Crash Bandicoot 3:

A Rift in Time

It is a law of the universe that peace can only last for so long. As an evil is vanquished, another must eventually emerge, even if it takes eons of waiting in the darkness. An insidious entity looked to the sky behind bars of impenetrable magic, glowing eyes curdling with an inferno of hatred. Whirling in the cosmos above, a discarded scrap of metal was repelled by the atmosphere. The evil entity concentrated, and slowly and carefully reached out tendrils of his own magic, gouging a small hole in the invisible shield that protected the earth. After a moment of work, the metal fragment shred itself through the atmosphere, and soon began its flaming plummet to the earth. Now the entity waited, anticipation rising in wild excitement. With some gentle prodding, the fireball was heading right toward him trailed by a fiery tail of sparking light. The entity's eyes were aglow with malice as he prepared for impact. Only an instant later, and the flaming projectile had crashed into the temple prison, sending rocks and steaming shards of metal exploding in every direction. When the smoke cleared, a dark cloud of evil energy emerged. For a moment, he hovered there, glancing idly at the splendidly unsoiled planet about to meet its destruction.

--

Dr. Neo Cortex could not coherently derive what had happened, but he was diligently trying to sort out his memories from no more than a quarter hour previous. He had been floating through the infinity of space for a week since the explosion of his space station, but had no method of returning to earth. If he attempted to break through the atmosphere, the metal that coated his ship was not nearly strong enough to withstand the pressure, and it would explode instantly. He could have sent a distress signal, but after Brio's traitorous desertion and N. Gin's disappearance, Cortex had no allies left. There was nothing to be done but wait in space until he could come up with a plan. Yet every time he began to conceive a way to survive, his thoughts somehow drifted back to the bandicoot that had defeated him, the bandicoot that destroyed his research for the second time. Cortex squeezed his fist and slammed it against the console.

"Damn you Crash Bandicoot!" Cortex shrieked, spittle flicking from his mouth.

Cortex's face was demonic as he glared at the clear blue planet before him, and he swore that while he still had a breath left in his body, he would make the bandicoot pay. Just as soon as this vow was stored in his memory, his ship began to shake. In a mild annoyance Cortex checked the dials and lights on his ship, but curiously nothing appeared out of order. Cortex leaned back in his seat and studied the apparatus again. He could see the tiny red and orange lights begin to flicker, and then each of them winked out. Cortex straightened. Had he lost power? How could that be? He had scarcely crossed the half way point, and still had more then enough fuel to circle the planet thrice. Then why…?

Cortex was jolted out of his perplexities suddenly, just as his ship began to move. Unable to access his infrared command, he relied on visual. Leaning forward and scanning out the view screen of ship, Cortex did not understand what was happening. A moment passed, and the ship took off at a speeding rate. Cortex was slammed back into his seat, and he flailed as reached around franticly for the restrains. He snapped the buckle into place, and looked up to see a colossal asteroid directly in his path. He was heading straight toward it! Cortex grasped the steering and pulled the wheel as hard to stern as it would go, but to no avail. His ship was still heading on precisely the same course. Cortex's eyes were wide with bafflement, and he did not expect a sudden blast of light to throw his mind and vision into complete disarray.

This is the state he fought to escape from now. Now that he slowly began to recollect the past events, he shook off the effects of the light and focused on what must be done. He could smell the foul stench of escaping smoke, and he was absently aware that blood was dripping down one side of his face. He tore off his safety restraints and slammed his fist on the ejection. The top of his ship snapped open, and he stumbled out with the grace of an intoxicated blind man. His scientific mind noted that he landed on some strange rock surface as he dizzily shrunk to the ground. He fought the spinning in his head as he blinked back what felt like fatigue. So obviously he had been unconscious for a time, if these were his symptoms. Knowing this, Cortex forced his pulse to steady and closed his eyes to calm his racing mind. Soon, he opened them again, feeling remarkably better. Now that his vision was unimpaired, he glanced around his crash sight to gain his bearings. He was very surprised indeed to see that he was situated inside an asteroid. Cortex attempted to get to his feet, but his faulty knees refused to obey. Cortex gaped with disbelief as he absorbed a panoramic opening in the rock that displayed the planet beneath. It was impossible that his body could survive in such a place, with the sheer vacuum of space unshielded. Yet he was breathing normally, and he felt no effects of what should be a marrow crushing pressure at all.

"Greetings Dr. Cortex."

Cortex instantly stiffened as he heard the deep, grating voice. He slowly turned his head, and his jaw dropped slightly at the sight. A glowing mask with a sinister expression hovered before him, and his mouth slowly curled up into a most frightening sneer.

"You have failed I see."