Master of Thieves
Chapter 5: A Thief in Training
(Gameplay is mentioned in this chapter)
Terry went with Bentley into an elevator hidden behind a bookshelf, much to his fascination, before they were lowered down 3 stories into a large, dimly lit, metallic room. Bentley then led Terry along the wall to their left, as Terry asked in a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity "What is this room? Is it for training or practise?" Bentley replied as he searched alongside the wall "Both… just to ensure we won't get rusty before we go on a job or a heist." Terry nodded with his lips pursed, before he thought of something. He then asked Bentley, who's moving his fingers on the wall in assessment "Does that include Carmelita too? Or is it just for the Cooper Gang?" Bentley gave it a hard thought, before he replied "Well… she's in league with the gang, sure, but she scarcely uses the room to train."
Terry shrugged in a fair expression, before Bentley pressed on a hidden switch and a hidden compartment revealed itself on Bentley's right. Terry turned his head and saw a curious looking cane: The handle was a deep purple with the Cooper insignia on the pommel and the head was yellow. Bentley then said to Terry, with a look of amusement "Each Cooper traditionally wields a cane; from the Stone Age, to Medieval Times, to the Gold Rush, they wielded their own signature cane. This cane, which is kept inside this compartment, is similar to the one Sly uses… at least, I hope he still does." Bentley then looked remorseful, still disheartened for not finding Sly or when he wound up in. He then cleared his throat and said "Anyway, you take the Cane and we can proceed to your training."
Terry then nodded at Bentley, before he gripped the Cane in his right hand and twirled it flawlessly before stopping it, much to Bentley's delight. Terry then said with a broad smile "Man, this cane is very well balanced. Not to mention that it's light and resilient; now this is a work of art." Bentley smiled at Terry while adjusting his glasses, before he replied "That's quite reassuring to hear… Well, we should start your training now." Terry then nodded at Bentley in a determined expression, before the latter wheeled into the elevator and went up to the observation panel just above where the Cane was kept.
Terry then witnessed the dimly lit room being suddenly shone from above by rectangular lights, which briefly blinded him before he adjusted his eyes into the now lit room. Bentley then said through the P.A. "Sorry about that… I'm still working on the lights, specifically their brightness levels. Anyway, are you ready to begin?" Terry then looked up at the observation window, before replying in a smile "By all means, bring it on." Bentley shook his head in an amused smile and thought "Just like Sly…" He then pressed a button on the control panel, which raised multiple metallic platforms from below.
When they stopped at various heights, Bentley said through the P.A. "All Thieves share a common trait…" Terry then answered questionably "Fluent mobility?" Bentley then replied "Well, yeah… Yeah, that's exactly right. Anyway, in order to climb something, like that nearby ladder, hit X to jump and press O. Try climbing up to the top of the platform." Terry nodded and climbed the ladder to the top of the platform as instructed. Bentley then said through the P.A. "Okay, now we can move on to going from one platform to another. Basically, you just need to use X to get by this next bit." Terry nodded at the observation window, before Bentley continued "Alright, so you need to climb up to that elevated platform, but a regular jump won't be effective. In order to clear this segment, you need to do a double jump. Plainly, you need to hit the X button to jump, then while in the air, hit X again to gain some extra altitude." Terry didn't need telling twice, so he got in a readying stance, before he jumped once, before he jumped again in a front flip before landing on his feet flawlessly.
Although Bentley saw this countless times from Sly, he was impressed that Terry picked this up on his first try; he then thought to himself "He's doing quite well, considering this is his first time… Still, Jumping is Child's Play compared to the next obstacles." Bentley then said through the P.A. "Alright, so far so good! Next, you need to use the cane to swing over the gap; above you is a hook. Hit the O button while in the air to latch the cane onto the hook, then use the Left Stick to swing in momentum. Once you've got the momentum, hit the O Button to let go of the hook and propel yourself to the next platform." Terry made a salute at Bentley, before he jumped and latched onto the overhanging hook, before swinging in rotation until he let go of the hook and landed cat-like on the next platform. Suffice to say, Bentley was intrigued on how Terry handles the obstacles, before he said through the Mic "Okay, next obstacle is sort of like passing a tight-rope. You just need to get from one platform to the other by crossing that rope; jump (X) and hit the O button to run along ropes or similar thin objects." Terry then replied "10-4, Bentley." As Terry crossed the gap on the rope, Bentley chortled at Terry's response, when Murray and Carmelita just came off the elevator.
Murray then asked Bentley "So, how's the newbie doing, Bentley?" Bentley replied as he, Murray and Carmelita peered out the observation window "Just finished the Tightrope section… Just gotta do the Wall Shimmy portion and we should be good to go." Carmelita, however, thought differently and said "I don't see why we need to test him; he clearly showed he can overcome Muggshot through sheer cunning." Bentley then retorted "Hey, Muggshot isn't bright… besides, that was COMBAT, not traversal." Carmelita then got into an argument with Bentley, as Terry asked "So, what's next on the course?" Neither Bentley or Carmelita heard Terry's question, so Murray replied "Uh, Bentley's in an argument with Carmelita… so it looks like I've got to activate the Wall Shimmy obstacle for you." Terry gave it a thought, before making a shrug and noted "Alright then… I'm not fond of shimming along walls, but go ahead anyway."
Murray then nodded at Terry, before he was about to press the button that activates the Wall Shimmy obstacle, when Carmelita slammed her right hand on the console, unaware that it activates the Camera obstacle. Murray then said "Uh, guys?" Bentley then retorted as the Camera obstacle lowered into the course "We would've GOTTEN Octavio if you haven't interfered! He was holding the detonator, for gods sakes!" Murray then said louder "Guys…" Carmelita then yelled "I didn't KNOW he was holding the detonator! Anyway, I wasn't aware that Sly was planning to drop the hanging orb on Octavio's head!" Bentley then retorted as the Camera obstacle turned on, much to Terry's puzzlement "I'm surprised that you shot the orb, with your Black and White persona wedged up your—" Murray then bellowed "GUYS!" Carmelita and Bentley then shouted at Murray "What?!" Murray gestured his head out the observation window, before Bentley and Carmelita looked out to see the Camera obstacle instead of the Wall Shimmy activated.
Terry then asked "I'm guessing that Camera has motion sensors?" Bentley then replied "Yup… Though I'm not sure how you're going to get past it." Terry gave it a thought, before he recalled his fight against Muggshot and saw the cam recording showing only a blur he made when he evaded Muggshot's gunfire. He then said "I've got an idea… I CAN rush through this." Carmelita then said "How? You can't get past it normally…" Terry then smirked and replied "But I can if I use the O button while moving with the Left Stick. Watch and learn…" As soon as he moved a muscle, Terry blurred past the camera to the other platform without being detected. Bentley, Murray and Carmelita had their jaw dropped in astonishment, before Bentley finally exclaimed "Gadzooks! He used the same move against Muggshot to get past the motion sensor camera… and without triggering the alarm, to boot!" Carmelita turned her head a few times from Bentley to Terry a few times, before she replied in a question "What about noise? Did that move made any noise?" Bentley checked the sound level on the Camera obstacle and when he replayed on what Terry did, his response was an astonished expression. He then replied to Carmelita's question "No. There was no noise when Terry initiated the move. This is incredible…"
Carmelita, Bentley and Murray then looked out at the observation window, when Terry asked "Is that all of the tests? Or is there more? I'm fine with either one." Bentley then replied through the P.A. "There's still more to go… But we're unsure on what to dub that manoeuvre you did." Terry gave it a thought, with his hand on his chin, before e snapped his fingers at a conclusion. He then said "I've got an idea… It's a little cliché, but I think I'll name it 'Thief Rush'." Bentley, Carmelita and Murray gave that name a thought, with Bentley pursing his lips, Carmelita tapping her finger on her upper lip and Murray looking up with his hands in his hoodie pockets, before they agreed to the name. After Terry hopped off the platform as it sank into the floor, a large, square combat pit emerged from below, realising almost instantly that combat tests were next.
He then stepped onto the fighting pit, when Murray said through the P.A. "Alright, next we're going to see if you can handle yourself in a fight… besides your encounter with Muggshot earlier, naturally." Terry shrugged and replied "Just dumb luck at that encounter… If I'm going to be involved in combat, I need to be quick on my feet and quicker with my skills." Murray made an amused chortle, before he noted "Can't argue with that, little buddy. You and I are gonna get along well…" Terry puts his hands in his pockets and smiled with his teeth bared, before an active test dummy emerged from below the pit. Murray then said as Terry readied his cane "As you are aware, when it comes down to combat, it's either you or your foe that needs to be victorious. What you see is… well, obviously, a basic training dummy. Don't worry about being hit, it's just faces you passively while you attack it; hit the [ ] button to attack it until it's down and out." Terry nodded and did 3 fluent swings with the cane until the training dummy fell on the floor in ragdoll fashion, when he threw the cane as it spun in mid-air, before catching it flawlessly in the grip.
Murray then said through the P.A. "Nice work! Unfortunately, in most fights, there'll be more than one opponent; believe me, I've been through them a hundred times. See if you can beat 3 opponents this time, I'll be watching with a soda and a burger." Terry shrugged as he thought to Murray as a laid back guy when not on a job, before 3 test dummies emerged from the pit; like the first test, these dummies were purely passive, so Terry took care of them with ease, taking out the third one by vaulting over it and gripped the back of its neck with his cane, before slamming it onto the ground. Murray then spat out the soda in astonishment, before he said through the P.A. "Whoa! That was so awesome, what you did with the last dummy! I was going to get you through with Finishers, but you pulled it off without a hitch!" Terry made a salute gesture at the observation window with a warm smile, which Murray smiled with his arms crossed and his teeth bared.
Murray then said through the P.A. "You're good in my books, but I still got to get you through some tests… This one involves launching a foe into the air and slamming him into the floor hard. Press the /_\ button to launch your opponent into the air, then after hitting X, press /_\ to slam the opponent to the ground, getting him out the fight." Terry nodded at Murray, before he turned as another test dummy emerged from below. Carmelita then went inside the observation room and asked Murray "How's he doing?" Murray then replied as he looked intently at Terry "He's totally awesome! He already gone through two tests and done a finisher on the second test." Carmelita is now interested in Terry's capabilities and remarked "I still don't see how we need to put him through the combat tests; he took down Muggshot with nothing more than use of cunning and his unique move." Murray shrugged and replied "Honestly, I'm siding with you, Carmelita. Heck, I'd love him to have my back in a fight, but Bentley's rather persistent on the tests. Besides, there's still the stealth tests when he's done combat training." Carmelita tried to think of a counter, but she sighed in defeat and they witnessed Terry slamming the dummy hard onto the floor.
Carmelita then made a smirk and noted "Alright, he's handy in a fight… Murray, set up the last test; I'll assist him in the test." Murray then gestured a thumbs up with a bared smile, before Carmelita went in the elevator and pressed a button. As the doors closed, Murray said through the P.A. "Alright, this is the last test, little buddy! In order to get through the Teamwork test, you need one other ally to help; fortunately, Carmelita has volunteered to assist you in the test." Like clockwork, the elevator chimed and the doors opened to reveal Carmelita with her Shock Pistol at the ready. Terry held the cane over his shoulder, wearing a smile, before he said as Carmelita approached the fighting pit "Nice to have an experienced Interpol officer in a fight… Judging by your looks, you can jump higher than Sly with your… strong legs and can shoot with a perceptive dead-eye." Carmelita smirked and replied "Your judgement is not wrong… Just like your skills with the cane is nothing to laugh at." Terry bared his teeth in a pleased smile, when they were surrounded by training dummies, some equipped with foam bats, when Carmelita and Terry went back-to-back at each other.
Murray then said through the P.A. "Alright, normally, we'd get you through a Finisher and Environmental test, but this seems more like your speed. Anyway, after landing a certain amount of hits or defeating 3 opponents, you can initiate a dual takedown; after meeting either requirement, press both the /_\ and O button to initiate a Dual Takedown. This is going to be so sweet!" Terry then vaulted over a charging dummy, before slamming it onto the ground; he then took 2 more down by tricking one to take out its buddy and taking him out by fluently gripping it with the cane and slamming it onto the ground. As a dummy charged at him, Terry did a leg sweep and said as he flung the dummy into the air "Take it to go!" Carmelita then jumped up high and kicked the dummy downward before shooting it with a volley of shock rounds.
While the test was underway, Bentley wheeled out the elevator and asked Murray "How's he doing in the tests, Murray?" Murray then replied in a gleeful grin "See for yourself, Bentley." Bentley faced the observation window and witnessed Carmelita kicking a test dummy in the air whilst saying "Put him down!" Terry then grasped the airborne dummy and slammed it down to the ground, before twirling the cane and propping it over his shoulder with a pleased smile. Bentley was amazed at Terry's fluent co-operation in the final test, before he adjusted his glasses and said "Alright, time to do the stealth portion." Terry and Carmelita left the fighting pit just before it descended below the floor, being replaced by 4 pillars, rows of half-walls and mounted spotlights currently inactive.
Anticipating this, Terry took a deep breath, before Bentley said through the P.A. "Alright, another important thing every thief needs to understand is that they need to be quiet while undetected by enemies. For this test, you just need to get from one end of the room to the other with as little noise as possible." Terry then nodded, before he bent his knees slightly and sneaked to the other end of the room, careful not to bump to any of the half-walls, before he reached the end of the room. He then turned to face the observation window and Bentley remarked "Great work! There was a faint amount of noise, but not enough to alert guards in a room. Now, this time, you just need to avoid the spotlights as you cross back; they'll be in a fixed route, so pay attention to their movement." Terry made a thumbs up gesture with a wink with his right eye, when the spotlights turned on; he then assessed on their movement patterns, before he proceeded across the room.
Bentley, Murray and Carmelita assessed his progress, intrigued as to his patient progression through the test, when he crossed the course without even a slight sign of uncertainty. Carmelita then noted "So far, so good! He definitely got this in the bag, you guys." Bentley then nodded, before he said through the P.A. "Alright, next test involves taking out an enemy when not detected. When you're close to an enemy while in stealth, hit the /_\ button to launch them in the air, then jump (X) and press /_\ again to finish him off." Terry made a salute with his two fingers, before a medium-sized dummy facing away from him emerged from the other side of the room. He then snuck to the dummy, before launching it into the air and slamming it onto the floor; he then spun the cane around to orient himself, before turning to the observation window. Bentley then said "Good work! Keep in mind that it won't work while in combat; it's purely a stealth move." Terry then replied "Duly noted. What's next, Einstein? Uh… no offense." Bentley then said "First, none taken. Second, just two more tests and they both involve pickpocketing." Terry nodded with his lips pursed, before another medium-sized dummy emerged from below, with his back pocket ominously shimmering.
Bentley then explained "Some guards have thing in their pockets, like coins, keycards, keys or other useable stuff that you can pickpocket. Just get close to the dummy and press the O button to pick the pocket." Terry nodded, though he thought to himself "Yeah… I was wondering if I was going to do pickpocketing eventually… Ah well, let's get this over with." Terry then snuck up to the dummy and picked his pocket to receive what looks like a pair of binoculars. The dummy then suddenly fell onto the floor in a limp, before it was submerged below the floor in a thick dark purple mist; Terry was odded out at that, then he thought that it was part of their functions before taking a good look at the binoculars. He then saw the Cooper insignia on top of the binoculars, when Bentley said through the P.A. "That what your holding is a Binocu-com; it's a standard piece of equipment you critically need when you're out on the field. Thing is, it's current battery is drained, so you need to grab another; fortunately, that's your next pickpocketing item, but now you have to face both a moving target and active spotlights on a fixed route." Terry then gripped on the Binocu-com and replied in a determined expression "Bring it on."
Bentley made a small smile, before he activated the next test, with another med-sized dummy emerging from the other end of the room and the spotlights flickering on. Seeing it's mainly a small window of opportunity, Terry spared no time in retrieving the battery in the dummy's pocket without being detected by it or the spotlights. Cleverly, he took cover behind the half-walls to avoid the spotlights gaze and dug into the dummy's pocket, before retrieving the battery before the dummy could even get past the second spotlight. The spotlights then suddenly shut off as the dummy disappeared in a shroud of dark blue mist, before the room went back to an empty, spacious room. Terry then saw the elevator open and saw Bentley, Murray and Carmelita inside, before they approached him in dead silence. Bentley then gestured Terry to come with them, which he did rather curiously; they then entered the elevator and rode it to the ground level, before they exited the elevator.
As they went to the recreation room, Terry asked "I… didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Bentley then paused for a few moments, before he replied "No… You didn't fail any of the tests." Terry stared and blinked at Bentley, before asking "Well, what is it then?" Bentley then paused for a few seconds, before he replied "Just want to tell you…" Terry raised his brow at Bentley, before the latter continued "You're officially part of the Cooper Gang!" That sentence was like music to Terry's ears, when Murray did a head noogie on his head and messed up his hair. Terry wasn't bothered by it, but was instead chuckling lightheartedly on being a recent member of the Cooper Clan, when there was a sudden static on Bentley's Binocu-com.
Terry, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita turned their heads to Bentley's Binocu-com, when they heard a faint voice coming from the receiver; Bentley then wheeled quickly to the Binocu-com and turned it on speaker mode. What they heard was a familiar voice with the signal going faint "…Ley! I… up in… gypt! …rry up, the sit… is ba—" The signal was the suddenly cut, but everyone in the room understood that voice in an instant. Carmelita then said in a hoarse voice "That… That was…" Terry then finished, wearing the same surprised expression "Sly."