Chapter VII
--------------
Crono slowly began to regain consciousness. Everything was a blur in front of him, and everything was dark and pale. His head hurt. He slowly sat up. A moment later he saw something move.
"Your awake..." a voice whispered.
"Marle?" said Crono.
His vision was a bit better, and he saw Marle sitting a few feet away. He also saw Lucca laying on the ground.
"Is she alright?"
"Yeah..."
"Where are we...." asked Crono, looking around him. He was in a small room lit by a light on the wall. The Gate was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't know..."
Lucca made a sound, and suddenly sat up with a short scream.
"What happened?!" she said, startled. "What time are we in?"
"Your guess is as good as mine.." said Crono, standing up rubbing his head.
"Look at this place... It seems so advanced," said Lucca. "Perhaps where in the future?"
"The future?" said Marle.
"Then where are we, a broom closest? Let's find a Gate and go home," Crono said, trying to stay cool.
"But don't you want to see the future?" asked Marle. She started to wonder around the small room.
The three walked out of the room and saw a door. Crono tried to find a knob to turn, but there wasn't one.
"How do you open this thing?"
"DOOR OPEN, WATCH YOUR STEP." A strange voice boomed.
Marle jumped. "Who said that?"
The door opened and a gust of wind greeted them. They went threw the door and paused in horror.
Now, Crono was surprised to find the Fair missing when he went after Marle in the year 600, but this was a shocker. There was nothing. No town, not trees... Nothing. Just rocks and red sky. If there WAS something, he couldn't see it. There was a thick fog everywhere.
The three time travelers blindly trekked across the wasteland. Sometime later they came across another building like the one they left, but this one seemed much bigger. It was marked "Arris Dome" in big letters above the entrance. Crono took the first step inside.
They might have been better off outside. The inside of the dome was dark, musty and smelly. As soon as they walked in, a red beam of light passed over them. Marle gasped, startled.
"What's it doing?"
"I don't..." started Crono
"DNA SCAN COMPLETE." Said another strange voice, much like the one at the smaller building. "NUMBER OF SUBJECTS: THREE. SPECIES: HUMAN. ID: UNKNOWN. SCANNING FOR BORG IMPLANTS: NONE... SCANNING FOR...."
Crono quickly stepped out of the beam of light.
"It was scanning us," said Lucca, fascinated.
"SUBJECTS LOST! POSSIBLE MACHINE THREAT. ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!"
The lights around them turned red and a loud alarm sounded. Crono tried to open a door to the outside, but it seemed to be locked.
"What do we do!?" said Marle.
"You had to move away, Crono!" yelled Lucca.
"Sorry, I....!"
"Who are you...your not machines! Why did the alarm sound?" said a withered voice. A old man in dirty clothes approached them. "Newcomers...! Alarm off." The loud noise ceased. "Did you come from beyond the ruins? How did you get past the mutants and robots?"
"We, ahhh..." started Crono.
"You clothes...their different..." said the old man.
"Yeah, we..."
"I am Doan, the elder of this Dome. And who are you, newcomers."
"I'm Crono, this is Lucca, and Marle...We...."
"Did you bring food!?" Doan said eagerly.
"No...."
"Curses...ahhh....very well....make yourself at home." Doan turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait!" Lucca cried after him. "What year is this?"
The old man paused and turned around. "The year? HA! The gods only know.... you could check the computer in the basement, if your brave. Check the refrigerator while you at it, get us some food. Right down that ladder. I'll be waiting here."
"Computer?" said Marle. "What's that?"
"You got me..." said Lucca. "We might as well check the food while were there."
"What happened here?" said Crono to Doan, who wasn't far away.
" What happened... things were always like this, boy. Your clothes...there so clean...did you find clean water outside!? Ahh...never mind..I need some rest.....I'll be in the Enertron...it keeps you alive, but your still hungry afterward...that's life I suppose..."
Marle made a face "Always like this? What did he mean by that."
"Well," said Crono. "Let's find out." And he descended the ladder to the basement.
***
The basement to the Dome was located deep under the ground. Countless pipes were all over the place. Many seemed to be broken, and steam and liquids poured out. It was really creepy, Crono needed to talk to someone to calm himself.
"What do you think happened here, Lucca?" said Crono.
Lucca answered quickly, "I think there was a war, and man kind destroyed themselves." She had obviously been thinking about it ever sense they arrived to this hellish place.
"How can humans destroy themselves?" asked Marle. "You can't destroy an entire civilization with guns a swords."
"Things become outdated, Marle. Look at my Teleporting Machine, Gato, times are changing... The future isn't to far away...."
Crono glanced down at the saber the Knight Captain from 600 gave him. He didn't like the idea of his only skill becoming outdated.
They came to a door marked "Kitchen" after wandering around for about a half an hour. Crono opened the door, once again by saying "open" and was welcomed by a putrid stench.
"Pweah!" gasped Marle "What reeks?"
"My, Crono..." said Lucca. 'What a wonderful smell you discovered...."
"Man..." said Crono. "That's bad!"
"The food must have spoiled..." said Lucca. Crono slammed the door shut.
A noise was heard behind them. A huge shadowed moved in the distance. The threesome remained silent. Three red eyes appeared on the mass. Red beams flowed from the eyes, much like the scanner at the front of the Dome. Crono didn't dare move. A moment passed, and the figure moved on.
"That was close..." said Marle.
"It must have been triggered by opening the door," Lucca remarked.
"C'mon," said Crono, "Let's find this computer."
***
A computer, as it turns out, was just a hunk of metal with buttons on it. Crono didn 't find it very special, Marle was in awe of all the buttons, and Lucca wanted to open the thing up and look inside.
"How do we turn it on?" asked Crono. "I know. TURN ON." Nothing happened. Marle giggled.
A moment later, Lucca found a switch, clearly marked "on/off." Suddenly, the wall behind the computer flickered! Crono stepped back in surprise. Lines of text began to appear on the wall.
The text read in bright green letters:
Arris Dome System Mainframe
Mother Brain Program Version 3.6.1b
Welcome!
Loading....
September 2, 2300
Saturday
5:35 PM
Enter Command
"2300!" gasped Marle. "That's 1300 years in the future!"
Enter Command
"Well, Lucca, enter command!" said Crono.
"I'll ask it to search for time displacements, that'll be our Gate." She typed in the command, which took a bit. "They could have least put the letters in order!"
Unknown Command, Please try again
Enter Command
"How can I tell it to scan for Gates...." pondered Lucca.
"Computer, scan for Gates," said Crono.
Voice interface command:
Voice Command Failed, Please try again.
Lucca tried "Scan."
Voice interface command:
Scanning subject....please wait....
A familiar red light probed Lucca.
Scan complete!
Subject: Human Female
Age: 17
Height: 5 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 122 pounds
"Lucca, hold up the Gate Key," suggested Marle.
Lucca held up the Key. "Scan!"
Subject: Metal Rod, Steel
Length: 1 foot
Weight: 2 pounds
Warning: Alien material found on subject.
"Ah ha!" said Lucca. "Leftovers from the Gate! Computer, scan for alien material outside of Dome."
Scanning... Please wait....
Complete!
Alien material found
Location: Proto Dome, 15 miles, E
A map appeared and showed the location of Proto Dome.
Enter Command
"Well, there you go," said Lucca. "It's off to Proto Dome."
"We should ask the computer what happened to this world," said Crono. "Get some answers."
"Computer, what happened to this world."
Unknown Voice Command.
"Why is the world like this?"
Unknown Voice Command.
Lucca grunted. "Ugh...This isn't working..." Her eye's widened. "I know! Computer, show me... Armageddon!"
Voice Interface Command:
"Armageddon"... Searching.
Armageddon: (Latin); The end of all things
Archived files for"Armageddon" also found.
View data?
Y / N
"Yes!" Lucca cried.
The screen cleared.
File #0001
"The Day of Lavos"
December 31, 1999
Friday
11: 20 PM
Playing archived video:
A moving picture appeared on the screen.
It showed a overhead view of Truce, apparently in the year 1999. The words "Day of Lavos Video File 1, Satellite Cam" was seen in the top left corner of the screen. Tall buildings were seen, much like castles, but even taller. Suddenly, a large crack appeared on one of the roads. The cracks began to spread and soon collapsed into a gaping hole. A large shape slowly emerged from it. Explosions were everywhere. The shape was very large and was covered with long spikes in every direction. The spikes off the creature's back glowed bright red, and beams of light shot out from them. The buildings around it crumbled, and then the screen got fuzzy.
The image changed. "Day of Lavos Video File 2, Home Video." It was like they were running down the road from the eyes of the person. Screaming a cursing were heard all around them. The view suddenly panned behind the man. They were greeted with a clear shot of the creature. It was huge! Several stories tall, with what appeared to be a beak near the front. The beams were still discharging from the spiny creature's back. Flying objects were seen in the sky, souring toward the beast. Fire was everywhere. Without warning, it looked like they fell on the ground. It stayed like that for several seconds, then went blank.
Lavos: (Origin of Name, Unknown) Unknown life form
Appeared December 31, 1999, 11:21 PM in Truce. Last seen January 1, 2000, 3:45 AM.
Survivors dubbed this day "The Day of Lavos." Other known names include: "Apocalypse", "Armageddon", "The End of Days", "Earth's Bane", and "The Day Humans Died."
Lavos' appearance caused the death of 85% of Earth's population. Current whereabouts of Lavos is unknown.
Returning to Main Menu
Crono, Marle and Lucca were horrified at what they just saw. None of them spoke.
Enter Command
Chapter VIII
----------------
"85 percent of live on Earth, wiped out in a few hours, by...th-that THING!" cried Marle.
"Looks like it..." said Crono, softly.
"So it wasn't a war..." said Lucca.
"I won't believe it," Marle said.
"Believe it, Princess. There it is," said Lucca. "You saw the dates."
They were silent for a moment.
"Well," cried Marle. "What do we do?!"
"What do you mean?" said Crono. "It happened, it's done. This is Earth's future...."
"A dead future..." said Lucca.
"A future we can change!" said Marle, with hope.
"How?"
"We have a time machine...that, that Gate Key"
"No," corrected Lucca. "No, we have a unstable way of traveling though a series of random time fluctuations. We can't control them. We can't change the future..."
"Lucca! I'm surprised at you! Look in that brain of yours, think up a way to make things right."
Crono spoke up. "It fate. You can't defy fate. The world will be destroyed in the year 1999."
"We can save the people who are going to die."
"But it's done with, it already happened."
"Not for us!"
"Hold on..." said Lucca. "If we find out when Lavos first appeared, perhaps when it's young, we might be able to destroy it. It will take a lot of tinkering with my Teleporting Machine to get it to break all the barriers of time, but from what I've learned so far with the Gates, it might be able to work..."
"Great!" cried Marle.
"The only problem is, it might take a lifetime to complete. What do you think, Crono?"
Crono stared at the computer screen. The image of Lavos was gone, but he remembered what he saw. "Yeah....your right. If we have to power to stop this thing for killing everyone, then let's do it."
"But first," said Lucca. "We have to get home, and to do that, we have to get to Proto Dome."
"Then let's get going," said Crono in a very serious tone, and they left the computer room.
***
"Did you find food?!" Doan asked eagerly. A dozen dirty people behind them asked the same question.
"All the food was spoiled," said Crono. "Nothing was good."
"Well, it's back to the Enertron, I suppose," said Doan.
"What's the Enertron?" asked Lucca.
"Your Dome don't have one? Goodness me! How do you survive? Just step in that pod."
Lucca curiously entered the large pod. The Enertron flashed white, and Lucca emerged.
"Wow," said Lucca. "What a trip!" Lucca's face, which once has some scratches on from exploring the outside, was healed. Marle, then Crono, entered the Enertron and come out feeling much better.
"I'm still hungry..." said Marle, "but I feel like I have the energy to run for miles!"
Doan laughed. "Ha! That'll wear off!"
Crono whispered to Lucca, "We better get home soon, it's almost dinner time."
"I don't think so, Crono. I think it's only noon back in our time." Lucca didn't bother Crono with the details.
"You have any food, Doan?" he asked.
Doan offered them something that looked like green goo that Crono wanted so much to decline. But he was starving. He ate a bit of the stuff, which was repulsive. Lucca joined him, but Marle refused, insisting the Enertron made her feel full.
After "dinner," Lucca asked Doan to way to Proto Dome.
"You're going outside?"
"We need to get home."
"Then why'd you come here? There's a old highway that leads to Proto Dome." He tossed Crono a key. "Here, take this. It's the key to the bike near the highway, take it."
Crono snickered. "We don't need a key for a bike, Doan!"
"Huh? Of course you do! How else do you expect to start it? Good luck, and watch out for the robots."
The three left the dome and head back into the storm of dust. Crono still didn't know what a high way was, but he followed Doan's directions and they soon came across series a ruined buildings. Leading out of them, a large, paved road streaked on for miles, the highway.
Near the road, a large, blue carriage could be seen. Crono walked up to it. No, it wasn't a carriage. I was very smooth and had wheels, like a bike. Marle hoped in. The others followed.
"This must be the motor bike Doan was talking about."
"How do you start it?" said Crono.
Lucca sighed, and grabbed the key from Crono. She inserted the key into a small opening near a circular object. Crono heard a loud noise, and the bike started to vibrate.
"It's gonna blow! Get out!" said Crono.
"No, no no!" cried Lucca. "It's just a engine! You steer with the wheel over there."
"HALT!" A voice boomed.
The three turned around and saw several metal creatures standing a few feet away. The voice was like the scanner's voice they had heard earlier.
"Step-away-from-the-vehicle,-humans," said one of them. It was an odd looking creature, which Crono assumed to be a robot, much like Lucca's Gato machine. They walked on two legs, and a large, metallic eye rested on a long neck. The three exited the bike.
"You-are-trespassing. Aim-weapons-and-fire." Gun barrels appeared from the robot's chest.
But before the robots fired, a metal object raced past them. The robots turned their heads, and the barrels disappeared.
"Cease-fire, it's....THE-MAN!"
Crono look confused. The speeding object stopped, and turned into very human like figure.
"A humanoid robot!" said Lucca with joy. "A transformer!"
The transformer spoke in a very human, and very odd, sounding voice: "What seems to be the problem here, babes."
"The-Man!"
"That's right, dudes. Hi Way Patrol Officer #098: The Man!"
"The-Man!"
The robot turned to the humans. "But you lowlifes can call me Johnny."
"The-Man!"
"Shut ya'lls traps, drones. Need to speak to these fellas. Now, why yer trespassing on my land."
Marle giggled and Crono smiled. If this was how future generations were going to talk, then maybe Lavos should destroy the world.
"We need to get to Proto Dome," said Marle.
"Now, I'm afraid I can't let a human pass this here highway. I tell ya what, prove yer selves. I'm not such a bad guy now, beat me in a race and I'll let ya pass. It's been so boring around here lately, babes."
Lucca looked confused. "How can a robot get bored? Have they perfected AI to that extent? Amazing!"
"Ol' girl here knows what she talkn' 'bout!" Johnny sounded excited. "Spiky haired dude! Get on up on that bike."
Crono and the others quickly boarded the bike.
"NOW!" yelled Johnny. The robot transformed back into the smaller object, which looked like a smaller version of the bike that they were in, and sped off.
"Lucca, how do I go?!"
Lucca slammed her foot against the floor. The bike suddenly burst forward!
"Keep your foot on this petal, Crono! The one next to it the brake!" Lucca yelled.
Crono desperately tried to keep the bike from going out of control. The fast moving vehicle swerved right and left, and almost ran off the road.
"Woooooo!" Marle screamed. "This is great!"
"Crono, it's Johnny!"
Johnny was coming up fast in the distance. A crackled voice was heard inside the bike.
"Woo-e! C'mon now, try and catch up!"
Crono sped the bike up, and in a matter of seconds, they were neck and neck with Johnny. The robot turned his head, which was at the front of his bike like body, and the voice was heard again.
"Can't let ya win now, babes. Drones! Kill these yella bellies!"
Gunfire was heard. Lucca looked up to see several flying objects overhead firing at them. Johnny began to ram Crono's bike from the side. He almost lost control, but he managed. The bike's windshield shattered. Johnny took the lead.
"That's why humans are weak, there not fast enough! Later babes."
Crono hated a bully. This future wasn't meant for robots, but for man. Crono notice a button marked "Turbo" and pressed it. The bike burst forward and got far ahead of Johnny. All three were momentarily pressed hard against their seats.
"Hold on guys!" Crono slowed down, slammed the brakes and spun around while doing so. Johnny skidded out of control trying to avoid the parked motor bike. Crono saw the robot slam into a rock face with a brilliant explosion. The drones above them stopped firing.
"Whoa!" said Marle.
Crono stepped on the gas again, and rode down the quiet highway until they noticed Proto Dome. They didn't see another machine until they got inside.
Chapter IX
-------------
Proto Dome wasn't as big as Arris Dome. It seemed to be more of a work place than living quarters. Computer terminals lined the walls, but most were smashed. All the lights were out save for a few very dim lights on the ceiling. Crono looked around. The Gate was nowhere to be found.
"Let's get looking," said Crono.
Crono was searching along the walls, and inside doors he came across. Lucca was looking around the computers, trying to turn on each one. Marle was holding her pendant in front of her, seeing if she got some sort of reaction. They searched the entire computer room and found nothing.
But there was one door that was locked, and it didn't seem to be any keyhole or control panel anywhere. Marle's pendant reacted when she got close to the door. The Gate was behind it, but it wouldn't open.
While Lucca was trying to unlock the door, Marle continued to explore the room. She got to the corner and yelled. "Hey guys! Look at this!"
Lucca and Crono walked over to the corner. A hunk of metal laid in a mass next to Marle.
"It's just some spare parts, Marle," said Crono.
Lucca bent over by it. She moved the parts around. "It's not spare parts, it's remains of a robot! Look, this is its arms," Lucca lifted one of the robots arm. "And that's its head." Sure enough, the top of the mass had two eyes. "Help me move it."
Crono and Marle helped Lucca move the robot to the center of the room. They placed it in a sitting position on the ground. It was a dull gold color. It was very heavy built, with huge arms and legs. It's head looked like a large bowl. Lucca knocked on the robot's chest, and opened it up. Gears, circuits and wires could be seen inside.
"I think I can fix it," said Lucca, seriously.
"Are you crazy?" said Crono. "Remember the robots that tried to kill us?"
"Robots aren't evil, people make them that way. I might be able to change that. Besides, look at this engraving. It isn't a killing machine."
An engraving on the side of the robot's head read "Proto Dome R Series File Recorder and Manager."
"It's an encyclopedia..." said Crono. "That could be helpful. Alright, sounds good, Lucca."
Lucca looked at the wires and circuits in the robot. She sighed. "This might take awhile."
Crono glanced at the locked door. "Don't worry, where not going anywhere..."
***
Crono was searching the many desks inside the computer room. He came across a stash to what looked like small bars. The label said they where nutrition bars. Lucca, busy fixing the robot, said it should be okay to eat. They where a bit stale, but otherwise alright to snack on. He walked over to Marle to offer her some.
Marle was fitting on the floor, trying to make sense of an instruction manual she discovered. She closed it in frustration when Crono approached.
"Want some? Lucca said they were safe to eat."
Marle took one of the bars and began to munch on it. The two silently enjoyed their meal. After a few moments, Marle spoke up.
"Thanks for showing me around the fair, Crono," she said quietly. Marle flashed a bright smile. "It really meant a lot."
Crono blushed. "No problem."
"I really needed a friend then, I was getting lonely in that castle..."
Crono knew he was about to open a can of worms, but....
"You shouldn't have ran away from your Father. It may seem like he's being strict... but he's just looking out for you."
Marle sighed, and leaned back against the wall. Crono noticed her white clothing was very dirty.
"Yeah, I know," she said, "but doesn't you dad make you so mad sometimes?"
"My dad died when I was little," said Crono.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Marle said sadly.
"It's alright."
"Well, my mom passed away when I was little too, so, I guess I understand."
They were silent again. Crono looked down at Marle. He noticed how sweet and innocent she looked, yet at the same time strong and daring. He really liked the time they have spent together.
"Marle, I...." said Crono. But she was asleep. Crono sighed and finished his food.
***
Another two hours passed. Crono continued to explore the room while Lucca finished up with the possible killer robot. Meanwhile, Marle awoke and overlooked. He hadn't found much. He looked up information on the Highway Patrol Officer that they had met earlier. The computer's funny speech was based on surviving videos of a fictional character named "The Fonz" and other documents. He didn't find it too interesting. He did find, however, weapons for the girls. He found a "Laser" Gun for Lucca, and a "Primitive" Crossbow for Marle in a trophy case.
"Done!" said Lucca. "I think that should do it!"
All three of them gathered around the robot.
"Great," said Crono. "How do you know it's not going to kill us."
"It's a walking encyclopedia that works with humans, remember? It's not hostile."
"Then where are all the people?" said Crono.
They where quiet for a second.
"Start him up!" said Marle.
Lucca tightened something on the robots back, and waited. Almost instantly, the eyes brightened. A moment later, the arm twitched. The head suddenly swiveled. Then without warning, the robot stood up. It was taller than it appeared, about a head taller than Crono.
"What can it do?" asked Crono.
"Hello?" said Marle.
Nothing happened. Lucca took a very scientific approached and kicked it. A spew of sounds imitated from the robot.
"Wh...amm...Iiii," a muzzled voice said. Lucca adjusted a knob on the robots neck.
"Where am I?" said the robot. "Oh, hello." The voice was quite human, with a just a hint of an English accent, and obviously male. But it was still very metallic. "Who are you? You do not work here."
"Hi!" said Marle happily. "I'm Marle!" She stuck out her hand to shake.
"How interesting. This is a human gesture given to other humans as a sign of greeting." The robot gently shook her hand.
"And this is Crono,"
"Ahhh, Master Crono, understood." The robot bowed.
"And this is Lucca, she fixed you."
"Understood. Madam Lucca fixed me." The robot bowed.
"No no, just Lucca."
"Nonsense. That would be rude."
"It's fine," said Lucca. "I don't like formal titles."
"Me either. What's your name?" said Marle.
Crono was growing tired of this chit-chat, so he began to wonder around, but still listening in.
"Name? Oh, yes. My serial number. I am R66-Y, human cyborg relations and data processor."
Lucca shifted her glasses. "Cool!"
"That will never do, we have to give you a real name," said Marle.
"What's wrong with R66-Y? I think it's great."
"It sounds to technical."
"Well, he IS a machine," argued Lucca.
"It has no ring to it!"
R66-Y looked at the two. "Oh my, am I creating a debate, that was not my intention."
"Let's call him.... Rusty!" suggested Marle, noticing his rusted metal.
"No! That's a dog's name! How about... Gigabyte?"
"What? Gigabyte? No, Rusty sound better!"
Crono butted in, "How about Borg? He says he's human cyborg relations."
"My current ID is acceptable to me," said the robot. "I do not need a name, I am only a robot."
"That's it! Robo!" exclaimed Marle. "Your new name in Robo."
"Understood, processing. I am Robo."
"Robo?" Lucca said. "That sounds so childish...but I guess it will work. Hello Robo."
"Robo," said the robot formally known as R66-Y. "Robo....I am Robo. I have a name." He sounded almost proud.
Crono sighed. It might take awhile to get used to this walking pile of parts...
*** "Robo," said Crono. "We need this door open." He pointed to the locked door.
Robo walked over the door. He placed his palm on the wall. A second later, he tried again.
"It is locked," Robo said bluntly.
"I know that," said Crono. "We need to get in."
Robo looked around. "There is minimal power to this building. Interesting. A closet should require a lock...."
"Closet? Robo, try to break it open," said Lucca.
"I am not programmed to be violent unless provoked," said Robo.
"No Robo," said Crono. "You can't hurt a door. We need to get in. Our way home is in there."
"You live in a closet?" Robo inquered, confused.
Crono rolled his eyes, "Can you open it, Robo," he said, trying to hide his annoyance.
Robo punched the door, but not a dent was made. He backed up and rammed it with his shoulder. No effect.
"We must restore full power the building," Robo stated.
"How?" asked Marle.
"There is a power station next to here. If we reset to power cells, power should return... at least for a few moments."
"Great," said Crono. "Let's go. Thanks Robo, we'll be back."
"Bye, Robo!" said Marle. Lucca was the last to start to leave.
"Master Crono!" said Robo. "I must come with you."
"Why?"
"Resetting the power cells is very complex, and I doubt any of you know the correct sequence of events to trigger the shut down."
Lucca smiled. "All right, come along."
"One of you must stay behind. The door will not open automatically, and the power will more than likely shut down again before we return."
Crono looked at Marle and Lucca. He couldn't leave either of them alone.
"We can all stay," said Crono.
"Negative. You are needed to defend me while I shut down the cells. A alarm will certainly be triggered."
Great. That meant Crono had to go with him.
"I'll stay behind," said Lucca.
"Negative. You must run the other terminal."
"What other terminal?" blurted Lucca.
"It is a double lock. I believe you are the only one who can operate it. You are very skilled to have fixed me. Your brain power is required."
They all looked a Marle.
"I'll be fine," she said.
"I can't let you stay here alone, Marle," said Crono.
"I can take care of myself. Don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Now go!"
Robo spoke. "Master Crono. Marle can hide in that crate if machines enter the building." He pointed to a small box on the floor. "It is designed to block their scans."
"See!" said Marle. "Now get going. I'll be fine."
Crono looked worried. "All right, we'll be back soon."
Marle gave Crono a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck." Crono blushed, and quickly left the room with the others.
Chapter X
-------------
Crono and the others took a quick nap in the Enertron, and left Proto Dome. The dust storm seemed to have died down as they headed to the power station. Crono got the first good look of the future, and boy was it was bleak, it looked like a desert. Ruined buildings were everywhere, and a blade of grass was not to be seen.
"We can't let Lavos destroy the world, Crono," said Lucca, looking around her. "It was such a beautiful place."
Crono nodded.
"Lavos?" said Robo. "Searching... Incomplete... All information concerning Lavos is restricted to me."
Lucca turned to Robo. "Why's that?"
"Unknown."
"I guess," said Crono, "that whoever programmed Robo here didn't want him to know about it. Makes no sense, though."
"What is a Lavos?" Robo asked Lucca just when they arrived at the station.
"I'll tell you later. Here we are."
"FACTORY / POWER STATION 16" was written in huge letters on the massive buildings wall.
"What are we waiting for?" said Crono. "Let's check it out."
"Wait, Master Crono!" said Robo. "This factory is not abandoned like it appears. It appears all the machines in this area were built here. I must enter first. Perhaps I can pass you off as prisoners."
"How do you know that will work?" asked Lucca.
"I do not. But I feel I know with place very well, as well as another factory like it. Interesting..."
Robo opened the large doors and walked in side. Crono and Lucca made sure to stick close by him. They walked into a small room. Instantly, a small, flying object came from the ceiling. It flew over to Robo and a red beamed flowed over his eyes. Another scanner.
"R-Series-confirmed. Enter," a squeaky voice said. Strangely, it did not scan Crono or Lucca. A door opened in front of them.
The three entered the doorway. It was a factory all right. The first this they saw was lines and lines of conveyer belts assembling robots. Crono recognized the "Cyclops drones" right away, and even saw a few "Johnny" units. Lucca was staring at them in awe, but Robo and Crono forced her to continue.
Not three seconds later, a voice boomed, "Halt!"
An odd look spider like robot appeared from nowhere. "What-is-your-identification-number?"
"I am Ro... R66-Y," said Robo, almost blowing their cover.
"Where-are-you-taking-these-filthy-humans?"
"Prisoner transfer, cell block 1138," returned Robo, unwavering.
"Excellent," said the spider drone. "Fresh-fuel. Continue." It disappeared into the floor.
"I suggest you two remain silent," said Robo.
Crono and Lucca nodded. Robo continued to walk them down halls and passages, never taking a wrong turn. Crono wanted to ask him how he knew this building so well, but he could talk. He assumed he saw a map or something. Occasionally, they passed a wandering drone. They kept correcting Robo, telling him he was going the wrong direction for human drop off. Crono then noticed Robo planning his route to pass by rooms marked "Man Burners." Crono didn't want to know what was inside, but he had a good guess.
After about a half a hour of passing avoiding drones and taking different routes, they arrived at a room marked simply "Power."
"We are here," said Robo. "We must hurry before we are noticed."
Robo lead the others into the room. A gigantic generator sat in the middle, and several bridges crossed over to it. Robo showed Lucca her control station and told her the order to enter the commands. Crono didn't bother them, for he knew Lucca had to pay attention. A few moments later, Robo returned to his station.
"Master Crono," said Robo, "once Lucca and I begin to enter the commands, an alarm will undoubtedly sound. Try to fend off the drones until we are complete. I will assist you then."
"Right," whispered Crono. He watched as the two began to enter the commands to the computers. The light in the large generator began to dim.
"Warning," a female voice echoed, "Power failing. Resetting." Red light flashed but no sound was heard.
"Here they come, Master Crono," warned Robo, still typing away.
Crono was on his guard. A spider drone appeared. Then another. And another!
"Halt," said the drones. "Desist." Robo and Lucca didn't stop. Crono looked down at his sword. He doubted it would fend of these machines. He should have grabbed one of those laser guns for himself. The drones began to advance. Right when one of them were mere feet away from Crono, it exploded. Crono looked back to see Lucca with the gun raised. Robo too was finished with his work. His chest opened and brilliant colored light burst out of it. The remaining drones ceased to move. Finally, the alarm sounded.
"Hurry Master Crono!" said Robo. They began to run through the halls. They soon came to a large room that they had to pass through. Upon crossing half of the way through it, the doors on both sides slammed shut.
"We're trapped!" said Lucca.
"It appears so," Robo stated. "Oh dear."
Crono noticed chambers on either side of the wall, and they were opening. A dozen robots emerged from the pods. Crono gasped. They looked just like Robo, except they were silver and purple in color.
"Robo?" said Lucca, worried. "Are these fellow file managers."
"No," said Robo. "They are combat drones."
The combat drones marched toward the three. One of them spoke.
"R66-Y, have you forgotten your mission? All humans must be destroyed."
"Destroyed? Accessing memory. Memory systems are no longer blocked! You are R70-Y? But these are my friends."
"Impossible. R Series are incapable of emotion." Another drone said. "You are defective, R66-Y."
"Defective?"
"A faulty unit," said another.
"A defect," said yet another.
R70-Y spoke again, "Reduced to simple file managing and data transfer."
"I was a combat drone?" said Robo. "Affirmative. I remember."
Crono was about to whisper to Lucca, "See, a killer robot," but he opted not to.
A black wire was shot from one of the combat drone's arms. It wrapped around Robo. A stream of electricity bolted though the wire and Robo began to shake. When the wire retracted, the other R Series combat drones began to beat on him with their metal fist.
"No!" shouted Lucca. She charged toward one of the drones with gun in hand, but was knocked away and violently hit the ground. Crono quickly kneeled by her. "It was a good thing she was wearing that silly helmet," Crono thought.
"We have to get out of here," he said.
"No! We can't leave him!" Tears began to appear under her glasses.
"If we don't we're dead!"
"No...."
"Come on!" He grabbed her sleeve.
Lucca ripped away. She raised her gun a shot a blast into the base of one of the drone's neck. There was a small burst as it hit, and sparks flew from the R-Series' joints. A second later, it began to shake and fumble.
"How could you do that to him!" she cried.
The shaking drone fell to the ground. "Get the humans," said another.
Lucca was firing frantically at the drones. Another fell. But a green field appeared in front of the others, and the remaining shots proved useless. Lucca continued regardless as the drones advanced. Crono knew she couldn't do anything with that shielding in place. The nearest R-Series raised it fist, as a sign of attack.
Crono noticed a compartment marked "Garbage" conveniently located next to them. He opened the shoot and forced Lucca in. Lucca slid down the shoot. Crono took one last look at Robo, who was now nothing more than a mass of dented parts, and jumped in after her.
***
Crono landed with a hard thud on the rocky ground. The garbage shoot led to the back of the factory with the rest of the garbage. Lucca was already on her feet when Crono landed.
"How could you do that?!" she said. "He, he was..."
"We could have stayed, those drones would have vaporized us."
"But...!"
"Lucca! There was nothing we could do! We..."
Crono was interrupted by a large clang. The two spun around to see the battered body of Robo lying motionless on the ground.
"Robo!" yelled Lucca. She hurried over to the pile of parts. "He's still alive!"
"Alive?"
"Well, he's still operational, okay!" Lucca snapped. "We have to get him back to Proto Dome."
"Proto Dome is miles away. It's burning hot, and drones could be anywhere. We can't risk it. Besides, we can't carry him."
Robo made a weird noise. "A D-d-d-fect-t-ect.?"
"We don't leave our friends to die, Crono."
Crono realized that Lucca really cared for this machine. True, Crono liked Robo, but it was just a machine. Lucca was just weird that way, he guessed. Then he remembered when he went after Marle at the fair. He hardly knew her, but he risked his life for her.
"Okay, Lucca. Let's bring him back." He looked around him a noticed a large tarp located in a pile of trash. He and Lucca dragged Robo onto the tarp, and started the long trek back to Proto Dome.
Chapter XI
-------------
Crono, Lucca and the dying Robo arrived at Proto Dome after a long and tiring walk of avoiding patrolling robots. He was looking forward to the nap in the Enertron. He liked not having to sleep.
But when they arrived, Marle was nowhere to be seen. Crono panicked. He ran into the room where he left her. He noticed the previously locked door was open, and a blue Gate floated near the floor.
"Marle!" shouted Crono.
Crono saw something move in the corner. It was Marle. She was sitting down with her head between her knees, shaking. Crono suddenly felt very guilty. She was scared to death. He kneeled down next to her and put his arm on her shoulder. "Marle?"
"Crono!" she said, looking up. Her face was wet, she must have been crying. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Crono, there were alarms and noises and the lights went out..."
"I'm sorry Marle."
Marle's arms slid off of Crono and she slowly stood up. "I just got a little scared, that's all. It's not your fault...."
Before he could reply, she noticed Robo and forgot all about Crono.
"What happened?"
Lucca looked down at Robo. "The robots didn't like Robo very much."
"Are you going to fix him?"
"Of course."
Marle peered over to the Gate inside the doorway. "But I want to....never mind. I guess we have all the time we need."
"You can bring him with us," said Crono.
"I can't. All the tools are here. I can't bring them with us."
"We can wait," said Marle. "No problem."
Lucca started to repair the combat drone.
***
"Fascinating," said a half-repaired Robo. "You plan to c-change the very fabric of-of time." He was having trouble with his speech.
"That's the plan," said Lucca. She started thinking aloud "I need to work on your motor controls some more."
Crono was polishing his saber, half listing to the conversation Lucca was having with Robo. He was coming along, as far as he could tell.
"Luuucca?" said Robo.
"Yes."
"I meant what I saidddd in the factory-ry. You are my f-friend."
"That's sweet, Robo."
"C-Can you fixx me?"
"In no time." Lucca smiled.
"That makes me....happy."
They casually chatted while Lucca fished repairing the drone
***
"Hello, all. Lucca has fixed me," said Robo happily.
Marle clapped. "Hooray!"
"And I bid you good fortune on your fight against Lavos."
"What are you talking about?!" said Lucca "Your coming with us!"
Robo's metallic eyes fluxed for a second. "I am?"
"We can't leave a friend behind," said Crono, repeating Lucca words.
"If I had the proper facial movements, I would smile," said Robo. "But, do you want me to join you, even though you know my past? I used to kill humans."
"Yes, but, do you kill humans anymore?" asked Marle.
"Of course not."
"Then it's alright! That was R66-Y. Now your Robo!"
"Then let us be on our way. Right, Master Crono?"
"Right," said Crono.
The four enter the room with the Gate. Crono know knew why it was locked: a black chest was located near the back wall. Who knew what was inside. Lucca took out the Gate Key, and they stepped into the Gate, hoping it would bring them back home.
***
This travel though the worm hole was very different then the past experience. The feeling of falling sideways was still present, but there was something else. Images of the ages flew past them as they fell. Crono saw images of home, the year 600, of the future... but also one of the clouds, a lush jungle, and the stars. He saw faces of loved ones, and even the one of his father...
But before he could grasp it all, it was over, and he noticed something startling. Crono didn't notice it at first, but he realized he wasn't home. His heart sank. The Gate brought them to a different time. And he didn't like what he saw.
Around him here several Gates, inside a square room bordered by a low fence. An old gate connected the room to another. This room, much larger, looked more like a street corner, with a tall lamppost in the center. The most unusual aspect was the lack of ground outside of the fence. The room was floating in a sea of a star-less sky.
"Crono..." said Marle, worried.
"I... don't know..." said Crono, answering her unasked question.
The four opened the old gate, and entered the larger area. Crono was surprised to see a figure standing by the lamppost.
"Hey, mister!" said Crono.
"Huh?" said the figure, in an old and tired voice. He turned to them. The figure was wearing a brown trench coat with a matching hat. His face was hidden, and he had a cane in his hands. "Oh dear, not more lost travelers."
"Lost travelers?" said Lucca.
"I have been getting more and more of you lately..."
"Where are we? What time is this?" asked Crono.
"Time? Ha! There is no time here. This is the place where the times cross. This, my boy, is the End of Time. With all the disturbances to the time line as of late, more and more people have been arriving to this place. Having more than one time frame traveling though a single passage way was enough to trigger you coming here."
"The End of Time?" said Lucca.
"The crossroads. See those lights in the room you came from. Doorways. They are passages to epochs opened by, well, your Gate Key, little lady."
"You know about that?"
"Of course."
"Then how do we get home?" said Marle.
"Simple, my dear. The same way you came. Just stand next to one of the pillars of light, and if memories of home arise, then trust fate and walk inside. It's that simple"
"Who are you?" said Crono, very curious.
"Me? Think of me as your guide."
"Right..."
"And, if you want any hope of destroying Lavos, I suggest you enter the room over there."
"Lavos?!" said Lucca. "You know about him?"
"All too well, Miss Lucca."
"Do you now how we can kill him?"
"Later, later, my friends. Now, enter that room over there. You won't be disappointed." "But...!" started Crono.
"Trust me..."
Crono and the others took the old man's advice and started for the other door. Everyone wanted answers about Lavos, but decided to play it safe for now. When they came to the room, it was empty.
"The room is vacant," stated Robo.
Crono walked to the center of the room. Suddenly, a small, furry creature appeared from behind the fence. It ran frantically around the room for a few seconds, then ran in front of Crono and stopped.
"Who dares enter the almighty Spekkio, the Master of War's, room?" the little animal said in a humorous voice.
Crono laughed. It was a little monkey with white fur. "You? The Master of War?!"
Spekkio balanced himself on one hand. "I am the Master of War. Do I appear weak to ya'lls?"
Crono nodded.
"My appearance reflects the strength of the beholder, oh oh ah ah!"
"Hey now," said Crono. "I'm no weakling."
"Yes, but from my stand point you are. You are using just a fraction of your full potential! Quick, run around the room three times clockwise, hurry! All of you's! Hurry! You too, trash can man!"
"Trash can man?" said Robo. "But I am not..."
"Around the room! Ohh Ohh!"
"Why?" said Marle.
"I AM THE MASTER OF WAR! I will give you a present if you do."
"Oh, c'mon Crono," said Marle. "He's cute!"
Crono humored the little monkey and they began to jog around the room. Marle soon followed, then Lucca. Robo was the last to lap.
"Done," said Crono after he and the others made the laps.
"Your welcome!" said Spekkio. "I just gave you all magic. 'Cept you trash can, I just wanted to see you run, hehe Oh ah!"
"Magic?" said Lucca. "Humans can't learn magic, it's impossible."
"Yes!" said Spekkio. "Man has been without magic for millennia! But I am the Master of War! Try it out, spiky hair fellow. Hit me with you best shot!"
Crono looked at his hands in disbelief. He raised his arm to Spekkio. Nothing happened.
"No no no! Don't try to make it happen, just do it!"
"It's not working..."
"Hit me! Unleash the enchanted spirit within! Trust in your feelings!"
Suddenly, a brilliant array of white lightning burst from Crono hands. He was thrown back from the force. The burst missed Spekkio.
"Excellent!" said the Master of War.
"Wow...." said Crono is disbelief.
"Amazing..." said Lucca.
"You two, you can do it too!"
Lucca and Marle extended their arms. Marle got it instantly. Ice began to appear above her hands. She moved the hands away, and the ice remained where it was. The space around Lucca hands then became red, and a flame appeared and melted the ice.
"Cool!" said Marle.
"I have never seen anything use magic before," said Robo. "Quite fascinating."
The three magic users spent some time practicing with their new found abilities. And by the end of the lesson, Spekkio turned from a small monkey to a larger ape.
"I think this magic will aid you in your quest to destroy the evil Lavos, young adventurers," said Spekkio, is a much more serious voice.
"Thanks, Spekkio," said Crono.
"No, thank you. It has been a long time sense I had some practice. It gets dull here sometimes, that old man gets so boring. Farewell. And remember: I am the Master of War!" And with that, Spekkio vanished from the room.
--------------
Crono slowly began to regain consciousness. Everything was a blur in front of him, and everything was dark and pale. His head hurt. He slowly sat up. A moment later he saw something move.
"Your awake..." a voice whispered.
"Marle?" said Crono.
His vision was a bit better, and he saw Marle sitting a few feet away. He also saw Lucca laying on the ground.
"Is she alright?"
"Yeah..."
"Where are we...." asked Crono, looking around him. He was in a small room lit by a light on the wall. The Gate was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't know..."
Lucca made a sound, and suddenly sat up with a short scream.
"What happened?!" she said, startled. "What time are we in?"
"Your guess is as good as mine.." said Crono, standing up rubbing his head.
"Look at this place... It seems so advanced," said Lucca. "Perhaps where in the future?"
"The future?" said Marle.
"Then where are we, a broom closest? Let's find a Gate and go home," Crono said, trying to stay cool.
"But don't you want to see the future?" asked Marle. She started to wonder around the small room.
The three walked out of the room and saw a door. Crono tried to find a knob to turn, but there wasn't one.
"How do you open this thing?"
"DOOR OPEN, WATCH YOUR STEP." A strange voice boomed.
Marle jumped. "Who said that?"
The door opened and a gust of wind greeted them. They went threw the door and paused in horror.
Now, Crono was surprised to find the Fair missing when he went after Marle in the year 600, but this was a shocker. There was nothing. No town, not trees... Nothing. Just rocks and red sky. If there WAS something, he couldn't see it. There was a thick fog everywhere.
The three time travelers blindly trekked across the wasteland. Sometime later they came across another building like the one they left, but this one seemed much bigger. It was marked "Arris Dome" in big letters above the entrance. Crono took the first step inside.
They might have been better off outside. The inside of the dome was dark, musty and smelly. As soon as they walked in, a red beam of light passed over them. Marle gasped, startled.
"What's it doing?"
"I don't..." started Crono
"DNA SCAN COMPLETE." Said another strange voice, much like the one at the smaller building. "NUMBER OF SUBJECTS: THREE. SPECIES: HUMAN. ID: UNKNOWN. SCANNING FOR BORG IMPLANTS: NONE... SCANNING FOR...."
Crono quickly stepped out of the beam of light.
"It was scanning us," said Lucca, fascinated.
"SUBJECTS LOST! POSSIBLE MACHINE THREAT. ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!"
The lights around them turned red and a loud alarm sounded. Crono tried to open a door to the outside, but it seemed to be locked.
"What do we do!?" said Marle.
"You had to move away, Crono!" yelled Lucca.
"Sorry, I....!"
"Who are you...your not machines! Why did the alarm sound?" said a withered voice. A old man in dirty clothes approached them. "Newcomers...! Alarm off." The loud noise ceased. "Did you come from beyond the ruins? How did you get past the mutants and robots?"
"We, ahhh..." started Crono.
"You clothes...their different..." said the old man.
"Yeah, we..."
"I am Doan, the elder of this Dome. And who are you, newcomers."
"I'm Crono, this is Lucca, and Marle...We...."
"Did you bring food!?" Doan said eagerly.
"No...."
"Curses...ahhh....very well....make yourself at home." Doan turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait!" Lucca cried after him. "What year is this?"
The old man paused and turned around. "The year? HA! The gods only know.... you could check the computer in the basement, if your brave. Check the refrigerator while you at it, get us some food. Right down that ladder. I'll be waiting here."
"Computer?" said Marle. "What's that?"
"You got me..." said Lucca. "We might as well check the food while were there."
"What happened here?" said Crono to Doan, who wasn't far away.
" What happened... things were always like this, boy. Your clothes...there so clean...did you find clean water outside!? Ahh...never mind..I need some rest.....I'll be in the Enertron...it keeps you alive, but your still hungry afterward...that's life I suppose..."
Marle made a face "Always like this? What did he mean by that."
"Well," said Crono. "Let's find out." And he descended the ladder to the basement.
***
The basement to the Dome was located deep under the ground. Countless pipes were all over the place. Many seemed to be broken, and steam and liquids poured out. It was really creepy, Crono needed to talk to someone to calm himself.
"What do you think happened here, Lucca?" said Crono.
Lucca answered quickly, "I think there was a war, and man kind destroyed themselves." She had obviously been thinking about it ever sense they arrived to this hellish place.
"How can humans destroy themselves?" asked Marle. "You can't destroy an entire civilization with guns a swords."
"Things become outdated, Marle. Look at my Teleporting Machine, Gato, times are changing... The future isn't to far away...."
Crono glanced down at the saber the Knight Captain from 600 gave him. He didn't like the idea of his only skill becoming outdated.
They came to a door marked "Kitchen" after wandering around for about a half an hour. Crono opened the door, once again by saying "open" and was welcomed by a putrid stench.
"Pweah!" gasped Marle "What reeks?"
"My, Crono..." said Lucca. 'What a wonderful smell you discovered...."
"Man..." said Crono. "That's bad!"
"The food must have spoiled..." said Lucca. Crono slammed the door shut.
A noise was heard behind them. A huge shadowed moved in the distance. The threesome remained silent. Three red eyes appeared on the mass. Red beams flowed from the eyes, much like the scanner at the front of the Dome. Crono didn't dare move. A moment passed, and the figure moved on.
"That was close..." said Marle.
"It must have been triggered by opening the door," Lucca remarked.
"C'mon," said Crono, "Let's find this computer."
***
A computer, as it turns out, was just a hunk of metal with buttons on it. Crono didn 't find it very special, Marle was in awe of all the buttons, and Lucca wanted to open the thing up and look inside.
"How do we turn it on?" asked Crono. "I know. TURN ON." Nothing happened. Marle giggled.
A moment later, Lucca found a switch, clearly marked "on/off." Suddenly, the wall behind the computer flickered! Crono stepped back in surprise. Lines of text began to appear on the wall.
The text read in bright green letters:
Arris Dome System Mainframe
Mother Brain Program Version 3.6.1b
Welcome!
Loading....
September 2, 2300
Saturday
5:35 PM
Enter Command
"2300!" gasped Marle. "That's 1300 years in the future!"
Enter Command
"Well, Lucca, enter command!" said Crono.
"I'll ask it to search for time displacements, that'll be our Gate." She typed in the command, which took a bit. "They could have least put the letters in order!"
Unknown Command, Please try again
Enter Command
"How can I tell it to scan for Gates...." pondered Lucca.
"Computer, scan for Gates," said Crono.
Voice interface command:
Voice Command Failed, Please try again.
Lucca tried "Scan."
Voice interface command:
Scanning subject....please wait....
A familiar red light probed Lucca.
Scan complete!
Subject: Human Female
Age: 17
Height: 5 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 122 pounds
"Lucca, hold up the Gate Key," suggested Marle.
Lucca held up the Key. "Scan!"
Subject: Metal Rod, Steel
Length: 1 foot
Weight: 2 pounds
Warning: Alien material found on subject.
"Ah ha!" said Lucca. "Leftovers from the Gate! Computer, scan for alien material outside of Dome."
Scanning... Please wait....
Complete!
Alien material found
Location: Proto Dome, 15 miles, E
A map appeared and showed the location of Proto Dome.
Enter Command
"Well, there you go," said Lucca. "It's off to Proto Dome."
"We should ask the computer what happened to this world," said Crono. "Get some answers."
"Computer, what happened to this world."
Unknown Voice Command.
"Why is the world like this?"
Unknown Voice Command.
Lucca grunted. "Ugh...This isn't working..." Her eye's widened. "I know! Computer, show me... Armageddon!"
Voice Interface Command:
"Armageddon"... Searching.
Armageddon: (Latin); The end of all things
Archived files for"Armageddon" also found.
View data?
Y / N
"Yes!" Lucca cried.
The screen cleared.
File #0001
"The Day of Lavos"
December 31, 1999
Friday
11: 20 PM
Playing archived video:
A moving picture appeared on the screen.
It showed a overhead view of Truce, apparently in the year 1999. The words "Day of Lavos Video File 1, Satellite Cam" was seen in the top left corner of the screen. Tall buildings were seen, much like castles, but even taller. Suddenly, a large crack appeared on one of the roads. The cracks began to spread and soon collapsed into a gaping hole. A large shape slowly emerged from it. Explosions were everywhere. The shape was very large and was covered with long spikes in every direction. The spikes off the creature's back glowed bright red, and beams of light shot out from them. The buildings around it crumbled, and then the screen got fuzzy.
The image changed. "Day of Lavos Video File 2, Home Video." It was like they were running down the road from the eyes of the person. Screaming a cursing were heard all around them. The view suddenly panned behind the man. They were greeted with a clear shot of the creature. It was huge! Several stories tall, with what appeared to be a beak near the front. The beams were still discharging from the spiny creature's back. Flying objects were seen in the sky, souring toward the beast. Fire was everywhere. Without warning, it looked like they fell on the ground. It stayed like that for several seconds, then went blank.
Lavos: (Origin of Name, Unknown) Unknown life form
Appeared December 31, 1999, 11:21 PM in Truce. Last seen January 1, 2000, 3:45 AM.
Survivors dubbed this day "The Day of Lavos." Other known names include: "Apocalypse", "Armageddon", "The End of Days", "Earth's Bane", and "The Day Humans Died."
Lavos' appearance caused the death of 85% of Earth's population. Current whereabouts of Lavos is unknown.
Returning to Main Menu
Crono, Marle and Lucca were horrified at what they just saw. None of them spoke.
Enter Command
Chapter VIII
----------------
"85 percent of live on Earth, wiped out in a few hours, by...th-that THING!" cried Marle.
"Looks like it..." said Crono, softly.
"So it wasn't a war..." said Lucca.
"I won't believe it," Marle said.
"Believe it, Princess. There it is," said Lucca. "You saw the dates."
They were silent for a moment.
"Well," cried Marle. "What do we do?!"
"What do you mean?" said Crono. "It happened, it's done. This is Earth's future...."
"A dead future..." said Lucca.
"A future we can change!" said Marle, with hope.
"How?"
"We have a time machine...that, that Gate Key"
"No," corrected Lucca. "No, we have a unstable way of traveling though a series of random time fluctuations. We can't control them. We can't change the future..."
"Lucca! I'm surprised at you! Look in that brain of yours, think up a way to make things right."
Crono spoke up. "It fate. You can't defy fate. The world will be destroyed in the year 1999."
"We can save the people who are going to die."
"But it's done with, it already happened."
"Not for us!"
"Hold on..." said Lucca. "If we find out when Lavos first appeared, perhaps when it's young, we might be able to destroy it. It will take a lot of tinkering with my Teleporting Machine to get it to break all the barriers of time, but from what I've learned so far with the Gates, it might be able to work..."
"Great!" cried Marle.
"The only problem is, it might take a lifetime to complete. What do you think, Crono?"
Crono stared at the computer screen. The image of Lavos was gone, but he remembered what he saw. "Yeah....your right. If we have to power to stop this thing for killing everyone, then let's do it."
"But first," said Lucca. "We have to get home, and to do that, we have to get to Proto Dome."
"Then let's get going," said Crono in a very serious tone, and they left the computer room.
***
"Did you find food?!" Doan asked eagerly. A dozen dirty people behind them asked the same question.
"All the food was spoiled," said Crono. "Nothing was good."
"Well, it's back to the Enertron, I suppose," said Doan.
"What's the Enertron?" asked Lucca.
"Your Dome don't have one? Goodness me! How do you survive? Just step in that pod."
Lucca curiously entered the large pod. The Enertron flashed white, and Lucca emerged.
"Wow," said Lucca. "What a trip!" Lucca's face, which once has some scratches on from exploring the outside, was healed. Marle, then Crono, entered the Enertron and come out feeling much better.
"I'm still hungry..." said Marle, "but I feel like I have the energy to run for miles!"
Doan laughed. "Ha! That'll wear off!"
Crono whispered to Lucca, "We better get home soon, it's almost dinner time."
"I don't think so, Crono. I think it's only noon back in our time." Lucca didn't bother Crono with the details.
"You have any food, Doan?" he asked.
Doan offered them something that looked like green goo that Crono wanted so much to decline. But he was starving. He ate a bit of the stuff, which was repulsive. Lucca joined him, but Marle refused, insisting the Enertron made her feel full.
After "dinner," Lucca asked Doan to way to Proto Dome.
"You're going outside?"
"We need to get home."
"Then why'd you come here? There's a old highway that leads to Proto Dome." He tossed Crono a key. "Here, take this. It's the key to the bike near the highway, take it."
Crono snickered. "We don't need a key for a bike, Doan!"
"Huh? Of course you do! How else do you expect to start it? Good luck, and watch out for the robots."
The three left the dome and head back into the storm of dust. Crono still didn't know what a high way was, but he followed Doan's directions and they soon came across series a ruined buildings. Leading out of them, a large, paved road streaked on for miles, the highway.
Near the road, a large, blue carriage could be seen. Crono walked up to it. No, it wasn't a carriage. I was very smooth and had wheels, like a bike. Marle hoped in. The others followed.
"This must be the motor bike Doan was talking about."
"How do you start it?" said Crono.
Lucca sighed, and grabbed the key from Crono. She inserted the key into a small opening near a circular object. Crono heard a loud noise, and the bike started to vibrate.
"It's gonna blow! Get out!" said Crono.
"No, no no!" cried Lucca. "It's just a engine! You steer with the wheel over there."
"HALT!" A voice boomed.
The three turned around and saw several metal creatures standing a few feet away. The voice was like the scanner's voice they had heard earlier.
"Step-away-from-the-vehicle,-humans," said one of them. It was an odd looking creature, which Crono assumed to be a robot, much like Lucca's Gato machine. They walked on two legs, and a large, metallic eye rested on a long neck. The three exited the bike.
"You-are-trespassing. Aim-weapons-and-fire." Gun barrels appeared from the robot's chest.
But before the robots fired, a metal object raced past them. The robots turned their heads, and the barrels disappeared.
"Cease-fire, it's....THE-MAN!"
Crono look confused. The speeding object stopped, and turned into very human like figure.
"A humanoid robot!" said Lucca with joy. "A transformer!"
The transformer spoke in a very human, and very odd, sounding voice: "What seems to be the problem here, babes."
"The-Man!"
"That's right, dudes. Hi Way Patrol Officer #098: The Man!"
"The-Man!"
The robot turned to the humans. "But you lowlifes can call me Johnny."
"The-Man!"
"Shut ya'lls traps, drones. Need to speak to these fellas. Now, why yer trespassing on my land."
Marle giggled and Crono smiled. If this was how future generations were going to talk, then maybe Lavos should destroy the world.
"We need to get to Proto Dome," said Marle.
"Now, I'm afraid I can't let a human pass this here highway. I tell ya what, prove yer selves. I'm not such a bad guy now, beat me in a race and I'll let ya pass. It's been so boring around here lately, babes."
Lucca looked confused. "How can a robot get bored? Have they perfected AI to that extent? Amazing!"
"Ol' girl here knows what she talkn' 'bout!" Johnny sounded excited. "Spiky haired dude! Get on up on that bike."
Crono and the others quickly boarded the bike.
"NOW!" yelled Johnny. The robot transformed back into the smaller object, which looked like a smaller version of the bike that they were in, and sped off.
"Lucca, how do I go?!"
Lucca slammed her foot against the floor. The bike suddenly burst forward!
"Keep your foot on this petal, Crono! The one next to it the brake!" Lucca yelled.
Crono desperately tried to keep the bike from going out of control. The fast moving vehicle swerved right and left, and almost ran off the road.
"Woooooo!" Marle screamed. "This is great!"
"Crono, it's Johnny!"
Johnny was coming up fast in the distance. A crackled voice was heard inside the bike.
"Woo-e! C'mon now, try and catch up!"
Crono sped the bike up, and in a matter of seconds, they were neck and neck with Johnny. The robot turned his head, which was at the front of his bike like body, and the voice was heard again.
"Can't let ya win now, babes. Drones! Kill these yella bellies!"
Gunfire was heard. Lucca looked up to see several flying objects overhead firing at them. Johnny began to ram Crono's bike from the side. He almost lost control, but he managed. The bike's windshield shattered. Johnny took the lead.
"That's why humans are weak, there not fast enough! Later babes."
Crono hated a bully. This future wasn't meant for robots, but for man. Crono notice a button marked "Turbo" and pressed it. The bike burst forward and got far ahead of Johnny. All three were momentarily pressed hard against their seats.
"Hold on guys!" Crono slowed down, slammed the brakes and spun around while doing so. Johnny skidded out of control trying to avoid the parked motor bike. Crono saw the robot slam into a rock face with a brilliant explosion. The drones above them stopped firing.
"Whoa!" said Marle.
Crono stepped on the gas again, and rode down the quiet highway until they noticed Proto Dome. They didn't see another machine until they got inside.
Chapter IX
-------------
Proto Dome wasn't as big as Arris Dome. It seemed to be more of a work place than living quarters. Computer terminals lined the walls, but most were smashed. All the lights were out save for a few very dim lights on the ceiling. Crono looked around. The Gate was nowhere to be found.
"Let's get looking," said Crono.
Crono was searching along the walls, and inside doors he came across. Lucca was looking around the computers, trying to turn on each one. Marle was holding her pendant in front of her, seeing if she got some sort of reaction. They searched the entire computer room and found nothing.
But there was one door that was locked, and it didn't seem to be any keyhole or control panel anywhere. Marle's pendant reacted when she got close to the door. The Gate was behind it, but it wouldn't open.
While Lucca was trying to unlock the door, Marle continued to explore the room. She got to the corner and yelled. "Hey guys! Look at this!"
Lucca and Crono walked over to the corner. A hunk of metal laid in a mass next to Marle.
"It's just some spare parts, Marle," said Crono.
Lucca bent over by it. She moved the parts around. "It's not spare parts, it's remains of a robot! Look, this is its arms," Lucca lifted one of the robots arm. "And that's its head." Sure enough, the top of the mass had two eyes. "Help me move it."
Crono and Marle helped Lucca move the robot to the center of the room. They placed it in a sitting position on the ground. It was a dull gold color. It was very heavy built, with huge arms and legs. It's head looked like a large bowl. Lucca knocked on the robot's chest, and opened it up. Gears, circuits and wires could be seen inside.
"I think I can fix it," said Lucca, seriously.
"Are you crazy?" said Crono. "Remember the robots that tried to kill us?"
"Robots aren't evil, people make them that way. I might be able to change that. Besides, look at this engraving. It isn't a killing machine."
An engraving on the side of the robot's head read "Proto Dome R Series File Recorder and Manager."
"It's an encyclopedia..." said Crono. "That could be helpful. Alright, sounds good, Lucca."
Lucca looked at the wires and circuits in the robot. She sighed. "This might take awhile."
Crono glanced at the locked door. "Don't worry, where not going anywhere..."
***
Crono was searching the many desks inside the computer room. He came across a stash to what looked like small bars. The label said they where nutrition bars. Lucca, busy fixing the robot, said it should be okay to eat. They where a bit stale, but otherwise alright to snack on. He walked over to Marle to offer her some.
Marle was fitting on the floor, trying to make sense of an instruction manual she discovered. She closed it in frustration when Crono approached.
"Want some? Lucca said they were safe to eat."
Marle took one of the bars and began to munch on it. The two silently enjoyed their meal. After a few moments, Marle spoke up.
"Thanks for showing me around the fair, Crono," she said quietly. Marle flashed a bright smile. "It really meant a lot."
Crono blushed. "No problem."
"I really needed a friend then, I was getting lonely in that castle..."
Crono knew he was about to open a can of worms, but....
"You shouldn't have ran away from your Father. It may seem like he's being strict... but he's just looking out for you."
Marle sighed, and leaned back against the wall. Crono noticed her white clothing was very dirty.
"Yeah, I know," she said, "but doesn't you dad make you so mad sometimes?"
"My dad died when I was little," said Crono.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Marle said sadly.
"It's alright."
"Well, my mom passed away when I was little too, so, I guess I understand."
They were silent again. Crono looked down at Marle. He noticed how sweet and innocent she looked, yet at the same time strong and daring. He really liked the time they have spent together.
"Marle, I...." said Crono. But she was asleep. Crono sighed and finished his food.
***
Another two hours passed. Crono continued to explore the room while Lucca finished up with the possible killer robot. Meanwhile, Marle awoke and overlooked. He hadn't found much. He looked up information on the Highway Patrol Officer that they had met earlier. The computer's funny speech was based on surviving videos of a fictional character named "The Fonz" and other documents. He didn't find it too interesting. He did find, however, weapons for the girls. He found a "Laser" Gun for Lucca, and a "Primitive" Crossbow for Marle in a trophy case.
"Done!" said Lucca. "I think that should do it!"
All three of them gathered around the robot.
"Great," said Crono. "How do you know it's not going to kill us."
"It's a walking encyclopedia that works with humans, remember? It's not hostile."
"Then where are all the people?" said Crono.
They where quiet for a second.
"Start him up!" said Marle.
Lucca tightened something on the robots back, and waited. Almost instantly, the eyes brightened. A moment later, the arm twitched. The head suddenly swiveled. Then without warning, the robot stood up. It was taller than it appeared, about a head taller than Crono.
"What can it do?" asked Crono.
"Hello?" said Marle.
Nothing happened. Lucca took a very scientific approached and kicked it. A spew of sounds imitated from the robot.
"Wh...amm...Iiii," a muzzled voice said. Lucca adjusted a knob on the robots neck.
"Where am I?" said the robot. "Oh, hello." The voice was quite human, with a just a hint of an English accent, and obviously male. But it was still very metallic. "Who are you? You do not work here."
"Hi!" said Marle happily. "I'm Marle!" She stuck out her hand to shake.
"How interesting. This is a human gesture given to other humans as a sign of greeting." The robot gently shook her hand.
"And this is Crono,"
"Ahhh, Master Crono, understood." The robot bowed.
"And this is Lucca, she fixed you."
"Understood. Madam Lucca fixed me." The robot bowed.
"No no, just Lucca."
"Nonsense. That would be rude."
"It's fine," said Lucca. "I don't like formal titles."
"Me either. What's your name?" said Marle.
Crono was growing tired of this chit-chat, so he began to wonder around, but still listening in.
"Name? Oh, yes. My serial number. I am R66-Y, human cyborg relations and data processor."
Lucca shifted her glasses. "Cool!"
"That will never do, we have to give you a real name," said Marle.
"What's wrong with R66-Y? I think it's great."
"It sounds to technical."
"Well, he IS a machine," argued Lucca.
"It has no ring to it!"
R66-Y looked at the two. "Oh my, am I creating a debate, that was not my intention."
"Let's call him.... Rusty!" suggested Marle, noticing his rusted metal.
"No! That's a dog's name! How about... Gigabyte?"
"What? Gigabyte? No, Rusty sound better!"
Crono butted in, "How about Borg? He says he's human cyborg relations."
"My current ID is acceptable to me," said the robot. "I do not need a name, I am only a robot."
"That's it! Robo!" exclaimed Marle. "Your new name in Robo."
"Understood, processing. I am Robo."
"Robo?" Lucca said. "That sounds so childish...but I guess it will work. Hello Robo."
"Robo," said the robot formally known as R66-Y. "Robo....I am Robo. I have a name." He sounded almost proud.
Crono sighed. It might take awhile to get used to this walking pile of parts...
*** "Robo," said Crono. "We need this door open." He pointed to the locked door.
Robo walked over the door. He placed his palm on the wall. A second later, he tried again.
"It is locked," Robo said bluntly.
"I know that," said Crono. "We need to get in."
Robo looked around. "There is minimal power to this building. Interesting. A closet should require a lock...."
"Closet? Robo, try to break it open," said Lucca.
"I am not programmed to be violent unless provoked," said Robo.
"No Robo," said Crono. "You can't hurt a door. We need to get in. Our way home is in there."
"You live in a closet?" Robo inquered, confused.
Crono rolled his eyes, "Can you open it, Robo," he said, trying to hide his annoyance.
Robo punched the door, but not a dent was made. He backed up and rammed it with his shoulder. No effect.
"We must restore full power the building," Robo stated.
"How?" asked Marle.
"There is a power station next to here. If we reset to power cells, power should return... at least for a few moments."
"Great," said Crono. "Let's go. Thanks Robo, we'll be back."
"Bye, Robo!" said Marle. Lucca was the last to start to leave.
"Master Crono!" said Robo. "I must come with you."
"Why?"
"Resetting the power cells is very complex, and I doubt any of you know the correct sequence of events to trigger the shut down."
Lucca smiled. "All right, come along."
"One of you must stay behind. The door will not open automatically, and the power will more than likely shut down again before we return."
Crono looked at Marle and Lucca. He couldn't leave either of them alone.
"We can all stay," said Crono.
"Negative. You are needed to defend me while I shut down the cells. A alarm will certainly be triggered."
Great. That meant Crono had to go with him.
"I'll stay behind," said Lucca.
"Negative. You must run the other terminal."
"What other terminal?" blurted Lucca.
"It is a double lock. I believe you are the only one who can operate it. You are very skilled to have fixed me. Your brain power is required."
They all looked a Marle.
"I'll be fine," she said.
"I can't let you stay here alone, Marle," said Crono.
"I can take care of myself. Don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Now go!"
Robo spoke. "Master Crono. Marle can hide in that crate if machines enter the building." He pointed to a small box on the floor. "It is designed to block their scans."
"See!" said Marle. "Now get going. I'll be fine."
Crono looked worried. "All right, we'll be back soon."
Marle gave Crono a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck." Crono blushed, and quickly left the room with the others.
Chapter X
-------------
Crono and the others took a quick nap in the Enertron, and left Proto Dome. The dust storm seemed to have died down as they headed to the power station. Crono got the first good look of the future, and boy was it was bleak, it looked like a desert. Ruined buildings were everywhere, and a blade of grass was not to be seen.
"We can't let Lavos destroy the world, Crono," said Lucca, looking around her. "It was such a beautiful place."
Crono nodded.
"Lavos?" said Robo. "Searching... Incomplete... All information concerning Lavos is restricted to me."
Lucca turned to Robo. "Why's that?"
"Unknown."
"I guess," said Crono, "that whoever programmed Robo here didn't want him to know about it. Makes no sense, though."
"What is a Lavos?" Robo asked Lucca just when they arrived at the station.
"I'll tell you later. Here we are."
"FACTORY / POWER STATION 16" was written in huge letters on the massive buildings wall.
"What are we waiting for?" said Crono. "Let's check it out."
"Wait, Master Crono!" said Robo. "This factory is not abandoned like it appears. It appears all the machines in this area were built here. I must enter first. Perhaps I can pass you off as prisoners."
"How do you know that will work?" asked Lucca.
"I do not. But I feel I know with place very well, as well as another factory like it. Interesting..."
Robo opened the large doors and walked in side. Crono and Lucca made sure to stick close by him. They walked into a small room. Instantly, a small, flying object came from the ceiling. It flew over to Robo and a red beamed flowed over his eyes. Another scanner.
"R-Series-confirmed. Enter," a squeaky voice said. Strangely, it did not scan Crono or Lucca. A door opened in front of them.
The three entered the doorway. It was a factory all right. The first this they saw was lines and lines of conveyer belts assembling robots. Crono recognized the "Cyclops drones" right away, and even saw a few "Johnny" units. Lucca was staring at them in awe, but Robo and Crono forced her to continue.
Not three seconds later, a voice boomed, "Halt!"
An odd look spider like robot appeared from nowhere. "What-is-your-identification-number?"
"I am Ro... R66-Y," said Robo, almost blowing their cover.
"Where-are-you-taking-these-filthy-humans?"
"Prisoner transfer, cell block 1138," returned Robo, unwavering.
"Excellent," said the spider drone. "Fresh-fuel. Continue." It disappeared into the floor.
"I suggest you two remain silent," said Robo.
Crono and Lucca nodded. Robo continued to walk them down halls and passages, never taking a wrong turn. Crono wanted to ask him how he knew this building so well, but he could talk. He assumed he saw a map or something. Occasionally, they passed a wandering drone. They kept correcting Robo, telling him he was going the wrong direction for human drop off. Crono then noticed Robo planning his route to pass by rooms marked "Man Burners." Crono didn't want to know what was inside, but he had a good guess.
After about a half a hour of passing avoiding drones and taking different routes, they arrived at a room marked simply "Power."
"We are here," said Robo. "We must hurry before we are noticed."
Robo lead the others into the room. A gigantic generator sat in the middle, and several bridges crossed over to it. Robo showed Lucca her control station and told her the order to enter the commands. Crono didn't bother them, for he knew Lucca had to pay attention. A few moments later, Robo returned to his station.
"Master Crono," said Robo, "once Lucca and I begin to enter the commands, an alarm will undoubtedly sound. Try to fend off the drones until we are complete. I will assist you then."
"Right," whispered Crono. He watched as the two began to enter the commands to the computers. The light in the large generator began to dim.
"Warning," a female voice echoed, "Power failing. Resetting." Red light flashed but no sound was heard.
"Here they come, Master Crono," warned Robo, still typing away.
Crono was on his guard. A spider drone appeared. Then another. And another!
"Halt," said the drones. "Desist." Robo and Lucca didn't stop. Crono looked down at his sword. He doubted it would fend of these machines. He should have grabbed one of those laser guns for himself. The drones began to advance. Right when one of them were mere feet away from Crono, it exploded. Crono looked back to see Lucca with the gun raised. Robo too was finished with his work. His chest opened and brilliant colored light burst out of it. The remaining drones ceased to move. Finally, the alarm sounded.
"Hurry Master Crono!" said Robo. They began to run through the halls. They soon came to a large room that they had to pass through. Upon crossing half of the way through it, the doors on both sides slammed shut.
"We're trapped!" said Lucca.
"It appears so," Robo stated. "Oh dear."
Crono noticed chambers on either side of the wall, and they were opening. A dozen robots emerged from the pods. Crono gasped. They looked just like Robo, except they were silver and purple in color.
"Robo?" said Lucca, worried. "Are these fellow file managers."
"No," said Robo. "They are combat drones."
The combat drones marched toward the three. One of them spoke.
"R66-Y, have you forgotten your mission? All humans must be destroyed."
"Destroyed? Accessing memory. Memory systems are no longer blocked! You are R70-Y? But these are my friends."
"Impossible. R Series are incapable of emotion." Another drone said. "You are defective, R66-Y."
"Defective?"
"A faulty unit," said another.
"A defect," said yet another.
R70-Y spoke again, "Reduced to simple file managing and data transfer."
"I was a combat drone?" said Robo. "Affirmative. I remember."
Crono was about to whisper to Lucca, "See, a killer robot," but he opted not to.
A black wire was shot from one of the combat drone's arms. It wrapped around Robo. A stream of electricity bolted though the wire and Robo began to shake. When the wire retracted, the other R Series combat drones began to beat on him with their metal fist.
"No!" shouted Lucca. She charged toward one of the drones with gun in hand, but was knocked away and violently hit the ground. Crono quickly kneeled by her. "It was a good thing she was wearing that silly helmet," Crono thought.
"We have to get out of here," he said.
"No! We can't leave him!" Tears began to appear under her glasses.
"If we don't we're dead!"
"No...."
"Come on!" He grabbed her sleeve.
Lucca ripped away. She raised her gun a shot a blast into the base of one of the drone's neck. There was a small burst as it hit, and sparks flew from the R-Series' joints. A second later, it began to shake and fumble.
"How could you do that to him!" she cried.
The shaking drone fell to the ground. "Get the humans," said another.
Lucca was firing frantically at the drones. Another fell. But a green field appeared in front of the others, and the remaining shots proved useless. Lucca continued regardless as the drones advanced. Crono knew she couldn't do anything with that shielding in place. The nearest R-Series raised it fist, as a sign of attack.
Crono noticed a compartment marked "Garbage" conveniently located next to them. He opened the shoot and forced Lucca in. Lucca slid down the shoot. Crono took one last look at Robo, who was now nothing more than a mass of dented parts, and jumped in after her.
***
Crono landed with a hard thud on the rocky ground. The garbage shoot led to the back of the factory with the rest of the garbage. Lucca was already on her feet when Crono landed.
"How could you do that?!" she said. "He, he was..."
"We could have stayed, those drones would have vaporized us."
"But...!"
"Lucca! There was nothing we could do! We..."
Crono was interrupted by a large clang. The two spun around to see the battered body of Robo lying motionless on the ground.
"Robo!" yelled Lucca. She hurried over to the pile of parts. "He's still alive!"
"Alive?"
"Well, he's still operational, okay!" Lucca snapped. "We have to get him back to Proto Dome."
"Proto Dome is miles away. It's burning hot, and drones could be anywhere. We can't risk it. Besides, we can't carry him."
Robo made a weird noise. "A D-d-d-fect-t-ect.?"
"We don't leave our friends to die, Crono."
Crono realized that Lucca really cared for this machine. True, Crono liked Robo, but it was just a machine. Lucca was just weird that way, he guessed. Then he remembered when he went after Marle at the fair. He hardly knew her, but he risked his life for her.
"Okay, Lucca. Let's bring him back." He looked around him a noticed a large tarp located in a pile of trash. He and Lucca dragged Robo onto the tarp, and started the long trek back to Proto Dome.
Chapter XI
-------------
Crono, Lucca and the dying Robo arrived at Proto Dome after a long and tiring walk of avoiding patrolling robots. He was looking forward to the nap in the Enertron. He liked not having to sleep.
But when they arrived, Marle was nowhere to be seen. Crono panicked. He ran into the room where he left her. He noticed the previously locked door was open, and a blue Gate floated near the floor.
"Marle!" shouted Crono.
Crono saw something move in the corner. It was Marle. She was sitting down with her head between her knees, shaking. Crono suddenly felt very guilty. She was scared to death. He kneeled down next to her and put his arm on her shoulder. "Marle?"
"Crono!" she said, looking up. Her face was wet, she must have been crying. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Crono, there were alarms and noises and the lights went out..."
"I'm sorry Marle."
Marle's arms slid off of Crono and she slowly stood up. "I just got a little scared, that's all. It's not your fault...."
Before he could reply, she noticed Robo and forgot all about Crono.
"What happened?"
Lucca looked down at Robo. "The robots didn't like Robo very much."
"Are you going to fix him?"
"Of course."
Marle peered over to the Gate inside the doorway. "But I want to....never mind. I guess we have all the time we need."
"You can bring him with us," said Crono.
"I can't. All the tools are here. I can't bring them with us."
"We can wait," said Marle. "No problem."
Lucca started to repair the combat drone.
***
"Fascinating," said a half-repaired Robo. "You plan to c-change the very fabric of-of time." He was having trouble with his speech.
"That's the plan," said Lucca. She started thinking aloud "I need to work on your motor controls some more."
Crono was polishing his saber, half listing to the conversation Lucca was having with Robo. He was coming along, as far as he could tell.
"Luuucca?" said Robo.
"Yes."
"I meant what I saidddd in the factory-ry. You are my f-friend."
"That's sweet, Robo."
"C-Can you fixx me?"
"In no time." Lucca smiled.
"That makes me....happy."
They casually chatted while Lucca fished repairing the drone
***
"Hello, all. Lucca has fixed me," said Robo happily.
Marle clapped. "Hooray!"
"And I bid you good fortune on your fight against Lavos."
"What are you talking about?!" said Lucca "Your coming with us!"
Robo's metallic eyes fluxed for a second. "I am?"
"We can't leave a friend behind," said Crono, repeating Lucca words.
"If I had the proper facial movements, I would smile," said Robo. "But, do you want me to join you, even though you know my past? I used to kill humans."
"Yes, but, do you kill humans anymore?" asked Marle.
"Of course not."
"Then it's alright! That was R66-Y. Now your Robo!"
"Then let us be on our way. Right, Master Crono?"
"Right," said Crono.
The four enter the room with the Gate. Crono know knew why it was locked: a black chest was located near the back wall. Who knew what was inside. Lucca took out the Gate Key, and they stepped into the Gate, hoping it would bring them back home.
***
This travel though the worm hole was very different then the past experience. The feeling of falling sideways was still present, but there was something else. Images of the ages flew past them as they fell. Crono saw images of home, the year 600, of the future... but also one of the clouds, a lush jungle, and the stars. He saw faces of loved ones, and even the one of his father...
But before he could grasp it all, it was over, and he noticed something startling. Crono didn't notice it at first, but he realized he wasn't home. His heart sank. The Gate brought them to a different time. And he didn't like what he saw.
Around him here several Gates, inside a square room bordered by a low fence. An old gate connected the room to another. This room, much larger, looked more like a street corner, with a tall lamppost in the center. The most unusual aspect was the lack of ground outside of the fence. The room was floating in a sea of a star-less sky.
"Crono..." said Marle, worried.
"I... don't know..." said Crono, answering her unasked question.
The four opened the old gate, and entered the larger area. Crono was surprised to see a figure standing by the lamppost.
"Hey, mister!" said Crono.
"Huh?" said the figure, in an old and tired voice. He turned to them. The figure was wearing a brown trench coat with a matching hat. His face was hidden, and he had a cane in his hands. "Oh dear, not more lost travelers."
"Lost travelers?" said Lucca.
"I have been getting more and more of you lately..."
"Where are we? What time is this?" asked Crono.
"Time? Ha! There is no time here. This is the place where the times cross. This, my boy, is the End of Time. With all the disturbances to the time line as of late, more and more people have been arriving to this place. Having more than one time frame traveling though a single passage way was enough to trigger you coming here."
"The End of Time?" said Lucca.
"The crossroads. See those lights in the room you came from. Doorways. They are passages to epochs opened by, well, your Gate Key, little lady."
"You know about that?"
"Of course."
"Then how do we get home?" said Marle.
"Simple, my dear. The same way you came. Just stand next to one of the pillars of light, and if memories of home arise, then trust fate and walk inside. It's that simple"
"Who are you?" said Crono, very curious.
"Me? Think of me as your guide."
"Right..."
"And, if you want any hope of destroying Lavos, I suggest you enter the room over there."
"Lavos?!" said Lucca. "You know about him?"
"All too well, Miss Lucca."
"Do you now how we can kill him?"
"Later, later, my friends. Now, enter that room over there. You won't be disappointed." "But...!" started Crono.
"Trust me..."
Crono and the others took the old man's advice and started for the other door. Everyone wanted answers about Lavos, but decided to play it safe for now. When they came to the room, it was empty.
"The room is vacant," stated Robo.
Crono walked to the center of the room. Suddenly, a small, furry creature appeared from behind the fence. It ran frantically around the room for a few seconds, then ran in front of Crono and stopped.
"Who dares enter the almighty Spekkio, the Master of War's, room?" the little animal said in a humorous voice.
Crono laughed. It was a little monkey with white fur. "You? The Master of War?!"
Spekkio balanced himself on one hand. "I am the Master of War. Do I appear weak to ya'lls?"
Crono nodded.
"My appearance reflects the strength of the beholder, oh oh ah ah!"
"Hey now," said Crono. "I'm no weakling."
"Yes, but from my stand point you are. You are using just a fraction of your full potential! Quick, run around the room three times clockwise, hurry! All of you's! Hurry! You too, trash can man!"
"Trash can man?" said Robo. "But I am not..."
"Around the room! Ohh Ohh!"
"Why?" said Marle.
"I AM THE MASTER OF WAR! I will give you a present if you do."
"Oh, c'mon Crono," said Marle. "He's cute!"
Crono humored the little monkey and they began to jog around the room. Marle soon followed, then Lucca. Robo was the last to lap.
"Done," said Crono after he and the others made the laps.
"Your welcome!" said Spekkio. "I just gave you all magic. 'Cept you trash can, I just wanted to see you run, hehe Oh ah!"
"Magic?" said Lucca. "Humans can't learn magic, it's impossible."
"Yes!" said Spekkio. "Man has been without magic for millennia! But I am the Master of War! Try it out, spiky hair fellow. Hit me with you best shot!"
Crono looked at his hands in disbelief. He raised his arm to Spekkio. Nothing happened.
"No no no! Don't try to make it happen, just do it!"
"It's not working..."
"Hit me! Unleash the enchanted spirit within! Trust in your feelings!"
Suddenly, a brilliant array of white lightning burst from Crono hands. He was thrown back from the force. The burst missed Spekkio.
"Excellent!" said the Master of War.
"Wow...." said Crono is disbelief.
"Amazing..." said Lucca.
"You two, you can do it too!"
Lucca and Marle extended their arms. Marle got it instantly. Ice began to appear above her hands. She moved the hands away, and the ice remained where it was. The space around Lucca hands then became red, and a flame appeared and melted the ice.
"Cool!" said Marle.
"I have never seen anything use magic before," said Robo. "Quite fascinating."
The three magic users spent some time practicing with their new found abilities. And by the end of the lesson, Spekkio turned from a small monkey to a larger ape.
"I think this magic will aid you in your quest to destroy the evil Lavos, young adventurers," said Spekkio, is a much more serious voice.
"Thanks, Spekkio," said Crono.
"No, thank you. It has been a long time sense I had some practice. It gets dull here sometimes, that old man gets so boring. Farewell. And remember: I am the Master of War!" And with that, Spekkio vanished from the room.