Harry: Whoohoo! A.N.'s at last!

Web: Yep, one minor question, but it's worth addressing. Li- whoops, wrong screen name, Azn Girl, I know. I've never played BN 2 and it's almost impossible to judge a person's character from a script. But you have to remember the law of 'Equivilant Exchange', which-

Harry: Which means dat Anime, Manga, and gamescreate 'equivelant' characters, but 'exchange' dey're characta and plot as dey want. Do Web doesn't have to replicate dat exact Sean from BN 2. Just lookit what dey did to Lan in does odda mediums.

Web: I was going to be a buit more tactful there Harry. But that's the basic explanation.

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"That's it, that's his hair color." Lan nodded his approval of the technician's work. "But it was a little longer, and messy."

"Give me a moment." The techie's fingers flew over his keyboard, changing the digital image on the computer screen.

After finding his dad and returning the wallet, Lan had been roped into talking to the Net Saver's Fugitive Imaging Department. The FID used the latest technology to create digital pictures of criminals, wanted felons, and the occasional child pickpocket. It was Lan's job to help them create an image of the kid who had stolen his father's wallet.

From what the Net Saver gathered, there had been an increase of juvenile crime over the past few months, and this was the first real lead they had on the kids causing the trouble.

"But his eyes… I'm not sure." The brunette stared at the digital image, trying to remember just what 'the kid' had looked like. "They were… slightly red, and just a little rounder."

The technician slowly changed the shape of the eyes, until Lan shouted at him to stop.

"That's him," Lan said with authority. "That's the kid."

"All right, thanks." The technician saved off the image and began sending it to his cohorts. "We'll run this through every database known to man, it shouldn't be long before we find out who the kid is. Thanks for you help."

"Anytime." The brunette turned and began walking away; this had been one event that he hadn't counted on.

"So, Lan…" MegaMan called out from his PET.

The brunette Net Saver recognized the Navi's tone of voice almost immediately. Whenever MegaMan used that inflection, it meant one of two things: 1. He (Lan) had just done something really stupid, 2. He had forgotten something or was about to run late.

"What did you get your parents for their anniversary?"

Lan stopped in mid-step, his eyes widening in growing horror. "Anniversary?"

"Yep, it's today you know." The Navi struggled to maintain a straight face, Lan's expression was hilarious. "That's why your dad left so early, he doesn't want a repeat of last year when he forgot about it."

Lan swallowed hard as the memory of last year's anniversary surfaced in his mind. Most people assumed that Haruka was sweet, caring, and kind, which was true. But when pushed too far…

Last year, Yuichirou had been working twenty-four seven his Dimensional Area project, so much so that he had completely forgotten about the date and worked overnight.

When he got home the next day, it hadn't been pretty.

"Are… are you sure?" The brunette's voice cracked in terror. How had he forgotten about the special occasion?

"It's right here on the calendar."

"Gyah!" Lan exploded into motion; he whipped down the hallway and began flying for the exit. "Man, I sure hope that Sal's is still open!"

"Sorry, Lan." MegaMan quipped, "But I know for a fact that your dad's got flowers in mind for this evening. You'd better come up with something else."

"Oh, thanks." Lan rolled his eyes. Why him? He'd faced PharoahMan, Grave, the Life Virus, mastered Cross Fusion, faced off with the Nebular Navi's in the human world, but not one of those events even came close to matching the fear he had over missing his parent's anniversary.

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"Yuck, why do I always get stuck with the dumpster diving?"

"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with you dropping a day's worth of-"

"I didn't want an answer to that, Red." The red-haired girl groaned and turned back to the task at hand- picking through the contents of the dumpster. Risking a glance at her PET, which was propped up against the opposite wall of the alleyway, the girl could see the snicker on her Navi's, Red's, face. For some reason, her Navi took delight in her failures.

"Whatever, Missy." Red snickered.

The redhead picked through the dumpster for a few more minutes, then finally groaned and leapt out of the trash can.

"I don't see anything else that we can use in there." Missy shrugged, and held out a battered and worn PET Advance for her Navi to inspect. "Just this PET, still works. But I don't think that Scratch would think it's useful."

"Right, he's upset that there are three PET's as it is." Red mumbled, "Maybe you'd better leave it."

"I don't think so, PET's are hard to come by." Missy scooped up her own device and clipped it into her belt. "Very hard. I think I'll hang onto this one."

"Yeah, but what'll you do with it? Scratch'll see it for sure if you keep it."

"I can let Sean hang onto it for me." The redhead shrugged and began heading deeper into the alleyway. She had her sights set on the manhole a short distance away; it was her route home. "It doesn't have a Net Navi in it, so he can't cause that much trouble. And you know how much he's always dreamed of having one."

"So help me, Missy, this soft spot you've got for Sean is going to get you into trouble. You're so sweet on him, why don't you just marry him while you're at it?"

"Because I'm almost six years older than he is." Missy stuck her tongue out at Red, as she reached the manhole.

Working quickly, the redhead pried up the cover and slipped down into the sewers below. As she walked towards her 'home', her mind started to drift back over the events of her life.

Hastily, Missy shoved those thoughts aside, things might not have been great in her past life. But her life with Scratch was a definite improvement, even if she didn't have any freedom under his reign.

Minutes passed, Missy reached her abode. Her home was actually the basement of a long-abandoned building somewhere on the east side of town. Fortunately, the basement connected up to the sewer system so that she and the others could come and go without notice. Each one of them had a corner of the multiple basements to call their own, and that was about it as far as privacy went.

The redhead scrambled out of the sewer and through the hatch to the basement. She'd never liked that dank place; so the crowded building was a welcome relief- to a degree.

"Hey, Sam!" Missy shouted at a random kid scurrying past her. "You seen Sean?"

"Have I seen him?" Sam, a super-short blond squirt called back. "Girl, you missed the excitement! It really wasn't pretty."

Missy's heart froze. Not again.

"What happened?"

"Sean bungled another job, so Scratch laid into him." Sam shrugged and began to walk away. "He's up in his corner, crying like the baby he is."

"I don't have time for this." The redhead brushed past the boy and rushed through the building. Desperate hope clawed at her heart as she prayed for Sean to be O.K.

A gasp escaped her, as Missy came within eyesight of Sean. The small boy was a wreck, battered and bruised, Scratch had really let him have it this time.

"Sean?" The girl slowed to a near stop. "Sean can you hear me?"

No answer.

Missy refused to consider the possibility, the possibility that Sean was-

"Uh? Hello?"

"Sean." Missy breathed a sigh of relief; the child had answered her.

"Miss- Are you there?" The child gasped in an almost inaudible whisper.

"I'm here." The redhead dropped to the child's side, shocked and awed by the boy's condition. "And look, I brought this for you."

Gently taking one of the boy's hands, Missy placed the silver PET Advance into Sean's fingers, and then closed them around the device.

"Is… Is that a-?" The battered boy struggled to look down at the thing resting in his palm.

"It is, your own PET." Missy explained, "I found it today, and brought it here to you."

"My own… PET." The gray-haired child gasped through his pain, "Missy… Thank you… Who's my Navi?"

As those words hit her ears, Missy's heart stopped in horror. She'd forgotten that the PET didn't have a Net Navi equipped, and she had no idea how to get one.

"It's… uh, Sean…" The redhead stuttered about, trying to find the right words to break the news to the boy. "About the Navi-"

A bright white glow exploded from the PET screen, bathing the two in its light, and cutting the redhead's explanation off.

Amazed, Sean and Missy stared into the PET's screen. The light streaming from the LCD display made it difficult to see what was happening, but Sean could just barely make out the form of a green and white Net Navi.

"You have been chosen…" The Navi spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Ch- chosen for what?" Sean's eyes were wide open in disbelief.

"To wield the power of Zero. Take him, use his power as you see fit."

Sean continued to stare at the PET as the glow faded away. Moments passed before the room returned to its prior dimly lit state.

Missy realized that she had been holding her breath, and quickly released it.

The two looked into the PET screen, to see a new red and white Net Navi staring back at them.

"My Net Op." The Net Navi stared straight at Sean. "I am Zero.EXE."

"Um, hello." The gray-haired boy continued to watch the Navi. "I'm Sean."

End Chapter.

Next: 'Steel' yourself!