Outskirts of Lyon, France. 11:20am 28th July 2013
"Can you hear a beeping sound back there?" Sly asks over the sound of the engine. Connor doesn't know what he is talking about. He hears no such beeping from his side of the car.
"I can't hear anything from here. Maybe you have just been subjected to a period of loud noises that could be attributed being in the plane." Penelope explains, offering a typically scientific explanation.
"No, I can hear it. Beep, beep, beep." Sly says, mimicking the sound of the beeps that keep on going. The others give him a look to suggest he is insane.
"Are you sure you haven't taken any sort of drugs" Connor asks. Continuing with his own ideas on his son's behaviour.
"I'm perfectly sane and sober. But I keep hearing this beeping, it's driving be nuts." Sly replies back, agitated that he can't show it to the others. There is a pause as they try to hear it. But the others still can't hear it, even when Sly revs down the engine, it only makes their search for the sound more futile. Even Penelope with her big ears can't hear it. No more needs to be said between them. It is impossible to tell Sly otherwise. This sound that he is hearing is definitely real. Sly can block one of his ears and get rid of a part of the sound when he turns his head towards the left front tire. Penelope is just as eager to help Sly out with this one.
"Where can you hear it?" Penelope asks.
"I think it's from down here but I'm not sure exactly where it is?" Sly says as he points with his right and steers with his left. He is pointing toward the footwell.
"Can you make that sound again?" Penelope says as she gets out a phone, ready to record the sound out of Sly's mouth.
"Beep, Beep, Beep." Sly says with the microphone next to his mouth. Connor thinks this is just a silly exercise that will yield nothing. Sly doesn't feel self conscious around his father, he has done similarly stupid things around others without regret. It's all part of the job.
"Okay, calculating frequency and period. Calculating amplitude, factor in the change in medium and that should give us…" Penelope says out loud as the phone analyses the sound. It is definitely not an ordinary phone, she has seen to that. "It's a TF430, they're onto us." She shouts.
"A what?" Sly asks quickly.
"A tracking device, they must have mounted it underneath the rims." She explains. "Why didn't I check that before?" She asks herself, she suspected the police might have something like this setup on such a car that would be prime target for any gangster or thug looking for a sweet new ride to impress their mates or girlfriends. Her little search in the back wasn't enough.
"The TF430 has an immobiliser. Sly, when did you first hear the sound?" Penelope asks as she finds new information on this electronic hindrance.
"About 2 minutes ago." Sly replies, unsure of the actual time but it is good enough for Penelope. It is all the information she needs.
"We only have 3 more minutes to go before they reach us, given the distance we are away from any units."
"We won't make it there before they catch us." Connor adds.
"I've got an idea but it's you're not going to like it." Sly says to his father. He realises that he is not a child; in fact he is about the same age as his father. He doesn't need some sort of permission from him. Sly is command here.
"Take the wheel." Sly says to Connor as he starts to undo all of the belts and straps for the seatbelt.
"It took me a minute just to get into this overbearing seatbelt." Connor says, frustrated that he has to take it off again.
"Ok, Penelope you take control." Sly says.
"Sure thing." Penelope says as she manoeuvres around the roll cage and into the cramped front cabin with all the bodies so close together. Sly gets the window open and climbs out onto the roof, working it so that always a hand is on the steering wheel. Penelope moves the seat forward and up to get into a driving position that she can use while Sly crawls along to the source of this high-pitched beeping. He looks into the wheel well and under the body is a small device with a green light on it. The beeping is not loud but it is omnipresent, even with all the air rushing past him, making his tail flap in the wind and point in the opposite direction of movement. Sly watches the wheel moves up and down with the suspension, if he put's his hand in there it could come in more than one piece. Sly turns back into the car.
"Dad, cane please." Sly says as he peaks into the window. Connor looks behind him in the back for the two canes, He sees the black cane and grabs it, the seat doesn't allow for much movement but he can reach far enough to get it. He notices it's lightness and it's feel but his newfound pleasure is handled over and it feels like he has lost contact with the future. A piece of the future he wanted to know more about. It is out of view when Sly grabs it and moves away from the window. Connor can still see him blocking and partially obscuring Penelope's view, the tail batters against the windshield, unable to counter against the force of the wind. The art of tail control is an often-understated quality of thieves such as this. The tail can get into places that are outside of your control. It is why Sly has practiced on many occasions where to put the tail when performing certain acts. For example, on laser beams, the tail needs to be as close to him as possible so that lasers don't chop it off or set it on fire. But against the force of nature, it is powerless and a waste of energy for Sly. Sly is lying on the bonnet, feeling the heat from the engine underneath. His head looks over into the wheel well again, lining up his cane to destroy the device before the cane gets lodged in the wheel. The wheel doesn't move up and down that much on these smooth motorways. Sly's right hand grips the cane below the hook and in one sharp move he forces the cane inside, colliding with the device and dislodging it from it's position. Sly reacts and takes out his cane before the tracker falls underneath the wheel and is destroyed into tiny pieces of unusable circuitry. Noting the good job done, Sly crawls back into the car where Penelope has already moved out of the seat and waiting for him to return to the wheel. She grasps the wheel with one hand as Sly slips back into the drivers seat. The position is cramped considering Penelope has been driving. This is readjusted and all is back to normal. Just, not quite.
"How much further?" Sly asks. Penelope pulls out the GPS.
"About 6km." She replies as she sees Sly get into the exit off the motorway, ready to make the left turn towards the airport. He takes the corner hard, not wanting to lose any speed. Sly doesn't think they are in the clear though. That tracker would tell them enough about the location and because of this cars lack of obscurity, it wouldn't be hard to be spotted. It is this though that keeps Sly on edge despite the apparent clear path to the airport. No police cars following them, whether they may be undercover or not. Sly keeps on driving as if they are just casually driving along but in a small hurry, not wanting to mess up. A minute passes with no sign of the police and Sly is still on edge, his muscles tense and ready for action when the moment calls. Connor can see this; he himself is relaxed, hoping that Sly can get him back into his own time. He has to remember what he was doing when he went away. He was enjoying a laugh with Jim McSweeny about one of his new tattoos on his arm. He thinks he was commenting on how the artist didn't do such a good job on some of the detailing on a sword handle showing phallus type shapes up close. They must have been in England somewhere, he remembers now. Enjoying a rest on Dr. M's estate in rural England, this was by no means an old castle on the inside. It has labs underneath the laser cut lawns. He remembers how many times he has walked along looking at the grass while standing on the lasers as they moved up and down the extensive grounds. It was a rudimentary obstacle course of some sort. Re tries to remember what his last heist was, he has done so many that they all sort of fade into one. Was it another diamond? Jewellery? Nope, that was last month in 1981. It was a small gold bar, not worth much in relative terms compared to their other heists. Dr M. calculated it to be about £35,273.85 exactly. It was not the value of it that was concerning him. It was about giving another thief a lesson on how to steal.
This iteration of the Cooper gang was notorious for stealing from other criminals. Not because of their 'master thief' ideology but as the police discovered, it was to show other criminals 'how it was done'. Jim noticed these thugs with their gold chains and bling, flashing it around Eastern London like it was a winning lottery ticket. He watched as an argument erupted by rivals at a corner. Someone tried to rip the chains off him and run but got what he deserved for such a poor attempt. He got a cap in his occipital lobe, which caused blood to be spilled, and cops to be called as they all ran and dispersed like flies. Jim to had to run out of the scene, being a wanted criminal himself. But not before taking a picture of the gangster. After the film was developed by Dr M., Connor remembers how it was almost too easy to lift the chains off this gangster in his apartment with his gang while he was asleep. He refused Dr M.'s offer of some chlorophyll to help him along but where is the fun or challenge in that? Jim was downstairs giving a beating to all his accomplices on the couches below. After that the chains and accessories were melted down to create a small gold bar. Enough money to be worth doing but certainly not one for the history books.
Connor returns to the real world after having remembered that he is still being chased after all. He just was that relaxed about getting away that he focused on something else. A dangerous mistake when on the job that can lead to dire consequences. Sly is still going along slightly more relaxed but still is waiting for all this calmness to end. Without any action, he feels like they are only waiting for the right time. Sly is looking into every car, suspecting police to rush out and ambush them. He getting a bit paranoid from being all taught like a bowstring, any more tension could cause him to snap. He needs to release it somehow, Sly is not aware of this, it is only apparent to those around him. The way his hand grips the steering wheel like he does with his cane. His back is straight, all the muscles tightened up and his eyes dart down briefly to the seatbelt, mentally undoing it in preparation for the real thing. Sly is not scared of what might happen despite all of this. He is ready to face whoever is out there to stop him.
But nothing happens.
They continue to drive along the road and are now in sight of the airport with its gleaming metal overcoat that makes it look like it has scales. The sun is up high so no reflection onto the surface causes them to be blinded by the midday sun. They drive up closer and closer, Sly expecting an ambush at every point of cover and at every blind turn. They are running out of distance between them and the plane less options for an ambush. Sly has determined that there must be an ambush yet if he is true. There are running out of time. They enter through the airport security gates like no one was watching, because someone decided to take a lunch break, They approach the southern hangars, driving slowly, Sly turns his head quickly from side to side, trying to look behind anything that could hide rows of military and special forces coming to get them. Behind baggage carts, small private jets and utility vehicles. Sly's heart is pumping fast with adrenaline as they reach the hangar doors. They stop and turn off the car where Sly gets out fast, not wanting to be trapped inside. He leaps out of the car and forward rolls to take cover behind the rear, like he's being watched. Connor gets out casually and so does Penelope, they are still conscious that they are being hunted but not paranoid like Sly.
"You need to calm down." Connor says to Sly. "You look like you could use a cig if I had one."
Sly is still silent as he waits for the hangar door to open, their hulking mass and slow opening is making Sly jumpy and twitch, even more so than he is.
"Sly just calm down." Penelope says as she sees Sly's left leg wiggle like he would do if he were scratching his back, only this time it is at a frantic pace. Like he is worried. All these physiological aspects and things almost go unnoticed by Sly as it is not what he is focused on. He just wants to get his father back before this ambush of his comes out and gets him and takes him away. He is willing to do anything to get his dad back safe to his own time.
"You're clearly not alright." Penelope says, concerned for his welfare. "You're sweating bullets and…" She says as she goes to check his pulse. "You're heart is beating way too fast, you need to relax now before some thing happens to you."
Sly is still silent as a momentary glance away from the growing gap into the hangar. It is the only time he was not looking out for trouble and yet it was for those short seconds where they have pounced.
"Look." Connor says as he points to the SWAT teams that exit out of the hangar. They fan out to reduce their escape chances. Sly turns back around and sees another team come from behind to surround them. They have encircled these three Coopers. Now that his fear has come true, he looks for a way to escape.
"You are surrounded!" "Get down on your knees and drop the cane!" the leader shouts over to group who are now back to back to back. Sly is too twitchy, he has become like a trapped and scared raccoon that becomes unpredictable when cornered. Sly quickly goes invisible and tries to make a break over the top of the guards, but he gets as far as one step before a flail of darts come at his invisible body. The darts show the outline of his body as the guards close in on him and pick up both his visible body and his cane. Connor and Penelope are also taken; they know when the numbers are against them. There is no point in trying to run like Sly, they go willingly with Connor's cane going being taken from him as well. Penelope is frisked of all of her electronic devices hidden in her tracksuit combo. They get pushed into a separate armoured van each. The door is shut on them and the two bangs on the back indicate for them to drive off. After getting so close they must return to the start again.