Chapter 7 – Origins (Part 3)
A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks for all the feedback you've been giving me. This chapter was a little harder to write than I expected, but I'm glad I managed to get it out despite that.
Heads up, this is the chapter where everything goes wrong so prepares yourselves for angst and feels.
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Crash sat there with his hand over his mouth, confused once he realized the words that left his lips.
"Crash, can you really speak?" Coco asked carefully.
Crash frowned and tried to muster up a reply. "I…I think so," he said, the sound of his own voice felt alien even to him.
Koala Kong scowled and marched towards Crash. "How come you never said anything before? Were you just messing with us all along?" he growled accusingly and the bandicoot flinched.
"Hey, knock it off!" Coco said as she stood between the two. "Don't be so hard on him. Maybe he just didn't know he could before."
Crash rubbed the back of his head and gave them an apologetic smile. "Sorry,"
Koala Kong sighed and shrugged before going back to sit on the couch.
"At least now we'll know what he wants instead of guessing all the time," Dingodile muttered and some nodded at that.
"Uh…should we tell the doctor about this?" Joe asked.
Coco gasped. "Oh, you're right! We should go tell him right now!" she said, excited to share the news. Wasting no time, she grabbed her brother's hand and quickly left the room.
"Where is Cortex's room?" she asked without stopping.
"T-This way," Crash stuttered as he tried to keep up with her stride.
After several minutes of walking through the hallways and getting lost once, the two made it to the doctor's bedroom and knocked on the door.
Cortex opened the door and glared at them tiredly. "What do you two want-"
"Dr. Cortex, you won't believe it. Crash can talk now!" Coco cut him off.
"Hi," Crash waved from behind her.
Cortex stared at the two for a minute before speaking up again.
"WHAT!?"
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"Crash, give it back!" Coco exclaimed.
"Catch me first!" Crash grinned playfully with her wrench in his hand as the two siblings ran through the corridor.
Coco stopped chasing him. "Oh c'mon! You know you're faster than me!" she huffed and Crash only responded with a shrug. Coco then looked past him and gasped. "D-Dr. Cortex, what are you doing here?"
"Huh?" Crash turned around only to feel the wrench slip from his hand. He looked back to see his sister waving the tool with a smug grin on her face.
"Not fair!" Crash groaned.
Coco giggled and walked over to the window. Curiously, Crash followed her and watched in awe at the sight of the bright orange sky and glimmering waters. The view of islands never looked more astounding than now. "It's amazing even from all the way here. It makes wish I could go there and see it myself." She turned to him. "What about you big brother, have you been to the islands before?"
Crash's face went downcast and shook his head. "No,"
"Oh, w-well I'm sure we'll be able to go there someday. Then you and I can go play on the beach!" she stammered, hoping to cheer him up.
Crash wasn't really convinced by her words considering he had been waiting for weeks now. Still, he gave his sister a nod so she won't get upset.
Later that evening, Crash was looking down the stairs mischievously. Glancing around to make sure no one was near to scold him, he quickly jumped onto the railing and sild all the way down to the bottom of the stairs. He whooped and began to walk up again, ready to do it again.
"Oh Crash, there you are!" Crash turned to see Moe coming towards him. "Dr. Cortex wants to see you right now!" he said urgently.
Crash winced. Was he in trouble? Did they find out it was him who broke that painting of Cortex? He hadn't meant it. It had been an accident!
"Okay," Crash gulped nervously and followed the other mutant, expecting a scolding from his creator. After several minutes, the two reached the lab where the two doctors were waiting for them.
"Good, you found him." Cortex said and dismissed Moe with a wave. "Crash, we've been watching your progress over the last two months. You've shown skills that no other mutant on the teams has. I finally decided that you're ready for your final test."
Brio nodded. "Yes, and if you succeed you will be send on your first mission as the team commander."
Crash couldn't believe it. A huge grin split his face at the thought of finally leaving the castle and seeing the outside world.
"Are you ready, Crash?"
Crash nodded without hesitation, barely able to conceal his excitement.
"Alright but before we leave I need you to come here for a second."
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Crash stood in the elevator with the two doctors, staring in confusion at the N symbol they painted on the back of his hand. When he asked them about it they said it was just a sign of his role among the mutants and added no further explanation.
The three soon entered a big chamber that Crash didn't recall seeing before, but then again this castle was huge. Even though he have been living here for about two months, there could be more rooms that was he didn't know about. After looking around for a minute Crash realized it was some sort of arena.
"Alright Crash, we'll be watching you from up there. Don't disappoint us," Cortex said and Crash nodded eagerly before stepping forward. He looked up and was surprised to see the other mutant sitting in their seats cheering.
"Go Crash!"
"Show 'em what you got!"
"You got this, big brother!" Coco exclaimed between them.
Crash grinned and gave them a thumbs up before steeling himself, ready for whatever challenge they threw at him. He had been waiting for this chance for a long time and he wasn't going to lose it.
"Bring him in!" Cortex said.
Crash watched in slight confusion as Koala Kong entered the room carrying a human with tan skin in his hands restrained. He dropped the man on the ground before walking away to join the others.
"Now Crash, show us what you're capable of. Attack him!" Cortex muttered.
Crash stepped closer and the man shook in fear making him hesitate. This didn't feel right. Why did he have to attack him? The man wasn't trying to hurt Crash nor could he fight because of the restraints. The bandicoot looked over to the mutants lost on what to do.
"C'mon, do it!"
"Quick stalling!"
Among the group, Coco was looking worriedly at him clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"What are you waiting for, Crash? Finish him off!" Cortex said impatiently.
Those word made Crash stiffen and his breathing hitch as the weight of what was really happening settled in. The excitement and joy he previously felt was gone and replaced with dread and panic. No…No…he couldn't….
The bandicoot gulped and stared at his frightened opponent once more, a sinking feeling in his chest. The human was looking at him pleadingly.
No, this was definitely not right. Crash can't bring himself to do something this cruel. He walked over to the shaking man and placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to flinch.
"Hey," When the man looked up at him Crash smiled softly hoping to put him at ease and show that he meant no harm. "It's alright,"
"What are you doing!? This isn't what I ordered you to do!" Cortex shouted while the mutants looked confused.
Crash turned to them and shook his head, his mind made up. "I won't do it." He stated.
"What!? He's right in front of you! This should be easy for you!" Cortex said baffled.
"Come on Crash, just do it!" Brio muttered, eyeing the doctor nervously.
"I don't want to hurt him." He replied and everyone gasped.
Cortex and Brio stared at him stunned as if he had grown a second head before his creator marched towards him, fist clutching. "What is wrong with you? Aren't you going to head my orders?" he asked, his tone almost challenging him.
The tension in the room increased as they waited for his answer. Crash gulped nervously and shook his firmly, refusing to go through with this. "No,"
Cortex looked ready to explode in anger, but then sighed. "Get out of here. We'll talk about this in my office." He said, his voice calm, but firm.
Crash flinch and his ears fell before walking away.
"B-But sir, what about him?" Brio stuttered gesturing to the man in restraints.
"Just toss him back to the beach. I don't care!" Cortex snapped before following the bandicoot.
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Crash was sitting in a chair, staring at the floor nervously as the angry doctor paced the room. The bandicoot opened his mouth and closed it several times, not knowing what to say.
"What were you thinking back there!? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?" Cortex shouted, making the bandicoot flinch.
"I-I'm sorry-"
"That won't make up for what you did. Now tell me why you didn't attack him?" he asked with his arms crossed.
"I-I couldn't fight him. He wasn't trying to hurt me." Crash tried to explain, hoping he would understand.
Cortex slapped his forehead and groaned. "That's your excuse? You made a fool out of me in front of everyone simply because that?" he growled. "We have spent weeks training and preparing you! I created you for the sole reason to fight and you couldn't even do that, you idiot!"
Crash's ears drooped as the doctor continued scolding him. "But…But I-"
"Enough! Not only did you disobey me and fail the test, but you showed so much weakness in front of the other mutants. I'm very disappointed in you." Cortex said harshly. "Now leave, mutant. I will think about your punishment later." He said bitterly.
Crash lowered his head and slowly left the room. In his daze, Crash didn't realize until he looked up to see he had walked back to his room. Opening the door, he walked across the room and flopped on his blue bed, staring at the ceiling emptily.
He couldn't stop his mind from wandering off to what happened just now and his chest tightened. Did this really happen? How did things turned out like this? Just earlier today he was goofing around with his sister and friends!
The others.
Crash groaned and placed his hand over his eyes. Sooner or later he will have to face them and considering their reactions back at the arena, Crash wasn't looking forward for that.
It was then Crash noticed the N symbol on the back of his hand and sat up. The sight of the mark made his stomach churn, now that he knew what it exactly meant. One of Cortex's pawns, one of his weapons.
Grimacing slightly, Crash walked over to his drawer and searched inside it for a minute until he found what he was looking for. A pair of fingerless gloves. He wasted no time putting them on and couldn't help admiring how they fit him perfectly.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Crash nearly jumped out of his fur and his heart skipped a beat. W-Who could it be? Was it the others? Did doctor decide his punishment already?
"Crash?" Coco muttered and peeked through the door. Crash felt the tension leave his body and replaced with relief. She quickly came over to check on him. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern and Crash just looked down at the floor.
She frowned and quickly stepped closer to hug him.
Crash didn't know what to say to her.
What was there to say?
He slowly wrapped his arms around her and hugged back. With her here, he felt a little better.
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Three days had passed since the incident at the arena.
Crash was walking down a corridor, trying hard to ignore all the whispers and glares he was getting from the other mutants. No matter how appealing it sounded, Crash couldn't stay in his room forever. It was Brio who came and told to come to the training room in the next morning after the incident. He had been more solemn than usual with Crash and walked away without saying much to him.
Reluctantly, Crash had left his room. Once he came across the other mutants, things went exactly like he expected. Some would snicker and throw jabs at him while others would sneer and glare at him.
But Crash was fine with those. He was alright with all the taunts and teasing. They were better than the disappointed looks some mutants gave him as if he had let them down back there. Crash couldn't handle those.
They had been counting on him and he failed them.
Despite all of this, Crash didn't regret his choice at the arena. He still believed it hadn't been right and he couldn't imagine himself actually doing what the doctor had wanted him to do.
Passing down the corridor quietly, Crash suddenly heard someone talking around the corner.
"Hey, do you know where Dr. Cortex have gone? I haven't seen him in a while?" Dingodile asked.
"I think he's still working in his lab, been spending the last few days in there tinkering with something." Pinstripe answered. "You know what I think? I think he's probably too embarrassed to show his face around here. After all, it was his idea to make that idiot Crash the commander of this team." He said with a chuckle.
Crash frowned dejectedly before walking away, feeling his eyes mist over.
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It was around nighttime.
Crash didn't have the time to process what happened. He had been on his way to his bedroom for the night when a two pair of strong hands got a hold of him and carried him away. It took him a moment to realize it was Tiny.
"W-What's going on!?" Crash muttered as he struggled to get away, but the tiger's grip on him was too strong.
"H-Hey, what are you doing!?" Coco, who just came from the lab and was heading to her room as well, gasped and hurried over. "Let go of him!"
"Cortex wants Crash," was all Tiny said as he continued heading down the hallway with Coco trying to catch up to them until they made it to the lab.
Cortex immediately smiled at the sight of them. "Good, place him on the chair." He ordered and the tiger did as he was told, keeping the bandicoot from slipping away as the doctors strapped him to the chair.
"Hey, stop!" Coco exclaimed, but was held back by two of Cortex's minions. "What are you doing to my brother!?"
Cortex smirked. "Let me introduce you to my one of my old inventions. The Vortex. I spent the last few days improving it," He said gesturing to the large device looming above them. "Anyone who's affected by it will obey my every command without hesitation."
He then turned to Crash. "Which means you won't disobey me ever again. You'll be the perfect evil commander you were always supposed to be."
"W-What, no!" Crash felt his blood run cold and struggled harder, but he remained stuck unable to escape. He gave a helpless look to his sister who looked beyond afraid.
"Now let's begin," Cortex said and turned to the control panel.
The machine hummed to life and dread filled the bandicoot. The chair began to rise and Crash was soon inside the machine.
And the world around him exploded into a blue light.
Crash screamed in pain as he felt the burning energy coursing through his body and his mind gone numb. He could hear the faint sounds of the doctors arguing and the cries of his sister over his own.
Suddenly, the machine stopped and Crash was lowered down, barely able to keep himself from passing out.
"What happened?" Cortex asked confused, flinching at the sparks shooting from the Vortex.
"I don't know!" Brio answered as he stepped closer to undo the straps. "We'll just have to try again-" he was cut off the by the sound of an alarm.
"W-What's going!?" Cortex muttered at the words flashing in the screen.
Brio's eyes widen once he saw the readings. "The machine has rejected Crash. It seems he's somehow immune to its effects!"
"What!? How?" Cortex muttered in disbelieve only to be startled by the sound of feet hitting the floor. He turned to see Crash panting and scowling at them. "W-What are you waiting for? Capture him!" he shouted at his minions.
Crash growled and knocked away two men with a spin attack wincing immediately at the pain shooting in his limps. He looked up to see more minions coming. Tiny walked through them and snarled at the bandicoot.
He was outnumbered. There was no way he could fight all of them, especially in the state he was in.
"Crash, run!" Coco called out to him. Crash looked conflicted for a moment before he reluctantly turned and ran across the room.
"No, don't let him get away!" Cortex shouted.
Crash caught a glimpse of a nearby window and without a second thought he closed his eyes and jumped right through it. He felt himself hit the glass briefly and then screamed as he fell through the air. The last thing he recalled was falling into the sea before his mind went blank and the waves carried him away.
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A/N: And with that, the Origins arc is finally over. Thanks for reading and please review!
