-kit
Chapter 18: Paradox Of Destruction
Carmelita shook her head, vehemently, explaining, "It wasn't an effigy of Sly. It was a photo negative; a carbon copy gone wrong. He was black furred with a gray mask and three gray stripes around his tail. We've got to stop this imposter and we've got to stop Steven and The Sire; they're absolutely mad!" She was absolutely adamant about this.
Bentley and Penelope exchanged confused looks. Bentley took his bicycle helmet off and reached to scratch his head, turning to the mouse he'd been working closely with. The construction of the Tank required parts that Murray was supposed to retrieve. Murray had called in and spoke to Penelope upon Carmelita's return. Turns out that Murray was having trouble.
Bentley finally sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, I understand but we don't have any means to go and attack a fortified castle with its own defense measures. We might be able to use this tank against it but then Sly is stuck in Moscow without support. We can't be in two places at once! We have to prioritize our plans, here. Clockwerk isn't going anywhere anytime soon. So let's go after this "Slick Cooper". Can you help Murray with retrieving the parts for this tank, so we can use it to wage an assault on the castle?"
Carmelita began to grow calm, nodding to his plan. "I hate working with you people; you're all criminals but… I respect and appreciate your help in launching an assault on this castle. Can we find some way to flatten it all at once?"
"I'll look up a contact in China," Bentley told her. "Jing King and Panda King will help me work out a structural plan as Panda is a demolitions expert. I'll pull the blue prints from the city archive micro-film and we'll attack an hour before sunrise. Just… stop shouting and go help Murray so we can get this done. We're rushing the tank construction now. Let's hurry. We'll finish it tonight and we can sleep tomorrow."
Carmelita nodded, appeased that they were going to move forward immediately. "All right, I'll go back out into the field and help Murray. I've got my shock pistol back; it's a good place to start. I can't have some evil version of Cooper out there stealing these artifacts. I'll be back with Murray within the hour. If anyone finds out I was working with you people, I'll deny it."
"Your secret is safe with us, Inspector Fox. I printed up the directions to where Murray is," Bentley replied. Carmelita nodded sternly, trying not to be scornful. She knew that this stage was necessary before destroying this freak. Killing him would buy Sly time. At least, that's the way she thought. She knew that Sly was just pulling a heist.
This new enemy had brought about such a swirl of negative sentiment that she was still reeling from this, emotionally. She had to do what she'd trained her mind to do and put work first. Her job was her anchor and her badge was a rock to cling to. Without them, she only had her sense of duty. Keeping busy meant keeping stable. She snatched the directions from Bentley and glanced at them.
"This is rather close," She murmured to herself. After giving the directions a second look over, she handed the page back to Bentley and nodded firmly. "I'll be back when we have the parts you require. Get yourself coffee now, because you're both staying up all night until this tank is finished. This is really big. We can't afford mistakes."
Carmelita left through the door, heading into the snow. Bentley turned to Penelope and frowned. "You really think there's a clone of Sly out there being grown in a tube? Where did they get the DNA?"
Penelope put a paw to her chin pensively, giving the situation some thought. "Didn't Sly get into a fight during his incarceration? I'm sure he has fur or maybe even blood on the floor that could be used. Either that, or if he was unconscious at any point of time, someone could have taken DNA from him when he didn't know about it. I don't see how it's possible to grow a clone in 24 hours, though."
"It seems quite impossible to achieve an adult clone in such a short time," Bentley grumbled. "Something isn't adding up. This will play out a little more before it makes sense, I'm sure. How's it coming with the electronics coupling?" The tortoise asked.
"I could really use a hand with it, to be honest," Penelope admitted. Bentley approached her, using his bionic legs and picked up the converter in his hands. She gave him a soft smile. "I'm really impressed, Bentley. You've made such confident strides since rebuilding your legs."
"Oh, well, uhm," Bentley gave an awkward smile. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment, any day." He immediately began tinkering with the converter again.
Penelope lifted her paws, placing them on top of the device. Bentley glanced up at her then looked off to the right just a bit. She leaned to press her lips to his cheek and at the same time, he closed his eyes and turned towards her, starting to speak again. "Penelope, I was thinking that the converter should be…" He paused. Due to the way he turned to the left, their lips met and the turtle tensed up.
Penelope froze as well but after a short minute, she decided that there was nothing wrong with the way it felt and the kiss grew, lasting nearly a full moment. Bentley wanted to sneeze at first from the anxiety of the situation but once he grew comfortable with the sensation, the need to sneeze passed. They both melted into the bliss of it all. Once the moment passed, Penelope reached up to run her fingers over his head, leaning back to smile into his eyes.
"That was… I mean," Bentley stammered. He finally took a long, slow breath to calm himself. "Thank you, I needed that."
"So did I; I think that's why I did it," She replied. "We're fooling ourselves, Bentley."
"How… How so?" The turtle asked, nearly growing anxious again at the possible suggestion that they were fooling one another's emotions in any way. Penelope lifted her snow-white paw to stop him, then placed her finger upon his lips with a tender touch.
"Not how I meant for that to come out. I'm just as nervous as you are," She replied, adding, "We were so gung-ho for a relationship last year. We moved in together, we constructed a new Cooper vault; we built the Temporal Chronometer Transporter and countless small objects. We had RC Robot fight matches… and every time we tried to move in the direction of a relationship, we both felt too awkward to put our bearings towards that path. We were comfortable with spending time together but we were always too shy to do anything more than holding hands. That has to stop, Bentley. I want this to move forward. I want an "us". You are mastering technology every day that could one day be used in giving you your natural mobility back. I'm so very impressed and I see you as the brave man you really are."
Bentley placed the converter on the workbench, took her paws into his hands and, with a trembling lip, forced the courage to do something he'd always wanted to do. Using the bionic legs, he was able to do something he could only dream of doing to her in the past…. He leaned forward, kissed her, then dipped the mouse at the waist, leaning into the kiss in such a passionate way that his nervous tendencies were forgotten for the moment and the kiss became their world. Everything was right in the universe for now. He had her permission to do it and she gasped at his actions.
Her gasp wasn't in shock but in excitement. Her heart pounded harder in her chest and she submitted to the sensuality of his step. He was kissing her the way a fantasy hero would kiss the ElvinPrincess in one of her science fiction fantasy books. Once the kiss ended, he still held her in a suspended dip so that her blonde locks hung only inches above the floor.
"You really put a flame in my heart," Bentley whispered to her, trying his best to shrug off how nervous and anxious this was making him. He tried to think of something more romantic but that was all that came out.
"Then let's light this candle, shall we?" She asked in an equally subtle tone.
"You know what it does to me when you use NASA connotations," Bentley admitted to her, his lower lip still trembling. He knew he had to stay strong and confident to do this. The legs helped with his confidence, that was the catalyst, he surmised.
"That's why I do it," She admitted, looking up into his eyes.
"You're one heck of a woman," Bentley said with a growing grin of comfort and inner strength.
Penelope, batting those lush lashes, reached up and took her glasses off. She then leaned up so that her lips slid across his, brushing soft lips against his jade flesh. Then her words came, partially muffled, between the near-kiss and her grin. "That's what it says on my web page." And with that, she leaned up that extra centimeter so that their lips meshed together once more in a full, deep kiss.
Carmelita made tracks in the snow. She reached down and scooped up some snow in her left paw and crushed it in her fist until it was compacted. She slid to a halt in front of the main door then put her paw out, using the snow to cover her paw so as not to leave prints on the metallic door. She stepped in, dropping the snow on the ground and pulling her shock pistol to the ready.
There was a table in the middle of the room with poker cards strewn about. Several empty chairs surrounded the table and there was no one to be found in the area. She noted a hole in the wall, leading outside, to her immediate left and frowned. "This is getting weirder by the minute," the vixen said to herself.
She was trying to keep her focus on the here-and-now but her attention began to drift back to what she saw in that Laboratory. How dare they clone Sly Cooper and turn him into some sort of science experiment! The thought alone was enough to piss her off. She tightened her left paw into a fist, gritting her teeth. She was a trained officer of the law and all of this stuff was building on her shoulders again.
Wondering into the back office, she was starting to seethe as the reality of what she'd seen in the last two days was beginning to settle in. Nudging the door to the secondary back office, Carmelita stepped in, blinking rapidly at the sight. Murray was alive but he seemed injured beyond capacity.
She approached the hippo and knelt down besides him. For a short moment, her anger and pent up emotions were placed into a jar with a loose lid. She put her fingers against his neck to check for a pulse. His blood pressure was low and his pulse was slow. He'd been out numbered and all because she had to go tearing off on her own instead of being a team player.
The vixen narrowed her eyes, punching a nearby chair, biting her lower lip to hold back the tears of anxiety. In order to stop Clockwerk and stop Sly's clone, she knew the entire team would have to be running at full capacity and with the strongman driver beat to shreds, it wasn't looking too good.
"You're going to be all right," She told him, whether he was completely conscious or not. "This isn't anything another bag of jelly beans wouldn't help, is it?" She asked in a faint attempt at humor.
A shadow eclipsed her from above and she looked up. One of the mafia bosses that had come to play cards tonight was standing behind her, pushing his sleeves up. He had a cut lip and a bruise that caused his left eye to swell shut but he fared far better than Murray. She stood up slowly, trembling to retain her composure but found it was difficult.
"As a police officer, I've come to confiscate your building for official police business. You can leave now with your tail and your pride intact. Now gather your goons and get out," Carmelita said, wavering on the line between calm and calamity. Her head was swimming and the headache that she'd tried to forget about was pounding now.
"Lady, get your fat friend out of my shop and I'll let ya live. How's that sound?" The mutt's words were all she needed to go off. An emotional explosion was the result. Before he could react, she swung her right paw out, pistol whipping him across the muzzle. Her left hand was already going for his collar and she pivoted hard, throwing all her weight into the maneuver, slamming him up against the opposite wall.
She put the shock pistol's yawning muzzle over his snout, making it impossible for him to open his canine-shaped jaw. "You have no idea what I've seen in the last two days. I said it before and I'll say it again," She growled, coming to pause at the end to take a long, slow breath.
She then pulled the gun from his face and whipped him with it again, one time for every word she spoke, "I!" she shouted, "AM!" Another strike across his face, "INTERPOL!" She concluded, hitting him one last time, with all her might. "DO YOU HEAR ME? ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING THIS?" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Even Murray, in his state of extreme injury, had to wince at the overly dramatic shouting.
She drew the pistol back again, then paused, seeing him cringe. She drew in a deep breath and gritted her teeth, speaking through them. "This metal shop might be mafia owned but it has just been commandeered by Interpol, and unless you want to see me angry, I suggest you leave."
Suddenly a massive paw gripped her shoulder. She was lifted in the air and hardly had time to gasp. Carmelita was slammed into the floor, having been thrown through the office door and out into the workshop area. From then on, her emotions ran wild and her temper had reached its boiling point. Carmelita stood up, her eyes blazing with rage.
She didn't see the Gorilla or the mutt or the other mafia bosses. She didn't see anything except for red. She was blinded by rage and yet her mind fell back upon its training to evade attackers and bring the fight to them. She immediately stormed through the door and executed a roundhouse kick at the first boss, who she had already beaten up.
He went down quickly. She jerked about, firing off the shock pistol at point blank range, causing the massive ape to seize. She shot him two more times, then slapped the gun across his face. Once he was down, another high voltage blast was hammered into his convulsing body. She planted her foot into his chest and leapt upwards, kicking another one of the mafia bosses across the face.
Simultaneous to her athletic jump kick, she had her gun pointed outwards and squeezed the trigger. The cobalt discharge lanced across the office, striking another mafia boss and throwing him clear into a desk which collapsed beneath his weight. The table legs shot out from under the desk, one striking the gorilla and the other slamming into the mutt with the swollen eye, hitting both men in random places on their torso. She then turned about and buried her left fist into the last man standing, plugging him with a shock round.
The one that had been jump kicked was starting to get to his feet but was finished off with a swift kick in the face. He went from kneeling to being laid out on his back, unconscious. Her fist was balled up and her other paw tightened around the gun handle, forcefully shoving it into a holster. She tensed her body up until her face turned bright red and tears streamed down her cheeks.
A string of vituperative cursing was directed towards the group of men in the room as she stomped across the fallen, in order to get back to Murray. Each stomp caused a grunt or groan in passing over them. Once she reached Murray, she knelt besides him, panting from the tantrum.
Once Carmelita regained her breath, she reached up to run her fingers through her hair, trying to calm down. "Are… you able to walk, Murray?"
"I'll be okay. I don't think I'll be fighting any more tonight, though," He said softly, trying to sit up. She would have helped him but she was still trembling from the adrenaline. Once he got to his feet, she waved for him to follow, "Lets get the stuff we need, find a cart to transport it and get out of here. We've got all new troubles on our plate and I can't even begin to talk about it right now." She was obviously too keyed up to go into whatever was making her angry. "Let's move."
Sly turned back to the camera. He marched several paces then stopped directly beneath the security camera. He pulled his cane out of the back of his belt and reached it upwards, using the hook to disable the cable plug in the back. Once the red flashing light flickered out, he turned about and began his marching towards the next waypoint. He only had two more cameras left to go.
Once they were out of the way, he made his way towards the jewelry exhibition. The case was on a time lock release and looked beyond his ability. Sly simply smirked. There was no way to break through the case without a bomb that would destroy the pearls. He gave the situation some thought then turned to head for the security office.
Once inside, Sly seated himself in front of the floor plan manual and began to skim through the pages. He found the information on the time lock release and checked a pocket watch that was part of his guard uniform. The display closed at 2100 hours, when the museum doors locked. The exhibit cycled through its time release lock at 2130 hours. The guard shift change was at 10 and he was now an hour too late.
After a moment, Sly freed his binoc-u-com, taking a glance around the empty security office, then called Bentley. On the other end, Bentley picked up, looking rather smitten. Sly blinked twice then offered his old chum a grin. "I've got a timing problem. I'm 22 and-a-half hours too early to open this case. It's on an automatic time release system that cycles the lock for the cleaning lady to come and dust the case at 9:30pm. I'll have to come back tomorrow night and finish this."
"Normally I'd be upset because of how long this is taking," Bentley began. "But to be honest, it might be better that way. I'll try and send Carmelita up there to help you out. Murray was hurt on his mission and I'm starting to realize that we're all safer in numbers. Sneak out and find a place to stay tonight. She'll leave right away on the first train out."
"Roger that. Oh and Bentley?" Sly asked.
The turtle was caught off guard, rebutting with a simple, "Yeah?"
The raccoon couldn't help but grin. "You've got lipstick on your collar. And I didn't even know Penelope wore lipstick. Aren't you the dirty rascal, Bent!" Sly quickly closed the channel before Bentley could verbally reply, leaving the tortoise with a deeply blushing expression that was as priceless as it could get.
Sly turned to the security tape machine, which had several static monitors showing. He rummaged through the tape from 6 days ago, put the cassette into the deck, replacing tonight's tape back into the empty slot and pressed play. After taking a short moment to cue the deck, he set the auto-on programming to begin playing tomorrow at 09:00 am, opening time. This way, the morning staff wouldn't notice that several cameras were unplugged when the Museum opened.
From there, Sly headed back to the floor, did a quick patrol walk, eventually making his way towards the emergency-exit. Once he got there, he nudged the back door open, slipped out and pushed it shut behind himself. "Time to find a hotel," he mused to himself.
The nocturnal raccoon had no problems sleeping through the day. Oddly enough, he awoke to a distinctly soft knocking on his hotel door. The clock on the table read 1400 hours and the sun was high in the sky outside. Sly approached the door peeking through a peephole. It was Carmelita. He blinked rapidly and called through the door, "One minute, I need to get dressed, hold on."
"Sly, just let me in," She replied through the door. Cooper blinked twice. Her voice was filled with a sense of urgency. He glanced down at the boxers white tank-tophe was wearing, shrugged, then unlocked the bolt. She opened the door, having heard the lock slide out of place, then stepped through, shutting it behind her. The room was pitch-black with the drapes drawn so it took a moment for her natural night vision to adjust.
"Thank heaven," She muttered.
"What?" Sly cocked his head suddenly startled when she wrapped her arms around him. He didn't know what to make of it. "What's going on, Carmelita? Is everything okay?"
"It will be now. I'm glad to see you," She mumbled into his shoulder. Sly, still rather confused by this, put his arms around her in return. She just buried herself into his chest, sobbing softly. Sly was baffled. His bemusement finally demanded an answer.
"What's wrong, Carmelita? I've never seen you like this," Sly explained. "And on top of that, you got here incredibly fast. I'm really impressed."
"None of that matters. It's nothing I can talk about," She explained in a shakey, quavering voice. It wasn't the normally strong Carmelita that Sly knew well; he'd never seen her passed her breaking limit before.
Carmelita nuzzled into his chest for a moment, adding, "Just know that things will happen the right way, now. I thought you were gone forever and it tore me apart. I never got to say thank you, good bye or even apologized for our past… I feel that I still owe you one and yet, you know me, I never apologize to anyone…."
"I noticed that," Sly chuckled, reaching to pat the back of her head softly. "You don't have to thank me for the times that you were in trouble. But," Sly paused for a moment. He didn't know what she meant with the 'good bye'. "I don't think we'll ever have to say Good Bye to one another if we play our cards right."
"Yes," She said in a firm tone of agreement. She lifted her head from his chest and gazed up at him, tears streaming down the side of her muzzle. "If we play our cards right, there won't be any need for Good Bye. That's why I'm here."
"I don't understand," He prompted in an attempt to garnish an explanation.
"It's like I said, Sly. I can't tell you. You just have to trust me. The important thing is that we're going to do things the right way and you'll be safe in the end."
"No offense," Sly replied, "But you're acting really weird. I've never seen you like this, even when we tried dating." (A/N: End of game series, Sly3)
"Sly, about a week ago, I had a dream that you were killed in a museum. Clockwerk was the one who killed you." Carmelita spoke over Sly's nod and murmur for her to continue. She took a breath as if it was painful to talk about then said, "Let's just say that last night, I… uh, dreamed that you were killed in that museum, by Clockwerk, but unlike my original dream, he tore you to pieces with his talons. When I arrived at 2145 hours, the museum was on fire and you were in the middle of the jewelry collection, dead. I dropped to my knees and sobbed and begged for it not to be true. I said all the things to you that I wished I had said sooner. I was devastated and in a way, it's closure from that… nightmare, just standing here with you."
Sly placed his paws on her shoulders, putting a few inches of distance between them so that he could look into her terrified amber eyes. Her bottom lip was quivering and her jaw was tightly set. He could tell by looking at her that she'd not slept the night before. That's the only reason he had to question her story of it being a dream. He'd never seen her be anything less than strong and it made him feel awkward with worry.
"Carmelita, you look exhausted. Maybe you should take a nap before we strike, tonight." Sly cupped her cheeks in his paws, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that stained her fur. "Relax, everything is fine. You're here. I'm here; Clockwerk is sitting in his mountain. Everyone is safe. It was… just a dream, like you said."
"It was pretty damn real… to me, I mean," She groused, trying not to weep again. Whatever she'd seen that she couldn't talk about was really getting to her. Sly had never seen her get this emotional and it was worrying him. He reached over her shoulder and relocked the door, then guided her to the hotel bed. Carmelita sobbed softly, "You'd better not die, Sly Cooper. I've realized that the last two times we beat him, we were a team, together. You trying to take him on by yourself is suicide. This new Clockwerk is just… too powerful."
"Okay, not to worry. You're here now, right? So relax," Sly said, motioning for her to settle down on the mattress and relax. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine," Carmelita grumped softly. "I just need to sleep this whole week off when it's all over."
"I'm down for that," Sly mused, pulling a blanket up over her. She didn't even take her shoes off. She just lay there on the mattress, looking exhausted. Sly came around the other side of the hotel room bed and sat down on it, propping up on an elbow. "I've never seen you so upset before," he said softly.
"You just don't know what I've seen in the last two weeks, Ringtail," She sighed softly, rolling over to face him. She looked dreadfully tired. "And worst of all, last night, I never got to tell you that I care about you and that you're someone special to me." Sly's eyes widened. She'd never acted this way before. Whatever this was, it was obviously tearing her apart inside. She seemed completely traumatized.
"But it was a dream, right?" Sly inquired thoughtfully. She looked distracted by his question then nodded in a confirming motion. "Is there something you want to tell me, Miss Fox?" Sly asked, still leaning up on his elbow.
"I suppose I never got to ask," Carmelita paused then face faulted, asking, "how you really felt about me and so I realized for the first time that I was curious if all your flirting flattery was true or not."
"I realized something back when I was fighting Doctor M's monster," Sly told her, sitting up on the mattress and resting his arms across his knees, sitting up in the traditional Indian style. "I love you." It was simple and sweet. She sat up and pushed the covers off her body, turning to face him.
"Do you mean it?" she asked, almost hesitantly. Carmelita was never one to hesitate and the fact that she seemed that way in asking to verify his love was almost shocking to him. Sly replied with a blink, almost turning his head to gawk at her.
He suddenly grinned and said, "I love you. If you don't feel the same way, the Cooper family blood line is screwed, because you're the only one I want. Is that straight forward and blunt enough for ya?"
She stammered, "I … I'm just… I can't believe I'm sitting here talking to you the way I wanted to do last night. You have no idea how much this means to me. I'm a little more stubborn than you are. I didn't realize that I loved you until you were taken from me. I felt foolish for not acting sooner. I feel as though I'm acting like a damn sissy. I know I get angry but I try not to be emotional like this." Her eyes lowered then her head.
Being his impulsive self, Sly reached his paw beneath her chin and lifted it until their gaze locked. Then slowly, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against her own. He had no problem kissing her in Russia several years ago. He had no problem kissing her at the end of a dance at the Police Ball, during their very short courtship. He certainly had no problems kissing her now.
Their muzzles slanted, one across the other, and their first real kiss of true passion began. While they had kissed before during the short relationship in the past (A/N: conclusion to Sly3: Honor Amongst Thieves), it was never this intense.
Her fur was soft like the petals of a flower. His touch was liquid graceful like morning dew rolling over his sandy-furred desert rose, exploring her form with loving intimacy. His whiskers brushed her face and her heart skipped a beat. Fox and Raccoon, it wasn't taboo; it was glorious.
She reached for him and let her bubbling emotions free. She clung to him and the kiss intensified. Outside the window, the northward-moving snow storm was beginning and snow quickly started to blanket the earth. She yearned for him and unlike anything she'd ever felt before, she was certain of one thing. Her heart sang. She was finding the closure she needed after her previous night of hardships.
It was something she couldn't explain to Sly. It was knowledge that, if she 'played her cards right', could eventually be forgotten. But after the thought of losing him had gripped her, she felt free to shower him with her bottled affection. It was a secret that she knew she had to scream to the world, lest she lose her chance to tell anyone, all together.
Paws freely explored one another as if for the very first time. While their relationship in the recent past was sweet, they never delved into anything quite so passionate as this. She touched his arms then traced her fingertips down over his torso, learning of the man she would give herself to. His masculine, sculpted chest and muscular contours caused a shiver to race down her spine.
From his athletic abilities, he was a treat for her roaming paws. Likewise, the last time Sly had been this close to her was when he was climbing over her body. As he could recall, it was when she wore the Mask of Dark Earth and stood 3 stories tall (A/N: Sly3 H.A.T.) and Sly had to retrieve it. Had the mercenary team not destroyed the mask, Sly would have gladly made Carmelita wear it again, when fighting Clockwerk. She would have easily kicked the owl right back into the dark ages.
But for now, all those thoughts were pushed aside. Feelings of love, sensuality, desire and passion were growing within them both. On this night, they made love as mates. Their words were more than just pillow talk. The sensual nature of Cooper's touch and the gracefulness of his love making took her world by storm and created such an intense adoration and devotion in her heart that she felt completely bound to him for the first time in her life.
He became her rock and her anchor. He became her stability. This night changed everything. The magic between them became obvious to the both of them and their feverous ardor and the fervor they shared towards one another was all consuming. Trust was given and handled gently.
There were no candles or rose peddles. There was no quixotic music in the background. There was no roaring fireplace for hearthside romance. This was a plain as could be, in the bedroom of a hotel. And yet, it was magic. Her prosaic pugnacious personality had been quelled. Sly Cooper, the man she chased and obsessed over, had become an affectionate antidote to her once wrathful heart. She was head over heels in love. Tears of testament wet her eyes and her soul sang sweetly as she became the instrument of joy in his tender paws.
The magic was in their hearts and hands. It was in their minds and bodies. The two became one writhing entity of desire, to the tempo of the age-old rhythm of love. They moved as one, writhing sensually with and against one another. It was an act of sheer perfection, regardless of their surroundings. And at the climax of it all, Sly broke the kiss, looked down into her eyes and spoke of his true love for her.
When the conclusion of their session was upon them, they slept together, his weight a comfortable blanket upon her form. And for the next several hours, the two of them slumbered in one another's embracing arms. Carmelita dreamt deeply as if she'd not slept in forever. Her dream was partially spoken aloud and every so often, Sly woke up just enough to listen to the sound of her voice.
Her words made little sense at times. They were contradictory at times and told a story of her past week that he'd not known until now. He could only attempt piecing things together. Perhaps this was all deeper than he realized. But for now, only one thing mattered. They were together the way he wanted to be with her: happy and in love. The chase was finally over, for him and for her.
Eight Thirty came too quickly but Carmelita found herself incredibly well rested. The two of them shared a kiss and she nearly blushed when she realized that they were still mated, there, in the bed. A shower was called for and the plan was to be ready for this Museum job he had to do. Without the pearls, there would be no way to attack Clockwerk's volcano lair.
Using a nuclear device would be something any country would spot. International intelligence sources would have seen a briefcase nuke from 5th avenue. Bentley's device, consisting of the uranium pearls was a different story. They could bring the machine into position, then load it with the pearls and drop the bomb right into Clockwerk's lair. It would take the cake for the biggest explosion of the gang's history. Bentley and Murray kept score of their best bomb blasts but this would be one that no one would ever forget.
Carmelita knew that Clockwerk would attack tonight and because knowledge is power, she knew that they would survive it. The museum job came on time as scheduled. At 9:30pm, Carmelita had commandeered the cleaning lady's uniform and was cleaning the box while Guard Cooper was cleaning out the pearls.
"You know, I never thought I'd be pulling a heist with you," Sly said to her.
"You have no idea how much stealing bothers me. If you weren't the Robin Hood type, I'd not have taken to you," She said, shaking her head and trying to smile. Honestly, no matter what his intentions were, jaywalking was just as much of a crime as murder.
Once more, she glanced at her watch for the millionth time, tonight. "We're using these pearls for official police business. We're not stealing them. Is that understood, Constable Cooper?"
Sly grinned, his eyes raking over her feminine form in the adorable maid outfit. "Absolutely clear, Inspector Fox. So, why do you keep looking at your watch, Carmelita?"
"Because he's supposed to be here," She muttered under her breath. She cleared her throat and explained, "In my… uhm, dream, you see… he attacks at 9:35. He sweeps in, crushing the roof, then grabs you in his talons. I arrive at 9:45 and I followed the sound of the screaming and his gloating voice as he flees… and I see it all happen at exactly 9:46."
"What time is it now?" Sly chuckled playfully.
"9:34 and 58 seconds." Carmelita glanced around, nervously, shutting the display door on the empty pearl case. "9:35 and 7 seconds…"
"Well, I guess dreams don't always come true," Sly chided playfully. "I don't see Clockwerk. I don't hear flapping wings outside. Not that the new Clockwerk would need to flap anymore. I'm sure he's got all sorts of new technology that Steven put on him. Kinda ironic that Clockwerk killed him."
Carmelita gave Sly a sour face. "Yeah; last I heard? Steven was really… Oh never mind. You'll find out soon enough," She said, shaking her head slowly. "Let's just get out of here, while we still can," She instructed. The suspended Inspector hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "This way should be best. Follow me."
The two of them crossed the museum, coming to the lobby by the main doors. It was beautiful, surrounded by glass on all sides. It was an architectural marvel, by far. A splendid glass chandelier hung above them and snow was covering the top so that the glass roof had a solid-ceiling appearance from inside. Carmelita glanced at her watch then looked up at Sly with a starry-eyed grin. "We did it."
"Got the pearls?" he asked.
"It's 9:40. No Clockwerk; we got the pearls and we're together. Everything is right in the world, Sly Cooper. We've won." She leaned up to kiss him, still wearing the cute maid outfit, consisting of a sort of ankle-length skirt. It was almost like a ball gown in a way. His guard outfit resembled a tux, complete with a cummerbund and dashing little bowtie.
Carmelita spied a turtle wheeling by in the hallway and took her paws up, side stepping to put Sly's back to the passing tortoise. She offered a smile but glanced over his shoulder for a moment to make sure the vision of rolling green was gone. Sly glanced over his shoulder for a moment but saw nothing behind himself.
Sly took her paws into his and began to sway about. There they were, in disguises. Her hair was put up differently and she was wearing contacts so as not to be identified as an Interpol agent by the head of security. For some reason, something felt oddly familiar about this moment, to her. She allowed for him to give her a twirl and smiled softly as they shared a dance of victory, there in the museum lobby.
"You just love me because this is the second time I've romanced you with a dance," Sly joked playfully. She placed her head into the crook of his neck; the perfect place on the perfect crook. She nuzzled her face into his body and muttered under her breath.
"You're a real bastard, Sly Cooper," She joked back, her words muffled against his neck.
"You're quite an arresting young lady, Carmelita Fox," Sly chided, kissing the top of her head. She giggled softly and Sly blinked, looking down at her. She grinned up at him and that's when he realized that she'd handcuffed them together. "Now that's kinky," Sly chuckled, seeing their wrists attached. "You realize you're going to have to let me go, right?"
"Not necessarily," Carmelita said with a smirk. Regardless of enjoying herself with him, there was something oddly familiar about this entire moment and she couldn't quite place a furry digit upon it. It all seemed so familiar and perhaps being overtired was the reason she couldn't quite pinpoint why this was so very recognizable. "Sly? Are you having a feeling of déjà vu?"
"Other than the dance we shared in front of Rejan?" Sly mused thoughtfully. "Are you falling in love with me again for the very first time, Carmelita?" He was trying to play this off with a relaxed sort of humor. His comforting smile gave her confidence. It was approximately 9:45 and nothing had happened. She was able to focus on him and ignore her watch for once this evening. So far, a full ten minutes passed with no sign of Clockwerk. Her smile brightened and her worries melted away into a grin of victory.
"You really should let me go, it's hard to dance when I'm shackled," Sly chuckled.
"Really? I think it's quite a becoming style on you. Ah well. I have no power to arrest you anyhow," She said with a shrug, rolling her shoulders forward. "But I've got you just where I want you now. These could become quite fun back at the hotel before we hook up with Bentley and the gang. You know?" She gave a teasing grin. She, being as inexperienced in romance as he was, had no idea what to do with handcuffs. No idea, beyond sitting down and playing "cops and robbers" and chase him around the bedroom. The thought made her giggle.
"Okay, cutie. Very funny. Now, where's the key?" The raccoon licked his lips with a touch of apprehension.
"Key? I don't have it, Sly." Her eyes told him that she was completely honest, this time. There was no key on her; it was in the bottom of her other shoes, back at the hotel with her regular clothes. They'd have to go back and get it, later. Sly couldn't help but chuckle. It was an adorable irony. Still, Carmelita couldn't shake the nagging sensation of having done all of this before in some measure.
Some things felt different, fresh and new but all in all, she felt as though this had all happened before. "I really do feel like we've done this before. Perhaps we should cut the rug on the train, heading back towards Prague. There's a lot going on there and I didn't want to worry you. We could use your help; Clockwerk can wait. We'll go after him as a group."
"Are you sure?" Sly asked, tilting his head. "What about the tank and everything else?"
Carmelita was beginning to grow more adamant. It was as if she'd just remembered something, now that they had achieved success in taking the Pearls from the display case. "Sly, trust me. We should head back to Prague. Something tells me they'll need our help before we can get theirs. Let's go; we got what we came for, let's just leave."
"All right, I suppose we can save our next dance for the 18 hour bullet train," Sly said with a hint of promise. He tugged her close for a moment, hugging her to him. Her eyes lifted to look at his face but she noticed his ears flicker first. Hers followed suit and she couldn't help but blink. Something subtle, yet ominous was in the air. Her eyes began to widen once she realized where the sensation of déjà vu had originated from… She dreamed a variation of this scene a week ago. (A/N: Remember Chapter 1?)
Her head began to lift, just in time to see the glass above them beginning to crack. Carmelita's lips parted and a single word was breathed out simultaneous to her heart stopping for an instant. Her eyes reflected the crystal chandelier above. The word went unheard over the ambient sound of cracking glass. "…no." It was an unheard plea.
And in that moment, she remembered where this odd sensation of familiarity came from. It was a near perfect recreation of her first dream that started this entire episode. The disguises. The dance. The passing tortoise in the wheelchair. The museum and the glass chandelier. Burying her face into the crook of his neck and calling him a bastard; the handcuffs, all of it. It didn't happen like her dream, note for note, but the tune was the same.
Her arm was forced upwards. Sly lifted his arm to protect her and the handcuffs forced hers to lift as well. Shards of glass rained from above and she was nestled safely against his chest, protected beneath his powerful, athletic limb to which she was bound.
"No, baby, please," She whispered. The glass fell around them, glinting in the reflection of the lobby lighting. It was beautiful if only for an instant. The refracted light that glistened like glitter was raining around them with plump little flakes of snow. Sly's eyes lifted and widened. She glanced up as well, seeing a reflection in his eyes that would be etched into her brain forever.
The spiraling chandelier toppled from above. It was coming for her. It was going to crush her. Her gaze lifted further and her dilated eyes shrunk to pinholes as the shadow grew above her. Suddenly her body was jerked back and she panicked. She knew what this meant. She remembered this part. She put her paws against his chest with the intent to protest but it was too late.
Sly dove forward, knocking her to the floor. Their arms were still linked at the wrist and his body fell upon her. It was a comforting blanket of his weight, like back in the hotel, earlier tonight. It felt so right and yet everything was so wrong. Her mind was spinning. Her emotions were about to come crashing down. Their bodies connected with the floor and the moment, while slow, seemed to crawl to a near stop.
Tiny glass shards tinkled softly against the ground all around them. Her heart, seeming to have been at a complete stop only a fraction of a second ago, was now pounding out of control. Sly Cooper's eyes met with her own. His jaw dropped and his eyes went distant. Something was distracting him from affording her an affectionate gaze, what could it be? Her mind was spiraling about, trying to take the moment in and grasp it.
Sly's free paw gained purchase on her un-cuffed wrist. His grip was firm and yet there was a measure of desperation in his touch. Immediately following the fraction of silent time was the loudest noise she'd ever heard in her life. The crystal chandelier crushed him, above her. It tore through his back, eviscerating the man she had come to love so very dearly. Gazing over the raccoon's shoulder, she saw the silhouette of Clockwerk.
The weight crushed them both. Clockwerk's form grew from above. Carmelita's eyes flitted back to her savior and protector. His own soft orbs were milky and hazed as death began to claim him. Her heart was exploding into a thousand pieces all impaled with pangs of pain as sharp as the glass that took her beloved Sly Cooper away…
His voice was the faintest, weakest cry for help. All that he could manage to say became a heart wrenching statement that traumatized her mind. "I'm… so cold," He wheezed softly. From above, Clockwerk descended upon them, his talons bared. Suddenly Sly Cooper became a great deal lighter. The chandelier was plucked from his back and thrown across the room, shattering the front door into a thousand fragments. She begged for this to be a nightmare; she begged herself to wake up.
Suddenly a scythe-like talon pierced Sly's back. It erupted from his stomach and was driven through Carmelita's heart. The Inspector's eyes widened like saucers. Her paws gripped at Sly's arms as tightly as possible. She was beginning to die and it was real this time. A voice was heard from nearby and it sounded oddly like the vixen's own.
"Cooper!" Carmelita's head lulled back, her muscles giving out and her will failing her. She struggled to squint through the encroaching darkness that blurred her vision. Another Carmelita Fox began to approach. Was she having an outer-body experience? She couldn't be sure. But there she was, standing in front of a dead Sly Cooper and a dying Carmelita Montoya Fox, upon the floor.
Clockwerk, perched upon the two bodies on the ground, attempted to rotate his head. The owl looked at a standing Carmelita, his head completely inverted. It took a few moments to compute the paradox of seeing two Carmelita Fox's in the room. The dying vixen on the floor called out with her last breath.
"Go back further; stop him before he's finished! It's the only way…!" With that, Carmelita was dead. She lay beneath Sly Cooper in a shallow grave of glass fragments. She was gone. The uncomprehending Inspector Fox who stood a few feet from the doorway began to back away from the horrific sight of Sly Cooper and a woman who appeared to look like herself, dead beneath the razor sharp talons of Clockwerk.
"…Ringtail?" She muttered softly. Suddenly, rage boiled over and her shock pistol was lifted, pointing it directly at Clockwerk. She opened fire; the first shot struck Clockwerk directly between the eyes. The owl rotated his head and lifted his giant wings. The glass on the floor was fanned away, blown towards the walls on either side of the room as he lifted upwards. His talon was disengaged from the lifeless bodies of a man appearing to be Sly Cooper and a woman who was handcuffed to him, appearing to be Carmelita Fox.
The Inspector took several more shots at the departing bird, but he was long gone by the time her shock-cell was dry. The battery automatically ejected, clattering to the ground. Carmelita squeezed the trigger two more times but the familiar bucking weapon had grown silent. She was afraid to lower her gaze; afraid to see what she thought might be at her feet. She was afraid to face the truth but she knew she had to.
Slowly, her head dipped, taking in the gruesome scene of double homicide. There was absolutely no way the women beneath Sly could be her. She clinched her paws tightly, trying to hold herself together. There had to be an explanation. Was the woman a clone of Carmelita? Slowly, the Inspector knelt in the glass rubble, fishing out the dead woman's wallet.
She then fished her own wallet out and inspected them, trying to keep her gaze averted from the two bodies on the floor. Tears were nearly blinding her and she was fighting for her breath. Emotions ran wild and her heart was beating out of control. A tear fell from her snout, landing on her own wallet, staining a paper business card with her name on it… but then something strange happened.
Where that tear had fallen on her own business card, nestled inside of her wallet, the doppelganger wallet reflected it. A dried circular mark appeared in the same place on the other wallet's business card. Carmelita shook her head, trying to regain her senses; she was a cop first, she had to put her training first. If she couldn't solve this mystery, she might wind up no better than the couple on the floor. Were they just clones maybe?
She couldn't be sure. Inspector Fox thumbed the business card from the wallet that had come from her own pocket. She then bent a corner of the paper card, creating a crease in the paper. She replaced the card then turned her attention to the wallet which came from the pocket of the dead vulpine body splayed across the floor. It only took a second or two, but the crease began to appear until it was fully visible.
Fox paused, trying to think this through. Her eyes were still moist, making it difficult to see. She tried to recall the last thing said to her. Something about going back further and stopping "him" before he's "finished." And finally, something was mentioned about this 'being the only way.'
"It failed!" A voice cried from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Bentley in his wheelchair. Wasn't he wearing bionic legs last time she saw him? For that matter, wasn't he supposed to be in Prague, a full day's travel from here?
"We were too late!" Bentley cried. "Now you both die and I'm all that's left. You have to get to Prague; you must hurry!"
"What's going on?" Carmelita sobbed, throwing the other wallet to the floor and clinching her own. "What the hell is happening here? Who is this woman on the floor? Is she a clone of me? How the hell did you get here, you were in Prague!"
Before Bentley could explain, his body began to grow transparent. Carmelita blinked in shock, shaking her head rapidly. "Where in the hell are you going?" She demanded but the image of Bentley faded until it was gone.
"What happens?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes. "How do I know that you're not a clone, like they're making of Sly!" There was no answer. Her eyes returned to Cooper's body and the vulpine beneath was beginning to fade away as well. She blinked rapidly, growing frustrated from the confusion. Was it a vision? Was she hallucinating?
Sly was now laying flat on the floor, without anyone beneath him. He was dead, alone. She cradled his head in her lap, sobbing softly. "I never got to tell him that I thought of him as more than just a criminal."
The wind howled from the hole in the ceiling above her. Carmelita simply ignored it, holding Sly's lifeless head in her arms. She whimpered softly, blocking the rest of the world out. Guards from other parts of the museum came out from the woodwork, gathering around her, having heard the massive sound of Clockwerk's attack.
The vixen wasn't responsive. She cupped Sly's face in her paws and leaned in to softly kiss his cold, lifeless lips. It was then that the realization of his death hit her like a ton of bricks. A guttural wail of mourning erupted from her throat and she clung to his head, holding his upper body across her lap. Hot tears fell from her face, soaking his fur, matted down in dry sweat and blood. As the minutes raced on, her sobbing became uncontrollable. She begged and pleaded for it not to be true and yet it was.
Sly Cooper was dead. The statement of the other woman, who was no longer here in corporal form, was running through her mind like a bullet with no direction. She had to "go back further?" She had to "stop him from being finished? It was the only way"? It was confusing. This traumatic moment would be forever emblazoned in her mind. Scalding tears were offered in mourning to the man she loved and never told.
"I'm so sorry, I never trusted you. I'm so sorry I never told you how much I loved you. I'm so sorry, please don't be gone," She murmured softly. One of the guards wanted to ask what was going on here but it was obvious that she was devastated. Her Interpol badge told them everything and so no one spoke yet. Silence battled with the howl of the wind from above and snow fell upon her and upon Sly Cooper's motionless body.
After several moments to gather herself, she put a finger to her ear and used her Interpol communicator to patch a channel in to Bentley's Binoc-u-com. Once he answered, she immediately broke down again. "Sly is dead! He was killed by Clockwerk; he's dead, Bentley, he's gone!"
Bentley looked exasperated on the other end of the channel. "What!" He cried, tearing his glasses from his eyes. "He can't be!"
"He's dead, Clockwerk impaled him with his talons! Bentley, what do we do!" She shouted, losing her composure completely. "He's dead! Do you hear me, he's gone!" She wailed. "I never said goodbye to him! I never kissed him the way I wanted to kiss him or hold him or shared one last dance with him. He meant so much to me; he was more than some obsession!" She shouted, defending herself over past accusations put upon her by old coworkers. They were all meaningless now. Her love for Sly would never be fulfilled and she mourned the loss as much as she mourned his death. His death was the birth of a new feeling in her heart… one of being hopelessly incomplete.
"Carmelita, I," Bentley was immediately cut off.
"I don't understand what's going on! I'm hallucinating; I'm scared and I couldn't save him the way he saved me! This is a nightmare, wake me up from it!" She demanded, breaking into sobs again.
"Carmelita!" Bentley cried over the communications patch. "This isn't a dream, we're under attack from The Sire's Interpol units. We've taken up hiding beneath the streets of Prague until we can mount a return attack on the castle. Please come back and help us. Bring those pearls, without them we're all going to die! Please, you have to hurry. Every hour counts. I love Sly like a brother, trust me when I tell you that I'm taking this very hard, but if you don't hurry, we're all going to die under Clockwerk's talons!" He closed the communications patch immediately, unable to keep a straight face anymore. He had to sob and it required private time. Now she was alone with the Museum guards and Sly's lifeless body.
She couldn't explain the vision of herself and the vision of Bentley in the wheelchair moments prior. She only knew that she needed to cry. She'd only cried twice in her entire life before this moment. The first time was when her mother passed away as a child and the second time was when she graduated from the police training academy, because of how proud she felt, standing besides her father.
She wondered if he would frown upon her from his retirement cottage on the French Riviera, for sobbing over the body of a Criminal. But something the old man wouldn't understand was that she was in love. He chased after Sly's father and had a passionate grudge against the Cooper thieves. How could his proud little daughter be in love with the son of a scoundrel?
She always tried to apprehend Sly Cooper to make her father proud. That was the beginning of her obsession. In the end, she was denying her love for him and while they enjoyed a short-lived relationship after that moment on Kaine Island in the south Pacific, it was never a fully bloomed romance. But in all that time of trying to appease her family and her heritage as a fourth generation cop, she failed to placate her heart first.
She had denied her love for him. And now he was gone and she'd lost the chance. Things could have been so incredibly different if she'd not been so very stubborn. She leaned over Cooper's dead body and clung to him. Her tears drenched his dress shirt, staining it directly above the tattered blood stains where the talon had pierced his midsection.
Suddenly her jaw dropped. She came to the sudden realization that if Sly's body was put into a morgue, Steven would locate it and use his mind to put the Master Thief's abilities into the clone, "Slick Cooper." She knew she had to keep Sly's body out of Steven and Sire's reach at all costs. She had to hide his body and come back for it when all of this blows over. She had to. She was overly protective of him, even in his posthumous state.
The bullet train back to Prague had her in a tearfully reflective mood. She recalled the times he'd saved her life and the times they had shared together. She reflected on the past week and what he said to her in the window before heading off to fight, approximately 40 hours ago. She demanded that he tell her that he loved her and he promised he would say it if he made it back. Now he was gone. She had 18 solid hours to weep. She couldn't sleep at all. She was emotionally and physically exhausted and her body ached all over. She felt as though she didn't have any more tears to cry.
Her chest ached horribly from her broken heart. The world seemed to be crumbling about her and colors seemed less dull in her life. Once she arrived at Prague, she headed for a cab. It was nearing 5pm in the afternoon. Her wristwatch read 16:48 hours and the snow had stopped falling, in the Czech Republic. The ground was covered and throughout the city, salt trucks were driving through the freshly plowed streets, getting the town ready for another snow storm expected later that night.
She hailed a cab and took it across town to meet the guys at the waypoint. Every time she started nodding off in the cab, an image of Sly's grisly mosaic splashed across the museum floor was there to fill the darkness. Her eyes were quick to flutter open, wide and yet swollen from the night of tears.
Once she'd arrived, she stepped out of the cab, dropped a few francs more than the price of travel into the passenger seat and left the cab. She was pretty sure that the cab driver would complain because he'd have to have the money converted at the local bank but once he realized that it was a quality tip, he probably wouldn't mind so very much. It didn't matter; she didn't care about anything right now.
The manhole cover in a sidewalk was pried off and she began to descend the metal rung ladder. Steam rose from the sewers due to the subterranean heat generated in order to keep the gutter cesspool from freezing during the winter. She trudged along for several moments in the empty tunnel, occasionally passing through parts that had water only a few inches deep.
The snow would melt in the next few weeks and the sewers would get backed up with the runoff but that was still quite a while away. She had the pearls in her pocket and she walked with a heavy heart that was reflected by her dreary step. Something was bothering her about all of this. Why did she see herself in a maid outfit and why did she see a vision of Bentley in his wheelchair? Why did they disappear? Was her tired mind playing tricks on her? She couldn't fathom the confusion of it all.
Something up ahead caught her attention. She came to the corner of an intersection and peered into the next passage. The echo of heavy footfalls could be heard, approaching from nearby. Carmelita quickly flipped the proper channel open on her communicator but all she got was static. She wasn't sure if she had limited reception due to being underground or if Bentley was unable to respond.
Just to be safe, Carmelita located a small drainage hole in the wall just large enough for her to crawl into. She shimmied up the side and slipped her legs into it, then she wiggled down into the drain and hid in silence. Her instincts were still strong and her training was still with her. A moment later, something came by.
The metallic offensive attack suit paused where she could see who was inside of it. A skunk sat within its confines. Several smoking barrels, located on his shoulders, were still hot from recent use. Her stomach iced over and her heart sank further. Would she be alone on this? She wasn't sure, just yet. Once he passed, she climbed out of the tube and began to sprint in the direction from which Steven had come. At the end of the tunnel, the area opened up and Carmelita froze in shock and fear.
A metallic attack suit was in pieces on the ground. Bentley was laying face down on the concrete, his bionic leg attachments were mangled up, on the ground. They appeared to be useless and torn into scrap. Penelope lay motionless in his arms and Murray was on his back nearby, not breathing. Gleaming rubies rested upon the hippo's chest, staining his favorite blue shirt in a scarlet splotch. A crimson puddle surrounded him. He was obviously gone.
Penelope was dead as well. Bentley was approached and Carmelita knelt down besides him. He lifted his head slowly, tears running down the side of his face. "We're too late. They launched a preemptive strike. We weren't prepared," He panted softly. "And because I wasn't ready, I lost Penelope. She's gone, Miss Fox. I love her so much and she's gone."
Carmelita tried to cry with him but she felt as though her swollen, puffy eyes had nothing more to offer. She was nearly dehydrated from crying all night and morning on the train. The sullen vixen picked up his glasses from the ground and dusted them off against her shirt. She reached forward and placed them upon his beak-like nose. His wheelchair was folded up in the back corner. She approached it and brought it back to him.
But for now, he lay there besides the fallen Penelope. Bentley was just beginning to go through what Inspector Fox had experienced last night with Sly's body being laid out across the floor of a Museum in Moscow, Russia. She couldn't even find her voice to offer an apology for his losses: Carmelita remained silent.
The tortoise was on the brink of a major emotional breakdown. "She's gone, Sly's gone. Murray is gone, Clockwerk is back and they're going to send the clone of Sly out to hunt down the Thievious Raccoonus or to find Sly's body and link their brains. It's all over. If what you've seen and heard from that demon was right, the end of the world could very well be upon us and we're powerless to stop it."
Carmelita, finally finding her voice, asked in broken tones that reflected her long night of crying and sore throat, "What does it mean to go back further, before he is finished? And… is it the only way?"
Bentley lifted his head from where he lay on the ground. His eyes bore up into Carmelita's gaze, blinking rapidly through the glasses that she'd retrieved for him. He pushed himself up and grabbed the wheelchair, using his arms to pull himself up into the seat. "Penelope and I built a Temporal Chronometer Transportation unit, after we finished the new Cooper Vault," Bentley said weakly. Tone was returning to his voice however, as if hope had somehow been restored. "We have to get to Paris and you have to come with me."
"I don't understand. What is going on?" Carmelita snapped, narrowing those swollen eyes to the point where she was hardly able to see.
"We built… we built a time machine (A/N: Mentioned at the end of Sly3) and I didn't realize it until now but… it's our only hope to stop this from happening. We can go back in time to yesterday and you can help Sly and I can warn you, so that you and Sly come back and help us fight off this attack then we can storm their castle."
"No," Carmelita said, shaking her head slowly. "I thought they were hallucinations because they just faded away but when Sly died, I was dead too and I saw myself… and you. And the other Carmelita had been killed. Her dying words were to "Go back Further; it's the only way." Yesterday is too soon. If you really do have a time machine, we have to go back and defeat Clockwerk before he's finished. He's too powerful to fight. Sly, Penelope and Murray shouldn't have to die needlessly. We have to go back and stop this all from happening. Doing this is the only way to ensure that they STAY ALIVE. I'll escort you back to Paris; we'll requisition a small plane and annex any gear we'll need before attempting this… time portal machine that you built. We have to hurry."
"We have to go back and keep Steven from attacking us and killing my Penelope," Bentley said, looking exhausted. "How far back do you think we should go?"
"A few days," Carmelita replied. "We'll all be in Prague and we can ensure that Clockwerk is never finished and the clone of Steven is used to lure the real Steven out of hiding. Then we'll defeat them both. We'll plan this out ahead of time; knowledge is power. We'll be able to defeat The Reaper, Steven and his Clone, Karla Chintzy and disassemble Clockwerk, all before they can get themselves ready. But it's only the two of us. How will we beat them?"
Bentley shrugged. "We'll have to manipulate the situation and cause our other halves, as well as Sly and the gang, to come together and strike at the right times in the right places, without creating a further paradox. We'll do it without crossing paths with them, if possible at least."
"You're sure you can go back and keep all of this from happening?" Carmelita asked. She was half-ready to believe anything after seeing Bentley and herself in that room with Sly's body, last night.
"Help me get back to Paris as quickly as possible, Inspector Fox. We'll keep all of this from ever happening. The thing is… we have to be very careful about what happens. Shaping the future is very dangerous. The outcome can jeopardize our very existence. We can only do what we're going back to do then hope that everything fixes itself from there."
"Then let's get this done," Carmelita said, still feeling numb inside but starting to grow faith from the hope that Bentley was portraying. It was obvious that the turtle really believed in his time machine. Just seeing him snap out of his depression was enough to help her begin to shake off her own for the moment. If there was any chance to keep Sly from being killed, Carmelita vowed to take that chance. Even better, his proposal would save the whole team if it worked. Every action had a reaction, every choice had a consequence. They just had to go back and hope to make the right ones so that nobody dies. She had to have faith that they wouldn't screw up and have this plan backfire. If they weren't careful, they could get everyone killed including themselves. They just had to plan carefully and pray it worked.
A/N: Okay, this may be hard to follow for some … and just incase it is, I'll give you the short version of what in blue-blazes just happened… Also, because I know a few of the readers that are following this story have NEVER even played Sly Cooper games (let alone even KNOW what the characters LOOK like), I made a few more Author's Notes than usual in this chapter... I know they're annoying and you won't see'em very much but this chapter sorta need'em because I've just discovered about a handful of readers that are only here, reading, because of the story, not because of Sly Cooper :) Maybe they'll slide into the game series the way I did and enjoy it as much as I have. Who knows:D So... here's what just happened as a super-short re-cap for those that didn't follow well:
Ahem... Sly, in chapter 17, is in a disguise to steal the pearls from a museum. By a window, he sees a flash of light and then he sees Bentley and Carmelita race through the streets, but the turtle is in his wheelchair, when we all know that Bentley was using bionic legs since the middle of this story. Why? Because he was coming from the future, after the attack, when his metal legs were trashed by Steven in combat.
Chapter 18 begins with Sly doing the heist and finding out that he has to wait until the next night for a time-release lock on the display case… he does so. Bentley says "I'll send Carmelita to help you out, so you don't wind up injured like Murray was, here in Prague." It takes a day of travel to get there and yet, the next afternoon, Carmelita shows up at his door and he's surprised. But what he doesn't realize is… it's Carmelita from the future who JUST saw Sly get murdered by Clockwerk. They do the heist together despite her hatred of crime, calling it "Official Police Commandeering of Equipment"… they do the job together and Clockwerk takes longer to attack because now that there are two people to attack, he is simply processing a plan of attack and takes a few extra minutes to strike. Carmelita's plan to save Sly backfires, they both die. Present-day Carmelita walks in through the door on Cue and her future doppelganger says "GO BACK FURTHER" and of course, Carmelita doesn't know what that means until she learns that Bentley has a Time Machine.
Now Bentley and Carmelita, the only ones left alive, have to go back in time before ANY of this happened, stop Clockwerk BEFORE he's built, which was the original plan but they couldn't manage it… well, now maybe they will. Will Clockwerk survive? Will Bentley and Carmelita change the course of history to better save the gang's lives? Find out all of this… and more… in the next chapter! YAY! Btw, sorry this chapter was so long... 12,000+ words... niiice. :)