The Pharaoh sat in his throne room, his heart heavy with sadness and anticipation. His every thought was on his daughter. Even after a week, there was still no word on her location, no ransom demand, and no idea if she was even alive. His Royal Adviser had taken a troop of men, determined to find the Princess or die trying. The doors to the throne room suddenly opened, causing the Pharaoh to sit up. It was one of his messengers.
``What is it?'' he demanded.
``Sire, the Royal Adviser has returned.'' The messenger replied with an eager expression. ``And... He's not alone.''
The Pharaoh suddenly found himself sitting on the edge of his throne.
``Bring him in.'' The Pharaoh ordered. ``Immediately!''
The messenger darted out of the Throne Room, disappearing for a minute. The doors were then opened wide as The Royal Advisor walked in. With him was a group of six people with their hands bound and a figure hidden underneath his wing. The Pharaoh found his heart racing as the group approached.
``Your Highness.'' The Royal Advisor greeted. ``It is with glad tidings that I present to you... Princess Nefetari.''
He removed his wing from around the figure, revealing his beloved daughter underneath. The Pharaoh couldn't contain his raging emotions as tears came to his eyes.
``Nefetari...'' he said, his voice choked with sobs.
His daughter looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. Unable to wait any longer, The Pharaoh rose from his throne and embraced his daughter, hugging her tightly. She returned the hug after a moment's hesitation, and the two just stood there for a few minutes before he finally released her. The Royal Advisor then gestured to the six others he had brought along with him.
``I have also brought you the heinous criminals responsible for the abduction of you daughter.'' He added.
A few soldiers pushed the group towards the Pharaoh while another dropped their weapons on the ground before them, as well as a leather satchel. There were two canes that looked almost identical, a pair of scimitars with a similar shape to the cane, and a strange red weapon.
``As you can see, they were armed and very dangerous.''
The Pharaoh faced the group, his eyes narrowing in anger and pure, unadulterated hatred. He gently ushered his daughter behind him as he addressed the criminals.
``You foul low-lives...'' he growled. ``I will see you all executed for your heinous crimes.''
The Pharaoh then felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face his daughter.
``Umm, yeah...'' she piped up. ``About that.''
The Pharaoh blinked in confusion, and so did the Royal Advisor. That was most definitely not Nefetari's voice. As if to confirm his suspicions, she then reached up and pulled off a wig, letting loose long, wavy black hair.
``Before you go and punish those guys, there's something you should know.'' she informed them. ``I'm not Princess Nefetari.''
The Pharaoh backed away in utter shock while the Royal Advisor was completely and utterly frozen. The imposter then walked towards the group of prisoners, approaching the girl in the strange blue garments.
``My name is Sandra Cooper, or Sand of Ra as people here have called me.'' She explained as she untied the girl's wrists.
``What deception is this? The Pharaoh finally managed to say. ``Where is my daughter?!''
Sandra pulled the hood off of the girl's head and removed the black mask from her face.
``I am here father.'' The true Princess Nefetari said.
The Pharaoh approached cautiously, examining Nefetari carefully in case this was another trick. However, this time, there was no trick.
``Nefetari...'' he gasped. ``It is really you...''
This time, there was no hesitation in the hug. With Father and Daughter truly reunited, Sandra waited patiently while the Royal Advisor continued to remain frozen. Finally, they released once more and the Pharaoh looked over his daughter.
``Why the deception?'' he asked. ``Why allow this imposter to take your place?''
``Because Sand of Ra required my assistance to reveal the true criminal behind my abduction.'' She explained.
``You see,'' Sandra interjected, ``these guys here, they're the Cooper Clan. This is Sly Cooper, Bentley and Murray. This is Carmelita, and this is Slytunkhamen Cooper. They're the ones who really saved your daughter. In fact, Slytunkhamen here practically got himself killed twice trying to bring your daughter home.''
``The true criminal is the Royal Advisor.'' Nefetari explained. ``He is the one who orchestrated this entire plan.''
The Pharaoh turned on the Royal advisor with venomous hatred in his eyes.
``What?!'' he exclaimed.
The Royal advisor gulped and held up his wings.
``I assure you, Your Highness, she is gravely mistaken.'' he tried to explain.
``Are you calling my daughter a liar?!'' The Pharaoh shouted.
The Royal Advisor shook his head quickly. He went to explain, but Sandra cut him off.
``Save it, Clockwerk.'' She snapped. ``You'll just dig yourself a deeper hole.''
The Royal Advisor just stood there, unsure of what to do as Sandra and Nefetari freed their friends. Slytunkhamen, once freed, bowed before the Pharaoh.
``If I may, my allies and I can explain everything for you.'' He offered.
The Pharaoh looked down at him, then gave a nod of consent. Slytunkhamen rose and explained.
``The Royal Advisor, to whom my allies refer to as Clockwerk, desires the Throne of Egypt and sought to take it through marriage to Princess Nefetari.''
``However, I would never marry him.'' Nefetari added. ``My heart belongs to Slytunkhamen.''
``Clockwerk sought to drive a wedge between us by arranging her kidnapping and placing the blame on me.'' Slytunkhamen interjected
That's when Sly stepped forward.
``When Slytunkhamen told me about what happened, I went to confront him, only to find myself locked away.'' Sly explained.
``And when I went in search of them both, I too was captured.'' Slytunkhamen stated.
``We managed to rescue Slytunkhamen, and he told us what happened.'' Bentley explained. ``And we knew that Clockwerk was behind it.''
``He's very well-known where we come from.'' Carmelita commented. ``He's a master criminal, a murderer, and a manipulative liar.''
``We also knew he was close to you, and if he pinned the blame of the crime on us, nothing we said would convince you we were telling the truth.'' Sandra added.
``So we switched The Princess for Sandra.'' Murray finished.
Nefetari approached her father, taking his arm.
``The deception was necessary to prove that the Royal Advisor was not the bird we believed him to be.'' she declared.
By now, Clockwerk was looking absolutely terrified, his head swiveling left and right as if searching for an escape route. However, the soldiers who had once been guarding the Cooper Gang were now surrounding the bird with increasingly angry expressions. The Pharaoh faced Clockwerk, his expression downright murderous.
``I trusted you...'' he let out, his voice filled with a quiet rage. ``I put my faith in you, and all this time, you were nothing more than a fraud, a criminal...''
``Your Highness-''
``SILENCE!!''
Everyone jumped at the Pharaoh's bellow. He approached Clockwerk, snatching the Royal Advisor headdress off his head with an angry swipe.
``I will see you suffer for this, for the rest of your miserable life.'' He promised. ``TAKE HIM AWAY!''
The guards seized Clockwerk none too gently and dragged him towards the doors. With the reality of his failure sinking in, his paralyzing fear turned immediately to anger.
``THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT COOPER CLAN!!!'' he snapped. ``I WILL NOT FORGET THIS!! YOU WILL SUFFER FOR THIS!!! YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY LINE WILL SUFFER MY WRATH!!''
The doors slammed shut, cutting off Clockwerk's angry cries. Sandra and Sly exchanged sad, knowing glances at Clockwerk's final promise.
``Yeah...'' Sly said sadly. ``We know...''
The Pharaoh approached the Cooper Gang with a grateful expression on his face.
``I owe all of you a debt of gratitude.'' He said. ``If there is anything you need or want, you will have it.''
Bentley and Murray went over to Sly, Bentley snagging Sly's cane up off the floor. He handed it to Sly, smiling up at his friend.
``We have the only thing we came here for.'' Bentley replied.
``Yeah.'' Murray added, clapping Sly on the shoulder. ``Now that we've got Sly back, our gang is complete once more.''
The Pharaoh smiled, then looked at Carmelita and Sandra.
``What of you?'' he asked.
Sandra picked up her cane and satchel, then tossed Carmelita's shock pistol at her.
``I'm just here for Sly Cooper.'' Carmelita replied as she examined her gun for any damage.
``And what I want, you can't give me.'' Sandra added.
The Pharaoh gave an understanding nod, then finally turned to Slytunkhamen. He was reclaiming his scimitars, but his focus was on Princess Nefetari. His eyes were full of love and genuine kindness unlike anything the Pharaoh had seen before.
``And you, Slytunkhamen?'' he asked.
The raccoon straightened, facing the Pharaoh.
``You are the one who holds my daughter's heart.'' He said.
``Yes, Your Highness.'' Slytunkhamen replied. ``I would lay down my life for her.''
``Considering the lengths you went to in order to rescue her, what you were willing to sacrifice to ensure her safety, I can think of no man more worthy of her heart, or her hand, more than you.'' The Pharaoh told him.
Nefetari and Slytunkhamen both looked at the Pharaoh in surprise, then looked at each other. Within a blink of an eye, the two were embracing kissing passionately. The Cooper Gang watched for a minute, all of them smiling.
``If only he knew who Slytunkhamen truly was.'' Carmelita whispered.
``Don't ruin this.'' Bentley whispered back.
The two lovers released each other and Nefetari turned to Sandra.
``Sand of Ra.'' She said. ``Now that everything is done, perhaps I can return your garments to you.''
Sandra, who had almost completely forgotten she was still wearing the Princess' clothes, quickly nodded.
``Definitely.'' She replied. ``This dress is nice and all, but I like my clothes a bit better.''
Nefetari nodded and gestured for Sandra to follow her. Sandra went to do so, turning back to the gang.
``I'll meet up with you guys later.'' She promised. ``I'm sure you guys have some catching up to do.''
Sly looked over at his gang members, then over at Carmelita. Just looking at her reminded him of the last time he had seen her, and how they hadn't been on the best of terms.
``Yeah...'' he muttered. ``We do.''
...
The gang returned to the hideout after making a pit-stop over by Slytunkhamen's home. There, Sly grabbed a small parcel that was hidden beneath the floor. Saying goodbye to Slytunkhamen, they entered the hideout, where Sly opened the parcel to reveal his trademark outfit.
``Oh how I've missed you.'' He said as he took off his Egyptian headdress.
Sly began slipping out of his Egyptian clothing, Carmelita watched over him, her face an unreadable mask. Bentley and Murray noticed that face and exchanged worried glances.
``Hey, umm... Murray. Come help me do some... uhh, tune-ups to the time machine.'' Bentley suggested.
``Right.'' Murray agreed.
The two quickly left the hideout, leaving Carmelita and Sly alone. The raccoon hesitantly emerged from the room, pulling his hat onto his head. For a minute they just stood there, looking anywhere but at each other. Finally, Carmelita broke the silence by handing him a familiar brown backpack.
``This is yours.'' She said, handing it to him.
Sly took the backpack, surprised to see it. The last time he had seen it was when Le Paradox had stolen it from him, using it to escape the time blimp.
``How did you-?''
``It was recovered from the scene after Le Paradox was arrested.'' Carmelita explained. ``I took it as evidence.''
Sly slipped the backpack on, and the uncomfortable silence returned for a minute. Taking a deep breath, Sly tried to speak again.
``Carmelita, I-''
``What happened up there, Sly?'' Carmelita interrupted.
``What?''
``What happened up in that blimp after we escaped?''
Sly sat down at the table and Carmelita joined him. Placing his arms on the table, Sly began his story.
``I fought Le Paradox.'' he told her. ``Sword vs. cane all across that blimp. It was disintegrating beneath us with every step we took, but we both kept fighting. We were almost evenly matched, but I managed to catch him off guard and he nearly fell of the remains of that blimp.''
``Nearly?'' she repeated.
Sly looked down at his hands.
``I'm a thief, not a murderer.'' He answered simply. ``I couldn't just let him fall. So, I took his arm in order to pull him back to safety. Unfortunately, he double-crossed me and stole my backpack, my only escape route, and used it to get off the blimp.''
Sly leaned back in his chair, remembering the events as if they were yesterday.
``After that, I was clinging to that ruined blimp for dear life as the time tunnel swallowed me...'' He recalled. ``The entire time I was tossed around like a hacky-sack, all I could think about... Was you.''
Carmelita looked over at Sly in surprise.
``Me?'' she asked in shock.
Sly sat up and met Carmelita right in the eye.
``Remember back on Kaine Island, when that monster was about to crush me and eat me?'' he asked.
Carmelita nodded.
``My entire life flashed before my eyes in that moment, and you know what my biggest regret was?'' Sly asked.
``What?'' she whispered.
Sly reached for Carmelita, his gloved hand gently taking hers.
``Not having the courage to take the next step with you.'' He replied. ``I was a coward, perfectly content with the occasional flirting and intimate rendezvous. But, after seeing Bentley with Penelope... You know, before she turned on us, I realized just how big a fool I'd been.''
Carmelita spoke up after that.
``I guess we were both fools.'' She said. ``When I saw that monster about to kill you, all I could think was `Not him'. Later, I tried to justify myself by saying that I couldn't have you face justice if you were dead, but in the end...''
Carmelita looked away at that.
``Then Dr. M knocked you out.'' She said. ``And I was so angry to the point that I nearly killed him. Then you claimed to have amnesia, and I saw my chance.''
``I actually did have amnesia.'' Sly interjected.
Carmelita blinked in surprise.
``You did?'' she asked.
Sly shrugged.
``For about 10 or 20 minutes.'' he explained. ``But it was enough.''
``Then...'' she stammered, completely thrown for a loop, ``you...''
``I chose to be Constable Cooper.'' Sly replied. ``I chose to give up being Sly Cooper for a chance to be with you. I left my cane, my gadgets, I even left the Thievius Raccoonus on that island.''
Carmelita felt tears in her eyes. She had never really thought about what Sly had given up to be with her. In fact, part of her had feared that he had pretended to have amnesia as part of one of his nefarious scheme.
``You... You were willing to give up everything that made you... You?'' she asked.
Sly nodded.
``Just like you were willing to put your entire career on the line to ensure that Sly Cooper could disappear and Constable Cooper could live.'' he answered.
Carmelita gasped in surprise.
``You... you knew about that?'' she asked.
``I could hear Director Barkley from across the station when you brought me in.'' Sly said with a chuckle. ``I lost count of how many times he told you it would never work, that it was all a lie. And yet, you were adamant that I be given a chance. I still don't know how you did it, but I'll admit, it was a bit of a shock when I had that badge in my hand.''
Sly then reached into his gadget pouch that he kept strapped to his leg, pulling out that INTERPOL badge. Carmelita looked over as Sly opened it, remembering all the cases they had solved together, all the criminals they had taken down as official partners.
``I'll admit, it was fun being on the other side of the shock pistol.'' He joked, eliciting a small chuckle from Carmelita. ``But, it's not who I am...''
He closed the badge, slipping it back into his gadget pouch.
``I'm a master thief.'' he reminded her. ``My father was a thief, my mother was a thief, and my entire family line is made up of master thieves. It's in my blood.''
``I know Sly.'' Carmelita reminded him. ``I've met Tennessee, Sir Galleth, `Bob', Salim al Kupar... I've met your ancestors. I've even met your descendant, and it's quite obvious what her profession is.''
``Then you know that the name Cooper is practically synonymous with thief.'' Sly remarked.
Carmelita nodded.
``Yes, and I never should have tried to change that.'' she told him.
The tears she had been holding back finally began to fall.
``I'm sorry Sly.'' she apologized. ``I'm sorry I lied to you, I'm sorry I manipulated you.''
Sly gently took hold of her face, wiping the tears away.
``Carmelita, if anyone should be sorry, it's me.'' he told her. ``I'm the one who lied for eight years. It's all I thought about when that blimp went down, how I had never gotten the chance to tell you just how sorry I was.''
Carmelita couldn't hold it back anymore. She began fully crying as Sly held her, stroking her hair gently.
``I'm sorry...'' She whispered in between sobs.
``Me too...'' Sly replied.
...
Sandra pulled her hoodie over her head, her wild hair going everywhere as she did. She looked at herself in the large mirror in the Princess' room and giggled.
``Do you have a comb?'' she asked.
Princess Nefetari gestured for one of her handmaidens to come and help Sandra. The latter sat down as the handmaiden took a brush and began to tame the beast that was Sandra's hair. Nefetari, now back in her proper garments, approached Sandra. She had something in her hands that looked like a folded piece of paper.
``I found this in the pouch of your garments.'' Nefetari explained, unfolding the paper to reveal Sandra's photograph. ``What is this?''
Sandra's eyes widened and she instinctively felt her pocket where that photo was kept. Almost panicked, she snatched the photo back, clutching it tightly.
``That's mine.'' She replied quickly.
Nefetari examined Sandra as she examined the photo, her gloved hand gently caressing the koala and bear depicted in the photo.
``Are those two your friends?'' Nefetari asked.
Sandra gave a small nod.
``More like family than friends.'' She said, her voice choked with emotion.
``I did not see them amongst my rescuers.'' Nefetari noted. ``Where are they?''
Sandra's grip on the photo tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut.
``I don't know...'' she whispered.
Nefetari waved the handmaidens away, taking the brush herself and running it through Sandra's hair. Sandra just sat there, tear drops falling onto the photograph.
``Are they in trouble?'' Nefetari asked.
Sandra's tears increased as she nodded her head.
``Yes...''
``Is that what you meant when you said what you wanted my father couldn't give to you?''
``Yes...''
Nefetari set the brush aside, sitting next to Sandra again.
``What about my rescuers?'' Nefetari asked. ``Your other friends. Can they help you?''
Sandra looked down at the photo again and sniffed.
``I hope so...''
...
Carmelita cried in Sly's arms for a good five minutes before she was able to regain control of herself. The entire time, Sly just held her, comforting her. Soon, she pulled away and wiped her eyes.
``So where do we go from here?'' Sly asked.
Carmelita shook her head.
``I honestly don't know.'' She replied. ``I want to be with you Sly, but I want to be with Sly Cooper, not Constable Cooper.''
``I agree.'' Sly said with a nod. ``I want to try again, but this time, no lies. No deceptions. And hopefully no shock pistol.''
That comment caused the both of them to bust out into fits of laughter, a welcomed sensation to the two, who had spent three years regretting what they hadn't said or done. Once the fits of laughter died away, Carmelita smiled.
``I'd like that.'' She said finally. ``I'd like that a lot. No promises on the shock pistol though, ring-tail.''
Sly smirked.
``I think I can live with that.''
He then leaned back in his chair and called out towards the door.
``You two can stop listening in now guys!'' He shouted.
Outside the door, the two could hear Murray scrambling to his feet and Bentley's wheel's spinning in the sand as the door opened.
``We uhh...'' Murray tried.
Sly just waved them down and stood up.
``The time machine ready to go?'' he asked.
``Yep.'' Bentley replied. ``We can leave whenever we want.''
``Wait.'' Carmelita interjected. ``What about Sandra?''
``Isn't she still at the Palace with the Princess?'' Murray asked.
``I guess so.'' Carmelita allowed. ``Shouldn't we wait for her?''
``Doesn't she have her own time machine?'' Bentley asked.
``Yeah, if she's really from the future, then she'd have to come via time machine.'' Sly questioned.
Carmelita shrugged and shook her head.
``I didn't see one when she appeared in my office.'' She explained. ``She just sort of showed up in this big ball of lightning. Like when Le Paradox sent me to the Old West.''
``Well, if that's the case, then maybe we can give her a lift back to her own time.'' Bentley suggested.
``Could be fun.'' Sly remarked, settling back into his seat. ``I'm kind of curious to see what kind of place the future is like, and what kind of person my descendant is''
...
Sandra returned to the hideout about 20 minutes later, where the Cooper gang greeted her happily.
``We were wondering when you'd show up!'' Murray happily exclaimed.
``We didn't know if you needed a ride back to your own time, so we stuck around just in case.'' Bentley explained.
Sandra didn't say a word. In fact, she didn't even meet the gang's eyes. She kept her gaze on the sand, her hands shaking slightly. Sly was the first to catch on.
``Hey, are you alright?'' he asked.
Sandra looked up, and that's when the gang saw the tears pouring from her eyes.
``No...'' she said finally. ``I'm not alright... I haven't been alright...''
She fell to her knees in the sand where the gang converged on her. Sly and Carmelita both held Sandra as Murray and Bentley got in close.
``What's wrong?'' Carmelita asked.
Sandra sniffed, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded photograph.
``I didn't... I didn't just travel through time to rescue Sly...'' she said slowly. ``I need your help...''
Unfolding the photo, she showed it to the Cooper Gang.
``These are my friends... my gang back home... And- And...''
The tears prevented her from finishing her sentence, but everyone could figure out what she was trying to say.
``They're in trouble, aren't they?'' Sly asked.
Sandra's sobs increased as she nodded. Bentley's wheelchair produced a tissue, holding it out towards the red raccoon. She took it and wiped her eyes before trying to talk again.
``What I told you before was true.'' she explained. ``We raided Slytunkhamen's tomb, gave his remains a proper funeral in the Cooper Vault, and found the cryptile with Sly's story, but I didn't tell you what happened after...''
Sandra took hold of a golden chain around her neck, pulling a fair sized watch out from underneath her hoodie.
``Benjy, the brains of our group.'' she explained. ``He built this so we could travel through time.''
Bentley reached for the watch, which Sandra allowed, and examined it. It resembled a normal watch, but he could see the subtle machinery hidden behind the clock face.
``This is your time machine?'' Bentley questioned. ``It's so tiny.''
``The technology of my time is 110 years more advanced than yours, remember?'' Sandra reminded him. ``Besides, it was designed to be hooked up to the dashboard of our RV.''
``So, your friends were supposed to come with you on this adventure.'' Murray stated.
Sandra nodded.
``We were gonna go everywhere, see everyone. Meet every Cooper from `Bob' up to you Sly.'' she said before a laugh escaped her lips. ``We even packed enough cameras to take photos of everywhere we went.''
``But...?'' Carmelita asked.
``But, the night we were supposed to leave, the warehouse we were hiding out in was attacked.'' she went on.
Sandra cringed at the memory, flashes of the intruders busting through the door still causing her to jump.
``It all happened so fast, we didn't even have time to react.'' she went on. ``Soon, these intruders had us rounded up and were demanding the Time Machine, and the Thievius Raccoonus.''
Sly thought back to his childhood, and how the Fiendish Five had done the same thing with his parents looking for the book. He squeezed Sandra's shoulder in assurance, a gesture Carmelita noticed as well.
``What happened next?'' Sly asked softly.
Sandra's tears threatened to come back, but she knew she had to get the story out now, or she wouldn't be able to later.
``Marcus, the brawn of our group... he bought me and Benjy a few minutes to grab the Time Machine off the dashboard.'' she recalled. ``Benjy set the time, clicked it, and slipped it on my neck. He told me to find help...''
She hugged herself tightly as she heard Benjy's frantic request playing in her head. Her own screams rang in her ears as she had been pulled into the time tunnel. The tears fell again as she finished her tale.
``The last thing I saw before the Time Stream swallowed me...'' she hiccuped slightly, ``was the intruders grabbing Benjy and reaching for me. They were pissed I got away, and- and-''
``And you're afraid they took that anger out on your friends.'' Bentley surmised. ``You're afraid they're-''
Sly elbowed the turtle hard, cutting him off before he could say that dreaded four letter word. As Sandra cried in the sand, a question came to Carmelita's mind.
``Why didn't you tell us all this in the beginning?'' she asked.
Sandra snorted through the tears, looking up.
``You were about to shoot me when I first showed up, Bentley nearly darted me when he saw me, and frankly, I was half afraid Murray would crush me when he saw me.'' She explained. ``I needed to earn your trust before I asked for your help.''
Sandra's reasoning was sound. The Cooper Gang had done the same thing when they had gathered up a larger team for the Cooper Vault Job, and when they had saved Sly's ancestors from le Paradox.
``I knew you were hiding something.'' Bentley muttered. ``I just never imagined it was something so... big.''
Sandra looked up almost desperately.
``Will you help me?'' she asked.
Everyone just smiled down at her, then Sly and Carmelita stood, offering her a hand up. Sandra took the help and wiped her eyes.
``Of course we'll help you.'' Sly told her. ``It's what we Coopers do.''
Sandra smiled, hugging Sly tightly. He had to take a step back, but hugged her back. When they were done, Bentley interjected.
``Considering your time machine seems to only be able to transport one person, we'll have to take ours. But we'll need something from your era to get there.''
Sandra slipped the time machine off her neck and tossed it to him.
``That should work, right?'' she asked.
Bentley's wheelchair arms grabbed the watch and the turtle smiled.
``Yep.'' he replied. ``Just give me a few minutes and we'll be ready to go.''
Murray climbed into the driver's seat while Bentley fiddled with the van's time machine. Sly climbed into the passenger seat while Carmelita and Sandra sat in the back. Carmelita gave Sandra a reassuring hug.
``Don't worry.'' she said quietly. ``If there's one thing I've learned from chasing Sly down all these years, it's that he and his crew can do the impossible.''
Sandra smiled, looking down at her photo once more.
``I know.'' She replied. ``I know.''
The Time machine started whirring to life and everyone began strapping themselves in.
``Next stop, The Future!!'' Murray exclaimed.
There was a bright flash of light and the van disappeared.
