Disclaimer – I don't own Sly, Bentley, Murray, etc. as Sucker Punch does. But I do own Judge Cizilar and Azusa, so all you back off of my characters --.
Sly sat by the old fireplace in the living room letting the warmth radiating from it dry his soaked fur. He didn't know why he was doing this honestly, but he did nonetheless. He had realized that his gang was not as invincible as he had once thought. True, Bentley's wounds were bad, but it was an accident, and if anything, it only improved Bentley. Using his wheel chair he could move as fast as Sly, or close to it anyways. But, Murray's arrest was bad, as, unlike before, he wouldn't be going to The Contessa's prison, he would be going to Interpol's largest, and most secure, prison Sal-DeLon
Sal-DeLon was once a medieval castle way back when, owned by the duke of Paris. He used this castle as a torture chamber, and as such it was only logical that it would be turned into the modern day hellhole that it was. It was only a matter of time until the judge, Cizilar, the must corrupt and unfair judge in the entire state of Paris, bought it. It is said that he would send the most innocent man to the death block, but those that are rich and have ties, even if they did the most heinous of crimes, he would release. If the price was right, you were free.
Sly looked up the stairs to see Penelope crying on the shoulder of Bentley. The young field mouse was taking it rather hard, as her RC was patrolling the area for cops and/or guards. And, as such, she was blaming herself for Murray's arrest. Sly sighed and stood up, his fur almost completely dry. He headed upstairs, past Bentley and Penelope. Once upstairs and in his room, he sat on his bed, thinking of how to free Murray. True, Bentley was the thinker, but here and now, Sly knew that only he could free Murray, although it would require doing something for Interpol.
Sly knew that his gang wouldn't approve of what he was about to do, and as such he decided to go on his own, without alerting the rest of his gang. He as well didn't go in his thieving outfit, as that would make him a much easier target for Interpol's guards. Instead he dressed in a black shirt and an old pair of jeans, which were ripped just below the knee. Sly gripped the bottom of the window, thrusting it up and open. The rain was still coming down, but now it was more of a sprinkle than a downpour. Sly jumped out of the window onto a pole beneath it. The rooftops were his playground and nothing could touch him as long as he stayed on them. He ran from one to the next, avoiding puddles of water that had gathered in divits on some of the roofs.
The sun had started to rise, and Sly's nocturnal eyes adjusted to the daylight, making Sly momentarily blind. Once he could see, he started to move forward again, until he made it the gates of Interpol's Headquarters. He looked up and jumped onto the branch of a low-lying tree. Moving from tree to tree, each of which didn't even lose a leaf when he landed on them, he got to the window of the office he wanted, Carmelita Fox's office. He had to take an unstealthy approach, as he didn't have his golden cane with him. He saw Carmelita's long, black as night hair, so black that it looked blue, sitting at the desk.
Cooper, even without the mask, had the same lines around his eyes, as that is how most raccoons looked, thus, even in broad daylight; it looked as though he wore his mask so Sly knew Carmelita would most likely recognize him. Sly took his index finger and tapped it against the window of Carmelita's.
Carmelita was working on the Cooper case when she heard a tapping behind her. 'Stupid birds,' she thought, ignoring the rapping at her window. She had the eraser of the pencil she was using in her mouth as she thought about how to write the report to her superior and to Judge Cizilar. She cringed at the thought of Cilzilar's name, everyone knew he was corrupt, well everyone but the chief of Interpol it seemed. The man had sentenced an innocent man to gas chamber and had freed a convicted serial killer, who had, in the least, killed seven people. The man's judgment could be so easily swayed by money that it was ridiculous. So much so that Interpol was paying him triple so the case against Murray would be fair. But, with a man like that, could it be fair? Again Carmelita heard that annoying rapping at her window and, with a look of extreme annoyance on her face, she spun in her chair to face the window, and the person there was so unexpected that she almost fell out of her chair.
Sly saw her reaction and laughed silently to himself. Now that he had her attention, he opened the window and jumped inside. Carmelita's hand reached toward the shock pistol on her desk but Sly, who was faster than her, took it instead and twirled it on his index finger.
"As beautiful and angry as ever, amor." Sly said, pocketing the pistol that he was formally twirling on his finger.
"Cooper!" the vixen said, her voice coated in anger and confusion. "What are you doing here ring tail!" she said, her eyes glaring at Sly. Sly easily read her expression, and boy was she angry.
Sly chuckled. "So good of you to remember my name darling…" uttered Sly, but before he could continue Carmelita cut him off.
"Enough of the flirty chit-chat Cooper! Gua-" she began but before she could finish her sentence, Cooper did the only thing he could think of to silence the vixen, he kissed her. Just like in Russia, she was stunned, yet at the same time soothed. Once Cooper cut off the kiss, she was silenced, eyes no longer angry but calm and collective.
"Now listen to me Carmelita, I'm here to strike up a deal with Interpol for the release of Murray. Have you heard of Azusa?" Sly inquired, his eyes looking into hers.
"Azusa? We've heard that she was the daughter of Arpeggio. But, that's all a rumor, isn't it?" Carmelita asked, the fact that it was Cooper talking to her seemingly gone from her mind.
"No, not a rumor my dear, as of yesterday rumor became fact. She set me up yesterday," said Cooper. Carmelita remembered the odd 911 call at that moment.
"Hello," Said the cool and collective voice of the other side of the phone line. "I am here to report a break in."
"Okay, and where exactly are these 'thieves' M'Dear," Said the calm telephone operator, due to Azusa's calm voice, she thought it was a prank.
"Why, none of than Sly Cooper and his gang. I believe that if the men and women of Interpol head to the East 142 Docks, they will find Sly Cooper's gang docked and awaiting their leader, Sly Cooper, to return from stealing from me. Please hurry up, will you?" asked the person. And then the voice on the other end hung up, leaving the operator to ponder if it was a prank call, or a real tip off. The operator decided to be safe rather than sorry, and informed the Chief of this division of Interpol, who sent out Carmelita and about thirty other cops, hoping that they could catch Cooper at long last.
"So, she knew you were coming?" Carmelita asked, kind of in shock that Sly's gang was outsmarted, yet alone by somebody around the age of seventeen.
"Indeed, sadly enough, also, there was no gem, which was the reason we were there in the first place." Sly said, sighing.
"Then I must thank her," Carmelita said, chuckling to herself. "You see, not only has she helped me, but she has weakened you, has she not? So, perhaps I should go see her in person…"
Sly was shocked at Carmelita's actions. Why would she thank a criminal? "Carmelita, really now, do you know that she plans on cloning her father? Do you remember what her father did?" Sly pressed, trying to bring Carmelita to her senses.
Carmelita sighed, she remembered, sadly. Clock-La, the female version of Clockwerk, and it was all thanks to Arpeggio's brilliance that Clockwerk almost returned. "You've got my attention ring tail," she said dryly.
"So, there must be some way that I can help you find out that she isn't as innocent as she looks. Such as, say, stealing some files and 'accidentally' giving them to you?" Sly said, waving a paw to get his point across.
"How would that help Interpol or me? Or make us release Murray?" Carmelita asked, her face riddled in confusion, a look that she rarely wore.
"Well, what if she has a plan not just to remove me, but to take over Paris, and the world, as her father did? Would that not be enough?" Sly said, leaning against a wall.
"No, not quite, but if she is, then perhaps we can decide your fate..." said Carmelita, the anger in her eyes slowly starting to come back. Sly understood that it was his turn to leave, before she remembered fully who he was, or at least what he did.
"Well, love, it's been nice talking to you, but I really must be going. I'll have those files on your desk tomorrow," he mentioned, jumping back out the window and heading home.
Carmelita groaned. Why did Cooper so easily affect her? To think that something like a kiss clouded her mind so much disgusted her. Her job was to capture Cooper, not flirt with him. She made a promise to herself, to never be tricked into that state again by Cooper.
Sly jumped from rooftop to rooftop, making his way back to the hideout that he and his gang had established, the rain had finally stopped, but the clouds still stayed high in the air like ominous beings, controlling the sky, and with enough power to block all light from the earth. Sly landed on the pole beneath his window and crawled back through it, into the warmth and comfort of his 'home'. He headed toward the door to talk to Bentley about their next heist, when Bentley bursts through the door.
"Where were you!" shouted the turtle, an extremely irritated look on his pale-green skin forming. "Everyone worried about you in your absence! They thought Interpol caught you! You better have a good reason for this Sly!" yelled the turtle.
"Make the plans for a heist; we're robbing from Azusa tonight." Sly simply said.
Now Bentley was beyond angry, "Sly, didn't you hear her! She has no gem! It was all a set up! And look what our mistake cost us!"
Now it was Sly's turn to be angry, "Look, Bentley, I'm not too thrilled about the outcome of last nights heist either. But, to free Murray we need to know what Azusa us planning. I was several important looking files on her desk and a computer. We need as much data as possible tonight, if we have any chance of Interpol freeing Murray." Sly said in a calm voice despite his rage.
Bentley was shocked, but shook his head, "Fine Sly, I'll go prepare for the heist. But it better be for a good reason." the turtle said, turning his wheel chair around and heading toward his room to prepare the heist.
"It is Bentley…it is," Sly said, sighing, and closing his door, he need as much rest as he could for tonight.
(Next Chapter- The Heist Part 1)