Solder (AA, R) [G]

[TheWebbuilder]

[Midnight]

Fascinating.

Well, it appears that the story has reached a secondary denouement, with the primary one to come right after the climax of the tale. I'm surprised you decided to have Anetta find another critical piece of the case, but then again, I suppose it was just to get her into a state of redemption.

It's moving along at a good pace, and I'm eagerly awaiting how the story will finish up. 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]

A.N.: Yeesh, this chapter was a pain in the neck to write. x_x; But it's the third-to-last chapter, so without further ado... *dives into fallout shelter*

Begin

"Mr. Famous! Dimensional Area!"

"It's just Famous!"

Despite the scientist's grumbling, a band of white energy materialized in the air above the brown-haired Net Op. Lan cast his gaze skyward as a familiar, oddly-hued, honey-combed dome formed in the air around the shelter. When the SciLab-generated Dimensional Area was complete, the Net Saver looked back into his PET and sounded an all-clear.

In response to the Op's pronouncement, there was a rush of air- a whirl of data, and then Vanessa materialized alongside the brown-haired youth.

"So… this is the place, huh?" The brown and black Net Navi mused aloud.

"Yeah, this is where Nack stored the DA generators. We're hoping that he left some clues or something behind." Lan responded.

The Net Op then blinked as he made a realization. It wasn't earth shattering in it's importance, but it was an interesting observation nonetheless.

Vanessa noted that the brunet was studying her, and so she quirked an eyebrow quizzically.

Lan coughed nervously as he realized that he was staring.

"What?"

"Well… it's just…" The Net Saver hesitated for a moment before replying. "Every time we see you you've got a different color scheme."

The forensic Net Navi unleashed a laugh that sounded more like a bark as if she were amused at the Net Op's comments- which she probably was. Her laughter died out quickly, though, and the Navi quickly sobered.

"It just goes to show you how much you miss on a daily basis. I've been rotating my colors for months now, and you're the second person to ever notice that I was doing it." Vanessa sidestepped the question before really answering it. "But since you asked, rotating my colors is my own little way of rebelling against the system."

"Say what now?"

"Rebelling against the system."

Vanessa's normally cheerful voice took on a more subdued tone. All of a suddenly the usually perky Navi had devolved into a more moody version of herself.

"I'm a forensic Net Navi, created solely for the Net Savers." The now-brown Navi explained. "My entire existence revolves around cracking cases and examining evidence. I don't have a Net Op and I probably never will. As such, I don't really have much of a life…"

Lan frowned. He'd never considered this aspect of Net Society before.

Mega Man was equally flabbergasted. The cobalt Navi had tried to imagine life without Lan, and he wasn't sure that he liked the glimpse he had of such a situation.

"So, I buck policy and dress code by alternating my colors. Stupid, maybe, but it means something to me." Vanessa's tone picked up as she returned to her normal cheery self.

"I'm… sorry… I never even thought about…"

"No worries, putting slime like Dos Makoto away is enough of a reward for me." The forensic Navi shrugged. She then whirled about and began tearing into the warehouse. "So, let me get down to business! If Nack left even a hair behind, I'll find it."

Lan watched the Navi move away and begin to examine the furniture and begin logging everything she found into a data file. The brunet then shuddered and turned to join his other companions. Chaud, Maylu and Annetta were busy trying to comfort a distraught Melody- who had just finished getting checked out by a pair of Medics.

Melody was curled up inside Chaud's sedan. The brown-haired girl was sipping some kind of liquid from a mug and looking extremely lost.

The Net Saver finally arrived within earshot of the conversation.

"I know that this is hard for you," Chaud was saying. "and I don't want to push you if you don't want to talk about it. But did you hear or see anything that could help us find Dos?"

The brown-haired girl shuddered for a moment and then answered.

"I didn't really see much of anything… CrashMan… he… did something and I guess I was taken with him when he logged out… It… hurt so much… I couldn't see anything… I couldn't breath… I couldn't even scream because of the pain…"

Lan and Maylu exchanged a sharp look.

"… then it was over and I wound up in some strange lab…" Melody continued her narrative. "… There was so much going on… computers were everywhere… along with wires and beakers and… stuff… My fusion with Rhythm shattered… I was thrown up against the back wall… and that's when dad entered…

"He… took Rhythm… took my PET… and then began lecturing me… He said that he'd lost his wife because of science and now science wasn't going to give him a chance to do what needed to be done… So… he… uh… he said that he wouldn't allow me to leave him too…

"We spent the rest of the afternoon in that lab. Dad kept going on and on about how he was going to save humanity from itself… then… when his back was turned… I couldn't take it anymore. I ran for the closest door, but he caught me before I could escape…

"He said that he'd have to punish me for trying to disobey him…" Melody's face darkened. The brown-haired girl's gaze dropped down to the floorboards of the car as she continued. She couldn't bear to look at anyone at this point. "So… he… he hit a key on his computer… and… Rhythm she… appeared in… that… that… test-tube thing… Dad said that… that I'd have to suffer for disobeying…"

The trio of Net Ops exchanged a long look. They really didn't like the direction that this was going.

ProtoMan, Mega Man and Roll were equally speechless.

"Then he…" Melody broke down. Tears began raining from the brown-haired girl's eyes as her fingers curled into fists. The girl's mug tumbled from her grasp and crashed into the pavement where it rebounded off under the sedan.

"He deleted her."

ProtoMan exploded out of his PET and into his holographic form before he even realized what was happening. The miniature Red Raider crashed into Melody's knee and stared up into the girl's brown eyes. A quiver was running over the swordsman's limbs, and ProtoMan was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control that tremor of fear much longer.

"You… you're sure…?" ProtoMan's voice contained an uncharacteristic hesitation. "There's… no way she… he could have tricked you?"

Tears came anew as Melody slowly shook her head.

"No… I saw it happen… I… I heard her scream…"

ProtoMan's world fell apart as he drowned in the midst of swirling anguish.

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

There was a 'swoosh-hiss' as the SciLab door retracted and then hissed shut once again. The motion permitted Lan Hikari and Mega Man to enter their father's lab. The brunet Net Op stepped into the room and approached his father.

"Got a moment, Dad?"

"Sure… hang on just a moment…" The older Hikari paused to key a few commands into the nearest keyboard. Once his task was complete, the scientist turned and gave his full attention to his son. "There… what's on your mind?"

"It's Dos… well… all the Makotos, really." Lan frowned as his mind revisited all of the facts he'd learned lately.

Dr. Hikari nodded, but waited for the boy to continue.

"I just… don't get it. Maylu's been filling me in on the entire situation, and it doesn't make much sense to me. I guess that Melody's mother abandoned her and divorced Dos Makoto about a decade ago… Dos took care of Melody for all those years… then Alicia Cain shows up and asks to get to know Melody and Dos goes haywire. He starts making this elaborate plan to do something involving the Ultimate Programs, kidnaps and tortures Melody, tries to destroy Alicia, deletes Rhythm, and does who knows what else. How does a family get that messed up? I can understand Regal or Gauss going bananas… but…"

Dr. Hikari leaned against a bank of consoles and took a deep breath before replying.

"We may never know for sure, Lan. The human mind is a fragile thing… it's like this old microchip." The scientist paused to pick up, and then display a small silicon device that had passed it's prime years ago. "This chip is basically soldered together, and it's only as strong as those soldered bonds. If you subject it to more force than the solder can handle, it snaps in two.

"Just like this chip can only handle so much stress before it snaps, so it is with the human mind. Anger, if not dealt with, turns into rage, and from rage it goes to hatred. If your emotions aren't vented or dealt with, then they can ruin you. If I had to guess, I'd say that Dos never really dealt with the feelings he suffered over Alicia's divorce… and so for ten years it festered inside of him and started adding stress…"

The scientist began applying pressure to the microchip resting in between his fingers.

"When Alicia came back and asked for forgiveness, it was just too much for him. His hatred finally overwhelmed his mind, and…"

The microchip exploded into three pieces as the pressure of Yuu's fingers proved too much for it.

"… he snapped."

"You mean all this came about just because of his anger?" Lan raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Uncontrolled anger. It's like taking a soda can and shaking it for ten years. All that pressure and force just swirls around inside of the can until it finally explodes. If you don't take care of yourself emotionally, then those emotions will just swirl around inside you until they force their way out and make you do things you'd never dreamed yourself capable of. A person's mind is only as strong as a drop of solder, it's your job to make sure that you don't put more stress on it than it can bear.

"Still…" Dr. Hikari shook his head. "… it's sad that a man like Doppler succumbed to it. I didn't know him personally, but I'd read a paper or two of his. The man was smart… not brilliant, but smart… we lost a good man when he snapped."

"And he knows just enough to be dangerous." The Net Saver observed. "We've got to stop him before he gets any worse..."

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

"Melody!"

"Ms. Cain." Chaud stepped out into the hallway, allowed the door to slide shut behind him, and fixed the aforementioned woman with a cold gaze. "Now isn't the time."

"What do you mean? Of course this is the time! She's just been rescued from who-knows-what and you want me to sit here and leave her alone?!" Alicia Cain returned the Net Op's glare. For a split second, it looked like she was going to charge right over Chaud and march into the Net Saver's infirmary, but immediately afterward the woman took a step back.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." The dual-haired Net Op replied. "Melody's been through a lot; we've finally got her to the point that she can sleep... Now isn't the time for you to go barging in there, wake her and stir things up again."

A pained look passed over the woman's face.

"Can I… at least see her?"

Chaud studied the scientist for any hidden motives. After a long pause, he nodded and pushed the doorway open.

Alicia stepped over to the threshold and peered into the room.

A minute passed.

Alicia stepped back and nodded her satisfaction.

Chaud closed the door.

"I'm glad she survived… that's enough. I didn't know if…"

"Didn't know if what?"

"I heard some Net Savers talking." Alicia explained her statement. "And when I heard all that she'd been through… I didn't know how well she'd have come through it… but at least she's alright."

"Maybe." The dual-haired Net Saver shook his head. "She survived, yes, but… that doesn't mean that she's 'alright'."

The Net Saver then turned and walked off down the hallway, attempting to leave the woman to her own devices. He succeeded. Chaud continued to walk down the hallway until he reached the end of the corridor. From there, he turned, exited and emerged onto a long balcony that swept around the face of the building.

Chaud propped his arms onto the balcony railing and sighed.

"ProtoMan… are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Chaud." The Raider's voice responded immediately.

The dual-haired Net Saver frowned. Anyone else might have been fooled, but the hollowness in the Raider's voice stood out like a beacon to him.

Chaud was almost at a complete loss for words. But for once, he did know exactly what to say. In truth, there could only be one thing to say for these words had been his anchor when he needed something to hold onto. It was only fitting that Chaud pass them onto his grieving Net Navi.

"ProtoMan… no matter what happens, I'll be there for you. Forever."

There was a moment of silence; then the Navi responded.

"I seem to recall saying those words to you once."

"And I mean them just as much as you did." The Net Saver answered. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Another moment of silence.

"There is… one thing…"

"Just name it."

"If it comes down to it..." A hard edge entered the Red Raider's voice- a bitter edge that unnerved Chaud slightly.  "… don't allow me to Cross Fuse when we confront Makoto… I might… make a rash decision…"

"You wouldn't… I'd be there to pull you back."

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

Maylu's PET lit up, indicating that she had an incoming call.

The girl raised her Generation and thumbed a button. In response, her PET registered the fact that she wished to accept the call and finalized the connection.

To no one's surprise, Vanessa was on the other end of the conversation. A holographic window opened to display the Solo Net Navi.

"Hi, Maylu." Vanessa nodded gravely. "How's life?"

"Frustrating…" The girl admitted. "Everyone's on edge over Dos… we really want to shut him down."

"That's why I called. I think we've finally found the break we need to wrap this case up."

"Really? What'd you find?"

Vanessa grinned. It was moments like these that gave her life a meaning, a purpose, and she was determined to enjoy it for as long as she possibly could. In her mind, if that meant dragging out an explanation, then so be it.

"Amongst other things…" The holographic screen split down the center. One side of the display still showed Vanessa, but the other half of the screen showed a broken glass bottle. "An empty wine bottle."

Maylu quirked an eyebrow.

"Bear with me here. This particular wine bottle is labeled as Chortell Stock; now I checked, and Chortell only has one branch in Den Tech."

The picture of the wine bottle blinked out and was immediately replaced with a map of the area. A small red light began blinking over a specific street to indicate the area that the forensic Net Navi was talking about.

"And it's located there. 34th and Rand." The Net Navi's grin grew broader. "And as you can see, it's a little out there. In fact, it's remote location made me wonder what good our good ol' alcoholic Nack would be doing that far out in the 'burbs. So I checked his records a little closer. As it turns out, Mr. Fang used to be on the payroll of one Darsha Inc…"

The Net Op's eyes widened in surprise.

"... before he turned in his resignation and left; it came out of the blue. There's no data on why he resigned and it's not noted on his records. But anyway, Darsha Inc. just so happens to own an abandoned underground testing bunker right about… here."

Another red light winked into existence over the holographic map.

"You don't mean-" Maylu's gasp killed her sentence.

"That's right. It's exactly four miles from Chortell Wines and Chortell's just so happens to be on the route you'd take to get from the Bunker to Den Tech. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that there's something hidden down there in that bunker… quite possibly one Dos Makoto."

"This could be it… Nack could have lifted the security codes for that bunker right before he left. It would make the perfect hiding place for Dos…"

"The place hasn't been used in over a year, so it would make sense. Granted, we don't have much proof, and this is quite a stretch, but Darsha's showing up way too often for my liking, so my sixth sense is screaming at me that there's something there. I'll try to dig up some more info on Darsha Inc. You grab Lan and Chaud and then high-tail it down to that bunker and see what you can find." Vanessa finished her presentation.

"Right!" Maylu closed the connection and then began dialing Lan Hikari's number.

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

"You sure that Chaud's here?" Maylu asked.

"No, but he's got to be around here somewhere."

Lan bolted up the front steps to the Net Saver's HQ building. The brown-haired Net Op tore open the front door and shot inside.

Maylu was right on the Op's heels.

"Maybe he's still hovering outside Melody's room?" The red-haired girl suggested.

"Good idea, let's shoot by there first."

As one, the two Net Savers raced into the stairwell and pounded their way up the steps- taking most of them two at a time. It didn't take the Ops long to arrive at the appropriate floor and to duck into the connecting hallway.

An angry shout from one of the desk jockey's forced Lan and Maylu to slow their mad dash into a hasty walk. Nevertheless, the two continued on until they arrived at Melody Makoto's room. Lan gripped the girl's doorknob in his hand and twisted it sharply.

The latch retracted with a sharp 'ka-clatch' and the door moved aside in response.

"Chaud?" Maylu stepped into the room and glanced around.

The two Net Savers were taken aback as a frenzied blur of motion twisted about and congealed into the form of Alicia Cain. The woman had been bent over a sleeping Melody.

Suspicion filled the scientist's eyes for a half-second, and then promptly faded away.

"Sorry… I thought you were someone else." Alicia Cain visibly relaxed. "… I… uh… I'm not supposed to be here… At least, that's what Chaud told me…"

"You aren't?" Lan was put completely off balance by this unexpected turn of events; the Net Op was scrambling to understand the situation.

"I think they wanted Melody left alone so that she could sleep." Maylu hissed in an effort to explain things.

"Oh." The brunet nodded slowly before addressing the scientist again. "Well… don't worry… it doesn't look like any harm's been done. But if Chaud thinks you should keep your distance, then it's probably a good idea."

Alicia sighed before replying.

"I know… I just had to know that she was alright. I wouldn't be satisfied unless I'd been able to check for myself."

"Well… uh…" Lan fumbled for a moment before continuing. "We were just looking for Chaud. We've got a lead on Dos and we need his help."

The woman raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn't press for details.

"The last time I saw him he was heading for the balcony."

"O.K… thanks." Maylu nodded her appreciation.

The two Net Savers retreated out of the room. They then turned and moved off towards the patio area.

"Strange… I wonder how a woman like that could ever leave her family." The brown-haired Net Op shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Very little about the Makoto's does make sense." Maylu commented. "I just hope we can unravel some of this once we catch up to Dos."

By this point, the two had arrived at the patio exit. Again, Lan twisted the lock and swung the door open. As fate would have it, this time they were successful at locating the proper person.

Chaud remained braced against the balcony support and glanced over his shoulder at the newcomers.

"We've got a lead." The brunet spoke up. "Vanessa thinks that she's tracked down Dos' headquarters."

"We'll explain on the way. But you might want to check your PET, we've been trying to call you for the past half-hour with no response." Maylu finished their temporary explanation.

The dual-haired Net Op glanced down at his PET Generation and groaned as he realized that the mute switch had been bumped. Neither he nor his Net Navi had noticed.

Chaud unmuted his device and then turned to his companions.

"I'll call Annetta so that someone's keeping an eye on Melody, and then let's roll."

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

An hour and a half passed.

Chaud's sedan smoothly slid to a stop and deposited three different Net Savers. Chaud, Maylu and Lan emerged from the confines of the vehicle and stepped out to look the area over.

They were standing in a fairly deserted section of Den Tech, with nothing but the oddball building dotting the landscape every so often. The place was so far out of the way that it couldn't even boast one of Den Tech's perpetual sidewalks. A drab gray building rested before the trio that sported a single door and a placard that proudly proclaimed that all trespassers would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and that experiments were taking place that could injure trespassers and Darsha would not be responsible for their actions.

As Chaud moved to the structure's doorway, a sharp ringing began to issue from his PET. The dual-haired Net Op raised his PET, realized that he had an incoming phone call; then accepted the transmission.

Annetta's concerned face filled the PET's screen.

"Chaud!" The girl's voice almost cracked as she spoke the word. "Chaud, Melody's gone!"

"What!?" Instantly Lan and Maylu were crowding over their friend's shoulder. Of all the news that they had expected, this wasn't it; they were eager to learn more.

"I arrived a few minutes ago, and when I went to check on her… she wasn't there! The place is in an uproar, all the staff's going crazy and nobody seems to have seen her leave… it's just… weird…"

"NO ONE saw her go?" Chaud expressed his disbelief.

"At least no one remembers it." Annetta amended her previous statement. "The Net Savers are going crazy trying to find out what happened… I've got no idea what's going on or what to do!"

"O.K., calm down." The dual-haired Net Op barked into the connection. "Melody couldn't have gone too after we left... If the Net Savers set up a drag net they should pick her up fairly quickly."

"That's assuming that she left on her own- But if someone came back and took her…"

Chaud was left without an answer.

"Hang in there, Annetta." Lan spoke up to prevent any silence from entering the conversation. "Hopefully we'll find Dos here before long and that'll put a stop to everything. The Net Savers should be able to handle things until then."

"O… O.k. I'll let you know if I hear anything else."

"Sounds good. We'll be in touch." Chaud closed the connection and then cast a quick glance at his companions. "What do you think?"

"It's not going to do us any good to turn back now." Lan gave voice to his thoughts. "Vanessa's sure that Dos is somewhere around here; if we can catch him we can shut this whole thing down once and for all."

"Dos probably had something to do with her disappearance."  Maylu agreed. "We can get answers out of him if he's down there."

"Alright… then we'll proceed."

Chaud tested the building's doorknob. He found it locked.

The dual-haired Net Op quickly jacked ProtoMan into the network. The Red Raider was more than happy to vent his grief on the lock program. The scarlet Navi's savage dispatch of the system prompted some concern to arise in his friends. It was unsettling to see the normally reserved ProtoMan giving place to his anger.

The dual-haired Net Saver took point, and entered the shed with Lan following and Maylu behind him. The Net Ops discovered themselves in a wide staircase that descended into the depths of the earth at a sharp angle. This didn't hold any surprise for the Net Savers, but the fact that the fluorescent lights overhead were lit did.

Lan glanced about suspiciously and then asked a question.

"How long did Vanessa say that this place had been abandoned?"

"Uh… about a year and a half?" Maylu guessed.

"Then what's with the footprints?" The brown-haired youth pointed at the floor. True to his words, crystal clear footprints could be seen in the dust that lined the steps.

"They're fresh, and there's a lot of them." Chaud noted. "Someone's been busy down here."

"Yeah… which means that we're really onto something." Lan nodded.

"Alright, everyone stay close." The dual-haired Net Op continued his downward trudge.

Minute wore away beneath the feet of the Net Savers. The minutes gathered until five of them had passed, then did the Net Savers reach the bottom of the staircase.

And there they received the shock of their life.

"Melody?"

Chaud gasped the name as he stepped off of the stairs and onto a fair-sized landing. The room he found himself in was a wide expanse that served as an entryway to a larger portion of the bunker- but a sturdy steel door prevented the youth from seeing any more of the laboratory.

And standing in front of the closed door stood none other than the brown-haired, brown-eyed Melody Makoto.

"What are you doing here?" Lan gasped.

Maylu started to dart forward towards her friend, but was cut off as Melody raised a warning palm. The brunette stared down the length of her arm at the Net Savers, and her expression took on a blank stare. It was as if the girl was there in body, but not in mind.

"Melody?" Chaud repeated the girl's name. He was too unsure of the situation to do anything else.

"Mel?" Maylu took a step towards the girl. Concern filled the redhead's features as she slowly advanced towards her friend. "Are you O.K.?"

No response came from the brown-haired girl. Melody just continued to stare blankly at the trio of Net Savers.

"Melody, talk to us!" Lan shouted.

A sharp klatch filled the air. The lock on the steel doorway had turned, and the barrier to their progress had been removed. Slowly the doorway slid open, to reveal the object of their search.

"Well, I'd call that a success. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to suppress her will or memories… but those don't appear to be a factor anymore."

A collective gasp went up from the Net Savers. Lan, Maylu and Chaud all stared in stunned disbelief as everything that they thought they knew crumbled around them.

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

Vanessa bolted upright as she fit the last few pieces of the puzzle together. She finally knew exactly what was had been going on over the course of the past few days; but it was nothing at all like what she had expected.

"My stars…" Vanessa gasped as she looked over the screens of data. "How could I have been so blind? It was sitting right in front of us the whole time…"

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

Two hands emerged from the doorway and lovingly dropped down onto Melody Makoto's shoulders. In response, brown-haired girl suddenly became alive. The girl tenderly looked up as she placed her own hands over those on her shoulders. Affection filled the girl's face, affection that bordered on pure joy.

"It looks like I've succeeded at last… I finally have a daughter that I can call my own…"

Lan couldn't take it any more, he recoiled in horror.

Maylu tried to fight the feeling of dread that began knifing through her stomach. The entire situation was so surreal it threatened to sicken her.

Chaud's face took on an angry tone as the Op ground his teeth together. He was bitterly angry at being deceived, enraged over the scene playing out before him and sickened at how wrong he had been. For there, standing in the bunker's doorway, was not Dos Makoto as they had all expected…

But none other than Alicia Cain.

End!
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[Elementalman.EXE]

...eh, I don't know how to say this but, as soon as you had Alicia at the bedside, I knew it was her that was evil... though it could have been just me.

I found that purhaps you could have done with a little more description on Melody in her mindless state. I've found that to really get the message across, the description of the eyes is a God send.
_________________

Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

[TheWebbuilder]

Well, I was walking a fine line and I'm guess I fell off.

It's obvious now, but I was pulling a bait-and-switch the entire time. I was afraid that if I didn't include some form of foreshadowing then the potential plot ploy would have failed. Alicia had been acting very motherly; I was afraid that for her to go from that to insane (which she is) would have been too much of a stretch of the imagination.

But ah wells, I'll learn from it and move on. Thanks for bringing it up and I'll try to avoid spoiling it next time.

As towards Mel's eyes... well... I haven't fully explained that situation yet; and for me to go into detail would ruin it. But I suppose that I could have found some other form of explanation.
_________________

[TheWebbuilder]

"What have you done?" Chaud took a bold step forward and leveled his gaze at the scientist.
 
"What have I done?" Alicia stared straight at the Op and smirked. "I've done what no one else has dared to do, I've duplicated a human being."
 
"You… what?"
 
Lan felt his stomach drop to the level of his knees. The brown-haired Net Saver cast a quick look at Maylu, but her expression indicated that she was just as bewildered as he was.
 
"I've duplicated a human… Come, I'll show you…"
 
With that, Alicia Cain stepped backwards into the laboratory. The girl known as Melody fell into step with the woman and vanished through the portal. From their current vantage points, the trio of Net Savers could see Alicia leading Melody over to a bank of computer equipment, and then pause as if waiting for an audience.

The three exchanged a wary look, and then slowly entered the room.
 
Almost immediately, surprised dread filled the three Net Savers. For there, hidden behind the angle of the doorway, lay three furnished medical beds, two of which were busy supporting, and restraining, the limp and unconscious forms of Melody and Dos Makoto.
 
Lan was forced to perform a double-take. The Op cast his gaze from the medical bed bearing the familiar brunette girl to the person standing beside Alicia Cain. The brown-haired Net Op couldn't help himself, he stared in shocked surprise. The two were completely identical.
 
MegaMan exploded into his holographic existence, and he two gaped at the scene. ProtoMan was material seconds later, followed by Roll. Only the pink healer dared to give voice to her thoughts.
 
"There's… two of them…" Roll gasped.
 
Alicia nodded, glee filling her face.
 
"I told you, I've successfully duplicated a human being." The woman's grin broadened into a sadistic smile.
 
"But… how?" Chaud couldn't resist asking the question. As sickening as the idea was, he had to know. "Cloning?"
 
The woman huffed in distaste, and shook her head.
 
"Melody, why don't you show them?"
 
'Melody' stepped forward, her face taking on a tone of delight as she obeyed her 'mother'. The brown haired… creature… grinned as if she were a magician manipulating an audience. Then a blinding flash of light exploded from the girl and washed over everyone present. The trio of Net Savers were forced to avert their eyes from the intense glare, and when they looked again in the girl's direction, they were stunned to find themselves staring at the limp form of a Copyroid.
 
"Anyone who is moderately versed in genetics could tell you that, contrary to popular belief, cloning is not duplication." Alicia adopted the tone of a wizened professor lecturing the class dunce. "Cloning would give me a daughter based off of Melody's genetic blueprint, but it would not give me Melody… Data, on the other hand, does duplicate perfectly…"
 
Chaud raced ahead of the explanation as he worked to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. His blood froze as he realized what all Alicia Cain had done. It was abominable.
 
ProtoMan, likewise, was rapidly drawing to the same conclusions that his Net Op was. He too felt a bad taste invade his mouth over the solution. Everything they had worked on for the past few days was finally all out on the table, and despite his efforts to unravel the mystery, he couldn't help but wish that he hadn't been forced to.
 
"You used stolen SciLab technology to translate Melody and Dos Makoto into digital information." The Red Raider leveled his accusation at the scientist. "Then you duplicated the data and injected it into a Copyroid… probably after using the stolen AnalySystem to scan through their memories and personalities and tweak them to your liking."
 
Alicia nodded slowly, as if uninterested in the revelations being made. The woman turned her attention back to the Copyroid and issued a few words.
 
"That's enough, you can come back now."

In response, the Copyroid morphed into the form of Melody Makoto once again.

A click at the far end of the room drew the Net Op's attention, prompting the trio to look in that direction. To their moderate surprise, a duplicate Dos Makoto entered the room and studied the situation.
 
"Yes, it's true." Alicia braced her hands against the computer console, and then leaned back against the device. The woman studied the floor as she spoke, indicating that those present weren't worth her full attention. "The blackout and regeneration programs were nothing more than a smokescreen designed to throw you all of guard, along with the rumors about the Ultimate Programs. Dos wrote a paper on them back in college and I had halfway hoped that that pesky forensic Navi of yours would come across it- it would have been a most successful ruse.
 
"I'll admit that I allowed my anger against Dos to influence my decision about the AnalySystem. Rather than create my own, I opted to attack him and gain a system that way. Sadly, I had little to do with Darsha Inc. you wasted your time there on your own.

"Of course, I staged my near murder to continue to throw you off the track and to acquire Melody. Dos was easy enough to kidnap thanks to the dearly departed Nack Fang… my only regret is that I put up with him for so long… his roving hands were very annoying."
 
"Wait… you mean… you killed him?" Maylu tried to untie the knot that had formed in her stomach.
 
Alicia nodded.
 
"But of course, he had served his purpose and I had what I wanted. Keeping him around was foolish and pointless… but I digress, where I was I?
 
"Oh, yes… What you don't know is that Dos and I originally built the components used to translate physical objects into data back in the day when it was still a SciLab sanctioned project. Sadly, we never got beyond the basics, necessitating that I should stage a few more raids to gain the information I needed. I was successful, and then used that knowledge to produce my daughter."
 
At the mention of that term, 'Melody' turned and smiled at her creator.
 
"After… as ProtoMan so aptly put it, 'tweaking their memories and personalities'." The scientist finished. "They're much more devoted to me than they had been in the past."
 
Lan couldn't take it anymore. The Op allowed himself to give voice to the thoughts and emotions that were swirling about his head.
 
"You can't be serious!" The brunet snapped, anger flooding his voice. "You haven't created a daughter, a husband or a family! All you've done is create a bunch of puppets that you have parade around you like you really care!"

"That's enough!" The creature who duplicated Dos thrust his arm out and aimed an accusing finger at the boy. "Nobody raises their voice to my wife. If you can't be civil, then I'll escort you out of here."
 
"They don't even know what's going on!" Lan completely ignored the threat and pressed on.
 
Alicia didn't even bat an eyelash as she responded.

"Oh, but they do… selectively. They'll automatically block out anything that pertains to them being copies of other human beings, it wouldn't do for them to know the truth. They can't even see the originals lying over there in the corner, but outside of that they know full well their station and life. Everything that Melody and Dos have every thought or known is in their heads, they can walk out of here and live a full life as Dos and Melody and no one would know the difference… the past day or so proved that."
 
"That was a duplicate!" Chaud felt anger ignite in his stomach as he realized that he'd been played. "You allowed us to rescue this… this abomination… and passed her off as Melody!"
 
"I had to know how well the duplication process had worked." The scientist nodded. "And as you can see, it worked well enough to fool her closest friends."
 
"You're a monster." The dual-haired Op said simply.
 
"I'm a genius!' Alicia thundered, a mask of hatred appearing on her face. "I've succeeded in doing what mankind has only dreamed of! I created life! I brought my daughter and my husband back to me, I have a family that loves and cares for me! Rather than accusing me, you should be bowing to my brilliance of accomplishing what has only been dreamed of. I've worked my entire life on this project, I've been swept under the rug, forgotten about, ignored, but I've done more than anyone else!"
 
The three Net Ops exchanged a quick look and arrived at a unanimous decision.

"We're taking you in." Lan said simply.
 
'Melody' surprised them all by stepping forward and crying out. The girl/Copyroid thrust her arms out to either side to bar the Net Saver's progress. A pleading look filled her eyes.
 
"Wait!" The girl begged. "You don't have to do this! She's… she's my mother, Chaud, you… you wouldn't take someone's mother away from them, would you?"
 
The dual-haired Net Op stiffened, and his composure darkened.
 
"How dare you." Chaud growled.

"Please, can't you just… walk away? Mom hasn't hurt anyone, can't you leave her be and pretend you never saw her?"
 
"No, Mel-" Chaud hesitated for a second. How did one address a duplicate? After a second he pressed on. "No, I'm taking her in. Don't expect to play the sympathy card with me… she's messing with areas that no human being should dare meddle with. She has to pay."

"But… please…" Tears appeared in the Copyroid's eyes. "she's my mother!"
 
Maylu stepped forward and tried to reason with the distraught Copyroid.
 
"She's not… You're not… real." Maylu was struck by the hypocrisy of those words. The creature before them was a complete duplicate of a human being- was she or was she not real? A Navi possibly… but was she… human? "You're a duplicate of our friend…"
 
The girl Copyriod continued as if she hadn't heard the words.
 
"Lan, please, don't let him do this." The girl implored the brown-haired Net Saver.
 
"No dice." The brunet shook his head. "We are going to do this, one way or the other."
 
'Dos' chose this moment to interrupt the conversation again.
 
"You're upsetting my daughter and threatening my wife- leave now or I'll forcibly eject you!" The man thundered.
 
"She's not your daughter and she's not your wife!" Lan fired back, his bravado building with righteous fury. "You're nothing but a mass of cloned data!"
 
Again, no response from the two Copyroids. They couldn't even hear the Net Op's words.
 
"This has gone on long enough." Alicia interrupted the stalemate. The woman scientist reached out with her left hand and thumbed a switch on the computer station.
 
Immediately the steel door dropped back into place, trapping the Net Savers within the room.
 
The woman then jerked her right hand up and snapped her fingers as she issued a stream of commands.
 
"Dos, Melody, protect me." A smirk built over the woman's lips. "Destroy them."
 
"Don't worry mom!" A ripple of light built up over the girl Copyroid, covering the creature's transformation. Slowly the glow dissolved way, revealing the form of CF Rhythm in the place of the Melody duplicate. The Copyroid had shifted to a more battle-ready form. "I've got it covered."
 
'Dos' crossed his arms over his chest and underwent a transformation as well. Within seconds the man had donned the appearance of GradeMan.
 
Lan and Chaud exchanged a look. Without the ability to Cross Fuse, they were in a bad situation. Deftly, the brown-haired Net Op brought his PET Generation up so that he could speak into the receiver. The Op hammered the transmission button and shouted a pair of well-worn words.
 
"Mr. Famous, Dimensional Area!"
 
The Op stared into his PET, awaiting the customary 'It's just Famous!'
 
It never came.
 
Lan's eyes widened as he realized that he wasn't getting any response from his PET. Static was the only thing he was recevigin on his screen.
 
"We're underground." Chaud realized. "No reception."
 
"You're also dead." Alicia smirked as her bodyguards moved in for the kill.
 
Instinctively, the trio of Net Savers took a step backwards, putting as much distance between them and their attackers as possible. It was a futile gesture, and they all knew it. The duplicates would be on them in minutes, and without Cross Fusion, they wouldn't last long.
 
Lan's eyes darted over the area, looking for a way out or anything that he could use to defend himself. Aside from the constant computer equipment, there was nothing in the room. There wasn't so much as a beaker he could use to hit his opponents over the head with.
 
Chaud was doing rapid-fire calculation in his head; he wasn't liking the final results. Even if the Copyroids they were facing had been down to half their power supply, they could still run for the better part of an hour without the need to recharge. They couldn't avoid them that long.
 
Maylu's attention, however, was riveted on the real Dos and Melody Makoto. If the fight got out of control, then the two would be unable to defend themselves. Someone would have to keep an eye on them and protect them from any stray attacks.
 
But one thing was clear, the three were in serious trouble.
 
"Melody, Dos." Alicia Cain snapped her fingers anew. "Kill."
 
The duplicate CF Rhythm raised her right hand as it mutated into a Long Sword. The 'roid screamed as she pitched herself forward at the brown-haired Net Saver. GradeMan immediately followed up by screaming 'Electrolysis!' and planting both palms outward.
 
Lan twisted to one side, barely evading being skewered by the doppelganger's sharp blade. The Op then immediately pitched himself forward to put some space between himself and CF Rhythm. In the process, he almost pitched himself straight into a pair of oversized beakers that appeared out of the ground and began exchanging electrical energy. The fiery arcs leapt through space, singing the boy's sleeve but missing the rest of him.
 
The duplicate CF Rhythm, however, was ignoring Lan altogether and focusing her attention entirely on Chaud. The 'Roid was wildly swinging her blade through the air, forcing Chaud to constantly dart backwards lest he be bisected. The dual-haired Op partially succeeded in avoiding a grisly end, and then deftly spun around the enraged girl.
 
Chaud's eyes widened as he came out of his evasion and found himself on the receiving end of a Bronze Fist. The Op reacted entirely on instinct and dropped to the floor, allowing GradeMan's punch to harmlessly whip over his head. The dual-haired boy then rolled aside as CF Rhythm's blade came down. He lost the corner of his vest, but was otherwise unharmed.
 
Lan and Chaud wound up side-by-side, standing in the same spot that their attackers had moments ago. CF Rhythm and GradeMan turned and prepared to renew their assault.
 
"I know this is a stupid question." Lan panted warily. "But do you have any ideas?"
 
Chaud's eyes flicked over the room before he made his grudging reply. His quick attempt to formulate a plan withered as he realized just how bare the room was.
 
"Stay alive for the most part…"
 
"Oh sure, why didn't I think of that?" The brunet almost rolled his eyes, but stopped lest he take them from his opponents. One slip, and he could very well lose his life…
 
GradeMan spoke.
 
"You might as well make this easy on yourselves and stop resisting. I'm never going to allow you to mess with my wife."
 
"She's not your wife!" Lan couldn't help reiterating. Which, in hindsight, was probably a smart move. Every instant that he kept the two talking was another instant he wasn't being shot at. "You're a copy!"

"Really? Is that so?" Alicia's voice entered the fray. "They're copies of human beings, they think for themselves and are capable of emotions… Doesn't that make them just as human as their hosts?"

The brunet had to fight to keep his suddenly rebellious stomach intact. Chaud's eyes narrowed in anger as he considered this point.
 
"That just makes what you did all the more evil." The Net Saver growled. "You took two human beings and brainwashed them into being your emotional slaves!"
 
"I consider it turning back the clock to happier times." The scientist replied. "But this is pointless… it's time for you two to die…"
 
"I've heard that before." Lan couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
 
The duplicate CF Rhythm and GradeMan extended their arms. The two Net Savers lost their collective breathe as they watched Vulcans appear on the Copyroid's arms. Unless they got very lucky very quickly, they were doomed to fall beneath the combined rapid-fire blasters.
 
"I'm sorry, Chaud." CF Rhythm commented. "But you did threaten mother…"
 
"You're not Melody or Rhythm." The dual-haired Op snapped bluntly. "Don't expect sympathy from me."
 
Sadness filled the Copyroid's face. The two Vulcans began to rotate in preparation to discharge their rounds with machine-gun-like speed.
 
The Net Savers tensed, ready to uncoil like springs and do everything in their power to avoid the blaster shots.
 
Then the world went multicolor.
 
The two Copyroids broke off their attacks and glanced around in bewilderment.

Alicia gasped as her eyes informed her mind that strange hues and rainbow colors were rocketing over the walls. Within seconds, the drab gray bunker had become a multi-colored nightmare. A 'beep' issued from behind the woman's back, prompting the scientist to whirl around. She discovered Maylu ducking behind the terminal with her PET raised and ready.
 
The woman scientist swore as she realized that while GradeMan and CF Rhythm had focused on the two Net Savers that they'd perceived to be the greatest threat to her safety, they had completely neglected Maylu and left her alone. This gave the pink-haired girl a chance to jack into the computer mainframe and send out a distress signal for help.
 
As luck would fancy, Vanessa had picked up on the alarm and immediately sent them a Dimensional Area. Even now, the forensic Net Navi was rocketing across the internet towards the location of the computer.
 
"You… meddling…" Fire blazed in Alicia's eyes. Anger choked her words and refused to allow her to speak. The impudence! To think that she had been outsmarted by a mere teenage girl!
 
"Cross Fusion!"
 
Again, Alicia spun around to discover twin spheres of light cocooning Lan and Chaud. A split-second passed and then the twin glows literally exploded to reveal none other than CF MegaMan and CF ProtoMan.
 
"Alright!" The Cross Fused Blue Bomber pumped his fist. "We're back and ready to ROCK!"
 
The Red Raider, however, was all business.
 
"Maylu, get over there and field attacks away from the Makotos, we don't want them getting caught in the Cross Fire!"
 
"Right!" Maylu paused to perform her own Cross Fusion- resulting in CF Roll- and darted over to the two medical beds that supported the unconscious prisoners.
 
"Now then…" CF MegaMan eyed GradeMan. "Let's rumble!"
 
"We've got to end this quick." The cobalt Net Navi whispered to his Net Op. "We don't want the Makotos getting caught in the crossfire."
 
[i]"Right." Lan hissed back. "Let's go all out."
 
GradeMan performed the opening move. The teaching Navi thrust his palms out and summoned a pair of glowing beakers to the field. With a cry of 'Electrolysis!' GradeMan launched his attack. Electricity formed about the ring of each beaker before arcing through the air in an effort to impale his opponent upon the electrical bands.
 
CF MegaMan bounded backwards, easily avoiding his pending electrocution.
 
"Rocket Packs, Activate!" Lan shouted at the top of his lungs. "Bamboo Sword, Battle Chip in!"
 
Instantly, columns of flame exploded from the armored youth's backpack. The rush of air lifted the cobalt bomber from the ground and sent him rocketing forward through the air. CF MegaMan extended his right hand as it became encased in a green, ribbed cage of armor and sprouted a dark green blade.
 
"Navi Booster, Activate!"
 
The Blue Bomber became a blur of motion as CF MegaMan rocketed through the air. Upon reaching his opponent, the warrior snapped his blade around- landing a solid hit on his opponent. The Navi Booster seized upon the attack and amplified it by allowing the Bamboo Sword to unleash a trio of Sonic Booms that swept over his attacker.
 
CF MegaMan darted backwards and readied his blade just on the off-chance that GradeMan had survived the onslaught. It was a fortunate move that the youth had, for the next moment a large blocky mass that resembled a textbook came flying across the room. The book would have crushed the cross fused warrior had not his blade been ready to cleave the attack in two.
 
"You're forgetting." GradeMan growled as he stood erect and studied his opponent. "We have the Regeneration Program."
 
The Blue Bomber groaned aloud.

"Well, it's not like don't know how to beat you." CF MegaMan barked. "We'll just have to deal so much damage you can't heal it all!"
 
CF ProtoMan, however, was having his own problems- ones that did not stem from any sort of regeneration. Instead Chaud was frantically trying to hold his Cross Fusion together and curb the sudden flux of emotion that was emanating from ProtoMan.
 
The dual-haired Op could well understand his partner's fury- for they were fighting a copy of Melody Makoto that had donned the guise of Rhythm. Naturally, ProtoMan considered such a creation a personal slap in the face- and it was disconcerting to see the normally reserved Net Navi become borderline homicidal over the issue.
 
CF ProtoMan darted in and drove his red blade towards CF Rhythm. The Red Raider's fury caused him to exaggerate the force needed with his original attack, putting the cross fused swordsman off balance for a long moment.
 
The doppelganger slipped to one side, evading impalement and then summoned a Long Blade of her own. CF Rhythm shot her sword arm in and duplicated her attacker's maneuver.
 
Chaud saw the attack coming and knew that there was no way they could avoid the attack in time. So he did the next best thing, he went on the defensive.

"Mettaur Reflector, Battle Chip In!"
 
No sooner had the words left the youth's mouth than did a yellow and gold shield form from thin air. The new barrier intercepted the sword attack and launched a shockwave of energy in retaliation. CF Rhythm was too close to the source of the counterattack to avoid it, and as such was sent tumbling over backwards from the force of the blow.
 
The good news was that Chaud had rescued the two of them from certain demise. The bad news was that in doing so he had lost his shaky link with his Net Navi. The two's Cross Fusion dissolved into static and threatened to come apart before resolving back into the digital armor that covered Chaud and stabilized.
 
"ProtoMan, you-"
 
"I know, Chaud, I know." The Net Navi interrupted. "I have to control myself…"
 
Chaud didn't have time to argue the point.

CF Rhythm had regained her footing and was sending a death-glare at the two. The duplicate Navi's hand lashed out and pointed at the two as the words 'Remobit!' left her lips.
 
The scarlet swordsman hurled himself to one side just as a bolt of lightning rained from the sky. A strange, robotic-like virus had appeared over the Raider's head and had begun to snipe at them with it's electrical charges. The result was that CF ProtoMan was forced to spend valuable time dispatching the robot to stop the barrage of attacks.
 
"Heat Body!"
 
"Oh, great!"
 
The cross fused silver-haired warrior spun around and brought his blade up. He was just in time to block a ball of fire- in actuality, a flame-covered, curled up CF Rhythm- from smashing into his face. The swordsman batted the doppelganger away and sent her rocketing up to the ceiling.
 
For a split second, the two's fusion started to come undone again. ProtoMan's anger drove him to desire an upward stab to destroy the abomination, while Chaud wanted to dodge to one side and launch a counterattack from there. The resulting schism threatened the very synchronization that held the two together- but vanished as ProtoMan relinquished to his Op's battle plan.
 
CF ProtoMan hurled himself aside- just as CF Rhythm activated a Stone Body chip. The duplicate girl transformed into a stone encased version of herself, and came crashing down from the ceiling and cratered the floor under the effects of her impact.
 
This put the scarlet Raider in the perfect position to strike. Stone Body provided a solid defense, but restricted movement and with a little work, an enemy could calculate exactly when the effects of the card would end. Chaud had done so in an instant, and as such, the two were well aware of what had to be done.
 
"Z Saber, Battle Card in!"
 
A green, handheld blade appeared within the Red Raider's palm. CF ProtoMan exploded into motion as he raced across the room and set his sights on the duplicate attacker. Just as the effects of the Stone Body began to wear out, the scarlet swordsman arrived and lashed out with his blade.
 
Surprise passed over the Raider's face as CF Rhythm vanished from sight- only to be replaced with a cloud of smoke and a chibified doll that bore a strange resemblance to the vanished Net Navi. The Raider's attack had split the doll in three, but done little else.
 
"Anti-damage." CF ProtoMan whispered.
 
Chaud had enough grasp on the situation to realize that the two were going to clash with their battle plans again, and quickly adopted a hands-off approach to the situation. Instantly ProtoMan took over full control of their Fusion.

The cross fused warrior spun around, his green blade blurring the air before him. Abruptly the blade stopped as it crashed against his opponent's own Z Saber. CF Rhythm had rematerialized behind the duo, activated her own version of the Battle Card and tried to take them by surprise.
 
Angrily, CF ProtoMan batted the blade away and then lashed out wildly. The Raider's blade flew out at all angles, stabbing, swinging, crashing at his opponent. The doppelganger was forced to give ground and work frantically to avoid being defeated by the silver-haired swordsman.
 
The Red Raider kept right on coming. He attacked and hammered, his Saber lashing out relentlessly and without stop.

Then, CF Rhythm barked one fateful word: "Mine".
 
Chaud's heart stopped, he tried to pull back.
 
ProtoMan spotted an opening, he drove himself on.
 
The two conflicting desires clashed against each other and tore at the Cross Fusion. That moment of hesitation was all that was needed for the Mine to form underneath the Red Raider's feet and detonate.
 
An explosion filled the swordsman's senses as it picked him up in it's smoky embrace and hurled him across the room. Before the cross fused warrior even knew it, he had crashed into the far wall and dropped to the ground.
 
ProtoMan was so stunned over the recent turn of events that he could only stare blankly, unresponsive.
 
The digital armor that made up CF ProtoMan began to pulse and warble, blinking in and out of existence as Chaud looked up to find CF Rhythm standing above him. The doppelganger's eyes were hollow as she raised her Z Saber, inverted her grip on the sword, and prepared to bring it down on her opponent.
 
"You should have just left, Chaud." The duplicate whispered under her breath. "I never wanted to have to hurt anyone… I… I… didn't…"
 
Chaud was amazed to witness tears forming in the Copyroid's eyes. At that moment he knew the truth, beyond all shadow of a doubt. It was as plain as day: the duplicate was, in fact, alive and being forced to act against her will.
 
Alicia Cain had actually succeeded in creating life, moreso than she'd ever realized.
 
An arrow appeared in CF Rhythm's chest.
 
The duplicate girl blinked once, twice, three times. She looked down and stared at the heart-shaped tip that protruded from her armor.
 
Chaud snapped his open mouth closed and traced the trajectory of the weapon back to CF Roll. The pink healer was reloading her bow-like weapon and lining it up for another shot.
 
"CHAUD!" CF Roll shouted.
 
A burst of clarity washed over Chaud and ProtoMan- they were united in their desire to fulfill the their wish and put an end to this madness. Instantly, the PET Generation bound the two together anew, acting upon their synchronized bond and converting the two into the singular being of CF ProtoMan.
 
CF ProtoMan leapt up, and brought his blade through space.
 
CF Rhythm crashed to the ground, a gaping wound across her chest. Now that the copyroid had been damaged beyond all repair, it began to revert to it's pale yellow doll-like form. The duplicate Melody was dying.
 
With the last of her strength, the duplicate looked up at her liberator and smiled. Her mouth twisted, wordlessly communicating a 'thank you' before she ceased to exist forever.
 
The Copyroid returned to its original state and then crashed to the floor.
 
``````````````````````````````
 
An explosion ripped through the air.
 
CF MegaMan hurled himself through space and brought his MegaBuster up. The youth pointed his weapon at GradeMan and fired. Along the way, his Charge Shot exploded into a multitude of lasers and crashed into the ground around the scientist' Net Navi.
 
GradeMan counterattacked by summoning another Electrolysis to the field. The twin beakers rose up from the ground and bracketed the Navi's opponent.

The cross fused Blue Bomber glanced from one glass tube to the other. A smile passed over his lips.
 
"Anti-Electricity!"
 
A wire-like lightning rod appeared on the ground behind the Cobalt Warrior. The presence of such an excellent conductor drew the electrical attacks away from CF MegaMan and diverted them to the aforementioned lightning rod. Within seconds, the Anti-Electricity tower overloaded and sent the currents of electricity racing back towards GradeMan.
 
With a scream, the scientist Navi threw up his palms and summoned a Textbook Bomb to the field. The large book-shaped barrier materialized and blocked the bolt of thunder from frying it's master.
 
But CF MegaMan wasn't done there. The Blue Bomber snapped up his right hand as it transformed into a round, blue blaster. The warrior brought his weapon up to bear on his attacker and waited.
 
Sure enough, GradeMan's foot flew out and collided solidly with his book-themed explosive. The blocky obstacle began to slide across the area towards the renegade's foe.
 
"Air Shot!" The cross fused Net Op and Net Navi shouted as one.
 
A burst of air ripped away from CF MegaMan's cannon and sped through space. The Air Bullet smashed solidly into the Textbook Bomb and halted its advance- appearantly it was strong enough to halt the Bomb's momentum, but not strong enough to actually cause it to reverse course.
 
GradeMan was no fool. The Net Navi knew that if he didn't move then he would get caught within the blast radius of his own explosive. The science-themed Net Navi shouted a taunt as he leapt into the air and kicked himself over his the soon-to-explode book.
 
And then a fateful word hit the renegade's ear: "Gotcha!"

The duplicate Navi's head snapped up to behold CF MegaMan standing on the other side of the room with one arm transformed into a Wind Racket.

The lab-coated Navi's heart sank as he realized that he was airborne. There was no way he could brace himself for the coming windstorm.
 
The Cobalt Warrior snapped his arm through space- discharging a storm of air. The wind screamed as it leapt across the field, scooped up GradeMan and his explosive and threw both into the back wall with all the gentleness of a heavy-weight boxer.

CF MegaMan didn't even wait. The armored youth brought his hands together and barked out loud: "Cannon, Hi-Cannon, Mega-Cannon!"

"Program Advance!"
 
The Blue Bomber fused the three Battle Chips into a new weapon. He promptly dropped his new weapon to bear at his attacker and fired.

"Giga Cannon!!"

The science-themed Net Navi desperately tried to get away before the bomb exploded and he be caught up in the incoming Program Advance.

He failed.
 
When the smoke cleared, GradeMan was no more.
 
`````````````````````````

A scream of fury exploded from Alicia Cain's lips. The woman scientist's face contorted into rage as she glared at the trio of Net Savers that had bested her creations.
 
"You imbeciles! Look at what you've done! You've become murderers! Dos and Melody were just as alive as you or I am, and you destroyed them!"
 
"I don't believe it." CF MegaMan shook his head ruefully. "She honestly thinks that those duplicates were her daughter and husband."
 
"It's over Alicia." CF ProtoMan grew tired of the exchange. This talk was getting them nowhere. The Raider stepped forward and continued his speech. "You lost. It's time to go… you're under arrest."
 
"Me? I've done nothing, wrong! Nothing! You're the murderers, it's you that should die!"
_________________

[TheWebbuilder]

Tears formed about the woman's eyes. Alicia spun around and stabbed at the nearest console. In response to her outburst, data swirled around the area and congealed into the familiar forms of Diskette and CrashMan. The scientist spun around and stabbed at the three Net Savers with her finger.
 
"Kill them! Kill all of them!" The woman screamed.
 
"Not again!" CF MegaMan dropped into a combat stance as he summoned his Buster.
 
"Maylu, stay sharp!" CF ProtoMan instructed the pink healer. "We don't want them getting hurt now!"
 
A savage grin passed over CrashMan's face. The explosive Net Navi stepped forward and leveled his gaze at the two youths.
 
"This'll be fun. I finally get to take you out…"
 
"I will avenge my master's kinsmen." Diskette pronounced. "And repay the debt in blood."
 
"Excuse me if I object to that."
 
The new voice startled all of those present, for none had expected a newcomer to interrupt the impending battle. But interrupted and shut down the battle was, for at that moment the Dimensional Area ceased to exist. Without it's sustaining power, CF MegaMan, CF ProtoMan and CF Roll were unable to remain on the battlefield. The two reverted back into Lan, Chaud and Maylu respectively.
 
Fortunately, what was true for the Cross Fusion Rangers was also true for CrashMan and Diskette. The two had been summoned to the field as data, without the aid of a Copyroid. As such, when the Dimensional Area vanished, the two Net Navis were forced to also vacate the premises.

"Hope you don't mind the interruption." Vanessa appeared on a nearby computer monitor. The forensic Net Navi grinned savagely as she looked over all those present. "But I just couldn't resist the chance to make a collar of my own."
 
"You!" Alicia stared at the forensic Navi. "What are you doing here?"
 
"Helping the others to shut down your little operation." Vanessa smiled smugly. "You see, when Maylu and Roll sent out that distress signal, they also provided a way for the outside world to access your network. Once I did that, it was a simple matter to alert the Net Savers to your location, call in backup, and then stop the fight before it could begin.
 
"Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering. CrashMan and Diskette are currently under arrest. The back-up boys I brought along were more than up to the task of shutting them down, and even as we speak the two have been removed from the equation."

The Navi's smile broadened as she continued her exposition.
 
"And that's not all I did. I also brought along some flesh-and-blood backup for the Triple Threat over there."
 
At that precise moment, the laboratory door crashed open and allowed teams of Net Savers to pour into the room. Within seconds, the new arrivals had subdued Alicia Cain- who briefly tried to put up a fight- and had her arrested. Moments later, a team of medics arrived and began working over the unconscious Makotos in an effort to bring them back to the land of the living.
 
"Game, Set, and Match." Vanessa gloated from her position above the handcuffed Alicia Cain. "Like I told Lan a while back. Shutting down scum like you is what I live for. So thanks, you've just made my day."

End

A.N.: There you have it, I've got one more chapter to do to take care of the fallout, and then this puppy is over.
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