Chapter 6
Forward to History
Now
that they were recognized by the computer system the trio was able to walk
around the central area unmolested. The computer AI even helped them find
cashes of clothing, supplies and weapons to outfit themselves for their journey
to the Proto Dome. While Lucca had a field day selecting her firearms Crono and
Marle were a little more restricted in their choices. Marle ended up keeping
the cross bow she had received at the Bangor Dome but Crono found a museum
piece tucked away at the back of storage bay; an ancient (for the 24th-century)
samurai sword in impeccable condition. The blade was far more her style than
the medieval broadsword she had been carrying around. As soon as she tried a
few practice swings the redhead knew she’d have a much easier time with this
weapon.
Marle
had been feeling strange ever since she had woken up from their capture by the
robots but had though it was because of whatever they had shot her with.
Several hours later she still had an odd sensation in her stomach and asked
Crono and Lucca if they felt the same way. Neither admitted to any lasting
effects tough Lucca said she was feeling much better now that both the plant
and insect goo that had been forced into her had been removed. The prince tried
to put the strangeness out of her mind and focused on getting ready for the
journey ahead.
As
they headed back to the ladder that took them to the ground floor each of them had
a pack slung over their shoulders full of enough food and camping supplies to
last several weeks. The trip was only supposed to last a few days (a week at
most) but there was no telling what kind of obstructions they would come
across. When her head popped through the opening in the floor Crono saw a
gathering of people crowd around her, waiting for something to happen. She
climbed out of the hole and helped her friends out so Lucca could address the
crowd. “We were able to get to the central computer and find what we were
looking for.” A voice called out from somewhere behind the mass of unwashed
bodies. “Who cares, do you have any food?”
Lucca
looked at Crono, unsure if she should let them know about the supplies they had
for their trip.
Crono
bit her lip but an idea came to her and she fished out the bag of seeds they
head found on the dead body earlier. She handed it to Lucca who turned back to
the crowd. “I’m sorry to say, but the woman who went down before was injured
and died. She made it to the refrigerator but it wouldn’t have mattered if she
came back or not because the machine was broken and all the food is spoiled.”
The throng of people seemed to deflate all as one. “But, we did find something
you might be able to use.” She opened the pouch and showed the contents to a
few people at the front. Doan stepped forward and reached in, pulling out a few
seeds. “What are we supposed to do with this?” Lucca handed the old woman the
bag. “Plant them.” When Doan gave her an incredulous look Marle chimed in
enthusiastically. “Hey, you girls never know how long the Enertron will last.
This may be your only way to get food.” Doan looked at the blonde then back at
the seeds in her hand. “Well…I suppose.”
Someone
standing next to Doan spoke. “We could try to use the purifier on some of the
dirt outside.” Another voice offered a suggestion. “We might be able to rig up
some lamps to use since the clouds are too thick.” “But what about water?” a
more distant voice asked. It was a moment before the first person spoke again.
“Well, if the purifier works on the soil it should be able to clean any water
we find.” The bout of optimism seemed to be infectious, flowing through the
community and causing each individual to have a glimmer of hope well up inside
them. With groups of people congregating together and talking about what they
needed to do Crono, Marle and Lucca quietly made their way to the exit. Just
before they left Doan caught up with them and thanked them for what they had
done. “In all my years I’ve never seen this many people excited about anything.
I don’t know if this will work but you’ve given us something to live for. Thank
you.” Marle had to fight back a few tears, simply nodding to Doan as she left.
Out
in the open they relied on Lucca’s memory of the land and followed the genius
as she led the way. It wasn’t long before they had set up camp; having spent
most of the day in the dome the light was all but gone within an hour. Marle
asked why they didn’t take shelter back at the dome with Lucca answering that
she didn’t want to risk having any of them finding out they had food on them.
The prince reluctantly agreed with her choice, helping set up an emergency tent
as their shelter for the night. Crono found the nylon canopy oddly roomy and
sturdy even against the howling wind of the night. When they crawled in to bed
down the three of them stripped down and huddled together under several layers
of blankets.
Ordinarily
this would have been a perfect time to enjoy each other’s company but with what
had happened to them in the Arris Dome they all were a bit too tired and sore
to do much more than lay there. Marle did manage to slip one of Crono’s nipples
between her lips and drink a late-night snack from the redhead’s breast. Crono
looked down lovingly at the prince as she suckled and hoped that the two of
them could be together like this forever. She closed her eyes and let the
gentle pressure on her huge tit flow over her as she slipped into a dream.
They
woke up sometime after dawn. After packing up the tent and eating a small
breakfast (washed down with a bit of breastmilk) the trio was back on the road,
heading north to another set of ruins. The desolate landscape remained
unchanged for the several hours it served as their backdrop. Lucca wondered if
it was at all possible for the people back at the dome to get the crops to
grow. With the cloud cover Crono couldn’t tell when it was that they reached
the outskirts of the eastern ruins but it was after about four hours of
walking.
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