Sly 4: The Nightmare of Thieves

Chapter 2

With Sly

Sly Cooper got to the old safe house and felt a pain rush through him. Sly felt nerves overtake him for a moment, and then looked around. No one was around, so Sly slipped inside the old building. The raccoon crept around the safe house to make sure that no one was in the building. As he looked around Sly noticed that the safe house had been cleaned recently.

Sly went upstairs where the Gang would sit and discuss heist. Sly looked around, seeing old memories around him. He heard a noise behind him, making him jump slightly. Sly turned and then he saw Bentley.

Bentley looked the same as he did when they went to the Cooper Vault and Dr. M went on a rampage four years ago, the same night Sly left the Gang without saying goodbye.

Penelope was on Bentley's right and Murray on his left. They were looking at Sly, surprised that he actually showed up. Sly could tell that they weren't mad at him. They were glad to see him. It had been almost four years since they last saw him.

"Guys… I'm sorry," Sly said, looking at each of their faces.

"You don't need to be sorry," Bentley said, smiling.

"Yes I do. I left you guys without saying goodbye, and without explaining why."

"That's not important anymore," Penelope said, her brown eyes stared into Sly's. "The important thing is that you are safe."

"Safe, what do you mean by that?"

Sly was confused. He didn't understand what his friends meant by that.

All three of his friends smiled grimly.

"Someone is after you. They want to kill you," Murray said, his voice shaking, showing that he was on the verge of crying.

"Why is someone after me now?" the raccoon asked. "And why now?"

"That's what we don't know," a voice said behind Sly.

Sly turned and saw Panda King.

"Got any more news?" Penelope asked the panda.

He nodded, "The enemy has teamed up with a bunch of people who want to see the last Cooper died."

Sly's knees shook.

"What am I going to do?"

"We are going to fight back," Murray said as he patted Sly on the back.

Sly looked up at the hippo.

"How?"

"We are going to team up with some old friends," Bentley said smiling.

What old friends?Sly thought to himself.

With Leo

Leo didn't know where he was heading, all he knew was he needed to hurry. He knew Jade would send Dalton Brooks after him. Dalton hated Leo.

Dalton and Leo used to be friends, until Dalton was caught by the cops, while Leo ran off. Dalton blamed Leo for that, when it was Dalton's fault. Dalton was always close to getting Leo, but Leo usually got away or beat the hell out of him.

Leo heard a gun shoot then a bullet went through his windshield.

"Crap," Leo said to himself. "Speaking of the devil."

He took a sharp turn and then saw Dalton in a truck behind him. Dalton had a machine gun in his hands, while Robert Tony was driving.

Leo glared at Robert, who cowered down when he saw those cold green eyes narrowed at him.

Leo sped off.

"Follow him," Dalton yelled at the rat.

Robert sped up and began chasing Leo.

Leo looked in his rearview mirror, Dalton was gaining on him. Leo cursed again as Dalton began shooting at him, then Leo chucked as the bear realized that the bullets bounced off of Leo's black Ferrari.

Good thing my car's bullet proof, Leo thought to himself.

Robert also realized this and hit the back of Leo's Ferrari, making Leo growl.

Leo grabbed his gun and began shooting out of his broken back window as he drove. People were cowering in their cars and on the sidewalks. Leo saw a few cops calling for back up.

Dalton went into the truck and then pushed Robert out of the way and then drove beside Leo.

Dalton's dark brown eyes narrowed then he grinned evilly and rammed into the side of Leo's car. Leo swerved then rolled his window down and began shooting at the bear. Dalton growled in pain as he felt a bullet go through his arm.

"Dammit, Robert drive, keep following him."

Robert looked at Dalton, his light brown eyes looking at the wound on the bears arm. Blood was soaking through Dalton's white shirt.

"But you've been hit," the rat said.

"I don't really care, follow him!" Dalton almost roared.

Robert hesitated then just shook his head and followed Leo.

Leo had to load his gun but he didn't bother he just grabbed his crossbow and then saw that they were still following him.

"Damn this would be easy if I had my partner," Leo muttered to himself as he loaded his crossbow.

"Robert get right beside him," Dalton growled, "It will be easier to make him crash."

Robert followed Dalton's order and got next to Leo's car.

"Come on Leo, it would be easier if you would just cooperate," Robert said.

"Screw you! I'm not going to work with dickheads like you!"

"Jade wants you to join us. It would be easier for you; all she wants is Sly to be broken."

Leo hissed then shot at the front tires of Dalton's truck and then the tires went flat.

"DAMN IT LEO!" Dalton yelled as Leo drove off. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

I'd like to see you try, Leo thought with a smirk playing on his lips. Leo drove off, knowing there was a place to hide for a while.

With the Cooper Gang 2 hours later

"Jake Blackwood…are you freaking kidding me?" Sly Cooper said as he read the list of names that Bentley gave him, "He used to work with Muggshot. He tried killing me."

"Would you rather have him work with you or be an enemy?" Bentley asked.

Sly muttered, "Work with him."

"Riley and Annie Floss… didn't they go to the orphanage with us?" Murray asked as he read over Sly's shoulder.

"Yes, they were once great friends, until… we became criminals," Bentley replied.

There were three more names Damon Rice, Abigail Rose, the last name on the list made Sly freeze.

Leonardo Sanders.

"Why is he on this list?" Sly asked Bentley through clutched teeth.

"Sly we need to get Leo on our side," the turtle replied.

Sly looked at Bentley, his eyes burning with pure hatred.

"Why him?"

"If the enemy gets her hands on him, we're helpless. He is too useful… he could bring you down easily, he knows your weaknesses."

Sly hated hearing that, but he knew that it was true. Leo was useful to them… and to this enemy. If they got into Leo's head and if he joins forces with her, Sly and the gang would be destroyed. But after what happened eleven years ago made Sly and Leo enemies.

Flashback- 11 years ago at the orphanage

Sly looked at his best friend with sad amber eyes. Leo was sitting on his bed with his hands covering his face as he tried hiding his tears.

"Leo its okay," Sly said trying to reassure his friend.

Leo looked up at Sly, his green jewel like eyes were filled with tears.

Leo had lost the girl he loved, Clara. She was killed right in front of Leo's eyes.

Sly understood what it was like to watch someone you love die. He watched his father fight, trying to protect him.

"Sly it's not okay. Chad killed her and then he just left."

"Leo I understand what it's like to loss someone you love."

"How would you understand this? You didn't loss a girl you loved."

Sly went quiet as Leo stood up and then Leo balled his fist. He looked at Sly and continued talking.

"See you don't understand what I'm going through. You don't know what it's like to find out the girl you love was pregnant with your child right before she was killed."

Sly just stared at his best friend.

Of course Sly didn't know what is was like to loss a girl he loved or an unborn child. He only understood the pain of watching someone important to him die.

Leo stared at Sly then stormed out of the room and slammed the door, almost ripping it off the hinges.

Sly sat there, staring at the place Leo stood moments ago, feeling like he would never see Leo again.

It was late that night, when Bentley, Murray, and Sly woke up to see Leo packing his bags.

"Leo, where are ya going?" Murray asked his voice heavy with sleep, but Leo didn't answer him.

"Leo, you can't leave," Bentley said quietly.

"And who made you the boss!" Leo asked cruelly.

"Don't talk to Bentley like that!" Sly shouted angrily.

Leo turned and looked at the raccoon.

Leo's eyes were piercing. Sly could see a fire in his bright green eyes.

"I'm leaving and you guys can't stop me."

Sly got out of his bed and then quickly got the Cooper cane that he kept under his bed. He looked at Leo. Leo's eyes narrowed then he laughed humorlessly.

"Really? Sly, you think thatis going to stop me?"

Sly gritted his teeth.

"Leo, I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you get revenge on Chad for killing Clara," Sly watched as pain flickered across Leo's face, but quickly disappeared. Sly continued, "I'm not letting you throw your life away."

"What makes you think you can stop me? Sly, you know that I'm stronger than you'll ever be. You shouldn't even try."

Sly's face flushed with anger.

Leo just turned away and continued packing. Sly tried whacking Leo with the cane, but Leo grabbed the pole of the cane.

"Sly, I told you not to do this."

Sly's eyes narrowed and he kicked Leo in the stomach, which made Leo grunt in pain and fall to the ground.

Sly snatched the cane out of Leo's hands and then put the cane to Leo's throat. Bentley tried to make them stop but Murray held him back.

"Leo, you're not leaving."

Leo's expression went cold as he grabbed the cane and then held onto it as he kicked Sly in the stomach, making sly fall to the ground and hitting his head on his bed's footboard. Sly passed out then Leo got up and laid the cane beside the fallen raccoon.

End of Flashback

Bentley looked at Sly, and then said, "You need to forgive Leo."

"Why should I?" Sly asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He didn't mean to do all of those things he did," Bentley looked at Sly's confused expression, "Before he left he told me to tell you that he was sorry he also told me that we weren't going to like some of the things he did. He wanted us to know that it wasn't going to be on purpose."

The message ran through Sly's mind and then he realized Leo was never his enemy. Leo didn't mean to do all of those cruel things to him. Leo never meant to hurt them.

"Well, let's find out where he is," Sly said, hoping that they wouldn't be able to find him.

"Already on it," Penelope said, looking for something on her laptop.

With Leo (bar in the middle of nowhere)

Leo parked his car behind the shed behind the bar his old partner, Jake Blackwood, owned. Jake was his partner until he joined forces with the old gangster wanna-be, Muggshot. Leo still talked to Jake from time to time, but he never really saw Jake.

Leo put on his leather jacket, taking the words out of his belt.. Leo put his combat knife in his belt and then slid a gun into his leather jacket pocket. He got out of his ruined black Ferrari then walked into the bar.

When Leo went in and the bar tender, a gray wolf, looked up then grinned. His black eyes brightened.

"Long time no see, old friend," Jake Blackwood said, shaking Leo's hand.

Leo grinned then sat at the bar, "It has been a long time."

"Hey jerk," a girl said from behind Leo. Leo turned, seeing a white wolf with long blond hair and hazel eyes.

Her name was Abigail Rose; she was one of the smartest people Leo knew. She was also a prankster and loved playing jokes on Leo. She was also the one who nursed Leo back to health whenever he got badly injured

"It's professional jerk to you, Abby."

Abigail rolled her hazel eyes then sat beside him. She put her blond hair in a messy bun. Leo looked at Jake and then back at Abby, noticing that the two wolves were staring at each other.

"Aw Jake got a girlfriend."

Both of the wolves looked at Leo and then Abby rolled her eyes. Jake's gray fur was standing up and then Leo grinned.

"Come on man, you know I'm kidding."

Jake shook his head then muttered something that Leo chose to ignore.

"So why are you here?" Jake asked him.

"Well, Dalton Brooks is after me," Leo replied, a smirk on his lips.

"…Again?" Jake and Abby asked.

"Yeah, my car is proof of that."

"You parked your car in the parking lot, are you insane?" Abby asked, raising her brow.

"Look, I know I'm insane, but the car is behind the shed. I came here 'cause I know Jake can fix it," Leo rolled his eyes. Abby sighed then got up and went into the kitchen.

"How bad is it?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"It's not as bad as last time, thank God last time you made it bullet proof. He had his 'lucky' machine gun with him," Leo said.

"Well it's the only gun he has," Jake muttered then chuckled at his joke.

"Are you going to fix it?" Leo asked ignoring Jake's comment.

"Sure thing man, just hold on, I have to ask Abby to take my place."

Jake went into the kitchen and asked her to take his shift so he could help Leo, which made Abby rolled her eyes, but she told Jake she would.

"I'd watch out for Dalton," Leo warned her over the bar.

"Will do, now go help Jake," she said and continued working.

Leo nodded then went out back where Jake was staring at the car.

"The dents will be easy but the scratches are going to be hard to hide," the gray wolf said as he looked over the back of the car where Robert slammed the truck into Leo's Ferrari.

"Don't worry about the scratches, I just need new tires and the dents need to go."

"Okay, well it may take a while, if I were you, I'd take everything out of this car," Jake told Leo. "You can put it in my Mustang."

"Thanks, but why your Mustang?"

"You know, just in case you need to leave. Anyways that's my only car that goes fast, I barley use it."

Leo nodded then start removing his things from his Ferrari and placing them into Jake's red Mustang.

"Um Jake there's a big problem in the bar. I think Leo should leave," Abigail came out of the bar and ran to Jake. "We need to go with him."

"Why, what is it?" Jake and Leo asked.

"It's not what, it's who."

"Is Dalton here?" Leo asked.

"Yes."

Leo got in the Mustang; Abigail threw her apron on the ground then got in the back, while Jake got into the passenger seat. Jake gave Leo the keys, just as the back door swung open.

"LEO!" Dalton yelled.

"How mad did you make him?" Abby asked Leo.

"Um… how mad would you be if I popped the tires of your truck and shot you in the arm?" Leo said as he started the car.

"I would be really pissed off."

"Multiply that by ten," Leo said as he drove off.

"Oh crap… Leo you really love pissing people off, don't you?"

"Yes I love pissing people off, it's my job," Leo said looking into the rearview mirror, seeing Dalton on a motorcycle. "Jake you're going to shoot at them to buy us some time."

"Just like old times," Jake said grinning, reaching in the back to get a gun.

Abby grabbed Leo's crossbow.

"Leo, do you mind?" Abby asked, indicating the crossbow.

"Not at all, as long as Dalton slows down," Leo said, paying attention to the road.

Leo drove faster as Jake and Abby shot at the huge bear behind them.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this asshole," Jake said.

Jake shot Dalton in the shoulder then Abby shot the front tire of his cycle.

"Yes!" Abby exclaimed, and then laughed. "He's down, but really pissed."

Jake and Leo watched and saw Dalton take out his machine gun.

"Does he bring that thing everywhere?" Abby asked, her hazel eyes widening.

"Leo step on it, damn it!" Jake said as he watched Dalton load his gun.

Dalton shot and hit the back of the Mustang.

"Mother- This is my car!"

Leo went as fast as the car would allow and watched as the angry bear got smaller and smaller, until he was out of sight.

With Sly - one hour later

"I can't find anything about Leo!" Penelope exclaimed then just as she said it something popped up.

It was a newspaper article. Penelope read it out loud to the Gang.

"Leonardo Sanders was sighted today: People saw Leonardo and Dalton Brooks shooting at each other today. Dalton was chasing Leonardo, while Leonardo drove away and then returned fire at Dalton. Dalton's truck went flat while Leonardo got away. Dalton disappeared by the time the police appeared. If you have any information about Leonardo Sanders or Dalton Brooks' whereabouts please feel free to call this number…" Penelope stopped reading and looked at the guys. "That didn't help at all."

"Face it guys, we're never going to find where he is. Leo's been on the run for over ten years. No one has ever caught him, he disappears when someone finds him, he's a coward," Sly said.

Bentley and Murray looked at each other.

"Well it doesn't hurt to look, now does it?" Panda King asked.

"No, but…what's the point of trying?" Sly said, getting off of the couch.

"It seems like the enemy has already talked to Leo," Penelope said suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Sly asked.

"Leonardo Sanders burnt his hiding place: After the incident with Dalton Brooks and Leonardo Sanders, the police found Leonardo's apartment burnt to the ground. When they got there, it looked like someone had already been through the ruins. Police are unsure how long Leonardo had been in Paris and don't know when they will find him…" Penelope read.

"I'm guessing Leo said no to whoever this enemy is and then burnt his apartment so they wouldn't find him," Bentley said

"Smart… so I'm guessing Leo is on the run from them," Sly muttered.

"But where is he now?" Murray asked.

"Well I don't think he's in Paris anymore," Penelope said, "it would be stupid to come back."

"Well let's just track everyone else down first then we'll look for Leo," Sly said.

The others agreed and then they contacted Dimitri and the Guru, telling them it was time for another adventure.