Experiment Bandicoot
Chapter 11:
Teen

Year 16, Day 3
I think I was out for days now. The first thing I saw when I woke up was the ceiling. Tan in color, apparently made out of straws, held in place by wooden beams. I moved my head around some more and saw potted plants, a flickering fireplace, small dining room table, wooden floors and walls, colorful carpets, and well…basically a house. A rather warm, friendly house where the perfect family would live with no shame. Damn, my eyes burned during this point. I blinked repeatedly, pretty much assuming that the whites in my eye were blood red now. I looked around some more and eventually moved parts of my body. As far as I was concerned, I was still in one peace. I took a deep breath and decided to close my eyes again. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't, so I opened my eyes. I closed them again and continued to repeat…until I opened my eyes once more and notice something different: Kids. Lots and lots of kids starring back at me.

Year 16, Day 4
"MS. ROO! HE'S AWAKE!" Came a rather scrawny little kid. Every one of the kids murmured as they waited for this "Ms. Roo" while I just kept starring at them with shock and confusion. All the kids were anthros like me. Wonder where their parents were?

"Oh, you're alive, thank goodness!" Came a mature female voice. I slightly raised up until I was in a sitting position. Ms. Roo was a brown kangaroo with a blue dress and darker brown hair. She didn't look so old, maybe in her early 30's, I assume.

"Don't get up, I'll get you something to eat!" And she quickly ran into the kitchen where I could hear the sounds of pots and pans clanking and falling as she hastily tried to prepare a meal for me. In about 3 minutes or so, she manage to make me a few sandwiches making me believe the clanking pots were caused by her running into it and hastily making me food.

"Maybe I should have made you soup instead." She gasped as I scarf those sandwiches down like vultures on carcass. I quickly shook my head, "Oh, there's no need, these are fine…and very good."

"Ooh, he can talk!" A random little girl with pigtails pointed.

"Sierra, it's rude to point." The one named Ms. Roo lectured. Sierra quickly took her hand down and looked in shame. I sighed at the little girl and spoke.

"Of course, I can." I half closed my eyes, "You thought I was mute or something?" The little girl giggled, proclaiming that I was "funny." Good, I made her feel better.

After I had eaten, I sighed and asked who they were.

"My name is Ms. Roo and this is the N. Sanity Orphanage." She explained. Ahh, so that's why there's so many kids and one adult, "And you are?" I thought hard. N. Sanity…the smallest and very first island of my island home, where my father rules with an iron fist. I think I remember Tawna one time saying she lived in this island. Wonder if I can meet her sisters? It seems my dad has not yet gotten to this island yet. The orphanage itself doesn't feel filled with evil and darkness. Whenever I see the little things in this small house, I see the care of a parent or guardian, a sense of warmness and belonging, a feeling I have not felt in so many years. It was most welcoming. My father…I had no clue if the children and Ms. Roo was aware of his evil malice. I ultimately decided that giving out my true name could cause possible turmoil. I had no intention of frightening these innocent children, so I kept my nickname.

"My name is Crash…Crash Bandicoot." I slowly said.

"Crash, that's a silly name." came a chubby little boy with a beanie on his head, "That can't be your real name."

"…I don't know my real name." I lied, "I only remember this name."

"Well, we did find you stranded on a beach." Ms. Roo explained, "And there was a storm a few days ago, so it makes perfect sense that you might have some sort of amnesia."

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"About a week, more or less." Ms. Roo answered.

"Oh." I made it sound like it was nothing. I manage to get up and noticed all I had on were some blue jeans, the pants rolled up so that it was just below my knees.

"Your clothes were wet, so we gave you some jeans instead…is it okay?" Ms. Roo asked. I admit I wasn't used to the idea of being shirtless. I noticed a lot of the boys in the orphanage, mainly the older ones were shirtless. I didn't really care that much, after all, I'm completely fur. Maybe this was something I could easily warm up to. After all, the weather feels more hotter here. I guess mainly because I'm not way high up in the comforts of Castle Cortex where chilly air and air conditioners are common.

"If you need a shirt, I got one that might fit ya." A boy who sounded like he was 12, but was nearly my height said.

"I'm cool." I gestured.

"So, do you know anything of your parents?" Ms. Roo asked.

"No." Again I lied again, "Can't remember where I was from either."

Ms. Roo found this troubling and insisted that I stay in the orphanage. I was too weak and dizzy to disagree and did so until I recovered.

Year 16, Day 30
Okay, I admit me staying in the orphanage was a lot longer then I wanted to stay. These kids were really getting into me. I often got to thinking at times. My father said I was adopted and if that was the case…I wonder if this was the orphanage where I came from? Who knows? There's only like so many orphanages scattered around the islands. Still, it would have been nice to know. The kids are I were having no problems getting along. I was the oldest out of the 20 or so kids with the second oldest being a girl named Toni who was about 14. She's usually Ms. Roo's assistant on watching over the children. She was very much a mature girl for her age. The kids could only see me as a fellow orphan and nothing more. Considering I ran off from my father, I sometimes felt like one. I got used to the warmer weather and I was mostly seen wearing short knee length pants and Hawaiian shirts, open, revealing my fuzzy chest and stomach. My crystal was kept in my pocket at all times.

Every night, I would stare at the castle from the distance. It's usually late at night when everyone's sleeping. The full moon seems to shine only towards Castle Cortex. I was upset, I was sad. I thought of Uncle Gin and Brio, but mostly, I thought of dad and Tawna. The last one stayed in my mind a lot. I never realized I felt so strongly about her. Leaving her trapped in there saddened me. It didn't help that my father wasn't exactly doing so well himself. I just kept starring at that castle every night, not doing anything about it.

Year 16, Day 33
"I saw you."

"Huh?"

"You've been doing it for a while now."

I was lounging around, reading a book when I saw this little blonde haired girl talking to me. She had on a sleeveless blue shirt and matching blue jeans with pink sneakers. Her hair was unusually straight (most of the kids had rather messy hair) that reached down to her waist. A blue bow was on the left side near her ear. She was a bandicoot like me. Orange furred as well as green eyed like me. She looked about 10, 11 maybe.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"For some time now, late at night, you keep starring at that castle in the sky." She spoke, "You must be connected to it somehow." I was flabbergasted. So, this little girl managed to spy on me staring at that "Castle in the sky".

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Coco."

"I see." I nodded, "You must be a pretty smart and clever girl. Well, yes, I was starring at that castle."

"Do you live there?"

"Someone I care about is in there." I didn't answer her question, "I know…I remember…I have to save her."

"Then why don't you?" She asked, "After all, she must be special to you. That place is pretty bad enough with that evil man living in it." So they have heard of Cortex and his undoing.

"Yea...maybe." I muttered.

Year 16, Day 45
The girl Coco fascinated me. She remained me a lot of dad: Calculating, intelligent, and clever. Just minus the big head and evilness. In fact, she was the only one in the orphanage to fully operate a computer. She knew more then I did and I lived with a scientist. Her best friend seemed to be a boy dingo named Tobias whom both seem to share a crush with each other. Kinda cute. Both too smart for their own good, I'd say. Tobias was a delight to talk too as well.

"I can see you care greatly for Coco." I said one day.

"Well, the first time she came to the orphanage when she was about 5, she's been shy and crying a lot." Tobias started, "I felt sorry for her. I tried to help her in and in time, she and I became friends. She's getting stronger and more confident."

"Ain't that nice?" I spoke as I stared at that small girl, busying herself with the only computer in the orphanage (and a pretty old, outdated one, too).

"Yea…I'm gonna marry her someday." Tobias grinned.

Coco and I talked more after she confessed on how she spied on me. She was great to speak with. Despite her age, Coco was very mature and knew a lot more then all the kids combined, plus me, and Ms. Roo.

"So, how did you get here?" I asked. Coco was silent.

"We were in Hong Kong…I was five." Coco started, "A bit of a cliché, but my parents were killed in a car accident. I was in with them, but I survived. My parents didn't. We rammed into a truck because it stopped all of a sudden. This set a chain reaction and other cars bumped into our car…all because of that stupid truck. Apparently, the guy driving it wasn't exactly sane."

"I see." I muttered.

"As I felt every bump from the car, I felt closer to death. I couldn't stop screaming. I wasn't aware, but halfway towards the accident, my parent's scream were no longer heard. I didn't notice until everything was over. Everything silent except the sounds of police cars and ambulances." Coco continued, "I was lucky enough to walk away with a broken arm and some scratches. My parents weren't so lucky. I was sent to live with my grandmother in Australia, this island we live in, but it didn't last long since she started to develop a cancer that made her incapable of taking care of me. It didn't matter anyways, I hated her."

"Why?"

"She was rude, she was mean, she physically abused me, hitting me with her walking cane or slapping me with her hand…I was five. What kind of a person hurts a five year old?" I sighed, remembering when my dad smacked me when I went through his research papers when I was 8.

"The police got word of my grandmother, her abuse and her cancer and sent me away to the nearest orphanage since I had no other relatives…that's how I ended up here." Her voice drooped into more sorrow as she told her tale and all I could do was place an arm around her tiny shoulders. This was a child who felt a pain all too similar to my own. I felt even more connected to her then I had ever felt in my entire life.

"When I came to this orphanage, I was so alone and scared." She continued, "I never thought I could trust anyone or befriend anymore. I was too sad and angry at the events that unfolded into my life…until I met him." I had a hankering I knew who that "him" was.

"He's name is Tobias, you know, the boy I always hang with." Bingo. The story Tobias told me all but was being repeated, only in Coco's view.

"He's the same age as me, only slightly older. He befriended me and took care of me. He taught me lots of stuff you couldn't learn on an intellectual level. I grew to trust him…he became my best friend." Coco smiled softly, "I wouldn't be where I am without him. He picked me up during my time of sadness. Gave me that confidence that I so needed." I nodded and thought of Tawna…she gave me the confidence I needed to get out of that wrenched castle and over to this peaceful place.

"He's so great." Coco smiled weakly, "We're gonna get married someday."

After that, I couldn't help but laugh. So, both Tobias and Coco want to marry each other when they're older. In all honestly, I thought that was cute, them being kids and all. But then again, I see the two together so often, I would be unsurprised if the two hitched.

"What's so funny?" Coco placed her hands on her waist, "We're gonna marry when we're older! Is it so wrong?"

"Nah, just…I just feel…happy, that's all." I wiped a tear off from the crying.

Once I heard Coco's tale and how she survived all this, my mind was clear. I was going to save Tawna and make my dad the man I loved and called "father".

Year 16, Day 51
"So, you're going away." Coco spoke, rather upset.

"For a while." I said, "Not sure how long."

"To the Castle in the Sky?" She asked, "It'll take you, by foot, about 5 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, and 6 hours, provided you sleep for 8 hours a night and eat and rest for a total of an hour and a half times." I smiled and patted Coco's head.

"I'll be back sooner then you think, kid." I smiled, then left the room I slept in. The same bed where I first woke up after I escaped Castle Cortex. I shared with four other boys, all about 9 to 12 years old. As I made my way to the living room and eventually outside, all the kids started to wave good-bye. More then half cried their little eyes out. Ms. Roo made me some of her homemade meals to take and Tobias offered me a survival's guide.

"I think we could survive either way, we're animals." Tobias shrugged, although Coco reminded him we were too different to be compared fully.

I made a final farewell and started my long journey.

Year 16, Day 122
I don't regret leaving the orphanage. I had a gut feeling I would return. Exploring the parts of the island home felt exceptionally wonderful. I saw sights I never saw before. The trees, the water, the animals, the exotic smell of flowers, damn…what have I been missing out? For the first time in my life, all traces of my father left me as I explored a world I never even knew about. I never knew just how much beauty was carried over in my island home. I spent days climbing over rocks, leaping over swampy waters filled with mosquitoes, stepped on stones to cross raging rivers, and even befriended few tribal villages and animals (a boar seemed to wanted to follow me around a lot). All in all, I kinda regretted not having a camera around, but I noticed taking a picture didn't matter as long as this was all in my head, as part of my memories. I saw the beauty of these islands and I look back at my father's castle and Citadel City. Both used to be pretty clean places, but toxic wastes, unused technology, horrid garbage…it was ruining the beautiful world of these three islands. That man had to be stopped.

Year 16, Day 167
I manage to reach the second island. A huge waterfall overlooked most of the island and misty areas were aplenty. So far, so good. I'm alive and well. I manage to develop some of my muscles a bit from all the climbing and running. I was stronger and faster then I was before. My immunity system has gone up and I hardly ever got sick. I could swim faster and surviving in the wild was no problem. I figured out which berries were poisonous or not. Of course, one time I ate some poisonous berries and nearly died if I didn't have a first aid kit. Another time I was bitten by a snake, only surviving due to the snake first air kit. I found out Tobias' survival guide book was exceptionally helpful on what was poisonous or not. I thought myself the concepts of first aid. When it comes to physical damage, that was of little worry for me. I was born to withstand such physical blown. I could fall off a 10 feet cliff (and I did) and I walked off unscathed. I fell into a raging river once and I kept hitting a lot of rocks before I ultimately grabbed onto one and manage to pull myself up. I only made it with a few bruises and a broken finger. Nothing more, nothing less. Or maybe I'm just lucky?

Year 16, Day 180
Every night I think about dad and Tawna before I sleep. I wonder how they're doing? I wonder if I can reach them in time? Will Tawna be experimented on or worse, dead, by the time I come and rescue her? Will my dad ever return to that caring, warm man I once knew? I ponder about this for about 15 minutes before sleeping for the night…

I had so much left to go.

…………………

Year 16, Day 181
My name is Tawna. I'm 15 years old and if I was home right now and not stuck in prison owned by a demented vertigo challenged scientist, I'd be in 10th grade in school, getting' picked on by my older sisters, and practicin' kickboxin' and tryin' to get a black belt, Oy. The latter I do inside the prison, buildin' up my strength both physically and emotionally. At times, I get to fight the other inmates. Considerin' most of them are already criminals, I don't feel too bad when I beat the crap outta them. It kind of helps with the pent-up rage I have inside me, actually. Any who, here I am, wonderin' on how to get out. I've actually devised many plans and even tried some of them. One instance was when I was hired to do Cortex's laundry, I tried to sneak out of the castle, but I made a mistake by goin' down the laundry chute when I saw Brio and Gin comin' from opposite directions. OY! No place to hide, I went down there and ended up back where I originally was and by that time, I was taken back to prison by one of Cortex's mutated idiots: Koala Kong. Ain't that a kick in the pants? I tried again and half the time I was caught. It was when Cortex threaten that he'd experiment on me that I decided to just give in. I was surprised he still kept me. I wonder why he had no intention of usin' me? I'm not some sort of pawn in his little scheme, am I?

Whatever I am, all I can do is act helpless, basically act like Princess freakin' Peach in the Mario games: helpless and waitin' for a hero to come save me. I hate that, what a wasted and stupid cliché. I want to escape and I usually make random outbursts at times. I hate this, I hate feelin' weak. I want to be a Xena or a Buffy, not Princess Peach. It don't help that Cortex's main henchman are a bunch of annoyin' twits. They especially like to bugger me.

"So…what is it about that Crash youse like so much, dollface?" Pinstripe would ask me. I swear, the next time he calls me dollface, I'll punch 'em.

"Oooh, yes, he is an idiot." Koalo Kong chimed in, "I mean, he plays too much video games. I do not understand what's up with those stupid things."

"I don't either, but I gots to say, they're filled with a lot of variety, I'll tall ya that." Pinstripe chuckled, "Of course, that don't mean nuthin'."

"So…I heard boss got a new recruit. I wonder if he is any good?"

"I heard he's an ol' friend of the boss. Said he's name was Papu Popa or Popo Pupa or sumthin' like that. Well, I hope he's any good and not as blatantly useless as that kid." Then he turned and stared at me. "Ain't that right, dollface?"

I punched him, and Ripper Roo laughed…more so then usual.

Between Crash's escape and now, those have been what I've been doin': trying to escape, thinking a lot, and fending off annoyin' henchman. I wonder if my older sisters are doing okay? I wonder if Crash is doing okay? Oy, mate, this is gettin' on my nerves!

………………

Year 16, Day 233
Finally reached the third island. Already I feel a sense of familiarity. I could smell the toxic waste and smogs of various factories my father made during his time of corruption. The leading factory is rumored to house various nuclear items as well as machine capable of making destructive robots. Considering Dad was into mutant beasts, the robots were Uncle Gin's.

To get to the castle the fastest way, I had to surpass the entire factory until I found an exit. Getting inside was no problem. I still had the access card given to me by dad when I was about 13. Seems he has yet to terminate my account so far. Was he expecting me to come back and beg for forgiveness? Too busy with work? Who knows? Getting pass security wasn't, however. I noticed lots of wanted posters with my face. So, he didn't terminate my account, but he's already made wanted posters. A bit misleading and ironic, I'd say. Security Guards were everywhere as well as workers. Getting pass them wasn't all that hard. Not to be bigheaded, but I was agile and swift, almost like a ninja. Okay, not really like a ninja, but almost. Being in the woods further helped my abilities. My spinning attack has gotten much better. I could easily control my movement, but I could only spin for a few seconds. I hoped to extend that.

It was when I entered a rather cozy room where I felt I took a wrong turn…and I did. It was filled with a red couch and two matching arm chairs, a painting of my father in an abstract Picasso-style artwork, one bookshelf, plus a giant glass window overlooking a green nuclear pool, and a brown desk with papers, coffee mug filled with pens and pencils, and a lone orange stood. And of course, behind that desk is none other then Pinstripe himself. He immediately spotted me as I just barged into the room, expecting another area filled with security guards and monotonous workers. Boy, was I wrong?
"What th-"

"Oh, crap."

"Wait a minute, I know ya! Youse that boy the boss is looking for, Crash, is it!" He pointed towards me, "Youse that kid I hate!"

"Uhh…" Yea, quite the speaker, am I?

"Well, since youse is here and all, I guess I gots to take you back to the boss."

"Dad." I manage to say.

"Youse got it!" I never gave him a good description, have I? He wore a red pinstripe shirt and looked to be about a few inches taller then me (about way into the 6 ft. range). He's hair was jet black and his fur brown with light brown mixed. Next to him was a tommy gun, his primary source of weapon.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "I thought you were with dad last I check."

"I run this here factory, courtesy of the boss." The tall creature spoke to me, "Now then, I gotta take you to the boss, so come with me, he's been very worried about you."

"I can go myself." I gulped. Even if he intended to take me to dad, I didn't trust him, so I remained hesitant.

"Ya little brat, if you don't come willingly, I won't be afraid to do it by force!" And that's when he took the tommy gun and started to shoot around me, the bullets landing on the walls. I cringed and ducked. He kept shooting towards me, but not at me. He knew I needed him alive. Of course, that didn't prevent me from shouting; "You idiot! You'll shoot me to death! I'm needed alive, remember?"

I hid in various couches and armchairs surrounding his little room, hearing the sounds of his gun and his high pitched cackling.

"Youse about give up?" He cried, "Youse in a terrible disadvantage! I have a gun, you don't!"

"That's where you're wrong!" I cried, "If you have brawns, it's more then enough to match with my brains!" And with that, I skillfully dodged the bullets and started to use my patent spin attack. It was all or nothing. Pinstripe didn't expect me to perform such an attack and grew even more shocked when all that spinning dizzied him as I circled the room, spinning. When Pinstripe started to turn green in the face, I stopped and laid a punch on the face, followed by a kick. I quickly then took his tommy gun and spin dashed it, breaking it in two. I honestly didn't know how I had it in me!

Pinstripe was mumbling while lying on the ground, dizzy. I made my escape by going back out and trying to find another route. It was only a minute after I ran that the alarm let loose. Pinstripe must've regained consciousness and activated it. I hasten and saw "Exit" sign located above a double door. In but a few minutes, I was out the opposite side where I was greeted by the sky. I ran further away from the factory and hid inside the bushes until all the guards had given up on chasing me. I then continued my journey, happy that I was near Citadel City.

Year 16, Day 260
The city was far worse then that factory. Wanted posters of me wanting me alive was everywhere in the city and all for a handsome reward, so any greedy idiot would return me just for that large sum of cash. I had to mostly sneak around during the night, sleeping in the day (hiding, of course). Sometimes I adopted disguises, but I didn't do that often (do you know how itchy it is to wear a fake beard?). It took many a day and a great deal of patience before I manage to reach Castle Cortex. I noticed a small change in that there was a giant violet blimp with a giant yellow "N" plastered onto it. Why he had a blimp when he had the Nicodemus was unknown, but that was not my problem.

Security was of little problem, I knew this castle's layout and booby traps like it was my own backyard. What I didn't know was the people who would stop me as I made my way to dad. By then, word got out (possibly from Pinstripe) that I was sighted and on the run.

Between me and Dad's lab was Ripper Roo, Koala Kong, and Papu Papu, the latter being old buddies with Cortex. When he joined, I don't remember, why he joined, merely as a sign of friendship with Cortex…and from what I heard, getting kicked out as leader of the tribe for doing a crappy job.

"Ahh, guess the son has returned." Koala Kong's thick accent came through. Koala Kong, the big, gray red tank donning muscle bound idiot.

"Yes, Crash, welcome home." came the more calm voice of Papu Papu. Ripper Roo just laughed hysterically, like he always does.

"AHAHahahahaaHAhAAhaA! SNIZ!"

"I came to see my dad and put an end to all this crap!" I cried.

"We'll gladly take you to your father, but he expects you to be a good boy and be by his side again." Papu gripped his staff tightly.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?" I cried, "I'm against dad's crazy beliefs! I won't be part of it! I'm gonna change dad back to who he was and none of you are going to stop me!"

I just made a death wish.

"If you are against the boss, then you must be destroyed!" Koala Kong hissed, "Let's get him!"

"Not again." I mumbled, and I got to fighting them.

Papu was the easiest to beat and manipulate. His heavy built made him strong, but he lacked speed which I greatly possessed. I used that to my advantage. Since Papu mainly wasn't bright enough to do nothing but slam his staff down, hoping it'll hit me, I used that as my advantage. I would get in front of Koala Kong or Ripper Roo and move out just as Papu was about to smack me. He instead got them. They manage to survive that blow which made me go into another plan. I manage to take a giant leap and ride on top of Papu like a child would on a parent. Papu took his staff and tried to swing it, attempting to hit me. In the end, he ended up hitting himself just as I leaped out of harm's way, making him unconscious. One down, two to go.
Koala Kong was about as strong as Papu, but unfortunately, faster as well. Luckily, he's about as dumb as Papu, if not dumber. He tried multiple times to slam his fists down on me or kick me to a wall. Few times he succeeded on slamming me to various objects around the castle (Suit of armors, paintings, vases). I swear I heard one of my ribs crack. Ripper Roo was the speedy one. A fast little guy who balanced out Koala Kong, so this was of little advantage over me. Considering how little brains they lacked, I used my brain over their brawn.

"Geez, you really want to be harming me instead of each other?" I coughed some blood out. The two made a "huh?" face. I continued.

"I remember when I was still living here; I overheard Koala Kong saying how Ripper Roo is the stupidest animal alive." I eyed Ripper Roo, "He said you're a freak of nature not fit for this world." Then I turned to speak with Koala Kong.

"And I heard…well, TRY to hear anyways…Ripper Roo doesn't take too fondly of you, thinking you're some steroids for brains."

"WHAT?" Koala Kong cried. Ripper Roo merely growled and hissed.

"You called me a WHAT!" And soon, the two started to fight each other. Idiots. I made my way to the lab and locked the doorway.

"Both their brains combined and I'm already smarter then they are."

"Not for very long." I turned around from the door to see Uncle Gin and Brio, eyeing me from beneath the shadows they were surrounded by.

"Oh…our little godson has returned." Uncle Gin spoke in an eerily calm manner.

"You mean the t-t-t-t-t-t-traitor?" Uncle Brio snickered.

"Guys." My voice was starting to break, "Can't we talk about this?"

"I don't see why Cortex would still want you after you made that escape." Uncle Gin hissed. So, my dad did wanted me back, "Brio, take care of him while I report to Cortex." Uncle Gin walked off another doorway, leaving me alone with Uncle Brio in this cold, distant lab.

"Uncle Brio, please." I gulped, "I'm your godson. You're little "nephew."

"I'm sorry, Crash…I have to do this." His voice…it sounded like it was filled with a sense of regret. He took a small beaker from his lab coat and drank it. I only stared, wondering what'd he plan to do.

"I really am, Crash." He barely whispered. The next thing I knew, I saw him…Uncle Brio turn from small 4 foot tall scientist to a giant, hulking, green 7 foot tall…umm…Hulk wannabe for lack of better description. Completely shirtless and with bulging muscles, I knew I was in trouble.

Year 16, Day 261
Sorry to leave it as a cliffhanger, but I had to rest before I could write down the rest of my tale. I need sleep, ya know. Any who, Uncle Brio, massive Hulk-wannabe, me? A small 5 foot something bandicoot anthro caught, doing…well…nothing but gasp. It was when Uncle Brio slammed his fists down almost on me that I moved out before he could crush me. He started to chuck tables hosting chemicals and computers. I was lucky none of the chemicals changed me into something unnatural. The computers he flung did hit me a couple of times. Ouch, there goes another rib. Once I was down, Uncle Brio came charging towards me.

"Uncle Brio, STOP!" I cried. He didn't and I moved out of the way. In fact, for half the battle, all I ever did was runaway. What more could I do? I couldn't seem to stop him. I thought it was pretty challenging fighting those three outside the lab, but this is like all three combined, plus Uncle Brio himself. I was being flung around as he caught up to me quite often. By this point, I was bruising and bleeding. I believe I had a black eye on the right eye, blood coming from my mouth, and ruffled fur, not to mention all the little cuts I got.

By the final turn of events in this battle, I was left battled and bruised, almost barely alive, one could say. Uncle Brio came closer to me, picked me up, and started to squeeze the life outta me. With whatever life (and breath) I had left, I barely manage to speak to him.

"Uncle Brio…don't…please don't do this." I felt tears, "I'm your…godson…why would you do this? Do this…to family?"

Uncle Brio, almost ready to pop me like a balloon with his bulgy steroid bound arms starred deeply at me. As I was struggling to breath, he was shaking. We stared at each other for a long time before I felt a small squeal. I thought it came from myself, but it was Uncle Brio. I then notice a small stream of tear coming for his right eye. Then his left. Starring up, I noticed he was crying. Soon, his entire eyes filled with salty tears. He laid his arms down where I fell hard on the ground, and got down on his knees. It was awkward to see a giant, hulk-like being crying, but I think I got through to him…at least, I hoped I did.

"C-C-C-C-C-Crash…CRASH!" He gave me a bear size hug which didn't bound well due to his massive weight, "WHAT HAVE I DONE? I've become a m-m-m-m-m-monster…LITERALLY!" He bawled.

"My little godson, I'M SO SORRY!" He choked, "What kind of a godfather am I? What kind of an uncle am I to c-c-c-c-c-c-cause my only little nephew/godson to get HURT?"

"Uncle Brio, if you keep this up, you're going to attract people!" I cried, "Handle yourself!"

"Right…right." He sniffed. I felt awkward again, but touched.

"I have to find dad, I also have to find Tawna." I commented, "In fact, I daresay we need to free everyone kept prisoner. This has gone far long enough!" I stood up and tried to control my breathing and clutching to whatever injury I had on my side.

"Your uncle Gin is getting Cortex." Uncle Brio commented.

"I know…maybe I can talk with him." I gestured.

"I didn't w-w-w-w-w-wanted to…but Cortex can be such a c-c-c-c-c-commanding guy." Uncle Brio muttered, facing hanging low in shame, "I'm never s-s-s-s-s-so confident with myself."

"I don't blame you for joining in, concerning your personality." I spoke calmly, "But right now, I need to find and talk with dad."

"So, you wish to talk to me?" I gasped and turned around to face my father. He's changed. He was on top of a red hover board. I think I remember seeing prototypes of the hover boards he's been trying to build. I assume that's either the final version or another prototype. He's skin was still yellow, but his black hair (what little hair he had, anyways), were not so much as straight as it was twisty and looked as though he hadn't combed in days. His eyes weren't green anymore, no longer green like mines, instead, it was deep red. Contact lens? I don't know, but I didn't like it. The "N" on his forehead still imprinted on his head.

"Dad?" I gasped.

"My son." He spoke in a cool, unloving voice, "This is why I want you to be the leader of my army. Took down Papu Papu, Koala Kong, Ripper Roo, Pinstripe, and even outsmarted Brio. Fine warriors they are and you bested them all. You truly are the best."

"I don't want to be in your army!" I cried, "I just want everything to be back to normal, the way things were meant to be!"

"You know that'll never happen." Dad shrugged, moving in closer to me via his hover board.

"If that is the case, then I have no choice but to rebel!" I cried, "I'll destroy this entire lab if I have to."

"Looks like you pretty much did that." He observed the lab where Uncle Brio and I were fighting.

"Crash, I'm giving you a pretty good choice, an ultimatum, join me or I might do something terrible to a close companion of yours."

"What?" He snapped his finger and out came Gin with a remote control. It was for Tawna who had on a collar around her neck.

"This collar contains poison. With a push of the button, she goes dead in three minutes." Gin snickered, "Trust me, there's no antidote anyway here."

"TAWNA!" I cried.

"CRASH!" She screamed, "….You're a mess."

"This is horrible!" My uncle Brio blubbered.

"I cannot believe you would do something like this!" I cried, "How could you stoop this low?"

"It's how I am now, Crash." Dad snickered, "If you value the life of this pretty girl, you will join me. I've kept her alive long enough to do something of this sort, to lure you back. Well?"

Damn it! As if the decision was hard enough to choose to escape the castle months ago, now this? Why does my life suck so much? I knew I had one chance, one choice. I had to make it count. What could I do?
"Crash! JUST GET OUT!" Tawna cried, "I'll be fine!"

"Well, Crash?" Dad repeatedly asked. GAH! My brain was trying to kill me. I clutched my head, clenched my teeth, and held my eyes shut, deciding on what I have to do. Why does life intend to frustrate me?

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I gasped. Someone was screaming. In seconds, I found out it was from Uncle Brio who charged towards my dad who in turn end up knocking Uncle Gin, the remote control slipping out of his hand. Uncle Brio was holding both Uncle Gin and Dad in his grip.

"QUICK! RUN, CRASH!" He gestured, "I have n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no clue how long my chemical enhanced form will l-l-l-l-l-last!" I quickly ran to grab both the remote and Tawna and run off.

"OY! You're goin' back in the directions of the prison cell holds!" Tawna cried.

"We have to free the others, including the innocent animals!" I cried, as I tried to see which button on the remote freed the collar. The letterings on the buttons were small and me running at the same time made it more impossible to see. I finally had to stop before finding the button to release the collar. Once it was gone, Tawna couldn't help but hug me.

"I'd say "My Hero", but that's so cliché." She smiled, then she eyed the prisons, "Alright, let's free 'em." We had to do it be force. Only dad had the key to free them last time I checked. So because of the dirt ground, rocks manage to do the trick. Repeat whacks on the lock manage to open up the cells. The animals and anthros immediately ran without a further thought. We tried to stop them, seeing as they probably didn't know the way out, but two bandicoots against an entire mob was hardly fair play. It took about halfway through freeing all the animals and anthros before my dad manage to catch up with us.

"YOU!" He cried. He took out something from his belt…a laser gun! He pointed it towards me, "HOW COULD YOU? MY OWN CHILD?"

"If you were any kind of father, you'd have stopped this madness years ago!" I cried, "And now, I have no choice but to rebel!"

"My son would never do this!" He cried, "NEVER! I HAVE…NO SON!" And he started to blast away, trigger happy. I immediately grabbed Tawna and made out on another exit. We had to get out. Along the way, we ran into a couple of anthros who seem to be lost.

"Hey! What do we do? How do we get out?" came a female anthro seagull.

"We're not going to make it downstairs in time, this castle is too huge and too long!" came a bear male anthro. The two were holding a few animals. It's amazing that these animals, the ones that can't talk seemed to trust us. I guess we have a connection to them as much as we do with humans.

"Hmm…the blimp!" I gasped, "We can take the blimp outta here!" Then I turned to the others.

"Get all the anthros and animals, find as many as you can and head for the blimp!" I cried, "Just keep going up!" Everyone nodded and ran.

"Tawna, you help them, too." I ordered, "I have to stop dad on my own."

"What? No way!" Tawna cried, almost as though she was offended, "I'm fightin' alongside ya, mate! Don't even attempt to argue back!"

"Tawna, this is a personal matter!" I shouted back, anxious to get a move on, "Please! If I don't survive, I want you and the others to!"

"You're crazy, mate!" She screamed, "I can fight! I ain't movin' a muscle!"

"I know you're a great fighter, but THIS. IS. PERSONAL." I wanted to make that very clear. Tawna, arms crossed, refuse to leave my side. I gotta give her props, she's very loyal. All I could do was smile.

"I'll be fine." I winked, "Wouldn't be fair for you if I died right away, eh? That's not how most stories goes." Tawna eyed me.

"After all, the hero always gets the babe." I grinned, "The HOT babe." Tawna couldn't help but laugh at that comment. With slight tears, she ran up to me and pressed her lips to mines. A bit shocked at first, but I eventually took in the kiss. After that great feeling, she winked back and ran with the other anthros.
I just stood there with a goofy look before I finally got my act together and ran the other way to tried to find dad and the others. I vowed to return. No one should miss a kiss like that!

It was hell in here. I could hear my dad's mutated minions wrecking the entire place, possible searching for anthros and the animals, and of course, me. The entire castle was turning upside down. It got worse when I started to see smoke coming from the lab.
I checked the lab and found no one…but Uncle Brio, back in his original form, but worse, he was hurt!

"Uncle Brio! You're hurt!" I cried. He was on the floor, bleeding on his head. What's worse was the entire place was starting to catch on fire.

"I-I'll be f-f-f-f-f-fine." He mumbled.

"Fine? Your head is bleeding and there's a fire! What happening?" I cried.

"I f-f-f-f-f-f-fought your father and Gin till the last ounce of my strength. I used fire…as a last resort…burn everything in this place or h-h-h-h-h-h-hopefully everything." He coughed, "Threw a highly f-f-f-flammable chemical to one of the gasoline based chemicals." Gasoline based chemicals? I don't understand scientists sometimes.

"Fire won't work! Dad'll just rebuild everything again!" I cried, tears once again coming down my eyes, "It's what he does! He's not going to change back! I know of that clearly now! There's nothing more I can do…nothing except fight back. My dad is no longer my dad as much as he's my enemy!" Uncle Brio stared at me with a sense of "you're crazy" look and acceptance of my life style change.

"You don't really mean that." Brio smiled, "Yes, you'll fight him, but you still want him back."

I didn't comment on that and instead concentrated on him.

"We've got to get you out of here." I wiped the tears away.

"No! I can get out myself fine! Don't w-w-w-w-w-w-worry about me!" He cried, "G-G-G-G-G-Get your father and Gin! They went down to the Main Hall!" I had no choice. Tried as I might to pull Brio up, he purposely struggled so that I would eventually give up and leave him be. I left Uncle Brio there and headed for the main hall where I did find my dad and Uncle Gin trying to escape out of the quickly spreading fire.

"DAD!" I cried. He turned around to face me as well as Uncle Gin.

"No more! This end NOW!" I cried, "I don't want to do this, but this has gone TOO far off!" We were far away from each other, but we glared and made fighting positions, only eyeing each other at the moment like so many showdowns in western flicks.

"Gin, get out." My father ordered him, "This fight is just between us both," He got the message and quickly made it down the stairs before the fire engulfed it. We were both surrounded by it.

"So…this is it." He snickered, "A battle ironically with my own child."

"Yea." That's all I said.

"Then…let's fight!" And fight we did. We both ran head first and we laid down our fists and kicks. Hardly ANYONE knows this, but despite my father's relatively short size, he's insanely skilled in karate and judo (I swear he probably knows some other form of martial arts), something he took as a self-defense late in his High School years from bullies back when he was in Japan (considering his brain size, he mastered most of the moves in but a few short years). I learned as much as I could from him, but yet to have mastered it fully. If I did loyally served my father, I would have. Be that as it may, I fought him as hard and best as I could. I tried my spin attacks which was unexpected for him, so I used that as an advantage. We were pretty evenly matched by the time we were both bleeding and bruising. Top that with the other blood losts and bruises I already possessed and I was a mess. The smoke on the fire was already beginning to suffocate us all and in mere minutes, we'd be dead. To me, I thought that would be fine. I'd be dead, but so would dad…he'd died with me. Father and son.

Of course, that was before the I saw someone coming in through the window. Tawna!

"CRASH! Come on! We gotta get outta here!" She grabbed my arm. The smoke made me too weak to protest and she and I both leaped, grabbing onto the rope that one of the anthros threw at us. Both of us were clinging on a rope while the anthros were trying to control the blimp…and doing a crappy job. I guess Dad must've seen me escape as he came to catch up with us...on his hover board. He wasn't aiming for me though; he went to the top of the blimp.

"What's he goin' to do?" Tawna gasped. I thought for a few seconds and I gasped. Oh, crap! I think he might try to pop this thing! So, I quickly started to climb the rope until I reached the balloon area where I carefully used my claws to climb my way to the top. I had to make sure I didn't pop anything. Once I reached the top, sure enough, he was ready to pop that baby open! Whew. This one is a long entry. I'll continue tomorrow, I need to rest my paw.

Year 16, Day 262
It's hard to imagine that as if this writing, all these events I'm telling you now only happened a couple of months ago. It changed so much of my life. It's terrible that things had to end this way. Any who, I might as well continue and end this morbid tale.

We were both atop the blimp. I immediately tackled father before he could blow the blimp with his laser gun.

"YOU!" He cried, "DUMB…BANDICOOT!" I was holding onto him, trying to make him stop this madness. He kicked me on the chest and sent me flying back. We had yet another battle here, this time without the smokes and fire. No, this time, we had thousands of feet as our main obstacle. My father was enraged and he blasted that laser gun with seamlessly endless bullets or missiles or whatever laser guns have. I merely dodged them all before tackling him again. Endlessly the fight went. Already sunset was upon us. Our bloody feud continued as the blimp circled the castle, now in flames. We were both shaking, both angry, both bloodthirsty for more.

"I understand fully now…I know if you're still around, terrible things will happen. I don't want that to happen. There's nothing left for me to do…except…except this." I ran, charging towards my dad who only looked in shock and I slammed him off the blimp. He fell of his hover board and fell thousands of feet down. I didn't see if he landed, he grew too small by that point, but I was convinced…that he was dead.

"You'll never change…as long as I'm alive."

"Crash!" I turned around to see Tawna struggling to climb up. I helped her up and she gasped.

"Where's Cortex?"

"……..Gone." I softly spoke. Tawna immediately knew what I had done and only comforted me with a hug.

"He wouldn't change." I sniffed out, crying hard, "He wouldn't. He would never change…as long as I live." Tawna merely hugged me. The blimp seemed under control (perhaps they finally got the hang of it), and we started to head home. We made it safely to the first island with the blimp now destroyed. The animals and anthros one by one made their way home. Castle Cortex was a burning blaze. I manage to return to the orphanage where I made Tawna promise that she would never tell the little kids that I was the son of Cortex. She then left to find her sisters, who all didn't live too far from the orphanage.

As of this writing, I'm currently building my own home to live in. As I do, I write and think of my past…but ultimately, I think of dad. I believed him dead two months ago, but I doubt he is. I doubt it at all. I don't think I want him to die…unless he knows what he has become.
To Be Continued...

……………………

Author's Note: I pretty much did the basic adaptation of the very first Crash Bandicoot game, but don't expect me to do this with all the others. I won't. More then likely, most of them will be short rundowns or whatnot. You'll understand what I'll do in later chapters as we actually get on with the video game plots. I also made one entry for Tawna mainly so we get the feel of what she's thinking and doing most of the time between Crash escaping and Crash rescuing her. Until then, enjoy this SUPER long chapter. Whew. As for Coco being in Hong Kong, I'm either indicating she's of Chinese descendent or she went there on vacation. I'll let you guys figure that out for the time being…

Changes:
-More info on the relationship between Tobias and Coco.
-More scenes with the baddies and her when Tawna speaks in first person.
-More scenes and info on Cortex's current henchman.
-A little more between Tawna and Crash.