Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Prologue

He awoke in a dazed sweat, confusion flooding his body. He groaned as he waited for his vision to clear, carefully sitting up afterward. He took a good look around and gasped sharply. A gloomy castle could be seen in the mere distance. He was not certain as to how the castle was fully repaired, but that wasn't what was truly bothering him. How had he returned in the first place?

As if an answer to the question that swam through his mind, he heard groaning from nearby and turned around, his eyes meeting his colleague's. He approached the other man and asked, "N. Tropy, what are you doing here?"

The Master of Time rolled his eyes and responded with, "That is not what you should be concerned about, Dr. Cortex. The better question is, how did we return?"

Before Cortex could respond, he spotted the mighty Uka Uka not far away. The mask seemed to be in disarray as he floated back and forth. Something else immediately caught the scientists' attention, specifically what looked to be a portal. As Tropy gazed at it, a sinister smirk formed on his face. That wasn't just any portal; it was a doorway to another dimension.

"Where do you suppose that leads?" Cortex asked his master, but the mask did not respond. Instead, he grunted as though something had struck him and fell to the ground. Cortex began to poke him, but Uka Uka would not come to. "U-Uka Uka? What's wrong?"

"Leave him," said Tropy. "He's served his purpose."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see? This is our ticket to take over the infinite dimensions! We will be rid of those pesky rodents once and for all!"

Cortex held his chin, intrigued. "You don't suppose Uka Uka was the one who opened the portal, do you?"

"Whatever the case, we had best make the necessary preparations immediately. We shall go to the castle. Oh, and...bring Uka Uka along. We may need him."

Cortex sighed but did as instructed, picking up the unconscious mask and following the fellow scientist to Cortex Castle. Once there, they went straight to Tropy's laboratory. Before they entered, they heard commotion coming from inside. They donned their weapons as a precaution, but they soon found they did not need them, for they were met with a surprising sight.

Natalie, the daughter of N. Tropy, was busy typing away at a keyboard. A large contraption of sorts was to her right. She immediately stopped what she was doing once Tropy cleared his throat, prompting her to turn around.

With wide eyes, she exclaimed, "I-It worked! It actually worked!"

"What are you speaking of, child?" Tropy asked.

"Please don't be angry with me, but...I took the liberty of using your laboratory to create a machine that would possibly bring you back. I can see that it worked." She gestured to the contraption beside her. "Behold, the Rift Generator! It is capable of creating pathways between dimensions, making it easier for us to travel back and forth. Again, please do not be upset. I just wanted you back, and--"

"My dear girl, this is brilliant! With this, we will be able to rebuild the infinite dimensions as we see fit!"

"Y-You're going to do what? I mean, I understand that you want those meddling rodents dead, but...isn't this going too far? What would Mother think?"

"Oh, I'm sure she would be on board with this. After all, she left her own dimension centuries ago to live here."

"She seems much happier with us," Cortex added.

"I suppose you have a point," Natalie sighed.

"Where is your mother, anyway?" Tropy asked. "I must speak with her immediately."

"She is...gone. She left to search for you and has yet to return. Oh, I do hope she is okay."

"I'm sure she is. Now, tell me more about this invention of yours."

"Well, it still needs some adjustments. I'd hate to ask you to assist, but..."

"Allow Cortex to help."

"Excuse me?" the shorter scientist growled, but no one seemed to hear him.

Cortex was forced to work on the Rift Generator, much to his chagrin. Tropy took Uka Uka from the other scientist's hands, causing his daughter to ask what happened. The Master of Time shrugged and simply stated that he hadn't the slightest clue.

"I have an idea," he continued. "Uka Uka could power up the Rift Generator, could he not?"

"I...suppose he could," said Natalie. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"We all make mistakes, my dear. Now, once the contraption is finished, we can use Uka Uka to increase its capabilities." He paused. "You know...Uka Uka paved the way for our bright future."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Once the Rift Generator is complete, dominion over time and space will be within our grasp!"

As the two continued to speak about current affairs, N. Gin and N. Brio entered the room. They could hardly believe their eyes. Since Cortex and Tropy were back, that meant Natalie's invention must have worked.

"Natalie," began N. Gin, "we've got some little...projects we'd like to discuss." But neither the teenager nor her father paid any mind, so N. Gin and his partner instead turned to Cortex, who seemed to not be in the brightest mood.

After an awkward silence, Cortex said, "N. Gin, N. Brio...you had some little projects you wanted to tell me about?"

"Master, my mechanical marvel will hypnotize you an army!"

"And my potions will make me...um, them unstoppable," Brio added.

"Right, yeah, fine, sure," Cortex said, waving the two off. "Have fun with your...ray guns or whatever."

The two scientists could tell that their master wasn't in great shape, but they thought it best to not mention it. As they left the room, Natalie and Tropy continued to speak about the Rift Generator. The Master of Time smirked menacingly, but it went unseen. He would finally be able to reset the timeline, and no one would be able to stop him!