Megaman Battle Network - New Generation
By Zelloss
Author's Note: This is taking me three hours a chapter. Or so. So don't blame me for any waits... Disclaimer: I thought I told you already... I'm getting tired of this...
Chapter 4 - Deadly Games
I dashed down some steps. I had to find the File Library. There had to be something there to explain what was going on.
I twisted, running down a hallway. I was taking instructions from Dynast's map.
"Turn left here" Dynast said, and I followed, reaching a pair of double doors. I walked in quickly.
In front of me stood a huge library of information. Confidential files were kept here. However, only people with high-level clearance could come into these.
I scanned the shelves, spotting the section on Navis. I worked my way down the shelves. I came across Program Advances in Navis, then Pneumatics in Navis. Nothing about Prototype X Navis...
I turned around and moved from the shelf. I saw Shinju coming around another shelf. He was carrying a file in his hand.
"Hello, Shinju" I muttered. "What are you here for?"
"I was asked to retrieve this" Shinju said, showing me the file. I could see the title 'Prototype X Navis' written on it.
"Funny, I was coming to find that" I muttered. Shinju walked over to a door, and slid a card down a device at the side. He then opened it, and walked into what seemed to be a storage area. I followed him in.
"Most of the group agrees this information is too confidential. This is where we keep the files forbidden from access to any and all, even the heads of the ONBA, unless we agree as a group that we need that information" Shinju told me, placing the file on a shelf. I tried to stop him.
"Please, I need to see that file!" I pleaded. "I think it may have something to do with Koushada!"
Shinju shook his head. "Sorry, Hayato. It's too late. I got the order from Nemo, Zennith, Jen, Juru, Otoyo, and Kiro. So, that's more then enough to lock it up in here."
Shinju pushed me out of the room as he closed the door. It locked once again. I stood fuming for a moment, as Shinju walked out. Now I'd never know what these models were.
As I continued to stand there, Shinju reached the door. He paused, however, and turned to me. "Listen. Those files contain secrets few know. Secrets that have changed peoples lives. Your father became somebody totally diffrent after going into that room, you know. I don't want you to change too."
With that, Shinju turned back to the double doors and left the library. I thought for a moment, before talking to my PET. "Is this true?" I asked Dynast. "Did my father really change because of something in one of those files?"
Dynast nodded. "Yeah. It shook him up really bad. As it happens, it had to do with the Prototype X Navis, but not the file Shinju just locked away. Unfortunatly, I can't seem to remember any of it. Well, not most of it, anyway."
I stood for a moment, thinking. "What do you remember?" I asked.
"I remember that there were 5 Prototype X Navis. They were designed by a team of world-class scientists as a way to keep the peace. Unlike other Navi, however, these were made from copies of slightly differing Hub.Bat files. They were made to act on their own, without an operator."
"Navis without an operator?" I pondered. "That's kinda... creepy."
Dynast nodded before continuing. "One of them is well known. He was Hikari Netto's Navi, Megaman. He was considered a failiure, however, because he required an operator."
"Mmm... I think I see. Can you remember anything about the others?" I asked.
Dynast looked deep in thought. There was a few seconds of silence before he spoke again. "Yeah. Something about the Navi called Bass. I think he was created with the best of the other navis, as he was the last one. I can't remember any of the other three navis. Although, I do remember that the three of them are all inactive."
I pondered this for a moment. "Do you think there could be any other files in here to do with these navis?" I asked. Dynast shook his head.
"No. This was a unique file. The only possible link would be in Megaman's file, but there is no link to other files in there. There's not even a reference to the other Prototype Navis."
I sighed. Nothing, really. Except that there were three powerfull navis that were now deactivated. Three navis that wouldn't need an operator to destroy. I took a moment to let it all sink in, before going along the rows of shelves until I found the 'Navi Programming' section.
"What are you looking for?" Dynast asked, but I didn't respond. I grabbed a file of the shelf. The side read Hub.bat, and I opened it up to see a few pages inside.
I began to read, looking for something to do with navis created by Hub.bat files. I looked down the pages. Not seeing anything right away, I turned to the next page.
"Mmmm... here we go!" I proclaimed, reading aloud. "Listen, Dynast."
A Navi created with multiple Hub.bat has incredible power, but it's at great risk. Normally, navis can easily be reactivated even when at a rank three deactivation, in which the core of their programming, is missing. This is rare, but it's even harder to undo then normal navis. A multiple-hub navi, as they are called, that goes to a rank three deactivation, requires that all the hub.bat files be recreated or copied before reactivation, instead of one base file. However, there are few navis created with Hub.bat, and there is extremely few cases of a multiple- hub navi. These cases were all parts of experimental designs.
I thought for a moment. "So that's it. Mabye that's why Koushada wanted your Hub.bat so bad. It was probably so that he could reactivate one of the Prototype X Navis!"
Dynast, who apparently hadn't even considered this possibility, froze. "You... you're not kidding about this, are you?"
I shook my head. "I'm quite serious. We have to tell this to Nemo!"
I ran up the steps, retracing my path. I crossed by the door where me and uncle Juru, wherever he now was, had been only minutes earlier. I stopped, and pivoted on my foot, dashing back to the door. I listened for a few moments. I could still hear Zen and Nemo's voices from inside, so I opened the door.
"Nemo..." I stuttered out. "I think your theory is right about the Prototype X Navis!"
"Now calm down" Nemo said. He stood up and led me to a chair. "First off, how do you know about my theory?"
"I... I overheard your conversation" I said.
"Yes, so did your uncle. That's why we got Shinju to seal away the file quickly" Zennith said solemnly. "So how did you find out about these Prototype X Navis?"
Nemo gave me a curious glare. He must have thought I unlocked the room somehow, so I told them "I only know what Dynast was able to remember since he saw the file with my father."
Zennith and Nemo looked at each other. I couldn't tell if they believed me or not. "So, what do you think is going on?" Nemo questioned me.
I paused for a moment, trying to gather up my thoughts. In one quick rush, I tried to explain it. "The Prototype X Navis were all multiple-hub navis, right? Well, then don't multiple-hub navis require multiple hub.bat files to reactivate them from Level Three Deactivation? If that's true, then it might explain why Koushada wanted Dynast's Hub.bat so bad. He probably wants other Hub.bat files, too! It all makes sense, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, I found myself gasping for breath. I realized I had let that all out without breathing.
Nemo and Zennith exchanged glances. "I think he might be on to something. Call everybody into the main room right now!"
* * *
"You're kidding me, little bastard!" Geminiman swore.
"Absolutly not, I assure you, Geminiman" Dyanst politely spoke. "This is what we believe in."
"Well, I wonder if we should open the file on the Prototypes" Reggae spoke. Ark quickly stopped that.
"Unless we have everybody in agreement, we can't unlock the storage" Shinju said.
"Is everybody in agreement?" Quint asked. Everybody nodded. Shinju stood up, pulling the plug from the table, and walked down the hall.
So began the long process of waiting.
* * *
"Where is he?" Juru demanded. "It's been half an hour! He couldn't have gotten lost. I think something is wrong."
Merra nodded. "He's been gone too long. Hayato, you should start up your tracker program."
I ordered Dynast to start up the tracker. It showed everybody in the area, but there was no sign of any other navis. No other navis. No other navis. Somehow, that thought was scary to me.
"No other navis.." I muttered. Then it hit me. "Something is seriously wrong! I'm not picking up any of the staff's signals!"
Freddy and Jen exchanged nervous glances. "Oh my..." Jen said, "this can't be good. Has this ever happened?"
I nodded. "Yeah, this happened inside the Aquarium, just before we were kidnapped.." I muttered. I looked at the group.
"Didn't the lights go out?" Otoyo asked. As if on cue, the lights flickered and died.
A voice screamed. I then heard Freddy's voice as he tried to calm Merra.
"Remove your PETs from the system and activate the light program!" Kiro's voice ordered. Everybody did, and the room suddenly lit up. To a certain extent, anyway.
I looked around. Just like in the aquarium. "Keep together. Koushada has to be behind this!"
"Right you are!" came a familiar voice over the intercom. "Welcome to the World Three's Funhouse! Let's see you try and make it out intact!"
"Koushada's hacked the intercom system!" Juru cursed. "He's eviler then I thought a Wily could be.
"Of course, I'm not one to give tasks without rewards. If at least two of you don't find your way out within the next hour, your friend Shinju dissapears for good!" Koushada's voice cackled with evil laughter.
"Damn that bastard!" Otoyo swore. "He plays low!"
"Let's keep together!" I said. "Who's still here?"
I heard a variety of voices, but I could tell they were the voices of Jen, Freddy, Merra, Zennith, Nemo, Otoyo, and my uncle.
"Wait a second. Somebody's missing!" my eyes opened wide.
"Kiro?" Merra asked. No response. I shuddered.
"Koushada, you dirty rotten bastard!" I swore straight at the intercom. "Alright, fine, we'll play your game. For now, anyway."
"So, the hunter becomes the hunted! This is so much fun!" Koushada laughed over the intercom. I had had enough of him.
All who were left of us got together, and we left down the hall. We thought to take the most direct route, the elevator.
As we reached the doors, I pressed the button. Nothing.
"What's wrong?" Juru asked, pounding the buttons. "Oh. I see. The elevator doors aren't working." Without thinking, Juru pounded the buttons once more, and the doors slowly slid open. "How's that?" Juru said proudly.
Merra shrieked again. I shone my light at the base of the elevator door. Blood was coming from an arm, sticking out of the elevator. I grabbed the body nervously and pulled it out. It was Kiro Netto.
"Having fun yet?" Koushada doubled over in laughter. "I know I am! Besides, he's not dead. Well, not yet. If you don't find your way out, though, all of you will be dead! Besides, it's not you I need, it's the Hub.bat of each and every one of your navis!
I stood for a moment, completely shocked. "How do I know.." I began, "that you really have Shinju?"
My answer was quickly responded to, by Shinju's voice. "Guys! Please, get out of here! This man is mad. He plans to restart X003!"
"Quiet!" shrieked Koushada's voice. We heard the sound of a thud, and a cry of pain from Shinju.
"Don't you hurt him!" Jen demanded. "I've had enough of you!"
However, Nemo was more worried about something else. "X003... X003... that was the project... I can't remember. Why can't I remember at a time like this?"
After a few moments, we discovered the elevator wasn't working. We took the path to the stairs.
We came to a junction in the route. I headed left, as Dynast's instructions said. Everybody followed. We quickly came to a room filled with staircases. We made our way down quickly.
"Fourty-five minutes to go" Jen mumbled. "We should have no problem."
"That's what you think!" Koushada's evil voice whispered.
We hit the third floor, before spotting our next obstacle. The door to the staircase down another floor had been electronically locked. We moved down the nearby hall, as we passed a few more doors.
"This is really freaky" Merra muttered. She was nearly quaking with fear. Or rather, she was quaking with fear.
A pair of doors opened beside us, and two PET-less bodies fell down. Merra screamed again.
I moved towards the bodies. Once again, they were cut in the arm. I recognized them quickly as Nemo and Zennith.
"Monster" I cussed under my breath. I bravely kept going.
"I really don't like this at all..." Juru muttered beside me. "Merra... Jen... Freddy... Otoyo. Hey, where is Otoyo?"
We looked around, but our question was answered as his body dropped from the ceiling. He fell right between Zennith and Nemo.
"That sneaking little.." I cursed. "That's only five of us now!"
"That's the whole point!" Koushada cackled. "My team is very busy with you people right now! Quite a show they're preparing, don't you think?"
"I think you're a freak!" Freddy demanded. "This is twisted, what you do to human lives! Trust me, you will regret this!"
We continued to walk down the hallway, carefully now. Our head counts were much more frequent now, but we didn't lose anybody as we reached the first floor. Then, there was one more obstacle.
"What the heck?" Jen muttered. He looked at a series of gates in our path. They were spread across the hall, one for each of us, plus two spares. Seven in total.
"The final test!" Koushada cackled. "This is so much fun! Only two of these gates will allow you by. Of course, once they've been stepped through, they seal up! If you pick the wrong one, you'll get a stunning shock!"
I looked at the doors. Only two of us could get out of here now. I looked at the doors.
"I'll go first" said Jen, bravely stepping forward through the gate that was second to the left edge. He stepped through, the path turning metal behind him. Suddenly, a wrangled scream of pain shot from behind it, the voice of Jen.
"Jen!" Freddy shouted. The screaming stopped suddenly. Freddy dashed into the door on the left edge, right beside Jen. His choice was wrong too, and his voice cried out in pain before dissapearing completely.
The three of us, me, Juru, and Merra, looked at each other. Merra took the middle one, and me and Juru took the ones on either side of her. "On three..." Merra said.
"One..." I began. I summoned up all my courage.
"Two..." Merra spoke. She practically prayed beside me.
"Three!" Juru commanded, stepping through. I did the same, and I heard the slam of metal behind me. Merra screamed beside me, and I looked to see her under an electric shock. My body was unharmed, and neither was that of Juru. We had been lucky.
"You have been very, very lucky!" Koushada said, "But there's only 3 minutes left for both of you to get out!"
I dashed down the corridor, Juru right beside me.
"Two..." Koushada said, as we turned a corner. We still had a little ways to go. Would we make it, I wondered?
"One minute!" Koushada cackled.
"Take the window!" came Shinju's voice suddenly. Then came another thud and a cry of pain from Shinju. I looked to my side to see a large lit window. I grabbed a chair from the table beside it, and hurled it through, me following. Juru was only seconds later.
"DAMNIT!" Koushada swore. "You've all been extremely lucky! You had one second left! That doesn't mean I won't kill everybody though!"
"NOOO!" I shouted, dashing near the door. My uncle held me back. Before I knew what had happened, the entire building imploded before my eyes, crumbling into ruins.
"Oh gods..." Juru whispered beside me.
We stood silent, trying to grasp what had just happened. Everybody was dead. All used as part of Koushada's games. Terror swept my heart.
People zipped by next to us, but I didn't notice. I clung to my uncle.
"Sh... Shinju..." I could hear him whispering, in complete disbelief. "You... my only true friend in this world... Shinju..."
I looked at my uncle. "Jen... Freddy... Merra... Nemo... Zennith... Otoyo... Kiro... Geminiman... Herosaber... Reggae... Silver... Seraph... and Yamatoman..."
Something struck at the heart of my uncle. "Yamatoman is gone... this can't be happening... no... my worst fears... Blackfang..."
I looked up at my uncle. He refused to look at me. People were clearing out the rubble, but there were no signs of anybody or anything.
All I could do was to stand there and cry.
* * *
"Uncle... there's something you really haven't told me yet, is there?" I asked him. "Shinju has hinted at it. What is your story?"
Juru looked down at me. "I was forbidden to tell you... but I suppose I must. I'm afraid I'm not really your uncle. You don't have any living relatives at all, except your father."
"You're what?" I demanded. As if the earlier implosion of the Creamland ONBA building wasn't bad enough, now this. "You mean you're not even related to me?"
"I am related to you, Hayato-chan" Juru said.
"No! You said I don't have anybody except father, wherever he is!" I shouted. Before he had a chance to respond, I ran out of the room at the inn and took off. I could hear Juru tryting to catch up to me.
I bolted around a corner, trying to lose him. I wanted nothing to do with this impostor. This man who had tricked my mother into letting him take care of me. This fiend who took advantage of my mother's death!
I heard footsteps behind me, so I dashed down some stairs. Juru was quickly following me.
"Hayato, wait!" Juru shouted out. I didn't want to hear any of his stories. I dashed down the second-floor hallway, turning down another corridor.
"Please, Hayato!" Juru called out behind me. "Let me finish!"
"No!" I shouted back, without even turning. I moved down a spiral staircase. Juru's footsteps weren't far behind me.
I made it to the first floor, and I jolted down the hallway towards the main doors. I burst out, running down the road.
I heard another opening of the door as I dashed down. I turned towards an alleyway, jumping in, and I dashed down it. Juru was easily following me, though.
"Please, let me explain to you!" Juru huffed out. I covered my ears as I ran through another alley, quickly crossing the street and dashing down another dark alleyway.
"Hayato, let him explain to you!" Dynast said sternly. I kept running.
"Not you too! You can't tell me you knew about this all along!" I thought, trying to make silent contact with my Navi.
"Yes I have.." Dynast began, but I interrupted him.
"So why didn't you tell me?" I shouted. "I bet you knew I'd lose my best friends in the HQ today, too!"
"No! Stop and listen to yourself and to us!" Dynast commanded me through the mind. I pushed him back.
I dashed down another alleyway, Juru close behind.
"So, you won't let me help you and protect you?" Dyanst asked.
"No!" I shouted. Something evil cackled in my mind.
"You... are perfect!" a deep voice spoke. I froze in my spot, my huffing uncle seeming to have dissapeared.
"Who?" I demanded silently. I got a reply.
"I am the Blackfang. You are lost in dispair child. I can help you out!"
"No!" I shouted. "I'm my own being, nobody can tell me what to do!"
I forced the darkness out of my mind as I continued to dash down the alleyways of the central city of Creamland.
"You need my help, child!" the dark voice claimed. "I can help you regain your friends!"
I pushed the thought aside. I wouldn't let this overcome me, like it had my father.
"It didn't overcome your father!" Dynast's voice came in my mind again. "Your father discovered it's true plans at the last possible moment. He removed the virus from his own body, nearly killing him. He's no longer the same man. He gave me to you, so you would recieve the virus. He thought you would have the willpower to control it!"
I shook the thoughts out of my head. My father would never do a thing like that!
"You all lie!" I shouted out, turning down another alleyway. I dashed in front of a few cars, nearly causing an accident, but I didn't care.
"I would never lie to you, master Hayato" Dynast's voice said calmly.
I paused for a moment in the middle of an alleyway.
"I don't believe any of you anymore!" I shouted out defiantly.
"Listen to me, Hayato!" Dynast's voice commanded. "You can't escape Juru, nor Blackfang, nor me, nor what is going on! So stop and listen!"
"I won't! You don't care about me! All you care about is yourself! That's why you haven't cared for me, why you don't simply let me get away from all this! I just saw almost all my friends die, and my closest family member is not really family!"
"He is family, Hayato!" Dynast commanded. "Juru is..."
"Yes, child, let the anger build up!" Blackfang's deep voice interrupted. I closed my eyes for a moment and ran into a wall.
I looked up to see Juru standing in front of me.
"Nobody gets around in alleyways better then me, Hayato" Juru said. I stopped short. I was out of breath. There was no way, I'd have to listen.
"I am family, Hayato. Haven't you figured it out yet?" Juru asked.
I paused for a moment. It took me a moment or two to put the pieces together.
I stumbled over the words in pure shock. I should have realized this sooner! My thoughts tangled in my head. I tried to make a sound, but nothing came out except air. Finally, I gathered myself up.
"F... f... father?" I asked. Juru nodded. He undid his shirt, and tore off his pants. Underneath was a pure black, wrinkly, torn outfit, with a silver belt that held a picture of the blackfang symbol. He pulled his long, blonde hair, and it came off like a wig, showing his shorter, black hair. He then removed the shades he had been wearing, and I saw the black eyes, like voids, looking at me.
"Zel.." Dynast muttered.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner, son" Zel apologized to me. I grabbed on to him.
"Father..." I sniffled. "Please... don't ever leave me again!"
Author's Note: This is taking me three hours a chapter. Or so. So don't blame me for any waits... Disclaimer: I thought I told you already... I'm getting tired of this...
Chapter 4 - Deadly Games
I dashed down some steps. I had to find the File Library. There had to be something there to explain what was going on.
I twisted, running down a hallway. I was taking instructions from Dynast's map.
"Turn left here" Dynast said, and I followed, reaching a pair of double doors. I walked in quickly.
In front of me stood a huge library of information. Confidential files were kept here. However, only people with high-level clearance could come into these.
I scanned the shelves, spotting the section on Navis. I worked my way down the shelves. I came across Program Advances in Navis, then Pneumatics in Navis. Nothing about Prototype X Navis...
I turned around and moved from the shelf. I saw Shinju coming around another shelf. He was carrying a file in his hand.
"Hello, Shinju" I muttered. "What are you here for?"
"I was asked to retrieve this" Shinju said, showing me the file. I could see the title 'Prototype X Navis' written on it.
"Funny, I was coming to find that" I muttered. Shinju walked over to a door, and slid a card down a device at the side. He then opened it, and walked into what seemed to be a storage area. I followed him in.
"Most of the group agrees this information is too confidential. This is where we keep the files forbidden from access to any and all, even the heads of the ONBA, unless we agree as a group that we need that information" Shinju told me, placing the file on a shelf. I tried to stop him.
"Please, I need to see that file!" I pleaded. "I think it may have something to do with Koushada!"
Shinju shook his head. "Sorry, Hayato. It's too late. I got the order from Nemo, Zennith, Jen, Juru, Otoyo, and Kiro. So, that's more then enough to lock it up in here."
Shinju pushed me out of the room as he closed the door. It locked once again. I stood fuming for a moment, as Shinju walked out. Now I'd never know what these models were.
As I continued to stand there, Shinju reached the door. He paused, however, and turned to me. "Listen. Those files contain secrets few know. Secrets that have changed peoples lives. Your father became somebody totally diffrent after going into that room, you know. I don't want you to change too."
With that, Shinju turned back to the double doors and left the library. I thought for a moment, before talking to my PET. "Is this true?" I asked Dynast. "Did my father really change because of something in one of those files?"
Dynast nodded. "Yeah. It shook him up really bad. As it happens, it had to do with the Prototype X Navis, but not the file Shinju just locked away. Unfortunatly, I can't seem to remember any of it. Well, not most of it, anyway."
I stood for a moment, thinking. "What do you remember?" I asked.
"I remember that there were 5 Prototype X Navis. They were designed by a team of world-class scientists as a way to keep the peace. Unlike other Navi, however, these were made from copies of slightly differing Hub.Bat files. They were made to act on their own, without an operator."
"Navis without an operator?" I pondered. "That's kinda... creepy."
Dynast nodded before continuing. "One of them is well known. He was Hikari Netto's Navi, Megaman. He was considered a failiure, however, because he required an operator."
"Mmm... I think I see. Can you remember anything about the others?" I asked.
Dynast looked deep in thought. There was a few seconds of silence before he spoke again. "Yeah. Something about the Navi called Bass. I think he was created with the best of the other navis, as he was the last one. I can't remember any of the other three navis. Although, I do remember that the three of them are all inactive."
I pondered this for a moment. "Do you think there could be any other files in here to do with these navis?" I asked. Dynast shook his head.
"No. This was a unique file. The only possible link would be in Megaman's file, but there is no link to other files in there. There's not even a reference to the other Prototype Navis."
I sighed. Nothing, really. Except that there were three powerfull navis that were now deactivated. Three navis that wouldn't need an operator to destroy. I took a moment to let it all sink in, before going along the rows of shelves until I found the 'Navi Programming' section.
"What are you looking for?" Dynast asked, but I didn't respond. I grabbed a file of the shelf. The side read Hub.bat, and I opened it up to see a few pages inside.
I began to read, looking for something to do with navis created by Hub.bat files. I looked down the pages. Not seeing anything right away, I turned to the next page.
"Mmmm... here we go!" I proclaimed, reading aloud. "Listen, Dynast."
A Navi created with multiple Hub.bat has incredible power, but it's at great risk. Normally, navis can easily be reactivated even when at a rank three deactivation, in which the core of their programming, is missing. This is rare, but it's even harder to undo then normal navis. A multiple-hub navi, as they are called, that goes to a rank three deactivation, requires that all the hub.bat files be recreated or copied before reactivation, instead of one base file. However, there are few navis created with Hub.bat, and there is extremely few cases of a multiple- hub navi. These cases were all parts of experimental designs.
I thought for a moment. "So that's it. Mabye that's why Koushada wanted your Hub.bat so bad. It was probably so that he could reactivate one of the Prototype X Navis!"
Dynast, who apparently hadn't even considered this possibility, froze. "You... you're not kidding about this, are you?"
I shook my head. "I'm quite serious. We have to tell this to Nemo!"
I ran up the steps, retracing my path. I crossed by the door where me and uncle Juru, wherever he now was, had been only minutes earlier. I stopped, and pivoted on my foot, dashing back to the door. I listened for a few moments. I could still hear Zen and Nemo's voices from inside, so I opened the door.
"Nemo..." I stuttered out. "I think your theory is right about the Prototype X Navis!"
"Now calm down" Nemo said. He stood up and led me to a chair. "First off, how do you know about my theory?"
"I... I overheard your conversation" I said.
"Yes, so did your uncle. That's why we got Shinju to seal away the file quickly" Zennith said solemnly. "So how did you find out about these Prototype X Navis?"
Nemo gave me a curious glare. He must have thought I unlocked the room somehow, so I told them "I only know what Dynast was able to remember since he saw the file with my father."
Zennith and Nemo looked at each other. I couldn't tell if they believed me or not. "So, what do you think is going on?" Nemo questioned me.
I paused for a moment, trying to gather up my thoughts. In one quick rush, I tried to explain it. "The Prototype X Navis were all multiple-hub navis, right? Well, then don't multiple-hub navis require multiple hub.bat files to reactivate them from Level Three Deactivation? If that's true, then it might explain why Koushada wanted Dynast's Hub.bat so bad. He probably wants other Hub.bat files, too! It all makes sense, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, I found myself gasping for breath. I realized I had let that all out without breathing.
Nemo and Zennith exchanged glances. "I think he might be on to something. Call everybody into the main room right now!"
* * *
"You're kidding me, little bastard!" Geminiman swore.
"Absolutly not, I assure you, Geminiman" Dyanst politely spoke. "This is what we believe in."
"Well, I wonder if we should open the file on the Prototypes" Reggae spoke. Ark quickly stopped that.
"Unless we have everybody in agreement, we can't unlock the storage" Shinju said.
"Is everybody in agreement?" Quint asked. Everybody nodded. Shinju stood up, pulling the plug from the table, and walked down the hall.
So began the long process of waiting.
* * *
"Where is he?" Juru demanded. "It's been half an hour! He couldn't have gotten lost. I think something is wrong."
Merra nodded. "He's been gone too long. Hayato, you should start up your tracker program."
I ordered Dynast to start up the tracker. It showed everybody in the area, but there was no sign of any other navis. No other navis. No other navis. Somehow, that thought was scary to me.
"No other navis.." I muttered. Then it hit me. "Something is seriously wrong! I'm not picking up any of the staff's signals!"
Freddy and Jen exchanged nervous glances. "Oh my..." Jen said, "this can't be good. Has this ever happened?"
I nodded. "Yeah, this happened inside the Aquarium, just before we were kidnapped.." I muttered. I looked at the group.
"Didn't the lights go out?" Otoyo asked. As if on cue, the lights flickered and died.
A voice screamed. I then heard Freddy's voice as he tried to calm Merra.
"Remove your PETs from the system and activate the light program!" Kiro's voice ordered. Everybody did, and the room suddenly lit up. To a certain extent, anyway.
I looked around. Just like in the aquarium. "Keep together. Koushada has to be behind this!"
"Right you are!" came a familiar voice over the intercom. "Welcome to the World Three's Funhouse! Let's see you try and make it out intact!"
"Koushada's hacked the intercom system!" Juru cursed. "He's eviler then I thought a Wily could be.
"Of course, I'm not one to give tasks without rewards. If at least two of you don't find your way out within the next hour, your friend Shinju dissapears for good!" Koushada's voice cackled with evil laughter.
"Damn that bastard!" Otoyo swore. "He plays low!"
"Let's keep together!" I said. "Who's still here?"
I heard a variety of voices, but I could tell they were the voices of Jen, Freddy, Merra, Zennith, Nemo, Otoyo, and my uncle.
"Wait a second. Somebody's missing!" my eyes opened wide.
"Kiro?" Merra asked. No response. I shuddered.
"Koushada, you dirty rotten bastard!" I swore straight at the intercom. "Alright, fine, we'll play your game. For now, anyway."
"So, the hunter becomes the hunted! This is so much fun!" Koushada laughed over the intercom. I had had enough of him.
All who were left of us got together, and we left down the hall. We thought to take the most direct route, the elevator.
As we reached the doors, I pressed the button. Nothing.
"What's wrong?" Juru asked, pounding the buttons. "Oh. I see. The elevator doors aren't working." Without thinking, Juru pounded the buttons once more, and the doors slowly slid open. "How's that?" Juru said proudly.
Merra shrieked again. I shone my light at the base of the elevator door. Blood was coming from an arm, sticking out of the elevator. I grabbed the body nervously and pulled it out. It was Kiro Netto.
"Having fun yet?" Koushada doubled over in laughter. "I know I am! Besides, he's not dead. Well, not yet. If you don't find your way out, though, all of you will be dead! Besides, it's not you I need, it's the Hub.bat of each and every one of your navis!
I stood for a moment, completely shocked. "How do I know.." I began, "that you really have Shinju?"
My answer was quickly responded to, by Shinju's voice. "Guys! Please, get out of here! This man is mad. He plans to restart X003!"
"Quiet!" shrieked Koushada's voice. We heard the sound of a thud, and a cry of pain from Shinju.
"Don't you hurt him!" Jen demanded. "I've had enough of you!"
However, Nemo was more worried about something else. "X003... X003... that was the project... I can't remember. Why can't I remember at a time like this?"
After a few moments, we discovered the elevator wasn't working. We took the path to the stairs.
We came to a junction in the route. I headed left, as Dynast's instructions said. Everybody followed. We quickly came to a room filled with staircases. We made our way down quickly.
"Fourty-five minutes to go" Jen mumbled. "We should have no problem."
"That's what you think!" Koushada's evil voice whispered.
We hit the third floor, before spotting our next obstacle. The door to the staircase down another floor had been electronically locked. We moved down the nearby hall, as we passed a few more doors.
"This is really freaky" Merra muttered. She was nearly quaking with fear. Or rather, she was quaking with fear.
A pair of doors opened beside us, and two PET-less bodies fell down. Merra screamed again.
I moved towards the bodies. Once again, they were cut in the arm. I recognized them quickly as Nemo and Zennith.
"Monster" I cussed under my breath. I bravely kept going.
"I really don't like this at all..." Juru muttered beside me. "Merra... Jen... Freddy... Otoyo. Hey, where is Otoyo?"
We looked around, but our question was answered as his body dropped from the ceiling. He fell right between Zennith and Nemo.
"That sneaking little.." I cursed. "That's only five of us now!"
"That's the whole point!" Koushada cackled. "My team is very busy with you people right now! Quite a show they're preparing, don't you think?"
"I think you're a freak!" Freddy demanded. "This is twisted, what you do to human lives! Trust me, you will regret this!"
We continued to walk down the hallway, carefully now. Our head counts were much more frequent now, but we didn't lose anybody as we reached the first floor. Then, there was one more obstacle.
"What the heck?" Jen muttered. He looked at a series of gates in our path. They were spread across the hall, one for each of us, plus two spares. Seven in total.
"The final test!" Koushada cackled. "This is so much fun! Only two of these gates will allow you by. Of course, once they've been stepped through, they seal up! If you pick the wrong one, you'll get a stunning shock!"
I looked at the doors. Only two of us could get out of here now. I looked at the doors.
"I'll go first" said Jen, bravely stepping forward through the gate that was second to the left edge. He stepped through, the path turning metal behind him. Suddenly, a wrangled scream of pain shot from behind it, the voice of Jen.
"Jen!" Freddy shouted. The screaming stopped suddenly. Freddy dashed into the door on the left edge, right beside Jen. His choice was wrong too, and his voice cried out in pain before dissapearing completely.
The three of us, me, Juru, and Merra, looked at each other. Merra took the middle one, and me and Juru took the ones on either side of her. "On three..." Merra said.
"One..." I began. I summoned up all my courage.
"Two..." Merra spoke. She practically prayed beside me.
"Three!" Juru commanded, stepping through. I did the same, and I heard the slam of metal behind me. Merra screamed beside me, and I looked to see her under an electric shock. My body was unharmed, and neither was that of Juru. We had been lucky.
"You have been very, very lucky!" Koushada said, "But there's only 3 minutes left for both of you to get out!"
I dashed down the corridor, Juru right beside me.
"Two..." Koushada said, as we turned a corner. We still had a little ways to go. Would we make it, I wondered?
"One minute!" Koushada cackled.
"Take the window!" came Shinju's voice suddenly. Then came another thud and a cry of pain from Shinju. I looked to my side to see a large lit window. I grabbed a chair from the table beside it, and hurled it through, me following. Juru was only seconds later.
"DAMNIT!" Koushada swore. "You've all been extremely lucky! You had one second left! That doesn't mean I won't kill everybody though!"
"NOOO!" I shouted, dashing near the door. My uncle held me back. Before I knew what had happened, the entire building imploded before my eyes, crumbling into ruins.
"Oh gods..." Juru whispered beside me.
We stood silent, trying to grasp what had just happened. Everybody was dead. All used as part of Koushada's games. Terror swept my heart.
People zipped by next to us, but I didn't notice. I clung to my uncle.
"Sh... Shinju..." I could hear him whispering, in complete disbelief. "You... my only true friend in this world... Shinju..."
I looked at my uncle. "Jen... Freddy... Merra... Nemo... Zennith... Otoyo... Kiro... Geminiman... Herosaber... Reggae... Silver... Seraph... and Yamatoman..."
Something struck at the heart of my uncle. "Yamatoman is gone... this can't be happening... no... my worst fears... Blackfang..."
I looked up at my uncle. He refused to look at me. People were clearing out the rubble, but there were no signs of anybody or anything.
All I could do was to stand there and cry.
* * *
"Uncle... there's something you really haven't told me yet, is there?" I asked him. "Shinju has hinted at it. What is your story?"
Juru looked down at me. "I was forbidden to tell you... but I suppose I must. I'm afraid I'm not really your uncle. You don't have any living relatives at all, except your father."
"You're what?" I demanded. As if the earlier implosion of the Creamland ONBA building wasn't bad enough, now this. "You mean you're not even related to me?"
"I am related to you, Hayato-chan" Juru said.
"No! You said I don't have anybody except father, wherever he is!" I shouted. Before he had a chance to respond, I ran out of the room at the inn and took off. I could hear Juru tryting to catch up to me.
I bolted around a corner, trying to lose him. I wanted nothing to do with this impostor. This man who had tricked my mother into letting him take care of me. This fiend who took advantage of my mother's death!
I heard footsteps behind me, so I dashed down some stairs. Juru was quickly following me.
"Hayato, wait!" Juru shouted out. I didn't want to hear any of his stories. I dashed down the second-floor hallway, turning down another corridor.
"Please, Hayato!" Juru called out behind me. "Let me finish!"
"No!" I shouted back, without even turning. I moved down a spiral staircase. Juru's footsteps weren't far behind me.
I made it to the first floor, and I jolted down the hallway towards the main doors. I burst out, running down the road.
I heard another opening of the door as I dashed down. I turned towards an alleyway, jumping in, and I dashed down it. Juru was easily following me, though.
"Please, let me explain to you!" Juru huffed out. I covered my ears as I ran through another alley, quickly crossing the street and dashing down another dark alleyway.
"Hayato, let him explain to you!" Dynast said sternly. I kept running.
"Not you too! You can't tell me you knew about this all along!" I thought, trying to make silent contact with my Navi.
"Yes I have.." Dynast began, but I interrupted him.
"So why didn't you tell me?" I shouted. "I bet you knew I'd lose my best friends in the HQ today, too!"
"No! Stop and listen to yourself and to us!" Dynast commanded me through the mind. I pushed him back.
I dashed down another alleyway, Juru close behind.
"So, you won't let me help you and protect you?" Dyanst asked.
"No!" I shouted. Something evil cackled in my mind.
"You... are perfect!" a deep voice spoke. I froze in my spot, my huffing uncle seeming to have dissapeared.
"Who?" I demanded silently. I got a reply.
"I am the Blackfang. You are lost in dispair child. I can help you out!"
"No!" I shouted. "I'm my own being, nobody can tell me what to do!"
I forced the darkness out of my mind as I continued to dash down the alleyways of the central city of Creamland.
"You need my help, child!" the dark voice claimed. "I can help you regain your friends!"
I pushed the thought aside. I wouldn't let this overcome me, like it had my father.
"It didn't overcome your father!" Dynast's voice came in my mind again. "Your father discovered it's true plans at the last possible moment. He removed the virus from his own body, nearly killing him. He's no longer the same man. He gave me to you, so you would recieve the virus. He thought you would have the willpower to control it!"
I shook the thoughts out of my head. My father would never do a thing like that!
"You all lie!" I shouted out, turning down another alleyway. I dashed in front of a few cars, nearly causing an accident, but I didn't care.
"I would never lie to you, master Hayato" Dynast's voice said calmly.
I paused for a moment in the middle of an alleyway.
"I don't believe any of you anymore!" I shouted out defiantly.
"Listen to me, Hayato!" Dynast's voice commanded. "You can't escape Juru, nor Blackfang, nor me, nor what is going on! So stop and listen!"
"I won't! You don't care about me! All you care about is yourself! That's why you haven't cared for me, why you don't simply let me get away from all this! I just saw almost all my friends die, and my closest family member is not really family!"
"He is family, Hayato!" Dynast commanded. "Juru is..."
"Yes, child, let the anger build up!" Blackfang's deep voice interrupted. I closed my eyes for a moment and ran into a wall.
I looked up to see Juru standing in front of me.
"Nobody gets around in alleyways better then me, Hayato" Juru said. I stopped short. I was out of breath. There was no way, I'd have to listen.
"I am family, Hayato. Haven't you figured it out yet?" Juru asked.
I paused for a moment. It took me a moment or two to put the pieces together.
I stumbled over the words in pure shock. I should have realized this sooner! My thoughts tangled in my head. I tried to make a sound, but nothing came out except air. Finally, I gathered myself up.
"F... f... father?" I asked. Juru nodded. He undid his shirt, and tore off his pants. Underneath was a pure black, wrinkly, torn outfit, with a silver belt that held a picture of the blackfang symbol. He pulled his long, blonde hair, and it came off like a wig, showing his shorter, black hair. He then removed the shades he had been wearing, and I saw the black eyes, like voids, looking at me.
"Zel.." Dynast muttered.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner, son" Zel apologized to me. I grabbed on to him.
"Father..." I sniffled. "Please... don't ever leave me again!"