Chapter 5 - The Interrogation

N.Trance opened his eyes, (still slightly dizzy after that hit on the head by the mallet Tiny found,) to find four pairs of eyes staring back at him.

"Well, looks like the scallywag is awake at last," N.Tropy noticed with an unimpressed tone, "thank god you weren't clever enough to turn those stupid devices on, or me and Tiny would be gibbering idiots by now, not that Tiny isn't that already!"

"Right then you egg shaped git, you'd better speak sharpish or we'll be hard boiling you and eating you for breakfast!"

At the sound of Dingodile's threat, N.Trance tried to escape, but his arms and legs were strapped down tight with thick leather straps to a large steel table. As he surveyed the scene, he saw many of Cortex's most evil and twisted instruments and creations scattered around the room, ready and waiting for use. A solitary bright light shone down onto his face, it was almost like an interrogation was underway, or worse, a torture sequence.

"There's nothing for me to say, there's been a big misunderstanding."

Even though N.Trance knew that what he had done was for the bosses benefit, he still had a nervous edge about him, who knows what they were going to do to him.

"Your damn right there's been a misunderstanding, we thought you were part of our group, but looks like your working for someone else all along," N.Tropy's words were cold and menacing, his breath could be felt on the back of N.Trance's neck.

"You've got it all wrong, I was told by the boss to put the devices on your head, that way, his latest creation would be finished faster, seeing as you'd rather sit on your arses all day instead of working!" the impatience in N.Trance's voice was beginning to show, he couldn't believe how thick these guys were.

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!" N.Tropy bellowed, "N.Gin, the pan, now!"

N.Gin walked over to a large cabinet and opened the top drawer. From within it he pulled out the largest frying pan N.Trance had ever seen. Beads of sweat started trickling down his face, they really WERE going to boil him.

"Please, I beg of you," N.Trance pleaded, "that is the truth, you must believe me!"

"We may believe you after we're done eating you," N.Gin let's out an evil chuckle.

N.Gin then proceeded to place the pan onto a huge gas cooker and turned it on, he then started filling the pan with water and was then left to boil.

"Now then, are you going to tell us the truth or not?" N.Gin questioned.

"I've told you the truth already you bloody fools, let me go this instant!"

"I think I've heard just about all I can take from you, Tiny, would you like to do the honors?"

"Tiny CRUSH puny egg," and with that, Tiny grabs hold of N.Trance and rips him from the table, straps and all, and begins to carry him to the now boiling water.

"No, stop, please!" No matter how hard N.Trance begged, Tiny wasn't about to let his vice-like grip go of him. N.Trance was now dangling inches away from certain death, he could feel the heat rising from the pan.

"Time to boil mate," Dingodile said with a wide smirk on his face, "Tiny, drop him!"

"No, NOOOOOOOO!"

Tiny was just about to drop N.Trance into the pan when.......

RIIIING RIIIING!

"Bloody hell, who could that be!" Dingodile was very disappointed having to put the boiling on hold, but someone had to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Dingodile, it's you!" Cortex's voice blared from the reciever, "I thought you'd have been brainwashed by now, seeing as I told N.Trance to do so."

Those words sunk to the bottom of Dingodile's heart, a lump began to form in his throat.

"Could I possibly speak to N.Trance then, or are you just going to not speak and make me look like a prat?"

"Well err, you see boss, we're just in the process of errrr, that is we were just about to....."

"Spit it out already for god's sake!"

"We were just about to boil him," Dingodile then waited for the torrent of insults to come, and sure enough, they came.

"WHAT!" Cortex couldn't believe what he had just heard, "YOU STUPID IDIOTS, LET HIM GO THIS INSTANT!"

"Tiny, drop N.Trance now, do as the boss says."

Tiny did as he was told and lowered N.Trance safely away from the pan. N.Trance glared at Tiny, and Tiny gave a sorry look back.

"I cannot believe the stupidity of you simpletons sometimes, now you listen to me carefully, I want you and everyone else to obey N.Trance's orders from now on, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes boss, sorry boss," Dingodile felt extremely guilty.

"I don't know how I cope sometimes, anyway, I'm off to get massaged now, when I arrive back in two days I want that Crashinator finished and up and running, goodbye!"

The next sound Dingodile heard was the phone being slammed down on the other end. Dingodile turned sheepishly to N.Trance, who looked extremely pissed off.

"I think we all owe you an apology mate, we judged you wrong, you were only following the bosses orders after all."

"Well, I suppose I could accept your apologies, although you were just about to boil me alive."

"We now have to follow your orders exactly," Dingodile muttered, "so what do you want us to do, we'll do anything."

"Well what do you think I want you to do, get to work on the Crashinator, this instant!"

And with that, everyone bolted for the creation room, apart from N.Trance, who, after having just survived being boiled alive, was knackered. He slung himself into the nearest armchair and fell asleep immediately, he knew tomorrow would be another busy day.