Disclaimer: I do not own characters and story elements of the Sly Cooper franchise. All credit goes to Sucker Punch and Sanzaru Games. I also do not own characters and story elements of the Uncharted series either. All credit goes to Naughty Dog for developing and creating it. This story is for purely entertainment purposes.
Author's note: This fic is M-Rated for strong sexual content and profanity.
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8: Interpol Inquiry
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"You sure you wanna do this, Sly?" Bentley asked his raccoon best friend as Sly had taken off his mask and left his cane at the gang's hideout and requested that Murray take him up to Interpol Headquarters. "This isn't going to be like your last visit to Interpol. They will arrest you on the spot as soon as you step foot into Interpol Headquarters."
"I know that, Bentley," the raccoon thief said softly as he thought about his beloved violet furred tigress having to face the "firing squad" of Interpol by herself. "But I can't let Neyla face those accusing her of misconduct alone. They need to know the full story about Clockwerk and why he had to be destroyed for good.
"Neyla won't be facing the firing squad alone," continued Sly as Murray stopped a block west of Interpol Headquarters. "Thanks Murray. You and Bentley take as much time as you need to rest up. As soon as I'm done here, I'll be staying with Neyla."
"Or they could just throw you in prison for the rest of your life," Bentley protested over the ear piece.
Sly ignored Bentley's protest and handed over his earpiece to Murray before making the block long walk to Interpol, where he could either be a free man still, or possibly in prison for the rest of his life. The thought of prison was every Cooper's worst fear, but for Sly, he wasn't going to let the love of his life be thrown in prison because she was forced into the Klaww Gang and even fell under Clockwerk's influence before coming to her senses. As Sly entered the headquarters, he was met by a confused and baffled Carmelita Fox as she was astounded by the fact that the raccoon thief had just walked into Interpol headquarters, of his own free will.
"Hey there," Sly said to Carmelita as he produced a package that he had held on to. "Thought I'd give this back to you."
"Huh?" asked a confused Carmelita as she hesitantly accepted the package from Sly and then opened it, much to her surprise. "Wait… I thought you'd…"
"Already drank it?" inquired Sly with a smile on his face. "Nah. It's yours and I don't steal from good cops like you. There's no fun… no honor in stealing from the honest cops."
Carmelita was flattered that Sly thought of her as one of the "good cops" who uphold the law. But it still didn't explain why he even stepped foot into Interpol headquarters. The only explanation she could think of was to come on Neyla's behalf.
"So why are you even here?" Carmelita asked Sly.
"I heard Neyla was being held on trial for the affair with the Clockwerk parts," Sly explained to Carmelita. "I'm not gonna let my Beautiful Tigress face the firing squad alone."
"It's not so much a trial," replied Carmelita. "But she pretty much is facing a firing squad."
oooooooooooooo
"Now then Constable Neyla," said an inquiry officer as he looked to the violet furred tigress, "why did you allow the Clockwerk parts to be destroyed when they were supposed to be retrieved and returned to the museum in Cario?"
"The Clockwerk parts were a menace and needed to be destroyed," answered Neyla. "Plus, another gang of crooks would've tried once again to go after the Clockwerk parts for their own selfish desires."
"Like your former 'mentor', Arpeggio?" a female panda inquiry officer asked Neyla. "Or your other colleagues of the Klaww Gang?"
"The members of the Klaww Gang were not my colleagues by choice," answered Neyla. "As I stated to Chief Barkley… and Inspector Fox, I was blackmailed into becoming a member of the Klaww Gang. Then the Contessa hypnotized me to be their minion. As I was hypnotized by the Contessa, something else began to imprint its influence on me."
"Something?" Chief Barkley asked Neyla, as he too was present at the inquiry. "You didn't mention this in your earlier confession when you came clean to me and Carmelita after Prague."
"I wasn't sure that you would believe me," Neyla explained to Chief Barkley and the inquiry panel. "It's quite hard to fathom."
"Try us," replied the female panda inquiry officer as she eyed the violet furred tigress.
"Clockwerk himself has been on this Earth for thousands of years," began Neyla. "Clockwerk was an enemy of the Cooper thief clan for those thousands of years. The owl sought to eliminate and destroy the Cooper thief clan."
"How does an owl live for thousands of years?" demanded the other inquiry officer who was a tan furred Iberian lynx. "That's not feasible or even possible!"
Before Neyla could answer the question, she was surprised to see that her raccoon thief lover had come to Interpol Headquarters. Neyla hadn't expected him to come and see her… especially after she told him that he and his gang needed to lay low and rest for a few weeks before she came back to them. Sly was accompanied by Carmelita Fox as she had come as well. The violet furred tigress looked to Sly as she said, "What are you doing here, Sly? I told you that you needed to lay low and rest."
"I know, Beautiful," replied Sly as he smirked. "But I'm not gonna let you face this inquiry alone."
"And… you must be the famous Sly Cooper," the lynx said to Sly. "I'm afraid, you'll have to wait your turn. We intended to find you to answer for the damages done in Paris."
"Well, I'll save you the trouble from having to hunt me down," replied Sly as he eyed the inquiry panel. "I believe you were asking about how an owl was able to live for thousands of years, correct?"
"Uh… y-yes," answered the lynx.
"I can answer that easily," Sly said to the panel. "Clockwerk used black magic and alchemy to stay alive before turning to technology that turned him into the soulless machine that he had become. His hatred and jealousy towards my family was the fuel that kept him alive for so long.
"Clockwerk preyed on young and budding thieves," continued Sly. "Those who aspired to be just as great as my thieving family. He gave them empty and hollow promises of immortality if they helped him to become whole again. I'm not sure when it was that he decided to cast away his mortal body and become a soulless machine, but he still plagued my family and tricked so many young victims into becoming the sustainable fuel that would keep him alive for years."
"You expect us to believe, Mr. Cooper," the female panda inquiry member began, "that Clockwerk was really an ancient being that became a machine in order to destroy you and your ancestors, just so he could become the ultimate master thief?"
"No," answered Sly as he shook his head. "But I do have written records to prove that Clockwerk survived through the years."
"Clockwerk told Cooper that he survived with a steady diet of jealousy and hate, as they were allegedly the 'prime ingredients in the Fountain of Youth,' as he claimed," chimed in Carmelita. "I was there at the Krakarov Volcano in Russia trying to arrest Clockwerk, but ended up getting captured by the robotic owl."
"But it doesn't explain why the Clockwerk parts were allowed to be destroyed," Chief Barkley said to the two female Interpol officers and Sly. "The Clockwerk parts were to be recovered and returned to the museum in Cario.
Barkley then looked to Sly Cooper and said, "You say that your thief clan returns what was wrongfully stolen from others. Why were the Clockwerk parts not considered as items that were wrongfully stolen by the Klaww Gang?"
"Because Clockwerk was an enemy of my family," answered Sly. "Leaving him alive, in pieces, would've just continued the cycle that my family had been cursed with for the thousands of years that Clockwerk was still alive and maintained himself. Plus, another potential budding thief would've fallen victim to Clockwerk's influence and empty promises of immortality."
"Like what happened to me," added Neyla.
"But you seem to have come to your senses," replied the panda officer before letting out a sigh. "Alright, this inquiry will continue in a few days. There's still quite a bit of clean up still to do."
"Don't make any plans to leave town, Mr. Cooper," Barkley instructed Sly.
"I don't plan on leaving town," Sly informed the inquiry board. "One of my friends is currently in the hospital right now. He lost his ability to walk."
"Sly… I'm so sorry about that," Neyla said to her lover.
"It's alright," Sly replied to his tigress lover. "Besides, Bentley wanted me to tell you that you're not to blame for him being in a wheelchair."
"Do… the doctors know when he might be able to walk again?" Carmelita asked Sly.
"They said that Bentley will never walk again," Sly answered Carmelita. "He'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."
"I see," replied Carmelita as she was a bit saddened to hear about Bentley's condition.
oooooooooooooo
"Glad to hear that they haven't thrown you in prison yet, partner," Bentley said to Sly as the raccoon thief was on his way back to Neyla's apartment for… "close supervision."
"Well, Interpol is going to have me answer to them about the whole ordeal with Clockwerk," Sly explained to Bentley. "By the way, Carmelita wanted me to pass on her apologies to you about losing your ability to walk."
"I do appreciate the sympathies from everyone," replied Bentley. "I imagine that you'll be staying with Neyla during Interpol's inquiry into the Clockwerk affair, correct?"
"You know me well, Bentley," Sly answered his turtle best friend with a slight chuckle. "Neyla said that it's so that I can be… 'closely supervised'."
"Yeah, I know what that means," Bentley replied starkly. "You and Neyla are going to engage in physical intimate contact involving coitus while she's… 'closely supervising' you."
"Oh… we might," Neyla replied with a sly smirk on her face as Sly's cell phone was on speaker.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Bentley starkly said to Sly and Neyla. "Well… enjoy your time together and the coitus."
Once Bentley hung up, Neyla looked to Sly as she asked him, "Uh… coitus is the nerd term for 'sex,' right?"
"I guess so," answered Sly as he shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we'll have to look it up later."
"What movies do you want to watch when we get back?" Neyla asked her raccoon lover. "I've got a few selections back at my apartment."
"Got Pirates of the Caribbean?" Sly asked Neyla with a smirk on his face.
"Oh, I've got that series," answered Neyla with a smirk. "We'll watch that… but you've got to watch the 50 Shades trilogy with me."
"Let me guess," began Sly with a sly smirk on his face, "tonight's a safe night for you?"
"It is a safe night for me," Neyla replied with a sly grin.
oooooooooooooo
It didn't take long for Sly and Neyla to get to Neyla's apartment from Interpol headquarters. But as soon as the door was locked, Sly was quick to go on the offense and kiss Neyla with a deep possessive kiss that the violet furred tigress didn't resist. The two pulled out of the kiss as Sly suggested, "Why don't we skip the 50 Shades movies and just put them into practice?"
"You read my mind, Love," replied Neyla as the pair then began to undress each other on the way to the bedroom.
The pair were quick to lock the door to Neyla's bedroom and the raccoon thief then lifted his violet furred tigress lover up and laid her on the bed gently. Sly wasted no time in showing his affection and his sexual desire to Neyla by kissing her on her lips and then slide his dick into her swollen pussy. As Neyla wrapped her legs around his waist, she said to Sly, "I like this idea of closely supervising you."
"You can supervise me any time," replied Sly as he began to thrust in his Gorgeous Tigress.
The pair made beautiful love as Neyla moaned happily and matched her lover's pace as she bucked her hips. Sly grunted as he started to pick up the pace and go faster. As he went faster, he noticed that Neyla's well formed breasts were sliding back and forth as he went harder at her request. After about 10 minutes, the pair flipped places and Neyla began to ride on her raccoon thief's dick up and down as her breasts bounced up and down. The pair continued to have their dance of dominance as they switched positions for another 20 minutes before Sly pinned his tigress to the bed and then came in her womb as she let out a happy cry of pleasure as she too came. The pair continued to have sex throughout the day and ignored their cellphones as they were too engrossed in their sexual desire for another. Sly and Neyla also tried various other sexual positions as they made love to each other. After about three hours of sex, Neyla had to stop and go check her cellphone, as did Sly.
"Guess Carmelita wanted to know if we wanted to go check up your chums," Neyla informed Sly.
"Yeah, let's take a break and go see Bentley," Sly said as he gave his violet furred tigress lover a slight nod.
"Sorry for not responding sooner," Neyla replied to Carmelita's text message to her. "Sly and I were… preoccupied at the moment. We're on our way to go see his friends and check in on them."
Neyla then got her clothes back on as Sly was calling Bentley and Murray. The raccoon thief wanted to check in on Bentley and Murray. As Sly called his friends, he got a good look at his naked violet furred tigress lover before she got dressed. Once Neyla was dressed, Sly managed to get ahold of Bentley.
"Hey buddy," Sly said to his turtle best friend. "Neyla and I are on our way to come see you at the hospital."
"Well, I'm getting released from the hospital today," Bentley promptly informed Sly.
"Really?" Sly asked Bentley as he raised an eyebrow. "Carmelita didn't mention that in her message to Neyla."
"That's because I asked her not to tell you that," replied Bentley. "That part, I wanted to tell you myself."
"We'll be there as soon as possible," said Sly. "I wanna be there as soon as you get discharged."
"You sure that me being discharged isn't interrupting your important coitus with Neyla?" Bentley asked as a sharp barb.
"That's not fair, Bentley," said Sly as he was upset with the comment from his best friend. "If either you or Murray were injured or in the hospital for any reason I'd drop everything to come see you. You two are more than just my best friends. You and Murray are my brothers and that won't change."
Sly then hung up the phone as he was a bit upset with Bentley for the comment that he made about his and Neyla sexual relations being a problem. Neyla was now fully dressed and gave her raccoon lover a slight nod so that he could go get dressed too. Sly went and got himself dressed so that he and Neyla could go and meet up with Bentley as he was getting discharged from the hospital. It didn't take long for Sly to get dressed and ready to go. Once he was ready to go, Sly gave his lover a slight nod and the pair went to Neyla's car. As the two drove over to the hospital, Sly sighed and caught Neyla's attention.
"What's wrong Sly?" Neyla asked her raccoon lover. "Everything alright over there?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Sly.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" asked Neyla as she looked to her lover.
Sly sighed as he reluctantly replied, "Bentley pretty much asked me if him getting discharged from the hospital was interrupting our time together having sex. I just think that was a bit of a low blow from Bentley."
"I agree," Neyla replied a slight nod. "But I think he just wanted to make sure that seeing him getting discharged was important enough for you to make time for. Though, I think he could've worded it a bit better."
"Maybe," replied Sly. "But Bentley's just as much my brother as Murray. I'd drop anything in a heartbeat for them."
"I know you would," Neyla said in calming tone. "I'd do the same for you and for them as well."
The rest of the car ride was quiet for the lovers as they reached the hospital that Bentley was being kept at. The lovers made it right as Bentley was coming out with Murray wheeling him out. Instead of getting out of the car, Neyla and Sly waved for Bentley and Murray to approach them. The duo approached Neyla's car and were happy to see that the pair had made it to see Bentley getting discharged.
"Glad you made it, Sly," Bentley said to Sly with a slight nod.
"I'm just glad that you're out of the hospital finally," replied the raccoon thief. "Besides, I wouldn't miss seeing you being discharged for anything else."
"Even having coitus with Neyla?" Bentley asked Sly.
"Bentley," stepped in Neyla, "neither one of us would've missed seeing you get out of the hospital. I mean, we took a break from having sex to come see you, didn't we?"
"You gotta let it go, Bentley," Murray said to Bentley. "Besides, they came to see you get out of the hospital and picked you up, didn't they?"
"We'll take you back to the hideout," Sly informed Bentley and Murray. "But why don't we get something to eat first?"
"Good thinking," Neyla said to Sly. "I am hungry and we did skip lunch when we lost track of time."
The group found a quaint American style diner and ate there as the group had quite a meal too. As the group ate their meals, Neyla went into detail about the inquiry she was undergoing at Interpol headquarters. The violet furred tigress asked where Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan were as they weren't present for Bentley being discharged. Bentley said that the pair went to go look for Nathan's wife, Elena. But the duo called and said that they were happy to hear he was being released from the hospital. As the group continued to eat their meal, a car drove by for a split second and then drove off.
"What do you guys think that was about?" Murray asked the group before gulping down his milkshake.
"If I had to guess, probably either Interpol checking to see if Neyla and I are skipping town," began Sly. "Or someone thinks they can still claim the bounty that Bison put on Neyla's head."
"Let's just hope it's the former and not the latter," replied Neyla before she gobbled the last of her French fries.
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"Alright then," began the Iberian lynx Interpol officer, "the second day of this inquiry into the Clockwerk parts affair will now begin.
The lynx looked to Sly Cooper, who had been summoned to Interpol headquarters officially and said, "Sly Cooper, we call you forward."
The raccoon thief stepped forward with Neyla feeling uneasy about him being on the hot seat. But there was nothing she could do as it was her idea to sell Interpol on the idea that the Cooper Gang was more of an asset to them than a hinderance. Sly let out a sigh as he looked to the inquiry board.
"Now then Mr. Cooper," Chief Barkley began as the badger eyed the raccoon thief carefully, "you mentioned, before the end of the first day of inquiry, that you had physical written records to prove your claim that Clockwerk was an ancient being that plagued your family for thousands of years."
"I do," replied Sly, as he gave the inquiry panel a folder.
Neyla tensed up as she hoped that the source of his proof wasn't from the Thievius Raccoonus. The last thing that Sly needed to do was to reveal his family's secret book of thieving instruction to the world. But Sly produced a folder that he had kept secret from Neyla as he had asked for Bentley's help in locating evidence to prove Clockwerk was a menace for thousands of years, without having to resort to using the Thievius Racconus. The inquiry panel received the folder that Sly managed to procure.
"We will need to verify this information you've given us," the panda inquiry said as she looked to Sly. "But give us a bit of background into Clockwerk, if you would please."
"Clockwerk was originally known as Kaluk Wark in ancient Egypt in the 1300s BC," began Sly. "He was an advisor to the Pharaoh at the time and tried to marry his daughter. My first known ancestor, Slytenkhamen II, also served the same Pharaoh as well. My founding ancestor learned that Clockwerk was stealing from the Pharaoh and exposed the owl for being a corrupt official. Kaluk Wark was known to specialize in black magic and alchemy and not many opposed him, because of his position. Slytenkhamen defeated him in a final battle, but Kaluk Wark wasn't dead as he used his black magic and alchemy to stay alive for a time until he made the decision to cast his mortal body aside and become the mechanical monster that he became and terrorized my family."
"I assume that you came to know about Clockwerk through these documents that you've provided to us, correct?" the lynx asked Sly.
"No, my family has our own personal record of our family history and the struggles against the terror of Clockwerk," Sly answered as he shook his head. "The folder you have before you are written records from other sources."
"Is there a reason why you cannot provide records from your family's own historical records?" asked the female panda inquiry officer.
"My family's historical records don't just provide historical information," Sly began to answer, "they also contain secrets of our trade. That is why I cannot provide you with my family's historical information on our constant battle against Clockwerk."
oooooooooooooo
"What's happening Bentley?" Murray asked his turtle best friend, as the two of them were keeping an eye on Interpol's inquiry into the Clockwerk affair. "Are they throwing Sly in prison?"
"No, not yet," answered Bentley as the two were watching closely. "Sly's giving them a history lesson on Clockwerk and the battle his family fought against that owl."
The pink hippo gave Bentley a slight nod as he felt worried that Sly might be thrown in prison and the two of them would have to bust him out of prison. This was amplified after he and Sly tried to rob a museum for a certain map, but failed in their attempt while Bentley was in the hospital. Despite the fact that he and Sly were to successfully able to obtain what they were looking for, the pink hippo realized that he and Sly really needed Bentley more then they knew.
"We will need time to verify these sources," Bentley and Murray watched over the computer. "For now, you and Constable Neyla are dismissed. Do not leave…"
"Hold on a second," Bentley and Murray then heard from lynx inquiry officer. "Mr. Cooper, you were seen at a diner two nights ago by a couple of Interpol agents with your two known associates. Care to explain why you and Constable Neyla were seen with them?"
"We didn't leave town, as per your instructions," interjected Neyla as Bentley and Murray heard the violet furred tigress stepping in defense of Sly.
"That's not what was asked, Constable," Barkley said to the violet furred tigress.
"It's fine Neyla," the friends heard Sly to Neyla. "One of my friends… no, brothers, had just gotten out of the hospital after recovering from injuries sustained during the Clockwerk affair. The Constable and I went up to the hospital to pick them up and took them home. We stopped at the diner for a celebratory bite to eat.
"I hope that's not a problem with you," finished Sly.
"I do not think it wise to go after someone who just wanted to see his friends after they got out of hospital," said the panda inquiry officer. "I do hope your friend is well. We will have our decision of your fates rendered to you soon. Do not leave town. For now, we ask that you stay at Constable Neyla's residence until we call you to render our decision."
"Whew, no mention of prison… yet," said Murray as he had held his breath.
"Agreed," replied Bentley with a slight nod. "At least they were considerate that Sly and Neyla came to see us."
"Hey fellas," said Nathan Drake as he and his mentor Victor Sullivan had returned from a trip they had taken recently.
"Hello Drake and Mr. Sullivan," Murray said to their friends.
"I told you guys to drop the 'Mr.'," Sully informed Murray and Bentley. "You're making feel older then I wanna feel."
"Sorry about that," replied Bentley. "We've been keeping an eye on the inquiry that Interpol launched into the heists that we pulled to obtain the Clockwerk parts."
"So… they're investigating you guys?" Sullivan asked Bentley and Murray.
"No, they're investigating Neyla and Sly for the debacle with the Clockwerk parts," answered Bentley.
"Seriously?" an upset Nathan Drake asked as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "First Interpol was investigating Neyla after she came clean to them about being forced into the Klaww Gang against her will. Now they're gonna do this bull shit to them for what happened with the Clockwerk parts?"
"Care to explain what's going on here, kid?" Sullivan asked his protégé.
"Honestly, I think Bentley should explain most of it," Nathan said as he looked to the turtle genius of the Cooper Gang. "Him, Murray and Sly know a lot more about what went on with Clockwerk."
Bentley did in fact go into detail about Clockwerk and why they had to do what they did. He also had to provide some background information on the infamous robotic owl thief. Nathan and his mentor listened patiently as the turtle genius gave the lowdown on Clockwerk. Once Bentley was finished, Sully then said, "Normally, I'd say you were full of crap. But with all of the crazy stuff we've seen before being 'sacrificed' by a crazy Bulgarian crime lord, I believe ya."
"Whaddya mean by 'crazy stuff'?" Murray asked Sully.
"Oh nothing much," replied Nathan. "Just… some 500 year old Spaniards who got turned into crazy ass demons by El Dorado, the golden man. Some really freaky yetis who turned out to be guys jacked up on resin from the Chintomani Stone in Shangri-La…"
"Don't forget about that idiotic Panamanian ex-general who wanted to send out irritated gold into the world," stepped in Sully. "Or… my personal favorite! The secret society that dear ol' Queen Elizabeth the First set up and wanted to spread terror and chaos throughout the world."
"That's…," Murray began to say, as he was at a loss for words.
"I wanna say that it's inconceivable," chimed in Bentley. "But I believe you, with all crazy things we've seen."
"Oh, we forgot to tell you that… the secret society also killed T. E. Lawerence when he was getting closer to the truth about them too," Nathan added in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"But I was under the impression that he was killed in a motorcycle accident," replied Bentley.
"Maybe here," replied Nathan. "But in our world, the secret society sabotaged his motorcycle and arranged the accident that killed him."
"Like I said," began Victor Sullivan, "we've seen some really crazy crap in our time."
"Do we know when they're gonna bring down their decision?" asked Nathan. "Or are we gonna have to bust both of them out of prison?"
"They haven't made their ruling just yet," answered Bentley. "So we've got a while to get a contingency plan in place if Interpol rules against Sly and Neyla."
"You really think they'll rule against Sly and that cute tigress?" Sully asked Bentley.
"Given that we still don't know Neyla, well enough yet," began Bentley, "there's no way to know what their decision will be."
"So what are you thinking?" asked Nathan. "That maybe Interpol is waiting to see if you guys will react?"
"It's a distinct possibility," answered Bentley with a slight nod. "But right now… I'm guessing that Sly and Neyla are more than likely having coitus right now back at Neyla's apartment."
"Come on Bentley," replied Nathan, as he shook his head, "just say it for what it is… sex. You don't need to use any nerd terms with us."
oooooooooooooo
A few days later, Sly and Neyla were called back to Interpol headquarters as the inquiry panel had made their decision. Both lovers were nervous and were worried about being sent to prison. The pair made their way to inquiry panel and remained silent on the elevator ride up. Despite their faces looking shiny and bright from having sexual intercourse, the night before, Sly and Neyla were both worried. Sly looked to his violet furred tigress lover, as he hoped that even if the inquiry panel ruled against him, they'd at least show Neyla leniency. Sly would be able to escape from prison, like he did back in Prague, provided that Bentley and Murray would be willing to do so. Once the elevator stopped rising, the pair made their way to the inquiry panel, holding hands together.
"Well… this is it," Sly said to his violet furred tigress lover before the pair brushed their foreheads against one another.
"Yes it is," replied Neyla. "No matter what happens, I don't regret my decision to help you out. And I love you with all my heart."
"Same here, Beautiful," Sly replied back as the doors opened.
Sly and Neyla then entered the room where the inquiry panel was waiting for them. The raccoon master thief let out a sigh of nervousness as he awaited his fate and the fate of his violet furred tigress lover. As Sly and Neyla entered the room, they noticed that Carmelita was also present as the red fox inspector had been summoned as well. Neyla figured that she was there to escort one or both of them to prison if the inquiry panel ruled against them… and it was a strong possibility, Neyla thought to herself.
'My powers of persuasion are good,' Neyla thought to herself, 'but I'm pretty sure that they may not be strong enough to get either one of us out of prison'
"This inquiry panel has made its final decision," the female panda inquiry officer said to Neyla and Sly.
"It was a close decision," Chief Barkley said to the pair of lovers. "But the inquiry panel has decided to clear you of any wrongdoing for the Clockwerk affair.
The violet furred tigress and her raccoon master thief lover let out a sigh of relief before he continued, "It seems as though, Constable Neyla, that you've made your point of the Cooper Gang being a valuable asset to Interpol."
"However," the Spanish Iberian lynx said to Neyla, "just because you are cleared of any wrongdoing, it doesn't mean that you are in the clear."
"I'm not sure that I follow you, sir," replied Neyla as the violet furred Bengal tigress was confused.
"Because of your romantic association with Sly Cooper, an international criminal," the lynx explained to Neyla, "any arrests you make, will be under heavy scrutiny."
"What?" Neyla asked in a demanding tone, as her British accent got thicker.
"You should know, Neyla," began Carmelita, joining the conversation, "any defense lawyer might look for an angle to get charges dropped if the arresting officer isn't as squeaky clean as they might appear at the time of the arrest."
"Given your past association with the Klaww Gang and your current association with the Cooper Gang," began Chief Barkley, "you will be under heavy scrutiny for each arrest you make to ensure that they're righteous collars."
"You are free to go, Constable… no, Inspector Neyla," the panda inquiry officer said to Neyla before looking to Sly Cooper next. "As for you, Mr. Cooper, this inquiry panel would've preferred if you had also provided your family's historical records along with the other sources, our decision more than likely would have been much easier to make. "
"As I stated to you," replied the raccoon thief, "my family's historical records also contain secrets of our trade. And as the caretaker of the Cooper family's historical records, I cannot and will not divulge anything from it that might be used to expose our trade secrets."
"So you say," replied the male Spaniard lynx. "Still, we were able to confirm the historical information that you provided us."
"You are free to go, Sly Cooper," Chief Barkley said to the raccoon thief. "But we will be keeping… a very close eye on you from now on."
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Six months had passed since the inquiry at Interpol Headquarters and the Cooper Gang had pretty much remained quiet. Their focus had been on helping Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan find Nathan's wife, Elena. Things got complicated as Murray left the Cooper Gang to find his spiritual self. Even Neyla tried to help with consoling the pink hippo, to no avail as heading out on his own was something that he felt that he needed to do. Despite Murray's absence, the Cooper Gang still did heists across the world that were mostly contract jobs, to stay under Interpol's radar for the time being.
During the time they spent under Interpol's radar, being hired by companies to attempt to break in and rob them, Neyla had informed her raccoon thief lover that someone named McSweeny had requested to see Sly Cooper. The stocky walrus had knowledge of something that would be interest to the 22 year old raccoon thief. McSweeny requested to speak to someone on the "Cooper Case," as he vital information that needed to be shared with the young raccoon thief. McSweeny then told Neyla that he knew Sly's father and felt that he owed Connor Cooper to pass on this sensitive information to his son. With some doing, Sly managed to sneak in to the prison where McSweeny was kept and obtained the information that the walrus promised to pass on to him. McSweeny told Sly that he was saddened by the death of his parents and wished that he could've been there for Connor and for him as well. Despite the disapproval from Carmelita, Neyla still allowed Sly to secretly sneak in to the prison and speak with McSweeny.
"So… you're the guy who wanted to speak to me, right?" Sly asked the stocky walrus.
"Aye," answered McSweeny. "Your old man was a great man I had the privilege of working with. When I heard about Connor and your mother getting murdered by the Fiendish Five, I tried to avenge their deaths."
"Is that why you're here in prison?" Sly asked the walrus.
"It's part of it," the stocky and stout male walrus answered Sly. "But I also heard that you managed to get your father's book back too. Conor would be proud of the man and thief you've become, laddie.
"But I think it's time move on to the main event on why you're here," continued McSweeny. "Do you where your ancestors stored all their stolen loot before they passed on?"
"Uh, in some sort of vault, I would guess," replied Sly as he shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.
McSweeny then gave Sly a slight nod and began to go into detail about something that Sly had no previous knowledge of called the Cooper Vault. McSweeney described the vault in great detail as he had been there with Sly's father and another colleague named, Dr. M. Before his time with McSweeny was over, the male walrus gave him clues to find the location of the Cooper vault. Once Sly obtained the clues, McSweeny also mentioned that there was a map that lead him to the location of the Cooper vault and told him the location of the map.
Not wanting to waste time, Sly called Drake and requested that he meet him in Italy. With Murray off the team, to find his spiritual center, Nathan Drake was the next best choice. Thanks to McSweeny, Sly and Nathan found the museum and the painting that held the map that Sly was looking for. Unfortunately, despite Nathan's insistence that they call on Bentley for help, the job to get the map was unsuccessful and the painting was confiscated by Carmelita for further investigation.
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"What are you hoping to find out, Inspector Fox?" asked low level Interpol employee, as he noticed Carmelita watching the footage of the robbery at the Italian art museum that Sly and Nathan Drake tried to rob.
"I'm looking to find any differences between this break in and past break-ins done by the Cooper Gang," answered Carmelita as she watched the footage of the break-in. "Usually… the Cooper Gang is well coordinated and the break-ins are well planned in advance.
"But this one, for some reason," continued Carmelita, "was sloppy and rushed. Though for some strange reason, I think there was something that they were looking for and might not have been interested in the painting. Which is why they never stole the painting."
"What would be more valuable than a priceless painting?" the employee asked Inspector Fox quizzically.
"I intend to find out," replied Carmelita as she studied the painting.
After thanking the employee, she dismissed him and began looking at the painting. As she studied the painting, Neyla came by her office with a cup of fresh hot coffee. The red fox inspector accepted the cup of coffee and then explained that she was intent on finding out why the Cooper Gang was so interested in the painting. Neyla had asked if she thought the Cooper Gang had intended to steal the painting itself.
"I would think that they would only steal it if they were in desperate need of cash," replied Carmelita as she shook her head and took another sip of the coffee. "Considering that they've been getting hired by companies to test their security measures, I would think they didn't need to steal this painting."
After the discussion, Neyla left Carmelita's office and waited for about 10 minutes before she heard Carmelita slump on her desk. Neyla had laced the cup of coffee with a sedative to knock out the fiery female red fox inspector of Interpol. The violet furred tigress had been informed by her raccoon thief lover that the painting in Carmelita's office had something of value from his family and he needed to retrieve it. Neyla was a bit apprehensive at first as she was starting to be on good terms with Carmelita and even befriend her. But with Sly promising that he had no interest whatsoever in the painting, Neyla agreed to help him out so long as he promised that he would be in and out with whatever it was he was looking for. With Carmelita knocked out and asleep, Sly made his way into her office and meticulously found the item that he was looking for and placed the painting back in its place. With the map in his possession, Sly made his exit as Carmelita was waking up from the brief power nap. Carmelita caught sight of the raccoon master thief and then looked around furiously around her office, to ensure that the painting was still in her office. Once Carmelita confirmed that the painting was still in her possession, she began to examine it.
"I see," Carmelita said as she examined the painting. "So Cooper wasn't after the painting, just whatever was hiding in the painting.
"At least Cooper didn't take the painting," Carmelita said to herself before looking to the cup of coffee that was given by Neyla. "I would think Neyla would know that I don't like decaf coffee."
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"You owe me big, Sly," Neyla texted to her raccoon thief lover.
"You know that I'm good for it," Sly replied back to his violet furred tigress lover. "Your place tonight?"
"Yes," answered Neyla.
"You gonna head to Neyla's apartment again?" Nathan asked Sly after they returned to the hideout.
"Yup," answered Sly with a slight nod. "She said that I owed her for making her an accomplice to breaking to Carmelita's office."
"Heh, I wouldn't blame her, buddy," replied Nathan.
"Alright boys," said Bentley as he came out of his room with a brand new wheelchair that he had upgraded, "what do you guys think?"
"Damn Bentley!" Nathan exclaimed with a grin on his face. "Nice work there, buddy."
"Awesome work," Sly said in agreement with Nathan.
"Uh Sly… shouldn't you give Bentley that thing we nabbed from Carmelita's office?" asked Nathan, much to Bentley's surprise. "Ya know, that map that McSweeny hid in a painting?"
"Yeah," answered Sly before he gave Bentley said item. "This is what I've got in mind for our last big job. With what's in there, we'll be able to retire and live comfortably."
"I'm guessing that you're gonna clue Neyla into this, since she's apart of the gang too, right?" Bentley asked his best friend.
"Yeah," Sly answered with a slight nod. "With this last job, even Neyla will be able to retire from Interpol.
"But there is one other thing that I'd like to have ready… once we do recon on Kaine Island of course," continued Sly.
"Well," began Bentley, "let's get that recon on Kaine Island done first before we start making any plans."
"Agreed," chimed in Nathan. "Lemme call Sully. He just bought himself a nice plane that we could use."
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Sly Cooper (narrating): I met this guy, McSweeney, who claimed to have run with my father's crew back in their heyday. They pulled jobs all over the world and amassed quite a collection of priceless items. It was then that McSweeney told me all about the Cooper Vault. It seemed that my father, like all my ancestors, had been hiding their wealth in a secret place for generations, each one adding to the treasure hidden behind a door that, if McSweeney's story is true, only a Cooper can open.
Using some well-placed clues provided by McSweeney, we set out for the secret island that held the vault. On arriving, we discovered someone by the name of Dr. M had already set up shop. From the looks of it, he'd been trying to crack the thing for years, growing steadily more frustrated in his failures and more paranoid as the decades rolled by. He'd built himself a fortress with security as tight as Fort Knox. Getting inside the place would take precision, creativity, and moreover, it would take an army of world-class thieves. Finding and bringing together that much talent won't be easy, but to get inside the Cooper Vault and collect my inheritance, I was willing to pay the price.
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"I'm… I'm quite surprised to hear about this, Sly," Neyla said to her lover, a week after he had returned from the recon trip to Kaine. "With that much wealth, you could retire from being a thief and I could retire from Interpol."
"But we're really gonna need the help," Sly said to his violet furred tigress lover. "That means we need Murray back on the team."
"I wish I could help you out," replied Neyla, "but I have to head to Venice for a case.
Neyla gave her raccoon thief lover a folder as she finished, "This is just in case Murray is spotted in Venice and you're looking to provide help in a… subtle form. But right now, you and I have a date with the bed."
"I like where this is going," replied Sly as he was lead to his lover's bedroom.
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Author's note: Here we go! The chapter before Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves starts. Let me know what y'all think of this chapter. I'm gonna take a short break to work on this to work on other projects… and get my head on straight while readjusting my priorities, IRL. Read, review and fave this story if you like it.
Until then, see ya later!