Two years...
Two years spent and Xander Fangmeen found out that his bloodline actually had life, he was a Fangmeen... the assassin and... partially partner to the Cooper legacy. His mother, Mina Fangmeen, had also been hiding a medium text for him to read, techniques learned and adapted to the Fangmeen abilities after decades, prehaps even centuries of being within view and contact with the Coopers, that also explained what happened that fateful night, the Fangmeen's were also attacked by Clockwerk and that meant that her injury was due to that menace of a bird.
Xander wanted to put it past him and move on from the mess, but after those short years, he got a call and he answered. "Winter Watch, Xander Fangmeen."
"Interpol Chief Inspector, Jim Barkley." Xander hummed as Barkley spoke. "I need you to report to Cairo, the museum recently wanted to host an exhibit for Clockwerk and, knowing criminals..."
"I'll be the first on site... hopefully." Xander mused as Jim laughed.
"You're right, maybe Inspector Fox will be the first on the scene first." Xander nodded as he got up and headed out as Mina spoke, still weak, but Barkley promised the best.
"Are you heading out again?"
"Barkley has me going to Cairo, got to keep those criminals on the down low, Ma."
"Be careful." He nodded as he left and revved his ride before it flared to life and he headed toward Egypt to keep an eye out...
...Especially when he knew that, where Clockwerk was involved, Cooper was never far behind...
Sly scaled into the museum silently and looked around before getting a call on the Binoc-u-com as Bentley reported in, using some weird codename. "Breaker Alpha Foxtrot, this is the Wizard, do you read me, Sitting Duck?"
"This is Peking Duck, I hear you, Blizzard."
"No, Sly, I'm 'the Wizard', and you're 'Sitting Duck'."
"I read you loud and clear, Lizard."
"No, I'm..." Bentley groaned as he complained. "...forget it, you're not taking this seriously."
"Yeah, I'm not." Sly laid it out flat for his friend, which was important as he was partaking in field work now when, two years later, they found out that the Clockwerk Parts were being set up for an exhibit in Cairo. "Look, Bentley, I know this is your first time out in the field, but you've got to loosen up. If we're going to get to those Clockwerk parts, I need you on your toes. So in plain talk, what's your status?" Bentley nodded as he spoke.
"Well, I've established myself in the basement, and I'm pretty sure I can rewire the service elevator if you can power it up from that security station." Sly swept over to the station and nodded as he voiced.
"Hang tough pal, it might take some time, but I'll figure out a way to get up there." He lowered the device before bouncing up onto a whale skeleton and walked on it before jumping off to the upper level and throwing the switch as Bentley worked.
"Okay, I've spliced the wires... ow! Hold on. There it is." The elevator lifted up to the Turtle in a more professional attire and a crossbow dart shooter in hand, the elevator a mess as he came out and headed over. "Okay, okay, let me at that security computer." Sly nodded as Bentley worked and the defenses forward were shut down, the first being the spotlights. "Spotlights are offline." The lasers soon followed with shutting off. "There goes the laser security system. I'm working on the security gate." The gate opened as Bentley breathed easy with the defenses falling. "Presto, all clear."
"Thanks, pal, for your first time out, you did pretty well." Sly commented as Bentley turned back to the console.
"Oh, this operation is far from complete. Now that the lasers and spotlights are offline, Murray should be moving into position for your rendezvous. I'll stay here and provide computer support while you go on ahead." Sly headed into the structure while Bentley tried to make it clear that the shutting down security systems were for meant for an update as Sly walked on through as patrolling guards were beyond bars and didn't notice him before he got outside and Bentley contacted Sly again in scoping out the structure where the parts would be.
"Guessing that's the building...?"
"According to my information, the Clockwerk parts are being stored up there. Now, to get access, you're going to have to meet up with Murray at the rendezvous point... unfortunately, the route through the garden is filled with guards." Sly didn't take that challenge as their plan was silent, not attention.
"No problem, I'll just take the long way around."
"If memory serves, you need to jump onto and balance yourself to run along ropes." Sly nodded as he headed out with weaving through the buildings on rope and quickly stopping as he spotted a problem.
"Bentley, looks like our old pal Xander is in the field too, I just spotted a scope from the Clockwerk."
"He must be here to keep an eye out for any criminals looking to steal the Parts, I'll radio him and try to distract him." Sly nodded before getting back to the museum premises as Bentley took a moment to realize that Murray may be running late. "Murray must have gotten lost along the way. Try pressing on ahead without him." Sly nodded, but stopped as the way on was blocked by a steel gate before a tough, but cheerful voice called out from above and Sly looked up, just in time to see a pink hippo coming down in brawler gear.
"Thunder Flop!" He crashes through the ceiling and Sly slid back to the balcony as he landed, no worse for wear, as Murray spoke. "Greetings, citizen. I hope you weren't harmed by my meteoropic entrance."
"No, Murray, I kept at a safe distance."
"Good, good... the Thunder Flop knows neither friend nor foe, only destruction." Sly raised a brow as he pointed out the obstacle of the gate.
"Yeah, could you maybe channel some of that 'raw energy' into this security gate?"
"Of course, it is nothing before 'The Murray'." With great strength, the Hippo lifted the gate open as he spoke. "Okay, all clear." Sly nodded as he pressed on before Murray pushed the gate wide open and slipped in as he took in the barred way before Sly. "Another barrier stands before you... fear not, I shall bend it like the truth." With a stomp, he plucked a bust up and hurled it across the distance and into the other gate, busting it open as Sly commented.
"Solid work, Murray. You're really in the zone."
"My hulking frame is too much for that puny rope." Murray spoke as he continued. "You go ahead and unlock the doors from the inside. I'll be waiting in the hallway to help you carry out the Clockwerk parts." Sly nodded as he walked across the rope and into the chamber, they were lucky that Xander didn't notice that they were close, for some reason as if the sound of something shattering was not alerting to him as he headed in to... nothing, the blueprints and pictures of Clockwerk were there, but no Parts for some reason as Bentley spoke.
"I don't get it, Sly. The Clockwerk parts should be here. This is all wrong! We need to pull the plug on this operation right now!" But the turtle's frantic reaction was nothing short of Inspector Carmelita Fox and someone else popping out of a pair of sarcophagi in the same room as Carmelita spoke.
"Freeze, Cooper!" Sly fell on being playful with his ever-lovely police woman.
"Inspector Fox... as beautiful and unpredictable as ever."
"Whereas you crooks are so predictable, you always return to the scene of the crime." Sly blinked as he spoke.
"Crime? I haven't stolen anything... yet."
"Oh really? Then who broke in last night and made off with all the Clockwerk parts?" The shock pistol was raised again as Carmelita spoke. "You've got the motive." Sly couldn't help but exclaim to that as that was not part of the Cooper's plan to take the Clockwerk parts out of circulation.
"Someone already stole the parts?!"
"Don't play dumb with me." The third member in the room made her statement there, a violet leopard or cheetah.
"It might not have been him, Carmelita. The method of entry and guard casualties all point to this being a Klaww Gang job." A rival gang as Sly mused.
"The Klaww Gang?" But it seemed that Carmelita didn't like the aid of this ally one bit.
"Constable Neyla, I allowed you to sit in on this stakeout as a favor to the Contessa... I really don't need any help."
"Oh, I think you might. Look at the facts."
"Facts?! Sly Cooper is right here! I caught him red-handed." Sly took the time to start heading out as Neyla commented.
"I'm just saying that there are criminals in the world other than-" Carmelita bounced back with Sly slipping out the door.
"Sly Cooper! After him!" She took off in pursuing Sly as she called out to catch him as he got down ot the ground floor and Murray came in to a near shock as he booked it as well.
"Oh, geez! Wait up, Sly!"
"Shake a leg, Murray! It's time to go!" They rushed through the museum as Bentley quickly joined as well and yelped as he panted.
"This wasn't part of the plan!"
"Yeah, well, this is where things get fun." They started to near the end of the hall as Sly called to his friends. "This is getting a little hot. You guys go warm up the van. I'll keep Carmelita busy."
"You're all going to jail!"
"Pick me up at the rendezvous!" The hippo and turtle took to the side to get to the van while Sly leapt through a window as the cops were closing in as Carmelita continued as the cops quickly took off to pursue the Cooper Van before they gave them the slip across the town and Sly got down to ground level to the van arriving to get them out of there with Murray at the wheel.
"Jump in fast so we can get outta here!" The raccoon hopped in and the van took off as Carmelita swore the pursuit.
"I'll find you, Cooper!" With that, Sly thought to himself to get the pieces together.
'Carmelita's just as angry as ever. She's really quite lovely when she's angry. That Constable Neyla. Was her reference to the Klaww Gang just a slip of the tongue, or an intentional clue? Either way, it's our only lead on the missing Clockwerk parts.' Sly thought as those thoughts headed into dangerous territories.
'Clockwerk. He was consumed with jealousy for the Cooper Clan's thieving reputation. Is it inappropriate to refer to him as a monster? No, not at all. What kind of person stays alive for hundreds of years with the express intention of wiping out a rival's family line? Imagine the hatred fueling that first decision to replace his mortal body with soulless machinery. Ultimately, it did the trick. Clockwerk lived on. He caught up with my parents, and I wound up in an orphanage. It's there that I met my pals, Bentley, the brains of our outfit, and Murray, the brawn. They turned out to be all the family I needed.' He lightly sighed as he continued those thoughts.
'Two years ago, I thought I'd finished it. How naïve to think I could so easily put an end to that kind of hatred. And now he's back. In pieces, sure, but the threat is real. Does the Klaww Gang even realize what they've stolen? I don't know what's in my future, but I won't let it be a repeat of my past.' But first, they needed to find out what they could about the Klaww Gang...
Xander huffed as the chase went down before he picked up a commlink to speak. "Fangmeen, Cooper WAS here, but his target was not, did no one tell me that the museum was already attacked by one thief gang to start with?"
"What? No, I sent you to stop Cooper from getting the Clockwerk Parts!"
"They weren't there, I need files pulled up on the Klaww Gang, it sounds like they were the ones who swiped the Parts before we could close the gap." Barkley hummed as Xander took off, the files coming up and he opened them to find the first target, a local of Paris itself, Dimitri Lousteau, and an owner of a nightclub there, so Xander only had one thought about the whole thing...
"...I am going to be fighting a 'chic' iguana being hunted down by Cooper, this should be interesting..."