”You're back! We thought you were dead! Well? What did you discover?” Doan said when Crono, Marle and Lucca climbed up the ladder.
They looked at each other.
Marle looked down.
”That this... is our future!”
Everyone in the room looked at them.
”Who cares?” A man said. ”Where’s the food?”
Marle picked up the sack with seeds.
”This is all we could get...”
Doan looked at it.
”Seeds...?”
Lucca looked at the people. They had been hoping for food. All their dreams of survival was probably crushed.
”Those seeds might be your only hope.”
”You have to stay alive!” Crono said.
”And so do we!” Marle added.
Doan looked at them stranger now then ever.
”Huh?
You're strange...
You're different from us...”
”I think it’s because we’re healthy.” Marle said.
”Heal-thy?” Doan repeated. ”Got a nice ring to it! We'll try growing the seeds...”
A little kid walked forward and pointed at the seeds.
”What're those?”
Doan looked at her.
”They just might be our future...”
Most of the people walked back to their corners.
”Do you know how to get to Proto dome?” Lucca asked Doan.
”Proto dome?” Doan repeated. ”To get there, you must cross lab 32. But I warn you.
It’s more dangerous than lab 16. And twice as big. There’s is a man living on the island to the south. I think he knows a better way. Talk to him. To get there, you must enter sewer access. I’ll show you.” Doan walked out of the dome, and Crono, Lucca and Marle followed.
He pointed just right to the big scary mountain. ”He lives there.”
Marle looked at the mountain. ”What’s that?”
Doan turned to her.
”It’s called the Death’s Peak. Stay out of it.”
Crono nodded.
”We’ll do. Now, where’s the sewer access?”
Doan pointed at a few small buildings close to the water.
Crono nodded. ”Thank you.”
Doan smiled. ”No. Thank YOU.”
”By the way...” Marle started. ”Can you tell me what these are?” She picked up the bottles they found in the food storage room.
”That’s... it’s... a... Let see... Medium tonic. Or mid tonic as most people call them. They can heal most wounds.”
”Thanks!” Lucca said. They said good-bye and started to walked against the sewer access.
It took about 30 minutes to reach it.
Once they got there, they could see that most houses was empty.
But they found one way leading down to the sewers.
Carefully, they climbed down on a ladder.
”It’s scary down here!” Marle exclaimed when they were down. ”Perhaps too scary...
Sure there isn’t any other way?”
Crono shook his head.
”I dunno. You don’t wanna go?”
Marle shook her head.
”I didn’t say that! As long as you two are with me, I’ll go.”
Crono nodded. ”Don’t worry.”
Lucca picked up her gun.
”Let’s go.”
The sewer they were walking in was a big pipe.
They tried to walk as far on the right or left side as possible, since there was a mysterious green water of the bottom of the pipe. If they listed carefully, they could hear the noises of rats and similar creatures. It didn’t take very long to cross the sewer, and soon they climbed up on the new island. Marle looked at the mountain, called Death’s Peak.
”It looks... more bigger now...”
Lucca looked at her.
”Well... We are closer.”
Marle nodded.
”Yeah, but... never mind.”
They walked to the dome, where the old man were suppose to live.
Crono opened the door and they entered the building.
In the first room, they saw a lot of computers, and screens. They continued to a room behind the first one. Marle almost scream.
On the middle of the floor, was a very strange creature.
It was egg-formed with two tiny hands and legs. It was all purple-blue.
In front of one computer was an old man standing.
He looked very strange. His cloth were completely different from the rest of the humans in this time. None of them did notice Crono, Marle or Lucca.
Crono walked forward.
”Hello?” he said.
No response.
The man walked to the creature and said something.
The creature nodded.
”I am pleased you think me worthy, o wise one! I await the your final program code!”
The old man sighed.
”Now, don’t go getting all emotional on me, critter! Back to work now!”
The creature nodded.
”Eh... Hello?” Crono said. But there was no answer.
They walked forward to the old man.
”Hello!”
”Schala... I’ve missed you so...” he mumbled something about.
”Death Peak!” Marle shouted.
”No!” the old man replied. ”You MUST NOT climb death peak!
Wouldn’t make it very far anyway! It has to be the right time... and... THEY... have to show you the way!”
Crono, Lucca and Marle looked at each other.
”Say!” the old man continued. ”Did you see my masterpieces? The Ocean Palace and the Blackbird? I’ve designed and built them both.” Then he returned to his work.
Marle stepped forward.
”Do you know how to get to Proto dome?”
”Schala...” the old man said.
Marle turned around.
”It’s useless. Let’s go back.”
They walked out of the building and down to sewer access.
 
While walking through the pipe, Marle asked:
”What did he mean with ‘they must show you the way’?”
Lucca shook her head. ”Don’t know.”
”I mean...”
”Shhh...” Crono interrupted them.
They all stopped.
They could hear a voice.
”Yeah... I saw them! They were three...”
”Busting through the sewer like they owned it!” a darker voice answered.
”Yeah.” the brighter voice said. ”They will be back soon.”
”Then let’s slice them!” the dark voice answered.
”Ahh....” the bright voice shouted.
”What?”
”They’re here!”
”Huh?!?”
As Crono picked up his sword, he could hear heavy footsteps.
Then, a giant bug appeared. It had two big claws, and a needle on it’s tail.
 
”Yyyeeeeiikkkss!” Marle exclaimed.
 ”HeHeHeHe.” the bug laughed.
”Explain yourself!” Crono said, and jumped forward, and stabbed the sword into the big insect.
”IIIiieee!!!!” It screamed, and smashed it tail on Crono. That made him fly straight into a wall.
”I wished I had more bombs!” Lucca said, and fired her gun.
The bug protected itself with it’s claws, and that took most of it’s damage.
The bug rushed forward and grabbed Marle with it’s claws.
”AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” Marle screamed.
The bug held the claws around Marle stomach, and pressed.
Blood came running down from the wound, but the bug didn’t let Marle out.
”Let her go!” Lucca screamed and fired a second shot.
The bug counterattack with it’s tail. It pierced Lucca on the needle and lifted her up.
The it swinged the claw and threw Lucca far away.
Now, it concentrated on Marle. It was focused on cutting her in two.
So focused, it didn’t noticed that Crono jumped up on it’s back, and stabbed his sword into the insects body. It screamed. Fast, Marle used all her might to grab her crossbow and fired a shot into the insects mouth. It dropped Marle, and she crawled, bloody, into a corner.
Crono made another stab, and this time through it’s head.
The thing fell down, hopefully dead.
Crono jumped down from the body and ran to Marle.
”Are you okay?”
Marle nodded.
But Crono looked for the wound.
”No you’re not. That thing held you... where’s the wound?”
”Gone.” Marle said and threw away an empty mid tonic bottle.
Crono smiled.
”I believe Lucca wants one too.”
Marle rose and ran to the place were Lucca had landed.
They lifted her up and put her in one corner.
She had a hole in her chest.
Marle spilled an entire mid tonic bottle on the wound.
It closed, and Lucca’s eyes opened.
She rose up.
”Eh... what happened?”
Crono smiled. ”You don’t wanna know. Let’s go.”
They hurried to the exit of the sewer access, and hoped they wound never see it again.

”Couldn’t he help you?” Doan asked when Crono, Marle and Lucca came back to Arris dome.
”No.” Crono said. ”He was a little bit busy.”
Doan looked down on the floor.
Then he suddenly looked up.
”Yes! Of course! Why didn’t I think about it before?”
”What?” Lucca asked.
”I’ll show you.”
Doan walked around the dome, and entered a little house on the back.
He opened a door, and inside was a strange metal object.
”This is my jet bike!” Doan said.
”Cool!” Lucca replied.
”I used to ride it when I was young.  I hope it still works... He’s the key.”
He handed over a key. Crono, Lucca and Marle jumped in, and Lucca started the thing.
She hovered it out.
”Good luck!” Doan shouted after them.

They hovered over the water, because lab 32 looked very unfriendly.
After a few minutes, they came to a new dome.
They all jumped out from the jetbike.
”So...” Lucca said. ”This is Proto dome!”
They entered it.
”Now, where’s the gate?”  Marle said, when they came into the first room.
”Why don’t you ask him?” Crono said and pointed at a small robot creature.
It was built up on two small legs, and one main body with one eye.
As they spoke, it woke up.
”You think it’s...” Marle started, but the robot fired an electric bolt on her.
Lucca shot it with her gun.
”No, I don’t think it’s kind.” Crono said.
They walked further into the building. Finally, they came into a room with a humanoid robot, sitting on the floor. It looked dead. Marle walked closer to it. ”Wh, what’s this?”
Lucca walked forward. ” It's in bad shape... ...but it appears to be a humanoid robot! Incredible!”.
She looked at it closer. Then she removed parts of it’s hull. ”I think I can fix it!”
Marle jumped up to the ceiling. ”What?! It might attack us!”
Lucca shook her head.
”I'll make sure it won't. Machines aren't capable of evil...” She looked down on the floor.
”...humans make them that way.”
Marle looked at her.
”Lucca, you... pity them, don't you?”
Lucca didn’t answer.
”Let me get to work now, okay?”
While Lucca worked on the robot, Crono and Marle looked for doors or even better... Gates.
There was a heavy metal door on the north side of the room, but it didn’t budge.
It took Lucca almost an hour to finish the robot.
”Right, that does it!” Lucca finally said. ”I'm going to give it some juice!”
She did something with it, and it’s eyes brighten up.
The robot rose and big sparks could be heard. It looked around.
”......”
Marle smiled.
”Good Morning!”
”Mo......” the robot repeated.
”Good morning, mistress. What is your command?”
Marle shook her head.
”I'm not your "mistress", I'm Marle!”
Then she pointed at Crono. ”...and this is Crono...”
Then she turned to Lucca.
”...and Lucca here fixed you!”
The robot turned to Lucca and nodded.
”Understood. Madam Lucca fixed me.”
Lucca shook her head.
”Just Lucca will do.”
But the robot didn’t agree.
”Impossible. That would be rude.”
Lucca looked away.
”Look, I hate formal titles! Don't you, Marle?”
Marle giggled.
”Yeah... Hate’em!”
The robot nodded.
”I understand, Lucca.”
”All right...” Marle said. ”Now what’s your name?”
The robot looked confused around.
”Name?”
Than he looked at Lucca.
”Ah, my serial number. It is R66-Y.”
”R66-Y? Cool!” Lucca exclaimed.
But Marle wasn’t that sure.
”No! That won't do at all!”
Both the robot and Lucca looked at her.
”Come on Crono, let's give him a better name!”
Crono thought.
”Well... He is a robot... Why don’t we call him Robo?”
”Robo...” Marle repeated.
”Robo... That's perfect! Your new name is Robo, okay?”
The robot blipped.
”I am... Robo. Data storage complete.”
Lucca looked around.
”Hey Robo, why aren't there any people here?”
Robo looked around, like he hadn’t noticed it.
”...
What...
What has happened here?
There WERE many humans and others of my kind in this dome.”
Lucca looked down on the floor.
”I think something awful happened here...”
Robo nodded.
”...
It would appear so. But how is it that you survived?”
”We came through a time warp from the year 1000.” Lucca explained.
”While exploring Arris Dome, we learned there was a gate here.” Crono said, thinking the girls took all credit.
”We found you when we came looking for the Gate!” Marle continued.
”But the door to the inner chambers is locked, so we're out of luck...” Crono added.
Robo looked at the door.
”The power is off. If we go through the factory up north,
I can pass through security and activate this dome's generator.”
Lucca looked supriced on Robo.
”You'd do that for us?”
Robo touched his hull.
”You repaired me. Now it's my turn to help you. But the generator won't run for long,
so someone must stay behind to open the door when the power's on.”
Lucca turned around.
”Marle, you stay here. Crono, Robo, let’s go.”
They pulled them out.
”Please be careful, Crono...” Marle whispered,

”That wasn’t very nice.” Robo said once they were outside.
”So?” Lucca said. ”Honestly, I don’t think she will be very useful in that factory.
You know with computer and stuff.”
Robo looked at her. ”I can handle them!”
”Maybe...” Lucca replied. ”But we’re not turning back now.”
Lucca jumped into the jetbike and turned it on.
But nothing happened.
”C’mon!”
She pushed the start button again.
Nothing happened.
”I guess that the power is gone.” Robo said.
Lucca hit the control panel.
”Yeah, right...”
”Then we’ll have to go...” Crono said.
Lucca nodded and jumped out.

The robotic factory wasn’t very far from Proto dome.
It took nearly an half hour to get there. Robo showed the way.
Carefully, they entered the factory.
In the first room, was a big computer, and all corridors were protected with laser.
Robo walked to the computer and pressed a few buttons.
”That will do it.”
The laser beams disappeared.
They walked forward into the building.
”So... is it still operational?” Lucca asked.
”Negative.” Robo answered. ”I don’t think so. There is no need for robots now.”
Lucca nodded. ”It didn’t look very dead on the outside...”
”We’ll find out sooner or later.” Crono said and took the lead.
They came to a room with two green plates in. Robo stepped up on the first one.
”You do like this.”
The green plate disappeared and Robo slowly sunk down below floor level.
”Cool!” Lucca exclaimed and did the same.
Even Crono followed.
When they were down, Crono saw that they were now in the main machinery room.
All machines were on and seemed to work well.
”Not operational?” Lucca said and looked at Robo.
Robo shook his head.
”I believe something is wrong.”
Crono nodded.
”Now where’s the reactor?”
Robo seemed to load some data (the robot way of thinking).
”Three floors below.”
Lucca checked for any elevators.
”How do you get down?”
Robo shook his head.
”I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”
”Then let’s find out.” Crono said and walk around.
They were on a metal balcony and had a rolling hoop below them.
On it, new robots were produced.
”I would say over there.” Crono said and pointed at a stair, on the other side of the room.
Lucca nodded.
”Yes, but how do we get there? There’s too much junk in the way.”
She was referring to barrels and other stuff who was placed in the way.
”Let’s find the crane!” Robo said and climbed down on a ladder.
Crono and Lucca followed.
They followed the rolling hoop and climbed up on an other ladder.
Robo entered a door.
In the room was a computer and a few chests.
”You check the computer, and Lucca and I check the chests.” commanded Crono.
Lucca opened the first chest.
”A mid tonic!”
And the second.
”One more!”
Crono opened a chest on the other side of the room.
”Cool arrows! What are these? Neo-electric? Marle would love them.”
Crono took them all.
”Any progress?” Lucca asked Robo.
Robo shook his head.
”Negative. There must be something wrong with this unit...”
In the same moment, two robots came down from the ceiling.
”Are they friend of yours?” Crono asked.
Robo shook his head.
”Proto 3. And they look very unfriendly.”
The first Proto 3 opened a few holes in it’s armor and fires small ballistic charges.
Crono evaded and tried to counterattack, but missed.
Lucca fired a shoot with her gun, and hit the first Proto.
It was thrown back, but seemed okay.
The second also fired a beam of ballistic charges.
Robo was too heavy to evade, and the shots threw him backward.
Crono dived with his sword, but the armor was too powerful to break.
Lucca fired a second shoot, and the first Proto exploded.
The second one boosted up it’s speed and tried to ran over Lucca.
But she had too much experience of this type of attack, so she evaded.
The Proto ran straight into the wall.
Robo gave it a powerful punch, and it broke.
”You gotta invite those again.” Crono said and holstered his sword.
They walked out of the room, and tried the next one.
This room was quite empty.
But there was a window on the wall who faced the factory.
Crono walked to it. He saw some controls there.
He touched them, and then a crane begun to move.
With Robo’s instructions, Crono lifted away all junk, and they could pass.
Crono was first down the ladder, followed by Lucca and Robo.
Robo showed the way to the control room.
From there, he shut off the protection lasers.
They went down an other floor.
”This is the reactor level.” explained Robo. They walked forward in a corridor, until they came to a locked door. Robo entered the password on a computer to the left.
Crono and Robo walked in.
”Lucca?” Crono shouted.
”Yeah. Coming...”
She came in with a new gun.
”What’s that?” Crono asked. ”And where did you find it?”
”It stood just outside, but I don’t know what it is.”
”A plasma gun.” Robo explained.
Lucca nodded. ”Cool. Is this the reactor?”
Robo nodded. ”Yes.”
They were on a metal plat, ten meters above ground. Around them was strange staffs they had never seen before. Robo pressed a switch. Then an alarm signal sounded.
Robo looked panicly around.
”Emergency! Security system has gone haywire. Must escape immediately!”
Crono nodded and ran out.
Then they saw the security doors were closing.
”Fast!” Crono shouted and ran through the first one.
Lucca made it, and so did Robo.
But for the next one, it was too late.
But Robo ran towards it, and stopped it with his hands.
”Hurry!!! Now!” he said.
Crono and Lucca jumped over him, and then he released the walls.
In seconds, they smashed together.
”Are you okay?” Lucca asked.
Robo spun around, but stopped.
He opened a few holes in his hull, and a puffing sound could be heard.
”Let’s go!” he finally said and they continued.
Once they came to the elevators, they didn’t work.
”They have been shut off.” Robo said. ”This way.” He led Crono and Lucca another way through.
Finally they came into a big room. In the middle of it, was six robots standing, identical to Robo.
”These are my friends! R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y! Good to see you!”
Robo said hello to every robot. Finally, one robot hit him.
He flied to the other side of the room.
”Wh, what are you doing?” Robo said.
”You are defective.” R-64Y said.
”You have been tained” R-67Y continued.
”Pardon?” Robo said. ”I'm malfunctioning?”
”Affirmative.”
Robo looked down.
”A defect... I'm a defect...”
”Have you forgotten our mission? All intruders must be eliminated!” R-69Y said.
Robo shook his head.
”THAT was my purpose?”
”You shame us! You must be destroyed!” R-69Y continued.
They all attacked Robo by tackle him with incredible speed.
”Robo!” Lucca screamed. ”Crono, Robo's getting whipped!”
”Please stop. Pl... ease...” Robo yelled as his ‘brothers’ smashed him.
”Robo!” Lucca screamed.
A robot took Robo and threw him up in a hole.
”Now to take care of the intruders...” one of the robots said.
Lucca pulled up her gun.
”No! Let’s take care of YOU!”
Crono draw his sword.
One of the robots tried to tackle Lucca, but she fired a shoot, and blew the robot away before it got too close. Two robot came running against Crono. He tried to evade, by jumping over, but failed. He was tackled into the wall, and lost his sword. Crono was fast up, and ran to get his sword. It had drilled deep into the wall. When Crono pulled it out, big sparks appeared.
”Nice.” Crono thought, and swinged it against the nearest robot. A big discharge of electricity appeared when Crono’s sword hit the robot. It fell, short-cutted, down to the ground.
Lucca fired another shot against the robots, but since they worked in team, they could easily evade the attack and make one theirselvs. Two robots crashed into Lucca on the same time, and she was thrown unconscious to the ground. The four remaining robots aimed for Crono now.
They attacked him on the same way, but Crono had now learned how to evade it.
He jumped up, and grabbed a balk in the ceiling. From there, he kicked one of the robots, and jumped down behind the other ones. He turned around and cut after them with his sword.
But the robots had already moved away.  In that moment, Lucca got up.
”Eeeuumm... wha...” she pick up her gun and fired a shot against the crowd of robots.
They scattered quickly to evade the attack. Two of the robots aimed for Crono and two for Lucca.
When the two robots came closer two Crono, he knew exactly what to do.
”Cyclone!” he screamed, and leaped forward and spun around with his sword pointing out.
This technique had only Cyrus mastered, but now it was no problem for Crono.
With the extreme power, he sliced the robots. Lucca fired a shot against one of her robots, and it was thrown to the other side of the room. One more to go.
The robot aimed for Lucca. It move fast around in the room to made it hard for Lucca to hit.
Finally she picked up something from her bag.
”Got a present for ya!”
She threw away a small object.
The robot looked down, trying to identify it.
Meanwhile, Lucca aimed with her gun.
”Surprise!”
BOOM!!!

Lucca looked into the cabin, where the robots had threw in Robo.
”Robo!” Lucca shouted.
Crono walked forward and looked in.
Lucca turned to him.
”They trashed him!”
She walked into the cabin and pulled out Robo.
”He’s in bad shape... I’m not sure I can fix him.”
Crono looked down disappointed.
”But let’s get him back to Proto dome for now...”
 

”C... Can you repair... me?” Robo said.
They were back in Proto dome. Marle was sleeping, Crono tried to and Lucca fixed with Robo.
”Shhh, don't talk.” Lucca answered.
Big sparks flied out when Lucca removed main parts of Robo’s hull.
”You... are trying to save our world?” Robo continued.
”I don't know how far we'll get, but that's the plan.”
Lucca made something in Robo’s head, so his eyes started to blink, but a few seconds later, It stopped.
”Anyway Robo, what are you going to do when you're repaired?” Lucca asked.
Robo first buzzed, then...
”What am I... going to do?”
”Yeah, I mean, what plans do you have for the future...”
”Lucca., no one has ever asked me that before!”

After a few hours.
”Good morning!” Robo said to Marle and Crono.
Both of them rose up immediately.
Marle looked at Robo.
”Robo! You're all right!”
She turned to Lucca.
”Lucca, you're incredible!”
Lucca corrected her glasses a little bit.
”I hope I never have to do that again...”
Marle giggled.
Robo turned to Lucca.
”Lucca, I have made up my mind.. I want to go with you...”
Marle looked at him.
”Pardon?”
”There is nothing left for me here. Together, maybe we can give this world a chance.”
He looked at everybody. They all nodded.
”Then let's go! The gate's up ahead!” Crono said and pointed at the now open door.
They all ran into it.
Inside was the gate.
Lucca opened it with the gatekey and all four stepped in.
With a lot of blue flashed and lightnings, the gate closed.

.

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