"Hola! Hello! I trust you are well. I am Slick Cooper. Son of the great Sly Cooper and Carmelita Fox of Interpol. Just hearing those two names alone, I'm sure you all are curious as to what is happening. As you can tell, much time has passed since the last anyone wrote in the Thievous Raccoonus. Around 2 decades to be precise. My father mysteriously vanished early on in the years. And though he is gone, likely over his "itch," he has left me and me madre with the very thing that shaped him into what he is, passed from his father to him…onto me. By the time I finish writing this, I will have already gone on my first heist guided by Mr. Bentley and my Uncle Murray. Even I must admit, there is a thrill I get from reaching into someone's pocket and returning home with enough money to pay for Ma's groceries. While she was very…very apprehensive of me doing this, she knew it was to be expected based on previous Coopers throughout history. But that wasn't all. She knew Bentley's company was constantly under the threat of criminal organizations plotting to steal from it for their own nefarious schemes. It was clear who was responsible. But without enough proof, Interpol would be powerless to intervene. No one would…apart from me."
POST STING: SLICK'S JOURNAL
Written by Frozarburst
Prelude
"My job was simple. To give Interpol the means to prosecute a crime lord, I would need to gather the evidence the only way I knew how. Stealth and thievery. However, I would not be alone. Papi wrote that even with the excitement that came with it, it was never easy without his team. One of the presidents of Pentley Tech, Mr. Bentley, told me many a tale about their adventures together and felt plenty of nostalgia for when he was a hacker the likes the world had never seen. He now uses his skills in coding to develop tight security as well as other technologies inspired by his wife, Penelope. Oh, he yearned to go back to the glory days. But he knew full well he couldn't with his new responsibilities. I assumed he meant it solely in business, when in reality, he was referring to his pride and joy. After his trip down memory lane, he told me, 'Old habits die hard,' and sure enough, Junior brought our ride outside the front door of the company building and told me to hop in. With a face like hers, I couldn't say no."
Pentley Tech
"Although Pentley Tech is known for their security, many have forgotten their original projects, and for good reason. Before they were established, Mr. Bentley heard rumors of a collective aiming to ruin the Cooper legacy from the past itself and reshape the future in their image. From what Ma says, Le Paradox was particularly jealous of Papi. And the only way he could achieve what should be a sci-fi fantasy was with a time machine…which Bentley and his wife completed. They both knew it was going to be difficult to track the criminals in one place. So, Ms. Penelope had another idea: Give them what they want. Through some wordplay, she joined Le Paradox under the impression that she ditched her marido, saying he was corrupted by Papi and couldn't commit to their dreams in favor of thievery. That alone was enough to convince the gang to let her in, and she delivered by building an airship around her invention to fulfill their plan. Once activated with every member of the team in one place, they successfully completed the jump through time, but not to the past. Ms. Penelope had rigged it to send them forward to the precise time Interpol would be waiting for them, and Mother saw the whole thing through. Penelope and Bentley felt keeping the time machine around would be too risky knowing criminals like Paradox would want it. So they scrapped it and went with their next endeavors: Cloning and security."
Penelope Jr
"That cloning idea I mentioned earlier resulted in the girlfri...best friend I have in front of me, and the one who is currently telling me what NOT to write down. Company secrecy is tight. After the time travel idea was dropped, Ms. Penelope got to work on the cloning project with Bentley and used herself as the template per her husband's advice. At first, she assumed her dwarfism would've resulted in a genetic abnormality. But none could have predicted just how well it turned out to be. By the time Junior and I grew up, Bentley noted that the cloning process had worked too well as she not only looked like her mother, she acted and sounded like her too. The only difference is her childhood with me being a part of it. By now, not even poor Uncle Murray can't tell the difference between her and her Madre. Though it's also hard to imagine why since there's a fairly obvious age difference here. One thing Ms. Penelope didn't say was that in the cloning process, she added a second trait unique to Bentley; that being his love of hacking, which Junior also has an interest in. She is both my flier and my geek, and I can't imagine how it would be if I didn't have her around."
The Mole
"Our first and largest case yet revolved around the dealings of PJ Mole. A sort of hybrid like myself between a dog and a mole. Though it is worth pointing out he currently has…or…had a stepfather. According to Mother, PJ was the son of a notorious gang leader Papi had previously fought, bearing little to no similarities with his father apart from his extensive knowledge of guns. He was born around the time of the criminal's second arrest and his mother severed ties with the crime boss entirely. It wasn't long before one of the cops under Madre investigating the case met with PJ's mother, and the two soon found each other compatible. Sadly, this honored cop tragically met his end in the line of duty years later on a heist orchestrated by remnants of El Jefe's gang."
"Even with all this data, it doesn't add up. Why would PJ be working with criminals against Interpol? He has set up shop near the old village of the great Panda King and seems to be working with other crime leaders; some of which included people who were prosecuted in the raid on Le Paradox's flagship. Only one thing is certain. He is very much resourceful. Plenty of gadgets Pentley Tech created are in his possession. Fortunately, I know how to get them back."
The Compound
"The area I landed in was the same place where my father fought Panda King. It and the rest of the compound had been largely untouched since their first outing. However, I can already tell PJ, or as the locals call him, The Mole, used it to his advantage. He has structured his operations in such a way that I would have no choice but to endure the gauntlet before reaching him. Luckily, I wasn't caught. Even these days, the guards are hopelessly unassuming of their surroundings. That was apart from one. This granddaughter of the notorious Panda, Ming King, wandered the walkways sniffing me out. If it weren't for that, I would have gone up close to see her beautiful face."
"Even with this setback, she didn't immediately come for me. I continued forward and took as many shots of the compound as possible, snapping photos of the stolen equipment and some of the higher-ups. One of which was El Jefe. Odd considering he indirectly killed PJ's father. Only PJ wasn't there. He was hidden away deep in the facilities. But I wouldn't have to wait long to see him. He greeted the tiger at what I assumed was the back of the headquarters. A foolish move. Easily suspicious activity with them searching the area before stepping back inside. Though for a moment, I thought PJ was staring directly at me from the branch I sat on yet didn't say a word. For a man whose biological father was Mugshot, he looked positively handsome smug."
Announcement
PJ Mole: Hello? Can anyone hear me? You have all done well! Each of you have contributed graciously to our cause. Unfortunately, I have no use for you tonight. I will have to handle things on my own for now. You can all go home. You'll expect to see a fat sum of money in your bank accounts soon enough.
"PJ sounded nothing like his father, but he carried the tradition of announcing aspects of his grand plan on the P.A. system. What perplexed me was his practical use of it instead compared to the notes Papi wrote about the tradition. From what The Mole said, Interpol had been struggling paying some of their newest cops, but I couldn't recognize anyone in particular as each member was either part of a different gang or masked. Either way, it raised plenty of questions."
Uncle The Murray
"Getting inside wouldn't be easy. Although the gangs had left for the night, security was still tight. The great Ming King would especially be a problem, and the doors were locked. Specifically the one I needed to go through in the back made of solid gold. As Junior said, "There's only one way to solve it."
Murray: THE MURRAY'S HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!
"Apart from the announcement, my Uncle Murray…erm…THE Murray was more than enough to smash through the barrier. The only obstacle then was Ming waiting just behind the door…"
Ming King: You are not the great Sly Cooper. But your heart is still his. Die and I will bring honor to my family name once more!
Ming King
"Ming was less than easy to face. Like her grandfather, she spoke in an ancient tone and threw fire with her attacks. However, she seemed to master other elements in preparation not for me but for my father. Though I was outmatched, I honored her request to face her with no assistance from Murray. Neither technique Papi previously used on Panda King worked here, though I could outlast each blow."
"At some point, I had to ask her what she meant by bringing honor to her family name. She was stubborn at first, but she eventually relented and gave me insight as to how her family felt following Panda King's defeat and the attempt of a corrupt general to marry his daughter. It was thanks to Dad that the King rescued her, but it left Ming's mother traumatized. Feeling dishonored, it was Ming who took it upon herself to do what her grandfather couldn't: Kill the great Sly Cooper in single combat."
"Deep down, hearing the pain in her voice, I knew she was afraid of suffering the same situation as her mother. Before we knew it, we began to bond speak to each other. We shared a laugh at times, moved past the rough times. And for helping her comes to terms with herself, she informed me of the compound's inner workings and the location of its visitor. She knew nothing of PJ's intentions other than Papi being responsible. With her leaving to find her voice, it was now up to me to find out for myself."