PROGRAMS OF BETRAYAL

Job 5: Mouse Trapped

Sly stands on the same building Bentley was using as a post, fighting back yawns of boredom. He glances at the sewer cover, where the others went, and scratches at his back with his cane. Standing on watch is important, sure, but boring. He fights back another yawn, glancing up at the castle—

A small figure in yellow appears on top of the castle, looking over the side to the drawbridge. Even from this distance, the ears make it clear: that's Penelope.

And she's rappelling down the side.

"Good thing you had me watch, Bentley," Sly murmurs, putting his binoc-u-com away. "Penelope just came out."

Bentley's gulp echoes in the earpiece. "She left the hotel?"

"No, the castle." Sly glances around for guards and takes off at a run.

"That's strange," Bentley says. "She was in the hotel last, and I was under the impression she wasn't being allowed out."

"Yeah, me too..." Sly uses wall-hooks to get up the side of the hill faster, and reaches level ground before Penelope's finished coiling her rope. He ducks out of view. "I'm going to follow her."

"Right, I'll stay with Winthorp."

With that established, Sly peeks out, watching Penelope. Penelope's glancing around, checking on the guards, but no one's noticed her... Sly excepted, of course. She starts down the hill, then backtracks back up. Sly waits.

She shadows the guard patrolling the mountain path, keeping just behind him, close enough to pick-pocket if she knew how. Even so, she stops to turn around twice, just on that path. Sly stays on the slope overhead and watches until she gets down among the trees, then paraglides on top of one to join her.

Penelope's scarce taken two steps before she uses the tree Sly's standing on to hide from another guard. In fact, between the guards and the wolf pack, Sly spends several minutes just standing in the tree, waiting for her to move. But she gets out of the woods at last, and heads towards town.

Sly follows. His blue outfit blends with the shadows much better than her yellow one; and she's never been the best at getting to the rooftops.

"Sly? How's Penelope?"

Sly climbs back to his original look-out post as Penelope jumps in a barrel to wait for the tank to go by. "She's hiding from the guards more often than she's checking for followers."

Bentley lets out a low whistle. "That's..."

"Look, buddy, I don't care if she was brainwashed or what, I'm not believing it until we have enough proof that Interpol would tear up all their files on her." Penelope follows the tank over the bridge, and uses bouncy cheese to get to a roof at last; Sly ducks behind a chimney.

Bentley chuckles. "That's an awful lot of evidence..."

Whenever the tanks are out of view, Penelope works on the winch, lowering the bridge on their side. "Yeah, and I still wouldn't trust her. I've got your back, buddy."

"All right. Are the others done in the sewers yet?"

"I don't think so. Why?" Penelope walks across her half bridge; the remaining distance is short enough for her to jump. Sly follows, perching on a boat to stay out of sight.

"Winthorp's in the castle now. I want to keep an eye on him, but this may be my only chance to check out what was going on in the building by the airfield he was so interested in."

"Do it," Sly says.

"I agree," says Bentley. "It's worth the risk of leaving him unwatched."

And Penelope is watched. But still being cautious. Whatever she's setting out to do, one thing's clear: the guards aren't supposed to know about it. And Sly would bet his cane that means she's working against this group.

The empty field doesn't give much to hide in, but so long as they stay out of the guards' flashlight beams, neither of them will be spotted. By the guards. Sly finds himself perching atop scarecrows, ducking in barns, and just plain lying in the narrow ditch between rows of tiny baby plants as Penelope continues her winding, wavering path. It's almost like she's going this way deliberately; as though she's trying to throw off anyone who may be following her, or prevent herself from being followed to begin with.

Following her this long also gives Sly a chance to study her. Her yellow jumpsuit and goggles are gem-free, but every now and then, she reaches back a casual hand to shove at her hair, or clutches at the side of a building as she peeks past it, and her sleeves slip down. Bracelets show then, studded with dozens of gemstones, the openings too small to fit over her hands and without any visible clasps.

Sly's hiding in a barn when she runs towards it to hide, and Sly scarce has time to climb the ladder to the hayloft before she's in. She hides in an empty stall while a guard comes by, shining his flashlight through the door, inspecting the area with interminable slowness that isn't the slightest bit thorough. As he does, Sly holds still, his toes still on the ladder, waiting, watching.

Penelope pushes down one sleeve and fiddles with the bracelet, tugging on it, scratching at it, with an absent-minded air that says, more than anything else, that she can't get it off.

The barn seems to be the last detour, however. She still backtracks and moves around guards, but she heads straight for the airfield in a beeline. Sly perches on a rooftop as she continues forward and starts up the ramp.

"Trying to escape again, Penelope?"

Penelope freezes at the voice; spotlights turn on from all sides, making her cover her eyes as she's thrown into sharp relief. Winthorp walks out of the darkness, frowning at her. "Now what, oh what, should we do to Bentley to punish this?"

"Don't do a thing to him," she snaps, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. "My actions; my responsibility."

Winthorp smiles, all teeth and no happiness. "No, I don't think we'll take it out on you. You haven't finished your work. You don't get to be stranded here to try to eke out some happiness until you do." He grabs her by the arm and pulls, so hard Penelope yelps as she stumbles after him.

Sly acts purely on instinct, moving closer, a frown touching his features as Penelope's dragged from the spotlight none-too-gently. No one should do that to another person—

Penelope looks at him.

Straight in the face, her eyes widening, one arm moving to point before Winthorp yanks again and she gives another cry. She scowls hard and moves to keep up. "You don't even know how I got out, do you?" she demands, though she keeps her eyes on Sly; they move through the wooded area, a direct path back to the hotel. "It's not like there's a secret passage between the hotel and the castle or anything."

Winthorp sighs. "I don't care how you're getting out, so long as it stops."

"No secret passage between the hotel and castle," Penelope repeats as they enter town and pass the well. "The only place I can get to, from that tower, is the hotel. And this time, I just came out because I wanted to fly. Honest. I—"

"You don't get to fly," Winthorp says, giving her another yank, "until I'm sure you're under control."

And then they're inside, and all is quiet. Calm. Peaceful.

Save for Sly's clenched fists and grinding teeth.

JOB COMPLETE

Sly stays on a rooftop, trembling with rage, glaring at the hotel through the Job Complete screen.

Available Jobs

Towers of Sewage