The weeks are just flying by! Let's see, after this chapter there's two more and an epilogue, I believe. There might be three, I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm pretty sure there's only two.

And I'm going to make a FAQ and put it on the blog at some point soon, but let me just state for the record here something that a large number of people have messaged me about despite the fact that I've answered the question publicly a few times.

When Nightingale Syndrome is over, I'm going to wait for Sly 5 to come out before writing the next story. I know we don't even have an announcement for Sly 5 now, which sucks, but Sly 4 was done well enough that I think Sly 5 will be worth waiting for, story wise.

I'm going to give Sly 5 plenty of time to come out before making any decisions about continuing this series without it, but I will continue it, no matter what. It's just too fun not to continue.

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter!

After taking a day to rest up (and talk Galleth out of coming with us), we were off to Arabia.

I could swear that I felt the difference in heat the second we touched down and stepping outside did absolutely nothing to prove me wrong.

"Why is it humid?" I groaned. The heat in and of itself was pleasant, at least for the moment, but the humidity was sticky and oppressive.

"Probably because of that," Kristian said, nodding over my shoulder.

Turning, I saw a long expanse of blue. Palm trees arched up from a beach and I gaped, "Is that the ocean?"

"The Arabian Sea," Bentley confirmed.

"I want it on the record that I was misled about our destination."

"Consider it recorded," he said, already typing away at the keyboard on this wheelchair, "Advanced geological survey indicates that the most likely location for a group of thieves to utilized as a hideout is a network of caves about half a mile east."

"A group of thieves?" Kristian asked as he stripped off his suit jacket and threw it back into the van with his coat.

Bentley nodded, "My research indicates that Salim al Kupar was a charter member of the infamous forty thieves."

"What?" I looked up from where I was inching away from a scorpion, "Like 'open sesame'?"

"Sesame?" Murray asked, "Where?!"

"You have the right idea," Bentley said, putting away his equipment and leading the way as we started to walk.

"I thought that was all a story," Kristian's voice was skeptical. I didn't necessarily blame him.

"I thought ghosts were stories until I saw them," I said with a shrug. "You really just have to learn to roll with it."

Sly grinned, swinging his cane as we walked, "Most stories have a grain of truth in them somewhere. I'm just glad we'll have plenty of backup for once."

Roughly half a mile later, we found the concealed entrance to the hideout of the forty thieves. It was... disused was a kind word. The lair was even worse.

"Y'know, I was expecting piles of gold," I admitted, looking around the bare, cavernous room. "Like the Cooper Vault."

"Something's not right," Sly said, voice echoing as he bounded farther into the room, in search of clues as to the location of the thieves.

Bentley already had his laptop pulled up and was typing away. He froze, coughed awkwardly, and said, "I've just cross-referenced my data. It appears that the forty thieves were at their peak several... decades... ago."

I stared at him, "Are you telling me they've retired?"

"Well," Bentley continued typing, "it looks like Salim was working with a few of the thieves that had yet to retire up until recently, but then they drop off the map, history-wise. In fact, it doesn't look like anyone's seen Salim in weeks."

"Then our first order of business should be to find him," Sly said, frowning. "For all we know, Le Paradox could have imprisoned him like he did the rest of my ancestors."

Bentley opened his mouth to respond when Kristian, still lingering by the entrance, shushed us all, appeared to be listening to something, then turned back and hissed, "Everyone hide."

I was already halfway to statues on the other side of the room before I heard approaching footsteps.

Murray and Bentley had positioned themselves near the entrance, which put Murray at the perfect position to smash the person who came in over the head, knocking them out cold.

"Le Paradox," Bentley said, showing us the emblem on a grenade the guard had been carrying, "he's here, or at least his goons are."

"We need to get going, then," Sly said. "Find Salim, figure out what's going on here."

"Yeah," I said quietly, hearing more guards overhead, "that's going to be a challenge."

Fortunately for us, the lizard guards were about as perceptive as rocks buried relatively near the Earth's core, so we were able to slip outside fairly easily.

Bentley did another geological survey, found us a hideout that was functional and also partially furnished, and we got to work.

"I like maps," I said, spreading out the still-warm new map Bentley had just printed after launching some device hundreds of feet into the sky and scanning the landscape.

"Me too," he said, typing away. Sly had gone out to get started on the search and Bentley was monitoring him. "Okay, Sly. Word on the street is that Salim al Kupar was driven into hiding, but that he's still in the area."

"How do you already have sources on the street?" I muttered mostly to myself, using rocks to weigh down the corners of the map.

Bentley just continued to talk right over me, "We need to figure out where he's hiding and then find out why. To facilitate that, I've built you a new toy."

"Cool! Is it a robotic turtle butler?"

Kristian leaned over to whisper to me, "How long has Cooper been asking for one of those?"

"My guess? Ever since Bentley started messing around with RC stuff."

"No. After gathering data from your ancestors, I've been able to map the Cooper DNA! I've modified your binocucom with a new visual guidance system that I've programmed to detect anything with which Salim al Kupar may have come in contact," Bentley explained excitedly.

"Wow, Bentley. That's some real science fiction!"

I reached over to speak directly into Bentley's microphone, "Sly, we've been travelling in time for the last two weeks."

"I take your point." Sly's icon moved toward a lamp shop. When he entered, we saw through his binocucom.

"Wow," Bentley said, looking at the trail, "I wonder if Salim was trying to see if he could summon a genie with one of these lamps. He must be really desperate."

"Whoa, wait," I sat in the nearest chair, "are genies a thing? Please tell me genies aren't a thing. I'm not ready to rewrite my worldview to include genies."

"You rewrote them to include ghosts and magic just fine."

"But still!"

"Oh man, I hope there are genies!" Murray said, "I know just what to wish for!"

"Don't we all," Kristian muttered.

Bentley squinted at the laptop's screen, "Sly, that door definitely does not belong here! You'd better get a picture of that as well, so I can analyze it."

"Big menacing door. Can't wait to see what's on the other side of it," I grumbled, stretching and wondering if I could convince Bentley to program the replicator to make some kind of fan.

"I still need some more data, Sly. Keep searching."

"Okay, question," Kristian said, also taking a seat at the table, "If you can see everything - Salim, was it? - has touched, why can't you just locate him?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Bentley admitted. "I have a few theories, but I'll need Sly's data to know for sure."

Apparently, Sly's data, which consisted of the fact that Salim had purchased some kind of grooming supplies, test-driven a camel, and meditated near the water, all pointed to Salim being on a boat. I have no idea how Bentley came up with that, but he proved it with math and, as it turned out, he was right.

"Hey, guys. I'm heading back to the Safehouse with Salim. We'll be there soon. Think you could, ah, have some food ready?"

"Sly, did you have to bribe your ancestor?"

"I'm being hospitable!"

"Sure you are."

Salim was the grouchiest old man I'd ever met. I probably would have found it funny if he hadn't alienated me with the first sentence out of his mouth when he walked into the Safehouse.

"What did you just say, you overgrown squirrel?!"

Salim had no problem repeating himself, "Bad luck! I will not work with a mixed child!"

"Your fur is purple!" I shrieked.

"It's more of a magenta," Murray corrected. I stared at him in disbelief.

"I will not stand here and be insulted," Salim huffed, crossing his arms and looking away.

"You won't-?! Okay, Sly," I looked over at the younger raccoon, who looked like he wasn't sure whether he should intervene or laugh, "know that you have my fondest regards, but I'm going to have to murder your ancestor. It's a matter of honor. Hopefully it won't cause a paradox. Someone fetch me a knife."

"Alright," Sly said, stepping between us, "let's all calm down. Salim, you're going to have to work with her. She's a member of the gang, so you're going to have to get over it. Jinx, murder is bad, so you probably shouldn't."

"Also, I'd have to arrest you and your dad already has enough reasons to want me dead," Kristian added.

After a moment of consideration, I dropped back into my chair at the table, "I reserve the right to revisit this solution later."

Things didn't really get better after that conversation. Salim explained, through mouthfuls of cake he'd shamelessly stolen from Murray, that he and the three other thieves from the original forty who were still active had planned to pull one last job. Their mark had been a newcomer to town, a woman by the name of Ms. Decibel.

Bentley's research turned up plenty of info on Ms. Decibel.

"Classical music lover turned hypnotist criminal," he said, sounding impressed after he'd told us the tale. "Never gets her hands dirty. And hypnotism isn't exactly admissible in court."

"I kind of don't blame her," I admitted. "I mean, who boos a kid off stage? I'd be mad too."

"Crime spree mad?" Sly asked.

"Well," I considered, "if I was a kid who'd gained the powers of hypnotism through a freak accident just after being publicly humiliated... maybe. I wasn't a super creative kid, though. I'd probably just make them get me ice cream whenever I asked for it. Maybe a puppy."

Kristian, meanwhile, had his head in his hands. "I'm in a coma," he'd decided. "It's the only logical explanation. I was in a car wreck or maybe Carmelita shot me by accident and fried my brain and that's why I'm having such a crazy dream. There's no such thing at time travel or hypnotist serial criminals."

I reached over and patted his arm comfortingly, "Just breathe, give the information time to settle."

Ms. Decibel was clearly Le Paradox's agent on the ground, so her security had snagged the thieves before they knew what was happening. Salim had escaped and been trying to find a way to get the other thieves out ever since.

When told about Le Paradox, Salim didn't seem surprised at all. The real issue was that he didn't trust us. Instead of working with us, he opted instead to finish Murray's cake and take a bowl of fried scorpions into the corner to hug to his chest like we'd steal them from him.

"Okay..." Bentley said, casting looks over at Salim, "what we need to do is find a way to gain his trust. While looking for Salim I did some digging. It appears he lost a small fortune on the camel races some time ago and had to pawn his thief outfit. Getting it back will surely gain his trust."

"Or," I interjected, spreading my hands on the table, "we could leave and let fate take its course."

"It would mess up the timeline," Sly said.

"We don't know that. He might be successful."

"Yeah, if Le Paradox had decided to strike three decades ago."

"How do we even know the guy he pawned it to still has the outfit?" Kristian asked, steering the conversation back on track, "Couldn't he have sold it?"

"I doubt it." Bentley said, pulling up some photos that there was no way he had time to take and yet, somehow, was in possession of, "He's a paranoid hermit. His shop is a fortress and he only conducts business through a slot in the door. His merchandise isn't available for casual browsing and no one besides us would know what to ask for. Unfortunately, that also means we're probably going to have to do this straight and pay the man."

Sighing, I slumped back in my chair, "Why is that unfortunate? It's one outfit. How bad can paying him be?"

"He only accepts payment in the form of flawless gemstones. The only ones around here are these," he pulled up some photos of decorative rubies the size of dinner plates, "and they're embedded in the city walls. Sly, you'll have to recover them and make the trade, but be sure the gems are still flawless when you get them to the shop owner!"

"On it," Sly stood, swinging his cane as he made his way out of the Safehouse.

I ran a hand through my hair, "I hope this doesn't turn out to be more trouble than it's worth."

"Only time will tell," Bentley replied, pitching his voice ominously.

"We could return to our time, sell those gems, and feed a small country for a month," I said, listening to Sly barter with the shop owner with an armful of rubies.

"I think you'll find the thief outfit is worth it," Bentley said.

"It is cloth. Unless it possesses magical powers, I doubt it'll be worth it." Taking in Bentley's look, I frowned, "It possesses magical powers, doesn't it?"

"It may come with a staff that has the power to slow time."

Kristian stood, "I'm going for a walk. When I come back, you're going to present me with proof that magic isn't real."

"Don't hold your breath!" I called after him.

"His disbelief is foolish," Salim said from directly behind me holy crap, "those clothes were once owned by a genie of great power. They will be necessary to find my brothers. The elephant changes where they are being held on her whim."

"She what?"

There was some feedback from the laptop speakers, then Sly's icon was in a previously unreachable building. "This is awesome," he gushed.

"Good job, Sly," Bentley said, "although it seems we have another problem. Salim tells me that Miss Decibel is constantly changing the locations of the captured thieves, which makes them almost impossible to track. It's going to be- hold on, Sly," an alert popped up on Bentley's laptop, clicking it, he opened several other windows, "I'm picking something up! Sweet sunspots! Sly, Le Paradox is here! He's meeting with Miss Decibel right now!"

"Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a little eavesdropping," Sly said eagerly.

Bentley was nodding, even though Sly couldn't see him, "Great idea! Just one thing, that outfit won't fool these guards! They know the locals and they'll peg you for a stranger immediately. You should just stay out of sight."

"Thanks for the info, Bentley. I'm on my way."

I shifted in my chair, "Finally we get to see what all the fuss is about. For such a showy guy, I can't believe this is the first time we've actually seen him."

"Well, that's what's made it so hard to find out what he's up to."

"Pah!" Salim said, dropping into a chair on the other side of the table with his bowl of scorpions, "This is all too complicated. Whatever happened to the simplicity of theft?"

I groaned, "Are you going to go on a 'back in my day' tangent? Really?"

He scoffed, "You lack appreciation for the wisdom of your elders."

"You mean people who lived in an entirely different time than me and are trying to apply their outdated experiences to mine? Yes," I said proudly, "yes I do."

Salim rolled his eyes, "I told the boy you were bad luck. He will regret not believing it."

"Alright you two," Bentley said, typing away, "quit antagonizing each other. We're a team."

Salim and I tried to glare each other into submission right up until I heard Sly declare he was reviving his Italian accent to go talk to Le Paradox and Miss Decibel and find out the locations of the thieves we needed to rescue.

"I said dangerous, Sly, not suicidal," Bentley said, looking like he was about to bust a capillary.

"I am concerned about how long you're going to live if you're wearing an Arabian outfit and speaking in an Italian accent," I said, nearly hitting my face on the microphone with how close I leaned to it.

"Don't worry guys, I got this."

We spent a few heart-pounding minutes listening to the worst Italian accent ever and being totally sure that Sly was about to be killed any instant. When he emerged from the tent unscathed, Bentley, Murray, and I breathed a sigh of relief while Salim looked grudgingly impressed.

"Sly, it's a good thing we're in Arabia. Because in Italy, that accent would be considered a felony. Now, let's go rescue those thieves!"

"I hate you," I told Sly when he walked back into the Safehouse, after staring for a moment.

He paused, smirked, and turned, "Like what you see?"

"I take everything back, Bentley. The thief outfit was totally worth all three rubies." I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was about the costume that made Sly look so good in it, but I could probably chalk it up to the fact that it was magical pretty safely.

Kristian made a miserable noise into his coffee. His walk hadn't really seemed to improve things. Though, his minor breakdown was a little unexpected. I guessed it made sense, one could only roll with the punches so long before something tripped them up. The magic thing seemed to be that for Kristian. It was just weird, he didn't seem the type to do anything other than suffer in silence.

"Where's Salim?" Sly asked, coming over to join us at the table.

"I already sent him out after the first thief. I had to so she," here, the traitorous turtle pointed at me, "wouldn't try to kill him."

I kept my face as straight as possible, "It's going to happen, Bentley. It's my destiny."

"Please don't," Sly rand a hand along the back of my chair. "That would really put a damper on this trip."

Sighing theatrically, I rolled my eyes, "Fine, I'll stay my hand." Then I had to try not to let out the goofy smile that threatened to break free when Sly leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek. I was unsuccessful.

Kristian groaned louder, as if to remind us of his misery.

I kicked his chair under the table, "Come on, it's not like our PDA is gratuitous."

"As much as that does pain me," the cougar pressed his hands to either temple and seemed to be trying to hold his head together, "it's mostly the headache."

I frowned, "You're not feeling well? Maybe you're dehydrated."

He grunted noncommittally, shuffling over to the van to get some water. Probably painkillers too, if his wince was any indication.

"Okay," Bentley said, "the plan for stopping Le Paradox. As he has Miss Decibel hypnotizing the thieves into making the forged documents for his 'royal line', our first order of business is, naturally, to free the thieves. Salim is already on the first one. Sly, Murray, you'll go after the next one."

"Righteous!" Murray pounded one fist into the other.

"And Kaia, you'll be our woman on the inside." Noticing the way I perked up at that, Bentley continued, "It's clear that Miss Decibel is as in love with Le Paradox as she is afraid of him. So we're going to use that to our advantage. Kaia, you need to gain her trust and see if she lets anything slip. That will also give us access to bug her lodgings and/or office."

Sly nudged me, "You realize that means you have to be nice, right?"

I stuck my nose in the air, "I'm a very pleasant person."

"Is it opposite day?" Kristian asked gruffly, coming back to the table with a tall glass of water and an ice pack.

Taking in his items and the way he popped two pills, I said, "I'm going to ignore the jibe in favor of asking if you need me to stay behind. You look... not good."

He waved away the concern, "I'll be fine. Migraine. It happens."

"Stress," Bentley said, nodding. Turning back to me, he continued, "I've made an outfit to help you blend in."

Sly sat straight up like he'd been jabbed by a cattle prod, "Suddenly I'm very interested in this plan."

I raised my hand, "Does there have to be an outfit?" Because I'd seen some of the female guards wandering around and I was pretty sure I knew where he was going with this.

"You plan to just show up in that and have her believe you're from this time period?"

I looked down at my tank top, cargo shorts, and worn sneakers. "Fair point."

"That is a fantastic look."

I stuck my tongue out at Sly.

"I want one."

I was learning to just go with those statements from Murray. Shuffling slightly and trying not to laugh at the absurdity of my shoes, I wrinkled my nose at the tickle of the veil against it as I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow, "Anyone else want to comment?"

Kristian, apparently, "Great, now you two match."

Rolling my eyes, I started for the exit, "I'm leaving."

"You have your binocucom?" Bentley called after me.

"Yup!" It was stashed in a pocket that was well hidden by the pants I was wearing. My baton was strapped to my leg, but those were the only things I'd been able to bring.

He waved, "Have at it!"

I could count the amount of times I'd had a solo mission on one hand, but I always enjoyed them. Especially when there weren't strict rules. It was crazy intimidating, but also really fun.

By the time I reached Miss Decibel's palace, I was pretty psyched up. It probably said something about how the Cooper gang affected me that I was so pleased about a situation where I'd be in serious danger and have to tell and keep track of several grandiose lies.

There was a cracked door on an upper balcony, through which drifted the sound of a piano being played. Remembering what Bentley said about Miss Decibel's love of classical music, I quickly found a way up to the balcony, pushed the door open a bit more, and slipped inside.

It looked to be some sort of library. It would have been a pleasant room indeed if books weren't stacked so haphazardly all over the place. There were even loose pages flying around in the drift of industrial strength fans that Miss Decibel had undoubtedly had brought in to cool the room from the desert heat.

The woman herself was on the far side of the room, playing away at a large piano. Admittedly, I didn't know very much about classical music, but the piece she was playing was actually pretty nice.

When she wound the piece to a close, I cleared my throat and said, "That was very lovely." A compliment couldn't hurt my first impression.

She whirled and the surprise on her face quickly turned to anger, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Remembering what Bentley said about her temper, I quickly tried to think of a way to defuse the situation, "I'm..." casting a look around the room, I decided, "I'm the new librarian."

Her gaze narrowed and she stood, "I didn't call for a librarian."

"I got the impression that it was meant to be a surprise," I said, hoping she'd take the hint and run with it.

"A surprise...? Oh!" She got a suddenly delighted look on her face and I fought the urge to breathe a sigh of relief, "Cyrille must have sent you when I told him how difficult it was to manage without proper help, he's so thoughtful!"

"Right. That. So, um, what do you need help with?"

"I was just about to head down to the spa," she sniffed the air delicately and grimaced, "Perhaps you should join me."

Hey, I didn't think I smelled that bad. Then again, the only thing close to a shower I'd been able to get lately had been in various rivers. The van could do a lot, but it couldn't do that. Besides, the spa she was talking about wasn't on any of Bentley's schematics or maps. It would probably be a good idea to get a look at it.

"Lead the way, ma'am."

By the time we heard explosions and the sky outside filled with smoke, I'd been reduced to silently praying for a distraction to help me slip away. Sure, I'd gotten the bath I wanted. But Miss Decibel's spa? Yeah, it had only the bare minimum to do with cleanliness. It had more to do with pampering.

That doesn't sound so bad, but after manicure, pedicure, haircut (seriously, the woman took offense to my hair, said she could see the split ends from a distance), and stuff they did to my fur that I didn't even have a name for, I was pretty close to straight up calling Bentley and asking him to bomb the place.

Fortunately, that wasn't necessary, as a guard came running into the room, panting.

"Miss Decibel!" she shouted, "The thieves have been taken!"

"What!?" she thundered, leaping up from her chaise lounge. The table nearby shook, sending the gramophone that had been playing classical music for roughly the last eternity clattering to the ground, much to my relief, "Summon the other guards, we must find out how this happened and if the thieves completed their work before they escaped!"

I took a few smart steps away from the raging elephant and slipped on my shoes. I had a feeling I was going to need them soon.

Miss Decibel noticed me and broke off her rampage for just a moment, "It doesn't look like I'll be needing you for the rest of the day. I have to get to the bottom of this. But I expect to see you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Of course," I said, though she didn't even wait for my response as she stampeded out of the room. After exchanging shrugs with some of the other female guards, I took off on my own. The inside of the palace was something of a maze, but it wasn't too hard to find a door to the outside and head back to the Safehouse.

Upon reaching the Safehouse, I took one step inside and started coughing, clamping a hand over my nose, "What is that smell?"

Bentley looked up miserably, "The Tiger's socks. Salim and Sly took the thieves to another hideaway they have, but, well, they were in here long enough for the smell to stick."

"And how long was that?" I asked, eyes watering as I went over to sit by Bentley, who had a fan blowing the stench away from him.

"About five minutes."

"I can't decide if that's impressive or horrifying," I confided, tucking my feet under me on the chair. "So, is that why Murray and Kristian aren't here?"

"Well, Murray went hunting for some local food, said something about it being a sin for him to not taste something from every time period, but even he wouldn't eat Salim's scorpion tails. Kristian went on another walk. The smell was making him nauseous."

"He's still not feeling well?"

Bentley shook his head, "If this goes on much longer, I might have to take him back to Paris. I have no idea if it's the time travel or stress, but something is getting to him."

"He won't like it if we try to get him to go back."

"That's what my sleep darts are for," Bentley said wryly.

We both looked up when Sly and Salim walked into the Safehouse. Sly sniffed warily, "Well, at least it faded some."

Salim shrugged, "Work with him for a while and you get used to it."

"Yeah, I'll pass on that, thanks." Sly turned to look toward us and stopped dead. "Whoa."

I looked over my shoulder for whatever had surprised him, but, other than that weird green elephant statue that I was convinced moved when I wasn't looking, saw nothing, "What?"

"Your um, your hair does look good down."

"Oh, right." I looked down at the hair that had come forward over my shoulder, "I had to get rid of my rubber band before she saw it and knew it was from the future. Didn't think about that before I left."

"How'd you get rid of it?" Bentley asked, narrow-eyed.

"Tossed it into the fire."

"Good."

Standing, I started to make my way over to my backpack, "Yeah I need a new one."

"Really?" Sly asked plaintively. Next to him, Salim rolled his eyes.

Turning away to hide a smile, I answered, "We're in the desert and it's humid. Yes, I do."

"If we can focus, guys? Kaia, did you manage to gain Miss Decibel's trust?"

Rummaging through my backpack, I answered, "Yeah. She thinks I'm some kind of personal assistant Le Paradox sent to help her out. We've been seen together by a bunch of the guards, so I should have a fair amount of influence with them. Aha!" I finally managed to retrieve a rubber band from the deepest corner of my backpack and immediately started plaiting my hair. "She's expecting me back tomorrow. Got any plans for that?"

"I'm finalizing a few," the turtle said, working with what I recognized as his bug equipment. "First we need to find out whether or not the forgeries she was having made for Le Paradox are completed. Sly and Salim didn't find them with the thieves."

"Yeah, and that bothers me," Sly said, dropping down on the chair I'd just vacated. "If they were still working on them, they would be there, right?"

Salim chimed in then, "They couldn't remember all she'd charmed them to do. These papers may be completed already."

"She didn't mention anything," I said, tying off my braid, "but then, she has a pretty one track mind. If it's not Le Paradox or her music practice, it's not at the forefront."

"We'll look into it tomorrow," Bentley said. "For now, everyone should get some shut-eye."

This chapter feels a little rushed to me. Hopefully it didn't come across that way, but I was definitely rushed while I was writing it. I might go back and flesh it out more later, but for now, I hope you enjoyed it!