Chrono Corruption
Act 5: Revolution
Chapter 33: R-Series X
*Chronopolis*
"Damn it!" Crono shouted as he slammed his fist into the table. The computer console shook from the hit. Crono, Lucca, and Garet gathered around Belthasar.
Belthasar attached Robo's CPU to his mainframe and the screen went through Robo's memories and other data. "Now, now, there's no use in blaming yourself or anyone here for this," he said. "Remember, you are a King now, you will lose some of your people. You must stay strong, Crono. Luckily, Robo can be brought back."
"Is the circuit okay?" Lucca asked with great concern.
"It has some scratches and cracks, but the data appears intact," Belthasar said with certainty. "I'll transfer the data from this Prometheus Circuit and the two Atropos Circuits onto one brand new type of circuit. Then, all we'll need is a new body to place it into."
Lucca sighed with relief, "...Good."
The Prometheus Circuit installed into FATE's computer system spoke to the party, "Not to worry! I'll be better than new! Thank you for saving me guys. I have such great friends."
"This will only take a little while," Belthasar began. "So just try to relax for a bit."
With that, Crono and his party dispersed to try and relax for a little while. Crono noticed Garet and Lucca stayed on the fourth floor with Belthasar. He spoke to Lucca, who seemed a little withdrawn, "Hey, you doin' alright?" he asked with warm concern.
Lucca came out of her daze with a stammer and a light blush. She turned her eyes to the right to avoid Crono's gaze, "Y-yeah, just a little shaken up is all. I'll calm down in a bit. Working on a project helps me focus up. I'll stay here and assist Belthasar," she said anxiously.
"Okay, but don't push yourself alright?" Crono replied.
"Yeah, I'll be fine...," Lucca reassured.
Crono walked over to Garet, "Thanks for the save back there, Garet. I didn't know you could use the Aura Surge."
"Belthasar's experiments were not limited to mechanical enhancements," Garet began. "When I was just a soldier working for the military, I didn't even have access to Magic. However, Belthasar felt it necessary to expose me to the Frozen Flame during my procedures. That was the first time since my conversion that I felt... that kind of emotional stress again."
"Lucca has been studying it a bit since I first did it but we don't really have solid conclusions as of yet," Crono retorted. "...But it looks like one has to be exposed to the Frozen Flame and become overcome with emotion and stress at certain times all while having a strong need."
"Interesting, you put into words my exact feeling," Garet claimed. "I will... contemplate this more."
"I've been meaning to ask," Crono started. "How did you get chosen by Belthasar for the Grobyc Program? I mean, isn't this place super secret?"
"I enlisted in the Zenan Marine Corps. as soon as I graduated from high school," Garet started to explain. "They were working on a prosthetic program that was going to be used to rebuild badly injured soldiers. One day, we were investigating rumors of a building being occupied illegally by Dalton cultists and they rigged the building to explode. I was critically injured but remained determined to live. They placed me in the prosthetic program just as it had been taken over by Belthasar. Chronopolis was undercover as a military research facility right under the Regime's noses so they were able to get away with such things. So I was then rebuilt under the newly renamed 'Grobyc Program' as Belthasar called it."
"Whew, that's some story," Crono said with a whistle. "Anyway, I'm sorry about your platoon. They didn't make it did they?"
"No...," Garet replied coldly.
Garet seemed to withdraw a little so Crono dismissed himself and wandered around looking at computer monitors out of sheer curiosity. He found a small computer packed into the left corner of the room that was in an open cubicle that was raised three steps from the floor. Crono noticed a paused track on the monitor and curiously, he clicked it, causing it to continue. Unfortunately, only static played. Crono shrugged and decided to go check up on everyone else.
He wandered Chronopolis, daydreaming, "I wonder what everyone's up to?"
He took the elevator from the fourth floor down to the third as the only other room on this floor was the Rift Machine that would send them back in time. Arriving on the third floor took him to the Biology Department. Ty was inside musing over different chemicals as the Chronopolis staff helped him with the computer work.
"Hey, Ty, what are you up to?" Crono asked with boredom.
"Ah, Crono, thanks for giving me the... remains, of... well, myself," Ty laughed uneasily. "I managed to study it a bit and I was able to make a Zombie Poison from it."
"You can poison zombies now?" Crono asked astonished.
"Err, not exactly...," Ty said with a slump. "If I inflict someone with this poison, as long, as they are organic anyway, they will get a Zombie Curse on 'em. I can then hit them with potions and the like or you can just strike them down instantly with your holy spells. It's not exactly a complex strategy, but we have it."
"Yeah, you kinda struck me as the kinda guy who can't handle enemies like robots very well," Crono replied.
"Robots are pretty tough for me, as are most things that don't have organic systems," He began. "But I did speak to your robot buddy earlier and he told me that machines do, in fact, corrode. So with a little help from him, I managed to whip up Corrosive Smoke Bombs. I need to be careful though as these things are so nasty they make both organic critters, as well as inorganic ones, start dissolving! Pretty amazing stuff really!"
"Boy, never let it be said you don't do your job well!" Crono complimented.
"Yeah, I think about this kind of stuff all the time. I gotta cover my weaknesses!" Ty claimed. "Now if I can just figure out a way to handle elementals and spirits that should give me at least some ground against most opponents... even if it's just for support. It's embarrassing, but being in that necropolis quickly taught me that my Wind magic is entirely useless on ghosts, brr!"
"Ouch, Janus told me his Shadow magic is almost useless on Undead things too," Crono added.
"Gotta work around those hurdles nature throws at us once in a while!" Ty laughed.
"Say, have you seen Marle around?" Crono asked, changing the subject.
"Hmm, not recently, she kinda wanders the place like a ghost. I think she's bored," Ty started. "All I know is that Tomo and Ayla are bonding over food at the vending machines. Janus and Glenn are at the docks staring out to sea and meditating. As for Lex, he was here earlier talking my ear off but he left to go on more of a tour of the place."
"Thanks!" Crono said gratefully as he left Ty to his devices.
Crono decided to head down to the second floor. He went to the vending machines and sure enough, Ayla and fat Tomo were eyeing all the treats in the vending machines. They noticed Crono as he came in. They seemed to be in a good mood, "Crono, big box give treat! But it no give Ayla treat! Why?" Ayla said in frustration.
Tomo scratched the back of her head and blushed, "I tried really hard to keep her from breaking them open but I'm afraid that I'm not quite sure how they work either!" she explained.
"I think you gotta put coins into them," Crono said.
"Will our money even work? I don't think they use the same currencies that we do," Tomo asked curiously.
"Our coins are made from gold, silver, and copper, so I'm sure they are still worth something even in this time," Crono said as the metaphorical gears turned in his head.
"Oh, I got it! I'll see if I can make an exchange with someone, then we can use the machine!" Tomo said as she finished Crono's thought. "Wait right here, Ayla. I'll see if anyone wants to exchange currencies!" she said as she trotted off.
Ayla slumped and then rolled onto the floor as her belly rumbled, "But Ayla want food now...," she pouted hungrily.
"Don't worry Ayla, Tomo will be back in a few minutes," Crono said. "Hey, by the way, have you seen Marle around?"
"She wander like lost child, but Ayla not see for long time," Ayla said.
Then Tomo returned, "Hey, Ayla! The staff was really kind about exchanging money! We can get these machines to work now!"
Ayla pumped her fist, "Yay!" she cheered.
"That was fast!" Crono thought.
Crono left them with a smile as he continued his search for his wife. He went to the other side of the floor and came to the Geography Room. The Geography Room had a massive square-shaped monitor that was embedded into the floor and encased in protective glass. Its right and left sides were lined with smaller computers. Lex was here wandering around and studying the map of the world and how it changed through each era.
"Hey, Lex, you seem captivated!" Crono said as he snapped Lex out of his stupor.
"Oh, yes, well, I had no idea that the future of man would be so advanced!" Lex replied in awe. "When I was sailing the seas with Lady Irma I would try to make maps of the world around us so we could return to places we had been before. Lady Irma herself told me my navigational sense was invaluable!"
"Oh, so you're good at remembering directions? That's good to know!" Crono said with a smile.
"You know, you said that now I have a future since I had been rescued," Lex said with a tone of gratefulness. "But, I believe all I want to do is make maps of the world once this is all said and done. So I am taking notes while I am here."
"Great, I'm glad you found a new direction in life to pursue," Crono replied cheerfully.
"And I have you and your friends to thank for it! I am eternally grateful!" Lex said as he bowed his head like a knight.
Crono was unsure how to handle being bowed to, "Well, if I'm gonna be King, then I'd better get used to people doing that in front of me!" he laughed. "Oh, you haven't seen Marle have you?"
"Lady Marle?" Lex said as he stared off into space and then shook his head. "Hmm, no, I do not believe I have."
"Ah, thanks anyway," Crono said as he excused himself and left the room.
Crono went down to the ground floor and sighed a bit as he looked around for Marle. He passed the front desk, going to the left of the facility. He ended up at the docks where Janus and Glenn stared out to sea quietly and reflectively. Glenn sat with his legs crossed and Janus merely stood. They were each on their own pier. Crono could hear them before he reached them, "So, it looks like we are closing in on Dalton," Glenn was saying. "I certainly hope he does not awaken before we can destroy him."
"I had this premonition that he is waiting for us to come to him," Janus claimed.
"Premonition?" Glenn asked rhetorically. "So you 'were' napping. You told me you were meditating!" he laughed.
"...," Janus replied.
Glenn noticed Crono and stood up to greet him, "Ah, the future King of Guardia. How goes it, Crono?" he asked cheerfully.
"So what are you guys up to?" Crono asked curiously.
Janus interjected, "According to him, napping...," he replied.
Glenn chuckled, "Ah, simply talking about this whole mess. I spoke to Melchior earlier about how to purify the Grandleon."
"Oh? What did he have to say?" Crono asked curiously.
"He said that, in his time, he had crafted many swords," Glenn began. "But unfortunately, he had no idea. So we did some digging through history and these 'Dragonians' that Zelah had created apparently fashioned a weapon called the 'Einlanzer'. This weapon has purifying effects. If we could get a hold of it, it could possibly help me purify the Grandleon."
"That's great, we'll have to keep our eyes peeled when we go dragon hunting!" Crono said with excitement.
Crono's comment caught Janus's attention, "You found out what happened to the Dragon God?"
"Yeah, the museum we were in stated that there are six of them scattered through time and small cults follow them," Crono explained shortly.
"This is great news!" Glenn said with relief.
"I certainly hope that it does work, Glenn!" Crono said, hoping to instill confidence. "Um, not to change the subject, but have either of you seen Marle?"
Janus spoke without giving Crono his gaze, "Yes, she is in the stairwell. She said something about looking for a quiet place to read."
"Thanks, guys!" Crono said ecstatically as he left them to continue their conversation.
Crono left the docks and dashed off to the other side of the facility and made it to the stairwell. Crono walked up to the second-floor flight of stairs and Marle was sitting at the top floor step looking through some files. Once she heard Crono's footsteps echo off the walls, she looked to see who it was.
As always, she was excited to see her husband, "Oh, sweetie! Did you have trouble finding me?" she chuckled. "Sorry, I wanted a quiet place to read some of these files that I had a researcher print off for me. There was a computer in Belthasar's lab that had a special function to record possible timelines and what events could change. I had a researcher search for a possible timeline where Lucca ends up with Ty," she continued with a giggle. However, she quickly slumped in depression, "...it happens but none of them end particularly well..."
"Actually, about that...," Crono started as he raised his index finger. Marle paused, "Lucca and I talked for a bit while in the future and she wanted me to ask you why you're trying so hard to set her up with someone."
Marle quickly cast her gaze to the ground as if she were hiding something, "Um, well, because... I thought it would make me feel better.., about...," she continued holding back.
"About...?" Crono urged with squinted eyes.
"...Lucca..., still has feelings for you... doesn't she?" Marle asked sheepishly.
Crono was surprised at first but then gave it a thought, "Well..., she did act a little strange while I was with her last time. I guess she could be harboring a few residual feelings. That's troubling..."
"I knew it...," Marle sighed.
"That still doesn't answer my question though," Crono said getting back to the point. "What do you have to feel bad about?"
Marle laughed teasingly, "Oh, Crono, you can be so thick-headed sometimes... I! she said as she was suddenly cut off.
The alarm system went off as a small quake shook the facility. Crono and Marle dashed into the lobby. Alarms sounded as Janus and Glenn arrived from the docks. "What's going on?" Glenn asked loudly.
"It would seem we have been discovered...," Janus said calmly but louder than usual.
"Oh, no! What do we do?!" Marle panicked.
"You guys go see if Belthasar needs help," Crono began as he watched the big metal door closing to block the entrance. "I think I know who's here..."
"Crono, you don't mean...?!" Marle said as she was cut off by another shake.
"Go! I'll catch up!" Crono urged with a shout.
"Very well, Sire...," Glenn said with a smile, acknowledging Crono's command.
Janus, Glenn, and Marle took the elevator to the top floor to meet up with Belthasar. Lucca was panicking as the Prometheus Circuit spoke to her. "Almost done, Lucca. I just need another minute or two to finish copying myself to the new circuit so I can merge with the other Robo!"
"Ohhh, just hurry!" Lucca said with worry.
Everyone poured into the lab and Belthasar pulled up security footage from outside. A small fleet of high-tech destroyer ships landed on the artificial island and black triangular jet planes flew overhead.
Garet watched one of the security screens and a tall humanoid security robot with a white and blue color scheme stood between the facility and none other than Crono's dad, Caelus. "Crono's dad has entered the building," Garet said with warning.
"I knew this would happen eventually!" Belthasar started. "Everyone, to the Rift Chamber, it's time to leave!"
"Hold on, Robo's almost done!" Lucca claimed in a flustered state.
An explosion on the screen Garet viewed could be heard. "Caelus has destroyed the Polis Police! That was... fast," he said flatly.
When the dust cleared, Crono stood behind the remains of the shredded Polis Police and gave his dad a cold stare. "Son...," said Caelus eerily. "I've come to put an end to this little game of hide and seek."
"I'm sorry dad, but I'm not letting you through here!" Crono said strongly.
"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not here today for you and your friends," Caelus said, keeping his eerie calm. "I'm here to liberate the Flame from this place," he said with a quick sweep of his sword. He created a sonic boom and leaped over Crono. He took off with a dash with Crono in hot pursuit.
Marle opted to stay with Lucca to protect her while everyone else was ordered to meet Melchior in the Rift Chamber. Marle began to grow impatient, "Come on, Robo, can't you copy yourself a little faster?!"
"Just a little more!" the Prometheus Circuit announced in frustration.
Caelus cut through the big metal door and easily made his way through the lobby and to the elevator. Crono tried to keep on his tail but seemed to be only a step behind him. Caelus destroyed the elevator when it asked him to present the authorization card to go to the basement. He simply dropped down into the shaft with Crono missing him by a hair. "Daaaad!" Crono shouted angrily.
The remainder of Crono's friends packed themselves onto the Rift platform and Melchior began punching in buttons. Janus faced him, "You're not coming with us..., are you?" he accused quietly.
Melchior gave Janus a weak smile, "No, Janus. This is where Belthasar and I make our last stand. We knew it would eventually come to this, but don't worry, we know the future is in good hands. Belthasar and I..., have long overstayed our welcome in this world, Janus. Tell Gaspar I said... hello," he said as he pushed one final key with a small tear running down his cheek.
Janus breathed deeply and closed his eyes, "Very well, as you wish..."
With that, the machine activated one final time and opened a Rift, but because there were more than four people it could only send them to one place.
With a ding, the Prometheus Circuit had finished its process. Lucca grabbed the shiny new circuit from its port. "YES! Lucca cheered. She stored it safely away as both girls heard Belthasar gasp in horror. They went to his side and they too were horrified. "WHAT IS THAT?!" Marle shrieked as she gazed at the computer screen.
A massive robot came within view. It rose from the bow of an aircraft carrier. Its lower body was vehicular with large tank treads and it supported a centaur-like upper body with two large arms a torso and a head that resembled an airplane. Its design theory was that of the R-Series. It was covered in thick purple and yellow armor with cables and pipes all over it. "Prometheus, start the self-destruct sequence! As for you two, time to go!" Belthasar said as he rushed the two girls out of the room.
Lucca caught the door before he could close it, "Wait! What are you doing Belthasar?!"
"It's time for you all to put a stop to this," Belthasar said sadly. "We already knew they would find us eventually. It was only a matter of time. Now go, finish this. It's been a pleasure working with you Miss Ashtear," he said with contentment as he pushed Lucca out.
"Self-destruct sequence initiated! Password required for complete authorization!" said the Prometheus Circuit over the speakers.
"Belthasar!" Lucca shouted as she pounded on the door.
The door, however, was sealed and would not budge.
Crono then came up from the stairwell. He dashed up to them, "Where is everyone?! Did they escape?!"
"Yeah, but Belthasar is still inside!" Marle claimed in terror.
Crono took a deep breath, "If that's his choice, then so be it. We don't have time to convince him otherwise. He's leaving the future to us. Come on, we need to get to the Neo Epoch and get out of here!"
What was done, was done. Crono escorted the women down the stairwell and to the docks. They boarded the Neo Epoch and with a minor pause, started it and set their destination. The End of Time.
Caelus destroyed all the surgical-like robotic arms that bound the Frozen Flame and it flashed with power doing the rest of the work by itself and pushing away every obstacle like it was made of aluminum foil. Caelus levitated before its brilliance and smiled as Chronopolis began tearing itself apart around him. With a bright flash, Caelus retreated. As the Neo Epoch vanished into the fabric of time Chronopolis was then engulfed in an enormous explosion that completely wiped it off the map as well as the pages of history.
*The End of Time*
The Neo Epoch arrived into the void that was the End of Time. Crono parked the time machine where he would have docked the original Epoch, a small dock, stretching out from the haunting structure that seemed to float in the void. They disembarked to find everyone safe and sound except Robo, who still needed a new body.
Gaspar welcomed them, "Well, it's been a while, hmm?" he said as Crono's party crowded around. "You're all looking well considering the circumstances."
Crono approached Gaspar with a depressed face, "Sorry, Gaspar, your colleagues..., and friends, Belthasar and Melchior didn't make it."
Gaspar smiled, "I see. Well, let's not take their sacrifice and let it mean nothing. The Frozen Flame is free in all eras now. Dalton will soon awaken. The finale is fast approaching."
Marle sheepishly approached Crono, "Should we rest up a bit? Regroup a little?"
"Yeah, let's do that, then we go get Robo a new body," Crono said strongly. "And destroy the Central Regime!"
*Later*
After everyone rested up, Crono stuck with Lucca and Garet. "We're keeping a space for Robo. We don't want to create a party overload like what we did with Ty and Lex," Crono explained. He then faced everyone, "Well, if I'm gonna be King, I guess I should get used to making speeches, huh? Listen, everyone, we just lost our best resource and a lot of great, hard-working people who invested the best they had to offer into us. We can't afford to fail now. If we do, the planet's future..., no, all of its history, our history, will be doomed."
"Well said, honey," Marle said cheerfully.
"Lucca, Garet, you ready?" Crono asked strongly.
Both replied with confirmation simultaneously. The party boarded the Neo Epoch, "So where are we going exactly?" Lucca asked curiously.
"To 2305 A.D. I'm thinking Doan and Atropos can guide us in the right direction," Crono replied hopefully.
*2305 A.D. The Future, Robot Colosseum*
Crono landed the Neo Epoch near the Colosseum, hidden amongst the piles of twisted and broken machinery. The party quickly made their way into the Colosseum and went straight to Doan's office. Doan was filing papers and going through his computer. His face brightened as soon as the party entered. "Ah, hello! How are you? Is there something else I can do for you kids?" he laughed heartily.
"Actually, yeah," Crono began.
Lucca interrupted him, "Doan, this CPU is all that's left of our friend, Robo!" she said flashing the highly advanced Prometheus Circuit.
Doan's eyes widened, "The yellow R-Series?! What happened to him?!"
"It's a long story, but we need the R-Series' Blueprints so we can make him a new body!" Lucca explained.
Doan exhaled deeply, "Hmm, the R-Series' Blueprints? You know they are antiques now, right?"
"Yeah, we kind of figured that," Lucca said uneasily.
"Unfortunately, I don't know very much about the R-Series as a whole but Atropos might be able to help you more than I could!" Doan said energetically. "Let me call her in here!"
Doan called Atropos with a small device that emitted a signal to her. Within moments she arrived, "I got your message-!" she said as she quickly noticed Crono's party. "Oh! I didn't expect to see you in here!"
Lucca approached her, "Atropos, this circuit is all that's left of Robo, err, Prometheus!"
"What! That is awful! B-but at least it's his CPU! We can still save him!" Atropos said with determination.
"That's what we came here for," Lucca began. "Do you know where we can go to get the R-Series Blueprints and make a new body for him?"
"Certainly! However, I will do you better and tell you something good!" Atropos said with girlish excitement. "I did some research after Prometheus left and found out that the R-Series did not die out but in fact was intended to continue with plans called the 'R-Series X'! As you recall, when I fought Galatea, the White, she mentioned her android-type model was meant to be the replacement for robots like the R-Series. She was mostly right though and the R-Series X was never put into production. Luckily, their blueprints still exist!"
"That's wonderful! Where can we find them?!" Lucca asked desperately as she bounced on her tiptoes.
"Oh, that's easy! Doan, may I use your computer?" Atropos asked as she walked over to him.
"Be my guest," Doan retorted.
"Classic robot enthusiasts created web pages dedicated to digging up old robot designs and preserving them for historical value!" Atropos said as she brought up the web page. She took a moment to search, "Ah, here they are! Let me just download these, aaand! Presto, there we go! Now... comes the harder part..."
"What do you mean?" Lucca asked worriedly.
"Well, finding a factory that has all the tools and the molds is going to be... very hard," Atropos said sadly.
"Oh no!" Lucca moaned.
"The Central Regime wrecked many facilities when they bombed all the major cities they believed to house rebels. Then they just up and vanished. Many places are still recovering from the damage as nature engulfs the decimated cities," Atropos explained. "Now, mutated life forms stalk the ruins of those places while mankind rebuilt elsewhere."
"Damn that Regime!" Crono shouted angrily. "You mean to tell me they bombed multiple places after all?"
"Yes, they went mad and committed many horrendous acts," Atropos claimed. "That's why most places are like this Colosseum now."
"I swear I'll change this future," Crono said strongly with gritted teeth.
Doan cleared his throat, "I believe I know a factory that may be of use to you!" he said as he interlocked his fingers.
Everyone's attention was caught, "You do?! Where is it at?!" Lucca asked desperately.
"Have you ever heard of Lab 51?" Doan asked.
"Lab 51?! You mean that restricted place that the Regime had under lock and key?!" Lucca asked for verification.
"Oh, good, you have heard of it," Doan smiled. "Yes, before it became the secret lab that it was to the Regime it was the birthplace of the R-Series in the year 1999. Word has it on the world wide web here, that there is a lower portion of the factory that is underground. Some believe it's haunted and others believe that it is still simply operational after all these years and has been maintained by an AI that was stationed there."
"Yes! That's just what I wanted to hear!" Lucca cheered.
"...But do be careful, we don't know what lies down there," Doan warned seriously. "Many say that the Regime was building some sort of super weapon down there, but no one knows for certain."
"We have to go anyway, Robo's our friend and we can't just leave him hanging!" Crono claimed.
Atropos was moved, "Mister Crono, may I accompany you? I may be able to help with the process!"
Crono smiled, "Of course, you can! I can't say no to Robo's girlfriend!"
And with that, the party accepted Atropos into the party and excused themselves from Doan. They made their way back to the Neo Epoch and lifted off into the sky.
*Ruins of Lab 51*
Due to Crono's party changing history, Lab 51 was no longer hidden in a wasteland. Instead, it was hidden in a lush, dark forest. They landed just outside the twisted chainlink fence. They entered the quiet grounds of the facility and noticed that nature was engulfing the damaged buildings. Atropos scanned the area, "If there is a hidden underground portion of the factory then entrances must be all over the place. Let's see if we can find one."
Crono's party searched the area and they found some hatches that should lead underground, but many were jammed or covered with heavy debris making them unusable. Finally, they managed to find one hidden near some broken and rusted storage tanks near the back end of the lab's courtyard. It was hidden amongst the brush. "This one looks like it'll open!" Crono said as he jerked the hatch open. The squeak seemed louder because it was so quiet.
The party let themselves down and found they were in a labyrinth of tunnels. These tunnels were designed to be driven through with the use of vehicles. The party moved through the tunnels, getting lost, hitting dead ends, and picking up useful odds and ends until they finally reached a large mechanical door that was still operational.
Atropos approached the door, "Ah, this is it! Allow me, I will get the door!" she said cheerfully. The large metal door opened, "Hmm, that was... easier than I thought it would be," Atropos concluded with a sense of suspicion.
The party entered and found a factory that not only was operational but well maintained by service robots. Atropos scanned the area and the large crates that littered the shelves. "Ah, yes, this is it! All these parts are R-Series and R-Series X!" she claimed with excitement.
"That's great! How do we do this then?" Crono asked curiously.
"First, let's find the parts we need. We might find some already pre-built and some others we may have to construct," Atropos claimed.
And so, the party searched the factory for the parts that they needed and in a fair amount of time, they managed to gather what they needed and find a workstation that suited their needs. They found themselves in a hallway that was lined with robot assembly chambers. Lucca laid out every new part and Atropos checked off each part.
"These new parts look so cool!" Lucca admired with giddy joy. "The limbs are sleeker around the forearms and shins but more muscular in the upper arms and thighs. The joints are more robust as well! The body doesn't seem to have changed very much other than sturdier shoulders and the head has stayed mostly the same save for far better-looking eyes. That's okay, those are defining features of the series so I wouldn't expect much change here. Oh? What is this? The cooling tank on his back is replaced with this newer double ventilation system? I wonder if it can be used for propulsion as well?"
Crono and Garet stood by listening to Lucca's rambling as Atropos carefully loaded each piece into the chamber. She began with the frame and quickly filled it with the core and many odds and ends that included wires, circuits, and servos that seemed far sturdier and more advanced than Robo originally was composed with. A new core was installed in the abdomen and Atropos placed several fuel cell batteries into its inner chamber and then closed it. Then came the arms and legs which were simple by comparison. Watching Lucca and Atropos hard at work was almost like watching a dance that had been performed many times. Finally, the head went on and the newly painted yellow and silver armor plating was riveted on with some chain mail and leather decorations. Now the only thing remaining was the CPU. Lucca opened the head and the Prometheus Circuit fit like a glove. It was carefully installed and now a new Robo was but mere moments away from being activated.
"Whew! That didn't take so long now, did it?" Lucca asked rhetorically as she wiped her brow.
"Very good, the design holds up, he looks so..., solid," Atropos complimented.
"Heck yeah, he does!" Lucca added excitedly.
"This version of the R-Series was made for all sorts of heavy-duty jobs even including war," Atropos claimed. "We now have everything set, but unfortunately, this factory seems to be running on auxiliary power. We need the main power back on to give Prometheus the 'jump' he needs. Once he's running, his operating system will install itself and he'll be fully operational again!"
"So what do we do about the power?" Crono asked quizzically.
"It should be beneath us one floor down," Atropos assumed. "Mr. Crono, Mr. Garet, would you please go turn the power back on?"
Both agreed simultaneously and began searching the place on the opposite side for any way to go down a floor. Luckily, it was not hard to find and they climbed down. Many of the elevators were without power so they needed to make their way there manually. The second floor was barren save for the squatting vermin that made their home in these abandoned halls. After dealing with some of these vermin, Crono and Garet found themselves in a control room. It was the only room available.
"I will deal with the computer," Garet began. "Please flip the switch when I give the signal."
"Alright!" Crono said as he opened the big metal door and entered the large room. He walked across the catwalk to a large pillar that was obviously the core. A big red lever that was flipped down was just begging to be flipped.
Crono took his place and gave Garet a thumbs-up gesture through the window. Garet went to work and woke the sleeping computer. After activating the computer, Garet seemed a little lost. He then came to the door, "It says it requires a password," he said stoically.
Crono gave it some thought, "Naw it couldn't be... could it?" he thought. "Hey, Garet, try entering 'Zabie'."
Garet shrugged, "Very well," he said as he went back to the computer. He typed in the code and sure enough, the computer excepted.
"Really?!" Crono said as he rolled his eyes. Garet gave him the gesture to pull the switch. "Alright, here we go!" he said as he flipped it. The pillar glowed as power returned to the factory. Dim lights were replaced with fully bright ones and low beeps and hums were replaced with the sounds of hard-working machinery.
"Yes, that's what we needed!" Atropos said as she flipped a switch on the chamber and typed in a few keys on the nearby computer. A surge of power lit Robo up and he was now active. "Now we just wait for him to install his operating system and-!" she said as a huge rumble shook the place.
"What was that?!" Lucca asked.
Lucca left Atropos to watch Robo as she made her way back to the main central room. Crono and Garet had just arrived to meet up with her. In the back of the factory, a massive metal door that was decorated with caution lights and black and yellow lines began to open. When it finished opening, a massive robotic endoskeleton could be seen hanging in this restricted zone. The party ran up to it and gazed in awe at the massive machine. Lucca was hit with a sudden thought, "Wait, Marle and I saw this robot on a monitor just before Chronopolis blew up! This must be its early stages of development!" Lucca deduced.
"Which means!" Crono said, coming to a realization.
"Which means we have once again stumbled into a trap set by the Central Regime," Garet said aloud.
"How did they know we'd be here?!" Lucca asked quizzically.
As Lucca finished her sentence, a bright red light appeared from a Gate. It was the Frozen Flame and it levitated in front of the heart of the robot. Laughter could be heard as four figures appeared before them as the light of the Flame illuminated the room. Indeed, it was the four members of the Central Regime. Erebus Moore, Alena Wight, Bridget Burns, and Walter Frost.
"Well, if it isn't my four favorite slimy politicians!" Crono mocked.
Walter hissed, "Silence you heretic! It took careful planning to get you wretches out of that little clubhouse you hid yourselves in!"
"How the hell did you even find us at every turn?!" Lucca shouted angrily.
"Why it wasn't that hard at all my dear," Walter began. "Thanks to our computer satellites we were able to track temporal anomalies wherever they would appear, so when you returned to 2012 with your little time machine we were ready for you. You see, we knew you would go straight to the rebel's defense and find some way of tracking us. To our surprise, you took the damn R-Series with you. When our much more advanced version of the N-Z3R0 took hold of his systems, it made it so we could track his every move and thus, yours as well. When we saw you were headed to our safe house in the museum we sent Clotho via the internet to intercept. Techno Dragon and everything."
"Damn it! I knew something bad was going to happen because of that stupid virus!" Lucca cursed.
Walter laughed, "Even if you didn't take the R-Series with you we still would have had our satellites to track your little time machine. So it didn't really matter. However, in the wreckage caused by our warhead, we found a little surprise. The shattered remains of your R-Series immediately told us what your next move was. Without its CPU, we knew you were going to try and create a new body for it. So we had everything that was R-Series related moved to this lab. The one you were already familiar with! And you were so transfixed on repairing your little 'friend' that you walked right into our hands!"
Crono scoffed, "Ha! Joke's on you! You guys sprung your little trap a little too late don't ya think? We already restored Robo! So you're too late to stop us from doing that!"
Walter raised his brow, "Huh? How did you manage to rebuild him that fast?"
"Heh, we had some help you probably didn't account for!" Lucca sneered.
Walter set his gaze over to the hallway where Robo was being reactivated and saw Atropos peeking out. "So that's where she went... Clever girl... but it doesn't matter! Rebuilding your robot means nothing as we have a robot of our own! This 'little' fellow," he said as he threw his arm back presenting the large robot. "Is our Enigmatic Gigaweapon: Paradise X! And this machine, built from R-Series' design plans and parts will be our ultimate weapon to secure our place in this era for all time!" he laughed maniacally.
"You people really are crazy!" Crono accused as he drew his sword.
Atropos ran back to Robo, "Please Prometheus, hurry, your friends... 'our' friends, need you. 'I' need you..."
*End of Chapter*