Disclaimer: Sly Cooper and the Cooper gang are property of Sucker Punch and I am just using them to entertain the masses with a good story. I only own the character Todd and the other elements of the story I have created my self.
Chapter 6
An interesting proposal
It was midnight by the time Carmelita and Sly came down stairs to the living room. Carmelita went over to the couch with Sly close behind her. Todd had just finished cleaning the kitchen from Sly and Carmelita's dinner when he walked out into the living room to see them sitting close together on the couch, already fast asleep. To avoid detection he snapped his fingers and transported himself to his room, but not before he covered the pair up with a blanket and smiled as he said to him self, "It is about bloody time. I thought you two were going to dance all night."
It was 7:00 in the morning when Todd reentered the living room, dressed in his usual work cloths. He looked over to the couch and smiled when he saw that Sly and Carmelita were still curled together under the blanket from last night. They had actually gotten closer together with Carmelita resting her head on Sly's shoulder and Sly resting his head on her head. Todd looked at the clock and knew he was due at the office in an hour, and unfortunately so was Carmelita. He walked over to the couch and gently gave the Interpol inspector and master thief a gentle shake, waking them up. Carmelita eyes fluttered open first and she slowly stretched out. She then looked over to see Sly still snoozing away. That was when the events of last night came rushing back to her. She looked around and saw Todd standing behind the couch.
Carmelita was back to her normal self as she said, "Todd, please tell me I only dreamed about what happened last night."
Todd let a small smile cross his face as he said, "Sorry Inspector, but it was no dream. Now, can I interest you in some coffee? "
Carmelita nodded as she followed Todd in the kitchen who with a flick of his wrist had gotten the coffee maker going. He then sat down at the kitchen table and began waiting for the coffee. Carmelita sat across the table from him and asked, "So, last night wasn't a dream, and Cooper did say he loved me."
Todd nodded his head and then as he stood up to serves the now prepared coffee he said, "I also remember you saying something about you loving him back, and how he was your one and only Ringtail."
Carmelita began to blush as Todd handed her a cup of coffee and sat back down on the opposite side of the table. They sat in silence a few moments before Todd said, "Inspector, I have a business proposition that you may be interested in."
Carmelita looked up from her cup and asked, "Really."
Todd took a sip of his coffee as he said, "Yep, It evolves the fact you have a week off from work coming up next week, due to your suspension. I looked on the back of the letter from the chief and it gave a few conditions for your suspension."
Carmelita's left eye brow rose slightly as she said, "Oh, what are some of these conditions?"
Todd sighed as he said, "The conditions are that
You are not allowed on any grounds owned by Interpol or and business associated with Interpol
You must leave your car at the Interpol garage for inspection.
You must leave your shock pistol and badge with the chief before you leave work today, and
During your suspension your house will be under watch"
Carmelita was stunned as she said, "What, they are going to be watching my house."
Todd nodded, and then took another sip of his coffee. He began to clean his glasses as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and set it on the table. "Here is my proposition," Todd said as he slid the paper across the table and Carmelita opened it up, "That is the necessary paper work for you to take your suspension as a form of vacation. Interpol will still be watching your house, but they will now expect you to stay away from your house the entire week. Now, I purpose you sign the bottom of that form and then spend your suspension here, seeing the world through Sly's eyes. I have had this heist ready for several months now, but we need five people to be able to pull it off. You will get to see how the Cooper gang works."
Carmelita read over the paper a second, and after a few minutes she reached over the table to where Todd had set down a pen and signed the paper. As she handed back to Todd she said, "This could be interesting, and helpful. With the kind of inside info I'm going to get next week I will see Cooper behind bars sometime soon."
Todd just shrugged as he took the paper and folded back up. He placed the paper in his shirt pocket and said, "Good, now that you are officially on vacation you can head up stairs. There is a door across the hall from the sliding door that leads out on to the patio. That is our guest room, and you can go make yourself comfortable. I will just teleport my self to work today so you can use my truck to go get yourself a change of clothes from your house. Now, I better get going. I have a lot of work today, unlike some people I know. Oh, and I know you hate to be without them, but I need you to give me your shock pistol and badge. According to your suspension they have to be turned into the chief by the end of the day today."
Todd took Carmelita's shock pistol and badge and Carmelita and left the kitchen after leaving his truck keys on the table. Carmelita got up and followed him into the living room, but before she could get around the corner she heard Todd mumbling something and by the time she had got there he was gone. Carmelita decided to go take a shower and went up stairs to the guest bedroom and bathroom. 15 minutes after Carmelita had gone upstairs Bentley came walking into the living room and was heading straight for his computer in the corner of the room. When he sat down he noticed a note stuck to the computer monitor. He pulled it off and read,
Bentley,
Carmelita is going to be staying in our guest bedroom while she is on suspension. I also have convinced her to become a temporary member of the Cooper gang. Why she agreed I will never know, but I am happy to say that I think we can finally steal the sword of 8 elements. You know I have been hoping we could steal it, but we could never do it because we didn't have enough people. Now, with Carmelita's help, we can get it away from David Lancaster a.k.a the crime lord "Strong Arm". I know it is risky, but I need your help. There is a new file on your computer desktop that contains my rough plan. I need you to make the needed adjustments to make it foul proof. I'll owe you one Bentley
Todd
Bentley threw the note aside and began to work on Todd's proposed plan. He was still working on it when 9:15 rolled around and Carmelita came walking down the stairs to see Bentley was the only one in the living room. She walked over to his computer and began to look at the screen over his shoulder. Bentley kept on typing away on the computer, not even noticing Carmelita's presence until she had said, "So, what's all this."
Bentley almost jumped out of his shell. After he had calmed down a bit he turned to Carmelita and said, "Please, Inspector, I'm going to have to ask you not do that. Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something?"
Carmelita stood up and said, "Sorry, but now that I am a temporary member of the Cooper gang I would like to know what is going on."
Bentley sighed and continued to type on his computer as he said, "I am trying to plan are next heist. I assume you know of the crime lord Strong Arm."
Carmelita said, "Yeah, he is on the Interpol most wanted list."
Bentley continued to type as he said, "Well, about seven months ago Todd felt a very powerful mystical item enter the city limits. Thanks to a little digging on my part I found out that Strong Arm had just acquired the Sword of 8 elements. It is a powerful sword that contains massive elemental magic. The kind of magic Todd specializes in, and he is the only one that does. That makes him the only one that can truly control the massive powers contained within it. Do you remember when the old factory district was destroyed over night?"
Carmelita nodded and Bentley continued by saying, "Well, that was the first time Strong Arm tried to wield the sword himself, and he lost control. Todd is afraid that if he were to lose control again he could destroy all of Paris, and it seems Strong Arm also fears losing control of the sword's power as well. He had it locked up in a safe, in his office, in the headquarters of the Steal Arm gang, which you know is the gang Strong Arm is the leader of."
Carmelita looked at the picture of the sword Bentley had pulled up on his computer screen. Carmelita noticed that there were 8 strange symbols across the blade. When she asked Bentley about them he replied, "That is something Todd would know about. I can recognize the difference between chaos magic and voodoo, but that is about as much as I know about the mystic world."
Carmelita asked, "So, why haven't you guys already stolen it if Todd is so worried about what could happen."
"Trust me Carmelita; we would have if we could. There security is the definition of overkill, and it has proven impossible to get past with four people."
Carmelita cocked her head and asked, "Then why are you working on plans to steal it?"
Bentley turned to look at Carmelita as he said, "The reason I am working on it now is Strong Arm is having a party between him and some of his associates at his hideout, and with your help we may be able to steal the Sword of the 8 elements right out from under his nose."
When Bentley finished Sly came walking into the room in his usual dress, and he sat down on the couch. He grabbed the remote up and flipped on the morning news. That is when he noticed Carmelita standing behind Bentley's desk, looking at the screen. Sly just smiled as he remembered last night, and was about to mention it when he thought, "Carmelita will never admit she had said I love you last night, at least not with Bentley or Murray in the room. I think Todd was able to hear it, he has some of the keenest ears, but I think it better for Carmelita if Bentley and Murray didn't know about last night, at leas not yet.
Sly had walked into the room and said, "So, how is my new boss this morning."
Sly smiled and he said, "Well I am just fine. Wait, what's with calling me boss?" Bentley then tossed Todd's note over to Sly and he read it over. Sly then got a huge grin on his face as he said, "My dream come true. I get to spend a week with my favorite Inspector, and she'll even help us pull of a heist."
Carmelita said, "Yeah, but don't get used to it Cooper. It's not like I enjoy your company. I am just taking this opportunity to see how you guys operate, and with that information put you behind bars, Ringtail."
Sly replied, "I just love it when you call me Ringtail, it's like your own little nickname for me, and I thought you would be happy to work with me for a week. I mean after last night I assumed."
Carmelita shot a deadly glare at Sly before he could finish what he was going to say, making Bentley wonder what had happened last night, but he knew better then to bring it up in front of Carmelita, so he decided to ask Sly later.
Bentley spent the remainder of his day in between his computer and an ever growing pile of papers on his desk. Carmelita had left around 10:00 in Todd's truck, heading to her apartment to pack a change of clothes for the week. When she arrived she caught sight of an Interpol van pulling around the corner, and she decided to take Todd's truck to Interpol and change it for her car. She then returned to her apartment and began packing, making it look like she was simply going on a well deserved vacation. Since, according to the paper work she had signed, she was spending time with some family back in Spain. She was returned to the Cooper gang hideout right around 12:00. She took her suitcase up stairs, and while passing the 2nd floor patio she saw the muscle of the Cooper gang practicing some boxing moves. After setting her suitcase in the guest bedroom she walked out on to the patio as Murray was taking hitting a punching bag with amazing force. Just as she walked up behind him he reared back and gave the bag one final punch and sent the bag and the very heavy base that was holding it up flying over the patio, landing barley short of the railing.
That is when Murray noticed that Carmelita was standing a few feet behind him. He turned toward Carmelita and said, "Greetings Inspector. I hope I haven't startled you with that great show of strength."
Carmelita stifled a laugh as she watched Murray strike a quick pose. She then regained her composure and said, "No I wasn't scared, but your form could use a little work."
Murray had gone over and picked up the punching bag and frame as he said, "Really, then lets see you do better." He then placed the punching bag right in front of Carmelita and stepped back, a slight grin on his face. Carmelita eyed the bag a second, looking over the frame of the stand as well. She then adjusted her footing a bit. Then, with the speed of a bullet, she did a very powerful round house kick and was able to send the bag flying just as far as Murray had. Murray stared in shock, and after a few moments said, "That was amazing."
Carmelita smiled and said, "Yeah, you just got to examine your opponent. Try and find a weakness in there stance. For example, that punching bag and stand is designed to stay balanced so its center of gravity is relatively close to the ground. By hitting it with a right balance of upward force and lateral force you could probably send it flying off this patio and into the backyard."
Murray got a look in his eyes like a kid a Christmas as he said, "Really, The Murray could knock it that far. Would you please show me how?"
Carmelita smiled as she motioned toward the punching bag as she said, "Set that thing back up and will get to work." Murray smiled and jogged over to the bag and pulled it of the ground with one hand. He then turned to Carmelita and waited for the instruction to begin. Carmelita walked over and said, "Okay first we need to work on your fighting stance." Carmelita and Murray worked till 3:00 when they both decided it had gotten to hot outside to continue. They went back down stairs and while Murray got them some water from the kitchen Carmelita walked into the living room and looked over toward Bentley's desk. She was surprised in the amount of clutter he had amassed in such a short time. The desk was covered with papers and diagrams. The computer monitor was lost under it own personal mountain of paper. Carmelita then saw a green hand shoot out from behind the highest pile of paper, the one in which the monitor was hidden in, and grab a sheet of paper off another pile. Then a few moments later she saw that same paper. It had been balled up and was sent flying behind the desk into a half full waste basket, filled with similar papers.
Carmelita then heard Murray come into the room and he handed her the glass of water. After taking a drink of it she turned back to Bentley's desk and said, "Hay Murray."
Murray finished chugging his glass and said, "What is it?"
Carmelita pointed to the desk and she said, "Does his desk always get like that when he is working on a plan?"
Murray looked over and after looking at the desk for a second he said, "Nope, it is usually much worse, but then half the papers are about you entering the scene during any part of the heist, and trying to account for every possibility."
Carmelita nodded and heard a door close from down the hall. In a few moments Sly came walking into the room. He sat down on the couch and then looked at Carmelita and Murray who both were showing signs of sweating. He said, "What have you two been doing." Before Carmelita could answer Murray began talking excitedly about the lesson Carmelita had given, and how he had been able to send the punching bag flying across the patio, over the railing, and right to the edge of their back yard. Sly nodded every few moments and when Murray was done he turned to Carmelita and said, "Why Carmelita, I didn't think you would be a good teacher. Guess the world is just full of surprises."
Carmelita walked over and sat on the other end of the couch from Sly. Sly was watching her and then he got a devilish idea. He got off the couch and walked over to the cabinets beneath the TV. He after a few moments of digging he walked back to the couch and tossed something toward Carmelita. Carmelita looked down and saw it was a wireless PS2 controller. She looked back to Sly who had taken up the TV remote and was flipping through the channels, trying to get the TV to the PS2 input. After a few seconds of flipping Sly found the correct Channel and then motioned toward the screen. Carmelita had been looking at Sly during all this and hadn't noticed what had appeared on the screen.
When Carmelita looked at the screen her eyes almost popped out of her head. She was looking at Sly and the roof of the old Interpol building. She turned back to Sly who was now smiling mischievously as he said, "Do you like it Inspector. I must admit it doesn't do me justice, but Todd and Bentley assure me that the next one will be better."
Carmelita looked back toward the TV and said, "A video game, you are the main character in a video game."
Sly's smile got bigger as he said, "Yep, a few months ago Bentley built a scanner for his computer allowing him to render objects and people into a computer model. Todd had the idea of trying to make a video game with it. Bentley knows a lot about programming, so creating the mechanics for the game was easy, but the art was lacking, so that is where Todd came in. Using a hunk of clay, a large amount of different color paints, and his magic he formed small models of every element in that game we couldn't get by normal means."
Carmelita looked back at Sly and asked, "So, am I in this game."
Sly smile widened to the limits of his face as he said, "Yep, but I don't think you'll like the voice."
Carmelita cocked her eye brows and asked, "What's this about my voice?"
"Don't get me wrong Carmelita. In my opinion your voice is comparable to a chorus of angles, but Bentley here didn't have enough samples of your voice recorded, so he couldn't use his computer to generate your voice correctly, so we had to use what we had."
Carmelita turned back toward the game and then she heard Sly say, "Don't worry, play through the first level and you'll see what I am talking about." Carmelita turned back to the screen. After a few moments she hit the start button and began the game. She went through the first level pretty quick, and after the cut scene at the end level she turned toward Sly and said, "I'm not terribly angry about the voice, but couldn't you make it closer then that."
Sly shrugged as he said, "Well, if you are bothered by it so much why don't you do what me, Bentley, and Murray did and be the voice actor for your character."
Carmelita nodded and said, "You got it Ringtail, but I assume breaking through the laser security at Interpol's old office was harder then the game portrayed."
Sly replied, "Your right, for the game's sake Bentley and Todd made the security systems a little more passable, making it a little easier to play. Trust me Carmelita; I had a bit harder time breaking in to Interpol when I really did it. So, you going to keep playing, or do I need to show you how it's done."
Carmelita smiled as she turned back to the TV and said, "Just show me your high scores and I'll blow them out of the water."
Sly said, "Oh, I would love to see you try my sweet Inspector." Carmelita spent and hour on the game, and Sly was amazed at how easily she was getting through it. She was almost doing as well as he had when he first played the game. Sly didn't see Carmelita as one with great video game skills. So what was making her wiz through the game in record time? He shrugged as he thought, "Guess there are still a lot of things I don't know about Carmelita."