Master of Thieves
Chapter 4: The Missing Branch
Carmelita, Murray, Bentley and Dimitri stared at Terry for a few moments, before Carmelita made a chuckle and replied "You're joking… No way. There's no way you're a distant cousin to Sly." Terry had a notion that they'd be skeptical about it, so he replied "Yeah… I knew you wouldn't believe me. I swear, though, I'm not making this up. My family were descendants from Thaddeus Cooper's loathing sister and they pretended to not knowing they're related to them."
Carmelita's smile then dropped to a blank expression, before she crossed her arms and inquired "If you are related to the Cooper Gang, then where is your proof?" Terry then reached into his vest, which Carmelita raised her shock pistol and ordered Terry "Pull your hand out slowly…" Terry did as he was told, before grabbing out a familiar looking page from the inside of his vest and slowly approached Carmelita before giving her the page. She then gave the page to Bentley, who unfolded it; his brows then raised in surprise and exclaimed "Gadzooks! It's the missing page from the book!"
Murray and Carmelita then turned their attention to Bentley and looked at the page, which entails Thaddeus' sister and her loathing to his heritage. Bentley, Murray and Carmelita slowly raised their irises to look at Terry, who's looking rather nervously at them, before Bentley asked "Your family had this from Thaddeus' time?" Terry nodded, before Carmelita continued "And you discovered this in an attic, I presume?" Terry nodded again, before replying "In an old, wooden lockbox; though the lock was well rusted, so I just pried it by force to break it." Carmelita, Bentley and Murray nodded with pursed lips, before Bentley had a thought and asked Terry "Mind if you come with us to the hideout?" Terry isn't sure what Bentley has got planned, but he accepts the offer nonetheless.
He then went over to Pearl, who lunged at him into a hug and sobbed into his chest; Terry responded calmly by stroking Pearl's back and softly shushing her sympathetically. He then touched his nose with Pearl's and nuzzled her, much to Pearl's satisfaction, before he told her "It's going to be okay… I'll be back as soon as possible, I swear it." Pearl looked into Terry's reassuring eyes, before she smiled at him and nodded at him in affirmation. Terry then turned to Carmelita, Bentley and Murray and said in a serious tone "I'm ready to go."
Terry was led to the Cooper Van in the parking lot, much to his surprise, considering it was the SAME van he saw earlier; he then realised, much to his personal amusement, that he accepted tenancy from the Cooper Gang themselves. Terry then hopped in the back and sat on a seat cushion, just as Murray and Carmelita sat in the front seats and Bentley hopped in the back and hoisted himself onto an electronic chair facing an analog flatscreen PC, before the Van drove off to the hideout. As the Van drove to the hideout, Carmelita looked in the rear-view mirror at Terry, thinking "There's something unique about him… I'm betting by my last Shock Round that he'll bring Sly back."
The van then stopped at the hideout, before everyone exited the van; as he went for a seat on the couch, Bentley remarked "Just so you know, you look like Sly, but not the eye colour. No wonder Muggshot mistook you for him; I'll admit, I didn't expect you to rush like a blur like that." Terry made a shrug, before Bentley went into the Cooper Vault and grabbed the Thievius Raccoonus from its pedastel.
As Bentley returned to the main room, he overheard Terry talking to Murray in amusement "I mean, what were the odds that I accepted tenancy from the Cooper Gang itself? That's rather fortunate, considering I just arrived in the city limits this very morning." They both roared in laughter in the irony, before Bentley cleared his throat and gestured Terry to come by the desk; Terry then got off the couch and joined Bentley as the latter opened the Thievius Raccoonus and stopped at where the missing page is on Thaddeus' chapter. Terry then realised where Bentley is going with this and gave him the missing page; Bentley then took it from Terry's paws and placed it at the cut indentation, realising it was a perfect match.
A few minutes later, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita listened to Terry explain his story, which he complied gladly… "As you well know, my family are descendants of Thaddeus' loathing sister, Victoria, who parted ways from his and didn't reply to any of his mail. My family, consisting of my father, mother and aunt, continued to evade the subject of our relations to Thaddeus Cooper. Meanwhile, I was unaware of the heritage as I was raised without knowing the Cooper Gang, instead being educated in school and having distinctions in Geography and PDHPE." Carmelita then interrupted in curiosity "In theory or in practical lesson?" Terry raised his brow, which Carmelita then added "You know, in PDHPE…" Terry then understood and replied "Both, actually." Carmelita then nodded with her lips pursed.
Terry then continued "Anyway, despite my performance at school, a whole of students kept their distance from me out of dislike. At first, I thought they were jealous of my exceptional marks, but I soon realised they believed I was like Sly Cooper. Knowing my parents would disregard it, I instead went to the attic and take a good look around; I then noticed a wooden lockbox underneath boxes full of photo albums, so I moved the boxes out of the way and, like I said earlier, pried it open to see a worn piece of paper." Terry didn't need to explain the next part, which the gang and Carmelita already guessed what happened next.
Terry then continued "I went to the medical clinic and asked for my DNA results, explaining that I need to do a comparison in Paris, France. After getting the printed copy of my DNA results, I returned home and began to pack for my trip to Paris. Naturally, my parents forbade me to travel to the city and to forget knowing our distant relations with the Cooper Gang. I then told them off for keeping this for me and sternly told them that, despite the distant relations, I plan to find Sly Cooper, who I deduced was my cousin, even if I have to become part of the Cooper Gang. Seeing how determined I was to find him, they let me go to Paris and told me to be careful."
Terry then finished, which Bentley, Murray and Carmelita looked at him in interest. Bentley then asked "So, you travelled all the way to Paris and did a DNA comparison, all because you want to find Sly?" Terry nodded at Bentley, before he, Murray and Carmelita looked rather forlorn. Terry then asked in concern "Where… Where is Sly?" Bentley, Murray and Carmelita was wondering if that question was going to pop up sooner or later, hence their forlorn expressions. Bentley then explained what happened on Le Paradox's Blimp to Terry, which to his and both Murray's and Carmelita's surprise, Terry didn't look like he's in disbelief.
When he finished on what happened, Terry replied "Yikes… That's quite a difficult problem, even if anyone would believe that tale. Of course, since technology is quite hi-tech, time-travel equipment is possible to make; that, and I don't peg you as liars." Normally, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita would look offended by that remark, but when Terry said it in a calm and understanding tone, they were instead relieved.
Bentley then glanced at the Thievius Raccoonus on the desk and gave a good think, before he asked Terry "Would you be willing to go on a training course? Just to ensure you've got the prowess of a Cooper." Terry gave it a good hard thought, before he replied with a determined smile "I'd do anything to help, even if it's a fatal task." Bentley made a nod at Terry, before he wheeled to the desk and grabbed the book; as Terry hopped off the couch and followed Bentley, the latter thought "Seems like he's willing to help us at any cost… even more so when it involves Sly."