Chapter 15: Back To The Future
JUNE 7, 0000 XD
"Okay, who's coming along on this one?" Crono asked. Robo and Frog got up and silently moved over. The teen nodded. "Awright. Now, who wants to choose the next quest?" Robo and Frog both shrugged. It seemed neither of them were too keen on it yet. After a moment, Lucca got up from her spot on the floor.
"Ow... Gaspar, if you don't put in some real beds real soon, I'll show you the benefits of my Wondershot personally." The Guru ignore her threat and held out the wood circle, from which she chose the red stone.
"In the Middle Ages, a woman's sheer determination brings a forest back to life... between Dorino and Porre is where your destination lies..."
"Yo!" Spekkio called out from his room. "Take at least one Blue Magic user-oh good, you've already got ribbit. And don't be afraid to make sacrifices. That's all I can say." Crono grinned.
"Righty-o. Let's be on the road!"
JUNE 7, 600 AD
"Between Dorino and Porre... this has to be the spot. The great desert." Crono looked down at the sandy expanse below. "I heard somewhere that this was a forest once..."
"It be true, lad." Frog confirmed. "When I was younger than ye, this was a great and beautiful wood. It died around the same time Magus came." He frowned. "Look! A house!"
"And next to it... I detect great evil..." Robo murmured. Crono couldn't help but agree. Maybe a mile out from the house was a huge whirlpool in the sand.
"Something like that... it's not natural. That place is where we'll find our goal. Let's see that house first, though. Maybe the people inside know about it."
The house was inhabited by a woman named Fiona and her husband Marco. When asked about the desert, her face became grim.
"Oh, yes... several years ago, monsters suddenly became coming here from the depths of the earth. I don't know what it is that attracted them..." She held up a potted plant that glowed green. "This plant has been passed down among my family line for who knows how long... apparently, it could restore the forest if the monsters were gone..."
"Well, then it's settled." Crono said. "We'll wipe out the creeps, and you fix the forest."
"Are you joking?" Fiona gasped. "There's no way you can do that! Those monsters are far too strong!"
"Show her your credentials, Frog." Crono sighed. The knight nodded and took out the Masamune. "Any more objections?"
"N... no." Fiona stammered, staring. Robo beeped.
"The longer we wait, the lower our chances of success are. Let us proceed to this place."
***
"This place is like a desert all its own... a Sunken Desert." Crono observed.
"'Tis eerie... the sand doth never stop moving. Wait... enemies approach!" Burrowing out from the earth came a giant wormlike creature flanked by three smaller things resembling fish.
"Hexapod and Mohavers." Robo reported. "They normally dwell much deeper underground... there must be something else drawing them here."
"These guys don't seem to be too keen on letting us through, though." Crono observed. "Spekkio told us Water would be the key. Frog, if you please?"
"WATER 2!" The spell had a startling effect; the three Mohavers dissolved completely, and the Hexapod began breaking up around the edges. Robo ran over and delivered a punch that finished the job.
Their next encounter was with three Hexapods. The Water 2 had the same effect, but while Crono and Robo were finishing off two the third slammed Frog against a wall viciously. As he slammed into it, the wall crumbled away, revealing another room. Robo squished the big bug and they went in, not expecting to meet the cause of the problem so soon.
"I am detecting unusual amounts of tremors from the earth... they seem to be emanating from... oh, my!" A misshapen form of giant, yellowed bones rose from the churning sands and shifted around, increasing them before descending again. Crono noticed a strange glow coming from the white orb they used to change group members and picked it up.
"Yes?"
"So, Retinite's behind this new desert." Magus's voice rang out from it. Frog frowned.
"What dost thou know about this, mage?"
"Retinite was an experiment." Magus explained. "An attempt to create a stronger Zombor. Problem is, there was a miscalculation, and he became TOO strong. He broke free and escaped. Now it seems he's been spending all this time destroying the forest. Be good boys and kill him." The connection ended, and Crono put the orb away, nodding grimly.
"Okay. The next time that thing comes up, dump a Water 2 on it, Frog." The noble knight nodded and waited. It was scarcely a minute when Retinite reemerged to meet the Blue spell. Shrieking, it unfolded into a huge, yellow skeleton identical to Zombor, whom they had fought on Zenan Bridge. The only discrepancy was a strange, small fleshy orb that looked like a miniature Son of Sun in the stomach cavity. With a scream of rage, Retinite spewed a Firebomb which enveloped Frog.
"Go for the bottom! CONFUSE!" The sword technique did surprisingly little damage against Retinite's lower half. Robo did a quick scan.
"Its defense is very high, but it can be lowered by Blue Magic!"
"Very well, then! WATER 2!" All three of Retinite's parts began twitching convulsively, and its edges became blurry. Crono laughed as he performed another Confuse, this time with significantly more positive effect.
"Ha! That did it! Frog, keep that up. Robo, use OOF!" Annoyed at the discovery of his weakness, Retinite created a whirlpool of sand around Crono, throwing him about at high speed. Robo smashed a foot with Uzi Punch, breaking the spell. Retinite stumbled, trying to regain its balance, then fell flat on its face on account of another Water 2. Robo ran over and jumped between the legs.
"Crono! Perform the technique we discussed for close range attacking!"
"Gotcha, Robo! MAX CYCLONE!" The teen jumped onto his robot friend's head and stuck his sword out horizontally in front of them. Both of them began spinning, faster and faster, until they were just a blur. In an instant, they began moving in a circular pattern, slashing Retinite's weakened lower half into shards of destroyed bone.
Shrieking with rage, Retinite flew its upper half back up, with the little core remaining below the rib cage. The monster glared at them with its single eye, and bright rainbow beams spiraled out of the orb, cutting through the three.
"It is using the same Laser Spin technique that is within my capabilities!" Robo said, astonished. Frog wiped a trickle of blood off his leg and laughed shortly.
"Thou art most mistkan if ye thinkest that shalt slay us! WATER 2!" By now, Retinite was almost melting. Crono jumped into the air for another confuse, severing an arm. Retinite was done playing; it was time for the ultimate. The entire room was covered in purple light as strange vectors ripped out from the beast, raining powerful shadow magic on them all. The three took it without even reeling; they knew that Retinite's time had come.
"TRIPLE RAID!" Crono and Frog dashed forward, swords ready, with Robo between them in a tackle that would put a linebacker to shame. Retinite's upper body could not take the strain and fell apa,rt returning to the sand from whence it was created. The little core yelped and tried to run, but Frog skewered it with a Leap Slash, finishing Retinite once and for all.
***
"You got rid of the monsters?!" Fiona said excitedly. Crono slowly nodded.
"Yeah. After Retinite was dead, all the others just ran like hell. I guess he was drawing them here. Now, with them gone, you can bring the forest back!"
"I only wish so..." Fiona sighed. Noticing the quizzical looks on their faces, she gestured at her husband. "While you were gone, Marco made some calculations... it would take around 300 years to revive the forest. No human could live that long... I'm afraid that my dream is impossible..."
"It is true. However..." Everybody turned to look at Robo, who was speaking. "However, a robot could. Crono, do I have permission to help restore the forest?"
"Whoa... are you sure about this, Robo?" Crono frowned, uncertain. "That's a long time..."
"I know. However, I feel it is worth it. This forest needs to return."
"An it please thee, Sir Robo." Frog nodded. "We shalt come for thee in 1000 AD." Crono and Frog climbed into Epoch and took off, while below, Robo began tilling the soil.
JUNE 7, 1000 AD
"Whoa..." Crono's jaw was hanging open as he stared at the beautiful forest below. The plan had worked; the great desert was gone, replaced by the trees which rightfully belonged there. Below them, where Fiona's house had been, was a cathedral-like shrine.
Inside the shrine, several nuns turned to face them. "This is Fiona's Shrine. We give thanks every day to Fiona and Robo for restoring the forest. The remains of Robo are on the main podium." The two men eagerly ran up to see their friend again and gasped in shock. Robo was deactivated, covered in rust, soil, and other unidentifiable things. He smelled rather strongly of manure.
"We canst not restore him..." Frog shook his head. "Only madam Lucca hath the neccessary skill. I shall switch with her."
"Stand aside, Crono!" Lucca said after the trip was complete, bending over Robo. "This actually looks a lot worse than it is... all the damage was exterior. Let's reboot him..." Several tense moments passed in which Lucca fiddled with the robot. Finally, he stirred.
"...circuits... reactivated... Hello, Crono and Lucca."
"How have you been?" Crono asked him. Robo smiled.
"...Good to be back. For you, it was only a short hop, but for me 400 long years have passed. I am happy to see you all again... Now, let us celebrate what is, for me, our 400th anniversary."
***
All seven members (even Magus, surprisingly) were gathered around the campfire. Crono and Marle were stargazing, Lucca was working on Robo, Ayla was idly throwing rocks at a irritated Frog, and Magus was just watching the fire. Gaspar and Spekkio weren't allowed to leave the End of Time, apparently, and they weren't too keen on breaking any more rules after what happened last time. Robo was the one to break the silence.
"I have been thinking... I do not think Lavos is the source of the Gates. It seems as if we are all being manipulated by some higher power."
"You're right..." Marle said. "Have you heard Spekkio and Gaspar talk? About somebody they only call 'Them'?"
"And there've been other hints of it too." Crono piped up. "Melchior, Belthasar, Azala, Zeal and Schala have all said things relating to these entities..."
"If this is being controlled, it seems... somehow... like it's been done before." Robo took his turn again. "Like everything that we're doing is something that has happened before in essence..."
"Uwaoo! Ayla see!" The cavewoman stopped chucking rocks at her amphibian target. "When person die, think about past! About life!"
"Aye, she be right." Frog grudgingly admitted. "People doth often think upon their lives and accomplishments at the end."
"Thinking 'I should have done this' or 'I wish I had done that' triggers unpleasant, old memories." Robo took the floor again. "People strive to change what they did wrong."
"Huh..." Lucca looked up. "So it seems even the Entities can't choose direct parts of their own lives to fix. They have to just remember, like us."
"Do you have any time you'd want to go back to, Lucca?" Marle asked. "Is there anything in your past you'd like to change?"
"..." The scientest said nothing, her face bitter. Marle immediately got the hint.
"I'm sorry... did I say something wrong?"
"Nothing... it's nothing." Nobody spoke as Lucca returned to repairing Robo. Eventually, Magus got down from the tree he had been in.
"So... who are these 'entities'? And why are they using us like this?" The mage's face was suspicious. He obviously didn't like the idea of being manipulated. Robo's eyes glittered as Lucca closed him back up.
"I think our adventures will be over when we discover that... shall we turn in for the night?"
***
"Uhh... MOM! Augh!" Lucca woke up in a cold sweat. She had been dreaming about... that incident... again. She looke around at everybody. Robo was closest to her, hunched over in deactivation. next was Frog, followed by Crono and Marle side-by-side. After them came Ayla, and then on the east edge of the clearing was Magus in a tree again. Lucca decided to go for a walk to attempt recovery from the nightmare.
"Why's it so quiet?" She noticed after a few minutes. "Where are all the animals? And what's that wierd humming noise?" Her questions were answered when she turned a corner and found herself facing a bright red gate. "Whoa!" Lucca immediately ran back to the campfire. "Hey, guys! I found a wierd Gate! ... Hey, wake up!" Upon further inspection, she discovered that they were all rock-hard, like statues. Lucca frowned and remembered what Marle, Frog and Magus had said of Death Peak. "So, this is a time freeze... I guess whoever's doing this wants me to go in that Gate... well, here goes."
JULY 2, 990 AD
"... my room?" Lucca looked around. It was her room, but instead of the books and machines which were supposed to be there, it filled with dolls and toys. Lucca picked up a sheet of paper on the floor.
Dear Diary, Dad promised to take me hiking but blew me off AGAIN. I HATE science! I loathe it!
"So... this is... that day..." Lucca growled. "It looks as if I've gotten a second chance after all, and be damned if that thing happens again!" She crept down into Taban's lab and looked at the booklet for his latest invention.
The password... is the name of my beautiful wife. Use it in an emergency. -Taban
"Okay, then!" Lucca walked out into the main room and froze. It was about to start!
"Goodness, what does this machine do?" Lucca's mother, Lara, peered at the conveyer belt leading to the dark opening. "Taban said to keep away from it, but it's so dusty. I'll just... Oh my! My dress! It's caught!" Suddenly, with a whir and a clank, the machine activated, dragging Lara towards the opening! "AAAAAAHHH!! Lucca, turn it off! Quick!"
"But I don't know the password!" The little seven-year-old Lucca protested. Lara saw sharp, wicked-looking machinery grinding inside the opening and almost fainted. On the other side of the machine, the teenaged Lucca ran to a keyboard.
"Enter user name... enter password... L A R A. Commands... stop!" With a hiss of steam, the machine ground to a halt, with Lara just inches from the opening. The conveyer belt released Lara's dress, and she practically flew off, scooping little Lucca up.
"...A miracle..."
"Was it a guardian angel, mommy?" Little Lucca asked, eyes wide. Lara looked down at her, smiling and crying at the same time.
"Yes... a guardian angel..." Unknown to both of them, the teenaged Lucca fled, her eyes also brimming.
***
Lucca was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when she heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet approaching. Searching the room frantically, the scientest dove under the bed just before her childhood self entered. Little Lucca sat down at the desk and began composing a new journal entry.
"Dear Diary, I feel as if I learned something today. Machines can be used to help, but they can also cause pain. I'll start studying them, so nothing like this ever happens again!" With that completed, the seven-year-old left. As soon as she was done, the Gate reappeared with a whoosh, and the 17-year-old Lucca jumped in, eager to leave before she was discovered.
JUNE 8, 1000 AD
"Robo!" Lucca shouted as she saw the robot waiting for her. "What are you doing?"
"...Waiting for you." Robo said. "When I woke, I noticed you were gone. I don't know how I knew where you were, but I did. ... Lucca, you have a kind heart. You're always thinking of others. I would like you to have something." He held up a beautiful brown and green medallion, softly glowing. "This is made from petrified amber. It took 400 years and a lot of pressure to make. I hope you like it." Lucca smiled and took the pendant from him, her eyes shining.
"Robo... you're so sweet."
JUNE 8, 0000 XD
"Spekkio, I need to talk with you about something." Lucca said as she walked into the shape-shifter's room alone. Spekkio grunted at her.
"Yeah, I know. It was a gift from them."
"A gift?" She repeated slowly.
"Yeah. Now, tell spiker to choose another quest. This one's gonna be important." Back in the lobby, Robo was placing his hand on the white stone. Gaspar nodded and began to speak.
"There's a task to be done in the future, on the island where machines originated... due south from Proto Dome is the way..."
"Not me." Lucca groaned. "Not only did I just go through that dumb adventure, I worked on a new bomb design all through the night. It was hard to even come up with a name; the best I could do was "Mega Bomb". I'm pooped."
"Alright." Magus frowned. "I'm coming. This sounds interesting."
"Okay. Robo's obviously coming, so we've got a team." Crono concluded. "Let's get on the road! Oh, new rule from now on; anybody singing in the Epoch gets shot! I'm looking in YOUR direction, Lucca!" The scientest just grumbled something about Zed Leppelin as Crono, Robo and Magus took off.
JUNE 8, 2300 AD
"This must be our destination..." Crono said as he landed the Epoch on an island with a single factory on it. "Robo, does this place look familiar to you?"
"...Affirmative. Geno Dome... the place where I was... created? Memory circuits unstable..." The place's first room appeared to have no way on; only a single computer screen. Robo slowly approached it and turned it on. As soon as he did, a metallic, though female voice came from a speaker in a corner.
"Who's th... oh. Prometheus. It's about time you came back..." Robo's eyes dimmed, and he began to topple forward. Crono held him up, and after a moment, Magus helped set the robot down more gently.
"Robo! What happened? Robo!"
JANUARY 1, 2100 AD
"..." The gold-colored robot opened his eyes. "I... am Prometheus." Looking around, he saw seven others similar to him performing the same type of waking. Six were a deep blue, and the last was a bright pink.
"... Achilles... Heracles... Orpheus... Helios... Hephaestus... Icarus... Atropos." They all turned to look at each other, Prometheus included. All had the exact same question on their minds. Who are these others? A low fizzing and crackling came from the screen in front of them, and all eight turned to look as the screen fizzed into life. It showed what appeared to be a video recording of an ancient man looking into a recorder.
"Hello, all of you. I... am your creator. My name is not important. What is important is you. I have created you to be the next generation of robots. Robots that can actually think for themselves. Unfortunately, I am only human. My life is at an end, and you are not complete. Therefore, I have imprinted the plans into this place's computers, and left them to finish the job. All that is left for me to do now is to tell you about yourselves."
"Achilles, Heracles, Orpheus, Helios, Hephaestus and Icarus. The six of you are designed to work as a team, both in combat and in science. You are not as strong in either path as Prometheus and Atropos, but you make up for that with the power of teamwork."
"Atropos, you are designed to be a pure warrior. You have the finest combat systems ever created, and some truly frightening power. I only hope you are able to tell how to use these powers for good, and not for evil."
"Prometheus, you are the most experimental of the group. You have almost no fighting ability, but your mental capabilities far outdo the others. You should be able to create many wondrous things." The old scientest walked over to the camera, reaching to turn it off. "You all have my blessings, my daughter and sons. Make me proud." The screen clicked off, leaving the eight newly-activated robots staring at each other, still unenlightened as to their own destinies.
***
"Hey, Prometheus! Get your metal butt out of stasis, we got work to do!" Prometheus groaned. Over the three months of his life, Icarus had quickly risen to be the most annoying of his brothers. Raising the lid of the capsule, Prometheus slowly extricated himself.
"For the last time, Icarus, it's not..."
"'Not a stasis capsule, it's an Enertron.' Yeah, yeah, yeah." Icarus mimicked.
"Plus, I was only in there for 10 seconds." Prometheus attempted to raise a metallic eyebrow in a manner humans often did.
"Do you know how long that is in cycles?!" Icarus raised his arms mock-pleadingly, and they both shared a good laugh. The door hissed open, and a pink figure wearing a light blue bow walked in.
"Hey, you two. Orpheus sent me down to bring you back to the lab." Icarus's eyes widened as he realized what she meant by that.
"AHHHH! IT'S THE AMAZON QUEEN! RUN AWAAAAAAAY!!!!" Prometheus just stood there, watching amusedly as Atropos chased the renegade down and picked him up by the neck. Icarus glared at the gold robot.
"Traitor. We could've double-teamed her."
"Oh, no, my friend." Prometheus shook his head, laughing again. "The LAST time you suggested it, I ended up going through the door... without it being open first. Yeesh." Atropos laughed along as she began dragging the unruly Icarus down the hall.
"You see, Icarus? Prometheus doesn't make me chase him down. He does what I say. Isn't that sweet?" Icarus mumbled something about pet dogs, and Atropos cold-cocked him again. "I think you've been reading late 20th-century comic books again." At this, Icarus's eyes lit up.
"Just you wait. One of these days, I WILL become the next Superman!" Prometheus suddenly grinned at an idea, and he looked at Atropos.
"Actually, I think you WILL. In fact, I think if you wanted, you could fly right now!" Atropos grinned as well, realizing the meaning in his words. Icarus, however, was oblivious, his mind filled with images of a stocky blue robot soaring through the halls with a red cape.
"WOO-HOO! Okay, I'll try! Come on, Atropos, let go of me so I can fly!" Atropos looked down, her face expressionless.
"You want to fly?"
"Yes!"
"You REALLY want to?"
"YES!"
"Okay, then..." Atropos suddenly acquired a malicious grin. "If you insist!" Icarus grew pale.
"NO! WAIT! I DIDN'T MEAN I-"
"BOMBS AWAY!!!" With a mighty heave, the pink robot threw Icarus over the edge of the stairway leading down to the lab. Prometheus listened carefully, and after a few seconds, heard several crashes accompanied by strings of invective. Prometheus and Atropos both laughed until they were sore.
"Hey!" Achilles poked his head up from the stairs. "Mind telling me why there's a mangled heap of Icarus down there calling you things that I'm fairly certain are both physically and mentally impossible?"
"Uh..." The gold and pink robots looked at each other, desperately searching for an answer. It was Prometheus who thought it up.
"He... he went Maverick! Yeah!" Atropos nodded solemnly.
"Tried to turn us both into Metools. Had no choice but to off him." Achilles rolled his eyes as well as he could.
"Yeah. Right. We've already had to restrict Icarus from comics. Don't make us put limits on your video games as well." He sighed. "Come on, then. The new Enertron is almost done!" He ran down ahead. Prometheus and Atropos started down, the pink robot asking about the newest project.
"So, you're making an Enertron that humans can use?"
"That's right." Prometheus affirmed. "It converts the energy we use into a form that humans can process before releasing it. It's actually pretty simple. Creating that new Area Bomb enhencement for you... now THAT was tricky." Atropos smiled, remembering that present.
"You're something special, you know that Prometheus?" The gold robot blushed a little as he heard this, his eyes idly taking in Achilles trying to scrape Icarus off the floor.
"You're pretty special yourself."
***
"Six months." Icarus complained. "Six freakin' months and I STILL don't have an Area Bomb module!"
"Icarus, you're beginning to annoy us again." Heracles grumbled as he looked up from his coffee. "Cram it, or Atropos will do something not nice to you."
"Bleah to you too." Icarus responded. "Dammit, I want an Area Bomb!"
"So you can be some sort of Blue Bomber?" Orpheus commented snidely.
"Cram it, you. And remind me again why we're having coffee. We're ROBOTS, for christ's sake! We could just use the Enertron!"
"The Enertron's fine and dandy, Icarus." Prometheus answered. "But sometimes it just feels nice to have something to eat or drink." Atropos raised an eyebrow.
"Really? I thought it was just because it tastes good." They all laughed. "And besides, it doesn't do any harm."
"Unless you count bacon grease clogging up my voice." Orpheus commented.
"So, anyway." Hephaestus moved the conversation on. "What's the newest invention idea?"
"Well..." Prometheus frowned. "We shipped off the Jet Bike to the mainland anonymously. I think our next project will be some upgrades to the Proto and Bugger lines of lesser robots. For now, let's just concentrate on power, but eventually, maybe we can bring some up to our level of thought."
"Ooooh! Prometheus wants to start a family!" Icarus teased. The gold robot blushed deeply. For some reason, Atropos did too. Icarus's eyes grew wide.
"WHOA! Atropos and Prometheus sitting in a tree, OOOOOOWWWW!!!" Hephaestus and Helios had grabbed him and rammed his head into a wall. Afterwards, they took him out into the hall, muttering darkly about "time for the 'rehabilitator' again..." Orpheus, who was the most smart-mouthed after Icarus, wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. Atropos recovered from her bout of embarrassment and moved the conversation on.
"Okay. Where are we going to get some Protos and Buggers to work on?"
"Why, right here, of course." Prometheus smiled. "The creator left an entire room full of inactive ones. Shall we get to work, then?" A flushing sound came from a room which had been used by humans as a restroom, followed by Hephaestus and Helios returning, giving each other a high-five.
***
"Yes..."
The ragged, filthy man crouched in front of a keyboard, his eyes going back and forth at a maddening pace. "Must make sure... nobody here... nobody here but me and it..." Satisfying his fears, the man returned his gaze to the screen. "Final command... inputted! Virus complete! Hee hee hee hee hee hee..." The man pressed the button that would release his virus into the world. "My virus will seek out all the mechanical things in the world, starting with the strongest, and conquer them! Eventually, I will rule the entire world, and I will destroy Lavos with the machinery of this entire planet! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."
Unknown to the insane man, however, the virus had other plans. Without knowing it, he had created a virus that was self-aware. For the moment, though, its plans coincided with his. Find the strongest mechanical place on the planet... and conquer it. Geno Dome.
***
"Prometheus?"
"Yes, Atropos?" The gold robot turned from his desk to look at her. Atropos's face was worried.
"Something's up. Have you noticed all the Proto 4s and Debuggests have been acting odd?"
"Yeah..." Prometheus frowned. "But I think it's just a glitch. We should be able to fix it before they ship tomorrow."
"But that's not all." Atropos objected. "All the machinery in the factory is operating at only half efficiency!"
"All?!" Prometheus said disbelievingly. "I thought it was just my comp... let's call the others down to the lounge. This could be serious." The eight robots all gathered, the other six also noticing the problems.
"It's freaky." Icarus summed it up. "Like something else is controlling it all..."
"Icarus, look out!" Heracles pushed his brother out of the way as a laser zapped through the air where the wisecracker had been a moment before. Eight pairs of eyes turned towards the door from which the laser had come, and eight robotic faces grew pale. Every Proto 4 and Debuggest in the factory was there, and they did not look friendly. The robots had gone berserk. Icarus glanced at his five teammates and knew they all had similar thoughts before turning to the two unique models.
"Prometheus! Atropos! Get to the supply ship, it's your only hope!" The blue robot yelled.
"But what about you?"
"We'll hold them off! You two escape!"
"What?!" Atropos shrieked. "Are you insane?! There's no way you six can take on that many!"
"I KNOW, DAMMIT!" Icarus finally lost it. "IT DOESN'T MATTER! WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU GET AWAY! NOW, GO!!!" Prometheus and Atropos gazed at the faces of all six of their brothers, then simultaneously turned and dashed through the other door. The six doomed R-Series turned to face their opponents, bitter smiles on all their faces. Icarus was the only one to speak, laughing insanely as he did.
"Ach, come on then, ye fools! It be a good day to die! Ah was born in a hurricane and me first meal was lightning! Ah'm Icarus, son of the storm!"
"What the hell was THAT?" Orpheus asked. Icarus shrugged.
"Beats me. Sounded cool though, didn't it? Oh well, let's get on with it! Betcha a nutty bar I can slag more than you!" And thus, the six noble robots charged into the fray.
***
"There's the door to the conveyer belt!" Atropos yelled. Prometheus examined it quickly and groaned.
"It's locked! Whoever's behind this did their job right..." Atropos looked around wildly for a means of escape and smiled briefly.
"The garbage chute!" Prometheus nodded.
"You're a genius, Atropos! Ladies first!" They quickly slid down and emerged in the lobby, with only one more door between them and freedom.
"NO! It's locked too!" Prometheus cursed. Atropos stepped up.
"I'll make a new one. Stand back, Prometheus..." He did, knowing her intent. "AREA BOMB!" A massive explosion of red fire energy blew out of her, completely destroying the door. "Let's go!" They charged out, seeing the transit ship waiting on the bay. It was at that moment that things really went to hell in a handbasket. From the door behind them poured the much-diminished but still intact army. And at the front were six stocky blue humanoid robots. The leader stepped up.
"You have no hope of escape. Surrender and prepare for reprogramming."
"Icarus?" Prometheus mumbled disbelievingly. It shook its head.
"There is no Icarus. I am R-64Y."
"Prometheus, it's no good! They've been taken, just like the others!" Atropos shouted. Her gold partner assessed the situation.
"We can't get the ship moving before we get here! What do we do?" Prometheus slowly began to panic. Atropos looked down, thinking.
"... There's no way around it. I'll hold them off."
"WHA-"
"No! Don't interrupt, I want to do this!"
"But Atropos... I love you! I can't leave you here!" Prometheus said desperately. Atropos groaned.
"You oversized toaster, didn't it ever occur to you that I love you too? One of us has to hold them off, and you're a scientest, not a fighter! I'm lost, even if you're the one who stays!"
"But..."
"No! Now, GO! Get away from this place!" Finally, her words sank in, and the golden robot's mind accepted them.
"Atropos... I'll never forget you.." She blinked, then suddenly grabbed him in a fierce hug.
"... Prometheus... I love you... and I promise I'll never forget you no matter WHAT happens! Now run!" Releasing him, she charged at the mob as Prmetheus crawled onto the ship and activated it. He could not bring himself to look back as he went, and so did not see as Atropos eventually went down under sheer weight of numbers, dragging more foes down with her even as she went.
***
After a week of travel, Prometheus finally washed up on a shore of the mainland.
"Ugh... according to scanners, I am near Proto Dome. I hope the people will accept me..." Prometheus slowly trudged in. It was mostly he expected; dank, dismal, ruined. The humans stirred as they began to notice him, and one man in his mid-forties approached him directly.
"Hey, stranger. You're a robot, right? I'm Walt. Nice to meet ya."
"My name... is Prometheus." The robot said. "I am a refugee. I wish to stay here."
"Well, the more the merrier!" Walt laughed. "We've already got another robot living here. Hey, Johnny! Johnny, come here!" From the crowd came a whirring noise, followed by a pink blur whizzing over their heads. It did three circles around the astonished Prometheus, then came to a stop. It was a strange motorcycle-like robot, which quickly transformed into a humanoid shape.
"Hey, kid. I'm Johnny Turbo. How ya doing?" Prometheus smiled weakly, happy to find a friend of his "species" here.
"I... am just fine... just fine indeeeeeee..." Seemingly out of nowhere, he toppled forward, in stasis. Walt and Johnny caught him, whistling as they saw the corroded spots where the rough waves had rusted him.
"Sheez... this guy's been through the wringer. Put him in the Enertron. And when he wakes up, do NOT ask him about his past."
***
"So, what kind of community do you have here?" Prometheus inquired. He had recovered quickly after a trip in the Enertron, and was now being given the tour by Walt and Johnny.
"Well, look around." Walt said, unsmiling. "The world is hell, thanks to Lavos." His face suddenly changed to a wide grin. "But we don't let that stop us! Make the best of what you have is our motto. Johnny here was a community project."
"Yare." The mohawked robot picked up. "We're probly the best-off group of folks in the world right now. Up north is an abandoned factory; we've been thinking about extending operations up there."
"Excellent." Prometheus said approvingly. "I shall enjoy it here... who is that?"
"Eh?" Walt looked over at the filthy pile of human in the corner. "Oh. That's Malkin. Real unfriendly type; he sticks to himself and nobody's interested enough to go near him. We can't just toss him out, so he stays even though he's not part of the community." Johnny snorted.
"Bad news. That's what I think. You should've tossed him out long ago, Walt. Something's up with that creep."
***
"So, we're going to make an expedition up to the Factory tomorrow?" Prometheus inquired. Walt nodded as he packed some meager provisions.
"Yeah. If we can get it running, it'll be a great gain for us. There's a lot of old storage in there; food, energy, all that stuff. You coming with us?"
"Sure he is, Walt!" Prometheus started to turn, but found he could not; Johnny had put him into a friendly headlock. "My buddy Promo here is always up for a hike! Ain't that right, Promo!"
"...Johnny, I do wish you would stop calling me that." After a few days, Johnny had decided that Prometheus was too cumbersome, and had given his friend the nickname "Promo". It irritated the gold robot to no end.
"Yeah, yeah. Now, come on! It'll be fun! Who wouldn't enjoy a little sunshine, fresh air and acid rain? I'm coming, after all!"
"That in itself says something for the sanity of this trip." Walt commented. "Sometimes I think we scrambled a few circuits when we built you, Johnny."
"Naaaaah!" Johnny said, shaking his head. He suddenly remembered Prometheus and released the headlock. The gold robot stumbled upright and blinked dourly.
"Very well. I shall accompany, if for no other reason than to keep Johnny from driving the rest of you insane." Johnny wasn't offended; he just laughed.
"Attaboy! Here, I'll even let you wear these!" With a deft movement, Johnny plucked the shades off of his eyes and placed them on Prometheus. Walt took a look and immediately fell over laughing.
***
"What the hell is that?" Johnny commented at the orange blob oozing across the Factory floor. Prometheus frowned at it.
"An extremely acidic life form. A strong Alkaline should neutralize it." Johnny looked around and spotted a similar green blob. He smiled.
"No problem, Promo! PUNT!" Winding up, he gave a powerful kick to the orange blob, sending it squealing through the air into the green blob. All hell broke loose as the globs exploded.
"WHOA!" Johnny and Prometheus moved between it and the humans. When the explosion was over, Walt was the first to laugh.
"Looks like you need to go back to science class, Prometheus! Ha!" Johnny grinned.
"Naaah, Promo's never wrong! It's just... uh... the green thing had just eaten a grenade! Yeah!"
He's almost like Icarus... Prometheus thought sadly. I wonder whatever happened to all of them...
"Awright, I think this Factory's as good as we can get it right now." Walt judged. "Johnny, can you go on a supply raid? The rest of us will go back to Proto Dome."
"Awww... can't Prometheus come with?" Johnny pleaded. Walt shook his head.
"No, Johnny. Prometheus isn't as fast as you, and we want to get this over with ASAP."
"Awww... fine!" Cursing, Johnny soared off. Prometheus stared after him.
"I think his logic circuits are exploded or something."
"We've known that for months." Walt said glumly.
***
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Prometheus exclaimed as loudly as possible. Proto Dome was a mess; wreckage everywhere. The gold robot caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked to see... "A Proto 4?"
"Ah, brother! So good of you to join us!" A blue, humanoid robot walked out, laughing. "We were all wondering where you had gone!"
"I... Icarus?" Prometheus was stunned. The blue robot blew a raspberry.
"Bzzzt! Wrong! The name's R-64Y, cretin! Are you ready to join us? Atropos misses you... she's very eager to bring you back in the family..."
"You lie!" Prometheus growled desperately. "You don't have her!"
"Denial, denial... how sweet is thy sting!" R-64Y said mockingly.
"YOU DON'T!" Prometheus charged, screaming, attempting to crush this mockery of his brother flat. R-64Y grinned.
"Bad move, brother mine! AREA BOMB!" The tumult of fire blew Prometheus away, knocking him into stasis. While this was going, two more of the R-Series were rounding up the humans. R-64Y scoffed and kicked Prometheus's still form.
"Pathetic. Come on, humans! Come meet Mother Brain!"
"I knew it!" Shrieking, the filthy man known as Malkin jumped out from the corner he dwelled in. "It is Mother Brain! I made her! My virus! Now, I command you all!"
"Oh, really?" R-64Y sneered. "In that case, you shall have the honor of going first!" He slammed a metal fist into Malkin's head, flooring the human, before turning to the others. "R-67Y! R-69Y! Get those humans onto the boat! They need to meet Mother..."
JUNE 8, 2300 AD
"Ur..." Robo got back up. "What... happened after that, I do not know... I may have been infected, or I may have just been left behind..."
"So, that's your past... interesting, to say the least." Magus commented. "It seems almost everybody in this little group has a screwed-up family life. Aren't we all the happy bunch?"
"So, would Atropos still be here?" Crono asked. The response did not come from Robo, but from the speaker, in that same female robotic voice.
"Yes... yes I am. I can't believe you're defiling this place with undrugged humans, Prometheus. It almost makes me reonsider wanting to see you again... I know. I'll give you three a little... test. If you're strong enough, you get to come in. Have fun..." As soon as the speaker cut off, the door that led farther in opened. Crono smiled.
"Stupid. Come on, Robo; this place has been left alone for too long." Robo roused himself, determination in his eyes.
"Yes... it is time that I dealt with my past. I'm coming, Atropos."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Magus said impatiently. "Let's get this show on the road!"
The door led to a large, long conveyer belt. The three got on, and it started up. After only a few moments, they were joined by two grey robots of the Bugger line.
"Debuggests." Robo said gloomily. "They can use Laser Spin. Shadow magic will not work." He looked back up to see that his allies had already sliced and diced the foes. "Or you could just do that." The next attack was two Proto 4s. "They use Shadow Beam; also immune to Shadow Magic."
"Big deal." Magus called back as he used his scythe to cut a robot in half. "We seem to be coping adequately without magic." The next attack was more serious, though; 2 of each breed of robot. "Shit. Nevermind. Hey, spikehead! Now would be a good time for that big electric bubble of yours!"
"'Big electric bubble'?" Crono repeated, mildly offended. But he complied, using Luminaire to wipe them out. The conveyer belt whirred to a halt, having reached the end, and another speaker came to life.
"Very good... perhaps I misjudged you. You should feel honored; you are the first humans ever allowed free reign of the Factory. I'm waiting, Prometheus..."
"So this is Geno Dome." Crono said once they had gone through the next door. "It looks kinda like the Factory... but more advanced. And confusing. Robo, how'd you keep things straight? This place is like a maze!"
"...Let us explore this floor fully before going on to the upper level. Left, please." Continuing onward, with Robo guiding them, the group of three killed two more Debuggests guarding a dead-end corridor. Once they had done so, the speakers gave voice again.
"300 years ago, the Lavos disaster greatly changed the planet, in case you hadn't noticed. This planet just can't support humans any more... at this rate, they'll die out from pure despair."
"Shut up." Magus called back. "Hello, what's this? This one's green..."
"That's a Proto 2... inferior." Crono noted. "Why do they have this thing here?" He started forward, but as soon as he began to move past the Proto 2, it darted over and sent him flying backward. "The hell?!"
"Hmm..." Robo scanned it. "It is equipped with a heavy-duty force field. Our weapons and magic will be unable to penetrate it."
"Well, that's just ducky. What's it guarding, anyway?" Magus looked over the robot, then shook his head. "...A Poyozo Doll. I think your girlfriend's got a few screws loose." Robo did not comment, and instead led them down another passage. The left path at a fork led them to a sealed door with a strange opening to the right. Robo frowned.
"Some new security system... I do not recognize it. Let us check the main computer." Back to the fork, taking the other path found three easily-dealt with Proto 4s protecting another one of those openings and an access screen. Robo stepped up and tapped in.
"Let me see... ah! To open doors, we must power the capsules next to them. I can aquire a temporary charge from this one right here. ... The Guard Robot can be disabled by bringing its partner. ... Aha! The doll! There are two of them. They have the access codes for the main computer room inside them."
"So, whoever's running this show isn't deranged. She just has a sick sense of humor." Magus revised his earlier opinion. Robo refrained from comment as he stepped into the power pod. as soon as he did, a thin white aura appeared over him, and the robot immediately turned and dashed towards the first pod. He made it easily, and inside the small room that it guarded was a Poyozo Doll. Crono picked it up and examined it before shrugging and tucking it into his pack.
They trekked back to the entrance, having explored the entire left wing. Directly to the right of where they had entered was another capsule and door.
"The elevator." Robo remembered. "We can do this after we finish the first floor." Further ahead was a conveyer belt moving against them. At the end, both the left and right passages were barred by lasers.
"The elevator, then." Crono decided. They took it up to find a one-way hall ahead. Another door was to their right, but they ignored it and proceeded down the hall. As they did, flashes and sirens from the left and right drew their attention to several mechanical spheres embedded in the floor.
"Laser Guards." Robo reckognized them. "We must destroy them fast or they will self-destruct."
"Look no further." Magus grinned, a rare event for him. "I just remembered another spell. DARK MIST!" As the mage cast his spell, a floating blob of darkness rushed down the hall, destroying all the Laser Guards as it went. "Finally, something here not immune to Shadow."
"Very nice." Crono called back as he and Robo walked on. Stifling a Trollish curse, Magus chased after. Eventually, they came to a dead-end wall, with two green holders about the size of a Poyozo Doll in front.
"This is the only way into the main computer room." Robo told his friends. "We NEED that other Doll. Let us try the other elevator and see where it takes us." As they went back, though, Crono spotted a ladder hanging down from an edge.
"Hey, look. What's down there?" As it turned out, the ladder led to a horror. A conveyer belt carried a battered human down its length and into a hole, where a horrible scream emerged.
"No...! What are they doing?" Robo moaned. Magus frowned, disapproving.
"A human processing plant... that's just sick. Not even Ozzie'd do that. He'd KILL the human, but that... ugh. I think I speak for all of us when I say I would be glad to blow this place away."
"Yes." Robo confirmed. "Unfortunately, it is heavily shielded. We must shut down the main computer. As I said before, let us go to the second elevator." As they started to head back, though, another loudspeaker began preaching.
"Don't you understand? This plane would be peaceful if there were no humans around. And yet you still fight? Why?"
"Shut up." Crono called up as the elevator descended. It dropped them off behind one of the lasers that had blocked the way earlier. A switch turned both off, and they went across to find one more door with a capsule and a switch.
"There's no way you can make it with a charge in time with the conveyer belt moving against you!" Crono exclaimed. Robo flipped the switch, and the conveyer belt reversed. "Oh."
Even with this, it was quite a run, and so began the only entertaining part of this entire incident for Crono and Magus, as they watched Robo try to reach the far-off door from the charge pod. The first time he tripped over the belt. The second time he smashed into the wall NEXT to the goal pod. The third time he went the wrong way. Finally, on his fourth try the robot made it. Inside the door was the second Guard Robot.
"Just what we needed!" Crono grinned openly. "Come on, buddy!" Once Robo activated it, the robot followed them like a lost puppy, earning it the name "Fido". Unfotunately, Fido appeared to have some broken parts; it was slow and often unwieldy. Several times it got stuck going around a corner and was discovered ramming into the wall. Finally, they made it to the obnoxious guard who blocked the second Doll. Crono ushered their new friend forward.
"Fido, meet Creepy. You two have a nice chat!" As the robots met, both of them depowered, and Robo freely walked forward to take the second doll.
***
"Hear me, humans." A loudspeaker in the elevator was spouting as they rode up. "Lavos's children will one day have to leave to seek new planets, and prey. This world COULD sustain them... if there were no humans around... we robots will create a new order. A nation of steel, and pure logic. A true paradise! Our 'species' will replace you... so stop your foolish struggle and succumb to the sleep of eternity..."
"SHUT UP!!!" Both Crono and Magus yelled as the elevator reached its destination.
"First you talk about 'peace' then spout nonsense about making room for Lavos's children? You sure are inconsistent." Crono observed angrily.
"Besides, we already killed Lavos's brats. Which punts the need for YOUR goals out the window!" Magus followed up. Robo, as usual, said nothing, continuing down the hall.
Somebody was waiting.
"It's been a while, Prometheus." Atropos said calmly. "Welcome home."
"A... Atropos?" The gold robot said uncertainly. His pink counterpart moved closer, smiling.
"Yes. You can stop pretending now, and join us."
"What?! What are you talking about?" Crono gasped. Magus said nothing.
"...I have no memory of what happened after the attack on Proto Dome, Atropos." He frowned. "But I am not allied with you."
"Mwa ha ha... it's okay, Prometheus. You can stop now." She addressed Crono and Magus for the first time. "Unlike the other R-Series, Prometheus had a special task. To live with humans, and study them..."
"Lies!" Crono shouted. Magus made a noise that sounded like "I see..." Robo turned away, unable to face them, not knowing what he had done between the Proto Dome incident and his discovery by Lucca.
"Atropos... you've changed." She began laughing.
"Yes. Mother remade me to eliminate humans more efficiently!"
"That's it." Magus snorted. "Since Robo is so obviously guilty by word of this enemy of ours who we just met, we're going to go away now and abandon him." A chill smile touched the mage's features. "How STUPID do you think we are? I think this bucket of bolts needs a little battery replacement, spike-head. It looks like we'll have to operate. I don't really have high hopes for the patient's survival." Crono nodded, a vicious grin coming to his face. Atropos laughed again.
"Foolish humans... you shall go next on the processing line!"
WHANG! The metal clang as Robo decked Atropos rang in everybody's ears. He stood between his former girlfriend and his current allies, blocking the way. "I will not let you harm them." Her metallic eyes seemed to widen.
"Eh? Don't be silly, Prometheus. You're a scientest, not a fighter! You can't stand against me!"
"My name is Robo." He shook his head.
"Prometheus!"
"Robo!"
"PROMETHEUS!" She slammed forward, belting him just as he had done a moment before. Immediately Crono and Magus drew their weapons, ready to fight. Before the scuffle began, though, Robo got up and held up his arms.
"Please. This is my fight." Slowly, they nodded and retreated, and Robo turned to face Atropos.
"I have no choice left... forgive me, Atropos." Without a word, they began exchanging blows, back and forth. Rocket Punch to Rocket Punch. Laser Spin to Laser Spin. Robot Tackle to Robot Tackle. Atropos was the first to break the silence.
"Prometheus, you have grown strong. But you are still the inferior model! UZI PUNCH!" She jumped forward and began punching him over and over again at high speed. Robo took all the blows in stride, waiting until she finished before leaping forward. As he did, a voice rang through his head. The forehead... aim for the forehead... "UZI PUNCH!" Robo's attack was far stronger. Where Atropos had attacked him in the body, Robo's punches all went for her forehead, and her gasps of pain were long and loud. Finally, she released one that was not a gasp of pain, but of realization.
"I... AM... AAAARRGGGHHH!!!" With her final energy, she unleashed the Area Bomb, the wave of explosive fire that had been Prometheus's gift to her, long ago. And when the smoke cleared, he still stood, the victor.
"P... Promethus? I... told you to get away... but... how long has it been?" The virus had been deleted, and her mind was free, but Robo knew this was not to last. The wounds were too much. Atropos was dying.
"It is 2300, Atropos."
"That long...? ...Ugh... something nasty must have happened to me... Prometheus, I can remember what I did while... evil. All that... was a lie. You were never infected. The virus... altered the memory of the others to believe that..."
"We guessed as much." Crono said. He and Magus had walked up silently while they were talking. "That's one nasty batch of data."
"Yes..." Atropos coughed. "Prometheus, you have grown to be more of a warrior than me. Many years ago, you granted me the Area Bomb, in a module in the form of a bright blue ribbon. Now, I want you to have it." Robo slowly detached the ribbon from her and placed it on his wrist. Atropos looked up, smiling. Finally, I can rest... my life was agony after those six months... Prometheus, please, make this time better... for us all... "Prometheus, do me one last favor."
"What is it, Atropos?" He said sadly.
"Destroy the one who caused all this suffering, the one who ruined the world for everybody and everything. Destroy Lavos for me. Goodbye... Prometheus..." The light of life left Atropos's eyess, and Robo slowly got to his feet.
"I will, Atropos..." He whispered, and his eyes changed from sorrow to fury. "But before that, there is a virus that I need to dispose of!"
Even years later, Robo did not remember the final hall filled with Laser Guards. Vaguely he had images of emerging from a massive explosion to place the dolls on their spots as his allies ran up behind him, and seeing the wall ahead split in two.
The main computer chamber of Geno Dome was a huge wall dominated by three big displays. In the middle of the floor was a set of green lights. As the three entered, beams of light shot out from the displays. Where they met, a form appeared. It was shining all over with rainbow light; a head resembling that of a beautiful human female with a machine-like neck and shoulders.
"Greetings. I am the Mother Brain of this facility."
"No." Robo said flatly. "You are a virus. You shall be terminated."
"Don't be silly, Prometheus." She laughed. "I'll make it all better. I'll rewire your brain and reconfigure your memories. Then we can dispose of these..."
"SHUT UP!" Robo yelled. "If I did not listen to Atropos, what makes you think I would listen to you? You, the one who destroyed the minds of Atropos and all my brothers? You have much to answer for, virus."
"You would side with the humans?" The virus asked incredulously. Robo nodded.
"Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, Ayla, and Magus... they are all my friends, and I have learned much from them." At this, Mother Brain displayed her first real emotion. She appeared to be laughing, but they could all tell that she was raging behind it.
"Ho ho ho... this is rich! YOU, have feelings? Well, in that case, allow me to show you how weak you are!" Robo raised the Sun Shades that Lucca had placed on him to look over them in a way he had often seen Johnny do and shot the virus a look of pure hatred.
"As Icarus would say... bring it on, bitch."
***
"Laser Spin!" The prismatic beams shot out from Mother Brain's forehead, but the group was unfazed. Crono jumped onto Robo's head.
"SPIN STRIKE!" The whirling blade of death cut through Mother Brain like a knife through butter, and for a moment Crono wondered if they had won already. Then the three displays at the back came to life, each firing a green ray of energy that healed the virus. Magus cursed.
"Damn! You two take out the displays. I get the feeling we'll need these... MAGIC WALL!" Four silver orbs rotated around Robo and bathed him with green light. "That'll protect you from any magic attacks!"
"Cute, human." Mother Brain sneered. "But I can Reprogram humans as well!" A blast of brown Chaos dust shot from her mouth and slammed into Magus... and had no effect, thanks to Schala's Amulet. Robo shot off an Uzi Punch and Crono attacked with a Confuse. Mother Brain was not amused; calling the Displays to heal her again, she hit Robo with a Shadow Beam. Magus's spell did its job well, though, and the damage was lessened. A moment later, Crono had the same protection. Magus looked towards the back.
"Look, you two, you'll have to take those out if we're going to win this! Do it!"
"Very well!" Crono grinned as Robo Uzi Punched his foe again. "LUMINAIRE!" In the ultimate Lightning attack, a green globe of energy rushed out of him, blasting all the foes. The Displays were completely slagged.
"Excellent!" Magus said as he cast Magic Wall on himself. "Now for the... huh?" Mother Brain's eyes had gone red, and a massive pillar of fire encased the entire room. "ARRRGH! Told you we'd need these!"
"Die, humans and traitor!" Mother Brain shrieked insanely. "Perish in my fires of righteousness!!"
"I think not." A metallic, but distinctly female voice rang through the air. "AREA BOMB!"
"No!" Mother Brain gasped, launching a wave of blackness at the airborne Robo, who pierced right through it. When he was near, he opened up, and flame rushed from every part of him. After several seconds of this, he began spinning, releasing explosive energy, detonating all of the red power. Through the haze, Crono saw that Robo was not alone. Dancing with him were seven others, forming a perfect octagon around Mother Brain. One pink, and six blue. A blinding flash, and both they and Mother Brain were gone. Only Robo remained.
"W... why... Pro... me... the... us..." Mother Brain's voice came raggedly from the air. Robo stepped forward.
"...Go to hell." With a click, all functions in Geno Dome stopped. Lying on the ground were a pair of robotic arms, shining white. Robo picked them up and attached them, then turned around.
"Come on. Our task here is done."
JUNE 10, 0000 XD
They had taken Atropos outside, then flew up to the Factory and retrieved the bodies of the R-Series. Afterwards, they had given all seven a decent burial and returned to the End of Time. Now, they relaxed on the couch, watching Spekkio's TV again.
"Feh... nothing on. Ayla, gimme the remote."
"No!" The cavewoman declared. "Ayla wanna Channel Skate!"
"Channel SURF." Spekkio corrected wearily as the cavewoman flipped through the stations. When she stopped on Channel 666, his eyes grew wide and he practically flew across the room to change the channel. "NOOO! Don't EVER go to Channel 666 again!!"
"What's wrong with Channel 666?" Lucca asked. The Master of War shuddered.
"Complete evil... beyond even Lavos."
"What could be THAT bad?!" Crono asked incredulously. Spekkio shuddered again.
"Channel 666... is the Jerry Springer Channel."