~~~Where God Went to Die~~~

Sly thought the Egyptian sun was hot, but nothing made him hate his own heavy pelt more then the burning rays of his and Clockwerk's new perch. The bird was reveling in Sly's exhausted panting like it was food. Knowing what emotion literately kept his body alive, Sly figured it probably was as close to a meal the bird could get. The metal monstrosity sat calmly, only moving his head when the figure of Salim Al Kupar off in the distance would move himself.

Sly might have viewed Salim as the laziest Cooper, but still one of great nobility and diligence. As if on queue, the moment Sly explained who Kupar was, as well as how honorable he was, Clockwerk laughed. Salim had just stolen some fruit from an unintended vendor, hiding his "earnings" in his turban. He even carried an innocent stride, not sneaking or trying to blend into the crowds moving about the busy street. He would run his hands across silk curtains, seeming to just give them a feel, but on his lowering, would swipe spools of yarn and coins into his pocket, all in one beautifully calculated motion. Sly was actually jealous of his ancestor's talent for thieving in broad daylight, especially that in a crowded marketplace. How oft it would have been useful in Sly's arsenal.

Clockwerk must have sensed Sly's envy. As he taunted the raccoon with a rough, short laughter. "Would you like me to fly you down there? Ask him how he does it?"

Sly grumbled and looked off to the horizon in embarrassment. "Okay, two bad Coopers out of a hundred isn't-"

"Three" the bird interjected. "This one, the… knight," He said with an intentional hesitation. "And Slytukhamen."

The raccoon perked his ears, felling the sweat roll under his fur with his movements. "You mentioned him the first time we met."

Clockwerk nodded, his Schadenfroh attitude suddenly absent. "It seems there's a Cooper for every time period… in every corner of the world." he said grimly, his yellow eyes slowly bleeding into red. "You must forgive me for… Accusing you."

Sly nodded, studying the bird's lack of movement. Before, the owl was still to not draw attention as they spied on the thief, but now, Sly could sense the bird was inanimate in thought. "You already did. Pretty formally, actually."

The bird grunted and looked away, towards a sand dune. Did I just embarrass him?

Clockwerk sighed. "I just… when we're done here… I need you to see the grandfather of the clan you idolize… I need to show you what disgrace those vermin call honor." his tone, for the first time on their adventure, finally sounded like the monster Sly had always known. Dripping with hate and boiling in paced evil. Sly knew it would only be a matter of time until the true face of Clockwerk showed, but he didn't know it would have taken so long.

"What did he do?" Sly asked slowly, almost like testing the waters, asking permission to inquire further.

The bird only moved his head, his hunched figure static in it's gargoyle-esque posture. His eyes were steaming with a red haze pulsing against the heat of the air, as they locked on the raccoon. "In due time, Paradox." he turned to look at Kupar again, leaving Sly stiff in fear, like the glare of Medusa itself had caught him. "In due time."

Chapter Seven

Arabia - 1001

An hour had passed, and Kupar was still slipping his paws into pockets of women who's hands were too occupied carrying baskets on their heads to guard their coins. Wash after wash of red hot embarrassment flooded Sly's face, only feeding into the heat of the air. The raccoon, bogged down by his heavy coat of fur, was desperate to change the subject. He took a deep breath, surprised and angry at himself for wanting to spark conversation. "So… How did Penelope convince you?"

The bird kept his yellow gaze on the thief, unblinking, and with such scorned disgust Sly could all but smell it. "Convince me?"

Sly shifted his shirt, feeling pools of sweat collect under his arms. "I mean, it probably wasn't as simple as an oil change, right?"

"I have no oil. My body now functions purely through electricity."

Yeah, I doubt that.

The bird continued. "Converted through emotion, of course."

That made Sly forget about the heat for a second. So, the hate chip really does feed him? "H-how does that… that work, exactly?" he asked, nervous again.

"I am still learning how I function entirely, but I am aware of a certain device located in my brain."

"And that… device, it keeps you alive?"

The bird didn't move, but his eyes shown a horrible crimson, as dark as Sly could remember. "You wont be able to retrieve it, Paradox." he warned.

Sly held up his hands defensively. "I wasn't going to, its just that… we don't exactly have a whole lot of robots in my time, I was just curious." the bird scoffed, his eyes still red. "is it… is it why you hate the Coopers?"

"What?"

"I mean, if you do… fuel off of it, for lack of a better word, is it forcing you to hate the Coopers?"

"Slytukhamen is why I loathe the Coopers." Clockwerk growled, his wings arched behind him, audible venom dripping from his tone.

"Well, think about it this way," Sly started, his theory only making more sense the further he exercised it. "Penelope hates the Coopers, right? And you did, before she made you… well, you." the bird growled again. "Is it at all possible, the old you… the one with feathers, I mean, is more than capable of realizing that the Coopers can be good, and that you only got a glimpse of the bad ones, like… like Slytukhamen? Maybe, that "hate chip," is forcing you to not let go of that tether? Forcing you to hate… because if you don't… you'd die…" the raccoon finished, his lungs suspended mid-breath.

The bird said nothing. His eyes were yellow, and his wings seemed to droop. Finally, a cracked, almost tired sigh emerged. "All the Coopers you have shown me thus far have been petty thieves, murderers, and rapists,"

Rapists?! Does… does he mean Slytukhamen?

"Perhaps you have only shown me the bad few. I would not have agreed to come if my opinion could not be swayed."

Sly spoke in. "I thought we were traveling so you could show me I'm wrong?"

"Let me finish." he barked. "if there truly is a Cooper somewhe- sometime who is good, who steals only when thievery is warranted, then the next raccoon you show must be him."

Sly smiled to cover his worry. He thought Galleth was the best of the Coopers, in ways of nobility at least. If Sly was really going to sway the bird, the next ancestor he would bring his mortal enemy to spy on would have to be the best of them. The very best Cooper who has ever lived. "Stealing and killing are wrong, and horrible, we know that." Sly took in a deep breath, ready to throw all his chips in on his next idea. "But I still believe stealing can be warranted. And… sometimes…"

"Killing can be, too?" the bird asked, almost annoyed with the idea already.

Sly nodded, ready to place his final bet. "Has Penelope told you anything of Japan?"

Annotations

"Schadenfroh" Is (as far as I can tell) the adjective form of the German word "Schadenfreude" meaning to derive pleasure in the pain/misfortune of others. So "His Schadenfroh attitude disappeared" just means he stopped finding joy in the awkward situation.