Chapter ten- Rematch
Crunch's every sense was on high alert. At the moment, he could feel nothing especially suspicious about his environment. He moved with quick strides to the laboratory, only needing to consult the map a couple times. The halls were a maze of twists and turns, and the sterile smells masked all others that might have been of use to him. He was expecting danger around every corner, but to his surprise he reached the laboratory with relative ease.
The place appeared clean and organized, which made it very simple to locate what he was looking for. There were a range of different vials along the counter, but Crunch knew the one he was after immediately. As he reached out to grip it, the hairs on his neck began to rise with unconscious perception. He had learned to trust his emotions, and he knew immediately that he was not alone. He snatched the vial and held it securely in his large paw, and then turned and let his eyes dart across the dim chamber. Even after a few moments of waiting, there was still no sign of movement. However, he knew he hadn't been mistaken.
Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a torrent of assailants dashed into the room. The surprise Crunch experienced did not slow his reaction, and he quickly sped into motion. The first two enemies came at him at once, but it was simple work to call upon his strength and knock one into the other. The next attackers leapt over their fallen comrades and lunged at Crunch. With a quick twist, Crunch dodged the attack and offered an elbow to the back of someone's head. He continued to fight this way, untiring and unstoppable. Yet, as he continued he was well aware that he couldn't succeed with so many burly aggressors coming at him. He knew eventually he would need to locate an escape route. Before he had a chance, a foot appeared suddenly and struck him hard in the face. As the attacker prepared to kick him again, he gripped the ankle and tossed the aggressor away. The battle slowed for a moment, and Crunch found himself motionless but positioned for movement. The creature that'd attacked him so quickly was familiar to him.
The tigress had landed easily after he threw her off balance. She stood with her clawed hands on her hips and smiled deviously.
"Well, it appears you have recovered well from our last entanglement. How splendid to see you again."
Crunch growled low in his throat, but he offered a cold grin.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you, especially now that I am in control of my emotions and we can battle on even ground."
The tigress shrugged her muscular shoulders regrettably.
"Alas, I haven't the time to do battle with you at the moment, Crunch Bandicoot. I must complete my mission. I see that you have located the solution that is meant to be combined with the toxin. Hand it to me, and I will have your life spared."
Crunch spared a glance at the creatures surrounding him. Although he was outnumbered, he was confident enough that he would be able to make an escape. He smiled, showing off his rows of sharp canines.
"It shouldn't be surprising to you that I refuse."
It did appear that the tigress expected such an answer. She nodded, and lifted the vial of toxin into her hand. She gazed at him.
"I am certain the toxin will do well at the moment. Perhaps one of Dr. Cortex's scientists can come up with a compound to make it functional. Your death will be a tragic loss, considering our own engagement for a single combat contest is postponed."
Crunch sneered. "And who says it's postponed?"
The tigress flipped a hand dismissively.
"Kill him."
The drones came toward him, some with shock gloves, and prepared to overtake him. Crunch waited for the last possible moment before acting. He barreled through them all with the strength of a charging rhino, and struck at anyone who got in his way. His risky move surprised the tigress so much that she could not even react when he came into range. She finally recovered enough of her wits to step toward him and throw a punch. Crunch stepped out of the way, evading each strike and kick that she dealt out. His defensive movements were simply a diversion. His eyes were focused upon the vial in the tigress's hand. When he discovered an opening, he struck out as fast as he could and gripped the vial in his hand. The snatching of the vial left him open to attack, and he felt a hard elbow strike him hard between the shoulder blades. As he stood, the tigress slammed the back of her hand across his face and sent him tumbling. He was able to execute a half-decent roll to end back on his feet. As the attackers approached again, Crunch held the toxin above the hard laboratory floor.
"I wouldn't come any closer." He warned through a wicked grin. "This compound is supposed to affect humans, but who knows what it will do to half-breeds."
The tigress was all calmness, but Crunch noticed that her brow was pinched in seething anger.
"If your hypothesis is correct, you would be in danger as well. Would you willingly destroy yourself so that you might succeed?"
Crunch nodded
"I would rather end this now. I will not allow Cortex to set this poison on others like me."
Of course, Crunch knew that the tigress was aware of the toxin's harmlessness toward evolved creatures. However, he knew that she would do anything to keep her mission from failing. Before she could speak again, a small beeping noise commanded the attention of the room. Both Crunch and the tigress turned toward the direction of the beeping, and the tigress touched a button. At once, a picture appeared on the screen. Crunch gazed at it, and then felt his heart still in his chest. At first, he saw the woman Isabella making her way through the vents upon the ceiling, and then as she passed, he saw Crash. What in the world were they doing in the ceiling vents? To his instant rage, the tigress was smiling in triumph.
"Well, it appears the pace of this game has changed. I am prepared to offer you a proposition, Crunch Bandicoot. Offer me the vial. If you do not, I will activate the fans within these vents and your little bandicoot friend will be cut to pieces." She tilted her head, her braids dangling by her shoulders. "What is your answer?"
Crunch felt his body go ridged. He clutched the vials in his hands, his anger steadily rising. He could not give up the toxin, not with so much at stake. However, neither could he let Crash and Isabella die. The tigress's fingers hovered over an activation switch, patiently awaiting his reply. Crunch took a deep breath and dropped his chin. He came forward slowly.
"Fine, you win. I'll give you what you want."
The tigress's eyes shone with self-satisfied conceit as she removed her hand from the switch, and reached out to accept the sacrificed vials. She shook her head with a toothy grin.
"I knew you couldn't resist protected that undersized weakling, Crunch Bandicoot. Why you would surrender to preserve his life I will never know."
Crunch glared at her.
"If you ever cared about anything, you would know."
Crunch's thoughts were not on Crash at that moment, they were on Tawna. He could see her clearly within his mind, and his desire to keep her safe overcame everything else inside him. When the tigress was close enough to reach, he gripped her wrist and swung her away from the consol. She had not expected such a move, and she tumbled to the ground without even the foresight to attempt to regain her balance. Crunch tried to position himself in front of the switch, knowing his only chance was to defend it until Crash and Isabella found a way out of the vents. It didn't take long for him to realize the battle could not last. The tigress recovered, and she was filled with an intense rage as she pounced upon him.
Fighting the tigress commanded the entirety of his attention, drawing him away from the control board. It was not only the tigress fighting him, but more of her minions continued to make nuisances of themselves. As he attacked everything he could reach, clouting minions within distance with his metal arm, he saw someone approach the console. The tigress stepped in front of Crunch with her claws extended, and turned to the solitary minion.
"Activate it!"
Crunch's eyes widened as he watched the minion slam his palm upon the switch. Crunch abandoned the fight, reaching out with an intense feeling of panic.
"No!" He shouted.
However, it was too late. The fan had been activated. From his view of the screen, he could see the effect the whirling fan was already having upon the trapped bandicoots. The tigress laughed hollowly, taking advantage of Crunch's horror by swiping her claws across his back.
"It's over for your friend, Crunch Bandicoot. And soon, it will be over for you."
Crunch winced through the pain of her attack, and whirled on her with his teeth bared. He did not have time to exchange blows with her. He needed to fight his way back to the console and turn off the fan. Yet every time he tried to break away from the fight he was drawn right back in again. He could not focus on the battle, and because of this he knew he was losing. He suddenly felt the tigress at his arm, and then yowled in agony as she sunk her teeth deep into his flesh. The attack distracted him enough that the tigress was able to wrench the vials out of his hands and tuck them into her own belt. Crunch growled, enraged. He could not allow her to get away with the toxin. The tigress danced away from him, laughing with conceited gaiety.
"Your weakness is unfathomable, Crunch Bandicoot. It will be easiest for you if you simply surrendered now."
Crunch lost all reason for one, furious moment. He glowered.
"Do you think so?"
Crunch leapt forward and slammed the tigress hard across the face with his organic hand. The tigress, bewildered, fell to the ground with an irked grunt. Crunch might have been able to leap upon her and wrestle the toxin away, but he knew that his priority was saving Crash and his female friend. But before he could make it to the activation switch, he felt several hundred tremors of electricity shoot through his body. His muscles failed him, and it took all his strength to simply hold himself upright. The electric shock had come from one of the tigress's minions, and the attack would leave Crunch vulnerable until he could recover. Unfortunately, he didn't have that time. The tigress was back on her feet, all former cockiness gone and replaced with insulted rage. She came toward him, and after a hard kick to his abdomen, Crunch found himself sailing backward. He tumbled through an open door and landed heavily on his back.
As the wind was punched from his lungs, Crunch had no awareness of his surroundings for a few frightening moments. By the time he sat up and surveyed his situation, the chamber door had already been closed and locked, trapping him in the small room. He soon saw the tigress's face at the glass, and found that he could hear her depraved voice through a microphone connection. The first thing he heard was a laugh, causing him to clench his fists in anger.
"This is a testing chamber, my friend." She said with gleaming eyes. "I imagine the humans used this place to experiment with their venomous invention. It will suit my purposes fine, I believe."
Crunch didn't know what she was talking about at first, and as he watched the minions fiddling with some controls he began to understand. A loud sound issued into the chamber, and wind began to rush around him. Crunch got to his feet and glanced about quizzically. What was happening? He realized almost a moment later that air was not being blown, it was being sucked. The tigress seemed determined to confirm his fears.
"Presently, the oxygen is being removed from your temporary prison. I suspect it will take about five minutes for the chamber to be completely devoid of air, after which you will suffocate."
Crunch felt his heart beat faster, but rage overcame any fear he felt for his life. He jumped forward and slammed his iron fist against the glass. However, his attack didn't so much as scratch the surface of the transparent window. He didn't suspect it would. If the chamber was designed to be vacuum-sealed, the windows could not be broken by a mere show of force. The tigress laughed again.
"I apologize, Crunch Bandicoot, but I must leave you now. I must get this toxin to Dr. Cortex. However, please entertain yourself by watching your two friends struggle to escape their fate." She indicated the surveillance screen. "Farewell, this time, forever."
With a swish of her long orange braids, the tigress walked off with her minions closely behind her. In a few moments, the laboratory was empty once more. Although he knew he could not easily break out of such a chamber, Crunch still did everything he could to escape. He threw his shoulder into the door over and over again, but the impact did nothing. He used apparatus within the room, an iron chair and table, but he remained unsuccessful. When he looked out of the window, he could see Crash and Isabella sliding closer and closer to the rotating fan. He clenched his jaw and pressed his forehead to the glass. He could not save Crash, and he could not save himself. He tried not to imagine when the information returned to Tawna. He had his whole life ahead of him, and now, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.
Crunch's consciousness began to wane as the oxygen level in the room decreased. His lungs labored to receive sustainable air, but it grew more difficult with every breath. He sagged down to his knees. At lease he would not be forced to watch Crash die. He was quite sure he'd be the first to cross that threshold.
After about ten minutes of constant movement, Crash was wondering if Isabella knew where she was going. However, he didn't want to bring it up. Questioning Isabella about anything was a sure way to earn himself a black eye. However, his mouth hardly ever worked in conjunction with his brain.
"So, we set to get out of here within the week?"
"I didn't take the time to memorize the ventilation systems in this place." Isabella shot back irritably. "But you're welcome to lead if you're in a hurry. I wouldn't want to slow you down."
That was enough to shut Crash up. He had absolutely no sense of direction, and didn't want to give Isabella the opportunity to make fun of him. However, he was quite impatient to locate Crunch. He knew that his quick-to-anger pal wouldn't be able to resist facing off against the tigress again, and Crash wanted to be sure he had his back. She was a cunning little minx, and was one of the few who had a chance of matching Crunch's cunning.
As they continued forward, Crash heard a suspicious sound. It almost sounded like clanking, but then it altered into a strange kind of whirring noise. Isabella stopped, and Crash had to sit back to avoid bumping into her. He didn't really think the sound was important enough to stop their progress. He shrugged his shoulders.
"What's up?"
Isabella looked behind her, meeting Crash's eyes.
"Do you hear that?"
Crash would have to be deaf not to.
"Yeah."
It took him a second to realize that Isabella wasn't really talking to him. She bit her bottom lip, and turned back toward the direction they were progressing. Crash was still confused about what the noise meant, but something about it seemed to spark something in Isabella. At once her entire expression changed, and her eyes turned cold and focused. She turned toward him and began crawling, shoving him along in front of her.
"Move." She ordered crisply.
Crash could hear in her voice that Isabella was serious. As he tried to obey Isabella's command, he noticed that air was sucking backward. His ears began to blow in the increasing wind, and as he crawled he wanted to ask Isabella what was going on. Soon, the wind blew so strongly that he couldn't push forward anymore. Even with Isabella shoving him from behind, the air current was too strong. In a sudden lapse of concentration, he slipped and felt himself being dragged backward. He and Isabella were being pulled through the current, and as Crash watched his hands gripping at the smooth metal he realized they were probably in trouble. He didn't realize how much trouble until he glanced behind him.
When he saw the whirling fan with the sharp blades spinning around to the point of invisibility, Crash almost heaved up his lunch. They were being dragged toward the dangerous situation at such an alarming rate that Crash thought for a moment that he'd finally reached the end of the line. Their velocity was increasing, and the fan seemed to be sucking hungrily for the two anthro morsels. All of a sudden, he felt himself stop.
Crash glanced toward Isabella, and saw that she had opened her legs and propped them on either side of the vent. However, despite the cleverness of her tactic they were still sliding along very slowly. Crash leaned in close to Isabella, needing to shout over the wind to be heard.
"Love those crazy long legs of yours! Now how about crab-walking us to safety?"
Isabella was clenching her jaw with the effort to remain in such a sturdy position. However, she was still able to shoot back a retort.
"It would be simpler for me to get to safety without your worthless arse weighing me down!"
Crash nodded.
"Point noted! I'll just make myself useful then, shall I?"
Isabella couldn't answer. She grunted in frustration as she tried to bend her body to gain more leverage. Yet, no matter what she did they continued moving closer to their ultimate demise. Crash considered for a few moments, and then noticed something particularly interesting. Without a moment's hesitation, he ripped off one of his shoes. He then began to pound relentlessly on one of the vent seams. As he continued to bang, he saw Isabella rotate her head with a wild expression of disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled over the rushing air.
"Doing my bit for the escape plan!" Crash replied as he gave the seam another good pounding.
Crash couldn't tell, but he guessed Isabella was sighing in exasperation. She was probably thinking, "However in the world does that dumb bandicoot think he's going to save us by banging his sneaker on a vent?". And if Crash was at liberty to divulge his plan, he would say to her- As his last strike broke through the seam, Crash's mind fell quickly to other matters. As the seam separated, the vent fell from the ceiling and, due to the wonders of gravity, bent down to the ground. Crash and Isabella both tumbled out of the bottom of the shaft and found themselves laying, relatively unharmed, upon a hallway floor. Isabella sat up, her hair in a gold disarray around her face and her expression devoid of all emotion. She clapped her hand to her forehead.
"Well, I honestly did not expect that."
"You'll get used to it." Crash said as he shined his claws on his chest. "I'm not a complete idiot, you know."
"Luck is different than skill, bandicoot." Isabella retorted as she dusted off her pants.
"Then I've been 'lucky' for quite a few years now." Crash sat up with a small smile. "I'll take it."
After Crash got over the initial headache that accompanied a sudden fall, he struggled back to his feet. He noticed that Isabella was already on hers. She turned to him.
"Since you tend to have a bad habit of ruining an otherwise perfect plan, I suggest you wait here. I'm going to the laboratory. I can maybe head her off."
Crash was insulted. Wasn't he the one who got us out of that particularly sticky situation?
"Well, there's gratitude for you. Next time we're trapped in vents and being sucked toward a sharp fan I'll remember this."
"We wouldn't have been in that vent at all if you hadn't screwed everything up in the holding cell."
"Oh yeah, I knew you were going to bring that up."
Isabella was obviously not in the mood for arguing, because she turned and started jogging down the hall. Crash followed along behind, not sure if she was going to bark at him to beat it or not. To his relief, she didn't. She probably thought it would be easier to let him tag along. Blessedly, they didn't have far to go at all. The lab opening was very close to where they their little tumble.
When they reached the lab, a loud rushing sound washed over them. Crash furrowed his brow in confusion. It sounded almost like an incredibly noisy vacuum cleaner. Isabella strode with a determined march toward the lab tables, on the search for the solution for the toxin. Crash followed along with slow steps, puzzled by the noise.
"What is that?" He said out loud, but Isabella didn't answer.
As he continued walking, his eyes fell upon a chamber with clear windows. Was the sound coming from that thing? Crash peered inside, glancing about the windy room curiously. As he looked, he could hear Isabella growl angrily from across the room.
"It's not here."
That wasn't surprising. After all, the tigress did get a head start. Crash continued to stare in the locked chamber, but when nothing interesting came to his attention he began to back away. Then, his gaze fell on something familiar and his eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Crunch?"
A heap of burgundy fur was lying unmoving inside the chamber. Crash felt panic pump adrenaline into his veins, and he looked about rapidly for something to break through the window. He quickly gripped a metal chair.
"Isabella!" He shouted as he swung the chair against the window. "Turn this thing off!"
Isabella reacted to the urgency of his voice without a moment's hesitation. As he used the entirety of his strength to strike the window again and again, Isabella scanned rapidly for a deactivation switch. Crash realized he wasn't making any progress with the indestructible glass, so he tried another tactic. He tossed the chair away, and started testing all the switches near the door. He found the one that unlocked the door just after Isabella flicked the deactivation switch. Crash threw open the door and rushed inside. Although the suction in the chamber was in the process of shutting off, Crash didn't pay it any mind. He gripped Crunch by the arms and began to pull. However, a ninety pound bandicoot was no match for Crunch's hulking weight. Crash glanced over his shoulder.
"Little help?"
Isabella came inside the chamber, and took Crunch's mechanical arm and helped Crash drag him out of the chamber. Once he was out, Crash dropped down beside him and placed his ear against his chest. Isabella bent down, her face as emotionless as stone.
"Is he alright?"
Crash leaned back up on his heels, a grave look on his face. He swallowed, and then shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. There's only one chance to save his life."
Crash scooted up toward Crunch's head and leaned down.
"Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
As Crash expected, as soon as he was about seven inches from Crunch's mouth, Crunch's hand shot out and gripped him around the neck. Crunch didn't open his eyes, but his voice was very hoarse.
"Try it, and you'll earn yourself a mouthful of teeth."
"He's awake." Crash managed excitedly. "It's a miracle."
During this interlude, Isabella had risen up and crossed her arms, an irritated look on her face.
"If you boys are finished, I'm thinking you should shift your attention to more important matters. Tina is gone, which means that the toxin is with her. Do any of you have any idea what will happen if Cortex gets his hands on it?"
Crash frowned. "I'm betting on, 'end of the world as we know it'. Final answer."
Crunch forced himself to a seated position and took a great inhalation of air to replenish his breath.
"She's right, we don't have time to waste. We've got to follow her."
Isabella was studying them both with a puzzled expression.
"How exactly did the two of you get here?"
Crash answered with a small smile.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He loved being sarcastic.
However, Isabella was not in the mood for his clowning around.
"That's why I asked." She replied, deadpan. "I took a speedboat here, but if you have something quicker…"
"It's an aerial vehicle." Crunch replied.
"It's no fun if you just give up the answer, Crunch." Crash admonished. "Don't you want to secure a little mystery?"
"I don't want to be involved in any antics of yours." Crunch growled with annoyance.
"Well, then quit shooting your mouth off and let's get going." Crash replied with a mischievous smile.
Crash dashed off before Crunch could bark back an irritated retort. Isabella was on his heels in a moment, and then quickly fell into step beside him.
"Do you realize that you waste a monstrous amount of time with all your shilly-shallying?"
Crash shrugged as he ran. "I do whatever I can to lighten the mood. I find it makes all this craziness a little more bearable."
Isabella shook her head, and Crash thought he could see the smallest smile uplift one corner of her mouth.
"I'm not surprised that you are able to find something to smile about in such a critical situation. I guess that's what gives you that charm everyone seems taken to. Some might call that bravery. I call it foolishness."
"Can't please everybody." Crash replied lightheartedly.
"However, I've also never needed to boost the morale of those around me." Isabella continued. "When you fight alone, you have no need to. I suppose, then, such an outlook can be useful after all."
Crash smiled, glad to finally gain some positive criticism from his bitter companion.
"Glad to see you're coming around. I have a few knock-knock jokes that I can teach you, if you want."
Isabella overlooked Crash's attempt at humor, and he noticed with a chill that she was glancing sidelong at him. Even as they ran side by side, he caught a sparkling gleam within her blue eyes. That look filled him with instant fear, because the knowingness she displayed behind that look was enough to penetrate the flood gate that was keeping his anxiety at bay. Isabella didn't need to speak to convey her meaning, her eyes spoke enough for themselves. There was a fear inside him, always constant and sometimes overwhelming. But Crash was able to bury it deep inside himself, so that no one could see it. He covered up his anxiety with humor and jokes, and he'd played the part so well and for so long that he almost forgot how afraid he was. There was always so much at stake that he would be crazy not to be afraid. No one saw it, not Coco, not Aku Aku, not Tawna, and not even Crunch. However, when Isabella fixed him with that debilitating look, Crash was stunned. Almost a second had passed before Isabella returned her eyes forward.
"Thanks, but I'll pass." She said through a scoff.
It took Crash a moment to realize that she was answering his previous question. He swallowed, not wanting to let Isabella see how much she'd frazzled him. Thankfully, they were quickly reaching the exit. Crunch was sprinting along behind them, and Crash knew that he was keeping a slower pace to compensate for Crash's short stride. Indignant, Crash dashed forward, leaving both Crunch and Isabella in the dust.
"Better keep up!" Crash yelled over his shoulder with a bright grin.
"I said it before, be serious from the start!" He heard Crunch yell from behind him.
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a little shout out to say thanks again for the reviews and support! I've finally finished my first gift of a appreciation to Chicflick! It's a scene from her fanfic "Odds and Ends", and it can be found on my DeviantArt account (link is on my profile page^^) Thanks for your continued interest and encouragement Chicflick! I have a few more gifts to get to (not to mention chapters to polish off), so, tootles!
Your devoted Crash Bandicoot author,
Bandi-Cute