15 kilometres away. 20 minutes ago.
The plane goes into a dive as the two raccoons charge towards the van, Otto is timing is dive to perfection as he inverts his plane for Sly's entry. The plane is flying upside down above the van as Sly jumps out and lands on the roof of the van. Otto flies away to get back from the van. Sly peaks into the window and sees the driver, it is not Murray, and desperate for some snack but it is the Mexican thief. She is concentrating on the road ahead, not noticing the set of eyes peaking on the inside. Sly is not going to let her take Carmelita away for whatever crazed purpose she may be doing. Sly, in one swift move, swings into the cabin and kicks out the thief from the van, leaving her to be tumbling and turning on the fields beside the road. Sly stops the van as quick as he can so he can see the damage. Sly rushes out of the van, worried sick about Carmelita. He opens the back doors, and sees the drugged Joey and Murray in the back with Carmelita chained to Murray, he is as good as an immovable object you could get in the van right now.
"Sly!" Carmelita shouts, almost being trapped under one of Murray's arms.
"Carmelita!" Sly shouts as he undoes the crude rope knots and sets her free. They exchange a long hug together; they won't get such privacy for long now, especially after that the whole world knows about them now.
"She took me away, drugged them and kept taking about these things in Mexico I've never heard of." Carmelita says to Sly, quickly explaining the situation. She is a very good liar. But she doesn't think Sly notices, or maybe he just wants to help her out that he is willing to keep this thing secret.
"It's ok. She's gone now. But how are you?" Sly asks.
"I don't know what it is, I feel different, changed. I feel like none of this is important anymore." Carmelita says to Sly.
"I'm important to you. Your job is important, and i will get that back for you." Sly says, but he doesn't fully understand her meaning.
"It's not that, it's just." She says as she looks down at her belly. Sly sees why now. He never contemplated what thing would be like raising a child. He has no one to ask and no one to help him. But those thoughts are for later. They hear the groaning and shouting of the Mexican thief as she stumbles and limps towards them, still clinging onto whatever hope she has.
"Not her again." Sly jokes annoyingly to Carmelita.
"Don't go with them Carmelita!" She shouts while still trying to approach them.
"I've got this." Sly says as he walks slowly and casually over to the limping fox and readies his cane like he's wielding a baseball bat over his shoulder.
"Out of my way Raccoon!" She tries to shout as Sly swings his cane and trips her up. Her face hits the pavement and creates a large cracking sound of skull, which is heard by all. Sly just tries to move the body away from the road so no one finds it. He tosses it into a ditch covered in reeds for the maggots to dispose of. It's one of the more raw things he has done, he takes a moment to look at the bloodied and bruised thief, half covered in water and plant matter. Carmelita just sees Sly looking down into the ditch. All these things he does for her, for love.
"Now she's gone, you won't have to deal with her anymore." Sly explains, like it was only a small favour for him. Carmelita doesn't know what to think. While she is grateful, she thinks it is slightly excessive to rid one from the earth for another. Sly would do it again and again if someone hurt her or did anything against her. It's just his way. Sly tries to get into the drivers seat but Carmelita beats him to it. Sly is happy for her, she's got some spark back into her, the fieriness that defines her normal character which sits in front of this one which only Sly can really get a long enough look into. She drives off back to pick up Bentley expecting the job to be done.
"That was very brutal of you." Otto says into Sly's earpiece, he saw the whole thing from above."
"It had to be done." Sly responds.
"I've never seen someone do such a thing for love before." Otto adds.
"You don't know the feeling." Sly says, looking back at his girlfriend.
"Oh yes I do, that mouse shall be mine. She's just like me!"
It clicks.
Once they do arrive back at the canal, they can only see Bentley, sitting in his wheel chair looking at something in the water. Carmelita stops the van and Sly approaches with caution. Bentley doesn't look back at him as he is still focused on the object in the water. Sly follows the eye line of Bentley to the body of Dimitri floating face down in the canal, slowly being carried down the stream. Sly walks slowly up to Bentley, still wondering about what he missed here.
"Bentley." Sly says hushly as he squats down to be at Bentley's height. Bentley is still silent as Sly turns to him and looks at his face, no tears roll down the green skin of Bentley but he is sad.
"Are you okay?" Sly asks him softly, handling the delicate moment.
"She got him." Bentley says as he puts his energy into lifting his arm to point at the floating body. Sly looks out again, no anger is shown; the sadness that they have lost one of their own smothers that petty emotion of hate.
"I couldn't stop her." Bentley says, forcing it out of himself. He is disappointed with himself but Sly is compassionate and empathetic towards him.
"It's not your fault." Sly says back, trying to reassure his best friend.
"I'm sorry Sly." Bentley says, close to bawling his eyes out but he is trying furiously to hold it in. Sly only offers more help, rubbing slowly the back of his shell. It is all he can do himself, Sly is even feeling sad but he is much more practised in the art of pulling on a mask that will keep one's face in one emotion while many more are happening below the surface. Bentley hangs his head low, in respect of what has happened.
"I know, I know." Sly slowly says with break in between as he to looks at the floating iguana and bows his head. Carmelita doesn't dare break this moment, she can see everything from the van. She will wait as long as she has to for them to walk the 20 meters to the van; it's what he would do for her. Joey and Murray are awake after 10 minutes and still the pair of them are both stationary at the body in the canal, sitting together. It is a still moment; she doesn't want to have to tell them what has happened here. Nothing shall break the perfect silence of the air.
Obituary for an Iguana (As said by Sly Cooper)
Today was a dark day for our gang, Dimitri, Art forger, celebrity Scuba diver and valued member of our gang succumbed the hands of Penelope. He was at his peak; it was like nothing could stop him. But I guess all good things come to an end, but not like this. He's now where he would want to be, in the water. It was his domain, one where we fear to tread. His style was, different. His speech was quirky, but it was his way. His way. I couldn't think about much else, we all didn't think about much else. No one could get past the fact we lost a good person, no matter how bad they once were. But we would only get stronger.
Bentley's Lab, 6:47pm 27th July 2013
The mood is sombre, not a word passes through the completely still atmosphere in the lab, no one wanting to disturb it out of respect. Bentley however is still working behind it all, he has a backup wheelchair which is identical to his normal one, he was prepared in case something like that happened. He is always prepared. Sly just sees him and watches, turning his head to the turtle who works quickly but under it all, it seems like he's trying to hold his emotions in. It was a traumatic experience for him, being so close to death like that. He didn't think Penelope would even have it in her; maybe that's why he is still alive now.
He moves off from the table with a pair of scissors Otto. He sneaks up to him and gently snips off a tiny amount of his fur, the cut is seamless, he will never feel anything. What Bentley is doing with the lock of fur is a mystery to Sly, who is motionless, watching his friend working. It is mesmerising to him do this with the intent he has now, just the sheep pace he does it all is amazing for Sly to contemplate. Sly is pretty quick himself but at computers and technology he has never seen anyone quicker, except Otto from before. Bentley types away on the computer, running programs with the peripheral machines attached. A readout is given; Bentley tries to hide it and turns around just to make sure no one saw it. He doesn't seem like anyone saw what he just saw. He hides the screen from view and pushes away from the table. He slowly makes his way to Sly to tell him this news. This was going to be either two things, important or bad. It turned out it was both.
"Could you come over here for a second?" Bentley whispers into Sly's ear, Sly bends down to hear it. Bentley wheels his chair slowly over to an empty room that Sly follows him into. Sly shuts the door and the motion sensitive light turns on. Bentley is facing the opposite wall, trying to hide himself from Sly.
"Sly, you know how Penelope has been into the Thievius Raccoonus and learnt all your families tricks?" Bentley asks, still facing the wall.
"Yeah." Sly replies back, unsure of where this is going.
"And you know how Penelope was able to do those moves?" Bentley adds.
"Are you sure about that? I mean…" Sly says, trying to prove otherwise. But he has misread what is coming next.
"I did some DNA matching, by comparing the DNA of Penelope, Otto and you, I made quite a… a." The words choke in Bentley's mouth, unable to reach the exit. He can't tell Sly what he knows now, and even about the radio broadcast by the director of Interpol. So much information that could wreak untold havoc with this raccoon who, with two strikes of his cane can make a person cease to exist.
"Bentley, just tell what it is, I'm sure I can handle it." Sly says in his usual reassuring way, he always talks like this just before a heist, like nothing could possibly go wrong.
"I know this will sound unfathomable at first, but that's what these tests keep showing and I, I don't want to think it's true. But I can't disagree with the evidence." Bentley explains, still struggling with the words. The silence is palpable; it hangs low and slow, not doing much, just hanging there. Sly is preparing himself for the many different permutations that could come out of Bentley's mouth. The one that does eventually follow is not one that he could be thinking of.
"Penelope...
is…
related."