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Chapter 17: The Factory
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'' Terry, wake up, we're here.''

Terry awoke in the backseat of the transport truck to find Butch shaking him awake. Next to him, Karla was waking Saito, who had also fallen asleep.

Terry stepped out of the truck to see the Dimensional Chip factory. It was smaller than he had imagined it. It was composed of several boxy buildings inside of a compound. There were two short smoke stacks that were each letting out a small cloud of smoke. The landscape was mostly grassy, but there was a small grove of trees nearby.

'' Alright.'' Slate said. '' I'm going to hide the truck among those trees, then we'll find an entrance.

'' Are you sure that there are no guards here or anything?'' Butch asked waringly.

'' No, we would've been intercepted by now if that was the case.'' Slate answered.

'' If you say so.''

Afterwards Vick located an entrance gate, but it was locked and guarded by security cameras. However, since the entire factory was supposed to be autonomous, there had to be a plug in port.

'' I think that I'll be able to take care of this myself.'' Vick said, glancing at the entrance.

'' Are you sure?'' Karla asked.

'' Positive. Beta can deactivate the entire security system without activating any alarms. You guys would probably destroy it outright, activating every security feature here.'' Vick retorted as he took out his PET with a flourish. '' Plug in, Beta, transmission.''

A laser passed from his PET to the distant port, and soon Beta was in the cameras' computer.

'' It appears that the cameras and all other alarms and security send data to and from a central processor. I could synthesize an item of command data, insert it into the output flow, which will then send it to the central processor.'' Beta said after studying the cyberworld.

'' Good.'' Vick said. '' Then order it to deactivate all of the security.''

'' Wow, I never knew that Beta could do something like advanced hacking.'' Karla said, impressed.

'' Alright, I'll tell it to deactivate the security. Oh, I'll also tell it to open all of the doors so that we can get in.'' Beta said as a glowing orb appeared in his hand, then it vanished.

After several minutes, the gate opened with a groan, signaling that Beta's plan had succeeded. Inside was a small grassy area, then the entrance to the factory, the door now yawning wide, beckoning the rebels hither. There was also a pickup truck parked nearby as well.

Slate took in this sight, then warned, '' Pyroman's operator is around here somewhere, be careful everyone.''

After entering the building, they walked down a hallway, all the while the sounds of various machines at work getting louder. Finally, they reached the large room where the actual production took place.

It began like this. Sheets of what appeared to be blue glass were melted down into a molten blue substance. This material was then poured into battlechip like molds, which were then cooled and hardened by submersion in a large tank of liquid. Then PET connecter strips were wired in. Finally, the chips were carefully arranged in open faced crates. All the while sparks were flying and steam and smoke rose into the air.

One of the crates was suddenly lifted into the air and began to move away. A closer inspection revealed that they were being transported by waist high, gray, treaded robots with arms specialized for handling the boxes.

'' Why are the sheets of glass blue?'' Saito asked, curious.

'' It's because they are made from the same material that Dimensional Converters are. But while those create Dimensional Areas in which cyber beings can enter our world, the chip form can bring a navi directly into our world without a Dimensional Area.'' Slate explained.

While he was saying this, one of the robots bumped into Terry. It backed up, raised its telescoping robotic eye at the obstacle, beeped angrily, then went around him. '' We're lucky we shut down the security, cause otherwise that thing would have alerted everything.''

Slate walked past all of the machinery to a large device that was emitting a menacing hum. '' This is the CPU I presume.'' he said. '' If we can shut this down...''

'' Well, there has to be a port on it somewhere.'' Terry said, joining Slate. '' But... I don't see one...''

'' What? You mean we can't plug in?'' Karla asked. '' Saito, do you see one over where you are?''

'' I'll look, but I don't see any over here. Come out, come out, where ever you are!'' Saito called, peering around the CPU's other side.

But even though he talked like a kid, he looked much different then he had when they first found him, Terry thought. Back then, he was dirty, depressed, and shy. Now he was more confident and assertive, determined, he even looked older.

And Karla said that he might not be up to this. Ha! Was she wrong. Terry thought. His thought was interrupted by laughter, and it wasn't pleasant laughter either.

Everyone looked up to see a man gazing down at them from a catwalk high above. '' Well, it looks like the rebels have come at last!'' he shouted down at them.

'' Who are you!'' Slate shouted back up.

'' Me?'' the man said as he descended a stairwell to a lower walkway and then walked over to the CPU. '' I'm the mercenary Ace. I was hired by Dr. Mattel, the creator of these chips, to guard this place from you!''

'' Well you sure did a lousy job of that!'' Terry retorted. '' Your navi told us exactly where it was! You call that guarding!''

'' How naive can you be? Did you think that he accidentally told you? No, he told you on purpose, to lure you here, and it worked!'' Ace laughed.

'' But, why who T-Corp hire a merc to do their own dirty work?'' Karla asked.

'' Because Mattel told me that after Akira stole those files, his superiors threatened to cut off funding if anything happened.'' Ace explained. '' He paid us quite handsomely too, he must really be desperate.''

'' So if we destroy the factory, Dimensional Chips may never again be made!'' Terry exclaimed.

'' I suppose so... Terry.'' Ace said. He studied the group below him. '' Let's see, the kid's Terry, that's Akira, the girl is Karla, the nerd is Vick, and the big guy is Butch. '' He began to laugh. '' That means that that little brat is Rockman's operator! What a joke! A kid, a rebel! Ha ha ha!''

'' Stop making fun of me!'' Saito shouted, his face going as red as his hair.

'' Aww, is da liddle baby mad?'' Ace taunted in babyspeak, which certainly didn't go well with his appearance. '' Anyway, Pyroman is in the CPU, waiting for you. Plug in NOW.''

'' But there's no port!''

'' That's because the port is up here, circle around, and you'll find it.''

Terry circled around till he saw a matinence panel. He, and everyone else, pointed their PETs at it.

'' Plug in!''

The six navis materialized in the CPU's cyberworld. The floor was composed of a green grid, which was raised in several places, like small hills. Standing at the base of one of them was Pyroman.

'' Well well, We meet again. I assure you, things will not go as they did the last time we fought.'' As if to emphasize his point, he burst into flames.

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The finale begins. There are only 4 more chapters.