Chapter 17: Unnatural Selection?

Act One

August 22, 65,000,000 B.C.

The Tyrano Lair was located on a giant mesa next to an active volcano. It was made of stone, and appeared to be four or five stories high.

The three Dactyls landed mere yards from the entrance. Ayla immediately dismounted and practically charged into the open doorway, leaving the other five to struggle to follow her inside.

In the first room, there were two giant skulls that appeared to be doorways. The one on the left was closed, and the one on the right was open.

Ayla led her four companions through the doorway on the right and down a flight of stone stops. At the bottom stood two Reptites.

As the Reptites attacked, Ayla immediately performed a double kick, knocking them to the ground.

A few feet away was a prison cell full of villagers, sealed by a gate made of dinosaur bones. Ayla immediately ran to the switch and pushed it, opening the gate. The prisoners fled, but none of them was Kino.

"Maybe there's more?" Crono attempted to console her.

Ayla, not responding, darted down another stairwell. On the floor below, three Reptites stood guard in front of a similarly structured gate.

"Thanks for bringing, er, being the main course!" one of them was saying to a prisoner inside.

"Don't count on it!" Crono announced as he drew his sword.

"It's the apes!" cried another Reptite.

It was too late; Ayla did a triple kick, knocking all three of them out cold.

Ayla then quickly ran to the bone gate. There, she saw what she had been looking for.

"Ayla!" Kino called as he ran to the rib-bars.

"Kino get back!" Ayla commanded. "Ayla save you!"

She attempted to slither under the rib-bars on the floor. When that failed, she climbed them, and squeezed herself through at the top.

"Wow!" Marle exclaimed.

Ayla immediately ran to Kino. She kissed him deeply and held him close.

Marle placed her hands on her heart as she looked on; it was a beautiful sight.

"Sorry Ayla," Kino apologized. "All Kino's fault."

"No matter," she forgave him as she kissed him again. "Kino escape with Laruba villagers!"

"What Ayla do?" asked Kino.

"Put end to this!" Ayla replied.

"Kino go too!" Kino pleaded.

"Kino no come," Ayla declined. "If Ayla dead, Kino new chief of Ioka!"

"Ayla," Kino protested as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Marle looked at Crono, as if to say: "I want you to hold me like that."

Smiling, Ayla kissed her love again and turned toward the gate. A moment later she charged with all her might and broke through.

"That violates the laws of physics!" Lucca exclaimed.

"Ayla strong," she assured him. "No lose!"

"Kino understand," Kino agreed. "And show you something!"

He led them through the sub-basement and the basement, back to the ground floor with the closed skull on the left. He gathered all his strength, and opened the skull.

"You strong, me weak," he said. "Ayla good chief!"

He kissed her once more before departing.

MEANWHILE...

"My Queen," Burko began, "Ayla has arrived. She has freed the other apes."

"Let them go," Azala commanded. "We have Ayla and her friends. Now is our chance to get that key. It's our chance at salvation. We'll go to the future. We'll find a way around the freeze. And then, we'll disrupt the course of nature and take the world back for the Reptites once again!"

"Unnatural selection?" Burko inquired.

"Exactly," Azala replied with a smirk. "And I know just how to pry the key from them."

Act Two

On the second floor, the group found themselves several yards away from a menacing-looking triceratops standing near the corner.

"Not again," Crono muttered.

Ayla, without wasting a moment, began to walk toward the creature.

"Ayla, no!" objected Marle, expecting the triceratops to charge at any moment.

Instead, Ayla then stepped on something on the floor. A moment later, the triceratops disappeared down a trap door that it had been standing on.

Ayla removed her foot to reveal the switch.

"Reptites not stupid," she said.

On the third floor, the six found themselves outside on a ledge. Looking up, the Red Star seemed even larger, almost twice the size at it had been when they first entered the castle.

Nobody noticed the Dactyls approaching. They looked nearly identical to the ones they had ridden there.

But these Dactyls were not friendly. They immediately began diving and attacking. Realizing that they were doomed anyway, Lucca shot them dead with her blaster.

Once they arrived inside, another unwelcoming sight presented itself.

The monster stood in their way, seemingly blocking them from going any further. One of them recognized it immediately.

"It's Nizbel!" Marle exclaimed.

"It can't be!" Crono dismissed. "We destroyed him!"

"Maybe more than one?" Ayla suggested.

"Well, well!" greeted Nizbel II, although no human could understand his language. "Out for a little stroll, are we?"

Marle, still not understanding the creatures language, turned to Crono.

"I think we can sneak around him," she said.

"Azala's in the back," Nizbel II continued.

He then continued to stand, though he made no effort to block the area around him.

"I don't think he's going to fight us," Crono said, knowing Nizbel couldn't understand him, either. "Let's give it a try."

He led the group to the left and forward, until he was nearly at the same latitude as the monster.

The creature let out a loud roar, that obviously meant "hold it!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

The creature let out several low growls.

"Hey say this special place," Ayla informed them. "Great Nizbel die here."

"You can understand that thing?!" Crono exclaimed.

Ayla gave a simple nod.

Just then, Nizbel II raised its arm and began to swipe at Crono.

Marle quickly raised her crossbow and shot the creature between the eyes, killing it.

Everyone turned to her in surprise.

"What?" she asked. "If Ayla can save her man, why can't I?"

Crono, ever grateful, pulled her close and kissed her.

"You guys," Lucca began, "I think we need to find a Gate. An astroid's going to strike in a matter of minutes!"

But Ayla darted up the stairs; she had a score to settle.

On the fourth floor, they were outside once again.

Five unfriendly Dactyls began attacking immediately. Lucca quickly got two and Marle got two.

Frog drew the Masamune and charged for the remaining Dactyl. Unfortunately, the Dactyl was too quick, and carved a deep scar into Frog's face before he finally killed it.

Frog then collapsed to the ground, bleeding in pain.

"Frog!" called Crono as he ran to his side.

Robo rushed to his side as well, and began to scan him.

"It's a deep wound," he observed. "With a high likelihood of infection."

"I can heal him," Marle suddenly said.

Everyone turned to her skeptically.

Even Crono couldn't believe his ears.

Too occupied to take offense, Marle walked over to Frog, who was groaning and breathing heavily, and knelt beside him, gently placing her hand on his head.

"Hold still," she commanded softly as she closed her eyes.

At first nothing seemed to happen. Then, the hideous scar on Frog's face began to close until it was no longer visible.

Meanwhile, Frog felt the pain slowly ebb away from him until it was reduced to a memory.

Everyone stared at Marle in disbelief.

"When did you learn you could do that?" Lucca inquired.

"I didn't," Marle replied as she stood up and helped Frog to his feet. "I just felt I could."

At that moment, Ayla darted up the stairs.

"This is completely irrational," Robo observed.

She darted around another outdoor balcony and through a door way.

And then, she stopped in her tracks.

The other five caught up with her, and stopped as well.

There, on a throne made of the bones of several large dinosaurs, sat Azala.

"So," she began, "you are here at last. This is it, then. The showdown. Today there shall be a conclusion. Will it be the Reptites, or you silly apes who end up ruling the world?"

"Strong survive," Ayla said as she raised her fists. "Ayla strong. Ayla fight!"

And then, a loud roar sounded the royal chamber. It was louder than that of any animal-past or present-anyone there had ever encountered.

"Hear that lovely voice?" Azala taunted. "You'll soon become the best of friends!"

Act Three

Ayla cracked her knuckles; she would engage in hand-to-hand combat if necessary.

But Azala suddenly jumped up from her throne and darted for the door behind her.

Ayla predictably charged after her. Beyond the doorway, Ayla found herself on a stone bridge. She stopped, and began to tremble. None of the other travelers dared to approach what they had beheld. It stood upright on two legs twelve feet tall. It had two small arms, each ending in two claws. It's head was the size of a human, and it's mouth was lined with countless sharp teeth.

"A Tyrannosaurus Rex," Robo announced. "The most feared of all dinosaurs."

The Tyrannosaurus had a harness, suggesting that it had somehow been domesticated. Burko was on its right shoulder: Azala sat perched on its left shoulder, gazing at the sky.

"Red star," she said, "fall! Stain the earth red!"

She then turned to face her rivals.

"Though it may be our fate to perish, we will not simply hand this world over to you!" she taunted. "With this Black Tyrano I can finally exterminate those filthy apes!"

Everyone drew and aimed their weapons.

"Forward!" commanded Burko as he pointed toward Crono. "Food for you!"

The Tyrannosaurus took several steps forward.

"Onward!" called Burko. "Onward!"

Crono immediately cast lightning; it had no effect.

Lucca cast fire; that had no effect, either.

"We're in trouble," she lamented.

Just then, Marle cast a wave spell on the Tyrannosaurus. The spell did not affect the dinosaur, but it did affect the occupants.

Azala managed to hold on for dear life, just barely avoiding being swept off.

Burko was not so lucky. He lost his grip, and was swept to the ground. He landed right in front of what he had been riding.

The Tyrannosaurus stared but a moment before lowering its head and closing its jaws. A moment later, the unfortunate Burko disappeared into the dinosaur's mouth.

"Oh well," Azala simply shrugged.

The Tyrannosaurus raised its head as it swallowed.

With less than a second to spare, Frog saw his chance and drove the Masamune into the Tyrannosaurus's neck.

The Tyrannosaurus roared loudly and squirmed in agony before it started to fall, throwing Azala off of its shoulder in the process.

The Tyrannosaurus hit the ground first.

Azala hit the ground three seconds later.

The Tyrannosaurus' chest rose several times before ceasing; it had died from its wound.

Azala was still alive, but it depended on what one meant by living. She was on her stomach, and her eyes were closed. She crawled forward about a foot before attempting to stand.

But her legs did not move.

"No," she whimpered in horror. "It can't be!"

But it was; the fall had paralyzed her from the waist down.

"C-Could the heavens truly have sided with the apes?" she muttered.

Ayla stood over her defeated enemy in silence. True, she had planned to kill her love, but now that she was in the state she was in, Ayla could not help but find it pitiful.

"Listen, primates," Azala continued, "and let it be known. We Reptites fought bravely to the bitter end!"

"Ayla understand," Ayla said solemnly.

Crono looked up at the sky; the Red Star was even closer now.

"Soon, stones of fire will rain down," Azala continued. "Flames shall scorch the land. The burned out plains will slowly freeze, ushering in a long, cruel ice age." She then let out a weak cackle. "What a treat! You will wish you went along with us!"

Robo scanned the Red Star.

"This is not an ordinary asteroid," he began. "The exterior is rock, but the interior...I'm detecting a pulse."

"A pulse?" Crono inquired.

"A heartbeat!" Marle exclaimed. "You're saying there's something alive inside the Red Star?!"

"Lavos," Robo answered.

"Lavos?!" Marle exclaimed.

"Where?!" Crono demanded.

"Right up there!" Robo answered. "The Red Star was Lavos the whole time! It arrived in this era!"

"Are you sure it's Lavos?" Crono asked.

"I'm detecting its spines, mouth, and DNA," Robo replied. "It's not from this world."

And then, without warning, a fragment broke from the rock that encased the intruder, and began to fall at a faster rate.

"It's heading this way," Robo announced. "Ten minutes until impact."

"That's not enough time to escape!" Lucca exclaimed.

Crono looked down in defeat. There was no way they could make their way back through the castle in time.

"So this is it," he sighed.

Ayla also lowered her head in guilt; she had lead her friends to their deaths.

And then, Kino appeared over the bridge fence.

"Ayla!" he called.

He was riding a Dactyl, with two more that were unoccupied on each side.

"Kino!" Ayla called. She then turned to her friends. "Hurry! Lavos come soon! All ride Dactyl!"

The fragment was still approaching, and now almost seemed bigger than the Red Star itself.

"Kino!" Ayla exclaimed. "Hurry!"

Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, and Robo quickly boarded the Dactyls.

Ayla remained where she was.

"Ayla!" Kino exclaimed. "What you do?!"

Ayla, in an unexpected act of pity, turned to her defeated enemy.

"Come!" she commanded. "Azala! Come!"

"Absolutely not!" Azala sneered. "The powers that be have spoken."

Ayla was silent.

Azala would never walk again. She had, instead, elected to die.

"Ayla!" called Kino. "Hurry! Hurry!"

Left with no other choice, Ayla solemnly made her way to a Dactyl and climbed aboard.

"Azala," she said, "me not forget."

"The future," Azala groaned as she lay her head down.

"Future?" Ayla inquired. "What about future?"

"We...have no future..." Azala sighed.

She then became very still, although her chest continued to rise.

The Dactyls took off, and began to fly away from the Tyrano Lair as fast as they could.

Looking back, Ayla could see the Tyrano Lair grow smaller and smaller. Soon, Azala was no longer visible.

Then, the fragment came from the sky, striking the castle, which disappeared in an explosion instantly.

Ayla closed her eyes. It was an odd moment for her. She felt both guilty and victorious at the same time.

And that was the end of Azala, the Tyranno Lair, and all of the Reptites therein.

A few minutes later, the Dactyls, exhausted from their escape effort, landed on the terrain, and everyone dismounted. In the distance, they could see that a smoldering crater was all that remained of the Tyrano Lair.

Looking up, they could still see the Red Star, which was larger and brighter than ever, and preparing to make its main impact.

"So," Lucca began. "Lavos arrived in this period."

"Through no fault of Magus does Lavos live!" Frog added. "Lavos hath fallen from the sky in ancient times."

"When does the big one hit?" Crono asked.

"Three minutes," Robo answered.

The Red Star seemed to remain stationary for two. Then, it seemed to almost turn, and streak across the sky before disappearing over the horizon.

"Where did it go?" Marle asked.

For a few moments, nothing happened.

Suddenly, the sound of a large explosion echoed in the distance. A moment later, the sky was dark; a very dark shade of indigo. It seemed almost nighttime, and the sun was gone.

"The sun won't be seen from here for tens of thousands of years," Robo lamented. "So ends the Mesozoic Era."

The temperature became cooler, and the Dactyls, who only fluttered slightly at the explosion, began to seem frightened.

Then, a red-orange glow appeared in the distance. As everyone watched, it seemed to grow larger, and closer. Everything in its patch seemingly caught fire for a moment and then disappeared.

"What's happening? Marle exclaimed, with the sound of terror in her voice.

"What is happening?" asked Lucca as she turned to Robo.

"A pyroclastic flow," Robo answered. "Spreading out in all directions."

"How long before it hits us?" Crono asked.

"Three minutes," the robot replied. "At most."

"What about that cave?" Marle frantically asked, as she spotted the mouth of one several yards away.

"It won't protect us," Robo, dismissed. "The flow will come in through the mouth."

"We have to try!" Marle protested as she ran into the cave.

Crono instinctively followed Marle.

Lucca instinctively followed Crono.

Everyone else then ran into the cave. They were greeted by the sight of Marle standing in front of their salvation.

"A Gate?!" exclaimed Marle.

"Where does it go?" Lucca inquired.

"Does it matter?!" Marle exclaimed. "We need to get through that Gate in less than a minute or we're all dead!"

Crono quickly opened the Gate with the key.

Ayla, Kino, and Frog were the first to go through. Robo and Lucca went next. Finally, as he heard the sound of the flow approaching, Crono jumped through with Marle, who refused to leave his side.

The Gate closed up.

Seconds later, the flow hit their location, providing the pterodactyls a quick but painful death. Sure enough, it seeped through the mouth of the cave shortly before the cave itself was pushed off of its foundation.

After twenty minutes, the flow reached Laruba Village, destroying the elder and the few remaining families.

Seven minutes later, the flow hit Ioka Village, burning everything and everyone to ashes.

Eventually, the flow covered the entirety of Laurasia, only stopping when it reached the ocean.