Statendam

Universal Exports, Hamburg, Germany, 1100hrs-Two Days later

Emile Largo looked like a broken man. His life's work gone, before he had a chance to even see it, much less get a hold over it. Now he was prone to short temperedness, and everyone feared him to be a loose canon ready to go off. As soon as the Narrung docked in Chile, he took a flight back to Hamburg. Now sitting in front of him was his best computer hacker in Condor's employement. Yves Gluont had been hacking computers since his days in school, back when there were much less sophisticated computers. He was first discovered when he managed to hack into a super computer at a company he worked for and raised his paycheck from 500fr to 1000fr a month. His only mistake was buying a Ferrari with his ill gotten gains and showing it off to his manager; who in turn told the big boss: Henri Modock.

"Nothing," Yves said, looking away from the computer to Largo.

"Look AGAIN!" Largo seethed.

"HEY!" Yves defended. "I'm about to get a writer's cramp from doing your bidding, and I'm still not finding anything on your treasure! I've practically gone through all the Interpol files with a fine tooth comb and all I can find is that they never managed to find any of Cooper's gold! The only think that could remotely be of any relation to that are the files on Cooper!"

Out sheer rage and frustration, Emile kicked the chair out from underneath the hacker, and jamming his neck into the table edge, choking him.

"Then find me EVERYTHING on the Cooper Gang members," Emile muttered into Yves ear. "Got that?"

"Yes," Yves tried to say.

Emile sneered and released the hacker and left, letting him fall to the ground, clutching his neck.

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1300hrs

"I've pinpointed the general locations of Cooper Gang members," Yves said, motioning to a wall map with several pins sticking from it.

"We got a sport diver near Jamaica, he'll be in Kingston to dedicate two new cruise yachts called the Orduna and the Orbita" he continued. "There's an aboriginal guru in the Australian Outback. A monk living in the Kunlun Mountains, but makes a seasonal trip to Hong Kong with his daughter. An RC specialist by the name of Penelope, also a pilot, she's in the Netherlands along with another member, Bentley. And then there's the getaway driver, currently in the van stock circuit and will be a participant of the van stock races at Talladega, Texas."

"Wait," Emile interrupted. "There are four pinpoints. There should be five. Where's Cooper?"

"I couldn't find any info on him anywhere," Yves replied. "His file's been closed, but there's no record of any prison he's in. I've even checked every single prison under management of Interpol and still nothing."

There was a short pause before Emile put his finger up to a pin. "Here," he said. "That's where we'll go. Holland. I think it's time we paid a visit to Bentley an his squeeze…"

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Interpol Paris Division-1500hrs

Sly lounged in his chair. He had nothing to do, he was getting bored of flirting with the other girls, and his attept to make Carmelita jealous in hopes of seeing if she really likes him had grown stale. He knew she had to have liked him, because as long as he can remember, he was her only partner she allowed to address him informally and plus, if she didn't like him, then why did she lie to him say he was a cop and not a master thief?

Sly smirked. Yeah, she likes me, he thought. He wondered what the guys were doing. From what he heard, Murray was in the stock van circuit, and from replays of the race footage, he was becoming notorious as the driver who WILL survive any kind of crash, especially the ones that tend to kill. And then Dimitri, with his money, had built two luxury cruise yachts to compete with Seaborn Cruises and another two hundred footer for himself. Sly smirked again; maybe he should go for a cruise for his next vacation.

By now, he wasn't so bored. He had a lot on his mind. And one of them was the Police Ball. He wanted to ask Carmelita to it so badly, but for some reason, when he was about to ask her, he'd choke and change the subject. He couldn't figure out why, but he believed that his beloved would just turn him down like all the rest. But on the other hand, he might lose his chance to ask her out, though, he realized, was unlikely. Carmelita would still be available, after all, she does turn down every guy who asked her, except Winthorpe, the intern, but that's because she's completely oblivious to him. Then again, he always chose the wrong time to say things to her; like his futile flirting with her while she's too deep in thought.

"Enough beating around the bush," Sly muttered to himself. "I'm gonna ask her out, and if she says no, then I'll be cool with it."

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Statendam, Holland-Next Day-0730hrs

Bentley finished the last of his coffee, looking over at his girlfriend, Penelope. Things had gone well after the Cooper Vault job, just like everyone else, they finished with a void in their heart. Sly was gone, likelihood of seeing him anytime soon was very slim, and the gang now scattered, but still together through a brotherly bond they created together. Panda King returned to his estate in the Kunlun Mountain range to meditate and watch over his daughter, Guru was teaching dreamtime to rock stars, Murray had his racing, Dimitri had his sport diving, and he had his beloved Penelope.

Together they had started an engineering firm that already had several rich clienteles. Murray and Dimitri were regulars. Murray used any of the latest technology they invented installed into his van to give him a very much legal edge, and Dimitri had them design his cruise ships from the keel up.

"Ready?" Bentley asked. "The Fokermann Contracts are not something we should be late for."

"Yep," Penelope replied, pulling on her jacket.

The Mercedes glided down the road, heading for the facilities that made up their engineering firm. When ACES was abandoned, the guest hangars and the Black Baron castle were left vacant for them. The Baron's castle became the offices and administrations, as well as the vaults for the blue prints and technologies, and the hangars about a tenth of a mile away became the production and testing facilities.

Upon parking the sedan, the two got out, and made their way to the elevator. But upon entering their office, there was already a person there.

"Who are you?" Bentley asked.

There was a muffled sound and Bentley slumped in his wheelchair. Penelope tried to scream but somebody had grabbed her from behind and clamped their paw over her mouth. She couldn't move and tears were forming. She was going to die, she thought. And another muffled sound came and a dart struck her in the neck. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

"Grab 'em and get going!" Emile ordered, placing the dart gun in his pants.

The henchmen silently and carefully brought the unconscious couple to the loading dock; a sublevel underneath the castle, and thrown in the back of a trailer. Emile climbed into the cab, sitting shotgun, while the other henchmen sat behind him or in the trailer. The semi left the docks, exiting out onto the road through the town. Since it had the company logo on it, nobody held any suspicion what's so ever. But to the keen observer, company trucks don't pass through town, only through the facility before entering the countryside…

uh-oh! looks like the Cooper Gangs in trouble! R&R people, R&R.