Chapter 9

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Lies

"What do you mean?" Mega asked.

"All this time we've been looking to Chaud's dad for all the answers but he's the wrong person to look to for that. Mr. Blaze is obsessed with perfection, so if there was something wrong with Proto as a child…"

"Mr. Blaze wouldn't leave a trace of proof behind."

"But there is one person who would." Terra said.

"Chaud's mother." Mega said when he thought about it.

"Exactly and I know just where to find the proof were looking for."

"Where?"

Terra simply pointed up.

"The ceiling?" Mega asked.

"Well you're pretty close, but I was aiming for the attic."

When the pair opened the attic doors the cold stale air rushed from the room past them.

"So what are we looking for?" Mega asked.

"A hope chest, Chaud's mom kept all the things she cherished in that thing. She showed it to me one day when I showed her my sticker collection. I had just collected 10 dollars worth of stickers and I was really excited, when I showed it to her one day she asked me if I wanted to see her collection she had from when she was a child. She took me to her room and showed me but I remember there was a lot of other stuff in that chest, baby clothes, and knickknacks stuff like that. So if Proto is someone close to Chaud this is the one place where we can find the proof." Terra said as she walked into the room.

"Well what's it look like?"

"Um, it was made from cherry wood and had some hand painted flowers on it. Plus it should be covered in about eight years of dust." Terra said as she started looking.

"Hey I think I found it." Mega called a few seconds later from the other side of the room. Kneeling down to the chest he rubbed his hand across I removing some of the dust. Terra came up and kneeled beside him.

"So," Mega said as he removed a silver key from a nearby coat rack that had the same flower design painted on it as did the chest and inserting it into the lock, it was a perfect fit "what's our next move?" he asked.

Chaud continued to look at Lan and Whisper, something was up with them he didn't know what it was but something was up. When he absentmindedly looked down at his watch he noticed that it had already been three hours. It was time to meet up with Mega and Terra.

"What is it?" Proto asked as he noticed Chaud staring at his watch.

"It's been three hours already it's time to head back."

"To bad we didn't find anything." Proto replied.

"Yeah I guess it is," Chaud said as he headed for the door.

Once Chaud and Proto were ahead of them and a safe distance away Lan caught Whisper by her arm.

"What was that back there?" he asked.

"I wanted you to stop talking." Whisper said.

"So were you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That depends, what are you thinking?"

"That Proto's the last soul." Lan replied.

"Then the answer would be a yes."

"Ok then, it's good to know that I'm not going insane." Lan replied, "So how'd you find out?"

"Well it wasn't just me, Mega and Terra put it together too. We started taking about how it seemed like Mega was the first soul and I was the second, after a while it just clicked, but that's not all, before I got my memory back I noticed that Proto paused over one of the files he was checking. That seemed sorta strange to me because he seemed like he gave it some attention, and it seemed even stranger after we figured out that it seemed like he was the last soul, so when I came back I checked it out. I found a adoption certificate with a name, Emery Tristan Blaze."

"So Proto was adopted into the family?" Lan asked.

Whisper shook her head. "No, if my theory's rite and Proto is Emery, he was adopted out of the family."

When Lan heard this he looked ahead of them and at Proto. "No wonder he's so reserved." Then he thought for a second. "Wait if that's true, then what happened, I mean he would to have had to have died to become a navi. How did he find his way back to the Blaze's?"

"I have no idea that's where I draw a blank."

"Are Hub and Terra checking this out?"

"Yeah, that's what they're doing right now."

"So Proto knows?"

"He has to, Chaud obviously doesn't."

"Then why hasn't he said anything, if he did we could have been out of here."

"Who knows, but he must have his reasons. Maybe they're the same as your brother's were."

"His dad told him not to tell?"

"No," Whisper replied, "I'm more on the wavelength that he's fearful of Chaud's reaction."

"Fearful?" Lan asked, "No offense but that's the last word I would put in the same sentence with Proto."

"Well I guess we shouldn't put him above that. After all, if we're right he's only human."

"Get Chaud" Terra replied, her answer surprising Mega, "Chaud should do this, not us. It's his families secret."

"But how can we get him here without Proto getting suspicious?" Mega asked.

"There's no way we can," Terra replied, "but that shouldn't matter anyway, Proto has to know what the riddle means by now, and he should have said something by now."

"Fear," Mega said, speaking the word after a few seconds.

"What?"

"Fear, if anything is holding Proto back that has to be it. I know that's part of the reason I didn't tell Lan the truth. I was afraid he'd think I was a freak."

"Proto having fear?" Terra asked, "that's pretty hard to picture, Hub."

"Do you have a better reason why he's held back?"

"Maybe neither Proto or Chaud knows?" Terra asked, "Maybe only your dad and Mrs. Blaze knew."

Mega gave her the look telling her she was contradicting herself.

"Ok," Terra admitted, "I'm reaching, but fear is a pretty sad excuses if you ask me." Mega gave her another look, "and yes I realize I just insulted myself"

"What's a sad excuses?" a voice asked from behind. When Terra and Mega turned around they saw that it was Chaud.

"Chaud what are you doing here?" Terra asked.

"We were due back in the courtyard after three hours remember? That was half an hour ago, when you two didn't show up I pulled your signal. So exactly what's a sad excuses?"

Both Mega and Terra looked at one another, they weren't sure what to say.

"Why do I have the feeling that eveyone's keeping something from me?" Chaud asked, "I got the same vibe from Lan and Skyler a few minuets."

"That's probably because they were." Terra replied. "I don't know how Lan knows but Sky, Hub and me figured something out and we didn't want to tell you until we were sure."

"What?" Chaud asked.

Terra and Mega looked at each other again, when Terra didn't speak Mega took charge. "Protoman's part of the riddle Chaud."

As the three talked little did they know they were being listened to. Proto was around the corner, safely out of sight, and unknown to him Whisper was right behind him. As she watched him she could see him tense.

"You know," she said in a low voice just loud enough for Proto to here, "you should have known that this would happen sooner or later, either he was going to stumble on it or you were going to tell him. Truth isn't something to be mocked, one way or another it's going to find a way into the light. It was just a matter of time... Emery."

Protoman stiffened, "So you know?" he asked.

"Figured it out," Whisper replied, "Once I remembered who I was the riddle came together. The soul that was in the light was Mega, because both Lan knows the truth now. I was the soul that was in shadow because only Terra knew the truth. That just left one person, and since two of the souls were someone from the team I figured the last soul would have to be you."

"He's my little brother." Proto stated almost in a whisper.

"I know." Whisper replied.

"I have to admit I never thought anyone would find out. I banked on my family's dysfunction." Proto looked back to the open door of the attic. "I didn't want him to find out this way."

"Proto, I don't think you have much control over that." Whisper said. "Not now anyway."

"And honesty I would have to agree." Another voice said as it joined the two as someone came around the corner. It was Lan.

"Lan how long have you been there?" Proto asked.

"Long enough, and don't worry I wasn't eavesdropping, Whisper wasn't the only one to figure it out. So this is what the visor's always been for, conceal the truth?"

"Yeah," Proto replied, "haven't you heard that the eyes are the windows to the soul?"

"You didn't want Chaud to see your soul?" Whisper asked.

"It's not that I didn't want him to know, I just didn't know how to tell him." Proto replied.

Lan and Whisper shared a glance; this was getting more interesting by the second.

"Protoman, but that's not possible, he was never human." Chaud replied.

"You mean he's never told you." Terra said, "look I know this is hard to believe, but he had to have been Chaud. Think about it, you already know that Mega and Lan are related and you know now that Whisper's really Skyler, just plug that into the equation it fits."

"You can't be serious." Chaud said as he tried to laugh, "there's never been any…"

"Proof?" Mega interjected, "we know, we didn't automatically believe that this was true either but it's the only thing that makes the riddle add up. Haven't you ever wondered why he never takes his visor off?"

Chaud was speechless for a second. Mega was right, he had always wondered why he hadn't ever seen Proto without his visor. Eight years and he hadn't seen his navis eyes. But he pushed that to the back of his mind. "this is insane," Chaud said, "he would have-"

"Told you?" Terra asked, "it doesn't always work that way, trust me I know"

"This is unbelievable, do you know how crazy this sounds-"

While all this was going on Proto, Whisper, and Lan were all still in the hall and they heard the conversation escalating. When Proto heard Chaud's voice he began walking towards the door.

'Proto what are you doing?" Lan and Whisper asked.

"I have to calm him down, he's stubborn enough, and that's when he not stressed. If he doesn't relax he won't listen"

"This is unbelievable, do you know how crazy this sounds-" Chaud stared to say…

"Chaud," Proto said his voice coming from the doorway. "Chaud you need to listen to them, they're not as off the mark as they seam."

"What are you saying?" Chaud asked, but there was no answer, Proto disappeared in a shower of pixels leaving Lan and Whisper to go find him.

"What's going on here?" Chaud asked.

"The truths finally coming to light," Terra replied.

"Not to mention that Regal's plan is coming together." Mega added.

"The truth about what?" Chaud asked deciding to ask one question at a time.

Terra decided to answer, both this question, and the one she knew was coming next. "The truth about our navis, the truth about out past, the truth about Proto, the truth about everything. Ever since the beginning Regal's been obsessed with us. First it was because six teenagers beat him but it's become more. Everyone's always thought that our strength came from our friendships, I mean what else would there be? But two people have always known or thought otherwise. Dr. Hikari and Dr. Regal. And Regal, he's dogmatic, he knew there was something that fueled the bond besides friendship, look at Misaki. He and Prismman are great partners but they couldn't hold crossfusion. It could only be held together by force and that was with the aid of a darkchip. I think that it takes a special kind of friendship if that's all you've got going for you; now we may have that but I think that our familial bond is what really makes us special. Regal knew there was something different about us and he wasn't going to let it go until he found out what it was, and somehow he did. He didn't have the privilege of finding out about Mega before Lan did, but he found out about Skyler and me and Proto and you. He knows what makes us so strong. In fact the only reason he probably even found out about the two of us is because he found out about Hub and Lan."

"And now he's trying to use that knowledge about us," Mega added, "turn the truth behind the strength into a weakness."

By this time Mega and Whisper had broken through Chaud's defenses. "So who is he, I mean he can't be my-" Chaud started then stopped before he went any further.

"Brother?" Mega asked finishing Chaud statement. "We have no idea who he is, all we know is that he was human. But he has to be someone close to you or Regal wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it."

"Well if it is true what's Regal trying to do?" Chaud asked.

"Like Mega said turn the strength into a weakness. Basically he's trying to tear us emotionally limb from limb with the truth, banking on out faults and pit us against people close to us which just happen to be major players in the net police organization. He's trying to distance Skyler and me from our father and you from Proto. If he can succeeded in that then the whole Dentech branch would fall."

"Regal's smart, I'll give him that that," Chaud admitted, "Because I can't see either you or Skyler instantly forgiving someone who fooled you into thinking that you hadn't seen you sister alive and then blocked Skyler's memories."

"You've got that right." Terra replied.

"So Regal's plan's working?" Mega asked as he cocked his eyebrows at Terra.

"No," Terra replied, "I may not be too fond of my dad right now but that's not going to make me quit being a netsaver of ignore his advice. I'll just have to take it with a grain of salt."

"So in short Regal's playing on our families dysfunction's?" Chaud asked.

"Seems so, but those are your words not mine, I'm not calling your family dysfunctional." Terra replied.

Chaud scoffed quietly to himself, it was then that he noticed his mom's hope chest.

"My mom's hope chest?" Chaud asked as he looked at the cherry wood box.

"Yeah, Terra figured this would be the only place where we could find any proof, your dad's files were swept clean." Mega commented.

Chaud continued to look at the chest. This was unbelievable it seemed nuts that Proto could have been human at some point and even crazier that he was related to him in some way. But as he ran the theory through his mind it sparked a memory, one from earlier that day. He recalled how Proto had reacted when Regal had smited him. That unreadable expression that had flashed across his face, maybe the thought that Proto had been human wasn't as nuts as it sounded.

"Look Chaud this is the only way we're ever going to find the proof to either support of shot down our theory." Terra said as she took a key and pressed it into Chaud's palm, "It would probably be for the best if you did this alone."

"Yeah, we'll wait outside, come on Terra," Mega said as he started to leave the room and motioned for Terra to follow him. Once they were out they both went down to the top step of the staircase and waited.

Chaud stood in the room key in hand. "This is crazy," he said to himself as he started to walk toward the door, then he stopped. He was running away, what was he so afraid of?

Chaud turned back and knelled in front of the chest inserting the key into the lock turning it until he heard it click, and opened the chest. The sent of cherry wood filled the air like a mist. The first thing that Chaud saw was a photo of him and his mom, a picture taken from a much happier time. Chaud picked up the fame and took it to a near by window so it could get some more light. As he turned the silver and white gold frame in the sunlight he noticed something, a shadow. Something was behind the picture. Chaud reached up to the top of the frame and slipped out the picture only to reveal another one behind it. This one had been taken five months before the other according to the date. But he didn't notice that, he only noticed that his mother was holding two children, himself and another boy. He didn't recognize the second child, but something about the boy seemed familiar. His mother must have tickling him because the child's eyes were glowing and it wore a huge smile. The picture was in back and white so he couldn't tell the color of his eyes but there was something he could tell. The child had snow white hair complete with black streaks. Out of shock Chaud's hand relaxed and the frame fell to the floor shattering the glass when it made contact. Once he regained his composure he reached through the glass and took the picture out from underneath. Looking at the back he noticed a note. One written by his mother:

First family photo, Emery 2 years, Chaud 1 year 9 months.

TBC