Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 6: FINALE

Clockwerk POV: The machine worked perfectly. I had my doubts, but if the mouse was one thing for sure, it was able with machinery. She only realized how handy when the blades she had honed herself were responsible for crushing her insides to jelly. Ha-ha. But nonetheless of my scepticism, the great engine roared into life and suddenly I was in a foggy, foul-smelling cesspit. Prehistoric earth. The very beginning of time itself. The Earth is new, an atmosphere that would choke anyone from the past, except those who don't have any life left in them to die. Like me. I watch closely as the first organisms crawl from the sea, merely slugs but yet with the potential to be so much more. Potential that should be harnessed, by someone with initiative. Prometheus had it all wrong. Why give the mortals fire when you can letter them suffer in the cold? Being a god sure does have its privileges…

Paris, Badlan Mental Institution, 2013: Cyrille Le Paradox had faked insanity to be moved away from his original prison and into a less secure one. And yet the guards on duty there could smell his escape from miles off. One of the many disadvantages of being a skunk. As Sly and Wolfgang appeared in the interrogation cell, Le Paradox couldn't help but smile. Maybe he really was going insane now, tortured by visions of what could have been. Sly was asking him something, but Le Paradox wasn't listening. He just laughed to himself, twirling his moustache and banging his head on the table in disbelief. Then Sly's cane came out of nowhere and smashed him in the face. Dazed, Le Paradox snapped out of his crazed antics and snapped at Sly "You know I'm in prison right! I may not be on your Christmas card list but you can't just hit me!" Wolfgang flexed his claws and spoke intimidatingly "No, he can't. But I can, because you see, I'm not from around here. Your rules don't apply." He then hit Le Paradox again, around the face. The Skunk scowled and yelled "What do you want you hooligans!? My plan failed, oui? Why must you torture me so?" Sly asked him about his accomplice, Penelope. Le Paradox shook his head and claimed that the "mouse isn't under my employ any more. There was no back-up plan, and I don't understand what you're saying about your other ancestors. I haven't done anything wrong!" Wolfgang hit him so hard he fell off the chair. Sly told Wolfgang to calm down, and the wolf angrily put his hands behind his back.

Le Paradox stood up, straightened his chair, and glared with hatred at his interrogators. "Good cop, bad cop huh? Look you imbeciles; I have nothing to tell you, and nothing to say to you, so leave me in peace!" Wolfgang leapt at him and pulled him up the ruff of his jumper. "Maybe I didn't hear you straight!" he shouted angrily at the struggling skunk. "Your old pal Penelope is planning something that involves co-operation with the most evil living thing that ever existed. If this bird gets its hands on time, the whole world is going to suffer. Its name is Clockwerk, and it is well and truly back! Now tell us what you know!" and with that he threw Le Paradox at the back wall. The skunk hit the floor and huddled in the corner. "Le owl is back? No, no,no,no! It told my father that it had unfinished business with my family. He's surely going to come for me!" Wolfgang went and stood over him, "Then tell us what you know, stinkbags!" he yelled. Le Paradox sighed and said "Look, I only know that the owl had big plans that involved travelling in time. Probably further back than anyone's ever been!" Wolfgang prepared another punch, but Sly hooked his claw in his cane. "That's enough Wolfgang. The guy isn't in on this plan." Wolfgang calmed down and stepped back. "Fine. But we have no other leads". Sly nodded and said "I know. But there is nothing useful coming out of this". The pair leaves the interrogation room, leaving Le Paradox cradling himself in the corner.

Clockwerk POV: I have been watching the slime for a long time now. They are getting much more intelligent. Whereas before, they simply chased after my talon as I swept their food around out of their reach, now they simply wait for my talon to complete a circle. They will have to get used to oppression. Their society will be built on it. I watch as the slime slithers towards an amoeba, and with barely any effort, I snatch it away in front of its eyes. I break it into 3 pieces and drop one in. The slimes fight each other for it. I smile before I can help myself. It's like watching pigeons fight over scraps of bread. To think these pathetic excuses for life would one day inhabit the earth. Mammals. Really, their nothing more than insects. Moths really. Constantly drifting towards the light, and being zapped. It's really quite a pathetic show. If living hundreds of years have taught me anything, it's that the most fun you can have is crushing the fun of others. I snatch away another floating bit of food. The slime looks discouraged, but turns around looking for more food. It'll be lucky if it finds any. I could do this all day. As it is, it's convenient. Because I'm going to be doing this for millions of years…

As Sly and Wolfgang walked out of Badlan, Wolfgang's time machine began to chirp at an alarming rate. The wolf moved for his pocket, and was horrified at what the results were showing. "What's the matter, Wolfgang?" Sly asked, worriedly. Wolfgang was breathless. "It's all gone. History… is disappearing. It's being rewritten!" The time machine fell from his shaking hands and broke into pieces on the floor. The two staggered as the wind picked up fiercely, and shockwaves began to tear through the air. They reached the van, where the whole Cooper gang was assembled outside. Sly hugged Carmelita tightly, and Bentley took out his binocucom and stared open-mouthed at a huge white light hurtling towards them over the horizon. As the white engulfed the whole world, Sly felt overwhelmingly disoriented, and blacked out.

He awoke to the sound of explosions from nearby. He reached for his cane, but was alarmed to discover it was not with him. He scrambled to his feet, and tried to get bearings on his surroundings. They were horrific. Huge, soulless steel walls ran through a lifeless metropolis of cables and towers. The ground around him was cracked and there were skeletons all around him. He staggered towards a light, and was shocked to discover it was a huge steel dragonfly, patrolling the street. Its eyes flashed green as it spotted him and fired lasers from its tail at him. Sly managed to roll into a side alley, and the dragonfly pursued him, folding its wings in to its body to gain entrance to the narrow passage. It had almost caught him when it burst into sparks and flames and hit the ground. Its eyes grew dark and its legs ceased whirring. Sly turned to see a middle-aged raccoon standing in the alley, holding a gun. The man yelled at Sly "I just wasted my last charge for you. Are you stupid? No 'one goes out onto the main streets at this time! The mechflys will kill you! Who are your clan?" Sly shrugged and said he didn't know where he was. The raccoon raised an eyebrow at him. "Well then, you better come with me then Mr Amnesiac." And the two ran off down the passage.

Across the "town", Murray and Bentley awake on top of a pile of bombed-out rubble. Bentley searches for his glasses, and as he does so Murray spots a guard strolling across the rooftop nearby. It looked like a weasel, but with cyborg implants, and it wielded a highly-advanced compound bow, with arrows in its quiver. Bentley puts on his glasses and spots the archer weasel and whispers to Murray to stay quiet. The archer is about to move on (having not spotted them) when Murray farts loudly, and its head snaps in their direction. Murray grins sheepishly, and the pair scrambles to their feet and run as the archer lines up an arrow and fires at them. They reach a junction with partly-collapsed buildings and hide inside one. The archer, in pursuit lands on top of a streetlight and scans the area for them. Suddenly, without warning the archer is shot with a blast of electricity, and falls from the lamppost. Carmelita runs in wielding her shock pistol and shouts at Bentley and Murray to run with her, and the three head off to look for the rest of the gang.

Meanwhile Sly and the mysterious raccoon have arrived at some sort of refugee camp. Makeshift metal shacks have been built to accommodate the people living there. The raccoon turns to Sly and says "You should be safe here. Now, no wandering off until I've spoken with the clan leader". And with that, he sped off. Sly sat on a nearby rock and pondered the implications of his location. Something had gone wrong with time, and the whole world had changed. Sly suspected Clockwerk had something to do with this, as if it wasn't obvious. The wasteland he was in was built on his image! The moniker of an owl's face occupied the top of most buildings, and the guards here were all made of metal parts. Sly had even seen smaller owl guards that looked exactly like Clockwerk, only Sly's size. He worried about where his friends where, particularly Wolfgang, as he is close to him now. The raccoon returned very silently and shocked Sly. "Clan leader wants to talk to you" he said. Sly walked up a fleet of stone and metal stairs to a kind of temple, and inside a mandrill sat on a makeshift throne. There was no mistake. The monkey was Dr. M! M smiled at Sly and said "Welcome to paradise. We only have a few rules here." The monkey's face turned straight and serious. "One – If you want food, you get it yourself! We are not a hospice. We provide protection from the Clock but that's it" Sly started to correct M on the "Clock's" name but the monkey silenced him with a crack of his whip. "Two!" Dr. M shouted when Sly had shut up. "If you get into a fight here I'll kill you myself!" The monkey hopped off his throne and stood menacingly over Sly. "And three – If you betray me, my good friend over there will hunt you down and kill you" He gestured at the raccoon who had helped Sly. "Any questions?" Dr.M said in a patronising way. "No? Then be gone!" Sly walked away slowly, unsure of what was going on. The raccoon stopped him as he passed through the door to the steps. "Don't worry friend, he's not as intimidating as he thinks. Stay on our good side and you'll be fine." As Sly walked down the steps, the raccoon called after him one last time "And the name's Connor, by the way. Connor Cooper".

Bentley, Murray and Carmelita found Dimitri upside down in a pile of scrap metal. He was dizzyingly quipping about his "style" being ruined. The Guru surfaced in a nearby bin. He floated out, and mumbled something about "taking out the trash". However, no 'one could find Wolfgang. Bentley said that maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, because he doesn't trust the wolf as far as he can throw him. He believes his actions seem too genuine to be true. Murray asks if he is jealous of his relation with Sly, but Bentley cuts him off and says that it is ridiculous. Carmelita calls to order a "meeting"- their goal: find Sly, discover what's going on, and stop it. She proudly summarised her three-point plan into several jobs. The Guru must control one of the Mechfly guards and do some reconnaissance work to scout the area. Murray needs to access the guard terminal in the town centre and pose as an archer guard to find out information. Herself and Bentley will investigate refugee camps. The gang set off to work.

Sly sat in the refugee camp, stunned by what he'd learned. His father was alive in this altered timeline, but he was a sidekick to a villain. Sly was worried about what that meant for the Cooper legacy, but was alarmed to discover that he struggled to remember his ancestors, like they were being erased completely, which Sly supposed, was what was happening. A female raccoon wandered over to him, and sat down next to him. "You alright darling?" she asked. Sly looked up, and instantly recognized the woman as his mother, Kathryn Cooper. Sly asked Kathryn what was going on in the world, and she looked at him as if he was dumb as rocks. She tells him that the Clock, ruler of this dystopian society, has gone into hibernation and the rebel movement is making plans to kill him and claim freedom. She shows him a hollowed out Clockwerk frame, like the ones that the smaller robot owl guards wear. She tells him that she needs to find someone who is talented enough to control one of the Minion's costumes, and Sly volunteers to try. While dressed in the costume of his nemesis' image, Sly can fly and shoot rockets at will. He uses the Minion costume to kill some guards in the area, and Kathryn is impressed. She calls Connor and Dr. M over, who are equally impressed. They tell Sly that he is now an integral part of their plans, and that he is welcome to the team.

At this moment Bentley and Carmelita arrive to find Sly the camp. They quickly reunite and explain the situation. Bentley is extremely worried that the team are unable to remember aspects of their lives. He is adamant that time itself is disappearing because of the paradox Clockwerk has created. Connor Cooper reveals himself to be listening and tells the group of his plan to rid the world of "The Clock". He asks Sly to due reconnaissance of the area and discover the weak points of the huge security barracks that surround Clockwerk's stronghold, a huge barbed and heavily guarded building with the owl insignia on the front. Connor and Kathryn proceed to take down an armaments stand and take several Cherry Bomb 5000's to down the wall. While on mission Sly is approached by a limping Wolfgang, who explains that he had been heavily injured by guards and that he needs attention. Sly flies the injured Wolfgang back to base, where Bentley deduces that his wounds are killing him. Wolfgang refuses to lie down while the others fight but Murray and The Guru keep him captive, using dreamtime barriers. In a camp meeting Connor and Sly gather everyone around to tell them of the plan to overthrow the tyrannical Clock. Dr.M appears on the stairs and calls Connor foolhardy and worthless, and orders everyone to ignore the plan. Connor tries to convince Dr.M but he doesn't listen, and banishes Connor, Kathryn, Sly and all his gang from the camp.

The gang plus Sly's parents escape from street-level to a bombed out rail yard. Connor reveals his determination for the plan to continue, revealing he had pocketed a Cherry Bomb. Bentley draws up a three-point plan to get at Clockwerk. Firstly, Murray will disable all guard towers in the area. Second, Sly and Connor will destroy the power station that feeds power to Clockwerk's stronghold for an uncertain reason. Finally, Bentley has deduced that Clockwerk has gone into hibernation in his stronghold, with his means to time travel locked away inside, presumably with Penelope too. He tells everyone of his decision to try and rescue her, and that he will sacrifice himself to stop Clockwerk from ever getting hold of time travel, by assassinating himself in the past. The team are horrified, especially Sly and Murray who tell him how he is their best friend. Bentley is certain there is no other way, but then Wolfgang speaks. He is clearly reluctant to tell everyone that in fact HE is directly responsible for time travel's creation. Bentley recalls that he was unable to work out a certain algorithm and Penelope solved it. Wolfgang, barely able to look at Sly, tells him that he gave the time travel knowledge to Penelope, who gave it to Le Paradox. Sly is disgusted, and tells Wolfgang that once he is done with Clockwerk, he is coming for him.

The plan is put into motion, and Clockwerk is made vulnerable for the first time in all of history. But as huge cracks in the wall open, Murray turns to face Dr.M who attacks him, revealing that he is an operative of Clockwerk, deigned to keep order amongst the rebels. After beating Dr.M, Murray traps him under the rubble of the wall, where his legs are left kicking. Connor assumes the role of leader of the refugee camp, and calls a meeting to plan the fall of the Clock. "Clockwerk's master fortress is well guarded. But we can break in. Thieves like us can do anything" said Connor. Sly looked with admiration at this father rallying his troops. He was intensely proud to be the child of this brave, brave man. Connor landed a spire jump on the jagged broken fencing next to where Sly was standing. He tuned to face Sly. "You know, I may be approaching fifty but I am not stupid." He smiled warmly, "You may hide your cane but there is no mistaking a Cooper" He grabbed Sly's shoulders and looked closely into his eyes. "Sly?" he said. "Hi, dad" said Sly, his voice wobbling. Connor looked dumbfounded. "My son… but the Clock's men took you from me at birth!" Sly was too happy to be having this moment with his father that he doesn't reveal the truth about his time-travelling antics. Kathryn Cooper also realises he is her son, and hugs Sly tightly. "Now I have more purpose than ever before" said Connor. "Now I don't just fight for myself, or my wife, but for my son!" he exclaimed.

Meanwhile in the cold heart of the tallest building in the city, a bow-wielding weasel approached a huge steel door. A flashlight guard standing by the door beckoned him inside. The door closed behind the weasel as he entered a room as dark as death itself. The door's closing plunged him into pitch black. A rasping yet terror-inspiring voice spoke out to him from the dark. "Is it not so that the fortress has been penetrated? Well, is it?" The weasel began to shake, "It is true my most humble Clock. "Two intensely bright yellow lights burned in the corner of the room, illuminating a room dense with cables and an arch over the centre of the room shadowed a strange shape in the corner. "My name... is not Clock. My name shall burn in the souls of every living thing for all of time, as it has since the dawn of life itself. My name… is Clockwerk!" And before the weasel could blink, the shape unfurled, revealing huge wings and talons. The Clock flew at astonishing speed at the weasel and swept it up in its claws. "And don't you forget it" it spoke softly, before its claws closed around the weasels head.

Clockwerk POV: Sleep has made me weak. The blasted Cooper legacy just refuses to die, doesn't it? Now they plan to take away my empire, reduce me to ashes, and carry on their filthy thieving acts. I slammed my wings hard against the door. But that's not going to happen. I won't let it happen. I'll sleep no longer. And with that I burst through the wall and tore into the night sky, and my eyes picked out several yellow lights burning across my broken city. Like ants in the path of an elephant, it's time to show who's in charge now…

The Cooper Gang froze in their tracks when they saw the shape of the owl illuminated against the moonbeams. Clockwerk had risen. The owl swept down further along the city and with a horrific scream a ton of people was mercilessly eviscerated. Connor began to run towards Clockwerk, yelling angrily. Kathryn stopped him, telling him that there was nothing they could do, and that his was their only chance. Clockwerk took to the sky again, and with an ear-piercing shriek, swept down across the ground narrowly missing Bentley. The Cooper Gang had almost reached the doors of the stronghold when the owl hit the ground in front of them, and spreads its wings out wide, shrieking in triumph. Sly and Connor gripped their canes in apprehension, but just as Clockwerk was about to fire his mounted rockets, a blast of fire hit the owl square in the face. Everyone turned to see Wolfgang perched on the top of a roof nearby. The wolf stared bluntly into the owl's piercing eyes, and spoke defiantly. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" and fired another round from his pistol. Clockwerk screamed as the fire tore through the ligament of his left wing, but laughed horribly as it began to re-attach itself by self-repairs. "Run!" Wolfgang yelled at the Cooper Gang. "I'll hold him off!" Sly took one last look at the man he had spent the last few weeks with and turned and ran into the fortress. Wolfgang watched as the gang made it safely inside. His betrayal was now repaid. He wasn't afraid to die. The Clock had made him a prisoner for all his life. But no longer. The owl took to the skies and hurtled toward him. Wolfgang waited until Clockwerk was close then fired straight into his eye. The owl was at full speed, and as it began to dive-bomb towards Wolfgang's position, he knew there was no escape. Wolfgang closed his eyes, and thought of the Caribbean, those beautiful sunlit shores and scenery, unlike anything anyone from this time had ever seen. And then there was nothing.

"Quick Sly! The time machine's through here!" Bentley yelled as he rolled his wheelchair faster than he had in his life. The Cooper Gang had made it the inner sanctum of Clockwerk's base, but just as they had reached the machine, a laser grid descended in front of them. "Damn it" Sly cursed. "That's a triple-quantum inversion lock!" Bentley said knowingly. "Can you swing it?" Sly asked. Bentley raised an eyebrow. "Good to have you back, buddy" Sly said. "And you were going to sacrifice yourself". Bentley smiled and playfully whacked Sly with one of the hands on his wheelchair. He then threw down a hacking grid and successfully broke through 3000 consecutive firewalls. The laser gird disappeared and the team cheered. A blood-curdling shriek echoed won the hallway. Clockwerk was closing in on them. Bentley wheeled up to the time machine's core processor and began to run calibrations. "Damn it! The systems in lockdown! I can't open the prongs, they've magnetised. No 'one without god-like strength can open them now!" Murray cracked his knuckles. "These prongs are NOTHING, before, THE MURRAY!" Sly and Murray high-fived and the hippo began to pull apart the prongs. "Hurry" Carmelita called, we don't have much time. Another shriek from closer this time indicated she was right. With one last groan of exertion, the prongs came apart, and a sphere of energy opened around the gang minus Sly, Connor and Kathryn. "You guys fix this, okay? I can't leave my parents at his mercy. Not two times in one life" said Sly. Bentley and Murray nodded solemnly. Carmelita blew a kiss. Dimitri broke down and started crying. The Guru, well, he looked blank, but you could tell he cared. The gang disappeared as the light intensified, and Sly, Kathryn and Connor were left on the empty pad. "I sure wish I had friends like that" Connor said aloud. Sly paused. It had gone too quiet. Where was Clockwerk? Then without warning a talon came down from the ceiling and grabbed Kathryn, yanking her away. "You want this *****? Come get her" spoke the owl, flying up through the rafters. Connor and Sly ran after him in pursuit. Upon reaching the very top of the stronghold, the following banter occurred.

Sly: Put my mother down you metal monster!

Connor: If you lay a finger on my wife, I'll cut out your eyes.

Clockwerk: So amusing. The little men think they are strong. Hahaha. You Coopers always find a way to make it more interesting.

Sly: How have you changed all of time?

Clockwerk: Penelope extended her services to me. In Ancient Egypt, we struck a bargain. She would build me a suit of armour superior to my original, and in return I would murder the first Cooper, Bob, and delete your entire stinking line from history. But I had a change of plan. Why not simply become the ruler of the entire world?

Sly: You're insane.

Clockwerk: No. I am a forward thinker. The world has never been enough for me. I was wrong, and that's hard to admit. Hate is not the prime ingredient in the fountain of youth. Its patience. I have waited millions of years to destroy the coopers, and now my time has come.

Sly: You're destroying all of time as well!

Clockwerk: So be it. Time always ran out for me anyway.

Sly: What are you talking about?

Clockwerk: Didn't your little book tell you? Why I hate the Cooper family so much? The crime they committed against me?

Sly: There was never any reason.

Clockwerk: But there was, you see…

Kathryn: Put me down you psychopath!

Clockwerk: Another time.

With that Clockwerk threw Kathryn down, where Connor ran to her aid, and engaged Sly in battle. Sly, equipping the Minion Costume disables Clockwerk's wings, and the second half of the battle takes place on land. After Sly hits Clockwerk sufficiently, the owl falls on its back. Clockwerk began to ramble aimlessly about doughnuts as its self-repairs kick in. "Cooper, doughnuts, you'll never, doughnuts, be rid, doughnuts, of doughnuts doughnuts doughnuts" Sly looked out across the bombed city, and has overjoyed to see a white wave heading straight towards him. "You see that Clockwerk, your empire is about to fall in ruins!" The owl simply tuned its head toward the oncoming light, and whispered "Doughnuts doughnuts doughnuts". Sly hopped down to his parents. Connor turned to him. "I am so proud of you, Sly. You truly are the best cooper in history." Sly replied "No dad. That was a man called Raul Wolfgang. He died for us, he fought for us, and he admired us that greatly. But he was stronger than us all." Connor smiled. "Just as humble and selfless as well. We are both so proud to have known you" Sly brushed away a tear as the time wave closed in on the trio. Clockwerk's last words were "Coopers... I will never forget your crime…"before a power as strong as a million neutron bombs wiped him from time.

EPILOGUE: NARRATED BY SLY

I should probably just start at the beginning. The name's Sly, Sly Cooper. And I'm a thief from a long line of thieves. In fact, thieving is the family business. And business was good. I met all my ancestors. Hmmm, few can say that. I've had a long adventure, and by now I just want to relax. You see, as fate would have it, Bentley knew exactly what he was doing when he stepped into that machine, and whatever he did, reset time to the point when I was on Le Paradox's blimp. This time, I was rescued, by DIMITRI. Beggars can't be choosers I guess. And as he piloted the Cooper helicopter towards me, I could see Carmelita, just sitting there and smiling. I was so glad to see her. None of us can forget what happened. Some timey wimey jargon that Bentley has tried to explain to me. It was just noise anyway. It's been a tiring trip, though, and it's definitely time for some rest from thieving. So I'm going to propose… to Carmelita. It's definitely way past time I made my feelings clear. Propose… a break from the whole cops and robbers game. I think she'll definitely agree. Bentley's working on some new project, but is keeping tight-lipped as usual. Murray and the Guru have formed a bowling team. With their dreamtime powers, some may call it cheating. They call it intuition. Dimitri joined NASA, and recently went on a moonwalk. His boogying down on lunar town certainly… had its moments. And the Panda King's sacrifice now never happened, and so he's enjoying retirement with his daughter in the Himalayas.

But the gang is ready for the time when we know its right to return to the old ways. After all, you can't keep a good thief down. Thieves… are forever…

THE END

Credits: For the authentic credits experience, listen to this while reading the following notes: watch?v=G6jyuChcPMA

Penelope, having been securely prevented from leaving her jail cell, could never cause any of the events in this game. She and Bentley are… talking.

Osiran, having never become rich, enjoyed a decent life selling potatoes in the slums of Cairo. Occasionally, he'd get a tip for peeling them.

Slytunkhamen went on to write the Thievius Raccoonus, the book of the Cooper clan's greatest exploits. Fair to say he has a few of his own to add…

Sir Hiram went on to write a military strategy novel, and was appointed as a lead writer for Call of Looty…

Henrietta fought gallantly with her one eye, and hook, and won respect from many male pirate captains. Then stole their gold…

Adlar won the Iron Cross for his bravery in the First World War. He retired from the army before WW2, and settled down with a wife and two kids.

Otto van Cooper was captured by the allied forces and apparently switched sides. Fair to say he did a GREAT job of fixing their planes, as several mysteriously crashed after he repaired them…

Escargot was eventually caught by the police in Modern Day and charged the full £30 for his parking fine. Reports say he was devastated.

Thaddeus won a role in the police force, and managed to catch the infamous . He still refuses to be impolite.

Doc (Lawrence) achieved recognition for his work on wool as a conductor of electricity. He is now working for the good side on revolutionary security locks.

Slaigh got into many a pub brawl, and drank half his body weight. He was later found halfway up a tree, with no recollection of how he got there.

Wolfgang's eventual fate is unknown. Perhaps because Clockwerk's empire of hardship was never formed, he was never born. Nonetheless, his sacrifice has never been forgotten.

Clockwerk died as he meant to in Paris in 2004. His final words to Sly are yet to have a found meaning…

Author's Notes: Well… thanks all for reading. It's been a heck of a fun ride writing down my ideas for Sly 5. Some people may not be happy with how it turned out with it being quite similar to Sly 4 or being predictable, but I'd like to thank everyone who favourited and followed this story, especially to the reviewer "Anonymous", who I don't actually know who they were, whose positive feedback gave me the will to keep writing. For those who may be wondering about Clockwerk's origins, I'd like to point you towards a brilliant fan fiction by BananaB0mb called The Room We Hide In. I take the inspiration for his hatred from that story. I'll almost definitely return to write more in this universe, but unlikely to be writing a Sly 6. Who knows? Only time will tell…