Why Did You Do It, Penelope? - Chapter 4

They did have rope. And Carmelita took great satisfaction in tying up the mouse, despite Mona's earlier protests that she would be fine without being restrained. Ths smirk the fox gave made the rabbit shoot back a dirty look through her bloodied face.

"Right then," Bentley started, "Mona, you get cleaned up. I'm going to talk to Penelope." Murray escorted Mona into the kitchen while Carmelita slunk back into the corner. Bentley wheeled closer to the woman he was still in love with.

"Tell me why you went to Le Paradox." He instructed. The mouse laughed a small, evil chuckle before speaking.

"I already told you, it was for you. I was going to drop that dumb skunk once I had got what I wanted." The mouse explained with a smug smirk.

Bentley shook his head sadly. "But we already had money!" He protested. "Sly left the Cooper fortune for us when he left, and you saw it!"

Penelope snorted in derision. "Robin Hood riches, we didn't earn it." She flicked her head in an attempt to move the lock of hair from her face. "Besides," she continued, "it wasn't about the money, it was the recognition, the acknowledgement, instead of playing second fiddle to a raccoon who only knew how to run along ropes. There's no intelligence behind that."

Suddenly, Carmelita took an angry step forward, with a murderous expression on her face. Bentley, having anticipated this, wheeled in front of her.

"Stand down, Carmelita." He ordered. "This isn't what we're here for."

"What are we doing then?" The vixen angrily snapped back. "Instead of wasting our time with... this-" she gestured towards Penelope. "-we should be trying to find Sly." Upon finishing her sentence, Carmelita's face reverted back to its usual, sullen expression.

"Find Sly?" Penelope asked, cocking her head slightly. "He's missing?"

The turtle and the fox exchanged a look between each other.

"Maybe we should fill her in." Bentley murmured, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Murray and Mona were sat at the kitchen table. The rabbit was holding an ice bag to her face, while the hippo removed glass splinters from her other hand with a pair of tweezers.

"Your face looks pretty bad Mona, no offence. Are you sure you're okay?" Murray asked sheepishly.

"It looks a lot worse than it is, big guy." She replied with a weak smile. "Besides, I'm just glad she didn't rip out my nose ring."

"That would have been nasty." He said with a grimmace. "But she does boxing, she doesn't fight dirty."

"She doesn't fight dirty?" Mona challenged. "I know I wasn't there, but I have two words for you pal: ACES final."

The hippo shot an amused look at her. "You make a good point." He said before extracting another piece of glass from Mona's hand. She flinched, to which Murray apologised.

"Murray, you don't have to apologise every time you pick out a piece of glass." Mona laughed.

"Sorry."

"Fill me in on what?" Penelope suspiciously asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sly's disappearance." Bentley said, feeling his throat tighten. He missed his friend more than he could ever attempt to express. He cleared his throat as he heard a strangled sob from Carmelita. "He went down with Le Paradox's blimp."

"So, is he missing or dead?" Penelope skeptically asked. "It sounds like it crashed and you couldn't find him. If that's the case, then he's de-"

"Le Paradox's time machine malfunctioned, and took the blimp with it." Bentley continued weakly.

"Took the blimp where?" Penelope asked.

"We don't know where. Or when." Bentley replied solemnly.

"When?" She gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "So the time machine Le Paradox had..."

"Was your fault." An English voice. Penelope looked to the doorway leading to the kitchen, to see her bruised and battered friend standing, her right hand bandaged and hanging limply by her side. "You sold us out, Le Paradox had a time machine, and now our best friend is nowhere to be found. And it's all your fault Penelope." She said coldly.

Penelope guiltily stared at her feet. She couldn't bring herself to look anyone in the eye.

"Our friend, and I mean yours too, is missing because of the stupid reckless decision you made." The rabbit continued, tears beginning to stream from her face. "Plus you stomped on Bentley's heart, running out on him like that!"

"It wasn't my decision." The mouse whispered.

"Don't give me that crap! You know what you did! You knew what was going to happen!" Mona yelled, storming across the room towards the captive guest.

"I don't have much time!" Penelope screamed back. "I don't remember anything of what you said. Medieval England, Le Paradox, nothing!"

"And why not?!" Carmelita screamed, losing her patience.

"Just look at my arm!" The mouse cried. "I don't know what's in there, but it's doing something to me! You've gotta get it out!" She gazed up at Bentley, her eyes wide with terror.

"She's telling the truth." Bentley said. "Let's have a look. Carmelita, untie her." He ordered, to which the Vixen complied. As the rope fell to the floor, Penelope gingerly flexed her arms.

"This hurts so good." She murmured to herself, before regaining focus. "Just look at this, quickly!" She rolled up the sleeve of her jumpsuit, before extending her left arm. Everyone gathered around, and they saw it.

Scar tissue. A sharp, shiny line of white, where an incision had been made on her forearm, just below the elbow joint.

"What is it?" Murray asked.

"I don't know big guy," Penelope replied, "but I think Le Paradox put something in me. A device, but I think it's starting to fail." She delicately rubbed the scar. "I don't know when this thing will kick in again, but it has to go, please."

"Fascinating!" Bentley exclaimed, examining a small device the size of a flash drive. "This device secretes a substance with similar properties to the illegal spices the Klaww Gang used. It allows a user to be hypnotised, and results in extreme and uncontrollable anger. Except Penelope's behaviour was inconsistent."

"So what, the little dohickey was running out of juice?" Mona queried, holding an ice bag to her face.

"Precisely." He replied.

"Short-term effects also involve blindingly painful migraines and short-term memory loss." Stated Penelope, who was sat on the sofa beside Murray, nursing her bandaged arm. Luckily, Mona's handiwork meant that the mouse had been lifted from her bizarre technological curse.

"So, how did you get that in you?" Murray asked, before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"I missed tinkering with engines." She confessed. "I was answering an advertisement for mechanics, but turns out it was a trick of Le Paradox's. I get knocked out, and the next thing I know, I wake up in an English prison months later." She gently cradled her arm. "I noticed the scar and I could feel something under my skin. I knew it was bad news."

"It must have been terrifying." Bentley said gently, wheeling over to his ex-girlfriend. She gave a small nod. "But it's over now," he continued, "you're safe."

Hesitantly, he rested his hand on her knee. With her free hand, she rested it on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. A squeeze that said thank you so much.

"I want to help you guys find Sly." She boldly announced. "It's my fault this has happened, and I want to fix it, if you'll let me."

The turtle thought about this for a moment. A fresh mind on this task could pull up some new leads. "Find him, and we'll wipe the slate clean." Bentley offered.

"Agreed." Mona chirped from the background.

Penelope gazed at everyone in the room. The turtle who she could feel herself falling in love with all over again, the battered rabbit who was one of her closest friends, the friendly hippo who was her fellowvehicle enthusiast, the vixen whose life she had ruined...

"Deal." She said with a warm smile. "Let's go find us a master raccoon thief!" She declared.