Sly and Sandra returned to the safe house, where the two promptly went to get some sleep. The rest of the gang was quick to join them, each gang member join up with their respective Cooper. However, Carmelita didn't join them. Instead, she sat down by one of the windows of the safe house, staring out at the rising sun.
For perhaps the first time since this whole adventure started, she finally had a bit of time to herself, time to come to terms with everything that was going on. Looking down, her fingers brushed against the badge hanging around her neck. It was something she never took off, not even when undercover, and with very good reason.
The badge belonged to her late father, an INTERPOL officer who died when she was 12. He had been killed in the line of duty trying to bring down a smuggling ring. Carmelita had been left to be raised by her grandmother, her mother having died long before she could remember, with only her father's old badge to remind her of him. He was the reason she became an INTERPOL officer, and why she doggedly pursued criminals like Sly and Sandra.
As she looked over at the five Cooper Gang members sleeping so peacefully, she began to wonder if she was doing the right thing by helping them. It was true that she had worked with Sly in the past, but those had been temporary truces in order to stop a much more dangerous threat. Not to mention, once the danger past, she would return to her duties and try to arrest him.
So when did things change?
When did she stop seeing Sly as a criminal and more as an ally? When did her views of justice change to where some of Sly's actions could be seen as `doing the right thing'? When did crime stop being so black and white?
Looking across the room at the sleeping Sly, she knew exactly when. Kaine Island. Everything had changed the second she rounded that reef. She had finally figured out Sly was working on gathering a team for a much bigger job, and some research into the archive files revealed the only possible target: The Cooper Family Vault on Kaine Island. It had taken weeks to gather the necessary manpower and get security clearance to go down there, but she had been determined that Kaine Island would be Sly's last stand.
However, the second she saw Sly in the hands of that monster in obvious excruciating pain, her mission changed. She was there to save Sly. She charged on the monster and even focused more on keeping Dr. M at bay rather than catching Sly. In fact, Dr. M had been her target when she had barged into the Cooper Vault. When she had laid eyes on Sly, the only thought she had was ``Thank God he's alive.''
Then Dr. M tried to blast her and Sly took the shot for her. Carmelita could still remember how the entire world seemed to slow down in that moment, and a wave of red anger had washed over her. She let loose on Dr. M, tears blurring her vision as she cried, ``Nobody hurts my criminal.''
Her criminal... Never was there a statement with more meanings than you could find in a dictionary. Sly had been her Moriarty since the day they met on the Paris Opera House Rooftop, but he had become more than that. He treated her like a lady, always willing to lend a hand no matter the personal consequences, and even risked getting arrested just to ensure her safety. He'd even been willing to go to jail not just to protect his friend, but give her back her standing at INTERPOL.
With Sly's sacrifice to protect her, it had made Carmelite realize that all that flirty chit chat, all those little notes, and his general attitude towards her, it wasn't just an act. He truly cared. He may have been a Master Thief wanted in just about every country by both criminals and law enforcement alike, but he had a kind heart that some of her fellow officers didn't have.
Perhaps that was why she had created Constable Cooper, so she could love him without their professional differences getting in the way. Perhaps that was also why she had agreed to help Sandra and her friends. Here in the future, she wasn't Inspector Fox of INTERPOL. She was just Carmelita. She didn't have to worry about her status as a police officer getting in the way. But once they returned to the present, things would go back to the way they were.
But was that really what she wanted?
Could she be content with chasing Sly once more? For that matter, would she be able to chase him? After everything they've been through together, could she really just forget it all and go back to normal? She had tried that after Sly had dropped the amnesia ruse, and all it did was make her feel like the bad guy, especially after Sly vanished.
A rustle of movement caused her to jump, her hand instinctively going for her holster. She turned to see Sandra rolling over slightly, lifting her head sleepily.
``Carmelita...?'' she mumbled. ``What are you doing still awake?''
Carmelita took her hand away from her pistol and turned back to the window.
``I was thinking...'' she replied.
Sandra slowly dislodged herself from her friends and walked over.
``About what?'' she asked.
Carmelita turned once more, facing the red raccoon.
``Sly...'' she admitted. ``And what I'm going to do when all of this is over. I don't know if I could just go back to being Inspector Fox.''
``Then don't.'' Sandra replied.
Carmelita blinked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
``Don't go back to being Inspector Fox.'' Sandra told her. ``Be Carmelita.''
``But being Inspector Fox is all I've ever known.'' Carmelita explained. ``INTERPOL has been my life for so long.''
``But tell me something, were you being Inspector Fox when you saved Sly on Kaine Island?'' Sandra asked her.
``No...'' Carmelita answered.
``Were you being Inspector Fox when you created Constable Cooper?''
``No.''
``Were you being Inspector Fox when you agreed to help me save Sly?''
``No.''
``Were you being Inspector Fox when you agreed to help me save my friends?''
``No.''
Sandra smirked.
``It seems to me that for quite a while now, you haven't been Inspector Fox.'' Sandra pointed out. ``Every choice you've made, you made as Carmelita. You chose to do what you believed was the right thing to do, not because of some regulations or rules or laws, but because of what you personally believed.''
Carmelita blinked in surprise once more, realizing the truth behind Sandra's words. Sandra stood up and walked back over to her friends.
``And just between you and me, I think I like Carmelita much more than Inspector Fox.'' Sandra spoke up.
Marcus let out a yawn, his arm coming out and catching Sandra around the waist. She allowed the bear to pull her down, curling up in his grasp as she let out a yawn of her own.
``Get some sleep Carmelita.'' She said softly, closing her eyes. ``We're gonna need you for tomorrow.''
Carmelita just smiled slightly, shaking her head. Sandra was right. She would be needed for tomorrow. Besides, when the time did come for them to return to the present, Carmelita would make her choice. She walked over to where Sly was resting, tiptoeing past where Bentley had parked his wheelchair for the night. She rested her head on Sly's shoulders, slowly nodding off, unaware of Sly smiling at her and wrapping his arm around her.
...
The next night came all too soon and everyone quickly gathered around the table in the safe house, eager to bring down Harleen once and for all. Bentley and Benjy put together their presentation, and addressed the rest of the gang.
``Alright guys,'' Bentley started. ``With everything in place, it's time for us to get down to business.''
``Bentley an' I have bin goin' ova de chattah collected from de bug in Harleen's office.'' Benjy explained. ``Unfortunately, she's gotten wise ta ar plan. She's reinforced de drain an is doublin' patrols. If we wanna strike, we're gonna hafta do it now.''
``We call this plan, Operation: Ceasefire.'' Bentley added. ``To start off, Benjy and I are gonna hack the system again, taking down the power to the entire operation. This will bring down not only the automated defenses, but the electrical barrier on the fence.''
``Once dat's done, Marcus, ya gotta ram de gate wit' de RV before the back-up generators kick in.'' Benjy instructed. ``Once we're in, y'all meet up wit Murray and git de guards' attention with fists.''
``Carmelita, you'll be manning the turret, taking out their air defenses.'' Bentley tacked on. ``With all the manpower directed at you guys, it'll be up to Sly and Sandra for the next part.''
``De ammunition bunker an de storage house need ta come down, and the rest of the base wit it.'' Benjy insisted. ``Luckily, de weapons in de ammunition bunker will be just what we need.''
``Sly, you and Sandra will break into the bunker and gather up as many explosives as you can.'' Bentley explained. ``Then, you'll split up and I will walk you through where to put them around the base.''
``Once de bombs ar' placed, pile back inna de RV, then hightail it as we blow de place sky high!'' Benjy concluded.
``Sounds like a solid plan guys.'' Sandra complimented.
``Agreed.'' Sly added. ``It's time for Harleen to go down.''
They all put their hands in and smiled.
``When we're through with her, she's gonna wish she'd never even heard of the Cooper gang.'' Marcus stated.
...
Benjy and Bentley began hacking away at Harleen's security system the second everyone was loaded into the RV. Once again, Harleen's computer security almost immediately began trying to get rid of them. It was much more advanced than before, almost proving Benjy's earlier claim of Harleen catching onto them.
``Looks like Harleen's not gonna make this easy on us.'' Bentley hypothesized.
``Good.'' Benjy replied. ``I like a challenge!''
The two made their way deeper and deeper into the codebase, their avatars making short work of some of the minor firewalls. Not long after that, the firewalls became more numerous and their encoded protection much stronger.
``Okay, maybe I spoke too soon.'' Benjy reiterated.
Pretty soon the two genii found themselves with their avatars back to back, trying to keep the protection software at bay. They were coming from all sides, almost as if soldiers in war. This analogy quickly brought things into perspective for the two of them.
``Harleen!'' Bentley shrieked. ``She must be a coder too!''
``She must be fightin' us from er side!'' Benjy added. ``Shoulda known she'd be keepin' an eye on de system afta discoverin' us.''
As they delved deeper, it became clear that she had done more than arrange her protection software to ward them off. She'd even created a defense avatar to defend the CPU! It looked similar to the original Harleen, only much bigger, and with menacing looking machine guns that fired deletion codes.
``Unauthorized code detected.'' The avatar declared. ``Initiating defensive procedures.''
Both Bentley and Benjy's avatar's took cover, desperate to dodge the onslaught of malicious code determined to delete them.
``You will not succeed.'' The avatar taunted. ``Prepare for your ultimate deletion.''
Benjy and Bentley's avatars exchanged looks of worry, but quickly steeled themselves. They had both dealt with cyber enemies before, and they had always come out on top. This time would be no different.
``I'll hit 'er low.'' Benjy said.
``And I'll hit her high.'' Bentley replied.
The avatars nodded, then came out into the open, avoiding the sprays of deletion code sent out by Harleen's. Benjy's dove for her legs, letting off kicks and jabs that were aided by his avatar's energy blasts. Harleen's avatar howled in annoyance and went to shoot the koala, but her gun was reduced to 1's and 0's by Bentley's own guns. Turning towards the turtle, she was greeted by a round of rapid fire aimed right at her head.
Her code was obviously well done, because it took several more shots and a few more attacks from Benjy to finally reduce the avatar to random bits of code. The two genii high fived each other, both in real life, and in the cyber realm.
``We did it!'' Bentley cried happily.
``We ain't done yet, mate.'' Benjy reminded him. ``Let's kill da powah before Harleen makes anothah avatar.''
They dove into the CPU, quickly locating the feed for the power of the entire military base. Without further ado, they sent out a home-made virus into the system, one that immediately began eating away at the core code. Within minutes, the feed was destroyed that the military base was plunged into darkness.
``And that's the way the codebase crumbles.'' Bentley remarked with a smile.
...
Out in the RV, Marcus watched all of the lights die all across the base. A grin came onto his face as he turned to Carmelita in the passenger seat.
``Ready?'' he asked.
Carmelita grinned, buckling her seatbelt.
``Ready.'' She replied.
Marcus turned towards the back of the RV, where Sandra and Sly were sitting, also buckling their seatbelts.
``Ready big guy.'' Sandra called. ``Punch it!''
Not needing to be told twice, Marcus' foot floored the gas and the RV went flying down the street. Not even thinking about slowing down, Marcus activated the battering ram on the front of the RV and grinned.
``HERE'S MARCUS!!!!!'' he shouted, extending the word `here' for multiple syllables.
They went smashing through the gate, bringing it down with a loud crash just as the back-up generators kicked in. The newly relit spotlights quickly trained on the RV and the alarms began blaring. Marcus braked hard, skidding to a stop to allow Carmelita to unbuckle and take position on the turret. He then jumped out of the driver's seat and got into a fighting stance.
``HEY THERE YOU FLEA-BITTEN EXCUSES FOR SOLDIERS!!'' He taunted. ``COME AND GET A TASTE OF SOME OLD FASHION STREET FIGHTING PUGILISM!!''
All around them, the gang could make out the silhouettes of multiple hyenas and hippos as they converged. Leaping from their posts along the fences as well as from around the base itself, they all went to attack the group. However, one hippo branched away from the group, joining in with the intruders.
``Need a hand, pal?'' Murray asked, tossing away his camo hat.
``An extra pair of fists wouldn't hurt.'' Marcus replied.
Together, the two strongmen ran into the fray, fists and claws flying in a frenzy of fur. Amidst the chaos, Carmelita took aim with the turret, aiming at the multiple guns that were still attempting to come online. With bursts of rapid-fire, she quickly took them out before they had a chance to fire down upon her allies.
``Take that you cobardes criminales!'' she shouted.
With the sky cleared and Marcus and Murray dealing with the ground troops, Sly and Sandra seized the opportunity to slink out of the RV. They couldn't risk being seen, especially with the entire mission relying on them getting into the armory. Luckily, everyone seemed to be focused on the three attackers that they didn't notice when two raccoon figures slipped through a hidden trap door beneath the van.
``How are we gonna get to the Armory?'' Sandra asked.
Sly just smirked, then gestured towards a group of army trucks that were spread sporadically around the camp, having been abandoned by their drivers when the RV had come crashing through. They were within easy running distance, and if they timed their dashes right, the two coopers could easily make it across without arousing suspicion.
``One truck at a time.'' Sly replied.
The two quickly ran out from under the RV, diving under the nearest truck seconds before a hyena was sent flying their way. A quick survey revealed they had about four trucks between them and the armory's main door, which were unguarded thanks to the attack. A few more well timed dives brought Sly and Sandra right up to the doors of the armory. Unfortunately, their luck ran afoul when the door was shown to be locked, and there was no time for Sandra to pick the lock.
``We need that key.'' Sandra groaned. ``But who has it?''
Sly turned towards the fray, where a large pile of unconscious hippos and Hyenas were beginning to form. He pulled out his binoc-u-cam and focused on the pile. He searched the guards as best he could until he spotted what he needed, protruding from one of the hippo's pockets.
``I see it.'' He declared. ``Stay here. I'll go get it.''
Forgoing stealth in favor of speed, Sly leapt towards the pile, pulling the key out of the hippo's pocket with his cane. With a deft toss, he sent it flying into Sandra's waiting hands and by the time he returned to her side, she had the door unlocked and was ready for action.
``Time to blow this Popsicle stand to smithereens.'' Sly remarked at they made their way inside.
...
The armory was larger than either raccoon had anticipated. More than that, it was chocked full of more weapons and incendiary devices than either of them believed possible. Benjy and Bentley, who were watching the two from the camera feature on the binoc-u-cam, stared in awe at the spectacle.
``I've seen entire countries with less stock.'' Bentley gasped.
``Let's just hope tha' Harleen's got some Octanitrocubane in dis here stash.'' Benjy said.
Both Sly and Sandra paused, looking utterly confused. Bentley just sighed.
``He means ONC guys.'' He clarified.
Sandra recognized the acronym, though Sly still seemed a bit confused.
``Umm, can somebody please explain what ONC is?'' he asked.
``Basically, TNT on serious steroids.'' Sandra replied. ``Just keep a lookout for anything that seems out of place to you.''
``Right.'' Sly nodded. ``Sandra, you go left, I'll check the right.''
The two spread out, pulling the lids off of multiple crates. Eventually, Sandra opened one, revealing a large case of strange orange-gold crystals that seemed to have an ethereal glow to them. Sandra instinctively knew these crystals were what they were looking for.
``Sly!'' she called. ``I found them!''
Sly came over, his eyes widening at the sight of the crystals. He reached for one, his mind already trying to figure out how much these crystals would go for on Thiefnet. However, Sandra quickly slapped his hand.
``Don't. Touch.'' She said with a worried tone. ``Remember what I said? TNT. On. SERIOUS!!! Steroids.''
Sly pulled his hand back, looking at the crystals some more.
``These crystals are your ONC things?'' he questioned.
``Don't be fooled by der purty exterior, Sly.'' Benjy told him. ``Dere very dangerous.''
``Luckily, they're also quite stable, for an explosive compound.'' Bentley added. ``In order to trigger the explosion, the ONC requires a sonic frequency trigger.''
``Sound bombs.'' Sandra reiterated.
``Exactly.'' Benjy replied. ``Look around an' find dat trigger. Without it, dem crystals ar' useless.''
Luckily, the trigger was easy to find. It was sealed in a crate close to the store of ONC crystals. Sandra grabbed it while Sly loaded up several of the orange crystals into his backpack.
``I've got the trigger.'' Sandra announced. ``Ready when you are, Old Man.''
Sly stopped, turning to Sandra with a cheeky grin.
``I told you I was going to make you eat those words, `Sandy'.'' He retorted.
Sandra grinned.
``Oh yeah?'' she asked. ``And how are you gonna do that?''
Sly took a handful of the ONC, handing it to Sandra.
``A race.'' He stated. ``You and me, around the base. Whomever makes it through their half, while successfully planting the crystals, wins.''
Sandra snatched up the crystals, stuffing them in her bag.
``And what happens to the loser?'' she asked.
Sly's eyes twinkled mischievously.
``The loser has to do Murray's laundry when we return to Paris.'' He suggested.
Sandra winced, already imagining the amount of junk food stains that adorned the hippo's shirt and scarf. Still, she was a Cooper, and she was not about to back down from a challenge, especially one from her Great-Great-Grandfather.
``You're on.'' She told him, pulling her hat down in determination.
The two Coopers approached the doors, both of them getting into sprinting positions. Outside, they could hear the continuing assault, though from the sound of it, it seemed to be dying down somewhat. Harleen was running out of soldiers.
``On your mark...'' Sly said.
``Get set...'' Sandra chimed in.
They both hesitated a second, looked at each other, then grinned widely.
``GO!!'' The shouted in unison.
The doors went flying open and the Coopers went running.
...
Marcus, Murray, and Carmelita had been fighting for what felt like hours with seemingly no end to the oncoming soldiers. However, luck was on their side, for it soon became clear that Harleen was truly starting to run out of men.
``We've got them on the ropes, guys!'' Marcus shouted.
``Soon they will all feel the crushing pain of defeat!'' Murray exclaimed happily.
Carmelita remained on her turret, her cop instincts telling her that something wasn't right here. Throughout this entire assault, Harleen had not shown herself, which made the fox uneasy. She became eager to get off the base as quickly as possible, and yet Sly and Sandra had not yet returned from their part of the job.
``Where are those two...?'' She muttered, then she looked down towards Murray and Marcus. ``Either of you two see Sly or Sandra?''
``Not yet.'' Marcus replied.
``What's taking them so long?'' Carmelita wondered aloud.
``Don't worry, Carmelita!'' Murray bellowed. ``We have this mission in the bag! Everything will be just fine!''
Carmelita winced at Murray's words, almost positive the hippo had just jinxed them. Her fears were slightly quieted when she spotted Sly's silhouette darting through the camp towards the RV. He slid in front of the RV, a triumphant smile on his face.
``And I am the winner.'' He declared, giving a large bow.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Carmelita couldn't help but raise a questioning eyebrow.
``Winner?'' She asked.
``He and Sandra held a race to see who could plant the bombs fastest.'' Bentley replied with a slightly weary note to his voice.
``Well, she shouldn't have called me `Old man', then she wouldn't be currently eating my dust.'' Sly replied, then he looked around. ``Although, she's taking much longer than I had expected.''
A sinking feeling began to settle in everyone's stomachs, especially when Marcus noted that the soldiers had ceased their attempts at attacking the group.
``Guys... why aren't they attacking us?'' Marcus asked.
Looking around, the soldiers who were still conscious had formed a perimeter around the group, cutting off their escape. Murray and Marcus quickly got back into fighting positions, Sly gripped his cane and Carmelita readied the turret.
``We need to clear the path.'' Sly announced. ``Once it's clear, we find Sandra and-''
``And you will do nothing.'' A voice interrupted.
Everyone froze as the soldiers parted ways, revealing General Harleen in all her terrifying glory. In one hand she held a large scimitar, and in the other, she held Sandra, the blade directly beneath the girl's chin.
``SANDRA!!!'' Everybody screamed.
``She caught me off guard.'' Sandra said quietly, her eyes never leaving the blade's deadly edge. ``I'm sorry.''
Harleen's metal eye seemed to scan the group, a sadistically cruel grin spreading across her face.
``So, This is the infamous Sly Cooper.'' She snarled. ``I must admit, you are a most-'' She rotated her hand while still gripping the scimitar, the blade rolling in her paw as if she wasn't holding anything at all. ``-unorthodox adversary. But this is no matter. If you want the girl to live longer than the next few seconds, you will call off your brutes and bring your shooter down from the gun.''
Murray and Marcus both reluctantly lowered their fists and Carmelita deftly jumped from the turret, landing softly beside Sly. Harleen smirked at their compliance.
``Excellent.'' She said with a malicious undertone. ``It appears that even the notorious Cooper Clan can recognize their superior, despite centuries of ignorance and stupidity.''
``You speak of our family like you know us.'' Sly retorted. ``And yet, I don't recall any egomaniac lions in my family history.''
A few of the hyena soldiers snickered at Sly's witty comeback, earning them a harsh glare from Harleen. Sly noticed this and a plan quickly formed in his head. He turned his attention back to Harleen as she dragged the blade in a dull fashion away from Sandra's throat and pointed it towards Sly in an obviously threatening gesture.
``Do not test me, Cooper.'' She snarled, a feral growl rising from her very core. ``I will not hesitate to kill you, Sandra, or any of your little friends.''
Sly put on his best irritating grin, crossing his arms and facing Harleen.
``And yet, here you stand, hiding behind my granddaughter rather than actually fighting us.'' He quipped.
More snickering and even a few outright laughs came from the hyenas, further irritating the lioness. Harleen's eyes gained a feral edge and another growl bubbled in her throat.
``What's the matter?'' Sly asked. ``Cat got your tongue?''
The dam of laughter burst and nearly all of the soldiers were reduced to quivering masses of laughter and giggles. Sandra took advantage of the situation and brought her boot down hard on Harleen's foot. The lioness howled in pain, further egging on the hyena's laughter, as Sandra dove towards Sly and away from the deadly grip of Harleen.
``You know, for a supposedly Highly Decorated general, she doesn't have much control over her men.'' Sandra quipped.
Sly shrugged.
``Perhaps she isn't worthy of the rank of General.'' He noted.
Harleen looked back at her howling men, and the hyenas looked at her. Their laughter died away, giving way to a crippling fear. They knew that if she succeeded with destroying the Cooper Gangs, it would be their turn to die. With her men sufficiently cowed, Harleen focused her attention back on Sly and Sandra.
``I believe it is time to show you just who it is you're dealing with, you weak, pathetic trash pandas!'' she growled.
She bared her teeth and drew the second sword. The blade sang as it slid from its sheath, followed by a loud clang as Harleen struck the two blades together. There was a loud crack as the blades began to glow. Lightning danced across their edges as Harleen began stalking slowly forward.
``It is time to show all of you why the old bird hired me, and not some two bit stooge.'' She snarled.
Harleen approached the two Coopers, who instinctively took a step back to avoid the deadly, electrified blades.
``Well this is a shocking turn of events.'' Sly joked, albeit, nervously.
``Thanks for stealing my line, Old Man.'' Sandra mocked.
Harleen snarled at them.
``Enough with your jokes.'' She snapped. ``It is time for you to fight me, and die trying.''
The lioness ran towards them, her blades sparking and creating large jagged marks in the dirt. She went to bring them down on the Coopers, but the raccoons quickly countered, bringing up their canes in defense. There was a loud clang as the weapons clashed, Harleen trying to force her entire weight into the attack. Against a single opponent, Harleen would barely have had to put up a fight. However, now she was fighting two opponents, both with a lot to lose should they fail.
Sly and Sandra both pushed as hard as they could, forcing Harleen back. She stumbled back a single step, then went to slash at them. A timely jump from Sly and a duck from Sandra prevented them from getting sliced. Sly then maneuvered his cane to where he hooked onto Harleen's neck.
``Looks like she's a fighter!'' He taunted as he tried to force Harleen off balance. ``Time to reel her-''
Harleen roared and twisted her body, freeing her neck from the grip of Sly's cane. She then twirled her scimitars, bringing them both in for a disarming maneuver. Within seconds, Sly's cane was wrenched from his grasp and into Harleen's waiting claw while Sly himself was sent flying into Sandra with a quick kick.
``Did you honestly think it would be that easy?'' Harleen jeered.
Sly and Sandra quickly picked themselves up as Harleen spun Sly's cane in her hand before throwing it aside.
``Time to get serious, Coopers.'' Harleen threatened. ``Or perhaps I should kill your precious comrades first. Maybe then you'll put up a decent fight.''
Sandra gripped her cane, gesturing over to Sly's cane with her chin.
``Go get your cane.'' She whispered, ``I'll hold her off.''
Sandra spun her cane in her hand as Sly leapt to the side. Harleen saw this, her robotic eye focusing on the two of them. She smirked and focused her attention on Sandra as she attempted a second lunge. This time, Harleen swung her blades first, determined to catch the raccoon. Sandra smiled, knowing exactly how do deal with the attack. She pointed the butt of her staff towards Harleen, jamming her finger on the button. The pole connected hard with Harleen's stomach, causing the lioness to double over in pain.
``How's that for getting serious?'' Sandra taunted, planting her cane in the ground.
Harleen quickly recovered from the blow, swiping her blade at Sandra. While she missed the girl, she connected with the cane. It twisted and the point of the scimitar successfully pressed the circle button.
``No, no, no!'' Sandra panicked ``Not the-!''
The cane's piston feature activated again, sending both her and her cane flying. She landed hard against a wall while the cane embedding itself hard into said wall. Harleen smiled, straightening up and flexing her fingers around the handles of her scimitars.
``One down, one to go.'' She sneered.
She began to move towards Sly who was still trying to locate his cane. He finally found it under one of the many scattered trucks he and Sandra had used for cover not too long ago. He got on his hands and knees, reaching underneath the truck, trying desperately to get his cane back before Harleen got to him. He managed to grab it, and swing it just in time to intercept an attempted killing blow.
``Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to attack from behind?'' He taunted.
Sly pulled his staff towards him and turned around quickly, pulling the scimitars out of Harleen's grip. She snarled and swiped a claw, only to get a face full of cane. Harleen grabbed the cane before Sly could pull it back, swinging it through the air and forcing Sly to let go of it or risk ending up like Sandra. He landed on top of one of the buildings, looking down in annoyance.
``Ah man!'' He shouted, ``I just got that back!''
Harleen smirked.
``Oh I'm sorry.'' She replied sarcastically, ``You want it so badly? Take it!''
She threw it like a javelin, and Sly quickly leapt up, spinning in the air to catch his cane. He grinned as he used his momentum to bring the cane crashing down onto Harleen's face, smacking her right in the metal eye. The red glass cracked and sparks began to dance across the metal. Harleen herself howled in a combination of fury and agony, half of her vision reduced to static and the word ``RECALIBRATING''.
``You vile ingrate!!'' She snarled, covering the sparking machinery with a single claw.
Sly dove for a patch of shadows, hiding from Harleen for the moment. As he hid, he could hear a low growl emanating from Harleen as she attempted to locate him. She was getting closer, and her eye was slowly finishing reorienting itself. When she was done, she slowly removed her hand from her eye, only to see the furry bottom of Sly's paw coming towards her face.
Across the base, Sandra was finally starting to come about, rubbing the back of her head with a groan. Looking up, she could see her cane. Unfortunately, it appeared to be stuck a high up in the wall of the building she had been leaning against. Turning back towards where she had been flung from, she could see Sly and Harleen going at it. She smirked, then stood up and dusted herself off.
``I think I've sat out long enough.'' She mumbled to herself.
Sandra flipped on top of a truck, then spring boarded from there onto the roof. She reached over the edge and took hold of her cane. With a mighty pull, she began tugging at her cane, but it wouldn't budge. She pulled unsuccessfully a few more times before crossing her arms, looking at it with a bit of anger.
``Oh, not this again!'' she cried out.
Back in the battle, Sly's foot met with Harleen's face and she stumbled back. Sly planted the staff into the ground, sparing a moment to glance over at Sandra. When he saw her futile struggles with pulling her cane free, he knew she wouldn't be joining for a while.
Harleen's blade met with Sly's cane, drawing him back into the fight. Both blades collided with the staff, but this time, the electricity from Harleen's scimitars danced up the cane and right through Sly's body. He felt his fur explode outward, giving him that puff-ball look.
``Really?! I just got my fur the way I-'' His foot came down and kicked Harleen in the face again ``-LIKE IT!''
Sandra continued to pull on the cane, the handle jarring and grinding as she attempted it. With each tug, she was getting more and more frustrated.
``Come on you stupid thing!'' She screamed. ``Get out of the ground! I need you to hit Harleen!''
She brought her foot down on the cane, the heel of her boot connecting with the button. Realizing what was about to happen, Sandra pulled herself back onto the roof seconds before her cane sprung from the wall. It flew across the base, right towards the fight. Harleen stumbled back from Sly's kick, looking towards him with renewed anger.
``FILTHY TRASH PANDA!'' She screamed. ``I WILL END-''
She never got the chance to finish her threat, for at that moment, Sandra's runaway cane connected with her face, contorting it into a Picasso worthy scene. The glass of her robotic eye exploded outward, sending shards of red glass everywhere as she was sent flying across the base by the sheer momentum of the cane. She slid several feet before coming to a stop, the cane clattering to the ground in front of her.
``That works.'' Sandra called happily.
She jumped off the roof, making her way over to her cane. As she picked it up, she could practically see the stars in Harleen's eye as she just kind of stood there dazed.
``Reinforce the right flank, sergeant...'' she muttered like a drunkard.
Sly and Sandra both looked down at the lioness, then raised their canes. With two perfectly coordinated blows, they brought their canes down on Harleen's head, knocking her out cold. The hyenas, whom had all been watching this battle in silence, all gasped as their leader fell.
``Anyone else wanna have a go?'' Sandra asked.
``Or are you gonna do the smart thing and run before we blow this base sky high?'' Sly added.'
The hyenas began scattering almost immediately. They vaulted over the fence, poured out through the gate, any escape route that was possible, they took it, leaving the Coopers alone with their friends.
``Great job you two!'' Marcus congratulated them, grabbing Sandra into a big hug.
``Nice team work.'' Murray added.
``Did you manage to plant all the bombs?'' Carmelita asked.
Sandra smirked, fishing into her bag and pulling out the sonic trigger.
``You bet I did.'' She said. ``All we have to do is set this thing and we're out of here.''
``Great job Sandra.'' Sly told her, holding out a hand for a high five.
Sandra didn't keep him hanging, returning the high five as everyone piled into the back of the RV.
``Time to get out of here.'' She said.
...
The RV drove off just as Sandra activated the sonic trigger. The ONC exploded with enough force to shake the road, a satisfying feeling for all present in the RV. As they escaped back towards the safe house and the original Cooper gang got into their van, Sandra could make out the lights of helicopters approaching the area.
``Looks like Garrett finally caught up.'' Sandra remarked. ``I hoped he likes my little gift.''
Inspector Garrett was at that moment organizing a fire brigade to put out the fires around the base, as well as a coordinated effort to round up all of the fleeing soldiers. However, when he spotted something strange over by one of the trees near the fort, he paused. Harleen was leaning up against the tree trunk, a large bruise on the side of her face and two fair-sized bumps on her head. She was tied to the tree, buried under a pile of blueprints and strategic maps, and had a very familiar marker taped to her chest.
``Sandra...'' he muttered as he pulled the marker off of Harleen.
On the back of the marker was a small note.
``1 down, 2 to go. Wish me luck! -XO''
Garrett looked out towards the village, where he could vaguely make out the silhouettes of two large vehicles taking flight, disappearing into the night sky.
``Sir!'' one of the officers suddenly interrupted. ``What are your orders?''
Garrett turned away from the village, reluctantly focusing on the task at hand.
``Get this woman booked immediately.'' He ordered. ``The charges, treason, murder, and conspiracy to commit mass murder.''
``Yes Sir!''
The officer walked off as Garrett looked down at the marker, just staring at it in thoughtful silence.
``2 to go, huh?'' he muttered. ``We'll see about that.''
