Here is part two of my Chrono Trigger fanfic; if you need (or would like)
a copy of part one, please e-mail me with your request and I will send it
via a private e-mail message.
	Comments and criticism (preferably constructive) are requested.


AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION:
        If you wish to reach me by e-mail, my address is:
        trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us

        This is the second part of my Chrono Trigger fanfic.
        In part one, Spekkio's meditation in the End of Time was interrupted 
by an unexpected discovery - not only unexpected, but unpleasant. Spekkio then 
proceeded to get help from Gaspar, the Guru of Time, to create an artifact 
that would let them travel across time despite the absence of any open Time 
Gates. The result of their efforts was a 'portable' Gate, which they called 
the Gate Orb.
        They travelled into the flow of Time, arriving at Guardia Castle in 
1001 A.D. - just as Crono and Lucca were arriving, by request of the royal 
family. It turned out that the Mystics of Medina Village had sent the 
swordsmith Melchior, once the Guru of Life, as an emissary to seek the help of 
"those who fought against and with Magus" - Crono and his friends.
        Princess Nadia, also known as Marle, chose to go with her friends to 
find out what had upset Spekkio so badly. It was agreed that Spekkio would 
take the two Gurus, Gaspar and Melchior, across time to 2300 A.D. by use of 
the Gate Orb; Crono, Lucca, and Marle would follow in the Epoch, the flying 
time machine built by Belthasar, the third of the Gurus from Zeal. After 
meeting at the Keeper's Dome, where Belthasar had built the Epoch, they would 
prepare to travel to their true destination: the source of whatever event 
frightened Spekkio during his meditation. . . . 

        Note: For the character named Frog in the American version of Chrono 
Trigger, I've used the original Japanese name, Kaeru (which means "frog" in 
Japanese).

        Chrono Trigger: A Stitch in Time        (prelim. title)
        Part Two

[1001 A.D.: Fairgrounds (location of Millenial Fair Telepod exhibit)]
        It was still early when Lucca arrived at the fairgrounds, but Crono 
had beaten her in getting there. She tossed him a hot roll as she sat down to 
wait. "Any word from the castle?" 
        Crono shook his head, breaking off a piece of the roll. "Not since 
last night, when we left. Give Marle some time." He popped the piece of bread 
into his mouth. "Mmmmm!" He chewed the bite of bread, and swallowed. 
"Delicious!"
        "It's my mom's recipe," Lucca explained. "Plus an invention that dad 
and I came up with . . . "
        Crono tensed.
        "Not *everything* we invent blows up!!" Lucca growled, mock-
ferociously. "Some of it even works the way it's supposed to!"
        "Yeah, like the Telepod," Crono replied, indicating the area they were 
standing in.
        "It's not *our* fault a Gate opened while Marle was using the 
Telepod!"
        "Nobody said it was, and I wasn't talking about that anyway. But her 
pendant's magic must have been something you didn't account for when you were 
designing it."
        "You're right. But remember, a year ago, none of us really believed in 
that sort of magic."
        Crono nodded. "Then we went traipsing across time, all over the world, 
and came out of the experience some of the most powerful fighters the world 
has ever seen."
        "Lucky for the world," Lucca said, half-smiling. Then she shivered. "I 
*still* get scared when I think about Lavos . . . I had some pretty bad dreams 
last night."
        Crono swallowed another bite of the roll. "It didn't stop you from 
getting here on time." He paused, studying the roll. "If I told you that I've 
had nightmares about Lavos too, would you believe me?"
        Lucca nodded. "Betcha Marle has too. Maybe worse than either of ours." 
She looked down for a moment, then started rummaging around in her pack. "Do 
you think that's what had Spekkio so worried? The possibility that there might 
be another Lavos around somewhere?"
        "If so, I can understand why he'd be scared - if not terrified. He 
might not be affected by the world's destruction, but he seems to be worried 
on our behalf." Crono shivered. "Another Lavos . . . man, I hope he's wrong."
        "So do I," Lucca replied as she pulled out another roll. "That's all 
we'd need, another flying mountain with the power to destroy the world as we 
know it . . . I still don't want Doan's people to be born into that world."
        Crono took another bite of his roll. Swallowing, he commented, 
"There's only one thing that scares me more than the possibility that we might 
have to fight another Lavos."
        "And that is . . . ?"
        "Fighting a creature that's like Lavos - but stronger. Face it - we 
got lucky. We had the power we needed, and the techniques, and we had enough 
Tonics, Ethers, and Elixirs to keep us alive for the course of the battle. And 
Lavos had weaknesses.
        "But if Lavos had been more powerful," Crono continued, "then we could 
have lost anyway."
        Lucca shuddered. "Best not talk about it," she cautioned her best 
friend. "You never know who - or what - might be listening."
        Crono nodded, popping the last bite of the roll into his mouth, then 
walked over to the stairs that led down to the main fairgrounds. Marle was 
running up the path, waving, and he turned back to get his pack. "She's on her 
way," Crono mumbled to Lucca through a mouthful of roll. "Give her a moment to 
catch her breath, then we need to get to the Epoch."
        Lucca nodded, getting to her feet just as Marle entered the area. 
"Whew! Sorry I'm late, guys," Marle gasped, trying to catch her breath. 
"Mother and father and cook all had stuff they wanted to give me - "
        "It's okay," Crono said, having swallowed his last bite of breakfast 
roll. "Lucca and I haven't been waiting that long. You set?"
        Marle nodded. "Don't ask me where they dug up this cache of Full 
Tonics, but there's enough medicine here - if we *don't* find any other 
Tonics, this'll keep us going for weeks."
        "*Full* Tonics?" Lucca's eyebrows went up as she settled the 
SightScope helmet onto her head, snugging it against her hair. "Maybe Melchior 
brought them from Medina, they don't sell Full Tonics around here."
        "Might've been Choras," Marle replied. "Remember the prices that 
Medinan shopkeeper offered us? They might respect Melchior, but I doubt the 
Mystics respect him *that* much." She paused for a moment, taking another 
couple of deep breaths, then slumped against a fence post. "So where's the 
Epoch?"
        "Little ways west of here. You ready for a little hike?"
        Marle and Lucca both nodded. "Lucca, did you remember your Prism 
Dress?" Marle asked.
        "Yes, it's in my pack," Lucca answered. "But I want to stick with the 
armor that my dad made - it's easier to move in. If Ayla needs one, she can 
use mine."
        "That reminds me," Marle said, "Father was going to send a messenger 
down to visit Taban and Lara, see if they had any ideas on how to build an 
airship."
        Lucca whistled. "Don't ask me how Zeal did it. The Blackbird was *way* 
out of my league; the Epoch is even further off. I'm glad we're going to start 
by going to visit Belthasar."
        Crono settled his packstrap over his shoulder. "At least we know the 
time coordinates for 2300 A.D. After the Time Gates all disappeared, there was 
no way to lock in on new time zones."
        "Speaking of Gates," Lucca said, "I remembered to dig out the Gate Key 
I made. Marle, have you got that pendant of yours?"
        Marle nodded, reaching up to touch the pendant with the Guardia royal 
crest on it. "And it's still charged from that weird Mammon Machine. If we run 
into any more sealed doors this trip, we'll be able to get in."
        "Glad to hear it," Crono said, then shivered. "The Zealans actually 
*worshipped* Lavos . . . brrrrrr. Couldn't they tell how evil that monster 
was?"
        "Their Queen was being controlled by Lavos," Lucca reminded her 
friends. "In a case like that - well, what *can* you do? The Gurus knew 
something was up; so did Schala. That's why Queen Zeal and Dalton tried to 
kill them - and why the Gurus all fled." She paused for a moment. "Poor 
Schala." 
        They walked along in silence for a moment, then Crono broke into a 
jog. "C'mon, the Epoch isn't that far!"
        "There it is!" exclaimed Lucca as they came over the rise. "I'd 
forgotten what an impressive sight it was."
        The threesome headed down to the Epoch, stowed their gear under the 
seats, and activated the boarding platform. As the seats rose into the belly 
of the timeship, Crono took one last deep breath of fresh air from his own 
time and place.
        (If there are gods,) he thought, (then let this prayer be answered: 
that we and our friends all return safely, whatever lies ahead, to our 
respective times and places.) "Everyone strapped in?" he asked his friends.
        "Check," Lucca replied.
        "All set," Marle answered. "We ready to go?"
        "Hang on a sec," Crono grunted, flipping a few switches on the control 
board. "All systems answer green . . . beginning time scan." A screen began 
glowing as a dial appeared on it; a needle like one of the hands on a clock 
began its sweep from the beginning of time all the way across history to the 
End of Time. "Negative lock on Gates," he reported.
        "Like we expected," Lucca replied. "Got the manual coordinates for 
2300 A.D.?"
        "Of course." Crono dug out a small book with dates and matching time 
coordinates, and punched in the sequence of numbers. "Temporal coordinates 
entered and locked." He reached to the manual flight controls. "I'm taking us 
up; I want to be in the air before we jump."
        "Here we go!" Marle braced herself. A racheting sound heralded the 
extension of the Epoch's wings - one of the few good things they'd gained 
in the magical Kingdom of Zeal.
        As the roar from the engines grew, Lucca shouted, "I don't know how to 
tell you this, Crono, but from the work Dad and I have done with kites, there 
should be no way at all for wings that size to support a vehicle with the 
Epoch's mass."
        "We don't know how Epoch works, didn't you already tell me that?" 
Crono called back. "Engines read green . . . " He opened the throttle, pulling 
back on the flight yoke at the same time. "We're up!!"
        And with a roar louder than Lavos, the Epoch took flight once more. 
The three people inside cheered as their airship cleared the valley, and was 
airborne, heading southwest as Crono steered them on a new course.
        Nor did their flight go unnoticed. From their house in Truce, Crono's 
mother looked out the kitchen window, and recognized the silver form of the 
Epoch; further south, Taban and Lara watched the Epoch's flight with the aid 
of a telescope.
        "Of course!" Taban murmured. "It has *engines*, like birds can flap 
their wings to provide thrust!"
        And from one of the towers of Guardia Castle, King Guardia and his 
wife watched the silvery airship that carried their daughter . . . and 
perhaps, once more, the fate of the world.
        On board the Epoch, Crono double-checked the coordinates with Lucca's 
help. "What if we're not going to the right time?" Marle worried.
        "Spekkio and Gaspar could figure out when we'll get there with that 
Gate Orb," Lucca noted. "I got him to tell me a bit about how it worked. Not 
that I understood most of it, but I got that much."
        "Temporal coordinates locked in and confirmed," reported Crono. 
"Activating time warp function . . . NOW!"
        It felt as though the Epoch had exploded beneath them, or the world 
around them had burst into fire brighter than a dragon's breath. But the 
sensation of increasing speed, and their bodies sinking deeper into the seats, 
reassured the three that the Epoch was working just fine as it hurled them 
1,299 years into the future from their starting point.

[2300 A.D.: Keeper's Dome]
        Spekkio's ears perked up. "I hear something . . . sounds like the 
Epoch, all right."
        "Right on time," Gaspar mused. "Exactly when you found them here 
through the Gate Orb. - Well, Belthasar, old friend, it's been good to meet 
you again."
        The purple-skinned Nu looked up at the Guru of Time. "You're not 
leaving quite yet. You need to enter the Epoch coordinates for 2310. 
Fortunately, I have something that might do the trick." Belthasar turned to 
the computer console, and began entering instructions. "Spekkio, could you 
locate the time and place that you wished to travel to, and then place the Orb 
in the scanning niche?"
        "Uh . . . sure," Spekkio replied. He held up the Gate Orb, and began 
concentrating. The light at the center of the black orb began pulsing, then 
suddenly expanded to encompass the entire orb. When it faded, the Orb had 
become transparent - and held an image of another time and place.
        "Death Peak," noted Belthasar. "Please place the Orb in the scanning 
niche: right there."
        Spekkio did as the Guru of Reason instructed him, then stepped back as 
the door opened, and Crono and his friends entered.
        "Welcome to the Keeper's Dome," said Belthasar as he waited for the 
computers to finish their work. "We're extracting the data to determine the 
coordinates for the Epoch right now."
        "Thank you," Crono replied. "Did we miss anything important?"
        "Naah," answered Spekkio, shaking his head. "Just the three Gurus 
catching up on old times."
        "Spekkio, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Marle began 
hesitantly. "Remember when we first learned magic from you?"
        "Of course I do!" said the apparent Kilwala indignantly.
        "Why do you look weak again?" Marle asked. "Kilwala is the first form 
you appeared to us in, the weakest one."
        "I shifted into a completely physical form so I could use the Gate," 
the Master of War explained to his students. "Don't worry - if I went back to 
my spirit-mirror aspect, you'd still see a form that reflected your strength. 
But being in a physical body has its advantages . . . and disadvantages."
        "Disadvantages?" inquired Lucca. "Like what?"
        Spekkio grimaced. "Like if you hit me with a physical attack or a Tech 
that doesn't use magic, it could still hurt me. I still know everything I've 
learned over time, so you'd have a heck of a time actually *hitting* me - but 
you could still do it. On the other hand, I can use the attack forms of 
whatever body I've shifted to. So if I were Masa-Mune, I could use the Tornado 
counterattack, and the Slash and Confuse Techs. And - " He turned to look at 
Belthasar, who didn't seem to notice. "If I were in Nu form, I could do the 
headbop."
        Crono and his friends collectively winced. "I remember that," Crono 
said. "It could *hurt* sometimes . . . other times it was just a tap."
        Spekkio giggled. "Don't underestimate the Nu."
        Marle looked up the ceiling. "What did that book in Enhasa say?
                "All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu.
                This is the truth! This is my belief!
                . . . at least for now."
        Belthasar actually laughed. "The Mystery of Life . . . I don't recall 
which volume." He pressed a few keys on the console. "It was partly because of 
that quote that I decided on this form to transfer my consciousness into. The 
humor appealed to me."
        "Can you still cast spells in your physical forms, Spekkio?" Crono 
asked.
        "Oh yes. Yes, of course I can. And my restoration power still works 
quite well. - Ah . . . " The computer had begun printing something out on a 
piece of paper. "Belthasar, is that the coordinates?"
        The Nu nodded, tearing the paper out of the computer as it finished 
printing. "These are the temporal coordinates for the point you located via 
the Gate Orb. The second set of coordinates is extrapolated to give you 
approximately fifteen minutes of lead time, to reach the point you need to be 
at."
        "Good," Spekkio nodded. "Gaspar, Melchior, are you ready to go?"
        "How are we getting there?" Melchior asked.
        "Some of us need to take the Epoch; the rest of the group needs to 
travel by Gate Orb."
        "What of the Law of Time Conservation?" Belthasar asked.
        Gaspar turned to look at him. "It only refers to groups larger than 
three people."
        "There are seven here."
        "Now wait," Spekkio said. "You mean *you* want to come along?"
        "If for nothing else than to see what it is the rest of you are 
searching for. There was a reason why you went to all this trouble; I should 
like to know what it is."
        Spekkio sighed. "Fair enough, but this makes a major problem. One of 
us has to stay behind."
        "Or go back home," Melchior pointed. "Right now, that prospect sounds 
pretty appealing. Death Peak is a dangerous place, even if we're trying to fly 
past instead of climb it. Those winds make it sound even more dangerous by air 
than on foot."
        Gaspar turned to face Melchior. "If you want to back out, and go back 
home to Medina, feel free."
        "No," Melchior sighed, "that's not an option for me. The Mystics sent 
me for a purpose; if I back out now, they won't be too happy. But we still 
need - " He broke off; Belthasar was tapping away at the keyboard again. "What 
are you doing?"
        "Locking onto the Gate Orb's signature," the Nu replied. "The 
equipment here will be able to trace that signature; with a bit of luck, we 
should be able to see through the Gate Orb, as long as you lock its 
coordinates into the scanning niche here and now. That knowledge will suffice 
for me."
        "Great," said Spekkio. "That just means we have to figure out the 
groups that go."
        "Er - if it helps any," said Lucca, "I brought the Gate Key that we 
used - it was last year, for the three of us."
        Gaspar nodded. "We may yet find a use for the Key. But for now . . . 
who travels by air, and who uses the Gate Orb to arrive in the proper place on 
foot?"
        They were all silent for a moment. Then Spekkio spoke up. "I want to 
ride in the Epoch, at least to get there. So - "
        "I'll wait here until you contact us," Lucca said. "I want to see what 
I can find out about the Epoch - just the regular flight systems, not the time 
drive. Belthasar, is the Epoch's fuel limited?"
        "Slightly," replied the Guru of Reason. "I have spare power cells 
somewhere in this dome; you can take some with you through the Gate."
        Lucca nodded. "Gaspar, will we be able to 'follow' the Epoch team's 
progress with the Gate Orb?"
        "I think so," the Guru of Time answered. "If not, we can find their 
arrival point easily enough, can't we, Spekkio?"
        Spekkio nodded. "Crono, Marle, let's go. See you later, Lucca, Gaspar, 
Melchior."
        The two human youngsters and one Master of War went back outside to 
the Epoch. Spekkio looked up at the timeship and whistled. "Pretty impressive 
way to travel," he commented.
        "It gets us when - and where - we need to go," Crono replied as he 
stored his pack. "Marle, Lucca kept her gear with her, right?"
        Marle nodded as she strapped herself into a seat. "Spekkio, your 
Kilwala shape might not be the best for this - although Kaeru managed okay, 
now that I think of it."
        Spekkio hopped up into one of the seats, and fastened his seat belt. 
"I'll be okay. Of course, once we get to Death Peak, I may need to change to a 
stronger form."
        Crono nodded as the seats rose into the belly of the Epoch. "It's 
pretty windy up there," he remembered. "If one of your forms is bulky enough 
to withstand the wind, and shield the rest of us - "
        "If Masa-Mune form can't do it," Spekkio told his students, "I doubt 
there's very much that can."

        Gaspar nodded as he looked into the Gate Orb. "They've arrived. Now, a 
place for us to land . . . "
        "I'd suggest someplace where you can't be seen from the peak," 
Belthasar said. "I noticed the scene that Spekkio was looking for. Finding an 
ideal landing point could be difficult."
        "That's for sure," Lucca said. "Gaspar, do you know *anything* about 
what we're going to see?"
        "No."
        "Lucca," said Melchior, "You're the only one of us who's been on Death 
Peak at all, let alone reached the summit."
        Lucca looked up at the ceiling as she thought. "There's a single tree 
at the top of the cliff - wait. What if we landed on the Epoch while it was in 
midair? Belthasar, can the Epoch hover without moving?"
        "Of course it can hover," Belthasar answered. "In fact, the strong 
winds may make it easier. Simply have them steer into the wind, maintaining 
only enough airspeed to counter the wind's velocity." As though reminded of 
something, the Nu walked over to another console. "I made several prototype 
time-traveling devices before beginning construction of the full-scale Wings 
of Time. Let's see . . . ah-ha." The Nu took out a device that resembled a 
smaller version of the Epoch. "Now, all we need is a way to program it."
        Gaspar looked up from the Gate Orb. "Belthasar, how long will this 
take?"
        Belthasar paused for a moment. "Come directly here from Death Peak, 
2310. Don't time-travel back, but come as directly as you can on foot or by 
air, as appropriate."
        "But you'll have to wait ten years!" Melchior exclaimed.
        Lucca explained, "Belthasar's Nu form was 'asleep' when we came here 
to get the Epoch from him - actually, the artificial body had shut down until 
somebody was able to reach the chamber containing the Epoch. That must have 
triggered the wake-up cycle."
        "It did," Belthasar agreed. "I will be waiting here from the time I 
complete the mini-Epoch programming device. Once it is finished, you will be 
able to send small items across time."
        "We can send messages that way," Gaspar realized.
        "And I'd meant to ask you about something like that," Lucca added. 
"We promised Marle's parents that we'd look for a way to contact them from 
where- and whenever we wind up going."
        "I see," Belthasar replied. "Well, it'll be ready in ten years - if 
not sooner, but I'll expect you in about ten years." Without further ado, the 
Nu set about the task of building a device that would allow the Epoch's 
smaller messenger counterpart to be programmed without access to the computers 
in the Keeper's Dome.
        "Let's get going then, shall we?" Gaspar raised the Gate Orb, freezing 
the window where they would rematerialize. Then, he raised the orb over his 
head, and activated it as he hurled it at the ground.

[2310 A.D.: the sky above Death Peak]
        With a sound like thunder, the Epoch dropped back out of time-travel 
mode and returned to normal space. Crono leaned over to look down. "According 
to the readouts, we made it just fine."
        Spekkio pressed his face to the glass. "Nifty," he said. "I've never 
been in a flying machine before."
        "You think this is good?" Marle chuckled. "Try riding a Dactyl in 
prehistoric times." Then she looked down. "Oh, no! Crono, take a look down 
there!"
        Crono fought back an urge to swear. "A Lavos Spawn?" Then he looked 
ahead - and this time, he *did* swear as a Time Gate opened in midair ahead of 
them. "Watch out!"
        "Someone - *three* someones - " Spekkio began. "Crono, hold it steady 
- they can land on our wings!"
        Crono nodded, bringing the Epoch in under the falling forms of 
Melchior, Gaspar, and Lucca. "Lucca, what *were* you thinking??" he shouted 
through the canopy at her.
        "Never mind that!" Lucca shouted back. "Crono, bring the Epoch around 
so we're facing directly into the wind, and maintain *exactly* the amount of 
speed that you need to keep us motionless relative to the ground!"
        Crono bit his lip, then nodded and did as he'd been told. Then he told 
the others, "Brace yourselves," and opened the canopy.
        As he did so, arctic-cold winds bit at their exposed skin - Spekkio, 
having fur in his Kilwala form, was marginally better off. "Did you already 
see it?" Lucca asked her friends, pointing down.
        Marle nodded. "A Lavos Spawn - I've never seen one that big before!"
        Melchior swallowed hard. "But what's so important about it? Couldn't 
you kill it, if you had to?"
        "It's not that easy," Gaspar responded. "If a Lavos Spawn is old 
enough to begin the final metamorphosis, it begins to develop a regenerative 
system. In essence, it gains the ability to come back from death, unless the 
regenerative system is completely destroyed."
        "But we *did* that," Crono said. "We killed Lavos - attacked his head, 
his only weak spot, until it disintegrated, then went inside the shell."
        "You killed Lavos," Gaspar said. "That is true. But you saw how 
complex the regenerative system is, as well; you also tasted the amount of 
power that Lavos in his mature stage could unleash upon you. The Spawn have 
yet to gather energy merely to store it; they are still feeding in order to 
grow. This Spawn has grown long enough that it is no longer easy to kill, and 
there is no longer time to even attempt that."
        "Do you think it sees us?" Melchior wondered.
        "If it does," Spekkio replied, "then it doesn't care about us. We're 
out of reach - even if it throws needles, the Epoch will shield us."
        "But wouldn't that damage it?" Lucca asked.
        "At this distance? The spines would have lost most of their momentum 
by the time they hit."
        "Look," said Gaspar. "Spekkio, this is what you were worried about, 
wasn't it?"
        They all looked down. The Lavos Spawn was perched on the very tip of 
Death Peak; it seemed to be waiting for something. "Gaspar," Marle asked, 
"could that thing use a Time Egg?"
        "The Chrono Trigger is useless without a means to change the event," 
Gaspar replied. "And no - a Lavos Spawn cannot get a Time Egg."
        "You sure about that?" asked Spekkio. "It looks like it's trying to 
spit something out - "
        Sure enough, the Lavos Spawn began to convulse. Shrill screams began 
to arise from it, causing the young warriors to shiver as they remembered a 
far larger source for those screams.
        "Something's falling," Lucca said. "Too small for you to see - oh, my 
gods!"
        "Lucca?" Crono looked at her. "What is it? - "
        Lucca didn't get the chance to answer. Space ripped itself open 
beneath the cliff, just behind a sparkling wavefront. Then the Lavos Spawn 
hurled itself over the edge; it vanished into the rip . . . and was gone.
        The time travellers watched in stunned silence for several more 
seconds.
        "Holy *crap*," Marle whispered. "Lucca - was that a Chrono Trigger 
after all?"
        "I thought it looked like one," Lucca answered. "But that Spawn wasn't 
trying to change history . . . was it?"
        "We'd better go back to the Dome," Melchior suggested. "Belthasar said 
he would watch - Gaspar, old friend, did you prepare the Orb in time?"
        "Yes, I did. Assuming that he was able to watch, instead of being 
distracted by his work."
        "Yeah," said Spekkio in a hushed voice. "I don't ever want to see that 
again. Crono, the Gurus and I will use the Orb to get back - "
        "I don't think that's a good idea," noted Lucca. "Using a Gate this 
close to the Epoch . . . "
        "They can open the Gate under the Epoch, and jump down," Marle said. 
"It worked on Mystic Mountain in 65,000,000 B.C."
        "Except the Gate needs to be opened before we can use it," Gaspar 
responded.
        Lucca's answer was to hold up the Gate Key.
        "That would work," Spekkio responded. "Gaspar, if you would do the 
honors . . . ?"

[2310 A.D.: Keeper's Dome]
        The Nu opened its eyes. "I see you made it back," Belthasar said. 
"This does not look good."
        Spekkio nodded wearily. "That's an understatement, all right. Crono, 
does the situation make sense *now*? Why the future refused to change, even 
after you changed the course of history long enough to witness the outcome?"
        "Not much," Crono admitted.
        "I've been turning it over in my head all the way from Death Peak," 
Marle said, "and I still don't know how a Lavos Spawn could change history."
        "Well," Gaspar said, "I doubt that it's travelling back to a point 
before your battle with Lavos. If it were going to show up and kill you, then 
you would have faded by now."
        "But the Chrono Trigger doesn't *work* that way!" Lucca exclaimed. 
"When Marle and I used it to bring Crono back, we went to a moment frozen in 
time; we could only stay long enough to replace Crono with the Clone and take 
the real Crono back with us. A single Lavos Spawn can't change anything - can 
it?"
        "Lucca," Spekkio sighed, "you're a real genius, but you're not using 
that brain of yours at the moment. *Think* about it - you've seen the 
evidence! 2300 A.D., the way it was when you came here the first time. A Lavos 
Spawn, plunging from Death Peak and vanishing after what looked like a Time 
Egg being hatched."
        "The real question," Melchior asked, "is *when* did that Lavos Spawn 
go? When and where? Once we know that, we can do something about it."
        Crono sighed. "I think the first thing we do needs to be finding our 
old friends. Kaeru, Robo, Ayla . . . maybe Magus too. We need all the help we 
can get."
        Belthasar cleared his throat. "What about the rest of us? We Gurus 
want to help, in case you hadn't noticed."
        "And me," added Spekkio. "I started you all on this wild Spawn chase; 
I figure I should be around to help finish it."
        "Unless Gaspar has a way to break the Law of Time Conservation," Lucca 
responded, "we're stuck to groups of three. Right now, that means two groups: 
one can use the Epoch to get around, and one can use the Gate Orb."
        "And the Gate Orb can only be used by a group that has me, or Gaspar," 
Spekkio noted. "We're the only ones who know how to focus it, open the Gate to 
a given point in time and space."
        Marle shivered suddenly. "Time and space - Didn't Lavos crash down 
from outer space, originally? Way back in 65 million B.C., when we helped Ayla 
beat the Reptites?"
        "You're right," Crono said. "If the Gates can reach to other worlds, 
then . . . " His voice trailed off. "There's no telling when or where that 
Lavos Spawn went. But we have to find some way to stop it, to change the 
course of history - and this time, make sure it *stays* changed."
        "There's one other possibility," Belthasar noted.
        Everyone turned to face him. "And what's that, old friend?" asked 
Melchior.
        "That Lavos is indeed supposed to destroy the world on the Day of 
Lavos, in 1999 A.D. And that nothing you can do will avert that fate."
        "We're not gonna buy that," Crono answered flatly.
        "That's right," Marle said. "Belthasar, we decided already that we are 
*not* going to let this future happen. When we came here first, we saw how 
badly off people are now - sick, starving, suffering. Then we found out that 
it could all be traced back to a single cause: Lavos."
        Spekkio just shook his head. "Face it, Belthasar. You're not going to 
convince them. See, I already *know* how much inner strength they have; I 
taught them magic, so I should know. That kind of inner strength shows up in 
courage, determination, sometimes just as downright mulish stubbornness. These 
three, and the friends they've made, *are* going to change history, change 
this future - and nothing any of us can say or do is going to make them give 
up."
        "I wasn't suggesting that you give up," Belthasar replied evenly. "I 
was, however, attempting to point out a reasonable possibility."
        Lucca cleared her throat. "A moment ago, we were talking about whether 
the Gates extended to other worlds as well as simply between points in time. I 
don't think that's likely; all of the Gates we used before connected the same 
place at two different points in time." She knelt next to a patch of dust on 
the floor, and traced a "map" of sorts, linking the Millenial Fair in 1000 
A.D. with Truce Canyon, 400 years earlier; the Gate in the clearing in Guardia 
Forest, in 1000 A.D., led to Bangor Dome in 2300. "After those two Gates," she 
said, "we almost invariably landed at the End of Time each time we used a Time 
Gate. Only when we went to Zeal Kingdom, in 12,000 B.C., and when we were sent 
back to 65,000,000 B.C. after we fought Dalton's Golem, was the trip 
uninterrupted. But you see what I'm getting at, don't you?"
        Crono nodded. "I should have remembered that."
        "But the Gate Orb doesn't work that way," Gaspar reminded them. 
"Either Spekkio or I can focus it to any destination we choose, but we have to 
know when and where we're going."
        "Which kind of limits us to this planet," Spekkio finished. "I know 
there are others, but I haven't paid much attention to most of them."
        "Too boring?" Marle giggled.
        "Not really, but this is the one I've dealt with the most."
        Melchior cleared his throat. "You three should get going," he said. 
"You have a long way to go."
        "Which reminds me," Belthasar said. "The Epoch miniature is finished 
and functional; it can carry small items, and it can be programmed by holding 
it next to the Gate Orb while the destination is showing. It will also return 
automatically to the time and place of origin after delivering its cargo to 
the recipient; it can wait for a message to be placed in reply, if needed."
        "That should prove useful," Lucca said, studying the miniature 
timeship. "What should we call it?"
        "Well, when we got the Wings of Time, we decided to call it the 
Epoch," Crono said. "Maybe we should pick a similar name for this?"
        Marle shook her head. "I have another idea. Call it Guru."
        The others stared at her.
        Marle shrugged helplessly. "For the three Gurus of Life, Time, and 
Reason? We wouldn't even be doing this if it weren't for them - I mean, for 
the three of you. Melchior, Gaspar, and Belthasar."
        Spekkio spun. "Makes sense to me!"
        "Guru it is, then," Lucca replied. "Marle, shall we send this to 1000 
A.D. with a message for your parents?"
        "Yes - but there should be messages for your families, too," Marle 
nodded. "Is there something around here we can write on? Do you have parchment 
we could use, Belthasar?"
        "I have paper," the Nu corrected. "Plenty of it. And pens you can use 
as well, although those are a rather outdated way of writing messages."
        "They'll do," Lucca answered, wondering what a "pen" was other than 
something you kept animals in . . . 

        About ten minutes later, Guru rematerialized with a flash of light. 
The little 'time capsule' (as Lucca insisted on calling it) settled down onto 
the counter with a quiet hum, which died away as the canopy opened.
        "There's a note inside," Lucca said as she fished the folded parchment 
out of Guru. "Here, Marle."
        Marle unfolded the parchment, and read:

                "Dear Marle,
                        We're glad that you're still safe.
                Please let us know if we can provide any help
                from our time period - and take care of yourself."

        Crono chuckled as Marle finished reading. "Nothing special, huh?"
        "They've already been a lot of help," Lucca pointed out. "A supply 
that size of Full Tonics would have kept us in nearly full health during the 
entire battle against Lavos - "
        "And what would you have done when you ran out of magic power?" 
Spekkio retorted. "Lavos would have just laughed at your weapons - even that 
Rainbow Sword of yours, Crono; without any inner strength left, you'd be 
reduced to basic slashes."
        "True," Crono sighed. "Speaking of which, I don't know how many Ethers 
you two still have, but my supplies are still pretty low."
        "I can take care of that," Spekkio said. "Provided, of course, that 
you're willing to fight for them . . . "
        "There's no time." The interruption came from a most unexpected 
source: Gaspar. "The longer you delay in setting out, the more time that Lavos 
Spawn has to rewrite history from the point it chose."
        Lucca nodded. "We're going to have to trace just how a Lavos Spawn 
survived - and when did it go to? Or where?"
        Belthasar opened his eyes; he'd looked asleep, but he'd apparently 
been listening. Or the computers had, which came to about the same thing. "If 
my scanners could be taken to Death Peak, we could trace the time-warp to its 
destination. The signature is still reasonably fresh."
        "*Which* scanners?" asked Lucca. "We can only carry so much."
        Spekkio hmmmmed. "What about tracking down Robo?"
        "It's a good idea," replied Crono, "but I don't know where our allies 
went after the death of Lavos. Ayla and Kaeru probably went back to their own 
times; Magus and Robo . . . I have absolutely no idea."
        "We should get some sleep first," Marle said. "It's been a long day 
for the three of us."
        Crono nodded. "Gaspar, Spekkio - can you take care of locating the 
rest of our friends? We'll meet you at the End of Time - tomorrow morning, for 
us."
        Gaspar looked dubious. "In subjective time, the Lavos Spawn has now 
had several hours in which to change history."
        "Assuming that time is flowing for it at the same rate it's been 
flowing for us," Lucca answered.
        "Time flows at the same rate no matter where in its flow you may be," 
Gaspar responded sharply. "It's possible to move to a different point in the 
flow of time, but the 'river' keeps flowing at the same rate, wherever you are 
in relation to it."
        Lucca breathed in, preparing to respond - then let it back out with a 
sigh. "You're right," she told Gaspar. "But wouldn't we be able to jump back 
and intercept the change?"
        "Only if the change is made *within* time. As an example, you girls 
were actually outside of time when you rescued Crono from his fate before 
Lavos."
        "I see." Lucca pulled her helmet off for a moment, rubbing her eyes. 
"Crono's right, it's been a long day. Well, unless something drastic happens, 
whatever's going to happen can wait until our morning."
        Marle nodded, stretching. "I can't see us saving the world again 
without a good night's sleep first," she giggled.
        "Pleasant dreams, then," Spekkio said.

        It was the middle of the night when Crono awoke with a start. His eyes 
snapped open in an instant as he reached for his sword, looking all around. 
Snoring came from a distant corner; after a moment's inspection, Crono 
realized that it was Melchior. Belthasar stood somnolent by his computers; 
Lucca and Marle were still fast asleep.
        (But what snapped me awake like that?) Crono wondered.
        Then he felt it: a twisting sensation deep in his gut. Twisting, 
writhing . . . fading. But it wasn't the sensation that was fading.
        It was *him*.
        "GUYS!!!!" shouted Crono at the top of his lungs. "Wake up!!"
        Marle blinked awake. "Wha . . . ? Crono, what are you glowing for?"
        Lucca jammed her goggles on to look at Crono. "Oh no!! Where are 
Gaspar and Spekkio?"
        Crono got to his feet. "I don't know - do either of you know what's 
going on?"
        "It's like when we saved Marle by saving Queen Leene in 600 A.D.," 
Lucca said. " - Except this is the reverse, this is what it must have looked 
like when she disappeared!"
        "Crono's dying?" gasped Marle. "BELTHASAR! MELCHIOR! Please, wake up!" 
She ran over to the Guru of Life and started shaking him. "C'mon, you've gotta 
wake up, Crono's dying - "
        "He's *not* dying, Marle!" Lucca exclaimed. "He's being erased from 
existence - something's changed the flow of time so that - "
        Belthasar cut her off. "So that he doesn't survive to come here. And 
if that happens, then the rest of you will eventually fade as well."
        "If you're going to do something, do it fast," said Crono. Sparkles of 
light were already starting to emanate from him as his body faded.
        "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do," replied Belthasar. "Except 
change your past back to the way it should be."
        Crono never had the chance to reply. With a fading, ripping sensation, 
his consciousness merely winked out of existence.
        The last trace of his presence was the Rainbow Sword, as it clattered 
to the floor where he had been standing.
        "NOOOOO!!!!" cried Marle, sinking to her knees.
        Lucca muttered a curse under her breath. "NOW what do we do?"
        "There's no choice," Belthasar replied. "You have to continue your 
quest to stop that last Lavos Spawn. *It* is the cause of this." The Nu turned 
back to examine the consoles. "As the effects of Crono's disappearance spread 
through time, each of you will find a similar change taking place. Perhaps you 
will vanish completely, perhaps you will find yourselves in a different place 
and time - with no memories to suggest you should be any different from the 
way you find yourself."
        Melchior picked up the Rainbow Sword. "Belthasar . . . will anything 
happen to *us*?"
        "I don't know, old friend. I just don't know."

                              *to be continued*

                                Tim Miller
                                        trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
        October 17, 1996