Hello again! As usual I apologize for the long wait. Truly I am trying my best, but I have been swamped by several hundred other things. It stinks
but I am learning to adapt. Now then on to Chapter 6!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sly Cooper just this story.
Chapter 6: The Next Day
"Neyla…" At the sound of her name Neylas eyes flew open. She had no idea where she was, all she did know was that it was very hot. Ash and soot filled the
air. It appeared to be some form of cave.
"What is this place?" Neyla wondered.
"Neyla…" she heard her name being called but could not find the source.
"Over here." she heard once more and this time from behind. She turned around and saw the shadow of an owl with yellow eyes.
"Hello." Neyla said nervously. The owl was unphased. There was something dark about this shadow.
"Do you know where I am?" Neyla asked. This time the shadow answered.
"Hell." The shadow replied. Then it moved from the wall to the floor. From the floor the shadow materialized into an upright form. This freaked Neyla out a bit.
"I have been waiting a long time to see you again Neyla." The shadow spoke again. Its eyes turned from yellow to red every time it spoke.
Neyla turned and started running towards the mouth of the cave.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The shadow said. She wanted to get away from the shadow. But when she came to the cave entrance she saw what the
shadow meant. Several feet below the entrance was a massive pool of molten lava. She began to turn away from the entrance, and found herself facing the
shadow again.
"That was rude of you." he spoke as he grabbed Neylas left wrist and pulled her away from the entrance and closer to him. Soon they were face to face,
green eyes meeting yellow.
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Neyla asked.
"All in due time Neyla, all in due time." He replied. Then using his free hand he produced a lone talon.
Upon seeing the talon Neyla began to cry.
"Save your tears, I'm not going to kill you." the shadow said. This puzzled Neyla. Then the shadow positioned the point of the talon on Neylas left shoulder.
Then he gently pressed it. Suddenly she felt a burning sensation along her arm and flinched.
"Don't move. I'll be finished in a moment." the shadow said. Neyla was baring her teeth and holding back tears. Then the pain stopped.
"Finished" the shadow said. Then he tossed Neyla aside. Neyla got up and examined her arm. It was glowing with the mark left by the talon.
"What is this?" Neyla demanded.
"Like I said all in due time…" The shadow said. "But until then… Be gone!" said the shadow as he charged at Neyla. Then everything went black.
"No!" Neyla said. She looked around and saw she was back at the hideout.
"Was that a dream?" Neyla asked herself. It had felt so real to her. Then she looked at the time.
"5:00? Well I might as well get ready for today." Neyla said to herself. Then she headed to the bathroom to wash up. When she arrived she felt a sharp pain on
her left arm.
"What the… where did this come from?" Neyla thought. Then it hit her.
"It couldn't be." She thought as she removed her shirt. Then she was terrified at what she saw. On her left shoulder was the mark the shadow had left on her in the
dream. She was freaking out.
"How is this possible?" Neyla wondered. Then before long the mark vanished and the pain subsided.
"It's gone!" Neyla thought. Then she shook her head.
"It's all in my head." Neyla thought. Then she resumed taking a shower.
After she showered and dressed she decided to make breakfast. She looked in the fridge and found all sorts of foods. She located a carton of eggs, a pack of
bacon, and a package of tortillas.
"Tacos it is then." Neyla said to herself. Then she began breakfast. Before long the hideout was filled with aroma of breakfast.
"You're up early." Neyla heard. She turned and saw Sly in his night clothes with a nightcap on his head.
"I figured if I was going to be here I may as well make myself useful." Neyla replied. Sly nodded.
"It will be ready soon." Neyla said. Once again Sly nodded and went to get dressed. Then after a whole hour the tacos were ready.
"That should do it." Neyla thought as she looked at the six foil wrapped cylinders.
"Is breakfast ready?" Sly said as he entered the room.
"Yes it is. Where is your friend?" Neyla asked.
"Bentley? He is probably still sleeping." Sly replied.
"Which one is his room?" Neyla asked as she put two tacos on a plate.
"A couple doors down from your room. But I don't think you should…" Sly began. But Neyla proceeded to his room anyway. Then she knocked on the door. No
response.
"Bentley are you awake?" Neyla asked politely.
"Go away." Bentley replied. Neyla figured he was still upset with her.
"Well whenever you're ready I made some breakfast." Neyla replied. No response.
"Bentley did you hear…" Neyla began. Then the door opened to reveal the turtle in his wheelchair.
"Let me be clear on one thing. I don't know what sort of game you're playing or how you convinced Sly to bring you here. But I don't buy your "amnesia" act for
even a second. If I catch you doing something that endangers Sly in any way you'll have me to answer to. Do you understand?" Bentley said. Neyla was hurt,
but she nodded anyway.
"I'll be at the table soon. Remember I have my eyes on you." Bentley said. Then he closed the door. Fifteen minutes later Bentley joined them at the table and
they began to eat.
"These are pretty good Neyla. What did you put in them?" Sly asked.
"Just a little bit of salt and pepper." Neyla replied. Then she looked at Bentley.
"What do you think Bentley?" Neyla asked. Bentley was silent for a moment.
"They're alright I suppose." Bentley replied. Neyla just simply nodded.
"Eat plenty Neyla. We have a long day ahead of us." Sly said.
"What did you have in mind?" Neyla asked.
"If you're going to be with us, I'm going to have to train you first." Sly said. Bentley nearly choked.
"What?" Bentley demanded.
"Not a whole lot just a basic skill set." Sly said. Bentley knew arguing with Sly was pointless so he resumed eating.
"Where are we going?" Neyla asked.
"First off we need to figure out an outfit for you. Your street clothes are fine, but in the field it's wise to keep your identity secret." Sly said.
"But how exactly would we do that?" Neyla asked.
"There's this thing we use called ThiefNet. It's where we sell our loot and purchase new equipment. They also offer to create an outfit for its customers." Sly
replied.
"So you need my measurements?" Neyla asked.
"Yes once we get that out of the way, we can send your request to and they'll have your outfit here by the end of the week." Sly said. Neyla nodded
and the trio finished eating.
"RING!" the alarm clock started only to be ended with a shock blast. Inspector Fox was not happy. Over six months had passed and still no word on where Sly
or his gang was. She was starting to wonder if something had happened. But she had enough on her mind. So she simply headed to the shower to get
cleaned up, dressed in her signature outfit, and was about to fix some breakfast. Then her phone went off.
"This had better be good." Carmelita thought as she approached the device.
"Listen up you I am in no mood for…" she began. Then the caller interrupted her.
"In no mood for what?!" the caller replied. Carmelita recognized the voice.
"Oh! It's you chief. Sorry about that. I…" she started.
"Never mind that just get to my office." replied the chief.
"Sure just let me get some…" she started again.
"NOW!" the chief replied.
Then he hung up. As Carmelita put down the phone she felt worse than before. Ever since she failed to bring Sly into custody the chief had been really sore
with her.
"Who would have thought one raccoon could bring me such grief." Carmelita thought. Then there was the failed capture of the former captain Neyla. The search
for her body was unfruitful. Carmelita had told the chief that Neyla was likely dead or in another part of the planet, but he was unconvinced. She clenched her
fists at the thought of the traitorous tigress. She had wreaked more havoc on her life than all of her encounters with Sly put together.
She vowed that if she ever found Neyla, that she would make her pay. But she would not let such thoughts cloud her mind. She composed herself then headed
out to HQ.
"Where are we going Sly?" Neyla asked.
"Somewhere…" Sly replied.
"Was the blindfold necessary?" Neyla asked. After breakfast Sly asked Neyla to blindfold herself before they left the table.
"For this particular place… yes." Sly replied. She felt nervous as Sly guided her to their destination. Then they stopped.
"We're here." Sly said. Then she heard the click of a lock. Then they were moving again.
"You can take off your blindfold." Sly said. She did so and saw a dark room.
"Where are we?" Neyla asked.
"Hold on." Sly said. Then she heard another click and then the room filled with light. Neyla was amazed at what she saw.
In the room there were display cases lined with various objects. One contained a ring of twenty eight elegantly designed keys; another held a box containing
various coins, and so on.
"The cases you see contain various mementos from past heists. But the main part is right over there." Sly said as he pointed to the center of the room.
Neyla looked and saw a stand holding a book bearing the Cooper gang logo.
"Neyla… the book you see before you is known as the Thievious Raccoonus." Sly said.
"What's in it?" Neyla asked.
"This book holds the stories and feats of the entire Cooper Clan, my families' heritage." Sly replied.
"So you're a thief?" Neyla asked.
"From a long line of master thieves" Sly replied.
"Can I see it?" Neyla asked. Sly nodded.
"Just be careful with it." Sly said.
Neyla did so and opened the book. The very first page she landed on was Slytunkhamen Cooper II.
"This was written in Ancient Egypt." Neyla said with awe.
"My family has some deep roots." Sly said. She turned a few pages when she came across a diagram showing Slytunkhamen becoming invisible.
"What's this?" Neyla asked.
"In addition to their tales this book also contains records of their signature moves and techniques." Sly said.
"But wait… if you are a thief wouldn't that make you a criminal?" Neyla asked.
"If I were your average thief yes, but as a master thief I rip off other thieves." Sly replied.
"I think I sort of understand." Neyla said. Then she got a closer look at Slytunkhamens picture. In the background there was the shadow of an owl. Neylas
eyes went wide and she nearly dropped the book.
"Are you alright Neyla?" Sly asked. Then she shook it off.
"Y… Yeah I'm alright Sly." Neyla replied.
"What happened?" Sly asked.
"Sorry I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed." Neyla answered. Sly raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously I'm alright." Neyla answered again. Sly nodded.
"So how can this book help me create an outfit for myself?" Neyla asked.
"Let me show you." Sly said. Neyla handed him the book and Sly looked through it until he found what he was looking for.
"Here it is." Sly said. Then he handed the book back to Neyla. She looked and saw the picture of a ninja.
"Who is this?" Neyla asked.
"That is Rioichi Cooper." Sly said.
"He is your Japanese ancestor?" Neyla asked. Sly nodded.
"That's neat and all but how is this going to help me?" Neyla asked again.
"Before you design your outfit you need a template first. The template for Rioichi's outfit is specifically for streamlined stealth, and finesse." Sly said.
Neyla thought about it for a moment.
"I think this could work." Neyla said. Then Sly nodded.
"Now all we need is your measurements." Sly said. Then they closed the book and put it back on the stand. Then Sly pulled out the blindfold again.
"You have got to be kidding me." Neyla answered. But she offered no resistance and put the blindfold on. Then Sly lead her out of the chamber.
Meanwhile back at Interpol H.Q. Inspector Fox stood outside of the chiefs' office gathering her thoughts. The last time she was in there, was during her
debriefing of the Clock-la incident, which was not at all pleasant.
Flashback:
"He did what?!" shouted the chief.
"Sly Cooper escaped Chief." Carmelita said with defeat in her voice.
"You're telling me that he was with you on a helicopter, in chains, and you did not consider keeping your gun on him?!" replied the chief.
"His gang had left, he came quietly, and I had no idea he would escape." Carmelita replied. The chief kept glaring at her.
"You think I let him escape on purpose?" Carmelita asked.
"You were in that helicopter with him for at least three hours, care to explain?" demanded the chief.
"He and I were just passing the time with a conversation! How was I supposed to know the pilot was knocked out and the controls were jammed?" Carmelita
replied. Then she looked down with defeat. Then the chief rose from his chair.
"Calm down Ms. Fox." said the chief. Then Carmelita picked her head up.
"You know Cooper much better than any agent I have on the force, we'll catch him eventually. I know you have been through a lot recently." said the chief.
"For now you did a great job tonight, and we can all rest easily with Clockwerk in the eternal junk heap. That in itself is a victory even if that thief helped you
out." said the chief. Then Carmelita calmed down.
"For right now just go home and rest." said the chief. Carmelita nodded and headed towards the door.
"Ms. Fox." said the chief. Carmelita stopped and turned towards her boss.
"Yes sir?" she asked.
"I think you're going to need this back." said the chief as he handed something to her. She took it and saw it was her badge. "See you in the morning,
Inspector Fox." said the chief. Then they parted ways.
After her flashback Carmelita mustered her courage and knocked on the door.
"Come in." said the chief. She entered and saw her boss in his chair with a file on his desk.
"You wanted to see me chief?" she asked as she closed the door.
"Yes." the chief responded then motioned her to take a seat. She did then he spoke again.
"It's been a good while since we last spoke in here." the chief said.
"Yes it has." Carmelita replied.
"And according to your submitted reports there have been no Cooper gang activity over the past six months?" asked the chief.
"That is correct." Carmelita responded slightly nervous.
"Well after viewing the reports and reviewing your work I've decided to give you an assignment." said the chief as he slid the file to Carmelita. She took it and
saw it labeled: "Venice, Italy".
"What am I looking at chief?" Carmelita asked.
"My friends in Italy have reported that mob activity has taken a strange turn." said the chief. Then Carmelita opened the file.
"What in the world?" Carmelita exclaimed as she viewed the contents. The majority of Venetian water was polluted with tar.
"Why would they do this?" she asked herself. Then she turned the page. There she saw a picture of a lion in a hat and white mask.
"Who is this?" she asked.
"Our prime suspect local mob boss Don Octavio." the chief responded.
"Mob boss? Sounds like a musician than anything else." Carmelita joked.
"Close. Octavio was a former Opera singer. He lost his career to a rising interest in modern music. Evidently he was invited to join the mob some time
afterward." the chief said.
Carmelita looked at the picture again, then back at the chief.
"What are you asking of me?" Carmelita asked.
"I need you to head out to Venice and investigate." the chief replied.
"Alone?" Carmelita asked.
"Of course not. According to our sources Octavios gang is in control of most of Venice's criminal firepower. So I'll be sending a team of mercenaries to accompany
you during the investigation." the chief responded. Carmelita was unsure of what to say.
"Carmelita, you're the best I have, if anyone can solve this it's you." the chief replied. After another minute Carmelita responded.
"I'll do it, just keep me in touch in case Cooper decides to act up again." Carmelita said.
"Done. Oh and one more thing. Do you remember Dmitri Lousteau?" the chief asked.
"Who can forget that tasteless lizard?" Carmelita replied.
"Apparently he was arrested in Italy for and I quote "disturbing the peace with tasteless dancing." Since he was paroled by Interpol he is in our jurisdiction.
While you're there you will be keeping an eye on him as well." said the chief.
"Alright." Carmelita said.
"Good luck, Inspector, your flight leaves tomorrow." the chief said.
"Yes sir." Carmelita replied. Then they parted ways.
And that's all for now everyone. As usual I apologize for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. PM me if it needs improvement. Please try to
review. And if you want to assist in the story please PM me.
till then
Sephiroth 200