Disclaimer: Once again it's time for an update to Mask of Deceit! In today's episode we bring you, er I bring you, new twists and turns and all that other junk! Things that'll make you laugh, others that will leave you clueless and capitvated! But before that, it's response time once more!
Random: Great seeing you once more and thanks yet again for the review! I'll go over your advice about Antoine post haste!
Shady: Aww don't feel bad about not reading it before I forgive ya, and here this is for you (hands Shady a BIG cookie) it's chocolate chip too, nummy. And thank you for the review as well.
Editor and Kev: Knowing you Kev as well as I do, editor is also you, well two birds with one stone I guess. Thanks for the double review!
Noalyn: Glad you like the humor Noa, can I call you Noa? Anyways you may not be famous to everyone yet, but you are to me, your style of writing is what made me attempt to write this story, so I thank you the only way I know how. (Gives Noalyn TWO big cookies) Yeah, I'm a cookie lover lol, enjoy the next chapter!
CooperPrincess91: Hey there, long time no see, how ya been? Thanks for the review and I hope to see you again! Wait...spelling errors, I made spelling errors!? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (runs around while Sly and Carmelita watch me from the sidelines)
Sly: You going to stop him?
Carmelita: No, are you?
Sly: Nope he'll either get tired and stop or run into a wall, whichever comes first.
Carmelita: Right, shall we start the story then?
Sly: ( grinning and picking up a nearby remote) Way ahead of you baby.
Carmelita: ( Her fur bristles and she shoots a poisonous glare at him) Baby? Cooper!!! ( she lunges as he hits the play button)
Sly Cooper: Mask of Deceit
CRASH!!!
Sly: ( talking from the darkness) I was right, the wall got him first.
Chapter 2: Mondays Suck
It was about five in the afternoon when the bundle of sheets on the bed began to move again. From beneath them came a low groan as a figure slowly sat up and scratched it's head. Sly Cooper glanced wearily to the side of his bed, trying to make out the time on his clock. However upon seeing the broken pile of machinary, his mind was immediatly drawn back to the events from before. A slight grin came to the thief's features as he replayed the dream over and over again in his mind. Ah Carmelita, she always made things so much more fun, hiests and sleeping for that matter.
" It's too bad she's a cop," he murmured, "I would have loved waking up next to her in the mornings."
With another yawn, the raccoon thief slid out of bed and walked into his bathroom. After spending a few minutes to freshen up and shower, Sly made his way to the closet, pulling out his usual clothing from inside. Checking himself in the mirror, Sly gave a nod of satisfaction and then turned to his closed door. Yanking it open, the thief slowly made his way down the long hallway, following the smells coming from the kitchen. His stomach rumbled as he enetered the room, evidence that he was pretty much starving at that point. Murray gave a nod of acknowledgement when Sly stepped in, his attention more or less focused on the stove in front of him. Grabbing a chair, the raccoon thief pulled it out from under the table and sat down, his tail flicking back and forth behind him.
" What's cooking Murray?" he asked his childhood friend, watching as the hippo threw in some spice to the concoction he was making.
" A mexican dish I've been wanting to try," the hippo stated, now stirring the contents of the pot he was using, " Bentley found it for me on the internet last night."
Sly gulped upon the meantioning of the word Mexican. While Murray was a culinary wizard as well as the best damn getaway driver he'd ever seen, Sly knew first hand for a fact that his friend could not make a perfect Mexican dish, even if he did follow the recipie.
" Are you sure Murray?" Sly asked, a little bit of fear mixed in with his voice, " you remember what happened with those fajita's you tried last time."
Murray snorted and turned to look at Sly, a small scowl on his face.
" Oh come on they weren't THAT bad!"
Sly raised an eyebrow at this statement and shook his head in amusement.
" Not bad?" the raccoon began, a smile gracing his face, " It took at least five cups of water each for me and Bentley to stop the burning sensation in our throats."
Murray gave Sly a withering glare and was about to kindly tell his dear friend to shove it when Bentley came running into the kitchen. The poor turtle looked shaken up as he was babbling twice the speed that he normally did when excited. Sly sighed and did the only thing he figured would calm his friend down long enough to talk normally.
"Yeowch!" Bentley cried, rubbing the back of his head where Sly's hand had hit.
" Now can you talk normally this time Bentley and not like an out of control lawnmower?"
" The T.V." he blurted, pointing towards the living room, " You, on the news, something horrible!"
Sly blinked and looked towards the living room, his eyes showing confusion. He was on the news? That wasn't possible, he hadn't done anything since that hiest in China two months ago. And what did he meen by it being horrible? With so many questions forming in his head Sly got up and started to head for the T.V. set, Bentley and Murray both following behind him.
&&&&&& Earlier in the day, 2 A.M. Paris France, the Lourve museum
" We're going live in five minutes Katrina," stated the camera man while checking his watch," you all set?"
" Yeah I'm ready just let me know when it's time ok?"
Nodding, the camera man turned around and started barking orders at his helpers while Katrina watched the cops scurry about. At the age of twenty seven, Katrina Campbell was considered by most of the media critics as an absolute genius. Using what she called her "special" program of investigation and questioning, Katrina was able to uncover even the most concealed secrets. The black and white siamese cat ran her hand through her blond hair and stared up at the museum, a thoughtful look on her face. Last night a double murder had taken place here, both night watchmen were found dead and two anchient and priceless artifacts stolen from thier resting places. From what she had heard the murder scene was indeed a gruesome sight, and one of the bodies was terribly mangled almost beyond recognition. A slight shiver went through her spine as she thought about the suspect the cops had just figued out. Who's have thought he'd start killing people?
" Katrina?"
The voice brought her back to reality and she turned around to face her cameraman again who was tapping his watch.
" We're ready," he stated handing her a microphone, " good luck."
Katrina nodded and smiled, giving the cameraman a small thumbs up sign.
" Thanks."
" Ok people lets do this!" the cameraman shouted, pointing his camera at Katrina, " we're live in five, four, three, two, one!"
" Good evening everyone, Katrina Campbell here with an update to what has been a most horrifying day so far here in Paris."
Katrina made a sweeping motion to the museum behind her, the cameraman following her hand gesture.
" This morning, guards here at the Lourve museum found both night watchmen brutally slain inside the egyptian arts exhibit. At least two rare artifacts, both recently found in the Valley of the Kings, have been taken as well."
Pausing for a few seconds, Katrina let the information she had just given to soak in, and then started up once more when the cameraman turned back to her.
" Now officials do not know at this moment why these artifacts have been stolen or what purpose they hold as well. Though the video tapes from the security room have been taken, police have found a calling card, indeed a very famous one, at the crime scene between the two bodies. This calling card has been found at almost every major heist from not just here in Europe but also around the world, it is the calling card of the world famous Sly Cooper himself. Sly Cooper is now considerded a murder suspect and anyone with information leading to his arrest are urged to call Interpol or local authorities immediatly. This is Katrina Campbell, reporting live from the Lourve museum, back to you in the studio."
Katrina watched in satisfaction as the cameraman turned off his equipment and gave her a thumbs up. She had a feeling this case would be one of her best one's yet, a testament to her ace reporting.
&&&&&&
Sly could hardly breath, his throat felt dry and constricted. He was being accused of...murder!? That was impossible, he was never near the Lourve in the past few months and certainly not last night! Still they had said one of his calling cards had been found at the scene...a cheap imatation perhaps?
" This isn't good Sly," Bentley finally managed to speak up, " it seems your being framed for that henious crime!"
" Looks like it, Bentley, Murray, you guys up for a night out?"
Bentley looked up at Sly, disbelief clearly etched on his face.
" Your framed for a double murder and you want to go out?!"
Sly sighed and rolled his eyes at his friends outburst. Bentley was a good person generally, but when he was truly excited the poor guy made absolutley no sense what so ever.
" What I mean Bentley," Sly began, while turning the T.V. off, " is that we're going out to the Lourve, and we're going to make our own inspection."
" But there's guards crawling all over the place by now Sly," Murray added, " not to mention Interpol officers, how will you get in?"
" Relax Murray I'm a Cooper, my family line has broken into heavily guarded areas before and it's nothing new to me as well."
" I just hope you know what your doing Sly," Bentley added, the turtle had seemingly calmed down enough, " I'd rather not have to bust you out of prison by myself again."
Sly smiled and nodded his head at the turtle's mention of jail while Murray paled a bit. Bentley had really proved himself that day he busted them out of the Contessa's prison complex, though Murray still had nightmares about the place from time to time.
" I'll be ok guys, now go get the van started up, we have a job to do."
Murray nodded his head and took off for the garage, Bentley following close behind. Sly watched them go for a few minutes and then turned around and headed for his room once again. The thought of being framed for such a crime was still rattling around in his mind as he opened the door and stepped inside. Who could it have been, what was thier reasons for framing him in the first place? If anything this framing had made Sly appear to be a brutal murderer now in the eyes of the public.
" Of course I know a certain cop that will more than likely be just as confused as I am."
Shaking his head the master thief stepped up to his closet and grabbed the handle. All he needed to get now was the family cane and then he could meet up with Bentley and Murray outside. Sly pulled on the handle and was taken by surprise when the door didn't open. Blinking, Sly sighed in agitation and pulled even harder on the handle, this time moving the door a bit. Sensing victory, Sly gave one last tug and smiled in satisfaction as the door swung open. However that smile soon faded, and a look of shock came over his face. There resting against the back panel was the family cane, an heirloom that had been in his family for generations. The cane had always been the backbone of his family, it was strong and sturdy able to conform to every Cooper that had used it. A scream managed to find it's way out of Sly's throat, which somehow managed to reach his friends ears for the next thing Sly knew, Bentley and Murray were back in the house and heading to his room.
" Sly! Sly are you ok!?" Bentley yelled as he and Murray finally entered, the hippo reaching to steady thier shaking friend.
" The cane, my family's cane!" Sly stuttered, pointing at the closet door.
Murray and Bentley both looked towards the closet, and reacted differently. Murray's mouth literally dropped and hung open, while Bentley paled and went wide eyed.
" My goodness," the turtle whispered, his eyes still locked onto the sight.
The cane was covered in dried blood.
Author's notes: Well there you have it everyone, chapter 2 and a shocking end!
Sly: Oh yeah real shocking, for god's sake my cane is covered in blood!
Yeah, kinda wierd ain't it? Anyways before I leave there are two things I must do, first is to apologize for being so late with this chapter and second is to reply to all the people that responded while I was writing this, here goes:
Seekio: Ok I know you responded before I started chapter three, but since that little incident at the beginning of the story happened I didn't get a chance to say anything. Anyway thanks for the review and I promise the long chapters are on thier way!
Solidsnakex2: Thanks for the review and I promise the action and comedy won't stop.
Mimic12355: Thanks for the review and yes there will be more, more for all hahahahahahaha!!!!
Sly: Oh great...he's gone insane again...
OldSchoolSonic: So you like evil prevailing over good huh? Well guess I can add some of that here to the story, anyway thanks for the review and hopefully I can keep your interest, see you next time. gives the cyber handshake back and winces ouch...he's got a good grip.
Well...that's about it people, Merry late X-mas and Happy New Years and all that stuff, see you all again in chapter three!
P.S.: Expect to see more of Katrina now and then, the siamese reporter lady will be making apperances here and there in the story from now on.