Chrono Corruption

Act 4: New World Order

Chapter 19: Some Assembly Required, Part 1

Sparks crackled through the air as the Rift opened and Crono's party emerged. The party regrouped to get a bearing on their surroundings. "Where are we? This place looks like the ruins of the future we were supposed to save," Marle asked worriedly.

"Not to worry. This is a scrapyard. We are on an unnamed island with the Robot Colosseum. See, it lies in the distance, looming over the piles of junk, " Garet revealed.

Crono elevated himself onto a pile of junk, "Kinda creepy looking really," Crono said as he leaped off. "So Garet, where do we find Robo in all this?"

"We don't, we wait until he is found," Garet started. "We were sent back roughly thirty minutes before Prometheus was located by the children. Which is enough time for us to head directly to the village at the base of the Colosseum. By the time we arrive, Prometheus should also arrive."

"Wow, everyone at Chronopolis sure timed that Rift right!" Marle said cheerfully.

The party proceeded to make their way through the junkyard, talking all the way. "So Garet, I've been meaning to ask you, who are you anyway? And how do you know so much about Robo?" Crono asked curiously.

Garet paused, recalling his memories, then they continued, "My full name is Garet Baird. I was once an ordinary soldier working for Chronopolis. I was not a decorated soldier mind you, just a normal man. At least that's what I recall after my 'conversion'."

"Conversion? You mean, into a cyborg?" Crono followed up, finishing his thoughts.

"What's a cyborg?" Marle asked curiously.

"It's a portmanteau of the two words, 'Cybernetic Organism'," Garet explained. "It is a merging of flesh and technology. The tech was developed strictly for medical purposes. My body was destroyed by war. Dalton was able to deceive many generations of people. He created many cults across the eras and the future was no different. His cultists are responsible for my decimation and Belthasar placed me within the Grobyc Program."

"Grobyc Program?" Marle said quizzically.

"Yes, Grobyc is Cyborg spelled backward," Garet cleared up. "Prometheus oversaw my procedure and the following therapy. During the therapy, I learned much about his past both where he came from and what he intended to do with himself. I healed quicker than most, mainly due to my desire to destroy Dalton and his followers. I was retrained after the therapy and, as a poster child for the Grobyc Program, I once again took up arms as a soldier for Chronopolis. My current mission now ties our fates together."

"Well, it's great to meet you Garet! The more the merrier I say!" Marle said cheerfully.

The team continued idle chit-chat as junky robots occasionally stopped them for a fight. Finally, they came up to the village, "Hey guys, look, it's the Robot Village! We're here!" Crono said running up to the electrified fence gate.

It was open as two junky Prototypes stood guard on both sides. They greeted and welcomed the visitors, "W-welco-me, t-t-travele-rs! P-please enjoy your s-stay!" they sputtered and sparked.

"Good, we are early," Garet said stoically.

"Cool, let's take this time to get some new equipment!" Crono said, seizing the opportunity.

"Okay, I'm all for that!" Marle agreed.

"Affirmative, updating our equipment will increase our chances of success," Garet followed.

With that, the team took their time touring the crowded village that sat at the base of the Colosseum. The village was as dirty as one would expect a junkyard to be. Homes were more or less, shacks where greasy mechanics, traders, and villagers lived. Each household had a robot of some kind in their household. The people and the machines lived together in a poor but peaceful harmony. Eventually, the party happened to encounter a craftsman. They greeted him and he was all too happy to take their order. "How can I help you, folks? We have a particular style of armaments modeled after an ancient civilization if you're interested. They are made of Copper and Golden Cotton and they're all the rage right now!" he said. Crono decided to take the craftsman up on his offer and handed over all the materials that were needed for three people. The new items included a Jackal Khopesh, a Pharaoh's Tunic with matching Pharaoh's Trousers and a Cadmean Bandana for Crono, a Centaur's Arcus, a Lamia Suit and a Gorgon's Ribbon for Marle, and finally, a Giant's Gauntlet, a Titan Vest with Titan's Boots and Bronze Tags for Garet. Fully equipped, the party left, and just as they did so, the loud voices of two children could be heard laughing and shouting outside near the entrance.

Going to see what the commotion was, two pre-teens rolled into the village with a junky hover cart full of some scrap parts and the scavenged body of Robo laying inactive on top.

"There he is, let's follow those two!" Crono said eagerly.

Crono's party witnessed Robo entering a larger shack than the standard that was presented beforehand. Robo was brought inside by a scruffy, stocky man who seemed to be the father figure of the kids. They got Robo inside with little effort.

Crono approached the door and knocked. The scruffy mechanic opened the door to greet them, "Yes, can I help you?" he said as he cleared his throat.

Marle spoke first, "Hi, sorry to bother you, but we couldn't help but notice the robot your kids just found. He looks like a robot that is our friend, but we lost him a while back. Could we check him to see if he's ours?" she asked innocently.

"Um, well I don't know...," said the man.

"Please, it's an important matter," Garet insisted.

The man swallowed hard, noticing Garet's military uniform. "No problem, come on in!" he said changing his tone.

Crono and his party entered the home and saw that it was not unlike Lucca's house, it just had more stuff than hers and the smell of oil and burnt solder filled the air. The two kids, a girl with glasses and a boy came up to them. They wore suspenders of matching blue color with striped shirts of white and red. They were smudged with grease and wearing pots and pans as 'armor'. "Hey daddy, who are these people?" the girl asked.

Crono stepped forward, "Sorry again for this, my name is Crono, and this is my wife Marle. This fellow here is Garet. We've been looking for a big yellow robot of the R Series variety and we think the robot you found could be him."

"It's okay Aral," started the man. "Ahem, let me introduce myself, I'm Professor Zenbei and this is my daughter Aral and my son Botch. We live here in this village and hope one day to build a bot that's powerful enough to win the Colosseum Championship and take my family to a better place!"

"Well if this robot turns out to be our friend, then it's your lucky day!" Crono said confidently.

Zenbei's eyes brightened, "Are you serious?" Well if that's true, then let's get him up and running!"

Crono and his friends inspected the robot that was now the center of attention, "Yep, this is definitely him!" Crono said with confirmation.

"Oh, Robo, what did they do to you?!" Marle whined. "Lucca would have a heart attack!"

"He should still have his CPU intact. Let us get to work," Garet said turning his gaze to the Professor.

"Sure thing, we should have him up and running in no time!" Zenbei said with a smile.

After an hour of hard work, Zenbei managed to Frankenstein together some integrated circuits and boot up Robo. Robo whirred and sputtered as if gasping for air. Zenbei and his kids cheered with joy as Robo came to life. His eyes glowed as he began scanning his surroundings. "C-Crono, my friend..., is that you..., but how?" he asked in bewilderment.

"It's a long story buddy, I'll give you a moment and then explain everything," Crono said with a sigh.

Crono's party took the time to fill Robo in on all that has happened. Robo whirred as one of his eyes flashed over and over, processing the data. His right arm, the only one he had left, made a fist with the sound of metal grinding on metal. "I... That's not... fair...," Robo sputtered. "We, worked... so hard... only to end up almost... worse than before..."

"We couldn't have known Dalton would have survived after our battle over the Epoch," Marle said, trying to calm him.

"So, how do we get you back together, Robo?" Crono asked eagerly.

Robo whirred, "...I will gladly... rejoin you..., but I need parts...," Robo said looking himself over. He was missing his entire left arm at the shoulder and his right leg was torn off. Much of his metal plating was also removed or mauled.

"...But you told us in Chronopolis that you became an antique here. Where do we find replacements?" Marle asked curiously.

Professor Zenbei stepped forward meekly, "Um, I couldn't help but hear your incredible story, but it seems that right now you need some help. If you need parts for this robot, I can retro-fit replacements from other robots if that would help."

"That would be great!" Crono said with a bright smile.

"Only one problem though...," Zenbei said as he scratched his stubbly chin.

Crono and Marle slumped, "Aww, what's that?" Marle moaned.

"The best materials to work with around these parts lie in the Colosseum," Zenbei started. "I mean, you 'can' use the entire island to search for something to use, but it could take weeks for you to find something out there."

"My apologies, we don't have that kind of time," Garet said flatly.

"Well then, your only option is the former then," Zenbei said. "Unfortunately, now that I look at you guys, you don't even have a robot to start with do you?"

"Negative," Garet replied.

"That's right, so what do we do now?" Marle asked growing restless.

"There must be another way!" Crono groaned.

Robo whirred, "There is..."

Everyone turned their attention to Robo, "What, how?" Marle replied as she drew closer.

"...Atropos... could do it...," Robo stated.

"Where is Atropos?" Garet asked interrogatively.

"Before we parted..., I tried to send her away..., but she did not go. She simply hid... To where I do not know...," Robo sparked.

Marle turned to Zenbei, "Hey Professor, have you seen an identical model like him, but bright pink?"

Zenbei scratched his chin, only for his daughter to come forth with a smile, "Yeah, I remember seeing one exactly like him at the Colosseum! She serves drinks!"

Her brother followed, "Yeah, I got a real big lemonade from her one time!"

"Well then, I guess it's off to the Colosseum! What do you say, everyone?" Crono asked both his teammates.

"Let's do it!" Marle cheered.

"Affirmative," Garet said.

"All right Robo, just tell us what you need and we'll do our best!" Crono urged.

"Verrry w-well!" Robo started. "I require... and new Left Arm... and Right Leg. A Power Core..., I am running off... t-their power f-for now. A Hydraulic Pump... and m-many Integrated Circuits... f-for my weapon and sensory systems. All that s-should get me... up and f-functional again..." he finished.

"Okay, we'll let Atropos know when we find her!" Marle assured.

"Shall we be off?" Garet asked.

"Yep, thanks Doc!" Crono said as he shook the Professor's hand and waved to his children. With that, they left Zenbei's home and began heading to the Colosseum.

*Robot Colosseum*

Crono and his party reached the Robot Colosseum and were greeted by two large, tough-looking humanoid robots that were made from spare parts. Upon entering the huge place, the party took in their surroundings. The atmosphere was one of a dank club. Miscreants, mechanics, computer nerds, and businessmen with attractive women filled the place. Female entertainers that were dressed in skimpy outfits danced and sang on small stages while light shows and loud music filled the air.

Garet leaned into Crono's ear, "Where should we begin?"

"WHAT?" Crono shouted as he couldn't hear Garet's words.

Marle tugged on Crono's sleeve and pointed with her finger, "LOOK!" she shouted loudly. Marle pointed to a pink 'Robo' across from them that was serving drinks.

"GOTCHA!" Crono replied as his party followed him through the sea of people.

Crono and his friends approached Atropos, who seemed on standby at the time. Upon getting in close, they got a good look at her. She was in pretty bad shape. Some of her limbs had also been replaced and she had dents and dings in her plating. Graffiti also covered her body in addition to other accessories that made her appear as a waitress. She sputtered as Crono approached, "H-hello, I apologize as there is up to a half an hour wait for seating. You may make a reservation for a future time if our current time is too inconvenient for you."

"Atropos, I presume?" Garet asked bluntly.

She seemed confused, "Yes? Is there something else I can help you with?"

"Yes, we found your counterpart, Prometheus, and we require your cooperation to put him back together," Garet said, getting to the point.

Atropos became intrigued rather quickly, "Prometheus?! You found him?! Where is he?!"

"He's staying at Professor Zenbei's Workshop in the slums," Crono stated with a smile.

"...Professor Zenbei? I've heard of him, he's supposedly a great mechanic, but I've never actually met him," Atropos thought out loud.

"That's what led us to you," Marle started. "We need you to help fight in the Colosseum to win parts for him!"

Atropos jumped in shock, "M-Me?! Gee, I don't know if I can do such a thing..."

Crono drew close, "Listen, I traveled a lot with Rob-, I mean Prometheus. I know what he can do! If you're his counterpart then I know you can do the same!"

Her expression brightened, "No one has ever told me anything like that before... Um, yes, I will fight, but we must get permission from the owner of this place first. Mister Doan has been protecting me since I came here to the Colosseum. I was hoping one day to find Prometheus on my own, but you have saved me the trouble!"

"Did you say 'Doan'? The old curator of Arris Dome?" Marle asked bewildered.

"Arris Dome? Where is such a place? Do you know Mister Doan as well?" Atropos asked with intrigue.

"Yeah, it just so happens, we do!" Marle said happily.

"Then please follow me!" Atropos said with a new spark in her voice.

Atropos led the team to the main office where a well-dressed, elderly gentleman let them in. He sat in a well-kept office. As the team entered, the old man did a double-take as he caught sight of both Crono and Marle. He recognized them immediately with a face of pure joy, "Can it be? Yes, it's you two! The two who saved me from that horrible Future!"

"Wow, it is the same, Doan! How have you been?" Crono asked heartily.

"Well, I am Heal-thy now! As you once told me!" Doan said with a wide grin.

"I can see that! It looks like you really took our advice to heart!" Marle said happily. "Just one question though, how did the same 'you' we met back in that ruined future get here? Shouldn't you be a completely different person?"

"Your purple-haired friend brought me back to your era just before those 'Gate' things closed for good. When I left your time I came out here to this place. This new future isn't perfect mind you, but it is leagues above the hell hole I came from! That being said, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Are you on some kind of world-saving business again or just seeing the fruits of your labors firsthand?"

Crono sighed with an uneasy smile as he scratched the back of his head, "...The former, actually."

Doan looked pale, "That bad, huh?"

"We don't have the time to explain, unfortunately," Marle said uneasily.

"That's fine, I probably wouldn't understand anyway," Doan said with a chuckle.

Garet came forward, "We found Prometheus, but we must acquire parts to repair him. We would like to use Atropos to fight for us to win the parts we need."

"Oh, is that all? That's no problem," Doan said waving it off.

"Wait, can't you just get us the parts without the hassle?" Crono pondered.

Doan grimaced as he breathed through clenched teeth, "As much as I would love to just give you what you need, that's not a wise action around here."

"Why not?" Marle asked curiously.

"Well, mainly because the parts that are prizes are advertised wildly. I simply can't remove them and give them away. It's a cutthroat competition out there. The folks out there would have a fit and cause chaos if they were taken down with no explanation. They would have a much higher chance of coming right in here and beating me senselessly or causing riots. In addition, you would have every scavenger up your backside if they saw you walking out with all those rare parts you didn't win," Doan explained sorrowfully.

"We can't risk it then," Garet said coldly. "We must not cause too much commotion in other eras of time."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Okay then, can we use Atropos to fight for us?" Crono asked bluntly.

Doan blinked in surprise, "Absolutely, but first," he paused as he went over to a large crate. He searched through it and brought out a bronzed mechanical arm with blades on it. He brought it over to Atropos, "Here, this 'Blade Arm' will be your tool. I've been hiding this part for a special occasion so it's not on any listing. This is possibly that occasion! Get out there and do some work Atropos! For our Future!"

Atropos took the arm and replaced her left arm with it with minimal difficulty. Marle helped remove the waitress's accessories and wipe the graffiti away. "Thank you, Mister Doan!" she said as she approached Crono's team. "Let's go, I am ready to assist!"

"Oh, one more thing!" Doan began. "As you climb up the ranks, things get harder. Bigger robots will stand in your way. Don't be afraid to recruit another robot to help you win harder fights. Some smaller, weaker robots and their human operators and sponsors often form teams to take down bigger machines! Good luck out there and..., stay heal-thy!" he smiled strongly.

"Heh, you bet!" Crono said as he and the party waved goodbye.

Crono and his party went to the registration desk to get Atropos a match. The matches were separated into 4 Tiers in a ladder formation. Tier 1 had only small, cute robots that were just starting out. "You were right Mister Crono! This will be simple, statistically speaking. I do not wish harm on these little guys, but I must clear this ladder to proceed!" Atropos stated sympathetically.

"That's okay, the best thing about being a robot, is that you can be repaired!" Marle said strongly.

Atropos' face appeared on large monitors that were strewn throughout the Colosseum. It was placed next to another robot's visage with a big stylized 'V.S.' in between them. Instantly, the crowds of people took notice in awe as the people gasped. Anger quickly rose over the crowd as Atropos headed to the arena below. Crono and his friends took their place in a booth that overlooked a red corner. Beneath them, Atropos came walking out. Boos and hisses could be heard coming from people all over. Then suddenly, the monitors changed Atropos's opponent. She gazed at the four monitors that were linked above her as all the robots from the Tier 1 ladder appeared to take her on at the same time. "Oh no...," Atropos buzzed.

The crowd's anger turned to cheers as the tables seemed more evened out. Marle turned to Crono, "Why did everyone 'boo' her?" she asked.

"The people must not have thought it was very fair for a large humanoid robot to take on these scrubs one at a time!" Crono guessed as he clicked his teeth.

"Indeed, Atropos is from a series of robots that were advanced even for her time," Garet said raising the volume of his voice. Geeks and Mechanics flooded the arena's walls with their remote controls as small but deadly-looking robots flooded the field. Atropos walked cautiously out to meet them. The sun in the sky shined brightly as the crowds cheered loudly in the Colosseum seats.

Just then, every contender gave each other a smug signal and they flipped a big switch on their remote sets. Every small robot then began to congregate and come together and form a much larger machine.

The large robot they all became was only about a foot taller than Atropos and it possessed multiple, versatile limbs that bore drills, grinders, and saw blades. The head resembled a security camera and its legs gave a wind-up toy feel what with the spokes sticking from the insides of its 'feet'. "Oh my, it's-!" Atropos said as the announcer cut her off.

"Ladies, Gentleman and Artificial Intelli-gents alike! Welcome to today's match-up! It was a rather quiet one today here in the Colosseum, but it looks like one big fight is all we needed! And without further ado, I give you, in the red corner, our challenger, Atropos! Her opponent, a rare sight to see even here, Magnar, The Collective! Will our challenger overcome her rarely seen opponent, or will she be turned into scrap? Only one way to find out, so let's get ready to rumble!" he commented as he then hit a loud buzzer to start the match.

Magnar began making its way over to Atropos. It then stopped and began to attack with its mechanical tendrils. Even though Atropos was slow, Magnar was even slower, as she was able to move quickly enough to dodge the many power tools strapped to the machine. She then saw an opening and used foot-mounted boosters to skate in close to Magnar and deliver and powerful punch with her new arm. Magnar stumbled back but used its tendrils to support itself. This still left Magnar open, "It's a good thing I witnessed your battles Magnar! I know your weakness!" Atropos informed.

Magnar replied, "We have no weaknesses, R Series! We are one nation, one mind, one body! We are free of all weakness!"

"If you put a bunch of idiots together that doesn't make them strong! You are made from scrap! And junk is junk!" Atropos said as she tapped into her programs. "My Scanner will reveal my intuitions!"

Atropos' eyes gleamed as Magnar was enveloped by a green holographic light. Atropos could see it, "There it is, the core that houses all of what you are!" she said getting a lock.

"You will never reach it!" Magnar stated as it regained its balance and lunged for her.

"You are in error!" Atropos whirred as she positioned herself and aimed her arm like a gun. She sent her arm whistling like a rocket and she guided it carefully through each winding tendril that attempted to block it. It hit its mark and tore through Magnar's body with an ear-piercing metallic screech. With a tether, she pulled back her arm and took with it the core, clenched in her mechanical fingers. "You lose Magnar!" she said holding its core in her hand.

"Im...poss...ible...," moaned Magnar as it went completely dark and fell to pieces.

The crowd went wild and began chanting Atropos' name with a dog-like bark at the end and fist-pumps. She left the ring and met up with Crono and his party. "Great job, Atropos!" Marle congratulated.

"Nicely done, just like old Robo- err, Prometheus used to do!" Crono said with a grin.

"Your performance was outstanding. The crowd seems to believe your victory was earned." Garet added.

Atropos bowed politely in embarrassment and thanked them, "Um, should we claim the prize?" she said trying to change the subject.

Crono and his team went to the Colosseum handler and they were awarded a box of all kinds of small parts and circuits that seemed to be in really good shape. "This should do!" Atropos said confidently. "Now, since I beat every contender in the first tier all at once, they're gonna throw the other tier champions at me."

"By the way, I heard that Magnar robot call you out as an R Series. Does your model have some sort of reputation?" Marle asked curiously.

"The R Series was very advanced even for its time and we haven't been able to be replicated since by any other model. We scared many governments around the world and our line came to an end out of fear," Atropos explained.

"How unfair!" Marle said angrily.

"Indeed, we were built to assist humans, but we were so much like them that they feared a revolution. However, we never thought of such a thing!" Atropos said strongly.

"So they simply stopped making them?" Crono asked rhetorically. "That's ridiculous!"

"Indeed, but in a way, I do not blame them," Atropos started. "...Because we learned what 'fear' is too. It can make people do very foolish things..."

"If anything at all," Garet added.

"Um, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the second tier!" Atropos claimed.

"All right, no reason to stop now!" Crono said with excitement.

Atropos's visage came upon the many screens that were strewn throughout the Colosseum and showed her next opponent. She already won many praises as people began making bets on her. Like the first tier, she was matched against the champion of the second tier. Crono and Marle seemed to recognize the machine from its mug shot. "Hey, isn't that the Guardian we fought in the Arris Dome? The one in the refrigeration chamber?" Marle asked loudly.

"Yeah, but it seems a little different in this timeline!" Crono retorted.

As Atropos came forth into the arena her massive opponent emerged from a bunker below. It was a large diamond-shaped robot with a single eye and fortified with many scrap parts. It hissed steam as a female mechanic dressed in a red shirt and navy overalls stood snickering in the Blue corner of the ring. The announcer began his speech, "Wow, we certainly are keeping things rolling, aren't we? Our challenger, Atropos, and her human sponsors have already taken their first big win out of nowhere and are now going for a second! In our Blue Corner, we now have Kyamites, The Impregnable Guardian, and his human sponsor and mechanic, Alisa, who are going to try and stop Atropos in her tracks! Will she succeed, or will Atropos tear a hole right through the guardian!" he said as he gave the signal to begin.

Alisa snickered as she brushed her dirty blonde hair aside and adjusted her oversized welding goggles, "Heh, you won't be tearing holes in anything!" she scoffed.

Kyamites began the battle by encircling its body with three rotating energy shields and calling out two drones that acted as its weapons. One was very offensive and the other was defensive. Atropos dodged the gunfire from the aggressive one and attempted to retaliate with a hard punch. It connected as the bit was sent flying. The defensive bit came to its aid and bathed it in a nano-tech Cure Beam. Atropos took note, "So it seems I must attack the defensive bit first," she calculated. Atropos quickly changed her focus to the defensive bit, but it proved difficult to catch, as it was programmed to avoid direct confrontation. Luckily, Atropos took notice, "So I can't catch this drone with my base speed. Let's see how fast you are to avoid this," she said to herself firing off a speedy Rocket Punch. It connected and destroyed the defensive bit and it came crashing to the ground in a blast of sparks.

The offensive bit glowed red as it upped the ante and began using laser weapons. Many bounced off Atropos's body leaving small holes and burn marks. "Ow, damaged sustained, must counter-attack!" she said as she tackled the bot with a burst of speed from her boosters. Atropos's weighty frame crushed the bit and it joined its twin on the ground.

"Good, the drones have been dismantled, now to deal with Kyamites!" Atropos calculated. She quickly went on the offensive and tried to strike at one of the energy barriers, but she only received an electric shock as a countermeasure.

The barrier then slowly rotated and Kyamites was open, however, Atropos could not get an attack in before it shot a volley of destructive energy blasts that chased her. Luckily, she managed to avoid Kyamites shots as another barrier covered the machine. Kyamites then began a countdown, "5...," it announced.

Marle shouted strongly, "Atropos if it counts down, it will bring in two more drones!"

"Thank you for the data, Miss Marle!" Atropos said quietly.

Kyamites's shield passed again and this time it released a volley of explosive spheres. Atropos noticed, "Bombs? Perhaps my own Proximity Bomb program would work, but I need to get in close!" she calculated. Unfortunately, Kyamites explosives prevented her from getting anywhere near it. As soon as all the explosives went off another shield covered Kyamites and its countdown continued, "4..."

Atropos took the time to scan Kyamites and her scan revealed a depressing revelation, "Oh no, it's immune to fire, my Proximity Bomb won't work... A Robo Tackle will have to do!"

The shield moved again and Atropos took off with her boosters. She evaded Kyamites's laser blasts and with pinpointed calculations then she made contact. Her hard metal body tore a massive chunk out of Kyamites and the crowd went wild. Atropos backed off, thinking that was enough damage. However, Kyamites' shield moved again and its countdown continued, "3..."

"Error, not enough damage! Kyamites is only at half strength!" Atropos said aloud. "Then my Uzzi Punch will be the deciding variable!"

Kyamites sparked and sputtered as they released waves of electricity that zapped Atropos causing enough damage to make her kneel. The colossal machine's countdown turned again, "2..."

"I don't have much energy left. I can't continue if the countdown is achieved...," Atropos lamented. She used her Cure Beam to restore her body.

While Atropos recovered, Kyamites counted down again, "1..."

"It's now or never!" Atropos said as Kyamites surrounded her with a volley of bombs. She launched her arm into Kyamites's eye and as the explosions began her arm used its rocket boosters to act like a jackhammer and cave in Kyamites' eye into its body. Kyamites's shields vanished as the massive machine hit the ground, creating a huge dust cloud that added to the explosive's smokescreen. The crowd waited for the dust to settle as it could be faintly seen; Atropos pulling her arm back and reattaching it. The crowd went wild as Alice fell to her knees in disbelief. Crono and his friends cheered joyfully for her as she walked back triumphantly.

"Aaaaand there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The winner is Atropos! What an inflexible machine! Not even stopped or swayed by the fortress that is Kyamites!" the announcer jumped with excitement.

Atropos returned to Crono and his friends, "I did it, I did it!" Atropos chimed with a giddy dance. Marle healed her with her curative magic and brushed her off. Garet came back with a large red left arm with three fingers and a blue leg that almost resembled Robo's original right leg, but not quite.

"That was great Atropos, only two more to go!" Crono said with determination.

"Indeed, I will get ready immediately!" said Atropos as she finished her preparations.

Crono approached the front desk and demanded the next match from the clerk. Crono simply went to challenge the champion of the third tier right off the bat. The clerk said this was ill-advised, but Crono insisted.

Crono came back and Marle blinked curiously, "So, what did she say?" she asked.

"She said it wasn't a good idea to get so cocky, but I told her it was fine. She also told me there's a new champion in the third tier as the other one was just retired," Crono explained.

"Who is this opponent?" Garet interrogated further.

"Not sure, the clerk said they popped in from nowhere and just dominated like we're doing," Crono said, still holding confidence in Atropos.

"That's okay, this happens a lot," Atropos began. "The champions around here don't stay that way for long as many retire and earn enough money to leave this place. I haven't been updated on the new tier 3 champion though. I wonder what kind of machine it is? Hmm, well, it probably does not matter. If you will excuse me, I must go. My Prometheus needs my assistance!"

As Atropos left to once again enter the ring, the screens showing her face matched her up against what resembled a very human-like machine. Atropos entered and the crowd was left with mixed feelings about what was going on.

"I think we are making people mad again," Garet said cautiously.

"Screw'em, they'll get over it!" Marle said as she darted to the red corner.

The champion entered the ring and the opponent surprised her, "What is this? Why does this robot so closely resemble a human?" Atropos asked with astonishment.

The robot that stood before her had no human operator to occupy the blue corner, but instead took on both roles. The robot was shaped like a human female in green and white superhero-like attire. Like every machine here though she had suffered some patchwork here and there. Her false flesh was ivory in color and her false yellow hair was tied back into a ponytail. She had emerald green eyes that glowed with her smile and her ears were shaped like wings on an airplane. She giggled with a creepy uncanny smile, "Greetings, 'Atropos the Inflexible'! I am called, 'Galatea the White'. It is a pleasure to meet my predecessor," she introduced with a polite bow.

Atropos stood in awe, "Predecessor?! How can that be...?"

*End of Chapter*