EPILOGUE! This is getting uploaded a little earlier than usual for reasons that will be detailed in the end announcement (SERIOUSLY PLEASE STICK AROUND FOR THE END ANNOUNCEMENT IT IS IMPORTANT)
Enjoy!
"... and they lived happily ever after," said the fox crouched atop a tall, rocky ledge, as he watched the blue van speed away down the mountain. A distant speck of an Interpol officer was attempting to chase after them on foot, but the gap was widening by the second.
Standing, the fox stretched his arms over his head and sighed. Then he leaned down to scoop up the large rifle that had been lying next to him. Shouldering it, he began to make his way down the mountain, carefully navigating the steep slope.
When he came to the path just inside the entrance, he veered right, spotting what he needed nearby. Carefully, he leapt onto the rocky island in the middle of the lava.
Fortunately, he didn't knock any of the parts from the downed robo-falcon into the magma. Using the barrel of his rifle, he sifted through the parts until he spotted a blue glimmer.
Ears perking up, he crouched down and pried the glowing blue cylinder from its setting. Flipping it over in his hands, he smiled. "Perfect."
Standing, he slipped the cylinder into his pocket and gripped the barrel of his rifle tightly. Drawing back, he swung, sending the gun whirling through the air until it landed soundly in the lava, beginning to melt before it was even completely submerged.
The fox jumped from the island to a nearby bank, then from there ran up to a little niche in the rocks. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small bag. From the bag, he retrieved a circular machine. Flipping it onto its front, he pried the back panel loose.
The machinery inside looked fine, except for a grey, cracked cylinder. Prying it free, he pitched it into the lava river, then pulled the blue cylinder from his pocket and fitted it into the opened space.
Sparks flared as the cylinder snapped into place and the fox hissed, shaking his fingers before shoving them in his mouth to ease the burning. Placing the back panel back in place with his good hand, the fox flipped the machine over, set it on the ground, stood, and took a couple of steps back.
Pushing up the sleeve of his jacket, the fox covered the face of his watch with a thumb and pressed down.
There was a nearly-inaudible click and the machine on the ground lit up. Four legs unfolded and braced against the volcanic, lifting the machine upward until it was perfectly level. A pale green light came on in the center an instant before a holographic projection began to hover over it.
A small ocelot woman in a business suit stood there and straightened when she saw the fox, but he spoke before she could say anything.
"I told you so."
The ocelot's face darkened and she sighed, "Sinclair-"
"No," the fox said. "I told you, I said, 'Chief, it's not smart to just pick up random tech and use it without going to the guy who made it to get a manual.' I said, 'Don't let Sawyer touch it, Chief.' But you did all of those things and I've been stuck in an alternate universe for two months and my fiancé is never going to forgive me."
"I understand your frustration-"
"No," the fox interrupted again. "I thought I was never going to see my family again. I worked hard for that family. You know that. Getting the adoption papers in order was practically impossible. You're going to have to do better than understanding. This is why I always request to work with Evee."
"And here I always thought it was because you had a crush on her," the ocelot said, dry and sarcastic.
"One, I'm engaged, two, the fact that you don't know that Evee is hella gay deeply concerns me."
"Alright," the ocelot held up her hands in surrender, her expression tired. "What do you want?"
The fox crossed his arms. "You know what I want."
"You're a translator, I can't just send you on an unsanctioned mission-"
"You're the one who sanctions missions. And you know this is in your best interest anyway, the destabilization is what made me wind up here in the first place, things will only get worse the longer this is left alone." After a pause, the fox continued. "Also, I want a month off for my honeymoon. And immunity."
"Immunity?!"
Pointing a finger at the hologram, the fox growled. "Two. Months. In. An. Alternate. Universe. The tech to fix the communicator after it shorted out didn't even exist, I had to find an ETO to get it up and running. I deserve immunity."
The ocelot sighed deeply, tilting her head as she thought. "You're right about some of it, at least. Alright, fine. I accept your terms. You'll start on the mission as soon as you get back."
"I'm taking a week off to remind my fiancé and my son what my face looks like, then I'll start on it."
"Fine." The ocelot looked somewhere the hologram didn't show. "Evelyn has locked onto your location. She's compensating for the destabilization. Have you erased all traces of your presence?"
"Yes." The sniper rifle was slag by now.
"Do you have all your belongings?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Stand by."
Shouldering his bag, the fox picked up the circular machine and slipped it into the bag. Then he took a deep breath and held still.
The watch around his wrist began to glow green, then launched forward, dragging him into a bright, shining blue portal.
When he finally hit the ground, it was grass, not volcanic rock. The sky overhead was dark and filled with stars.
Standing, the fox groaned, rolled his shoulder, and looked up at the farmhouse at the top of the hill. He checked to make sure his bag was secure, then began trudging toward the house.
Climbing the wooden steps to the front door as quietly as possible, he slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew a key, with which he unlocked both the front knob and the dead bolt. Gently pushing the door open, he slipped inside, closing and locking it behind him.
Fumbling in the darkness of the house, he managed to locate the lamp by the door and turned it on, filling the room with a dim orange light.
He hung his bag on a hook behind the door, then his jacket. Stretching his arms over his head again, he inhaled deeply and relaxed.
Toeing off his shoes, he turned to go deeper into the house, but stopped when he caught sight of a black cat stretched out on the couch. The cat was asleep, with his head propped on a throw pillow, a cell phone held loosely in one hand, and a too-short fleece blanket draped across his shoulders.
Silently, the fox moved forward, walking around the coffee table and kneeling in front of the cat. Reaching out, he laid his hand on the cat's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.
Grumbling, the cat shifted, then opened violet eyes that grimly reflected the lamp's dim light when they widened.
The fox grinned. "Morning, gorgeous."
The epilogue was probably my favorite part of this story to write, not gonna lie. AND you guys have a little idea of what the next story is going to entail!
Speaking of the next story...
It is not even close to close to finished. I'm twenty thousand words in and I'm not even done with the first "level" yet. This is going to be a very long story. Still, I have something else for you guys in the meanwhile!
I've started a Twitch account, which for those of you who don't know, is a livestreaming account for gaming. Like let's plays, but live, with a chat so you can interact with the streamer in (almost) real time (there's usually a 1-2 min delay). This Thursday, July 9th, at 3PM CST, I will be doing a speedrun of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. I was going to do it Friday, so I could do it on my birthday, but SOMEONE (my mod) is leaving town Friday morning and won't be able to be there (why, Peri).
I'm doing a speedrun of the first game because I played it so much recently when writing this story and I just want to get through it, but I'll play the other three games more slowly. A level or two per week, every Friday at 3PM CST, unless there are extenuating circumstances, which will be announced on the blog if they occur. If this turns out to be fun and successful (aka people actually show up and enjoy it) I'll probably continue on to play other games on the channel, which I think would be fun a lot of fun!
I'll post the link to my Twitch account on my ffdotnet profile and also on the blog. The Twitch profile is very much a work in progress. I'm working with (shamelessly begging) the artist who did all the covers and a lot of the art for this series to get some better art stuff (icon, banner, title cards, etc), so what's up right now is really just placeholders. Still, I'd LOVE if you stopped by and dropped a follow so you can be notified when I go live (you'll need an account for that and to participate in chat, but it's free!), or you can just swing by Thursday at 3! You'll get to hear all my ramblings on the Sly Cooper series and ask questions (and if you don't have any questions after this epilogue, I will be super surprised) and maybe even listen to the undignified rage noises I make when fighting Clockwerk!
Hope to see you there!