Chapter 8: I hate to be the party Cooper.
Penelope was estranged. Her whole world seemed to be falling apart at the seams. First her daughter goes rogue and vanishes with a stranger, now her husband is dead, and Carmelita lured some man to Kaine Island who had attacked her. She was within five minutes of landing and her radar had alerted her that another plane was already in Mesa City. Silently she prayed that the kids weren't trying to escape again. Then again another part of her prayed that it was her husband and friends, but she didn't get her hopes up. She saw that footage and she knew that hope wasn't something she could hold onto right now.
She tried to pinpoint the moment in her life when things started shifting from safe and protected to dangerous and sorrowful. She tried to manage her anger but one name stood out in particular. Carmelita Fox. How could anyone be so small minded and stupid? How could she just willingly abandon her daughter in search of her father. Find this father bore him another child. Leave both the father and the newborn child to return to the first child and dare say she has her child's best interest in mind?
Now she led some strange man to Kaine Island and he probably destroyed their home. Penelope felt for poor Clyde, he was so ignorant to what was going on. Ignorance may be bliss, but those walls are not sound proof. Clyde must have heard the struggle and she only hoped he'd be safe in the confines of his room. Penelope didn't know what to expect upon arrival back at Kaine Island, but she had to push those thoughts aside. Right now her top priority was retrieving the children.
The closer she got to Mesa City, the more her radar beeped about this other plane. She geared up for a fight and manned her defenses. "Security protocol for jet 8, engage defenses. There is a potential threat ahead." The plane obeyed her command and as it broke through the clouds during its descent onto Mesa City, she tried her best to make out the damage.
As the plane grew closer to the ground she had to switch it into autopilot because her tears clouded her eyes. She saw her Bentley and her Morgan stuck in embrace staring at her waiting for her arrival. She disengaged the defenses and ran to the loading dock of the plane. It wasn't her best idea ever considering the plane was still shakey and moving somewhat rapidly. However she didn't care. Once she knew the plane was sturdily in place not moving she opened the launch pad and saw her husband and daughter waiting there to see her.
She rushed down the ramp tears flowing from her eyes. So many emotions flowed through her as she embraced her loved ones. Relief, love, anger, misunderstanding, care, but most of all the togetherness that she never thought she'd feel again. She pulled away from the hug and felt immediate anger; it had been building up since last night. She slapped Bentley clean across the face and then sank into his arms and murmured out through some loud sobs. "How could you not fill me in, how could you let that happen. I was so worried, my heart was ripped out of me!"
Bentley held her back, he felt terrible for putting Penelope through that. However dire the situation seemed he knew it was a necessary precaution to only allow the gang to know about it. "We had to be prepared, in case we really didn't make it then there would be false hope and knowldege." His nasal congested voice was even more so nasally considering he was tearful too. "Besides, if the kids contacted you, we needed a raw response one that wouldn't leave them suspicious. But it seems that you knew what you were doing! You found them Penelope! You are an amazing woman."
She broke his embrace and looked him in the eyes then over to her daughter. She let him go then rushed to Morgan, "My family, my baby. We are together again."
She was so overcome with emotion she completely forgot about Carmelita, she sank into this moment with her family and relished in the gracefulness of it. She would have never broken that embrace had Murray and Seth come barreling up to them. Each exchanged hugs and discussed travel plans back to Kaine Island.
"Two planes and a flying car," Bentley said, "We can drive the car on board one of the planes. Penelope can fly one back and I'll fly the other. We'll split our passengers?"
Just then Sly came around to the landing pad with Bonnie at his side, "Sounds like a plan Bentley." He said.
Penelope looked Bonnie once over. Silently she wanted to blame Bonnie for everything, but she knew this girl had been through enough as well. "So you're the girl who started this new movement huh?"
Bonnie hung her head. Penelope could clearly see the sorrow. Bonnie tried not to feel hurt. She just didn't know how to feel. She'd caused so much destruction in the past few days. Granted now the destruction was a lot less than she'd previously thought, she still had a lot to make up for. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to escape and separate everyone. All I really wanted was to find my dad and see if maybe he'd want to find me too. I never meant for any of this to happen. I'm sorry it came to this. I'm just glad everyone is safe and with the people that love them again. For any turmoil I caused, I'm so sorry."
Everyone looked at her, Morgan strolled over to her and place her right arm around her shoulders. "We chose this Bonnie. You were the spark not the whole fire. Don't blame yourself entirely. Each of us played a part. Everyone contributed to this somehow. The important thing is that you're with your family now." She paused and looked around, "We all are."
As Morgan went over to hug her mother again Sly placed a hand on her left shoulder. "Well not entirely, we still need to get back to Kaine Island. You've got to face your mother at some point. Also, you've got to meet your little brother!"
Bonnie's eyes lit up, she'd completely forgotten about them. Unfortunately up until this moment, so did Penelope. "Oh heavens no." Penelope said as she slapped her palm to her forehead. "We need to leave for Kaine Island right now."
Everyone looked perplexed by the urgency in her voice. "Mom is everything okay?" Morgan asked as Penelope started walking up the ramp to the plane.
She turned before entering and stated, "Bentley, Seth, Murray, load the van up onto the other plane and head back in that one." They obeyed even though they were a bit confused. She turned her gaze to Sly and Bonnie while the others set off to load the van. "You two better come with me. There's something important you need to see."
Sly and Bonnie met each other's gaze and they knew that they were on the same wave length. Something bad has happened to Carmelita and Clyde. Or just Carmelita. Or just Clyde. The point was they both knew something bad had happened, and their hopes for a family reunion were completely tarnished now. They rushed onto the plane and Morgan followed behind. It didn't take long for the plane to be hoisted in the air and the gang was heading back toward Kaine Island.
Penelope placed the plane in autopilot and joined her daughter and the Coopers in the lounging area. She sat next to her daughter and met Sly's eyes across the aisle. "I'm sorry for being so cryptic, I completely forgot that we were pressed for time. It's Carmelita, I left her with Clyde to watch over the house for a multitude of reasons. One being I didn't know how this one," she gestured at Bonnie, "Would react if she saw her mother here. I figured my best bet was to get the kids back to Kaine, and we'd figure it out from there. I also had a bit of resentment for her. I placed the blame for all of this on Carmelita's shoulders. I knew I couldn't take being around her for any longer than I had to be. However Morgan," she turned her head toward Morgan, "Showed me just before in Mesa City that we each played a part, and for blaming her I am sorry."
Sly leaned back confused, "Okay, yeah it makes sense why she's not here. However what doesn't make sense is why we are pressed for time? Is everything okay?"
Bonnie seemed to connect the dots, she sat forward in her chair and looked a little frantic. Penelope met her gaze. "What happened to my mom and brother?"
Penelope shook her head and sighed. "I gave her control of some of the houses security measures. I didn't think she'd need to use them but just in case. A rogue ship was heading toward Kaine, she claimed to know the piolet and she disengaged the security measures." She stood up and walked to the touch panel adjacent to the door leading into the cockpit. A holographic screen appeared before Morgan, Sly and Bonnie. Penelope relayed the footage.
Upon seeing the piolet Bonnie shot upright. "Stop the footage!" Penelope obliged and walked to the other side of the screen. Everyone was looking at Bonnie. She felt a lump in her throat? How did he? Nothing made sense right now. She panicked and her eyes moved swiftly back and forth between Morgan, her dad and Penelope. She tried to find the words to say. "That…" she paused. "That is my uncle! Uncle Carmelo. What did he do?"
Sly raised his eyebrows and looked at the rug, "Carmelita never told me she had a brother. Then again she never told me I had a daughter." He threw in sarcastically.
"She didn't really tell anyone, she didn't broadcast it very much. They worked at the same precinct except he was an average traffic cop. My mother was a detective."
Everyone was a little suspicious and silent until Penelope broke it by saying, "Well why did he attack her?"
Bonnie turned to her stunned, "What?"
Penelope resumed the footage. Bonnie could make out an exchanging of words but there was no sound. Then she saw her uncle pounce and tackle her mother down into the hatch from the roof. She walked closer to the screen a puzzled expression danced across her face. She turned to Penelope dazed and confused. "I don't understand what is happening?"
She shrugged, "I wish I knew, it sounds like you know more than I at this point."
They all sat in silence for a few minutes. Bonnie tried to work it over in her mind. "I don't understand how he could be out for my mom. I could understand him wanting to come after me, but mom? I don't know what he could want with her."
A moment passed and the security voice came over the planes intercom. Further activity is currently taking place on the roof patching footage through now. Security systems badly damaged. Subject is still secure in bedroom however security failed at the door.
Everyone rose to their feet and stared at the screen. Bonnie walked up close and watched in horror. She saw her uncle climbing out of the roofs hatch leading to the landing pad. He was firing shots downward at what Bonnie assumed was a security protocol. However what horrified her most was seeing him carrying Carmelita bound at the hands and feet slung over his shoulder unconscious and bleeding from her scalp. He walked with his back toward the helicopter he piloted there and was shooting what Bonnie assumed were the security bots when his back brushed the copter he opened the piolet side. He threw Carmelita into the passenger seat and she flopped over, her head smacking the window. Bonnie cringed, she was already so hurt that couldn't have made it any better.
He climbed in after shooting a few more robot heads clean off and he began to ready the plane. One robot grabbed on as he began to rise off the ground but he just flew upward and the robot crashed into the camera, leaving the screen blackened and static. Bonnie felt a hand on her shoulder she turned to it and saw Morgan looking remorseful on her left. "Bonnie, are you okay?"
Sly sat down in silence, panicked and in disarray. Bonnie's mouth fell agape and she slowly turned her head throughout the plane. She'd been running from her mother, she put this stress on her mother. She was the reason her mother had gone to the length she did. Now this, her uncle just kidnapping her? How did he even find Kaine Island? Why did he take mom? Most importantly why had he hurt her? A thousand thoughts ran through her mind.
Sly stood and wiped a tear that he didn't realized had fallen from his eye. "Sorry," he said. "There's a lash in my eye. I didn't see Clyde with them. Who is there with him presently?"
Penelope urged him to relax even if only slightly. "I locked down Clyde's room from here when this happened, but it sounds like the system failed. But security said he's safe in the bedroom. I'd have turned back if I'd known you guys were with the kids. I just couldn't risk them feeling guilty and running again."
Sly shook his head. "You did the right thing Penelope. How long till we get back to Kaine. My son is there alone and probably frightened to death."
She checked the dash in the cockpit, "A few more hours Sly."
He began to pace and was worried to no end. He finally walked up to the cockpit and sat with Penelope asking hundreds of questions. "Has he eaten?" "What exactly happened?" "You're sure he's okay?" Penelope eased his tension claiming that security was taking care of him. Bonnie sat in the lounge and hung her head in her hand as she watched out the window. Morgan approached and spun the lounge chair in front of Bonnie around to face her.
"Are you okay?" Morgan asked.
Bonnie shrugged, "define okay." She kept her gaze blankly on the passing clouds outside of the plane's window. Morgan Moved up closer in her chair and leaned toward Bonnie. She reached out and grabbed her hand. Bonnie's eyes averted from the clouds and turned toward Morgan and her hands. Her head still faced the direction of the window, but Morgan knew she'd sparked something in Bonnie.
"You can talk to me you know that right?"
Bonnie dropped her gaze. "I don't know what to talk about Morgan. I feel so much all at once. My mother is gone, its worse my uncle is the one who both wounded and took her away. My baby brother is all alone probably scared and here I am with the overwhelming feeling that-"
"This is all your fault?" Morgan cut in.
Bonnie looked up and met Morgan's eyes. "Yeah that." She looked back out the window and Morgan could tell she was in deep thought. However she wasn't going to let Bonnie do this. Not anymore.
"Okay and how does that help?" She asked pulling her hand away from Bonnie.
Bonnie looked at her confused, "pardon?"
"You heard me. How does sitting here and blaming yourself help anyone?"
Bonnie sat quietly. She hadn't begun to think of this. "I don't know I didn't think there was anything I could do."
"Right. Because you don't know anything about the person who took your mom? You don't know information about your mother and him that could provide help us find them? You don't think that you can do this? Why don't you just understand that when you blame yourself you create problems that aren't there? You did it back in Egypt, and you did it in Mesa City and you're doing it now!"
Bonnie sat silently and let Morgan go off. Morgan rose to her feet and began pacing while she ranted to Bonnie. "You disappeared in Egypt because you didn't want us to help you because you decided for us that it was better for us in the long run. Then in Mesa City when we thought our parents were gone, you once again blamed yourself and you once again left the camp site because you once again decided that we would be better off to grieve without you. I don't understand you sometimes Bonnie! You basically did what all of our parents have done without even realizing it, twice nonetheless! The same reason you Seth and I left! And here you are doing it a third time except this time you can't run anywhere!"
Bonnie looked down in defeat. "You're right."
Morgan sat back down. "I'm not done. Bonnie you have talent, extreme talent. But it's clouded by your emotions. Where is that fearless girl who stood up to her oppressors and left home to take on the Cooper Legacy? Because I haven't seen that girl since that night! What are you so afraid of?"
Bonnie stood up and looked down at Morgan, "Everything!" she yelled. Sly and Penelope looked back but Sly shook his head and put an arm on Penelope. They assumed it was something the girls needed to hash out. Besides they had bigger things to discuss.
Morgan stood up and met Bonnie's eyes. "Define everything." She was calmer and Bonnie sensed that so she relaxed a little before she continued.
"These guys they're the real deal. I am merely an outsider. When I decided to get involved everything just started going haywire. I should have just embraced my life. I threw caution to the wind and I feel so guilty. I made so many mistakes and those are my downfall."
Morgan looked at her, "I agree. You have made so many mistakes Bonnie, but do us all a favor and get off your high horse we all have. Your downfall is not going to be the mistakes you've made, it's going to be the way you handle them."
Morgan's honesty stung Bonnie a little, but that's what friendship is being brutally honest. Morgan did have a point. "You're right." Bonnie said. "I've got to stop this. I think I know how to start." Morgan watched as Bonnie strolled up to the cockpit. She confronted her dad and Penelope. "How did you guys find my mom and how did she get to Kaine Island in the first place?"
Sly stood up to meet Bonnie face to face, "She contacted us through Dimitri in Paris. Why Bonnie?"
She strolled back through the lounge section of the plane and Sly followed "Tell me everything you know. That was indeed my uncle and I won't rest until I fit the pieces together. The answer is in-between the lines I just have to figure out which lines to read."
Sly recounted the story to Bonnie. Off to their right still in the chair Morgan couldn't help but let a smile escape. She'd finally seen the girl with the fire in her eyes and determination in her soul again. The same girl who inspired her to join this escapade. Bonnie Cooper, the new and improved.
The last few hours of the flight dragged on and on, full of theories and possible explanations. But the truth is everyone was clueless. Upon arriving on Kaine Island Bonnie agreed that on any normal day she would probably have been so excited to see the place.
She fantasized about hearing her dad tell her stories about this place, and all the other places. It was romanticized in her mind since she'd discovered exactly who her father is. However when the plane was secure in the hangar, Bonnie was the first one off. She made sure Morgan was close behind her. "Lead the way I have no idea where I am."
Sly and Penelope had to beg them to wait for Bentley to land. The only reason they waited was because they didn't want to leave Seth behind. Murray walked off the plane first and sure enough Seth was behind him. The girls called him over and he seemed eager to join them. Sly filled Bentley and Murray in as they rushed a little toward the elevator. Bonnie got their first alongside Seth and Morgan, she decided she couldn't wait for her parents to catch up and told Morgan to hit the button.
The elevator rose about six floor until it opened up in the lab. Morgan led them over to the doorway that led to the house itself. When the door lifted up the three of them stood in shock. Bookshelves were knocked over and papers lay sprawled out over the floor of the study. Smoke was coming from a leather chair that looked like it'd been burned to a crisp and security bots lie in pieces on the floor. The white carpet had some blood stains that lead over to the staircase that Bonnie assumed lead upstairs to where her brother potentially was. Morgan looked in the kitchen and discovered that there was glass littered everywhere along with food and flickering overhead lights. The place was destroyed and Morgan looked distraught. She walked back into the study where the loveseat couch now sat ripped and stuffing protruding out in all directions. A nearby nightstand was knocked over and she bent down to pick up the picture frame that had previously been on it. The glass was shattered and her heart broke looking at the picture of her family smiling so happily so carefree. She placed it back on the ground and began to cry.
Seth went into the kitchen and filled the nearest container he could find with water, he brought it out into the study and poured it over the burning couch. "Our home, our beautiful home." She released through sobs. Bonnie wanted to comfort her but she had to find her brother. Seth looked at her reassuring her that it'd be okay, he would be here to comfort Morgan. Bonnie nodded in agreement and she went off to the left then made a quick right and bolted up the stairs.
She heard the elevator ding in the background and assumed that her parents had finally arrived to the party. She knocked on several doors but with no luck. She heard muffled voices downstairs and realized that everyone must have been assessing the damage. Bonnie followed the narrow hallway to the end to discover that it continued on to her left. She followed it to the end again and noticed two rooms. Each door had a gaping hole where the knob should be. She tried the room on the left first. She readied her Cooper Cane and prepared to swing if necessary. However, no one seemed to be in here. The pale green color and flower print bed spread lead Bonnie to believe that this was Morgan's room. She walked over to the room on the right hand side of the hallway.
"Hello?" she asked softly. "Clyde honey? Are you in here?" She heard a shuffling sound from the closet. "I won't hurt you I promise, it's me Bonnie. I'm your older sister!"
She walked cautiously toward the closet door, and before reaching for the nob someone opened it. A bouncing little boy ran out and attached himself at Bonnie's legs. It was incredible how much he looked like Sly.
"You look like my mommy!" he said tears welled in his eyes.
After prying off his grip from her legs she knelt down to be eye level with him. "That's because we have the same mommy! Daddy and I came to rescue you! We heard some crazy things happened while we were gone! Are you okay?"
He hugged Bonnie and she picked him up in her arms. "So scary. Big mean man looked like mommy and you. He was shooting mommy's gun around and looking for me. I was scared and hid in the closet. Mommy yelled I wasn't here but he shot open the door anyway. I was so afraid mommy kicked him and he smacked her in the head with the gun. I cried but he didn't hear me cause he was walking away. I didn't leave the closet."
Bonnie held him tighter to her chest. She couldn't imagine how scared he must have been. "Come on Clyde; let's go talk to daddy and everyone. We are here now you are safe, you are a very brave boy."
She strolled downstairs holding Clyde. Everyone froze when she walked around the corner. From the looks of it Penelope and Morgan tried to straighten up but it wasn't looking any better. She realized everyone was waiting for her to speak. "Clyde is okay he's just been up there since the incident started. He probably hasn't eaten in a day so is there anything for him?"
Penelope came over and took him from Bonnie's arms. Murray followed Penelope into the kitchen seeing as though he was always hungry himself. Bonnie walked over to the window at the far end of the study. Seth and Morgan walked over to her because they could tell something was up. Sly sat down on the singed couch and Bentley stayed close by him. Again Bonnie felt everyone's eyes even though she was looking out the window. "I don't know why my uncle did this but he will answer for it."
"How do you propose this?" Bentley asked. "We don't even know what he wants apart from Carmelita, we don't even know how he found her."
Bonnie shook her head and turned to face everyone. At this point Penelope had returned with both Murray and Clyde. "Clyde said something to me just before. Uncle Carmelo was evidently looking for him before Carmelita lied about where he was. I don't think his plans involve harming his sister at all. I didn't even know about Clyde until recently, I doubt my uncle did either. He wants something more than just Clyde. I think he wants me too. Though it is still too early to assume, I just have to put the pieces together. However in the mean time we have to rebuild."
Sly stood up, "What are you saying?"
She met her dad's eyes, "He knows where this place is which means eventually he will come back and if he finds us he gets what he wants. We need to fortify the defenses but make them bigger and stronger. We should all stay here, work as a team, maybe even a family. I could use some more training, and Seth and Morgan included. We can't just wing this like we did before. We need to plan and train while we put the pieces together."
Morgan stepped forward and put a fist out in front of me and Seth. "I'm in." She said.
Seth smiled when we looked at him, "What? You think I'm going to put my life on the line and change locations and completely disrupt the flow of this gracious life that I've been living so far?" They both raised an eyebrow before he continued. "Because if that's what you thought then yes I'm in." He said placing a hand on top of Morgan's.
Bonnie looked at both of them, "To the new gang." She said placing her hand atop her dearest friends.
Penelope looked over all of them as she placed Clyde down on the ground. "I'm assuming there's no mind changing here?" the silence from the three kids was more than enough of an answer. "Okay, I'm in!" Penelope said walking over and placing a hand in the pile next to Morgan.
"I'm in if there are snacks!" Murray said walking across the room to Seth and placing his hand in as well.
Bentley was quick to follow, "I want to learn about this virus you developed Morgan!" he wheeled over and put his hand in.
All that left was Sly. He walked behind the couch and picked Clyde up who was cowering still. He then walked toward the group of his closest friends, their children, and his very own daughter. "So let me get this straight, working with the old gang to train our kids to take our place?" He looked everyone in the group over once before releasing a smile. "It would be an honor to help this crooked band of thieves. We've got The Thievius Raccoonus, and to help these children reach their truest potential is the greatest honor among thieves that there could ever be, especially when one of those children is the prodigal daughter of mine, Miss Bonnie Cooper Heir to the Cooper Cane and Legacy. I'm in." He slapped his hand atop the pile.
Bonnie thought about how dysfunctional of a group this was. Everyone was unique in their own way and the good part was everyone blended well together. For a moment her world felt okay. Granted she had a rabid uncle who'd kidnapped her and Clyde's mother but she was willing to compromise with herself this one time. She allowed herself to be happy just this once. Relishing in the happiness she felt with her family, because they really were her family. She had a whirlwind of things she knew would need attention sooner or later, but right now her focus was right in front of her. Finally starting the life she'd always wanted.
The group threw their hands up and cheered, then everyone began to clean. Sly walked over to Bonnie and hugged her with his free arm. "You're going to make an amazing thief Bonnie, but an even better daughter."
"A master thief?" She replied slyly.
He chuckled, "If you can steal something from me, then we'll talk." He set Clyde down and the two of them began aiding in the cleanup.
The End*
Final Authors note!
Thank you to my readers for being patient with me through writing this! I had a lot of fun exploring this idea and it's not over yet! I set the end up to have Carmelita missing as to write the sequel story following a more developed Bonnie and the new legacy to an actual plot line! I do plan to write a couple of prequel stories that provide more information on 1) the night Sly came to Carmelita and Bonnie was created. 2) Some adventures Sly's had while being "dead" and 3) The untold story of Clyde. After I've accomplished these I'm going to start working on the next story which will focus on Bonnie trying to retrieve her mother! I've got some twists and turns planned as well! Thank you for your support! Any ideas would you may have would be taken into consideration! Have a great day/night/week/whatever you prefer!
P.S. The sequel story will explain everything that was left open-ended and those pieces in-between the lines Bonnie was talking about will come together!