Chapter 2: Examination
12:18 PM (Japan Time), Saturday September the 30th…
"… So, Papa? What do you think?"
"Netto's alright: he doesn't have any visible injuries. He just did too much physical stress combined to the one of keeping the Cross Fusion stable and thus fainted… How do you feel, by the way, Saito?"
"A bit tired, too… I have trouble staying awake."
"Obviously… You felt some of its effects, too."
"But it won't mean long-term after-effects?"
"No. Not at all. It's just a matter of getting used to it, like any sportsman practicing a sport."
"I see… Have you looked at the program?"
"Not yet. But I'm sure it must be something impressive."
Saito was standing next to Hikari Yuuichirou in a Science Labs room as Netto was undergoing a magnetic resonance scan: he was clad in a hospital cloth which reached until the knees and he didn't have his bandana on: he still looked unconscious but the grin from his face was still there.
"Whoa. He sure had a thrill!"
"Obviously…"
Hiro was also looking on while whistling in surprise while Delta (projecting out of the Link PET in the form of a hologram) was sitting on the right shoulder and looking calm.
"When Netto – kun tests out something new, he can't stop bragging about it for several days. No wonder he ended up with that smile."
"Well, I think that's what defines him." Yuuichirou smiled.
"So! He just needs a rest and he'll be back to normal?" Hiro asked.
"Yeah. I'd rather say he doesn't do much exercise afterwards but he should be fine by tomorrow."
"Hello." A voice rang out.
"Huh? Ah! Zero! Been a while!"
Zero had showed up on Netto's empty Link PET: his face kept on being immobile and he had his arms folded.
"I have news… I found out who sent Plant Man there."
"Who?"
"Needle Man."
"Needle Man…? Wait! Wasn't he the Navi of Yaito – chan's gardener? He ran berserk back when the "Zero Virus Incident"… I did have to use some of his rude speech to make my way into the Reverse Internet and try to find the hideout of the "Professor"…" Saito recalled.
"Correct. But it'd seem he abandoned his Operator and has joined forces with a mysterious woman named Yuriko… She looks on her 20s. Needle Man pretends to be a solo Navi and has involved the WWW Navis and some Navis who worked for the "Professor" including Star Man…"
"Star Man: the fake vaccine seller… And you're gonna tell us Gravity Man and Sword Man are also there?" Saito asked next.
"Correct. There's another guy named Bright Man, too…"
"And he ditched his Operator after we subdued him… He was somewhat of annoyance, too."
"Ah. I think you guys haven't heard about this one… Bowl Man: solo Navi who run his own bowling lane… There was supposed to be a guy named Bubble Man taking part, too, but he got lost and missed it, so I'd say we count the guy out." Zero added.
"So… How many?" Hiro asked.
"Nine, including Needle Man."
"If they all come one after the other, then… It'd take nine days to defeat them." Delta calmly calculated.
"By the way, Rock Man… What happened to your Operator?"
"No big deal, really. We tried out a new program which boosted up our "Cross Fusion" fighting potential and he ended up tired."
"Ah. Fine… By the way, I met Omega."
"Did he tell you his newest troll?"
"First thing he did: his Boss then yelled at him over the radio to snap outta it and be serious. He's gonna try to get a hold of that woman's physical location." Zero confirmed.
The Link PET rang and Saito patched a call in: a man on his 20s with black hair and blue eyes showed up onscreen.
"Oh! Vadous – san! It's been a while, sir." Saito politely greeted.
"Did my program prove useful?"
"Yes, sir. Netto – kun ended up collapsing but he'll be fine with some rest…"
"Ah. I should've thought of that…" Vadous sounded guilty.
"But, sir, it was nothing critical, sir." Saito replied.
"Well, yeah, but…"
"But the Zombie Club will show up with the 3:33 PM Dover express to then cross into Calais through the Chunnel." An amused voice rang out in the background.
"Omega. How many times do I tell you to announce your entrance into the command bridge?" The man looked over his right shoulder.
"A billion, maybe?"
"I give up."
"Yo! Sai – chan!"
"W-what did you say, sir?"
"Sai – chan! Ain't modern?"
"No, sir!"
"My, my. Being conservative?"
"No, sir! I am being rational."
"So you're gonna ration Ooyama's meat?"
"I don't need to, sir!"
"Omega…!" Vadous began to sound annoyed.
"Yeah, shachou?"
"… Get out."
"Sure. Bye, Sai – chan. Beware of Akashi's secret weapon: he'll beat ya to Sakurai. Au revoir!"
"OMEGA~!" Vadous roared.
The sound of quick footsteps running over metallic ground was heard along with a giggle and the hum of a machine starting up: Vadous fumed and looked rather annoyed.
"Do excuse me for my behavior, Hikari – hakase, sir, but I always had one defect: short patience." He addressed Yuuichirou.
"No wonder… Having to bear with such crazy humor day after day must be enough to drive anyone insane." Yuuichirou muttered.
"Bertie~! Come at me~!" Omega's voice suddenly echoed.
"Omega! Stop yelling inside of the elevator shaft!" Vadous cursed as he glanced behind him.
"Clark Kent – sama~! I've got the medicine for the nausea~!"
"Go broom your room!" Vadous yelled back.
"Roger, Grand Moff Tarkin!"
"I AM NOT GRAND MOFF TARKIN! GO – BROOM – YOUR – ROOM!"
There was the sound of quick footsteps running away plus a heavy door opening and closing: Vadous had dropped his PET atop something allowing one to sight a dome-shaped metallic ceiling with some kind of hatch on the middle of it through the PET's camera.
"Mille millions de mille sabords!" He cursed off-screen.
"…"A billion blue blistering barnacles"…" Both Delta and Saito automatically translated.
"Oho. Ya two synchronized, eh?" Hiro teased.
"Why shouldn't we?" Both asked.
"Dunno. Maybe Otacon knows about it."
"Otacon?" Saito frowned.
"A character in MGS…" Delta replied.
"Ah. What's so special about him?"
"He designed a Metal Gear and he's a fan of Japanese anime: take into account the series' characters live in Ameroupe, so…"
"Yeah. I get the point…"
"Oho. Ms. Moon is back after having put on make-up." Hiro suddenly told Delta.
"Why do ya always have to bring that up? Mujura's Mask wasn't a thing to laugh at: it was pretty serious!"
"Unh… What's this whole scandal…?"
Everyone looked back towards Netto: Yuuichirou had pulled the stretcher back to end the magnetic resonance scan and he was just waking up while rubbing his eyes, yawning and stretching.
"Netto. How do you feel?" Yuuichirou asked.
"Huh? Papa? Where's this at?"
"Science Labs. You overdid it when fighting Plant Man and lost consciousness, so I had to run a check-up of your body to ensure there wouldn't be sequels to it."
"Oh. But I did defeat the guy?"
"Yeah. Unmistakably." Saito confirmed.
"Hah… That was… Dunno, thrilling… I suddenly felt a rush of thrill and I wanted to be the cool guy with some secret super-power which ends up busting the bad guy…" Netto grinned.
"No wonder." Saito calmly told him.
"So? What happened while I was napping?" Netto asked.
"Zero already found out who sent the guy and how many Net Navis have been gathered, who gathered them and their names. Omega tried to troll us, too." Saito summed up.
"Nice recap." Netto joked.
"Guess so. If you have any questions regarding the program, Vadous – san is on the line, so…"
"Oh! Vadous – san! It's been a while!"
"Yeah. Anyway… Like the program announced… You can use several abilities and the order is up to you."
"And what's the last skill?"
"I named it "Chaos Beam"… It's like a Charge Shot but with a 50% power bonus… It drains a lot of energy, so try to only use it when you feel ready to use it or have Full Energy Sub Chips at hand…" Vadous warned.
"Roger."
"Attention! Attention! Warning! Warning! An X – Wing has entered the trench and is gonna fire a proton torpedo straight to the core! All hands: abandon ship! Warning!"
"What!" Vadous gasped.
"Repeat! All hands: abandon ship!"
"Wait a minute… X Wing? Proton torpedo…? Core…? Omega~! Stop trolling me with quotes from Episode IV: A New Hope!" Vadous cursed aloud.
"Then…"
"I know the next joke and I don't plan on changing my name. I am who I am. End of story, Omega! Broom the corridor or go into the WWW Area to defeat those weird Viruses!"
"Sure, Boss."
"That guy… I'm about to rewrite his personality file, really."
"No wonder." Hiro shrugged.
"Anyway… I'll send a report to the Net Police and the Officials. I guess Blues will be eager to come out and get some glory." Zero let out.
"Not Blues but Enzan: he must be totally fed up with having to keep on with his VP job." Netto chuckled.
"Sure… Maybe I'll forward him a joke. Later."
"I've got business to wrap up, too, so… Kir Osh will take care of picking up messages." Vadous told them.
"Later."
The communication finished and Saito pocketed the Link PET: Netto suddenly looked at his hospital cloth.
"Who changed me?"
"Me." Saito replied.
"So?" Netto asked with a grin.
"Do you think I'm a baka, Netto – kun?" He asked with a hint of annoyance.
"No, no… I just wanted to check if ya could… eh… hold back."
"Hold back from what?" Yuuichirou asked while looking puzzled.
"From making an ever greater mess of his hair." Saito shrugged.
"Ah. If it's just that…" Yuuichirou shrugged.
Hiro beat an eyebrow and looked like he'd caught another meaning to it while Delta remained calm.
"Well! The examination is over: you can go get dressed again… Saito. Go with him just in case he's still tired or feeling after-effects."
"Roger."
Netto grinned and calmly walked out while humming a tune: Saito put on a stone face and followed him: Hiro kept on looking amused.
"By the way… Hiro – kun. Are you doing good progress at the institute this year?" Yuuichirou asked.
"Huh? Ah! Yeah, yeah… Dekao tends to get annoying and persistent. But he doesn't give up in looking cool to Meiru – chan…" Hiro quickly replied after a split second of distraction.
"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to request support from foreign branches of the Officials… I heard there was a man named Laika who had a skilled Navi named Search Man…" Delta suggested.
"True. And we also have Commander Barrel and Colonel… But I think that the Three Musketeers plus the "Hunter's Guild" should suffice… We are superior in numbers and have variety, so…" Yuuichirou smiled.
"Hmmm? Hiro – kun. Mail. From Sigma."
"Sigma? What did he come up with today?"
"He suggests placing a sculpture of Ganondorf in Reverse Square to intimidate the grunts and make them think Serenade's appearance is just like that." Delta rolled his eyes.
"Heh, heh, heh. Sigma beats them all!"
Hiro chuckled at it while Yuuichirou rolled his eyes as well…
12:44 PM (Japan Time)…
"… We want an explanation, Needle Man!"
"Yeah! Talk up!"
"Uo~h… Confess!"
"Loose the tongue!"
"Shah, shah, shah! I can explain it, really!"
"Then start already!"
Flash Man, Beast Man, Desert Man and Drill Man were confronting Needle Man: he looked nervous and like his confidence had fallen.
"P-Plant Man was doing well! But an unforeseen asset kicked into the scene!"
"What "unforeseen asset", huh?" Flash Man demanded.
"W-well… One Net Savior could do some kind of terrific transformation and started a combo attack which wiped Plant Man out! B-but… If we strike during the week next time, they'll send another which will be easier to beat, s-so…! B-but… At least we found out about that transformation, mind ya! Shah, shah, shah!" He tried to sound confident.
"Uo~h…! If something like that happens again… You lowlife will spend an eternity wandering across a never-ending desert!" Desert Man warned as he signaled him with his right hand's middle finger.
"Yeah! I'll slice you lowlife up and toss your remains to the Viruses! How's that one like, huh?" Beast Man menaced.
"I'll use my daggers to cut your neck!" Flash Man hissed.
"I'll drill through you lowlife!" Drill Man proclaimed.
"Sha, sha, sha! I get it! I get it! Calm down, guys!"
The four of them merely logged out and Needle Man sighed in defeat while he slapped his forehead.
"Hum! I'm also warning you! My triple combo will make bits and bytes of you if you try to double-cross us!" Sword Man warned.
"My gravitational Hell will slowly destroy you…" Gravity Man intoned while opening his eyes.
"Yeah! I'll make a shower of meteors bombard you!" Star Man signaled him with the right hand's finger.
"Check it out! Nobody underestimates the great me! Gotcha, Needle Man?" Bright Man grumbled.
"Hah! My Bowling Bomber will run you over." Bowl Man proclaimed while folding his arms.
"I get it! Leave me alone!" Needle Man cursed.
The group of five whispered something amongst them before leaving the "Cybernetics": Needle Man bit his fingers out of nervousness and didn't spot Zero spying on him again.
Hmpf. And now the Navis are starting to lose their trust in you, Needle Man? You and Yuriko's plan was faulty from the start given how they were programmed to be paranoid and trust no-one outside of their own organization by Wily… You should've bothered to do some research of your own before setting his show up… Which is worse than a lame Choina imitation of a good series, anyway…
"Yuriko~! What do we do~!" Needle Man yelled.
"Calm down. We send Sword Man out tomorrow to settle his score and that should calm him down a bit."
"Shah, shah, shah… Fine… Man… What a mess and it hasn't been 24 hours yet, even!"
"Patience."
"That's easy for ya to say!"
Yuriko cut the communication, Needle Man got a twitch over his right eye, and Zero chuckled under his breath…
