Sly cooper: King of thieves: Paris Peril

Now this story is an original idea that I have put up in my mind for a while. This is a story about a thief that gave it all away just to be with the one he cared about. The characters are made, owned, and copy writ by sucker punch. This story is to be best expanded to where the characters are as alive as they can be and even about an event tragic enough to have you ponder about the next game they make. This...is Sly's story.

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Ok, last you guys were reading off, ya just noticed that the museum of Paris was getting jacked of its prized possession, the tablet of a long ago monarch in the past. I can't be able to point my finger on who it was that made the tablet but they must've been quite the craftsman if they had their work in the museum. They say that there is something written on the tablet itself they have yet to solve to this very day even. I figure, if the thief is trying to steal it, why steal it if they can't translate it? The answer might be they would rather sell it to someone who would bother waisting their life doing it...idiots.

Still, making it to the sight in time was the first part of stopping the heist altogether. The second part, which I consider to be a joy, would be penetrating inside the museum itself and capturing the thief that would try to make a get away with the item. Now I say it's considered a joy because I could be able to go through whatever traps and lasers I want and see how fun it would be to actually do this while making it all the way to the goal. Fun and pleasures have to be pushed aside by now though, as it wouldn't seem like Carmelita is in any good mood to hear it from myself or anybody else. So, without further mention, I just roll up them sleeves of mine and make sure my new badge was secured on right.

Having Carmelita's gloved hands even assist with my badge gave me quite the chills up my spine. Never thought I would be working with her over and over again and again just to prove how much I care about the girl. If ya ask me, I even think she's starting to really fall for the old Cooper clan charm that I must've inherited along with my vast fortune. Those lovely sapphire eyes looking into my own velvety brown iris's entrance me to do my best as well, seeing as I wouldn't want a disappointed look on that gorgeous face now would I? Well, maybe I did when I did some Escapes from her one time or another in my past, but that was a long time ago and this is the now with which I would rather see her smile than frown.

"Alright Cooper," She spoke up, striking up proper conversation fitting for the situation at hand as is, "We got ourselves a common break in at the museum, the thief is still inside with no other way out except the roof, and we can assume that this culprit is rather clever having stealthily hidden inside the museum as the average custodian. We found the real one tied up back at an alleyway a few blocks from any prying eyes that might see the incident happening. Does't seem like the guy has a backup plan on getting out so I would have guessed he planned to sneak out the way he came in under the janitor guise using the trash back to haul it out."

I tell ya, her mind, and the way it works, always gets me thinking how Bently would have probably come up with that idea. It would've seemed like my style to pose as a janitor for an organization and actually snatch up what they collected, hauling it out with the rest of the trash and even doing it without a sweat. Still, if it were me and I had myself stuck inside a museum, I wouldn't have triggered the alarm unless it was part of the plan... or in this case... "Maybe he's planned a plan B after all." I piped up, stroking my chin while observing the museum from the outside.

This might catch Carmelita off guard with what I'm suggesting but I think I picked up a thing or two from Bently. I bet he'd be proud of me seeing how an entire plan would have come to fruition under such concentrated figurations. Man, I'm even using big words like him right now. "...I don't get what you mean Cooper." Carmelita replied, rather skeptical of the idea that the thief has a plan be, when I can figure that ANY thief with half a brain would have a plan B.

So, with some breathing and silence to myself, I go on with my beginning analog of the entire situation as it would go down in my perspective. "Ya see, this guy has a cunning intellect enough to tail the janitor that works here, seek out his life style, and even make sure that he gets even the slightest detail of the guy under figuration while looking the part. Once he gets an opening into the museum through the Janitor, BAM!" Smacking my fist into my hand for emphasis, go me heh. " He'd get himself the ability to kidnap the janitor, undress him, and probably wear a detailed facial mask of the guy for further identification details.

"THEN, when it gets dark enough to be in the night shift time line here, he would use the disguise to knock out the guards, hide them in various spots in the museum, and then go after the slab. If I were him, which I ain't thank you very much," but wishing I was right now, ", I would pull out my little devices of thievery such as reflective windows, laser sprays, vision goggles, glass cutters, suction cuffs, and even black leather gloves in this entire scheme of stealing the Tablet. I wouldn't be so lazy or forgetful to forget such necessary tools for a job like this if I were that guy. Now how it goes is what I'm getting to right now if you're patient enough."

"Sly..." She interrupted, a finger up to my muzzle as well as an effective stare right into my eyes for pause, "Just get to the point will you mi ho?" Honestly...I just love her Latin American Accent. The special blend between such vocal audio speech types put together in that loving female voice gave me a feeling in my lungs that made me wanna just fill them up with her basking ambiance of seriousness and tense emotions. I just stood there quietly, letting the pause irritate her a little bit more before she ended up tapping her foot and twitching that gorgeous eye. ... Man I can be frustrating sometimes...in a good way mind you.

"Alright alright." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head and feeling quite embarrassed about going on like that, "I figure this guy is setting up a trap if he set off that alarm on purpose. Now you're thinking, how did I get to such a conclusion as far fetched as that? If you ain't thinking that then you need more work behind those well pedigreed ears of yours my sweet Carmelita." Winking for effect while smirking as well. Sometimes, I even amaze myself with these far off ideas of mine. Though I should take it easy with how I'm talking to my future girlfriend here.

That silent stare, the raising eyebrow, and a twitch of her lovely ears, and already she's looking frustrated with the way I'm considering her understanding of the situation. "Cooper, I think we need to re-evaluate our teamwork a bit after this scenario is over. I might not be as deep in thought as you are about these things but I still am your partner, and thus I deserve just as much respect as I give you since we been working together all this time..." Ya know, often I think I go too far with how I talk with her. This is one of those times.

With a silent smile and a rub on her shoulder though, I hoped to ease that little temper of hers before it blows into a volcano of frustration. "You're right Carm, sorry bout going off like that about those lovely ears of yours." I couldn't hold myself back from commenting on those ears of hers. Sure it sent her suddenly surprised and looking away from my eyes, even seeing her ears droop a bit there, but I think it was worth it helping her at least ease up on her anger and get into some more personal feelings, like shy and silent maybe.

"...Ok...maybe we don't need to talk too much about it then..." She remarked, rather suddenly shy at the switch of a water handle. I must say, I know how to help a woman turn her anger on and off at times too well. Still, this lovely chit chat is distracting from the real matter at hand that the thief is still in there with the tablet. Adjusting my cap with the interpol badge on it, Ironic of me working at the very organization that wanted me arrested, I just give darling Carmelita a thumbs up and a pose. "How do I look?" I ask, as if I HAD to ask anyway.

"As if you need to ask ringtail..." She remarked back. Ya see, even she agrees with me I don't need to ask how good I look! I just love that girl more and more each time I look at her day after day from now on, ya know that? Yet, with a final moment to each other, and a few hand signals for moving on in, the two of us and a few other officers rush along to the front doors of the building. Although, not much my style, I preferred going into a more 'diverse' entry way.

"Carm, if ya ask me, I think we should be taking ourselves back a bit and moving to an entry way that won't be so easy to expect from the front." I remarked, looking back at my partner and giving a thumbing to the west side of the museum. I can tell with Carmelita's confused look and direction of giving it, she was pondering that side by now before getting a solid understanding and a nod back to myself. A bit of sneaking through the underside of the windows and she and I make our way to the fire escape along the side.

Things were gonna go great, I know it, cause with me on the job there's no WAY that thief is going to get away with making a robbery at the museum. Dad always said, 'never steal anything of sentiment', and the museum itself is full of sentimental stuff people like to see. They don't only have the greatest historical bones of the prehistoric past, but they also have the works of art and historical artifacts inside that are of sentiment as well. Sure as heck would think that the families that donated these items would consider them rather sentimental to have them shown to everyone else. Ya might say this is a new way of looking at the old Cooper motto to help me ease up on the stealing from now on, having given it up at least.

"So, you sure this is gonna work Cooper?" Carmelita whispered, apparently not wanting to alert the thief inside of our appearance through the back way. Quite frankly, I think that's a better idea than storming in and rushing the guy like those gorillas are gonna do... "Carm," I reply back in whisper, "that'd have to be the best idea we can go with right now." So, without further ado, I work my way up to get the ladder the only way I do it, My way. The wall wasn't too slippery and the brickwork seems rough enough to get good friction on. Perfect. What I would do on this situation is get a good running start, leap up with a continual running, and let my feet do the work on the gritty wall to get me up in reach to that ladder.

I couldn't help myself, even when doing this showing off as I usually do. I didn't show off TOO much, but just enough to impress Carm as I always do on these kinds of jobs. I have to say, yanking the ladder down after making it up did get her pretty impressed for a bit. Wasn't long before she was climbing up my back and up the ladder in a hurry to get to the top and enter in the museum. Sometimes...I usually wonder why I even show off for her in the first place if I wasn't so in love with her to think about it. Still, a job's a job, and I need to hurry myself up that latter before the thief gets away along with my reputation and my paycheck.

The climb wasn't much of a hassle going up to the window on the second floor, it was the wait that ensued after that got to me afterwords. The inside was bare as a closet unoccupied, not one bit of movement noticed within the area. Whoever this guy is, he's REALLY good at being sneaky within enclosed spaces such as this. I wouldn't be amazed though if it was a girl thief either, they tend to be just as sneaky too. Now, if I were the thief, my best bet would be to keep from any fire escapes, windows, or even doors for the matter, and use some sort of other method to get around the museum without being spotted.

It was time to find out how the person does it though, as Carm and I get the window pried open and flip ourselves inside into the museums internals. Carmelita with her gun, and me without much at all, we made our way into the museum with that swiftness and began to sneak ourselves along the balcony of the second floor. Now I know the criminal is up here somewhere, a guy like him, or girl, wouldn't resist leaving a calling card at the scene of the crime either to at least show their fame. So far though, no sign of a calling card yet less we're getting close enough to the main room where the tablet was taken from.

"You see anything Cooper?" She asked, rather close up against me side to side while making our way down the stairway to the first floor. I can't say I could see where the thief was, but I can see possible ways where the thief would have gone. After all the time ignoring it though, I can't ignore the fact I still had my thief sense. A thief sense is something thieves have that help them identify and indicate locations where they can do their sneaky tricks and moves, mostly sliding down wires or even jumping from spires. From where I stand, I can see about 4 or 5 parts of the museum they could have used for their sneaking around, indicated by these glowing blue lights I remember back when I first went into Carmelita's office.

Can't say it took long either to get to the Egyptian show case where the heist was taken place at either. Doesn't look like any kind of struggle, nor any sign of foot prints or finger prints. My senses just kicked in though, seeing some spears from the Anubis statues glowing at the tips. Then, the sight of my instincts lead to the sight of the glass case, seeing the cut along the top of it and then the sight of laser mirrors. New I called that one, and I would have never guessed the last thing there was going to surprise me for the rest of the night. Right there, at the pillow of where the tablet once was...was my old, Cooper clan, calling card.

I can honestly say that Carmelita and myself were both stunned at the fact it was left there in place of the tablet. Could Bently have planned this and hired some other thief to do the rest of the work for him? I mean...sure this plan was elaborate enough for Bently to master but I can't believe he would be the one behind a museum artifact robbery. If this is his doing, then maybe that tablet was something really important and needed to be taken fast as possible. But one thing is getting me bugged and annoyed about it though. If he actually has that much smarts to know something was up with the tablet, why didn't he leave a cryptic clue to me about it?! Something was up and I don't like what was going on.

Carmelita, on the other hand, felt like this was something to really worry about when she looked right at me eye to eye once again. Man, I was going to hate how she was looking at me with guilt in those eyes of hers. We had such a good date, a great and wonderful time together, and now this had to happen on my watch! "...Carm, what are you looking at me like that for?" I ask, quite sure I'm just as confused as she is about what was going on with this thing. So convincing in fact, she just shot her gaze away in disappointment and worry while fingering her gun a bit. Man...I never seen Carmelita worry so much over something like this. Well ok I have but it's usually the angry type of worry instead of the sad type of worry she's getting right now.

"..It's...It's nothing..." She muttered, holstering her gun and going over to the glass to actually see if it is what I think it is. I mean it's as Plain as day that card is the calling card of yours truly, Sly Cooper, and no one else would go as far as to copy me in the flesh. Carmelita even seemed quite nervous when she was holding the card herself in her gloved hand. If ya ask me, I worried too much to even bother with the noise of footsteps leaving behind me in a blink of an eye. Luckily though, it didn't mean my instincts didn't kick in at the notice of the sound, and making a sharp turn with direction towards the noise that was going on behind me.

"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" I yelled out, already rushing along taking chase as the sound of the foot steps got louder now, and even faster from being in a rush to get out. The figures silouette came into view as Carmelita looked to be surprised at the sight of me rushing after the thief that rushed out, possibly from how the shape of his body and mine were identical. Wait, his body looks like my body? That's stupid to think how a thief can actually pull off the disguise of being me when I'm the one chasing after him in the first place. Details, however, are to ensue later after I get this creep and even get the tablet he has away from him once and for all.

This guy was fast, really fast, or at least I think he was. I can even tell the thief is a he due to lack of any other female bits or other such that identify this culprit as a kind of person that would be a girl thief. Those light feet and that run in his step was quite impressive, but I handled plenty more track runs in my days of running from the police myself. If this thief thinks he was going to get away so easily while going on foot, he had another thing coming with me going after him! Little did I know that this guy was running up the wall to the second floor rather easily as I would back when getting that ladder from the top. What the heck is all I can ask myself.

Still, if he wants to play a little simon says thief style then he's got a challenge against the best that beat Ms Ruby at voodoo simon says! With a running start and a climb up to the second floor, it was all too easy to make chase after the thief now. But as I was going up, I saw a silhouette of a smile on that guys face in the shadows. Was I going mad or was this guy actually testing me with exceptional results? No matter, I just need to get the guy fast before he gets away with the tablet and I say bye to my reputation on the force along with Carmelita.

JUST when I was thinking of her, she appears out of a corner with stun gun in hand, aiming right at the thief, and actually taking fire at him in rapid execution. Sadly, I was behind the guy when he made a dodge of the bullets making me try to dodge them after! But how the guy did it got me even MORE mad when I saw a familiar looking item that resembled my cane to the shining gold hook of my family's generations! WHO THE HELL was this guy and how did he get a cane like that and how can he use it so well to hang on the ceiling strung lights in dodging Carmelita?! If I didn't know any better, this guy not only wanted to copy my calling card, but my cane as well and set me up!

What got me more mad is him swinging from the ceiling lights one after another and making his escape behind Carmelita AFTER having jumped her and knocked her on the ground! The look in her eyes when she was close enough to see the guy was already about as shocking as I can ever imagine. Running to her, and practically forgetting about the thief, I helped her back up as she stood there wide eyed like she seen a ghost...even more so she's shivering? I can't understand it with the calling card, the moves, my cane, and now Carmelita? "... Carm...tell me. You got a good look at the guy when he rammed ya. Who the heck is he?!"

That look...that look in her eyes when I asked her. She looked at me so much in worry as she was in my arms during the time I was asking her about it. Again, I have YET to see Carmelita worry about anything other than a criminal getting away from her. "...It...." She stuttered, shivering even when she was talking. "It....It was...." slowly lifting her hand and finger up to pointing it right at me when she was asking. Dear god, if there is a god, Please don't let her say what I think she's going to say. PLEASE don't let her tell me it was someone only I can figure it to be. "It...was nothing..." She whispered, pushing me back and actually taking chase after the criminal we almost forgot about.

I immediately snapped then and there, realizing that the person that ran by was someone from a past I didn't want to acknowledge ever again. But taking chase after the enemy was all we could do as we ran down the hall, my thief sense going haywire as I saw various spots the robber could have used on the escape. One way, was a bigger glowing blue spot that lit up like a Christmas tree on new years eve, begging me to notice it. "The vents!" I yelled out, pointing at an open vent and hearing clambering going on from the inside. "Guy got himself some way of getting past us after all along with all the other security measures the place had." A sudden grin came on my muzzle as I figured out the last piece of his puzzle, his escape plan.

"If that's the case Cooper, then that means he's probably using the vents to be able to make his way to the roof and get away with the tablet!" She exclaimed, actually realizing that she was thinking what I was thinking after all. I tell ya, all the times chasing me, it must've sinked in that she needed to think how I was thinking in order to catch this criminal. Though, with how the criminal was trying to pull off my look, it was too obvious and familiar to think how I would pull the heist off. Let alone, me doing it all by myself and having no bently or Murray or anyone to pull the heist off with me in a well planned situation.

So, without any hesitation, the both of us got up into the ventilation shaft and got ourselves clambering along the metallic flooring towards the destined location of the roof top. Needless to say, this reminded me of when I was doing some sneaking around at Octavio's last known headquarters and I was helping Bently inside to get us a piece of information on his oil dumping rig. It was even astonishing how this copy cat me was maneuvering just as fast as me and Carmelita, but still manages to keep us close enough to get away again and lead us to his escape. I tell ya, the more we are going after this one guy, the more I get a feeling this is all one big fat set up he wanted to have at the roof.

I usually hate it when I'm right, even when he finally knocks the grating open at the end of the ventilation and rushes out onto the roof top. Carmelita was the first to get out before me, and I was keeping up behind her with some good old fashioned running as always. The last length of the chase was at the tip top of the museums cross accessory, standing atop like my past ancestor, Rioichi Cooper, and his spire jump technique. If this guy pulls off another identity theft I might just go to a lawyer and sue this guy for copyright infringement and emotional damage. But I was about to add identity theft to the charges when he turned and gave me a look I'll never forget, and the light from the upcoming helicopter didn't help either when it shown him for who he really is.

There, standing on there with the cane in hand and the tablet in arm, stood the blue dressed, well postured, and worryingly familiar face of who you know as me, SLY COOPER! I can't believe I was seeing double when he stood there proudly with that handsome grin of his and the glistening eyes I would usually give to Carmelt-HEY! He can look like me, dress like me, and act like me, but no way in hell will I let that guy get the hots for her like I did back in my thieving days! Immediately, with Carmelita in quite the frozen fear, I yanked the shock gun from her hand and took aim at the copy cat me standing there on the spire of a holy symbol. Sure Guns weren't my status quo for weapons but I'm willing to use anything to take this thief down, even if he did have a stunningly well placed look on him.

"FREEZE, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" I yelled out, keeping aim at the thief where he stood as he just gave a smirk and a leap up from the ceiling ornament. With a flip forward and land on the other side, he took a turn back and spun his cane as if I wasn't going to even be able to hit him, or me, or WHOEVER he is. "Aw come on, no read my rights and hand cuffs on my arms? I'm rather insulted interpol is lowering their standards on police these days." He remarked, though I would have to say it would be what I would have said if I were him. GAH what am I saying?!

Luckily, Carmelita yanked the gun back from my hand and took aim at him, getting her composure back and trying not to loose her grip. "HE SAID FREEZE YOU ROTTEN CRINGO!" She yelled out, and boy did I love hearing that voice of hers echoing with such enjoyable distaste towards me-I MEAN him-I MEAN...aw man I don't know WHAT I mean anymore. "Aw Carm, you can't be serious, asking me to stand still so you can hold me in your arms?" Ok that asshole is getting himself a little close for comfort with that. It did cause me to take the gun back and aim it at the guy, Carmelita rather confused with me taking it back from her when it was her gun.

"Only one she's getting her arms around is me bud, and I doubt you wanna get a partner jealous about what you're doing!" I yell out, countering his witty banter best I can. Though he tips his head a bit and gave a shrug. "Well I have to say two's company and three's a crowd so why don't you just run along and let the real grown ups take care of this ok kid?" He insulted back, and boy did he hit some nerves on my buttons. I have to say though, he is good. Though before I could say anything she yanks her gun back AGAIN and aims back at my counterpart. I tell ya, I think if this keeps up she's gonna have to make me do a 'his gun and her gun' thing when we get engaged after this...

"Only kid I see here is you thinking you can be stupid enough to get away with stealing something so valuable." Gotta love her comebacks though, and this is reminding me of our past witty banters in our last adventures. "Oh please I didn't think I was going to get your heart so easily on just one reunion with ya now was I?" Ok THAT'S it, he's really pushing it right now! I take her gun back again with her looking frustrated and tapping her foot while I take aim and take my turn. "Only thing you're taking is a shock of reality if you don't shut your mouth and hand yourself in and give that back right now!"

"Cooper, may I PLEASE have my gun back?" She asked, rather annoyed as the fake sly just stood there looking like he's about to laugh at us arguing, if we started arguing. "Not now Carm, I feel like I have to take this guy down myself and I need to do it right-HEY!" I exclaim, her taking the gun back and actually staring me down and making me feel like I'm in a cops and robbers comedy. I usually like those but when I'm the one being the robber and not that danged idiot thinking he can pose as me. "Cooper, just get the cuffs ready and I'll shock the guy into submission."

Automatically we get interrupted by that fake sly's laughing, LAUGHING at us from a distance as he hasn't even moved an inch. I have to tell ya, if that were me I woulda booked it while Carmelita was distracted, but this guy was being a total asshole standing there watching. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe I had you two come out here just so you can fight each other instead of me. Well, if that's the case then I guess three is a crowd, so I'll just be taking what's mine and leaving." OH no he isn't!

I charge out after him in a fit of rage with Carmelita standing there trying to call out to me to stop. I couldn't hear her over the helicopters choppers roaring over behind her, nearing in as a sound of gunfire ricocheted off the sides and around the faker. That guy was just so agile, being a mimicry of myself, he actually got up on his cane to dodge the twin rows of bullets and manage to stand himself upright on his hand like he was on the cross. I have to say, that isn't a move I would have thought of in a while less I had the time to practice it. That didn't stop me from getting up at the middle and going right into a dive at the guy.

Being one step ahead, he actually leaped up into the air from his hand stand, going eye to eye with me while I went by. Little did he know, if he were me, he should have kept his eye on his precious cane before my tail would have snatched it and taken it with me on the rolling. He landed back on his feat, holding the Tablet in arm and looking at where his cane went. Sadly, it was actually my cane in the first place, so it was tough luck for him when I finally felt the cane back in my hand and holding it like I always had a long time ago. But the other me just stood there, smirking like it was the entire idea, and did the last thing I would have expected him to do.

All that happened was him taking the tablet, raising it up, and actually cracking it into a singular top piece before the grains and rubble of it patter onto the top of the roof. "Catch kid!" He yelled, tossing it up into the air as Carmelita was taking fire at him from behind. Though me being distracted and her taking a shot at him left the both of us open for humiliation as he dodged out of the way and those bullets were going right after me instead! Still, I was lucky to know her bullet sounds as I make a run over to the tablet piece and jumped up into the air in a spiraling leap. In one final sweep, the hook of my cane finally takes hold of the piece and I end up landing after with the explosive sounds of Carmelita's missed bullet behind me.

It wasn't all that was bad about the night though, even when we only got one piece of a now broken museum property and a failed attempt at capturing a thief. What was always bad, was the sound of droplets around me before the coming of a rain during a sad moment. Can't get any sadder than this, as I just knelt there on my knees looking at my family cane right in my hands. Carmelita had a bad feeling in her stomach seeing me holding that cane, like something, or anything, could 'jog my memory' and ruin the time we had together. With some silence, she just yanked the cane off my hands and took the piece of tablet from the hook. "I think this'll make good evidence..." she commented, simply keeping away from what's really true.

First the card, then the tricks, then the cane, then my image, and finally my girl. This was one hell of a way to end a date and it was also one heck of an adventure I am getting myself into. Who knows, this might mean I may need the gang back together and working overtime on who this poser really is. If anything, I'm more worried where he got the cane and costume from, not to mention the moves and stunts he was pulling that seem better than my own. What I worry about the most though, is how Carmelita is feeling about this, and how am I going to get myself out of it before this gets worse than it has already. If anything, I think I might even be on my own from now on.

Sly cooper

in

King of Thieves

NEXT TIME!: Well there we have it folks. A fake sly, a worried Carmelita, and even an interrogation going on when Sly is suspected of doing the robbery. Next problem that arises will stink up the place with quite the terror on deodorants and cologne alike when we take the fight to France chasing the other pieces of the tablet. Tune in next time as we sail off to episode 2: THE SMELL OF DEFEAT!