Ch23: The Betrayal, Escape, and Reveal

From that point onward, everything else played out like it should've played out. Sly destroyed the Spice Grinder and elephant satellite, Murray got the jewel to get the cherry bomb 500, Bentley destroyed the dam behind the temple and everything in the heist was going well, including Neyla's betrayal. But then... during the fight with Rajan... something happened that shouldn't have happened.

"Victory belongs to, the MURRAY!" Murray exclaimed, getting half of the Clockwerk heart from an unconscious Rajan. Then Neyla appeared with the Contessa and Carmelita Fox, all of them saying the exact things they should've said, including some seriously good and brave acting from Carmelita. But then came the point where they should've left. The moment Murray was caught, the Clockwerk Heart was swiped by Neyla.

After that, I turned invisible on Bentley and headed into the danger territory. I moved with barely a sound, moving right along with Neyla and immediately performing my time stopper move. Once she, Contessa, my friends, and all the guards were frozen, I searched Neyla over and found the heart, running off while invisible, the time stopper move wearing off immediately.

"Bentley? Do you read me? Over?" I asked into the Binocucom, hoping he could hear me. "Sylvia! Oh thank the servers your okay!" Bentley exclaimed, obviously worried. "Sorry... but I had to get a little something. Also, I know where our friends are being taken. I'll meet up with you soon. My Binocucom has GPS and with the eyes, I'll be able to find your location in my mind." "Um... please don't use the eyes... I have GPS also. We'll meet up at the van." I forgot he had GPS too. And here I was wanting to actually use the eyes. "Okay Bentley... I'll meet up with you at the van."

After what seemed like a much longer trek than before through the dense thicket, I eventually reached the van and Bentley along with it. "Okay Bentley... I know how to drive manual, so don't worry too much," I smirked, starting the engine and driving off towards our destination. "So... where are they going, now?" Bentley asked me. "To Prague," I sighed. "The Contessa's criminal rehabilitation center is where they'll be going. If we can beat them there, we can rescue them before they even go inside!"

"Sounds like a death wish..." Bentley gulped. "Listen: if you have any other ideas or leads, lay 'em on me," I frowned. "The Contessa said that's where they're going. I overheard her talking when I stole THIS back." I pulled out the Clockwerk heart from my back pocket, which Bentley gasped at. "H-How'd you get it back?" he asked. "I stole it off of Neyla. She's actually not on anyone's side but her own... I know I shouldn't tell you this but... she works for Arpeggio, leader of the Klaww gang. Same with Contessa."

"Wait... what? Neyla works for the Klaww gang?! And the Contessa? I thought she was a police woman?" he asked aloud as I continued driving. "Yeah, no. They were there when I protected Dimitri and they know exactly who I am and who I work for. I think I know a rat when I see one. Or in this case, a spider and a... cat... crud... I'm a cat... urk..." I knew when I said that I sounded pretty stupid, which left the air around us awkward.

"Listen. If you're being truthful and we do happen to find them in Prague, how are we going to get them freed before they are put inside the center?" Bentley asked. "Trust me. I've been practicing certain moves day and night during our two-year break. And one of them happens to be time stopper. I may also use the roll when we get there just so I can get to the entrance quicker..."

Once we arrived in Prague, so did the cop cars that housed Murray and Sly. I already knew where Carmelita was, even if Bentley didn't. "I'll be RIGHT back," I grinned to Bentley as I parked the van in the shadows. I hopped out and turned invisible, rolling over to the cop cars to see Sly, Murray, and the Contessa at the gates as well as several vulture guards. "Yo! Arachnid!" I exclaimed getting their attention.

The moment they all locked eyes on me, I activated time stopper. Once they were all frozen, I knocked out the guards, grabbed the keys off of the Contessa's back pocket, and released the shackles on Sly and Murray. But then... it ended. And to top it all off, I wasn't invisible... "CRAP!" I exclaimed loudly, staring down the Contessa as Sly and Murray realized what had just happened. "You!" the Contessa growled, grabbing my arm with her pincer hands. "Hands off!" I exclaimed, biting down on her hand, which made her yell loudly.

During this yell, she released my hand and I grabbed the duo of Sly and Murray and immediately turned us all invisible. "Keep holding my hands guys!" I exclaimed as we ran down the slope and back to the nearby van and Bentley. "Sylvia?! What are you-" Murray was about to say. "No time to explain! Don't let go! We're almost there!" I growled, sending the message to Bentley to start the van. "Okay! Open the trunk!" I yelled in the Binocucom, Bentley doing just that.

All of us piled in and Murray immediately got in the driver's seat. "Punchin' it again!" Murray yelled, the tires screeching in the pavement as we rocketed away from the prison. "Whew! Thank god we got there in time!" I exclaimed, letting out a HUGE sigh of relief. "But... how did you know where to find us?" Sly asked. I gulped, knowing for sure I was dead now. I lied to Bentley when I said the Contessa blabbed about the center. "After all, I saw you when you stole the heart off Neyla. No one spoke the whole time."

All eyes except Murray's looked at me, daggers of suspicion and distrust ready to be thrown. "Oi-vay..." I exhaled, realizing that I had to blab it all now. If I didn't, I may never be trusted by these three again. "What I'm gonna say may change you guys's lives forever... and I expect you to believe every word I say. These words ARE the truth. No lies. Just honesty." "What's the secret, Sylvia?" Sly asked me, his glare the most hurtful of all. "It may seem crazy to grasp, but I knew everything about this world before I even came here... because... in my world, I played the games..." "Games?" Bentley asked.

"Yeah. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Sly 2 Band of Thieves. Sly 3 Honor Among Thieves. Sly Cooper Thieves in Time." "I have no idea what your saying..." Sly sighed. "Your entire world is a video game in mine, okay?!" I exclaimed angrily. Those words made Murray swerve across the road, but he managed to gain control easily. "Wh-What?" Bentley asked.

"And I'm not the only one that knows what'll happen. Interpol brought me here, so Carmelita knows too. We need to save her, too. So I don't care if you guys want to rescue her or not, we're going to the Contessa's castle estate. That's where we need to strike next! Any questions?! No one dared to answer me, just because of my sudden angry voice. "Good. Now let's go! Murray, punch it!" "O-Of course!" he exclaimed, our van zooming ahead for the castle estate. 'Hang on Carmelita... we're comin'...'