''Teamwork Makes the Dream Work''

This plotline takes place after the events of The Cooper Heroines.

Upon returning from their trip back in time, Amy and the gang come home to discover someone has made off with the Cooper line's most precious heirloom while they were gone: The Thievius Raccoonus. They spend months searching high and low, left and right, up and down, all aspects of the compass-- even Sly and his retired gang pull themselves in to try and help in the global search for the missing book. But no leads, no turns left to take, and ultimately standing at a dead end. On top of Amy wanting to kick herself in the backside for letting this happen, everyone must accept the fact they now have to wait and hope whoever has it, will eventually turn up.

The months pass, and Amy and the gang continue to work on cases needing their assistance. During a mission where Amy is dealing with one of her more competitive rivals, Jodi O'Conell, a mysterious figure turns their tango in an unexpected crowd. The maned wolf ends up turning both women on their heads with some baffling-- and all around familiar-looking tricks, up his sleeve; ultimately catching both Amy and Jodi off their guards and claiming himself the victor this round. After tossing the Thievius Raccoonus back to a defeated Amy, the man introduces himself as Jesus De La Cruz. He admits he's had his eye on the Cooper legacy for some time now, watching their enemies fail time and time again to take the long line down. Clockwerk nearly had the right idea-- take the book, take away the Cooper. If only Le Paradox had figured out it wasn't the cane that made the Cooper either. De La Cruz realized perhaps it's better to take what the Coopers know, and do it better. So when he saw his opportunity to steal the book, he did. And with the same patience, he learned all the tricks and trades that book held. And now, fueled with his near-innate obsession to be the best at every and anything, he would be the victor to take out the Coopers... and why not kill two birds with one stone, and take out the assassin seeming to work her way to the near top of the Underground as well? Two titles he would gladly own. And this encounter was only the beginning of the end for both of them.

Now Amy and Jodi are forced to put their stubborn heads together and work as a team to take down De La Cruz before his twisted games can take them out first.

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I couldn't help but borrow this scene for this comic page, because it is honestly how I imagined Jodi and Amy working together! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0_2L…

bubble text gotten from: 300 Free Speech Bubbles (Download)