Solder (AA, R) [G]

Midnight · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:36 am Post subject:

Interesting.

If I may ask, what did you have to edit while you were working on this chapter?

Anyway. It flowed along well. Despite the fact that it seems a little out of place, having Melody's problems in the background served to heighten some aspects of the problems in the foreground. Enzan seems to be acting a little more stiff than he usually is--probably due to the mission at hand.

I hate to think that you provided Anetta here only as the comic relief--even though she is a character who normally doesn't get any attention in the main story, she seems like someone who was introduced not only to make the reader laugh. Her gullibility also adds to this somewhat.

Other than that, you did a good job. Well done.
_________________
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 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:03 pm Post subject:

Unknown Neo · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:21 pm Post subject:

Really? Well, that's just the common theory for guys like him. But it's good that you have a different reason.

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:34 am Post subject:

A.N.: Over two months without an update... 'this madness ends now!'

Not much happens in this chapter, but it's setting the stage for some events in the next.

Begin

"Lan, you're not going to believe this." The tuxedo-sporting hologram of MegaMan appeared in the air before his Net Op.

"So… what'd you find?" The brunet looked up from his plate of food. Suddenly his appetite was gone and in it's stead was an intense surge of curiosity.

"Darsha was involved in the pay-off, but the funds used for the pay-off also came from an outside company." The Blue Bomber explained their findings. "Someone just used Darsha Inc. as a front for their operations.

"No way! How many layers are there to this bribe?" The brown-haired Net Saver groaned as he dropped his head onto the table. "Vanessa hacked through four other companies before fingering Darsha, now Darsha's just a red herring as well?"

"Looks that way." ProtoMan also appeared above the dinner table. "The funds definitely came from an outside client. From here, the trail leads back to Kintobar Electrical…"

"Well, at least it's something." Maylu shrugged. "We now know that Darsha is tied into this new mob group, if nothing else."

"Right." Chaud nodded slowly. "It's progress, at any rate. Alright, let's jack out and get out of here."

Lan and Maylu exchanged a look. They knew that the dual-haired Op was struggling with the situation that they were in, and that probably explained his haste to leave this dinner behind; but he was also being a little too eager for their tastes. But through a bond forged through many adventures, and years, the two were able to read each other's take on the situation without a word being spoken. They both thought that it would be best just to humor their companion and get out this place- especially if it was a front for a mob boss.

"Sounds good, the party's winding down anyway." Lan stretched comically to emphasize his point. "What do you say, Melody?"

"Huh?" The brown-haired girl jerked slightly as the mention of her name
brought her back to reality. Melody had been lost in her thoughts, and
oblivious to all else.

"Is it alright if we leave?" Maylu interjected. "We'll need to get back to SciLab and get our things… but then we can-"

"Sorry to interrupt." Rhythm burst into existence next to ProtoMan. The azure Net Navi cast a quick glance around the table and then finally settled on her Net Op. "I've got a message from Dr. Makoto. He says that he got back to Den Tech a few hours ago; he wants to meet us at SciLab so that he can take us home for the night… Nothing against your hospitality, Maylu, Dr. Makoto just doesn't want to impose on you any more than necessary."

"None taken." The redhead dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand.
"Anytime you two need to get away from it all you're welcome to drop by."

"Thanks." The word came from Melody's throat, but lacked any emotion.

The absence of feeling was noted by everyone at the table.

"You, O.K., Mel?" Lan reached across the table and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You've gotten really quiet really quick."

"I'm fine. I'm just… ready to go." The brunette replied.

"Alright… sounds like a plan." The brown-haired Net Saver shrugged and then poked at his PET. "MegaMan, Jack Out."

The other Ops nodded in agreement and then followed their partner's actions.

A few moments passed as the group of Net Savers and friends stood and left the lushly furnished ballroom behind. They emerged into the biting, cold, night air of downtown Den Tech.

"Whoa!" Maylu secured her hold on her belongings as a gust of wind raced down and swept over her. "The weather's taking a turn for the worse."

"Looks like it." Lan cast a glance at the sky and squinted into the biting wind. The sky was clouding over, and was already to the point where it was obscuring the stars hovering overhead.

"Then we'd better hurry." Chaud shrugged off the other's concern and stepped over to his waiting limo. The boy worked the latch and popped the passenger door open. The dual-haired Op then looked up at his dinner partner.

Melody paused and studied the vehicle without really seeing it.

"Actually…" The girl blinked as the wind swept various strands of her hair across the eyes. "would it be alright if I rode with Maylu instead?"

Chaud and Maylu both started in unison and then exchanged a quick look, the kind that probed the other person to see if they had any idea where this oddball request had come from.

"I… guess so." The blue-eyed Op tried to cover his astonishment.

"It's fine by me." Lan cracked a grin as he tried to crack the tension that was starting to gather among the group. "I've always wanted to ride in one of these fancy cars. It should be fun."

Chaud shot his partner a 'do-you-mind?' look and then turned back to the
other two.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I'd just… appreciate it." Melody nodded.

"Alright then." The dual-haired Op moved aside to allow Lan access to the vehicle. The younger Net Op gave out a sharp 'WHOOP!' and then dove into the seat.

"We'll be alright, really." Maylu said. "We'll just catch a cab and meet you
back at SciLab."

Chaud paused once more to study his companion, and then he shook his head and climbed into his waiting vehicle. The Op pulled the door closed and a moment later the limo was pulling away from the curb.

Now the two were alone, the redhead decided that it was time to get to the bottom of the tension that had invaded the evening.

"Alright, what's going on?" Maylu crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean?" Melody was dutifully trying to avoid her friend'sgaze.

"You were almost throwing yourself into Chaud's arms back there, now you're acting upset, and you won't even look at me. Something has to be going on or making you upset… I just want to be able to help with it."

"There's nothing you can do, O.K.?" Melody replied icily. As if to prove her point, the brown-haired girl stepped out to the curb and began signaling for a taxi.

"Melody, come on. Maybe I can't do anything to help directly, but at least you won't be shouldering it alone; sometimes it just helps to talk about what's going on in your life."

"It doesn't matter, O.K.?" By now, the girl's bitter disappointment had transformed itself into a bitter rage. Such rage always demanded a target, Maylu had placed herself in the position to receive the brunt of the attack, and there was a very real chance that Melody would take her frustrations out on her friend. "It's not them, it's me. I'm the problem, so why don't you just go back to Lan and leave me alone!"

"This is about Chaud, isn't it?" The redhead shrugged off the stinging remark and kept her attention focused on helping her companion.

"It has nothing to do with Chaud! I told you, I'm the problem; so just-"

"What do you mean, you're 'the problem'? Melody, if there's something wrong then-"

"Yes, there's something wrong!" The brunette whirled around and melded all of her pain, all of her frustration, every ounce of her feeling into one final salvo that embodied all of her feelings. "Why you're so concerned about a worthless nobody like myself is beyond me! How long is it going to take for you to stop playing along and to drop me like everyone else? day? A month? I don't know how long it'll take, but sooner or later you'll leave me for somebody else, and so I'd rather just live life alone with nobody who's going to stab me in the back than deal with all this flack! So go away you two-timed backstabber!"

Now that the tirade ended, the brown-haired girl found herself out of breath. But even more than that, Melody was horrified at the words that had just come from her own lips. Almost instantly, her anger evaporated, leaving guilt behind.

Maylu just stared at her friend in disbelief; she was shocked that her friend was feeling this way, and even more stunned that no one had known before now.

"Maylu, I… I didn't mean that… I'm… sorry…" Melody felt her throat close off, gagging her on her own words. Salt burned at the edges of her eyes, warning her that tears were not far off.

At that moment, Maylu placed a hand on her companion's shoulder anticipating the brunet's next move, which would probably have been to leave, and preventing her from carrying it out. There was no malice in the redhead's motion, just concern.

"It's alright… Melody… just let it out."

The brown-haired girl bit her lip, and then did. Tears rained down to the concrete below as Melody Makoto washed her frustrated emotions from her system. Maylu said nothing during the process; her presence was more than any words could have ever conveyed.

A few minutes passed before the brunet recovered her self control. With her self-control recovered, Melody took a step back and then tried her hand at conversation again.

"Maylu, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that… Please, I-"

"It's alright, Mel." The redhead grinned slightly. "It's what friends are for, remember that. If you ever need anyone, I'm just a call away…"

"Thanks, I… I appreciate that." Melody paused to study the sidewalk, realizing that she couldn't let the subject go like that. Maylu deserved an explanation, and one would have to be forthcoming.

The brunette took a deep breathe and then plunged into the forbidden topic.

"I… I guess meeting my mother effected me more than I thought it did. When we met… she told me that she left because me and my father were holding back her carrier… something I guess she was obsessing over; and that she had considered me dead weight."

Understanding filled Maylu's eyes, but the redhead made no move to speak yet. Her friend desperately needed to get these feelings out of her system, and the sooner they were released the better off the girl would be.

"I guess I took her ideas to the extreme." The brunette found herself studying the concrete. "I got the idea that if my mother felt I was dead weight, than everyone else would too. You know… Dad tries, but he's only around for about an hour; it was pretty easy for me to read into that the notion that he felt I wasn't worth his time. So then I turned to Chaud… and when he… rebuffed me like that…"

"You felt that he considered you worthless too." Maylu decided to help out for a moment.

"Yeah." Melody nodded slowly. "I mean… Rhythm and ProtoMan are on the fast track together, and everyone keeps expecting me and Chaud to get together because of that… Even you sometimes drop hints like that… So I thought… 'Well, if were supposed to be together…'."

Maylu finished the coming thought for her friend: "And if Chaud doesn't feel the same way it's because of me."

Melody nodded, what else was there to say?

"Look, Melody, you're not worthless. The very fact that your mother is trying to get in touch with you proves that. If she really felt that you were worthless, would she have met with you after ten years?"

The brunette paused. She hadn't considered this idea.

"And about Chaud's reaction. That was just Chaud…" Maylu paused as she replayed a few conversations she had had with the aforementioned Net Op some time back. "he feels just as awkward about this as you do. And so when you kinda… threw yourself at him, he responded the only way he knew how- by going cold."

Melody nodded, given what little she knew of Chaud's background the idea made sense.

"Frankly, on the off-chance that you two do end up an item, you need to do it because you like each other, not because your Net Navis are a pair." The redhead continued her explanation.

"Right… I know, I just… kind of lost that focus for a minute." The brown-haired girl nodded in agreement.

"One other thing you need to know, Mel. Now that you have experienced these feelings, they're never going to really go away. Any time you get upset or feel saddened, they'll come flooding back to you. You can't just flip a switch and stop feeling them, it just doesn't work that way. So be ready, when you start to feel this way again, just put the brakes on it right then and there… Take it from someone who knows."

"You mean, you-?"

"For years now. It's not easy, but it can be done." Maylu said.

"Alright then… one last question: when did I stop being 'Melody' and start being 'Mel'?"

===SciLab: Real World Data Division===

Maylu and her companion arrived at least a half-hour later than their escorts; which appeared to be a good thing. For the time apart seemed to have calmed the atmosphere and put them all back on even terms.

There was, however, one other curveball to be thrown into the works.

For as the door to the Data Conversion Wing slid open, Melody Makoto came to a dead halt. The brunet blinked twice in an effort to will the apparition away, yet when the ghost refused to leave, the girl was forced to acknowledge the existence of-

"M-… Mom?"

Alicia Cain started and broke off her conversation with Yuuchiro Hikari to turn about and stare at her daughter in disbelief. Neither of the two had expected to run into the other, especially not here.

Time seemed to stop as no one moved. Outside of Maylu, Roll and Rhythm, no one had any idea what had transpired between the two- and everyone was at a loss on how to read the situation.

"Melody… hello." Alicia hesitated over her words and then decided that it was safe enough to continue. "It's good to see you again."

"Y… you two… So… uh… what brings you here?" Melody was frantic to establish some kind of neutral topic, one that didn't involve emotions or the past. Her mother's current business seemed safe enough.

"Well, I… Oh, there's no real use in hiding it. I'm here to provide the Net Saver's with some help." The older woman flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes before continuing. "Someone hacked into my company's accounts, injected a fair amount of money and then transferred it back out. I came here to report the deed as soon as it was uncovered… Melody?"

The brunet's face had gone white as the pieces of the puzzle came together
in her mind.

"M… Mom, your company… it's not called Darsha Incorporated, is it?"

"What? Of course it is. I built Darsha Inc. from the ground up… why do you ask?"

"I… uh…"

"We heard some of the other Net Saver's talking." Maylu broke into the conversation to bail her companion out. "Darsha was mentioned as having something to do with the attack on Blaze Quest…"

"That is a bald-faced lie. Darsha Inc. has never supported any Net Terrorism whatsoever… But the Net Savers will find that out soon enough… and pardon me, but I don't believe that we've met…"

"I'm Maylu Sakurai." The redhead extended her hand in introduction. "Melody's staying with me while she's here."

"I see. Well, thank you so much for taking her in." Alicia smiled. "It helps to know that she's got friends who… care about her."

Maylu just shrugged. Something about Alicia's motherly act was disconcerting, especially if Alicia and Melody hadn't had any real contact for a decade.

"It's what friends are for…"

At this point, Alicia realized that she was exchanging words with Maylu, and that sometime over the past few minutes Melody had dropped out of the conversation. The older woman then turned and looked about the room until she sighted her daughter.

"Melody… about earlier… I'm sorry about that. I should have done better."

The brunette opened her mouth, but froze on the words. The girl swallowed and then tried again.

"It's alright…"

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have done that to you. Can we- would you like to go somewhere and talk about things some more? Maybe something less… tense?"

"No!" The word left Melody's throat faster than she'd intended it to. The brunette shook her head in an effort to regain control her rapidly fading self-control and tried again. "Not right now, anyway. Maybe tomorrow; but I don't think I can take anymore right now. A lot's gone on today and… uh… I think we'd do better if we waited a while."

"I understand… you look like you've been out and about since lunch." Alicia's gaze swept over the younger girl's dress. A hint of a disapproving frown passed over the business executive's lips.

"We have." Maylu interjected once again. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're all pretty wiped out. We stopped by to pick up a few things I'd left here, and then we were going to go back home."

"I see… well, uh, Melody, if you want, call me tomorrow. I'll be available all day for you."

"Thanks… I guess…" The brown-haired girl nodded. Then, taking advantage of the situation, the brunette joined Maylu and together the two quickly exited the room.

As the businesswoman watched them leave, a smile danced over the edges of Alicia Cain's lips, which vanished when Yuuichiro's voice reached her ears.

"So… uh… about this hacking…" The brown-haired scientist's voice carried all of the awkwardness that he felt. He wasn't sure what to make of that exchange, and quite frankly wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Of course… as near as we can tell-"

Alicia started to turn back to the scientist when the 'hiss' of the sliding door broke into the conversation. Everyone turned to watch the door open, and was startled to find a red-haired middle-aged man entering the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for-"

Dr. Dos Makoto entered the laboratory and stopped short as his gaze moved from Dr. Hikari, to Lan Hikari, to Chaud Blaze… and finally to Alicia Cain. The scientist froze in mid-step, and locked eyes with his former wife.

"I don't know what just happened." Lan hissed under his breath. "But I really don't like the looks of it."

"Keep quiet." Chaud whispered back.

The two knew it was cliché, but the tension was rapidly reaching a point where it could be cut with a knife.

"Dos…" Alicia nodded her head slightly in greeting.

"Alicia." The aforementioned scientist took two steps forward and cast his gaze around the room. When he didn't find the object of his search, he spoke again; this time his tone was more strained, as if he was having trouble maintaining control of it. "Where's Melody?"

"She left a few second ago." If Alicia was concerned over her ex-husband's barely-checked fury, it didn't show. "She said something about having to gather her things."

"They're probably in the SAT Room." Yuuichiro volunteered. He didn't know what was going on, but if he could short-circuit whatever was happening then the better off they'd all be.

"Makes sense." Dos quivered slightly and then addressed Alicia again. "Have you… talked any more?"

"I gave her my number and asked her to call me. That's all." The woman shook her head to the negative. "We didn't say anything other than that."

"… Good." Dos muttered. The scientist then turned on his heel and left the room. His only frustration was SciLab had removed their hinged doors in favor of sliding ones years ago. He desperately wanted to slam one right about now.

It didn't take the scientist long to find his daughter. Maylu and Melody were exiting the SAT Room and entering the hallway at the same moment he was leaving the lab behind. As a result, they couldn't help but cross paths.

"Dad?" Melody's eyes went wide as her brain tried to register her father's presence. "DAD!"

There was a rush of movement as Melody shot across the room and hugged her father. The scientist winced as his blisters screamed in protest about being manhandled, but Dos managed to hold his tongue.

"Well… I'm glad to see I'm still wanted." Dos chuckled as the two finally broke the embrace. "I was beginning to wonder for a while there."

"Dad… please… Not now." Pain filled Melody's eyes as she burrowed into her father's shoulder, drawing a fresh wave of unnoticed pain from the elder scientist. "I just… that is… I…"

"Love you too." Dos cradled his daughter. While he couldn't profess first-hand knowledge of his daughter's emotions, he had a fair guess about their current make-up. "And don't worry, that won't change- ever."

END

A.N.: To be honest, I have my reservations about continuing this. The fic is rapidly devolving into the kind that I dislike (one where an OC overshadows everyone else). However, with the current momentum and plot, it's going to be hard to shift focus over to anyone else for a while.

So... we'll just see what happens. It may be a while before the next update comes...
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Unknown Neo · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:03 pm Post subject:

Well I think the chapter was pretty good. And sometimes a character does end up like that. It's just how much they do, that's the thing. I like your character though.

Blaze8the8cat · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:37 am Post subject: fanfic library

um, hello, i'm new here. If it isn't much trouble, could you help me feel welcome?
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'Don't make me come down there!!'~God

Unknown Neo · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:29 pm Post subject:

Wrong topic. This is about Web's fic. Read it and tell him it's great.

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:53 am Post subject:

Except that it's not. XD

After talking to a few people, well... if a character is becoming too prominent, then perhaps the only way to solve the problem is to remove them from the equation. I'm not sure if this is really going to work or not, but I'll take a stab at it.

Begin
"Are you sure about this?"

"Have I ever been unsure about anything?"

"This is a risk. You're getting too involved; mixing business with personal grudges is a dangerous game to play."

"But one that I can win. You misunderstand; this has always been personal. She destroyed me and ruined my life… now it's my turn to return the favor. Everything I've done up to this point has all been about this."

"… You're obsessed."

"Maybe. But obsession and genius are closely related. Besides, what do you care? Last I checked, you're nothing more than a gun for hire."

"'Hire' being the key word. I expect payment for my services, and payment is something that I can't get if we end up in prison."

"Just follow my orders and everything will be fine. CrashMan and Diskette have already moved everything into place; all you have to do is make your meeting and everything will work out fine."

"If it doesn't, I'm taking my payment out of your hide."

===Den Tech: Makoto Residence===

Maylu gave one final stretch as she left the Makoto's staircase behind and entered their living room. The redhead then glanced about and grew puzzled as she realized that the house was empty save for the aforementioned girl As late as had been the previous night, Maylu was glad that Melody had insisted that she sleep over at the Makoto's house; it made for an easier night and an earlier bed time… And after the previous night's emotional rollercoaster, the ability to sack out for a few hours had been a blessing.

"Hey, Mel… where's your dad?"

Melody Makoto jerked slightly as she was brought out of her thoughts and back to reality. The brunette turned back to her companion and framed a reply.

"He had an early doctor's appointment over his burns. I tried to talk him into letting me tag along, but he said that he didn't want me pacing around the hospital worrying."

"So instead you're sitting in the living room pacing, nice." The redhead tossed her locks and frowned. "Well… how're you doing after… you know… last night?"

"Tired," Melody smiled wearily. "I think… and… ready for all of this to be over."

"What are you going to do about your mother's offer?"

"I don't know." The brunette sighed and turned her attention to the nearest window. Melody stared through the transparent surface to the outside world. "I just don't know. Dad's really against me and… her meeting again. He just wants us to ignore her and go back to the way things used to be… He's bitter."

"Wouldn't you be?" Maylu pointed out. "Let's say you and Chaud did get together and then he dumped you after you'd gotten married. You had a hard enough time when your mother came back into your life and told you why she left, how do you think your dad feels about it?"

"I didn't say I didn't understand it… I just said that he was." Melody threw her hands up in self-defense.

"Yeah, well… don't forget it." The redhead chuckled. "So… what do we-?"

The insistent ringing of the doorbell interjected itself into the conversation and interrupted Maylu's question. As one, the two girls shot an annoyed look at the front door.

"I'll get it." Melody made her way across the living room and over to the primary entryway. The brown-haired girl fiddled with the lock, and then spun the knob to open the door.

A red-haired girl who was suffering from a make-up overdose greeted her. Melody's eyes quirked slightly as she took in the figure's shorts, multi-colored shirt and abundance of golden jewelry. This was definitely not her type of female as the redhead was showing too much skin for the brunette's taste.

"Can I… help you?" The brunette managed to get the words out after a long pause.

"You're name's Melody, right." The words came out as more of a statement than a question. "My name's Annetta. Chaud sent me to get you; he said that he had a clue as to the recent network hackings and he wants your opinion on it."

"Annetta?"" Melody repeated warily. "That's strange… Chaud never mentioned you…"

The red-haired girl blanched for a moment, and then regained her smiling composure.

"Well… I don't know why that was… but he does need your help…"

"I don't know…"

"Help with what?" Intrigued by Melody's absence, Maylu had moved across the room to see what was going on. As a result, the girl had caught onto the end of Annetta's sentence, and was trying to piece the rest of the conversation together.

Maylu started slightly as she discovered Annetta standing on the front porch.

"Oh… Annetta…"

"You know her?" Melody inquired.

"Yeah… she, uh… she's a friend of ours." Maylu nodded slowly. Annetta's presence puzzled the girl, as far as she knew, Melody and Annetta had never met, so why would the redhead turn up on the front porch of all places?

"Right. And like I've been trying to tell you, Chaud needs your help. He's got a clue to the terrorists and he wants your input on it." Annetta repeated herself for the third time.

"Our input? Where is he?"

"Over at the park; he's waiting for you there."

Melody and Maylu exchanged a bewildered look. What could there be at the park that would require Chaud to call for them? After a long moment, Melody shrugged and reached for her coat.

"I guess if he needs our help, then we should go. Especially if it puts an end to this net terrorist ring." The brunette said.

"I… suppose so…"

It didn't take the two girls long to ready themselves, and in minutes they were following Annetta down the street towards the park.

"So… what'd Chaud find?" Maylu asked as the trio walked along.

"He found some kind of access code." Annetta replied with perfect ease. "He thinks that someone hacked Dr. Makoto's account and used his security clearance to mess up the Sharrian branch of Blaze Quest. If Melody can recognize the codes as Dr. Makoto's, then that'll bring them one step closer to figuring out how the server was hacked."

Melody started to object that she wouldn't have had any idea what her father's access clearance was, and then she thought better of it. Her father's codes should have been similar to her own, and that knowledge may have been what the Net Saver was after.

Maylu was just puzzled as to why Chaud didn't come to the Makoto's house himself; but she reasoned that the Net Op had his own reasons that would be made clear to them when they arrived.

A few minutes passed before the trio arrived at the entrance to the city's park. Without hesitation, Annetta lead the pair deeper into the park's interior. After a few more minutes of walking, Melody froze in mid-step as she realized who else was in the park… as fate would have it, it was none other than…

"Mom?"

The older woman was standing alongside a slide. As her name reached her ear, Alicia Cain turned to face the trio of younger girls. The woman's eyes widened slightly to accommodate the recognition that flooded them.

"What are you doing here?" Melody felt her stomach solidify into a knot and drop to the level of her knees. Some force was at work in the world just trying to torment her by bringing the two together constantly.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'? You sent me a message asking me to meet you here." The older woman replied.

"No… I didn't…"

Melody shook her head and then looked into her PET.

"Rhythm, can you scan our outbox real quick?"

"Sure thing…" The azure Navi replied. After a few seconds the Navi returned to the screen with a report. "Nothing. We haven't sent any mail for the last few days."

"You… didn't?" Alicia seemed to be having trouble grasping this idea.

Maylu startled as she realized part of what was going on. The girl spun to Annetta and issued a demand.

"Annetta, what's going on? You brought us here, did you bring her here too?"

"I… uh… that's, I" Annetta never had the chance to finish her statement.

At that precise moment, a familiar whine split through the air. Maylu spun around and gasped in horror as a sharp twisting sound rang out, and four large, blue, transparent tubes filled with glowing data emerged from the ground and rose up around them.

"Wh… what's going on?" Melody glanced about wildly in an effort to figure out just what was happening.

Annetta was just as bewildered.

"A Dimensional Area? This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Dimensional Area?" Melody repeated as she turned on Annetta. "What do you mean: 'This wasn't supposed to happen'? What's going on?"

"I thought-"

Annetta's words dropped off as the Dimensional Area Generator's increased the frequency of their whine to ear-splitting levels. A split-second passed, and then a dome composed of multi-colored, hexagonal bricks materialized out of thin air and trapped the trio of girls within the confines of it's limits.

The next moment, twin swirls of data stormed through the air, gathered in one spot and then congealed into the forms of CrashMan and another new Net Navi. The new coming Navi sported a white body-suit with golden highlights, black boots and gloves with what looked like metronome needles jutting form the elbows and knees. A block of black armor rested on the figure's torso, and boasted a clear front panel that revealed a rotating CD and multi-colored lightshow. Twin speakers decorated the figure's shoulders. A mass of wiring ran from the figure's helmet and down the speakers, giving the Net Navi the appearance of angelic hair.

"Long time no see, babe." CrashMan chuckled as he dropped to the ground and eyed his prey.

"You!" Melody took a step back in shock.

"How'd you get your hands on a Dimensional Generator?" Maylu demanded.

"You know these two?" Alicia glanced at the trio of girls.

"One of them…" Melody replied. "The red guy's name is CrashMan, we've squared off before. I don't know who the other one is."

"Her name's Diskette." CrashMan snickered. "But don't underestimate her because she's a female. She's specially designed to put you two down for the count… So what are you waiting for? Are you going to Cross Fuse and duke it out with us or are you just going to stand there and let us do what we came here to do?"

"Don't antagonize them." Diskette frowned. "If they're willing to stand by, let them."

Melody and Maylu exchanged a quick look.

Bewildered, Annetta took this opportunity to bolt away from the impending battle.

"Looks like they're content to just stand there." CrashMan cackled.

"What matters is that we have them." Diskette snapped.

A split second later, and the CD-themed Navi had leapt into the air and was rocketing through space towards Alicia Cain. Diskette stretched her right hand out, forming a quartet of CD's between her fingers. With a snap of her wrist, the musical Net Navi hurled the CD's through the air towards the older woman.

"CD Shuriken!"

Alicia didn't know what would happen should the attack connect, but something told her that it wouldn't be a good idea to find out. The woman threw herself backwards, just clearing the range of attack and allowing the CDs to burrow harmlessly into the ground.

As Alicia tumbled over backwards, the light glinted and scattered across the edge of the thrown CDs, revealing them to be razor-sharp.

Diskette landed effortlessly and began forming another volley.

"Get out of here!" Maylu shouted at her two companions. At the same time, she reached to her left wrist and hit a button along the side of her PET generation. "Roll, let's go!"

"Right!" The pink healer agreed.

"CROSS FUSION!"

There was a burst of light as the two broke free of their respective dimensions and formed into one, new being: Cross Fusion Roll. As the light covering their fusion faded away, it revealed the fact that the PET Generation had modified their Cross Fusion somewhat. CF Roll's pink bootsnow sported a golden inlet that ran from the middle of her shin up to a golden ring that circled the girl's calf. Another line of golden color bled from the ring into another band of pink armor that raced halfway up CF Roll's calf to disappear underneath a red skirt. Gold bands marked off the separation of the top of the skirt and the bottom of some pink torso armor. Golden pads extended from the torso armor to cover the girl's shoulders. Pink and gold gloves that matched the boot's design covered the girl's arms, while CF Roll's helmet remained untouched for the most part, save for a new golden inverted triangle that rested above her forehead.

"Roll Blast!" CF Roll formed a pinkish-red heart between her nimble fingers, and then hurled the projectile through space. The heart exploded into a multitude of similar hearts and shot through space to intercept her opponent's CD Shuriken.

The two attacks exploded in a cloud of smoke.

Diskette glared at her opponent while CF Roll studied her adversary.

"Mom, let's go!" Melody raced forward and helped the older woman to her feet. As soon as Alicia had her balance, the two turned to attempt an escape- only to discover that CrashMan was blocking their retreat.

"Forgot about me, didn't you?" CrashMan smirked. The renegade Net Navi then started to bring his arm up in order to attack the two humans.

"MELODY!" Rhythm's voice resounded from the PET.

Time Freeze hit.

Melody entered one of those bizarre states where time seems to slow down, and one was allowed to observe the occurring events with crystal clarity. CrashMan was going to bring one of his shoulder-mounted cannons around to wipe them off the face of the earth… and there was no way that they could outrun one of those missiles.

If only I could- wait… The brunette's eyes widened with realization. Dr. Hikari said that the PET Generation didn't need an outside Chip or something to do Cross Fusion… If Maylu could… Please let this work!

CrashMan lined his weapon up with it's target.

Melody's finger stabbed at her PET Generation.

Something clicked, and Rhythm realized what her Net Op was up to.

A shaft of light exploded from the PET Generation and swallowed Melody whole. So intense was the glare that CrashMan was forced to abort his attack in favor of shielding his eyes.

The tower of illumination shattered away, revealing the new form of CF Rhythm. CF Rhythm sported a pair of light blue boots, with a golden circular knee-pad that spiked down into the boot itself. A dark gray bodysuit clung to her frame, and raced from her knees up into an azure skirt. Two golden disks shielded her hips, and supported a golden band that ran from one disk to the other. Armor shaped like a blue halter top ran up to a golden choker that prominently displayed their Navi crest. Golden orbs formed over CF Rhythm's ears and supported a head band that raced over the girl's forehead and around the back of her head.

"What?" CrashMan blinked the surprise from his eyes as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. One moment he had been moving in for the kill, the next a Net Navi had replaced his target.

O.K. So we Cross Fused, now what do we do?

I don't know, I've never done this before. Rhythm's frantic reply came over their telepathic link. Wait… it looks like our roles are reversed. I can activate our attacks and Chips, but I can't control our movements… Got it! Let's do a Tenor Crash!

I feel stupid, but if you say so.

"Tenor Crash!" CF Rhythm threw her arms forward and cupped her palms together as the Net Op had seen her Net Navi do time and again. The next instant, an explosion detonated from her entwined fingers and a tower of flame ripped through the air as it headed towards CrashMan.

The explosive Net Navi bounded away, narrowly avoiding the attack and then landed a safe distance away.

"You're hot." CrashMan chuckled. "But you know what's hotter? Crash Bombs!"

The red and gold Net Navi grabbed his powerful blasters and cut loose. Small round bombs flew from his cannons and leapt through the air towards his new opponent.

CF Rhythm dove to one side, instinctively. Unfortunately, her instincts betrayed her as a shout filled her ears. The azure Cross Fusion Ranger turned her head and felt fear as she realized that her actions had lefter her mother completely exposed to CrashMan's attack.

Alicia Cain shrieked and stumbled backwards. She barely avoided a grisly end.

CF Rhythm breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned her attention back to CrashMan just in time to receive a backhanded slap from her opponent. The force of impact sent the new Cross Fusion Ranger tumbling oversideways and into the park's slide. A large dent formed in the smooth surface as CF Rhythm slammed into the toy, and promptly sank to the ground.

A split second later, CrashMan materialized over the downed girl. The explosive Net Navi raised his foot and then sent it flying forward into a snap kick that his adversary just barely managed to dodge.

CF Rhythm's palms snapped forward, discharging another Tenor Crash. The explosive renegade backpedaled, and fell outside the range of the attack.

Meanwhile, CF Roll had her hands full with Diskette. The pink wonder had formed a Roll Arrow and unleashed it on her opponent, only to have Diskette counter the attack by forming a large CD-shaped barrier. The heart-tipped arrow thudded into the shield, reformatted itself into a rebounding shockwave and rocketed back at its point of origin- forcing CF Roll to dive to one side lest she be caught up in her own attack.

"CD Shuriken!" The musical Net Navi formed another handful of her lethal discs. With a sweep of her arm, Diskette unloaded her ammunition on her opponent.

CF Roll's eyes widened for a split second, and then a means of escape presented itself to her.

"Spreader, Battle Chip in!"

As soon as the words had left her mouth, a multi-barreled cannon formed about the girl's wrist. Instantly the pink wonder raised her weapon and fired. A stream of energy ripped away from her weapon and shattered into a multitude of shots which picked the CD Shuriken apart with relative ease.

CF Roll immediately followed up on her advantage by summoning a Wide Blade and launching herself at her opponent. Diskette merely shook her head, and then formed another CD Barrier. As a result, the pink Cross Fusion Ranger's attack was brought to an abrupt halt as her sword slammed into the smooth CD-shaped surface and a shockwave was discharged from the defense. At such close quarters, CF Roll had no chance of escape, and was caught up in the backlash.

A scream left the pink wonder's lips as she was hurled backward from the attack.

"Subwoofer Surge!" Diskette waved her hand, prompting her CD to move aside. A large glow then built up in the musical Net Navi's twin speakers, and summarily exploded into twin streaks of light that shot through space towards her opponent.

Fortunately, CF Roll had just enough time to evade the attack. The pink Cross Fusion Ranger's palm snapped outward to arm's length and opened as if ordering the coming attack to halt.

"Met-Guard, Battle Chip in!"

In response to the battle cry, a yellow and green Met-hat appeared in the air before the girl. The new obstacle intercepted the Subwoofer Surge and reflected it away from the pink Cross Fusion Ranger.

But the girl wasn't done yet. CF Roll latched onto her new shield. Then, using all of her strength, the pink wonder whipped the defense around in a tight circle twice to build up momentum, and then released the Met-hat so that it slingshot it's way through the air towards the musical Net Navi.

Stunned by this unorthodox maneuver, Diskette was too slow to react to the incoming projectile. The MetGuard slammed into the musical Net Navi and sent her rebounding backwards.

There you go, Maylu!

We've almost got her, now to finish the job…

CF Roll finally dropped to the ground and began charging at Diskette. Maylu issued a new order.

"Shake Battle Chip In!"

Diskette was just beginning to get back on her feet when the battle cry reached her ears. The Net Navi's head snapped up to look over the area. Then the musical renegade raised her right hand and instinctively formed a new CD Barrier.

Unfortunately, that move proved to pointless. For the barbell-shaped Shake didn't attack from the front, but from the side. The projectile slammed into the Net Navi's from a ninety degree angle, effectively bypassing the shield, and sent the Net Navi hurtling head-over-heels through the air.

"Roll Arrow!" CF Roll formed her trademark bow, lined her shot up with her opponent and cut loose. Her aim was true and her shot sped through the air and impaled her opponent.

Diskette's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized what had happened. A snarl passed over the female Net Navi's lips, and then the musical villain shattered into a cloud of pixels and data. Rather than face deletion, Diskette had opted to log out.

"Huh?" CF Roll blinked in bewilderment. "Why would she…?"

What do you mean? Roll's voice echoed in her Net Op's head.

"I mean… never mind. We'll talk about it later!" Maylu's reply was cut off as an explosion cut through the air. The pink wonder whipped about, and then tried to lock onto her companion so that she could lend assistance should need be.

CF Rhythm was doing her best to duke and dive out of the way of her opponent's Crash Grenades. The process was made tougher because the Crash Grenades boasted a much wider range than their Crash Bomb counterparts. As a result, CF Rhythm was forced to go to greater lengths to avoid the onslaught than previous exchanges required.

CrashMan whipped his arms canons about, sending another trio of Crash Grenades through the air. CF Rhythm bit her lip out of terror as she fell backwards to avoid the first grenade, ducked to her right to avoid the second, and then bounded forward to outrace the third. The next second, her adversary had renewed his ammunition and discharged another round, forcing her to repeat her dodging process.

CF Roll observed these events, and decided that it was time to intervene. The girl loaded her bow with another Roll Arrow, took aim and released the projectile. The attack sped through the air and succeeded in ramming into the red and gold Navi's blaster- effectively spoiling his aim. CrashMan's next volley went wide due to the pink wonder's interference, and paved the way for his opponents to retaliate.

"I've had enough of this!" CF Rhythm shouted. The azure Cross Fusion Ranger bounded at CrashMan as a length of bound leather materialized in her palm. With a snap of her wrist, CF Rhythm sent her newly formed whip snaking through the air towards CrashMan's head.

"Rhythm Whip!"

A smirk passed over CrashMan's lips.

The explosive renegade snapped his left blaster up, intercepting the whip and forcing the leather to coil about his weapon. CrashMan then snagged the whip with his free hand and wrenched the line with all of his strength. His move pulled CF Rhythm off of her feet and launched her through the air. The azure Cross Fusion Ranger managed to scream once before she plowed into her companion, CF Roll, and sent the two of them crashing to the ground. The two Cross Fusion rangers collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs.

This of course, was just what the renegade villain wanted. CrashMan snapped his blaster back and then slammed it into the ground. A ring of flame spurted from his cannon, and then a split second later the ground beneath his opponents shattered into a decent-sized explosion. This new detonation sent the two girls flying through the air anew, and in opposite directions.

CF Roll slammed into the ground heavily, and was sent tumbling end over end for a three full revolutions before she came to rest at the foot of the Dimensional Area Generator.

CF Rhythm, on the other hand, crashed into the ground flat on her back and had the breath knocked from her lungs. This problem was compounded as CrashMan appeared and slammed his foot heel first into the girl's stomach. CF Rhythm wretched and instinctively tried to curl forward around the offending foot, only to freeze in mid-twist as she found herself staring down the wrong end of CrashMan's blaster.

The explosive renegade studied the girl for a second, chuckled to himself, and then turned to look over the area. After obviously failing to find the object of his search, CrashMan issued a new directive.

"Come on out, Ms. Cain," The red and gold villain shouted. "or your daughter will find herself without a better half!"

There was a long pause, and then the rustling of bushes drew the renegade's attention. CrashMan checked to make sure that he still had his captive pinned in place, and then he turned to face the noise's origin.

A bank of shrubs parted down the middle, allowing Alicia Cain to emerge. The older woman took a few steps towards the renegade Net Navi, but stopped at a healthy distance from her attacker.

"What do you want?" The woman wanted to know.

"You haven't figured out?" Smirked CrashMan. The villain raised his free blaster and pointed it straight at the scientist. "My orders are to terminate you. And I'd have done it long before if these two kids hadn't gotten in my way."
"So that's what you want? My life for hers?" There was a certain coolness in Alicia's voice that made the others uneasy. Primarily because it conveyed the possibility that the woman might not relent, agree, or bargain with the terrorist Net Navi.

"In a nutshell." CrashMan chortled.

The explosive red and gold Net Navi then tightened his finger on the trigger. He was preparing to launch his next attack. Alicia just stared at the Navi with cold eyes.

"So be a good little girl and just hold still. I promise you that I'll make it quick…"

"M… om…" CF Rhythm tried to gasp from beneath CrashMan's foot. "no…"

Fate, however, was a fickle master. At this point, fate decided to shift the balance of power once again. For CF Roll had not been inactive during this exchange; the girl had gathered her scattered wits and realized that she was sprawled out beneath one of the Dimensional Generators.

The pink wonder summoned a TankCannon, and with supreme effort, lifted it so that it pointed at the blue, crystalline tube. With a shout, CF Roll unleashed her attack, splitting the Generator down the middle and destroying it. The other three Generators shrieked and screamed as their workload increased; and then began to fizzle and spark as they were unable to stand up to the sudden strain.

CrashMan's head jerked about to realize what the pink Cross Fusion Ranger had done- and immediately felt his insides go wonky as the Dimensional Area began to fluctuate wildly. The explosive renegade snarled; then dropped the blaster that had been pointed at Alicia in order to secure a hold on his captive's throat.

"You're not who I came for." CrashMan growled. "But you'll have to do."
CF Rhythm's eyes widened in shock, and then she was swept up into the words 'Log Out' as her adversary retreated- taking her along for the ride.

Maylu screamed in blind rage as her own Cross Fusion began to break down. As soon as the Net Op and her Net Navi had completely separated, Maylu bolted across the park towards her friend.

She arrived just in time to watch the last particle of data vanish. CrashMan had fled the scene… and kidnapped Melody and Rhythm in the process.
_________________

Unknown Neo · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject:

I like the fight scene and the CD using Navi. But what will they do now that Someone was kidnapped. But how did he kidnap her?

Midnight · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:02 pm Post subject:

Wow, how could I miss this one? I suppose I'll have to divide the work into two pieces:

The Former Chapter:
This one worked well. A chapter devoted to backstory is always a good thing, especially when interspersed correctly into the flow of the work. This story struck home for me a lot more than usual since I feel like I've had a similar conversation with a dear friend of mine that somewhat paralleled the situation at hand.

I can't help but think that Alicia is tied into the antagonist's plot somehow--more than just what is shown through the chapter. It's almost as if she is backing antagonists as a vendetta against her late husband, unless, y'kno, that's exactly what you want me to think. Wink

The Latter Chapter:
Excellent. Simply excellent. A quick return to combat, and I am reminded why I praise your work so highly. There are definitely strong tactics, and some rather clever maneuvers that the characters use. I like that you decided to shift focus off the primary protagonists and focus on Meiru and Melody, but that was a bit of a gamble in my eyes.

On the one hand, shifting the focus towards your character allows for more characterization and helps to hone her character, but on the other hand focusing on her threatens to turn her into the uber-OC. I recall that you were worried about Netto's influence (at least that's who I think you were referring to in the comment made at the beginning of the chapter) too overbearing, but by switching the focus to Melody, you seem to have yanked Netto out of the danger zone and put Melody in his place. Even though this work does work around her as a primary character, you are beginning to run a slight risk that she may become a Mary Sue. I highly doubt this will happen, but I just wanted to make that point.

As for Anetta...perhaps it's just me, but I'm beginning to get irked at her niche as the unwitting stooge in the story seemingly only to rationalize Enzan's apparent attraction towards Melody. As soon as she appeared on the scene, I knew right away that she was to lead the characters into a trap. I am unsure as to what you take of this.

Other than that, I enjoyed reading this rather much and having another chance to review something. These posts have been coming too few and far between for me, sadly. Hopefully you are finding these long-winded and verbose reviews helpful.
_________________
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

**Sol** · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:06 pm Post subject:

Neo, as you've been told countless times before...make your reviews substantial, NOT spamful! I'm constantly seeing one-liners from you again!

Seriously. The next time you're caught doing it will result in a warning.
_________________

<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject:

@Unknown Neo, the same way that Regal kidnapped Dr. Hikari back in the EXE movie. There's no direct explanation, but evidently you can take people from the real world into the digital world through a DA.

@ Midnight (Critic), I hope you don't mind if I break your review down into bite-sized quotes as I've been anxious to discuss this ficlet with someone who isn't from FF.net for quite some time now... and it looks like this is as good a chance as I'm going to get.

If nothing else, it'll allow me to hammer out my thoughts on the matter, so I'm going to take a risk and do so.

Midnight · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject:

"We"?

Anyway, I'm happy to discuss fiction with you at any time--just drop me a line in the IRC or catch me on one of my listed messengers.

To explain the disappearance, it's just there. Much like in Star Trek (especially Voyager), any event can be explained by sufficient technobabble. That's how I've rationalized it, anyway.

As for Melody, I originally thought that the comment pertained to her, but I thought about it more and came to the conclusion that I wrote above. In retrospect, I suppose you have a point there. I did not mind that Netto and the other regular cast of characters are playing a minor role in the fic--it's fine that they serve as auxiliary characters.

As for the pairings, I admit that I fancied with the thought of the obvious pairing, but I shied away from it. I admit it is still possible, but you seem to do an adequate job implying that that should not be.

And as for the final comment, I'm glad that my reviews are helpful. The statement also had a more subtle meaning--towards another person. >.>
_________________
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 · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject:

I thought that was long enough. But on topic, I never did see the EXE movie so that's why I didn't understand how they kidnapped her. Hey, do you draw or do you just sprite? And have you done a CF Rhythm gif before? I know you've done a Rhythm gif already.

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:12 am Post subject:

@Neo: both. You'll have to track down my respective art and sprite threads to find out just what I've done... assuming that the links still work.

A.N.: I know that a tornado PA exists in one of the early BN games... but I can't recall the chip combo off the top of my head. So if this is wrong please forgive me for it.

Begin!

Chaud was silently fuming.

The dual-haired Op stood in his Blaze Quest office and stared out over the city. His thoughts were nowhere within the room, but instead lay outside the glass walls that enclosed the room.

I don’t understand. The Net Op frowned as his thoughts ran wild. Melody and I are friends, nothing more. We’ve agreed to leave it at that… so the question is… why was she practically throwing herself at me last night?

The Net Saver continued to stare out at Den Tech City without really seeing anything. He was oblivious to everything around him.

Things were doomed from the start. I should have known it when Keifer outlined the plan. Lan and I could have gone in and gotten that data out, we didn’t need to drag Maylu and Mel- was that it? Surely Melody would realize that that was a Net Saver mission and I didn‘t inviter her for it to be a date without it being a date…. No… she had to have known it was official, and that I was ordered to… I should have just taken Annetta instead.

“Chaud.” ProtoMan’s voice cut through his Net Op’s thoughts. “Excuse me…”

The dual-haired Operator turned and acknowledged his Net Navi’s query. “Go ahead.”

“I have some mail from Vanessa. She’s almost succeeded in tracing the funds exchange from Darsha… But she’s suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

ProtoMan scanned a few more lines of the Email, digested the information and then replied.

“She says that the numbers are too neat. That whoever really paid for the hit on the Blaze Quest Sharrian Division has just been transferring the same amount of money from one business to the other, most of the time without that business’ knowledge, effectively laying out a bread crumb trail for us to follow. Ordinarily, payment would be harder to follow because several dummy corporations would make smaller payments to one account, and then that account would pay off the debt.”

Chaud paused to consider this. The Net Op then cast his mind over the events of the past few days in an effort to think like the criminal they were tailing. Whoever was heading up this new group was a master of deception, producing one crime to cover up their real target, or masking their retreat through holograph programs.

However, in all cases, the misdirection had been horribly executed. As if the mastermind had outlined what needed done and not given much thought to the details of it’s scheme. Sometimes the criminal Net Navis even came right out and said that they were simply causing a diversion. Their culprit was a ‘big picture’ thinker, and often missed the smaller parts of a portrait.

The money trail fit the method of operations, then. But it still left a bad feeling in Chaud’s stomach.

“Alright. Tell her to keep at it.” The words had barely left his mouth when his PET’s alarm function went off. The double-haired Net Saver quirked an eyebrow at his Net Navi, indicating that ProtoMan should explain what was transpiring.

The Red Raider was already in motion. He quickly checked the incoming mail function of the Personal Terminal- and froze.

Chaud immediately noted his Net Navi’s concern.

“What is it?”

“It’s a message from Manuela.” The scarlet swordsman swallowed hard. “Melody and Rhythm… they’ve been kidnapped.”

````````````````````````````````

Twenty minutes later, Chaud was standing alongside Maylu in Keifer’s office. The Net Saver chief, Manuela, and a repentant Annetta were also present. Annetta was primarily concentrating on studying the carpet of the chief’s office, and her expression was as downcast as her gaze.

“Thank you all for coming.” Keifer cast his gaze across all of those present. “If you’ll allow I’ll get right to the point. As most of you know, we’ve been investigating a small-time Net Mafia that has emerged in recent days. This group is responsible for the blackout, the removal of StoneMan’s regeneration program from the N1 arena, sabotaging Blaze Quest Sharro, an attack on one Alicia Cain, and most recently Melody and Rhythm’s kidnapping. Although they weren’t officially Net Savers, the two had assisted you on your mission to Darsha, isn’t that correct?”

The two Net Savers nodded slowly.

“Right, well, as near as we can piece together… early this morning Alicia Cain, who is still in questioning at the moment, received an Email from someone claiming to be Melody Makoto. The Email asked Ms. Cain to come to the Den Tech City Park. That’s how Ms. Cain came to be involved in this fiasco.

“Late yesterday night, Annetta, who had stumbled across the Darsha mission, was approached by a dark-haired man in a tweed suite… which we have been able to identify as Nack Fang.”

Keifer thumbed a switch on his desk. In response to his move, a holographic projection of Nack Fang’s mug shots appeared in the air above the chief’s desk. Maylu and Chaud gasped as they recognized Nack as the greasy-haired mustached man that they had run into time and again.

“Nack happens to be ex-Net Saver. He was thrown out for accepting bribes.” Keifer continued to explain. “However, since he knew so much about Net Saver workings, he was able to convince Annetta that he was still a part of the force and that you, Chaud, were on an undercover assignment to get close to Melody.”

Chaud blanched and shot a look at Annetta. The very idea that he would do something of that nature, and that Annetta believed him capable of it, was absurd in his mind.

The redhead refused to meet his gaze.

“And Nack asked her to lure Melody and Maylu to the park the next morning. Evidently, Annetta was under the impression that Melody was to be arrested for being involved in some sort of illegal activity.

“This is where it all breaks down. While at the park, Ms. Cain and Melody and Maylu crossed paths. Almost immediately a Dimensional Area Generator was tripped, causing CrashMan- Nack’s Net Navi- and Diskette to appear. The two initially tried to eliminate Ms. Cain, but upon being bested by Maylu and Roll, they opted to take Melody prisoner instead.”

“You mean that CrashMan pulled Melody through the internet from the DA?” Chaud checked to make sure that he understood the situation correctly.

“That would be correct.” Keifer nodded.

The double-haired Net Saver pondered this for a moment, and then spoke up again.

“Have you tried tracing the data pulse? The sheer amount of data required for such a move would have left it’s signature all over the server used for their escape.”

“We’ve had a few of our forensics Navis working on it. But apparently the digital flux that marked CrashMan and Melody went through the Undernet and then bounced off a few satellites.” Keifer shook his head. “It’s going to take them some time to trace it- if they can trace it at all.”

“I see…”

“We’re not entirely without leads.” Manuela spoke up. “We pulled his file and discovered that Nack is a social drinker… or more accurately he’s an addict who can keep his problems in check. All of his partners complained about Nack’s problem, so it stands to reason that he hasn’t kicked it yet.”

“If we start canvassing the liquor shops, we may get something.” Chaud fit the pieces of the puzzle together and began working out the rest of the chief’s plan. “Sounds simple enough.”

“Hopefully, it will be.” Keifer commented. “You must understand, that this is a critical situation. Melody is a civilian, not a Net Saver. If anything happens to her, or if word of this gets out, we may have a crisis on our hands. Find Nack and find him quickly. The quicker you find him, the better our chances of rescuing Melody are.”

“Vanessa will download Nack’s files to your PETs on the way out… good luck.” Manuela finished the briefing.

```````````````````````````````````````

As Maylu and Chaud filed out of the room, Annetta stood and followed the trio out the door. The redhead’s step was much more subdued than normal. She was dealing with the guilt of her actions.

Chaud paused as soon as he cleared the doorway, and waited on the girl to reach him.

The redhead paused when she came alongside the Net Saver, and then issued two words.

“I’m sorry.”

The dual-haired youth nodded slowly, and then began leading the way down the hallway.

Annetta continued her explanation.

“It’s just… I saw you two at Darsha Inc… and the way you were acting… then Nack appeared and…”

“Wait.” Chaud froze in mid-step. He then turned to face his companion. “You thought that Melody and I were… an item?”

“I did…and… it made me jealous. So jealous that I didn’t stop to think about it. I’m sorry.”

Chaud briefly considered explaining that he and Melody had only been acting that way because of their assignment, but rejected the notion. Annetta already knew the truth, and beating her over the head with it wouldn’t help.

“Apology accepted.”

“I’ll do anything that I can to help… just name it.” The redhead finished her apology.

“I’m sure something will come up. We may need you when we find Nack.” Chaud nodded slowly. He didn’t know just what role in the coming events Annetta could play, but if it would ease her guilt then he was all for it.

“Alright… I… I’ll do what I can.”

The Net Saver then turned to continue down the hallway. He felt another pang of annoyance. If Melody hadn’t been throwing herself at him, then none of this would have happened. Annetta wouldn’t have gotten jealous and in turn his partner wouldn’t have been kidnapped. It all went back to Melody’s strange need to find herself a boyfriend…

Within a few seconds he was delayed a second time as he caught up to Maylu. The two Net Ops were standing stock-still in the entrance of the hallway just short of the lobby, preventing anyone from advancing.

Maylu shot a look over her shoulder as the other two members of the team arrived. The redhaired girl had one arm extended, preventing them from taking another step.

“Hold on…” Maylu pointed out into the lobby. “this could get nasty.”

Chaud followed the redhead’s gaze out across the lobby. They realized what the trouble was when they saw Dr. Dos Doppler entering the facility. The scientist was visibly angry, and his temper could only be expected to worsen as time went by.

The fact that Alicia Cain was standing next to the receptionist’s desk didn’t do much to help matters either.

Dos Doppler marched into the lobby, but stopped short as he spotted his ex-wife on the premises. The man visibly deflated. He then began casting his gaze about, as if seeking any excuse to avoid the coming confrontation. After a few seconds passed, Dos’ eyes lighted upon Maylu and he chose her as the distraction he was seeking.

The raven-haired scientist walked over to the trio of Net Ops and then sighed before speaking.

“Maylu.” The scientist began.

“Dr. Doppler.” The redhead returned.

“I… I don’t blame you for what happened.” Dos began. “I know that you did everything that you could.”

The redhead nodded, but didn’t reply.

“I just hope that we find her. I’m here to tell the Net Savers that GradeMan and myself will do everything in our power to help… we‘ve got to find her before…” The scientist’s voice cracked for an instant, but then hardened with anger. Dos glanced over his shoulder at Alicia and scowled. “… it’s too late.”

“Sir.” Chaud took this opportunity to interject his presence into the conversation. He had a few suspicions, and didn‘t know who else to discuss them with. Dos appeared to be an angry ex, and as such his outlook would be tainted as such… but his opinion was better than the nothing that they currently had. “My name’s Chaud Blaze-”

“ProtoMan’s Net Op.” Dos couldn’t help but grin in spite of himself. “And the source of my daughter’s consternation.”

The duel-haired Net Op blanched- but the older scientist pressed on before the Net Saver could reply.

“I mean that loosely. Melody had some initial reservations about your Navis, but we talked through those.” Dos explained. It appeared that the recent events hadn’t completely demoralized him.

“Um… of course.” The Net Saver picked back up his end of the conversation. “Dr. Doppler, out of curiosity… since the attack on Ms. Cain appeared to be directed against her personally, I have to ask.. Do you know of anyone who might have it out for her?”

“Outside of myself?” Gravity laced Doppler’s voice as he framed his reply. The doctor then continued. “I couldn’t tell you, I haven’t been around Alicia or been a part of her life in years… The short answer is that I just don’t know. The long answer is that Alicia built her company on the graves of researchers. You won’t have to dig far to uncover a skeleton or two.”

With that the man excused himself and rushed past the quartet of Net Savers.

“That was… strange…” Maylu was the first to comment on their encounter with the middle-aged scientist.

“Not exactly the most grief stricken of fathers is he?” The dual-haired Net Op mused.

At that moment, Chaud’s PET went off. The Net Saver immediately raised his wristwatch-terminal and activated the holographic screen. ProtoMan appeared in the middle of the projection and looked out at his Net Op.

“There’s been an infiltration attempt at Blaze Quest.” The scarlet Net Navi explained the alarm. The red raider then dropped his gaze to glance over the reports coming over the internet-

He froze.

“The alert was triggered when someone use the Makoto’s access code violated their access privileges.”

Maylu and Chaud shared a quick look.

“The kidnappers…” The Net Saver growled under his breath. He then turned his attention back to his Net Navi and began issuing orders. “Call Lan, get him over to Blaze Quest now. Then send a message to Vanessa, have her send us Nack’s mug shots via the ‘Net. We’ve got to move!”

````````````````````````````````

ProtoMan rode a beam of crimson light as he flew from the digital ‘sky’ to slam into the digital ‘ground’. No sooner had the beam of light crashed into the floor than did it reconstitute into the familiar Red Raider. The scarlet swordsman quickly glanced about to make sure that Roll and MegaMan had arrived, and upon confirming their presence he took point and began racing across the network.

“So… let me get this straight…” MegaMan was scrambling to keep up with his companions, and the recent turn of events. “Someone used the Makoto’s access code to get into your system?”

“Not just the Makoto’s code, but Melody’s code.” Roll explained. “That means that whoever kidnapped Melody has to be behind this hack attack.”

“Codes…” ProtoMan’s step slowed for a moment, but the Raider promptly regained his infamous speed.

“ProtoMan, what’s up?” MegaMan noticed the Raider’s split-second hesitation.

“Nothing, just an idea. I’ll explain later.”

The trio of Net Navis pressed on, racing towards the hackers who had invaded the network. They encountered no resistance during their trek, and were allowed to proceed unhindered.

A few moments passed, and then MegaMan whirled around a corner. Immediately the cobalt warrior slid to a stop as his eyes registered the presence of-

“PhotonMan!”

The wiry, molecular Net Navi was standing a short distance down the Network. His arms were folded as he stood unmoving, barring the trio from proceeding into the next area.

“The same.” The renegade nodded slowly. “You’ll not proceed any farther until Diskette and… he has finished their tasks.”

“’He?’” Roll repeated. “Who are you talking about?”

PhotonMan shook his head, indicating that he wouldn’t reply to that question.

“That doesn’t factor into the equation. You aren’t to know of his existence yet.”

“What about Melody? And Rhythm?” ProtoMan took a step forward. As the red raider’s ProtoSword formed over his left hand, the scarlet swordsman demanded answers. “Where are they?”

The molecular Navi just smirked.

“They’re being kept in a controlled environment. If you want to know any more, you’ll have to beat it out of me.”

“That can be arranged.” Roll commented.

“I’m sure that it can, I’m also sure that you’re going to try to do just that.” PhotonMan widened his stance and went into a defensive pose. “So… c’mon… Fission Blast!”

A studded sphere formed between PhotonMan’s wiry fingers and shattered down the center. Immediately, a shockwave ripped away from the separation and rocketed down the length of the field towards his opponents.

A split second later, and the two sphere halves shot towards the Net Savers as well.

“Right back at you!” Lan countered the attack by producing a chip from his pocket and inserting it into his PET Generation. “Met Guard, Battle Chip in! Download!”

Immediately, a large Met-hat appeared before the cobalt warrior. The shockwave smashed into MegaMan’s defense, came to a stop, and then ricocheted back the way that it had come. The tremor flew back towards PhotonMan and forced the Navi to dance aside, lest he be impaled by his own attack.

Unfortunately, the two Fusion Spheres ripped straight through the Met-Guard and slammed into the Navi behind the shield. MegaMan screamed as the force of impact sent him flying backwards through the air. His sacrifice, however, had put Roll in the perfect position to attack.

The pink healer shot through the air and formed a pink heart between her fingers. Roll then fired the projectile off at PhotonMan, where it exploded into a barrage of heart-shaped projectiles.

The wiry molecular Net Navi snapped his open palm skyward as an aura of energy materialized around his frame. The Roll Blast slammed against the defense, but failed to penetrate.

“As you can see, after our last encounters I upgraded my equipment.” The renegade smirked as the attack subsided and his defense faded away. “Life Aura is such a handy tool… Fusion Sphere!”

Instantly, two studded molecular models appeared in the Net Navi’s palms. PhotonMan slammed the two halves of the projectiles together, resulting in a rolling explosion that raced across the room towards the down MegaMan.

The cobalt warrior looked up just in time to find himself facing down a boiling wall of destruction. Then a blur of silver hair filled his vision. ProtoMan came out of nowhere and latched onto the blue bomber. At almost the same instant, chip data was transferred from the Raider’s PET to the battlefield.

“Anti-Damage!”

ProtoMan and MegaMan exploded into a haze of smoke, which the explosion promptly pierced and washed away… but the two Net Navis were nowhere to be found and unharmed by the attack.

“What?!” PhotonMan took a step back.

“End this now!” Chaud shouted into his Personal Terminal. “Long Blade, Battle Chip in! Download!”

“I’m with you!” Lan hollered. “Wide Sword, Download!”

A shadow fell across PhotonMan, causing the renegade Net Navi to stop and look up. The molecular wonder gasped in shock as he found the Red Raider and the Blue Bomber descending on him from above with weapons raised.

ProtoMan and MegaMan slammed into the ground, their swords extended from their twin strikes. Behind them, PhotonMan convulsed once or twice, and then collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“Piece of cake.” Lan smirked.

“Excellent job.” Chaud noted. “Now, hurry and find Diskette!”

“Right.” The Red Raider nodded and turned to enter the next network area. No sooner had the Net Navi crossed the threshold into the second Blaze Quest computer, than did trouble decide to make another play for power.

PhotonMan screamed and raised his weary frame to his hands and knees. How he could continue to move after having received that kind of beating was anyone’s guess. The molecular wonder shook his head wildly as he succumbed to blind rage.

“Not this time… my orders were absolute!” The renegade shouted as the other three Navis whirled about to look at him. “I… will not fail again! Regeneration!”

A light blue light spread out from PhotonMan’s Navi Emblem and spread across his frame. Immediately the wounds that covered the Navi’s body began to close and repair themselves.

But it didn’t end there.

“Wh… what’s happening?” PhotonMan’s voice took on a distorted tone as concern flooded his face. “Th- this isn’t supposed to… happen! Not… a… mass… data… re… re…wriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

The renegade’s last word was lost in a scream as the blue light completely overwhelmed the molecular Net Navi and began to expand rapidly. Before long, the Net Navi was lost to his aura… and the illumination was beginning to radically change shape.

MegaMan, Roll and ProtoMan watched in fascinated horror as the regeneration program’s light evolved into a massive frame that nearly touched the roof of the ceiling. Along the entire Network, lights flared as their intensity blanked out and then skyrocketed; data cubes shattered or exploded, creating a mass scene of destruction that rolled and boiled it’s way across the Network to the thing that had once been PhotonMan.

Finally, the blue light exploded into a thousand fragments that almost immediately winked out of existence. And in the illumination’s place now stood a massive… thing…

Four spindly arms with orbs for joints protruded from a massive body that filled the doorway to the next network area and separated ProtoMan from his companions. Spheres and orbs dotted the trunk of the creature which ran up into a massive blue and red armor plate that covered the thing’s chest. Another massive sphere protruded from the creature’s armor and sported a pair of large eyes that swept over the room and locked onto the blue bomber and the pink healer.

“Wh… what happened?” Maylu gasped at the radical transformation.

“I… don’t know… The readings I’m getting from this are all over the place!” Chaud’s eyes swept over his PET’s display. “That thing… PhotonMan… just underwent a radical data revision… it’s like something inside him snapped, overpowered him and then jacked his power rating through the roof…”

“You mean… like a Dark Chip?” Lan queried.

“No… this is nothing like that… It’s a radically different process” The dual-haired Net Saver shook his head. “…”

MegaMan recovered enough of his wits to finally decide on a course of action.

“ProtoMan,” The blue bomber shouted across to the scarlet swordsman. “you go on, find out what they’re here!”

“He’s right.” Lan agreed with his Navi’s statement. “PhotonMan admitted that he was a distraction. If we waste time dealing with him, then we’re going to miss out on our chance to put a stop to the hackers. Besides, ProtoMan’s already on the other side of the Network… it’s not like he can double back or anything.”

Chaud quickly turned this idea over in his mind and then agreed.

“ProtoMan?”

“Already on it.” The red raider turned on his heel and shot off into the Network. He was confident in his companion’s skill to deal with the mutated PhotonMan threat.

The new PhotonMan roared, then drew back one of it’s spindly arms and slammed his palm into the ground. Almost immediately, a row of spheres exploded out of the ground and exploded, sending shrapnel out in all directions. Due to the sheer volume of the flying projectiles, MegaMan and Roll were helpless to evade the attack.

They were saved as Maylu uploaded a barrier to shield them from the attack.

“Alright, PhotonMan just had a growth spurt, so it’s time to give him a smack down!” The brown-haired Net Saver shouted as he fed a trio of chips into his PET Generation. “Cannon, High Cannon, Mega Cannon, Download!”

“Right behind you!” Maylu followed her companion’s example. “Arrow Chips in, Quintuple Download!”

“Program Advance!”

MegaMan thrust his palms skyward as the chip data merged and reformatted into a more powerful weapon. Within seconds, his forearms had been replaced by a large, blue cannon that bridged his limbs. The cobalt warrior dropped his new weapon to bear at PhotonMan and pulled the trigger.

“Giga Cannon!”

A titanic burst of energy ripped away from his gun barrel and shot through space.

“Omega Arrow!” Roll snapped her right arm out as it reconstituted into a long bow. The pink healer aimed her weapon at her adversary and cut loose. A single arrow sped away from the bow, split into seven different attacks and continued on to crash into the monstrosity.

The twin projectiles shattered into a cloud of ash and smoke that flooded the area. MegaMan and Roll remained side-by-side, unmoving; for past experience had taught them that soon enough the fallout would clear and they would be able to see the end result of their attack.

Sure enough, the soot parted to reveal the angry form of the mutated PhotonMan. The monstrosity roared, showing no signs of having been damaged in the assault.

“No way!” MegaMan took a step back. “That was a double Program Advance!”

“Believe it…” Roll groaned.

The molecular monster then reared back it’s head and proceeded to flood the area with flames. The orbs along the Navi’s chest turned a deep, fiery crimson. Fire and flame ripped out of the spheres and shot across the area, heading straight towards his two opponents.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Lan barked as he fed more chips into his Generation. “Tornado, Typhoon, Hurricane! Program Advance!”

With that, the cobalt warrior was armed with a new weapon. The Navi’s right hand transformed into a circular wind funnel that sported a trio of blades. MegaMan snapped his weapon up and discharged it. A tornado formed out of his weapon and sped along the ground towards PhotonMan. In the process, the whirlwind swept up a section of the flaming attack and pulled the fire into the swirling wind- effectively creating a tornado of fire and clearing a safe path for the two Net Navis.

PhotonMan crossed his multiple arms across his chest to soften the force of his impact. The tornado crashed into the monstrous Net Navi and began tearing into the renegade. After a few seconds, the Program Advance ceased to exist.

The attack had done it’s job, and slightly damaged the monster of a Net Navi… although not to the extent that it had been hoped.

The molecular Net Navi slammed his hands into the floor. Another minefield of spheres formed across the ground and detonated- spewing shrapnel and debris across the field. The Net Ops came to their Net Navi’s aid by uploading Invisible chips, which shielded them from the disaster.

But PhotonMan wasn’t done with his turn, yet. The wiry molecular monstrosity rocketed his arms forward and snatched up MegaMan and Roll in his oversized fists. The huge renegade then raised the two Navi’s above his head, shot off a roar, and began to crush them with his oversized fingers.

“Alright, this has gone on long enough!” Lan’s brown knotted itself as he gave voice to his frustration. “It’s time to go all out on this guy! Maylu, are you with me?”

The redhead nodded.

A smirk passed over Lan’s face. He’d been looking forward to this.

“Alright, let’s see what this thing can really do!” The brunet thumbed a switch on his PET. “Generation activated, Navi Booster Online!”

Maylu was right behind her partner.

“Navi Booster Online!”

Instantly, the holographic screens of the two Net Ops flooded with numbers and data. The information became a blur as the PET Generation scanned through MegaMan and Roll, deciphered their abilities, and developed a formula to provide a bonus to those abilities.

The on-screen numbers dissolved into the words ‘Navi Boost’.

A sharp blue glow enveloped MegaMan as another pink glow spread over Roll. The two were stunned as they felt the Booster come online and begin to modify their abilities.

“Now, let’s see how this works!” The brunet Net Saver flared out his PET and inserted a chip into his device. “Mega Cannon, Download!”

However, instead of the aforementioned weapon forming around the blue bomber’s wrist, two armored plates supporting Mega Cannons formed about the Navi’s shoulders. The cobalt warrior then snapped his head up and locked his gaze onto the monster PhotonMan’s shoulder. The two cannons swiveled to match the Navi’s target and then opened fire.

The twin beams of energy slammed into the monster’s shoulder, and stunned the creature into releasing his captives.

“Here we go!” Maylu inserted a chip into her own Personal Terminal. “Heat Dragon, Battle Chip in, Double Download!”

“Double Dragons!” The pink healer then snapped her hand skyward to summon two flaming beasts from the ground. The twin dragons leapt through the air, colliding with PhotonMan’s chest. The dragons knocked the monstrous Navi backwards a few steps, denting his torso armor and then leapt back to MegaMan and Roll. The summoned viruses then split up, one curling about the pink healer and the other about the cobalt warrior.

The dragons proceeded to heal the two Navis to the same amount of damage that had just been done to PhotonMan. Their job done, the viruses vanished from existence.

Lan however, wasn’t impressed with these new abilities.

“This still isn’t enough!” The brunet gave an exasperated sigh. “We still aren’t doing enough damage to PhotonMan!”

“Hey, Lan…” MegaMan watched as the dents that Roll’s dragon had put into their opponent began to fade away. “… I think that PhotonMan’s heal- the regeneration program!”

“Gah!” The Net Saver slapped his forehead.

“We forgot all about that…” Maylu shook her head. “Even if we do damage PhotonMan, he just heals the damage that we caused.”

“Then we’ll have to go all out.” The brunet shot a look at his partner. “You with me?”

Maylur turned her PET Generation to face her partner. “All yours.”

“Link Navi!” Lan aimed his PET Generation’s jack-in laser at Maylu’s PET. A beam of light connected the two for an instant, creating a link between Roll’s powers and MegaMan’s abilities. The Net Op then fished a chip out of his pocket and inserted it into his Generation. “Cyber Beast Gregar, Beast OUT!”

MegaMan took a running start and then propelled himself into the air. A column of light engulfed the blue bomber for a fraction of a second as he took on the form of Roll Cross Beast Out Mega Man… and then the shaft of light reconstituted into a pink blur that sped through the air slammed into PhotonMan’s chest.

Long scratches and tears began to form in the monster’s armor as the pink blur ravaged the creature. The monster Net Navi howled in pain, and then swatted at the pest that was attacking it. The streak of motion bounded away from the attack and slammed into the ground before Roll.

Roll Beast slowed just enough for the others to see it for a split second. As expected, Mega Man’s Beast Out armor had taken on a pink tone. Two horns raced away the nose of Mega Man’s pink helmet and sported two jagged outcroppings down the side of the Navi’s head. Two smaller yellow horns -protruded from his Navi Emblem and curved up and over his shoulder. Another ring of smaller yellow horns protruded from the Navi’s shins and protected his knees.

The cobalt warrior bounded away, became another blur of speed and raced into attack PhotonMan again. The creature had just began to heal the damage received from the previous exchange- and wasn’t prepared for the next volley to arrive so soon. Beast Out Mega Man slammed into the monster’s shoulder and ripped away at the armor plating there.

“I don’t believe it…” Lan gaped in open astonishment. “The Booster is even modifying Mega Man’s Beast Out forms!”

The blue bomber swirled away from the monster’s shoulder and then proceeded to bound up over the creature’s back. With a cry of ‘Rolling Heart Crash!” the blue bomber slashed at the air with his claws. Multiple shockwaves of energy ripped away from the bomber’s claws and ripped through his adversary.

PhotonMan screamed and tried to swivel just enough to bat at his opponent.

Mega Man bounded away from the swat, then raced straight up into the air. Upon reaching the proper altitude, the cobalt warrior whipped about, and inverted his position so that his head was pointed at his opponent, and his feet at the ceiling.

“Beast Roll Blast!”

Beast Out Mega Man then exploded into an arrow of energy and flashed from the ceiling down towards PhotonMan. The stationary, monster Net Navi looked up and gaped at his coming deletion.

The bomber’s aim was true. A cloud of dust and debris boiled up from the ground as Mega Man’s energy form pierced through his adversary and decimated it.

Roll looked on in amazement as the smoke parted, allowing Beast Out Mega Man to emerge from the point of impact. Behind the warrior, the monster form of PhotonMan frazzled, burst into static and then vanished into deletion.

The pink healer rushed forward and caught her companion as his Beast Out form vanished, and proceeded to dump him towards the floor. Roll caught her friend before he face-planted himself.

“Thanks…” The bomber gasped. “That took a lot out of me…”

‘Don’t mention it… you did great out there.” The pink healer set about her work, and began restoring Mega Man’s dwindling energy supplies.

```````````````````````````````````````

ProtoMan rounded the final bend in the Network.

He immediately bounded to one side in order to avoid having a Subwoofer Surge plastered across his face. The red raider skidded to one side, and prepared to retaliate with his ProtoSword when he froze in disbelief.

Diskette was planted halfway between the raider and the network core… and standing in front of the core, in the middle of a data download, stood a horribly familiar Net Navi. A Net Navi that was being protected by Diskette, a Net Navi who went by the name of-

“GradeMan!” The red raider shouted in disbelief.

The scientist’s Net Navi whipped around. An expression of mixed horror and disbelief was pasted across the Net Navi’s face.

End!
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Midnight · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:33 am Post subject:

Fascinating.

Combat...seemed quite impressive. You certainly did not spare any expense in describing the actions of the game, and they all worked quite well. As for the missing PA, it's an EXE1 or EXE2 one, so I'm sure it's fine if you forget what it is--so long as what you put in its place seems plausible.

Another twist at the end. I admit I didn't see it coming, but somehow it doesn't have the impact that I was expecting it to have. Other than that, I'm again impressed. 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 · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:40 am Post subject:

A.N.: I suppose that you can only pull a stunt so many times before it becomes mundane... Ah well, the shocking revelations are over, so I doubt that it'll be much of an issue from here on out... maybe...

It's a slightly shorter chapter than last time, but this is more or less the calm before the storm.

And just for the record, no, I haven't forgotten about Chaud's snitch. He still has a role to play in this story...

Begin!

"You guys just enjoy making my job difficult, don't you?"

Vanessa, forensic Net Navi for the Net Savers, was standing in the middle of the Blaze Quest network. After the hacking attempt had gone down, Chaud had called the forensic expert into examine the network, and find out what had happened to cause PhotonMan's metamorphosis. While the Net Navis examined the internet, the Net Ops were busy trying to make sense out of GradeMan's actions.

He had also given Vanessa one monster of a headache.

"It's not intentional." Mega Man shrugged helplessly. "If it was, we'd never have fought that Photon-thing. He was a beast… and coming from me that means a lot."

"Still, I finally finish following the money trail, pull Nack's files, and then you go and dump this on me…" The blue and gray Net Navi shook her head. "I really ought to start charging you guys by the hour."

While Mega Man and ProtoMan looked horrified at the idea, Roll just looked slightly bemused.

"Anyway… here's what I got… and its not much and its not pretty." Vanessa dropped to one knee and began pointing out different aspects of the internet beneath their feet. "See these striations? They're caused by a massive data surge or pulse. Something, and I'm guessing that it's our favorite molecule spammer, sent a pretty massive query out across the Network. However, when his reply came back, it brought one heck of an upload with it. He pretty much drained your computer dry of data."

ProtoMan shook his head, while MegaMan gave voice to the idea that they were both considering.

"How'd he contain it all? That's a lot of info to be handling."

"By mutating into a monster. From what I can gather from PhotonMan's remains- of which there was very little remaining due to someone's Beast Out." Vanessa said in a mock tone that suggested Mega Man had gone out of his way to make her job difficult. "PhotonMan wasn't planning on ingesting the entire Network, just some select files. However, his frame appears to have a copy/paste function that I've never even seen before, and it was a touch on the buggy side. Once Photon started his copy of those files he was after, he couldn't stop it and the end result was him trying to absorb the entire network...

"This caused a secondary oddball program in his system - by the way, this guy is a textbook example of what not to do with a Net Navi, he's got a ton of weird programs and open-source modifications in him - and forced the data he copied to fuse into his system. The end result, he either mutated or self-combusted. I'm guessing that he chose mutation.

"If you want my own personal opinion, Photon over here was trying to duplicate an Ultimate Program… and he failed."

ProtoMan and Mega Man exchange a look. Suddenly they both had a bad feeling hanging in the pit of their stomach.

"By the way, you're going to love this." Vanessa produced a handful of files and waved them in the air before the trio of Net Savers. "I finally finished back tracking those funds that were used in the Blaze Quest Sharro fiasco… guess who it leads back to?"

"Don't tell me…" Roll frowned. "Makoto?"

The forensic Navi nodded slowly.

"The money came from Dr. Makoto's Sharrian account, bounced through two other accounts, shot through Darsha, really messed up a trio of banks out in Netfrica, and finally came to rest in Nack's account. I hate to say this… but all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to make sense."

````````````````````````````````````````

"It's all starting to make sense." Chaud paced back and forth in his office while Lan, Maylu and Keifer preferred to sit in the hardwood chairs that decorated the room. "Why couldn't I see this before?"

"Easy, Chaud." Lan's eyes roved back and forth as he watched the dual-haired Net Saver. "You're really working yourself up here…"

Maylu also chimed in.

"We still don't know the whole story. Remember, GradeMan and Diskette logged out of the Network after you caught them, so we still don't really know anything. Maybe GradeMan was blackmailed into helping Diskette, they do have his daughter, ya know."

"I want to believe that." Chaud finally came to rest in front of the glass panels that allowed him to look out of his office and over Den Tech. "But it fits too neatly. Every time we've come up against this group, Melody or Dos have been in the area. Even back when the blackout was caused, Melody was with us. Dos was on hand at Blaze Quest Sharro for that event, it would have been easy for him to help steal the Analisystem-"

"Except he was hiding under a desk, getting burned and defeated PhotonMan." Lan hissed under his breath.

"And what better way to avoid suspicion? Dos helped thwart the attack, so he couldn't have been a part of it. But really, Dos was in the perfect position to implement it. Don't forget, the Analisystem was stolen from inside the compound. Our janitorial friend didn't have enough clearance to reach it and no one forced their way to the program."

"But why steal it at all? Surely Dos knew how to make one." Maylu pointed out.

"Why create a blackout when impersonation would do?" Chaud countered. "PhotonMan and CrashMan have made no secret of their intentions, and sometimes they've gone out of their way to dray our attention. Their tactics have always been laced with misdirection. By creating outlandish scenarios, Dos removed suspicion from himself… we'd never have suspected him if ProtoMan hadn't caught GradeMan. It fits in perfectly with the MO we've been dealing with.

"Then, as if we needed more evidence, there's the attack on Alicia Cain." The Net Saver continued. "CrashMan formed a DA and went after Alicia with everything that he had. They wanted her dead. Dos has made no secret over the fact that he's at odds with Alicia-"

"But Melody got kidnapped!" Maylu raised the obvious point. "Why would Dos do such a thing?"

"Dos didn't, CrashMan did." Chaud countered. "And you saw him earlier, Dos was acting like a completely different person earlier. He didn't act worried, or frantic, he didn't even accuse Alicia of being in on the kidnapping, it was as if he knew something that we didn't. He acted relieved."

"Relieved that Melody wouldn't have to deal with Alicia anymore." The redhead slowly caught onto what Chaud was saying.

"I dunno…" Lan rubbed the back of his head. "There's still way too many loose ends here. You've made a good case for Dos being the hacker's ringleader, but really anyone could have done it… Even someone we haven't met yet."

"But at the very least, we do know that GradeMan is in league with the hackers. That alone is enough for us to bring Dos in for questioning." Solemnity laced the Op's voice as he thought about what they would have to do. "And the sooner we do that the better."

Lan was left without a response for that statement. The brown-haired Net Op shot a quick look at Maylu, but it was obvious that she didn't have any ideas either.

"I guess I'll call Keifer…" The brunet sighed. "You said that Dos was still at the HQ… so it should be pretty easy for them to find him…"

"The HQ…" Chaud's head snapped up as the Op spun around to look at his companions. "That's the last place that he needs to be!"

``````````````````````````````````````

A rushed journey brought the trio back to their starting point, the Net Saver HQ. During the trip, Chaud had taken the time to phone Manuella and explain the situation so that the woman could start making arraignments to have Dos Makoto detained. Lan also, reluctantly, pitched in and phoned the HQ's security, alerting them to the fact that a Net Terrorist could be in their midst.

Upon their arrival, the three Net Ops stormed into the building and immediately met up with Manuella.

"It's debatable whether Dos is still in the building or not." The assistant admitted. "He had an interview with Keifer earlier, and then acted like he was leaving… but no one ever actually saw him depart."

"So he still could be in the building." The dual-haired Net Op muttered under his breath. Aloud, he said: "His SciLab status could get him into a lot of secure areas. We'll need that revoked as fast as possible."

"We've already done so… but that's not going to help us much if GradeMan's already in the system."

As if to mark the assistant's words, the lights within the building immediately sparked, frazzled, and winked out. Confusion broke out as people tried to make sense of what just happened and why the electricity had failed along with their respective computers. Hard drives and processors powered down as their energy supply was cut off, allowing their distinctive whine to die out of the air.

"Looks like he's already in the system." Chaud deadpanned.

"Déjà vu." Commented Maylu. "Another blackout…?"

Immediately, the trio of Net Ops exchanged a look. Chaud whipped out his PET Generation and immediately put a call through to Vanessa. The forensic Navi answered immediately, with tension and stress lining every syllable in her words.

"Forensics! Yes, I know that power's out- if you want a diagnostic then you're out of luck!"

"Vanessa, it's Chaud. Run a tracer on the Network and find out if GradeMan or Dos Makoto have accessed any part of the HQ's mainframe since the blackout occurred!"

"Stop and think about it, kid." The forensic Net Navi's normally cheerful banter had been replaced by blinding sarcasm. Clearly, Vanessa had more on her plate than she knew what to deal with. "Power's out, computers are down, and the Network is out of commission. I can't run any type of scan or diagnostic until the power's back. The only reason you're talking to me right now is because I was lucky enough to be in transit when the blackout hit; and got rerouted to Net City, otherwise I'd be locked up as well!"

"So basically, we're dead in the water." Lan frowned. Abruptly, the Op started as an idea occurred to the youth. "Wait, what about the backup generators? Shouldn't they have kicked in by now?"

The trio of Ops exchanged a look. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit into place.

"Lan, you and Maylu get downstairs and see what's up with the Generators." Chaud began issuing orders. "I'm going to head upstairs towards the restricted areas, the minute you know something call me."

"Are you thinking this is another distraction?"

"I don't know, Maylu. But the way things have been going I wouldn't doubt it." The dual-haired Net Op said. "But standing around here isn't going to solve anything, we've got to move!"

Chaud bolted away from the other two and shot across the lobby into the hallway. The youth skidded around the corner- to the extent that he was forced to throw one arm wide for balance. A quick dash down the corridor brought the Op to the stairway.

A few minutes wore away beneath the pounding of the Net Saver's feet, creating a steady rhythm of thumps in time to the boy's clambering steps.

ProtoMan appeared in the air before his Net Op.

"Message from MegaMan." The Raider explained. "The electrical cables leading from the generators have been cut for every floor but the third. It's still receiving power."

Chaud's gaze shot up to rest upon a sign welcoming him to the fourth floor. The youth stumbled to a stop, spun around and unleashed an exasperated sigh as he reversed course and began pounding back the way he had come.

A dozen steps later, the youth spun into the third floor landing and began racing down the hallway. The Op's eyes dropped to the level of the floorboards and began scanning the doorways for any hint of light. Assuming that Lan was right and power was being sent to this floor, then it should be being used for something…

A faint glow caught Chaud's attention. The dual-haired Net Op slid to a stop as he spotted a telltale gleam of light creeping out from underneath a lab door.

A grin split the boy's lips.

"Gotcha."

Chaud hit the door switch next to the portal, and watched as the barrier to the room effortlessly slid aside. The youth warily stepped into the chamber, and kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the hacker…

Almost immediately, the Net Saver found himself standing face-to-face with none other than Dr. Dos Makoto. Behind the scientist, a computer was diligently moaning and groaning as performed some unknown action. No matter how much the Net Op strained to see, the angle of Dos' body prevented him from making out the details.

"So…" The right side of Dos' mouth lifted into a half-smile. "you found me out."

Chaud mentally took a step backward. He was half-expecting a denial, a false explanation for the doctor's actions or a belligerent demand of innocence. He wasn't expecting Dos to just come out and admit his crimes…

"It's a touch earlier than I'd expected, but nothing that can't be compensated for." The scientist made a great show of checking his watch. "This must mean that you're catching onto the game…"

"You… you're behind all this?" The dual-haired Net Saver tried to get a full handle on the situation.

Dos nodded slowly.

"Like I said, you found me out."

Chaud hesitated. He felt off-balance since this entire encounter wasn't going the way that he had anticipated. And he hated being off-balance. The Op mentally re-gathered his wits and tried to regain control of the conversation.

"Then… you're going to have to surrender, because I'm going to take you into custody."

The scientist ignored the comment altogether; he then turned his back on Chaud, and moved back to the glowing computer monitor.

"No doubt you're wondering why…" Dos framed the computer monitor with his arms and then shifted so that his limbs were supporting his weight. The scientist leaned over the table, stared off into the far wall, and continued his monologue. "Why when a person has it all: a well-paying, secure job; a bright future; a comfortable retirement; and… a… daughter… he'll throw it all away like this. Well, it's simple, really… science…"

"Science?" Chaud repeated. The back of his mind was screaming at the boy that he didn't have time for this, and that Dos was obviously stalling; but the other side of the Op's mind argued that this could be his only chance to get the full story from Dos. "What kind of science?"

"The science that is forbidden." The scientist replied wearily. "All the great scientists of the past were considered heretics or insane at the time of their discoveries. Why? Because they tread on grounds that hadn't been explored before, grounds that conventional wisdom deemed too unsafe to tread upon…"

"You're doing all of this, for a science experiment?" The Net Saver repeated, as if unable to believe what was being said.

"In a sense, but there's so much more to it than that." Dos slowly turned around and looked at the youth. "Chaud, I don't expect you to understand; but I'm on the verge of something great. Something that could change the world as we know it, something that makes your Navi's ultimate programs look tame by comparison"

Dos paused to examine the shock on his companion's face.

"Yes, I know about them. I've researched them heavily. Chaud, this could be a breakthrough for the entire Net Society; I've tried conventional channels, but no one wants to invest in it. Not even you or your father would fund it for me… So it boils down to this, I either went outside the mainstream and did what was necessary to continue my research, or I allowed a project that could save the lives of millions to fall by the wayside. Tell me, Chaud, what would you do in such a situation?"

The Net Saver started to reply, but was cut off.

"And don't compartmentalize me, I've heard it all before." Dos dismissed the unspoken reply with a wave of his hand. "That's why I did all this, because I had to either bend the law or deal with the blood of thousands being on my hands…"

"What are you talking about?"

A small beep came from the computer behind Dos, indicating that whatever function it had been trying to perform had been completed.

"And that is my cue." Dr. Makoto chuckled. "Saved by the bell, as they say… Oh, Chaud, don't worry about Melody and Rhythm. I can assure you that they're well."

"You kidnapped your own daughter! And tried to kill your wife!"

"For starters, she's not my wife." A hard edge entered the scientist's voice. "She's made that point abundantly clear. I had to do what I did to get Melody away from that witch… Alicia was influencing Melody too much… it was only a matter of time before she succeeded in poisoning Melody's mind and taking her away from me. I couldn't have that happen… I won't have that happen. That's why I had to have CrashMan try to kill Alicia… to stop her from stealing Melody… I won't let that happen!"

"You're insane…" Chaud gasped.

"And there we go, back to the standard fare. You don't understand me, so I must be crazy." Dos shook his head. "Farewell, boy, but be prepared for the next time we meet…"

Chaud settled into a low stance and prepared to head the scientist off no matter what the doctor did.

"I'm not letting you out of this room."

"Oh, Chaud, so close and yet so far…" The scientist grinned wickedly. "… Haven't you figured out that as the ultimate master of misdirection… I'm not really here."

At that precise moment, Dos shattered into a thousand different particles of light. The illumination hung into the air for a second, then became static-ridden before winking out of existence altogether. The Net Op blinked in surprise, and then whirled around to trace the path of-

Chaud grimaced as he spotted a holographic generator perched atop the doorway.

End
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Midnight · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:56 am Post subject:

A master of misdirection indeed.

I have to admit that you had me going for a while--much like the person who wants to go forward one block make a right, a left, a right, three consecutive lefts, and then one more right. Very good with your "bread crumb" trail. I must say, I am quite impressed with this work so far.

It didn't feel any shorter than it usually does, and I'm glad that you decided to put together the reasoning for the reader. The whole "I'm not really here" bit was a tad overused, but leave it to me to not expect something that is quite logically connected.

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

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:48 am Post subject:

A.N.: Well, the whole misdirection bit has been played to death, and its served it's purpose in masking the villian. Further, with five(ish) chapters to go, there's really no need for it. So expect things to start coming together now.

Begin!

Now that power had been restored to the base, Chaud found himself sitting inside one of the HQ's conference rooms along with Annetta, Maylu, Lan, Keifer and Manuela. The group had assembled to prepare a counsel of war about their current hacker situation.

"There's one other item you should know about." Keifer finished briefing everyone. "I had Vanessa pull all of Makoto's files over the past few months. Roughly two weeks ago he signed out four Dimensional Generators and three Copyroids… none of which have been returned."

"That explains where CrashMan got them from." Lan commented. "We gave them to him."

"Talk about irony." Maylu agreed.

"So there you have it. Makoto has gone rogue, he might have a hostage and he's made no bones about causing turmoil to get whatever he's after. So far he hasn't hurt anyone, but it's our job to shut him down before things get out of control. Keep in touch." Keifer concluded the meeting.

As Manuela and Keifer filed out the door, the quartet of Net Ops gathered together to form a strategy on how to deal with the situation.

"Alright… so… we know that Nack's our best bet towards finding Makoto." Lan commented. "And it should be somewhat possible to track him down through the liquor stores."

"Chaud." ProtoMan's voice came from his Personal Terminal. "Jacques just sent us a message. He has some news for us. It might be wise to follow that up."

"Assuming that he's on the level." The dual-haired Op amended the Raider's statement. He then turned back to Lan's original idea. "Tracking him through his drinking is going to be hit or miss. There are hundreds of shops that sell alcohol all over Den Tech; you'll need a definite area to search before you start visiting them, otherwise you could be at it for years."

The brown-haired Net Saver shrugged and then rubbed the back of his head.

"O.K… so that's out… temporarily…"

"What about Alicia Cain?" Maylu spoke up. "She was married to Dr. Makoto at one point, maybe she'd know something about the situation… or maybe she could even shed some light on what the doctor meant by saying that thousands of lives depended on his research."

"It's possible… although they've been separated for almost a decade."

"Still it's better than nothing." The redhead said.

"Alright, then you and Lan go question Ms. Cain." Chaud arrived at a conclusion. "Annetta and I will go visit Jacques and then go from there depending on what he gives us."

"Sounds good." Lan nodded.

```````````````````````````````````````

"This place is a dump." Annetta noted.

"As much as I might agree with you, don't let Jacques know that." Chaud shook his head. "This place is his pride and joy.

The two were standing outside of the aforementioned snitch's storefront. With it's hole-in-the-wall size and ramshackle state of disrepair, it was plain to see why the business failed to attract much attention.

"And you know this guy?"

"Being a Net Saver isn't always glorious." The dual-haired Net Op shrugged. "You aren't always saving the world. I busted Jacques a while back for fencing stolen goods. Since then he's stayed somewhat straight. At least, straight enough that we'll turn a blind eye in exchange for some info every now and then."

"I see…"

The two then entered the storefront. A sharp ding-a-ling filled the air as the bell hovering over the doorjamb announced their presence. A cry of 'one moment!' came from the back room, which was soon followed by a thin, wiry man with a bad French accent.

"Ah, Chaud, you've returned… I'm sure that you'll find your visit profitable." The seedy business man smiled.

"That depends…" The dual-haired Net Op dropped his arm onto a nearby display. "on what you're selling."

Although it appeared casual, the move was carefully calculated to put the informant on edge, for the display Chaud was resting on happened to be full of microprocessors… microprocessors that were conveniently missing their serial numbers. The motion also gave the youth's words a dangerous double meaning.

"Oh, my information is top quality." The wiry man boasted. "Top… quality…"

"I'm listening."

"I have turned up a name for your mysterious hackers." Jacques smirked. "Dark Aria."

Chaud couldn't help himself, he quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"Dark… Aria?" Annetta repeated as if to get a handle on the name.

"Yes. Dark Aria. They've also recruited one Nack-"

"We're aware of that." The Net Saver interjected. The dual-haired Op then turned his attention towards the microprocessors. "I hope this isn't all that you have…"

Jacques' face initially fell, but the wiry snitch almost immediately brightened.

"If you know that Nack works for Aria… well, Nack's been putting feelers out into the UnderNet. He wants information on Bass."

"Bass?" Annetta echoed anew. "What would Nack want to do with Bass?"

"That, I don't know." Jacques admitted.

"But what I do know is that you haven't given me much- at least nothing of substance. A name can't be verified, neither can the fact that Nack's looking for Bass." Chaud remarked. There was a sense of gravity in his voice along with a hard edge that meant he was deadly serious.

Jacques fell silent. His trump card, Nack Fang, had been removed, and with it the bombshell he had planned to satisfy the Net Saver with.

"Weeeeell…" The snitch's French accent faded away into an Ameroupian drawl. "There is… one other thing…"

Chaud titled his head and eyeballed the shop owner. After a second, the wiry man caved and continued on with his explanation.

"… They put a contract out. You can verify this one with any UnderNet thug. They're offering cold, hard cash to anyone who has fought you or your companions. One hundred for anyone who has bested ProtoMan, three hundred for anyone who has gone a round with Mega Man and lived, and for Bass… a whopping one million." Jacques paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "And what's more, I know some who have tried to… how you say… 'take' Black Aria for a 'ride'… they've never returned."

"Deleted?" Chaud guessed.

"No one knows… they never found any remains." The phony Frenchman announced.

```````````````````````````````````````

The doorbell rang out.

Alicia Cain responded by cracking the door to her house and peering through the newly created narrow space. After realizing who her visitors were, the woman pulled the door opened and allowed Lan and Maylu to enter the house.

"You're… Maylu, right?" Alicia greeted the redhead. She then turned to Lan and donned a puzzled expression. "And…you're… forgive me, I don't think that we've met."

"I'm Lan Hikari." The youth offered his hand.

"Hikari?" Alicia repeated the name in surprise. "By any chance are you related to…?"

"Both of them. One was my grandfather and the other's my dad." The Net Op nodded.

"Astounding, well then, welcome to my humble abode."

The 'humble abode' was actually a furnished apartment. The off-white furniture consisted of a sofa and two chairs that were arraigned before a kitchenette. The pale blue walls contrasted sharply with the furniture and indicated that whoever had assembled the room had no taste, or wasn't around enough to care that the colors were an eyesore.

"Ms. Cain." The redhead began. "I'm sorry about Melody… and we're trying hard to get her back."

"I know you are."

"We're just need to ask a few questions. We're trying to get inside Dos' mind and we're hoping that you can help." Lan said.

Alicia sighed and moved away from the two Net Ops. The woman then shook her head as she sank down onto the glaring white sofa.

"I'll try, but you have to remember, Dos and I haven't exchanged a civil word in years. I don't know him nearly as well as I did a decade ago… if I ever really knew him at all."

The brunet shot a look at the redhead, indicating that she should take the lead. Maylu was closer to the situation than Lan was, and as such would have a better idea of what they were dealing with.

"Chaud managed to have a brief encounter with Dr. Makoto." The red-haired Net Op began. "And he said something that's been bothering us about his motives. He said that the lives of thousands depended on what he's doing."

In spite of herself, the scientist chuckled.

"That's Dos, alright. He always had delusions of grandeur like those. Back in college he was convinced he was going to become the next Einstein- that he was going to create breakthroughs that could change the face of the world. He had huge goals, and was dead-sure that they would get carried out… but his first year in the field changed that. Dos was good, yes, but he wasn't stellar. After banging his head away at R&D for a year he realized that he wasn't all that he was cracked up to be… I thought that he'd mellowed after that… Maybe he's finally starting to believe that again."

"Is it possible that he's right?" Lan's words came out of the blue. "That he really does have something this important?"

"Anything is possible." Alicia replied. "You of all people should know that. But as towards it being likely… I don't know. I would tend to doubt it, but that doesn't mean that it can't be so."

Maylu paused for a moment before continuing.

"If Dr. Makoto had to go to ground, do you know where he might go to hide out?"

Again, Alicia shook her head.

"I wouldn't have any idea. I don't think he'd go overseas; his whole life has revolved around Den Tech. He received his first patent here, marketed his research here… it would take something drastic to force him to move."

"Out of curiosity…" The brunet Net Op entered the conversation again. "You're acting like you've known Dos Makoto for a long time, how long have you two known each other?"

"We were… thirteen... fourteen… fifteen. We met when we were fifteen at a regional science tournament." Alicia smiled grimly. "We were assigned to the same team, before that we'd never even noticed each other. We spent quite a bit of time together because of the tournament… and afterwards… well… one thing just led to another.

"We went to the university, married about a year and a half before graduation- big mistake, by the way- and set out to change the world. Soon after that Melody was born… and I left…"

Lan nodded slowly.

Maylu picked up the questions again.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about Dos Makoto? Anything that could help us find him?"

Alicia paused for a moment, and her eyes lost their focus as she peered back into her memory. After a few minutes of delving, the scientist came up with one small comment.

"Dos has always been fascinated by the Theory of Ultimate- the harebrained idea that a program can be written that is so superior to all other code that it can actually integrate and adapt the computer or Navi using it. I believe, in its own small way, that the Navi Booster he developed was his first attempt at developing an Ultimate Program… if Dos has gone back to believing that he can change the world, it's possible that he's trying to create such a program."

Lan and Maylu exchanged a quick, worried look.

`````````````````````````

"Here're those reports you wanted."

Vanessa poked her head out from behind the mountain of data and reports that served to veil her and her desk from the rest of the world. The green Net Navi nodded a quick thanks, then snatched the report from the Mr. Prog and resumed her work.

The brown-haired Net Navi shook her head as she scanned over the document. Dos had been clever enough to cause a fair bit of mayhem on the HQ servers before doing whatever it was he had come to do. Data and information had been removed from the server seemingly at random, as if to mask whatever it was that the scientist was after.

The brunette dropped the paper onto her desk (where it quickly sank out of sight) and then sat back. Vanessa absentmindedly began rubbing the bridge of her nose as she began fitting the pieces of the puzzle together. With so much data gone, it would be well nigh to impossible to narrow down what Dos was really after- especially if it no longer existed. If Chaud hadn't been fooled by that misdirection and stopped the computer one minute sooner then-

The forensic Navi started as the solution presented itself to her.

Misdirection.

She was thinking about this backwards.

The Navi began tearing into the mound of paperwork, trying to find the HQ report. If her hunch was right…

`````````````````````````
"This is Chaud." The dual-haired Net Op spoke into his wristwatch PET Generation.

"Hiya, Tracy." Vannessa's voice came over the telephone wire in response to the greeting. "Got your flying platform ready?"

"Not really, no." The Net Saver deadpanned. He had worked with the forensic Net Navi enough to know that when Vanessa got 'high' like this, she was drunk on the thrill of outwitting someone or making a breakthrough. As a result, he wasn't put off balance by her bizarre behaviour. "What have you got for us, Vanessa?"

The forensic Navi sighed in good nature, and made her reply.

"The usual. I finished running diagnostics on the SciLab network. You're not going to like this but Dos ransacked half the system and then uploaded just about everything that we had on Bass to his own private Network. I'm still trying to trace it."

Chaud shot a glance at Annetta. It was the kind that said, "Why am I not surprised?"

"That ties in with some things we've learned. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I really think you're going to like this." There was a self-satisfied smug among the green and gray forensic Navi's words. "I pulled Dos and Nack's financial records. Some Zen was transferred out of Dos' account and into Nack's. That money was then turned around and used as to pay off a large garage at Store-Haul… What's more, is that I did some legwork, NAXA satellites have recorded an interesting spike in energy levels in that area. I'll bet my entire retirement fund that Nack's storing our missing DA Generators there!"

A surge shot through Chaud's, causing his heartbeat to quicken. All of a sudden a brick wall had revealed a chink in it's foundation… and it just might be the chink that they needed to exploit in order to bring the entire structure down. For the first time since this mess had begun, they were making a move instead of reacting to their opponent's strategies.

"No bet, 'Nessa. Get Lan on the phone and tell him to meet me at Store-Haul, we might have just found the lead we're looking for!"

"Whatever you say, 'Aud."

```````````````````````````````````````

A quick meeting and four hastily called in favors later, and Chaud, Lan, Maylu and Annetta had succeeded in receiving clearance to act and in convincing the self-storage facility's proprietor, Tanner (Tan) Jones, to open up the garage for them. The store owner was a barrel-chested man of later years, who's silver-lined hair contrasted sharply with his worn green eyes.

He was also more than happy to help the Net Savers, especially when they'd introduced themselves as such.

"I wondered about this." The man cheerfully admitted as he joined the quartet of Net Ops beside the garage in question. "It's not often that folks like your Nack guy leave anything like that in these sheds or comes round the middle of the night. When the night guards reported it to me I brushed it off at first, didn't want to make waves, but the more I thought about it the stranger it seemed."

"That's why we're here." Lan commented for the sake of keeping their host agreeable. "To check it out for you."

"And I'm glad. I run an honest business around here, nothing shady or illegal-like. If someone's using my rental space for no-good, I want it stopped." Tan shoved his key into the garage door's lock and began fiddling with it.

The Net Savers endured a few more lines of inane chatter before the lock gave way to Tanner's twisting fingers. As the hasp came clear of it's catch, the owner bent over double, grabbed the door and forced it skyward. The retracting mechanism then caught onto the change of events and began to automatically open the door.

"O' course, I watched him load all this stuff in here. It just seemed like the… usual…" Tanner stopped in mid-sentence.

The storage garage was filled just like any other shed would have been. Unneeded furniture: tables, chairs, chests and trunks littered the room and were stacked to the ceiling in some cases. However, even the odds and ends scattered about the storage facility couldn't hide the four cylindrical tubes resting against the far wall- one of which had a gaping hole in it's otherwise smooth surface.

Maylu gasped: this was it!

"I don't believe it… what are those things?" Tanner queried the others.

"Trouble, that's what they are." Lan forced a spare couch aside so that he could enter the garage door. The youth then surveyed the devices, then shook his head in disbelief. "And they were hiding where no one would look for them… But at least we've get them now."

"Right…" Chaud thumbed a button on his PET Generation. The Op then placed a call through to the Net Savers and requested a team to come and retrieve the 'stolen' devices.

The dual-haired Net Op then finished his call and stepped closer to the devices. Chaud's gaze flicked across the tubes for an instant, then the youth pulled back and began to survey the rest of the area. Examining all of the junk scatted throughout the garage would take some time, but it was doable. Hopefully, whoever had moved all this into the room had been sloppy enough to leave a clue or two…

Annetta moved closer to the DA Generators. The redhead's eyes danced over the devices as she felt guilt eat at her again. She'd been played for a fool, and had made an innocent person suffer because of it. If she didn't learn to stop reacting emotionally to everything, then she'd just keep making the same mistake over and over again.

Lan turned Tanner and posed a question.

"When was the last time that anyone used this shed?"

"Weeeell… They leased the building at the start of the month… hang on…" The man produced a Progress PET and began poking at his device. After a few seconds, the owner had an answer. "Last night, actually. The security system logged it being opened around eleven and then locked down again after midnight."

"So someone was inside for an hour?"

"That's what it looks like."

"So they dumped the devices here last night." Chaud muttered under his breath. "Talk about busy, they turned around and hit the HQ this morning…"

Annetta was barely paying attention to the discussion. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and so absorbing that they almost had her entire focus. It was fortunate, then, that what little of the redhead's mind was aware of the rest of the world was nagging at her that something was wrong. Eventually, the girl started to pay head to the nagging voice, and forsook her thoughts of guilt altogether.

It was then that Annetta started with realization.

"Quiet!" The redhead whirled about and hurled the order at everyone present.

The command stunned the others into obeying, and a deathly silence settled over the group. The entire ensemble stood that way for a long second. Then Lan broke the silence.

"Uh… what's wrong?"

"Shush!" Annetta ignored the question. "Listen…"

Again, everyone fell quiet and began straining to detect the faintest of noises.

"Back here…" Annetta forced a box aside, and then moved a small cupboard from its place on the floor so that it was resting on top of a nearby table. The girl continued moving junk aside, forming a makeshift path towards the back wall.

Maylu, Chaud and Lan exchanged a bewildered look.

"Right… here…" Annetta pushed a small chair aside to reveal a large rectangular trunk resting beneath several other boxes. It was then that the others realized what had seized the girl's attention.

A small, weak thump was resonating from the trunk at regular intervals.

Annetta dropped to her knees and rapped on the side of the rectangular chest.

Two quick thumps replied to her move.

The redhead snapped about to face her companions. "Someone's in there!"

Lan and Chaud were already in motion. Within half of a second, the two were hefting the pile of debris and boxes off of the trunk and tossing it aside. Quickly the trunk was cleared off and all obstacles were removed.

The smashing and thumping of the box increased in urgency.

Maylu darted forward as soon as the path was clear. The red-haired Net Op clawed at the trunk's lock, spun the clasp, pulled the stopper and snapped the lock open. Lan gripped the edges of the chest's lid and shoved with everything that he had. The lid came flying open, to reveal a haggard and tear-stained-

"Melody!"

The brunette was lying flat on her back inside of the trunk. The girl's wrists had been bound before her with multiple bands of gray tape, while another strip served as a makeshift gag. It was also obvious that the girl was past being hysterical for she was thrashing about and screaming into her gag like a possessed woman.

"Hang on!" Chaud took Lan's place before the chest. The Op's hand flashed out, ripping the tape from the captive girl's mouth.

Fragmented words fought rasping gasps for supremacy as Melody dissolved into a maze of tears. The girl was scared out of her mind, and not making much sense.

The dual-haired Net Op dropped to one knee, lifted Melody free of her prison, and began escorting her towards the garage entrance. Melody just dissolved into the Op's shoulder and began staining the boy's clothing with tears.

Lan and Maylu watched the two go, and took a deep breathe to compose themselves.

"I'm telling you, Maylu; Dos has gone too far." Anger laced the brunet's voice. "It's one thing to be gunning for me and Mega Man; we're used to it. But for him to do something like that to his own daughter… that's something I can't get past. Whatever it takes, I'm going to bring him down."

End
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Elementalman.EXE · Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:58 am Post subject:

NO I'VE BEEN KEEPING UP IN THIS READING, I DIDN'T FALL BEHIND IN IT. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? >.>

Oh well, you should understand why I might be distracted from reading....*Realizes Updates predate That* ... *cough*

Anyway, melodrama aside, Sorry for not keeping up with this. I was never the best at full blown reviews, so I'll just point out some nitpicks, that have no meaning to the story itself.