AUTHOR'S NOTES

What do you know - I actually submitted this on time!

Anyhow, continuing on with part 8 of my Crash fic, it's here that we follow the group on from where we left them - chasing the Kaiser and hoping to bring him down before the world reaches its twisted form... only to rope in a few surprises on the way. Expect some light mush between Cortex and Bev, a further appearance of the CODA airship... and a bit of bad news.

Might as well lightly explain something down the line – Bev managed to mention having a "handicapped sister" to take care of back at her own home. That's actually referencing to her younger sister Martha and her fate in the conclusion for Schoolhouse Rock: Symphony of the Future. Somehow I feel that fic has got a closer connection to this one than any of the others… hm.

Again, thanks for going through this as well as possible reviews down the line. Going back to EcoBlood's comment (heh, she's responded to every single one so far – she must be really dedicated :D), I noticed how upset it can be to end up having a character not in the fic. Mind, as far as future fanfics are concerned, my incoming Jak fic "After the Daystar" will make its arrival sometime in the middle of April, and after that there'll come my next big Ecaros story (which just like the others won't get a formal release on this site) over the Summer. Hopefully you could score some opportunities there, although if anything they could more than likely be cameos.

Anyhow… only two parts left before this story is wrapped up, nyah.

Peace out,

Rexy


The island's red skies were currently swamping all around the scenery, which in turn managed to reflect strongly upon the plants. They were seen glowing with a deep red color all around them as they blew gently within the wind.

As that happened, the scenario at Meteor Mountain was shown to be more intense. Crash and the others were still seen chasing Kaiser Gemini towards the outer regions of the volcano structure, the gap between them both gradually becoming more intense as time went on.

Eventually, the Kaiser managed to turn a nearby corner, with Crash to follow after him. They then looked on at the scenery ahead of them… only to see nothing more but wasteland scenery right ahead of them.

"I think we've lost him!" Crash exclaimed towards Kazaa's direction.

"Don't panic, Crash. He shouldn't have gone too far. He'll still be around here somewhere."

Kazaa showed a hesitant response as she managed to catch up, before zooming right past Crash, whom was accidentally knocked over by the force of her tail. He then growled at Kazaa, before he started running once more.

After that, Crunch managed to make his run with Coco riding upon his shoulders, with Bev to make her run after them. Right after them came Nina holding onto Cortex's arm in a tight grip, leaving him to show a feeling of pain upon his face.

"Uncle Neo! We have to keep going!"

But the pain around his forearm was too much; that force made him wince that much he ended up struggling to run, never mind keep a straight face. That left him to end up skidding along the ground in a water-skier fashion over time.

It wasn't long until they managed to go around another corner… only to realize that the group faced the top of a steep hillside that managed to lead down towards the main area of the volcano once more. There was no sign of the Kaiser from that angle at all.

"So much for that", Crash sighed under his breath.

Kazaa showed a light grip of her teeth as she looked ahead. "Yeah, something's telling me he's gone hiding somewhere else now. But we'll eventually pummel him down."

Kazaa showed a face filled with optimism as she locked her paws together with a devious expression shining around her. She then started to pace her feet carefully among the ground in a furious pace. While that happened, much of the others were seen dispersing around the region of the mountain, looking around them as time went on.

"You know what this means", blinked Cortex. "Back to the hideout with our findings in our grasp. Right, Bev?"

Bev didn't respond. Instead, she lowered her head towards the ground, her hair almost obscuring her mouth and nose as they were forced down by the planet's gravity. It wasn't long until Cortex managed to notice her gesture.

"Bev, what's wrong?"

"I'm trying to figure out what will happen between us once this battle is over... if we survive."

She then brought her head lightly back up, her eyes lightly flickering over time. She then looked on at Cortex with a gradually more hopeful expression showing upon her, curious over his next words.

He then made a gradual pace towards the edge of the pathway, where a steep hill was seen beneath his feet. There, they saw the island as they were – still currently obscured by elements of pain and darkness.

"The island will be the same as it was before", Cortex said to her with a smile. "You'll see into a happy ending, and the skies will turn blue once more."

"Yeah, but I've still got a handicapped sister to worry about. Do you think it would be fine if we came on over to live with you?"

Cortex's eyes widened upon her saying. Of course, it's been a long while since he knew about much of her relatives, so he ended up showing a curious expression twitching all around his own two eyes.

"Well?" she asked him.

"Bev, you are a very thoughtful figure, but... I myself seem to have family to look into myself."

He then sighed, before looking directly to the left of him, where he saw Nina sitting alone on a nearby rock. She was seen swinging her legs back and forth, in a gentle rhythmic stance, as she looked down towards the island from her viewpoint.

"She may not be much", he started again, "but given the status around this island, she may very well be all I have for the time being."

"That I might understand."

Bev then looked on at Nina for herself… whom in turn started to blink over time. She looked up, before turning to the right of her; as soon as she saw the Black Seagull herself looking into her, she hesitantly turned her back.

She then brought her attention towards Cortex, whom ended up showing a slightly hesitant expression back, his eyes gradually twitching from side to side. That left her to step closer to him, with a light smile showing on her face.

"But it would still be great to keep in touch, I'm sure", she whispered confidently. "Whichever happens out from all this, we won't forget each other."

She then brought one of her hands upon his shoulders, stroking it with a light sympathetic nature around her. That left Cortex to smile back, and from nearby, the feelings were then showcased upon Crash from his position.

"Wow... talk about a close bond...!"

He brought his hands behind his head as he leant against the side of the wall, glad to see a strong form of optimism showing around the group as a whole. But… that was until something in the skies caught Nina's attention.

"Look out!"

Kazaa gasped from her position. "What the-!"

The group then looked up, and right there they managed to see into a black shape making its way right across the sky, zooming past at a furious pace. All that they could do was try to look on at it from a closer angle.

It then made its dive straight down towards the ground, ready to attack the group as they were… only for them all to duck underneath him in time. They looked up, and indeed saw the figure in full formation as he headed back up the path that led to the Stronghold.

"Kaiser Gemini!" Kazaa exclaimed.

"We need to head our way back up there!" shouted Crash. "Quickly!"

And thus they started to make their run all the way back the way they came, hoping to trek along the marble wall in an attempt to make its way closer towards the Kaiser himself. By then, Crash's expression was starting to look tense.

But there… it wasn't long until the Kaiser managed to make his re-appearance on top of one of the rockiest structures upon the mountain. It then managed to start breaking down the rock, and picked up the pieces one by one, filling them with a power surge around them.

"On second thoughts..." Crash gulped. "RUN!"

"We can't cower in front of this thing!" growled Cortex from next to him. "We just need to keep fighting on!"

There, the Kaiser threw the rocks one by one towards the group, whom ended up trying to evade the shots. The painful energy granted by the electricity was easily felt through their bodies as it skimmed past them, with Crunch only being able to fight back by trying to punch the rocks back… only to see them struggle to get higher than the marble wall in elevation. Within the group, Cortex had enough problems trying to dodge the rocks, which in turn were skimming through his hair.

"Uncle Neo!" Nina shouted towards him with panic.

"I'm not giving up yet!"

He then took a hold of his laser pistol and pointed it towards the Kaiser, just as when he was in mid-throw. He tried firing several bullets all at once, only to see that much of which ended up rebounding from him.

All that Cortex could do was show a wide-eyed response as the Kaiser made his next move – picking up the remaining rocks within a cradle position in his arms and making his way straight back up into the sky via his means of flight.

"Crikey, he's juggling a lot here!" Kazaa gasped with a wide-eyed look. "What do you suppose is he trying to do?"

"God knows", said Nina with a quivering tone.

He then hurled the rocks up in a juggle fashion as he went higher and higher, being careful not to make much of them fall as they were. Eventually, he reached the same height as the tallest point on the mountain stronghold, where he then smirked and started juggling the rocks higher and higher.

"Take cover!" Crash commanded.

The Kaiser then managed to leave some of the rocks flying, before allowing his hands to slam them down to the ground in a volleyball player style. One of the first rocks ended up landing upon various trees, singeing them in an instant.

Another few rocks managed to make their slam straight towards the ground, although landing upon the sea this time around; various explosions were seen, shooting various elements of kelp and pebbles above the surface.

He then managed to slam some more rocks nearby, although aiming towards a small cliff-like area in the middle where they ended up drilling holes through it before that in turn collapsed into rubble.

And then it wasn't long until more boulders started to make their way around numerous places all around the clearing, which in turn managed to provide several mini-earthquakes upon landing. That left most of the girls to show screams upon the rocks' landings.

The last rock then managed to make its way within the air, and it wasn't long until the Kaiser slammed it down towards the surface. That one showed an orange trail as it got closer and closer towards the ground… or more precisely, the roof of the rebellion HQ. Upon contact, a giant explosion was shown around the scene, which in turn managed to blind the eyes of the group from nearby.

"The hideout!" Crash screamed from his place.

"Oh no!" cried Kazaa. "Kyle!"

The explosion then faded out, and it wasn't long until the Kaiser managed to fly his way back within the inner regions of the mountain, with a sinister laugh showing around his facial expression. All that Crash could do was show an angered growl back at him, before trying to run towards him… only to have Crunch take a hold around his arm.

"I think we need to head back as soon as we can!" Crunch frowned from his position. "Panic about Kaiser Gemini later."

"Kyle..." Nina whispered in a light tone. "Please tell me you're okay...!"

Nina's face then turned into a panicked one as she managed to make her way down the slope herself, with the others to follow – Crash being an exception as he was being dragged by Crunch via the arm, and Cortex being another as he stayed behind and focused his angered expression straight on towards the mountainous structures behind him.

"Kaiser, if nothing good comes out from this, then I won't forgive you for what you've done!"

He then shook his fist towards the mountainous structure as he heard his voice echo right across the plains, as well as eventually escaping out towards the island's void. His teeth then started to grit tightly at the grasp.

But… his anger soon managed to turn into sadness, as he managed to look straight towards the ruins of the rebellion HQ. He then sighed, his hair steadily drooping down to fit with his facial expressions at the time.

And that left him to run as far as he can, trying to catch up with the others without trying to trip up at the same time. Various dust trails were left via his panicked footsteps as he managed to come closer and closer towards the ruined hideout.


By the time the group reached the hideout itself, it was totally covered in flames, which in turn has managed to settle for an unsettling term of mood throughout. That has managed to leave some upsetting expressions upon the group as a whole.

Several traversing through various embers left them to be able to come to an area of the wreckage that held more rubble than anywhere else, with the content of ash being sent into the air at an uncontrollable high.

Within the group, Coco focused her attention straight over towards a nearby area that was shown to be more spacious than the others – a hole in the ground, and a wooden flight of stairs, ruined by the explosion. She then gasped on at the sight of it.

"I'll go check on the CODA. You just see if Kyle's okay. Sorry if it had to come to this, Crash."

Coco, with a light frown, then started to make her run towards the stairs herself and started climbing her way into the underground areas. That left Crash to show a curious expression as she went further and further below ground level.

But… that was before a rustling sound from nearby diverted his attention. He then went over towards a pile of shuffling planks, leaving him to throw them off one by one, before bringing out a familiar winged hand into view.

"Kyle!"

He then brought out more planks off his body, which eventually was left to expose Kyle's body in full – a ruined body filled with torn feathers, deep bruises around his body, various deep bloodstains and crippled limb positions.

He was seen coughing weakly from his position, struggling to gain his breath from his position. That in turn left the group to pull him out from the wreckage, and out into the open; that in turn left the pelican to smile lightly.

"Crash...!" he gasped weakly from his position. "I'm glad you're here."

He then tried to speak again, but… he gave out several coughs in a row, leaving him to struggle under his position. Two gasps for breath then followed on, which in turn left Crash to crouch down and stroke his head lightly.

"You can tell we faced a strong fight out there, through the smoothest times and the toughest."

"Hang in there, Kyle!" Crash shouted with determination. "We'll sort you out!"

Crash went within his own backpack in trying to uncover something within there, but… there was nothing within it. He then searched further upon search for any form of treatment or first aid, but…

"Leave it", Kyle whispered slowly.

Kyle weakly placed up one of his hands, leaving Crash to show a curious expression upon his gesture. That in turn left him to lower his hand to his chest once more, his expression gradually getting weaker over time.

"I've had enough of an adventure helping you guys go far enough to help us take out this menace. And for that, I am thankful for you."

He provided a light smile towards Crash, whom in turn started to show a much more hesitant facial expression as he tried his best to bring Kyle into his arms and back onto both feet once more.

While that happened, Kyle brought his expression straight towards Cortex, whom ended up showing a light eye twitch at the sight of his response. The link between them remained there as time went on.

"That goes for you too, Cortex", he then whispered with a light gasp. "You may have faced some vicious times in the past few years, but you've pulled through to help make this island for the better."

"Kyle, please, what's happening to you?" Cortex asked him with a worried tone.

Cortex then made his dash towards Kyle himself, his eyes also twitching with wonder and panic at the same time. There, he took a hold of him from the other side, looking onto the pelican's weakened appearance from that angle.

"The skies are calling me", wheezed Kyle. "But I have one last request for you to follow. Promise me that you will use the CODA to fight back against the Gemini."

Cortex thought on about the CODA upon mention; the vessel that Kyle ended up finding upon his journeys around the island. Of all times, this had to be the perfect time to be able to use it, he thought to himself.

"It has been in my possession for most of my time as a part of this rebellion", he said while struggling to gain his breath, "and now I feel that it would be in the hands of a true technical mind."

The pelican then started to gasp much more weakly, leaving Crash to show a more hesitant expression. He then released his grip away from Cortex, whom showed a more upsetting look as Crash ended up taking a firm hold upon him, gradually crouching upon the ground as he did so.

"Kyle!"

"Tell the rest of the Rebellion, that I respected them all. Restore the island... to its... former... glory..."

Right upon those words, his body then drooped as a result, gently within Crash's arms. His eyes were then sealed closed gradually over time, and at the same time… his breathing came to a stop. It was there that Crash saw that Kyle-Jovi, one of the main commanders of the rebellion, has died.

He then ended up bringing his body steadily upon the ground, a light tear starting to show upon his eye. He at least then tried to bring his ear towards his chest, still oblivious to the pain granted around the pelican.

"Kyle..." Crash paused, stuck for words. "Kyle, no!"

"Crash, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we could do."

Kazaa then approached Crash gently, placing one of her paws upon his shoulder. He then turned straight towards her, a light tear starting to come down his face, with a few others almost being set to follow.

That left the bandicoot to come within her arms, placing himself into a light embrace around her body and resting his head upon her shoulders with a pace of sadness showing all around his face.

"The Gemini..." Crash started to growl with mixed emotions of sadness and anger. "What have they done?"

Kazaa then continued to reassure him by stroking him gently, but… it wasn't long until Crash managed to break free from her grasp, and take a hold of a nearby plank of wood, snapping it in half in an instant.

"It's all my fault for being at the wrong place at the wrong time!" he continued to brawl. "If we were here, and if we knew about the meteors, we could have escaped this place in one piece!"

"Relax, Crash", said Crunch in a compassionate tone. "It's not all your fault."

Crash then proceeded in taking one half of the broken plank and tried to strike it towards Crunch's stomach with rage, but that was before the brown bandicoot took a hold of it just before it could make contact with his body.

"No matter what happened to this rebellion group", Crunch started, "you can tell that Kyle would be proud of our actions, no matter where he may end up seeing us."

Crash then released the grip around the plank, before showing a more upsetting expression back at him. There, the brown bandicoot placed a hand around his head, in an aid to calm him down… but the orange bandicoot didn't show much thought back.

"I'm still not convinced."

He brought his attention back towards the surrounding wreckage all around him, ash continuing to settle within the air, some of the flames gradually starting to die down, and the torn areas of Kyle's clothes blowing within the wind.

"From what I've seen, Squadron Gemini isn't going to get away with this one!" Crash gritted his teeth as he turned back towards the others from his restricted position. "Kyle was my friend - no, OUR friend, all the way through to the end! And look what kind of aid we had from him in return!"

Crash then forced himself away from Crunch, and pointed up towards the two taller points of the island – the original cliff-side stronghold they settled in first, shown as nothing more than a pile of metallic rubble, and Meteor Mountain and its current energetic white light source around it.

"And for that purpose, we won't let him down as we stop at nothing to eliminate this menace. For the Rebellion, for Kyle, for the world..."

Crash's expression then turned into a determined smile as he started to make a steady walk towards the underground garage. As soon as his feet were placed upon the first step, the others then gradually followed him over.

That left Crunch bringing Kyle's body underneath a light wooden shelter, one that still remained standing in spite of the rubble. By then, a light rain shower was seen gradually lowering the flames down to nothingness, leaving a few traces of smoke among the ground.

As soon as he was laid there to rest, Crunch then made his continuation towards the underground garage, ready to follow their late pelican comrade's wishes.


The stairway that lead deep within the underground garage was shown to be lengthy as well as darkened for their own right. Most of the group, although still showing grim expressions, was shown to be heading down at a steady pace around them.

They soon reached the bottom, and made their way through the door that separated them from the garage. Right there was a large metallic room, with a giant airship that nestled its way inside the building.

Its purple structures, as well as its majestic fins, were shown to grant a lot of beauty towards the scene itself. Crash then managed to take a step closer, looking closer and closer towards the ship's broad structure.

"So this must be the CODA", he lightly spoke to himself.

"Crash!"

Coco's voice managed to come through his ears, leaving him to look around the bottom of the ship for her. Eventually, he saw her crouching down near one of the wheels, painting it a bright passion pink color. He then looked at the rest of the wheels, and saw them all painted the same color.

"What exactly are you doing to the wheels?" Crash exclaimed as he pointed at Coco.

"Airship maintenance?" she asked with a chuckle. "Anyway, I take you guys are ready to use this thing?"

Crash gave off a light nod, as well as a faint smile showing upon his mouth at the time. He then walked his way steadily towards her, a confident expression being revealed. Cortex was then seen following him, all until he ended up coming towards a panel of the ship that had the CODA's initials etched onto it. The darkness obscured it at first, but that was until Nina came in and turned on various lights that the acronym was defined in full.

"'Cortex Organization Demolition Aircraft'..."

Cortex's eyes widened right at the sight of it. He then looked right around it – the familiar purple colors brought among the paint work, alongside the fin structure, have worked in granting a broad structure all around it.

Several flashbacks then came to his mind, all relating to his earlier encounters with Crash several years prior to the event. The same airship was used for one of their first climatic battles… eventually the vision was blanked out, leaving him to gasp.

"That was my old airship!"

"It is?" Coco gasped at his shout. "If that's the case… exactly how did Kyle end up with it in his grasp?"

Coco then looked on at the ship with curious eyes, curious over Kyle's findings as a whole. She then turned towards the others, but… the first thing she saw was Crash with his head hung low and a frown showing on his face.

"Crash, what's wrong?"

Kazaa went towards his side just as when he was about to speak. "I'll explain once I get inside."

Kazaa then took a light grasp upon the hand of Coco, whom in turn showed a face of curiosity straight back towards her. That left them to walk together as they managed to make their way inside the main component of the ship.

They made their way into a small room at the back, while at the same time the others then managed to settle around the cockpit. Various controls were seen to operate all around them as a whole; levers, buttons and some light bells were seen attached towards the control panel.

"You see Coco, we faced a rough accident out there at..." said Kazaa's voice from next door.

"Uncle Neo", Nina asked Cortex roughly at the same time, "are we ready to use this thing?"

"We are indeed set to be able to get in there."

He then gave off a vicious laugh as he managed to take a hold on a nearby lever, ready to operate the machine… only to have a light puff of smoke to erupt from a small pipe in front of him, covering him in light traces of oil.

He then lightly growled at the procedure, before pulling another lever, which in turn ended up starting to operate the engines that ran the ship. He gave off a more thoughtful smirk this time around – a determined smirk.

"To the top of Meteor Mountain!"

"Are you prepared to go in there?" Crash said deviously. "Without flinching this time?"

"Not this time. Because as far as I have seen, no one upsets the residents of the island and gets away with it!"

He then waved his fists with anger at Crash's response, a firm grip easily showing upon his teeth. But… it wasn't long until he gradually formed a sly expression as he leaned towards Nina's direction.

"As a matter of fact Nina, that's MY job."

Her eyes widened at his response, before she ended up providing a giggle from her mouth. As that happened, Cortex brought himself into triggering several more switches and pressing more buttons, making the engine operation gradually louder with every option activated.

"Besides, it's time we delivered enough payback for what he did to Kyle-Jovi."

Crash then smiled from his position. "You're on!"

With a smile showing on his face, Cortex managed to flip several switches upon the main control panel, before taking a hold of the main control stick for himself. He then looked back at Nina, whom managed to make a climb towards the ceiling, hanging tightly upon the bars like a monkey on a tree branch.

She then pressed a small red button to open a sunroof, before climbing right onto the roof of the building herself. There, she picked up a small bolt and threw another rock towards a control panel right at the other side of the underground garage.

It struck a lever, which in turn opened up the garage's roof, causing a few mounds of soil to end up making their fall into the building as it opened up. She then climbed back in, and gave the thumbs up towards her uncle, whom gave off a devious smile back. But suddenly…

"Coco, calm down, I'm sorry if it all had to end this way..."

Kazaa's reassuring voice from near the back of the ship managed to catch the group's attention, where it was seen that the door that lead into there was suddenly slammed open, the sound echoing upon their ears.

Right there, she was thrown straight out of the room, landing hard upon her back upon landing. The door was then slammed shut, leaving an echo to form its way around the room. Her eyes then widened with fear as she saw that event happen.

She gave out a light frown, severely understanding Coco's distress. It was realized that Coco had a close bond with Kyle himself, given the amount of technical work that occurred between the pair of them.

It was within their actions in the rebellion that they knew much about her distress, and those thoughts were continued on as the ship gradually made its lift out from the garage, and out towards the deep orange skies that surrounded the island.

As far as they knew, the rebellion has been heavily inflicted with pain and sorrow, but they knew that they had to fight on.


It wasn't long until the aircraft managed to make its way straight over towards the outer areas of Meteor Mountain once more. It was there that it managed to advance around towards a side to the right, the group thus absorbing the details of its structure from that angle.

There, they managed to notice something on top of the Kaiser's stronghold – a bright white strobe light that managed to glow in a star-like fashion, almost blinding the entire scenery all around them.

Crash managed to squint his eyes at the sight of it, trying to focus much closer towards the light in itself, his eyes gradually twitching further over time. There, a black shape was seen moving among the light itself.

"There goes the Kaiser! Let's get in there and finish him off!"

Crash pointed on at the blurry shape, leaving Cortex to turn the ship so that it was heading straight towards him. There, the vision of the eerie light was still brought across his own viewpoint, leaving him to twitch an eye at the sight of it as well as trying his best to block the intensity with one of his forearms.

"What is that strange light coming from out of there?" asked Cortex from his main position.

"I don't know", Crunch replied in a slightly uneasy tone, "but we're not sticking around for too long!"

They looked further towards the light – or at least tried – and within there, the essence soon managed to make out a light bridge towards another side of the mountain structure, which in turn formed a staircase towards a point in the sky obscured by thicker clouds.

The Kaiser then managed to make his run across the bridge, before making its way inside the portion of the mountainside in an instant. That left Crash to point straight on at that part of the volcano, with a sneer showing on his face.

"Okay, let's get inside this thing!"

And with a determined look, Cortex took a tighter grip upon the control stick and sent the ship straight towards the mountainous area. They soon managed to get close, being able to notice the Kaiser zooming up a pathway as time went on.

The ship then managed to settle inside a small alcove within the structure, leaving the group to make their way out as soon as they can. That left them all to start making their way up the darker caverns, hoping to catch up with the Kaiser.

"I don't know about you", Bev started speaking towards Cortex's direction, "but it looks creepy in here."

"Be brave, Bev. We need to stay strong."

Bev showed a twitch upon her own eyes as she thought of Cortex's words strongly. That left her to keep walking while at the same time looking from left to right at the same time – as time went on, the caverns got darker… and in some paces, wetter.

Nina ended up with a similar facial expression as she managed to run near the back of the group… but only to be disturbed by a rustling noise behind her. She came to a stop, and looked behind her… only to see a community of bats fly straight towards her.

"Yaiee! I'm not a pedestal for you to sit on!"

She then brought her hands above her head, trying to stop the bats from trying to fly towards her direction. That continued as she made her run straight back towards the group over time, her face showing deep panic.

As soon as she went back to the others… she saw them standing outside a door. That one in itself had a door made of forced light that separated the group from the rest of the caverns, which left the group to end up showing widened expressions at.

"Great, just great", she whispered with a sarcastic growl.

"Something's telling me we'll struggle to get any further than here", sighed Cortex with a frown. "Any other way around to reach this monstrosity?"

"Perhaps we can help."

Cortex's eyes widened. "Who said that?"

Cortex then looked right behind him, and it was there that he ended up seeing four other shadows make their way from further up the canyon. Standing there indeed were N. Gin, Brio, Dingodile and Tropy, all in a line.

"Tropy!" Crash exclaimed right at him.

"Oh no..." Coco sighed. "Who brought them here?"

"Listen, shelia", growled Dingodile with his menacing tone. "We may be operatin' on two sides o' the fence here, but we're still part o' the same rebellion. I don't understand why I had to work with a freak like you, but it had to be done!"

"Dingo, just relax", Tropy sighed back at him. "We don't have long before this planet's fate is decided. Besides, we'll be able to take out the door and advance further as a team."

"You'd really do that?"

Cortex showed hope towards the team themselves, as they ended up showing curious nods back towards them. Within the group, N. Gin was seen excitedly hopping up and down on the spot, a wicked smirk showing upon his lips.

"Then once that's over, we'll be able to steal their riches and shell out on a casino in Sydney!"

"Always you and the r-r-r-riches, Gin", Brio muttered with a growl. "Can't you think for the present?"

Brio then lightly nudged N. Gin, whom left him to grit his teeth back towards his scientist partner. But… while that happened, Tropy drew out his pitchfork and showed determination towards the reinforced door.

"Stand back, because this will hold a wide blast!"

He then allowed a bright charge of white light to show around his pitchfork, gradually increasing in size over the period of time that followed. The light then became that strong it started to blind much of the group around it.

He then triggered the light forward, and it was there that the door was brought down to nothing, leaving a clear path to follow onwards. That left Cortex to show a determined face as he managed to make a run beyond it.

"Let's go in there! Kaiser, be prepared to be finished off!"

As soon as he vanished, Nina then made her follow up forward, with Coco, Kazaa and Bev to come together, Crunch to follow and most of the others to follow in an instant, with various footsteps being left behind within the instant.

That left Tropy behind, showing a confident expression at his pitchfork and the intense power that was placed around it. He gave out a light smile as he started to make a proud walk towards the broken barrier, only to see Crash standing there with a puppy-eyed expression around him.

"No, Crash, you can't have my pitchfork", Tropy leered back. "It may look cool to you, but you saw that it takes a long time to charge."

He then managed to make his walk past Crash, whom can only just show a light frown at the sight of Tropy's attitude. That left him to gently sigh to himself as he made his walk beyond the barrier.

He went round a nearby corner, and it was there that he managed to see the end of the cavern – the open was shown once more, and a light bridge was being shown towards a destination within the skies that was located directly above the Kaiser's main stronghold.

And thus, Crash made his run along the bridge, a thoughtful expression showing between his eyes. Tropy, however, maintained his serious look as he gradually made his pace along the bridge himself.

And it was there that they both realized that the final climax would be able to make its roll right across the island. As far as they knew, Squadron Gemini has ruined their island home and is ready to do the same to the rest of the world, unless they stop them first.

But one question remains – how can the Gemini already know them, when they don't know the Gemini back? An endless sea of possibility managed to swim through Crash's mind, as he made his way closer to the end of the bridge, where the decisive counter will take place.

end of part 8