Chapter 5.- Memories.

(Twenty-seven years ago)

A raccoon wearing a blue t-shirt, blue boots and was carrying a wooden cane with a C-like golden hook, was staring at the city of Petropolis from the roof of a building. His name is Connor Cooper, the best Master Thief until the date. Suddenly he feels something out of place and smiles.
- You know you can't sneak up on a Master Thief like me, Alexander. - Connor said with a smile.
Connor turned to face a cat with tan fur, black short hair and green eyes, who was wearing a blue coat, a black shirt, blue jeans and dark brown shoes.
- I know that already Cooper. - Alexander replied.
- Then why did you tried it again.
- So he could distract you. - A voice with a Latin accent said.
- Ramiro Fox, I never thought I'd see you here in Petropolis. - Connor said with a smile.
- What can I say Connor? Alexander and I met back in Mexico when you stole the Anthropology Museum of Guadalajara. - Ramiro said while he whirled a pair of handcuffs in his index finger.
- Are you here to arrest me? - Connor asked.
- No, we know you gave up a few months ago. - Alexander said.
Ramiro and Alexander approached Connor and shared a hug.
- Don't you remember the full pardon we gave you? - Ramiro asked.
- Maybe he just lost it or something. - Another voice added.
- David, glad you could make it to our little "reunion". - Alexander said.
The man known as "David" was a white dog wearing a blue t-shirt and black jeans.
- Have you guys forgotten that I have the sense of smell of a hound? - David said while he joined the group.
- Nope, we just like to pretend that we forget about it. - Alexander said.
- Man, it's been quite a long time since we've been together. - Ramiro let out longingly.
- Yep, who could have ever imagined that even if we were enemies before, we'd become such good friends? - Alexander said.
- And to think that we owe our friendship to the Fiendish Five. - Connor let out...

(Present time)

The travel to the Cooper Gang's hideout was silent, Kitty and Sly were way too embarrassed to do anything else than lower their heads and look at each other. The others just glared at them and huffed, they really felt betrayed by their actions.
- We're here. - Murray said while still frowning.
Dudley and Murray stopped the vehicles and everyone stepped out of them. Sly and Kitty kept their heads down while everyone walked inside the house. Once inside, the two infiltrators noticed that the Gang was glaring at them again, they fell backwards and sat down while they began to cry.
- Wipe your crocodile tears, we all know that you don't feel any guilty. - Carmelita said coldly.
- You just don't understand Carm! - Sly said while sobbing.
- No, I do understand, and I guess that everyone here understands that you and Kitty have been hiding secrets from us. - Is there anyone that isn't hiding secrets?! - Carmelita asked very furious.
Nobody dared to do anything, they knew that Carmelita was hurt and angry, and she had enough reasons to be so, her husband and her friend had had a relationship, even if it happened a long time ago, she was still hurt.
- Well?! - Carmelita said exasperately.
- We... We just... I-I don't know how to say it, Carmelita. - Kitty said between sobs.
- How about if you just say the truth for once since we've met?
- You guys have to trust us, we never thought that this was so important for our mission. - Sly said while wipping a few tears.

(Somewhere else)

- You said you could rid of them easily! - Growled Jack Rabbit.
- And I could have done it if their stupid friends had not intruded! - McCullen yelled before smirking. - But I would not call it a defeat at all.
- And how would you call it then? An overwhelming beating perhaps? - Asked Raliegh.
- No, I saw Mr. Cooper and Miss Katswell's faces before I left Petropolis, the others do not trust them anymore. - It was quite expectable, if you ask me, after what Clockwerk did to them the last time they were together.
- How do yeh know 'bout that? - Muggshot asked.
- I made an investigation, I know everything about those two and their little friends.

(Back at the Cooper Gang's hideout)

The whole gang is in the living room of the hideout, they are waiting for Sly and Kitty's explanation.
- It was nine years ago, me, Bentley and Murray were beginning our thieving reputation, we thought that Petropolis could be a good start. - Sly said.
- Jack and I were trainees, the new generation at TUFF, our first task was to bring down the new Cooper Gang before they earned their reputation. - Kitty added.
- We never knew that because of that we'd become more than enemies. - The two infiltrators said in unison.
- Are you saying that you hid a relationship from a secret agency and a gang of thieves? - Herbert asked, feeling half impressed and half angry.
- Yes, we liked each other a lot, and it was an exciting thing, me, a trainee from the Turbo Undercover Fighting Force, and he, the next Master of all Thieves. - Kitty said, only earning a deadly glare from Carmelita.
- You were Sly's girlfriend just for the excitement?! - Carmelita said, feeling outraged.
- No! I did like Sly, and he did too.
- Yes, we went out on a few dates, until "that" happened. - Sly said.
- What do you mean by "that", Sly? - Asked Jing, quite confused.
- I think that we have to help them to explain. - Mz. Ruby said while looking at Bentley and Murray.
- You mean... - Bentley said.
- Yes.
The rest of the gang was confused, Murray, Mz. Ruby and Bentley knew about Sly and Kitty too?
- You mean that you knew?! - Carmelita yelled.
- No, we just knew a few hours ago. - Murray said.
- But we know what they mean by "that". - Bentley explained.
- I think I now remember, it was that incident with Clockwerk, right? - Barton asked.
- How did you know? - Asked everyone.
- I was the one that put Inspector Fox after Sly Cooper and the Fiendish Five, I had a record about their crimes.
- Exactly, it was nine years ago. - Sly said.
- We were both at our jobs, he had just escaped from a museum. - Kitty added.
- She was chasing me, until we saw five cloaked figures get inside a warehouse.
- Those figures were Muggshot, Raliegh, Panda King, Clockwerk and myself. - Mz. Ruby explained. - We had a reunion about what Cooper was doin'.
- We were naturally curious, that's why we got closer to the warehouse, but after that everything went to Hell.
- What happened? - Carmelita asked while still frowning.
- Kitty almost died, I suffered schizophrenia for almost two years, Murray, Bentley and Jack were and the Fiendish Five ran away scot free.
- How? - Jing asked.
- Me and the others found'em, then Clockwerk ordered Muggshot, Raliegh, Panda King and me to kill Kitty. - Mz Ruby explained.

(Nine years ago)

Muggshot tried to punch both youngsters, but Sly grabbed Kitty's wrist and pulled her closer to him, then they started running towards the exit, only to watch it explode by some fireworks.
- Muggshot! - Clockwerk growled. - I told you that Cooper is mine!
- Who cares! As long as Cooper is dead, who cares who killed him! - Muggshot replied.
The brawn of the Fiendish Five lunged at the trainee and the thief, only to be kicked in the face by both youngsters. Muggshot backed away and growled while the two young infiltrators tried to climb some boxes to escape. Raliegh used his tounge to grab Kitty's left ankle and then he threw her against the ground. Sly jumped over the machinist and whacked him in the head with his cane, then the raccoon ran to help Kitty, only to be shot by some voodoo magic.
- Not so fast Cooper! - Mz Ruby said.
Sly coughed some blood but stood up again and glared at the Fiendish Five.
- I will not let you hurt her! - Sly said firmly.
- Oh is that your girlfriend, little raccoon? - Muggshot mocked.
- That's one more reason to kill her. - Said Raliegh.
- You'll have to pass over my dead body. - Sly replied.
- That is exactly what we intend to, Cooper. - Clockwerk said while narrowing his eyes at the thief.
Clockwerk raised fligh and lunged at Sly, who could barely evade the diabolical machine's talons. Then he rolled out of Clockwerk's way again, only this time the heinous owl could cut Sly in the back, making a rather severe wound. Clockwerk chuckled and lunged at the raccoon again, only to be shot in the head by some sort of blaster.
- Not so fast you scrap metal! - Yelled a yellow furred rabbit who was holding an blaster.
- Your reasons for save Cooper are unknown to me, but that was a big mistake from you, luckily it will be the last you will ever make. - Clockwerk said.
- I don't think so Clockwerk.
- You may fight with Cooper, but I will be the one to give him the coup de grace.
- Cooper, try to get Kitty out of here, I'll distract Clockwerk and his pack of idiots. - Jack Rabbit said.
- But why? - Sly asked.
- I don't like you but Kitty does, so be a real man and save your woman, ringtail.
Sly nodded and went running to where Kitty was lying unconscious, while Jack did everything in his power to distract Clockwerk as much as he could. However, the Fiendish Five didn't seem to pay much attention to Jack because they were decided to finish Sly and Kitty. But our dear ringtail wasn't going to let them kill him and his girlfriend without a fight.
Panda King shot two fireworks at Sly, who dodged them without any difficulty, then Mz Ruby tried to shot him with another voodoo energy beam, but the raccoon ducked once again. Sly ran faster and lunged at Panda King, the youngster whacked him in the head hard and left him unconscious. Then Sly evaded another voodoo beam and slammed his cane's hook on Mz Ruby's stomach. Then Muggshot tried to land a punch on Sly, but the raccoon crouched and slipped through his legs, then he climbed up his back and slammed him in the head with his cane. Unfortunately, Raliegh was ready to counterattack any of Sly's moves.
Sly ran as fast as he could, with the intention of kicking Raliegh in the face, but the machinist of the Fiendish Five caught Sly's ankle with his tongue and slammed him against some boxes. Sly grunted and coughed some blood before getting up and glaring at Raliegh.
- Is that all you got? - Sly asked mockingly.
- Well, if I didn't crush your body, perhaps I should try crushing your heart! - Raliegh said while turning to Kitty's unconscious body.
The mischievious frog took out a small jar, he opened it and released a bee, he caught the bee with his tongue and swallowed it. Then the frog bloated and smirked at Sly, before jumping to try to crush Kitty. Sly ran as fast as he could, he slipped and grabbed Kitty before Raliegh could crush her.
- You will not escape from us, Cooper! - Raliegh said in a hoarse voice.
Raliegh jumped again and tried to crush both teenagers again, but Sly rolled out of the way, with Kitty still in his arms. The machinist tried that other four times, and then he went to his normal self. Before he could take out another bee, Sly took his cane and whacked Raliegh, knocking him out almost immediately.
Sly was going to smile, but a sudden cry of pain made him turn around and watch as Clockwerk slashed Jack's chest with his talons. Then, the hideous owl started to charge energy in his eyes, to shot a very powerful energy ball that would end Jack's life.
Just before the energy ball could hit Jack, Sly slipped and grabbed Jack, taking him out of the way. Jack opened his eyes a bit and saw Sly panting.
- Why did you saved me? - Jack asked.
- You did the same for me, now we're even. - Sly panted out.
Clockwerk saw Sly, and immediately shot an electric ring at him and Jack. Sly threw Jack out of the way and let the ring hit him.
Clockwerk knew that Sly was completely knocked out, so in order to hurt him emotionally, he turned around and saw Kitty over some boxes.
He also saw a barrel of acid near her. Clcokwerk smirked and flew to the barrel, picking it up in his talons, to drop the contents over Kitty.
Sly slowly recovered consciousness, he blinked a few times and shaked his head to accomodate his ideas. When the blurriness in his eyes finally went down, he gasped him horror at what Clockwerk was planning to do with his girlfriend. He felt a fit of rage and grabbed his cane. He ran with all his strenght left and jumped, the hook in his cane pierced the barrel a bit and he pulled it away from Kitty with all his strenght. Unfortunately, some of the acid within the barrel leaked out and slipped over Sly's cane, reaching the thief's hands. Sly was wearing gloves, but his gloves weren't thick enough to protect his skin and fur. Sly threw the barrel and dropped his cane while hissing and grunting in pain. The young thief looked at his hands, noticing that his fur and skin had been burned by the acid inside the barrel. Ignoring his injuries, he tried to take his cane, but he dropped it again immediately while hissing in pain.
- You are really smart and lucky, Cooper, but your life will end here. - Clockwerk said while glaring at the raccoon.
Sly backed away, while clenching his teeth, both in pain and fear. "I did everything I could, I'm sorry Kitty, I couldn't protect you," Sly thought while closing his eyes and awaiting for his death.
However, Clockwerk screeched in surprise when another blast hit him in the head, stopping him right in front of Sly.
- I don't think so, Clockwerk! - Kitty yelled, while holding an smoking blaster in her hands.
Clockwerk glared daggers at Kitty, he was completely angry, knowing that just three teenagers had defeated the Fiendish Five.
- HOW DARE YOU?! - Clockwerk yelled.
- I will not let you kill Sly! - Kitty replied while pointing at Clockwerk with her blaster.
Clockwerk flapped his wings, which sent both youngsters back. Kitty fell on her butt, just like Sly, they both stood up and glared at Clockwerk.
- Face it, scrap metal! We won! - Sly said.
- You will NEVER defeat me, Cooper! - Clockwerk snarled.
Clockwerk sent an electric ring towards Kitty, who could dodge it, but she dropped her blaster and fell over some acid, at least her hands did. Kitty let out a hiss of pain and drew her hands close to her chest.
Clockwerk seized Kitty's distraction, so he shot two energy balls from his eyes to the ceiling above the trainee. Kitty heard some loud noises above her, she raised her head and saw that the ceiling was going to collapse over her.
- KITTY! - Sly yelled while he ran to where his girlfriend was.
Clockwerk was going to attack our favorite ringtail thief, but the sounds of sirens stopped him. He glanced at a broken window and saw some lights, signaling that the police and the rest of TUFF had arrived.
- We shall meet again, Cooper raccoon. - Clockwerk said.
The mechanical bird screeched and woke up Muggshot, Raliegh, Mz Ruby and Panda King from their unconsciousness.
- We must leave now. - Clockwerk stated.
- What about Cooper? - Muggshot asked.
- He will come to us someday.
The Fiendish Five sneaked out of the warehouse, just a few moments before the PPD and TUFF arrived at the place, all of them holding guns in their hands.
- Hands up Cooper! - Yelled a TUFF agent.
Sly ignored the agent and kept tossing rubble left and right, while hissing in pain because of his acid burns, till he finally found Kitty. Unconscious again but alive. He took her out of the rubble and carried her in his arms.
- I need an ambulance! - Sly yelled.
- What did you do to her?! - A police officer asked in astonishment.
- He tried to protect her against the Fiendish Five. - Jack said while holding his left arm.
- How do you know that? - Herbert Dumbrowski asked.
- I saw him, the Fiendish Five were here just a few moments ago.
- The Fiendish Five?! - Everyone asked in unison.
- Yeah, Cooper protected Kitty and saved my life. - Jack said while standing at Sly's right. - The least we can do is let him go, just today.
- Ok, come here, you three will need medical assistance. - A police officer said while everyone put away their guns.
Sly and Jack walked at the ambulance, once Kitty was on an stretcher, and his hands were properly healed, he went to Jack and asked:
- Why did you help me?
- You saved my life and protected my partner, it was the least I could do. - Jack responded as a matter of factly.
- Thanks.
- There's no need, I don't like to owe anything to people, especially criminals.
Jack went inside the ambulance, followed by Sly.
A few hours later, Sly was inside the General Hospital of Petropolis, in Kitty's room to be exact. Sly looked at her laying in her hospital bed, she had not waken up since the incident.
- I'm sorry you had to go through all that Kit. - Sly said softly.
He got near his unconscious girlfriend, he kissed softly her forehead and left a rose with a Cooper calling card over her chest.
- I'm really sorry but I can't be your boyfriend anymore, I would never forgive myself if anything bad happened to you. - Sly said while he turned his back and headed to the window. - I just hope one day you can forgive me.
Sly opened the window, took his cane and jumped through the window, with the intentions of leaving Petropolis for good.

(Present time)

- How could you?! - Jing asked Mz Ruby while pointing a threatening finger at her.
- I was evil at that time, but Cooper helped me and gave me his hand, even after all the horrible things I did to him and the kitten. - Mz Ruby said. - I'm sorry Cooper, I hope you can forgive me.
- It's in the past, I can forgive you for that, but not for what you did to my parents. - Sly said while wipping a few tears.
- I forgive you too Ruby, and you too Sly. - Kitty said while imitating Sly.
- I should say the same, but I don't know, you two betrayed my trust. - Carmelita said.
- It's ok Carm, at least you're not angry anymore.
- I'm still angry, but at least I won't kill you two during your sleep.
- That's relieveing. - Sly said with a weak smile. - What about you Dudley? Are you still mad at Kit and me?
- Kind of, thanks for protecting her. - Dudley said.
- Um... you're welcome?
- I still don't get it, if Jack and you were on the same side that night, why does he hates you so much? - Barton wondered.
- I don't know, maybe because I won Kitty's heart and he didn't.
The Guru spoke and everyone glanced at him, after everyone nodded, the looked at the two infiltrators.
- Well, my master's right, we should also forgive you. - Murray said.
- Hey Bentley, can you invent some kind of translator so I can understand what the Guru is saying? - Kitty asked.
- I'm sorry but I can't, you'll have to ask anyone for translation. - Bentley said.
- Well, now that that matter is closed, we should get back to the other matter, clean our names and stop the unnamed criminal association. - Sly said.
- We have to find Keswick, but to do that, we'll have to find the unnamed criminal assocition's hideout. - Herbert said. - Can't we invent a name for them so we don't have to say "the unnamed criminal association" everytime we mention them?
- Well, the writer's out of imagination for names. - Dudley explained.
- Let's get back to business, we're gonna need more help if we're going to find the UCA's hideout. - Scarlett said. - Any suggestions?
- Um... I could call my siblings, but they're gonna flip once I tell them that this is the Cooper Gang. - Carmelita said.
- Why? - Jing asked.
- Carlos is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Mexican Army, Camila is part of the Federal Preventive Police of Mexico, and Cecilia is an AFI agent.
- Ah-fee? - Eveyone asked.
- It means Federal Agency of Investigation, like the FBI but Mexican.
- I think my twin sister wouldn't mind joining us, she's more open-minded than me. - Kitty said.
- My cousin Cleo could give us a hand. - Dimitri said.
- I'll call my brother Dylan. - Dudley said.
- I guess that should be enough people for the next step. - SLy said.
- What are you talking about? - Carmelita asked.
- I have an idea, but first you all have to do exactly what I tell you.