Viral Nightmare AA/A PG-13 Brief EXE6 Spoilers

[ComicX6]

Well, I finished my first fanfic, and I recieved postive feedback from those who read it, so I'm gonna go ahead with my next one.

Title: Viral Nightmare

Author: ComicX6

Category: Heavy AU and Action

Rating: PG-13 for language, navi on navi violence, and possible human on human violence as well

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman.exe or Megaman.exe, Capcom does, blah blah blah... BUT, I own every fancharacter that appears in this story.


Okay, this is a SEQUEL to my previous fic, The Link Between the Past and Presant. Elements and characters follow over from there, so here's some stuff you should know:

The Outbreak- This event occurs roughly 14 years after the events of Stream. It was a virus outbreak of cataclysmic proportions that forced the world into a desperate state for several years, ending the previous net society.

Technology Incorperated- Also called T-Corp, this megacorporation managed to assume control of what was left of most of the world's governments. While it ended the chaotic years after the Outbreak and revived Net Society, it's rule is harsh at times, and everyone that doesn't live in their cities or work for them in any way are pretty much forgotten.

Rebels- With most oppressive governments, rebel groups spring up. They say that they are fighting the government on behalf of the forgotten parts of the population, but they are often seen as toublemakers by all.

Zero- Yes, one of the main character's navi is Zero. However, this Zero has no connection to the one that is in Transmission and is currently in Beast Plus. The Zero in this fic is based after the Zero Series Zero.

21XX- The time period these stories take place in.

Progress PETs- The PET type

Nother note, Beast never existed in this timeline.

Whew, with all that out of the way...

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Chapter 1: The Virus Man
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Metto Metto

'' Eat up my pets.'' Dr. Arman said happily as he hit a command on the keyboard, sending bug pieces to the metools' feeding bowls. The metools gleefully ran over to them, and began gorging themselves.

Arman smiled at his beloved pets. What wonderful creatures they were! They looked so cute, but they were not to be trifled with, when they weren't well fed at least.

'' What are you doing, hakase?'' a voice asked. Arman turned to find Hideki watching him. Hideki was a teenage boy who lived in the small town at the base of the mountain. He had tried to climb it on a dare, but had gotten lost and stumbled on Arman's lab. Since it was getting dark, Arman offered to let him stay overnight, and he said he would lead him back to the town once it was daylight again.

For Hideki, this whole experiance was strange. He had stumbled upon some mountain hermit, who was absolutly obsessed with computer viruses. There were portraits of Metools, Killereyes, Gaias, and other virus species displayed on the walls. Also, what was a labratory doing way out here?

'' I'm feeding my pets.'' Arman answered. '' If I don't, they'll fade away into deletion.'' He was an older man, with thin, gray hair and a stooped posture.

'' But, why viruses?'' Hideki continued. '' The grownups say that they're the reason that we have to live like this.''

'' Hmm. That may be true, but just look at them!'' Arman said, watching the Metools. One of them, having eaten its fill, had begun to march around the feeding area, proudly touting its pickaxe.

'' Viruses are fascinating creatures.'' he continued. '' There are so many different types, and they all have unique personalities and behaviors. I've dedicated my life to their study, which is why I've been called the ' Virus Man' by some.''

'' It's still weird.'' Hikedki muttered.

Arman sighed at his guest's ignorance, and left the room. After he left, Hideki's eye caught something on the desk that the computer was on.

It was a set of three photographs. The first was labeled ' Stage One', and showed several depressed looking navis sitting in a containment field. The second photo was named ' Stage Two'. There were fewer navis in it, but the ones that were in it sported various disfigurements, such as horns, spikes, or pincers. Hideki took one look at ' Stage Three', and backed away from the computer desk, wondering what the monstrosity he had seen was.

* * *

Tokyo's Internet City was undoubtably the grandest in the world. Navis and Programs bustled this way and that, carrying out their duties or functions, while shoppers crowded the commercial district, which was bathed in the glow of neon advertising signs.

One tall, orange headed navi with white armor with orange stripes stood on a rooftop, watching the crush below. He turned to the security navis that had followed him. '' You are dismissed.'' he said in a clear, cultured tone.

The navis snapped a salute. '' Hai Solinar-sama!'' they said in unison, then they logged out.

Solinar waited for a few minutes, his hair blowing in the simulated breeze. Then a new, female navi logged in next to him. She had a silver headband while purple gray hair fell down her back. Her tight body suit was white, punctuated ever now and then with blue or gray stripes.

'' Hello Niichan.'' Solinar said, turning towards her.

Lunare moved closer to him. '' Why did you call me out here Brother? Why at a place like this, instead of at work?''

'' Because it is about the business my operator has been looking into. I trust you know about it as well.'' Solinar answered, brushing some of his hair out of his face.

'' Ah, that. How long will you be gone?''

'' A fortnight at most. A week at least. I hope that you will be able to handle the extra workload while I'm gone, correct? And if anyone gets suspicious of my absence, dissuade them. Tell them that my operator is sick or is visiting foreign countries to make sure that everything's running smoothly. Any decent excuse will suffice. They wouldn't dare question you.'' Solinar answered.

Lunare nodded. '' You can count on me. This will be easy compared to the aftermath of that Dimensional Chip fiasco.''

Solinar nodded in sympathy. While Lunare had taken out the mercenary Ace, whose '' brillant '' plan had resulted in the destruction of the Dimensional Chip factory at the hands of a rebel group, Mattel had caused quite a sink over the fund cancellation.

'' I wish you good fortune Niichan.'' Solinar said, logging out afterwards.

Lunare stood alone on the rooftop for a while, thinking. Her brother would certainly succeed against the unseen source... If his chosen tactic of deception and stealth worked, this whole affair would be over quite quickly. And if he didn't succeed, which was highly unlikely, she would finish the job herself if she had to.

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Yeah, first chapters are sometimes sorta boring, but it sets up the plot for things to come, which, if you can tell from the title of the fic and chapter, is a whole lotta viruses.

As usual, comments, suggestions and flames are all welcome.
_________________
' 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]

Good first chapter. It sets things up nicely, but one nit-pick I have with it. No character descriptions. How am I supposed to picture Dr. Arman or Hideki? Because I'm picturing the Hideki from Chobits, and Wily as Arman. Those may not be what you had in mind, but you didn't give much to go on.
Keep up the good work.
_________________

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

[ComicX6]

Thanks. I'm not sure what Hideki from Chobits looks like, but for now, he's a 13ish boy with black hair. Whenever I try to mentally picture him though, all I get is my mental image of Saito, except with black hair instead of red.

Arman is visually opposite from Wily. Arman is like oh, the kindly old man, sort of... Arman is also the name of an armadillo/pillbug virus from EXE6, a fitting name for a virus lover, no?

Solinar and Lunare already appeared, however briefly, in The Link Between the Past and Presant, so I didn't really think an in depth description was needed, but I think I ended up giving one anyway...

I'll have Chapter 2 up probably by Saturday. I have to study for a history test tonight, and I'm in a school concret Thursday evening, so Friday then.
_________________
' 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]

Concert went well, despite the fact that most of the groups were not very good due to the school's idiotic schedule.

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Chapter 2: Rebel Number 6?
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Terry quietly krept down the town's central street. He wasn't in Kyotoro, but a different town. This one was farther away from HQ, more advanced, and more dangerous. Off in the darkness, he could hear the sounds of a scuffle. At best, someone was getting mugged, at worst, well, he didn't want to think about it.

He turned the collar of his leather jacket up against the cold night air. In the distance, drunken hollars and shattering glass bottles could be heard. He felt naked, weak, without a weapon.

Eventually, he got to his destination, a seedy, dimly lit bar. Inside, he could hear a rambunctous crowd. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in.

Inside, there were several round, wooden tables, around which were clustered several rough looking people. There was a bar, with a grizzled bartender and several more burly people were sitting on barstools, sipping potent looking alcoholic drinks. There was a crowd of more rowdy people in the back, probably drunk.

Terry scanned the crowd, then spotted who he was looking for. Visibly relieved, he walked over to a table with only a single occupant, and sat down.

'' Hey Butch.''

'' So, Slate sent you to get me huh?''

'' Yeah.'' Terry said. '' You have any idea how late it is? It's almost midnight!''

'' Lost track of time I guess.'' Butch shrugged. '' Anyway, how did you get all the way out here?''

'' I walked.''

'' All the way from HQ? At this time 'a night? Geez.''

At this point, the bartender left the bar and strode over to their table. '' What da you want?'' He asked. His tone clearly said that he wouldn't take 'nothing', as an answer.

'' Uh, I'll have what he has.'' Terry said nervously, pointing to a mug next to Butch, which was halfway filled with a brown liquid.

Once the bartender left, Butch leaned foward. '' So! Until we finish our drinks, let's talk.''

Terry shrugged. '' Well, you know, not much has happened lately. Not since...''

'' Yeah. That whole mess with Saito and the factory...''

Terry looked away.

'' I'm sorry.'' Butch apologized. '' I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject.''

It had been three weeks since that faithful day that had seen the deletion of the legendary Rockman and the death of Saito Hikari, the son of Netto Hikari.

Beep beep beep

Terry groaned and took out his Progress PET. '' What is it Dash? I told you to be quiet. We're not welcome here.''

'' Sorry Terry, but I'm detecting additional PET signals in the vicinity.'' His navi told him.

'' Of course you are, you're picking up Butch's PET.''

'' No, another one. A third one.''

Terry quickly stuffed his PET into his pocket as the bartender came back with his drink. He took a sip, gagged, then began to pound his chest.

'' Strong, isn't it?'' Butch said in amusement. '' A kid like you would think so at least.''

'' Hmph, I'm not a kid.'' Terry grumbled as he took his PET out again. '' You mean there's someone else in here with a...'' he began. '' What on...''

'' Is something wrong?'' Dash asked.

'' Your... eyes...''

'' What about them?''

''They're... purple...''

This was true. Dash's eyes were normally dark blue, but now they were... violet...

'' Hey, you! What are you talking to?''

Terry stuffed the PET into an inside pocket of his jacket and turned to see a huge goon towering over him.

'' That wasn't a PET, was it?'' the goon said. '' You ain't one of those goddamn rebels, are ye?''

'' Of course not!'' Terry shot back, trying to look offended at being called a rebel. While it was comforting to have Butch's brawn behind him, he really didn't want a fight to break out.

'' Leave him alone.'' a new voice said.

A second person walked up to the goon, however, he did not resemble the other bar patrons at all.

He was slender, and had blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a white shirt and a brown vest. Around his neck was a red handkerchief. He also wore blue jeans and brown shoes.

'' Who are you?'' the goon asked. The man ignored him. '' I told you, leave it.'' he said calmly.

The ignoral infuriated the goon, so his tiny brain told his massive body the attack this stranger. He charged foward, but the target stuck out a leg, tripping the goon, who went down with an impressive thud.

The people nearest the blond man began to slowly back away, as if frightened that he might go berserk without a second's notice.

He walked calmly over to Terry and Butch's table. '' I think that we should be leaving now.'' he said.

'' I think you're right.'' Butch agreed.

Crashes and shouts began to come from the rear. A fight had broken out after all.

Before they could get sucked into it, the trio left. Once outside, the man held out his hand for a handshake. '' Hello, my name is Lloyd. You two are the rebels Terry and Butch, correct?''

'' Uh, yeah.'' Terry said, accepting the gesture. Now that he was closer, he could see that Lloyd was only two or three years older that himself.

'' Why'd you help us back there?'' Butch asked.

'' An dwai you haf a Pee-eh-Day?'' said a muffled voice from the depths of Terry's jacket.

'' Oh, whoops.'' Terry said, taking his PET out of the pocket he had stuffed it in. Then he remembered. '' Do you feel alright Dash?''

'' I feel fine, nothing is different.'' Dash replied.

Terry scowled, '' Maybe it's a minor glitch in your programming the changed you eye color, but I'm having Vick scan you when we get back.''

'' Hmph, if you say so...''

'' Anyway,'' Lloyd cut in. '' The reason I have a PET, and why I found you, is that I want to join your rebel group!''

'' You'll have to take that up with our leader, Slate, if that's what you want.'' Butch told him.

'' Oh! You mean Akira Iwasaki!'' Lloyd exclaimed.

'' How do you know his real name?'' Butch asked.

'' Aahh well... I've heard of him...'' Lloyd said, looking uneasy.

'' Then you would've heard the name Slate, his nickname...'' Butch said, narrowing his eyes.

'' Just drop it, it's probably no big deal.'' Terry said. '' It's after midnight, it's cold, and it's at least an hour's walk back to HQ. Let's just go.''

'' Hmph. Very well then, I'll let Slate deal with you.'' Butch said to Lloyd.

'' Thank you mister. I appreciate this deeply. I've travelled all the way from the area near Tokyo, up north, in the past few hours, and I'm very tired.'' Lloyd said, giving a curt bow.

Yeah, well you're not the only one... Terry thought. But... The newly arisen problem of Dash's and this new fellow, meant that the next few days would be anything but restfull.

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Plot development and new character: Get!

It seems that the theme of this series is sleep deprivation...

Anyway, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
_________________
' 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]

I am bored, therefore, I update, or, something...

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Chapter 3: The White Spear
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Vick yawned sleepily as he imputted commands into the computer. '' Okay, begin scan...'' he sighed, pressing a red button. Silver rings began to rotate around Dash's prone figure, scanning him.

An outline of his body appeared on a small moniter with the word Dash.EXE next to it. If there was any bug or glitch in his programming, it would show up on the moniter. The next step would be to vaccinate it.

The door creaked open as Terry entered. '' How's it going?''

'' Just started.'' Vick said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his sleepy eyes. '' Did you notice anything different about him before you noticed this?''

'' No.'' Terry shook his head. '' He keeps insisting that he's fine, and he looks alright too, it's just... I was talking to him, looked away, and when I looked back he was like this.''

'' Do you think he's lying to me?'' he added.

Vick shrugged. '' Well, the navi may lie, but the scan won't. If there's anything wrong, it'll show up.''

beep beep beep

Vick glanced back at the moniter, the words SCAN COMPLETE were being displayed.

'' Let's see... Battle Program intact, Emotion Program intact, Thought Program... What the heck? Everything reads normal!''

'' What? But we know something's wrong.'' Terry scowled. '' Dash, do you feel alright?''

Dash opened his eyes. '' I am perfectly fine, nothing is wrong with me.''

Vick thought. '' I suggest that we wait. If anything else happens, we'll scan him again.''

'' I suppose. There's nothing else we can do here.'' Terry sighed, plugging out his navi.

'' Come on.'' Vick said. '' Let's go see how Lloyd is holding up in his... interrogation.''

Several rooms away, in the conference room, Slate was grilling Lloyd. '' Do you have any family members?'' he was asking when Vick and Terry entered.

'' I have a sister...'' Lloyd said, devoid of energy. He had a bored expression on his face, as if he thought that this whole process was a complete waste of time.

Seated at the table near Slate was were Butch and Karla, both of whom were exhibiting various signs of sleep deprivation.

'' And what's your navi like?'' Slate continued.

Lloyd took out a red and white PET. '' Plug in...'' he said lazily, pointing it at a moniter port.

His navi materialized in the net. He was of medium height, and had a white body suit with blue armor. His boots reached up to his knees, while his gloves reached up to his elbows. There was no visible navi symbol on his torso armor. His helmet was was fairly traditional. It too was blue with a white ridge running vertically from front to rear. His eye color was gray.

'' What's his name?'' Slate asked.

'' My name is Ryn.'' the navi answered.

Slate nodded. '' How does he fight?''

In response to this, Ryn raised a hand, and a white spear appeared in it.

Without warning, Slate whipped out his PET. '' Zero, plug in!''

Zero materialized in the net, Z-Saber already in hand. He charged foward, bringing his sword down for a diagonal slash. Ryn raised his spear to block it, then neatly sidestepped.

'' What's this about?!'' Lloyd demanded angrily.

'' Consider this your entrance exam.'' Slate said evenly. '' If you can hold out in a fight against Zero, I'll accept you. This is also a good way to test your operation skills and your ability to act under pressure.''

'' Fine!'' Lloyd shouted. '' Shotgun, slot in!''

Ryn's free hand morphed into a small blue buster. He fired several shots from it, but Slate was ready.

'' Wood Aura and Aura Head, double slot in!''

First, Zero was surrounded by a hazy green aura that blocked the Shotgun blasts. Next, a Megalian virus appeared before him. It glowed green, then shot its head foward like a missile, smashing into Ryn, bowling him over.

Slate was quick to press his advantage. '' Panel Shoot, slot in!''

Two chunks of the floor rose up into the air and flew towards the downed navi. Lloyd was prepared though. '' Metguard, slot in!''

A shield appeared in front of Ryn, blocking both chunks of debris.

'' Pity that chip is underrated.'' Lloyd sighed. '' Attack!''

'' Right!'' Ryn shouted. '' Matador Thrust!''

He thrust his spear foward at Zero's torso, but he managed to twist out of the way.

'' Two can play at that game!'' Zero said, the first words he had spoken all battle. His saber vanished, and a spear with areen point appeared in his hand instead. '' Triple Rod!''

'' Supervulcan, slot in!'' Lloyd shouted.

Ryn fired the golden machine gun at Zero, but he managed to block the shots with his spear.

He closed in on Ryn, and thrust his spear foward. Ryn jumped back, out of range, but then the spear's length increased, so that the tip was at his throat.

'' Soko made yo, Zero.'' Slate ordered.

'' Hai, Akira-sama.'' Zero said, backing off.

'' So, did we pass?'' Lloyd asked expectantly.

Slate plugged Zero out, then stood there looking very solemn.

'' Lloyd, Ryn.exe...'' he said at last. '' You've... passed.'' He smiled, he actually smiled! then held out his hand.

Lloyd shook it. '' Thank you sir, thank you so much. I swear that you won't regret this.''

'' Now, I'll formally introduce everyone.'' Slate said. '' You already know Terrence and Butch. I am Iwasaki Akira, Vick is over there, ( Vick gave a weak wave ) and she is Karla.''

Lloyd gave a deep bow here. '' Ah, una bella ragazza, sono fortunatissimo!''

Karla went a little pink, '' Um, what did you say?'' she asked, a little embarrased. '' Nothing.'' Lloyd said, turning away.

'' Hmph.'' Terry muttered. '' Flirt.'' While he hadn't understood what had been said, he had at least gotten the gist.

'' What, you have a crush on someone?'' Vick asked, looking a bit more awake now.

'' N-no! O-of course not!'' Terry stammered, blushing as well. Dash sniggered from his PET. '' Shut up!'' Terry growled.

Slate ignored this little incident and continued on. '' Butch, show Lloyd to the spare bedroom, we'll brief him on the mission tomarrow.''

'' Oh! We're going on a mission?'' Lloyd asked excitedly.

'' Yeah.'' Butch said. '' But we should be getting to bed now, or we'll be too tired.''

Vick nodded. '' Yeah, I need to get back to bed, it's nearly two in the morning...''

Slate nodded, and dismissed them.

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Translations: Soko made yo, if I'm not mistaken, means ' That's enough. '

The bit Lloyd said was italian for, '' Ah, a beautiful girl, I am very fortunate! '' I'm not sure if the superlative form is correct though, since we haven't done much on the superlative in class, and our books aren't that great either.

Matadors are spanish bullfighters.

Wood Aura is a chip gotten from a MegalianW virus in EXE1 and EXE2. Aura Head you get from a Megalian in EXE6, and it's powered up if you have an aura or barrier activated.
_________________
' 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]

I was going to update last night, but a little thing called homework came along...

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Chapter 4: The New Viruses
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At this time of night, most sensible people in Tokyo were asleep. However, many were still awake, enjoying the nightlife, scandalous as it could be. However, there was at least one sensible person still awake, and her work was most legit.

Kassandra Alva was at her desk, in her office, which was located in Technology Tower, the HQ of T-Corp. The tower, at seventeen hundred feet, was, fittingly, the tallest building in the gvernment sector.

Currently, Kassandra was studying complex graphs and charts on her labtop. She had green eyes, and brown hair that was currently tied up in a ponytail. Her tunic was completely black, with a small, silver T sown into the collar.

Bzzt

'' Yes, what is it?'' she asked, continuing to study the charts.

A voice came from her desk's built in intercom. '' Yamoto Taisa is here to see you.''

'' Let him in.'' Kassandra said, closing the lid of the labtop.

The office door opened and a uniformed, 50 year old man entered. He snapped a salute. '' Good evening, Ma'am.'' Kassandra, being Amerropian, did not like to be called sama.

She decided not to remind him that it was past midnight, partially to speed this meeting along, partially to avoid embarrassing him, as being told off by someone a little less than half your age would probably do.

'' I have the report you requested ma'am.'' Yamoto continued, walking over to the desk and handing her a bulging file folder.

'' This is about those virus attacks that have been reported at various outposts throughout the country, correct?''

'' Hai. There have been new strains of viri during these attacks. Canoguards block attacks, Fishy leave flames in their wake, and Flashlites...'' Yamoto began.

'' Alright, I see.'' Kassandra cut him off. '' The important thing to do is to isolate this problem before it spreads to other countries... The source must be located, as evolved viruses don't simply pop out of the ground...''

'' What are your orders ma'am?'' Yamoto asked. '' We at Intel will do all that we can to get to the bottom of this.''

'' You will do nothing.'' Kassandra ordered, putting an edge to her voice for effect. '' My brother has already left to investigate this, and we will do nothing until we recieve any sort of information from him.'' It was safe to tell him this, as Yamoto, as head of Intelligence, was already in the know.

'' If that is what you wish ma'am...'' Yamoto said, a little disappointment to his voice. '' I will dismiss myself now.'' He turned and left, taking care to close the door as he did so.

When he was gone, Kassandra sighed, undid her hair, and began running her fingers through it. As the co-head of T-Corp, along with her brother, she was the most powerful woman on the planet, but there was a large amount of work to go along with that title, and since her brother had left, the workload had only increased.

'' Are you alright Kassy?''

She placed her PET on the desk and thumbed the navi symbol, activating the touch screen, which displayed her navi. '' I'm just tired Lunare, that's all.''

'' It is after 2am Kassy. You need to get some sleep, work can wait until the morning.'' Lunare advised.

'' I suppose so. I'll look at that report a bit before bed though.'' Kassandra said, yawning.

She didn't see many people on the way back to her room, only the odd night guard, each of whom were very keen to bow, or salute, or something, most likely trying to curry favor, as she had many suitors, and what a bunch of idiots they all were!

When she reached the privacy of her room, she opened the folder and found several photographs of some of the evolved viri, along with a large volume of reports. The first photograph was of a Canoguard, except that it was blue instead of green, and it was shielding itself with the metal cannon that was normally retracted.

The next showed a teal Handy. These guys apparently dropped decoy bombs that exploded if they were hit with an attack.

A third was of a blue Beetank. According to hastily scribbled notes, there bombs stunned navis as well as damaging them.

Kassandra put the file away. It was late, very late, and she needed sleep. She would view the report in its entirety in the morning, but now, the pillow called.

* * *

Arman's lab was even creepier at night. The viruses in the portraits seemed to glare at any passerby, and unseen machinary and apparati made strange noises in the dark.

Hideki snuck down the darkened corridor. Arman had already gone to bed, giving him a few hours to explore the place. So far, it wasn't very big, and nothing really seemed out of place.

Well, that was a lie. The whole place was weird. What was a laboratory doing in the middle of nowhere? And who excatly was this Arman-hakase?

Hideki ran into a metal door. A low humming could be heard coming from the other end. Fortunatly, the door had no lock, so a simple nudge opened it.

The room beyond was fairly large and circular. In the middle was a large, dome shaped device. It was the source of the menacing hum. Thick cables ran from it to servers on one side of the wall. There was a maintainence panel on one side, but it would probably have been unwise to mess with it.

On the wall opposite the servers was a staircase, curved to fit the shape of the wall, and it had no handrails. At the top, about eight feet about the floor was an ajar door. Curious, Hideki climbed up it, and saw that there was a small office behind that door.

On the desk inside was a bunch of yellowing, dog eared papers. Hideki started to read one of them. Several words lept out at him: ' Experiment', ' Venom', and ' Transformation.' Most of it had been blacked out by a marker, so he could only read a very small amount, but whatever Arman was doing, it couldn't be good.

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Ho hum, nothing too special. We learn who Lunare's operator is, and Arman gets a bit more sinister.

For the evolved viruses, I simply took the level 2 versions of the game viruses. I'd appreciate some feedback on the fic's progress.
_________________
' 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]

Good chapters- all of em'. I liked the fight between Zero and Ryn, and in the most recent one found out that important piece of information.
Good work!
_________________

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

[ComicX6]

Hmm, I'm interested in what that 'information' is, since it could be a number of things.

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Chapter 5: The Train Job
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WARNING: THERE IS AN EXE6 CHARACTER IN THIS CHAPTER, SO DON'T COME TO ME WHINING THAT I SPOILED YOUR EXE6 GAMING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I HAVE JUST GIVEN YOU FAIR WARNING!


'' Why are we walking again?'' Lloyd groaned.

It was close to midday as the six rebels trudged across the landscape.

Slate signed and came to a stop. '' Because we can't afford to drive everywhere. Gas is very expensive to obtain on the black market.''

'' Then why don't you get a hydrogen fuel cell or a hybrid...''

'' Come on!'' Butch shouted. '' We can't afford to keep stopping! If we keep this up, we'll miss the train!''

'' No.'' Slate said, holding up a hand. '' I think that our newest recruit needs to be mentally disciplined.''

He walked over to Lloyd, then asked, '' You grew up in a city, correct?'' a slight edge to his voice.

'' Yeah.'' Lloyd answered. '' San Diego, to be exact.''

'' So you're West Amerropian... Anyway, what was life like there?''

'' It was decent. Good economy, infrastructure, education...'' Lloyd began.

'' Hmph. Well, none of us grew up in cities. Life is difficult out here, because everyone out here that doesn't work for T-Corp is treated like daiben. All of us have had our own hardships, pray that you never do.'' He began to walk away, then stopped. '' And walking is good for you.'' he added.

'' What was that about?'' Terry asked Butch as they proceeded to walk. '' As far as I could tell, he never made a point.''

'' Slate is a bit more subtle than that.'' Butch explained. '' He was sending Lloyd the message that isn't easy for all and that he needs to grow up because life won't always be kind to him.''

'' I guess that's true.'' Terry said to himself. '' The world certainly has been rough for us.'' Saito and Rockman came to mind.

'' So, you do this every month?'' Lloyd asked, changing the subject.

'' Yes. We walk to the train depot near here, sneak onto the recently loaded supply train, then steal several cargo containers from it.'' Vick explained.

'' But, how do you get them back to HQ?''

'' T-Corp has already taken care of that.'' Butch began. '' For ease of transport, the containers are loaded onto flatbed trucks, which are in turn loaded onto the train. We simply hijack the trucks and get outta there. After we unload the cargo, we siphon off most of the gas in the tanks, then auto program them to return to the depot, empty.''

'' Look, there it is!'' Karla said, pointing.

The depot was fairly large. Most of it consisted of a rail yard, though there was only on train there at the time. Next to it was an administrations building and several warehouses. Any empty land was cluttered with various machines.

'' How much time until the train is scheduled to leave?'' Slate asked his navi. '' Approximately 20 minutes, Akira-sama.'' Zero replied.

'' Good, plenty of time.'' Slate nodded, satisfied. '' Let's go everyone.''

There were barely any guards, so they managed to reach the train. There was a little room to stand between cars, above the coupling. Slate turned to the metal door of the closest boxcar. '' Alright, let's get started on getting this door open. Then we, nani?!''

The train gave a lurch and slowly started to pull away from the depot. '' What the?! It's leaving early?!'' Terry cried.

Slate was quick to take charge. '' Terrence, Lloyd, get to work on this one! Butch, Karla, work on the next one!''

'' What about me?'' Vick asked.

'' Come with me. I'm heading for the engine to try to shut it down. I may need Beta's analytical skills there.''

'' A pleasure.'' Vick said, it wasn't often that there was a demand for his talents.

Slate and Vick headed towards the front of the train. There was a small ledge on either side of the car, so that a person could sneak around if they were very careful. Butch and Karla did so as well, since the door to the next car was on the opposite end.

Terry turned to Lloyd. '' The train's starting to pick up speed, so let's get this done quickly.''

Lloyd nodded. '' There's a plug in port on the door control panel, let's go!''

'' Plug in! Dash.exe!''

'' Plug in! Ryn!''

TRANSMISSION!

The two navis materialized in the cyberworld. '' There!'' Dash said, pointing at a silver orb floating in the center of the area. '' The locking program!''

'' Sigh, this won't be any fun at all...'' Ryn lamented.

'' Not so fast!'' a voice called out.

Dash went into a battle stance as a third navi appeared.

This navi was red, and mostly humanoid. Its torso was rather boxy, while its head was elongated. His face was flatish and black, with yellow eyes and no nose.

'' Who are you?'' Ryn asked, summoning his spear.

'' I am Blastman. I was assigned to protect this train, along with my partner. He's in the Engine Computer.''

'' Blastman is it?'' Dash asked. '' Well then, is your partner strong?''

'' He's a bit stronger than I, but not by much.'' Blastman answered.

'' Heh. I can tell a navi's strength at a glance.'' Ryn said, grinning. '' And you're not that tough. Zero should have no trouble taking him out.''

'' You little... You don't look so tough yourself!'' Blastman spat back.

'' Enough talking!'' Dash shouted. '' Let's just get this over with!''

'' Agreed.'' Blastman said. '' Flame Devil!''

His body burst into flames, then he shot a whirlwind of fire at the two navis.

Terry selected a chip on the holographic screen. '' Fujin Racket, slot in!''

Dash's right hand morphed into a racket, and with a single swing a gust of wind was released, blowing the flames away.

* * *

Slate plugged Zero out of the lock and opened the door to the engine. It was completely automonus, so the only interface was a matinence panel.

Slate and Vick plugged their navis in. '' So this is the core...'' Zero muttered as he fully materialized. The cyberworld was nothing special.

'' Welllcommme...'' A new navi had appeared. He was a rather odd looking one at that. His torso was vaguely humanoid, with black armor, while it had a snakelike tail where legs would normally be. Its three fingered hands ended in sharp claws, and it had a snakelike head with liquid black eyes and a flicking forked tougue. It's entire body, save the armor, appeared to be made from blue gel.

'' I am Hyyyydromannn. Don't diiiie toooo quickllly...''

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Daiben- excrement, feces etc. Basically, ''we're treated like shit.''

And for future reference, here are the countries in this fics universe, and their real world counterparts:

Japan- Japan

N. America- West Amerropia

S. America- South Amerropia

Europe- E. Amerropia

Russia- Sharo

China- Choina

Asia- Ajina (the game's jap name for yumland)

Africa- Afrikku

Far North Countries ( Iceland, Greenland etc) - Creamland

Australia remains the same I suppose
_________________
' 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]

Fic's moving along at a nice pace, helps that I'm already writing chap 13.

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Chapter 6: Fire and Water
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WARNING: THERE IS STILL AN EXE6 CHARACTER IN THIS CHAPTER, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED, STAY AWAY!

'' Beta, you get to work on hacking the security system, I'll take care of Hydroman.'' Zero said, summoning his saber.

Beta nodded and retreated to a safe distance.

'' Sssss... Soooo... You're the faaaamousss Zeeerooo...'' Hydroman hissed as he slithered foward.

'' I don't know about that, creature.'' Zero said, raising his saber in a defensive stance. '' But unless you want to die, I suggest that you let us pass.''

'' Of courssse I caaann't do thatt... I wouldn't beee a T-Cooorrrp naaavi otthherwissse.''

'' Well, it was worth a shot...'' Zero shrugged. '' Akira-sama, please send me some battlechips.''

'' Very well, Widesword, slot in!''

Zero's left hand morphed into a sword with a flared tip. He ran up to Hydroman, bring both blades in for a cross slash, but the two blades were stopped dead by Hydroman's gelitinous tail, then they were focibly repelled, much to Zero's surprise. '' Nan da?!''

Hydroman's tail than whipped up an smacked Zero in the face, making him stagger backward. It was like getting snapped in the face with a giant rubberband.

'' Hyyydrrooo Crruuushherrr!'' Hydroman shouted as a deluge poured down on Zero, leaving him wet and ticked off, but unhurt. '' Akira-sama, please send me an electric chip.''

'' Elecsword, slot in!''

Zero's Widesword morphed back into a hand, then the blue jewel on his glove glowed, and the hand morphed into a yellow blade, but what happened next was not expected at all..

'' AAAAHHHGGGG!'' Zero screamed as he was electrocuted by the blade.

'' What happened??!!'' Slate demanded.

'' Hee hee...'' Hydroman snickered. '' An Elecsssword isss crackling with electricity. When you're wwwet, the currrent trrravvvallls uuup your arrrmmm aannd afffects yyyou. Ssshocking, isssn't it? Tee hee.''

Zero panted, still feeling pain from the shock. Hydroman's attacks didn't have much power, but that shock had been powerful, and his... unique defensive ability made him a tricky opponet.

* * *

'' Fire Blast!''

Blastman threw what looked like a miniture explosion towards Dash, who easily side stepped the slow moving blast.

'' Come on, this is pathetic!'' he taunted.

Blastman gritted his teeth. '' You won't be able to dodge my next attack, no matter what you do!''

He raised his hands to the ceiling. '' Fire Storm!''

Embers drifted up from the ground. '' !! Dash, get right next to me!'' Ryn shouted. Dash took the advice, running over to Ryn so that they were back to back. '' Dreamaura!'' Lloyd shouted as he selected the chip.

An aura surrounded Ryn, and since Dash was so close to him, he was protected as well. Then their visions were filled with flames.

When the flames died out, the ground was scorched, but the two navis were unharmed. '' What! Curse you!'' Blastman roared in frustration.

'' Ya know, I bet you're so weak, you can't even handle a program advance.'' Terry said, smiling. '' Let's test that, Fire, Aqua, Elec, Bamboosword! Quadruple slot in!''

Dash's hand morphed into a glowing sword, and he lept over to Blastman. '' Program Advance, Elemental Sword!''

With a single strike, Blastman's body had four slashes on it. One red, another blue, a third yellow and a fourth green.

'' D-d-darn it!'' Blastman ceased to exist.

* * *

Zero dodged a jet of water from Hydroman, then fired off a Saberwave. The energy cut through the snake like navi, who visibly winced. This gave Zero an idea. '' Akira-sama, I'd like you to send me a Variablesword.''

Slate slotted in the chip, so Zero's hand morphed into and oddly shaped green yellow sword.

'' Hah! You arrree a fooolll...'' Hydroman muttered. '' Swords do not work on mee...''

'' I beg to differ. Physical damage doesn't affect you.'' Zero explained. '' So I'm going to hit you with non kinetic damage, which does work.''

'' Triple Sonicboom!'' he cried, unleasing three sonicbooms with a single swing.

'' Gyaaaaa!'' Hydroman cried as he was hit. When the explosion faded, he was gone.

Plip Plop

Zero looked down to see that he was standing in a puddle, which quickly rose up and formed back into Hydroman, who wrapped his coils around Zero and squeezed tightly. '' I'll, cruussh yyyouuu, puunny naaavi!''

'' Uhggg... Akira-sama... Send a Thunderbolt...''

'' Thunderbolt, slot in!''

Zero placed a hand on Hydroman's tail. '' Die!''

Electricity flowed from his palm into Hydroman's gel. '' Eeeeaaahhhhhgggggg!!!!!!''

He dissolved into deletion, dropping Zero to the floor.

He took several gasps of air, then turned to Beta, who had finished hacking the security and was now working on the broake system.

'' How's it coming?''

'' Almost done.'' Beta promised, hitting several option on the input field he had called up. '' A little more... There! That should put a stop to the train!''

In the real world, there was a screech as the train slowly ground to a halt. Vick nodded in satisfaction and plugged his navi out, as did Slate.

'' Now, let's see if the others are alright.'' Slate said, exiting the engine and stepping onto the ground beside the train.

The other four rebels were lunging beside their cars. '' Have you unlocked them?'' Slate asked when they were within earshot.

'' Yep. It wasn't very difficult at all.''

Inside each of the two cars was a single, large, transport truck. '' Alright, we'll take these two with us back to the base. Move out!''

'' Why don't we take more than two?'' Lloyd asked.

'' Well, as the english expression goes, we never ' bite off more than we can chew.' '' Slate answered.

So after lowering the offload ramps, entering the trucks, and plugging their navis in, the victorious rebels drove back to HQ.

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Slate has obviously never seen Pokemon. NEVER do anything involving electricity when you're wet.

These last two chapters were kinda fillerish, but chapter 7, the next one, jumps right back into the virus storyline. Cya.
_________________
' 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]

As you all know, the Edit function has been removed, so I can no longer put the chapter title in the title. Thus, the days when there will possibly be an update are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and the weekend. I'll still try to get one or two chapters up a week.

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Chapter 7: To the Stars
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The rest of the afternoon was spent unloading the trucks and storing the cargo in the warehouse. Their Indian Summer was continuing, so the hot sun beat down on everyone. Normally, it would start to get colder around this time.

'' Alright Karla, one, two, three!'' Terry grunted as he and Karla hoisted a midsized container into the air and began to carry it towards the warehouse.

Everyone was working. Butch was unloading the crates from the truck, Vick was checking the contents, while Terry, Slate, Karla, and Lloyd were transporting them. Lloyd however, had easily done the least work, and had complained whenever he could. Clearly, he was not used to physical labor.

'' Sigh, I don't know what we're going to do with him.'' Terry sighed as they reached the warehouse and set the container down.

'' Hmm, he does appear to be rather soft. No work ethic at all.'' Slate's voice said.

Terry turned to see Slate standing about eight feet away from him, with his trademark light brown overcoat slung over his shoulder. '' Oh! I didn't see you there!''

The three of them began to walk back to the truck. '' Terrence, Vick told me about your navi.''

Terry sighed. '' I'm kinda getting tired of this... Something infected Dash, but we're waiting until something shows up.''

'' Well, let me know if anything happens.''

'' I will.''

Slate picked up the pace, leaving the other two behind.

'' He knows I prefer ' Terry'.'' Terry grumbled. Well, it was nice to see Slate acting so sociably. The Old Slate, before Saito's death, probably couldn't have cared less about the problem, as long as it didn't affect his ability to fight. Terry liked the New Slate better.

'' I like Terry.'' Karla said, interrupting his thoughts. '' It sounds cuter.''

'' Err... thanks... I guess...'' Terry muttered, turning red. He heard snickering coming from his PET. '' Shut up you...''

When the two of them got back to the truck, they found that everyone else had clustered around its rear. Butch had pushed several crates to the edge. '' They're all marked ' Pulse Transmission System '.'' he was saying. '' Does anyone know what that means?''

'' I've heard of this before...'' Lloyd muttered. '' It was an experimental technology for sending humans into the cyberworld.''

'' What!? That's impossible!'' Vick exclaimed.

'' But we've seen navis come into our world, so I guess anything is possible.'' Karla countered.

'' I doesn't actually send the body into cyberworld.'' Lloyd explained. '' It converts brain waves to data, and sends that. So, you 'operate', if you will, just like you do in the real world.''

'' But how do you know all of this?'' Slate asked. '' Even I have never heard of this system.''

'' Umm...'' Lloyd scratched the back of his head. '' Just something I heard a long time ago...''

'' Hmm...'' Slate muttered, casting Lloyd a suspicious glance.

'' Anyway, maybe we should take a break, for now.''

* * *

The six navis were in the cyberworld, chatting each other up, when they were interrupted by an unexpected guest.

Metool Metool

Dash glanced over his shoulder to see an odd looking Metool. Normally, Metools were yellow, with green markings, but this one was red, with blue markings.

'' How did you get in here?'' Tyria asked.

The Metool seemed to notice that it had been discovered, for it began to march away.

'' Hey! Get back here!'' Tyria shouted, morphing her hand into a buster and firing off a warning shot.

The Metool lept in alarm and began to scurry away. Tyria fired a second shot, but this time the Metool ducked under its helmet, and the blast bounced off of it. '' Since when could they do that?'' Crushman demanded.

Meanwhile, the Metool had ran over to its... companions. Nearby was an access tunnel, and at the entrance to it was a group of other red Metools, about fifteen or so strong.

'' How did they get in here?!'' Zero said, sounding mildly annoyed. '' Stop!'' he shouted. Normal Metools would have been intimidated at this shout, but these ignored him and began to enter the tunnel, as they did, they were converted to transmission waves, and they began to vanish.

Zero, wanting to find out what was going on, ran after them. Soon, he too was converted to data and vanished. '' Wait up!'' Dash shouted, jumping in after him. Crushman, Ryn, and Tyria followed as well. After they vanished, the tunnel vanished, leaving Beta alone and bewildered. '' Oh dear...''

The navis found themselves on the floor of an unfamiliar cyberworld.

'' Where are we?'' Dash asked, picking himself off of the floor.

'' I'll see if there is any video feed I can pull up.'' Tyria said, calling up a display screen. '' What the... There're some cameras to monitor... hull damage?''

She hit an option, and the screen displayed the blue curve of the planet Earth, and several stars.

'' Look at this other data: The Evening News, Daytime Soaps, Monday Night Football...'' Tyria muttered as she scrolled through a chart. '' We're in a TV satellite!''

'' Hey hey! Look at the top news story!'' said Ryn, who had pulled up his own screen. '' It says that virus attacks have been reported at various government sites. But these viruses are different then normal, like they've, evolved or something.''

'' Hmm, I've heard of viruses evolving naturally over a great period of time, but that rarely happens, since they're constantly deleted...'' Zero said, scratching his chin. '' So how could there be this many at once?''

'' Hey!'' Tyria said. '' Look at this. It's a record of the signals sent to and from the satellite. Most were sent to various TV stations, but there is a fairly large amount sent and received from an unknown source, and the last one was just now!''

'' Where was it sent to?'' Zero asked.

'' Um... A point in Densan, just a moment...'' Tyria said. '' There! An old sea port on Densan's northeast corner. It's on the water, obviously.''

'' Alright.'' Zero said. '' I'll store this data until we get back.'' He placed his palm on the viewscreen. His blue eyes briefly displayed the incoming data, then they returned to normal.

'' Alright. Let's log out and go tell our operators about this. I'll sure that Akira-sama will be very interested in this.''

So now a new mystery presented itself. What were those viruses doing in HQ? Why were they evolved, and more importantly, where were they coming from?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preview
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Terry: Since when has there been a preview?
Author: Since I decided, that's why!
Terry: Uh, okay. Anyway, so we go to that Densan dock...
Dash: Except, there're people waiting for us!
Terry: Yeah, and they ain't friendly either!
Author: I think some of you may be pleasantly surprised...
Dash: With these freaks? You kidding?
Author: Shaddup! Next time, on Viral Nightmare...
Terry and Dash: Chapter 8: Trap!
Terry: I hope you don't make previews this lame all the time.
Author: The lameness is only beginning...
_________________
' 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]

Umm, hello.

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Chapter 8: Trap
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The last time the rebels had come to Densan, it was to Netto Hikari's old Akihara home where Rockman had been hidden. Akihara was a residential district, this time they were travelling through the downtown.

It was early the next day, and the empty skyscrapers loomed overhead, like monoliths left behind by an ancient civilization, which, in a sense, they were.

Densan was like many other formally busy cities around the world: abandoned. Many citizens simply deserted their homes during the Outbreak in hopes that an escape from cities and their abundance of electronics would provide some relief.

Densan's streets were in poor states, and windows of former storefronts and businesses were cracked or broken. Vines were creeping up the sides of buildings, while monstrously large weeds grew out of sidewalk cracks or any other recess. Nature was taking back the city.

Slate, who was leading the group, stopped in the middle of an intersection, took out his PET, and activated the holograph screen. He brought up a map of the area.

'' How much longer until we get there?'' Lloyd groaned. Once again, the rebels had walked all the way from HQ.

'' According to this, about another forty five minutes if we sustain our current pace.'' Slate said, scrutinizing the map closely.

Lloyd gave an audible groan. His constant complaints and whining was really starting to get on everyone's nerves.

Eventually, they reached the dock. There were various abandoned warehouses, rotten crates, large shipping containers, several massive cranes, as well as the dispatcher's building. Nearby, a pier stretched out into the sea, even though ships hadn't docked there in over fifty years.

'' Alright.'' Slate stated. '' Karla, Butch, you two search the docks, while Terrence and I will investigate the dispatcher's building.''

'' What about me Akira?'' Lloyd asked.

'' You and Vick will stand guard.'' Slate answered.

'' WHAT?! Guard against what??''

Slate shrugged. '' You never know.'' He then turned over to Vick and whispered something in his ear. Vick raised his eyebrows at this, but nodded anyway.

The two teams split up, while Vick and a grumbling Lloyd stayed behind.

Karla and Butch eventually found a control booth for various machinery.

'' We should plug in here.'' Karla told Butch. '' Since it issued commands to the automated equipment, it would be hooked up to the dock's network.''

'' I see.'' Butch nodded in understanding. '' We can access the network, and investigate it to see if there is anything suspicious.''

The two plugged in and their navis materialized in the net. From the looks of things, the programmers had probably tried to give an illusion of the real world. The ground was covered in what was probably cybersand, and a little ways off there was a large pool of water. An artificial sun blazed overhead while the ''sky'' was blue.

'' What a weird place...'' Crushman said, looking around.

'' Smart Missile!''

Two missiles burst out of the water and sped towards the two navis. Tyria and Crushman lept to the side, letting the missiles pass between them.

'' What was that!?'' Tyria said in surprise.

'' Hrmmm. It appears that I missed. Unfortunate for me, fortunate for you- de~aru.'' a muffled voice said.

A periscope rose out of the water, followed by a conning tower, then the hull of a blue submarine. Panels on the conning tower withdrew, revealing a white face smoking a pipe. '' I am Diveman.exe-de~aru.''

* * *

Terry and Slate managed to obtain entrance to the dispatcher's building without much trouble.

'' So, where to now?'' Terry asked. There were various offices on either side of the hallway and a broken down elevator at the back.

'' The roof.'' Slate said as he located the emergency stairwell. '' The transmission antennas are up there to send transmissions to ships. We can plug in to see if there have been any unauthorized signals sent recently.''

'' Oh yeah, why did you make Lloyd stay behind?''

'' Because I don't trust him, that's why.'' he answered. '' Last night, I spotted him sneaking around. Eventually, he stopped and had a long conversation via PET.''

'' He was probably talking to Ryn.''

'' No.'' Slate shook his head. '' There were three voices. His, a gruff sounding male, and a female.''

'' Did you hear what was being said?'' Terry asked.

'' No, I was not close enough to hear what was being said.'' Slate admitted. '' But it must have been suspect, since he was trying to avoid detection, and why would he call someone in the middle of the night, and who would that person be? I told Vick to keep an eye on him, that's why he's stuck guarding, in case he tries anything.''

'' Hmm... I wonder...'' Terry said to no one in particular.

The two exited the stairwell and emerged onto the roof, where the transmission antennas were, but there was also a person up there as well.

She was wearing a red dress with white polka dots and wore a short black coat over it. Her stockings were striped and one was pulled higher up the leg than the other. She wore eyeshadow and had a heart painted on one cheek. Her hair was black and was in two large braids. On her jacket, where the breast pocket would normally be, were two semicircles, end to end. One blue and the other white.

'' !! That's the crest of the Enforcers!'' Slate exclaimed. '' Who are you??''

'' You're Iwasaki right?'' the girl asked. '' I'm the Enforcer Chirol!''

'' Chi...rol...?'' Terry said, scratching his head.

'' Yes, it's a lovely name, isn't it?'' Chirol said, grinning to herself. '' Now, you've got a lotta nerve, showing up now! We've been waiting for you since dawn! The lack of sleep is going to wreck my beauty!''

'' Uhhh...'' Terry said, sounding dazed. He stared at this eccentric girl, bewildered.

Slate though, pressed on. '' We?! Who else is with you?''

Chirol giggled. '' My partner should be taking care of your friends now.''

Slate gritted his teeth. '' How did you know that we were coming here?''

'' We received an anomymous tip that said that you would be coming to the docks on Densan's northeast side.''

An anonymous tip... Terry thought. The traitor!

'' Now, if I defeat the legendary Akira and help destroy your rebel group, my reputation will increase, and my superiors might give me a raise, or even promote me.'' Chirol said, almost giddy at the thought of more money.

'' Vain aren't we.'' Terry said dryly, finally getting his voice back, while Slate merely said, '' So I've gone from famous to legendary now have I?''

Chirol smirked. '' Let's get this over with!'' She pointed here PET at the antenna. '' Plug in, Circusman.exe! Transmission!''

'' Plug in, Dash!''

'' Plug in, Zero!''

TRANSMISSION!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preview
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tyria: Wheee! Without Zero or Dash hogging the spotlight...
Crushman: We get a chapter all to ourselves!
Karla: Don't forget us too now.
Tyria: Right. Diveman's a tricky opponent.
Crushman: Being able to conceal himself is a huge advantage.
Butch: There must be some way to root him out...
Karla and Butch: Next time on Viral Nightmare...
Tyria and Crushman: Chapter 9: Iiit's the Aquatic Battle!
Karla: Let's blow this guy outta the water!
Diveman: I'm afraid I can't allow that- de~aru.
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I'm not sure how accurate the portrayals of Chirol and Diveman were, but Chirol strikes me as someone who is incredibly vain, and cares only about looks and money. Diveman I imagine to be sorta laid back and maintains a calm demeanor.

So, how do you think I did with those two characters? Circusman appears in chapter 10, while Kurohige makes a cameo in the next chapter. Cya.
_________________
' 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]

* shot on sight*

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Chapter 9: Iiit's the Aquatic Battle!
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'' Diveman?'' Crushman asked. '' Who's your operator then?''

As if on cue, a view screen opened above Diveman's head, displaying a grizzled looking seadog. The man wore a captain's cap, along with suspenders and a white and red striped sleeveless shirt. He had wild hair and a mustache. A dolphin was tattooed on his arm, and on his shirt was the same dual semicircle that Chirol had.

'' I'm his operator, Kurohige!'' the man barked. '' That's ' Captain' Kurohige to you!''

'' Uh huh...'' Karla muttered, a bit bewildered.

Diveman took the pipe out of his mouth and blew several smoke rings. '' Captain Kurohige and I are Enforcers- de~aru.''

'' But how did you know we were coming here?'' Tyria asked. '' Only we knew...''

'' I suppose that that's a fair question lass.'' Diveman said, fiddling around with his pipe. '' The nearest Enforcer headquarters received a tip off. That is all- de~aru.''

'' A tip? From whom?''

'' Like we're going to tell you that.'' Kurohige taunted. '' We protect the confidentiality of our clients.''

'' So who knew?'' Butch asked Karla, who just shrugged.

'' Go get them Diveman!'' Kurohige ordered. '' Sent them to Davey Jones's Locker!''

'' Affirmative, Captain Kurohige.'' Diveman said in his slow, laid back voice. He placed the pipe back in his mouth, then raised his hands. '' Giga Wave!''

The water in the pool rose up into a tsunami wave, then crashed down on the ground. Crushman, being rather large, weathered the onrush of water, but Tyria had to get behind him to protect herself.

Karla slotted in a chip. '' Train Arrow, slot in!''

Tyria's right hand morphed into a bow and arrow like shooter. Taking careful aim, she fired three shots.

'' Dive Ball!'' Diveman said as a hatch opened on his bow and three spiked balls flew out, intercepting the shots and exploding.

Butch slotted in a chip, then selected a new one. '' Custom Bolt!''

Crushman shot a bolt of electricity at the pool, but Diveman leapt, actually leapt, out of the water and onto the ground. Now it was revealed that he had legs beneath his submarine body. Now he was even bigger than Crushman.

'' Yarr harr harr!'' Kurohige cackled. '' You thought that Diveman wasn't a land creature didn't ye?'' He laughed at Tyria's surprised expression, since Crushman did not have a human face. '' I made him amphibious!''

Butch muttered something profane, and slotted in a chip, then turned to Karla. '' Now what should we do?'' he asked. '' And where's that Kurohige anyway?''

Karla shrugged. '' Somewhere in this area I guess. But let's take one step at a time. Diveman comes first.''

'' Right! Slot in! Umm... Bubblestar!''

A giant bubble formed around Diveman, enclosing him inside. '' What is this- de~aru?'' he questioned.

'' Now you can't dodge the Custom Bolt!'' Crushman said, leveling the conductor at the large, trapped navi.

Diveman sighed. '' Smart Missile- de~aru.''

The first missile popped the bubble, the second exploded at the foot of the navis.

The explosion faded, revealing two chibi-ish dolls of both Tyria and Crushman.

'' What is this?!'' Kurohige demanded.

'' Ha! The two chips I slotted in a while back were both Kawarmiri Magics!'' Butch said triumpantly.

Tyria and Crushman reappeared behind Diveman. Tyria held her hand in Diveman's direction. '' Starlight!''

Streaks of energy flew from her palm and pelted Diveman's propeller and stern. Without turning around, he submerged into the sandy ground.

'' Where'd he go??'' Tyria demanded, looking around in confusion.

Just then, a periscope surfaced. Tyria shot at it with her buster, but it submerged before the shots could make contact. Then, missiles shot out of the ground and flew towards the navis. They sidestepped, but this time the missiles curved back towards them. Tyria tried to shoot them, but they were too fast. The missiles exploded, throwing the two backwards.

Then, the periscope surfaced right in front of them, followed by two more missiles shot high into the air. They curved downwards, and exploded over their heads, rattling them.

Karla noticed that the sand around the holes where the missiles had shot out of were molten, then it cooled and hardened. This gave her an idea.

'' Hey Butch, Diveman is tunneling under the ground, right?''

'' Tunneling?'' Butch said, a confused look on his face, but then it cleared. '' Oh! Tunnels!''

He took out three chips and inserted them into his PET. '' Hell's Burner, triple slot in! Activate Wideburner!''

'' Right, Wideburner program advance!'' Crushman said as his hands morphed into a large flamethrower. He placed to nozzle tip to a hole where a missile had emerged, and let it rip.

The ground grew hot as the flames traveled underground, and small jets of fire leapt out of the other missile holes.

Crushman backed off, and then steam began to rise from the holes, followed by water.

'' Huh? What's going on?'' Crushman asked. '' Did he tunnel into the pool to escape? Then why's the water level not dropping?''

Tyria shrugged. '' I guess that it's programmed to always remain full. I'll take care of him.''

A face mask popped up over her mouth and nose, and she gracefully dived into the water.

The water was cool and clear, and the pool deep. At the bottom was a slightly blackened blue submarine laying next to a gaping hole.

Tyria held her hands in front of her. '' Star Mine!'' she shouted as red stars came from her hands.

Crushman watched as a huge geyser erupted from the water. Tyria flew out of it and landed on her feet. '' Did you get him?'' Crushman asked. '' I think so.'' she answered.

Diveman drifted to the surface, a dazed look on his face. His data formed the words log out, and he left the net.

'' Yes! We did it!'' Karla said happily, giving Butch a high five.

'' By the way.'' Butch said as they plugged their navis out. '' Where did Kurohige go? I noticed the view screen close when we were winning.''

'' Ah, let him go.'' Karla said. '' We beat his navi, let him flee with his tail between his legs.''

Her PET beeped. '' Email Karla.'' Tyria told her. '' Oh, it's from Slate.''

Karla opened it and scanned the hastily written message. '' Oh... That definitely can't be good...''

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Preview
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Terry: We're up against a real freak show this time.
Dash: Circusman... What an odd navi...
Terry: Yeah... But we have to beat him! Just look out for his attacks.
Dash: Right. Especially those cards...
Slate: Stop yammering and fight! We have bigger problems then Circusman!
Terry and Dash: Next time on Viral Nightmare...
Slate: Chapter 10: Circusman's act!
Circusman: Hee hee! I'm gonna delete you! Whoopie!
Slate: I can't believe I just did that...
Zero: Why do I put up with these clowns? No pun intended.
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Finally, two (in my opinion) rather neglected characters get their chance to shine! See what happens without Dash and Zero hogging the spotlight?

So, what did you think? Did I do Diveman and Kurohige justice? (probably not) I want to hear the opinions of YOU, the reader.

Onto Circusman, wheee!
_________________
' 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]

Hello, it's been a while. One month, one week, and one day, to be exact. The reason for the hiatus was because I was hit with a mountain of work towards the end of May, and I spent June studying for finals and what not. But now school is out, so I can get back on track with this story.

Oh yeah, the first 19 chapters of The Link Between the Past and Present are now uploaded to Fanfiction.net. You can reach my profile through the link at the bottom of my sig.

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Chapter 10: Circusman's Act
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While Tyria and Crushman were fighting Diveman, Dash and Zero had gotten into a rather bizarre battle.

Circusman looked like a clown, a rotund, scary looking clown. His body was orb shaped with buttons and a collar, and his navi symbol, which was of a clown face, was located towards the bottom, where a crotch would be on a humanoid navi. Two dissembodied feet were below it. His head sat right atop the body, complete with jester-esque hat, bright red lips, rubber nose, and star shaped eyes. Four white hands floated around his body.

'' Hee hee hee!'' he giggled in a high pitched voice. '' You... you're the famous Zero, and he's Dash, right?'' the clown asked.

'' We are.'' Zero said, summoning his saber, while Dash morphed his hand into a buster.

Circusman rubbed his two lower hands together. '' Good good. It's showtime! Happy Clap!'' His two upper hands vanished and one appeared next two Zero, and the other next to Dash. Then the two smashed the two navis together. Zero sliced his in two, while Dash blew his apart with a point blank buster shot.

The hands reappeared, whole, nest to Circusman. He did several back flips in place, each time making a sproing noise. When this odd ritual was finished, he put two of his hands together and produced a whip. '' Fear Whip!'' he shouted as he cracked it.

Two flaming hoops appeared and a robotic lion leapt out at each of them. Dash picked one of them off with several shots, while Zero held his saber in front of him, letting the animal split itself on the blade.

'' Alright Dash, Shotgun, slot in!'' Terry said, slotting in the chip.

'' I'm sending you a Hi Cannon.'' Slate informed his navi.

Their hands morphed into the respective weapons and the two of them fired. Circusman was two slow to dodge, and so took both hits.

'' That hurt you meanies!'' he fumed as the shots left burns on his body. He made a very rude gesture with all four of his hands, which then vanished and reappered near the two navis and began to assail them with slaps and punches. Zero twisted back and forth, trying to cut them, while Dash was attempting to hold them off with buster shots.

Circusman eventually gave up on this tactic, and instead produced what looked like a deck of playing cards. He made a big show of shuffling them, then drew the top card.

'' Ha!'' He held out a card displaying flying daggers. '' Knifethrower Card!''

Zero quickly leapt in front of Dash and summoned his Shield Boomerang, just as a hail of knives flew out of the card. Most of them bounced off the shield, but a few managed to slice their arms or the sides of there legs, which were not as well protected.

Circusman drew a new card, glanced at it, then giggled, barely able to contain his glee. '' Illusion Card!'' This card showed the outline of a humanoid figure, with a dotted outline of the same figure next to it.

Clones of Dash and Zero appeared. They looked exactly the same as the originals physically, but their colors were slightly darker, and they had blank expressions on their faces.

Copy Dash morphed his hand into a buster, while Copy Zero summoned a Z-Saber, except that it was redish purple, instead of blue green.

'' Darn it.'' Zero grumbled. '' We're going to have to fight these things instead of Circusman...''

'' Well, we're the originals.'' Dash said confidently. '' They're just cheap knock offs, so they shouldn't be any trouble at all!''

C-Zero lunged towards Zero, while C-Dash prepared to fire on Dash.

Zero countered his clone, then dodged a blue energy blast that C-Zero had thrown. Dash hit C-Dash before he could fire, then followed up with a volley of his own.

The clones really weren't difficult to beat at all. They just kept trying to attack, never even attempting to defend themselves. Dash simply blasted C-Dash until it was deleted, while C-Zero was cleanly cloven it half by Zero.

Slate slotted in two chips. '' Grasseed and Assasinsword, double slot in!''

The green bulb appeared in Zero's hand. He lobbed it near Circusman, so that grass appeared beneath his feet. Then, Zero's hand morphed into a sword.

'' Now what was the point of that?'' Circusman taunted, thumbing his nose at Zero.

'' Well, since you're standing on grass...''

Slate sent an Areasteal, and Zero warped over to the clown. '' You're a perfect target for my Assasinsword!'' He slashed the rotund navi, who squealed in pain.

'' Finish him Dash!''

Terry slotted in two Volcano Cannons, so Dash's hands were replaced by cannons resembling Volcano viruses.'' You're done Circusman!'' Dash shouted, charging up his weapons. Since Circusman was standing on grass, he was, quite literally, toast.

But as he was about to fire, Dash let out a small cry and began to grimace, as if in pain.

'' Dash! What's wrong?!'' Terry shouted.

'' I... I... it's...'' Dash stammered.

'' What are you stalling for?!'' Zero yelled. '' Fire!''

'' R-Right! Yahhhh!!''

Circusman raised his hands as if trying to swat the advancing fireballs away, but they ignited him anyway. '' Wahhhhh!!!'' he shrieked.
He then logged out, the only way he could save himself.

'' WHAT?!'' Chirol cried in disbelief. '' How did you?! How could you!?''

Terry smirked. '' We have tricks of our own. They may not be card tricks, but they get the job done.''

Chirol shot them a look of pure malice and tried to run past them, elbowing Terry in the stomach to get him out of her way.

'' That wench...'' Terry groaned as she disappeared down the stairs that led to the building's interior.

'' Let her go, there's nothing more she can do to us.'' Slate told him. Then he addressed his PET. '' Zero, access the data logs to see if any unfamiliar signals have been recieved or sent recently. Since these antennas were only meant for ship to port communication, it shouldn't take to long to find signals from an unknown address. Since there haven't been any ships here for decades, they'll be easy to find. In the meantime, I'll compose an email to let everyone know about the current Lloyd crisis.''

'' What are we going to do now?'' Terry asked his leader.

'' For now, we act like nothing has happened.'' Slate answered. '' He will know that his gambit has failed, so he'll be especially wary.''

Terry nodded, then took out his PET. '' Dash, what happened back there?''

'' I, I don't really know...'' Dash said, looking down. '' It felt like something rose up inside me, something primal...''

'' Alright, I'm definately having you scanned when we get back to base.'' Terry said sternly, looking Dash straight in his artifically purple eyes, a constant reminder that something was wrong.

'' Aha!'' Zero exclaimed from inside the antenna. '' There were signals sent to a point, and received from that point as well!''

'' Where?'' Slate asked.

'' A point that's west of our base. It's in a fairly hilly area, but it's not as far out as Region 174 was.''

'' So there should be a building of some sort there, right?'' Terry asked. '' If so, then there must be some one there.''

'' Right.'' Slate said grimly. '' I believe that we need to have a little talk with whoever is sending these viruses all over the country.''

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Preview
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Dash: Ironsould.
Terry: Excuse me?
Dash: It's the name of the town we're going to. The signal source is near there.
Dash: But unlike the Dimensional Chip Factory, there are T-Corp forces in the area.
Terry: So we can't just waltz in there huh?
Dash: I wonder if anyone can help us?
Terry and Dash: Next time on Viral Nightmare...
Terry: Chapter 12: Locomotion!
Dash: What an odd title...
Author: Word.
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I'll be seeing you around. I promise that I'll have consistant updates.
_________________
' 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/