Hello my fine Readers.

I have returned with the next level: He Who Tames the Iron Horse. I hope it was worth the wait.

I don't own Sly Cooper or the known characters or scenes. That honor belongs to Sanzaru and Sucker Punch.

Read, Review, Enjoy!

(Sly POV)

The mercenaries cleared out of Prague after a few weeks, while Regina kept Neyla and Carmelita occupied and off our backs. We made our escape after the coast was clear and headed out towards our next target. It killed me to be so far away from Regina, after being separated from her for so long, but she promised she would meet up with us in Canada. Now that infernal collar was off, we were able to keep track of each other in case we got into trouble. Regina spied on Carmelita and Neyla and gave us information on where to go. Arranging transportation quickly, we all geared up and zeroed in on our next target.

Regina told us to follow the trail of spice shipments and it led us to Nanuva Bay, Canada; the secret hub of Jean Bison's shipping empire. As a young man, he trekked across Canada to strike it rich during the Gold Rush in 1852. An avid prospector, he took some chances and ended up buried alive in an avalanche. Miraculously, the quick freeze kept him alive and 120 years later, thanks to global warming, he thawed out. A product of his time, he dreams of "taming the Wild North"; damming every river and chopping down all the trees with progress delivered at the sharp end of an ax.

Shipping spice for the Klaww Gang, proved a lucrative way to bankroll this one-man war against nature. And yet, I have to feel a little sorry for him. He's just a normal guy from the 1850's. Back in his time, he'd be considered a hero, but today, he's a villain. Either way, that man's got more than his fair share of the Clockwerk Parts. What a low-tech guy like Jean Bison is doing with robotic parts is a mystery. I almost don't want to know! But as always, it's only a matter of time before I find out.

(Sly Cooper and the Gang in: He Who Tames the Iron Horse)

(Sly POV Cont.)

We made a base of operations out of an old fishing cabin by the water in town. Our first step was to find out where Jean Bison hid all his Clockwerk Parts. Maybe we can finally find out what the Klaww Gang was really up to.

"Sly, I've got a lead on the Clockwerk Parts. Head outside town and into the Wilderness." Bentley instructed. I grabbed my cane and headed out. Getting out of town was easy and I followed the waypoint Bentley marked to the bottom of a cliff that led to a cabin. I then called Bentley for instructions.

"That cabin may seem rustic, but don't be fooled. It's the control center for Jean Bison's Train Empire. Sneak inside and raid his files."

"Ransacking his files doesn't sound hard, now climbing a sheer rock wall, that will be a challenge." I said looking at the wall.

"You're in luck, according to Regina, before Jean Bison took over this used to be a popular place for rock climbers. Some of their old wall hooks are still around. Hook onto them with your cane, lean back, and spring up. You'll get more altitude."

"Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try." I said before hanging up. I jumped across the icy water, then grabbed onto the hook, leaned back and launched up.

"Wow! That's fun!" I said as I continued up until I reached the cabin. I snuck inside only to find Jean Bison in front of the fireplace. Bentley called up immediately.

"Jackpot Sly! That's Jean Bison."

"Looks like he didn't notice me coming in."

"Just stay out of sight and take a picture of each of his train routes… they should narrow our search for his share of the Clockwerk Parts."

"Alright, I'm on it." I said. Jean Bison started walking around the cabin so I avoided his sight and climbed up onto the rafters, when suddenly a voice rang through an old phone.

"Hello? Arpeggio here."

"Salutations Mr. Arpeggio, ya'll got time to shoot the breeze?" Jean Bison said.

"Of course, for you chum always. Although must we communicate through that dreadful speaker phone?"

"Yea, I can think better while my legs move, it pumps blood to your brain."

"Yes, of course. One must pump blood to one's brain. But do tell, is there some pressing matter you'd like to discuss?"

"First off, are you still coming on schedule to get that Northern Lights Battery?"

"Yes, we're well underway. My blimp should arrive by the end of the week."

"Bullseye! For second, when are you gonna give me a looksee at that Clockwerk Brain of yours? I'd sure like to buy it off ya."

"Bison you covetous troglodyte! You already got the lion's share of the parts! Would you take my meager portion of the robotic bird for your own, extruding all my earthly pleasures?"

"Easy there partner, you're all up in a lather! It's just that I've found some real use for the parts I got. Why, I put all 3 of them on the ends of my best trains! With those robotic doohickeys feeding the fire, them trains will run all night and all day! I call them my "Iron Horses". Of course, I 've gotta keep the plans hidden. Stuffed them in my 3 trophy basses."

"Sounds like your making capital share of the robotic bird. But for now, the Clockwerk Brain stays with me on the Blimp. Although, when I arrive to pick up the Northern Lights Battery, I might be persuaded to give you a peek."

"That'll do just fine. By the way, are you ready to giddy up into Paris for the final hoedown?"

"Yes, the Blimp's hypnotism wave lengths can fold to the specs drawn by the Contessa. And Dimitri, before his unfashionable capture, did a marvelous job distributing spice through his night club."

"Sounds like all you're missing now is some Northern Lights Electricity!"

"Well not exactly my friend, there is one more key to the puzzle. I'm sure you have heard of the legendary Vulpez Clan." My eyes widened and I almost fell off the rafters.

"Yea I've heard of them. Something about possessing eternal youth in their hearts. I saw the Vulpez Girl back at the ball in India. I'm guessing you need her as well."

"Precisely my friend, I'm leaving it up to you to capture her and present her when I come to pick up the battery."

"Ain't gonna be a problem. My boys will keep an eye out and nab her as soon as they catch wind of her."

"Splendid, once the girl and battery are on board, nothing will stand in the Klaww Gang's way and Paris will be ours!"

"Yea yea, ok. I guess I'll be seeing you at the end of the week."

"Farewell Bison, stiff upper lip, tata." Arpeggio finished before hanging up. I was angry now! Ain't no way I was going to let them get their hands on Regina. There could only be one reason that they need her: The Klaww Gang is trying to bring Clockwerk back to life! If they succeed, well I'm not going to let them succeed. After taking pictures of the train routes, I grabbed the 1st plan from the trophy bass and got out of there before I was spotted.

"Bentley we've got a big problem." I called to Bentley.

"I know Sly, I can't contact Regina so you need to warn her to watch out for Jean Bison's men. And when you see her, you need to convince her to stay with us so we can protect her. While you contact her, head over to the other cabins and steal the other blue prints from the trophy basses." Bentley said.

Focusing on our bond I reached out Regina.

Regina, can you hear me?

I'm here Ringtail, what's going on? I can sense that you're really freaked out.

Listen to me Regina, you are in danger! I finally found out what the Klaww Gang is up to: They intend to resurrect Clockwerk.

Oh no! Sly we can't let that happen.

I'm not going to let it happen, but Jean Bison is ordering his men to capture you! You need to come here and get to the safe house now!

I'm close, I'm a few hours out. But Carmelita is hot on my tail.

Don't worry about that, just please get here so I'll know that you are safe.

Alright, I will be there shortly.

Sighing in relief at the fact that she's safe and on her way, I focused on my objective and quickly got all 3 blueprints and then headed back to the safe house. I handed the blueprints to Bentley and then headed back out. Reaching the base of the tall mountain, I called Bentley to get the next steps.

"Armed with all 3 blueprints, we should be able to isolate and track the Iron Horse trains through the satellite dish on top of the mountain."

"Top of the Mountain, huh? Shouldn't take long." I spoke. And it didn't take any time at all. I inputted the code into the satellite dish and Bentley confirmed that we had to the trains' GPS Systems on his computer. I headed back to the Safe House where Bentley gave me and Murray the rundown.

"Thanks to Sly's efforts, we now know the location of all 3 of the local Clockwerk Parts: 2 lungs and a stomach. Jean Bison as attached each piece to the engine of his Iron Horse trains. This improvement allows the trains to run all day and all night. We won't have the luxury of sneaking in while they're stopped. While they're in motion the only way aboard is through a hatch on the caboose roof. Which, unfortunately, have been locked down. Those locks need to go. First collect the spice gas from the balloons around town and then land on the back of each caboose to blow off the locks. Once the way is cleared, I'll suit up and jump into Iron Horse # 1. While it passes near town. With some luck, we'll have the 1st Clockwerk Lung in a few hours. Also, everyone, keep an eye out for Regina and lead her to the safe house before Jean Bison's guards get her. We can't let him or Arpeggio get their hands on her, for all our sakes!" Bentley instructed. Murray and I went out for our job. We split up as I had to sneak across a wall avoiding icycles along the way. Once I got across, I called Bentley.

"Ok Sly, we need to break into the Iron Horse trains, but the only way in is through a hatch on the caboose, but the hatches are locked. To blow off the locks, you'll need to collect the ultra-unstable denatured spice gas from the balloons floating above town."

"How am I supposed to get up there to collect the spice gas?"

"Murray's already commandeered the ice plane down below. Jump on its' strut and Murray will fly you up to a good paragliding altitude. I gave you a special vacuum backpack, it'll automatically collect the spice gas after you've popped the balloons."

"Sounds like fun."

"Once you've collected enough gas, you'll have to land directly on the train's caboose."

"Why directly on the caboose?"

"Denatured spice gas is very unstable at lower altitudes. Unless you land on the caboose, you won't have enough time to get the gas tank to the lock before it blows up."

"So you're saying I either land on the caboose, or get blown to bits."

"That's correct… chemistry can be a harsh mistress." Bentley said before I hung up. I jumped down to the ground and reached Murray.

"Hang on tight! We're going up." Murray said as he took off. Once we got high enough, I jumped off and paraglided to the balloons. The pop sent me up higher each time I popped one. After popping 5 balloons, I dropped down lower so I could get a closer look and paraglided down to the caboose that was directly below me. Quickly putting the bomb on the hatch, I jumped off as it exploded.

"Head back to ice plane, 2 more cabooses to blow open." Bentley instructed. Avoiding the guards and the bears roaming around, I made it back to the plane.

"Here we go again" Murray said.

Once again I popped 5 more balloons and collected the gas. The 2nd train was difficult to land on but I barely made it off the caboose after placing the bomb.

"One more caboose! Try not to get blown up." Murray said just as soon as I jumped onto the plane. I quickly collected the gas. The last train was hard to catch seeing as it went around the mountain and under the tracks so I had to be careful and not miss the caboose. It was a challenge, but I managed to blow up the last hatch.

"You did it guys! All the Iron Horse Trains are exposed!" Bentley exclaimed as Murray landed the Plane and ran off saying he was gonna search for a snack and see if Regina was in the area.

(Murray POV)

After I landed the plane, I called to Sly letting him know that I was going to look for a snack and try to find Regina. Avoiding all the guards, I got a little lost. I was about to turn around and head back until…

"FREEZE HIPPO!"

I turned around and shock.

"Whuh, INSPECTOR FOX?!"

"Don't move Hippo, you're under arrest!" Inspector Fox said. She approached me with cuffs, but once she got close enough, I stomped her into my hands and threw her away.

"OOF!" She groaned as she landed in a pile of snow. While she was getting up, I ran for it.

"GET BACK HERE!" She shouted as she chased me. I kept a good distance from her but she was closing in quickly. I managed to trick her by going into a cave as she ran past. I ran down the cave only to come to a dead end.

"Uh oh!" I said.

"Murray!" I heard another female call out. I turned around to see Regina running towards me.

"REGINA!" I shouted and scooped her into a bone breaking hug.

"Nice to see you too big guy, but you gotta get out of here!" She said as I put her down.

"You gotta come with me! Sly misses you!" I said. She shook her head and opened up one of her cool portals

"Not with Carmelita chasing us. Just jump in and get out of here!" I shook my head and crossed my arms.

"Not without you!" I said glaring at her. We both heard running towards us we looked at each other in fear.

"Go Murray, I'll follow you." She said. I nodded and jumped into the portal. Too bad I didn't know that she tricked me until it was too late.

"WHOA!" I shouted before I landed at Sly's feet in the freezing snow.

(Regina POV)

I finally got Murray away from Carmelita and the portal closed just as she came into view. She stopped, then aimed her shock pistol at me, forcing me to put my hands up.

"Regina! What did you do?!" She growled out. I just glared at her.

"I helped my friend escape!"

"You just helped my only lead to Cooper escape!" She said before she threw something at me and it wrapped around my neck and then I felt a painful shock.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" I shouted before collapsing on my knees. She then took my pistol and cuffed me. I struggled as she pulled me out of the cave.

"Don't bother trying to space jump, that collar will emit a painful shock if you try!" She said as we climbed a hill.

"Why are you doing this? We are sisters!" I asked before she threw me into a cage, removed the cuffs and locked the door.

"We stopped being sisters when you betrayed the law!" She growled out before walking away after throwing an apple in with me. Tears came to my eyes at her cruel words, and I collapsed on the snow, knowing there was no way to escape.

(Sly POV)

I made it over to Jean Bison's main cabin when I heard a shout and saw Murray falling from portal and landed in front of me.

"WHOA! UGH!" He groaned out.

"Murray? Did you just Space Jump?" I asked. He shook the snow off of him and stood up.

"Yeah! That was awesome, right Regina? Regina?" He asked looking around.

"You found her?" I asked.

"Yea, but she was with me. Wait a minute, SHE TRICKED ME!" He growled out.

"Calm down Murray, now tell me what happened." I said.

"Well I went out to find a snack and see if Regina was around. When I got caught by Inspector Fox. I gave her the slip but got trapped in a cave. Regina found me and opened a portal. She said she would follow me but she must've closed the portal after I jumped through!" I sighed at this.

"If Carmelita was chasing you and Regina helped you get away, that means she took your place and Carmelita captured her. And from what I could tell, she's really hurt about it." I said, feeling her heartache through the bond.

"I'm really sorry pal! But if Regina is captured, there's a good chance of Jean Bison finding her! What do we do now?!" Murray cried out in worry.

"Don't worry Murray, I'll tail Carmelita. She'll lead me to Regina and I'll get her out." I said. Murray nodded and ran back to the safe house. Sure enough, Carmelita was patrolling below me and so I followed her, staying out of her light. She patrolled around, taking out the guards and circling around in case anyone tried a sneak attack from behind. I followed her through town and up the hill and I followed her and stopped on top of a light pole as she came to a stop in front of a cage where an angry vixen stood, just glaring at her.

"Hey Regina, you doing ok in there?" She asked. Regina just folded her arms and glared at her ex-sister.

"What do you think? My own sister disowned me and now I'm locked away as bait!" She growled out, making me growl in anger.

"Listen, if you'll just tell me where I can find the Cooper Gang, we can get out of here." Carmelita proposed. Regina just shook her head.

"I'd rather freeze to death than betray them. I owe them my life! Especially Sly." She said. Carmelita just shook her head.

"I don't know you anymore, it's because of that, that we're no longer sisters." She sadly said. The glare on Regina's face grew deeper.

"We were never sisters and you know it! A true sister would never keep my identity hidden from me!" She shouted, making Carmelita back away in shock.

"How did you…"

"That moment with Sly in Russia revealed everything to me: who I really was, the fact that you've lied to me all my life, and how you've tried to change me into something I'm not!" She growled out while throwing away her interpol collar.

"Regina I just…"

"Save it Carmelita! I don't want to hear your excuses, just leave me alone!" She snapped before turning her back on Carmelita. She shook her head and walked away. Shaking my head after hearing how much Regina had been through and then approached the cage.

"There better not be any tears in those beautiful blue eyes" I said. Regina gasped and then spun around to face me.

"Sly!"

"Don't worry gorgeous, I'm here to break you out." I said.

"Fat chance, Sly. This cage is triple padlocked and Carmelita is carrying all the keys." She said.

"Your lack of faith in me is a bit insulting, sweetheart. You know I'm an expert of pickpocketing." I told her.

"This won't be easy Sly. I taught her everything she knows, including how to sense when she's being pickpocketed. If you manage to get a key, you better run for it. She's bound to notice and chase after you." She warned.

"Leave it to me. Listen, once I get you out, please come with me. I would feel a lot better with you here with me instead of out where Jean Bison can capture you." I begged her. She sighed and nodded.

"Alright Ringtail. Once you get me out, I'll stay with you." She said.

"Hang in there darling, I'll be back in no time." I said before running to catch up with Carmelita. I swiped a key and just as Regina warned me about, Carmelita froze and turned around.

"What? MY KEYS!" She shouted before chasing after me, shock pistol blazing. I have to admit it was tricky getting away from her but I managed to avoid her and eventually she gave up.

"I'll find you, you know I will!" She said. I laughed silently and then followed her again. She got in a fight with some guards and I stole a key while she was distracted and she still caught me.

"I felt that, thief!" She growled out before chasing me again. I led her towards the guards so they can keep her busy while I escaped. After taking out the guards, she looked around but couldn't find me.

"One slip up, and you're mine!" She growled.

"Sorry Inspector, but I belong to another cop lady" I said to myself before following her again and snatching the last key.

"You can't sneak up on me!" She growled.

"You should thank your sister for that!" I shouted back as she chased me.

"SHE'S NOT MY SISTER ANYMORE, BECAUSE OF YOU!" She shouted out at me. I froze on a lightpole, was it really my fault? Did I really break the bond between Carmelita and Regina?

Don't listen to her Ringtail! I got my memory back because of you! I returned to my true self because of you! Carmelita lying to me is what severed the bond. Regina said. I sighed and kept focus on getting away. She finally gave up and walked away.

"Sooner or later, I'LL GET YOU!"

Just as soon as I lost Carmelita, I sensed panic coming from Regina.

Sly, hurry! Jean Bison's guards are trying to get into the cage! I gasped and ran back to the cage. Sure enough, goose and goat guards were trying to break the padlocks.

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM HER!" I shouted before engaging in battle with them. As soon as they saw me, they called for back up before they fought back. It got tough and I was severely outnumbered. Especially when big guards started coming.

"FEAR THE MURRAY!" I heard before Murray thunder flopped from a track onto the guards.

"Thanks pal!" I said before finally taking out the last guard. Seeing the coast was clear, I unlocked the cage, opened the door and Regina rushed into my arms.

"Are you ok?" I whispered to her, as she tried to calm down.

"Yea, thanks to you." She whispered back, breathing heavily as I combed my claws through her fur. When she finally calmed down, she took a deep breath and followed Murray and me back to the hideout.

"It looked like you had fun." She said. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Eh, it was alright. Not as fun as it is when you chase me." I said, causing her to giggle. I smirked at her and wrapped an arm around her waist as we all went back to the safe house, ready to make a move for the first Clockwerk Lung.

(Bentley POV)

Sly and Murray made it back to the safe house and Regina was with them. I made hot chocolate for all 3 of them and Sly wrapped Regina with a blanket. We sat her down and told her what we found out. Regina understood and agreed to stay with us and help us take down the rest of the Klaww Gang and make sure Clockwerk stays dead. After making sure Regina was warm and comfortable I geared up and went out to go after the Clockwerk Lung.

Sly kept in contact with me and told me to go to a cliff and then call him. The cliff was just outside of town and surrounded by tracks. Getting into position, I called Sly.

"According to this timetable, Iron Horse #1 should be passing by anytime now" Sly said. I nodded, seeing the train heading my way.

"I… I see it. It's moving awfully fast!" I said.

"Just jump onto the train as it passes and climb inside through the caboose. Piece of cake!" Sly insured before hanging up. The train started crossing on the tracks directly below me, so I jumped down and landed on the caboose. Sneaking inside, I made my way through the cars, taking out guards and avoiding lasers and spotlights along the way. I had to climb on top of the cars and keep moving from the top. I was completely exposed to the giant eagles. I had to avoid them as they swooped down at me. On the other cars, I had to knock out the guards that don't move their flashlights before bombing them so I can get by. The last car held 2 flashlight guards that just stood there and didn't move. I had to sneak along the cargo and then jump on top to get between the guards before I was spotted. Finally, I made it to the engine car and swiped the Lung.

"Outstanding! Chock one strange robot part for us and one less Iron Horse train for Jean Bison!" Sly complimented. Feeling good about myself, I jumped off the train and headed back to the safe house to plan out phase 2. I got back to the safe house only to find Murray asleep on the couch and Sly and Regina were cuddled up together in the back of the van, asleep. Seeing them so peaceful after being apart for so long brought a smile to my face. Keeping quiet so I didn't disturb any of them, I got to work and built the next plan.

He Who Tames the Iron Horse Part 1 is complete! Stay tuned for Part 2.