Megaman ran into the ACDC Area of the Net, everything was in flames. All around him he saw viruses made of fire, navis ran in fear covered in flames. And before Megaman's eyes was a tall tower of flame that stretched upward, its dark tendrils clutching at Lans' house in the real world, and shattering the peaceful air around ACDC Town.
Megaman gasped as he ran toward the tower of flames. Two navis, one wearing a long lab coat and the other a normal navi, stood in front of the tower watching it burn.
"Hey! Who are you!?" Megaman yelled to the two navis.
The navi in the coat turned to reveal that it was Julius Caine, Mr. Jonathan Caine's navi.
"Mr. Julius!" Megaman cried.
"Ah, Megaman. You finally arrived. I'm surprised you got here this quick."
"What happened?" Megaman asked as he watched in horror at the house burning.
"They say that it was a virus that started the fire in Lans' Computer. But I say that it was deliberate."
"Julius!" Cried another navi as he ran up, he was wearing a fireman hat.
"Ah there you are. Megaman this is the captain of the fire depot, did you find anything inside?"
The captain bowed and spoke quickly, each word stung Megaman's ears as he heard them.
"…Lan…please tell me that he got out somehow!"
"…I am very sorry. We sent a group to go and bring him out. But what was strange was when I went in before them we saw him, but he was gone when they went in!"
"WHAT!" Megaman cried as he jumped up.
"One second he was lying on the floor, and the next he was gone…"
"Captain. Do you think he could have moved on his own?" Julius asked.
"…Definitely not. I'd say that he was dragged out.
"So your saying that Lan Hikari is gone!?"
"It seems so…"
Megaman turned back to the tower and watched as ashes and black smoke billowed from his home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TWO HOURS LATER
Megaman sat on the ground outside his house.
Roll and the others had just now ran up to him.
"Mega!" Roll cried as she ran over to him.
Megaman sat on the ground with a black coat on his shoulders, his eyes where wide in shock and fear.
"Mega…is Lan?" Roll asked.
Megaman slowly turned his head toward Roll and she gasped in sorrow, she knew what the look on his face meant.
Protoman and Gutsman walked to the ash covered floor of the net area.
"…So Lan didn't escape…" Protoman asked.
"They say he was taken." Julius said as he walked out from the shadows of the night.
"Julius!" Roll gasped as she stood. "You where here!?"
"Yes. I heard of the fire and ran as fast as I could to see if I could help. When I arrived I learned that Lan was missing."
"…Who would take Lan?" Gutsman asked.
Almost to answer his question a dark figure of a bat flew by, as it did it dropped a letter in Megaman's lap. Megaman took the letter and opened it, he then read it aloud.
"Dear Megaman,
We have your brother.
If you want to see him again come to Undernet Zero, alone and unarmed.
See you soon,
D."
Roll gasped in the cyber world, just as Maylu did in the real.
"…Why would they steal Lan?" Maylu asked.
Suddenly a car drove up and slammed to a stop in front of the house.
"NO!" Cried a woman as she jumped out of the car and ran to her house, collapsing.
"Mrs. Hikari!" Maylu gasped.
"…Maylu! Where is Lan!?" she cried as she shook from fear.
Dr. Hikari got out slowly and walked to stand by his wife.
"Please…Maylu…tell me he wasn't in there…" Dr. Hikari sighed.
"…Lan has been kidnapped, and the fire was a cover for it." Megaman said. "And it's all my fault."
Roll gasped and ran to Megaman's side.
"Megaman! Do not blame yourself! You couldn't have known that this would happen!"
"…It's my fault…it's my fault…" Megaman murmured in a trace of pain and shock.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A dark figure stood in a large office, in what seemed to be a lab. There was a large glass wall on the north side, overlooking the city. In the center of the room was a large desk with a computer, stacks of paper, and a large chair.
On each side of the room was a large bookcase. And two paintings equal in size, one showed the sunset, the other the sunrise.
The right side of the room was painted in grey-black, the left in dark-green. In the center of the room the two colors came together to form a symbol, a circle with a diamond in the center. The diamond was purple, and the circle green with black outlines.
The dark figure stood staring out the glass wall when the computer behind it began to shine brightly.
"What." Said the figure in a dark voice.
"I would like to report sir."
"Then do so, quickly." The dark figure said as it turned toward the computer.
"We have "The Boy", but…"
"But what FalconMan?" the dark figure asked angrily.
"…We didn't find "The Target" at the site."
The dark figure took its cane and slammed it into the floor.
"You fool! How could you not find "The Target."
"Please forgive me Doctor…but as long as we have "The Boy", "The Target" cannot fight well."
The Doctor sighed.
"…Very well FalconMan. Bring the child here, I will deal with our target later."
"As you wish Master."
The computer screen shut off and the Doctor turned back to the wall of glass.
"…Lan Hikari…what is so special about you and Megaman?"
Just as the man was about to turn on what seemed to be an intercom the door behind him opened.
"Master…" said a meek voice from behind him.
"What!"
"…Um…GunMan and CamMan…they didn't report in…" said a child's voice as he walked up to the desk.
"That would be because I disposed of them. We cannot have useless whelps like them in AMEN."
The child smirked and suddenly flashed. Now, where the child stood was a navi.
"So what is the next plan Doctor?" asked a navi in an all white suit. He had one black shoe and one black glove. His cane was split in half, half white and half black.
"MidnightMan, why do you always take my form?" Asked the doctor as he turned toward the navi.
"Because Doctor, you are a very handsome man, it is only according that I make you handsomer by becoming you."
"…MidnightMan, you are too full of yourself." Said the Doctor as he sat down.
"Why thank you Doctor."
The Doctor chuckled and then glared at the navi, "That was not a compliment."
"Anything that comes from a man of your power and grace is a compliment Doctor." MidnightMan said sucking up to his master.
"You enjoy tormenting me don't you?" the Doctor asked in a dull careless voice as he began to look over a stack of files.
"Oh contraire sir, I merely enjoy basking in your radiance."
The Doctor sighed and looked at MidnightMan with a dull look.
"What is it you want?"
MidnightMan snapped his fingers and changed shape again, this time he looked like Megaman.
"I merely want to help catch the "Target" your pursuing."
The Doctor sighed.
"If it means you shall leave me alone then yes. I want you and WeatherMan to go to ACDC Junior High and find me Maylu Sakuria, taking her will no doubt make Megaman come out to play."
"Why would you say that sir?" MidnightMan asked.
"Simple." The Doctor said as he stood again to look out the window. "His girlfriend is Maylu's navi."
As he finished speaking, almost on cue a flash of lighting filled the room.
"As you wish Dr. Doppler."