Chapter 2: Revenge
19:20 PM (Japan Time), Friday April the 30th…
"… And what did cha do with the key for this door, then?"
"Hell if I know! I had it on my pocket ten minutes ago…"
Netto blinked: he felt all dizzy and blurry.
W-what…? What happened to me?
He tried to move but found his arms to be immobilized and in a vertical position.
N-no way!
He tried the legs but both of them were tied together with something which felt like cello-tape.
I can't see anything!
He noticed that his t-shirt and orange sleeveless vest were missing as well leaving his upper body naked.
I've been abducted! There's no other explanation! Ah! Saito – niisan! What happened to him? Niisan! Can you hear me? Netto grasped before calling out for Saito.
Netto – kun…? Ah… I feel dizzy. Saito sluggishly replied.
Where are you?
Huh! I can't move and I can't see! My arms have been lifted and my legs immobilized. I have something covering the whole of my head and the upper torso part of my bodysuit is missing! Saito reported with obvious fear on his voice.
But… I don't understand it, then! Meijin – san was with us, wasn't he? Or there was more than one bad guy?
You suddenly fell asleep! I tried calling out for help but someone grabbed me from behind and force me into sleep mode… I'm still inside of the PET!
Can you call for help?
No good! We have zero EM wave coverage! We've gotta be underground, then…
What do they want, then? Ransom…? Netto wondered.
Dunno… Saito admitted.
I hope someone comes to rescue us! Netto hoped.
"… Screw keys and spare keys! I'm going to blast it open." One voice grumbled close by.
"How will cha do that? This is reinforced steel…" Another voice asked with obvious surprise.
Netto frowned when hearing two muffled voices somewhere close to him so he moved the head towards the direction.
Are those the kidnappers, then? Netto guessed.
They sound like one of them lost the key for this room… Saito ventured.
And the door is reinforced steel, too! I dunno how they plan on opening it up, then. Netto wondered.
You'd need a heavy object or an expert in locks, I guess… Saito guessed next.
"Vicious Fire!"
There was a sound which resembled a streak of flames burning up something: Netto began to pick up the smell of molten steel and tried to breathe through the mouth instead.
W-whoa! They're actually melting the keyhole!
… "Vicious Fire"… Haven't we heard that somewhere before? Saito ventured.
"A~h! W-what are ya?" Someone asked while sounding terrified.
"… Need Not to Know." A cool voice sentenced.
"Y-yeah! I'll shut up, Boss!" The man quickly replied.
"T-this guy's no joke!" A heavy voice gasped.
Maybe one of them has just begun working for the Boss…? But why did the guy ask "what are ya"? Isn't it just a person using a flamethrower? Netto wondered.
But those manly voices… I have a feeling like I've heard them before! Let's try to be calm: if we get fear, then they win! We won't lose to bad guys, right, Netto – kun! Saito tried to encourage.
Yeah! I won't get afraid to the likes of 'em!
SLAM!
A metallic door slammed against a wall very close by.
"See? I opened it." The cool voice announced.
"But cha… melted… the keyhole and handle…" The first voice sounded dumbfounded.
"Who cares?" The voice shot back.
"Are cha sure that this basement is really sound-proof…?" The first voice sounded like it has its doubts.
"… Wanna give it up?" The voice questioned with a hint of menace.
"N-no! I've come so far… Only a fool would give it up!" The man quickly replied while sounding afraid.
"Y-yeah…! I… won't give it up, either…!" The heavy voice also added.
"Good! Remember: when I say "stop", you'll stop and leave. Do you understand me?" The commanding voice questioned.
"Y-yeah, Boss!" The man gasped.
"D-danna is in charge in 'ere!" The heavy voice affirmed.
… Yeah. They're starting to ring a bell somewhere… Maybe it's a bad guy whom we defeated in the past and they're seeking revenge?
That wouldn't surprise me… Enzan did warn us that we "Net Saviors" harbor many enemies… Saito ventured.
"… It's been a while! Eh, Hikari Netto?"
Inukai Takeo! Netto inwardly gasped.
"Asteroid" Beast Man's Operator: a "Neo WWW" member! But Umbra erased all of their memories afterwards!
He shouldn't remember about us!
"… Oh… Yeah… True, true… That "Umbra" jerk erased our memories, but Boss 'ere restored 'em…" Inukai admitted.
What! Netto gasped.
If he could restore his memories, then…!
"Gra~h! You lowlife! I'm so gonna have my payback on you, gnat!" The heavy voice exclaimed: its voice seemed to come out of Netto's own Link PET.
Beast Man! Saito gasped in horror.
No way! Who the hell is this "Boss" guy? Netto gasped.
"It's been a while! My… Half-brothers."
Yoru Yami! Netto gasped.
Twilight! Saito gasped.
"Surprised…? Oh. I see! K. S. didn't bother to leak out. And Forte and Freeze Man didn't, either. Interesting! But I've risen again thanks to the Lazarus Pit…! Kidding. That only works on mortals." Yoru Yami sounded amused.
Mister K. S. knew and he didn't tell us! Netto gasped yet gain.
Why didn't Forte tell us, either? He can be somewhat selfish sometimes!
"Hum… Mr. Yami… Should we begin?" Inukai slowly asked him while sounding somewhat unsure.
"Yeah. Remember: I'll tell you when to stop." Yami told him.
"… Heh. This is my revenge, Hikari Netto! I'll make sure to engrave it within cha flesh and body…" Inukai sounded eager and sinister by now.
W-what the hell! Netto thought while feeling a visceral fear creep into him.
"Hah! You lowlife shall experience ultimate pain!" Beast Man roared.
No good!
TCHAC!
"Grah!"
Netto had felt something hit his naked back and leave a mark on it: he let out a muffled cry.
W-whip…! That whip he used to control the animals…! Inukai is whipping my back…! This is why… they removed my clothes…! Netto hissed.
"Grah! A~h!" Saito yelled over the speaker of his Link PET.
Grah! Be-Beast Man is… using his claws to… leave cuts and scars on my chest…! The pain…! Saito was barely holding back his cries of agony.
TCHAC! TCHAC! TCHAC!
"Groah! Gah! A~h!" Netto yelled.
"Gu… Gua~h!" Saito agonized.
"… Stop!" Yami commanded.
"… What… I was starting to have fun!" Inukai growled.
"… Maybe you wish to experience how fun it is to be dropped down from an airplane 10 kilometers high in the air?" Yami icily told him.
"Ah…! I'm sorry, Boss!" Inukai gasped.
"Mr. Beast Man! Didn't you hear me? Or you're wishing to wander the Afterworld forever?" Yami questioned with a hint of anger.
There was the sound of a Navi transfer.
"N-no, Danna! I'm satisfied!" Beast Man quickly replied.
"Hmpf! Good. Your role is over. You'll find five millions in your bank account. They should be enough." Yami told them.
"F-five millions…!" Inukai gasped.
"… Remove yourself from my sight before I think it twice." Yami warned in a menacing tone of voice.
"R-roger! Have at cha! Hikari Netto!"
"Farewell, gnat!"
There was the sound of rushed footsteps running away before they died down: Netto and Saito were panting and trying to recover their breaths while handling the pain at the same time.
It's o-over? Netto wondered.
The pain…! It'll chase me… forever…! Saito groaned.
"… Heh. The pawns are gone. So! Let's get moving into the 2nd Stage."
W-what? The 2nd Stage…?
T-this was just one part of it…? Saito gasped.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Let terror and fear rule over you guys' bodies… Open the floodgates… And let the "Dark Side" flow in to take over you!" He exclaimed.
"D-don't screw us, you Star Wars freak…" Netto grumbled aloud.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"
"Duo should've killed you!"
"That big fucker only killed a bunshin led to believe they were the authentic Twilight! I was on the Moon Base. Heh, heh, heh…"
N-no good…!
19:29 PM (Japan Time)…
"… My. Vice President – sama is here."
"… Very funny."
Enzan had come to the "Game Soul" Game Center and had happened to stumbled upon Laika, who'd greeted him with a smile and a joke: Enzan looked at him with a skeptical look.
"So? Why are you here?" Enzan asked.
"I was looking for Netto. One of his companions told me he might drop by here." Laika admitted.
"What a coincidence. I wanted to show him my new security upgrade."
"What? Are you pretending I can mind-read?" Laika asked.
"Who knows, Soldier – sama?" Enzan teased.
"Very funny." Laika put up his unimpressed face.
"That's more like you." Enzan grinned.
"… Blues. Is your master really fond of teasing?" Search Man asked of him with a hint of annoyance.
"So it'd seem." Blues shrugged.
"You've been busy?" Search Man asked.
"More or less. I'm in charge of security over at IPC." Blues admitted with a shrug of the shoulders.
"True. So? Have you made any progress?" Search Man suddenly asked in a hushed tone.
"What do you mean?" Blues seemed to frown under the shades.
"Regarding Saito and you…" Search Man was now smiling.
"… Who told you?" Blues questioned.
"I guessed." Search Man replied.
"… I haven't made any moves yet. I'd rather wait for the summer holidays." Blues admitted in a hushed tone.
"I see." Search Man sounded intrigued.
"… Anyway… I don't like waiting a lot, so… I'm gonna call Netto to see if he's gonna drop by here or not." Enzan was telling Laika.
"Okay." Laika shrugged.
"Blues! Contact Saito." He commanded.
"Roger, Enzan – sama."
Blues tried to open up a connection.
"The number you are trying to reach is either switched off, out of battery, or out of coverage. Please try again later."
"… Weird." Blues muttered.
"Let me try it instead, Laika - sama." Search Man requested.
"Go ahead." Laika authorized.
Search Man tried to do the same thing but with no success: he got the same message.
"… There aren't any spots without signal around here. I have a bad feeling about this." Blues announced aloud.
"… Yeah. I get the same feeling, too." Enzan admitted.
"Hum…" Laika brought a hand to his chin.
They didn't spot the man with the sunglasses spying on them from within a mass of crowd gathered around a nearby Net Battling Machine.
What! Ah! The rascal! I knew it: they can't be trusted! They've made a move and come back to Japan! The son of a…! That happens to me for relaxing the watch over them: I wanted to stir up some confusion in the underworld. Let's help them out! I
He drew his PET and wrote something with the touch-pen.
Good. Dispatching!
Both Laika's and Enzan's PETs beeped.
"Enzan – sama: mail."
"Laika – sama: mail."
"Open it." Both commanded.
"Roger."
Both read at the identical mail:
"Akihara City. District 4. 27. B1F. K. S."
Both gasped and looked around but the man had already departed the premises.
"… K. S. tipped us off… This guy used to be Yoru Yami's Cousin, so his info is reliable because he opposes him. He knows a lot we don't." Enzan told Laika.
"And I guess a place to start looking for hints is there." Laika guessed.
"What do we do, Enzan – sama?" Blues asked.
"Let's go there! Laika! Come with me. You and Search Man might be able to pick off something we can't." Enzan told him.
"I agree. We've gotta find out what happened to Netto." Laika agreed on that.
"We should be going, then, Laika – sama?" Search Man asked.
"Yeah. Be ready for anything." Laika commanded.
"Roger."
Both "Net Saviors" ran out of the building and headed towards the place indicated in the mail.
Mr. Meijin filed a report about something being in that address so I guess it's the first place one should check out.
19:32 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Gospel Shuryou. I have received a tip-off."
"What's it about? Freeze Man."
Freeze Man was kneeling in front of his superior's blurry image while inside of the snow-covered base: a tall diamond-like about five meters tall structure hovered five centimeters over the ground behind him and the Cyber World was filled with snow: a blizzard blew through it.
"… "K. S." issued us with an address. But it does not have any Cyber World close by. I cannot check it out myself." Freeze Man reported.
"… If he bothered to, then it must be important. I'll go myself. Anyone would think I'm just an anime otaku, anyway." Gospel shrugged.
"Roger, Shuryou. What should I do?" Freeze Man asked.
"… Hum… Patrol the district." Gospel commanded.
"Yes, sir! By your orders…" Freeze Man acknowledged.
"And remember what we discussed. I feel like chances for our rising are decreasing over time and just the two of us won't manage much. Maybe we should change our philosophy altogether."
"I shall follow any commands."
"Alright. But try to be somewhat more open-minded like Search Man or Blues, will you? I don't need a fanatic."
"Roger, sir."
Gospel shut off the screen and came out of the Kyutenpa Research Lab main building while humming a tune.
Well. I've been relying in the Science Labs' reports about what happened in Beyondard back in December but ever since that we've had an active role: I hope nothing has happened to Rock Man and Hikari, though… The underworld's been buzzing too much for my taste as of late… Could Twilight be involved somehow? Let devil bite me if I'm wrong…!
