Cortex gazed into his shadowy reflection through the thick slab of glass that separated him from the pure vacuum of space. It had been exactly nine months since another of Cortex's humiliating defeats at the hands of his nemesis, Crash Bandicoot. However this time was slightly different. This time he had a superior in charge of permanently ridding the earth of the bandicoot, and that ancient spirit had failed. Therefore, Cortex calculated that the failure was only partially his fault. Uka Uka believed now that the bandicoot was much harder to kill then he had first anticipated. That did not, of course, dampen his anger at Cortex's incompetence. Uka had many weeks to explain to Cortex through word and action exactly how useless he was on the frozen alps of the Himalayas, one hundred years in the past. It was by pure luck that the evil spirit and scientist had escaped that warp in time.
During the months following their release, Cortex had rebuilt his space station, with the assistance of long-lost comrade Dr. N. Gin and the less then desirable allegiance of Dr. N. Tropy. Now he was pleasantly situated in the giant titanium orb, planning his next attack on Crash Bandicoot. He was confident that this time, his plan would work.
--
Coco kicked a coconut as hard as she could, her hands still buried in her pockets. She was not in the best of moods. She didn't go back to the house, even though she had every intention of doing so. She just started walking, and remained walking in the same direction for a quarter of an hour. She didn't slow down, or even check where she was. If she got lost, she would only need to find her way to the ocean and then follow the beach back to familiar ground. Although she was in a new part of the jungle, she didn't feel lost. Not yet at least.
Pura had been napping under a shady tree, taking full advantage of his new relaxing lifestyle. The beautiful Bengal tiger who had followed Coco home from ancient China was quite the bodyguard, and after Coco had reunited with her friend the tiger hardly let her out of his sight. Even though being in the company of a wild and fierce creature like Pura was reliving, Coco still needed some time to herself. Aku Aku, the witch doctor's mask who watched over the island, had just recently allowed her to wander off alone, and even then she wasn't so sure.
She continued walking until she met a rocky ridge, and she didn't stop there. Without stopping to consider where she was going Coco began to climb. Thanks to her size, she was quite nimble, and was able to scale the steep cliff in no time. She scrambled up the side, and stood up only to face more jungle. Finally, she decided to turn around, and when she did, her jaw dropped.
"Wow."
What she saw before her was the most amazing view she had ever seen. She had no idea the ocean was as large as it was; it stretched across the entire horizon and seemed to blend right into the sky. The beach below was only a thin trail of gold ochre, and the water that lapped across it turned the sand outline a musty brown. She could see the tops of the trees that seemed so high when she had strode under them. A grin rose to her face, but it quickly disappeared. Views were nice, but she still was in a dilemma. There was a good chance that if Cortex ever returned he would be coming after Crash. Coco believed in being prepared, and she refused to stand by while some evil jerk harmed her family, and Crash was her family. Her only family. Coco replaced her hands inside her pockets and continued to march, knowing very well that she was unlikely to find what she was looking for but still unwilling to turn back.