//------------------------------// // Trying to Deal // Story: Dressed to Steal // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Scrooge sat sadly in the sitting room with Carmelita and Coco. "Ah'm afraid what ah learned isn't...entirely pleasant," he offered sadly. "Nor is it...hopeful." Carmelita swallowed convulsively. "Tell me." "His physical memory is spot on," Scrooge explained. "Every Cooper technique, every skill he ever developed, every trick of the thieving trade...it still comes as naturally to him as breathing, and without even thought. Tested all of them as discreetly as ah could, and he didn'a even realize he was doing it half the time. Even that laser slide move..." He shook his head in amazement. "And he doesn't even remember enough ta tell me how it works." "That's...good, right?" Coco asked hopefully. "...unfortunately, no," Scrooge replied sadly. "If he didn'a remember some of it, we could have used teaching it to him again as a way to bring back other memories, like when he learned it th' first time. But it's all there...and didn'a bring back any memories through practice. I...I'm afraid this leads to th' bad news." "...go on," Carmelita managed to say, steeling herself to keep her voice from breaking. "Ah have noo idea how ta get his memories back, ta jog his memory ta bring him back," Scrooge explained. "It might come back on his own someday, it might not...but there's nothin' ah can do. Ah seen this before...and all we can do is wait and hope." Coco's ears fell flat against her skull as her eyes began to water. "Is...isn't there anything we can do?" she asked hopefully. "Only thing that can be done fer him is ta stay with him," Scrooge offered sadly. "Keep him with those who love and care fer him the most, answer whatever questions ya can, and...be there fer him. But fer now...his past is lost." Carmelita let out a heavy sigh. "If that's all we can do..." she murmured sadly. Scrooge stood up and rested a hand on Carmelita's. "Ah know this is gonna be hard for ye. If ye need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask." It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear. The raccoon I knew as Dad was...gone, and an echo left in his place, an echo that might someday become him again. It seemed especially hard for Mom, though. I admit I'm not entirely sure why. Mom tried to explain it a couple of times, but I didn't really get it. As Mom went with Uncle Scrooge to make arrangements as far as where we'd live - her apartment back in Paris was simply too small for three, and the hideout wasn't appropriate for a cop - I went to deliver the news to everyone else. It wasn't a pleasant conversation...but one bit of it gave me a bit of hope. "...and that's how it is," Coco concluded as she finished telling the others through video conference what Sly's state was. "I...I don't know what to do..." "The old duck's advice is the wisest," Panda King offered gently. "Stay with him, and he will remember. Do not lose faith." "Yeah!" Murray added from the same screen. "Sly's as tough as they come. He's not gonna let something like this slow him down for long!" "And maybe it can be a good thing," Muggshot suggested. "If he's lost his memory, he's a new person by law. The two of you can stick with yer Mom, and live as a family." "His memory will come back in time," Mrs. Ruby agreed. "The stars speak of great fate awaiting you all, and the stars do not lie!" "I...I just wish there was something more we could do for him," Bentley spoke up morosely. "For...all of you." "...maybe there is," Penelope murmured thoughtfully, resting her hand on Bentley's shoulder. "If you'll lend us the Thievius Raccoonus." "Huh?" Coco asked in surprise. "You have an idea?" "Maybe a crazy one," Penelope admitted. "But crazy ideas seems to be what this Gang does best. Scrooge said Sly's lost his past, right? Well...what if we were to go find it for him and bring it back to him?" Coco tilted her head in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand-" "Circuits and surge protectors!" Bentley suddenly yelped out. "Are you suggesting building a time machine to fix Cooper's amnesia?" "Why not?" Penelope suggested archly. "Is it any crazier than anything you've done before? We could go back and collect a video record of Sly's entire life and play it super fast for him to spark his memories...or bring him through from the past to refresh his future self's memory...or just prevent him from getting that first head injury from Dr. M's frankenstein-ish creature! One of those is bound to work!" "And what about the causality paradox from not having a reason to build a time machine after fixing Sly's memory?" Murray asked curiously. "And thus not going back to fix it?" He noticed everyone turning to stare at him. "What? Chrono Trigger's an awesome game!" "Okay, so preventing his amnesia is problematic," Penelope allowed. "Unless I manage to let past me see future me taking action, making her realize she needs a time machine to go back and fix it so it's just a causality loop..." "...it's worth a shot," Coco allowed hopefully, desperate to cling to any chance that Sly would remember... Deik-Beck crawled along the ceiling, staring down at where Sly was sleeping peacefully. The robot had made its way here after hearing out Scrooge's conversation with Carmelita and Coco, and had scurried here as soon as it was unobserved. Having disconnected all security systems, the tiny metal crab's eyes glowed red in the darkness. "This is not your end, Sly Cooper," the voice echoed softly in the dark room. "You brought about my downfall. If I can not bring an end to your legend, then I shall see to it that no one else will. I will not let this Dr. M succeed where I failed. Your memory will return, and your legend will be eternal. Clockwerk was conquered by Cooper...and so none shall conquer Cooper. "Thus says Clockwerk."