Authors Notes: And we're back with Cooper & Sandiego folks. On a small note I have had a lot of people asking me whether the rest of the Cooper Gang will appear in this story. Well don't worry they will appear soon just be patient.
For now however we're off to Australia and lets hope Sly's own experience in the outback will help in this outback adventure.
Enjoy!
Sly Cooper (c) Sucker Punch Productions
Carmen Sandiego 2019 (Netflix)
Cooper & Sandiego in:
The Opera in the Outback Caper:
Carmen POV:
In the high Swiss alps, a white van is seen driving away from a chateau in the night. The van was driven by Zack in a tuxedo and in the passenger seat was Carmen Sandiego in a red hoodie drove down the road and soon met up with Sly and Ivy who still sported her red coat and hat.
"The Vermeers were saved, and before we met up and returned the paintings, Sly treated us all to a breakfast in Verbier. It was his way of celebrating a job well done."
The scene changes to later in the bright winter white glow of a Swiss morning. Sly, Carmen, Ivy and Zack were at a local loge in Verbier enjoying an omelet breakfast in the snowy alps.
Later they decided to go on a quick skiing run on the hills close to the lodge. Carmen sported red winter gear with her hair hanging straight down with a red head band. Sly wore similar blue winter gear and sported a blue fuzzy hat which covered his ears.
He was on a snowboard whilst Carmen had skis. They raced down the slopes and went past Zack who sadly previously crashed in the snow.
"We even took a skiing race down the slopes and well….Lets just say Zack got in a bit of white out."
The scene flashes to the crew returning the Vermeer's to their rightful places in museums for the public to view. Later they were at an airport in Amsterdam after returning the paintings. They waited in the boarding area, Zack and Ivy sat waiting whilst Carmen and Sly were on a call with Player.
"Unfortunately there was no time to relax, Player recently decrypted data on a V.I.L.E operation going down in Australia at the Sydney Opera House."
Soon the crew were on the next Red Eye jet to Australia, and on the flight Sly was sharing the story of one of his past capers with the Cooper Gang.
"On the flight over Sly decided to tell us about his own caper in his worlds version of Australia."
As Sly told the tale visions were shown of him and his crew in the Australian Outback, namely Aires Rock sacred land.
"He told us how during this Cooper Vault job of theirs they had to go to see his friend Murray's teacher the Guru so he could be released from his dreamtime training. Turns out this Guru was capable of incredible feats using this Dreamtime training to blend into his environments even mentally control the weak-minded."
Sly told the story and the past images showed them taking on miners who accidentally unearthed a certain evil mask. Which was bouncing from one miners face to another. Zack clearly had an interest in the awesomeness of the story, and even Ivy seemed interested at this point.
"I have to admit this Guru sounded like the kind of guy who would have V.I.L.E running in circles. No wonder Sly recognised his talent. But it was a horror to know these miners were mining Ayers Rock for minerals desecrating sacred land, that was V.I.L.E all over."
Then Sly got to the part about how they had to not only get the Guru's gear back to gain his trust but to also stop the Mask of Dark Earth. Carmen took an interest in this mask but didn't like the part about how it turned Inspector Carmelita Fox into a raging giant and with a mix of Bentleys sleep darts no less.
"I gotta admit though, this Mask of Dark Earth, the way Sly described it, would probably make even Countess Cleo think twice before using it as a fashion accessory. But I was glad to know the Cooper Gang was able to destroy it and purify the sacred land."
Carmen looked at the Raccoon thief with a rather impressed smile. Whilst Zack just laughed at how he and his friends used Carmelita's camera for taking funny photos. Ivy just teased Sly about his crush for the foxy inspector. Which to her explained why he was such the charmer.
"I have to admit, I was starting to develop a newfound respect for Sly, his commitment to his friends and putting them first before the job. Thats something I had to admire, in a way we were kind of alike."
Soon the crew landed in Australia at Sydney Airport. They disembarked from the plane and headed out of the airport. With Sly still sporting his hoodie disguise. Upon reaching the hotel night drew in and so Carmen and Sly now in their signature thieving attire left for their mission.
"Which was a good thing too because whatever V.I.L.E is up to something tells me it won't be anything good. So with no time to lose we headed to the Sydney Opera House to see what was playing tonight."
Player was in his room at his computer, he was triangulating Sly and Carmens position on his virtual globe. Landing straight in Sydney Australia.
"G'day, mate!" Player said in an Australian accent and saw the size of the Australian continent. "Crikey! Australia's one big country!"
"Wow thats some accent Player." Sly complimented.
"Been practicing. I wanted to brush up on the latest leg of Red's nonstop tour." Player explained.
Australia, Sydney Opera house:
Standing outside the famous Syndey Opera house which was marvellously built to look like an old fashion sailing ship. With its wave/sail like curves. Were Carmen and Sly who was in his blue trench coat since he didn't want to be seen as a Raccoon man.
"So, what's playing at the famous Sydney Opera House tonight?" Player asked.
"Something V.I.L.E. won't care to see if they decide to show." Carmen said as she and Sly looked at a sign that showed the name of the opera and of a woman wearing gypsy like clothing. And the title of this opera was quite coincidentally named…
"Carmen." She said.
"Whoa, good sign or bad omen?" Player said in surprise.
"Depends. Don't most operas have tragic endings?" Carmen wondered.
"Like I ever sat through one." Player said.
"I know, the first time I saw an opera was during mine and the guys first job as the Cooper Gang we tried to pull a job at the Opera Garnier." Sly reminisced about his first caper. "The very same night we first met the lovely Inspector Carmelita Fox."
"Hm meeting at the opera what a romantic setting." Carmen teased with a raised eyebrow.
"Is there any other kind?" Sly smirked back.
Player's Room:
Player meanwhile was looking up information on the opera in question. It displayed an image of the main actress who wore a black and red gypsy dress.
"Well check this out. This Carmen's a gypsy, she likes to read, and she hangs out with smugglers." He explained.
"Hm sounds a lot like another Carmen that I know." Sly said.
"Guess I have a new BFF." Carmen agreed.
Inside the opera house itself the stage was alive with music and the opera Carmen was underway. The lead actress took to the stage and did a curtsy to a man in a sharp suit. The orchestra started playing a song from the opera.
While backstage Carmen and Sly now out of his trench coat, watched from the cover of one of the stage curtains. They were keeping their eyes open for any suspicious activity of a vile nature.
"So... what's going on with Carmen, Carmen?" Player then called in.
"Nothing suspicious so far. If a V.I.L.E. operative's here, they have yet to show their face." The thief in red said.
"That or they're waiting in plain sight ready to take us by surprise." Sly assumed unaware that someone was approaching them from behind them.
"You there!" Said a voice from behind them. They turned round and saw behind him a young man dressed in a blue electricians outfit. Carmen recognised the face all too well, it was her old classmate Gray.
"Scratch that." Carmen looked with cross eyes.
"What are you two doing back here?" Gray noticed the Raccoon man in the woman's company. "And whats with the costume?"
"You first." Carmen said thinking Gray was faking it.
"What? I'm working!" Gray answered.
"I know. "Lights out, baby." Come on, Gray. What job are you pulling tonight?" Carmen demanded but Sly remained silent the whole time not having a clue what the heck was going on.
"First, it's Graham." He corrected showing them his name badge. "And second, since electricians don't seem to intimidate you, I'll be more than happy to have security escort you out."
Before Carmen could speak again Sly then tried to defuse the situation. "Uh sorry mate me and my uh.. girlfriend got lost trying to find the bathroom."
"Girlfriend you wish." Carmen said in surprise before pulling Sly in close. "What are you doing?"
"Carmen I don't think this guy is who you think he is?" Sly whispered.
"You don't expect me to believe this innocent act, do you?" Carmen doubted.
"I know when people are acting and either he's a good actor or he's not making it up." Sly whispered but their little debate was cut off by Graham taking them both by the arm.
"No wristband, no backstage access. I don't make the rules." He then moved to escort the two of them to the exit to backstage. Carmen looked in genuine surprise she knew this was her old classmate Crackle but the way he looked at her, maybe Sly was right.
"You... really don't remember me?" She said surprised and confused.
Graham looked at the thief in red, whilst Sly just watched what was going on. "Fashion statement aside, mate, you and your friend her would be hard to forget." He said as he continued to escort them from the stage.
"If there is a next time, I promise not to make that mistake again." Graham said as they arrived at the exit.
Carmen realised that her old classmate really had no memory of he what so ever. "Guess you just, uh... remind me of someone I used to know."
The electrician opened the backstage door and gestured to show the two thieves out. "I have one of those faces enjoy the show." He said kindly then looked at Sly. "By the way mate, wicked cosplay."
Sly just had a really confused look on his face now, what the heck was a cosplay? He then left the two of them alone, and they left through the door. However once far enough away Sly and Carmen slipped back into the backstage without the electrician seeing them.
"Player did you?…" "Yeah I heard all of it." Player answers Carmens question.
"Uh is someone going to tell me who that guy was, and what was that all about?" Sly then asked wanting an explanation.
"Well you remember how I told you about my old VILE classmate Gray?" She answered.
"Yeah called himself Crackle why?" Sly asked.
"Well that was him." Carmen answered.
Sly was rather taken aback, he was in the presence of a VILE operative without even realising it. "Wait wait, you mean that innocent electrician was the guy who tried to shock you on the train to Paris before we even met? And was someone you looked up to?"
"Yep thats the one, but something's different about him?" Carmen wondered.
"So what's your old classmate's game?" Player then asked.
"Not sure he has one. He had no idea who I was." Carmen realised but was now very worried. "What did they do to him?"
"I don't know, but he looked like he really never saw you before, maybe when you left him for Interpol he hit his head or something?" Sly guessed remembering the story Carmen told him, but at the same time he was concerned about his new partner.
"Red, our intel indicates a V.I.L.E. operative's inside the opera house right now." Player reminded. "Crackle worked there as an electrician before you knew him at V.I.L.E. Academy. He knows the layout. How can you be sure he isn't playing you?"
Carmen was looking through a set of red and gold theatre glasses. She was scanning the area for any sign of trouble backstage since she was ignoring Crackle as a possible suspect.
"I don't think he was playing us Player." Sly noted. "I mean the look he had in his eye when he looked at us, it wasn't the look of a thief on a job, it was the look of a clueless civilian."
"How can you tell?" Player asked.
"Call it a thief's instinct." Sly answered. Just then Carmen caught sight of something in the rafters.
"That, and I'm staring at another V.I.L.E. operative right now." She noted and offered the glasses to Sly as she and him looked through them and caught sight of a certain acrobatic operative in the upper rafters of the stage. In his hand he had a small grey cylinder like device on his person.
"It's Le Chevre, and he's brought some sort of shiny new toy." Carmen explained.
"Well let's go see if it breaks." Sly suggested and the two nodded in agreement.
Out on the opera stage the lead actress playing Carmen was singing her song. The coir behind her sang along with her in their course. Completely unaware of the VILE operative standing in the rafters with his device that now had a sound dish attached to it.
He was about to use it until…SWOOSH! A streak of red and blue swung by and snatched the device right out of his hands. He growled as he saw a certain red and blue thief land on the rafters a distance from him.
"CARMEN?!" Le Chevre exclaimed as the two thieves stood in a crouching position on the rafters.
"Do you mean her or the opera?" Sly asked as Carmen retracted her grappling hook.
"Cooper!" Le Chevre glared.
"By the way how'd you and your buddy like the yellow fin?" Sly smirkingly Chevre took a running jump and leaped over the rafters climbing them. Carmen and Sly meanwhile were examining the device.
"What have we here?" She asked.
"Not the kind of speaker you would bring to an opera." Sly noted.
The two were completely unaware of Le Chevre jumping and climbing the rafter beams behind them. He leaped onto the rafter beam they were standing, on and swung round and kicked them right off the beam causing them to fall. Carmen let go of the device which she and Sly tried to grab but they couldn't reach it and so they latched onto the upper rafter to see the device fall onto the lower rafters. Surprisingly the chinking it made against the metal was in time with the coirs singing.
The opera continued undisturbed and Le Chevre leaped down to the lower rafters and walked towards the device. Sly quickly drew his cane and used it to swing over to the other rafters. Carmen followed by grabbing onto the railing and swinging over to the other rafters.
The VILE operative was about to pick up the device until a certain cane hook was able to grab onto it, and the canes owner swung down and kicked Le Chevre back.
Le Chevre growled as he ran forward and slid under the raccoon thief and grabbed the device only for Sly to grab his suit collar. The operative threw a kick towards Sly who blocked it with his cane. However the VILE operative responded by stepping on the cane leaping into the air and kicking Sly in the back sending him crashing into the rafters. He would have fallen off if he hadn't used his cane to latch onto them. He was a distance way as he saw Le Chevre pick up the device, but he also saw Carmen a distance away too.
Oblivious to this Le Chevre took some ear plugs and placed them into his ears. "This will do." He smiled.
He was about to activate the device until suddenly Carmen swiped it from him. In trying to escape Le Chevre grabbed her coat tail and tried to pull her back. Quickly she performed a back flip over him. The operative leaped forwards to grab her but she jumps over him only for him to latch onto the rafters below and swing across them like monkey bars.
Carmen was heading over to help Sly until he noticed the enemy heading for them. "Carmen below you!" He exclaimed but it was too late.
Le Chevre swung up and kicked Carmen away, sending her crashing onto the rafters and handing onto them with her hand. Sly knew he had to act quickly and tried using his cane to swing back up to the rafters.
However in that moment Le Chevre had reclaimed the device and then activated it. The dish released unusual waves as the singer was singing her finale aria. As she sung the soundboard was sparking with electricity frying the system and the lights began to flicker. Carmen was right in the crosshairs of the waves. Sly who was out of range leaped up onto the rafters and headed for her and the VILE operative.
Le Chevre turns off the device and takes his leave before Cooper can reach him, and as the singer finished her finale the show had come to an end. Applause could be heard far below. Sly offered Carmen a hand which she took and the raccoon thief pulled her back onto the rafters.
"You okay?" Sly asked.
"Yeah, but what was that all about?" Carmen asked. "Player, I have no idea what I just heard, but it had to be a V.I.L.E. note." She then called Player.
"But why go to all this trouble just to play some creepy sound waves?" Sly wondered.
"Good thing I was in record mode. Let's play it back and find out." Player motioned as he brought up the recording of the incident on his computer, and began analysing it for clues.
Meanwhile: Isle of VILE:
In the lab of Dr Bellum she was hard at work on an experiment, analysing the contents of a test then a humming sound in the form of a song called in on the screen.
"Phase one accomplished, Dr. Bellum. The seed has been planted." Le Chevre reported.
" Superb but skip the singing. You bleat like a goat." Bellum simply said then she remembered something. "Oh, and did you happen to see my dear boy?"
"El Topo? He is tunneling, according to plan." Le Chevre said rather confused not getting what his teacher meant.
"Not your dear boy. Mine. Crackle. Such a fine student. I shall never forget him." Bellum said remembering her prized student, she had to admit she did feel a little bad about wiping his memory of VILE after his capture on a certain train bound for Paris. But protocol is protocol after all.
"And he shall never remember us." Le Chevre said snickering however one person wasn't laughing.
"Do not take this as a laughing matter Le Chevre!" Said a voice from behind Dr Bellum and it was her mysterious lab partner who was rarely seen outside of the lab.
"Remember to fail a mission is one thing, but to allow capture is an offence that can never be forgiven." He said with a serious tone. "So be as careless like he was and we could be draining your brain someday," He tapped his head on the screen to emphasise this point.
"So if I were you…I would do well not to follow in his footsteps!"
"Uh…" Le Chevre cleared his throat at that prospect. "And on the topic of former students, a certain Carmen made a guest appearance at tonight's performance of Carmen."
"And Cooper?" The shadow asked.
"Yes her raccoon accomplice was with her too." Le Chevre reported.
"Then I do hope they had the opportunity to hear my remix." Bellum smiled sinisterly. She then terminated the transmission before turning to her lab partner.
"You know my dear partner, I am beginning to become fascinated by this Sly Cooper, not only by his skills that equally rival our former student Black Sheep, but by the way he executes his actions. V.I.L.E could benefit well from this kind of training.
"Yes Bellum, he learned that from his father and those who came before him." The mysterious partner answered. "But his father claimed we could all be equals but I saw him for what he really was, a glory hog who would one day cast us aside like nothing!"
"I can see you take this personal, but don't worry, you'll have your chance at revenge, after all V.I.L.E saw your potential the moment you arrived here." Bellum assured.
"That you did and I intend to make good use of my chances to show my worth!" He smirked in the darkness.
Meanwhile:Players Room:
Player was still analysing the sound sample he took from tonights little opera show. And after hours of data crunching and sound separation he found something in the music patterns.
"Launch the Boomerang. Launch the Boomerang. Launch the Boomerang." Said a voice.
"Well that wouldn't make a good song, it's not very catchy." Sly called in on the coms.
"It's Dr. Saira Bellum. Not exactly the voice of an angel." Carmen agreed.
"Concealed in the sound wave projected from Goat Boy's device." Player theorised. "Most likely a subliminal message, designed to make the listener follow its command."
"Whoa, sounds like this Dr B has been hanging out with the Contessa, this is just like her and the Clockwerk eyes all over again." Sly realised remembering his encounter with the rouge Interpol spider agent turned Klaww gang member.
"Yeah but something tells me this won't be used to find the hiding places of thieves stashes." Player said remembering that story.
"As in, that's one tune I don't want stuck in my head." Carmen said.
"As in, let's hope it isn't. You guys were at the opera too." Player realised. listening to the screen com of her and Sly at the opera house.
"Except I wasn't the target. I don't have a boomerang to launch, whatever that means." Carmen wondered.
"Carmens right, goat boy didn't seem interested in us and I have a feeling he didn't crash an opera just to hypnotise her." Sly theorised as well. "But what the heck does throwing a boomerang have to do with this?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Player then brought up some data he'd been looking through in reference to that. "There's only one launchable Boomerang I could find, a rocket, and it happens to be right there in Australia. It's owned by HelioGem, a private company with a 4 billion dollar space flight contract." Player then brought up some data he decrypted from the hard drive. "So I poked around the data in V.I.L.E.'s hard drive, and guess what. Your former teachers have been trying to get a piece of the space flight business too."
Sydney Opera House: Australia:
"To what steal, moon rocks?" Sly joked.
"Not likely, best guess to launch a satellite network that could give V.I.L.E an eye in the sky direct overviews of places to rob from." Carmen guessed as she looked through her theatre glasses as they stood on an overlook of the opera house. "And all this has what to do with an opera?"
"My thought exactly, which is why I hacked into the opera house box office and HelioGem's employee database. And one name in common turned up."
Player brought up a name from the data base and a photo of a blonde haired woman with blue eyes. "Dr. Jeanine Dennam, lead engineer of the Boomerang and avid opera buff."
He showed images of her at the opera and standing with the lead singer of a certain opera. "Guess who purchased a ticket for tonight's performance of Carmen."
This was all beginning to make sense to the two master thieves, why Le Chevre was here and what he was trying to do.
"So Bellum's subliminal message was directed at Dr. Dennam." Carmen guessed.
"You got it. And I imagine whatever tune happened to be playing at that time would trigger her into obeying the command." Player theorised, but there was one thing that didn't make sense. "I just can't figure out what the Villains International League of Evil would have to gain by forcing her to launch her own rocket."
"Unless theres more going on than meets the eye." Sly guessed thinking the same thing was there more to this?
"Well considering it's V.I.L.E., I say we hightail it to HelioGem ASAP and see if we can't find out." Carmen decided.
"Easier said than done, Red." Player said as Carmen looked through her glasses and on the ground below. "The HelioGem base is pretty deep in harsh outback territory. I'd recommend finding a guide."
"I could do it I've been to the outback before." Sly offered.
"Maybe Sly, but I don't think the outback of this world maybe the same as yours." Carmen remembered Sly wasn't from here so his outback maybe a little bit different.
"Hm good point, any ideas?" Sly realised. Carmen looked around from their vantage point, and then caught sight of a certain person she thought could be a good guide.
"Found one." She said and Sly could see it was a certain electrician they ran into earlier. Player could see this from his computer too.
"Wait, Crackle again? You're playing with a live wire, Red." Player warned. "Don't forget, he once tried to electrocute you on a train."
"On direct orders from V.I.L.E., whom he doesn't seem to know even exists anymore." Carmen reminded putting away her glasses.
"Hey hey Carmen we get it he's just saying let's be cautious, we don't know what he does or doesn't remember." Sly reminded.
With that the two held hands and using Carmens glider glided down to the ground.
Meanwhile Graham now in casual attire was walking away from his place of work humming a then he turned around at the sound of Carmens glider folding away and he looked to see the two he'd caught sneaking around back stage.
"Hey, I remember you two. Ol' Red N Blue Sneakeroo." Graham greeted as he approached the two of them.
"Good memory." Carmen complimented.
"Not really." Graham answered and Sly could see Carmen was still taking it hard that he didn't remember her. "So... looking to get backstage for an autograph?" Graham then asked.
"No. To the outback for some sight-seeing." Carmen explained. "Thought you could be our guide."
"I wish. Something fried the soundboard tonight. I have to pull an early morning shift to troubleshoot." Graham explained as he pulled out a paper and pen writing something down.
"Oh thats a shame, by the way you mentioned having a bad memory. How'd that happen?" Sly then asked.
"Well, I... I-I kind of messed up on the job a while back, got a little "jolt" as we sparkies say." Graham explained. "Complete blackout, long hospital stay, blah, blah. Heh. There's more than an entire year of my life I can't remember."
Carmen was more than taken aback, he had no recollection of his year at VILE academy or even meeting her. Sly was more than confused he knew the story the scarlet super thief told him but looking at Gray now he was telling the truth.
"A whole year?" Carmen said a little saddened.
"Wow sounds like it was a nasty jolt." Sly said in surprise.
"I'd say I'm lucky to have my job back if electrician weren't such a dangerous occupation." Graham explained handing Carmen the piece of paper he was writing on.
"Oh I can think of worst ones." Carmen said.
"Tell me about it, a friend of mine's an engineer and well let's just say he got on the wrong end of a piece of machinery that landed him in a wheel chair." Sly explained and Graham looked a little concerned. "But don't worry he's fine now."
"Glad to hear it mate." Graham said assured.
Carmens attention then turned to the slip of paper that was handed to her. "Is this the address of an outback guide?"
"A good guide's easy to find online." Graham explained. "This is the address of my favorite Cafe in Sydney. I'll be there Friday night at 8pm. You?"
Carmen could see her old classmate was asking her out on a date. Graham then looked at Sly who was a little surprised. "That is if your boyfriend here doesn't mind."
The two then looked at each other remembering the cover story Sly made up. "Oh no we're not together together." Carmen assured.
"Yeah kinda panic when I see blue coats." Sly explained.
"Kinda figured that, besides you two seem more like siblings than an item." Graham said which made the two thieves look at each other weirdly.
Carmen then looked at the slip of paper before speaking again. "Let's see if I make it back from my tour in one piece."
She and Sly then walked away from Graham to book the next guide out to the Australian outback. Just then the electrician realised something he forgot to ask.
"Hey, I never got your name!" He called to the two of them.
"Carmen." She called back.
As he saw the two walk away, Graham couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the scarlet super thief. "You are a cheeky one." He chuckled.
The globe appeared on Players computer as he began sharing his facts with Carmen and Sly about their next destination.
"The outback: It may sound like someone's backyard, but it's a huge wilderness that covers more than 80% of Australia. That's over half the size of the US or China." Player said showing said continents size.
"Tons of room to roam for all the local critters, like dingoes, crocodiles, and kangaroos." Carmen added as said animals hopped by.
"Yo, what's up, joey?" Player said to the kangaroo.
"Hopefully we don't end up in a fight with these ones." Sly said remembering the kangaroos and dingo miners he fought back home.
"But smack bang in the middle of all that wilderness is Ayres Rock." Sly added as a large image of said rock appeared.
"Whoa! What kind of rock is 2 miles long and over 1,000 feet tall?" Player asked.
"One that the Aboriginal people who live there consider sacred land." Sly explained.
"Thats right Sly. Their name for it is Uluru." Carmen confirmed.
"You guys be careful red. Like I said, there's some pretty harsh terrain out there in the outback." Player said cautiously.
Soon Carmen, Sly, Zack and Ivy were in a jeep riding through the harsh territory of the outback. At the wheel was their guide Miro. They rode along the harsh desert road and along the way they encountered the local wildlife a group of kangaroos hopping along.
Zack looked out the front passenger window in amazement whilst Carmen now in casual attire looked at the landscape around them with Ivy and Sly in the back seat. Sly was now clad in a brown explorers shirt with beige pants and black boots with a scarf and black glasses round his head as he didn't want to expose his raccoon features.
"I hear kangaroos are wicked good boxers. Ever go a few rounds with one, Miro?" Zack asked the guide.
"I can't say that I have." Miro answered not taking his eyes off the road.
"Oh well, how about a crocodile? Ever wrestle one of those?" Zack then asked.
"No, sorry." Miro answered.
"Ooh, what about koalas? Are they really as vicious as everyone says they are?" Zack then asked, only for Ivy to sigh getting bored of Zacks Q&A. "Oh, no wait, is that dingoes?"
"What about that rock, Zack? I'd shove it in your mouth to shut you up, but I don't think it's big enough." Ivy said pointing out Ayres Rock itself standing proud and silent.
"Uluru." Carmen said.
"Very good. The ground it occupies has been home to my people for at least 22,000 years." Miro explained to them.
"We're on sacred land." Carmen realised.
"That's right." Miro acknowledged.
Carmen then noticed the expression in raccoon thief's eyes in his glasses as he looked at the sacred land. She could see he remembered the last time he was on this sacred land with his teammates and that maybe he was getting a little homesick.
"Hey you okay Sly?" Ivy asked.
"Yeah yeah just remembering the last time I was here was, with my crew." Sly said reminiscing.
"Say were kangaroos and dingos vicious where your from Sly?" Zack then asked.
"Yeah they were especially when they were miners and under the influence under the Mask of Dark Earth which I hope doesn't exist here." Sly said to Zack.
Just then player called in. "Yo Red."
"Hold that thought." Carmen said speaking to Player.
"Good news. Turns out HelioGem delayed the launch of the Boomerang to do some serious repair work. The rocket's defective. So there's no launch to stop. Boy will V.I.L.E. be surprised." Player explained as he looked at what he'd found on his computer.
"Hold the phone Player, this doesn't add up why would they go to the trouble of the subliminal message if it was all for nothing." Sly noticed that Carmen was looking outside her window up at Ayers Rock. Then suddenly it dawns on the both of them.
"Unless…" "This is there plan!" Carmen realised interrupting Sly.
"What?" Player asked.
"Miro, how far are we from HelioGem?" Carmen then asked Miro.
"It's not too far outside the park boundaries." He explained.
"Player, what happens if a defective rocket prematurely launches?" She then asked Player.
"Depends on the defect. It might not achieve orbit." Player theorised.
"Or explode before it reaches the atmosphere, raining debris down on sacred Aboriginal land?" Carmen said which did get Miro's attention "The public outcry would be so great, HelioGem would lose their contract."
"Paving the way for V.I.L.E. to step in and take it over, since they pulled strings to make it look like HelioGem's incompetence was at fault." Player was starting to get it.
"So the Boomerang launches, explodes, desecrates Uluru, HelioGem takes the fall, and V.I.L.E scores the space contract." Sly surmised. "Your classic strategic hostile take over scenario!"
He had to admit this was just like the time El Jefe, framed his ancestor Rioichi Cooper by making it seem he was the one who sold bad sushi to the shogun taking the fall so that the master strategist could take over Feudal Japan.
Carmen knew now what V.I.L.E was going to do and if they thought she was going to stand by and let her former teachers desecrate a sacred land. They had another thing coming. And Sly was right behind her there was no way someone was gonna desecrate this land a second time on his watch.
"We have to prevent the desecration of Uluru." Carmen decided.
"Right if the Guru was here he wouldn't want me to let this happen to his home again." Sly agreed.
"You aren't tourists, are you?" Miro guessed.
"We're…rocket scientists." Carmen said.
"Amateur rocket scientists." Sly added as Zack and Ivy smiled innocently.
Soon they arrived at the HelioGem compound, where the Boomerang rocket stood in the glistening sun. Outside the compound, Carmen, Zack and Ivy were wearing lab coats whilst the thief in red wore glasses on her face. Sly was still in his thief attire.
"Divide and conquer, crew." Carmen explained the plan. "We know the trigger's in the music. You two need to find Dr. Dennam and make sure she doesn't decide she's in the mood to hear Carmen." She gestured to Zack and Ivy.
"We hear you, Carmen." Ivy understood but looked to see that her brother was all but confused which one was she talking about "Our boss, not the opera." Ivy explained.
"And since I don't want these rocket wizzes mistaking me for an alien from outer space, I'll patrol the grounds and keep an eye out for any V.I.L.E operatives already here." Sly then explained.
"And I'll see to it no one launches the Boomerang until it's ready to soar." Carmen said looking at said rocket.
The crew then split up Sly climbed up the drain pipe of the complex then jumped onto the wire that was hanging from a post in the complex and walked along it.
Zack was all but amazed by how the raccoon thief pulled off that stunt. "How does he do that?"
"Practice I guess, but you know maybe he should get a grappling hook, like maybe inserted in his cane." Ivy wondered.
Sly smirked as he over heard what Ivy had just said. Down below the rest of the crew went their separate missions. Carmen headed through the door that lead to mission control.
"Player lets steal some launch codes." She said running to the door.
Soon in the hallway she found herself looking at a secure door that leads to Mission Control itself. She holds up her phone to the control panel and it starts to hack the code needed to open the door. Soon the correct code was entered, and Carmen enters the control room to take a look around.
Ivy and Zack meanwhile were walking around a different part of the compound. They were keeping an eye out for trouble and to find Dr Dennam.
In the main lab many scientists were hard at work on their different projects. At the back of the lab Dr Dennam was at work on her laptop running diagnostics on the rocket. She then reached for a set of headphones hooked to an MP3 player.
Zack and Ivy arrived in the lab and its in that moment they spot the rocket scientist in question. "There she is!" Ivy then sees her pressing play on her MP3 player. "Oh no!"
Ivy and Zack quickly ran over to her assuming she was listening to opera namely Carmen. They reached her in time.
"Dr. Jeanine Dennam, stop!" Ivy exclaimed getting the doctors attention. She took off her headphones and addressed the two strangers.
"Pardon?" She asked.
"We're... your new interns." Ivy said showing her her ID badge.
"You are?" Dennam said rather taken aback as Zack greeted her.
"So, what you listening to, Doc?" Ivy asked picking up the MP3 player and Zack listened through his headphones.
"Uh, a podcast about exploring Proxima B." Doctor Dennam explained.
"Not an opera?" Ivy said in surprise.
"Goodness, I find opera far too distracting when I'm working." Dennam explained to her 'interns'
Ivy breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was just a false alarm. Zack meanwhile was taking an interest in the podcast being played. "Haha, whoa! This guy says there's a second Earth that might have aliens on it! We have got to visit this planet."
Mission Control:
Meanwhile Carmen had reached mission control, she was typing on the computer to grant Player access to the system so they can get the launch codes. After a few keyboard strokes.
"And... I'm in." She said and in an instant the screens light up activating Mission control's full functionality.
"Good thing, Red. Because it would take me hours to hack through the HelioGem firewalls from where I sit." Player said.
In the control room panels on the control desk then opened to reveal a rather large looking red button. Carmen was taken a little by surprise."Whoa, that's a big button." Carmen said.
"System default. Once you delete the launch codes, it'll retract. Until then, just don't press it, whatever you do." Player explained. So Carmen and him set to work.
Meanwhile:
Outside on the complex roof, Sly was looking through his binocucom surveying the area for any sign of trouble. All seemed quiet. However, he suddenly caught sight of a certain someone leaning on one of the radio dishes on the complex.
"Player, I've spotted Le Chevre." Sly said calling Player on his Binocucom.
"Okay whats he doing?" Player asked.
Sly looked and saw he was just leaning on the radio dish, if he was the operative to pull off this caper he didn't seem to be doing much.
"Well as far as I can tell he's just leaning on the radio dish, but he's taken an interest in that rocket." Sly relayed.
"Not surprising, but I just heard from Ivy turns out Dennam was just listening to a podcast and doesn't listen to opera at work." Player relayed. "So I don't see how V.I.L.E plans to broadcast the subliminal message?"
Sly looked on but then he realised something, he remembered back in Ecuador that the goat man never travels alone. "Theres another question Player, if Goat Boy is here….wheres his partner in crime Mr. Mole?"
Unaware that he was being watched Le Chevre looked at the rocket, then spoke in his phone to his partner waiting on the other end."Are you ready, Mon Ami?" He asked.
Underground in one of the complex maintenance tunnels El Topo was there with a laptop and plugging some wires into the satellite cables in the tunnel.
"Hold on to your horns, Mi Amigo, for the show is about to begin." He said as he connected the wires then pressed the enter key on his laptop and it started to play a piece from Carmen (the opera).
Outside, there was a set of speakers on the roof of a building with a satellite dish. Suddenly the music erupted from the speakers that emanated all over the could hear the music playing and in that moment he realised how V.I.L.E was going to get Dr Dennam to listen to opera.
"So thats how they're going to do it!" Sly realised. "The speaker system around the base, and…." Suddenly it dawned on him. Dennam wasn't the only one who listened to the opera.
"…Oh no! Carmen!" Sly exclaimed and tried using the binocucom to contact Player.
Underground El Topo pressed another key and the music began playing around the speakers on the inside of the compound.
Back in the lab, Doctor Dennam was sharing a story about the last time she listened to opera in the lab. To Zack and Ivy.
"Then my colleagues found me huddled in the corner of the laboratory, weeping." She explained, whilst Zack and Ivy were all but bored to death. "Puccini never fails to reduce me to tears. That was the day I decided the laboratory is no place for opera."
Suddenly the speakers in the lab started playing the aria from Carmen in the lab. Much to Zack and Ivy's surprise.
"Ah! I love Bizet!" Dennam said, however little did she know the music was more entrancing than she realised her pupils shrunk and looked blank in expression.
"Launch the Boomerang. Launch the Boomerang." She repeated as she started walking almost robotically out of the lab.
"Uh oh!" The Boston siblings said. "We can't let her get to mission control." Ivy said and the two then hurried to stop her.
"Launch the Boomerang." Dennam said as she kept walking only for Ivy to turn her around to make her move in the opposite direction.
"No Boomerangs this way, that's for sure." Ivy said. However the good doctor just turned round and headed back towards the lab exit.
She just kept walking undeterred. "Launch the Boomerang." She repeated again and again and again.
Suddenly Zack moved a rolling table in the way to block her advance. "What do you wanna do that for, anyway?" He said.
However nothing they tried seemed to stop her. She just kept walking and pushed the table back even with the siblings pushing it back.
"You got some determination, Doc." Ivy then she noticed something that could help stop her in her tracks. She hurried over and took a fire hose from the wall.
"Launch the Boomerang." Dennam repeated yet again.
"All this talk about lunch is making me hungry." Zack realised hearing that same word again and again.
"Focus Zack!" Ivy insisted quickly tossing the hose over to her brother and they tied the rocket scientist in it to stop her from two gave each other a high five. It seemed they stopped her in her this didn't work and she started hopping along like a kangaroo.
This time the siblings picked her up by her arms and carried her away from the exit. "The lab is totally no place for opera." Zack realised.
Just then Ivy noticed an armoured room close by, and had a good idea of how to use it. They placed Dennam inside the room then locked her inside it.
The two siblings had finally succeeded and gave each other a fist bump. "Oh-ho-ho! We did Carmen wicked proud! Our boss, not the opera." Zack said.
Mission Control:
Meanwhile back in Mission Control. Carmen was still at the computer consoles trying to access the launch codes with Player. Unaware of what was going on around the base.
"One more sequence should do it." Player said.
Whilst he was decrypting, suddenly a call came in. "Player, Carmen are you there!" It was Sly.
"Sly whats going on?" Carmen asked.
"There's no time to explain you need to get out of the building now!" Sly called hastily.
However it was too late, for in that moment El Topo pressed a key on his computer and the aria began playing through the speakers in mission control.
"What are you…." Before Carmen could finish that sentence her pupils shrunk and she was now hypnotised.
"Launch the Boomerang. Launch the Boomerang. Launch the Boomerang." She repeated and Player heard it through the com line as did Sly.
"Player the music!" Sly called.
"The subliminal message! Red, snap out of it!" Player exclaimed.
But it was no good, and without hesitation a hypnotised Carmen pressed the system default control room then shot into life and began the lift off sequence.
"Launch sequence activated. Liftoff in T-minus 3 minutes." The computer said.
"Launch the Boomerang." Carmen said.
Outside the base Sly heard the alarms sound off throughout the base. With a horrified expression he looked to the rocket itself and saw it was beginning its launch prep. The engines were already starting to ignite with the compound Miro stayed seated in his jeep and suddenly heard the sound of the rockets thrusters and the alarms.
In the lab Ivy and Zack could hear the sounds of the rockets thrusters firing. "Whoa! Sweet subwoofer." He said.
Just then Ivy's phone rang, it was from Player. "Player?" Ivy said.
"Guys, Carmen activated the rocket. It launches in less than 3 minutes!" Player relayed.
"WHAT!" Ivy exclaimed.
"Carm went to the dark side!" Zack exclaimed.
"She's hypnotized, and she'll stay that way as long as that music's playing!" Player explained.
"Then we need to kill the music." Sly then called in via his Binocucom. "Player any chance you can trace the source?!"
"Way ahead of you Sly." Player said as he traced the signal to an area below the complex. "I've pinpointed the audio source. It's coming from a utility tunnel under the facility."
The source was displayed on Ivy's phone screen "You need to shut it down so Carmen can snap to her senses. We need her to disable the rocket."
"I can handle the rocket." Sly voiced. "I'm the closest so I can try and disable it."
"Not without back up you won't." Ivy then said. "I'll meet you there. Go axe a DJ bro."
With that the siblings burst out of the lab and whilst Ivy went to meet Sly at the rocket launch pad. Zack found a staircase that lead to the utility tunnels. He hurried into the tunnel in search of the audio source.
Sly ran along the rooftops of the compound to get to the launch pad before it was too late. At the same time Ivy hurried out of the doors leading to the launch pad, which was consumed with smoke from the rockets exhausts.
Sly eventually arrived on the scene with Ivy and hurried to the rocket support tower. The door was locked to the staircase.
"Okay Player what do we do?" Sly asked.
"Okay guys you'll need to get to the control panel and remove the launch drive." Player explained from Ivy's phone.
"What control panel?" Ivy asked.
"It's on the rocket's payload. Top of the tower." Player explained showing an image of the control panels location.
The two looked up and saw the height of the rocket. "Ooh, that's really up there…" Ivy said a little worried.
"Not afraid of heights?" Sly asked.
"No way." Ivy said.
"Okay grab on and don't let go!" Sly instructed and she grabbed onto Sly's back as he started to climb up the tower scaffolding. Thanks to his training an agility he could take the weight.
A distance away Le Chevre monitored the rocket from his vantage point. "90 seconds to launch." He said.
Using his binoculars he looked and saw a certain raccoon thief with a woman in his arms were climbing the tower to get to the top. He knew very well who this was.
"Cooper!" He exclaimed. "You cannot out climb a goat!" He said as he leaped over the different buildings hurrying to the launch pad.
Underground:
Meanwhile Zack had finally found the source of the music and it was El Topo playing it from a laptop. The mole man was surprised to see Zack in the tunnel.
Zack knew he needed to get him away. "Have you not heard the alert, mate?" He said in an Australian accent.
"What alert?" El Topo asked.
"The dingo alert. The doggies are going wild out there." Zack explained. "It's... It's the high notes. They, uh... gets them all crazed and bloodthirsty!"
"Do they come below ground?" The VILE operative asked a little worried.
"Heh-heh, I'm a rocket scientist, not a zookeeper. Oh, uh, but they're out there, and they mangled some French dude!" Zack explained urgently.
"Le Chevre!" El Topo exclaimed and he dived through the tunnel he entered and Zack quickly moved to unplug the laptop from the speakers cancelling the music.
Mission Control:
Carmen was still hypnotised by the playing music. "Launch the Boomerang." Just then the music stopped playing and it was nothing more but static now.
In the tunnels Zack breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, nails on a chalk board." He said.
"Launch the Boomera…" Suddenly in that moment Carmen snapped back to her senses. She shook her head and then noticed the system default button had been pushed.
"What!?" She breathed in shock, she looked around and saw the countdown was running, it was in this shocking revelation she realised what happened.
"What have I done?" She breathed in horror.
Meanwhile:
Sly and Ivy were still climbing the launch tower. Ivy held onto the raccoon thief as he leaped up the tower with his cane in hand. "Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy." Ivy said a little worried.
"Just don't look down whatever you do." Sly assured.
"Wasn't planning on it." Ivy said.
Eventually they reached the top of the tower. They hurried to the gangway towards the rockets payload. Suddenly they felt a sudden vibration nearly knocking them off balance.
Far below the rockets engines were surging with power this was a sign it was close to blast off. The two looked at the rocket.
"We're running out of time!" Sly said and they wasted no time hurrying to the rocket payload. Sly knelt down and gave Ivy a boost up and she used a screwdriver to pry off the panel and saw the main control panel. The count down was now at one minute fifteen seconds.
Ivy reached to pull out the control panel when all of a sudden something grabbed onto her ankle and pulled her back. She looked and saw it was Le Chevre who growled as she tried to pull her away.
Ivy tried to reach for the control panel. Sly quickly tackled Le Chevre to the ground forcing him to let go of Ivy. However she stumbled and nearly fell off the platform.
"IVY!" Sly exclaimed and quickly grabbed onto her hand. Only for Le Chevre to grab him and try to restrain him.
"Now who's out climbing who raccoon!" He smirked. Sly struggled he knew he couldn't fight like this.
Acting quickly Ivy climbed onto the edge then climbed onto Le Chevre's hand and pulled on him forcing him to release Sly.
"let go!" He exclaimed. The timer on the control panel was still counting down.
Ivy managed to climb over the VILE operative with one foot on his face. "Get out of my way!" She exclaimed.
"My face!" Le Chevre groaned.
Ivy landed next to Sly and helped him up. The two found themselves facing Le Chevre. Sly readied his cane and Ivy stood with a defying glare. The three stared each other down in a stand off. Sly and Ivy looked at the ticking clock and saw it was now at forty seven seconds.
Ivy and Sly shared brief glances at each other and then ran forwards. Le Chevre ran towards them Ivy slid under him but he wasn't in time to stop a swat across the face compliments of Sly's cane. Which knocked him across the gangway. Le Chevre lunged forwards and threw some kicks and punches towards Sly who all but avoided and blocked them. Sly then slid under the V.I.L.E operative and tripped him up.
This bought Ivy time to run towards the rocket. Le Chevre quickly leaped over Sly and ran after Ivy. The raccoon thief quickly gave chase. Ivy was close to the rocket only for Le Chevre to grab her from behind. In the struggle the two of them accidentally tumbled over the side.
"NO!" Sly exclaimed and ran to the edge. He looked and saw Ivy was hanging on the side of the rocket and Le Chevre was hanging onto her legs.
"Oh boy!" Ivy breathed. Just then they heard the sound of a blaring horn from below and it was a jeep driven by El Topo. He looked up and saw his partner in crime holding onto the rocket.
"Le Chevre, it is safe to come down. The dingos have all gone." He called.
"What are you talking about?" Le Cheve called in confusion then smirked knowing it was time to go. "Enjoy the flight."
"What?!" Ivy exclaimed as Le Chevre swung on her legs and then landed on the gangway below. He looked up and saw Sly on the one above.
"Stop the rocket or save her Raccoon your call!" He smirked as he leaped down from the gangway.
"You can't leave me here! I'm no space cadet!" Ivy was stuck with a dilemma he knew he could stop the rocket, but he also knew Ivy would soon lose her grip and fall to her death. He knew what to do.
"Help!" Ivy called as she was starting to lose her grip.
"Ivy! I'm coming hold on!" Sly called as he leaped onto the rocket using his cane to hold onto the side. He then quickly made his way to Ivy who's right hand slipped off.
"Grab onto my hand!" Sly called extending his hand. Ivy tried to reach for him but in the end her other hand lost its grip and she screamed falling to her death.
"NO!" Sly leaped off the rocket and dived to save her. He managed to quickly grab onto her, then pulled a cord on his backpack which released a parachute bearing his calling card lifted them into the air thanks to the air updraft from the rockets thrusters.
"Parachute!" Ivy exclaimed to the raccoon thief as she held onto him.
"Never leave home without one." Sly smirked.
"The rocket!" She exclaimed. They forgot the rocket was on the last few seconds of its countdown, there was noway they could get to it in time.
Just then they heard the sound of a grapple line being launched and saw zooming towards it was Carmen Sandiego with her hair down.
"Looks like thats covered!" Sly exclaimed.
Carmen swung under the platform and then slid onto the side of the rocket. Then in a swift motion pulled out the control panel on the rocket and landed on the platform with it in hand. Without its control panel the rocket ceased function, and its thrusters came to a complete silence.
Outside the compound Miro breathed a sigh of relief knowing the rocket had been stopped and would not be launched. Uluru had been saved.
Much to the dismay and frustration of the two V.I.L.E operatives they drove away in their jeep without another word. Meanwhile high above Ivy and Sly landed on the platform as the parachute was then removed from the raccoon thief's backpack.
"Great work you two." Carmen congratulated.
"Yeah but you were cutting it a little close right?" Sly said with a breath of relief.
"You're not the only one who likes to make an entrance Cooper." Carmen said with a knowing smirk.
Him and Ivy then looked at the time that was left before the rocket could launch. "Number two huh? I think I just did that in my pants." The group looked at each other with relieved looks.
Then Ivy's attention turned to Sly. "Hey thanks for the save Sly. But you could have stopped the rocket yourself."
"Hey in my gang we have a code never leave friends behind." Sly said with a hand on her shoulder. "Besides I knew Carmen would snap to her senses eventually."
"Well thanks." Ivy said hitting his arm.
Sly just smiled knowing his friend was grateful, then he remembered. "Say Ivy, how about you tell me more about this cane grappling hook you mentioned." Ivy was surprised and glad to hear that as she and him looked at his cane. "Cause if I'm gonna help you guys take on V.I.L.E, something tells me my gears gonna need an upgrade."
"Well for starters Sly." Carmen said getting his attention and holding his cast off parachute. "Parachutes are outdated, if you want a quick getaway or getting to someone quick a gliders the best way to go."
"Duely noted." Sly nodded taking her thoughts on board.
Later: Sydney: Friday Night 7:55pm:
As the sound of the opera echoed from the Sydney Opera House. Carmen was walking along the streets towards a certain cafe she had been invited to for coffee. She decided to go on this coffee date with Graham. Player however was a little cautious as was Sly who was hiding in the shadows.
"Remember, Red. Crackle once tried to…" Player tried.
"Turn out my lights with a sizzle stick, I know, but... before he was Crackle, he was Gray. And Gray was like a big brother to me." Carmen said as she approached the road crossing near a sign advertising Carmen the opera.
" I thought I lost him for good, but this could be... I don't know... some sort of do-over? A second chance?"
Sly listened from his vantage point on the coms and in a way he understood Carmens argument. He of all people knew about wanting a second chance, especially when it came to ones he loved.
"Okay, let's say that I buy that Gray, Crackle, Graham, whoever really is a happy electrician with a bright future now." Player said as Graham looked at his watch from the cafe.
Players room:
"We know Dr. Bellum's into mind-control experiments. What if she played him some opera music too?" Player reminded. "What if V.I.L.E. is waiting to see you with him so they can flip a switch?" He said.
Sydney:
At the road crossing Carmen listened to Players point of view. "Bam. Instead of launching a rocket, Crackle's crunching a Carmen."
"Okay I agree he could be a sleeper agent that could be triggered at any time. But at the same time, maybe he's been given another chance at life without V.I.L.E around." Sly voiced. "But look I'm not gonna tell you what to do, just…do whatever your conscience tells you."
Carmen listened to both sides of the argument given by her companions. Eventually after some consideration she came to a decision. "You have a point, Player."
Graham meanwhile was still looking at his watch at the time. Then he noticed a certain individual in a red hoodie. He knew that was Carmen. He stood up and smiled at seeing her. Carmen smiled back with her face barely visible, however as a bus passed by she disappeared without a trace.
Much to Grahams surprise he looked around but there was no sign of her.
A distance away Carmen was walking away from the area. Soon Sly appeared along side her in his own casual blue hoodie, grey pants and blue vans sneakers.
"So what your standing him up?" Sly said in surprise.
"I can't let V.I.L.E. see me with him." Carmen explained as they walked. "But not for my safety. For his."
"What why?" Player asked in genuine surprise.
"For whatever strange reason, Gray has a fresh start now. And having Carmen Sandiego back in his life would only complicate that." Carmen admitted a little sad.
She then felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked at Sly. "Hey I get it Carmen more than you know. Let's just say I know a thing or two about complicated relationships and second chances."
"You mean between me and Gray, or between you and that police woman from your stories?" Carmen could see what he was talking about.
"You pick up quick, Red." Sly said smiling but then turned to a rather sad expression. "But yeah, when I was facing life or death in the Cooper vault, I guess I realised how important Carmelita was to me, and I was a coward taking it for granted. But she's a cop I'm a thief, and that would only complicate things."
Carmen listened as they walked down the street talking. "But I thought you two became a couple after that caper?" She asked.
"Only because she thought I had amnesia, she thought I didn't remember my life as a criminal. But I didn't, I thought it would make things easier. But I guess the old Cooper itch isn't something to go away just like that." Sly said sadly as he looked at a photo of him planting a kiss on Carmelita's cheek. "Then with what happened with Le Paradox messing with my ancestors I pretty much made things more hazardous than complicated in our relationship. And even if and when I do find a way back, in the back of my mind I wonder…if, if I'm worth getting a second chance with Carmelita."
Carmen could see that Sly did genuinely feel regret over lying to this Inspector Fox, but she knew he did it for good reason, so he could be with her. But she also knew that he couldn't help the way he was.
"Well I think you do deserve a second chance with her." She said.
"How'd you know?" Sly wondered.
"Because you didn't lie to her for greed, you did it for the right reasons, sometimes we lie for love." Carmen said. "Especially when it comes to those we care about. And I'm sure she's wishing for it too."
Sly gave a warm smile in response to that and Carmen shared one with her own as the two wondered down the street. To then disappear into the moonlit night.
Carmens P.O.V:
"It's rare for someone to get a second chance, but sometimes it's not about earning it, but whether you deserve it. And you never know how things may turn out. Sly knew his choice would complicate things, but he didn't do it out of greed or personal pleasure, he did it for the right reasons. Some may not see it that way but we make the choices we do for those we love. No matter how many bumps we face along the way."
Isle of VILE:
In the darkness of his classroom Professor Maelstrom sat in his chair whilst addressing someone in the room with him.
"My star student. Thank you for coming." He greeted the student in the darkness of the room. lit by the fishtanks in the room. It was a female student.
"I was wondering if you would be up for a certain task. Bring me the hat of Carmen Sandiego. And the cane of Sly Cooper."
The student in the shadows presented a paper sheep made form origami paper. Maelstrom just smiled as she reshaped it into what looked like a ninja star.
She tossed it to the skeleton in his office and it sliced the skull clean off the spine. Much to the Professors sick pleasure.
"I will take that as a "yes." " He said with his smirking smile.
The student stood in the shadows, with an anticipating glare looking forward, to coming face to face with the great Carmen Sandiego and her partner Sly Cooper.
Authors notes: Whew that was a close call for Carmen and Sly. But something tells me V.I.L.E isn't done with them yet with this next student out for their heads. As you can tell I decided to let Carmen have a go at the voice over intro before the story, as we could hear things about Sly from her point of view. And of course after being stranded in an alternate dimension Sly would have doubts about making things right with Carmelita and whether he's worthy of a second chance. This felt like a proper bonding moment between him and Carmen given the circumstances.
Also no there will be no SlyXCarmen I'm afraid, whilst they make a great couple I'll be going by the canon story of Sly X Carmelita. That thing in the opera was just for fun.
Now next stop is tropical India, where instead of stopping an illegal spice ring they're saving important documents. Just hope Sly and Carmen can stand up to the papercuts to come.
Until next time, Where in the world is Cooper and Sandiego!