Netto looked at the map and saw that the warehouse was a fair distance from where he and Maki currently were. Netto sighed, so much for possibly leaving Maki at home.
"Netto-chan, who was that?" Maki asked.
"That was Mejin-san, we need to go somewhere so I can do a favor for him." Netto said, trying to make the idea as simplistic as possible.
"Why?"
"Because. That's why." Said Netto, finalizing the conversation.
"Oh."
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Netto led Maki back to his house where he grabbed his skates and a snack for Maki. Last time he left the house without anything to eat, Maki had thrown a fit for 30 minutes. Granted, she was three, but he still didn't want that to happen again.
After all his preparations were done Netto looked around the house to make sure he didn't forget anything. Maki grabbed Netto's sleeve and tugged on it. "Hey, Netto-chan, are we going to this place or not?"
"Yeah, we're going. Come on." Netto knelt down to let Maki on his back, which she did with a running leap and a ten point landing, almost knocking Netto over. "Oof…. Geez, you're not that light out know." Said a slightly annoyed Netto.
"Is Netto-chan gonna skate?" asked Maki
"Yes. I'm gonna skate…."
"YAY!" Maki hugged Netto, cutting off his oxygen supply.
"If you let me breathe." Netto finished.
Maki let go and Netto went outside, pulling on his skate blades one at a time. "Okay, hold on." He said and skated towards the aforementioned area. Maki squealed and held on to Netto tightly grinning like crazy.
"Maki-chan, loosen up, I still need to breathe you know." Netto said
Maki loosened her grip around Netto's neck. One block ahead was a very large hill. Maki whispered something into Netto's ear that Rockman couldn't hear. Netto nodded and grinned, then he skated straight for the large hill.
"Netto-kun, what are you-AHHHH!" Netto skated over the hill and was currently going down it as fast as he could. Maki was laughing and Netto was grinning, Rockman felt like he wanted to throw up. At the bottom of the hill Netto coasted to a gentle stop. "Was that fun Maki-chan?" he asked. Netto got a big hug in response.
"Netto-kun, you are insane." Said Rockman
Netto giggled. "Yeah, whatever. Come on, we're not to far away."
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Netto pulled out his PET to get a better look at the map. He skated along the exact specifications and came up to a large, empty looking warehouse. "Well, we're here." He said looking up from the PET to gaze at the warehouse.
"Yay!" Maki jumped off of Netto's back and started to run into the building. Netto grabbed her overalls and pulled her back.
"Hold on, Maki-chan." Netto pushed the release and pulled off his skates. Then he leaned down to Maki's eye level. "Okay, I need you to promise me two things while we're in there. One, you won't make a sound. No talking, got it?" Maki nodded. "Two, stay with me at all times, I don't want you wandering off."
"Why?" asked Maki
"Uhhhh…" Netto couldn't think of an answer.
"Because it's a game!" said Rockman. "If you win the game you'll get a prize at the end."
"I will?" she asked excitedly.
/She will?/ Netto asked
/At least it will keep her quiet./ said Rockman
/Ah, yes. Good idea, nii-san./
"Yes, you will." Said Netto. "But remember the rules. No talking and you have to stay with me the entire time, starting now." Maki nodded and grabbed Netto's hand. Netto turned around and led his cousin into the building.
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"Well, they did send the brat after all. Looks like he has a little friend with him as well." Said Videoman looking down at the two through a window.
"It doesn't matter, as long as we get what we need." Said Narcy giving a 'Oh, ho ho ho.' Laugh at the end.
"Don't forget what we came here for." Said Suyanama, tipping his hat. "We want the blueprints of sci-labs and Net Savior HQ before anything else."
"Don't worry, if anyone would know, it would be that kid." Said Videoman, grinning.
Narcy shrugged. "I still say we just look for it. He doesn't know we're here and every time we fight him we loose."
"Well, then maybe we should try a different tactic." Said Suyanama
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Netto led Maki into the back of the warehouse where the main computer was stored. He held out his PET and plugged in Rockman. Maki watched with interest but didn't say anything.
"Okay Rockman, can you sense any forced links?" Netto asked
"Nope, sorry Netto-kun. The computer is clean, you might have to search for physical clues."
"Maybe they didn't come here at all?" Netto wondered.
"Nope, the silent alarm was definitely triggered. I just can't tell by what." Netto opened his mouth. "And no, it wasn't a program. They have alarm immunity."
"Well, then what about used links? Has any data been through them lately."
"Let me check." Rockman scanned all currently opened links. "No data file large enough to be a navi has gone through here. Netto-kun, I think they might have used dimensional chips."
"Why would they do that? Isn't what they want on the computer?"
"I don't know, Netto-kun."
Maki started to pull on Netto's sleeve. "Not now Maki-chan. We're trying to figure this out." Maki just increased the speed and pulled harder. "Maki-chan, stop please." Said Netto. Maki made a little squeaking sound that made Netto look down at her. She was gazing in horror directly behind Netto.
"You know, maybe you should listen to her." Said Videoman.
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Netto looked at Videoman, Narcy, Suyanama and Desertman and froze in fear. A million thoughts rushed in his head. He dimly realized that a few of the thoughts were Rockman's, but that really wasn't important at the time. One thought managed to match up between the two after a minute of staring, both happened to think "run."
Maki held onto Netto's hand tightly, desperately trying to grasp what was going on. What she saw were two people that were obviously navi's, a man in a cowboy hat who was obviously human and a third man in a frilly shirt who could go either way. The main thought in her head was, "why are there navi's in the real world?" Then she felt Netto pick her up and start to run in between the sand navi and the cowboy hat guy.
For the most part Netto managed to take them by surprise. Though he strongly suspected the reason he got through was because they didn't expect a five year old girl to be with him. All the same he got through and ran into the hallway as fast as he could. He carried Maki under his arm and pulled out his PET. "Rockman, call Mejin."
Rockman rang into Mejin's computer at sci-labs. "Come on, Mejin-san, pick up." Netto quietly begged with the device as he ran.
"Netto-kun, I don't think he's there." Said Rockman
"Why not? He's the one that sent me on this stupid mission in the first place! He said there wouldn't be Neo WWW operatives here." Netto hissed into the PET as he found a small storage hallway adjacent to the main building.
"Well, he probably thought he was right. I don't think he has any idea what's going on, my guess is that he thinks we're home." While Rockman was giving his explanation Netto looked around the hallway and found a small, empty storage room. Netto quickly opened the door and ran inside. As soon as he shut the door Narcy came down the hallway they were just in. Netto held his breath as Narcy walked down the hall and he prayed that he wouldn't open any of the doors.
Narcy slowly walked by and glanced inside. Maki gave a soft whimper and buried her face into Netto's chest. Netto pressed up against the wall and tried to be as still as he could. Narcy passed on and continued to walk down the small hall, and then he passed back into the main storage unit.
Netto let out his breath in a great whoosh and he felt Rockman relax through the link. He was glad that wasn't Videoman or Desertman because they most likely would have found him in a second, even if hiding from Narcy was a bit degrading. Maki looked up at Netto, Netto looked down at her and saw that she was on the verge of tears. It didn't occur to him how frightening that such a thing would be for Maki, lord knows he had done something along the lines of this particular situation himself many times. Netto gave Maki a quick hug to comfort her and she curled up in Netto's arms and seemed to relax.
"Rockman, do you know Mejin-san's home computer link?" asked Netto quickly.
Rockman nodded.
"Well, then let's hope he's home." Said Netto
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mejin took the instant ramen out of the microwave. He had a long day and what he needed right then was a nice long, relaxing evening. He walked over to his table and set the steaming bowl of ramen down. As soon as the bowl hit the table his cat came trotting into the kitchen and started to rub against Mejin's legs.
"Go away, Kaini-chan, this is my dinner, yours is over there." He pointed his fork over too the kitty food and water dish in the corner. "Go eat."
The cat turned its green orbs to the food and gave Mejin a look that said, "yeah, right."
Mejin lifted the fork to his mouth still glaring at his cat, and he was matched glare for glare.
After taking a few bites of the ramen his PET started to ring loudly. Mejin groaned and stood up slowly dragging his feet over to the computer. He grumbled about how he never got any free time and how the higher ups expected him to be super human. Mejin pressed the receive button on his computer to let in the video link.
Netto's face came through the link. "Mejin-san, I need a dimensional area." He said quietly, his voice tight.
Mejin missed the tone and his eye twitched in annoyance. "I don't live at sci-labs you know."
"Mejin-san, Neo WWW stayed behind for something, we're currently being chased by Videoman, Desertman and their operators, Maki-chan is with us and we currently have no means to fight them." Said Rockman quickly. Netto could tell he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and he could feel Rockman's panic swell through the link.
Mejin on his part knew that they were in trouble and played the part of the sensible, calm adult very well. "Netto, Rockman, I want you two to stay where you are, do not try to escape, understand?"
"Why?" asked Netto
"Because you will probably get caught, now promise me." Said Mejin as calmly as he could.
The PET com link split into two screens and Mejin saw Netto and Rockman nod solemnly. "Good, now sit tight, it might take awhile to get to sci-labs, because you two decided to get in trouble at rush hour. Can you two promise me that you won't try anything until I send you the dimensional area?"
Netto and Rockman nodded again, but this time with a little more confidence.
Mejin took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll leave right now, when you're done come straight to Net Saviors HQ and tell me everything that happened. I'll meet you there, okay?"
Mejin saw one last nod and then the com link closed. "Good luck" he said. Then he thought. 'What am I saying? I have to get there first, good luck to me.' Mejin grabbed his coat and ran out the door hastily locking it and getting into his car.
Mejin's cat jumped on the table and started to finish off Mejin's abandoned and forgotten meal.
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Netto stayed where he was for the most part only moving to make sure no one was going down the hall or otherwise coming to invade their hiding spot.
Maki-chan was miraculously quiet the whole time, something Netto had previously thought impossible. She was more into curling into Netto's arms and shutting her eyes then talking at that moment. Not that Netto was complaining, at least she wasn't getting herself, or anyone else into trouble.
Unbeknownst to Netto, Maki or Rockman sand started to trickle into the room through the air vent and fell into a pool behind a lone set of boxes. Netto continued to hold Maki-chan as she had her silent breakdown. Netto felt extremely guilty about leading her into such danger, but he figured he could yell at himself later, at that point he needed to focus on not getting caught.
Suyanama found Desertman's data signature through his PET and smiled. It seemed that it was going to be easier to catch them then he thought. Whistling an annoyingly cheerful tune, he started to walk towards where the signal indicated.
Desertman had finally managed to get his entire mass through the vent without anyone in the room being the wiser. He left himself in a pool of sand until he got the signal from Suyanama, then he slowly started to shape himself into his original form.
The data shifting signal was finally large enough to alert Rockman that something was off inside the room. "Netto-kun…" he said softly.
Netto nodded and slowly stood up. Hopefully he could pull off his own stealth escape, though he felt like panicking at that point. Maki set her feet on the ground and looked up at Netto for guidance. Netto put a finger to his lips and slowly started to open the door; Desertman finally finished reshaping his body and flew at them in a full fledged attack.
Netto quickly yanked Maki out the door and shut it. He pushed up against the door to make sure it stayed closed; feeling the pressure of the sand navi hit the door with a powerful blast. When he felt that he had held it long enough he reached down to grab Maki, only to find that she wasn't next to him.
Netto looked around frantically, only to see Maki being held up by the straps of her overalls by Suyanama. She looked like she was about to cry and Netto felt like he was about to scream in frustration. Why couldn't anything go right for once?
"Well, well, well, glad to see you could make it to our little party. What happened, did the dimensional converter fail?" asked Maki's captor in a smarmy tone.
"None of your business." Said Netto through clenched teeth.
"Well, that's no way to talk to an adult, kid. Maybe you should show more respect." He said, his eyes narrowing.
Netto snorted and crossed his arms, completely oblivious to the sand pooling at his feet…
/Netto-kun, don't make him mad, he has Maki-chan./ said Rockman
/Don't you think I know that? What should I do?/ asked Netto /Just let them capture me?/
/Netto-kun, I hate to say this, but if it means Maki-chan is safe, then yes./
Netto mentally sighed. /I know. I'll never hear the end of this from Enzan when we escape./
Suyanama grinned. "So, kid, will you help us out? Or will your little friend stay with me while you think it over." If looks could kill Suyanama would have been dead three minutes ago, by this time the whole building would not exist anymore. Suyanama glared back, only he had a grin on his face. He looked entirely too comfortable using a little kid as bait to trap another kid. "Well?" he asked
Netto dropped his gaze. "Whatever." He said. When Netto glanced down, he saw the now quite large collection of sand at his feet, but instead of jumping out of the way like he knew he could, he just stayed here he was.
/Netto-kun, are you sure?/ asked Rockman
/Duh, mama and Aunt Sakura would kill me if anything happened to Maki-chan, and they are twenty times scarier then Neo WWW could ever be./ said Netto with a hint of a smile
/At least you can still joke, I'll take that as a good sign./ said Rockman
Suyanama couldn't hear the inner monologue of the twins but he knew a chance when he saw one. He nodded and all too soon Netto found himself trapped in the giant fist of Desertman.
"Netto-chan!" Maki screamed. She started to thrash in her captor's grip, only to be held even tighter.
Desertman's grip was very tight making it hard for Netto to breathe; Rockman could feel the pain setting on his chest as if it was him in the clutches of the monster navi. Netto could see Maki-chan thrashing, desperately trying to get free. Netto was afraid that if she kept on squirming then Suyanama might hurt her. Rockman felt the same way, although he could sense that Suyanama was starting to loose his grip, just a little bit.
Maki, who was now in a blind panic, thrashed like only a five year old could; Suyanama found it difficult to keep his current hold on her and tried to shift the way he was holding her. Finding a brace Maki slammed her feet into his stomach making him loose his grip enough for Maki to wrench free.
As soon as Maki was on the ground she looked up to Netto, as if she had some desperate plan to get him free. Netto, not caring if she could free him or not just wanted to make sure someone got out. "Get out of here!" he yelled at her. Yes, it was a bit harsh, but it did the job. Jerking Maki out of her daze she took off down the hall and ran back into the small storage room she and Netto was in before. Suyanama took after her and ran into the room, only to find it completely empty, he growled as he looked around for her means of escape.
Narcy came from behind and placed his hand on Suyanama's shoulder. "It's all right, it's not like she can do anything. We have what we need; now let's finish this and get out of here before a dimensional area comes."
Suyanama nodded and followed Narcy out of the room. Maki watched them leave from inside the ventilation shaft.
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Big ass update just for you Review, ask questions, anything.