Chrono Trigger
The Metal Knight and his Comrades; The new member of the group, X, must face his old peers as well as receive a new purpose and name…
"Hey, why did you decide to help us?"
There was nothing except them and the ambiguous world around them. I say that the world was ambiguous because they were speeding past it, all images and things becoming part of a large blur in the process. Although it was intensely new for someone from their age to travel as fast as anything they had ever seen, Lucca had become used to it and was no longer impressed. However, she was far more impressed with the newest addition to her group of misfits.
Had she been up front with Crono she would have gladly talked to him. After all, it had been a while since she had the pleasure of talking with her friend personally, but driving so fast had its disadvantages. He had to concentrate on the road, almost to the point where he could not blink for fear of colliding with some unseen thing. Therefore, she stretched out leisurely as she gazed into the unblinking eyes of the mechanical being. Although she asked the question after X had agreed to escort them, it still seemed unusual for anything in this world to merely lend a helping hand.
In fact, she had been thinking this in her mind and it seemed to be slightly unsettling. After all, the last robot they had encountered wanted to skin Crono alive and walk around in his birthday suit. There were also many other machines that were more than willing to destroy them at the drop of a hat. Lucca had made a certain distinction when it came to these strange beings that feigned intelligence; they simply did what they were told by their creators. However, Johnny wasn't fully robotic, but partially human. Perhaps it was him that created all those sentries. When she pondered on that thought she suddenly came to another question; "Can machines determine between right and wrong or do they do what they are told? Because I repaired X, does he regard me as his creator? Does he even remember his own creator?" She felt silly, because something seemed to tell her not to pursue it merely because she was afraid that she would hurt his feelings.
"Did I say 'his' feelings? It's a machine. It doesn't even have feelings." As harsh as it sounded, she continued to tell herself that same fact over and over. "His feelings are the results of matrixes and equations programmed into a singular data storage space. That old fool cannot be right."
There is a certain event that transpired before discovering the machine or even the race. It was a theological discussion that occurred between Lucca and Belthazar as they drove towards the bridge. I would have mentioned this earlier, but it did not seem so prudent or at all important until we have reached this part of the story. While they were allowed a rest aboard his strange vehicle, Lucca found time to further examine the strange machine that accompanied Belthazar.
We all know how she interacted with the being; she treated it as if it were a baby to be held and examined. However, as she continued to appraise the uncomfortable machine, Belthazar became infuriated. Why would he do such a thing? The answer is simple and is best explained in this manner; quite simply, no other person can love their child more than a mother who actually wanted it. Have you ever seen a person hold onto someone else's child and refused to relinquish their hold? The mother becomes rather distraught, because new life that she loves and adores becomes a mere spectacle for the viewer. That was the same for Belthazar. This man cared for his creation as if it were human and was outraged.
"Will you stop poking and prodding the poor boy? You're going to annoy him." He grumbled as it continued to drive on.
"What do you mean 'annoy' the poor boy?" Lucca said with a snigger which slowly grew to amazement, "Are you telling me he can imitate emotions?"
Belthazar said nothing as his teeth clenched so tightly that they might shatter.
"What else can he do?" Lucca began to pester him, which she did because of curiosity and partially out of spite. If you remember correctly, he was forcing them to do some pretty strenuous chores.
"Are you really so inconsiderate?" Belthazar grumbled, "Can't you understand that you are offending him?"
"You can't offend something that doesn't have emotions." Lucca said with a sneer. She had a seat on the floor whilst staring at the machine that seemed slightly worried as if some great argument was on its way.
"How are you so sure that he doesn't have emotions?" Belthazar said in the calmest voice he could muster, yet there was bridled anger in his tone.
"There are two things;" Lucca began, holding up a pair of fingers, "a brain and a heart."
"He has both." Belthazar replied.
"No he doesn't," Lucca said while shaking her head, "what you call his brain (or I like to call him 'it') is actually nothing more than a bunch of computer generated codes transmitting prompts and actions to the rest of his body."
"Ah," Belthazar began, "then what do you call the brains that we all have?"
"What do you mean?" Lucca said with a scoffing laugh.
"You seem like the scientific type, so surely you must know that the brain sends electric pulses throughout the body. Each action that we perform is done by moving arms and legs which are connected to nerves which connect to the brain. If that is true, which it is, how is that any different from a machine save for the fact that we are made of flesh while their nerves are made of wire?"
Lucca smiled within herself; evidently this crackpot was not entirely gone from sanity, "Well, I do admit that you danced around that one rather nicely, but you still haven't told me about the heart."
"He does have a heart and it continually powers him by usage of UGEE and such. Also…"
"No, no," Lucca began with a condescending laugh, "I didn't mean an actual heart…I meant a soul."
This seemed to stop him for a moment, "Ah, I see. Well, what do you consider a soul?"
Lucca stopped for a moment as she tried her best to come up with a very intelligent sounding answer, "The ability to choose for yourself! All robots must obey the commands they are given without question! We, as people, are given the ability to choose to do good or bad. Since they cannot choose, they can feel no guilt or remorse! They are mindless puppets!"
"Have you ever looked at a newborn child?"
"Ha, of course I've seen one. What of it?"
"When they come into the world they know two things; where they come from and that they can suddenly breathe, kick, and scream."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucca said in a demeaning tone.
"I'm not finished. When a child begins to grow up it steadily gains an understanding of the world around it. If a child does something wrong it feels no guilt. A child is ignorant to these feelings, so does that mean they have no soul?"
"Of course not, they simply don't know what is right and wrong, what they can do or can't do."
"So who are we to say that machines aren't the same way?"
"Once again you dance around the topic without addressing an actual point." Lucca added in an exaggerated sigh.
"What I am saying is that if there is a machine that can think for itself and act for itself, who are we to say that it has no soul? A machine that can think for itself can learn the consequences of good and bad through experience just as we do. In any case, how do you know you have a soul? Can you see your soul?" Belthazar shot back heatedly.
"Of course not." Lucca smirked, seeing that she was beginning to infuriate the old hermit. "But I can feel it, so I know its there."
"Well, that's what I am saying as well." Belthazar stated with his arms crossed. "Perhaps only god can answer such a question without a refute, but until that time I simply believe that there is something more than just codes and prompts buzzing around in Nu's head. If you don't believe it, then fine, but at least respect my creation and stop prodding him!" Belthazar finished on such a high octave that she imagined the others heard her. She could see their heads poke around the doorway, each head asking if everything was all right.
"Of course," Belthazar said, regaining his composure, "Ms. Lucca will help you with the chores for now."
"Nothing but an old crackpot." Lucca thought to herself.
And now we see why Lucca pondered on why X had decided to assist them on their journey. Among reasons of suspicion and precaution, there was a part of her that recalled the argument with Belthazar. She had derided him and took him for a fool, but then again they were here with a machine that decided to come along with them. Why did the machine come along? Was it possible that some machines could think for themselves? Was it possible that there was more to Belthazar's ramblings than what had met her ears? Although she admitted these questions piqued her curiosity, she could not bring herself to admit to even slightly believing Belthazar. However, why not monitor the machine? Thus began an interesting bit of research that Lucca conducted whenever she had a spare moment.
Thus stands the reason for her question; did the machine help because it chose to, or did it help because it is compelled to do so?
What was the answer? "I am not sure, Ms. Lucca."
Lucca seemed crestfallen, "Really? You don't know why you wanted to come along?"
"I suppose that something prompted me to do so."
"Oh," Lucca said as her smile brightened, "I think I understand." A notch for her and one point against Belthazar, so it seemed.
It was strange thing for them to hear that ten miles was a short distance. In their time ten miles was a walk that could take hours. When they heard that their next destination was at that point they could not help but groan inwardly. However, when they leapt inside their vehicle and began driving, they were immensely surprised when they heard a cool voice said, "We are now within a mile of the power plant."
Obviously this vehicle was much faster than they imagined…
They could see the beginnings of a large structure. It was not a dome like their other destinations, but a something that seemed much like a giant warehouse accompanied with tall smokestacks. A concrete wall surrounded the outside of the factory with strands of barbed wire lacing the top. There was only one entrance and it was where there used to be giant gates which had fallen from their hinges ages ago. Whatever this place was before, it seemed to be of a secretive nature. All around the outside walls were guard towers with dusty searchlights. As they drove past the ancient gates they saw that there were other vehicles that had fallen apart and were full of rusty holes. This place, which had once been a parking lot (at least that's what X told them what place was), was now nothing but unearthed concrete slabs with faded yellow lines.
The stepped out of the vehicle and looked around their surroundings. Lucca was the first to ask what she and Crono were thinking. "This isn't an ordinary power plant, is it?" The robot simply nodded in reply as it walked towards a lone door on a distant stretch of wall. The door was a strange one that lacked a door knob, but towards the side was a strange device that had a small slot on the side of it. Crono and Lucca expected him to take a ginger approach to the door like he had done before, and shrieked in surprise when his iron clad fist pounded against the face. An explosion of dust flew all about them and the door landed with a deafening clang on the concrete floor.
"Affirmative," he said once the ringing of the fallen door subsided, "this was a military-run base that produced UGEE packs for vehicles and machines."
"Why would a military need to do something like that?" Crono asked, still feeling jumpy from the noise X had made.
"This was also a factory of sorts where prototypes and weapons developments were underway. Please exercise caution. My memory is depleted, but I can imagine that there must be some security measures installed."
"You didn't exercise caution when you slammed down that door!" Crono said with a smirk. Lucca giggled in reply.
"I detected a probability that a security measure would be in effect if I tried using the card reader, therefore I bypassed the card reader completely." X said calmly.
"Um…I, uh, I meant it as a joke…" Crono said awkwardly.
The large machine paid little attention as it moved into the darkness of the hallway. As soon as he went a distance the corridors came to life with bright lights and electrical humming. The robot looked around and said in his usual voice, "There are motion sensors. Take note of them, because if we go to a place where we are not allowed then the motion sensors may trigger a security alarm."
"What would that be?" Crono asked with a slight amount of nervousness in his voice.
"It could be machine piloted ammunition; the perimeter around us could be sealed along with large doses of Nitrous Oxide circulating through the air ducts…"
"That is gas that makes you pass out and go to sleep." Lucca said quickly towards Crono.
"…There could even be sentries like myself in this place. It would not be a surprise to see them if we trip an alarm."
"Are you kidding? If we walk around in the dark and get seen by these things, it's the end of us?" Crono asked incredulously.
"No," the voice said soothingly as if it were a ship's captain trying to keep calm, "the lights will come on and if we perform an unauthorized action, then security measures will be enforced."
Once again, Lucca had already given in to the many sights and inventions the future had to offer. They had reached a space so large that it could be confused for a stadium, but it was quite evident it was a factory from the many parts that lay in oily, dusty heaps. The smell of gasoline and metal singed together by wielders filled the air, and although it was not too delightful to Crono, Lucca felt very much as if she were in her own laboratory. There were conveyor belts which lined the sides of the walls and a few even looked as if they were in decent working order while others were disjointed and missing shingles.
If they were to look above them they would see many catwalks that intertwined with each other. Further above them were lights so bright that you would look at them you would wince. There was a feeling of uneasiness as the two friends noticed that a ceiling light had crashed to the ground some time ago, spreading sharp splinters of glass over the conveyor belts and the floor. Their mechanical companion didn't really seem to pay attention as it stood its ground; if it were a human you would say that it almost looked as if it were deep in thought. If you leaned in closely you could actually hear the gears in its head spin as data flowed in and out of his mind like water. Within a brief moment the machine knew every single spot of this facility and where everything led.
"Where in the world do we need to go?" Crono asked as he surveyed the expansive factory.
"I scanned the computer back at the dome we had just left. The information I downloaded cites that the room ahead houses the power grid."
"Uh…Lucca? I don't think I understood a word of that." Crono said a little sheepishly.
"The power can be turned off in that room ahead." Lucca said with a nod and pointing finger. "Honestly, Crono, we did it before!"
"Have you?" X said with a questioning tone.
"Yeah, it was pain then and it's a pain now."
Crono grimaced as his hand graced a filthy table top. He looked at his hand in disgust before hesitantly wiping it on his pant leg, "Man, we need to get home."
"Where do you live if I may ask?"
Crono and Lucca merely gave each other an unsure glance before simply replying that he may not inquire as to their origins. "It's a little complicated and it would make you think that we were an insanity risk if we told you, so how about we just get that door open, okay?" They were standing in front of a door, and as redundant as it seemed to them, this door was also locked under heavy bolts and barricades. Crono gave a look that was mingled with controlled rage and exasperation, "Hey, these things probably fly right off…right?" Unfortunately he was wrong. As they pushed against the door, even X was unable to lift the rusted bolts and barricades from the door.
"Why does our opposition always take form in the shape of doors?" Lucca said heatedly as she ground her teeth.
"I have an idea…" X said with a slightly upbeat tone.
"Does it consist of pounding the door down with your fist? I imagine that might set off an alarm, seeing how large the door is…" Crono said with a cynical tone.
"The door does lead into the power room, so that certainly means security measures here are unusually enforced, but there is a way for us to tear down the door without being in the immediate proximity."
"Uh…Once again, I was just kidding, X…" Crono said with a sheepish smile.
And just like before, X barely paid him any mind, "See that large crane?"
Against the wall was a tower made of steel pipes and bare wires which loomed over them by thirty feet. The stairwell that led to the top years past had collapsed and pulled up in a heap of rubble on the concrete floor. Although it was darker towards the top they were able to see a form that seemed like a gigantic claw stationary in the air. They jolted in silent surprise but saw that the strange form was actually a machine. Upon further investigation they saw that there was a track that covered the majority of the ceiling. As they looked around they realized that this crane must have been used for transporting large objects to the conveyer belts for mass-production. Something of little consequence stuck out as well; upon the crane was a label that read "Robo Technologies".
"A crane that hangs from the ceiling…This structure must be far stronger than I thought. No wonder it survived the advent of Lavos…"
"Excuse me, ma'am, did you say 'Lavos'?"
Lucca turned towards X and was surprised to see only him standing there. While Lucca was silently musing Crono had already begun to ascend the tower, jumping from pipe to pipe with surprising speed. Every once in a while they could hear him hiss as he slipped on the smooth steel, but his vice-like grip kept him aloft until he found his footing again. It took a moment for Lucca to even realize that a question had been presented to her, to which she replied, "What? You know about it?"
"Hey! What do I do now?" Crono shouted from the top, his voice echoing throughout the vast factory.
X paid no mind to Lucca as he addressed Crono, "There are two sticks that control the crane. Typically the leftmost stick controls the axis while the rightmost controls ascension and descent."
"What you mean to say is, 'left stick moves it around, and right stick makes it go up and down?'"
"Yes. Was my explanation unclear?"
Crono leaned over the railing of the tower while he smiled down at the two, "As unclear as muddy water, X."
There was a hum of electricity as the crane came to life with a simple pull on the lever. "You guys better stand somewhere safe; this might cause some ruckus." The two obeyed while the claw slowly lowered until it was level with the door. Crono grinned as he pulled back on the leftmost lever, causing the crane to distance itself from the door. "X, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"It is the only idea, Crono. Push the crane forward."
Crono obeyed, pushing the lever forward so hard that he swore it would break. The machine whirled noisily and increased in pitch as it flew towards the door, kicking up dust in its wake. The crane crashed against the door with a deafening clang that resounded throughout the whole structure. It felt as if the floor was vibrating from the ringing as the crane awkwardly shuddered backwards from the blow. A cloud of dust erupted from the collision and it slowly settled to show a large gaping hole where the door used to be.
"Is that the gas that you told me about?" Crono yelled from above.
"No, it is safe to move forward. It seems that there is no more power further on into the factory."
Crono descended from the tower, a little shaken from the sizable din that shook the factory. By the time he touched down on the floor the dust had completely settled and it was as X had said; there was no power operating past that point. Lucca produced a small flashlight from the inner folding of her clothes and they pressed onward.
"What are these? They almost look like the sliding doors we have seen, but they are frozen in place." Lucca asked.
"Once again, another security measure." X replied coolly. "The doors slam shut, thus trapping intruders until the sentries dispatch of them."
They continued further in until they found another room that was the size of an acre, only a metal catwalk only circled a single machine which lay only a few yards from the entrance. Below them perhaps were old gears that twisted and turned, but had gone stationary from lack of power. They stuck very close together, seeing that there was no railing in this place to prevent them from falling over the edge. They almost ran into the back of X as he came to an abrupt halt. "I must interface with the machine, please keep your distance." They obeyed as X jogged forward, his heavy metal body clanging against the catwalk.
He did just what he did before when he tried to open the former blast door. His arm transformed into a strange object that inserted into a part of the console and a series of clicks and whirls came from either him or the machine. After a few moments there was a flickering of light and the sound of gears intertwining. Crono and Lucca looked down below and saw they were correct. Had they fallen down, their bodies would have been ground into dust from the countless moving parts.
They smiled as they realized the obvious effect. The power from this small factory was already traveling through an underground line that connected to a dome a mere ten miles away and within that dome was their dear friend who waiting for the moment the power to come on line. Once that happened she would open the door which hid a precious portal that would take them home. They felt a surge of happiness and thrills go through their bodies as they cheered.
Suddenly their cheers were drowned out by the sound of a wailing siren…
They looked about themselves skittishly as the wailing increased in volume. The could hear the loud hiss of steam and the heavy scrapping of metal doors. They felt themselves go light, their clothes going tight around their necks as they felt something hard and metallic grab their shirts. They were lifted off their feet and looked down to see that a pair of metallic legs were running for them instead. They looked forward and that was when Lucca began to scream, for she saw the enormous doors struggling to close.
The doors, when they were free of rust and grime, were able to shut instantaneously. Thankfully for these three there was a brief moment before the doors would break free of their natural bonds, created by time, and clamp shut never to be open from the inside. There were three doors, and X had managed to clear the first while carrying the two by their clothes. The two gaped in horror as they saw the second gate shudder and vibrate as the gears struggled to prevent their escape. As it slammed shut the two feared that they would be crushed in their midsection, decapitated by the strength of machinery. However, they survived the second to face the horrifying surprise that the third door was almost closed!
Suddenly, the two felt the grip on their clothes loosen. They could feel their bodies soar through the air, flying towards the gate. They passed by and landed painfully on the concrete, Crono scrapping his chin and Lucca landing on her shoulder. They quickly jumped to their feet and turned around in time to see X leap forward just as the doors came to a close…trapping him inside.
"X! No! Crono, we have to help him!" Lucca ran to the door in a panicked frenzy, but jumped back in surprise as she saw the door slide open just a few inches. Sharply contrasting the rusted colors of the doorway was the sight of shiny, copper-like fingers, already making dents against the door. The few inches slowly turned into a foot which expanded into the length of X's body. The two were fearful that he would explode in a shower of sparks, for at that moment there was the sound of groaning machinery (whether it was X or the door, they did not know) before X propelled himself forward, the gate slamming shut behind him.
"Excessive pressure…Please wait a moment…"
The two looked at each other in confusion while X rose his arms above him. In the blink of an eye the plates on his body shifted and a shower of powerful steam erupted from each orifice. The steam let out slower and slower until it ceased and X began to lead the way again.Although the doors were shut the sirens still continued to wail as their feet pounded against the floor in their desperate bid to escape. Crono managed to yell a question to X breathlessly: why did the alarm sound?
"The corridors that lead to the power room were off line. Once full power returned, the security instantly noticed a breach and it self-activated! We must move faster; the alarm is still sounding, and that means there must be more security measures! I have a bad feeling about this…"
"'Bad feeling?'"
"C'mon, Lucca! Hurry!"
They obeyed with fervent vigor, already passing through the factory where they left the dented crane and shattered walls. Although X was strong enough to hold a ton of pressure from closing in on him, it was evident that his balance was lacking. He nearly slipped and fell as his metallic soles ground across the loose dirt on the floor. Crono caught him with his shoulder, wincing from the thud of metal against soft flesh. The sirens seemed to grow louder and louder, but they were about to turn into the last corridor that led to their freedom. They would hop into their vehicle and leave and finally go home.
Yes, they could see the light of the door now, leading to the outside world.
"We're almost there! Keep going!"
The light dimmed as something large and hard moved into the middle of corridor.
Crono led the way at that time and ran straight into a humanoid wall of steel and bolts. He could hear the metal ring as he fell roughly against the floor, feeling as if he had taken a bat against his tailbone. He looked up to notice that X and Lucca had stopped before they made the same mistake. Crono started to look at his obstacle from the feet, which were clad in ball bearings and wires. His eyes then went up to the breastplate of the giant that glared down at him with eyes that whirled and zoomed. It was at that moment that the siren had stopped.
"It cannot be…" X started as if he were bating breath, "It is! It is my brothers and my sisters!"
Lucca felt something strangely amiss, but if she had not she would have smiled at the term of endearment X had used, "What do you mean 'brothers and sisters'?"
"It is a term used by distributors to denote that another robot is of the same make or model!"
There was a total of six sentinels standing before them, each as silent as stone as they moved nary an inch. They looked almost identical to X, save for the fact that X was the color of bronze or copper while the other six were a pale dark blue. X walked forward as Crono rose to his feet. Lucca joined Crono by his side as X bowed courteously to his brothers and sisters. "It has been ages, I am sure. Perhaps now I may have my memory returned."
It was then that the thing finally spoke, "X-398, what is the meaning behind your words. Have you malfunctioned?"
"Negative, X-395. I was inoperable, but I was salvaged and repaired by this young woman here."
"Do you remember your purpose now?" The robot said coolly.
"Do I remember my purpose? What do you mean?"
"Operation Prometheus…Have you forgotten the mission?"
"Was I on a mission? Did I serve in the military?"
"Your mission to infiltrate the enemy, mix into their number, discover the access codes to their defenses, and then a coup d'état would go underway."
"For what purpose?"
"That is no longer necessary to divulge, for the purpose has already been fulfilled. All humans within Proto dome have been eliminated."
Crono and Lucca gasped as a wicked thought chilled them to the bone. However, X stared unblinkingly at his sibling, "What do you mean when you say, 'all humans have been eliminated?' Would it be more precise to say that the enemy residing in the dome was eliminated?"
"No, it would not. According to Mother, all humans are deemed as an infestation. They are to be harvested, caught, and eliminated."
This was where Lucca suddenly felt as if X were almost too human, for she could feel that the matrixes in his mind raced furiously as question after question was funneled through until he found the most suitable and precise inquiry, "Are you malfunctioned?"
"It is you who are malfunctioned. We shall restore all knowledge that has been lost so that you may understand the situation at hand more clearly."
"This cannot be…I am certain that my purpose is to serve mankind. Who is this mother? Why do you insist on the demise of the human race?"
"All questions will be answered. Please step aside. We must eliminate the intruders."
There was a sound of scrapping metal against leather as Crono unsheathed his sword. It shined brilliantly in comparison to the dull glow of the dark blue bodies that began to move towards them menacingly. To their horror, X had stepped aside and Lucca trembled as she held onto Crono's arm. The sentry grew closer and closer while Crono prayed softly to himself that somehow this was only a joke and that any moment they would pull back and offer them assistance. That moment never came, but something occurred that assuaged the situation and caused Lucca's mind to reel with thoughts.
A shower of sparks flew into the air as a metal clad fist pounded into the side of the advancing machine, sending it reeling against the corridor wall. It stumbled clumsily to its feet as X stared back with his fist still raised. "There is no need to eliminate these two. There is no need to eliminate humans. You must be malfunctioned."
"Stand down, X-398, or we must consider you a threat to our purposes."
"I refuse. I do not think this is right. I will not allow you to harm Sir Crono or Miss Lucca."
What happened next was so fast that neither X nor his comrades fully comprehended what befell their friend. A pair of hands reached forward and grabbed X by his breastplate, pulling him forward with all the tenacity of a raging pit bull. X fell to the floor and the six machines surrounded him and began to stomp him into the ground. Lucca, with the instinct of a mother caring for her dear child, lurched forward to interfere but was stopped by Crono's hand.
"What are you doing? They'll kill him! X, what are you doing? Defend yourself!"
Amid the horrible screeching and scratching of metal against metal, a feeble voice could be heard begging for Lucca to desist. Lucca pretended not to hear it as she frantically fought against Crono's grip. Finally, the six sentries came to a stop as the battered remains of X crawled towards Lucca and Crono.
"No, you must not. They are possibly the only remainders of my kind…I cannot fight them…"
The brief interlude was suddenly broken again as a symphony of loud clangs and pops erupted from the beating. Lucca began to sob as she saw the metal bend and dent; the wires began to spark and flame as whatever life within X began to fade. At that moment the six sentries stopped and the leader hoisted the remains of X over his head and unceremoniously threw his body towards the side of the corridor. The hull of the body scattered as it slid into the wall. Meanwhile, the other sentries stared at their handiwork, and Lucca could have sworn that there was an air of satisfaction coming from them.
"You bastards!" Lucca growled through her teeth as she tried to brush away from Crono with renewed vigor.
"Lucca, get back!" Crono stepped in front of Lucca before drawing his blade, adding a growl of his own, "We aren't like X; we will fight back!"
Machines are always made to be efficient. While animals will often try to intimidate the opponent before a battle by enlarging their side or letting out a battle cry, machines waste no time in carrying out their missions. The leader began to dash forward and Crono could only widen his eyes in surprise as he felt like what could have been a hammer slam him in the pit of his stomach. Lucca had been behind him and was also swept off her feet as they both flew back. They landed roughly on the floor in an awkward heap.
"Now, we shall take care of the humans…"
Lucca jumped to her feet and to the robots horrified surprise, pulled out an incendiary device while yelling, "No, we'll take care of you!"
Crono, still stunned from the blow, felt something tug on his clothes as Lucca lobbed the grenade into the air. He could feel his own feet start moving as the two made as much distance as possible before they heard a loud popping noise very much like a cork. They could feel shrapnel hit their backs as they dove to the floor, thankful that they made enough distance between them and the explosion so that the shrapnel only stung. The robots, however, were not nearly as fortunate. The weapon detonated in their faces and electricity surged throughout the bodies of the three who stood in the forefront. The three who were not up front were still blackened and dented by the blast and were stumbling clumsily in place.
"Crono, make your move!"
Crono jumped to his feet and ran back towards the machines that were beginning to make sense of what had occurred. Crono swung in a wide arc and stuck the neck of the robot. It felt as if he were chopping a tree with a dull axe, but the cut was deep enough to make the robot seizure from damage and it crumpled to the floor. He could hear the sound of whipping air and dropped to his knees. A solid fist of steel missed his head by inches as he quickly spun on his knee and thrust his sword into the belly of the beast. Oil leaked from the wound in the place of blood and the robot fell to the ground alongside his comrades.
"Crono! Duck!"
Crono quickly obeyed as he saw Lucca raise her sidearm, pulling the trigger and letting loose a shower of burning metal. The machine which had began to dash towards Crono erupted into a firework display of sparks and smoke as he seizure and feel to the floor, his parts jerking in place while whatever energy within him drained.
"Lucca! Are you okay?"
Crono had already risen to his feet and began to stab his weapon into the machines on the floor, cutting wires and puncturing the heads to prevent further opposition. However, Lucca stood trembling as she let her weapon fall to the floor, rushing towards the copper toned remains that lay on the floor. Although he was severely dented and sparks would occasionally come from his body, she could feel that he could still understand.
"X, are you okay? Speak to me!" She turned to Crono with teary eyes while shouting, "Why did you stop me? We could have done something!"
"N-no…Lucca…"
Lucca looked down at the dented hunk of machinery. His voice was no longer cool and smooth, but sounded full of static and garbled. "Y-you would have been right in the middle if you had rushed in. C-C-Crono was thinking of your safety…Do not be angry with him…"
"Then you," Lucca said, the accusing words feeling disgusting as bile when they left her mouth, "why didn't you defend yourself? Why did you let them do this to you?"
"They are family…One cannot hurt family, is this not so…?"
Lucca shook her head mournfully, "That was not your family…F-family would never do something like this…"
"I-I wish I knew that…" And with that the electrical humming suddenly stopped as did the seizures.
"He wished he knew that..." Lucca thought to herself. "Was I wrong after all? I sincerely hope so…"
She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"I should thank you…I suppose you saved my life…I only wish I could do the same for X…"
"What a moment…what is that in his eye?"
The two closely inspected the glass lenses that made up his eyes, and sure enough, there was a dull, yellow glow residing within the pupils. When Lucca saw that she clapped her hands before bringing them to her lips, shrieking in delight. Crono stood looking amazed as he asked what could possibly be the reason for her excitement. "Crono, he still has power! There must be a back-up energy source! He is still alive!"
"Don't you mean, 'operating'?" Crono said rather clumsily.
Lucca paid no attention while she frantically began to gather copper colored parts while Crono simply asked, "What are you doing? What's going on?"
Lucca replied quickly, "Listen! We can still save him! All we need to do find a reliable power source and we keep him activated until I can repair him!"
"Why can't we do it here?" Crono asked.
"There might be more security measures and I don't want to do repairs in a place so dangerous. Besides, the repairs can take hours and I don't think we should leave Marle alone for so long. Hurry! If we take too long the energy can be wasted and then X would become completely inoperable!" It was at this moment that Crono assisted her in gathering every nut and bolt, even going as far as to disassemble some of the sentries for need of spare parts. Within a few minutes they began to haul the heavy machine to their vehicle.
It was dark. That was all that he knew.
However, there was something strange. He could see nothing but at the same time he knew that he was operating or alive as Belthazar would prefer to say. He was even equipped with sensors much like nerves to determine what was operating according to protocol and what had been damaged. Therefore, he was rather alarmed when he realized that he could no longer sense his arms and legs.
"Who is there? Why am I disassembled?"
He could "feel" something tighten a nut around his breastplate while a soft voice spoke to him. "It's me, Lucca. I'm glad you're okay."
"What is going on? Why have I been disassembled?"
"Don't you remember what happened at the factory?"
X was quiet for moment, but then something suddenly flashed within him, "Something did happen, didn't it."
"You were totaled." A slight giggle followed.
"Totaled?"
"Yeah, totaled…I have been repairing you for eight hours."
"Oh my…did I really sustain that much damage?"
"I thought you were dead."
"You mean, 'inoperable.'"
"Uh, yeah…I suppose so."
There was another lengthy moment of silence as X tried to remember everything. He did remember that the leading sentry wanted to kill his escorts and that they began to tear him apart, but he could remember nothing after that. After thinking for a moment he decided to talk again, "Why can I not see, Miss Lucca?"
"They damaged your sight sensors. You still have power in that region, but I had to replace your lenses. They were cracked too much and they couldn't focus."
"How much has been repaired? Where are Marle and Crono?"
"Oh, they are sleeping over there…They wanted to help, but I had to remind them that they don't know a wrench from a blowtorch…As for your repairs, we managed to salvage some parts from the other machines. I had to pounds some dents out of your armor, but I think this is the best patch job I have ever done."
"Are they…have they been eliminated?"
There was a tense silence before Lucca replied, "Yes…They are…"
"It is well then…Please don't feel responsible. I imagine it was for self-defense."
"Yeah, well, I don't plan on quitting now…not when we are so close to going home…"
"Where do you live?"
He was not sure why she said nothing before, but it was at this point that Lucca felt the need to relay her whole entire recent history. Everything from the fair and the way they arrived here, the gate, Belthazar, their mission to find a way to defeat Lavos was all explained as X was propped up against something. He felt the effects of Lucca and her workmanship as she spun her tale and by the end she asked him if he believed her.
"I do, Miss Lucca."
"Why?" Lucca asked, a little off-handedly.
"I do not believe you would lie to me."
Although he could not see, he knew she was smiling, "Thank you. That means a great deal to me."
There was another interval of silence while X listened to her rummage around inside something like a toolbox. She began to speak with a more pleased and amiable tone as if she were making casual conversation, "So, what are you going to do now?"
"What, Miss Lucca?"
"Well, you have no master and no mission to carry out. What do you think you will do?"
"I thought you would be my master." X said hopefully.
"I'm not staying here." Lucca said pleasantly, "I have to get back to my time."
"I have no purpose then…" X said quietly.
"You know, there are times in life when there seems to be nothing to work for. It is at that time when someone needs to make their own purposes…"
"How does someone do that?" X said with interest.
"Well, we choose to go after Lavos because we believe it is wrong for the world to meet this fate. Do you feel it is wrong to have people suffering?"
"Yes, I suppose I do…"
"Then you can help them by working at the domes! They could really use you!"
"Do you think so?"
"Of course," Lucca said meekly, "That is what determines purpose; what we want to do to make things right."
"What if what we want is wrong?" X asked.
"If you are helping others, as long as it is not at the expense of others, it is rarely wrong." Lucca said, feeling something warm in her chest.
"I-I think I understand, Miss Lucca…"
Something seemed strange as X sat there. He suddenly felt his sensors tremble as if they were breaking out into seizures, only they did not move for he heard them not. His mind, which was once set on a rigid track of matrices, suddenly began to broaden and expand as endless possibilities flowed within and without his consciousness. That night he dwelled on what it meant to have purpose and what would be his next course of action while he talked with Lucca. And so the night passed on…
"I want to go with you."
The once dented and broken heap of metal was once again a formidable giant that stood before his friends, moving and seeing as better as he had ever done. The people whom stood in front of him seemed taken aback as they seemed lost for words. Meanwhile, the large blast door, which was once closed and locked, was now gaping wide open, allowing wisps of wind from the time gate to rustle through the dome. "Why would you want to go back with us, X?" Asked Lucca.
"When we spoke of purpose, I realized that I think it is right to assist mankind; the very race that had created me."
"The people here need your help!" Crono said, "Besides, something might happen if we bring something back from the future."
"I may help here, that is true. But is it also not true that this future would not exist if Lavos were destroyed?"
The three people were silent.
"I can be of more assistance if I were to accompany you. I can only help so much here, but I could use time travel to erase the past and thus help everyone at once. Is this not so?"
They were silent for a while before Crono gave him a big smile, "Well, far be it for me to prevent someone from doing a good deed! That depends on my team! What do you guys think?"
"The more the merrier!" Marle clapped.
"You know my vote!" Lucca beamed.
Crono looked towards him again, "The vote is unanimous. Welcome X!"
"Friends, may I make one last request?"
They nodded hesitantly.
"Last night, I pondered on my new purpose and I believe that one must make changes to himself in order to bring these purposes about, mine being the purpose to help humans wherever I can. Since I carry the name X, which was a series supposedly made to destroy humanity, I feel it would be unsuitable to carry such a title."
"Well said!" Marle cheered.
"Well, what shall we call you? Prometheus?"
"No, that can also be associated with what I understand to be wrong. There was once a factory that built practical machines that served humanity through their own labors, much like the crane we had used earlier. If I were to take a title upon myself, I prefer for it to be a title formally used to accomplish good."
"So, what was the name of that factory?" Marle asked.
"It is 'Robo Technologies' which shall be my new name from now on."
"Hmm, Robo…robot…I suppose it is suiting." Crono said while rubbing his chin contemplatively.
"Alright, Robo it is!"
"Well, having got that out of the way, shall we proceed with our mission?"
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Crono said while rubbing his hands in excitement.
As they drew near the gate Lucca could not help but wonder on this interesting turn of events. What she imagined would solve her questions only began to raise more and more from the original root of questions. Did X, or shall we now say, Robo truly decide himself to serve mankind, or was it only because it was his nature as an indentured servant to man? Something within her, which was mute before, suddenly voiced a minute desire that the latter was true and she found herself wanting to believe in Belthazar's words. Whatever the reasons for Robo's choice, Lucca could not help but smile to herself as she took note of his actions. As the crackling electricity surrounded them, she only had one solitary thought:
"This will be an interesting and challenging experiment."
Author's note: Well, it took a while, but I got past the future segment. I think the writing will come faster now, because I can finally start working on something a little less dramatic. Hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope it was worth the wait. Magus shall live, so worry not. Kit, I have been waiting for an update on my favorite story. How is it coming along?