Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes

Chapter 0: The Ones They've Loved, The Ones They'e Lost | Part 1: Tawna

In her meager life at N Sane's Carnival, Nina Cortex's favorite moments were when she got to interact with the animals. A particular pair of bandicoots she liked the most. They were both very old for their kind; apparently they had been around even when her uncle was here. She called them Willy and Wendy. Wendy had a small and almost unnoticeable streak of blond atop her head, and Willy a streak of brown. Willy was Nina's favorite of the two because of his playful and interactive nature. He wasn't afraid of her, and would spin on his two hind legs whenever she fed him. It always made her smile. A blip of happiness in her meager life.

"Hey Willy! Feeding time. Here you go. Hmm... where's Wendy?" Willy, upon eating the few pellets Nina gave to him, picked up a few with his mouth but did not eat them. Wendy appeared from her enclosure laboriously and Willy ran to her and dropped the pellet he had is his mouth in front of her.

"Oh Wendy, I'm surprised you made it this long. I'll be really sad when you go. I know it'll break Willy's heart". Willy watched as his partner slowly ate her food. "For almost ten years you two have been together. And even as simple animals you two love each other." Soulmates...

HE woke up on a beach after drifting ashore. He shook some of the sand clinging to his wet fur, and then looked up to embrace the dawning sun rising above the ocean. For the first time in his life he was free... but for the first time in his short new life he didn't know what to do. To his left lay the reason why he abandoned his former purpose, the female he had never said a word to. Several questions burned within his mind: who was he, what was his purpose, and most importantly: what was he supposed to do now?

"Ugh... what," Subject C2 said as she overcame her grogginess. Last night she had been stunned by Dr. Cortex's firearm and was knocked unconscious. Her voice instantly grabbed C1's full attention, so he nervously approached and knelt beside her.

"C1," she then yelled angrily, "where are we!" C2 got up by herself and C1 retreated from her without responding. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not traitor?" C1 looked upward towards her face for only a moment to see her frustration mounting because his wasn't responding, and then shamefully looked at the sand underneath him for he couldn't bear to look at her any longer. "You abducted me last night, why? You disobeyed Cortex and rightfully incurred his wrath. You are his general, intended to lead his Commandos to victory. But you betrayed him, our master and creator! You are nothing but a deserter, and now I will suffer because of it."

C1 felt horrible for her words hurt deeply. All throughout the night C1 thought about his insubordination and felt so guilty about it. He had overheard his master giving the order to euthanize C2, and something just snapped inside of him. Something just would allow himself to stand by as C2 was ordered to be killed like the dozens of the other failed creations of Cortex's. Even though they had never spoken to each other, never been in the same room together, even though C1 knew almost nothing about her, with every ounce of his being C1 willfully betrayed his master in order to save C2's life. He couldn't understand it, but C2 was somehow just more important than his loyalty to Cortex; her life wasn't to be thrown away. Her safety and wellbeing meant everything for C1 now, inexplicably yet exponentially more so than his duty to serve Cortex. He couldn't explain, couldn't understand this feeling inside of him, it was just true.

"I read your file C1. I know what that collar on your neck is for. I know most of what there is to know about you, your strength, endurance, mental acuity; I know you've never disobeyed an order from Cortex ever until last night. So answer me right now. Why did you betray everything you stood for?"

C1 couldn't look at her, couldn't face her anger and hate of him. It was killing him inside; he felt so ashamed and horrible for what he'd done but knew he would do it again if given the opportunity. He just couldn't let their creator harm her, not matter what.