Sly and Sandra returned to the safe house, where Bentley was already setting up his usual presentation. Sly sat down on the large couch, scooting right next to Carmelita much to the Inspectors delight and chagrin. Sandra went to join them, but her attention was drawn by Murray, who was digging around in the kitchen.
``Hey Sandra!'' he called. ``What counts as junk food in this time?''
Sandra shook her head with a small smile, standing up once more and pulling a bag of what looked like hard candies out of her satchel.
``Here.'' She said, tossing the hippo the bag. ``They're called Neutrons. They've got a little bit of each candy mixed in. They're Marcus' favorite so I always keep some on me. There should also be some Pitt Cola in the pantry.''
Murray looked in the pantry and fished out a large, rainbow colored can with the word PITT emblazoned upon it. Settling down with his snacks on the couch, he began munching away as Bentley began his presentation.
``Okay, with the intel we've gathered so far, I think I've come up with a plan.'' He announced. ``However, it's going to take a bit more work before we can initiate the operation.''
Bentley brought up some of the surveillance footage of Garrett's office.
``We've already got a way into Inspector Garrett's office.'' He reported before he switched the footage to that of the Impound Lot. ``And Murray's strength can easily take down that fence. However, there is one target that is nigh impossible to get to.''
He switched the footage once more to show the hospital.
``Benjy and Marcus...'' Sandra muttered.
``Exactly.'' Bentley replied. ``We've already determined that it is impossible to get those two out of that hospital without getting caught. That means we'll have to wait for the police to take them out of the hospital for us.''
Switching footage once more, he brought up a computer screenshot with a schedule printed on it.
``I managed to hack into the hospital records and I found that our friends are set to be officially released from the hospital in two days at 8pm.'' Bentley declared. ``If Inspector Garrett is anything like you, Carmelita, than he'll have both Benjy and Marcus in the back of a transport van headed to the prison by 8:01.''
``Our only chance at freeing them is by hijacking that van.'' Sly realized.
``That's correct.'' Bentley nodded. ``However, Murray's gonna be pulling a Grand Theft Auto with the New Cooper Gang's RV, Sandra's going to be getting the file from Inspector Garrett's office, and neither of you know how to drive stick, so switching positions won't work.''
``Well, what do you suggest, Bentley?'' Carmelita asked.
``A little... deception.'' The turtle replied.
Carmelita raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Sly immediately caught on.
``You want us to disguise ourselves as the van drivers.'' He guessed.
Sandra jolted up, a major red flag going up.
``Ummm, that won't work.'' She said.
Bentley turned to Sandra.
``Why not?'' he asked.
``Because I've done that before, and now, he checks every new cop that shows up, running their names and badge numbers through the system.'' She reported. ``If you don't show up, you'll find yourself in handcuffs before you can say `Oops'.''
Bentley smirked at Sandra, shaking his head.
``Ye of little faith.'' He told her. ``I figured that would be the case, that's why I'm going to add Carmelita and Sly's INTERPOL files into the system.''
That made Carmelita blink in surprise.
``You have our INTERPOL files?'' she questioned.
``That's right.'' Bentley nodded. ``Sly always kept an updated copy of your file on the hard drive, and after he became `Constable Cooper', I made sure to keep a copy of his, just to make sure he was alright. All I need to do is switch out some dates, edit some information on Sly's file, and we'll have two officers on the inside.''
Sly smirked, putting an arm around Carmelita.
``Looks like we're gonna be working together again, `partner'.'' He ribbed.
``Don't get comfortable, Sly.'' Bentley interjected. ``It's gonna take more than some files to make you guys INTERPOL officers again. You're gonna need uniforms, and you're gonna have to get them without raising an alarm.''
``The policeman's laundromat.'' Sandra suggested. ``Stuff goes missing in there all the time. Nobody will even raise an eyebrow to a pair of uniforms disappearing.''
``Good thinking.'' Bentley told her, then he turned back to his screen. ``Finally, there's one last thing we'll need to take care of. The two officers that are supposed to drive the van can NOT be allowed to make it to work that day.''
``Meaning we stall them?'' Murray asked.
``Meaning we waylay them.'' Bentley corrected. ``I'm thinking a bout of food poisoning should do the trick.''
Carmelita leaned forward at that.
``Food poisoning?'' she repeated.
``It's the only way to incapacitate them without drawing suspicion.'' Bentley explained. ``Once you guys have the uniforms, you and Sly will have to infiltrate the INTERPOL mess hall and poison the food. Nothing major, just enough that they won't be making it to work for the next few days.''
Carmelita was still incredulous, but she gave a small, albeit reluctant, nod. Bentley shut off his presentation, wheeling towards the door of the safe house.
``I'll have to hack into INTERPOL's system before we can go forward with the other preparations.'' He explained. ``I'll be back soon.''
He spun on his wheels and headed out of the safe house and into the night.
...
The Cooper gang had broken into INTERPOL headquarters many times. The first time had been when they stole the Fiendish Five file from Carmelita. Since then, they had broken in on multiple other occasions, mostly so Sly could leave little gifts or souvenirs (read recently stolen treasures) for Carmelita. This, however, was the first time Bentley was breaking in on his own.
While Sly and Sandra had been out reminiscing and doing reconnaissance, he had attempted to access the INTERPOL CCU system, but had been unable to get a strong enough connection. He arrived in front of the INTERPOL building, staring up at it. He activated his binoc-u-cam, focusing on the building.
``Sandra.'' He whispered.
The corner of the screen fizzled until Sandra's face appeared.
``Talk to me.'' She answered.
``I need to get to the INTERPOL CCU.'' He informed her. ``Where would it be located?''
``Where else?'' she asked. ``On the roof, where it's protected by two guards who are always patrolling.''
``Of course...'' he groaned. ``How do I get up there?''
``See the building next door?'' Sandra asked. ``That's a really good French restaurant with a rooftop dining area. Just get a table up there and I think your big brain can figure out a way to hack the CCU from there.''
Bentley gave a nod.
``Anything else?'' he asked.
``Yeah. Order the Ratatouille.'' She suggested. ``It's amazing. Just tell them to put it on Sasha Carver's tab.''
Bentley smiled at that, then stowed the binoc-u-cam, rolling towards the restaurant.
...
It took a minute, but soon, Bentley was on the rooftop of Le Restaurante Royal with a steaming plate of Ratatouille and a laptop in front of him. Looking across the balcony over at INTERPOL, Bentley began going the math in his head. After a bit of extra examining, and a few more bites of Ratatouille, the turtle pulled out his grapple cam.
``Let's do this.'' He declared.
With a deft toss, he sent the grapple cam over the edge of the balcony, where it immediately shot out a grapple. It hooked onto the CCU and reeled itself up onto the roof. It embedded itself into the CCU and a small antenna popped out. Immediately, a small flashing box appeared on Bentley's screen with the words CONNECTION ESTABLISHED in big red letters.
Bentley smiled, then cracked his knuckles before typing away at his computer. Almost immediately the firewalls began to fight back. It was a bit more challenging than usual, but nothing that Bentley's skills couldn't take down.
``110 years and INTERPOL still hasn't done anything to beef up their security.'' He said, shaking his head.
After a few bypassed firewalls and a couple reroutes, he was successfully in.
``Alright. Congratulations Carmelita, you are now an INTERPOL Inspector, alongside your partner, Constable Carver.''
Sandra's voice came over the comm.
``Hey... That's my alias.'' She complained.
``Well, we can't exactly have him going by Cooper, now can we?'' Bentley replied. ``Besides, he's your Great-Great-Grandfather. I think you can share with the old man.''
``HEY!'' Sly's voice rang out.
Bentley laughed as he closed he laptop and finished off the Ratatouille. The waiter came over and gave a warm smile.
``How was everything?'' he asked.
Bentley smiled back.
``Everything was great.'' He complimented. ``Put the bill on Sasha Carver's tab.''
The waiter seemed to smile even wider at that.
``But of course.'' He replied.
...
Bentley returned to the hideout with a large bag of food, which he divided up amongst the group. They all ate with gusto.
``Thanks for the food Bentley.'' Carmelita replied as she ate.
``The Chef insisted I bring some food home with me after I said I was friends with Sasha Carver.'' Bentley explained.
``Yeah.'' Sandra replied. ``I helped the guy establish the restaurant, and I do pay my tabs on time. That's why he keeps that table on the roof reserved for me.''
``Nice one.'' Sly said with a smile. ``You're definitely my descendant.
Finishing off her food, Sandra stood up, going towards the window.
``I'll get the uniforms next.'' She volunteered. ``You guys enjoy the meal.''
She leapt from the window as everyone watched.
``Does that girl ever stop moving?'' Carmelita asked.
``I haven't seen her sleep yet.'' Bentley replied.
``At least she eats.'' Murray interjected. ``Remember when we went up against the Fiendish Five? Sly barely relaxed the entire mission.''
``Cut her some slack.'' Sly told them. ``She's worried about her friends, and if she really is my descendant, she'll relax once her friends are safely by her side.''
Everyone let that sink in, remembering how they had changed during Sly's absence. They had been able to rely on each other for support, but Sandra had been alone for who knows how long in the time stream. More than that, Bentley had firsthand experience on being alone while his friends were in trouble.
``You're right Sly.'' Bentley replied. ``Let's just let her do her thing.''
Everyone nodded, then turned back to their food.
...
Sandra slipped across the rooftops with a determined look in her eye. She could see the laundromat that was owned by the police off in the distance and she closed in fast. She could also see the hospital off in the distance. Pausing for a minute as she perched on a lamp post, she gazed over that hospital as her expression hardened.
``Don't worry guys...'' she whispered. ``I'm coming for you.''
She tightened her grip on her cane, then leapt from the lamp post onto the adjoining rooftop. A few more rooftop jumps and she was above the laundromat.
``I'm here Bentley.''
``That's great.'' He told her before his face fell. ``Unfortunately, we've hit a bit of a snag.''
Sandra raised an eyebrow.
``What do you mean?'' she asked.
``The only way into the laundromat is through the front door.'' He explained. ``The back door is only accessible from the inside, and even if I hacked the system, I wouldn't be able to open it.''
``No problem.'' Sandra replied. ``I've got a way.''
Sandra slipped off the roof and into the alleyway. There was a small window into the laundromat, but it was much too small to slip through. That didn't seem to be Sandra's way in though, as she simply spun her cane until it was upside down. She then hit the circle button, shooting the end of the cane into the stone. It then retracted itself, making a fairly sturdy hook hanging right by the window. Much to Bentley's surprise, Sandra then hung her satchel on the makeshift hook, then placed her hat, and even her mask into the bag.
``Umm, what are you doing?'' Bentley questioned.
Sandra then pulled her hair out of its ponytail, and it immediately went flying in every direction with a comical springing noise.
``Just trust me Bentley.'' She insisted.
She unzipped her hoodie as well, revealing a simple white tank top underneath, and hung it on the hook. She then searched her pockets and happily noted they were empty.
``There we go.'' She sighed. ``Normal red panda.''
``Normal what?'' Bentley asked.
Sandra smirked.
``When I'm not wearing my mask, I look more like a red panda than I do a raccoon.'' She clarified. ``I've used it to my advantage before, and I'm going to do it again.''
``I fail to see how this will work.'' Bentley replied skeptically.
A long, low horn from off in the distance drew Sandra's attention.
``That's my cue.'' She cheered.
Sandra bolted out of the alley, coming to a stop out in front of it. She looked to the right to see a large semi-truck coming down the street, as well as a large mud puddle right in its path. She counted to three, then walked out beside the puddle, just as the truck came whizzing by. The mud was sent shooting through the air, where it struck Sandra, coating her in the thick sludge.
``Sandra!'' Bentley shouted.
Sandra wiped the mud from her eyes, then from her muzzle.
``And 3... 2... 1.''
Behind her, the laundromat door opened with an audible slam and a pair of laundromat attendants came forward.
``Miss, are you alright?'' One asked her.
Sandra turned towards the two, shaking the mud from her paws and wiping more away from her face.
``Oui.'' She replied. ``Just a little embarrassed...''
The two attendants ushered her inside, much to Bentley's amazement.
``How did you know that work?'' he asked.
Sandra didn't answer. Instead, she followed the two attendants to the back of the laundromat, where they showed her a small washroom. It had a small shower, most likely for people like herself who showed up filthy.
``You go and get yourself cleaned up.'' One of them said as they handed her a towel and what looked like a spare shirt and a pair of pants. ``We'll get your clothes cleaned up.''
``Merci.'' Sandra told them, slipping into the bathroom.
The two attendants took her clothes as Sandra quickly closed the door and turned on a shower. Slipping the earpieces out of her ears, she climbed in and quickly scrubbed the mud from her hair and fur. It took a good ten minutes, but soon, she was perfectly clean and mud free.
``There we go. Now back to the mission at hand.''
She put on the clothes the attendants had provided for her, then slipped the earpieces back on.
``Okay.'' Bentley called out the second they were connected again. ``I have to know. How in the world did that work?''
``Because I had that happen to me once already. However, that time really was on accident and they helped me out.'' Sandra explained. ``There's still some good in the world.''
Sandra then turned her attention to the racks of uniforms and clothing hanging around. She looked at each one, examining the sizes before smiling.
``Here we are.'' She said happily as she pulled one off the rack. ``One that will fit Carmelita perfectly.''
``Are you sure?'' Carmelita asked over the comm.
``Positive.'' Sandra assured her. ``I know your size quite well.''
``You do?'' she questioned. ``How?''
``There's a very detailed entry about you in Sly's section of the Thievius Raccoonus.'' Sandra explained. ``It's got everything from your favorite books, music, and artworks down to your physical measurements.''
The line went silent for a minute, then there was the sound of a struggle, most likely Carmelita attempting to attack Sly. Sandra ignored it and grabbed a uniform for Sly. She even snagged two sets of protective eyewear from a small stand. Sandra then made her way over to the window, where she stood on a small table to reach it. She pushed the uniforms through the window and into her satchel bag.
``There we go.'' Sandra whispered. ``I've got the uniforms, not to mention a free shower and my clothes laundered as well.''
On the other end of the comm, she could hear Murray holding Carmelita back while Sly seemed to be nursing a bloody nose.
``I never gave you permission to write about me in your little book, Ring-tail!'' She exclaimed.
``Carmelita, I thought you'd be flattered.'' Sly told her. ``You're the only person aside from Bentley to have an entry in the Thievius Raccoonus without the name Cooper.''
``Not when you're writing things like my dress size!'' Carmelita shouted.
``Guys, please try to get along.'' Sandra insisted. ``You two are going to be partners after all.''
Carmelita gave a begrudging groan, then Bentley came on the line.
``Thanks Sandra.'' He told her. ``Now get your clothes back and get back here.''
As if on cue, the attendant returned with Sandra's clothes folded neatly.
``Here you go, Miss.'' They said as she took the clothes. ``So sorry that happened.''
``Not a problem.'' She said, examining her clothes with a happy smile. ``I'm glad to see that there's still some good people in Paris.''
The attendants smiled, then left. Sandra got dressed and went out into the alley, where she grabbed her hoodie, cap and mask. Now looking like a proper Cooper once more. She grabbed her satchel, then pulled her cane free of the roof, disappearing into the shadowy alley.
...
Carmelita held up the police uniform, examining it skeptically. It was a double hued grey suit that seemed to be made out of a combination of Kevlar pads and tough fabric. However, despite being incredibly durable, it also felt amazingly soft and comfortable under her paws.
``What is this?'' she asked.
``Oh, that's the police `battle suit' as they've been dubbed by the public.'' Sandra explained.
Sly, who was already pulling the suit on, raised an eyebrow.
``Battle suit?'' he repeated.
``Yeah.'' Sandra replied. ``Standard issue uniform for officers of the law who are entering high risk situations. There isn't a doubt in my mind that if you guys were behind the wheel of the van transporting my friends, you'll be required to wear the uniform.''
Carmelita sighed, then put the uniform on. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror and was surprised to find it looked really good on her. She found herself doing some poses in the mirror, until a whistle drew her attention.
``Looking good, partner.'' Sly said, leaning against the wall in his uniform.
Carmelita glanced back at him, a witty retort on the tip of her tongue, but those words immediately died when she laid eyes on Sly. If she looked good, he looked great. A lifetime of thievery had given the raccoon a very athletic physique that the suit seemed to highlight. Sly gave her a smirk as he approached.
``Cat got your tongue, Carmelita?'' he quipped.
``More like a ringtail.'' Sandra replied.
Carmelita's fur turned redder as she turned away from Sly. Sandra then walked over.
``You'll have to take your mask off, Sly.'' She told him. ``You're a police officer, not a thief.''
Sly conked himself on the head, then slipped his mask off.
``Sorry.'' He said. ``I guess even with 8 years of not wearing it, the mask is still a part of me.''
Sandra took the mask from him, then handed both Sly and Carmelita a pair of orange glasses.
``I know it's not a mask, but maybe this will help.'' She offered.
The two took the glasses, slipping them on.
``Protective eyewear I'm assuming.'' Carmelita commented.
``That's right.'' Sandra nodded. ``They're bullet proof, not to mention they can switch to sunglasses mode depending on the level of light around.''
Sly adjusted the glasses, then turned to Carmelita. He took her badge off of her original belt, attaching it to the space on her right pectoral designed to display it. He then took his old badge, attaching it to his before turning back to Carmelita.
``Well, now that we're properly suited up, we should probably get to work.'' He declared.
Carmelita nodded, slipping her pistol into a holster on the suit's belt.
``Right.'' She said. ``Bentley, do you have that poison for the guards?''
Bentley nodded and a mechanical arm held out a vial of green liquid.
``This should do the trick.'' Bentley explained. ``Just pour a few drops of this into the officer's food and you'll have those cops hunched over a trashcan in no time.''
Sly went to grab it, but Carmelita beat him to it.
``Oh no you don't, ringtail.'' She chastised him. ``I'm done being your group's go-to distraction. I'll slip this into the food while you keep the officers busy.''
Sly help up his hands, that cheeky smile on his face.
``As you wish.'' He told her.
Carmelita walked out of the hideout with Sly right on her tail.
``We'll make a proper criminal out of you yet.'' He quipped.
The rest of the gang heard a loud smacking noise, followed by a yelp of pain from Sly.
``Saw that coming.'' Sandra commented.
Murray and Bentley both nodded.
...
Despite having served 8 years as an INTERPOL Constable, Sly could never get use to walking through the front doors of the headquarters without a pair of steel bracelets around his wrists. It almost gave him a bit of a thrill as the cops walked past him, completely unaware of who he really was. Carmelita glanced over and shook her head at the childish grin on his face.
``Will you be serious, ring-tail?'' she chastised him.
``I'm always serious Carmelita.'' Sly replied.
``Then drop the dopey grin.'' She insisted. ``You're a Constable, not a clown.''
``Sir Galleth was both a knight and an actor, so why can't I be a Constable and clown?'' Sly quipped.
Carmelita got a similar childish grin.
``Because we don't want a repeat of that sting operation we pulled in Berlin, now do we?'' she reminded him.
Sly's grin faded as a blush came to his cheeks.
``I thought we agreed not to talk about that again.'' He hissed.
Carmelita just playfully nudged him as they made their way into the mess hall. All around there were dozens of officers milling about. Some were in plain clothes, others in uniforms identical to the ones Sly and Carmelita were wearing. They looked about, searching for their targets.
``Okay Bentley, we're in.'' Sly whispered. ``Who are the officers in change of the transport van?''
``Just give me a sec.'' Bentley replied.
There was the sound of typing, then Bentley spoke up again.
``Their names are Patterson and Carpenter.'' Bentley supplied. ``One is an otter, and the other is a puma.''
Carmelita immediately picked them out in the crowd.
``There they are.'' She said. ``Looks like they just got their food.''
``I'll go stop them.'' Sly told her. ``Be right back''
He walked forward, placing his fingers up against his ear like he was talking to someone and not paying attention. He then ran straight into both Patterson and Carpenter, sending their trays of food crashing to the ground.
``Oh jeez, I am so sorry.'' Sly hastily apologized. ``I didn't see you there.''
Both of the cops glared at Sly, then down at their trays
``Great, and its sloppy joe day.'' Patterson groaned.
``Way to go, buddy.'' Carpenter snarled.
Carmelita came forward, giving Sly a (fake) chastising frown.
``I thought I told you to stay off your comm when in crowded areas.'' She told him.
``Sorry, Inspector.'' He replied.
``I'll go and get these gentlemen a new tray.'' She offered. ``You stay here where you can't cause any more damage.''
Carmelita walked off and Sly turned towards the officers.
``Sorry again.'' He let out.
``Whatever.'' Carpenter replied. ``It's partially our fault anyway.''
The three went to sit down as Patterson explained.
``Head Inspector Garrett has been riding everyone's tails for weeks now, ever since we captured the New Cooper Gang.'' He said.
``Yeah.., He's been pulling officers off the streets to have then search for Sandra Cooper.'' Carpenter added. ``He's even been calling in extra hands from our different branches.''
Sly whistled.
``Talk about overkill.'' He let out.
``Exactly!'' Patterson exclaimed. ``The guy is obsessed! I mean, seriously. Why go through so much effort to find a criminal who is most likely dead or gone for good?''
``No serious cop would ever dedicate THAT much time and effort to finding one measly thief.'' Carpenter snorted.
Over the comm, Sly could hear Carmelita hiss slightly. Carpenter's comment had practically insulted the last three years of her career. Sly, however, was angry for another reason. This guy had insulted his family by calling Sandra a `measly thief'.
``From what I've heard, Sandra Cooper's a pretty difficult thief to catch.'' Sly replied. ``Maybe she's planning a rescue attempt on her friends.''
``Jeez, you sound like Garrett.'' Patterson retorted. ``Look, when we found the New Cooper Gang, they were in rough shape, like they'd been `interrogated' or something. Odds are whomever attacked the gang snatched Cooper and bolted.''
Sly had to bite his tongue to keep himself from telling the truth. Luckily, his brain quickly supplied him with something else to say instead.
``If that's true, then maybe Garrett's trying to find her alive.'' He suggested.
Carpenter just sighed, leaning back in his chair.
``If you ask me, I say let them kill her.'' He said.
There was a collective gasp across the comm, from Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita. Sandra, however, just remained quiet. Sly took a second to regain his composure before speaking again.
``What was that?'' he practically demanded, anger laced in his words. ``Because I thought you just said, `let them kill her'.''
Carpenter shrugged.
``It's true.'' He replied. ``They take her out, and we've got one less lowlife criminal scum out on the streets.''
Sly's knuckles cracked audibly as he clenched his fists. However, neither of his `companions' seemed to notice.
``Frankly I think we should just let them all take each other out.'' Patterson added. ``Would definitely save money on prisons and stuff like that.''
Sly could not believe this! The last time he had dealt with dirty cops, it had been when Neyla had betrayed him and locked him and Murray up in a private prison/hell hole to be tortured by an even dirtier cop named The Contessa. He still had nightmares about that place, but this was beyond worse! Sly's vision was nearly red as she snarled his next question.
``And what about those innocent people caught in the crossfire?'' he asked.
Both cops shrugged indifferently, a gesture succeeding in infuriating the raccoon even more.
``Necessary sacrifices for the greater good.'' Carpenter replied.
``You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, am I right?'' Patterson asked.
Sly was just about to punch one of these guys in the face when two trays with sloppy joes laden on them came crashing down in front of the two cops. They looked up to see Carmelita, whose face reminded Sly of when she had caught him stealing the feudal Japanese dagger from Le Paradox's museum: cold, emotionless, and holding back a tidal wave of anger.
``Sorry.'' She hissed angrily. ``They slipped.''
She turned to Sly, taking his arm and pulling him to his feet.
``Come on.'' She told him. ``We've got to report to Head Inspector Garrett. We've wasted enough time here as is.''
Sly looked at Carmelita gratefully, then let her lead him out of the mess hall. They walked out of the mess hall, then out the side door towards the smoking area. Once it was clear there was nobody around, the entire group practically exploded
``Did you hear what those los cabrones said?!'' Carmelita exclaimed.
``Let them kill her?!'' Sly shouted.
``Necessary sacrifices?!'' Bentley screamed.
``Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs?!'' Murray cried.
For a good minute, all four of them just ranted, exclaiming multiple expletives in both English and Spanish. That is, until they noticed that Sandra hadn't said a word. They all quieted down, then Sandra started to speak.
``There are three types of police officers in this day and age.'' She told them all. ``There are officers like You Carmelita, or like Garrett. Ones who fight for justice. Then there are dirty cops, ones who do side dealings with criminals and other ilk. And then there are cops like those two, who don't care about anyone but themselves.''
She was silent for a moment, then spoke up again.
``Unfortunately, its cops like Patterson and Carpenter that make up most of law enforcement these days.'' She lamented.
``That's loco!'' Carmelita cried. ``What happened in 110 years that made the justice system so- so-?''
``Broken?'' Sandra asked. ``Garrett asked me the same thing when we first met.''
``He asked you?'' Sly asked.
``Yeah...'' she replied. ``It was just after I stole the Star of Kilimanjaro. He'd managed to track me down and cornered me on this cliff overlooking a river. I lost my footing and fell in. Any other cop would have let me drown, but he dove in after me and saved me.''
``He did?'' Carmelita asked.
``Yep.'' She replied. ``I woke up soaking wet, handcuffed, and on the edge of the river with Garrett ringing out his shirt. I asked him why he saved me, and you know what he said? He said `Nobody deserves to die like that. Not even criminals.' I'm guessing my expression displayed my shock because he then asked me why it's gotten to the point that people expect cops to leave criminals to die rather than save them. He wanted to change that, starting with me.''
Everyone soaked in these words, their hatred slightly abetting.
``I of course escaped after I finally coughed up the last of the water, but I left the Star behind.'' She went on, hoping to lighten the tense mood. ``I figured I owed him that much at least.''
Carmelita smiled slightly, then a thought struck her.
``Sandra, this may sound like a strange question, but does Garrett eat sloppy joes?'' she asked.
``No actually.'' Sandra answered. ``He says the mess hall always uses too much beans and not enough meat. Why?''
Carmelita looked down at her hand, opening it to reveal an empty vial of poison.
``Because I may have poured the rest of the poison into the community pot after hearing what those idiotas said.''
Sly's dopey grin came back in spades as everyone busted into laughter.
``Oh this is gonna be good.'' Sly chuckled.
...
Carmelita and Sly sat on a bench in front of Garrett's office, watching as about half the precinct was either hunched over a trashcan or shoving people out of the way to go to the bathroom. Part of Carmelita's brain was mentally chastising her for her reckless behavior, but a more dominant part was congratulating her on taking such a bold step. Maybe Sly really was rubbing off on her. There was a ding of an elevator and none other than Head Inspector Garrett Lupine. He looked around the place, a pissed off expression on his face.
``What in the name of all things sacred happened here?!'' he demanded.
One cop who was holding a small trashcan to his chest looked up.
``Bad sloppy- Urp- Joes...'' he gagged. ``Ugh...''
The cop immediately put his face back in the trashcan as Garrett stalked past him.
``Jodie, how many men are down for the count?'' he demanded.
Jodie, a rabbit at the secretary's desk, put on a pair of glasses and brought up the list on her terminal.
``So far about a third of the officers are reporting symptoms of food poisoning.'' She replied.
Garrett came closer, pinching between his eyes.
``Just tell me that Patterson and Carpenter aren't amongst the sick.'' He begged.
``Sorry sir. They seem to be suffering the worst of it all.''
Garrett slammed his fist down on the desk angrily.
``DAMMIT!'' He swore.
Jodie didn't seem phased. Instead, she simply took of her glasses and spoke again.
``Also, two transfers from the English branch are here to see you.'' She informed him, pointing behind him.
Garrett's head shot up and he turned on his heals to face Carmelita and Sly. He examined them up and down, then raised an eyebrow.
``You two...'' he let out. ``You're not throwing up.''
``No sir.'' Carmelita replied. ``My partner got into a verbal altercation with one of your officers in the mess hall and we took our leave before the incident could escalate.''
Garrett sighed in immense relief.
``Thank heavens.'' He said. ``I know you just started, but I need you to cover Patterson and Carpenter's duties tomorrow.''
``Anything you need, sir.'' Sly replied.
``Be at Le Hospitalier centrale de Paris before 20:00 tomorrow.'' He ordered. ``Do NOT be late.''
Both Sly and Carmelita gave a salute as Garrett walked towards his office. He opened the door, then paused turning back to them.
``And, umm, stay out of the mess hall for now.'' He requested in a softer tone.
The two of them smirked as Garrett disappeared into his office. Behind their backs, the two `officers' shared a secret fist bump. Everything was going perfectly.
