//------------------------------// // Lost: Recovered // Story: Dressed to Steal // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Dad wasn't as quick to forgive Clockwerk as I was...and neither was anyone else. I honestly wasn't surprised, and couldn't hold it against him...anymore than Clockwerk did. I'm...honestly not sure why I was so quick to offer forgiveness. Just...he'd done wrong, but now chose to do right, and sought to aid those he'd long wronged... I just couldn't turn my back on him. It seemed...built into my instinctive nature to offer forgiveness when it was sought. He wasn't even seeking forgiveness, but... I can't wrap my head around it. I just knew I had to give him forgiveness, give him hope. Dad didn't hold it against me, and neither did anyone else. They didn't forgive Clockwerk right away - to be perfectly honest, it didn't look like Dad would ever be able to forgive him completely - but no one said anything about me spending time with him, either. I was...glad of that. Unfortunately, things elsewhere didn't look very hopeful. We'd stopped Seft, but... "What do you mean we're stuck?" Murray gasped out in shock. "I thought once Seft was dealt with-" "The threat to the timessstream is no more," Wadjet explained. "Time isss no longer in danger of breaching itsss banksss, and Ssssset and Apep will no longer awaken. However, the Cooper bloodline isss ssstill in flux. Assss time isss now, a key ancessstor will not be born. Without Sssslytunkhamen I, the Thieviussss Raccoonusss will not be written, the lineage not presssserved, and your perssssonal timelinesss unraveled. Asss issss, I have energy to sssspare now to repair the damage to the River of Time and to maintain you all asss rogue elementsss...but if I tried to place you all back into Time now, you would be erassssed..." "Makes sense," Bentley allowed. "All the time travel that led to this point was focused around the Thievius Raccoonus and the Cooper Canes. If the book is never written, the canes never get passed down, and everything unravels." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm surprised Sly's even still here if his connection to Bob Cooper was severed-" "It wassss not," Wadjet interrupted. "The ancesssstor that wasss ssslain wasss not the Cooper ancessstor, but from the branch of the line that would have joined it to continue it." Dipping her tail into the River of Time, she used the water to draw an image on the wall, showing the descent of the line of Cooper from Bob Cooper to one of the lesser wives of Egypt's present Pharaoh. "The pressssent Cooper ancestresss will, in ssssome yearsss time, have a daughter from her union with the Pharaoh. While the youngessst child of the Pharaoh and thusss unlikely to sssucceed him, she will be hissss favorite daughter. At one point in her life, while far from the capitol with ssssome of her father'ssss ssssoldiersss, the group will be attacked by banditsss. In the original timeline, she isss sssaved by a wanderer, whom she falls for. The Pharaoh rewardssss the wanderer with wealth, landsss, and hisss daughter'ssss hand, asss he ssseesss the ssstrength of their love. It isss thisss wanderer'ssss father that Sssseft slew, before he could be born." She struck the branch that represented the wanderer from the image...and the small figure representing the Pharaoh's daughter began to pulse with light. "Her training in the Cooper wayssss isss incomplete, due to them being imperfectly recorded. It isss becaussse of thissss that Ssslytunkhamen authors the Thieviusss Raccoonusss, ssso no one of the Cooper Line should ever be in ssssuch sssstraitsss without meansss of sssaving themssselvesss. Without the wanderer'sss aid..." The glow around the Pharoah's daughter turned from white to red, then to grey...and then to black. "She will meet a fate worsssse than death, and sssseek death with her own handssss. The resssulting war asss the Pharoah sssseeksss vengeance will tear the world apart...and without the Cooperssss to contain the criminal world, peace will be forever an unreachable dream." A new figure appeared in place of the wanderer, and the figure representing the Pharaoh's daughter once more glowed with white light. "Thussss, my current endeavor. Finding sssssomeone within the presssent time who can take the wanderer'sss place, to have the right qualitiessss to resssscue the Pharoah'sss daughter and for her to become sssmitten with him, and thusss have him ssssire Sssslytunkhamen I." The images vanished as she turned back to the group. "Until then...my apologiesss, but you all musssst remain here in the Divine Cavernsss or at the Birth Oasssisss jussst outssside, sssso asss to not accidentally disssrupt the timessstream through interacting with others. I will make it asss comfortable asss I can." So that's where we've been since for the past couple of years while Wadjet looks for the right 'substitute ancestor'. It hasn't been all that bad. Wadjet's an incredibly good host, happy to reach anywhere in time to get us things we're aware of to keep us entertained. No TV, but plenty of movies to watch and games to play. Divine magic makes a really good substitute for a lack of electricity. She can also provide anything we could want to eat, so meals aren't an issue and are never dull. I've spent most of my time - when I'm not exercising in the obstacle course she provided to keep in shape and keep my skills up - with Clockwerk, both to keep him company and to try and learn more about him. He's been...very closed-mouthed about his past and why things wound up like this. I'm not sure if it's shame for how he behaved and what he'd done...or if he honestly can't remember anymore. He gave me permission to ask Wadjet...but she told me she can't reveal those details until the Cooper Line is restored. She has said that when the time is right, it will be possible for all of us to see Clockwerk's real story. ...the way she emphasized that, I'm guessing a lot of what we think we know about it is...wrong. Uncle Murray's had an easy time adjusting to things. Wadjet can generate opponents from throughout history for him to fight when he feels antsy, more food than even he can eat when he's hungry, and a perfect spot for meditation when he wants inner peace. The only time he's at all upset is when something reminds him of Jing King, but he deals with that quite well. Uncle Bentley and Penelope have adapted somewhat. While there aren't that many options for tinkering, both have found studying the scientific aspect of Applied Divine Magic to the space-time continuum absolutely fascinating...when Penelope hasn't been distracting Uncle Bentley with matters other than scientific to keep his attention. ...pretty sure I can officially call her Aunt Penelope, now. Dad's memory is still in flux due to the timeline being in flux, but he's managed to remember all the important things. He and Mom have spent every waking moment together...and Mom seems to understand my need to forgive Clockwerk, even if she doesn't agree. Still, even if they are antsy to get back to our own time now that the adventure is over, they're very happy together. Still, I should get back to them. Last I heard, Mom was checking something with Wadjet, and Dad implied they might have an 'announcement'... ...okay, why is that so amusing, Deik-Beck? ...and yes, when I talk to you as opposed to about you, I'm going to keep calling you that, because that's who this you is to me. ...yeesh, you're so mushy now...