When Crash's vision stopped swirling, he found himself in a very strange chamber. At first, he was sure he was dreaming. He probably dropped unconscious onto the jungle floor as he had done so many times in the past. Oh well, if he was asleep he wasn't in the mood to wake up any time soon. Suddenly, a massive mug materialized out of the darkness, and Crash realized who it was in an instant.
"Well, if I'm sleeping this is a pretty cruddy dream."
The large cranium in front of him was all too familiar, and the ugly face and massive letter N tattooed to his forehead settled the observation. It was Doctor Neo Cortex's massive head floated before him, and Crash was way too grossed out to be alarmed.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Crash Bandicoot. Welcome." Cortex's voice was distant, but still as deep and grating as it had ever been.
Crash looked up at the head absently. "Thanks mate, bout time you got a little more hospitable. Now, I have a question. Where the hell did you materialize from?"
"I apologize for the cruel means in which to bring you here, but I expected a written invitation would have been turned down."
Crash scratched his head in confusion. Could that creepy kook hear him, or was he ignoring him on purpose? It didn't really matter, since Crash wasn't in the mood to chat anyway. Yet one thing he did want to do was get out of this undesired déjà vu. Although before Crash could voice some concerns that would have gone unheard anyhow, Cortex said something that made Crash stop short.
"I need your help."
Now that was a switch. Cortex was more of an "I'm going to destroy you Crash Bandicoot!" kind of guy than one who asked for help. Crash cocked his head, and was about to say something, but didn't think Cortex would care even if he did hear it. He seemed rather engrossed in what he was saying.
"Surrounding you is a series of three portals. Each teleportation mechanism is connected to the gravitational force of the crystals. The crystals are what I desperately need you to obtain. All you must know for now is the fate of the world is at stake. Bring me the crystals Crash, and don't worry, we will speak again."
An instant later the image blinked out and Crash realized just at that moment that it was merely a hologram. That was a relief considering Crash's other guess.
"We'll speak again, sure. I don't remember doing any of the speaking, but alright."
Alone in the chamber, Crash slowly turned around, scanning each portal in turn. They were all completely identical, and Crash felt a suspicious feeling creep up though his spine.
"If you think I'm going into one of those things Cortex, you're damn crazy."
Crash had learned long ago that he would be better off trusting a smiling crocodile than Dr. Cortex, but as he checked the entire room, he couldn't find another way out. Crash scratched his head, contemplating what he should do. Did Aku of Coco know he was missing? Probably not, since Crash frequently found very unique places to hide so he could sleep. Crash moaned. He wasn't really too fond of the whole disintegrating procedure, but he didn't see another way out of the predicament. There was also the whole concept of Cortex being a good guy. Frankly, the whole concept made him want to hack. Yet at this moment, Crash wasn't in the mood to think about it. Right now, he needed to figure out how the heck he was going to escape this nightmare. And the only thing offering him any change of scenery was one of those whirling vortexes. Crash sighed.
"Okey dokey whirligig, let's tango."
Crash took at big step into the first vortex, and felt weird once again. Each atom stretched, and light swirled around him. The light intertwined with his fading limbs, and Crash grimaced in annoyance as the rest of him disappeared a moment later.