FIENDS FROM THE PAST

Job 4: Solid Stop

Sly makes his way back around the island and to the cliffs. There are all sorts of interesting things there: bottles, sparkly items that could be trash or treasure, caves upon caves that could be explored. He avoids a few caves that seem so infested with ghosts an invisible mouse couldn't squeak by undetected, and clambers to the top, pausing there to scan the area for vampires and other equally improbable guards before continuing forward. His stopping point is a rock, not far from the tower, where Bentley's way-point waits for him.

Sly pulls out his binoc-u-com and looks at the waiting tower. "So, I get to climb up that thing?" he asks, inspecting the sturdy wooden pillars holding each platform. "That seems more a job for Murray; he could easily turn that staircase into a ramp."

"Yes, well..." Bentley straightens his tie. "Unfortunately, there's no current way for Murray to get up there. But there are ways for you to climb."

Sly refocuses his binoc-u-com on the streamers surrounding the tower, connecting each massive step with orange pennants tipped in white. "I feel like I've seen those before."

"Identical pennants were in Egypt and the Caribbean," Bentley says. "The Contessa had a rug with white corners, in a similar pattern. Our enemy has a calling card."

"It's nowhere near as stylish as mine," Sly says.

"But significantly more sophisticated." Bentley grins. "Seeing it emblazons what he already has, rather than announcing what he's taken?"

"Hey..."

"Your objective is to sneak inside the tower and find our enemy. I want to know who's in charge here. If you can, see if you can locate the black-light bomb serving as an anchor. Past experience says it will be in the basement, but it wouldn't hurt to be sure."

"Okay, I'll check that out."

"You'll have to swim to get past that moat, Sly. I know you bought not-drowning from Thiefnet; give it a try. And if you can, lower the drawbridge so the rest of us can get in later."

"All right, I'm on it."

Sly puts away his binoc-u-com and swims across, then studies the tower a moment more. He can't climb those steps: the gap between each one is taller than he is. But he can climb the gutters along the wall in some places. And ninja-spire jump on some of the tower's rough edges. And even walk along the ropes the pennants hang from, although they're so steep it keeps making him railslide back down when he's not careful.

All the more fun.

Just like the other two towers, there's a landing halfway up that goes all the way around; there's a door on it. Just like Tsao's tower, the door is locked down tight. A computer sits next to it, screen glowing, waiting for a password.

"Hey Bentley, you up for some hacking?"

"Sure, I could use a diversion."

Or just waiting for Bentley. He'll work just as well, I suppose; all Sly has to do is slap one of his remote devices on it and Bentley goes to town.

"Hello, Bentley."

This time, when Bentley hears that electronic voice, he frowns. This was programmed by Penelope, sure enough, but...did that mean anything? Before now, before England, before The Contessa said what she did, Bentley would have said no. He would've said Penelope was nothing but trouble, her words and actions serving only to taunt him and the others.

But now? Now that The Contessa all but told him Penelope was being subjected to spice and hypnosis and mind-control stones? Now that Penelope is still sending postcards?

Call it a 'maybe'.

"Stay out of the tower, Bentley," Penelope's mechanical voice whispers as he switches to a speeder code to hit switches. "She's expecting you."

Bentley gulps. Well, that's to be expected, really. If all these criminals are working together, it's only a matter of time before one of them learned the others were going to jail. And why. It doesn't mean anyone's expecting them now. They haven't done anything noticeable yet.

With a final clatter of keys and a whispered "Watch the skies," from Penelope, Bentley's gotten the computer hacked. The door slides open.

"Thanks for the assist," Sly says. "I'm going in."

"Be careful, Sly," Bentley says. Maybe Penelope is getting to him.

Sly goes in, but stops short. The area inside is just one room, unlike Rajan's tower; it's empty, unlike General Tsao's. A staircase leading down is on one side, similar to both. Different from them, though, is that there isn't a rope ladder leading further up, the trapdoor sealed. Instead, there's a large impressive door on the far wall, marked STAIRS UP. FIELD ROOM. EXPERIMENTATION.

There is absolutely no way Sly's getting in there. To the left of the door is one very heavy switch. To the right of it are a series of targets. Opening the door will require at least two people.

Since Sly can't go up, he decides to go down. Vampire terriers stand at guard platforms every ten or twenty steps, but they're all looking down. Getting to the bottom is an exercise in patience, quiet take-downs, and pickpocketing. It doesn't take long. But Sly stops at the last platform before the floor.

There's another staircase heading further down, sure enough. But walking in lazy circles around and around the bottom of the tower are three large alligators, spaced well apart. Not even the sentient sort; no, these massive things stroll lazily on all fours, tails dragging behind them, as though waiting for the world outside to turn into the swamp they love before leaving.

And with all the water out there, there's actually a chance it'll happen.

Bentley speaks in Sly's ear. "They don't have very good eyesight. If you stay right behind one, the other three won't see you. Just don't step on its tail."

That seems like good advice to Sly. He takes it, slipping down the stairs like a shadow and ghosting behind one of the alligators. He stays there, just missing the thing's tail again and again, until he can reach the far staircase and remove himself from sight entirely. Though, now that he's on it, calling it a 'staircase' isn't quite accurate. It's crumbled and in such ill repair that Sly has to resort to pressing himself against the wall and easing his way down sideways. In some places, he has to jump from wall to wall while doing so.

At last, the staircase opens up. Unlike Rajan's booby-trapped monstrosity, or Tsao's soup, the base of this tower is a single room. The glowing black light ball pulses in the center.

If there are ropes, they're encased in the four solid pillars of rock, each in the right place. "Bentley," says Sly, "I don't think we can get through that without some help."

"You may be right," says Bentley. "Do you see the drawbridge control switch anywhere?"

"Um..." Sly eyes the room. "Nope. Nothing."

"Drat. Come on back to the safe-house. I really need to think about this one."

JOB COMPLETE

Sly whacks one stone pillar with his cane and has it bounce off, vibrating from the force.

Available Jobs:

Who You Calling A Horse?