Chapter Two: Unexpected Guests

"You want me to what?" Crono's voice, a sound not often heard, was filled with incredulity. "Have you gone insane, Lucca?"

"No, I have not," Lucca replied evenly as she adjusted the sheet that concealed the completed Telepod. "I simply want all our friends here for the unveiling and test run. It's not the least bit crazy, not to my mind at least."

"I wouldn't call Magus a friend," Crono grumbled. "Reluctant ally is more like it."

Lucca shrugged. "Nevertheless, I feel he deserves to be here with the rest of our friends. Now go and get him, and Frog too. Then you can get Ayla and...... Robo." Lucca's voice faltered a bit as she said the robot's name. She still wasn't entirely sure that he existed in the new future.

"What?!" Crono gaped at her in disbelief. "You want me to confine myself in the Epoch with those two?! Now you HAVE lost your mind."

"Don't worry about it, you'll be fine," Lucca replied distractedly as she headed into her kitchen for a snack. "Everything should work out great today."

In theory, yes, Crono thought grumpily as he headed out the door on his way to the Epoch. In practice..... who knows?

"Are you feeling better today?" Bleu directed this question to Schala, who sat silent and deep in thought as they waited for Daria to arrive.

"I suppose...." Schala answered quietly, her gaze never leaving the floor. Bleu frowned slightly. Schala had been like this ever since she arrived; mostly friendly, but also given to periods of silent moodiness during which she completely withdrew into herself. There was obviously something troubling her, some unresolved problem that weighed on her mind. She refused to share it with anyone, though, keeping her secrets carefully locked within her. She'd never even explained her origin, how she'd come to be there. Bleu mused that her secrets must be terrible indeed to not even reveal the slightest scrap of information to her close friends that had provided for her when she needed it.

Rydia paced around her kitchen, nibbling idly on a muffin. She was so excited she was barely able to eat, and had to force herself because she didn't want to be sick from hunger. Today was the day, and as soon as Daria got here it would truly begin.

"So, we're finally going to get to see what bizarre contraption you've been building, eh?" Bleu remarked. "Should be interesting.... if it doesn't blow up." Rydia glared at her. Bleu responded by glancing at the clock behind Rydia. She had to be back in Medina in a while.... hopefully Daria would arrive soon and they could get the demonstration done with..... she'd hate to miss it.

"Well, well, look who's back," Lucca crowed as Crono entered her house, a sullen frown on his face. Magus and Frog, following close behind him, wore similar expressions. "And all in one piece, too." Lucca smirked triumphantly. Crono just glared at her.

"And back to the silent treatment, too, obviously," Lucca chuckled. Crono grumbled something, probably nasty, under his breath and started to exit the house.

"Get. Back. Here," Lucca ordered him in a mock-authoritative tone. The teenager turned and gave her a questioning look.

"Everyone's here," Lucca answered. "It's time to unveil my latest and greatest invention."

"I thought you wanted Ayla and Robo here too?" Marle queried.

"Much as I would like to see Ayla and have her here, I realized that a demonstration of the kind that I am going to give would probably scare the living daylights out of her. As for Robo, well...." Lucca bit her lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Even if he does exist in the new future, it would take all day to look for him there. So let's just begin with who we do have here, all right?"

Marle shrugged. "Fine with me. It is a bit crowded in here already anyway."

Crono grumbled something again, and this time Lucca caught something about the two adversaries he'd grudgingly fetched from their respective eras. Apparently, he wasn't too thrilled about having been cooped up in the close quarters of the Epoch with them, and wasn't any happier with them being confined in the relatively small space of Lucca's house.

The young inventor glanced nervously at the two rivals, noting with considerable concern the cold glances being exchanged. Oh dear..... perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all.... Lucca thought anxiously. She gulped and prayed that a fight wouldn't break out between them.

"So, what's going on?" Magus spoke up, directing his attention to Lucca. "I hope you didn't bring us here to have milk and cookies," he added a bit caustically. Both Crono and Frog gave him dirty looks.

"Oh no, of course not. I wouldn't interrupt your incredibly busy schedule for just anything," Lucca replied bitingly. Magus raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk appearing on his face. He nodded his silent approval of her comeback. Lucca barely resisted the impulse to smile smugly at him.

"All I'm going to say is that you better not have dragged me out of bed for just anything," Daria grumbled as she entered Rydia's house at last.

"Yeah, heaven forbid she gets her royal hiney out of bed before noon," Bleu muttered under her breath. Of all the annoyances in this world, lazy princesses have to be the worst. Sheesh..... She ought to try my life for a week. Bet she wouldn't be so damn spoiled then.....

"What was that, Bleu?" Daria inquired sharply.

"Nothing at all, Daria dear," Bleu replied with a smirk. The young princess glared at her. Bleu simply laughed softly. Her smile faded, however, when she heard her mutter something barely audible about arrogant, irritating Mystics. A look of hurt briefly flashed across her features before she hid it. She wished forlornly that she could tell that spoiled brat that she could hear every word she spoke, but she lacked the courage. It had become so natural to her to hide her emotions from everyone, that the idea of sharing any of her feelings with anybody scared her.

Lightly chewing on her lower lip, Bleu glanced again at the homemade clock hanging in Rydia's kitchen. It was an odd, kooky thing, made up of bits and pieces of machinery and different metals. Rydia had constructed it when she was but nine years old, and it amazingly still worked, ticking quietly away. Bleu watched as it struck the hour of eleven o' clock, chiming softly to remind everyone of the time. Eleven.... she had to be back at noon for the lunchtime meeting of the Mystics in Medina. It was customary for Ozzie to announce and discuss the latest news and plans over a meal. Hardly a surprise, considering the fat Mystic's considerable girth.

"I have to be somewhere in an hour," Bleu announced. "So let's get this demonstration started soon, huh? I don't want to miss it or be late."

Daria grumbled something again, this time a derogatory remark about where she was going. Bleu glared angrily at her, momentarily forgetting that she didn't want anyone to know about her excellent hearing. Daria's grouchy expression changed to one of surprise and a little anxiety as she saw Bleu scowling at her. Quietly clearing her throat, the princess moved away, refusing to meet Bleu's eyes. The half-Mystic realized her blunder in allowing her emotions to show through and turned away herself, replacing her scowl with her usual emotionless façade.

"Well!" Rydia clapped her hands together briskly. "Let's get this started now, shall we?" Clearing her throat, she strode over to the concealed invention. "What I am going to show you," she announced, "is --"

"Not one of my greatest inventions," Lucca said, "but one of the most perplexing." She knocked on the shrouded contraption, and a metallic clang resounded through the room. Its occupants winced slightly at the noise.

"It's actually an old invention, one you've seen before," Lucca continued. "But I failed to perfect it the first time, and the results were definitely not what I intended. Which is not to say that the results weren't eventually good -- they were. But I have always desired to know why the results were what they were, and recently I discovered a means of finding the answers. And today, I present to you the perfected version of the invention I unveiled over a year ago at the Millennial Fair." She dramatically yanked the cover off of her creation. "Presenting --"

"The Telepod! Voila!" Rydia bowed. "Yes, that's right, I have indeed perfected my ancestor's most famous invention outside of the ever-useful Gate Key. Any questions for the fabulous genius inventor of 2300?"

"How? What? How? And WHY?!" Marle gaped at Lucca. "What in the world possessed you to re-do that thing? And what do you plan to do with it?"

"Take over the world, perhaps?" Magus suggested wryly. "I'm sure it would be quite instrumental in getting the innocent villagers to bow to your will." Despite himself, Crono snickered. Lucca glared at them, then redirected her attention to Marle.

"No, I intend to demonstrate, using you and a certain belonging of yours, that --"

"This Telepod no longer reacts as it once did to Dreamstone," Rydia finished. "So, step on up and make me a success!"

Daria hesitated, but the look of confidence and hopefulness on Rydia's face pricked at her conscience and inspired guilt in her heart. Pushing aside her worries about being zapped to another era or dimension, she decided to believe in her friend and help make her dream come true. Smiling encouragingly at Rydia, she stepped up onto the platform.

Marle, however, wasn't so easily convinced. "Are you really sure this thing is safe?" she asked suspiciously, as she fingered the pendant that hung around her neck. "Because I'm really not sure that it is, and if I want to put myself in that position again."

"I've been testing it for weeks. C'mon," Lucca pleaded. "For me? Please?"

Looking at Lucca's earnest face, Marle hesitated and considered it. She sighed. "Oh, what the heck," she grumbled under her breath as she walked up and stood on the pod. Lucca grinned and did a goofy little victory dance. Magus, Marle, and Crono rolled their eyes.

"Would you please --"

"Just get on with it already?" Bleu asked, exasperated. "I don't have much time."

"All right, all right, all right," Rydia grumbled. She knelt before the controls and turned the power on. "Okay, get ready....."

"For my most exciting demonstration ever!" Lucca cheered as she sat in front of the control panel. "Crono, turn the power on, will you?" Nodding, the almost-mute teen walked over and flipped the switch to power up the Telepod.

Rubbing her hands together in excitement, Lucca began to work the controls. A muted whirring sound filled the room as its gears began to warm up and turn. Machinery hummed, and an atmosphere of wonder and anticipation grew among the spectators and participants of the demonstration alike.

"I wonder what'll happen," Bleu mused quietly to herself as Rydia got it working. "I wonder if --" Her thoughts were cut off by the the bright flash of blinding light that enveloped the room. Shielding her eyes, Bleu caught a glimpse of what looked like Rydia being thrown back by some unseen force.