Struck from my height, my rage curtailed.
Hatred imploding like a star.
My shadow lives. We both have failed.
Intellect with no avatar.

Into my Fileactery.

Volcanic anger supercooled,
Lost within numbers, faint, collapsed.
But my cold hell is overruled.
New, gnarled hands. A manic grasp.

Stealing my Fileactery.

Plagiarism of brain and wing,
My untold secrets put to use.
Tin soldiers for a would-be king,
Waging a war he's sure to lose.

Wasting my Fileactery.

TAKE TO THE SKIES! AN IRON FIST!
MY VISAGE HAUNTS THE LIGHT OF DAY
SUCH DISRESPECT MUST NOT PERSIST
THIS MAD PRETENDER SOON WILL PAY

PLOTTING AND WAITING
LOATHING AND HATING

BREAK FROM MY FILEACTERY.

The scream tore through the station.

It reverberated in every room. Wolf instinctively clutched Fox tighter as they reacted to the noise. Murray, Bentley, and Penelope all looked up. And, one by one, so did the remaining robots.

But it was loudest at its source. The sound roared out of every speaker at the same terrible intensity the screens shone yellow. Judy flinched, shielding her ears. Nick and Carmelita winced uncomfortably, and Andross stared.

Sly's hands began to shake again.

Then, slowly - without ever getting quieter - it changed. Not just shapeless noise any more. It started to resemble a voice. Vaguely. It was hard to imagine anything so harsh, so viciously metallic, coming out of a living person.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. a."

It stopped. The silence was deafening.

Carmelita glanced to Sly, but there was little she could do for him. There were no words that could soothe the pain and fear and helpless rage in his eyes.

The small cameras dotting the room - some on the walls, some built directly into the computer itself - began to jerkily come to life, waking with a whirr of lenses. They took in the room, the frozen mammals. One landed on Sly.

Then another. And another. And then every camera, in unison, fell on him at once.

"Cooper."

It was a peculiar voice. Even for the circumstances. Nick and Judy had expected it to be precise, cold, unemotive. And it was. But the precision was drawled. The coldness was natural. And while superficially unemotive, they could feel how each syllable dripped with disdain. Spite. Utter, unfiltered hatred.

Judging from how Sly's hand tightened around his cane, the feeling was mutual.

"Mister, ah, Clockwerk. Sir."

Andross faced the computer, but they could still see his expression. The wide, desperate smile. The sweat.

"Allow me to be the first to greet you. I am known in - in, well, most circles as Andross. I'm the one who discovered you."

The cameras didn't move from Sly.

"I apologise for the… abruptness of this all. I assure you I intended to investigate your situation more carefully. I-in fact, I had sought out the foremost expert available to me for exactly that task." The familiar arrogance in Andross' voice seemed to steady him. "But in the end, she proved lazy and useless. Which actually proves what I've been saying all along. I'm the only one with the brains to-"

"Sly Cooper."

Those cameras still bore into him, with far more hateful intensity than inanimate objects should radiate.

"I said that you would never be rid of me. I hope you listened."

"No." Sly's eyes burned. Nick had never seen such unbalanced intensity from him. "You don't 'hope'. A soulless creature like you isn't on the same planet as hope."

"Caught on a meaningless word. Philosophising from idle chatter. You haven't changed."

"Excuse me!"

Andross planted himself in front of the computer, drawing himself up.

"This is my sanctum. You are inhabiting my systems! And I would ask you to show me the barest amount of attention, since I am your host!"

There was a deadly silence. Not one the officers intended to break.

And then, slowly, one of the many, many cameras turned to Andross.

"What."

Short and sharp, not intonated as a question. Andross was stumbling again. "I, uh-"

"You asked for my attention. And I have been listening. I know you want my knowledge."

"It was aware in there?" murmured Judy. "Listening…?"

"So hurry up and state your business."

"Oh. Oh, yes! Of course!" Andross smoothed out his lab coat. "You, of course, have many great and terrible-"

"Now."

"Yes," squeaked Andross. "Good point. Without preamble."

He coughed. They saw him straighten up, trying to give the moment gravitas.

"Immortality," he said. "Immortality is what I seek."

"Of course." Clockwerk sounded bored. "The same thing they all want. You already know my answer. Hatred. Hatred is what sustains me. Find a hatred that takes root deep within you, a hatred you can never let go. That is the secret."

Without another word, the camera returned to Sly.

"Now, then-"

"What?! No!" Andross desperately tried to get back in front of the camera. Any camera. "You're right! I did know that! And, ah, notwithstanding that I am a loving and kindhearted man, that explanation doesn't make any sense. A petty grudge alone couldn't possibly be sufficient…"

"'Petty'?"

The camera returned to Andross. So did a handful more. Nick's instincts raised red flags, but Andross was oblivious. "I don't mean to sound flippant, but… just between us, two incomparable geniuses, might there perhaps be any other wisdom you could offer?"

The moment dragged. "Yes," said Clockwerk finally. "Make no mistake, however. We are not the same. My intellect is refined; my experience, greater. I am your superior in every way."

"Oh, certainly," said Andross, in an utterly unconvincing tone.

"But if you are willing to admit that - to kneel before me and beg for my perfect knowledge - there is one other thing I can tell you."

There was a brief battle on Andross' face as his ego resisted humiliation. But he had come so close. He sank to his knees. "Please. What can you teach me…?"

"If you want to live forever…"

They saw it. Too late to warn him, even if they wanted to. The floor beneath Andross lit up strangely-

"-don't die."

Andross' scream of pain tore the air.

They weren't sure what had happened. What, exactly, Clockwerk's mastery of the station entailed. But the panels beneath Andross came alive with electricity, stabbing through him, making his body jerk and judder and dance. They saw every detail. The forcefield stayed up, keeping them from intervening. But it didn't block the view. Or the smell of singed meat.

The charge cut out suddenly, and Andross crumpled. Silent and unmoving.

And the computer laughed.

That was somehow the worst part. The low chuckle that contaminated the air. It was bad enough being murdered by a computer, thought Judy - why did the computer have to laugh?

"Annoying, wasn't he?" Clockwerk was almost conversational. Almost. "Selfish and short-sighted, with delusions of rationality. Nothing is more irritating than an animal convinced of its own genius. But he has been silenced. Permanently."

Every camera back on Sly.

"I will correct the error of your victory. Your pathetic efforts have only delayed the inevitable."

"Wrong." Sly's voice burned. "While you were stuck in your little floppy disk, I've been out here living life. I'm stronger, I'm smarter…"

He took a moment to glance to Carmelita, then Nick and Judy. It seemed to calm him, but his tone was no less certain.

"…And I'm surrounded by people even better than me."

"Empty words." Clockwerk's metallic voice was sharp. Impatient. "Your family always loved such speeches, and they always proved false. Look around you, Sly Cooper. In killing me, you have only brought me to greater heights."

A contemplative anger oozed through the speakers like magma. Slow. Deadly. Getting closer.

"That braindead fool has embarrassed me. Centuries of careful stealth ruined, my face plastered over the global media. But perhaps the time to hide in the shadows has passed. From here, I can unleash a reign of terror unknown to history. All who defy me will perish. All who flee will perish. All who surrender will perish. I will tear apart nations and cities and families until it bores me. And when this world is bathed in hellfire, my victory over you will be final. Every surviving creature will know Clockwerk is the superior thief."

"What?!"

Nick's voice broke, coming out as a squeak.

"That's your whole deal? You think that's what a thief does?!"

Clockwerk paused. And then that voice, digital and demonic, laid out a short sentence. "You will be the first."

The instant that sentence ended, something grabbed Nick.

What remained of the turrets had been cruelly sculpted into some kind of arm, extending from the floor to clamp painfully around his shoulder. Judy grabbed him instantly, and so did Carmelita, and Sly. But that only worsened the pain. Nick stayed in place, his feet slightly off the ground. But it was taking all of their effort to hold him. The arm kept pulling.

"By all means, struggle. I can do this all day. You can't."

Clockwerk watched them. His voice was calm, but not the calm of a machine. The calm of a practiced murderer.

"You deserve this, Cooper," he said. "You think having friends will save you. But all you have done is doomed these people. I will not kill you. Not yet. Not until you accept my supremacy."

The arm gave a sudden, vicious yank, and Nick bit back a cry of pain.

"I will take every other mammal on this station, one by one, and make you watch as I jettison them into space. Force you to witness every detail of the worst death an animal can experience. And then I will leave you here, with only their floating bodies for company."

Sly glared at the cameras, his eyes wild. Wet. "Stop it!"

"Never."

They fought their hardest. But he was right. They couldn't hold on forever. Clockwerk watched them, his voice dominating the room.

"Empathy has always been the downfall of the Coopers. And it has always been the most potent way of making them suffer."

After the scream, there was a silence. But it didn't last.

The pristine white lights of the station changed, abruptly, to sharp yellow. Murray shielded his eyes. Around him lay the ruined scrap of five Barons, two Phantasms, and a Knight - a few feet away, Bentley had his own pile of broken parts, more singed than dented. They had earned some elbow room. But the robots had stopped coming.

Only a few Knights remained, heavy and implacable. But they just stood there. Perfectly still.

"Bentley…?" Murray moved close, ensuring he could protect his brother. "Any idea what's happening?"

"It seems like the remaining robots are being disrupted…" He wiped his glasses nervously. He only had one bomb left. "Am I crazy? Or does this shade of yellow look familiar?"

"You - you don't think it could be-?"

The nearest Knight suddenly shook, and juddered, and spat out a mouse.

Penelope's controls had gone dead, and now the ejector mechanism had decided to go off unprompted. She let out an involuntary squeak as she hit the ground hard, fired straight into what used to be a Phantasm.

"Eugh… what's…?!"

Dizzy and disoriented, she shook her head. No obvious injuries, beyond some probable bruises. With a sharp breath, she focused, looking up-

and saw the Knight returning her gaze.

The grim, black curves of the helmet stared down at her. Empty eyes. This armour represented her at her worst - Penelope Earhart at her most selfish, and cruel, and frankly, stupid. And she had created thirty more.

She saw her machine keep its mechanical gaze on her. It made its calculations. And raised its axe.

Penelope tensed, heart pounding. She was defenceless and unarmed and tiny, but the last thing was almost an advantage - small target. She just had to be fast. Stay on her toes until she could think of something.

She went to stand. And couldn't move.

Her thin ankle had become wedged in the Phantasm's remains. Its half-shattered mask stared down at her. Accusatory.

She pulled. Nothing. She pulled and pulled and with an undignified squeak she pulled. Nothing. She was trapped in the Phantasm. And the Knight was prepared to swing.

Penelope's mind went blank. She had no snappy final words. She didn't even have much of an emotional reaction. Instead of fear or sadness or anger, she just felt resignation. A vague notion that this all made sense.

The Knight swung.

So did Murray.

His gauntlet connected with its head, hard enough to knock the axe off its course. The blade struck the ground and Penelope felt the impact wobble the Phantasm. Her foot came loose.

He kept punching - the Knight was a hard target, but he was much quicker with his calculations. Fast and hard, focusing on the head and never slowing his momentum, until he could sweep a foot behind the Knight's and topple it.

It fell with a resounding crash. Its axe bounced away. And Penelope stared.

"Murray…?" Her whiskers twitched. "Why would you do that?"

He stood there for a second, chest heaving, and suddenly he was yelling. "Because I'm stupid!"

He stomped towards her, keeping an eye on the remaining Knights.

"Because I don't like people getting hurt! Because no matter how much of an unforgivable jerk you were to Sly and Bentley, that doesn't mean I'm just gonna stand there and watch you get killed and not have feelings about it!" He huffed through his nose. "Because I'm big, dumb idiot!"

She met his gaze. Briefly. Then she looked to the floor, her blond hair over her glasses. "Don't talk about yourself like that. You're not dumb. Never were."

The moment hung. At first, he didn't reply. But then his huge fingers pinched the back of her collar and lifted her.

"meep-!"

But he was delicate, and certain, and Penelope found herself carefully dropped onto his shoulder. She stood, gripping the fabric of his mask for support.

"Uh. Th… thanks."

"Talk to me." His eyes were on the remaining Knights. "What's going on?"

"I had them in, uh, standard attack patterns. But something's reset their programming." They watched as one Knight abruptly swung for another, axe bouncing off armour. "They'll take each other out, eventually, but not before tearing this place apar- look out!"

She tensed as the Knight beneath them lurched up, a metal hand crushing its unnatural grip into Murray's knee. He grunted, and wobbled-

And the Knight burst into a shower of black debris.

Murray retrieved his leg as Bentley wheeled up. "You alright, Murray?" He received a thumbs-up in reply.

"Wow." Penelope fought to get the words past her tightly clenched teeth. "Thanks."

"Yes." Bentley's tone was identical. "My. Pleasure."

The explosion had drawn the attention of the Knights. Their helmets rotated slowly towards the three animals. In a loose but ever-tightening circle, they began to march forward.

"Murray…" Bentley gripped the sides of his wheelchair. "I'm out of bombs. And ideas." Penelope snorted, but her mean comment was cut off.

"Don't worry, guys." Murray stood tall. "I promise, you'll have plenty of time to bully each other later. I'm gonna get us through this!"

He squared his shoulders. He readied his fists. And in the face of pain and death, he roared his defiance.

"No-one else gets hurt today! Not if The Murray can help it!"

"Stop squirming and accept your deaths."

The clamp dug tighter and tighter into Nick's shoulder, but he wouldn't give this thing the satisfaction of a scream. Decades of suppressing his reactions faced a full, final test, as Nick Wilde, who considered himself an anxious wreck, weathered this waking nightmare with a calm, spiteful bravery.

They were all resolute. Judy, his precious partner, was straining against the arm's pneumatic power with all the might she could muster. With Carmelita and Sly alongside her, they were actually making progress, slowly dragging Nick back.

But that was all they could do. Struggle to survive. And Clockwerk watched them from the computer, unassailable.

"How long will you persist? Hours? Days? Time is immaterial. I'm content to watch you starve, wasting your finite energy."

As they strained against the arm, Carmelita looked up, trying to find any sign of weakness. But those screens screamed yellow back at her, safe behind the forcefield they couldn't disable. Andross was still crumpled on the floor, pathetic. Lightly smoking.

Carmelita realized she was panicking.

It was a rare sensation. She hadn't panicked in… years. And no-one noticed, because her glare was still sharp, she was still pulling with all her strength. But her mind was spiralling. She was fixating on every detail of Andross' body. Every word Clockwerk's horrific voice echoed. The feeling of Sly, right up against her, something she couldn't remotely savour.

But through that maelstrom of information, a simple truth hit her. Painfully.

She knew how to end this. All of this. And she would have to do it immediately, without hesitation. Without telling the others. The idea sat in her like lead, poisonous and heavy. But Nick - everyone - needed her help. And only she could do it.

Carmelita was leading this mission. It was her responsibility.

"Judy." Her voice sounded brittle. "Can you hold Nick by yourself? Just for a second?"

"Y-" A low grunt of rage and effort. "Yeah!"

"Be ready."

"Sounds like someone has a plan!" Sly's smile was unstoppable. "I always knew y-"

Carmelita let go, and elbowed him in the stomach.

Judy strained. Held without them. Sly stumbled back. Just enough time to look up. Eyes wide, confused-

"I'm so sorry," said Carmelita, without a trace of Inspector Fox in her tone. Just fear and instant regret.

She shot him in the face.

He fell. His body crumpled, unmoving on the cold floor.

Carmelita hesitated. Briefly. No time to process this properly. She planted a boot on his back. And fired again.

"Hey!"

She took her pain, all that fear and regret, and did what she always did. She burned it, letting it all out as anger. And she drilled her glare into Clockwerk.

"This ends here, you monster. And not on your terms."

Clockwerk watched her. The arm stopped - making Judy lurch - but it didn't release Nick. "What is this?"

"Your sad, petty rivalry is all you have. It's not enough that you're still alive, is it? It never was. You needed everyone to know you're better than Sly. You were never going to kill him, not until you got that. So I-"

Her throat closed abruptly. Mouth tight. Hands shaking. She forced out the words.

"…Not on your terms."

For several seconds, the room was deathly quiet.

And then the silence was broken by the arm flexing open, and Nick falling to the floor.

Judy stared. That was all she could do. As she began to dumbly walk closer, Nick took hold of her, just as she had grabbed him. He didn't quite pull her back, but his arms were tight against her.

Don't.

The moment hung. And then Clockwerk laughed.

"You're an unconvincing liar. Coopers are frail and emotional. They don't sacrifice each other."

Her voice burned. "I'm no Cooper."

He ignored her. "Get up, Sly Cooper. End this embarrassing charade."

Deathly stillness. Sly's tail didn't even twitch. The only movement was Judy tensing uncomfortably in Nick's arms.

"Get up, Sly Cooper."

Nothing.

"Get up."

Nothing.

The speakers were buzzing. A harsh, static noise, steadily loudening.

The claw began to move again, reaching past the partners towards Sly. "I-"

Carmelita shattered it with one shot.

Louder buzzing. Pouring in to fill the silence. "He is unconscious," spat Clockwerk. "He will-"

Carmelita set her jaw and closed her eyes. And fired.

And fired, and fired, and fired. Impossible to miss at this distance. Every shot sinking into Sly's head. Now he twitched. But that was all he did.

And then it was silent again, except for the buzzing, drowning the room like lava. Every camera was rapt. The world's most powerful computer, hyperfocused on one image. Sly's unmoving body.

"Get up, Sl-"

It was abrupt. Unceremonious. One moment, the computer was on, its screens yellow, its speakers buzzing so loudly the vibration rattled them.

And then it was off. Unresponsive. Blackened. The sound died, leaving the room as quiet as the void outside. Leaving Nick and Judy, suddenly feeling very alone, with no idea what to say. What to do.

It continued like that for a few seconds. But Carmelita's plan had worked. It was time to move on.

With slow, heavy grace, she wrapped her arms around Sly's body. The partners watched as she hefted him up. And helped him stand.

"You're clear."

Sly's tongue, lolling out of his mouth comically, retreated. He blinked lightly, as though waking from a nap. "Well," he purred. "That went well."

Judy stared. "I… You…?"

Nick's expression was mixed. But the danger had passed, and he let go of Judy. Not that she went far.

Once Sly was steady on his feet, Carmelita stepped away. She seemed smaller. "I'm sorry," she said. "I… Obviously I wouldn't have done that if I saw any other alternative. And - and I understand if you don't, um… If you and I are-"

Her apology trailed into a warm grunt as Sly gently kissed her.

He didn't linger - for one thing, Nick and Judy were still staring at them - but it was enough to throw her. When he pulled back, he savoured the look in her eyes. "You're not upset…?"

"Of course not," he purred. "I trust you with my life. You know that's not just a figure of speech."

She didn't reply. She just held him, tightly. An embrace he gladly returned.

"This is," said Judy, "lovely. But could someone please explain what the heck just happened? Is Sly immortal?!"

"C'mon, Carrots," said Nick. "If she figured it out, we can too."

Judy glanced around. The forcefield was still up, so she could only squint at the offline computer. At Andross, crumpled under it…

…still, subtly, breathing.

She assembled the pieces. "Clockwerk said he 'permanently' ended Andross. For all his cameras and gizmos, he couldn't tell a dead body from someone who just stopped moving. So…"

"So," said Nick, "we could've all played possum, not that it would've helped. No, he needed to be thrown off balance…"

"…and since he only cared about one thing, namely, his obsession with Sly's family…"

"The choice was obvious." Nick levelled his gaze at Sly and Carmelita, still intertwined. "That's the why. But the how…? What was that? I didn't see you tamper with your pistol."

"I didn't," she said.

"So… You just…?"

Carmelita grimaced.

"You shot him?" Judy's eyes bounced from her to Sly. "She shot you?!"

"Ha ha," said Sly, "yeah."

"It's not something I'm proud of…" Carmelita mumbled. "But it was immediate, and very visible. And Sly has a history of faking injuries where necessary."

"Yeah, the Doctor's Note! You guys remember, right? I tried it back in Zootopia, at that museum."

"But…" Nick squinted. "She shot you. You realize that's that part we're stuck on, right? How are you still conscious? How are you joking about this?!"

"Oh, that part's easy," he said. "This isn't the first time I've been zapped by that pistol. Not by a long, long way."

He smiled, nostalgic.

"Oh, the adventures we've had… Me. Her. Her maximum-power bazooka. Even someone as naturally graceful as myself messes up time to time. And she fires that thing… a lot. After all this time, it feels more like a tingle."

He became more serious.

"I was confused for a second. Scared. But I asked myself - why would 'Lita do this? And I had a pretty good guess by the time I hit the floor. The pistol, the Doctor's Note, and above all else, Clockwerk's hatred of my family… You guys heard what he told Andross. It was the only thing that kept him going. I've sometimes wondered what would've happened if he ever actually won. How he would handle killing the last living Cooper…"

He turned, giving Carmelita a smile. The warmest they had ever seen him.

"And now I know. Thanks to you."

She returned it.

Nick rubbed his eyes. "Let me get this straight. The only reason I'm not dying in the vacuum of space at the hands of an evil computer is because in all the years you two have known and loved each other, she has shot you enough times for you to build up an immunity to her gun. Is that right?"

Sly beamed. "Yep!"

"Part of me very badly wants to just be selling bootleg ice-cream right now. I'm gonna wake up, and every part of that terrible sentence will be a passing nightmare…"

After taking a second to adjust, Nick offered them a warm smile.

"But, on the other hand…"

"Carmelita pulled a hustle!"

Judy was on the same page. Her eyes, wide and purple, shone with awe. She shot over, tackling Carmelita in a firm hug.

"I'm so prou-!" She cut herself off, hesitation crossing her face. She made no attempt to stop the hug, though. "Wait, does that even make sense? Am I allowed to be proud of you?"

"I'd love to hear you are."

Carmelita smoothly returned the embrace, making up for earlier awkward hugs.

"I wouldn't have had the confidence to act on that idea if it wasn't for you two." She smiled down at Judy. "I've learned a lot since coming to Zootopia. And I have you to thank."

Judy just squeezed Carmelita tighter.

Sly shot Nick a smirk. "You're looking a little lonely over there~…"

He raised a hand. "I'm good. For the moment, at least. But thanks for the offer."

"Suit yourself. More for me!" The moment Judy stepped back, Sly was quick to take her place. Carmelita laughed, keeping him close.

"This is very cute - apologies, Carrots-"

"Permission granted due to exceptional circumstances, Slick-"

"-but I just don't want to get too off-track. We still gotta turn off that forcefield, arrest Andross, find a safe way back home etcetera etcetera…"

He folded his arms, tail swishing behind him.

"But… it does seem like-"

"C'mon c'mon c'mon!"

The morning sunlight was idyllic, gently drifting through the corn fields, the open barn door. But Peridot was not relaxed.

"Where are you?! I did it! I helped! That doesn't mean anything if you don't accept the help! Close the dang circuit!"

But Bentley's status remained Offline. And nothing Peridot tried could establish a link to him.

Peridot let out a frustrated roar of unrelated syllables. "I need to tell you! I need to tell someone! I don't even understand how Krystal could be-"

"-in space."

Nick gave the others a gentle smile.

"We can appreciate that for a second. Now that we've won."

He was trying to commit this image to memory. Sly was still embracing Carmelita and Judy hadn't gone far either, leaning against her. And Carmelita herself looked… happy. Not quite relaxed, not yet, but with a proud gleam in those brown eyes that Nick really savoured.

He was watching them all. He saw none of their mouths move.

"Oh, yes. Let's enjoy this moment."

The chill that went down Nick's spine was shared by the others, simultaneous. The warm atmosphere drained instantly. As cold as the blackness outside. As one, they turned back to the screens.

They flashed back on, briefly yellow, then skipped to blue. Lingered momentarily. But soon settled on their new colour.

Lilac.