Chapter 3 - Confrontation
It was lunchtime on Wumpa Island. All the inhabitants of Wumpa City were at home enjoying their favorite meals, especially a peculiar couple.
In the newly built race circuit, in the VIP room, there were two marsupials evolved by Dr. Cortex. It was Tawna, Crash Bandicoot's ex-girlfriend, and Pinstripelli Potorotti, popularly known as Pinstripe Potoroo.
Since Tawna left her previous boyfriend, the two have been dating for a month as an official couple. However, that didn't mean that business was a separate case. The two had gathered in the VIP room to talk about the future of Nitro Squad, but also to celebrate their first month of anniversary.
Both were eating Bolognese spaghetti, the dish that Pinstripe was good at preparing for excellence. He wore a red shirt with black tuxedo, tie and shoes, while Tawna wore an elegant red dress with a long strapless skirt and a back closure.
"How is your meal, dear?" Pinstripe asked confidently. "Am I a good chef or not?"
"It's delicious" Tawna was enjoying the taste of the meatballs dipped in sauce. "I must say that you have worn this time."
"Only the best for the amore mio" he spoke in his mother language, Italian. Both shared a small laugh about it.
"Tell me, darling. Why so much interest in me from the beginning?" Tawna asked. She has that doubt for a long time. "It's not that I don't enjoy your company, but I always felt curious. Is it because I was dating Crash?"
"No, Tawna" Pinstripe replied. "I loved you from the beginning because youse different from many women. Youse strong, you have leadership abilities and determination to get what you want. A determined and principled woman… a powerful woman.
"You're so sweet" said Tawna, who couldn't stop smiling at such praise.
"And you know what? I still can't believe it" Pinstripe said proudly.
"What are you talking about?" Tawna asked.
"Bein' here with you, the most beautiful girl in the world" Pinstripe said in a seductive tone as he approached to stare at her and caressed her cheek. "You've made me the happiest potoroo in the world, Tawna. I'm serious."
"And... you made me happy too" Tawna said affectionately, whose face was completely red.
As their faces got closer and closer, they both closed their eyes and their lips ended up meeting. The kiss felt tender and soft, but the accumulation of sensations and the desire between them asked them to go further. Tawna proceeded to get up from her seat so she could be on top of Pinstripe, who surrounded her with his arms and continued with the kiss, which became even more passionate. While playing with their tongues, the elegant potoroo tried to find the closure that held the dress of the blonde bandicoot.
However, before the situation went further, they heard someone knocking on the door loudly. Whoever it was, that person seemed to be angry. Pinstripe was bothered by the interruption, but decided to go see who the unwelcome guest was while his partner returned to his seat and adjusted her dress.
"What the hell do you want?!" Pinstripe asked whoever was on the other side of the door while opening it. Both he and Tawna were surprised to see that their guest was Megumi, one of the members of the Nitro Squad. But the angry face on the blue-haired bandicoot indicated that she was not there to talk about happy things as usual.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting you?" Megumi said sarcastically. "Get out of my sight, Potorotti!"
The scientist pushed Pinstripe aside to advance where her blonde friend was, who was confused by her appearance.
"Megumi, what are you doing here?" Tawna asked in a serious tone. "I told you and the others not to come."
"So you could meet bastards behind us? Yeah, sure!" Megumi said very angry as she put a piece of paper on the table. It was the letter that Tawna used to break up with Crash. "I want you to explain me what this is!"
"Where did you get it?" Tawna asked surprised.
"We were at Crash's house! His sister and Aku Aku told us everything!" Megumi said. "I can't believe you did something so cruel to him! Why did you do that?"
"That's none of your business" Tawna was starting to get annoyed at her friend's attitude.
"Hey, girl. This is a private date, so you better get out or..." Pinstripe tried to get Megumi out of the room, but she turned to give him a deadly look that could scare even Uka Uka himself, so the potoroo decided to stay quiet. As for the blue-haired bandicoot, she turned her eyes back to Tawna, who was starting to get scared.
"Yes, it is my business! You hurt my friend, and you better start talking if you don't want me to beat you up!" Megumi said while raising her fists.
"That's enough, Megumi!" someone shouted from the door. It was Ami in the company of Isabella and Liz. "Remember that you almost got us in trouble last time. Stand down"
"But Ami…"
"No buts!" Liz said. "Leave this to us."
"Girls. Thank goodness you're here" Tawna said a little relieved, but then she noticed her team's expressions, which were nothing friendly.
"Be quiet, Tawna" Isabella said annoyed. "We also want answers from you right now."
After seeing she's not the only one angry at her leader, Megumi decided to step away while the green-haired bandicoot looked at the potoroo.
"Could you let us talk to your girlfriend alone? It's a matter about our team" Ami said to Pinstripe, who was reluctant to agree, but seeing that Megumi kept giving him that intimidating look, he decided to accept.
"Honey" he said to Tawna as he put his hand on her back. "I'll be on the balcony in case you need me."
After Pinstripe went out to the balcony to smoke a cigar, Ami and the others sat on the sofas in the room while they looked at Tawna with a disapproving face. What none of them knew is that the old Cortex minion put a microphone behind his partner's dress, without her noticing, to hear everything.
"Well, boss. Let's talk" Ami said with a serious attitude and pointed to Pinstripe, who was quietly smoking outside without looking at them. "So, you are negotiating about our team with this mobster."
Tawna was hesitant to answer, but seeing that Megumi is now giving her that hostile look, she decided to speak. "Yes... Pinstripe is the anonymous investor I told you about" she admitted. "But I have a reason why I didn't reveal his identity."
"And that is...?" Isabella asked reluctantly.
"I knew you wouldn't accept him" Tawna began to explain. "But believe me, he is not the same as before. He has left the path of being Dr. Cortex's lackey long ago. He has changed."
"Are you serious?" Liz scoffed at that explanation. She couldn't believe her. "Have you forgotten that he tried to kill Crash, who by the way was trying to save you?"
"I know" Tawna admitted. "But Pinstripe was only following orders against his will. He hated that job, but Cortex forced him. He told me that during the time I was kidnapped. In fact, when it was all over, I knew he wanted to get into politics."
"Now that I remember, people told me that he was going to be the next governor of Illinois in the United States" Isabella said. "But he had to resign when Nitros Oxide appeared."
"Correct" Tawna said. "Dr. Cortex forced him to be his minion again, but when Crash saved the world again, he became a car salesman. Now, he is only a bodyguard of important people but, as you can see, he is not involved on plans carried out by evil scientists."
"And you're so naive that you believe him?" Ami said while remembering the first impression she took of Pinstripe. "Did you forget that I was in charge of giving the trophies to this asshole? He always behaved arrogantly with me and the others. He was only kind with Dr. Cortex and Uka Uka, but not as a slave, but as their faithful servant. I never saw any discomfort on his face."
"He possibly was just faking" Tawna defended him.
"Just like he's doing with you right now?" Megumi said still angry. "And speaking of that, you haven't told us why you are with him. Is it because of his money? Because Crash is not a billionaire like him?"
"Look" Tawna said. "When I met Pinstripe again, he promised me that he would make me the happiest woman. He said we could go on a trip around the world and having a stable life. He even promised that he would pay for the financial crisis that our team is experiencing. Also, the relationship between Crash and I had no future. What did you want me to do? Have a boring life with someone who is not mature enough?"
Megumi's anger was increasing by that last question. She wanted to get up and punch Tawna right in the face, but her thoughts were interrupted when Liz spoke.
"So, for you, being a materialist is synonymous with maturity?" The brown-haired bandicoot said with disapproval, which bothered Tawna.
"Look who's talking: the bandicoot that expose her nude body in front of the cameras for fame and fortune" The blonde bandicoot struck back.
"OI!" Liz got angry at those words. "Don't you dare to compare yourself with me! Understood?! Maybe I talk about fame and money more than usual but, unlike you, I don't put material things above the people who care about me. And as for my work at Bandiboy, I'm really proud of it, so don't even think to look at me with condescension."
"She's right" Ami defended her friend. "Besides, her job is none of your business. But what you're doing, Tawna, affects all of us."
"Do you think we like the idea of you negotiating with gangsters?" Isabella decided to speak. "I'm Italian, so I know how people like Pinstripe act. First they offer you their help for nothing, but then they will charge you in some way, whether if it's illegal or not. And if you refuse, you pay dearly, even with your life. That's why we don't want to get involved."
"I've already told you that he left that path" Tawna argued. "Besides, he is the only investor we have, so there is no other alternative."
"Okay, Tawna. I see you leave us no choice" Ami said, who lost all the respect she had for her leader. "We quit."
"What are you talking about?" Tawna was confused.
"We're leaving the Nitro Squad" Isabella replied.
"WHAT?!" Tawna was surprised by that answer. "You can't do that! We have a contract!"
"A contract that you invalidated yourself" Liz began to explain. "According to clause #12, any business related to the Nitro Squad must be communicated to all members of the group. This includes giving information about the people involved and types of deals made in said business."
"Then tell me, Tawna. Weren't you negotiating with Pinstripe just now behind our backs? What do you have to say about it?" Isabella asked her, but got no answer. Tawna was silent because she had no argument.
"I thought so" Ami said disappointed. "Tawna... you let us down. Not only you abused our trust and decide to make deals with undesirable people, but you stabbed people who really loved you in the back. I won't say that our friendship is over, but it is best that we distance ourselves from you for a while. I just hope that one day you reconsider and see your mistakes. Until then, we left."
Tawna was still silent. She could not believe what she was hearing. Were her friends really abandoning her?
"Girls, let's go for our things" Isabella referred to her luggage, which was in the private rooms of the circuit. "And Tawna, if you need our motorsport outfits, they will be on the beds. Maybe there are more girls interested in using them."
Without further ado, Ami and the others proceeded to leave the VIP room with a bad taste, but stopped at the entrance to see that Megumi did not move. She was thoughtful.
"Megumi, are you coming?" Liz asked her friend, from whom she was suspecting something. "Please, don't do something crazy."
"Don't worry, I won't fight this time" Megumi said honestly. She was calmer now. "I will go in a moment. I just want to talk with Tawna about something alone."
"Okay" Isabella decided to trust her friend. "See you in the parking lot. We will carry your luggage with us."
After the others left the room, Megumi approached Tawna. The blonde bandicoot expected that, perhaps, her possible ex-friend would want to hit her but, instead, the blue-haired scientist placed a shiny object on the table: a golden ring with a purple diamond.
"A ring?" Tawna asked as he grabbed it to look closely. "Why did you give me this?"
"It's not just a ring" Megumi said seriously. "It is an engagement ring. The same one with which Crash was going to propose marriage to you."
"What?!" Tawna got surprised at what she just heard. "He was going to…?"
"Yes, but it was the same day you left him. If you thought Crash didn't think about the future and taking things seriously, you're wrong" Megumi said as she proceeded to leave the room to meet the girls, but when she reached the door, she looked back at Tawna while trying to hold back some tears. "Do me a favor, stay away from Crash. The poor guy has been suffering since you left him in such a cowardly way. Even his family is being affected by this situation, especially his sister. I give you the ring so you could understand that every action has its consequences. And please, if you still have some conscience, and if Pinstripe has really changed, don't do to him the same thing you did to Crash. No one deserves to be treated like garbage, especially someone who loved you so much that he risked his life to save yours."
With those last words, Megumi left the room. Tawna said nothing. She sat thoughtfully about everything that had just happened. Her friends had moved away from her and she learned that her former boyfriend wanted to marry her. A wave of doubts and charges of conscience began to invade her, but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Pinstripe enter from the balcony. She hid the ring so he wouldn't see it.
"Well, there is nothin' like relaxing with a good..." Pinstripe stopped talking when he saw that the other girls were gone, but then he spoke with and skeptical tone. "You know somethin', dear? Those friends of yours give me a bad feelin'. They're not a good company."
"Don't worry about them" Tawna said, trying to hide her sadness. "They left the team. Now I'm alone."
"Oh... I'm sorry" Pinstripe tried to comfort his girlfriend resting his hand on her back but, at the same time, he removed the hidden microphone. "Don't worry, we'll find more candidates to fill the vacant positions. I have many contacts. Now... where were we?"
Pinstripe proceeded to take a seat and kiss Tawna again. He wanted to continue with the date, but the bandicoot threw back her head. She was obviously not in the mood.
"Sorry, dear" Tawna apologized. "So many things have happened today that I ended up losing my appetite. Can we leave this for another day?"
"I understand, my love" Pinstripe said understandingly before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you. Take care."
When Pinstripe left the room, Tawna took out the ring again to see it up close again. She was beginning to have doubts about whether she had done the right choice, besides having feelings of guilt, which she tried to suppress. Did she really hurt Crash and his family so much?
After leaving the circuit, Pinstripe walked through the city streets. He was angry at the intrusion of Tawna's friends.
"Damn it! I almost had her! It is all those nosy girls' fault!" he thought to himself angrily, but after remembering the conversation he heard with the microphone, an evil smile was drawn on his face. "Well, that doesn't matter now. The plan is workin'. Soon, Crash Bandicoot, you'll know what we're capable of. We'll make your life a hell before taking it away."
The girls were in the circuit parking lot. They had finished assembling their luggage in the karts.
"Well… now we have nowhere to spend the night" Liz said.
"Don't exaggerate" Isabella scoffed at that comment. "There are many hotels in the city and, with the money we have in the bank, it won't be a problem."
"Yes, but first things first" Ami said. "I promised Coco that I would see her again before sunset. They need to be informed about the situation."
"I understand" Isabella said while thinking sadly on the two siblings. "Besides, we haven't even greeted Crash during the visit. He needs to know that he also has all our support. After all, he saved our planet four times."
"You're right" Liz said in a sympathetic tone, but then she looked at her watch, which said it was 4:00 PM. "We will look for a hotel later but, if we are going back to Crash's house, it must be fast. The jungle is dangerous in the dark."
All the former Nitro Squad agreed with Liz. Without wasting any more time, the four girls got into their karts and left back to Crash's house. While driving, Megumi was thinking on the bandicoot hero.
"Don't worry, Crash" Megumi thought. "Together, we'll help you to overcome this."