The Link Between Past and Presant *Complete*

[ComicX6]

None of my fics seem to do well, my first died a swift, painless death, while my second a slow, drawn out one. But I will not give up on this one! Even if I'm trhe only person reading it I will still update!
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Title: The Link Between Past and Presant

Author: ComicX6

Category: Heavy AU/ Action

Rating: PG-13 to be safe

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman.exe or Megaman.exe, Capcom does. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are liars.

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For decades men had relied on network technology, perhaps too much. While computers could make things easier to do, they were as vulnerable to viruses and bugs as they ever were...

In the early 21st century, a virus outbreak of cataclysmic proportons occured. With it, ended the glorious age that men had known...

After several chaotic and war filled years passed, the mega corporation Technology Incorporated, more commonly known as T-Inc or T-Corp, offered a solution: it would use its advanced technology to drive the viruses to extinction. The war weary world eagerly agreeded.

But it was a lie.

While the viruses were in fact reduced, they were not completely eradicated, and then T-Corp took over.

The weak remains of world governments were swept aside, replaced by T-Corp exectives. The upper class lived in comfort, while everyone else was all but forgotten. Ghettos, destitute towns, and refugee camps sprung up everywhere, often in the shadow of a gleaming city. This way of life continued into the year 21XX.

Over time, small resistance groups sprung up, usually consisting of several people and their navis. They were allk independant of each other. T-Corp barely bothered with them, since they were scattered and unorganized.

This story is about one such group, and what they discovered...
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Chapter 1: The Lost Boy
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A small boy wandered into Kyotoro. His eyes were brown, and his mussy hair was deep red. All he wore was a filthy, tattered T-shirt and an equally forlorn pair of shorts. His bare feet were dirty and the soles encrusted with dried blood.

In one hand he clutched an old photograph, in the other, a beat up, blue, empty Progress PET. Its screen was cracked and some of its paint was chipped off. These two tokens were all he had left to remind himself that he had once had a home...

On either side of the street, if the dirt road he was walking on deserved to be called that, were shacks barely fit for human habitation. A little furter on, there were slightly more desirable places to live: manmade houses and ancient barracks, all in a state of disrepair.

It was early morning, so there were not many people on the street, but there was a small group of men talking to each other. The boy hurried over to them.

''Uh, misters?'' he said timidly. One of them men turned around. He had a beard and a grizly stock of hair. He looked down at the boy, who could not have been older than 9. ''What do you want kid?'' he growled.

The boy gulped, intimidated by the man's size and appearance. He held out the photo in a shaking hand.

''Have you seen my Mama?''

Instead of a kind answer, the man growled, '' I don't have time for games, no be gone, or you'll be sorry.''

Tears filled the boy's large, round eyes, but he did not cry. Instead, he ran in the opposite direction, as the men let out a harty laugh.

* * *

All day he wandered the town, asking people the same question. '' Sir, have you seen my Mama?'' ''Have you ma'am?'' '' Please, she looks like this...'' But all he got were cool stares or threats.

By the end of the day he was lost, cold, and hungry. He crawled into an alley and plopped himself down next to an overflowing trash can. There, all the tears he had been holding in burst forth. Great sobs shook him, and he slowly cried himself to sleep.
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Comments, constructive critism, and flames are all welcome.

[/i]
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[feepitsrule]

It's good, but very short> Leaves me wanting more. Any explaination as to why he has blood on his feet? What is this character;s name? Anyway, good use of descriptive words.
_________________

My Website!

Avatar Made By XHunter17, Sig by Synchro-Kun.

[ComicX6]

Hmm, it looked longer when I wrote it, but that may be because my handwriting is sorta big...
And the boy ( you will learn the name later) has blood on his feet because he's been walking over rough terrian without shoes.

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Chapter 2: ''Defenders of the People''
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Terry glanced down at his cards, which were not very good. He had a Queen of Hearts, a Ten of Clubs, a Seven of Spades, and an Eight of Hearts. He glanced at his opponets, trying to determine what cards they had by their expressions. Butch wasn't having much luck, there were creases on his brow. Unless he was bluffing, he did not have a winn9ing hand. Karla, on the other hand, was maintaining a rigid poker face.

From an overhead moniter, their navis were watching the game with interest. Terry's Dash, Butch's Crushman, and Karla's Tyria.

Butch sighed and discarded one card. Karla's eyes lit up and she swiped it from the discard pile, and laid a royal flush down on the table. '' Ha! I won!'' she exclaimed, annoying Terry.

''Tough luck Terry.'' Dash said. Crushman and Tyria remained silent.

Terry placed his losing hand on the table, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. He had brown hair and green eyes and wore a T-shirt underneath a leater jacket, which was, in this day and age, quite a find. He was also wearing an old pair of jeans which had a rip above the left knee, and was faded to the point that they were almost white. On his feet were an ancient pair of sneakers.

Butch was wearing overalls and heavy boots. He had small black eyes, and he had a light blue bandana over his head. Despite a muscular build, he had a gentle nature.

Karla had dark blue eyes and black hair. She too had a bandana over her hair, but it was white instead of blue. Like Terry, she too wore jeans, except that they weren't faded, and her shirt was also white.

Dash had a dark green body suit, and his helmet, while relativly simple, was green. His boots and gloves were also green. His symbol was of a white triangle over a black background.

Crushman was purple and robotic looking. He was about 7ft tall, and had spikes coming out of his shoulders. His helmet vaguely resembled that of a football player, and his eyes glowed red.

Tyria, one of the few female navis created, had a tan body suit that showed off her female figure. She had black stripes running from her armpits to her boots, and brown hair flowed from the back of her helmet. Her eyes were also brown.

Terry took out his Progress PET and mumble ''Jack out Dash...'' Dash disappeared from the moniter, and reappeared on the PET screen.

''What's the matter, you don't want to lose again?'' Karla asked, as she swept the cards into a pile.

Terry gazed out of the window. Their HQ was an abandoned military base, there was even a hanger and an airfield. Not far away, the town of Kyotoro was visible, they tried to stay away from it as much as possible, the villagers though that the rebels were haughty and stuck up. The Rebels were pretty much the only people apart from the upper class with PETs these days, and a new type had not been introduced in nearly a century.

''No, it's just that it's so... BORING without Slate around, he usually has us all doing something.''

Slate was their leader, who had left several days before to 'take care of some business'.

Butch scowled, and his navi voiced his thoughts, '' Then you must really be bored then, he's an unflexible, stuck up man. And his navi...'' Crushman said in his deep, bass voice.

''You could go see Vick in the archives...'' Tyria suggested.

'' With computer nerd? No way!'' Terry grumbled.

As if on cue, Vick sprung into the room. He was, as Terry said, a computer nerd. He had wild hair parted down the middle, and glasses so thick that you couldn't see his eyes. He always wore a lab coat, and everyone had learned the hard way not to ask him for technical info.

His navi was an old market model, which as far as everyone knew, had not been customised in any way. He was called Beta (''Cause he's been deleted and restored.'').

''What are you doing in here? There are no spare computer parts in here.'' asked Terry.

''Actually, I was coming to get a bite to eat, when I saw something moving out in the field.'' he answered in an annoyed tone.

''Well what was it, I don't see anything.'' said Butch, who had also come to the window.

'' It was something red, amoung the weeds.'' said Vick, pointing at a patch of grass that had not been cut in years.

''Well, it was probably a bird or something, cause it's obviously gone now.''

''Hmph.''

None of them were aware that there was, in fact someone hiding in the grass. A small boy, with PET and photograph in hand.
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The main point of this chapter was to introduce the members of the resistance.

Man, these things are far easier to write than type...
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Back from the dead...
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Chapter 3: Saito
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Night had fallen. Without all of the light pollution that cities had let off in earlier times, the sky was full of stars, including a large star band.

Butch whistled to himself as he made his way from HQ to lock down the warehouse they kept their supplies in. Inside were two jeeps, and many crates and several cargo containers, all full of a mix of legit and illegit items.

He walked over to the door's control panel, but just before he pressed the close button, he heard a noise.

It was not a loud noise, if he hadn't stopped whistling he would have missed it. It sounded like shallow breathing.

Curious, Butch looked for its source, he found it in a corner. It was a small boy, curled up and fast asleep on the ground. His hair was deep red and he was clutching a beat up PET.
* * *

The boy awoke to see four unfamiliar faces looking at him. He let out something between a shout and a whimper, and quickly backed against the wall, a look of fright on his young face.

'' Hey hey hey! We're not going to hurt you, we're not like the townspeople.'' A young man said.

The person to his right, a young woman, asked him, ''What is your name?''

''It's S-Sa-Saito!'' he said, almost shouting his answer.

''Saito... That's an odd name'' the woman said to herself. '' My name is Karla, by the way.'' she added.

''I'm Terry.'' said the male next to her.

''I'm Butch, I found you in our warehouse.'' said a muscular man in the background.

'' And my name is Victor, you can call me Vick.'' said an eccentric looking fellow.

'' P-Pleased t-to meet y-you...'' Saito mumbled, still clearly intimidated.

While this people had badly frightened him, they seemed different, they weren't driving him away. Swallowing his fear, he pulled a photograph out of his pocket and held it out.

''Have you seen my Mama?''

Terry took the photo and Karla, Butch, and Vick crowded around him to get a look at it.

It was fairly worn. It showed Saito and a young woman who had to be his mother. Saito looked happy in the picture, unlike now, with his dirty face and sad eyes. Standing behind him, with her hands on his shoulders was his mother. Her hair and eyes were the exact same color as Saito's, and she wore blue jeans and a white blouse. There was a building in the background, but it was impossible to decipher its name, as the letters were too small to read.

Terry noticed something else, while his mother was smiling, her eyes conveyed incredible sadness, as if she had seen terrible things.

Wait a minute... he though. There was something very wrong. According to the numbers on the bottom of the photo, it had been taken some eighty years previously!

Its probably just a glitch or something... he though. But still...

''I'm sorry, but no, I haven't.'' he answered, handing the photo back. He really felt sorry for the kid. His mother had probably been killed, and he was now an orphan.

''Th-Thank you, Terry-san...'' Saito said sadly.

''Ah, I'm Amerropian, you don't have to call me -san.''

He looked down. ''Huh? Is that a PET you're holding?''

''Yeah. Mama gave it to me, but it's empty.''

''Can I see that?'' Vick asked, taking the blue thing anyway. He proceeded to examine it, opening its back and looking at the circuitry. Then, he returned it.

''The only damage is cosmetic, its insides are fine.'' he pronounced.

''I can handle that.'' said Butch, ''I can fix it right up for ya, how about it?''

''Thanks Butch-san.'' said Saito, looking happier.

''But what are we gonna do with this kid?'' Karla asked.

''Terry.'' came Dash's voice. Terry took out his PET. ''I think we should try to find out more about him. Let's start by finding out the name of the building in the picture.''

''Sounds like a plan.'' nodded Terry.

He was curious; were did this kid come from? Who was he? And the photo's date was really making him feel uneasy. What if it wasn't a mistake?
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The plot thickens a bit. How will it all turn out? Only I know!

Critique away please.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Update
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Chapter 4: To Scilab!
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''So, do you remember anything about your life?''

It was several days after Saito's arrival. The crew had taken him on a tour of HQ and told him what was going on these days.

Saito shook his head, ''All I really remember is waking up in a building over there.'' he said, pointing to the west.

Butch frowned. He had taken Saito outside in the hope that Saito would be more open about his past where there weren't four people and their navis breathing down his neck. Apparently, that was not the case. ''There's nothing over there but a shack three miles out that's been there for years. Do you remember where you lived, or your father, or your last name?''

Saito shook his head stubbornly, ''I only remember Mama, and whenever I asked her about Daddy she started to cry.''

Butch let out an audiable sigh. He and Vick had combed Saito's blue PET for any info, but that had turned up naught. The PET was devoid of data of any kind.

And they had another worry too, for everyone had recieved an E-mail from Slate, their leader, that morning:

To: All Members
From: Slate
Subject: Orders

My business is taken care of and I am preparing to return to base. I should be back around 2200 hours tomorrow. I expect everyone to be at attention.

- Slate

Slate was strict and probably would not be pleased with the distraction that Saito posed to the rebellion.

Butch and Saito headed back to HQ a while later. When he entered, Butch found Terry, Karla, and Vick waiting for him.

Before he could ask what was going on, Karla burst out, ''We found out the name on the side of that building!'' she exclaimed.

''Yes,'' said Vick triumphantly,'' I had Beta enlarge a scan of Saito's photo and...''

''It says 'Scilab'.'' Beta finished in his slow, dronelike voice.

''Scilab was a government sponsered research facility, but it was abandoned towards the middle of the 21st century.'' explained Terry.

''Where is it?''

Terry jerked his thumb over his shoulder to a point on the horizon. There, the tops of skyscrapers were just visible. ''As luck would have it, on the other side of Densan.

Densan used to be a thriving city, but tramps and fugitives were its only residents today.

Karla looked down at Saito, ''Whadda ya say Saito? Wanna come with us?''

Saito shook his head, '' No Karla-san. I want to look around here some more.''

''Well, that means that one of us will have to stay here then.''

''I will, the main computer needs to be defragged anyway.'' volunteered Vick.

''Then it's settled. Terry, Karla, and I will visit Scilab then.'' said Butch.

''Huh? We're going right NOW?''

''Sure, we should do it before Slate arrives. It's only the afternoon, we've got plenty of time.'' Butch explained.

Maybe now we'll get some answers... Butch thought, as a grumbling Terry and Karla hurried in his wake.
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Preview of chap 5: In the ruins of Scilab, Saito's rather obvious origin is revealed! But a newer mystery appears! The tragic history of the 21st century is revealed, as well as the fates of its heroes!
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Wow, that was cheesy...

Anyway, I want you people reading this to tell me what you like about this story, what you don't like, how I can improve etc. Even if you think it's a piece of crap, tell me! I can't get better if I recieve no feedback from the readers.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[pyro]

This fic is cool ! I really like that you describe everything well and you made it want me to read more and more. ^_^

[ComicX6]

Grr, Chap 5 got deleted along with kishuku, so here it is again...
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Chapter 5: History Lessons
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After nearly an hour of driving, Butch pulled their jeep up to Scilab.

While Scilab had undoubtably been well maintained in the past, years of neglect had taken its toll. Weeds were everywhere, windows were cracked, and paint was chipped.

After gaining entry, the trio found dusty floors, rusted lab equipment, and other scenes of woe and neglect. A powerful, muster odor permeated the air, making all of them gag.

Eventually, they made it to what looked like an archive room. Surprizingly, the server was still running, filling the room with a menacing hum.

''But how can they still be running with no one maintaining them?'' Karla wondered aloud as Terry began searching for a plug in port. ''Scilab must have a very powerful generator.'' her navi answered.

''Ah ha! There's a port here!'' Terry suddenly exclaimed. He whipped out his PET.

''Plug in, Dash.exe, Transmission!''

Karla and Butch took out their PETs as well.

''Plug in, Tyria.exe!''

''Plug in, Crushman.exe!''

''TRANSMISSION!''

Dash was quickly joined by the female navi and the hulking one.

Spots of the net's floor were fuzzy, indicating a dire need for matinence, and here and there there were gaps in the floor. If a navi fell into one such abyss, he or she would be instantly deleted.

Near the navis were several cascades of data, flowing as they had been for decades, undistrubed. Dash walked over to one of them and thrust his arm under it.

''Okay, I'm going to put in a search for Saito.'' he said.

After a while, some of the data swirled up around his arm, then it vanished. Dash closed his eyes as he sifted through all the data he had just absorbed, then he frowned.

''What's wrong, that file does mention Saito, doesn't it?'' his operator asked.

''It... does. But only once, at the end.''

''Well, what does it say?'' Terry demanded.

'' I... think I'd bettewr tell you what the whole thing says, it would be easier to understand.''

''In 20XX there was an international police force called the Net Saviors. The three most celebrated were Netto Hikari, Enzan Ijiun, and Laika, a soldier from Sharo. Their navis were Rockman.exe, Blues.exe, and Searchman.exe, respectively.

Netto was the son of Yuuichiro Hikari, a well known scientist, who was in turn the son of Tadashi Hikari, one of the scientists who created our current network.

Netto, Rockman, and his friends helped defend the net against the criminal groups WWW, Gospel, and Nebula, and later against the extraterrestrials Duo and Slur.

After the Duo incident, Yuuichiro and his wife, Haruka, were killed in a subway accident, leaving Netto an orphan. A few months later, Laika was killed in an F-16 training accident. The landing gear malfunctioned, and the jet belly flopped and burst into flames.

A few years later, the virus outbreak, which we now call the Outbreak, began. It wasn't very severe in its early stages, so it wasn't paid much mind back then.

It then says that Enzan succeded his father as the head of the company IPC.inc, the file doesn't mention him again...

Afterwards, the Outbreak reached unprecedented size, this was when people started to panic.

Years later, it says that Netto married his long time friend Meiru Sakura, but not all that long later he and Rockman vanished during a particularly violent stage of the Outbreak. The widowed Meiru gave birth to Saito Hikari several months after that... What the...''

''What happened?'' Terry asked.

''The rest of the data is corrupted, I can't read it!''

''Dammit! Isn't there anything else?''

''Only this message: Akihara 009, 18, 15, 3, 11. Then it says, 'This is a code Hikari left behind.'' - Meijin Eguchi.''

'' But if Saito was born in 20XX, then he shoud be in his eighties or something!'' Crushman exclaimed.

'' Yeah, I noticed that when I saw his photo.'' Terry said. '' The date was 20XX, now it's 21XX.''

''What about that message at the end? Does anyone know anything about it?'' Butch asked.

''I don't know who Meijin Eguchi is, or was, but Akihara was a residentual district of Densan.'' Tyria answered.

''I'll send a copy of the file to your PETs.'' Dash promised.

'' Oh well. We learned who Saito's parents were, but not much else of use. I bet the secret to his youth was in the corrupted section.'' Terry grumbled. '' Plug out.'' he ordered, but nothing happened.

In the net, a 20ft Dreamvirus materialized in front of the navis.

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I would greatly appreciate some R&R people. Thanks if you do.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Once again, an Update.

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Chapter 6: Evolution
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''Crud, we've activated the security system!'' cried Butch.

This was a classic: prevent an intruder from plugging out, sic viruses on them, and wait. It was rather crude, but effective. However, Scilab's staff had put a new spin on this old technique by siccing a Dreamvirus on the unlucky navi.

Dreamviruses were usually large, bigger than most navis, but this one was huge, towering over Dash, Crushman, and Tyria.

With surprising speed, the monstrosity reared its humanoid torso back, and slammed its claws into the ground, trying to smash the navis flat. The three of them managed to jump away, but only barely, and they were thrown to the ground by the sheer force.

''Uhg,'' Tyria groaned, ''How did it get so big?''

''With no one around to control it, it must have mutated and gotten bigger.'' explained Crushman.

''We're in luck though, it doesn't appear to have a Dreamaura.'' observed Dash.

The jewel on the creature's head glowed, and a meteor appeared far above, then it began speeding towards the ground. But this time the operators were ready.

''Airshoes and Areasteal! Double slot in!''

The three navis teleported away, then appeared in midair as the meteor slammed into the ground, creating a huge explosion.

''Now it's our turn to go on the offensive!'' Terry shouted. '' Neovariable Sword, slot in!''

Dash's right forearm was replaced by an oddly shaped orange sword. The Airshoes were still in effect, so he soared downwards toward the virus.

''Take this! Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom!'' he shouted, swinging his sword three times, each time sending a sonic wave towards his enemy.

The three attacks hit the virus, creating a triple explosion, but when it faded away, the Dreamvirus appeared relatively unharmed.

At that same moment, Airshoes expired, sending Dash plummeting to the ground. He landed hard and rolled... right under the Dreamvirus!

Dash quickly rolled to the side, just as a spider-like leg came crashing down on the spot where his head had been. The thing was trying to skewr on him!

Left, right, up, down he rolled, trying to keep from being impaled. Then he heard a deep voice shout, ''Goldfist!'', and looked up to see Crushman slugging one of the legs, one of his fists turned gold.

The monster recoiled, allowing Dash to extract himself.

''Thanks.'' he breathed. ''No problem.'' said his rescuer.

''Well that didn't work, so I'm gonna try something else.'' Dash said as his sword expired.

He formed both of his hands into busters and raised them. ''Energy Rain!''

He fired many small, green balls of energy. But instead of exploding, they flanked the Dreamvirus on all sides. Then, many smaller beams flew from those balls, so the effect looked like a cyber laser show.

The Dreamvirus responded by sweeping the ground with a laser that threw up a shock wave that knocked everyone over.

After seeing this, Terry turned to his fellow operators. ''Individual attacks aren't working, why don't we try Program Advances?'' he suggested.

''It's worth a shot.'' said Karla, taking out three chips. ''Wideshot, triple slot in!''

Butch also took out three chips. '' Vulcan, triple slot in!''

''Hi Cannon Hi Cannon Hi Cannon, triple slot in!'' Terry cried.

Tyria's hands morphed into a shooter with a wide, thin barrel. ''Program Advance, Super Spread!''

Crushman's right hand morphed into a large machine gun with a rotating barrel. ''Program Advance, Mugen Vulcan!''

And finally, Dash's hands fused and turned into a blue cannon. ''Program Advance, Giga Cannon!''

Tyria fired several Wideshots, Crushman's vulcan fired many small energy shots, and Dash followed up with a huge energy blast. The three attacks combined, and struck with full force.

The Dreamvirus' data fragmented into a meta cube, then vanished.

Dash let out a sigh of relief, then noticed a small cut on his arm, complete with a small trickle of data.

''You okay?'' asked Terry.

''It's nothing, just a cut I must have gotten when the virus was trying to step on me.''

''If you say so then. Plug out.''

With the plug out lock lifed, the three navis returned to their proper PETs.

''Well, we come here to solve a mystery, fail to, find another, and then get attacked by a mutant virus. I can't keep doing this.'' sighed Terry.

''But we still have that Meijin Eguchi's message though, we should follow up on that.'' Karla reminded him.

They then proceeded to their jeep in silence, leaving the ruins of Scilab behind.
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Fear the power of my crappy combat description, Mwahahahahaha!

Anyway, please stick around for subsequent chapters, cause the next six or so are very important to the plot, unlike this one, which seems to actually slow the whole thing down.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Another update...

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Chapter 7: Slate
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''So, let me get this straight. This Netto Hikari married this Meiru Sakurai, and they had Saito, but that was like, eighty years ago?'' Vick asked.

It was the evening of the day after the trip to Scilab. Everyone was crashed in the louge, which consisted of several leather chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table. On top of the table sat the four PETs, each on displaying its holographic screen, so that the navis could see what's going on.

''Yep, that pretty much sums it up.'' Karla answered. She was sprawled across the sofa.

''Then how do you explain him?'' Vick asked, pointing at Saito, who was taking no notice of them, completely absorbed in a picture he was drawing.

Karla moved into a sitting postiton, ''We told you already, we really don't know. It's just so... bizarre...''

''Bizarre is right. I've asked Beta to take a look at that file but...'' began Dash.

''...It's corrupted too much to be natural, it had to have been facillitated by a person.'' Beta finished.

''Well, what about that code we found? Has anyone made any progress on that?'' Tyria asked.

''Hmph, it's not much of a code. Akihara 009 could mean Akihara House No. 9... and R is the 18th letter of the english alphabet, O is the 15th, than C is the 3rd...'' Butch trailed off.

Terry's eyes widened. ''That spells out 'Rock'! Rockman was the name of Netto's navi! Maybe he wasn't deleted but was actually...''

''What are you talking about?''

''That message is really telling us where Rockman is! He was hidden in Netto's house in Akihara!''

''But why would anyone hide him?''

''I don't know, but I think we should go there and see if he really is there, he might know stuff about Saito, or we could get him to join our group! He was supposed to be exceptional, so I'm sure Slate would let us go find him-''

''What about Slate?'' a cold voice said.

Everyone turned to the terminal that the voice had come from. A navi was staring back at them.

He was of medium height, and his bodysuit was dark purple, while his boots and gloves were red. His helmet was also dark purple, with red fins and a blue triangle on the front. Long blond hair spilled from the back, and there were two protrusions on either side of the helmet, a lot like mouth guards. He wore a short cloth tunic, also red, over his upper torso. His symbol was of a long blue triangle over a blalk background, and it was displayed on the tunic's left side, like a badge.

''Uh, hello Zero...'' Dash mumbled.

''What are all of you doing?'' Zero continued, arms crossed.

''Well, we were just... relaxing, that's all.'' Terry answered lamely.

''Right, relaxing.'' said Zero in a tone that clearly showed that he didn't believe him.

He looked down and spotted Saito, who was blissfully ignorant of what was going on around him. ''Who's that?'' Zero asked, pointing at the young redhead.

Terry was spared having to answer the question by the arrival of Slate.

Slate was tall, with black hair that was spiked backwards and his eyes were icy blue. He was wearing an overcoat and khaki carga pants.

His real name was Akira Iwasaki, but he was called Slate because his face was hard to read. Years ago he had been a member of T-Corp's enforcement squad, there he had been called 'Iwaki'.

''Oh, uh, hi boss.'' said Butch nerviously, moving to block Saito from view, even though he was still in full view of Zero.

''Akira-sama, there's a child in here that they are trying to hide.'' Zero said calmly.

''Really. Bring him here.'' Slate ordered.

Not daring to disobey, Vick and Karla brought a confused looking Saito foward.

''He's an orphan! He was being mistreated by the townspeople, we couldn't let him-'' Karla blurted out.

''Silence!'' Slate and Zero shouted at the same time, and Karla immediatly shut up.

Slate lowered himself so that he was eye level with Saito. ''What's your name boy?''

''S-Saito.'' Saito answered nerviously.

''His last name is Hikari.'' Butch added.

A brief lock of surprise passed over Slate's face, but it instantly vanished.

So Slate reconizes the name?! was the collective thought.

''Hikari... Interesting...'' Slate said quietly.

''He will just impiede our upcoming mission, we should get rid of him.'' Zero stated, eyes narrowing.

''You don't have to be so cold Zero!'' Dash shouted from his PET.

''You're lucky that you're over there, otherwise I would have taught you a lesson for speaking to me like that!'' Zero said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Terry sent the blond navi a scathing look. Zero could sometimes be, well, an asshole.

''So, uh, what did you do on your trip?'' Butch asked, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Saito.

Slate withdrew a manilla envelope from his coat. The words 'Proto Di-'' were visible, the rest was covered by his hand. ''I gathered this important files and documents. They contain some very important, no, extremly important data. I am now calling an official meeting so that we can discuss them.''

He thumbed a button on his PET, and Zero plugged out of the terminal.

Slate turned around and started to leave the room.

''What about Saito?'' Karla asked.

''He can stay, for now. Now what are you all standing there for? I've called a meeting.''

And with that, he left the room.
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So, I've made Zero to be not only Slate's navi, but also a complete jerk.

*Flees the fanboys*
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

I couldn't think up a good name for this chapter, so I used this crappy pun instead.

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Chapter 8: A Stream of Data
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Slate, Karla, Butch, Vick, and Terry entered the conference room and sat down at its long table. Saito was still intimidated by Slate, so he stood near the back, avoiding Slate's gaze.

Slate placed the envolope on the table, the words ' Proto Dimensional Chips' were visible.

''Dimensional Chips?'' Terry asked. ''What are those?''

''Let me explain.'' began Slate. ''In the early 20th century, the Earth was visited by a being named Duo. His subordinate, a navi named Slur, gave navis to individuals. These navis were called 'Asteroids.' Now, the recipients of these navis also recieved Dimensional Chips. These battlechips allowed a navi to manifest itself in the real world.''

''Uh huh...'' Vick said, unconvinced. ''And just how did they do that?''

Slate shrugged, '' I do not know, it was alien technology.''

While he had been talking, Terry had taken the envolope and was now sifting through its contents. The first page showed a photo of a female navi with a green and white outfit clashing with a tall navi with black armor, a green cape, and a yellow green sword.

The next showed a beast like navi with razor sharp claws standing amid destroyed cars and shattered glass. The picture was captioned, Beastman, first contact with an Asteroid.

The third page showed a gray-blue chip with a crystal in its center.

The rest was mostly technical mumbo-jumbo that he didn't understand, but the last one had a photo of a glowing blue tube, which was labeled, Dimensional Converter.

''Anyway,'' Slate continued, ''That threat eventually passed.''

''So... what does that have to do with us?'' asked Butch.

''Well, I've found info, that a scientist within T-Corp has managed to develope a prototype.''

''WHAT?! How?!''

Slate took the page that Terry had been looking at, then he pointed to the tube. ''This is a Dimensional Converter. It can create an area called a Dimensional Area. Navis and viruses can enter an area covered by a Dimensional Area.

Now, these chips have a shard of a Converter inside of them, that is how they work.''

Zero continued his operater's explaination. '' Akira-sama has discovered that there is a manufacturing plant for these things somewhere in Japan. We must find it and shut it down!''

''But of course, we need to find out where it is first.'' finished Slate.

''Now, it appears that you have been busy during my absense.'' he said glancing toward Saito. ''Tell me everything.''

* * *

Half an hour later, their tale was complete. Everything, from Saito's arrival, to the trip to Scilab, to discovering that Rockman was still alive.

''Rockman... so he is still out there...''

''Hm? You know about him?''

'' Of course I do. He was an exceptionally skilled navi, thanks in part to-'' he stopped himself before he said 'Ultimate Program.'

''Fine.'' he continued, '' This will be our next priority, finding Rockman. He will be able to help us.''

''Hear that Saito?'' Karla said cheerfully, ''We're going to get your father's old navi!''

Saito took out his, Netto's, PET and looked down at it. ''H-Hai...'' he said quietly. Then he looked up at Slate. ''Arigatou, Akira-san.''

''Humph, whatever. We leave for Akihara tommorrow morning.''

And with that, he left the room.

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Well, the next few chapters gives more light on the past, maybe more so than 5 did. Anyway, I would appreciate some R&Ring. Tell me what you think.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Update

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Chapter 9: The Navi, the Sanctuary, and the Guardian
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The next day dawned cool and gray. A drop of rain fell from the overcast sky, threatening to rain.

The five rebels were going to travel to Akihara, the home of Netto Hikari, to try to find Rockman. They had decided to bring Saito with them, he deserved this more than anyone else did.

The trip did not take long, they simply drove on an old highway system to Densan. Akihara was a mile or two outside of the city center, so it would not take them much time to arrive.

* * *

Akihara was typical of many abandoned neighborhoods. Houses that hadn't been broken into were boarded up, paint was pealing, and weeds and other wild plant life reigned supreme.

House #9 was what they were looking for, and it was also run down and neglected, but it hadn't been broken into at least.

''This is it.'' Slate, the driver, said, pointing at a rusted number 9 next to the door.

The door was, of course, locked. Terry raised his foot to try to kick it down, but he was stopped by Vick.

''Easy kid, I have a more practical solution.''

''Oh really?'' Terry grumbled.

Smiling at Terry's indignation, Vick took out a small plastic card and he inserted it into the crack between the door and the wall. He then swiped it downwards, and with a click, the door unlocked.

''Works every time.''

The interior was dark, dusty, and full of stale air. There were no pieces of furniture to speak of, and there were also no electronic devices either.

''Do you remember any of this?'' Karla asked Saito, who was peering around, a look of curiousity on his face.

''Sssorta...'' he said slowly.

''Hmm. This place just creeps me out.'' Butch said, turning slowly around to face everyone. ''It's like there are eyes watching my back our something.''

''There's nowhere to plug in either...'' Terry said in a disappointed voice.

''That's because you've only looked downstairs, there may be a port upstairs.'' Slate said, pointing to a staircase that led, obviously, upstairs.

The upstairs was not much different than downstairs. It was just as dank, dusty, and barren. However, there was one piece of furniture, a desk, which was all alone in what probably used to be a bedroom. And on the desk was...

''A computer...'' Terry said quietly, stepping into the room. Everyone else followed suit.

Then Butch broke the silence with a startling comment: '' Someone died in here.''

'' WHAT??!!'' Karla exclaimed. ''What on Earth made you say something like that?!''

''I... I don't know. I've felt uneasy since we entered here, and when I entered this room...'' he gulped, ''It felt as if my heart was seized in an icy fist.'' This confession was followed by a ringing silence.

''H-Hey!'' Terry said nerviously, '' The desk is bolted to the floor!''

''And the computer is attached to the desk as well.'' Slate observed.

Karla opened one of the desk drawers, and let out a small exclamation at its contents. She held up two picture frams, each containing a photograph.
Her face was pale with excitment. ''Saito's...''

The first one showed two children, probably around 11 or 12 years old. The boy had brown eyes and hair, which was a strange combination of mussy and spikey. He wore a blue headband with a red circle on it, bisected by a black line. He was also wearing an orange vest, white shirt, black shorts, and a quizzical expression.

The girl had shoulder lenght, deep red hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink skirt, light green shirt, and a blue vest as well.

The other picture showed the same two people, about 14 years or so later. Meiru Sakurai looked pretty much the same that she had in Saito's photograph; her hair was in the same shoulder length style that it had been when she had been a child, and she was wearing a black sweater and khaki pants.

Netto Hikari was wearing a casual suit, and had tried to tame his hair, with a moderate degree of success. Instead of a headband, he wore an armband. Judging from the couple's attire and tree in the background, the photo had been taken sometime in autumn.

''These are your parents Saito.'' Karla said, handing him the latter picture.

Saito took it and examined it. '' That's Mama.'' he said, pointing to Meiru, '' But who's that guy with her?''

''That is your father, Netto Hikari.'' Karla told him.

''Daddy...''

There was a silence.

''Alright, enough of this!'' Slate suddenly snapped. ''We have work to do!''

Fortunatly, he had his back to everyone, so he missed the daggers they were glaring at him.

'' I have inspected the computer, and it is an older model.'' he announced. '' The ports can only handle one navi at a time, and there are only two ports. Naturally, I'm using the first one.''

''Only two huh? So who'll go?'' Vick asked.

''You.'' Slate said, pointing at Terry.

''Me?''

''Yes, you. While you're not the best operator, ( Terry silently fumed at this.) your navi has skill. Dash will accompany Zero.''

He precided to take out his purple and red Progress PET.

'' Plug in, Zero.exe!''

''Plug in, Dash.exe!''

TRANSMISSION!

Zero and Dash materialized in the computer's cyberworld, and what an odd cyberworld it was.

Instead of the norm, the floor was pewter gray and extended infinitly in all directions. There was no ceiling, instead there were many bright stars, as if they were staring into the beautiful depths of space. And standing several meters away from the two navis was...

... another navi. Its eyes were closed, and its head bowed. His body suit and armor were various shades of blue, with yellow shoulder pads and yellow squares on his helmet. There was a white stripe running on either side of him from his boots to his armpits. There was a tuft of blue- black hair poking out of the back of his helmet, and his emblem was of a red circle with a slash throught it...

''Rockman...'' Dash whispered. After all this time, he really had been hidden away in this old, worn- down house.

''Well, looks like you were right after all.'' Zero said, his back to Dash.

But before Dash could think up a retort, another navi materialized in front of him.

This navi was around Zero's height, with red armor, boots, helmet, and gauntlets. His bodysuit was purple, and his helmet had a spike sticking up into the air. His eyes were covered by a visor, and long gray hair fell down his back. His emblem was half white, half black.

''Who are you?!'' Zero demanded. ''Tell me!''

''I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours.''

''Rrrrrrgggggg! I'm Dash.exe and he's Zero.exe!'' Dash shot, exasperated. ''Now who are you?''

The red navi put his fist to his chest.

''I am Blues.exe.''

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Please give me feedback, I want to know what you think.

This'll probably be my last update for at least a week, as FF4 is eating up my free time, and I have two projects to work on this week.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[Mugen.exe]

Good fic. Keep up the great work! My first fic was hard too, so I wish you the best of luck. And note that fancy names help get veiws. The real trouble is getting veiwers to post replies...
_________________

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

[Haly K]

This story has quite an interesting plotline. Nice cliffhangers too! ^_^ I wonder if other Navis will appear... ( Eh, I think most people don't reply to a fan fic because they're afraid that they'll flame the author by mistake unless they already know the author. At least, that's a theory for my fan fics. I know they're horrible, and yet no one wants to point out the mistakes. *sigh* -.- )
_________________
MegaMan Kilobit
My Own City

[ComicX6]

Thanks for the comments.

Actually, this isn't my first fic. This one has just lasted the longest. I let my other two die because I didn't think they were that good, or I wasn't very committed. But I've written up to chapter 14 for this one, so I think it has a good chance of survival. Too bad my typing's slow though, or I would've had several more updates than I do now.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

Nother update
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Chapter 10: Buster and Saber Verses Blade
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'' Blues.exe?! What are you doing here?!'' Terry gasped. It was just too much, Blues.exe, the legendary net savior, the navi of Enzan Ijiuun, and here he was, in front of Dash and Zero, in an old, abandoned house.

''I am honoring Hikari's last request, that I protect his navi, my friend Rockman.exe, until the time his power is needed.'' the red navi responded.

''W-well, that's exactly why we came here, so can you like, just hand him over or something?'' Dash asked nervously.

''You two are not in my databanks, so I can only assume that both of you are enemies.'' He turned his right hand into a red sword. ''And that means that I must delete you two.''

A sword hilt appeared in front of Zero, and when he grabbed it, a blue, triangular blade immerged from it. ''Fine.'' he growled, ''I'll delete you easily.''

Zero was either being over confident, or showing off his arrogence, Dash thought as he morphed his own hand into a buster. ''We don't have to do this...''

A holographic display popped up over both Terry's and Slate's PET. Slate started to select two chips, but before he could finish, Blues was suddenly right in front of the two navis. The two barely had time to duck the subsequent slash.

''So fast... I didn't even see him move!'' Dash gasped.

Slate reselected the two chips and dragged them over to Zero. ''Grasseed and Mega-Cannon, slot in!''

A glass blub filled with green liquid appeared in Zero's free hand and he threw it in Blues' direction. Blues, of course, easily dodged it. The blub shattered and released green gas, which turned part of the floor to grass.

Then Zero's left hand, his right was holding the Z-Saber, morphed into a red cannon. He fired a blast, but once again Blues dodged it. ''You're going to need much more speed if you're going to hope to beat me.''

What was Slate playing at? Terry wondered. As far as he knew, Grasseed was pretty useless, and Mega Cannon, while powerful, was slow.

Apparently though, Zero knew exactly what he was doing. ''NOW!'' he cried, and on his command, vines lept out of the grass and bound Blues' feet so tightly that he could not move. Zero then fired several shots, all of which found their mark. Blues was obscured by the resulting explosion.

Dash exspected Zero to gloat, but instead, his eyes widened and he said '' Nani!?''

Terry knew that this meant What?!, but he could not see why Zero had said this, because Blues was still obscured, but when the smoke faded away, Blues was unharmed, in fact, he was protected by an energy barrier.

''No way! That's the Barrier battlechip! How'd he use it without an operator to slot them in?'' Dash gasped.

''Hikari modified me so that I could slot in chips on my own.'' Blues answered. He then cut himself free.

How can we win against an opponet like that? Terry wondered. Blues could use absolutely any chip he wanted. In a normal battle, it was proper etiquette to announce what chip you were using, to give your opponet some warning, even if it was only a second. But Blues was a navi, not an operator, so the usual rules did not apply to him.

''Air Hockey! Slot in!'' Terry shouted, inserting the chip into his PET. Air Hockey was fast, maybe it could hit Blues before he could dodge. In the cyberworld, the disk came flying across the floor towards its target, but Blues used an Areasteal to warp in front of Dash, and he preceeded to punch him with a Goldfist.

Dash fell, gasping, and looked up to see Blues coming down on him with his sword. Fortunatly, Terry was ready. '' Aquasword, slot in!''

Dash's forearm morphed into a blue sword, which allowed him to block the attack. But while Dash was pretty good with a sword, he was nowhere near as good as Blues or Zero, so no matter how many blows he blocked, he still suffered slices on his shoulder and side. He fell to his knees, exhausted from the effort.

Convinced that Dash was down for a while, Blues attacked Zero next. Zero fared much better than Dash did, and the block turned into a duel between the two swordsmen.

After a little bit, the two lept apart, both were visibly panting. ''Well, I admit that both of you have some skill. Most other navis would have been beaten by now.''

''Tell me one thing.'' Zero said, planting the tip of his saber into the ground as a symbol of truce. ''You were the netnavi of Enzan Ijiuun, why are you here, how are you here?''

Behind his visor, Blues' eyes darkened. '' Enzan-sama was the president of IPC.inc, untill he was murdered by a mentally unstable man! If it wasn't for Hikari's actions, I would have been deleted.''

''Can you tell us what happened?'' Dash asked, picking himself up. He was interested in hearing more about Enzan, since the Scilab file had barely mentioned him.

''Well, as a reward for lasting this long, I will tell you.'' Blues said, turning his sword back into a hand.

''It happened when the trouble with the viruses began to get serious...''

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Okay, bout half way done with the fic. I hope people are enjoying it, and, as usual, I would greatly appreciate any feedback from the masses.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[Haly K]

Half way done already? So there are about 10 more chapters left?! :O The plot is getting interesting, though. Please continue! This is going to get good, I can tell! ^_^
_________________
MegaMan Kilobit
My Own City

[ComicX6]

Grr, this is the third time I've tried to post this in the last 3 days...

Anyway, this is part 3 of the Blues arc, and I found it somewhat... depressing to write...

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Chapter 11: Blues' Recollection
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(Note: Netto and Enzan would be roughly 26 and 27, respectivly)

'' You should hurry Enzan-sama. We shouldn't keep the guests waiting.''

Enzan selected a gray tie from his closet and put it on. He lived in the well to do part of Densan, but he tried to not appear to be a rich snob. '' Don't rush me Blues, it takes time to prepare for things like this.'' he said.

He was preparing for a party being hosted by IPC at one of Densan's ritziest hotels. The occasion was a generous donation to a local charity, and Enzan wanted to give a good impression.

He then selected a white blazer, put that one, then turned around and held his PET out in front of him. '' How do I look Blues?''

'' Sharp.'' he answered. '' Now, we should hurry, as I said before...''

'' I know. We shouldn't keep the guests waiting.''

* * *

The party hall was already filled with people when Enzan arrived. The guests included local business partners, political figures, and workers.
Enzan surveyed the group for a bit, then heard a familiar voice.

'' Let me by! I want to speak to him!'', followed by some hasty apologizes from a second voice.

A man emerged from a group of scandalized looking women. He threw them an annoyed look as he brushed off his suit.

'' Hello Netto.'' Enzan said, surveying his friend.

Netto had donned a classic black suit and tie. He was also wearing a blue armband, having exchanged his old headband for it. His hair was tamer than it had been when he was a child, but it was still a wee bit unkempt.

'' Oh, hello Enzan.'' he said, looking up.

Enzan, like Netto, had also changed. His hair was mostly white now, and his eyes were proof that running a company was very stressful.

'' Hello Enzan, Blues.'' Rockman said from his PET. Blues nodded back from his own.

'' So, how've you been doing these days?'' Netto asked, leaping right into conversation.

'' Can't complain, I suppose. It's a lot of work, and the recent virus outbreaks have gotten more serious. People are starting to become seriously concerned. So demand for our products have gone up.''

'' Oh yeah, congratulations.'' he added.

Netto's face adopted the quizzical expression it had often worn during childhood. '' Congratulations for what?'' he asked.

'' How thick headed are you? You haven't forgotten that, relativly recently, you got MARRIED, haven't you?''

'' O-Of course I haven't!'' Netto protested, his face turning red.

'' Sigh, your memory hasn't changed much since you were a child Netto-kun.'' Rockman lamented.

Enzan smiled to himself. That was true. Netto hadn't changed that much, even after 15 years.

'' Meiru didn't want to come, did she?''

'' No.'' Netto said. '' She said that she would've felt out of place with all these high society people around.''

'' How have you been Blues?'' Rockman asked.

'' To tell you the truth, bored. We don't do much fighting anymore. I mostly just oversee the working navis and programs and help Enzan-sama complete paperwork. Being a CEO is not as exciting as being a net savior.''

'' Well, enough about us, how has life been treating you lately?'' Enzan asked.

'' Well, I'm a part time net savior, part time researcher, so the recent spike in virus activity has kept me very busy. I guess it was hard for Papa too...'' Netto trailed off, and Enzan knew why. Netto had been full of grief when his parents had died when he was a kid, and he did not like to talk about it.

'' It's been busy here too.'' Enzan said, steering the conversation away from Netto's parents. '' Did you know that we caught an embezzler a few months ago? Turned out, he was more than a little crazy, but he had hacked his medical records to cover it up!''

'' Geez, some people will do anything for money.'' sighed Netto.

They spent the next forty five minutes or so catching up on old times, making the other guests envious of the man that was recieving so much attention from such an important man.

Netto accidentally backed into someone, so he turned around to apologize lest Rockman start on him again, but he was greeted with the scent of stale beer.

He turned and saw a short, grimy man with a shabby jacket and a chinful of stubble.

'' Who are you?'' Netto asked. This man did not look like he belonged here. He looked like a hobo, not an invitee to a party.

'' Netto! That's Yoshi Yamasu, the embezzler I was telling you about! He got off on those charges?!'' Enzan shouted.

'' And how did he get in here?'' Netto wondered.

Yoshi turned around. '' Enzan-san...'' he muttered, reaching into his jacket, giving Netto a very sick feeling.

BAM! BAM!

Blues' PET feel to the floor with a clatter. '' ENZAN-SAMA!!!''

'' Enzan?!'' both Netto and Rockman gasped.

Enzan stood there, eyes wide with shock as his white suit was stained red with blood pouring from two gunshot wounds to his chest.

Yoshi looked down at Blues' PET, which had stopped by his foot. He raised a foot, preparing to stomp on it.

'' NO!'' Netto shouted, surging foward. He punched Yoshi, knocking the gun away and making him lose his balance. '' Netto-kun!'' Rockman shouted. Netto's actions were all it took. Eight burly security guards tackled Yoshi, cuffed him, then dragged him away. People had finally realized what had happened, and chaos broke out. Men were shouting and women were screaming.

Through the confusion, Netto run over to Enzan as he went down on one knee, coughing up blood as he did so. Netto put one arm around him to support him. He didn't care that blood was staining his expensive suit, all that mattered was the life of his friend. '' Someone's called an ambulance.'' he reported, his face pale.

Enzan nodded weakly, even though he knew in his heart that they would be too late. '' Netto... get... Blues...''

Netto picked up the fallen PET and handed it to him. '' Are you all right Enzan-sama?'' Blues asked with relative calm, but his earlier scream betrayed his true emotions.

Enzan coughed up some more blood. '' I'll be okay... Blues.'' He turned to Netto and handed him his PET. '' Take care of Blues... Netto... friend. Blues, Netto will be... your new... operator..........''

'' Don't talk like that Enzan-sama! Please, don't!'' Blues pleaded.

'' Hold on Enzan!'' Netto pleaded, his hands smeared with Enzan's blood.

'' Goodbye, Hikari... Blues...'' Enzan mumbled.

'' No! Please, don't... die... Enzan-sama...'' Blues pleaded, abandoning his emotional mask.

Enzan smiled weakly, and Blues' and Netto' faces were the last things he saw before darkness claimed him.

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Chapter 11. That is all that I can say. One more chapter and the Blues arc is over.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[ComicX6]

I had to completely rewrite this chapter, because apparently a portal to Beyondard opened up in my room and sucked in the manuscript. So if there are any scraps of paper blowing around in future eps, let me know.

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Chapter 12: Broken Blade
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'' That is why I fight.'' Blues said as he finished his story. '' It was Enzan-sama's last wish that Hikari take care of me, and it was his that I protect Rockman so that his power could be used again.''

'' But thatt is why we came.'' Zero said. '' The world has changed from what you knew. It is now covered by oppression and discontent.''

'' If you two do manage to defeat me and revive Rockman, what would you use his power for? What are you fighting for?'' Blues retorted.

'' I am fighting because it is, sadly, the only way to restore justice these days.'' Dash answered. '' I know that it will be very difficult, but with my operator Terry behind me, I can't lose!''

So much like Netto and Rockman... Blues thought. He turned to Zero. '' And you? What are you fighting for?''

Zero narrowed his eyes and answered, '' When Akira-sama and I were Enforcers, we witnessed atrocities by the government. We were also forced to do things that neither of us are proud of. We swore that we would try to end the suffering, whatever it took. I will not hesistate. If an enemy appears before me, I will destroy it. And I trust that my operator will support me when I need aid.''

So that's why the two of them are so harsh... Dash thought.

'' And you believe that obtaining Rockman will help you reach that goal?'' Blues said. '' I watched a civilized society fall to its knees! Do you really think that he can help if it is so much worse now, as you say?''

'' Then it sounds like you don't think he is worth it then...'' Zero muttered.

'' Enough! It is time for us to us to finish! I swore that I would protect him, and protect him I shall!''

'' W-Wait!'' Dash shouted. '' There is one other reason, it's... Saito... Hikari...''

'' Saito... could it be...'' Blues whispered.

'' Do you know anything about him?'' Dash asked eagerly.

'' All I know is that that was what Meiru was planning to name her child.'' Blues said. '' But why would that give me a reason to hand over Rockman?''

'' Because he is lost and confused, and he needs a part of his old, almost forgotten family for guidance.'' Dash said, choosing his words carefully.

'' Give it up already.'' Zero said, plucking his saber out of the ground. '' He's not going to hand him over willingly, we must delete him, it is the only logical course of action to take.''

'' I agree.'' Blues said, morphing his arm into his defaut sword again, '' Enough of this chatter! Woody Tower!''

Dash and Zero both lept away as the ground they were standing on was pierced by sharp wooden spears. Dash landed a bit more roughly than he would've liked, he was still a little weak from his wounds. Unfortunately, Blues did not give him a break.

'' Delta Ray Edge!!''

Dash looked up to see a red triangle flying towards him. He screamed as he was thrown through the air, and he smashed into one of the wood spears.

'' Dash! Are you all right?!'' Terry cried.

'' That attack was.... so powerful...'' Dash groaned. '' One more hit like that, and I could be... Deleted!''

Meanwhile, Zero and Blues had gotten into another sword duel. After dodging a sonic boom, Zero brought his saber over his head, then brought it down on the ground. '' Saber Wave!''

The blade unleased a wave of pure energy, which slammed into Blues, and knocked him over. He morphed his left hand into a Bamboo Sword as he got up, then used an Areasteal to warp over to Zero. '' Die!'' he shouted as he brought both blades down on Zero, however, he managed to block with his saber in one hand, and forcefully punched him with the other.

Blues fell again, but when he got back up, he noticed that the Bamboo Sword was gone. He looked up to find Zero wielding both weapons. '' How did you do that!'' he demanded.

'' That's the power of the Z-Knuckle. It allows me to steal a weapon type battlechip that the opponet is using. Now it's time for you to die!'' He rushed over to Blues, and before he could react, he had been run through by both of the blades.

Netto Hikari... Enzan-sama... I've failed you...

His data blew away, like sand in the wind.

'' You didn't have to do that.'' Dash said angrily.

Zero turned his back to him. '' As I said before, deleting him was the only logical course of action to take. You heard what I told him earlier, If an enemy appears before me, I will destroy it. And he was an enemy. Now, let's see about Rockman.''

Dash limped over to where Rockman was, channeling as much malice as possible towards the blond swordsman. Then he stopped, and got a good look at Rockman.

Rockman's features were based off of a boy just beginning to enter his teenage years. Which was surprising, since Dash had imagined him to be older, more powerful looking. Instead, he was gazing at a skinny boy, you looked not only not that tough, but also... relativly average. Dash noticed his emblem and reached out to touch it, to see if it was indeed the same one on Saito's PET.

But when his finger made contact, the emblem suddenly began to glow. Dash jerked his hand back, surprised. '' What the heck...''

'' A reaction to the touch of navi data, perhaps?'' Terry suggested.

The glow faded, and Dash and Zero stepped back, in the real world Vick, Saito, Karla, and Butch crowded around Slate and Terry, to try to see what was happening.

Rockman slowly opened his emerald green eyes, and groggily looked around. Then he spoke: '' Who... are you?''

'' I'm Dash.exe, and he's Zero.exe.'' Dash said, pointing to Zero. '' We're rebels.''

'' R-Rebels? What's going on? Did you two reawaken me? Is this... a dream?'' Rockman asked quietly.

'' No, it isn't a dream. I'm Terry, Dash's operator.'' Terry said through a viewscreen that had appeared. '' And this is Slate, Zero's operator.'' he added.

He then proceeded to introduce the rest of the group, but before he got to Saito, Rockman asked another question. '' You... deleted Blues... didn't you...'' Terry nodded grimly.

Rockman sighed, and was about to say something, when he noticed Saito, who stood out because of his deep red hair. '' Who is that?''

'' That is Saito Hikari.'' Zero said calmly.

'' Saito-kun! Is it really you?!'' Rockman gasped. '' It is! It's me Rockman! My Daddy is Netto, and my Mama was Meiru!'' Saito cried, almost shouting the words.

'' But... I'm so confused...'' Rockman muttered, bringing a hand to his helmet.

'' If you come with us, we'll tell you everything.'' Karla said soberly.

'' You seem like good people... I... I think I can trust you... I-I'll come, but I'll need to be told everything.'' Rockman said, sounding quite nervous.

Saito nodded, and took out his PET, Netto's so long ago... '' Plug out!''

Rockman materialized his familiar PET, it was actually quite comforting really.

'' Rockman...'' Saito said quietly, looking down at the PET.

'' Hello... Saito-kun!''

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Zero's 'I will not hesistate' speech was taken almost verbatum from the Zero series. Since I'm basing his design and attacks from that series, I might as well take his conviction too.

Please give me feedback on this chapter, last chapter, or anything else pertaining to this fic. Istill have a ways to go on it, and I want to know what the general reaction to it so far is.
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' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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

[Haly K]

ProtoMan's deletion was... cruel. Is Zero really that cold in the Zero series? :O What happens next? MegaMan fights alongside the rebels? I'll be waiting! :]
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MegaMan Kilobit
My Own City

[ComicX6]

Before I update, I'll explain the Zero.exe character, and how he's different from Zero.

While their appearances are similar, and attacks almost identical ( Zero.exe's are tweaked to fit EXE style battles), the two have different personalities, based on their different experiances.

I believe that Zero Zero has the potential to be utterly cold and ruthless, but Ciel and the others softened him somewhat, but sometimes he can be as ruthless as he wants. Near the end of Z1, Cyber X says: '' Terminate that evil copy of me, terminate with extreme predjudice...'' and he only saves Neige in Z4 because the settlement asked him to.

Zero.exe, on the other hand, actually served in an oppressive government, before fighting against it. Both he and his operator, Slate, were hardened by their experiances, and vowed to stop it at any cost. Zero.exe is willing to do anything, delete navis, destroy systems etc, to obtain his goal. You could call it desperation I suppose...

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Chapter 13: Trouble Brewing...
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Bzzt

'' What is it?''

'' Your guest is here sir.''

'' Very well. Let him in.''

Dr. Mattel spared one last glance toward the night view of the skyscrapers of Hiroshima before sitting down at his desk. Just over 150 years ago, Hiroshima had been wiped out by the first atomic bomb in 1945. It had been rebuilt, and was now a spendid city. It sort of represented the world. It had been almost destroyed by the Outbreak, but now it was rebuilt. Just like the city, broken and rebuilt.

Mattel himself was not a very imposing figure. He was constantly nervous, short and thin with watery eyes and thin blond hair that was turning gray with age.

The door to his office opened, and a much more imposind figure entered.

This man was broad and muscular, and he wore a black muscle shirt and baggy green pants. His black hair was cut in a crew cut, and harshness and evil lined his face.

'' You are Ace, I presume?'' Mattel began. '' Thank you for coming all the way out here to-''

'' Just cut to the chase Mattel!'' Ace said harshly. Why did you call me, a job I suppose.''

'' Yes, yes, a job...'' Mattel said nervously. '' You recieved that file on my Dimensional Chip project, correct?''

Ace nodded, '' I did.''

'' Well, then you know that there is a manufacturing plant located in westren Japan, correct?'' Mattel continued. '' Well, there is a rebel group in that area.''

'' So?'' Ace growed, '' The rebel groups aren't a threat, and since you apparently want me to guard it, why aren't some government soldiers protecting it? They're much cheaper, and the government can simply pop an army out of its own ass.''

Mattel ignored Ace's crassness, but answered anyway, '' Because it is completely automated, and it's in a rather empty area. In response to what you said before, this group is, their leader, Akira 'Slate' Iwasaki, was a former Enforcer, and he stole duplicates of some important files reguarding the project. My superiors warned me that if anything happened, they would refuse to fund the project anymore.''

'' Hmm. It's been a long time since I had a fun job...'' Ace muttered. '' How about, instead of guarding it...''

* * *

'' You want to WHAT??!!''

'' Yes, I do, but don't worry, I have a plan.'' Ace said mysteriously. '' I will kill all of them in a single blow. I'm sure your precious superiors will love that.''

'' Hmph, I guess I have no choice then.'' Mattel sighed, taking something out of his desk drawer. He tossed the object to Ace. '' Use this to full fill your plan.''

'' I'll contact you about the payment later.'' Ace said gruffly. He turned and exited the office, without even shutting the door as he left.

Mattel sighed at Ace's rudeness and closed the door himself. He went back to his desk and sat down, wiping more sweat from his brow. That man seemed to just eminate hatred and coldness.

* * *

If Mattel had known that he was being watched, and by whom, he would've been even more nervous.

A navi was watching him from a security camera, but he was no ordinary navi.

First off, he had no helmet. His head was covered with sleek, orange hair that covered one of his eyes. His bodysuit was orange as well, and had various white stripes. His shoulder pads were broad and white, and his gloves and boots were also white.

He smiled to himself, but then turned to see another navi materialize near him. But he reconized the signal, there was no danger.

'' Greetings, sister.'' he said.

His sister was slightly shorter than he was, and had long purple- gray hair. She too had no helmet, but she did have a silver headband. Her body suit was white, with several blue stripes down the legs and arms, and her tight bodysuit did not leave much to the imagination. Her shoulder pads were silver and vertically plated.

'' Do you have anything... unexpected, Solinar?'' she asked.

'' No Lunare, Mattel hired Ace excatly as was planned.'' Solinar said.

'' I hate the fact that we have to rely on scum like that mercenary, but the outcome will be amusing either way.'' Lunare said, her calm, feminine voice the perfect match to her brother's clear, cultured one.

'' Yes, to tell you the truth, I never cared for this Dimensional Chip project very much. But it has given us a good excuse to destroy those rebels. Akira is very resourceful, but he will learn that no matter how far he runs, he can never escape us!'' Solinar said, smiling.

'' Yes, brother, he will learn the folly of defying us.'' Lunare nodded.

'' Anyway, my operator and I are preparing to look into that other matter, so you will have to handle the outcome of this.'' Solinar said.

Lunare nodded, '' Yes, I will.''

The two of them logged out, their operators would be very interested in how things turned out.

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This chapter recieved an extensive rewrite because I didn't like what I had written before. Some changes were: Ace's name was shortened from Acenum. When he says that he has a plan, he flashes a ' black battlechip' ie, a Darkchip. I have since changed it to something more original.
Solinar's and Lunare's conversation was much shorter, and completely different.

The main focus was to set up things for the future. Not just in this fic, but in the next one as well. Yes, I've decided to make this the first part of a trilogy. I will begin to start writng it when I'm done writing this one, and I'm almost done writing this one. It won't have such a long ass title though.
_________________
' I don't care if the buzz isn't real- I can roleplay being drunk!'

- Balmung, .hack vol. 1

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