I finally managed to sit down and write the next chapter. So much to do and the holidays. I hope everyone is enjoying my story, because it's just starting to heat up. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Also I hope the questions people asked were answered satisfactorily. If not, please contact me with your concerns.

Tex's eyes slowly slid across the control room, finally settling on the console Sly was hiding behind. He smile and began slowly edging towards the side of the room, revolvers drawn. His jangling spurs made his footsteps audible throughout the room. Suddenly he ran forward and leapt. Sly began edging away from the footsteps, but some form of sixth sense rang in his head and he leapt aside just as a hail of bullets came from above and hit where he had just been. He kept moving towards the side of the room, but didn't move fast enough. As he ran he began counting Tex's shots.

"One, two, three, four, five where I just was crouching," Sly thought to himself, "and, urgh, six, seven as they clip me in the shoulder and the leg." Sly dived to the side as five more bullets whizzed past where he had just been. He skidded to a stop, jumped over the console where he had been taking cover, and rolled towards Tex, trying to catch the gunslinger as he was reloading. His cane outstretched he slammed into Tex just as the gunslinger slammed his second revolver shut. They both hit the floor and Sly raised his cane to strike Tex. Tex reached up and suddenly Sly felt a burst of pain in his head. Tex pistol-whipped him again, and then managed to get his boot on Sly's chest.

"Get off me you miserable COON!" Tex shouted, "You don't know what you're getting into. You are fighting on the wrong side!" With that he pushed up and forced Sly off him. Then he lifted his boot and brought the heel down hard across Sly's chest. Sly tried to dive back, but was still sluggish from the blows to the head. Tex's spur left a nasty gash on Sly's chest. Sly fell back and began crawling away towards the bodies of Tex's guards. Tex rose and walked slowly over to Sly. He kicked the cane away as Sly continued to move towards the guards. "I'm sorry Cooper," Tex said, in an apologetic tone that surprised the thief, "but I can't let you get back to the League. I know the money sounded good, and some of the League members we killed were friends of yours. I understand all that. You don't understand though. You don't understand the full severity of what Xavius and his cronies are doing. They aren't just common criminals and"

"ENOUGH!" Sly shouted as he grabbed the guard's rifle by the barrel and swung it with all his might against Tex's skull. "You have gone on about what you're doing is right, but that's all you've done. No proof," sly said as he slammed the stock into Tex's stomach, "no information on why thirty-five people had to die," Sly continued as he hit Tex again, this time sweeping his revolvers from his hands, "and you hurt my friends. For this, you've got a lot to answer for."

"They're not all dead, some we just turned in." Tex leaned back on one of the consoles, barely able to move as Sly retrieved his cane. "That pretty Interpol inspector might know more, but I'm afraid you won't get a chance to ask her about it." Sly whirled around only to be faced with the derringer Tex had pulled from his boot. "We might have gotten along, but you chose the wrong side. See you on the other side Cooper." Tex lifted the gun, only to have his hand encompassed by a large pink fist.

"That's enough of that," said Murray, still holding his other hand to the side of his head. "I think you've done enough for today." Tex snarled and punched Murray in the face, but the large pink hippo just ignored him. Murray then yanked the derringer out of his hand and lifted Tex above his head. He threw the hound dog across the room, and heard a crack from Tex's leg as he landed. Bentley finally began to regain consciousness, groaned, then crawled back into his wheelchair.

"We should be wrapping this up fairly soon," said Bentley, "Before I blacked out I sent this location to our employers. You and your murders are done for a long time." He glared at Tex.

"DAMN YOUR SOUL turtle, damn your soul. You've just damned the world to whatever sick plot Xavius is doing. He won't turn us in. We killed his friends. He'll take justice into his own hands. His justice is not something anyone should face. You want information on what we were doing, listen close. Xavius isn't your garden variety of criminal. He's a bona fide genius, but a twisted one at that. He specializes in genetic engineering. Almost no morals plus genetic engineering equals what? I'm sure your turtle friend can tell you."

"I have a few ideas. Genetic engineering is a fascinating field, but no morals? That seems to be pushing it."

"Xavius is evil. I know from first hand experience. I was away raising funds for our organization, when Xavius caught up with my father and brother. My brother, he left for dead, but my father he took as a prisoner. Two years later I but a bullet in my own father's brain to put him out of his misery. Xavius used him as a test subject, and I didn't even recognize him except for his eyes."

"This is all very interesting, but where's your proof?" Bentley asked as he pushed his glasses up.

"Check the computer, you'll find our copy of the crime report MI6 filed while Xavius was in England. Thank god we evacuated all non-essential personnel when we detected you. There is only me and the security personnel, so he won't get much."

"I've found the file and, oh my, this is disturbing. I didn't know that could be done to a person, and uggh. It seems in order and it does implicate Xavius in a number of disturbing crimes. Oh, and what's this file, more evidence on the crimes of the Obsidian League, where did you get all this? I looked for a long time and never discovered any of this."

"We recently acquired some allies who helped us find it." Tex tried to stand, but immediately fell back down. "My leg is busted up good."

"Who's we?" asked Sly.

"We is the Order of the Serpent," Tex said, "you know how the Obsidian League was founded thousands of years ago right? Well not everyone agreed with them. It started with just a few policemen and criminals working together to hamper them, but eventually became a group dedicated to bringing them down. I'd love to get into the history, but I don't think we have the time. If I tell you what Xavius is up to, then will you promise to bring him down?"

"If these files are true, then yeah, we'll bring him down. No one tricks the Cooper gang and gets away with it," Sly said.

"Good, now listen. The Obsidian League recently targeted a series of criminal organizations and destroyed them, taking most of their money. The Order was in shambles, unable to fight since a vicious loss in the 1800's. We were rebuilding in America when the survivors of these organizations sought us out. They offered the information and what money they had left if we'd provide the manpower. After a while, we were ready to strike back, but not openly. We had to strike from the shadows and strike quickly. If we got caught they could wipe us out easily. We only have a few bases aside from this one. We were far more successful than we could have hoped for until" Suddenly an explosion rocked the room, followed by sounds of gunfire.

"They're here," said Tex, a grim look dropping over his face.