AN: To new readers: Hello! And to my returning readers: Long time no see!
Chapter 9: Rising Tension! Approaching Danger!
"Any luck?" Subaru asked aloud as he changed his frequency to shift between the solid walls of the police station. He could hear the clamour all around him as the officers scrambled through the hallways. Half of them were trying to locate him, while the latter half were busy taking care of the virus outbreak in their computer system. Despite the cacophony of noises all around him, Subaru's mind remained surprisingly clear as he listened for his partner's response.
"It's no good, kid. That thing jammed up your original frequency and I can't say I know what will happen to you if I force a pulse out in this condition." Though Subaru couldn't see it, he could feel that Warrock was grimacing at the thought. "One thing is for sure, we should get rid of that thing pronto."
Taking a deep breath, Subaru tried to analyze the situation. Normally, he'd imagine himself in a more panicked state given the circumstances. He wasn't quite sure if it was due to Black Ace's analytical capabilities, but his thoughts were surprisingly easy to sort through.
First on his agenda was to find that wave machine Dr. Regal had shown him earlier. Assuming that it was the cause of the forced Finalization, destroying it should fix their problem.
Secondly, he had to find a place to hide out since he couldn't return to Netto's place. On that same thought, he couldn't help but think about the two Net Saviors he had left behind.
"I hope those two are okay..." he said softly.
"Heh, you know how tough those two are. They can take care of themselves. You should worry about yourself for once!" Warrock chided him playfully. Despite their desperate situation, the alien's ever glowing confidence was infectious.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Warrock." The normally stone faced 'Black Ace' flashed a smile.
Closing his eyes, he tried to focus and sense where the EM frequency was coming from. He could feel that it was somehow tugging at them, as if it wanted to draw him closer.
Narrowing the distance between them and the previous room he had seen the EM wave machine, he placed a hand on the wall blocking their path before shifting his frequency to phase through it.
Thankfully, the device itself was still left exactly where they last saw it. What was different though were the once directionless EM waves that were now unmistakably drawn to Black Ace. They were like translucent threads that pulsed in rhythm to his heart beat.
"It's about time you arrived, Ryuusei." An unexpected voice drew their attention away. Yuriko leaned against a chair with an unconscious Dr. Hikari slumped in its seat. "Or maybe I should call you 'Black Ace' now."
"So it was her. Can't say I'm surprised." Warrock growled in Subaru's head, confirming their earlier suspicion. "Just ignore her! First let's get rid of that thing."
Without a word of response, Black Ace had already motioned to aim his buster at the wave generator.
"Not so fast!" Yuriko's sudden interjection again pulled his concentration from the device. She leaned closer to her unwitting hostage with a threatening glint in her eyes. "If you destroy that, I can't guarantee that Dr. Hikari over here won't meet a certain end. And I'm sure dear little Netto would be terribly distraught with his father... gone."
She emphasized her last word with a sneer, striking a sharp chord in Subaru. He couldn't help but imagine himself in the past: The memory of when he had first found out about his father's accident was overlaid with an image of Netto.
"You...!" Subaru could feel his blood begin to boil as the corner of his vision turned crimson. He switched his aim towards Yuriko, staring daggers at her as if silently threatening her to back away.
"Oh? Are you sure you want to try your luck?" The seasoned agent of Nebula simply chuckled at the empty threat. There wasn't a hint of fear in her voice as she calmly tapped the chair. "If you aren't careful, poor Dr. Hikari here might just get caught in the crossfire."
"Subaru, calm down!" Warrock's voice echoed in Subaru's head as he clenched his teeth in frustration. He tried to steady his breathing once more, calculating the risks for each possible action he could take in this situation.
As he measured his options, the sound of footsteps began to draw close. Both of them, unsure if it were friend or foe, turned their attention towards the doorway to see who was coming.
"They're here...!" Enzan exclaimed as he burst through the entrance. He was shortly followed by Netto who was following close behind.
"Dad!" Taking in the scene at a moment's notice, Netto was the first to notice his father's situation. He looked back and forth between Black Ace pointing his buster, and his unconscious father with a suspiciously dressed lady hovering over him. "Wait- Ms. Mariko? No that can't be- who are you? What did you do to dad?!"
"Tch... so it's those two..." Yuriko clicked her tongue as she muttered curses under her breath.
"You're an agent of Nebula, aren't you?" Enzan shot a cold glare at her. During his solo investigations on the Dark Chip production, he had seen shadows of her profile repeatedly. While he never had a good look at her face in person before, he was certain that she was related to the frequent Darkloid attacks.
"And... what if I am?" Keeping her cool, she relaxed her posture. Escape plans began to play out in her mind as her eyes darted between Black Ace and the doorway that was now blocked by two annoying Net Saviors. "What do you think the two of you can do?"
Enzan took a step forward with a stance as if he were ready to tackle her if she were to make a run for it. "If you are... then under my power as a Net Savior, I'm placing you under arrest-!"
"I think that's enough, Ijuuin-kun..." The two young boys felt a presence encroaching between the two of them. Cold hands briefly clasped their shoulders from behind as Dr. Regal's figure came into their view. Despite the tension of the situation, the scientist boldly strode across the room towards the EM Wave machine as he continued to talk, "Though, your suspicion isn't unwarranted. After all, I too have been conducting my own independent investigation on the Darkloid crisis. Yuriko here works for me... as a double agent for Nebula."
"But- But dad is-!"
"Dr. Hikari is fine. I asked her to watch over him." Dr. Regal smiled back at the young Net Savior, but Netto found it hard to feel any sincerity behind his words. Before he could argue back, the scientist pointed towards Black Ace. "Shouldn't our real focus be on 'Ryuusei' over there?"
"...What is it that you want from me...?" Black Ace's suspicion of the man was at an all time high. The relaxed expression that the scientist wore unnerved him.
Regal shook his head as if he were talking to a misbehaving child. Placing a hand over the clear dome of the machine, he answered "I told you, didn't I? I'm here to help you."
As if on queue, the EM Wave machine began to let out an ear piercing sound of static as an electronic voice announced:
[Authorization Confirmed]... [Now Initializing Noise Wave Generation]...
What looked like a black tear in space began to form above the EM Wave machine. It was a familiar phenomenon to Subaru and Warrock, but the shock of seeing it here of all places caught them by surprise.
"Subaru, that's-!"
"A Noise Wave?! But how-"
Warrock's warning was quickly followed up by Subaru as his eyes widened in recognition at the sight. But they had little time before the strange machine announced its next task.
[Noise Wave Generation Complete]... [Now Initializing Core Capture Protocol]...
The thread-like EM Waves that had connected to Black Ace suddenly jerked him forward towards the widening black maw of the newly formed Noise Wave. He tried to steady himself, but it became hard to resist the pull as his feet left the ground. "Ugh-...How am I being pulled in…?!"
"You've already synchronized your wave frequency with this very machine. It's futile to resist." Dr. Regal smirked as he watched the normally stalwart Black Ace struggle.
Regal's calm demeanor ever since he arrived at the station had felt odd to Enzan, but it was the scientist's words just now that confirmed his suspicion. Laserman's exchange with Subaru and his sudden retreat after his transformation into Black Ace suddenly made sense.
This was all a trap set by Nebula.
"Subaru!" Netto shouted, but was pushed to the side by Enzan who was quick to react.
"Netto, move!" Enzan quickly rushed forward, heading straight towards the strange machine ready to ram with the force of his whole body to break it down. Before he could close the distance though, Yuriko had already quickly repositioned herself as if anticipating his action. After one sweep to trip him up, she had pinned him down with her knee.
"Enzan-sama!" Blues' voice shouted from his PET as it clattered to the floor. Along with it, a small innocuous package about the same size had slid out of his pocket.
"Hey now, brat. That machine is private Net Police property, isn't it? What do you think you're doing trying to destroy it?"
Playing along with the charade that Dr. Regal had so helpfully given her, she pressed more of her weight down on him.
"Damn… you…!" Enzan cursed, trying to overpower her to no avail.
"Enzan!" Netto prepared to charge in as well, but a firm hand from behind had gripped his arm and held him in place. Turning back, he realized that the other Net Savior officials who were hot on Black Ace's trail had arrived. Their sights were already trained on a struggling Black Ace.
"Stand down, Hikari Netto." said the older officer, his voice booming in Netto's ear. He looked at the young boy in utter contempt.
"You've made it just in time to see my invention at work, Officer Koyama." Dr. Regal gave a knowing nod as the two boys could only watch helplessly as Black Ace was slowly pulled into the dark rift. "Watch as the dangerous anomaly known as 'Ryuusei' is subdued in a matter of moments."
His form already halfway submerged, it only took one more push before Black Ace was swallowed up completely.
As the Noise Wave closed behind him, the machine made its announcement:
[Core Capture Protocol Complete]
Silence hung in the air briefly after the almost unbelievable display.
"He… he really did it…!" Onlookers gaped, dumbfounded by the scene they had just witnessed. The atmosphere had become noticeably relaxed as the other Net Saviors exchanged celebratory cheers. After Black Ace's capture was all but evident, the rest of the force had shuffled in to help with moving around the debris left in the wake of the initial darkloid attack."Dr. Regal, this… uh... 'wave' machine you've created. Where should we-?"
"Thank you for your assistance... But for its transport, leave it to my assistant." Dr. Regal gave a quick answer as he motioned for Yuriko to come forward. He eye'd Koyama who was struggling to keep Netto still in his grip during the commotion. "And please... there's no need to treat those two young boys so roughly. They are children after all."
"Yes, Regal-sama."
After relieving just a bit of weight she had used to press down on him, Enzan hurriedly pushed the woman off of him and grabbed both his PET and the small package off the floor swiftly. Shooting a look at the supposed "double agent of Nebula", he could see her flash a smirk before she departed.
"Let go already!" Wrenching his arm away with a final tug, Netto pulled away and ran straight to his dad who still sat motionless. Concern was plastered all over his face as he vigorously tried to shake him awake. "Dad! Dad, wake up!"
"Ah… Netto?" Yuuichiro blinked slowly, his words coming out in a drawl. "What… Where are…?"
"Dad! You're okay!" A sigh of relief finally escaped the young boy as he held his father close. However, he couldn't afford to relax yet as he snapped back towards Dr. Regal who stood watching the tender display. "You! Let Subaru go now!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hikari Netto. Whether he knows it or not… Hoshikawa-kun is quite dangerous." A smile that belied an underlying excitement could be seen on the man's face. "You don't need to worry. As I said, I'm here to help him."
A strange aura that the scientist exuded gave the young Net Savior chills. He tried to search for something to retort back in defiance, but found the words caught in his throat.
Seeing his silence as a declaration of defeat, Dr. Regal gave a friendly pat on Netto's head as if to chide him. "Now then, I think that you should be taking your father over to the infirmary. It could be that the high Noise levels caused him to faint… So it's best that he gets a full checkup."
Swatting away the man's hand, Netto wanted to argue further. But his outburst was cut short this time by Enzan who had put a hand on his shoulder. "Enzan! We have to-!"
"Netto. I know, but… look." He subtly signaled with his eyes, calling to attention that the two of them were clearly outnumbered. Not only Dr. Regal and his assistant, but also the Net Savior faction that supported him were all present. Leaning a bit closer so that only Netto would hear, Enzan whispered, "Don't worry. We'll save him. But right now, we need to fall back."
"Eh? But how-" he tried to ask for more details, but was quickly silenced again as Enzan interrupted with a louder voice directed towards Dr. Regal.
"You're right, Dr. Regal. We'll be leaving. Now if you'll excuse us..." Hurriedly, Enzan pulled one of Dr. Hikari's arms over his shoulder while motioning for Netto to do the same. "Come on. Give me a hand."
"Ah, okay…" Netto let out a deflated sigh as he conceded, warily following the other boy's lead.
While respectfully lowering his head slightly in a small bow, Enzan steered the three of them out. It was only after their backs had disappeared down the hallway that Dr. Regal let go of his kindly facade. Being aware of Ijuuin Enzan's intellect, he found his quick retreat suspicious. Though he guessed that the boy was brewing some plan of action, he could think of little that the two of them could do by themselves.
Regal's attention returned back to more pressing matters. With Black Ace within his grasp, he could very well expedite his original plan for world domination. Analyzing the composition and structure of the mysterious entity would take time, but it would be well worth it to remove the constraints of using a Dimensional Area. He had to work fast before others began to suspect his allegiances.
As he contemplated on his next course of action, the grumblings of a certain ignorant official had reached his ears. "Tch, who is that kid foolin' trying to act like an adult? Can't believe Meijin actually vouched for a bunch of kids just because they're able to Cross Fuse..."
"Now, now. There's no doubt that those two have talent." Regal said, playing devil's advocate to the officer's complaints before leading into a more important topic he was invested in. "Anyways, Officer Koyama. Were you able to procure the item I asked about?"
"Oh erm…yes well… As you mentioned, we did have a record of a 'Hoshikawa Subaru' being brought into the station prior to our discovery of his identity."
The question seemed to have lit a fire under the officer as he broke eye contact. His evasive response irritated the scientist.
"And…?" Dr. Regal prodded.
"From what the reports say- he did have something resembling a PET. Given how strange it looked, we were keepin' it in our evidence vault to be looked into later-"
"'Were'…?" Regal's words one again cut through any further ramblings and excuses. "So you're saying it's not..."
"Y-Yes..." Koyama finally admitted as his head hung slightly in shame. "It seems to have gone missing, Dr. Regal. But I'm sure it will turn up soon! Someone must have just misplaced it…"
The memory of the young blue-eyed Net Savior flashed in Regal's mind. At the time, he hadn't paid any mind to the parcel that the boy grabbed off the floor. But it was about the same size as a PET. Combined with their quick exit, it was obvious where the item in question went missing.
It seemed that Officer Koyama had been made a fool of once again.
Black Ace floated in the inky darkness of the Noise Wave with the only source of illumination being the crimson red glow of his wings. They had traveled through many of these areas before during the Meteor G crisis, but something about the atmosphere felt more constrained. He tried to move, but found that his whole body was paralized.
Looking closer, he could see that the same translucent threads that had initially pulled them in now held him in place. It was like being caught in a spider's web.
"Warrock…?" Subaru tentatively called out, praying that his partner was safe.
"Heh, this is quite the mess we got ourselves in." The AMian responded. Despite the grave situation they found themselves in, the seasoned warrior didn't let it show too much in his tone. "Subaru, how are you holding up?"
He mustered as much of his will power as he could to wriggle slightly. But the combination of his paralysis and the wires coiled about him sapped what little strength he had. "I can't seem to move. And I'm… feeling a bit sleepy..."
"Hey, stay frosty kid! This ain't the best place to be taking a nap. Ugh, if only I were able to-" There was a sense of urgency in Warrock's voice. He could feel something in this space was changing, and it wasn't a good vibe. As the battle hardened AMian scrambled for a plan of escape, an idea hit him. "Hey Subaru, you can access the Meteor Server now right? There should be battle card data of my original EM Body!"
"Ah-I see. Got it!" Recognizing exactly what Warrock was planning, Subaru focused once more on accessing the Meteor Server. Though this time, it was on its vast repository of Battle Cards. Even outside of Black Ace's usual repertoire, he could access cards outside of his usual library. It only took a second for him to find exactly what he was looking for. "Here goes: Beast Swing!"
Before his eyes, Warrock materialized in front of him-his EM body perfectly recreated from the data contained in the Meteor Server. The AMian roared, his claws swiping down on the restraints holding his partner up. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Black Ace fell momentarily before energy welled up once more inside of him to take flight.
"Alright! Let's tear our way out of this place." Warrock pumped himself up, itching to finally let loose after being cooped up for so long.
"Right, let's find the exit." Subaru nodded, happy to see his partner raring to go alongside him. "Though… where are we exactly?"
"My guess? Some kind of artificial Noise Wave." The AMian replied, "It's similar, but… something feels off about this place."
Peering into the featureless void, the two of them tried to find their bearings. It was difficult to tell what was up and what was down, let alone where the exit may be. As if in response to their search, a dim light began to flicker in the distance. Sharing a look, the both of them concluded the same thing.
It was the best lead they had to get out of this place.
"That has to be the exit..." Black Ace said under his breath as he reached out a hand towards the glowing rift. It was like a crack in space that was leaking light from the outside.
"Well now, this is a surprise. I had hoped you would find the accommodations of this comp space to your satisfaction."
Subaru and Warrock whirled around behind them to see a particularly unwelcome face displayed on a holo-screen, "Dr. Regal!"
"I'm getting really tired of seeing this guy's ugly mug." Warrock growled, "Why don't you come here yourself so that I can tear you apart personally!"
The scientist glanced over at the AMian who was baring his fangs at him. His curiosity piqued, he leaned in to more carefully scrutinize the phenomenon.
"How fascinating... Materializing a navi-No. Looking at your composition, I'm guessing you aren't really a 'Navi' either are you? Are you the catalyst of Subaru-kun's transformation into 'Ryuusei'?" The scientist mused, already lost in his own hypotheses. Continuing to mutter to himself, he didn't so much as spare any regard for the two as a threat. "Hm, I wonder if the same matter-materialization can be applied to Navis as well. And a fusion between NetOp and Navi not unlike Crossfusion... I'll have to look into it."
"He isn't even listening to us." Subaru grimaced, the feeling of being examined like a fish in a tank unnerved him. He wasn't sure if they were being ignored, or if their voices were even reaching the scientist at all.
"Tch, that cocky attitude of his is getting old real fast." Warrock grumbled before snapping back to Subaru. "We're already this close! Come on kid, let's make a break for it."
With a nod, the two of them headed straight for the rift. However, as he came close to crossing the threshold, Black Ace was immediately repelled. In contrast, Warrock was able to pass through with ease.
"Ugh-! Why can't I-?" he tried to push through, but found that a force kept pulling him back. It was as if an invisible wall was preventing him from passing through.
"I don't know who made that hole in my firewall, but they've wasted their efforts in trying to help you escape. I told you before, didn't I? You've tuned your frequency with this cyber core and have become intrinsically linked to this EM wave space." The scientist looked mildly annoyed at the inconvenience. Letting out a sigh, he began typing commands to patch the digital space back up.
The effects were immediate as the rift exit began to shrink. But that was not the only thing they had to worry about.
Something was coming, he could feel it.
"Warrock, watch out!" Black Ace's reaction would have been quick enough to dodge, but his body moved on its own to shield his partner from the surprise attack.
From the darkness, thick cables shot out towards them. Unlike the previous restraints that held him in place before, these had sharp needle-like plugs that plunged themselves into Black Ace's body. A sharp pain ran through him, as he felt the data that he regularly accessed from the Meteor Server being redirected elsewhere.
"Subaru!" Warrock prepared to cut him loose again, but was cut short by Black Ace who stopped him with a raised hand. For a moment, the AMian felt something transfer into him from Black Ace- but he had little time to dwell on it.
"War...rock. Go-!" Subaru grit his teeth, as he tried to hold back whatever was attempting to hijack the Meteor Server. "Before it's… too late!"
"Tch, you better hold tight kid. I'll be back before you know it!" Warrock reluctantly said, clenching his fists. With no choice left to him, the AMian flew through the rift unhindered without looking back. "Don't you lose yourself just 'cause I'm not there, ya hear me?!"
Subaru watched the retreating form of his partner as it disappeared. He was relieved that at least one of them could make it out, and he had complete faith that he would return.
"So that one made it out…no matter. I've already been set back in my schedule because of those incompetent Net Saviors." Dr. Regal watched with indifference as he continued his work. "Now if you'd be so kind as to cooperate, I'd very much appreciate your help with analyzing the contents of that server you have access to."
Through clenched teeth, Black Ace could only glare back in defiance. Taking his silence as a sign of his surrender, Dr. Regal returned a chilling smile.
"How about we get started, Hoshikawa-kun."
As he felt his limbs begin to be wrapped tightly once more in the spider-like web, the nauseating feeling of information forcefully flowing in and out of his brain began to be more bearable. The numbing nature of the threads became almost welcoming to reduce the mental strain on him, and his body involuntarily relaxed. Sinking deeper into the darkness, he felt himself melding into the space, like a gear being fit perfectly into a machine.
As his consciousness faded, he thought he could make out the silhouette of another person far into the distance of the fading light. Their details were hazy, but what was clearly identifiable were the twin crescents softly glowing behind them.
"...Hold onto that strong will of yours… Or else..."
Recognizing the voice as the same one that had spoken to him before, Subaru struggled to keep his eyes open. He tried to ask who the voice belonged to, but the words never left his mouth as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
"Enzan-sama. He's here." Blues notified his Netop just as a black car came into view from the street corner. It was one of the many perks of being the vice president of a major technology company: on demand valet.
"Blues, send a message to Meijin-san that we're on our way to the Ministry of Science. Netto, get in the back." Enzan threw out additional orders for the driver as he moved to fasten Dr. Hikari in the back seat.
"You have some explaining to do, Enzan!" Netto huffed as he seated himself next to his dad. "What's the deal leaving behind Subaru?!"
Despite his focus being on their escape, the accusation cut deep into Enzan. Before he could respond, it was Rockman instead who piped up, trying to reason with his NetOp. "Netto-kun, I'm sure he has a good reason. Enzan isn't the type to abandon his friends."
After confirming that they had made a good distance away from the station, Enzan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small package that he had dropped earlier and began to unwrap it. "I had to make sure that I got this out before they discovered it was missing."
He recalled the self satisfied look of the older officer after he had successfully taken him off the case. No doubt the man's face would be red as a beet once he found out about his theft.
"Subaru had this on him when I first met him at the station."
"That's Subaru's PET?" Netto tried to recall if he had seen it when first bumping into Subaru. It was dark at the time, so he hadn't gotten a good look at it before.
"It doesn't look like any model I've seen on the net." Rockman chimed in.
"I thought it was just some custom PET at the time, but now..." Enzan turned the device over, trying to find some serial number or model name label. "I'm sure that the investigators would be interested in anything related to him. So I took it before I lost the chance to get access to it."
"Wait… if this belonged to Subaru..." Netto brought a hand to his chin in thought. With gears turning in his head, it took a second before a figurative light bulb blinked bright. "Does that mean this is the PET of the future?!"
"The… future?" Understandably, Enzan found the claim incredulous. "Care to explain?"
"Heh… You probably won't believe it but-" Netto looked just a tad smug as he detailed what Subaru had relayed to him earlier in the night. It was a rare occurrence for him to be in the know-how before Enzan.
It wasn't just time travel.
Electromagnetic wave technology.
Aliens.
"-at least, that's what Subaru told me." Netto concluded.
It was a lot for Enzan to take in all at once, let alone believe. He just hoped that Meijin had an open mind when they explained it to him.
"Absolutely unbelievable." The world famous Meijin said flatly as he finished listening. "But minus the time travel and aliens-Theoretically speaking, I understand the concept of 'EM' wave technology."
"You do?" Enzan was caught by surprise upon hearing that such tech wasn't exactly new.
"I've read studies of an ancient civilization that had used something similar. Though a lot of their culture along with the technology they used was lost to time." Meijin clarified as he carefully looked over the strange PET-like device. His tools for dismantling it were already all laid out. "Most people have chalked the whole thing up to myth, but I have a few acquaintances who are avid fans of OOPArt research."
"OOPArt?" Both Netto and Enzan asked in unison.
"It stands for Out-Of-Place-Artifact." Blues answered, quickly looking up a definition on the net. "They're artifacts that don't match up technologically to the time period they originated from."
"Oh, Netto!" Rockman exclaimed, recognizing the term as well. "Didn't you go on a field trip to the museum not too long ago to see one?"
"I did?"
"You don't remember...?" Rockman tilted his head, second guessing his own memory. "I'm pretty sure it was a big deal at the time. It was broadcasted on the news before too! You know, it kind of looked like a stone swo-"
"I got it! It's a miracle that this was still salvageable." Meijin announced as he held up a small chip with his pliers. His excitement was hard to suppress as his innate curiosity as a scientist was piqued by the unknown technology. "We should be able to get at least some data from this."
"Hopefully it can give us some clues on how-" Enzan began to say, but was cut off short. He had made to get up to take a look as well, but found that his leg gave out on him. The adrenaline that had kept him going through the night finally wore off as all the built up exhaustion swept over him.
"Enzan-sama, are you okay?" Blues' voice was filled with concern as he tried to ascertain his NetOps condition. He knew Enzan's serious nature led him to shoulder all the burden himself until he inevitably burned out. The setbacks and frustrations of the day would certainly have worn him down to the bone.
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry, Blues." Enzan dismissed his partner's worries. "After all, as Netto said… I was the one who abandoned Subaru. So it's my responsibility to..."
"Hey! You mean it's our responsibility." Netto corrected as he helped Enzan back up to his feet. "I… I didn't mean it that way, okay? We were outnumbered and all… but..."
Netto trailed off, not wanting to fully acknowledge his mistake. A part of him wanted to believe that the four of them could take on anything together. But he knew there was a thin line between being courageous and reckless.
Seeing how the two young boys pushed themselves to the brink, Meijin felt guilt creep up on him.
"Once Dr. Hikari wakes up, we'll get to analyzing whatever program is running on this thing. So why don't the two of you go get some rest?" he suggested, trying to brighten the mood just a bit.
"That's right, you two need your rest!" Rockman agreed enthusiastically.
Enzan took out his own PET. He knew Blues wouldn't directly order him to rest as well, but seeing his partner's concerned nod in agreement told him enough.
As soon as the two boys relaxed on the couches in the waiting area, it didn't take long for them to fall asleep. It was quiet, the offices empty as most of the employees had left for the night. One cubicle though was still dimly lit by the light of multiple computer screens.
"Hm… that should do it." Rockman nodded his head in satisfaction. "I sent an email to mama to tell her that Netto and papa are safe here."
"Thank you, Rockman. I wouldn't hear the end of it from Haruka-san if I didn't tell her where Netto-kun was this late at night." Meijin replied as he turned to another screen. "Blues, how's that module coming along?"
"Recompilation has finished." Blues reported, propping up the command window for the operating system. "Should I start up the analysis?"
"Yes, please do." Meijin poured over the information. It would have been nice to have Dr. Hikari's input as well, but he was thankful to have the two navis assistance in trying to understand each function. While most of the personal data had been corrupted, a lot of the add-on modules to the operating system were fortunately preserved.
One module in particular caught Rockman's interest by the name alone. "The 'Ace Program'...?"
"It looks like… a program made to control 'Noise'." Blues added, looking over the context details alongside him.
If Regal's device that generated Noise was one step ahead of their Noise trackers, then this 'Ace Program' which had far more precise control was miles ahead of their time.
"I'm not sure who made this, but they must have been a genius in their own right." Meijin commented while carefully looking over the implementation. "If we can just reverse engineer this program for navi use, then maybe...!"
"Then we can help Subaru-kun and Warrock!" Rockman exclaimed excitedly.
"It would take me a bit of time to adapt it for general use. But the two of you who have the 'Ultimate Program'..." Meijin paused briefly to weigh the risks of forcing the conversion. "It should be able to handle the strain, but it'll be tough on your two. Are you ready?"
Resolutely, the two of them nodded. With the escalating dangers posed by Nebula, any advantage they could get was welcomed if it meant being able to better protect their NetOps. Seeing how both Netto and Enzan pushed themselves only fueled their desire to break through their own limitations.
Acknowledging their conviction, Meijin began preparations for the upload. However, before he could confirm the initialization, he noticed a small flicker on his screen.
"I hope you don't mind sharing that program with me as well."
Ripples could be felt throughout the datascape as the unknown voice was accompanied by a shining light. Appearing from it was a dark skinned humanoid navi, wrapped in duel translucent crescents. Despite the almost angelic appearance of the invader, Blues and Rockman immediately went on the alert. Given the timing, their immediate assumption was a darkloid attack.
"No need to worry, you two." Meijin calmly said. He recognized the navi almost instantly by their silhouette. "Serenade here is an old friend of mine. You can say we go way back."
"Long time no see." With a friendly smile, Serenade waved a greeting towards Meijin from behind the screen before turning back to face the two navis. "But this is the first time we've met, hasn't it? Though, I can say that I've already heard quite a lot about you two: Rockman and Blues."
"You know about us?" Blues asked, sword still at the ready. Despite Meijin's claims, he wasn't quite ready to let his guard down completely. "Who are you exactly?"
"I'm what some people call the Lord of the Undernet." Serenade answered, lifting his hands as if to show he was unarmed. "But as Meijin mentioned, you can just call me Serenade."
As the newly introduced navi offered their hand in greeting, Rockman noticed something a bit off. Purple splotches crept up Serenade's arm, a sign of deterioration that they had seen exhibited by Darkloids who developed dark chip addiction. It was also an external sign of when a navi came into close proximity to the program corrupting nature of Noise.
"Are you… injured?" Rockman asked, gesturing towards the wounds.
"Oh this?" Serenade nonchalantly placed a hand on their arm, as if to try and hide it. "It was my mistake. I came too close to 'Noise' when I contacted that Ryuusei fellow. This amount of infection isn't enough to delete me, but I would be grateful to be rid of it."
"You were there during the darkloid attack." Blues concluded, recalling reports of a powerful surge in the network at the time. Though he had written it off as a symptom of the virus outbreak, the familiar feeling of when they had entered the server just now was clearly identical. As if to confirm his statement, Serenade gave a small nod.
"If you're here, then things must not be going well on the Net." Meijin surmised as much, as he waited for them to elaborate.
"I wouldn't be topside if the situation hadn't deteriorated as much as it did. This corruption has already seeped into the Undernet as well." Serenade materialized in their hand an orb of a crimson crystal-like substance. The pressure it exuded had made the other navis unconsciously take a step back, as if repulsed by it. "A boy I met not too long ago called this 'Crimson'. Quite an accurate name to describe it, wouldn't you say?"
"Is that… Noise?" Blues couldn't hold back a slight shudder at the sight of it. "But it feels a lot more condensed."
"A byproduct of the encroaching red star- or maybe I should call it a 'meteor' at this point." Serenade explained further, "Functionally, it is no different from a server. With enough of this 'Crimson', they say that you can access it. And with even more in your possession, you can even control the meteor server itself."
"Isn't it dangerous for you to be handling that?" Rockman pointed at the crystal. The Lord of the Undernet hadn't so much as flinched despite carrying it directly.
"This little amount isn't enough to harm me. But on the other hand..." Serenade said, their expression darkening slightly as they continued, "If this piece of Crimson were comparable to a drop of water, then 'Black Ace' would be a veritable ocean of it. And I can only imagine what humans with ill intent would do with such power."
Rockman and Blues exchanged glances, the same thought running through their minds: An organization like Nebula having such control spelled disaster.
"Alright, let's give this a test run then. I hope you don't mind waiting a bit, Serenade." Meijin said, ready to continue where he had left off. With the 'Crimson' fragment that the Lord of the Undernet had so graciously brought as an example case, they could see how the module held up. "Rockman, Blues. I'm going to upload the Ace Program to you now. Get ready."
It was a sense of nostalgia.
If Solo could put a name to the feeling he had now, he reckoned that was the most accurate description. Looking out at the scattered ruins strewn about the Undernet, he felt as if there was some link to his forgotten ancestry. He was never one to dream of unrealistic ideals, but he wondered if during this time period- there were still others like him wandering the world.
"KzZzZzzzzT… GrzzZZzt!" Laplace twisted itself around a stone sword planted in the ground beside him. Unlike his first attempt at a museum heist, the second try went quite smoothly with no one being the wiser. It was no surprise, seeing as how there was a lack of a 'Blue Bomber' or EM tech to stop him.
"Yes, I sense it too." Burai affirmed. "If what that 'Lord of the Undernet' said is true, there's possibly another OOPArt here."
With how ancient the Murian civilization was, it was not unheard of for the strange EM Matter Wave composed artifacts to phase between realities over time. As such, they were often discovered by pure chance. It made intentionally finding them all the more difficult for the average human.
But Solo was no average 'human'.
Before he made his descent into the deeper recesses of the Undernet, a streak of green and blue caught his attention. It stopped just in front of Burai, followed by a recognizably gruff voice.
"Burai-!" Warrock exclaimed as his original form completely materialized in the datascape, "So this is where you were!"
"You… shouldn't you be with Rockman?" Burai's eyes narrowed. If both the AMian and the boy were separated like this, it didn't mean good news.
"Tch, you were the fastest one I could track down. And I hate to admit it, but I could use your help right now."
Burai listened with arms crossed as Warrock began to explain the situation. With Rockman being trapped in a Noise Wave, things got a bit complicated.
"Let me guess, it was that man wasn't it." Burai scoffed. The stench of deceit that the scientist and woman they had met earlier was all too reminiscent of Dr. Orihime and Hyde. He already had judged the people of this era to be both untrustworthy and weak. The current circumstance only solidified his opinion. "Feh. So this is what his trust in others has gotten him. So much for his 'friendship' and 'bonds' helping him."
"Ugh..." Warrock couldn't give a word of rebuttal. It was already hard enough to swallow his pride in asking a rival for help. Worse still, Laplace was chuckling to itself in the corner, delighted in seeing the AMian having to hold his tongue. "Look, are you going to help or not?"
Solo paused for a moment, as if in thought. But the answer he gave wasn't what Warrock was hoping for.
"In the end, I was already planning to handle everything myself. So why don't you go and run along to wherever those 'friends' of his are to ask for their help."
"Fine, I knew I was expecting too much relying on you-" As Warrock began to turn away, he spotted a familiar object to his side. "That's… the Sword of Zerker?! But what-"
"I don't think I have to spell out to you what it's for." Burai answered, "Rockman has his role. And I'm fulfilling mine."
While he had left Rockman with the responsibility of figuring out how to control the Meteor G Core inside of him, Solo's focus was on a different task. It could be surmised that a clash of high density EM Waves could produce a similar effect to how the rift in time was opened. And in this time period, there was only one source he knew of that could match the power of Meteor G.
Piecing together this plan, Warrock was stunned that the other boy actually was helping in his own way. "Burai, you…"
"A word of warning:" Solo interrupted, leaving some parting words before beginning to depart himself. "If that man is anything like I'm guessing him to be, you better be prepared for the worst."
It was probably the 'nicest' thing that someone like Solo would bother to say, and Warrock knew it as such.
"Hmph, you don't need to tell me that twice."
He'll save him, no matter what it takes.
AN: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story over the years. Honestly, it makes me so happy to know that people care enough to leave a nostalgic review to this old story of mine. I wouldn't think to return to write more otherwise, despite how out of practice I am!
There are a lot of moving parts that will be coming together, so it's been tough mapping everything out. I don't want to make any promises, but I'll try my best to see this story through.
But no matter the progress, thank you again to all you readers who made it this far and I hope you'll continue to enjoy what's to come.
And for those who are interested, I've posted a mirror of this story on ao3 as well under a new pen name: wyvernexe
