Chapter 13
Memories & Unexpected Meetings

Back at the safe house, Blain paced nervously as Bentley tended to everyone's injuries. Murray was out cold, but Bentley thought he would come around in a few hours. Sly had several cuts and scratches, but nothing terribly serious. Rachel, however, had suffered the worst injury. On the way back Blain had done something to stop the curse Nephthys had placed on her from continuing. Now, Blain was having a massive internal battle. He knew that sooner or later his spell would be like putting a band-aid on a breaking dam. It wouldn't be able to hold off Nephthys powerful curse for very long. If Rachel was to survive, he would have to be the one to save her. Still, a Shadow Walker saving a Leo Blitz, it was like Hitler saving a Jewish man. Finally, one side won the great battle.

Blain moved over to the bed where Rachel laid motionless and began to check her pulse. He memorized the rhythm, his tail swishing in beat as he began to gather the materials he would need. He had Sadie and Bentley move Rachel to the center of the floor, and then push all the furniture back against the walls. While they did that he used a bag of chalk dust to draw a circle on the floor around Rachel. He gathered four candles, each a different color, and put them around the circle in equal spacing. With a snap of his fingers the candle lit, each flame matching the color of the candle. There was red, blue, white, and green.

Blain examined the circle, nodding his head before he moved over to his bag. He pulled out a small cube, and gave it a gentle toss. Out of no where, a large table filled with beakers, vials, test tubes, and a Bunsen burner appeared. Above the table hung, floating in mid air, was a cabinet. On the front of the cabinet was a strange dial with twelve different positions it could point to. Blain moved up to the table, turning the dial three notches before opening the cupboards. He began to pull different jars and bottles off the shelves. He then shut the shelves, and turned the dial again.

At this point, Blain noticed that Sly, Bentley, and Sadie were all watching him with strange eyes. Blain growled a bit, looking over at them, "I hate to be rude, but can you stop staring at me. It is distracting me from my work. Sadie, Bentley, why don't you two check on Murray. Sly, I don't know, go for a midnight jog or something."

Sly and Bentley glanced at each other, and then nodded their heads. Bentley and Sadie moved into the other room where Murray laid while Sly headed for the back door. He glanced back one more time, watching Blain as began to precisely mix several different ingredients into a beaker, and then heat the mixture over a flame. Mentally, Sly was giving Blain a pat on the back. He had done the right thing, putting someone's life over a stupid family rivalry.

Sly then turned, and walked out into the cool night air. He stretched, and then climbed a pipe up to the safe house's roof. He began to look around. Suddenly, an interesting idea struck him. He got back down from the roof, and hopped in the van. Without Murray there to drive, he would have to manage the stick shift. Still, he had a little practice and was soon gently cruising down the streets of Cairo. He finally reached his destination, the Cairo Natural History Museum. He stared up at the building, remembering that not to long ago he, Bentley, and Murray had broken in, hoping to steal the Clockwerk parts before they fell into the wrong hands.

Sly sighed, remembering how all that had turned out. Still, it was nice knowing that Clockwerk would never darken the world or threaten the Cooper line. As Sly stared up at the building, he felt a strange chill run up his spine. He spun around, and his eyes narrowed as he saw something in the sky. It was in the distance, floating over the temple Nephthys called home. It looked like the face of the clock, floating in the sky with the numbers facing down at the ground. Sly then saw the hands on the clock face begin to turn, backward. Sly was wondering what the clock was doing until he heard something behind him. He turned, and saw himself doing a rail walk, backward. Sly shook his head, not liking what was happening. He then saw a flash come from inside the museum, and then a great crash filled the air. A figure rose up against the moon, his metallic wings spreading out to cast a shadow on the world.

Sly shook his head, his voice starting to become weak, "No, it can't be. We destroyed you and Clockla."

The figure looked down at Sly, the computer like voice saying, "You can never destroy Clockwerk, perfection has no age and cannot be destroyed. You have only delayed your ultimate demise."

Sly quickly tried to run back to the van, but hit an invisible barrier. Sly growled, it didn't take much to figure out who was behind the entire trip down memory lane. Sly turned, holding tightly to his family cane as he stared Clockwerk down. He had to find a place to hide, at least long enough to call Bentley and find out what was going on. Sly quickly darted into a nearby alley, and Clockwerk began to drop down from the sky, following his prey like a hawk.

Sly scaled a nearby fire escape, and got up onto a nearby roof. He moved over to the side, into a door that led down inside the building. He shut the door, and then quickly pulled out his binocucom and called Bentley. After a few moments Bentley's nasally voice came over the line, and he said, "What is it Sly?"

Sly cleared his throat a bit, trying to slow down his breathing, "A blast from the past, namely Clockwerk."

Back at the safe house, Bentley nearly dropped his microphone. He quickly regained his composure, but he was still pretty shaken up, "WHAT!"

"I am not kidding Bentley. I saw a strange clock face appear in the distance. I think it was floating over Nephthys's temple. The next thing I knew, I began to see time rewind. I saw us trying to steal the Clockwerk parts in reverse. Then, with a great crash, Clockwerk broke through the museums roof and flew into the sky."

Bentley gulped, glancing back at Blain, "Got any ideas?"

Blain looked up from his work at his potions table, a bit of an angry glare mixed in his eyes, "Without seeing it myself, I can't really be sure. Still, from your description, it may be a time reversal spell. I can't get there to undo it though, I have to finish this. My suggestion for you Sly, just try to stay out of danger until I can get there."

At that point the line dead, but it wasn't because Bentley hung up. It was because Clockwerk had jammed the radio frequency. Sly heard the small building around him ripping, and soon Clockwerk had picked it up, finding Sly like you would find a bug under a rock.

Sly quickly ran out of the way as Clockwerk launched a pair of laser blasts at him. He continued to run, Clockwerk's taunting voice calling out, "Yes, Sly Cooper, run away from me. I told you that you were the weakest Cooper I had ever fought. Your father at least put up a fight. Still, maybe you are doing the smart thing. After all, you know how that fight ended. The down fall of the Cooper line is they listen far too much to their hearts. They are to compassionate, letting their emotions rule. Your father was just as stupid, and I enjoyed knocking some sense into him, knocking him senseless, and then killing him."

Sly froze, his back still turned toward Clockwerk. He then slowly turned. Clockwerk moved backward a bit, his own eyes locking with Sly's. Clockwerk had just crossed a line, and Sly wasn't about to let that transgression go unpunished. He began to walk towards Clockwerk, his hand holding so tightly to his cane that his knuckles were turning white. He looked up at Clockwerk, his mind bursting with anger, "You listen to me you pile of misshapen metal, my father was the greatest man I have ever met. You see emotions as a weakness, but more then one time they have given my strength to go on. When you had Carmelita locked in that chamber, using her as bait, all I could think about was getting her out. My heart filled with anger towards you, but also fear of what you might do to Carmelita."

Clockwerk began to feel strange. Something was happening. His body was beginning to break down. Systems were going off line, and the sound of gears breaking and metal scrapping began to come from his wings.

Still, Sly continued to walk forward, "Then, when I saw the Contessa trying to brainwash Carmelita, those emotions return. This time, however, I saw there was something else, another feeling that all the others steamed from. I don't have the courage to tell her, but she is the only person that has made me feel this way."

Clockwerk couldn't understand it. His wings were giving out. He went crashing to the earth, the tips of his wings starting to rust and break away. He tried to get air born again, but it was like watching a wounded duck flail about in the water. Still, Sly just kept moving closer. He would dodge a few of Clockwerk's laser blasts, but it was apparent there was something wrong with the mechanized owl.

Sly's moved over to Clockwerk's head, his eyes locking with his nemesis's eyes, "Now, Carmelita needs me more then ever. Her soul is shattered, and I am the only one that can fix it. Blain, Bentley, Murray, and Sadie are helping me, but not for the same reasons. It's because of my friendship with me that they are helping. The others could forget about Carmelita, and leave her soul in pieces. I can't do that, and I won't stop until Carmelita is back to normal. Then, I will tell her everything, all the stuff my heart knows but my brain refuses to believe. I love Carmelita, and if given the chance she might love me back. And no one, not Nephthys, not Mz. Ruby, not even you will stop me."

With that final word Sly raised his cane up, and smacked Clockwerk solidly across the head. At that moment, the great bird burst into dust. The magic had ended, Sly's emotions proving more powerful then the spell. Sly breathed a sigh of relief, watching the dust blow away in a gust of wind. He picked up his binocucom, and called Bentley. When Bentley answered, he said, "Tell Blain to never mind. I am all right. Clockwerk has gone back to where he belongs, my memories."

Bentley nodded his head, "All right Sly, why don't you come back to the safe house. Blain just finished breaking the curse Nephthys put on Rachel. I want to run a few ideas by you, Murray, and Sadie before we go to sleep. I think I might have a way to get at the medallion, but it will take exact timing and a huge amount of planning."

Sly chuckled, "You mean the usual Cooper Gang quality."

Bentley shook his head, "Just get back here. You may be a master thief, but you get sloppy when you're tired." Sly just shook his head, putting the binocucom away as he made his way back to the van. As he did, he began to wonder why Clockwerk had turn to dust, just at the sound of his voice. When Sly got back to the safe house, that question was answered.

Sly told Blain about what had happened. Blain had picked up Rachel, and was now setting her down on the spare bed before he turned to Sly and said, "It sounds like Nephthys tried to rewind time, and bring Clockwerk back to a point in time he was still in one piece. The problem with those spells is the farther away they are from the source, the weaker they are. Also, they have a weakness. If a person with a strong heart is inside the spells ring, he can break through it."

Blain paused, checking Rachel's pulse before he said, "To use your case for example, you knew that Clockwerk wasn't alive anymore. That he had been reduced to a pile corroded metal. That knowledge, plus the natural strength of your heart, gave you a special power over Clockwerk. After that, the spell can be broken by standing up against the creature resurrected through it. In your case, you stood up against Clockwerk, an enemy you had feared in your youth and stood up against in your later life. Still, it takes great emotional resolve to weaken a creature created by the spell, at least to the point of destroying it with a single strike. What were you thinking about?"

Sly paused a second, then let out a ragged breath. His eyes wandered a bit, going over to a small table where a single book laid by itself. Blain followed Sly's gaze, and then smiled a bit. It all became very clear to Blain what had given Sly the strength to stand up against Clockwerk. It was Carmelita. Blain shook his head, moving over to one of his bags. He gently pulled out Carmelita's statue of will power. Back in Texas, The gang found out that Two Ton Tom had sent Carmelita's medallion to Egypt. He had also tried to send the statue someplace else, in hopes of keeping it out of their hands. However, he had never gotten the chance to actually ship the statue.

Blain took the statue in one hand, and then gently set it on top of Carmelita's book of knowledge. He then stepped back, and snapped his fingers gently. In a flash, the statue disappeared and the book began to glow. The pages slowly opened, a bright golden glow rising up from them. Sly was watching in awe, but soon the book flashed and he became blinded.

As Sly's eyes recovered from the flash, he noticed the he wasn't in the safe house anymore. He was standing outside a large house. It was surrounded by a lush, green lawn and flowerbeds filled with a rainbow of blooms. Sly was beginning to wonder what was going on when he turned around and saw Blain standing behind it.

Actually, it was more like a ghost of Blain. Sly could see straight through him, and he had no shadow. Blain smiled a bit, enjoying the confused look on Sly's face, "Because we got the state, the book has enough power to do this little trick for about an hour, and then it will take it a good twenty four hours to prepare another charge. So, go enjoy yourself. The book will put you right back in the safe house, in the same place you left, after the hour is up. Until then, I'll be seeing ya."

Blain then disappeared, his image fading away. Sly was still confused where he actually was until he heard a crash and a female voice cussing in Spanish. Sly's mind quickly clicked, and he smiled as he slowly turned and faced the door. He slowly walked up, and gave the door a gentle knock. From inside the house Sly could hear footsteps, but they were slow and cautious. Sly smiled, he didn't blame her for being a little worried. She was the only one that was supposed to be in this world.

The door opened a few second later, only a crack at first. Sly smiled when he saw a pair of familiar eyes peak out from behind the door. The door then slowly opened wide, and before him stood a very confused Carmelita. Sly laughed to himself, she had a speck of what looked like sauce on her face. He could also see that spilled a sauce pan in the kitchen, thus the source of the crash and the reason she had been cursing.

Sly smiled at Carmelita, "Why my dear, you looked a little surprised to see me."

Carmelita was snapped out of her shock, and she quickly put on an irritated face. She crossed her arms, looking at Sly with hard eyes, as she said, "Answer me this Ringtail. If you could come visit me in this book, why didn't you do it earlier?"

"I would have, but Blain just, how should I put it, showed me the way."

Carmelita tried to act angry, but soon a smile broke onto her face and she said, "It is good to see you Cooper."

Sly bowed a bit, acting as if he stood before royalty, "It is always good to see you Inspector."

Carmelita shook her head, motioning Sly into the house, "Come on in, and Cooper, you have earned the right to just call me by my first name."

Sly smiled, taking a step into the house, "Well thank you Carmelita, and you know you have always had the right to call me by my first name."

Carmelita shrugged, moving over to the kitchen where the taco sauce disaster had occurred. She then threw a rag at Sly and said, "True, but what fun would that be."

Outside the book, Blain had just finished cleaning up his potions desk. He then put his hands in front of his face, mumbled a few things, and then opened his now glowing eyes. The table quickly disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced with the small cube Blain had thrown earlier. He bent down, picking up the cube before setting it gently in his pocket.

Blain then began to look around the room. Bentley, Sadie, and Murray had all gone to sleep for the night. Sly would be inside the book of knowledge visiting Carmelita for an hour. That left him, alone, with Rachel. Blain shook his head a bit, what had he done to deserve such a torture.

As if on cue, Rachel began to groan. She slowly opened her eye, raising a hand to hold her aching forehead as she said, "Where am I?"

Blain debated saying anything, but soon sighed. He sat down in a chair beside the bed where Rachel was laid out and said, "You are in the safe house of the Cooper gang."

Rachel's eyes opened wide, and she looked up at Blain, "You."

Sadie quickly tried to get up, but soon regretted as she became light headed and had to lie back down. Blain shook his head, reaching for the glass of water sitting on a nearby nightstand. He held it out to Rachel, trying to sound as nice as he could, "Here, drink some water. It will make you feel better."

Rachel looked at Blain wearily, but then took the water and began to take a drink. She wondered if the water was poisoned, but decided if Blain was going to do something like that, he would have done it already. Rachel drank about half the glass, and then set it on the nightstand. She then looked over at Blain and asked, "So, what force of nature possessed you to help me?"

Blain smiled a bit, beginning to loosen up around the weakened lioness. He had been afraid she would try to cast a spell, but could see now she was in no condition to light a candle with her magic. Blain leaned his chair back, balancing it on two of the legs, "It wasn't a force of nature, it was a raccoon fellow I believe you have had the pleasure of meeting earlier that convinced me to save you."

Rachel chuckled a little bit, her headache starting to dissipate as she sat up in her bed, "You mean the charming man, Sly Cooper. I think I would prefer him over you/"

"Well, I am afraid Sly is currently busy tending so someone else right now. So, you're stuck with me."

"I guess it could be worse."

"How so?"

Rachel smiled a bit, "I could be at the mercy of Nephthys. That or you could be attacking me while I am lying her defenseless."

Blain shook his head, "It is tempting, but what kind of family rival would I be if I fought you when you are at your weakest. That would ruin half the fun of beating you, and it just is generally not nice to kick a lady when she is down."

Rachel blinked a few times, "Why, Mr. Shadow Walker, are you flirting with me."

Blain eyes bulged a second, and he lost his balance. The chair he was sitting on began to tip back to far, and soon he crashed onto the floor. Rachel laughed as she said, "Did I startle you."

Blain slowly got up off the floor, brushing the dust of his clothes, "In truth, you did. Why in heavens name do you think I was flirting with you?"

Rachel smiled slyly, "Well, you called me a lady. Most Shadow Walkers wouldn't even stoop as low to call me by my first name."

Blain bent down, picking up the overturned chair, "Well, I am afraid to say that I wasn't flirting. That would be even more improper then calling you by your first name. A Shadow Walker flirting with a Leo Blitz, it would make my parents turn over in their graves."

"You're parents are dead?"

Blain nodded his head, "Yes, all my family is either dead or have forsaken the art of magic. My parents would probably still be alive, but they were killed by a voodoo priestess named Mz. Ruby."

Rachel sat on the bed speechless for a few seconds. Then, in a bit of a surprised voice, "Well, I guess that proves we are in an age of technology, not magic."

Blain raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Rachel hung her head a little, "Sly may have told you, but if he didn't you should no. I lost one of my brothers to a war, and the rest of my family was just recently killed by Nephthys. I have other family, some uncles and aunts who study the ancient arts of magic, but none of their children want to follow in their footsteps. My brother was the only one of the new generation that wanted to become a sorcerer. Then, when he died in battle, my family had no one. My father forced me to begin training when I was very young, and in time I grew into it."

Blain shook his head, a sense of depression in his voice, "Still, I am amazed to hear the Leo Blitz's are in the same situation as the Shadow Walkers. I had thought your family was still holding strong, but I guess magic is just a fleeting art. A power that changes with a person's soul and at the same time the power changes their soul. The world today is more interested in technology, a power anybody can use and takes little to master."

Rachel smiled, "You seem to be very poetic Mr. Shadow Walker."

Blain returned Rachel's smile, "Please, just call me Blain."