signal with their laptop, interrupting their little chat. "Don't forget to take the Binocucom with you, I'll mark the location where to place the charges for you.", his arrival on the screen shot a bump through their heart pace, as the two watched the turtle. Bentley was unsure why he got an elongated glare, getting a slight feeling of anxiety.
Mason broke through the water, Sly watching him dive from the edge of the lake. "Alright, dive deeper and you should see the first point I marked.", Mason did as the Turtle asked, seeing a massive round gate a little further below. While getting deeper, a small marker appeared on his view through the Binocucom. Mason got close, feeling around for a little cranny, stashing one of the charges inside. While diving towards the next, Mason spotted an approaching submarine, the massive door opening right beside him.
He swam backwards, getting next to the door's ledges, hiding out of sight. "That was close. I've marked the next for you.", just as the door was about to close, Mason swam quickly, trying to peek inside. Even though he could not see much, he got a good grip on the vast space of the hideout. Mason swam further, his lungs starting to feel a little stuffy. Mason dropped the last charge into a small hole next to the door, starting to ascend back to the surface. "Oh no.", -what do you mean oh no... -that was usually a pair of words you don't want to hear...
Mason was just in time to break the surface, witnessing Sly hide away their equipment, as several baboons were walking up. Sly finally turned to the inevitable, sizing up each guard and gun alike. Too many. Even though he was outnumbered he still held onto his cane, looking into each of the baboons eyes individually. "Come on fellas. There is a peaceful way to all of this, right?", Sly put on a smile, seeing the baboons exchange several gazes. Each of them promptly cocked their gun, one of them pushing Sly from behind. Mason could only witness them lead Sly away slowly.
What do I do? What do I do? The hawk's eyes quickly set onto the explosives primer. He silently climbed back onto the land, hiding by the bush in which Sly hid the laptop and clothes. "I see what you're going for, but do you think now is a good time to do this?", well- when would be a good time? Mason couldn't just let them take him away- this way he might at least have a chance to run. Mason braced himself, pushing down the on the detonation trigger.
After a somewhat muffled booming sound, the water splashed all over behind them. A splashing fountain nearly crashed down over Mason, as the ground all around them started shaking. The true extent of the explosion only showed itself a few seconds later, the telltale being a few rolling stones crossing their feet. All eyes went up the wall next to them. There were several gigantic rocks breaking off above the water- ultimately blocking off their underwater entrance. But just above the group of Sly and the baboons, huge cracks lead to some of the rock formation coming loose as well.
Panic spread in the baboons, as all of them started running from the falling rocks. Mason saw Sly trying to get out of their grasp, the lot of them more interested in dodging the rockfall. The hawk grasped their stuff, getting himself out of the danger zone. Sly did his best to dodge the onslaught of gigantic boulders rolling his way, suddenly halted by one of the baboons reaching out. Let go. Before Sly could try and swing at him, the impact of the stones threw smoke all over. While he couldn't see anything anymore, he heard the arrival of another stone close by. The raccoon was rocked around, as the grip on him loosened, the realization of what happened hitting him quickly, as his feet tried to get him out of the smoke cloud.
Finally after a solid minute of falling rocks, the landscape calmed down, though still obscured by dust. Mason coughed into his elbow, trying to remain silent. Slowly he could see the smoke cloud dwindle away. Come on, Coony. Where are you? The hawk's eyes looked through all the rubble, the rocks having formed quite a big labyrinth. In the distance he could hear shouting, and what sounded like a loot of footsteps coming their way. "Any casualties? Keep looking!", Mason sneaked right through their patrols, keeping his eyes open for Sly.
He kept himself from being spotted, most of the baboons seemingly have made it out safely. Which was quite surprising to the hawk and turtle. "Boss, we've got something!", Mason's eyes widened in shock, hiding next to the shouting baboon. Sly had almost cleared the rockfall, but seemed to be struck down right at the end. Oh no... Mason saw them pick up the raccoon, turning him from side to side. Blood trickled down the side of his face. The hawk could see the turtle frozen in shock, as he himself couldn't believe it either.
A group of baboons build up around Sly, as he appeared to not wake up or struggle. "No casualties, boss. He's alive. We've captured the raccoon.", their winning cheers send shivers down the hawk's and turtle's spine. They could only watch them walk off with their prized catch. "This is horrible! It's bad- very bad and especially uncharacteristically unfortunate for Sly. The two usually conquer way worse situations and now he'll die! I can't believe it, Sly!", Mason tuned down the volume of the turtle slightly, not wanting to attract the guards.
"Calm down, they said he's alive. If they wanted to kill him, they would have already. Put into perspective this might be good... they'll probably treat his wounds... hopefully. Let's try to stay calm...", coming out of hiding he walked in a circle, unsure of what to do. "You need to call Mercury, they need to know what happened. We can't just let this happen without them knowing it.", Mason subconsciously nodded- That's probably for the best...
The sound of the collapsing rock slide in the distance had attracted the attention of most guards, allowing Mercury and Raz to easily sneak through the masses. They did it! Both watched the horizon for a moment, viewing the rockfall unfold and throwing up dust every where. Be safe, guys. Mercury nudged Raz's side, continuing towards one of the huts. One of the few remaining guards stood in front of a hut's entrance. A hard blow of Raz's hand on his noggin knocked the guard out, as Mercury hid him inside the hut.
Raz and Mercury took turns scanning each of the huts for a way inside. The raccoon was about to leave for the next one, as he felt a breeze pass him by. That's odd. Mercury held up his hand, feeling the breeze connect him to the side of a cupboard. The wind got more intense, the closer he got to it, as he knelt down next to it. His hand felt the wind practically sucked in as he got close enough.
"Raz, help me out.", he pulled the surprised wolf inside, indicating the cupboard in their way. There indeed was a vent system hidden behind it. Mercury pulled it open, viewing the long crawl space ahead of them. They exchanged a quick gaze, nodding to each other. Before Mercury could move into the vent, he felt his Binocucom buzzing. It felt incredibly warm, as he inspected it momentarily, trying to accept the call.
"Ow-", he felt his hand nearly frying, as the Binocucom spewed sparks for a moment. "Oh, come on...", he looked it over, the device no longer responding to any input. Bentley is going to kill me. "That might have been important.", Mercury's concerned eyes trailed to the wolf. "It was probably Bentley, he must've successfully hacked into the cameras inside.", even though he said that, he couldn't help but lean out the door, watching the dust on the horizon fade away slowly.
"We can't risk staying here, some of the guards are bound to come back. We have to move.", Mercury walked back over to Raz, entering the vent. The wolf pulled in the grid that covered the vent, before pulling the cupboard in front of the vent entrance. Raz eyed him closely, as he inspected the broken Binocucom. The wolf gave him the time he needed, seeing Mercury stash away the device, sighing softly. They'll catch up. He felt a soft smile cross his lips. You promised.
End of Chapter twenty three.