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 thecharacters that I have personally createdand the other elements of the story I have created my self.

Chapter 3

Memories

Carmelita got Sly home a little after 10:00. She helped him over to the couch and then went about making him a cup of coffee. They had left the movie theater around 7:30, and in that short 2 and a half hours Sly now had to process all his childhood memories at once, including the one Carmelita had seen first hand. She finished making the coffee and offered him the cup, but Sly just stared off into space. Carmelita sat down beside him and said, "Come on Sly, the coffee will help. It may keep you up all night, but it will help ease your nerves right now."

Sly just continued to stare off into the distance, and then he lowered his head and began to shed a few tears. After a few minutes of this Carmelita said, "Come Sly, it will be alright."

Sly shuddered a second and then said, "How can it be alright. I just relived every good and horrible moment of my child hood, and I still have so much more to remember. I am starting to think I don't want my memories back, that I was happy just living my life like I appeared in the world a year ago."

Carmelita put her hand on Sly's shoulder and said, "It's all right, I know what you must be going through."

Sly kept his head down put he pulled his shoulder away from Carmelita and yelled, "HOW CAN YOU KNOW?"

Carmelita drew her hand back and then sighed as she said, "I know because I saw what happened the night before you birthday."

Sly turned his head toward Carmelita and saw she was also on the verge of crying. After a few silent moments Carmelita said, "To get your memories back Eclipse and I went inside your mind. While he was searching for the keys to unlock the door to your memories I happened upon what looked like the Thievius Raccoonus, but when I touched it I got to see everything that happened that night."

Sly was shocked, and yet guilt ridden for yelling at Carmelita when he said, "You saw everything that happened that night."

Carmelita nodded her head and said, "Like I was in the room when it happened."

Sly sighed and said, "I am sorry for yelling Carmelita. I guess remembering all this for the first time in a year; it will get to a guy."

Carmelita smiled and said, "But you don't have to travel alone. Until you get your memories back I will be right at your side, helping you to get every memory back."

Sly smiled and said, "You would really do that for me."

Carmelita nodded her head and handed Sly his coffee and said, "I am doing it right now. Now drink this coffee before it gets cold."

Sly nodded and took the coffee and drank a little he lowered the cup from his mouth and said, "Man, if you're going to be a supportive as this coffee is good, consider my memories recovered."

Carmelita shook her head and scoffed as she said, "Memories or not, you are always the same Sly Cooper."

Carmelita stayed the night with Sly, and in the morning convinced Sly to practice some of the thieving moves from the Thievius Raccoonus. Sly hesitated a bit, but in thirty minutes he was moving and jumping around like he always had. It was about 10:00 when someone knocked on Sly's door. It was Eclipse, and he had some news for them.

After finding out what had happened since he last saw the two love birds he said, "All right, here is what I think our next move should be. The map to the Pure Magic Gems is already been 1/4 decoded, and in this short time I have finally found out who stole it and why."

Carmelita and Sly looked toward each other and then Sly asked, "All right, then who did it?"

Eclipse sighed and said, "It is a group called the Metal Owl Clan. It is a group that was separate from the fiendish five completely. It is made up of people who viewed Clockwerk as a god, and were willing to fight an army if Clockwerk ordered it. Imaging their surprise when they get word Clockwerk had been defeated by a weak raccoon. Some left the Clan after that, but others went about trying to find a way to resurrect Clockwerk. That is how they found out about the Pure Magic Gems. They are the only things that could resurrect Clockwerk, and also make him truly immortal." Eclipse then pulled a pair of plane tickets out of his pocket and handed them to Carmelita and Sly.

Carmelita looked at the ticket and said, "What is this for?"

Eclipse replied, "I told you that they had taken up an old fortress in the south pacific as their home base. Well, that was Dr. M's fortress, and that is why I found all the portraits and heirlooms from Sly's ancestors. That is also why are only chance of breaking into that fortress is to get the one group in the world that ever has broken into it, the Cooper Gang."

Sly looked at his ticket and said, "So, why are we going to California?"

Eclipse replied, "We are going to the main research center for the Athena research company. It is a contracting company the works with NASA to develop it mars explorers. After a bit of digging I found out that both Bentley, the brains of the Cooper gang, and Penelope, the RC specialist, are working at the research center trying to design better mars probes."

Carmelita nodded her head and said, "So we will be effectively killing two birds with one stone."

Eclipse nodded his head and said, "Now, those plane tickets are for flight that is this Saturday. You should both try to arrange it so you each have about a month off from Interpol. On Saturday you are to meet me at the gate at 10:30, in disguise. I don't care what your disguises are, but you must be in disguise. Now, do we have an understanding?"

Carmelita and Sly both nodded their heads in understanding. Eclipse smiled and then continued to lay out his plan to get Bentley and Penelope back with the gang.

At the Olympus research center Bentley and Penelope were working a little late in the lab. The company had recently been given a strange block of ice. The people who found the ice wanted to know if it had an archeological significance because they could see something was frozen in the ice. Bentley and Penelope had used many different techniques to discern what was in the ice, but none of them had worked. Finally they both agreed they would have to melt a small portion of the ice so that their scanners would be able to scan the core of the ice where the item was frozen.

As the ice began to melt Bentley wheeled over to Penelope and asked, "So, what are the readings."

Penelope turned and said, "They are holding steady and the ice is melting at a good rate on every side of the ice."

Bentley smiled and said, "That's good. With any luck we may be out of here before long."

Penelope nodded her head and said, "So, are we still on for our date tomorrow night."

Bentley nodded his head and said, "So, should I pick you up around 6:00."

Penelope laughed as she said, "Pick me up, I live in the apartment right next to you. How about I just meet you in front of the building at that time?"

Bentley sighed and said, "I guess it's alright."

Penelope shook her head and said, "Now you don't try that. My mind is made up."

Bentley smiled and chuckled as he said, "Well, that used to work. I guess I'll just have to put on some of that Bentley charm."

Penelope laughed, and soon they were laughing together. They were suddenly interrupted by the computers alarm. Penelope glanced at the monitor and said, "Come on Bentley, something's happened in the lab. We have to get down there."

Bentley and Penelope raced down to the lab where the ice had been melting. When they got down there they saw bits of ice had been flung everywhere, and that there was a shadowy figure at the other end of the lab. Suddenly, the figure moved and said, "I am as sore as a beaver with a tooth ach. Wait, where am I? This isn't my lumber mill."

Bentley eyes went wide and he quickly spun around to Penelope and said, "Get out of here now. I'll cover you escape."

Penelope got a worried look on her face as she asked, "What's the matter Bentley."

Bentley hurriedly replied, "Just go, and trust me. I'll be fine."

Penelope nodded her head and quickly ran out of the lab, heading for the centers security room so she could see and hear what was going on in the lab. Bentley waited to make sure she had gone before he wheeled closer to the figure. He quickly shot a few sleep darts at the figure and said, "I don't know how you got here, but it will be the same as the last time."

The figure turned and Bentley got a clear look. It was Jean-Bison, the lumber jack and old member of the KLAWW gang. He looked as he always did. The guy looked around and then down at Bentley. After a few minutes he said, "Who are you cripple. Wait, I know you, your that stupid turtle who beat me in my own lumber mill. Well, I guess its time to return the favor. I'll just have to thrash you in this fancy lab you got here."

Bentley got ready when suddenly a remote control car came out of no where and smacked Bison right in the head. The buffalo turned and saw Penelope holding the little cars remote control. Bison charged Penelope and in one quick motion sent her flying against the wall. He smashed the remote for the RC car and was about to pound her to death when Bentley shouted out, "DON"T YOU HURT HER."

Bison turned and saw Bentley, in the smack center of the room. He quickly charged the turtle and before Bentley could get out of the way Bison had picked him up, out of his chair, and threw both him and the chair over to where Penelope was. He then walked over and said, "Now listen carefully girly. Unless you want mister stupid here to be thrown to the other side of the room I suggest you listen to me."

Penelope was quivering in fear, but she was able to say, "I'll do anything, just don't hurt Bentley."

Jean-Bison smiled and said, "Good, now take him to this places basement, and leave both him and his wheel chair down their. Then, you are going to put you brain to work building me a flying train. My dream will be realized, and I will have me and Iron Pegasus, a flying Iron Horse train."

Penelope nodded her head and gently got Bentley back into his wheelchair. Once she had gotten him down to the basement she asked, "Bentley, what are we going to do?"

Bentley rubbed his head, trying to fight off a massive headache as he said, "I don't know Penelope. Everything on my wheelchair is broken, but if I might be able to get my grapple cam working again, so I can go out and get someone to help us."

Penelope nodded her head when she heard Jean-Bison call up from the top of the stairs. She kissed Bentley on the cheek once before she said, "Please, just hurry. I don't know how long it will be before that guy comes down here and finishes what he started."

Bentley nodded his head and once Jean-Bison and Penelope were gone, he began to do what he could to get one of his grapple cams working.