SLY COOPER: SEPPUKU SQUADRON
As me and Gregory kept clashing on how to fight crime, there was a particular gang that caught my interest. This was the so-called Cooper Gang, at that time lead by the infamous Conner Cooper. From what my sources told me, he hailed from a line of thieves: the Cooper Clan. But what truly caught my interest, was how the Cooper Gang only stole from other criminals rather than ordinary citizens. Is that even a difference? No. It is not. After all, those criminals gained their loot from robbing the citizens. The logic of the Coopers makes absolutely no sense. Whether it be them, the Fiendish Five, the Klaww Gang or any other underworld enterprise, criminals are criminals.
Chapter 7: Game of Criminals
Several days ago, inside the Cooper Gang's hideout, somewhere in Paris, France
Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo, the brain and muscles of the Cooper Gang respectively, had been through so much over the years. Whether it battling a homicidal robot-owl, a deranged scientist or an envious art collector, the two had always managed to find their strength, in part thanks to their dearest friend Sly Cooper. But times had changed recently.
When Cyrille Le Paradox's time machine was about to go down, Sly insisted on staying onboard to finish Le Paradox. As reluctant as Bentley and Murray had been on letting him remain behind, they eventually came to understand how important it was for Sly to do that. It was for his family's sake, as well as his own. Someone had to stop Le Paradox from messing up the timeline, as well as expose his enormous phony claim of royalty.
While it was fortunate that Le Paradox had met his defeat and eventual arrest, the blimp had exploded, sending its wreckage down in the Seine. Searching through the wreckage, nether Bentley and Murray, nor Carmelita, had found any trace of Sly. He had completely vanished.
Painful as his disappearance was, the two friends refused to believe that he was dead. They knew Sly was out there somewhere and one day, they would find him.
Right now, Bentley and Murray were sitting in the living room, apparently waiting for someone to enter the Cooper Gang's hideout. From the looks of their faces, they seemed pretty optimistic for an odd reason.
"So, you canceled your wrestling match for today?" Bentley asked the hippo from his specialized wheelchair, the one he had personally designed.
"Sure I did! When I got word of them coming to us for a visit, there was no way I could miss the chance of seeing them again!" Murray exclaimed, taking a sip from his can of soda. "I'm especially looking forward to see him. Man, I wonder how he's been doing lately? You told me that he'd gotten some new students, didn't ya?" he asked his four-eyed buddy.
Bentley nodded. "You betcha! But I don't suppose that they will be joining him for this visit. From what I could hear…the message he gave me sounded…..very dire" he admitted as he faced his lap a little.
Murray frowned. "Does this have anything to do with Sly, perhaps?" he lowly asked Bentley.
"Unlikely, Murray. Not saying this to be cynical or anything, but I don't think he even knows about him being gone" Bentley shot down his friend's assumption. "But I can tell that with what the world has been through lately, he had a good reason for reaching out to us….as well as the others" he sounded very concerned, something Murray could see plainly.
All of a sudden, the door to their apartment opened. In came none other than Dimitri Lousteau, an ex-enemy turned former member of the Cooper Gang. Having retrieved a precious treasure that used to belong to us grandfather, Dimitri had become a good friend and ally to the Cooper Gang, as well as a celebrity diver. Even though his extravagant personality annoyed them sometimes, Bentley and Murray still appreciated his friendship.
"Hey there, bros! Have you missed me?" Dimitri tried to make an impression on them, but to no avail. "Argh, who am I kidding! Here are the dudes you wanted me to bring over" he pointed his thumb backwards to show who it was.
Both Murray and Bentley went awestruck by the sight of two other former members of the Cooper Gang. The first one was a small koala wearing a traditional Aboriginal outfit while holding onto a staff. The second one was a large panda wearing a ride vest, red pants and a Chinese straw hat on his head. He eventually removed this straw hat, revealing his face for all to see.
"Welcome to Paris…Guru and Panda King" Bentley smiled as he looked at them.
The Panda King responded by bowing in a slight formal manner. "I am humbled to see you again, Cooper Gang" he spoke solemly.
"It's so great to see you guys!" Murray practically got up from his seat on the sofa and ran straight towards the Guru. "You too, master! I mean, I can't believe that we're seeing each other again after so long!" his excitement was too much for the old koala to bear.
Still, the Guru seemed to be amused with his former student's antics.
"Settle down, Murray. Such overexcitement is unnecessary" the Guru spoke in a language that everyone seemed to understand. "Remember, you are no longer an apprentice. Have you forgotten that you graduated? There is no need to address me so formally" he reminded him.
The muscular hippo scratched the back of his head nervously. Somehow, he felt a little embarrassed with the way he'd spoken to the Guru just now.
"Sorry…...it's an old habit of mine. After all, your teachings still means a lot to me….." Murray struggled to find the right words to describe his manner of addressing his former master.
In response, the Guru chuckled. "Then call me by whatever you feel is right" he told him, eventually looking over to Bentley. "Still, it is good to see the two of you" the mystic remarked.
Bentley smiled. "Took the words right out of my mouth. Say, why don't we have a discussion this over a few drinks and snacks? I'm sure you guys must be hungry after all the journey you went through" the turtle suggested, trying to show some hospitality to his friends.
"Now we're talking! I'm feeling starved!" Murray exclaimed, heading over to the kitchen. "I'll go see if we have some chips or whatever. You guys just sit back and relax!" he told the visitors.
"Don't bring in too much, Murray. Remember: you're on diet here!" Bentley called out to him.
"Yeah, yeah! I hear ya" the hippo responded from the kitchen.
Dimitri felt like telling them what he would've liked. "How about some champagne? Come on, bros! This is a reunion! It calls for a celebration!" the iguana was keen on making it more "fun".
Bentley shook his head weakly. "Sure. Murray's already bringing some along the way, I guess" he told Dimitri, looking at the Guru and Panda King. "Would you guys like some champagne?" he asked them.
"I do not mean to be impolite, but I do not drink. Tea is all I need" the Panda King spoke as formal as he could.
"I share the same sentiment" the Guru spoke up, agreeing with the giant panda.
The four-eyed turtle had to chuckle as he heard those words.
"No need to feel so apologetic. A cup of tea is always nice. Besides, I'd like one myself" Bentley told them and started pushing some buttons on his wheelchair.
The guests were in disbelief as the tentacle like arms from the wheelchair started making some tea so quickly. In a few minutes, it was served. Three cups were made. One was for himself, while the others were for the Guru and Panda King.
"There you go! With this small machine that I invented, making tea and coffee is something I do best. Can't always rely on Murray to do everything around here" Bentley remarked with a cheeky grin.
"I heard that!" Murray called out, feeling annoyed at his buddy's childish jibe.
None of them took heed to the hippo's words. Yet Dimitri was already too impressed with Bentley's wheelchair.
"Your chair is like…..so cool, brainiac bro! It's all robotic and comic book style with those octopus arms of yours!" Dimitri tried to give Bentley a compliment.
Sadly, there was nothing but cricket noises between them all. None of those around Dimitri took his words seriously enough. Still, Bentley knew that the iguana's sometimes poor choice of words was something that wasn't worth scolding him over.
"I'll take that as a compliment…thanks" Bentley tried to break the awkwardness.
With the snacks and drinks served, Bentley and Murray took their time to listen to what the Guru and the Panda King had been doing since they had left the Cooper Gang. Murray, in particular, was surprised when he learned where his former master had gone off to.
"So you've been living in Central Park? All because of your new students attracting so much attention from the media?" Murray couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I mean, I can understand your reasons, but why New York? That city is a big metropole. Compared to the Australian outback, the air over there is filled with smog, not to mention how noisy it is both day and night" the hippo was keen on understanding more.
"Yes. I agree with you on that. Admittedly, there are times when I long to return to Yuendumu and feel it's sun gaze upon me once again" the Guru agreed, sighing as he said those words. "But given that me and my musical students are now hiding in the park, we've figured that it is the last place those pesky people will ever look for us. Still, the media was not the worst I had feared…..." he looked a little down as he said that.
Murray looked at him concerned. "What do you mean by that, master?" he asked the Guru.
"Say, Panda King. How are things going back in China?" Bentley changed the topic by asking the giant panda that question. "I bet things at the Kunlun Mountains have been fine ever since we rescued your daughter, yes?" he asked him.
At first, Bentley and the others would've expected the Panda King to be irritated at his daughter being brought into this conversation. Surprisingly, he seemed to take it rather well. In fact, the Panda King found himself weakly smiling.
"Much better, actually. Jing is finally engaged. After witnessing so many suitors…she has found a man worthy of having her hand in marriage" the Panda King spoke, feeling a sense of relief at saying that.
The eyes of Bentley and Murray widened at hearing this announcement. In fact, Bentley, who had some tea in his mouth, sprouted the liquid out when he heard it.
"She's what!?" Bentley was almost speechless.
Murray, however, felt happy for him. "Well, that's great news! She's finally found someone she loves!" he heaped praises, only to remind himself of speaking of the Panda King's daughter respectively. "I assume you've met and accepted this fiancé of hers, haven't ya?" the hippo asked him.
"I have indeed" the Panda King responded, thinking about the individual who had been brave enough to make an effort to befriend him, despite his fierce reputation. "From looking at how he and Jing are in harmony together, there is no way that I can deny how strong their love for one another is. Therefore, it is my honor as her father to accept that man as my future son-in-law" he went on speaking of fondly of him.
Murrey and Bentley were surprised, seeing as they had never seen the Panda King like this. The only time they had ever seen him was when they had rescued Jing from captivity.
"Any chance that your girl is open to polygamy?" Dimitri's insensitive remark earned him a glare from the Panda King. "Chill out, badass bro. I was just busting your balls. You know that I literally don't to steal her or anything" he tried his best to remove that glare from his face.
The Panda King did so, dedicating himself o drinking his tea instead.
"Your concept of sarcasm is lost upon me, Dimitri Lousteau" he sternly told the laidback iguana.
"Yeah, tell us about it" Murray chimed in, teasing Dimitri a little.
"Alright. I think we can put aside this catching up part for now" Bentley suddenly decided, with all eyes on him. "Dimitri. Guru. Panda King. You fellas have heard about our recent time travelling, yes?" the turtle asked them all.
Hearing that question made Dimitri scoff. "What kind of question is that? Have you forgotten who watched over your crib while you were gone!? That's right! It was me, Dimitri, yo!" he reminded Bentley, who stared at him annoyed in return. "Which reminds me, I told these dudes everything about your travels before we came here" Dimitri then revealed.
"Showoff…" Bentley muttered, annoyed at Dimitri's wise-guy persona.
"Anyway…..." Murray suddenly intervened. "While we learned a lot about the Coopers and Le Paradox…...we never expected Penelope to betray us" the hippo admitted to everyone.
As Murray said that, he looked at Bentley. So far, the turtle had retained a strong expression in face of his former girlfriend being brought up.
"Indeed. I have heard about that mechanic's defection to the enemy side. To see a young girl like her embracing the darkness of criminality dismays me" the Panda King expressed his opinions on the matter.
"Why did it have to be her?" Dimitri seemed kind of sad when speaking about Penelope. "That chick had good talents with those toy cars of hers! I didn't scare her, did I?" he still couldn't fathom how a girl he thought of as cute had ended up becoming a villain.
Murray shook his head at him, annoyed that Dimitri would even consider himself to be the reason for Penelope's betrayal. The Guru and the Panda King shared similar expressions when hearing the iguana's words.
Bentley, painful as it was for him to answer that, felt the need to open up. Plus, he didn't want Dimitri to have bad conscience.
"Apparently, Penelope believed that Sly had stolen my potential as a scientist and inventor. She believed that me following the Coopers' honor code made me his puppet" Bentley explained some of it.
Murray watched Bentley answer from the sidelines, watching as his friend struggled to hide the pain within him. In fact, the hippo felt like joining this conversation, in hopes of not letting Bentley take all the burden himself.
"I don't know what you guys think, but when Penelope said those words…she sounded just like Dr. M" Murray spoke up, earning him a stare from Bentley. This made Murray feel bad. "I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean to….." he tried apologizing.
"No, Murray. I guess your comparison does bear some fruit. However, I don't believe for a second that Penelope would allow herself to be consumed with hatred over Sly. She appears smarter than that" Bentley responded to his friend, facepalming when realizing how complicated the question was. "Drat. Even to this day, I still have no clue about her motivations. And the fact that she was willing to cooperate with someone like Le Paradox makes it more difficult to understand" the four-eyed turtle groaned.
Those around him showed sympathy, even the usually stern Panda King.
"Hmm…...perhaps she is not as good-natured as we all thought she was" the giant panda suggested.
"Or she was just being jealous of Cooper getting your devoted attention, as if he stole you from her" Dimitri chimed in.
Bentley glared at him, annoyed by his words. "That's highly unlikely, Dimitri. Quit coming up with those outlandish hypothesizes!" he berated him.
"Relax, dude. I'm only trying to be a good friend here!" the iguana shot back.
Before they could continue this war of words, the Guru made a coughing noise. He got everyone's attention. It appeared that he wished to speak on this matter.
"As terrible as the news of betrayal is, it is not surprising to me. The visions I had received revealed me of her actions" the old koala said.
"Master…perhaps it's time that you told us the reason for arranging this gathering. Clearly, it's more than just a friendly reunion, right?" Murray asked him.
In response, the Guru nodded his head weakly in return.
"I am afraid that is correct. Because I am about to reveal you all something. A secret that I have kept ever since I joined your adventures" the Guru said, facing Murray as if he was about to share something with his former student. "Murray…you…..are not the first student in the arts of Dreamtime. There was one before you" he revealed.
This lid up Murray's eyes. "R-really!? You mean you had another student before me?" he asked, to which the Guru nodded his head weakly. "That's awesome! You never told me that. What was he like!?" he really wanted to know more.
"Murray…..I don't think this is the appropriate tone to use…" Bentley politely chided him.
"Indeed. He does not appear to be pleased with saying this" the Panda King joined in.
Murray, watching the troubled expression on his master's face, realized what they were talking about.
"Sorry for the overexcitement…..but what is it about that student that you feel so ashamed of speaking about?" the hippo wanted some answers.
"Yeah, man. What gives?" Dimitri was also keen on knowing the truth.
Knowing that he needed to be honest, the mystic sighed.
"Because this individual was a promising student. His talents were so remarkable that I almost came to view him as my adoptive son. Sadly…..he was corrupted by his desire for greater power" the Guru revealed, feeling sad as he revealed the details.
Murray was stunned. Never before had he seen his master getting so emotional whenever they conversed. That's why he felt this was a completely different side of him.
"Greater power…" Murray uttered out those words.
"His hunger for power drove him insane. As such, he sought to obtain the Mask of the Dark Earth and use it for his own ends" the Guru revealed.
Both Bentley and Murray were stunned as the name of that mask were brought up.
"Mask of the Dark Earth? Boy, that's a thing I haven't heard about in a long time" Bentley remarked.
"Did that student ever succeed in obtaining it?" Murray asked his master.
"No. Because I managed to seal it away beneath the earth. After we had a long argument, I disowned him. Painful as it was, he was unfit for the teachings of the Dreamtime" the Guru revealed, yet he seemed to have more on the heart. "Still, he swore that he would be back, and has since haunted me ever since. When I took you in, Murray, I was worried about you treading upon the same path. But to my greatest relief and joy…you did not" he spoke very fondly of Murray.
The bulky hippo didn't know what to say. Still, he felt flattered by that comment. "Aw shucks…I don't know what to say..." Murray said, scratching the back of his head.
Bentley had grown more intrigued by hearing the Guru's story. As such, he wanted to know the reason why he was telling them this. But first, he had some questions for the mystic.
"Guru, you don't suppose that…." Bentley tried figuring it out, yet he seemed to have done that. He gasped. "Hold on! Are you saying that those miners we chased away from the outback…they were….." he almost getting to the picture.
The Guru nodded his head lowly. "That is right. It was my former student who hired them to defile Yuendumu. Yet his reasons were not for the opals. That was the miners' reward would be. No, he sought out the Mask of the Dark Earth for himself…and wanted me out of the way" he revealed the shocking truth.
"No way! That's insane! But that kinda explains why those miners seemed leaderless while we messed up their operations" Murray remarked, forcing a smile as he said those words. "Good thing the mask got destroyed, though. It sure was a huge pain in the neck for us" the hippo expressed his relief.
But even as Murray said that, the Guru looked at him rather dissatisfied. Clearly, he seemed very troubled, something the others took notice off.
"Guru…..for what exact reason are you telling us these revelations?" Bentley wanted to know more.
"Because before I came to assemble you all for this reunion….I encountered my former student in New York" the old koala revealed, recalling back to his meeting with this individual. "When I looked at him…he was a completely different person. His hunger for power has taken hold on him…..and his empathy has died" the Guru then added.
"What did he say to you? Didn't he try killing you or anything?" Murray was worried.
"No. He only gave me a warning. One that involved around all of you sitting here" the Guru answered, feeling a little uncomfortable while saying those words. "He said that the age of thieves was already near its end. And that B.A.N.J.O. would see to everyone, including us, disappear from the face of the earth. But the most terrible sight was him demonstrating his monstrous strength for me to see…" the mystic didn't hold back his fears.
"B.A.N.J.O.? Hmmm, now where have I heard that name before?" Bentley wondered, only for something to hit his head. "Guru, what is the name of that former student of yours. If you tell me now…..I might be able to dig up some info about him!" he insisted on knowing it.
Despite being so surprised by it, the Guru knew that he could count on Bentley. Better yet, the turtle possessed much more knowledge about certain organizations than what he did. Sighing, he finally decided to say the name of the person he had once considered a great student.
"It's McWhite….Bruce McWhite" the Guru finally revealed.
Back to the present, inside the cargo of a big rig, in the city of Arles
Ever since the Seppuku Squadron had rescued Cyrille Le Paradox from INTERPOL's train, they had been holding him captive inside a big rig. Apparently, Penelope had been truthful to her words.
Tsao, Muggshot, Raleigh, Octavio, Rajan, the Contessa, Mz. Ruby and Jean Bison each sat on a chair that was linked to a machine behind them.
But before she turned her attention to them, the machinist was already having some fun in taunting Le Paradox. The skunk had been tied up to what appeared to be a chair. And boy, was he furious.
"Bâtarde! After everything I gave you, this is how you repay me!?" Le Paradox practically spat out his words.
However, his captor was far from intimidated by the skunk's words. She even grabbed Le Paradox by his chin in a teasing manner.
"Aw, poor, wittle Cyrille. Feeling jealous? But don't worry. You will get some love soon enough" Penelope teasingly told him before turning her attention towards the Seppuku Squadron. "Now then, I suppose it's time for me to repay your services" she told.
"Explain the purpose of this machine first" the Contessa wanted some clarification. "You say that this electro shock machine will manage to fry our nano bombs?" the black widow asked her.
Penelope nodded. "Correct. You see, with the amount of electricity flouting through your body, it should be able to defuse those explosives without any problems" she explained as everyone else listened.
"Then what are we waitin' for!? I say we just go for it!" Muggshot exclaimed.
"I agree! If a little shocker is all that it takes on getting those devices out of function, then I say it's worth it" Jean Bison spoke in agreement of the bulldog's words.
Tsao, far from willing to put his trust in the mechanic, nodded his head at her weakly.
"Then you better keep your word. I have terrible experiences with electricity" he coldly told Penelope.
Penelope giggled as she walked over to the control panel.
"Of course, Tsao. But I assure you that this machine's electricity is nowhere near as powerful as Carmelita Fox's shock pistol. Trust me, I have no desire to kill any of you" she insisted as she tapped on the buttons. A cunning smirk formed beneath her glasses as she said those. "In fact, you guys might be what I need to help my ambitions" the mouse revealed.
"Sorry, madam. But what do you need us for?" Raleigh asked her politely.
Stretching her gloved hands, Penelope, was about to push on a large red button that clearly activated the electric shock machine.
"We'll discuss this after you're all done with this shock therapy. So prepare yourselves, Seppuku Squadron. Because this might sting a little" Penelope said as she slammed her handpalm on the button.
In that moment, the machine started sending electricity towards the eight criminals. It affected their entire bodies. Yet Mz. Ruby, in spite of all this, seemed to have some fun in this. To her, this felt like some weird mojo taking hold of her body.
From the sidelines, Le Paradox watched with astonishment.
"How? How could Penelope have developed such a torturous machine?" he wondered as he watched the Seppuku Squadron almost getting electrocuted. "Perhaps I underestimated her geniousity" the skunk realized that there was more to Penelope than he even knew off.
After approximately five minutes, Penelope turned off the machine.
"There! That should be enough" she thought as she did that. "Now I just need to see if the shock therapy has paid off" the mouse remarked, looking at the Seppuku Squadron.
Once the machine was deactivated, the gang of wayward criminals sat on their seats while struggling to catch their breaths.
Mz. Ruby found herself laughing, much to the utter disbelief of those around her.
"Woho! Now that was GREEEAAAAT! I say we go for another round!" the voodoo priestess exclaimed.
Her compatriots didn't share any of her enthusiasm, particularly the Contessa.
"Be quiet, you mud-dwelling simpleton!" the black widow scolded her.
But Mz. Ruby didn't seem to care. "Shut up, you ugly webhead" she retorted.
Penelope walked towards the group as they got off their seats. Clearly, she was now keen on telling them what her plans for rescuing them were.
"I trust that you all are feeling better. After all, you might as well notice that the nano bombs have turned into nothing but dusts" Penelope told them.
Rajan touched the back of his neck and he seemed pretty pleased with it.
"I can sense it! The nano bombs…they're gone!" he exclaimed out in delight.
Octavio did the exact same thing, and he was filled with so much relief.
"Alla fine! I thought I was gonna be under that foul penguin's captivity for the rest of my life!" the lion remarked, singing along as he did that.
Muggshot, knowing that Pinga probably wouldn't hear it, decided to say it out loud.
"Take that, Pinga Masayoshi! Ya ugly hag!" he vulgarly insulted the woman who had put him through this…phase.
Raleigh shook his head at his antics. "Come now, Muggshot. Such language is completely unnecessary" he chided him, yet he found himself grinning. "Although I would not mind Masayoshi being called that" the frog admitted.
"Well! It appears that we owe ya big time, Penelope!" Jean Bison seemed pretty grateful towards the mouse for her effort.
Yet Tsao, Rajan, the Contessa and several others were not willing to feel so grateful towards Penelope just yet. After all, they had a lot of questions regarding her motives for "rescuing" them.
"Okay then. I believe it's time you gave us some answers" Tsao said, crossing his arms. "For what reason have you decided to aid us? Care to reveal your true nature, perhaps?" the Chinese rooster asked her.
Despite hearing the tone, Penelope had to chuckle. But this sounded quite devious than before. In fact, it sounded similar to that of an evil mastermind. A smirk crept on the mouse's lips.
"Very well. I will tell you everything here and now" Penelope revealed, stretching her arms out in each direction. "Seppuku Squadron. We all know what we truly desire, don't we? For too long, thieves like Sly Cooper, Neyla Bandipur and that coward sitting over there has allowed people like us to be run over as if we were fools. But no longer! So join me…in creating a new world order of criminality!" she informed them.
There were surprised reactions amongst the criminals. Quite frankly, it was unexpected for them to hear someone like her possess such ambitions.
"A new world order of criminality?" the Contessa asked, feeling a little doubtful.
"Yes, Contessa. What I'm proposing now, is the creation of a new group. A new group whose reputation and influence will surpass that of the Cooper Gang, the Fiendish Five, the Klaww Gang and whatever ridiculous troupe Le Paradox created! Think of it as one that will take over the world through the shadows" Penelope revealed towards everyone in the cargo.
There was nothing but silence among those criminals. Clearly, Penelope's words had left an impression on them.
However, Le Paradox felt offended when hearing the mouse say those words about his group.
"You call my organization a troupe? Filthy hypocrite!" the skunk spat out. "Since you're so opinionated against Cooper and me, I would like to point out that it was you who joined us both willingly! Yet you have the nerve to insult and degrade me? Souris stupide!" Le Paradox didn't even hold back with the insults. "So if you're gonna condemn me for being a failure, then at least have the decency to admit your failures as well!" he went on berating Penelope.
This really set of a spark of anger within Penelope. Out of anger, she picked up a nearby wrench and ran up to her tied up captive. Penelope then swung the wrench at Le Paradox, causing him to bleed from his lips.
However, he surprisingly withstood the pain and started laughing at Penelope. It was as if he was mocking her by doing this.
"Was that the best you could do? Hah! You swing that wrench like a little girl!" he taunted her, only to be met with another swing by Penelope's wrench. Yet Le Paradox kept laughing, starting to sound like a maniac. "Poor, little Penelope! Couldn't even convince his retard boyfriend to join her ambitions. All because she's a stupid chienne who will never understand what it means to be a mastermind!" the insults kept coming out of him.
Penelope was pissed off, so she continued swinging her wrench at the skunk.
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UUUUUP!" she yelled, yet Le Paradox continued laughing, even as his entire face was bleeding. "Now you listen here, you pompous son of a bitch! Someone like you….is unworthy of telling ME what is right or wrong! Are we clear!?" she wanted to make sure he knew who was at one's mercy here.
Still, Le Paradox seemed far from intimidated by Penelope's threats. He smirked at her, all while being bloodied and black-eyed.
"Is that so? Well, I hope you'll say the same thing to B.A.N.J.O. when they discover your treachery" the skunk mocked her captor before laughing out loud again.
Before Penelope could even swing her wrench, someone was calling on the giant screen inside the cargo. All eyes were on it. The mechanic scowled when she realized who it was that was calling them.
"Great, now she's calling us" the mouse lamented.
In time, the screen showed Pinga Masayoshi. The penguin with her usual stern expression sat on a chair while facing whatever screen or camera was before her.
"Hello, Seppuku Squadron. Forgive me if I'm intruding here. But I'm only calling to get an update on your mission so far" the female penguin said.
Tsao crossed his arms. "You're wasting time, pitiful woman. We've captured that foolish skunk" he said, a smirk forming on her beak as he said that. "However, it appears that he will stay with us for now" the ex-general then added.
"Yeah! No way we're taking orders from you now!" Muggshot joined, pointing a finger at the screen.
"Cause we're already free from all those bombs of yours!" Mz. Ruby exclaimed, laughing at Pinga.
Surprisingly, Pinga didn't seem that unfazed at what those criminals had said. It was as if she had somewhat expected them.
"What's the matter, signora? Too stunned to even respond?" Octavio ridiculed her.
"I bet that's the case!" Jean Bison chimed in. Starting to laugh at Pinga. "It's thanks to young Penelope here that we managed to get those nano bombs destroyed! How'd you like that, huh!?" he didn't hold back with taunting the woman.
After a few seconds, Pinga surprisingly started to laugh at everything he had heard so far. This confused everyone in the cargo, as they had expected her to be distressed at least.
"You expect me to get all pouty about this? Fools. I know that those nano bombs of yours are all deactivated. I've seen it on the computer. But that really doesn't matter anymore. You see…..I was actually counting on Van Kinderdjik in aiding you. Because that gave plenty of time to prepare for all of your demises" Pinga suddenly revealed.
Everyone was shocked with what they heard, yet Penelope was perhaps the one most agitated with her "games".
"Damn you…you're saying that you…." Penelope was furious.
"Correct. Even as you and Seppuku Squadron started to conspire against me, B.A.N.J.O. took the liberty of establishing a task force to dispose of you all. You, Le Paradox, as well as all these simpletons who has long since served their purpose…..will all die at the hands of our Banzai Brigade" the penguin explained her plans.
Tsao was furious. "Traitorous scum! I knew that you couldn't be trusted!" he was so enraged that he wanted to jump through the screen in order to choke her.
"It makes sense now. Eliminating all those who possesses knowledge about INTERPOL's corrupted workings. Like killing many birds with one stone" the Contessa quickly summarized what Pinga's plan was. "You are one, devious individual Pinga Masayoshi. I find it impossible to not admire you" she almost "complimented" her work.
The smirk on Pinga's beak never faded. "Sorry, but I find it unacceptable to receive compliments from twisted liars like you, Sorina Pavouk. Then again, you and the rest of these fools will not last in this world for much longer. B.A.N.J.O. have great plans to ensure that each of your lives will remain in inexistence" she told everyone.
Le Paradox was angered by what he was hearing too. "Damnit all! I knew that Pinga Masayoshi was a shady woman…but I never expected her to be someone like this!" he cursed himself.
"Allow me to tell you the true reason for why I'm calling you all. Even as we speak, we alongside the Banzai Brigade are on our way to your current location in France. Which means, the game of strength is about to begin now" Pinga told everyone.
Rajan growled. "So you're treating us as if we're prey!?" the tiger was furious. "Hah! The great Rajan Sunderbans is nobody's prey! Whatever minions you have gathered, I will slaughter them!" he yelled.
"The chap here speaks the truth" Raleigh agreed. "That said, I feel more than tempted to expose all of B.A.N.J.O.'s operations. Someone needs to tell the whole world that even the law are capable of something so unfair" the frog continued.
"All things aside, we will not give up to you!" Tsao exclaimed, pointing his finger at her. "Once we rid ourselves of this Banzai Brigade…..your head will be next, Masayoshi!" he swore an oath.
No matter how defiant those criminals looked, Pinga remained undeterred. In fact, she seemed to be smiling, yet it was out of ridicule.
"Fight you must, Seppuku Squadron. But it's futile. In the end…absolute justice always prevails. So run away to whatever hideout you have here in this country. Because the game where only the strongest survive….is upon you. Use your last moments while it's still there" those were the final words of Pinga before the giant screen was shut off.
In that moment, something could be heard hitting the back of the cargo. It sounded like someone was shooting at them. Whatever it was, it caused everyone to fall from their balance.
"What the…who's shooting on us!?" Penelope demanded.
Outside the big rig, Carmelita and Winthorp were riding the specialized motorcycle, which was equipped with missiles. Carmelita was the one driving, of course. Winthorp sat behind her.
"Yeah! That's it! That's the big rig I was talking about!" the weasel told her.
Smirking, Carmelita sped up, locking her aim at the back of the big rig itself.
"It's payback time, bitches!" she loudly exclaimed before firing the missiles at her target.
To be continued….