Master of Thieves
Chapter 1: The Protégé Arrives
4 months after Sly's disappearance, a National Bus is entering the city limits of Paris, France; it was still early in the morning, as the sun was still rising from the east. The Bus Driver, a male brown-furred Shepard, said on the P.A. "Attention passengers, we've just entered the city limits of Paris. The next stop is about 5 minutes away, so those who wants to get off should get ready. Thank you for your attention."
The bus was packed with passengers, some who are tourists and some who are returning locals; though there was one passenger who's blankly looking out the window, watching the trees passing by. He was a male Raccoon, no more older than 21 years old: he had grey fur with black stripes, has jade green eyes, wore a cream coloured, short sleeved shirt, brown baggy pants, and a pair of brown sneakers with black ankle socks. He was holding in his hands a medical report, which was his reason for coming to Paris in the first place.
He then leaned back into his seat, when the passenger sitting next to him, a female echidna, asked him "Is something troubling you, young man?" The raccoon then shrugged and replied, his voice youthful and soft "Just a family matter, ma'am… it's sort of a personal thing in mind." The female echidna nodded with her lips pursed, when the Bus Driver announced on the P.A. "Attention passengers, we are reaching the stop at the Information Centre; of those who's disembarking here, please collect your baggage when the bus comes to a complete halt. Thank you."
The Raccoon let out a sigh, before he said to the female Echidna "This is my stop… I'll wish you luck, ma'am." The female echidna nodded curtly, before replying as the bus slowed down "I wish you good fortune, young man." The Raccoon nodded curtly at the female Echidna with a small smile, before the bus came to a complete stop; he, as well as a few other passengers, got out of their seats and grabbed their baggages before getting off the bus.
The Raccoon is surprised to set foot in the City of Paris for the very first time, as he looked in awe at the surrounding buildings, before he laid eyes on the Information Centre. He then hoisted his Duffel Bag on his shoulder and entered the Centre; he then waited in a queue at the reception desk, before having a good look at the building. A few minutes later, it was finally his turn for an inquiry at the reception desk, when the receptionist, who's a female pink flamingo, asked without averting her eyes on the PC "Welcome to the Parisian Information Centre, what inquiry would you like to ask?"
The raccoon replied "Yeah, I'd like directions to the Police Station, please." The receptionist then ducked under the counter and gave the city map to the raccoon; she then said "If you follow the city map, it'll be about 6 blocks from here in the western direction." The raccoon then replied, with a smile "Thank you, ma'am. This'll certainly come in handy." The receptionist then nodded, when she looked up as the raccoon just turned to the exit; she looked shocked when she noticed the raccoon just exiting the Information Centre, before she reached the phone and dialled emergency services, saying "I'd like to report a suspicious character…"
The raccoon then checked the time as he was walking to the police station, to see that it was 8:45; seeing he didn't have any breakfast yet, he decided to have it in the nearby diner. He then approached the counter and looked at the breakfast meal, before the waitress, a female opossum, asked in a Texan accent "What can I get ya', cutie?" The raccoon ordered some flapjacks just as a few patrol cars sped past the diner, before he took a seat in the corner booth.
Seeing it might take a bit for his order to process, he took out a book about Geography and natural Topography; it was barely 2 minutes before the diner door opened, when a green turtle in an electric wheelchair and a pink hippo with flight goggles, a scarf and a t-shirt entered the diner. The turtle then approached the counter and placed his and the hippo's order as the opossum waitress gave the Raccoon's order, saying with a flirty wink "Here's ya meal, lil cutie-pie…" The raccoon blushed at the remark, before he nodded at the waitress and proceeded to consume his breakfast.
At the counter, after placing their orders, the turtle and hippo went to the booth just next to the Raccoon's. The turtle named Bentley took off his glasses and started to clean them as his hippo friend named Murray said in concern "Any luck, so far Bentley?" Bentley shook his head, before putting his cleaned glasses back on and replied "I'm afraid not… 4 months of non-stop searching and there's still no sign of where and when he came up." Both friends made a depressive sigh, as the raccoon at the next booth just finished his flapjacks.
Bentley then asked Murray as the raccoon wrote his signature on the receipt "How's your boxing matches coming along?" Murray replied as the waitress came to the raccoon's booth "In light of the past 4 months, I've been nothing more than a freaking totem pole against every contender. EVERY. CONTENDER." Bentley smiled and nodded at Murray's news, before he looked down at his feet and pondered; as he did that, the raccoon got up from the seat and thanked the waitress for the order, before he proceeded out of the diner.
Unknown to him, Murray noticed him walking out the Diner and said "Uh… Bentley?" Bentley looked morosely at Murray as the raccoon just went outside, before Murray pointed outside and looked, to their surprise, at the raccoon just passing by the window. When he was out of sight, Bentley turned his head to Murray and said "You don't think…?" Murray then replied "If so, he was being rather uncharacteristic."
Meanwhile, at Interpol's HQ, the raccoon let out a low whistle at the state of the art security on the exterior walls, before he went inside the lobby. He then noticed the reception desk to his immediate right and approached the desk, before he asked "Excuse me, can I make a statement of sorts?" The receptionist, a male shepard, replied in a flat, monotonous voice "Yes we can sir. What statement would you like to make?" The raccoon then said, albeit a little nervous "I'd like to inquire a DNA comparison…" The shepard then stopped typing and looked up in a bored glare, looking at the raccoon's nervous, yet serious face. He then replied "Well alright… Just out of curiosity, who'd you like to make a DNA comparison with?" The raccoon then let out a nervous cough and said "Uh… mine and… Sly Cooper's."
The shepard blinked once, not changing his expression one bit, before inquiring "Alright… what's your name, though? In order to process the DNA comparison, we'd require both individual's names." The raccoon then gave a derisive sigh and replied "O'Brian. Terry O'Brian." The receptionist then nodded, before he said "Alright then… I'll put up this statement with Interpol's Medical Department as soon as possible." Terry nodded at the receptionist, before he left the lobby; the receptionist then said on the phone "Inspector Barkley, I have a curious request that requires your attention, as well as Inspector Fox's ASAP."