Interlude 3

I think next chapter is gonna come in pretty soon. I got a good chunk of it completed already. Look forward to that, I guess.

Why is Portal 2 Two dollars, and why can't I get it : (

Everything was going according to Cortex's genius plan.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BANDICOOTS ARE HERE!"

Yep, everything was going all fine and dandy.

"Th- they just showed up at the hotel! They came with these two plumber guys and ruined the entire operation!" N. Trance ruefully said, his holographic head shrinking at the smaller scientist's hateful gaze.

Cortex massaged his giant head for the incoming headache he was getting. "Listen here, N. Trance. The only reason I hired you was because Oxide recommended you, calling you the "Master of Brainwashing" or some stupid junk. My expectations for you were low enough to touch the floor, and yet somehow you dash them and fail anyway!"

"Well I'm sorry that those idiots hijacked the dimensional travelling device you left behind, apparently fully charged." The alien muttered sarcastically.

"Are you implying this is all my fault?!"

"No, I'm stating it. Like, it could not be more obvious how responsible you are for all of this."

In a fit of rage, Cortex kicked the projector, hard, sending it flying into a wall and breaking it. Then the pain sensors kicked in, and he started hopping on one foot while clutching the other, muttering indecipherable angrish through it all.

N. Gin, Tiny and Nina all watched the ensuing spectacle, the latter chuckling under her breath, while the rest watched on in worry. "Wait, so the bandicoots are here?" Tiny asked the stupid question first.

He got a glare from everyone, especially his master. "Grrr, of course they're here, you fool! Everytime I try to do anything, those mutant morons show up and rain all over my parade! Why! Can't! I! Escape them!" He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. And then he started to cry, bawling like a baby as he crumpled into a fetal position.

Nina was struggling to hold in her laughter.

"Now, master Cortex, this is not the end of the world." N. Gin went in and started soothing the doctor, putting him on his lap and stroking his hair. Nina stopped laughing. "The bandicoots may be in this dimension now, but they definitely don't know where in this dimension we are. So long as we prevent them from figuring out our location, we'll be able to exact our revenge."

Cortex looked up with big, wet eyes, taking his thumb out of his mouth. "Do you mean that?"

"I do, Dr. Cortex, I do."

The horrifying sight scarring her mind, Nina had had enough. "Yeah, okay, I'm gonna go ahead and leave now, and maybe have nightmares about this later tonight. Bye, Uncle Cortex." And she left the room without waiting for a response, probably to go gag in private.

That interruption gave everyone left in the room the time needed to sink in exactly how weird what they were doing was. "Let go of me, you oaf!" Cortex kicked N. Gin away from him, standing back up and wiping the drool on his hand off. "Let's all just ignore that ever happened."

"Agreed." Tiny said, staring off into space, doing what he could to forget.

"Now, as I was saying, Crash and Coco showing up in this dimension may be bad news, but so long as they don't know where we are, we'll be fine. The Psychetron they're using is pretty weak, anyway. They won't be able to teleport here without frying the things circuits. We have all the time in the multiverse to prepare."

"But should we at least send out someone to run interference? Ensure that they can't figure out where we are?"

"Naah. There's nothing right now that could possibly foil my plans. Nothing at all. Muhaha, MWAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, on the Bowser side of the space station.

"PFFT, BAHAHAHAHA! Oh, this is gold!" Bowser managed to say through his fit of laughter.

Nina had apparently recorded the entire previous scene, up to the part where it went from funny to uncomfortable, and was now showing it off to Bowser and his minions. It was a smash hit among them all, as they were all laughing uproariously at the sight of Dr. Neo Cortex crying like a baby.

"Hehehe, you're dad's a total wuss, Nina." Bowser Jr. said.

"He's my uncle, I think, but yeah. He's pathetic." Nina chuckled. "But yeah, apparently his "greatest nemesis" Crash showed up here in this dimension, and he's screwing things up for everyone. He thinks it's gonna be a problem, or whatever."

"Heh, well it's his problem, not mine. If he's got a rat problem that's messing up all of his evil plans, that just means I'm gonna have an easier time squashing them." Bowser said, not a sign of worry in his voice.

"Oh, and they were also with two plumbers, dressed in red and green. That's even more embarrassing when you think about it, getting foiled by people who unclog toilets for a living. Am I right?" She was chuckling at the thought. No one else was. In fact, the atmosphere had suddenly dipped into a much more tense one. If she were standing any closer, she would probably feel the burning rage emanating from Bowser right now.

Somewhere far out in space, a herd of star bunnies were startled out of their playtime by a deep, guttural roar that reverberated across all of space, calling out the name of someone famous across the universe with unbridled fury.

"MAAARRRRIO!"

Bowser was seething now, everyone in the room, and probably the entire station, knocked on their butts by the force of the roar. They were looking up at him in fear as he raged about his eternal nemesis. "That stupid stached loser and his green weirdo brother are trying to get here! Can't I have just one evil plan without them trying to come over with their stupid mustaches and stupid hats to ruin my fun! Graghh!"

"Lord Bowser, please calm down. Remember what your doctor said about your blood pressure." Kamek tried to advise. Bowser glared at him, but ultimately listened to his advisor, snorting smoke out his nose as he calmed himself down to a less blood pressure rising level of anger.

"Grrr, stupid no good Mario Bros. I'm gonna have to do something to keep them busy. If they show up while I'm still trying to knock brainiac of his high horse, I'll be screwed for sure. What to do. Hmmm… Hey, kid, how's that portal machine of yours going?"

Nina, who had been startled white with shock, "eeped" when Bowser suddenly addressed her. "Oh! Uh, yeah, I think you can start transporting some of your big guys over to our dimension. You just have to tell me where, and I'll do it."

"Yeah, sure. Is there anything back in your dimension that I could use to keep these bozos busy? Anything powerful, anything useful, that can also help me mess around with N. Sane in the Membrane?"

Nina thought about it. There was a lot one could do to bother her uncle. Point out how weird his head looked, mock his goatee, bring up the underwear incident of '87. But none of them required interdimensional travel as much as this idea.

"I got one word for you. Crystals."