Chapter 1: Escape.
I admit, the days where I was in captivity in Cortex's Castle were days the blur to me as I look back now. I remember the experiments; I remember the faces of the other experimented animals and I remember Dr. Cortex and Dr. Brio. But, other than that, I barely remember the other stuff, most of it was in a cage being bored and wondering how I can get out of here because I realized fast, I didn't want to be Dr. Cortex's soldier!
Both of those scientists are insane! They want to take over the world with an army of mutated animals like me and the others for their own twisted gain. Worse yet is that poor animals were being forced into the device they called the "Cortex Vortex" to twist them to their will. I was under that machine but by some miracle, it didn't work on me, I have no idea why, but I'll be sure to thank Lady Luck if I ever meet her.
Then one day, one of the other subjects, someone called Crash Bandicoot had the Cortex Vortex fail on him and he managed to escape the castle somehow. But the downside was that the female bandicoot, Tawna, was put into lockdown and when the fixes to the device were finished, she was next. I saw her a couple of times, she was very beautiful, but you can tell she wasn't gonna take this lying down…only she didn't have a choice about it…I really felt for her.
But a couple of weeks later, Crash Bandicoot showed up, I never saw him, but he caused havoc on the castle alongside a magical mask and caught the whole castle on fire, forcing Dr. Cortex to fight the bandicoot. An explosion shook my cage door right open and I went to escape…but I couldn't just leave the other subjects there…they were like me and I cared about them, so I released all of them thanks to a rather convenient key and off they went.
Only…I was the last one out and the ceiling fell down on my escape path so I did something that you shouldn't really try. Dr. Cortex infused me with bird D.N.A and gave me wings, so I was gonna fly out the window! Buuuut…I never really learned how and…I made it as far as Great Tree Island before I crash landed into the dirt right on my head….
That's how I escaped Cortex Castle…now, I gotta find out what I do now…
…
Owwwwwww! Dirt huuuurts! Maybe I should have stolen that spare hoverboard instead…where did I land anyway? I look up to see a big tree…Great Tree Island, that's what it's called. I look behind me to see Cortex Island and the burning castle in the background, I never actually saw what it was like from the outside but I must say…it looks good burning right now. I looked to my right to see a Blimp flying off in the distance…did Dr. Cortex escape? No, I don't have time for that, I have to get away from these islands, but how? I flap my wings a bit…I have no real idea how to fly, I sort of glided then started spiralling into the dirt but that wasn't flying.
I sat on the beach and wondered, how was I going to get off these islands? How did that bandicoot even get to the island, he can't have been hiding on Cortex Island the entire time? He had to have gotten across somehow, maybe I can find a boat? Stupid Clara! Why didn't you think about trying to escape with something that gets off three remote islands!? Didn't even get a map or food or anything!
Right, no use sitting on the beach! I have no idea which direction the mainland is, I don't know how to fly but there's no reason I can't learn both, right? I walk towards the centre of the island, there surely has to be something that can get me to the mainland and definitely nowhere near Cortex, I don't want to see that scientist again!
Dr. Cortex doesn't set up shop on a trio of islands doesn't just use one, there has to be something around here. I take one last look at the burning castle and start searching, there doesn't seem to be anything but trees, grass, and dirt.
"Hellloooooooooo?" I call out.
No answers at all. Wait…what's this crate with a mask on it for? Maybe has something in it? I try to open the lid, but it doesn't budge, what is this, super glued on?
"Come. On! Stupid Crate!" I say as I try to pull the lid off.
I furiously jump on it, it breaks and I wasn't prepared as I fell on my face…again. Owwww….
"Hello" A voice said above me.
I look up to see a floating mask? I have no idea how it's floating but it had four leaves of different colour, yellow eyes and a wood-ish red to it.
"Um…hello?" I waved back.
"Greetings, I am Aku Aku, guardian of the Wumpa Islands, you have summoned me?" Aku Aku introduces himself.
"I'm Clara…and I summoned you?" I introduce myself.
"When someone breaks open one of these crates, I am summoned" Aku Aku explains.
Well, maybe this mask knows something if it's a guardian.
"Say, do you know the way off these islands? I uh….escaped from Cortex Island." I ask
Aku Aku circles around me for a few moments, inspecting me.
"You are one of Doctor Cortex's creations?" Aku Aku asks me.
"Yes…but I am not with him, the castle set on fire I flew out the window with my wings to escape and ended up here" I told him.
"Very well. I shall guide you across the island" Aku Aku says after a moment.
"Are you sure you can? I do need to get as far away from that island as possible, to the mainland" I ask Aku Aku.
"Of course, as Guardian I know these islands back to front, I shall have you on your way in no time!" Aku Aku promises.
"If you're sure…" I decide to trust the mask.
I follow Aku Aku…I can't believe I'm talking to a mask, then again, I didn't believe I was getting out of the castle unless I was brainwashed by the Cortex Vortex so today has been a rollercoaster.
"So…you're a floating mask?" I ask
"I am" Aku Aku answers.
"How do you do guardian stuff as a mask?" I ask another question.
"I have many abilities, protection is the main ability, but I can fight if the need arises" Aku Aku explains
"I'll take you word for it, I'm not really a fighter" I tell Aku Aku.
"I am surprised, Dr. Cortex's creations were made for battle" Aku Aku expresses his surprise.
"Um, I think he screwed up, because I can barely throw and punch and barely take one" I tell him.
"That will explain why it took you so long to open the crate that summoned me" Aku Aku looks interested.
Aku Aku guides me around the island, avoiding traps and the like that surely would have ended me right there, it wasn't until and hour later when we discovered something odd, a building that definitely didn't look natural to the island.
"This is strange" Aku Aku notes.
"What is this building?" I ask
"Has to be one of Dr. Cortex's buildings on this island…but Crash and I didn't pass this." Aku Aku said.
"Maybe there are people being experimented on here?" I say this out loud.
I shudder to think more like me are being experimented on. Escape can come later, I have to find out about this building.
"We should check it out" I decide
"Are you sure? You yourself said that you cannot take a punch, there may be bad things in this building you may not be ready for" Aku Aku asks me.
"Yes, but if there's someone in need of help, we're the only ones that probably can, all the other experiments from the castle are going as far as away as possible from Cortex Island." I explain this to Aku Aku.
Aku Aku stares at me for a moment then smiled.
"Very well, but stick close" Aku Aku says.
"I will" I nod.
…
The building was rather small looking, bigger than a house but not as large as Cortex Power. It was barely lit in here, just what was this place? It doesn't look like someplace like Cortex Power, nor anything like the castle I've seen, all I know is this place kind of creeps me out.
"Hmmm, what is the purpose of this place?" Aku Aku mutters to himself.
"This doesn't look like lab" I say.
There didn't seem to be anyone around. I don't think calling out is wise however, there could be those lab assistants around. Still…I had just me and a magic mask so that's something I guess, really wish this place could be lighted better. We walked without seeing anyone until we got to an elevator.
"Guess we have to go down, huh?" I say to Aku Aku.
"Looks like it" Aku Aku nods.
We both enter, there was only one button to press and it was "B1" so I press it and the elevator goes down for about 10 seconds before the door opens again and this time it's a small room that lit up to show some sort of machine. But nobody was around after looking, so looks like we're alone.
"Hmmm, what is this device?" Aku Aku asks.
I look at a screen that says…teleporter?
"Teleporter?" I say out loud.
"A teleporter, this would explain how Dr. Cortex got around so quickly and unnoticed, he teleported everywhere. All of these look like places around the world, Japan, America, Australia, anywhere and everywhere" Aku Aku notes.
"Oh, so I can get to the mainland from here?" I ask.
"You may" Aku Aku answers.
"What about you?" I ask
"My duty is with this island, once you are gone, I will destroy this place so that Great Tree Island is less accessible to Dr. Cortex, then I shall search for others among the Wumpa Islands. Thanks to Crash, Dr. Cortex is defeated but I fear he isn't gone forever" Aku Aku says.
"O-Ok…" I say.
"It will be a long while before he dares try build anything up again. Now go my friend, there is somewhere out there for you to call home." Aku Aku directs me to the teleporter.
I step in the teleporter, a screen shows a city called Wumpa City on the screen.
"Are you sure you want to teleport? You will not be able to come back and I don't know whereabouts this will teleport you" Aku Aku asks.
"I am, I just want to be away from that island" I nod my head.
"Very well, good luck Clara, may the ancients guide your way" Aku Aku says his goodbye as he uses himself to press the button.
The teleporter starts sparking electricity as I waved goodbye as I got zapped and….
…
ZAP!
I appeared in Wumpa city…but there's something not right…where's the ground? Oh…I'm in the sky and the city is below me with all the lights…which means…
"Oooooohhhhhhhhh noooooooooooo!" I say as I start falling.
NOT AGAIN! NOT GOOD! Too much spiralling to ground! Um let's think…right! I have wings! Come on wings! Work! Okay…gliding…that's something…wait noooo! NEVERMIND! NOT WORKING! NOT WORKING! GROUND GETTING TOO CLOSE! AHHHHHHHHHH!
"I shouldn't have left the Magic Maaaaaaaask!" I say as I spiralled towards someone's backyard.
This is gonna be painful…
SLAM!
I felt myself roll and bounce about three times before hitting a fence…owwwww! Owowowowowow!
"Hello?" I heard a voice.
I saw someone…my vision is blurry…I think it was a she and blue hair I think…
"Oh my gosh are you okay!?" She spoke.
"Hey…why are there so many birds around my head…?" I say
Oh, that's too much blackness and…..