EarthNet: Paradox
A Megaman: Battle Network fanfiction by Pyrestrike
Warning: This is not the normal, light-hearted material that many of you are
used to seeing from other fanfiction writers and from Megaman: Battle
Network. This fanfiction contains mature themes, vulgar language, extreme
violence and crude sexuality. This is not recommended for younger viewers.
The "-----"'s means that there is a scene change or a big change in
perspective.
The ""'s means that there's a small scene change, a change within the
current scene or a small change in perspective.
Disclaimer: Megaman, Megaman: Battle Network, and related characters are
copyrighted under Capcom. I do not own nor attempt to abuse these
copyrights. And if you see any characters I made up myself, consider them
copyrighted under me ;).
---------------------------
- Begin -
Chapter Three: Harmful Hearts
Mayl collapsed, tired from the day's walk. Her feet were sore, her clothes were
torn, and her breath came in exasperated, hard heaves. She couldn't even think
because the rest of her body would cry out in pain.
"Are you alright?" Shadowman asked, kneeling before her. He pulled back the dark
purple hood of his suit to see better; the large shuriken that normally sat on
his forehead was blocking his view.
Mayl coughed, too tired to speak. Shadowman took it as a "no" and got back up.
She was a bit shocked to see what seemed like concern in his eyes. He scanned
the treeline, looking for the highest tree with his blue orbs glistening in the
setting sun. Mayl blinked, and in that instant Shadowman had already found the
highest point and was gazing at something.
"There's a small Anti-Navi tribe around here. I think I may be able to get us a
couple of horses, and maybe a place to crash for the night. We should be okay if
we go in from the eastern end, in a clearing," Shadowman reported as he came
down. Mayl raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why Shadowman was being so
sincere. He laughed, knowing well what she must have been thinking. As he put
his hood back on to conceal his black hair, he replied, "Not everyone is without
a heart, Mayl."
Mayl felt as though he were hinting on something, but she closed her eyes into
the delves of unconsciousness before she could think about it.
-----
"It's been two days of gate-jumping and looking for Mayl. We need to figure out
how to make this easier, because those portals are really starting to wear me
out," Roll complained.
"It isn't my fault if the dimensional fabric was so shaky," Gateman retorted.
Everyone was tired. They had been using Gateman's ability to create warpgates to
go from place to place, hoping that they would be able to catch a lead against
Shadowman.
"We have to ask someone whether if they'd seen the two of them or not," Roll
suggested.
Megaman had refused making any contact with the outside peoples, since most were
either Navis who hated humans or humans who hated Navis. Since the first
Netcrime wave, the world became divided between those against the humans and
those against Navis, although both did not support the crimes of their own kind.
Sighing, Megaman conceded. "We've got no choice. But the nearest one is an Anti-
Navi tribe, so the four of us can't go. It'll be up to Meijin and Yai to get us
the information."
As they neared the clearing though, they all felt something very strange about
the air. Protoman walked up to the last line of trees and sliced them down. Roll
gasped at the sight.
Cabins and makeshift tents were all in shambles, smoke rising from the ashes.
There were some piles that resembled small barricades and bodies behind them.
Everywhere corpses were strewn about, either maimed or sizzling.
"I hear someone... or something over here!" Roll called out, near the clearing
in the eastern end of the camp.
Megaman ran over quickly and looked toward the direction of the crying. Behind
one of the piles of ash, he found a young child. As he neared the child, he
heard her muttering, "Dark...mean...Navi."
Megaman watched the girl collapse and rushed to he side. "She's gone," he
announced.
Gateman, Meijin, Protoman, and Yai stepped into view. Yai, with a somber look in
her eyes, concluded, "That makes all of them."
"Dark, mean Navi," Roll echoed.
Megaman's exuberant green eyes took on an icy glaze that none of them had ever
seen before, cold and penetrating. "Shadowman is going to pay for all this."
-----
"You may go," Shin ordered, dismissing the mole that she had sent to ACDC.
The man turned and left. Lervingthis did not like these late developments.
Trying to kill off the rebels would be tougher than expected.
Shin suddenly walked off to a corner of her office and squatted on the floor.
She began sobbing, and murmured in a quiet voice, "Why do I want to kill
innocent people? I don't even know who these people are... don't I?"
As she began crying in confusion and sorrow, Lervingthis stabbed into her heart
with an image of her driving a sword into two dark forms. It made her feel the
ecstasy of flowing blood, made her feel excited about taking a life. The moon
crystal showed her the power she could invoke; no one would ever abandon a child
again.
Lervingthis did not expect such resistance from the child. While Shin appeared
to be in her early twenties, the moon crystal knew that in essence she was only
around seven years old. It had hastened the growth process for her body so that
it could manipulate the girl and those around her. Now was not the time to be
asking questions.
Although Shin felt all the things Lervingthis pushed into her, she did not stop
crying. Now she felt sick, and her voice came out as those of a child. "I want
to kill people? Why? Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?"
Lervingthis was sick. Never had it seen such vulnerability, such weakness to
emotion. It made her feel angry at the thought of her parents. The sentient
stone then came up with an idea it thought of as brilliant. It made her see a
false image of her parents killing children, throwing them into fires and
decapitating them. It gleamed in pleasure at its brilliance.
"NO!" Shin cried out, startling Lervingthis. She tore the stone off her neck and
threw it to the ground.
'How could this be?' Lervingthis thought. Grown men and monsters had succumbed
to the lust of power that Lervingthis had made them feel, but this little stray,
homeless girl had more resilience than it believed possible.
Just then, Dex, the NetBattler's new second-in-command, came into the room
because he had heard Shin cry out. "Is something wrong Mistress?"
Lervingthis seized this opportunity to make Shin as weak as she had been again.
It would take control of Dex.
(Warning from the author: Some pretty explicit material in this scene. DO NOT
READ unless you are certain that SADISM (i.e. pleasure from pain) does not
offend you)
Dex saw his superior on the floor, weak and seemingly helpless. Just then, a
strange sensation of eroticism waved over him. He wasn't sure where it had come
from, but he went with it anyway; it excited him.
"Are you alright, Mistress?" he asked again, now kneeling before her.
Shin's robe had conveniently lifted just below her top of her thighs, placing
her in a very stimulating position. Dex could not help but feel compelled.
"I- I think I'll be okay," she stammered as she rose. Doing so caused her robe
to fall below her shoulders.
Dex was amazed at her beauty, for some unknown reason. Her milky skin, her long,
fiery hair, her soft lips, every part of her seemed to entice him. He slapped
her, and a wave of pleasure ran through him. "You are weak," he spat.
Shin looked up, her innocent blue eyes still wet from tears. She did not
understand what was happening, as though she were seven once again.
Dex grabbed her roughly by her cheek with one large hand, pinching it until he
was certain it would be bruised later. He continued to ridicule her, calling her
names and such. Shin did not resist him at all, afraid that he would only hurt
her more. It felt so good to him. His games of masochism continued further,
until he finally had rid the two of them of constraining clothing. He threw her
onto her bed, where he joined her.
Lervingthis gleamed.
-----
Megaman entered the stables of the Anti-Navi camp. "Hey, one of the stalls has
hoof prints that lead out of the stable."
"And there's a set of hooves that took an exit to the west," Yai informed as she
stepped next to Megaman, "followed by a set of regular boot prints."
"Shadowman must have made Mayl walk while he enjoyed the ride," he spat.
Yai wasn't so certain though. The prints that she had seen seemed too big to be
Mayl's, but she kept quiet for she did not want to upset Megaman any further.
Gateman appeared from a portal right before them. Roll was with him as the
purple shadows began to take a definite shape. "We found another set of prints
that follow the hooves. They're really huge," Gateman explained.
"Someone else is following Shadowman and Mayl?" Meijin theorized.
"More so Shadowman than Mayl," Yai added. "He is an assassin, after all."
"At least we know where Mayl has gone. Judging by the cinders from the scraps
around here, they've probably got a two-hour lead. But the horse may add another
hour or two. How much more power do you have for a jump, Gateman?" Meijin asked.
"About enough to eliminate that two-hour lead from the horse," he replied. He
immediately began charging up, a green glow emanating from his chest.
"Okay. We'll go in the direction of the tracks and then we pick it up at dawn,"
Megaman ordered. They all nodded and leapt through the purple gate.
-----
Shin gasped heavily, sitting upright. She was naked, and immediately pulled up
the comforter to cover herself. On the floor next to her was Dex, drooling,
snoring and as dazed as a drunkard. She felt dirty and sick. Getting up, she
quickly got into a blouse and jeans, running out of the room and mansion.
She would have to get help, from someone. The only place she knew was ACDC Town.
Lervingthis knew that Shin's leaving was bound to happen. Yet it did not care.
The moon crystal had now found a new master. While it preferred the devious
manipulation of others, the purity of power still rung a high note in its being.
It rested comfortably around the neck of Eugene Chaud, just waiting to use the
amazing resources of the NetBattlers to accomplish the reason it was created:
Revive the Gorgon Goddesses and envelop the universes in eternal dissonance.
Still, it was unnerved with the quest of Shadowman and his Elementals. If the
ever found that sun crystal, Zergniethil, the energies that Lervingthis used
would all be to waste. The moon crystal would have to arrange against that.
"They have been fooled," informed the blue-black Navi.
"Good," Eugene replied. "So the Megaman troupe is tracking Shadowman and Mayl,
believing that the destruction of those Anti-Navis were by Shadowman's hand. Yet
it was you that razed the camp. So if Megaman reaches Shadowman and his
Elementals, he will be sure to kill Shadowman and the others. Then Lervingthis
will be home free, without anyone ever knowing about that damned sun crystal.
This will prove to be a great adventure, wouldn't you say, Duo?"
The blue-black Navi glared, his name now revealed. "Did Lervingthis tell you my
name?" Eugene nodded, easing the Navi. Duo was afraid that perhaps Lervingthis
was losing its touch, not being able to handle the newer hosts that it had
acquired. But he would be forever loyal to the moon crystal.
"Your talent proceeds you, Duo. Many have sought for your head-and none are even
sure of your existence. I, for one, did not believe that you existed, despite
the ramblings of that deserter, Lan Hikari," Eugene ranted.
Duo narrowed his eyes. The mere mention of the Hikari name angered him. He took
a giant broadsword from his back and ran a finger across its cool metallic edge.
"My blade itches to do battle."
Eugene laughed. "Then do so, my partner. Perhaps Shadowman and Miss Sakurai
deserve an early wake-up call."
Duo grinned. "This companionship has started off on the right foot, you agree?"
Eugene nodded again. "Go. If you so wish, get another NetBattler to go with you.
I have business to attend here, so I cannot go."
Duo shook his head. "I shall work alone." He went to the balcony and leapt off
into the mansion's surrounding woods.
-----
Shin walked up to the river and looked down at her hands. She almost jumped back
in fright, since they seemed so small compared to they had been moments before.
She looked at her rippling reflection in the river. "I'm seven again," she
whispered to herself, unsure of whether to be happy or sad.
Her body was no longer alluring but now held the destroyed figure of innocence
lost. She no longer had a name either. Shin Arashi was just a name given by
Lervingthis. The girl, thirsty from the long walk away from the mansion, drank
her fill and walked away, her watching ringing midnight. The thick canopy of
trees blocked any and all moonlight, but she was able to make out a building of
some sort not so far away.
She found a few sticks and two sharp rocks. Easily using the two rocks as
flints, she lit a small fire to illuminate the unending bleakness. She huddled
closer to it and sat wondering how far she had gotten away from the mansion; she
had at least gotten about half of way to ACDC by now.
All around her, the sounds of rabid animals and viruses resonated. It was
unnerving, but she found the courage to close her eyes and hope for the best.
Her fire went out.
Lan sat upon the pile of debris that marked his parents' graves. Their bodies
were never found, and no one had the urge to look for it. Everyone suspected
that the explosion was caused by a faulty pipeline, but Lan looked into it
further than that. None of the pipelines were damaged; his parents were
murdered, and by someone who no one knew existed except Lan, as far as he knew.
He had seen that blue-black Navi that night, although no one believed him.
After the massive destruction, Lan was shunned as a over-lamenting child, a kid
who wanted to deny the "truth" and call someone or something to blame. He knew
better.
"Dammit!" he shouted, agitated at his inability and lack of proof. Faster than
one could see, he pulled out his halberd and thrust it into the ground. Rock and
debris flew everywhere, throwing it into his hair and eyes. Just then, he saw
something shift underneath the hole he created.
He dug through it, using his bare hands. Unsure of his expectations, he
continued to dig and dig until his palms were nearly lacerated from the vigorous
work. He lifted one particularly large stone and gasped aloud. There was a hand,
clenched around something. He pried the hand open, revealing a white, sun-shaped
stone.
He examined it for a while, intrigued by its sudden appearance. "Zergniethil,"
he said suddenly. He didn't know why he said it, but he automatically knew what
it meant; it was the crystal's name. He found himself walking backwards, away
from the pile of stone and metal. He muttered, "Deakon Silektro," and shielded
his eyes from the blinding light that pierced through the sky.
A bolt of fluorescent energy crashed into the pile of rock and dirt,
disintegrating it. And the bodies were free. "Mom! Dad!" Lan cried, rushing to
their long-deceased bodies. Tears streaming from his eyes, he held their hands
as though he were looking for the gentle warmth that they bestowed upon his
childhood. They no longer held that heat, to Lan's dismay, but he continued to
let the tears come and held their hands.
Looking at his father's right hand, he noticed that the crystal was in his
father's hand. He wiped the tears from his eyes, and stared at Zergniethil,
still in his palm. The crystal had known where the bodies were, as though it
were sentient. A light suddenly burst out of it, illuminating all the bodies
that were strewn about the ground. They began to glow, and a ball of white
energy rose from every single one.
Beginning to take form, the two orbs from the Hikari parents were the first to
show themselves. Lan stood, unsure of how he felt or should feel. The orbs took
the form of their bodies, and he understood immediately. Each soul rose towards
the sky, leaving Lan with his parents'.
"Lan," his mother whispered, her words entwining a soft melody within his heart.
'She was so beautiful, and she would always be,' he thought. "Mom?" he said
aloud, his voice coming in a squeak.
"Lan, we do not have much time to say what we must," his father said, his voice
also a whisper.
Lan nodded, although he knew that whatever would transpire would only last mere
seconds, like every other movie he had ever seen.
"The stone you hold is Zergniethil. I'm sure it has already introduced itself to
you. It is a powerful relic, and it was created to stop a force of destruction
like none other. It is meant to belay Lervingthis-"
His father was mute, lifted towards the sky and was followed by his mother. Lan
rushed towards them, grasping at the thinning light. "No!" he shouted, tears
limning his cheeks. His heart sank as all he felt was dead air in his clenched
fists while a blue necklace formed around his neck. He still held his position,
letting everything sink in. The clouds faded, revealing a moonlight softer than
anything Lan had ever seen before. As the rays splashed upon his face, slowly
climbing down the rest of his body in time with the clouds, he felt that gentle
warmth for the first time in seven years.
Just then, he heard a child's scream.
Lan rushed in the direction of the outburst, faster than he had ever seen
himself move. The trees next to him were all blurred as he entered a forest. He
heard more things running beside him, and as he turned, he saw huge, spiky
furred wolves taller than he was. He recognized them immediately as Hoah-gous,
viruses that were able to spout fire.
'Why aren't they attacking me?' he thought, then noticed that Zergniethil, now
hanging from the blue band, was glowing. He once again found himself looking for
something. A yellow Hoah-gou, the largest one of them all, ran up beside him, to
his right. Lan jumped to his left, then sprang off the trunk of a tree and onto
the wolf's back. "Follow that cry!" he commanded, unsure whether if the virus
had heard him or not; the whipping air quite possibly could have drowned out his
voice.
The ride was intense, with branches whipping around. Lan ducked and jumped
nearly twelve times, unsure of how he was able to anticipate them. The Hoah-gou
skidded suddenly, banking to its right. Lan, grasping the wolf's fur, looked
behind him, seeing a pack of Hoah-gous following close behind. He was amazed at
what he saw when he turned back to the front. An entire mass of black mushroom-
like viruses was surrounding a girl, who was crying. Their poisonous pollen were
spraying everywhere.
The yellow Hoah-gou only sped up, and the man riding it leapt off once the wolf
passed the girl. In mid-flight, he threw off his jacket, letting it pass over
them to shield off the pollen. She watched in amazement as he took out some sort
of pole before she could even blink, and that pole began to sprout more
extensions until it was taller than both of them. Still wide-eyed, the girl
gawked even more when two axe-like energy blades appeared at each end, opposite
each other, and twin energy spears sprouted at the tips. The crystal dangling
from his neck began to glow even stronger, and suddenly time stopped.
Lan hesitated, wondering what just happened. The Hoah-gous were all frozen
blurs, and the mushrooms that were all over the floor and trees weren't moving
either. His jacket hung in mid-air, as did the pollen. Only he and the girl were
breathing.
"Give me to the girl," a voice commanded. Lan looked around, wondering who could
have said it, soon discerning that it was Zergniethil. It explained, "Give me to
her; she can control me much better than you can."
The girl heard it too, and held out her hand. Lan tentatively took off the blue
necklace, and handed it to the girl. She put it on, muttering in amazement. She
said something more, too softly for Lan to hear, but she was immediately
enveloped in a celestial light that pierced through the forest canopy. The girl
was filled with a sudden burst of energy as her clothes cleaned themselves out.
Before she could even marvel herself, time resumed.
The jacket fell over them, covering Lan and the girl's heads. He heard a
shuffling next to him, followed by a torrent of wind; he noted the yellow blur.
Throwing the jacket over him and leveling their guard, Lan leapt up and onto the
yellow Hoah-gou, letting the girl sit in front of him.
"Kael, let's go!" the girl ordered. Lan figured that Kael was the Hoah-gou, and
that Zergniethil imparted the information to her like it had to him. The wolf
howled, and the wolves all stopped. At the yellow wolf's second cry, the pack
shot fireballs at the black mushrooms, deleting them from existence.
"Hellafiernos!" the girl shouted. Zergniethil glowed and the very last virus set
aflame. It dropped where it stood. "Let's go!" she ordered again.
The sun crystal glimmered, and the girl dropped into Lan's arms, tired and
exhausted. As she closed her eyes, she took a moment to revel in his ice-gray
eyes.
-----
Shadowman leapt from tree to tree, keeping up with Mayl and the horse. He had
let her ride on it, knowing that she was tired and that he was more agile than
the horse anyway. They came into the clearing and stopped.
"Why don't we make camp here?" Mayl suggested.
Shadowman was uneasy with being out in the open, but he figured it was for the
best. "Alright," he replied. He took out a small ball and tossed it in her
direction. A small blast of smoke followed, and when it cleared, a tent formed.
Mayl raised an eyebrow. "And where do I sleep?"
"That tent's for you."
Mayl was even more confused now. Ever since they had started on their journey,
Shadowman was always letting Mayl get the better side of the situation. First,
he carried her into the camp when she was unconscious. Of course, that didn't go
well since the Anti-Navis had sensor equipment to detect Shadowman, even in his
disguise. So Shadowman stole a horse and let Mayl take it. She was still unsure
of his motives, but the more she thought of it, the more she was inclined to say
that he was being sincere.
"Don't worry; I don't sleep. If I ever did, I wouldn't be alive today," he said
darkly.
Mayl considered it for a moment, then let the issue drop. She entered the tent,
and found herself wondering whether if Lan was looking for her or not. An
immediate flood of memories came as soon as the thought crossed her mind.
'Please, not again. Not another memory..." Mayl yelled soundlessly in her mind.
She watched as the nurse took her baby to the nursery right across from her
cubicle. She stood beside the memory of herself, watching the baby go away
smiling. Mayl knew what would happen next, and knew she could do nothing to stop
it. The weakness gnawed on her heart like a venomous plague that spread
throughout her soul.
Lan suddenly appeared, from across the room. He was glowing unnaturally, a white
phosphorescent light surrounding him that matched a glowing, floating crystal
that stood before him. His eyes were unusually pale-gray, icily penetrating
compared to his once-brown orbs. His palm was outstretched, and a barrage of
arrows of light speared through the room, aiming at something Mayl could not
see. It was supposedly the blue-black Navi Lan ranted about, but no one had ever
seen. Everything was moving to quickly, and Lan was glowing too brightly for
Mayl to search out his target.
She reached him, trying to scope out his target. Her hand passed through him
transparently, reminding her that she was only a spectator of this memory. She
heard the memory of herself shouting and telling Lan to stop, to calm down. And
finally, an arrow misfired.
The fire extinguisher in the nursery exploded, hissing and blowing flame in
ironic dissonance.
Mayl tossed and turned throughout the night, until she finally got up and out of
the tent, forehead wet from cold sweat.
"That wasn't exactly how it happened, did it?"
Mayl found herself outside of the tent, lying on the ground with Shadowman
hovering above her.
"Here," he offered, handing her a canteen.
She accepted it graciously, draining the contents before the minute passed.
"Thanks," she replied, in an exasperated breath. "What did you mean about not
happening correctly?"
"Your memory. The dream you just had. Something about it just doesn't ring right
in your ears, does it?"
Mayl raised an eyebrow quizzically. "How did you know?"
"Trade secret. As an assassin, you learn to read people and their movements,
typecasting them until you are certain of their feelings and motives. So, what
was wrong?"
"It was the memory of my daughter's..." Mayl's throat knotted. 'Why am I telling
him this anyway?' she argued, but as soon as she saw him nod in acknowledgement
of what she was talking about, she continued. "Lan appeared, destroying
everything. He was glowing, with a crystal that was just as bright. Arrows of
light shot out of his palm and arced through his back, as though he were a
living quiver. One arrow misfired, destroying the nursery. What's weird is that
Lan was supposed to have a gun, not some glowing relic. And he was supposedly
chasing some blue-black Navi that no one's ever seen-"
"Blue-black?" Shadowman asked, suddenly serious. His eyes narrowed, sending a
chill down Mayl's spine. "Dammit, he's here."
"You mean that you know that ghost Navi Lan's rambling? We all thought it was
some hallucination..."
"Yes, I know that Navi. He is very, very much real. And he's the reason why we
want Zergniethil. Zergniethil is that sun-shaped crystal Lan was using in your
dream, and that's why his eyes are ice-gray - the color of the crystal. He does
have it! And that must mean that he was using the crystal's abilities to destroy
that Navi, who is the lackey, of..."
Mayl looked around, wondering what could have stopped him from finishing his
sentence.
"Lervingthis has begun its revival," Shadowman said ominously, taking his hood
off and standing. He took out his katana, and muttered, "We have to find Lan,
and the sooner the better."
-----
"Omigod! You're-"
Duo impaled the guard, silencing him before her before she could call for help.
He jumped down from the watchtower, and along the way sprung off the ladder,
onto the nearby roof. He ran across the rooftops, sliding onto the balcony of
Lan's house. As he entered, he watched wearily for any points of ambush.
He scoured the house, and finally came across the dead man's body and the note
left behind by Shadowman. Duo carelessly growled, the sound resonating through
the night. He stepped out of the house, finding all of ACDC Town standing in the
driveway in front of the house.
The civilians all gasped, amazed that they had seen the legendary ghost, blue-
black Navi. They immediately drew their weapons, whatever they may have been.
Dozens rushed at him, and he deftly spun on his heels to duck and dodge their
attacks. While doing so, he gut through each of them and let them drop to the
ground.
He heard an arrow shaft whizzing toward him. He turned in the direction and
deflected the point of the arrow, sending through ten heads, clean through the
forehead. Dozens of arrows flew at him, and ten times as many people fell at his
feet. Finally, the last cry of anguish was complete, cut short by a mere head's
height.
"I will kill both of you, Lan and Shadowman. No one can hide from me, or
Lervingthis!" he roared.
The ghost Navi threw a torch into the center of the corpses, lighting all of
ACDC Town ablaze. He stepped out of the gaze, carving out a moon symbol onto the
gate. Duo stared at the real moon, which now held a tint of blood-red. "Let the
blood flow."
- End -
- Notes/Explanations -
Hey, how'z that for the new chapter? I knew I had to make up for the second
chapter's action scenes somehow... so I did it this way. The story will be really
driving forward now, so just stay tuned. I wonder what Lan will think once he
gets to ACDC...
-----
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