- Are we there yet? - Herbert asked.
- Almost, we're at least other 4 miles away from the Panda King's house. - Kitty replied.
- We should have a plan, in case of another attempt of ambush. - Bentley said.
- What about this one: If we find any villains, we just crack their skulls! - Murray said excitedly.
- I agree. - Sly said while raising a hand.
- Me too. - Carmelita said.
- I'll help! - Dudley said excitedly.
- Guys, we need something less agressive and more tactical. - Penelope snapped at Murray.
- Then, what have you guys thought? - Barton asked.
- That we should split the team in two again. Herbert, Dimitri, the Guru and you should stay here, while the rest of the team goes for the Panda King. - Bentley replied.
- Can't you guys make any plan that doesn't involve splitting the team? - Kitty asked.
- Can't you just do what they say and stay quiet? - Sly asked in reply.
- Can't you two just get along before I decide to fry you? - Carmelita asked threateningly.
The Guru spoke in his strange language, which made everyone but Kitty nod in understand.
- I guess you're right, Guru. - Sly let out.
- He always know just what to say. - Bentley added.
- Did you understand him?! - Kitty asked shocked.
- Why you ask? Can't you understand him? - Carmelita replied.
- No! He just said nonsense!
The Guru frowned and said something again.
- Maybe, she really looks like she needs to calm down more often. - Murray let out.
- She does, Kitty may be the best agent ever, but she can't dance, have fun or relax. - Dudley added.
- What are you talking about? - Kitty asked.
- Kitty, even Dudley, Barton and I understand what the Guru says. - Herbert said. - And he says that you can't understand because you're under constant stress and you haven't found your spiritual center or something like that.
- Maybe you should loosen up a bit, Katswell, you should go out more often, or hang out with me and my pals. - Sly said nonchalantly.
- Heck no! When all this ends, I never want to see you or your friends, Cooper. - Kitty replied.
- (Sigh) Man, if the bad guys don't kill them, someone on the team will do it. - Everyone else muttered.
Murray glanced at the GPS and said:
- Hey Kitty, we're close to the Panda King's house, we should begin our descent.
Kitty nodded and both vehicles began descentting. After a few minutes, they finally saw the Panda King's house... or at least what was left of it.
Once the TUFF Mobile and the van touched the ground, the members of the New Cooper Gang jumped out of them and began searching for any signs of the Panda King or his daughter, Jing King.
- Panda King! Are you here? - Bentley shouted.
- I-I think we're too late... - Sly said with sorrow.
- GO AWAY! I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT MY FATHER AGAIN! - A girl screamed.
And right after the scream, a bunch of fireworks almost struck the Gang. They all took out their weapons and went to where the fireworks had come. Everyone was startled and ready for combat, but they put away their weapons once they noted that the girl that screamed was no one else than Jing King, and they saw that she was crying over his father's motionless body.
Sly, Carmelita, Bentley, Murray, Dudley and Kitty kneeled beside Jing King and Sly tried to pat her on the shoulder.
- Jing King, what happened here? - Sly asked worriedly.
- Three villains came here; they wanted my father to join them to destroy you. He denied the proposal and they attacked him. He fought with everything he had but they overwhelmed him. - Jing said with tears in her eyes.
- Who were those villains? - Kitty asked while she patted Jing.
- I did not know them; they were a strange fish with a cape, a black widow and a tiger. - Jing replied.
- The caped cod! - Dudley yelled.
- Rajan. - Murray said while clenching fists.
- The Contessa. - Sly and Carmelita said while frowning.
Sly glanced at the Panda King and he saw that he was still breathing, but they needed to take him to a hospital if they wanted to save his life.
- Murray, Dudley, help me carry the Panda King to the van, we have to take him to a hospital. - Sly said while he stood up.
Murray and Dudley nodded and helped Sly carry the Panda King to the van, carefully. Once the Panda King was inside the van, everyone shared worried glances with each other. Jing King was crying over Murray's shoulder, when she saw that no one was doing anything, she enraged and yelled:
- What are you waiting?! We have to take my father to a hospital!
- The problem is that we're now fugitives, we've been incriminated and we're trying to solve all this. - Kitty explained.
- We're now trying to think of a way to take your father to a hospital without getting caught, otherwise everything will be doomed. - Herbert added.
- We should use a disguise, that s the fastest way. - Sly said.
- Then it's settled, let's go to a hospital, we still have to save Keswick and recruit Mz. Ruby. - Carmelita said.
(Some time later)
We now see that our friends are inside a hospital, they were waiting to hear notices about Panda King's health, and they hoped to hear good news after all the problems they had faced. After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, a doctor came.
- Are you here for Panda King? - The doctor asked to the disguised gang.
- Yes, I am his daughter, how is my father? Is he ok? - Jing asked worriedly.
- He's gonna be alright, although he needs to stay at least a few days to heal properly.
- Can we see him? - Sly asked.
- No, I'm afraid you can't, he's in a pretty bad condition.
- Well, thanks for telling us the good news. At least he's going to be alright. - Kitty said.
The doctor left and once he was gone, Jing wiped the tears in her eyes and went to Sly. The rest of the gang saw that Jing's glance, which normally was kind and warm, was now clouded by anger and sadness. Sly thought that Jing would slap him, so he closed his eyes and waited for the slap to come. However, it never came. Everyone thought the same that Sly did, but Jing spoke instead of slapping the thief.
- I want to join your gang. - Jing said.
- What?! - The gang said.
- I want to help you find the criminals that have incriminated you and that hurt my father. - Jing explained.
- We... we can't, you're too young. - Barton said.
- But you need a demolitions expert, my father taught me some about fireworks, just in case, that is why I almost attacked you when you found me.
- But Panda King will never forgive us if we let you join us. - Murray replied.
- Either you let me join you, or I will go after the villains that injured my father by myself.
- (Sigh) Looks like we have no other choices, at least if we let her join us we can watch over her and make sure she won't get hurt. - Dudley said.
- Then, will you let me join you?
- Yes, we don't want you to get hurt, but first you must stop wanting to seek revenge, nothing good comes when someone looks for revenge. - Carmelita said.
- I-I will try.
- What do we do now? - Dimitri asked.
- We must go to Haiti, and then we'll try to rescue that Keswick guy which Kitty keeps reminding us of. - Bentley explained.
- Why are we going to Haiti? - Jing asked.
- We're going to need a magical specialist, and we're going to recruit Mz. Ruby for the job. - Penelope responded.
- I think I can convince her to join us, she knew me when I was younger.
The gang nodded and they silently left the building.
(Some more time later)
The Gang's vehicles were flying above the swamp were Mz. Ruby had hidden the Thievius Raccoonus pages, just before Sly came to reclaim them.
- We're here, and knowing Mz. Ruby, I'm sure she already knows we're here too. - Sly said.
- So this Ruby girl is some kind of witch? - Dudley asked.
- Not exactly, she uses voodoo as her source of power. - Carmelita explained.
- Anyway, the swamp is way too dangerous for everyone, except for me, I've been here before. - Sly said. - We must be very careful, we don't need any more troubles than the ones we already have.
- And how are we going to get through this filthy, unsanitary, moldy and bacteria-filled environment? - Bentley asked.
- We'll land over the center of the swamp, the way up to Mz Ruby's Skull Temple is easier from there. - Murray explained.
- And how are we going to convince her to join the Gang? I mean, she hates four of us. - Barton asked.
- But she likes me, she was like an aunt to me when I was younger. - Jing answered.
- Maybe we can convince her if Cooper, Carmelita, Bentley and Murray stay here. - Herbert let out.
- No, the sooner she knows what she's joining, the better. Otherwise she'd try to destroy me, my pals and my wife when she sees us. - Sly explained.
- We're here, let's get to the Skull Temple and pray to get out of here alive and in one piece. - Bentley said.
Once the vehicles touched the ground, everyone got out and stretched because of the long way they had travelled to get from China to Haiti. Then they followed Sly to the Voodoo Egg Beater (Evil says: Play "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus" in the level "Vicious Voodoo" to know what I'm talking about). But there was one big trouble, how could they get to the cauldron in the center of the Egg Beater?
- How do we get to the Skull Temple from here? - Herbert asked.
- We need to get to that cauldron, if we stand on its lid, the pressure will build up and it'll shoot us right at the mouth of the Skull Temple. - Bentley explained. - The problem here is to figure a way to get the whole team there.
Murray sighed, he went back to the center of the swamp and used an old drum over there as a trampouline, then he used his "Ball form" and bounced to the Egg Beater, he made it to the cauldron and yelled:
- I'm waiting for ya, buddies!
Bentley was speechless, so Herbert and Barton found their own way to the cauldron. They used the same drum that Murray had used and they reached some kind of second floor. From there they just walked a bit and jumped on one of the rotating platforms of the Egg Beater. They jumped aside Murray and smirked.
Jing, the Guru and Penelope imitated Barton and Herbert, and they got there without any problem. While Dudley and Carmelita mega-jumped to the cauldron. Dimitri just went back to the van. In the end, there were just Kitty, Sly and Bentley, the latter still speechless.
Sly and Kitty shared a defiant glance and the raccoon spoke:
- So, have you found your way?
- Yes, and you? - Kitty replied.
- Before we arrived here I already knew my way.
Sly and Kitty jumped over the vine surrounding the Egg Beater and ran to the second floor, then they jumped and joined the rest of the gang.
- Hey Bentley! Snap out of it, we don't have much time! - Dudley yelled at the still frozen turtle.
Bentley shook his head and nodded, then he used his wheelchair's afterburner to jump to the cauldron. Once the Gang was gathered, except for Dimitri, they now faced another trouble: the cauldron lid wouldn't be able to launch them all to the Skull Temple at the same time.
- So, how do we get there without anyone falling into the swamp? - Jing asked.
- Maybe I can use my Pick-Pocket-Pole to grab the lid once it shoots a part of the team, but I'm gonna need Murray or Dudley to help me throw the magnet and grab the lid. - Bentley explained.
- You should stay with Murray, I'm gonna need two mega-jumpers and another infiltrator if I want to get to Mz. Ruby. - Sly said.
- Why? - Kitty asked.
- Because I needed to use my Ninja Spire Landing move to get to her when I came to claim the Thievius Raccoonus pages.
- What's the "Thingus Raccamagoocus"? - Dudley asked.
- No time to explain, Dudley, we want to save Keswick as soon as possible. - Herbert snapped at the mutt.
Everyone nodded and Sly asked:
- So, who goes first?
- You, Carmelita, Dudley and Kitty; then Penelope, Jing, the Guru, Barton and Herbert; Murray and me will go at last. - Bentley replied.
- Ok, just make sure none of you fall on the swamp. - Carmelita said.
- Why did you have to say that? - Penelope wondered aloud.
The former law inforcements stood upon the lid, it began to shake as pressure began to build up. Seconds later, they were flying towards the Skull Temple, with Dudley yelling in terror.
After a short fly, the thief, the agents and the cop landed on what looked like a molar.
- Ick! This place is gross and smells bad! - Dudley complained while he pinched his nose.
- It smells even worse than the first time I came here! - Sly added while he pinched his nose.
- Just shut up and let's find that Ruby girl so we can get out of here soon. - Kitty said while she and Carmelita imitated Dudley and Sly.
Sly double-jumped and landed gracefully in something that looked like a fang, while Dudley and Carmelita jumped to the next molar, and while Kitty stood still, not knowing how to cross.
Sly glanced behind him and saw Kitty just standing over the first molar in the Skull Temple, he turned and said:
- Hey Kitty! What's the matter?
- I... I don't know how to get across this. - Kitty replied.
- Try using the Ninja Spire Landing.
- What?
- Hold on a sec, I'm gonna show you. - Sly said before jumping to the molar.
Sly landed in front of Kitty, which made both blush, and made Dudley and Carmelita growl under their breaths.
- Ok, just watch me and try to do what I do. - Sly said as he turned his back and used the Ninja Spire Landing again.
Sly jumped again and landed beside Carmelita, who was still growling.
- Ok, now you try it. - The thief said.
- I can't do it! - Kitty replied.
- Yes you can. I said that I am better than you at everything, prove me wrong, Kitty.
Kitty gulped, while the others were giving her support words. She sighed, closed her eyes and hoped to do just what SLy had done.
She double-jumped and imitated Sly's master thief move at perfection. Dudley, Carmelita and Sly cheered and Kitty opened her eyes.
- I... I made it? - Kitty said questioningly.
- Yes, you did it! - Dudley cheered.
Kitty smiled and jumped to the next molar. The former law inforcements shared a group hug and continued their way.
After a few more fangs and molars, they finally got inside the Skull Temple, but Mz. Ruby was still nowhere to be seen.
- Where could she be? - Carmelita asked aloud.
- Hmmm... I could feel that Cooper vibe coming, still the same most distastefully bad juju. - A woman said.
- There she is. - Dudley pointed at the upper level of the Skull Temple.
The Cooper Gang members tried to figure a way to get to Mz. Ruby, but Sly remembered something really important.
- Mz. Ruby, we're not here to fight, we came here to talk. Please, I just want to talk. - Sly said.
- Why'd I talk to you? You just didn't come here to beat the stuffing outta me but you also help Inspector Fox catch me and throw me into jail.
- I know that you hate them and all, but we can work out a deal. - Kitty said.
- What kind of deal, you group of thieves?
- We're trying to clean our names and stop an unnamed criminal organization, and for that we need your abilities. - Carmelita explained.
- You're offering me to join ya?
- Exactly. - Dudley replied.
- Why'd ya think I'd help ya?
- She will join us instead, and help us wipe out the Cooper family and his pathetic gang. - Someone else said.
- Get the hell out of my swamp or I'll make ya do it. - Mz. Ruby hissed.
- Your simple voodoo magic is powerless against the Black Arts of the Family Tsao, you cannot hurt me. - Tsao replied.
- How dare ya?! Ya'll pay for your disrespect towards the voodoo arts! Mz. Ruby shouted while she summoned many ghosts.
Tsao chuckled and raised his hand while he let out a battle roar (Which sounded more like a battle cluck). Then, many vampires surrounded not only Mz. Ruby and her ghosts, but also Sly, Dudley, Kitty and Carmelita.
- Either you join us, or you'll be exterminated along with the mutt, the vixen, the cat and Sly Cooper. - Tsao warned.
- Get the hell away from this place if you know what's best for you, Tsao! - Sly yelled.
- I'll teach you not to mess with a voodoo mistress like myself! - Mz. Ruby snarled.
Mz. Ruby sent all her summoned ghosts againsts Tsao's hopping vampires, and while the formers were a lot more, the latters were stronger. But there were four persons in the middle of the fight between ghosts and vampires; Dudley, Sly, Kitty and Carmelita were helping Mz. Ruby's ghosts fight the hopping vampires, but they had to do it at a distance, so the explosion caused by the vampires wouldn't hurt them.
"Why're they helping me? Or're they just fighing because they're in the middle?" Mz. Ruby wondered while she kept summoning ghosts.
"Is it just me, or Mz. Ruby is somewhat helping keep this hopping vampires away from us?" Sly asked himself while he kept shooting his M10D.
- Hey Tsao! - A girl yelled. - Taste a little repercution by what you did to me and my father!
The girl was Jing King, and when she finished her mock, she shot a bunch of fireworks at Tsao, breaking his concentration on his hopping vampire summoning spell. Tsao fell to the water in the Skull Temple, where he was blasted away by Herbert and Barton.
- CURSE YOU, COOPER GANG! - Tsao yelled as he fell from the Skull Temple.
All the members of the Cooper Gang smiled and they saw that the remaining vampires explode. Then they glanced at Mz. Ruby, who was a bit tired for summoning all those ghosts. Sly and Kitty walked to her and the thief spoke:
- Look, I want this as much as you, but the only way we're both going to succeed is by joining forces.
- I know that, Cooper, and even though all ya five had done to me, I'm gonna help ya. - Mz. Ruby replied. - Besides, I'm gonna teach that clucking bird a lesson 'bout who's the master in the dark arts.
- Why did Mz. Ruby say five if only four of us did something against her? - Bentley asked to the rest of the gang.
- I don't know, maybe there's something those two are hiding from us. - Carmelita answered.
The rest of the Gang looked questioningly at Sly and Kitty while they shaked hands with Mz. Ruby.
Sly, Kitty and Mz. Ruby soon joined the rest of the team with smiles.
- So, what's next? - Murray asked.
- Time for a rescue, we have all the people we needed, now it's time to go to Petropolis and rescue Keswick. - Kitty said.
The gang nodded and headed back to the van and the TUFF Mobile. Once they reached the metioned vehicles, Kitty, Sly, Carmelita and Penelope blasted Dimitri and then everyone got inside and plotted a course to Petropolis, to TUFF Headquarters.
