Rockman EXE Side Story: The Adventures of Hadrian Graves and his Navi, Hardman EXE.

The world is a strange place. Especially this world.

This is the world of the Network. Here, humans and Navis work side by side to accomplish everyday tasks, daring rescues, and even waste time. Almost everyone has a Navi that they keep in a Personal Terminal, or PeT. Each human is a friend with his or her Navi, and the two form an inseparable bond.

Well, most of the time.

"SLOW THE DAMN TRUCK DOWN!"

"I'm trying, Hadrian, but you must be patient."

"Patience be DAMNED! SLOW US DOWN!"

A mailbox snapped free of its earthly bond and shattered the windshield of the blue truck that careened down the sleep street in ACDC Town. The man in the truck, a black baseball cap on his head and three day stubble on his face, gave a shout of surprise as shards of glass flew past him. In the confusion and the cloud of lethal melted sand, his cigarette dropped down into the seat.

"That cut looks nasty."

"THANK you, Hardman! Could you see about stopping us please?" Hadrian barked at the small PeT on the seat next to him. He could already feel blood flowing down his check, neck, and seeping into his shirt.

"I suppose. What else can I hit?"

"Hardman!"

"Oh, THAT tree looks good."

"YOU PIECE OF BUG-RIDDEN HORSE SH—"

Act 1: Hard Luck

The tranquil afternoon of a play-filled summer day in ACDC park was broken into tiny, unrecognizable fragments by the blocky blue truck that smashed into the unyielding oak tree. Netto Hikari was one of the first on the scene, along with his friend Meriu and his longtime rival Dex. This was a monumental event to the children. Something big enough to interrupt a net battle between Netto's Navi Rockman and Dex's Navi Gutsman was rare and, until the moment the truck's grill met the tree's bark, unprecedented.

"You think he's all right?" Dex asked as they took in the sight of the now smoking car.

"Um, moron?" Netto chided. "He just crashed his car. Come on, help me get him out."

"Roll's already sent out a call for an ambulance," Meriu put in, staying farther away from the wreck than the two boys. A crowd of children and some adults were starting to gather.

"Er, yeah. Good thinking, Meriu," Dex fumbled, trying to be angry at Netto and flirt with Meriu all at once.

Netto grabbed the driver's side door handle and tried pulling it open. "Aw, man . . . it's stuck. Gimme a hand, man!" he shouted at Dex.

The larger boy made his way around the wreckage and grabbed Netto's midsection, helping him pull. "Man," Dex grunted after a moment of effort, "This thing's stuck tight!"

"You're telling me," a man in a black baseball cap and a blue coat that went down to his knees said, leaning on the roof on the other side of the truck. The two young boys continued to try prying the door open as Hadrian lit up a cigarette. "You nearly got me killed, Hardman."

"You requested we stop. You need to be more specific," a heavy, almost steel door voice answered him.

Meriu, ignoring the now useless efforts of the boys, made her way around the tree. "Are you okay?"

"Eh," the man shrugged, taking a puff of his cigarette. "I'll live."

The young girl shuddered at the sight of the gash on the side of his face. "Maybe you should see a doctor?"

"You think so?" The man gave her a cocked-eyebrown look and bent the truck's rearview mirror to get a look at himself. His face immediately went pale. "Wow. . . that's kinda bad."

"Yeah."

On the other side of the truck, the door finally detached itself from tortured hinges, and sent Netto and Dex tumbling backwards.

"Wonderful," Hardman's voice came from inside the truck. "Maybe now you can save me from this archaic device." There, between the steering wheel and the now deflating airbag on the passenger side (which had been the only airbag to deploy), in the tape deck of the demised vehicle, was a PeT, jammed in as far as it would go.

Meriu caught sight of that as well. A female voice, although just as electronic as Hardman's gave a small yelp. "Oh my . . . That's horrible!"

"He earned it," the man grumbled. "I'll grab him at some point. Maybe."

"Without me, you get no work," the stuck Navi said in a slightly smug tone.

The older man rolled his eyes and grumbled something that made Meriu sure she never wanted to repeat it in front of her parents, and reached in and yanked out the PeT.

At this point, now free of both the car door and Dex, Netto came around the tree and stood next to Meriu. "So you're Navi's name is Hardman, huh?" the eager young net battler asked. Hadrian nodded and barely opened his mouth before he was cut off by the boy. "Cool! My Navi is Rockman! I'm Netto Hikari, nice to meet you!"

Hadrian tentatively took the proffered hand of the younger man. "Eh, Hadrian. Hadrian Graves. Dataguard for hire."

Dex joined his friends. "Dataguard? What's that?"

A voice from Netto's hip answered. "A Dataguard is like a bodyguard, but they excel at protecting files and systems instead of actual people. Sort of like mall security, or an armored car guard."

"Pretty much," Hardman droned. "You must be Rockman."

Netto unhooked his PeT from his belt and brought it up in front of him. The sleek form of Rockman came into Hadrian's view. The Navi snapped off a short salute. "A pleasure."

"Likewise," Hadrian managed through a puff of his cigarette.

"Hey, maybe we can net battle sometime," Netto grinned. "I'm the best in ACDC Town."

"Not likely! Gutsman is better than your whimpy Rockman any day of any week in any month you care to name!" Dex shouted, trying to defend his Navi's honor.

"Yeah! Guts!"

Meriu turned and scoffed at them, if it is indeed possible to scoff AT someone. "Guys, he's a paid professional! He's probably really good at net battling."

"Well, I'm not bad . . ." Hadrian shrugged.

"He's terrible," Hardman cut in. "I end up having to do most of the work."

"Buzzkill," Hadrian muttered. To the kids, he said "Where can I find a nurse or something? I need to make sure I'm not broken too badly."

"The closest nurse is the one at the school. She's pretty good," Meriu told him.

"And cute!" Netto managed to say before a sharp elbow caught him in the gut. He sputtered and coughed for a little bit while Meriu smiled and looked innocent.

"Okay, thanks."

As the man in the blue coat started to walk away from the wreckage of the truck, only Roll, Meriu's Navi, thought of something.

"Hey . . . Where is the ambulance I called?"