Chapter Twenty
Miracle Witnessed

"Well, well, it's about time they got the power running again," snickered Pinstripe as he waltzed about Coco, the gangster rat sneering at the little bandicoot in a gloating fashion while the lights flickered back into action. His accent reeked more of cheese than his breath did as he spoke like someone named Giovanni or some other Italian name. Cocked in his arms, his Tommy-gun was locked and locked, the barrel pointed towards Coco. "Look what the cat dragged in. Youse bandicoots are more trouble than yer are worth, oh brother. But now you little missy are right in the hot water aren't we?"
"Shove it!" Coco sneered as she stood defiantly, arms crossed. She knew now, that it had been Pinstripe with the butt of his gun that had knocked her out in the factory.
Having been brought to Pinstripe's chamber, Coco knew it all too well, modelled after the secret den of mafia in movies, complete with a poker and billiards table. Posters of Cortex and Pinstripe lined the walls as everything was fancy and expensive… Even the rug on the ground was a fine woven oriental rug.
A shelf expressed a line of Pinstripe's trophies, ranging from rifle shooting to ten pin bowling.
The window outside showed the setting sun, beginning to overcast with clouds, and the dull boom of thunder from the approaching storm.
"Show yer superior some respects, or you'll be wearing them cement boots and sleeping with the fishes in no time there baby face," Pinstripe growled as Coco gave a groan and rolled her eyes.
"You know, I'd have much preferred to remain with Nina… She may be evil, but at least she knows how to give an intelligent conversation," Coco spat.
Pinstripe over-looked the snide comment, instead poking Coco with the barrel of his gun. "Alrights, time to spill the beans. Where are them crystals you bandicoots are hiding? And where's your brother? Our boss has plans fer him."
"Last time I checked," Coco snarled. "He had the crystals and was going back to the Ruins Isle to help out our dragon friends. Since I have no idea…" Coco had broken her transmitter earlier before and had no way to fix it at the moment.
And that dream…
Had she really seen a vision of the past? Aku-Aku and Uka-Uka before they became the masks? She had to get back to the others and find out.
Pinstripe gave a sneer before chuckling, "Perfect… Then the boss' plan is coming along nicely…" He moved the gun to the side for a moment…
Fatal mistake.
Coco swept low and knocked Pinstripe from his feet. As soon as the thud of Pinstripe struck the carpet, she kicked again, sending the gun skidding, and another to keep Pinstripe down a few minutes more, sending his Potoroo body skidding across the ground and crashing into the wall beneath his trophies.
Wasting no time, Coco picked up the Tommy-gun, hurling it at the window. She remembered all too well from Crash's story that Castle Cortex had a climb of platforms around the building and they'd be able to get into the castle from climbing up.
She decided to take that route, leaping out the window to the outside ledge, swinging herself onto the rung ladder and flying down, the looming storm crackling and thundering around her.

Inside, Pinstripe snickered, pulling out his walkie-talkie, "She escaped…"
"Perfect! Now the game gets interesting! N. Gin! Get down to the factory and make sure our two 'surprises' are ready and waiting!" Cortex's voice roared through the device.
"What about me boss?" Pinstripe enquired, not paying attention to the creaking above him.
"You?" Cortex questioned. "Ehh… Take a break for all I care. Your job is done."
"Sounds good boss."
Then the bowling ball trophy decided to drop from the sky onto his head, knocking the wannabe gangster out cold.

"Hmm…" Brio frowned as he came back to see Cassie reading at the computer screen. "I think I'm out of morphine. I don't have anything to help Tina's pain…"
Cassie looked glum and deathly. It was hard to believe that one of Crash's friends was to die and there was nothing they could do about it. Instead, she pointed to the screen to take her mind off it, "Another profile popped up while you were gone. I've been reading it…"
"Oh?" Brio lifted an eyebrow, glancing to the screen.
"Yeah, and it's a strange one…" Cassie pointed out. "It was Cortex's last experiment created before the Castle was destroyed and was to be the first of a race of sea-going warriors. Its strength outside the water is mediocre, but place it near water and it gains massive advantages of speed and strength.
"Plus its tail was a formidable weapon, capable of smashing stone pillars. But its real strength was its voice alone. It can create sounds of such high frequencies; it can cause one's head to explode!" Cassie looked troubled as she pointed it out.
Nitrus nodded, then pointed to the final paragraph, "But there were some issues. Cortex listed them down here… It disliked killing. In fact, it would avoid conflict if at all possible. And look at this… The creature held such tight family ties, it constantly was trying to break free to find its family and Cortex was unable to control it at all, so he wiped all her memories so it could not remember a thing about its life before its capture…" Brio frowned. "It remembered before it was exposed to the Evolvo-Ray? Then the creature must have had some high intelligence, in fact almost human level intelligence, even before it was experimented upon…"
"Hey guys! What you doing?" barked a voice behind them.
Turning around, Brio and Cassie observed Tina as the rex was gnawing off her bandages.
"Hey! Don't do that!" Cassie protested as Tina finished tearing them off, revealing the completely healed leg, free of any open wound and Black Spate. "Huh! How… How did you heal that so fast?"
Even Brio's jaw was dropped. Black Spate was lethal, bitten by an animal infected with the disease, the creature would die within a day, wringing in pain and agony. And there was no cure…
Tina looked puzzled, "I… I dunno really. It began to hurt and I felt pain. Then there was warmth and then, it was like my foot felt alright. And then when I looked, even the wound was gone."
Brio shook his head. "A miracle. That's all I can say… We've just witnessed a miracle…"
Cassie blinked, looking down to her paws, wondering. A miracle? Maybe… Or was it something that I did that caused this?

Crash glanced about, turning like crazy on the little pillar of stone he had beneath his feet. He was more than just a little afraid as he had no idea where the attack was to come from. Opalana could strike from any angle and he'd never know until it was too late.
Crash growled in frustration; He hated water with a passion when he was trapped like this.
It didn't help his nerves the snickers of Karma as she watched, hanging upside down from the wall, while Tyra glowered, her muscular arms crossed in annoyance, whilst the leader remained hidden, watching for the eventual outcome of the match. On the ground before them lay the two other Black Pearls, waiting for the victor to…
Crash snapped his vision away from the gems just in time to hop to the next pillar as Opalana gave a battle shriek, leaping from the water and trying to snatch Crash. She landed with a splash back in the water as Crash groaned, clutching his ears as he stood back up.
As long as the orca could remain in the water, she had a major advantage over Crash. And out the water, she could scream so loud, Crash's ears bled. He didn't like this odds but he had to…
"Whoa!" Crash shouted as he leapt up and to the side again as Opalana leapt up to the platform next to him, her cheeks bulging oddly. Crash glanced for a moment, before Opalana lowered her head and a jet stream of water erupted from the blowhole in her head. Yelping as the torrent of water forced him backwards, Crash teetered on the platforms edge, about to fall into the deep pool, before the stream stopped and Opalana leapt back into the wet.
Spin-drying his fur, Crash suddenly gave a yelp as a jolt of electrical energy struck him. Then another, and yet another… His transmitter on his wrist was damaged and malfunctioning, zapping Crash with jolts of electricity as he ripped it from his wrist to the stone platform, where it began short circuiting violently from the damage it had suffered.
"Yar!" Crash shouted as something grabbed his leg, dragging him down towards the pool, as Opalana's arms wrapped themselves about his leg.
"I must have those jewels!" Opalana cried her desperate voice.
In panic, Crash reached out to nab something, anything to help him. As his paw touched the transmitter, his fur stood on end and another buzz of power shot through him, zapping through the bandicoot's body, through Opalana and into the water. Opalana gave a painful screech, releasing her grip as Crash dropped the transmitter on the platform again.
Turning, he witnessed her shadow disappearing into the gloom again.
Each time was closer and closer towards her victory and the longer he played this battle out, the more vicious he figured she'd get. Glancing to the shorting communicator, he sighed, "Forgive me, but there is no other way…"
Then he kicked the sparking device into the water.
At once, the waters crackled alive with electrical energy. A huge scream was given as a figure leapt from the water, charged with the electricity, her body sparking and more as Opalana was electrocuted, the power of the micro-computer flowing through the water. Crash yelled as he covered his ears, the screaming of Opalana completely unbearable to his ears, as even the three other members of the Femme Fatale winced in pain, sheltering their ears.
Then, the systems power must have cut as the lifeless body was Opalana crashed back into the water with an almighty splash.

And then there was silence.

"Well done…" snapped the leader of the Femme Fatale as she bent over, picking up the pearls and tossed them towards Crash. "Catch!"
Catching the two pearls and completing the set of three, Crash grinned. Then, he frowned to the still cloaked leader, "So what? Next time it's you?"
A deep chuckle resounded from the blackness of the hood as it was lifted slightly. Crash could see the glowing emerald eyes in the darkness of the shroud. "Indeed. But while I lack the powers of these three, you'll soon find why I am the leader… Until then, take your prize and enjoy," as she as Tyra and Karma turned and left the chamber, Karma poking her extra long tongue out once again to taunt the bandicoot.

Hopping over to the idol, Crash placed the first pearl on the first altar.
A weak gasp was heard as Opalana dragged her battered body from the water.
The second was placed in place.
"Please… I beg of you…" Opalana's weakened voice beseeched.
And then the third.
The Oracle's eyes ripped open before Crash.
To the one who presents the offering, we shall now show you of the past, the present and the future as is due to you…
Then, there was a flash of blinding white light, illuminating the entire chamber.
And Crash was gone, the pearls reduced to dust and the Oracle was asleep once more.

Leaving only the defeated Opalana on the edge of the altar, lamenting heavy sobbing tears at her one and only chance, now forever lost…