Solder (AA, R) [G]

[TheWebbuilder]

A.N.: O.K., so it's been how many months since I've written something? *looks at EE, IANP:Overdrive, JDI...* Four Months? *sweatdrops*

Anyways, this little bugger's been dancing around my head for a while now, so I figured that I'd give it a shot. I've gotten really rusty over the course of these past few months, especially in my battle scenes, but I hope that it's bearable.

We're returning to the ProtoMan x Rhythm realm, and this ficlet does tie into Rhythm & Blues although this will have a much more coherent storyline than the other fic ever did. And I'm worried again about the possible Mary Sue-ism, so any critique in that area would be appreciated.

And just for the record since everyone keeps asking. No. Melody is not a self-insertion. I'm male, dangit...

Begin!

Something that sounded like a cross between a squeal and a shriek filled the air.

Unconcerned, Melody Makoto just turned her head and looked out of the aircraft's window. The brown-haired girl studied the approaching airport terminal.

They were finally back home.

A burst of light came from the brunette's PET, and then the two-and-a-half-inch-tall, holographic form of Rhythm appeared next to Melody's cheek. The azure Net Navi looked out of the window along with her Net Op.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rhythm looked over the approaching building. "We've wanted to come back for so long... who would have thought that it would be without Dad?"

"I know. It's sad that he can't be here." Melody agreed. "But we have to make the best of this. We all knew that whatever he's working on is in the critical stages right now... It's not like he can just pick up and leave at any given time..."

A teasing grin swept over the brunette's lips before she continued.

"But I figure that you won't notice. You'll be so busy looking at ProtoMan that-"

"Melody Makoto!" The azure Navi spun around and glared at her Net Op. "Like you don't have eyes on Zack Teisel!"

"Who me?" Melody's hands flew up in mock innocence. "And who's he?"

"Don't play innocent with me." Rhythm smiled, but was content to let the conversation drop. "But whatever. It looks like we're almost ready to disembark."

At that precise moment, a small bell tinkled through the cabin. Then the captain explained how to safely leave the aircraft.

By the time the captain's speech was finished, Melody Makoto and Rhythm were off of the aircraft and racing down the terminal.

The duo emerged from the frantic hallways of the terminal and emerged into the relative calm of the arrivals bay. The Op and Navi scanned the scanned the area, looking for-

"Chaud! Maylu!" Melody threw her arm skyward and waved frantically in an effort to attract the attention of the two who were there to give the girl a ride back to Den Tech. Her maneuver succeeded, and before long the trio had reunited.

"Melody." The duel-haired Op shouldered one last person out of his way and found himself within speaking range. "It's good to see you again. Not... in that way, but... you know."

"I do." Melody felt an-all-too-familiar grin pass over her lips. They, Chaud and herself, had never seemed to be able to move past the initial awkwardness that ProtoMan and Rhythm's relationship had caused. It was discomforting, but at the same time, it was a strangely comforting discomfort.

If that were possible.

"Maylu, how're you doing?" The brunette's uneasy grin turned into a small smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Long, but not too long." The redhead smiled back. "How was Sharro?"

"Cold, dreary, lonely." Rhythm answered. "If it weren't for Raika, I think we'd have both gone crazy."

"Just leave it to Raika, he always-" The end of Maylu's sentence came out as a grunt when a passerby unceremoniously slammed into her shoulder. The Net Op turned and shot a look at the offending traveler, and then turned back to Melody. "What do you say we get out of here and find someplace less crowded?"

"Sounds good to me."

----15 Minutes Later---

Chaud closed the door to his limo, and a split second later the vehicle lurched out into traffic.

“So... Melody...” The dual-haired Op said. “What you brought you back to Den Tech... alone?”

“It’s... a strange story.” Melody abruptly looked out of the closest window. “The reader’s digest version is that my mother called us up and asked us to come see her the day after next.”

The brunette fell into an uneasy silence.

“You flew halfway around the world because your mother called?” Maylu couldn’t help but ask. She knew that there had to be more to the story, and felt that the tale had to be helped along.

“Yes.” Rhythm materialized in the air and picked up the story. “We did. But you have to understand, we haven’t seen Mrs. Makoto for years. Ms. Makoto left Dr. Makoto and Melody a few years after her birth. Since there we haven’t heard a word from her.”

“That’s... horrible...” Maylu and Roll both felt the shock radiate from their faces.

The pink healer materialized next to Maylu.

“And this is the first time you’ve heard from her in all this time?”

“It is.” Melody looked back at the others. “I don’t know what brought this on or what she wants. It came as a complete surprise to us.”

Chaud didn’t have any idea how to respond to those statements or explanation. His own family experiences had left him no more able to deal with this situation than Melody was. Any advice or counsel he supplied would have been useless and smacked of ignorance.

There was only one thing that he could really say.

“Melody, I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s... anything you need, just let me know.”

“All I really need is a friend right now. And since I have you two, I have what I need. Don’t worry; I’ll make it through this.”

~~Motor Comp.~~

Twin bursts of light rocketed down from the sky and slammed into the ground. Upon contact, the bolts of light shattered away to reveal the two forms of ProtoMan and Rhythm.

Without a word, the two Net Navis dashed forward and pulled each other into a tight embrace.

“ProtoMan... I don‘t care what anyone says, a long-distance romance difficult, even in this day and age of internet.” Rhythm snuggled into the Red Raider’s shoulder; enjoyed the feel of the Navi‘s hair under her fingers.

“I know it is.” The scarlet swordsman replied.

For a long moment, the two just enjoyed each other’s company, and then Rhythm made a startling realization. She was could feel ProtoMan’s hair-

On the back of his head.

The azure Navi pulled back and stared straight into ProtoMan’s eyes. The swordsman’s trademark visor and helmet were missing.

“ProtoMan! You-”

“Left your helmet behind. That was intentional. I have no reason to hide anything from you, Rhythm. That includes my love for you.”

“You remembered.”

“I can’t forget.”

“Heh, and here SearchMan claims that you aren’t a sentimentalist.”

“Don’t tell anyone.” ProtoMan smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Speaking of secrets... I’m worried about this meeting; Ms. Makoto’s been gone for so long that I... find it hard to believe that she suddenly wants to patch things up between herself and the Makoto’s. I just don’t see it happening.”

“... Maybe.” The Raider sounded hesitant. “But Lan and Mega Man have demonstrated time and again that time is a healer. Even Wily reformed; there’s a chance that Ms. Makoto has decided to rectify things.”

“Possibly, but... well, I guess that it doesn’t hurt to hope for the best, does it?” Rhythm sighed.

“No, it doesn‘t.”

Rhythm grinned a little, and was almost thrown to the ground when an earth-shattering tremor ripped through the area. Only her grip on ProtoMan saved her from landing on her seat.

“What was that?” The azure Net Navi looked around.

“Trouble!” ProtoMan looked up towards the digital sky as if he could read the situation just from looking up. “We’ve got to log out.”

“Right.”

The two exchanged one last look and then dissolved into the words ‘Log Out’.

----Den Tech City: Main Avenue---

“What on earth?” Rhythm materialized in the air next to her Net Op. Melody was currently standing in the middle of the street, next to the door of Chaud’s limo. Apparently the brunette Net Op had left the vehicle when the trouble had started.

“That.” Chaud’s door slammed as the Net Saver exited the car. The Net Saver pointed skyward.

The trio of Ops and Navis followed the line that the dual-haired Op had created. There they discovered... nothing. Neither a single light nor sound came from any building at the end of the block. The structures there were as dark and silent as a tomb. Not even the traffic lights were spared from this black-out.

“A... power outage?” Maylu queried.

“I don’t think so.” Chaud’s eyes narrowed.

As if to verify the Net Saver’s words, the dual-haired Net OP’s PET beeped shrilly.

“Phone call.” ProtoMan reported. “It’s Manuela.”

“Right.” Chaud pulled his PET free and opened the connection. “Chaud here.”

“Chaud, its Manuela.” A holographic screen sprang from the boys’ PET and filled the air. “We’re detected a sudden power outage at 12th and Main.”

“I can verify that. We’re standing in the middle of it.”

“Then you should know that we’re detecting an odd power spike at the center of the blackout.”

“A spike? In the middle of a blackout...? Someone’s draining the power and channeling it somewhere else.” Chaud fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

“That’s our guess. We need you to investigate.”

“Right. We’re on it.” The dual-haired Net Op closed the connection and then looked at the two girls. “Stay here.”

“Do you honestly expect us to just sit back and do nothing while you go out alone?” Maylu shook her head in disbelief. “We’re coming with you.”

“What she said. You may have saved us from Zoan DrillMan, but you still need someone to watch your back.” Melody agreed.

Chaud studied the two for a moment and then nodded.

“Alright then, let’s move.”

---Elder Building, Main Street, 12th Floor, Apartment 1D--

A shadowy figure looked out of the pitch-black apartment’s window and into the street outside. A smile darted over the figure’s lips as he spotted a certain black and white-haired Net Saver exiting from his limo.

“They’re coming, CrashMan. Stay Alert.”

“I’m ready for ‘em.”

--Central Building, Main Street, First Floor--

“Is that it?” Melody pointed across the room towards the only running computer in the vicinity.

It was unnerving, that was the only way to put it. The trio of Net Ops was standing in the middle of a darkened building. Not a single light or candle illuminated the place.

“Why’s it so empty?” Maylu wondered aloud. “It’s almost three in the afternoon. The place should still be packed… at the very least, the clerks should still be here.”

“Maybe they all left when the power went out?” Melody shrugged, even though she was the one to voice the idea, she really didn’t believe that sentence.

“I don’t know.” Chaud surveyed the empty room. “But let’s deal with this situation one step at a time; the source of the power outage is right in front of us. Let’s get the power back online and then we’ll deal with the fact that all of these buildings are empty.”

“Ready, ProtoMan?”

“Ready.”

“Then Jack in, ProtoMan!” The Net Saver’s PET whipped through the air and stopped to bear at the offending computer terminal.

“Roll!” Maylu readied her Personal Terminal as well.

“Rhythm!” Melody joined in.

“Power up!”

Three beams of light ripped sped through the air and leapt into the computer’s infra-red sensor. Once inside the computer, the trio of light beams rocketed down to the ground and reformatted themselves into their respective Net Navis.

Roll pushed herself to her feet and cast a quick glance around her surroundings.

“Looks like your everyday, ordinary computer to me.” The pink healer muttered. “There doesn’t seem to be any unusual set-up or programs involved... How could something like this be siphoning power away from the rest of the city block?”

“I don’t know... yet. Stay sharp.” ProtoMan was all business as his Proto Sword formed over his left hand. The Red Raider slowly looked over the area, trying to determine the cause of this sudden power outage.

clink.

Clunk

CLANK.

The Red Raider traced the trio of sounds down to his feet. Behind his visor, the Navi’s eyes widened as he spotted a small, round cylinder lying against his left heel.

“Everybody move!” ProtoMan pitched himself backward and crashed into Roll and Rhythm. The red Net Navi’s arms snapped out and locked about the two girl‘s waists. Putting all of his strength and momentum to work, ProtoMan turned on his toe and leapt for all he was worth.

An explosion ripped through the air, decimating the spot that they had just vacated.

ProtoMan’s leap carried them a short distance away from the site of impact and deposited them on the ground. Once they had landed, the visored Navi released his hold on his companions.

“What was that?” Rhythm looked back at the hole that had once been the computer’s floor.

“That, lady, was one of my patented Crash Bombs.” A voice ripped through the air above the Navi’s heads. “Sent to you by yours truly.”

The Net Saver’s looked up to find a strange red and white Net Navi perched on a program block above their heads. Dark red boots ran up to the Navi’s shins and bled into a white jumpsuit. Red and yellow armor ran up and over the Navi’s chest and shoulders. Two weapons that looked vaguely like Busters hung from extensions that hooked into the Navi’s shoulders. The Navi’s helmet was styled to look like a missile was sitting atop the guys’ head.

“And as you probably guessed, the name’s CrashMan.” The rogue Navi chuckled. “Pleased to meet ‘cha, and even more pleased to rock your world!”

----

“CrashMan?” Melody repeated. “I’ve never heard of him, have you?”

“Nope.” Maylu shook her head.

“Neither have I.” Chaud admitted.

----

“What about the blackout? Are you behind that?” Rhythm stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at the red and gold Net Navi.

“’Me’ personally or ‘me’ as in ‘the people I work for‘?” CrashMan smirked. “I don’t have anything to do with this little phenomenon. But I know who does, and my job is to cover for them! So let’s rumble!”

The Navi’s hand whipped through the air.

Four Crash Bombs fell from the sky.

“Variable Sword, Battle Chip in!” Chaud fished the aforementioned chip from his pocket and fed it into his PET. “Download!”

ProtoMan leapt into the air as a glowing, arrow-shaped blade burst into existence around his wrist. The Red Raider flicked his weapon through the air and effortlessly severed the explosives before they could detonate.

“This guy’s only a decoy, take him out quick!” The dual-haired Op shouted into his PET.

“On it.” Using the momentum from his last move, the scarlet swordsman whipped about in a tight arc. A bolt of yellow fury leapt away from ProtoMan’s weapon and sped through the air towards CrashMan.

CrashMan pushed off from his perch and evaded the Sonic Boom completely. As soon as the renegade Navi touched down, he heard a shout come from behind him.

“Roll Arrow!”

The rogue spun around and latched onto the Busters that were hanging from his shoulder pads. CrashMan jerked the weapons up and pointed them at the heart-tipped arrow that was rocketing towards him.

“Missile Barrage!”

A rapid-fire stream of rockets ripped away from the red and gold Navi’s Busters and tore across the arena- and the Roll Arrow. But the missiles didn’t end there, they continued on; this time their sights were set on Roll.

The pink healer was trapped with nowhere to run.

Abruptly, a long cord sailed through the air and curled itself around Roll’s waist. A moment and a sharp tug later, and the pink Navi was pulled out of harm’s way and the path of the explosive rockets.

“Thanks.” Roll looked up at Rhythm, the one who had saved her.

“Don’t mention it.” The azure Navi pulled her whip free and coiled it.

“I know that you won’t because you won’t live long enough for that to be an issue!”

The two female Navis looked up to find that CrashMan had targeted them again. Already a flock of missiles were racing across the arena towards them.

They didn’t have time to work out an escape plan.

Fortunately, they didn’t need one.

“Life Aura, Battle Chip in! Download!”

A wall of silver hair blocked off Roll and Rhythm’s vision, and then a sphere of yellow energy took them in its embrace. The missiles crashed into the newly erected barrier and ceased to exist.

ProtoMan had come to their rescue.

A cloud of smoke billowed up, and then dissipated to reveal the trio of Net Savers. They were unharmed.

“Oh… excellent. I’d hate to think that you’d died after facing little old me.” CrashMan grinned. “Especially when since the higher-ups want that honor…”

“Higher-ups?” Rhythm raised an eyebrow in puzzled bewilderment.

“He’s been toying with us. He hasn’t been interested in winning this battle, just in egging us on.” Chaud explained.

“Exactly. So, since I’ve fulfilled my mission, and the higher-ups should have what they need by now, I think I’ll take my leave and restore power to this area. ‘Bye now!”

Before anyone could react, the red and gold CrashMan had dissolved into a mass of pixels that formed the words ‘Log Out’ and vanished from the face of the network.

“He was toying with us?” Roll reiterated. “Creating a diversion? Why?”

“We’ll know soon enough.” The Red Raider muttered.

“And I have a feeling that we’re not going to like it when we find out.” Chaud frowned as the lights clicked back on and flooded the area with their brilliance.

End

[Midnight]

Fascinating.

(And do not worry, it's been a while since I've reviewed something as well.)

Given the title of the fic as it is at this point, I'm at a complete loss as to what significance it will have. Nevertheless, this was quite a good read--it flowed along at an even pace, and didn't suffer from abrupt stops or anything of the sort.

For your worry about 'Mary-Sueism'--again, I wouldn't worry too much about it. All she has done at this point was an assist--Blues was the star player in this combat. Speaking of which, even if you are a little rusty, it worked out too well, even if the tactics were a little bland. Then again, being too showy is often a bad thing.

Kudos to 'ya on going onward, and I hope to see what you have in store eventually.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Elementalman.EXE]

Good Lord, one Ryuusei game and already EXE fics feel like retro-ish.

I think...I think I've missed a couple of sequels o_o. Sorry Web, but I haven't had any reason to come in here.

It's pretty good. My only gripe is that Protoman comes off sounding like someone from Shakespere (Now I know I'm spelling that wrong o_o). Protoman sounds a little odd with the revelation of his feelings. I always say him in the light of the HEro who's taking a beating and reveals in a monolouge that he wants to be protecting the damsiel, aka the woman he loves. Then after that he refuses to admit. At anyrate, this is just me saying.

[TheWebbuilder]

[Unknown Neo]

Well I'm always up to reading on of these fics. I like you pair of characters.
It's also interesting how you have crashman show up. Too bad they never made the rest of the RMs navis. It would have been cool. Your name sounds kind of guy-ish. You know, we have lan/netto and then there's megaman.exe's human name and his kid so web seems like a guy name. Except with a duck character. Like from ducktails in the 90's.

Long story short, great story.

[TheWebbuilder]

---SciLab, Real World Data Wing: DA Lab---
 
"Ready, MegaMan?"
 
"And willing."
 
"Then let's do it! Synchro Chip in, Download!" Lan Hikari snapped his PET out and inserted the blue, custom chip into a small black device that was resting on his Personal Terminal. Almost instantly, two halves of a diamond came together on the PET's screen; a large glow built up around the device.

"Cross Fusion!" The Navi and Net Op shouted as one.

The glow expanded and grew until it engulfed both the brown-haired Net Op. A half-second later the display vanished away, revealing Lan Hikari in MegaMan's digitized armor.
 
"Strange... it doesn't feel any different." Lan moved his arm in a circle to test their fusion. The brunette's emerald eyes flicked over the lab and radiated disbelief. "Are you sure that this thing's working?"
 
"There's a lot going on behind the scenes that you aren't aware of." MegaMan reminded his Op. "The Booster is online and working, I can tell that much. I'm just not sure what all it's going to do for us."

"Then I guess that it's time to find out, let's go!" The armored Net Saver gave the lab technicians a quick thumb's up.
 
The techies nodded and released a few viruses into the small Dimensional Area.
 
"Alright! Mega Buster!" CF Mega Man summoned his default weapon and went to work.
 
---SciLab, Real Word Data Wing: Observation Room---
 
"Cross Fusion." Melody looked out of the room's large bank of windows and shook her head in disbelief. "It never ceases to amaze me. The very idea that you can fuse with your Net Navi... it's mind boggling."
 
"It can be at times." Maylu agreed as she joined the brunette by the window. "But once you do it, you catch on pretty quickly."
 
"What's it like?" The brunette shot a quick look at Maylu. "I mean, I know that it increases strength, endurance, speed- I've read all of the papers on that... but what's it feel like. What happens when you Cross Fuse?"
 
"Well..." The redhead paused to consider her answer. "It's... well, it's... mystic..."
 
"Mystic?" The brown-haired Net Op raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "How so?"

"It's... hard to describe." Maylu played her own experiences with Cross Fusion back in her mind and tried to break the feelings and effects down into words. "But... it's as... if the bond that you have with your Net Navi... becomes solid- like you can feel it. And then it just pulls you in and brings you closer than you've ever been before..."

"It's... almost as if you're breaking through the barrier that separates data from the real world..." Roll spoke up and then stopped to chuckle nervously. "Well, I guess that's to be expected since that's what we're doing... But that's the general idea, your bond becomes so strong that it shatters the planes separating you."
 
"Whoa..." Melody and Rhythm exclaimed in unison. The Net Navi and Net Op immediately looked at each other and continued.
 
"JINX!"
 
The two laughed over the fact that they had simultaneously 'jinx'-ed the other. This continued for a long moment before they sobered once again.

"You're right..." Rhythm managed to bring herself under control. "That does seem hard to describe."
 
"It doesn't really do it justice." Maylu shook her head. "It's one of those things that you have to experience for yourself."
 
A sharp scream split the air, causing the quartet of humans and Navis to rivet their attention to Lan Hikari. A Dragoon had managed to catch the young Net Op from behind.
 
Instantly the Blue Bomber was back on his feet.
 
"Aqua Sword, Battle Chip in!" No sooner had the blue blade appeared around CF MegaMan's wrist than did he drive it through the dragon. The virus shattered into a maze of pixels.

"This isn't working." The disappointment was obvious in Lan's voice as he spoke. "The Navi Booster just isn't having any effect on us during Cross Fusion."
 
"I dunno, it's working just fine... it just doesn't seem to be accomplishing anything." MegaMan commented.

Maylu shook her head and breathed a sigh.

"I hope Lan doesn't overdo this. They've been trying to integrate your father's Booster into Cross Fusion without any luck. Now Lan's been obsessing about it lately, like he normally does."

"I haven't known him for as long as you have, but I get the feeling that he doesn't do anything half-way." Melody said slowly.
 
"That's true. If he does something, then he goes all out." The redhead grinned. "Maybe someday..."
 
"He'll come around. Don't worry about it." Rhythm chuckled.
 
"It's like I keep telling you," Roll piped up. "If you only saw how he looks at you when he thinks that you're not looking, then you'd stop worrying altogether."
 
"Hey! We're here to kill time, not discuss my love-life." Maylu protested. "If we're going to be doing that, then we'd better start discussing the chances of Melody and Chaud getting together."
 
"Hardly... we're just friends." Melody blew a puff of air into a few renegade hair strands in order to get them back into their proper place. "Incredibly awkward friends, but friends nonetheless."
 
The conversation was interrupted as the door behind the duo whoosh-ed open. The quartet spun around to find none other than Dr. Yuuichiaro Hikari standing behind them.
 
"'Morning, Dr. Hikari!" Maylu promptly greeted the newcomer.

"Good morning." The brown-haired adult smiled in reply as he moved over the observation window. "How's it going?"
 
"It doesn't look like it's going anywhere." The redhead shrugged. "Lan keeps complaining about the Booster being useless."
 
"That doesn't surprise me. The Booster is more of an external device, like the view-screens and handholds were for the PET." The doctor shrugged. "I really don't think that it'll have any effect on Cross Fusion unless we build the Booster directly into the terminal, but until those compatibility issues get worked out, I don't think that's going to happen."
 
---Walden Tower, 12th and Main---
 
Chaud looked over the collage of data and frowned as did ProtoMan. Their planned afternoon off had just evaporated and left behind a gnarled mess. The two were busy sifting through the aftermath of the black-out; and the more they dug the messier the situation became.
 
"What do we have?" The dual-haired Net Op looked over his PET one last time. "And what does it all mean?"
 
ProtoMan's image appeared on the monitor of the computer they had hijacked for their investigation.
 
"Roughly six hours before the blackout occurred, someone hacked into the Main Street Mainframe, took the power grid maintenance program offline and replaced it with a dummy program and an override. Two minutes before blackout, an Email was sent from a generic Email client - the secondary Email address on the account was faked - triggering the blackout. The IP address used when the account was created leads back to a Net Cafe, so we're not going to get any leads from there.

"The blackout wasn't an actual blackout per se, but a power rerouting. The power for the entire block was siphoned off into a damper connected to the computer where CrashMan showed up. When CrashMan logged out, the dummy program stopped the reroute and reinitialized the normal traffic program."
 
"Which means that someone deliberately triggered the blackout at 11:23 A.M." Chaud frowned again. "Why?"
 
"That's uncertain." The Raider returned. "Nothing has been reported stolen. There's been no sign of any hacking or sabotage since the exact moment of the black-out. Motive is still unknown."
 
"But someone went to a great deal of trouble to trigger that blackout at the precise time that they wanted it. Six hours is a long time to wait, we're dealing with someone that's incredibly methodical and patient."
 
"A deadly combination." ProtoMan said.
 
"My thoughts exactly." Chaud paced back and forth twice before pausing before his Terminal again. "Who do we know that fits that profile?"
 
"Yahoot is the only member of the original WWW that begins to fit." The Red Raider began working his way down the list of names. "But he's been legit for years now. Dave and Gauss are distant possibilities. This is a little underneath Gauss and doesn't fit into Dave's motives. The Neo WWW is disbanded altogether and, outside of Tesla, doesn't remember a thing of their many terrorist attacks. Wily is still at large, but he was never this subtle in his sabotage attempts. He's always made it clear what it is that he wanted and his operatives had no second thoughts about declaring their affiliations. It's almost as if they were proud of it."
 
"True... and then we have to figure CrashMan into the mix..." The dual-haired Op closed his eyes and processed all of this information. "So as of this moment, we don't have any idea who it could have been."
 
"There wasn't much evidence left behind to work with. Whoever did this was good."
 
"Not good, simple." The Net Saver shook his head. "This entire crime, from the hacking to the blackout, was done with an extremely simple method. Someone knew exactly what they wanted and did exactly what was needed to get it- they didn't dress up the crime or cause a show. It's when a criminal gets fancy and complicated that he gets careless; when a criminal is simple and methodical, that's when it gets tricky. Whoever did this isn't good or smart, he's just simple."
 
"Interesting idea." The Net Navi started running that concept through his mind. It made sense.
 
"We're spinning our wheels around here. Let's see what Jacques knows about this." Chaud picked up his PET and clipped it into his belt. "If anyone knows anything, it's Jacques."
 
---East Den Tech: Route 30- Forty Minutes Later---
 
Maylu, Melody and a very exhausted Lan Hikari stepped off the number 15 bus, moved over to the kiosk set up for travelers and began the fourteen minute wait for next bus to arrive. Unfortunately, there wasn't a bus line that went straight from SciLab to the residential area of Den Tech, and so the trio was forced to wait for the next bus to arrive; that would be the one that would carry them home.
 
Lan dropped his head against the back wall of the kiosk and came within a hair's breadth of dropping off into dream-land. Only pure stubborn determination kept him awake.

"Lan, it's alright to take a power-nap." Maylu all but rolled her eyes at her companion. "We'll wake you up when the bus comes."
 
"I'm fi-hoooooooooown." The brown-haired Op's words got lost in the yawn that came barreling out of his mouth. "Just fine."
 
"Suit yourself." The redhead shrugged and settled herself in against the back wall. If she was going to wait, then she might as well be comfortable.
 
Melody watched as a newcomer entered the kiosk. The man paused and surveyed the small room, giving the brunette a chance to look him over. The guy was trying hard to give off the appearance of a businessman. The custom-tailored blue suit, expensive leather-bound briefcase, coal-gray eyes and greasy mustache all screamed 'business'... or a guy who thought way too much of himself.
 
Greasy 'Stache abruptly marched over to Melody, drawing a curious look from Maylu, stopped and then issued a verbal demand.
 
"Do you have the time?"
 
Melody couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man's harsh tone. But nevertheless, she pulled her PET from her belt clip and glanced at the display.

"It looks like it's four-"
 
At that point, the brown-haired girl made a startling realization: her Personal Terminal was no longer in her hand. It was now resting in Greasy 'Stache's palm.

And Greasy 'Stache was now bolting out of the kiosk door.
 
"HEY!" Melody and Lan were immediately on their feet and charging after the thief. Maylu was exactly one step behind them.

"Bring that back!" The brunet Net Op shouted after Greasy 'Stache.
 
Greasy 'Stache didn't pay any head, he just continued on, vaulted over the handrail and took off down an alleyway.
 
"I'll stop him!" Lan charged up to the handrail. His hand lashed out and grasped onto the metal surface; the blue-eyed boy kicked out and arced his way over the guardrail. In the process, the Op tried to pull his skates off of his backpack and slap them onto his shoes.
 
He wound up eating sidewalk. Lan slammed into the ground face-first, one skate on and the other shoe off.

"Ow." The Net Saver groaned. If he had been more awake, then he doubtless could have pulled his stunt off. But in his present exhausted state he hadn't had a chance of succeeding.
 
"Lan!" Maylu put on a burst of speed and raced over to her friend. "Are you alright?"
 
"Yeah, the only thing that hurts is my pride." Lan grumbled.
 
Melody stifled a groan, then swung underneath the pole and took off after the PET thief. Behind her, she could hear Lan and Maylu shouting after her, but the girl ignored them. That man had just stolen her PET and best friend away from her.
 
The police had better catch up to him before she did. Otherwise she didn't know what she'd do to this guy.
 
The brown-haired girl slowed and then came to a stop as she came to a four-way intersection. Melody fought a feeling of dread down as she surveyed the area. Greasy 'Stache could have gone in any direction, and the girl wouldn't have any idea which way that would have been.

"MELODY!"

A scream and then a burst of holographic light ignited the alleyway off to the left.
 
"That's it Rhythm... use your head, girl." The girl smiled and raced off in that direction. "Hold on! I'm coming!"
 
---The Underground: Downtown Den Tech---
 
Chaud Blaze, Vice President of Blaze Quest, walked into an establishment that would have to work at it just to be called a 'dive'. Half of the lights in the small hole-in-the-wall shop didn't work. Neither did the merchandise on the shelves.

The goods might have been faulty, but the snitch's info rarely was.
 
A small bell went off as the boy pushed the door open. Almost instantly, an excited shout came from the back room. A small, wiry man came scrambling out of a door that proudly proclaimed 'Emp yees On y'.
 
The man came to a dead halt when he spotted Chaud Blaze standing in his doorway.
 
"Man, what is with you?" The man moaned. "I did my time, I run a legit business, how long are you going to pester me?"
 
"As long as I feel like it." Chaud shot back. The dual-haired Op slowly worked his way down the shelves and eyed the merchandise. "And I get the feeling that you don't like to be pestered, Jacques. Do you?"
 
Jacques spotted the Net Saver eyeing a small bargain bin of computer chips- all of which were mysteriously missing their serial numbers.
 
"Nobody likes to be pestered. It's not a strange feeling." The small man unceremoniously stepped between the Net Saver and the bin of chips.
 
"Then if I were you, I'd be asking myself: 'what could I do to be left alone?'" Chaud picked up his end of the verbal spar. It was pointless, and humiliating, but you didn't get far in this business without it. It was just like Jacques. Jacques was neither french nor foriegn, but that was the name he had chosen. There was no helping it.

"The answer is obvious- give Chaud Blaze a bigger fish to chase."
 
"Really?" Jacques smirked. "And what kind of fish would this Blaze be interested in?"
 
"The fish who swims through electric wires- and causes blackouts."
 
"Ah, yes, yesterday's tragedy." The small man chuckled. "I should have known. Not that I can give you much, there's a very new group appearing the underworld. So new that they don't even given us a name yet, but they're organized, and they might be this fish that Blaze wants."
 
"New groups appear all the time and fall apart within six months. What makes this one any different?"
 
"Money. This group has much money behind it. That much is clear. Money buys loyalty. As long as the money flows, this group exists."

"Interesting... what connections does this fish have with the blackout?" Chaud asked.
 
"That I don't know. I'm legit, remember? I don't run in those circles." Jacques caught the Net Saver looking at the bargain bin with renewed interest. "But I do have people who do that owe me favors. I'll ask them to look into it. I'll need forty-eight hours, though."
 
"You've got twenty-four, then I bring in the police." Chaud threw one last look around the room, and then began working his way towards the door. "And no tip-offs, either."
 
---East Den Tech: Dander and Jolies---
 
Greasy 'Stache never knew what hit him. One moment he was putting more distance between himself and the reckless girl who was chasing him. And the next he was pitching face-first into a conveniently-placed stack of garbage cans.
 
A light-blue PET spun through the air and clattered to the ground.
 
The man groaned and then rolled over to find a certain dual-haired Net Op standing over him. A very angry dual-haired Net Op.
 
"I find myself walking down the street minding my own business." Chaud glared at the man. "And I suddenly see you running away from a very good friend of mine. To make things interesting, I see that you just so happen to have my good friend's PET with you. It doesn't take much to put it all together."
 
ProtoMan materialized in the air next to his Net Op. The scarlet swordsman leapt through the air and crouched down next to the azure Personal Terminal. A moment passed, and then the holographic form of Rhythm appeared next to the PET.

The two embraced.

"Are you O.K.?" ProtoMan whispered.
 
"I am now." Rhythm wrapped her arms around the silver-haired Navi. The Red Raider couldn't help but notice the tremble that ran through his companion. "That was... terrifying..."
 
"Don't worry... It's over now." ProtoMan gently placed one hand behind Rhythm's head as the azure Navi abruptly buried her face into the Raider's shoulder.
 
A quick sob came from the female Navi.

A smile danced over Greasy 'Stache's lips.
 
Chaud didn't miss it.
 
Before the Net Saver could do anything else, the sound of shoes slapping on concrete drew his attention. The dual-haired Net Op looked over his shoulder to find Melody dashing in his direction.

The brown-haired girl was shouting and pointing at the PET thief.
 
The dual-haired Op turned back around to find-
 
Nothing but a tangled mass of trash cans.
 
Chaud whipped around to find Greasy 'Stache tearing down the alleyway to his left. The Net Saver charged off in pursuit. The younger boy was clearly much faster than the older man; he might have come through and caught the thief had not fate intervened.

A dark brown sedan suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alleyway. It's rear passenger door sprang open.

Greasy 'Stache had company.
 
The suit coat-sporting man dove into the car, screaming "Go! Go!", and then the rear, passenger door was slammed shut by the momentum of the vehicle's forward surge.

Chaud exited the alleyway just in time to watch the car rocket two blocks down the street and then hang a hard right. There was no way he could catch them now.
 
The dual-haired Op ground his teeth together. The car's license plate was covered in mud.
 
The Net Saver stared after the car for a long moment, and then he turned and went back in the direction that he had come from. It didn't take Chaud long to find Melody and Rhythm had been reunited and were dealing with the sudden loss of adrenaline.
 
"Are you two O.K.?" The dual-haired Op asked.
 
"I'm O.K., and the PET isn't damaged at all..." The brown-haired girl panted as her body began to shake from the shock and adrenaline-loss. "I think we're going to survive... and here I thought that Sharro was going to be more dangerous than Den Tech ever was."
 
Chaud couldn't help but grin slightly.
 
---Brown Sedan: East Den Tech: Jolies and Enda---
 
"Did you get it?"
 
Greasy 'Stache smirked as he pulled a small device from his coat pocket and handed it over to the vehicle's driver. The man in the front seat looked the device over and smiled.
 
"Good."
 
"That's not all I got." Greasy Stache's gravelly voice continued. "I've got some really interesting info for you."
 
Greasy 'Stache explained what he new.
 
The car's driver smiled.

[Midnight]

Fascinating...ever so fascinating!

Your attention to detail is noted--and it is one of the primary strengths of the piece of fiction. Including the smallest minutiae--the letters that were missing from the sign in front of the informant's door, the grease almost literally dripping from the henchman's face--makes the fic rather rich and a joy to read.

I'm sure that you will eventually cover what the motive behind the title of the work is, but you still have me baffled. It whets the appetite for more. Good work.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Unknown Neo]

I agree. It was very interesting and I kept reading and can't wait to know what happens next. And who that guy is. So, did that guy want that booster?

[TheWebbuilder]

A.N.: Mid, I will get to the title eventually, but it probably won't be until the end of the fic. This is going in a slightly different direction than I had originally planned, so the title's meaning has shifted slightly.

Neo, it wasn't the Booster. I'll explain what it was later.

Begin!

---Den Tech City: Maylu's House, Living Room---
 
"'Morning." Maylu looked up as Melody Makoto descended the staircase.
 
The semi-awake Melody mumbled something that could have resembled 'lo' with enough interpretation.   It looked like the jet-lag was affecting the brunette, probably more so than she'd like to admit. The blue-eyed Op shook her head twice in an effort to clear away the cobwebs that had taken residence in her skull and then tried again.
 
"'Morning." Melody managed to get the words out before a yawn overtook her. a few moments passed before the Net Op finally seemed to be back in control of herself. "Thanks again for letting us bunk here. I hope we didn't drive you too crazy last night."
 
"Not at all... it's kind of nice having someone else around." The red-haired girl smiled slightly. "It gets a little lonely sometimes. But that's another story. What are your plans today?"
 
"I... don't really know." Melody walked over to a nearby closet, pulled her vest free from it's hanger and donned the garment. "I'm not meeting my mother until tomorrow... Chaud's tied up all day thanks to yesterday's black-out. Rhythm's more asleep on her feet than I am thanks to her late night with ProtoMan... So I don't really know what I'm doing yet. What are you up to?"
 
"Well..." A mischievous smile appeared on Maylu's lips. "I have a few things I'd like to do today..."
 
Melody noted the Cheshire Cat grin and swallowed nervously in mock fear.
 
"And those are?"
 
"You'll see." The red-haired girl grinned as she activated her PET's phone feature.
 
---SciLab: Net Saver's Division---
 
"Chaud, you might want to take a look at this." ProtoMan appeared on the monitor closest to his Net Op.

The dual-haired boy turned to face his Net Navi.
 
"What do you have?"
 
"This report came in from our regular patrols this morning." The scarlet swordsman displayed a readout of information on the screen. "A strange anomaly was discovered in Beach Area. Someone created a warp point in the middle of the area sometime between now and the last patrol."
 
"Which would have occurred exactly one hour before CrashMan made his debut." Chaud leapt to the end of ProtoMan's line of reasoning. "You're thinking that the blackout was a distraction while someone created and used this unauthorized warp point."
 
"The idea did cross my mind." The visored Net Navi nodded. "The warp point was hastily constructed and then covered with a cloaking program. The program malfunctioned and ceased operation a few minutes ago."
 
"Interesting... Let's find Lan and MegaMan and check it out." The dual-haired Op stood up and began placing a call to his brown-haired partner.
 
---Sharro: Blaze Quest R&D; Data Conversion Wing---
 
Dr. Dos Doppler groaned, shoved his glasses up onto his forehead and massaged the bridge of his nose in order to ease the strain on his eyes. The red-haired scientist leaned back in his chair and took several long moments to study the blurry ceiling.
 
"Doctor, are you alright?" A voice came from somewhere on Doppler's right.

"I'm fine, GradeMan." The scientist allowed his glasses to drop back onto his nose. Now that the world was back in focus, Doppler turned just enough to be able to see his Net Navi. "Just tired of staring at a computer screen."
 
GradeMan had been described as a Navi who looked like a cross between JudgeMan and Colonel. And that description wasn't too far wrong. The Navi was covered in a jet-black body stocking. GradeMan's shoulders were covered in armor that looked like glass beakers, and tucked into white chest armor that ran down into flowing strips of cloth that swept out around his legs. The entire ensemble looked vaguely like a lab coat. White gloves and boots wrapped around the Navi's forearms and legs, while GradeMan's boyish face and green eyes peeked out from under a black helmet. The Navi had been a teacher's aide for several years before coming to work alongside Dr. Doppler.
 
"Your shift did end forty-five minutes ago. I don't think that anyone is going to complain if you go home." A jesting light filled the Navi's eyes. "In fact, their accounting department might thank you. Your overtime is killing them."
 
Doppler laughed for a few seconds. Then it became apparent that the scientist was kicking that idea around in his head. For a long moment, neither of the duo moved.
 
Then Doppler sighed and closed down the programs he had been working with.
 
"I think you're right. It would be good to get out of the lab for a while... it's just too bad that Melody isn't here..."

"I know, sir. But she'd want you to take a breather every now and then." GradeMan hastened to seal the deal. "Besides, it might be good for you to call her. You've yet to respond to her Email saying that she had arrived safely."
 
"... True." The red-haired scientist conceded. "I should... what on earth?"
 
"What is it?"

"This Email..." Doppler leaned forward and studied his computer screen. "How did it get past the security on the secure address? Nothing but business related mail is supposed to come through the Blaze Quest account."
 
"I take it that this isn't?" GradeMan teleported over to the scientist's computer and studied the system. "You're right, this spam appears to be from a spoofed address. We deal with them all the time. It's no matter, we'll just delete it."

"On our other servers, yes, but never this one... I wonder... " The scientist thought aloud. "if a rogue Email could penetrate our security, what else can?"
 
The green-eyed Navi shrugged and moved to delete the digital message.
 
"I'm sure that it was a fluke, nothing to worry about in the long r-"
 
He was interrupted as a scream pierced the air.
 
GradeMan dropped everything that he was doing and whipped about to stare out of his computer screen into the real world.

What he saw terrified him.

Somehow the sprinkler system had been activated. A fine mist of water was raining from the ceiling and dousing the inside of the room. It wasn't just Doppler's office. Through the room's windows, the Net Navi could see similar things going on in the rest of the building.
 
That shouldn't have been cause for alarm, but for some reason, Doppler was thrashing about and trying to hide from the spray.
 
It wasn't until blisters started forming on the man's skin that GradeMan realized what was happening. The sprinklers weren't showering the room with foam as they were supposed to.
 
They were flooding the room with scalding hot water.
 
"DOCTOR!" GradeMan threw himself against the computer screen and strained to see enough of the room to understand what was happening.

Fortunately, the red-haired  doctor had had enough presence of mind to throw himself underneath his desk. For the moment, Doppler was safe, albeit trapped.

"Doctor! Are you alright!?" With one hand, GradeMan began clumsily keying a message into the medics. The Navi refused to take his eyes off of the situation so he had no idea how accurate the message he was sending would be. He just hoped that the med team would be able to understand it.
 
"I'll be hurting for a few days, but it's nothing serious!" The scientist's voice drifted out from under the desk. "GradeMan, log into the main network! You've got to find out what's wrong and fix it!"

"Yes, sir! I'm on it! Hang on, I'll be right back!" The scholarly Navi whipped about and plunged deeper into the network.
 
Doppler waited for five long minutes beneath his wooden desk. The wait was not an easy one even though he was safe from the boiling rain. The concern about the security breach gnawed at him, while the fact that he could do nothing to help himself threatened to consume him whole.
 
It wasn't any wonder then that the scientist began seeing ghosts.
 
Dos Doppler jerked back and yelped as a white, crinkled mass of nothingness materialized before the desk's crawlspace. A split second later and the white figure split down the middle to reveal-
 
"Raika?" It took the battered redhead five full seconds to realize that he was staring at the Sharrian Soldier. Apparently, the blue-haired man had grabbed a large plastic tarp from somewhere and was using it as a shield against the assaulting rain.
 
"Come on, Doctor!" Raika shouted above the rain splattering against his shield. "We've got to move!"
 
"Right!" Dr. Doppler scrambled forward and joined the soldier underneath the white tarp. Now that the boiling water raining from the sprinklers had been rendered harmless, the two had no problems leaving the lab behind.

Once safely outside, the red-haired scientist breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to thank his rescuer.
 
"Raika-"
 
"You're welcome. For now, we need to focus on fixing the system." The soldier cast a quick look back at the building. "Thanks can come later."
 
"Right... right, of course." Doppler raised his PET and looked into the screen. "GradeMan, have you found anything?"
 
Raika mirrored the motion.
 
"SearchMan, report."
 
The sniper appeared on the PET's screen; his expression was grim.
 
"I've met up with GradeMan." SearchMan said. "And he has a point that you should be aware of."
 
"And that would be?"
 
The scholarly Net Navi joined the Steel Sniper on the screen and frowned.
 
"A simple fact of limitations. You can control the sprinkler system from the Cyber World, true. But you cannot control what comes out of the sprinklers themselves. If the blueprints I have are correct, then the sprinkler system is a self-contained set-up. The sprinklers connect directly to the pump and the flame retardant material. The pipes are not used for anything else but to connect those two ends, meaning-"
 
"There's no way you can't switch the material from flame retardant to scalding water in the digital world. It would have to be done in the real world." Raika's face also turned grim. "Which means that this was an inside job, not an outside one."
 
"That would be my assessment." GradeMan spoke up.
 
"It makes sense." Raika turned the point over in his mind. As it stood right now, they only had one course of action. "SearchMan, stay alert. Shut down the sprinkler system and lock it down so that it can't be reactivated until after we say so."
 
"Yes, sir." The Steel Sniper vanished from the PET's screen.
 
---Sharro: Blaze Quest R&D Internet; Janitorial Wing---
 
"Here's the controls." GradeMan pointed to the digital equivalent of the sprinkler system. "It shouldn't be that hard to shut dow-"
 
SearchMan's head whipped around abruptly. The Steel Sniper's eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter before the camouflaged Navi brought his rifle up and pointed it at a seemingly empty span of the internet.
 
"Scope Gun!"

A bolt of  violet energy erupted from SearchMan's rifle and sped through the air. Halfway along it's flight towards the back wall of the network, the energy blast detonated against some unseen obstacle and erupted into a mushroom cloud of smoke and ash.
 
"What the-?" GradeMan looked dazed by his comrade's sudden actions.
 
"There's an intruder, he was using a cloaking program." SearchMan explained.
 
In response to that accusation, a section of the cloud parted and allowed a new Net Navi to appear. The Navi's chest was composed of a large blue sphere, with two smaller white spheres jutting out at angles to form the navi's shoulders, giving off the appearance of a water molecule. Toothpick black arms and legs sprouted from the Navi's torso, with a set of red and blue spheres marking off his knees and elbows. Smaller spheres composed the Navi's feet and hands, with small appendages extending from the circles to form the digits. Bands of energy swept around the Net Navi to form a six-pointed star. If examined closely, small particles seemed to be whirling around in those energy bands.
 
"Ah, I should have known that no cloaking or Invisible chip could have fooled the Steel Sniper." The newcomer performed a mock bow and then looked up. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is PhotonMan."
 
"PhotonMan?" GradeMan took a step back. "You're the one who hijacked the sprinkler system?"
 
"No, not at all. I'm just the one who activated it. The hijacking was done by a certain other party who shall remain nameless." The molecular Navi grinned. "But since CrashMan, ironically enough, hasn't had enough time to finish analyzing your AnalySystem, I'm afraid that you'll have the pleasure of battling me."
 
"The AnalySystem?" Raika shot a look at Doppler.
 
"It's nothing special." The scientist shrugged. "It's a high-speed processor that we use to read streams of computer coding at a rate no human being could ever comprehend. It's designed to make corrections and improve efficiency. It's nothing special though, pretty much every R&D lab has one."
 
"Then this Navi is a decoy." Raika stated the obvious. "SearchMan, get over to the AnalySystem!"
 
"Roger." The Steel Sniper broke into a run and began heading for the area's exit.
 
"I told you!" PhotonMan hauled one of his spindly arms back. "I'm your opponent, to leave this area, you'll have to go through me! Proton Stream!"
 
The molecular Net Navi thrust his hand forward, causing a long burst of small particles to rip away from his palm. The stream of projectiles sped through the air and headed straight for SearchMan.
 
The Sharrian Navi's rifle skills were impeccable, but no one's talents would be great enough to pick off the insane amount of ammunition flying through the air. The Steel Sniper was forced to leapt aside, lest he take the full force of the attack.
 
"Scope Gun!" SearchMan lined his weapon up with his opponent and fired.
 
His shot went wide as the rogue Navi leapt aside.

"Do it, GradeMan!"

"After what this creep did to you? It'll be my pleasure!" The scholarly Net Navi thrust his hand out and focused his attention on the area around the molecular Navi. "No one harms my Net Op! Electrolysis!"
 
PhotonMan looked up as two massive beakers rose from the ground on either side of him. But the renegade wasn't an idiot. PhotonMan backpedaled and narrowly avoided the bolt of lightning that shot through the space between the two beakers.
 
Unfortunately for the rogue, his backward movement left him wide open for SearchMan's next move. The Sniper pointed skyward and summoned a satellite into existence. The satellite locked onto the Sharrian's opponent and unleashed a blast of energy.
 
The renegade Net Navi couldn't dodge the attack in time. The beam slammed into his chest and sent the molecular Navi tumbling over backwards.
 
"Gah! Not bad, I expected no less!" PhotonMan gasped as he tumbled heels-over-head. As the wiry Net Navi came out his spin and regained his footing, he placed his palms together and formed a studded sphere between his fingers. "Fission!"
 
The sphere grew in size until it was at least half as tall as it's summoner was, and then the ball split right down the center. A moment passed, and then titanic explosion spun away from the sphere and washed over the area.
 
"Look out!" Doppler shouted.
 
SearchMan and GradeMan hurled themselves left and right. They just barely managed to squeak past the edge of the explosive wave.
 
That didn't save them from the follow-up attack. The two halves of the Fusion Sphere suddenly rocketed away from PhotonMan's palms and flew across the network to ram into the two comrades. A yell burst from GradeMan's lips as half of the sphere crashed into him and sent him careening across the internet. SearchMan was right behind him.
 
The two slammed into the floor with bone-jarring impact and bounced once before stopping completely. Together, the two wearily got to their feet.
 
"I hate to say it, but he's good." GradeMan panted. "If we keep this up, there's no way we'll stop him."
 
"Possibly, but I have an idea that says otherwise..." Doppler smirked before turning his attention to his impromptu partner. "Raika... what if we...?"
 
Raika all but smiled.
 
"I don't know what you're planning, but it won't work!" PhotonMan interrupted. The molecular Navi's hand shot forward and discharged another particle burst. "Proton Stream!"
 
"Vulcan, Triple Download!" The blue-haired soldier inserted the small chips into his Personal Terminal. "Download! Program Advance!"
 
"Infinity Vulcan!" SearchMan pulled his right arm back as it morphed into a long machine gun. The Steel Sniper pointed his new weapon at the atomic attack and opened fire. A stream of bullets leapt from the Infinity Vulcan's gun barrel and crashed into the Photon Stream. The two attacks cancelled the opposite out upon impact.

The result was a deadlock with neither side able to break fire lest the other attack overtake them.
 
This, of course, left GradeMan free to act without interference.
 
"Ice Seed, Battle Chip in, Download!"
 
A small blue capsule appeared in the scholarly Net Navi's hand. GradeMan brought his arm back and pitched his projectile at his opponent. The Ice Seed bounced to the ground and rolled to a stop right beside PhotonMan's left foot.
 
The seed exploded and covered the area around PhotonMan with a thick sheet of ice.
 
"Ready, Raika?" Doppler looked at the soldier.
 
"I'm ready."
 
"Then do it, GradeMan!"
 
"With pleasure!" The lab-coated Net Navi brought both of his palms up, facing outward. A split second passed as a large stack of what appeared to be textbooks appeared before him. Another second passed and then the stack of books began rocketing across the area towards the renegade Net Navi. "I told you that you'd pay for what you did to Dr. Doppler! Binder Crash!"
 
PhotonMan had taken his eyes off of SearchMan to look down at the Ice Seed. A puzzled expression appeared on the molecular Navi's face as he tried to figure out why his adversary had made such a move.
 
He looked up just in time to find a stack of books bearing down on him with all of the subtlety of a Mack truck.
 
"Whoa!" PhotonMan broke off his attack and pitched himself to one side. The molecular Navi easily avoided the attack. "What are you up to, I wonder?"
 
Raika was content to insert a TankCannon chip into his PET and let the weapon do the talking. SearchMan quickly aimed his new weapon and fired.
 
Since PhotonMan was still airborne from his wild leap to relative safety, there was no way he could dodge the incoming bullet. The spherical Net Navi screamed as the TankCannon blast crashed into him and knocked him backwards.
 
But it didn't end there. Even after PhotonMan crashed into the ground, he found himself being pulled backwards. The atomic Net Navi looked over his shoulder and was stunned to find that a Black Hole right behind him had seized him in it's grip. A trip down the Black Hole's depth's meant insta-deletion.

The wiry Navi scrambled and clawed at his surroundings in an effort to stop his backward momentum. But it was futile. The ice covering the floor prevented him from gaining any traction or handhold- and literally paved the way for him to slide backwards toward deletion.
 
"You may have defeated me!!" PhotonMan grabbed at the ground, but was powerless to stop the Black Hole's mighty pull. "But CrashMan's already logged out of the Network! We've won! I did my job, so I got my victory!"
 
Half of a second before the moelcular Net Navi would have vanished down the Hole's crushing depths, the rogue transformed into the words 'Log Out' and vanished from sight.
 
SearchMan and GradeMan looked at each other.
 
"The AnalySystem..." The lab-coated Navi frowned. "Why would anyone break into our system for that?"
 
---Net City: Beach Area---
 
"What do you think? Will the warp hold together?" MegaMan leaned over ProtoMan's shoulder as the scarlet Navi ran a system's check on the teleportation unit.
 
"I believe so." The swordsman nodded slowly. "The defragmentation and power levels are well within acceptable standards. We should be able to use it and then get back without a problem."
 
"Then what are we all waiting for?" Lan began tapping his fingers against his computer console. "Let's do this already!"
 
"If you think it'll hold, I'll agree." Chaud said. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to build this teleporter, we need to find out why."
 
"You game?" ProtoMan shot a look at his partner.
 
"Let's rock." The blue-clad Navi nodded.
 
As one, the two heroes stepped onto the illegal warp point and vanished in twin bursts of light. The teleporter transformed the two Navis into baseline data coding and shot the data around the world to the other warp point where the data was reconstructed into the familiar forms of MegaMan and ProtoMan.
 
The duo spent a moment reorienting themselves from the transfer and then slowly stepped out into the area. Nothing but inky blackness greeted them. Not even a faint glow lit up the area.
 
"What is this place?" MegaMan took a hesitant step forward. He'd always heard the expression "can't see your hand in front of your face" but this was the first time that the blue Navi had ever experienced it. The Blue Bomber tested his theory.
 
His hand smacked into his nose and the warrior still couldn't see it.
 
"The Undernet?"
 
"I don't think so." ProtoMan cast a quick gaze around the place. He couldn't see anything either. "The Undernet likes to have at least some illumination. Makes it easier to see the person that you're backstabbing. This is too dark, even for them."
 
"Then where are we?"
 
"I'm not- WHAAA!!" The Red Raider took one step too many, and discovered that his footing was gone. Nothing but empty air was there to support his weight, and that wasn't going to cut it. ProtoMan pitched forward and vanished from what little sight that they had.
 
"ProtoMan!" Chaud frantically rifled through his pockets to find some means of helping his Net Navi. "AirShoes, Battle Chip in! Download!"
 
"Find out what's going on, MegaMan!" Lan shoved a disk into his own Personal Terminal. "Use this, Fire Blade, Download!"
 
Instantly, the Blue Bomber's right hand transformed into a sword hilt. Out of the hilt grew a large steel rod and from the rod burst a line of searing hot flame.
 
The Navi held his weapon high and allowed the light from is fiery blade to wash over the area. The dim glow from the sword revealed ProtoMan hovering over a large chasm that was almost a four digital miles wide.
 
As ProtoMan worked his way back to solid ground, MegaMan cast his gaze over the area. He took in the tall rock spires that were jutting from the ground, the scarred surface that covered the internet. The Bomber then looked up at the digital sky and gasped as he realized just where he was.
 
ProtoMan recognized the place just as quickly as his partner did.
 
"The N1 Arena!"
 
"No way, it can't be!" Lan gasped in disbelief, even though his eyed informed his brain that the Navis were stating fact. "The tournament dome sank to the bottom of the harbor after the final battle!"
 
"One of the computer systems must have survived... somehow." Chaud marveled at this sudden development. "And it's still running after all this time. That's... nothing short of miraculous."
 
"I'll say." MegaMan agreed. "I can't believe that we're standing back in the arena... this place is nostalgic..."
 
"It is... but the question is... why would someone go to all the trouble of establishing a link between Beach Area and the underwater Den Dome?"   ProtoMan frowned. "What would they gain from it?"
 
Try as they might, no one had an answer to that question.

End!

[Unknown Neo]

Interesting and entertaining chapter. I like the ideas of grademan and photonman. I wonder how they got to there if it sank. Did someone raise the area? Very interesting twists.

[Midnight]

Hmm...

A welcome shift of focus back to the more cardinal characters. The chapter worked out as well as I thought it would, and certainly did not drag or do something similar to it.

I must admit that seeing all the somewhat disjointed scenes took away from the impact a little bit--since you do have interruptions of narrative, and it seems like some of them are not necessary to the regular plot. Nevertheless, I suppose it works to show that some of the other protagonists are oblivious to what is going on elsewhere.

Other than that, I really couldn't find many problems with the chapter as it is. Good job.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[TheWebbuilder]

[Unknown Neo]

Really? I'm surprised they never really did an idea like that. Just something in 5 where you fight napalm/tomahawkman.

[TheWebbuilder]

Abra-ka-update.

Begin

---Ruined Den Dome: Underneath Den Tech Bay, Battle Comp---
 
"What have you got for us, Vanessa?" MegaMan joined ProtoMan by the Net Saver's forensic Net Navi.
 
After uncovering the remains of the N1 arena, Lan and Chaud had immediately sealed the area and denied anyone save for Net Officials entrance. Their next act had been to call upon the Net Saver's forensics' team to try and uncover just what was going on.
 
Vanessa, a helmet-less Net Navi who wore red and white armor, gave her black hair a toss before replying.
 
"I don't have much, and what I do have might not mean much." The Net Navi said as she knelt and pointed at the arena's scarred floor. "I can tell you that someone spent a lot of time going over every inch of this place and extracting defragmented data. Just what kind of data they were after, I couldn't tell you, but I can make two educated guesses about it. One, it was probably deleted at some point, judging from how far beneath the surface it was; two, there was a lot of it. If all of the data were collected and compressed into a sphere, it would probably be at least half as tall as you or I am."
 
Chaud and ProtoMan took a moment to digest that information. It didn't take them long to realize just what it could have been.
 
"No way..." MegaMan was just as quick to realize the implications. "They wouldn't go to all this trouble just to... would they?"
 
"Hey!" Lan spoke up, clearly annoyed at being left in the dust of the other's deductive reasoning. "What's everyone all 'doom and gloom' about? What's the big deal?"

"Lan." The Blue Bomber humored his Net Op. "That's about the size of StoneMan's regeneration program."
 
"Whoa... is that even possible? We deleted that program years ago, how could enough of it be left to salvage?"
 
"I don't know if it is doable or not." Vanessa broke into the conversation. "We don't even know that that is what happened. Is it a scenario? Yes. Is it fact? No. Someone broke into this computer and extracted some data. That's about all I can tell you as of this moment... And whoever did this was pretty good at covering their tracks."

"You can't get anything else?" The Red Raider asked.
 
"I didn't say that, I said that whoever did this was good. I'm better. Give me a few hours and I'll see what I can dig up for you." Vanessa paused and then looked at the ceiling. "Provided that this place still exists in a few hours. I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of being five miles deep in a derezzing network."
 
"Makes two of us." MegaMan eyed the skyline warily, as if he would be able to see any impending disaster before it happened.
 
As the scarlet Net Navi turned to walk away, a familiar tone went off in his ear. ProtoMan stopped, opened his PET's window and contacted his Net Op.
 
"Chaud, there's an EMail from Raika."
 
"What's he say?" The dual-haired Op inquired.
 
"... There's been an attack on the Sharrian branch of Blaze Quest R&D." ProtoMan felt his stomach drop out from under his knees. "... No one was seriously injured, but several of the staff, including Dos Doppler suffered from sever burns. According to his report, two Net Navi's named PhotonMan and CrashMan invaded the mainframe with inside help and stole their AnalySystem."
 
"AnalySystem? That was all?"

"That is the only thing that Raika mentions." The Red Raider nodded.
 
"Put a call through to Raika."
 
"Connecting now. You're on."
 
Chaud watched his PET's video feed as the call went through and was accepted. In no time at all, a live picture of Raika appeared on his Terminal's screen.
 
"Did you get my report?" Raika opened the conversation.
 
"Just finished it." Chaud replied. "The only thing that was missing was the AnalySystem?"
 
"Outside of the sabotaged sprinkler system, yes." The Sharrian nodded. "The sprinklers were tampered with from the real world and then triggered in the digital. During the ensuing chaos, CrashMan swept in and stole the AnalySystem while PhotonMan covered him."
 
"Strange..." The dual-haired Op muttered. "If they had a man on the inside, why didn't he just steal it from the real world, rather than announcing his presence...? Hold on. A diversion while the real crime is elsewhere... that's the same MO used to create yesterday's blackout. And you said that CrashMan was involved..."
 
"You know him?"
 
"We've had a run-in recently." Chaud quickly explained their only encounter. "It looks like the same group that struck downtown Den Tech was the same one that hit us over there in Sharro. Busy people."

Raika nodded and then went back to the subject at hand.
 
"We probably have a lead on one of this group's Net Ops. After the sprinkler system was attacked, SearchMan went through all of the data from our security cameras. We narrowed the saboteur down to this man."
 
A picture of a brown-haired man with a gentle chin and light gray eyes appeared on Chaud's PET's display. What struck the Net Op was how strangely ordinary the man looked.
 
"His name's Don Dennova; been working at Blaze Quest as a janitor for the past year. There's nothing negative or positive about him in his record and we're having trouble finding out anything about him from those that worked with him. It appears that Dennova kept to himself, did his job and then left."
 
"So Dennova's part of this group... Any idea where he is?"
 
"We're working on that." Raika replied. "We're watching his residence right now, the moment he returns there we'll have him. Assuming that he hasn't already left town."

"If he's smart, then he has." Chaud nodded. "Alright, thanks for the update, Raika."
 
"I'll keep you informed as things progress." The blue-haired man nodded. "One last thing, with the area being designated a crime scene, and with several of the scientists injured, Blaze Quests R&D has been temporarily shut down."
 
"I expected as much." The dual-haired Op nodded. "But that's understandable. Let's just get this cleared up as quickly as we can."
 
"Right." With that, Raika vanished from the PET's screen.
 
And Chaud realized what he had to do next... and he wasn't looking forward to it. He would have to tell Melody about what happened to her father.
 
"ProtoMan, Log Out." The dual-haired Op instructed his Net Navi.
 
"Aw, leaving so soon?"
 
"What the-?" Vanessa spun around as a strange voice flooded the area. It didn't take her long to trace the sound back to it's source. The forensic Net Navi's eyes widened as she spotted an unfamiliar Net Navi that was sporting red and gold armor, two cannons hanging from his shoulders, and armored shoulder pads that looked vaguely like warheads.

"Who're you?"
 
"CrashMan!" The answer came out of ProtoMan's mouth.
 
"This is the guy you took down a few days ago?" MegaMan formed his Buster and readied it for action. "What's he doing here?"
 
"What am I doing here? I was getting ready to send this scrap-heap to the bottom of the sea." The explosive Net Navi grinned. "But since it's already there, I figured that I'd just blow it sky high instead. Take a look around, Einstiens, there's a handful of my patented Crash Grenades lying around there area."
 
ProtoMan's eyes darted around, confirming the rogue Navi's statement. No attempt had been made to hide the cylindrical explosives that were jutting out of the various stone peaks in the area. The Raider wondered just how they had been able to miss them.
 
"And you'll never know how glad I am that you all showed up." CrashMan brought his left hand up and pressed his thumb and forefinger together. "A party without gatecrashers just isn't a party, y'know?"
 
"MegaMan, now!" Lan screamed into his PET.

"MegaBuster!" The Blue Bomber's arm cannon swept up and unleashed a thread of purple energy. The attack sped through the air towards their explosive executioner.
 
CrashMan snapped his fingers.
 
The Network exploded.
 
Vanessa screamed.
 
The display on Lan and Chaud's PETs suddenly went blank.
 
---Beach Street Plaza: Juliano's---
 
"Oh my..." Melody stifled a giggle as she collapsed into a conveniently placed chair. "I haven't had this much fun in... forever..."
 
"I told you that it would be fun." Maylu grinned as she dropped into the chair opposite the brunette and propped her elbows on the table. "Didn't I?"

"That you did." The brunette shifted in her seat and then jacked her PET into the restaurant's computer network. Her companion followed suite. "Did you believe the look on that guy's face when you came out of the dressing room?"
 
"Stop it." Maylu fought to control her own smile. "It had nothing to do with me. The woman next to me came out at the same time, she was the reason he went ga-ga."
 
"I know but the timing was perfect. You really thought he was looking at you, didn't you!" Melody gave one past push and then let the subject drop. "I was surprised that he wasn't, you did look petty cute."

"Stop it!" The Maylu repeated as she ducked her head to cover the sudden blush that raced across her features. "I wasn't that..."
 
"Maybe not, but you came close." Melody guided the conversation onto a different track. "I think we did fairly well today. The sales were terrific..."
 
"When they say 'blow-out', they mean 'blow-out'." Maylu shrugged. "I guess that Nacy's really needed the profit this brought them, I don't know if they're going to make it through the next few years or not."

"I don't think it matters, really." The brunette said. "Unless they're having a ridiculously large price reduction, you'd never be able to afford shopping there."
 
"True. But sometimes that's not the point." Maylu shrugged. "Sometimes you just need to get away from it all and have a fun time with your friends."
 
In the digital world's spacious network, Roll and Rhythm were likewise suffering from a full-fledged case of the giggles. It wasn't often that the two had a chance to just kick back and be girls, and they were enjoying every minute of it.
 
"That salesclerk was right." The pink Navi nodded. "You do look good with your hair down."
 
"Just like you do well with that wild-tiger look." Rhythm chuckled. "It's just too bad that our boyfriends would never notice."

"They would eventually, ProtoMan would probably pick it up quicker than MegaMan would, that's a given." Roll shot back. "They aren't as dense as their human counterparts."
 
"Right. I'll agree with you there." The azure Navi started to calm down as she came out of her shopping-induced high. "They probably won't get a chance to see our new accessory chips anytime soon, but it's nice to have them on reserve."
 
"True. But until then, we can always dream."

"Dreams are good, but they don't live up to reality."

"You've got me there." Roll admitted. "But dreams are all I've got right now. You and ProtoMan may be official, but MegaMan and myself? That's a different story."
 
"They'll come around, just give them time." Rhythm grinned. "Besides, half the fun is in chasing after them. It's no fun for them to just drop into your la-"
 
Those words proved to be prophetic, for at that moment a deafening explosion ripped open a section of the network- and four blurred forms came racing out of the newly created hole.
 
"What?" Roll and Rhythm spun around to find CrashMan and PhotonMan hot on the heels of none other than MegaMan and ProtoMan.
 
"MegaBuster!" The blue-clad Net Navi whipped his blaster about and fired it at his molecular opponent. PhotonMan countered with a burst of atoms from the palm of his hand. The Photon Stream ate away at the Bomber's bolt of energy, allowing the rogue to dash in and send his fist flying forwards at his opponent's face.
 
MegaMan's Buster flashed up and deflected the punch. The Blue Bomber then immediately launched his foot into a driving kick.
 
PhotonMan threw himself to one side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The Molecular Wonder then snapped his palm out and pointed it at the blue Navi.
 
"Fusion!" PhotonMan shouted.
 
MegaMan hesitated for a split second and then leapt straight up into the air. His move proved to be well timed, for at that moment, two halves of a studded sphere materialized on either side of the Net Saver and came crashing together. A shockwave ripped away from the resulting impact.
 
However, since the Blue Bomber happened to be above the resulting attack, he took no damage. The cobalt warrior dropped into the Fusion Sphere and then pushed off to perform a long back flip. As he came out of his maneuver, MegaMan unleashed four more bursts of firepower from his Buster.
 
PhotonMan danced away, evading the attacks.
 
Meanwhile, ProtoMan had his hands full trying to contain CrashMan. The Red Raider darted forward and drove his Sword at the rogue's chest. CrashMan evaded the attack by dropping to one knee and allowing the blade to slide harmlessly over his shoulder.
 
"Sweet dreams!" The explosive Net Navi shouted. A half-second later a flaming rocket exploded away from the Net Navi's shoulder and shot straight into the air. The missile would have taken ProtoMan's head off had not the warrior already vacated the spot.
 
ProtoMan circled around from the left and launched a horizontal slice at his opponent. CrashMan took advantage of his kneeling position and launched himself upwards. The scarlet swordsman's attack took an eighth of an inch off of CrashMan's boot, but failed to do any actual damage.
 
In response to the attack, the explosive Net Navi whipped his arm about and discharged a handful of Crash Grenades. Immediately, the rogue fired out with a quick kick at ProtoMan's shoulder. The move connected, forcing a Crash Grenade into the Raider's shoulder armor and sending the Net Saver backwards.
 
The moment that ProtoMan hit the ground, the red Net Navi clawed at the Crash Grenade, succeeded in pulling it free and hurled it away from his person. The explosive detonated harmlessly.
 
"ProtoMan, MegaMan!" Roll rushed off towards her friends.
 
"What's going on?" Rhythm chimed in.
 
"Roll?" MegaMan glanced over his shoulder towards the pink healer.
 
The Blue Bomber's eyes left his opponent for just three-quarters of a second.

That was a mistake.
 
"FUSION!" PhotonMan jerked both of his palms together as the two halves of a Fusion Sphere materialized. The cobalt warrior was caught completely off-guard. The two halves of the sphere connected and then exploded, grabbing the Blue Bomber up and throwing him backwards as if he were a rag doll.
 
MegaMan's screamed from the attack, drawing ProtoMan's attention.
 
CrashMan immediately dropped to one knee and propelled himself forward like a linebacker. The red and gold Net Navi caught his opponent square in the stomach and folded the scarlet swordsman in half around his armored plating. The next thing anyone knew, CrashMan's shoulder exploded, hurling the warrior through the air.
 
ProtoMan slammed into the ground just an instant after his partner did.
 
"MegaMan!" Roll dropped to her knees beside the injured Net Navi. "Are you alright?"
 
"I've been better." The blue Navi groaned and struggled to get his feet underneath him. "We're cut off from Lan and Chaud. We can't get any Battle Chip support."
 
"What? How'd that happen?"

"The short version is that CrashMan opened up a portal to this area underneath our feet and then blew the network we came from sky high." By now ProtoMan was halfway successful in standing upright. "If he hadn't opened the portal, we'd have been destroyed along with the network."
 
"That doesn't make any sense." Rhythm noted. "He had a chance to take you out, and instead he saves your life?"
 
"I don'- watch it!" ProtoMan's arm flashed out and grabbed Rhythm by the waist. The Red Raider leapt to one side, propelling the two out of the range of a stray Crash Grenade.
 
"In case you've forgotten, you're duking it out with us at the moment." CrashMan smirked. "And four against one should be just about even."
 
"He's not miscalculating." PhotonMan nodded gravely. "We should have no problem taking you four out. Fission!"
 
The molecular Net Navi placed his palms together and grew another studded sphere. As soon as the circle grew to half of the Net Navi's height, it split down the center and unleashed a wave of explosive energy.
 
MegaMan and Roll jumped out of the way, and then narrowly avoided the follow-up crash attack from the sphere itself.
 
At that precise moment, an idea occurred to Maylu. The redhead opened her PET's holographic display and waited.
 
"MegaBuster!' The cobalt warrior unleashed another burst from his cannon.
 
"Roll Blast!" The pink healer's hand cut through space, discharging a wave of heart-shaped projectiles.
 
Both attacks cut through the air and headed straight for PhotonMan. The rogue Net Navi backpedaled and fell outside of the attack's range.
 
"Crash Grenades!" The red and gold Net Navi leapt into the air and scattered his explosive charges into the air above ProtoMan and Rhythm's heads. The move created a screen of falling explosives that covered a wide area.
 
Unfortunately, his move was much more ill-thought out than his opponent's next move.
 
"Tornado, Battle Chip in!" Melody pulled the pre-announced Battle Chip from her pocket and slid it into her PET. "Download!"
 
"This'll take care of you!" Rhythm broke into a quick run. On her fourth step, the azure Net Navi pulled two quick mid-air twists, and was then immediately surrounded the rotating column of air known as a tornado. The storm of air shot skyward, snatched up the falling Crash Grenades and flung them to the far reaches of the Network where they would be unable to hurt anyone.
 
The attack didn't end there, the tornado also tore into the airborne CrashMan, clawed at him for two full rotations and then hurled him backwards through the air in an uncontrolled tumble.
 
ProtoMan was already in motion. The visored Net Navi was flying through the air towards his opponent- blade extended.
 
The Red Raider hit the ground.
 
Two seconds later, both halves of CrashMan's frame slammed into the floor on either side of the scarlet swordsman.
 
If PhotonMan was angered by the loss of his partner, the Navi didn't show it. Instead the molecular wonder was preparing to renew his attack. The molecular Net Naiv dodged another Charge Shot and a stray Vulcan shot and then brought his hands together for another attack.
 
"There we go!" Maylu touched a Chip Icon on the corner of the screen and dragged it towards her target. "Barrier, Download!"
 
"Like that'll stop this!" PhotonMan grew another sphere and prepared to discharge it. "FISSION!"
 
The molecular Navi's eyes widened as he saw the golden sheen of a barrier resting no more than six inches in front of his attack. The Navi looked upward, saw the same gold sheen and realized, too late, that they had summoned the barrier around none other than himself.
 
He was now trapped at ground zero of a nuclear explosion.
 
The sphere ripped down the center.
 
PhotonMan's world exploded into a mass of energy and destruction.
 
"Wow..." MegaMan blinked twice in rapid succession. "That was pretty clever. We'll have to remember that one. "
 
"It was a nice move, wasn't it?" Maylu grinned.
 
"I'll say." Roll said in disbelief.
 
"You guys O.K.?" Rhythm and ProtoMan limped their way over to the others.
 
"A little banged up, but otherwise alright." MegaMan nodded. "We just need to get Lan and Chaud here fairly quickly..."
 
"What are you all doing, standing around there like this is a family reunion? We've got a battle to attend to!"
 
"No way!" MegaMan and ProtoMan spun around to find none other than a perfectly healthy CrashMan standing behind them.
 
"But how?" The Cobalt Warrior wanted to know. "ProtoMan just deleted you!"
 
"That he did, marvelous experience. Now I know how all the other Net Navi's I defeated felt." The red and gold Navi grinned. "And since you're wondering just how I came back from the dead, take a look at PhotonMan over there."
 
The quartet of warriors whipped about just in time to see a wave of energy was over the defeated molecular Navi. As the wave passed over the Navi's broken body, the damage done by his own attack ceased to exist. In no time at all, PhotonMan was back on his feet and smirking at MegaMan and ProtoMan.
 
The visored Net Navi was the first to get it.
 
"StoneMan's regeneration program!"
 
"Ding! Silver Hair wins a prize." CrashMan grinned anew. "You'll never know how long we toiled to unearth it from that pit of a network. But we did it. That's why we created that blackout and warp point at Beach Area. Sure we could have extracted the data and then left without you all ever knowing, but this way we got ourselves a handful of Net Savers to test the Regeneration Program against, and I'd say that it did the job marvelously."
 
"It did exceed expectations." PhotonMan nodded. "And since we now have the results to take back to... him, I think it would be best if we left this battle altogether."

"Meh, your call." CrashMan folded his arms over his chest. "Not that I like it, but whatever. Let's split."
 
The two rogues vanished by transforming into the words 'Log Out' and then exploding into a mass of pixels and data.
 
MegaMan and ProtoMan exchanged a worried look.

"I don't like this." Roll muttered. "StoneMan was hard enough to stop, what happens if they start mass producing his regeneration program?"

"Then we're all in big trouble." ProtoMan answered.

End

[CrimsonZero]

Revival of Rhythm and Blues! Glad you see you continuing the story. A mass production of Stoneman's regeneration program is bad thing.
_________________

[TheWebbuilder]

After some serious formatting issues and file compatability difficulties... I bring you the next chapter.

Begin

"Melody, chill out." Rhythm appeared in her holographic form before her Net Op. "If you wear away the tile anymore, they may charge you for it."

"I can't help it." The brunette slowed for a half-second before continuing her wide circular pacing. "This wait... it's killing me..."

"I'm not the one who wanted to get here a half-hour early." The azure Net Navi shrugged apologetically. "I know how important this is to you, but... you've got to relax. You're getting yourself so worked up..."

Melody and her Net Navi were currently completing a wide circuit around the front of a trendy sidewalk cafe in downtown Den Tech. Each one of the cheery white tables wore a large red and yellow umbrella like a hat, the tables ran right up to the front door of the cafe where waiters and waitresses were constantly entering and emerging.

The sky was clear and the sun was bright, but all of this did little to change the mood of the brown-haired Net Op.

"I've changed my mind, I want Maylu here with me." Melody moaned and sunk down into the nearest chair. "I can't do this alone..."

"You're not alone, I'm right here with you." Rhythm spoke up. "Just like I've always been. Don't worry, you'll get through this one way or the other; and I'll be right beside y- huh? You've got a phone call."

"She cancelled didn't she?" A panicked look plastered itself over Melody's face. "Mom just called to tell me that she's not coming, right?"

"... Uh... nope. Nothing like that. It looks like it's from ProtoMan... oh, wait... it's for you." The azure Navi looked up at her companion. "Do you want to take it?"

"Of course! Put me through!"

"O.K., O.K., hold on... there."

A moment passed before the air above the girl's PET crackled sharply, a shaft of dark blue light bled away from the Terminal's screen before congealing into a screen displaying the real-time appearance of Chaud Blaze.

"Hi, Chaud." Melody's eyes kept darting from the PET's screen to the sidewalk around her. "What's up?"

The blue-eyed Net Op blinked for several long seconds before replying. The brunette girl's perky reply had caught him completely off-guard.

"Uh... is this a bad time? I can call back later-"

"NO!' Melody was startled to hear the shout come from her own throat. The girl whipped about and muttered some quick apologies to those around her before turning back to the conversation at hand. "No... this is a perfect time. Why'd you call?"

"O.K... uh... I have a favor to ask you." A slight blush appeared on the dual-haired Op's face. "That is... the Net Saver's have something they need to ask you."

"Alright, so what is it?"

"I need... to go on... on a date with you." Chaud stuttered over the words. He had rehearsed this script several times flawlessly, but to actually go through with this proposition in real life was another matter.

Melody stared at the PET screen without moving or saying anything. It was as if the Net Saver's words were taking longer than usual to get from her ears to her brain... and then her brain was having trouble putting those words together into a coherent concept.

"You... what?"

"That's not what I meant!" An unusually flustered Chaud Blaze hastened to correct his former statement.

"I... you... huh?" Melody hoped she sounded more together than she felt. The past two minutes were refusing to make any sense to her. "I'm still trying to get past that whole 'dating' concept."

"It's not really-" Chaud was interrupted as a loud crash came from somewhere over the brunette Net Op's shoulder. "What was that?

The girl cast a quick glance over the area and then returned to her conversation.

"One of the waitresses just dropped a load of dishes. It's nothing major... now, what's this all about?"

"It's an undercover job for the Net Savers. A contact of mine picked up a lead on a new crime ring; to verify his info we need to infiltrate a... an upscale corporate dinner party."

"Run that by me one more time, just a little slower."

"Here's what's going on." The Net Saver tried to explain himself. "A contact of mine came up with some info about a new crime ring in Den Tech. He's claiming that the ring is connected to Darsha Inc.. The man who attacked our Sharrian Blaze Quest branch had a nice, healthy bonus added to his bank account yesterday. Vanessa, our forensic Net Navi, managed to tentatively trace it back to the same corporation that my snitch named.."

"So you Net Saver types want to investigate them." Melody supplied the dual-haired Op's next statement.

"Right. It shouldn't take us long to determine if they're tied to the ring or not. We just don't want to tip them off that we're investigating and give them time to cover their tracks. There's a benefit party tonight at Darsha's lobby; Keifer thinks that we can get in through the party doors, find the info we need under the cover of the party and then get out without arousing suspicion."

"So why do you need to ask me out on a date to do all this?" Melody wanted to know. "Do you just need me to cover for you while you do your... B&E?"

"Right... That's the general gist of it. We need help getting away from the party and we need someone to cover for us while we investigate... Can I... ask you to do that?" Chaud abruptly ducked his head as he finished talking.

"... Sure." Melody shrugged uncertainly. "It's not like we're an official couple... so why not?"

"Thanks... I'll send some more instructions via EMail-"

The brunette girl looked up and felt her stomach drop to the level of her
knees.

"Chaud, I need to call you back."

"Understood. I'll be in touch." The dual-haired Op nodded once and then vanished from existence.

Melody put her PET away and then slowly stood up as her mother, whom she only recognized from photos, stepped out of a taxi cab and then began walking toward the cafe. The woman was tall, sported brown hair and a sharp gaze consisting of blue eyes. She was dressed smartly but casually in a tan blouse and matching skirt.

"That's really her." The brunette girl tried to control the growing knot in her stomach. "I don't believe it. She came."

"You expected less?" Rhythm's voice came from her PET. "C'mon, she's asking for a second chance. At least give her the benefit of the doubt when it comes to her sincerity."

"I know... I just... I figured that she'd... .never mind."

By now, the woman had picked Melody out of the crowd and was heading in the girl's direction. The young Net Op swallowed nervously and wished her fledgling courage would stop trying to run away on her.

"Melody..." Ms. Alicia Cain extended her hand towards her daughter. "You
made it."

The brown-haired girl considered the gesture for a moment. Half of her was relieved that her mother hadn't tried anything more personal, like a hug, the other half was still reeling from the fact that the woman had actually shown up. Nevertheless, a handshake seemed safe enough, so Melody took her mother's hand and shook it.

"M-m... I... Yo-" Melody paused to get her emotions under control. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad that you're here as well." Ms. Cain nodded towards the nearest table. "Here, let's talk over lunch, I think... I think that'll help us both."

The young girl nodded meekly and joined her mother at the table. Almost before they had seated themselves, a black-haired waiter interrupted them to take their order. The two ordered and then sat back to study the other.

An awkward silence descended on the table; with neither the mother nor the daughter having any idea what to say next.

Finally, Melody couldn't take it any longer. She'd finally come face to face with her birth-mother and now she didn't have any idea what to say. The silence was unbearable; and from the looks of things, her mother was struggling to find a conversation topic as well.

The brown-haired Net Op took a deep breath and plunged into the topic that had formed the barrier between them.

"Why'd you leave us?"

"I guess that's the question, isn't it?" Alicia shook her head slowly. "And
I guess that you deserve an answer. But... Sometimes people do stupid things; and my walking out on you and your father was one of them... There... there really isn't any way to justify what I did. It was selfishness, pure and simple.

"I had dreams of becoming a scientific giant; becoming famous, making my mark in my chosen field. I felt like yo- I felt like Dos was holding me back. I felt like as long as I had a family I'd never achieve my full potential... so I left."

Melody felt a stab run through her chest and threaten to pierce her heart. Her mother had considered her to be a hindrance, an obstacle... dead weight in her life. Was that all she was to her?

Alicia Cain stopped a moment to compose herself.

"I left and I never looked back. I founded my own company and had success after success after success... but it was never enough. Then one day... I woke up and realized that for all my successes, I had nothing but plaques and trophies on a shelf. I had no one to come home to. No one to share my thoughts and dreams with... No one I could turn to or be there for. No one who needed me. I was just a statistic in a history book."

Ms. Cain blinked twice, and only then did Melody see the tears that were
threatening to come.

"I walked out on my husband and child to chase my dream... and what did it get me? Nothing. I realized then how wrong I was... That my priorities were all messed up... that in chasing my dream, I'd neglected what was truly important... Melody, I... I wronged you. I committed the worst act that a Mother ever could, I turned my back on my child. I'd do anything to erase these past twelve years and do them over... do them correctly... but I can't... I can't and I'm sorry."

"I'll understand if you decide that you can't handle this... But... but I'd like to come back. I'd like to come back and be there for you. I don't expect it to happen overnight... but someday... Someday I'd like us to be a family again."

"M- I... I... You..." The brown-haired girl stifled a tremble and tried to keep her composure. All of a sudden, her lungs felt like they had been clamped in a vice, while her heart threatened to split right down the middle. "We were just a hindrance to you? That's it? We... we didn't... mean anything to you because we couldn't help you at work?"

"T-... I won't sugar-coat it. Yes, that's what happened." Alicia Cain dropped her gaze and began to study the table cloth. "It didn't happen all at once... it was a slow build. I allowed myself to feel that way once or twice, and I never bothered to make myself stop feeling that... so it grew. It grew to the point that... I left."

"How could you do that?" The brown-haired girl demanded an answer as her eyes flashed angrily. "How could you just throw us away?"

"I- I don't know. I just don't know..." The tears finally did come. Alicia swiped at her eyes in order to drive the moisture away and reclaim her vision. "I was a fool. But, Melody... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... if only I could go back..."

"But you can't." Melody said with finality. "You can't go back, I can't go back. At least now I know why you left us; and I almost wish that I didn't."

"We can't go back, that's true." Alicia Cain reached across the table and rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "But we can go forward. Melody, I don't expect to pick up where we left off. However, maybe we can start something new."

"I- I don't know." The brunette pulled back, and forced the woman to remove her hand. "I don't know if I can to do this or not."

"I can understand that... I... I don't want to force anything onto you." Alicia Cain reached into her pocket for a pencil and scribbled out a series of numbers on the table's napkin.

Melody watched numbly. It was as if every shred of emotion, save for pain, had fled from her body.

"Here..." The woman pushed the folded paper across the table. "That's my phone number... Melody, if you... if you want to talk or make a decision... Please call me... alright?"

"I'll... maybe." That was the best that the brown-haired girl could offer.

"Alright... maybe I- it's probably best if I just go now..." Alicia lowered her eyes again. "This... this didn't go like I'd hoped... but Melody... it doesn't matter how long it takes. If you call that number, I'll be there."

"Alright." The word came out as a harsh whisper.

The next thing that Melody knew, her mother was gone.

The brown-haired girl studied the napkin and the marked series of numbers as the events of the past few minutes swirled around in her brain. Was that all she was? An obstacle? A hindrance? If her mother felt that way about her, then did her father? How could her mother do this to her? How could any mother abandon her child, period?

All of a sudden, Melody came to the realization that she knew next to nothing about her parent's divorce. Her father had always been vague about it on those rare times when she asked questions. He'd never volunteered information and she'd never had the tenacity to get answers. The girl had always assumed that her parents had fought for custody and her father had won, like in most splits, but if that was the case, why hadn't she ever seen her mother?

It was like staring down a mine shaft. There was a big empty space that ended with blackness. Melody didn't have any answers about that part of her past.

The brown-haired girl was on the street corner almost before she'd realized that she'd left the table. Within seconds Melody was racing down into the subway and collapsing into one of the underground shuttle trains.

The girl curled up in her seat, wrapped her arms around her legs, and tried to block out the many questions that started attacking her.

101010101010101010101010101010

In the back of the sidewalk cafe's kitchen, a certain young girl was leaning up against the back wall of the restaurant. Her red hair was quivering as she tried to quell the anger that threatened to explode within her.

"He asked her out on a date?" Anetta repeated bitterly. "Chaud was interested in some girl and I didn't even know? Why didn't he tell me? And who's this little floozy in the first place? I've never seen her around before..."

END
_________________

[Midnight]

Oh my, oh my. I seem to be behind a chapter!

I'll divde my review by chapter:

Former Chapter:
You've gotten back into the swing of things. One of the things I look for in combat scenes are things that throw me off-kilter--essentially novel tactics or strategies. And you delivered not one, but two great tactical maneuvers that I would have never seen coming, yet seem so simple and elegant in retrospect. Bravo. It got me reading the chapter a lot more thoroughly.

Latter Chapter:
Interesting. There were two pieces that stuck out to me especially. The first is Enzan's somewhat forced request for a date. The way he said it so crisply reminded me of how Sousuke would say it if he were in Enzan's place. The second lies in the second half of the chapter, where the back story for Melody and her estranged mother is fleshed out. It was somewhat unexpected, but you did a wonderful job of making it feel very real.

Anetta's inclusion at the end was quite perfectly done--completely throws off the reader and adds the possibility of another wrench in the works.

These couple of chapters are done quite well. I applaud the effort. Here's to the hopefully continued success of this work. Cheers!
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Unknown Neo]

Whoa, drama and a surprise at the end. That's a great chapter. It's interesting about her mother and her getting asked out oddly is funny too. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[TheWebbuilder]

A.N.: I feel really mixed about this chapter. I've re-written it three times now and I'm not entirely satisfied with it... but hopefully it'll be bearable.

Begin

Melody Makoto was jerked back to reality as a sharp beeping sound went off from her PET. The brunette groaned, rubbed her already red eyes to shake off the last of her exhaustive nap, and slowly forced herself into an upright sitting position.

“Are you alright?” Rhythm materialized in the air above her Net Op as the shrill beeping subsided.

“Yeah. I think so.” Melody groaned and rubbed her hand across her forehead. “How long was I out?”

“A couple hours.” The azure Navi shook her head solemnly. “Maylu was pretty concerned when she walked and found you asleep on the couch; but I convinced her to just let you alone.”

“I almost wish that you had woken me up earlier. I feel like a train wreck.”

“You look like a train wreck.” Rhythm’s teasing grin slowly faded as the gravity of the situation settled down on them both. “Are you sure you want to go through with this Net Saver thing? There’s still time to call Chaud and explain that we can’t make it.”

Melody appeared to consider this idea for a few moments before she made her reply.

“No. I don’t want to do that.” The brunette sighed and then rolled off the edge of the couch and onto her feet. “I’m going to go crazy thinking about what my m… she said if I stay here. I need to get out and get my mind off of it.”

“… O.K. Sounds good.” There was no hiding the concerned note that hid behind Rhythm’s words. The Net Navi was more than a little worried about her Net Op at the moment. After Melody and Alicia had had their little blow-up, the girl had flown back to Maylu’s house and collapsed onto the couch. A tear-filled half-hour had passed before the brown-haired girl had exhausted her emotional resources and collapsed into a restless sleep.

Now the two were supposed to meet Chaud and Lan in about an hour to go investigate some place known as Darsha Inc.

“Chaud sent some instructions via Email while you were asleep. They’re pretty straightforward, he wants us to get ready for the banquet and then meet us at SciLab at five-thirty.” The azure Net Navi said.

“I guess that we should start getting ready, then…” Melody Makoto gave her tired limbs one last stretch and then slowly forced herself to her feet. “… Come to think of it, I don’t know if I brought anything with me that I can wear to a fancy bash like this.”

“I thought of that, so I called Maylu and Roll and they took care of everything.”

“Oh boy.” The brunette rolled her eyes. “I’m almost afraid to know what they picked out for me.”

“Don’t worry, I approved it all before they bought it.”

“Now I’m really nervous.”

---SciLab: Real World Data Wing---

There was a swish-hoosh as the door opened, allowing Maylu and Melody access to the laboratory. Maylu sported a straight black skirt, dark purple top and black coat, Melody contrasted her companion’s attire sharply by wearing a simple, white, sleeveless gown.

The two stepped into the room and were quickly greeted by Lan Hikari, Eugene Chaud Blaze, Mr. Famous and Dr. Yuuichiro Hikari. Lan and Chaud cut impressive figures in their black, pin-stripe tuxedos… or rather, Chaud looked sharp and ready for war in the social boardrooms, Lan looked like a disaster. The brown-haired boy was decked out in a pair of black dress pants, a long-sleeve white shirt. A suit coat was draped over a nearby table, and two ends of an undone bow-tie came to a stop at the youth’s undone second button.

Lan and his Net Navi seemed to be in a rather intense argument at the moment.

“You’re going to wear that, don’t think you’re going to get out of it.” MegaMan, also sporting a full tuxedo, hung in the air before his Net Op. The cobalt warrior was pointing his index finger straight into his Op’s brow, and hurling commands down the trajectory created by his fingertip. “So no excuses, alright?”

“Alright, alright, don’t worry. I’ll put it on when we get to the company, sheesh.” The brunet Op rolled his eyes and then eagerly changed the subject as he spotted the new arrivals.

“Maylu, Melody! You made it!”

“Of course we made it.” Maylu shook her head as she walked over to her brown-haired companion. “We can’t let you guys go running off into a night of intrigue without us.”

“I guess not.” Chaud frowned as his gaze swept over to Melody Makoto. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know… but I want to.” The girl shrugged. “So I might as well.”

“Alright, since you’re all here.” Dr. Hikari grinned as he asked for, and received, his audience’s attention. “Before you go off on this expedition, Mr. Famous and I have a few things that we think will help you.”

Why do I feel like I just walked into a bad spy movie? Maylu wondered silently.

“With the data and knowledge we gained from Beyondard, what little we know of the Asteroid Navi event, and the Darkloids, we’ve made another breakthrough in PET technology.” Mr. Famous’ eyes were probably glistening with excitement behind his wraparound shades. The scientist reached over and whipped a cover off of the tablecloth, revealing four strange devices. “Introducing, the PET Generation!”

“The PET Generation?” Lan’s interest skyrocketed as he walked over to the glistening device.

The new Terminals were fairly small, even smaller than the Link PET. Each one was roughly half the size of a standard Link PET, was lopsided oval in shape, and sported a glistening blue screen. Two buttons rested directly below the screen, while four more framed each side of the display. Each PET appeared to be mounted to some kind of a Velcro strap.

Dr. Hikari nodded.

“The PET Generation can do everything that the Link EX can and more. Not only does a standard Generation have the capability to support your Beast Outs and Crosses, it also has the ability to initiate Cross Fusion without the need of an external chip.”

“What!?” Maylu, Lan and Chaud exclaimed in unison. Melody just looked lost.

“The capability for the Cross Fusion process is built directly into the Generation. You can access it just like you would any chip in your PET’s Library.” Dr. Hikari explained. “It should speed up the Cross Fusion process dramatically. This should also please you, Lan, we managed to integrate the Navi Booster directly into the Generation, which means that you‘ll finally be able to use the Navi Booster during Cross Fusion.”

“Cool! I can’t wait to try it out.” Lan picked up a pale blue PET and tested the Velcro strap. “So what’s with the hook-n-loop fasteners? Are they some kind of belt clip?”

“They could be. But more likely to be used as a wrist-strap. I’m sure you noticed how thin those Terminals are, you could easily wear them around your wrist and never notice it.” Famous grinned at the youth.

“Alright.” The brown-haired boy slapped the belt over his hand and fastened it in place. “This should be neat, how’s it feel, MegaMan?”

“Well, give me a moment to transfer over and I’ll tell you.” The Cobalt Navi’s teasing voice replied. A moment passed as the Blue Bomber jumped between the Terminals, and then the reply came through. “Feels good, Lan; just like home.”

“I’m guessing that it’s the stealth element that prompted you to give them to us.” Chaud remarked as he fastened his red and white PET around his own wrist. The device was all but invisible behind the youth’s tuxedo sleeve. “If we’re careful about it, we could Jack In without anyone seeing us.”

Now I know I’m in a bad spy movie. Melody groaned and dropped her head into her open palm.

===Den Tech International: Airport Washroom===

“You did WHAT?” Dr. Dos Makoto’s eyes spat fire as he spun around and glared at a nearby cabinet. A small cell phone was pressed against the scientist’s ear. And since the person on the other end of his conversation couldn‘t bear the weight of his angry gaze, the shelf would have to do.

The Doctor continued.

“After a decade you come back to me and ask to meet with Melody- after I finally agree to your request, the first thing you do is explain to her that you walked away because we were nothing more than a hindrance to you? What were you thinking?”

“I’ve already told you, I wasn’t thinking.” A just as exasperated reply came roaring into Dos’ ear as Alicia Cain framed her reply. “I was so apprehensive about the meeting that I failed to come up with something neutral for us to talk about.”

“Of course, you’ve only been planning this for three months, who wouldn’t have thought to give some thought to the conversation in that time? At least tell me that you were being tactful about it! Heaven knows that all Melody needs is to feel like she’s worthless because of all this.”

“She’s done alright so far.” Alicia’s voice came back with a sharp edge.

“No thanks to you!” Dos returned fire. “I’m sorry that I ever allowed this meeting, so help me, Alicia, if you EVER try to make contact with Melody again-”

“Stop right there, Dos. I at least have the right to issue an apology to Melody, and to finish what I started. You know my situation, I understandably dropped the ball. At least give me a chance to rectify the situation before you cut me off altogether.”

“That was your chance to ‘rectify the situation’.” The scientist growled. “And you messed it up- royally, might I add.”

“Don’t do this, Dos. I need to set things straight and make them right.”

For a long moment neither of the two spoke.

“… I’ll think about it. But that’s all I’m promising to do. But just remember that I still have full custody of Melody; I let you have this meeting against my better judgment. If I have to go back to court and put in a restraining order against you because you keep hounding Melody… so be it.” Doppler growled into the receiver.

There was a click in Dos’ ear, signaling that the conversation was over.

“Doctor…” GradeMan materialized before his Net Op. The Net Navi wore a concerned expression on his face. “… Are you sure that that wasn’t harsh? Ms. Cain’s concern seemed genuine, how can you threaten to restrain her just because the first meeting was less than desired?”

Dos Doppler ground his teeth together for almost half a minute before answering.

“GradeMan, don’t ever get married.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” The Net Navi deadpanned. “But sir, are you-”

“I know Alicia.” Doppler’s head dropped again. “She’s not the greatest people-person in the world, but she’s got more sense than to just drop this kind of a bombshell on Melody. Melody may have asked the question, but that gave Alicia whatever opportunity she was looking for to spring this on her.”

“If I may be so bold, you do seem a little bitter about all of this.” GradeMan observed.

“Yes, I’m bitter.” Dos shook his head. “I’m very bitter. But I also know my ex-wife, Grade. You can bank on it, Alicia is just using Melody for her own means.”

“… A word of advice, Doctor, and please take it in the spirit that it’s intended: bias can be a wonderful thing, but it can also be a force of great unpleasantness. The anger you‘re showing to Alicia concerns me.”

===Darsh Incorporated: Main Entrance===

“I still don’t know who she is.” Annetta muttered under her breath. “But I’m going to find out tonight, one way or the other… and then I’m going to figure out why she’s flinging herself at Chaud, the little gold-digger.”

The red-haired girl was currently huddled in the shadows just around the corner from the entrance to the Darsha Lobby. Periodically, the girl would venture around the corner and scan the crowd for any sign of Chaud or his friends. She knew that the group was supposed to be here; and it was here that she was going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

“There they are.” Annetta peeked out from around the corporate building’s rough, stone-hewn corner. The red-haired girl’s patience had finally paid off; she could see Chaud and his group approaching the main building.

“They’re touching?” The red-head’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her Chaud and that little interloper were walking arm-in-arm up the front walk of the building. The two stopped briefly before the doorman, introduced themselves, and then entered the company lobby.

“They’re actually touching each other?” Annetta pulled her head back around the corner and processed this idea. “This is bad… they’re farther along than I thought… I’ve got to get in there!”

The girl spun around and made for the back entrance. She was officially invited, but invitations only reached as far as the front door. If she could get inside, then she was as good as personally invited.

As it turned out, actually getting into the building was easier than Annetta would have thought that it would be. All the red-haired female had to do was swipe a spare apron, put it on, and then walk in through the back door while carrying an armload of boxes. No one even looked at her twice.

“Well, that was easy.” Annetta sighed mentally as she dumped her purloined cardboard boxes into the nearest trash can. The youth then ripped the apron off and tossed it away.

The redhead took two steps towards the main party and then landed flat on her back as she stepped on a loose can of anchovies.

I spoke too soon. The redhead groaned silently.

===Darsha Incorporated: Main Lobby===

“So... What do you think?” Melody noted as Chaud once again turned his gaze away from her and scanned the room.

The dual-haired Op blinked once, and then slowly framed his reply.

“I don’t know.”

The Net Saver’s blue eyes took in the brightly-decorated room. Tables had been lined up along the lobby’s outer wall and framed the room with a deep ‘U’ shape. On the ‘U’s open end rested a full bandstand, complete with the band, a buffet bar, and the kitchen door. The center of the lobby had been cleared out and was currently filled with young teenagers who were slowly dancing to the band’s tune. Here and there, one of several potted trees was dispersed about the area. A large banner advertising the goal of the banquet hung above the main door.

“I’ve been trying to find a place to Jack In all night. So far I’ve got nothing.”

“We’ve only been here five minutes.” Melody noted with a frown. “You can’t expect to pick up on their entire computer system just from sitting here.”

“Someone has to take this seriously.” Chaud replied. “Especially since Lan isn’t. He’s over there pigging out.”

Rhythm and ProtoMan took this opportunity to don their holographic forms and materialize over the table’s centerpiece. The two Net Navi’s exchanged a quick nod with their respective Net Ops and then vanished to somewhere underneath the table.

“You’re too serious, has anyone ever told you that?” Melody shook her head; she was amused over their Net Navi’s actions.

“Many times.” The dual-haired Net Op never stopped scanning the room.

“Then listen to them.” The brown-haired girl replied. “You’re going to give yourself away if you keep staring at everything like this. You’re sticking out like a sore thumb, and I thought that this was all about being undercover.”

Chaud pressed his lips together and didn’t reply immediately.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’d be surprised. I found out some things about my mother that would shock you to death.” Melody sighed and then decided to try another approach. “We‘re supposed to blend into the crowd, right?”

“I have a reputation around these events. This is perfectly normal for me.”

“I can believe it.” The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes and began studying the ceiling.

===Darsha Incorporated: Under the Table===

“She’s putting on a brave front about it. But sooner or later this is going to boomerang back to her… and she‘s going to need everyone she can find to be there for her when she does.” Rhythm sighed.

“Chaud and I will be there.” ProtoMan reached out and placed his hands around his girlfriend’s shoulders. The scarlet Net Navi was doing his best to comfort the azure Navi. “Chaud’s been through things like this. He’ll be able to help her.”

“I’m just afraid that she’s ignoring her feelings instead of dealing with them.” The female Navi said. “Melody acts like she decided to put it behind her, but I’m not so sure that she has or that she can. It’s got to weigh on her somehow.”

“… I… don’t see how it can’t.” ProtoMan slowly agreed. “But I can speak from experience… Melody may hide from it for a while. But eventually she’ll reach a point where she’ll reach out for you; that’s when you need to be there for her.”

“I hope so… I really hope so.”

===Darsha Incorporated: Buffet line===

“I don’t believe this.” Annetta skulked about behind the buffet table, being more than careful to stay outside of Chaud and that other floozy’s line of sight.

The redhead was currently secluded behind a large green fern, and was peering out from behind the plastic tree’s green leaves at the objects of her obsession. So far the two had talked for several minutes- although to Chaud’s credit, he had seemed distracted with her company- and hadn’t really done much else.

A familiar voice cut in from somewhere to Annetta’s left, and drew her attention away from Chaud and Melody. The girl looked down the length of the buffet line and realized that Lan and Maylu were closing in on her present location.

Uh oh… I can’t let them see me here! The redhead felt a surge of panic as she realized that her friends would no doubt spot her the minute they came alongside the fern. If they find out I’m here, they‘ll tip of Chaud! I‘ve can‘t let them do that!

Annetta darted away from her place of concealment. The redhead had only taken two steps when she came face to face with a uniformed chaperon… A uniformed chaperon who was currently giving her the evil eye.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. He must have seen me hiding out! The girl spazzed for a split-second and then hastily recovered.

“Sorry, just looking for my contact lens!” Annetta blurted out.

The redhead then reached out and snagged the arm of the closest guy in the buffet line. The young man’s confused ‘huh?’ was covered up as Annetta continued on with her completely fictitious excuse.

“Alright, honey, I found my contact! C‘mon, let‘s dance!” The redhead said to her impromptu companion before whirling around and addressing the chaperon again. “Sorry to have alarmed you, see ya!”

With a ‘wait!’, the nameless young man was jerked out of the line and out into the center of the room.

Annetta gripped her partner’s hands fiercely as she scanned over the room. Where were they? They couldn’t have gone too far! The table was empty, the weren’t in any line, they were-

DANCING?

===Two minutes ago===

“Wait… I’ve got one.” Chaud locked onto the object of his search. There had been some kind of commotion at the buffet line, and that was what had prompted him to examine that corner of the room. The Op’s blue eyes had spotted a small red lens sitting just behind a potted plant. “There, in the corner, just behind the shrub.”

“I see it.” Melody became all business as their mission began. “Now… how do you jack in without getting spotted?”

The dual-haired Op didn’t immediately reply. Melody could see his wheels turning, but she could also tell that he didn’t like the direction that those wheels were taking him.

Chaud fought to restrain the sudden blush that threatened to spill out over his cheeks.

“Well… there is the obvious solution.”

“So why don’t you go right ahead and say it?” Melody raised one eyebrow in mock bewilderment.

“Would you… like to dance?” The blue-eyed Op found himself studying the intricate patterns of the tablecloth spread atop their table.

“Sounds like fun, let’s try it.” The brunette smiled softly. “Ready when you are.”

“Alright.” Chaud reached over and tapped the PET Generation strapped to his wrist. He then proceeded with a whisper. “ProtoMan, we’re making our move.”

“Roger.” The Raider’s voice came back to him.

“Rhythm, let’s rock.”

“Ready to roll.”

The Net Saver and his companion pushed their chairs back from the table, stood, and made their way over to the cleared out center of the room. Upon their arrival, the band struck up a lively tune, prompting Chaud to hesitantly place one hand on Melody’s shoulder and his other in her free hand. The two began swirling about in time to the music.

Acting according to plan, when Chaud swung Melody about his PET was lined up with the hidden terminal for a split-second. ProtoMan took that opportunity to leapt across the room on his invisible infra-red wave and enter Darsha Inc.’s main computer network.

Rhythm was right on his heels.

Meanwhile, Lan was proving himself not to be as inept at completing his mission as he had first appeared to be.

The brown-haired youth spun away from the buffet table and intentionally rammed his shoulder into the unfortunate boy standing behind the Net Saver. Upon impact, Lan intentionally dropped his fork and knife, allowing them to clatter to the floor.

“Sorry.” The brown-haired youth muttered as he bent over to pick up his utensils. As he did so, the Op aimed his PET at a spare Terminal hidden behind the buffet table. MegaMan took care of the rest.

“Lan, you’ve got to be more careful.” Maylu chided her companion as she walked over to her escort.

The redhead began brushing the dust and crumbs off of Lan’s shirt. As she did so, the girl’s PET lined up with a terminal. An instant passed, and then Roll was also a resident of the Darsha Network.

=======

“So… uh… You’re cute and all… but… who are you? And why’d you yank me out here like that?”

Annetta started as she came back to reality. The girl looked back to the boy she had snagged from the buffet line and became aware of his presence for the first time.

“Oh… uh… no reason. You just looked a little lonely.” Annetta stalled until an idea popped into her mind. “Actually, I’m sorry to say this, but… I’m trying to get back at my boyfriend. He brought me here and then ignored me completely, I’m trying to show him that I can get along without him… and hopefully put some jealousy in him. I probably should have asked you first… but you know the redheads, always acting first and thinking later.”

The redhead chuckled nervously to cover up her comments.

“Oh, wow… Who’d have thought that I’d end up in the middle of a tiff!” The youth laughed. “You can grab me any time, beautiful. I’m always open to a good dance. By the way, my name’s Ricard, what’s yours?”

“… Sarai.” Annetta fibbed. For some reason she just didn’t feel like divulging her real name.

“Pleased to meet you, Sarai. Say… did anyone ever tell you what sparkling eyes you have?”

Annetta started stewing.

======

Lan worked his way around the lobby, searching for Chaud or Melody. Maylu was right on his heels. The two needed to report that they had succeeded in entering the Network.

“Where are they?” The brown-haired Net Saver asked for the fifteenth time.

“Lan, you’re not going to believe this.” Maylu latched onto her escort’s left arm to halt his forward progress. The girl then pointed out at the dance floor, singling out the objects of their search. “But there they are!”

“No way!” The brown-eyed Net Saver came to a complete stop. “THE Chaud Eugene Blaze is actually dancing? I don’t believe this!”

“Believe it.” Maylu looked just as stunned.

The two just stood there and stared at the rotating couple for several long moments. Finally, Lan Hikari broke the silence.

“Heh, looks like they’re enjoying themselves.” The brown-haired Net Op laughed.

“C’mon, Lan, they’re here undercover. They’re supposed to be doing this. Don’t go trying to read into things what isn’t there.” Maylu didn’t look convinced by her own argument. “Still… this is pretty rare.”

“Rare? It’s unheard of.” Lan shook his bandanna-sporting head. “Isn’t Chaud enjoying himself supposed to be some kind of… sign of the apocalypse or something?”

“Stop it Let’s just concentrate on getting the info that Keifer wants. Once we’ve done that, we’ll worry about romance.” Maylu sighed and punched her escort on the shoulder.

======

“Excuse me, miss.”

Annetta spun around one final time and then found herself face to face with the chaperon from earlier. The redhead swallowed nervously as her impromptu partner came to an abrupt halt.

“Y-yes?” The jealous ‘lover’ replied.

“May I have your name?” The man, a tall, spindly, yellow-haired adult folded his arms across his chest as he spoke.

“Uh… my name?” Annetta swallowed nervously in a failed attempt to cover up her stutter.

“Yes, your name. You do have one, yes?”

“Of course I have a name.” The red-haired girl was positive that sweat had to be beading her forehead right now. “Sarai.”

“Sarai, is that a first name or a last name?” The chaperon yanked a folded list of paper out of his pocket and began studying the small list printed on the opaque surface. “Not that it really matters since-”

“She’s Sarai Andrianson, a guest of Ricard Benson.” The impromptu escort cut in. “And since she’s my guest, could I trouble you to move out of our way? We were in the middle on an exhilarating waltz.”

“A very nice try, Mr. Benson. But I’m afraid that you never officially invited her, did you? I‘m afraid that under the circumstances, I‘ll have to ask Ms. Andrianson to leave.”

“I told you, she’s my guest!” Ricard protested.

The chaperon just folded his arms, grinned smugly, and shook his head.

“No dice. Now, Ms. Andrianson, if that is your real name, would you please vacate the premises?”

“But… I’m already here! Why should I have to leave now?” Annetta protested.

“Because this is a closed event, not open to the general public. Now, are you going to continue to push me on this or shall I call security?”

The redhead shot a look at Ricard, looking for support, but to her surprise, the male flirt was suddenly nowhere to be seen. The youth had vanished during that last exchange.

Annetta sighed and eyeballed the ceiling.

“Men.”

“Are you coming?”

“Alright, alright… I’m going.” Annetta gathered up what was left of her dignity and was promptly escorted from the building.

========

The dance number came to an end, and with it came Chaud and Melody’s dance. Chaud broke contact with Melody and began leading the way back to the table. Melody frowned and followed the dual-haired Net Op.

“That was a little abrupt.” The brunette commented as she sat down at the table next to her companion. “I’m sure that anyone who was watching thought that we just had a fight or something.”

“We got into the system.” Was the boy’s reply. “Once that was done, there wasn’t any need to continue the charade.”

“Who was pretending? Weren’t you enjoying that?” Melody frowned as she took her seat and made a point of studying the room once again.

“Not particularly.” Chaud ignored the fact that he was being ignored and looked into his PET.

“You’re being awfully cold tonight.”

“You’re being awfully eager tonight.”

Melody decided just to let the subject drop.

“ProtoMan, how’s it going?” The Net Saver looked at his PET and tapped a few buttons on the device. A moment later, the holographic form of the scarlet swordsman materialized in the air above the terminal.

“Security’s a little lax tonight, we haven’t had any problem sneaking around undetected.” The Red Raider reported. “We’re getting ready to infiltrate the company’s finance division right now. All we need is another ten to fifteen minutes and then we‘ll have something.”

“Hurry. We don’t have much time.” Chaud closed the connection and allowed ProtoMan to go back to his business.

“Hi, guys!” Lan’s cheery voice sped over the table as the brown-haired youth and his red-haired companion seated themselves at Chaud’s table.

“Hi, long time, no see.” Melody was relieved to have someone arrive that could put an end to this tension that had been building between herself and her escort.

“MegaMan says that they just need a few more minutes to look into the files.” The brunet commented. “Then we’ll know if Darsha Inc. really did hit Blaze Quest or not.”

“Keep your voice down.” Maylu cast a quick look around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. “We don’t want the whole world to know what we’re up to.”

“Right, sorry.” The brown-eyed Net Saver speared a loose meatball from his plate and then bit into the spicy meat. Lan chewed the treat for a few seconds before making another comment. “You really should get something, the food’s really good.”

“Thanks, I think I will.” Melody, grateful for the opportunity this gave her to slip away from Chaud, stood up, pushed her chair back and walked up towards the front of the room where the food was stored.

The brown-haired girl didn’t get far before a strange tightness settled over her chest. A few seconds later the tightness grew to the point that it was threatening to shatter her heart from the inside out. All the brown-haired girl could think about was one repeating thought.

Chaud isn‘t even responding to me… Does he think I‘m dead weight as well…?

===Darsha Inc.: Front Side Walk===

Annetta was taking her fury out on the cement steps as she pounded down the building’s entrance and took off up the street. Her evening had been nothing short of humiliating, and she was still in the dark about where Chaud’s floozy had come from or what the gold-digger wanted.

The redhead had managed to put a full block of distance between the Darsha Building and herself when it happened. A shadowy figure stepped out of a nearby alleyway and stopped before the girl. The figure barred Annetta’s progress and forced her to come to a complete stop.

“Hey… who are you?” Annetta felt a sense of unease flood her stomach. The redhead took a quick step backwards and began eye-ing the distance to the Darsha building. If she had to make a run for it….

“Don’t be alarmed.” The figure’s calm voice split through the air. “I’m a Net Saver.”

“A… Net Saver.” The girl repeated slowly.

“Right. It came to my attention that you were spying on a certain brown-haired girl who was hanging around Chaud Blaze.” The figure said. “I’m sure that you want to know what the story is between them.”

“Huh? You know about those two?”

“Of course, it’s part of Chaud’s latest mission. I can fill you in on everything that is going on between them, but in return, I’m going to need some help from you tomorrow.”

Annetta paused and considered this for several seconds. She’d never considered the idea that Chaud might have been hanging around with that floozy because of his work as a Net Saver. It made a vague amount of sense, Chaud had never had time for girls before, so why would he suddenly pick one up right now without telling her? Maybe this guy was on the level…

“Here, this should help you make up your mind.” The figure produced a small badge and handed it to his impromptu companion.

Annetta took the disk and recognized it as a Net Saver’s badge. The girl then compared the face on the badge with the man standing before her. Annetta frowned and then handed the disk back.

“I’m listening.”

“I’m sure that you are.” The man reached up and stroked his greasy mustache.

End

A.N.: In case you were wondering, the Chaud x Melody was intentional. When I wrote out the first chapter of Rhythm And Blues I immediately had a desire to investigate the troubles that two Net Ops would have if their Net Navis fell in love, but they didn't. While I touched on the issue in the past, I never really delved in to it as much as I would have liked. I think that I've finally found a way to really explore the issue and get some mileage out of it.

So no, this still will not be a Chaud x Melody fic, I'm just exploring some interesting territory.
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[Unknown Neo]

Heh heh. Anetta kept getting embarrassed. Enzan has no idea who to deal with girls. But his mom did die early. So that's usually why. And Lan always has no tact so that's normal. This was really a good chapter.