Heyo all, it's me again, your favorite JJM! Some of you may know that I am currently in the middle of another Megaman fic. Well, this one takes place around that one but for the most part is in a different place. Where exactly, may you ask? Ha ha, now there's a question, isn't there.

Just a warning, there is a lot a lot of techy BS in this fic, especially in the beginning, so don't mention it in the reviews. Hey, you know how it is, right? You get a great idea and then you have to bend the rules of reality to make it work. So just be ready for some stuff that's really… out there.

Tameranian Angel: (pops out of nowhere) You can say that again.

JJM: So just be ready for some… (notices TA) Gah! Where did you come from!

TA: Nowhere. It says so, right up there. (points to previous line in parenthesis)

JJM: Get out of here; this is my fic, not a co-write, repeat, MY FIC!

TA: Yea, but I made up some of the characters for it.

JJM: Only two, I'll give you credit for that. NOW LEAVE!

TA: OK, OK, I'm going. Geez… (leaves)

Anyways, let's get this thing started and hopefully, you-know-who won't interrupt us again. (crosses fingers so as not to jinx it) So now, without further ado, I give you… aw, forget it! ROLL FILM… or text, that works too. Oh, by the way… yea, I know, I'm killin' you ain't I… the italicized paragraphs are being said by our narrator… you'll find out who he is later on.

OK, now we can get on with it. Here's the fic and enjoy.

You know how in certain movies there's that one guy? The guy who always dreams of doing something big or being a hero? And then finally one day the chance comes up and he's not so sure he wants to be a hero anymore? Well, now you know how I feel. Sure, I always wanted to be a hero, that's why I went getting myself into all these situations. Nothing big, just getting cats out of trees, telling someone to buzz off. You know, sticking up for the little guy. But now me and my four friends…well, actually my three friends and another guy… are in the hugest jam of our short lives and I'm the one who got us into it… trying to play the hero. But maybe before we get to that I should probably explain exactly how we got here. It all started a long way from here, in some bad guy's lair…

Regal's lair

Dr. Regal was up to something; that much was certain. For the past week, he had locked himself in a room, allowing no one to disturb him. Ms. Yuri wasn't one to argue. But the long wait was getting to her. Nothing was happening anywhere. How long did it take to come up with a new plan? Dr. Regal always seemed to have thousands in reserve, but now apparently he had run out. Either that or it was just taking a long time to execute his latest one, she reasoned. The latter choice was right.

When he finally emerged, Ms. Yuri stood by quietly, awaiting instruction. He walked to his chair carrying a small piece of equipment, which he attached to the controls for the dimensional area generators. For a while, he made connections, tapped at keys, and peered at a small screen by him. Eventually, Ms. Yuri had to say something. "Well…"

Without looking up from what he was doing, Dr. Regal responded. "Are you familiar with the theory of other dimensions?"

Ms. Yuri kept her surprise well hidden. "Fairly."

"Well, I have just proven it," Dr. Regal said, finally looking up, a small smile on his face. "The term 'dimensional area' has just taken a more literal meaning."

"You mean, there actually are other dimensions out there?"

"Yes, and I can send dimensional areas to them. Do you know what that means?"

Ms. Yuri thought for a moment. "Universal domination?" she ventured.

"Not quite, humans can't go through these dimensional portals. But it does mean that I can send Darkloids in to get the resources we need for the battle here… and no one will be able to stop them!"

A smile slowly appeared on Ms. Yuri's face. He had finally hit on an unbeatable plan. There was nothing that could keep Nebula from taking over the world now.

Dr. Regal was thinking the same thing. Just try and stop me, Hikari! Not even your son Lan and his navi Megaman will be able to stop me this time!

Scilab- One week later

Lan stretched his arms out above him and yawned. Chaud glanced over at him from where he was working, and then continued what he was doing. The newest Net Saver, Lee, glanced up from his slouched position on a couch. Lan finished stretching and settled back into a comfortable position. After a moment of silence, Lan suggested, "Wanna Netbattle?" Both Chaud and Lee rolled their eyes at the suggestion.

"You've already beaten me ten straight times today alone," Lee groaned, "and each of those battles took twenty minutes at least. Besides, I think our navis need a break."

From his PET, Cypher, Lee's navi, whispered a heartfelt "Thank you."

Lan stood up and started pacing. "But I don't need a break! I need something to do!" he complained.

"Why don't you help Chaud?" Megaman suggested.

Chaud quickly eliminated the possibility. "No thanks, you'd just get in the way."

Lee got up as well and stretched. "What are you working on anyway?"

"Trying to find out what Regal's up to." Chaud said, still staring out the screen in front of him. Both Lan and Lee moved behind him to get a better look. "This quiet has gone on too long for my liking. Two weeks is a long time to go between Nebula attacks. Either Regal's given up, which I seriously doubt, or he's planning something."

"It's been too quiet for me, too," Lan agreed.

"Yea, it's been quiet," Lee said. "Except for Lan snoring," he muttered. Cypher snickered.

Lan glared at him but didn't say anything. He didn't have time to because his dad came in. "Any luck yet, Chaud?" he asked.

Chaud shook his head. "Nothing that points directly to Nebula, but I did find one thing of interest."

"Oh, and what's that?"

Chaud pointed to the information on the screen. "There have been a lot of energy fluctuations in a concentrated area throughout the past week or so."

Dr. Hikari frowned. "That is strange. We'll have to investigate further. Why don't you send Megaman in to scope out the situation?"

Lan leapt up. "Yes! Something to do! Finally!"

"Alright calm down," Chaud said. "Here's the location." He handed him a slip of paper he had just printed out. "Just go and have a look around; don't do anything rash."

"Sure," Lan said rushing out of the room.

"Well, I might as well go train some more," Lee said. He caught Chaud and Dr. Hikari staring at him. "What?" Lee sighed. "Fine, I'll go too, just to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." He walked out calling after Lan. "Wait up! It'll still be there in ten minutes!"

The information led them to an old warehouse on the edge of town. "Hello?" Lan called as they entered.

"I don't think anyone's here," Lee observed. "It doesn't look as though anyone's been here for quite a while. Look at all the dust on those crates." He pointed to a stack in the corner.

Lan was more interested in something on the wall next to the crates. "An old thermostat! Let's jack in from here." He pulled out his PET. "Ready, Megaman?"

"Sure."

"Jack in! Megaman, power up!"

"Our turn," Lee said. "Jack in! Cypher, power up!"

The two navis materialized in the dark and gloomy Cyberworld of the warehouse's old heating system. Megaman glanced around his surroundings. "I think Lee's right. This place hasn't used in a while."

"Which explains why it feels so cold in here," Lee said, shivering a little.

"Start looking around, Megaman. And here's something to help! Search Soul, Navi chip in, download!"

"Nice…" Cypher said admiringly as Megaman transformed into Search Soul.

"Thanks," Megaman said smiling. "Now let's get to work." The visor slipped down into place as Megaman began scanning the area.

Cypher began scanning through his own visor. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" he asked, peering into the dimness.

"For starters, you could look for the 'ON' switch!" Lee said, clearly freezing at this point.

"Hey, you're right," Lan said. "It is getting a little chilly in here. I can see my breath."

"I think I just found out why," Megaman reported. "Darkloid dead ahead. It's Fridgeman!"

"Very nice!" Cypher said, rubbing his hands together. "The only Aqua type Darkloid and they send him here to me. How considerate!" Cypher, of course, is an Elec type.

"Guys, we're not here to fight," Lee reminded them. "We're only supposed to scope out the situation. He must be guarding something; there's no other possible reason for why he would be here."

"Yea, but guarding what?" Lan wondered. "Megaman, do you see anything else?"

"There's some kind of tunnel behind Fridgeman, but I can't see where it leads. We'd have to take him out in order to get a closer look."

"Take him out? You came to the right navi! It'll only take a sec." With that, Cypher slipped off.

"Cypher, come back!" Megaman said in the loudest whisper he could.

But Cypher had his own plan in mind. Dodging from cover to cover, he got closer and closer to Fridgeman without alerting him.

"Oh, geez," Lee groaned. "Why does he have to keep doing stuff like this? Well, I might as well help him out. Area Steal, battlechip in, download!"

Cypher suddenly warped from a few feet away from Fridgeman to right on top of him. Literally. He landed on Fridgeman's head. "Hey! What the--" Fridgeman started to say, but Cypher didn't give him a chance to finish.

He placed his hands on either side of Fridgeman's head. "Elec Spread!" Volt after volt of electricity went straight from Cypher's hands into Fridgeman. Before long…

Fridgeman, logging out.

Lee let out a huge breath. "I can feel the temperature going up now. Good work, Cypher."

Cypher merely stood up and smirked as Megaman dashed over to join him, coming out of Search Soul. "What did you think you were doing!" Megaman shouted. "You could have blown our cover!"

"Well, he didn't see who it was, and he's gone now, so I'd say it was worth it," Cypher said, shrugging. "Doesn't hurt to get your hands dirty."

Lan looked at Lee, who shrugged apologetically. "Well, we might as well take a look inside now. Megaman, go on in and be careful!"

"Cypher, you take Fridgeman's place," Lee directed.

"Aw, do I have to?" Cypher whined.

"Yes, now deal!"

Megaman headed into the tunnel cautiously, reporting back as he went. "Nothing yet, Lan. But I think I see the end up ahead. Yea, it's definitely ending now. It leads to… whoa."

"What is it?" Lan said, gripping his PET even tighter.

"I… I'm not sure. But I think it looks kind of like the inside of a dimensional area generator, only different. I can't tell really."

"Here's another Double Soul then." Lan said, pulling out a second chip. "Number Soul, Navi chip in, download!"

"I wish I could get Double Souls," Cypher muttered, leaning against the wall outside the tunnel.

Megaman took a closer look at the object through Number Soul's analytical view. "That really helps. I can definitely tell it's a modified dimensional area generator of some kind now."

"Modified to do what?" Lee asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I need more info. I'm moving in closer," Megaman reported. There was a moment of silence. Then Megaman's voice came back on. "It appears that it focuses energy on a specific point, but why, I don't know. Hold on, there's another Darkloid coming!"

Megaman swiftly ducked out of sight as Burnerman walked up to the strange device. A voice came from somewhere. "Are you ready?"

Lan and Lee both heard it over Lan's PET. "Regal," Lan whispered.

"All fired up," Burnerman responded. "This'll be a cinch."

"Priming dimensional rift generator." The machine began to power up, making loud whirring noises that increased in volume as it warmed up. "Location locked on, preparing to send dimensional area generators." There was a small pause, and then the voice came back. "Preparing to open dimensional rift, please step back."

Burnerman took a few steps backward as energy began gathering at several different places on the device. After a moment, the energy shot in a brilliant beam to all converge at a single point. At the place where they hit, a small purple-colored crack began to form. It got larger and larger until it was big enough for Burnerman to walk through, which he did. Megaman had a clear view through the rift as Burnerman walked into it.

As soon as Burnerman was far enough away, Megaman dashed back to the tunnel. Cypher was waiting for him at the other end. "Well, what did you see?" he asked urgently.

Megaman took a breath before responding. " I could see through to the other side of that rift. It… It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before. It definitely wasn't anywhere in this world."

There was silence in both the Cyber and real worlds. Lee broke it by saying, "Well, I think we know what Regal's been up to."

Yes indeed they do. But what are they going to do about it? And where does our narrator come into all of this? And just who is our narrator anyway? …Do you really think I'm going to tell you all that now? You'll just have to review and stay tuned for the next chapter… which I hope you will. Later days!