Sly Cooper: Family of Thieves

by Blackdrag-rose


Band: Magic Versus Metal

On their way back to their new safe house, at the end of Arpeggio's blimp, Sly and the others noticed that Clockwerk, despite being in control for the first time in two years, wasn't straying too far away from the blimp and seemed to be flying around it every now and then. It was like he was either surveying his new surroundings, since the last thing he should remember was the gang beating him at the Krack-Karov Volcano, leeching energy from the engines to make sure that his body was working as he remembered it, or maybe he was observing them as they headed back to where Bentley and Murray were waiting for them to return. When they returned to the battery that was their safe house they discovered that Bentley was already hard at work studying all the parts of the blimp that were around them, how the power seemed to flow between all the sections that Arpeggio had installed to make it fly, where he could find computer terminals, and anything else that caught his attention at the moment. He also told them, once they shut the 'door' behind them, that he had already sent work to Secretary Sen about the situation, so that he knew exactly what Arpeggio and Neyla had been planning, before they sat down and let him continue working.

Fortunately it didn't take Bentley long to figure out a plan of attack, so they could weaken Clockwerk to the point where Derpy, Gilda, and Diz could unleash their magic again and destroy the ancient owl, like they did when they fought him the first time around. In order to reach that point Bentley revealed that they needed to disable the four engines that were located around the blimp, as he had detected several power shifts coming from each one of them and already knew that they were what Clockwerk was drawing power from. At the same time he warned them that this was only going to be possible if they all worked together, something he knew that they could do given how well they had done all the previous jobs up to this point, and warned them to be weary of the sky, since Clockwerk was likely going to be watching them as they worked to disable the engines. There was even one engine that Bentley had gone over multiple times while they were making their way to the blimp, one that was heavily reinforced to the point where the only option was to blow it to pieces, and he had an idea in mind to get at that one as well.

The plan was simple, as Bentley would be starting off by having Diz carry him to the computer terminals that were around the flying fortress so he could hack the door and let Murray into the first engine room, though as they did that both Sly and Carmelita would pick the pockets of several guards and take their keys, so they could give them to Bentley and let him enter the area that the second engine was located in. After Diz did that, and dropped Bentley off at the second engine room, he would assist Gilda in breaking the wall mounted power stations that were scattered around the area, before one of them headed inside to take out the third engine before the guards responded to what the gang was doing. While all of this was going on Derpy would be waiting by the fourth and final engine, gathering power from the clouds so she could blow the engine apart with her lightning, but at the same time the rest of the gang would bring a TNT barrel, with three powerful magnetic chargers attached to it, up to her target, where Bentley said the combined power between the lightning and the explosives would be enough to ruin that engine beyond repair. Once all four of the engines were taken out, and Bentley was sure that they were no longer powering Clockwerk's body, he, Murray, Sly, and Carmelita would have to stand back and watch Gilda, Derpy, and Diz fight the ancient owl, as Bentley had discovered that magic was the only thing that Clockwerk's body had no defenses against.

After Bentley finished explaining what they needed to do, and noticed that Secretary Sen hadn't gotten back to them yet, the gang got underway as they moved into position, though since his starting point was nearby he waited for a few minutes to be sure that everyone was where they were supposed to be before they got this operation started.

"He's observing us." Diz commented, to which Bentley looked and saw that she was staring at the ancient owl at the moment, who was currently perched one of the nearby blimps and seemed to be staring down at them, though at the same time he was sure that Clockwerk was following Sly, "He really hates the Cooper Clan, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does." Bentley said, though at the same time he thought about the tales that were in the Thievius Raccoonus and realized that not one of them, the ones he had read so far, seemed to detail what even caused the mortal owl to replace his entire body with soulless machinery, before infusing said machine with his hate filled soul, "And yet, when you think about the stories inside the family tome, not one of them mentions the owl that eventually became Clockwerk, so there's no way for us to figure out what drove him to hate the Cooper Clan as much as he does."

Bentley was also interested in the fact that Arpeggio had said something about a Hate Chip, something that the small bird had replicated, and found himself thinking about the chip that Derpy was wearing around her neck, something that she found after they bested Clockwerk two years ago. He had to wonder if the chip that Derpy had found was actually an important part of Clockwerk, one that Arpeggio must have been searching for in his spare time and couldn't find because it was in a place he couldn't access, since it was around Derpy's neck. If she was carrying the Hate Chip on her, like he was beginning to suspect that he was, then it was a good thing that she had picked it up when she did, otherwise he was sure that Clockwerk would have left the blimp and disappeared until he was ready to attack them again, as the situation forced him to remain close at hand. He also knew why the owl was interested in observing them like he was, because two years ago it had been Sly, Derpy, and Gilda, with the aid of Inspector Fox, that was arrayed against him, though now it was the Cooper Gang with seven members, one of which he was unfamiliar with.

The ancient owl was trying to prepare himself for the fight that he knew was coming, as he was attempting to learn all he could about the thieves that were arrayed against him, which was why he wasn't moving from his perch and was observing how they worked like a team.

A few moments later, after he shelved his thoughts, the rest of the gang checked in and revealed that they were all ready to get the operation underway, to which Bentley had them all get started on their various objectives the moment he tapped the command key on his console, revealing the locations of said objectives to the rest of the gang. From that moment forward Bentley and Diz moved towards the first of the three computers he needed to hack into, while Diz kept an eye on the guards and knocked them out if they got too close, thus allowing Bentley to work in peace while the others started gathering everything they needed to tackle three of the engines at the same time. The moment Bentley hacked into the first computer he beckoned Diz over, to which he was ferried over to where the second of the three computers rested and went to work the instant they arrived, making Diz happy that he was working so fast, as she was still worried about the fact that Clockwerk was staring at them all as they moved around the flying fortress. A minute later and Bentley had claimed the second computer, to which Diz moved him over to the third one, which was in front of the entrance to the engine room that Murray was supposed to take on, and rapidly hacked his way through the computer that was in front of them... to which he forced the door open and Murray, who was standing by, walked into the engine room, though as Diz readied himself, so he could take Bentley to where Sly and Carmelita were waiting, they heard the sound of metal breaking and Murray beating something up.

Instead of questioning it Diz took Bentley over to the second engine room, where they found both Sly and Carmelita waiting with the five keys that they had stolen from the guards that were supposed to be holding them, to which they opened the way and Bentley slipped inside to do his part of the operation. Once Bentley was inside the engine room both Sly and Carmelita headed out to get the TNT barrel and the three magnetic charges that they had been told about, so they could help Derpy blow the final engine to pieces, allowing Diz to head back down to an area near the safe house and meet up with Gilda. From there the two of them used their magical powers to blow the five wall mounted power stations to pieces, despite the fact that they were scattered all over the flying fortress, though it didn't take the two of them long to find their targets and break them. When they headed to the third engine, however, they discovered that Murray was standing nearby and had pried open the door the moment he found out the fifth power station had been taken out, allowing Gilda to head inside and get to work tearing the place apart. Murry stood by the door, to open it again when Gilda was ready to leave, to which Diz headed out and helped Carmelita out, as she was making sure Sly's path to the three magnetic charges was unobstructed, since he was the one crawling around in the TNT barrel at the moment... though while all that was going on Diz also noticed that Clockwerk seemed to be staring at the fourth engine now, where Derpy was gathering her power to damage the engine to the point where it wouldn't work for some time.

As she and the others started to gather near the fourth engine, and the ones that were inside the other two finished their tasks and came outside, lightning flashed through the clouds that were some distance above Arpeggio's blimp, all centered around Derpy. Diz smiled for a moment, as she loved watching the way Derpy was able to either call upon the power of an already existing storm and use it to their advantage, or even cause one to be created in a small area so she could use the power of the sky to destroy something. While her power might be chaotic and random by nature, which they couldn't figure out at all, both of her sisters possessed a natural affinity for the elemental forces that had shaped this world at one point in time and were incredibly powerful when they set their mind to something, and watching them use their power to break things was fun in it's own right. While she thought about all that Gilda, Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita stood near her as Sly delivered both the TNT barrel and the magnetic charges before clearing out to the safe spot they were standing on... though that was followed by Derpy, her single eye ablaze with magical power, summoned the power of the storm and hurled it down towards the engine room.

At first it seemed to pierce the center of the TNT barrel and go straight through the room itself, causing some confusion in the others as they stared at it, though that was before the true power of the storm raced down towards the room and struck it... where the entire structure exploded and parts flew everywhere as the blimp rocked, shaken by the suddenness of an entire engine room being destroyed in an instant.

"Derpy, I think you might have used a little too much power in that attack," Gilda commented, looking at the burning remains of what used to be an engine room with a look of surprise on her face, which was mirrored in the faces of the rest of the gang, before she glanced at her sister, "I mean, you were supposed to disable the engine room... and you ended up blowing it to pieces."

"I figured that, since our enemy is Clockwerk, that we might as well take the time to make sure he doesn't get the upper hand before we're ready." Derpy stated, to which she turned and looked at the ancient mechanical owl that was still sitting on it's perch, observing them and how they worked as a team, though she actually wondered if Clockwerk was doing something else at the moment.

"I guess there's not much else we can do at the moment," Carmelita said, as while she was hoping to get another crack at the ancient owl that had hunted Sly's family for years, and killed his father and took Derpy's eye, she knew that she needed to stay at Sly's side, as this was a battle between magic users and a seemingly immortal owl, "we'll be back at the safe house. Hopefully Secretary Sen knows where the blimp is located by now, otherwise we might need to come up with a way to tell him where we're located."

Diz knew that the rest of the gang wanted to help, especially since their opponent was one of the worst criminals that had ever walked the Earth, or flew he guessed since Clockwerk had wings, and there was no telling what he was going to do this time around, when he was beaten. Diz had been told the story of how Derpy lost her eye and how both she and Gilda had gained their powers in the first place, as it had been during their first fight with Clockwerk two years ago, and already understood that now was the time to be careful, especially since their foe's talons were sharp enough to cut their way through some of the toughest metal in the world. As Carmelita and the others headed back towards the safe house, so they could watch what was going to happen next, the three of them stood near each other and focused their minds for a moment, to which their individual auras appeared around them as they took to the skies and only came to a stop when they were near Clockwerk's perch... though the flapping of their wings was enough to cause the ancient owl to open his eyes, as he must have closed them to think about something after Derpy's display, and the trio readied themselves.

What none of them were expecting, however, was for Clockwerk to stare at them for a few seconds as one of his metallic eyebrows started to rise up, indicating that he was either shocked by something or he was simply confused as to what he was seeing.

Your aura is pink. Clockwerk stated, staring at the red aura that had gathered around Gilda Cooper and the blue aura that was doing the same to Derpy Cooper, though what was shocking to him was the female hyena, who had a small pair of feathered wings coming out of her back, that had a pink aura around her body.

"Look, I would have liked a green aura, or even a yellow aura, but I got stuck with pink." Diz replied, though she had to resist the urge to bring her palm to her face, as this was the one thing about her powers that she disliked, because when she was really focusing her energy, like Gilda and Derpy did, her aura surrounded her and this happened, and a number of people, not members of the gang, thought she was gay no matter what form she was in, "But we didn't come here to talk about my aura... we came here to fight you and put you back where you belong!"

Come, thieves of the Cooper Clan, Clockwerk declared, spreading his wings not a moment later, showing that he was ready for a fight, even if the group knew that he actually wasn't based on the fact that they had smashed through the engines before he was able to draw a good deal of energy from them, It's time I showed you the terrifying power of Clockwerk and claim my rightful place as the one who beat you.

Gilda flared her aura and burst forward, faking Clockwerk into taking to the sky, before she corrected her course and moved to the side as the wind bent to her will, where she formed a pair of blades from the wind itself, though if Clockwerk was surprised by that he got quite the shock when Derpy did something similar. What Derpy did was hold her hand towards the sky and bolts of lightning formed above her hand, which she hurled at their opponent, forcing him to dodge the attacks and come right into the direct path of Diz's magic, though that was essentially energy that allowed her to blast their opponent. Diz had to resist using the pure chaotic nature of her power against Clockwerk, since there was no telling what might happen to the ancient owl, but for the most part it seemed like simply dancing around the area and loosing blasts were fine for the moment, even though some of her blasts were used to blow up the small missiles that were fired in her direction, just like Gilda and Derpy did to the few missiles that were heading their way. At the same time, however, both Gilda and Derpy noticed that there was another blast from the past coming towards them, as Clockwerk launched several spinning rings that they could either dodge completely or knock open and fly through the center... though it appeared that such a tactic was so he could charge up the power in his eyes and loose a powerful blast at whoever he was aiming at.

Derpy, being the first target of that attack, only smiled as she blasted the energy shot with her own power, causing an explosion between the two of them, though at the same time that only gave her, Gilda, and Diz the opportunity to get around to a better position to attack Clockwerk, while also making sure to stay away from his talons. They knew how dangerous Clockwerk's body was, especially his talons, and flew around the area that was around them, looking for an opening that they could exploit while they blew up the missiles that were being fired at them at the same time. A few moments passed before Gilda grinned, as she spotted something that could be used to their advantage, because when both Derpy and Diz got close to their metallic foe and distracted him with their presence as they flew over the flying fortress. The moment Clockwerk was distracted Gilda gathered her power around her and flew towards the ancient owl, where she slammed her fist into the side of his face and knocked him to the side, though as Clockwerk regained himself he noticed something, his regeneration ability, as he suspected when he found that his Hate Chip had been replaced by an inferior chip, wasn't working. Derpy grinned as she saw that, as it meant that the battle had shifted to their side, before she sent a surge of lightning right into their opponent's chest, which pushed him backwards while causing him to growl in pain, like he had done during their first fight, before Diz sent a powerful chaotic blast into the exposed weakness she had created and blasted Clockwerk right into the heart of the fortress.

When Clockwerk emerged from the burning wreckage of the heart of Arpeggio's blimp, which was on fire from the collision of him hitting the area, he was missing sections of both his wings, some of his feathers, and part of his back, but instead of giving up Clockwerk turned towards the battery at the back of the fortress and flew towards it. The trio watched as he snatched the battery as the blimp started to shatter around them, carrying it off in the direction of Paris and forcing them to follow after him, though at the same time Diz channeled her power and snatched the pieces of Clockwerk that had broken off, just to make sure they had all of it for when they destroyed the ancient owl.

Because of the fact that the three of them could fly they were able to catch up with the large owl that was flying towards Paris, though when they caught up with him they discovered that the only thing he was capable of doing was trying to blast his targets with the power of his eyes. As they flew around Clockwerk, however, they discovered that they weren't the only ones fighting him, as Neyla, already conscious from her beating and still had the handcuff Carmelita put on her on one of her wrists, with part of the metal pole attached to it, appeared on a helicopter's gun and started firing at the ancient owl. From what they could tell she had managed to rouse Arpeggio enough so they could escape the blimp, but then they apparently decided to try and take advantage of the fact that Clockwerk was in the middle of a battle so they could attempt to fulfill their own goals regarding the owl's metallic body. Despite that fact the three siblings focused their attention on Clockwerk, as he was the more immediate threat, but as they soon discovered the owl seemed like he was getting weaker and weaker as the seconds ticked by, which had to be because of what Arpeggio did to him. That thought appeared to be proven correct a few moments later, as the ancient owl screeched in pain for a moment and dropped the battery, which Gilda caught with her wind magic and gently lowered it to the ground.

While she did that, and both Derpy and Diz followed after her, Clockwerk fell from the sky and crashed into the ground near where she was setting the battery down, though they noticed that they were out the outskirts of Paris at the moment, which meant that they had stopped their opponent from reaching the city... and, at the same time, it didn't appear that Clockwerk had any defenses that could be activated to protect his body, and there was some smoke coming from his open mouth.

"It almost feels like we're back at the Krack-Karov Volcano," Sly commented, standing on a platform as he and the rest of the gang stared at Clockwerk, trying to come up with some way of beating him, permanently, since smashing his head in didn't seem to work, "we beat him, smashed his head in, and seemed to have stopped him... and yet he survived. I'm not sure how we're supposed to permanently kill Clockwerk."

"Arpeggio mentioned a Hate Chip, remember?" Bentley asked, reminding the group of the one thing that the final member of the Klaww Gang had to create so Clockwerk's body could be used again, "This is a guess, but I have the feeling that it might be the reason he's still operational."

"I think we should stand back for the moment," Murray said, where he pointed at the smoke that was coming from the ancient owl's mouth, something that he didn't trust since this was the enemy of Sly's family line, "I think that chip is going to explode."

Clockwerk, as if hearing Murray's words, surprised the gang once more as he shuddered for a moment and forced himself back into a standing position, as if he was going to continue fighting despite the fact that his regeneration ability had been broken. What happened next, however, was Clockwerk letting out another screech of pain as the replica Hate Chip glowed brightly for a moment, as the entire thing looked like it was being cooked from the sheer amount of power that was required to fuel the body and all of it's systems, before the replica chip exploded. It was like a small scale bomb going off, as the explosion tore the majority of Clockwerk's body apart, as the wings crashed to the ground on either side of his body, which was vastly damaged by the explosion, and the other parts they had collected fell all over the area around them, while the only thing that seemed to remain intact was his head, where his eyes were closed. As the gang stood there, staring at the smouldering wreckage of the ancient owl, Bentley walked forward so he could finally start studying the ancient body for anything that they might be able to use to permanently destroy him and jumped up into the metallic mouth to get a better look... though before he could do anything a missile struck what was left of Clockwerk's back and loosened the upper part of his beak, which crushed Bentley in the process, much to the shock and terror of everyone that was gathered near the ancient owl.

Fortunately Murray was quick to react and rushed over to the ancient owl, to which he pried open the mouth, where he and the rest of the gang found that Bentley seemed to be okay, only to discover that the impact had crushed his legs and forced Murray to carefully pick him up before moving away from remains of the ancient owl... and, at the same time, the group turned and found Neyla standing next to the helicopter she had been riding in, complete with a rocket launcher in one of her hands.

"Serves the turtle right for trying to take what's mine." Neyla commented, to which she lowered the rocket launcher, as it appeared that she had used the only rocket she had to damage Clockwerk further and wound Bentley in the process, before she started to pull out her whip, "Now then, hand over the Hate Chip and we'll take care of Clockwerk."

"Neyla, you're an absolute idiot." Carmelita replied, to which she stepped in front of the gang and put herself between the people that were willing to assist her in trying to get her Interpol career back without asking for anything in return, which was something that her Interpol friends didn't want to do, "The replica Hate Chip that Arpeggio put in Clockwerk's body wasn't able to handle the stress of the power that's needed to operate the body... you'd never be able to fully use the body, even if you managed to force Clockwerk out. Besides, I can't give you the Hate Chip, and that's because no one knows where the real one is located, as it was lost after we beat Clockwerk the first time around, back at the Krack-Karov Volcano. Now then, let's get the show on the road; Captain Neyla, for your crimes against both Interpol and myself, and for being a member of the Klaww Gang, I hereby place you under arr..."

"Please, you don't have the authority to arrest anyone anymore." Neyla chuckled, to which she tapped her own badge for a moment, because while she was mad about the chip being destroyed in such a manner she also knew that she still had the upper hand, "Director Barkley should be here any minute now and he'll find that I have bested both the Cooper Gang and captured Arpeggio, meaning that he'll take my side over yours any day of the week. Face it, Carmelita, your days as a cop are over and you'll be sentenced to prison like the criminal that you rea..."

"I would suggest that you refrain from finishing that sentence." a voice said, to which the entire Cooper Gang, even Bentley, smiled as they found Secretary Sen standing behind Neyla, while at the same time the squad that he had brought with him were in the process of arresting Arpeggio and seizing the helicopter, though that was before a frown appeared on Neyla's face as she backed up and stared at the Secretary, who raised a hand and ripped her captain's badge from where it was resting, "The Cooper Gang told me everything that you did to them, and I've found out many things that Barkley seems to have ignored when you were being interviewed for joining Interpol, so I only have one thing I want to say to you at the moment. Neyla, for the crimes that Carmelita mentioned, and the ones I have discovered recently, I hereby place you under arrest and suggest that you say nothing... not that it matters, since you're looking at a life's sentence without any hope of getting parole."

Neyla growled and lashed out with her whip, where it wrapped around Secretary Sen's outstretched hand, the same one that was holding her captain's badge, though as everyone around them gasped, as they couldn't believe that she was actually attacking Secretary Sen, she used that to launch herself at him and swung her claws, cutting two gashes into the side of his face before she landed where she had been seconds ago.

"I'm not scared of you, Secretary Sen." Neyla stated, though that was when a look of confusion appeared on her face, as the gashes she had cut into her target's face started to seal themselves before her eyes, to the point where it looked like he hadn't been hurt at all.

"You're not scared of me?" Secretary Sen asked, though instead of chuckling or anything he sighed as he unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, which he handed to one of the officers that had followed him to this area, revealing that he was more muscular than what the gang thought he was, before both the gang and the officers moved out of the way, as it was clear that he had something planned, "Neyla, you should be scared of me. Of the five Secretaries that control the governing body of Interpol, who are both respected and feared by both cops and criminals alike, I am the strongest and the most feared of the five at the same time. Now, allow me to show you the terrifying power that I command."

The moment that Secretary Sen said that Gilda, Derpy, and Diz, all attuned to feeling magic thanks to their training with Mz. Ruby, felt an energy spike in the air that was centered around that man that Neyla had offended, though that was followed by the ground around him cracking as he released his power. That was swiftly followed by small bits of the ground lifting themselves from the ground for a few moments, though as the three of them figured out what was going on at the moment they understood the reason why he had removed the jacket and shirt he had been wearing as a fiery aura wrapped around him and pushed pressure on everyone that was around them, causing them to raise their hands as he was shrouded from their sight for the moment. The area around them cracked and broke as Secretary Sen's power was revealed to the Cooper Gang, along with a stunned Neyla that was still standing there, before his power surged outward and some of the area was set on fire... though not a few seconds later Secretary Sen emerged from the flames with his flaming aura surrounding him, while at the same time the siblings felt his intense power as he started to approach the person that was his target.

This very moment allowed the gang to understand why Carmelita had been so worried about all of them talking to Secretary Sen two years ago, and why Sly had been frightened before the first meeting, though no one said anything as the powerful man stopped in front of Neyla.

"The reason why I am the most feared and respected Secretary is because I can use magic as well." Secretary Sen said, to which he raised his right hand and gently rested it against Neyla's forehead, where her eyes widened as flames began to dance around his hand, indicating that she was terrified of what was happening at the moment, "I'm authorized by the other four Secretaries to use lethal force if necessary, and my flames could reduce someone to ashes in mere seconds, if I were to target someone. You have two options, Neyla, either resist arrest and try your luck, which I would recommend you avoid doing, or surrender to me and accept your fate, knowing that your life would be over in a different way."

Neyla stood there for a few seconds, where the gang noticed that she was clearly thinking about what was going on at the moment, before she fell to her knees and simply stared at the ground, showing that she didn't want to run from someone that could easily overpower her and defeat her in such a manner, to which Secretary Sen smiled a little and called his power back into his body. Once he was back to normal, or at least as normal as he had been before he revealed the power he commanded, he nodded his head and one of his officers walked forward and cuffed Neyla, while a second one, who was carrying the jacket and shirt, handed them back to him, which he put back on as they were handed to him. A few moments later a defeated Neyla was hauled off with an angry Arpeggio, who was shocked by the fact that they had pissed off such a powerful man thanks to what Neyla had done, and the helicopter was taken as well, though Secretary Sen had them leave the still broken body of Clockwerk where the pieces were resting. The gang waited for a few moments, letting the officers disperse as they hauled all the evidence out of the area, before it was only the seven of them and Secretary Sen, who was staring at the pieces of the ancient owl that were resting in front of him... before he sighed and turned towards the group, where he locked eye with Carmelita.

"Carmelita Fox," Secretary Sen said, to which Carmelita stepped forward, as she could either be praised for her efforts in trying to stop this from happening, despite Neyla's betrayal, or she could be punished for allowing Clockwerk to be brought back to life in such a manner, "thanks to the information that we have received from Bentley, in terms of all the things that Neyla has done and said against you, I have already issued an order that your name be cleared. Director Barkley might not like people telling him what to do, even if they are his superiors, but at the very least you'll find that your old job is still waiting for you... unless you've found a new calling as a Cooper Thief."

Carmelita looked down at herself, as she was still dressed in her thief attire and the bag containing her cop attire and weapon were nearby, and discovered that she really didn't have an answer for that statement, as part of her wanted to continue being a cop, while the other part wanted her to be closer to Sly... and yet, even as she thought about it, she found Sly's hand on her shoulder and a smile on his face, indicating that he would support her no matter what choice she decided to make, just like the rest of the gang.

"Secretary Sen, I'd be more than happy to return to my old job in a few days," Carmelita said, knowing that they all needed some time to unwind from their adventure, especially since it wasn't over since Clockwerk was still a threat to them, but she was sure that the Secretary had something planned for the ancient owl.

"Excellent. Now that leaves one more piece of business," Secretary Sen said, though the look on his face told them that he was pleased to see that Carmelita would go back to work as a cop, since he felt that she was one of their best agents at the moment, before he turned in Derpy's direction for a moment, "Derpy Cooper, two years ago you said that you found something after beating Clockwerk at the Krack-Karov Volcano, a computer chip that you had no idea why you had picked it up and were told to keep it safe by Mz. Ruby. Do you still have it?"

Derpy raised a hand to her neck for a moment and carefully removed the chip that she had turned into a necklace, one that only a select number of people even realized that she possessed, and stared at it for a moment, to which her eye widened as she realized that it looked identical to the replica Hate Chip that they had seen before it exploded.

"Everyone said that the Hate Chip was missing and might never be found," Derpy said, remembering what Arpeggio and everyone else, especially Carmelita, had said before this moment, before she turned towards the still open beak that was resting nearby and stared at the receptacle that the replica had been resting in, "now it all makes sense. The reason they were never able to find it wasn't because it was missing or lost to time, it's because I've been carrying it for the last two years. I've been carrying the key to permanently destroy Clockwerk the entire time... and yet, as I look at this chip, I don't feel anything that resembles hate."

Sly stared at the chip that Derpy was holding in her hands, still surprised that she could have kept something like that hidden from the Klaww Gang without them even noticing that she had it, but instead of doing anything Derpy nodded to Diz, whose magic wove through the air and started to pull the owl back together. The gang stood there as the pieces of Clockwerk slowly pulled themselves back together, forming the terrifying form that they all knew, before Diz lowered her hand and backed away. That was when Derpy walked towards Clockwerk's body and disconnected the chip from what she had been using to tie it around her neck, where she simply stared at the chip that was apparently the most important part of the ancient owl and knew they were fortunate to keep it from Arpeggio. The gang watched as she stopped beside the open beak, as it was clear that she was being cautious, as this could either awaken Clockwerk or it could do nothing, before she sighed and gently shoved the chip into the receptacle that she, Gilda, and Sly had knocked it out of when they beat the ancient owl the first time around. For a few seconds nothing happened, even as she drew her hand back, but eventually the body started to stir and the gang readied themselves once more as Derpy backed away from the head, to which they watched as the beak closed and the wings started to move, showing that life was flowing back into the ancient owl... before his wings moved more than they were expecting, as Clockwerk covered his head for a moment and made a pained sound, like he was having a headache or something.

When Clockwerk folded his wings back up, along with him standing up and staring down at them, Sly found that the usual red glow in his eyes was missing, as that had been a sign of his unending hate, and now he had a strange blue glow, like he was full of hope or something.

What... did you do to me? Clockwerk demanded, though the tone in his voice revealed that whatever Derpy had done to the Hate Chip, from just it being in her possession for the last two years, had changed the makeup of the chip and it was affecting the ancient owl, What... what is this strange sensation, one that I haven't felt in ages, that I'm feeling?

"Love, hope, happiness, and a few others that I'm not going to name at the moment," Derpy said, because while she had been confused as to why Mz. Ruby and Secretary Sen had wanted her to keep the chip close to her, when Mz. Ruby originally discovered that it was in her possession, now she understood, because the Voodoo Priestess had seen the potential for something to happen with the chip, "I guess the feelings I have for my family and friends rubbed off on the chip, transforming it into something else entirely... something that's allowing you to feel emotions that you haven't felt since the day you became what you are."

"I guess this means that he'll be staying with us?" Diz asked, though at the same time the gang turned towards him, because it seemed that, in the midst of everything that had happened, his use of magic had finally snapped him back to his original form, while at the same time they noticed that there was a confused look on the ancient owl's face, "Um, how are we going to hide him?"

Clockwerk, apparently not liking the idea of being anywhere near the gang, opened his wings like he was going to take off, but then he noticed the glance from Secretary Sen and recalled what he had done to Neyla, even if he was only knocked out for the moment, before folding his wings back in. A moment later his body glowed and he started to shrink before their eyes, becoming an ordinary sized owl that one would find in the woods or something, except for the fact that he was made of metal still. Sly guessed that this was some sort of defense or stealth mechanism that he had built into his body, as no one would even glance at an owl more than once and wouldn't notice what he was made of, which might have explained how he was able to find his father without his father noticing that Clockwerk was in the area. He could also tell that the ancient owl, who may or may not still hate the Cooper Clan, was unhappy with the idea of being added to the gang, and truth be told Sly wasn't too keen on it either, but he knew better than to argue with Secretary Sen, who hadn't even told them to do anything... he just knew that the Secretary was putting the metallic owl in their care and expected them to watch over him, and punish him if necessary.

As Secretary Sen turned to leave, however, Sly knew that one chapter of their lives had finally been brought to a close and that it was only a matter of time until another chapter opened... though at the moment he hoped that it was a long time before they needed to do anything like this again.