Chapter 2: Everyone Has Weaknesses

Dr. Cortex shuffled his feet uneasily, very aware that it was evening. The visitor sat, again, on the former's throne. Worriedly, the scientist paced around the room.

"Why, eminent scientist?" the man asked, his tone deathly serious, "Afraid that they could not return?"

Before the scientist could utter a word, the door to the exit opened, and someone blue toppled onto the metallic corridor.

The masked man rose from the black, leather throne, and walked briskly towards the unconscious Master of Time. As Dr. Cortex approached N. Tropy, he could observe distinctly the egg-shaped robot pulling the hand of the fallen, and the puddles of half-freezing water stretching from the duo to the snows outside. More importantly, Tropy's clothes were wet.

"What happened?" Dr. Cortex's usually authoritative voice was quivering with fear. Did Madame Amberly get them? The scientist was shuddering at the thought; while the very fact that they returned was the true indication of success, the sight of the usually self-possessed Master of Time on the floor, battered and seemingly lifeless, seemed to rob his very breath.

"Long story, Dr. Cortex," the Master Mind (Trance's new nickname) spoke, "We got back here hanging dangerously off the entrance of blimp. Remember those railings?"

The professor of Evil Science remembered the time when he and Nina stepped out of the airship to the landing platform, impatient to get the Psychetron back to working order. But he knew he saw nobody there…

"Then we knew you were about to get out of that door," Trance continued somewhat in a state of shock, "So we released our grip on the railings… a bit too early."

"We missed the platform, and we were plunging down fifty feet towards the ground… Tropy then brought us back to this morning, but that wasn't of any use against the fact that we are still falling."

"Luckily for me, we landed into the water; I cannot survive such a fall onto the hard snowy ground. But it was nearly Tropy's undoing, as he sank helplessly, pulled down by his own metallic contraptions. I tried my best to pull him to the shore, and I did. But I could only fear that he was so nearly drowned, that he was petrified."

"Let me," the masked man bent over the lifeless body, "He's still breathing." With an incredible might, he pulled the body onto his hands and lifted Tropy, carefully cradling it like a child as he walked towards the throne. Once there, the masked man placed Tropy's warm body onto the seat. The Master of Time slumped into the leather chair, like a sleeping king.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cortex could only stare with horror at his minion resting comfortably on his throne. He dreaded to think of the moment he ceased being boss over the company… Patience. Boss or not, he must rule the world… and more vitally, rid himself of the bandicoots. He could take over as real boss after that.

"Where's N. Gin?" he cried, trying to distract himself from the fantasies that had never been fulfilled, "Has he started work on those transports yet?"

"What transports?" Trance asked suspiciously.

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