PART XXXI: INTO THE BLUE
U.S.A. EUWESSAE SHUTTLE MAIN SATELLITE BAY…
"Dunn…dunn…dunn…" Netto shouted melodiously as he floated out into space. For someone who was as hyperactive as he, it was fortunate that there was a hose that kept him tethered to the ship to prevent him from floating off into oblivion.
"Stop singing," Shuuko grunted as she fired her suit's thrusters, bringing herself closer to the Code Destroyer. "You're not making this go any better, you know."
"DUN-DUNNNN!" Netto shouted as he stupidly waved around his arms and legs, uttering the final two dramatic notes to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yaito sighed and shook her head as she watched the more inept of the two flailing around in glee.
"How much time do we have before the Adver Satellite begins its programming?" Netto asked Rockman as he finally got serious.
"I'd estimate we have around sixteen hours to activate the Code Destroyer," Rockman responded.
"Sixteen hours? We're early," Shuuko murmured as she raised her eyebrow. "So I take it we can take our time now."
Unfortunately, the Adver Satellite had other plans, uttering an ominous message into the Euwessae's intercom. Receiving the message, Glyde worriedly stated to his operator: "Yaito…we have a situation."
"What kind?" Yaito asked as she leaned forward nervously.
"Apparently Adver Man initiated some kind of code on the satellite that speeds up its doomsday mechanism. We now have less than four hours to act!"
"Four hours. Hmm," Yaito responded as she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. After a matter of seconds, she sat up abruptly as her eyelids flew wide open, and she screamed over the intercom: "For goodness sake, HURRY PEOPLE!"
"Roger that!" Netto cried. "All right Shuuko, we're almost there! Now let's blow this thing and go home!"
"Netto…" Shuuko murmured as she detached the Code Destroyer from its mechanical arm, "…how many movies have you been watching?"
"Never mind that!" Yaito replied, taking the words right out of Netto's mouth. "What we're worried about now is that satellite."
"Remote activate code destroyer!" General Broad shouted as a number of NASA officials performed a series of data entries, preparing the device for activation. "Once the destroyer activates, Netto and Shuuko, it's up to you to use your Net Navis to insert the code into the Adver Satellite's core processor!"
"You mean…" Rockman murmured nervously, "…we have to access the central Adver Database? But that's where all of his virii lie…"
"Exactly!" Broad replied. "The Code Destroyer is so complex that its code is deeply compressed. Its nature doesn't allow it to directly connect on its own. There wasn't even enough hard drive space to fit an independent Navi capable of inserting the destruction data on its own. So you will all be acting as the medium. Get your Navis ready; you'll be on your own once you log into the satellite core."
Netto and Shuuko looked at the Adver Satellite, then glanced at each other in nervous apprehension as Yaito shuddered to think what horrors awaited them.
"Moving toward satellite and preparing to initiate Core Destroyer!" Netto said with a rather determined look on his face. "Rockman, prepare for immediate combat upon network connection!"
"Aquaman," Shuuko said to her easily excited Navi, "you do the same."
The two Net Saviors carried the cylindrical weapon of doom to the Adver Satellite, casting its cute and evil glare upon the curve of the Earth's surface.
U.S.S. ESSESS MAIN COMMAND DECK…
"General Specific!" a command deck official shouted. "Incoming message from Kristen Adams and Ciel.EXE! They say the device is ready to activate!"
"Roger that!" General Specific replied. "Initiate Gamma Protocol 12! Release compression hatches and prepare for immediate activation!"
"Roger that sir!" a multitude of officers responded as they flicked a number of switches. Fifteen thousand feet beneath sea level, a mechanical hiss and a flurry of bubbles could be seen as the Essess opened its missile hatches, preparing to launch its ultimate defense mechanism.
"Engage it!" Specific shouted. "Set coordinates 1527 Beta 13!"
"Coordinates set! Launching now!"
The open bay fully prepped for launch, a small cylindrical missile released itself from the Essess and shot upwards towards the surface, where its thrust ceased and its thrust nozzle expanded into an inverted umbrella-like metallic lens, allowing the missile to remain afloat with its warhead end pointing toward the sky. Its fuselage expanded into a satellite array, directing its aim at the Adver Satellite.
"Now," Specific murmured as he rubbed his face, "everything will be up to those kids. Up there…down here…all we can do is wait."
"Can't we just activate it now and tell those children, sir?" an officer asked nervously.
"No…for now, all we can do is wait. Remember what happens if we destroy We'll turn it on when they're good and ready."
SAN CONSTANTINOPLE BEACH…
"Furious Ring Sword!" Ring cried as she morphed her arm into a long, Excalibur-like blade and brought it down on Adver Man.
"Still so much to learn, Ring-chan!" Adver Man shouted gleefully as he raised both his hands and continued: "Sales Technique! Results May Vary!"
And with this, Ring's sword transformed into its blurred pink Kids WB version. Upon making contact, Adver Man tilted his head and squealed, "Another piece of paper! I must be in a parade!"
"He really IS the ultimate evil!" Roll gasped. "Ciel…how's that sword coming?"
"I'm doing the best I can with only one leg…I'm finding it hard to balance myself!" Ciel grunted exhaustedly as she struggled to manifest her sword again. "There's only so much I can do here!"
"Blues!" Searchman muttered between gritted teeth. "There's no way we can win against him now, we have to face that fact."
"Indeed…" Blues murmured, "…we have to wait until that satellite is destroyed first. Only then will he be weak enough for us to get him. We'll have to stick to the plan this time."
"Agreed," Enzan replied in the real world. "I don't know what else we can do! Total system meltdown is in four hours…and we're powerless to stop it…"
"Not entirely," Kristen replied as she pointed upwards for seemingly no apparent reason. "A few friends of mine in the government have arranged a little present for Kenishiro."
"Some friends?" Enzan muttered as he raised an eyebrow. "You know, if they're in politics…they aren't really your friends…"
"Hey come on," Kristen replied. "My dad has ties with the government. I've done skating shows for so many people around the world that Princess Pride herself even knighted me!"
"You mean, Princessed you," Laika corrected her mundanely. "So what does this brash display of arrogance have to do with anything?"
"Certain companies I did sponsorship deals with have government ties!" Kristen continued gleefully. "So my family has lots of friends in high places!"
"I think I see where you're going with this," Laika murmured, "and it sort of sickens me."
"Hey come on," Tron murmured. "At least she's using her powers for good."
"I suppose," Enzan said as he shrugged and continued while looking over at Mary, "unlike…"
"Hey, I saw the light didn't I?" Mary huffed as Enzan shrugged…AGAIN.
"Anyway," Kristen continued, "the device I ordered should be able to deploy in a matter of seconds."
"What device is that?" Tron asked as she leaned in with interest.
"It's a Code Booster!" Kristen replied. "Although there's no time to explain it now, you'll all find out what it does eventually."
"No time to explain?" Meiru wondered aloud. "Why in the world not?"
With this, Kristen pointed over at Kenishiro, who shook his fists while jumping up and down, shouting, "HEELLLLOOOO? Hey, have you guys already forgotten about me? Bad guy bent on wreaking world havoc standing right over here!"
"Ah," the others replied as they turned back around to continue the fight, which, in all honesty, should have concluded a long time ago.
DEEP SPACE, LOW ORBIT WITH THE ADVER SATELLITE…
The Code Destroyer inserted itself almost seamlessly into the Adver Satellite's control terminal as Netto and Shuuko plugged their Navis into the infrared reception terminal.
"Rockman! Transmission!" Netto said as he danced around dramatically like everyone usually does when their Navi plugs in, unless they're busy running for their lives or something.
"Aquaman! Transmission!" Shuuko squealed as she did almost the same dance, but a little cuter surrounded by a few hearts and whatnot.
"Glyde! Transmission!" Yaito shouted as she plugged her own Navi into the shuttle's main terminal. Obviously, her dance was the cutest of all.
Rockman and Aquaman plugged into the Code Destroyer and faced a huge, dark, marbleized towering obelisk. At its base was a hissing, crackling orb of energy.
"This is it," Rockman murmured. "The Ultimate Destruction Code. This is what we have to insert into the satellite's processor. If my estimations are correct…"
"Er…Rockman?" Aquaman stammered nervously as he poked at Rockman's butt. His height would not have allowed him to gain Rockman's attention in a more decent manner.
"Aquaman, stop poking my arse!" Rockman screamed. "Anyway, the satellite's core should be right over in…"
"Rockman…you really should see this…" Aquaman stammered.
"Argh! Shaddap Aquaman! Anyway, it should be right over in THAT direction!" Rockman pointed in a direction opposite the Code Destroyer obelisk, and his face grew pale as his eyes suddenly met with what Aquaman had wanted him to see…
…thousands of Adver Metools.
"Free mortgages! Low rates!" shouted one-half of said thousands of Mets in a loud and obnoxious tone. "All you have to do is give us your bank account number and social security information!"
"Is YOUR family health insured?" shouted the other half, in a cryptic and morbid nature fitting of a health insurance commercial. "Make sure your family doesn't have to pay for you if you should crap out tomorrow!"
"It must be a trap!" Yaito shouted, although by now this was pretty much obvious. "Only a mind as twisted as Kenishiro's could have come up with something as evil as a guard system of telemarketing Mets!"
"Rockman!" Netto cried. "Grab the code and get out of there!"
"Understood, Netto!" Rockman replied as he and Aquaman grabbed the glowing purple energy orb and embraced it tightly as they both shouted, "DO IT NOW!"
"Roger that!" Yaito replied. "Program Advance, Triple Slot In! Black Hole!"
"Area Steal!" Netto shouted as he slotted in the second chip.
"Multiple Enhancer!" Shuuko cried as she slotted in the third and final chip.
"Program Advance!" all three Net Saviors shouted in unison. "Black Hole Teleporter!"
Rockman and Aquaman disappeared with the code as a black hole materialized in their wake, sucking the thousands of Adver Metools into oblivion. Soon both of them found themselves standing before a towering rectangular monolith, circuitry and wires passing throughout its bulk. Both Navis knew this could only be one thing: the Adver Satellite Core.
"Well, THAT was easier than expected," Rockman murmured. "Why can't all enemies have this level of intelligence?"
"WARNING, INTRUDER ALERT!" boomed a loud, deep voice in monotone. "SUMMONING REDUNDANT BACKUP. RESTORING ADVER METOOL UNITS TO GUARD CENTRAL CORE."
"You just had to ask, didn't you?" Aquaman squealed in fear as he hid behind Rockman.
And with that, thousands more Adver Metools appeared before them, forming a thick wall of adorable evil between Rockman, Aquaman, and the final step to victory. As Netto and Shuuko watched the Adver Metools materialize into an unbreakable and invincible barrier, Netto activated his intercom and said very matter-of-factly:
"Houston…we have a big-ass problem."
"What now?" Aquaman cried frantically as he looked in vain for a place to hide, which, unfortunately, there was not.
"We have to prepare ourselves…" Shuuko murmured between clenched teeth. "This may be our last battle…for real."
NASA CENTRAL LAUNCHING BAY COMMAND…
"Dammit!" General Broad shouted as he slammed his fist into the wall, and then shook it while wincing at the ouchies that logically followed. "A redundant backup system! Somehow the satellite uses a backup feature that allows it to go back to any previous point in time!"
"Sir!" a NASA officer popped up suddenly. "We've received a message from Princess Pride that Kristen Adams and Yuuichirou Hikari have called for the device to be activated!"
"About time!" Broad replied, sighing in relief. "Get word to General Specific in the U.S.S. Essess off the Japanese coast to activate the device NOW!"
U.S.S. ESSESS MAIN DECK…
"GENERAL!" a deck lieutenant gasped as he ran over to Specific. "We have authorization to begin protocol Gamma 12!"
"Roger that!" Specific replied. "All hands on deck, prepare for immediate activation!"
All officers present initiated a command sequence of buttons, and back on sea level, the mysterious floating antenna glowed a brilliant white and shot an intense azure beam towards the Adver Satellite.
"It's finally deployed…" Specific murmured as he watched the antenna's laser pierce through the skies, "…the Code Booster."
END PART XXXI
