Chapter XII: Future Imperfect

The inhabitants of the dome paid little heed to Crono, Marle and
Lucca. Other than the man who escorted them in, an old man
acknowledged them. Of course, they didn't expect the people to pay
them any heed after looking upon them. They looked broken and
aching, like wounded soldiers in a battlefield hospital. The very sight
caused Marle's heart to sink.
'So,' began the old man. 'Where are you from?'
'We came from across the ruins' answered Lucca.'
'WHAT?!?!' She may as well have said they came from Jupiter. 'Hey
did you all hear that?!' he addressed his people. 'We have people
who made it across the ruins from the east!'
That got their attention. Heads popped up, and all eyes turned
towards the party.
'What?!' queried a man
'Impossible!' declared a woman.
THey people arose and congregated about them. Thier weary,
pain-ladden eyes gazed upon them.
'No way!'
'Their lying! No one goes into Lab 16 and lives about it!'
'Well where else would they have come from?'
'I don't know but I gaurentee it wasn't from there. Unless they killed
all the horrible monsters that live there.'
The Old Man spoke up again. 'Excuse me,' He cleared his throat.
'I'm DOan, I guess I'm kinda in charge here, although there's really
nothing to be in charge of here. Anyways, this place is the Arris
Dome. It used to be the Info Center, but as you can see, we really
have no use for any of the info'
Marle spoke, Can you tell us how to get to the Kingdom of Gaurdia
from here?'
She may as well have asked them to grow wings and fly.
'Never heard of it' answered Doan.
'What about the Village of Truce.'
Doan shook his head. 'Sorry. The only places I know of are the Arris
dome, Proto Dome, and Trann Dome. Well and that Lab that yall
crossed.'
'You forgot about the Bangor Dome.' chimed a woman.
'ANd that Lab by Death Peak where that old Nutbag lives.'
'What old "nutbag?"' inquired a curious Lucca.
'Some old basket case. Goes on and on about some woman, and tries
to invent stuff, and all sorts of other stuff.'
'Take my adivse.' Said another man. 'Yall just best stay away from
there. You'd have to go into the sewer to get there, and that place is
crawling with all sorts of nasties.'
Something caught Marle's attention. As Lucca continued talking She walked over to a door upon the wall. Its surface was smooth with no visible hinges, locks or knobs. It was crafted of a metal that did not match the rest of the wall. It seemed to suck in the light and colors and was frigid to her fingertips. Something about it repelled her hands. Upon the door was an odd crest. Marle wasn't sure if it was a figure or a face. From one angle it looked like a person sitting before a star. From another glance it looked like the cold countenance of a gargoyle, with several horns and no features.
She tried to open it, but to no avail. A man walked over to her. 'Nothin can get those doors to open. We done and tried more times than anyone can count.'
'What's back there?'
'We don't know. We know there are others in the other domes.'
'We'll get it open somehow.' she rejoined her party.

'Thank you.' Stated Lucca. She turned to Doan, 'So what happened here?'
'Things have been this way for as long as I can remember.'
'Really? I hate to impose, but we came a long way, and are in need of some provisions'
'Yeah, so are we. I know yall are hungry, but as you can see we don't have any food. I don't mean to sound selfish, but that's just the way it is.' lamented Doan.
'So how do you guys survive?'
'That there Enertron. It sustains us, but it dosen't satisfy us.' He pointed to an object about the size of a phone booth. It had a rounded top, and two doors on the front by which to enter. 'Yall are more than welcome to use it.'
'Wait,' said Lucca. 'There has to be some sort of storage depot in here'
'There is, but it's down there.' Doan pointed to a round hatch in the floor. It stood in the center of the chamber, and a ladder hung down. 'It's heavily gaurded though. Any one who goes down there never returns. It's ironic though. The place is protected by caretaker robots, who won't let anyone through. By doing that, they are harming us, who we're supposed to protect.'
'So you guys have nothing but that enertron?' inquired Marle.
'More or less'
'You say this is an Info Center, where is all the data stored?' asked Lucca.
'There's a huge computer downstairs, not too far from the storage units. Anything you need to know can be accessed. As with the food, none of us can get to it.'
A woman spoke up from the group. 'My husband went down there to bring us some food, but that was monthes ago!'
Marle turned to Crono and Lucca. 'We have to help them. We have to go down there.'
'I know. We all need the food, and we can use the info center to find our gate.' replied Lucca. 'What do you say Crono?'
'I guess we don't have a choise do we now?' Crono looked upon the sad state of the people. 'Let's rest first. We've been through alot.'
The party stepped into the enertron. In a matter of a few seconds, they were completely refreshed. Crono's throat felt like flesh again. Lucca's knees no longer ached, nor did Marle's feet and back. Althought they were refreshed, they thought it wise to rest. They found a spot to rest and took a well needed repsite.
They awoke to find the place much as it was before they entered. The three headed for the hatch.
'Wait, are yall going down there?' asked a concerned Doan. He walked over as quickly as he could. His eyes were wide with anticipation and curiousity.
'Yeah. Of course!' answered Marle.
'No one's ever returned you are aware?' He looked upon them with pity. To him they were sheep asking to venture into the wolves' den.
'Yes. but we gotta try right?'
Doan heaved a sigh. 'It's so good to see such spirited youth. Please be careful.' He implored. Doan's demeanor shifted to that of parently concerned.
'Don't worry we'll be back.' affirmed Marle.
One of the listening residents came up to them. 'Take this.' he offered. The man held out a weapon, very similar to Lucca's flintlock, only centuries more advanced. It was samller but weighed about the same. It had a more angular and had a short, stout barrell, and a shorter handle.
'Is this what I think it is?' asked an accepting Lucca.
'This piece is kinda like that antique of yours, only with much more punch.'
She held it, and looked through the site and down the length of the barrell. She hefted it to feel how it felt in her grasp. She aimed it, and fingered the trigger. 'Nice! Thank you!'
'Come back safely now!' encouraged Doan.
'We will.' asserted Lucca.

THey descended the ladder into the dark unknown. Their footsteps echoed through the corridor into the chamber below. The air that surrounded them was cool, and dry. It was harsh to the throat as gritty, swarthy shards of glass. The rungs of the ladder were slick to their hands like ice. The corridor was as silent as a crypt. Not the skittering of any vermin or buzzing of insects could be heard, nor the dripping of a leaking pipe, nor the slow walk of a draft.
Crono wondered how it was he ended up where he was. As with every previous time, he had no answer to give himself. Marle found within herself a conviction she had never felt before. As a princess, she realized she had things better than most, nonetheless, that in no way diluted any sympathy she flet for those worse than herself. And the people she just met, were by far the worse she'd ever met. Lucca was very eager to explore the dome. She was excited to discover what new surprises they'd experience, and what new sights and items she'd be able to take in. Crono, Marle and Lucca came into an ill-lit medium sized room. It was perfectly symmetrical. On each side was a door, between them was a console. They went to the door on the right which was locked. Lucca looked upon the console intrigued by it. It was about belly-button high and filled with all sorts of switches, lights, dials and gauges.
'This looks like my telepod' observed Lucca. 'I bet this is what locks that door. Let me see what I can do'
Crono and Marle looked on in wonder as Lucca lowered her head and went to work upon the console. She turned every dial, threw every switch as she worked. Although she'd never seen such a device, that didn't stop her from throwing herself onto it. Lucca thrived on this sort of challenge. It was what drove her. Any type of mechanism, she'd disect and reassemble no matter how complex or foreign. After a good five minuites, she looked up at Crono and Marle.
'We need a password.'
They looked at her in silence.
'To open the door.'
'Oh. Okay.' replied Crono, unsure of how she came to that conclusion.
'I bet we'll find it over that way.' stated Lucca pointing to the ladder.
'Don't you think Doan would have it?'
'If he did he would've told us.'
They climbed up the ladder, up to a door. The door led to the rafters. The rafters were a cross-stich series of metal beams which were shakey and creaky like a building of legos. They could hear bits and peices fall from them as they walked. They were so narrow they had to walk in a single file. They took cautious steps, so as not to rattle the beams any more than nessescary. They followed the beams to dead ends, and to places where there were no beams, only open space and the long drop to the floor below. Marle tried not to look down so the fluids inside her head would remain balanced.
They came across an odd statue, well they figured it was a statue. Why it was there and how it got there was anyone's guess. It was about the size of any one of them, and looked like a rat running for its life.
They continued to a door. They found themselves in a large room. A blaring, ear-wrenching alarm sounded. The wail was as painful to the ears as an off-key trumpet call. The party looked about cautiously, but saw nothing, so they proceded to the door on the other end. They were about in the middle of the room when Marle looked up.
'CRONO! LUCCA! LOOK UP!'
A giant metal object, as large as boulder came plummeting down towards them. All three scattered at it fell to the floor, shaking the room with violent rumble. The were kcocked off their feet toppled to the floor like branches cast down by a rushing wind.
No one had any idea what it was that stood betweent them and their destination. The Gaurdian, as I am told it was called, resembled a cyclops' head. It was shaped like an earthen pot and had a giant eye in the center. The bottom was rounded and from it hung a monitor. Upon the sides were cylindrical turretts. It hung a good two feet above the ground. Two smaller spherical companion pods dropped down as well and levitated and prowled about the room.
'Crono! Lucca! What is this!?'

'Marle!' shouted Lucca. 'Come on! Let's take it out!'
From the central eye, a wide, sweeping beam of energy shot across the room. Crono Marle and Lucca ran around to the other side where they were faced by the companion bits, which also opened fire. They scattered again and faced more fire from all three. The barrages managed to keep the party seperated and disorganized. They dodged about, unable to regroup due to the constant fire.
Lucca stopped and fired at the central Gaurdian. The recoil of the pistol nearly knocked it from her grasp. The two companion bits fired a beam into the central eye, which absorbed the energy and spewed it at Lucca with 50 fold energy. She dove as the collum of energy knocked a hole in the wall.
Marle shot a bolt at one of the bits. It retorted by sending a blast to the central eye, which sprayed it back at Marle. She felt the hairs on the back of her shoulders singe as she dodged.
Crono knew they had to regroup, but realized that was nearly impossible.
'I'll take the big thing, you two deal with the smaller ones!' Ordered Crono.
They all attacked at once. Crono leapt upon the central Gaurdian. He swung away at the central eye. His strokes resonated throughout his frame as his sword stung upon the hard metal surface. Lucca got off three shots and took to flight. Marle landed one and ran as well.
'Marle, switch me!' shouted Lucca.
THey ran for each others targets. Lucca dove beneath a searing stream of energy, rattling off as many shots as she could through the blanket of fire. She rolled under the gaurdian bit and plugged it, point blank with an intense volley of shots. The bit stuttered and trembled and fell to the ground, silent and broken.

Crono leapt off as he felt it swell with heat. He ducked under it tearing his blade into it as it fired. Realizing Crono was under it, the Gaurdian dropped. He rolled, but it caught his tunic tearing it from his body. He arose and attacked the backside. It pivoted about and he ran along side it. The Gaurdian stopped, and reveresed, wheeling around as swiftly as a soldier turning an about face. It fired point blank. Crono hit the ground in exhaled. He felt the blast burn a few of his hairs, and felt his heels become as warm as an oven. He slid to the side, arose and attacked it again.
Marle straefed getting off what shots she could. She fired as she ran towards it. It fired a constant barrage at her. Marle hopped back, fell to a knee and took aim. Her persipration stung her eyes, and her crossbow weighed as heavy as a house. She launched a bolt between bursts. It's flight seemed guided and landed directly into the barrell. When it fired again, the bit burst open like a mellon struck by a mallet.
All three turned their efforts toward the central Gaurdian, laying into it, everything they had. The Gaurdian absorbed their offense, but mounted none of it's own. Five high pitched, ear-piercing pulses sounded like trumpet blasts from it. After the fifth one sounded several weapon bays opened. Lucca's eyes grew wide with horror as the projectiles came hurtling out in every direction, much as Yakra's needle attack. The room was shaken venhemently like meteor struck the room. Plumes and billows of smoke and fire filled the chamber and enveloped their lungs. When much of the tumult subsided, Lucca could hear the humming and wizzing of two seperate mechanisms. Through the smoke she saw the cutting beams of the Gaurdian and one companion bit.
'Crono!' shouted Lucca. 'Attack the central bit! Marle take the smaller one, I have an idea!'

Marle stood across the room, and fired at it to draw it's attention. Crono did as best he could to occupy the Gaurdian. Lucca worked her way behind the bit. She fired point blank, and struck it with her mallett, exposing the wiring. She reached in, and pulled out what wires she could. She crossed others, and switched some about. As a final measure, she spat into the hot wiring
The bit went beresek, firing wildly like a drunk cowbow. A couple beams struck the central bit. It turned and fired upon the gaurdian. The bit returned fire. The two exchanged fire like angry guests on a trashy daytime talkshow.
Crono, Lucca and Marle ran into the next room as a searin explosion josteled the room.
'I'm glad that's over!' huffed Lucca.
'And to think, those things were supposed to protect us!'

They rested for a bit. Crono lay flat upon his back, still as a stone. Lucca considered all that they had gone through. They were far too winded to realize that the room reeked of rotten meat and decaying flesh. Both Crono and Lucca were too weary to realize what Marle did.
'Hey guys, we're here! This is the food depot!'
They stood up and took in deep breathes. 'This place reeks!' cringed a disgusted Lucca. She looked about. 'THe storage system must have failed everything's rotten!' There are certian scents and sights which should never beseige one's senses. Aromas and sights that simply devestate the spirit and disturb the body like a plague would chastise a country. Such a scene faced Crono Marle and Lucca. They looked upon it with hearts bleaguered by the room. They were far too late to have done any good. The people were standing before Dante's gate.
They looked with heavy eyes upon the moldy, decayed fruits, brown raw meats, and everything else. The system looked like a junkyard. What hadn't been pillaged by the rats and roaches stood in the open. Half-eaten raw meats and breads covered in mold like leper boils, were strewn about the room.
Had Marle's stomache contained anything, she would have expelled it's contents. She gasped when she saw a man, crouching upon the ground, long dead. He looked like a wilted flower, slumped over, without any sort of hope in his form. She ran over to it. 'I'm sorry.' her sank as she said to him. Crono and Lucca went up to them.
'Hey he's holding stuff!' observed Lucca.
'What is it?' asked Marle to a crouching Lucca.
Lucca pulled from it's limp grasp an open packet of seeds and a soiled piece of paper. 'Seeds.'
'Will they grow in a place like this?' wondered Marle.
'I don't know, but it's all there is here.'
'If nothing else, it's worth a dry.'
Crono took the paper and read what was scribled upon it. '"The rat is more than statue. Catch it, for it holds all the secrets to this dome"'
'Come on!' spurred a renewed Marle as she pocketed the seeds. 'Let's get it!'
Crono didn't feel like pointing how they were ignorant as to what they would be getting themselves into, but it is unlikely that would've made any difference. The three walked through the broken remains of the Gaurdian. Sighing to herself, Lucca would've loved to have studied it in great depth. She pocketed a few of the circuit boards, and drive units and what she could. She'd have to give it to her father for further examination when she got the chance.
They stepped back onto the rafters, and sitting as though it was watching all had unfolded, was the rat.
'There it is!'
Crono shot off like a bullett, unconcered that the rafters shaking like ocean waves beneath his feet. He ignored the sharp cramps in his calves, and the knots that made his arms difficult to swing. He persued down one stretch, following it as it leapt to another beam. Marle and Lucca branched off, each choosing different beams to run upon. They chased it like hounds in pursuit of a fox. It leapt from beam to beam like a slick fleet-footed grifter. They ran over every stretch of suspended steel.
Marle ran into a dead end. Crono and Lucca convereged upon it from opposite ends. Seeing the gap narrowing from both sides, the rat took to flight. Crono and Lucca collided, nearly knocking each other off of the rafters. Marle saw it sail by her. She took a three hard steps and leapt as well, capturing it in midflight like a bird of prey. She landed upon another beam, only to have it slip out of her grasp and begin to run again.
The chase began again. The rat was blazingly fast while it ran straight, but was severly lacking in turning and cornering. Crono realized they'd have to take advantage of that. Lucca followed behind, gaining ground on it. As she neared, it agumented it's speed; Lucca grew weary. In a last ditch effort, she dove. Her fingertips scraped the tail and it leapt again just out of her reach. Crono approached from the front as Lucca fell. With a mighty bound, it leapt clear over a grasping Crono.
As soon as it touched the ground, it turned the corner. The rat took one step and was swept up into Marle's arms. She wrestled it to the ground as it's feet kicked furiously in effort to escape. She pinned it down as it tried to slip free.
'Why'd you run from us!?' asked a determined Marle
'Alright! Alright!' squeaked the rat. 'I'll tell! I'll tell!'
Crono and Lucca regained themselves and cought up with Marle.
'The password is "L, R and A. Hold the first two and then press the third. If you don't do it right, you'll be sorry!'
'Is that the truth?!'
'It is I sware!'
'Lucca, Crono, did you two hear that?'

'Yeah we did.' replied Lucca.
She released and they headed back to the Console. The password given worked, and they found the door once sealed to be wide open. They entered again to find another dark, musty passage. They heard the metalic grinding of gears, and the rolling of wheels. They saw the red visual sensor lights of a dozen patrol robots. Beneath that was the skittering of rats and bugs.
The party walked along side the walls so as not to be detected by any of the Watchmen. Thier steps were light and their breaths were shallow and swift. The three came onto a catwalk which gave them adequate space above the robotic sentinels. The walk lead them to another console. After the input of the access codes, another door was opened.
The three came onto a massive computer. The screen was as wide and high as a garage door. The console was as large as a couch. Neither Crono nor Marle could make heads or tales of it. Lucca looked at it like a fifteen year old eyeing a classic mustang.
'This must be the data storage unit Doan told us about!' exclaimed Lucca. She cracked her knuckles and neck and looked at it not knowing where to begin.
Lucca attacked it like a hungry lion. 'Alright, let's see....' She trailed off muttering to herself some technical jargon that may as well have been farsi to Marle and Crono. 'If I regulate this module, and tweak this diode, and access this primary avenue, and...' The other two looked on. Marle gazed in amazement at Lucca's inate ability to disect anything mechanical. Crono however watched in confusion as to what she was doing. He kept a fast grip upon the hilt of his sword. Given the what happened with their recent encounters with machines, he was overly weary that it would attack them. He looked at Marle who watched Lucca work. She seemed very intrigued by her. If only Marle knew of all LUcca had put him through.

The deep black screen began to flicker like a torch harassed by a passing breeze. It buzzed like the hazy static transmission of an old radio. A picture began to materialize like a phantom rising through the thick morning mist. The picture began to clear up and slowly the image of the landscape appeared. They were given a view of the entire land. Overlaying the image were thin gridlines.
'Alright' began Lucca like a professor starting a lecture. 'See where that yellow box is? She pointed to a large dome on the screen that was cornered by a flashing yellow box. 'It's right there in the middle.'
'Yeah I see it.' replied Marle. 'What about it?'
'That's where we are right now. The Arris dome. Now. If I run a search on energy gates, this will tell us where to go.'
Lucca bent over the console and her fingers drummed upon the board. The unit hummed and buzzed. The screen shifted west to showing another branch of the land. The yellow box cornered another dome highlighting it.
'Right there. The Proto Dome, I believe.'
Lucca turned and faced Crono and Marle. She had the air about her of a peacock flaunting it's plume, totally full of herself. Crono looked on with a slack jaw, as he often did after witnessing Lucca at work. His grip losened upon the hilt. Marle was as thrilled as a fan at a football game; in absolute awe of what she just saw. And Marle did nothing to deflate her ego by saying
'Wow Lucca! You're amazing! I bet you can find anything with this!' Marle went over to Lucca and the console. 'That was incredible!'
Lucca forwent the false modesty she feigned last time. 'It was nothing, well for me at least.'
Curiousity got the best of Marle as she spied a large red button at the far end of the computer. 'Say, what does this button do?' Beofore Lucca could answer, Marle pressed it.

End Chapter