Yet again, I own nothing involving Sly Cooper and the gang. I do own this area, though; I made it up myself.
PREDATOR IN THE DUNES
Job 1: Reconnaissance From The Future
The safe-house here is simply the van, camouflaged with sand and leaves, parked near an oasis. The back of the van is set-up to seat them, with a fold-out table to put their things on. Bentley types away on his laptop, looking at charts and blueprints; Murray periodically scarfs down slices of pizza; Carmelita cleans her shock pistol when she isn't fiddling with her 'truly ridiculous' mask. After a few moments of contemplation (of what? How his belt stays up?), Murray gets to his feet and exits out the back of the van.
It opens up a dozen paces from an oasis, with tall trees providing some amount of shade. Murray turns away from it and looks in the opposite direction, towards a small town, the flat roofs and dusty streets unremarkable in the twilight. crocodiles carry torches through the streets; one stops to confer with a hyena and a gecko, who leap to the rooftops when they're finished speaking. In the distance stand the pyramids, tall and imposing, as reachable as a mirage. By the time Murray reaches the waypoint on the edge of town, a mere few steps away from the oasis, the van is almost invisible in the twilight.
Murray pulls out his binoc-u-com. "How's it looking, Murray?"
"I dunno Bentley, you always have Sly do the recon missions."
"But he's not here right now. Hippos are native to this area; you won't stand out so much."
"It just doesn't feel right."
"I know, I know, but if I'm spotted in this chair it's all over; we'll have messed with time as much as Le Paradox ever did. And would you really want to send out Carmelita?"
Murray shudders. "All right, Bentley. What do you want me to do?"
"Without any technology or maps to rely on, I really need some recon photos. We're looking for any signs of raccoons, but also anything unusual. Get the landmarks, a few shots of the guards—we know Sly'll avoid those—and stay out of sight. The last thing we want to do is mess with anything. Try starting with that well-lit area near the center of town."
Murray puts away his binoc-u-com and jumps onto one of the rooftops. The night is quiet; the guards stick to their patrol routes. Murray double-jumps from roof to roof in several places; in others, he drops to the street for some cautious steps. Cactuses in pots outside doors prove to be less pointed than they are bouncy, and he uses those to ascend to higher heights. He pauses halfway there as he hears running water, and detours to the southeast. A river awaits there, very low from lack of rain, its path ancient. He takes a picture.
"That river must supply the oasis during the rainy season," says Bentley. "This time of year, it should be full. So why isn't it?"
"Maybe people are thirsty?"
"I don't know about that, Murray."
Murray puts his binoc-u-com away and goes back the way he was going before, towards a well-lit area in the Northwest. What he finds there is... unusual, to say the least. He pulls out his binoc-u-com and snaps a picture. "That crypt has spotlights focused on it," says Bentley. "And since when are there spotlights in 1300 BC?"
"I dunno. Maybe they always had them," says Murray.
"Either way, that could use some investigation. If we can't find Sly, there's every chance he's holed up somewhere. That's a good place for it."
Murray puts his binoc-u-com away and keeps going north, meaning to search all the edges of the town—and stops suddenly, pinwheeling his arms. A giant fissure, too deep to see the bottom, cuts right through the last houses, leaving crumbled brick and sand where the walls have crumbled; the whole thing is wider than he can jump. He takes a picture of it.
"Interesting," says Bentley moments later. "That certainly isn't in modern-day Egypt. There must have been a recent earthquake. Follow it for a while; let's see if we can find a way across. Be careful not to get too close: if the sand crumbles away, you'll be done for."
So Murray does. Jumping on roofs and hiding in (empty) water barrels to avoid patrols. It isn't long before Murray concludes there is no crossing the fissure: it goes across the whole northern end of town, and stretches in a gentle curve to the east as well, though further away. It never gets any less narrow. But Murray does see something across it—something that is not a pyramid. It looks like a cross between the Washington Monument and a jungle gym. He takes another picture.
"What? That's—what on earth? Murray, can you get a closer look at that?"
"The Murray is strong, but he can't fly."
"You could if that tower should be here. Those materials can't be native to the area. Hold on a second..." Bentley clacks away on his computer. "I'm getting readings indicating a high amount of electrical activity. Before they invented electricity!"
The Murray is uncomfortable with what he sees here, and decides it'd be a good idea to head back into town. Near the center of it, though, he spies something. "Bentley isn't going to like this," he says as he takes another picture.
He's right. "Laser security? On that warehouse? We need to get to the bottom of this."
"Now?"
"No. Keep going, Murray. I want more information. I'm missing something here."
Murray keeps going, but he hasn't gone another four streets before he sees a crocodile exit a two-story building with some sort of... stable... and large empty area in the back. He takes another picture.
"Chariot racing," says Bentley. "Very popular back in the day. It's a bit of an obscure sport now. Get a shot of the guard while you're at it."
So Murray does.
"Wait a second..." Bentley says. "I'm receiving radio signals off that guard. That shouldn't happen here! Murray, is there anyone else in sight?"
"No," says Murray. "The streets are empty. It seems like everyone's sleeping."
"Or they're afraid to come out. Murray, I need you to get that guard. I want his weapon—and anything in his pockets."
"But I thought I wasn't supposed to mess with the past? You've been all worried about part-time oxen!"
"That's Temporal Paradoxes, Murray. And don't worry. If what I suspect is going on, we'll have more to deal with. Sneak up behind that guy and knock him in the air with a triangle-button uppercut, then hit the circle button to grab him while he's in the air. Press the circle button to shake out all his loot."
Well, Murray does so. And after getting quite a few Egyptian coins (and knocking the guard out in a puff of smoke), he's gained two very interesting items.
One is an advertisement for a chariot race the next day. 'BIG PRIZES, BIG HONOR. FINALS WILL BE HELD AT THE TOWER FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE SPICE LORD.'
And the other item? A gun. Well, a laser gun.
"I think that's all the evidence we need," says Bentley. "Come on back, Murray. We're going to need a new plan."
JOB: COMPLETE
(Murray victory pose)