A/N: This is my first story in a bit. It's an idea I've been kicking around in my head for some time now and finally put it down on paper. It's a bit rusty but I like what I have and wanted to post it. Enjoy.
Chapter 1
Marseille, France, 9:00 am
Sly sat down at an outdoor café overlooking the old port of Marseille. He had a small coffee a breakfast sandwich on the table in front of him. He was maybe forty feet above the harbor on its south side. In the harbor sat maybe a hundred vessels of various sizes. Though the one he wanted hadn't yet come. He brought a coffee cup to his lips to take a drink.
"You see it yet." Someone said. Sly spilled some of his coffee on himself. Bentley the turtle had silently rolled up behind Sly to see how his recon was going. "S-Sorry Sly." He said apologetically.
"No, no, its fine." Sly used a napkin to dab away some of the coffee from his trademark blue shirt. "I'm actually impressed you were able to sneak up on me like that." Sly got off as much as he could and the blue of his shirt helped a lot.
"I'm still getting used to this thing." Bentley said referring his wheelchair. Bentley had been wheelchair bound for around a month now. He had already begun to modify the chair with an electric motor and some things that Sly couldn't name if he tried. It was kind of inspiring to Sly how little Bentley let the chair slow him down.
It was inspiring until Sly remembered why he was in a wheelchair in the first place. He wouldn't say it to Bentley's face, but that wheelchair infuriated him. The chair became a constant reminder of how Sly failed his friend. If it hadn't been for Sly's prior mission with Clock-La, then he never would've been stuck in that chair for life. It made Sly angry how fast Bentley forgave him. Sly wanted to hear Bentley get angry at him about how he never would have been paralyzed if he never went in to stop Clock-La. He never did though. It probably made him a stronger man than Sly.
"Do you have an idea of when Doucet's yacht will come by?" Sly asked. Emmaneul Doucet was a badger from Marseille known for smuggling anything anywhere for the right price. Sly didn't care about his business dealings but, the smuggler did recently come into possession of a Monet which he housed in his yacht. Something the pair thought the badger could do without.
"Not yet. He's hanging around outside the harbor right now according to his transponder." Bentley pulled a tablet from a pocket to the side of his wheelchair. He tapped it a few times and gave it too Sly. Sly took the tablet from Bentley. On it was a map overseeing the sea around Marseille. Eight vessels were outlined with dots in the sea, and one was blinking. "That blinking light is Doucet's ship. It looks like it's fourth in line to enter the harbor so there's gonna be a wait before they dock."
"So how do you want to pass the time?" Sly asked.
"Actually, Sly I'm going to get back to the headquarters."
"Really, are you sure you can get back alright?"
"I'll be fine Sly. I think my chair is holding you back more than it is me."
"I didn't mean it that way. I…" Sly stopped trying to think of what to say next. "I mean… you know there isn't someone to watch your back since Murray…" Again he paused to think of what to say next. "…you know." Murray had left the group two weeks prior to find himself spiritually. While Sly and Bentley didn't want Murray to leave, they weren't going to stop him if it was truly what Murray had to do.
"Sly I can handle myself." Bentley said plainly. "You don't have any backup either so be careful. If anything's out of place then get out. I don't exactly have the dexterity to break you out of jail again." Sly was reminded of when he and Murray had been captured by the Contessa. "Anyway I'm headed back to Paris. Keep the tablet so you know when Doucet gets here."
"Thanks Bentley. Do you want anything from here before you go?" Bentley rolled away slowly form the table.
"No thanks Sly. My train back is in an hour and I don't want to miss it." Sly was about to suggest that Bentley could wait in the van but remembered that they lost it in Canada before he spoke.
"Alright Bentley. I'll meet you back there when I can." Bentley nodded and rolled away into the café. He turned around last minute and rolled back to Sly.
"Sly I forgot to mention. In your trunk is a drone that I can use to be with you somewhat. It has a few hours of battery so you can take your time setting it up if you want. Don't wait too long or I may not get some recon photos I want to take before zero hour." Sly's ears perked up hearing that.
"Thanks Bentley. I'll let you know when it's about to happen." Bentley said nothing and took his leave. Sly was left alone at his table. Being solo on this mission wasn't the worst. He had been almost entirely solo when he fought the infamous Fiendish Five.
This felt different somehow. With Murray gone it felt as though he was missing a part of himself. Bentley being on his own was normal. He was almost always in a computer hub or overwatch. Murray though was Sly's fallback if things went array.
Now he'd have to be even more careful. Sly looked at the tablet once more to see where his target was. The ship hadn't moved so Sly decided to leave his vantage point. He picked up a small black backpack next to him which held his family cane and red leg holster he used to hold his lockpicks, stethoscope and comms. He placed the tablet in the backpack as well.
Not sure where to go he walked around the harbor. He figured it would serve him best to see where to stow his getaway car for now. Sly had been trying to get better at driving since Murray left. He had taken a course in drifting and evasive driving last week and became a master at J turns. One course however, paled in comparison to Murray's years of experience. Still he figured it was better than nothing at all. Now Sly had to figure out egress routes and possible choke points to avoid.
Larger ships, like to one Doucet had, docked at the north end of the harbor so Sly would need to place it near there. He paid attention to parking signs and meters. The car needed to be unseen in plain sight wherever it he parked it. Parking garages were out of the question since most only had one or two exits. The police wouldn't be on him but Doucet's security would be.
Sly chose a spot close to the harbor just out of sight from the docks. He took time to sit out and look at the harbor. Then noticed that his prize was coming through. The ship sailed slowly as it came nearer to port. It was a long vessel with three floors around a hundred and thirty feet. The hull was grey with white above the deck.
If a Monet, or any art of value, was on that boat then it would be somewhere to be seen. 'Probably the dining room or his bedroom,' Sly thought. The yacht began to turn into the dock. From what Sly could see there were about six people on board. Two rhinos and wolf wearing suits who were probably bodyguards. Weapons weren't visible but Sly knew that they could be easily hidden in their suits. One unidentifiable person moved about the bridge. Then two figures stood in the front. A female rabbit held and rubbed the arm of a male badger.
Six people wouldn't be hard to sneak by. When the boat docked there would probably be less anyway. A nighttime mission would probably be easiest. The yacht parked and Sly waited to see if anyone else got off but, only those six could be seen. He left satisfied with the recon he'd done.
Now he needed a hotel. Getting one beforehand meant that the boat might not be in sight of the room. Since the yacht wouldn't move, now that it was docked, Sly began to look around for a waterfront hotel. At some point too he needed to get his car from the café from earlier. Sly walked past a hotel that looked nice with a good enough location.
He walked inside to see an elegant lobby with marble and red carpeting. One half of the lobby was an upscale restaurant. The smells from it were enticing to say the least. The other half lay the hotel's management. Sly walked up to the check-in desk where a female cocker spaniel stood.
"Good afternoon, sir." Greeted the spaniel. "Do you have a reservation?"
"No, unfortunately. I'm hoping that there's some vacancy and I hate to be more difficult, but, I'd really like a view of the water." The spaniel typed away at computer in front of her as Sly spoke.
"Let me see what we have available." She spent a little more time typing away. "Well sir we unfortunately don't have any regular waterfront rooms available. If you would like though, we have a presidential suite available."
"How much would that be a night?" Sly was pretty certain he'd say yes but wanted to know what kind of view it had first. "Also, I'd like to hear just a little bit about the room."
"Of course. The presidential suites comes with most the amenities of a one bedroom apartment. It has a full kitchen, living room, king bed and master bath. This one will have a southeastern view so you'll be able to see the whole harbor. It does cost seven hundred a night." Sly was sold once he heard that the suite had a view of the harbor.
"You know what? I think I'll live a little. Is it available for two days?" The spaniel typed a bit more onto her keyboard. Sly pulled out his wallet to take out a credit card.
"Yes, it is sir." She answered. Sly slid his card into the reader for two nights worth of the room. The spaniel pulled out a room card and placed it in a holder. Once Sly grabbed the card he left to get his car from the café.
Sly had bought himself a new Acura Integra after it became obvious that the van would be MIA for a while. Bentley thought that Murray probably left the group to find it which was a theory Sly could see. The car was parked in a garage tucked away where it wouldn't be seen. Not that it was flashy enough to be seen anyway.
Sly choose this car because it blended in with any other car on the road. It's dark metallic grey paint and slightly tinted windows were hard to differentiate between any other car. The car did have enough horsepower and torque to get in and out of anywhere fast. Bentley wanted to modify it with a turbo and some better suspension but hadn't had to time too yet. All Bentley was able to make a switch that killed the running lights when starting.
Sly stepped into the front seat and appreciated the new car smell. The grey interior meshed well with the exterior in Sly's mind. He would've rather had blue but knew it would be too conspicuous. The car started up quietly and began it's short drive to the hotel. He drove up to the front where some valets waited for customers. A feline valet met Sly by his side and waited for him to open the door. Sly gave the valet his keys and asked a bellhop to bring his bags to his room.
The raccoon walked up to his room with a bellhop in tow. The presidential suite was on the top floor which wasn't saying a lot since the hotel only had six floors. His room was located at the end of the hallway from the elevator. Upon opening the door Sly became entranced by the view of his room. The whole harbor was in view of the room. More importantly one large yacht he would be robbing soon.
"Where would you like your luggage sir?" Asked the bellhop.
"Just place it on the table." Sly motioned to a dining table near the door. "Oh and treat the black bag with care. There's some camera equipment in it."
"Are you a photographer sir?" The bellhop asked bringing in the black bag first. Sly decided to lie so the bellhop wouldn't think much of his equipment.
"Yep, I'll be at an event in a yacht later tonight." Sly said pulling out twenty euros as a tip. The bellhop placed two more bags onto the dining table and left when Sly gave him the tip. Once he exited, Sly opened the camera case to see what Bentley had left him. Inside was a drone with an intense gyroscopic camera on it weighing probably around twenty pounds.
The bedroom had, as advertised, a king bed, a smaller tv and a balcony. Sly placed the drone on the balcony so he wouldn't need to worry later. Sly sent Bentley a text that it was set up. Almost immediately afterward the camera turned to look around. It took off to survey the harbor. 'Now to wait.' Sly thought. Then realized he would be waiting for at least thirteen to fifteen hours.
Sly needed something to do. After a change of clothes he grabbed the room key and left. It wasn't long however before he found an enticing way to pass the time. By some miracle, or more likely event of Sly being followed, a gorgeous orange vixen with dark blue hair stood in the hallway. Inspector Carmelita Fox stood in a bathrobe and sandals. She was coming out of another room, closing its door. Sly decided to grab her attention.
"If you're going to chase me, I think you'll need to change." Sly said coyly. Carmelita's head snapped to where the voice came from. Sly didn't have his cane nor mask but she knew immediately who it was.
"No. No, No, No." She said pointing at Sly. "You are not here Sly Cooper." She began walking toward the elevator.
"Not here?" Sly walked after her. "Are you often haunted by handsome and sexy raccoon ghosts?" She made it to the elevator before realizing she'd need to wait.
"What do you want Sly?" She asked defeatedly.
"Nothing, just killing time."
"To do what?" She did sound intrigued at that.
"I feel like you'll try to ruin my fun if I tell you." The elevator arrived and the two got in. Carmelita hit the button for the ground floor and Sly hit the button for parking.
"Whatever it is, I don't want to know about it. You are not ruining my vacation." The elevator door opened and Carmelita stepped off. Sly watched her walk off towards the lobby then
'I definitely have a bathrobe in my room.' Thought Sly pushing the button for his floor. Carmelita walked to a spa on the ground floor. She knew Sly would follow her soon after. The spa was little more than a hot tub, steam room and a sauna. No one else was in the spa so she chose the hot tub. She disrobed revealing a blue bikini top and bottom. The water temperature was nice to her. Once submerged fully, she pulled her phone from the robe. She pulled up Chief Barkley from her contacts then waited for Sly.
Five minutes later Sly showed up. He wore a robe like Carmelita's and sandals. She had realized in that moment she'd never seen Sly shirtless. His core looked amazing but that's probably expected of anyone who can effortlessly stand on a spire. She didn't think she'd seen his legs either now that she recalled. His grey pants blended in perfectly with his fur usually. Now he wore pair of blue swimming trunks that only went halfway down his thighs.
"Sly, I'm one button press away from calling Chief Barkley. Give me a reason not to ringtail." Sly slid into a hot tub seat across from her.
"How about some evidence against a smuggler you've been trying to get?" Carmelita didn't break eye contact with Sly or lower the phone.
"On who?"
"One Emmanuel Doucet." Carmelita lowered her phone but not all the way. Sly knew he had her attention now. "And while I'm happy to give you this info, I'm not giving it away for free."
"Not going to jail isn't enough?" Carmelita gave it a second of thought. "I bet I'll regret this but, what's your price?"
Sly couldn't hide a growing smirk on his face. "Dinner tonight." Carmelita began thinking it over. "Besides you owe me for breaking you out of the Contessa's jail." Sly bargained.
Carmelita thought it over. "Fine but you're paying," she put down her phone, "and you leave me alone until then." She bargained. Sly saw this as the best he'd get. He stepped up to get out of the hot tub.
"Deal, meet me in the lobby at 5." Sly said. Carmelita checked the time on her phone. It was only about eleven thirty, so it gave Carmelita more time to think if she wanted to turn him in here and now. She decided against it when she realized it meant cutting her relaxation time.
Sly left without another word. His robe stuck to his wet fur while he walked back to his room. He would've like to stay in the hot tub longer but didn't want to annoy Carmelita any further. Five hours lay between now and when he needed to be back down so he decided to take a nap until a little before his date.
Carmelita sat back against the hot tub backrest debating what to do next. Catching Sly was her main focus in law enforcement and here he was defenseless. She could make a call to the chief and Sly would be in handcuffs within an hour. Yet it didn't seem right. Arresting Sly Cooper is going to be Carmelita's crowing moment. It'll bring her promotions, accommodations and maybe a movie deal.
Arresting him now would just be hollow. Taking him now would be illegal anyway since she was put on mandatory leave after a botched operation yesterday. A man messaged her recently from an illicit organization who was ready to spill. They were supposed to meet Carmelita in Marseille but blew her off apparently. Anger was a simplification of Carmelita's feelings. Being stood up does that to a person.
Interpol agreed to give him a sizable amount of money to defect, and he ran with it. The inspector's credibility took a hit after that. Chief Barkley volunteered her for time off knowing she'd be a little to irked to do anything but sulk over the prior incident. Now she was taking her time off in the city where she lost her VIP.
Sly showing up was actually a positive in her eyes. Even if Sly was a thief, he always had a way of making her smile. That was something she'd never let him know about although he probably knew it. This dinner with Sly was probably going to be nice. Hoping it would take her mind off the recent failure.
'Arresting Sly can wait until tomorrow.' Carmelita Decided. 'Tonight I just want to forget about the past week.' In truth she didn't know if she wanted to take down Sly anymore. The Neyla incident started to make her question her beliefs on law and order. 'Maybe we could work something out tonight.' She hoped for a moment that they could find a way to have a relationship. That thought was immediately extinguished, however.
Carmelita decided to stop thinking too much on tonight. It was just going to be a dinner with… an acquaintance. Someone who she didn't know outside of work but would like to get to know further. That reasoning is what she decided to stick with.
Chapter 1 end
A/N: This felt a little rushed but I wanted to get it out before I leave for a month for work. I'm going to try and work on this but I'd also like to rewrite/restart my star fox stories as well. Please comment on anything you feel I can do better at in this.