Chapter 28: A Life Before One's Eyes

Sam watched Cami fall in shock. His mother screamed and tried to go after Cami, but Sly held her back. His body went numb for a moment as Tijd laughed. Sam looked around desperately for anything to throw to help her.

Sam was then seized by a reckless urge. He shoved the pistols into his holsters and took a couple steps back. He ran forward and jumped off the blimp after Cami.

"CAMI!" He screamed as he went down.

"NO! SAM!" Carmelita screamed after him.

Sam snapped his arms to his sides and fell headfirst towards Cami. She was screaming and falling spread eagle. Once Sam reached her, he evened out and took Cami's hand.

"Wha? Sammy? How?" Cami looked up at him. She took his other hand.

"Jumped." Sam shrugged sheepishly.

"Oh, Sammy. You're an idiot." Cami smiled sadly, her hair was whipping around her face. "But I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah." Sam and Cami looked down at the rapidly approaching freezing water.

Cami blinked and looked up at Sam. "My life is flashing before my eyes, Sam."

"Mine is too." Sam swallowed. "Wow, I spent way too much time on the Internet."

"Me too." Cami agreed. "Dang, I know adults say that our generation is wasting our lives in front of a screen, but really, I'm just getting flash after flash of Internet. Oh, wait, now I'm getting something else."

"Okay, if we get out of this alive, Cami, we're getting off the Internet a lot more often." Sam said.

"Agreed." Cami squeezed Sam's hand. There was a silence in which the wind roared in their ears.

"Hey, Sammy, do you have any regrets?" Cami asked after a moment.

"Regrets?"

"Yeah."

Sam bit his tongue for a moment in thought. "I regret never asking out Samantha Doberman."

Cami snorted suddenly. "Samantha Doberman? Really? Samuel and Samantha?" She laughed.

Sam went red. "Okay, I told you my regret. What about you?"

Cami went red too. "I regret never asking out Cameron Possum."

Sam laughed this time. "Camille and Cameron?"

"I know." Cami said. There was a silence, filled with the sound of wind whipping around them. "Sammy, I don't want to die." Her voice shook as she spoke.

Sam swallowed. "Me neither."

"You could have not jumped off of the blimp." Cami suggested, sadly.

Sam gave a half-smile. "I don't want to lose you either, and I don't think you wanted to do this alone."

"No, I didn't." Cami pulled Sam closer. "Thanks, Sammy. Still, though, I don't want to die."

"Yeah." Sam and Cami looked back at the rapidly approaching freezing water.

"You think we would have hit the water by now." Sam remarked.

Cami hit Sam of the side of the head. "Don't jinx us!"

"Ow! We're already falling, why not jinx it?" Sam asked, completely honest.

Just then, Sam and Cami heard a huge explosion. They flipped over and looked up the blimp, or what remained it. It was now a big ball of fire and shrapnel.

"Oh." Cami started.

"No." Sam finished. "Mom."

"Dad." Cami said, fearfully. "No, look!" Cami pointed to a small object flying out of the smoke.

"Is that-?" Sam started.

"The van." Cami finished.

The van was flying at an incredible speed toward the falling twins. The van's back opened and Sly jumped out. Sly snapped his arms to his sides and fell right next to Sam and Cami.

Sly pulled Cami close and somehow managed to strap a backpack to her in the air. Sly yanked a length of rope out of her backpack and a paraglide deployed. Cami was left behind and Sly turned to Sam. He snapped the paraglide backpack onto Sam and deployed it. Sly deployed his own once Cami and Sam were okay.

The van flew beneath the three of them and the roof opened to catch the paragliding people. Sly landed in the van perfectly. Sam fell in the van and tripped over the paraglide. Cami fell face-first onto the floor.

Panda King shut the roof over them as Carmelita hugged both of her kits tightly. Sly hugged the group too.

"Oh, my god, you're both alright." Carmelita whispered. "Never, ever, ever, ever, do anything like that ever again."

"Ow, Mom, I can't breathe!" Sam joked.

"Mom, you're shoving Sam's arm into my cut." Cami remarked.

Carmelita immediately pulled away. "Oh, yeah, you're hurt. Let me see."

Sly grabbed the medical kit off the wall and Carmelita pulled Cami's sleeves up. The two of them started cleaning and bandaging all of her cuts. The Guru hummed and waved his moonstone over Cami's cuts. He murmured some incantations to help her heal. Sam leaned back against the wall. The van was surprisingly quiet as everyone relaxed. Once Cami was sufficiently doted upon, she leaned against Sam who in turn leaned against her. Carmelita and Sly looked over Sam briefly, but found no major wounds. The Guru waved his moonstone over Sam and murmured an incantation.

You will both make a full recovery, but now you must sleep. The Dreamtime spirits will aid you better if you sleep. Guru said, as Sam felt a wave of exhaustion hit him.

"Tijd died in that blast, right?" Sam asked sleepily. He was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"We didn't see anything else come out of the blimp besides the van." Cami remarked just as sleepily. Her eyes shut against her will.

Sly smiled reassuringly. "Yes, of course, no one could have survived that."

"Good." Sam and Cami said together.

"So, Cam, still afraid of heights?" Sam murmured, quietly.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure falling made me even more scared." Cami murmured just as quietly. They fell asleep on one another. Sly put a blanket over the two of them.

"You know that's not true. Tijd is not dead." Bentley said, quietly. "Clockwerk survived for two years in pieces. Tijd probably has safeguards in case that ever happens to him."

"Yes, I know that." Sly said just as quietly. He looked over at Bentley. "They have been on this nightmare for too long, they deserve some peace of mind."

"Sly, they've read the Thievius Raccoonus." Bentley pointed out. "They know about the Clockwerk parts adventure. They know about the Hate Chip. They could very well figure it out."

"Not necessarily." Carmelita said, looking thoughtful.

"Why?" Murray asked, glancing at Carmelita in the rearview mirror.

"Neither Sam nor Cami were conscious when Tijd talked about Clockwerk." Carmelita pointed out. "They might not put that together. You don't have any pictures of Clockwerk in the book, do you?"

Sly shook his head. "All we have are some very blurry photographs and I don't think that would help in anyway."

"When will you tell them?" Penelope asked from the front seat.

"When the need arises or when they both turn eighteen." Carmelita said. "They can also choose whether or not they want to follow the Cooper heritage."

You intend to give them many burdens when they turn eighteen. Guru remarked. The little koala had sat in the corner after making sure both Cami and Sam were okay.

"Yes. It's not perfect, but what else can we do? Tell them right now?" Carmelita asked wringing her hands.

"No. It is in a parent's nature to protect their young ones, from everything they can. I understand why you are doing this." Panda King said, nodding. "They must know at some point. I agree with what you are doing."

"What happens now?" Murray asked, driving the flying van. "Where exactly am I driving?"

"Head to Dimitri's." Bentley said, smiling. "We have a party to finish."