Xander didn't take it for granted as Mesa City, the once bustling casino town in Utah, was now a husk with gangsters strolling about and patrolling, all because of the machinations of Muggshot, his very presence advertised on the casino close by. He just set himself up and lined a few shots, keeping his skills at the top while also sending the distant gangsters squirming back to their boss. The roar of an engine filled the air as Xander huffed before he rested his fire and started to write, the sunset glowing over him and his makeshift cover of a small, wrecked car chassis. 'As expected, no sources in Interpol have the information required, more like they stored all of it in one file and it had been a unsolvable case until Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox picked it up and Sly Cooper took it, a clear sign of the board's or rather the select member's own stupidity as they saw it unsolvable and not worth merit.' He smiled as the familiar van appeared on the horizon and nodded.

'For now, I tail the Cooper Gang or just Sly Cooper to get some answers, Raleigh answered that 'they should have sniffed him out as well' meaning that not just Muggshot was in the picture, that there is more to the mystery and I will find that truth before long... if I don't enjoy playing with the Gang's senses...' He smiled and stashed the journal, positioning again and frowned, his weapon was heftier now, darn those idiots in Interpol for pushing a stupid thing on him for their own face...

Sly jumped out and looked about before Bentley spoke up, both from the van and in the binocucom "Hey Sly! I thought you said Mesa City was going to be loud and busy. This looks more like a ghost town!"

"Something's happened. Where is everyone?"

"I don't know, but it's starting to give me the creeps. What do you say we take off?"

"And miss all the fun?" Sly shook his head as he continued. "Besides, I want to try out that new move I got from Raleigh's section of the Thievius Raccoonus."

"You mean the Ninja Spire Jump?"

"Yeah. Do me a favor and read me the instructions again..." Bentley zoomed to the page and versed it.

"To landeth safely upon diminutive points, leapeth lively and focus thine inner soul to triumph upon those jagged ways."

"So jump and focus deeply to land on narrow spots?"

"That's a rough translation." Rough or not, it was all he needed to press on into the city itself, dogs of both guard and gangster blocking his way and traps to keep him out, but he was not denied as Sly reached the city itself with an additional piece of the Raccoonus in hand, a explosive hat skill, standing close to a casino that read 'Muggshot' out as Bentley commented. "This Muggshot certainly isn't shy. Okay, so we know he's here somewhere, but how are we supposed to find him? Mesa City is a big place."

"Given that he's a bulldog..." Sly smiled as he looked to the top to a fire hydrant mounted on the building. "It seems only reasonable to assume he'd choose to live in a giant fire hydrant."

"That's some sound logic, Sly. Now you just need to find a way to break into the building's base."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something!" His gaze fell to a revved up car, locked down with the same locks as a treasure key, he was glad to have gotten one and he just needed to find the others before he could get in. Before he could move any further, he paused, turning to the side of a outcropping and spotted a long, silvery barrel extending out, it moving about in the dusk lighting before it pulled back, the notion of a sniper heavy on Sly's mind, but it didn't look like it was just a normal sniper or in regards to Muggshot as he lightly dismissed it and headed off to find another treasure key, as the speaker posts started up with Muggshot's tough voice.

"Yo, yo, yo! It's the boss!" Sly leapt high and started to search where he could be finding a treasure key, gauging the ways as the voice continued, also planting the voice with the face and name for when he faced the big dog. "You know, I ain't the first to admit that maybe driving everyone out of town, while necessary to set up shop, might have taken a hit out of the business. So, now I hope you mugs would be a pleasure to admit any visitors that come here to lose their money in my casino." Sly rolled his eyes as the voice continued. "But, I got a reliable tip that a cop might be snooping around the operation. So from now on, greet any visitors you see with a hail of lead! Capiche?" Sly rolled his eyes as he headed to the first area that could help them in finding a few keys...

Xander headed over in pursuit of Cooper and found a perfect outcropping that he could manage from while he listened to the comm, how none of the gang had found it was interesting as he listened, spotting a pink hippo across the way as Sly spoke to his tech ally or, better term being, friend. "Murray is in position to make a run for this key."

"Okay, so what do I do?"

"Provide some covering fire for him with that blasting station." Xander zoomed in as Sly trotted over in readiness.

"Sweet."

"Just focus on the guards and DON'T shoot anything that could hurt Murray or at him."

"I'll do my best!" The line cut for now as Sly slipped in and started to get to work, Xander raising his brow before he settled in.

"Well, he's loyal and that is interesting to say the very least." The bat breathed as he switched modes, smiling as he found the targets light in with heat readings, some out of reach for a direct shot, but he just had to make it slightly easy for them. Sly fired and Xander took the shot, the gate blasted open as the middle shed erupted with a toxic smell, Murray yelping.

"Murray, keep going, I will not let whatever happened to that shed happen to you." Xander chuckled as he lined the shots, it becoming apparent that Sly had some competition in defending Murray as he called it in. "Bentley, we have the operative with us, I can't tell if they're aiming at us, but can you track them!?"

"Got it, I just need to find any source of energy being emitted." Xander scowled, so they did know that he was among them, but the game was not over yet, his ammo and skill couldn't be tracked, but his heat vision scope could, so he switched it off and continued to snipe. "I-I don't get it, how are my scanners coming up blank, but those rounds keep coming!?"

"A moment for another time, Bentley, we just now have a spy or something on us." Murray, thankfully grabbed the key and cheered. "Murray's got the key, heading back!" Sly booked it out and Murray quickly got back to the van, Xander collapsing the rifle and following in shadows before Sly made it to the overhang where the party were suppose to hand off the keys, only to see that the Cooper Van was stuck... in a race as Sly called Murray. "Murray! What's going on down there?"

"Well, I drove to this hotdog stand for a quick snack and the next thine you know, I've been challenged to a race by these gangster dogs!"

"Is there a key in it for the winner?"

"Yeah, three times around the track for a key." Sly nodded as Xander looked as well, surprised that Mesa City, torn up as it was, had so many spots of cover that he could work with and from a fair distance from his target.

"It's all you, man." Sly answered as he sat down to watch, knowing that they was nothing else he could do. "Drive the van and cut those corners, snagging any of those nitro power-ups will give the van extra juice. Go get 'em!"

"I'm on it." Murray gunned it and it was clear that the other racers were going to have trouble with him as he pulled off a reckless, but skilled driver as Xander lined his scope and spotted that some of the racers were priming weapons as he spoke.

"This is a race, not a run-and-gun." Sly nearly shouted when he saw the same before Xander fired, the round rang true and the first racer howled as a electric current coursed through him and allowed Murray to bump past. The next barely got his gun to the side to fire before he was slammed into with a round, toppling him out of the car and into the sidelines. This got the dogs to get defensive as Murray surged past and even used the nitro to rush past before he captured the first place and got the key, heading off with a salute as they met up, Sly turning to find where the rounds came from, but nothing could be seen...

Sly sat in silence as he thought about it before Bentley spoke. "We were lucky that whoever the operative is chose to protect us like that, I have never seen such an exact shot beforehand and it was a nonlethal shock round, so that does prove that someone else from Interpol is onto us."

"But why?" Murray asked as he was grateful for the saves, but he was scared if whoever it was had just seemed to be waiting for something. "Why cover us like that and not going for the arrest?"

"I don't know... but I will keep our police scanner on just in case of something turning up." Bentley answered as he turned on the machine and turned to Sly. "Get those keys Sly, hopefully our pursuer will give himself away when it comes down to it."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Sly gripped the cane and headed out, this time to the Boneyard Casino. Security was tight with those gun-toting guards, but Sly was not easy to dispatch as he worked his magic and proceeded through the watery tomb of the casino, making it to the end with a 'speed up clock' page of the Raccoonus, somehow that was out there as he also made his way on the giant routine to get the key, success his as he got out and headed to the car, unlocking the jack and releasing it, the car doing its job as it destroyed the barrier in and allowing Sly to get in, his mystery pursuer not taking it as he instead took to the top to see where Cooper would appear as Sly mused to the entrance. "Would you look at that ugly mug?"

"I am, and I find it infinitely fascinating." Sly let out a confused response as Bentley explained from the van. "My x-ray detection devices reveal that a secret elevator to Muggshot's penthouse is contained within that giant head."

"So how do we get in?" Bentley highlighted a section among the hotel lockers that would help.

"Behind this locked wall, there's a lever that summons the elevator, but you need all seven keys to open it up."

"I'm on it!" Sly smiled as he headed out to the first location...

Xander primed himself once more as he spot Cooper, in the open, having taken an elevator to the roof and was after one of the treasure keys, odd how they are all the same, but he digress with Rayleigh's designs as he watched Cooper work his way through the upper parts of the roof, causing a few cars to fall... and hurt who knows how many dogs below for those clue bottles, somehow cause a few things to topple over in destruction, and even catch a threat from Muggshot directed at Cooper. "I got a personal message for the two-bit thief who's making off with all my treasure keys: you're dead, pally! If I get my hands on you, I'm going to fit you with your own pair of cement bunny slippers. You hear me? You're lunchmeat, jerk!" It wasn't the toughest threat, but it was still viable.

He watched as Sly, not only got the treasure key with blueprints of Muggshot's whole operation, but he also witnessed the wrecking ball that Cooper used destroy a G and a part of a building before Cooper headed back in, Xander switching positions to find Cooper heading down a more-defended section of Muggshot's Mesa City, a long fall below for the adventurous raccoon. "Somehow I feel like the parent." He paused as his radio started up and he answered, keeping an eye on Cooper. "What is it, Command?"

"Fangmeen, we ordered you to..."

"Need I tell you a thousand times before it gets through?" Xander countered as he continued. "Death is a last resort, NOT an answer, I don't care how much the ends seem to prove the means, I don't see the MI6 jumping every criminal and killing them, I don't recall any of the CIA firing to kill, and I DON'T recall Interpol agents going OFF the handle to just murder someone for someone else's gains." To silence, Xander scoffed and continued. "Get me Barkley, at the very least while you have my number and broke radio-silence." There was a shuffle before the gruff voice of Chief Inspector Barkley filled the call.

"I keep hearing the same thing, but I can't change their mind, Fangmeen, they have blood in their eyes."

"I know." Xander answered as he spoke. "Cooper is in Mesa City right now, thwarting the operations of Muggshot here."

"So, Inspector Montoya was correct in her hunch." Xander nodded as Barkley continued. "Has Cooper been a danger to anyone?"

"Other than criminals, he has been rather tame. He is collecting the treasure keys that seem to be connected to parts of the city." Xander looked back to see that Cooper had got the key and headed back in as Xander adjusted elsewhere. "Also, I need some intel, Rayleigh had said something about 'sniffing Cooper out as well', via a tracking and listening device I got on Cooper, any clue to that?" Barkley hummed as Xander waited and pondered what the vault this time held for Cooper.

"Not sure, anything else?" Barkley must be writing it down as Xander replied.

"Not much, but Muggshot was a 'villainous cohort' of Rayleigh and it seems like Cooper is after pages from some book of his, locked up in vaults." The Chief nooded with a huff as he continued.

"Just keep your eye on Cooper, Inspector Fox should be the one to take Cooper in, not you for now."

"Understood." The link cut and he breathed, there was a chance that someone heard that, but to get into the Interpol's inner line, you NEEDED to be the best above all. He scoped it out and found Cooper again. "Hello, raccoon." He trailed the thief as he scaled up to the rooftops, likely a key somewhere around there, but they had company.

"Well, well, well..." Lo and behold from the other side of the roofing, Carmelita Fox jumped onto a piece of masonry as she adjusted her aim with the shock pistol. "Look who just walked into my cross hairs... Sly Cooper!" Instead of being scared, Sly Cooper was as smug as always.

"About time you showed up, Ms. Fox. Was getting worried about you. Thought you took a wrong turn somewhere back in Paris." Considering that he let her capture Rayleigh and even saw her, it was clear to Xander... that this was one situation he DIDN'T want to interfere with.

"The only one making wrong turns is you, Sly." And the fact that she replies to it instead of shocking him is a naive cop's hope of talking the criminal down, noted as a working event, but it shouldn't work on Cooper. "I'd suggest you surrender before I paralyze you with my good friend, the shock pistol."

"Now see, a girl whose best friend's a firearm's got issues. A little dinner, a little dancing, I think I can help you out."

"Mmm. Sounds romantic. As long as you don't mind dining... in jail!"

"Nah, I hear the service is lousy."

"Once I catch you, you'll know for yourself!"

"Oh gosh, these two..." Xander moaned as the chase started and he vowed to STAY in place and watch the mess go down. Carmelita should have been charged for property damages, but then Cooper was too and these were criminals, so no sense in calling them in as he watched on with a shake of the head. "I can't tell really, are these two lovers or just playing a strange game of cops and robbers?" He banished such ideas away before they could form too well and followed the chase as it tore through a ruined part of the casino. He also found that the page this time was for standouts, like for those movie showings, as he followed it to the end, Sly whacking at a reinforced casing and accidentally cutting the line to a large Muggshot blimp... that had Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox on it as she bellowed.

"I'm going to hunt you down, Cooper. You can't run forever!" That could take a while for Fox to get back to the chase and that was all the time that Cooper needed it seemed as the final key was grabbed and he made his way down to the lobby again and likely headed into the elevator that must have been that as Muggshot jolted a bit, Xander turning to see the action while still remaining hidden, how did no one notice him from the get-go...?

Sly dashed in once the elevator hit the penthouse and approached the bruiser as he gaped. "What? My boys have been yapping about some big mysterious dude running around cracking skulls and-and this is it?! You're the monkey wrench in my operation?" Rage filled the bulldog as he ranted. "Some scrawny rat with a stick..." He stopped and double-checked the stick before he spoke again with a rub. "Wait a second... I've seen that stick before."

"Maybe when my father knocked your block off with it." Sly countered as Muggshot drew back in surprise.

"Your father?" Realization filled his features as he exclaimed. "Wow, you're a Cooper? You know, that Thingus Raccamagoocus had a lot of nice pictures, but WAY too many big words."

"So you don't mind just handing it over." Muggshot chuckled before he let the rage fill again.

"What are you kidding? You break into my place, steal my stuff, trash the joint. I feel transgressed and violated. Let's rock!" The guy was built like a semi and showed for it as massive guns fired at Sly, but he used the emerging crystals to destroy the guns and hurt Muggshot, the logic behind it being that Muggshot's guns were conditioned for ice-cold temperatures, by activating the crystals through the light streaming in with mirrors, the temperature changed and busted the guns from the inside. This went about two times before Sly focused a great deal of light into the crystal beneath Muggshot and heated it up, the crystal's use dying out as Sly approached the defeated bruiser. "This is impossible! A little pipsqueak like you beating a big strong bruiser like me? It ain't right!" Muggshot huffed as he spoke. "You want all of that stupid picture book, you're gonna to have to go down to Haiti and cross paths with Mz. Ruby, and then believe you me, you don't want to be you!" He fainted and Sly cracked open the safe of Muggshot's to get the pages for Tennessee 'Kid' Cooper before bailing, Carmelita back in force and hauling Muggshot off to jail...

Xander had a lead, but first was Barkley as he called him up. "Chief Inspector, add another name to that 'cohorts' list."

"Which one?"

"Mz. Ruby, Muggshot made reference to her being in Haiti." Xander headed on out through the opened roads, no one noticing the bat on a officer-issued cycle.

"Hmm... This is curious and... a bit understandable."

"Explain, sir." Barkley must have taken the cigar out of his mouth to speak, that meant business.

"The details are connecting and I can see it now, the three criminals mentioned were part of a sinister band known as the Fiendish Five, their last great caper being the deaths of Connor and Selena Cooper and the resulting orphan of Sylvester Cooper." Xander nodded as Barkley continued. "The kid must be trying to avenge his folks and get back pages of some old book that the criminals had torn apart."

"The Thievius Raccoonus..." Xander replied as he finished. "I'm heading for Haiti now, if Cooper is heading there, then I will be sure to report it, also Miss Fox... might be upset about Cooper letting her drift on a blimp."

"Don't worry, We got Muggshot, but she will get details once they are made known." Barkley paused before he spoke again. "Xander, I am moving Mina Fangmeen to Interpol's medical wing and close to my office, there was an attempt on her life, but we thwarted them, I am telling you so you don't just whip about and head back to Paris in a frenzy." Xander scoffed at how Barkley knew how to manage him. "Keep Cooper in sight and report, maybe you will be able to finalize the defeat of the Five and also find out who the fifth member could be."

Xander paused before he replied with a huff. "Roger that, Chief Barkley, Xander over and out." The line cut and the bat focused on going to Haiti, it was time to get some personal investigation in...