Notes from Marisa: Aaahh! Yes, we're alive! Oh, so very alive! And filled with goo… mission goo… Author's blood runs through me like radioactive rubber pants! The pants command me! Do not ignore my veins!

Um… heh heh. Sorry bout that. Went kind of Zim on ya there. This is Marisa. I'm sorry to say this but… this chapter's been completed for months. I've just been too lazy to put it up. =P

But now, Aria and Marisa present…

CHAPTER…something. Whatever number comes next.

By Aria and Marisa

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"Got places to go, got to follow my rainbow

Can't stick around, have to keep moving on

Guess what lies ahead, only one way to find out…"

-"City Escape" from Sonic Adventure 2

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Yuichirou immediately knew who was talking. He stood in shock for a moment.
Plague, the virus inside of Netto, sat up in the hospital bed and grinned.

"Let my son go." Yuichirou hissed.

The virus only chuckled. "Are you kidding? This is my chance!" He motioned towards his chest. "Don't you understand, Hikari? I'm free. To do as I please. I-"
He stopped short when Dr. Hikari grabbed the boy's arm. "Not in this world, you aren't."

"Netto-kun!" Rockman cried out from the PET, "Netto-kun! You're still in there somewhere, I know you are! Fight it! You're stronger than he is! This is your body!"

"Shut up, you worthless bit of data!" The virus hissed through Netto's mouth.

The virus tried to fight Netto's father... but it's blows were clumsy, and constrained by Netto's strength. Which was nothing compared to a grown man.

"Hey... let go of me!" Plague snarled as Dr. Hikari pinned one arm behind his back.

"No." Dr. Hikari said as calmly as he could. "We're going to help Netto. You-uf!" The virus managed to slam an elbow into his gut, and suddenly broke free.

"I don't think so!" With a wild laugh, it sprinted out of the room, careening into a wall before righting itself.

"Netto! Netto-kun!" The new Rockman called, despairing. "Come back!" But Plague didn't listen... The virus dashed down the hallway, dressed only in a hospital gown, dodging doctors, patients, and visitors alike. He slowly, but surely, was getting used to the feel of a human body...yes, this was it, this was his chance, he would finally-

SLAM!

Plague crashed into the wall at the end of the hallway.

"For god sakes..." He hissed. "Why would the hall end here? How on earth do I escape?"

Glancing around, he saw the elevator doors open, and its passengers stepped out.

Is that it? Plague rushed into the elevator before the doors shut, but still didn't see an exit. And the doors had just shut on him, too, so he couldn't leave. Was this some sort of trap? He turned to see a panel of buttons on the wall. The numbers... he understood the numbers, but couldn't understand the signifigance. He finally pressed one at random, and lurched as he felt the elevator move.

...Ah! A way to go up and down! Grinning at the revelation, he pushed the button for the ground floor. That would let him get out. He tensed as the doors slid open... then sprinted out, narrowly avoiding a security guard.

Hah! Plague exulted in his own cleverness and agility, ducking under another person who registered only as an obstacle. He barrelled through the doors, out of the hospital.

His lack of real clothing didn't bother him a bit, although the stinging in his feet was somewhat distracting. Netto usually didn't run without shoes. He glanced around, his eyes widening in shock. The real world was so...big! He had such trouble desciribing it...Finally deciding to ignore it, "Netto" turned and ran in the direction opposite the hospital. Away. He had to get away. Unsure of where he'd end up, he continued forward. He paused suddenly, and let out a small giggle. Something under his feet was...was stimulating him, somehow, making him laugh...he looked down, to see little green hairs sticking out of the ground. Frowning in confusion, he wondered what purpose they could possibly serve. He let it slide and continued forward, not checking to see if he was being chased or not.

The 'hairs' abruptly ended, and Netto's body was now running on cold cement. His feet felt numb...running suddenly became hard. He paused to catch his breath.
Being a human was hard...

HONK!

Plague looked up in shock.

"HEY KID! GET OUTTA THE WAY!"

The virus was paralyzed with fear, as a giant...thing came toward him.

SCREEEECH!

It came to a sudden halt, only inches from the virus-turned-navi-turned-human.

"Yo' crazy kid! Tryin' to get yo'self killed?!"

Netto started, backing up, wide eyed... he didn't know what to say, if anything. He backed back onto the 'hairs'... they seemed to be safe... and watched as the thing let loose with a loud sound, then speeded away.

There was so many of them... the virus stared at the cars, trying to decide their purpose. They had humans in them, and were moving quickly... obviously they weren't eating the humans, but why would the humans bother with them?

Netto glanced up, and winced, shading his eyes for a moment. The light in the sky was so bright. He glanced around... no one seemed to be following him. Of course, that left him to sort out what he should be doing.

"I have to get somewhere, but...where?" He murmured. Perhaps he'd know it when he found it.

He walked on, feeling himself grow weary with each step. This human body was so weak...it disgusted him.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach lurch as it gave out a loud growling sound. He gasped and fell to his knees, clutching the area in pain.

"The hell?!" He exclaimed, trying to get up again. His legs quivered, and buckled again. "God, Netto...what is *wrong* with your body?!" he murmured.

One of those...things, this one labeled "Police", suddenly pulled up next to "Netto". A pane of glass rolled down the side, and a man in a blue uniform leaned out and asked, "Hey, kid...you all right?"

The virus frowned up at him, and managed to lurch to his feet. "I'm fine." His legs still felt weak, though, and he trembled slightly. His body had been in bed for quite a while, and it was still weakened, in addition to the strange pain in his stomach.

The man in the blue uniform opened his door, stepping out. "You're wearing a hospital gown... what are you doing out here?"

"I left." Netto retorted sullenly, a pinprick of fear going through him. He'd run away from the hospital. This man might want to take him back. "What's it to you?"

The man gave him a flinty, disapproving look, that Netto met with a steely gaze. He had no idea what "Police" meant, and didn't respond the way a child should.

"Bet you were trying to avoid an amputation or something...am I right?"

"Ampu...what?"

"Never mind...I just find a lot of those these days. Careless kids...anyway, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you back to the hospital."

"NO!" Plague exclaimed, as the 'Police' grabbed his arm. The virus attempted to fight, but Netto's body was weak in general, not to mention tired and hungry.

"I'm not going back there!" The virus snarled, fighting as much as he could. But he was quickly subdued and forced into the car.

"Don't make me mad, kid." The man advised, starting the engine. Plague started at the loud rumble and vibration.

"What IS this thing?" It was plainly meant to be sat in... the seats were quite comfortable, if he overlooked the fact that he didn't want to be here.

"A car? Do you have amnesia?"

"Amnesia...? Uh, yeah. I guess so..."

The policeman nodded. "Ah, makes sense now." He shut the door on Netto, and strolled over to the front seat, opened the door, and got in. "Listen, I know the hospital can be scary for kids like you...but really, the doctors are looking out for your best interest, you know?"

Netto's best interest, not mine. The virus thought bitterly. It must be wonderful, having people care about you...he remembered it vaguely, being inside that disgustingly sweet navi... it felt kind of good, though, despite the fact that they hated the virus.
There was a rumble, and the 'car' began to move. Netto watched the road move by at what the previously thought was an impossible speed. Ah...transportation! He deduced.

Netto watched the road, then the approaching vehicles, pondering what he should do. Anything in the car was out. For one thing, it was moving at a high rate of speed, and upsetting the driver would likely be bad. And even if he wanted to, he couldn't. The car had a kind of panel seperating the front seat from the back. He wondered if they were all like that.

Perhaps he could escape when they reached the hospital. But there was suddenly another pain from his stomach, and he winced.

What IS that? He was tempted to surrender himself just to make it go away.

His eyes widened as he felt a thought cross his mind. It went something like, 'Where am I? Let me out!'...sure, he wanted out, but he knew where he was...

The boy…is he fighting me? Can I hear his thoughts?

He closed his eyes and fought back, struggled to keep conciousness. Though he didn't exactly know how, he could try to send him messages to the boy... he concentrated. This is my body now. He thought, trying to direct it to Netto.

No answer. Either he was winning the struggle, or the message didn't send successfully.
But whatever...the car stopped, and they were in front of the hospital again.

When the man opened the door, Plague promptely stepped out, intending to run... and tripped on the hard ground.

OW! He hissed in pain as his toes protested the treatment, and the officer caught his arm, keeping him on his feet.

"Careful, kid. C'mon, lets get you inside." Plague/Netto's eyes narrowed as he realized he truly had no strength left to run with. And another thought occured to him.

How can they get me out, anyway, without my cooperation? Why shouldn't I go with him, for now? He was lost, alone, and unable to adapt quickly enough for this world. Unless they locked him up somewhere, perhaps he should let them take care of him... for a time.