- - -
"Oh my god... oh god, no," whispered Lucca. Crono knelt to examine Marle's body. After a moment, he stood up and turned back to face Lucca, shaking his head.
"We were too late," he said. "She's dead."
"No..." she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Why would anyone want to kill Marle?"
Two days later, the shadow of Marle's death still hung in the air. Raine, who was too young to really understand death (and hadn't known Marle very well anyway), didn't know what to make of the whole awkward situation. Crono had been busying himself studying Dalton's past, so as to not have to think about what had happened. Lucca had been moody and quiet; Marle had been her best friend. She had kept mostly to her room since the incident- which was where she was, sitting on her bed, when Crono walked in.
"Hey," he said softly. "How are you doing?"
She smiled sadly. "I've been better." She paused. "What about you? Have you found anything out?"
"Not a thing. I don't understand.. Dalton was an egotist, a narcissist, an insensitive, stupid bastard.. but not a murderer. I just can't see what would have motivated him to kill Marle.." He sat down on the bed next to her. "We're going to get her back, you know."
She looked up at him. "I know we will, Crono." Her face hardened with icy determination. "First, though, I'm going to track that bastard down.. and I'm going to kill him."
The best first step, they decided, would be to search Marle's chamber, to see if they could find anything that might lead them to Dalton. Failing that, they'd want to comb the future, starting at around 3000 AD and working their way backwards. Crono and Lucca armed and armored themselves, and loaded themselves down with analysis equipment for their trip into time. They left Raine in the care of her grandmother and headed off to Guardia Castle.
A maid approached them as they entered the castle. "You'll be wanting to see to the Queen's room, I presume?" She went on when Crono nodded. "Follow me, then. We haven't touched a thing in there, since.. well, we thought you might want to investigate the place."
Crono and Lucca followed the stout woman through the castle and up the stairs. She left as they opened the door to Marle's room. Her body was missing, but everything else was left exactly as it had been.
"Let's get to work, then, shall we?" said Lucca, taking out an apparatus.
They searched the room top to bottom, opening drawers, poking things, scanning things, and generally examining the contents of the room. It was slow going; there was much to be searched. Nothing turned up of note on or in Marle's desk, or anywhere else she might keep papers and such. nothing that would explain why someone would come through time to kill her. After a long while, Lucca found something.
"What is it?" asked Crono.
"Trace soil residue, almost certainly from his boots."
"How can you tell?"
"Look at the composition. Judging from the materials present, it's got to be from some time in the far future. I'd say it fits what exists now in 2300. Or wat did exist, anyway.. who knows what's there now. Let's check it out." She reached for the Time Key at her belt.
"Wait a second, Lucca."
"What?"
"It could be dangerous. Don't you think we should get some reinforcements?"
"You're right," she said. "But we can only take one person, or the field might become unstable.. you know. I'd bring Robo, but he might not even exist, and if he does it might be dangerous where he is.."
"Let's see.. Ayla's not exactly the right person for the job."
"No, definitely not."
"Magus?"
"We probably won't be able to find him, with his search for Schala, and all. And even if he's found her, who knows where they'd be?"
"I guess we take Glenn."
"To 600 AD, then," said Lucca, raising the Time Key. She activated it and they were engulfed by a globe of blue light.
They arrived in Guardia Castle, 600 AD, a short while later. A woman, presumably the Queen, gaped at them in disbelief as they appeared.
"Sorry, ma'am, just passing through," Crono assured her. "Do you know where Sir Glenn is?"
The woman's mouth hung open for a moment. "He's... he's probably i-in the.. soldiers' mess."
"Thank you. We'll be leaving, now," said Crono, and they exited the room. They walked downstairs and into the mess hall, ignoring the odd looks and occasional outright stares people gave them. They spotted Glenn eating at a small table in the coner, and went to sit down next to him."
"Crono, Lucca!" he said. "It's good to see the two of you. How goes it?"
"Badly," replied Lucca. "There was a time contamination... Datlon showed up, killed Marle, and left. We're going to hunt him down and make him pay, and we'd like you to come with."
"Dalton... but.. is not that knave dead?!"
"We thought so," said Crono, "but it looks like he's not."
"Marle.." Glenn said softly. Then he spoke up. "Of course I will go with thou." He drew his sword. "Let us away!"
"Sounds good to me," agreed Lucca. She activated the Time Key again, and they disappeared in a flash of blue light.
- - -
"Oh my god... oh god, no," whispered Lucca. Crono knelt to examine Marle's body. After a moment, he stood up and turned back to face Lucca, shaking his head.
"We were too late," he said. "She's dead."
"No..." she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Why would anyone want to kill Marle?"
Two days later, the shadow of Marle's death still hung in the air. Raine, who was too young to really understand death (and hadn't known Marle very well anyway), didn't know what to make of the whole awkward situation. Crono had been busying himself studying Dalton's past, so as to not have to think about what had happened. Lucca had been moody and quiet; Marle had been her best friend. She had kept mostly to her room since the incident- which was where she was, sitting on her bed, when Crono walked in.
"Hey," he said softly. "How are you doing?"
She smiled sadly. "I've been better." She paused. "What about you? Have you found anything out?"
"Not a thing. I don't understand.. Dalton was an egotist, a narcissist, an insensitive, stupid bastard.. but not a murderer. I just can't see what would have motivated him to kill Marle.." He sat down on the bed next to her. "We're going to get her back, you know."
She looked up at him. "I know we will, Crono." Her face hardened with icy determination. "First, though, I'm going to track that bastard down.. and I'm going to kill him."
The best first step, they decided, would be to search Marle's chamber, to see if they could find anything that might lead them to Dalton. Failing that, they'd want to comb the future, starting at around 3000 AD and working their way backwards. Crono and Lucca armed and armored themselves, and loaded themselves down with analysis equipment for their trip into time. They left Raine in the care of her grandmother and headed off to Guardia Castle.
A maid approached them as they entered the castle. "You'll be wanting to see to the Queen's room, I presume?" She went on when Crono nodded. "Follow me, then. We haven't touched a thing in there, since.. well, we thought you might want to investigate the place."
Crono and Lucca followed the stout woman through the castle and up the stairs. She left as they opened the door to Marle's room. Her body was missing, but everything else was left exactly as it had been.
"Let's get to work, then, shall we?" said Lucca, taking out an apparatus.
They searched the room top to bottom, opening drawers, poking things, scanning things, and generally examining the contents of the room. It was slow going; there was much to be searched. Nothing turned up of note on or in Marle's desk, or anywhere else she might keep papers and such. nothing that would explain why someone would come through time to kill her. After a long while, Lucca found something.
"What is it?" asked Crono.
"Trace soil residue, almost certainly from his boots."
"How can you tell?"
"Look at the composition. Judging from the materials present, it's got to be from some time in the far future. I'd say it fits what exists now in 2300. Or wat did exist, anyway.. who knows what's there now. Let's check it out." She reached for the Time Key at her belt.
"Wait a second, Lucca."
"What?"
"It could be dangerous. Don't you think we should get some reinforcements?"
"You're right," she said. "But we can only take one person, or the field might become unstable.. you know. I'd bring Robo, but he might not even exist, and if he does it might be dangerous where he is.."
"Let's see.. Ayla's not exactly the right person for the job."
"No, definitely not."
"Magus?"
"We probably won't be able to find him, with his search for Schala, and all. And even if he's found her, who knows where they'd be?"
"I guess we take Glenn."
"To 600 AD, then," said Lucca, raising the Time Key. She activated it and they were engulfed by a globe of blue light.
They arrived in Guardia Castle, 600 AD, a short while later. A woman, presumably the Queen, gaped at them in disbelief as they appeared.
"Sorry, ma'am, just passing through," Crono assured her. "Do you know where Sir Glenn is?"
The woman's mouth hung open for a moment. "He's... he's probably i-in the.. soldiers' mess."
"Thank you. We'll be leaving, now," said Crono, and they exited the room. They walked downstairs and into the mess hall, ignoring the odd looks and occasional outright stares people gave them. They spotted Glenn eating at a small table in the coner, and went to sit down next to him."
"Crono, Lucca!" he said. "It's good to see the two of you. How goes it?"
"Badly," replied Lucca. "There was a time contamination... Datlon showed up, killed Marle, and left. We're going to hunt him down and make him pay, and we'd like you to come with."
"Dalton... but.. is not that knave dead?!"
"We thought so," said Crono, "but it looks like he's not."
"Marle.." Glenn said softly. Then he spoke up. "Of course I will go with thou." He drew his sword. "Let us away!"
"Sounds good to me," agreed Lucca. She activated the Time Key again, and they disappeared in a flash of blue light.
- - -