Chapter Eight – Pack Attack

Cortex snarled a profanity as he caught a glimpse of the camera feed. Miraculously, the bandicoot was able to escape N. Gin's mechanical terror and was now somewhere inside his space station. Cortex was so sure Gin could annihilate the bandicoot, he hadn't even planned his next move. The only thing he needed to worry about now was killing Crash Bandicoot, by any means necessary. Cortex grinned wickedly. He knew just what to do.

--

Crash had to admit that this lab looked a relatively less dreary than Cortex's last one. The lab Crash had been created within was far more cluttered and creepy, yet this one looked quite organized and the equipment looked new. Well, it wasn't as though Cortex could have salvaged anything from his old lab after it lit up like a candle. Crash chuckled at the thought. Now who could have been responsible for that? As Crash took a couple steps forward, he noticed with awe that Cortex had his own panoramic view of the earth. Crash eased up the steps carefully and took a good look out the window at the remarkable view.

"You look mighty pretty sweetheart, but I think I prefer the view from below a bit better."

Crash stood there a moment longer, wondering what he was planning to do from this point, when he heard a loud popping noise. Crash spun on his heel. Popping noises were never good signs. One of the computers started wailing, and a chain reaction of sirens and flashing red lights followed. Crash swallowed nervously. What the heck was going on here? Crash rushed to one of the computers and took a look at the screen

EMERGENCY DEFENCE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED

Crash cocked an eyebrow. Now what did that mean? Well, obviously Cortex knew he was here or he wouldn't have sent his metallic lackey to take care of him. But what was this sequence? Crash didn't like the sound of it. Crash then heart another sound, like the suction of air. The screen blinked another jumble of words now.

RECYCLED OXYGEN RECERCULATION ABORTED

The meaning of this phrase hit Crash like a ton of bricks, that is, when he had offered a sufficient amount of time deciphering the complicated jargon. Cortex was sucking the air out of his lab! Crash supposed the old geezer wasn't on the mood to get his hands dirty, so he took the indirect approach of destroying his adversary. Crash took his bottom lip in his teeth. If he was going to get out of here alive, which was the desirable route, he needed to think up a plan quickly. Crash glanced rapidly around the abandoned laboratory, eyes searching for anything that could be of any use. The sirens blared louder, and Crash slammed his hands over his ears.

"Do you mind? Isn't it considerate enough that you get rid of all the air, now you insist on blasting my eardrums too? Have you no shame?"

Crash squinted through the glowing greenish light and furiously stumbled about, scattering clutter about with one hand while keeping the other latched on his ear. Then he saw something quite interesting, and his hand dropped from his ear as he grinned widely.

"Well what have we here?"

A jumble of equipment lay on a table, with scraps of wire and ruddy clothes partially obstructing it. Crash fanned the junk out of the way and laid his hands on the metal, a sly smirk on his face. A jetpack, eh? Now he was in business.

--

Coco tugged irately on the strands of her ponytail, clicking her teeth to calm her racing mind. There had to be something she could do. Aku Aku had been unable to remain idle, and was on a desperate search to find something in the ancient ruins to help their situation. Coco had absolutely no faith in that method at all, and had since been racking her brain to conjure a helpful idea. She flopped down on her stomach after a while of baseless pacing, and rested her chin on her fists. This entire predicament was getting quite tiresome, and Coco had just about enough. She stared at her screen for what seemed like an eternity before furrowing her brow. There was something else there, something she missed. Coco swallowed hard, desperately trying not to raise her own hopes. She started typing franticly, eyes wide as the screen blinked onto different screens in rapid succession. Somehow, her connection was picking up another signal. She had been linked to Cortex's mainframe the entire time, and now she saw that someone else was trying to access it. There was a message as well, but it was encrypted, and needed to be cracked before she could read it. Coco bit her lip. Well, this wasn't a direct answer to her brother's problem, but at least while she was occupied it was harder for her fear to claw at her.

--

The jetpack was REALLY heavy, and the oxygen connections and doodads that hung from the metal were quite confusing. Yet it was amazing how fast a simple-minded guy whose air was running out could don a complicated piece of machinery. Extraordinary in fact, and Crash was quite proud of himself as the vacuum stole the last of the oxygen and he was settled quite comfortably with his artificial air. Yet with his oxygen tank, mask, goggles and twin propelling jets strapped to him, Crash was starting to feel quite sluggish. Fortunately, that feeling didn't last very long, on account of the gravity becoming utterly non-existent.

"Hey!" Crash grunted with surprise as his feet left the floor.

He floated there ridiculously for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to keep himself upright.

Crap, I wonder if this thing comes with a manual…

Finally Crash got the hang of the crazy machine, and was able to stay balanced by pointing the jets toward the floor. Now, he just needed to figure out how to activate the bugger. He saw a red button on the left of him that looked very promising, so he gave it a quick click. Two rods snapped out of the sides of the jetpack, and if Crash hadn't been fully strapped in and floating in zero-gravity he would have jumped. As it stood though, he took the rods in his hands and figured these things steered him. Crash grinned as best as he could around the breathing mask.

Okay, I can do this easy. Green means go, let's do this.

Crash snapped his thumb over the green button, and was surprised as he shot upward and collided with the ceiling.

Mental note: Green means up.

Crash shook off his rattled brain and tried again. This time he tried the other rod. There were two buttons here, one being red and the other a kind of pinky colour. Crash chose red. He zipped forward without warning and found himself spiraling through the halls out of control. He would have sworn if he had the breath to do so. He was able to eventually slow himself down, and with a little practice, Crash was excited to see that he was getting better.

I'm what one would call, a fast learner.

Enwrapped in his current arrogance, Crash didn't see the live wire that was sparking before him like a spitting snake. At the very last moment Crash caught a glimpse of the curling wire and twisted. Astonishingly, Crash had narrowly made it through the smallest of openings. He hovered there for a moment.

Let's keep our mind on the job at hand, shall we?

Crash continued onward, making a mental note of anything he passed in case he needed to come back this way. He gave a stifled chuckle. That wasn't likely to occur but he learned it was better to be prepared. As long as it didn't take too much effort, of course. Crash zipped through dim halls and carefully conquered dangerous obstacles left that way from the quick extraction of oxygen. He wondered absently if he would need to find an escape pod or something. He needed to get back to the planet, obviously, and Cortex probably had a few other diabolical schemes up his frilled sleeve. Crash sighed. Suddenly, Crash felt a burning sensation in his wrists. He collided with a wall to stop himself, and glanced down at his forearms. The marks there were glowing brightly, and Crash could feel their thrumming like the trickling of water over dry skin. Crash started forward again, feeling the crystals' light guiding him. Crash snorted. The quicker he could get rid of these shimmering pieces of junk the better. Following the internal guide, Crash made it to just the place he wanted. The escape pods. Crash muttered a distorted "yes!" under his breath as he prepared to swing into one of the open pods. The stupid marks burned him again, and this time, it hurt! Crash pushed himself away from the pod and struck the back wall. When the instinct disintegrated, Crash felt a welling of irritation fill him.

What the hell?

He glared at the markings again, but they continued to glow faintly as if nothing had happened. Crash tried to enter the pod again and the same reaction occurred. Crash gritted his teeth.

Damn you stupid scribbles! Why are you giving me such a hard time?

Then a feeling seeped into him, one that gently tugged at his angry resolve. Something was drawing the crystals, and Crash, in his current position, didn't have a choice but to follow it. He glided in almost a trance as he progressed, and as he neared the source of the temptation he felt the crystals grow more eager. Crash halted only when a pair of heavy metal doors blocked his path. He shrugged.

Well, that's that. Better get back to those pods…

Yet the crystals wouldn't let up. Crash blinked subconsciously, and a magenta flash sparked through the lock. Crash gaped as the door slowly swung open. He started gliding with a perplexed look on his face.

Well now, that's just silly.

The designs were getting brighter by the second, and Crash felt a strange kind of invigoration come over him as he neared some secret destination. Crash accelerated through the last hall and then passed into a closed chamber. Crash stopped dead, which was no easy task in a jetpack. Sitting in the center of the chamber, surrounded by intricate and elaborate machinery, a massive maroon crystal floated in absolute suspension. Crash felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and eased toward the huge jewel with mesmerized eyes.

Wow, now that's pretty.

Crash recovered from his sense of dumb-struck awe just long enough to realize that he needed this crystal. It was more than three times the size of the trivial little shards Crash had gathered, and for some reason it held quite a bit of importance. Crash sneered. If he was going to get Cortex back for playing him for a sucker, he needed ALL the crystals. Crash leaned forward and extended his arms toward the glowing gem. Just as his fingertips grazed the shimmering surface, the mammoth crystal faded away. Crash felt it whirl around him and then enter him through the strange marks. Crash held his breath until the remainder of the swirling dust settled, and then relaxed. Frankly, he felt little difference. Crash rubbed his hands together, brushing away the tingling feeling, and felt a little disappointed. Yet an instant later Crash felt an immense power channel through his arms and strike at the apparatus used to support the big crystal. The thing began to spark and sizzle with vibrating electric volts, and Crash watched with baffled eyes as the entire mechanical structure imploded, and was left a smoking heap on the ground. Crash glanced down at his hands, and then pressed them into his pockets.

That was a little unnecessary…but kinda fun.

Crash smiled excitedly, but instantly reminded himself that he needed to be really careful. It seemed that this big crystal didn't want to be controlled by anyone, so Crash wasn't in the driver's seat anymore. Yet this manner of thinking brought on another reflection. If he wasn't going to offer the crystals to Cortex, then what was he going to do with these crazy gems? He needed to get rid of them, but how was he supposing to do that? Crash shrugged. Whatever, he would figure that out when he was out of this floating dumpster and back to the planet. Crash started accelerating madly toward the escape pod dock.

--

Coco finally traced the signal, and deciphered the code in no time at all. Not a big deal when one's IQ was substantial. Coco leaned in and read the message with a sour expression.

DR. CORTEX, I HAVE APPROACHED YOU WITH A PACT BEFORE, BUT YOU REFUSED TO TAKE MY OFFER SERIOUSLY. I AM IN A POSITION NOW TO DESTROY YOUR SPACE STATION, AND IF YOU REFUSE TO COMPLY I WILL BE FORCED TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES. I WILL BE WAITING ON YOUR REPLY.

The message was coming from a ship hovering in space, and when Coco hacked her way into the easily penetrable system she read that it belonged to someone named Brio. Coco scratched her head. When Aku had spoken of Crash's adventure in Cortex Castle, he mentioned that Brio had been Cortex's associate. Yet apparently Cortex had betrayed his partner, and now it was probable that Brio was on a run for vengeance. Coco tapped her chin. Did Brio really have the recourses to destroy a space station? His confidential status reports proved negative on that front, but Coco wondered if maybe he had a secret weapon or something. She didn't have time to find another route, so she decided to go along with this one.

After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

It took Coco a few moments to connect to the signal sent from Brio's craft, and after she did she activated the communication voice link. She took a deep breath and waited.

--

Brio leaned back in his chair. The fierce tiger had failed; he had just gotten word of it. Brio shook his head. How could that be possible? How was Tiny unable to destroy one little bandicoot? Regardless, as it stood now, Brio had absolutely no leverage. He had threatened that he would destroy Cortex's space station, but he knew the doctor wouldn't believe it. Brio didn't possess the firepower to take on such a task, and without the crystals, he didn't even have a chance. Brio sighed and his shoulders slumped. Now, there was nothing more to do except wait. Wait for Cortex to succeed in his dastardly plan and wait to return to earth, where all the inhabitance would be under Cortex's influence. While wallowing in self-pity, Brio noticed absently that there was a blinking dot on the screen of his computer. It marked an incoming communication. Brio eagerly activated it, hoping it was Cortex but knowing the latter would never agree to his terms. Yet with him on the line, maybe he could find a way to strike another deal. Yet Cortex didn't appear. A small furry face with large ears and long blond hair appeared on his screen, her green eyes were large but angled in distain. Brio gaped. The bandicoot girl took advantage of his speechlessness.

"Are you Dr. Brio?"

Brio gave a short nod. "I-I-I am. Who a-a-are you?"

The little girl fixed him with a glare, and deliberately ignored his question. "Just for the record, I don't trust you one bit. I know that you were the one involved in rapidly evolving animals on these islands, so I guess I'm one of your many indirect creations. Anyway, I also know that you hate Cortex and so that means we have something in common. Cortex has got my brother and I need you to help me liberate him."

Brio was staggered. "Your brother?"

"I'm Crash's little sister dirt bag, and I don't take kindly to having someone I care about snatched away to satisfy some ugly scientists' own ends."

Brio scratched his head in wonder. So Crash had discovered he had a partially evolved sister, was that even possible? Brio had no time to dissect it at the moment. He conjured an acidic expression.

"Why should I h-h-help you?"

The girl offered a narrow look. "Because we both need something. You want Cortex defeated and I want my brother back. I can access destroy Cortex's computer mainframe, but there is no self-destruct sequence so I can't blow up the entire place. I need you to give Crash passage on your ship, and then you are free to destroy the space station using the power crystals."

Brio scoffed. "Interesting notion. Yet you f-f-forget, my dear. Your b-b-brother has probably already surrendered the c-c-crystals to Cortex."

The girl looked visibly stricken by the comment, and he could read her hesitation. Despite this lapse of reserve, her sternness returned immediately.

"Well, if he did we're all in irreversible trouble anyway. We have nothing to lose by trusting that Crash has kept the crystals from Cortex."

Brio considered this. He wanted Cortex destroyed more than anything, but he didn't care for the possibility that Cortex may already possess the crystals. Crash Bandicoot was not very bright, that was a certainty, so there may be quite a large chance that he did yield them. In spite of this chance, the bandicoot girl was right. If Cortex had the crystals, it was already too late. So, the girl would destroy Cortex's research, he would offer passage to Crash, and the latter would therefore give the crystals to him. Then Brio could use these power sources to blast Cortex out of the universe. He liked the sound of that.

"Do we have a deal, Dr. Brio?" The little girl spoke with authority.

Brio was instantly snapped from his trance, and returned his attention to the bandicoot girl.

"Crash won't t-t-trust me enough to come aboard my ship. How w-w-will I c-c-convince him?"

The girl tilted her head to the side slightly. "If it's the choice between boarding a ship with an old advisory and being blown to space dust, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure he'd choose the former."

Ah, sarcasm.

Brio leaned forward on his desk. "I don't think I am w-w-willing to t-t-take the chance."

"I'll give him a message, alright? I don't see how you could be intimidated by a dumb dope like my brother, but nevertheless I will make sure he knows you will be there. How's that?"

Brio shook off the patronization and nodded. "That would be a-a-adequate."

The girl nodded curtly and abruptly closed the connection, leaving Brio to wonder if he had made the correct choice. After all, aligning himself with Cortex's worst enemy may not be the wisest idea. Brio activated the visual, and the dim grayness of the windows faded into the dark starry realm of space. Then Brio's gaze settled on a hideous blot amid the beauty, the ugly bulbous space station that hovered like a blemish on a painting. Brio gradually felt his mouth begin to turn up into a smile. He would just have to take his chances.