Chrono Trigger Loops Chapter 2

By Reido Shougeki

"Zac!" his mother shouted as he stepped in the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I got to a shelter before the quake hit." He decided to leave out his brush with death.

His mother embraced him. "Oh, thank God! I don't know what I would do without you!" He returned the embrace. His father burst in the door at that moment.

"Joan, Zac, come out here! You've got to see this!" They walked out of the door. A large crater was in the back of their yard. In the center was a black sphere of energy.

"How the hell?" Zac said, voicing the thought on everyone's mind. A black limousine drove up to the house. A man in black got out. He flashed a badge.

"Thomas Red, FBI." He put his badge back away. "We're to investigate that crater."

"What's to investigate?" Zac asked. "It was obviously a meteor."

"That's just it. There was no meteor."

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"They kicked you out of your house, huh? Bummer...” Zac was living in Niki's house until the government finished their investigation of the crater.

"Yeah, that Red guy was a total jackass."

"Can you get back in your house?"

"No. They won't let anyone in except personnel."

"That sucks..."

"That's why I'm gonna sneak in."

"What? Are you insane?"

"I've got to find out what that black sphere was. I'm going in tonight."

"Not without me, you aren't."

"I knew you'd cave."

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That night, Zac and Niki snuck out of her house, running towards the crater.

"You do realize this won't work, right?" Niki said as they neared his house.

"Yes, it will," he said as they crouched down behind a wall. "All we do is knock out some guards, I'll steal his clothes, and 'arrest' you for trespassing. It's so simple it can't fail."

"Yes, it can! Besides, I should be the one in the uniform. I'm more mature."

"That wouldn't work for two reasons. First, I doubt someone in there is as short as you, and second, there's probably only one female guard."

"So now you're being sexist!"

"Would you shut up!"

"Who's there?" a new voice called. A sentry walked behind the wall, looking for the source of the talking. No one was there. Shrugging, he turned and walked away.

Zac landed quietly, raising a hand to the guard, focusing. A sudden grunt was emitted from his throat. The guard was thrown forward as an invisible ball of energy hit him in the back. He landed, rolling forward.

"Okay," Zac said. Niki jumped beside him.

"Nice work," she complimented him.

"I aim to please," he responded as he walked to the downed guard.

"Perfect, he's exactly my height." Zac stripped him down, putting the light tan uniform on. He placed the handcuffs on Niki and led her to the front gate of the fenced-in crater.

"Halt! Who goes there?" the guard at the gate questioned. Zac inwardly said that that line was lame. To the sentry, he replied, "I found this girl trespassing. What should I do with her?"

"Take her to the brig."

"Yes, sir!" Zac saluted smartly, walking through the now open gate.

"Good going, Zac," Niki commented. "I didn't think you could pull it off." Zac remained silent, a look of utter seriousness on his face.

"Shut up, you," he said coldly. Niki was surprised that Zac could act so serious.

The two passed a building. A large sign above the door read "Brig." A nearby sentry stopped him.

"Where are you going?" he demanded. The first thought to enter Niki's head was, 'Busted.' Surprisingly, it was Zac who rescued them.

"We were on our way to the brig when the young lady requested to use the restroom. The only women’s room I could think of is the one near the crater. We were on our way there."

"There is no restroom near the crater."

"I beg to differ, sir. It's right over there." Zac pointed to the right.

The soldier turned. "Where? I don't s--” He suddenly fell to ground, knocked out. Zac had chopped his neck, hitting a major nerve. He grabbed Niki's arm, running towards the crater, dragging her along.

"Come on," Zac said, unlatching her handcuffs. "He's only gonna be out for a while." The two looked over the edge of the large hole. The black sphere was contained in a glass pillar. The scientists examining it probed it with electricity, trying to open it.

"What is that?" Niki asked.

"I have no idea," Zac answered.

"Freeze right there!" The two turned to see the guard Zac had knocked out. With him was at least a score of military men, all with rifles leveled at them.

"Perfect," Zac muttered. Suddenly, he lashed out, grabbing Niki’s arm. He jumped over the edge of the crater, landing on the angled ground. He slid down along with Niki. Gunfire erupted above them, tearing into the ground beside them. Zac did not look back.

“Zac!” Niki yelled. “We’re gonna die!”

“No, we’re not.” Zac sped up, his figure becoming nothing but a blur. Niki’s feet lifted off the ground as Zac ran. She was flying along by one arm.

“Zac!” she shouted again. Her call was met with deaf ears.

“Hold on, Niki!” he said. She could see a small edge up ahead of them.

“Zac, what are you…” The realization hit her full in the face. He was going to jump.

“Zac, don’t do it!” No response. Saying a quick prayer, he kicked off the ground, soaring into the air. The world was deathly silent as he fell through the air. Niki screamed silently as the ground closed in. Forty feet away…thirty…twenty…ten…

Zac hit the ground hard, his leg collapsing under him. Niki landed on top of him, breaking her fall, and almost breaking his back.

“You idiot!” she screamed at him. “You could have killed us!”

“They would’ve, too, ya know.” The guards still had their guns trained on them, but they did not dare fire. The two had landed in the main part of the lab. The sphere was very near their current position.

“I don’t think they’re gonna shoot,” Zac stated, pointing out the obvious.

“Smart today, aren’t we?” Niki snorted, annoyed. Zac got up, limping on his injured leg towards the sphere. It was not black, as he previously thought. It was blue, with a light blue center.

“Wow,” was all he could think to say. Niki stood beside him.

“This is too weird…”

“Yeah…I wonder where it came from?”

Suddenly, another earthquake struck, this one much worse than the previous ones. Zac was thrown to the ground. Computer equipment shorted out around them, sending showers of sparks into the air. The sphere was unaffected, only wavering slightly.

The sphere opened, a two dimensional portal forming in its place. It broke through the glass pillar, sending shards of glass in all directions. Zac stared in awe. Something seemed to click in his brain. He grabbed Niki, diving into the portal. Three seconds later, the lab exploded.

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Fuinaire laughed insanely. He was back.


Chapter 3

Chrono Trigger Fanfic