Disclaimer etc – I don't own Sly, Bentley or anyone else that Sucker Punch has the copyrights for, I do own Azusa and Judge Cizilar.
Sly woke up at six pm, like he did almost every night. The streets of Paris were lit in streetlights, preparing for the coming darkness, and the sun was already beginning it's decent beyond horizon. Sly got out of a bed with an unheard groan of protest. He threw on some random clothing and headed out to find Bentley.
Sly walked down the steps of the hideout seeing Bentley finishing the final touches of the heist at the small table in the living room. Bentley was muttering to himself, as he normally did as he made plans.
"Sly, why are we doing this again, I mean, there is no gem, so what is the real reason? A computer and some files wouldn't reveal anything to aid us..." Bentley said.
"Not us, true. But, it will aid Murray. You see, I went to see Carmelita yesterday morning…" At this he was cut off by Bentley.
"You did what! Why didn't you tell anyone, and more so, why did you go!" Bentley said in a state of annoyance.
"Because," Sly said coolly, "I knew you would act like this."
"Act like what!" The turtle demanded, his face starting to turn red out of annoyance and anger.
"Annoyed, angry, confused…" Sky said, shrugging. "But, I have Carmelita's word that if we bring in enough evidence against Azusa, she would try and free Murray," True, it was a lie, but that is what Sly hoped she would do, and most likely, it will be.
"Fine, fine…" Bentley said, shifting a few papers on the table and tapping a button on the keyboard of his computer. "Okay, the plan is done, I call it 'Operation: Hacker'."
"Very…creative, Bentley, so what do we do first." Sly asked.
"Why thank you, I know it is. Anyway, Azusa shouldn't be expecting us to come, let alone the day after our failed heist. We should use this to sneak in. There is another way in, through the air ducts." Bentley said, pressing the enter button on his keyboard while Sly uttered 'great…' "From there you follow my directions through the vents, until you come to the vent that leads to Azusa's office. Then I will tell you how to upload the computers information into your Binococom, and that will transfer it to my computer."
Sly nodded his head as the rest of the gang started to gather at the table, to listen to their parts in this heist. Sly headed up to his room, turning into the bathroom to bathe and wash up before the heist. As he washed his fur he thought to himself, what if Carmelita came to Azusa's? He knew that it was unwise to tell her that it was his plan, but still he had to. For what reason, he didn't know, but he had a feeling he did the right thing. Sly turned the handle in the shower, grabbing the towel on the nearby rack and wrapping it around his waist. He dried off quickly and then put on his normal thieving outfit, the darkness streaming through the window making the blue and black blend with it, making Sly almost invisible. Sly had one last thing to do before the heist. He wrote a letter saying that he went to buy something, and that he would be back soon. True, he hated lying to his gang, but if they knew he was heading back to Carmelita's office, they would worry until he got back, and then Bentley would most likely yell at him once he was back.
Sly opened the window, jumping down onto the pole below. He followed the same path as he used this morning, and as he predicted, Carmelita was in her office, typing something on her computer. Sly took out his Binococom and flipped the global sight switch off, so if Bentley was looking at his computer, the picture of Carmelita's office wouldn't appear. Sly zoomed in on the computer and on it was a massive report to Judge Cizilar and Chief Rob. Sly quickly and quietly pocketed his Binococom, jumping onto the low branch of the maple tree in front of the building. Jumping from branch to branch proved quite easy, as being a master thief and being nocturnal, he had the advantage of both agility and eyesight, which most lacked at this time. He opened the window of Carmelita's office, and quietly jumped inside, his shoes landing on the soft carpet with an unheard thud. He slowly reached out, past Carmelita's eyesight, and grabbed her Shock Pistol, pocketing it.
Carmelita sighed, saving the file to her computer; she would send it in the morning. She looked to her right and saw that her pistol was gone. She raised one brow and her eyes searched the desk for it, until her eyes landed on the back of Cooper, who was sitting on the edge of her desk, his tail hanging limply to the side, off her desk. "Cooper! What are you here again!" She said, her voice coated in anger, but it wasn't all that loud.
"To ask you for a favor beautiful," Sly said, turning toward Carmelita, his thieving outfit blending in lightly with the darkness that poured into Carmelita's office, despite the light she had on. It is as they say, darkness consumes the light.
"A favor, ha! Why would I, a member of Interpol's finest, help a crooked crook?" Carmelita said, well at least she wasn't yelling, Sly thought.
"Because you love me, beautiful?" Sly said.
That hit a soft spot in Carmelita. That was something she had been contemplating all day, ever since the kiss he had given her earlier. How could he, a thief, be her love? Could it be true…?
"Go on Cooper…" She said, her voice hard and cold, yet somewhat wavering.
"Could you take the day off? You see, you are on of the few here in Interpol that can keep up with me, and with me carrying these files, that will end up on your desk by six am, at the latest, I would, or more correct, they would be an easy target for you. And, knowing your anger, you would aim for that, rather than me. So, in the sake of seeing if Azusa truly has any plots to destroy you, seeing as how you also helped stop her father, take the night off." Sly said, jumping off of her desk. "So, I will leave you with that, as I really must be going." And with that, Sly jumped out the window, heading back home.
Carmelita sighed, leaning back in her chair. Sly's words had meaning; she would sometimes lose her temper and fire her shock pistol recklessly. She picked up her coat, throwing it over her shoulder, before heading toward the door. She would listen to Sly just this once, and if Sly lied to her, there would be hell to pay. Sly, after she was done with him, wouldn't have a hair left on his tail after she got done with him, if he was lying anyway.
Sly returned to the hideout, walking down the stairs calmly, once at the bottom he saw Bentley loading some equipment into the van, well instructing other members of the gang on how to anyway.
"No, no, that goes there, not here…Oh, Sly, finally your back, how went your trip to the store to pick up…?" Bentley said, questioning Sly.
"Quite good, I bought myself some caulk; to repair a hole in my wall…it's been annoying me for some time." Sly said, and he internally reminded himself to buy some to really fix that hole in his bathroom wall.
"Ah-huh, if you say so Sly." Bentley said, using the ramp he installed to get into the back of the van. "Where about to leave, so everyone gather your tools, and meet down here ASAP, then we can leave for the heist."
Everyone quickly rushed off to gather the last of their equipment; batteries, fireworks, a weapon or two, etc. and quickly gathered in the van. Penelope sat in the back with Bentley. Sly sat in the front, like he normally did, and Panda King drove. Dimitri was staying behind on this operation, as he wasn't needed for anything this time.
The gang drove through the streets, buildings passing in a blur of white and yellow lights. The neon glow of some of the areas making the van light up in the streets, making them an easy target for any cop on patrol, luckily for them, there were no cops out and about.
They parked their van in an alley, near the studio. Sly opened his door and jumped out, quickly hooking his cane around a drain pipe, and climbing up it to the top of the roofs. He jumps from rooftop to rooftop, a blur of gray, black, and blue. Once within visual range of the studio, he talked into his mouth piece.
"Okay Bentley, I'm in position." Sly said, with a crack of thunder in the distance. A slight downpour of rain falling on his fur as Paris once again is struck by rain. Bentley then radioed in, telling him how to penetrate the ventilation system. Sly jumped down from the roof, landing near a ventilation shaft. The fan blades were a blur of gray, with water being forced out by the sheer speed. Sly shuddered as an image of him falling in those grey, sharp, blades flashed through his mind. He then did as Bentley instructed him to, placing four small charges on each side of the metal grating that covered the vent. Sly then jumped back, just in time, as the grate blew off with a rather loud thud, but the fan had stopped, so that was good. Sly jumped into the vent, as he heard the thundering of footsteps, and the gruff voices of the guards of duty.
Sly climbed through the dust filled vents, he was lucky, as if he was any bigger he wouldn't fit. Sly eventually made it to the right turn, ending up at the air vent above Azusa's office. He took out a screw driver from the pouch strapped to his leg, and unscrewed the grate from its holdings. "Old school," Sly muttered as he unscrewed the last bolt from the grate. It started to fall forward and Sly quickly reached forth and caught it before it could hit the ground. Jumping down from the vent, he landed with grace, even though the floor gave an unheard groan of protest to his, or anyone's, mind you, weight. He crept forward, as if worried that the slightest sound would alert every guard in the building to his location. He reached for the top file, opening his Binococom so Bentley could see what he was, and began to skim through it. Names and files popped up, business transactions, and other things, but nothing that would aid Murray's release.
it took Sly another thirty minutes to look through each file, and, much to Sly's aggravation, there was no information about any crimes, heists, plots, plans, or anything of that sort. Sly was frustrated, but kept himself calm and collected, there was still the computer…Sly headed toward it, only to turn his head toward the door. Muffled voices were coming from behind it, Sly jumped back into the vent, taking the grate and placing it back in place, screwing in two bolts, thus keeping it in place, at least for now. Azusa entered through the door, a frustrated and angry look on her face.
"Great," She muttered, "The air in this ruddy place is gone, that's all I need!" She flicked a switch on the near by fan and it started to blow air through it's cover, cooling off the muggy air at a fast pace. There was then a knock at the door. "Who the in blazes could that be!" She said, her voice coated in anger and annoyance. She sighed and then waved her wing, as if the person on the other side could see, "Come in, come in."
The door opened, and in walked a wolf, he stood slightly over the height of Sly and was slim and well built. He wore a tie and suit, and his hair was thick with grease.
"Ah, Judge Cizilar, it's so good to see you. I take it that the case against Murray is…" Azusa stopped, to make the next word stick, "Fair,"
Sly turned on the recorder on his Binococom, sending the image directly to Bentley's computer. His ears were back, the Judge was part of this whole thing!
Cizilar chuckled, "Ah, yes, very fair. Expect him behind bars within a month, or less…for the right amount." He said, a greedy gleam in his black as coal eyes.
Azusa chuckled, "So greedy my little wolf, but yes, I did agree to pay you more than Interpol did, and they are paying you three million right now, correct?" Cizilar nodded his head, "Very well, I shall pay you six million, once Murray is behind bars, and that annoying Carmelita as well, I have a feeling that she will stop me unless I act first. Besides, with his best friend and his 'lover' in jail, Sly would have no reason to go on fighting, and my plans," She pressed a button on the keyboard of her computer, "Will be complete…"
Cizilar laughed, "Yes, that Carmelita has been hounding Chief Rob to remove me, I would remove her for free, but…pay is always welcome…" He said. Cizilar faintly sniffed the air, his head slowly turning toward the vent that Sly was hiding in, a look of malice in his eyes. Sly's heart seemed to stop, was he found?
"What is it Cizilar?" Azusa said, turning her head toward the vent.
"Nothing, just a rat problem…I expect the pay in my account by tomorrow, and then I will begin Murray's case, it shall be…open and shut. Now, about Carmelita…" At this he was cut off by Azusa.
"It is all plotted the click of her in Russia with Sly, thanks to Clockwerk who recorded it, and thanks to this," Azusa set something on the table, and from Sly's angle, he couldn't see it.
"Is that?" Cizilar began, his voice sounding like a child who just got the toy they had wanted for ages.
"Yes, the repaired Clockwerk eyes…in a matter of time, Clockwerk's pieces shall be repair, all thanks to this new hate chip…" She said, and even from the vent, Sly could see her million dollar smile.
"Good, good…" Cizilar said a smirk planted on his face. "So, the files on Carmelita will be implanted in Chief Rob's computer within the next hour?"
"And with them, her arrest," Azusa said, both answering his question and continuing what he was saying.
"Perfect…" Sly did stay any longer, he began to climb back. His heart was beating fast, with a mix of adrenaline and something else, something he'd never felt before, fear, perhaps?
Sly pulled himself out of the vent, telling Bentley to head back the hideout, he had something else to take care of first.
Sly ran from roof top to roof top, expertly avoiding divits and potholes along the way. He finally arrived in front of Carmelita's window, once again. He enters it, this time not caring if Carmelita hears or sees him.
Carmelita jumps off of the couch grabbing her Shock Pistol, seeing Sly in her officer, again. But something seemed different, his face was coated in fear, and his eyes had a nervous glint in them. She kept her gun at eye level, not lowering it. "I've got you this time Cooper. Put your hands in the air." She said her voice calm.
There was a knock at Carmelita's door, and Chief Rob's voice talked for the other side, "Carmelita Fox, open your door! We need to talk. This is an order inspector!" Carmelita lowered her gun and began to walk toward the door, only to have Sly's hand cover her mouth and forcing both and them back, onto the tree outside her window. Carmelita began to struggle against Sly, elbowing him in the gut, but it seems that he didn't even notice, as if he was distracted.
There was a loud crash from Carmelita's office, and she turned her eyes toward it, only to have them open in shock, Chief Rob and about twenty officers poured into her office, armed to the teeth.
"Damn," Rob cursed, looking around. "It looks like she got away, well there's nothing we can do now boys, put out a bulletin that Carmelita, Sly Cooper, and Bentley are to found and brought to justice, Sly Cooper for thieving, Bentley for being among them, and Carmelita for aiding him…how could I have been such a fool…? I trusted that girl…" Rob sighed and closed the door, which barley stood on its hinges.
Carmelita couldn't believe the sight before her. She, a wanted criminal, how could this be? If only she could talk to Rob, explain why she wasn't there. She struggled against Sly, but to no avail. Sly placed his Binococom in front of Carmelita's eyes, and an image, no make that a movie, played across its screen. The movie showed the events between Cizilar and Azusa.
Sly released her mouth once her heart beat slowed to calm one. Then he shook his and sighed, "I'm sorry I had to kidnap you like that, Carmelita, but I couldn't let you be taken, not like this anyway…Follow me," And Sly let go of her waist, allowing her to move.
"And why should I follow you ringtail?" She said, her teeth gritted out of frustration.
"Because…I'm your only chance at clearing your name, now are you going to follow me, or wait around to be caught by Interpol?" Sly said, jumping onto a lower branch.
"And where, may I ask, are you leading me Cooper?" Carmelita asked, jumping to the branch below, while following Sly.
"To my hideout, the one safe place around here…" Sly said, jumping onto a nearby roof.
"I suppose, that for now I will have to trust you, Cooper…I don't have much of a choice." She said, following his lead, although not as gracefully as him.
"Please, Carmelita, call me Sly…no need to be formal when you'll be living with me and my gang." Sly said, lifting her up bridal style, in which Carmelita gave a short yelp from the surprise.
So the two of them traveled across the city, heading back to Sly's hideout, Sly helping her across thin ropes, or other obstacles she couldn't cross without his aid.
A/N – Phew, long wait, long chapter…Sorry bout the wait one and all, but chores and school work were a pain in the ass. Anyway, I'm going back to edit a bit of Chapter 1, as this chapter seriously goes against what I wrote there. Instead of that little opening scene being three days later (Or the next chapter) it will be three months later, so expect this to be a long story, at minimum 15 chapters. Sorry for the slow update, my editor took a vaction, and is still not back --...I'll update it again once he gets back, which should be soon.