Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Sly Cooper or any characters or any stuff associated with this game. All that belongs to Sucker Punch and Sony, after all, I am just a mere fangirl writing a fanfic! Note: I don't own ANY copyrighted content except the fictional characters I made up for this (namely, the villains and other nameless folks).
(Chapter Nine: Rendezvous in Le Havre)
Madam pulled up to an old abandoned storage building at the port of a seaside town not too far from Paris. The combination salty air and city air of Le Havre filled up Teresa's lungs as she got out of her car and pulled Sly out from the backseat, leaving his golden cane in the car. The old building had two mice guarding the front door. When she nodded towards them, they quickly let her into the building, leading her into an old cargo storage room with a cement floor.
In one corner, there was an old table with two familiar men seating at it. Madam recognized the aroma of her boss's cigar. And there was Salvador, loyal to the boss as usual, his warthog eyes suddenly peering towards Teresa and the thief she had caught.
"Pleased to see you are back, Madam Cooper," the boss greeted as he stood up. His tall, extremely muscular self formed a silhouette in the dim light of the overhead lamp. "I see you came back with your son successfully. Now we just wait for our fish to come to our bait."
"Where are we hiding him?" Teresa questioned as the weight of carrying Sly around started going to her arms, making them sore.
"Salvador will show you the way to his 'guest house'," the head honcho said in a commanding tone.
Picking up on the hint of an order, Salvador stood up and motioned Teresa to follow him. Their shoes tapped loudly on the concrete and the sound echoed up to the high ceiling as they headed towards the door. Suddenly, just as they were about to exit to their other building, the boss cut them off.
"Ms. Cooper, were you able to hear from Luke during your rendezvous in Paris?" the boss asked.
"No, sir, I wasn't able to. I have a feeling he led the others here though," the woman said bitterly. "All though for all we know, he might just double cross us again."
"He does have a way with doing that. It's like he can't decide what side he's on!" The boss was glaring down at the ground, shaking his head.
There was a moment of silence as Madam expected another order. Her heart was pounding and her paws were shaking. She glanced down at her son's face, his eyes angelically closed. The mother blinked back tears. She had become so warped in her own anguish that she had just become cold hearted and full of hate towards everyone else in the world...including Sly. While staring at an old mirror, Madam Cooper saw not herself, but an egotistical piece of nothingness.
Teresa nearly regretted disowning her son after she heard that Christopher had died.
But just nearly.
The woman shook these thoughts out of her head and temporarily shrugged them off when Salvador's voice barged into her mind.
"Come on! What are you, Teresa, deaf? We don't have all day, you know."
Right then and there, Teresa considered defying orders and running off to safety in hiding with Sly—the more motherly thing to do. She forced the temptation down. She couldn't do it. She was too used to being everyone else's servant, always doing things that everyone told her to do. The invisible binds held her down and then the chains pulled her towards the same direction that Salvador was taking her. Teresa's feet dragged along the ground as she followed in suit.
The headmistress had to free herself from this prison. She didn't belong here, no matter how cruel and cunning she had come off to those around her.
In reality, Madam Teresa Cooper really was just a woman who had been pained and hurt inside.
(Meanwhile in Sly's dreams...)
He, the raccoon thief in training, continued running, his eyes streaming from the heat below. His fur was moist with sweat and the steam rose from the lava at the bottom. Out of everything in his life that he had done so far, this had to be the riskiest. But he had to keep going.
He had to avenge his father and his thieving legacy. He had to save it all before it was too late.
The lava chased after him. Higher and higher he went up the bent metal, the hot liquid oozing and trying to nip at his heels. Timing and precision was important if he wanted to reach the top without getting his fur singed.
A short while later, he came to his destination in the center of the fiery volcano. His transportation was currently a jet pack, equipped with missiles for later use.
Before the raccoon knew it, an ice cold, metallic voice began speaking to him. Hate dripped from each word, determined to get its revenge. What was once the mysterious shadow revealed itself as a large, mechanical owl. Its piercing yellow eyes drilled holes into the raccoon's courage.
"The Thievius Raccoonus doesn't make great thieves. Great thieves make the Thievius Raccoonus," the raccoon stated wisely.
Wait...is that me?
"Cooper..." The voice seemed that it could freeze over and numb any minds nearby.
"Clockwerk." The thief called Cooper gritted his teeth.
Clockwerk...why does that name sound so familiar?
"You're the weakest Cooper I've ever met. You call yourself a master thief? You're not even worthy of the title 'novice'. Pathetic fool, don't you realize that it is futile to beat me, CLOCKWERK?"
No...shut up.
"So wrapped up in your emotions."
Leave me alone!
"You have to face the past." The voice suddenly changed from ice cold to warm and kindly.
Before Sly knew it, he was a small cub bouncing on his father's knee once more in front of the fireplace. The cub looked up at his father, whose amber eyes glowed with pity for the small raccoon whose memories had been mangled.
What if the past ran away from me, Dad? What would I do then?
"It's inside you. Somewhere within that dark abyss you call memories...all of them are stained, burned and charred for me, Sly. But you...you have a much better life than I could have dreamed of."
You call being captured by some psycho headmistress better?
"What are the words they seek, Sly?"
This sentence seemed to echo around in Sly's mind for a few moments.
"What words do they wish to hear?"
The raccoon began falling. His snout was pointed towards hot, molten liquid—the lava from before! His ringed eyes watered as he tried grabbing onto anything that was nearby, but he couldn't. It all disappeared behind him as he reached closer towards the boiling lava.
"WHERE ARE THEY, COOPER?" a much more metallic version of Madam Teresa's voice snapped. Her voice almost sounded as if she had become possessed by...the mechanical owl that Sly had seen earlier in his dream.
Just as Sly was about to begin touching the lava, words escaped his lips.
Krack-Karov! The location of the Clockwerk parts is in...Krack-Karov in Russia. Now leave me alone!
(Regrets)
Madam had requested Salvador and the guards to leave her alone for a few moments after the warthog had guided her into the jail room. Now there Teresa was in the corner of the cell with her son's head in her lap. He was still asleep, his breathing once steady now rapid with a frightening moment imprinted into his thoughts.
A quiet sound escaped Sly's lips as his breath became caught up in his throat. Teresa nearly jumped but remained still, not wanting to wake Sly up. She wasn't sure why she was doing this, but it was perhaps because the thief reminded her so much of her deceased husband. Or perhaps it was because...Madam shook her head. She wasn't warming up to Sly. It seemed impossible, but yet it seemed to be happening.
The mother began panicking as she thought of the price of warming up to anyone ever again. She couldn't love anyone or anything again. The "anyone" would just turn away from her like THEY did. She promptly pushed Sly's head out of her lap and stood up, brushing her skirt off and pulling her hair out of her arctic eyes.
Madam locked up the jail cell just in time as Sly stirred. She watched as he blinked numerous times and sat up. His blazing, ember orbs questioned Teresa as he stood up.
"So you're awake...S-Sly," Teresa greeted, stuttering on her son's name.
"Go away, Madam. Haven't you made this bad enough?" Sly demanded groggily. He let out a long yawn.
"Sly, please listen to me. I have something important to tell you." The female raccoon could feel butterflies building up in her stomach, but she figured it was time Sly knew the truth. She reached out towards her son through the bars and just barely touched his fingertips. "I'm—"
"Madam, Boss needs to see you!" a guard's voice yelled, cutting Teresa off from her confession. A weasel guard dressed in blue came from around a corner with his pistol loaded.
"We'll talk later, Sly." Teresa pulled her hand out from in between the iron bars and stalked out of the room.
"...Teresa!" the thief's voice called.
"QUIET YOU!" the guard snapped as he had his pistol aimed at Sly's forehead. "Don't make me use this."
Teresa shuddered at the thought of even one bullet penetrating her son's skull, but she kept her worries to herself as she ran out. Just thinking of the possibilities of her son dying in that prison made her worry even more. He was the only true family she had left. The rest had either died or turned their backs away from her, rejecting her and disowning her.
What had Teresa done to deserve this? She had just married the man she loved. What was wrong with that besides the fact he was a thief? He was kind, gentle, sensitive and was always ready to protect her. Deep down, it may not have seemed like it, but Teresa really did love them both—the father and the son...
Christopher scooped the cub up in his arms. It was the season of orange and crimson leaves and the cub had just turned three years old. The day had been a good one, with playing around in the leaves and even more fun that had to be enjoyed.
Teresa stood right next to the back door, watching them from afar. Normally, she showed no emotion, but today she couldn't help but smile. This was one of the few days Christopher wasn't busy teaching his son the responsibilities of being a Cooper.
"Hey, Teresa, come here," Christopher beckoned. "We wish you were over here right now!"
The mother quickly nodded and ran as fast she could over to Christopher and her son. The cub looked up at his mother with innocent eyes as he waved at her.
"Mommy!" the cub greeted.
"Hello, Sly," Teresa greeted back.
Christopher put Sly down for a moment and gave his wife a gentle kiss.
"I love you," Christopher whispered.
"I love you, mommy!" Sly exclaimed, which apparently showed he had overheard what his father had said. It took Teresa a moment to grin.
"I love you too..."
The mother couldn't contain it anymore. She slumped down to her knees onto the ground (right after she had gotten out of the prison building) and her vision blurred as tears escaped from her eyes. Teresa cried for Christopher, Sly and herself. They could have had such a happy life together, but she was arrogant and self-absorbed back in those days. She had greedily stolen the happiness away from the Cooper family and hidden it with her when she had left.
"What the hell have I done?" Teresa cried out loud. She buried her head into her hands as the saddest droplets wet her fur.
The sound of water splattering against cement became the ambience sound as it began to rain. Teresa didn't bother to move, too upset to carry her pride in one piece. Her clothes became soaked within minutes and her hair was limp and damp. Her fur was matted, but that didn't seem to matter to Teresa right about now.
There she sat in the rain, finally rebelling against an order...
(Carmelita and company to the rescue!)
"Okay, you guys, Luke warned us earlier not to park directly near the Bulls Eye Gang's HQ. That's why we're about two blocks—" Bentley started.
"We know. Can it, turtle, we don't have time to listen to your speech. We KNOW that we're supposed to get uniforms somehow and we KNOW that I'm supposed to flirt with the guard blocking Sly!" Carmelita snapped as she, Murray and Cody hopped out of the car.
"Yeesh, he's just trying to remind you!" Gertrude snapped back.
"C'mon, if we're going to save Sly, we need to go now," Cody pointed out. "And..." Cody paused as he shivered. "I'M FREAKING COLD FROM ALL THIS RAIN!" The calico's whiskers bunched up and he suddenly sneezed. "See what I mean?"
"You're right. We shouldn't really argue right now..." Carmelita trailed off.
Murray remained silent as he followed Carmelita and Cody along the route Luke had told them about earlier. Carmelita led the two men, crouching behind corners whenever there was a guard nearby. The three of them were quiet, tiptoeing and keeping their breathing to a minimal. Though they could've easily been quiet other days, the rain was making their shoes squish with each step.
And just as the three of them were about to get into the storage building that had uniforms in it, they suddenly stopped when they heard a crying coming from nearby. Cody and Carmelita's ears perked up and Murray became tense as they listened closer.
"Oh god...why?" The sobbing continued as Cody tapped Carmelita on the shoulder.
"I...I think it's Madam," Cody whispered. Carmelita and Murray nodded as the vixen poked her head around the corner.
There she was. Teresa had her face covered by her hands. Her clothes were clinging to her and the rain matted her hair and fur. The raccoon's ears were pushed down and her tail appeared like it could be stuck against the cement. Carmelita couldn't help but feel sorry for Madam. She was about to walk out from behind the corner when Murray grabbed her shoulder.
"Um...I don't think that's a good idea," Murray whispered.
"Let go of me. We might be able to get her help!" Carmelita whispered back as she shrugged off Murray's hand. The vixen motioned the men to follow her as she walked up to Teresa and knelt on one knee.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Carmelita asked. Teresa looked up, her ring eyes soaked and slightly red.
"Why should you care? Don't you hate me?" the mother asked. Carmelita shook her head.
"Not everyone hates you...They might hate what you do to them, but they don't always hate you," Cody said as he stepped in.
The calico held out one paw and Madam took it and stood up. Carmelita got off the ground and smiled. This could definitely be a way to win Madam over to their side. When Murray saw everything was all right, he stepped out from behind the corner and stepped up behind the vixen and the calico.
"Cody...Sly's friend...officer? Let me guess: the three of you are here to break Cooper out of the cell, eh?" Everyone else gulped and nodded nervously. "Well...I'm breaking him out with you...I have to save him." Cody cocked an eyebrow.
"But you're the one who kidnapped him! Why do you want him OUT?" the calico demanded. The former headmistress shook her head.
"There's something I've never told anyone before...well, except the vixen right there..." Teresa pointed towards Carmelita. "I...I used to be so ashamed of it, but now...I'm not." Madam took a deep breath and closed her eyes, not wanting to look into the watching eyes of the others. "I'm—"
"TERESA, BOSS WANTS TO SEE YOU NOW! LUKE'S HERE TOO!" Salvador yelled as he came out from a nearby shed. As he stalked over to the four of them, his beady eyes flicked from Murray, to Cody, and then to Carmelita. The warthog's eyes flashed back towards Madam Cooper as they narrowed.
"These folks were looking for guard jobs, but they got lost," Ms. Cooper lied.
"Oh...I see. For a minute there I thought they were intruders. Well, maybe they can follow us and talk to Boss," Salvador said as he motioned the four of them to follow him. "Keep up, newbies, we don't have all day!"
Murray cringed at the name "newbies". It reminded him too much of when Bentley had stayed up late playing a massively multiplayer online game (or MMOG) one boring and heist-less night. The turtle kept yelling at the computer monitor to stop calling him a "newbie".
The hippo shook his head. He was wondering if Sly would remember that night...
The warthog opened the back door into the room Teresa had first entered earlier and led the four of them inside. The room was strangely quiet, except for a laugh coming from behind a set of large crates. A flash of lightning brightened the room momentarily and a crackle blared as the sound of lightning came from outside.
Salvador motioned the group to stay behind as he walked around the corner. There was a scream as a gunshot went off. Everyone else saw Salvador fall from behind the corner, his body limp and motionless. Madam's ringed eyes widened as her body shook with fear. From behind the corner, a fiend stepped out with a pistol gripped tightly.
"Luke Black. I knew this had to be your doing," Teresa said through gritted teeth.
"Wait...am I missing something here? How can the doctor be the main villain now? None of my evidence led up to this!" Bentley's voice exclaimed from the bino-cu-com lying within Carmelita's pocket.
"Luke Black? So you were just using your role as a cover-up," Carmelita confirmed. The doctor smirked as he stepped further out of the shadows, revealing a smirk he had never worn before.
"That's right, and as soon as the mother is out of my way, I can steal the Cooper myself. Right, Teresa?" Luke had the pistol aimed at Madam, his finger right in front of the trigger.
Carmelita and the female raccoon knew what the doctor was talking about, but the others apparently didn't. Everyone stared at Teresa, silently demanding an answer or explanation. The raccoon's ears went down and she frowned. She didn't want to tell them like this.
"I—I'm...not...I am...When I was younger, I ran into the love of my life at a museum's premiere party back in the days when I was still accepted in my family as one of them—rich, yet they had no hearts, no life outside of modern day nobility. But when I met HIM, I thought he was the best gentleman I had ever met. Very charming, somewhat quiet, yet very kindly. We eventually married, right after being rejected by the rest of my family, and we settled down in Lauderville—"
"Get to the point, Teresa!" Luke snapped, keeping his hold of the pistol he was wielding steady.
"Cut her some slack, Luke," Carmelita suggested, aiming her conveniently located shock pistol at the doctor. The vixen nodded at the mother, telling her it was okay to continue.
"...Anyway, my husband and I eventually settled down in Lauderville and lived a quiet life. Together we had a son...and we named him...Sly Cooper."
A clank came from the back of the room as if something had been dropped. Everyone's attention turned towards the back of the room. There, they saw the thief who had escaped and somehow had managed to get his cane out of Madam's car. His amber eyes were wide with shock and he seemed too stiff to move.
"Y-You're my m-mother? B-But you c-can't be," Sly stuttered. He suddenly started glaring Teresa down and the tone of his voice became louder. "You're the one who caused my father all that pain—THAT ANGUISH?"
"Sly, my little boy—"
"Enough melodrama, Teresa, Luke looks like he's going to shoot any minute," Cody warned.
"Cody, Murray, you guys take Teresa and get back with Bentley and Gertrude. He's waiting right near the prison building. Then call the police and get them over here as soon as possible. Carmelita and I will stay here and keep Black busy," Sly whispered to Cody low enough for only the two of them to hear.
The calico quickly nodded as he grabbed Madam Cooper's and Murray's wrists and took them out of the building.
Luke ignored them as he set his sights keenly on Sly. His plan had been successful so far, but he couldn't stop now. Luke HAD to finish this plan and then pull of the ultimate heist. Those pawns he had just killed off couldn't go to waste.
"You ready, Carmelita?" Sly asked as he held his cane up in a defensive position.
"Ready, Sly. Just tell me what to do!" Carmelita instructed. "...And I can't believe we're allied against someone again!"
(Shady's Snippet of the Chapter)
Hello, readers! After a very busy two weeks of being grounded and homework stuff, I'm back. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you folks at all...As you might've noticed (or not noticed), the next chapter is probably going to be the final.
And since I'm really not in the mood right now to blabber about how I think the chapter came out, I'll just say thanks for reading!
Shady