Chapter Ten – Unsavory Characters
Crash decided he was doomed to walk these deteriorating halls forever. He was unable to find a way out of the toxic waste plant, and his inability to do so was starting to frustrate him. It wouldn't be so bad, but he really needed to get some fresh air before he mutated. Well, mutated in a slimy, sludge way. He was about to resort to kicking a rotting wall in hopes of escape, but decided he would try that method after peeking into the next hall. As he rounded the corner, he saw another long hall, and thankfully this one was not covered in slime. There was also a square shaft of light lying on the floor not to many steps away, and with lack of a different approach, Crash decided to walk toward it.
A door was open, and Crash glanced inside and hoped it was not another waste room. Well, it wasn't, but the decorum inside this room made Crash shiver. He took a tentative step inside. The room was furnished in expensive-looking carpet and nice plush sofas. Their quality wasn't very good, and Crash would only take a nap on one of those chairs if he was desperate. There was also a massive picture of Dr. Cortex plastered on the wall beside him. It was so big and so ugly that Crash hacked. Directly before him stood a desk, and behind that was a giant whirling thing. Crash suspected this was some kind of power generator, but he didn't know much about such things. He was about to turn on his heel and leave since there was obviously nothing of interest there, but he stopped when he heard a voice.
"Leaving so soon?"
A big red chair that had been facing the generator slowly swiveled around. Crash groaned. How many jerks did he have to run into today? The creature sitting on the chair was a rat, and by the look of his slicked back hair and cheap suit he looked like a genuine gangster. Unlike the other rat Crash had fought, this one was quite thin and was quite a bit more attractive, at least for a rat. Crash noticed he was also holding a tommy gun, and his finger was on the trigger. Crash folded his arms before him and smirked.
"Yeah, I'm leaving. Is there any particular reason why I should stay?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, which was slightly uncharacteristic. Yet he hadn't eaten anything for a while and he needed a nap. Therefore he was exceptionally grumpy.
"I just wanted us to get a little better acquainted." The rat said, and gently placed his gun on the desk. "I've heard quite a bit about you Crash Bandicoot. My name is Pinstripe Potoroo."
Crash cocked his head with a sly smile. So this guy was the Pinstripe he was hearing about.
"Well, I guess we're acquainted then. I'm outta here."
Crash must have been crazy to turn his back on a guy with a gun, yet he figured if he was going to get shot, it wouldn't matter if was in the back or the face. At least this way he was on his way out.
"Hold it."
Crash stopped for a second, but didn't turn around.
"You know Tawna, yes?"
Crash turned around slowly, his eyes unreadable and a cold smile on his face.
"Who?"
Pinstripe grinned wickedly. "There's no need to lie about it, she already told me all about you. In case you have forgotten, she is a tall blonde knockout with terrific legs and nice…"
"Alright already, that's enough." Crash interrupted with a sigh. "Sure, I know her, what do you care?"
Pinstripe leaned forward. "Well, you see, I told her you were dead. If you show up now I'll be branded as a liar. We can't have that."
Crash laughed. "Then maybe you shouldn't count your chickens before their hatched."
Pinstripe seemed to be getting annoyed with Crash's flamboyant behavior. "I'm sorry it has to be this way Bandicoot, and unfortunately I don't have time to fight a pipsqueak like you man to man. I've got a girl waiting for me."
Crash didn't bother asking who. The answer was obvious. Still Crash was surprised he didn't feel very jealous at the prospect. After all, he had been trekking these treacherous islands for her sake. Oh well, he could worry about that if he survived the next five minutes. Pinstripe lifted his machine gun and pointed it in Crash's direction. Crash dove out of the way as bullets rang through the air, and he took refuge behind a couch. The noise was defending, and Crash covered his ears as he felt the chair vibrate. He was very lucky that the couch was so thick, or he'd have been Swiss cheese in a second. Pinstripe was laughing as he fired his machine gun, obviously having more fun than Crash at the moment.
Crash glanced around for anything that might give him an edge, and then grinned faintly and reached for a potted plant and dragged it over. He gently pulled the plant out of the pot, and noted how much dirt grasped onto the roots. He wrapped one had around the plant, and the other he grasped around the pot. Now he waited for the gap of time it would take Pinstripe to reload.
"Come on Bandicoot, come out and play!" Pinstripe howled in morbid excitement.
Crash rolled his eyes. "How 'bout you quit squeezing rounds off at me and we'll have a nice chat?"
"I'm for that. Come out here and we'll talk."
Crash waited for one moment, and then Pinstripe's gun failed and the latter hissed a curse.
"Alright." Crash answered with a grin.
Swinging his arm in a sweeping arc, pieces of dirt from the plant showered Pinstripe, and he covered his eyes with a very crude curse. Crash let the plant go and followed the attack by throwing the big pot in the rat's direction. Bulls-eye! Just as the pot bounced off Pinstripe's head Crash vaulted over the couch toward his adversary. Crash took the gun in both hands, but Pinstripe's grip was like iron. When the gangster finally cleared his vision and faced Crash with a murderous look, Crash grimaced at the blood running down the other's face.
"Whoa mate, that's one nasty bruise you got there."
Pinstripe's eyes were deadly as he gnashed his teeth.
"You are not getting out of here alive Bandicoot."
Crash grunted at Pinstripe's strength, and undesirably found himself pressed into the desk. The gun was horizontal across his chest, and as Pinstripe put pressure on it Crash felt another bruise beginning to form. He didn't mind though. He had so many already, so what was one more? Pinstripe knew he had the upper hand, and so his creepy mouth curled into a wicked sneer. The rat backed away, and reloaded his gun with a loud click. Crash leaned on the desk, rubbing his chest as he kept his eyes glued to the gun now pointed in his direction.
"Any last words Bandicoot?"
Crash sighed. Why would he ask for last words, even if did he even care? It was just silly, so Crash shrugged.
"Nope."
In the next instant, Crash had begun to spin all around the room in a quick whirligig of motion. He couldn't see where he was going, so he just smashed into whatever got in his way. Pinstripe began to shoot, but Crash felt only the slight wind of bullets as they shot past him. The room was small, and Crash knew he could only keep it up for a little while. Best to end the fight as quickly as possible. Crash angled his spin to where he thought Pinstripe was, and blindly used his momentum to throw a nice roundhouse punch at the figure. Thankfully, the figure was Pinstripe and Crash's closed fist connected with his chin. Pinstripe flew backward, still shooting, and the stray bullets burred themselves into the power generator behind them. Pinstripe landed flat on his back, but he was not through yet. He brought up his gun and pointed it level with Crash's face. Crash, not appreciating this, kicked the rifle out of Pinstripe's hands and caught it before it spun away. Now Crash had the upper hand, nozzle pointed down at Pinstripe. The latter's eyes were wide with shock, but not fear. He was just flabbergasted at the situation. Of course, Pinstripe had no idea how Crash was planning to use the gun in his possession. Crash had things to do, so he didn't dally.
"Sorry bud, I'd stay longer and see where this leads, but as you said, I've got a girl waiting."
Crash flipped the gun around and slammed the butt end of the shaft across Pinstripe's face. The latter lay there, unmoving, but Crash knew that when he woke up he would just have a little headache. Taking a look at the generator, Crash tutted. The generator had been busted up by Pinstripe's inaccuracy, and had completely shut down. Crash guessed that meant the toxic waste plant would be less then efficient without a power source, but he really didn't care one way or the other.
Crash tossed the gun into a tub of toxic sludge and left the room. He was not looking forward to any more long walks inside the facility, but as he kept trudging forward, he felt like weeping in joyous ecstasy. Written on the wall in bold letters displayed the word "EXIT", and a massive arrow pointing in the proper direction. Crash smiled, and followed the arrow in utter thankfulness.