"Okay! Thanks to our bug in Miss Decibel's office, we now have all the information we need! It appears she has been producing counterfeit documents for Le Paradox, creating a false family history that will make him an esteemed member of royalty in the present day! I've managed to inspect some of the documentation, and believe me, if we allow him to get away with this, his wealth and power will make him untouchable!" Bentley said as he relayed everything to the gang.
"That's not good. If he succeeds, well...imagine what kind of influence he'll have over the world at large." Ben said.
Bentley nodded. "I believe he is planning this to be his last and greatest caper! The key to stopping him begins with us getting through that security door in the lamp shop. I haven't been able to discover what's behind it, but we know that's where Decibel will deliver the papers to Le Paradox. However, since we don't want to announce our presence, we need a diversion for the guards."
"And I shall be the one to do it!" Ben said boldly as he stood up.
Neyla grinned. "Possibly your best plan ever Bentley."
"Uh, Bentley, I-I can do it," Murray said. "I'm positive The Murray could squeeze into that thing."
"Dear, as enjoyable as that would be to see, I feel like this is Ben's forte." Jing King said as her husband pouted in disappointment.
"This ought to be enjoyable to see." Dahndi chuckled as Ben smirked.
"Just you wait, Grandma."
Ben, dressed perfectly as a Belly Dancer to allure the guards, stepped into view as he got their attention. Neyla stayed behind both to make sure Ben had a means of escaping afterward and also to enjoy the show all for herself.
As Ben kept the guards distracted, the rest of the Cooper Gang managed to open the security door, however, Salim and Dahndi stopped.
"Sly, I am thinking I should go no further. I have passed my greatest wisdom onto you, the last of my friends are now retired, and I have had enough snakes and scorpions and climbing for three lifetimes. Besides, I was thinking someone should watch over Ben to make sure he is safe."
"Indeed. Cannot let the Shigura Bloodline end with him." Dahdni said. "He still has much to give to the world in the present day where you come."
"Alright, Salim. We couldn't have made it this far without you or Dahndi, but I think we can handle it from here. You've definitely earned your retirement. Go enjoy it... and the belly dancing."
"Heh, that boy will make his lady very happy." Dahndi chuckled in regards to Ben as she and Salim moved to help Neyla. The rest of the Cooper Gang went inside the door to see what was inside and gasped at what they saw.
"Whoa..." Murray breathed.
Sly nodded. "You said it, pal."
"This is definitely... more than I was expecting..." Bentley muttered, cleaning his glasses to make sure he was seeing things right.
"An underground docking station for Le Paradox's blimp. No wonder we haven't seen that thing flying around." Penelope exclaimed.
"So, what's our next move, Bentley?" Carmelita asked.
"Well, we first need something to distract those guards so I can get to that control room! I whipped up a surprise for Miss Decibel with the leftover material from Ben's outfit, but I think it might work better here."
Brie giggled as she pulled out the RC Car and gave it to her mother, Penelope smiling as she used the leftover material to weave a mouse disguise for her car and then sent it underneath the laser grid.
"Alright, now to lure the guards into the vents before driving the RC Car through it and destroying the power source after getting past the security built into the vents. The first laser grid shut off as the Cooper Gang headed inside and Bentley made his way over to the security system, hacking into it.
"Password, way too easy, overwriting security, power grid, rerouting, accessing laser network, pc load letter... Shut down in 3, 2, 1... Yes!"
The laser gate turned off as everyone walked past it, only for it to suddenly turn back on, much to their shock.
"What just happened, Bentley?" Carmelita asked.
"I'm not sure! I must've tripped some kind of fail-safe backup! Hold on a sec!" Bentley said as he got back to work on the security terminal. However, a pair of security cannons sprayed a poison gas to block their path and several of Le Paradox's goons came into the fray.
"Alright, guess we're gonna have to smash our way through," Carmelita said, readying her Shock Pistol as Murray and Jing King took fighting stances while Sly prepared his cane.
After throwing the goons into the cannons to damage them, Carmelita finished them off with blasts from her pistol. With the path cleared, Bentley, Penelope, and Brie regrouped with the gang as they all approached the edge, only for Le Paradox to come face-to-face with them in his blimp.
"Cyrille Le Paradox, I presume?" Penelope said, narrowing her eyes.
"Indeed, Cherie! So nice that you recognize me!"
"It wasn't hard, we could smell you from here!" Sly said, mockingly waving the air in front of him.
"Ah, Cooper. You're so pathetic. You don't even realize you've already lost!"
"We haven't lost yet!" Carmelita snarled, aiming her shock pistol. "Cyrille Le Paradox, I'm placing you under arrest!"
"Oh no?" Le Paradox retorted sarcastically before looking past the group. "Bonjour, my large friend! What took you so long?"
The group turned to see Miss Decibel holding Salim and Dahndi in each arm, both of the old master thieves looking defeated.
"Oh drat..." Bentley said with a facepalm.
"Salim!" Sly cried in concern for his ancestor.
"Dahndi!" Jing King cried out for the other elder thief.
"Hello, Cyrille. I found these filthy, old scoundrels unconscious outside." Miss Decibel said.
"Actually, they're yesterday's trash, precisely why I threw them away." Le Paradox said with a huff, much to Decibel's confusion.
"But I don't understand. I thought... you were after them."
"You're right. You don't understand. I don't care about those old bags of bones, just Salim's cane! Which, as you can see, I already have!" Le Paradox said as he pulled out Salim's cane.
"Uh-Oh..." Murray gulped.
"Double drat..." Penelope groaned.
"You foolish Coopers may have stopped me from acquiring the other canes and eliminating your ancestors, but at the very least this and the documents will be my consolation prize!" Le Paradox taunted.
"Well... good. Then our deal is complete! I'm coming aboard. Hold that blimp!" Miss Decibel said happily as she prepared to board the blimp before Le Paradox stopped her.
"So sorry, Cherie, but with monsieur Cooper here, I'm afraid the schedule has changed, and I must make my exit now. I cannot risk that flea-bitten rat ruining what I can still salvage of my plans!"
Le Paradox prepared to take off as Miss Decibel panicked, chasing after him.
"He's got the cane!" Murray cried.
"He's got the documents!" Bentley panicked as he turned to Sly, "Sly, if they return to the present and Le Paradox establishes a royal ancestry for himself, all of our futures are in peril! You've got to stop them!"
"How are Salim and Dahndi?" Sly asked as Carmelita and Penelope were checking on the elder thieves. Dahndi however simply chuckled.
"That stupid الظربان forgot one little detail..." She pulled out Salim's cane from her robes. "Don't watch the mouth, but the hands."
"Yes...but the documents...we tried to stop him," Salim said as he and Dahndi supported each other to their feet.
"At least Salim's real cane is safe. But right now, we gotta stop that pachyderm!" Penelope said as she pointed to Miss Decibel's retreating form.
"I'm on it, like stink on a skunk!" Sly said as Carmelita stepped beside him.
"I'm with you on this, Ringtail."
Sly smiled at his wife as the two of them chased after Miss Decibel, who tried to hold them back with energy music notes, deadly soundwaves, and laser lines with energy spheres traveling along via her trunk but the couple easily bypassed her attacks.
"This is your fault!" Miss Decibel growled. "I'll orchestrate your demise! This is your Funeral March!"
"What's that? I can't hear you over this horrible racket!" Sly taunted as Miss Decibel roared in fury and tried to strike him with her trunk, only for Carmelita to shoot her from behind.
Miss Decibel was caught in a trap as Sly and Carmelita continued barraging her with attacks from both sides, neither of them giving her a chance to recover.
"You little fleabags!" Decibel snarled. "I'll squash you like a couple of hairy bugs!"
With a mighty trumpet, Decibel charged towards Sly and Carmelita, who smirked as they jumped out of the way, Decibel realizing she was heading straight for the blimp's main power cell. Before she could stop herself, she collided with the machinery, badly electrocuting her as she stumbled before tripping over the railing.
"Well, it would seem this game is finished. How boring!" Le Paradox groaned as he hit the button for the ceiling hatch to open so his blimp could make its escape.
"Cyrille! Open the hatch! Let me in!" Decibel begged, holding onto a rope as Le Paradox rolled his eyes.
"I... don't think so. You see, we have already reached maximum weight capacity." Le Paradox then brought in Neyla and Ben, still disguised in his Belly Dancer attire. "Perhaps due to my lovely new guests!"
"But we had a deal! I made you the documents, and you promised me the lost masterpieces! Mozart! Beethoven! Romantic nights on the Rivera!" Decibel said in desperation as Le Paradox made a 'Blah-Blah-Blah' motion with his hands.
"Yes, well, thank you so much for my papers, but it wouldn't have worked out between us. I'm just not into big noses, and as for your music... Hmm, how can I put this?" Le Paradox then gave a cruel grin. "It stinks worse than I do!"
"Why, you filthy, backstabbing, two-timing scoundrel!" Decibel shouted as Le Paradox merely laughed.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear!"
"Then how about this?" Ben said as he pulled out his revolver, which he had kept on his person.
"What?!"
"Don't watch the mouth, watch the hands!"
With that, Ben shot the controls for the blimp as Le Paradox panicked.
"You fool! What have you done?! You've damaged the Time Tunnel's mechanics!"
Miss Decibel fell off her rope and landed in front of Salim and Dahndi, who grinned as they had the Elephant Beastkin bagged. Ben knew the blimp would go out of control and quickly turned to Neyla.
"Ben, let's get out of here!"
"No, just you!"
"What?!"
Neyla didn't have time to react as Ben grabbed her, kissed her passionately on the lips, and then pushed her safely off the blimp, allowing Jing King to jump and catch her.
"Stop that blimp!" Bentley cried but it was too late, the blimp, Ben, and Le Paradox vanished in a sparkling flash of distorted space-time, leaving nothing behind.
"NO!" Sly screamed as he watched his blood brother disappear, without any certain way to know if he would survive or not.
Neyla watched as her husband disappeared before covering her mouth and collapsing to her knees, tears of grief running down her face as Carmelita, Penelope, and Jing King moved to comfort her.
Next Time: The Final Battle!
Arabic Translations:
الظربان: "Skunk"