Activation!
By StarWulf.EXE
Chapter 5: An Old Enemy
Lan was racing down the street to the bus stop.
"MegaMan, replay Famous' message." ordered Lan.
"Rodger."
There was a small pause before the message started to play back.
"Lan, this is Famous. I need you to deliver that shipment right away. I have received news that there is going to be another cyber attack. We have to have those chips before the Darkloids get their hands on them. Meet up at the bus stop with the other Net Savers and get on bus 119. I've already contacted the bus driver; he will take you all directly to SciLab. Meet me in the Mission Control room. Over and out."
The message ended.
"Lan, do you think we should have told Chris what's going on?" MegaMan asked.
"We can't tell anyone else that we're Net Savers. We promised Famous we wouldn't." said Lan.
MegaMan sighed. "I guess you're right."
- - -
The two brothers arrived at the bus stop. Chaud, Laika, Dan, and Pride where already waiting for them.
"Looks like they finally arrived." said Chaud, propped up against a street sign.
Chaud hadn't changed much in the last few years. The only noticeable difference was that his pant's where now black and his hair was completely white.
"You know, you could lose your job if you keep doing this." Laika said, watching his Navi, SearchMan, from his PET.
"What took you so long?" asked Pride.
Pride was the only one in the group who dramatically changed. She dropped her princess look and started buying normal clothes. She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a white tank-top. Her long blonde hair reached all the way down to her waist. Lan could see her PET case strapped to her belt.
"My cousin and I where having a Net Battle. We where going to get some curry when Famous called. "
"I didn't know you had a cousin." Dan said, getting up off a bench.
Dan was the newest addition to the team. He just moved to Dentech three months ago but he had already proven himself worthy of being a Net Saver. He wore a black shirt with white sleeves, his Navi's emblem in the middle. His pants where white from the knees up but where black the rest of the way down. His Navi, Chaos, looked almost identical.
A green bus pulled up in front of the bus stop. Lan, Pride, Dan, Chaud, and Laika hopped onboard.
"Buss 119 heading for SciLab."
With a sputter from the engine, the bus took off.
However, the Net Savers where unaware of the presense that had been watching them from in the bushes.
"Damn! Now I have to bike after a bus!"
Chris crawled out from the bushes, picking the leaves out of his hair.
"Chris, why are we doing this?" Wulf asked, examining the Internet bus route map.
"Have you ever known Lan to pass up curry?"
- - -
The five teenagers walked into SciLab Mission Control
"Good, you all made it." Famous said, turning to face the Net Savers. "We got a report that the Darkloids are planning a massive attack on SciLab. We need all the help we can get."
"When is the attack scheduled for?" asked Laika.
Famous turned back to the control panel. "I don't know the exact time but we estimate sometime in the next fifteen minutes. We need you all in Cross Fusion patrolling the cargo. Lan, do you have the chips?"
Lan reached into his backpack and withdrew the mysterious box Chris brought from Star City. He walked over to Famous and handed it over.
Famous put the box on the main control panel. "Excellent. These SyncroChips are experimental. They allow an Operator and Navi to fuse souls. We have no clue what could happen to these if they got into the wrong hands. That is why I need you five to guard them with your lives."
"Affirmative." said the Net Savers in unison.
Famous grabbed the microphone on the display panel. "All right then. Yuichiro, start the dimensional area."
A crackled response came back. The voice belonged to Dr. Hakari.
"Starting the generators now."
- - -
Back outside, Chris had arrived at SciLab.
"Whose idea was it to put SciLab on top of a hill?' he wheezed.
"The bus that Lan got on is here. He must be inside." said Wulf, pointing to the bus.
"Good, now we just have to-"
Chris stopped in mid-sentence as a giant dome materialized around SciLab.
"What in the world?"
The area in the dome started to change colors. It looked like freak Technicolor incident.
"Why does everything strange happen to us?" Wulf asked, squinting his amber eyes.
"I dunno. Let's head inside and check it out." Chris said, opening up his PET case.
"I'm right behind you."
- - -
"Okay, dimensional area up." Reported Dr. Hakari.
Famous turned back to the five teenagers. "Go ahead."
Each of the Net Savers pulled out a dark blue SyncroChip from their PET cases.
SyncroChip, in! Download" they all shouted together.
Their PETs started to shake and hum.
"Begin Cross Fusion!"
The PETs disappeared in an explosion of vibrant white light. Bits and pieces of their Navi's armor formed together and attached on their bodies. In another burst of energy, their Navi's icons appeared on their chests. As the light faded, Famous could see the five operators looking just like their Navis.
"Just in time! We got viruses heading our way!" yelled Famous.
A swarm of Scuttlest virus was charging towards them.
Pride aimed the black canon on her arm.
"Knight Shot!" she yelled.
A large spiked ball launched out from her canon. Pride's aim proved true. The iron sphere hit three of the viruses, their auras fading from the attack.
"Dan, your turn!" she said, taking aim at the other viruses
Dan ran forward to take her place.
"Chaos Sabers!" he shouted, two frightening blades formed in his hands.
Dan launched at the weakened viruses, slashing them like there was no tomorrow.
On the other side of the room, the other Net Savers where having trouble of their own.
"Mega Buster!"
Large yellow energy spheres shot out of Lan's arm canon, knocking a few Scutz viruses off the wall. Chaud raced up to them, slicing with his large red sword. The enemies' data split and corrupted, they vanished in a plume of binary code. Meanwhile, Laika was busy sniping at the other viruses from the rafters.
"Return!" shouted a menacing voice.
The viruses faded and disappeared. The teens gathered around the SyncroChip shipment, preparing for the worst.
The voice spoke up again. "I see that the chips have arrived. Now move aside or be destroyed!"
A dark mist had formed inside the room. There was a blast of cold air as an outline of a winged Navi became visible. The Net Savers instantly knew who was behind the attack.
"ShadeMan!" they exclaimed.
The vampire Navi came into full view. He glanced at the SyncroChips, his pale lips curled into a smile.
"Ah, you have not forgotten me." He said, spreading his wings. "How long has it been since we last saw each other? A year maybe?"
"What's going on here?"
Everyone's eyes turned to the direction from which the voice came. There, in the door way stood Chris.