AN: Hey hey all, another late and delayed chapter, a shorter one than average. I want to clarify that the next chapter may raise this fic's rating again to a slightly higher rating. I am unsure what this site deems as too much violence. And I have had ideas to make this story progressively darker as time goes on. It's tough because I want to keep the characters, you know, IN character but I want to make it slightly more thrilling with the actions and tone… We shall see, with that out of the way, enjoy!
Py-Ro laid on the floor of the room he was contained in, he was not a red, amber shade anymore, now he was a pale salmon colour. Whatever just happened had drained him of his energy. All he could do was breathe in and out slowly, praying he could recuperate and kick the ass of this evil wench. Burn her to a crisp, nothing more than singed dust flowing in the wind. Yet, as much as he wished that he could make that reality. He could not. He could just lay there, listening to her chuckle softly to herself.
"Why... What, I mean, would you do this for?", Py-Ro felt like slapping himself internally, what was once the most powerful elemental known on the face of the Earth, was now blathering and barely making sense. All within a matter of minutes...
The figure turned away from whomever she was talking to, and came up to the glass, "My oh my, you're just as tough as they said you were! You know we have heard stories about you guys for years. I was ever so fascinated with you when I was young". Py-Ro was confused, exhausted, and more importantly, ticked off. He did not want to listen to this drivel of a lecture now, but there was still nothing he could do to change this state of events. She continued, adjusting her maroon coat slightly and straightening it out, "The legendary Py-Ro, to be honest I am quite a fan, though I've rarely gotten to see you in person, you were always so busy in your rampages across cities and all that".
Then suddenly, a noise occurred to Py-Ro's right, he could not fly, or float over, he could just glance in the direction of the sound. A door, an exit! It was open, but all it granted was his torturer to enter the room, with a suave movement in her step. "Wh-you look different...", he acknowledged, trying to keep his breathing up, she seemed to find this merely amusing.
"Oh, forgive me, it has been years since we last met, right?", she seemed to make sense, but Py-Ro couldn't help but feel that this was wrong, all wrong, not just the torture. He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and be in that prison island once more, even that was more pleasant than this right now. This entire situation seemed foreign, he had known this Earth for centuries, ruined most of it in his fits of rage. Yet right now he had no idea where he was. Not to mention, this was completely out of character for who he thought this was. His captor squatted down, looking into his eyes, "I just want to thank you in advance for this wonderful opportunity you have given me, you'll be taken back soon enough, shame really. It's always amazing to meet an idol of your own...". Another voice, muffled from outside, called her away for something. She simply peered away then back to Py-Ro. "Well, it's something to tick off my bucket list I suppose, see you in a few hours!". She saluted sarcastically and waltzed out, the door closed, and he was left alone once more.
Py-Ro let out a pained scream, why couldn't he do more to stop her? He had never felt so weak, so pathetic and powerless. "What I wouldn't give to see the others right now...". He thought to himself, now of all times, he began to think about his partners in destruction, if only they were here, they could help him get sweet revenge.
"Call me useless... Freakin' ridiculous", Nina was aggressively fitting the experimental suit onto her legs, her movements were erratic and shaky, she was furious with the sheer betrayal that she had been afflicted with. The one relative she trusted, her uncle, went and stabbed her in the back along with Tropy. Then again, Nina was never keen on Tropy, something about him always felt off to her. At least with the others she could have a laugh of discuss some evil schemes, but Tropy always acted like he was above all that...
Regardless, she put her mind back on track, the chrome suit fit her perfectly, it helped that the Cortex's were not a very tall bunch, if anything she had already caught up to her uncle in height. She looked at her hands, scrunching them up then opening them back up again to get a feel for the material, "Perfect...", she squatted a couple times and cheered to herself. "I'll show you useless...".
Nina reached around for some sort of switch, "Alright, let's see here..." she muttered aloud, finding a small button on the left forearm, she shrugged and pressed it, within seconds a bunch of numbers began appearing and flying by inside the lenses of the goggles. It was a lot for her to process, she tried to walk forward and ignore the statistical data and code, wherein she ended up walking into a wall by her door, falling onto her butt and shaking her head. Her right hand, currently pressed against the stone floor, suddenly changed, it reshaded her suit to the exact image!
"Stupid, numbers", she quickly took the goggles off, "Was this even a good idea?", she pondered, she folded her arms and in moments quickly jolted upwards, "What the?". She could feel her right hand moving, but against her surroundings, mostly blueish stone, it was invisible. "Oh my God, it actually works". Nina ran to her bed and sat on the red covers of her duvet; her lower section was now completely hidden! "It can imprint anything it touches! Wait... Surely the feet would be an issue then".
The goggles placed on her forehead began to beep, "Huh?", she placed them back over her eyes and read aloud "Note, your feet will not imprint anything, it would be entirely impractical, duh". Nina rolled her eyes and began to set her plan into motion. Next stop, the cells.
The Bandicoot's hut was the only thing generating noise in this sunny afternoon, inside, everyone was having a grand time, currently, Crunch, Coco, Ami and Jill were playing some party brawler, with comments flying everywhere from hype to tension. Crash was grabbing some supplies from out back to tend to the chickens outside, as it was time for them to feed and be checked on. Aku Aku was meeting and greeting with Emily and were conversing over Emily's hobbies and Aku meeting her father a few days prior. Overall, the vibe in the house was completely opposite from how things felt outside the school an hour or so ago.
The group just finished another round, with Crunch just scraping by as the victor, Ami 2nd, Coco 3rd and Jill 4th. They all agreed it was a good match, with Crunch getting up as he saw Crash stumbling carrying all the food, water and other such things. After offering to take half, the two brothers walked past the TV and outside to the front of the house. "Well", Ami began, "After a match like that I could use a drink", she sprung up and wandered toward the kitchen.
Jill spoke up, "Oh, if you could, couldja fetch me a glass?", clearly hinting that walking wasn't her strong suit right now. In fact, she'd began to worry about her family back home, she hoped they weren't too upset with her absence. Ami obliged, and the three girls did another round without Crunch not long after.
Crash and Crunch spent a good while outside, with Crunch talking to his mute brother about all sorts, mostly how nice it felt to have a group of friends forming right now. It was almost too good to be true. Crash couldn't help but agree, it only strengthened his resolve to get stronger in his studies to protect everyone.
Back inside, the girls had finished another set, Ami now sat catching up with Jill and checking up on her injury, Coco walked over to Aku Aku and Emily, hoping to join their conversation. "Ah, Coco, we were just talking about you and your gizmos", Aku Aku claimed.
Coco smiled, "Which ones are we talking about?".
Emily's eyes darted side to side, as if checking in on listeners, "He says you made a robot...!", she whispered giddily.
Coco felt a mixture of nerves but also joy that Emily was so interested, she was more nervous because of the state Mecha was in right now. But she knew she was safe in the garage resting up, Coco chuckled, "Well, would you like to meet them?".
Emily glanced at Aku Aku, like she needed to ask for approval, to which he nodded and played along, she bounced up and down slightly, "So cool!", she cheered. Coco led Emily out of the front room to the main hall which headed toward their rooms and the garage.
Aku Aku found himself alone, not sad, just for once feeling relatively calmed. It made him joyous his children were growing as people, but all too soon he began to remember why he came back here. To think over what to do about Py-Ro's disappearance. Much as he didn't get along with Py-Ro, and all the fights they'd had over the years, he was still worried for one of his kind, he couldn't help it. It wasn't beyond Aku Aku's powers to go searching countless planets and areas of space, but would he have enough time to narrow down Py-Ro's position? Did Uka Uka know anything about this? Aku Aku felt himself overthinking once more, and decided now was not the time to dwell, but to enjoy himself, then discuss things with the children later tonight when everyone had headed home.
Over by the couch, Ami examined Jill's ankle, "Still bad?", she asked, gently rubbing her thumb on the area.
Jill winced, "Not the best, but I'm sure it'll be fine".
Ami gave her a 'really?' look. "After a couple more days rest perhaps, you didn't miss much at school today anyhow".
"Uneventful day?", Jill asked back, Ami raised her eyebrows and her eyelids as if to confirm. She leaned back on the couch, her head so far back, her eyes met the ceiling. Jill looked to her left pocket; she had an idea as to what was bugging Ami just by her change in behaviour.
Jill reached for her pocket, then Ami spoke up, "You have any old friends from years back, Jill?".
Jill ceased her previous action, "A few, none of which are in my life right now though. Unless you wanna count Carter...", she growled.
Ami sat back up, "Oh yeah, Crash and the others got some flak from him and his weaselly pal today. Was unnecessary, I'm going in tomorrow and having a chat with some staff about it. That's not the kinda environment I want for you guys". Just hearing that Carter had pulled something without Jill being able to do anything about it. Man, that got under her skin and made her blood boil something fierce. "Either way", Ami continued, "We got him to back off, but I don't like the vibe he gives off, you really were right about him. I had to see it to believe it but he is slimy".
Jill suddenly began to smirk, "Well, if you wanna hear more stories I have some interesting ones about perfect ol' Cartie". Ami grinned back and Jill began to recite many embarrassing incidents Carter experienced in his childhood when Jill was his pal. They were beginning to giggle to each other as they brought the tone of the chat up.
Aku Aku exhaled and smiled, he chose to head outside and check up on Crash and Crunch.
"Back here yet again...", Nina thought to herself, she had scanned various hallways and it seemed the coast was clear, she found herself again in the first hallway of the dungeon, she recalled the Brat Girls taking a left at the first turn, that was her best bet right now. In no time, she adjusted the suit to the walls of the cells and began inching her way along the walls toward the first fork in the path.
So far so good, she had not seen or heard anyone yet, the main concern she had now was... What if the rumours were true? She had not seen anything down here, what if it were as bad as it sounded? Her mind began to drift off further, why was she going to such lengths to prove her worth to someone who, at this point, seemed to want to toss her aside? Nina hated the Bandicoots to be sure, but she could not fathom a reason why at this point... They foiled their plans, sure, but were they HER plans? The more stubborn part of her began to shut her thoughts down, how dare she question her motivation, to end those rats was her goal, simple.
Unbeknownst to her, the suit had worn off its effect, still in the testing stages and all, the length of the effect seemed shorter than expected. Since Nina had been cautious, inching very gradually down the hall, she hadn't covered much ground. A gravelly voice spoke up. "Nina? Is that you?".
She froze in place, a surplus of worries circling in her mind, she had been caught, who knows what kind of punishment would soon follow. She decided to swallow dryly and face where the voice came from. She unintentionally gasped, inside a rusty cell sat Dingodile, he didn't look worse for wear, but one thing was noticeable, and it was his energy. There wasn't really any.
Nina took the goggles of the suit off and pulled the part by her mouth down, "Dingodile...!", she tried to do a hushed tone, like a breathy whisper, "What are you, I mean, it's true? Uncle sent you down here?!".
Dingodile sat in the corner of his cell, resting his left arm on his knees, "All of us, locked up. We make a few little mistakes and ol' Cortex sends us down 'ere..."
Nina was feeling all kind of unease, this felt off for her uncle, at the very least he would have just called them all idiots, buffoons, fools. But right now, he was acting so harsh Nina could not actually articulate how she felt or thought for that matter.
Dingodile spoke up, "I haven't heard from the others, I just hope they alright". Nina could tell how serious he was by his tone, and the lack of any jokes he was cracking like the usual Dingodile vibe he had. Nina approached the rusted bars and clasped her metal palms around them, she tried to shake them slightly and see if things would dislodge. "It's no use, just get outta here before you end up in the next cell over", Dingodile lamented.
Nina let go, "I'll be back", she stated, walking slightly along, a few cells down were a couple other of the commandos... Nina grabbed the door to a room which occupied Tiny, sat in a corner, furr dishevelled and his nature now cowardly. "T-Tiny!", she yelped, Nina always had a soft spot for the big guy, all the times her uncle berated him, she consoled him afterwards, she knew he could be so much more if they only tried to help him better himself.
Tiny was still shaking, he peered around to Nina, "Tiny... Bad minion, must, suffer for badness...".
Nina frowned, "What in the name of wumpa goes on down here? Tiny, can you walk?".
Tiny looked at the floor, "Tiny no go anywhere. Tiny to learn... Lesson".
Nina growled, "I'm getting you all out of here, I'm having a word with uncle after this-". She turned around and saw a now completely silent blue kangaroo, not laughing hysterically as always, just broken, sat with his legs crossed and leaning against the back wall. "Right", she began, stroking her chin, "There must be keys to these somewhere in the castle... But if I were a key, where would I be?". She chuckled internally at the unintentional rhyme she just made, but now was not the time to laugh, it was time for action. "Ok, I have an idea! I'm getting you out!", she exclaimed, running back to the entrance.
Dingodile ran to the bars of his cell and poked his head out, "You what?!".
"Don't worry!", she shouted back, "They won't get away with this!". Nina had only turned her head back to her front when she made the turn to the main hallways. A pair of Brat Girls on patrol were coming from the other direction and witnessed Nina doing all of this, the glanced to each other with big grins on their faces.
Coco flicked on the lights to the garage, giving a small amber tinge to the room, "This is where I go when I seek solitude, get away from the brothers, or to work on any projects". Emily didn't know what to take in first. But her eyes were drawn to an oddly familiar looking silhouette in the corner of her eye. She slowly wandered over to Mecha, resting and idle. Emily's arms tucked up to her chest, she was in awe. Coco placed her beloved wrench back on her workbench and patted it twice, she felt slightly more at ease now it had returned to her. She then quickly booted Mecha's wake up sequence on her laptop.
Within seconds Mecha began to boot, she slowly started to move each of her joints about and grasp her surroundings, Emily was in awe "Holy...". Emily reached her hand out, and Mecha suddenly snapped her eyes to Emily, who jumped a tad. "Woahh, it can track all sorts of movement!", Emily squealed, she rotated her hand in a clockwise motion and took note of Mecha following it perfectly. Mecha's eyes turned into "^^" shapes and held her own palm out, grasping Emily's, which made her flustered. "Oh, my goodness, h-hi".
Mecha titled her head slightly, "Greetings, are you a friend of mistress Coco?".
Emily looked back at her friend, then her creation, "I believe so, yes, it's so cool to meet you!".
Mecha paused, "I do not detect any low temperatures".
Coco folded her arms and smirked, "Yeah, still need to sort out some of those definitions in you, huh". Both Coco and Emily began to laugh, whilst Mecha was unsure what was humourous about her analysis. They began to talk about all sorts, including what Mecha was capable of, and getting her accustomed to Emily, who was honestly still over the moon that a sentient robot stood before her, it was almost like a dream to her.
Their discussions and chuckles could be heard from outside, where both Crash and Crunch were sat, with Aku Aku beside them. They had finished sorting the chickens with feed and making their home more comfortable for them. Crunch was sat facing toward the exit of the forest, cross-legged, slightly leaning forward. Crash lay to his left, hand behind his head, eyes closed and relaxed.
The only thing Crunch stared at currently was the ocean, reflecting the sun's light. The gentle ripples in the water almost preserving the image of the sun against it. "Really been a crazy few days hasn't it...", Crunch commented. Crash opened one of his eyes and looked at his brother solemnly, Aku Aku just remembered what happened to Py-Ro hours ago and waited to see where this was going. "And don't get me wrong, us, our family, we've saved this Earth countless times. It's a blast, I just get tired of it sometimes. I don't wanna seem ungrateful, I mean, if we don't do it, who will?".
Aku Aku hummed, "Well, sometimes we must thank those who selflessly put themselves on the front line, Crunch. Though granted both of your recent injuries make me concerned, I've never known Crash to be scarred by any confrontation from Cortex". Crash looked away sombrely, Crunch noticed this.
"Well", Crunch started, looking back to the ocean a fair few foot away, "I guess, I just wonder what a 'normal' life for us would be like, that's all".
Aku Aku felt like he was partly to blame, ever since Uka Uka and himself have been fighting in their spiritual forms, many others have been on the frontlines. His children now being only the current ones, Aku Aku could not lie to himself and pretend that he had not thought of one day ending this war forever. "Unfortunately, I do have some concerning news to share with you once our guests leave. As I do not wish to drag them into this".
Crunch turned around, still sat, "Cortex again?".
Aku Aku, shockingly, shook his head, "Maybe something far more sinister".
Nina had spent a few minutes grabbing some supplies from underneath her bed, little did her uncle know, but Nina had snuck many things away over the years. Things ranging from chemicals to outright explosives, all she was looking for right now was a blowtorch she had stolen from a few years back. Fortunately Cortex replaced these things, he assumed they were done with their use, but he was wrong. Nina, stealth suit taken off briefly so she could move a bit more free, hoisted the torch onto her back like a backpack. She was in such a rush she couldn't care less about any sort of key. "Alright...", she began to note to herself, "Just right down the hall, cut through the chemical lab to make the journey slightly quicker, past Pinstripe's old room and right-".
"To the cells where the old commandos lay?", Tropy finished. He stood behind a pack of Brat Girls, "Glad to have such, uhh, gossiping recon at our disposal", he said, arms folded. "Now, Nina, I don't know where you got that torch but I suggest you put it back. Now".
Nina instead pulled it up more, "I found your little secret, yours and Uncle's! I am not gonna let my friends-".
Her opposition began to all laugh like a pack of hyenas, Tropy wiped a tear from his eye, "Minions, Nina, please use the correct terminology for such underlings, we're not friends here, we have a job to do".
"A job that I have NO clue as to the nature!", Nina said, voice shaking slightly.
This made Tropy chuckle, "Maybe if you weren't such a disgrace to your family's name you would be IN on it!".
Nina shook her head, "Whatever this is getting nowhere, move out of the way-
A Brat Girl suddenly swung at Nina! Waving an electronic stun baton in her left hand, "Sorry Nina, but we've come far enough and can't let you disrupt Cortex's plan".
Nina was, in the simplest sense of the word, offended, her own clique turning on her, swinging weapons, badmouthing her. Now it was also her legs and arms shaking, which made the girls on the other side giggle, revelling in the moment.
Tropy turned around, "I'm not even going to waste my precious time on you, we have grand things ahead, Nina. Don't make yourself an enemy of the victor this early".
Nina dropped the torch, the sound of the clanging against the stone floor made Tropy nod his head, he had won in a matter of seconds, just the way he liked it. What he didn't know, was Nina turned around, grabbing the hefty canister, and spun 360 degrees, letting her arms extend to add momentum, and SLAMMED it into the back of his head!
Tropy bent down slightly, leaning forward. "You little...". He turned around, tuning fork now in his hands, "You BITCH!". He threw the fork, Nina simply leaned to the left, channelling almost another aura entirely. She looked dead on into Tropy's eyes.
"I have dealt with enough over the past few days, I am saving my friends, and we are leaving, ALIVE!", she shrieked, fists raised. Nina wanted a good fight right now, nothing mattered, who it was, she didn't care, but right now, things couldn't be better, she just wanted to pummel those who had been treating her poorly for the past while. She had had, enough.