I'm done? Really? Like, the story's written and all?

Anyway! I know is kind of old and all, but I really loved (and I still do) the universe and the characters when I was younger and I had this story in mind for quite a while. Actually, when I say quite a while, I really mean for more than three years... Okay, maybe it's because I didn't really work on it either. The thing is, I had actually written a summary back then but I had ended up with something which was so long that I couldn't find the courage to write it properly (especially since I was like "I will write it in English because I am very good at it. Oh, I don't know this word. How do I say that? ghgjdfk" when all in all my English was awful, so I'm glad I didn't ^^). So I had kinda forgotten about that and only found the docs anew when I was transferring everything to my new computer last year. I re-read everything and was like "oh that's pretty fun, I like that" so I decided I would finally write the story even though I stopped following the original storyline at some point... And here I am! Eventually posting it after months of work to get that done! I think I've never been so proud of myself :) Indeed, the story is entirely written and should be entirely posted in... *counts* five months. Well, that could be worse since the original division of my chapters would have been even longer to post (more than a year if posting a chapter per week).

The whole story is mostly based on the anime, though I took elements from both the manga and the game I think (but I don't remember what T.T). Indeed, even if I do have a gameboy, finding the game is hard here (I think it has never been released... maybe that's why) so poor little me struggle to re-watch some of the episodes (I mean I started with the French dubs then with French subtitles, then English ones, then no subtitles at all [damn Beast+! X( ] and now I have to re-watch some with Spanish subs! Oh, and I also watched some in Tagalog to find some translations. Netto and Rockman have the same voice actress in this one, which makes sense. Right English and French dubs where they don't even sound alike? Right? ) Hence, I will use the Japanese names, but I also almost translated everything in English because otherwise I can't read it out loud and that's how I correct myself. You may come across the English name of some characters though... Why? Because.

As you may have noticed, I'm not a native so there might still be mistakes in what I wrote. I would gladly correct them and would take any advice concerning my writing with pleasure. I have no one to correct me at home, so you guys really are the only ones I can count on for that ^^"

Bye bye!

(PS: the summary sucks, right? I know, and so does the title, but I really don't want to change the cover -_- )

Hidden truth

"Keeping a secret isn't always lying. Sometimes it's the only way to protect the person you love."

― Jodi Picoult, Leaving Time

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Prologue

SciLab, Densan City, 2041

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The only sound echoing in the room was the frenetic typing of a lone man, his screen lighting his tired face as he kept on rewriting his program again and again. Success was at reach, so close… yet so far at the same time. The program was perfect, and no flaws were left after being checked so many times; it should have worked! The man sighed, rubbing his temples in a last attempt to make his headache disappear, and went back to work. Lines of code flashed up in fade green characters on his computer before stopping after one indicating an error as the simulation of the program failed to execute.

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'You've spent your night working on that damn program again, haven't you?' Standing in the corner of the door, a blond man took a sip of coffee. 'You should take a break, Yuu. Your wife needs you more than this computer.'

'I can't…' he mumbled without taking his eyes off the screen.

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He was desperate, anyone would have been able to tell it. The project had become a haven to escape the tragedy currently tearing his family apart, or so thought his friend. However, the aforesaid family needed him, and he needed them too.

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'I'll take you home. You need to rest.' With those words, the man tried to make his friend and coworker turn off from the screen. 'Come on, it's not like finishing it will be of any help!'

'It's the only way, Mikhail…' Finally, the blond man got a look from his friend; in his eyes was shining all the fear a father could have at the thought of losing a child. 'It's the only thing which can save him.'

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Nine years later

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The tab displaying the article about another cybercrime stopped thanks to Densan's net saviors closed as a netnavi asked his operator if he wanted it to pursue further research on the ones who deleted the outlaw. The man waved his hand at the mindless program to signify his refusal, for that was all his navi was: a mere navigator in which he had refused to install any glint of a personality, neither in its appearance or in his artificial intelligence. Not that it wasn't tempting to have a rather human‑like being to talk with, but the last he had formed a close bond with he had also seen his demise—even if it was prior to the upgrades which gave navi complex personalities.

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'Navi, send an email to Yuuichiro Hikari.' Immediately, the navi stood ready to write the message. 'Ask him if he really wants me to bring him the project in a week or if I should wait until the problem of those phantom navis is solved.'

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Not even ten minutes after the email was sent, his netnavi informed him that he had received an answer.

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'Read it, please'

'Good evening as well, Mikhail,' the netnavi started with a robotic tone. 'For the project, I think it would be preferable to wait, but only if it can be kept safe. In your last report, you mentioned it was becoming hard to hide it from your co‑workers, so I leave the decision to you. The room is ready, although I still hesitate to let Meijin Eguchi on the secret. Of any scientists here, I suspect him the most of being able to discover what we are doing. Moreover, I would be more confident with someone else helping to hide it. Respectfully, Yuuichiro.'

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The project was their ultimate work together, and neither of them wanted it to fail. Even though their emails were sent through a well‑protected channel, encrypted at a military level, and automatically deleted after a short time, they refused themselves to ever mention what the famous project was. They knew how much it would cost them if they were caught, how people would only think of them as mad scientists without even considering why they did it, for the discovery of that project would be bound to reveal how they had played god ten years ago. Mikhail knew the project was viable, if weak for now, and that only thing was forbidden by the law. In fact, they had artificially created life and, even if it was for now mindless and unable to awake, judges wouldn't look further than that. They hadn't tried to understand when his team had created Forte, blaming his ultimate program to explain his actions instead of the fact he was basically a child in a world he was too advanced for, so if they ever came to know Yuuichiro and he had created something—someone—even more powerful… He didn't dare imagining what their reactions would be. He sighed: as long as his navi frame covered his real programming, he should be safe. Nevertheless, they had almost been discovered multiple times in the past two years and he knew it was only a question of time before the netpolice stopped believing his friend's lies. A thought came to his mind before vanishing quickly: Yuuichiro's son would not find out about this before it was time, his father had made sure he would be the last one able to find out.

Not even using his netnavi this time, Mikhail typed the email himself: he would wait two weeks, but wouldn't be able to afford more. If Yuuichiro wished to explain things to this Meijin, he'd better do it in the meantime. However, he hoped this scientist he had barely seen twice in his life was trustworthy. Of course, he knew his friend would not think about revealing the secret project which was the work of his life to someone he wasn't sure of the loyalty, but, still, Mikhail was wary; then again, it wasn't his decision to make. He pressed enter before closing the access to the communication channel—he had written he would reopen it the next day so no email would be lost—and stood up to go to a room to which only him had access: the project was there, hidden behind old boxes and sheets as if it was a vulgar failure which had yet to be discarded. However, it was no failure; it was the impossible made possible.

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In his office at SciLab, Yuuichiro finished reading the email with a smile: everything was as it should be, and not even the chain of unfortunate events which had kept on occurring for the past two years would be enough to let him doubt of his success. Of course, he would still wait before revealing what he had been working on. At least one full year of stimulation would be necessary to make it perfectly ready to be used, and even then a great work would be needed to get used to it. He would have to make the reveal progressive, and should probably take one or two months before even approaching the subject, but he still had almost two years to think of it.

A navi appeared on his shoulder, informing him that his help was requested in one of the labs. It was unusual for him to do so, as it was usually because he thought the situation would soon become an emergency. The scientist quickly closed the communication channel, causing the deletion of the email, before joining his coworkers to see what kind of problem they would have to face this time, praying this one wasn't more or less directly caused by either Netto or Rockman.

The first chapter should be out next week, either Saturday or Sunday (I need to decide).

See ya!