Chrono Trigger: A Retrospective, Chapter 9
In our world, every storm has an end. Every night has a new morning. What's important is to trust those you love, and never give up. We must all keep hope alive...
Chapter 9: Some Unfinished Business
"So! Looks like you were successful!" Gasper says. "No, don't thank me. I didn't do a thing. I just gave you a place to begin. If you really want to thank me, make me a member of your team! By the way, the Wings of Time has come looking for you. It seems to have a heart and mind of it's own." The Guru of Time pauses. "You wish to fight Lavos, correct? Many paths lay open to you. You may fly the Wings of Time to "The Day of Lavos" or there's the Black Omen which floats in the sky above your world. Lavos is somehow connected with it. It's up to you to decide when and where to fight Lavos. By now you must realize you are the only ones who stand a chance against him. However, you will not be alone. I have had vague glimpses of events, people and places that will empower you." Gaspar clears his throat. "In the Middle Ages, a woman's sheer determination brings a forest back to life... A fugitive in the Middle Ages, Ozzie, maintains an evil hideout... There's a task to be done in the Future where machinery originated. And there's a very special stone that can shine its light on each generation, from the distant past to the far future. There's the ghost of a lofty knight, slain by Magus in the Middle Ages, who haunts the Present. There's an object in the Middle Ages that sparkles like a rainbow. One of you is close to someone who needs help. Find this person... fast. Just as you touch the lives of every life form you meet, so too, will their energy strengthen you. Fail to live up to your potential, and you will never win. I am sorry that I must simply witness the coming spectacle from my vantage point here.
Now that the group has successfully brought Crono back from the dead, they head off to investigate the numerous events that Gaspar hinted to. Their first stop; the woman from the Middle Ages trying to restore a forest. They hop in the Epoch and travel back in time to see if they can help her.
As they explore the Middle Ages looking for a clue as to who might need their help, they come across the vast desert of the Southern Continent. A strange vortex is now visible in the sand near a small villa where a woman named Fiona lives. As the crew disembarks from the Epoch, they visit Fiona’s home where Fiona and her husband are celebrating his return from the war. They inform the group that there are monsters within the desert caverns, and the key to defeating them is their weakness to water. They then allow themselves to be swallowed by the vortex and descend into the subterranean cavern. After fighting many desert dwelling creatures, they eventually find the cause of the expanding desert. A deep rumbling shakes the cavern. Marle asks "What was that?" as a large skeletal creature rises from the sands.
"Retinite... He's being this new desert." Magus says knowingly.
"But how can one find a monster that roams the inner earth?" Marle asks.
The monster rises and then buries itself in the sand quickly, and it requires speed and timing to eventually get the drop on it. Once they corner Retinite, they engage him in battle. As they attack his 3 part form with water magic, his body cracks and becomes easier to damage. As they take out his lower legs, then upper body, eventually only his core remains which they then dispatch as well.
Returning to the Villa, they inform Fiona that the monsters will no longer trouble them. Fiona thanks them but laments that it will take centuries to reverse the effects of desertification on the forest. Upon hearing that, Robo decides to volunteer to help replant the trees, telling them to come see him when the job is done. As they leave, they can see Robo tilling the fields and spreading seed on the soil.
Travelling to the Present, the team sees that where once was arid wasteland, a beautiful forest now grows in its place, along with a shrine which has been built. Within the shine they find a number of nuns who reside there to give thanks to Fiona and Robo for restoring the woods 400 years ago. There is an altar where the deactivated remains of Robo are enshrined. As they boot Robo up again a series of beeps and clicks indicate his return to operational status. "Systems reactivated. Wh, where am I?" Robo asks. "Ahh... Crono, how nice to see you. For you it was a quick hop, but for me 400 long years have passed. The effort was worth it! The forest has grown back! Now, let us celebrate our 400th year reunion."
That night, all 7 members of the team sit around a campfire in the forest, talking.
"After 400 years of experience, I have come to think that Lavos may not be responsible for the Gates." Robo tells the others.
"What do you mean?" Marle asks.
"I have come to think that someone, or something wanted us to see all this." Robo elaborates. "The different events over time that we have witnessed. It is almost as if some entity wanted to relieve its past."
Ayla squats in front of the campfire. "Ayla know! When people die, elders say, see whole life pass by!"
Frog joins the conversation as well: "'Tis true that mortals do relive their most profound memories before death claimeth them. Yet those memories most often are sad ones."
Robo continues: "Thinking things like, "If only I had done this," or "I shouldn't have done that..." triggers unpleasant, old memories."
"Will that happen when our time comes?" Marle wonders.
"Probably... who knows?" Lucca answers.
"Is there a point in time you'd want to return to, Lucca?" Marle asks.
"No... not really..." Lucca stutters.
"I'm sorry, was that something I shouldn't have asked?" Marle adds.
"It's ok, it's just something I don't like to think about too much." Lucca says and starts tinkering with Robo.
"Lavos playeth an integral role in the fortunes of this Entity..." Frog muses.
"So who is this Entity?" Magus asks.
"It is unknown whose memories these are. It may be something beyond our comprehension. Our journey may come to an end when we finally discover the identity of the Entity. Shall we turn in for the night?" Robo inquires.
As the group slumbers, Lucca wakes up. Sneaking off from the others, she finds a Gate in the woods, and activating the Gate Key, she goes through it. Stepping into her own bedroom, she asks herself: "Did I make it back... to that moment?" She reads a journal entry on the floor: "6/24/990 AD Dad promised to go hiking with me, but blew me off again, due to his work. I hate science! I loathe it!"
Heading into the kitchen Lucca finds another note: "The password is... the name of my lovely wife. Use it in an emergency." -Taban
Stepping into the living room, Lucca, hiding behind the bulk of a large invention taking up the centre of the room, spies her younger self and her mother. "What IS this thing?" Lucca's mother Lara asks. "Taban says to keep away from it, but it's so dusty. I'll just..." As she steps on the conveyor belt of the large machine, she yells "Dear me! My skirt... it's... I'm STUCK! Lucca! Lucca, HELP!"
Lucca's younger self runs over to her mother. "I can't pull it out."
"Lucca! Enter the password! Stop this machine!" Lara screams.
"But I don't know it, mommie!" the young Lucca cries.
The older Lucca stealthily sneaks over to the controls of the machine and inputs the password without being seen by her mother or former self.
"Thank goodness, mommie." the child Lucca says.
"Lucca, oh Lucca!" her mother says tearfully.
As Lucca becomes overwhelmed with emotion she returns to her room crying. The new timeline has different journal entries now. "7/2/990 AD I feel like I've learned something! I'll study machines now. There'll be no more accidents around here." Lucca heads back to the Gate and returns to the Present. On the other side, Robo is waiting for her.
"Lucca, you've got a kind heart. You're always thinking of others." With that, Robo opens up his inner compartment. "This is for you. It's a piece of amber I created using the sap from a tree in my forest. It took 400 years and a lot of pressure to make! I hope you'll find it useful." He hands her a powerful looking artifact called the Green Dream.
"Robo... you're so sweet." Lucca says.
The group now boards the Epoch, ready to tackle the next adventure, searching for Ozzie's new hideout. As they fly the Epoch across the Middle Age landscape, they spot a landmass North East of Magus's old fortress. A familiar looking tower rises above a dark mountainous terrain. Entering the base of the tower, the group finds the interior of a castle, with statues, candle stands, and a stairway with red carpet inviting them inside. Ozzie himself stands at the head of the stairs. "Come on in! This's the Great Ozzie's place." He says confidently. As he takes a look at his guests, his tone changes. "What the...! Whoa!! You're the great Magus!" he yelps.
"You're doing well, Ozzie!" Magus says calmly.
"The nerve!" Ozzie yells. "Deserting your fellow Mystics to serve these humans! You're a traitor! You're not our King! Why did you desert us?" As he says those final words, he retreats to the back room of the fortress.
"You pesky, low down, good for nothings!" Ozzie curses. "Oh I'll have you begging for mercy. Flea!" As he calls for him, the magician Flea appears, his cape swirling with a magical breeze.
"You sent for me?" Flea asks. "Well, if it isn't Sir Magus. Who'd you bribe to get in here? Traitors like you deserve a beating. Oh great Ozzie, stand back and let ME take care of these cretins."
"I'm counting on you, Flea!" Ozzie says and retreats further into the fortress.
"Get ready for a SLAPPING good time. Get it?" Flea jokes. As much as he puts on a brave face, Flea finds himself quickly overcome and retreats in the same direction as Ozzie.
As they pursue their quarry, in the next room Ozzie wait for them. "You still haven't given up?" he asks. "Well, how about a good thrashing! Slash!!" As he calls, Slash materializes in front of him.
"Yooouuu rang?" Slash says.
"Slash, don't let me down." Ozzie orders as once again he retreats further into the fortress.
"At first I really didn't want to slice and dice ya, but now it sounds kind of fun!" Slash threatens as he draws his sword. "Ready?"
Nearly as quickly as Flea, Slash soon realizes he faces an overwhelming assault and retreats.
As the trio enters the next chamber, they find the 3 villains putting up a final combined assault. "Heh heh. Not so fast, friends." Ozzie gloats. "I'm not going to make it that easy for you. Ozzie Pants!"
"Flea vest!" The magician adds.
"Slasher 2!" The swordsman finishes.
"These unique items make us INVINCIBLE!" Ozzie yells.
Now dealing with the combined techniques of the 3 outlaws, the heroes manage to relieve them of their unique equipment and dispatch Slash and Flea, leaving Ozzie to once again flee to the rear of the fortress. Once they enter the final room of the mansion, they see Ozzie standing beside 3 switches. "Magus!" he yells. "You lied when you said you wanted to create a world of evil! You used me!"
"Oh how dreadful." Magus says sarcastically. "Say, can you hear that? It's the sound of the reaper."
"I can't lose! What would become of my Mystics?" Ozzie cries. "I MUST win!" As he says that, he casts a spell which envelops him in a defensive ice shield. Remembering the trick from last time, the heroes attack one of the switches on the back wall instead of Ozzie directly. "Hahaha! Gotcha!" Ozzie says. The group is surprised when suddenly a trap door below them is opened, and they fall to a lower level. "Adios, amigos!"
As they retrace their steps, they find Ozzie standing in front of the same switches. "NEVER! You will NEVER defeat me!" Ozzie states defiantly. As they prepare for battle, all 4 hear a meow. A yellow cat suddenly appears before them all, and walks over and flicks the 3rd switch on the wall. "N... no! Not THAT switch!!" Ozzie yells. Suddenly a trap door opens below him, and he disappears from sight.
"The past is dead. It was all just a dream." Magus says poetically. That being that, the group leaves Ozzie's Fort in search for their 3rd objective, the one involving the Future and machinery.
As they travel into the desolate future, they scan the remains of what is left after Lavos's apocalyptic attack and find a factory called Geno Dome still standing on a far isolated continent due South East of Death Peak. As they enter they see a computer bank next to a secure door. As Robo interfaces with the technology, a voice comes over the loudspeakers. "Who enters here unbidden? Oh..." it says. "Welcome home R-66Y. Or should I say, Prometheus?! You dare to defile this place with humans? I haven't seen them in ages. Let me... welcome them. Come closer." The reinforced door to the right of the screen opens up and the party enters the factory.
Ahead of them is a large conveyor belt and the loudspeaker announces: "Let's see just what you can do..."
The adventurers step onto the conveyor belt and move forward, and several waves of robotic enemies attack, each more difficult than the last. Clearly they're being tested. Once they reach the end another reinforced door opens for them and the voice says "Not bad... for humans. But can you find your way to me?"
Once on the other side of the door they find a large complex with multiple pathways and rooms. The voice continues: "300 years ago the Lavos disaster greatly changed the planet. At this rate humans will die out from pure despair." They come upon several locked doors which happen to be near energy pods which charge Robo with electricity. Realizing that if Robo touches the circuitry while charged he can short circuit the security systems, this allows them further access to the factory.
Exploring a sub-level they come across a gruelling discovery. Inside one of the automated systems were humans, dishevelled and broken, being fed into a machine using a conveyor belt system. Their final screams echoed through the facility. A powerful security system shocked anyone who tried to get near the machinery. Realizing the only way to stop the machine was to take out the central computer, the team moves forward trying to complete their objective as quickly as possible.
As they travel down another hallway the speaker continues to talk to them: "Don't you understand? This planet would be peaceful if there were no humans around. And yet you still want to fight? Why?"
Once entering one of the final chambers before reaching the main computer, a robot of the same model as Robo approaches. "Welcome home, Prometheus." She says.
"Atropos?" Robo asks in amazement.
"Yes, it's been a while Prometheus. You can stop pretending now and join us." She says. "Unlike the other R-series, Prometheus had a special task. To live with humans and study them as a species. Tell them Prometheus." Robo stands silently. "Now step back Prometheus. We'll get rid of these humans, then go see Mother." Robo continues to pause as Atropos steps forward. As she nears the others, Robo winds back and strikes Atropos. "What are you doing Prometheus?" She exclaims in surprise.
"I won't allow you to hurt them!" Robo states.
"You are indeed defective. They have tampered with you. I'll destroy them, then fix you." Atropos says.
"Atropos... you've changed."
"Indeed. Mother remade me to eliminate humans more efficiently!" Atropos announces. "Step back, Prometheus!"
"My name is Robo."
"Prometheus!" Atropos says as she launches a punch into Robos chassis. The others draw their weapons and stand ready to fight. "Wait!" Robo says and hold up his arms telling them to stop. "Stand back and leave this to me."
As he turns to his old friend, he tries to reach her one last time. "Atropos!"
"Prometheus!" She responds and readies for battle.
As the 2 battle alone Atropos deploys the same attacks which Robo utilizes but as Robo has been adventuring and learning how to use his skills, he gains the upper hand. Atropos collapses from the overwhelming attacks and seems to reboot.
"Prometheus! It's been ages." Atropos looks up and says.
"Atropos!" Robo replies.
"I'm damaged? What happened?" She asks.
"Atropos! Robo repeats.
"My memory bank... Mother must have done something nasty when she reprogrammed me... Partial memory... restored... I'm sorry... Prometheus..." She says, starting to shut down. "This... is for you... You can... plug this... into your circuits... Please... take care... of it... Good... bye... Pro... metheus..." With those last words, handing Robo a small electronic device, Atropos powers down permanently. Robo integrates the technology into his circuits and adds Atropos's consciousness to his.
"Listen well, humans." The loudspeaker activates. "Lavos's children will one day have to leave to seek new planets, and prey. This world COULD sustain them... if humans were not around... We robots will create a new order. A nation of steel, and pure logic. A true paradise! Our 'species' will replace you. So stop your foolish struggle, and succumb to the sleep of eternity.”
Coming upon the final security door, they override the locking mechanism and the huge doorway opens. Once inside they find a room with 3 surveillance monitors and holo-projectors in the centre. A huge female robotic silhouette is projected and speaks to them: "You did well to come this far. I am the Mother Brain of the R-Y series factory. Come Prometheus, you must once again join us. I'll reset your circuitry and erase your memories. Then we'll dispose of these filthy humans."
"I'm sorry but... I cannot afford to lose anything else... Not my precious memories, or my irreplaceable friends."
"You would betray ME, to stay with these humans? You would turn against the family of robots?" The Mother Brain asks indignantly.
"Humans have taught me much. Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, and Ayla... I will not betray my friends." Robo states.
"Ho...! Fu... hu... hu... This is rich! Don't make me laugh! YOU, have emotions?! I'll show you just how 'human' you've become!" The Mother Brain engages her defence routines and the party enters combat. Realizing that the security monitors repair the Mother Brain faster than they can damage her, they take them out which causes the Mother Brain to lash out uncontrollably. Once they're able to focus their attacks on her, eventually they're able to damage her enough to cause the projection to break down.
"P... Pro... me... theus... W... why?" The Mother Brain says with her dying words and then shuts off forever.
"All machines in the factory have been shut off for good." Robo reports. "Let's go!”
