Chapter 20: All In

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And here we are once more. Last step to the fight scene I know you all are here for. Sly Cooper belongs to Sucker Punch, and the characters that are actually in the story belong to me.

With that out of the way, shall we?

—

"I've got a plan in full. Keeping you under the radar will benefit us, so List, you'll be entering after the panic starts up." Abby said, typing furiously on her computer as they tore through the streets.

"Panic, huh?"

"Right. Rick, you'll go in first. Start a fight, get a good panic going on in there. List will enter after the crowd's been riled up, followed by me. We'll take care of the guards and cover you on your way to the vault."

"Awesome! With my stupendous might, causing a panic among these gamblers should be easy!"

"That's the idea. I've loaded my BB with fast-acting tranquilizers. They're… Maybe a little toxic, but not enough to kill one of those big dumb goons. Should put them to sleep in a second. List, you've got the Idiot's Guide to Master Thievery and the super-special cane. I'm sure you can handle a little silent knockout action."

"I keep telling you not to call my family treasure that, but sure. Not a problem."

"Great. Once Rick's breached the main door, I'll join him at the vault. The digital lock shouldn't be a problem for me, since I've already gotten a good look at their data security. No big deal."

"You sure? Last time you said something was no big deal, you ended up trying to crack it for the rest of our heist."

"This time I'm sure of it. While I crack the vault, List will put his sneaking skills to use and sneak up to Miss Fortune's private rooms. He'll find something nice and valuable to steal, steal it, and run for the roof, where the ground wire will allow him to zip right down to us. Then we run like our tails are on fire, because the Inspector is probably done with those last guards by now and is on her way to kick our asses into next week."

"We have a plan B, right?"

"Well, assuming something goes horribly wrong, I'll probably be kicking myself while we all run like cheap paint."

"Good enough for me. And here we are!"

"Rick?"

"I'm ready!"

"Then knock on the door, won't you?"

—

The door flew off its hinges, blown away by the sheer power of the bear who had just thrown two guards through it. A roar echoed through the room, freezing everyone in their tracks as all eyes went to what was once the door.

Another roar sent the room into a crazed stampede, the guards trying to fight the current as they were trampled by the gamblers trying to escape from the rampaging bear in the entryway.

As said rampage commenced, and guards were thrown left and right like ragdolls, List slipped through the hole in the wall that was once an ornate double door. "Geez, big guy." he murmured, as Abby followed through.

"Well, we have our jobs to do. I'll find a good vantage, you start whacking guards."

"Way ahead of you."

List disappeared into the crowd without another word, blending in seamlessly among the frightened gamblers as they tried to escape to the exit. Dodging a flying guard, he hooked one by the back of the shirt, bashed the unlucky guard's head into a nearby pillar, and then slipped into the shadows, prowling for another target of opportunity.

Meanwhile, Abby made her way up the stairs, stopping every few feet to snipe one of the guards on the upper deck about to take a potshot at Rick. A huge grin appeared on her face when one of the guards slumped over the railing hard enough to tumble out and into the lower area.

Rick, the whole time through, had been throwing the guards around like an upset child who simply couldn't be satisfied with the old toys he had grown bored for. He was an excellent distraction.

It didn't take any of them long to reach their destination. As the last guard in the room fell, Abby swung herself over the railing, dropped hard onto the floor, and groaned in pain. Pulling herself to her feet, she ran to the door to join her friends.

"I've got the digital lock, List. You get going. No telling how long you have." the jackal said, beginning to work at the computer that controlled the vault door. "We'll be at the rendezvous with the loot."

List grinned, then vanished. He was already heading for the stairs, hoping he wouldn't bump into the rabbit proprietor on the way up, as his friends worked to get at the main stash of goodies.

"Like a big old steel piñata." he heard Abby mutter, just as he reached the doorway. It put a smile on his face as he headed up.

—

Even List, knowing just how opulent the rooms were, was a little stunned at first glance. "Did she really get that door diamond-studded…?" he wondered aloud, sneaking through the halls.

It didn't take the cunning thief long to find something worth taking. Slipping into a room, he swiped a jewelry box, then opened it. "Nice… This stuff is worth some serious… Hey, what's this?"

Pulling a specific piece out, he marveled for a moment. "Now this is a work of art. Something like this… This is probably worth more than the whole rest of the box…"

Digging through the box some more, he frowned. "Nothing else that nice. Too bad. Wonder if it's custom-made…? Doesn't make much sense if… Actually, that could be an interesting effect."

"Qu'est-ce que tu racontes à vous-même (What are you babbling to yourself about)?"

"…Crud. I guess I underestimated you, huh? Figured you wouldn't get back to the casino so quickly."

"Je me suis rappelé le chemin du retour (I remembered the way back)."

"And with every turn, you impress me even more. You don't seem to be speaking much English. Want me to switch to French, or are you just expressing some anger?"

"Je vais te botter le cul pour être si arrogant (I'll kick your ass for being so cocky)."

"Ah-ah-ah."

Both half-coon and tigress froze as yet another person entered the room, her voice softly masking intense rage.

"I'll be doing the kicking here. Specifically, I'm going to kick both of your sorry butts out of here… Through, oh, maybe that window over there."

Three combatants. One holding a cane and quickly stashing a jewelry box with a very, very interesting piece inside. One holding a shock pistol and very determined to take someone to jail. One wearing a business suit, armed with nothing but a pair of feet and one hell of a temper.

Nobody was getting out of this one without some serious injury.

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Really short chapter, because I wanted to get this out as quickly as I could. Let me know if you liked it, and next chapter will take longer to get out because I want to make it a good fight scene.

LEEEEET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUMBLE! There's three combatants in the ring, and none of them are going to throw this one! Who will win? Who will lose? What the hell was the thing in the box that had List so fascinated? Find out two of these answers in Chapter 21: Let The Cards…

Yes, I'm taking the lazy route and stretching a title across two chapters. Coming up with names for these is really hard.

See you next time! KeyFire, out!