Chapter 7
Falling into Cortex Island, the evil scientist and the short-tempered mask eventually reached the coast after the crash of their evacuation projectile. With now their spaceship utterly destroyed and some huge fragments left from the blast fallen in their surroundings, the situation couldn't have been anymore worse than that. In fact, like usual, Uka Uka didn't bother to begin snapping with all of his lungs.
"Cor-tex!" He literally squeaked. Cortex was still half asleep underneath one of the fragments until he heard that unbearable raging voice, by instinct to not even think twice before lifting up his head and, unluckily, hit it hard against the ceiling. That certainly gave him a nice headache, for sure.
"You put us into the middle of nowhere, again!" He kept shouting into his ears, increasing his frustration in such amazing velocity like if it was a pressure cooker. Cortex stood speechless for a few moments knowing that it was presumably his end for recalling his promise he did with the mask, but without a tiny doubt he'd try his hardest to change the course of the story.
"Please Uka Uka," He started begging. "Believe me! Please don't take me to the ice age." He fell on his knees, his fingers crossing. "This time it was that damn spy! She betrayed us!"
"Again with your excuses?" He added. "I should've known better to get rid of you already!"
"Please!" He trembled his hands. "Give me one more chance!"
"One more chance to what? To make us into losers and let once more that annoying orange rat to go on with his life with his new girlfriend?"
"I swear Uka Uka, I'm supplicating with all of my being!" Cortex urged, but the powerful mask wasn't convinced yet. However, as the day was windy, the two stopped talking for a while to see if their moods would go easy for a bit whilst Uka Uka was deciding the scientist's fate, this until thankfully his brain worked in the right time.
"That's it." He began smirking, his finger rubbing his chin. The mask noticed his thoughtful expression and immediately scowled at him, curious of what his next stupid plan would be about.
"What is it now?" He demanded impatiently as Cortex glanced at him with the widest smirk he had ever seen.
"Remember when I told you that Amelia worked for the military?" He asked him. Uka Uka merely looked at him, puzzled.
"Yeah I remember. So what?"
"Well the thing is, she has still other two brothers." He continued. "Twins or not, I don't know, but I have the knowledge that one of them is a pilot."
"And?"
"And if I communicate with them, 'lying' that their beloved sister got kidnapped by Crash himself, they'll finish him up in attempt to rescue her."
"So that's your plan? I expected better."
"This time I have more of a tingling saying that this one is further effective." Cortex ensured him. "Plus, since any of them hasn't seen each other for years, it's also the perfect time to convert their beliefs that the hero bandicoot is, in actually, a serial killer out there."
"To provide them another relevant reason to call the rest of the army?" The scientist nodded. Uka Uka rethought one more time before even accepting his new getaway to his punishment, but in the end he regained back his reliance as he classified the scheme as a workable one.
"All right, Cortex. I'll allow you to talk to those two." He said. "But again, only upon a condition."
Cortex's throat seemed to choke for an instant. "Yes?"
"You have only three days to make that bandicoot dead." He declared, his tone getting serious. "If not, instead of dropping you right into the ice age era, you're going to a far darker one. And this time it's also not leaving you floating through space for the rest of your life."
Just to listen to his malicious yet unmerciful voice left the scientist's soul cringe, eventually keeping his mouth shut in total silence as the evil voodoo mask took the opportunity to turn his back at him and disappear out of sight.
The next morning arrived. The beautiful sound of quietness and the sun's first sunlights going through the Bandicoot house's windows, with also the birds beginning to sing their habitual yet enchanting melody, couldn't be all the perfect manner to start the day. In the meantime, the black female bandicoot was still asleep in her sweet dreams inside her new comfortable bed, resting her mind from all the odds that happened in the recent days at long last. Though, it didn't take long until someone opened the bedroom's door and leisurely stepped towards the bandicootess, with the intention to not make any tiny noise, and approached further to her as he simply lied down next to her side with his muzzle closer to her face. He still watched her sleeping like an angel for some more moments, which he personally thought it was adorable for someone like a spy, for the record.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." Crash greeted with his eyes half closed and his charming smile. Amelia slowly opened her hazel eyes as soon as her ears slightly moved upon hearing that recognizable voice, and she momentarily startled by screaming and giving a jump backwards in the second she knew who it was right next to her.
"Crash you scared me!" She protested, now with her mood clearly spoiled for almost falling out from the bed. The aussie bandicoot softly snickered at the way she got scared and shook his head, keeping his smile.
"Relax, I didn't sleep with you." He chuckled. Amelia sighed in relief and moved again to the same spot where she was sleeping, glancing at the orange marsupial as she had nothing more to state.
"Umm, hey," Crash spoke as he placed a hand on his nape. "I've come here to wake you up for breakfast, and..." He paused for an instant to withdraw a wumpa fruit which was inside his pocket. "Since Coco is still making it, I thought you'd like to eat something. You know, to kill a bit of your hunger."
The black bandicootess studied the fruit in complete curiosity after he handed it to her, and she stood intrigued. "What's this?" She asked.
"You don't know what a Wumpa fruit is?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So I'm guessing you aren't anywhere from these islands, am I right?"
"Well I'm actually from Cortex Island, and in there I've never seen such a fruit like this one." She admitted.
"Oh, I see." Crash added. "Try a bite. I think you'll like it."
Amelia took his advice and finally bit the mango-like fruit, becoming amazed shortly after of how tasteful and delicious it was.
"It's good." She nodded with pleasure as she was still chewing a piece. "It's really good."
"You like it?" He smiled wider.
"Yeah. This can only be the most sweet fruit I've ever eaten in my life." She smiled in turn as she kept eating it like if she hasn't eaten in weeks.
"Careful, it has loads of fat." Crash briefed. Amelia immediately stopped chewing it as she stared at him like a chucklehead, but much for his amusement he laughed again.
"Just kiddin'. It's mostly nutritious, it only has a little."
"Very funny." She sneered as she narrowed her eyes at him. Although he did wish she had a little more of humor sense in herself, he nevertheless had a sort of feeling that he was being somewhat attracted to her... or it was just an inception of a friendship?
"Crash!" His sister yelled through the hallway. "Breakfast's ready! Hurry up or Crunch will take care of it for you."
"And you better know it! Pancakes are my weakness!" The burgundy bandicoot exclaimed himself. Crash turned his head for a while to look at the door to where their voices had come from, and then at Amelia.
"Well, looks like it's better leave your warming place, huh?" He talked to her.
"Apparently. Does Crunch always eat your plate?"
"Sometimes. And I'm already telling you that he abuses in everything. Especially... abs."
"Do tell. At first I thought he was Chuck Norris in bandicoot version."
The aussie bandicoot couldn't help but burst into laughter. "That... that was... gold!" He tried to sustain his breath. "Really Ame, only now I realized that you're actually good at humor."
"I've never been good at it, but I think with you something always changes a bit of the airs, doesn't it?" She shrugged as she exchanged a foolish smile. Crash also smiled at the bandicootess and offered her to help her raise up from the bed, both eventually exiting the room towards the stairs in direction to the kitchen.
