Crash Bandicoot: The Chosen One
Chapter 1: Reawakening
Just North of Wumpa Island, a short, yellow skinned scientist emerges from a portal on his Iceberg Lab, a bag clasped in his hand. Shutting down the machine, he walks over to the window, his old hoverboard propped up against the wall next to it.
How did it come to this, he thought. I was one of the most powerful scientists in the Tri-Island Area, and now look at me: sneaking around behind everyone's back, so that no one can foil my beautiful plans. No matter. Soon I will be able to summon the greatest power this world has ever known, and then everyone will bow down to me! That retched bandicoot, N. Tropy, even Uka Uka! It's going to be great!
Neo Cortex hopped on his hoverboard and flew out the window. He turned around briefly to look at the lab, and then pressed his TNT detonator. Large chunks of rubble and ice flew in all directions and the doctor flew on, smiling slightly. Now no one else could use his portal to the 10th Dimension.
As quickly as he could, he flew on to Cortex Island, his old home. As he approached the castle, he cleared his throat and spoke a phrase as softly as he could into a hidden microphone.
"Madame Amberly is a big, fat meanie."
Cortex heard the familiar sound of gears whirring into action, and a small trap door opened up near the bottom of the castle; just long enough for the scientist to glide in. jumping off his hoverboard, Cortex almost ran to the main hub of his secret hideout. He flicked the switched that turned the lights on, but he barely needed to: the glow from the 94 crystals already in the there made the room bright enough.
"This is it!" He said, "This is what I've been waiting to do since the last time I met with that infernal bandicoot three years ago!"
The crystals were arranged in a circle on a specially made stand, and there were just 6 gaps left. Doctor Cortex opened the bag he was holding and placed one of the six crystals in each space.
"So, according to the scripture," he began, "I arrange the 100 power crystals in a circle, and then place the master crystal in the exact centre."
With a smirk on his face, Cortex went over to the control panel and fiddled wit the controls.
"I hope it doesn't matter which dimension they're from," he said, "I could only find 94 from this one, Uka Uka's goody two shoes brother has the rest."
The master crystal emerged from a compartment in the floor in the middle of the other crystals.
"It's odd that Uka Uka never suggested this," Cortex said, "I can't see how I can fail."
The master crystal reached its destination, and immediately bolts of pink lightning began shooting between the 101 crystals. Cortex looked on; half afraid, half excited, and waited for this new entity to materialise.
* * * * *
On Wumpa Island, Crash and Coco were go-karting, when Aku Aku rushed over and stopped their race.
"Hey, what's the big idea Aku?" Coco asked, angrily. She was in the lead after all.
"Children, we need to get inside now, something bad is going on," Aku Aku told them, "Just take a look around you."
Crash looked up to see that hundreds of units of Mojo flying past the three of them, towards Cortex Island. They all fled to Coco's house, where Crunch was playing on a games console.
"I bet my brother has something to do with this," Aku Aku said, "What do you think?"
"Well it's OK, an improvement on Crash of the Titans anyway," Crunch said, without looking away from the television.
"No, Crunch, he means about the weird weather, and all the Mojo going haywire," Coco said.
Without warning, Uka Uka appeared, demanding to know what they were up to.
"You must have built some kind of Mojo magnet or something!" He growled.
"I was about to say the same thing to you!" Aku Aku replied.
However, both brothers were wrong, as they found out a moment later, upon hearing Cortex's voice.
"Come out you fools," He shouted, "for I have found an ancient mask with power that you two only wished you had!"
Aku and Uka looked at each other, visibly alarmed.
"Surely he hasn't been as stupid as I think he has," Uka Uka muttered.
"May I introduce to you the means by which I am going to destroy all of you!" Cortex screamed, "Starting with you, Crash Bandicoot!"
An invisible force lifted the roof from Coco's house with ease, and tossed it aside into the sea.
"Uka Uka, I no longer work for you," Doctor Cortex declared, hovering in the air, "Now, I have a mask working for me! Meet Awakuwa!"
Everyone looked on in shock. Cortex was floated effortlessly, and was flanked by a large, blue, wooden mask. When the mask spoke, the Earsh shuddered.
"Good to see you two brothers are still getting along," Awakuwa said.
No one moved, until Aku Aku finally managed to splutter a single, confused word:
"Mom?!"