Chapter 15: Mixed Signals

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Sly Cooper belongs to Sucker Punch.

Okay, this mission is coming to a close. Quick warning; this chapter will be a little running away, a lot of exposition, mostly in that order. Lots of words, not much action.

With that warning out of the way, let's get going.

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"You can't run forever, Voleur. The moment I have you in my sights…"

This threat echoed uselessly through the forest, as the Inspector cursed her luck. Not five minutes into the chase, she had lost sight of her target.

Still, she slowly crept through the trees, scanning her surroundings for any sign of her quarry. A rustle in the bushes caused her to spin on the spot, though she sighed when she realized it was only one of the native lizards.

"I'd show myself if it didn't mean getting shot in the process."

Whipping around again, the Inspector found herself looking at a patch of blue amid all the darkness. Growling, she snatched the Cooper calling card from where it had been pinned to the tree, noticing some writing on it.

Lost? I'll guide you out of the forest, if you'd like. Follow the cards… Or try to find your own way back. It's your choice! -List

Still growling, she looked around. While she hated to accept help again from the thief, Alayna was suddenly very aware of just how lost she was… Not to mention that the calling cards might lead her to the person leaving them behind.

Coming to a decision, she looked around, searching the area for another one of the cards. It didn't take her long to spot another blue card on another tree trunk. Walking over, she realized there was writing on this one too.

Good choice! Navigational skills are pretty integral to my line of work, after all. Next card is to your right.

Following the instructions to the next card, she noticed further writing. "Do you carry a pencil with you…?" she wondered in exasperation, before reading it as well.

So, hey, we never get to share. Ask a question, why don't you? I'll answer it on the next card. And yes. Yes I do carry a pencil.

"…Il est égocentrique. Alright, Voleur, I'll humor you. Why go after the Steele Ring? You've been at both of my last assignments, and have stuck it out until the Steele member is defeated. Why?"

Alayna wasn't fast enough to pull the trigger on the flash of motion that just barely registered in the corner of her eye, but she approached the card it left behind, genuinely curious for the answer.

Easy. You remember our first meeting at the museum, of course. Turns out we stepped on some toes with that, so… Well, I couldn't pass up the challenge. A true Master Thief only steals from criminals, after all, and that job gave me the perfect excuse to really test my mettle. It was just a happy accident that we met there. Speaking of which; you seem to have taken to calling me 'Voleur'. Why's that?

"Criminal to the core. I'll give you this, you have good handwriting considering how quickly you managed to write this out… The word 'Voleur' seems to suit you perfectly. My turn. How do you keep ending up after the same criminals as me, and at the same time?"

Two shock bolts whizzed through the air, but List was too quick - he was out of her sight in an instant. Displeased with her own quickdraw skills, the Inspector walked over to the card.

Call it coincidence, call it fate. I call it similar intel. Abby tells me that the Steele Ring members don't show their faces very often, so I guess my team picked up on the same opportunities as you did. My turn. You saw right through me during our dance… Why didn't you just shoot me then and there?

"Hmph. Well, two reasons for that. Firstly, and more importantly, you'd never risk trying that if you didn't have a very, very, good reason to do so. Secondly… Stopping a tango mid-step is a faux pas in every sense. You may not have any respect for culture, but I do. My turn. You kept saying that that cane of yours is a precious heirloom. If that is the case, why use it as a weapon?"

She didn't even see the movement this time - List was being more careful. Still, she approached the next card, now wondering why he was doing all this.

You're breaking my heart here. I have plenty of respect for culture! The cane, in any case. Yes, it's a precious heirloom. In fact, even though my family's been a line of Master Thieves since the days of the pharaohs of Egypt, most of my ancestors kept the original cane somewhere safe and used a weapon of their own design. But the cane is unique, and using it just feels right to me. And I do mean unique. There is literally no way to precisely duplicate it. My turn. I've never seen someone use a shock pistol as a blunt weapon. Where'd you pick up those moves?

"I suppose it makes a twisted kind of sense that such a precious tool would belong to a clan of thieves. As for my shock pistol… I've always wanted to be an officer of the law, and I've never entirely enjoyed just shooting people. Not enough feedback, and besides, nobody expects to be beaten upside the head with a gun. It's just more… Satisfying. I've been working at it on my own, to be honest. My turn. You've proven yourself a competent fighter as well. Where exactly did you learn to do such things as catch live grenades with your cane?"

One more card came out of seemingly nowhere, as Alayna reached the edge of the forest. Picking up the card, she sighed. No more questions, and the trail had just ended. Disappointed by her failure to apprehend the thief, she examined the card.

Impressive. As for my own skills, I'll admit I've been working off of a cheat sheet. One that my family's been working on for the past several thousand years, in fact. It's called the Thievius Raccoonus, and it has hand-written notes on everything my ancestors got up to, plus the tricks of the trade they developed over time. There's a lot more to it, but I haven't mastered it yet. It's the other important heirloom of my family, if you don't count the vault. My turn. Want to know where my gang is headed next?

Confused, she reread the card, then looked around. "Why would you tell me where you're going? You know I'd just set a trap."

"Maybe I want to make sure the next member of the Steele Ring gets carted off just as handily as the last, maybe thievery's no fun without a good cop around trying to stop me. Maybe both, or maybe it's something else?"

List's voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, meaning the Inspector was unable to track him by it. She sighed. "Fine. Yes, I want to know."

"Excellent. Abby tells me that the next opportunity will be in Macau, China, in about a month's time. The place has its own immigration laws, currency, everything - it's practically its own country. And Miss Fortune, another member of the Steele Ring, practically runs the place."

"…And you're sure of this?"

"Positive. Abby's never steered us wrong before. Macau is the biggest and best gambling town on the planet, so be ready to blend in with that crowd if you decide it's worth the risk."

"Fine. I'll do my own research, and if you're lying…"

"Would I lie to you? Assuming telling the truth didn't mean immediate capture by either you or a lot of bad guys who want me very, very dead, like back in the party?"

"Probably."

"I'm hurt. You'll see, I've been nothing but honest with you… Barring the disguise bit back at the party, of course. See you in Macau."

The sounds of an engine alerted Alayna to the location of the Cooper Van, but it was too far away for her to do anything about it, and quickly grew softer as the seconds passed. She cursed her luck, and prepared to head back to her car.

Then that engine roared close, and the van burst through the tree line, List holding on to the back with his cane hooked to the side as he waved to the Inspector with a huge grin on his face. "Good luck!" he yelled, before the van disappeared into the forest.

The shocked officer took a moment to recollect herself, before growling. "Fou téméraire. You won't be leave Macau a free man, Voleur." she muttered, before walking off towards her car.

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Well, that was a short chapter. Fair warning; life has finally caught up with me. It's making demands, people. I won't be able to put out long chapters easily, unless I come up with a really good idea, and updates are going to slow. But I'll be bringing you this story as best I can.

For those of you who are curious; until 2049, Macau really does have its own immigration laws and currency and such, and really is a huge destination for gamblers. It was a Portuguese colony until 1999, you see, and became part of China on the condition that it retained autonomy for fifty years.

No after-the-fact talking up the next chapter here. Nope. But do tune in next time. Please? Review if you've something to say, fave if you liked it, follow if you want to see what's gonna happen next.

KeyFire, and I've gotta get typing! See you later!