Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman Battle Network or any of its characters. Capcom does. All other characters are the intellectual property of the Chaos Coalition.

Author's Note: The action finally begins. Hold on tight if you don't understand something right away, it'll all be explained. Also, make sure that you tell other people about this fanfiction. I already know several of the people who will be reading it, but I want to hear from the others, the unknown factor. So tell your friends, and read on!

In addition, every chapter will now have a flashback from the Chaos Union's past. Occasionally, it will be obvious as to why it's there, other times not. And those of you who partook in the making of their past, please don't be offended when I paraphrase for my own purposes, as I'm sure I will. After all, it's my story. The rest of you should have no problems with my flashbacking. Enjoy!

-

Shroud still couldn't believe his eyes as he entered the large banquet hall. The Chaos Union had finally managed to achieve one of his long-time goals: to become an elite ONB team. Yet not even he had imagined the manner in which it could come true.

After appealing to Mr. Famous and the rest of the Net Savior team, Shroud had finally impressed them to the point where they decided to affiliate themselves with the Chaos Union. But unlike prior assimilations of similar groups in years past, the Chaos Union was still a separate entity, with Shroud still leader and all his members permitted to join without question. What's more, they were considered an elite strike force, and on par with all but Net Saviors in terms of national intelligence. In fact, he and Matthias had already been on a brief reconnaissance mission in Sharo a week before, but few knew of that. For all intents and appearances, tonight would be amongst the few events the Chaos Union would be politically visible in for years to come.

He turned his head to the right and smiled, looking over at his date for the evening, Irine Whiteheart. She was wearing a glistening strapless dress of deep azure, and she flashed him a pearly smile as well, before greeting someone off to her right. Shroud stood a moment, watching her move, and fingered in his pocket the small box he planned on giving to her this evening. It was her birthday, and Shroud knew she truly wanted to be alone with him, but that was not to be. He hoped the gold ring within was present enough for her this year.

Moving to the table reserved for them this evening, Shroud sat down and greeted the Chaos Union members who had been able to make it this evening. Matthias had come alone, as had a majority of the other eight members seated there this evening. Brian was sitting beside a young woman named Aelita, and it seemed their on-again, off-again relationship was on again. Naturally, this meant the ever-infatuated Lica was absent. Link and Pavo had both elected not to attend, having no interest in a 'stuffy tuxedo party', but had made Shroud promise to take their infamous "Queso Caliente" to the affair. None of the CU members planned on eating any of it.

Raymond was sitting to Shroud's right, and asked the question everyone appeared to know the answer to. "When are you asking Irine?"

"After the dinner," he responded coolly, making sure to keep his voice down. "While they're serving dessert, I'll offer to escort her onto the roof so we can be alone, and then I'll ask her." J.G. nodded his approval, as did most of the others, but Matthias looked a bit concerned.

"Are you sure that you and Irine should marry right now? The two of you are barely 18, and it's not like any of us are financially secure."

"We will be by the time of the wedding. You saw the paycheck they gave us after the last mission. Hell, it paid for the ring, and that wasn't cheap."

"What wasn't cheap, dear?" Irine came up behind Shroud and took a seat beside him, blissfully ignorant of the conversation. Shroud couldn't find a decent answer, looking to his comrades for help. SH came to his rescue.

"My latest non-lethal weapon. Turns out they cost more than the lethal ones." Shroud silently mouthed a thank you towards him as soon as Irine looked away, and Steve simply shrugged. "You owe me," he mouthed as Mr. Famous took the stage.

"I have the pleasure of introducing several new members of our staff to you this fine evening. Now, don't mistake them for your children, although some are younger than them, and please meet the Chaos Union!" A spotlight shown down upon them, and all but Golex and Shroud briefly shaded their eyes. "Now, if you could, please come to the stage to recieve your official ONB operative badges of honor."

The team stood, Chris leading the way to stand at the end of the line. Shroud headed the group as always, with Matthias standing beside him. "This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, Shroud," he said softly as Famous continued speaking.

"Let's make them long and good, my friend." At Famous' request, Shroud stepped forward, claiming his badge. He looked at it a moment, tracing a thumb across the words embossed upon it: Chaos Alpha.

Heart swelling with pride, he looked over to Irine and smiled before raising the badge high into the air, proclaiming the battle-stained motto of the team, "Contextus in chaos!" As the resounding applause rang out through the hall, Shroud felt like he couldn't be any happier.

-

Chaotic We Stand

-

Chapter 1: Renascit

-

More than twenty years have passed since the founding of the Chaos Union. It has long since been broken, through time and hardship. With the collapse of the Chaos Union, chaos truly began to reign. With their task force dispersed, the ONBA was forced to establish martial law, now ruling Electopia. Electopia subsequently brought down Nation Z, leaving it a ruined waste.

Still more nations have rose and fell in the time since aside from Nation Z. Electopia and Netopia still reign as global superpowers, and the politically converse Sharo has enveloped the nation of Kingland, making it a Sharoan province. In response, the neighboring countries of Yumland and Netfrica have combined their lands, becoming the Free States of Yumfrica. In addition, the island nation of Creamland has developed a policy of isolationism, maintaining its own affairs and closing its marine borders. And finally, the country of Neo Arcadia rounds out these seven major nations, a utopian paradise…yet hated more than even Nation Z in its time. And for only one reason, a reason that condemned both it and the Chaos Union: it is a nation for independent navis, ruled by the mighty Lord X.

This island nation that lurks between Electopia and Netopia is theoretically a perfect country. Yet it has become a dwelling-place for society's cast-offs and outcasts, including their criminals. Now, Neo Arcadia faces a majority of the same problems as other countries, save for the fact that most other countries aren't constantly being watched for the slightest hint of insurgence by nearly every other nation on the planet. Yet this country could still become a national power if it chose to, if only because it is the only country in the world to have legalized the use of copyroids outside of the military.

Regardless of your nation, it seems the world is now a much more dangerous place than it was 20 years ago. Yet the future will grow much, much darker for these 7 sovereigns, and the ever-present threat of the Darkloids hangs over all...

-

-- Friday, March 28, 6: 39 AM, Neo Arcadia --

-

Shroud Taruka walked the streets of his city as the sun began to rise. He had been summoned to an audience with X himself, an honor that he had not had in more than a year. Still, he really wasn't looking forward to the meeting. X had given him several government duties as of late, including the drafting of a treaty between Neo Arcadia and Sharo that might protect them for years. Still, his wife had recently had another child, a baby boy he'd named Seitoka, and he'd spent much of his time at home the last few months.

As he ascended the steps to the Core Building, Shroud fervently wished that he were 17 again. Granted, 38 wasn't too old, but a bit of stiffness had begun to build up in his joints, revenge for the escapades he'd put them through while a member of the Chaos Union. Still, he'd had a fulfilling life, despite the hardships of the last decade or so. Even now, it was hard to imagine the life he had once led, before he'd learned of this city. It was Neo Arcadia that had managed to give him and his family back any semblance of joy.

As Shroud entered the building, a netnavi greeted him. "Good day, Mr. Taruka. The latest draft of the treaty has arrived. Would you like a copy now?" Strangely enough, he wore a pair of slacks and a black sweater, but the green hair and electronic flickers through his irises gave him away.

Neo Arcadia never ceased to amaze him. A world where humans and copyroids could coexist seemed impossible, but X had found a way to make it so. Granted, several of those considered criminals in other countries fled here to seek amnesty, himself among them, but as a whole, the city was a boon to the world. If only the world could open its eyes enough to see it.

"No thanks, Leite. Send it up to my offices, and I'll look at it later." The green-haired navi nodded and scurried off, most likely to plug himself into a terminal and take the documents up to his office's server. Juno was already up there, having gone this morning after Shroud left the house, and should be able to occupy the navi until he was through speaking with Shroud.

Entering the elevator alone, he wondered why he had been summoned in the first place. X was perfectly capable of sending an email regarding his commands, or arriving within an email himself, although that would be beneath him. But whatever it was, it was surely important. It could be nothing else in a land wracked with such peril. The elevator opened, and Shroud stepped forward, knocking upon X's door.

"Enter."

Shroud hastily knelt as the doors opened themselves. At his desk sat X himself, in copyroid form. He had chosen not to wear his armor today, and wore a simple blue garment and some brown pants. X was never anyone for formal wear, but what navi would be? The red gem that was a symbol of his office still shone on his forehead, as if protesting the efforts against his nation. It was a testament to his skill in diplomacy and politics that the nation had survived so long.

"Hello, Lord X. You wished to see me?" The ruler nodded, indicating a chair in front of his desk with a wave of his hand.

"Yes. Please be seated." Shroud did as he was asked, folding his hands in his lap. "Now Shroud, before I get to the heart of why I have asked you to arrive here, how comes the treaty with Sharo?"

Shroud winced inwardly, but managed to answer. "I haven't worked on it much lately. I've been spending time at home with my wife and children."

To his surprise, X didn't seem angry with him, and he nodded in approval. "Of course. Family is the most important thing. I've been trying to spend more time with my 'children', but it becomes difficult while you're running a country."

Shroud could imagine. X had copied his data four times, modifying it enough to create four separate beings, whom he called his children; Harpuia, Fefnir, Phantom, and Leviathan. The four of them helped X maintain the city and its surroundings, and Shroud knew from his conversations with Harpuia that it took up a great deal of their time; he hadn't spoken directly to any of his siblings in weeks.

"Now, to the matter at hand. There is a serious threat to national security afoot, due to the meddling of the Rebellion. I'm assembling a team to confront them and discover their plans in time to quell any serious attacks. You will be leading them."

Shroud was startled by this turn of events. "But…your dialogues with your faculty have passed the Rebellion off as nothing more than a momentary irritation! And I haven't led a team into any sort of battle since the Chaos Union, and you know how that ended up."

X solemnly looked at Shroud as he spoke, and followed up on his accusation with an answer. "Yes, I did lie to a majority of my staff about the seriousness of this Rebellion. But they have become much more of a threat recently, due to my discovery of their leaders. Drs. Gate, Doppler, Weil, Kain, and Lumina, and their navis."

Shroud leapt to his feet in outrage. "What! They helped build Neo Arcadia, and now they want to destroy it? What madness is this?"

"I have no idea why these five would want to destroy the city. But the fact remains that they do. Now, wouldn't you like to know who you'll be working with?"

Quelled by this unknown bit of information, Shroud sat down in his chair again, tentatively awaiting his leader's response. X began to smile as he read off the list, and Shroud's smile soon matched his own. "Oh, yes. We might have a chance now."

-

-- 7:03 AM, 8498 Floppi Place, Electown, Electopia --

-

"Luke, get out of bed and make your brother breakfast!" Matthias shouted at his firstborn son as he walked through the halls of his home. He tapped on his daughter's door and told her to get up as well, before descending down to the first floor. As a pot of coffee percolated next to the microwave, he sat down at their table, an extension of the kitchen counter with tall chairs to make up for its height.

The entire house was filled to the brim with electronics, not only spare parts, but actual working gadgets as well. The counters, a flecked black marble, were like the proverbial tip of the iceberg; flicking the proper switch at the edge would allow them to become a computer monitor, with portable keyboards within slots below. Turning his computer on, Matthias checked up on his children. He never would use cameras (too primitive to begin with), but an overview of what doors had been opened was enough to tell him that Luke had woken his brother, and then returned to his room, and that Marie was in the bathroom, most likely showering.

Moments later, the coffee zipped around the counter, and Matthias stopped it with his hand while his sons descended the steps. Little Sam was only five years old, and was a shy, withdrawn child. Still, he giggled as he raced down the last few steps and clung onto his father's leg.

"Mornin', Daddy!" Matthias smiled as he bent to pick the boy up, setting him atop the table. He reminded him of Alysse, as always. Not a day went by that he didn't miss his beloved wife. Ironic that she was an herbalist whose rare spices had helped save the lives of others, yet they couldn't save her. Ironic enough to sour sugar.

"Good morning, Sam. You too, Luke." His other son shrugged and opened the refrigerator, grabbing a carton of orange juice and taking a sip from it. Matthias frowned at him, but Luke took little notice and drank from the carton again before finally grabbing a glass and pouring the juice into it. The 16-year old had an impudent streak the likes of which Matthias had never seen in their family, save for his brother, of course. Thank heaven he wasn't nearly as devious.

"What are your plans for today, father?" Luke shoved a pair of bread slices in the toaster and sat across from Sam and his dad. His blue eyes met Matthias', and a momentary red line crossed the iris, the remnant of one of Matthias' inventions. When the boy was about seven years old, he was found to have extremely degenerative vision, meaning that his vision would rapidly grow weaker and weaker over a year or two until he was blind. Quickly throwing something together, Matthias managed to create a laser that had reversed the problem, but left faint red scars upon the iris and cornea that occasionally rose to the surface.

"Not much, Luke. I'll be in the store all day if you kids need me." Luke nodded and began to drink his orange juice. Matthias then returned to his computer, opening his email. An image of Gizmo sorting through mail appeared, the navi looking a bit sleepy.

"Anything interesting today, Gizmo?" His navi shook his head, setting the last of the mail on a stack. Gizmo hadn't changed much since the Chaos Union had disbanded. His blue armor and green shoulder plates were hanging on a rack behind him, seeing as how they no longer got much use, so his traditional wear was nothing more than his maroon bodysuit, red scarf, and occasionally his blue crested helmet.

"Not a thing, Matthias. As usual, you've got orders there, bills here, and spam is already deleted." Gizmo indicated each pile in turn, with a self-assured nod for each one.

"All right, well you can take care of the orders; I'll pay off these bills." So they went to work, Gizmo disturbed only by spam, and Matthias only disturbed by Sam.

Finally, they finished their work, approximately at the same time. Luke had already retreated to his room, Marie had been in and out about six times, and Matthias had finally managed to get Sam to watch television in the other room. "Well, that's everything, Gizmo." He checked his watch, noting that he needed to open the store in a half-hour or so. "Time to go to work."

Gizmo nodded and was about to transfer into his operator's PET when another email came through. "Hang on a sec, let me read this…" His voice trailed off, causing Matthias to glance down at the screen.

"What is it? It can't be that bad." Matthias drank the last of his coffee and put his cup in the sink; something for Luke to do later. "Come on, who's it from?"

"Matthias…it's from Shroud!"

"What?" Matthias rushed over to the screen, trying to read the infinitely small writing on the digital envelope. "Are you sure?"

Gizmo nodded, fully opening the email. "I don't recognize the address, but it's him alright. Hurry, read it." Matthias did as he was told, skimming through the contents as they appeared on the screen.

"…We need to get to Neo Arcadia, Gizmo." His navi nodded, folding the email up and beaming himself into Matthias' PET as he headed upstairs. He stopped at Luke's door and knocked quickly, his son opening the door after a few moments.

"What's up, Dad? Aren't you leaving for work?"

"Luke, I need you to run the store today. Grab your things and let's head across the street." With no other words of explanation, Matthias hurried back down the steps, grabbing a coat, briefcase, and his PET.

Luke rolled his eyes and turned back into the room, slipping shoes on quickly. "This had better be good," he muttered to his netnavi before running out after his father.

Terretronics was just a block down from their home, on the border between the residential and commercial districts. When Luke exited the house, Matthias was already halfway down the block, and he had to run to catch up. "Dad, what's the deal? You don't have any meetings today, otherwise you'd have told me before now."

"Something has come up. I need to take the jet overseas." Matthias palmed the security scanner at the store entrance and stepped inside, setting his briefcase on one of the checkout counters before continuing deeper into the store. "All the employees still listen to you, right?"

"Yeah, they're mostly my age, but Dad, overseas?" Luke hurried along behind his father like a lost puppy, albeit a confused one. "What could you possibly have to do overseas where there's less than a day's notice?"

Matthias stopped in the back, typing a security code into a partially concealed console. "I wish I knew." A door opened, revealing a small elevator, able to hold about two or three people. Matthias got in, his son following.

"Where are you going anyways? You wouldn't need the jet for a conference; they'd just send you a plane."

Matthias sighed and ran his hands through his hair, an old habit that had never managed to die out. "Luke, I don't know much more than you right now, all right? Now I'll tell you all about it when I get home." The doors opened, and Matthias stepped through, walking straight for the jet.

One of the few remnants of the Chaos Union Matthias used on any frequent basis, the jet was built for about half a dozen, although about nine could (and did) fit in it. Among the fastest in the world, the government believed it destroyed after the disbanding of the Union. Of course, the fact that Terretronics helped build several of their state-of-the-art machines and weaponry made them a little 'forgetful' as well when their scanners detected it. Still, he'd need to make sure he cloaked it this time; they couldn't know where he was going.

The jet opened its door, a walkway extending from the edge of the entrance. "Now, make sure that Marie is taking care of Sam while you're at work, and tell her that if he gets out of hand to bring him over so you and the staff can help, all right. And if I'm not back by dinner, throw a pizza in or something; no takeout. And no friends over. If you want to go somewhere, that's fine, but either you or Marie needs to be at home with Sam, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, standard procedure. But why can't you tell me where you're going?" Matthias stopped halfway up the walkway and turned back towards his son.

"Because they won't let me." With that, he continued into the jet, taking the pilot's seat. Luke waved a moment, and then hurried down into the store, so that his ears weren't harmed when the jet took off, despite the sonic dampeners installed. The roof of the building peeled back, revealing the open expanse of the sky above. Matthias cracked his knuckles and plugged his PET into the system before taking hold of the controls.

"Showtime." The engines ignited, taking Matthias into the air and one step closer to death.

-

-- 10: 36 AM, Core Building, Neo Arcadia --

-

Shroud finished off his lunch with one last bite, consuming the small sandwich that had been his first meal since six in the morning. He then took a large swallow of water before gathering his garbage and hurriedly tossing it into the trash.

"Shroud, relax. Most of the team should be arriving soon; you don't need to lose your cool over something as mundane as a reunion." Juno, ever the serious one, had taken on holographic form, extending about four inches above his PET. "Everyone who needed a ride is on their way, and everyone else should be here within an hour or so."

"I know, Juno, but I just get this…feeling. Like something is wrong." His navi rolled his eyes, and Shroud grabbed his PET before standing up. He exited the half-empty lunchroom and entered the atrium, intending to head up to his offices and get some work done on that treaty.

"Shroud?"

He turned, looking to see who was speaking. A man stood behind him, familiar in some way. Something about his hair, maybe his eye color, or the navi on his shoulder…"Matthias?" Shroud walked up to his old friend with some hesitation. "That you?"

Matthias nodded, now smiling. "I see you've gotten into high places again, old friend. Might I discover why I've been so urgently called to an enemy state?" His words were cheerful, but the slight barb behind them still lurked. Matthias and Shroud had a small falling out as the Chaos Union disbanded. While Matthias was through, Shroud still wanted to keep the group going in secret. They had never really managed to get past it, especially since this was the first time they had seen each other in years.

"Matthias…I need your help. Lord X needs your help." Shroud nearly broke his promise to X and told Matthias everything, but luckily, someone else entered the building. Brian hadn't changed a bit since their days in the Chaos Union, except perhaps age was beginning to slow him down.

"Hello," he said simply. Shroud was almost surprised; out of all the members on X's list, Brian had been the least likely to come. Shroud wasn't even sure why he had come. His reasons for leaving the Union had never been revealed, not to anyone, but he had only escaped their disbanding by a month or two.

Shroud was a bit puzzled by his appearance alone. He had told everyone that if they needed transportation, they should reply with their location. Matthias and Brian were the only two here who hadn't replied. Now, Matthias probably still had his old jet, but how Brian could have gotten here so quickly was another question, one he'd never get to ask.

Matthias opened his mouth to ask Brian how he'd been, but was interrupted by the sound of several people falling through a revolving door. Turning, he saw that the group transport had apparently arrived, with Link, Pavo, and Raymond sprawled across the floor, the revolving door currently squishing Link. The trio rolled their eyes and helped the others up. "Never grew up, did you guys?"

Raymond got to his feet and seemed to take offense for a second before laughing. "Yeah, I suppose. But at least I didn't pour nitro into the boat's engine." Among the least experienced of the Union, Raymond Merlo hadn't changed much. A bit taller, the stubble of a beard apparent, but not much else had changed.

"Well it got us here faster, didn't it?" Link's voice had lost its childish squeak, but the childish tone was still there. Youngest of the Union, he would be just past thirty, but still didn't seem to have grown up. "Besides, it was better than liquid cheese. By the way, do you still have some of that?"

Pavo nodded, the Mexican holding a large bag that was miraculously unharmed by his fall through the door. Pavo had actually been one of the few Chaos Union members Matthias had heard anything about. While rumors had been going around that a hero had come to the secluded valley of Hyrule, a hero who only could be Link, Pavo had actually made news by making the third-world country of Mexico internet compatible, and managed to run the country for a few years before recently being voted out of office.

Shroud spoke up before Link and Pavo could begin their cheese frenzy. "All right, come on. Now that everyone's here, let's head up to speak with X." He led the way back to the elevator, pushing the button for the top floor once they were all inside.

Moments later, the five visiting ex-Chaos Union members were seated in X's office, their former leader standing beside X. The leader of Neo Arcadia had donned his ceremonial armor for the occasion, a mix of blue and gold. "Let me begin by thanking you all for coming. Our country is in dire peril, and you are the only ones I believe I can trust."

X gave Shroud some sort of signal with his eyes, and he stepped forward, beginning to speak. "The last time we all saw each other was in this very building, after our last mission. We had been assigned to guard Dr. Yuichirou Hikari as he presented his idea for a world where netnavis and humans could mingle freely, and his new navi design known only as Project X. He was worried that terrorists might target him to destroy his dream in one fell swoop. Sadly, he was right."

"As you all know, I was kidnapped earlier in the day by the terrorists and replaced with a copyroid. Since my part in the mission was mostly advisory, you never realized I wasn't with you until it was too late. I managed to escape, but as I ran inside the auditorium, I could only watch in horror as the copyroid drew a gun and killed Dr. Hikari."

"In the following chaos, I was able to make my way to the stage and reveal to you the treachery of the terrorists. But the damage was done. X managed to hide in this building's server until the confusion was over, ironically manifesting himself in the same copyroid that killed his creator. As for us, we fled to the roof, where I said my goodbyes to you for what you may have thought was the last time. Then, I cross-fused with Juno and left, allowing you to escape."

"I know I stayed in correspondence with you for several months while you tried to clear my name, but it was futile. Through your connections in the ONB, some of you were able to keep them from destroying the base per my instructions, despite the disbanding of the Union. That was my home for the next two years. Myself, Irine, and Seija, who was less than a year old when we disbanded. After the base was destroyed, the family and I were forced to live on the streets, my rudimentary skill in ninjitsu the only thing getting us the food to survive."

"We spent seven years that way. Moving from place to place, trying to survive. It was a harsh upbringing for my daughter. I ended up selling every battlechip I owned except my VariableSword." He fished through his pocket a moment before pulling out a battle-scarred chip, having seen more than two decades of fighting and suffering.

"But then I managed to find him," X interjected before Shroud became lost in nostalgia. "Ever since I'd managed to create a sovereign nation out of the ruined complex, one of my top priorities was finding the one who'd been so wronged by my dream. When I found Shroud, he and his family were living in Nation Z, hiding in the homes of others. I offered him a position and a home in Neo Arcadia. He gladly accepted."

Shroud then continued with the tale. "Ever since then, Irine and I have made our home here. I cannot openly leave, as I'm wanted for the murder of Dr. Hikari, but life is still nice here, in a land where netnavis and humans can interact peacefully. We've had two more children since then, Saishi, who's five, and Seitoka, who was born just a few months ago."

Matthias was stricken by Shroud's tale. The stubborn fool could have come to him for help! Still, what's done was done. "But why do you need us now? Surely you didn't call us all the way here to catch up on old times?"

Shroud shook his head. "We have a crisis here. A Rebellion is brewing, led by some of Neo Arcadia's most prominent scientists, the first to help X build his dream. And we don't have the ability to stop it without your help."

Shroud sighed, knowing this last bit wouldn't go over well. "Guys…the Chaos Union needs to go on one more mission."