Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

Chapter 1: The Great Uka Uka

It had been a year since Cortex was defeated...again. Everything had been peaceful on the island since his space station was destroyed. It was believed that he had perished, for who could survive an explosion such as that?

Natalie had still been searching for her father, but with no luck. N. Brio, when he wasn't working on any experiments in his secret laboratory somewhere on the island, would assist her from time to time. She heaved a sigh as she trudged forward. She was beginning to lose hope. The search had lasted for more than two blasted years, and it was starting to become ridiculous.

Something immediately caught her eye, and she looked to the side to see what it was. A nearby temple had been destroyed thanks to what appeared to be part of a space station crashing into it. She wasn't sure why, but that made her all the more worrisome.

"Free, at last," a voice echoed as a blue entity floated out of the temple.

That can't be good, Natalie thought as she hurried down the path.

She wasn't sure how, but she found herself inside a Warp Room; however, it was vastly different from the previous one. All of the different areas were situated in that one room rather than a certain hero having to travel to separate rooms.

The hero in particular came to mind - Crash Bandicoot. Natalie was concerned. If another Warp Room had shown up, that could only spark trouble for the bandicoots. They were her enemies, sure, but she also didn't much like Cortex. If she had to be part of yet another of his dastardly schemes, it was going to drive her to the point of insanity.

"Natalie?"

The teenager turned around and glared down at Cortex, crossing her arms. "So, you're alive," she huffed. "I thought you would have died."

"Nonsense. I always find a way back."

"Unfortunately..."

"Hey! Do you want to know where your father is or not?"

"You didn't help me last time like you had promised. Why should I trust you now?"

"Well, I--"

Before the scientist could continue, the blue entity that Natalie had seen earlier appeared. It began floating around as it growled, "None have dared to fail the great Uka Uka even once, but you, Cortex...you have failed me TWICE!"

Natalie frowned. Uka Uka? If he had returned, then...

"Great Uka Uka, it was that infernal bandicoot," Cortex stammered as he fell to his knees in fear.

"From deep inside my temple prison, I sent you simple instructions to follow," Uka Uka continued as his form changed into what he truly was - an ancient mask much like Aku Aku, albeit with a different appearance. "But you lost the gems, you lost the crystals, and I have lost my patience! There is now no other power source left on this planet."

"I know we've had a few unfortunate...setbacks--"

"And failed! But, since your bumbling has managed to set me free, I am feeling...generous. There is still a way to amass the power needed to enslave this miserable planet, and this time...this time, the great Uka Uka will make sure that you do it right!"

A portal appeared soon after, with a tall man stepping through before it closed. He was much taller than Natalie and wore a lab coat, as well as golden armor with a large clock in the center. Even his left arm, which had a huge metal glove around it, possessed a clock. His skin was blue, and his eyes were yellow.

"F-Father?!" Natalie exclaimed happily as she ran up to hug the man. Cortex and Uka Uka both rolled their eyes. It was a pathetic display, really. "Where have you been?"

The man pulled away from the embrace and glared daggers at Cortex. "You can thank this simpleton for everything," he growled.

"Now Nefarious, I can explain," Cortex began.

"You shall refer to me as N. Tropy from now on. We have discussed that already."

"Whatever. Look, N. Tropy, just let me explain--"

"If you should tell anyone, it's my daughter!"

"What are you speaking of?" Natalie curiously asked. She had a feeling she would not like the answer.

"You really want to know?" Cortex snarled. "Then fine. I had caused N. Tropy to 'disappear' all that time ago so that he would not stop my efforts to take over the world. I knew he did not appreciate what I was doing, and with how much more intelligent and powerful he is, I had a feeling he would be able to stop me if he wanted to. I had made a little deal with Lyra, you see, and--"

"You made a deal with a Master of Darkness?! You buffoon!"

"Let me finish! Like I was saying, I made a deal with Lyra. If I got rid of N. Tropy, she would assist me with world domination! As you can imagine, she stabbed me in the back..."

"Of course she did! She's a Master of Darkness! They never keep their promises, idiot!"

"Calm yourself, Natalie," ordered N. Tropy.

Natalie sighed heavily as Cortex said, "What I'm confused about is how you managed to return. You should have been stuck in the 10th Dimension."

"Uka Uka here assisted me right after he was set free."

"I've had quite enough of listening to the lot of you ramble," Uka Uka said. "Now, here is what must be done..."

***

Outside the home of the bandicoots, Coco was typing away at her laptop while Polar lay next to her. Crash was playing with his yo-yo, while Tawna watched him lovingly. Aku Aku kept a close eye on everyone as a precaution. You could never be too careful, after all.

Sinister laughter suddenly echoed in the air. Coco slammed her laptop closed as she and the others rushed inside.

"What's going on?" Coco asked Aku Aku in worry.

"It would seem that my evil twin brother, Uka Uka, has been freed from his underground prison," the mask explained. "Long ago, I locked him there to protect the world from his malice. Now, free once again, he must be stopped!"

Tawna watched as Crash, Coco, and Aku Aku left the house. "Be careful, Crash," she said aloud.

The bandicoots and their guardian found themselves in a new Warp Room just as Cortex and the other villains had left. Luckily, the group had not been spotted and they had no idea that their enemies had arrived.

"Children," Aku Aku began, "Uka Uka and Cortex plan to use this Time-Twisting Machine to gather Crystals that lay scattered across time. I have brought you here to recover the Crystals before they do. To open the time portal, simply stand on a button and jump into the portal. Good luck." With that, Aku Aku teleported away.

Crash and Coco looked around. It seemed that another adventure awaited them. The female bandicoot blinked. How did Aku Aku already know of Cortex's plan beforehand? She shrugged. It was better to save that for another time.