FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It's been a few hours since gathering our Intel and we are all standing in front of various charts, the turtle and mouse are looking at each other by glance before looking to me, earning looks from the hippo and vixen.

Bently says "Based on what we have gathered, this Hyperion project is related to the black box taken from Adam's shuttle. It seems based on reports and how this works, the shuttle was carried from one direction to another due to abnormalities caused in the machines drive."

Penelope says "In concept, it acted like the time machine Paradox created some time ago, however that drive worked on a liner time principle, the warp drives malfunction somehow converted it into a resonated, folding drive that momentarily ruptured space itself. Think of it like a needle going through fabric and sealing the hole behind it seamlessly." as she folds her arms together.

I raise an eyebrow, this was turning into a saturday morning cartoon and I say "But to what end? It was only a fluke that such a thing occurred."

Murray says "This is just like Doctor Who! Interdimensianal chaos and order going at it!" as he slams his fists in excitement.

Bently lightly shakes his head "We don't know how far they are with this... but Adam, since you have a war or tactic mindset, if you had access to such tech, what could it be used for?"

I think for a moment "Well... if it is feasible, such technology would be perfect for things like missiles and aircraft, it can have applications in communications and since it's interdimensinal it could also...", I freeze which catches everyone's attention and I finish "It can lead to other universes, all by a press of a button but with actual guidance."

Carmelita blinks "Let's not jump too far ahead, for all we know they can't figure out how to make it work."

The turtle says "That's what we thought when it came to the Clockwerk parts and when we tried to get into the Vault. The problem is, we need to make a choice before this exhibit opens to avoid confusion."

We all look to each other, the talk of interdimensinal war is unnerving but it's only a blind guess all speculation aside. Given the situation in how this whole art thing is a front, we decide to come up with a new range of objectives to really help get a grasp on the situation, Bently and Penelope decide to come up with a plan to get into the core operations as the computer I accessed had evidence it was temporarily set up to interact with a different computer system while the rest of us hit the warehouse in a search and destroy fashion, with Bently even supplying me some detonators, which are about the size of the american fragmentation grenade. However given the nature of what's going on, Murray, Carmelita and I are told to remain on stand by until we get the all clear, as we are unsure of any other defenses that we may come across.

.........................................

The mouse and turtle work their way into the gallery, based on what they uncovered in the computer there is a lower lever that some of the files mentioned that wasn't connected to the sewer system. The both of them trying to duck into rooms or the shadows when ever they can, as wolves and bats with the occasional vulture paroling the halls, based on the stepped up numbers, the Contessa knew someone must've stolen her documents and wanted to catch them, Penelope quickly makes sure her suppressed sidearm was ready at a moments notice while Bently checks his sleep dart launcher. The two find a set of iron doors in the visage of a spider made of bronze with a small painting of the owl Adam and Carmelita saw earlier just off to the right.

Penelope grabs one of the door handles to test it "Dang it, it won't budge!" in an aggravated whisper.

Bently gently pulls the painting off, revealing a keypad underneath "Hmm, the Contessa really has learned since her operations with the Klaww Gang, there was no mention of this at all."

The mouse shakes her head "But the computer is behind that door and I doubt anyone is going to just give us the code."

The sound of footsteps comes their way, Bently puts the painting back up, he motions the mouse to sit on his lap which she reluctantly does, metal arms extend from the chair and he latches onto the ceiling with help from the chairs servo jumpers. The familiar spider frame creeps in, the Contessa comes into view, the mouse and turtle hold their breath.

The Contessa sighs "With that Sly Cooper missing in action, there is only one other person who could have snuck in here... that human by the name of Adam. I don't care that he was 'somewhere else' when the documents went missing, Inspector Fox has a lot of pull when it comes to Interpol and that human with some training would be more then capable.", the arachnid female, puts on a pondering look "Hmm, I wonder who else is behind this, the guard said he didn't hear a firearm go off despite there being a bullet hole in the generator and there was no shell casing, Interpol wouldn't supply a suppressed weapon without some form of paper trail and it's a rather unique caliber to boot. If it really is this human, he's more cleaver then I would have thought." as she snickers towards the end while putting a claw on her hip.

The mouse and turtle look to each other for a moment as they take the scene in, they thought of hearing Adam saying she had a bit of a crush on him during the debriefing, must've been true after all. The black widow moves to the painting, she removes it, they see her typing in the code but can't see the code itself, a loud clanks sounds, the spider pulls one of the doors open and she enters the corridor as the door begins to close, the mouse quickly jumps down and grabs the door just before it closes, Bently lands on the hard surface and they both follow the spider, the heavy door closing behind them. Lit torches line the walls, the both of them feeling a sense of dread as they slowly advance, the mouse straightens her glasses out as the turtle readies a crossbow pistol, the stairs stop at a hallway, they notice heavy duty wires going along the floor, statues of wolves and owls line the walls. On a hunch Penelope looks up to see the ceiling is clean of webbing but even more wires, the two eventually find an open door, they can hear keys being typed so they quickly hide behind a couple statues. Bently gets an idea, he tosses a grapple cam which catches Penelope's attention, the turtle has the grapple cam enter the room and attack to a ceiling just off to the right of the Contessa, he tunes the mic of the cam to his and Penelope's comms, to see if they can hear what she's saying.

The Contessa says "Hmm, between Paradox and Tsao, Hyperion is progressing but the black box still can't be read completely with only about nine percent of it being recovered. It's strange, an accident in a drive system caused all of this... with technology like this, I can acquire any art or any file, if I'm lucky I may be able to dig up some more information on this human and maybe even some dirt on Inspector Fox.", she gives a soft growl "Oh Inspector, between you and Cooper I would love to just break that neck of yours! No matter, once we're done here, I'll snatch you up where ever you are!"

The Contessa begins to walk away from the terminal, Bently signals Penelope and they make sure they are in the darkness as the turtle seals away his controls, the spider walks past them, they wait a few minutes, hearing the heavy door at the top of the stairs, they get out from behind the statues and head into the room with Bently catching the grapple cam as they begin to access the terminal, sticking a portable solid state drive into it.

Penelope eyes the code as she attaches a usb to another port "She seems to have quite a grudge."

Bently gives a soft nod "Yeah, we really messed with her plans and Sly beat her in a one-to-one fight. Her plan seems to be using the technology to hunt us down."

The mouse shrugs "Well, she was a prison warden... and horrifyingly efficient one at that.", a look of concern comes "But now she's hunting us too with Carmelita and Cipher at the top of her list."

Bently finds some access nodes "She seems more fascinated with him then anything else, I guess Cipher left a mark on her in a different way."

The two eventually uncover the data pertaining to Hyperion itself, it's very rough to say the least as there is a prototype blueprint of a craft, the aircraft is roughly the size of the previous craft with some major differences. First it looks to resemble a more traditional aircraft with it having a vertical and take off landing system for each of it's four wings, the next is that the craft has a slightly different layout with an armored frame, the drive mounted in the lower chassis just under rear section next to a specialized cooling system that seems to vent the gases into the engine system. Evidence of other systems are shown but look to merely be sketched with the mention of an improved a.i. guidance system and more refined stabilizers.

Bently says "Paradox is without a doubt reverse engineering the dropship Adam came in, though he looks to be trying to improve the design. There are no pods that it can launch, but it is better geared towards maneuverability then the previous design."

The mouse looks it over once more "This thing isn't meant for use in space, this is an aircraft through and through, though it is properly sealed for it's unique feature.", she looks to the turtle "It looks like Paradox and Tsao are fabricating prototype parts and testing them in various ways in different locations."

Bently says "Let's set up a background download and feed hook up, we're going to need to look at this later. Let's see if we can make the others have an easier approach when it comes to that warehouse." as he gets the terminal set up.

After a few moments, they find the warehouse defense arrangements, with security having been upgraded since the initial recon, with what looks like technical with a dual .50 cal set up and more snipers added to the area. From what they have seen and what Carmelita has told them, Adam could deal with the re-arrangement of these forces, however this still requires a stealth approach. The two finish their data collecting and they decide to pull the plug and begin to head out.

...........................................................

Carmelita, Murray and I are eying the warehouse from a distance, a truck with dual .50 cals is slowly moving it's guns in search of targets... what I would give for an rpg-7 to get rid of it.

Bently's voice comes through "Cipher, come in."

I answer "Cipher here, I read you."

"Penelope and I acquired the data and the schematics of the craft, but we'll go over the data later. Right now, all that matters is that warehouse and destroying or uncovering what's inside, the security however as you can tell has been updated. Given we can't risk raising the alarm the only option is the sewer system as even the roof tops are being monitored."

I am not kidding when I say I would love to just scream, instead I simply scoff and we find a root into the sewers with guidance from Bently, according to the directions we find ourselves under the warehouse directly but we don't see a staircase anywhere, though there are heavy cables going through the ceiling and even lan-lines by the looks of it. A metallic creek sounds for a moment, followed by a dim whir before turning to the sound of a small electric generator, a light comes from something opening in the ceiling, we take cover as an elevator comes down, a pair of dogs in some kind of uniform wheel off what looks like some kind of turret, it's weapon system looks like a pair of machine guns that look to resemble the FN Mag with feeds going into the body with two massive boxes providing the ammunition, though that means it only has a firing arc of around forty-five degrees, with an armored camera standing just above both. They moves towards where we came from but I slowly get behind them, I click my tongue which catches their attention, they turn around and become stunned as they come face to face with me.

I say "Cipher's the name, now lower your weapons!" as I motion my weapon to both of them.

The two drop their mp5's and get on their knees, Carmelita cuffs them to some pipes, the hippo wants to smash the turret up, though I get an idea and notify Bently of the turret and that it can come in handy in the future, to which he agrees and that he'll be there to recovery it soon, but Murray should stick with us. We get on the elevator and head on up, I take point as the sound of machinery just seems to drone everything out, I look around a corner to see forklifts moving about with massive machine parts being hauled but I also notice one thing....

I open my radio "Bently, they are loading uranium-235 encased in heavy lead containers."

The turtle replies back "It wasn't listed, but it seems that's what they've chosen to power the shuttle craft. It makes sense, as it can sustain a powerful chain reaction and it would be needed for the ships drive system."

I say "I have a very important question, if a fire fight starts... can it potentially release the radiation in the containers?!"

I hear Penelope "The containers are very durable and can take some punishment, unless any anti-tank weaponry hits them they shouldn't be a problem."

I sigh in relief and I say "Thanks, the area is still covered by some decent firepower however. Do we have a way we can disable the technical at least?"

We eventually come up with a plan, Bently informs me he'll have a drone head our way, however he can't really deal with the snipers. I decide to tackle the snipers which in theory should be easy enough, as for the hippo and vixen they decide to see if they can take care of the enemies in here. Thankfully I don't have to locate the snipers as Bently informs me they are all on the rooftop, but I tell Bently to hold off until I take them out and that we'll synchronize with me taking the snipers down first, after that Bently takes out the truck and then we begin our assault. I find my way up to the rooftop, taking out the snipers with the whack from a simple brick to the back of their heads, I have the paint of the suit change to the colors of Interpol, I aim into one of the windows, I give a quick motion to Carmelita and Murray.

I say into my comm "You are clear Bently, fire for effect."

I hear a massive boom as the truck explodes, Carmelita and Murray step out with the vixen aiming her shock pistol about.

Carmelita says "Attention everyone! You are all under arrest!"

Muggshot comes out, he's holding a massive machine gun and he says "Well I'll be, only you and the pink guy from Sly's gang are here?!"

I think 'Sly? As in Sly Cooper?!' as I think of the file from a while back, I fire a round which smashes into the oversized gun, some bolts come off of it as the barrel explodes from the frame and I say "I'm here too dog breath!"

The mutt begins to laugh "I knew she would never have you on the side lines, you are a skilled one indeed."

I say "This building is locked down, there is no where to go." with a smirk under my helm.

I hear "You are right about that!" in that refined voice.

I turn to see the Contessa and another woman, an alligator who's about twice her size, a lavender sleeveless shirt, her hair done up with a red bandana, her angels have a gold ring each with two on each of her wrists, finger nails painted blood red, a ruby planted in her belly button and a gold necklace in the shape of pearls.

The alligator says in a high pitched voice "My oh my, you weren't kidding when you told me was on the short side!"

The widow says "Now Mz. Ruby, I am sure he can entertain you."

I remove my helmet and clip it to my belt, "I got range over both of you.", I aim my sights at them and I say "Stand down, you are under arrest!"

Ruby puts on this venomous grin, she quickly waves her right arm as she says "Dig!" with purplish energy launching from her hand. I dodge to the side, the Contessa flanks around, I fire a few rounds which forces her to stop, Ruby let's loose a "Doo!" while flinging a blue ball of energy, I give a quick roll, trying to keep both suppressed but then I find myself stuck, I glance and see I'm stuck in a web, I quickly switch my weapon to a burst setting, but before I can fire the spider knocks it away, she grabs my head with her claw, those arachnid eyes looking into mine as the alligator walks over to us.

The Contessa says "Hmm, I like it when the prey gives some resistance, I am going to enjoy have some sessions with you."

I notice something blinking behind her "Sorry, I'm not interested in spiders!" as I manage to pull a pin from my belt.

The spider backs off, submachine fire comes from this small rc helicopter, forcing the both of them to dodge, I feel something tug on the web, I look to see Penelope cutting the webbing, I get free as I thank her and the both of us ready our weapons and begin to open fire, tossing the unpinned stun grenade, gunfire erupts from down below...

...................................

Carmelita fires some bolts from her sidearm as Murray socks some goons and sends them into a wall, Muggshot having acquired a new weapon, a semi-automatic rifle resembling an m14.

The vixen says "Why don't they ever freeze?!" in frustration, she sees a dog flank but a quick burst from her pistol takes him out.

The hippo finds an m60, he picks it up and starts to spray it, not hitting anything but it forces everyone to get down, Muggshot tosses a grenade, it explodes but it doesn't get anyone in it's blast radius.

The mutt roars "Come on cop hag! I thought you were suppose ta be smarter then me!"

Carmlita thinks 'Adam must be cornered, he wouldn't just stand by while we're taking fire like this! Which means we need a plan and fast.', she looks to Murray "I can cover you, I need you to get around with that weapon and suppress that dog!"

Murray says "Alright, The Murray shall prevail!"

Murray runs around as Carmelita gets the bulldogs attention, Murray gets around the corner but a dog gets in front of him, he knock him to the side with a quick punch, he aims he gun at the dog and fires, Mugshot ducks, he tosses some smoke grenades as some doors begin to close, the vixen runs through smoke and she sees an industrial door close, she growls as realizes the dog got away again, but the remaining dogs toss their weapons as Murray aims the m60 at them.

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The Contessa comes at me with her claws, I quickly get out of the way, I deliver a strike with the stock of my rifle, hitting her in the back, ever since Mz. Ruby leaped off the roof and Penelope ran out of bullets it's just been me and the spider.

The spider turns to look at me "I wish I had that kind of youth... so rebellious and so determined, but reckless and lacking discipline."

I let my rifle hang off of me, I ready a mace "Yeah, but I've proven to be more then a match for you!", I aim the mace at her "But there is no where for you to go."

The Contessa gives a soft laugh "No worries dear, I was hoping you would get this close!"

The spider pulls out a gold watch, it begins to go side to side, it's motion taking my eyes with each pass, I can feel my mind slowly slipping away as I follow the ticking watch. A flash happens, I grab my head as feel a sharp pain from what feels like feedback, I look to see the spider groaning on the ground, I look to see the mouse holding a shovel with a decent dent in it.

Penelope looks to me "Are you alright?" as she drops the shovel.

I say "Yeah, but dang... that feedback... I didn't know hypnotizem was so effective!"

The mouse gives me a side hug "The police on en route, Murray has already gotten clear and I must do the same."

"We'll meet you back at the safe house." as I hand her my rifle.

Carmelita and I start giving statements and our reports, though we do find out that Muggshot had gotten away with everything save for the uranium, but the Contessa using this to help here acquire stolen art was over. But now we had to deal with a Mz. Ruby... who wields magic by the looks of it and now as far as I know we have no idea where to go from here.

The Contessa waves me and Carmelita over "I almost had you, if it wasn't for your friend I would have made you a bodyguard."

I scoff "Enough tricks, now... where is Muggshot going?!" as I cross my arms.

The spider says "I'll tell you what, give me a kiss and I'll tell you." with a snicker.

I glance to Carmelita who's eying me those brown eyes of hers, I give her a nod, she gives a smile of her own and gives a swift kick which sends the Contessa flying onto the ground.

The vixen says "I've got plenty of kisses for you." as she cracks her knuckles.

The widow moans as she slowly tries to get up "You haven't changed at all Inspector, neither of you will get nothing from me, but you will from the information you took."

We eventually find ourselves back at the safe house and the Contessa wasn't kidding, our next destination is in China. But now I have some questions of my own, these guys knew Sly Cooper, the guy Carmelita had tasked me to help her find just after I came here...

Carmelita looks to me, she says "There is something you need to know Adam, no doubt you heard Muggshot say Sly's name. You see, Bently, Murray and Penelope once worked with him, we were opposites of the same coin and when the situation called for it we became allies in times of crisis. But things took a different turn after a while, we ended up having a relationship and when we dealt with Paradox the first time around I became part of their gang. When it was over, Sly disappeared and was thrown into the vortex of time it seemed, though I think it's safe to say he isn't coming back." at first standing strong but I can see the pain in her features as she explains herself "Part of me was hoping that this can lead to getting him back to our time, but now I know it isn't the case."

The others look at her curiously and as for me I'm just stunned at why she was saying all of this, I finally break the silence "I was wondering why you asked me to look at old files and stuff that only lead up to about a year ago."

Bently adjusts his glasses "So, your giving up looking for Sly?"

The vixen sighs "Yeah, if he really was capable of showing up he would have. I didn't want to admit it even to myself that it was the truth or it was how I felt.", she walks over to me "I'll see to it we can make it to Berlin, I'll leave you to get some rest in the meantime."

I can see the pain in her eyes but I don't know what to do at all, I decide to give her a half hug and I say "Okay, but you need to get some rest too." as I try to keep a smile on my face, but I'm finding it hard as I can see some light tears in her eyes.

I think she tell I'm trying to be brave for her just as I think she's trying to be brave for me, but all she does is give me a nod and leaves the room, I look to see the others looking at me as my smile fades to a look of concern.

Penelope folds her arms "Carmelita must really trust you or something to say something like that in front of you, she isn't really good at opening up in front of others."

Bently says "The way you operate is similar to Sly in a way, so that may be part of it, but it's safe to say you already had questions."

I look to all three and I say "I'm not even sure if I can ask them or not, whoever Sly was he had one heck of team by the looks of it. But your making it sound like I'm replacing him and I don't mean to give that feeling."

Murray says "We know you don't, but it does bring back some cool memories and some sad ones."

The mouse comes over to me, she places a hand on my shoulder "If Sly was here, he would welcome you into his circle more then likely because Carmelita is your partner, you are still a blank slate to us, but we do know we can trust you." with a smile at the end.

Bently looks to be eyeing her, he looks to me and he says "You can never replace our friend because you are you. But we look forward to getting to know you." being friendly.

.............................

Carmelita found herself crying at her desk, she had to face it, that the racoon she loved was not coming back at all, she now had to mourn that fact, after spending so much time searching and only finding dead ends, the case had gone cold and she knows she had to let it go if she wanted to get on with her life. Her thoughts go to another person on her mind, her new partner Adam, the human who was assisting her in making her see just that without even realizing it on his end. She thought back to her playful tease earlier, she was lonely after all and she wanted to try to find someone to share her life with. She thinks to how it has been since the humans arrival, how he became her partner, him living with her and help fill an empty void, how he's depended on her and vice versa, she remembers how scared he was and how she turned him into an agent of Interpol... it was strange to her, the situation she was finding herself in.

The vixen thinks 'I'm sorry Sly, but I need to move on... I need to, for myself. Besides, I think I maybe falling for another person, you would understand Cooper, I know you would. But Adam, I wonder how you think of me, am I more then just your superior?'

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I'm laying on my bed, wide awake as I try to go over the day in my head, but one scene keeps all of my focus, seeing carmelita say her speech when it comes to Cooper, the two really must've been a close couple for her to start crying like that, I didn't like seeing her cry like that at all, she always tried to bury her emotions, always trying to look like a woman who was indestructible and in charge, even I could see that after a little while. But it hit my heart pretty hard as I too had been thinking off and on about the possibility about find a girlfriend, but I walways past it off as me trying to 'adjust to my role' or that every woman I would run into would probably be afriad of me which made no sense, I've met various women since arriving and not one of them had that fear. I guess I'm lonely but I'm not sure what to do, I sigh as I decide to try to bury the thought and go to sleep.

To be continued...