Disclaimer: See part two.

The Shifters, Part 3, The "Rescue"

Viaat was in the Cathedral's farthest back room watching the other Shifters build her cage. "Make sure it's big," she said, "I want comfort."

"It will be as big as the prison cells in the castle," Swau informed. "Is that big enough?"

"Yes."

Swau moved closer to Viaat. "Do you think you can act like Marle enough to fool her friends?"

"Act way too happy and get excited over everything. That won't be hard."

"It won't be so easy. We may have been studying them for a long time now, but it still won't be easy."

"You worry too much. Who are you going to replace?"

"Whoever is first to be by his or herself. Do you think it's a good idea to replace all of them?"

"Of coarse, when they are all in jail, then who will fight us when they attack? The kingdom will depend on the team, but the real team will be in jail." Viaat laughed.

Swau sighed softly, but no one noticed.

Marle heard footsteps from her cell. The steps were lighter and faster then the normal guards who passed by. Someone coming to see me? She got up and moved towards the bar door. Lucca.

Lucca stopped on front of her. "We are going to rescue the real Marle."

"You have to open this door to rescue me."

Lucca rolled eyes slightly, and started to leave.

"Lucca," Marle called, "If I was a Shifter don't you think I would just squeeze through these bars and disappear."

"The food you have been eating has Kasenzoolerfwasina in it."

"Has Kasen-what in it?" Marle asked. Who in all time named that?!

"Kasenzoolerfwasina. It keeps you from shifting. That's why you can't just squeeze through the bars."

"If I was a Shifter wouldn't I know that."

"Not necessarily. Even if you did, you could pretend not to know. You can't trick me." Lucca smirked, and left.

Crono, Ayla, and Robo entered the Cathedral.

"It seems strange to take Marle here," Robo said.

Ayla answered him, "Glenn say, Cathadral bigger than look. Robo see back door? Ayla open." Ayla ran to the door and tried to push it open.

Crono went to the organ and played it.

"No play organ," Ayla said, "Open door. Fight Shifters. Find Marle," Ayla said as she put all her weight on the door to open it.

The door opened and Ayla fell, "Ayla open door." She got up.

Crono laughed, thinking that he'd have to tell Glenn and Lucca about this.

They went through the door, and no were Shifters in sight. They walked through the door ahead of them, and saw a bucket to the left. They went to the bucket, surrounding it, not sure if it was a Shifter, or just a bucket. After a few seconds, Crono tapped the bucket with his sword.

The bucket sprang into action, releasing a gush of water into the air. They recognized Water 2 right away, and the two humans held their breaths. The water slammed into all three of them, and they hit the ground. Crono lost his breath from the hit, and felt a panic of drowning. Determined to stay calm, he closed his mouth again, and waited until he could refill his lungs with air. As the water washed over, Robo saw a remaining water bubble near. He backed again, and was glad it popped on it's own before hitting him.

After catching her breath, Ayla ran up to the bucket hit hard with her fist. Crono slashed it with his sword, and soon after Robo punched it.

They were attacked again, this time with Ice 2. Two huge forms of ice suddenly formed around them, freezing them in place. Robo felt almost sure his circuits would freeze, especially since they still had water in them from the previous attack. Crono and Ayla had both held their breath when they saw the ice starting to form, giving a feel of control, rather than a feel of suffocation. Eyes were closed, and skin felt like it was burned from the cold.

The ice disappeared as quickly as it left, dropping them to the ground, and leaving the humans shivering and gasping for air.

Ayla got her breath first, and got up, ready for revenge. However they didn't have time to make another round of attacks. The bucket slid away, became like liquid, and leaked into a crack in the wall.

"We beat bucket," Ayla said, still shivering slightly.

"We didn't really beat it," Robo pointed out, "It just ran away."

"Bucket run away from us."

They continued walking down the red carpet, and entered a door. Another door was ahead of them up the stairs, which they entered it. Another organ was to the left, and Crono walked up to it and played.

"Ayla confused," said Ayla, "Crono play organ again. What organ do?"

"My concern," Robo stated, "Was that there is no one to fight. This is easy, almost too easy."

"Not fun when no fight."

Crono went back through the door, and they followed.

"Fun!" Robo exclaimed, "Fighting isn't fun. It is a battle between two enemies, not about fun."

They went down the stairs to the right, which collapsed under them.

"Ouch," Ayla glared at Crono. "Crono! Warn Ayla when something fall. Crono rude not too."

Crono got up frowning slightly. He had forgotten that the stairs collapsed, and was falling by the time he remembered. Ayla didn't need to yell, he thought. Crono shook his head, and continued on his way to the door now in front of him.

"You wanted a fight," Robo said to Ayla, pointing to a chair in the middle of the next room.

Ayla ran to it, flicked it, quickly moved back, and got into her fighting position.

The chair quickly started to morph into a person. The back legs became the person's legs, while the front legs became his arms. The back rest turned into a head, shoulders, and upper back. This person appeared to be a male with short, blue-green hair, combed neatly, and parted in the middle. It came straight down and stopped above his ears. He had pale green skin and purple eyes, and wore blue jeans and a white shirt. He spoke, "You are early."

Ayla jumped forward. "Not expect us now? Good. Move or fight! We get Marle."

"I have no wish to move or fight." He put his hand out as a sword formed, "but, if you give me no choice."

Robo spoke quickly, "You don't want to fight? Is this your choice or do all Shifters feel this way?"

The Shifter (who was Swau) frowned slightly, and then put his sword in a sheath that wasn't there before. "My choice, but I was put here to fight, so if you're ready." The sword disappeared while it reformed in his fisted hand. Swau pointed it to them. "Fight?"

"Maybe we can make bargain," Robo said, "if you don't want to fight, then why should you?" I might get information from him, he thought.

"I won't move, I won't-" a small pause, "-betray my people."

Ayla spoke this time, "You not give choice to not fight. But you not want fight. We get through, fight or not. Save Marle."

"Fools." Swau said, "Why can't humans see the obvious?"

Ayla frowned, "Huh? No matter. Fight!"

Swau nodded, and then he leaped into the air and landed in the middle of the team. He spun with the sword out, cutting all of them. Then he leaped back where he was.

"You fight good for someone who not want fight." Ayla said, then jumped at him. She landed on him, digging her nails into his skin, and biting his neck like a cat, which she had proudly called, Cat Attack. She back off, and saw he "bled" water-like substance from his injuries, which quickly healed themselves.

"Thank you. You fight well also." The Shifter got back up.

Ayla nodded her thanks and smiled.

Crono never understood how people can talk to who they were fighting, but Marle, Ayla, Lucca, and sometimes even Glenn all did it. He rolled his eyes before using Lightning on the Shifter. The room flashed as one lightening bolt came down on the Shifter, who froze as electric currents seized his body. He let out a gasp of pain, and fell backwards, turning to water as his body hit the floor.

The three watched the puddle, unsure if they had killed him or not. Suddenly it jumped into the air, retaking human form as it landed on Robo, slashing with his sword. He jumped back in his place, though stumbled slightly with the land.

"You like Jump-Attacks?" Ayla asked.

"Depends on my mood, but I usually prefer it."

Robo Uzi-Punched the Shifter, sending him backwards slightly, but seemed to pass through him more than actually hurting him.

Suddenly Swau tilted his head, glancing behind him, as if hearing something. "Now you can pass." He jump and landed on the wall. "We shall meet again, probably in another fight."

Ayla nodded. "Ayla look for jumping fighter?"

Swau laughed. "Maybe. You fight well, Ayla"

"You too. What name?"

"My name is Swau." After that he grew smaller and darker until he was a spider. He crawled toward a crack in the wall.

Ayla watched this. "Bye Swau," she said as she watched the spider crawl in the hole and disappeared.

Robo watched Ayla, when she turned to Crono and him. He spook, "You just gave him your name and made friends with him."

"Swau seem sad." Ayla said.

Crono walked to push the next door open and went in.

Robo turned to Ayla, "What did he mean by 'Now you can pass?'"

"Ayla not know."

They followed Crono into a long room. Crono was at an opened door in the middle, looking at them, arms folded, slightly annoyed that their talking was slowing them down.

Ayla ignored this and went to him. She looked in to see a hall.

"Crono play organ, door open?"

Crono nodded.

"Ayla not open first door in first room."

Crono shook his head.

Ayla laughed, then started down the hall, "Come, we go now."

They walked down the hall. Another door was at the end of it.

Robo felt something was wrong. "Only two enemies, and one was put there obviously to stall us. I don't get. Something is wrong."

"Swau said Shifters not ready for us," Ayla pointed out.

"Yes, but then he let us go."

"Maybe Swau change mind."

"Maybe."

They got to the door and walked in. At least they came to the right place. There was a big cage at the end of the room, and Marle-Shifter was in it. A human sat on the floor in front of the cage. Marle-Shifer moved to the front part of the cage. The human ignored her movement and looked at them.

This Human-Shifter had long black hair that was pulled back. The eyes were white, and the skin was pink. It didn't look male or female.

"Marle," Ayla called.

"Ayla, you and Robo are here. How nice of you to come help me," she said with a smile.

The Human-Shifter spoke, "Stop talking! Fight!" He attacked with Ice 2.

Ayla jumped towards the creature, which caused her to just barely miss being hit with ice. She kicked it three times in a row. "Not like talk. Rather fight. Then fight."

Crono laughed to himself, as he heard what Ayla had said when the ice started to freeze only him. He shook off the shivering feeling, and decided things needed to get a little warmer. He brought up his arms, feeling himself lift into the air as he called in for his attack, Luminaire. A tingling sensation moved up through is body, and the Shifter made an inhuman scream as a green glow was cast down on it.

Robo raised his own arms, ready to Shock the creature. Electricity shot through the room, missing his allies, and striking through the Shifter.

Crono felt the same sensation from Robo's attack as when he used lightening, and wondered if his friends felt it when he used any type of lightening attack.

The Shifter made a loud growling noise, and lifted up its arms. Suddenly there was explosions of fire surrounding the three. All started to duck, but instead were thrown back as burning flames hit skin.

Crono felt his head hit the ground, and momentarily thought that might do more damage than the fire itself. He got up, slightly dizzy, with his face, arms, and hands carrying the feel of a horrible sunburn. The feel of it coming so soon after the ice attack, and he realized why Marle's and Lucca's Antipode attacks, a combination of ice and fire, were so deadly.

As he stood, he saw Ayla already was recovered, and repeating her Tripple Kick attack on the Shifter. Though tired, he lifted his arms for another Luminaire, closing his eyes to help the dizziness leave. He opened them again when his feet were back on the ground, and saw Robo was also repeating his best attack.

The Shifter fell as Swau had done before, turning to clear liquid.

They eyed the puddle, expecting it to make another attack.

Marle-Shifter raised her eyebrows, "Their true form looks like water? That's scary to think about."

When it seemed the puddle would not attack, Ayla ran to the cage. "How get out."

"Key." Marle-Shifter pointed to a key rack with a key.

Ayla went to get it.

Robo watched her, and then went to the cage. "Do you why there are not many Shifters to fight in here? Getting here was very easy."

"Maybe they weren't ready for you to find out where they were."

"But one didn't let us through, but after a small fight he did."

She shrugged. "Maybe Shifters are week. You fought him easily." Marle-Shifter pointed to the water puddle.

Ayla returned with the key, and unlocked the door.

Marle-Shifter hurried out and jumped. "I'm free!" She smiled and started running towards the door. "Let's get out of here."

Almost the entire team was in Glenn's home. Five of them thought they were all they were all there. The other knew, but acted as everything was normal.

"Now what?" Ayla asked, "See what happen next."

Lucca, while cleaning her Wonder Shot, answered, "Wait until the Shifters make the next move, while we try to find their home."

"Shifton," Marle-Shifter said while looking at Lucca's gun, "That thing better be empty

"Of coarse it's empty. How do know the name of the place?"

"I heard them mention it."

"It is best," Robo said, "To do what Lucca says. We don't know if the Shifters want to continue the fight. If they do it is best to know where Shifton is."

"Maybe Shifters no want more fight," Ayla suggested though looked disappointed at the idea. "Maybe most Shifters like Swau, not want fight."

Marle-Shifter quickly turned to Ayla, "What?!"

"Swau Shifter, Swau not want fight."

Marle-Shifter couldn't believe what she was hearing. Swau gave his name to these humans?! I knew he wasn't fond of starting this war, but I didn't know he was stupid.

"A Shifter gave his name, and doesn't like this fight," Lucca said with curiosity and plans in her eyes, "This may become useful to us, if we can talk to him we may be able to convince him to go on our-"

"A Shifter would never betray his people," Marle-Shifter said quickly. She felt insulted that they would consider this.

"We don't know this," Lucca said, "Why are you mad?"

"I'm not angry. It is just an opinion Shifters were the one thing I found interesting enough to school to study about." Marle-Shifter sighed, and tried to not sound angry, "Also, I heard this Swau talking, and he hated humans. It won't work."

"He didn't sound like it," Ayla said.

"Maybe he wanted you to get your guard down." Marle-Shifter said, getting up. "Uh, I kind of would like to leave and go to the castle. I want to talk to the one who tried to be me, but because of the 'Don't get replaced by a Shifter' safety procedures-

"I'll go," Glenn said. "I wanted to talk to some of the people there and see if anything has been discovered about the Shifters."

to be continued...