The Cooper X Gang
By Mutitoon90
Chapter Three: Down Under Thunder
San Francisco, California, 3:09 a.m.
It has been a month since the group became a team and a lot of things had happen since then. Sam and Luna gave up their apartment for extra savings, and took residence at Mar's house. Sam also studied the Cooper moves (including the Laser Slide) and practiced the moves everyday. Luna and Justin sparred every other week. Belle e-mailed to her parents.
Then one day, Sam was looking out of a window, Rad was reading from the Thievius Raccoonus, Luna and Belle were talking to each other about their parents, and Justin was reading a auto magazine. Then all of sudden Mar came into the room, looking like he saw a ghost.
"What's wrong, Mar?" Sam asked in concern.
"It's the Guru." Mar announced.
"Mar, please tell us what is happening." Rad asked out of confusion.
"But, sit down first." Belle said, concerned about his well-being.
"Sit down?!" Mar yelled at Belle in a rage, "I can't sit down with someone in trouble needs help."
"Calm down, Mar!" Luna shouted.
"Yeah, you have no reason to yell at Bell-Bell." Justin said angry.
Everyone looked at Justin when he said 'Bell-Bell.' Sam, Luna, and Mar looked at Justin as if he had lost his senses. Rad tried to hold back, with very little success, the laughter that was trying to escape from his mouth. Belle was red from embarrassment.
"Bell-Bell?" Luna asked.
Justin said, "'Bell-Bell' is a nickname for Belle given by her father."
"And used by everyone else." Rad added as the laughter continued to escape his mouth.
Sam looked at Belle, who was covering her face, and said, "What's wrong with 'Bell-Bell?'"
The group looked at Sam. Sam glared back and said, "To have a nickname that was given by one's father or mother is a great honor. I would give almost anything to even have a parent to give me one, no matter how silly it might be."
"But," Mar said more calmly than he was earlier, "it would also be a honor to be of assistance of someone who was like a father to me!"
The group was in silence at Mar's remark. They knew nothing of how the Guru was important to him.
Then, Rad spoke, "Mar, sit down and talk to us. We're a team, so we need to talk to each other to help one another."
Knowing that Rad was right, Mar took in a big sigh and did what Rad suggested.
"You guys know that the Guru trained me in the ways of the Dreamtime, right." The five co-workers nodded. "Well, a few minutes ago, I just had a vision from the Guru. He speaks of great trouble at his home in the Australian Outback."
"What kind?" Justin asked in concern.
"Miners have returned for more opals." Mar said, "The whole valley is abundant of the stuff."
"How much?" Luna asked out of curiosity. Her family was rich!
Justin, knowing the answer, said, "Enough to corner the market in opals more than once."
Belle said, "In reality, it would be five times."
Luna gave a low whistle. 'That much money could make a humble man drool.' She thought.
Sam, becoming more upset by the constant changes in the conversation, yelled, "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!"
The high volume of Sam's voice silenced the group. Sam, in a more calm voice, said, "We need to hear Mar. His teacher is in great trouble and all of you could do is talk how much opals are worth."
Rad added, "She's right."
The group, excluding Mar, was ashamed at themselves. They knew they were supposed to be a team, but they were new to this group being larger than three people.
Then, Luna said an idea, "Okay, let's listen to Mar."
An hour later, Luna was picking out clothes, Rad and Sam were looking for bug repellent, Mar was looking for food, and Belle worked on the van with Justin. It was all for the first heist of the Cooper X Gang.
Sam asked a question, "How are we going to Australia if we're wanted by the cops?"
Rad answered swiftly, "Belle hacks the database, and Justin makes the fake Ids."
"Oh, that answers my question" Sam said. Then, she yelled, holding the bug repellent, "Found it!"
"Good," Rad said, "now let's pack our bags."
And with that, Rad and Sam went upstairs to their rooms to pack. As they climbed the stairs, Belle called out to Rad. The raccoon said to Sam, "The guys need me."
Sam shrugged, "Hey, it happens."
Mar, coming out of the kitchen, saw that Rad and Sam separated. Mar asked Sam, "What's up with you and him?"
"Nothing, he's just playing." Sam said calmly as she continued her ascend up the stairs.
"And you're not?" Mar asked with a raised eyebrow.
The question stopped Sam in her tracks. Without turning around, the cat responded, "That's none of your business." And went upstairs to her room, and closed the door. In the room, she blushed at the fact that Mar stated. Her feelings for Rad were strange to her. Her feelings for him were also familiar to her as well.
Meanwhile, Rad was at the garage with Belle and Justin. The shy mouse was always bossy when she was working on anything mechanical. Rad and Justin knew better to stand in her way when she was in this mood.
"Wrench." Belle said.
"Wrench." Justin answered.
"Screwdriver." Belle said.
"Screwdriver." Rad said.
Belle removed herself from the underside of the van.
"So?" Justin asked with great excitement.
Belle cleared her throat, and said, "Justin, you're now the proud owner of a really tricked out van."
"All right!" Justin announced and ran to the van to check it out.
Rad turned to leave when Belle called him again.
"Belle, I need to help with the packing if we want to go to Australia." Rad said.
"That's what I need to tell you about." Belle said calmly, "Justin got the Ids finished, and I hacked and I got six first class sits."
"Okay." Rad said, "Great job."
Belle smiled, and said, "Thanks, Rad."
The next day, the group came to airport in disguise. Rad wore torn blue jeans, an orange shirt with the buttons off, black sunglasses, black fingerless gloves, three fake earrings on his left ear, and red and white tennis shoes. Sam was wearing a blue business suit with a pink shirt under it, matching blue high-heeled shoes, golden earrings, and blue sunglasses. Justin wore a blue Hawaiian shirt, purple flip-flops, blue shorts, a camera around his neck, red sunglasses, and a straw hat. Luna wore a black wig, a black shirt, a black pants; black combat boots, black fingerless gloves, and black sunglasses. Mar wore a red hat, a green shirt, a blue pants, and an orange sunglasses. Belle wore her hair down with flowers, a loose white dress, and white sandals.
Rad looked around to see if his parents were at the airport. When he saw that his parents or the police were not there, Rad turned to the disgusted gang.
"Okay, you guys know what to do, just kept a low profile." Rad said with great concern.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's go." Rad said.
The group walked into the airport. They wanted in line for five hours for security was tight to keep terrorists at bay. After all six of the gang was though the gate, Sam was relived because she was bombarded with catcalls and wolf whishes.
In the airplane, the group was relaxing with the exception of Mar. He was thinking about the Guru and the trouble at Australia.
"Hey, Mar."
Mar looked up to see Belle. He asked, "What is it?"
"You looked upset." Belle said.
Mar knew she was right and he confirmed her theory by nodding his head.
"I know that you're worried about the Guru." Belle said, "Justin is also worried about him too."
"Really?" Mar asked his shy co-worker.
"Yeah, Justin's dad, Murry, was one of the Guru's students almost twenty years ago." Belle confirmed, "During the battle against Clock-la, my dad lost his legs while trying to get the Hate Chip. After Murry rescued my father, the destruction of the Hate Chip, and Mr. Cooper's self-sacrifice and escape, Murry felt so guilty about the accident that he left the team for a time. He went to find himself, and he found the Guru. Guru sent him all over the world as part of his training. Although he was completely into becoming a mystic, he never finished his training."
"What happened?" Mar asked in curiosity.
Belle continued, "In Venice, Mr. Cooper and my dad tried to stop an opera singer, who turned into a mobster after his opera career died before it really started, from sinking buildings to contained the city's canals. After ruining most of the pollution plan and a chase in the canals, Murry got excited when Octavio's boat crashed into the stage for a performance. You see, Octavio needed an audience to sink the buildings, so when Murry became very happy about seeing some destruction…"
"Octavio sink the buildings." Mar finished.
"Right." Belle said, "Octavio's action enraged my dad so much that he stood up to the villain. But, he was knocked down and out of his chair by a swift kick. Mr. Cooper was shocked at how fast the kick came, and asked for Murry's help. At first, Murry was hesitant, but when he heard my dad calling Murry for help. At that moment, the 'Thunder Flop' Murry returned to do battle. He fought the 'Phantom of the Opera' reject on the flattened stage, while Mr. Cooper turned values to release tar to slow Octavio down. But, they ran out of tar at that area. Mr. Cooper told Murry that there were tar values at the police plaza. After the run to the plaza, Octavio revealed that he was holding back his true power: his voice. He had the power to use his voice as a weapon. Mr. Cooper and Murry used the same technique, but more carefully. Eventually, the battle was over, and the victor was Murry."
"So, Murry chose to fight Octavio and give up the way of the mystic for his friend, who he felt that he failed the first. I don't see any reason to yell at him." Mar said.
"Yep." Belle confirmed. "But, Murry returned to the land down under to ask the Guru to be released from his training. But, they also recruited the Guru a member of the last Cooper Gang."
"That's good." Mar said with a smile.
"Of course it is." Rad said, "But, it's now the time to rest. We have a mission and we need to be rested so we can do our jobs."
"Okay, night." Belle said.
"Night." Mar said.
"Mar," Rad said with a smile, "the Guru will be all right. Trust me on that."
Mar smiled for the first time in two days. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Rad sat back to sleep when Sam, who was in a sit next to him, asked a question, "Are you sure about that promise you made?"
Rad was silent for a moment. Sam knew that Rad was not very sure.
"But, you're right." Sam said, "We need rest."
"All right. Good night, Sam." Rad said.
"Night, Rad." Sam said.
After departing the airport and replacing their disguises with their own clothes, the gang rode the van, which was brought by airplane, into the Australian Outback. The trip was rough for those awake and those trying to sleep. Luna was suffered the most since she was raised in a luxurious lifestyle. Justin was having the most fun driving the van on the bumpy road of the Outback.
When the gang arrived to the Guru's home, they saw what the miners did to the land. Machines dug into the land in search for opals.
"I can barely believe that people can be so greedy." Sam said as she watched miners work.
"Like my dad said, 'It's the cultural insensitive.'" Belle said, remembering her father's patience to environmental destruction.
"We need to rescue the Guru." Justin said, knowing how important the Guru was to his father.
"Belle," Luna said, "do you know where the hideout is at?"
"Yeah, I do. Just follow me." Belle said.
At the old base, the gang discussed on what to do first. Each member had his or her own idea. Rad wanted to do some recon. Justin wanted to decrease the playing field by a few guards or miners. Belle wanted to find allies from the local wildlife. Mar wanted to find the Guru. Luna wanted to take over one of the miners' place of rest. Sam wanted to find out who the leader of the miners was.
After a few minutes, Belle spoke out. "Okay, let's think about this: Each of us has an idea, so we can try to put all of them together."
"That's a great idea." Luna said, "It can keep the gang under control and everybody can use their idea."
"I'll do an aerial recon to get an idea." Belle announced.
"That would be a good idea," Sam said, "but there are two flaws to it: One, there is one helicopter, and two, it's dropping bombs."
"Good point." Belle said, disappointed.
"Don't worry," Rad said with a sly grin, "I have an idea."
The group gathered around the raccoon to listen to the plan.
4: 15 a.m. – Recon begins
Rad was on the tightrope, talking to the others viva binocucom. He had already searched two areas where the Guru would be with no luck.
"Guys, I'm started to think the Guru was captured." Rad said in concern.
"OH NO!" Mar's voice yelled though the commutation line, "THE GURU'S A GONER!"
"Sam, please pick up." Rad begged.
"Rad, please don't beg; you're making yourself look stupid." Sam's voice said to the whining Cooper.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were listening." Rad said, trying to excuse his behavior.
"Making excuses? That's just sad." Sam said, "But, back to the job, have you tried the large building on the other side of the valley?"
"No," Rad said as looked toward the mentioned building, "and thanks for pointing that out."
"No prob." Sam responded, "Over and out."
Rad putted the binocucom into his red backpack and started off to the building. As he used the tightropes, wall hooks, hooks, and the top of the make shift buildings to make his way to building that Sam mentioned, he saw something like a stockade.
'That would be the perfect place to keep the Guru.' Rad thought, 'But I'll need some photos of the miners and their boss, if we need to release the Guru.'
Rad climbed his way to the top of a crane and use the parachute to float to the building. Then, he climbed to the building's roof. He discovered the roof was made of a thick layer of tampered glass. The young thief was careful not to be seen by any room in the room below.
In the room of metal, there were two people in the room. One was a dingo that looked like a miner. The other was an alligator, and she did not look like a miner. She looked more the miner's boss.
Rad knew that the duo was talking, so he used Belle's invention to listen to the conversation. He pressed his index finger of his left hand onto the glass roof and placed his right hand over his commutation line in his ear. The eavesdropper gloves were useful for listening to conversations that others would not found good to speak in public, or in front of children.
"So, everything's going to plan?" Asked the alligator in a Cajun accent.
"Yes, Mz. Sapphire." Answered the dingo in an Australian accent.
"And the Guru?" Mz. Sapphire asked.
"He's still in the stockade with no weapons." The miner responded.
"Prefect, no one in our way to corner the market in opals." The excited alligator said, "I'm so happy that I'll give everyone a raise, don't you think, Ger."
"I don't know." Ger said.
Mz. Sapphire smiled, "That's good. You and your men will get the raise."
Ger was shocked and said, "Why, thank you."
"Tell your men to take a break at the lemonade bar, they deserve it." Mz. Sapphire commanded.
"Yes ma'am!" Said the eager dingo. And with that, ran out of the room.
Rad has heard enough. He had all the information that he needed to rescue the Guru. The raccoon backtracked back to the stockade that he saw earlier. When he arrived at the stockade, he made sure that guards or miners were coming. When the coast was clear, he jumped to the 'door' of the stockade.
"Hello? Guru? I know you don't know me, but you knew my dad, Sly Cooper." Rad said, trying to see the Guru.
Then, something moved and it surprised Rad. At first, it was like a shadow, then as the creature moved towards to the spooked Cooper, it became more koala like.
"Guru?" Rad said, still frightened by the sudden movement.
In the light, an elderly aboriginal koala was in Rad's sight. Rad was curious of the koala since he had never saw the Guru in his life. He had one question: "Are you the Guru?"
The koala answered his native language, but Rad understood what the elder said.
"Whew. For a moment, I thought I was in trouble." Rad said as he breathed a sigh of relief.
The Guru asked Rad a question in his language, and again Rad understood him.
"What I said is true: I'm Sly Cooper's only son." Rad answered with more confidence, "So, what happened?"
The Guru started to tell Rad about what had happened to his land and of his capture.
After Rad told the group what the Guru told him, the gang was dumbfounded.
"I can't believe this!" Mar said in almost pure rage.
"I can." Luna said with a concerned look on her face, "Mz. Sapphire is not only a jewel hunter and thief, she's the daughter of Mz. Ruby. Do you guys know about her?"
"Yes, we do." Sam said.
Belle spoke up, "I did some recon by remote control helicopter, and I made a slide show."
Rad gave a large sigh. He knew how much Belle liked to make slides for a slide show. "Okay, let's see it."
At the second that finished his statement, Belle dashed out of the room. In the next few minutes, the noise of stuff being gathered could be heard from the room Belle entered. Belle came back to the group, carrying the slide machine.
After Belle got everything set up, she asked, "Can someone turn off the light?"
Sam was the one who turned off the light. Belle turned on the projector to a blank wall. It showed a picture of Mz. Sapphire.
"This is our opponent, Mz. Sapphire. She is the reason the Guru is imprisoned in a stockade." The picture was switched with a picture of the Guru. "The Guru will not leave his cage until we retrieve his Moon Stone and walking staff. These items are separated and placed into a mine. We need two of our best thieves to get the items from the cave, which would be Rad and Sam."
"Okay." Rad confirmed his involvement in the mission.
"Sounds easy enough." Sam accepted.
The next picture was one of a door at one of the mine sights. Belle continued, "This a doorway to the underground storage of the opals that were collected. We need to find a to get the door open so we can steal the opals when we make our getaway. This job is for Justin and Luna."
"Cool." Justin said coolly.
"All right." Luna said with a confident grin.
The picture was now of a giant truck. Belle resumed, "The Guru also will not leave until we have cleared out a mine and I have a pretty good idea, thanks to the last time the Cooper Gang was here, and I'll need Rad and Justin for this job."
"I'm in." Rad said.
"Me too." Justin agreed.
The final picture was of the Guru. Belle said, "Finally, we need to return the Moon Stone and walking staff to him so he can help Mar to slow down the work of the miners. I'll help them by pointing out the weak points of the machines."
"Good news." Mar said.
"Okay, everyone." Rad announced, "We have a big day tomorrow. We need to rest up for the jobs, so off to bed."
Belle turned off the projector and followed the others. Sam was the only one that did not go to bed.
"You better get to bed yourself, Rad." Sam said.
"I know, but I'm kind of worried about tomorrow." Rad said with a worried look on his face.
Sam walked to the sulking raccoon, placed her left hand on his shoulder and her right on his chest, and said, "Don't worry. You're the most recent member of the Cooper clan, so you can't mess it up." Then she kissed him on the cheek.
Rad smiled, thankful that Sam's pep talk helped, including the kiss. "Thanks, Sam."
"You're welcome." Sam said with a small smile on her face. "And the kiss is a bonus for being cute." Then, the smiling feline ran to her room.
Rad was dumbfounded by the cat's actions. He folded his arms together and said, "I've got to think of a way to really thank her, because I can't steal that kiss idea." And with that, he went to bed.
Next chapter: Down Under Thunder, Day 1