Chapter Seven – The Plot Unravels
Cortex gazed at the computer monitor, and his mouth curled into an evil smile as Crash stepped into the teleportation devise. Cortex leaned back on his chair and uttered a malevolent chuckle.
"Like guiding a rat through a maze."
N. Gin was busy making some final adjustments on his machine, but he still offered a grunt of agreement. Cortex still wasn't sure if Gin was functioning properly enough to undertake the tasks demanded of him, but Cortex had no other assistants at the moment. In fact, N. Gin would have died if it weren't for him. The rocket that buried itself into his scull would have killed him if Cortex had not rearranged and replaced his other internal organs. Now, he was a cyborg, more machine than man. The only way Cortex could keep Gin's exceptionally brilliant mind functional was by leaving the rocket intact, and yet there were always measures that could be taken to remove the appendage, had Cortex desired it. N. Gin had no memory of his previous life, and Cortex planned for him to stay that way. Men without memories were far easier to control. Cortex turned toward his cohort.
"You have finished calibrating the laser I trust, N. Gin?"
"Yes Dr. Cortex, of course.'
Cortex nodded slowly. His plan was becoming a reality, and his worst enemy was going to ensure it all went well. How marvelous. It would a great revenge indeed when Crash Bandicoot realized he had single-handedly carried out Cortex's plan, handing over the freewill of every living creature to his enemy. Cortex rubbed his hands together in anticipation. It would be quite satisfying to enslave the bandicoot along with the rest of earth's inhabitants, but Cortex knew better than to be too greedy. After all, the bandicoot had an insane amount of luck when it came to thwarting his plans. Cortex heard a quiet beeping, and leaned over to glance at his computer. He typed a few keys, narrowing his eyes in attempt to understand why the beeping was taking place.
"N. Gin, the mainframe is secured correct?"
"Yes Doctor, not even a supercomputer can break out codes."
Cortex felt a hindering sense of misplacement, but he shook it off. If any of earth's security systems did pick up the signal, there was no way they would connect it to him before it was too late. Still, he decided he would need to keep an eye on it just in case.
"When that contraption is functional, I would hope you could put it to use."
N. Gin emerged from behind the machine. "What have you in mind, Doctor?"
Cortex steepled his fingers as a bloodcurdling smirk demonized his features.
"I had hoped you could convince that bandicoot to hand the crystals over."
"But Doctor, isn't he under the impression that you and he are allies? He will surely hand over the crystals without any trouble."
"Probably. That marsupial was never very bright. Yet there is no harm in ensuring his obedience. And once he hands the crystals over to you, I would like you to kill him."
N. Gin looked visibly baffled by this, and Cortex felt himself disappointed at this reaction. He had hoped that once revived, Gin would be devoid of emotion. Yet he was beginning to recover faster than anticipated. He may even remember that it was Cortex's direct involvement that caused Gin's experiment to fail. Perhaps he would remember still that Cortex left the rocket embedded in his head for the sole purpose of being able to destroy him on a whim. N. Gin was smart, which was why Cortex needed him, but if he began to realize that he could remove the rocket without killing himself, he would begin to suspect Cortex. Yet he didn't worry. When that time came, Cortex would destroy his subordinate and be rid of the hindrance. At present, however, he was an asset.
"Is something the matter N. Gin?"
Gin looked a little dazed, but he recovered. "No Doctor, I shall destroy the bandicoot as you command."
Cortex leaned back into the shadows, in a better mood already.
"Excellent."
--
Crash was thrown out of the whirligig just as roughly as the other times, but this time he didn't even bother keeping his footing. He crashed forward on his face, and lay there for a moment. Yet he didn't want to give Cortex any satisfaction, so he slowly rose to his knees and then up to his feet. He was almost out of this nightmare; he just needed to keep going. Crash wasn't surprised when Cortex's massive head appeared in the middle of the room, and kept his hands clasped behind him just for the sake of hiding the markings that hadn't seemed to go away yet.
"Fantastic work Crash! You are truly a dependable minion."
Crash felt a quick flare of temper as he deciphered Cortex's words. Minion? Who the hell did Cortex think he was? Crash snarled before he realized he was doing it, and couldn't cool the burning of anger in his chest.
"I'll never be your crony, you macho fathead. Don't make me loose my temper now, not after all we've been through."
Cortex began to laugh in maniacal excitement, and since the idiot still couldn't hear him, Crash decided he wouldn't waste any more of his breath.
"A portal will appear in the center of the chamber Crash, step into it and you will be transported to N. Gin's lab. Give him the crystals, and you will be sent home. But only then, do you understand?" Cortex wasn't expecting an answer, so Crash didn't offer one.
Cortex smirked. "Good luck."
The doctor's face looked very menacing, but Crash shook it off. As the hologram disappeared, a whirling beam of energy took its place. Crash scratched his head. Good luck? What did he mean by that? Crash wasn't in the mood to dissect every hidden meaning in a crackpot scientist's statements, so he decided to simply take the last step on his long journey home. Crash stepped not-so-keenly into the path of golden energy, and sighed as he began to dematerialize again. As he began to fade, he thought he saw something familiar.
"Aku?"
Aku Aku shot toward him, his eyes wide with worry.
"Crash! Stop!"
Yet Crash couldn't stop. Not right now anyway. He faded away, offering Aku a tentative thumbs-up.
"Don't worry about me gramps." He couldn't see anything but whirling light now, but be put in the last word anyway. "…See you at home…"
--
Coco slammed her fist on the keys.
"Dammit!"
She couldn't connect to the signal fast enough, and she wouldn't be able to communicate with her brother before he made a big mistake. She bit her lip hard as she tried to connect to a more direct signal, but it was no use. Crash had already boarded Cortex's ship. She had no idea if he would hand over the crystals or keep them, and either option would probably result in his death. Coco felt an ugly knot constrict in her stomach. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't sit on the sidelines and do nothing. She wasn't prone to crying, but she felt one small tear escape her angry reserve and trickle down her cheek. This sucked! She was one second from chucking her laptop into a tree when Aku appeared behind her.
"Crash has been transported somewhere, but I could not trace the location."
Coco gave him a frustrated glare. "I know where he is Aku, mystical techniques aren't foolproof you know. He's in Cortex's space station."
Aku's face fell. "Then it is as worse as I feared. I have sensed a growing disturbance from the earth, and yet I cannot pinpoint the reason. Does Cortex's involvement have anything to do with this?"
"Cortex's plan is to enslave the world by channeling a powerful solar energy through special crystals. One zap from this ray, and we all turn into Cortex's mindless drones. He needed someone to collect these crystals, and I guess he just scrolled down the list until he found someone who would help him."
Aku looked flabbergasted. "Crash? Crash would never help Cortex."
"He would if he thought he was saving the world." Coco said quietly.
"So he believed he was doing the right thing, and he'll hand the crystals over to Cortex, to ensure the earth remains safe."
Coco clenched her fists. "But that sicko is just using him for his own evil ends. What a creep."
Aku looked quite frantic. "We need to do something."
"We can't do anything now. But maybe Crash knows already. Maybe he had his own plan to thwart Cortex for good."
Silence prevailed, and both Coco and Aku Aku knew that the odds of this statement being true were near to zero.
--
Crash shook his head to clear the whirling stars he seemed to be seeing a lot of lately. He had a bit of a headache, but nothing too major, and his multiple cuts had finally stopped bleeding. That was a plus, at least. Now, with his personal check completed, Crash took a look at where the vortex had spun him off to this time. He seemed to be in some kind of big iron chamber, which would have been odd enough in itself. What made it crazier was the fact that as Crash took a peek out the window, all he could see were stars. Crash scratched his head.
"Well look at that, would'ja, I'm in outer space. That's a first."
When Crash stood on the tips of his toes, he could see earth's swirling green and blue colours, and the planet would have struck him with admiration if he wasn't so completely unsettled. How the hell did he get in outer space? Crash didn't have time to ponder the answer, for which he was thankful, since a very big door in the floor began to vibrate open. Crash remained where he was, not comfortable enough to waltz up to a strange hole, especially while he was out in the cosmos like this. Who knew where that hole could lead? Yet Crash shouldn't have been worried about where the hole should lead, but what could come up through it. A very large and intimidating machine hovered from out of the hole, and Crash took a few steps back out of pure instinct. It hovered there for a second, snapping its iron jaws and flipping some kind of exhaust vent open and closed like gills. Crash squinted, and thought he could see some kind of weird creature moving around within the robot's head. Crash took a breath and stepped forward, offering a friendly wave.
"Hi there!" He called. "How's the weather up there?"
The machine turned so it was in Crash's full view, and the latter avoided gulping at the sheer size of it.
"Crash Bandicoot!" A mechanical voice scratched over the chamber. "I have been instructed by Doctor Cortex to collect the crystals from you. Do you have them?"
Crash blinked his eyes, and the ultraviolet glow reflected off the steel bulkhead. An instant later, Crash had whirled three beautiful crystals together before him. They shone brightly, and Crash could almost see the ruby flame flickering within each of them. As soon as they appeared, they were gone, and the marks coiled back up Crash's arms.
"Yeah, I got your crystals."
Crash noticed that one claw was clicking impatiently. He clenched and relaxed his fists.
"Hand over the crystals Crash Bandicoot."
Crash beamed and offered a smirk. "Or what?"
The robot voice was silent for a moment, probably a little thrown off that Crash's tone was so dismissive. Crash didn't care at this point. He'd do any thing to strike a nerve.
"If you do not offer the crystals voluntarily, they will be taken from you."
Crash bellowed a laugh. "Yeah, well go ahead and get it over with. Because, frankly, when I see a monstrous killer robot come to get the crystals that I worked hard to collect, I find myself a little suspicious. If Cortex was such a reformed guy, why would he send a robot to get the crystals from me? I'll tell you why. Because he figures that after he gets the crystals, there's no more need for his brainless little pawn. So you didn't come just for the crystals, did you? Big guy?" Crash took a step forward and felt his arms begin to grow warm, like feeling just the briefest brush of fire. "You came to kill me. So get on with it. I'm tired of all this waiting around."
The robot man sounded like he shrieked…or something along the lines of that. Crash wrinkled his nose. What the heck?
"I will obtain those crystals Bandicoot! One way or another!"
Crash barely had time to jump out of the way as a thin red laser materialized out of nowhere. The bright shaft exploded into the wall behind Crash, and as the he twirled in midair to land softly on the steel ground, another laser followed it. Crash ducked this time, flat on his stomach as the beam singed the air above him. Crash rolled before the robot had a chance to lower the laser, and scrambled to his feet as quickly as he was able. He attempted to focus the energy in his arms as best he could, but the little strings of light that danced out of his arms were rather useless.
Shoot. These light balls are going to do squat against that robot. Oh why'd I have to provoke the idiot?
Because it was fun, that's why.
Crash could have groaned. It was bad enough that he was talking to himself, but now he was having conversations. That totally sucked. Well, Crash wasn't in the mood to mope about his insanity right now. He needed to focus on the task at hand. If his crystal light attacks didn't feel like working, Crash would just have to take the tactical approach. Crash dashed in a serpentine pattern over the ground, and relied on his speed and speed alone to ensure he wasn't fried. As a beam sliced through the air toward him, Crash preformed an eloquent baseball slide underneath to avoid losing a vital body part. Now close enough to the robot to cause some real damage, Crash used what strength he had to leap onto one of the flailing robotic arms. Thankfully, the jerk controlling the mechanical nuisance was not too bright. So as he attempted to shake Crash off with the one arm, the other shot a laser beam at him. Crash dropped from the arm at just the right instant, in time to see the inept beam cut through the arm he had just left and sever it at the elbow. Crash moved quickly to avoid being crushed by the falling apparatus, and then got back to his feet just as quickly. There was still one arm to go.
Crash didn't know how he was going to get rid of that arm, but he decided he had better find a safer place to ponder his next move. His legs were a blur as he sprinted toward the machine, and then he executed a somewhat unpracticed back layout to gain momentum. He landed astride the laser arm, holding on for dear life. Crash was beginning to doubt his good hiding place as the robot began to throw its arm around unmercifully. Crash clutched onto the arm with a look of forlorn fatigue.
Well Crash, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into.
Not in the mood to scold himself for his stupidity, Crash kept his hands latched on the joint where the gun connected to the metal framework. If he didn't get off this bucking heap of scrap soon, he was going to look worse than if the thing had stepped on him. Crash closed his eyes to stop the constant whirling of his head, and grudgingly he felt another headache coming on. Suddenly, his palms felt very hot. Crash opened his eyes, and was just able to make out through all the bouncing that some liquid lavender stains were enveloping the joint. Crash didn't let go despite his desire to, mostly because he knew that if let go he'd be nothing but an orange blot on the ceiling. Sparks danced off the odd marks left on the metal arm, and Crash was appalled to see that the marks actually began to cut through the metal!
"Gak!" The arm chipped away from the main body, and Crash leapt away before the thing could crush him.
He heard it clatter to the floor, and was probably just as surprised as the geek in the robot's head. Crash shook off his surprise and stood in a triumphant stance, easily pretending that supernatural demonstration was intentional.
"So, give up yet?" He called with a lilt of humor in his voice.
The controller of the robot didn't speak but he was obviously quite enraged. That made Crash happy. As it stood now, the robot was disarmed, in more ways than one. Yet for some reason the big robotic hulk didn't look finished yet. The openings Crash had mistaken for exhaust vents now flapped open, and Crash felt a jolt of uneasiness.
"You cannot possibly think those lasers are my only weapons. You were lucky bandicoot, but your luck has run out."
Crash nodded. "Maybe, but don't count on it."
The vents positioned on the robot's shoulders began to power up, and Crash had to admit that he had a pretty bad feeling about what was happening. All of a sudden, two massive rockets shot out of the openings and blasted toward Crash's stationary form. He had all of a millisecond to drop to the ground and cover his head as the rockets soared over him. The torpedoes exploded in the titanium wall behind him as Crash rose shakily to his feet. This was going to be a problem. The robot let loose two more rockets, and as Crash watched them shoot toward him he grit his teeth. No more mister nice guy. Crash summoned the entirety of his speed and zipped this way and that, avoiding every projectile the robot could dish out. With a gigantic leap, Crash wrapped his fingers around a metallic grate and began a very determined climb. He decided that the best way out of this predicament would be to discuss this misunderstanding with the brains of the operation. Since Cortex wasn't around, this guy was the next in line. The robot shook around, but Crash refused to let that deter him. He hoisted himself to the very top of the metallic monster, and found the lock that would open the cockpit. Crash pounded on it.
"Let me in!"
There was no doubt that the jerk wouldn't open the door for Crash, so the latter didn't rely on that. Instead, he concentrated on materializing one of the Komodo brother's swords, and couldn't withhold his fiendish grin as it appeared in his grasp. With a sharp exhale, Crash slammed the sword on the lock and congratulated himself as the little metal bolt snapped in two and fell to the ground. The sword faded back into Crash's arm. Crash shoved open the cockpit with his shoulder, and when he looked up he was staring into quite the baffled face of a human machine. Crash could resist the urge to flash an evil grin at the jerk who was trying to blow him up.
"Now that I have your attention, let's discuss this like gentlemen."
The cyborg man's face altered from that of bewilderment to fury. "Get off my machine you furry monstrosity!"
Crash was rather taken aback by the cyborg's loud exclamation. What right did he have to call Crash a monstrosity? He wasn't exactly the run-of-the-mill normality himself. Crash opened his mouth to debate further, but was cut off as the Cyborg produced a futuristic pistol and aimed. Crash's eyes widened, and he was able to dodge most of the attack. Yet the little flicker of electricity that brushed past him sent wild spasms of electrical current through his arm. Crash lost his grip on the machine, and was subconsciously aware that he was falling.
"All right! You asked for it!" Crash called over the whirring of machinery.
Crash let his wounded arm hang useless for awhile until he got the feeling back into it, and focused on twirling through the air to land on his feet. He didn't land softly, but the impact was not as jarring as it could have been. Crash hunched his shoulders to catch his breath, and then slowly looked up to the barrels of the robot's weapons.
"Prepare to die Crash Bandicoot!" The voice cackled insanely as the weapons hummed to life.
Crash was getting very, very, very tired of this stupid brouhaha. It was pointless. He was so tired of it that he decided he would let a little uncharacteristic behavior take control for awhile. Crash angled his eyes in angry resolve. He willed the crystals to gather their full strength, and as commanded Crash could feel an extravagant energy pulsing within him. He clenched his fists at his sides, and let the violet light engulf him completely as he bided his strength. Suddenly every tiny noise became as loud as a trumpet in Crash's ears. The robot aimed, and Crash could feel the cyborg's thumb on the trigger. Crash felt an exhilarated smirk cast some evil across his normally bright face.
"If I'm gonna die, bot-boy, then you're coming with me."
The robots released the missiles, but Crash was ready. As the rockets shot toward him, Crash thrust out both his hands and sent a whirling pink energy toward the projectiles. The light wrapped around the missiles, and held them stationary for a moment. Crash could have easily sent them crashing back into the robot, but he figured that doing so would blow not only the machine but him up as well. So Crash picked the second best alternative. He sent the rockets shooting full power into the wide window. The glass was no doubt pretty thick, but Crash was confident that it couldn't withstand the impact of two rockets. And indeed he was right. The missiles shattered the glass, and Crash could feel the immediate result of clearing a path to pure vacuum. He felt the air around him suck toward the hole he had created, and realized instantly that he may have not thought his attack through. Yet it did get rid of the problem at hand. The robot, unable to withstand the pull, was dragged out the window and plunged into the emptiness.
"That was abrupt." Crash had little else to say about the matter.
What he did know was that he needed to get out of there before he followed the unlucky cyborg into oblivion. Crash latched his arm on a supporting rail with all his might as he reevaluated his situation.
"Well, that was a dumb idea. What the hell do I do now!?"
All the pink energy that was so handy before shrunk back into Crash's arms, so now he was on his own. As the oxygen faded rapidly from his surrounding, Crash needed to think up a plan, and fast. He squinted through the rushing air, looking for anything that could get him out of this predicament. Then he noticed the open hole in the ground, the one the machine appeared out of. The large metal doors were closing now, obviously so the ship could keep what oxygen it had, and Crash realized that was his only way out. He positioned himself just where he wanted to be, and then tried to take a calming breath. That endeavor didn't work too well on account of there being not too much air, but Crash resolved not to let that stop him. It was going to be a long shot, that was for sure. He could easily bounce off the closing door and spin out uncontrollably into open space, or he could miss it completely. Crash grimaced.
No time like the present Crash, get a move on.
Crash released the bars and felt a wave of odd exhilaration as he slid across the metal floor. Under the circumstances, Crash should have been scared out of his wits. Well, he wasn't just scared, he was terrified. Yet, despite his uneasiness at being hurled through a tornado of fading oxygen, he was still able to throw his head back and holler an energizing "Yahoo!"
Almost an instant too late, Crash rolled and latched his hands around the opening the floor. The door was closing in slow motion it seemed, and with one quick bound Crash had slipped in through the cracks. Without any wind to hold him back, Crash landed with a thump on his stomach just as the door locked shut over him. Crash lay there for a moment, tallying his body parts and making sure they were all present before rising again. He was in a laboratory now, and he could probably safely assume that whenever there was a lab around, Cortex wasn't too far away.