It was just another day in Dr Cortex secret base deep in the jungle of Tasmania. But something was different on this day. Loud voices were heard out of the base “Sir, we have lost the contact to the Space station…” “Can’t you damn robots make anything right?” someone shouted out of the control room. “Everything I have to do on my own…” he thought “Neo should make them more intelligent…”. The creature walked down a hallway and then into a room full of technical equipment. He told the computer to make a connection with Cortex’s space station. But how often he tries the computer sais every time that there are no signals from space. “How can that be? Neo is already one hour over his normal time with his weekly journal. Maybe something bad happened? I should check the last signals we’ve received from the space station”. He told a few Assistants to check the last signals while he was going for a walk in the jungle.

As the creature left the base, a warm wind was blowing over his burgundy fur and his blonde hair. As he walked a few minutes, he looked up into the sky with his green and blue eyes “What’s going on up there?” he thought. And just in this moment a bright fireball was flying fast over his head. Nearly the same time an assistant was calling him on the radio “Sir, We found out what´s happened to the space station…” “Ok. I´ll be there in a minute. Steve end.”

Steve has reached the main base gate. He laid a paw on the plate next to the gate. “Identity confirmed. Steve Bandicoot. Burgundy Bandicoot. Security class AAA. Welcome back commander!” a computer voice said. Steve walked down the hallway into the control room. As he entered the room, nothing was working. Everything was turned off. Just in this moment Steve knows why that was and even what´s happened to the space station. Every system was controlled by the station and so Neo’s space station must be burned up. “The… The station burned up? It had been the fireball I’ve seen! I hope Cortex is still living… wait a minute… who cares about Cortex now? He’s gone and all his assistants too! I´m free now…” he thought “Finally I can do what I want. Maybe I should check out Neo’s castle and take it over…” he was going to the Hangar. There were standing two of Neo’s spaceships ready to take off. He entered one of them and programmed the autopilot to fly to Cortex’s castle. The spaceship took off and flew away.

As the spaceship landed near the castle N. Brio heard it and went over to see who was inside. “D-D-Doctor Cortex is it you?” he stuttered while the door of the spaceship opened. “Cortex? Brio it’s me, Steve! Haven’t you heard anything about the space station?” “Steve? I-I-Is it really you? That must be a dream…I-I-I haven’t seen you for ages!” the little scientist said “and I haven’t heard anything about the space station? Is something bad happened?” “If you call a burned up space station bad, then yes!” “That’s why all of the assistants are turned off… I thought it was my new machine!” “Which machine?” “I just worked on a few things which you don’t have to know.” “Err… Ok” “I have so much to tell you Steve. Let‘s go into my office…” Then Brio and Steve turned back to the castle. They walked through a few hallways and talked about anything what´s happened in the last years “So tell me Steve, don’t you want to know anything about your brother?” Brio asked. “I have a brother!?” Steve asked him sightly confused “Y-Y-Yes that’s what I said” Brio replied. “How can that be? Neo always told me that I was the only one from my family who’s left!” “Then let me tell you the truth about you…” Brio said to him and the two went into Brio´s office.

Brio tried to tell Steve anything he knows “As far as I know everything started as we sent Crunch, that’s the name of your brother, over to X.Treme island. Just the same day Neo wanted to create another minion like Crunch cos he was so amazed by him. From Neo´s view Crunch was the perfect minion. But he wasn’t loyal to him so he banned him on X.Treme island. And just as I was back in the castle Neo showed me a Bandicoot which was in a cage near the one in which your brother and sisters were. The Bandicoot was you. He wanted to evolve you cos you were exactly like Crunch. The temperament, the age, the size and he wanted to make you much more loyal to him then Crunch. So we did with you what we had done with your brother some days before. As you were evolved, Neo put a device around your neck and every time you did something wrong in Neo´s eyes it gave an electric spark to you to punish you. But he soon noticed that you don‘t care about the electricity and so he made every shock more intensive than before.” “This must be the reason why I´m resistant to electricity and why I can‘t remember my past…“ Steve told Brio “Y-Y-Yes so it is. You lost your mind cos Neo has gone too far one day. He shocked you so many times that you nearly died. You were in coma for two weeks. After that I removed the device and took you to the base on Tasmania to save you from Neo. And the rest you should know…“ “Yeah, sure Brio! You don‘t have to tell me…“

“Well then let me know, what´s happened to Neo´s space station?“ Brio asked Steve “Well I was outside the base to take a walk and then suddenly a huge fireball flew over my head. Then one of the assistants called me on the radio and I walked back to the base. As I entered the control room everything was turned off. And then I knew what´s happened cos every system was controlled by the space station…“ “You mean it burned up? But your b-b-brother was up there too! The others could escape... they told it me, but Crunch wasn‘t with them in the escape pod…“ “WHAT!? We have to search him! Maybe he could escape on an other way… I won‘t loose my family before I really know them.“ “Don‘t worry about him Steve. I´m s-s-sure he is…“ In this moment Steve got really angry, he lifted Brio up and pushed him against a Wall “DON‘T WORRY!? After eight years you tell me that I have a family and just the same day I could loose them, and you just tell me DON‘T WORRY!?“ Steve shouted “Steve…please…I know how you feel… please let me down…“ Steve threw him on his chair and ran out the Room. “I must do everything to find him“ he thought. Then he remembered what Brio told him about the device which Neo used to control Crunch´s mind.

Steve ran up the stairs to Neo´s private Lab. “Brio told me that Cortex used a device in his Lab to find and control Crunch everywhere in the World. So I just have to get it” he thought. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. Brio came up the stairs “The door is locked and only Neo himself has a key for the door.” he said. “Ohh… Brio…err… I´m sorry for what I’ve done…” ”No problem Steve. Nothing bad happened. I can understand why you’ve done that.” Steve punched against the door “That won’t be work Steve. It is massive. Even Crunch tried to came in when Neo locked himself in his lab when he…” In the moment Brio want to finish his sentence Steve break through the door “So what won’t work?” he asked Brio. “Nothing. Nothing… You’ve become pretty t-t-tough that you can break this door…” Brio said “After a few years in Cortex‘s secret base full with training and fights against his minions I became a bit stronger ,yeah. So which of this strange machines is to find Crunch?” Steve asked Brio. But Brio was still in work. Brio searched something. “I have f-f-found it!” he said. He connected the little box with a computer and hacked a bit on the keyboard. “Steve come over to me! I’ve found him!”

“What? Where is he?” “He’s on N. sanity Island. Just a few Miles from here” “Ok I´ll go to meet up with him…” “NO! Please don’t do it! I don’t know how he would react! Maybe he thinks you’re a trick by Neo to kill him or something like that and then he went mad and everyone around him is in great danger! Let me speak with him first so that I can explain everything to him.” “Maybe you’re right Brio… one or two days more doesn’t matter after all the years. Then I can do a few things in this time…” Then Steve walked out of the Lab. “How should I tell Crunch that he has a brother?” Brio thought. He walked to the window and looked over to N. sanity Island.

Brio headed over to N. Sanity Island the next day. It was midday. Steve was still sleeping. Brio went to the Bandicoot hut where he last localized Crunch. As he arrived there, Crash and Coco were outside. “Hi Brio!” Coco said “Hello Coco, Crash. So I´m v-v-visiting you too cos I have found another Bandicoot on this Island…” “Oh you mean Crunch?” “Y-Y-Yes. You two know him already?” “Sure. We have saved him from the space station.” told Coco Brio and Crash nodded. “Where is he? I have to tell him some good news…” “He’s on X.Treme Island now.” “Ok. Then I´ll go over t-t-to him. It is very important what I have to tell him.” “Ok Brio.” Coco replied. Brio went on his boat and drove over to X.Treme Island.

As he arrived at the seashore he saw Crunch laying on the beach. As Brio walked up to him, Crunch noticed him. “Hey Brio! It’s good to see you…” “Wow Crunch. Is it really y-y-you? You changed a lot since the last time and even got bigger.” “Yeah, after the years on the station in space I changed a lot. I´ll tell you the whole story if you want…” “Sure I want to hear anything about it.” “But first tell me, why you come over to X.Treme Island?” “Well, I have to tell you something important. After the Station burned up, someone had come over to the castle. It was a bandicoot named Steve. He’s still there. But… what I want to tell you is… he is your b-b-brother.” “What!? I have more relatives than Tawna and Crystal?” “Yes. He was evolved after you and Tani left the castle…” Brio told him the whole story about Steve. “So he came back to the castle from the secret base in Tasmania as the station burned up?” Crunch asked “Yes. And he is still in there. He actually didn’t know about you too. Yesterday I told him everything about his past I knew. And as I said that you’re on the space station and maybe d-d-dead he got very angry and was nearly killing me. I told him about Cortex’s mind control and that we can find you with a device in Neo´s Lab. The door was locked but no problem for him. He crushed it with a few punches. And then I localized you on N. Sanity island. This morning I went over and from there to X.Treme Island and then… I told it already.” “It sounds like that I was in the castle yesterday. I really want to meet with him. But for now I have to wait for Tani…” “Ahh… I understand… Just call me when you want to come over.” “Sure Brio. I´ll come as soon as possible.” Then Brio left X.Treme Island and went back to the castle.

But as he reached the Island the spaceship with which Steve arrived, was away. And Steve wasn’t in the castle too.

Steve just approached at the secret base in Tasmania. “If Neo is still alive he won’t have a chance to take over the world from here. I´ll destroy this base!” he thought. He entered the storage room of the base and searched for something “Damn, where is this thing!” he yelled as he was going trough the room. “Ahh got it.” he said to himself and went over to the control room with the key. He put it in a console and pressed a red button on the control device. “Self-destruction activated. Ten minutes left to evacuate the base” a computer voice said. “Now I can let my past behind me and go my own way…” and Steve walked out of the base to the main gate where he landed the space ship. As he reached the gate he noticed that it was locked. He was trapped by his plan. “Five minutes left until self-destruction. Evacuate the base immediately!” “How could I escape now?” “Four minutes left until self-destruction!” Then he remembered that there was a little hole in the wall. He ran over to it. It was to small for him. He made it bigger and tried it again. “DAMN! Now I´m trapped in the wall!” “30 seconds left until self-destruction!” Then he got free and was on the other side of the wall. BOOM! The explosion was so huge that Steve took off and flew into the forest through a few tree’s and against a rock somewhere in the forest. He was heavily hurt and blood was everywhere. Before he was knocked out he could send a SOS to Brio.

Brio was working on a few lab assistants to make them run on their own. Then he received the SOS signal. “S-S-Something bad must be happened… I have no time to loose. I should take the a-a-assistants with me. May they can help…” Brio went as fast as he could to the space ship and flew to the place where the SOS was coming from. A huge cloud of smoke and dust was near the ground so that Brio couldn’t see anything. “A-A-Assistants, get out and search for the live form we scanned from the sky and take it carefully back to the space ship if it’s hurt!” The two assistants did as they were told. They could see trough the dust with their sensors and found Steve in the near of the spaceship down by the rock he crashed in. They carefully took him back to Brio. “I k-k-know that something was wrong! We have no time to loose! I h-h-hope that it isn’t too late for him…” The space ship took off and Brio flew it back to the castle as fast as he could.

Back at the castle… “Took him to the emergency room! I’ll care about him!” Brio told the assistants. As he reached the emergency room he started immediately to care about Steve. “Ohh great… he’s still alive.”

Two hours later… “Well I have done what I could. But he is still in a critical status. He now needs to rest a lot.” he told the lab assistants and they took Steve into his room.

One week was gone… Brio opened the door to Steve’s room. “You can go in. But I d-d-don’t know if he awakes…” “It’s ok Brio… You have done everything possible and I thank you for that.” Brio closed the door and let the two alone. “So, today we met the first time and you’re sleeping…” Crunch said to Steve. Then Crunch sat down on a chair near Steve and was looking on him for a while. “Man it’s like I’m looking into a mirror… and from all I’ve heard, he’s like me in nearly everything…” Crunch thought .After a few minutes Crunch saw that Steve moved himself. Then his brother suddenly opened his eyes and got up in his bed. “Where am I? Who are you? . . And… Uhh… why does everything hurts?” “You’re in the castle with me and Brio. And I’m Crunch your brother. Well it’s nice to see that you’re alive. You slept for one week…” “Ahh now I remember… Cortex’s base on Tasmania… the explosion…. And you are my brother ,Crunch?” “Yeah, I am. Brio told it me before your little accident.” Crunch replied. Steve jumped out of the bed and went over to Crunch. “You should stay here and rest…” Crunch told Steve “Nonsense. That was only a little explosion. There happened already badder things to me.” Steve replied and pointed on the scar in his face “I know what you mean…” Crunch said and showed his metal arm to Steve. A few hours passed and the two bandicoots were talking about anything what they’ve done in the past. “After all you’ve told me about you I’m very interested in a little fight.” “Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean you’re just woke up after one week and you’re not fit for action yet….” “Think so huh? I told you that already badder things happened to me and do you really think that Neo gave me a break? Let’s go outside. Then I’ll show you how fit I am!”

The two bandicoots were outside the castle on the beach. They get into their fighting positions “I better should hold back myself…” Crunch thought but he hadn’t looked at Steve. Then he got a hit from him and felled on his back. He got up quickly and attacked Steve .But Steve moved out of Crunch’s attack and hit him again. “Come on Crunch… I know you’re much better than that! Or do you want to tell me that my big brother is just a weakling? Don’t hold back yourself!” Steve yelled “Ok! But you want it so! No more mercy for you!”. Then Crunch started to attack Steve with his metal arm. Steve tried to block the attack but he couldn’t. He flew a few metres and landed hard on his back. “Wow! That was a punch! It‘s like a truck hit me!”. The battle between the two was still going on. Steve took a few hits on Crunch and Crunch also on Steve.

After two hours… “This fight doesn’t make sense! No one of us can win! It’s like I’m fighting against myself! Let’s stop it here right now!” Crunch yelled “Ok! I think you’re right!” Steve replied. The two bandicoots sat down on the sand near each other. “We should make this again. I’ve never had an opponent like you. It was like fighting against myself.” Crunch told Steve “I haven’t had a fight like this too. Only against Neo’s weak minions. It was Awesome. We should train together.” “Yeah, sure why not? When you ever come to X.Treme island, visit me and Tani in our house.” “I’ll do that if I come over. May we should go back in the castle. It’s already dawn.” and Crunch and Steve went back into the castle.

After they entered the castle, the heard an explosion. “That comes from Brio’s lab! Follow Me!” Steve told Crunch. The two ran up to Brio’s lab. “BRIO! Where are you?” Steve and Crunch shouted “I´m here!” the little scientist said the two Bandicoots quickly went over to him “Anything happened to you Brio?” Crunch asked “No, nothing. I was safe behind the security glass.” “So, what you’ve done now Brio?” Steve asked him “Well, I’ve just worked on my new machine and want to test it and then, it suddenly explode!” Crunch and Steve took Brio to his Office and then went to the café. “Man, this happens quiet often…” Steve said “What? That Brio’s things not working?” Crunch asked “Yeah. Every time he tests a new machine he created, something bad happens.” Crunch started laughing and Steve as well. “That’s funny. Every thing he builds will explode. Just imagine that…” Crunch laughed. They arrive at the Café. Ate a bit and then talked for the rest of the evening. It was midnight. “I’m tired. I think I go to bed.” Steve said. “Well, I think I’ll go to bed too.” Crunch replied “Ok, then I’ll show you your room, what means when you want to stay here.” “Why not. It’s too late to go over to X.Treme island.”

The next day. Steve was up early and walked a few rounds around the Island. Crunch then woke up too. He noticed that Steve wasn’t in his bed. Then he heard someone outside. Crunch walked over to the window and looked out. He saw Steve running trough the beach “Hey man! How long you are outside now?” he shouted. Steve looked up to the window “Maybe a half or an hour! But I’ll come in for breakfast now!” “Ok I wait at the Café for ya!” After the breakfast Crunch would go back to X.Treme Island. Steve took him to the seashore of the island. “And you really want to swim the whole way back to X.Treme Island?” Steve asked him. “Yeah. It’s not as far as it looks.” “When you say it, it must be so.” “Hey, why you don’t come over to us for a while?” “Let me think a moment about it… just a little joke! Sure I’ll come over to X.Treme with you.” They ran into the water and started to swim. A few metres later it was going into a little race between the two. They both reached X.Treme Island at the same time. “So, here we are. I’ll show you everything on the Island.” Crunch told Steve. “Who lives on this Island?” Steve asked “Well, just me, Tani, her brother tiny and a few other guys. And on the Island over there, N. Sanity Island, Crash and Coco. Neo’s greatest enemy.”

Then Steve and Crunch walked into the jungle of X.Treme island.

Crunch took Steve to his house. As they arrived there, Tiny was outside. He saw the two Bandicoots and was confused “Ahh… two Crunch‘s! They will kill Tiny!” he yelled and run in the jungle. “Don’t care about him. Cortex forgot his brain when he created him.” Crunch told Steve “Ok… but who was that?” “That was Tiny, Tani’s brother. Be careful with him, sometimes he can be dangerous. But he shouldn’t be a problem for ya.” the Bandicoots entered the house “Tani! I’m back and I’ve brought someone with me!” Crunch yelled “I’m coming!” a voice said. Then a door opened and Tani came out. “Hi Tani!” Crunch said to her and hugged her. Then Tani came over to Steve “Nice to meet ya…” she said “Well, nice for me too! Steve replied. “Crunch told me a lot about you…” “Well this is going to be a nice day…” Crunch thought.

Meanwhile on N. Sanity Island… Crash and Coco were in the Bandicoot-hut “What do you think Brio want to tell Crunch last time, Crash? Maybe we should go to him and Tani tomorrow.” Coco told Crash. Crash nodded and fall then into a deep sleep. “Ohh Crash, since you defeated Cortex you sleep the whole day…”

Back on X. Treme Island late in the evening… Tani, Crunch and Steve were in a great mood and had a day full of action. “We should make this again soon.” Crunch said “Yeah why not?” Steve said “You can stay here with us as long as you want Steve.” Tani said “Well then I wouldn’t say no.” “Hey Steve what did ya think about a little Paintball fight tomorrow? We can invite Crash and Coco too.” Crunch told Steve “Paintball huh… well that’s a great idea.”

Early the next morning. Crash and Coco arrived at the seashore of X. Treme island. On the Beach they saw Crunch, Tani and Steve. “Hi all!” Coco said to them “Who is that?” “He’s my brother Steve.” Crunch told Coco “Nice to meet you Steve.” “So we’re just want to start a little Paintball fight. Want to join our fight?” Crunch asked Crash and Coco. “That sound like fun. Sure!” Coco said and Crash nodded. “Then I think you two make a Team with Tani and I’ll make a team with Steve…” Crunch said “Isn’t that a bit unfair for you, guys?” Tani asked “We’ll see who loose this fight. Let’s go Crunch.” and Crunch and Steve ran into the forest.

After 10 minutes Crunch and Steve were deep into the forest. But then suddenly Steve heard something “Hey Crunch, did you hear that?” “What? Wait, now I can hear it too…” Crunch said. Then they both heard a shot. Then there was red paint on Crunch’s metal arm. They climbed quickly up a tree and hide up there. Steve noticed Crash “Hey Crunch, at 11 o’clock Crash…” he whispered. Crash saw the too Bandicoots on the tree but it was two late. Steve and Crunch hit him the same time. “So Crash, you’re game over.” Crunch said. “Hey be quiet! May Coco and Tani are somewhere here too…” “Whoops, sorry man.” And just in the next moment Crunch was hit by a bullet and he had blue paint on his chest. “Oh great! This is just damn great… I’ll hope you get the two sissy’s for that Steve!” Coco and Tani came out the bushes “Where is he Crunch? I’ve heard how you speak with him…” Tani asked “I can’t tell you anything… I’m dead you know.” Crunch replied. Coco and Tani then walked out of the scene “Steve? Are you here? They’re away, you can come out…” Crunch said but no one was there expect Crash. “Man where is he now?” Crunch thought.

Meanwhile a few metres away… “Come out Steve! I’ve caught you!” Tani yelled into the jungle. Then Steve walked out of the tree’s “But I’ve caught you too…” he said “Then I think it’s draw…” “Or even not!” Coco said and jumped out of a bush and hold her paint gun on Steve too. “Hey that’s unfair. Two against one…” Steve smiled and took out Crunch’s gun and shot at Coco while holding his other gun on Tani. Coco was hit by a yellow paint splash and was out of the game. “Now it’s fair!” Steve said and fired a shot at Tani. Tani fired on Steve nearly the same time but can’t get out the way of his shot and was hit by green paint. Steve jumped out of Tani’s shot and was the only one who was “alive” after their paint fight. “Well then, you two made a good fight.” Steve said and helped Tani to get up “Thanks. But you weren’t bad too! Let’s go back to Crunch and Crash.” “Hey! Wait for me!” Coco yelled.

They all meet on the beach. “Which team has won?” Crunch asked “We won brother! But it wasn’t so easy…” Steve replied “But it looks different in the forest. You took us both out in the same time. Have you ever make something like that?” “Well, I don’t like to speak over my past… but yes. I was Neo’s weapon specialist.” “Then it’s no wonder that you two win…”

One year was gone and everything was going well after Neo has been defeated by Crash and Jaseo by Crunch. Steve, Crunch, Tani, Tiny, Crash, Coco and Kong lived together as a great family. Not always but most of the time. But not everything was so beautiful. No. Dr Brio still lived in Cortex castle and looked over to X. Treme island every day… “Why I can’t b-b-be like them? Why must I live here alone? But n-n-never mind. Only a few days more of work and my newest machine is ready for testing. T-t-t-then I’ll never be alone!” Brio said to himself and then turned back to work on his new machine.

The next day… Brio was watching over to X. Treme island “It s-s-s-seems like that they were having another day together with fun… but today everything will change. I will be like them!” Brio thought.

Meanwhile on the Island: Steve was away for a few days to know more about his past. Crunch, Tani, Coco and Crash were just having a game of paintball.

It was silent, deep in a jungle, on X.Treme Island… gunshots where heard, it was uncertain to what was actually going on...