Chapter 14: Twice Shocked

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Sly Cooper belongs to Surprise Attack. Wait, that's not right… Is it?

Well, anyway. This is the boss battle… But List is without his cane, if you'll recall. I think this'll be interesting enough…

Without further ado, l-

Sucker Punch! Right!

Oh, sorry. Let's go!

—

"List, what's going on down there?"

"Uh… I'm watching the Inspector try to shoot down an old crazy guy who's flying around trying to explode her into tiny bits."

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"Because I'm trying to think of a way to help."

"Last time it almost cost you your cane. Oh, and your life."

"Well, I don't have my cane on me."

"So you don't have any collateral for your life this time. Just run! We've got the loot and you're free to go!"

"You said this guy only fears lightning, right? But that cloak is shock-proofed?"

"Well, yeah. But the Inspector is more than capable of finishing him off, toughness notwithstanding."

"I think I can help her along with that, though. This place has to have some kind of fire suppression, right?"

"Uh… Yeah. Fire alarms and sprinklers. I think there's some in the room you're in, but that system is hardwired outside of the security network."

"Perfect. I'll meet you guys at Point Gamma."

List broke cover and dashed for the route he had found earlier, a plan already in mind. Handily dodging an exploding flask that had gone wide, he grabbed hold of the curtain and began to climb, headed for the top.

"What the… Voleur!"

Hearing this, he instinctively swung to the side, thanking his lucky stars as two shock bolts went wide.

"I'm here to help, just keep the mad bomber off me!" he shouted back, before continuing up the now-swinging curtain.

Making a snap decision, Alayna had to consider most everything happening at once. It wasn't easy to make; shoot at the thief who had tricked her, or the bat who was trying to blow her to smithereens?

"Dammit." she growled, before taking another quick shot.

List let out a sigh of relief as he heard another boom sound off above him. He had been fairly worried about her choice - there was no way he'd be able to dodge shock blasts all the way up to the roof.

"Insolent children! You may have stopped me from my goal for now, but neither of you will leave this room alive!"

"I said you're under arrest, old man!"

He chuckled, continuing to climb as quickly as he could up the wall. Stray explosives continued to hit the floor below, as the Inspector continued to jump left and right, trying her best to stay alive while keeping the thief safe.

"Dammit, you'd better have a decent plan, Voleur." she mumbled, before grinning as one of her shock bolts nailed the bat in the wing, slowing him down as he tried to stay aloft.

"Rrgh! You'll pay for that, you little-!"

"Now, now. That kind of language isn't appropriate, and you really need to keep your heart rate down." List shouted, cutting the injured bat off with a shout from above. The thief swung himself up onto the balcony he had originally accessed the chandelier from, briefly scanned the roof, then grinned.

"Let's see just how you like a little thunderstorm…" he murmured, pulling a smoke bomb out of his pocket, and quickly hurling it at his target…

—

"Merde, this guy is tough." Alayna muttered to herself, watching as he absorbed another shock blast without complaint. "How is he not even getting hurt by my shots…?"

"Hah! Your puny attacks mean nothing to a master of alchemy!"

"Then how about her attacks plus a little rain?"

List dropped onto the bat from above, knocking the wind out of the old man but leaving him otherwise unharmed. The subsequent elbow to the wing was a different story, sending both thief and alchemist into a spiral. List managed to jump clear, landing painfully on the stone floor below. The bat was no luckier, finding himself crashing directly into the same floor.

Both gathered themselves up as the fire alarm sounded, Alayna still a little stunned by what had just happened.

"Rain?" she asked, looking questioningly at the half-coon as he merely grinned. She got her answer a moment later, as the sprinkler system activated.

"Smoke bomb in the smoke alarm. A little rain should wash away the chemicals that shock-proofed his cloak."

"Let's find out."

Leveling her pistol at the alchemist they were both there to take down, she pulled the trigger. A scream of pain shortly followed, as the blast coursed through the old bat's body.

"Huh. What do you know." she grinned, as the enraged criminal struggled to his feet.

"Fine! You may have made me vulnerable. But you won't win! I didn't want to waste these potions on you brats, but you leave me no choice!" the bat snarled, before pulling another vial out of his cloak. Before either cop or thief could do anything, he pulled out the plug and chugged down the entire vial, throwing it off to the side when he was finished.

Growling and clutching his head, the old criminal was unmoved by the shock blasts that hit him as a startling transformation took place. Muscles hidden by age burst back into existence, and multiplied further and further. List and Alayna looked on in shock as the old man grew bigger and bigger, until he was at least twice the size of Rick, glaring at them with bloodshot eyes and a murderous grin.

"I hate to waste this on you two, but you've left me no choice. I'll rip you both apart!" the enormous bat howled, before charging at them with surprising speed.

Master thief and expert officer dodged to either side, and the bat charged between them, crashing into the far wall. Several shock blasts were shrugged off by the enormous criminal, as he pulled himself out of the wall, ready to charge again.

"I have an idea!" List shouted, before dodging another berserker charge. Bouncing off the wall with practiced ease, he landed next to Alayna, whispered something in her ear, and gave her an expectant look.

Sighing, she nodded. His expression brightened, and he pulled a small capsule out of his pocket. "Follow my lead." the thief remarked, before springing in front of the chemically-enhanced old man currently tearing the room apart.

"Not impressed, Doc. I'd be more intimidated by a mosquito - at least that could give me a cold." he taunted the enormous criminal, to a roar of rage.

"I'll show you intimidation, you whelp!"

List merely grinned, waiting as the bat charged him. At the very last second, he sprung into the air, landing on the crazed alchemist's face, and swung himself onto his opponent's back. A massive crash sounded out as the huge old man hit the wall, and stumbled back, dazed by the impact

"Yeah, real scary."

With that, List launched himself off of the bat and towards the newly dented wall, a cloud of smoke bursting into the air around the Plague Doctor's head courtesy of a well-placed smoke bomb. Surprised, the old bat tripped over his own feet, landing hard on his back.

Still dazed, he realized he was staring down the barrel of the good Inspector's shock pistol just before he swallowed a painful blast of electricity. Coughing up smoke, the bat scrambled to his feet, Alayna still shooting for the head.

"Look out!"

Tackled by List, they both went sprawling across the floor - and good thing too. A moment later, and the strip of fabric that the Inspector lost from the bottom of her sodden dress would've been her legs, thanks to the mad alchemist's frantically flailing claws.

"A verbal thanks is all you are getting this time, Voleur." Alayna remarked, as the two of them pulled themselves back to their feet. He nodded, then turned to regard the screeching alchemist.

"That won't work again, brats!" the criminal shouted, still in pain from the electric bolt he had inadvertently swallowed.

"I'd like to test that theory." was all he heard before his head was again engulfed in smoke. But now he was paying attention, and was able to track his attacker by hearing. List found himself hurtling through the air, courtesy of a well-placed smack, and hit the ground hard again, skidding a ways.

"Really, Voleur? The same trick isn't going to work twice." Alayna sighed, before walking up to the much larger criminal. Laughter filled the room as the bat watched her approach.

"Finally accepted that you're going to die here, then?"

"No. You're still under arrest, for too many crimes to count. Let's say attempted murder, times about thirty, and go from there."

"Hah! You can't bring me in with that silly little toy you call a weapon!"

"I don't intend to. You've ruined a perfectly good dress, you know."

"What, do you intend to send me the bill?"

"No. But you made it shorter. Which means I can do this."

List cringed at what happened next, but he had to admire the Inspector's brutal efficiency at ending the fight. As she withdrew her leg and pulled out a radio, the enormous bat crumpled, falling to the side. He had lost consciousness to the pain, as was evidenced by his shallow breathing, lack of motion, and how his eyes had rolled up into his head.

"This is Inspector Alayna Marais. I've subdued the Plague Doctor, despite his having somehow turned himself into a behemoth. Send agents to take him into custody; I have another criminal to chase at the moment."

List went wide-eyed, freezing in fear as the tigress spoke.

"Understood. You can't miss him, he's the giant bat in the ballroom. Over and out."

Putting away the radio, the Inspector pulled out her shock pistol once more, grinning as she heard the soft tapping of the thief breaking into an all-out sprint.

"GET BACK HERE, VOLEUR!" she shouted, spinning around and beginning pursuit as List ran for his life.

—

Short, yes. It was as long as it needed to be, you see. And yes, the finishing blow was exactly what you think it was - the bane of men everywhere.

I promise, the next bad guy will be more involved in the first three phases. Should help to flesh those chapters out a bit.

With the Plague Doctor quite thoroughly defeated, the chase is on! Will List be able to give the good Inspector the slip, or will he end the night in handcuffs? Find out in Chapter 15: Mixed Signals.

KeyFire, still struggling with titles. It'll make sense next chapter, I promise. See you all then!