The Link Between Past and Presant *Complete*

[ComicX6]

Ugg, being sick is no fun at all, but here's another update...

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Chapter 14: The Flame Messenger
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'' The world really has changed... for the worse.'' Rockman said to himself. He was sitting cross legged on the floor of HQ's cyberworld. The rebels had filled him in on all that happened since he had been hidden away, and what they had discovered about Saito. '' But, how did Saito-kun get to this time period?''

Crushman shook his head, '' We've asked ourselves that many times, but we've uncovered no answers.''

Dash nodded, '' Yeah, I downloaded a file on the Hikari family from Scilab, or what's left of it, but all it said was that he was the son of Netto and Meiru, the rest was corrupted.''

'' Hmm, Netto-kun was so happy when he learned that Meiru was pregnant...'' Rockman muttered, his eyes clearly seeing something no one else could.

'' But the Outbreak worsened, and Netto-kun knew that he would be in danger, as he was a parttime researcher, parttime net savior.''

'' So his work was very hands on, correct?'' Butch asked.

Rockman nodded, ''Yes, so it was getting very dangerous. And then, one day, he said he had a premonition. So he secretly installed Blues and I into that computer, set Blues on standby, and me into stasis. The next thing I knew, you guys found me.''

There was a silence as everyone absorbed this information. That time must have been tough for the little navi, with all of the conflicting emotions. Proud that his operator had matured and was going to be a father, worried about the state of the world, sad that the child would grow up in such a world, and a longing for peaceful times.

On a more positive side, he presence had produced a calming effect on everyone. Maybe it was his friendly personality, or his particular aura, or maybe it was the sight of Saito and Rockman conversing in fluent Japanese, of which no one but Slate and possibly Butch could understand. Or maybe there was just something funny in the water.

'' Rockman, what was Daddy like?'' Saito asked his navi.

'' Well, he was often forgetful, and sometimes oblivious, but he had a strong sense of justice, even though he sometimes was hard headed. I'm sure you would have like him.''

Saito nodded, '' Arigatou Rockman.''

The five, six rather, operators sat in silence, until Karla asked a question, '' Is it just me, or has it gotten warmer in here?''

Vick scowled, ''You're right, it has gotten warmer in here!''

'' Hey, its gotten hotter in here too!'' Tyria exclaimed.

'' Correct, the cyberworld's temperature has increased by 15.4 degrees fahrenheit.'' Beta calculated.

'' And it seems to be coming from over there.'' Zero said, pointing towards one of the walls that seperated the different areas of the cyberworld.

Dash walked over to it and pressed his hands against it, but quickly withdrew them. '' It's burning hot!'' he grimaced, blowing on his abused hands.

KABOOM!

Dash was knocked backwards by an explosion that blew a breach in the wall, through which came a horde of fire viruses. There were Champys, Flame Swordys, Draggins, and Spikeys.

Dash picked himself off of the ground. '' Viruses! But how did they get in here?''

In the real world, the temperature had gone up as well. '' Worry about that later, we need to delete them first!''

Everyone readied themselves for battle. Dash, Beta, and Tyria morphed their hands into busters, while Zero summoned his saber and Crushman put up his fists.

The two of them waded into the mass of viri, hacking and punching, while the other three navis opened fire.

Rockman was going to fight too. '' Rockbuster!'' he shouted, morphing his hand into a blue buster. He moved into closer range, then began firing.

Dash ducked a punch from a Champy, blasted it, dodged a slash from a Flame Swordy, then shot that as well. '' Terry, some battlechips would be nice.''

'' Sorry! Tank Cannon, slot in!''

Dash went down on one knee as his entire arm was replaced by a large gray cannon. It fired an earth shaking blast, destrying a large group of viri.

Elsewhere, everyone else was doing fairly well. Zero was effortlessly slicing through enemies, Tyria was using a vulcan to wear down a particarly defensive Champy, Rockman was picking off viri with his buster, and Crushman was tossing Spikeys around as if they were plushies. Even Beta, who wasn't designed for heavy combat, was doing pretty well.

Karla slotted in a second Vulcan, then turned to see Saito simply staring at his PET's holographic display. '' Do you know how to operate a navi?''

'' Sorta...'' Saito admitted.

'' Well, let's just send chips for now, just touch a chip on the screen and drag it over.''

'' Like this?'' he asked, selecting a Longsword.

Rockman's buster morphed into the Longsword. He charged forward, slicing through several viri. Dash was struck by how casually he did so, as if he had been doing this since the day he was activated.

His awe was cut short by Terry slotting in a Fujin Racket. He swung it, unleasing a powerful wind gust, deleting another group of viri.

With this threat removed, he turned to see that everyone else was done with their viruses.

'' They're all gone... but the heat is still here...'' Butch muttered, wiping some sweat from his brow.

But there was one last virus, for a shadow fell over the six navis.

'' Nan da...'' Zero muttered, slipping back into Japanese.

A Magma Dragon virus appeared overhead and spewed a stream of flame towards the ground. Dash, Tyria, Rockman, and Zero managed to easily evade, being small and light, Crushman just got away, but poor Beta was too slow and took the brunt of the attack, so he was forced to log out.

'' Aquatower, slot in!'' Karla shouted, slotting in the named chip.

Tyria put her hand to the ground and water shot out from between her fingers, forming into a tall geyser that struck the dragon, which let out a shriek.

Slate inserted a chip into the side of his PET, '' Paralyze Bomb, slot in!''

Zero hurled the thing into the air. It impacted with its target, sending the immobilized dragon plummeting to the ground.

'' Now! Rockman, finish him!''

'' Uh, Watersword, slot in?'' Saito said nervously, selecting a new chip.

'' Aqua- sword.'' Rockman corrected as his hand morphed into a blue blade.

A face mask popped up, covering his mouth and nose, then he charged foward, slicing through the creature with ease. The Magma Dragon's torso slid off of it's tail, the both halves fragmented.

'' Good job, you've managed to delete all of my viruses.'' an unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone turned to see a new navi standing near the hole that had been blown in the wall.

'' Who are you?! How did you find us?!'' Zero demanded, raising his saber.

'' I am Pyroman.exe.'' the navi said. His body suit was black, while his shoulder pads, boots, gloves, and torso armor were orange. His orange helmet was decorated with what appeared to be racing stripes. ''To answer your second question, your HQ is the only building in the area that's emitting signifigant cyberworld signals, it wasn't very hard to find you.''

He looked at the navis, then his black eyes alighted on Rockman. '' Who are you? I know that the other four are rebels, and that the normal navi was beaten, who are you?''

'' I'm Rockman.exe!'' Rockman said, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.

'' I've never heard of a rebel Rockman, or any Rockman for that matter.'' Pyroman said scowling.

Zero did not like being ignored. '' Why are you here, what do you want?!''

'' Hmph, all you need to know is that I am a mercenary. A researcher within T-Corp asked my operator to defend a certain project of his from you.'' Pyroman explained, crossing his arms.

'' Wait a minute... this base has no connection to the net...'' Slate said, '' So in order to get in here, you would've had to of been plugged in from an external port outside... Vick, go check for intruders.''

Vick nodded and left, wincing a bit when he touched the door, which was still emitting heat.

'' This project, I assume it's those Dimensional Chips we've discovered.'' Zero deduced.

'' Yes, the manufacturing plant in region 174-'' Pyroman stopped, realizing what he had just said, then let out an oath so disgusting and potent, that Terry was shocked that a navi had been programed to utter it.

'' Well, now that I've let that slip...'' Pyroman grumbled, '' I'm gonna have to delete you!''

Zero smirked, '' It's five on one, you really think that you can win? You're mistaken.''

Pyroman ignored him and threw a small fireball into the air. Well, that little fireball exploded with massive force, knocking everyone over. Zero's saber went clattering away.

Pyroman smiled and threw a larger fireball towards him. Zero did not try to dodge, he didn't need to. He summoned a disk like shield, and the fireball impacted against that, leaving Zero unharmed.

'' How did you...''

'' The Z-Saber isn't my only weapon.'' Zero said. He then threw the slightly blackened shield away from himself.

'' Ha! First you lose your sword, then you throw away your shield!'' Pyroman laughed, '' I would've thought that the great Zero would be more AHHHGG!!!'' The shield came flying back, slicing off several of his fingers.

Zero caught the shield and picked up his saber. '' Saber Wave!'' he cried, bringing down his saber, unleasing a wave of energy. The wave hit Pyroman, knocking him over. When he got up, he saw Rockman pointing his buster at him.

'' Charge Shot!''

A powerful energy blast flew from the end of the barrel and hit Pyroman in the side. He let out a scream as his side was blasted away.

''He's... That attack was so powerful...'' Tyria said, awed.

'' It's the Ultimate Program.'' Zero said.

'' What is THAT?!'' Crushman asked.

'' I'm not exactly sure, but it seems to serve as a latent power source. Apparently, it gave him various powers such as ' Soul Unison' and ' Full Synchro'. ''

'' I'm confused.'' Dash said, scratching his helmet.

'' I don't really understand it much myself, but I think that's why Akira-sama wanted to find him, so that his power would be added to ours.'' Zero explained.

While this was happening, Pyroman slowly, painfully picked himself off of the ground, with a portion of his left side gone.

'' D-Damn you... Rockman. I swear... that... I will get you for this. I... will!'' He logged out.

Rockman breathed a sigh of relief and was automatically logged out, along with everyone else.

'' Hey boss!'' Vick shouted. Slate turned to see a haggard looking Vick enter the room. '' I didn't see anyone out there, but I did see a pickup truck driving away.''

'' That must've been Pyroman's operator.'' Slate sighed.

'' Yeah, but his navi let slip where the factory is! We can go there and shut it down!'' Terry pointed out.

'' Yes, I will try to find out where region 174 is. When I do, we will leave.'' Slate said.

'' Um... Akira-san?''

Slate looked down to see Saito looking up at him.

'' Will Rockman and I be coming too?''

'' Naturally.''

Rockman nodded, '' I will gladly fight to rid the world of the Dimensional Chip menace, once and for all!''

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Ug, I feel like I'm about to throw up right now, so, good bye.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[NetOperator Wibby]

wow. i just sat here and read through 2 pages of this fic! i like the storyline and everything! hurry with the chapters!
_________________
Avatar by Tabby (of my NetNavi, GuincoolMind.EXE) : : :
HP / Twitter / hikari OS / SciLab

[ComicX6]

I deeply apologize for the atrociously long wait. I have been very busy with school work and choosing electives for next year. So, at long last...

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Chapter 15: Merged Paths
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'' So, how did all of you come together?'' Rockman asked.

Slate was busy searching for Region 174's location on the main computer, Vick was repairing Beta, Terry was sorting his collection of battlechips, while Butch and Karla were playing cards. Saito was leaning on the back of a chair, watching them.

'' I came from a town in Amerroppia.'' Terry began. '' My parents worked in a medical facility nnearby, but one day a lethal virus managed to escape, and by the time quarintine was established, most of the people were dead, including my parents. I was only three or four, so I don't remember this.''

He paused, holding up a Machine Sword battlechip, then placed it with the rest of his sword chips.

'' An aid worker took me in.'' he continued. '' He was a friend of Slate's, so he defected from T-Corp with him. Afterwards, he raised me like a son until he died. Then I joined Slate's rebel group.''

'' My parents were quite privledged, so I had an excellent education.'' Vick said, continuing to repair his navi.

'' Then why can't you afford a better navi?'' Terry taunted.

'' Shut up! He's been my navi since I was a kid, I don't care if he's only a Normal Navi!'' Vick shot back. '' Anyway, I joined the rebels because of the lack of respect I was recieving elsewhere. A childish reason, I know, but now I am fighting for the right reasons.''

'' I was a mechanic at a military base.'' Butch began, drawing a card from the deck. '' Then came the Sharoan Revolt. A region of Sharo, which had always been militaristic, tried to overthrow the T-Corp government in the area. Needless to say, it was quickly put down. Afterwards, the base was closed, and a year or so later I met Slate and helped him and several others defect. So I've been with the rebels since the beginning.''

'' Well, I guess it's time for my life story.'' Karla said. '' There isn't much to say, I was living on the street for as long as I can remember. Mother was probably a prostitute. Anyway, I tried to pick pocket Slate in Kyotoro one day. Smartest move I've ever made.''

'' Slate and Zero were Enforcers.'' Butch said, jerking his thumb at Slate's back. '' We've already told you everything we know about him. There are still plenty of sercets to him though. We know he can't be 100% Japanese because of his eyes, and we don't know what he saw or did that convinced him to defect. But he brought us all together, gave us a home. We owe him a lot.''

What odd circumstances had brought these unique individuals together. Rockman thought. Then again, this time was vastly different then what he had known.

Terry finished sorting his chips and whated the card game progress. Unsurprisingly, Karla won. An idea came to his head.

'' Hey Saito, can I borrow Rockman for a few minutes?''

'' What do you want him for?'' Saito asked.

'' I just thought of something.'' Terry said mysteriously.

'' Well, if you say you need him, I guess you do.'' Saito said, handing over his PET.

'' Thanks.'' Terry said, turning around and leaving the room.

'' Terry, where are we going?'' Dash asked from his PET.

'' And why do you need me?'' Rockman asked from his own.

'' Okay, Saito said that he remembers waking up in a building. That building is now just an old wreck, but in the past it was a rest house for patrolling guards. There was a warp in that cyberworld, and the terminus is over here, after all, this used to be a military base, remember? It's a cross network warp, so only one end needs to be active to complete the circuit. Now do you see? There might just be some data on Saito.''

'' Yeah, but why do you need me?'' Rockman asked.

'' Because if there is any data, I think you deserve to see it first.'' Terry said quietly.

'' But what would Saito be doing in a military outpost?'' Dash asked.

Terry shrugged as he descended some stairs. '' That's what we're trying to find out.''

The room he entered was dusty and dark, they didn't come down here all that much. Terry soon found the panel he was looking for, and pointed both PETs at it. '' Plug in.''

The two navis materialized in the network. Dash quickly spotted the glowing warp point, and he and Rockman stepped into it, activating it. With a flash, they were in the outpost's cyberworld.

It was old, and everything expect the warp that they had just imerged from was an especially drab shade of gray, which was due to no power being sent to it. Parts of the floor looked unstable, probably from decades of neglect.

'' Ahhh, there's nothing here...'' Dash sighed.

'' No, wait! Look!'' Rockman said excitedly, pointing to a third warp point. Sadly though, there was no glow, indicating that it could not be used.

'' Huh, looks like it hasn't been used in ages. Not surprising, considering the state of the cyberworld.'' Terry sighed.

'' Still, I wonder where it led too.'' Rockman wondered.

Another dead end. Why was it so hard to find any info on Saito? All they wanted to find out is how Saito was perserved. But they had run into deadends every single time they came close to discovering the truth. It was like the past was taunting them. Dangling the truth in front of them, then snatching it away.

Terry's musings were interupted by his PET ringing, indicating an incoming phone call. '' Hello?'' he said, bring the PET closer to his face.

Butch appeared on the screen. '' Hey, where the heck are you? Get yur butt back up here!''

'' Why so impatient?'' Terry asked, a little annoyed. '' Has something happened?''

'' Yeah, Slate found the factory's location. Get up here now!''

'' Fine fine. See you in a minute.'' Terry said, ending the call and plugging both navis out. Then he turned and headed back upstairs.

* * *

'' Area 174 is about 150 miles to the west of us.'' Slate explained. '' It'll be around an hour and a half's drive there. There is an old highway system there, so transportation will not be an issue. The area itself is pretty small too, so finding it won't be an issue either. Judging from what Pyroman said about guarding, it is safe to assume that it is completely computer controlled, and that there are no humans in the vicinity save his operator. We will have to deal with them, but that shouldn't be a problem, since there is two of them and twelve of us.''

'' So, we beat Pyroman, destroy the machinary, and then the chips?'' Butch asked.

Slate nodded, '' To put it simply, yes, that's right.''

'' Now evryone should get some rest for tomarrow, dismissed!''

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The main focus of this chapter was to give the rebels some backstory.

Anyway, I have finished writing this fic, for a grand total of 21 chapters, and have written the first two of the sequal.

On another note, I discovered that one of my friends is either a fan of EXE, or at least has knowledge of it, for he noticed the word ' navi ' on the first draft of the sequal's first chapter.

And finally, sorry again for the wait. If all goes according to plan, I should get the next two chapters up before Saturday.

See ya!
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[Mewpink]

Oh...poor Blues and Enzan...and poor Netto nd Meiru....
I don't like people dying.... T_T *perks up again* But apart from that, I really enjoyed reading this so be quick with writing the next chapters!! ^_^
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[Eliechan87]

A very interesting story, congratulations! :D

Keep up the good work!

[ComicX6]

Well, things didn't go according to plan. Didn't have time on Thrusday or Friday, and none of us could get on Saturday, so I'm posting the next chapter today.

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Chapter 16: The Night Before
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Terry rolled restlessly in his bed. He just couldn't fall asleep. He got up and paced his room for a second, then picked up his coat and put it on. His PET, which was lying in a charger next to his bed, flickered to life. '' Is something wrong Terry?'' Dash asked.

'' I'll be back in a little bit, I'm just going to take a walk to clear my head.'' Terry answered.

The night air was pleasantly cool against his face, and the sight of the night sky was soothing. In the distance, he could see a few lights from Kyotoro. Still, that uneasiness would not leave his head. Ever since Slate had dismissed them, a small feeling of foreboding had popped up in the back of his head, and it had been growing ever since.

'' What are you doing out here?''

Terry turned to see Karla approaching him. '' Just getting some air, that's all. What are you doing out here so late?'' he asked.

'' It's my turn to lock everything up for the night.'' she answered. '' I was going to go to bed now.''

'' Hmm.''

Karla noticed that Terry looked a little uneasy, even though he was trying to hide it. '' Terry, what's wrong? Please be honest with me.''

Terry sighed. '' I just have a bad feeling about this, like something terrible is going to happen.''

'' Well, that doesn't mean that anything will happen. It's just pre-mission jitters, that's all.'' Karla reassured. '' I am worried about Saito though...'' she added. '' He can't be older than 10, yet he'll be doing the work of adults. It may be too much for him.''

Terry smiled. '' First you try to say my feeling is nothing, but now you're worried too? Don't worry about Saito. He has Rockman with him, and if he's inherited his father's netbattling skills, there's nothing to worry about!''

'' Poor kid.'' Karla sighed, '' His father dying before he was even born, living during the Outbreak, and now this.''

'' Ah, a good night's sleep will do you good, you'll forget all about this.'' Terry told her. '' In fact, I'm going back to bed too. Night.''

'' Sleep well.'' Karla called after him, as she headed of in another direction, presumably to lock up something that see had forgot.

When Terry got back to his bed, he fell fast asleep.

* * *

He was having a netbattle with Slate. Instead of plugging in however, Slate slotted in a Dimensional Chip. Zero appeared before Terry, a malevolent look in his eyes.

Terry protested that Dash couldn't fight a real world Zero, but Zero said, ''Then we'll fight you instead!'' and charged foward to attack...

He was standing in front of the dead and bloodied bodies of Netto, Meiru, and Saito. Slate and Vick, Beta, Tyria, Crushman, Butch and Karla stood off to one side.

Karla stepped foward and said, '' The jury finds the defendant guilty of the premeditated murder of the Hikari family.'' Then Slate solemnly spoke: '' You have been found guilty of the murders of Hikari Netto, Hikari Meiru, and Hikari Saito. There is only one punishment for a crime so heinous: Death!''

Rockman then appeared on Terry's left and fired a shot from his buster into Terry's side, sending him to the ground in fearsome pain. He looked and saw the bottoms of Rockman's boots heading towards him.

BAM BAM BAM

A ghostly voice began to wail his name. Terrrrryyyy.... BAM BAM... Terrrrryyyy.... BAM BAM... TERRRRRYYYY!!!!!!

'' Terry! Wake up!''

Terry awoke to find that it was morning and that he had fallen out of bed. Dash was calling his name in an effort to wake him up, while Vick was pounding on his door, shouting at him to get his rear in gear and get down.

'' Alright already! I'm comin' I'm comin' !'' Terry shouted and the pounding ceased.

'' Are you okay? You look pale.'' a concerned Dash asked.

'' I just had a nightmare, that's all.''

'' A 'nightmare'?''

'' It's like a dream, except it's a bad one.'' Terry explained.

'' A 'dream' ?''

'' I guess your sleep mode is quite different from natural sleep.'' Terry said. '' Well, I'll explain later, I need to get dressed and head down.''

* * *

Terry expected Slate to be giving some sort of breakfast pep talk, but he wasn't. He was sitting at the table, fingers steepled, deep in thought. Butch and Karla didn't look worried at all, while Vick's expression was impossible to read through his glasses. Saito, however, looked positivly green. He thought about what Karla had said the previous night, then shook his head.

He plugged Dash in and went to get some food. In the cyberworld, the only one who looked nervous was Rockman. Crushman was the first to notice this and tried to reassure him. '' Don't worry kid, all of us were nervous on our first missions.''

'' Yeah! Cheer up. We've all got your back!'' Tyria said cheerfully.

'' Although I'm afraid that I won't be of much use though...'' Beta sighed.

'' Thank you... Everyone....'' Rockman said quietly.

Dash held out his hand. '' We're going to do this!''

Crushman placed his large hand on top of Dash's, then Tyria, Beta, and finally Rockman added theirs to the pile.

'' Right!'' Rockman said more assertively. '' We WILL!''

'' Hmph.'' Zero muttered as he watched them. '' Kids.''

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This chapter was supposed to be a little weird, so don't be feaked out.

Anyway, I hope to get two more chapters up this week, but no promises. I'm aimming to finish posting this by April vacation. There are 5 chapters left.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[Eliechan87]

What a nightmare, really terrible! :O

Another interesting chapter, keep up the good work! ^__^
_________________

[ComicX6]

And now, chapter 17.

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Chapter 17: The Factory
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'' Terry, wake up, we're here.''

Terry awoke in the backseat of the transport truck to find Butch shaking him awake. Next to him, Karla was waking Saito, who had also fallen asleep.

Terry stepped out of the truck to see the Dimensional Chip factory. It was smaller than he had imagined it. It was composed of several boxy buildings inside of a compound. There were two short smoke stacks that were each letting out a small cloud of smoke. The landscape was mostly grassy, but there was a small grove of trees nearby.

'' Alright.'' Slate said. '' I'm going to hide the truck among those trees, then we'll find an entrance.

'' Are you sure that there are no guards here or anything?'' Butch asked waringly.

'' No, we would've been intercepted by now if that was the case.'' Slate answered.

'' If you say so.''

Afterwards Vick located an entrance gate, but it was locked and guarded by security cameras. However, since the entire factory was supposed to be automonus, there had to be a plug in port.

'' I think that I'll be able to take care of this myself.'' Vick said, glancing at the entrance.

'' Are you sure?'' Karla asked.

'' Positive. Beta can deactivate the entire security system without activating any alarms. You guys would probably destroy it outright, activating every security feature here.'' Vick retorted as he took out his PET with a flourish. '' Plug in, Beta, transmission.''

A laser passed from his PET to the distant port, and soon Beta was in the cameras' computer.

'' It appears that the cameras and all other alarms and security send data to and from a central processor. I could synthesize an item of command data, insert it into the output flow, which will then send it to the central processor.'' Beta said after studying the cyberworld.

'' Good.'' Vick said. '' Then order it to deactivate all of the security.''

'' Wow, I never knew that Beta could do something like advanced hacking.'' Karla said, impressed.

'' Alright, I'll tell it to deactivate the security. Oh, I'll also tell it to open all of the doors so that we can get in.'' Beta said as a glowing orb appeared in his hand, then it vanished.

After several minutes, the gate opened with a groan, signaling that Beta's plan had succeded. Inside was a small grassy area, then the entrance to the factory, the door now yawning wide, bekoning the rebels hither. There was also a pickup truck parked nearby as well.

Slate took in this sight, then warned, '' Pyroman's operator is around here somewhere, be carefull everyone.

After entering the building. they walked down a hallway, all the while the sounds of various machines at work getting louder. Finally, they reached the large room where the actual production took place.

It began like this. Sheets of what appeared to be blue glass were melted down into a molten blue substance. This material was then poured into battlechip like molds, which were then cooled and hardened by submersion in a large tank of liquid. Then PET connecter strips were wired
in. Finally, the chips were carefully arranged in open faced crates. All the while sparks were flying and steam and smoke rose into the air.

One of the crates was suddenly lifted into the air and began to move away. A closer inspection revealed that they were being transported by waist high, gray, treaded robots with arms specialized for handling the boxes.

'' Why are the sheets of glass blue?'' Saito asked, curious.

'' It's because they are made from the same material that Dimensional Converters are. But while those create Dimensional Areas in which cyber beings can enter our world, the chip form can bring a navi directly into our world without a Dimensional Area.'' Slate explained.

While he was saying this, one of the robots bumped into Terry. It backed up, raised its telescoping robotic eye at the obstacle, beeped angrily, then went around him. '' We're lucky we shut down the security, cause otherwise that thing would have alerted everything.''

Slate walked past all of the machinary to a large device that was emitting a menacing hum. '' This is the CPU I presume.'' he said. '' If we can shut this down...''

'' Well, there has to be a port on it somewhere.'' Terry said, joining Slate. '' But... I don't see one...''

'' What? You mean we can't plug in?'' Karla asked. '' Saito, do you see one over where you are?''

'' I'll look, but I don't see any too.'' Saito said, with the typical bad grammer that kids his age spoke.

But even though he talked like a kid, he looked much different then he had when they first found him, Terry thought. Back then, he was dirty, depressed, and shy. Now he was more confident and assertive, determined, he even looked older.

And Karla said that he might not be up to this. Ha! Was she wrong. Terry thought. His musings were interupted by laughter, and it wasn't pleasant laughter either.

Everyone looked up to see a man gazing down at them from a catwalk high above. '' Well, it looks like the rebels have come at last!'' he shouted down at them.

'' Who are you?!'' Slate shouted back up.

'' Me?'' the man said as he descended a stairwell to a lower walkway and then walked over to the CPU. '' I'm the mercenary Ace. I was hired by Dr. Mattel, the creator of these chips, to guard this place from you!''

'' Well you sure did a lousy job of that!'' Terry retorted. '' Your navi told us exactly where it was! You call that guarding?!''

'' How naive can you be? Did you think that he accidentally told you? No, he told you on purpose, to lure you here, and it worked!'' Ace laughed.

'' But, why who T-Corp hire a merc to do their own dirty work?'' Karla asked.

'' Because Mattel told me that after Akira stole those files, his superiors threatened to cut off funding if anything happened.'' Ace explained. '' He paid us quite hansomely too, he must really be desperate.''

'' So if we destroy the factory, Dimensional Chips may never again be made!'' Terry exclaimed.

'' I suppose so... Terry.'' Ace said. He studied the group below him. '' Let's see, the kid's Terry, that's Akira, the girl is Karla, the nerd is Vick, and the big guy is Butch. '' He began to laugh. '' That means that that little brat is Rockman's operator! What a joke! A kid, a rebel! Ha ha ha!''

'' Stop making fun of me!'' Saito shouted, his face going as red as his hair.

'' Aww, is da liddle baby mad?'' Ace taunted in babyspeak, which certainly didn't go well with his appearance. '' Anyway, Pyroman is in the CPU, waiting for you. Plug in NOW.''

'' But there's no port!''

'' That's because the port is up here, circle around, and you'll find it.''

Terry circled around till he saw a matinence panel. He, and everyone else, pointed their PETs at it.

'' Plug in!''

The six navis materialized in the CPU's cyberworld. The floor was composed of a green grid, which was raised in several places, like small hills. Standing at the base of one of them was Pyroman.

'' Well well, We meet again. I assure you, things will not go as they did the last time we fought.'' As if to emphasize his point, he burst into flames.

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So now the finale begins.

Now that the fic is winding down, what does everyone think? I'm curious to find out.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[Mugen.exe]

So far the fic is interesting. I like how it's based around someone other than Netto, and I also like your characters. The fact that it's set on a future timeline is cool, and I like how Saito inherited Rockman.
Chapter 16 was really interesting (you did a good job of blurring realities with the dream sequence) and in 17 I liked how it ended. Very compelling, bursting into flames is!
Can't wait to read more.
_________________

False Swipe is a great finishing move!
Witty robots, spunky orphans, and invincible pilots, this link's for you! A Gundam RP

[ComicX6]

Update comin' through.

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Chapter 18: Flames of Vengence
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Dash turned his hand into a buster, as did Tyria, Beta, and Rockman. Crushman clenched his fists while Zero summoned his saber.

Pyroman finished his pyrotechnics, then spoke. '' Before we begin, there is a warp point behind me that leads to the CPU's core. But if you go there, you better be ready to face a horde of viruses.''

'' Not so!'' Tyria shouted back at him. '' We've deactivated the sercurity here!''

'' Yes, the security of the factory.'' Pyroman answered. '' The CPU's security system is on a seperate, internal network. You can't deactivate it externally.''

'' One of us will have to leave the battle... '' Zero muttered. '' Beta, when I tell you, break for the warp.''

'' Yessir.'' Beta responed.

'' Combustion Ball!'' Pyroman shouted, throwing one of those small fireball at the navis.

'' I've got this one!'' Butch said, inserting a chip into the side of his PET. '' Slot in! Antifire!''

The fireball ground to a halt, and then flew in the opposite direction, slamming into Pyroman and detonating. Unsurprisingly, he emerged from the explosion relativally unhurt.

Slate selected a chip and dragged it over. '' Magnetbolt! Slot in!''

Zero's left hand was replaced by a large magnet, which he used to glue Pyroman's feet to the floor. '' Beta! Go!''

Beta nodded and ran as fast as he could past an infuriated Pyroman. He reached the warp unmolested and stepped into it. It brought him to a new area. It looked just like the one before, but there was a silver sphere floating in the air. It looked not unlike a disco ball.

'' That must be the CPU's core.'' Vick said to his navi. Before Beta could reply though, a swarm of viri appeared, just like Pyroman had said.

'' Oh dear...''

* * *

'' Energy Rain!'' Dash cried, using the same technique that he had used on the Dreamvirus. Pyroman was a bit more agile then the virus though, and he managed to dodge most of the beams.

'' Rockbuster!'' Rockman shouted, firing off a shot. Pyroman ducked it, then held out his hand. '' Combustion Flare!''

A powerful blast of flame flew from his palm, scorching the floor. Zero and Tyria hit the dirt to avoid it, while Rockman and Dash sidestepped. Crushman was already out of range.

Slate selected a new chip. '' Aquablade, slot in.''

Zero's left hand morphed into a curved blue blade. He dashed up to Pyroman and slashed him with both the blade and his saber.

Pyroman staggered backward, reeling from the blows. ''Fireblade...'' he grumbled, morphing his right hand into a curved red blade. He lept towards Rockman.

Saito selected a chip and dragged it over. '' Samurai Sword, slot in!''

Rockman's buster morphed into a thin, curved blade which he used to parry Pyroman's attack.

Saito had learned the ropes of operating fast. The previous evening, Butch and Karla had spent three hours drilling Saito with a training program, and he had done really well towards the end. He must have of inheirited his father's skill after all.

Rockman ducked another swing, then threw a punch at Pyroman's stomach, but it was a feint, for he brought the sword down for another attack. Pyroman barely managed to block this, then he retaliated with a kick that caught the smaller navi under the chin, knocking him painfully to the ground.

Saito selected a new chip. '' Fumikomizan!''

Rockman vanished from the floor, then cut through Pyroman with a Widesword-like sword, leaving a slice down Pyroman's side.

'' This isn't working Pyroman.'' Ace said, speaking to his PET. '' Instead of taking them all on, only focus on one at a time. He inserted a chip. '' Areasteal, slot in.''

Pyroman warped away, and reappeared behind Crushman. He slashed him twice with his Fireblade, then pressed his hand against the larger navi's back. '' Combustion Flare!''

A blast of fire blew through poor Crushman's chest. As soon as the flames died, his data dissolved into deletion.

'' CRUSHMAN!'' Butch cried as the word delete appeared on his PET screen.

'' You have a backup, right?'' Karla asked him.

'' Of course I do, but not here. It's back at HQ.''

'' At least you have one.''

Ace smiled. '' Good work. Activate Full Energy Subchip.''

Pyroman briefly glowed, and when it faded, he was back at full health.

'' Now plug out.'' Ace said. '' It is time.''

'' Time for what!?'' Zero demanded.

'' Hee hee. I'll be seeing you soon. Heh heh.'' Pyroman sneered as he plugged out.

'' It is time...'' Ace said as he pulled something out of his pocket. '' For all of you to die!''

He inserted the thing into his PET.

'' DIMENSIONAL CHIP, SLOT IN! ''

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I think that this was rather forseeable ever since I introduced the copy dimensional chips way back in chapter 8 ( man, that was so long ago... ).

There are three chapters left.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[ComicX6]

Next chappie, coming up.

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Chapter 19: The Asteroid's Return
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'' Dimensional Chip, slot in!'' Ace shouted as he inserted the blue chip into his PET.

A pillar of light appeared in front of him, then it expanded, and when it faded away, there was Pyroman, standing in the real world, glaring at them all with malicious intent.

Karla backed up, a look of shock upon her face. '' I can't believe it... He really came into the real world...''

Terry backed up as well. Humans were much weaker than navis. At least, they were when they didn't have weapons. How would they be able to fight back?

'' Well, now that I've done that, I'm outta here.'' Ace smirked, turning to leave, then said, '' Oh yeah, Pyroman! I'll be sending you battlechips. Have fun rebels! Ha ha ha!'' He walked to the end of the walkway, and disappeared through a door.

'' Get back here you!'' Terry shouted angrily, but of course, Ace didn't listen.

'' Now listen up!'' Pyroman said, pointing at them. '' I'm not going to spare any of you, not even the little brat!'' He put his hands together. '' Combustion Ball!''

He threw another fireball at the rebels. It sailed over their heads, but the detonation shook the building, and the shock threw the humans to the floor.

Terry collided painfully with one of the robots, knocking it over and spilling its cargo all over the floor. He picked up one of the chips and gazed at it. The Dimensional Chip appeared to be made from blue glass. In fact, the only metal part was the PET connector strip. It was the only way they would be able to fight Pyroman, the only way...

'' Slot in! Dimensional Chip!''

Dash vanished from the PET screen, and, in a pillar of light, he reappeared in front of Terry.

Terry slowly got to his feet. '' You... you're in our world...'' he said, amazed.

'' Yeah...'' Dash said, looking at his hands as if he had never seen them before. '' It's so weird...''

Terry picked up three more chips and threw them to his companions. '' Use these!''

Slate didn't need a prompt, he instantly inserted the chip. Karla and Saito examined their chips for an instant, then they too inserted theirs. Soon, Tyria, Zero, and Rockman appeared in the real world with looks of either surprise or wonderment on their faces.

'' Looks like you're outnumbered again, you can't beat all four of us.'' Slate told Pyroman.

'' At my current power level, you are correct, I probably can't.'' he admitted. Then he began to sneer, always a bad sign. '' But once my operator finishes transmitting it to me, you're all doomed!''

'' Finish transmitting what?''

'' The Extra Code.''

'' And that is?''

Pyroman's sneer grew broader. '' It's a rather obselete, but effective, way to increase a navi's power. A password is entered, which activates the program. Extra Codes can do all sorts of things. Increase power, defense, it can give me any kind of ability, as long as the corresponding code is entered.''

'' And it gave me the Aqua Custom Style Change...'' Rockman muttered, apparently refering to an event in his past.

'' Extra Code or not, we will still delete you!'' Zero said angrily, pointing his saber at the larger navi.

'' I think you'll be changing your tune...'' Pyroman retorted, '' ...once you go against my new powers!''

He screwed up his eyes like he was having a migraine, then arched his back back and let out a shout. He staggered, panting heavily, then sneered. '' It's... over.''

He straightened up, then said, '' Now, it's a little too crowed in here. We can't afford to destry all of the machinary. Fortunatly, my operator has just sent me the perfect chip to take care of that: Going Load!''

Panels with arrows pointing away appeared beneath the rebels' feet. Then it started, to transport them back down the hall that they had entered from, just like a moving sidewalk at airports, but much, much faster. In the blink of an eye, they were outside, in the grassy area between the factory building, and the enclosure.

'' Hey! The pickup truck's gone!'' Karla noticed when the panels faded.

'' Hmph, the operator has left the navi to do all the work.'' Tyria said indignatly.

The sound of a distant explosion was heard, and part of the wall of the building was blown apart. Pyroman stepped out of the hole and surveyed the group. '' Are we all here? Good, now you will die.''

Rockman, Zero, Tyria and Dash assumed battle stances as their operators readied to support them.

Pyroman brought his hand to the ground, '' Fire Tower!''

A column of flames lept into the air. Slate decided not to use the cliched Fire/Aqua tower trick, but instead slotted in an Oceanseed and a Come on Rain!.

Zero lobbed the blue blub into the air. It broke when it landed, creating an ankle deep puddle around the navis. Then, storm clouds appeared, and let loose their downpour. While the flames were extinguished however, Pyroman appeared unharmed.

'' I hit you with an aqua attack, and I used a powerup for it beforehand, so why are you unhurt?'' Zero asked, confused.

'' With the Extra Code backing me, a little drizzle won't hurt me!'' Pyroman declared. He then vanished, then reappeared in front of Zero. '' It also increased my speed.'' He then kneed Zero in the stomach, who went down with a grunt.

'' You really are dumber than I thought Zero. Now all of you are wet, which calls for a Custom Bolt!''

His hand was replaced by a lightning conductor, and a bolt shot from it and hit the large puddle, which all four of the navis were in.

'' Are you okay?!'' Terry shouted. '' Ugg, I'm okay... Terry.'' Dash groaned. '' I think- Ahhhgg!'' Pyroman had just punched him, sending him flying.

'' His raw physical strength has increased exponentally...'' Slate growled, gritting his teeth in frustration. How the devil could they win?

* * *

The Quaker virus fragmented as it was hit by a buster shot. '' That's the last one...'' Beta sighed. That battle had seriously worn him out, as he wasn't designed to fight like that. The fact that his operator had had to find corver from the real world Pyroman certainly hadn't helped either. He looked up at the core. '' The core still needs to be destroyed...''

'' Think you can handle a program advance?'' Vick asked.

'' I'll try.''

'' Very well then! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon, triple slot in! Activate Zeta Cannon!''

Beta aimmed the multi barreled, cube shaped cannon at the core, and fired. Multiple energy blasts flew from it, completely obliterating the silver sphere.

All over the factory, machines began to shut down. Manufacturing machines, lights, robots, everything.

Vick sighed in relief. '' Plug out Beta.''

Just then, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He tensed up, but then a familiar voice spoke. '' Relax man. It's me.''

'' Don't scare me like that Butch, I thought you were Ace.'' Vick grumbled, twisting out of Butch's grip.

'' Ace left. The others are fighting Pyroman.'' Butch told him. '' We should go find them and help out in anyway we can.''

'' Will we be of any use?'' Vick asked. '' Your navi was deleted, and Beta won't be any use until he's recovered his strength.''

* * *

Terry reached the top step of the stairwell and climbed up onto the factory's roof. The battle had moved up there, and it was not going well. Tyria had been forced to log out, while the others, Dash, Rockman, and Zero, had all taken extensive damage. Pyroman had taken some damage as well, but that hadn't slowed him down much. If the rebels were going to win, something needed to happen, and fast.

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I was originally going to have Pyroman Darkchip'd, but this is a bit more original. My memory of Let's Go to the Moon! is dim, so can somebody tell me if that's how the Extra Code works? There are also 2 chapters left.

In other news, I finished The Da Vinci Code today.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[ComicX6]

Almost done...

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Chapter 20: A Life so Short...
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'' Longblade!'' Pyroman shouted as his hand morphed into a long, pink blade.

'' Ugg, Machine Sword, slot in.'' Terry grumbled. Pyroman wasn't stunned, so the sword would be useless offensively, but it could still be used defensively.

Zero raised his saber in front of his body, but it was clear that he was weakening.

Pyroman dashed towards the two navis to attack. Dash raised his blade to defend, but it was chopped in two with a single blow. Next, Pyroman turned his attention to Zero. He kicked the saber away, then knocked him to the ground.

'' I'll let you live for a little bit longer now.'' Pyroman told the fallen navi. This time, there was no malicious smile on his lips, only cold fury. '' Right now I have a little score to settle with your blue friend over there.'' Without turning around, he held his hand out in Saito's direction. '' Combustion Ball.''

'' You can't!'' Slate shouted, a look of horror on his face. '' Zero! Stop him! NOW!''

Zero slowly rose from the roof's surface, but Pyroman again knocked him away. He released the fireball.

'' SAITO-KUN!'' Rockman screamed. He did the only thing he could to protect his operator. He dived in front of him and raised his arms and spread out his legs, so that he was spread eagle.

BOOM

The fireball exploded on impact. When it faded, Rockman was standing in his protective pose, burns all over his body, and a look of agony on his face. Saito had fallen over on his backside, and was looking up at his navi, a look of terror on his face.

Rockman took several steps backward, then went down on one knee, so that he was right in front of Saito. Pyroman walked up to him. '' And now, you will die.'' he told the fallen navi.

He thrust the longblade foward so that it pierced Rockman's chest. He let out a cry of pain, but Pyroman drove the blade in up to the hilt before he withdrew it.

Rockman's hands fell limply to his sides. He gave a weak glance down at his boots, and saw that they were growing fuzzy. He didn't have much time left.

'' S-Sai... to... kun...'' he whispered. He didn't have enough strength to turn around.

'' I... was glad that... I was able to... meet you... after all these... years.''
His boots began to dissolve, and it was spreading.

'' I'm sure that... N...Netto-kun... would've been proud... of you...'' The fading had reached his torso. This was the end.

'' Goodbye... Saito... kun...''

And he was gone.

The three rebels, Karla, Slate, and Terry stood there stunned, appalled at what they had just witnessed. '' No... you deleted him...'' Dash whispered.

'' He had it coming.'' Pyroman said, no trace of remorse in his voice. '' I told him that he would pay.'' He raised his sword in front of him. '' And you're next- What the?!'' The sword was smeared red with blood. But navis don't have blood...

Terry felt horrified. There was only one place where that blood could've come from...

Saito was still sitting on the ground, but his look of terror had changed to one of shock. Red, warm blood was steadily leaving his body through the twin cuts the sword had inflicted. One through his chest, the other through his back.

'' You, you BASTARD!'' Terry shouted at Pyroman. '' How could you? HOW COULD YOU?''

'' It isn't my fault that he was directly behind Rockman.'' Pyroman shrugged in dismissal.

'' Dash! Delete him!'' Terry ordered, filled with rage. '' Right!'' Dash said, equally angry. '' You too Zero! Terminate him!'' Slate ordered. '' Gladly Akira-sama!''

Pyroman sighed. '' You know that won't work. With the Extra Code I'm Ahhhhhgggggg!!!!''

He screamed, and his body began to flicker, like a malfunctioning hologram, and electricity danced over his body.

Dash and Zero ground to a halt. '' What in the world...''

'' Argh, the... Extra Code... drain... energy... forgot!'' Pyroman groaned, his voice distorted. Sometimes ultra deep, other times ultra high.

'' Now's your chance Dash! Paladin Sword! Slot in!''

'' Zero! Saberwave!''

Dash leveled his sword at the target, while Zero raised his blade.

'' Saberwave!'' he cried, bringing his sword down.

'' Yahhh!'' Dash shouted as his sword turned into a wave of energy. The two waves hit the immoblized Pyroman, who let out a final scream as he went up in a mushroom cloud.

* * *

Ace sat in the driver's seat of his pickup dumbfounded. The word delete appeared on his PET screen, and the Dimensional Chip popped out of the slot in gate.

How could his plan have failed? How? The Extra Code should've given Pyroman more than enough power to destroy the rebels, yet he had been destryed instead!

'' Hmm, you were so close, but instead you have ruined everything.'' a female voice said.

Ace looked down at his PET to see a helmetless female navi staring back at him. '' Who the hell are you?''

'' I am Lunare.exe.'' the navi said. '' Sigh, Mattel will be so sad when we tell him what you've done. It looks like we'll have to cut off funding after all.''

'' How did you get here, and what the @#$%& do you want?!''

'' It is vital that you do not cause anymore trouble. I hope you understand that we must terminate you.''

A panic seized Ace. He reached for the door lock, but it wouldn't budge. '' Let me outta here now!''

'' I'm afraid I can't do that.'' Lunare replied. '' Goodbye.''

A few minutes later, all that was left of the truck was a flaming wreck.

* * *

'' Saito! Saito! Oh God, this is horrible!''

With there navis plugged out, the three rebels ran over to Saito. There was a lot of blood, but at least he was still conscious. '' Saito! Are you all right?'' Stupid question really, but it didn't matter anymore.

'' It... hurts...'' Saito whispered weakly. '' Am... am I gonna die? I don't want to die!''

'' Don't talk like that, just, try to stay calm.'' Karla told him softly, her eyes bright with tears.

'' Hey! What's going- Oh shit!'' someone shouted. Butch and Vick appeared on the other side of the roof, and when they saw what was going on, they hurried over.

'' You're not gonna die Saito, you're not gonna, you're too young...'' Terry told him, even though he had the terrible feeling that the boy was going to bleed to death long before anything could be done.

Saito closed his eyes. '' I am going to die, aren't I...'' he muttered, guessing the truth. '' I'll see Mama and Daddy again... and maybe even Rockman...'' he whispered. Comforted by this thought, he smiled weakly, '' Bye... friends.........''

'' Don't say that... Please!'' Karla begged.

She recieved no answer, for Saito Hikari was already at peace.

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... I think I'll let that sink in...

One more chapter, to tie up the loose ends, mainly, how Saito got into the story to begin with...
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/

[ComicX6]

Yeah, I reused the fic's title for this chapter, but it's very appropriate.

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Chapter 21: The Link Between the Past and Presant
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Burying a person was never an enviable experiance, but burying a child was even worse. Saito Hikari, the last of the Hikari family, had died from blood loss after being impaled by Pyroman's sword. While the machinary and all of the chips had been destroyed afterwards, there was no sense of victory, only sorrow.

Everyone had changed in some way, but nowhere was the changed more evident than in Slate and Zero. No longer were they impatient and harsh, but rather, they were now more subdued and less strict. Maybe it was because they felt responsible for the death, since they were the leaders.

'' You know, that was the only time in my life that I felt absolutely helpless.'' Terry told Karla one day. The two of them were outside, at the simple grave that had been dug. They had buried the boy with Rockman's PET, and the photograph of him and Meiru.

'' When you have the blood of a child on your hands, and he's expiring in front of you...'' Terry continued.

'' Oh stop saying things like that, please!'' Karla begged. '' This was undoutably the worst mission we've ever done, but please stop rubbing it in! It makes it even worse.''

Terry looked away. '' We never did find out how he got here...''

'' Actually, we did. You just didn't want to be spoken to. You see, Butch and Vick paid a visit to that guard house, and hidden beneath it was a labratory.''

'' Really?'' Terry asked, interested. '' What was in it?''

'' They found an electronic file that contained a report written by Meijin Eguchi.''

'' He was the one who left that message on the Scilab file!'' Terry exclaimed.

'' Yes. He worked there, and was a good friend of the Hikari's. Anyway, he disclosed how Saito retained his youth all these years.''

'' How?!''

'' You know how we can put navis in a prolonged state of stasis, right? You know, sort of like an extended sleep mode.''

'' Yeah, Rockman proved that.''

'' Well, this is similar, but with humans instead. The metabolism is slowed to induce stasis. Sort of like a hibernating animal. No, scratch that, more like the old technology of crytogenics, but without the freezing.''

'' Suspended Animation...'' Terry muttered. '' But, why would his mother allow something like that to be done to a child?''

Karla shrugged. '' I guess she wanted to spare him from the horrors of the Outbreak. This was around the time the Outbreak was at its height.''

'' So, your body doesn't age?'' Terry asked.

'' Yes, that's accurate.'' Karla answered.

'' So why did he awaken when he did?''

'' I suppose the power generator finally conked out after all this time, releasing him from the stasis.''

Terry tried to imagine what that must have been like, waking up in a strange place, with no one around. It must have been frightening.

'' So, what happened to Meiru?''

'' According to Meijin, she died not long after, after leaving the photo and the PET with her sleeping son.''

'' Suicide?''

Karla shook her head. '' No. Apparently, she died in her sleep. I guess she just didn't have the will to live anymore. She had already lost her husband, and now her son...''

Terry recalled the beautiful, yet sad woman on Saito's photo. '' Life is so evanescent...'' he sighed. '' If you really think about it, all of this doesn't matter... in the great scheme of things...''

'' Don't talk like that! Of course this is important!'' Karla reprimanded.

'' You think that you'll live forever, but then reality wakes you up, not by killing you, but by killing someone close to you.'' Terry mused. '' That way, not only do you have to live with it, but the lesson that we're not immortals is even stronger...''

'' Well, while this experiance was horrible, we can use it as a lesson, to strive harder.'' Karla told him.

He nodded. '' I guess you're right. The heroes of the past are gone now, so it's up to us, the fighters of the presant, to restore justice.''

They stood for awhile, paying their respects. Terry knew, that whatever the future held in store for them, no matter if their rebellion succeded or failed, no matter how old he got, or what his, and his friends' fates were, he would never forget the young, red headed boy, and his faithful, blue navi.


FIN

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It is done.

I guess that the main message is, as Terry said, that the presant day heroes have to make a stand, to do what's right.

Well, this was a challenging project, but I had a lot of fun going it.

So, final thoughts? What did you think of the story? How do think I can improve? Do you want more? Because I've got a new story ready to go.
I hope you enjoyed this, I really do.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

I now have a site! Web page rather: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1048042/