Chapter 6~
"Come again, my fair maiden?"
"I'm sure something's wrong, and I don't want to upset Chrono!"
"Alas, I've no explanation either for the more recent strange goings-on." Frog contemplated, stroking his green chin.
Lucca bowed her head and absently looked around Frog's den. "I have no clue whatsoever to give. It just seems unlikely that 'it' would return so soon…"
"'It' being…?" Frog repeated darkly, as if he knew the answer.
"Lavos yes…" Lucca replied softly.
"Surely you don't mean that…that Lavos is not destroyed and is using my mother to get to us?"
Robo inquired, tilting his large head.
"It seems so, my friend," Frog said, but much more depressed.
"How could this all be possible? Even I do not understand," Robo remarked, with a hint of helplessness.
"So what are we going to do?" Frog questioned, looking at the very near floor.
"That's why we're here," Lucca went on more confidently, " we're here to request your assistance once more so we can check out what's going in 2300AD,"
"Me? Hither I come, and there I shall return once more," Frog mumbled to himself, obviously reluctant, "like a nightmare…"
Lucca bowed down swiftly squeezing her eyes shut, "Oh please please please please Glenn! We know you're tired out from fighting but-"
"I could never turn down a lady," Frog spoke up, adjusting his cape.
Lucca brightened into a smile, "Oh thank you Frog you are most kind!" She straightened up and twirled around.
"We appreciate you coming back!" Robo cried in glee.
Frog went further into his den and came back a moment later with the Masamune in hand. It's strong grip and swift motion returned to his quivering hand." I shall wield this blade once again!" But he couldn't help but keep the negative tone in his voice. Leaning down as two soft whispers filled his head, he heard something he hadn't heard in a little while.
"Psst Masa! We're back in business again!"
"I know! Let's do some serious thrashin' this time bro!"
"Oooo! Is time for eat?!"
"No Ayla, you know Frog!"
"Hands off you vile woman!"
"Oh, me sorry!"
65,000,000BC had it's disadvantages. One being, the natives were so dim due to the time era, that a decent conversation was highly unlikely. And two- Ayla thought they had returned just so she could eat up Frog in a hurry. However this was not the case.
They had found her in the chiefs hut, yelling at Kino for another one of his stupid mistakes, when he ran out, when Lucca, Robo and Frog were just coming in.
Ayla was aware that they had come from the day after many many tomorrows, thus being why she was captured to staring at Robo an awful lot. But that was past, now, they knew each other.
"Why have you come, friends? Eat? Drink? Dance? " Ayla's deep voice asked happily, overjoyed her comrades were back.
"I'm afraid not, Ayla," Frog told her gloomily.
"Why come then?" Ayla repeated, with less enthusiasm. She knew something was wrong.
"We need you to come and help us with something…" Lucca went on, adjusting her glasses. Ayla nodded, noticing the dull tone of her voice.
"In big MASHEEN?" Ayla quipped, with a weird smile.
"Yes, " Lucca said, "we're going to Robo's day,"
Robo nodded in approval and Ayla put her hands on her hips. "Come! We go then!" She called out, with pleasure.
The trip back was fairly quiet .The four were contemplating their thoughts on how this was going to work out, what would happen when they discovered the Mother Brain.
When they arrived back in 2300AD, Lucca did not steer the vehicle into Doan's work factory. Instead, she hovered it above the ground, and let go of the controls. This was a new world, so maybe the Mother's factory ruins were in a different place. A whole new era…
"Hey, wait a minute, Robo…" Lucca began, turning around to face him.
"Yes, Master Lucca?" He asked, emitting a series of beeps.
"We saw what the other world was like in this era, right? A place where robots rule and humans are dying off? Well…in this world, you're the only highly functioning robot, because the people here are scared of domination happening again, from what we have told them and…"
"I'm not quiet understanding," Frog put in, confused.
"I'll get to that, but the main thing now is, would those factory ruins or whatever still be here? The Mother Brain wouldn't, she'd be destroyed in this world. So how can we know for sure it's her harassing us?" Lucca asked, very puzzled.
To Lucca's amazement, Robo replied rather quickly, "Yes they would be, except the factory would be up and running. The Mother Brain though, would be in a form of a super computer, that's all,"
"With underestimated intelligence, right? Probably not detected either…"
"Probably not until, it gathers enough power," Frog added helpfully.
Lucca bit her lip and began scanning the monitor, when another thought came to her," Hey wait, I just realized something. If it is the actual Mother calling out to you Robo, how could she reach Marle?"
"Yes, Marle's not a machine," Frog clarified.
Robo hung his head sadly and said, "That I cannot explain,"
"It would have to be magic then," Frog explained.
"Yes of course but…machines cannot use magic," Lucca frowned, getting more fustrated.
"Then she is working with someone who does. A higher being who she would 'trust'…" Frog muttered, stroking his chin.
Lucca pushed her glasses up farther and didn't respond, out of depression.
"Maybe Azala?" Ayla rang, out, quite proud she had followed the complicated conversation.
"WHAT?!"
Ayla nodded and winked, " Azala…reptite…you know…" She prodded.
"Azala is alive?" Robo repeated, a tone of shock in his voice.
"But we watched Azala die in the fortress…" Lucca whispered, a faraway look in her eyes.
"How can this be? Every bloody enemy we've had is coming back to life! Who is fool enough to do this?" Frog demanded angrily.
"Lavos…" Lucca sighed.
"Damn," Ayla cursed.
"Better hope we do not run into Sir Magus, his flame for vengence may have returned," Frog remarked remorsefully.
"We'll worry about that later. Right now we know what we're up against so…" Lucca trailed off,
"We have to alert Chrono…" Robo finished, his eyes flashing.
"And go to 1999AD to see what really happened.
And that old feeling returned. The insecurity of not having weapons, the tiredness of casting a spell, and the foul reek of monsters carcass as it quickly dies. The old feeling was returning sooner than anyone expected. And it was settling in so fast it killed.
~end~ But fear not, continued over to Chrono Cross, " FATE's Final Call" Coming soon.
End of retribution series Part One