//------------------------------// // Treasure Hunt // Story: Dressed to Steal // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// The first Treasure Key was hidden inside an area of heavy machinery. As Sly stepped in, he saw that the narrow path was lined with furnaces, their doors open with flames spewing out. Thankfully, they weren't held open, and a quick strike of his cane snapped them closed. A quick thrown needle from Coco also knocked out the guard that would have otherwise spotted them. Beyond, a looping path over water spiraled upward. "Eureka!" Bentley proclaimed through the comms. "You're in the engine room. Calculations indicate the Treasure Key is at the source of that spinning crankshaft. While you're there, you can also sabotage Raleigh's machine while you're at it. But be careful not to fall, Sly. Coco still doesn't know how to swim!" "And that wasn't something you felt I should know before we brought her on a major operation on an island?" Sly demanded coldly. "Sorry, Sly," Murray offered apologetically. "It slipped my mind..." Rolling his eyes, Sly sighed ruefully. "Never mind. I just won't fall. Don't let go of me, Coco." "I won't, Daddy," Coco promised, clutching tightly to him. Sly continued to move carefully past each part of the machinery they encountered, avoiding flames, collapsing platforms, and electrified spinning blades, keeping his focus on maneuvering while letting Coco focus on keeping them from being discovered. The only minor problem that occurred was when Sly had to cling upside down to a pipe and shimmy his way along it over an electrified turbine. Before he'd made it even a foot, he quickly discovered Coco couldn't cling to his shoulders upside down. "Any ideas, Bentley?" Sly asked worriedly. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Coco looked at the situation for a time, glancing from her hooked cane to her sewing kit to the pipe. As her eyes trailed to Sly's hooked cane, she smiled. "I think I have an idea," she spoke up. "Daddy, can I borrow the Treasure Key we've already acquired?" Blinking, Sly nodded. "Alright," he agreed, handing it over. "But what are you going to do?" Smiling, Coco hooked her cane through the key, shifting it down to where it could spin freely but wouldn't fly off. Pulling out her thread, she quickly sewed a great deal onto the key, before using even more to make a net between two parts of the thin pipe. She then hopped into the net. "Pull the net down, Daddy," she instructed. Confused, Sly grabbed the net and pulled down, causing the thread to stretch. He grinned as he understood. "You want me to catapult you over to the other side, and you turned the key into a propeller so you can hover down slowly so I'll have time to get over there to catch you. Clever." "Aww!" Coco pouted. "I wanted to surprise you!" "Where do you think you get the brain for these ideas from, Coco?" Sly asked teasingly as he set her to the proper angle. "From Mommy!" Coco proclaimed happily, giggling wickedly. "Ooooh!" Bentley and Murray called out from the comms. Chuckling, Sly launched Coco into the air, slipped the net off the pipes, stuffed it under his hat, and raced across the pipes as quickly and safely as he could go. The propeller part of the plan worked, and Coco slowly floated down right into Sly's arms as he reached the other side. "Nicely done," Sly praised, giving the net back to Coco so she could stuff it back into her sewing kit. She smiled widely, blushing at the praise. Deeper into the engine room, near the core, the pair came across a safe. Coco quickly opened it, revealing yet another page of the Thievius Raccoonus, this one covering a technique of 'Old Sally Cooper's, the Fast Getaway Raccoon Roll. Once Sly and Coco had dedicated the technique to memory, Sly pocketed the page, leaving behind the mask calling card. With the page in hand, the pair entered the core of the engine, making their way through to the center where the Key was stored. With Treasure Key in hoof (Sly decided to let Coco hang onto this one), the pair made their way out of the engine room, to tackle the next objective. As it turned out, the third Treasure Key was stored inside what looked very much like a Treasure Room. "Well, well, well...jackpot," Sly mused. "Coco, ready to tackle the next part of being a Master Thief?" "Stealing everything that won't make too much noise when we pry out the nails?" Coco asked eagerly. "Exactly," Sly confirmed. "You've been trained to recognize things of value, so snatch anything you can carry, balanced to maximize value of your heist. While we're at it, I'll also see if I can spot the Treasure Key." Coco nodded, her mane bouncing behind her with her excitement. "And keep an eye out for traps, right?" "Very good," Sly praised, leading the way forward. As they made their way down the corridor, they came across several laser traps, with lasers moving up and down the walls to zap anyone passing through without clearance. Coco actually had an easier time getting past these obstacles than Sly did, as she was small and fast enough to dodge between the lasers. This let her reach the safe long before Sly did, and she immediately went to work opening it, finding a sheet of blueprints inside. "Coco, those are blueprints for Raleigh's entire operation!" Bentley proclaimed through her Mask-Viewer. "And...yes! I can wire this information directly to the both of you! It should help you find anything useful for taking him down!" Coco eagerly pocketed the page, putting the raccoon mask calling card in the safe just as Sly showed up, getting pet between the ears as praise for her work. This left her quite eager to continue, but unfortunately, the path forward led across another large pool of water with small platforms crossing it, forcing Coco to once more cling to Sly and let him carry her across, dodging lasers as they went. Once across the water, the pair made their way across a bridge to a raised platform in the center, collecting the third Treasure Key. "Time to make use of these Keys," Sly mused, turning to lead the way back out to the Grounds.