Sly Cooper and the Gang In: A Long Lost Love

CHAPTER 5

Art Credit: https://slycooper.fandom.com/wiki/Bentley%27s_Arcade

Bentley pushed his glasses up his nose as they gathered around the planning table. "Based on my research, there are five pieces still in production for the Interplanetary Trade Gate. A power converter, matter manipulator, coolant fan, cyclic gears, and the time shield. If we can get to these before they're shipped to LaTour and destroy them, Clockwerk won't be able to run the machine."

"Can't they just make more?" Murray asked, poking at his lasagna. Sly winced as the noodles squished around his fork.

"They could, which is why we eventually need to find a way to permanently block the energy signature the machine creates that allows it to split space for the trade transportation."

Murray blew out his cheeks at the thought.

"Exactly. While I work on that, we need to slow down their progress. Considerably." He squinted at the blueprints next to Murray's plate. "And could you eat that on the couch? You're going to get grease all over the papers."

Murray gave him a playful mocking gesture, moving his hand in a talking motion, before lifting his plate off the table and taking a step back to eat standing up.

"Thank you. Now, Sly, these are produced in different parts of the city. The Paris Police Department runs security for the three manufacturers. Are you certain you're up for this? You may run into old pals."

"Barkley retired ages ago," Sly snorted. "And besides, that rat that stole Carmelita's place wouldn't dare cross paths this early in his career." He spun his cane in lithe fingers. "I'd ruin him before he built a reputation."

"If you're certain . . . "

"I am." Sly nodded, making sure Bentley knew he was serious about this. He'd left his reservations at the door. There'd be a home for her to come back to, if she ever came back at all.

"Then I've already done reconnaissance via the city's camera system. They have considerable internal security measures in place." Between heat-tracking searchlights, newly-minted biometric locks, and DNA-sequenced city surveillance, the modern thief was up against far more than their old 21st-century selves. Luckily, Bentley had scrubbed their biodata from the grid not long after it was created. "Your windows are 10 PM for the Eastern Advanced Science Department for the matter manipulator and time shield, 2 AM at South City Development for the power converter and coolant fan, and 6 AM at GearHeads Rotors and Gadgets for"–

"The cyclic gears?"

"What gave it away?" Bentley drawled, throwing up his hands with a nerdy smile. "I had no hand in the naming department."

"Good thing," Sly quipped. "GearHeads Rotors and Gadgets? A little on the nose, don'tcha think?"

"I like it," Murray said around a cheesy mouthful.

Bentley rolled his eyes. "That's only because you buy all your racing parts from there when you wear them out with all your left turns."

"Quality doesn't need a good name, it only needs a good product!" the hippo defended, reaching for their towering pile of napkins.

Bentley shrugged. "Fair enough. Sly, they've been building this for a while. The announcement was just a formality." He tapped his fingers on the floor plans in front of him. "This machine is very near to being fully operational."

"How close are we talking?"

"The technicians are shipping these to the Tower tomorrow. We'll need to hit each of these locations tonight to keep them from reaching their destination. Once they're on the machine, we don't have the tools at our disposal to take them off without tearing a hole in our whole dimension."

Sly was already at the door. "You're making the failsafe, right?"

Bentley grinned. "Already on it."