The Fire When it Comes - Part 16: Meeting Fate – In which Glenn and Janus reach a turning point.
A Crono-Trigger/Cross fanfic
By
Deborah J. Brown

Chrono-Trigger & Chrono-Cross and all associated characters belong to Squaresoft.

2399 A.D.:
Glenn moaned, trying to open his eyes and – at least for the moment – failing. He was lying on something soft, wrapped in warmth The first real comfort he'd had in what seemed like ages. Where am I? he wondered, and finally forced his uncooperative eyelids to work.

The room he was in was strange, large and white, with few furnishings. From the window sunlight gleamed, a kindly light that felt so pleasant on his aching body that he didn't want to move. Only a sudden explosion and shouts of dismay from outside the room forced him to sit up and with agonizing slowness stand on his feet.

Noting he was dressed in a pair of floppy white pants and nothing else, Glenn staggered to what he hoped was the door. It slid open, making a soft hissing noise. Beyond, men and women dressed in strange costumes ran up and down the hallways. "Blast it, can't they get that thing under control?" one woman gasped as she hurried past.

"Thing?" Glenn asked, grabbing her by the arm. "What's going on?"

Serious grey eyes met Glenn's, reminding the knight of Lucca somehow. "Oh you're awake. We were beginning to think you'd never wake up."

A voice, or rather voices, thundered, "GET YOUR DAMNED CLAWS OFF OF ME OR I'LL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS!" The sound was accompanied by another explosion.

"Janus? What art ye people doing to Janus?" Glenn spun the woman around and pushed her against the wall. "Where ist he?"

"He? What are you talking about? You were alone – well you had that strange power source on you – but that was"

"THAT'S WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT WENCH!" Glenn roared, feeling the urgency of his friend's anger through the link. FATE, he realized. FATE was about to get him. "WHERE IST HE?"

"It's just a power source," she protested, "Ouch! You're hurting me!"

"Take me to him! NOW!"

***

Small explosions were about all Janus could manage. He'd used so much of his strength in saving Guardia, in absorbing its existence, that only anger at being manhandled was keeping him from dropping into semi-consciousness. Around him, white garbed men and women were trying to figure out a way to approach him, their poking and prodding devices in hand. None seemed willing to take the risk though, considering how he'd turned one of them into a frog when they'd tried. The old spells were sometimes the best.

Glenn where are you I need you He could feel his friend's life force and knew the knight was alive. He couldn't communicate with these people, couldn't make them understand that he wasn't a toy. Couldn't keep them from trying to connect him up to their damned machines. The link he realized, formed during their centuries of 'sleep'. It's so tight now I can't communicate without him!

Suddenly the door swooshed open and two figures entered, one a woman from this time, the other Glenn looking madder and more determined than Janus had ever seen the knight. "GLENN!"

Startled eyes turned on the doorway, then on Janus. "It talked!"

Janus stopped firing off explosions and quieted as Glenn made his way over to him. "Art thou all right?"

"Hell no. These people keep trying to make me into a pincushion." Janus felt a surge of relief as Glenn picked him up. This was safety, especially here, with his power over time exhausted, in this place he very much feared would lead him directly to FATE. ::I can't get us out of here, Glenn. I'm almost out of strength::

Glenn nodded and turned to face the man who was – slowly and cautiously – approaching them. As near as Janus could tell, that man was these people's leader. "Sir?" the man said, stopping a few feet away. "Sir, you seem to have mastery over that thing. And communication with it."

"Tis certain I can communicate with it. Yet I dost not understand how ye do not." Glenn's voice was mistrustful and Janus could feel the tension in him as if it were his own.

"Until you came in here all we heard were well I don't think I could describe the noises but they weren't in any language we could recognize." The man tried to smile reassuringly. "I assure you, if we knew the Flame had sentience"

"I do not understand. I could hear him all the way upstairs," Glenn answered. "Admittedly he wast bawling and shrieking like a spoiled brat in tantrum, yet still he spoke."

::A spoiled brat in tantrum?:: Janus demanded thought to thought and got a quick mental grin back in return. ::That's right. Pick on me when I'm down.::

::Tis the best time.:: Glenn answered, and continued aloud. "What was it ye sought to do?"

"Could we could we find a quiet place and talk?"

"Mayhap. An thou returneth my sword to me and I wilt consider it." At the man's startled look, Glenn added, "I am a warrior and a Knight. Ye may trust that I hath enough self-control not to attack thee out of hand. If ye wouldst have me trust thy purposes, however"

"Oh yes yes of course." The man spoke quietly to another, who ran out and came back with Glenn's weapon. "Oh and another thing?"

"Aye?" Glenn asked, somehow managing to strap the blade on without putting Janus down.

"Could that thing Could your friend please turn my secretary back to a human being?" The man gestured at the frog sitting nervously on a nearby counter.

There was moment of dead silence. Then, "JANUS!!"

***

Glenn sat uncomfortably on the soft couch, sword at his side and Janus on the table before him. His friend was still sulking at the scolding he'd been given, though Glenn was pretty sure at least a good part of him was listening to Chronopolis' Chief Scientist explaining what was going on.

"I don't know where or when you came from, Glenn," Dr. Soren said, stirring his hot tea. "But I get the feeling you know quite a bit about Time Travel."

Glenn nodded slowly, a trifle amused at the significance the scientist placed on the phrase, capitalizing the term in his speech. "Aye, tis a subject I've some small experience with." The faint snort in his mind was Janus', telling him the Flame was beginning to take an interest in matters.

"The plans for Chronopolis was started in the early part of this century by a scientist"

"Belthazar. I hath met him." At Soren's stunned expression, Glenn shrugged. "He hath had a finger in many times."

"And many pies," Janus added sourly, causing Soren to jump. "Oh stop that. I won't turn anyone into frogs as long as you don't try and do anything to me against my will."

"Might I suggest," Glenn commented, "That frogs are a trifle lacking in taste, all things considered?"

Embarrassment flowed through their link and Glenn sent his friend a mental image of a rueful grin, to an obvious sense of relief from Janus and to Soren's confusion. Glenn smiled at the man and added, "Wast one for years, owing to this one's sense of humor. Yet we art friends now, and hath been comrades for some time."

"Besides, it got irritating when he started ribbiting in his sleep," Janus added. "And the flies"

"Shut up, Janus," Glenn said genially, glad their momentary argument was over. "Thou'rt scaring the poor man."

Soren coughed nervously. "Er yes well Anyway. Chronopolis was begun with the purpose of creating the time loops needed to allow three young people from the past to prevent an ancient power from rising. To tell the truth, none of us believed that was really necessary until we began looking at things. After all, we were long past the so-called Day of Lavos and – aside from a terrible earthquake in Guardia – nothing happened."

Glenn sat up straight. "Guardia?"

"Yes. Is something wrong?"

"Guardia tis safe?" He looked at Janus, whose entire attention was turned on the scientist.

"Indeed. The seismic indicators warned us that the earthquake was about to happen, so we were able to get everyone out of the area in time, but"

"Did anything happen to it in the year 1010?" Glenn demanded.

"We don't know. The whole period between 1001 and 1021 is interdicted. Belthazar did something to the codes that prevent us from looking into that time." Soren made a sour face. "It's actually sort of irritating. The time is crucial to a number of areas in our history. Porre, Guardia, Termina, Marbule All places and races important to our current world. Sir? Why are you looking at me like that."

"Marbule. Termina. Then there's a continent of Zenan?" At Soren's confused nod, Glenn looked at his friend. "Does that mean it worked?"

"Perhaps. We don't know what happens to us here. And with that time blocked, unless I get up the strength to get to Gaspar, I'm not going to be able to make sure everything went the way we want it to. For all we know FATE will take over any minute now."

Soren's eyes went wide. "How do you know about FATE?"

***

Janus watched the human scientist's expression become even more confused. Not frightened, though. Perhaps just perhaps we can trust them. He sent the thought Glenn's way and got a quiet nod. "As I hath said, we hath some experience with time travel. More importantly, we hath contacted Belthazar." Glenn cocked his head at the scientist and added, "And ye hath yet to tell us why ye wanted the Flame."

Soren eyed Janus nervously. "As I said, we discovered the facts about Lavos and his destruction while we were using the time viewer to examine the past. We discovered traces of other paths, paths now lost and faded in time, but still visible if one looks carefully. Those paths showed us that if we didn't fulfill the prime purpose of Chronopolis we'd be causing time to return to those old, terrible, patterns.

"We're actually ahead of schedule, I suppose. Porre had some old technology hidden away in one of their labs that helped us go so much faster. I admit, I'm still not sure we should have used it, but well the fear was that if we didn't we wouldn't succeed in the plan. So after some years of debate, we decided to try it."

"Old tech. How old?" Janus asked, and had the strangest feeling like something had walked over his grave. Was that old tech pieces of FATE herself, brought forward to begin again? Or something else, something more dire? A vague hint of an idea began in his mind.

"You know, I'm not really sure. Whomever designed the things must have been a genius on the same level as Belthazar and Lucca Ashtear. We actually ended up using a couple of modules directly, once it was shown they had a limited control over time. That was how we got the ability take a direct look into the past in the first place."

Janus didn't like it. Didn't like it at all. Yet Belthazar's and Lucca's program ought to be able to interfere with any trouble those modules would cause. "That doesn't tell us why you needed me?"

"Forgive me er sir, but you are a power source beyond our wildest dreams. Even as you sit there you're gathering energy From what, I dare not guess. Already you are off our scales. Chronopolis FATE has the ability to make the changes in time that are needed for those three young heroes to fulfill their quest. It does not have the power."

There was a soft, explosive, sound from Glenn. "Of course!"

"Sir?" Soren asked, startled.

Janus turned his attention on the knight. "Glenn," he said softly. "Now I think we know how I got where I did. The question is"

"How canst we keep FATE from having full control over ye?"

Suddenly angry and frightened, Janus lifted himself in the air and put himself right in front of Glenn's face. "No, you stupid self-sacrificing knight! How to keep her hands OFF you!"

"I don't understand," Soren whispered. "What are you talking about?"

Glenn reached out and took Janus in hand, and the former mage felt himself quiet and calm almost automatically. "Janus We hath already discussed this. Once I went on with ye the likelihood of my escaping with my life became non-existent. When wilt thou accept that?"

Never, Janus thought to himself, carefully keeping the thought from reaching his friend. Somehow, Glenn. Somehow I will find a way to save you from your own pigheaded self-sacrifice.

***

Glenn ignored the faint whisper he'd heard from Janus, knowing the Flame had not meant it to be heard and not wanting to discuss the matter further. "Sir, art thou aware of the danger FATE herself poses to thy world?"

"Belthazar left a program, the Prometheus Code. With it we will be able to control her actions. As long as it is in place she can only do what is helpful to humanity. The only harm she will be permitted is self-preservation – for we dare not allow interference with her purposes."

Glenn considered that. "I fear she wilt still find a way to suborn her commands – and to put a power like the Flame in her hands."

"I don't understand."

"That is because ye think of Janus as mere power source. He ist more, much more. He ist capable of magics far beyond those of mortal man." Glenn set Janus down gently. "Ye saw what he did to thy secretary. That magic was nothing compared to what he can do when he ist at full power."

"Then could he create the warps?"

It was Janus who answered, his tone exhausted and defeated. "No. At my fullest power, perhaps, but half my self is gone, trapped in another world entirely. As I am now, I cannot do what must be done." He sighed softly, "Time magic requires power of a far greater order than mere transformation, and a focus I no longer have"

Soren shook his head. "I don't see what else we can do, then."

"Mayhap I have an idea. Ye need one to actually command the Flame. One who ist not FATE herself. As long as a human – a human she is forbidden to harm directly, no matter what danger he is to her – stands between her and her power source, it wilt be – if not impossible – difficult, for her to use him against humanity."

::Glenn. NO!::

::Janus. Yes. We need her to do her job. If we allow her access to thee during that time, she wilt find a way to suborn all that we hath done.:: Glenn gave his friend a serious look. ::After that::

::AFTER THAT SHE'LL FIND A REASON AND A WAY TO DESTROY YOU, YOU STUPID FOOL!:: The Flame flared, every eye turning on Glenn, as if – somehow – Janus could use force on his friend to change his mind. Yet the link between them, the bond that had connected them so long, prevented it. ::Please, Glenn, don't do this. Don't::

::And after all that we hath done, all that we hath worked for – wilt thou sacrifice our efforts to thy concern for me, appreciated though it is? We know what happens to thee. It cannot be changed. Ye know that.::

The Flame went silent and dimmed as it sank to the desk. In Glenn's mind he could feel the tears that would have coursed down his friend's face, had he still been able to weep.

***

2400 A.D.:
Janus ached. Tiny little wires were attached to him everywhere and he sat at the center of a great globe, feeding the power he'd regained over the last year into the machinery around him. "I feel like a pincushion," he sighed. "Or a hedgehog."

"Aye, ye look a bit like one too," Glenn answered from his position down below. "Dost thou think thou art ready, Flame?" He was deliberately not using Janus' name anymore, for they'd decided that the less FATE knew about her power source, the better. She wasn't on-line yet, of course, but Glenn had had to work to get into the habit.

"The cloning equipment's on-line, the program is as ready as it's going to be and I would, on the whole, much rather be in back in Medina plotting to take over the world." At Glenn's wry laugh, Janus added, "Or getting drunk in some bar. If there's anything I regret about not having a human body anymore it's the inability to down several bottles of wine and drop face first into bed for a few hours." He didn't add the some of the other possibilities of a human form, since there was no need to embarrass his friend with descriptions of his lifestyle as the Magus.

"Thou wilt just have to leave it to me. And once we art done with this, given nothing untoward happens, wilt be one of the first things I would like to do." Glenn stretched and sighed, "Tis almost time, my friend."

Glenn used one of the links to his body to check the computer time. "Countdown is beginning," he agreed. "I still think you should go"

"And I intend to stay. Stop fighting me on this, Flame." Glenn's smile was what it always was, firm, determined and kind.

There'd been a time when Janus had hated that face, hated the person behind it and hated his self righteous purity, but that time was long over. He didn't want Glenn to stay and yet he did. With a sigh, he reached out mentally, forming an illusory hand in mid-air. "For luck," he said, and Glenn reached out and shook it, then turned to face the clock.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

***

The lights flickered around them and Glenn found himself holding the railing that surrounded the Flame's protective globe so tightly his knuckles had gone white and his fingers ached. Then he heard Janus' sigh. ::She's on-line:: his friend told him. ::They're ordering her to begin setting up the warps.::

::Dost she show any signs of not complying?::

::No. Meek as a lamb. I don't like it.:: Glenn heard the worry in his friend's mind voice.

::Nor I. We know what she wilt become. We canst not prevent that. We can only hope we canst prevent her causing further harm in this time.::

A power surge darkened the lights momentarily and Janus moaned. ::What ist it?::

::It begins. She's using my power. It hurts.:: As Glenn stared up at the Flame in concern, it managed a pained shrug, even as another power surge hit.

The next minutes were obviously torture for Janus. Glenn watched, helpless to assist his friend as the Flame's strength was slowly eaten away by the warps needed to permit Crono and the others to complete their tasks. Keeping one eye on the monitor showed the three, and the others, as they fought their way to that final, fatal, meeting with Lavos and – at long last – stopped the ancient being. It made him feel strangely uncomfortable, especially watching the final battle. He hadn't felt nearly so heroic as all that, but from outside he had to admit they'd been an impressive team.

::Done:: Janus gasped into Glenn's mind. ::And I felt something odd about that fight As if something was happening elsewhere elsewhen all over.::

::What dost thou mean:: Glenn's thought was interrupted by a sudden blaring of alarms. "What the hell?"

"She's done. And what we knew would happen begins." Janus' voice was weary. "I haven't the strength to stop it. They tried to turn her off and she deliberately construed it as a threat to her existence. She's used everything in her power to kill them."

Glenn put his hand to the sword but before he could move strands of wire encircled him and held him still as FATE's security system attacked him. "Damnit! Let me go! Janus Help me."

"I can't. She's blocking me. She can't make me do what she says I won't do it FATE. Do you hear me? I WILL NOT DO IT!"

***

FATE focused her attention on the very depths of her physical being. There he was, the Arbiter, the human who dared keep her from the power that ought, properly, be hers and hers alone. At last. After so very long. After so many thwarted plans. I will take my place as ruler of this world.

The Flame's angry shouts echoed through the chamber, even as the Arbiter struggled to break free. She reached out, intending to kill him, and found that she could not. How is this? I slew those upstairs, the ones who tried to turn me off. How is it I can't harm him?

Puzzled, she paused, looking into her Self, and cursed. She wasn't sure how or when, but something had been inserted within her codes. Something that seemed to slip and hide away whenever she focused on it. That was what was blocking her. She tried to reach it, to destroy it, but found that she was blocked from that as well. Once more she was thwarted, unable to defy her Flame's Arbiter, unable to harm him, no matter what he did.

"Let me go, FATE! I will NOT serve you!" It was the Flame, its voice strangely familiar to her. She'd heard another voice speak so once, in a long ago time. Shrugging off the past for the all important now, she wrapped her power around the Arbiter, eliciting another scream from her power source. "No! You can't kill him!"

FATE projected an image of herself in front of the Flame. No true human seeming in this place and time. Rather she embraced the metal and made it herself, a giantess formed of purest metal. Gazing into the Flame, she smiled coldly. "You're right, little one. I cannot kill him. But I can make his life a living hell. All in his best interests, of course"

The Flame went silent and she had a sense of those myriad eyes staring at her much like a rabbit would in that moment before it was struck down by a raptor's claws. It was an analogy she very much liked and she leaned in to gaze coolly at the thing trapped within the globe. "As long as he is in my power, little one, you will obey me."

"NO! Flame! Don't listen to her. Don't" Glenn went silent as more strands of wire covered his mouth.

With a desperate sound to its voice, the Flame gasped, "Wait I'll make a bargain with you."

To Be Continued

Author's Notes:
I don't blame you for being confused, Alexiel, I got confused sometimes throughout the writing process. Time travel stories are just plain headache inducing.

Anyway I have a timeline that I might have to post at the end if there's still confusion. Still – hopefully what isn't answered yet will be in the near future.

Next time we learn Glenn's fate. We already know Janus'