Hey, this is NS comein' out to say how glad I am over your support. So for now on, I'm going to have one of those 'Dear Editor' type things at the beginning of every chapter, and I will be giving a reply to your reviews. It doesn't need to be a question, and if you don't want your review posted, let me know. So to begin with, the only two people who reviewed my last chapter: (check recent reviews to know what they wrote)
PixieGirl13-I know how it feels; I'm friggin' swamped with homework. Last week I had to lug home five (COUNT THEM!) FIVE DAMN TEXTBOOKS! And thank you for you for your warm criticism about the race, and Sly and Carmelita's date. And I only wish I could have better integrated the 'Marathon Dump' line. And sorry about the wisdom teeth; but hey! At least you didn't have to have your appendix removed in the middle of a life-threatening situation (my appendix had ruptured). And thank you for reviewing.
Heiduska-Thank you for being my longest kept (and most loyal) reviewer. And don't worry, Sly and Carmelita's evening won't be spoiled, trust me. And to answer the second to the last line: Those two will get even happier! Unfortunately, I don't know how long it'll take to get the next chapter out, cause I know how this story will end but I haven't figured out the right way of getting to the climax. And thank you for reviewing this, and all my other stories.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meditation, Expiration
Paris outskirts-2300hrs
Carmelita gave a sigh of contentment as she gazed out at the Parisian skyline. Sitting next to her was her date; Sly. He was admiring the view too, or so she thought. His arms were crossed behind his head, creating a headrest as he laid back against the windshield. Being a gentleman, he chose to sit on the side of the GSX's hood where the tachometer was; it's bulge digging into his lower back.
Sly would every now and then gaze at his partner out of the corner of his eyes, and each time, he felt a wave of happiness and delight break over him. Carmelita was meant to be dropped off at her apartment two hours ago, but neither one seemed to want the night to end. The radio weakly let out the music flowing from its speakers, happily out of reach of the two. Yet the thought of Bentley and Penelope kidnapped continued to nag at his conscience. How could I be enjoying myself when my friends are in peril? He thought.
"Hey Carmelita?" Sly said.
"Hm?"
"I was suppose to drop you off two hours ago," he said.
"And I could stay out here for another two hours," Carmelita replied.
"We got work tomorrow," Sly said.
"So?" Carmelita replied in a 'what's your point' tone.
"So, maybe I should take you home," Sly continued, sliding off the hood and opening the door.
"Fine," Carmelita sighed. It was obvious she didn't want to go home.
Carmelita didn't want to go home. Now, home reminded her of how lonely she was. She sometimes recalled comparing herself to a lone candle in the dark. But now it seemed that another candle had been lighten to join her. And now she felt that if they parted, the same menace that had taken his friends was going to blow that candle out. Carmelita finally admitted it to herself. She was in love with Sly Cooper.
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Paris-2400hrs"Thank you for the lovely evening," Carmelita said, smile of content washed over her face.
Sly gave a concealed yawn; he hasn't been out this late since the incident on Kaine Island. "My pleasure," he said as they entered the small elevator. He flirtingly snake his arm around her and pushed the button to the floor that her apartment was on.
"May I interest you in dinner some time?" Sly said, his demeanor showing a hint of the same shyness he had when he first asked her to the ball.
"Only if you accept a little reward." Carmelita answered with a question of her own, mischief in her eyes.
"Like what?" Sly asked, showing an even vaguer trace of confusion.
Carmelita bent her head forward, catching Sly by surprised. He couldn't have been anymore caught off guard than the American at Pearl Harbor. Their lips collided, and for what seemed to be nearly an eternity, they parted. The elevator doors opened and Carmelita backed out, still gazing at a rather surprised Sly Cooper gawking at her in hidden delight. She smiled at him.
"Consider that a down payment," Carmelita said, just before the elevator doors started to close.
"I look forward to collecting the rest," Sly smugly replied as the doors closed.
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Australian Outback-1200hrsWith last evening's chaos in Talladega, Interpol had no other choice but to dispatch recon to watch over the last two known members of the Cooper Gang; the Guru and Panda King. Once a month, Panda King and Guru visit each other for a meditating session, in which they harnessed their mental abilities to create a Dreamtime SIM, not a far cry away from a 'Matrix', in which they communicated telepathically. Last month was spent in the Kunlun Mountains, so this time, Panda King came to Australia, his daughter, Jing King in tow. She would often take a bus and train to Sydney for sightseeing, Panda King had promised Jing King that before they left for home, they would spend a weekend in New Zealand.
"I sense trouble," Panda King observed. "Someone is in great danger."
Guru, dressed in much normal cloths suitable for their sightseeing walk around Sydney looked around. He immediately observed an Interpol marked car, two officers watching them carefully.
"I see them too," Panda said. He felt a tug on his arm and looked down to see the Guru pointing in shock at something.
He was pointing to a newspaper dispenser. The headlines said 'Hero Driver Kidnapped In Plain Sight of Thousands!' and below it was a picture of Murray of when he had first received his first trophy.
"In the name of Sidartha!" Panda exclaimed, sticking in several quarters until the lock to the dispenser unlocked, and he pulled out a copy.
The two read the article in horror and amazement. An old friend had been brutally abducted, in front of millions of people at the end of a race. They didn't just take Murray; they took the van with them. As they read on, they learned of Penelope and Bentley's kidnappings. And then in a little footnote at the bottom of the page announced of the disappearance of Dimitri and the sinking of his yacht.
"It's a revenge spree," Panda inquired in awe.
'gibberish' Guru said.
"I don't know what could be happening," Panda King muttered in frustration. If only he knew where Sly was.
"LOOK OUT!" the two head several people yelled.
Guru and Panda King narrowly jumped out of the way as a wrecking ball flew through the air they ahd just occupied seconds before, and the ball came swinging back.
The two Interpol officers saw this happening and knew what was going on. But they weren't given the chance to get out of their car as a semi barreled into them. The car erupted in flames as the truck shoved it through the guard rail and down a drop off, landing into a lowered parking lot to the nearby beach.
Several men in suits toting high caliber pistols came running at them, and the two monks knew that they had to run. They ducked into a nearby alleyway and ran into a nearby warehouse, where they split up.
The men came barging in, looking for their targets. They too split up, looking for their quarry. The first group rounded through several containers when they were met with a ball of fire. Shriek was admitted form their mouths as the searing pain brought them down. The second group heard this and came running in the direction of the happenings, leaving one guy on his own to search for the other. As he passed down the rows of boxes, he failed to notice one behind him shape shift into a purple koala bear.
The other men came rushing head on at the Panda King.
"Thou shalt not take us without a fight!" Panda King roared, his flame fu making Mongolian chicken out of several of the men.
Suddenly, another man came rushing through, mowing down the others in his path. Clinging to the back of his head like a brain burrowing parasite was the Guru. But their fight didn't last long, as a container from crane swept down, scooping them up, and the doors shutting tight as the container reached the highest point of its swing and collided with the ground.
"One left to go," Emile muttered, abandoning the controls of the crane.
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Interpol-Paris Division-1230hrsThere was no way of keeping it a secret. Interpol was in an uproar. Even Sly knew now. Murray had been kidnapped on Live TV, and two Interpol officers were killed as Guru and Panda King were taken too.
The gossip around the office had been dominated by these disturbing events, but was overshadowed by what happened at the party. News had spread fast about a possible 'romance' between Cooper and Fox. While some admitted they seemed made for each other, others scowled and hoped that their courtship wouldn't last.
Sly was near next to blowing his cover in anxiety. He knew he had to find the people responsible for these kidnappings, but he couldn't just put any major interest into this case or else he'll blow his cover.
"Hey Carmelita," Sly said. "Do you have any plans tonight?"
"No, why?" Carmelita asked.
"I was wondering if you'd care to join me for dinner," Sly said. "My treat."
With the chaos surrounding the former Cooper Gang members, all that Sly had left of them were his memories and Carmelita. While she wasn't a true member of the Cooper Gang, and she'd probably never be, Sly looked out for her. He didn't want any harm to come to her, and while he knew he would become the next target for the kidnappers, he knew that Carmelita would some how get in the way or be used as insurance if he was too difficult to capture. And just as in the Cooper Vault, he was willing to sacrifice his life to save hers, and his friends.
"Sure," Carmelita answered, smiling. "Where'd we go?"
"I don't know, wherever you'd like to," Sly replied. "How about that restaurant at the Eiffel Tower?"
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SS Narrung-Off Queensland, Australia-1000hrs"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HIM?" Emile yelled out over the satellite connection. "THE BASTARD MUST BE SOMEWHERE!"
Yves Gluont winced and gave a slight tremble in his office in Hamburg. "I swear! No prison in any relation with Interpol has him registered; his own file doesn't even list him as incarcerated. Hold on!" Yves said, noticing something he had overlooked on Sly's record. "I think I got something!"
"What did you find?" Emile asked, hoping for good news.
"It says he's deceased," Yves stated.
"WHAT!" Emile yelled. He was so loud that the bridge crew, and Captain Lenargos jumped. At least one guy seemed to have peed himself.
"It says he died of cerebral hemorrhaging after a nasty accident on Kaine Island," Yves said, crossing his legs to hide his own wet spot. "Died while being transported under custody."
Emile gave and angered sigh and collapsed into his chair in the radio room.
"What time did you say you saw him being taken?" Yves asked.
"It was around one in the morning, why?" Emile answered, wondering where this could possibly be going.
"Cause it says here that he died almost a half hour earlier!" Yves answered.
"So the bastard's still alive, no doubt under control of Interpol somehow," Emile said, glad to know that the final piece of his plane was still alive. "Anything else?"
"No, but I now have a good idea what to look for," Yves said. "I should hopefully have results for you when you get back to Hamburg."
"Good," Emile said. "
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Like I previously stated, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter up, but I do expect to get a murder/mystery up if anyone's interested. It's called Leviathan and if it does come up, expect plenty of deception, thieving, and murder. So let me know. Best 2/3 reviews wins.