//------------------------------// // The Test // Story: Dressed to Steal // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// I wasn't there when Mom passed on the news to Dad about the change in situation, but Deik-Beck was. He told me that they were 'kid-unfriendly happy' with the news, so I was glad to have been elsewhere. However, afterwards Dad had a surprise for me. It seemed he wasn't quite done testing me... Sly smiled down at Coco as they hid in a lone tree atop a grassy hillock, overlooking a massive mansion and a distant vault, both marked with large golden dollar signs. "This is it, Coco," Sly whispered softly. "You're eight years old now, which means it's time for a particular trial each and every Cooper has gone through on their eighth birthday for the past century. The mansion below and the vault beyond...they belong to a particular wealthy industrialist. Scattered throughout both manor house and vault are items of particular value, as seen here." He handed Coco a list of items, ranging from a golden Ark to a Grail, from a coin collection to a particularly ancient ship in a bottle. Each item on the list had a 'score' listed beside it. "Both manor house and vault have heavy security, from the things we've encountered in previous heists to things you couldn't even conceive of. Your task is to get in, get one of these valuables, leave behind a calling card, and get out...all without being caught by security or by the owner of manor or vault. You are allowed to use any means at your disposal save lethal to accomplish this, but any collateral damage will be counted against you, deducted from the score you bring back. The higher the score, the better you'll be rated as a Cooper Thief...and if you're unable to get to the edge of the property without raising an alarm or being captured, you get a zero. The only other rule...is no questions." Nodding, Coco climbed down from the tree, Deik-Beck moving silently behind her. She had quickly bonded with the tiny mechanical creature, and the pair now went everywhere together, Deik-Beck trailing happily along behind Coco no matter what she was doing. The fact that it could make the same leaps Sly and Coco could had been concerning to Sly at first, but the little creature was so good natured he eventually eased off on his suspicions. Coco now led Deik-Beck into the manor house, operating on the assumption that a place that was lived in would primarily have automated security, as guards tromping up and down the halls would wake the residents. Seeing the interior of the house was made entirely of wood, she smiled as she climbed up to make her way across the roof, Deik-Beck quickly following. She carefully explored what she could of the manor, noting many of the items on the list on display...and the security guarding each that would set off alarms if she tried to lift one without preparations. She decided not to take any action there yet until she'd plotted out the entire manor. She was pleased to see that all security cameras were pointed to get the widest view of the halls...meaning that none were pointed at the ceilings of the halls. She continued her explorations until she found her way to the library. While the books fascinated her, she soon found there was very little in the way of security on much of what she saw here. As far as she could tell, this was a chamber that saw such frequent use that automated security wasn't viable...which also meant there weren't any valuables on her list on display here. However, the window would make a good exit point. Slipping over, she examined the security there and carefully disabled it, making sure it wouldn't send a signal announcing that it had been disabled. Once that was done, she turned back towards the rest of the room...only to catch sight of a fancy display case on a shelf, positioned so that anyone seated in the most comfortable chair would always be able to see it without bending too much. Moving closer, she saw that inside it was...a dime. A perfectly ordinary American dime, as best she could tell...though polished to a shine that diamonds would envy. Confused, she checked her list...only to find the dime was marked on the list, with a score that made her jaw drop. As far as she could tell from the rules of this challenge, she could have crashed through the wall with a bulldozer to snatch the dime and still have more than double the points the next item down would give her. Moving swiftly, she scaled down the shelves until she could reach the display case. Finding no security on it, she carefully lifted the glass and reached for the displayed dime...only to pause. She'd learned how to spot intrinsic value in anything she saw as part of her training...and this dime had no intrinsic value beyond the metal. It wasn't a rare coin, or a special one, or a collectible. Admittedly it was old - nearly a century and a half old - but there were plenty of dimes from that era floating around in collections. The only reason it would be on display like this was if it was of particular sentimental value. And if it were of enough sentimental value to be that valued by the owner...then she wasn't going to steal it. As she reached for the case to put it back, a thought occurred to her. If every Cooper for the past century had tested themselves here at age eight...how had Sly known about it? The only way he could was if- Coco's eyes widened, and a grin crossed her face. This wasn't about performing a theft. This was about proving she could. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a calling card mask and set it behind the dime in the display case before replacing the glass. That ought to give the owner a shock when- "Well well," a voice with a thick Scottish brogue suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence and nearly making Coco fall off the bookcase. "Chutzpah, consideration, and smarts...an interesting combination. I am impressed." Turning slowly, Coco caught sight of an elderly duck in a blue waistcoat and black top hat holding a curiously configured gun negligently in one hand and a lit candelabra in the other. She said nothing as she stared at him, not sure what was going to happen now. "Ye really aren't what ah expected," the elderly gent continued. "Course, after six generations, ah expected another raccoon. Who did Sly wed ta have you? Conner would have loved ta meet 'em, that's fer sure." Coco smiled softly. Her suspicions had been confirmed. "Adopted," she responded softly. "Ah, that explains it," the old duck confirmed. "Don't go reaching for any of yer needles, mind. Wouldn't work on me - ah'm much too tough - and then ah'd have ta pull this trigger. New weapon Gearloose made fer me. Emits a stunning field on a wide spread. Won't even need to have it pointed at ye ta get ya, just have ya be in the room ah'm facing...and ah'll be pullin' the trigger if ya so much as twitch." Coco shifted her smile to wicked as she renewed her grip on the display case. "Then I need to be in the room, right?" Focusing, she activated her invisibility technique. While it normally didn't work on someone looking right at her, if she'd given him reason to doubt his senses... The sudden banging of the window drew the old duck's attention, and when he turned back it looked like Coco and the case with the dime had vanished, leaving a Cooper mask behind. "Goat-buggering son of a whore-monkey!" the old duck swore sulfurously before rushing towards the front of the manor, moving far faster than Coco thought he'd be able to. Smiling, she dropped her invisibility and put away the second calling card. Leaving the case with its card behind, she slipped over to the window, renewed her invisibility technique, and slowly made her way back towards the front gate. She heard a few electrical discharges, and knew Deik-Beck was leading the old duck a merry chase. Once she reached the opposite side of the front gate - and thus outside the property - she gave a sharp whistle. Diek-Beck promptly raced over to her, the duck hot on his mechanical heels. As he caught sight of Coco outside the property, the old duck slowed, catching his breath as he leaned on his knees. "Well, looks like ye won after all," he gasped out. "Now, could ya please return me number one dime?" he begged plaintively. "I don't have it," Coco responded. "I left it in the library. I'm not about to take something so important to you personally. But then again, this was never about taking something from you...just proving I could." The old duck chuckled. "Aye, that it was lass." Reaching into his waistcoat, he pulled out a tablet and swiped across it a few times. Smiling, he tapped a key and printed out a picture of said dime leaning against the calling card. Taking out a pen, he signed it. "Ye can take this back ta yer father, and tell him ye done good. And ah'll be makin' sure ta put sensors on the ceilings in the future!" "So that's why you do it," Coco observed. "Each generation of Cooper finds a new hole in your security for you to patch." "Aye," the elder confirmed. "So...have ye got a mother? Sly don't deserve ta be aloon." Coco smiled softly. "Carmelita Fox," she informed him. "Th' Interpol Inspector?" the gent gasped out in shock. He then grinned widely. "In that case, I expect the lot of ya at dinner within the month. Ya deserve a few friends yer own age as well...and while they're a little older than ya, me nephews'll make ya welcome." Smiling, he turned and marched back to the manor whistling a jaunty tune. Smiling, Coco made her way back towards the hillock, looking down at the picture and the message there. Yer tougher than the toughies, smarter than the smarties, and tricky as can be. Scrooge McDuck