Before I begin this next section, this final area, there's something I need to mention.
I'm sure you've noticed, throughout this story—throughout this game, in written form—there have been times where there are events occurring I haven't written. As early as Thaddeus's introduction, there were dances. There were fights, and tank-driven take-downs. There have even been things that may have been jobs, were this an actual game, but weren't there at all; simply mentioned in passing, like Henriette's destruction of the pirate ships or the migrating safe-houses.
These gaps have been there for many reasons. Plot focus, my own skill levels, plain forgetting something would be cool (and I'm not gonna go back and add anything, people, this story's ridiculous enough, we passed 90 freaking chapters already.)
Most of all, though, is that this is a story, not a game. Sadly. Much as I (and many of you awesome readers) wish otherwise. And there are only so many ways I can describe hacking through computer systems, giving guards the smack-down, and dodging lasers before I start getting bored with my own words. And if I'm bored with it, you will be, too. Most of the time, I've snuck characterization and foreshadowing of other plot points into those things. There isn't that much left. We're at end-game, people. Penelope has been found, we're going to the final area, things are going to go... I don't know. Is there a word that can summarize the moment Clock-la took flight and the awe of traversing the Cooper Vault? Cause that's what I'm aiming for.
So this is me, giving myself permission not to say exactly what challenges are involved in the next hacking job or how many guards get thunderflopped into next week. If I skip a section full of laser-dodging, or using the grapple-cam, or shooting challenges that only a master markswoman could make, it's because I can't think of a way to make it interesting anymore. If you can make it interesting, if you want to write that missing moment yourself, I *may* be giving people permission to do so once the story's finished, and if I see anyone actually do this I'll be shocked into silence.
Sorry, got sidetracked. In any case, we've got over ninety chapters and a truly ridiculous wordcount already. If a character does something awesome off-screen, it's deliberate; it's fun to play, but not fun to read. The sections I'm focusing on are the ones telling the story now, the ones that will tie together all the earlier areas (I worked so hard on setting it up, I couldn't bear not to) and explain the things you're wondering about. Who's The Doctor, what they're doing, why, and a few surprises along the way.
I'm writing this long before it'll be posted, before I've even written all of the final area. I'm not sure the chapters can even qualify as 'jobs' at this point. The whole thing flows like The Cold Heart of Hate in Sly 1 or Honor Among Thieves in Sly 3: while the first four jobs are simultaneous, and could theoretically happen in any order, the rest of it is one thing after another, zig zag voo doo, without a stop for a safehouse rest.
Brace yourselves, because this is gonna be fun.